Chapter 31: parenti aquisiti

Kuroo took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?"

Tetsurō looked up at Bokuto. "No!" he thought.

"Yes... just a little, um... anxious I guess."

His boyfriend smiled at him.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"L.O.L," he thought to himself, trying to smile back, with little to no success.

As he looked up, he caught Kenma's gaze in the rearview mirror and saw the mocking smile on his lips. He saw him glance towards Akaashi sitting beside him, and they chuckled discreetly.

Well, thanks for the moral support!

Kuroo readjusted the two cardboard boxes on his lap, no way was he going to show up with two completely squashed cakes, his honor depended on it!

Why was he even here exactly?

No, he knew why he was here, but why had he agreed to come?

Because Kōtarō had asked him to, and damn he couldn't resist his damn little owl face...

He was that weak.

It was Sunday, September 20: Bokuto Kōtarō's birthday, aka his beloved boyfriend, whom he loved dearly, but who had the brilliant idea of asking him to come with him to celebrate with his family.

They had celebrated it together the day before, precisely because he would celebrate it the next day with his family. Tetsurō had known this for several weeks already, and it was completely fine by him. After all, they had only been together for a very short time, certainly not yet the time to meet his family, he thought. What a grave miscalculation: he was also dating his mates, who were obviously going. So it was only natural that Kōtarō had asked him to join them.

The step of "meeting the in-laws" was universally known to be one of the most stressful things one can experience, but for Kuroo, the trial was infinitely more strenuous than what people were facing most of the time: he didn't have to make a good impression on two parents, not even three, but all four of them. Gosh, he was going to faint for sure.

He had bombarded his boyfriend with questions the day before to establish a quick profile of each of his parents. Still, he had only managed to obtain a few rudimentary pieces of information which he then had relentlessly repeated to himself to memorize perfectly. The task had proven more challenging than anticipated: polygamy and same-sex marriage not being legal, his parents and siblings did not have the same last name, only being recognized as a family unit under a special amendment of the T.O.P (or so he was told). He would have to learn on the field for the rest of it.

"We're here."

The car had just stopped, pulling Kuroo from his thoughts. He looked up and almost choked as he swallowed: they had stopped indeed, but not in front of a charming little family house as he had imagined, but in front of a mansion. A damn, real life mansion. A small mansion maybe, but a mansion nonetheless. Kuroo knew that Kōtarō came from a rather wealthy family, but he certainly hadn't imagined this. The estate must have dated back to the early 20th century, built in a Western style, the ashen stones of the building contrasting with the foliage of the centuries-old maples and cherry trees planted all around. Kuroo remembered seeing a similar structure in the garden of Kyū-Furukawa, but he certainly didn't think this kind of place could still be inhabited...

"Ji?"

The concerned one returned to reality: his three boyfriends had already exited the car, Kenma had opened the door for him and was waiting for him to get out. It took him a few extra seconds to regain control of his legs. The other three had resumed their discussion, Kuroo was far too absorbed in the contemplation of the garden to listen to them. They arrived at the door, Kōtarō rang the bell, and Tetsurō felt his stomach knot.

"Oh! Must be the kids!" they heard from the other side of the door.

The door opened, and a woman in her fifties appeared, disheveled chestnut hair perfectly complementing her ethereal aura, dressed in a large colorful dress. Kuroo had no trouble identifying her: Yūma Maeda, 52 years old, an art professor at the prestigious Tama University of Fine Arts, a great pottery lover, and an herbalist in her spare time.

"Kōtarō, baby, happy birthday!" she tenderly exclaimed upon seeing her child before taking him in her arms.

"Thanks, mom."

"Kenma-kun, Keiji-kun, I'm so happy to see you again," she continued, pulling them in a hug.

Her gaze finally fell on Kuroo. She readjusted her large round glasses, the movement causing the dozens of bracelets she wore on her wrist to jingle.

"And you must be Tetsurō, what a delight! I'm Kōtarō's mom, you can call me Yūma."

"Nice to meet you, Yūma-san," Kuroo leaned in to greet her, completely forgetting the two cake boxes he still had in his hands that he almost dropped.

"Oh, no need for formalities, come on in, kids."

"Are Nobu and Nao home?" Kōtarō asked once the door closed behind them.

His voice sounded strange, laced with a mix of fear and enthusiasm...

"Yes, they're upstairs they..."

"Is that ugly face I hear?" a voice shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Ah, there they are."

Two young men appeared, thundering down the stairs. He saw Kōtarō stiffen, and pedal back a little. Before he could even say a word, the other two had pounced on him, lifting him into the air as if he were as frail as a tiny twig.

Yes, Kōtarō Bokuto, half-god stature, a tiny twig...

Kōtarō eventually burst into laughter, managing to break free from their grasp. He put his arm around one of his brothers' necks to try to make him stumble, but the other one tripped him up.

"Nobuyoshi Bokuto, 27 years old, dog trainer," Kuroo began to mutter to himself, "Nao Ogawa, 25 years old, studying art and communication at Business..."

He fell silent as he realized Kenma had heard him muttering.

"What?" asked the brunette.

"You're a psychopath..."

"No, I'm just. No!"

He found no further arguments for his defense.

Kenma raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile forming on his lips.

"We forgot the flowers in the car," Kenma intervened.

"Did we take flowers?" Keiji asked.

His mate didn't answer him and went back through the door.

"We'll leave them be," Yūma said. "You can put those down next to… boys! Wait" she told them, "Keiji-kun, you know where the kitchen is, right?"

Keiji nodded

"I will show you," he said.

Before they could even turn on their heels, they heard someone shout "Keiji!". Kōtarō had managed to extricate himself from the melee, grabbing his mate by the arm, hoping that the latter would come to his aid. Unfortunately for them, they were both swallowed up by the chaotic scrum. Kuroo was the only one left.

"Ah, they're impossible," Yūma-san said, a smile playing on her lips, "come with me I..."

A crashing sound rang out behind them.

"Watch out, boys... Not there, I..."

She detached herself from him to try to save her furniture from the wild animals serving as her children. Kuroo found himself alone, standing in the entrance hall with his two cake boxes. He turned his eyes towards the adjacent room, spotting a large table. As he was about to open the door, placing his two boxes in one hand to facilitate the action, he detected movement in his peripheral vision. He jumped and almost dropped the boxes. A childish laughter reached him. Turning his eyes, he discovered that what had startled him so much was nothing but a child standing in the shadow of a corridor. They looked at each other silently, like two animals crossing paths in a forest. Kuroo had no trouble determining who it was: Shin Bokuto, the youngest of the siblings.

"You're funny," the child said to him.

"Uh... thank you. Um, I really like your hat," he continued, pointing to the little frog bob Shin was wearing.

The child chuckled, flattered by the compliment, and disappeared into the shadow of the corridor.

Okay...

Kuroo returned to his primary task, which was to go into the next room so he could finally set down his cakes before they were ruined for good. The room was cozy, the rustic style contrasting with the apparent grandeur of the mansion. Just as he was finally about to set down his two boxes, he jumped, almost dropping them once again. The running gag was starting to get old. The armchair in front of him had just turned around, and Kuroo could see that a man in his early fifties, dressed in an elegant three-piece suit, with a stern and austere look, was seated in it. His black hair was slicked back, and his equally dark eyes scrutinized him severely. There was no room for doubts: he was in front of Naruhito Nakayama. Kuroo shivered. Nevertheless, he gathered his courage and bowed to greet him.

"Pleased to meet you, Nakayama-san. I'm Kuroo Tetsurō..."

He fell silent: the man in front of him had just stood up. Although he was shorter than him, his aura was so imposing that it silenced him. Nakayama took a step forward and examined him from head to toe, a hint of disdain in his gaze. Kuroo swallowed hard.

"A beta..."

"Uh... yes," Tetsurō simply replied, bowing again to show his respect.

But even that didn't seem to soften his interlocutor.

"Oh, Naru, the leeks and zucchinis have grown so well!"

Kuroo turned his eyes towards the person who had just entered the room through the door opposite to the one he had taken. It was a man with dark chestnut long hair tied in a messy bun, wearing a checkered shirt over an old denim overall stained with grass and dirt. No doubt, it was Hiroshi Bokuto.

Hiroshi finally noticed his presence:

"Oh hey, look who's here!"

"Hello, I'm..."

Tetsurō didn't have time to finish his sentence, as Bokuto-san had crossed the room to approach him. He immediately took him in his arms, squeezing him so tightly that he lifted him off the ground.

"Ah! You must be Tetsurō, it's so nice to meet you, my boy," he said once he had kindly put him back on the ground.

"Nice to meet you too, Bokuto-san."

He offered him a radiant smile before turning to his mate:

"Naru, don't tell me you were playing the big bad wolf! - he turned back to him - Don't worry, he looks scary like that, but he's actually a softy."

"Hiro..." growled Nakayama-san.

"'tô-san!" shouted a small, feeble voice.

Nakayama-san's severity mask completely broke when his youngest appeared. The child rushed to his dad who immediately took him in his arms. Shin hugged his father and turned his eyes toward Kuroo:

"Oh, it's you!"

The brunet smiled at him and waved.

"I know him, he's funny," Shin pleaded to defend his case.

Nakayama-san turned his eyes towards him again. There was still a hint of disdain in his gaze, but it had softened. However, he didn't speak to him and turned back to his mate:

"I hope you'll change before lunch."

Hiroshi didn't bother with a response and waved off his mate's remark.

"All right, let's go join the others," he said, putting his arm around Tetsurō's back to guide him along.

The puppy fight was still going; Keiji had managed to extricate himself somehow, now waiting seated on the first steps of the stairs. Kuroo approached him, laughing at the state he was in: disheveled, wrinkled clothes, and a look of deep despair painted on his face.

"I see you managed to get out alive."

"Barely," commented Akaashi.

"Hiroshi, there you are," said Yūma, approaching her mate, four vases in hand.

The man burst out laughing at the chaos his children had caused.

"They gave you a hard time?"

"Nothing too serious, I'm just happy to see them like this."

Hiroshi chuckled again. He whistled, and the fight immediately broke out. The three brothers finally split up, out of breath. Kōtarō came back to them, completely disheveled but with a radiant smile on his lips, purring so loudly that he was certain the floor was trembling. He caught Kuroo's gaze and smiled at him.

"Babe!"

As he approached, presumably to kiss him, Kuroo instinctively step back; he wasn't particularly keen on PDA in front of his family, it was a bit too soon for that. Kōtarō seemed surprised but understood what it was about when he looked up, finally noticing his two dads. He smiled and went to meet them.

"Dad! 'tô-san!"

"Happy birthday, son," said Hiroshi.

"You could have made an effort, Kōtarō, what's with this outfit?" remarked Naruhito.

The concerned party lowered his eyes, detailing his attire: an old gray sweatshirt and canary yellow jogging pants.

"What's wrong with it?"

Nakayama-san sighed but didn't insist further.

Akaashi stood up to greet his in-laws.

Kōtarō's brothers finally noticed his presence and rushed towards him. Although they looked alike: raven black hair, onyx eyes, and similar noses and lips, the energy they individually radiated was quite different. Nobuyoshi had that kind of "golden retriever" vibe, while Nao was more of an emo boy kind of guy (yes, his categorizations were pretty shitty, but it worked for him).

"Oh, you must be Tetsurō, right?" greeted Nobuyoshi.

"Yes, I..."

He fell silent; Nobuyoshi had just grabbed his arm to feel his biceps. Kuroo jumped when he leaned in to... sniff him. Kuroo remained petrified for several seconds, not knowing at all how he should react. However, the olfactory scan seemed to delight the young man who stepped away from him, offering him a radiant smile:

"Pleased to meet you!"

"Uh, likewise..."

"Are you a beta?" intervened Nao, who hadn't spoken to him yet.

"...Yes."

Nao smiled:

"Cool."

"Nao, don't ask that !" scolded his elder.

"What?"

"It's not polite."

Oh, because entering someone's bubble to sniff them was?

"Oh, um, sorry, I'm Nao, hi," he said, correcting himself before nodding.

"Tetsurō."

"And I'm Nobuyoshi, but you can call me Nobu."

"Or the idiot," his brother interjected, it's the same.

The said idiot didn't seem too pleased with that title and pushed his brother, which made him laugh even more.

The front door swung open, drawing the attention of everyone gathered in the hallway. A middle-aged woman with shoulder-length black hair and the look of a successful businesswoman entered: Etsuko Ogawa. She was accompanied by a young teenager with short blond hair and rosy cheeks: Megumi Nakayama.

"Hey, look who I found in the field across the street," laughed Etsuko.

She stepped aside from the door, giving the others a clear view of Kenma standing in the doorway, holding a sad bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. Kuroo chuckled, realizing there had never been a bouquet in the car.

"Oh, they're wonderful," exclaimed Yūma as she approached, genuinely charmed by the impromptu bouquet.

Kenma handed it to her, and she took it as if it were a fragile artifact.

"Look, Mom, I brought some too!" Megumi pulled out four crushed flowers and a sprig of wild wheat from the front pocket of her overalls, which she handed to her.

"Beautiful, my darling, I'll put them with the others in a vase."

Kuroo didn't know if he should feel moved or just laugh: the bouquet was very ugly, which made the enthusiasm for it quite funny, but Yūma's sweetness and sincerity were disarming, gentle parenting 101.

As Etsuko approached to greet her two elders, still standing next to Kuroo, her gaze finally fell on him. She initially seemed surprised to see him there, but soon a smile of tender friendliness formed on her lips.

"Well, a newcomer!"

"Kuroo Tetsurō," he introduced himself again.

"Nice to meet you, kid. I really didn't expect to see you this soon."

Kuroo frowned, not really sure how to interpret her words. She put her arm around his shoulder and leaned forward, pulling him with her so he was at her height.

"Tell me, they brought you here against your will, didn't they?" she whispered to him.

Detecting the humor in the exchange, Kuroo responded:

"A bit, yeah..."

Etsuko seemed surprised by his frankness but quickly let out a hearty laugh.

"Ah," she exclaimed, giving him a big slap on the back, "you're a funny one, I like you, kid. Don't worry, we're not that bad, you'll see!"

Tetsurō smiled and nodded. Etsuko smiled at him one last time before straightening up.

"Kōtarō, happy birthday, little monster," she said, grabbing her son by the arm to kiss him on the temple. "Naru, leave that kid on the floor, he has legs, remember?" she said as she walked away, "what do you have to do to get a drink around here? We're celebrating!"

The whole group began to move towards the next room. Kuroo followed suit. He was soon joined by Kenma and Keiji.

"There was never a bouquet, was there?" Kuroo murmured to the blond.

"No."

"You just didn't want to get caught up in the puppy fight, right?"

"Yep."

"Poor Keiji, he got dragged into it and you weren't even there to rescue him."

Keiji nodded.

"Why should I have rescued him?"

"Out... of love?"

Kenma chuckled.

"It's every man for himself."

"Charming," commented Keiji.

"You're the alpha, you should like that kind of thing," the blond retorted, openly mocking his mate.

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, not particularly appreciating the tone.

Kenma noticed and chuckled, smiling at him, and discreetly kissed his hand. That seemed enough to cheer up the brunet, who rolled his eyes but said nothing more.

"Is Suki here?" Kōtarō asked his parents.

Kuroo understood that he was referring to Suki Nakayama, Kōtarō's older sister, and the only person he hadn't met yet.

"She didn't tell you?" Yūma asked, visibly sorry. "She had to leave; her classes start tomorrow."

"Oh... okay."

Kōtarō looked saddened by the news. Tetsurō approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder to support him.

"That's your big sister, right?"

"Hmm... She's studying in Sapporo."

Kuroo eyes widened:

"Your sister lives on my turf, and you didn't tell me!"

That managed to bring a smile to his lover's face.

"Your turf?"

"Exactly."

Bokuto chuckled.

"She's starting her thesis this year."

"Cool, in what?"

"Economics."

"Nice! My sister also studies eco in Sapporo... Well, eco and something else... I'm not sure actually…"

"Hmm..."

Kōtarō wasn't really paying attention anymore; he still looked upset about his sister's absence. Tetsurō leaned in to rest his forehead on his temple for a second, conveying his support.

"Disgusting," he heard murmured behind him.

Kuroo didn't need to turn around, recognizing Kenma's voice very well. He didn't bother to turn around and simply gave him the finger.

"Whoa, okay, is that how you treat your brothers-in-law!"

Kuroo jumped and turned around, realizing Nobu and Nao were standing directly behind him. Mortified, he apologized in a squeaky voice. Kenma chuckled to his right, and the two brothers seemed more amused than offended by the situation. Nobu took the opportunity to step forward beside him, putting his arm around his shoulder, and Nao did the same, pushing his little brother in the process.

"So Tetsu, can I call you Tetsu?" Nobuyoshi didn't bother to wait for his response and continued, "Where are you from? What are you doing in Tokyo?"

"Um, I..."

"How did you meet ugly face there?" Nao interrupted.

They bombarded him with a dozen questions, never really waiting for him to answer. Kuroo had expected to be able to endure an interrogation, but the questions piled up so fast that he couldn't answer any of them.

They finally arrived in a huge veranda where a large table had been set up. Towering plants with foliage ranging from apple green to emerald or violet intertwined to form a dense forest. The sliding doors had been opened, offering a grand view of an immense Japanese garden contrasting with the style of the mansion. A pond dotted with water lilies stretched almost to the foot of the house, bordered by lush bushes and twisted trees.

Kuroo didn't have much time to indulge in further contemplation; Nobu had already dragged him along.

"Come sit with us !"

Kuroo knew he had no say here, so he found himself sandwiched between the two eldest siblings of the family. He attempted a silent plea for help to his boyfriends, but none of them deigned to react. He would have to survive without anyone's help.

-/-

Kuroo wasn't proud of him, but he had to do what he had to do, for his own good; for his survival. At first, lunch went well: after surviving another round of questions from his "brothers-in-law", the conversation had started without much difficulty. Nao and Nobu shared with their younger brother a love of the absurd, and Kuroo knew how to work with that. It hadn't taken him more than ten minutes to be completely accepted by the two oldest siblings. That's when things went south: bored with the adult discussions, the two youngest got up from the table. The resulting empty seats led to a game of musical chairs which, by some unfortunate miracle, landed him face to face with Nakayama-san.

Then began a strange interrogation that was a little too close to his boundary for his comfort. He knew he owed Nakayama-san a certain respect, but the intrusiveness of his questions became increasingly uncomfortable. He could understand the curiosity, he probably didn't have a lot of beta in his family, but he wasn't an endangered species either!

He took advantage of a moment of commotion to escape, pretending to go to the toilet. Well, pretend was a strong word, because that's exactly what he was doing. However, considering the size of the mansion, it took him a long time to find what he was looking for. He didn't mind the little adventure, as long as he was in the corridors, he wasn't at the table facing trial for whatever reasons. He finally found it by going upstairs.

At the foot of the toilet was a step stool to reach the bowl, which was decorated with hundreds of colorful frogs, all nestled in a jingle-themed decoration, where pelicans and other birds of paradise watched him judgmentally. He hurried, certain that he had to get out as soon as possible to avoid trouble. He opened the door and stepped back a few inches: he had been spotted! Shin was standing in front of him, a frog hat on his head and a giraffe stuffed animal in his hand. Their eyes met.

"Oh sorry, did you want to go?" Kuroo asked.

The child looked at him for a long time, without bothering to answer. The eye contact lasted for several more seconds before Shin replied, "No."

"Oh, okay."

Shin didn't move, still standing in front of the brunet.

"Um..." Tetsurō hesitated, trying to formulate the sentence correctly in his head.

"Do you want to see my room?" the child asked, unprompted.

Kuroo was a bit surprised by this request and didn't answer right away.

"I have a tepee," the younger one added.

A convincing argument.

"Um... okay."

Shin nodded but didn't move. Only a few seconds later, he held out his hand. Kuroo looked at it for a few seconds before finally taking it in his own. Shin seemed satisfied. He turned on his heels and pulled him along. They didn't have to go far; they had barely taken two steps before Shin stopped in front of a door. He had to let go to open the handle. The door opened into a small, dreamlike and charming universe. The wallpaper on the wall resembled the Amazon rainforest, and on the floor was a large carpet decorated with colorful frogs. Kuroo noted that if he ever had to give this child a gift, something with a frog theme would be a safe bet. Shin took his hand again and led him to a small white tepee with golden stars and pillows underneath. Shin went in first, grabbed a pillow, adjusted it, came out and invited him to sit down.

"Oh, um, thank you."

Kuroo entered the teepee, bending carefully not to destroy the tepee's structure. He settled on the pillow that Shin had prepared for him and waited. The latter entered as well and sat beside him. Silence stretched for long seconds. Tetsurō hadn't been in such a young company for a long time: what exactly does one talk about with a child of this age?

"Um... nice teepee," he finally commented.

"Before, it was Megumi's, but now it's mine," Shin replied.

"Oh... uh... cool."

The child vaguely nodded. Without adding anything else, he got up again and left the teepee, leaving a puzzled Kuroo behind. He quickly returned, carrying a large metal box in his arms. He placed the box in front of Kuroo and opened it. Inside was a whole bunch of neatly arranged cards.

"Choose one," he was told.

Kuroo hesitated but eventually looked at the cards, randomly picking one out of the box. He was surprised to see that it was a technical sheet listing the characteristics of exotic wild animals.

"Oh, I got... the gharial."

Shin nodded but made no additional comment.

"Gavialis gangeticus, the Ganges gharial, is a species of crocodilians in the family Gavialidae. It is the only living species in the genus Gavialis," Kuroo read.

Shin nodded again.

"Um... it is recognizable by its particularly narrow and elongated jaws. In males over 4 meters long, the length of the spongy protuberance under the snout can reach up to six times its width. The Ganges gharial has 29 teeth on each..."

"Who are you?" Shin interrupted.

Kuroo was surprised by the question. A legitimate question, indeed, but the timing was a bit off. He had invited him into his tepee without knowing his identity: that was surely a sign of great kindness, he thought, and of a certain hospitality.

"Um... I'm Tetsurō."

Shin nodded.

"Um... your big brother invited me for his birthday."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Are you his boyfriend?"

Kuroo didn't know how to respond. Most of the time, when he met his boyfriends' families, he had to lie about his true status; he had rarely answered this kind of question honestly. He hesitated.

Ah screw it! The kid had four parents; he was sure his answer wouldn't shock him too much:

"Yes."

"Oh, okay."

Silence. Kuroo looked down at his card again.

"In males over 4 meters long, the length of the spongy protuberance under the snout can reach up to six times its width. The Ganges gharial has 29 teeth on each side of its lower jaw and carries bony plates on the sides of its neck and back."

"And also Kenma-oni?" Shin interrupted once again.

"Um... yes."

"And Keiji-oni?"

"Uh... yes, him too."

Shin nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer.

"Um... so, 29 teeth on each side of its lower jaw and carries bony plates on the sides of its neck and back."

"When I grow up, I'll have lots of boyfriends and girlfriends too."

Kuroo looked up.

"Oh, uh... Sounds nice I guess."

"Yeah... then I'll have lots of hugs."

"Ah yes, that's..."

"And more gifts for my birthday too."

Kuroo chuckled; here was one who didn't lose sight of the big picture.

"Good plan," he commented.

"What's your favorite animal?"

"Um... I don't know, I like cats and..."

"No."

"No?"

"Your favorite flying animal?"

"Oh, a flying one? Um... owls."

Not long ago, he would have said crows. But since the crow thief incident, they had greatly fallen in his esteem.

"I like eating chicken, sometimes with mushrooms."

"Oh yeah, I like chicken too… and mushrooms."

"Yeah."

"Um... so is chicken your favorite animal then?"

"Chickens don't fly."

A completely valid comment.

"Oh... so which one is your favorite then?"

The child sighed, grabbed his feet, and began rocking back and forth, clearly lost in his thoughts.

"I also like stingrays or whales."

"Oh... yeah, they're beautiful."

"Yeah."

As Kuroo was about to comment on his favorite marine animal, he heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Ji, are you there?"

He was relieved to hear Kenma's voice.

"Yes!" he replied, pushing his voice to be heard.

He stuck his head out of the tepee. Kenma entered, followed closely by Megumi. The youngest seemed annoyed to see all these people entering his lair.

"Shin, I found the Barbie's shoes, if you want them."

The youngest's face lit up:

"The blue ones?"

"Yes."

He rushed out of the tepee, went to get his doll, and approached his sister, who then handed him a tiny pair of blue high-heeled shoes. Kuroo smiled, touched by the exchange. Kenma approached and joined him inside the teepee.

"Wow, you've been invited into the teepee, you're popular."

"Yeah! See that?."

They kissed, and Kenma settled beside him.

"At least someone likes me in this family."

Kenma raised an eyebrow.

"I think everyone likes you here."

"Hmm? You think so?"

"Yeah."

Kuroo sighed.

"I'm not sure Nakayama-san is a big fan."

"Naruhito? Why do you think that? I saw you two talking. That's a big deal you know; I think the first three times I saw him, he didn't even speak to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

"Well… he bombarded me with some... intrusive and weird questions... I'm not sure he's too fond of his son dating... a beta."

Kenma frowned.

"What kind of questions?"

Kuroo leaned back, sprawling across the cushions.

"Let's see... He asked me at what age I knew I was a beta... I didn't know what to answer; I don't have an answer to that since I've always known... But well, I think I said puberty or something... Then he asked how my family reacted; imagine the look on his face when I told him my whole family is betas too!"

Kenma giggled.

"Don't laugh, I was super uncomfortable! Then he asked if I was fertile! Bro, I guess, but what kind of question is that? He insisted on asking if it was continuously fertile !"

Kenma's laughter intensified.

"That's not funny!" the brunet replied, although he was starting to laugh.

"In his defense, Ji, you did the same to us."

"How so?"

The blond caught his gaze, raising an eyebrow.

"Remember the time you thought you were going to get Kōtarō pregnant?"

Tetsurō blushed furiously and looked away.

"It's not the same."

"How is it not the same?"

"I didn't know, I mean, I didn't realize."

"Well, it's the same for him."

Kuroo muttered a response but didn't press further. He crossed his arms and looked away, his gaze falling on Shin and Megumi playing with dolls together.

"Don't take it personally," Kenma continued.

"Easier said than done."

Kenma rolled his eyes, but Kuroo could see a tender smile creeping onto his lips.

Kuroo frowned.

"Naruhito comes from a very old-fashioned Yamakita clan... Not only did he not grow up surrounded by betas, but he also grew up somewhat outside the world..."

"Why, did he live on a deserted island? I mean, there is a lot of us out there!"

Kenma gave him a look.

"Seriously, is that your argument?"

"Fine, okay, but you see what I mean."

"Hmm…"

Silence.

"Tetsu, do you know why the T.O.P was originally implemented?"

"I have no idea, stemmed from patriarchy? To assert dominance over a minority group? Just to mess with everyone?"

"Ugh, if you want, but…"

"But?"

Kenma sighed.

"Fifty years ago, omega births accounted for less than one percent of births in Japan, it was very rare. Registered births, anyway."

"Really?"

"Hmm... It's not called 'Treaty for Omegas Protection' for nothing."

Kuroo looked at him for a long time. He had never heard of it. The extent of his ignorance sometimes overwhelmed him.

"Oh... I didn't know that."

"When Naruhito was born, no Omega births had been registered in the region for years. For this reason, he was raised outside the world to protect him and the descendants of his clan. So I understand the prejudice he might have."

"Hmm... I didn't know…"

"And also…"

"Yeah?"

"Megumi is starting to grow up, Shin is probably their last child, I think he's just preparing for the possibility that one of them might be a beta, that's probably why he's asking you all these questions. He just wants to be a good parent."

Kuroo sighed. That made sense, he could understand that.

"That doesn't explain why he asked me if I was good at cooking because, and I quote, 'he wasn't sure of my efficiency in the main nest'..."

Kenma chuckled.

"Ouch, okay, that's a bad one."

"See!"

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not very efficient in the main nest either, and I don't necessarily know how to cook."

Kuroo turned his eyes, Kenma's look was mischievous.

"Ace joke?" he asked.

"Ace joke." confirmed the blond.

The brunet laughed, and his lover's laughter quickly joined his.

Their laughter died down, and silence fell again. Kuroo turned his eyes towards the top of the teepee. He sighed.

"Are you okay?" Kenma asked.

"Hmm, yeah... I just feel a little bad for judging Nakayama-san too quickly."

"Hmm..."

"And I'm thinking... I don't know, there are so many things I've ignored for years, and I realize how much it affected the lives of people I love, and I... I don't know, I feel stupid and powerless. I never realized before the extent of the privileges I have, and... well, there you go."

"Wow, okay."

Kuroo turned his eyes to the blond:

"Is that all?"

"Hm... I don't know what to tell you, Ji, I didn't expect it to affect you so much... But... I don't know, um... You don't have to feel guilty about it, it's not really your fault. All you can do is, learn I guess... Um... And you can always use these privileges..."

"Use them?"

"Yeah, to, I don't know, to help. I'm speaking for myself but... I know I have certain privileges, I'm just trying to see how I can use them to benefit those who have less than me, I see what I can leverage to help... What?"

A mischievous smile had crept onto Kuroo's lips.

"I didn't picture you as an altruist, guess I was wrong."

Kenma rolled his eyes, grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. The attack was not very effective and Kuroo burst out laughing. He retaliated and threw the same pillow back at Kenma.

"You tire me," the blond commented.

"You started it."

"Oh, wow, really mature..."

"He says after throwing a pillow at my face, be careful, I think Kōtarō is rubbing off on you."

"As long as I don't end up with his fashion sense, it's okay."

Kuroo chuckled at this remark.

The silence fell again.

"I didn't realize the T.O.P was so young, fifty years, it's not that old... Considering the content, I thought it was like... a centuries old."

"Oh, here we go again," Kenma complained... "Well, rest assured, originally it was lighter than today. In the meantime, it was forgotten for almost twenty years, only to resurface twenty years ago... And it got worse with the change of the president of the F.C.M.A.O.M about five-six years ago..."

"The FC what?"

"The F.C.M.A.O.M."

Kuroo blinked. Kenma did the same.

"You have zero political knowledge, do you?"

"Hey!" Kuroo wasn't sure why he was so offended by this comment, since, indeed, he had none.

"The Federal Committee for the Management of Alpha and Omega Minorities, the F.C.M.A.O.M."

"Oh... never heard of it."

"You are a disgrace," commented Kenma.

Kuroo pouted, trying his best not to laugh:

"But I love you..."

"I love you too, but you tire me out."

A childish smile formed on the brunet's lips; he approached his lover to ask for a kiss. Kenma moved away from him to prevent him from reaching his lips.

"Come on! Give me a kiss!"

"No."

"Come on!"

"And I'm the one badly influenced by Kōtaro."

"Kiss," murmured Tetsurō.

"No," the blond replied in the same tone.

This time, he went on the offensive and began to sprawl over Kenma. The latter burst into laughter but continued to struggle. Tetsurō eventually stopped, simply wearing a defeated look. Kenma let out a light laugh, and finally took his face in his hands to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Ew!"

They separated, turning towards the voice that had just reached them. Megumi was looking at them with a look of profound disgust.

"Kisses are gross," she added. "And in my tepee too!"

"It's my tepee," her younger brother intervened.

"It used to be mine."

"Yes, but now it's mine and I decide if we can kiss or not!"

"Ugh... no one understands me anyway," complained her older sister.

Kenma and Kuroo chuckled.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Keiji rushed into the room and closed it behind him. He was out of breath, and his eyes betrayed his panic.

"Are you okay?" Kuroo asked.

Keiji shook his head and hurried towards the teepee. Kenma and Tetsurō moved aside to make room for him between them.

"Not in my tepee!" grumbled Megumi.

"It's mine!"

"What's wrong?" Kenma asked.

"They started fighting again," Keiji whispered.

Kenma chuckled.

"How? Don't you want to join them? It's so exhilarating, I'm sure you don't feel like it now, but once you're in it, you'll love it."

"I do not find that amusing at all," Keiji replied.

Kuroo and Kenma giggled.

"You can kiss if you want," Shin told them.

"No!" his sister exclaimed.

The door opened again, startling Keiji. Kōtarō came in, completely disheveled, with a radiant smile on his lips.

"Here you are!'

"Puppy fight's over already?"

"Hmm... Dad made us stop."

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that," Kenma said sarcastically.

"Oh, by the way, Babe, Dad is looking for you."

A sense of pure panic engulfed Kuroo.

"Which one?" he managed to articulate.

"Well... Dad."

"Hiroshi," Kenma clarified.

Kuroo sighed, deeply relieved.

"What does he want?"

"I don't know, he probably wants to ask you something about his garden."

Tetsurō frowned.

"What do I know about gardening?"

"I don't know, biology, plants..."

"I'm not a biologist, I'm a biochemist! And I know nothing about gardening!"

Kōtarō shrugged.

"Oi, kids!" they heard Etsuko shout. "Come down for the cake!"

They reluctantly left the tepee to join the rest of the family. Hiroshi called out to Tetsurō the moment they reappeared on the veranda. Fortunately for him, Yūma immediately called him, as well as Keiji and Kenma, to go to the kitchen with her. Kuroo was relieved to see that the cakes he had been in charge of had suffered no major damage. Once the candles were lit, they headed back to the veranda, their voices mingling together to sing Happy Birthday. The candlelight danced in Kōtarō's eyes.

Tetsurō smiled, happy to be there after all. The candles were blown out, and everyone applauded and cheered.

Kuroo had to tear his gaze away from his lover when he felt a tapping on his thigh. Shin stood before him. Once he had his full attention, he opened his arms. Tetsurō had no trouble understanding his request; he leaned down and picked him up.

"Are you okay, little one?"

The child simply nodded, running his little hands through his hair, laughing out loud when he stood it up to form two little horns on his head.

Feeling observed, Kuroo turned his head and realized that Nakayama-san was looking at him. At first, he shivered, a little afraid. Then he remembered what Kenma had told him earlier. He gave him a warm smile. Nakayama-san frowned, but Kuroo could see that any animosity he might have had towards him was gone. Nakayama-san finally looked away. Kuroo's smile remained. Kōtarō had been right... After all, everything had gone well.

-end of the chapter-

Next chapter: "Back to school"

"What are you doing?"

Kuroo looked up from the computer. Too engrossed in his research, he hadn't even noticed that Keiji had come to sit across from him.

"Uh... I'm looking for an internship... or rather an idea..."

"Oh? Already? I thought internships would start next year?"

"That's what I said! But Oikawa and Kōtarō stressed me out and told me that I was already behind!"

"That seems a bit exaggerated to me, but I am not sure if I have all the keys to understand the urgency."

"Ah, there you go! Apparently, companies are already looking and making funding requests, and that's why I need to get moving... I can understand that, but I haven't thought about what I want to do yet, and then..."

Kuroo went into a long monologue, following the twists and turns of his reflection. Keiji listened patiently, nodding every now and then.

"Can I come to your place tonight?"

See ya