Chapter Text
Tsukishima hadn’t realised he’d been cold, nor that he’d let a tear slip. He just wanted to forget, forget the pain and the suffering and the oddity that he was.
He was too emotionally exhausted to react when he felt someone take off his headphones, especially when he saw who those warm, tan hands belonged to. “Tetsu,” he whispered, looking up at the other male as tears began to fill his eyes. Now that Kuroo was up close, Tsukishima could see him even clearer, see the face of the boy that saved his life.
“Kei, Moonshine,” he heard the other mumble, before pulling him into a warm hug. It was different, but at the same time exactly how he remembered it, and Kei hadn’t realised exactly how much he’d missed this. Kuroo’s voice was deeper now, yet when he said his name it still held the same softness and sweetness as before.
Those silky wings wrapped around him, protecting him from the now harsh winds, and any prying eyes. It was just him and Tetsurou, together again at last. He couldn’t help it; once again, Tsukishima let out a sob, beginning to cry and curl closer into that warm embrace. Kuroo was sweaty but he didn’t care, none of it mattered to him anymore. “Tetsu!” he sobbed, clinging on to him and letting all the tears fall.
Tetsurou gladly held him close, stroking through his hair and holding him just like he’d done back when they were kids and they didn’t realise the lasting damage that everything would have on their lives. “I’m here, Moonshine, I promise,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to his head and just continuing to comfort him despite being close to tears himself. “How I’ve missed you, Kei, I was worried I’d never see you again. I thought I’d lost you, I thought that the last time I would ever see you would be when you were taken away on that stretcher. I should have gotten help quicker, I should have done something, anything to stop him but I couldn’t. I was so weak.”
Tsukishima glanced up at Kuroo, and even though the tears he could tell that the other male was hurting as well. The way his voice seemed strained, he knew that feeling all too well. “You saved me, Tetsu, I really would have been gone if not for you. You did everything you could have done, and I don’t blame you for anything,” he said, letting out another choked sob and burying his face in the crook of the third year’s neck. “It’s just been too hard without you, I don’t even know where to begin. It all hurt, I didn’t know how to live without my wings, but mostly without you. I just wish that you could have come with me.”
“Kei,” he heard Kuroo whisper, “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be there for you. But I’m here for you now and that’s not going to change.” He gently pulled away somewhat from him, cupping the blond’s cheek and carefully brushing away his tears. “Personally, I think you’re much prettier when you’re not crying, but I’ll take you any way you come. I don’t care about any scars or issues you have, and I’ll help you through anything and everything, Moonshine. As long as I can have my Kei back, that’s all I want and need.”
Tsukishima looked up at him, a small blush on his cheeks. Those words, the fact that Kuroo still wanted to be close with him even if it was almost ten years since they last saw each other, it all meant a lot to him. “I think I can do that, Tetsu,” he whispered, giving the other male a small yet genuine smile. “I missed you so much, Tetsu. Your hugs and your smile and your stupid bed hair, I missed it all. It’s like I’m back home.”
Kuroo smiled warmly at him in return and let out a happy sigh. “I second that motion. I missed having you close since you would hug me back and I was so happy. I really loved you a lot back then,” he admitted softly, continuing to just stroke his thumb across Kei’s cheek gently. “I still do, love you I mean. I don’t think I can really define what type of love, but all I know is you’re so important to me and I need you in my life.”
“Oh, Tetsu,” he murmured, carefully moving his hand to the other male’s hair and gently running his fingers through it. “I think you worded it better than I could, but I feel the same way. Your hair is really soft, by the way, even if it’s a mess.” He gave him another small smile, feeling more relaxed and at peace. Ten years later they were still on the same page, able to slip so comfortably back into each other’s embrace. It made his heart beat faster, and though he knew he truly loved Kuroo in that sort of undefined way, he also felt that he liked him as more than friends.
His heart definitely didn’t leap in his chest when he saw that he was making Tetsurou blush by playing with his hair and calling it soft. “Thank you, Moonshine,” he said with a large smile, using his free hand to gently run through Tsukishima’s wavy blond locks. “Okay, so I swear I stopped sleeping in such a weird way, you know the one with two pillows? But I literally can’t get rid of it no matter what hair product I use, and there’s no way I’m getting it shorter, so I’ve decided that I’m just going to live with soft bed hair and not bother trying to tame it other than brushing my hair.” That evoked a soft laugh out of Tsukishima, and soon Kuroo was pouting. “I don’t think it’s that funny, Kei!”
“It really is funny, Tetsu. Your hair is literally comical,” he said with another quiet laugh, continuing to run his hand through it. “But... I just so happen to think it suits you. And like I said, it’s soft, which is a good thing.” Kei blushed a little himself, but gave his childhood best friend a warm smile. He’d been so upset before and now he was at ease, and it was peaceful. He felt happy once more, and he was just enjoying every moment spent like that with Tetsurou.
The dark haired male blushed as well, and hummed softly. “So, manager of the boy’s volleyball team, huh? Yet I still haven’t seen you at any of our other practice matches. You wanna tell me about that, Moonshine?” He figured it was a relatively safe topic to ask that wouldn’t upset the blond by accident. Tetsurou could tell that Kei was struggling with some things, he saw it in the way he’d run off, how he’d been around some of the quieter members of the team, how he’d not taken off his jacket all day. He was worried, but didn’t want to pry when they were finally together again and Kei was in a happier mood.
“I play volleyball too, just not on the court. I wanted to play, but some of my past issues kept me from it and sometimes certain things can trigger me unexpectedly, like if the spiker’s hand is coming down at a particular angle. I haven’t been so bad recently though so Tadashi convinced me to join as the manager and sometimes I’ll block for Hinata, the short guy that’s close with Kenma-san, or Asahi-san, our ace. Mostly I just watch from the side and take notes of how our team is going and how we can improve. For so long I couldn’t actually play even though I really wanted to and so I studied it a lot so I tend to pick out things quite quickly and notice strategies that the teams have.” He smiled a little and shrugged, moving his hands away and returning to hugging Kuroo instead. “Like your team is a lot about flow and keeping the ball off the ground. Our team is a bit of a mess right now, since everyone is working on their own thing and it doesn’t quite mesh. Hinata and Kageyama seem to be having issues at the moment as well, but I don’t really know what about.”
Kuroo wrapped his arms around him in return, humming in thought. “I’m proud of you, then. You’re doing your best even if it’s not quite playing on the court yet. I’m sure one day you’ll get there, Kei,” he said softly, that warm smile still on the captain’s face. “If you ever want to play around a little, Bokuto, Akaashi and I will be in the third gym this evening. Probably Hinata and the idiot beanpole on my team who can’t receive to save his life will be there as well, but I’m hoping Yaku can deal with him again so I can focus on you.”
Tsukishima nodded and gently nudged him with his arm. “I’ll definitely think about it, as long as you’re keeping an eye on me. Like I said, sometimes things trigger me unexpectedly. Anyways, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. What about you, Mr. Captain,” he said with a smile. “You’re certainly not shabby at volleyball, but I didn’t expect to find you as captain. I mean, it makes sense in a way, you’re kind from the bottom of your heart, but still... Hinata kept on calling you weird and provocative so even consider you two behind the same person.”
Kuroo laughed, seeming to find that last part quite funny. “Well, I would happen to call myself a provocation master, but I never actually mean any harm. It’s more of a strategy to get people involved in volleyball, or to unnerve the other team. Shrimpy is just really easy to tease since he’s so similar to Bokuto,” he explained, before thinking for another moment. “And captain? It just kind of happened I guess. Yaku can’t be captain since he’s the Libero, and Kai isn’t the right fit. Plus, Kenma voted for me and he’s indifferent about pretty much everything so that makes his vote more valid or something.”
“I guess that makes sense,” he replied with a shrug, looking up at him. “Also, I’m not sure if you noticed, but Kenma-san and Hinata definitely have a thing for each other. I think that’s something he’s not indifferent about.”
Kuroo raised an eyebrow and smirked at that, an amused glint in his eyes. “Oya? I mean, I was kind of suspicious of Kenma since I’ve known him for a while, but I don’t know the shrimp well enough,” he explained. “We moved when I was ten, and Kenma was my neighbour, still is. He’s like my little brother, almost, I like to pester him and I always have to go over to tell him to go to sleep.”
“Yeah, I get it. Tadashi’s pretty much been my best friend since the start of middle school and he’s like a brother to me as well. I was homeschooled for quite a while since I just couldn’t deal with people. My brother tries, but he doesn’t really know how to help me. But Tadashi, he was kind of an outcast since he didn’t really have any friends, which was dumb because he’s literally the sweetest and most thoughtful person, and he just kind of stuck around. I didn’t make it easy for him, I can assure you, but he’s just always there and always knows how to calm me down,” Kei explained softly, looking down and letting out a shaky sigh. “Nevermind, anyways, weren’t you in the middle of a game, Tetsu?”
“Technically yes, but you’re way more important than a practise match. Besides, it’ll be the afternoon tea break when everyone’s finished their matches, so I’m really only missing out on one set. Don’t sweat it, Kei. I’m glad I got to talk to you again,” Tetsurou assured him, once again beginning to stroke through his blond hair and giving him a warm smile. “It’s getting quite windy and cold out here though, would you be fine to go inside?”
Kei looked up at him and smiled a little, feeling a bit better once more. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he agreed softly, hugging Kuroo tighter for a moment before pulling away. The other male stood up and then helped him up, that warm smile on Kuroo’s lips as he gestured for him to follow.
Sure enough, as they went inside they saw that there were some tables set up in the corner with some fruit on it for the afternoon tea break. Everyone was pretty much finished up, and either had their fruit or were going to get some. “So, Kei, do you want to get some strawberries? They’re still your favourite, right?” Kuroo asked with a smile, tilting his head.
‘Cute.’ Not only was the action cute, but it meant a lot that even after all this time Tetsurou hadn’t forgotten that he loved strawberries. “Mhm, though I just can’t have too many or else I won’t eat dinner, and apparently it’s better that I have a small meal at dinner than eat heaps of strawberries in the afternoon.”
“I mean, that is a fair point. You need the protein and the carbs and stuff with dinner, you don’t get a balanced diet if you just eat strawberries,” Kuroo pointed out, grabbing a napkin and putting five strawberries on there before offering it to him. “Is this good?”
Tsukishima smiled a little and nodded, taking the napkin from him. “Yes, thanks, Tetsu,” he said softly, watching as the captain grabbed some watermelon slices. He had to admit, the watermelon did look nice, but he definitely wouldn’t be able to finish a whole slice along with his strawberries so he didn’t say anything.
“Hey, how would you feel if I grabbed Kenma, and you grabbed your friend, and we have the break with the four of us? Would that be alright with you?” Kuroo asked, taking a bite of one of the watermelon slices.
“I wouldn’t mind it, and I don’t think Tadashi would either. Kenma is quiet, so I’m not worried.” Tsukishima gave him a small smile and looked over at Yamaguchi, who was just finishing up his conversation with Sugawara. The freckled boy waved and ran over, a smiling brighter when he saw how relaxed the blond was.
“Hey, Tsukki,” he said happily, humming softly. “I see things went well with you two? I’m glad, you’re really important to him, Kuroo-san.”
Kuroo smiled and gently wrapped his arm around Tsukishima, causing the latter to blush, but he didn’t try to push him away. “Yup, and he’s important to me too, so don’t you worry. I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced; Kuroo Tetsurou, at your service. Thanks for taking good care of Kei for me,” he said, giving the green haired boy a toothy grin.
“Oh, I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, and it’s no problem, Kuroo-san. Tsukki’s my best friend, I’m more than happy to look after him,” he replied, grinning up at Tsukishima who just blushed darker and moved closer to Kuroo.
Kuroo just grinned at that, though there was a sense of fondness in his gaze as he looked down at Tsukishima. “Tsukki, eh? Cute nickname, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that one. Oh well, I like Moonshine better,” he said, the last part more quietly so only the blond could hear. Then, towards Yamaguchi; “Please, no need for the formalities. Just Kuroo is fine, Yamaguchi. I think we’ll get along just fine.”
Tsukishima just listened as they sat down and the pair began to talk, content to just be close to the both of them. He had finished his strawberries, but now that he saw the watermelon he was actually craving a taste of it. He didn’t want to ruin his appetite though, so he just stayed quiet.
“Do you want some watermelon, Kei?” The words surprised him a little and he jumped from where he was sitting. “You keep on glancing over at it, and unless my hands are magically the most interesting thing in the world I doubt you’d stare at them. You can have a bite of some of mine, I don’t mind sharing with you.”
Tsukishima blushed once more as he glanced up at Kuroo, nodding a little. “If that’s okay, Tetsu,” he said softly, taking the piece of watermelon. Tetsurou had already started eating it, so the thought of it basically being an indirect kiss made his heart beat faster. Kuroo had said that it was alright, though, so he took a bite of it, sighing happily after. It was sweet and juicy without being soggy, and that one bite was enough. “Thanks,” he mumbled as he passed it back, trying his best to ignore the incredulous look that Tadashi had given him.
It wasn’t too long until Kenma came over, sitting down with them as well. It was obvious neither of them were very good at small talk, so they just kind of listened to the other two continue their conversation about some volleyball team. That didn’t last long, though, and Kuroo soon had his attention on the boy with pudding coloured hair. “So, Kenma, a little bird told me that you have a crush on shrimpy,” he prompted, that sly grin on his lips.
Kenma paled and blushed simultaneously, hiding his face in his hands. “I didn’t tell anyone, how did someone find out?” Tsukishima actually felt a little bad for him, and sighed softly.
“Erm, my apologies, Kenma-san. That may have been me, it was just an inkling that I had because of the way you two looked each other. It’s like a sort of longing, like you want to be with him but don’t want to risk anything and ruin your friendship. Hinata also has a habit of talking about you pretty much non stop, and you two seemed to fit well together, so in my head it just seemed to make sense.”
Kei blushed a little as he felt the group looking at him in surprise, particularly Yamaguchi and Kuroo. “Since when did you get so good at relationship stuff, Tsukki! Do you have a secret sixth sense you aren’t telling me about?” Yamaguchi asked, pouting yet still clearly looking for an answer.
“I don’t believe so. I’ve known I liked boys since I was five, though, so I guess I can relate to the whole hiding feelings thing. I also tend to be overly observant about people since I’m crappy at trusting people. It’s really not a big deal though,” he mumbled, looking down. He figured they were all chill with people in same sex relationships since they hadn’t been rude to Kenma, but he was still a little nervous since this was technically him coming out.
Yamaguchi just looked at him in surprise, tilting his head. “Not really a big deal? You’ve known for over ten years, yet you didn’t feel it was necessary to mention it once? Tsukki!” the boy whined, his tone of voice more childish than anything. When he looked up, his friend was pouting, but not really angry or upset, and it helped him to breathe a sigh of relief.
“It’s not exactly like I was hiding it either, Tadashi,” he retorted, rolling his eyes and sending his friend a small smile to let him know he wasn’t in a bad mood. “I literally never blink an eye when it comes to any girls that exist, never. I just don’t understand what the appeal is about, honestly. Never have, never will.”
“Oh, come on! You always seemed to understand what I meant about Yachi being sweet and kind and really pretty. I thought that was your type too or something, I don’t know,” Yamaguchi defended, freckled cheeks blushing a deep red.
“Nope. I’m glad you don’t mind, but also, I don’t get how you didn’t realise. I don’t even really have a type, as long as they’re kind. If they’re pretty, then that’s just a bonus.”
Kuroo wheezed at the bluntness of Tsukishima’s words compared to Yamaguchi’s expressiveness, but nodded in agreement and calmed down enough to speak. “I mean, fair enough. Girls are nice, and I wouldn’t mind dating one, but I must say that guys are much better. I’m bi, but I’m male leaning, so I think you’re pretty much on your own, Yamaguchi.”
The green haired boy just pouted, and Kenma was finally not so much a blushing mess anymore. He glanced towards Tsukishima, obviously wanting a more private conversation than one with the whole group. He gently moved away from Kuroo, sitting closer to Kenma and continuing the conversation with him. “You said Shouyou talks about me, Tsukishima-san? What sort of things does he say...” he asked quietly, kind of hiding behind his hair.
“Too much stuff to say it all. Mostly stuff about how cool you are, but sometimes he says that your eyes are pretty and your wings are kind of like a calico cat so you’re like a kitten. I don’t think you have to worry about any of that stuff, Kenma-san,” he said softly, glancing over at Hinata who was jumping around with Bokuto and Lev. “Hinata can be annoying, but he’s almost like a little brother in away. A really annoying little brother, the type you want to be angry at but can’t help but be fond of in a way. We banter, but he never really says anything really rude or hurtful. He’ll treat you well.”
Kenma nodded up at him with a slight blush, before whispering something to him so that it would be certain that neither of the others would notice. “Good luck with Kuroo, too. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. I know you’ve only just seen each other again, and you have some things going on in your life, but if you feel up to it I don’t think he’d say no to a confession.” He gave Tsukishima a half smile and then gestured towards his phone, opening a game. “Anyways, I’ve just got this new game for when I’m bored, it’s where you make a zoo with dinosaurs. Did you want to play with me?”
Tsukishima looked at the boy with a blush but didn’t deny anything, since there was no point doing so. At the second question though he thought for a moment, before nodding and moving closer so they could both see the screen. “I’d like that, Kenma-san.” The two started playing, while Yamaguchi and Kuroo kept on talking about something. As the break ended and it was time for everyone else to return to Volleyball, Kei couldn’t help but feel that life wasn’t so bad.
He’d come out, made a new friend, and finally admitted that Hinata, despite being annoying, was actually someone he didn’t mind. Yes, as he looked up and saw Tetsu and Tadashi smiling at him, for the moment Kei genuinely felt happy from the bottom of his heart.