"Woah! Why are you putting that there?!"

Bokuto's mother looked up. "What?"

Bokuto quickly took the lamp shade his mother was trying to put over a candle. "Mom. I love you, I really do. But that is something really stupid me would do."

Kuroo laughed. "Here, I've got the lighting. You just focus on the blankets and stuffed animals." Kuroo took the lampshade and placed it next to the lamp he was working with.

"I would lose my head if it weren't for you two." She picked up a bear from the changing table and smiled. "He's going to love this room."

Bokuto and Kuroo paused. "Him?"

"Oh shoot! Sorry!"

"This is great! Mom!" Bokuto hugged her carefully. "What are you gonna name him?!"

"Woah, woah calm down. We don't know yet."

Bokuto looked to Kuroo to see his reaction but he wasn't looking too well. "Kuroo? Hey man, what's wrong?"

Kuroo put his hand over his mouth, taking deep breaths. Bokuto's mother touched his arm gently. "You need to sit down. Now."

"I-" he shut his eyes tight. Bokuto put an arm around his waist and eased him out of the room, into the bathroom. Kuroo leaned over the toilet but nothing would come out.

"You just nauseous?"

"Mhmm."

"You haven't felt well since yesterday. If you want, you can just go lay down. I've got things over here."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Bokuto went back to his mother and helped put away the rest of the baby's things. When he went to go check on Kuroo he was still in the bathroom, still curled up next to the toilet bowl. "You okay?"

"Just nauseous."

"Want some meds? Or like... lemon juice?"

Kuroo shook his head. "I just need a few more minutes. I'm sure it'll come up."

"You do you dude." Bokuto closed the door and turned around. He startled. "Hey Mom."

"Hi honey. Are you going to spend the weekend with your mom?"

"Uh... I guess. I'm too old for formal visits."

She nodded sadly. "Just for one night if possible?"

"Of course! You know I love being over here instead."

"I know but I really need your help over these next few weeks. The baby is due any day and with your father gone it's been stressful..." She smiled nervously. "I just need a bit of help."

"I'll be here to help. I'm gonna go grab some lemon juice for Kuroo. He's nauseous."

"Oh can you grab some crackers from the kitchen too?"

"Mhmm!" Bokuto walked off and got the snack and the little container of juice. As he walked by the window he frowned. A car was sitting outside in his driveway. Bokuto watched as a man got out of the vehicle and noticed him circle Kuroo's truck. He frowned. Why was he interested in some beat up truck?

He set down the crackers and juice before opening the door. "Hey! Hey! Hey! What're you doing?"

The man looked up. "Excuse me sir are you Kuroo Tetsurou?"

"Ah no. Did you need to talk to him?"

"Please."

"He's sick right now so it's gonna take me a minute." Bokuto ran upstairs. "Dude I think there's a cop looking for you."

Kuroo flushed the toilet. "Yay..."

Bokuto helped him up. "It all came up?"

"I hope that was all of it." Kuroo sighed. "I've been like this since I saw that woman."

Bokuto rubbed his back. "Believe me, you'll be okay as soon as the shock of it all goes away." He took him to the door and brought the crackers to his mother. When he checked the driveway some time later Kuroo's truck and the cop car were gone.

****

Kuroo's mother clicked her pen over and over, mind racing. Bokuto strode up and smiled. "Ms. K!"

"Kotarou! You're lucky I didn't stab you with this damned pen!"

Bokuto grinned. "Oh but Ms. K I brought you flowers. You can give Tetsu a flower too if he's not feeling well still."

"He's okay. He's playing with Gary."

"The penguin?"

"Yep."

"Ah. I was just coming to say goodbye. I gotta spend a night or two with my bio mom and didn't want to freak you guys out if I didn't respond."

"Oh it's alright. Go ahead and go say bye." She turned to her laptop and sighed at the sheer amount of emails she had on her screen. Everything was under wraps but it was worrying people.

Bokuto hurried to where Kuroo usually hung out with Gary. He tapped on the glass to try and get his attention but he didn't move. He groaned and went around back, going into the enclosure. Gary chirped at him happily and waddled closer. Bokuto pet his head. "You taking care of my buddy?"

He looked up to see Kuroo sleeping on one of the rocks. He walked over and touched his arm.

"Kuroo?"

Kuroo opened his eyes slightly. "Mm?"

"You fell asleep in Gary's space."

"Mm... okay."

Bokuto laughed quietly. "Would you like to go lay down somewhere else?"

"Sure, why not?" Kuroo lifted his arm and Bokuto carried him to the couches in the lobby. The aquarium was closed anyways so no one would see him.

"I've got to go to my mom's house for a day or two. Just wanted to come say bye."

"Oh. Okay." Kuroo pat his shoulder. "Bye."

"Bye! Call me if you need me back for work!" He walked off and left the building. His birth mother was out front waiting for him, on her phone. He got in the car and she glanced over.

"I'll be gone tonight. My boyfriend will be there but you're gonna have to cook for yourself."

"Oh. I thought we would eat together like we used to do when I was-"

"Also I need you to help your sister clean up the house a bit. It seems as if the bitch can't clean up her own messes."

"Woah don't call her a bitch!" Bokuto reached for his belt buckle. "I'll leave right now if you say something like that again."

"Are you serious right now?" She glared. "You can at least stay at my house for a night."

"Not if you're going to talk bad about either of my sisters."

"Alright fine I take it back." She started the car and they went to her house. Bokuto went straight to his sister and greeted her as he always did. She hugged him back and they talked until his mother told him she was leaving. Both relaxed and cleaned a bit.

Honestly he wished that he could take the poor girl back with him so she could be more relaxed but that just wasn't happening. He slept in her room and in the morning they walked to get breakfast, both still in pajamas despite the odd looks. Honestly who cared?

****

Kuroo watched the waves as he sat outside, calmed. He was in the same spot from a few days prior, just in a better state of mind. It was calmer now and the wind wasn't too bad. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

As he did so an absolutely spine chilling feeling came over him. He shook it off and shuddered. He went back inside to where his mother was sipping at coffee.

"Is everything closed down for the night?"

"Yep. Can we get McDonald's or something? I'm hungry."

"Your father made dinner." She sighed. "Some shittt stew like always."

"Mama... come on."

"No, not come on. The man can't cook right."

"You two have issues." He yawned softly. "I'm seriously hungry though. Wanna drive my truck?"

"Why not?" She got up and stretched. "You holding up okay?"

"I think so." Kuroo tossed her his keys. "I did just get the chills but I think I'll be fine."

"Good to know." They walked out into the night. The air was warm and smelled of saltwater like usual during the early summer. She opened Kuroo's truck and Kuroo froze. He gulped, feeling electricity shoot down his spine.

"Mama?"

"What?"

Kuroo looked up. "I can't move at all."

"Tetsurou stop fucking playing around."

Kuroo shakily breathed, his eyes filling with tears. Some sort of music was floating in his mind that was eerily calm. "Mama!"

She hurried out of the truck and got him to move into the truck. As soon as the doors closed he gasped for air, all of his hair standing up. "Good God what was that?!"

"I don't know! There was music playing and all of a sudden I couldn't move!"

"There was no music Tetsurou!"

Kuroo looked over.

Sirens.

Not the sound, no.

The creature.

Was his mom right?

Surely she couldn't be right. Sirens we're a myth created by people a long time ago. Now they knew the cold hard facts and there was nothing to prove the existence of sirens. Besides even if they were real they would fall prey to some sort of oceanic animal. Myths were myths no matter what. Science was real and-

Kuroo heard the music again and hurriedly grabbed his headphones from the center console, shoving them in his ears. The music stopped again and he put his hands over his eyes.

"Tetsu... I'm going to set up a therapy appointment, okay?"

Kuroo nodded. "Please do."

She leaned over and kissed the side of his head. "I love you."

"I-I know. I love you too." Kuroo hugged her close. "I want to go home."

"We're about to go home. It's okay. I promise."

Kuroo finally let go and was taken home. His father told him to eat and he did, not wanting to argue tonight. He went to his room and shoved his head between pillows as his parents started to yell again. He grabbed his phone, sobbing into his pillows as he tried to type out a text to Bokuto.

An hour later Bokuto was climbing through his window, rushing to hold him. "Breathe. Tetsurou, breathe."

Kuroo clung to Bokuto, shaking.

"What happened?"

"They're fighting."

"Again?" Bokuto held Kuroo to his chest, wrapping him in a blanket. "I've got you. I promise."

Kuroo nodded, wrapping his arms around Bokuto's. Bokuto rubbed his back.

This had been a common occurrence over the past few years. Bokuto snuck in and comforted him all the time. He was fragile despite portraying himself as big and masculine. It had been an issue to the point Kuroo his himself in his closet and sobbed, Bokuto squeezed in the space with him so he would feel safe. Bokuto was bigger than both of his parents and had no issues with hurting anyone as long as he had a reason.

"Hey, hey, hey did you fall asleep?"

Kuroo stayed quiet, curled up safely. Bokuto smiled.

"There you go..." he ran his fingers through Kuroo's hair, on his phone for now.

The yelling stopped and a door slammed but everything was silent now. Kuroo's mother opened the door and stared. "Kotarou?"

"Hey..."

"Is he...?"

"He's okay. I think. Whatever you guys were yelling about must have scared him." He covered Kuroo up better and tightened his grip. Kuroo hummed, nodding. "Has he been better?"

"He sat out behind the building today and when we went to leave he couldn't get in the car. I don't know what's wrong with him but my mother called me and said she and her friends heard something like a woman singing. I really do worry that it may be a siren."

"Sirens aren't really a thing-"

"Don't underestimate what my mother says. She has never been wrong."

Bokuto nodded. He felt Kuroo move and sat up a bit. "You doing okay there man?"

Kuroo grabbed Bokuto's shoulder and turned around to lay on his other side.

"I can't wait until you finally confess to him."

"What? No. I'm not attracted to him, sorry. Not enough time to develop crushes on people between graduation and jobs and family." Bokuto smiled.

"Odd." Kuroo's mother left and Bokuto sat still, frustrated. He really didn't have any romantic attraction to Kuroo at all. Maybe when they were younger but not anymore. He hated the fact that he was a gay man having to constantly tell people that he wasn't interested in them. He was nowhere close to crushing on his male friends or even Kuroo. Kuroo was like his brother if anything.

Bokuto laid him back down and left, knowing the fighting would be done for the night. He got home and helped his mother out with getting up the stairs, knowing it was difficult to walk up elevated spaces at the moment.

"Do you want me to get you tea or something?"

"No, no. I'm so tired of those teas." She groaned. "Praying that was a false contraction."

"If dad's not home when you give birth I'll be pissed."

"I will be too." She smiled. "Tomorrow."

"Yep!" Bokuto helped her to her room and got her pillow. They sat on her bed, Bokuto watching TV with her. A breeze came into the room through the open window and he froze up. A soft voice carried on the breeze, making him a bit scared. "Hey, do you hear that?"

"Mm?" His mother looked up sleepily from leaning into her body pillow.

"That woman. Hold on." Bokuto went to the window and looked out. He couldn't see the ocean from here but he could definitely smell it. The voice came again and panic washed over him. Something was wrong.