Kuroo reached the door of the building where the base of his pack was. It was the same building that Daichi lived in, so surely that was why it was him who had gone to call Kuroo.
Taking a deep breath of icy air, he entered the building and let himself be guided by the voices; they were coming from the ground floor, so he took the dark stairs and down them. The door where the infirmary was was ajar and a beam of light came through the gap.
Kuroo threw open the door and leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded, staring at the alpha who lay sprawled on the gurney with his clothes burned and tattered. He reeked of aconite and sadness. Yaku, one of the omegas of Kuroo's pack, was bandaging his arms under the watchful eyes of 5 other boys who accompanied Bokuto.
Before even saying a word, the omegas and the other alpha turned to face him. Yaku, Atsumu and Konoha looked at Kuroo with a frown and a shocked expression on their faces, one could almost say it was a disgusted expression. The three betas however, unable to smell the pheromones, didn't notice, and only looked at Kuroo when they realized the heavy tension that had suddenly fallen on the spot. Kuroo's expression of irrational fury spoke for itself, so that the omegas looked away almost immediately, frightened by the black-haired man. Bokuto also looked away to see how Yaku continued to bandage his arms.
"Great, they smelled Oikawa-kun on my body. I couldn't ask for a better welcome," Kuroo thought.
However, although Kuroo didn't know it, neither Yaku nor Atsumu nor Kohona had detected Oikawa's scent. What they had sensed was the unpleasant smell of pride and superiority, mixed with anger and stubbornness that the alpha emitted. A distinctive scent that omegas had a hard time holding, even if the scent came from their own leader. Bokuto had never experienced that, as despite his broad shoulders, strong arms, and sharp gaze, he was not a proud man and could sometimes seem like a little boy to protect. What's more, he had little confidence in himself and his worth as a leader, but still the remnants of his pack were loyal and trusted him, not only as the head of the pack, but also as a friend.
"What happened?" Yaku asked shyly before anyone else could say anything, trying to ignore the fear that gripped him. Kuroo shot a penetrating at his back.
"Leave us alone," was all the reply Kuroo gave. Atsumu tried to complain and reply.
"We want to stay—"
"I SAID GET OUT," Kuroo roared using his alpha voice.
Even Bokuto was surprised at his attitude. The three omegas and the three betas obeyed without question, looking down at the ground and shrugging slightly. They were scared, the presence of a raging alpha was terrifying, and the least they wanted to do was anger him even more. The six boys left the place without saying a word under Kuroo's sharp gaze. Only when all six had disappeared from sight did Kuroo enter the room and slammed the door behind him.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have a bad awakening?" Bokuto asked looking at Kuroo with an annoyed expression.
Kuroo didn't reply. He grabbed a low stool and pulled it over to the gurney to sit next to him. Now that he was close, the scent that Kuroo's body gave off was easily recognizable. Bokuto's eyes widened and looked at Kuroo, seeing the guilt deep in his hazel eyes.
"What have you done?" Bokuto whispered with a horrified expression.
"That's none of your fucking business," Kuroo replied fiercely. Bokuto looked at him with distaste. Even though he was his friend, they didn't always understand each other.
"Of course it's my business," Bokuto replied, sitting up from the gurney. "I have come to ask for your help, and you receive me smelling to an... an alpha? You should be looking for a male or female omega for heirs, not a fucking alpha. Are you dating? Who is it?"
Bokuto's voice sounded harsh, and Kuroo knew he was right. But his thing with Oikawa was sex and nothing else. It was a way to have fun and release stress. They weren't tied to each other, and they were still young. They could have heirs later with their respective omegas. And even so...
Kuroo felt a pang in his heart and another in his stomach, but he hid them by putting an expression of neutral boredom on his face. He didn't feel like talking about it after what had happened with Oikawa. He didn't even know why he had said that to his sexual partner when he, better than anyone, knew why Oikawa acted so distant from the rest. It wasn't selfishness, as Kuroo himself had preached just a little while before.
"This is none of your fucking business, Bokuto. What I do or do not do is not something you should know. Neither you nor anyone. I don't have time to talk frivolously, explain to me what happened and why you are here," Kuroo said in a tone of voice that did not admit of reply.
Inside, Kuroo prayed that Bokuto wouldn't pursue the subject. It wasn't something he wanted to talk to anyone about. They had been hiding their sexual adventures for an entire year, and now another alpha had caught them at the first turn. Kuroo was grateful that Bokuto didn't know who he was, but that didn't reassure him in the least. However, Bokuto said nothing more, only frowned and glanced at him before looking down at his burned legs.
"It's quite evident," Bokuto replied.
"No, it's not," Kuroo said holding back a sigh of relief. "Because you're alive. So if the hunters have attacked you, you should be dead. And Washio, Osamu, Aran, Atsumu and Konoha as well. And yet they are with you. I hav eno time for bullshit. I will ask you one more time. Explain to me what happened."
Bokuto looked away. Kuroo had a secret that he had smelled the moment he had approached him. But Bokuto also had one. A hunter had saved his life, and that was not something he was proud of. And he hadn't planned to shout it from the rooftops, so his mind came up with an excuse at full speed. He wouldn't lie, but he wouldn't tell the whole truth either. The terrible and shameful truth.
"It happened at my election ceremony. Washio and the others had left..." Bokuto began to speak. "My father had ordered them to inform him of how the war was going here, in your territory."
Bokuto looked at Kuroo trying to decipher his expression. But he did not show astonishment or perplexity, he continued to maintain a neutral expression that said nothing. A cloak of mystery always surrounded Kuroo and no one, not even his faithful and intelligent beta, Kenma, was able to know what he was thinking on many occasions. Bokuto played with his fingers entwined in his lap, bandaged and smelling of antiseptic.
"... So they weren't there, but everyone else was," he continued. "The hunters attacked everyone, they killed many children." Bokuto clenched his fists. "My father forced me to flee and so I escaped. I hid. I don't know what happened next, but I heard something and I could smell the smoke. The hunters had set fire to the base, so I ran out and well... Here I am."
"That is why you have burns all over," Kuroo understood. "And... What do you want to do now?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Bokuto asked. "I want justice. I want them to see theirs die, just like I saw mine. And for that I need your help."
"Revenge is not the right option, and you know it," Kuroo said coldly.
"It's not revenge, it's justice," Bokuto replied.
"When we claim justice by taking a life, what we are really doing is turning it into revenge," Kuroo said, rising from the stool and looking at Bokuto with empty eyes. "I'm not going to help you if you're trying to kill hunters for such a reason without first having a dialogue with them. Take justice into your own handd and forget that you know me."
Kuroo turned around ready to leave the room but Bokuto grabbed his arm before he took a single step.
"We will do it your way, I don't care. But help me," Bokuto pleaded. "I have almost no one left from my family or my pack. And you are my best friend. I know... I know what you think of killing others as a payment currency, but... "
"We'll talk in the morning," Kuroo interrupted, "when you're a bit calmer."
"I'm not the one who is upset, the one who is pissed off is you," Bokuto said boldly. Kuroo ignored the comment.
"Come to my house tomorrow at dawn, we'll talk there in private," he said without turning around. "You have already discovered that..." Kuroo was silent for a few moments before continuing. "It doesn't matter, nevermind. Just come tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you there. And come alone or accompanied by a beta. Don't let any omega near my house," Kuroo said with a sidelong glance over his shoulder. Bokuto didn't say anything, just nodded imperceptibly.
Bokuto's fingers loosened and freed Kuroo, who walked to the infirmary door to get out of there and back home to try to get some sleep, if only for a couple of hours. But after what had happened, first with Oikawa and then with Bokuto, he very much doubted he could barely sleep.
***
Kuroo saw the dawn lights piercing the thin linen curtain of the room. He had seen each and every minute of the night pass by on the clock by the bed. As he had imagined, he had not been able to sleep. He hadn't slept when Oikawa moaned inbetween his sheets nor had he slept after he left. His head hadn't stopped thinking about Oikawa and the hurt look he'd given him just a couple of hours earlier. He had tried calling him, but the brunet had cut the call, letting Kuroo know that he didn't want to talk to him.
Kuroo snorted before yanking the covers off himself and sitting on the edge of the bed thoughtfully. He gripped the sheet tightly and looked at the rays of sunlight beginning to illuminate the dark sky and streaming through the curtain. There was still a thick gloom in the room, but you could see the silhouettes of the furniture. Bokuto would be about to arrive.
He got up from the bed and moved his neck and shoulders to loosen up. He picked up the pants that he had ripped before going out to see Bokuto and that were still lying on the floor and threw them unceremoniously in the back of the closet. He didn't feel like going to the garbage can to throw them away, but he didn't want to keep seeing them lying on the floor. If he knew how to sew he might have been able to fix them. With a shrug of the shoulders, not caring in the least that he had ripped a piece of clothing out of anger, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower and clear up before Bokuto arrived.
He turned on the shower, stripped off his underwear, and before it had time to get warm, he stepped under the icy stream of water. His muscles contracted painfully all over his body, but he held on with his head down, his teeth clenched, his eyes closed and his hands resting on the shower wall, as the water ran down his back and fell to the floor on its way to the drain. It seemed like he was punishing himself, and deep down inside, he agreed with it.
When his lips were purple and his teeth were chattering, he came out of the shower with bristling skin and shivering with cold. He wrapped himself in a towel just as three firm knocks sounded on the door.
"Fuck it, how timely..." Kuroo snorted coming out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around his waist.
He walked down the hall, leaving behind a trail of drops of water that fell from his body silently until they hit the floor. He yanked the door open without bothering to ask who was there.
"Come in," Kuroo said dryly, leaning against the door.
"You know, you could help me, it's not easy to walk with burned legs," Bokuto reproached him.
Kuroo approached him and put an arm around his waist. Bokuto put his arm around Kuroo's shoulder and they both walked inside the apartment. Kuroo closed the door with a movement of his foot and dragged Bokuto into the living room to sit him on the couch... which stank of Oikawa since that time when they fucked on the couch. Bokuto made a disgusted face as he sniffed the scent that was all over the apartment. It was very clear that Kuroo was having sex with someone like him.
"Shit, dude," Bokuto said with distaste. "I don't know what the hell you're trying by doing this but... Do you know what it means that you are fucking another alpha?"
"Yes, I know perfectly well," Kuroo replied in annoyance. "Do me a favor and leave me alone."
"Man, you're my best friend. I don't want to see you banished. Just stop it, what you're doing is against the natural order of a pack."
Bokuto's gaze turned severe and deep, showing clear concern for the black-haired man. Kuroo clicked his tongue. He knew Bokuto was right, he hated that he was. If they were caught by members of Kuroo's or Oikawa's pack, dying would be the best thing that could happen to them. An outcast alpha, a delta who had been kicked out of their own pack was an embarrassment to every lycanthrope. It was a fate worse than death, since their honor was tarnished.
"You're risking your alpha position, Kuroo," Bokuto said seriously.
"And you're risking your face since I will punch you in the face if you keep saying the same again and again, leave me alone. I don't have to listen to you," Kuroo said crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"You know I'm telling you this for your sake," Bokuto said with a frown.
"And I tell you for your own sake to shut the fuck up. Just... just don't give me away, okay?" Kuroo said with a sigh taking a seat next to Bokuto.
His eyes looked at Bokuto pleadingly, and the boy couldn't help but nod slightly. Bokuto felt sorry for his best friend. He was still the same wayward alpha as ever, but he seemed somewhat more vulnerable than the last time I'd seen him, a few months ago.
A thick silence fell between them, interrupted only by the birds chirping in the street as the sun rose. The water droplets on Kuroo's body were dry, although his hair was still dripping water that fell onto the dark red sofa fabric. Even though he had almost no clothes, he wasn't cold. The heater provided a very pleasant spring temperature and he felt good without a shirt or pants.
When Kuroo's thoughts began to wander between locks of brown hair and chocolate eyes, Bokuto decided to break the silence.
"Kuroo, I know that... I know that you don't want to kill the hunters the same way they did to your father. I know what you think about taking revenge," Bokuto spoke in a calm and soft tone of voice, one could almost tell that his words were even sweet despite talking about killing. "But this cannot go on like this. We've been hiding for years. Lycans have been hunted since the Hunters Guild was created. And they keep spreading those horrible rumors that we eat humans, but you know well that these are slanders to discredit us. They kill innocent children every day and make sacrifices with them to train new hunters in the art of killing. This has to stop, Kuroo. And I'll do it with or without you. But I'll do it."
Bokuto looked determinedly at Kuroo, who returned an affected look. He slowly nodded, his heart clenched into a fist and his mouth suddenly dry. Bokuto was right, but he feared becoming someone like his father, blinded by anger and fear after the hunters killed his omega, Kuroo's mother.
"You are proposing to openly declare war, are you aware of that?" Kuroo asked lowering his gaze.
"Yes I know. That is why I have come to you."
"Alright," Kuroo said in a small voice. "And how do you intend to do it?"
"We two alone cannot do it. We need help," Bokuto replied. "Let us ask other packs for help. Kiyoko's, for example."
"Impossible, it's finished. The same thing happened with your pack, the hunters attacked her pack in their election ceremony, there are only 4 or 5 members left and her."
"I didn't know," Bokuto said, swallowing hard. "How do you know? Their territory and yours are not adjoining," he asked.
Kuroo bit his lip and looked out the window. Bokuto's eyes widened and he sat up in his seat as he grabbed Kuroo by the arm.
"She's the alpha you're fucking with!" Bokuto exclaimed in a shrill voice.
Kuroo didn't reply. He didn't have the courage to deny it and tell him it wasn't her. It was best like that; that way he wouldn't suspect Oikawa. But the reality was that he knew it because Kiyoko's territory and Oikawa's were adjacent, and she had asked the brunet asylum when they were attacked.
That was something that Oikawa had told him on one of his sleepless nights while Kuroo's knot slowly unraveled inside the brunet. Kuroo had discovered many things that way, after hours of passion in his or Oikawa's bed. He knew the status of many packs from the information Oikawa provided.
"Stop it, Bokuto," Kuroo said. "You're not going to get anywhere by bringing up the same topic over and over again."
"Sorry, it's just that..." Bokuto released Kuroo's arm and leaned back on the couch. "Nevermind. What about Kiryu's pack?"
"They were exterminated almost 3 years ago, you didn't know?" Kuroo asked in an absent voice.
Bokuto's shoulders sagged a bit more. Hunters were destroying entire packs like nothing, and he was running out of resources.
"What about the alpha you're at war with? What was his name?" Kuroo looked down and felt his heart race. "Oikawa?"
"No, impossible," Kuroo said immediately, clenching his jaw and giving off the smell of anger and disgust from his skin. "Not him."
"I know you're at war," Bokuto said, not understanding the real reason for Kuroo's anger, "but this is not the time to fight for territory. This is much bigger than that, we need the hunters to stop. And for that we need allies. "
Kuroo frowned and clenched his fingers in his hands. He was not amused that Bokuto declared war on such a powerful guild, but, for many reasons, he was even less amused that he proposed Oikawa as an ally.
"His pack is strong and has a delta under his command. Do you think this is someone you can trust?" Kuroo asked giving him a hard look that made the golden-eyed boy's hair stand on end. Bokuto backed away from him in a reflex action and gulped.
"Better yet," he said almost without a voice. "He's strong, it's what we need."
"I'm not so sure," Kuroo replied.
"Just give it a try before you give up, will you?" Bokuto replied annoyed. "You are the most stubborn alpha I have ever met."
"Well, you should meet Oikawa-kun then," Kuroo muttered.
"What have you said?" asked Bokuto, who hadn't heard what the black-haired man had said.
"Nothing, I didn't say anything," Kuroo said getting up from the sofa and walking towards his room.
He removed the towel tied around his waist and dropped it to the floor. He put on his underwear, baggy camouflage pants and a tight black T-shirt. He opened the central door of his closet and removed the sheet of wood that created a false floor inside it. He hung on his body a cartridge belt full of ammunition and aconite smoke grenades; the cartridge crossed his torso from the left shoulder to the right side of the waist.
Over the belt he wore a black sweatshirt, but unlike the shirt, it was thick and wide. He tucked two serrated survival knives and a gun with aconite-soaked lead bullets into the waistband of his pants, under his sweatshirt, so that all weapons were hidden from view. He shoved a razor into his right sock and slipped on black military boots and walked back into the living room, letting his steady footsteps echo off the hallway walls.
"Where are you going?" Bokuto asked, struggling to get up on his feet when Kuroo appeared in the doorway.
"Do you want a ceasefire to ally with Oikawa-kun?" Kuroo asked rhetorically. "Very well. Go back to the infirmary with Yaku, and close the door on your way out. I'll be back at dusk," he said, grabbing the keys. "Or at least... I hope so," Kuroo muttered to himself.
Without giving Bokuto time to say anything or even take a step towards him, Kuroo turned and walked to the door, which he jerked open to leave the apartment in the direction of Oikawa's territory. He descended the stairs of the building with a brisk step and, with strong determination and armed to the teeth, set out on the path to reach his destination as quickly as possible.
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Here I am with a new dramatic chapter 😌😎
Idk why I always make Kuroo look like a damned edgy boy on the outside but a softie on the inside and then I make Bokuto look like the mature one when it actually should be the other way around but however 🤪
I'll be back in two weeks as always; don't foget to leave votes and COMMENT BABIES, DON'T BE SHY 🤗
You can find me on instagram (@haikyuu.boys.au) and ao3 (@nazzasmiley) if you wanna read more of my AUs. ILYSM 💚💚