"As a teenager, Kuroo had to learn to grow in an environment that, while not being hostile per se, did not necessarily provide the best framework for his introspective inquiries. Being 13 years old in Shakotan, a small town on the west coast of Hokkaido, hasn't always been easy. In middle school, most of his friends, 12-13-year-old kids already bombarded with hormones, loved to look at lingerie catalog models during recess. And yes, Kuroo had to lie countless times: "Hey Kuroo, which one's your favorite?" A difficult question when clearly the opulent breasts of lingerie models appeared less attractive to him than the musculature of the mechanic on the cover of "Turbo Mechanic" in the shop window at the corner of his street."
Chapter 12: Purgatory
As a teenager, Kuroo had to learn to grow in an environment that, while not being hostile per se, did not necessarily provide the best framework for his introspective inquiries. Being 13 years old in Shakotan, a small town on the west coast of Hokkaido, hasn't always been easy. In middle school, most of his friends, 12-13-year-old kids already bombarded with hormones, loved to look at lingerie catalog models during recess. And yes, Kuroo had to lie countless times: "Hey Kuroo, which one's your favorite?" A difficult question when clearly the opulent breasts of lingerie models appeared less attractive to him than the musculature of the mechanic on the cover of "Turbo Mechanic" in the shop window at the corner of his street.
His parents had never said anything that could make him fear any rejection, but they never talked about that kind of thing with him either. Before he realized it, it had never crossed his mind that a man could love another man. He had spent two years secretly fantasizing about mechanics without knowing that other people on Earth could feel the same way as him. His greatest help, undoubtedly, had been the internet, which had answered many of his questions and led him to meet a bunch of people who had helped him find himself, understand himself, and accept himself. So, in a moment of existential crisis like the one he was experiencing now, he turned to the source of all wisdom: the internet.
And just like in the early days of his identity quest, he did this in the dead of the night. Yes, he had a biochemistry exam the next day, and sleep would have been a far wiser occupation, but realistically, he had been staring at the ceiling for hours, so he might as well put his mind at ease.
Kuroo picked up his phone and made sure to open a page in incognito mode: no way the corporations that were already tracking him legally could use the data from the searches he was about to do, and he certainly didn't want targeted ads based on that. He looked at the search bar for a long time, not knowing how to intelligibly express what was on his mind. Finally, he sighed loudly and typed, "Can I have multiple crushes at once?" He hit enter and closed his eyes, somewhat embarrassed about what he had just fed the search engine. Fortunately for him, seeing the number of results found, he was relieved to realize that he hadn't been the first one to ask this question.
He quickly noted that most inquiries were aimed at women, given the sweet tone of some articles and the almost exclusive use of feminine pronouns. "Glamour: The 12 types of crushes that all girls will experience at least once in their life." Kuroo sighed. Given the title, the article seemed oriented towards an editorial line that was meagerly intellectual, sexist, and sadly heteronormative, but Kuroo desperately needed answers. He clicked on the link.
"The 12 types of crushes on guys that all girls will inevitably encounter one day, here they are." Okay... off to a good start.
"No. 1, the celebrity crush: you have posters of him everywhere in your room that you gaze lovingly at before falling asleep, and you have already imagined every detail of your wedding." Kuroo stopped for a moment to think about it. He remembered that for a long time, he had displayed a photo of the volleyball team that had won the 1972 Olympics in his room, a photo he had cut out from an old magazine he found in his father's things. But he didn't remember thinking anything romantic about them... Well, okay, he had fantasized about the mechanic on page 62 of the March 2008 edition of "Turbo Mechanic" hidden under his pillow, but that wasn't really a celebrity crush... Next!
"No. 2, the work crush: the guy who's not necessarily your type and who wouldn't have interested you if you had met him in any other circumstances, but who you feel your little heart fluster for now you've spent three months, nine hours a day in an open space with him." Kuroo made a face. A big no on that one; the only people who could fit this description were Chris and Oikawa, and while his heart trembled at the thought, it was more of horror than anything else.
He scrolled through the page and skipped directly to the 4th.
"No. 4: The 'I keep running into him' crush: you take the bus, he's there, you go shopping, he's three too! He works in your favorite store, and he jogs in the same park as you; coincidence? I don't think so! Go ahead, go for it."
This time, Kuroo had a clear impression that it was more about a dangerous predator than an ordinary citizen living his life innocently. The advice to "go for it" seemed entirely reasonable: get out, change your phone number and apartment before he accidentally shows up in your living room dressed in your underwear and wielding a kitchen knife. Upon reflection, the description oddly matched his first encounters with Sugawara... Kuroo shuddered. The image of Sugawara in a nightgown in his kitchen armed with a knife appeared abominably terrifying for two very different reasons: 1- He was his friend, no homo 2- This guy was creepy when he wanted to be, and Kuroo would be right to fear for his life in a situation like the one depicted in his mind. Next!
"n°5: The barista crush: the guy who works at the coffee shop around the corner, who hands you your latte with a little wink. No, no, it's not because the coffee there is very good that you go there every morning, but because he melts your heart!"
Kuroo froze. Damn... Guilty. Akaashi could fit this description. He never winked at him—or Kuroo would have already died of a heart attack by now—but he always smiled at him while handing him his coffee... A smile to damn all the freaking saints and make archangels turn pale with jealousy... He had to admit that his heart was not immune to it. He swallowed and continued reading.
"n°6, the inappropriate crush."
Yuck, what now? A crush on your cousin, your brother's crack dealer? Nope!
"n°7: the anger crush: between hate and love, there's only one step..."
Kuroo let out a little laugh. Ah, the famous "enemy to lover," Kuroo was himself pretty familiar with this trope... In high school, he had spent almost two years hating on the captain of the basketball team (those sneaky bastards always stole their training slots) and ended up dating him for several months at the end of high school... Good times.
"n°8, the Fun-crush: the guy who leaves you rolling with laughter every time you meet, and don't they say 'make her laugh, you're halfway there", well, that might as well be true."
Kuroo blushed: especially when the person in question is built like a living god... There was nothing to deny on that front. Bokuto did indeed leave him "rolling with laughter ", and as for the rest of the sentence, he certainly wouldn't say no...
Kuroo let his head fall back into his pillow, bored by his own sappiness. After zoning out for a while, he picked up his phone again. He scrolled down the page, not feeling particularly concerned about the rest of the list: no, he wasn't about to have a crush on his best friend's husband... No, not on the dirty-haired teenager singing in his favorite bar...
"n°12: the childhood crush."
Thanks, Sherlock, he was very aware...
"You will definitely have some, if not all, of these crushes in your life; they will mark your journey, and who knows, among them, maybe the right one will be hidden!"
Great, that was really helpful! What did that mean? Three at once in the "12 types of ridiculous crushes that will torment you and make you feel miserable" bingo, ô joy! Did he get a special prize now?
He sighed.
He reread the last paragraph several times, but each time got stuck on the last words: "maybe the right one will be hidden among them"...
"The right one"...
This providential statement made him increasingly uneasy, and he didn't know what to do with the unpleasantly gloomy feeling starting to grow within him. Ten minutes of reading for… nothing. He pressed the back arrow to return to browsing. Fashion magazine, mushy blog... oh, a forum reeking of teen angst: perfect!
Yuki89 asks: "Is it normal to have multiple crushes at the same time?" and so on, etc., a story he didn't care about, but the question nonetheless seemed to perfectly match his concerns!
To this question, "Flexilus8516" answered: yes.
Well, there you go, end of the story, if "Flexilus8516" said so, it was probably true, no more worries, life could go on. Certainly, the problem was not exactly solved.
To the same question, "Xixi-StartDust" had replied: "yes, but if you want to go further, you'll have to choose!"
Kuroo continued to stare at his screen until it became completely blurry. Finally, he blinked and laid his phone back on his chest. Two things had bothered him in that sentence: the "go further" and "choose." He completely understood the definition, but the application seemed obscure to him.
Did he want to go further?
No answer. "Thank you for your non-participation, dear conscience," he said to himself (said conscience didn't bother to answer).
Just because he had recurring tachycardic episodes in the presence of these charming gentlemen didn't mean he wanted to go further, right? It would be better for his physical (and mental) health, anyway... Well, if the mechanic from page 62 showed up in his room tomorrow, would he go further? No, certainly not!
He had to reconsider his words by imagining the scene... Maybe it wouldn't bother him that much after all... Well, it was more of a fantasy, nothing really concrete. Kuroo sighed and rested his phone against his chest.
"Go further." The more he thought about it, the more his thoughts distorted in his head, silent and loud echoes at the same time, ultimately turning into a dull and heavy hum. The lack of sleep didn't help, taking his mind on shifting paths that only lovers of late hours could know, a serenity covering the turmoil of a silent storm. The great cyclone in his head eventually engulfed him, and he sank into a heavy sleep.
He was awakened by the sound of rain. Opening his eyes, he realized he was sitting on the steps of a building. What was he doing there again? He stood up and turned around... Akaashi was there under his large umbrella. The rain stopped, and the sunlight surrounded the young man in front of him, painting him like a holy figure. Akaashi winked at him and closed the umbrella. Kuroo said nothing, hypnotized. He then felt Akaashi's hand entwine with his, and felt him put his arm around his back to pull him closer. He whispered, his breath caressing his neck: "The rain stopped."
Kuroo woke up, feeling on the verge of suffocation, his heart pounding so hard against his chest that he lost his breath.
"Bro, are you okay?"
Kuroo turned, his eyes falling directly on Bokuto, who was looking at him with concern. They were in the university library, sitting at a table between two large wings of books. Kuroo looked down, realizing that he must have fallen asleep on his notebooks.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't realize I fell asleep," he heard himself say.
"Bro, you've been drooling on your books for 20 minutes."
"Damn it, why didn't you wake me up?"
Bokuto rested his head against his fist, smiling at him.
"Nahh, you were too cute, I wasn't going to do that!"
Kuroo chuckled.
"Too cute?"
Bokuto just nodded. He settled back in his chair, sighed loudly, and started stretching like a big cat.
"Dude, I can't take it anymore, I'm soooo bored... You know what would be cool?"
"No?" Kuroo asked, a smile already forming on his lips.
"The trampoline park !"
Kuroo frowned.
"These idiots ?! Nah,we're not going back there, are we?"
"Oh yeah... We can go downtown then... Or we can go back to the pond, we couldn't pet the swan last time!"
"That jerk slipped through our fingers!"
"Shall we go then?"
"Of course! That damn swan deserves some love!"
Bokuto leaped from his chair.
"You're the best!"
He grabbed Kuroo by the collar of his sweatshirt and pulled him into a kiss. Kuroo smiled into the kiss and put his hands on Bokuto's neck.
Kuroo opened his eyes, breathless, his heart pounding. He couldn't see a thing, and the darkness only heightened his anxiety.
"Tetsu?"
The light blinded him for a moment, but he quickly got used to it and turned his head toward the voice that had called him. On the other side of the bed, Kenma was looking at him, sleepy-eyed, looking a bit worried.
"Are you okay?" the blond asked.
"Yes, just a dream..."
"A nightmare?
"I don't remember..."
Kenma nodded. He adjusted his pillow and settled back under the covers.
"Come here."
He opened his arms. Kuroo approached to rest his head against his chest. He heard Kenma turn off the light before turning to hug him. Kenma planted a kiss on the top of his head before whispering:
"Go back to sleep."
Kuroo opened his eyes. The glow of streetlights illuminated his apartment in evanescent beams of light. He heard the first train pass at Nishi-nippori station, making the metal structures in front of his building vibrate. He was back to reality. Why did he feel so dull then? He turned to face the ceiling. He looked at it for a while. He could remember every second of his dreams as if they were memories rather than fanciful fabrics of his mind. The grand euphoria felt in the dream had oxidized upon contact with reality and had become acid, corrosive, and painful. He let out a heavy sigh, and let the tears roll down his face.
-/-
Despite his cruel lack of sleep, Kuroo managed to get through his biochemistry exam without major issues. Sure, he had to take a five-minute nap in the restroom before going back to his exam, but this brief boost of energy was more than enough. Fortunately for him, his insomnia didn't occur the night before his neurophysiology midterm; the consequences would have been much more serious in that case. He even finished early and, being the good friend he was, was currently waiting for Oikawa in front of the lecture hall. The latter appeared just as the rest of the students were leaving the exam room, conversations already buzzing with discussions and comparisons of answers. They greeted each other with a wave and left the building side by side.
"How did it go?" asked Kuroo.
Oikawa clicked his tongue, and replied, "It went well, of course. Failure is impossible for me."
Amused, Kuroo raised an eyebrow, "That's not what you were saying two days ago when you were whining in front of your revision notes!"
The diva looked deeply offended by this remark, "First of all, I wasn't 'whining,' I..."
"You were being dramatic. You're right, nothing new."
"No. And fuck you."
Kuroo chuckled. That was enough to break Oikawa out of his diva act, and he let out a smile.
"All right, I admit I had a moment of weakness. Thanks for helping me."
The brunet looked shocked, "What? The great Oikawa Tōru, thanking me? No!"
Oikawa rolled his eyes, "And I'm the drama queen here..."
"I couldn't possibly usurp the title that rightfully belongs to you, my dear."
"Damn, but you're really in good shape," complained Oikawa. "Stepping out to jerk off during the exam did put you in a good mood."
Kuroo almost choked on his saliva, "What? No, not at all!"
Oikawa raised an eyebrow, a suggestive smile on his lips, "You were gone for quite a while though."
"First of all, you should have focused on your exam rather than my activities. Second of all, I was just taking a nap."
"A nap? Yeah right."
"I swear!"
"Who takes naps during an exam?"
"I needed a micro nap, and for your information, it was very effective! I just slept badly last night."
"Yeah... What kept you awake?"
"Ugh, nothing. I just kept having weird dreams..."
"Wet dreams? Is that why you took a 'micro-nap'?"
"No!"
Wet dreams? If only! His mind would have been more at ease. No, no, much worse : his brain had decided to serve him up "domestic fluff" in various forms, much more challenging to explain than a wet dream.
They exchanged a complicit look, and silence fell.
Kuroo gradually detached himself from the world around him, his thoughts quickly overwhelming him with a myriad of questions.
"You're sure everything's okay?" Oikawa said, surprising him with the concerned and benevolent tone in his voice.
"Uh... Yeah, no problem. Why?"
Oikawa-the-diva immediately made a comeback, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, unimpressed by what was evidently a lie.
"Dude, you reek of stress, and you took a nap in the middle of an exam. I don't have to be a genius to see that something's wrong."
A smile appeared on the brunet's lips, touched to see the chestnut-haired worried about him.
"No, don't worry. It's just the exams and everything getting on my nerves."
"Mmm," Oikawa uttered, still unconvinced.
"I swear, no worries."
"Okay."
They resumed their walk.
"Wait... what do you mean I 'reek' of stress?" Kuroo stopped once again.
Oikawa looked at him as if he were profoundly stupid, "I don't understand which word you don't get."
"'Reek,' like, is it figurative? I've never heard that expression."
"...Oh no, it's completely literal. You literally stink."
"Okay, thanks for still gracing me with your company."
"You're welcome."
And he continued walking.
"But how 'literal'?" Kuroo tucked his nose under his jacket; he still smelled good.
Oikawa waved his arms, disoriented by his friend's cruel lack of intelligence.
"Don't get upset; I don't understand how I can smell an emotion!"
Oikawa seemed dismayed. "It's not your emotion; it's the physiological response, you big puddle of noodles."
Kuroo stood in the middle of the path, perplexed. What? And then, "big puddle of noodles," was that really an insult?
Oikawa dropped his face into his hands and sighed loudly. Kuroo still didn't move. The chestnut-haired took a deep breath, clearly indicating that he was making a superhuman effort to remain friendly.
"I'll assume you just haven't connected the dots... Kuroo, when you stress, you release..."
"Um... cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine?"
"There you go..."
Kuroo didn't seem particularly impressed.
Oikawa sighed. "Basically, it increases the concentration of these hormones in your body, and... it changes your scent."
"Okay..."
"You don't seem convinced."
"Um... I don't know; I just never noticed... Never had someone say to me, 'I can smell that you're producing more cortisol than usual.'"
Oikawa seemed irritated, but his eyes betrayed a certain amusement.
"That's what you get for hanging out with clueless betas!"
"I didn't have much of a choice, and given the gang, I caught up! Plus, you guys have an overdeveloped sense of smell !"
Oikawa frowned, "What does my sense of smell have to do with your ignorance?"
"No, it's not fair!"
"Yeah okay, I have a more developed VNO than you, but..."
"A what?"
"VNO, but..."
Oikawa didn't finish his sentence upon seeing Kuroo's expression.
"Do you know what it means?"
"Very nauseous orangutang?" ventured Kuroo.
Oikawa chuckled, "No, vomeronasal organ."
"Oh, of course, yeah obviously "
"I still wonder how you can be both so intelligent and yet so dumb at the same time."
Kuroo had to admit that the Japanese education system had missed some points in his education. Being constantly reminded of this wasn't necessarily pleasant, but he had learned to take it with humor.
"You should start a club with Tsukki. Fortunately, I have the incredible chance to be in the presence of an eminent being who will lift me out of my abysmal incompetence."
Oikawa rolled his eyes but couldn't help but let out a smile.
"It's an organ that detects pheromones."
"Oh... I didn't know that... Another thing I don't have..."
"What else do you not have? Neurons?"
"I was going to say my dignity, but that works too," joked Kuroo.
The remark made the chestnut-haired laugh.
"All this to say that I might have a more developed VNO than you, but you can still notice it without it."
"Notice what? Sorry, it's the mourning for my VNO that weighs on me; I forgot the beginning of the conversation."
"Changes in scent in response to a physiological response caused by an emotion."
"Oh, yes, couldn't we have had an easier topic?"
"What? Like why you went to jerk off during an exam?"
"Exactly, want the details?"
"With pleasure. I'm listening."
Kuroo smiled, amused that his friends had followed him, but now unable to continue on that path without it becoming very disturbing.
"So, you were saying... changes in scents in response to the physiological response of an emotion, an eminently important subject."
"Indeed."
"And you were telling me that I, poor clueless beta that I am, also possessed this superpower."
"To a lesser extent, yes."
"I didn't know you were so well-versed in the olfactory capabilities of betas," said Kuroo, intentionally trying to be provocative.
"I grew up with betas, Kuroo. I didn't discover them at 22," replied Oikawa in a haughty tone that the brunet knew well. "And my mate is a beta."
"Valid argument."
"Obviously."
Kuroo pretended to repeat his words with an outrageously childish pout. Strangely, it was what made Oikawa relax, and he smiled genuinely.
"I know that non-betas communicate a lot, um... olfactively, but can you recognize other emotions? Or I don't know, something like that? " asked Kuroo, genuinely interested.
"Hmm... Alphas and omegas can change the intensity or type of pheromones they release... we can convey most basic information..."
"Cool!"
"With betas, it's different; most olfactory signals happen unintentionally... So fear, stress... irritation, attraction, and..." - a mischievous smile appeared on his lips - "coitus."
Kuroo stopped again, stunned. "What?"
Oikawa crossed his arms, maintaining his smile, which clearly didn't hide the suggestive tone of his words. "Really?"
Oikawa nodded. "Until the hormonal rush completely dissipates. That's why I know you didn't go jerk off during the exam."
"Ah... so you were just saying that to mess with me?"
"Yep."
"Hmm..."
Kuroo remained momentarily speechless. Before a disgusted grimace appeared on his face.
"So, does that mean that whenever you meet someone, you can tell if they fucked?"
"Basically, yes..."
The news delighted and disturbed Kuroo equally. His curiosity spoke for him. "Okay, tell me about them, then." Kuroo gestured toward a group of young people a few meters away.
"I'm on suppressors now, it doesn't work."
"Ah, that's reassuring... So 90% of the time, you don't know."
"Hmm... Well, I do; I just need to know someone's usual smell well enough to notice. Like your, for example."
"What you're telling me is deeply troubling," Kuroo confessed.
"I know," replied Oikawa, tapping his nose.
"Stop!" complained Kuroo, squirming in discomfort.
Oikawa chuckled.
Kuroo thought about all those solitary pleasures he had allowed himself during morning showers before going to class... where he sat next to Oikawa... Just thinking about it made him shudder in horror. He would now consider adapting his "extracurricular activities" to avoid this kind of embarrassment. He couldn't believe it took him 22 years to learn such a crucial piece of information...
"Well, I'll be on my way then; I wouldn't want Iwa-chan to wait too long."
"Oh yes, what would he do without you?" the brunet said sarcastically.
"He would be lost, I, the light of his life, honey of his existence, his absolute and only!"
Kuroo rolled his eyes. "Never too much"
"Never," affirmed Oikawa, amused.
His phone vibrated in his hand, and he continued, "Speaking of devil, he's texting me, 'where are you, my beloved, I long for you.'"
"I doubt it, knowing him, he probably wrote something like, 'where are you, move your ass, Shittykawa,'" Kuroo suggested.
"Six of one, half a dozen of the other! Wait, he's calling me." - he answered the call - "Yes, apple of my eye, love of my life?"
Kuroo chuckled, imagining the face Iwaizumi was probably making on the other end of the line. Although he didn't hear the reply, which he imagined was quite biting, it seemed to delight Oikawa. His face lit up with a youthful and genuine smile. Kuroo had seen him wear such an expression before but seeing him like this was always profoundly touching.
"Kuroo, see you tomorrow," said his friend softly, putting his hand on the microphone.
He waved goodbye, and Oikawa resumed the conversation as he walked away. Kuroo watched him go, a smile on his lips.
"Apple of my eye, love of my life, I swear," he murmured to himself, amused by the grandiose absurdity of his friend.
Was it really so absurd? Over the top, certainly, but absurd... He thought again about Oikawa's smile, genuine and loving. Without really knowing the reason why, he felt his own heart grow heavier, and his smile faded. He stopped, halted by the buzzing and deafening flow of thoughts crossing his mind. He couldn't escape it for long...
He sighed, raised his head, and walked toward the subway station.
-/-
The rest of the week was a nightmare, but it was finally over. After their last exam, Oikawa, Chris, and himself had gone to CATO. The atmosphere there was lively and euphoric. Oikawa, Chris, Sugawara, and himself were in the middle of a game of Daifugō, which unfortunately for him was turning into a nightmare after a good dozen rounds of him ending up Daihinmin. In his defense, Chris was just too good at this game: silent and observant, he was practically unbeatable. How had he become so good at this game without years of experience?
"Chris, how many years did you practice becoming such a monster at this game?" joked the brunet.
The one called Chris stopped to think.
"Five, six years."
Kuroo was struck by the casualness of his answer.
"We played every day when I was in high school."
"You played Daifugō too?" Sugawara asked.
Kuroo couldn't tell if the latter was genuinely interested or just trying to distract him to snatch his victory.
"It's not called the same, but the rules are the same..."
"Oh really," Sugawara said.
Now Kuroo could confirm that it was indeed a strategy on his part. Sugawara took the lead and played a pair of 9, leaving him with only three cards in hand. Five for Chris. Victory was his.
"Yes," the blond simply replied before laying down a pair of twos and a triple king in succession. "I'm done."
The rest of the players protested. Oikawa even threw his cards on the table, upset by this outcome.
"Tōru! Don't throw your cards; we won't be able to determine the order," Suga remarked, attempting to reconstruct his opponent's hand. He certainly wasn't losing track; he might not be the first, but he still had a second place to conquer.
"I don't care, I'm done!" complained the chestnut-haired one.
Chris said nothing, but Kuroo could detect the hint of a victorious smile on his lips.
"But no, wait," insisted the silver-haired one, offering him his cards.
Oikawa vehemently refused, sulking like a child. Sugawara insisted, using his softest voice, a fine manipulation technique to get what he wanted. He only gave in when Nishinoya approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you available sometime next week? I need to go to the city hall."
"Uh, yes, Tuesday morning if you want. Why are they bothering you now?"
"I don't know, something about property, shit like that," Noya replied, sitting on the couch armrest.
Kuroo frowned. "Suga-mama, are you also a real estate advisor in addition to being a barista and a seller? You never cease to amaze me!"
Sugawara chuckled. "No..."
"Sugawara is my sub," Noya declared bluntly, giving him a big smile.
The brunet remained momentarily stunned, batting his eyelashes. Sub? Were Sugawara and Nishinoya engaging in extramarital BDSM? And apparently, everyone knew and accepted it... Kuroo wasn't one to judge; they were free to spend their free time as they pleased. However, he struggled to understand why this needed to be brought to the attention of the Tokyo administration. Perhaps this "property" matter had nothing to do with real estate after all?
Kuroo was abruptly interrupted in his internal monologue by Oikawa, who kicked him in the calf.
"Oh, Kuroo, you really have a dirty mind!" he said, visibly exasperated.
The brunet couldn't believe he had guessed what was on his mind. The other two, however, didn't seem to grasp it.
"It means alpha of substitution, you big pervert!" Oikawa clarified with all the kindness he was humanly capable of: none.
"Oh..."
"What were you thinking about?" Nishinoya asked.
"Ah, nothing," Kuroo lied.
Sugawara seemed momentarily perplexed before bursting into laughter.
"Oh no..."
"What?" Noya asked.
"You would indeed make a good Dom, Noya," Suga threw out before being hit by another round of laughter.
Noya, too, transitioned from perplexity to hilarity.
"I wouldn't want to overshadow you, Dom-daddy," he said, with a suggestive tone.
They all laughed even louder.
"Oi, oi, I couldn't have guessed!" Kuroo tried to defend himself.
"Oh..." Sugawara was out of breath. "I have to tell Yamaguchi, Tadashi!"
Oh, good grief, not Yamaguchi! Not only because he would relish in his humiliation, but mainly because he would also tell Tsukki, doubling or even tripling his embarrassment.
Fortunately for him, Yamaguchi was out of earshot. Now he needed to divert attention.
"So, uh, Suga, you're... a sub?"
Sugawara turned his attention back to him.
"Yes," he affirmed, not without a hint of hilarity in his voice. "Oikawa is Asahi's if you want to know."
The latter simply nodded.
"Oh... Glad to know that... And what's it for?"
"To bypass the T.O.P" Noya explained.
"How so?"
"According to the T.O.P, omegas are placed under the guardianship of an alpha. If it's not their mate, it's a family member, or the alpha leader assigned to the district where you live," clarified Nishinoya.
"And since we didn't want to be bothered by our families or some super annoying alpha Sô-shi, no offense Suga, we found this arrangement," Noya concluded.
Kuroo was left dumbfounded, stunned to learn each day that a portion of the population had fewer rights than an 18th-century woman, which wasn't much. He didn't know if he wanted to burst into tears or punch a wall. Noya seemed to pick up on the emotional cocktail brewing within him:
"Yeah, I know, it sucks... But it's quite common..."
"Disregard for rights?" Kuroo asked sarcastically.
"That too, but I was talking about subs," clarified Noya.
"Oh. Well, that's fucked up."
"Thanks, Sherlock," retorted Oikawa.
Kuroo said nothing. He could see that, for once, Oikawa wasn't angry with him. He gave a sad smile but remained silent. The discussions around him resumed as if nothing special had happened. Kuroo had a harder time coming back to reality. He eventually thought of Kenma and Bokuto... Of everything they had never confided in him, of everything they might be going through.
He remembered Kenma's face when he told him about his secondary and Bokuto's expression when he was denied entry to the Kart circuit. His heart grew heavier. He still didn't know if he wanted to burst into tears or punch a wall, but he was leaning towards the former. He snapped out of it when he felt a hand on his shoulder: Noya was smiling at him. The eye contact lasted only a few seconds before the young man went back to sitting on the couch armrest, resuming his conversation with his friends. Kuroo watched him. He felt a bit ashamed to have to be cheered up by someone who directly experienced this kind of injustice every day. Their eyes met again. Kuroo nodded his thanks, and Noya simply smiled back.
It was at that moment that Yamaguchi rushed in:
"We should throw a party!" he announced cheerfully.
"Why? " asked Tsukki, who hadn't been informed.
" The end of exams!"
This didn't seem to please everyone.
"Suga? " Yamaguchi asked, thinking the silver-haired one would be his best ally.
"Uh... I don't know..."
"What! But why?"
"First of all, we didn't take any exams..."
"No, but who cares; it's a reason to celebrate! Plus, we usually do it every year!"
"Yes, and every time, it coincides with everyone's birthdays, and we can't stop for a month," added Suga.
"What do you mean everyone's birthdays? It's just you and Hinata; it's not the end of the world!"
"And Iwaizumi," Sugawara added.
"I can barely stand the face of Shittykawa's for my birthday," commented Iwaizumi who had just arrived next to his mate. The latter attempted a strange contortion to elbow him without changing his position. The others seemed more amused than offended by his remark.
"Yes, but... "Sugawara began.
"Yes, I know, some of us work, me too, and we're going back to classes next week, it's the right time! Wait !" Yamaguchi grabbed Hinata's sleeve as he passed by to present his idea. An idea that seemed to delight the redhead, who began signing rapidly while hopping.
" Come on, Kōshi," Sawamura insisted, siding with the kids.
"Alright, alright!"
"Yes! " Yamaguchi rejoiced.
If Suga-daddy said yes, it meant it was a yes for everyone, apparently.
"What are we talking about?" Tanaka asked as he approached, followed by Asahi.
It was Hinata who answered his question!
"Cool! Where are we doing this?"
" I don't know... here ?" Yamaguchi suggested.
"No, no !"Noya intervened. "Last time, the neighbors hassled me for weeks with your jackass bullshits
Tsukishima raised an eyebrow:
"Our bullshits? You're the one who decided to climb the wall to get on the neighbor's balcony and steal their cat!"
"Whoa, Tsukki, that cat was super cute, okay! You can't judge me on that! And I was super stealthy like a ninja."
His demonstration nearly blinded Asahi; luckily, the latter was used to it and avoided the impact without too much difficulty.
"You're the one to talk,"Nishinoya continued, "you were singing Speed at the top of your lungs."
Kuroo almost choked on his saliva.
"What?!"
Tsukki sulked:
"Kageyama started it!"
Kuroo couldn't believe his ears... Tsukishima and Kageyama singing loudly to 90s pop... that couldn't possibly be true.
"Sugawara provoked me," Kageyama defended himself.
All eyes turned to the one in question.
"What? Daichi wanted to hear you sing!"
"Yes,but so did you."
"There you go."
" So, " Kuroo asked in a hushed voice, particularly interested in the question.
Sugawara leaned in his direction to confide:
"Kageyama sings like a kettle, but Tsukki has an angelic voice!"
"Really?"
Suga nodded. Kuroo turned his awestruck gaze to Tsukki.
"Not even in your dreams."
"Oh, cupcake, I want to hear that so much!"
Tsukishima seemed troubled by the nickname but quickly regained his composure:
"You can forget about it."
"Oh, I'll make you sing," Kuroo insisted with a manic smile.
"We won't hear anyone sing if we don't know where to do it!"
"Can't we just go to a bar?" Kageyama suggested.
"No, that's lame! Alright, so, whose place, Suga?"
"Mine? Are you crazy, Tadashi, there's no space at our place!"
"That's true..."
"And why not at your place if you insist so much," Suga suggested.
"No." Tsukki replied firmly.
"If you want, we can do it at my place."
All eyes turned to Chris, whose intervention was quite surprising.
"Really?" Kuroo asked.
Chris just nodded.
" You can really feat all of us?"
"I think so... For the noise, I don't think there will be too much trouble either."
Hinata shook Kageyama's sleeve to make him give him a recap of the situation. Kageyama complied. The news seemed to delight the redhead, who started jumping out of pure joy.
"Well, I think it's decided then," Daichi said.
"When are we doing this?"
"Saturday night, is that okay with you?" Chris suggested.
By the unanimous enthusiastic cheers, Chris could tell that the answer was yes.
-end of the chapter-
Next chapter "The Theorem of sentimental geometry"
"Chris... you live here?"
The latter simply nodded.
"Wow... I thought it was just a cliché that the Luxembourgish were loaded..."
The remark made the blond laugh. It was around this time that the rest of the gang joined them, all expressing their surprise upon seeing the mansion.
"It's one of my parents' houses; they're letting me use it for now," Chris informed them.
"One of the houses... Chris, houses plural?"
The blond said nothing and just walked up to the front door.
"Chris, houses plural? Chris!"
See ya