#the universe hates me god is laughing at my suffering I’ve been cursed since birth or maybe i was a bad person in some past life and this is

[whimsyprinx]

do you think we suffer for the same reasons our ocs do, any gods out there are venting their feelings through us in order to feel better?

[its-love-u-asshole]

hopping into puddles [Ch. 1]

Pairing: Tsukishima Kei/Kuroo Tetsurou

Summary: Tsukishima Kei has bad luck when it comes to a lot of things, mainly when it comes to love. In fact, if it were up to him, he wouldn’t be looking in the first place. But because of a curse brought upon him by his idiotic ancestors, his only hope for a normal life is to find someone who accepts him and his…particularly abnormal nose. Not that it’ll ever happen…

Or at least, that’s what he’s accepted.

Then Kuroo Tetsurou shows up.

Rating: T (will change later)

Warnings: None

Notes: FFFF Okay so I'm really excited to post this, I've been working on it for a few months *_* It's my first multichapter kurotsuki for this fandom so I'm nervous and proud lol. This fic is a Penelope AU, but you don’t need to have seen the movie to read it ^^ It’s also completely written, so it’ll update every Thursday! Please enjoy! Big thanks to @emeraldwaves for reading this over!

AO3 Version

Love wasn't a reality. Not for him anyways.

He'd learned that a long time ago.

Tsukishima Kei watched through the peephole in his room as laughing men piled into his grand home, taking seats in the spacious living room while his brother greeted them with paperwork and refreshments. Pens were passed out, and his dad gave the usual spiel about secrecy, and legal consequences, and blah, blah, blah. Kei squinted as his father finished talking, allowing the room to erupt into conversations that disrupted the familiar serenity and peace of his home. Obnoxious. Still, he looked. He always looked and listened. The edges of Kei's vision were curved and hazy due to the small opening, but it wasn't like he was nervous or unfamiliar with the sight on the other side of his door. He'd been doing this for years. He glanced down at his watch in disinterest, noting he had two minutes left.

Can we get this over with?

No, he knew his mother was strict about the schedule. Can't risk starting too early and missing out on any potential matches.

Ha fucking ha.

Kei watched in boredom as people began to talk amongst themselves, catching the occasional muffled phrase every now and again, hushed so as to not attract his own family's attention no doubt.

"How bad could it be right?"

"Marrying a Tsukishima is worth anything!"

"I'm curious."

"He'll be charmed by me in no time."

Boring. Stupid. Arrogant. In the end they would all run or curse in disgust when he finally did step out. They always did. Besides, even if they did stay, it wasn't like there was a high chance he'd actually like any of them. Cocky, selfish, that's how they all were. All the men from rich families.

Why did they have to do this anymore? He was twenty-two years old, obviously this method wasn't working. As much as he'd grown used to it, it was exhausting. To get up and get ready once a week, only to be rejected, and then spend the rest of his week cooped up in his house by himself. He wanted it to stop, there was no point anymore. Men and women alike had made it quite clear.

Tsukishima Kei was hideous, a monster. Love wasn't in his cards, and he didn't much care if it wasn't.

At the thought however, he caught sight of his mother through the hole, her head nodding in excitement and her eyes alight with a hope that never seemed to diminish even after so many failed attempts. She had faith someone would stay. She thought someone would look past his appearance and love him for who he was. She believed Kei was more than his face. Oh how wrong she was.

Kei loved his mom, really he did. He wasn't the most affectionate son or brother, but his family was important to him. It was just...they were different from him. They couldn't seem to let these things go. He didn't need someone to complete him, to save him. He wasn't helpless. He'd never fantasized about someone finally giving him the time of day and sweeping him off his feet.

Such thoughts were childish, unreliable.

So instead, he went along with these meetings for his family's sake, having to watch each time as their smiles dropped in sadness and disappointment while his stayed neutral, not surprised in the slightest. Kei looked away from the gathering as he watched his mother turn on the speakers in the living room, connecting with the mic in Kei's room so he could talk to everyone. He no longer wished to see the enthusiasm his parents and brother were parading around the room, so he pressed his face against the door, closing his eyes in frustration as the seconds ticked away. Already he was tired, and he pressed in harder, as if wishing for his face to flatten and for his problems to be gone.

He hissed when the hard, chipped wood irritated his nose, another reminder of its presence as a thorn in his side, in his life. At least if it was gone, he could go outside. He could see the world, romance be damned. I just want to go outside.

Slowly, he reached up to massage his nose, feeling along the ridges he'd become oh so used to, feeling along the unnatural curves. He could count them, one, two, three...

"Kei honey! Your guests are ready!" His mother's chipper voice reached him from the other side of the door, and he heaved a heavy sigh as he picked up the microphone. Her excitement almost made him feel like something would change, that today would be his turning point. But...

As he fumbled with the mic, flipping it on reluctantly, he caught his reflection in the mirror hanging on the left wall, and knew the day would be no different than any other.

See, love really wasn't a reality for him. It hadn't been from day one, all for one singular reason.

Tsukishima Kei was cursed with a lot of things; an unpleasant attitude, a smart mouth, general apathy...but perhaps the biggest was that everyday when he woke up and looked in the mirror, he was greeted with the face of a pig.

--

Kei didn't know his great grandfather. The man had been long dead when Kei was born, but Kei was pretty sure he hated the man.

This was his fault after all.

The Tsukishimas were a proud, esteemed family, they always had been. With an ample fortune and generosity, they were beloved by the public and held in high regards by other prominent families. Despite his large mansion and nice things though, Kei never felt like his family fit the common mold of blue bloods. They were too kind, altruistic, and enjoyed cooking, watching dumb movies, and spending time with their children. It was more than he could ask for really, since he wasn't one for lavish parties or socializing in general. They'd encouraged Akiteru in the same fashion. Kei's older brother had made a pretty good name for himself in the field of literature, befitting someone of his class, but it was his passion since childhood, and his parents had let him pursue it no questions asked, despite chances of failure. With Kei too, they were no different. His family accepted his reclusive nature, his love for reading and botany, and didn't push him to meet any of the expectations which were usually thrust upon young men from affluent families.

However, that didn't mean it had always been that way for the Tsukishimas.

Kei's great grandfather had been a noble through and through, popular with the women from rich families and the center of attention. He was subject to societal pressures and the scrutinizing eyes of his parents, and it had ended up being his undoing.

Or no, it hadn't. It had ended up being Kei's undoing. The old man himself had died in his sleep with little worries, despite his vices, and Kei couldn't help but resent the man.

When his grandfather was in his prime, he'd been one of the most eligible bachelors in society, handsome and charismatic, with many attractive prospects in regards to marriage. However, he'd been greedy.

His grandfather had decided to fool around with one of his servants, a young, poor man with an ill mother to support. Kei's grandfather probably thought it was no big deal, sleeping around and stringing along a poor worker, but he'd forgotten somehow that revenge favored no one, not even the rich. Short sighted, a trait Kei truly detested.

In the end, the servant expressed his love for the noble only to be rejected, and soon after, Kei's grandfather married a high class woman from the neighboring city, and the servant succumbed to his heartbreak and depression. In a fit of agony, the servant's mother plead with the gods and may have even dabbled in the forbidden arts (though that was probably some stupid rumor from the newspaper), in order to lay a curse upon the house of the Tsukishimas.

Of course, it was a myth. There's no telling whether or not Kei's condition was from a spell or a simple birth defect, but well...it was strange. The story itself was pretty tragic, and he'd thought so when he'd first heard it. Though, Kei couldn't say he understood the emotions behind the servant's actions. In the end, his love wasn't returned, but why let something stupid like rejection affect him so much? Emotions were reckless, Kei reasoned, and it was why he tended to shun them.

Further proof of why emotions were the root of evil was what happened after the servant's death.

Fueled with the pain of her son's rejection and scorned love, the old woman willed that the next son of the Tsukishima family be born with the face of a pig.

Simple really, and consequently the reason for Kei's current suffering, almost four generations later. Because life was a bitch and the universe seemed to hate Kei, who'd done nothing wrong, the Tsukishima family was blessed with a long line of girls. Daughters after daughters after fucking daughters.

Well, at least until Akiteru. The issue there was that Akiteru wasn't really a Tsukishima. At the time, Kei's mother and father had been struggling with getting pregnant, and the issue was traced back to Kei's mother. Rather than adopt, they opted for a surrogate in order to keep some of the bloodline in tact, and later on, Kei himself ended up being a happy accident.

Or, it had been happy, until he was actually born. With Akiteru not having a drop of Tsukishima blood, the first boy born to the family in several generations was Kei.

Kei, who inherited the curse as soon as he'd come into the world.

And so started his life of fruitless struggle and letting down his parents. Of course, his family had never made him feel different. They loved him. But...they tried in their own way to remedy the situation, never fully accepting it as the end all. After finding out that plastic surgery was out of the question (thanks curse), his family had resorted to actually giving into the stipulations of the legend.

According to the myth, the only way to break the spell on him, to get rid of his problems, was for one of noble birth to marry Kei.

Well, the actual wording was for "one of your own kind to accept you as their own," but same thing, put less cryptically.

Either way, Kei hated it. All this life, he'd been confined to his room by his parents, given that photographers and magazines everywhere had gotten wind of his supposed abnormality, and were all fighting for a picture, their big payday.

His parents were being protective, too protective for his tastes. In all honesty, Kei didn't care if people took pictures or saw him. What was the difference in being ridiculed by the general public, and being ridiculed in his own home by fleeing men who couldn't stand the sight of him? Which was worse? Kei had spent his whole childhood playing indoors, learning new languages, playing with old dinosaur figurines...alone. Not like Kei loved people, but...

Fresh air, gardens, parks, trips to the planetarium and the movies...

They were things he'd never been able to do, and that stung more than the rejection of a thousand suitors.

--

The first time his mother had brought up a matchmaking session, Kei had been only sixteen, and he'd been rather perplexed with the whole thing. He was still so young after all, way too young for the marriage the curse called for, but his mother wholeheartedly believed in building connections early, weeding out unlikely individuals and getting a sense of what Kei liked. Besides, his parents weren't against him making friends, they just wanted to supervise to make sure no one would be cruel to him.

Embarrassing really.

Back then, the matchmaking sessions were only comprised of one suitor, since his mother insisted it made things more intimate, and allowed people to get to know the real Kei, whatever the hell that meant.

"You're not your nose sweetheart, you have to show them that!" His mother exclaimed happily as she pulled out the clear file on the noble young man.

"But...it's my nose, it's part of me--"

"Honey please, that's nonsense! Now come on, he'll be here soon!"

When the day had actually arrived, Kei hadn't been too concerned with his suitor running away. He was naive then, not nearly as jaded and closed off as his personality was currently. He actually had hope at that point. Sure, he anticipated that the potential lovers would be somewhat surprised but...it was just his nose, or snout really. He didn't think his face was that bad, so surely he'd have to talk to some of them who managed to look past it. He hated to admit it, but he'd actually been nervous. Kei's palms had been clammy as he'd grasped the microphone that day, ready to greet an attractive stranger and possibly his future spouse from behind a door with a peephole in it. Really, the fact the he couldn’t introduce himself directly should’ve been his first indication things wouldn’t go well.

It was dumb, he had reasoned, to put so much hope into the first person, not to mention unrealistic. But...as much as he hated to admit it, all he'd wanted was to break the curse. So, naturally, part of him (the part that wasn't overly standoffish and uncaring), hoped someone would take a shine to him, despite his unpleasant nature.

Kei learned a lot of things that day. The first, was that people weren't genuine in the slightest.

The man was handsome, but he was quite boring in Kei's opinion. Kei wasn't the most socially gifted, he tended to snark, and his jibes often put people off, but he couldn't help his demeanor. He liked to be playful, to argue, to talk about science and music and weird movies, and be presented with a verbal challenge. Finding someone he could hold a decent conversation with was hard, especially with his standards and awkwardness, but this guy wasn't even trying.

It was like he was reading from a script, ignoring any attempt Kei gave him to engage in ways which made the blond actually happy.

"So, are you always this proper?" Kei snorted.

"What? Of course, as I was saying..."

Honestly, he should've known it would be a flop right then and there, but his mother was undoubtedly in the kitchen listening, smiling hopefully. He just had to try a little more.

"I saw that new horror movie online last night and--"

"You have time for that sort of thing? How...quaint, anyways..."

And he did try.

"I like gardening I guess, I have books on--"

"Gardening is usually done by the grounds workers, it's filthy work in my opinion, certainly not suitable for your hands, which I'm sure are lovely."

And tried.

"Have you ever been to an amusement park?"

"What? With all those common people?"

And tried some more, until he wanted nothing but to go back to bed and curl up with a book, because surely that would be better company.

It seemed hopeless, but something churned in Kei's stomach regardless, an emotion he wasn't used to feeling at all and that kept him going throughout the one sided conversation. He was a disappointment, surely he was. He was unable to pull in anyone with his cutting humor and quirks. Logically, Kei knew it wasn't his fault that he was incompatible with the other boy, but he still couldn't help but feel the telltale stings of rejection, and he was the one who was holding the matchmaking session. He held the cards, and yet he felt like garbage. Pathetic, as if this guy mattered at all. God, he should've given up after his fifth attempt to make a connection. But Kei was foolish at sixteen, still had false hopes and vestiges of romantic ideas. So of course, he reasoned and reasoned that things could work out. The guy could break the curse, could maybe learn to like Kei if they talked more, so...

"Have you ever felt trapped?" Kei hated the way his voice cracked, but really, his mother always did say he needed to be more relatable...maybe if he opened up in the slightest...

It was uncomfortable, oversharing, Kei rarely had the strength to be personal with his own family, and this was some random guy.

The other boy's blue eyes lit up at the question, and Kei thought he saw a brief trace of annoyance at having been interrupted again, but he quickly masked his face into a rehearsed, sympathetic expression. "Why Tsukishima," he began, voice soft and touched, "of course I have. I understand you completely, we're quite similar."

"Oh?" It was doubtful, it had to be bullshit, everything in Kei was screaming that it was. This was like one big joke, but he persisted, because he was a fool. Kei, despite his uneasiness, grabbed the thread offered. Maybe the guy wasn't lying after all, maybe he felt bad for Kei, being trapped in the big house, imprisoned by the curse. The prospect of having someone who understood him was so attractive to him and his naive heart. For someone to accept him as one of their own..."How so?"

The guy laughed at that, putting a hand on his neck as he searched for an answer. Another indication of a liar, but Kei ignored it. Idiot. "Well, obviously by my good name and standing."

Oh you've got to be kidding me. "Um..."

"No one can ever seem to look past the rich noble stereotypes, I'm much more than my name and face." The man smiled softly, peering through the peephole as if it would communicate his sincerity better. It was a good answer, Kei would give him that. Hesitantly, Kei looked over to his vanity mirror, catching a glimpse of his reflection. More than my face...

"And surely, you are more than your face. I'm sure there's beauty lying underneath, and I'd be honored to bring it out." The other continued, and Kei's breath caught at his next words. "Let me see the real you, Tsukishima."

Maybe it was his immaturity, his desire for the curse to be broken, or some deep down desire to be wanted, but either way, Kei found himself reaching for the doorknob. The other boy stepped back, seemingly pleased with himself, and Kei felt right then and there that something wrong was bound to happen. But, if he could break the curse, if there was just a chance...

And there was. So, Kei wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts, and opened the door.

The second thing he learned that day, was that people were shallower than he thought. That or, he looked worse than he'd originally thought.

It took all but two seconds for the suitor to gag at the sight of him, and run, taking any last inklings of hope for freedom and romance along with him.

--

Now of course, he had the routine down, knew what to expect. Nothing would change, and he had learned how to let the insults and cries of disgust bounce off of him with every new matchmaking session.

Some things had changed though, as he now also had a one way mirror built into the wall so he could look out into the meeting room and interact with the suitors without having any of them see him. He rarely used it though, it was a bit overwhelming, feeling like he was the center of a large crowd, with everyone staring, even though they really weren't. So, he stuck to the peephole. In addition, all the suitors had to sign forms now, swearing them to secrecy so they couldn't run and tell people about the terrifying pig-faced boy.

Stupid.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue, resigning himself to yet another wasted weekend, and greeted his guests.

The day ended as it always did, with him holding his mother as she cried at another unsuccessful meeting, and himself wishing he hadn't been born.

--

Kuroo Tetsurou had hit a new low.

The suit he was wearing was itchy and a tad too fitting on his broad frame, and he fidgeted awkwardly, unsure of how he was supposed to look. He never wore suits, or at least, he hadn't in a very long time.

The thought reminded him of his current predicament.

He watched as a crew of journalists, many of whom looked like they hadn't showered in some time, fiddled with his coat lining, sloppily sewing in a hidden camera. Next to them sat a stained, yet crisp envelope, with Kuroo's name scribbled on it. It was all that was keeping Kuroo from hightailing it out of there.

Definitely a new low.

"Alright, raise your arm," the main journalist advised him, stepping back and sparing Kuroo's nostrils of his foul cologne. Kuroo did what he was told, and he heard a faint click, the telltale sign of the camera going off.

Ah, clever.

"Alright, its works!" The journalist exclaimed, handing Kuroo a brush and some mouthwash. "Now, you remember the plan right?"

Kuroo nodded, not bothering to grin or make unnecessary conversation. Usually he was a very friendly guy, but these guys just rubbed him the wrong way, and the fact that he was associating himself with them didn't make his conscience happy. He grabbed the brush and mouthwash in confusion. Did he look that much like a bum?

"Good, now would it kill you to look presentable? What's with that hair? You're supposed to be playing the part of a noble..." The crew gave him the once over, clearly not pleased.

Huh, guess I look worse than I thought.

Don't get him wrong, Kuroo thought he was a pretty good looking guy. He was fit, had clear skin and good height, not to mention he could really lay on the charm when he wanted. But...well, he also knew his hair looked like a bird's nest on the best of days, and his strong smirks and general demeanor could make him come off as a delinquent. Not to mention his wardrobe wasn't in the most tip top shape lately.

Which coincidentally, was what got him in this situation in the first place.

"I am a noble, and I even wore my best pants today!" They were the ones without holes in them. His joking tone went ignored by the other men, who reluctantly took back the brush upon seeing how Kuroo's hair was a legitimate lost cause.

"A down on his luck noble, unless you've forgotten," the journalist shot back, waving Kuroo's agency file in front of him. Kuroo winced. "You might be from a prominent family, but you're no richer than a McDonald’s worker, so don't test our patience. We can find someone else."

"N-no!" Kuroo laughed nervously, waving his hands in a flurry. "I'll do it, no worries."

"Good, you seem like a smart guy," one of the other man said while flicking through his phone. "Smart enough to not pass up 50,000 yen at least."

Right. The money. That was why he was here. Kuroo felt gross and pathetic all over again, but damn he really did need that money. The rent on his apartment was covered by his job, but if he wanted to be able to put a down payment on his new place, he needed a boost, just for the month. When he'd been a teenager, he'd had all the money in the world, but when his parents had found out about certain...preferences of his, he was deemed unworthy of the Kuroo family fortune, and was on his own.

It wasn't that bad of course. He had his friends, he had a job he loved, even though it didn't pay super well. But, getting back on his feet continued to be difficult from time to time.

Which was why he was currently standing next to a shifty van across the street from the Tsukishima mansion, getting ready to go in with a large group of nobles way more desirable than him, in order to get a picture of the youngest son of the Tsukishima household.

The youngest son, who apparently was cursed with a hideous appearance, to the point where his parents had to hold these matchmaking parties just to set him up. It seemed almost ridiculous, Kuroo thought as he watched more smartly dressed men enter the house, stopping at the front door to receive some sort of paperwork and have their IDs checked.

It just didn't seem real, but oh well, Kuroo had a job to do. Part of him sort of hoped the young Tsukishima would be snobby or rude, then Kuroo wouldn't have to feel so bad about what he was about to do.

You're going to feel bad anyways, you loser.

Kuroo cringed at himself. Yeah, probably.

Damn his niceness, was it too late to back out?

"Alright, it's time to go in." The journalist's voice shattered his hopes of that, as did the weight of the camera in the secondhand suit jacket. "Now, when he reveals himself, no matter how ugly he is, you need to stay and get that picture. Got it?"

Make me sound worse why don't you.

But well, Kuroo had been the one to respond to their ad. He had no one to blame but himself. He sighed one last time, buttoning the suit as best he could, before turning towards the mansion in front of him. Let's get this over with.

"Got it."

--

It was easy for him to avoid signing the secrecy agreement when no one in the Tsukishima family seemed to be paying him much mind. They had his file, naturally, so they probably knew he wasn't the most upstanding noble these days. Certainly not a good fit for their son, they were much more focused on buttering up the other rich pretty boys in the room.

It didn't much matter to him, in fact, it made his job easier. Of course, it didn't make him feel any less shitty about what he was doing.

"Alright everyone! I'm Tsukishima Akiteru, and I'd like to thank you all for coming." The tall, dirty blonde seemed easy going for a noble, his smile kind and bright, and his dress less fancy than that of his parents. Just having him stand there made Kuroo feel at ease. "It means a lot to have so many people willing to help my brother, he's very important to me."

Aaaand there's the guilt again.

God, Kuroo would've been better off at a McDonald’s honestly.

"He'll be out shortly!" And with that, Akiteru exited the room, which made Kuroo confused more than anything. The family didn't stay to see how things went? He wondered how long they'd been doing these things...

Long enough, if journalists knew about it.

Man, Kuroo was a sleaze ball.

Part of him couldn't help but be curious though. He'd heard the rumors of the Tsukishima bloodline, naturally, how a witch had cursed them and now the only way to break it was for the youngest son to marry rich. Kuroo wasn't sure he believed all of that, not that he didn't believe in the supernatural at all, this just seemed sort of out there.

Well, you'll have proof by the end of the day won't you? The whole world would.

Yup, Kuroo thought as he frowned at the floor, total sleaze.

--

"Kei? They're ready." Akiteru's voice carried into Kei's room, obviously excited with a hint of anxiety mixed in. His brother never stopped worrying about him. Kei always complained about how obnoxious it was, but really his brother was all that kept him grounded sometimes. He was the only one who made him feel better on days like this, even if it was obvious how much his brother was on his parents' side.

"Mm, give me a minute," Kei said, watering the orchids sitting on his shelf and making sure they had enough soil.

Usually, his brother would leave after he said this, but he felt Akiteru's presence hovering by the door, hesitating, and Kei clicked his tongue. "What is it Akiteru? Did mom say something?"

Kei swore, if his mom wanted him to change his outfit again...

"No, she didn't, I just..." Akiteru sighed, and that got Kei's attention. It wasn't like his brother to doubt himself when talking to Kei, they didn't have that kind of relationship. Kei turned to face him, setting down his watering can carefully and pulling his coat around himself.

"Spit it out," Kei said, very aware of the muffled sounds of conversation on the other side of the wall. Maybe he'd made a mistake, requesting for so many suitors come at once this time...

"Kei, are you sure you wouldn't rather meet them one at a time? Like you used to?" Akiteru approached him, putting his hands on Kei's shoulders in a show of support. "I mean, what's the point of this? They can't possibly get to know you when they're in a group."

Kei resisted the urge to sneer.

Getting to know me, don't make me laugh. It's obvious what they're after, and it's not that.

There were so many responses to his brother's questions, all equally cutting and unfair. It wasn't as if this was his brother's fault. He didn't understand, he wasn't the one with the goddamn pig snout.

These wretched nobles were only after one thing: the money. They didn't care about Kei, and they'd all run. That's why Kei had started holding group sessions, it was why he made today's group extra large. He wanted so desperately to prove a point, to stop this. They always leave. There's no one who will stay, so let's give up. Give up, and let me go outside.

Kei didn't care anymore about the suitors. No matter how much his eyes began to sting, he pushed those traitorous emotions down, walking away from Akiteru's worried gaze.

He had been doing this for years, he could handle it.

Kei walked towards the door, taking a deep breath as he pushed up his glasses with shaking hands. "This way, it wastes less time."

His brother made a noise of protest, but Kei wouldn't look at him, wouldn't let the other see the emotions he himself didn't want to acknowledge. When the door finally shut behind him, Kei released the breath he'd been holding.

--

Kuroo was an idiot. He couldn't even be a successful sleazeball. Just my luck.

He ducked under the couch, luckily unnoticed by the other nobles as they waited for the young Tsukishima to introduce himself. Meanwhile, the camera in his pocket was going haywire, taking twenty pictures a minute, and Kuroo tugged at the cords unintelligibly, willing them to fix themselves. Holy shit why are there so many wires, we’re in the age of technology!

As he was about ready to give up and kiss the money goodbye, the camera seemed to stop taking its flurry of pics, but Kuroo didn't get to feel relieved or get up from the floor. It was too late.

Kuroo heard the whoosh of a door behind him, and the whole room went quiet, only interrupted by the softest voice Kuroo had ever heard. "Hello, I'm Tsukishima Kei and--"

There was a cacophony of screams and a crash as a book table was knocked over, and before Kuroo knew it, people were jumping over the couch and past him like their life depended on it. He had the good sense to tuck his feet in as the stampede raced by him and out the door, leaving him sitting there alone like an idiot, surrounded by papers and coasters.

The loud footsteps faded in the distance as he heard the suitors flee the house, bringing back an unnatural silence to the room. For some reason, Kuroo's heart clenched, and he cursed his own empathy.

He blinked a few times, hearing a distinct and shaky breath from behind him, before a door slammed shut.