#stream akaa

[euxeris]

I'm over here losing my mind over the Haruka verdict... I genuinely cannot think of which answer would be better. To be honest, I think he deserves innocent in round 3? But I don't want to give him a triple inno bc I feel like that could be detriment to himself in a different way? Somebody knock me out I've used my brain too much.

[shiro-hatzuki]

i was going to draw something or make a cool edit, but i'm so completely out of ideas that nothing came to me. anyways, it's a bit late to say this, but the 1MILgram agenda has been reached for the first season! it's so satisfying seeing all the mvs at 1mil views~ now it's a waiting game for the es covers of half and harrow...

[oreosmama]

Reborn (Bokuto/Akaashi x Reader) ~Chapter 7~

(Supernatural/Soulmate AU)

*GIF not mine*

Summary: How do normal people react when they get kidnapped by a vampire and a wizard claiming to be their soulmates? Because you try to choke them out with their own breakfasts. But maybe that’s just you. 

A/N: Ayooo happy 2021 y’all! We fucking made it! I’m glad y’all are here to kick off the new year with me, and as a celebration (and a lil apology bc I’m gonna have to go on hiatus again), here’s the next part to Reborn! I wish you all luck and happiness in the new year, and, as always, enjoy!

Tag List: @burntcilantro  @alloverbutterflies  @neonghxst  @zaejia  @momothepeachgirl  @black-veil-chemicalz  @bumblebeel  @blxkstar  @keigosbitch  @spicyiwa  @rikorene  @idiot-juice-enthusiast  @cherriomilkmangos  @floriane4536  @shimy-deko  @lanceyfancypants  @asteroikawa  @bokutowo  @ichiraku-verse  @samie-babie  @astro-anomaly  @hq149  @paganandshit  @erinoikawa​  @missbuwan  @thatonesinglefake​  (some *still* don’t work 😔)

Word count: 8155

        Some days you couldn’t stand to look at yourself in the mirror. When you’re feeling guilty after a buffet or just not wanting to face the music of an all-nighter. Maybe even after running over a squirrel on the road.

        The back of your mind whispered now was one of those times, but you ignored it. 

        Tears streamed down Bokuto’s face, flushing his cheeks and highlighting his golden irises. And yet, it seemed he still couldn’t find it in himself to meet your gaze. 

        “You’re a monster and I hate your guts,” you sneered, letting a foreign wave of fury wash over you. It was like your emotions had been hijacked and someone was pressing all your buttons at once. Your inability to control yourself made you even more pissed off. 

        Akaashi could only stand by and watch, pain and disappointment reigning on his face as Bokuto bawled like the baby he was. 

        You shifted your gaze back to the vampire and stepped closer to his bars. “Your head is emptier than the coffin in my grave. You always act all tough, but I know what you really are--a sad, old, lonely vampire clutching onto the only friend in his life while chasing after girls.” I don’t mean that. “And do you wanna know what else?”

        Like the prick of a needle, a headache stirred at the base of your neck and stretched to the top of your skull. Small jabs of pain dug under the superficial layers of your scalp and pierced the edges of your brain. Stop please. I don’t mean any of this.

        Just when you bit your tongue in effort to fend off the ache, Bokuto met your gaze for the first time in minutes. 

        Agony dominated his innocent eyes. His lower lip was drawn into his mouth and gnawed on enough to trail crimson down his chin. Each bone in his body appeared to tremble while his Adam’s apple bobbed every few seconds. But not once did he speak. 

        He didn’t beg you to stop or plead for you to take it all back. There was this aura around him that told you he was going to lie down and take this without even a hint of fighting back. No matter what you threw at him, he was willing to be your punching bag for however long you would let him.

        And that boiled your blood. 

        You stomped closer to his cage and shoved a hand through the bars, reaching out for him only to snicker when he dove away. 

        “Just as I thought.” You rolled your eyes and pulled away. “You’re a coward. Afraid to let me even touch you. Doesn’t that make you wonder how I felt after the last encounter we had?”

        He whimpered.

        “Exactly. I was terrified. You tore into me like roadkill. Like you wanted to kill me. How does that make you feel, Bokuto? Do you hate yourself for what you’ve done? Do you even feel bad? Or is it just that the beast you bury inside yourself finally took over and-”

        “That’s enough.”

        “Oh!” You simper at Akaashi. “Look who’s decided to join the party-”

        “That’s enough!” The wizard’s nostrils flare as he shakes his head at you. Voice lowered, he mumbles to himself incoherently while studying you like a hawk. “You don’t mean any of that, YN.”

        “Oh yeah? Does your light magic tell you that?”

        Akaashi’s eyes narrow at you. A million questions fly through his mind right before you while he reads every inch of your face. Then his lips part.

        “Does your stomach hurt, my love?” His tone is surprisingly gentle compared to the scowl he has carved into his features. You stumble back and furrow your brows. 

        “What?”

        “Do you have a headache? Do your toes itch?”

        “What the hell are you on?”

        His jaw irks and his shackles tap on the iron bars of his cell while he ponders. 

        Meanwhile, Bokuto sat crumpled on his knees, looking like his soul has torn in two. His head has lowered to his chest and dust stirs on the ground where his tears fall. Both hands lay curled into fists on his thighs, clenching and unclenching in an irregular pattern. 

        Frustration coils around your throat, forcing you to speak as you grow impatient. “Spit it out, Akaashi. What the fuck are you looking for?”

        Once more, the wizard’s eyes raise to meet yours head on as he studies you for a moment, looking stumped. “There’s got to be something… oh!” Standing up straighter, his cuffs clatter and clang as he gathers your attention, watching your every move. 

        “My love, how do you feel about us?”

        “Why does that-”         “Do you love us?”

        “W-what?” you exclaim, staggering back. In your chest, your heart jumps and stutters, gathering a zoo of butterflies in your stomach. For some reason, the question… excites you in a way. Not in an angry way, either, but more so a “now’s the time, just spit it out” way.

        Except you had nothing to spit. 

        Or, more precisely, you had nothing you wanted to spit. 

        Yes! Say it!

        Like your lips were sewn together, you force yourself to stay silent. No words seem to gather in your mind at Akaashi’s question. Wasn’t it too soon for something like that?

        Of course it was. And you… h-hated them anyway, right?... No?

        Fuck. 

        What was love anyway? Was it wanting to spend time around Bokuto and Akaashi? Was it wanting to be held in their embrace for as long as they would allow? Maybe it was wanting to have conversations about the dumbest things that slowly grow more serious and intense, or yell at sports games on television that you didn’t even know the rules to. 

        Surely it wasn’t any of that, because you wanted all of that. 

        “My love.” Even Bokuto had perked up to answer the question, head tilting just enough to glance at you through his lashes. Akaashi, however, seemed to read you like a book. “Please. Answer the question.”

        “I… y-... I… love… you.” You choked your way through each syllable, then the words came out as easy as a breath. “I love you.”

        A giant weight lifted off your shoulders and suddenly you could breathe again. The constriction around your throat lessened into nothing and your chest felt so light you could laugh. The freedom to have control over your emotions and your thoughts was almost as intoxicating as the dopamine flooding to your brain. 

        Akaashi looked like he could pass out in relief while Bokuto collapsed onto his back and starfished. “Thank fuck,” the former sighed. 

        It was only when weeps began to emit from the latter that you realized you were on damage control duty. “Oh God, Bo, I’m so sorry.”

        All he did was cry harder, body shuddering with every whine. Remorse tugged you to the floor and led you to reach for his outstretched leg, patting the top of his foot just enough to gather his attention. 

        “Bo please! Look at me.”

        He grew quieter, but only a touch as you struggled to catch his eye. You shook his foot hard, but it was only when you used all the strength you could muster to drag him toward you that he finally gave in and met your gaze. 

        “Bokuto… Bo. I… I’m so-” you bit your lip as a sob caught in your throat. 

        You loved these men--truly, you did. The thought of losing their smiles, their warm hugs, the care and gentleness they had only for you… it killed you. After today, you weren’t quite sure you could manage another second without them. 

        These two… powerful, tender, doting beings. They were prepared to risk their lives for you and more; you couldn’t help but feel yourself falling harder for them by the second. 

        “Bokuto, I love you,” you mumbled through a wave of emotion, “and I’m so sorry.”

        The words hit home and you could see the spiral it flung the vampire into. Love, anger, sadness, joy--each one passed before your eyes in his very own as he studied your face. 

        No one had ever looked at you like that. 

        And yet it felt like he’d been doing it for centuries. 

        One hard yank and you were tugged flat against the cell bars as Bokuto embraced you. 

        So warm. So, so, dreadfully warm and adoring that it stung the corners of your eyes. In his hold, you felt like you could face anything head on, because he-

        No.

        Because both of them would be by your side. The wizard and vampire before you were willing to take a bullet and more just to see you smile. A love like that was rare. 

        Destined.

        You owed them so much for how they’d loved you. 

        So you patted Bokuto’s back, running a hand through his familiarly calming hair just for good measure before pulling away and stepping back. 

        Akaashi’s hand fell from its place on your back and returned to his side before both men faced you. 

        A rush of responsibility ran through you like a bucket of ice, refreshing you for what was to come. 

        They had taken care of and loved you for so long, and now it was time for you to return the favor. 

        “I’m going to get you guys out of here.”

        Before they could argue, you dashed up the stairs and out of the dungeon, in search of the man who had started it all. 

                                ~~~

        As expected, the halls of Kuroo’s mansion were chilling to the bone as you stepped through the occasional moon’s ray in search of the cat. 

        Opalescent, marble floors absorbed and amplified your every footstep as you made your way through the halls, shoes squealing every few strides. In the heat of the moment, your grand idea to locate Kuroo’s room and steal the key to the cells was… overzealous at best.

        At worst, it had one too many holes. For one, you had no clue where Kuroo’s room was. For two, you had no idea where you were. Unlike Akaashi and Bokuto’s home, there was no atmosphere of familiarity and, more importantly, no vampire or wizard to direct and guide you around the place. Here, you were a fish out of water. 

        Though, you had to admit the supernatural must all have the same taste in interior decorating. Ancient-yet-creepy paintings of landscapes or figures seemed to litter the ruby walls and you barely managed to not stub your toe on the sporadically-placed vases and tables of the corridors. Emerald green vines framed each window that lit your path along with the single chandelier you found consistent with every high ceiling of the halls. 

        And yet, not a sound could be heard. Your feet began to twinge at the miles you felt like you’d walked in search of… well, you didn’t know what, exactly. If Kuroo found you, you had no idea what to say to him. However, you also had no clue on how to locate his bedroom either. 

        At this point, you were praying for a miracle while wandering the halls like a lost kitten. 

        Not a single soul had crossed your path, not even a lazing Kenma who’d barely found the effort to locate a couch before crashing to play his game. 

        Stuck in a labyrinth of ruby and white halls, you wanted to tear your own hair out for leaving the dungeon with a half-baked plan. Of course, you’d often thought of knocking on any one of the wooden doors you’d come across on your weary travels, but there was some apprehension that came with each potential interaction. 

        Though you were certain Kuroo had informed everyone that he’d okayed you going down to meet Bokuto and Akaashi, you were positive he wouldn’t be okay with you wandering the halls. Now was one of few times you actually wished you had supernatural abilities of some sorts so you could defend yourself should any one of the werecats housing the mansion find you. 

        “YN?” Like that one. 

        A hand settles on your shoulder, somehow scaring even more of the bejesus that had already fled from you when the voice had first spoken. 

        As you turn, the face that greets you is even less surprising than the smile that rests on its face. Kuroo drops his hand from your shoulder, leaving a burn in its wake as he steps closer to you. The distance between you two could violate the rules of not only basic personal space but also any high school prom’s as well. 

        “Reunion’s over already?” And there it was--that sly, devious glint in his glowing eyes that you so dearly wanted to smother. 

        For an instant, you feel like a rat just waiting for the trap’s mechanism to snap down on your neck and end your suffering. 

        However, something in you urges to not give up so easily. You still had a lot to fight for, and judging by the anticipatory look in Kuroo’s eyes, you weren’t caught just yet.

        But… just how could you worm your way out of this one?

        “I, uh…” Think YN, think! “Umm…”

        Cue the lightbulb.

        “I couldn’t stand to be in that damned room with them any longer!” you sneered uneasily. You mustered as much disgust on your face as possible, and with Kuroo right in front of you, such a task was almost too easy. 

        The corners of his mouth turned upward devilishly. “Good. So I assume that means you’re…?”

        Your brow raises before you realize and rush to finish his question. “O-oh, yes, yes! I am totally and completely… over… them. Boy do I really hate their guts.”

        Though you weren’t exactly up for a Golden Globe, it seemed anything you gave Kuroo right now he would lap up like a starved kitten. 

        It wasn’t hard to see that Kuroo was willing to try and get you over Bokuto and Akaashi by any means necessary, but him being so desperate gave you a way past the very own walls he thought he had built so well. 

        If this was chess, you were almost sure you had him in check. 

        You just needed to make one last move to really ensure such a swindle. 

        A breath escaped Kuroo’s lips easily when his jaw dropped at your hug. One minute you were across from him, giving your best impersonation of spite. The next, your arms were wrapped around his midsection and your face was pressed into his chest. 

        Cologne of sea salt mixed with sandalwood wafted up both your nostrils with one fell swoop, invading and fogging your mind. Though not altogether unpleasant, there was something simply too foreign and external about it that made it leagues behind what you knew. Any day would you rather take in Akaashi’s scent of lavender with hints of spices and Bokuto’s pine and leather. 

        Not that you were a serial man-sniffer though.

        Nudging yourself back to the task at hand, you waited until it seemed just safe enough to search Kuroo’s jacket pockets for anything key-shaped. 

        The man in your arms seemed too shell-shocked to notice. In the last minute, he hadn’t made a single sound nor movement to reciprocate the hug; instead, all you could hear was the expected mouth-breathing of a dropped jaw. 

        Ever so slowly, you run your hands along his jacket in what you hope seems like an adoring motion, and yet there are no suspicious lumps--anywhere, thankfully. 

        No little bumps along the polyester, crimson fabric that seemed to resemble anything but a candy wrapper. Part of you wanted to search the pockets of his shorts but logic told you touching anything lower than the waist for a hug would definitely not end in a hug. 

        In any case, it seemed your internal debate on whether to cop a feel of Kuroo’s pants’ pockets or not was no longer the biggest issue. Kuroo finally came back to reality and returned the embrace. 

        It was obvious this was no friendly hug to him; he believed it to mean so much more than that. Long, athletic arms wound around your waist and tightened to the point where you struggled to inhale more than a gasp. Black locks tickled your neck the instant Kuroo dropped his head onto your shoulder with a smile so large you could feel it through your sweatshirt. 

        He was happy, so, so happy to finally have you in his hold. From what you could feel, even his own hands were shaking at the thought. 

        “God, I-... I’ve missed you so much, kitten.” He nuzzles deeper into your neck. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to have you in my arms again.”

        Kuroo was in love. Even the blind could see it. Over the centuries, he had fallen for you so hard he was actually shaking with joy from getting to hug you again. 

        The man before you was lonelier than you ever thought. He was a king without a queen, a man without his woman.

        A husband without his wife.

        Oh right. He-... We were… married.

        Centuries ago. Many, many centuries ago. And yet, Kuroo still believes that bond can be mended. He wanted that girl… you back, and now…

        Now you’ve just resparked that hope that he could have you again.

        But he couldn’t. The hug was just a ruse; it was just some way for you to get back with your real soulmates. 

        This poor, rejected cat before you would be left behind yet again. 

        A horrible, terrible ripping scratched at your heart. Isn’t he innocent in all this?

        Akaashi’s words, muddled but still clear in their purpose, came back to your mind all at once. 

        “He went mad without his queen. Many supernatural species perished under his tyrannical reign, and as a result became extinct. In the remaining villages, he hung posters of you. Wanted, dead or alive.”

        As kind as he was, he was still one of the main reasons children are scared to leave their beds at night. Monsters, vicious and uncaring, will attack just for spite. Supernatural beings are no different. 

        Perhaps, somewhere along the way he had changed. But you couldn’t place all your hope on a maybe. 

        This was still the man who held the ones you loved locked up under your own two feet. He was still the one who ordered his soldier to shoot when he’d first found you so many years ago. 

        Kuroo was still the man who’d made you become cursed. He was still the one who’d started it all. 

        “Kuroo?”

        “Hmm?”

        “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”

                                ~~~

        His room was, of course, in the deepest, darkest end of a corridor in one half of the mansion you completely forgot existed. Naturally. 

        As if you would disappear any second, Kuroo kept his hand interlocked with yours the entire duration of the walk to his room, and he didn’t dare release it now that you’d arrived. 

        When the lavish double doors open, it’s like you’ve stepped into a larger version of your old apartment. At least, it was easily double the size. 

        Directly across from you is a balcony of marble white and rose gold. Flowers bloom along the railing and lead downward just out of eyesight from the glass doors that trap it outside. Inside, meanwhile, there’s a four poster bed large enough for ten with a frame that reaches just up to the ceiling, covered in black curtains, black sheets and crimson pillows. A plush carpet rug leads to steps up to the enormous bed and the two wooden nightstands on the side of it. Directly opposite of it is a flat screen no doubt visible from space and sitting on a cherry red console. To the left of the TV is one black door and to the right is another. 

        Kuroo leads you inside before you can ogle the room anymore. “You like it?”

        Bitch-

        “Are you pulling my leg right now?” You breathe out, eyes still trying to take in the sheer vastness of the room itself. “Like… holy shit.”

        “I’m glad you like it,” he snickers. “I like seeing you breathless.”

        And, of course, the pervert had to ruin it.

        His comment sobers you up and makes you realize something--searching for that damned key is going to be worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. Fuck me.

        Just as you start inspecting the room with what little time you’ve had inside it, Kuroo spins you to face him. “So…”

        “So…”

        The grin on his face turns soft as he reaches a hand up to caress your face. The touch, however loving, feels wrong. Like “he’s just wiping his germs on your face” wrong. Deep down, you’re thankful the connection between you and your boys is so strong because otherwise you were sure Kuroo’s charm would have worked wonders on you by now. 

        The room was beautiful and Kuroo was being so sweet, but now was your chance. You needed to find that key and get out of here.

        Kuroo’s face leaning in closer to yours drew you back into reality. “I’m glad you like it in here. You can stay as long as you like.” His pupils enlarge, giving you warning signals like no other. 

        His head lowers just a bit closer, lips parted, and just when his eyes flutter closed… 

        Smooch.

        Eyes wide, you watch the floor as Kuroo’s lips press against your cheek. “Can you go get my clothes?”

        Instantly, he pulls away and presses a finger to his lips, gaze shocked and locked on your face. 

        “...From my room, please?”

        “Y-yeah.” He clears his throat. “Yeah, of course. I’ll go… do that.”

        Never before have you seen Kuroo so flustered and if the situation had been less serious than you were sure you would have laughed. Instead, you felt just as antsy as Kuroo, but for an entirely different reason. 

        Without so much as a farewell, Kuroo hastens to leave the room, closing the door behind him and taking what must have been a brisk jog down the hall to cool himself off. 

        You wait until thirty seconds have passed after his steps turned inaudible before you hop to it, foraging every visible inch of the room before going deeper. 

        “It’s okay,” you whisper to yourself as you yank up the carpet, observing a concerning amount of dust. “Just don’t tell Bokuto and Akaashi and there won’t be a problem.”

        Lord knows one of them could probably smell Kuroo on you. You just hope they’ll save the questions for a later date. Like never. 

        No key anywhere. Not in the console, nor the nightstands. Not under the heavy-ass mattress nor behind the curtains of the balcony. Nothing. You even searched in the reading corner that had somehow passed your first survey of the room, on the bookshelves and under the two sofas. Nada.

        Summoning the patience to confront whatever was behind the two doors, you opened each one and, for lack of surprise, observed an abnormally large bathroom and a walk-in closet. 

        For a centuries-old werecat’s closet, it was surprisingly bare. One side was completely empty save for hundreds of hangers on a single metal bar. The other side was only half-full with t-shirts, coats, and suits hanging while jeans and shorts sat gathering dust on the floor. Judging by the look of things, you wouldn’t be surprised if Kuroo came back with more than just one pair of clothes for you.

        Hopefully, by then you would be long gone. 

        The bathroom, however, was much more of a challenge. About twenty cupboards each had their own stock of individual toiletry supplies, and yet not a single one held a key. You even had to perfectly restack twelve packages--not rolls--of toilet paper in the same, annoyingly perfect pyramid shape. He even had feminine products, but you supposed there should be no surprise there. 

        Obviously, he’s been preparing for you for quite a while. You’d be touched if you weren’t so creeped out by the sight of it altogether. 

        At last, you slumped out of the bathroom with sore arms and legs. Standing on your tiptoes and reaching up into cupboards took a lot more out of you than you thought. Such pain, and all for nothing. 

        Especially when you noticed a glint of something sparkling just above the carved doorway to Kuroo’s room. 

        The key. 

        It had been sitting in plain sight this whole time. However, spotting it wasn’t the issue. Reaching it would be. 

        Regarding the doorway, it was polished wood carved into a perfect arch to fit both doors, and at the top sat the sculpted head of a roaring lion. Just at the top of his dusty mane was the key, and no matter how high you jumped, you knew you wouldn’t be able to reach it. 

        It was high--almost three-of-you-stacked high. The bed was too far away to try and launch yourself, and neither nightstand looked sturdy enough to hold you. So what could…?

        The sofas!

        They were huge and a long ways away. Not only that, but you figured with the amount of time Kuroo had been away that he’d found clothes for you to “sleep in” tonight about a hundred times over. What was truly concerning was that he hadn’t shown up yet.

        Counting your blessings, you didn’t bother wasting any more time. Quickly, you dashed over to one of the black leather sofas and started to push it with all your might.

        Uh oh.

        No, not “uh oh” it was too heavy; in fact, the chair was actually seated on sliders to make mobility easy. 

        What was “uh oh” was the heavy steps finally making their way back to this room. 

        Speak of the goddamn devil.

        The steps weren’t patient or slowed either--it was clear Kuroo was done being away from you for so long. 

        Now or never. 

        If you got caught, you weren’t quite sure you could handle the consequences, so you stopped considering them altogether and moved. 

        You shoved the sofa past the carpet and across the wood floor, catching onto the occasional rock and leaving a scratch in its wake--nothing an all-too adoring werecat would notice. 

        You barely avoided crashing into the doors themselves and hurried to clamber onto the sofa. 

        Move, YN, move move move.

        Barely keeping your balance, you reached for the head of the lion, only to hold back a cry when your fingers barely brushed it’s jaw.

        Fuck, YN he’s getting closer. Think!

        Kuroo’s footsteps were loud, but not as loud as your heartbeat pounding in your ears. 

        Shit, shit, shit!

        You couldn’t reach any better from the arm of the chair, instead just skimming its pointed ear. A sob built in your throat in frustration.

        Please!

        Your only chance was standing on the head of the chair, but according to every physics law ever, that would be fucking impossible. 

        The steps were just outside the door now.

        With one more nervous glance, you pushed all of your weight to lean on the wall just beside the door, stepping one trembling leg up onto the top of the chair’s back.

        The doorknob twisted. 

        NO!

        The door cracked open just as you pushed all your strength onto your lifted leg, propelling yourself up and-

        You missed.

        The door cracked open. 

        “Kuroo!”

        And it stopped there. Another pair of footsteps made their way over to the door and you tensed when the door shifted open just a tad.

        Then it shut completely. 

        The knob twisted back into place and two pairs of footsteps receded just a couple yards away. 

        Kenma’s voice pipes up and Kuroo’s voice whispers back but you don’t spare another second trying to decipher the conversation. 

        Swiftly, you step back up onto the back of the chair and propel yourself up one more time, stretching every ligament in your arm so taut you swear you felt something tear but you don’t mind. 

        The key is cold and made of brass, but it sits between your two fingers all the same. 

        Eyes bulging in effort to hold back a cheer, you’re quick to climb back down and push the chair all the way back to the reading corner just when the conversation in the hall ends. 

        Collapsing into the sofa, you grab a random book off the shelf and tear it open, smoothly inspecting a random page just as the door opens. 

        “YN?” Kuroo steps in and glances around, lips curling into a smile when he spots you in the corner. “Ahh, the mini library. I figured you would like that.”

        “Yep,” you nodded, allowing yourself just the smallest smile of victory so you can wear it as a disguise. “I’ve got myself acquainted here with…” you squint at the page, before pursing your lips and turning the book rightside up, “Gandalf and Bilbo.” 

        “Upside down?”

        “It’s a talent I’m working on. I’ll show you later.”

        Kuroo chuckles before closing the door behind him, dropping an armful of clothes on the bed. 

        “So I wasn’t sure if you wanted the blue sweatshirt or the black one so I brought both. And that same philosophy applied to just about all the other clothes I dug through so,” he gestured to the pile, “go nuts.”

        Setting the book back on the shelf, you rose and stood to observe the clothes. Sadly, the bed was too large for you to stand directly across from Kuroo to dig through them, so you accepted your fate and sidled up beside him while he watched your every move.

        “...YN?” His tone was curious and careful as he narrowed his eyes at you.

        You kept your eyes on the clothes and urged your voice to keep steady. “What’s up?”

        “Why are you so flushed?” His hand runs down your cheek, gathering droplets of sweat that had formed from your stress earlier. “I don’t suppose you worked out or something while I was gone.”

        Though his proposition would have been a great excuse, you weren’t exactly the person to spend your spare time working out for the hell of it. Anybody knew that.

        “Pfft, no,” you waved a hand nonchalantly, “reading upside down is just really hard. You’re lucky you came in when you did or I might have just passed out altogether.”

        Kuroo studied you for a moment longer, leaning just a bit closer before humming. “All right. Then I’ll just say you’re welcome.”

        “Thank you.” Rummaging through the collection of pants and sweatshirts once more, you struggled to think of an excuse to get the hell out of here. 

        Kuroo’s hand moved to rest on the small of your back and suddenly all precaution flew out the window. 

        “K-Kuroo.”

        “Hmm?” The hand never retreats, and instead Kuroo turns toward you expectantly.

        “I… uh… don’t think I’m ready to sleep in the same bed with you yet.”

        Wonderful topic change, YN.

        “And why’s that?”

        “It’s not anything against you!” You scramble to find the words, turning toward him and wetting your lips. “I just… I think it’s too soon. For me, at least. I mean, I know it’s not too soon for you! In fact, I’m sure you think it’s overdue or something, but I’m just not that… comfortable yet…” you decide to trail off with your rambling and instead assess the hole you’ve just dug yourself in in silence. 

        Kuroo does the same, pressing his lips together and meeting your gaze head on. You knew he was searching for something, and you almost let out a sigh of relief when he finally nodded. “Don’t worry. I understand.” And then you notice his hand is still on your waist, but only because he’s placed the other one on your other hip. Then, ever so carefully, he leans down and presses a kiss to your forehead. “One day, kitten.”

        Suddenly feeling dirty, you nod and pull away completely. “Of course.”

        Now how do I get out of here?

        Kuroo lets his hands fall back to his sides and his eyes drag down to the clothes still sitting in a clump on the bed.

        Bingo.

        “Oh, damn,” you hiss, picking through the clothes. “These ones are really uncomfortable. You didn’t get my favorites.” What you lack in acting skills you hope you make up for with swiftness. “Just wait here, I’ll go get them from my room.”

        Kuroo’s gaze shifts ten times more serious in an instant. Like a snake, his hand snaps out from his side and snags onto your wrist, effectively holding you in place just as you turn to leave. 

        Swallowing the fear in your chest, you spin back to Kuroo like he gestures. Slim fingers grab onto your chin and tilt your head to face his, forcing all your attention onto him.

        “You’re not going to do anything stupid, right kitten?”

        You kept a steady gaze and refrained from nervous shifting of any kind. You were too close to give it all up now. “Of course not. I just wanted more comfortable clothes.”

        With a pause, Kuroo narrows his eyes, glancing your form up and down before nodding. The bruising grip on your chin is released and you bite the inside of your cheek to fend off a whimper. 

        That son of a bitch was going to leave a mark.

        “Don’t keep me waiting long, YN.”

        Not bothering to stick around longer than necessary, you exited the room without another look at Kuroo and shut the door with a whoosh. The roaring blood pumping in your ears blocked out any other sound as you dashed down the halls, flying past tables of antique knick knacks and curtainless windows. 

        Soon, your mood shifted from a state of uncertainty to absolute pride. You did it. You got the key, and now you would get everyone out safely. Your one-man party would have to wait until you actually found out how to get out of here, though. 

        Unlike before, you weren’t exactly lost. The occasional painting was actually familiar and you thanked your past self for doing a little sight-seeing while being stranded in the halls. 

        When you spotted the very first painting you remembered appraising--a lone tree surrounded by thundering clouds--you almost yelped with glee. 

        I’m almost there, guys. Don’t you worry. 

        By now, there was a faint tint of sky blue just reaching the horizon outside the window. The moon and stars were soon to be long gone, and you and the boys would have the bright sun to guide you away from this hellhole. 

        At last, you found the corridor you’d entered twice before. Bare as always, it was a sharp contrast from the rest of the house in terms of its flooring. Here, there was very little money spared; unlike the polished marble surface of the rest of the halls, this one was a simple concrete, leading to scuffs of your tennis shoes rather than the previous squeaks. 

        Nonetheless, you sprinted to the end all the same, making it entirely through the house undetected. You counted yourself lucky that Kuroo actually believed you remembered where your old room was. At this point, you could barely tell left from right without performing the classic “L” trick with your hands. 

        Biting back a smile, you struggled to remind yourself that you weren’t exactly free and clear just yet; there was still the issue of finding the main exit--or any sort of exit--now. While Kuroo was miles away in his room all the way across the house, that didn’t mean the other werecats infesting the place weren’t on the lookout for you. 

        Especially once Kuroo realized you weren’t coming back. 

        You made quick work of the creaky stairs, skipping three at a time before taking one final leap and crashing through the wooden door. Sucking in a breath through your teeth, you hoped the slam of the door wasn’t as loud to the rest of the house as it was to you.

        Yet, such fears soon didn’t matter. Bokuto and Akaashi’s heads both lift at the sound of your entrance before both men jump to their feet.

        “Darling, you made it!”

        “YN, are you okay?”

        While their voices clashed, you waited patiently until you had their full attention before brandishing the key with a wide smile. 

        Bokuto cheers as quietly as he could manage while Akaashi’s brows rose. 

        “How did you find it?”

        “Uh,” Ah crap. “I’ll… tell you later.”

        Not wasting any more time, you scamper over and unlock each cell, tensing up when you see Bokuto prepare for a classic tackle hug. Except it never comes.

        Instead, while Akaashi fiddles with his shackles, Bokuto lets his arms fall to his side and he backs away from you, suddenly appearing forlorn. The memory of your last meeting down here comes back and hits you like a freight train.

        “Bo, if this is about what I said-”

        “It’s not!” He glances away with a crease in his brow, busying himself with snapping Akaashi’s cuffs in two like they were made of nothing. “It’s just…”

        “What?”

        Neither man dares to meet your gaze, but Akaashi’s reason seems more for being on the lookout while Bokuto’s is out of shame. 

        “You didn’t see the fear in your eyes when I bit you.”

        “Bo…”

        “No, YN, you looked horrified. It was like you said. I’m a mon-”

        Slamming a hand over his mouth, you throw a dirty glare his way. “Don’t ever call yourself that. You’re not a monster, Bokuto. Would a monster bake-er… try to bake my favorite breakfast every day? Would he want to watch magic shows with me or hug me when it’s cold outside?”

        He mumbles behind your hand with downcast eyes and you shake your head. “No, Bokuto. You’re wrong. You’re not a monster, or anything of the sort, to me. I don’t care what you say.”

        With that, you release his mouth and yank him into a hug, blindly reaching for Akaashi to do the same. When you make contact with the wizard’s T-shirt, you pull him into your arms as well, sighing in relief at the feeling it gives. 

        This was right. This was warm and safe and so, so right. Fuzzy little feelings bumbled around in your stomach as you sank deeper into their arms, dropping your chin on both men’s shoulders. There was no guilt or betrayal that came with this hug because these men, no matter how little you knew them, felt like home. 

        For the past few weeks, you’d felt so lost and alone, and feeling them around you now was heartwarming. The world seemed to stop turning and whatever stressful situation you had been focused on before seemed to ebb away in their hold. This was what pure security, pure devotion, and pure love felt like. Two pairs of arms wrapped around your waist, ready to help you face anything from this point on. You weren’t stuck alone anymore. You weren’t unhappy anymore. You were just lost in the embrace of an attachment that had formed over centuries, and would continue in just that fashion. 

        “I’m glad you guys are okay.” The words, though sounding simple, had been sitting on the tip of your tongue for days now. And you meant every one of them. “It sucked being away from you all that time.”

        A soft smile formed on Akaashi’s face as he pulled away just an inch to see your face. Carefully, he unwound an arm from your waist and brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. “And we feel the same, my love.”

        Bokuto’s arms squeeze you tighter just for a moment before releasing altogether, allowing his golden gaze to reach yours. A grin larger than life itself almost blinded you, fangs twinkling in the light of the sunrise. “We missed you so much, darling. Being away from you is torture.”

        Involuntarily, your lower lip began to tremble as you glanced at both of them, hating how your heart skipped a beat at each sight. Maybe it was fast, and it certainly wasn’t expected, but you did love them. And there was so much more time for you to get to know them better, but now…

        “Oh shit, we have to get out of here!” Shaking yourself out of your daze, you pulled away completely, shivering at the cold that nipped your skin in seconds. 

        Both men snapped themselves out of the haze as well, one snagging your wrist while the other led the way up the stairs. Soon enough, each man had a hold on either of your biceps, both protecting your sides and leading you through the halls. 

        Initially, you wanted to announce that you might have a better idea of how to navigate Kuroo’s mansion, but you soon swallowed your words when you noticed Akaashi’s calculating gaze as he directed all three of you around. “This way,” he mumbled, jogging at a pace just slow enough that you weren’t completely left in the dust. 

        The sun was reaching higher in the sky, you noticed, just half of it reaching over the horizon and lighting the sky a dusty orange. The maze of halls and stairs was much more manageable now that you could actually see them with natural lighting. 

        At last, the three of you reached a foyer. One glass staircase led directly down to the middle of a large entryway, and just a few yards from where the last step met marble stood a pair of wooden double doors. The slaps of your footsteps sounded like thunder compared to the elegant pads of both Bokuto and Akaashi’s feet, but being so close meant no time for precaution.

        “Oh YN, surely you didn’t think I was that gullible.”

        So close, and yet so far. Just as your hand had touched the curved door handles, Kuroo’s voice stopped you in your tracks and chilled you to the bone. 

        Caught, trapped, cornered--whatever you wanted to call it. To put it simply, you were screwed. Spinning on your heels, you took in the sheer number of werecats. With no time to count, you estimated there were about ten transformed cats in all, each ready to pounce. Kuroo stood in his human form with folded arms, shaking his head in disappointment. 

        Oh yeah. We’re fucked.

        Bones crackle just to your left and where a silent Bokuto used to be, a hissing creature now stands at the ready. Still human-shaped, each muscle in the vampire’s body now appears doubled in size as viscous claws extend from each finger. Elongated fangs sharper than needles pierce through his gums and a glowing red takes over the deep auburn of his eyes. 

        On your right, Akaashi’s hands, now completely free of cuffs, radiate a maroon smoke, both pointed toward the crouching enemies. A line forms between his brow as spells wait to be cast on his lips. 

        While the odds weren’t looking good before, both transformations your boys had undergone make you feel just a little bit better about the results of this battle. 

        Akaashi reaches out a smoldering hand to push you behind them, closer to the door. “You’ll be okay, my love.” He glances back at you with a small smile. “I never lie to you, remember?”

        You nod and step back farther, hoping that promise wouldn’t be his last. Only one thing was for sure, and that was that nobody was coming out of this unscathed.

        Across the room, Kuroo’s teeth bare at the action and the black ears that had formed on his head flatten. “Don’t touch her.”

        And with that, he pounces. 

        The room that had been so tense and quiet just seconds earlier explodes into pandemonium. Hisses, catlike and vampire-like both travel around the room as you quiver against the door, fighting back the urge to flee. 

        A foreign language slips off Akaashi’s tongue in a rage as red mist envelopes the room, paralyzing three cats right in their place. Two others pounce on him and just like that, they are slammed into the wall with a swift wave of his hand.

        Bokuto, on the other hand, is drowning underneath a pile of cats. Flexed claws tear into every inch of skin, but he gives just as much as he gets. One cat yowls and flees after receiving a dagger-like fingernail in the eye while another drops to the floor with a kick against its head. 

        Part of you wanted to help in some way while the other urged you to flee from the house completely. As an unofficial compromise, you stood glued to your spot, unsure if you could move even if you wanted to. 

        Cougar-sized cats go flying with another flash of red from Akaashi’s hands, one crashing right into the staircase and you cringe at the crack that echoes with it. Blood spatters to the floor and soaks into your pant legs as Bokuto sinks his teeth into the throat of a pure white cat, tearing away and spitting out a solid chunk of flesh. 

        All the sights and sounds are macabre, but like a car crash, you just couldn’t look away, completely enraptured in horror. Even the scent of blood flooded your nostrils at this point, forcing you to gag and turn away just when a cat is kicked into the wall directly by the doors. 

        It howls in pain, but the proximity between you and the slumped, bleeding form goes completely unnoticed until you feel a pinch in your side. 

        No. Not a pinch. The cat’s jaw has unhinged and enveloped your left hip completely, digging in hard enough to meet bone. Tears spring to your eyes and your jaw drops in a silent scream. Shock does nothing to fend off the pain as it forces you to your knees. 

        The cat scampers away just when you find the strength to release a small moan. Hands grab at your side, and you don’t realize they’re your own until you cry out at the sheer amount of red drenching your hands. 

        Blood is everywhere, soaking into your shoes and socks. Pooling onto the floor around you. And yet, when you reach to cover the wound, you can no longer feel the large punctures it had left. 

        “YN!” Twenty feet away, Akaashi throws a hand out toward you while another helps Bokuto to his feet. The door behind you flies open and you drag yourself to your feet, hanging onto the doorway for support as you step outside. 

        Fresh air never smelled more sweet, and when you reach down to feel your wound once more, you almost choke in disbelief to feel damp yet completely unruptured skin. 

        What the hell? WHAT THE HELL?

        Two hands grab your waist and throw you over a broad shoulder, leaving your head and arms to sag against what appears to be Bokuto’s lacerated backside. 

        “You’re gonna be okay, YN, we’re getting out of here!” Bokuto shouts over the wind rushing in your ears. The speed the forest floor passes by your eyes is inhuman as the vampire weaves in and out of trees, Akaashi keeping in perfect stride just to the side of you both. 

        An overflow of blood rushes straight down into your head, forcing you to lift your skull just a little to fend off the dizziness. In the distance, Kuroo’s mansion of black and red brick grows blurry, and yet does nothing to obscure the sight in the doorway. 

        Two glowing green eyes peering from within the darkness. 

        Neither Akaashi nor Bokuto has noticed, but the sight of it has caused you to tense up and go still in the latter’s hold. 

        “Don’t worry, my love,” Akaashi grunts out as both men begin to slow to a stop. Bokuto shifts his hold on you, now gripping the backs of your knees and your shoulders. A hand, Akaashi’s, glows a gentle pink before he brushes through the hair on the top of your head. “We’re going home.”

        A wave of exhaustion washes over you, forcing your eyes to droop closed. 

        “You can rest now. We’ll keep you safe.”

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