Chapter 24: The beginning of a new story

If his life were a movie, it would surely have ended here. If Hollywood were to tell his story, they would have added fireworks, or a kiss in a fountain. Kisses in a fountain? Anyway, his life wasn't a movie, and his story didn't end there.

Kuroo opened his eyes and didn't instantly recognize where he was. The sun had risen and the room was bathed in morning light. He smiled, he was at Kenma's place. Well, Kenma, Bokuto and Akaashi's place. His boyfriends. He smiled, foolishly flustered by the thought. He hadn't gone back home in the end. They'd talked for hours, without really brushing anything deep, just gradually unfolding everything that had happened to make these memories their own. Then they'd ordered food and watched a rerun of Pacific Rim on TV and... and then he couldn't remember. So he must have fallen asleep before the movie was over. He turned his head and smiled: Bokuto had fallen asleep beside him. When he looked up, he saw that Akaashi was there too, asleep in an armchair beside the sofa. He listened to their breathing. He closed his eyes. He felt weird, like he was no longer really in touch with reality, and yet somehow deeply anchored in it.

He heard a noise behind him and decided to get off the sofa to see what was going on. He found Kenma in the kitchen, boiling water.

"Hello," he whispered.

"Hello," replied the blond.

They stood there, facing each other, saying nothing, just smiling at each other.

"What time is it?" Kuroo finally asked.

"Six in the morning."

He pouted; he wasn't a big fan of waking up so early in the morning.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Late, I haven't slept yet. I was going to make myself a tea before heading to bed."

Kuroo frowned.

"I was streaming," Kenma clarified.

"That late?"

The blond simply nodded.

"There is always someone awake somewhere. Coffee?"

"Oh yeah, thanks."

"Is instant okay? I don't want to make too much noise with the machine."

"Perfect."

They moved to the dining room and sat at the table. They remained silent, only their eyes were conversing. Without knowing who initiated it, their hands found each other. Fingers laced and unlaced, intertwining in a playful dance as if learning to communicate in a brand new language. They only pulled away when a noise broke the silence. Bokuto was up, eyes still heavy with sleep.

He approached Kuroo, and with tender ease, ran his fingers through his hair, before planting a kiss on top of his head. Then, he moved to Kenma, standing in front of him, and gently lifted his chin. The blond met his gaze and leaned in, letting him close the distance. Kuroo smiled softly. He remembered that when he was younger, drained by countless disastrous love stories and rotten dates with strangers he'd met online, he'd often wished he could skip the oh-so-awkward early stages of a relationship and magically find himself in an established relationship. He never imagined that his wish would be granted so literally.

"You stink," teased Kenma.

"Never," retorted Bokuto.

He headed back towards the kitchen and returned with a mug. Just as the conversation was about to pick up again, Akaashi appeared. He stood in front of them, staring blankly. Kuroo wondered if he was really awake.

"Hello, light of my life," Kenma mockingly greeted him.

Akaashi didn't reply. He just narrowed his eyes and let out a long growl. Without a word, he disappeared into the corridor. His two mates chuckled, obviously used to this kind of odd behavior.

"Is he all right?" Kuroo asked.

"Yes, he's just not a morning person," Kenma said.

"He's going back to bed" Bokuto added.

"Ji, what do you want to do? I'm going to bed, but Kōtarō is up."

"Wow, I can already see the benefit of having three boyfriends," joked the brunet.

They smiled at him.

"I'm going for a run," Bokuto announced with a yawn. "Wanna come?"

"Okay, that won't hurt."

"Nice."

"I think I'm going to sleep for four or five hours. We can go eat out for lunch after that."

"Nice!"

Kuroo simply nodded. He had already broken, by far, the record for the longest date(s), so why stop there?

Bokuto swallowed the rest of his coffee in one gulp and trotted off down the corridor. After a few grunts, whispers and heckles, he came back.

"Here!" says Bokuto, tossing him a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

He understood that he had to hurry. He finished his cup and went to change. Five minutes later, he was out the door, his neurons still not quite in sync, but ready to keep pace. Bokuto smiled at him, and they set off.

The air was fresh, and the streets were still empty and silent. They threaded their way through the narrow streets, gradually moving away from the high-end pavilions towards rows of old '70s houses with walls tarnished by time. An old cat slept on a bicycle, and a crow cawed from the top of a pole. The power lines, tangled all together, let through a few bits of blue sky.

They were silent. Something he wasn't used to when in the company of Bokuto. Only their breath and the sounds of the waking city disturbed the music of their silence. Kuroo felt soothed, and although he knew it wouldn't last long, his mind was clear. Eventually, they reached a park and made their way along lush green paths, lined with maples, willows, and ginkgo. The park was empty, except for a jogger or two, and an old man walking his dog. They crossed a bridge stretched over the vegetation and eventually came to an artificial pond. They reached a wooden pontoon and stopped.

"You're very quiet," Bokuto observed.

"Hmm, it's early. And you're not very talkative either."

Bokuto raised an eyebrow:

"Does that surprise you?"

"A little. The last time we ran together I almost died because you kept making me laugh."

"Hmm, but it wasn't early, you were just hungover." Bokuto grinned. "That was fun! When we sang afterward and everything."

"Hmm..."

"Well, then you started avoiding me, which wasn't so fun, but... well, that's over now."

Bokuto forced a smile. The wind rustled the water in the pond.

Kuroo sighed.

" I really screwed up... But if it makes you feel any better, I cried in the subway afterward. And it was packed. I got so many side eyes."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh Bro! Sorry I made you cry!"

Bokuto took him in his arms. Kuroo let out a slight laugh but joined in the embrace. He murmured:

"Sorry I avoided you and hurt your feelings."

Bokuto didn't reply but tightened his grip.

Eventually, they separated and sat side by side by the pond. They watched the ducks circle in the water and listened to the birds sing from the treetops.

"Bro, since we're on this."

Kuroo turned his head to face him.

"Just... Are you okay?"

The brunet frowned.

"Yes, why?"

"I don't know, just checking. It's a big change. I've never really thought about it because it's what I've always known, but for you, I don't know…"

He intentionally left the end of his sentence hanging, probably not really knowing how to express his thoughts. But Kuroo understood.

He took the time to think about it. He dived into himself, analyzing what he was feeling. He recognized this sensation, having encountered it before: a slight disorientation, but a sense of certainty, and of the quiet happiness it brought. He remembered the first time he'd had a lover. Despite all the social dictates that had raised him, it felt… profoundly natural. He felt the same now: something calm, soothing, and gentle. He was lucky to be surrounded by open-minded, tolerant people, and the world wouldn't always have such benevolence. But he already knew that, and he was no longer afraid of it. It had taken him a long time to see his last resistance crumble, but now he knew he didn't need it anymore. He was doing the right thing.

"No, I'm fine. I'm... happy."

Bokuto smiled at him.

"I was just scared."

"Of what?"

"I don't know... the unknown?"

"Are you still scared?"

Tetsurō shrugged. He could feel Bokuto's gaze on him; his own was still turned toward the horizon.

"A little yes... but it's not the same. And," he turned his gaze, catching his boyfriend's "I want this."

Bokuto smiled, and after a quick glance around to check his surroundings moved closer to kiss him. Then he rested his forehead against his, and they stayed like that for a moment. Kuroo finally let out a laugh, which caught Bokuto's attention.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about the face they're going to make at CATO."

"CATO?"

"My gang of alphas… well, they're not all alphas but they're the ones who give me my 'confusing scent'."

"Oh them ! And uh, why?"

" I've been feeding them my drama every week for almost two months now, and it's about time they got their closure. And I must thank Chris too... It's thanks to him that I'm here."

"Then you can thank him for me too."

"Pfft, okay."

They set off again, taking time to soak up the atmosphere. A little "shinrin-yoku "* was always beneficial. The conversation gradually returned to its original goofy tone. Fortunately for Kuroo, he wasn't running this time. By the time they made it back home, almost two hours had passed.

"Are you ready?" asked Bokuto, looking up from his phone.

Kuroo frowned.

"Ready for what?"

Bokuto wiggled his eyebrows.

"Bo, ready for what?"

"The talk."

Kuroo felt a surge of anxiety rising inside him, not quite sure what to expect. Bokuto, who instantly sensed it, chuckled without giving him any further explanation.

"The talk?! About what?"

Silence.

"Bo?"

"You'll see, relax."

Relax? Easier said than done!

Kuroo had no further explanation. The question slipped his mind as they returned upstairs. Akaashi was up, his aura very different from that of a few hours earlier. He was seated at the table, in his robe, glasses on his nose and book in hand, a steaming mug in front of him. The perfect embodiment of the distinguished intellectual. He looked up from his book when he heard them arrive, and smiled. Bokuto let out a chirp when he saw him, and threw himself at him to kiss him on the cheek. Kuroo approached with more restraint, their eyes caught and they smiled at each other. Without really calculating his action, Kuroo seized his hand and kissed it. He was quickly taken out of his bubble when Bokuto chuckled.

"You guys are weird," he commented, amused.

Kuroo simply stuck his tongue out at him, seemingly able to go from gentleman to five-year-old in less than a second. Akaashi rolled his eyes but did not comment.

"You're… in a good mood I see, better than earlier I suppose," remarked Kuroo.

The brunet in front of him stiffened imperceptibly. He cleared his throat before speaking:

"Yes. I apologize if I seemed a little..."

"Grumpy?" cut in Bokuto.

"Rude."

"Hmm, he just lets his grumpy alpha out when the sun hasn't been up for long enough."

"Kōtarō."

"It's true! He just won't admit it."

Before his mate could even defend himself, he said:

"Well, I'm going to take a shower, Bro, you can use the bathroom and I'll use the one in the bedroom."

Kuroo nodded and followed him out. Bokuto lent him underwear and a towel and left him to his business. The brunet closed the door and caught his reflection in the mirror. His image in this unfamiliar room anchored him, and he smiled before looking away.

When he returned to the living room, clean as a whistle, he found his three boyfriends seated at the table. He met Bokuto's gaze, who waggled his eyebrows once more. Kuroo stiffened.

"You're up already," he asked Kenma.

He shrugged.

"Come and sit with us."

Kuroo remained silent for a moment, before complying. He sat down in front of them and waited. The situation was awfully awkward and he really didn't know what to expect.

"Just to clear up a few things, it's best to do it right away," resumed Kenma.

"Uh ok..."

"Okay. First of all, we want you to know that, even if we are exclusive, you don't have to be. The only thing we ask of you is that you tell us about it, within the limits of what you're comfortable with. And, of course, protect yourself to protect us too. The reciprocity holds of course."

Kuroo was now somewhere between aghast and uneasy. He certainly hadn't expected to have to receive a "sex talk" from Kenma. Even his parents had never really broached the subject with him. He understood why it was important to communicate this kind of thing, but... He was more attached to the Nipponese unspoken culture than he thought. It was true that in the first hours of a relationship, there wasn't often room for rationalization. It was probably healthier to do so, but it still wasn't pleasant for him.

"Does that sound reasonable?" Akaashi asked.

"Uh... Yes... But to tell you the truth, I... I've already gone from zero to three, so I don't think I'll be starting ah... well. I admit I haven't really thought it through yet. And I... well... But I think, three is fine by me."

He was beginning to lose his words, not really knowing what direction to take.

"It's just the... ground rules, um... We can talk about it later... well, when you've thought about it."

"Uh... Okay."

Kenma nodded.

"It's important that you communicate your needs and feelings. I, well, we" he turned his gaze toward his mates, "understand that this is new for you and that it's not easy, but know that we'll always be there if you need to talk."

Kuroo detected Kenma's sideways glance at Akaashi. Apparently, the clarification was not only intended for him. He saw the brunet turn his eyes to his cup, an object that suddenly seemed deeply interesting to him.

"I understand," he finally replied.

"Good."

Kenma let out a sigh. Even if he had taken the lead, apparently starting this discussion hadn't been as easy for him as it had seemed.

"Ok."

"Is that all?"

"Did you have a question?"

"Uh, no, not at the moment".

"Okay, good. We can talk about it later if you need to."

Kenma and Akaashi left the table and went into the kitchen. Bokuto was still facing him, a mocking smile on his lips. He rose to approach him.

"How are you feeling?"

"It was awful," the brunet admitted in a murmur.

It hadn't been that bad really, but Kuroo loved being a tad dramatic.

Bokuto chuckled.

"I think you're going to have to get used to it."

"Hmm..."

Bokuto smiled and rested his forehead against his for a second before straightening up.

"Kenma! Where are we going for lunch?"

"Nowhere yet, it's not even ten!"

"Yeah, but…"

They continued to discuss the appropriate time for lunch, and Kuroo went back to his thoughts.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong?" asked Bokuto.

"I was supposed to meet some friends for lunch. I have to ask them for a rain check."

"You can go if you want."

" Hmm, I'd rather stay. I just have to tell them. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Hmm..."

Just as he was about to hand it to him, he changed his mind.

"Oh, wait! Do you have your SIM card?"

"In my wallet, why?"

"I've got my old phone, hold on."

Without further explanation, he hurried down the corridor and returned a few moments later.

"Here."

He handed him a telephone, which had probably been dropped a few times, but all in all, seemed to be in perfect condition.

"It's still working just fine. Kenma just gifted me another one."

"Hmm, is he your boyfriend or your sugar daddy?" Kuroo said mockingly.

Bokuto chuckled, and leaned in:

"Our Sugar Daddy."

Kuroo blushed. His embarrassment made his boyfriend smile.

-/-

Yamaguchi had to learn at a very young age the art of moving without making the slightest noise. Even if his skill hadn't emerged from happy circumstances, it had become quite handy. Not to brag, but he was so skilled that he was tempted to add it to his resume under "special skills".

This was particularly useful now that he was living in a tiny apartment with his mate, who woke up at the slightest sound. Clarification: the noises that only he made. The situation was ultimately quite unfair: the noise from the construction work down the street didn't bother him at all, but the clinking of his spoon in a cup would set him off and he would throw anything at him. Fortunately for him, it was often just a pillow.

He was safe for now: he had managed to get up and prepare breakfast without a rustle being heard. He stirred his cup of tea as delicately as possible, and gently placed the spoon back on the countertop. He glanced towards the bed: no movement, no projectile in sight. He was safe. As he turned around, he bumped into the handle of the spoon which was now approaching the ground far too quickly. He managed to catch it before it completed its fall. He breathed a sigh of relief. That had been too close for his comfort! Just when he thought he was out of the woods, the sound of his phone ringing echoed. He froze, mortified. He slowly turned his head: Tsukki was still asleep. Phew!

He unlocked his phone to find a text from Kuroo. Well, he had a phone again, that was good news.

"Sorry, I won't make it today. Are you free next week?"

Yamaguchi sighed, disappointed. "Ugh, you suck, I hope you have a good excuse," he replied. New text.

"Good enough?"

New notification. This time Kuroo had sent him a photo.

"Oh damn it!" he exclaimed.

"Tadashi fuck you!" protested Tsukki.

He threw his pillow at him, but Yamaguchi avoided it without any problem. He chirped happily and jumped onto the bed.

"You suck!"

"Shh, look!"

Yamaguchi shoved the phone in front of his eyes, the light assaulted the poor retinas of his mate who didn't fail to complain. Yamaguchi sighed and grabbed the blond's glasses, shoving them under his nose.

In the photo, Kuroo was smiling at the camera, he must have been lying on someone's lap, and two other silhouettes were discernible beside him. In the caption of the photo, he had written, with as much embellishment as a birthday card from a young child: "with my bfs". Tsukishima couldn't help but smile:

"Well, at least he'll stop bothering us now."

He turned over. Yamaguchi, who hadn't let go of the silly smile hanging on his lips, started cooing again.

"Wait, I'm going to send it to Koshi."

"Don't bother him with that, his working."

"Too late!"

Suga received the text a few seconds later. He had to finish taking a customer's order before he could sneak a look at his phone. He smiled and discreetly showed his phone to Hinata who was waiting at the counter. He then forwarded the message to Oikawa.

It took less than ten minutes for the entire CATO gang to find out.

Chris was the last one to send him a message, a simple thumbs up. Kuroo understood. He smiled, and simply replied: "Thank you."

Without him, Kuroo would probably have ended up in the same situation at some point, but certainly not as quickly. For that, he was deeply grateful. He locked his phone and went to join his boyfriends.

- End of chapter-

shinrin-yoku*: forest bath.

Next chapter : "Meeting the crew"

He took out his phone and sent a message to Sugawara:

"Can I come with my boyfriend?" he asked.

The response came in just a few seconds:

"Which one?"

"Haha, does it make a difference?"

"No, Tadashi just wants to know."

"Bokuto"

"Yeah, no problem."

"All good."

Bokuto grabbed his bag with a quick movement and exclaimed, "Yeah!"

See ya