Work Text:
[Probability]
The number of distinct events in probability are called outcomes. Favorable outcomes are outcomes of interest. If an experiment is random/fair, the probability of an event is the number of favorable outcomes divided by the total number of possible outcomes.
Probability Theory states that the probability of an outcome can only be greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1. {0 ≤ x ≤ 1}.
“Kuroko-san, just in time.”
It was Sawashiro-sensei. There was a slip of paper in her hands. She handed it to Kuroko, who inspected it as she proceeded to explain the situation.
“Akashi-san called in and took sick leave. He says it’s only a slight cold, and that he will be able to resume teaching tomorrow.”
Kuroko hadn’t heard about this, though at this point, it was not odd that Akashi would not tell him such a thing. There was a time frame written on the slip of paper, indicating that he would be substituting for the second period, at around 8:30 to 9:30.
“You’re the only one vacant around this time so... really, it won’t be that horrible, I think. They’ll be taking their exams anyway, so they won’t bother you as much. I’m sure they’ll be spending their time crying over Akashi-san’s test instead.”
That was reassuring.
“The test papers are on my desk. Wait here.”
Eventually, Sawashiro returned with a stack of papers clipped together. By the looks of it, only one class was going to have the exam for the entire year level. Even more, it was Akashi’s advisory class, so that was interesting. At the top, it read: “Statistics and Probability Unit 2 – Binomial Distribution and Standard Normal Distribution”.
“Thank you, Sawashiro-san.”
“Of course.” She smiled amiably, and excused herself after remembering she had to check some folders.
Kuroko leaned back on his chair and briefly looked at the first part of the test. He grimaced – after all, he had seen Akashi make harder tests before. Statistics had a broad application, but it was not as alienating as other kinds of mathematics. He had many memories of them going to the same college, and eventually becoming friends after late-night encounters at the university library, which involved lots of reference books and canteen coffee.
When the bell rang, he went to his first class for the day, where he would be teaching radicals. When he entered, the students greeted him as always, and the following hour passed by free of distraction, though when the students were answering their exercises, he did text Akashi to ask how he was feeling.
“Good bye and thank you, Kuroko-sensei.”
He pushed back the chair and left the classroom. Closing the door shut, he went up the stairs to where the high school classrooms were. He stopped at the door of 1-A, where he heard the shuffling of chairs and chatter inside the classroom.
When he opened the door, it stopped. Many of them seemed stupefied to find that it wasn’t the usual face that came through the door, but instead, a teacher who they knew merely by face. Kuroko saw textbooks on desks, and students grouped together engaging in their own peer tutorial sessions. It was cute how math exams always seemed to induce that kind of effect.
“Akashi-sensei is out, so I will be your substitute teacher for today. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, and I teach elementary and middle school math here at Teikou.”
In the typical fashion, they greeted him a “good morning”. After taking their seats, some of them seemed to be observing him, which was certainly strange, but it couldn’t be helped. They seemed rather cooperative though, so there didn’t seem to be any problems.
“Today, you will be having your exam on binomial distribution and standard normal distribution. Five minutes and we’ll begin the exam.”
Since there was no complaint to be heard, it could only mean that they feared not having enough time to finish the exam. Kuroko took a longer time looking at it, and found that it was actually a back to back test paper.
When five minutes was up, Kuroko directed them to keep their text books and notes. They obeyed, and people on the first row went to the front to get the papers.
Kuroko looked at the slip of paper that Sawashiro-sensei had given him. There was no direct order to put the formulae on the board, but Kuroko contemplated whether he should.
So he did. The students showed their gratitude by gaping at the whiteboard in question.
“Any cheating will result in a grade of zero.” Kuroko emphasized, his default neutral expression seemingly causing confusion among the students. “Pass to the back.”
The room was silent as the exam progressed. All that could be heard was the sound of the air conditioning unit. Kuroko took to observing each of the students – it was always interesting to see how different students dealt with exams in their own different ways, though he did remember Akashi saying that his students’ reactions during Calculus class were “far more interesting” than that of when it was Statistics.
One could imagine the confusion Kuroko felt when in the early parts of the exam time, a student at the far back started laughing.
“Pfft!” She clamped two hands over her mouth before she could laugh out loud again. Her face reddened, and everyone turned to her equally confused, some intrigued by the cause of her sudden outburst. Kuroko looked at the seat plan on the teacher’s table.
“Furukawa Kayano-san?” He said, “Is there a concern regarding the exam?”
Almost shyly, she raised her hand. Kuroko kept a watchful eye on the other students as she went to her side.
“I’m so sorry, it’s just,” She still seemed flustered, “It was about this bonus question here…”
Her seatmates flipped their papers to the back to see what she was talking about, and there were shared sniggers in the classroom now. Kuroko read the question word per word, though the first sentence was a dead giveaway.
Love is a universal phenomenon, though the pursuit of it does not always result in success.
Kuroko screamed internally, struggling to keep his poker face. Akashi-kun, what?!
He felt a migraine ensuing.
S is a math teacher crushing on a fellow math teacher, T. T will do only two things when approached by a suitor who wants to go on a date with him: accept, or reject.
S approaches T five times. What is the probability of S getting accepted three or more times?
To Akashi’s credit, while it was funny, Kuroko didn’t know what to feel about this. He felt like he was being pranked on, but also, he just hoped the other test papers didn’t have that very same question, though he did have the confidence some people wouldn’t get who the question was referring to exactly.
Right?
“… It’s quite alright, Furukawa-san.” He said after some time.
He walked to the front again, not sure whether to laugh or strangle someone.
“If I were you,” everyone in the class looked up at him, still amused by Akashi’s plight, “I would skip that bonus question entirely, so as to not entertain Akashi-kun’s delusions. Frankly, that is my job.”
And all hell broke loose, because girls started fanning themselves and squealing. “THE SHIP IS CANON THE SHIP IS CANON WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”
… Whatever thoughts occupied their minds.
“THANK GOD I’M ALIVE!” One such girl sobbed.
The class seemed less tense towards him now that this had happened, which he then decided was a good thing.
One student raised his hand. “But sensei, it’s still credit. To not answer it would be to waste those points.”
“Yes, that is true.” Kuroko pursed his lips, reading his own copy of the exam sheet. “… Akashi-kun must really love you as a class to be open about this.”
They listened intently. He went on.
“While he might seem shameless, Akashi-kun is not quite so open about his personal life.” He made a personal note to check the other copies of test papers the following the day, and that if they had the same question, he would burn them himself. They knew the passwords to each other’s laptops anyways.
“Whatever happens here stays here.” He requested weakly, and the students did seem to be truly sympathetic, some more on the curious side.
“We support you, Kuroko-sensei!”
“Do you like Akashi-sensei?”
“If you finish your exams and we still have time, we can talk about Akashi-kun’s deepest, darkest secrets.”
That seemed to be motivational enough, because everyone got back to answering once more.
He took out his cell phone.
To: Akashi-kun
Subject: …
Text: You have ten seconds to reconsider your life choices before I reveal your secrets to the world and change the minds and world-views of your dear, competent students.
Moments later, there was a reply.
Akashi: Would you really do this to a sick man, Tetsuya?
Kuroko: That depends on what definition of sick we’re going by.
Kuroko: Too late. I’ll keep it PG, though.
Akashi: Tetsuya, my fever’s nearing 39 degrees.
He could imagine Akashi’s voice taking on a hint of whining there.
Kuroko: Sit still. I’ll come over later.
Evening came soon enough. Kuroko pressed the doorbell to Akashi’s personal apartment. It took a while before he heard footsteps and true enough, Akashi opened the door with a mask on his face and a dazed look in his eyes, in nothing but slippers and pyjamas.
“Tetsuya…”
He held up two separate bags, “I brought the test papers. I figured you might need help checking them.”
“I suppose so…” Akashi sniffed, letting Kuroko in. Akashi felt very lightheaded as he sat on the mat. “I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused, Tetsuya. You even went all the way to buy me food…”
“They said it was a light cold.”
“It was,” Akashi said, a hint of incredulity in his voice. He held a hand to his temple, rubbing it. “But it seemed to worsen even if I had taken the medicine beforehand. Now it’s 38.5 degrees… and my throat hurts too.”
“You’re in no condition to check papers, then. Do you want to be alone?”
Akashi seemed stubborn. He took out the stack of papers and unclipped them. “Yes and no.” He replied, looking at Kuroko while idly playing with the stack of papers’ upper right corner. It made a flipping sound as he did this.
“While I originally wished to be alone, it always makes me happy to have your company… and with you here, I fully intend to check the papers.” Upon saying this, he smiled thinly, showing the cheekiness that was characteristic to him. “My students are very creative.”
“And I see that they love having a teacher whose problems are so creative. Have you mentioned me to them before?”
“Yes… what made you arrive at that conclusion?”
“They seemed to look at me with varying degrees of intrigue and morbid fascination, as if examining a laboratory specimen. They said some rather strange things as well, indicating that they have thought of the idea of us sharing a relationship before.”
“I hold you in high regard, Tetsuya.” Akashi held the ice compress to his head, “I always have.”
Kuroko handed him a spare red ballpen he had in his pocket. “I’ll get the answer key for you. Can you tell me where it is?”
“It’s in that drawer over there.”
Kuroko went to where Akashi pointed, and opened the drawer. There were several coloured folders, though one was labeled as “1st Year Module”. He took that one out, and upon seeing Akashi nod, joined him again on the floor. He started unpacking the food too. Akashi seemed to not be checking the bonus questions yet. He was meticulous in checking, going as far as checking solutions step by step.
Kuroko grabbed a portion of the papers and scooted over to Akashi’s side to see the answer key better. He started checking his share too. There wasn’t much work, considering it was just one class, and when Kuroko asked if he had any more test papers left unchecked, Akashi said he’d checked them all in his free time – whatever that was, considering he was working on his master’s degree.
Kuroko scooped a spoonful of broth and held it up. Akashi met his eyes before taking it into his mouth, his red lashes trembling slightly.
“Should we look at the bonus question now, Tetsuya?”
“After we eat,” Kuroko said, as if appeasing a child, “Or I fear you’ll get constipated from laughing too much. You did say ‘Be as creative with your answers as much as possible. There are points for creativity’, so I know what to expect.”
Akashi propped his chin on his palm as he watched Kuroko eat.
“Please don’t stare so greedily at my food, Akashi-kun.”
“I’m not staring at the food.”
Kuroko smiled, then. “You cheat.”
Akashi hummed, triumphant. “What story did you tell them?”
“Well, the one about the time you tripped because of a stray dog. I also told them about how you fell flat on your backside at the time, and looked so confused and bewildered because you haven’t fallen once in your life before that incident.”
“That was the first time, yes.” Akashi regarded the memory fondly, if only because it made Kuroko laugh so much. “It wasn’t the last though.”
“It wasn’t?”
“The other time was when I fell for y-“
Kuroko looked at him sternly, another spoonful of broth waiting for him. “That’s quite enough, Akashi-kun.” His lips were shaped into a pout. “Eat. You need the strength.”
Akashi was amused, to say the least. “Okay then.”
“If you are well enough to stay flirty, it means you’ll be okay.”
“I will be. There has never been any doubt about that.”
After eating, as they were both quick eaters, they went to checking the bonus questions together. It was a slower process this time, as Kuroko got to know some things about Akashi’s students while doing this.
They started reading the answers.
S approaches T five times. What is the probability of S getting accepted three or more times?
The probability of S getting accepted three or more times is 100%, or in simpler terms, 1. S has never known failure in his lovelife. It is people who fail him, not the other way around.
“Plus two.” Akashi sighed with a shake of his head, though it was more of amusement than anything else. “Now he passes.”
Kuroko licked his lips and read the answer from the next paper.
“There is not enough information to tell the exact probability. Does S stand for smooth, or sloppy? What is T’s type?” The answer concluded with an “XD”, which Kuroko omitted.
“Considering she got a 28 in the exam, it is an impeccable answer. Except…” Akashi scribbled a note for his student there, saying that it would be hard to translate that into calculation. At the upper right where the score was situated, he wrote a +2. The next paper-
You can do it, Akashi-sensei! Ｏ( ≧∇≦ ) Ｏ
“That is very nice of her.” Kuroko commented. “Though she revealed you, didn’t she?”
Akashi casually wrote a +2, appreciating the thought. There were a few answers that were mundane, and some actually took it upon themselves to answer an incorrect percentage than to answer creatively, which was sad.
Kuroko went to get some water from the kitchen.
One had a complete solution and got the correct mathematical answer. That person already had a perfect score of 100 though, so Akashi gave +2 rather than anything higher. The additional points would be transferred into the next quiz.
Why is S so desperate? Five times, seriously? :P
“Ah, was this written by Renjiro-kun?” Akashi mumbled mostly to himself.
Kuroko came back with a glass of water. He looked at the name and found that Akashi was right.
“He was the most likely to say something like that,” Akashi explained, coughing, “Because he is embittered by the amount of times he has been rejected thus far by his senpai, who is one year older. Perhaps he has arrived at a realization upon answering my test, and has decided to channel it.”
“And you are proud?”
“I am happy they learn things from me, but no, he is probably growing on his own.”
As long as there’s a wedding, it doesn’t matter. Teehee! >////<
“I do wish I could pass all these students,” Akashi admitted openly, “They are vastly entertaining and earnest in their own, unique way.”
“Akashi-kun just likes the answers…” Though admittedly, that one did make Kuroko’s heart skip a beat.
It isn’t about the number of dates, or the number of times S gets accepted. It’s about how S and T make it count.
See what I did there, sensei? ;) HEHEHEHEHE. MAKE IT COUNT.
“Satoshi…”
Akashi set down the pen.
“What do you think, Tetsuya?” He laid his head on the desk. “What is the probability that you’ll accept my feelings?”
Kuroko knew that Akashi was nothing short of genuine. It was a moment of truth, a private moment shared between the both of them. Akashi was waiting for his answer.
“You’ve never given me the chance to answer,” He said, “because you have yet to ask.”
Kuroko took Akashi’s hand into his. Akashi’s hands were warm and soft, and his profile straightened slightly.
“We all do stupid things once in a while.” Kuroko said, “I love it when you do stupid things. I won’t say that was the best way to confess, but we can’t have everything. I love all the little things that happen, no matter how mundane. Even if we stay silent or sit together like this, or just talk over lunch breaks. Perhaps we’ve always had a thing like that without knowing it. Of course I’ll accept your feelings, Akashi-kun, and I hope you’ll accept mine.”
“Tetsuya…”
Kuroko reached for the bag with his free hand, taking out a ¼ illustration board that had small post-it notes with messages. In the middle, it said “Get well soon, Akashi-sensei!”
“They gave this to me during lunch break. I’ll have to inform them you can’t come back so soon. They do miss you.”
“Assure them that I’m making the calculus test while they curl up in their beds at night, and that their sensei is properly doing his job.”
“I’ll tell them just that, then. Speaking of which,” Kuroko narrowed his eyes at him in deadpan, “You didn’t include that bonus question in the other exams, did you? It was only for your advisory class?”
“I had not anticipated in the very least that I would catch a cold. I was convinced it was exclusively for our eyes only. Never did I think that you would enter the picture.”
“And I did, so it is such a shame.”
“Not really,” Akashi said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Akashi liked surprises, and he liked surprising people, but it was this unpredictability that also gave him room to become anxious.
Eventually, after he was done recording the scores, Kuroko helped him into bed and saw himself off. The illustration board from his students was what he would see first thing in the morning, when he opened his eyes and saw it on top of his personal room’s work desk.
“Won’t you consider coming over again, Tetsuya?” Akashi asked.
Kuroko stopped just in front of the door. “In the near future, I hope I won’t have to.”
Something akin to hurt flashed in Akashi’s eyes before he could filter them out. He didn’t have the face mask on anymore, and the perfect symmetry of his features was disturbed by an emotion that could only be called fear. Kuroko soothingly brushed his fingers over Akashi’s crimson locks, and it hurt to see Akashi bear an expression like that.
Kuroko hated the thought of ever leaving Akashi anyway.
“If we share a home together someday, it won’t be a possibility to consider, but instead, the given thing to do.”
Akashi’s features eventually relaxed upon hearing this. “I would like that.” He said, burying his head into the pillow, his eyes still trained towards Kuroko.
There was no doubt in the first place that Kuroko would come again tomorrow, that he would come every time Akashi needed him to be there. Even if they didn’t share a home, it would always be the given thing to do.
Akashi was a dear friend to him. Maybe more, now.
“I’ll come again tomorrow.” He said, “Take better care of yourself, Akashi-kun. Good night.”
“Good night, Tetsuya.”
Kuroko left that house hoping that Akashi knew – knew that there would always be people who would love him unconditionally.
And that he deserved that just as much as everyone else did, because he always seemed to forget that.
The morning Akashi came back and was ready to work again, he did find that he genuinely felt better after getting some rest. He wasn’t very close with many of the faculty members, but they seemed happy to see him all the same.
When he reached his desk, there was an unfamiliar, yellow colored note he didn’t remember leaving the last time he was present. He opened it, and found that it was written in very familiar handwriting.
Are you an equilateral triangle?
Because every side of you is equally important to me.
P.S. Hope you have a good day, Akashi-kun. See you later at lunch.
He folded the note back and pocketed it, trying not to betray his emotions.
Well, he said to himself.
He really had fallen hard.