Work Text:
DAY FIVE: “Hate is Too Great a Burden to Bear”
Fandom: Haikyuu
Pairing: Kuroo x Daishou
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the mangy alley-mutt himself.”
Kuroo let out an exasperated sigh. “Why are you here?”
“Well.” Daishou licked his lips. “I just so happened to be passing by this restaurant and saw a poor little abandoned kitty and couldn’t help but stop to kick it. Where are the rest of your kittens?”
Kuroo looked away at the empty seat in front of him. “I’m not in the mood for this right now, Daishou.”
“Aw, why not?” Daishou set his hands on the table and leaned over into Kuroo’s face. “All your friends decide to hang around somewhere else?”
Kuroo grimaced, and Daishou didn’t miss the pained look that passed through his eyes.
“I’m really not in the mood, Daishou. If you don’t have anything worth saying, I’d appreciate it if you left.”
Daishou opened his mouth with another jab ready, but then he took in Kuroo’s worn face resting on his cheek, the empty second chair, the two menus, and the nearly empty teapot on the table, and then it all sunk in.
“Oh! Your date’s arrived. Do you need a few minutes to order or are you ready now?” A waitress stopped at the table, notebook held up expectantly.
Kuroo’s chest constricted. Did this really have to happen with Daishou right there to mock him? Possibly forever ?
Just as he was mustering up the courage to tell the waitress no, he was forever alone, Daishou sild into the chair across from him.
“Sorry I’m late, Tetsu-chan.” Daishou turned to the waitress with a charming smile. “I apologize for the hassle, but we would like a few minutes.”
The waitress nodded, partially dazed from Daishou’s look, and walked to attend to another table.
Kuroo groaned, still avoiding Daishou’s eyes. “You don’t need to go this far, Daishou. You already have enough material to make fun of me.”
“Hmm. I don’t think so.” Daishou grabbed a menu and relaxed back in his seat. “I kind of enjoy seeing you like this, especially since I know you’re too polite to just leave after sitting here for what I presume has been a good while.”
Kuroo crashed back into his seat, finally strong enough to glare at his rival. “You’re kind of an asshole, you know that?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Daishou flipped a page, not even looking up. “I’m your loving boyfriend, remember?”
Kuroo fell into a fit of coughing. He hid his face in another cup of tea.
“Come on, Tetsu-chan. She can’t have been that cute to be this devastated.”
Kuroo turned pink. It wasn’t his fault he needed to get over his crush on an annoying, slimy someone. “Yeah, well, apparently he thought I wasn’t worth the decency to cancel so I wouldn’t look like an idiot,” he spat. He could taste the bitterness that wasn’t related to his unsweetened tea.
Daishou’s head shot up at Kuroo’s remark. Kuroo shrunk a little at the probing gaze, then froze when he realized exactly what he had said. He couldn’t meet Daishou’s eyes now. And his eyes flickered down to Daishou’s slightly parted lips.
Instead of what Kuroo was expecting to turn into a sneer, became a tight line of pursed lips. Daishou waved down the waitress. Kuroo could barely hear their conversation over the sound of his own blood pumping through his ears.
“...and he’ll have that gross mackerel-whatever dish you have here.”
Kuroo looked up in shock as Daishou handed the menus away and settled into the refilled teapot.
Daishou noticed Kuroo’s gaze and snorted. “Don’t look at me like I’m some homophobe.”
“We...” Kuroo swallowed. “Well, you don’t need to go this deep. I know you don’t exactly want to sit down for a meal with your arch nemesis.”
Daishou snorted again. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re nowhere near important enough to waste that much negative energy on. More like a fly in my soup, really.”
Kuroo winced, his chest now constricting for an entirely different reason. His heart felt heavy enough to fall like an anvil through the floor. At least his crush wasn’t completely disgusted by Kuroo’s existence.
A long silence fell between them, and from the way Daishou crossed his arms and looked anywhere but him, Kuroo could tell that he wasn’t the only uncomfortable person here.
After another minute, Kuroo cleared his throat. “Uh, look, Daishou. Um...just because I like guys, uh, doesn’t mean--”
“As if I would want you to like me.” Daishou scoffed, though his face did redden slightly. “I have a whole list of better guys for options.”
Kuroo’s eyes widened.
Daishou still wouldn’t look at him, and he began bouncing his leg. “When is that stupid food going to be ready?” Daishou mumbled to himself.
“Something tells me it’ll be a little while longer than the five minutes we’ve been waiting,” Kuroo said. He took a deep breath to regain some of his usual composure. “Hope you didn’t bite off more than you can chew, though you’re skinny enough to need a decent meal.”
Daishou finally met Kuroo’s gaze. He smirked. “Don’t you know, Tetsu-chan, that snakes can dislodge their jaws in order to swallow large meals?”
Kuroo felt his hair stand on end. Though he was sure Daishou’s face turned a lot redder than his own. Kuroo coughed. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Daishou cleared his throat. His hand shook a little as he downed his entire cup of tea. “I said you better eat all your food because I’m not paying for you to waste it, scrub.”
“Um.” The two shot up their heads in horror to see the waitress standing there with a pot of tea. “I was just checking..if um, you boys needed another refill.” She gestured at the pot on the table.
“Yeah,” Kuroo and Daishou answered loudly, and their hands shot to pick up the pot at the same time. They both recoiled at the brief touch.
“...Okay.” The waitress quickly switched the pot and all but dashed away, but not before giving Kuroo a knowing smile.
Kuroo hid his face with his hand. I’m ready to die now .