Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kuroo believes his life is a good mix of chaos and calm. The former of which primarily coming from his children, the latter from his husband and their beloved cat. Although recently the balance has swayed more into chaos with having to adapt to virtual teaching as well as monitor three stir-crazy teenagers with rather strong opinions about authority in any form. Though, some might say he hadn't exactly discouraged that. To be fair he didn't anticipate raising a self proclaimed anarchist, a self proclaimed communist, and an unlabeled but equally as disillusioned teen. Kei can send him pointed looks whenever their kids claim dictatorship in response to any house rules all he wants- they both know Kei raised them this way too. 

In any case, the initial panic and confusion had settled leaving a new routine (still skewed towards chaos) in it's wake.

Kuroo is almost finished with his second period organic chemistry lecture. a rather standard and unnoteworthy class, when he is cut off mid sentence by a screech coming from outside the office he's currently sat in- zoom running on his computer.

"He ruined my dream journal! No I did not!!"

Kuroo watches the reactions of the students whose video's are on. A range of confusion and amusement. The sentence is repeated in the same screech as before, the final word said in a slightly different intonation. Kuroo sighs inwardly, pushing back his chair, grateful he decided to wear jeans today instead of his usual pajama pants.

"Excuse me for a moment." He addresses the class, several students smirking at the additional interruption. Everyone needs a break once in awhile, he supposes. Opening the door midway, standing so he's in the doorway facing the hallway beyond, he calls to the unknown interrupter.

"Kiyo, sweetie, aren't you supposed to be in class?" The question is rhetorical. They both know she is meant to be in a zoom class at the moment. His own abandoned zoom class listens aptly as a door can faintly be heard opening.

"Yeah, technically. Aren't you supposed to be in class too?" The voice from before speaks, this time not in screeches but a normal volume.

"The dulcet sounds of you screaming has put a pause on that." Kuroo responds with. The voice groans in a dramatic display of annoyance.

"Dad why do you always have to talk like such an old man? Like a prophet or something except without the like knowledge or whatever." The class sees their professor's face morph into mock hurt.

"With age comes wisdom-" He begins sagely but is interrupted. "And you have plenty of the first part..."

"Kiyo, go back to class." Kuroo deadpans. The unknown voice groans again.

"But why? I already know English." She complains.

"Still have to go, sorry sweetie. I am trying to do my job here."

"Your job being- attempting to parent or teach?" She snarks. Kuroo only narrows his eyes.

"Both of which you are hindering. At least be in your room so you can listen to your teacher. Or maybe they're listening to your yell about dream journals instead." The sound of sudden footsteps moving farther away is the only indication the owner of the voice left. Kuroo steps back into his office and closes the door behind him. Turning back towards his computer he offers a small sheepish smile.

"I apologize. My daughter has a penchant for quoting lines from unknown source material intermittently... at varying volumes." He offers a fond smile and sees several of his students 'aww' wordlessly due to their muted mics.

"Alright where were we-" Kuroo is cut off once again, this time by the door of his office being thrust open.

"Okay that was just cruel and unusual. My mic was off! And you gaslight me making me think it wasn't! Shame!" A girl with similarly messy black hair and piercing gold eyes stands in the threshold of the room. Kuroo sighs and turns in his chair to face his daughter.

"Kiyora I'm trying to give a lecture here. And that's not what gaslighting is." He sounds exasperated, but the fondness of his words is undeniable. Kiyora scowls.

"Who even likes chemistry anyways?" Several students watching the exchange remotely laugh, unheard.

"I'm sure the main concern is a passing grade. Something you are directly preventing." Kuroo retorts to the added amusement of his students. Because, well, he's not wrong.

"'Directly preventing' by your unwanted presence because one class determines an entire grade eehhh." She parrots in a mocking tone, shutting the door on her way out. Kuroo sighs again, this time more in relief than amusement, turning back once again to his zoom. His eyes scan over a new cluster of comments in the chat.

"Yes, I have three children. That was Kiyora, she's fourteen. The other two are sixteen and seventeen respectively. I don't believe they'll be making an appearance, however. Anyways I've wasted enough of your time. Let's get back to the dreaded Ochem that critics have claimed quote 'no one cares about'." Despite the comment about a subject all his students can tell means a lot to him, Kuroo seems anything but hurt by it. If anything- fond of his daughter's declaration. 

Chapter Text

Kuroo had promised his students that no one would be failed during virtual learning. But sometimes he really wishes he could take that back.

"Oh, that's almost impressively incorrect." Kei muses, peering over his husband's shoulder at a particular student's work. Kuroo turns to face Kei.

"It is. Several others had trouble with this assignment too, though. Maybe I'm not explaining it well enough." Kei huffs and reaches a hand out to scroll further down Kuroo's computer open to the assignment.

"Chemistry is fake science, I don't know why you're surprised." Kiyora chimes in, entering the kitchen in her pajamas with wild hair and her glasses on. Kuroo pouts indignantly. Certainty not giving any proof to Tsukishima's repeated assertion he is actually responsible for four children.

A response is at the tip of his tongue, but Kei beats him to it.

"Careful, Kiyo. Say science is fake and you might be grouped in with a rather unsavory group." Kuroo chuckles. Kiyora scoffs, pulling something out of their fridge. 

"I'm with Kiyora. Science is fake, we're in a simulation." Koichiro announces, stepping into the kitchen also in pajamas. Kei sighs deeply, taking the seat opposite Kuroo and sips from his coffee.

"It's too early for this." Kuroo mumbles, rubbing his eyes. Koichiro only shrugs, joining his sister at the counter and finding something for breakfast. As he's reaching beside Kiyora for something, Kuroo can't quite see at the angle he's sitting, Kiyora turns and they collide.

"Watch it, you gremlin." She snaps, moving away from her brother and taking her food with her.

"You ran into me!" Koichiro protests. Kei massages his temples. Sympathetic to his plight, Kuroo deals with it. Or tries to.

"It was an accident, you two."

"Was not! She literally ran into me how is that an accident?" Koichiro throws his hands up. Kiyora turns back into the kitchen she had been walking out of with a scowl.

"I didn't run into you, are you blind or dumb or both?" She snarls.

"I'm not the one that needs glasses!"

"You sure? Get your eyes checked!"

"Both of you knock it off, she moved the same time you did, Chiro, it was an accident." His attempt at diffusing the situation only results in a mumbled insult competition as they both make their way back into their respective rooms. Clearly preferring to eat alone than near each other. When they have left the kitchen, Kei sighs loudly. 

"Definitely too early." Kuroo has to agree. 

~*~

Kuroo reads off a comment in the chat, a question. He starts to answer but is cut off by the office door opening and a teenager walking into the room. Eyes locked on his phone, messy brown hair falling into his eyes. Along with his students, Kuroo watches as, with his free hand, he grabs another phone off the desk. When is doesn't unlock, he maneuvers Kuroo's right thumb to the sensor. Kuroo is bewildered.

"Can I help you?" He asks. The teen finally looks up. The class can see the moment it clicks that he just walked into a active college chemistry class. He lowers both phones in his hands and laughs, a dimple appearing on his cheek.

"Ha! I'm so sorry I didn't even realize!" He grins. Kuroo gives him a look.

"Self aware as always." The teen goes back to tapping away at Kuroo's phone.

"Dad, why is Kenma's name in your phone 'Kitten less than three'?" He deadpanns. Kuroo only laughs.

"Kid looks and acts like a cat. And I know it bothers them entirely too much. Why are you going through my contacts?"

"They changed their number and I need to ask Kenma a question." He reasons, returning the snatched phone.

Kuroo raises an eyebrow.

"Okay I'm trying to impress Iori and I can't get past this stupid level in this game she likes and I don't want to sift through their videos about it just for that one specific part, is that weird? If I like just text them out of nowhere?" The teen rambles.

"Simp!" Shouts Kiyora from down the hall, clearly eavesdropping.

"Shut up!" The other teen shouts hack.

"Eichi, be nice to your sister." Kuroo scolds.

"Of course its not weird, they're your godparent. I'm sure Iori would prefer authenticity, honestly." Kuroo goes on. The teen groans, looking away from his phone.

"Not everyone's you guys; dumb isn't always endearing. Just let me try to be cool." A faint blush rises to his cheeks.

"I resent the implication. C'mon get outta here." Eichi seems to remember what he interrupted, and blushes further.

"Sorrryyy!" He sing-songs, making his retreat out of the office. Kuroo turns back to his zoom meeting.

The return of Kiyora.

The comment makes Kuroo laugh aloud. 

"I suppose it was this class she made an appearance in, wasn't it?" He is just about to apologize for his eldest barging in, but a student he isn't sure he's evet heard speak in class unmutes herself.

"Kuroo-sensei is Kodzuken your children's godparent?" Kuroo blinks, then realizes Kenma has said their given name before on the internet.

"They are. Kenma and I grew up together, actually." His admission sets off a flurry of comments in the chat. Notably:

Not my chemistry prof knowing my idol.

Pics or it  didn't happen.

I thought Kodzuen grew up in Tokyo?

"To answer your questions, I moved from Tokyo to Miyagi after college, we didn't grow up here. And since we are already very detailed might as well stay off track. For those of you wondering, I will be posting additional resources plus some of the homework problems explained since i'm technically taking up class time here. The hours almost over, so feel free to leave the zoom if you would like, since there won't be any more chemistry happening." As he talks, Kuroo scrolls through his phone. Finally he stops, a smirk on his face as he turns his phone to his webcam.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees none of his students left the zoom.

On his phone screen, a young Kuroo with lanky arms, even crazier hair, and uneven teeth has his arms wrapped around a smaller Kenma. Young Kenma has just begun growing their hair out, the color still their natural dark brown. Their eyes trained on a DS in their hands instead of Kuroo hanging off their neck.

Aww they're both so tiny!

Oml they do know each other...

Kuroo brings his phone down, and resumes scrolling. After a moment he pauses at another picture and brings his phone screen into view. This time displaying a teenaged Kuroo (less lanky arms but still wild hair) with an arm slung around a scowling blonde with glasses, and giving bunny ears to a teenaged Kenma. Kenma adorns two toned hair gathered back into a tiny ponytail, bundled up in a hoodie and looking mildly amused at the blonde's expression.

Kuroo watches his students who have their cameras on leaning closer to get a better look.

The last photo he shows his class is a more modern-day recognizable Kodzuken with grown out dark hair with lightened tips and a plethora of ear piercings. Kenma's holding a small bundle that upon further inspection is a newborn child swaddled. Kenma is looking down at the child, a small smile visible at the corner of their lips. In the background a familiar redhead is wide-eyed excited and also peering down at the baby.

And he knows Ninja Shoyo?? God has favorites.

"That is a newborn Koichiro, my second child. And yes I do know Hinata." Kuroo laughs.

How do you know Hinata-san?

"Chibi-chan went to my high school's rival school. We met at a volleyball tournament. Since he and Kenma are close we've stayed in touch."

Chibi-chan www

Kuroo flushes, realizing he referred to his friend rather informally for the setting. 

What was he like in high school?

"That kid was terrifying even in his first year." Kuroo states seriously, then cracks a smile. "Just as determined too. Once a few of my friends and I were playing a two on two at a camp and Shoyo invited himself along. If he wasn't so sincere it would've been..." He waves a hand, not coming up with a correct word. Thinking back on a seething Kei trailed by the overconfident redhead makes him chuckle again. 

"Coincidentally the match he joined included his future teammate, Bokuto." He has to physically resist calling Bokuto 'bro' knowing it would cause an uproar. God apparently has favorites, after all. 

Did you know they were going to be as popular as they are now back then?

Kuroo hums. "They had skill and more importantly they had the determination. When I first met Bokuto, we were both mostly doing volleyball for fun, but in our third year he got serious. That's when I knew, at least, it wasn't something he would allow to fall to the wayside in his life. For Hinata? When he had already perfected the quick attack with Kageyama-kun but still trained a different quick. Kageyama has so much skill, even back then, but he reached a plateau briefly and Hinata called him on it. That's just who he is, I suppose. Always seeing the space for improvement and motivating those around him to strive for it." His eyes are taken over by a far-away look, remembering all those time Chibi-chan had pushed Kei further, seeing the potential he had even when Kei himself hadn't yet. A ping from the chat pulls Kuroo out of his memories. 

Could you have gone pro?

Kuroo smiles. 

"Maybe division two had I stayed with it in college. I considered it, that or maybe going into some office position in the V-league, but sometimes life isn't about pursuing what you were obsessed with as a kid. Leaving interests behind isn't necessarily giving up on your dreams, just updating them to fit who you currently are. And chemistry, as crazy as that may sound to you all learning it, was the interest I genuinely wanted to continue on with. Maybe I could have played in college and studied to be a teacher too, but it wasn't what I was interested in." Kuroo thinks back to when he finally decided volleyball wasn't what he wanted to do with his life. How terrifying it had been to stray from something so near and dear to his heart for so long. 

"Maybe Kiyora is right and I do talk like a crazed prophet!" Several students laugh along with him. 

"Alright our class time is up. Have a nice day everyone, you can hang back if you have any class-related questions." 

After answering the remaining student's questions, Kuroo closes the meeting and gets up, stretching his arms over his head. He has a few hours in between classes. A perfect opportunity to reminisce with Kei. 

Chapter Text

Kuroo didn’t get a chance to bother Kei that day. Although, not without lack of trying. When he had crept into the dining room where Kei had set up shop (piles of various files scattered about and his computer plugged into that ridiculously long cord he mocks at every opportunity) he had been on a conference call. A particularly long one, at that. By the time it was finished, Kuroo was already teaching his third period. 

That night at dinner Kiyora and Koichiro were back to normal. Kuroo breathed a silent sigh of relief. Perhaps it was uncommon amongst siblings, but even the pettiest of disagreements he got into with his sister when they were younger would result in days of not speaking. That, or passive aggressive comments muttered under their breaths for several days to follow. Kiyora, Koichiro, and Eichi didn’t seem to have such problems. There was one very prominent occurrence he would be amiss to gloss over where Koichiro and Eichi had gotten into a month long feud. For the life of him, Kuroo couldn’t remember how it even started. All he knew was that it ended in a purposefully broken flute, a toothbrush coated in soap, screaming matches, and seriously brutal character attacks. In the end Kei had sat them both down and relegated Kuroo and Kiyora to the other side of the house. Somehow Koichiro and Eichi left that room no longer at each other’s throats. Kuroo is still mystified as to how his husband managed that. 

“My English teacher is a joke. Today he really tried to tell us ‘it’s sunny’ is how you say ‘it is a warm day outside’. Like with his full chest.” Kiyora complained, bringing Kuroo out of his head. 

“Or maybe Dad taught us wrong.” Eichi supplied, mouth full of food. Kiyora, Kei, and Koichiro all gave him a disgusted expression for the display. Unbothered, Eichi chewed on. 

“Your grandmother moved to Japan from the states at the age of twenty-seven and barely spoke Japanese for most of my life. ‘It’s sunny’ means it’s sunny. Not that it’s hot out. Maybe implied, if we’re being generous. I did not teach you my first language wrong.” Kei's voice was inflectionless, it caused Koichiro to break out in laughter, and Kiyora to smile devilishly. Eichi finished chewing this time before speaking. 

“Okay, Dad didn’t teach us wrong.” He mirrored the deadpanned delivery and Koichiro laughed harder. Kei rolled his eyes good-naturedly. 

“I’m totally gonna unmute next class and tell him that.” Kiyora’s eyes flashed in a mischief Kuroo had become all too familiar with over the years. 

“Kiyo you tryna get suspended?” Koichiro asked, finally recovering from his fit of giggles. 

“How are they gonna suspend me for being right?” She glared. 

“I suppose you can email him, respectfully , but trying to embarrass your teachers is only going to backfire.” Kei allowed. Privately, Kuroo suspected Kiyo was not going to be dissuaded by the concept of mutually assured destruction. 

“That’s so stupid. What has the world come to?” She picked at her donburi. 

“Please no more world-events discussion. I can’t take it.” Eichi begged. 

“Well, assuming the ocean levels rise by- let’s say- two inches every year, wouldn’t the people living on the coasts, just sell their houses and move? ” Kiyora said in a nasally and quick tempoed voice. 

"I think we are ignoring a very key thing these so called 'candidates' are forgetting. When asked what they would ban if elected, none said crime! The audac-" Koichiro continued in the same off-putting voice. 

“Ahh!” Eichi cried, covering his ears. “Don’t quote that toe of a man in my presence!”

“Do I want to know?” Kuroo asked warily after a beat. 

“No.” Kiyora cheerfully declared, back in her regular voice. Koichiro snickered. 

~*~

“Guess who walked in on my lecture today?” Kei hummed. 

“Kiyora again?” He guessed. 

“Eichi.” Kei smiled crookedly. 

“Was he lost in space again?” Kei pulled back the covers on his side of the bed and climbed in beside Kuroo. 

“Mmhm. Apparently the great Iori-sama compelled him to reach out to Kenma for help in some video game she likes.” Kuroo turned away from his book to look at Kei curled up like a cat, only his head visible above the blankets. Kei huffs a laugh. 

“She sounds sweet. From what he’s told us.” He reasons. Kuroo simply raises a disbelieving eyebrow at him. Kei sighs, a hand emerging to take his glasses off and place them safely on the nightstand. 

“I sense she and Kiyora work for the dark lord.” Kuroo cackled. 

“Who doesn’t need a little perversity in life?” 

“Me.” Kei counters. 

“Lies, dear husband, lies.” Kuroo discards his book on his nightstand, turning off the small bedside lamp, and turning over to face Kei who gives a small shrug they both know is overacted. They both love their children, even their mischievous antics. 

Kuroo snaked an arm around Kei, burying his head in his neck. 

~*~

On a typical Saturday morning, Kiyora would be half-asleep at soccer practice, Eichi either at a friend’s or absorbed in his phone, and Koichiro fast asleep. Typical, that is, prior to a few months ago. Now soccer practice is cancelled, going over to a friend’s isn’t the best idea- but sleeping in hasn’t changed much. Kuroo was in a nice drifting realm- not quite asleep, but not awake enough to start his day when his phone rang. 

"Chibi-chan?" Kuroo answered his phone, voice groggy. He sat up in bed, noticing Kei wasn’t around, probably snuggled up in the living room in his classic early-rising fashion. 

"Hey there, Kuroo-sensei!" Hinata giggles in a much too awake voice for a weekend. 

"What's up? You usually text." Kuroo elected to ignore the tongue in cheek use of the honorific. . 

"I should ask the same thing! I hear you've been singing my praises!" Kuroo frowned, mind blanking. 

"Huh?" He answers dumbly. Hinata laughs again. 

"Here, I'll send you the tweet." His voice gets farther away as he moves his phone from his face. Kuroo does the same, waiting for the notification to come in. 

Swiping on the notification, he's led to a video of himself in his office in front of his computer. That would do it , he thinks. Clicking on it, past him laughs. 

'That is a newborn Koichiro, my second child. And yes I do know Hinata.'

He watches himself scan the chat. 

'Chibi-chan went to my high school's rival school. We met at a volleyball tournament. Since he and Kenma are close we've stayed in touch.'

"See it?" Hinata's voice asks through his phone. Kuroo pauses the video. 

"Yeah. Hey, sorry, I was showing a picture of Koichiro and you and Kenma were holding him and I guess one of my students recorded it and-" His nervous rambles are cut off by Hinata. 

"It's all good! It was really sweet too!" Hinata insists, undoubtedly smirking. 

"For as sneaky as you seem, you sure have a heart of gold!" He teased. Kuroo rolled his eyes, knowing it wouldn't be seen. 

"Slanderous accusations, there." 

"I don't think so~"

Kuroo huffed, unable to defend himself with undeniable proof on his phone. 

“How’re you and Kenma these days, anyway?” He asked in an attempt to change the subject. 

“We're great! Carson’s been throwing up recently so we brought him into the vet, and it turns out he’s been eating our carpet.” Carson, a particularly serious looking grey cat, was a nuisance the day they got him, and nothing has changed since then. 

“Christ. He acts like you two don’t feed him.”

“Right! Kenma was streaming last night and he came in acting all cute, right, then threw up on their feet!” Kuroo cackled. 

“Oh shit, I have to go to practice.” Hinata said abruptly . “I’ll text you later, yeah?"

“Sure thing, Chibi-chan.”

“See ya!” 

Kuroo watched the video on his phone again. Come Monday, he’d have to figure out who had recorded him being a sap. 

Chapter Text

“Dad said he’s gonna divorce you!” Shouted Kiyora from the hallway. Kuroo frowned, turning in his desk chair. 

Kuroo lets out a startled “Huh?”

 Kiyora sighs dramatically, walking back to the office, opening the door. She peeked her head in, throwing up a peace sign, poking her tongue out at Kuroo’s computer on his desk. 

“Dad said he’s gonna divorce you.” She reiterates, resting her head against the frame. Kuroo raises his eyebrows, mildly concerned. 

“Yeah? Why's that?” There was a near one hundred percent chance he had forgotten to do the dishes or something along those lines and Kiyora had overheard an empty threat from Kei, although there was always that chance…

“He said you missed your guyses anniversary. Which, like, shameful.” Kuroo visibly relaxes, laughing. Kiyora raises a disapproving eyebrow. 

"You know what's shameful? Your attendance." Kiyora glared, sliding back out of the room. 

"Enjoy your crumbling marriage! Hope you don't get visitation rights!" Kiyora called in a sing-song tone, walking back to her room, undoubtedly smugly. Kuroo sighed, turning back to face his zoom class, closing to ignore that last comment of her's. 

Oof

Wait fr?  

Kuroo shook his head at his zoom's chat, smirking. He figured he might as well explain it so they can move on. 

"Okay long story short-" he was cut off by a ping in the chat. 

Long story long?

He laughed again. Nevermind, then. 

"Alright, fine. I see you all just trying to get out of class." Those with their video on didn't look at all ashamed. 

"Essentially I believe me and my husband got together three weeks before he believes we did. So no, I didn't miss our anniversary, I celebrated it three weeks ago." 

How do you not know you're dating for three weeks?

All those years ago Kenma had repeatedly told Kuroo he was being an idiot by not ever explicitly bringing up the weird tension and unspoken words between him and Kei. At the time it had fallen on deaf ears, but Kuroo would like to admit he’s now mature enough to admit they were right. (Although he hasn’t told Kenma this.)

"My partner and I weren't great at the whole communicating thing early on, I suppose. We were living together and pseudo-dating for a while. And in the great tradition of young adulthood, I just assumed we were on the same page and rolled with it. He thinks it only counts as dating once we addressed it. Jurys still out."

"It's a bit of a running joke that I missed our anniversary." Kuroo continues, smiling crookedly in that love sick way of his, shaking his head. 

"Alright! Enough stalling!" He ignores the groan from a student who undoubtedly did not mean to unmute. Acknowledging it only with a small chuckle, undaunted. 

~*~

As it turns out Kuroo completely forgets to mention the Twitter video. 

~*~

At the end of his work day, he groans, wishing he had just remembered and gotten the ‘hey-please-don’t-record-me-and-put-it-on-twitter-because-I-don’t-think-my-boss-would-be-thrilled-that’s-how-I-spend-our-class-time’ talk over with already. 

He’ll have to wait until he has that class again later in the week. 

Venturing into the dining room, Kei seems to be stuck in a meeting again. Undeterred, Kuroo slides into a seat, sitting across from Kei. The only acknowledgement he receives is the momentary raise of an eyebrow and a glance. Kuroo smirks to himself. Who knew an archivist would be so busy. 

Misa, their lovely old calico cat jumps up on the table. Kei's eyes flick towards her as he talks. Kuroo scoops Misa up, both to avoid any interruptions to Kei's zoom, and for cat snuggles. She purrs, content with the attention. 

Kuroo doesn't miss the small quirk of a smile on Kei's lips. 

~*~

"So are you getting divorced? And if so, do I get to pick who I live with?" Kiyora asks casually at dinner. Kuroo snorts a laugh, and Koichiro looks fairly alarmed. 

"Who would I live with? 'Cause I have Tsukishima as a family name but technically I was adopted by both of you as a married unit?" Eichi ponders, nonplussed at the abrupt subject change from his sister. Koichiro whips his head around to stare at him. Eichi shrugs. 

"Wait, you guys are getting divorced!?" Koichiro screeches. 

"No, we are not getting divorced. I wasn't being serious, Kiyora." Kei says calmly. Koichiro leans back, seemingly relieved. 

"Cool, that would suck." Eichi declares, through a mouthful of food. 

"Oh my God stop doing that." Kiyora pleads, covering her ears. 

"You do it all the time." Koichiro points out unhelpfully. Kiyora looks affronted. 

"I do not!" She protests. 

"I fear you may have girlbossed a bit too close to the sun." Eichi comments, smirking in a very Kuroo-like fashion. Kiyora laughs, effectively pausing her fight with Koichiro. Kuroo thanks the Gods for Eichi. 

Kei meers his eyes briefly, glancing pointedly over to Koichiro… who is sneaking food to Misa under the table. 

"'Chiro." His attention snaps upward, withdrawing his arm away from their cat. 

"She's hungry!" Koichiro defends his actions, eyes widened in mock innocence. 

"She's spoiled." Kei corrects. 

"Doesn't prevent hunger." Kiyora interjects, mouth full. 

“Interesting.” Is all Eichi says, to which Kiyora expressly ignores. 

“So, was Iori impressed with your peacocking?” She asks, resting her chin in her hand, raising a challenging eyebrow. Eichi narrows his gaze. 

“Leave your brother alone, Kiyo.” Kei admonishes, saving their eldest from the inevitable embarrassment that is crushing on someone. Surprisingly she lets it rest, turning back to her dinner- notably with a self satisfied smile Eichi’s eye twitches at. 

“Say peacock and no one bats an eye. Say poopcock and society goes wild. Society .” Koichiro mumbles under his breath. Both Eichi and Kiyora crack up. Kuroo is at a loss for words. 

“What possessed you to say that?” Koichiro raises his shoulders like he wasn't the one who said it. 

“To understand everything is to be willfully ignorant of what one has not yet encountered.” Kuroo stares at his husband. 

A beat passes. 

“Huh?” Koichiro asks, face scrunched in confusion. 

“You’re both prophets, Christ.” Kiyora mutters, loud enough to be heard. Kei gives her a look, but otherwise let’s it slide. 

Maybe they are old wizards who talk in nonsense proverbs, but Kuroo wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Chapter Text

Kiyora stared at her phone. Evil, traitorous, phone. Phone who, despite no one asking it to, displayed a message from Misora. 

They had been friends for years, meeting practically as zygotes- maybe even before that,  floating around together in the primordial soup. 

Kiyora and Misora. Their names rhymed. They were the same height. They both detested the taste of pickles. They both had annoying older siblings. 

Kiyora watched as her phone shut off. She let it. 

Friends. 

Who hadn’t spoken in months. Not since a deadly virus swept around the world for the fun of it. Kiyora had been avoiding her like the plague, one might say. 

Bottom line is, she couldn’t text. She had no idea how. What do you even say to someone who has heard every late night thought and musing you've had for literal years? 

In person she could talk. Inevitably they would latch onto a topic or simply lay next to each other and watch something or both simultaneously be on their phones. It was always easier, simpler. 

Everything was easier before she finally figured it out. 

She’s so fucking gay. 

Not to sound cliche, but if she’s being honest, she knew she wasn’t straight since forever. At first she figured it was normal to stare just a little bit too long at her friends-that-are-girls. She assumed people only dated guys because they asked them first and it seemed like something mildly interesting to do. Later she decided it wasn’t that normal of a thing to do. But labels were scary and limiting, so she just pushed the thoughts and staring and imagining away into a box in her mind titled ‘not the time’. 

And not to sound even more cliche, but it seriously was tiktok that finally forced her to unpack that box a bit. Maybe it was the staunch confidence and self assuredness of the queer people she saw on her for you page, maybe it was the labels she had never heard of before but strangely fit. Maybe it was because she wasn’t surrounded by the overpowering straightness of her school. 

The irony isn’t lost on her- the child of two men going through a gay crisis and trying to push the gay away. 

Pushing away led her back to her current predicament. Misora’s exceedingly regular ‘hey, how’ve you been?’ text. Misora who had pin straight black hair and dark eyes and a flat nose and high cheekbones that could cut diamonds. 

She’s so fucking gay. 

But Misora is her friend , and the childhood best friends to lovers things only works in shoujo, not to mention Misora had a boyfriend she adored last year. To be entirely fair, they did break up, but still. She’d never said anything about liking anyone other than guys. 

So how, Kiyora despaired, was she- a person who already struggled to maintain a conversation over text -supposed to entertain a normal dialogue with a girl she had genuinely dreamed about? 

She couldn’t. That was all she knew. 

~*~

And of course they were, because why wouldn’t they be? Eichi and Irori talking on the phone together right in her line of sight. Mocking her, she decided. Eichi’s stupid love-struck smile and his stupid girlfriend who laughed at his stupid jokes. Mockery at its finest. 

She scowled, bypassing her honeymoon phased brother and slunk into the dining room for reprieve. Unfortunately her escape from love and all his friends was denied by the unwelcome sight of her dads. 

“All I said was that recording me and posting it on Twitter would probably get me fired, was the not enough?” 

“Tetsuro, you have no control in that class. Tell them it isn’t acceptable, and be done with it.” Kiyora watched her father rub his temples, glancing up from his work computer to give an exasperated look at his husband. 

“They’re just messing around, no harm no foul.” He countered, scratching the purring cat in his lap behind the ears. 

“Regardless, the message is the same either way.” He continued on, oblivious to his husband’s eyeroll. 

"Go away, I'm working." Her dad waved him off as an email notification pinged from his laptop. 

Her father rose still holding Misa, and left a chaste kiss in his hair before walking away. 

Kiyora's scowl returned with the affection. 

Her father eyed her over his thinly rimmed glasses, only now noticing her presence at the threshold of the dining room. 

She took a seat across from him, folding her legs underneath her. 

“Kiyo?” He prompted, propping his head up on his hand. 

Kiyora made a noise of acknowledgement. 

Is it even worth asking him for advice? Especially now knowing that her parents had literally not communicated to the degree that one believed they were dating when the other thought they were still unlabeled. How the hell were these two gay disasters meant to help her not be a gay disaster? She’s doomed. 

Although they did manage to get together in the end. If she could just skip the whole side glances and testing the waters and just marry Misora-

She banged her head onto the table, startling her father. 

“Something to say, there?” 

“I’m thinking.” 

“Would you like to share?”

She said nothing, considering it. 

Is it better to speak or to die? 

She could ask him, she knew that. He probably had some valuable advice considering he had gone through the falling in love with your best friend thing successfully, despite the rocky beginnings. He would probably say to talk to Misora; the one thing she wouldn’t do. Couldn’t do. And if she did tell him, she would have to talk about her feelings with her dad . Which… embarrassing. And entirely too much of a heart-to-heart for a Gemini. No, she could always tell him later if she wanted to. 

“When is Eichi getting his wisdom teeth out again?” She asked randomly after a pause. 

“Next Thursday around noon. Did you want to come along?”

“Nah, just need to know when to be around to record him saying stupid things.” He hummed in understanding, mercifully ignoring the very obvious fact that wisdom teeth wasn’t what Kiyora was thinking about. 

“Two hundred yen says he goes on a rant about how amazing Iori is.”

“Five hundred says he tries to call her.” He countered, eyes glinting mischievously. Kiyora grinned. 

“You’re on.”

Kiyora decided to shove the Misora Thing away in the ‘not the time’ box, ignoring the voice in her head telling her that was the exact opposite thing she should be doing. 

She stared at the text for a long time. Eventually she sent back a normal response. As normal as she could make one. Something friendly, neutral. 

She ignored the twisting feeling in her stomach and went to go see what Koichiro was up to. 

~*~