Chapter 35: Kuklos 1

It was 5:12 in the morning when Kuroo received the following text from Kenma: "It's time." A rather cryptic message to receive while rolling out of bed. The situation became clearer, or rather its urgency became clearer, when he then received, "We're on our way, we'll pick you up in 15-20 minutes." Kuroo jumped out of bed, disoriented. He kicked everything he had left lying on the floor and knocked over his mug. The sound made him come back to his senses. He took a deep breath to regain control. He needed to focus.

After what happened with Keiji, they decided to sit down to talk. Eventually, they each expressed their feelings about the past few weeks, the shortcomings, and the needs that emerged from it. Keiji couldn't do much to rid himself of his frustration; only time would unravel it. However, his mates made it clear that he needed to learn to manage his emotions, however brutal they might be. Under normal circumstances, Akaashi was quite a level-headed person, so Kuroo figured it wouldn't be too difficult a task. He was wrong, and he quickly realized it. They had decided to implement some sort of "safe word" that Keiji could use at any time to indicate his emotional state and allow him to step back quickly without the situation escalating. Kuroo wasn't entirely convinced by this solution: he saw its usefulness, but it didn't address the underlying problem, and he sensed that it would eventually escalate anyway. And that's exactly what happened.

Strangely enough, the "safe word" chosen by Keiji was, originally at least, "Pliny the Elder." Quite original indeed. Especially since it was quickly shortened to "ploup," which led to rather extravagant situations where Akaashi would shout "ploup!" in the middle of a conversation before leaving the room. At first, Kenma and Kōtarō carefully respected its use, but it quickly became a bit overused, which inevitably annoyed them in turn, knowing that they weren't in the most stable emotional state either. So they too started throwing around "ploups!" left and right, the situation escalating to the point where everyone would repeatedly storm out shouting "ploups!", usually leaving Kuroo behind.

He eventually decided to take the lead on that one. He wasn't an expert in psychology, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve. Well, he didn't really do much and just ended up gentle parenting his boyfriends and teaching them some meditation. Surprisingly enough, it did work, and over time, they found some way to deal peacefully with their situation. No major incident occurred since, and his boyfriends had returned to their MD a few days earlier for contraceptive injections.

All in all, Kuroo knew that their cycle was about to begin, he knew this text would come. He just didn't expect to be notified so abruptly.

He looked at his phone again, he only had approximately 10 minutes now to take a shower and pack to leave.

He jumped into the shower and hurried back after a few minutes, taking the opportunity to mop the floor with all the water he brought back when returning to the main room. He spun around several times before remembering what he was looking for: his backpack. He wasn't completely out of it and had already packed some essentials. Once he had packed the last necessities, he inspected the contents of his bag one last time, making sure he had brought the latest purchases he had made, as well as his little "guide" notebook where he had noted all the information he had gathered during his erudite reading of the dozens of brochures Dr. Megi had entrusted to him.

He rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. As he was packing his toiletry, he received the following text: "We're downstairs." He almost dropped his phone reading the message, he hadn't had time to put on his socks yet! A quick check revealed that, no, he hadn't had time to put on anything at all. He cursed and put on whatever he could find, put on his shoes, grabbed his bag, and threw himself out of the apartment.

The sun hadn't yet risen when he stepped out of the building. He recognized Kenma's car parked on the other side of the road and headed straight for it. He stopped in his tracks when his gaze fell onto what had been attached to the roof of the car: a huge shell made of... bamboo slats. Wicker perhaps?

Kenma rolled down his window and chuckled at his boyfriend's appearance:

"I think your T-shirt is inside out," he remarked.

Kuroo glanced down to discover that, indeed, in addition to daring to wear sky blue sweatpants with a neon yellow T-shirt - most likely belonging to Kōtarō - he hadn't noticed that he had put his shirt on both backward and inside out. He dropped his bag and pulled his arms through the T-shirt to straighten it out, revealing a design just as unattractive as the color of the garment.

"What's on the roof?" Kuroo asked.

"The structure for Keiji's bower."

"Oh..."

"Come on, get in."

Kuroo nodded and circled the car to sit in the front. He had to maneuver his legs between crates filled with food that had been stored under his seat. Barely had he sat down when Kenma dumped two boxes onto his lap. He didn't even have time to fasten his seatbelt before the car started moving again.

"Sorry for the rough wake-up," Kenma said. "Keiji woke me up an hour ago trying to get his thing down the stairs."

"Ok, and they..."

Kuroo didn't finish his sentence, finally noticing his other two boyfriends sitting in the back. He chuckled at the sight of their little owl faces.

"I thought you were sleeping," he greeted them, and the other two waved at him.

"They can't talk already?" Tetsurō asked, turning around.

"Not really... Keiji a little, but not Kōtarō."

"Oh... and are you, how are you feeling ?"

"I'm ok. My cycle won't start before tomorrow I think.

"Oh, ok."

Kuroo watched the road for a few moments, still trying to wake up completely.

"Where are we going?"

"To Keiji's family's territory... There's a house where we can stay."

"Oh... cool... hmm and what are we going to do with all this stuff? Decorate the trees?" he joked, looking at the boxes of fairy lights and fabric butterflies on his lap.

His remark made Keiji grunt, amusing Kenma.

"It's Keiji's decorations, he likes to put them on his bower, right?" Kenma replied, looking up to catch his mate's gaze in the rearview mirror.

Kuroo turned to face him directly.

"Sorry, Love, your butterflies are beautiful."

Keiji sighed and rolled his eyes, tightening his grip on the pillow he held in his hands.

They fell silent again, and the journey continued in a peaceful silence. Kuroo eventually fell asleep and only woke up again nearly 45 minutes later. Looking out the window, he saw that the city had disappeared, replaced by fields bathed in the light of the dawn stretching to the horizon.

"Are we almost there?" Tetsurō asked.

"Yeah, like ten minutes, I'd say."

"Ok..."

The silence fell again.

Kuroo got lost in his thoughts but was quickly brought back by a terrifying idea:

"Are we going to meet his family?"

Oh crap, he hadn't thought about that earlier! If they were going to their "territory," they would surely meet them! Kuroo was really, really not prepared to meet his second "in-laws" now, especially not dressed like this! Kenma turned his eyes and chuckled.

"Relax, his parents aren't there anyway. Besides, it's hundreds and hundreds of acres, we probably won't see anyone... And they know we're coming, they'll let us through without any problem."

"They'll let us through without any problem"? Who were "they"? What? They needed a visa to go there?! He thought.

Kuroo instantly calmed down when he felt Kenma's hand on his thigh. He turned his eyes, and while the blond didn't take his eyes off the road, he smiled at him.

"It'll be okay."

The brunet smiled back and nodded. Kenma was right: he needed to relax a little.

"Where are his parents?" Tetsurō asked.

Kenma seemed surprised by the question.

"He never told you? Keiji's parents moved to South Korea with his little brother about two years ago."

Kuroo blinked several times. He looked up, hoping to catch Keiji's gaze in the rearview mirror. He didn't seem to have listened to their conversation. He had his face pressed against the window, looking tiredly at the passing landscape. He turned his attention back to Kenma.

"I didn't know..."

"If they were around, we would have seen them a long time ago," commented the blond. "But his sisters might be around though..."

"Oh..." said Kuroo, not particularly enthusiastic about this possibility.

His discomfort made Kenma chuckle.

The silence settled again, and the rest of the journey passed peacefully. They eventually turned onto a little road cut through a wide expanse of wild grass. Kuroo closed his eyes, dazzled by the light of the rising sun. When he opened them again, they had arrived at their destination. He looked up at a charming minka, an old traditional house. The roof, which had originally been thatched, had been replaced with tiles, indicating the fairly recent renovation of the house.

He looked away upon hearing the trunk door open: Keiji had thrown himself out of the car without bothering to close the door behind him and was now busy filling his arms as much as possible with sheets, duvets, and other blankets that had been piled up in the trunk. With his arms full and his view practically obstructed, he headed towards the house, holding the key to the front door with great difficulty.

"What are you doing, Keiji? Give me that !" Kenma grumbled.

His mate reluctantly gave him the keys. As soon as the front door was unlocked, Keiji darted inside.

"Your shoes, damn it! Ugh..."

Kuroo chuckled.

"He can't wait four seconds, damn it..." complained the blond, returning to the car. Despite everything, he couldn't help but smile at Kuroo's amused expression.

"You think that's funny, ha? Come on, move!"

Tetsurō nodded. He turned his head, noticing that Kōtarō had fallen asleep. He smiled, and decided to leave him alone a little longer. He got out, grabbing everything stored in the front before heading towards the house.

He then discovered the interior of the house. It had indeed been modernized, with the space opening up into a large living room. The floor remained elevated, covered with light wood flooring that matched the exposed beams around it. He took off his shoes and stepped up. He found the kitchen to his left, separated from the living room by open panels. He headed towards it, being careful not to trip down the two small steps leading to it. He shivered when the cold tiles touched his feet. He finally placed the box of food on the floor. As he was about to start unpacking its contents, Keiji suddenly appeared so abruptly that he jumped in surprise.

"What do you want?"

Keiji didn't reply and simply leaned forward, nearly dropping the already substantial cargo he had in his arms. Tetsurō noticed that he was clumsily trying to retrieve the decorations left in the crate.

"Love, you don't have enough arms to get all of that, let me help."

Kuroo leaned in to take them, but Keiji was still trying to grab them from his hands.

"I'll carry them for you, Keiji, just wait."

The brunet let out a gruff sound but resigned himself. He pulled Kuroo by the arm to make him follow, once again nearly dropping the mountain of pillows he held.

"I'm coming, I'm coming,"

Keiji sighed and turned, heading towards the back of the house. He guided him into a room with a tatami-covered floor. For the moment, aside from the mess brought in by Keiji, the room was empty.

"Are you going to set up your bower here?"

Keiji nodded, immediately grabbing the treasure Tetsurō had brought. The latter let him be, and let his eyes wander around the room. A large window let in the sunlight, offering a view of the green expanse surrounding the house. Kuroo continued his visual exploration, finally stopping when he noticed that large gold-colored rings had been fixed to the floor at each corner of the room.

"What are those for?" he asked.

Keiji looked up to see what he was talking about.

"For tying."

His voice was rough and scratchy as if the sound had struggled to escape from his throat. Tetsurō didn't quite grasp what he was going to tie up; he just hoped his plan wasn't to stretch one of his boyfriends across the room. He didn't want to force him to talk more and decided he would know soon enough. Keiji hurried out, most likely to retrieve the rest of his loot. He also exited, and as he walked back down the hallway to return to the entrance, Kenma called out to him.

"Ji!"

Kuroo followed his voice and found himself in a small bedroom, simply furnished with a bed and a small brown wooden shelf.

"It's the only room with a bed, do you mind if I take it? There's another room where we can set a futon.."

"No problem, whatever you feel more comfortable with."

The blond nodded. He crossed the hallway to show him a small room separated from the hallway by a sliding door, also covered in tatami.

"It's not very spacious, but it will do, right?"

Tetsurō nodded.

"Okay, so you have this here, and next to it you have the restroom," he said, stepping out into the hallway, "then on the other side is Keiji and Kōtarō's room, hmm... the bathroom is opposite, and you've seen the living room and kitchen already."

Kuroo nodded, flashing a smile to try to reassure Kenma, who seemed to be starting to lose his calm.

"Okay, um, I..."

He didn't finish his sentence and headed back to the car. Tetsurō chuckled and followed him to continue unloading. The task was quickly completed, thanks to Keiji, who was almost running back and forth. There were some difficulties getting the shell into the house, but all in all, no walls had suffered from the transport. The second Kuroo put the shell in the room, Keiji closed the door in his face. The brunet didn't take offense, just let out a chuckle, quickly turning away, deciding that it was probably time to wake up his still-sleeping boyfriend in the back of the car.

"Babe," he murmured softly as he opened the door.

He had to call out several times before Kōtarō truly emerged. He stretched, let out a small moan, then opened his eyes. He made a cooing noise upon seeing Tetsurō, and a blissful smile spread across his lips. He reached out his arms, extending and then tightening his fingers successively to indicate that he wanted him to come to him. The brunet smiled, touched, and leaned in to kiss him.

"Can you walk?"

Kōtarō nodded affirmatively but didn't move.

"Carry," he signed eventually.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

Kōtarō nodded.

"But you said you could walk? I don't know if I'll be able to carry you inside."

His boyfriend didn't care and simply waited with open arms.

"Alright, okay."

He bent down to pick him up, and Kōtarō immediately wrapped his arms around his neck. Kuroo struggled to lift his boyfriend, who was no lightweight in any regard, but managed to carry him inside. Kenma chuckled when he saw him enter and shifted his position on the couch to make room for them. Kōtarō, delighted to be reunited with his mate, immediately wrapped his arms around him. Tetsurō smiled at the sight.

"Oh, wait!"

Tetsurō went back to the room that had been assigned to him to retrieve his backpack.

"Love, can you come here for a second?" he called out as he walked back to the living room.

He dropped his bag on the carpet and rummaged inside.

"I found something, I thought it might help maybe, ah, here it is!"

Keiji arrived just as he found the object of his quest. All eyes turned to Kuroo as he pulled four small whistles from his backpack.

The room fell silent.

"What's this? We're not dogs!" Kenma protested.

"No, no, I thought it would be easier to call me if needed, and vice versa."

He blew into one of them to demonstrate.

Silence stretched for several seconds, and Kuroo feared that his idea wouldn't be well received. Finally, Keiji leaned in to take one, quickly blew into it, and turned back, returning immediately to his main task. Kōtarō shrugged and finally leaned in to take one too. Kenma sighed but did the same.

"Okay, maybe it's not a bad idea..." Kenma reluctantly conceded.

Then Kōtarō began to blow into his whistle with all his might. The sound was painfully piercing. Kuroo clapped his hand over his ears, his eardrum begging for an end to their suffering. Yet, Kōtarō did not stop, and blew in the whistle again, longer and louder this time.

"Please, for the love of—stop!" Kuroo groaned, half laughing as he snatched the whistle away.

"Okay, I take back what I said, that's a terrible idea," Kenma commented.

Yeah, on second thought, maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

-/-

"It's been years since I last saw this movie, and you know what, I still love it!"

Kenma nodded, yet his eyes remained fixed on the ending credits of "Kiki's Delivery Service." Tetsurō, Kenma, and Kōtarō were piled up on the couch, their gaze fixed on the small screen of the computer placed on the coffee table in front of them.

"Only now I find it a bit strange to let a thirteen year old girl go across the country with her broom... At that age, I couldn't even walk to school by myself without getting completely lost".

Kenma chuckled.

"You still can't go anywhere without getting lost."

"Hmm... true."

They watched the credits roll for a few seconds in silence, and then Tetsurō spoke again:

"Hum, I guess you're not really Kiki in the story."

He turned his head to catch the blond's gaze. The latter raised an eyebrow, already expecting the nonsense he was about to burp out. Tetsurō smiled mischievously:

"Actually, you're the other cat, the white cat!"

Kenma chuckled.

"Nonsense."

"Oh yes you are! Miss snotty cat !"

Kenma kicked him, smiling nonetheless.

"And me, who am I?" signed Kōtarō, still cuddled against his mate.

"You're the dog," replied the latter.

The remark did not please Kōtarō. He pouted, which made his two boyfriends laugh.

"You don't like the dog? He's super nice though!" Kenma continued sarcastically.

Kōtarō vehemently denied the accusation, which only fueled their hilarity.

Kuroo smiled, watching his two lovers interact, not even attempting to intervene.

"Well, I'll let you guys start something else," he finally declared.

He got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. He checked the cooking of his Nikujaga, turned up the heat under the pot where his miso soup was simmering, then decided to go start the rice cooker. Finally, he grabbed his notebook, making sure he had the rest of the recipe in mind.

Tetsurō had fully invested himself in the task. Perhaps Nakayama-san's words had affected him more than he cared to admit, but it was for the best. He had planned out all the meals he would have to make in the coming days; he had meticulously noted down each recipe, taking care to calculate the number of calories, the nutritional value, and the benefits of each ingredient. He had taken this task to heart, not knowing at all how this week would unfold, but at least he had planned this well. He even had his plan checked by Dr. Megi, who praised his dedication to the task. He passed on the list of all the necessary ingredients to Kenma, and the blond then took care of ordering the food so that everything would be ready when it was time to leave. He had spent more time playing nutritionist lately than studying, and he was sure to come out of this experience with cooking skills much more impressive than his ability to remember the life cycle of archaea.

As he busied himself serving the soup bowls, he nearly dropped the pot when he heard a loud noise coming from the back of the house, as if the ceiling had violently crashed to the ground. He turned around. Kenma and Kōtarō had lifted their eyes from the screen, but didn't seem concerned and quickly turned back.

"What was that?"

"I think it's Keiji who..."

Another crash.

"Who can't hang the shell."

Seeing Kuroo starting to head towards the bedroom, Kenma added:

"He'll kick you out if you go there."

"He won't kick me out if I have food, right?"

Kenma shrugged:

"You might have better luck."

The brunet nodded. He retrieved the soup bowls he had just served to give them to his two boyfriends and picked up the tray he had prepared for Keiji before heading to the bedroom. He placed the tray and knocked. No response.

"Keiji?"

Only a grunt reached him.

"Um... Food."

Silence.

He finally heard footsteps approaching and the door opened.

Kuroo smiled upon seeing him. He proudly presented the tray to him. Keiji didn't move a single facial muscle, but his eyes spoke for him.

"Um... do you need help?"

Keiji frowned but eventually stepped aside to let him in. Kuroo entered and placed the tray on the floor. He held back a laugh when he saw the mess Keiji had made in the room. He had filled the bower's shell, but failed to suspend the structure, the repeated falls having undone the efforts he had put into his preparation. Keiji sighed, dejected.

"What happened here?"

"Too high, too heavy," his boyfriend signed.

"Yes, you should have hung it before putting stuff in it. How do you usually do it?"

"Step ladder. Forgot."

Kuroo approached. He tried to reach the ring fixed on the ceiling, but even if he were to stand on the tip of his toes, he wouldn't be able to suspend it properly either.

"If I carry you, would that work?"

The brunet seemed to consider it, then finally nodded.

Kuroo thought that if he continued to have to carry his boyfriends all day long, he would come out of this week not only skilled in cooking, but also as muscular as a Greek god. Or with monstrous back problems. He bent down for Keiji to climb onto his shoulders. He thought he would never manage to straighten up. Fueled by a strength he didn't know he possessed, he eventually pushed enough with his legs to stand up. Here he was discovering new talents left and right! Maybe if he failed his master's degree, he could try to enroll in the Cirque du Soleil?

"Rope," his lover managed to tell him.

Kuroo looked down, finding the rope hanging on the edge of the bower. He had to bend down to grab it, being extra careful to not drop Keiji. Once he had the rope in hand, he handed it to Akaashi. Akaashi took it and busied himself tying it through the ring to suspend the shell, not even impressed by Tetsurō's impeccable performance. Tough crowd, but the judges at his Cirque du Soleil audition would be much more so, he had to get used to it...

He set aside his whimsical thoughts when he felt Keiji tap his shoulder to signal that he was done.

"Okay, I'll bring you down, wait."

Easier said than done, as soon as he began to bend his legs, he started to sway, he tried to regain his balance, but Keiji ended up tipping to the side. Before he could do anything, they both fell to the ground. He who had harbored hopes of moving on to more technical lifts...

"Shit, are you okay?" Kuroo hurried to ask his boyfriend.

Fortunately, the latter had landed on the pile of blankets stacked on the floor. Their eyes met. After the initial surprise, Keiji giggled. Tetsurō found in his eyes the sparkling and tender gleam that he knew so well. He felt relieved of a burden he wasn't even aware he had been carrying until then. The heaviness on his chest had lifted. He realized that although he had wanted to hide it from himself, to distance himself by clinging to all the little things he could barely control, he had been afraid. He had been afraid of what might happen, he had been afraid of being too much, inadequate, useless. He had almost forgotten the reason why he was there: for them.

Keiji stretched his arms and wrapped them around his neck, urging him to come closer. Tetsurō let himself slide into the embrace, closing his eyes as his head rested on his lover's chest.

-/-

In retrospect, Kuroo should have made a "watch list" before coming here. After all, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with his time in the coming days, and he had already gone through his entire list of favorite animations in one day. Yes, he could always study, read the notes sent by Oikawa, and make some revision cards, but he wasn't going to do that while others indulged in much less intellectual pleasures. There had to be some balance!

The night had fallen an hour ago, he had spent the afternoon lounging on the couch with Kenma and Kōtarō, which he didn't mind. However, with the night came back his anxieties.

He glanced over, Kōtarō had fallen asleep, still nestled in Kenma's arms who absentmindedly stroked his mate's hair. His gaze fell on the blond. He was looking at Kōtarō tenderly. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really know how Kenma's cycle would go, he knew the theory for sure, but he wasn't sure if Kenma matched it much.

"Kenma?"

The blond signaled that he was listening but didn't look up.

"Can I ask you a question? It might be a bit intrusive, you don't have to answer."

The blond frowned and looked up;

"What do you want to know?"

Kuroo hesitated.

"I just wanted to... I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

He let out a sigh.

"I was just wondering... how does it go for you, um, the cycle? We talked about before and after but not... not during. I just wondered if... since you are, you know... well, I wanted to know if it was any different?"

Kenma listened to his question, however convoluted it was. He didn't seem bothered by it, which reassured Kuroo.

"You mean, how is it different because I'm asexual?"

"Uh... yeah."

Kenma sighed, he thought about it for a moment before answering.

" I don't really know how it's... different. It's not because I don't feel sexual attraction that I don't have a drive... I'll grant you it's not really high most of the time, but in the cycle, it's... the case."

"Oh, okay."

"It's just... not directed to anyone specifically or... concrete, if you know what I mean."

He could roughly imagine what he meant. Sexuality was a complex thing, he knew that, he had experienced it himself to some extent.

"That's why I thought it would be okay..."

Kuroo met his gaze again, concerned about the resonance his voice had taken.

"You mean... last time?"

The blond nodded.

"It had been... difficult for me, before."

His eyes had once again settled on Kōtarō. He could sense through his gaze the sadness and heaviness in his heart.

"But... I had thought about it enough and... I thought that... sharing this moment with them... That it would be okay, because I love them, because I trust them and because... Anyway."

Tetsurō felt his heart tighten. He grabbed Kenma's hand and squeezed it. The blond looked up. He smiled, but Kuroo could tell it was only a facade.

"I'm afraid, of what might happen... And I'm sorry that it's so complicated because of me."

"Kenma... It's not your fault you know... I don't think Kōtarō and Keiji think that either..."

He felt like his words hadn't quite conveyed what he truly felt, he didn't know how to articulate his thoughts, his feelings.

"Whatever happens, I'm here."

Kenma nodded.

"It may be selfish but... it feels safer to have you here."

"How is that selfish?"

"To... rely on you to potentially solve problems that were there long before you entered our lives, that you end up with that on your plate."

Tetsurō smiled at him.

"It's not selfish. We've talked about it, I know what I'm getting into, I chose to be here, with you. I'm not in your lives just for the good sides. I'm here for you."

Kenma nodded again.

"Thank you Tetsu..."

"It's normal, really."

As he leaned in to kiss the blond, he was taken aback by a whistle coming from the back of the house.

"I think Keiji's done with his bower."

"Shall we?"

The blond nodded. He gently moved from his mate's embrace, being extra careful not to wake him. He let out a sigh of relief once he was out of the couch, noticing that Kōtarō didn't seem to have woken up. Keiji blew again in the whistle, and they understood that they had to hurry before Keiji truly lost patience.

They knocked on the door, and Akaashi opened it a few seconds later, but remained in the doorway.

"Are you done?" Kenma asked.

The brunet nodded.

"Do you want to show us?"

Keiji looked worried, he glanced around. Eventually, he met Kenma's gaze:

"Kōtarō?" Kuroo understood, recognizing the sign for his boyfriend's name.

"He's asleep."

Akaashi nodded.

"Close your eyes."

They complied. Kuroo heard the brunet open the door. He took their hands to lead them inside. He heard the door close and Keiji turned off the light. A quick whistle indicated that they could open their eyes again.

Kuroo did so.

The room had been plunged into darkness, dozens of fairy lights projected a soft golden light through the room. In the center, now suspended a few centimeters above the ground, stood the bower's shell that Kuroo had helped install. It had been dressed in a huge white canopy falling in large folds all around. On the fabric ran clouds of butterflies whose wings reflected the golden hues of the fairy lights cascading all around.

"Wow..."

The shell had also been attached to the four golden rings on the ground, which was not stupid considering the main use that would be made of it. Indeed, a swinging bed would be quite dangerous in this situation.

Through the veil, Kuroo could discern the interior of the bower, where duvets, pillows, and other fluffy materials had been meticulously installed. The den looked welcoming, cozy and warm. Kuroo wasn't an expert in bowers and didn't know the criteria for judging this work, but he imagined that whatever they were, Keiji had largely respected them. Amazed, Kuroo tried to get closer. Before he could take a step, Kenma grabbed his hand. He found his lover's gaze as he turned his eyes, and he understood: Keiji had built this for a reason, it wasn't just a simple cocooning decoration, it meant a lot to him. Approaching it too closely would signal to him that he was willing to join him, he knew what that implied.

Kuroo returned to his original position. He turned his eyes to the brunet, crouched on the floor behind them, spying on their reaction. His features were neutral, and Tetsurō couldn't discern if his refusal to get closer had hurt him or not.

"It's pretty Love," Tetsurō commented, still a bit embarrassed, "I'm sure Kōtarō will love it."

Keiji didn't respond, but Kuroo could hear him starting to purr, which made him smile. He turned his eyes to Kenma. The blond was also smiling, but he felt it was heavy with a deep-seated sadness, insurmountable guilt, and a lot of love too. The blond approached his mate. The latter watched him come to him, patience and fervor shining in his eyes. Once he reached his height, Kenma cupped his face in his hand.

"Yes, it's beautiful," he heard him murmur.

A heavy silence stretched out, the light around seemed to weaken.

"Coming?" signed the brunet.

"No Keiji, I'm sorry..."

His mate burst into tears. They were tears devoid of any heaviness thought. Keiji knew the outcome of this discussion, he had known it from the beginning, but that didn't diminish the pain it caused him.

" I don't want you to be alone."

"I'm not alone, Tetsurō is here, with me, with us."

The alpha looked up. His gaze caught Kuroo's who smiled at him. Keiji calmed down. He turned his eyes back to his mate, then rested his forehead against his. They stayed like that for a while.

"Do you want to make a mini bower for me, in my room?"

Keiji looked away.

"Already done."

"Really? Come show me then."

Kuroo watched as they left the room. As he was about to do the same, he heard footsteps coming back to him. Keiji had returned at full speed, opening his arms and throwing himself on top of him to hug him tightly. Kuroo chuckled but let himself be hugged. Keiji kissed him on the cheek before letting go to run away again. Kuroo stood in the middle of the room for a moment, disoriented by the sudden change in his boyfriend's behavior. He shrugged, he had to get used to it. He left the room and took a last look at the bower before closing the door.

The rest of the evening passed strangely, as if this time, for real, the countdown had started. Kuroo ended up alone, Kenma had gone to his room, Kōtarō and Keiji to theirs. He busied himself with the household chores that had fallen to him. He was somehow grateful for it, as it provided a welcome distraction from the gnawing edge of his anxiety.

It was late when he went to bed. His heart fluttered as he entered his bedroom, and all the heaviness he was carrying was suddenly lifted. A few fairy lights were hanging on the walls, creating a warm and tender atmosphere. Kuroo chuckled, deeply moved, when he discovered the butterflies that had been placed around his futon. He felt his heart lighten. He moved the fake insects to lie down without moving them away from him. He didn't bother to turn off the light, and their warm hue accompanied him to sleep.

-/-

"All these things have thus found an end; but do thou hearken as I shall tell thee, and a god shall himself bring it to thy mind. To the Sirens first shalt thou come, who beguile all men whosoever comes to them. Whoso in ignorance draws near to them and hears the Sirens' voice, he nevermore returns, that his wife and little children may stand at his side rejoicing, but the Sirens beguile him with their clear-toned song, as they sit in a meadow, and about them is a great heap of bones of mouldering men, and round the bones the skin is shrivelling. But do thou row past them, and anoint the ears of thy comrades with sweet wax, which thou hast kneaded, lest any of the rest may hear."

Homer. The Odyssey, book 12.

According to Google, that was the first historical reference to earplugs. Without realizing it, Kuroo had ended up in that odd rabbit hole when searching for the price of these little balls of happiness he missed so much. In his case, he didn't have to escape the "clear-tone song" of the sirens, like Ulysses on his Homeric ship, but the sensation must have been quite close to what he was feeling at this moment: a strange mix of temptation and dread. He hated himself for not having thought of bringing earplugs...

He was in a room with ridiculously thin walls, right next to his boyfriends in their cycle, of which he had absolutely no doubt about the current activity. Honestly, their "activity" at the moment wasn't necessarily the problem; Tetsurō wasn't naive or stupid, he knew very well what he had embarked on, or at least that's what he thought... No, it was the frequency that was the problem; the pain mainly came from his cruel lack of sleep. He had the meager chance to find the sweetness of sleep for a short hour before being awakened for the first time. Since then, he had not had a moment's rest. As soon as he started to fall asleep, the two rascals were at it again. He now hoped to get used enough to the "noises" for his brain to detach completely and let him fall asleep.

He sighed, deciding to let go. At least the pillow he had stuffed over his head somewhat muffled the noises... Maybe with a bit of luck, he would end up suffocating with it, which at the moment was not a negative thought at all. He almost jumped when he heard the calm return; never had silence been so gloriously salvatory! He smiled and let himself heavily fall into the arms of Morpheus. He was quickly forcibly ripped from it, but this time, it took him a few seconds to understand what it was: a wet sound and... as if...

A moan reached him, a moan of pain, tears, and suffocation.

"Kenma," he thought. He got up in one leap. He had trouble gaining control of his limbs again, and he clumsily staggered to the door before he could fully regain his balance. He rushed next door; the toilet door was wide open. Kenma was bent over the bowl, shaken by spasms of tears between two bouts of vomiting, his body trembling with pain.

"Kenma!" he exclaimed before approaching.

The blond didn't even react; his skin was sweaty, his feverish eyes were rimmed with tears that had been forcibly ripped from him. Kuroo sat beside him, unable for the moment to do much except hold back his boyfriend's hair and stroke his back to soothe him.

"Fuck, damn it..." he heard him murmur, still shaken by painful spasms.

The blond eventually lifted his head, closed the toilet bowl, and flushed. He let himself slide to the floor, curling up on himself, every muscle seeming to tense with pain. Kuroo approached to stroke his hair. "It hurts," the blond repeated like an infernal litany, squeezing his knees tightly against his chest to try to crush the pain.

"I'll get you a glass of water, I'll be back," Kuroo said softly.

Kenma nodded, and the brunet ran off, not wanting to leave him alone for too long. He returned a few moments later with a large glass of cold water in hand. He helped Kenma to sit up, having to hold him in his arms so that he wouldn't collapse again. The blond drank in small sips, and Kuroo had to hold the glass for him as his hands were shaking.

"There..." he murmured, "breathe..."

He inhaled and exhaled deeply to guide him, all while gently rocking the blond in his arms. The latter eventually began to follow his breathing and calm down.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"...No."

"Okay..."

He continued to rock him slowly. Kenma eventually muttered something to him. He asked him to repeat, and the blond did, pointing a finger at the sink in front of them.

"Your medication?"

His lover nodded.

Kuroo left him to retrieve the small box placed on the edge of the sink. He turned it to see the composition: acetaminophen and opioid. He gasped in surprise at the concentration. The blond reached out for him to give it to him.

"You've taken some already?" the worried brunet asked.

Kenma nodded.

"How long ago was that?"

The blond sighed but didn't answer.

"Was it a while ago?"

Kenma shook his head and showed him one finger.

"An hour?"

He nodded.

Kuroo looked at the composition one last time. The instructions weren't there, but he had enough pharmacology knowledge to know that it was a very bad idea to give him more now. As torn as he was to see him in this state, opioid overdose was not the solution at all.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a bit before you can take more..."

Kenma let out a long, frustrated groan. He eventually breathed slowly.

"Okay..."

The blond got up using the wall for support. He staggered to the door.

"Where are you going?" Tetsurō asked in a whisper.

"Trying to sleep..."

He didn't have time to pass through the door before he lost his balance. Kuroo caught him just in time. He began to panic when he realized Kenma was on the brink of passing out.

"Kenma?"

The blond opened his eyes, and after a few seconds, his gaze focused again.

"Damn it..." murmured his boyfriend, frustrated and still in pain.

Kuroo helped him up and back to his room. Kenma didn't seem as distressed anymore, but his limbs were still shaky, his facial features twisted in pain.

"Do you want something? A hot water bottle?"

The blond seemed troubled.

"I don't have a hot water bottle."

Tetsurō frowned involuntarily. No hot water bottle? Sure, he didn't have a uterus, but he had grown up surrounded by people who had one, and he had involuntarily learned that it was an indispensable accessory; it was actually his only way to minimally help his sisters when he noticed they weren't feeling well. He felt a bit helpless.

"Don't worry, Tetsu, I'm used to it, I'll be fine..."

"A hot bath?" the brunet interrupted.

Kenma seemed to find the idea unexpected but very tempting. He shook his head.

"I'm not going to take a bath in the middle of the night!"

"Why not?"

"I don't want to…"

He was cut off because it undoubtedly sounded like a cry of ecstasy.

"To wake them up?" Kuroo added finally, a little weary.

Well, look at that, he had gotten used to it.

After the initial surprise passed, Kenma chuckled.

"No, you're right."

"Okay, I'll take care of that then."

Kuroo left the room and headed to the bathroom. It took him a few seconds to find the control panel for the ofuro, which was in a very usual place, above the bathtub. He started the automatic filling, sat down on the floor, and let his head rest on the brown wood surrounding the tub. He sighed... He was so tired... He eventually dozed off. He returned to reality when the small voice from the control panel alerted him that the ofuro was filled. He returned to Kenma's room, gently opening the door not to wake him up if he had fallen asleep. His eyes immediately met Kenma's when he fully opened the door. Kenma opened his arms, and Tetsurō understood the request. He approached, letting Kenma wrap his arms around his neck, and slid an arm around his back and under his legs to lift him. Compared to Kōtarō, Kenma was light as a feather !

He set him down at the entrance to the bathroom.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I can manage," Kenma replied.

The moment he said that while attempting to remove his t-shirt, he swayed and nearly fell.

"Never mind,"

Kuroo chuckled. He took off his pajama pants to avoid getting them wet and joined Kenma to help him undress. He had to help him sit on the wooden stool next to the bathtub to wash himself and then helped him step into the tub. He saw Kenma relax the moment his skin touched the warm water.

"Oh that's good…"

"Good idea, right?" Kuroo asked.

"Hmm..." Kenma closed his eyes and let his head rest against the wall. Kuroo crossed his arms on the edge of the bathtub and rested his head on them. He watched his boyfriend for a few seconds, whose condition had visibly improved. He fell asleep in ten seconds.

He only woke up nearly an hour later when Kenma ran his hand through his hair to wake him up. Kuroo opened one eye.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. The hot water helped and the meds finally kicked in. I'll try to sleep."

Kuroo nodded. He helped him out and dry off, then let him return to his room. When he found his bed again, the sirens' song had resumed, but there was no need for "sweet wax" anymore; he fell asleep the moment his head found his pillow.

-end of the chapter-

Next chapter : Kuklos II

He turned the ignition. Instinctively searching for the clutch pedal, his foot groped around until it found the first pedal it could— the accelerator. The car suddenly lurched backward. He panicked, his feet searching desperately for the pedals, and his hand grabbed the lever to his left while he tried to shift into first gear. The gearbox let out a mechanical groan of annoyance, and his feet simultaneously hit the accelerator and brake pedals. The vehicle stalled abruptly, and Kuroo's head jerked toward the windshield before slamming back into the seat.

Once the car had stopped, he let go of the steering wheel. Adrenaline and fear had sent his heart rate into overdrive, and it took him several long seconds to catch his breath.

Okay, bad start... But he wasn't ready to give up.