Comfort   von Gepo
                            (Twin-story to "Hurt")
================================================================================
                      Kapitel 14: Dispersing the illusion
                      -----------------------------------


Kuroko fully enjoyed having his mate with him every night – and he felt secure
to say that Kagami liked him there too – so he got quite grumpy when the other
left the bed on Saturday evening because his phone was ringing. They had not
done anything special, just cuddling after sex that they had right after school,
but it still annoyed him. Kagami always found that cute, so he felt secure in
indulging himself a little.
“Hey, Takao, how do you do?” Oh, Midorima's boyfriend. Hopefully their baby
was alright too. “Yeah, sure, tomorrow is fine. Do you have a lot of stuff?”
The pause was shorter this time. “Holy shit! Really?” It did not sound bad
but Kuroko got curious. “Sure, I could use a couch. Do you have a transporter?
That's great. Okay, when and where?” Kagami noted something down. “I'll be
there. See you tomorrow.” He ended the call.
“What was that about?” Kuroko immediately asked.
“Takao is moving in with Midorima. They told Midorima's parents and they are
okay with their son having a child.”
“Really?” Kuroko sat up. “He has strict parents. I am surprised they
allowed that. I only met them a few times but they always impressed me. His
father is a tea-master from an old samurai line.”
“Wow, okay … that might be why we get a couch. Takao said I can have
everything that does not fit in his new home which seemed to be about all the
furniture he owned. Maybe we can get some stuff for your mother's new place.”
“She hasn't even decided to move yet.” Kuroko smiled in spite of his words.
Kagami always thought of everyone. “But it is a good idea to take the extra
furniture. We'll have to change your father's room into a baby room anyway.”
“Or we take my father's room and change this into a baby room.” Kagami
grinned. “Dad's old room has the big bed.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter.” Kuroko shook his head indulgently. “It
makes more sense to keep the bigger room for the kids until we have so many that
we have to move.”
Kagami stared at him with a hanging jaw. The blue-haired grinned until his mate
got the joke. In a flash he had come over, knuckled Kuroko's head and said:
“Don't shock me like that!”
“It all depends on you, you know? Your mom said you would surely forget the
condoms again” He teased.
“I am not that big an idiot” Kagami grumpled.
“You already forgot once, you know?” He cuddled up to his mate. “Or I
might get twins, who knows? With how often you fuck me, I could have quadruplets
by now.”
“That's not how pregnancies work.” The other shook his head. “And what is
this about how often I want to have sex? You're the insatiable one.”
“I am simply reacting to your pheromones.”
“My pheromones come with my arousal and that depends on what you do, so don't
try to put this on me.” Kagami held the squirming Omega, burying his nose in
the light blue strands.
“I do nothing out of the ordinary” Kuroko deadpanned. “It just makes you
think of ecchi things.”
“Yeah, going to see Nigou every noon and bending over to pet him when nobody
is around is completely normal behavior.”
“Maybe I always did that and it is only now that you follow me.” Kuroko
grinned challengingly.
“No, you spent your noons eating lunch.” Kagami seemed to decide not to
react to that and kissed his mate instead. “Should I make bentos for both of
us from now on?”
“No more noon sex?” The shorter one pouted.
“It is barely spring, having sex outside is not good for your body. And if we
get caught, being thrown out of school will be a shared problem. So we should
stop now before my body begins to crave for it. Also, you need the nutrients.
Don't forget you are eating for two.”
“At least two.”
Kagami rolled his eyes.

His mate came back from helping with the move in a sombre mood. There seemed to
be agitation, just like after their loss against Touou, as well as something
like sorrow. Or maybe not sorrow, more like … mourning? It was such a strange
look on Kagami. Kuroko cautiously stepped near, lifting himself on his toes for
a kiss but Kagami did not bend.
He fell back, hanging his head. Had he done something to anger his mate? Had
Midorima told him something that angered him? He had told Kagami everything
there was to know, hadn't he? Except for the details but his mate did not seem
to want to know. Could he ask? Or would Kagami get angry?
“I was able not to punch Aomine in the face but I was close” His mate
whispered.
“Aomine was there?” Kuroko looked up. Oh no. Midorima and Aomine was not a
good combination. The green-haired had stood right next to him when Aomine had
killed Aoki.
“Yeah … Midorima hinted he was still angry with him and Aomine told him to
get off his case, that this was between him and you. That made me angry.”
“Why?” Kuroko laid his head to the side. So that was all? Why did that make
Kagami angry?
“Why?” The other looked at him in shock. “Because it's not between him and
you, even if you are the most important person here. You are our friend and it
concerns us all because we all have a part in this. I am your mate. I am the one
who holds you at night when you cry.”
No. This was between him and Aomine. Kagami did not have to do anything with
this. It happened long before he met him, what business did he have to get angry
on Kuroko's behalf when he himself wasn't angry?
“Kagami, this is my problem alone.” Even though his mate's eyes widened with
hurt, he continued. “No, don't even speak. This is between Aomine and me. I
know you probably mean well and think you are only protecting me but you don't
belong in this. Aomine does not have to apologize to all of you, he only has to
apologize to me and he did that. So he is right: Get off his case.”
“Kuroko-”
“No, Kagami.” He took a step back and crossed his arms.
“But he hurt you and you are clearly not over this-”
“And you think you make it better by threatening him? Who do you think me to
be? Some helpless princess you have to protect? If you want a mate you can lock
in a tower, choose somebody else!” He turned and went into the bathroom,
locking the door behind him.
“Kuroko” Kagami said in defeat. “Shit!” He kicked the wall, continuing
on to the living room.
The Omega sighed and curled in on himself, sitting in front of the bathing tube.
You just did not go into the bathing room in clothes, you didn't go into a
toilet with your normal indoor shoes but he had not cared. He sat on the floor
tiles in his normal clothes, drawn up knees and looked at his plushy bunny
shoes.
This really was no concern of Kagami. How did he dare interfere? Okay, Aomine
had done something unforgivable but did nobody trust him to settle this by
himself? Damn it, he could protect himself. He did not need any stupid Alphas to
solve his problems for him. He was not a victim. It had been his choice, he
could live with the consequences. Who did Kagami think he was? He might be his
mate but he wasn't his owner. Kuroko was no property, harmed by someone else.
He did not want to feel like an object again.
Not by Kagami, the only one who always took him serious and treated him like he
could do things himself when really … he could not. He could not get Midorima
to trust him to do this himself. He could not even get Kagami to trust him.
Would he always have Alphas fight over him, even after he had mated? He hated
this. Why couldn't Kagami trust him when he asked him to let it be? What did he
have to do to cool everyone's rage? Why did Alphas always have to fight?
“Kuroko? Are you alright? You've been in there quite a while. It worries me.
Please come out. We don't have to talk further if you want or you can scream or
hit me, I don't care, just don't shut me out, please?” Kagami begged from the
door.
Kuroko sighed. His mate was right. This was childish. He was no better than
those two hotheads. He got up and opened the door, silently looking at the
other.
“Uhm … I made some dinner. Are you hungry?” Kagami asked.
The blue-haired nodded and followed him.

It should not have surprised him to get a call from Takao the next day but it
did. As expected, Midorima was not over it all and even Takao sounded concerned
not only for him but for them all. This whole thing continued to drag down
everyone involved and got more people involved. Just why was he this helpless?
“You know, I called for a specific reason … this might hurt you. Is it okay
to talk?”
“Of course.” It was only memories now, it could not hurt him. He had lived
through it after all and survived once. He was stronger than this.
“Yesterday when Shin-chan told the others about his pregnancy he said I was
reliable opposite to Aomine. That one got really angry and told Shin-chan off
quite rudely. Kagami stepped in before it could escalate to a fight but
Shin-chan edged him on a bit to hurt Aomine. I could calm them all down but
Shin-chan was still angry afterwards. He feels that Aomine hasn't been punished
enough for what he did. He said he wanted to respect your wishes but that is was
really hard for him. Logically he tells himself that this is a thing between you
and Aomine and that he should stay out of it but his emotions get the better of
him when the topic comes up. Maybe it's just the hormones but I fear someday
there will be a fight between those two. I was happy Kagami could stay so calm
and help me to calm the situation down but what if he had not been there? I am
unable to protect Shin-chan myself. I feel so useless in this all. Do you have
any idea?”
Kagami had calmed them down? It had sounded like he had been the one to pick a
fight. Maybe he had been a bit too hard on his mate? The redhead had seemed down
the whole evening. Maybe he had overreacted a bit?
“Kagami told me about it. I struggle with the same, my mate was angry when he
came back yesterday.” Somehow just saying “my mate” seemed to make
everything better. They would solve this somehow. It just would be great to have
an actual idea how to.
“Yeah, it might not have been the best idea to invite Aomine but it was
actually Shin-chan's idea. I think he wanted to try to reconcile a bit. It
doesn't help that Aomine is such a hothead.” Takao sighed. “No, how do we
get our mates to calm down a bit? I don't think that even if Aomine apologized
it would do the trick.”
Good question, next question. How did you get a protective Alpha to stop
protecting you and to acknowledge you actually knew what you were doing? At
least Midorima had to know that he did not just forgive Aomine but that …
actually, no, the green-haired had never seen him to anything to Aomine except
for beating him in basketball. Most likely Midorima had no idea what exactly
happened between Aomine and him, why it happened and why it was alright in his
opinion. He would try to convince Midorima first and if that worked, he would
try the same with Kagami.
“Can you meet me today after school?” he asked Takao.
“Sure, where and when? We didn't plan on going to training, so we are off at
four o'clock.”
“Hm, there is a temple near, we can meet and go from there ...” Kuroko began
to describe the the position of the Jizo temple near the graveyard.
When he finally arrived there, he was late himself because Riko had been furious
to hear he would not return to training. Only after he finally told her why (not
because he did not want to but because she did not let him) was he allowed to
leave practice early. Kagami seemed unhappy to see him go but really – he had
it with overprotective Alphas right now.
When he saw Takao and Midorima, the first was putting a talisman on Midorima's
book bag. It might not be the worst idea with someone strongly believing in
faith. When he came near, he saw it was one wishing luck and health for unborn
children.
“Good afternoon.” Kuroko smiled, bowing in front of them. “And
congratulations on your pregnancy.”
“Thank you for noticing.” Midorima smiled back at him – again, it was a
real smile, something strange but amazing on his face. “It was still a bit too
late. The doctor said they would have to do a Cesarian in the seventh month.”
“A good reason for praying. I am sorry to hear but hopefully it will turn out
alright.”
“Thank you.” The tallest one nodded. “Kazu told me you wanted to show us
something. I feel a bit surprised that we meet up here.”
“It was the nearest location that was easily identifiable. What I wanted to
show you is over there.” Kuroko pointed to a wooden wall that divided the
temple from what lay behind. Were the others aware they would go to a graveyard?
Had he told Takao? He wasn't sure. When he went through the gate, Midorima
stopped and asked:  “A graveyard?”
“Yes. I wanted to show you a grave. Several in fact.”
The green haired stood rooted to the spot. There was disbelief, followed by
something akin to horror in his eyes, before he closed them. After taking a deep
breath he opened them again and stepped forward.

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