Tw - Homophobia, derogatory terms, extremely loosely implied rape. (It's only if you squint, I'm just adding this for a heads up)

Walking out of his room, having changed and put on shoes and socks, Tetsurou wasn't exactly surprised to find himself face to face with his mothers. What he was surprised to find, was the pair of them conversing quietly to Akiteru, a dark look in their eyes. It was more than clear that they weren't happy, but they were quick to look over to him and give him a small smile when he entered the room.

Ichika let out a long sigh, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Her expression was determined, yet there was a deep sadness in her eyes, one that was deep rooted. Tetsurou couldn't help but wrap his arms around her, relaxing into the embrace as his mother stroked his hair with one hand, and hugged him back with the other.

"Tetsurou, I know you're worried, and I know this is scary," she whispered, her voice soft and more hesitant than he'd ever heard it. Usually, she was always so strong willed and bright, and seeing her like this caused his chest to ache more. "Your mother and I, both of us would move mountains if it meant you would be safe and happy. We've never wanted to see you get into fights, or have to face hardships because of the person you love. It's not something I like sharing about, but you know how bad things were for people like us, and my mother didn't make it easy on me."

The thought of that only made Tetsurou hurt more, and he found himself pulling his mother closer as if to remind himself that she was safe, and she was right here with him. "Kaa-chan..."

"Shh, Tetsu, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere, not now, and not ever. But, what I want you to understand is that I know what it's like to be raised by people that don't love you, and who want to make you suffer for who you are. I've felt the damage that it can do to you long term, and in that regard, I see some of myself in Kei-kun. But unlike me, he has a chance to get away from them, for good. When he does, I know he's going to need you by his side, and that's why I'm letting you go to him now. But you have to promise me not to hurt anyone aside from in defence of yourself, or him, okay?"

Slowly, Kuroo pulled away, giving Ichika a small smile and nodding. "I promise, Kaa-chan. I love you," he said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek, before going and doing the same to Akari. "Thank you, for letting me do this."

Akari nodded, lightly ruffling his hair and giving him a worried smile. "You love him, we both know that, Tetsu. Bring him back safely, okay?"

"Yeah, I will." With that, Tetsurou turned to Akiteru, giving him a nod to indicate that he was ready. The older male looked to be getting antsy, his shoulders stiff despite the fact that he was fidgeting with his fingers. The habit was eerily similar to Kei's, and the thought of seeing his boyfriend again and holding him close was more than enough motivation to increase the pace of his strides towards the door. "Let's go. We'll be back soon, Lev, Kenma."

x-X-x

Mazuko's gaze didn't falter the entirety of the time he was with Kei. His eyes were dark and cruel, the intensity of the hatred the man felt unable to be contained in his expression. Kei was almost glad for it; it was easier to bear the hatred than it was the false attempts at kindness.

It hadn't taken very long for his phone to be taken from him, and for him to be led to a guest bedroom. He was told to wait inside, the door promptly locked from the outside as Mazuko exited. The room was plain and dull, with the only things inside of it being a large bed, and a large cabinet placed in front of the only window in the room, so it was almost pitch black. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, and Kei hoped that this wasn't going to be what he thought it was.

Remembering that earlier, Mazuko had called him 'Kei-chan', he wasn't so sure hope was going to be enough.

Clearly, as past experience would indicate, his father was one fucked up bastard, and Kei hadn't even begun to see the worst of it. Even wondering what would happen made him feel sick, his hands beginning to shake at the ideas that surfaced in his mind. Kei didn't like submitting to his father's demands, he didn't like having his weaknesses on display, but when he remembered his father's claim that he'd done something like this to Akiteru, it made him afraid, almost enough to comply. Almost; another part of him really wanted to punch his father and make him shut his stupid mouth.

He spent a long time in that room, a good forty five minutes at least, not quite sure as to what would happen when the door opened. The smell of smoke and alcohol still lingered in the room—just like his father—along with the stench of cheap perfume, so guessing the room's usual purpose wasn't too hard. Kei stayed far away from the bed, instead sitting in the corner of the room beside the door, trying his best to stay calm and think of a plan to get the hell out of there before anything happened.

He'd gotten to the house at around six am, so he was guessing it was probably six forty five now. If he managed to get to the street, chances are someone would be on a walk or a run, and they'd be able to protect him from whatever was going to happen next. There was a big 'if' in that scenario, though, and it meant getting past Mazuko.

As if he were the devil himself, said man entered the room once more, using an application on his phone to turn on the lighting. Kei had to blink to adjust to the sudden brightness, and once he had, his eyes fell on a woman standing outside the door. "Go wait in the living room, I need twenty minutes with him first," Mazuko ordered, his voice quiet yet stern.

The woman was quick to do as told, and once she had gone, Mazuko entered, closing the door behind him. "It's good to see you're still here, Kei-chan. I'm sorry it took so long, but there were plenty of things to prepare for you. I wasn't expecting to have the chance to educate you, because the plan was originally to just change you to be under Akiteru's custody. All that needs to happen is for the papers to be signed, and then I won't have to see your disgusting face ever again," he said, grinning cruelly as he gestured for Kei to stand up.

The blond did as told, his heart rate quickening as he watched Mazuko press a button on his phone, and the door to the room locked. It made things infinitely harder; he should have tried to run when he had the chance.

His reaction didn't seem to hinder Mazuko's confidence, the man smirking and taking a step towards Kei. "I wonder if it's possible to make sure you'll never want to be with a man again, even when I'm not there to stop you? Kuroo Tetsurou, that's his name, right?" the man drawled, letting out a quiet chuckle as he watched the blond's eyes widen.

Kei froze at hearing that, slowly turning to be looking towards Mazuko, who was smirking. "It wasn't hard to figure that one out, Kei-chan. From talking to your coach about your progress, it was easy to deduce that it was between him or the Haiba kid, and I took a gamble as to who it was. By your reaction, it seems I was correct. Maybe you think you love him now, but soon you'll realise that he's just going to control you in the end. Just like me, he'll hate you, but just like with me, you won't be able to bring yourself to leave him. You'll think that if you just try to be a bit better, if you were better behaved, if you could make him proud, that he'll change. But once he turns cruel and cold, he won't come back from that."

Closing his eyes, Kei tried to remember that Tetsurou loved him already as he was, and all of the nights they'd spent curled up in each other's arms, instead of the words coming out of his father's mouth, and instead of the self loathing thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him. 'But you left Tetsurou, Kei. What if he doesn't love you anymore? What if he doesn't want you anymore?'

Shaking his head, he rid himself of that thought. Tetsurou wasn't like his father, he wasn't cruel. Not once had he ever set standards on Kei, made him feel small, or tried to manipulate him. From the bottom of his soul, through and through, Kuroo was a good, kind person, and he loved Kei. That, he truly believed. With that in mind, he tried to focus on what Kuroo had said back in the room when they'd first confessed, when Kei was first at his most vulnerable.

'I love you so much, firefly, and I'll tell you over and over again, for all eternity.'

That's right, his Tet-kun had said that to him. Over and over, he was quick to remind the blond just how much he cared. For a moment, he could see Kuroo's face so clearly in his mind, remember the kind and loving expression, and the gentle nature of his touch as he caressed his hair.

"He doesn't really love you, Kei-chan. He's only focused on what you can do for him. He'll use you, take advantage of your love, and then get rid of you once he's had enough. You don't seriously expect him to stay with you forever, right?"

The coldness of those words broke through that memory, and anger and rebellion began to bubble up. Kuroo had told him, he'd promised Kei. Kuroo wasn't cruel, he was nothing like the man Mazuko was trying to convince him he was, Tetsurou wasn't like that. 'You never have to do anything for my love. I fell in love with you for you.' His Tet-kun had said that, and Kei knew he'd meant that.

At his lack of reaction, Mazuko laughed bitterly, taking a step closer, so that Kei was backed against the wall. It took all he had to stop himself from kicking him back, from trying to escape, when he knew there was still so much time left under the man's control. And so, Mazuko continued to speak, his words venomous, as if they were coated in poison. "Who would ever love someone like you, anyways? Your personality is so bitter, it's a wonder you even have any friends at all. You're so cold, nobody could ever be happy if they were in a relationship with you."

'Whether they're big or small smiles, I love seeing you smile. Even more, I love the way you look when you're really happy, because your eyes light up and it makes me want to be happy too.'

There had been far too many times when Kei had asked himself the same questions as Mazuko, wondering what Kuroo was doing with him. That also meant there had been many times when his boyfriend had told him just how much he cared, and just how happy he was to be with him. Mazuko was in control of the situation, but Kei knew he had to be strong for Kuroo, so he could thank him for all the times he'd been there in the past week, making him feel loved and special.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Mazuko-sama," Kei said calmly, clenching his fists and opening his eyes, meeting Mazuko's gaze. "He's happy with me, I know he is. I've seen it myself, the joy in his eyes when he looks at me."

"Maybe, but wouldn't he be happier with someone else? A pretty girl, closer to his age, who could have his children? You can never provide for him the same way a woman could. Just because you're a man, you can never be the perfect partner. You're weak. You're untalented. You aren't ever going to be good enough, and one day he's going to leave you." The man had seemed to find his confidence rather amusing, laughing as he cupped Kei's cheek. The touch was cold and sweaty, hollow almost. The blond didn't like it, but his main focus was to keep calm. When everything was over, he could go back to being in Kuroo's arms, to that warmth and safety.

'Well, I happen to think that you're beautiful just the way you are...You're amazing, you're beautiful, and I'm never going to leave you'

Tetsurou had assured him many times that he was perfect just the way he was. Even if he didn't need to, he always liked telling it to Kei before they fell asleep, and in the morning, and any other time he couldn't do so, his eyes told the whole story. Kei was his firefly, his moonshine, and Mazuko had no right to presume otherwise.

"You've always known that I didn't care about you, so I suppose this parting is easy enough for both of us. But when you realise he's been cheating on you, when he leaves you for a beautiful woman who is going to provide for him for the rest of his life, it's going to crush you. You'll be moving to Miyagi later today, and it's hours away from him. He could be cheating on you, and you'd never know. He won't want to be with you, long distance relationships are hard, and he's busy enough with his third year and volleyball. You'll only bring him down, Kei, so just give up."

His father's words were stinging, and at the mention of moving away, they struck a chord in his heart. But they were words said without any proof or evidence, words that were said with the desire to hurt him. Maybe he would bring Kuroo down, or make things harder, but he refused to believe that until discussing everything with Kuroo.

After he let Mazuko get under his skin and cause him so much pain, after feeling so weak and dependent on others, Kei was sick of it. Something else that Kuroo had said to him that day stuck in his mind, and it was giving him strength for the moment, strength to resist being compliant like he had every other time in his life.

'So please, let me love you, let me in, and I'll make sure it all turns out good in the end' Kei decided that he would trust in that. Tetsurou had never failed him before, and he believed that this would be no different. He was Tetsurou's, and Tetsurou was his. Kei trusted in his boyfriend, and the promises they had made together.

"You're wrong." Pain blossomed across his knuckles as the punch landed, but Kei didn't care. Watching his father stumble back, and then proceed to storm out of the room in anger—that was satisfaction enough.

x-X-x

It was just past seven when Akiteru and Kuroo arrived at the estate, parking on the side of the road and exiting the car as soon as possible. Akiteru went up to the door first, knocking loudly on the door and awaiting an answer. Tetsurou failed to see how simply knocking and waiting was a good idea, but he supposed that the man knew what was best to do when it came to the Tsukishima's. Kei's biological parents didn't seem to make any sense to him, and he didn't want to make an attempt to understand people as twisted as them.

He was still confused as to why they would make him go back to Miyagi now, of all times. Tetsurou was just glad that Kei would be safe there, even if it meant being far away from him, and far away from their team at Nekoma. Now wasn't time to ponder on the future, though, not when the things right in front of them were so uncertain.

Kuroo was a little surprised when the door opened almost immediately, the man at the door looking at the two of them coldly. "What are you doing here this early, Akiteru? And with that... thing... no less. We agreed that you would be here at 10, and that we would discuss things then," Mazuko said, distaste in his voice as he glanced towards Kuroo. His bottom lip appeared to have been bleeding, but that didn't seem to affect his demeanour at all.

"I thought it would be best to get things sorted out earlier, since it's a long drive back down and I don't want Kei to be tired before school. He has a big day tomorrow, after all. Tetsurou wanted to come along to pick Kei up, but he can always stay in the car if it means we can get this exchange done quicker," Akiteru explained calmly, not backing away from his father, and gesturing for Kuroo to stay back.

It took Mazuko a few moments to think, before he nodded, gesturing for them to enter. "That filthy rat can come in, it doesn't make much difference to me. I'll go get the forms now. It really is a shame you came when you did, though. I was just about to have Hana-chan teach Kei-chan a few things, just like Mayumi-chan taught you all those years ago, Akiteru," Mazuko muttered, glancing over at the woman and pulling out his phone to unlock the door Kei was in. "Maybe it's better this way, though. Less potential for police involvement. Hana-chan, go and get 'it' from the room for me, please? I'm afraid your services and expertise aren't needed, but I'll pay you in full for your time once this is all done."

The raven gritted his teeth when he watched the woman walk off, trying his best not to show any signs of aggression as Mazuko also began to head to a cabinet, pulling out a manilla folder out of one of the drawers. Akiteru had warned him not to do anything that might seem even vaguely threatening, but it was hard to keep his cool with what it was Mazuko had been implying he'd wanted to happen, and what he'd made happen to Akiteru.

"Do you have anything you want to say, rat?" Mazuko had turned around, his eyes trained on Kuroo as he walked back, sneer on his face. Tetsurou bit his tongue, fighting to keep in the insults he wanted to send, staying back so he was right at the door. "Don't you stress, I didn't hurt a single hair on that thing's head. You should know, I didn't hurt it once, it was the one that hit me first. If you really want that piece of shit, it's yours."

Seeing the way that Mazuko was acting, Kuroo became more and more worried. It wasn't like Kei to actually be violent with someone, and he supposed that his boyfriend must have either been really agitated or felt unsafe if he'd lashed out. Still, Tetsurou knew better than to fall prey to the taunting, and simply stayed silent. For a minute or so, the room was devoid of any noise aside from the ticking of the clock, before there were footsteps from the hallway, and Hana returned.

Kei was staying a good few metres behind her, standing stiffly and looking glaring over at Mazuko. Tetsurou was quick to notice the bruises on his knuckles, and the way that his hands were trembling as he fidgeted with them. The sight made him more than angry, but he held that in as he watched Kei enter the room. The blond didn't spot him straight away, and instead continued to be glaring at Mazuko when he saw him.

"So, you decided to be 'kind' to me again, huh?" His voice was angry, but even behind that, Tetsurou could tell that Kei was simply doing his best to stay strong. "I hope you liked the parting gift I gave you?"

Mazuko shrugged, a smirk making its way to his face, not even attempting to hide the hatred in his eyes. "Well, I suppose you could say that Akiteru came early, and with vermin. I didn't want to be seen with vermin outside my home, and the quickest way to get rid of that vermin is to give it what it wants. Vermin carries disease, after all, and if I were to get sick by trying to withhold it's garbage, that wouldn't be good at all."

The moment Mazuko had mentioned vermin, Kei's eyes scanned across the room, not taking much time until they reached Kuroo. His glare fell, and though his expression softened, he seemed surprised to see Kuroo there.

"Hana-chan, go wait in the other room. Now, Akiteru and I will get this sorted out. You, on the other hand," he said to Kei, gaining the blond's attention, "You run along to the rat there now, okay? I take back what I told you earlier, about you not being good enough. You belong with it, seeming as you're a filthy piece of shit, and rats just love garbage."

"You're right about one thing," Kei scoffed, not taking his eyes off Mazuko as he made his way over to Tetsurou. Akiteru glanced at Kuroo, giving him a weak smile, before leaving the room with Mazuko.

As soon as they were alone, Kei's demeanour changed immediately, dropping his guard and moving to be standing in front of the raven, looking down. "Tet-kun?" he said quietly, his voice barely audible even despite the quietness encompassing the rest of the room.

"Firefly, I'm here now," Tetsurou replied, his voice gentle as he opened his arms for the blond. Kei couldn't bring himself to look up, but visibly relaxed when he heard the older teen's voice. "I'm right here, my love. Everything is going to be alright, moonshine, I promise."

Slowly, Kei lifted his head, meeting the gaze of his boyfriend. Kuroo had tears silently slipping down his face, but his expression was as loving and as tender as it had always been. "I love you, Tet-kun..." he whispered, not hesitating any longer and moving to wrap his arms tightly around the raven. His legs were shaking, and Kei quickly found himself relying on Kuroo to help him stand. "I'm sorry for leaving, for hurting you. I was scared of leaving you, of having to say goodbye, and I-"

"Shh, sweets, it's alright. I forgive you, firefly, there's no need to worry," Tetsurou murmured lovingly, tenderly running his hands through the blond's hair, and holding him close. Kei leaned into the embrace, taking in his scent and familiarising himself once more with Kuroo's warmth. "I was scared too, we both were. And we do things we regret when we're afraid, because it seems like the best course of option at the time. It hurt a lot, but most of all I was worried about you, and I just wanted you to be safe. You're going to be safe, now."

"But I'm not going to be here with you, Tetsurou. I have to move away, from you, and from Lev, and from Nekoma. I don't want to leave all of this behind, not when it's become everything to me," he whispered, trying his best not to break down. "I'm scared. I don't want to hold you back, or waste your time, when there are more important things you could be focusing on."

"I know you're scared, baby, I am too, and I don't want to see you go. But, it'll hurt less knowing you're with Yamaguchi and Akiteru, where that horrible man isn't going to hurt you. Knowing that you're only a phone call away, and that every day we can talk, that's going to make me happy. I'll be happy, knowing I'm yours, even if it's not going to be easy. If you had to live here, I can't imagine what he would have done to you. I don't want to, because he's already done far too much. I love you, and you moving away doesn't change my feelings for you, or make you any less important to me. Whether you're with me in Tokyo, or with Akiteru in Miyagi, I'll still be your boyfriend, and only yours."

Kuroo pressed a soft kiss into Kei's hair, sniffling softly as he did so. The blond could tell that he was trying not to let it all out, but also that Tetsurou was right. His father had previously said he'd take him away from 'that stupid school', meaning that he probably would have been more isolated from the raven if he was going to stay with Mazuko.

Just like Kuroo had told him all those times before, he loved Kei, and he wasn't going to leave him. They would be able to make this work.

"You can cry, Tet-kun," Kei said eventually, allowing a few tears of his own to fall. "I'll cry too, and we can both just cry together until it doesn't feel as scary. I don't want you holding it in for me, because you're hurting just as much as I am, and as your boyfriend I want to help you just as much as you want to help me."

Tetsurou let out a soft whimper, and not long after, the older teen was letting out quiet sobs, clinging onto Kei as he began to cry properly. It hurt, hearing that sound, but the blond was glad that his boyfriend wasn't holding it in anymore. They both had hurt they needed to let out; what happened to him had an effect on Tetsurou as well, he'd realised that after the first incident.

"I'm safe now, because you and Aki-nii came. Everything you've told me, it gave me strength, because each time he said something to me, your voice was in my head convincing me otherwise. You helped me to be strong, to finally stop letting him control my life. You said that if I let you in, if I let you love me, that it would be alright in the end. I trust you, and in us, that we can get through this. Together."

"Kei-Kei, god," Kuroo whispered, sniffling and pulling away a little so he could properly look at him. Their faces were both tearstained, but neither of them really cared or felt ashamed. The Tsukishima household faded into grey for the moment, and all that mattered was that they were together again. "I couldn't be more proud of you. You, all of that stuff, you really remembered it all? God, you're amazing, firefly."

"Well, it's hard to forget when you're always telling me," Kei mumbled, letting out a quiet laugh and gently wiping the raven's eyes. "I'm grateful for it, though. It's odd, I feel like I should be more shaken up after everything... but it just feels, it feels like I'm finally free. Wait, Tet-kun, are you crying again?"

"...Maybe? I just, I can't help it. I feel so relieved, and happy, and anxious, and it's just so hard to keep my emotions in check. But I don't want to keep them hidden when it's with you, because I don't need to worry that you'll think any less of me because of it, and all that."

The younger teen let out a shaky sigh of relief, before smiling fondly at Kuroo and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "You're so sweet, my angel. I'm not sure if I should ask why the hell you're here, but I'm not going to complain about any extra time I get to be by your side, even if that time is spent crying."

Kuroo laughed softly when he heard that, and less than a moment later he brought his boyfriend back into a hug, burying his head in the crook of Kei's neck. Said male was just happy that he'd been able to hear him laugh, the sound a familiar and treasured one.

Kei would cherish any more relaxed moments like this, especially since things were going to be a lot more serious later on, once he left to go to Miyagi. The fact that what almost happened to him happened to Akiteru still lingered in his mind, and as optimistic as they were, long distance relationships were never going to be that simple. It wasn't all over yet, as much as they'd all wished it could be.

The two of them took a few more minutes together like that, not saying much more and just finding comfort in each other's arms as the tears dried up. The minute they heard footsteps from down the hallway, they pulled away from the hug in place of Kuroo wrapping an arm around Kei. Akiteru was tense and clearly frustrated, the folder held close to his chest as he walked towards the door. "I hope I never have to see you again, Mazuko," he said, opening the door and gesturing for Kei and Tetsurou to follow.

The blond wasn't going to give Mazuko the benefit of another word, and the two teens left in silence, closing the door behind them.

The minute they were out, Kei had moved from behind beside Kuroo, to having his arms wrapped around Akiteru, pulling him in for a tight hug. His brother was quick to return it, holding him just as tightly.

"Aki-nii," he said quietly. "I love you, Nii-san. Thank you. If not for you-"

"Kei, it's alright. You're my baby brother, and I love you. I would do anything to make sure you were kept safe, especially from those two. When you told me what they said in that letter, there was no way I could let that happen. I've lived most of my adult life in fear of them, and I didn't want you to have to suffer like I did. Now, as much as I want to have this conversation with you, it's not a conversation we can have here. We should probably get back to Kuroo's house first, if it's alright to be there?"

At the mention of his name, Kuroo looked over, nodding and giving them a small smile. "Yeah, that's okay. My mothers adore Kei, and I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be welcome either. I'll let them know that we're coming and that everyone is alright."

Akiteru relaxed hearing that, and he pulled away from the hug, passing Kei his phone back before gesturing for him to get in the car. "Let's go then. It's been an extremely long morning for all of us, and the sooner we're away from this shithole, the better."

"Let's go home, Kei-Kei," Tetsurou whispered as they took their seats in the back of the car. Once their seatbelts were on, he took Kei's hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss over each of his knuckles, until he finally laced their fingers.

The look in Kei's eyes was loving as he gave his boyfriend a warm smile, and shook his head. "I'm already at home, Tet-kun, with you and Akiteru by my side. I love you, Tetsurou.

The raven laughed quietly, leaning in so they could share a kiss, before nuzzling his nose against Kei's. "I think I must be rubbing off on you, because that's super sappy, firefly. I love you too, moonshine, I love you too."