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Kuroo doesn’t fall in love hard and fast like many others do – he falls slowly, and very very softly. Most of the times he doesn’t even realise he’s in love with someone until it’s too late.
*
Kuroo meets Bokuto in his first year of college. When Yaku and him decided to attend different colleges, he had been worried about not knowing anyone in the foreign place, but he didn’t have to worry for long. It seemed like fate had different plans for him when it assigned one of the dorm rooms to him and Bokuto. They become fast friends soon after moving in: both of them hot-headed and just the right amount of childish. Since Kuroo’s carefree attitude seems to be compatible with Bokuto’s easily excitable nature, it isn’t hard for them to get along very well. They seem to fit, the banter coming along naturally and their fights non-existent. Their shared love for volleyball is a plus, of course. So by the time their second year comes around, it is without question that they stay roommates for another year. If Kuroo was a sappier man, he’d say that being around Bokuto felt like home. Maybe that should be a sign, but then again, Kuroo isn’t aware of a lot of things.
*
He sits on one of the park benches by the gym, notebook on his lap and chemistry book opened right next to him. Classes have just started this week, but that hasn’t stopped his professors from assigning them essays that require way too much work for Kuroo, who is still stuck in his break mode. He adds a few more sentences to the paragraph before closing the notebook. The sun is setting behind him and a quick look at his phone confirms that it’s almost time for Bokuto’s practice to be over.
It’s tradition for Kuroo to pick Bokuto up from volleyball practice on Tuesdays, has been for the past year. Kuroo has class until eight, and since Bokuto’s practice ends around 8:30 on Tuesdays, Kuroo picks him up from practice and they go out to dinner together. So far they haven’t broken that tradition once.
When Kuroo spots the first players coming out of the gym, he starts packing his bag. He knows Bokuto won’t be among the first one’s to leave the gym, but he gets up from the bench anyway. He recognises some of the players from last year, but there are some new additions as well. Some of the guys nod in his direction and he gives them a short wave. Sometimes he regrets not joining the volleyball team in college, but despite being a pretty solid blocker he knows he couldn’t have kept up with the other guys on the team. He had attended all of Bokuto’s matches, and after seeing them in action he knows that they’re out of his league. Mostly he doesn’t mind, since he can actually focus on his studies this way, but at times like these he thinks back to his old high school years and misses the thrill of a match or leaving practice with a smile alongside Yaku.
All thoughts of nostalgia are put aside when Bokuto exits the gym building and lets out an excited yell.
“Bro!”
He raises both of his arms to catch Kuroo’s attention and Kuroo smirks.
“Bro!”
The people around them either raise their eyebrows or ignore them, clearly used to their antics by now.
Bokuto throws himself at Kuroo and flings his arms around his neck, as if they haven’t seen each other for years. When he takes a step back, the athlete grins at him, golden eyes sparkling with excitement. “Practice was intense! I think this year is gonna be great, dude – we have so many good first-years! And we have a transfer, too! A second year libero, and he’s so good, dude, he’s literally so good!” He’s moving his hands as he speaks and looks so happy that Kuroo can’t help but grin. Bokuto is about to say something else, when suddenly something over Kuroo’s shoulder catches his eye and he stops in his movements, frozen mid-word. The smile slips easily off his face, an awe-struck expression appearing instead. Kuroo raises one eyebrow, confused as to what has gotten Bokuto’s attention like this. The boy was easily distracted, that wasn’t news to Kuroo, but usually volleyball was pretty great at holding his interest. Kuroo turns around to see what all the fuss is about.
There, in front of one of the benches, stands a student. At least that’s what Kuroo gathers, from the way he’s holding a book in his hand and has a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. Dark hair, that appears to be curly around the edges, surrounds a smooth-skinned face, whose blue eyes are currently scanning the entrance of the gym. He’s holding himself in a way that makes him seem sure of himself, a demeanour that screams “unapproachable” and yet charming. He’s gorgeous.
Bokuto is still staring at him, and the guy must notice, for his gaze shifts and lands on the two of them. Bokuto shifts ever so slightly and makes a tiny squealing sound. Kuroo frowns, and Bokuto is still staring.
“Kuroo,” He whispers. “He’s beautiful.”
Kuroo watches as his friend slowly raises his hand in the air in what Kuroo supposes is a wave. The guy looks at him for a moment, before he too raises a hand. It’s pathetic, Kuroo thinks, but kind of in an endearing way. The guy finally turns away and so does Kuroo, but Bokuto’s gaze is still fixed on him, a dopey smile on his face. It makes Kuroo’s stomach clench.
“Do you know him?” Bokuto asks once he’s torn his gaze away from him.
Kuroo shakes his head no, unable to form words.
“Huh,” Bokuto says, still smiling in a way that leaves Kuroo feeling all weird.
They leave for dinner without talking about the guy again, but Kuroo can tell that he’s still very much on his roommate’s mind, for he drifts off mid-sentence to stare at nothing with a secretive smile on his face that has Kuroo refraining from rolling his eyes every time. Kuroo doesn’t mention it, but he also doesn’t recognise the feeling he’s having.
Only after he’s in his own bed that night, he realises that it’s jealousy.
*
Now that Kuroo realised that he’s kinda, maybe, perhaps, a little bit in love with Bokuto, he can’t stop thinking about the other man. He’s hyper aware of every single thing about Bokuto, and all his thoughts keep circling around him to the point where it’s become too much. Did Bokuto’s shorts get more revealing? Since when are Bokuto’s eyes so golden and shiny? Have Bokuto’s arms always been this beefy?
A tiny part of him wants to confess to Bokuto any time they spend time together, but seeing Bokuto so invested in someone else is something completely foreign to him. Sure, they’d talked about other girls and boys they’d hooked up with before, but neither of them had ever been in a serious relationship, and Bokuto had never looked as lovesick before, either.
Kuroo knows when he has no chance. So he tries to get over it, which turns out to be a lot harder than it sounds.
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
How do you get over someone? :3
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
are u srs
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
Yes :(
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
How did you do that
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
Stop
From: Kenma(Cat Face )
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
You’ve become so mean since you started university :(
From: Kenma(Cat Face )
-.-
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
So…no advice?
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
ask yaku
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
:<
Fine.
How’s school going? Excited to finally meet real people?
Of course no one can compete with me, your dearest friend 0:-)
From: Kenma(Cat Face )
ur my only friend
schools fine. exhausting :s
glad i was homeshooled
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
Your texting says otherwise :/
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
Love you <3
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
To: Kenma(Cat Face )
Say it back (Pistol )
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
:/ love u
*
Yaku had been his closest friend during his high school years, a constant presence by his side on both the volleyball court and in the classroom. But despite the fact that Yaku knew Kuroo better than anyone, except maybe Kenma, talking to him about this proves to be just as unhelpful as the talk with Kenma had been.
“I’m in love and I need to not be in love anymore,” Kuroo says as soon as the libero picks up.
“Hi, Kuroo,” Yaku deadpans. “Thanks for asking, I’m great.”
“Hi, Yaku,” Kuroo sighs. “How are you?”
“It just doesn’t have the same effect when I force you to do it.”
“Can we talk about my problem, then?”
“No offence,” Yaku says, probably about to say something offensive. “But you’ve never been in love.”
Kuroo gasps and puts a hand on his hip, even though the other can’t see him. “You know damn well that I have been in love before.”
Yaku snorts. “Your crush on that weirdo in first year doesn’t count.”
“He wasn’t weird,” Kuroo scoffs.
“He was.”
“He was not!”
“He cut his hair in class,” Yaku says flatly.
“That was cute!”
“It wasn’t cute, it was weird!”
Kuroo raises his chin and lets out his breath in a huff. “Whatever. I’m in love now, for real.”
“And who might this lucky person be,” Yaku says, and this time his voice sounds softer than before, curious even.
“Doesn’t matter. I just said that I need it to stop.”
“Why?”
“Are you gonna help me or not?” Kuroo whines.
“I don’t know what you want me to do. Why do you need it to stop, anyway?”
“He’s interested in someone else.”
Yaku hums quietly.
“Maybe you should find someone else, too, then.”
Totally unhelpful.
*
Despite Kuroo’s internal struggle, life goes on and classes continue. When he enters one of his research classes for this semester, he is immediately overwhelmed by the abundance of students that are scattered all around the classroom. He spots a single spot by the window in the last row and keeps his head down until the class starts. He knows he should probably try to make friends, since this is a research class, after all, and they’d most likely be expected to group up for some kind of research, but he doesn’t feel up to talk to anyone at all. He stares out of the window, and watches the campus and the students who are lounging on the benches and tables, until he feels a presence by his side.
A student about his age pulls the chair across the floor and takes the spot next to Kuroo, greeting him with a curt nod, before he pulls out a notebook and pencil case, turning his focus to the front where the professor enters the classroom.
The guy isn’t someone Kuroo has seen before, and in his courses he’s usually faced with familiar faces. This guy, however, is completely new to him. He looks pretty athletic, from the way he’s holding himself and the broadness of his shoulders. The crew cut suits him, Kuroo thinks, and gives him a more authoritative aura. He’s not facing Kuroo anymore, but he can make out the bushy eyebrows and serious eyes, anyway.
Kuroo sits up when the professor silences the chattering of the students, and starts listening to the introduction to the course. It’s a combined class for both Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering students, and just as Kuroo expected, they are expected to work on a research project in pairs for the entirety of the semester. They are not even expected to attend classes after this one, but are advised to spend the free time on working on their projects.
“Find your partner, and then come draw a topic for your project,” The professor instructs, holding up a jar with pieces of paper inside it. “I’ll write down your names and then you’re free to go.”
People immediately huddle together in pairs, with the first ones even going up to get their topic. Kuroo stares at the classroom, awkwardly glancing at the student beside him, who hasn’t moved yet. It doesn’t seem like he has a partner either, but he doesn’t know anything about the guy. The project is worth a lot of credits, and he doesn’t want to mess it up by getting a partner that won’t put as much effort into work as he does. He quit volleyball to focus on his studies, and he won’t ruin his chances on getting a good degree by partnering up with the wrong people. It doesn’t seem like he has a chance, though, since everyone else is probably already partnered up. From the way the guy sighs and turns to Kuroo, he seems to be thinking the same thing.
“Do you want to be partners, then?” He asks, a smile on his face that seems way too forced to be genuine.
Kuroo doesn’t know why he suddenly feels so irritated, but he does. He puts a smile on his face, just like the guy did and nods.
“For sure,” He says. “You realise the amount of credits this course offers, right?”
The guy raises one eyebrow, the fake smile still on his face. “Of course.”
“Good, good.”
They stare at each other for a while longer, and Kuroo’s cheeks start to hurt from the way he’s smiling so wide.
“You two,” A voice interrupts them. Their professor is standing in front of the classroom, holding the jar out. “Project, now.”
Kuroo turns around and notices that they’re the only two people left in the classroom. The guy seems to be realising the same thing, for he gets up quickly and apologises to the man with a slight bow. Kuroo grabs his things before he joins the two in the front, where his partner is currently drawing a paper out of the jar. The professor hands Kuroo the chart.
“Please put down your names,” He offers him a pen.
Kuroo scrawls his name under the list of other pairs, before he realises he doesn’t know his partners name. He awkwardly pauses, pen still hovering in the air. The guy snorts and takes pity on him. “Sawamura Daichi.” Kuroo nods, before quickly scribbling down Sawamura’s name next to his, hoping that he wrote it correctly. The professor thanks them and ushers them out of the room.
The two of them awkwardly stand in the hallway, before Kuroo notices that Sawamura is still holding the piece of paper from the jar in his hand.
“So what’s our project?”
The other’s eyes widen a bit in surprise, as if he only now remembered that he still hasn’t opened it. He unfolds the piece of paper, before shrugging and holding it out for Kuroo to see.
Water treatment
“Huh,” Kuroo offers. “That’s a pretty broad topic.”
“Yeah, well,” Sawamura says. “We’re allowed to narrow it down to specifics if we want to.”
Kuroo hums, before he thinks of something. “Are you a Chemical Engineering Major, as well?”
Sawamura shakes his head. “Bioengineering.”
That explains why Kuroo has never seen him before. Despite their similar course programs, the classes they have are usually held in different buildings.
“Okay,” Sawamura says, once Kuroo fails to answer. “Do you want to exchange numbers? So we can discuss when we wanna meet up?”
“Sure thing,” Kuroo says and takes out his phone to hand it to Sawamura. “Just put in your number.”
Sawamura does so and hands the phone back.
“I’ll text you,” Kuroo promises and turns to leave, when Sawamura speaks up again.
“Your name?”
“Huh?”
Sawamura awkwardly puts his hand on his neck, scratching his hair.
“I don’t know your name.”
“Oh,” Kuroo says. Right. He hadn’t even thought about that. “Kuroo Tetsurou.”
Sawamura nods and Kuroo turns to leave again, waving once over his shoulder with a smirk on his face. “See you.”
*
Before he knows it, it’s Tuesday again and he’s back on the bench in front of the gym, waiting for Bokuto to finish practice. He’s kind of nervous about tonight, because while avoiding Bokuto in their room hasn’t been easy, Kuroo was able to avoid movie nights or shared meals with the excuse of homework and studying. But Tuesdays they go out for dinner, and Kuroo won’t let a stupid crush break their year-old tradition. But that doesn’t mean he looks forward to spending hours in Bokuto’s presence by himself with the other’s undivided attention on him. Well– not undivided, since Bokuto still seems to be engrossed by that encounter from last week.
It kinda hurts, Kuroo realises. To finally want someone and not have them want you back.
Bokuto walks out as one of the last one’s again and approaches Kuroo as excited as he usually is, unaware of Kuroo’s nervousness.
He’s about to say something, when he spots something, or rather someone, standing a few meters away from them. Kuroo turns around and spots the same guy from last week, standing at the exact same spot as he had before. He probably feels them staring again, for he turns towards them. Kuroo watches him and Bokuto look at each other for a few moments again, and waits patiently as Bokuto gathers the courage to wave at him. The guy waves back and Bokuto obviously lights up, as if he had won the lottery or something. If Kuroo had any doubts about his non-existing chances with Bokuto before, they’re all gone now. Kuroo had never been at the receiving end of that look.
If Kuroo were a lesser man, he would burst into tears right there and then, but because he’s not, he simply asks “Are you gonna talk to him?”.
Because he has seen Bokuto be many things (irresponsible, compassionate, affectionate, gloomy), but never shy.
Bokuto snorts, a nervous and squeaky sound so unusual coming from him. “Ha,” he says like Kuroo asked him to fly to the moon or something. “No.”
Kuroo doesn’t say anything and that seems to be all Bokuto has to say to that, because he starts walking away. Kuroo sighs, but follows.
*
They don’t talk about it again, but Kuroo is sure that Bokuto doesn’t have any intention of talking to the guy, like ever. Because the next time Kuroo picks Bokuto up from practice, the guy is there again, but all they do is wave at each other before Bokuto practically drags Kuroo away from the gym. Kuroo can’t decide what’s more pathetic: Bokuto’s crush on the nameless guy in front of the gym or Kuroo’s own crush on Bokuto. He decides it doesn’t matter. But watching Bokuto pine for the guy is both making him upset and angry at the same time.
Because Bokuto actually has a chance with the guy. And he’s not taking it.
That’s why Kuroo has to intervene.
*
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
You need to help me make two people fall in love
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
pls delete my numbr
*
Despite their initial awkwardness, talking to Sawamura is surprisingly easy. They settle into a comfortable routine, with both of them texting back and forth about their course topic, exchanging preferred literature to base their project on and giving each other tips on how to move forward with their research. Now that they’ve made up their mind on what to specialise on, they meet up in the library to gather notes and pick out books for their bibliography.
Kuroo gathered pretty quickly that Sawamura is just as focused on his studies as he likes him to be, and that there was no reason for him to be worried in the first place. And once they got past their intensity, their interactions have been much more tolerable. Sawamura is actually pretty nice to be around, Kuroo finds.
“To our next meet-up we should bring the water with us. Then we can see the results and take better notes,” Sawamura notes thoughtfully.
“For sure,” Kuroo answers. “You’d think water would be just water, you know. But it’s kind of incredible what it can do.”
Sawamura looks at him, a strange look on his face. “I mean, yeah…it’s water. We need it to survive.”
“Yeah, but it’s also kind of living, you know?”
He remembers his obsession with water in high school and how exasperated all his friends had been when he had told them yet another fascinating fact about it.
“I guess…?”
Sawamura doesn’t seem to be as impressed as he is, but he’s also not annoyed yet, which is a plus.
“Did you know that in Turkey they say that water helps with nightmares?”
“How so?” Sawamura looks mildly interested now, for he leans forward a bit. Kuroo takes that as a sign to continue.
“If you have a nightmare, you’re supposed to get up and recount it to running water. They believe that the bad dreams flow away with it.”
Sawamura raises his eyebrows. “And that works?”
Kuroo shrugs. He himself had never had any problems with nightmares, thank god, but the forums he had been on were full of people who had.
“Some people say it does. I’ve never tried it before.”
Sawamura hums. “I have a friend who has a lot of nightmares. They keep him up a lot, so I guess I’ll let him know.”
“Tell me if it works,” Kuroo says, trying to appear not as excited as he feels. The fact that Sawamura’s friend suffers from nightmares is horrible, of course, but on the other hand it’s interesting to see if that belief is actually something that has success.
“I will,” Sawamura promises and goes back to working.
“Thanks,” Kuroo says, eyeing the other carefully. Sawamura is staring at his notebook again, deep in thought and tapping the end of his pen against his slightly stubbly chin. It looks as though he hasn’t shaved this morning, but instead of it making him look tired, it just adds to his charm.
He’s not a bad-looking guy, Kuroo thinks suddenly, surely he has a lot of experience in the dating department. Probably more than Kuroo. It gives him an idea.
“Say, Sawamura,” He starts again, trying to sound nonchalant. “You’re probably pretty popular with girls, right?”
Sawamura looks up from his notebook, giving Kuroo a blank look.
“Uh, boys?”
Sawamura just continues to stare.
“Look,” Kuroo says. “I need advice and you’re not a bad looking dude, so I thought I asked you.”
“…..what kind of advice are we talking about?”
Kuroo sits up eagerly, now that Sawamura seems willing to help him.
“I need to make two people fall in love,” He announces.
Sawamura doesn’t seem impressed. “Why?”
Kuroo hesitates for a moment. He isn’t going to go around emptying his feelings to total strangers, but Sawamura isn’t a stranger anymore. They’re friendly now, but not close enough for him to be judged. And since Kuroo knows that neither Kenma or Yaku are going to be much help with his problem (and Bokuto is not an option for obvious reasons), he doesn’t have many people to talk to. It doesn’t seem like the worst idea he’s had yet.
“I’m in love with my best friend,” He says, trying to sound as unaffected as possible. “And he’s in love with someone else. Someone whose name he doesn’t even know. And I thought I’d get over my crush quicker if they were actually together, so.”
Only when Sawamura’s eyes widen in surprise, does Kuroo realise that the other student might as well be homophobic, but he doesn’t look at him with disgust on his face, only pity and sympathy. He doesn’t say anything for a while though, and just when Kuroo thinks he’s not going to say anything at all, he speaks.
“Oh,” He says, voice even. “Why do you want to get over your crush? Maybe he’ll like you back?”
Kuroo shakes his head, not wanting to get his hopes up for nothing. “No.”
Sawamura looks like he wants to argue, but doesn’t. “Okay, uh.” He scratches his head. “Just get them to meet up, then?”
“We don’t even know his name.”
Sawamura frowns. “How do you plan to set them up, then?”
“That’s what I’m asking you.”
“You have nothing to go on.”
“I’m aware, thanks.”
“How do you know him again?”
“He’s in front of the gym every Tuesday.”
“Why don’t you talk to him there?”
Sawamura looks confused now, clearly not seeing the problem.
“My friend doesn’t want to talk to him.” Kuroo says impatiently.
“Well,” Sawamura says slowly. “Maybe you should talk to him then.”
Kuroo opens his mouth to argue, but pauses mid-movement. “Huh,” He says.
*
In the end, Kuroo doesn’t have to talk to the guy in front of the gym after all. He’s walking back towards the dorms after his 11:00 class when it happens. Usually, he’s not back until much later, but his professor cancelled the class and he doesn’t have any studying to catch up on. When he turns the corner to where the dormitory buildings are, he sees him. He stops dead in his tracks, having to take a double take to make sure his eyes did not fail him.
There, exiting Dormitory F, the building straight across Dormitory C where Bokuto and Kuroo are living, is the guy from the gym. He looks as pretty and graceful as ever while he holds his messenger bag and walks towards campus at a rapid pace. Kuroo watches him walk for a few seconds, mouth agape, before he collects himself and chases him.
“Hey, hey,” He yelps, struggling to catch up to the guy. “Hey.”
The guy slows his pace, looking back over his shoulder, frowning. He stops completely when he meets Kuroo’s gaze. Kuroo can see the surprise showing on his face, before it smooths into recognition.
“Hello,” He says. His voice is smooth and deeper than he would have expected, but Kuroo finds it suits him. “How can I help you?” Kuroo pretends to not notice how he sneaks looks behind Kuroo as if Bokuto was going to jump out of a nearby bush or something.
“Hey,” Kuroo says for the fourth time. “Hey, uh. You’re the guy from the volleyball gym right?”
“Yes,” The guy answers simply, not offering anything else.
Kuroo hums. “Where are you going?”
“Work.”
“Where do you work?”
The guy frowns, clearly confused about where the conversation is going. “Owl Star,” He answers after a moment of hesitation.
“That’s a coffee shop, right?” Kuroo knows the name and realises he’s heard it before when the guy nods in confirmation.
Uncertainly, the guy grips his bag, clearly wanting to get going but not wanting to be impolite either.
“Ah, yes,” Kuroo says. “Have a nice shift.”
He salutes the guy and sends him a sly grin before he turns and basically runs back to his dorm, leaving the guy standing there.
He suddenly knows what he needs to do.
*
As soon as Bokuto enters their dorm, Kuroo gets up from his bed. Bokuto seems startled to see Kuroo in the room, but manages a bright smile anyway. It makes Kuroo’s heart skip a beat, but he tries to ignore it in favour of his plan. He motions for Bokuto to get rid of his bag.
“We’re leaving,” He says and opens the door again.
“Eh?” Bokuto is clearly confused, but not opposed.
“It’s a surprise,” Kuroo simply says as he drags Bokuto out of their room by his sleeve, knowing that it will get his dorm mate excited enough.
Bokuto asks where they’re going all the way to the coffee shop, but that’s alright because Kuroo is smart enough to evade his questions until they’re standing in front of Owl Star.
Bokuto eyes the name of the shop that’s plastered right above the entry with delight. “Owls?”.
“Yeah, let’s go in.” He says and opens the door for him.
Kuroo has never been inside the coffee shop himself, but he’s heard other people talk about it. He remembers a classmate of his mentioning that it was founded by two students, who had dropped out of college to “follow their dreams”. It’s not something that Kuroo sees himself doing, but it looks like it paid off, for the shop itself looks cozy and welcoming with the counter on the left side and some tables and chairs on the right side. There are also beanbags all over the cafe, where some students are lounging or even sleeping on.
Bokuto scans the cafe excitedly, and his whole mood drops after a few moments. “No owls.” He says, voice dripping with disappointment.
Kuroo smirks. “Come on, let’s order something so we can sit down.”
He pushes his friend towards the counter and watches how the barista’s eyes widen in surprise. Bokuto stares at his opponent for a few seconds, before recognition dawns on him and he startles. “Ah,” He squeals and turns to Kuroo, pulls at his sleeve and tugs it a few times as if waiting for him to explain. The barista, who Bokuto has now clearly identified as the guy from the gym, looks from Bokuto to Kuroo and fails to hide a little smile.
“Welcome,” He says and Kuroo can see how Bokuto practically melts after hearing his voice. “Would you like to order?”
“Y-yes,” Bokuto says, stumbling over his words. “Yes. I would like that.” He stares at the guy, a bright smile finding its way on his face.
The two of them seem to be lost in each others eyes, for neither of them continue talking after that. Kuroo coughs once, and then again when he gets no reaction.
“Hate to interrupt this heated discussion,” He says. “But do you plan on ordering anything?”
The last part is directed at Bokuto, whose face turns red immediately. He makes a hasty order, probably naming the first thing that he can find on the menu above them, and waits for Kuroo to order his own drink. The guy’s voice does not falter when he tells Kuroo the price, but he can see that there’s still a faint blush on his face as he takes the money. “I’ll bring you guys your drinks in a minute,” He promises and dashes off.
Bokuto turns to him immediately. “Bro,” He says.
“Bro.”
“Bro,” Bokuto says again, this time with more feeling. “How did you know?”
Kuroo smirks. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”
Bokuto stares at him in awe. “Thank you.”
Kuroo just shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets. “I’ll get us a table,” He says and walks over to where the tables are. Most of them are taken, but there are some empty ones in between and he sits down at one of them. From where he’s sitting, he has a clear sight of the counter. Bokuto is still the only one there, and he watches as he fiddles with his hands, while the barista is preparing their drinks. Kuroo sighs and forces himself to look away. He focuses on the students that surround him instead. Most of them are here with friends, quietly chattering among themselves, but there are some people by themselves as well, scribbling away on their notebooks, clearly absorbed in their studying. His mind wanders towards his own research project unconsciously, and he wonders whether Daichi has made any progress with his part yet. Before he can take out his phone and ask about it, Bokuto plops down in the chair across from him, putting down the coffee Kuroo had ordered.
“Thanks,” Kuroo says and takes a sip of the hot beverage.
“I think I love him,” Bokuto says dreamily and Kuroo almost chokes on the coffee.
“What?” He says, once his throat has calmed down from the almost burn. “You don’t even know his name.”
“Akaashi,” Bokuto answers.
Kuroo falters, but not for long.
“Fine, you know his name, but you don’t know anything else about him really.”
“He’s 20 and he’s studying law. He’s from Tokyo, too.”
“The fuck? I was gone for like a minute,” Kuroo argues but Bokuto just shows him a smug smile, all shyness suddenly gone from the boy. It seems like seeing the other in another environment had done wonders for him.
“This is all thanks to you,” Bokuto says eventually, a sincere smile on his face. “I have the best best friend ever.”
Kuroo smiles at that, trying not to feel guilty about his ulterior motives behind all of this.
Time passes more quickly after that, mostly because the guy (Akaashi, his brain supplies) comes over to their table after that. He seems shy himself, but Bokuto doesn’t give him another chance with his frantic waving and blinding grin. Akaashi spends his 30 minute break at their table, introduces himself politely to Kuroo and then listens to Bokuto’s rambling with a fond smile. The way he’s looking at his friend is enough for Kuroo to not feel any kind of resentment towards him. Kuroo is trying to distract himself with his phone while the two of them are absorbed in their talk and scrolls aimlessly through his messages and then his instagram feed when neither of his traitorous friends reply. The only times he has to include himself in their talk is when Bokuto finds out that Akaashi lives in the building across from him and then immediately promises that they’ll walk home with him. Kuroo nods at that, and this is how the both of them spend their late afternoon in the cafe, going through three drinks each. Kuroo wishes he had brought at least his laptop with him to work on something for school, but when he had suggested leaving Bokuto alone with Akaashi, the other had frantically declined and practically begged him to stay. And well, there are not a lot of things Kuroo can deny his friend.
When Akaashi eventually finishes his shift, the three of them end up walking awkwardly towards the dormitories, the silence only filled with Bokuto’s murmuring. He talks about volleyball most of the time, but Akaashi doesn’t seem to mind.
“My roommate is on the team, too,” He says. “I think you know him.”
Bokuto gapes at the other dramatically. “Is that the reason why you’re always in front of the gym?”
Akaashi nods and opens his mouth to answer, but he stops when he spots someone walking in the distance, approaching the same building as them. “There he is.” He says instead and Bokuto follows his line of sight.
His eyes shine with glee and he cups his hand around his mouth.
“NOYA!”
The boy in question comes to a sudden halt, almost falling but catching himself in the last second. He turns around for the source of the yell, and widens his arms in excitement when he spots the three of them.
He jogs up to them, a grin on his face. “Bokuto! Akaashi!” His gaze lands on Kuroo, grin still in place. “Man I don’t know!”
Kuroo snorts, and holds up his hand in a short wave. “Kuroo,” He introduces.
The other man, or boy (because calling him a man doesn’t feel right when he looks fifteen) nods and mirrors the gesture. “Nishinoya, but Noya is fine!”
He’s smaller in height and stature than the three of them; in fact he might be the smallest college student he’s ever encountered. His hair is slicked up in a way that makes him look a tiny bit taller than he really is, and there’s a shock of blond hair in his bangs that fits him perfectly. Despite being on the volleyball team, Kuroo has never seen him before. Just when he thinks that he must be a first year, Bokuto starts talking.
“This is the second year transfer I was talking about,” He says, tugging on Kuroo’s sleeve as if he wasn’t listening to what he was saying anyway. “He’s insanely good!”
Kuroo remembers that talk, actually.
“Ah,” He hums. “The libero, right?”
Noya nods and his whole body seems to vibrate with excitement. “Yeah! This team is awesome, I’m so glad to be here!”
Bokuto and he high-five and then laugh among themselves as if sharing a secret joke.
“How do you know Akaashi?” Noya asks eventually, standing on his tiptoes to throw an arm around his roommate’s shoulder. Akaashi rolls his eyes, but doesn’t shove Noya’s arm away.
“We were at the coffee shop he works at, today,” Kuroo says nonchalantly when it’s clear that neither Akaashi or Bokuto are going to answer him.
Noya raises both eyebrows at that, but doesn’t comment on it. His phone rings, then, and his eyes light up when he checks the screen. “I have to take this,” He says and waves while walking backwards towards their dorm. “I’ll see you guys around.”
He then turns around and walks inside the building with a spring in his step.
“I should go, too,” Akaashi says after a moment of silence. Bokuto and he share another longing look and Kuroo can only take so much dramatics, which is why he interrupts them with a pointed cough again.
“Yeah,” Bokuto says slowly. “I’ll come to the cafe again!” He pauses for a moment, hesitation clear in his whole posture. “I mean, if that’s okay.”
“The cafe is open for everybody, I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to,” Akaashi says. He seems to realise how that sounds, for he adds much more softly “I’d like it if you came, though.”.
Bokuto smiles again and the two part only after Kuroo practically drags him away to their own dormitory.
Bokuto doesn’t stop talking about him for the rest of the night, as if Kuroo hadn’t been there with them the whole time.
For some reason, Kuroo doesn’t mind.
*
After that, Kuroo splits his free time from college between meeting Sawamura for their project and going to the coffee shop with Bokuto to visit Akaashi (Bokuto says they can study there, but they both know it’s actually to see Bokuto’s favourite barista). Sometimes he brings his laptop to get actual studying done, but most of the time he busies himself with his phone or chats to the other occupants of the cafe while Bokuto and Akaashi do their awkward flirting. Kuroo suggests multiple times that Bokuto go to the coffee shop alone, but for some reason Bokuto is scared of being alone with the other. What if I ruin it, Kuroo?, Bokuto had whined. Kuroo doesn’t think that there is any way that Bokuto could possibly ruin this, whatever it is, but he humours him anyway. Mostly because Bokuto has still not asked Akaashi out, even though it’s obvious he wants to. It has been three weeks since their first visit to the coffee shop, and Kuroo doesn’t see what’s taking him so long. (When he asks Kenma about it, the other simply asks him how Kuroo would have done it. He drops the topic afterwards.)
The project with Sawamura, on the other hand, is coming along pretty well. Both of them have done good on their parts, so the collecting of the work they have so far is pretty easy.
They’re currently sitting at a coffee shop (not the one Akaashi works at, but one with a similar atmosphere and yet with more space to sit in), notebooks spread out in front of them while both of them are typing away on their laptops. Kuroo is taking sips from his latte now and then, but Sawamura is waiting for his coffee (black and no sugar, the heathen) to cool down.
“Sawamura,” He starts and Sawamura sighs loudly, ready for whatever Kuroo is about to ask him. Kuroo suppresses a grin. By now he had asked about Sawamura’s opinion on his Bokuto/Akaashi debacle every time they’ve been together. He had been careful not to give any names or specifics about them, but other than that he had practically filled the other completely in. “How do you ask someone out?”
Sawamura stops typing and looks up, frown on his face. He looks way more serious than usual, Kuroo thinks. It makes him look more grown up.
“Haven’t I told you that I’ve never dated anyone before?” Sawamura says patiently. “Oh wait, I have. Like five times.”
He resumes typing.
Kuroo rolls his eyes and tries again.
“Fine, how would you ask someone out?”
“I don’t know, Kuroo.”
“Come on,” Kuroo begs. “Have you never looked at someone and thought I would really like to tap that before?”
Sawamura’s fingers pause above the keyboard and he gives Kuroo a deadpan stare. “No, Kuroo,” He says, voice emotionless. “I have never looked at someone and thought I would really like to tap that before.”
“Ugh,” Kuroo sighs and leans forward in his seat. “I forgot how vanilla you are.”
“What.”
“You’re so –” Kuroo looks for the right word. “You’re like the perfect son-in-law. Your first thought would probably be I would really like to treat that to a nice dinner and then to some respectful handholding.”
“Is that so bad?”
Sawamura is frowning again, and Kuroo notes that he seems kind of…insecure? It makes him feel bad, for some reason.
“It’s not bad,” He answers quickly. “It’s…nice.”
“Nice.” Sawamura says, unconvinced.
“Yeah,” Kuroo says again, because it does sound nice. “I’m sure lots of people love that.”
“Hmm,” Sawamura hums. “Not you, though?”
Kuroo shrugs. “I don’t know, man,” He says eventually. “No one has taken me to dinner before.”
“Oh,” Sawamura says hesitantly. “Me neither.”
There’s a moment of silence before Kuroo sighs dramatically. “How will I make that date happen then, if we’re both so clueless?”
Sawamura stares at him a moment longer, before he too sighs and goes back to his laptop. “I don’t know, Kuroo. You’ll figure it out.”
*
He doesn’t figure it out.
Instead, he spends days trying to convince Bokuto to ask Akaashi out, but Bokuto insists that it’s not the right time yet, whatever that means. But that means that he thinks the right time will come, eventually. Until then it’s just more awkward third-wheeling in the coffee shop and endless nights spent listening to Bokuto ranting about volleyball, boring classes, and Akaashi Keiji.
He doesn’t mind, he really doesn’t. But he thinks he would feel much better about this whole thing if the two of them were actually dating, instead of this whole awkward thing they’re currently doing.
He’s walking home from the library when it happens; he had met some other students for a group project in the evening. Group projects are exhausting, and so he is already pretty done with the day when he reaches the dormitories. He’s about to turn towards his own building when he stops in front of Akaashi’s instead. It’s a thing they do sometimes. Akaashi (and sometimes Noya, too) will be standing in fron of the window and when Bokuto and Kuroo pass, they’ll wave.
This time, he spots not only one, but two figures in the window. He’s about to raise his hand and wave at the two roommates, when he sees they haven’t spotted him yet. It’s hard to tell, for it is dark outside and the two occupants of the room haven’t turned on the lights. Kuroo squints his eyes at them, trying to figure out what they’re doing. They seem to be sitting down on the couch that’s in front of the window (if the room is identical to Kuroo’s own room), and are engrossed in their talk. Kuroo can make out Noya easily, for that raised hair of his is a dead giveaway. He’s currently telling Akaashi something, gesturing wildly. Kuroo sighs and is about to turn away, since it doesn’t seem like either of them are going to spot him, but then Noya leans forward and –
“Holy fuck,” Kuroo says.
Because that is definitely Noya and Akaashi making out.
“Holy fuck!” Kuroo says again and power walks into his own room.
He doesn’t talk to Bokuto for the rest of the night, and thankfully, Bokuto doesn’t pry.
*
The next day, Kuroo is no longer plagued by shock and confusion. Instead his mind is filled with conflict, because on the one hand this is definitely something Bokuto should know about before he gets too attached to Akaashi. But on the other hand it’s too late because Bokuto is already way too attached to Akaashi. He doesn’t want his best friend to get hurt, but he also doesn’t want to upset him. And this will upset Bokuto, he knows it will.
These past few weeks he had been blessed with a Bokuto that had been more animated and happy than he had ever seen him. Kuroo doesn’t have the heart to take that away from him.
So, he doesn’t say anything. Yet.
But when Bokuto wants to go back to Owl Star the following Monday, he doesn’t feel like going.
“Maybe we can go somewhere else?”
Bokuto seems confused. “Why would we do that?”
“I don’t know, there are a lot of coffee shops.”
“Akaashi doesn’t work at other coffee shops, though,” Bokuto points out. “He works at Owl Star.”
Kuroo doesn’t have anything else to say to that, and so they go.
He can’t meet Akaashi’s eye while they’re there, though, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by either Akaashi or Bokuto.
“Is everything alright, Kuroo?”
When Kuroo finally meets his eye, Akaashi’s gaze is neutral as always, but Kuroo can tell he’s curious as to why Kuroo is behaving the way he is.
Nothing’s fine, why are you leading my best friend on if you have a thing with your roommate?
“Yeah,” Is what he says instead. He looks at his coffee again. “Everything’s fine.”
Akaashi doesn’t look like he believes him, but he thankfully doesn’t ask anything else either. “I have to go back to work.” With that he leaves, and Kuroo is left alone with Bokuto.
“Bro,” Bokuto says, brows furrowed in worry. “What’s up with you today? Has Akaashi done anything to you?”
“Nah,” He says, trying to sound even. “Just stress in one of my classes.”
“Oh,” Bokuto says and that’s that.
*
Kuroo is sure that at this point Sawamura must be annoyed by his problems, but if he doesn’t tell anyone, he’s going to explode. And since both Kenma and Yaku have threatened to block him if he told them yet another thing about Bokuto’s love escapades, Sawamura is his only option.
“That sucks,” Sawamura says eventually after he carefully listens to Kuroo. “What are you going to do?”
Kuroo groans loudly and throws his hands dramatically in the air. The couple at the table next to them give him an annoyed look for being so loud, but Sawamura sends them an apologetic smile.
“You’re supposed to know what to do,” Kuroo whines, a bit more quietly now. “I’m at a loss here.”
Sawamura winces slightly, and awkwardly pets Kuroo’s hand that had gripped his sleeve.
“You’ll find a way,” He says. “You always do.”
“Ugh,” Kuroo says and grabs his fork again, pushing the fries on his plate around. “Am I a bad friend for not telling him?”
His opponent looks at him, eyes sympathetic and sincere. “I think you’re the exact opposite of a bad friend. You only want what’s good for him, right?”
Kuroo nods.
“How could you be a bad friend, then?”
Kuroo shrugs, but doesn’t say anything else. When his plate is empty, and Sawamura is just about finished as well, he checks the time on his phone. It’s later than expected, and they haven’t gotten any real work done, yet.
“Do you wanna meet on Friday so we can actually work on the project? I kind of ruined it with my problems.”
“It’s alright, I didn’t mind,” Sawamura assures him. “I can’t do Friday, though. I already have plans.”
“Plans? Does Sawamura have a date?” Kuroo teases, wiggling his eyebrows in a way he knows will make Sawamura roll his eyes.
Sawamura does just that and shakes his head. “Not a date.”
“One day,” Kuroo says with a heavy sigh. “You will be the one with all the stories.”
Sawamura snorts.
*
From: Yaku
Are you free on Friday?
To: Yaku
Oh? What is this? Does the mighty Yaku crave my presence?
From: Yaku
That was a yes or no question
To: Yaku
-___-
Fine.
Yes, I’m free.
From: Yaku
Okay
I’m coming to Tokyo
I want you to meet someone
To: Yaku
:O
Who??????
Could it be
Could it be ….
A boyfriend???????
From: Yaku
You know what I changed my mind
To: Yaku
NO WAIT
STOP
I’M SORRY
From: Yaku
You’re so annoying
How did I ever survive with you
To: Yaku
Please, you love me
And you want me to meet your boyfriend
Because I’m your most cherished friend 0:-)
From: Yaku
I’m really having second thoughts
To: Yaku
I’m joking
I will be on my best behaviour, mom
This is so exciting, I can’t wait to meet my new stepdad
From: Yaku
Kuroo
To: Yaku
I’m excited, Yaku!!! Let me be!!!!!!!!!
When did you start dating?? Who is he?
From: Yaku
A few months ago
To: Yaku
And you didn’t tell me????
From: Yaku
I’m telling you now
I didn’t want to tell you in case it didn’t work out or something
But I’m having a really good feeling …
To: Yaku
I’m happy for you!!!!!!
I can’t wait to meet him!
Friday where??
From: Yaku
Thank you Kuroo
A cafe called Coffee World. At 4
Please don’t be late
To: Yaku
I know it! And I wont :D
From: Yaku
Also don’t mention his height
If you do, I’ll kill you
To: Yaku
What the fuck
*
On Friday, he leaves his dorm at 3:30, even though he won’t need more than 15 minutes to the cafe Yaku mentioned. But he wants to be a good friend, because Yaku really has been his best friend since high school and he doesn’t think he’s shown him the appreciation he truly deserves. And it’s the first boyfriend that Yaku has willingly introduced to Kuroo, so that must truly mean something. He’s excited to meet him, and when he sits down at the cafe at 3:45, his mood is better than it has been for the past week.
“Kuroo?”
He turns around to the source of voice and is met with a familiar face – just not the face he had expected to see.
“Sawamura?”
There he stands, in all his glory, dressed more nicely than Kuroo has ever seen him.
“What are you doing here?” Kuroo asks.
“I’m meeting someone here,” He starts but Kuroo interrupts him.
“So you do have a date!”
“No,” Sawamura says, a faint blush appearing on his face. “My friend wants to introduce me to his boyfriend and I’m supposed to meet them here.”
Kuroo stares at him in shock, because what are the odds?
“What?” He says, drawing the syllable out. “I’m here for the same reason–”
Before he can finish, though, there is another shout of his name.
“Kuroo?”
He looks up, and spots Yaku walking in. The sight of his friend immediately sends warmth through his body, but Yaku hadn’t been the one to call his name. He turns his gaze towards the person walking beside him and is met with –
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He says in disbelief.
Yaku and Noya come to stand in front of them, Yaku smiling slightly and Noya full on grinning.
“Daichi!” He says and Kuroo is confused for a moment, until Sawamura returns the greeting in a fond tone.
Kuroo’s head is spinning with how much there is going on right now and he has to grip the table for support.
“Someone explain,” He mutters.
Yaku notices his mood immediately and furrows his brows in confusion, but complies nevertheless. “Kuroo, this is Noya,” He says uncertainly. “My boyfriend. But you two seem to already know each other…”
“We’re basically neighbours!” Noya adds excitedly, completely unaware of the rage that is radiating from Kuroo’s body towards him. “And this is Daichi, my friend! We went to high school together! Daichi, this is Yaku.”
Sawamura reaches out and shakes Yaku’s hand in greeting.
“You two also know each other?” Noya asks, pointing between Sawamura and Kuroo.
“We work on a project together for class,” Sawamura answers when it’s clear that Kuroo won’t.
“Ah,” Yaku says, his gaze still fixed on Kuroo. “Should we sit down?”
The three settle on the table that Kuroo had chosen when his whole world hadn’t been fucked over yet, and study the menu.
Kuroo meanwhile, stares at Noya, who is still oblivious to anything like he isn’t ruining his two best friend’s entire lives. How dare he sit there and be happy?
“Kuroo?”
He blinks and directs his gaze towards Yaku. “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
Yaku spoke quietly, so the other two are still engrossed in the card and aren’t paying them any attention.
“Peachy,” Kuroo says like a coward. “Just peachy.”
“You can tell me,” Yaku tries again. “If there’s anything wrong.”
“Yaku,” Kuroo forces a smile on his face and hopes it’s good enough to fool his friend. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Yaku wants to say something else, but is interrupted by Sawamura, who hands him the menu.
“Have you chosen anything yet?”
Yaku shakes his head and takes the menu, placing it in front of Kuroo and himself both.
“Choose,” He orders, and so Kuroo does.
When the waitress comes to take their orders, Kuroo hasn’t contributed anything to the conversation, even though all of them try to include him.
But Kuroo is completely distracted by the fact that his best friend is being cheated on.
He needs to tell someone, but Yaku was looking so happy when he walked in, and if anyone deserves to be happy it’s Yaku, and he can’t believe he’s in this situation again.
“Sawamura,” Kuroo says suddenly. “Can you show me where the restroom is?”
Sawamura looks perplexed, but he turns around to look for the sign anyway. “I think it’s over there…”
“Take me, please. So I don’t get lost.”
All three of them are staring at him incredulously.
“Kuroo,” Yaku starts, but Sawamura stands up.
“It’s okay,” He says, motioning for Kuroo to follow him. “We’ll be right back.”
The restroom is not far away, and when they enter the room, Sawamura turns to Kuroo immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
Kuroo makes sure they’re alone, but then he can’t keep it in any longer.
“Do you remember the guy that was leading my roommate on, but was actually making out with his own roommate the entire time?”
Sawamura looks lost at the sudden change of topic, but nods anyway.
“Well, the roommate that the guy was making out with is Noya!”
“What?”
“Bokuto is being led on and Yaku is being cheated on. Am I cursed? Am I ruining my friend’s love lives?”
“Kuroo, calm down,” Sawamura says. “Noya isn’t a cheater.”
“And yet I saw him make out with Akaashi!”
Sawamura doesn’t look like he believes him. “Maybe you saw wrong.”
Kuroo shakes his head. “I know it was Noya! I recognised him. Would I lie about this?”
Sawamura stares at him for a moment and then swears under his breath.
“What now?”
Kuroo runs a hand through his already messy hair. “I don’t know.”
It’s quiet for a moment, and then Sawamura speaks again.
“I don’t think we should say anything…”
“But it’s not fair,” Kuroo says. “You know it’s not fair. Not to Yaku, and not to Akaashi. And not to Bokuto either.”
“Noya wouldn’t do this, not on purpose,” Sawamura mutters. “Surely there must be an explanation?”
Kuroo snorts. “That explanation better be fucking amazing.”
“I’ve known him since he was 15,” Sawamura says softly. “He’s loud and can be a bit much, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Kuroo is quiet at that, because he doesn’t know what to say.
“Let’s not say anything yet,” Sawamura says. “Let’s wait a bit?”
“How long?”
“Just a bit, I promise.”
“Okay,” Kuroo agrees. “Just a bit.”
*
Kuroo knows Yaku is mad at him, and he has every right to be. Ever since they left the cafe yesterday, Yaku hasn’t said a single word to him. He knows he stayed with Noya at their room, but when Kuroo offered he stay with him and Bokuto instead, he was met with a blank stare.
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
why r u being a dick to yaku
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
What did he say to you?
Yaku must be really pissed, if he told Kenma about it. Kuroo makes a undignified sound and buries his head in his pillow. Bokuto is not in their room, thank god.
From: Kenma(Cat Face )
that ur beign n asshole
i mean u uslly r but even this is 2 much 4 u
whats going on
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
I’ll fix it
From: Kenma (Cat Face )
ok
do it fast yaku is rlly upset
To: Kenma (Cat Face )
Fuck
I know
He desperately wants to tell Kenma, but he knows that the other will force him to tell Yaku immediately, and he can’t do that yet. But he also doesn’t want to fight with Yaku. He groans and quickly opens another chat.
To: Yaku
Yaku
I’m sorry
I know it doesn’t mean much but I just don’t want you getting hurt
I care about you
From: Yaku
If you care about me why were you being so rude to Noya
He has done nothing to you
Is the thought of me being happy really so repulsive to you
To: Yaku
NO
I want you to be happy
Please let me explain
From: Yaku
Explain
To: Yaku
Not via text
Let’s meet?
From: Yaku
Fine
Owl Star at 5
To: Yaku
WHAT
NO
Anything but there
From: Yaku
Either you come or you don’t, Kuroo
Kuroo whines, but he knows it’s a lost fight. He quickly fires off a text to Sawamura as well.
To: Sawamura Daichi
I’m going to tell Yaku
From: Sawamura Daichi
when?? let me talk to noya first
To: Sawamura Daichi
I’m telling him today
I won’t wait any longer I’m sorry
From: Sawamura Daichi
Okay
*
He feels more determined than ever when he walks into Owl Star that day. It’s Saturday, so it’s a bit more crowded than usual, but he has no trouble spotting Yaku’s light hair among the crowd. He takes a deep breath, and walks up to the table. He’s about to greet Yaku, when he sees the other isn’t alone. Noya and Sawamura both raise their hands when they see him, the latter smiling sheepishly. Kuroo gapes at them silently, until Yaku turns around and sees him.
“Sit,” He says and pulls out a chair for him.
Kuroo sits down numbly, and tries to figure out if Sawamura has said anything yet. From the relaxed posture of both Noya and Yaku, he assumes that he hasn’t, though.
“I thought we were going to be alone,” Kuroo murmurs towards Yaku, but the other shrugs.
“I think you owe Noya an apology, to be honest.” Yaku stares at him expectantly, and Kuroo raises his eyebrows.
“What for?”
He knows he sounds like a brat right now, but he’s far from caring. Yaku takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. It’s a familiar gesture, one that he has seen Yaku do countless times during high school, but this time it doesn’t feel as amusing as it did back then.
Yaku is about to say something, when they’re interrupted by a boasting voice.
“Kuroo!”
They all turn around. Bokuto stands in front of them, wide grin plastered on his face and surprise written all over. Kuroo’s heart sinks when he realises he’s not alone. Akaashi is next to him, face stoic as expected, but head tilted in curiosity. He’s not wearing his uniform, which means he’s either about to start his shift or just finished it.
“Akaashi,” Noya says excitedly and gives a satisfied nod when Akaashi waves his hand in greeting.
“What are you doing here?” Kuroo says curtly, because he doesn’t remember Bokuto ever coming here without him.
“I asked Akaashi out!” He exclaims proudly. “We’re going on a date!”
“What?” Kuroo shrieks loudly and Yaku hits him in the shoulder, hard.
“What’s wrong with you?” He hisses.
Bokuto seems confused, for he furrows his brows. “I mean, I think the right time was finally here, and I know I was being ridiculous by not asking him, you know. Isn’t that what you said as well?”
He looks so sincere and pure that Kuroo can’t take it anymore.
“That was before I knew he was making out with Noya behind your back!”
There’s an uncomfortable silence during which everyone stares at him. He can see Sawamura putting his face in his hands, clearly embarrassed by all of this. Yaku’s eyes on him are the most intense of all, making him shiver even though he is not meeting his gaze on purpose.
“You’re dating Noya?” Bokuto asks in a confused voice, finally breaking the silence that was about to choke Kuroo.
“Not that I’m aware of.” Akaashi’s voice is still annoyingly calm, despite the circumstances.
“I saw you two making out in your room,” Kuroo accuses again, because he hasn’t come this far to just back out halfway.
“Huh?” Noya sounds really confused and it’s making Kuroo uncomfortable, because the guy is either an incredibly good actor or –
“Last Saturday?” He tries again, and is vaguely aware of the sweat that’s building on his forehead. He swallows roughly, and when no one answers him, he tries yet again. “I saw you.”
“I went home last weekend,” Akaashi says, raising an eyebrow. “I wasn’t even here.”
“He even said so last week, don’t you remember?” Bokuto is looking at Kuroo now, no longer confused but concerned, as if Kuroo was going crazy or something. He feels the heat radiating from his cheeks, because he feels like he is going crazy. He doesn’t, in fact, remember Akaashi saying that, because he never listens to the conversations Bokuto and Akaashi are having.
“Noya wasn’t cheating on Yaku, if that’s what you were thinking,” Akaashi supplies casually.
“Thank god,” Sawamura murmurs relieved, running his hand over his face.
“Daichi!” Noya yelps, offended.
Kuroo kind of wants to die, because now Yaku is looking at him funnily, and Bokuto still has that concerned look on his face and Akaashi’s face is unreadable as ever, while Noya is tugging on Sawamura’s sleeve, who is still hiding his face.
“Is that why you were so weird to Akaashi?” Bokuto asks.
“Uh,” Is all Kuroo comes up with, fiddling with his fingers under the table. He feels like he’s 14 years old and in trouble for missing curfew.
“And why you looked like you were about to kill me yesterday? Because you thought I was cheating on Yaku?” Noya says, leaning forward in his seat. He looks kind of relieved and a lot younger than before, now that Kuroo is no longer seeing devil horns above his head. He feels horrible for ever thinking badly about him.
“Because I would never.” Noya adds and all Kuroo can do is nod. Words have seemed to fail him and he’s scared that if he opens his mouth again, he’ll start wailing.
“Since Akaashi was not in the room that day, who did you see kissing Noya?” Bokuto wonders out loud.
“Me, obviously,” Yaku speaks up for the first time. His gaze is still on Kuroo, eyes boring into his own intensely.
A lot of things make sense now, and Kuroo feels insanely stupid.
“Well,” Akaashi says when everyone is quiet again. “I think you had reservations?” He looks at Bokuto expectantly, and the man in question perks up.
“Yes!” He looks at Kuroo one more time, but Kuroo gives him an encouraging smile, that probably looks more like a wince. Bokuto nods and gives their table an awkward wave. “See you around, I guess!”
He takes Akaashi by the hand and drags him out of the cafe.
Kuroo clears his throat awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Noya.”
Noya shrugs, a smile on his face again. “It’s alright. You were just trying to protect your friend, right?”
“Right,” Kuroo says lamely. He still feels bad and this whole situation is so ridiculous that he doesn’t know what to say.
Yaku sighs next to him. “This has got to be the most stupid thing you have ever done,” He says, but the corner of his lip is slightly turned upwards. He shakes his head and gets up, motioning for Noya to do the same. “And you dragged poor Daichi into this.”
“That’s on me,” Sawamura admits. “I should have realised myself. I’m sorry.” He gives Noya an apologetic look, but Noya just pinches his cheek before getting out of the chair.
“You two are idiots,” Noya says fondly. “We’ll see you later.”
“Yaku,” Kuroo says before they can leave the cafe, but Yaku shakes his head.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Kuroo,” He says, and there’s almost an smile on his face, so it can’t be all too bad.
Kuroo lays his head on the table.
“You must think I’m the most stupid person on the planet,” He mumbles to Sawamura.
“Actually I think you’re the smartest person I have ever met.”
Kuroo sits up, hesitantly glancing at Sawamura. The dark haired student doesn’t look like he’s mocking him, in fact he looks dead serious. Kuroo is suddenly sobered up, not knowing what to say to that.
“I mean it,” Sawamura continues, arranging the saltshakers on the table absently. “And this was just bad luck. You were worried about your friends. That doesn’t make you stupid. It only makes you a good person.”
“I’m still sorry,” Kuroo says lamely, after a while.
Sawamura shrugs. “It’s okay. It’s kinda my fault, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I believed you, didn’t I?”
Yeah, Kuroo thinks. Even though he had been Noya’s friend for so long. He doesn’t linger too long on that thought, though, because he’s still embarrassed about the entire thing.
He lays back down on the table.
“Leave me here to die.”
Sawamura just pats his back.
*
Things thankfully settle down after that. Kuroo and Yaku have a talk during which Kuroo apologises five times. In the end it’s alright, though, because Yaku is both annoyed and touched by his antics and when they hug it out, things feel normal again.
Unsurprisingly, Bokuto and Akaashi officially start dating soon after, and Kuroo can’t help but feel happy for them. Bokuto is constantly excited now and he keeps thanking Kuroo, even though Kuroo almost ruined the entire thing for them.
Now that Bokuto has a boyfriend, he’s also away a lot, mostly visiting Akaashi at work or taking him out or along to his games. So far, they still spend their Tuesdays nights together, with Kuroo picking him up from practice, but Kuroo can’t help but wonder how long that is going to last.
He’s walking over to the gym, his pace way slower than it usually would be, tracing patterns in the snow with how he’s dragging his feet. He hasn’t seen Bokuto since the day before, with his roommate having spent the night at Akaashi’s room, and he isn’t even sure if they will be going out tonight in the first place. They haven’t talked much in the past week, with classes being busy and their schedules not really matching anymore due to their respective study sessions. Maybe Bokuto totally forgot about their Tuesday thing or would rather spend the evening with his boyfriend.
As he’s approaching the gym, he can see that he’s later than he thought he would be, since the most of the volleyball players are already leaving the gym, hastily putting on their beanies and gloves. His eyes scan the lingering people in the front, easily finding Bokuto’s dyed hair. He’s just about to walk up to him, when he sees that he’s quietly talking to Akaashi.
Kuroo stops in his track, quickly wondering if he can still sneak away without making a complete fool of himself. He’d been stupid to assume they would still go out together, he should have at least asked. He doesn’t know why he’s suddenly so upset over this, it’s not like he’ll never see Bokuto again, they’re roommates for god’s sake, but it still hurts. He quickly blinks a few times to make sure he won’t start crying or something, when he hears Bokuto yell.
“Kuroo!”
He ducks his head, feeling awfully exposed all of a sudden, and looks up to see Bokuto waving frantically at him.
“Why are you standing over there?”
Bokuto looks confused and when Kuroo looks around for Akaashi, he sees the other student walking in the opposite direction of them.
Hesitantly, Kuroo walks over and hopes he doesn’t look as insecure as he feels.
“Where is Akaashi going?” He asks and tries to sound casual.
Bokuto holds up his wallet, before putting it in his gym back. “Meeting his study group. He brought me my wallet,” He says and grins sheepishly. “I was wondering where I’d forgotten it.”
He slings an arm around Kuroo and drags him around.
“Ready to go?”
Kuroo feels a rush of affection for his friend and mentally slaps himself for ever worrying about anything in the first place.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
*
With Bokuto mostly busy with Akaashi, Kuroo starts spending a lot more time with Sawamura than before. They get a lot of work done in little time, and by the time Christmas Break is just around the corner, they’re almost finished with their project.
“I think this is it,” Kuroo says, typing the last few words of his sentence. “I’ll send the last paragraph to you so you can put it together.”
He quickly sends the document to Sawamura, so the other can read it over and tiredly closes his laptop.
The dark haired student nods and he hears a pling, indicating that his mail had arrived.
“I’ll do it at home,” Sawamura promises and closes his laptop as well, quickly putting it into his bag. “We finished the project sooner than I expected.”
“I feel like everything changed way too fast,” Kuroo admits. “With all of the things that had been going on, I mean. Now that the project is also done, it’s just another thing that falls into place.”
The other hums. “Right,” He chuckles softly. “Your dramas.”
“You have to admit, it was pretty dramatic.”
“I guess you kind of attract drama.”
Kuroo doesn’t say anything to that, mainly because it’s kind of true. He just shrugs and begins putting his things away, so they’ll have more space at the table for their drinks that have been standing at the edge of the table for a while now. As he pulls the cups towards the middle of the table, Sawamura speaks again.
“Did it work?”
“Did what work?”
Sawamura looks kind of uncomfortable right now, or maybe it’s just the light in the coffee shop that’s making him look red in the face.
“I mean,” He starts slowly. “Are you still in love with Bokuto or not?”
“Oh,” Kuroo says. He had completely forgotten that Sawamura was the only one who knew all about his crush on his roommate. He quickly checks the counter of Owl Star to make sure Akaashi hadn’t overheard, before he remembers Akaashi wasn’t even working today. He’s glad, because he isn’t that keen on making things awkward again. Sawamura is still waiting on an answer, and so he shakes his head. “No. I think I wasn’t really in love with him, anyway.”
Once he says it, he realises it’s kind of true. Sure, Bokuto is nice to look at, but most importantly he is Kuroo’s best friend. And above everything else, he wants to protect the guy. He thinks being jealous of potential threats was justified, in that case. And a little possessiveness. Maybe. He shrugs.
Sawamura has a weird look in his face and looks like he wants to say something, but he merely nods and turns to look at the drink in front of him.
“Dai-chan,” A voice suddenly coos from beside them. Kuroo looks up to see a young man standing next to their table, hands on his hips and a sly smile on his face. The face is immediately familiar to Kuroo, though he can’t exactly tell where from. “When Makki and Mattsun told me you were here, I had to see it with my own two eyes. “
Sawamura rolls his eyes, but his smile is friendly and his posture relaxed. “I do come here every now and then.”
“Ttt,” Sawamura’s friend says. “You told me yourself the music annoyed you.”
“It’s the same two songs over and over again.”
The other laughs again, and Kuroo is frantically trying to figure out where he knows him from. He doesn’t think they share any classes, but maybe he has seen him on campus before?
His sharp eyes fall on Kuroo the moment he’s studying him, and the smile on his face slowly turns into a smirk.
“How rude, Dai-chan,” He says without taking his gaze off Kuroo. “You haven’t introduced us.”
“Kuroo, this is Oikawa Tooru,” Sawamura complies. “Oikawa, this is Kuroo Tetsurou.”
Upon hearing the name, it clicks. This was the setter Bokuto sometimes talked about, meaning Oikawa was on the volleyball team. He had probably seen him during the games, but seeing someone out of uniform was always a different matter.
He waves a hand in greeting, mirroring the smirk on Oikawa’s face. “You’re on the volleyball team.”
Oikawa’s face immediately brightens, smirk falling off his face in exchange for a real smile. “Why, yes, I am. Do you watch our games?”
“Yeah,” Kuroo nods. “My roommate is on the team. Bokuto.”
Oikawa’s eyes widen in recognition of the name and he seems to like Bokuto, because his demeanour is more open now. “Kou-chan,” he states fondly.
“That’s him,” He says, grinning at the nickname.
“And how do you know my dear Daichi?” Oikawa wonders, putting an arm around Sawamura’s neck.
“We’re working on a project together.” Sawamura answers for him, patiently removing the arm from his neck.
Oikawa doesn’t seem bothered, clearly used to this by now and looks at Kuroo again.
“Ah,” He states. “You’re the one with the nightmare trick.”
Kuroo doesn’t immediately understand what Oikawa means, until he remembers Sawamura talking about a friend with nightmares.
“You never told me if it worked,” Sawamura tells Oikawa, and the other laughs quietly.
“I like to think it worked,” He says. “But Iwa-chan freaked out when he saw me talking to the sink in the middle of the night.”
He nudges Kuroo’s shoulder lightly. “Thanks.”
Before Kuroo can say anything, they’re interrupted by a yell from the door. “Yo!” The three of them turn around to see an irritated man standing in the doorway. “Are you coming or not?”
Oikawa rolls his eyes, but raises his hands in surrender. “I have to go.” He gives them a wave. “See you around, Dai-chan, Kuroo-chan.” With that, he’s off.
“Sorry,” Sawamura says. “He can be a bit much. But he means well.”
Kuroo grins and thinks back to how Sawamura had talked about Noya. “I feel like all of your friends are the exact opposite of you.”
Sawamura laughs. “You could say that.”
They fall back into their usual chatter after that, talking about volleyball (he hadn’t known Sawamura had played in high school as well) and their project (and how much free time they’ll have now for the rest of the semester). Sawamura tells him about his plans during the break and how he’s going back to Miyagi until school resumes and Kuroo confirms that he’ll do the same.
Kuroo enjoys himself and feels like he’s leaving all of the drama of the past months behind. He doesn’t even realise it’s getting dark outside, when Sawamura checks his watch.
“I have to leave,” He says, voice nervous. “I’m leaving in two days and I haven’t even started packing or anything.”
Kuroo, who usually doesn’t start packing until the day of departure, doesn’t comment on that.
“I was wondering,” Sawamura speaks slowly, as if choosing every word carefully. “If you would like to get dinner sometime after the break?”
“Oh,” Kuroo says, feeling lost. “I mean, I thought we were basically done with the project, but if you want to look things over again, that’s fine.”
Sawamura stares at him. When he doesn’t say anything for a while, Kuroo thinks he might not have heard him, but then he snaps out of it.
“Uh,” He stammers. “Yeah. No, I guess it’s fine.”
“You sure?”
Sawamura laughs curtly, but it sounds strained and Kuroo wonders if he’s getting sick just before break.
“Pretty sure,” He quickly gathers his bag, puts on his coat and throws his scarf around his neck before he gives Kuroo one last look. “Have a nice break, Kuroo.” He turns around and leaves the coffee shop before Kuroo can say anything back.
Kuroo stares after him, replaying the last bit of conversation in his head to see what could have thrown Sawamura off. He thinks it was going fine until then, and even before this day there hadn’t been a single occurrence where it was awkward between them. His meetings with Sawamura have become part of his routine by now, and Kuroo doesn’t think he can handle losing that part of his routine now.
He enjoys the other’s presence, maybe he even needs it by now. He hadn’t realised that the end of the research project would also mean the end of their meetings. Maybe Sawamura was trying to prolong the end, because he felt the same?
He wonders what he’ll do without the other student around him. He finds that he doesn’t really want to find out.
Then it hits him.
His brows furrow. His breath hitches.
“Fuck.”
He scrambles out of the chair and runs out of the cafe. It had started snowing again, and Kuroo thanks the illuminated signs of the shops on the street, which allow him to spot Sawamura walking away from him in the dark. He quickly runs up to him, his footsteps squelching on the snowy sidewalk.
“Hey,” He yells as he approaches the figure. “Wait.”
Sawamura stops in his tracks and slowly turns around, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Kuroo. “Kuroo?”
Kuroo comes to a stop in front of him, slightly out of breath, and gives Sawamura a grin.
“What’s wrong?” Sawamura looks concerned and gives him a once-over as if expecting him to sport an injury.
“I want you to treat me to a nice dinner,” Kuroo declares.
Sawamura looks confused now, his nose all red from the cold and dark brows furrowed. “I don’t understand–”
“And then to some respectful handholding,” Kuroo interrupts.
Kuroo can see the exact moment that it clicks, and then Sawamura is looking at him like he’s seeing him for the first time, mouth opened in surprise and eyes wide. His cheeks are blushing, and even though that might be due to the cold, Kuroo likes to imagine it isn’t.
“I,” Sawamura starts, voice a bit shaky. “I would like that.”
Kuroo grins, warmth spreading to his cheeks as well, despite the cold.
“You didn’t even wear your coat,” Sawamura observes, as if only now realising that it’s snowing. He unwraps his scarf from his neck and carefully puts it around Kuroo’s. His movements are slow and calculating, and he brushes a few snowflakes from his face.
And Kuroo’s insides do not feel fizzy at the soft feeling of Sawamura’s fingertips against his skin, except they kind of do. He kind of feels overwhelmed with all the emotions running through his head, and wonders where all of them suddenly came from. He doesn’t remember ever feeling this jittery before.
“Maybe I can call you? During the break?” Sawamura suggests quietly, still looking at Kuroo. Kuroo nods, unable to form words at the moment. Had Sawamura’s eyes always been this intense?
“You should go back,” Sawamura suggests, still holding onto the scarf that is now wrapped around Kuroo. “Before you freeze to death.”
“Y-yeah,” Kuroo manages eventually, even though he doesn’t feel particularly cold at the moment. “Call me, Sawamura.” He’s trying to sounds cocky, but he probably sounds like a third-grader experiencing a crush for the first time.
“Daichi,” He says. “You can call me Daichi.”
Kuroo holds his breath, and then he smiles. “Okay, Daichi.”
Daichi returns the smile and then motions to the coffee shop. “I’ll call you,” He promises.
Kuroo nods and slowly turns around to carefully walk the way back to the coffee shop. Every five meters, he turns around to see if Daichi is still watching him, and when he finds him looking back at him until he’s disappeared into Owl Star, he can’t help but smile to himself until he’s back sitting on the chair, Daichi’s scarf still secured around his neck.
It feels like a promise.
*
Kuroo doesn’t fall in love hard and fast like many others do – he falls slowly, and very very softly. Most of the times he doesn’t even realise he’s in love with someone until it’s too late.
Not this time, though. This time, all it took were a bunch of misunderstandings for him to realise.
He couldn’t be happier, though.