Chapter Text

CHAPTER 6

To : Great 🫅

Exams are finally over! 🎊

From: Great 🫅

Finally!!

I almost took up all the set time answering the test. How was yours?

Easy peasy 😎

What a braggart 🙄

😹

Wanna sneak a date before intense training starts?

Yes please 😩

Movies?

Yes, please! 😼

As you wish, your highness 🙇

Choose any movie you like 😉

You’re letting me choose? 🫨

Just this time 😑

Star Wars. 

Star Trek. 

A Space Odyssey

Interstellar. 

ET…

On a second thought...

No take backs! 😠

Don’t forget my milk bread, neko-chan!!

Caramel popcorn too!

“Spoiled brat.” Kuroo smirked as he started to prepare himself for the plan.

After meeting with Oikawa’s family, his own family ganged up on him to hound him with questions in a conniving way.

When Kuroo arrived back in Tokyo, he already expected to receive a third degree from them, whether it was in the morning before he went to school or in the evening during dinner time. He was half hoping that it would happen in the morning instead so that he could escape with the excuse of class but it didn’t, so he was quite on edge the whole time because he was certain that it was going to happen that day.

To his surprise and relief, the inquisition also didn’t happen during dinner time. The matters discussed were mostly about work and the itineraries the adults have for the week. He happily joined the conversation with them, assuming that his overnight at Oikawa’s wasn’t a big deal to them after all.

However, he came to the realization that his assumption was foolish.

Kuroo had an early breakfast with everyone the next day. They were up and lively when he joined them at the table. All looking at him with sly grins pasted on their faces. “Uhm, good morning?” he greeted them uncertainly, brows furrowing in confusion.

They took his greeting as a cue to bombard him with questions about Oikawa and the overnight situation. The teasing followed, and even his dad, Kuroo Tatsuki, joined the antics. His mother bragged about how right she was for feeling suspicious when he volunteered himself to go to Sendai and how correct it was to put the pieces together after she talked with Auntie Aoi about the interaction that the latter witnessed between their sons. 

Why are they like this now? Did they plan to give me a false sense of security yesterday? What a scheming bunch of actors!

“You should never underestimate a mother’s instinct, honey," his mother tutted.  

“For the record, I didn’t know I was delivering the documents to Mrs. Oikawa.” Kuroo defended himself. 

“But you went there to see her son, didn’t you? You owe me for directing you straight towards your goal that day!” His mom countered back, pleased with herself. 

“Grandson, I heard you manipulate your way to make little Oikawa-kun accompany you that day," his grandmother added, arching an eyebrow while his grandfather laughed in amusement, quipping proudly. “That’s my grandson!”

“Who told you that?” He stared at them in horror, hearing his mother snicker and he whined. “Mom!” 

“What? I only heard about it from Aoi-chan. She shared what happened that time.”

“I didn’t manipulate or anything!” He protested. “I merely told Auntie Aoi that I had a few hours of idle time!” 

His father coughed, hiding his smirk behind his coffee mug. “So, when’s our turn to meet him, son?” 

Kuroo snorted, crossing his arms defiantly. “If you guys don’t behave, I won’t let you meet him.” 

“Hey, that’s unfair!” Mother cried out. “I can’t wait to see Tooru-kun’s handsome face! His skin looks so smooth too!”

“How do you know that?” Grandfather asked in interest.

“I have his picture. Aoi-chan sent me one!” She pulled out her phone and showed the picture to the others. He took a peek and it was a selfie. He doesn't doubt that Oikawa must have stolen his mom's phone to take a selfie. Was he even aware that his mother sent his picture to my family? He’s going to flip out once I tell him about this. Ha.

“Isn’t he such a cutie too? I want to pinch his cheeks!”

"No, no one’s pinching his cheeks," he warned.

Mother pouted and countered. “I’ll ruffle his hair instead! Are his brown locks soft?”

“No. It’s frizzy so don’t touch it," he retorted, cringing at the thought of Oikawa hearing his comment.

“He really seems your type. I want to see you two standing side by side, dear grandson," Grandmother stated as she looked at the picture closely.

Mother giggled excitedly, agreeing, “Totally his type, right? Right?” 

“We could always just tell Ichiro-kun that we want to meet his son," Grandfather suggested with gleaming eyes.

Kuroo panicked at the idea. "Oh no, no, no. Mr. Oikawa will not be involved in this spoiled request. It would be extremely embarrassing." 

His father chuckled in mirth. “So, when are we going to meet Tooru-kun?”

He sighed in defeat. “Please be patient, dear old family. Let me just match everyone’s schedule first. Check the day when all are free to meet.”

“I can free up my schedule anytime as long as I’m finally meeting the person who got my son so overprotective," Father quipped teasingly yet also in seriousness.

Mother nodded repeatedly, urging, “Anything for Tooru-kun.” 

This scene really makes it look like Tooru is the king and his loyal subjects are eager to meet him up close. Do they really want to meet him this badly? Is it even safe for Tooru to meet them?

“Then let me just check Tooru’s schedule first. We’re both student athletes and are captains in our respective teams. We have responsibilities to consider," Kuroo emphasized, especially the word ‘responsibility’. 

Grandmother shot back, "Well, my first and foremost responsibility is to know the person who got my grandson all smiles and giddy for the last few months."

“Almost jumping on his feet whenever he’s on his way and getting back from his dates," Grandfather added, smirking playfully. 

“I don’t jump on my feet!”

“I said almost, dear.” 

His family laughed heartily on his behalf as he let out a deep breath, giving off the impression that his energy was gradually ebbing away.

“Alright, alright. We’ll wait, dear grandson. We’re a very patient group here.” Grandfather patted his back and smiled knowingly. His action meant that they would finally stop making fun of him, which made him feel relieved.

“I hope it’s soon, though!” 

“By the way, son, Ichiro told me you’re a great kid. You must’ve put your best foot forward during your dinner with the Oikawas, huh?” His father smirked, wiggling his brows mischievously.

"Dad!" He moaned in response to his father's playful taunts, sparking more laughter at the dinner table.

Now, how do I tell Tooru that the wolves want to meet him?

“Mom, I’m going to Sendai today," Kuroo told his mother when he stepped downstairs, fixing his watch on his wrist. She and his grandmother were in the living room during their morning tea while watching the news. 

“Can I come with you?” Mother responded, showing him her pitiful eyes.

“No, you have work to do," he retorted, raising his brows.

“Your father can handle the business by himself for a day or two," Mother waved off. 

“Can I join too? We can leave your grandfather for a day or two too.” His grandmother joined the conversation, taking a sip of her tea.

“They’re really persistent," he moaned in his mind, shaking his head to answer. “Not today. I’m sorry.”

“It’s been weeks already, Tetsurou!” His mother whined childishly. "Why are you still shielding him from us? We are not going to bite him!"

“Does Oikawa-kun even know that we’d like to meet him already?” Grandmother asked him sternly. 

Kuroo gulped a little at her stern look. He had not told Oikawa about his family's persistent nagging to see the latter. Oikawa inquired about their reactions, and because he believed they did not make a big deal out of it due to their acting scheme, he told him that they did not react to the overnight matter, and they moved on to another topic.

“I’ll tell him later, okay? Our schedule has been hectic lately with exams and training for the spring tournament. I’ll set it soon, I promise," he explained apologetically to the ladies. 

“You better do that.” His mother crossed her arms, pouting. Kuroo chuckled and kissed the two ladies' heads affectionately. “I will. See you later.”

He stuck to his promise and told Oikawa when they met that day; however, their schedules were full, especially with practices and training camps. They agreed to meet his family after the training camps but before the spring playoffs. 

[Another day]

From : Great 🫅

How’s training?

Exhausting, as expected. How about yours?

Same 😭

Call?

Please 🥹

[Different day]

To : Great 🫅

Then shorty suddenly jumped and tried to steal the Ace’s ball.

Are you kidding me?

I’m serious. It was quite a bump too.

You said that they’re trying new tricks.

They are learning new tricks. It seems like they’re absorbing every team’s specialty.

Damn

It’s no surprise, actually. Bet your team does it as well. Mine does it too, sometimes 🤷

Mhm

 Don’t overthink, your highness

I can hear the cogs on your mind already

Just train like usual but don’t overexert like last time, okay?

K 

I’m serious, your highness. Your knees might be strained again.

I can’t go there and take care of you.

I can take care of myself just fine.

Tooru.

Fine 😤 

I’ll stick to the individual practice schedule we’ve made for each other.

Good kid 👍🏻

[Another day]

Are you made out of copper and tellurium?

???

What are you on about?

Because you’re Cu Te

🤮

You and your chemistry pick up lines

It makes you blush though 😼

No, it doesn’t

Yes, it does!

It does not! 😠

Yes 😜

No!

Yeeeeeees

Shut up!

Hmp! 😤

I miss you, neko-chan 🙁

I miss you too, your highness ♥️

♥️

Kuroo positioned himself near the first floor vending machine while messaging with Oikawa. It was the first day of the week long training camp at Saitama. There are four other teams they are training with, including Karasuno High. His phone buzzed and a new message flashed on the screen. 

To : Great 🫅

OT: Stop teasing, you ungrateful servant 😡

He laughed at the reply and could imagine Seijoh captain's expression at the moment. Rolling eyes, embarrassed cheeks, and protruded lips. Adorable.

Take a picture of your face right now and send it to me 😂

What are you going to do with my picture? 😳

I’m going to give it to a witch and ask her to curse you 😈

WHAT THE HECK, KUROO! 🤬

I TOLD YOU TO STOP TEASING ME!

He roared with laughter as he typed his response, confident that he would not bother anyone because the team quarters are on the second and third floors.

“Tetsubro, what are you doing here all alone?” Bokuto approached him and dropped some coins in the vending machine. Kuroo raised a questioning eyebrow at him and asked, “Akaashi’s not with you?”

“He’s already asleep. He got tired from traveling, then training immediately. I told him to rest early," Bokuto explained while he hummed in response. 

Bokuto and Kuroo are close despite attending different schools. They already knew each other since they were kids because their families ran around the same circles in the city and they grew closer over the enjoyment of the same sport. Though they may not appear to be, these two are both heirs in their respective families. 

“I heard you’ve been busy lately," Bokuto said in a casual tone, leaning on the vending machine and holding his drink.

“Yeah, being in the college prep class and a team captain consumes a lot of time.”

Bokuto hummed knowingly. “Your timetable must be jampacked. Satobro even told me that he saw you at Sendai two weeks ago.”

Kuroo paused from typing on his phone and responded lowly. “Ohh”

“Uh-huh” The teasing tone was evident, as were the wiggling eyebrows on his friend’s face.

Kuroo kept his phone in his pocket and focused his attention on his knowingly smirking friend. He noted the playful tone of his close friend when he heard him add, “Busy visiting someone, eh?”

He rolled his eyes at the teasing and commented. “You and Tendou are terrible gossips.”

“We’re just amused at how the two of you quickly hit it off ever since the four of us hung out together.”

“Heh. You’re trying to pry some information," he responded. He raised a challenging eyebrow and checked whether the Fukurodani captain would attempt to deny his accusation.

“Will you give me some then?” Bokuto’s eyes twinkled in excitement. Kuroo sighed at his naive behavior and shook his head. "Oh, come on, share some details, will you? I promise I will only tell Satobro.”

He bonked his owl-haired friend and said teasingly, “Just focus on the training, Fukurodani Ace. Your spikes need improvement.”

“Liar! My spikes are already awesome!”

“I could still block them effortlessly.”

“Not true!”

Bokuto continued to discreetly and obnoxiously tease him and ask him about gossip during the next few days. Fortunately for Kuroo, though, the other teen was inherently easily distracted. All he has to do is bring up an interesting topic to quickly divert his attention, especially when Shrimpy is nearby, to offer easy compliments and make his friend appear conceited.

He mentioned to Oikawa about Bokuto and Tendou’s hunger for gossip, and the Great King vowed to track Tendou down on his end to give him a piece of his mind because they also needed to settle their score for giving out his number without his consent. “Will Tooru go to Shiratorizawa? Nah, he’ll probably just bombard Tendou with messages. He doesn’t want to see Ushiwaka’s face, or else he’ll probably commit murder.” Kuroo pondered, chuckling when he remembered a similar conversation he had with Oikawa during one of their previous dates.

Kuroo was practicing alongside Bokuto, Tsukki, Hinata, Akaashi, and Lev on the fourth day of the training camp. He suggested a 3 on 3 matches to help the younger athletes test out their current skills. 

Bokuto and Kuroo engaged in conversation and jesting at the court's corner during the water break. 

“Ne, Kurobro, I noticed that your serves improved, especially your jump serves.” 

“Really? I still think it’s the same.” 

“It’s getting stronger. Konoha even complained about it.” 

“That’s good, then. That means my hard work is starting to pay off.” 

Bokuto smirked, closing the cap of his jug. “Now that I think about it, someone must’ve been teaching you.”

“What are you on about?” Kuroo asked suspiciously as he took a sip of his water. 

“Satobro shared before that a certain captain slash setter actually has monstrous serves. Service Ace, something like that.” Bokuto wiggled his brows, obviously hinting about Aoba Johsai’s captain. 

This owl will never give up.

He snorted in displeasure. “Don’t you and Tendou have anything better to do than gossip?” 

Bokuto only laughed in satisfaction while Kuroo crossed his arms and eyed his friend provocatively. “Why don’t you improve your serves as well? Lev could even receive your serves with his eyes closed.”

"Hey! My serves are not that bad!" Bokuto retorted back indignantly, and then his face turned taunting. “Why don’t you tell Oikawa-kun to teach me as well or at least give me some tips?"

“In your dreams.” Kuroo bonked his water tumbler on Bokuto’s head while the latter just laughed loudly in return.

“Kuroo-san, Bokuto-san, one more set!” Hinata’s yell stopped the bickering between the two friends.

Kuroo was joking around with his teammates in their quarters when the Shinzhen team captain summoned him outside.

“There’s a delivery guy waiting for you at the school gate," the Shinzhen captain informed him as they walked to the gate. 

“Huh? Delivery?” 

The Shinzhen captain nodded. “Are you expecting one?”  Kuroo perplexedly shook his head, and droplets from his hair flew away because he had just showered.

 “Oh well, then maybe you’ll find out who it is from when you open it," the Shinzhen captain said mindlessly, gesturing at the delivery guy. “I’ll go ahead, man.” 

He nodded his head and watched him leave before approaching the delivery guy. He confirmed his identity, signed the form, and the delivery guy left after handing him a medium-sized parcel. 

“What the hell is this? Did Coach order something?” he wondered as he headed back to his team quarters.

His teammates looked at him with interest as he moved to the corner of the room where the desks were huddled up. They didn’t gather around him but he could feel their eyes all on him. He shrugged at them and turned his attention back to the parcel. He opened the box and was left puzzled. He saw energy drinks, powders, and bars. There were also protein bars and some assorted snacks. 

There was a smaller, sealed box, and when he opened it, it had the same energy drinks and protein bars, but his favorite snacks and yogurts were added to the bunch. He smirked when he saw the contents and read the note attached. “For Tetsu-chan only!”  

It doesn’t take a genius to guess who the sender was. The corner of his lips curled up.

He also noticed a note attached to one of the energy bars outside the smaller box. “Training must be really tough. Share these with your teammates.” He collected the notes as well as the smaller box. Grinning widely, he turned to his teammates, who were watching him eagerly. He slowly pointed at the box and stepped aside. “You can grab some of these if you like.” 

He saw his teammates brighten up and ran towards the parcel to check the contents. “Wow, these are a lot!” 

“Man, these protein bars are expensive!” 

“I’ll have some of those!” 

“Who sent this to you, Kuroo?” 

“I’ll have that snack!” 

“Lev, stop blocking the box!” 

Laughing at their excitement, he quietly headed towards the door and saw Kenma still playing his game without care of the commotion. “Kenma, there are snacks that you like. Grab some before they eat it all," Kuroo ordered while his pudding-head best friend eyed him quizzically, pausing his game before standing up and saying, “Thank you.” 

He shook his head, smilingly at his best friend’s actions, then exited the quarters. Once he was alone, he pulled out his phone while smirking mischievously.

To : Great 🫅

Your highness!

???

Is your training done for the day?

Mhm.

I have something to share 😳

Huh? What?

And what’s with the ‘ 😳’ ❓

I think I have a secret admirer.

Oh? 🤨

Why did you say that?

Did the other team managers hit on you there? 😑

Why? Jealous? 😼 

I received an unexpected parcel tonight. It didn’t say who it was from.

 Should I be? 🤨 

Oh! It finally arrived?

Naaah, they’re not you 😉

I feel so grateful for his effort. It was sweet of him. I wonder how I could thank this anonymous admirer of mine 🤔

Whatever🙄

You really like the idea of anonymity, huh?

You don’t? Don’t you like the feeling of mystery? 😏

In that case, you better let your teammates check the parcel’s contents instead. I don’t want to spoil the ‘mystery feels’ 🙄

Too late

(sent a photo the note and box.)

Thank you, your highness. I feel energized by your sweet gesture ✊

You really like to tease me 😠

I feel something is missing if I don’t tease you 😞 😹

What are you doing? Have time for a call?

I’m still out with mom right now. I’ll call you later instead

Alright

But if you’re tired already, just sleep. Let’s call when it’s convenient.

Nah, I’ll wait for you. I’ll just bother Bokuto right now. He’s been teasing me during training today 😐

You do that 😆

Oh! Give him some of the bars too. Say that I’ll kill him and Tendou soon for gossiping about us 😀 🔪

I will surely relay the message 🤣

Did your teammates like the bars and snacks?

Kuroo let out a gentle smile at the brunette’s thoughtful gesture.

Yes, they did, and they’re quarreling now about who will get what. Thank you for including them, great king.

I was planning to send you some meat too but you said you'd have barbecue on the last day before you leave 😆

Oh right! I forgot about the barbecue party! 😬

😹 Enjoy your stay there, neko-chan

Call you later!

Kuroo went to Fukurodani’s quarters and knocked on the door. It was Akaashi who opened it. He let out his signature smirk. “Is your drama ace captain there? I have something to tell him.”

“Ahh, Kuroo-san. Wait, let me just call Bokuto-san.” Akaashi replied in his usual monotone voice and went back inside the room.

“Tetsubro!” Bokuto greeted energetically as he went out of the room. 

“Why are you still energetic at this hour?” he drawled as they walked towards the stairs. 

“Why not?” Bokuto asked back innocently. 

Doesn’t he feel exhausted after the training? Kuroo sighed and changed the topic. “Here.” He gave his lively friend some energy and protein bars. 

Bokuto’s eyes lightened up in delight as he received them. "Oh, nice! Thank you, bro!” He immediately unwrapped and ate one of the protein bars. “Did you buy these for me?”

I'm glad he didn’t eat the energy ones instead.  

“No. I also just got some of them. He sent them," Kuroo said, emphasizing ‘he’ in a bragging tone. 

Bokuto smirked knowingly as they settled themselves in the first floor vending machine area, commenting, “Something is really going on between the two of you.”

 “Oh shush.” 

“Are you together already?”

He immediately pinched Bokuto’s lips close with his fingers, shutting him up. “Broadcast it, will you?” he said in sarcasm, rolling his eyes. The latter tried to say something with his pinched lips, looking pitiful. He exhaled and released his lips. “We’re not,” Kuroo muttered. “Well, not yet,” he corrected. 

“Ohhh, are you still wooing him?” 

“More like we’re wooing each other.” Kuroo scratched his nape in embarrassment. 

Bokuto snickered, “So your highness is also making some moves, huh?"

 “Don’t call him that.” 

“Why not? You call him that.” 

“And that’s my privilege. Don’t steal my privilege!”

 “Geez, bro, I didn’t know you were the possessive type.” 

Kuroo shrugged, pulling out his phone. He showed Bokuto Oikawa’s message and the ace cringed in fright, sighing in relief, “Lucky, I’m in Tokyo. Poor Satobro, he’s been wishing that he would not see Oikawa-kun next weekend for the charity fundraising party.” 

He guffawed at his statement. “Tell Tendou that he better secure a life vest because the Great King is definitely going to attend that event. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t have the event together.” 

Bokuto laughed along with him until he settled with a smile on his face, watching his close friend. “You know, you look at ease these days. It’s great on you.” 

Kuroo was caught off guard by his unexpected remark. “I don’t know. I haven’t looked myself in the mirror that much.” He shrugged in return, acting nonchalant like the comment didn’t phase him. 

Bokuto noticed his reaction and let out a smirk. "You appeared more relaxed, as if you were enjoying every moment; your scheming aura is still present, but a little less so than before; your hidden kindness is showing, you know." 

He shook his head, nudging his owl friend. “Stop that. I don’t need someone analyzing my every action.” 

"But I enjoy analyzing jerks like you, Tetsubro, just as Satobro does with Oikawa-kun; both of you are difficult to read when it comes to emotions." 

Jerks? Blunt as always.

“Is that why the two of you are gossiping about us, huh? Are we like research for you to study?” 

Bokuto laughed and shook his head in amusement. “We’re simply happy to see that you two have these sides of you.” 

He chuckled at the subtle remark of his friend. “Hope you two get bored with us and move on to observe other people instead.”

 “Not happening soon," Bokuto countered teasingly. 

“How about Akaashi?” He changed the topic to divert the other’s attention. 

Bokuto blinked and asked curiously. “What about Akaashi?”

“Haven’t you made a move yet?” 

“Huh? Why would I make a move? Akaashi and I are just close.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“And he understands me better than most people do. I can rely on him when it comes to my emotions and moments.”

“That’s true.” 

“That’s why I’m really happy I had him as my teammate. He’s there whenever I need him!” Bokuto chattered happily and innocently, the topic successfully diverted.  

“So, you think he’s just your close friend?”

“That’s right! He’s my closest close friend!”

“Stupid.” Kuroo shook his head and smirked at his naivety.

It’s really a wonder how Bokuto can observe and analyze his actions to some extent but is actually extremely dense when it comes to himself. It’s like he was just there, letting out all his emotions freely and didn’t bother to dive into it to understand its depth. Perhaps this is why others dismiss him as a simpleton.

They talked about other things until Kuroo’s phone rang. Bokuto saw a glimpse of his phone screen and grinned playfully, encouraging him to answer the call. Kuroo rolled his eyes and muttered, “Don’t be loud.”

He slid his finger to answer the call and greeted the caller softly, “Hey.”

Bokuto blinked in surprise to hear the softness of his voice but he managed to let his impish grin stay on his face.

“ Hey, did I call you at a bad time?”

“Nah, I was just talking with Bokuto. He’s here beside me.”

"Oh, then it’s fine. Did you manage to piss him off?”

Kuroo glanced at Bokuto, who was watching him with excitement and curiousity in his eyes. “I believe I failed in that regard. I did manage to relay your message.”

They exchanged chuckles at his statement.

“Are you two talking about me?!” Bokuto furrowed his brows and moved closer to place his ear on the other side of the phone.

"Hey, get off!” He tried to push the owl away.

“No! I want to hear what your highness has to say about me.”

“I told you not to call him that!”

“Why not?! I bet he wouldn’t mind.”

“But I do! Now get off!”

He heard Oikawa chuckle on the other end and said, “Is everything alright over there?”

“Yep, we’re alright! Kurobro is just being possessive over you," Bokuto replied in a teasing tone, his ear attached to the other side of the phone.

Kuroo gave Bokuto a death glare, rebuking, “Shut up.”

“As he should be. I’m a great catch after all.”

Bokuto snickered while Kuroo gave up pushing him away, replying, “Someone’s being too full of himself.”

“Learn it from you.”

“You’re already like that, even before we met.”

“Lie! I was merely confident before. You taught me how to be a narcissist like you.”

Kuroo gave Bokuto a quick elbow in return for his inability to control his laughter at their banter.

“Bokuto-kun, I can’t wait to see you again soon.”

The tone of the setter's voice sent shivers down Fukurodani Ace's spine, and he pushed himself away from the phone. Kuroo saw his wide-eyed reaction and had to swallow his laughter. 

“Tetsubro, Oikawa-kun’s scary," Bokuto whispered in fear.

“You scared him to his wits, great king," Kuroo smirked, informing the caller.

“I did? But I didn’t do anything!” He could hear the innocent tone of his voice but could also picture the evil grin on his lips.

“You will see Satobro first before you see me again, Oikawa-kun!” Bokuto informed hastily, selling his friend out in order to save himself.

“ That’s great because I have issues to settle with him.”

Bokuto glanced at Kuroo worriedly, fidgeting. “Should I warn Satobro in advance?”

“Don’t ruin my surprise, Bokuto-kun.”

“No wonder you two get along really well!” Bokuto gasped at the scheming tone and yelled loudly while pointing his index finger at Kuroo accusingly. His pupils were dilated, as if he had just realized something. Kuroo simply arched an eyebrow at him, sporting a proud smirk on his face.

“Bokuto-san!”

Both captains turned to look where the voice came from.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto greeted him in relief and quickly hid behind Akaashi's back, acting like he needed his protection.

“You were gone for a while. I thought you got lost again," Akaashi explained as he nodded at Kuroo in greeting.

“Kurobro was bullying me, Akaashi! Save me!”

Kuroo snorted, “You were the one teasing me earlier.”

Bokuto pouted while his vice captain patted his hair in comfort, saying in monotone, “Let’s go back. The others are looking for you.”

Kuroo made a knowing grin when he watched Bokuto nod his head obediently to his vice-captain. The two Fukurodani students bid him goodbye as he waved at them, snickering, while one hand was still holding his phone in his ear.

“Who was that?” Oikawa remained quiet all throughout the interaction before asking.

“Fukurodani’s setter. Akaashi Keiji.”

“Oh, the one Bokuto likes, right? Has he made a move yet?”

Kuroo chuckled at the other’s enthusiasm for gossip. “Apparently, they’re just close. He considers him his closest close friend.”

He heard Oikawa snort. “So, they’re the ones playing the dense game.”

Recalling the conversation about the game, he smiled slightly. “He’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, once he and Tendou stop eyeing us for entertainment and focus more on their own lives," Oikawa grumbled sarcastically, probably also rolling his eyes. Kuroo laughed at his response and changed the topic. They continued to talk and update each other until it was time to say goodbye.

“I’ll see you soon?” The soft, hopeful tone was evident in the caller’s voice.

Kuroo’s eyes softened when he heard it and he felt butterflies twirling inside his stomach, responding, “Mhm.”

“Great. I can’t wait to see you," the other captain mumbled.

He smiled gently and muttered, “I’ll be there soon. I miss you.”

“Ditto.”

After the barbecue party, the team captains gathered around the Karasuno team to send them off. Bokuto, Daichi, and Kuroo were huddled up, talking about the spring tournament set up in their respective prefectures, wishing each other good luck for the preliminaries, and hoping to see them in the Spring Nationals.

“You might see Kuroo earlier than you think, Daichi-san.” Bokuto smiled playfully as Kuroo shook his head tiredly, already used to his friend’s teasing.

Daichi tilted his head in confusion and asked, “I might?”

“Ignore him. Bokuto always says weird stuff; you don’t have to take him seriously,” he explained while the other protested, “I’m not weird!”

Daichi just laughed at their interaction good-naturedly, thinking, “Tokyo kids are really hard to understand.”

Karasuno’s middle blocker, Tsukishima Kei, was the next person that the Tokyo team captains talked to. In an attempt to agitate the younger athlete one last time, they banded together and made fun of him.

“By the way, Megane-kun, do me a favor and do well in your match against Aoba Johsai, will you?” Kuroo drawled challengingly.

Tsukishima stared at him closely before asking, “Do you know anyone from Seijoh, Kuroo-san?”

Kuroo was surprised by his abrupt question but was also quick to school his expression. Then he replied nonchalantly, “That’s quite a random question, Tsukki. I just want to see the fruit of my teachings, that’s all.” He discreetly pinched Bokuto’s side while the other was laughing loudly.

“Then why Seijoh?” Tsukishima gave him a calculating look, not buying his nonchalance.

Kuroo shrugged and smirked provokingly. “They’re the ones who defeated you in Inter High, right?”

Tsukishima glared at him, obviously provoked by Kuroo’s question. “Aoba Johsai is one of our prefecture’s top four teams. We’ll only be playing against them if we qualify for play offs.”

Bokuto butted in, “Make sure to block some of Ushiwaka’s spikes, Tsukki! It will be a piece of cake since you’ve practiced with me.”

“I can’t promise you anything. You’re only in the top 5, and Ushijima is in the top 3.” Tsukishima responded bluntly. “And again, we’ll play against them during the playoffs.”

“Tsukki!” Bokuto exclaimed grumpily. Now it was Kuroo’s turn to laugh loudly and pat his back. “There, there. You need to handle the truth somehow, bro.” Bokuto shrugged his hand off, sulkily huffing. They bid their final good byes to the Miyagi team and walked slowly behind the other team captains.

“When are you going to Sendai?” Bokuto asked curiously.

“Probably on the second rest day," Kuroo answered while typing down something on his phone. Or maybe tomorrow. It sounded like the Great King really missed me during the call last night. I miss him too.

“Can I come?” Bokuto asked with sparkling eyes.

“No.” Kuroo glanced at him and rejected him without hesitation.

“Why not?! I want to visit Satobro and Oikawa-kun!”

“Definitely a no then," Kuroo responded firmly. Bokuto opened his mouth to argue but Kuroo cut him off. “We don’t want any third wheels for our date. It’s inconvenient.” Kuroo winked at him and walked ahead, leaving a sulking Bokuto behind.

Kuroo and Oikawa were finally able to visit Sendai Mediatheque, much to the latter’s delight. They explored each floor of the building and were interested in checking out everything. They spent more time in the gallery and library, exchanging ideas about the art pieces and discussing what they seemed to find interesting to read. 

We’re really two peas in a pod who get all zealous about things like these during our spare time.

The two teens decided to enjoy their snacks at the cafe, which is also located inside the building. The aroma of the coffee was enticing and the ambience was pleasant. Kuroo sat across from Oikawa, listening to the story about the charity event his family attended last weekend, when he noticed the setter rubbed his eyes again. He reached out to touch the other’s wrist and asked in concern. “Are you okay? You have been rubbing your eyes for a while."

Oikawa looked at him and sighed, grumbling slightly. “I should’ve worn my glasses instead of contacts today. My eyes feel itchy.”

“I also see some redness on it too. You didn’t sleep after our call last night?” He asked, reaching to softly caress the tip of the setter’s left eye.

Oikawa shook his head and uttered back, “I couldn’t sleep so I did some advance reading for the lessons.” 

“Did you bring your eye drops?”

The pretty setter nodded at him and grabbed his eyedrops from his bag. 

Without hesitation, Kuroo picked up the drops and transferred to the seat beside the setter, held his chin up carefully, and put some drops in his eyes. He watched the other blink a few times and wiped the solution that slid down his face with his hand gently. “Does it feel better now?” he asked. Seeing the tint of redness on Oikawa’s cheek, Kuroo realized that this was the closest distance he ever had with the other and made him inhale sharply. 

Oikawa hummed in response, squeezing his hand in return, and muttered his thanks. Kuroo squeezed his hand back, smiling in relief, and moved back to his seat immediately. He took a sip of his drink and looked away, trying to compose himself.

They continued their conversation about what happened to Oikawa and Tendou during the charity event they both attended in detail. They laughed as Oikawa recounted his encounter with the guess blocker. He dramatically informed the setter that he wore the life vest as Bokuto had advised, while he scolded him about the act he committed of invasion of privacy. Even though he was scolded, the guess blocker teased him about the updates relayed to him about their ‘budding relationship’ .

Kuroo also spoke about his own share of tales about Bokuto’s immature quips, just to tease him for more details of their status and provoke him during the camp. He shared that since the Tokyo training camp, Bokuto has been convincing Kuroo to let him join on his trips to Sendai to hang out again, begging pitifully about how much he misses Oikawa and Tendou. He mentioned the funny antics the owl did just to make him agree. 

Later on, Kuroo suggested the idea of the four of them playing against each other as a hangout. He grinned playfully at the pretty setter and asked for his opinion. “What do you say? Will you agree with my suggestion?”

Oikawa smirked and asked challengingly, “What will we benefit from it?”

“It’s a win-win situation; Bokuto will stop pestering us and we can also train ourselves against his spiking skills; I mean, he is one of the top 5 high school spikers in the country," Kuroo explained, a scheming smirk on his face.

The pretty setter nodded in agreement and also added. “Tendou’s also a great blocker to practice with as well. His guess-blocking skills will be a nice reference to study.”

He grinned and said sincerely, “Besides, we both know they’re good people to be with—crazy but fun. It won’t hurt us if we hang out with the chaotic duo once in a while.”

“Of course, we’ll hang out with them! They’re our friends, you know.” Oikawa mused and sipped on his drink, looking at Kuroo as if he had just grown a second head.

Kuroo chuckled to himself after what he heard. Bokuto’s going to be in tears when I tell him that Tooru officially declared them his friends.

“So you’re helping your rival team?” Oikawa raised an eyebrow as they made their way towards his house.

“If not, how can we play against them if they can’t beat your team at the prefecturals?” Kuroo grinned teasingly. He didn’t share every tidbit of detail that happened during the training camp but he did share a vague summary of it.

Oikawa scoffed, saying, “Don’t get your hopes too high. We’re still going to crush them soon.”

“Well, I also hope you don’t get cocky. You’re quite a motivation to them, especially Karasuno’s first years.” He chuckled when he remembered the first years ranting about the pretty setter during the camp.

“I do know Tobio-chan set me as his example and wants to defeat me using Shrimpy.” The brown-haired captain bragged arrogantly and held his chin up high. “But it’s too early for them. They still have about 5 to 10 years to be able to do that.”

“Not only them. I heard you targeted Megane-kun with your serves during your practice match.”

“So, he’s training his receives too? Happy to know that he took his senior’s advice seriously. I didn’t see much improvement from him during our last game.”

“Careful riding your high horse, your highness. You might get sliced from behind if you don’t watch your back during the spring tournament.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Tetsurou. I’m not underestimating Karasuno. I know that they’re strong and capable of improvement from the last game.” Oikawa narrowed his eyes seriously as he gazed at the road ahead of them. “But if I don’t believe that my precious team can truly defeat them with our own potential and hard work, what kind of team captain will I be?”

Kuroo paused when he heard his unexpected reply. As a captain himself, he knew very well about the responsibilities that the position carried, especially when it came to the morale of the team. It was through these moments that he could see the Oikawa behind his facade, and Kuroo’s lucky that the setter allowed it. A soft smile slowly formed on his lips and he moved closer to the other, almost invading his personal space. 

“You’re a great captain, Tooru," Kuroo complimented sincerely while Oikawa looked away from him, flushing cheeks visible on his face.

Indeed, if a captain doesn’t fully believe in his team, who else will?

When they arrived at Oikawa's residence, they lingered outside the gate.

“Let’s hang out with Bokuto and Tendou after your training camp, okay?” Kuroo stated, leaning closer and staring into the brown eyes. He smiled softly and muttered, “Take care and don’t overwork yourself, whether it’s volleyball or academics. Rest when your body tells you to, hmm?"

Oikawa stared back at him with heated cheeks and hummed quietly, nodding a little. 

Kuroo held the setter’s chin with confidence, leaned closer, and placed a chaste kiss on both sides of his eyes. He saw the other’s eyes widen in shock and his cheeks became redder. It was his first time to do that. Prior to this, their kiss exchanges were limited to a quick peck on the cheeks or the back of the hand. Even though he wanted to do more, they didn’t go beyond that. But maybe today can be an exception since his eyes are hurting. A kiss will help them heal, right?

The setter opened his mouth to react but he beat him to it. He caressed his chin, advising, “Put a cold, damp cloth over your eyes later to relieve the itchiness and don’t wear your contacts for a few days to avoid more irritation.”

Oikawa nodded his head obediently, probably not trusting his own voice to reply. 

Adorable.  

He chuckled and pulled back a little. He grabbed the setter’s hand and interlocked their fingers gently. “Go now. I’ll watch you enter the house before leaving.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to see you off the station?”

“We already had an agreement about this. Last time I was here, you saw me enter the train. Now it’s my turn to watch you enter your house.”

“I still can’t believe we actually have to reach an agreement on this matter.”

They shared short laughs before eyeing each other sweetly. Kuroo held up their interlocked fingers and placed a soft kiss on the setter’s hand.

“I’ll see you after your camp, your highness.”

“Uhm. Message me when you’re on the train and in your house, okay, neko-chan?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Crazy.”

“Heh. Don’t force yourself to stay awake and wait for me to arrive home. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“I will wait.”

“Stubborn.”

“You’re going to miss your train if you still want to argue with me.”

“Alright. Go inside now.”

“Mhm. Thank you for today, Tetsu-chan! I enjoyed it.” Oikawa moved closer and kissed his cheek. He smiled widely at him before letting go of their hands. Kuroo smiled back affectionately and replied. “Mhm, me too, Tooru. Thank you.” He focused his gaze as the pretty setter opened the gate and approached the front door. Oikawa turned around with a happy grin and waved goodbye to him before entering the house. 

Kuroo shook his head in amusement as a happy grin also formed on his face. Your highness can never be less adorable.

Kuroo stood lazily outside the train station as he waited for the great king to arrive. They could’ve just met halfway on the streets but the other forbade him to move 10 steps further than where he already was. The silly things I follow for him, really.

“Tetsu-chan!” 

Before he could fully turn around in the direction of the voice, he felt something heavy land on his back, making him let out an ‘oomf’ sound from his mouth, and a familiar, cheerful giggle followed after.

“Your highness, you’re heavy," Kuroo commented as he tried to shrug him off from his back. Oikawa continued giggling until he went off his back and faced him playfully. He let out a sigh as he took in the sight of the mischievous captain in front of him. He reached out to fix his brown hair, asking, “Did you run all the way here?”

“Just a few blocks away. Your train arrived earlier than expected!” Oikawa complained, acting cute. He pinched the former’s cheek, grinning teasingly. "I have noticed you always run when you are on your way to meet me; are you that eager to see my handsome face, hmm?"

The pretty setter slapped his hand away lightly and rolled his eyes. “It’s not because of you. So assuming!” He held out his hand open towards him and sassily continued. “Give me my milk bread!”

"No," Kuroo replied in the same tone, placing his hand that was holding the paper bag at his back.

"Neko-chan!" Oikawa whimpered as he reached for the paper bag, which he quickly moved away from him while laughing. The Aoba Johsai captain stomped his feet and demanded loudly. “I want my milk bread!”

“Awww, aren’t they cute, Kouta-kun?” Tendou’s voice suddenly interrupted their banter.

Bokuto stood beside him and nodded his head. “You got that right, Satobro.”

Both wore teasing grins on their faces.

Oikawa glared at the two and crossed his arms while Kuroo arched an eyebrow, asking, “Got what you needed?”

Bokuto happily raised a plastic bag full of energy drinks and snacks from the convenience store. Tendou smirked at Oikawa and commented bluntly, “You’re late, Oikawa-kun.”

Oikawa frowned and sassily corrected, “Fashionably late.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Oikawa-san! It’s nice to see you again!” Bokuto hooted and shook his hands excitedly.

“I heard your conversation with the Great King went well last time," Kuroo smirked at the Shiratorizawa blocker. Tendou shivered dramatically when he remembered the memory of Oikawa threatening him with a menaced smile on his face. “I’m truly convinced that he isn’t a pure king after all," Tendou whispered back loudly to Kuroo.

“How dare you say that? I am a pure and precious person. I just don’t see the need for a friend who gives out my private details easily!” Oikawa retorted, defending himself.

“You consider me your friend, Oikawa-kun? I’m so happy!” Tendou gasped and acted touched but was obviously pleased by his statement.

“Oh! How about me, Oikawa-san? Do you consider me your friend too? Not your kidnapper anymore?” Bokuto moved closer to Oikawa with his innocent begging eyes, compelling the latter to say yes. Kuroo grabbed Bokuto’s arm away from Oikawa’s personal space and chastised him. “Alright, that’s enough teasing!”

Tendou smirked at his action and lazily drawled, “Let’s go then. We still have a match to play.”

Oikawa heard about a particular sports gymnasium's weekly event for athletes who want to play in a match with random people and he signed the four of them up to join the friendly practice match with their consent.

“Alright! I wonder what kind of teammates we’ll be able to play with." Bokuto rejoiced as he moved beside Tendou and excitedly chattered with him.

Oikawa turned to Kuroo, gritting his teeth. “Why did we agree to do this again?”

Kuroo chuckled and placed an arm around Oikawa’s shoulder. “Because it can also be productive to play against Bokuto and Tendou; they’re both great players after all.” He gave the paper bag to the latter and pinched his cheek again. “Here’s your milk bread, your highness.” He let out a playful grin as Oikawa muttered in grumpiness while grabbing a piece of milk bread from the paperbag.

“Stop sulking, Koutarou-kun. It’s alright to lose a practice match," Tendou voiced out after he drank his water, eyeing his emo friend. Bokuto crouched in the corner of the gym, devastated that his team had lost. They bid goodbye to their teammates during the practice earlier; most were older than them. 

Tendou shook his head in amusement at his friend’s childish behavior and turned to Oikawa and Kuroo, who were busy talking to themselves. “I’m surprised; you two play well together today. Do you go on training dates sometimes?” he smirked teasingly.

Kuroo and Oikawa exchanged looks and laughed. “Most were,” he confirmed. “Spring Tournament is around the corner. We need to train and improve ourselves to go to the Nationals. It’s our last year after all," Oikawa added knowingly.

Tendou hummed in understanding. “I think all teams are aiming to qualify for the Nationals. My coach even berated my team for not improving our serving skills due to one practice game that our serves mostly missed. ” He cringed while sharing with them his tiring experience.

“If you’re talking about serving skills, how about you let your highness show you how it’s properly done?" Kuroo bragged, patting Oikawa’s back proudly.

Tendou snickered, “My, my Kuroo-kun. You’re quite a supporter of our Great King here. Are you planning to join his fan club soon?”

He glanced at Oikawa, arching a teasing brow. “Why not? As long as he joins mine as well.”

Oikawa rolled his eyes and countered back, smirking. “As if you have one.”

“Hey, just because your lovely face showed up in the Volleyball Monthly Magazine doesn’t mean you have the right to look down on other players," Kuroo taunted him, knowing full well the other captain hated the angle of the picture used for the magazine.

“Volleyball Monthly? The volume in which I was also mentioned?” Bokuto inserted into their conversation, perking up proudly and forgetting about his emo state.

“You were mentioned?” Kuroo gasped dramatically to annoy his friend.

“I was!”

“Hmm, I only remember Wakatoshi-kun. He was scouted to be a member of All Japan under 18," Tendou mused, playing along with Kuroo’s antics.

“Tch. Ushiwaka was just lucky.” Oikawa grumbled and Bokuto nodded his head aggressively and grunted. “That’s right. I’m still better than him!”

“Here come the Ushiwaka haters," Kuroo chuckled in amusement.

“You two do realize that you’re both talking about my best friend, right?” Tendou reminded, quirking a challenging eyebrow at the two.

Oikawa stuck out his tongue at him and childishly replied. “We don’t care~” He glanced at Bokuto and motioned to the court. “We still have a few more hours. I’ll set some balls for you, Bokuto-kun.”

Bokuto’s eyes twinkled and he jumped in excitement. “Yes! Let’s go, let’s go! The Great King’s going to toss for me!” Tendou and Kuroo positioned themselves on the opposite side of the net to block Bokuto’s spike. Both challenged each other with their respective blocking specialties but shared in one goal, to shut down Bokuto’s spike heartlessly. It wasn’t long until they achieved their goal, which made Bokuto complain like a brat and they rotated teaming up with each other to be fair.

“Your highness, I told you many times to put power on the tip of your fingers when you’re blocking," Kuroo scolded after he watched Oikawa block Bokuto’s spike weakly.

“My fingers are already stinging in pain from all the blocking earlier," Oikawa retorted, showing his reddened hands for evidence. The Nekoma captain crossed his arms, quirking a knowing eyebrow. “Since when did the stinging stop you before?”

Oikawa scrunched his face at his reply and sassed. “Just now.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to block Ushiwaka’s spike like that too during the spring tournament." He provoked Aoba Johsai’s captain and turned to Tendou. “I guess you’ll have an easy game against your rival this time. Congratulations in advance, Tendou-kun.”

Oikawa furrowed his brows in rage and glared daggers at him. “How about you practice your serves instead? It’s very shaky and could easily be received. You planned to brag about being a service ace for your team when you couldn’t even do it right.”

Tendou and Bokuto watched as the two provoked each other back and forth while sporting sarcastic smiles on their faces. “Do you think they will end up punching each other’s faces?” Bokuto whispered loudly while Tendou smirked deviously and pulled out his phone to take a picture of the bickering duo. “Ah, a picture of their angry red faces will certainly come in handy in the future.”

“Bokuto-kun, let me block you one more time! I’ll show this stupid neko what a proper kill block looks like!”

"You wish. Get in position, Bokuto, and I’ll show this arrogant Great King what a perfect toss is!" 

Oikawa smirked tauntingly, “Welcome to another episode of Kuroo’s All Bark, No Bite!” Their friends laughed at his taunt while Kuroo gave him a dirty look and wrapped an arm around his neck, messing with his brown hair. “What did you say, huh,  your highness?”

"Don’t ruin my precious hair, you idiot!" Oikawa yelled, pushing the arm away and giggling.

The four athletes stood on their sides of the net. Two of them were grinning in amusement, while the other two were exchanging goading looks. “You two really have a knack at provoking each other, Oikawa-kun.” Tendou commented as he stood beside Oikawa, who smirked widely at him, saying, “Let’s shut Kuroo up, ne, Tendou-kun?”

“Aye, aye.” Tendou chuckled in return, raising his arms in defense.

“You better spike this real good Bokubro, or else I’m unfriending you," Kuroo warned, quirking a teasing eyebrow. Bokuto pursed his lips and dribbled the ball, answering, “Mean! My spikes are always good!”

Kuroo glanced at Oikawa to check. He noticed the setter’s tongue was out of his mouth, a habit of his whenever he was concentrating. He sneaked a grin because of his silly determination. Bokuto tossed the ball towards him as he recalled all the things Oikawa taught him about setting whenever they trained together in the past. 

Position himself not too close to the net, glance at the spiker’s distance with eyes on the ball, be calm, imagine the height of the toss to hit, and make a quick throw.

He quickly set the ball at the height he observed that Oikawa used earlier while tossing it to Bokuto. He heard his owl friend exclaim in glee and saw his eyes shining. He spiked the ball so hard that Kuroo cringed on behalf of the blockers in that particular second. That might hurt big time.

Kuroo expected that Oikawa and Tendou could only defend against it using a soft block because of their jumpstart but to his surprise, Oikawa was able to perfectly block it. He killed the ball’s motion using his fingers and it dropped back to their side of the net. Bokuto moaned in distress and turned to Kuroo with a comical sad look, grumbling, “It was a perfect toss and I hit it right. Why was he able to block it well?”

Kuroo chuckled and tapped his friend’s back, comforting, “Don’t mind. It was still a nice attempt for a cross spike.”

Tendou simpered in delight and Oikawa looked towards them with an air of arrogance, teasing, “Your toss was short of centimeters, neko-chan. You need to practice more.”

He rolled his eyes and responded with his signature smirk, teasing back, “Your block was so-so, your jump timing needs more practice too.”

“What so-so? That was a perfect kill!”

“Tendou-kun, it’s your turn to spike now.”

“Don’t ignore me, you stupid cat!”

“Bokubro, try blocking Tendou-kun this time.”

“Kuroo!”

After training, they decided to eat an early dinner before Kuroo and Bokuto left for Tokyo. “Man, I’m starving," Bokuto announced, looking around the resto. “Don’t worry, they have quick service here. You’ll be eating your meal in no time, Kouta-kun.” Tendou said after telling their orders to the waiter.

“Do you usually go here, Tendou-kun?” Kuroo inquired as he filled their glasses with water.

Tendou shook his head and explained. “My first time was last week. My teammates and I were burned out from our training. Semi suggested this place to indulge ourselves in great food.”

“Speaking of Semi, did his position really get stolen from that Yahaba dude or was it just temporary?” Oikawa leaned close to the table, as if waiting for the guess blocker to drop some juicy gossip. 

Tendou tutted playfully at him in return. “It seems like you’re trying to make me spill some team secrets, Oikawa-kun.”

Oikawa gasped dramatically. “I wasn’t doing anything of that sort.”

"Now that we’re in gossiping mode, a lot of Shiratorizawa’s freshmen were talking about how they envied Aoba Johsai’s training camp this year because the team captain was lavish enough to treat everyone to excellent and expensive food as a reward and to end the camp on a good note," Tendou stated, eyeing Oikawa curiously. “Is it true that you spent thousands of yen for that one treat?” Kuroo snorted at his question, drinking his water.

“Wow! That’s generous of you, Oikawa-kun!” Bokuto reacted in shock and paused, as if he recalled something. “Hey! Didn’t you also deliver some protein and energy bars to our training camp before?”

Tendou saw the setter and blocker suppress their smiles and exchange silly looks in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at the two and a ridiculous thought ran through his mind. "Wait, were those your planned surprises for each other?"

Bokuto perked up at what he asked, his eyes looking at the two with gleaming interest. “If that’s really the case, then…”

“Then what?” Kuroo asked back, arching a challenging eyebrow.

“Then I really wished I was your teammate instead. The benefits, man. Expensive beef and protein bars.” Tendou cut in, sighing in jealousy, then he simmered in delight. “Ohh! Are you planning to show up unannounced in each other’s team practice soon? I want to watch the reactions!”

“Don’t be too hasty, Satobro. They’re still not yet at the stage wherein they introduce each other to their respective teams unless...” Bokuto trailed off and wiggled his brows teasingly. 

“There’s progress.” Tendou continued and imitated the owl’s expression.

Kuroo playfully threw a balled tissue at the two of them to retaliate for their teasing. 

These two are still on the mission of prying for some information about us. Aren’t our actions enough to make them understand?

“You should stop investing your time in our business and focus more on this Akaashi dude, Bokuto-kun. I heard you’re very fond of the guy," Oikawa teased back, sneaking a slice of meat from Kuroo’s plate.

Tendou gasped and turned to Bokuto, looking betrayed. “You didn’t tell me you’re finally interested in someone! What happened to our years of friendship, Kouta-kun.” He frowned dramatically and pointed his spoon at his friend.

“Hey, fake news!” Bokuto argued and pointed at Kuroo. “Why are you spreading lies?”

“What lies? It’s not true that you’re close with Akaashi, huh?” Kuroo challenged, slicing his meat into small bites and placing it on the side of his plate for Oikawa’s easier access.

“What? Of course it’s true!” Bokuto answered defensively, putting his utensils down and looking like he was about to argue with his friend. “I am really close with Akaashi.”

 “So close that you consider him your closest close friend, right?”

“Yes! Akaashi and I spend almost every day together!”

“Wait, Akaashi? Your team setter, Akaashi?”

“Yep! You met him already, Satobro. I introduced him to you at nationals last year.”

Oh, so he did also go out of his way to introduce Akaashi to Tendou. Does this simpleton even know that he doesn’t normally do that? He didn’t even bother to introduce his school friends to me when we all first met but just to introduce Akaashi, he pestered me to no end to meet up. Tch. A really dense idiot. 

Tendou recalled and suddenly a dawn of understanding seeped through him. “Oh right, him! I remember now.” He glanced at Kuroo and exchanged knowing looks. You get what I mean, right, Tendou-kun?

“Apparently, Akaashi is the person who understands him the most and whom he could rely on when it comes to his emotional temperament," Kuroo informed the guess blocker, his lips twisting into a knowing smile.

“And you only think of him as a close friend?” Tendou questioned Bokuto in bemusement and Oikawa covered his mouth to hide his snort, reaching for his drink.

Bokuto tilted his head in puzzlement, answering, “Why? What’s wrong?”

Kuroo snickered and mouthed at the other two. “In denial.” They chuckled in return and Tendou patted Bokuto’s back and replied in a teasing tone. “We got you, bro.”

Bokuto grumbled, "You got me what? Hey! What do you mean?" 

The Fukurodani captain did not like the smug looks his friends were wearing and how they moved on to another topic despite his whinings. Kuroo gazed at him, still smirking, and said, “Eat. We still have 2 hours to sit idly on the train before we reach home.” The owl spiker had no choice but to pick up his utensils and start eating again.

To further divert Bokuto’s attention from the previous topic, Tendou started, “By the way, Kouta-kun, I heard your family is sponsoring the World Cuisine Bazaar in Kyoto soon.”

“Ah yes, that’s true," Bokuto confirmed, drinking his soda. “They’re finalizing the details about that event. Mom and Dad discussed it last night.”

“You’re attending then. That’s great to know. Dad’s forcing me to attend the event too.” Tendou grunted and turned to their other companions. “How about you guys? I’m sure your parents will be there.”

Oikawa shrugged indifferently and replied, “I’m not. They know I’m already busy with my current schedule. It will be hard to squeeze it in and there’s also the traveling part.”

“It just didn’t capture your interest; that’s why you’re bailing out.” Tendou retorted and rolled his eyes while the setter snickered and quipped back, “That too.”

“Well, the adults didn’t require me to attend it either, so you’re not going to see my presence over there," Kuroo answered, sporting his signature smirk.

“Uhh, I’m also not going to be there, Satobro. Kaito-niisan will be able to handle everything by himself so I’m staying in Tokyo," Bokuto explained, looking a bit apologetic.

Tendou groaned and complained, “Then does that mean I’m going to be the only one there? Why aren’t your parents forcing you like mine did? This is unfair. I mean, we’re all heirs here.” 

The rest of the table snickered at his expense. 

“Dude, good luck with the heir duties in Kyoto," Kuroo teased and Tendou moaned in distress. “I was hoping you guys would be there and we could do our duties altogether.”

“I’m sure we’re going to do that soon but right now, I’m not going to join you in your misery." Oikawa chuckled and Tendou glared at him, pursing his lips.

“Stay strong, Tendou-kun.” Kuroo jokingly showed his clenched fist as an act of support and Bokuto followed suit, eyes shining in mischief while munching his food.

Even though the others understood Tendou's predicament, they still laughed as he cursed, saying, "Oh, shut up, you useless shitheads."

“But it would be really nice for the four of us to hang out in a different city, maybe abroad, and definitely without our ‘duties’," Bokuto suggested, totally keen on the idea. 

Oikawa smiled and mumbled softly, “We’re going to do that too. Someday in the future, I hope.”

Kuroo looked at the smiling yet embarrassed person beside him and held his hand to squeeze before letting go. He smiled gently at him and replied, “Of course we will.” He looked at their friends, who were also offering their soft understanding smiles and nodding their heads in agreement.

What your highness meant by his statement was that he hoped they would continue to be friends in the future, just like they are now. A pure friendship without underlying motives because of the family name they carry, respectively.

“But are you sure you would like to continue to be friends with Kurobro?” Bokuto teased, smirking knowingly at Oikawa. Tendou hummed deviously and leaned closer to the table, adding, “Continue to be just friends?”

Kuroo simply laughed as the two continued to irritate the pretty setter, slipping his arm around the latter's shoulder to caress his arm tenderly. The Great King had thrown a balled-up tissue at the laughing pair, swearing, "Mind your own damn business, you gossips!"

The preliminaries for the spring tournament ended and probably most high school volleyball teams are busy preparing for the prefectural playoffs, including the Nekoma team. More training drills and exercises, extended training hours, and players are required to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

There were a few weeks left before the spring playoffs in Miyagi prefecture started. Kuroo and Oikawa spent their rest days as extra practice sessions together, calling them their training dates. He groaned about it at first but the pretty setter was determined by the idea so he decided to go along with his wimps. He also wanted to check and monitor the practice schedule of the latter, making sure that he wouldn’t overwork his body.

Kuroo remembered scolding the stubborn setter when they argued about calling it a day after a grueling practice match with older random players at the gymnasium they once played with their friends.

"Your hard work will be for naught if you are injured before the official games begin." 

“But Tetsu-chan!" Oikawa whined, his eyes firmly looking back at him.

“No buts, Tooru. No more matches for the day," he ordered sternly, using his intimidating captain voice.

Oikawa stomped his feet childishly and dragged himself to the nearby bench. Kuroo exhaled heavily and followed him. The setter was sitting and stretching out his legs while pursing his lips in dissatisfaction. Kuroo sat on the floor near the latter’s legs and patted his knee, explaining patiently, “Your highness, you need to rest your knee. You told me yesterday that it’s starting to hurt again.”

“But it’s not hurting right now!”

“So you are going to take a chance on it until it starts to hurt so bad that you have to go to the hospital to get it checked out?”

“Stop exaggerating," the Aoba Johsai captain mumbled in return, his eyes lowering down to the floor.

"I am not," the Nekoma captain muttered back, tilting his head. “You overexerted your knee and missed your practice match with Karasuno earlier this year, right? Do you want that to happen again, hm?"

“I was still able to play as a pinch server-”

“Are you saying that it’s fine with you if you only played as a pinch server during your match with the Crows in the playoffs?”

Oikawa opened his mouth to disagree but closed it back again, pursing his lips and glaring at him. “I’m starting to hate myself for telling you about those things.”

Kuroo smirked at his response, understanding that it was the Great King’s way of showing that he wouldn’t protest anymore. He tapped his knee softly and stood up. “Come now, let’s cool down before hitting the showers.”

Oikawa was getting antsy at that time so we had to sit down and talk. I needed to calm him down from whatever thoughts he was drowning in.

“Have you ever felt that someone is out there breathing behind your neck, just waiting for a chance to see you stumble in order to surpass you?”

Kuroo thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, “Don’t get me wrong. I know there are several blockers who are better than me, especially at the national level.”

“And does that not bother you?”

“Hmm, rather than feeling bothered, I could say I feel dared. The fact that there are other better blockers motivated me to improve myself and my techniques. I haven’t seen them play up close so maybe that’s also a plus why I didn’t see it as a bother.”

“Oh.”

Kuroo hummed thoughfully, eyeing the quiet setter closely. “Is this about Kageyama?”

“Huh? What? No!” Oikawa denied reflexively.

“You know, just because we have different perspectives doesn’t mean yours is wrong," Kuroo reassured as he tapped his index finger to the back of the other’s hand.

Oikawa paused and let out a defeated sigh. “Yes. I saw some of his plays in the preliminaries. Tetsu, he improved… a lot. I didn’t expect him...” The setter trailed off, not wanting to continue his line of thought.

“We’re not the only ones who worked hard to get better. Everyone seeks self-improvement.” the blocker pointed out.

“I know, but to achieve this kind of improvement in a short span of time..." Oikawa bit his lip and narrowed his eyes in frustration, covering his face with his hands. “I really hate prodigies.”

Kuroo worriedly reached out and removed Oikawa's hands from his face as he sensed that his negative thoughts were taking over again. “Tooru, hey," he called out softly. He touched his cheek and caressed it comfortingly.

Oikawa closed his eyes, feeling the touch on his skin, and muttered slowly. “I’m getting scared, Tetsurou. What if my team loses the spot for the national because I can’t keep up with Tobio-chan? I can’t imagine..."

Kuroo tightly grasped his hands and said, “You’re overthinking again, Tooru.”

“I can’t help it.” The brunette breathed deeply and grumbled. "I even gave him provocative advice on how to improve his duo with Shrimpy, which I should not have done because it would have been easier to defeat them then."

"Would you really be happy and content if you beat them in the playoffs, knowing full well that you chose not to give advice to unlocking the duo's full potential, hmm?"

“I wouldn’t be."

“I thought so too. Isn’t that the reason you asked Kageyama clever questions for him to ponder about when he sought your advice?”

Oikawa pursed his lips and nodded his head. Kuroo twisted a smile at his admission and reassured the other teen. "It is also clear that the King of Court looks up to you; he sees you as someone whom he believes he can learn a lot from. It shows that you are not the one keeping up with Kageyama, your highness; I believe it is the other way around."

"But he is improving too quickly," the pretty setter complained, pouting his lips in bitterness. "What happens when he catches up with me in the future?"

"In the future," Kuroo emphasized in his reply. "You will deal with it when the time comes. Not now. So breathe, okay? There is no point worrying about it now. You still have spring playoffs to focus on."

Oikawa lowered his gaze to their hands, a thoughtful expression on his face. He murmured in a hesitant voice as he slowly stroked his thumb across the back of the raven's hand. "Was it wrong for me to have these kinds of thoughts in my head?"

"No, it is not. Your mind is simply generating and evaluating reasonable ideas. There is nothing wrong with that." Kuroo lifted their hands and gave it a brief peck. "However, you should not let the cynical thoughts it may generate drown you; you will suffocate if you continue."

Oikawa let out a small smile of understanding and fondness, saying, “I’ll do my best to keep that in mind.”

Kuroo’s chest turned heated when he noticed how the other received his show of affection and smiled back warmly, promising to himself. And I’ll be here to reassure you when you find it hard to do so by yourself.

Kuroo shook his mind away from the memory and finished up his after training routine. "I hope he is in a good frame of mind today and did not overwork himself during team practice," he thought as he picked up his phone from the locker. He noticed there were unread messages from Oikawa and he was about to open the messages when an incoming call from his mother reflected on the screen. He furrowed his brows and slid the button to answer the call.

“Okaasan.” He greeted his mother politely.

“Oh! Glad you answered the call, Tetsurou!” his mother replied immediately. He could sense an excited tone in her voice. Okay, what’s going on? Why is she excited?

“Did you call me earlier? I’m sorry I couldn’t pick it up. Training just finished.” He apologized, reaching out for his gym bag to pack.

“Don’t mind it, don’t mind it.”

His brows furrowed even more in confusion because of his mother’s behavior. “Uhm, okay?”

“I just called to remind you again to absolutely eat dinner together with us tonight, alright? No excuses.”

“I will, mom. I already promised you this morning," he responded, placing his stuff inside his gym bag and zipping it up.

“Great. So I’m thinking of having...” she started listing the dishes and he was only half listening. “Will these dishes be alright?”

“Yeah, I think so," he answered nonchalantly, pondering why she was so adamant and attentive about tonight’s dinner. “Wait, are we expecting some guests tonight, mom?” he asked, cringing at the idea of entertaining his parents’ business partners.

“Huh? What do…” She trailed off and it sounded like it was her turn to be confused.

“Are we, mom?” he probed further, then he heard his mother giggle on the other end of the line.

"Oh, I see. Well then, we will see you at dinner, son. You can message anytime if there are any dishes you want to add for later. Bye!" his mother responded in a suspiciously chirpy tone. He was about to reply when she immediately cut the call after saying goodbye.

That was a very weird phone call. He stared at his phone screen and contemplated whether to call his mother again to get more details about the dinner.

“Kuroo.” He turned his head to his best friend when he heard him. Kenma was already at the door, waiting for him while also busy pressing some buttons on his gaming device.

“Oh right. Let’s go.” Kuroo wore his bag and gripped his phone as he jogged outside the room. They were heading towards the gate when he remembered that Oikawa had messaged him earlier.

From : Great 👑

Neko-chan😆!!!

Guess where I am right now?

Tetsuuuuuuu

Hey, why aren’t you replying?😠

Oops, you must be training right now, sorrry😓 

Anyway, I’m here at our company’s building in Tokyo. Dad told me to assist him today🫣

Let’s meet up later, neko-chan, ne? I want to see you🥺

Kuroo stopped in his tracks after he read the series of messages from the Great King. Kenma also stopped and gazed at him in confusion. He was suppressing his grin as he gazed back at his best friend. "Sorry, Kenma, will it be alright if you walk home by yourself today? I still have a place to go."

Kenma tilted his head and returned his stare. He was staring at him as though he were currently studying his disposition. Kuroo finally cracked a wide grin and pretended not to notice the gesture from his best friend.

Eventually, Kenma shrugged and answered, “Okay. Take care then.” His eyes moved back to his gaming device and he continued to walk out of the gate. Thanking him with a tap on the shoulder and a wave of his hand, Kuroo hurried off, leaving his best friend and his bewildered teammates behind at the school gate.

He called Oikawa on his way to the latter's office building. They would meet at the company lobby rather than elsewhere, to which the other teen agreed with no complaints. Kuroo was already in the lobby when he saw the pretty setter and his father stepped out of the elevator. Oikawa immediately saw him and greeted him with a broad smile as he approached them.

“Good day, sir." Kuroo greeted Mr. Oikawa and bowed politely.

Oikawa Ichiro smiled pleasantly and tapped his shoulder. “Tetsurou, it’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s nice to see you again too, sir.” Kuroo smiled back at the older man.

“Neko-chan!” Oikawa inserted as he took a step closer to him and Mr. Oikawa raised an eyebrow at how he addressed the raven. Kuroo felt his cheeks heat up as the businessman looked at him with interest.

Please don't inquire about the nicknames. Please don’t. I’m not sure how a father would react if someone calls his son ‘your highness’.

“Thank you for accompanying Tooru today, Tetsurou. I’m also going to apologize in advance if ever he causes some trouble for you later," Mr. Oikawa stated, his tone playful, and Kuroo let out a breath of relief inwardly.

“Hey! I resent that! You’re the one who requested my help today—the reason I’m here right now!” Oikawa argued, crossing his arms childishly in front of his father.

“And if you only know why," Mr. Oikawa snickered and tilted his head toward the raven teen, informing him, “I have to go now. I still have a plane to catch.”

What did he mean by his first statement?

Kuroo nodded in understanding and reassured the older man. “I’ll see him off the station and make sure he gets on the train no later than eleven, sir.”

Mr. Oikawa smirked knowingly, his eyes glinting in mischief. “Oh, I’m not sure about that.” He saw the two teenagers exchange perplexed looks and glanced at his watch. “I really have to go now. You two, please take care.”

The two nodded their heads obediently and Oikawa waved his hand as the older man went out of the building. "Bye, dad. Have a safe flight.” 

They watched until Mr. Oikawa’s car left and the Oikawa's heir turned to him in delight. “So, where’s the shop where you usually buy my milk bread? I want some!”

“Of course that’s the first thing you want to do today.” Kuroo deadpanned while the other  just stuck out his tongue and giggled. He shook his head in amusement and gestured for the pretty setter to follow him.

They settled themselves in the bakery shop, having their afternoon snacks as they chattered about topics they liked to discuss. Oikawa was enjoying himself with his favorite bread when Kuroo felt his phone buzz inside his pocket.

From : Otousan

I heard you finally met our guest for tonight’s dinner. I look forward to meeting the heir of the Oikawa family later, son.

It finally dawned on Kuroo the reason his mom was acting all giddy. Of course they knew Tooru’s going to be here today. Is this also the reason why Mr. Oikawa was acting suspiciously earlier? Were they conspiring together to finally have Tooru eat dinner with the family? Everything is actually starting to make sense!

I told them that I should do the planning! He moaned in his mind at his family’s antics and glanced at Oikawa thoughtfully. Will he be fine with this dinner plan? Is he even aware already? He wouldn’t feel like he was forced to eat with us if I brought it up now, would he?

Oikawa must have noticed that his mind was elsewhere because he snapped his fingers in front of him, looking at him in concern. “Tetsu-chan, are you alright?”

“Uh yeah, I’m fine," he answered, taking a sip of his own drink nervously.

“Did something happen?” The pretty setter asked, tilting his head to his phone. Kuroo shook his head as he placed the device on the table. He stared at the brunette for a moment and let out a small, encouraging smile before saying, in a casual tone, “Are you ready to meet my family today, your highness?”

He threw out a casual invitation as he schooled his facial expression, trying to play it cool in front of the Great King but his hands were clenching and unclenching below the table as he waited for the answer. He watched as the pretty setter’s eyes widened and he pinched the straw of his drink. When he noticed the nervous glint in the latter’s eyes, his own started to ease down. Is this how Tooru felt when he was in my shoes last time?

“Like right now? Now, now?” Oikawa clarified and an edge was present in his voice.

He smirked at the slight fidget he observed from the other and answered patiently, "Later, is it fine with you if we’re going to have dinner with them?” 

There was a pause in the setter’s movements before he nodded his head in agreement, saying shyly, “It’s alright with me. I mean, I did think of it as a possibility earlier when I knew I was coming here.”

We talked about having dinner with my family on our previous dates. We thought it would be good to have it after the spring preliminaries but before the playoffs started. However, we never found the right schedule for it. I guess today is the right time.

He saw that Oikawa kept on glancing at the selection of cakes in the chiller. Understanding his intentions, he suggested, “Do you want to buy a cake for our dessert later?”

“Which flavor do you think they would like?” The brunette captain asked. Kuroo smirked at the pleading eyes in front of him and replied, “How about you make the choice?”

Oikawa rolled his eyes at his unwillingness to help, knowing full well that it was his payback for not telling him that tiramisu was his father’s favorite cake. “Hmm, I think mango cake is the best choice. Not too sweet and not too bland for a taste. Have you tasted it before?” He rambled then stood up, heading towards the counter. “No, wait. I should taste it myself. Let me order a slice first.”

Kuroo relaxed into his seat as he watched the latter’s actions in amusement. I can’t say he’s overreacting since I clearly experienced what he’s feeling right now. Man, I’m glad he didn’t witness me acting like that.

Oikawa took a bite of the cake and hummed in satisfaction. “This tastes great," he commented and he urged Kuroo to take a bite as well. “How is it? Do you think they will like it?”

He stared back at the eager eyes as he swallowed the food. “It’s good and I think they will.” Oikawa grinned in relief, muttering that he would buy a whole cake after finishing the slice.

“You know you really don’t have to bring anything for dinner later," Kuroo told him, taking another bite.

Oikawa gave him a firm look and said, “I can’t go there empty handed, Tetsurou. I’m meeting your family for the first time. I want to make a nice first impression.”

“Permission to throw your words back at you." He smirked and winked playfully at the setter, continuing, “Don’t overexert and just be your charming self. They will like you, I promise.” Kuroo smiled reassuringly at him and placed his open palm on top of the table for the other teen to grasp.

Oikawa did and interlocked their fingers together, asking softly, “Do you think so?”

“I know so," Kuroo responded with a fond twinkle in his eyes.

Since they still had time before dinner with his family, Kuroo decided to bring Oikawa to his old neighborhood, where they first met as kids. The setter was thrilled with the idea and kept on pointing at the signage and houses, which he found familiar. They stopped by the gym and watched younger teenagers have a volleyball match. There were also kids on the other side of the court doing spiking drills with their coach.

The older man seemed to recognize Kuroo as he gave him a friendly smile, saying, “Aren’t you that kid before? The one who sneaked in to watch some games?”

Kuroo rubbed his nape and smiled back awkwardly, nodding his head. “Wow, you grew up really tall," the man complimented, noting the writing on his team jacket. “Nekoma, huh? It’s nice to know you decided to play the sport after all.”

“Yeah, I did.” He smiled politely. He remembered in the past that the older man approached and offered to teach him to play the sport during one of his sneak in adventures. He was caught by surprise by his kind offer and felt extremely embarrassed so he ran away without answering the man. After their encounter, the eight year old Kuroo didn’t sneak into the gym anymore, feeling guilty for the rude behavior he showed the older man.

Oikawa watched their interaction quietly and tilted his head in curiosity.

The coach stopped setting the ball for the kids and told them to take a 5 minute break before gathering again for another drill. The older man grinned at them and rummaged through the basket full of volleyball balls, exclaiming. “Ah, here it is!”

He held an old, worn out yet durable ball in his hands and offered it to him, grinning widely. “I believe this is yours. A nice kid from years ago brought it here, saying that he found the ball at the subdivision park.” Kuroo twirled the ball in his hands to check if it was really his. He paused in shock as he saw the writing on the ball. The coach chuckled and pointed at the black ink, explaining, “This was the reason why I knew.”

Oikawa was fed up with curiosity, looked over his shoulder and gasped. “Was this the ball we used to play before?” he asked, his eyes twinkling warmly. Kuroo was so lost in words and nostalgia that he only nodded absentmindedly.

The older man gave them a friendly grin and gestured, “You can keep it. I’m sure you have memories with that ball, Tetsurou-kun.”

“Thank you.” Kuroo held the ball tightly and smiled genuinely at the man. The latter patted his shoulder, smiled at Oikawa, and blew his whistle, alerting the kids that the break was over.

“Feel free to stay and watch. The players don’t mind.”

Both volleyball captains stayed for a few minutes to watch the last set of the match, talking and evaluating the plays played and left after the game. They went to the subdivision park and found it empty. Kuroo sat down on one of the swings and Oikawa borrowed the ball and did some setting drills while they chatted idly.

“I thought you deflated this ball when you moved out of the subdivision. That’s what you said during our train ride from Kanagawa.” Oikawa opened the topic, twirling it in his hands.

“Obviously, I was lying.” Kuroo let out a small smirk, gesturing at the ball. “But I did leave it here in the park.”

Oikawa hummed and stroked the scribble on the ball. In one of the spaces of the  ball, both ends were written in black ink ‘ Tetsu-chan’, ‘Tooru-kun’ respectively. “Why?”

“Because I was hoping for you to find it.”

“And you think I will find it at the park full of kids?” Oikawa retorted, arching a sarcastic eyebrow and hinting at the big possibility that it may end up in another person's hands instead of his.

“Well, it did seem like a great idea to me at that time. My family was moving out so the chances of meeting you again dragged down to zero. I was being sentimental, leaving the ball in the place where we first met.”

"Luckily, it found it’s way back to us.”

“To me, I’m the owner of the ball," Kuroo corrected childishly.

“Tch. You act as if you bought it. You only found it here and decided to keep it. Ball stealer!”

“Finders keepers, losers weepers.”

“Glad the nice kid from before didn’t have the same evil mind as you or else we won’t find this again.”

“For the record, I did try to find the owner of the ball.”

Oikawa scoffed.

“We haven’t even bothered to think about that ball, not until it was handed back to us today," Kuroo continued, crossing his arms.

“Still, this ball is like a token of our first meeting. It has sentimental value. Don’t you ever leave it somewhere again," Oikawa stated firmly.

“I won’t. Not unless you go and promise to come back but leave me hanging instead," Kuroo teased, reminding them of what happened in the past.

“I told you I kept my promise! I came back but it was just too late!” 

“Excuses. Excuses.” Kuroo waved him off jokingly and stood up. “Now, toss me the ball. I want to spike it like before.”

When the Kuroo’s residence entered their vision, Oikawa gripped his hand tighter. He must be feeling nervous again. The raven captain lifted their hands and placed a light peck at the back of the other’s hand, mouthing, “It’s okay.”

The brunette setter hummed at his gesture and nodded, his heart trembling. A few steps from the gate, Oikawa stopped Kuroo, saying, “Wait.” He pressed his face on the latter’s back shoulder and breathed deeply, inhaling his scent.

The action stunned Kuroo and turned him motionless. The back of his neck and tip of his ears heated up at their sudden closeness, feeling somersaults in his stomach.

“Do you know that your scent soothes my nerves sometimes?” Oikawa murmured from his back.

Just sometimes? Kuroo arched an eyebrow in wonder and found himself staring back at the beautiful brown eyes over his shoulder, chuckling lightly. "Oh, nice to know that my smell has had some great impact on you.”

Oikawa pulled away from his back and stepped beside him, scoffing and giving him a dirty look. “As if mine doesn’t do the same to you. Didn’t you sniff me outside my house before meeting my family too?”

Kuroo simply smirked at him in return, not denying his accusation.

Oikawa pouted his lips at his lack of response. “It’s no fun if you’re not going to try and deny it.”

Kuroo let out a soft chuckle and ruffled his brown hair. “I’m not as dramatic as you are.”

“My hair!” Oikawa complained and pushed his hand away. "I can not meet your family with messy hair, neko-chan!" He straightened his hair, making sure there were no strands out of place.

“Help me fix it!” The bossy setter ordered him and he complied, brushing the little strands away from his forehead. “There. All better now, your highness.”

The brunette nodded his head and exhaled once again, reminding the raven, “We need to go inside now or we’ll be late.” 

Kuroo smiled gently and said, “They’re not scary people. You’ll be fine.”

“But they can be intimidating if they want it too, right?” Oikawa replied meaningfully to him, tightening his hold on the box of cake.

“Not to you, though," he countered in reassurance, slipping an arm around his shoulder to squeeze. “Don’t be too nervous, hm? They’re very eager to meet you, your highness. Just like how loyal subjects couldn't wait to see their king up close," Kuroo joked to ease the other’s anxiety.

“Stop kidding around.” Oikawa chastised him and smacked his shoulder but an amused smile twisted on his lips.

“I’m here, Tooru. Don’t worry too much.” Kuroo muttered supportively and released his arm from his shoulder to open the gate. He nodded politely at the person inside the guardhouse and continued to tread the walkway. They heard a loud shriek coming from inside the house, which startled them. Oikawa turned to him with wide eyes, while he just responded with an embarrassed smile. That was definitely mom. Where the hell did her poise go?

The front door opened and his mom greeted them with the most welcoming smile he had ever seen from her in his entire life. “You must be Tooru-kun! Hi, I’m Tetsurou’s mother, Emiko.”

Oikawa smiled back and bowed politely. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Oikawa Tooru.”

“Oh! No need to call me ma’am. Just call me auntie instead!” Emiko giggled with encouraging eyes.

Kuroo sighed and said, “Mom, can we let our guest step inside the house first?”

“Oh yes! Come in, come in," Emiko invited enthusiastically. They all stepped inside the house and Kuroo immediately offered the brunette his house slippers to wear and he wore the extra pair for himself. 

“Good evening. I hope you don’t mind my intrusion." Oikawa greeted and introduced himself again, bowing politely to his grandparents.

“My, my. You are indeed a handsome young man," Kuroo’s grandmother, Koharu, replied with a warm smile.

His grandfather, Ryuji, hummed in agreement. “A nice combination of Aoi and Ichiro.”

Oikawa smiled at them, grateful for their welcoming presence and praise. He glanced at Kuroo, asking what to do next, and the latter gestured to the box he was holding. “Oh right! Auntie Emiko, I brought mango cake for our dessert later.” Oikawa offered the box nervously.

The adults exchanged pleased looks at each other and smiled even more widely. “Thank you, Tooru-kun. That’s very kind of you," Emiko replied sweetly and moved close to accept the preoffered box. “Whaa, you’re really handsomely beautiful up close," she complimented without hesitation.

Kuroo could only facepalm because of his mom’s embarrassing behavior. His hand held Oikawa’s wrist and squeezed it lightly, relaying his apologies. The other teen looked at him, stifling a smile but the amusement glint was evident in his eyes. Kuroo let his eyes wander around the room and noticed his grandparents gazing at him teasingly and motioning at the wrist he was holding. He pursed his lips and mouthed discreetly, which made the older people chuckle. "Don't start."

"Honey, take it easy. You might frighten our guest, and you are still wearing an apron," said a raven-haired man dressed in formal attire who resembled Kuroo as he entered the room . He gave his son a knowing glance and offered a hand in front of Oikawa, smirking. “You must be Oikawa Tooru. I’m Kuroo Tatsuki, Tetsurou’s father.”

Oikawa immediately shook his hand politely and greeted him back, "Yes, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Mine as well," Tatsuki responded, still sporting the smirk.

“Did you just arrive, dad?” Kuroo asked.

“Yeah, just a few minutes before you," Tatsuki answered, smirking teasingly. “Luckily, my meeting ended early today so I could join you guys.”

“Huh, I wonder why.” Kuroo snorted while Oikawa looked at them in confusion.

“Dinner’s ready," Emiko announced, motioning everyone to head to the dining area.

Kuroo’s jaw dropped when he saw the spread on the dining table. Is this just dinner or are we having a feast?

“Oh wow. Everything looks delicious, auntie," Oikawa complimented, his mouth in awe.

“Thank you. Okaasan and I enjoyed cooking everything earlier.” The ladies exchanged looks and giggles. “We were so excited to finally meet you, dear. We couldn’t help ourselves," his grandmother added, her voice laced with excitement. They all sat in their respective seats and Oikawa naturally sat beside the youngest Kuroo.

“Tooru-kun, there’s yakiniku! Help yourself!”

“You should try Okaasan’s salted mackerel. It’s Tetsurou’s favorite.”

“Thank you. It’s all delicious!”

“I heard from your father that you’re also a volleyball player. What position do you play?”

“Tetsurou, dear. You haven’t touched your food. Do you not like it?”

“Ah, I’m eating it now. It smells good, grandma.”

“By the way, Tooru-kun, Aoi-chan sent a picture of you before. You were such a cute kid!”

“Eh?! My mom did?”

“Oh my, I would love to see it, Emiko.”

“Here it is!”

“Mom, please.”

“Were you already playing volleyball at this age, Tooru-kun?”

“Hmm, I actually met your father during one of the social parties when we were still teenagers.”

“Aoi-chan and I were roommates during university.”

The dinner conversation was pleasant and everyone was having a great time. The family was very interested in getting to know the young Oikawa. They were able to understand why their youngest member was so enamored with the young heir after interacting with the latter.

“This is good. I like it.”

Kuroo caught Oikawa sighing in relief after his grandfather’s comment about the cake and then chuckled lightly. “That’s great to hear. Tooru even did a taste test before buying the whole cake.”

Oikawa gave the raven teen a ‘shut-up’ look and nudged his elbow to his side, making the latter wince in pain. Then, the brunette smiled charmingly at the others, explaining, “Tetsurou had mentioned to me your food preferences before; I just wanted to make sure the taste would fit to your liking.”

Kuroo noticed the corner of his grandparents’ lips lifted and their eyes filled with amusement. His father’s smirk grew wider. Did it even leave his face since the start?

“So, Tooru, how did you and my son actually meet? We’re all quite curious about that." Tatsuki grinned playfully at them.

Kuroo and Oikawa exchanged looks, feeling a familiar atmosphere, like when they had dinner with the latter’s family. The blocker nodded at the setter, giving him the signal to tell the story in the same way they did before.

Would you look at that? These oldies are listening intently, as if Tooru is giving an annual report about their business performances for the year. 

Kuroo sweatdropped while looking at his family, feeling embarrassed by their behavior.

“It’s getting late. Tooru still needs to catch the last train," Kuroo informed them after checking his watch. The two were standing near the door. 

“I doubt he could get there in time, son," Tatsuki said casually as he sipped his coffee.

“Oh, that’s alright. I could always sleep at the main house instead and head back to Sendai tomorrow,” Oikawa responded quickly, not wanting to impose himself.

“But the Oikawa main house is a distance away from here,” Ryuji noted.

“I can call the family driver…” 

“You’re welcome to spend a night here, Tooru-kun, if that’s alright with you. There’s a guest room and I’m sure Tetsurou has enough space in his room as well,” Emiko offered, smiling encouragingly at him.

Oikawa and Kuroo exchanged glances. The blocker looked at him worriedly with a faint smile on his lips, conveying silently that he also agreed with his family’s concern. The brunette squeezed his hand in understanding and turned to the elders, bowing politely. “If you don’t mind the intrusion, I’ll accept your kind offer.” 

The family smiled at his act of courteousness at the same time, noting the quiet exchange between the teenagers.

Oikawa fished out his phone from his pocket, saying, “Let me just call mom…”

“Don’t worry, dear. Your father already knows you’re staying over," Koharu informed him, her eyes sparkling in delight and mirth.

Kuroo eyed his family suspiciously, while the rest just gave him teasing smiles and smirks in return. I knew it. It felt like everything was already planned out from the beginning. They schemed to make this dinner happen. They must’ve connived with Oikawa’s father!

He immediately dragged Oikawa away from the living room after the latter chose to stay in his room instead of in the guest room. He needed to save the setter and himself from the upcoming teasing attack because he witnessed how his family made playful grins and remarks. They didn’t even bother to be subtle about it anymore.

Kuroo caught Oikawa roaming around his room after his shower. The setter was looking seriously at the notes he pinned to the corkboard beside his enlarged periodic table. It was his list of reactions from the possible chemical combinations he thought of.

Oikawa grinned mischievously at him. “You’re really a chemistry geek.”

“You act as if you don’t already know.” Kuroo smirked as he gave the other teen a once-over. “Hmm, it looks like my pajamas are a bit bigger.”

Oikawa looked at the folded parts of the black pajamas and scrunched his nose when he realized again that they were quite plain, complaining, “All of your pajamas are boring.”

“My apologies, your highness, but I don’t have any of those alien pajamas that you love to wear so much," Kuroo retorted.

Oikawa huffed and sat down on the bed, feeling the softness of the duvet. Kuroo raised an eyebrow and said challengingly, “Don’t think that you’re sleeping on the bed tonight. Your place is right here.” He pointed at the futon he spread out on the floor while the brunette showered earlier.

Oikawa looked at him in disbelief and snarked, “Is that how you treat your guest?”

Kuroo smirked and crossed his arms. “I was treated in the same way when I was a guest before. You could say I learned from the best.”

The brunette glared at him in return and replied, “Is this your way of getting back at me?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“I’m sleeping here!”

“No, you’re not!”

“Neko-chan, stop pulling me up!”

“It’s about time that the Great King will experience sleeping on the floor.”

“Tetsu-chan! Are we really going to have a round two for this?!”

“Absolutely!”

They quarreled over the bed, grabbing the duvet back and forth in their arms. Once again, Kuroo was the one who gave up because of Oikawa’s loud, childish whines. “What a spoiled brat,” the raven teen commented, flicking the brunette’s forehead. Oikawa swatted his hand away and continued celebrating his win while standing on the bed.

“I was right. Your mother is sweet," Oikawa said when he flopped down on the bed, eyeing Kuroo, who was sitting on the floor. The latter just smiled at him in return.

“You and your father looked awfully alike, especially the smirks. You two could pass off as siblings.”

“You’re not the only one who said that.”

“Your grandparents are very kind as well.” Oikawa reached out and touched Kuroo’s hair softly, whispering, “Thank you for introducing me to them.”

Kuroo’s smile softened and he grabbed Oikawa's wrists. He squeezed it lightly and replied in the same manner, “I’m glad you finally met them.”

The two stared and exchanged fond smiles, letting the romantic feeling dwell in the atmosphere for a moment.

“Hot chocolate? I’ll put marshmallows on top," Kuroo suggested, wiggling his brows together. Oikawa laughed at his childishness and nodded his head. “I’d like that.”

The two volleyball captains sneaked to the kitchen and prepared their hot chocolates while chastising each other whenever they made some noise with the utensils. They settled themselves in the garden while sipping their hot drinks. Comfortable silence enveloped the two as they enjoyed the night breeze.

“What’s on your mind?” Oikawa tilted his head when he noticed that Kuroo was thinking deeply.

The corner of Kuroo’s lips lifted a little as he placed his mug on the table, answering, “I just remember something that happened during the training camp.”

“What happened?”

“Tsukishima asked why we go to such lengths when it comes to volleyball. It was only a club and the only merit we’ll have is to put it on our future resumes," Kuroo shared and he saw Oikawa open his mouth, probably to share his own opinion about the matter. He motioned to the latter to let him continue first. “Bokuto answered him with the story of how he got hooked on the sport.” He proceeded to share the story until the end of the conversation.

Oikawa sipped on his drink and said, “Sounds like an enlightening conversation.”

“It kinda was,” Kuroo chuckled lightly. “If Bokuto didn’t say anything, I don’t think I know the right words to answer his question.”

Oikawa hummed thoughtfully. “Do you enjoy playing volleyball, Tetsu-chan?”

“Of course," he answered without hesitation.

“Me too.” The setter smiled and asked again, “When did you start to think that volleyball was enjoyable and got you hooked on the sport?”

“I thought about it a lot before.” The blocker answered slowly, “I guess that moment for me happened when we were kids. When I first accomplished a spike from your toss, I felt that volleyball was interesting and was curious to explore more of it.” 

I got hooked at that moment but I didn’t immediately pursue the sport. It took a while before I decided to take a step. Kuroo briefly closed his eyes as memories flashed through his mind.

“Aren’t I such an influencer?” the setter joked, placing his mug on the table and looking at the night sky. “I think my turning point was when I decided to be a setter after I saw a match in Sendai and Jose Blanco was playing.” 

“His setting skills inspired you?”

“It truly did.” Oikawa let out a melancholic smile and continued to tell his experience. “What about you? Why did you choose the blocker position?”

Kuroo felt his cheeks heating up a bit and scratched his nape in embarrassment. “I chose middle blocker because you said I would do well in that position.”

Oikawa blinked in surprise and voiced disbelief. “Really?”

“Really,” he replied shyly, looking away. “And it did work out for me. I like calculating and provoking other people," he added , his signature arrogant smirk appearing on his face.  

“Sure you do,” Oikawa countered sarcastically. “Those are your noteworthy talents, after all.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes at his diss and retorted, “As if you don’t like exploiting and baiting other people as well.”

Oikawa chuckled and let out a relaxed smile. “You know, it’s been a while since I thought about the reason I got hooked on volleyball. It’s kind of refreshing to remember it all of a sudden.”

Kuroo stared at the contented face in front of him and smiled back, moving his chair closer to the other as they continued to sip their hot chocolates.

In times like this, I feel lucky to witness a different side of the Great King. Damn, I think this is going to be a neverending desire to get to know him more and more.   

Kuroo and Oikawa woke up early the next day, despite getting to bed late. They wanted to do a morning jog together before Oikawa headed back to Sendai. They used the blocker’s usual route, then explored the neighborhood. Of course, they shouldn’t forget to buy the setter’s favorite milk bread after their morning exercise. They sat on the grass of the nearby river while eating the milk bread and talked about the upcoming Spring High Playoffs as conversations flowed between them naturally. 

“Remember, volleyball is a team sport, your highness. When in a match, you’re not only facing Kageyama; you’re fighting the whole Karasuno team and they are fighting the Aoba Johsai team as a whole," Kuroo reminded Oikawa, and memories of their previous conversation entered his mind again.

“I know. You don’t need to remind me about that but thank you," Oikawa replied haughtily as he stretched an arm to his back, relaxing.

Kuroo merely smirked at his haughtiness.

“You know, when I was in junior high, I also had a slump moment. I almost hit Tobio-chan at that time because he wanted me to teach him how to do a jump serve. Lucky for him, Iwa-chan was there to stop me and beat me up instead.” Oikawa chuckled at the memory, mimicking his best friend, “He beat me up while yelling, ‘With six people, the strong are even stronger, you dumbass.’”

“Hmm, sounds like a reasonable wake up call to me.” He commented and chuckled lightly, thinking, “ Oikawa will draw out more of the spikers’ power, no matter which team he’s on. He could multiply the team’s strength. I noticed that during our training dates. Iwaizumi, Ushijima, and Kageyama must’ve known this too. Why else do they turn their gaze towards him whenever he’s on court?”

Kuroo shook his head at his silly thoughts. Man, now I’m starting to think about the people who took their time to look at his way?

“It was but with all the pain I’ve felt that time, I sure as hell would force myself way out of it. Iwa-chan is really a brute.” Oikawa retorted, patting the body parts that were painful during that time.

“He must’ve beat you up real good, huh?" Kuroo snickered and Oikawa pushed him away because of his snickering.

“Anyway, what he said actually made sense and it helped me bounce back.” Oikawa exhaled and let out a determined smile. “Our respective teams have strong players so it’s our job to help create a path for them to show their full potential.”

He hummed in agreement with the setter and grinned knowingly. “We’re not only in court to assist our team, your highness, we are also the ones to step up and lead them in whatever mood they will be in.”

Kuroo’s grin widened, winking. “They couldn’t have voted us to be their captain just because we’re the face of the team, right?”

“Your cockiness really knows no bounds, neko-chan.” Oikawa laughed in amusement.

Kuroo let out a soft smile as he watched the other person laugh, reaching out to stroke Oikawa’s hair.

“Let’s give our best during the playoffs, Tooru.”

“Mhm. We’re both going to Nationals this year, Tetsurou.”

After having breakfast with Kuroo’s family, it was time for Oikawa to go home. Everyone, minus Kuroo’s dad since he already went to work, was standing in front of the door to bid him goodbye.

“Thank you so much for allowing me to stay for the night.” Oikawa politely bowed at the elders who were smiling in front of him.

“It was our pleasure, Tooru-kun.” Emiko gave him a sweet smile.

“It was really nice to meet you. I can finally understand why my grandson was always excited to go to Sendai,” Ryuji chuckled teasingly.

“Grandfather!” Kuroo reacted, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. He noticed Oikawa’s brow raised a little and a suppressed smirk was forming on his lips.

“Really? How do you know he was excited?” Oikawa asked, making an effort to make his voice sound innocent.

“He always goes and returns from Sendai, hopping in delight.” Koharu snitched, giggling.

“I do not!” Kuroo insisted firmly. He felt the setter’s gaze and he looked back at him,acting nonchalant while saying, “What?”

The brunette chuckled lightly, “I can’t imagine him doing it.”

The three elders grinned mischievously at Kuroo.

“Don’t worry dear, I’ll make sure to record it next time and send it to you.”

“Let me let you in on a secret Tooru-kun. When I first saw your picture, I already knew he likes you!”

“You’re his type!”

“He has a type?” Oikawa lifted a brow in inquiry, glancing at the raven teen.

“Okay that’s enough teasing for today. Tooru still needs to catch his train.” Kuroo broke up the gossiping group, giving his family his best warning look.

You guys embarrassed me enough already!

“Take care and visit us again soon, Tooru-kun!” Emiko said. Everyone let out an encouraging smile as they did their final round of goodbyes.

When Oikawa was about to enter the train, Kuroo intertwined their hands and squeezed them softly.

“Thank you so much for coming here. You don’t know how much I missed spending time with you.” The Nekoma captain voiced his honest feelings.

Oikawa smiled gently and squeezed back. “I missed you too. Let’s just get through the prefectural games then we’re going to have a date, hm?”

Kuroo grinned in satisfaction. “That’s a promise.”

“You do the planning for that date.” Oikawa demanded in a cute, bossy tone. “I don’t mind coming back here.”

Kuroo flicked a finger to his nose playfully and replied, “As you wish, your highness.”

Oikawa snickered and let go of their hands, “I’ll message you when I arrive. I’ll see you soon, slave.”

The raven teen watched as the brunette went, after waving him goodbye childishly. “I’ll see you soon, my spoiled brat.”

Pity, I didn’t have the chance to sneak a kiss on his hand. I would’ve wanted to see a tint of redness on his cheeks before he left.