Chapter 7
Kuroko walked to class feeling so euphoric that he didn't even attempt to listen to the teacher's lectures for the next two periods. He just sat there pretending to take notes and frequently staring out the window when in reality, he was thinking about their completed bond.
After such a long time waiting, he had almost given up hope, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he found them.
As soon as the bell rung, he packed his bags as fast as he could so he could make it the 'Generation of Miracles' private rooms.
He was unaware that his bond mates were so well-known until he overheard an alarming amount of students and teachers talking about them. He was also unaware that all his bond mates had high-ranking connections and were each influential in their own ways-ranging from owning multiple hospitals (Midorima), sports centers and facilities (Aomine), food franchises (Murasakibara), fashion and modelling agencies (Kise) and law firms and banks (Akashi)-until he read some newly released newspaper articles.
He had initially thought that their success was through the connections available to them by their family ties, but it wasn't. They were each prolific in their industries and professions because of their passion for it. They each singlehandedly built their own empires and rose to the top and together their staggering successes combined are nothing short of a miracle. That was the reason why they're called the 'generation of miracles' and his shock and awe of their achievements when they explained it to him yesterday amused them greatly. He also discovered that they've been together for two years already and the rumours of them being bond mates have just been recently speculated by the public.
Understanding the reason behind the obsessive focus people had on his bond mates was not hard, but what was hard to understand were the hints of fear he could see gleaming in some of their teachers' eyes.
Kuroko arrived at their place in record time and softly entered with a small bounce in his step. He made a bee line to the lounge room and sure enough they were all there.
Kise was laying on his stomach around a spread of magazines and textbooks reading intently with a pair of bright green headphones on.
Aomine was lying on the couch with his head pillowed on Midorima's thighs watching a baseball game on the TV whilst Midorima was holding a blue porcelain owl on one hand, and flicking through a thick medical tome balanced precariously on the couch arm with the other hand. Akashi was on the other end of the couch going through a rather thick dossier and Murasakibara was sitting cross-legged near Kise with a lollipop in his mouth and a tablet on his lap.
His bonding with them yesterday must have taken a lot of their time from doing important work, and he couldn't help but feel guilty about that.
...which was apparently a misguided idea on his part if Aomine's glare was any indication.
Narrowing his eyes at Kuroko, Aomine commandingly waved him over. Kuroko walked over to the couch and sat in front of Aomine on the floor. Aomine gave a triumphant smirk and reached out a hand to touch his head, casually ignoring the tiny flinch he gave. The rhythmic stroking of a hand through his hair made him feel like purring and from the amused gleam in Aomine's eyes he suspected that Aomine had predicted what he was thinking. Reaching out a hand Kuroko retaliated by lightly pinching Aomine's ear.
Aomine's eyes sharpened with mischievousness and he was about to pinch Kuroko's nose when an amused voice said,
"Daiki, I think that if you disturb Shintaro from his reading with your wriggling, he might curse you with Oha-asa again. I recalled the last time that happened you were so traumatized by the frogs that kept jumping out at you from random places that you swore to eradicate all amphibians from this planet."
Aomine shuddered at the horrific memories that that evoked and hastily moved away from his human pillow. Akashi was evil. He was the ultimate manifestation of evil and the constant cunning gleam in his eyes totally supported Aomine's case.
"Che...those stupid frogs were so creepy with their bulging eyes. They scare everybody not just me, Seijuro."
Akashi said nothing. He just sat there and smirked that irksome shark-like grin at Aomine.
After a while Akashi gave Kuroko a warm smile and a gentle caress on the cheek when he stood up and headed towards the kitchen area.
From the kitchen area they heard Akashi asking them,
"Do you all want to go get some lunch at the dining hall now? We have two hours left before classes start."
Akashi's question was met with enthusiastic replies from Murasakibara, Aomine and Kise, and nods of confirmation from Midorima and Kuroko.
So they left, not caring about the mess strewn about the lounge area.
When they arrived at the dining hall there wasn't a significant amount of students still getting food and it was relatively empty and peaceful since the majority usually ate at during the lunch time 'rush hour'. Normally that's when the dining hall is at its busiest and most crowded.
After each of them grabbed some food they settled on a private area on the second floor reserved for the student council members. Kuroko grabbed a container of salad and some slices of fruits and hoped that his stomach could subside on this until the next time he managed to earn some money for more food.
He scarfed down his food as innocently as he could. However, by the end of his meal his stomach still felt like it was going to drop out of his body in hunger. He hunched his shoulders slightly and turned his eyes towards the windows to dampen his gnawing yearning for some more food.
A clink on the table in front of him startled him, and Kuroko stared at the plate of spaghetti in confusion. Did they want him to sprinkle some cheese on it?
He reached towards the flavour containers to grab the cheese one when Akashi's hand grabbed his wrist. Kuroko turned to face Akashi in confusion when he was met with five pair of eyes. Five pairs of smoldering eyes. He was afraid that he had done something to offend them when Akashi gently said,
"It's for you Tetsuya. You don't need to hide from us, we're not blind."
Akashi reached out a hand and cupped Kuroko's cheek and the gesture along with the words brought the beginning sting of tears to his eyes.
"So...don't hide. Not from us because we're here and we will always stay with you."
The absolute unwavering confidence in Akashi's voice might have sounded arrogant and presumptuous to other people, but it made Kuroko yearn to believe him. To believe the promise that the words held. To finally reveal the secrets and reality of his past and his present. To be able to lessen the heaviness of his nightmares, memories and feelings.
But... he could not show them. He could not ask them to sacrifice their reputations and their lives to help him. It ripped his heart apart just thinking that he might be dooming his bond mates to the cruelty of his world. He would gladly live in pain and servitude for the rest of his life if it meant that he could protect and spare them from being forced into the same shackles he's trapped in. If it meant that he had to lie, cheat and commit the most despicable crimes just to survive and stay with them, he would gladly do so.
Kuroko closed his eyes and leaned into the warmth of Akashi's palm. He nodded his head but inside in his heart, he was mourning because he knew that he could not keep his promise.
Hey guys :-) Thank you for reading and supporting this story. From this point onwards it will be more plotty so I hope you guys enjoy it! :-D
