Chapter Text
Kuroo loved Tsukishima.
He really did, Tsukishima knows that he does. He's positive. They've been dating since his first year at Karasuno and they'd been doing amazing even with the distance and the alpha growing into his adulthood.
Kuroo had been promoted to a senior position at his sports promotion company and Tsukishima was just five months out from ending his final year at Karasuno.
He's just been a little bit distant lately but that's just because he knows that being an adult is hard, he's trying to establish himself, trying to find out where he is in the world. Okay maybe not lately, it had only been for about seven weeks but who was keeping count?
Not Tsukishima.
He gets it he really does just. It feels off. Kuroo and Tsukishima used to text constantly, annoyingly so to everyone around the two. Kuroo used to beg Tsukishima to fall asleep on call just so that the alpha could still hear his breathing. When Kuroo thought he wasn't listening he would whisper small love poems he'd found online to him in his sleep. He would whisper his plans for the future, his fears that he wasn't quite ready to share, his love and need for the omega. He used to whine when the other omega would deny his advances in public.
He took in a deep breath as he stared up at his phone, as he lay in his nest. It's a futon layered with several blankets and pieces of clothing tangled in a way that should have made the omega feel safe and warm. He looked at Kuroo’s old high school sweater vest. It was the one he'd worn when Kuroo had presented him with his first courting gift, a beautiful intricate necklace that had the initials KT.
He brought the sweater vest up to his nose and inhaled the scent of sandalwood and smokey fire, letting it settle deep in his lungs with a purr. He lets it go as he grabs his phone and looks at the screen.
He watches the green circle around Kuroo’s profile picture taunt him. Online? Didn't feel like it based off of the past five messages he's sent. Seventeen minutes since he'd sent the last one. Suddenly, three dots appeared showing off the fact that Kuroo is typing. Tsukishima feels a smile flash across his face as he watches intently waiting for a response.
‘hey
‘lol, so funny
‘been working with ken
‘days been ok’
Tsukishima swallows down his pride as he stares down at the stale response.
He brings the sweater vest back up to his nose and draws in another deep inhale. Didn't smell as right as it had moments before.
Tsukishima growls and tosses his phone away from himself as he throws his head back into the sweater vest trying to find some comfort in it.
He blinks the tears in his eyes away, keeping them tightly closed.
He must be busy again, that's the only reason why Kuroo had given him such a half-assed reply.
Right?
.
.
.
Tsukishima sat down on the floor with his duffle bag open as he looked over the various items on the floor. He was excited, double checking and making sure he had everything that he needed for his trip.
It was finally here, the day he'd definitely hadn't been counting down to. He'd made sure that Akiteru was ready to drive them to the station so that they could meet up together in Fukushima.
Kei had a couple things on the itinerary but most importantly was the fact that he'd gotten tickets for the Fukushima aquarium, something that the alpha had been pestering him to go to for a while.
Kei was reluctant thinking of the amount of people, the amalgamation of smells, and of course the onslaught of pups sizing each other up but he wanted to make his alpha happy. Plus they were going to the cafe he wanted to so the playing field was equal.
He began to pack everything into his bag as he purred to himself happily. He checks the time, the train doesn't arrive for another two hours, his brother would show up in one, and they'd make it to the station with 30 minutes to spare.
His phone rang, Kuroo.
The omega picked it up it up with a small smile. “Moshi moshi,”
“Kei-chan! Fuck, I’m so sorry,”
The omega’s heart sank.
“What?”
“I can't take the week off, they just gave me an entire project. The whole team is freaking out and we need to finish it by Monday! Kenma and I have been staying late together this whole week but, it hasn't been enough. I'm so sorry.”
Tsukishima can feel his heart pounding, his ears feel like they're full of cotton as he processes the words. He lets out a breath and blinks slowly, what words even belong in a moment like this?
“Kei-chan?”
“It's fine I guess. I just, please make sure to eat well.”
“I knew you would understand, thank you so much! You're the best Kei! What's that Kenma?”
The line goes fuzzy as there's an onslaught of movement on the other side. Laughter.
“Sorry Kei-chan I have to go! I love you!”
“I lov-” The line cuts out suddenly. Tsukishima carefully grabs his phone and places it beside himself face down.
Tsukishima holds his breath as he dumps out everything inside of his duffle bag unceremoniously.
God. Kenma, Kenma, Kenma. Staying late together? He had always seen how close they were but Kuroo had always assured him that they were just friends and now colleagues. Tsukishima could feel the disgust in his stomach, and the irrational omega part of his brain taking over.
Of course he'd find someone better. Smaller. Softer. Kinder. Someone who wasn't stuck in high school.
God why did he even think this dumb trip would work out?
He angrily gathers his things as he opens a desk drawer and begins shoving them inside.
Stupid of him to pack two tooth brushes just because he knows that Kuroo always leaves his behind. Stupid of him to pack Kuroo’s favorite Zunda shake KitKats that were specific to the Sendai region. Stupid of him to pack extra socks.
He pauses as he picks up the package of scent patches. Kuroo had told him that he was nearing his rut and that he wanted him to wear scent patches just to make sure no accidents happened.
He gripped the package tightly and threw it in with the rest of the junk in his drawer. He shoved all of his carefully picked outfits into another drawer without looking. Out of sight, out of mind.
He finally picked up his phone and called his older brother.
“Nii-chan, don't come plans were cancelled.” He said softly as soon as the phone was picked up.
“Kei? What?-” Akiteru asked, but Tsukishima ended the call before answering. He fell into his nest, tossing and pushing away all of his Alpha's clothes before grabbing them and clinging to them.
He was such a useless omega.
.
.
.
Tsukishima’s scent is sour and full of despair, it wasn't the usual light and fluffy strawberries and cream scent, instead he smelled of rotting fruit and distress. He can feel tears prickle into the sides of his eyes as he crumples yet another price of paper and tosses it into the overflowing trash bin next to his desk.
Why did preparing for college have to be so stressful? He's been cramming for months and still can't figure out how to look and interpret the texts he was produced in a way the test wanted him to. He lets out a breath as he reaches for his phone, clicking his alpha’s contact. Offline. He looks at the time, 1:07 in the morning, he should be up and working on something like he always says that he is.
Today has been horrible. Horrible being a gross understatement. Hinata had spilled orange juice all over his white button up in the morning which led to him getting dress coded by an evil librarian.
During lunch some knot-headed alpha had pushed into Yamaguchi scoffing something under his breath about how useless male omegas were and had refused to apologize to him when Tsukishima had confronted him.
The alpha tried getting him to bare his neck during the escalation events which eventually lead to the alpha claiming saying some less than savory things.
Luckily, Daichi and Asahi (both the ever protective alphas of the team) had managed to see the commotion and get it under control until teachers could properly break it up.
It was pathetic really, flaunting your secondary gender around and acting like your shit doesn't stink. Tsukishima hated when alphas acted like that, like they were above him all because of their damn biology. He didn't know why this moment had bothered him so much, usually he didn't mind. That's how above them he was- it just didn't bother him, he couldn’t and wouldn't bring himself to care.
So why was he so damn hung up on it?
He knows why actually.
‘Really? Shitty omega, you can't even get your alpha to claim you, yet you still walk around smelling like a cabin’s asshole.’
Tsukishima shook off the words and he felt like echo in the back of his mind. His eyes settled on his nest, looking at Kuroo’s sweater vest.
He was above them. He was above them. He was above them. Tsukishima squeezed his eyes tightly, pressing the tears out of his eyes as he clutched his phone tightly.
He let out a breath and clicked his phone on and sent his other half a text.
‘missing you so much, please please let me know if you're here…. I need you,’
Tsukishima scowled and deleted the text.
‘call me soon please?’
That's not it.
‘missing you so much it hurts, really need you right now.’
Tsukishima glared at the words and pushed send.
He stared, and stared, and stared waiting for something.
No response ever came.
Tsukishima fell asleep with an ache in his chest and a creek in his neck.
He woke up late with a single text on his phone, a half assed apology that was obviously sent from a busy train ride due to all of the typos.
‘Omg im so sorkky kei-chAn, stayed up latee with Kehma, neerd to figure out this prokect:(’
He made it to school late.
He didn't justify Kuroo’s text with a response.
.
.
.
Tsukishima perked up the second he heard a ding from his phone. He felt a purr swell up in his chest, making him feel light and air-y. He'd been waiting for Tetsuro’s text all day so that he could finally share the news of his acceptance to Sendai University. He clicked open the phone and opened the text with a smile.
‘sorry kei-chan, idk if I can call tonight :(
‘its bc Kenma needs me to help him work on a project xtra late
‘maybe next time?’
Tsukishima let out a low growl at the sight of the screen. He re-read the message, once, twice, probably ten times before he threw the phone back onto his bed, getting up from the desk where he'd been sitting.
Kei stared at his phone blankly in disgust. The corners of his mouth curled up as he hoped that if the daggers his eyes shot were sharp enough that the damned phone would just crack in half. He stood up and began pacing around his room, he was only wearing socks and the sound it made on the hardwood floor under his weight was slightly comforting.
I mean- this had to be a joke right?-
Bile.
That's all he could taste deep in his throat, burning and threatening to spill out of his mouth and onto this damned hardwood floor. He hissed back the taste as he put his hands in his face.
Tsukishima felt pathetic- he felt like throwing up and crying over an alpha! An alpha! He wasn't supposed to feel like this, he whimpered lightly as he took a deep breath and walked over to the phone picking it up and staring down at the text that he'd been sent.
It felt like everything on the screen blurred as he focused on a single section.
‘Kenma needs me,’
Tsukishima let out a half laugh as he stared at the three words. Three words and everything he knows has just come crashing down on him. Over two years of his youth tied down by someone who he'd thought would stay with him. He'd given him everything he could, his time, love, energy, dedication, even his virginity! All for an alpha across the country who clearly didn't need him, didn't want for him, didn't love him.
This had been coming for months and he knew it but he just didn't understand that it would hurt so much. He didn't know what to do what to say as he let out a quiet whimper. This was the confirmation that he needed to finally accept all of the truth of the situation. Kuroo wasn't his alpha anymore.
God, he was a pathetic omega.
He swallows the ever present lump in his throat as he takes a deep breath suppresses his emotions as best as he could before finally pressing the call button.
The phone rings, rings and rings for what feels like eternity until finally Tsukishima is met with the familiar sound of Kuroo’s inbox.
‘Moshi Moshi! Hello….? Anyone there……? I can't hear anything! Just kidding, this is Kuroo Tetsuro, can't come to the phone right now so leave a message and I'll get back to you soon! Bye!’
Kei let's out another whimper as he feels his heart shatter even more. He can't even get the alpha to answer his phone call.
He presses the call button again, feeling the pain and hurt in his heart and ego as he listens to the the line ring intently and finally clicking as Kuroo picks up the phone.
There's a silent followed by the sound of laughter as Kuroo excuses himself from what he assumes is the table their working at.
Bile.
“Kei-chan, I'm sorry I said that we couldn't call tonight I'm busy with Kenma.”
“Tet-” Tsukishima begins and let's the other’s given name die bitterly on his tongue as he continues.
“Kuroo-san.” And with those words Kuroo knows that he's royally fucked up. It'd taken years to get Tsukishima to call him anything but that, having to fight for him to use his given name.
“I'm sorry can't do this anymore.”
“W-What? Kei-chan what are you talking about?”
“This, Kuroo-san! All of this! I can’t- I won't do it anymore!"
“Kei, I don't understand what you mean!”
“I refuse to feel like, like…! The other omega in my own relationship! I'm sorry, I'm done!”
Tsukishima breathes out heavily, he can feel his voice cracking as tears threaten to spill out of his face. He can hear Kuroo trying to say something but it feels like everything's going to come crashing down so he takes a deep breath and hangs up the phone and tosses it back on the bed as he lets out a choked whimper from deep in his chest.
He clutches his face and takes off his glasses as he finally does what he's been wanting to for months and just- sobs.