Work Text:
sat back with the window down
eighty an hour and the radio loud
Click. Click. Click.
"Cut it out," Kuroo mumbles.
Terushima sighs from where he's positioned hanging upside-down off the edge of Kuroo's bed, squinting at his notes. "I can't concentrate."
"And I can't either, with you clicking your pen so much," Kuroo says, tapping his pencil against the integral on his paper. "Calculus is difficult enough; I don't need distractions while I'm trying to solve separable differential equations."
Terushima sighs again, but this time louder and more sustained. He snaps his notebook shut. "I need a break from work. I feel like my brain's been fried."
"You've barely done anything since you came over. Finish your work and then you can do whatever you want."
"I meant I need a break from school," Terushima elaborates. He squints at the wall, the cogs in his mind turning. Then he gasps and rights himself, grinning at Kuroo like he's suddenly been struck by a fantastic idea. "We should go on a trip."
"You can't afford to think about vacation with the amount of homework you have," Kuroo tells him, scribbling down a poor excuse for an answer on his paper. "Don't you have a big presentation at the end of this term for Psych?"
"God, don't remind me," Terushima groans. "But after that it's break—it's the perfect time to go on vacation somewhere, right?"
Kuroo puts his pencil down, having accepted the fact that it's futile to attempt work when Terushima begins talking. "And where do you plan on going?"
"Anywhere." Terushima's eyes are practically sparkle. "It'll be fun! You, me, and Bokuto."
"Hold on, the three of us?" Kuroo says, attempting to keep up with his train wreck of a mind.
"Yeah!" the younger boy insists.
"We haven't even asked what Bo thinks yet," Kuroo says at moment the door to their dorm opens.
"What haven't I been asked?" Bokuto says, dropping his backpack by his desk near the door.
"When the semester's over, wanna go on vacation somewhere?" Terushima asks, bouncing on Kuroo's bed on his knees in anticipation.
Bokuto sits down in his swivel chair and makes several revolutions before replying, "Okay, sure."
Terushima jumps up onto the bed and starts to howl, resulting in a loud pounding on the wall from the people in the dorm next door.
"Sorry!" he calls, and then to Kuroo, pointing in his face, "Two to one!"
Kuroo drops his head onto his desk.
"I call shotgun!" Terushima shouts, much louder than necessary.
With the hand that's not holding his suitcase, Bokuto snags Terushima by the shirt collar before he can run off to claim his seat. "Hold up," he says, turning to Kuroo and ignoring the complains of the struggling boy he's keeping captive. "Why should he get to sit up front? We've known each other since we were, like, ten years old."
Kuroo takes a long, drawn out sip from his coffee before replying. "This isn't a contest that's indicative of our friendship. You can both sit in the back for all I care. We can switch off after a few hours, or if Terushima gets too annoying I'll kick him to the back."
"I'm right here," Terushima says indignantly, like any of them could forget.
Bokuto squints at him. "You can have the front for now. But I've known Kuroo since he was a nerdy kid in primary school. Did you know that he didn't know how to climb on the jungle gym at the park until he was nine? I had to teach him how because I felt so bad for him, watching him struggle."
"Thanks for that anecdote about my childhood," Kuroo says sarcastically. "Now let him go."
Bokuto sighs and obeys. Terushima drops his bag and bounds up to the car like a child on Christmas morning. He makes his way around it, eyes sparkling, and then takes to casually leaning against the passenger side door, trying to act as suave and nonchalant as possible. "Nice ride," he says to Kuroo in a terrible attempt to flirt, even going so far as to raise his eyebrows suggestively.
Bokuto laughs and flicks the back of his head. "Cut it out, you're not that cool."
"Why am I always being bullied by you guys?" Terushima whines as he cradles his skull.
"You make it so easy," Bokuto replies, grinning affectionately.
Kuroo picks up Terushima's forgotten duffel bag and opens the trunk while they continue to banter. "Help me with all this shit, or I'm leaving you here while I go have a great vacation all by myself."
"That would just make you a lonely hermit," Terushima points out, but he comes around to the back to help. Bokuto packs in his suitcase first, and then Terushima's bag, and then Kuroo's. Bokuto holds onto the snack bag, insisting that they would need it up front.
"I guess that's everything," Kuroo says, mentally running through the checklist. Food, water bottles, extra clothes, toothbrushes, phone chargers. "We didn't forget anything, did we?"
"Nope," Terushima says, popping the p. "Let's go!"
Bokuto resentfully drags himself and the bag of snacks into the backseat while Terushima springs happily to the front. Kuroo takes his place behind the wheel and begins setting up the GPS.
"That's kinda retro," Terushima says in a teasing way. "We have phones, you know." He says this like he's explaining how to turn on a desktop computer to a senior citizen.
"What if our phones all happen to die at the same time?" Kuroo asks, completely serious. "It's just a precaution."
"If you say so," Terushima chirps. He attempts to put his feet up on the dashboard, but Kuroo immediately pushes his legs off.
"Have some class," he says.
"Aye, captain," comes the dutiful response, followed by a sigh.
Bokuto leans forward between their seats. "So, what's the plan again? We drive for the day, stop off at a motel, drive some more, find adventure?"
"More or less," Kuroo replies as he begins backing out of the parking spot. "We'll stop for lunch at around noon and wing dinner."
"I thought you had this whole thing planned out," Terushima says, reclining his chair slightly.
"Artistic liberty," Kuroo tells him with a sly grin, and that's the end of that.
Crinkling sounds from the back catch his attention, and he glances in the mirror at Bokuto, who's opening a bag of chips from their stash of snacks.
"You're seriously snacking already?" Kuroo says.
"Got a problem?" Bokuto says back, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge him.
Kuroo tries to look as serious as possible. "What if we're in the middle of nowhere and the car breaks down, or we get a flat tire? What if we need to call for help but no one's able to arrive for hours and we're starving? What if I said, 'Well, good thing we have some snacks,' only to find out that there isn't any more food because you started eating so soon?"
"I'm hungry," Bokuto replies simply. "Besides, we can stop off at literally any gas station mini mart and get all the unhealthy snacks we need." He puts a chip in his mouth and crunches, raising an eyebrow smugly. "What're you gonna do about it?"
Kuroo rolls his eyes and focuses on the road, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.
"Ah, shit," Terushima says, clicking the home button on his phone repeatedly. The screen stays black. "My phone's dead. I guess I forgot to charge it last night."
"This is why we have GPS," Kuroo says pointedly.
"You're an idiot," Bokuto snorts, and Terushima reaches back to jab him in the knee.
"Cut it out," Kuroo demands, and Terushima twists back around in a huff. "Check the glove compartment. There should be a car charger in there that you can plug in next to the gear shift."
Terushima opens the compartment and sifts through several legal documents, candy wrappers, and an auxiliary cord. "Nothing."
Kuroo side-eyes him. "Are you sure?"
Terushima double-checks. "Yeah."
"Where the hell could it have gone," Kuroo says. A beat passes, and then he knocks his head black against the headrest. "Fuck, I forgot I lent it to Oikawa last week and he never returned it. God dammit."
"That beautiful bastard," Bokuto says, shaking his head.
"I think I saw one on the table in your dorm but I didn't know we needed it," Terushima laments.
"We actually left it there," Kuroo says in a way that's tragically reserved. He drinks the last of his coffee in an attempt to salvage his sanity.
Bokuto frowns. "Man, we're idiots."
"We can just stop off at a store and get one, right?" Terushima suggests.
"Great, now we have to re-route," Kuroo grumbles, putting the coffee cup back in the cup holder. "Bo, can you Google the nearest electronics shop?"
"I got you," Bokuto replies, already typing away at his phone. "Says there's one in about five kilometers that's not too out of the way."
"Could you read off the directions?"
Twenty-seven minutes later, they find themselves standing in the cramped aisle of a run-down electronics store in a small outlet off the side of the highway. Terushima is carefully scrutinizing the types of car chargers. Bokuto, having run out of chips, is clacking his teeth against a Tootsie Roll pop from the snack stash. Kuroo wishes he hadn't drunk his coffee so quickly.
"Just pick one," he snaps.
"Which one, though?" Terushima says as he strokes his chin thoughtfully. "This one says one meter, and this one says half a meter."
"When are you ever going to need a meter-long car charger?" Bokuto says, laughing loudly.
"That's true," Terushima muses. His eyes shift between the two products for an additional thirty seconds before he confidently declares, "Half a meter it is."
He sidles up to the register, Kuroo and Bokuto lingering behind.
"Hello there," he says to the cashier, winking.
"That'll be five hundred yen," the guy responds flatly.
While Terushima scrambles to fish out coins from his pockets in front of the weary cashier, Bokuto doubles over laughing.
When they're all back inside the car, Kuroo takes it upon himself to ask, "So what's your deal? Do you just flirt with every attractive person you see?"
"I don't wanna talk about it," is Terushima's hasty response, and he occupies himself by fiddling with the packaging of the charger. Kuroo glances in the rearview mirror to meet Bokuto's eye, both exchanging similar confused expressions. Bokuto twists the Tootsie Roll pop around in his mouth.
By this point, Terushima has managed to get the charger open from the packaging and has plugged it into the volt in the car. When his phone screen lights up, his face does too.
"It works!" he announces.
"Hooray," Kuroo offers in monotone.
"You know what?" Terushima says. "We should listen to some music. A good road trip starts with a good playlist."
"Don't you want to let your phone charge?" Kuroo points out.
"So give me your phone."
"Absolutely not."
"Aw, come on!"
"Just give it to him," Bokuto pipes up. "I kinda wanna listen to music, too."
Kuroo concedes, but not before rolling his eyes far back into his head. With one hand he fishes his phone out from his jacket pocket and hands it in Terushima's direction. The other boy snatches it up like it's a prize and opens the glove compartment to grab the aux cord. While he plugs it in, Kuroo reaches for his cup of coffee and sips, only to be thoroughly disappointed by the lack of liquid that comes out. He frowns at the empty cup for several moments, then shoves it back into the cup holder.
"You listen to a lot of indie shit, huh?" Terushima says with a bemused smile as he scrolls through Kuroo's iTunes library.
"And I bet you only listen to American pop trash," Kuroo shoots back without missing a beat.
"Touché," Terushima says, grinning easily. "Oh! You do have something I like."
As the guitar and drum intro kicks in, Bokuto says around his Tootsie Roll pop, "You like Ed Sheeran?"
"He's only my hero," Terushima says, and begins to sing along. Despite him being off-key and mostly off-rhythm, Kuroo finds a smile making its way onto his face.
Sometime during the third hour, it begins to rain. Kuroo first notices minuscule drops scattered sparsely enough across the windshield that it doesn't cause any problems. But within a few minutes the rain has begun to come down harshly, obscuring his view by a staggering amount. Even with the windshield wipers on at the fastest pace he still feels a spike of anxiety, as if he's suddenly been blinded.
Terushima presses his face up against the window to get a better look. "Man, it's wild out there. I don't remember there being weather reports about rain."
"Yeah, it kinda came out of nowhere," Bokuto says. He's tapping out a rhythm on his lap to match the rain. He meets Kuroo's shifting eyes in the mirror. A beat of silence passes. Then Bokuto says, "Do you wanna switch?"
Kuroo hesitates for several moments before nodding. He pulls over on the side of the road, and as soon as he puts the car in park Bokuto is springing out of the back like he hasn't moved in years.
"Watch it," Kuroo says when Bokuto dances slightly too close to the oncoming traffic for comfort.
"Don't worry your pretty little mind," Bokuto replies, and he smiles in that reassuring way that puts Kuroo at ease.
Kuroo climbs in the back and buckles his seatbelt, ignoring Terushima's quizzical expression. Bokuto takes the wheel, fastens his seatbelt, and puts the car in drive.
Not even ten seconds pass before Terushima is filling the silence. "That seemed like a kind of unspoken thing between you guys. What was that all about?" He glances innocently between the two of them.
Bokuto doesn't take his eyes off the road as he addresses Kuroo. "Wanna tell him, or should I?"
Kuroo chuckles, more to ease the mood than anything. "It's fine." To Terushima he says, "About a year ago I got into a car accident driving in the rain. I was mostly okay, but my friend ended up with some pretty serious injuries. They're okay now, but it was an experience that I still haven't been able to reconcile yet."
Terushima blinks almost guiltily, like he's reached an epiphany of self-awareness. "Sorry, I shouldn't have pried."
Kuroo shrugs calmly. "I don't mind talking about it. I'm actually glad I told you."
Terushima dutifully stops talking after that, and they continue the drive in silence. Kuroo watches the rain pelt the glass of the window. It's almost therapeutic. They're not far enough out of the city to be in the middle of nowhere, but there is a significantly increasing amount of grassy fields and orchards. He anticipates being in the countryside, away from the stifling city where he can breathe.
Terushima fiddles with the radio for lack of anything better to do and leaves it on a station that's playing generic American pop.
Bokuto drums his fingers against the wheel. "This kind of reminds me of a time back in my second year of high school when we were coming back from a game. We lost and it started raining on our drive back, which sucked because it felt like the universe was rubbing it in our faces, y'know? Anyway, no one wanted to talk and we were all super depressed."
"Way to lighten the mood," Kuroo tells him.
"Sorry, I didn't really know what else to say," Bokuto says sheepishly. "It was just so uncharacteristic of us, I guess? Kinda like how this is uncharacteristic of the three of us."
"Sometimes serious subject matter has to be treated that way," Kuroo reasons.
Bokuto frowns ever so slightly. "I guess you're right."
Slowly but surely five hours pass in comfortable silence, with only a few words exchanged between them about direction or offerings to take the wheel. (Bokuto refuses to trade with Terushima, claiming he doesn't trust the other boy driving in the rain.) By the time the weather has cleared and the sun has begun to set, all three of them are hungry and restless, itching to get out of the car.
Terushima yawns and stretches, sinking down in his seat and wincing. "Man, my legs and feet are numb. You know that pins and needles feeling that hurts a lot? That's me right now. And I have to pee. We gotta stop somewhere."
"We also need gas," Bokuto pipes up, eyeing the fuel that has dropped significantly since the start of the trip.
"No whining," Kuroo warns, but he sounds just as anxious to get out and move as the others. "Bo, take the next exit. We might be able to find a place to eat and a bathroom."
"Yes, sir," Bokuto replies, turning the wheel. They take the off ramp and soon find themselves amongst a small town. While they're waiting at a red light, Terushima surveys the options nearby.
"Look at that bakery," he says, his mouth beginning to water at the sight of the freshly baked bread and pastries in the window. "We should stop there."
"Pastries aren't a real meal," Kuroo tells him, shaking his head tiredly.
"I think there's a diner up ahead," Bokuto says as the light turns green. "What d'you think?"
"Food is food," Terushima decides quickly. "It's a yes from me."
"Sure," comes Kuroo's agreement.
Bokuto pulls into the small parking lot behind the restaurant. Before the car is even in park, Terushima is unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door.
"Hey, at least wait until we're stopped," Bokuto calls.
Terushima slams the passenger door and lets out a loud sigh. "Finally—the sweet scent of fresh air." He kneels down and places one hand on the ground like he's walking upon sacred ground. "I've never been so glad in my life to see good old asphalt."
Kuroo snags his wrist and tugs him along to where Bokuto is waiting by the door. "You don't have to be so dramatic about it."
The tinkling of a bell sounds when they open the doors. It's a small place, one that looks exactly like the ones in the movies with red-cushioned barstools at the long counter, four-person booths, and a white and black tile floor. There aren't many people around, despite it being around dinner time.
Terushima's eyes fall upon a sign indicating the way to the bathrooms, and within half a second he's gone. Kuroo shakes his head for the upteenth time and sits down with Bokuto at the nearest empty booth.
"So what's the plan after this?" Bokuto asks, swiping a menu.
"Probably find a place to crash," Kuroo says. He scans the selection of burgers, noting a special that proclaims whoever can eat a two-pound burger in under an hour gets an entire meal free. "Somewhere cheap."
Bokuto nods. "I can afford cheap."
Not long after, a waitress comes by to take their orders. Bokuto, like the good upperclassman he is, orders on behalf of Terushima. Kuroo orders a large cup of black coffee.
“It’s six-thirty in the evening,” the girl says slowly, clearly concerned for him.
“I know,” he says back, and continues to hold a steady gaze until she turns abruptly and shuffles away uncomfortably.
Terushima slides into the booth next to Bokuto looking significantly more content than earlier. "What'd I miss?"
"Placing your order," Kuroo informs him. "But Bo did it for you."
"And we're gonna find a motel or something in a little bit," Bokuto adds.
"I've never been to a motel," Terushima says excitedly. "I feel like I'm getting so much life experience out of this one trip."
The waitress comes back with three plates balanced skillfully on her arm. Terushima stares blankly down at his plate of pancakes for an entire minute before looking up. "What?"
Bokuto cuts a piece of steak and shoves it into his mouth to stifle his laughter. Kuroo sips from his coffee and raises his eyebrows at Terushima over the rim.
"Something wrong?" he says once he's swallowed.
"Honestly, no," Terushima says. "Pancakes for dinner. That's a first."
Kuroo picks up his fork, thinking that that's a pretty accurate way to describe this trip so far.
Terushima offers to drive the rest of the way to the motel, and despite the warning signs going off in his head having experienced Terushima's reckless driving, Kuroo allows him to do, mostly due to the reality that he is much too tired himself to drive and it would put all of them in danger. They stop at the nearest gas station to refuel, and then start back on the road.
Once they're out on the highway again, Kuroo falls asleep almost immediately. Bokuto, who's returned to the back seat, leans forward and smiles fondly at his peaceful face.
"You've known him for a long time," Terushima says.
"Yeah, ever since we were kids," Bokuto says. "We spent a lot of time together in our early elementary school days. At one point he made friends with this kid, Kenma, and our friendship got a little weird. I didn't hang out with him as much and I didn't feel as close to him anymore. The feeling of being replaced sucked ass." He shakes his head, remembering that time in his life and how it seemed like the end of the world. "He's grown a lot. I'm proud of him."
Terushima's chest feels tight. "I don't think I've had that kind of relationship with anyone in my life."
"It's funny," Bokuto starts slowly, balancing a lopsided smile on his face. "When we were in high school I had the biggest crush on him. I think in middle school I did too, but that was a cruddy time and I was dealing with a lot of shit, so I don't really remember. But, man. In high school it was like—wow. I loved playing against him and I loved practicing with him and I loved when he'd tell me I did a good job and give me a pat on the back." A wistful smile has made its way onto his face.
"And you don't like him anymore?"
Bokuto runs a hand through his wild hair. "I could lie and say no, but who am I kidding."
Terushima hums gently. "And how's it going for you?"
Bokuto blows air out through his lips. "I dunno. I never told him I had a crush on him but, like, he always knew, I think. I dunno. We kissed, once. At a training camp in third year. He never talked to me about it, though, so I think he just didn't want to get involved with me in that way. Which is cool and all. It just kinda hurt. A little." He lapses into silence, staring out the window.
Terushima decides not to push the subject. He watches the horizon line, right where the last traces of daylight have almost disappeared, and wonders if either of them would ever wanted to be involved with him in that way, too.
Bokuto doesn't remember when he falls asleep, but when he wakes, the sun has disappeared from sight, making way for the small bright stars spread across the dark sky. They're still on the highway in what he thinks might be the suburbs, and there are almost no other cars around, save for the several lone vehicles driving on in front of them. The time on his phone reads 9:43 PM.
"Good morning," Terushima says. "How're you feeling?"
"Cramped," Bokuto replies honestly, rolling his neck.
"Is it time to find a motel or something?" Terushima asks.
"Probably. Hold on." Bokuto does a search for the nearest motel and waits for the route to calculate. The closest one only has three stars, but it'll do. "Alright, there's gonna be an exit in a little bit. I'll tell you when." He stretches, his long arms pressing against the roof of the car. He twists abruptly by the torso, producing a loud cracking sound.
Terushima pulls a face in the mirror. "Dude, that's disgusting."
Bokuto grins easily. "I know." He takes time cracking each of his knuckles while Terushima hums loudly to block out the sound. Then he leans forward between the seats to peer at Kuroo, who's still sleeping somewhat peacefully.
"Wow, he's really out of it," Bokuto says. He pokes Kuroo's cheek gently, and he doesn't stir. "You'd think after drinking all that coffee he'd be buzzing." He looks up and out the window. "Take the next exit up there."
Terushima obeys and exits the highway.
"So, what am I looking for?"
"Probably a large lit-up sign saying motel," Bokuto says, checking Google Maps again. "It should be nearing in your right in about six blocks."
They continue to drive in silence until Terushima spots the sign, the cracked letters blinking on and off like a distress signal.
"I don't like that," he says, voice wavering. "It looks like the setup to a horror movie. A murderer will probably appear under that sign and come for us."
"Dude, suck it up and pull into the parking lot," Bokuto orders, and Terushima complies with reluctance.
Once Terushima puts the car in park, and no murderers are to be seen, Bokuto leans forward and pokes Kuroo's cheek, harder.
"Wakey-wakey, eggs and bacon," he coos.
Kuroo grumbles and opens one eye. "That didn't even rhyme."
"You know what I meant," Bokuto says, sticking his tongue out. "You can sleep when we get inside."
Kuroo sighs and straightens up. "This better be good."
"Are you kidding me," Kuroo deadpans, half to the people who run the crappy motel and half to the merciless gods. They're standing just in front of the doorway in a shoebox of a motel room, staring collectively in awe and disappointment at the single queen-sized bed apparently intended to accommodate the three of them.
"We can squish?" Terushima offers with unconvincing optimism.
"Over my dead body," Kuroo deadpans, turning on his heel. "I'm going to ask the guy at the front if there's another room or something."
"It's not gonna be that bad," Bokuto tries to reason, but he's already gone.
Five minutes later, Kuroo returns with a solemn, weary look on his face. "This is the last and only room. We're stuck here."
Bokuto pats his shoulder sympathetically. "You tried your best, buddy. It's time to move onto the acceptance stage."
Terushima pushes his way into the room first, plopping his duffel bag down on the floor and surveying the space. It would probably only take around ten strides to walks from one wall to the other, and only four to get from the bed to the bathroom door. What was most likely once a vibrant flowery wallpaper has faded into dull colors and is peeling in multiple places.
"Home sweet home," Bokuto says, chuckling dryly and in a clearly forced way.
"It's not that bad," Terushima says, parroting Bokuto's earlier words. He opens the bathroom door. "You'll be happy to know that there are no bugs in the shower. I'm gonna take one."
"Thanks for that, man," Bokuto says. He flops backwards onto the bed and cringes. "This things must be made out of bricks or some shit, god. I gotta learn to lower my expectations."
"Nothing we can do about it now," Kuroo mutters. He unzips his bag and pulls out a shirt and a pair of shorts to sleep in, deciding it's not worth it to attempt to shower. "I'm going to bed."
"Already?" Bokuto checks his phone. "It's only ten."
"I'm going to bed," Kuroo repeats. He tosses the clothes he wore during the day on top of his bag carelessly and lies down on the bed next to Bokuto. "You're right. It feels like I'm lying on rocks."
"I know, right?" Bokuto sighs up at the rusty ceiling fan. "At least it's life experience?"
"Sure." He waits several moments while he strategizes the best way to say what he wants to. Then, "I heard you talking to Terushima earlier in the car."
Bokuto, for his part, hardly flinches at all. "Oh. Uh, what exactly did you hear?"
"You know," Kuroo says pointedly. "I wanted to tell you that I did—I do—like you. Since second year."
"Are you serious."
"Yeah."
Bokuto breathes out. "Awesome."
"Although, I think Terushima has a crush on you," Kuroo says.
Bokuto snorts. "You're kidding, right? He likes you. Without a doubt."
"Maybe he likes both of us."
"I can dig that. I got a lot of love in my heart."
Kuroo chuckles and lets a comfortable silence fall over them for several seconds. "One thing, though. I never knew you felt that way about Kenma when we were younger."
"Yeah, that's...it's nothing. They're chill and everything, I never had a problem with them. I just felt like our friendship might be in jeopardy or something when you guys first became friends. But I was, like, really childish back then, so."
"Just back then?" Kuroo teases, and Bokuto punches his arm. "I'm kidding, mostly."
Several minutes later, Terushima emerges from the bathroom with dripping hair and a towel around his waist. "For a pretty crappy motel, that shower wasn't half bad. I mean, it kinda went lukewarm in the middle, but not as horrible as it could've been."
"I'm shocked cockroaches didn't come crawling out of the drain," Kuroo says.
"That's disgusting," Terushima says, pulling a face.
"Just put on some clothes and we can all go to bed," Kuroo orders, waving a hand absent-mindedly at him.
"Dude, how're we ever gonna fit the three of us on this bed?" Bokuto says, laughing nervously.
"Willpower," Terushima says enthusiastically.
They look just about as ridiculous as three grown men sharing a single queen-size bed could look. They're squished right up next to each other, legs and and shoulders overlapping. Bokuto shifts his position, jabbing his elbow into Kuroo's ribcage in the process.
"Ow—!"
"Sorry, it was an accident," Bokuto whispers.
From Kuroo's right side, Terushima sighs and jostles the bed around while he attempts to get comfortable. His hair, still partially wet, touches Kuroo's face, and he swats it away irritably.
"I can't sleep like this," Terushima complains.
"Welcome to the club," Bokuto groans.
"Can you both just shut up," Kuroo says, not so much a question as a plea. "Talking isn't helping anyone."
Silence falls over them for half a minute. Then, like clockwork:
"I feel like I have to talk," Terushima says.
"No, you don't," Kuroo says, keeping his eyes shut. "Go to bed."
"Can't we talk a little?" comes Bokuto's voice.
"If you guys want to discuss your places in the universe or ruminate the reason for human existence, go ahead," Kuroo says, even more sarcastic than usual. "I'm ignoring you and going to sleep."
"You're no fun," Terushima says, and Kuroo can practically hear him stick out his tongue. The silence that follows lasts a record number of almost two minutes. Then, as if remembering something incredibly important, Terushima blurts out, "I gotta tell you guys something."
"I was almost asleep," Kuroo mutters bitterly. "Don't make me regret giving you my attention."
Terushima inhales, gathering his courage. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier today, about me flirting with people a lot. It's been on my mind since you mentioned it."
"Was that out of line?" Bokuto asks carefully. "'Cause if so, I'm sorry about that."
"No, it wasn't at all," Terushima quickly assures him. "You're right, I always try to chat up anyone I can, and I feel like I didn't fully understand why until now. I used to think it was because I just wanted to have a good time and find somebody to do that with. And I still want that, but I guess..." He pauses. "I also realized that I do it because I'm desperate for acceptance. I feel like I need someone to validate me at all times, and I don't know why." Another break, and then he continues, quieter. "I like to appear like I'm surrounded by people and fun times, but I think I'm actually just...lonely."
The three of them blink up at the wall and let the weight of those words settle. Kuroo is taken aback by the sincerity and candor of his words. He never considered the reality behind Terushima's actions, had always thought he did everything haphazardly because he was reckless and searching for adventure, but it never occurred to him that the guy was human, too. He was just as insecure as any other eighteen-year-old kid in the middle of figuring their life out.
Bokuto takes it upon himself to be the first to offer words of wisdom. "Dude, your self-worth shouldn't come from the approval of others. You shouldn't be so hung up on all that shit, alright? Like, enjoy the flow and have fun with those who come into your life, but don't think you have to try to seek people out if you're not ready for it. It's all good."
"And you're not alone," Kuroo adds matter-of-factly, but he makes sure to do so gently. "We're here. Obviously."
They both feel Terushima smile. "You guys are a lot better at the whole cheering up thing than I thought. Thank you."
With his eyes still closed, Kuroo searches for Terushima's hand and takes it loosely in his own. He doesn't flinch or move away, instead squeezing in response.
After a few seconds they still haven't let go, and Terushima whispers. "Why are we still holding hands?"
"I'm a kind-hearted person and you should appreciate this gesture. Now be quiet."
"I wanna hold hands, too," comes Bokuto's whining.
Kuroo uses his other hand to grip Bokuto's and entwine their fingers together. "Happy now?"
Bokuto smiles to himself. "Yeah. I'm good."
When morning comes, they're sore from the poor-quality mattress and still emotionally drained from the conversation the previous night. Kuroo insists they leave immediately ("Let's get out of this hellhole," are his exact words), and within half an hour they're piling back into the car. Kuroo is back behind the wheel with Bokuto in the passenger seat and Terushima in the back.
"So, where're we going?" Bokuto asks.
"Let's be real," Kuroo says. "We never really knew where we were going in the first place."
"Drag us," Terushima whispers.
Bokuto's stomach rumbles loud enough for all of them to hear. "I'm making an executive decision: we're gonna get breakfast."
Before long they're back on the open road with the route to a breakfast restaurant displayed on Bokuto's phone. The sky is clear and a brilliant blue, a refreshing change from the previous day's drab clouds and rain. Even though they don't know where they're going, Kuroo feels like they're right where they're supposed to be.
"I have a request," Terushima says suddenly
Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him in the mirror. "What is it?"
"I wanna roll the windows down and turn the radio up really loud," he says, practically vibrating in his seat.
"Jesus," Kuroo says at the same time Bokuto cheers, "Yeah!" in agreement.
"Do you realize how obnoxious that will be," Kuroo says. "Not just for everyone around us, but for us. Do you want your hair looking ever more ridiculous than it usually is?"
Bokuto's oh's at the burn, but Terushima is unfazed and relentless.
"Please?" he says, reaching forward to squeeze Kuroo's arm, and they all know it's already decided.
Kuroo rolls his eyes for what seems like the millionth time since the trip started. "Fine." Terushima cheers as the front windows roll down, followed by the back. The sound of the wind in Kuroo's ears is overwhelming, and the feeling only grows when Terushima turns the volume of the radio up.
"I think I'm going deaf," Bokuto yells over the noise.
"I know!" Terushima yells back. "Isn't it awesome?" He sticks one arm out the window and howls to the open road, prompting Bokuto to join in.
And despite the wind whipping his hair into his face and the too-loud trashy pop song grating in his ears, Kuroo bursts out laughing because yes, this is what he wanted—to be a foolish kid, and to be wild and reckless and free with two equally foolish kids. This is exactly what he was looking for.
still the same songs with the same old beats
sure, i could stay, but there's a place i'd rather be