Summary: "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!"
Chapter 13 : The Theorem of sentimental geometry
With nearly thirty-eight million inhabitants recorded in 2016, Tokyo ranked first in the list of the world's most populous cities. It took great imagination to accommodate all these people, packed into tiny boxes stacked up to the sky. The search for a house without anyone near overlooking, which already sounded fancy, was by no means conceivable.
One had to get used to living in the intimacy of neighbors. Unless one lived on the fiftieth floor of a tower, the idea of not having a view of other human beings was pure fantasy. Before moving to the capital, Kuroo had extensively explored different neighborhoods on Google Maps, and one thing was clear: unless you lived in the middle of a park, there was no way to have more than two square meters around your property all to yourself. Not a street corner was wasted, not a plot of land remained unturned. Even a mansion of the most bombastic luxury had to be cornered by wobbly grey houses. At least, that's what Kuroo thought, until Chris guided them to his place.
Kuroo started feeling perplexed when they took the subway to Meguro station. His confusion intensified when they changed to a train that left them at Den-enchofu station, one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the Tokyo suburbs, known for its villas and extravagantly expensive houses. What could a student in his early twenties possibly do there? Apart from living in the sewers, Kuroo couldn't see how, according to the blond, they could find a space large enough to accommodate them all. It was true that the sewers could offer enough space for their debauchery, provided they didn't mind the native rodents.
Kuroo had almost gotten used to this idea but had to reassess his predictions when Chris led them to a staircase, almost concealed by thick vegetation. The more they climbed, the less the sewer theory held water. They passed by the slightly decrepit gate of an old temple and continued to climb. After ten minutes of tiring climbing, Kuroo finally asked, out of breath:
"Are we almost there? We've been climbing for ages! "
"It's been two minutes," Kageyama replied, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Yes, we're almost there," Chris replied.
The jerk dared to speak without a hint of breathlessness in his voice.
Kuroo was on the verge of collapse. Where had the stamina of his youth gone? He really needed to get back into jogging, or any kind of physical activity… Well, not any kind, not the kind of physical activity one might practice with tanned Mechanics… Well, you get him.
He turned his gaze. Everyone around looked perfectly comfortable with the trek they were undertaking, probably already intoxicated with euphoria. He finally caught Tsukishima's gaze, clearly amused to see him in agony. He growled - something he had picked up after spending so much time with "belligerent" alphas - but it only amused the blond. Kuroo shot him a dark look, straightened up, and returned to the leading front of their group.
An infinite amount of time had passed (about forty-five seconds) when Chris finally announced:
"We're here."
Kuroo looked up and almost fell backwards. Before them stood a magnificent residence, a blend of traditional Japanese architecture and ultra-modern design, proudly standing at the end of an alley illuminated by small lanterns. A few other houses were perched on top of the hill but were distant enough for their light to be almost erased by the youthful night. Chris led him to the gate, which he opened before inviting him to follow.
"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'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!"
He didn't have time to insist further as he was bumped by Yamaguchi, who rushed up the alley at full speed, shouting with joy, a bottle of tequila in each hand, closely followed by Hinata bouncing like an ecstatic rabbit. Kuroo remained dumbfounded for a good while until Daichi, probably sensing his deep distress, put an arm around his shoulders to guide him forward. Sugawara gently patted him on the back and also rushed toward the entrance at full speed.
The euphoria quickly took entropic turns when Chris started a quick tour of the place, and Yamaguchi and Hinata began to open a bottle of tequila. Apart from Chris's room, there were still four available bedrooms, including the immense living room; the place had enough space to accommodate everyone for the night. Kuroo tried to secure a spot in one of the cozy beds, but all of them had been claimed before he could do anything about it. Having also decided against sleeping with one of the many couples in his group of friends, he chose to simply accept his fate.
As he was going down to return to the living room, where some had already started settling in, Kuroo said, "This house is huge, it's crazy to find something like this."
Suga beside him nodded to emphasize this words.
"It's a house my mother inherited from her grandparents," Chris said. "My parents renovated it before I was born."
"I didn't know you had family here," Suga noted.
"Not anymore. When I was younger, my family used to come here for vacations, but then we were too... um... too many."
Kuroo, who vaguely wondered when the first waves of Luxembourgish immigration had taken place, was puzzled by the response.
"You were too many?"
Chris nodded. "Yes, ten is a lot for here."
The brunet frowned. Ten? He remained dumbfounded for a moment. Kuroo already thought he came from a large family, but ten! That was definitely another level! Suga didn't seem particularly phased by the statement. He just replied, "Yeah, for sure," and once they reached the ground floor, quickly joined the others. Chris turned to Kuroo, still standing on the stairs.
"Kuroo?"
"I don't know why I thought you were an only child; now I discover you have seven siblings... I feel stupid for not asking earlier."
Chris just smiled at him and explained, "I have three older brothers and one older sister."
"Oh, ok, nice!"
Wait, that was only five children! How did they manage to have ten people in his mansion? Cousins maybe? Child mortality, perhaps? Could child mortality be so significant in a country with such a healthy GDP? Or was it all just a translation error on Chris's part ?
Before he could delve deeper into the subject, Chris had already been accosted by Hinata and Yamaguchi, who were visibly no longer at their first tequila shot. Kuroo decided to put his questions aside and finally join his friends. They were all settled in the living room, scattered in small groups sprawled here and there. Voices and laughter mingled with the background music, creating a sparkling and warm atmosphere that enveloped the brunet.
"Alright! Let's do something!" suddenly shouted Nishinoya, climbing over the couch.
"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Tanaka.
"Okay, but what?" Sugawara asked.
"A drinking game!" suggested Yamaguchi while raising his glass of an unidentified mixture.
"No!"
Kuroo was surprised to find that Sugawara and Daichi's voices had joined his on this last intervention. They all looked at each other, a little surprised. In the past, Kuroo had already noticed that his metabolism couldn't keep up with that of overly excited alphas; he didn't necessarily want to end up on the floor in half an hour. He didn't know however what was Sugawara and Sawamura excuses.
"Oh, come on!" pouted Yamaguchi.
"What should we do then?" Kageyama intervened laconically, translating what his mate had just signed.
Ideas began to fly from all sides, but everyone fell silent when Chris cleared his throat to get their attention.
"I bought a game," he announced almost ceremoniously.
"Oh, cool, what is it?" Kuroo asked.
Chris crossed the room to retrieve a small paper bag placed on the TV stand. He came back and handed it to the brunet.
"Oh, it's like a Truth or Dare kind of game," Sugawara intervened, reading over Kuroo's shoulder.
Most of the audience seemed delighted, except for Tsukishima, who was unimpressed.
"We're not twelve," he muttered.
"Come on, Tsukki! It'll be fun, give it a try."
The blond rolled his eyes but didn't offer much more resistance. He just crouched down next to his mate. Sugawara, who had finally retrieved the game box, began to explain the rules:
"Well, first, we need to sit in a circle..."
Chris moved the coffee table, and everyone quickly settled.
"Starting a round: choose a moderator. In case of debate, the moderator has the final say, so choose carefully," Sugawara read.
"Who do we choose?"
"Chris?" suggested Kuroo.
Everyone seemed to agree, thus honoring their host.
"Place the spinner and play cards in the center," Sugawara complied. "The moderator opens the round by drawing a spinner card designating the person to be questioned, then draws a play card and asks the 'truth' question. If and only if the designated person refuses, they have to accept the dare. They can appeal; in that case, the moderator decides on the course of action. The turn continues with the last person questioned. The game continues until the players or cards are exhausted, or until death"
They all laughed.
"Okay, Chris, you start, draw a spinner card."
The latter complied and read:
"To the person on the left, Kuroo, then."
The brunet nodded, waiting for the question.
Chris drew the second card, took a few seconds to translate it before reading aloud:
"When was the last time you cried?"
"Well, that's a great start," Yamaguchi sarcastically commented.
Indeed, especially considering that the answer was, "this morning when I woke up, like every other morning this week." Kuroo wasn't eager to dampen the mood right off the bat.
"We're not starting with that! What's the dare?"
"Let another player do your hair..."
Kageyama had barely finished transcribing the answer when Hinata volunteered, soon joined by Yamaguchi, whose motivations seemed far less innocent. To Kuroo's dismay, Yamaguchi had the habit of wearing several hair ties on his wrist, and the brunet quickly found himself adorned with two pigtails.
It was Kuroo's turn to draw:
"Left, roll the dice... Is there a dice?"
Sugawara retrieved the box and handed him the black and red dice inside.
"Three -" Kuroo let out a sinister smile "- Yamaguchi."
"What? But I'm not even there!" protested Yamaguchi, who was still busy ruining Kuroo's hair.
"I don't care; that's your spot; it's your turn."
"But..."
"Moderator?"
Chris nodded. Yamaguchi sighed for the sake of it and returned to his seat.
"Go ahead."
"Okay: What's the worst thing you've ever hidden from your parents?"
"Yeah, but no, that doesn't work," Yamaguchi intervened.
"Why not?"
"We were raised in the same clan," Sugawara explained.
This only added to Kuroo's confusion.
"Sô-Shi clans raise children collectively," Iwaizumi clarified across from him.
Not wanting to come across as the clueless beta he was, Kuroo wisely decided not to delve into the matter. Sure, the question could have been rephrased in a more open-ended way, like "What's the worst thing you've hidden from a legal guardian during your childhood development?" but did he really want to go down that path? The answer was a no, of course.
"Oh... Okay... So the dare is: put four ice cubes in your mouth and keep them until they melt."
"What? Can't I have another card? Chris?"
"I think I have ice cubes in the freezer," Chris replied.
"No! Wait!"
Yamaguchi got up to try to dissuade the blond, who had just gone into the kitchen.
"I didn't know you guys grew up together," Kuroo said to the silver-haired one.
"Yeah, we've known each other since we were little," the latter replied, smiling.
"Oh, you must have plenty of embarrassing stories to tell, then," Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows in a slyly conspiratorial manner.
"Ah, ah, tons... But everything has a price, my dear..."
"I'll bring you all the food you desire."
"Now we're speaking!"
They laughed together.
"But I thought Yamaguchi was a Yama-shi, like Hinata."
The remark seemed to make Sugawara slightly uneasy; he tensed slightly.
"Yeah, that's right," replied Yamaguchi, who had just returned with his bowl of ice cubes. "But how do I ask the question if I have ice cubes in my mouth?"
"You figure it out," Oikawa replied.
"Come on, hurry up!" Tsukishima urged.
His mate shot him a dark look before finally complying. Once all the ice cubes were in his mouth, he drew the first card and almost dropped an ice cube as he smiled. He pointed at Hinata, pleased to not have to speak to ask the question.
"What is the part of your body you hate the most?" Yamaguchi signed.
The redhead barely thought for a few seconds before answering:
"My hair."
The response revolted the audience, who protested and showered him with compliments about the magnificence of his hair. Hinata, now smiling broadly, drew a card. He rolled a three and landed on Asahi. The redhead handed the question card to his mate to read aloud:
"Asahi-san, in your opinion, which of the players would survive the longest in a zombie attack, and who would die first?"
Asahi seemed to ponder the question for a long time before answering.
"Yuu..."
"Ohhh, do you think I would survive the longest?" Nishinoya exclaimed.
"Of course not, you would die first."
"Hey!"
"What? You would charge headfirst and get bitten straight away."
"Yeah, true," conceded his mate.
"And Ryūnosuke would end up the same way."
"Yeah, that's about right."
"For the one who would survive the longest... I don't know, maybe Daichi? Or Suga."
"Seriously, the zombies would be more scared of him than the other way around," remarked Nishinoya.
"Or Iwaizumi," Asahi finally suggested, turning to the person in question, "you would head to a farm in the middle of nowhere with a shotgun..."
"Yeah, I can see that for him," Daichi noted.
Iwaizumi smirked and nodded.
The next question was actually directed at him:
"Iwaizumi, what is the worst excuse you've used to cancel a date at the last minute?" Asahi asked.
"That doesn't work," Oikawa intervened before his mate could formulate a response. "He just says, 'I'm not in the mood, I'm not coming,' and that's it."
The statement seemed to be widely accepted among the other players, and even by Iwaizumi.
"Okay, okay, so what about the dare?" Asahi asked, turning his gaze to the moderator to inquire about his verdict.
Chris nodded.
"Okay... So the dare is... you have to lick... a bar of soap."
"What?" asked Oikawa.
"I'm just reading..."
"Alright," replied Imaizumi, seemingly unfazed by the challenge.
The host went to fetch the most beautiful of his soap bars and handed it to the brunet.
The audience held their breath as Iwaizumi considered the object of the dare. He frowned and solemnly bit into the soap bar. Everyone remained dumbfounded.
"What the fuck..." murmured Yamaguchi.
Noya burst into laughter, Oikawa stood up to approach the soap-eater.
"Are you out of your mind?! Spit it out!" he ordered him with the severity of an overwhelmed housewife.
Iwaizumi swallowed. By the deep disgust he displayed, it was clear to everyone that the ginger-scented soap wasn't to his liking.
"We said lick!" exclaimed Oikawa.
"Do you want a glass of water?" Daichi asked.
"No! It will make bubbles!" Tanaka shouted.
"Here," Nishinoya intervened, handing him a glass.
Imaizumi quickly gulped it down, but it seemed to worsen his condition.
"What the fuck is that?" he asked between coughing fits.
"Vodka."
"Are you freaking crazy!" Oikawa exclaimed.
"What? At least it doesn't foam!"
" You're really..."
Oikawa couldn't go any further. His mate had grabbed his arm to signal that everything was fine. The chestnut-haired let out a long groan before returning to his seat.
Once the commotion subsided, the game continued. Iwaizumi, whose voice was now slightly hoarse, had to ask his question to his right-hand neighbor.
"Sawamura, what is the worst physical pain you've ever experienced?"
Although the question didn't necessarily lend itself to it, Daichi let out a nervous laugh and blushed. He looked up at Sugawara, who had already buried his face in his hands. Kuroo went back and forth between the two, wondering what dark truth was about to be revealed to them.
"Hmmm... Well, Kōshi bit me once until I bled... it wasn't really pleasant..."
Yamaguchi chuckled maliciously, muttering a very friendly "fucking Sô-shi," and Sugawara had to slump onto Oikawa to slap the back of his sneaky little head.
"Oh no, don't you remember the time when you crashed with Ryū?" Nishinoya intervened.
"Oh yeah! It was bad, so bad!" Tanaka added.
"Oh, yes! Once we were playing, and I took Tanaka head-on... That really knocked me out," explained Daichi. "Yeah, that wasn't fun either."
Kuroo put on his most mischievous smile and whispered to the silver-haired one.
"Kinky... This Sub story, and now this... Well, I didn't know you were into BDSM."
"Oh, shut up," he whispered back. "Well, Daichi, now that you've embarrassed, it's your turn to ask the question."
The man in question let out a little laugh before drawing his card.
"Chris... How many people have you kissed in your life?"
The blond nodded but did not answer. Long seconds passed in silence. Kuroo wondered if Chris had understood the question correctly, but before he could ask, his friend said:
"Sober?"
"Yeah, well, the one you remember."
And Chris went back to his calculation. Kuroo frowned. Answering an equation with three unknowns would have taken him less time than this!
"Thirty-three," the blond finally answered.
"What?!" Kuroo exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
"Does that surprise you?"
"I don't know... I didn't know you were such a Casanova in the past!" the brunet remarked, a hint of humor in his tone.
"In the past?" the blond asked, much to Kuroo's surprise.
Chris didn't dwell on it and grabbed his cards.
"Kageyama, what is the most embarrassing music you listen to most often."
The question seemed to upset Kageyama, who scowled.
"Dare?" he asked.
"Give a compliment to the person on your left."
Kageyama sighed and turned to Hinata. He considered him for a long time before signing :
"You have a nice sweatshirt."
The compliment, albeit quite insubstantial, did not seem to please the redhead at all.
"Your compliment sucks."
"Oh yeah? Well, go ahead then if you can do better!"
"Okay. You are the most amazing person I have ever met, and I love you more than anything in the world!"
"Oh yeah, well..."
The rest of the non-verbal jousting completely escaped Kuroo, now resembling more of a battle straight out of Naruto than a passionate declaration of love.
"Alright! Stop being awkward," Tsukishima finally interrupted.
The two exchanged a final "I love you" sign before turning away from each other, as annoyed as if they had a fight. Kageyama violently rolled the dice and got a six. He looked at Tsukishima and drew the play card. What he read made him smile, and it was with a certain jubilation that he asked the blond:
"Do you sing in the shower? If so, what was your last cover?"
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, trying to appear subtly threatening, probably hoping it would deter his interlocutor from insisting. It was in vain against Kageyama, whose triumphant smile only widened.
"If you want, you can choose the dare, but it means you have to give a singing demonstration," the brunet continued.
"Oh, sing, cupcake!" Kuroo exclaimed.
"You're lying," the blond asserted.
Kageyama shrugged and leaned in to let him read the card. Obviously, he wasn't lying. Tsukishima, offended, but not wanting to lose any of his honor, straightened up and crossed his arms.
"I don't sing in the shower."
"You're lying," Yamaguchi intervened.
Tsukishima shot him a dark look, which only amused his mate.
"Of course, he's lying!" Kuroo shouted.
"Speak!" Kageyama ordered. "Or sing."
Tsukishima focused his gaze on him and let out a low growl. Kageyama raised an eyebrow without letting go of his mischievous smile. The blond seemed to give up and murmured an inaudible response.
"What?"
"Me too... by Meghan Trainor."
Kuroo remained bewildered for a moment before bursting into laughter, and half of the group quickly joined in.
"What kind of song is that?" Daichi asked.
This was followed by a magnificent singing demonstration by Tanaka and Nishinoya, which finished off everyone. It wasn't until long minutes later, out of breath from laughing so much, that the game could finally continue.
"Tanaka, it's your turn."
"I'm listening, 'Sexy girl.'"
Tsukishima sighed before reading his question:
"What is the most embarrassing thing you've done on a date?"
Tanaka rubbed his chin, thinking intensely about the question.
"Hmm... Oh yeah, I know, I brought Noya," he revealed, pointing to the interested party.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!"
"It was like… 2 pm and we ate like pigs while the girl just had an expresso."
"Why did you do that?" Oikawa asked.
"I don't know... I think I just didn't realize it was a date..."
"And you thought, 'hey, she invited me for a coffee, she probably wants to eat dried meat with my best friend,'?" Asahi added.
"I was just super nervous! She was super pretty!" Tanaka defended himself while scratching his head.
"Great technique," Oikawa sarcastically remarked.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, not my brightest moment. Now, my turn! Oh, and by the way, Oikawa, it's for you."
"Go on."
"What is your record for sleep? Like, how many consecutive hours have you slept the longest, I guess."
"Who wrote these questions?" Sugawara asked before grabbing the game box to find the answer to his question.
"Seventy-two hours," Oikawa answered without hesitation.
"What?"
"I thought he was dead," Iwaizumi added.
"And you didn't wake him up?" Yamaguchi asked.
The person in question simply shook his head negatively. Was it really surprising coming from this particular individual? Not really.
"But what did you do to sleep that long?" Kuroo asked.
"It was after my first shared rut, I crashed out and... that's it," Oikawa explained.
Now Kuroo understood why he had to take his classes for a week...
"Wow, three days ! I think my max is like... eighteen or twenty hours... Otherwise, I'm starving," Yamaguchi intervened.
And to think that Kuroo thought he was doing well when he slept more than ten hours without interruption... Jealousy was starting to creep in. He would give so much to sleep for twenty hours straight, especially right now...
"I'm not telling you how out of sync I was afterward," Oikawa commented. "Okay, it's my turn," he drew his cards "Person to my right, Suga, it's for you."
"Hmm."
"If a genie granted you three wishes, what would they be?"
Sugawara swayed for a few seconds while grabbing his knees to catalyze his thoughts.
"I don't know... To pass this damn exam ," the group approved. "To sleep peacefully for seventy-two hours... And for the third one , I don't know, have a Michelin-starred chef cook for me every day?"
"Oh, well, thank you!" protested his mate.
"Are you a Michelin-starred chef now?" Sugawara joked.
"If it were me, I'd choose to not have ruts anymore," Oikawa intervened.
"Oh, Yeah! Me too! " Yamaguchi and Sugawara chimed in unison.
For once, all the alphas in the assembly agreed on the matter.
"Same, it's annoying!" Nishinoya joined in, with Asahi nodding vigorously.
Kuroo was initially surprised by their reaction. He quickly remembered that his sisters had already had this discussion about their periods... In short, he wasn't really competent to debate the issue, but he could understand.
"Well, we can't do much about it anyway," Sugawara concluded, grabbing new cards. "Kuroo! What is the weirdest place you've ever peed? Seriously, who wrote this..."
Kuroo smiled, and shared with them, with a pinch of extravagant and absurd details, the time when, at a friend's secret party, he found himself facing his friend's parents after using the master suite's bathroom. While he was fairly drunk, he did manage to hold a ten-minute conversation with them and later left their house with a homemade jar of jam and some fresh onigiris. The anecdote seemed to delight the audience, who couldn't stop choking with laughter.
Next was Iwaizumi, who unsurprisingly revealed that the worst thing he had ever eaten was the soap he had chewed half an hour earlier and was having trouble digesting. Daichi revealed that his greatest dream was to live secluded in the countryside with a pack of dogs, an idea that didn't particularly please Sugawara, who couldn't see himself sharing his territory with a dozen dogs.
Tanaka swallowed a raw egg, and Kageyama had to show an embarrassing photo. The photo turned out to be more adorable than embarrassing, as Hinata showed a picture of the brunet aged 4, dressed in dinosaur overalls.
If Oikawa ever ended up on a deserted island, he would take Iwaizumi with him, not for romantic reasons, but rather because he could build him a shelter and later serve as a reserve for dried meat.
Nishinoya had to call Tanaka's sister and sing the national anthem to her. Finally, Chris revealed his immense talent as an actor by impersonating Kageyama—an activity that required the use of no facial muscles, except for a slight eyebrow furrow.
It was at this moment that the game took a less joyful turn.
"Sugawara, a question for you," announced Chris. "What is your greatest regret?"
The face of the silver-haired man darkened, and his features tensed imperceptibly. He glanced furtively at Yamaguchi before raising his eyes to the sky.
"Hmm… Maybe not having been able to protect as much as I wanted to," his expression changed instantly, "and never managing to learn more than three words in French!"
"I could teach you if you want," Chris offered.
"That's kind of you, but I think I'm a lost cause!"
They all laughed. However, Kuroo noticed from the corner of his eye that when Sugawara felt the general attention shift away from him, he leaned back further to secretly grasp Yamaguchi's hand in his own before straightening up, rejoining the conversation as if nothing happened.
The game resumed, and Kuroo relaxed when Hinata had to give them a twerking demonstration. The final execution resembled more an imitation of a fish wriggling out of the water, but it was done with such gusto that it could only command respect. Later, Yamaguchi, who once again couldn't answer the "truth" question, ended up having to howl for a minute. However, this seemed to satisfy him more than anything, and he tackled the task with passion, much to Sugawara's dismay, who had to fight with all his might not to howl too. Fortunately for Sugawara, Yamaguchi could only carry out his mischief for a few seconds before the entire assembly begged him to be shut up.
"Kuroo, it's your turn," Yamaguchi smiled, "do you have a crush? If so, reveal their identity."
The brunet tensed up and froze completely.
"What is fucking wrong with these questions! We're not twelve years old!" Tsukishima grumbled.
Kuroo had never appreciated his bratty comeback more.
"Hush! Come on, Kuroo!"
Kuroo felt the blood rush to his head; he hoped that his friends' advanced state of inebriation would allow him to go unnoticed.
"I..hum..maybe?" he stammered.
"What kind of answer is that! What does that mean? Oh! Who is it? Here?" Yamaguchi asked.
"What do you mean here? You're all in a relationship here!"
"So what! And besides, it's not true; there's Tanaka."
Kuroo rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the interested party.
"Tanaka-san, you are a charming person, but I have no feelings for you," he solemnly announced to highlight the absurdity of the situation.
"No problem, my brother. I too have no feelings for you, Kuroo-san."
"Blah blah blah, that doesn't tell us anything," Yamaguchi interrupted, "spill the beans!"
"Can I choose the dare?"
"No!" Yamaguchi said.
"Yes," Chris countered.
"Ugh... Okay, then you chug your drink in one go."
"Very well!"
Kuroo grabbed his glass, filled with a previously concocted, unidentified mixture signed Yamaguchi, and downed it in one gulp. The alcohol, which had been only slightly diluted, burned his throat, but he maintained appearances and dignifiedly put his glass back on the floor.
Fortunately for him, this was the moment Tsukishima chose to announce that he had had enough of it and stood up. Everyone then scattered, conversations resuming everywhere. Kuroo and his secrets were finally safe when half the group got excited to play beer pong. Kuroo still didn't quite understand the appeal, knowing he wouldn't last more than ten minutes, but he was relieved that the conversation had definitively turned away from him.
Nevertheless, Kuroo got caught up in the moment and joined the group in the garage for a game of beer pong. After two very bad throws and two cups of warm beer, he wisely decided to withdraw from the game. He officiated as a referee for a while but quickly abandoned his title as he began to be invaded by dark thoughts.
When he came back to himself, the players had started playing with three balls at the same time, and Kageyama and Hinata had resumed their non-verbal banter. Laughter filled the space, voices brimming with euphoria. But Kuroo suddenly felt profoundly detached, as if he were a mere spectator of the scene. It took him a while to shake off this alienating sensation that enveloped his mind. Finally, he lowered his eyes to his glass. A large glass of water would do him good. He went back inside and headed to the kitchen. He drank a first glass of water, spent several minutes staring at the wall, then poured himself a second one. As he was about to rejoin the garage, he passed by the glass door overlooking a small garden where several voices emanated. As he went out, he found Oikawa, Sugawara, and Chris sitting on the grass, chatting peacefully. Spotting him, they greeted him and invited him to join them. Kuroo smiled and obliged.
"What are you drinking?" Oikawa asked.
"Water."
"A wise choice," Sugawara commented.
"Hmm... What were you talking about?"
"The relationships between the gaseous, stellar, structural, and chemical properties of galaxies to study and predict their evolutions," Oikawa replied.
Kuroo nodded; the question was indeed relevant.
"And do you understand?" the brunet asked Sugawara.
"Yes, of course. And they decided to start speaking in English to include me even more in the discussion," Sugawara said with irony.
Kuroo chuckled.
"Sorry, Sugawara, I didn't know how to talk about it in Japanese," Chris apologized politely.
"It's okay, but I worry about Kuroo; not sure if he'll follow," Sugawara humorously replied.
"Yeah, right."
They laughed together.
"Well!" Oikawa finally exclaimed, "so you 'maybe' have a crush."
Kuroo almost choked on his sip of water.
"Uh..."
"Uh ?"
Now Sugawara joined in, making his eyebrows bounce. Kuroo rolled his eyes. Unfortunately for him, the two alphas in front of him had definitely switched to "gossip" mode, and there was no point in trying to steer the conversation away now. Even Chris seemed interested in the question. Kuroo remained silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. After all, he could simply lie...
Oh, screw it! His conscience had already plunged, and the alcohol rushing through his veins had finished breaking down his barriers. If he couldn't broach the subject when completely uninhibited, he would never be able to do it.
"Um, well, actually..."
"Yeah? "Sugawara insisted.
Damn, now he was blushing! He ran his hand through his hair to regain composure and continued:
"Actually, it's more like three...crushes"
Kuroo timidly raised his eyes, dreading the reaction of his interlocutors. The interested parties did seem surprised, but it didn't appear to be overtly negative.
"And I'm the Casanova,". Chris playfully remarked, automatically easing Kuroo's tension.
"Wooh, well..."
"Hmm, and who is it? " Oikawa hurriedly asked.
"No one... a secret, " Kuroo childishly replied.
"Oh, a secret," Sugawara emphasized." And... among these three, isn't there one that, I don't know"
"Who might fancy some company? " Oikawa eagerly inquired.
Kuroo averted his eyes.
"Pff, I don't know..."
"Don't tell me you've been friend-zoned by all of them! That suck!" Oikawa chimed in.
"I hope you know very well that the friend-zone concept is bullshit, but no, I don't think so... I mean, yes, we are friends for now but... I don't know... it's just that..."
They waited for the end of the sentence... in vain.
"That?" Sugawara insisted.
"His harem is so vast, he doesn't know on whom to set his sights," Oikawa joked.
Sugawara chuckled, and as he was about to add to the joke, Kuroo intervened:
"Well, for real, it's a bit like that... I'm just lost, I don't know what to do."
"Well, first of all, do you want to do something ?" Sugawara noted.
"Yeah, I guess... I don't even know."
"Okay, okay, I know! Tell us a bit about them, what you like about them; it might help you see things more clearly," Sugawara suggested.
The brunet raised an eyebrow. Despite the seemingly benevolent tone of the sentence, Kuroo could tell it was more about feasting on the narration than genuinely helping.
"Seriously, it's not a bad idea," Oikawa emphasized.
Kuroo looked at them suspiciously.
"Oh, come on! If you want to keep their "anonymity," let's just say it's A, B, and C."
Kuroo relaxed slightly but remained silent.
" Come on, don't be shy. Tell us about A first."
Kuroo took a deep breath. He downed his glass in one go. He was disappointed to remember it was just water, so he grabbed the sake lying next to Oikawa's feet, poured himself a glass, and downed it. Now that his dramatic effect was achieved, he could start.
"Okay... okay... um."
" A."
"Yes, A."
The image of Akaashi rushed through his mind.
"A is... well, A is fucking gorgeous; it's just insane... And... impressive, with intelligence that completely blows me away. He's... sharp but delicate in his humor, a bit cheeky... And his voice, I... I don't know, when I'm with him, it's like I'm drowned in his presence as if I've been stuffed into the drum of a washing machine on a rapid cycle at 1200 rpm, but it's so exhilarating... Just thinking about him gives me goosebumps... And then there's B, who is first thing first, um, also freaking gorgeous, demigod carved-in-marble gorgeous. And... He makes me laugh, a lot. When I'm with him, I'm five years old again, and I'm having a blast... And B can be so… moving, and with a strength that puzzles me. When I'm with him, it feels like I stuck my fingers into an electrical outlet, and it twists my brain, but I still want to go back, even with a fork if necessary. When I think of his laughter and... his gaze, it feels like having a bug farm in my stomach... And then there's C... Oh, C! What to say... finding him again was cataclysmic, as if I had was reunited with a part of myself, he is so... So himself... And when I think of him, when I'm with him, it feels like I'm a damn effervescent aspirin tablet in a glass of water, it fizzes, and it burns me at the same time, and I could just explode! And, um, that's it."
Kuroo finally stopped, breathless from the tirade he had just delivered.
Silence fell heavily.
Kuroo looked up. His friends in front of him seemed completely stunned by what he had just told them.
A laughter on the verge of hysteria, burst into the silence. Kuroo turned around. Yamaguchi, laughing, and Tsukishima, apparently very amused, emerged from behind a bush. Kuroo fought the urge to run away and act as if nothing had happened.
"What were you doing there?" He asked.
"You don't want to know, " said Yamaguchi.
He burst into laughter again.
"What's so funny?"Kuroo asked.
Yamaguchi wiped a tear from the corner of his eye:
"Oh, man, I expected something ridiculous, but you can't seriously believe it's just a little crush; we're on a damn different level here!"
Kuroo said nothing. He turned again to his three comrades who seemed to share that opinion.
"He's not wrong... " Sugawara murmured. His lips stretched into a sweet smile.
Kuroo closed his eyes, feeling his resistance crumble. A tremendous weight lifted off his heart, and he felt like falling backward off a building. His throat tightened.
" I know..." he finally confessed, his voice filled with tears.
Unable to hold back, he burst into tears. He knew that beer pong was not a good idea at all!
"Oh no, I didn't mean to make you cry! " Yamaguchi reassured him.
He crouched beside him and hugged him, which didn't help Kuroo's lacrimal glands at all. However, he couldn't help but laugh when the younger one started purring in the embrace to try to calm him down. He pulled away from him and managed to give him a smile to show that he was okay. Yamaguchi let go of him but sat beside him. Kuroo chuckled, released another burst of tears, sniffed loudly, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Damn, I'm pathetic," Kuroo announced.
"No, you're not," Sugawara reassured him.
"Very much so,"Tsukishima joked.
Kuroo laughed again. Damn, that jerk was almost lifting his spirits.
"Come on, it's not a big deal," Oikawa said.
"But I know it's not a big deal! That's what's bothering me... Still, I'm lost... I can't sleep, and if I do, I keep having weird dreams!"
"Oh, wet dreams? " Yamaguchi suggested.
"If only! If only, damn it! But no, instead, I dream that I have a house by the sea with C, that I go on a trip to Venice with A, and that I raise a pack of dogs in the mountains with B!"
" You have twisted fantasies," Tsukishima remarked.
"Hmm, I don't know... I can totally see you raising a pack of dogs with Bokuto-san, it fits," Oikawa commented.
Kuroo was stunned. It took him a few seconds to respond:
" But... How do you know it's Bokuto?"
"Kuroo, it's so obvious that it's painful! As for A and C..."
"A is Akaashi-san, right?" Chris suggested.
" And C is Kenma," Tsukishima and Yamaguchi finished in unison.
Kuroo was astonished.
"Wow, you guys are so much more informed than me; I'm almost jealous," Sugawara confessed.
"But, we're right, right? "Yamaguchi hurriedly asked.
The brunet nodded.
" So, what do I do then?"
The audience seemed to possess no more of an answer to this question than he did.
"Wait, I found a WikiHow," Yamaguchi intervened.
"Really?" the silver-haired one exclaimed.
" Not surprisingt ," Kuroo added. "Once, I found 'how to euthanize your goldfish without making it suffer' so...,"
" How did you come across that?" Tsukishima asked.
"My sister's fish got stuck in the air tube, he wasn't doing well after that, so I had to be the big brother, you know."
"You scientists are all a bit crazy anyway," sarcastically remarked Sugawara, which earned him a punch in the ribs from Oikawa.
Kuroo smiled, but before he could intervene, Yamaguchi spoke up:
"Okay, you have to answer these questions. The first one is 'who do you have the most fun with?'"
"What?"
"Like, time flies by so fast because it's so much fun," Yamaguchi explained again.
Kuroo paused to think.
"Don't overthink it, just say what comes to your mind! "the younger one ordered him.
"Okay, okay! I don't know... Bokuto? We goof around pretty well... Or Akaashi, we could talk for hours... Or Kenma... I could spend hours doing nothing with him, and I wouldn't get bored... Or..."
"Well, just choose! " Yamaguchi urged impatiently.
"That's the fucking problem!" the brunet defended himself.
"Oh... Yeah. Well, next question then: 'Who treats you the best?'"
"That's a stupid question; if they treated me like crap, I wouldn't be in this situation!"
Tsukishima nodded. Even if it didn't seem like it, he still seemed somewhat absorbed in the conversation.
"No, but wait, there's a photo where the guy gives him flowers, it's probably in that sense," Yamaguchi tried to explain.
"Did someone give you flowers?" Oikawa asked with a smile.
"No. By the way, no one has ever given me flowers..."
"That's a shame, "Oikawa remarked.
"I like to buy myself flowers sometimes," Sugawara intervened, it looks nice.
"Kōshi, we don't care! We're talking about romantic gestures here!"
"Uh... Well, Akaashi has bought me several coffees... Bokuto, food..."
" Ah, it's narrowing down!"
" But no, this is stupid, it doesn't work like that! " Kuroo complained.
"Ugh, but you're not helping either! Come on, next question: List the traits you like the most about each person'."
" Oh no, we are not going through that again! " Tsukishima snapped.
"Hmm, I think you already answered that one." noted Chris.
"Well, okay, next 'decide which one you feel most compatible with'," Yamaguchi read.
"I don't know, that's the problem!"
"Damn it, Kuroo, you're not very cooperative," Yamaguchi joked. "Well then, after that, 'talk to your friends,' I think we've done that, or go talk to a therapist."
"What?" Kuroo had almost choked on his saliva.
"And why don't you choose not to choose?" Chris finally intervened.
All eyes turned to him.
"Oh, yeah, you could test the waters first, right?" Sugawara suggested.
The idea didn't seem to please Kuroo.
"Yeah, that too... That's not what I meant, but it works too, " Chris said.
Kuroo frowned.
"What did you mean? Date all three of them? Wouldn't that be unfair?"
"Unfair to whom?"
"I don't know, to them..."
Chris shrugged:
If they know about it and you all agree, there's no problem, right?"
Kuroo was left dumbfounded. Where did this idea come from? He couldn't possibly consider that option!"
"Yeah... Well, actually, that's the last point," Yamaguchi intervened, "'Take the time to reflect on your stance on monogamy'."
Kuroo was left breathless. He looked at Yamaguchi for a long moment and maintained his gaze when he lifted his eyes from his phone. He then turned his head to the rest of his friends. No one seemed as stunned as he was. On the contrary, they all seemed to consider the option as a perfectly acceptable choice. Kuroo had never been a fervent defender of morals and virtue, but this... He shook his head frantically, and attempted to start a few sentences unsuccessfully before finally managing to articulate his thoughts:
"But, I can't do that!"
"Why? Chris calmly asked.
Was this a massive cultural shock? He couldn't believe he was being asked such a question. Chris, however, seemed to bear no particular judgment, animosity, or challenge. His question was surprisingly honest and innocent.
Kuroo didn't want to resort to preconceived speeches, ideas he had no control over, and that weren't necessarily his own. He finally answered honestly:
"I don't know... It doesn't seem very healthy, or viable... or even just right?"
"Why?"
The question had once again been asked with complete honesty.
Kuroo remained silent.
"My parents are like that, and they have been together for a very long time... And I don't think it's unhealthy, " Chris eventually revealed.
Kuroo was stunned. He gaped like a fish out of water, unable to respond. The others seemed, however, more intrigued than shocked by the revelation.
"Chris, sorry to ask, " Sugawara intervened, "but how many parents do you have?"
Kuroo had never heard such a question; he had to replay it in his head to make sure he had understood correctly.
"Five,"the blond simply replied.
"What! " Kuroo exclaimed.
"Hm, that explains the house," Oikawa remarked in a conversational tone.
The rest of the group simply nodded, as if it made perfect sense.
"But you never told me," Kuroo exclaimed.
"You never asked," the blond replied.
Fair enough. He hadn't asked... He hadn't actually asked that question to anyone...ever. Should he start doing it?
"Um, betas or a polygynous clan?" Sugawara asked.
A what now?
"A clan, "Chris simply replied.
Once again, everyone except Kuroo seemed to be following events correctly. Well, correctly, he wasn't sure how to judge it.
"Uh, guys, include me here, " he finally asked.
Yamaguchi turned to him again:
"Oh... Do you remember when I told you about hierarchies in different non-beta social groups?"
Kuroo nodded.
"I didn't specify, but some groups have polygynous structures. In short, instead of having a core composed of an alpha leader and their omega, the core is... more extensive, and can be made up of several alphas, omegas, and even betas sometimes... It's less common, but yes... Polyamorous relationships, as there can be among betas, although it's less, uh, socially accepted."
"Like... an open relationship?"
"Um... no, but... I see what you mean, sometimes, it depends on the situation. Sometimes the core is exclusive; it's the decision of those who compose it, you know..."
Kuroo was stunned. He simply nodded, struggling to digest the information he had just been fed.
"My mother comes from an ancient Yama-kita clan, " Chris announced a statement that once again made no sense to Kuroo.
"Oh! Is she Japanese then? " Sugawara asked.
"Yes. That's why I speak Japanese; she taught me."
"Woah, woah! "Kuroo intervened. "There's a bit of false advertising here! I thought you learned it here, and that's why we spoke English at the beginning!"
"Yes and no... I learned it when I was young, but we don't really speak it at home. I just had to remember... I also learned a lot here."
"That explains the rapid improvement," Sugawara remarked. "I feel less stupid for not being able to speak French after all these years..."
Chris smiled at him.
Silence settled in again. Kuroo felt that attention had once again turned to him.
Oikawa was the first to speak again:
"Anyway, Kuroo... Clan or no clan, poly or not, it's up to you, and them too."
"Yes... you might not have to come to that. Just question your feelings, or where you want to go. Take your chances and see where it leads you, I think that's all we can advise you for now, " Sugawara concluded.
Kuroo felt his heart tighten. He nodded.
"Come on, give me a hug."
Sugawara opened his arms.
Kuroo smiled at him. In the end, being surrounded by extremely tactile people wasn't so bad. It had taken him a while to get used to it at first, but he had come to enjoy it quite a bit. He dragged himself to join him and accepted the embrace.
"Pathetic, really, "Tsukishima commented.
"Shut up, " Kuroo retorted, without a hint of animosity in his voice.
Sugawara chuckled but didn't let go of him. Oikawa leaned his head against his, and Yamaguchi came to sandwich him between him and Sugawara.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"And remember, it's not the end of the world."
Kuroo had learned many theorems in his life: the Pythagorean theorem, Thales' theorem, Bernoulli's theorem, Borel-Cantelli's theorem, Goodstein's theorem... But he hadn't yet encountered this one, and it was probably the hardest he had to face: the theorem of sentimental geometry.
-end of the chapter-
Next chapter : " The wind blows"
"It's Sunday. What would I be doing on campus?"
"I don't know, bro, I like it here."
"What are you doing there?"
"I had to drop something off; now I have to wait for my ride home."
Kuroo chuckled. Little Bo had to wait patiently for someone to come and get him safely home.
"I thought I'd go for a jog while waiting, and I thought, 'Wah, it would be cool if my bro was here too,' so... you live nearby, right?"
Kuroo grimaced. It was nice of him to think of him, but the idea of getting out of bed to go tire himself out was almost painful.
"Oh, I don't know, I have a killer hangover, man..."
"All the more reason! Come on, bro!"
Kuroo looked at his phone for a long time. He really didn't want to... However, he thought back to the reflection he had earlier: seize the opportunity and see where it would take him. He weighed the pros and cons for a while before finally replying:
"Alright, I'm coming. I'll be there in fifteen, max twenty minutes."