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Kuroo knows he won’t get the chance to even speak to Bokuto today, so he can’t help but watch as the other man steps onto the set, charismatic and bubbly as usual, wooing the audience left and right. Bokuto has always been a natural at this part, the interviews, the entertainment. Not to say Kuroo is bad, but if there’s a script to follow, he rarely strays.
Bokuto, though, is unpredictable in the best of ways. It’s no wonder Kuroo fell in love.
A sharp tug causes him to tear his eyes away from the man in front of the cameras, and he turns to find Yaku staring at him sternly. “Silver was wondering where you were,” the small-statured man says, and Kuroo hears the implied, “She’s worried about what you’re doing.”
His manager has a right to be worried. Kuroo shrugs and replies, “Just wanted to check up on my bro before we got busy. Guess I didn’t make it in time.” He points a thumb at the now-closed door. “When are we gonna get invited to an M Sute special, Yakkun?”
Yaku doesn’t even hesitate in his response. “Maybe when our so-called leader isn’t running off at every opportunity and making us late.”
Kuroo concedes that point. He doesn’t have time to be watching Bokuto like a lovesick puppy when both of their schedules are packed to the brim. “We don’t show up until the end of the news segment,” he says anyway, and laughs as he’s dragged away to the dressing room.
——
It feels like actually interacting with Bokuto is a distant memory, although it’s only been about three weeks. This happens; with their busy schedules, they often don’t even get to see each other. That’s to be expected, no matter how much they beg for days off that match up or shoots that don’t run overtime on planned date nights.
It’s gotten even worse now that they have girlfriends.
Kuroo hates the girlfriends.
Not the girls themselves, of course, but the fact that they’re both dating women. Well, not that either, he supposes, but the fact that it’s all fake. He and Bokuto take the time that they could be using to go on dates themselves, to go on dates with women and fool the general public about their relationship, their queerness.
Not just their queerness.
Shimizu smiles at him from across the booth, sipping her coffee, and the expression is a mischievous one that he’s only just learned to pick out. “Your mind is elsewhere, Kuroo-kun.”
“Oho? Are you implying that you’re focused on this date with your loving boyfriend and not on the sole reason we come to this cafe for at least half of our dates?”
Shimizu sighs and shakes her head, glancing at the sweet blonde waitress running around the room. “I’ve been thinking….”
Kuroo knows exactly where this is going. Shimizu’s been thinking for a while. He smiles, just a bit. Maybe he can’t see Bokuto as much as he wants, but… he’s able to witness the two sweetest girls he’s ever met fall in love.
He knows he’ll be bitter and sad later, in the dark hours of the night when no one can see sobbing into his pillow after answering Bokuto’s text from five hours before, but for now, he’s happy for them. For now, he’s encouraging, teasing, smiling. For now, he’s watching over them, maybe just a little protective over this budding relationship.
For now, he’s fine.
——
“Hey,” Bokuto says, voice crackling with static from the phone. “Finally free, huh?”
“Yeah, when you’re hours away in a different city.” Kuroo runs his fingers through his hair, sighing. “I miss you, Koutarou.”
He hears Bokuto shift around on his end, the small grunt he makes when he lies down on the bed. “I miss you too. Did you see my Shimura Doubutsuen appearance? I talked about you!”
“That doesn’t air until tomorrow, babe,” Kuroo laughs quietly, “but I’ll be sure to watch it. You know I watch everything you appear in; I’m your number one fan!” He’s silent for a moment, and then he asks, “Did you see… the tabloids…?”
Bokuto doesn’t answer, but Kuroo can tell that that means he did. It’s hard to miss the biggest idol scandal of the year. Every single gossip magazine was trying to uncover the details on Karasuno’s bad boy, on his “new” girlfriend, on the ring on her finger.
Kuroo isn’t sure what Sawano has in mind, but the last time someone had a surprise engagement, they got kicked out of the agency.
The rules are stupid, and people break them all the time. No dating until you’re 30? Even the agency breaks that rule, making them date other celebrities for publicity.
No marriage until you’re 35? That one is taken a little more seriously.
“Eight more years, and he would’ve been fine,” Kuroo says. He’s fully aware that eight years is no short amount of time.
Bokuto takes a shaky breath. “Even if we waited eight years… it’d never be fine for us, would it?”
“Kou….” Even if they weren’t idols , it wouldn’t be okay for them. “It doesn’t matter; you know we’re gonna have our secret wedding. The public doesn’t need to know about it.”
The wet laugh Bokuto lets out breaks Kuroo’s heart.
Closing his eyes, he imagines his arms wrapping around Bokuto’s waist, their legs tangling together as he rubs circles into his boyfriend’s back. He presses kisses all over Bokuto’s face until Bokuto giggles and pushes him away, and then they lay in bed and crack sleepy jokes about everything.
If he squeezes his eyes shut long enough, it’s like he can feel Bokuto’s fingers playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.