Birthday Special! [Kuroo Tetsurou, Makoto Tachibana & Miyuki Kazuya]

Tachibana Makoto [Different]

Prompt: Demigod

Part three!!

*****

Makoto knew he was a bit different. He couldn't remember when exactly he started thinking that, but he knew he was a bit different. He never paid attention why the fishermen couldn't go to the sea every time he was upset, never paid attention how every time he peered down to the water a calm day, small fishes would swim to him. But he did pay attention at the voices on his head on the fish markets, all screaming 'Prince! It's the Prince!' or sometimes asked for help. Little Makoto never answered to those screams, he'd close his ears tight and cried for his mother.

But, more than any of it, Makoto paid attention on how no matter how scared he became to the water, it will always accept him back. Gently enveloping him in a warmth he never understood, like a warm blanket on winter night. Scary it might be for him, it gave him a sense of security at the same time.

Maybe that's why, while a part of him wanted to turn his back at the two teenagers in front of him, another part felt like he should believe them.

"So," Makoto started after what seemed an eternity, "you're saying I'm a... what? A child of god?"

The black haired one, Kuroo was his name, grinned. "Yep, the term is demigod. Looking from your swim earlier, I guess all three of us can guess who your godly parent is."

The olive haired teen curled his fists, watching the two back and forth. "Why should I trust you?"

The other, a brown haired teen who introduced his name as Miyuki earlier, sighed. "I know you have a lot of questions. But do you think you can go and change?" Makoto looked down and remembered that he was still using his swimming trunks with his towel around his neck. The two had come to him literally as soon as he was finished with his competition. Even Haru and the others went back already after a confirmation that he would be okay. "Tetsu dragged me here after I finished my competition, so I'm really hungry right now."

"You play sports?"

Miyuki nodded, "Baseball."

Makoto nodded in understatement. He grabbed his googles and swimming cap. "Wait for me a bit then."

Kuroo waved at him cheerfully as he walked away. "Don't try to run away, Makoto. I can catch up with you if you do," he said, grinning with a mischievous glint on his eyes, "you can't outrun a son of Hermes on land."

*****

Makoto ended up following them through the streets of Tokyo.

Right now, the two of them were currently debating on where to eat, while Makoto was gripping tight to the straps of his bags. He texted Haru and Amatsuka-sensei about going out with the two, and while Amatsuka-sensei was easy bought with him saying those two were his distant relatives, telling Haru he would be okay was harder than he thought.

"Do you have any preference?" Makoto looked up when Miyuki asked him. "We can go somewhere you like."

Makoto shook his head, "This is my first time in here, so, no. I'll follow you guys."

Kuroo pumped his fist to the air. "Good! Let's eat fish!"

The three of them ended up on a family restaurant. Kuroo ordered mackerel for himself, while Miyuki ordered gyudon and Makoto ordered curry. When the waitress gave them a smile and told them to wait for their orders, both Kuroo and Miyuki turned all their attention to him.

"Poseidon, huh?"

Poseidon? Makoto felt like he heard that name before.

"What?"

"Your godly parent," Miyuki explained, "there's no one but him that could explain how good you are in water."

"Have you seen my friend?" Makoto said, "Haru is better in water than I am. Please don't talk as if I believe you."

Kuroo hummed. "You're right, he's good. But different than you."

"How so?"

"You look like you're at home. Haru opens the water when he swims, but on your case, it looks like the water is opening by itself, giving you a way to move. Right now, the reason why I think that you guys didn't won despite having you in the team is because you didn't understand the feeling, so rather than using it for your advantage, you're too comfortable on water you forgot about the race."

"That doesn't make sense," Makoto objected. "Too comfortable on water? Please don't make fun of us—"

"Makoto," Miyuki cut him, his golden eyes staring back at him with an intensity Makoto never saw before. "Look at me straight in the eye, and be honest. Is your life really that normal?"

Makoto wanted to say yes, it was. But he couldn't. Not when he remembered the fishes calling out at him on the fish markets, not when he remembered the mysterious bright light appeared for a few seconds hanging above his head on one summer night he was separated with Haru on the summer festival.

Makoto looked away from him.

"You can't right," Miyuki leaned back to his chair. He pointed at a fish tank beside the counter not far from them. "Let's see if we're correct. Can you tell me what those fishes are talking about?"

"What? Miyuki-kun, I can't talk to fishes—"

"Try it."

Makoto looked at both of them. Miyuki looked like the top student of his class trying to figure out a problem while Kuroo looked too excited for something so weird.

He gulped, before focusing on the fishes swimming on the tank. There weren't a lot, but they're different coloured, which was good for the restaurant atmosphere.

"—nce. It's the Prince!"

Makoto almost jumped out of his seat when he heard a voice inside his head. Both Miyuki and Kuroo lighted up. "What do they say?"

"Prince! It's the Prince!" the fishes on the tank swam all over the tank, all chanting the same thing. Makoto's cheeks darkened. "They called me 'Prince'." He mumbled. Beside him, Miyuki looked too proud of himself.

One of the fishes stopped moving, and then turned to face Makoto and the others. "Wait, who's that chicken-head beside him?"

Makoto snorted, turning to Kuroo. "One of them called you chicken-head."

"Oi!" Kuroo turned to the tank, "Makoto tell me which one, I'm gonna eat it."

"Calm down, Tetsu," Miyuki laughed, "do you believe us now?"

Makoto looked at both of them, trying to find a speck of lie from their eyes but found none. He sighed in defeat, "So, what, my dad is not my real dad? And I'm a what? Child of Poseidon? What was the god of again?"

"A lot of things," Miyuki answered, "but most famous for being God of the Ocean. By the way, my mother is Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Tetsu's father is Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods."

"You guys seemed to be really okay with this." Makoto commented.

Kuroo laughed, but once he stopped, his lips curled in a sad smile. "Life is not easy as a demigod in Tokyo. More monsters than in Iwatobi."

"Monsters?" Makoto looked at them in horror. "What do you mean monsters?"

"Exactly what we said. Iwatobi is small compared to Tokyo and is surrounded by water, you being close with your source of power might be the reason why they won't chase after you. After all, you might be the son of one of the Big Three, but as far as I know we're the only demigods in Japan. Me and Tetsu being on the same city means it attracts more monsters than you."

Questions flooded his mind. Apparently Makoto could talk to fish and his father was a Greek God. But where was he all this time? Does his parents knows? Will he start to attract monsters like the other two?

Miyuki watched as their waitress came back with them with a tray of their orders.

"Anyway, let's pause that first, I'm starving and the food is here." He smiled at Makoto. "Don't worry, we'll answer all your questions."