Summary:

"What the heck is wrong with him?" mumbled Kuroo to himself.

"What?"

"What's wrong with who?" Sugawara asked, unabashedly sipping Yamaguchi's drink.

"No one."

Sugawara insisted.

"Just Oikawa. I don't know, it's been a few days... he's acting weird."

Chapter 9 :Serendipity

Kuroo briefly emerged from his postprandial coma to glance at his phone: at 2:27 PM. He still had time. His next class wasn't for several hours, and he had to wait for Chris to join him before heading out. He could still enjoy the calm atmosphere inside O2 Ramen, the small restaurant owned by Nishinoya and Azumane. The customers had left, and the couple was in the kitchen, busy cleaning up the remains of the last rush. Sugawara, in the kitchen's doorway, chatted cheerfully with his friends without lifting a finger to help them. Sawamura, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and himself lounged on a bench at the back of the restaurant, vaguely watching the television hanging above the counter. The volume was too low to follow the program, but the images spoke for themselves. They watched sceneries of sunny Japanese coasts, letting the soothing ambiance wash over them.

"I miss the sea," Yamaguchi lamented, letting his head fall on his mate's shoulder.

Tsukishima turned his head, "We're on an island; I don't see how you can miss it. Besides, we were there last week-end.

Yamaguchi frowned, "Where?"

"Next to the aquarium."

"It's not the same!" the other three exclaimed in unison.

"You're not comparing Tokyo Bay with that are you ?" Yamaguchi pointed at the television.

Tsukishima sighed, rolling his eyes, "Okay, okay, whatever."

Silence fell, and their attention returned to the television.

"Oh! That's Katsurashima Beach!" Yamaguchi said.

He turned his gaze to Sawamura and continued, "Remember when we used to go there in the summer with Kōshi?"

"Yeah. Remember when you almost fell off the boat trying to get your hat back?" Sawamura replied, a mocking smile on his lips.

"But I loved that hat!"

"Where is it?" Kuroo finally asked.

"On one of the Urato Islands, in the Bay of Matsushima," the youngest replied.

"In Miyagi Prefecture?" Kuroo asked.

Yamaguchi and Daichi nodded.

"Hmm, I've never been there... I miss the sea too. Not that I don't like Tokyo, but I don't think I'll spend my whole life here. I'm kinda looking forward to family vacations to get back to the countryside."

"I'd love to go back and live there," Sawamura dreamily intervened.

Kuroo chuckled, "Why did you leave then?"

"For Kōshi 's job; he couldn't find one there. We thought he'd have a better chance in here," Daichi explained.

The brunet raised an eyebrow, "Um, I don't want to sound sarcastic, but aren't there coffee shops or seven-elevens in Miyagi?"

The three turned suddenly, looking bewildered.

"What?"

They burst into laughter. Uh, okay... Kuroo had definitely said something stupid.

"Pff, he didn't spend four years at uni to become a barista," Yamaguchi said.

"Oh,I didn't know... What did he do?"

"Bachelor's degree in education," Daichi replied, "It was his dream since he was a kid."

"Cool! But why didn't he do that then?"

He instantly felt a chill settle between them. Yamaguchi and Sawamura lowered their eyes.

"For stupid reasons," the youngest replied.

Sawamura looked up, watching his lover talk cheerfully with his friends. He sighed and turned his attention back to Kuroo.

"He never passed the recruitment exam."

Yamaguchi crossed his arms and sank onto the bench.

"Darn... Why?" Kuroo asked.

"Because he's an alpha," Yamaguchi replied bitterly.

"Huh?"

"In short, that's it."

"But... why?"

"It's not a job very associated with... the alpha status, let's say."

Kuroo then remembered one of the first conversations he had with Sugawara: "Well, I usually hide my true nature well, although I've heard that I terrify children aged four to six." "Oh... what do they teach you at school there? Alphas are big, angry, and muscular guys who only think about fighting, and omegas are defenseless little things who only think about breeding?"

The mentality wasn't much different here.

"So you came here thinking that people would be... more open-minded?"

"Yeah," confirmed Daichi. "I found a job easily, but with my salary alone, we didn't really get by. So he took on a part-time job while waiting to take the exam. In the end, even here, it's not any easier."

Kuroo turned his eyes to Sugawara and felt his heart tighten, touched by the ever-gentle aura around the alpha.

The more Kuroo discovered about his friends, the more he realized the crap they had to go through. And he was certainly not done being surprised.

-/-

May the world bask in its glory, at last, it was Friday! Kuroo had to restrain a little cry of joy when the last class of the week finally came to an end. He packed his things enthusiastically, already trying to convince Chris to join him for a drink. He didn't need to insist too much before Chris agreed. His gaze fell on Oikawa at the end of the row.

"Oikawa, do you want to come?"

No response; the interested party seemed not to have registered what he had just said.

"Oikawa?"

The latter suddenly raised his head.

"What?"

"Um... Do you want to come for a beer?"

The chestnut-haired seemed to reconnect with reality; his gaze traveled between his two friends.

"Oh no, I'll pass, sorry... I have things to do."

Kuroo nodded. However, he didn't immediately break eye contact. His friend had been acting strangely these past few days. He wondered if everything was okay with him, but decided to respect his privacy.

The three friends left the lecture hall together, Kuroo and Chris chatting while Oikawa followed them without participating in the conversation. Chris eventually left them, claiming to have to go somewhere before heading out for the evening.

"How are you getting home?"

Silence.

"Oikawa?"

Still nothing.

"Um, by car."

"Okay, I'll walk to the parking lot with you."

"Hmm, don't worry, I'm fine."

"Okay then, see you later!"

His friend waved vaguely. Kuroo returned the gesture and turned. Before he could go far, Oikawa called out to him again.

"Yes?"

Oikawa came to him. Once at his side, he hesitated for a few seconds before asking, strangely embarrassed, "Hey, could you take notes for me for next week's classes?"

Kuroo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, no problem... You won't be here?"

"No... Um, I have something to do."

"Uh, okay."

Oikawa seemed relieved but quickly adopted his diva-like attitude.

"And make an effort with your handwriting; I don't want your disgusting chicken scratches."

The brunet chuckled. Oikawa was finally sounding like himself.

"Okay, promised. Well, have a good weekend!"

"Goodbye."

And they split up. At one point, Kuroo turned around, watching his friend walk away.

What the heck was wrong with him?

-/-

"What the heck is wrong with him?" mumbled Kuroo to himself.

"What?"

The brunet looked up, meeting the questioning gaze of Sugawara and Yamaguchi.

Kuroo had joined Yamaguchi and Tsukishima in the afternoon for a little window shopping session, much to the dismay of the blond who dragged his feet all along. They had finally decided to go to the Karasu to sit down for a drink and greet their friends. Sugawara had eventually abandoned the counter to join them, leaving Narita and Kageyama to manage the coffee shop on their own (fortunately, the place was relatively empty).

"What's wrong with who?" Sugawara asked, unabashedly sipping Yamaguchi's drink.

"No one."

Sugawara insisted.

"Just Oikawa. I don't know, it's been a few days... he's acting weird."

"How weird?"

"Don't you think?"

Suga shrugged.

"I don't know, he's either absent-minded or annoyed... But... Not like the usual. And he's doing weird shit! The other day, I saw him pacing back and forth in the corridor, stomping around for a good 30 minutes, and when I asked him why, he just growled and left... And, like, on Wednesday, he spent the whole day with his scarf wrapped around his head, and I could clearly see him chewing on it. Plus, the scarf didn't match the rest of his outfit at all, can you imagine? And now he asked me to take his classes for next week."

"Hmm, that... Don't worry, it's nothing," Suga reassured him.

"Doesn't look like it though, are you sure ?"

His three friends nodded.

"Really? And why didn't he come the day before yesterday if everything's fine?"

"Where?"

"To CATO?"

"Oh, that's cute, you're worried about him..." Yamaguchi mockingly cooed, Tsukishima also seemed deeply amused.

"Don't worry, he's fine; he just didn't come because there were too many alphas in the same room, it's not easy to handle in those moments," Sugawara intervened calmly.

"There are always too many alphas in the same room !" Kuroo retorted.

Silence. The three friends looked at him insistently, as if he were likable but terribly clueless.

"Oh my god, get a clue, damn it !" said the blond, annoyed.

Kuroo would have gladly gouged his eyes out if Sugawara's gentle voice hadn't intervened:

"Don't worry, he's fine; he just entered his cycle."

Hmm, hmm, oh yes, now it's clear!

"His cycle of what?"

Tsukishima nervously chuckled. This time, Kuroo couldn't help but throw his paper towel at him.

"Of lectures," Yamaguchi continued, "you know he secretly teaches classes to NASA's new recruits, right? He's always a mess before it starts!"

Kuroo didn't know how to respond, deeply perplexed.

This time, the pair of alphas burst into laughter in unison.

"They're just messing with you," Sugawara warned him.

"Look like you're finding it pretty funny too."

"It's kind of funny, yes."

Kuroo crossed his arms.

"He's in pre-rut, that's why he's acting like that, nothing serious. And I think he asked you to take his classes because he's entering a rut, that's all," Sugawara enlightened him.

"Oh..."

Oh, yes, now he saw very well why he had come off as a complete idiot. But, well, not like he could have figured it out on his own.

"Um, okay... But... How long does it last?"

"Three days," Tsukishima replied.

"Oh, okay, that's fine... Why did he ask me for the whole week then?" the brunet added, more to himself than anything.

"Hey, you've already spent three days just fucking ?" Yamaguchi intervened, " That's no picnic, you need time to recover!"

Okay, Kuroo clearly did not expect that, and he wasn't exactly comfortable with this subject.

"Try five," Sugawara added in a hushed voice.

"Five!" the other two exclaimed.

Okay, Kuroo really didn't want to participate in this discussion any longer. Not that he was particularly prude or anything, but, uh... no.

"Oh yeah, but for you, it's only twice, right?" Yamaguchi asked.

"Yeah, why, and you?"

"Normally once, but with this monster, four times."

"Four!"

"This monster?" Tsukishima muttered.

"You never noticed?" Yamaguchi asked the silver-haired one.

"No, I thought you just went on a lot of weekend trips."

"Pff, you're dumb."

"At least you don't work yet. I already lose ten days a year; it ruins my holidays."

"Aren't there any… special day off?"

The three looked at him, bewildered.

"Well, what, there are menstrual leave for beta women, right? Don't you have, I don't know, medical leave ?"

"Oh well, technically yes, for omegas. But it's a nightmare to get them. For alphas? Forget it. The problem is that we really can't do anything during this time, bye-bye holidays, so we inevitably lose several weeks of work per year."

"Oh... That sucks."

"Yep"

"Welcome to our world."

The phrase had been said with little seriousness, and the conversation naturally resumed. However, Kuroo thought about it for a long time.

Welcome to our world...

-/-

Kuroo had visited his fair share of amusement parks in his life, ridden the most dizzyingly insane rides that had crossed his path. He loved the feeling of defying gravity and the adrenaline that a good jolt could bring. Yet nothing, not even the most terrifying roller coaster, could have prepared him for this: a bus ride through the suburban neighborhoods of the city. The experience was unsettling, and Kuroo struggled to understand how it was possible to feel like you were on a trip in the middle of the jungle when driving on a perfectly paved road.

He had decided to personally deliver his notes for the past week to Oikawa. What he hadn't anticipated was that the latter lived more than an hour and a half away from his apartment and that the journey would be so... turbulent. He eventually got there but he ended up standing in front of the door for a good ten minutes without announcing himself. He remembered the conversation he had with his CATO friends and had finally decided that it probably wasn't the right time to disturb his friend.

He would have liked to think about it before enduring an hour and a half of rodeo, but his transcendental illogical brain had caught up with him. So, he ended up stuffing the notes into the mailbox before turning back. He got back on the bus, fear gripping him. However, he was relieved to find an empty seat.

To his surprise, this time the journey turned out to be more serene. Kuroo let his head fall against the window, watching the city lights and car headlights pass by, gradually succumbing to drowsiness. The bus stopped abruptly, jolting him out of his half-sleep. A young man boarded the bus and settled at the back, facing away from Kuroo. The brunet raised an eyebrow when the bus started again, and the young man remained standing, eyes glued to his phone, not bothering to hold onto anything. Bus surfing? That was kind of bold.

Kuroo lost interest when his own phone vibrated in his pocket. He smiled upon opening Oikawa's message:

"You know you could have sent me the notes by email."

Kuroo hadn't even thought about it... It was true that it would have been more convenient... Now that he thought about it, he could have simply transcribed everything into a Word file and sent it to him.

"I'm old-school" he finally replied. "I can already see your disdain look" he added.

"Nah, it's more like… dismay," Oikawa replied.

Kuroo chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

The bus braked a bit abruptly, and Kuroo looked up, wondering if the bold bus-surfing guy in front of him had finally grabbed onto something. Apparently no; his balance was quite impressive! The brunet's gaze lingered a little longer on the appearance of the person in front of him. He was roughly his age, rather short, drowning in a sweatshirt way too big for him, the sleeves almost entirely covering his hands. His hair was tied in a messy bun, with a few blonde strands protruding, and the bus's light reflected off the silver steel of the multiple piercings he wore in his ears.

His phone vibrated again.

"Why didn't you ring the bell? Hajime told me you stood there for a while."

Kuroo suddenly felt very foolish and didn't know what to say. Iwaizumi saw him? And did nothing? ... Well… Was it surprising ? No, not really.

"I didn't want to bother you," he finally replied.

Another jolt. Kuroo turned his gaze towards the blonde in front of him, still firmly in place. He stifled a little laugh when his eyes fell on the socks peeking out of his Doc Martens: hideous, multicolored duck socks. He couldn't believe that there were human beings on earth capable of wearing such things... However... he had to admit that it didn't look too bad on him.

"Oh, Kuroo, darling... You know you always bother me."

The brunet burst into laughter. As he was about to respond, the bus suddenly braked, and he found himself thrown against the back of his seat. He then saw that the guy in front of him had not been able to anticipate the impact properly this time. Kuroo saw him fall backward rapidly with nothing to stop him. Panicking, the brunet reached out his arm to simply stop his fall. The bus came to a stop just as the blonde collided with his arm, which was enough to halt his fall, and he was able to steady himself.

Their eyes met then, and Kuroo got momentarily lost in the light hazel ones facing him, both still deeply surprised by what had just happened. Once the shock passed, the stranger straightened up, bowed to thank him, and decided to go sit down. A wise decision after what had just occurred. The exchange had lasted only a few seconds, but it awoke a strange sensation within Kuroo. He tried to shake it off and returned to his phone.

"That's more like you. Glad to see everything is fine then," he wrote.

The brunet looked up. The stranger had turned his face towards the window. How strange was this feeling that was beginning to rise within him... And where did it come from? Lost in his thoughts, he only heard belatedly that the bus had stopped at his stop. Kuroo quickly got up and exited the vehicle before the doors closed.

As the bus resumed its journey, he caught the gaze of the stranger in the window.

Everything happened in a fraction of a second.

He was hit suddenly as if struck by lightning. He recognized him. In a fraction of a second, the stranger's face became familiar again, and he saw the features of his memories—those of a child with almost golden eyes and raven-black hair—superimposed on the one standing in front of him. His eyes widened, as did those of the stranger. His heart raced so strongly that he felt dizzy, his limbs went numb, and it felt like electric arcs were traversing his skin across his entire body.

How had he not recognized him earlier? How had he not recognized him the second their eyes met? How had he not recognized him when he populated every one of his memories? At last, he had found him again.

The bus moved away, devoured by the night, taking him far away. Once again.

"Kenma..."

-end of the chapter-

This one was kinda short, but look who's there! Thanks for reading! See you next week!

Next chapter: "Jiji the black cat"

"The bus pulled away, devoured by the night, carrying him far away. The adrenaline rush subsided, and Kuroo felt like everything was collapsing within him. He sensed an immense wave of disappointment engulfing him.

"Fuck..." he muttered, turning his face to the ground, his heart heavy with regret. His heart skipped a beat when he heard an abrupt braking noise. He looked up. The bus had just stopped at the end of the street."