Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tsukishima has always led a peaceful life.

He has followed a daily routine he created strictly. He has studied well and has his notes organized. He has goals in life, which consists of the standard dream of any individual: graduate, get a job, build a family, retire by 60, and enjoy his remaining time teaching his grandchildren the lessons he has learned in life.

Some might say it's boring, but it's all he wanted, really.

He saw no point in living a life that's too dynamic for him to keep up with. He never had enough energy for it, nor would he ever crave for the unpredictable curveballs life will throw at him.

Which was why he didn’t expect a certain presence when he went home from school that day.

Yamaguchi, his neighbor and best friend ever since they both learned how to walk, was talking a mile per minute with whatever gossip he has caught wind of at school as they walked home. Tsukishima normally tuned this out, since it's usually just teenagers being teenagers, but today his freckled friend had something interesting to tell.

"Do you know Kuroo Tetsurou?" Yamaguchi started. Tsukishima had his headphones on, but no music was playing, so he inclined his head to indicate that he was listening. "He's from Year 3, Class 5. That tall, raven-haired guy who always gets into fights?"

Tsukishima nodded. Who wouldn't know about Kuroo Tetsurou? The guy was a walking danger sign, even if you just see him from a mile away. The only needed reason why he has never interacted with the said raven and would never dream to.

Yamaguchi's face contorted into something dreadful, as if whatever he'll say next was a horrible tragedy. "He got arrested the other day. Said he was charged with assault for attacking his stepmother."

Tsukishima's eyebrows rose in interest. The town they lived in was small, and to have a boy going to the same school as him who gets sent to jail at their age was the biggest drama this town could have. "Did he get out?"

Yamaguchi nodded. "Just today. He had the Renaissance release, or whatever it is called when you're released without paying bail."

Tsukishima snorted. "Own recognizance release. A person granted with that has been determined that his crime is a minor offense and he is not a threat to society, or whatever. As long as he signs a written promise to show up in court proceedings."

His friend looked at him as if he grew another head. Tsukishima guessed it was because of the random fact he spewed out. The only interests he had were dinosaurs and music, not law. "You've been hanging out with Akiteru too much." Yamaguchi commented.

"He's my brother. Of course I see him everyday."

The two shared a laugh. Well, Yamaguchi doubled in laughter yet Tsukishima only let out a snort. They continued to walk, comfortable silence wrapping around the two.

Tsukishima's thoughts wander off to his brother. He's been busy lately, but he still saw him during breakfast. Their talks ever since Akiteru graduated law school are mostly about school and funny clients his brother had to take care of.

"Hey," Yamaguchi said, just as they arrived at Tsukishima's residence. The two of them stopped in front of the gate, hands on each strap of their bags. "What are the chances that Akiteru would represent Kuroo?"

The blond gave his shorter friend an unamused stare. He fixed his glasses, shrugging. "That's too much of a coincidence. And as much as possible, I'd like to stay away from people of his breeding."

"You speak as if Kuroo's a dog." Yamaguchi let out that chuckle that makes his cheeks puff up, freckles showing on full view. "It sounds far-fetched, sure, but if Kuroo does turn up to be your brother's new case, you'll owe me yakisoba pan tomorrow."

Tsukishima didn’t even know why Yamaguchi was betting on this. There were at least two large law firms in the area, and Akiteru was just a fresh graduate and works at a newly established law firm as well. The chances of the young delinquent turning up were pretty low, and Akiteru seemed like he had too much on his plate already.

"You'll buy me soba noodles if I win, then." He issued his own part of the bet, just for the fun of it. Yamaguchi nodded eagerly, and waved his hand as he walked across the street towards his own home.

Tsukishima sighed, making his way inside and took his shoes off before he announces his arrival in his house. He heard noises, probably from the living room, so his mother must be having some visitors over. He'll just stop by to greet before going to his own room.

With his feet clad in socks, he walked the short distance towards the living room, and was about to dip his head in a bow when he caught sight of a tuff of dark, messy hair.

Rustic golden eyes met his. Tsukishima's eyes widen comically, and he swore the universe must be playing tricks on him. There was just no way that the coincidences would hit this strong, when he literally was just betting lunch food with his best friend about this a literal minute ago.

Kuroo Tetsurou was sitting on his couch, papers in hand as Akiteru briefed him over something.

It seems like Yamaguchi will be having yakisoba pan for lunch tomorrow.

The memory of the first time meeting Kuroo wasn't particularly a fond memory to look back to.

It was just Tsukishima's first day of high school back then. Just as he and Yamaguchi made it past the school gates, there was apparently a tussle out in the open field. The students poured out of the building to watch the spectacle, hushed voices buzzing all over as gossips were spread and bets were placed.

Tsukishima normally wasn't a fan of scuffles, but Yamaguchi dragged him into the crowd anyway to watch the fight. Thanks to his height advantage, he could see clearly over the heads in front of him. It was a one versus three fight between boys, which seemed unfair. Surprisingly, though, the lone guy was winning the fight.

Two were already sprawled on the ground, struggling to stand while the other guy who looked like their leader faced a young, tall boy with dark and messy hair. Both of their fists were bloody at this point, the leader of the trio having it worse as he sported a nasty black eye and a huge cut from his lip down to his chin. That dark-haired kid sure was scary if he managed to cause such damage despite being outnumbered. He was also smaller than the trio in terms of body size, yet he stood taller than they did.

He wasn't really fond of gossips, either, but he listened in to the whispers to get the name of the raven-haired boy.

Kuroo Tetsurou.

"Give it up, Kuroo!" The beat up leader said, leaning back to avoid a swing from the raven. "You really need to be taught your lesson, you piece of shit!"

Kuroo didn't gratify the man with any answer. Instead, he took the opportunity that the other was busy with his yammering to send a direct uppercut to his stomach. It landed squarely, making the other man puff out a breath and stumble back. Kuroo didn't even give the man the chance to retaliate as he sent a kick down the other's knee and finally brought the man down.

As the leader took huge bouts of breath, Kuroo walked closer and stood over the other, looking down at him with a sneer that looked menacing with the cut on his upper lip. "You perverted pig. Your kind disgusts me."

Tsukishima waited for the cheers, but none of it came. The crowd that gathered seemed to hold their breaths, and it made the blond wonder why. Based on what Kuroo said, and the sense behind the situation of the one versus three, surely Kuroo was just defending himself, right?

What he did not see coming was for Kuroo to continue sending unrelenting hits on the upperclassman, completely smashing down his face. There was suddenly so much blood that goosebumps started to appear on Tsukishima's skin.

For some reason, the teachers just appeared now, breaking the fight by having two teachers hold Kuroo back as the rest of them dispersed the crowd. Kuroo's eyes were wild, as if he didn't want to stop until he could kill the unconscious guy below him, a dangerous aura surrounding the frazzled raven.

Yeah, that's one of the people Tsukishima will be avoiding this school year.

Tsukishima shouldn't be curious, but as he said, it's rare for a small town to have big issues or drama.

His room was just near the stairs, and the stairs immediately connected to the living room below. If he sat at the top of the stairs, he would have a decent view of what's below, which meant that he could see and hear whatever Kuroo Tetsurou was doing in his house.

He should be doing his homework for Japanese literature, but here he is, listening to his brother talk about the criminal procedures Kuroo has to go through as the young raven listened. Well, Tsukishima thought he was listening. Kuroo's eyes never stayed on Akiteru, and were instead wandering about. The blond felt a slight chill on his spine when he saw Kuroo turn to his direction, but their eyes haven't met yet.

"If it's possible to get your sister's testimony, this case will be over in no time. But she's still at your stepmother's house, isn't she?" Akiteru asked, and at the mention of his sister, Kuroo finally gave him his attention.

"I don't think my stepmother will let me go near Hinami." The delinquent huffed indignantly, fists clenched where they rested on the arms of the seat. "Like I told you, I could sneak in and—"

"Get charged with trespassing as well?" Akiteru didn’t sound impressed, but his tone remained professional. "The odds are not looking good already, Kuroo. She has her bruise as evidence and the only weapon we have are the words of your sister who is still under the victim's custody. I'll pay a visit tomorrow and try to find a way to talk to your sister."

Kuroo unclenched a fist, grabbing a paper on his lap and read it. He heaved out a sigh, raising his hand to rub at his temples. "I… Please make sure Hinami is safe, Tsukishima-san."

"Call me Akiteru," The older Tsukishima placed a comforting hand on the younger's shoulder. He has always been nice, and it appeared that his kindness extended even to his clients. "I will. Let's take this one step at a time and put your faith in me, okay?"

The delinquent nodded, fixing the papers atop his lap as he handed it back to Akiteru. "I'll be off, then. Thank you for the help." Kuroo stood up, accepting a handshake from the older.

Tsukishima guessed the little spectacle had already ended, so it was his time to retreat back to his room and do much more important tasks. He was glad he didn't get caught, but apparently the universe had an agenda against him today.

When Kuroo turned, the golden eyes met Tsukishima's own. If the blond just felt a chill a while ago when the raven barely glanced his way, then he visibly shuddered at the eye contact this time. He must've looked like a creep, having been caught like a stalker eavesdropping.

There was something in Kuroo's eyes that he couldn't decipher, but it wasn't the disgust or weirded-out expression Tsukishima expected. The staring game lasted almost a minute, before Kuroo finally turned to leave. The delinquent was out of Tsukishima's sight when he heard his brother's voice again.

"Wait, Kuroo, do you have a place to stay?"

Tsukishima couldn't see Kuroo's face, but the silence that followed only meant hesitation. "I do." The raven claimed, although his voice was either tired or blatantly unconvincing.

Akiteru didn't even get a chance to respond when he heard the door close.

When Tsukishima handed yakisoba pan over to Yamaguchi at lunch, the freckled boy’s eyes widened, and immediately started dragging his blond friend over a table far off from the noise of students going about their lunch businesses. Not a second as they took their seats did Yamaguchi waste and expressed his surprise and unabashed curiosity.

"Tsukki, you better not be playing a prank on me!" Tsukishima shook his head no, and his friend immediately continued with his babble. "What?! I must be some kind of seer—I really didn't expect it to actually happen!"

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you sure? Or did you somehow run into nii-chan yesterday and pretended to not know about Kuroo?"

"We literally have all the same classes and not once were I off your sight." Yamaguchi protested as he tore off the wrapper from his bread. "That is not the issue here! So, how was it meeting the Kuroo Tetsurou?"

Tsukishima let out an unrefined snort. "You're talking as if he's a celebrity."

"Well, he kind of is right now!" Yamaguchi spread his arms wide. "Listen. No one here has been talking about anything else but Kuroo Tetsurou and his unfortunate adventures."

The blond did listen in, and Yamaguchi wasn't wrong. Kuroo this, Kuroo that. It would be a surprise if the poor guy hasn't tripped yet from the awful number of people talking about his life as if they're vultures and he's an animal carcass. Tsukishima almost felt bad; he couldn't imagine anything else but Kuroo's empty eyes and weary look.

"He doesn't look that scary," was what Tsukishima said first, which gained a disbelieving raise of an eyebrow from his friend. "It's true. If you didn't know about his delinquent history, he's just like any other boy in this town. He looks kind of sad, even."

Tsukishima remembered the way the raven's voice softened at the mention of his sister. There sure was more about Kuroo Tetsurou, but Tsukishima was in no place to find out more.

"Who wouldn't be sad in his shoes?" Yamaguchi said with a look that's kind of regretful, probably for being one of the vultures picking at Kuroo. "He has no friends, no parents, and I'm pretty sure he has no place to stay."

The words ‘I do’ from Kuroo's mouth flashed in the blond's mind again, just as heavy and worn out. It was a futile lie, but the raven apparently still decided to go with it. Tsukishima felt a tiny pin-prick on his chest, and he knew this sympathy brought nothing but bad news.

He has already stuck his nose in far deeper than he usually did. Now, Kuroo wasn't a total mystery—he's a normal boy who had the shorter stick in life and was shaped by the rough circumstances he's been in, so this was what he turned out into. He has no further business with the said boy; he just happened to study at the same school he's in and his brother also happened to take him in as a client.

Kuroo was nobody to Tsukishima, and he'd like for it to remain that way.

When he went home that day, Kuroo was there yet again. He looked angrier than yesterday, though, so Tsukishima couldn't help but eavesdrop into the conversation as he made his way towards the stairs.

"Tell me you're lying! There's no way I can't get to see my own sister! That woman is horrible! Hinami is probably crying every night, looking for me, and I couldn't even be there for her!" Kuroo yelled, his voice seething as he crumpled up a paper in his hand and threw it away.

Akiteru looked panicked, but he stood perfectly still in the middle of the living room. "I apologize. I did not consider the possibility for her to throw in a restraining order as well. And as long as she's the guardian acknowledged by the legal court, we can't do anything until you're proven innocent."

Kuroo looked like he was about to lose it. "But Hinami needs me! What if the she-monster is hurting my sister right now?! You know what, fuck it. I'm going tonight. I'll run away with Hinami if it's what all I can do to save her from that darned household—"

"Tetsurou-kun." At the mention of his given name, Kuroo stopped, as if he was thrown a bucket of ice-cold water right at his face. "Do you think doing that will do any good? It'll only worsen your sentence. You'll have to live a life on a run if you want to keep Hinami-chan with you. Then what are you gonna feed the both of you? Where will you two stay? Do you think a high schooler like you can fend off for the needs of the both of you, especially with your current situation?"

The raven remained stunned, hands listless by his sides as his eyes were wide and bleeding with emotions. Tsukishima felt horrible having to witness the delinquent's vulnerable state without his consent. He intended to hurry off to the stairs, but his feet were glued to the first step of it. The heavy atmosphere did nothing but hold the three of them down there, as if gravity was dripping viscously like honey.

"What if Hinami's condition worsens? Do you think you could pay for her hospital bills if worse comes to worse?"

That was the final blow. Kuroo took off, slamming the door shut as he hastily sprinted off the living room. Akiteru remained there, silent for a moment before sighing deeply. He fished for his phone in his pocket, typing in a quick text.

When Akiteru looked up and saw his younger brother still standing like a statue by the staircase, he gave him a wry smile.

"Welcome home, Kei."

Tsukishima spent the whole night and the next day thinking of Kuroo. He hasn't even spoken to the boy and he knew a lot about him already, and the guilt gnawed at him when he's reminded that it has all been non-consensual. He couldn't get rid of the unsettling feeling in his chest, knowing that while everybody only saw Kuroo as a disaster of a boy, he's suffering a lot at the moment.

Yamaguchi, of course, noticed this and has decided to confront his best friend right before gym class.

"Tsukki, why do you look like your cat was murdered right in front of you?" The shorter asked as they were changing into their gym uniforms inside the boys’ locker room.

Tsukishima almost tumbled as he raised his leg to put on his knee pad. "I-It's nothing. Just lack of sleep from a shitty rest last night."

His friend always saw through his lies, so he didn't hesitate to point this one out. "You're stuttering. That's definitely not just bad sleep." Yamaguchi raised his chin, as if daring Tsukishima to deny and lie more. He didn’t, knowing it was useless. "Is it about Kuroo?"

Tsukishima hoped his surprise was not that evident on his face. "No?"

"Convincing." The shorter placed both hands on his hips, assuming the stance of a nagging parent. "Tell me."

Tsukishima really didn't want to breach more of Kuroo's privacy, but he knew that Yamaguchi would never let him off until he said something. The blond looked around, wary of the nosy presence of his classmates. He checked his phone for the time, and he deemed fifteen minutes was good enough to hash it out to his best friend.

Tsukishima took Yamaguchi's wrist and dragged him outside. If his memory served him well, just outside the gym was the pathway connecting to the main building, and the first sight that'll greet them as they walk inside was the staircase leading towards the rooftop.

Students barely went to the rooftop, knowing it's off-limits, which is why Yamaguchi's eyes widened. "Tsukki, where are we going?"

Tsukishima was risking a trip to the principal's office, but he owed Kuroo this much for being nosy with his life. He continued to take the steps two at a time, his friend doubling his effort to keep up with the blond's large strides with his ever long legs.

They reached the rooftop with no incident, and Tsukishima was lucky enough to find the door to the rooftop left open. There was a light drizzle starting, the skies a greyish shade of blue when it welcomed them as they emerged out of the staircase. Tsukishima had to hurry if they want to make it back to gym class in time and not get caught in the rain.

Yamaguchi looked bewildered as they leaned against the railing, his eyes searching for answers from his blond friend. "Why did we have to get all the way up here?"

"I didn't want Kuroo's private life to be out in the open, since it's not even mine to tell," Tsukishima just noticed the shortness in his breath, so he took the time to even his breathing. That sure was quite a flight of stairs. "But to cut the story short, he's not just a baddie who beats people to pulp just for the fun of it. The guy looked depressed as hell."

Yamaguchi cocked his head to the side, interest clear as day on his face. "Is it because he had no friends and family or?"

"I don't know that much, but the way he talked about his sister, I know he treasured her. There is no way a heartless man could react like that." Tsukishima was aware that he sounded as if he was singing Kuroo praises, but he felt the urge to defend the raven, even if it was just to his best friend. "Akiteru-nii said his stepmother filed a restraining order against him, so he couldn't even see his sister."

Yamaguchi finally sympathized, his face contorting to pity. "That's just horrible. Is there something that your brother can do with it?"

Tsukishima shook his head. "Not until the trial starts and Kuroo is proven innocent."

Silence graced them once more as they looked out to the view of the quiet town before them. They weren't that up high, but it was enough to have a bird's eye view of the peaceful buzz of life down below. The raindrops started to fall heavier, and the two boys knew it was time to retreat back.

"Let's go, Tsukki." His friend urged, seeing the other so indulged with his thoughts that he didn’t notice his glasses fogging up.

"Right." Tsukishima shook the reverie off, following Yamaguchi as they made their way back to the door.

Just as he was about to close the door, he saw a figure of a person far off the corner by the railing they just had been in. The person didn't look bothered by the heavy drops of rain, but his body was facing the door where Tsukishima was just right behind in.

He must've been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that someone else was there. A cold dread settled heavily on his stomach at the realization that they were not alone all along.

Maybe his glasses were indeed fogged up because he saw a familiar flash of gold as he closed the door.

If Tsukishima seemed weird to let Yamaguchi go home ahead of him, his friend didn't mention it and left him be.

With an umbrella in his hand and a spare change of clothes in the other, he risked another trip to the principal by going back to the rooftop. The downpour was lighter now, yet still persistent, as it left everything on the floor wet and the skies a gloomy shade of blue.

He must have looked stupid, fighting the rain with only one small umbrella, but he couldn’t be mistaken with what he saw a while ago.

When he found the familiar figure still standing there against the metal railing, he knew he was right.

Kuroo Tetsurou turned to meet his eyes, soaked from head to foot in the school's standard uniform that Tsukishima saw him wear yesterday.

He briskly jogged towards the raven, glad that they stood almost at the same height when he reached his arm out to shelter the both of them with the umbrella. It was kind of useless, seeing Kuroo was already drenched as hell, but at least Tsukishima was doing something.

Kuroo chose to voice this thought out in lieu of a greeting. "I'm already wet, I can't get any wetter."

Tsukishima wanted to be nice, but after an exhilarating trip up here just to give the man an umbrella, it irked him how Kuroo dared to sound ungrateful. "But you can get colder. I'm doing you a favor here, just to remind you."

If Tsukishima sounded snappy, he didn't feel sorry for it.

To his surprise, the delinquent chuckled, taking a step forward so they stood shoulder by shoulder in order to fit under the noticeably small umbrella. "I didn't know you had a sharp tongue on you, Tsukki."

All remaining thoughts to be nice to the other boy were thrown off the window at the mention of his nickname that only Yamaguchi was brave enough—and allowed—to use.

"You don't have the right to call me nicknames."

"And you don't have the right to butt into my life."

The words were uttered calmly, but there was spite behind Kuroo's tone. Tsukishima didn’t know why he ever thought to be polite towards the boy when he clearly was a prick after all.

"Oh, I'm sorry because your voice was loud enough to cover my whole residence, Kuroo-san." The blond spat out. He wasn't usually easy to rile up, but the thought of being wrong for thinking there was more to Kuroo other than the asshole he was known for left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"Hey, no need to get so pressed." The delinquent chuckled with no humor, shrugging his shoulders back. "All I'm saying is that you should let me use your nickname if you get to know so much about me already."

Kuroo sounded somehow apologetic, so Tsukishima held back another petulant retort. He guessed a stupid nickname didn't really much equal to what he did to Kuroo. Still, the raven could've said thanks first, or at least worded his thoughts out well. Tsukishima inhaled deeply to calm himself, and then pushed the clothes he brought towards the raven's chest. "I admit that I don't know even half of what's happening, neither do I have the right to know, but what I do know is that you could trust my brother with anything. You don't have to lie about having a place to stay if Akiteru-nii could help you with it."

They stood in awkward silence after that. Tsukishima looked out towards the dark clouds that poured angry droplets around them, while Kuroo stared at him unwaveringly. It was too much tension for the blond to handle, so he deemed it was the right time to make his exit.

Before he could close the door, however, Tsukishima mumbled. "Asking for help doesn't mean you're weak, you know. It means you're strong enough to trust a person your problems with."

Kuroo remained silent as Tsukishima closed the door, leaving him with the umbrella and the clothes the younger had brought for him.

Tsukishima was thankful that Yamaguchi didn't ask questions when he showed up on his friend's doorstep drenched from the rain. At least, not until Yamaguchi let him take a shower and change to a new set of clothes.

As soon as he emerged from the bathroom, Yamaguchi was already waiting by the foot of his bed. Tsukishima took the time in towelling his hair dry before he finally sat, not really sure how he would explain the situation to his friend without looking too weird.

Just when he was about to open his mouth, Yamaguchi beat Tsukishima to it. "You gave Kuroo your umbrella and the clothes I saw you bringing, didn't you?"

The taller boy didn't know which question to ask first. How transparent he was, or how Yamaguchi knew it was for Kuroo. Tsukishima guessed the former was a no-brainer, with the fact that they practically knew each other since they were toddlers. He decided to answer Yamaguchi's own question first and nodded. "How did you know it was for Kuroo?"

Yamaguchi propped his hands behind him as he leaned back, crossing his ankles as he hummed in thought. "You really must've been so distracted not to notice that the rooftop, where you brought me for privacy, was actually occupied by the person we were going to talk about."

"You could've told me to save my face," The blond grumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm guessing it was so funny for you that Kuroo just watched while I talked about his life."

His friend shrugged. "He didn't seem to mind it. Actually, I think he was thinking about something else while he stared at you."

"At me? You're kidding. And how would you know he was thinking about something else?"

"Let's put it this way. If I were to witness other people talking about my life, I would turn my head away and pretend I wasn't listening in. Or I'd glare hard. But he looked really pensive, and his eyes were only at you. I'm not blind."

If Yamaguchi was teasing, it wasn't showing on his face. His friend rather looked calm, as if they were just talking about a teacher doing something interesting in his class instead of a soon-to-be convict staring at him ‘pensively’.

Tsukishima didn't like how Kuroo was permeating his life insistently these days. Since he met the boy, there has been nothing but the raven on his mind and out of his mouth. It's really pathetic, and he shouldn't be bothered—yet he is.

He decided that he's had enough.

"Well, he was rude anyways. I don't care if there's a possibility that he's secretly kind inside or whatever Disney bullshit that is. I don't want to get more involved with him than I already am." Tsukishima declared, making sure certainty can be heard from his tone. However, Yamaguchi didn't seem to buy it.

"First of all, don't badmouth Disney like that." His friend narrowed his eyes at him, and he might have shrunk a little from the gaze. Yamaguchi was always scary when he's serious. "Second, you're weird when you're interested, Tsukki."

Tsukishima remembered Kuroo and how he called him by his nickname a while ago. He then chastised himself for thinking about Kuroo again. "I am not interested."

Yamaguchi looked at him quietly, and it was clear that he was contemplating if he should say more. Like the good friend he is, though, he dropped the subject and bounced off of his bed. "Let's play Mario Kart, then?" He said as he crouched down by his game set and started to set it up.

"You're on." The blond grinned, following his friend to help him with the set up.

The task to get his mind back on track and not entertain any thoughts of Kuroo started off well.

Not until he went home and saw the said boy standing in his living room again, dressed in the clothes he gave him. Tsukishima mentally cursed himself for forgetting his spare shirt had a little cartoon dinosaur printed in the middle of it, which looked funny now that Kuroo was the one wearing it. It was clear that he had a height advantage over Kuroo as well, albeit a little, because the pants bunched up by his ankle.

If he expected his presence to remain unnoticed, then he had expected too much. Kuroo hurriedly turned to look at him when Akiteru greeted him welcome.

"Hello, Tsukki." The raven said with a smile.

Wait. What.

Tsukishima halted in his flight towards the staircase at the casual mention of his nickname yet again and the wide grin the boy was sporting on. Akiteru, who was in the middle of rambling law jargon, also cut his words short.

Kuroo remained beaming as both blondes were stunned in their positions. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled as if they were the ones who were acting weird. "Come here, Tsukki. Take a seat with us."

Akiteru looked at Kei as if his brother was the ghost, but he motioned for him to come close. "Well, I guess it makes sense for you to join our conversation."

"What?" The blond was bewildered, not sure what really was happening right now and how the supposed ignoring of Kuroo turned out into this. Nonetheless, he made his way towards his brother, standing still beside him like a tall, awkward pole. "Why am I supposed to be here?"

Tsukishima wished he could erase the grin on Kuroo's face, because it remained there as he sat on the couch casually. The blond didn’t sit down until his brother tugged on his sleeve and pulled him down on the space beside him.

"I'm glad you already know each other, Kei," Akiteru said, relief on his face as he stated. The younger was about to correct it when he continued. "You see, Tetsurou-kun here has finally decided to listen to me, and admitted that he had no place to stay."

Tsukishima looked at Kuroo, whose smile hasn't vanished yet, lift the teacup off the table and took a sip from it. Kuroo didn't seem one bit fazed about what's happening right now, but Tsukishima has a weird feeling about what will come next.

Akiteru decided to resume his story when he received nothing but silence from the two, who was currently engaged in a staring contest. "Can you believe it, this boy actually snuck off every afternoon into your school building's rooftop and slept there?

Tsukishima really didn't like the feeling gnawing at him now. His eyes widened, and directed a questioning raise of an eyebrow at the delinquent that was acting so nonchalant in front of them right now. "You slept on the rooftop? All alone?"

"Aw, don't cry for me now, Tsukki." The raven snickered, actually snickered, as if the blond was so amusing.

Tsukishima tutted, and was ready with a quip when Akiteru literally held him back with his hands on the younger's shoulders. "Kei, forgive Tetsurou." His brother emphasized the use of the other's given name, which made Kuroo drop his smile and huff childishly. The next words were whispered to him. "He's a handful, I know. But he's a good boy and he really needs a friend right now."

Tsukishima was not interested at all to be Kuroo's friend. When he whispered this right back, he got a look from Akiteru that said they would talk more later and he should be on his best behavior. Tsukishima didn't like the way he copied the same childish huff from the raven, but he’d reflect on that later. "Fine. So, back to the topic. Why am I here?"

Kuroo's excited grin showed up once again, and the nagging feeling made its reappearance in Tsukishima's gut as well. Akiteru answered for him with a coy smile. "Well, we were talking about how Kuroo has no place to stay, right?"

If there were cameramen rolling for a prank video right now, Kei desperately hoped that they jump out already. He has an inkling of what his brother was about to say next, but oh, did he wish he was wrong.

"Please don't say what I think you're about to say." The younger Tsukishima pleaded in a last attempt to cling onto the hope that his life would remain peaceful.

Kuroo's smile made sense now. It was the smile of someone who knew he was about to wreck the peace Tsukishima badly wished to maintain.

"He'll be staying with us for the meantime, Kei."

So much for ignoring Kuroo.

If living with him was a bad idea, then having to share a room with him was the absolute worst.

Apparently, they couldn't offer the guest room because Akiteru was using it as his office for now. Kuroo, like the jerk he was, acted like he was initially opposed to the idea and had the nerve to act coy and decline the offer politely. He, in his ever taunting voice, drawled, "Oh, it's okay, Akiteru-san. It seemed like Tsukki couldn't handle himself in a room with me."

Tsukishima knew better than to bite the bait. But he's blaming his fatigue from running under the rain this afternoon for the fact that he, indeed, took the bait just to spit on Kuroo's face that yes, he can definitely handle himself no matter how long Kuroo stayed.

So Kuroo happily took that as an invitation to welcome himself in.

Still, Tsukishima tried to keep the upper hand in whatever situation they were now in. It was still his room after all. He gets all the bed to himself, and no amount of Kuroo pouting would he ever let the older male be in the same bed as he was. He also gets to shower first, which Kuroo didn't seem to mind. Kuroo was banned from hanging out in his room while he makes his homework as well; he was only allowed in if he was going straight to bed.

Yeah, Tsukishima believed he definitely could handle himself.

The rest of the time until night fell was uneventful, despite their earlier banter. Tsukishima had dinner with his mom and finished his homework by the time Kuroo went in his room after discussing with Akiteru about his preliminary analysis at the family court tomorrow. Kuroo threw him a cheeky grin, but the blond could easily note that the smile didn't reach his eyes and could clearly distinguish the sluggish movements of his body.

Maybe Tsukishima was too harsh with the raven, so he let him take the shower first. If Kuroo wanted to tease him about it, he didn't do anything more than a quick chuckle.

He wondered whether Kuroo had clothes with him, or he had to share his clothes again. With another tut, he looked through his closet for some old, plain clothes he could lend to Kuroo. When Kuroo's head peeked out asking for a towel, he handed a new one along with the clothes he prepared. The delinquent muttered a soft thank you, before closing the bathroom door.

Tsukishima felt weird waiting around for Kuroo to finish showering, so he made a quick trip towards Akiteru's room. He figured a talk with his brother would calm his nerves about being in the same room with the boy.

Kuroo didn't look harmful, but maybe Tsukishima was being subjective. Besides, the boy was yet to be proven innocent, so there was no harm in making sure. If Akiteru believed in him, then Kei would let go of his useless worries.

The younger was just about to knock when his brother opened the door, and a warm smile was thrown his way. "I didn't get to talk to you with how busy I was, but thank you for doing me this favor, Kei."

Kei shrugged. He didn't know what to do when his brother was being affectionate like this, so it was a bit awkward. The faint dusting of pink on his cheeks must be from how hot the air was inside, or at least that's what he'd like to believe so. "It's no big deal. It's just… Is Kuroo really innocent?"

His brother's eyes widened at Kei's admittance of what bothered him enough to come see him. Then the initial surprise faded, and it was replaced with fondness as a hand reached out to ruffle the younger's hair. "I can't really disclose much information for Kuroo's privacy, but believe me when I say that he is. He is a really good kid, Kei. Troubled, but his heart has good intentions."

Kei felt a bit at ease, but he snorted at the last statement. "For someone with good intentions, he gets involved in way too many fights at school."

Akiteru winced, as if the information itself physically pained him to hear. "Well, violence is never good, yes." The elder chewed on his bottom lip, as if weighing his next words. Then he perked up, crossing his arms as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. "Do you know, though, why he gets involved in fights?"

The blond never cared. He voiced this out, which gained a chuckle from his brother. The next thing his brother said was uttered with a smile. "He stands up for the, ah, lesser fortunate. Physically or emotionally."

For some reason, Tsukishima hardly believed that. If Kuroo really did fight others from getting bullied, then he should've been painted as a hero and not the delinquent reputation he has been sporting ever since. His brother must've sensed this disbelief, to which he responded with a chuckle.

"If you don't believe me, why not ask Kuroo himself? Or people who he had helped." Akiteru uncrossed his arms and started to push him away from his room, ushering him back towards the hallway. "I have papers to attend to. There is no harm in befriending him, Kei! You two are more alike than you think."

At that claim, his face twisted. There was no way he and Kuroo were the same. He was going to point this out when he realized that his brother had swung the door shut and he was already back in his own room. He protested under his breath, and was going on about the different points why he should never be compared to Kuroo Tetsurou when Kuroo Tetsurou himself cleared his throat.

He jumped in his position like a cat sprayed with water, and then he narrowed his eyes at the other boy who was already dressed in the plain white shirt and gray sweats he gave him. If Kuroo had something to say, he didn't give him a chance to as he marched towards the bathroom exasperatedly.

He will never befriend Kuroo. And everything Akiteru said to him are all too far-fetched.

Kuroo was a loud snorer.

Tsukishima shouldn't have been surprised. Everything about the raven seemed to be another bullet point in Tsukishima's list of pet peeves. He usually had no problems in drifting off to sleep right away, but Kuroo changed that with the incessant snores that filled the room.

The other boy was asleep on a mattress laid at the foot of Tsukishima's bed, and if the blond ‘accidentally’ pushed a pillow with his foot and hit the raven, no one would know. He could easily pass it off as a sleeping habit, so he did it.

The snores stopped, and he was afraid that Kuroo woke up and realized Tsukishima kicked a pillow right at this face. But just as fast as it stopped was how quickly it came back, too. The delinquent snored like he didn't bother that the dead will be awakened from how loud he was, and Tsukishima felt like ripping his hair out.

It was not exactly a good lifestyle choice to sleep with earphones on, but it's the only way to drown out the annoying snores. So he took his phone out and put the buds in his ears and played classical music. It worked perfectly. Chopin played peacefully in his ears, and sleep claimed him at long last.

But his sleep-addled brain forgot to put the music on loop and he's soon awakened by the Jurassic Park's soundtrack blasting in his ears.

He hurriedly pulled the buds out, irritatingly looking at the time on his phone only to see that he only had an hour and a half of sleep. Kuroo was still snoring like rumbling thunder, and if Tsukishima wanted to pull his hair out before, he wanted to pluck every bit of hair from his body right now.

Not even 24 hours since they roomed together and Tsukishima already felt like this was the worst decision he made in his life. Kuroo was nothing but bad news, indeed.

While cursing at how his life turned out since he met the raven, the said boy stopped snoring and was starting to toss and turn. Tsukishima could figure out that much even if it was dark, because there was a clear rustle of blankets. The situation only seemed to have gotten worse for him, and Tsukishima was determined to wake Kuroo up right now and force him to sleep on the couch at the living room below, because there was no chance of him getting any sleep with the delinquent around.

He has crawled to the foot of his bed when he noticed that the other was drenched in cold sweat. Kuroo was mumbling something under his breath, and his eyes seemed to move wildly under his eyelids. These were telltale signs of a nightmare, and waking Kuroo up seemed like a really good idea right now. Tsukishima reached his hand out to wake the raven, yet he didn't expect the raven to yank him out of the bed instead.

Kuroo let out a painful cry, and Tsukishima didn't know if it was because he fell on top of the other's abdomen or because of what he was dreaming about. He immediately scrambled up into a sitting position, and shook the delinquent's shoulders persistently.

"Kuroo," Tsukishima called out, still shaking the boy's shoulders who was slowly starting to thrash around.

"Hinami, no, please—" The raven sniffled, and Tsukishima startled at the tears that started to drop. "Please don't hurt her, hurt me instead! No!"

"Kuroo!"

Tsukishima slapped Kuroo at the same time the other had his eyes cranked open. The situation quickly escalated into something awkward as hell, and the blond hoped that Kuroo wasn't really awake and would just go back to sleep. He wouldn't mind the snoring now as long as he didn't need to face the onslaught of questions as to why his lanky body was sprawled on top of the currently bewildered boy.

Kuroo blinked at him, obviously awakened and looked so scared and vulnerable that Tsukishima felt bad for every bad thoughts he's had of the raven a while ago. "Tsukki?"

He couldn’t believe the other still managed to remember to call him by his nickname even after having a horrible nightmare. He wanted to snap, but he wasn't that horrible of a person so he stood up and reached for his bottle from his school bag that had enough water in it left.

Tsukishima handed the bottle over to Kuroo, who was still blinking at him, as if processing whether he was still in the dream realm or back to reality. He opened the cap some point in the awkward silence and drank the water all the way down. He passed the bottle back to the blond, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What did you hear?" was the question the raven thrown first to break the silence.

Tsukishima contemplated. He has nosed his way into Kuroo's life more than he had intended already; the fact that he had witnessed the other having nightmares seemed way too much. He felt that dreadful feeling settle in his gut again, but he realized that the other boy needed more help right now than he did.

"Besides your snores?" He teased, just to cut some of the tension off. "Well, you called out for your sister. And, uh, begged whoever it was to hurt you instead of her."

Kuroo, as expected, didn't seem pleased with that information. "I'm sorry. For snoring and waking you up with my, uhm, lame nightmare."

Tsukishima didn't expect the apology, and he felt even worse at the thought that the raven blamed himself for having those kinds of nightmares. "What are you saying sorry for? If you're saying sorry for something that is not in your control, then I'm sorry I kicked a pillow right on your face to keep you from snoring."

Kuroo blinked, but he seemed less gloomy this time, which Tsukishima was hoping for. "You—what?"

Tsukishima, again, blamed the fatigue from today's events for the sudden laughter that poured out of him. There were a lot of things that happened today, and it's three in the morning and he hasn't had his sleep yet. It must be why he fell back on his bed, laughing his lungs out hard enough that there were tears brimming from his eyes.

The look on Kuroo's face was priceless. The poor raven looked so confused when the blond sat back up after his fit of laughter, and Tsukishima celebrated inwardly as he counted this as a revenge for the same confusion Kuroo put him in when he went home and saw the delinquent smiling that afternoon.

Finally gathering his composure back, the blond was lost on what to do now. Tsukishima didn't really know how to comfort people. When Yamaguchi was down in the dumps, he'd usually let his friend talk and he'll listen. Tsukishima didn't even know why, but he felt the urge to offer some sense of comfort to the raven.

Tsukishima patted the space beside him. "Come up here. Do you… Do you want to talk about it?"

Kuroo seemed even more surprised from the invitation. There was hesitation in his golden eyes, but he rose up from his seat on the floor and sat at the edge of the bed with Tsukishima. He brought the blanket with him, which he huddled himself in, and Tsukishima could admit to himself that the sight was kind of cute.

In a childlike, kind of way. Kuroo was only cute because he looked like a kid who went to his parents' room after a nightmare.

Tsukishima cursed himself when he realized that Kuroo had no parents.

He was in the middle of an internal debate when Kuroo actually talked. "I dreamed about that day. You know, the day that became the reason why I'm here right now."

"Oh?" Tsukishima laced his fingers together and settled his hands on his lap. He was really awkward in serious conversations, but his curiosity was persistent so he kept himself still.

"My stepmother—she was drunk. Again. And she was throwing things around. When she's in that fit, the best we could do is ignore her. I got used to it, but my sister always gets scared of her. She's still seven, after all." Kuroo had a wistful smile as he talked about his sister. The raven surely loved Hinami. "So she started crying. My stepmother hates that—hates to hear us crying. I used to stuff socks in my mouth when I, uh, still cried. I couldn't do that to my sister, so I tried to talk her out of it. But she only cried louder, and that's when my stepmom snapped."

Tsukishima didn't like the direction this talk was going, but he let Kuroo go on. The other, despite the two of them having almost the same height, seemed smaller right now. "She was yelling at Hinami, and directed the things she threw at my sister. I tried to shield Hinami the best I could, but she purposefully knocked me out of the way so she could hit my sister. That's when I… lost it."

Kuroo chuckled, but it held nothing but sadness and remorse in it. "I couldn't stand that she was going to hurt my sister. Hinami's body is already as frail as it is, and one knock could send her to the hospital for a week. So I… punched my stepmom on the cheek and knocked her aside. I forget my strength sometimes."

Tsukishima had nothing to say, because he knew no words could comfort the raven right now. He wasn't used to physical affection, but if it helped, then a side hug shouldn't be too much for him to offer. He wrapped his arm around Kuroo's shoulder, and let the raven rest his head on his neck. They remained in that awkward position for quite some time, but it was clear that Kuroo was feeling better.

By the time they part and look at anywhere in the room besides each other, it was already four in the morning and Tsukishima badly needed at least a few hours of sleep if he wanted to function well in his classes later. So he shifted upwards, throwing a look at Kuroo who was still eyeing the floor as if it was the most interesting floor he ever saw.

"You could sleep in the bed as long as you maintain a distance and don't hog the blankets."

Kuroo visibly brightened, and it almost hurt Tsukishima's eyes. Both of them took each sides of the bed, and it was a good thing that the raven had his own blanket because there was no way they could share one with how far apart they were.

"Good night, Tsukki."

Tsukishima's back was turned against the raven, and he was facing the window as he closed his eyes shut. Still, he could feel Kuroo's eyes on the back of his head as he waited, so he figured a simple 'good night' back would do him no harm.

"Good night, Kuroo."

With that, sleep finally claimed Tsukishima once again.

That night unknowingly became a pivotal turn for their relationship.

Sure, Kuroo was still an annoying little shit and Tsukishima sassed right back whenever he could, but the atmosphere between them has shaken off some of its animosity and it's becoming more and more of a friendly banter right now.

The pre-trial seemed to have gone well, if the hopeful glint in Kuroo's eyes was an indication of something. Tsukishima saw him lounge in the living room when he got home—as usual, with Akiteru as they hunched over papers together. Kuroo was talking so animatedly that if Tsukishima didn't know better, he'd think that Kuroo and his brother were close cousins hanging out.

Tsukishima shuddered at the thought of having Kuroo as a relative, and just to rile the other up, he voiced this out in lieu of a greeting and was greeted right back with a ball of paper aimed at him.

Unlike what they previously agreed on, Kuroo hung around as Tsukishima was doing homework and even helped him with it. Tsukishima was surprised that the delinquent was interested in the sciences, and was rather very good at it. He narrowed his eyes at Kuroo in suspicion as he talked about the many benefits of eating fish over any other meat, having a feeling that the boy could've been a good student if he wanted to.

When they shared the bed for the night, Tsukishima was surprised to not hear any snoring until he was finally feeling drowsy. With the remaining consciousness he has, he noticed that the raven was still awake. He had a feeling that he was waiting for Tsukishima to sleep first, and the blond couldn’t help but appreciate the gesture knowing that Kuroo must've had a rougher day at the court.

The next day, Akiteru received a mail that stated that Kuroo's formal trial starts by the end of the month, so they have a little over two weeks to examine the evidences the prosecution will present against them and iron out their defenses. Much to Kuroo's dismay, Akiteru couldn't still talk to Hinami as his stepmother was adamant about keeping Kuroo and anyone he knew at bay.

Just as he was going out for school, he overheard Akiteru telling Kuroo they would go to the hospital later on. He wanted to know why, but he was already running late, so he headed out to meet Yamaguchi, who was already lingering in front of their gate.

They walked together in comfortable silence like they always do. Yamaguchi looked like he had something to say though, but he looked so conflicted that Tsukishima left it alone. If his best friend had something to say, then he'll wait for him to spit it out.

When they reached the school grounds, however, Yamaguchi finally started to talk. "I met someone interesting yesterday. When I was at the library."

Tsukishima turned his head in surprise, although it didn't show in his face. "You have a crush?"

Yamaguchi realized what he just said and immediately flushed, raising his hands out to flail them about as he shook his head in denial. "Not in that way! What I-I meant about interesting, was that I saw this person flipping through a book about criminal procedures and studied local newspapers that had Kuroo in it!"

Interesting, indeed.

Tsukishima glanced at the time on his phone, then hurriedly dragged Yamaguchi towards their classroom for their first subject of the day and sat at their usual seat in the back row near the windows. Once they're settled and the teacher didn't seem to be around yet, the taller looked at his friend and prodded. "Talk."

As Yamaguchi went on about his talk with the girl he met yesterday, Tsukishima learned that Kuroo has apparently defended that person before. Their conversation was unfortunately cut short because the library was closing, so Yamaguchi asked to meet her for lunch today. Yamaguchi blushed as he told him this, so Tsukishima was a bit doubtful about his friend's denial of not seeing this girl interesting in that way.

He spent the rest of the time in his class thinking about Kuroo again, much to his annoyance. He couldn't help it; he was aware that he was in this too deep now to ever get out easily. The way his brother's words flash repeatedly in his head didn't help at all, as he anxiously waited for their lunch break.

He is a really good kid, Kei. Troubled, but his heart has good intentions.

Yeah, Tsukishima was starting to believe that.

Do you know, though, why he gets involved in fights?

Kuroo, as far as he knew, was a dork who knew what vitamins and minerals the fish meat has and can recite the periodic table from memory. How did a nerd like him get involved in fights?

He stands up for the, ah, lesser fortunate. Physically or emotionally.

Would this girl really hold the answers?

The bell rang, snapping him out of his reverie. There was a rush of students going out of their classrooms, but before he knew it, Yamaguchi and him were already on a table at the cafeteria with their bentos unwrapped.

The blond didn't know what to expect, yet he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to find out what this girl had to tell. He was getting antsy, bouncing his leg as he waited. Tsukishima was in the middle of folding the cloth of his lunchbox away when Yamaguchi nudged him with his foot. "Here she is!"

Tsukishima turned around to see a petite girl with short, blonde hair. She has her head down shyly, as Yamaguchi offered the seat beside him and the girl hesitantly took it. She took her own bento out and a box of milk, which she was struggling to poke the straw in. When she finally succeeded and took a sip, that's when the blonde looked up to meet their eyes.

"My name is Yachi Hitoka." She started, eyes darting everywhere in a nervous manner. "I'm from Class 2, and, and Yamaguchi-san—"

"I invited her here to tell us about what happened!" Yamaguchi cut in, clearly excited. Both Yachi and Tsukishima turned around to look at him, although they vary in expression. Tsukishima looked like he's about to hit his best friend, and Yachi had the kindness to only look amused. Tsukishima was absolutely going to confront Yamaguchi later on with this crush that's clearly brewing.

Yachi tucked her hair behind her ear, visibly relaxing in Yamaguchi's amiable presence. "Kuroo-san helped me a few months back, near the end of the first term, when a bunch of upperclassmen were trying to steal the cookies I was selling and then took my money." The petite girl twiddled with her thumbs as she relived the day she met the raven. "I admit, at first, I was scared when Kuroo passed by. I thought he was gonna join in harassing me, since he had a nasty look on his face. Until I realized that it was directed at the bullies, and not me."

Tsukishima listened raptly, Yamaguchi mirroring his curiosity while sipping loudly on his banana milk. Yachi took the silence as a cue to continue. "The bullies were obviously afraid of Kuroo's presence, but they made a show of trying to provoke him. Asking him to back off and go back running to his mommy, who was…" Yachi gulped, her eyes turning glassy. "Dead. Kuroo obviously wasn't happy with that, but he still didn't strike. He calmly asked the boys to return my money and go away."

The blonde girl took a few seconds to breathe, eyes pinned on the table, as if steeling herself for what she's about to say next. "But the bullies laughed instead. One of them grabbed me by my collar and slammed me against the wall, and that—that was when Kuroo started hitting the boys. Each one of them. Until his fists were bloody and they passed out."

Yachi started to cry, which immediately spurred Yamaguchi into action and took his handkerchief out of his pocket to hand it over the blonde. Despite the tears, she continued to talk with conviction, wiping at her eyes angrily. "I should've thanked him. He asked if I was okay, but I was too scared of what just happened that I ran away. He must've thought I saw him as a bad guy, like everyone else does, when in fact I was so thankful because it was the first time someone stood up for me."

Yamaguchi was rubbing her back as Yachi sniffled, still dabbing at her wet cheeks. His best friend looked apologetic, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but empathize with him. "I'm sorry I had to make you tell us all that, Yachi. It must've been so hard for you."

Yachi immediately shook her head, looking up at Yamaguchi with her tear-strained cheeks and did whatever her lips were doing, which turned out to be a smile. "It's okay! If this helps clear Kuroo's name, then I'd be willing to help! Sure, his methods are a bit… unorthodox and ethically questionable, but his intentions are clearly pure and kind. I can feel it."

Tsukishima snorted, which surprised his companions. Before Yamaguchi's eyes could gouge out from shock, he nodded it off and erased his grin. He just found it amusing that Yachi said almost the same thing his brother did.

"Thank you. For sharing." The taller blond said, handing his own juice box to Yachi as a somewhat form of gratitude. The petite girl pushed it back, but it was futile, knowing Tsukishima wouldn't relent. Once they all started eating in peaceful silence, Tsukishima couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his lips. Kuroo was indeed a nice guy, huh. Before anyone could notice him grinning, he quickly dropped it and stuffed a slice of omelette into his mouth.

He believed Yachi, and he believed his brother now. It was nice to see someone else trying to look at Kuroo in a different perspective.

Tsukishima owed the raven an apology—a lot of it, honestly—so it was no big deal to shoot his mother a text to cook any fish dish for dinner tonight.

After finally cornering Yamaguchi with what he possibly felt for Yachi, he let his friend off when he confessed that he did find Yachi cute, but it ended there. Yamaguchi emphasized, however, that he was not opposed to the idea of him liking the petite blonde over time. After all, Yachi has been unofficially welcomed as part of their small group.

Yachi happened to be living next to the street they resided in, so she happily agreed to walk home with them when Yamaguchi asked her to. It was kind of exasperating, having to deal with two nervous wrecks who were actually blabbermouths once they're with people they're comfortable with, but Tsukishima found it a little endearing. At least Yamaguchi has an active participant in the conversation now, since Tsukishima would rather listen than talk.

The two were going on about what's the coolest club in school when Tsukishima caught sight of a familiar nest of dark hair. There was no mistaking it; it was indeed Kuroo the longer he looked. Kuroo was just walking before surreptitiously looking around and ducked towards an alley. They were only a few blocks more before he reached his house, so the blond wondered why the raven wasn't home yet.

He was debating whether or not he should follow the delinquent when his phone beeped. His mom replied a simple ‘sure’ to him about his request of cooking fish for dinner. It would suck if Kuroo missed the meal after deliberately asking his mom to cook his favorite, so he decided it was worth the detour. Besides, he had no homework due for tomorrow.

"Yamaguchi, Yachi, you guys go ahead." He excused himself, which made the two chatterboxes stop in their tracks and look at him. His best friend threw an inquisitive eyebrow at his way.

"Where are you going, Tsukki?"

"None of your business." Tsukishima didn't want to sound rude, but he didn't know how to lie either. Thankfully, Yamaguchi got the message and decided to steer Yachi away instead of being offended.

Once the two were a good few meters ahead of him, he turned around and followed the path that Kuroo took. He was already in the alley when he realized that he has never explored this part of town yet, and to his surprise, the alley led to a narrower path instead of a dead end.

The more he walked, the more the space grew smaller, and he's starting to doubt whether he really did see Kuroo or if it was just a figment of his imagination from thinking about the raven a lot these days. He was about to turn back when he saw a light at the end of the narrow path and an opening to a much wider area.

With a few more strides, he emerged out of the compact route and into the clearing that led to what looked like an abandoned railway station.

There was nothing else but the remains of the station that was crumbling from age, with only the railroad intact yet rusty. The paint on the walls has completely chipped off and paled, with what appeared to be old sign boards now broken and strewn across the weathered down, cemented platform.

Right in the middle of the track, a crater has formed, which appeared to have water in it and—Tsukishima stepped closer for a better look—koi? There were koi swimming about in what was supposedly a fish pond.

It was an interesting place with the view of a mountain range behind it. Tsukishima was so engrossed with looking around, that he didn't notice the sneaky presence behind him who placed both hands on the blond's shoulder.

"Boo."

It was reflex when Tsukishima turned around and landed a spontaneous kick at Kuroo's abdomen. The raven hunched over, clutching his stomach. Still in shock, the younger swiftly rushed over to check how the other was doing.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Tsukishima barked, and instead of consoling the elder, he landed a hit on his shoulder.

"Wow, you surely pack a punch, Tsukki." Kuroo laughed despite the breathlessness of his voice as he slowly stood back up, palm still on his abdomen. "Didn't know you were jumpy."

Tsukishima tutted disapprovingly, crossing his arms as he took a few steps back. "What are you doing here anyway? How did you find this place?"

Kuroo looked around, as if suddenly remembering where they were, and gave the blond a quirky grin. "Welcome, to my humble abode. Mi casa, su casa."

"Your what?"

The raven motioned for him to follow as they headed towards the platform. Before Tsukishima could ask more, Kuroo pushed a large, beyond repair vending machine aside and revealed the door to what seemed like a former office. Kuroo pushed the door open, and inside was cleaner and cozier than Tsukishima expected.

There was a shabby couch covered in a thick, embroidered quilt situated just across the door. The walls were decorated with different posters of music artists and old men Tsukishima didn't know of, which the blond belatedly realized were scientists. There was also a huge map of the world just above the couch, marked with red thumb pins on different places. The ceiling was dappled with Christmas lights pinned on it, bursting into light as he heard Kuroo flipped on the switches. The floor was covered with an old, blue carpet, two beanbags sitting nicely off the corner.

A shelf stood, holding an assortment of knickknacks on it ranging from an aquarium bowl filled with colored marbles and snow globes of different sizes. There was also a table which had a lot of papers on it in different colors, and a huge, worn out leather book that stood in the middle of it.

What caught Tsukishima's attention the most, however, was the wall on the right covered in varying colors of sticky notes. The most he could see from his position was that there were handwritings on it, and judging by how messy they were, it was probably Kuroo's.

Tsukishima turned to look at Kuroo questionably, who looked right back at him in baited breath. The blond realized that the raven was expecting his reaction, so he released his own breath that he didn't know he was holding. "Wow, this is amazing, Kuroo."

Kuroo beamed, his smile so bright it could rival the sparkle of the Christmas lights. He took Tsukishima's sleeve and dragged him to the wall with the sticky notes on it, showing him his masterpiece. "On this wall, is everything a person has said to me that I always want to remember."

Tsukishima blinked as he took the information in, then zoomed his eyes on one note.

‘You're gonna be an amazing scientist one day, Kuroo. You can change the world, if you believe in yourself hard enough! - Mom’

The blond almost got a whiplash from the realization that hit him. What Kuroo was showing him was personal, beyond personal, and everything in this room might hold all there is to know about the raven.

The guilt hit him like a truck, and he honestly wanted to run away and hide from this place. Too much. He's knowing too much about the raven and Kuroo wasn't even—

When he turned around, Kuroo looked at him with a smile. A small one, just a bare lift on both corners of his lips. But it had such a soothing effect that it calmed Tsukishima down.

It's okay.

Kuroo raised a finger and pointed at a light blue sticky note, chuckling as Tsukishima directed his eyes on it. "Look at here, Tsukki. It was from the day I met you."

‘Asking for help doesn't mean you're weak, you know. It means you're strong enough to trust a person your problems with. - Tsukki’

Tsukishima felt a flurry of emotions within him. He hated it. He hated how lately, he had no control over his emotions and actions. He had done things he wouldn't have done before. He was interested in things he used to gloss over or ignore. He hated how Kuroo was such an enigma but an open book at the same time. He hated how everything was not according to his plan.

This was not peaceful. This was a dynamic life he never asked for.

"You're ridiculous, Kuroo."

"I can get even more ridiculous, Tsukki."

He loved it.

Tsukishima hasn't let himself loose in years, and he never actually planned to. But he didn't want to think about plans right now. He wanted to let himself get lost in the world of Kuroo and his antics.

With one big breath, Tsukishima offered a smile back. "Show me."

So he let Kuroo take the lead, and the raven showed him all there was behind the misunderstood boy.

Tsukishima expected a heavy discussion, but surprisingly, Kuroo had been smiling as he told tales of his youth.

Lifting a snow globe, he showed it to the blond with a proud smile. "I've been collecting these every Christmas! There's one for every year since I was born. Apparently, my mom started that tradition, since she used to travel a lot before and would go home a few days before Christmas bringing these." Kuroo pointed at the middle shelf filled with an array of different snow globes. Tsukishima examined each one, and he noticed that most of them seemed like they belonged from different countries. The newer ones, however, looked like store-bought from Japan, and he did not dare ask why. He also counted it and it seemed like one was missing.

Oh.

A topic change was clearly needed, so the blond did exactly that. "What are these?" He asked, as he raised his eyes at the top shelf, which contained a mix of sculptures that appeared to have been parts of different objects put together.

Kuroo grinned proudly, taking one that resembled a cap with a button on the middle of it attached with wires that coiled under the cap. "Some small inventions I used to make. This one is called the Memory Cap! Back then, I used to wear this while studying, because I believed it would enhance my memory."

Tsukishima really didn't want to laugh, so he hid it the best he could with a fist to muffle his bubbling laughter. "Oh really, now? Let me try." He put on the cap, which somehow still fit his head, and then closed his eyes. He reached for the button and pressed it. When he opened his eyes again, he pretended to be confused. "Where am I? Who are you?"

If Tsukishima always held back his laughter, Kuroo did not hesitate to let it out. His laughter resembled somewhat to a hyena, and it was so infectious that Tsukishima broke his act and laughed with him. "That is not how it's supposed to work!"

As Tsukishima returned the cap, Kuroo continued to explain the other inventions that he made. The blond noticed that whenever Kuroo told him the story of each one, he'd mention his mother and father being there with him as he made them. He couldn’t help but wonder if Kuroo only stopped when he lost his parents.

Now was not the time for sadness. There was no way Tsukishima could pop the bubble of pure mirth that surrounded Kuroo right now, so if he wanted to talk about how his life turned out this way, then it's best to leave it for another time.

Kuroo whisked him off towards the table that had a messy stack of papers on it and a leather journal. He picked up the journal, flipping to the first page which had a foreword on it written neatly. "This was from my mom. She used to write for me all the plans we made once I have grown big enough to come with her on travels. Dad also wrote notes here about our experiments together, which mom would leave comments on at the bottom of the pages." Kuroo leafed through the pages to show the said plans and the notes his mom wrote in a pretty handwriting.

A particular note caught his eye.

‘Study hard enough so you'll get into Kyoto University! Of course, dad will help with your admission. He's a beloved professor there after all! Right, darling?’

A professor? In Kyoto University, at that? It looked like Kuroo had extraordinary parents.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, what did your mom and dad do for a living?" Tsukishima asked after a quick deliberation.

"Glad you asked, Tsukki!" Kuroo exclaimed, and the blond internally sighed in relief. "Mom was an archaeologist, which could explain why I must've inherited her passion for collecting sentimental objects. You couldn't believe the amazing things she discovered, Tsukki. She found, like, old jewelleries and antiques from ancient times!" Kuroo grinned, then immediately shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so interested in old stuffs."

Tsukishima shrugged. "I don't mind. After all, I'm interested in dinosaurs."

That was not supposed to slip out.

Kuroo's eyes bulged, eagerly turning towards the younger. "Really? Dude, you would be best friends with my dad! He was crazy about dinosaurs! He's not really a paleontologist, but he was a college professor who taught history."

Tsukishima finally understood Kuroo's interest in the sciences. His parents were in the field, so it only made sense that Kuroo took a liking to what his parents were passionate about. It was kind of adorable to look back at how little Kuroo must've been a curious kid who asked about anything and everything, but then again, when Tsukishima looked at Kuroo now, he couldn’t really associate him with the word ‘cute’. He was kind of… rough-looking. A huge contrast to the nerd inside of him.

The blond listened as the raven went on about the contents of the papers, which held all of his plans and blueprints of the inventions he wanted to make before. Tsukishima was half listening, actually, and half admiring at how the boy in front of him looked nothing like the Kuroo that the public knew.

He has to admit; Kuroo can be pretty scary when he got into fights. He saw him bring down three upperclassmen twice his size with ease. Looking back at it, Tsukishima didn't know what started the fight, but what he heard was that Kuroo didn't strike first. Kuroo never struck first. He looked at the raven, who was narrating about how chemistry could be better taught at schools, and he couldn't help the sadness that seeped into his chest.

Kuroo deserved more than what he has right now.

Tsukishima snapped out of his train of thoughts before it could get out of hand and surprise Kuroo by crying out of nowhere. He asked questions as Kuroo talked, because it looked like after all these years, all Kuroo wanted was someone to listen.

The time seemed to pass by quickly because when they finally went out of the room, the sky was dark and the stars had already made their appearance. Before going back to the alley that led back to the main street, Kuroo stopped by the fish pond, pulling out a plastic bag filled with lettuce from it.

"Look here, Tsukki," The raven called, taking a piece of lettuce and offering his palm to the koi. The fishes eagerly swam and munched from Kuroo's hand, their skins a beautiful, pure white with red and indigo blue patterns. "These are a type of koi called Koromo. Beautiful, aren't they?"

Tsukishima nodded. He didn't have the time to observe them properly a while ago, but now he could agree that the fishes were indeed beautiful. There were at least four in the pond, which were almost as big as Kuroo's hand. "Who made this pond?"

"My dad and I." Kuroo smiled wistfully, taking out another piece of lettuce. "We made it on mom's first death anniversary, just when we moved here. Dad said these koi symbolize tranquillity and strength. Perfect for mom."

Ah, so his parents didn't leave him at the same time. Sadly, the thought wasn't even one bit comforting.

"Do they have names?" Tsukishima decided to change topics, which gained a smile out of Kuroo.

"Yes. They used to be five, so we named them Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, and Go. Shi died early, so only these four are left." Kuroo opened the bag wider, and offered it to Tsukishima. "Want to feed them? They're nice."

Tsukishima didn't like the idea of being bitten by koi, but if Kuroo said they're nice, then he'll hold him to it. He took a lettuce and reluctantly opened his palm. Two of the fishes moved towards him, and nibbled on the leaf. "It tickles."

Kuroo chuckled, taking care of the other two with another piece. These fishes sure did ate fast. "Do you know the story behind the koi?" The younger shook his head no. "Well, back in the ancient times, there was this school of golden koi who were swimming upstream the Yellow River in China to gain strength. However, when they reached a waterfall at the end of the river, some of the koi gave up and let the current take them away."

"Disappointing."

Kuroo chuckled at the snarky comment. "Indeed. But the few left continued to swim, jumping as much as they could, yet failing. The local demons took notice of their efforts, so out of malice, they heightened the waterfall."

"How kind of them."

"Truly despicable. Well, the koi didn't give up. They jumped and jumped, and after a hundred years, one koi finally made it up the waterfall."

Tsukishima snorted. "Took them long enough."

The amused smile on Kuroo's face didn't waver one bit. "Right? Well, the gods noticed their perseverance, so as a reward, they made the lone koi into a golden dragon. Since then, they have become a symbol of strength and power."

Tsukishima took some time to mull over the story. As the last of the lettuce got eaten by the fishes, he smiled, albeit faintly. "I want to be like that koi."

He half expected for Kuroo to laugh, but he stood up, closing the bag as he offered his hand to Tsukishima. The blond accepted it and hoisted himself up, standing eye to eye with the raven. "I want to be like that koi too."

There was something in the air between them that Tsukishima couldn’t point out what. It was tension, but not the hostile one they had on the first day they met. It was dark, but he could clearly see the expression on Kuroo's face.

For the first time since the case fell on the raven's shoulders, he looked peaceful.

The next word that tumbled off of Tsukishima's lips might have been uttered without thinking thoroughly, but he didn't want to take it back either.

"Friends?"

Kuroo, who was still holding Tsukishima's hand, gave it a light squeeze as he shook it. "Friends."

Tsukishima decided he liked the word after all.

He retrieved his hand gently, then started walking ahead. The raven followed him, bouncing like a puppy on a sugar rush. "Mom's cooking fish for dinner. Let's go home." The blond said over his shoulder.

"Well, let's go then! Can't wait to see Tsukki finally get his proper amount of Docosahexaenoic acid and Omega 3!"

Kuroo's smile was already bright—Tsukishima wondered how it got much brighter every time.

The visits to Kuroo's secret haven became a daily thing.

Whenever he walked home from school with Yamaguchi and Yachi, he always came across a beaming Kuroo, who would try to be subtle as he hid behind a streetlight, calling him over with whatever hand gestures he came up with.

The blond would then excuse himself from his friends, who gave him skeptical looks in return but wouldn't say another word. Yamaguchi looked particularly curious, but Tsukishima wasn't in the mood to explain to his best friend that he found a friend in Kuroo after vehemently denying the possibility of ever being interested with the delinquent.

When they got there, they greet the fishes first before making their way to the room. Inside, he'll let Kuroo talk about his inventions in depth. Sometimes, he'll share funny stories he's had while living in Tokyo with his parents before, which was how Tsukishima learned that the raven grew up there. Kuroo also touched on topics involving the time after his mother's death, mainly about Hinami and how it was fun yet hard to take care of his sister who grew up with a sickly body. He also mentioned his love for the sciences, where he'd go on and lecture Tsukishima about different topics from how the periodic table was formed to how the stars give light even though they're far away.

Tsukishima listened as he grew to know more and more about the raven. He felt like he owed the raven information about him somehow, so on the third day they visited the secret room, Tsukishima took his turn to talk.

"I like baking." He said, feeling a bit nervous from the unblinking focus that Kuroo gave him. "I love sweets, particularly pastries and desserts that have strawberries in it. My favorite is strawberry shortcake."

Kuroo was silent for a while, before breaking out into a huge grin. "Oh? Salty Tsukki has a sweet tooth? What a paradox you are, dinosaur enthusiast."

Tsukishima hit him with the book he was holding. It was expected. Everyone who knew him from afar would always be surprised when he told them he had a sweet tooth. He also liked to be as subtle as he could in hiding his interest with dinosaurs. "Shut up. Stop giving me nicknames."

The raven belt out a thunderous laughter, rolling onto his back as he fell on the floor from the beanbag he was sitting on. "Hey! I just didn't expect that your interests would—you know, contradict your penchant for talking in sarcasm."

"You literally beat up people and then talk about Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development, as if your own moral compass is on the right track." The blond huffed, turning his face away.

He worried that Kuroo had taken it badly, but the raven just raised his arms in surrender. "Point taken. Can I have my sweet tooth Kei back and talk about his love for baking?"

The use of his given name didn't escape his ears. However, he pretended not to hear it, knowing Kuroo will use it again just to annoy him.

Tsukishima also wanted to spite him by saying no and leaving, but then Kuroo looked genuinely curious in getting to know him more. He sighed, resigning to his fate and told Kuroo about his many attempts at baking but had only been successful lately. Back on his birthday just a month ago, he had baked his own cake. Kuroo wished him a belated birthday, and then asked if he could bake for him too. After a lot of pouting and begging in a whiny voice, Tsukishima gave in to the other's request. He tried to scare the other boy, however, that he'll take the chance to poison him.

The day ended, as usual, with them feeding the koi with lettuce. Kuroo talked more about interesting facts he knew of these fishes, and then went on as they walked their way home.

When they get home, however, they always went to separate paths. Tsukishima would attend to his homework while Kuroo would go and discuss with Akiteru about his impending trial. No matter how much time they spent in the abandoned train station together, they didn't really get to talk much when they arrived in his house because Kuroo didn't come into the room until it was late into the night and Tsukishima had long gone to sleep.

Tsukishima, however, always hears a "Good night, Tsukki" amidst his peaceful slumber.

Yamaguchi's patience seemed to have reached its limit as he cornered Tsukishima at lunch the next day.

While they were waiting for Yachi, his friend leaned over and almost toppled Tsukishima in surprise. He didn't waste a breath in saying sorry and went straight to the point.

"Are you seeing Kuroo?"

The question almost toppled Tsukishima off again. "What?"

Yamaguchi looked like a deer caught in the headlights, which was funny considering Tsukishima was the one he was cornering. "I've got to admit. Yesterday, after you turned your back, Yachi and I followed you and saw you go into an alley with Kuroo. Yachi speculated that you two must've joined an underground fight club, but I knew better since that rooftop incident." His friend talked so fast he ran out of breath, so he took his time to catch it before continuing. "So, tell me. Are you two dating?"

If his friend knew better, then he'll know how ridiculous his theory sounded. Yachi's speculation sounded more logical, and Tsukishima told his best friend so. "No. Kuroo's been teaching me how to fight in order to become his descendant in the fighting scene."

"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi protested, slumping back on his seat with an exasperated pout.

Tsukishima sighed. He figured it was time to come clean. Yamaguchi, after all, was still one of the people the blond trusted the most. "I can't say much since it's Kuroo's secret to tell, but all I can say is we've been hanging out. We're friends now."

Yamaguchi had the nerve to pretend he was surprised, shaking his head after. "You failed me, Tsukki. Now I owe Yachi a hundred yen."

"I hear a hundred yen. I was right with the fight club, then?" Yachi finally came, taking her seat beside Yamaguchi and offering her palm out. Yamaguchi reluctantly handed over the money.

Tsukishima nodded. "I beat up the son of a yakuza boss the other day."

Yachi comically shrieked, eyes wide in wonder. "No way!"

The taller blond only snorted, which had Yamaguchi doubling over in laughter as he told Yachi what Tsukishima told him. The two discussed that it was indeed distasteful that Kuroo and Tsukishima were only friends, and continued to talk about him as if Tsukishima wasn't right in front of them.

As he slowly tuned out of the conversation, his thoughts flew towards Kuroo and wondered whether he ever experienced falling in love, and what Tsukishima would feel if Kuroo told him about it.

Something was wrong with Kuroo that day.

Tsukishima watched as the raven sat in front of the wall filled with sticky notes. Kuroo has been silent ever since they came here. The blond wanted to ask, but then the elder held a closed off air around him. Tsukishima figured if Kuroo wanted to talk, then he would. He has never refrained from talking, after all. So the younger boy saw it fit just to provide Kuroo his company and be silent.

As they stared at the wall soundlessly, with only the hum of an old radio playing in the background, Tsukishima took his time to read what he could from the notes in front of him. He saw it was mostly from his parents, and people he didn't know of such as Kenma, Bokuto, Shirase-san and many more. He saw a note by their science teacher, Takeda, and it made him happy to know that the teachers seemed to acknowledge Kuroo's intelligence despite his reputation.

‘It's hard to trust new people. But if you never take the first step, you can't reach the destination at all, wouldn't you? – Shirase’

Tsukishima was busy reading the notes about what this Shirase person has said when Kuroo finally broke his silence and started to talk. "It's my mother's birthday."

Oh. Tsukishima could feel his breath hitch, and everything made sense now. Kuroo's eyes, after all, were only trained in the section where his mom's notes were placed. However, the blond didn't get a name. Kuroo only labelled her as ‘Mom’.

He contemplated whether offering a hug seemed weird, but then he remembered what Yamaguchi said. Now's not the time to blush, so the blond looked away and placed a hand on Kuroo's shoulder instead. "I'm sorry."

Tsukishima wished badly he knew how to comfort people right now, because he wanted to calm Kuroo down. There was a storm behind his eyes, and he didn't know what else to do other than pat his back.

Kuroo decided to talk more. "My mom died in a plane crash on one of her trips abroad." The way Kuroo talked was hushed, as if saying these words would only open up the old wounds. Tsukishima's grip on the raven's shoulder tightened. "It was back when I was thirteen and Hinami was barely three years old. It was in December, four days before Christmas. She always came home for Christmas, except that year, apparently."

The offer of a hug didn't seem weird now, so Tsukishima did exactly that and opened his arms. Kuroo didn't hesitate and leaned his forehead over the blond's shoulder. The position was a bit awkward, but it could do. "My mom's death was so hard on us, especially for dad. He used to tell me stories, you know? But he became completely silent. He drank a lot, too. He became an alcoholic so bad that he quit his job. After then, he decided we needed a change of scenery and moved away from Tokyo. I thought that would help, you know? Like it did for me, at least for a while. But it only made dad a more horrible drunkard. He started becoming… aggressive. He burned all mom's pictures, Tsukki. I only had been able to save this."

Kuroo took out an old photograph, which was torn on the side and crumpled from age. In it was a beautiful woman with wavy, black hair and a handsome man by her side, who looked a lot like Kuroo but older. Kuroo's mom held up baby Hinami while his dad hugged Kuroo to his side. They looked so happy, that Tsukishima could understand the devastation Kuroo must've had after losing such a happy family.

It was weird how Kuroo wasn't crying, because Tsukishima was sure any moment now he would. Instead, he pulled the raven back and tucked his head onto his chest, running his fingers through his hair in a comforting manner. "I'm sure they loved you and Hinami so much, Kuroo-san. You had such a wonderful family, and now they're looking over you from above."

Kuroo made a noise of somewhat a hum and a grumble, but the way he wrapped his arms around the blond told him enough already. They stayed there for quite some time, hugging with their awkward, lanky limbs entangled together.

It was pretty dark already when they got out to feed the koi and walked their way home. Kuroo felt marginally better now, and a small smile had finally appeared on his face.

When Kuroo reached for his hand as they walked the silent streets together, Tsukishima didn't protest and intertwined both of their fingers.

Hugging became a normal thing between the both of them as well.

If the hand-holding as they walked to the abandoned train station and on the way home wasn't enough, Kuroo always pulled him to a hug whenever they could, especially when they shared the bed as they went to sleep.

Tsukishima's cheeks would always flush as he would wake up to Kuroo holding him in his arms, and he mentally reprimanded himself for blushing so much. He's not one to blush easily, but the raven did seem to have a talent in making Tsukishima do the things he didn't normally do.

Yamaguchi's words from whenever they talked about Kuroo didn't help as well; it kept bugging him whenever he spaced out.

You're weird when you're interested, Tsukki.

Are you seeing Kuroo?

So tell me, are you two dating?

The owner of these words startled Tsukishima back to reality. "Earth to Tsukki! You've got that lovesick look on your face again. I'm guessing you're thinking about Kuroo, huh?"

Yachi chuckled from beside his best friend, giving Tsukishima a playful wagging of her eyebrows too. "I didn't know Tsukishima-san liked bad boys!"

Tsukishima almost barfed at the statement and subtly kicked Yamaguchi's shin, who quickly reacted with a yelp. "I don't know what you two are talking about."

"Of course you don't. You've been spacing out." Yamaguchi hissed as he reached down to rub his shin. "Anyways, Yachi asked if we could accompany her to the hospital. She'll be fetching her cousin who just got discharged."

The hospital wasn't that far from their school, where they just exited. He estimated the time and figured that he might be later than usual to his rendezvous with Kuroo, but he couldn't text the raven since he didn't seem to have a phone. But it didn't take that much time, so he nodded in agreement. "As long as Yachi brings us cookies tomorrow."

Yachi grinned cheerfully, raising two thumbs up. "You got it!"

When they reached the hospital, Tsukishima was grateful that they didn't have to climb the stairs since Yachi's cousin met them in the lobby right away. They were signing off release papers first, however, so Yamaguchi and him stood around to wait.

Tsukishima was choosing what song to play on his phone when his eyes caught sight of a familiar face. He never really saw her in real life, but Kuroo showed him pictures of Hinami enough to be able to tell that the young girl who was with an older woman was undoubtedly Kuroo's younger sister.

Yamaguchi felt him tensed up, so Tsukishima quickly gestured for his best friend to keep his mouth shut. His friend easily understood the message and followed his line of vision, Hinami and the woman now at the receptionist's table.

They were close enough to get bits of what the older woman was saying, so they listened in. "My name is Kuroo Shirase. I'm here for a doctor's appointment for Kuroo Hinami?"

Shirase. That name sounded familiar.

Tsukishima's eyes widened in realization.

As Kuroo's stepmother talked with the person manning the desk, Hinami looked around until she met Tsukishima's eyes who was intensively staring at the younger. She had a friendly, albeit weak, smile on her face as she raised her hand hello.

"Do you know the little girl, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi whispered. Tsukishima only gave him a nod.

Tsukishima observed as the older woman finally finished talking and crouched down to talk to Hinami. "How much does your chest hurt, Hinami?" She asked in a surprisingly soft voice.

"Not as much as last night." The little girl said with a cough following her words. "Will onii-chan come see me?"

Shirase winced, and then put on a bitter smile. "Your brother still can't see you, my dear. You do remember what he did to me, right?" She said as she pointed to the nasty bruise that formed from her left eye all the way down to her cheek that Tsukishima just noticed. It looked worse than the blond expected, and he's suddenly reminded of all the fights that he witnessed Kuroo were in.

He also remembered Kuroo's hushed voice, the vulnerability evident in his face and tone. It looked like the raven was right when he said he didn't know his own strength.

Hinami looked at the older woman with her face twisted in a mix of fear and sadness, and she looked down. "Tetsu-nii must've regretted it. Nii-chan is kind, and he said—"

"Hinami." Her stepmother said in a stern voice, the softness from a while ago now gone as a grimace appeared on her lips. "We do not talk about your brother anymore." She stood back up, taking Hinami's wrist in her hand. "Let's go. The doctor's waiting."

Tsukishima watched as they walked towards the elevator and left. His mind, once again, was in a flurry of thoughts all at once.

One coherent thought remained in his mind. He must see Kuroo right now.

"I have to go. Tell Yachi sorry I had to leave so soon." He told his best friend, who apparently was watching the scene along with him and jerked up from his position.

"Wait, Tsukki, was that—"

Yamaguchi didn't get to finish his sentence as Tsukishima used the advantage of having long legs, taking swift, large strides.

Kuroo wasn't in the abandoned train station.

The knowledge sent Tsukishima into panic mode, and he walked around, calling for the boy to come out.

He wondered whether Kuroo somehow knew that his younger sister was at the hospital and went to see her. The blond continued to pace back and forth, until he gathered some sense of calmness and settled by the fish pond to wait for Kuroo. Maybe he was still at the house discussing with Akiteru, or he was off to do whatever Kuroo did when Tsukishima's in school. Still, the younger couldn’t help but worry.

He didn’t know how long he had waited, but the sky was a warm orange by now as the sun started to set over the horizon. Tsukishima's anxiety was starting to itch once more, his eyes searching for any signs of the raven when it landed onto the pond; he could see lettuce bits in the water. It only meant that somebody had fed the koi already, and it couldn't be anyone but Kuroo.

Tsukishima immediately got up and set foot on the way home. As he walked out of the alley, a text came in from Akiteru asking where he was, and that Kuroo was waiting for him. It confirmed the blond's thoughts that the raven already had been from the station and was now at home. The blond worried if he had made Kuroo wait for too long that the raven decided to ditch their daily trip to the secret room. He fidgeted anxiously the whole walk home, and if he was being honest, it kind of felt weird not to have Kuroo's presence beside him, holding his hand.

When Tsukishima toed his shoes off and lifted his head for a greeting, the sight of his older brother and Kuroo in aprons almost made him jump backwards in shock.

"Surprise!" Akiteru exclaimed, holding out a bag of flour. "Kuroo and I decided to help you with baking today!"

"Baking?" Kei raised a brow in question, which made the raven chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"You see, Tsukki, you did promise me you'll bake for me, right?" Kuroo waved the rolling pin he was holding in a teasing way, his signature grin plastered on his lips. "So your brother helped me buy the ingredients!"

Tsukishima's panic and worry disappeared almost as fast as it appeared, so he wiped any traces of it off his face as he put on a blasé look for the two dorks in front of him. "Who said I would cook whenever you please?"

Kuroo and Akiteru whined in protest, and then started to tug at Tsukishima's wrists as they pulled him forward, chanting ‘Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!’. With a roll of his eyes, Tsukishima made his way towards the kitchen anyway.

If they were here to help, then might as well let them do most of the job; Tsukishima instructed them to do tasks after tasks while he skimmed over the cookbook. It was messier than Tsukishima preferred; the flour all over the table and on their faces because Kuroo didn't get how to properly ratio the dry mix despite the blond barking step-by-step instructions at him nonstop. Akiteru only laughed, avoiding work as much as possible as he handed most of his younger brother's orders to Kuroo, or pretending to suck at it so much that Kei took the matter into his own hands.

Kuroo handled the cookie cutter pretty well despite his previous failures, making the most number of cookies out of them as Tsukishima preheated the oven and set the tray inside. Akiteru, meanwhile, was useless as ever as he just licked cookie dough off of the used spoon.

When they finished, his mom commended their job as she munched on the cookie, praising Kuroo too for the nice handwork. Tsukishima would like to argue that he did most of the work, but Kuroo honestly looked so happy that he couldn't bring himself to do anything but smile.

He stuffed a cookie into his mouth to prevent his smile from growing, but it was too late. Akiteru had seen it and his teasing older brother gave him an interested quirk of a brow. The younger shoved a cookie in his brother's mouth as well to shut him up, which gained Kuroo's attention and started to protest that he wanted to be fed by Kei too.

"No," Tsukishima deadpanned as Kuroo pushed the bowl right to his face.

"But Tsukki!" The raven pouted, doing what seemed like puppy eyes. "Just one cookie, please?"

"You're a grown ass man, Kuroo." The blond hissed, taking a step back only for Kuroo to take two forward.

"Come on, Kei," Akiteru seemed to have finished his cookie, which Tsukishima would've gladly crammed another one to keep him from talking. "You're such a buzz kill! Kuroo worked hard for the cookies, didn't he?" His older brother had a cheeky glint in his eyes that Kei didn't particularly enjoy. He was suddenly aware that he was being cornered by the two Tsukishimas and Kuroo, who all looked at him expectantly. It seemed like he wouldn't be let off the hook that easily.

"Fine." The younger blond gives in with a huff. "But only one. You two leave me alone right after, I have homework to finish."

Kuroo looked like a frisky dog who wanted to bounce around as he waited, so Tsukishima didn't delay it any longer and took a cookie to ungraciously shove right into the raven's awaiting mouth.

Kuroo grinned with a mouth full of cookie, his face glowing vibrantly as if Tsukishima declared he won the lottery instead of almost making him choke on the baked goods. "Thanks, Kei!" He said, even if his voice was muffled from the way his mouth was filled.

Tsukishima only sighed and took this as a chance to exit the scene and retire to his bedroom. Just as he closed the door, he remembered why he was looking for Kuroo in the first place.

He'll have to wait for Kuroo to come in, then. There was just no way Tsukishima could wipe off the cheerful expression the raven just had from their baking adventure. This week was already rough for him; knowing his sister was sick and he couldn't see her would only wreck him further.

For now, he'll let Kuroo enjoy the cookies.

When Tsukishima woke up at the sight of Kuroo's bedhead messier than ever, dried drool beside his cheek, and his nose pressed on the blond's cheek—Tsukishima thought it wasn't a bad idea to stay in bed, since it was the weekend after all.

The sunlight streamed from the window and directly at the raven's face, whose eyelids were twitching from the heat. It was amusing to watch, especially when Kuroo's nose scrunched up as well.

He didn’t know how long he had been staring, but when Kuroo finally stirred, Tsukishima pushed the raven's arm away and immediately got up to wash his face, pretending nothing happened.

"Get a grip of yourself," He told his reflection in the mirror, splashing cold water on his face. When he got out, Kuroo was already up and sat at the edge of the bed. As Tsukishima put his glasses back on, the raven gave him a warm smile.

"Do you have plans today?" Kuroo asked, gesturing for Tsukishima to take the seat beside him.

The blond gave him a shrug as he sat down. "I usually just go to Yamaguchi's place to play video games."

Kuroo seemed to perk up from the idea. "It's been long since I played video games."

Tsukishima was about to ask why, then he remembered the boy's situation. He pursed his lips as he thought of an idea. "Want to come with me, then?" He asked, and as expected, Kuroo's face lit up in excitement.

"Well, as long as your friend wouldn't mind having me around…"

Tsukishima can hear the insecurity in his words, which made the blond tut and lightly nudge the raven's shoulder. "You are much more than a delinquent and Yamaguchi knows that."

Kuroo seemed flustered with his words, if the blush on his cheeks were an indication. "You still surprise me whenever you're saying nice things."

For that, he gave Kuroo a smack on the back of his head and immediately got up to grab fresh clothes. "Let's get prepared before I change my mind."

Kuroo, cheeky as ever, gave a mock salute and went about with his morning rituals.

Tsukishima wished he had a video camera with him to capture the comical expression that appeared on Yamaguchi's face as Kuroo and him showed up at his friend's doorstep.

Nonetheless, besides from the widening of his eyes, his friend didn't show any apprehension towards the delinquent beside him. He welcomed them both in his home, and as Tsukishima passed by his friend, he got a look that told him had some explaining to do later.

After they greeted Yamaguchi's parents, they immediately rushed into his friend's bedroom. The longer Yamaguchi's father stared at Kuroo, the more the tension increased in the room. The surprise of his friend’s parents not immediately figuring out they had taken a delinquent with them was a welcomed one.

"I figured you know me by now, but still, let me introduce myself. I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi. Nice to meet you, Kuroo-san." The freckled boy said as he pulled out his gaming system and started to set it up.

Kuroo, even if he wasn't asked, followed to offer a hand. "And I'm Kuroo Tetsurou. You can drop the honorifics, it's fine." The raven offered his hand, only to retract it back, and then pick up a gaming console out of the blue. Kuroo was a walking definition of awkward; Tsukishima couldn’t help but wonder how confident he appeared when they first talked.

Yamaguchi—bless him—laughed in a hearty manner, which eased some of the tension off Kuroo's shoulders. "There's no need to be wary of me, Kuroo. I trust Tsukki's judge of character. It took me weeks just for him to finally acknowledge me as a friend, you know? Even if we had been together since we were young." His friend said with a nostalgic expression, making Tsukishima feel flustered and had the urge to smack his friend's face with a pillow. "But you… It only took you a day to get Tsukki's attention."

Okay, that was it. Before his friend could embarrass him more, he grabbed a pillow and whacked the back of his head. Yamaguchi tumbled forward, clutching his stomach as he laughed. He immediately took his friend's place to speed up the setting up process. When he looked up to ask for Kuroo's help, Kuroo was staring at him with a goofy smile on his face.

"What?" Tsukishima asked, suddenly flustered once more.

"You really are a mystery, Kei. A good one that keeps me on my toes."

Tsukishima huffed. That statement sounded ridiculous. If there was anyone mysterious here, it would be Kuroo. His life was a roller coaster yet here is the boy still powering through it; a living paradox. Still, it didn't lessen the effect and the unwanted warmth graced his cheeks again.

"Shut up." The blond said with no actual heat in his words. "If you're scared that I'll beat your ass, there's no need to distract me with your words."

Kuroo smirked. The widening of Kuroo's grin was never a good indication. "Oh, am I distracting?"

Just as the blond was about to retaliate, Yamaguchi proved himself of being a good friend as he changed the topic. "I get to play Dry Bowser!"

The raven didn't seem finished with flustering the blond yet, but thankfully, the screen came to life. He adjusted his glasses and decided to ignore Kuroo from now on.

Kuroo had different ideas and sneaked his hand over to take Tsukishima's hand and gave it a squeeze. Tsukishima didn't want to do this right in front of his friend, but Yamaguchi was busy starting the game up, and Kuroo's hand felt warm and safe.

Tsukishima always felt warm and safe with Kuroo.

Yamaguchi's charm worked fast, and apparently, Kuroo and him were now friends.

Hanging out with the two of them turned out more fun than Tsukishima expected. Kuroo was like a little puppy bursting with energy, taking on Yamaguchi's competitive stride with ease and would even rile the other one up by dropping banana peels and playing dirty from time to time. Yamaguchi would bristle whenever Kuroo distracted him with random chatter and a subtle poke to his side, but then he would always end up laughing with the older. Tsukishima, of course, beat the two of them effortlessly, which the two would end grumbling about and start to hit the blond with pillows.

At some point, Yachi rang the doorbell after Yamaguchi texted her to join in the fun. When Yamaguchi went to the door to fetch her, Kuroo and him had some time for themselves to enjoy a round.

"Your friend is nice," Kuroo said, eyes on the screen and his thumbs mashing any button on the console.

Tsukishima found this habit distasteful, but was expected, so he let himself go easy on Kuroo and avoid using the control tricks he knew and exploited in gaming with Yamaguchi. "Well, Tadashi was the first one who never backed down even when I was snarky to him, so we stuck together pretty long."

"Aw, I thought I was special." Tsukishima could hear Kuroo pout even if he couldn't see it. The raven purposely added a whine in his tone to catch his attention, but he won't let Kuroo distract him easily. "I had a childhood friend back in Tokyo, too. His name is Kenma, and we were neighbors as well. He was a pretty quiet kid, and would rather face his PSP than socialize. He seemed contented, though, and he never complained about my presence. Even if I could get overbearing sometimes."

"You're not overbearing." Tsukishima mumbled, avoiding the banana peel Kuroo left at the track. "You're just like an excited puppy."

Kuroo snorted, bumping his knee against the blond’s own one. "Oh really, now? Does that mean you find me cute?"

Tsukishima snorted, and just to annoy Kuroo, pulled up one of his tricks off his sleeve and sent Kuroo's cart flying off track. "You're the kind of puppy who I wouldn't bother stopping just to look at."

"Mean." Kuroo said with a huff sort of laugh, shouldering Tsukishima this time. He only noticed how close the raven was beside him when he could already feel him shoulder to shoulder. "Then why do you hold my hand and hug me when we sleep?"

The question made Tsukishima freeze, his shoulders tensing while Kuroo remained unfazed. He wasn't laughing, though, so it must've meant he was serious. Before Tsukishima could come up with something to say, the door swung open and revealed Yamaguchi and Yachi behind it, bringing a tray of juice and a plate of cookies with them.

"H-Hello, Kuroo-san!" Yachi hurriedly bowed before Kuroo, then with trembling hands, offered him the plate of cookies. "I've never been able to say this but thank you for defending me!"

Kuroo's eyes widened as he looked up at Yachi, and then stared at her long enough to make the petite blonde feel antsy. "Oh. Yes, I remember you now. Cookie girl." The raven said once recognition shone in his eyes. "Uh, no problem I guess. I'm sorry I scared you."

Yachi shook her head, then wrung her hands together and offered them forward only to retreat it back, then offered one again, and switched it with her right hand. A perfect match for Yamaguchi indeed. "Don't say sorry! I'm just a very jumpy person a-and—"

Yamaguchi saved Yachi from passing out in the middle of her stammering by giving Kuroo a cookie and a cup of juice. "So, how about we team up, two versus two?"

And from then on, the comfortable atmosphere fell over them once more like a warm blanket. Tsukishima teamed up with Kuroo while Yachi and Yamaguchi played against them. Surprisingly, Yachi was very skillful in handling the console and was closely tied with Tsukishima; Kuroo and Yamaguchi goofing off and falling far behind from the two blondes.

As the last lap came and Yachi and him were up each other neck to neck, Yamaguchi and Kuroo acted as cheerleaders and made noises that Tsukishima assumed was an attempt to make a chant. Kuroo kept shaking his shoulders, which wasn't helpful at all, and as the finish line drew near and Tsukishima still wasn't able to shake Yachi off his tail, they all waited with baited breaths for the result as the two carts breezed past the finish line.

Yachi won by a point three second. Yamaguchi immediately cheered and they both bounced off the mat and started jumping around. Tsukishima didn't feel upset one bit—he was rather amused at how the two small cupcakes could be this rowdy and lively.

"Thank you, Kei." Kuroo suddenly said from beside him.

Tsukishima blinked as he looked at the raven, confused from the sudden words of appreciation. "What for?"

The smile that appeared on Kuroo's face was the most delicate one Tsukishima had seen so far, but it was warm and mellow. Like seeing the sun set on a peaceful afternoon. It made Tsukishima's skin prickle with heat, and he cursed Kuroo's ability to pull out a blush off of him with so little effort. "For making me feel like I belong after feeling so alone for so long."

Oh. The warmth that spread in Tsukishima's chest was a welcome one, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of himself. He knew within him, that he wanted to help Kuroo in any way he could, whether it was by being an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on.

He glanced over his other friends who were still gushing over Yachi's superb Mario Kart skills, and deciding it was a worthy risk, reached his hand over to grasp Kuroo's in his. "Remember that koi story you told me?"

Kuroo raised his eyebrows in surprise, but nodded. "What about it?"

Tsukishima hoped to any deities out there that the words that come out of his mouth next will not haunt him later on in his life and give him a major cringe. Yet still, with all the sincerity he could muster, he said the words out loud. "I'll be with you as you go against the current opposing you right now. I won't turn back and give up—we'll make it to the top of the waterfall. Together."

Kuroo was silent as his eyes looked teary, like he was about to cry any moment now. Tsukishima was about to panic when the raven pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, and instead of the sob Tsukishima expected, Kuroo let out a breathy chuckle.

"You're amazing, you know."

As the two indulged in the warmth each other's bodies emitted and shared, unbeknownst to them, Yachi pulled out two hundred yen and handed it over to Yamaguchi, who was triumphantly grinning. "Told you, they were absolutely dating. I know Tsukki. The way they looked at each other either made me want to swoon or barf from how obviously whipped they are."

Yachi was still in shock, having the urge to squeal so bad but couldn’t in fear of ruining the moment. "I don't know what's happening, but I'm liking these turn of events."

The two goofballs shared a nod, still watching quietly as the blond and the raven lived in their own world. To avoid the obvious discomfort Tsukishima will feel if he found out that they've been caught, Yamaguchi decided to test himself against Yachi's hidden Mario Kart expertise and started up a new round.

Tsukishima only remembered that he had something to tell Kuroo once he was in the shower to turn in for the night.

Kuroo was still in Akiteru's office discussing more about what he found to be helpful for his case, and as the water fell on Tsukishima's face with the soap suds gliding down his skin, he tried to think of a way to tell Kuroo about his sister's situation without frazzling the raven.

When he stepped out of the bathroom fresh and clothed, he hadn't been able to come up with an idea yet. He paced the room back and forth, his mind submitting to the chaotic whirl of his thoughts as he attempted to set his mind straight. Kuroo had a good time today, it was so unfair to be the reason behind it and then crush it with his own hands. But if he delayed this more, it would only make Kuroo worry. There's also that factor that he's afraid of what Kuroo would do if he found out. His chances were already fragile; if he did something reckless then he might as well head off to the correctional facility himself. Tsukishima didn't want that. Kuroo deserved more. He has a brilliant mind and a big heart that'll go to waste if his future disintegrates from trudging the path of being a convict.

The blond was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Kuroo sauntering into the room, looking mildly entertained at how the tall boy walked around in circles. Tsukishima only stopped pacing once their eyes met, making him do a double take and almost stumble back. It did him no good to appear so nervous when he wanted to tell it to Kuroo calmly, so with what strength he could gather, he schooled his expressions and stood stiffly in the middle of his bedroom. "Hello, Kuroo."

Kuroo snorted, uncrossing his arms as he closed the door behind him and closed the distance between the both of them until he stood right in front of Tsukishima. "You look like you're about to burst. What's wrong, Kei?"

Tsukishima wanted to play with his fingers, a nervous habit, but figured it wasn't a look that provided calm and relax. He dug his nails into his palms instead. "Ah, nothing. I just have something to tell you."

The way Kuroo's lips turned up was in excitement and not dread, which made Tsukishima feel far much worse than he already did. "Are you going to admit that you li—"

"I saw your sister yesterday at the hospital with Shirase-san."

The corners of Kuroo's lips fell as quickly as it rose, and it was almost physically painful to watch the brilliant light in Kuroo's eyes turn into the start of a raging storm. "What?"

Tsukishima saw no point in holding back his worries, so he twiddled his thumbs just to get some edge off, although it wasn't working. "Yesterday. Yamaguchi, Yachi and I went to the hospital to fetch Yachi's cousin. I saw your stepmother walk up to the receptionist's table with Hinami about an appointment for a doctor."

"Did you hear her say what's wrong with Hinami?" Kuroo asked, his voice low and his eyes wild as if he was fighting something within himself.

"That her chest hurt. Hinami-chan was coughing, too."

Kuroo was still silent, and Tsukishima could see him build the walls back up which the blond had taken down these past few days. Tsukishima didn't want this. He didn't want Kuroo to revert back to his old habit, or be that closed off, violent delinquent again that isolated himself from the rest of the world just as he finally started to feel like he belonged.

Tsukishima wasn't sure if his presence was calming, but he tried to be as gentle as he could be as he reached for the raven's hand and took it into his own. "Kuroo." He called, but Kuroo was glassy-eyed, showing no traces of the cheerful pup he was today. Tsukishima felt desperate now, so he tugged on the elder's hand and called him softly. "Tetsurou, please. Listen to me."

Kuroo finally looked up at the call of his given name. It was bittersweet to see that his eyes weren't lifeless anymore, but it looked sad, and it made the blond's chest hurt. "I want to see if my sister's fine, Kei. She's always scared when she goes to the hospital. She'll look for me and I'm not there—"

"Tetsurou." Tsukishima called again, taking the other boy's hand so he held both in his hands. "You will not do anything to jeopardize your case more."

"But Kei—"

"I'll go and see your sister." Kei promised. He knew that it wouldn't be an easy task, seeing that Shirase was not welcoming of any person related to Kuroo. But if it's for Kuroo, who was already in rock bottom but looked like he was about to sink in deeper, then he'll try his best. He made a promise, after all. "Tell me where you live, and I'll go check up on her."

It seemed like he eased some burden off Kuroo's shoulders, but the raven still looked so lost and vulnerable. "O-Okay. I trust you, Kei. Just tell her that…That it'll all soon be over. Nii-chan will be there to keep her safe."

Tsukishima nodded, and tugged the raven forward until he was in the safety of his arms. He rubbed the other's back comfortingly, hooking his chin over the raven's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tetsurou. I'm sure Hinami-chan is safe. Like what you said, it'll all be over soon."

Kuroo nodded, melting into the hug as he made no other noises apart from his breathing. Tsukishima was glad it didn't blow up in his face like he feared, but he didn't like how miserable the older boy must have felt. He preferred the talkative, vivacious Kuroo—who talked about knowledge and how vast it is or stuck his tongue out like a child when he took the lead in Mario Kart. Kuroo had been beat up by life so young that he didn't get to enjoy his youth or grab the chance to expand his intelligence. It's high time for Kuroo to enjoy the better things in life.

Tsukishima never particularly felt protective of anyone before, but even if he could only do so much, he would do whatever it takes to protect Kuroo from more curve balls thrown by life in his way.

The way Yamaguchi and Yachi looked at him the whole day was an indication that they surely caught onto something from the weekend they played video games together.

They are good friends, however, by not prying into it forcefully. Mostly they just stared at him, as if he'll talk and give in. Especially during lunch.

On their way home, however, Yachi broke first. The petite girl blocked Tsukishima's path as they walked, arms spread wide and raised her head defiantly. "Tsukishima! You can't hide it forever, you know? What's going on with you and—"

"Yachi!"

"I'll tell you."

Yamaguchi interjected at the same time that Tsukishima admitted his defeat. The two turned to look at him with eyes as wide as saucers, before they shone in curiosity and then gave Tsukishima those inquisitive looks once more.

"Tell us, tell us!" The two said in chorus, making the blond snort in amusement.

"I will. But only if you guys come with me."

It didn't take any convincing as his two friends eagerly nodded, following him on their detour. Kuroo had already given him the address the other day. The rest of the weekend was uneventful, since Kuroo was holed up in Akiteru's office the whole day and Tsukishima had to catch up with his assignments.

On their way to the Kuroo residence, Tsukishima told them everything that has happened so far. He glossed over the private life of Kuroo, but he told them about the hugs and the hand-holding. Yamaguchi seemed unaffected and instead, celebrated the fact that there was something between Tsukishima and Kuroo. As if he expected that Tsukishima was already gay—which was sort of relieving but unsurprising. There was no need for tearful coming out stories as Yamaguchi already knew him so well.

Yachi, on the other hand, seemed to have malfunctioned. But there was no sign that she protested the relationship, rather just had an awful lot of shock to take in. Nonetheless, the two ended up squealing and begged for more details; whether they kissed or how long their hugs lasted, but thankfully, their arrival to Kuroo's house saved Tsukishima.

Or not thankfully. Now Tsukishima was overcome with nerves. If his brother, a lawyer, was refused by Shirase-san; then his chances looked slimmer in getting to talk to Hinami. But he promised Kuroo he'll try his best, and he was never one to back down from promises.

Tsukishima has already told them where they were heading, so both of his friends looked as equally anxious as he was. Tsukishima took the initiative and knocked on the door.

The three of them held their breath as they waited for the sound of footsteps. However, a minute seemed to have gone by, but they didn't hear anything. Was it possible that Kuroo's stepmother was ignoring them? But she didn't know them yet, so it seemed impossible for her to avoid them on the spot.

"Let's try again?" Yamaguchi suggested. Tsukishima nodded and knocked the door five times this time.

Another minute. Still nothing. Either there was no one home, or Shirase must be really cautious of visitors.

"Let's go home." Tsukishima said, already noting mentally that he should try to come earlier tomorrow.

Just as they were about to head out, a curious neighbor peeked over the fence and called for them. "Are you looking for Kuroo Shirase?"

Tsukishima nodded, hurriedly approaching the old lady and gave her a small bow in greeting. "Yes, ma'am. I'm a friend of her stepson. Is she around?"

"Shirase left early in the morning today with Hinami-chan. Poor kid was heaving for breath. There was an ambulance that fetched them, so I'm guessing they're at the hospital if you want to see them."

The anxiety in Tsukishima's gut tugged, and he felt like breaking in cold sweat soon. "What? Hospital…" Tsukishima remembered the hospital they were at when Yachi asked them to come with her. It would be another half hour of walking, and he would surely miss his meeting with Kuroo at the abandoned train station. With a quick text to his brother, asking him to tell Kuroo he'd head home late, Tsukishima gave the old lady another bow. "Thank you, ma'am. We'll be going."

Tsukishima turned to see that his friends were listening in. As he was about to tell them to head home first, Yachi beat him to it. "We'll go with you!"

"What?" The blond was stunned. It was tiring, and surely this was not their business to feel responsible over. He's greeted with smiles, still, and the anxiety within him fizzled out a little.

"It's no big deal, Tsukki," Yamaguchi slung an arm over his shoulder, as far as he could reach anyway, and grinned. "Friends always have each other's backs!"

He remembered Kuroo and his warmth. Kuroo might not know, but he's done a lot of things for Tsukishima. Whatever they were with the hand-holding and subtle flirting, one thing Tsukishima knew for sure was that they were friends.

"Thank you." He mumbled, and without another word, they all set off towards the hospital.

Tsukishima was never good at acting. Thankfully, Yachi was up for it and approached the receptionist's table with a cheery smile.

"Hello, ma'am. May I ask which room Kuroo Hinami is in?" Yachi asked, her innocent and kind aura so natural even Tsukishima wouldn't be suspicious of her.

The nurse typed furiously on the keyboard, then faced Yachi again after a few clicks. "Can you please state your relationship with the patient?"

"I'm a family friend and we live next door. I wanted to see how Hinami-chan is doing; we heard the ambulance so early in the morning, my mother worried for poor Hinami!" The way Yachi said sounded was so convincing that the nurse didn't ask more and nodded.

What happened to the walking nervous-wreck? Tsukishima was in awe at this talent the petite blonde has displayed.

"Third floor, Pediatric Ward, room 441. Visiting time ends in a few minutes, so you better hurry up." The nurse said, who already looked so fond of Yachi as she threw her a bright grin and two thumbs up.

"Thank you, have a nice day!" Yachi waved her hand and started to drag Yamaguchi and him away. Yamaguchi seemed so stunned, and while Yachi took their wrists as she guided them towards the elevator, he leaned near to Tsukishima's ear and whispered.

"I might reconsider what I said. About the 'my feelings might take a while to brew over time', Tsukki." His friend said that with a look of distress, still limp as he let himself be dragged away.

"Uhuh," was all Tsukishima said as they took the elevator ride to the third floor.

Tsukishima was nervous as hell.

He was technically meeting Kuroo’s parent, after all. Well, acting parent. Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel a bit miffed about Shirase—why would she send a poor boy to jail and ruin his future, and at the same time, ruin his image to his own sister? This just didn’t sit well with the blond.

At the same time, though, he was aware that Shirase was still a victim of this case. No matter how kind Kuroo had been to him, the raven must’ve done something over the top for the stepmother to treat him like this. That’s what has been bugging Tsukishima from the beginning, especially when he found out that Kuroo had felt alone and neglected all these years.

But first, Hinami.

He took the first step towards the room, walls the usual white and the smell of alcohol almost dizzying. Tsukishima braved himself and cleared his throat as he took another step in, now that he was visible to the occupants of the room.

The first to meet his eyes was Kuroo’s sister herself. The little girl looked so frail and small on the bed, half of her body covered with the blanket while her hands were held by Shirase. Shirase, who has her back towards the door, had her eyes on the young girl as she hummed some sort of lullaby to Hinami.

This looks oddly… Normal. Kind of wholesome, even. Was this the same person who badmouthed Kuroo to his own sister?

"Good afternoon," he announced his presence, hands holding onto the straps of his bag tightly. "Is this the room for Kuroo Hinami?" He asked even if he already knew, out of courteousness.

Shirase finally turned to meet his eyes, golden eyes blinking back at him that oddly resembles so much of Kuroo’s own ones. "Yes, who is asking?"

This was it. It was Tsukishima’s chance to know about Hinami’s condition and plead for Kuroo’s case, or get shooed away. He knew he was born stubborn, and it was the perfect time to use it. "I am Kuroo’s friend."

The lady raised a dark brow right at him, turning completely around so her body was facing the direction where Tsukishima was. "Friend? I didn’t know Tetsurou had a friend."

Tsukishima found the use of Kuroo’s given name uttered in such a gentle voice kind of ironic, given the situation. So out of spite, he used it as well, because Kuroo’s name should only be uttered by those who truly cared about him. "Well, my brother handles Tetsurou’s case. And we became friends along the way."

This seemed to pique Shirase’s interest, as she gave a pat on Hinami’s hand before standing up. Hinami looked invested in the conversation as well at the mention of his brother, and with the best she could, sat up the bed with bright, gleaming eyes shining in curiosity.

She was Kuroo’s sister, indeed.

"Since your brother handles my stepson’s case, you must know that I do not welcome visitors that are in close relations with Tetsurou, yes?" She spoke as she walked towards the blond, her voice the same soft tone yet held an underlying hint of venom beneath it.

"I am, but I am hoping that you hear me out first."

Shirase looked at his eyes as if piercing through his soul, and after a few awkward moments, a sneer appeared on her bright red lips. "I’m sorry, my decision still stands. Please leave, my daughter needs some rest."

So she calls Hinami her daughter, but Tetsurou as stepson? Interesting.

Tsukishima was called stubborn for a reason, so he didn’t budge from his position. "I am asking once again, please hear me out. You once said to Tetsurou—it's hard to trust new people. But if you never take the first step, you can't reach the destination at all, wouldn't you?" He said exactly as what was written on the note. This fact surprised Shirase so much that she took a step back, eyes widening a little bit as she took that in.

"Oh." The gleam on the lady’s eyes seemed like she was being flooded by flashbacks, her once stern expression falling off and showing a vulnerability that only looked like it slipped past the mask she put on. Tsukishima can confirm he was right as he watched her put the same mask back on, her eyes unreadable once more.

"I need you to remember that Kuroo was once a kid that you took care of. If you can find it in your heart the care you used to have for Tetsurou, then please spare me at least a few minutes of your time. We," He turned around to gesture towards Yachi and Yamaguchi who stayed frozen by the door, and smiled as he turned his head back towards the woman. "are Tetsurou’s friends. And we care a whole lot for him."

It seemed like it was the last push Shirase needed, as she locked her gaze with Tsukishima’s once again. This time, it looked like the woman was looking for the sincerity behind it; luckily, it’s what’s exactly bleeding through Tsukishima’s eyes.

Shirase gently pushed the blond out of the door, making him feel disappointed, only for the older woman to step outside as well and close the door behind her. "You have ten minutes until visiting hours end. I have no choice but to wave you off by then."

The three of them smiled triumphantly, Tsukishima feeling hope warm his chest. "That’s all I need."

Yachi and Yamaguchi left them to get snacks and drinks from the cafeteria below, as Shirase told Tsukishima about Hinami’s condition. Apparently, the little girl has been experiencing asthma attacks often these days, and it worsened last night to the point that Hinami couldn’t actually breathe. The doctor advised to keep her in the hospital for the meantime, until her attacks stop or at least lessen. Besides the unpredictable attacks, there was nothing to worry about as long as she keeps taking her medications at the right times.

It was supposed to be all what Tsukishima came for, but it might be the only time he could talk to Shirase like this. If he did it well, maybe he could get Shirase to consider that Tetsurou could change and he didn’t deserve his situation right now. Shirase seemed kind despite her abrasive defense mechanism, and there really must be an underlying reason for her to throw away Kuroo’s life like this.

"Shirase-san," Tsukishima started with a lump in his throat, "What did Kuroo do to you?"

The blond watched as Shirase appeared to build her walls right back, and he cursed himself for asking the wrong question. He can feel himself being shut out, just as Yamaguchi and Yachi returned.

"Shirase-san," Yachi sat down beside her, handing her a can of coffee and a sandwich. Shirase blinked away the thoughts that glossed her eyes over, turning her head towards the petite blonde this time. "I hope I didn’t walk in the wrong timing, but I would like to tell you that Kuroo-san had helped me."

"Help?" Shirase looked at Yachi like she was bewildered by this fact, and it pained Tsukishima to know that Kuroo had no one to talk to ever since his parents death indeed.

Yachi nodded, her presence seemed to be calming the woman down and even Tsukishima himself. "Our school has a bad reputation for having a lot of bullies being let to roam free around. It sucks, but it’s not like there’s any other schools around. It’s as decent as it gets. Anyways, I’ve always had a hard time, you know?" The blonde chuckled, leaning back as her eyes strayed towards the wall in front of them. "I never stood up to them, never felt I had the power to—until Kuroo-san defended me himself one day."

The three of them are listening to Yachi intently, and Tsukishima was kind of amazed how her retelling of the story this time seemed a lot more confident than the first time back at the cafeteria. Was it because Yachi had them as friends, now?

Another warm smile graced Tsukishima’s lips.

"He was kind of scary, to be honest. But in the cool way? He was only one yet he managed to take down five of them! That amount of strength was just… wow." Yachi twiddled with her fingers that were knotted on top of her lap, eyes still flashing with reminiscence. "And I met him again recently to thank him, but the confidence he had in fighting was nothing alike when he talked and hung out with us. He was quiet and reserved, and he only looked confident with Kei."

Yachi’s eyes met his, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered. "I, for one, know how it’s like. To be only confident and comfortable with people I could trust. Kuroo-san is a closed off person, as it seems, but he looks really lonely despite his tough guy exterior."

All of them were silent after that. Shirase looked the most conflicted, like she was so deep into her thoughts while her eyes have never left the wall in front of them.

"Let’s go, Yacchan." Yamaguchi called for Yachi, breaking the silence. Yachi nodded as she stood up, and when she passed by Tsukishima, she gave him a gentle pat on his shoulder.

Only Shirase and him were left in the silent hallway now, and Tsukishima was pretty sure that the visiting hours were over. Nonetheless, Shirase had made no move to wave him off, so he remained seated with her in the silence.

He was fishing his phone out to check the time when Shirase finally spoke again. "Tetsurou looks a lot like his father." Tsukishima’s hand froze in its attempt to get his phone, and he set his full attention to the woman once again. "He looked exactly like Itsuki, that whenever I look at him… it only brings painful memories."

It was Tsukishima’s turn to blink in wonder. He tried to remember what he knew of Kuroo’s father—a professor in Kyoto University that taught history until he quit his job and moved here after a year of his wife’s passing only to become an alcoholic. It seemed like that whatever Shirase was going to talk about, it took her a lot of guts to say it. So he let her do all the talking as he listened.

"Itsuki was a good man, but I knew that his wife’s death has affected him greatly. I knew what I was signing up for when I married him, but it didn’t come to my knowledge just how bad he took her death in. At first, we had a few months of calm and peaceful life as newlyweds. But then he started missing her." She chuckled sadly, the tears starting to form in her eyes. "I thought I’d be enough to fill the gap, but I could never dream it. Even if his wife was the one who died, she still took him with her to the grave. I was in love with a man who was already dead inside."

Tsukishima could hear the pain in her voice, and the uncomfortable itch of hearing such personal things from people he just met made its reappearance in his gut. Yet he needed to listen. "He started drinking again. He was a violent drunk, and had attempted to hurt his children. I wouldn’t let him. So he… started pouring his anger on me. I caught it all. All the hurtful words, the slaps, the hits… Even if Itsuki was no longer the man I fell in love with, I still cared for his children that I started to take in as mine. I’d rather get hurt than get them hurt."

Shirase sighed, sounding completely exhausted and Tsukishima’s previous confidence seemed to shrink under the guilt of letting her revisit such hurtful memories as she retold him. He wanted to make her stop, let her know that he wasn’t forcing her to continue, when Shirase laid a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. A sign to tell him that it was okay.

Just like what Kuroo did before.

"Itsuki died a year ago from alcohol poisoning. I knew that as a wife, I was supposed to take care of him more. But I grew so scared of him, and I lost myself in the process. The trauma and stress of getting abused were more than any person could handle." Her voice seemed to quiver, and the tears had already made their way down her cheeks. "And I knew I should’ve taken therapies after what I had been through, but then I had to take care of the children and the debts that piled up and—it was all too much. I succumbed to the same devil that took Itsuki down. Alcohol."

She shook her head as she buried her face on her palms, her shoulders shaking from crying. "I know, that somehow, what Tetsurou did when I lashed out was out of defense for his sister. But looking at Tetsurou, who has grown violent as well and looks so much like his father, it brings unwanted memories and I don’t want to face that same kind of torture again."

Tsukishima let her cry, and as he never was good at comforting, the best he could do was rub her back as Shirase let all her woes out. He knew it was dark by then, but he was glad he came to the hospital after all. He knew so much, but his only problem was what he could do about the information.

"Shirase-san, I am never in place to say anything about your life after what you had been through. You have been a strong woman for shouldering all that, and if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t have known what to do as well." Tsukishima spoke after a good few minutes, when Shirase’s sobs had lessened. "But Tetsurou is not his father."

Tsukishima stood up, hands on his bag straps as he prepared to leave. The woman started to wipe her eyes, gathering her composure once more as she sat back up. She nodded softly. "I know."

The blond turned to leave, but not without one more look over his shoulder. "One thing I learned from Tetsurou is that you have to talk it out. Tetsurou doesn’t know your pain, and at the same time, you don’t know Tetsurou’s pain. You only have each other now, Shirase-san."

Tsukishima wanted to bid goodbye, but that sounded inappropriate after what has happened. A ‘thank you’ would sound odd, as well. Instead, Tsukishima threw one more smile in her direction, before taking his leave.

The sky was already dark when Tsukishima got out of the hospital. It has started to rain as well, and Tsukishima’s only umbrella was still with Kuroo, probably. He didn’t mind the light drizzle, although.

It seemed appropriate for the mood tonight. He was aware that he might catch a cold with what he was doing, but he couldn’t care at the moment. He should be going home, seeing that the moon has already made its appearance, but his feet took him somewhere else. Before he knew it, he was already at the door of Kuroo’s makeshift room in the abandoned train station.

Tsukishima’s intuition must be strong, because when he opened the door, Kuroo was there, sitting on a beanbag and staring at the wall of sticky notes. There was a heavy conversation coming, and honestly, if Tsukishima didn’t care a whole great deal for Kuroo, he would postpone it for the next day. This day had drained him a lot, but Kuroo had to hear what he has to say.

As quietly as he could, he slipped right beside on a free beanbag next to the older boy. He sat with legs crossed, instantly catching Kuroo’s attention. The raven looked at him with a weak smile, and judging from the redness of his eyes, it seemed that Kuroo had been crying. It sent another painful twist to Tsukishima’s chest, and he could only hope that what he was planning to say will help the other on the long run.

"Hey, Tsukki. You look tired. Did Shirase push you away?" asked Kuroo, eyes drifting towards the wall of colors once more.

"We talked, actually." Tsukishima started, eyes still on Kuroo’s side profile just because he was tired from staring at walls all day. "Hinami has been having asthma attacks lately. Last night, it got worse, so she had to take her to the hospital. But I saw her today, and she seemed fine now. Just needs a lot more rest and be kept under observation as she recovers."

Tsukishima knew that there were more details left, but he wanted to hear what Kuroo has to say first. He also wanted the older to release whatever hurt his heart held to have caused the redness in his eyes. It was never a good sight to see Kuroo cry, knowing how tough he had been.

He could see Kuroo clenching his fists, and unclenching it. With a big sigh, the elder sat up, propping his elbows on his thighs as he placed his chin on top of his palms. "Hinami has had weak lungs since she was young… She—She gets scared whenever she has an asthma attack. I used to calm her down with the lullaby our mom used to sing to us, but last night, I wasn’t with…. I wasn’t with her."

Tsukishima took Kuroo’s hands in his before he could ball them up in fists again, rubbing his thumbs over his knuckles to calm him down. "She’s okay. Shirase-san has been taking good care of her. She cares for the both of you, Kuroo."

"Care for the both of us?" Kuroo snorted derisively, taking his hands away from Tsukishima. The blond tried to pretend that the gesture didn’t sting, but he retracted his hands away nonetheless. "Tsukishima, she wants to put me in jail. The reason behind that in the first place was because she was drunk and raging, almost hitting Hinami. Now, you’re saying she cares for us?"

Tsukishima didn’t like the change of Kuroo’s demeanor, especially the way he talked to him as if he was suddenly a stranger in his eyes. "Tetsurou, listen." He kept his voice calm and collected, even if he could feel his heart shivering, attempting to take Kuroo’s hands again. "Shirase-san is just as hurt as you are. Maybe not the same kind of pain, but she is clearly struggling as well. Do you even know what your father did to her?"

The blond’s hands get swatted away the second time, Kuroo standing up abruptly and backing up as if he wanted to get out of Tsukishima’s personal bubble. "First, you think that woman has a heart and now you’re badmouthing my father? What happened to you, Kei?"

Tsukishima wanted to recoil. He wanted Kuroo to come back to him, feel safe with him again. But Kuroo needed to hear it. If he wanted what’s best for the older male, then he has to open Kuroo’s eyes for the harsh reality. "Believe me or not, Shirase-san did try her best to protect you. In the process, she developed trauma over getting abused and—"

"Abuse? What nonsense are you talking about?!" Kuroo’s voice has started to rise in volume, and he kept taking steps away from Tsukishima that the blond had to stand up and follow him. "You don’t know what happened, Kei. You weren’t there! You’d never understand!"

"I’m not saying that I do, Tetsurou." Tsukishima hardly cries, but tears started to prickle in his eyes. "What I’m trying to say is that you have to listen to her side—you both need to talk this out. You two can still fix this, Tetsu, and—"

"You don’t know what you’re saying!" If Kuroo was previously backing away, now, he was all over Tsukishima’s face, his finger jabbing onto the younger’s chest as it’s the blond’s turn to take steps back this time. "She doesn’t care about me, I don’t care about her. End of story! All I want is to take my sister away, and get this case over with. I don’t need to fix something that is way beyond repair!"

"Tetsurou," Tsukishima was pleading at this point, knowing that Kuroo was too overwhelmed with his emotions to listen. "I know that you care for her. The sticky notes you have of her on the wall says otherwise. I know that some point in your life, you saw her as an important person. A valuable person. Don’t throw this away, Tetsu. This could be for the better."

Tsukishima took one more try in trying to touch Kuroo—his hands, or really, just anywhere—as a way to ground the two of them back to reality. He wanted to reassure Kuroo, and at the same time, reassure himself that what he was doing was right.

Kuroo, on the other hand, seemed dead set on pushing him away. He did it literally, pushing Tsukishima just as he was approaching so hard that he sent the blond crashing against the shelves. A small lamp fell down and hit Tsukishima’s head, the younger already on the floor sporting a cut on his forehead.

This brought Kuroo back to reality. He reeled away, horrified at what he just did. Tsukishima’s head hurt along with his back, but the cut didn’t hurt as bad even if a small amount of blood trickled down. He was just about to look towards Kuroo and tell him that it’s fine, it’s nothing a band aid couldn’t fix, when the raven suddenly set off and dashed through the door and out to the open air.

Tsukishima, still collecting his senses from his fall, slowly stood back up. "Kuroo!" He called, as loud as he could, as he made his way towards the door.

The raven sprinted off into the now heavy onslaught of rain, and Tsukishima can barely see through his foggy glasses. He took small steps until he was out of the station, his slowly drying clothes getting wet once more. He vaguely remembered the direction Kuroo took and started to run himself, heavy footsteps against the mucky ground left his shoes muddy and dirty.

He continued to call for Kuroo as he ran through the thick sheet of rain, pushing his glasses up as it got too foggy for him to see. Tsukishima was drenched from head to toe, his throat rubbed raw from all the shouting, and he still has no sight of Kuroo.

The blond didn’t know where the raven would likely run to. It was definitely not his house, and not the train station they just left. The rain that made him shiver brought the memory of their first meeting, and he’s suddenly sprinting towards the direction of the school.

He didn’t know how or if he could even get up to the rooftop, but he’ll think of that once he was already there. The gates were closed, but thanks to the mud, Tsukishima can see footsteps that he could only assume belonged to Kuroo. He followed the footsteps which lead to a small opening in the corroded wired fence, and he’s thankful of his lanky figure as he easily slipped in.

Tsukishima continued to follow the footsteps which led to an open window near the staircase that he once took towards the rooftop, and he didn’t hesitate to climb in. It’s probably the adrenaline rushing through him right now that he was able to take the steps two at a time, despite all the running he has made, and before he knew it, he was out to the rooftop with the angry, heavy droplets of rain greeting him.

Kuroo was there, hunched over, as his hands clutched the metal railings. Tsukishima had a bad feeling of seeing Kuroo so near to the edge that he immediately rushed over. Before the raven could even sense his presence, he pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. There was no way Tsukishima would let go this time. He won’t let Kuroo push him away. He’s tired, he felt dizzy, and he felt that his knees would give up anytime, but his arms would remain tight around the elder.

"You idiot! You’re such an idiot. Why do I have the luck to have my first love as an idiot? Seriously." Tsukishima knew he was rambling nonsense, but nothing mattered right now. His head was spinning but he was happy that Kuroo was here, back in his arms again.

"Kei… Kei, I’m so sorry. Kei—" Kuroo was silenced with a finger Tsukishima pressed against his lips, and even if his sight was blurry, he tried his best to glare at the raven.

"You are going to listen to me this time, Tetsurou. I do not hold you accountable for what you did, as long as you’ll never do it again. And I know it’s hard to trust again, after everything that has happened, but you have to talk to Shirase-san. You’re going to sit down and talk to her, tell her how you feel like you told me, and you two would talk about everything that has happened. She is the only parental figure you have left, and I can see that there is a chance to fix this as long as you’re willing to. Please, Tetsurou. If you couldn’t do it for yourself, then do it for Hinami."

Tsukishima’s voice was loud and clear despite the merciless pitter-patter of raindrops, and he was sure that Kuroo has listened to his words. The raven nodded, to prove the blond’s point, making Tsukishima sigh in relief. He brought his hand down, wrapping it right back around Kuroo’s waist. Kuroo’s golden eyes never left his as he talked, and it comforted Tsukishima so much that he can feel himself finally relax.

"I… I will. Kei, I know this is not the right time, but can you repeat the first thing you said when you found me?"

Tsukishima couldn’t believe that that was the reaction he’s getting from Kuroo. Well, at least he was not being pushed back this time. He was going to point this out and argue with the elder, but he felt an uncomfortable shiver down his spine.

Tsukishima smiled, his eyesight worsening by the second. "I think I’m having a concussion."

"What?!"

And with that, the blond lost his consciousness.

Tsukishima woke up to the sight of white walls and had the ridiculous thought that he may have fallen asleep while talking to Shirase and hasn’t left the hospital yet.

His head hurt as his eyes slowly opened, and his throat felt dry. He was reaching for the table to look for his glasses, when it was handed to him along with a glass of water. Slowly, he sat up, putting his glasses on and immediately taking a sip. As his vision slowly adjusted, he found Akiteru beside him, sitting on a chair with his arms crossed and his eyes droopy.

"Glad to see you awake, champ. You gave us quite a scare there." Akiteru leaned forward and pressed the back of his hand on Kei’s forehead, as if he had a fever, which the younger responded with a scoff.

"Besides a killer headache, I’m fine. Where’s Tetsurou?" There was no point in beating around the bush, so he asked, even if he got a curious raise of brows from his brother in return. He couldn’t remember much about what happened; only that he chased Kuroo under the rain after he ran away.

"You’re the patient yet you’re worried for someone else. Interesting." Kei glared, which made Akiteru lift up his hands in defeat. "Easy. Hinami was just released, so he helped Shirase-san move back to their house. You were in and out of consciousness for almost 48 hours, but not only because of the concussion. You had a high fever as well from being drenched for such a long time under the rain. Kuroo told me what happened, but I want to know from you as well. What the hell happened, Kei?"

Kei didn’t feel like retelling the events when his head was pounding, but he could see the worry behind his brother’s eyes. He sighed as he leaned back on the headrest, trying his best to remember as he told his brother about what happened starting from his talk with Shirase in the hospital down to the talk he had with Kuroo on the rooftop, which he recently just remembered. Of course, he left out the detail where he has indirectly confessed to Kuroo about his true feelings, and could only wonder if Kuroo had heard that part as well.

When he finished, Akiteru seemed like he had more questions to ask but he could sense that his younger brother needed the rest. He left the room saying he’ll go get them lunch, so Kei had time for himself once again as he let his head rest on the soft pillow as his eyes met the white ceiling.

He wondered how Kuroo had brought him to the hospital, or what happened during his unconsciousness. He also wondered whether Kuroo had paid him a visit, and he felt slightly abashed when he remembered Kuroo’s question.

Kei, I know this is not the right time, but can you repeat the first thing you said when you found me?

Yeah, he definitely heard the indirect confession.

He grumbled as he wrapped himself with the sheets, glaring at the mundane walls of the hospital as he lay on his side. He closed his eyes, wanting to get more rest when he heard the door creak open. His eyes cracked open at the same time, and the sight of Yamaguchi and Yachi made him smile.

"Tsukki, you’re okay!" Yamaguchi looked like he was about to cry as he rushed towards Tsukishima, and the blond couldn’t help but snort at his bestfriend’s theatrics. He welcomed the hug given to him by the freckled boy, and he saw Yachi following close behind as she joined in the hug as well.

"I’m so glad you’re okay, Kei-kun. Yamaguchi couldn’t shut up about how worried he was for you." Yachi said with a fond smile, reaching her hand over to pat Tsukishima’s shoulder.

"How could I not be worried, Tsukki is my only best friend!" Yamaguchi wailed, still holding onto Tsukishima like a koala.

"What about me? I thought we were friends, Tadashi!" Yachi pouted, which had Tsukishima concealing his snicker while Yamaguchi paled.

 "Friendzoned." Tsukishima whispered, which made his best friend poke him on his ribs. Tsukishima yelped, batting his friend’s hand away in retaliation.

"Ah, I see Tsukki is fine. We can leave now." Yamaguchi glared at him playfully, which had both blondes chuckling.

He thought he had to retell the events once more, but Yamaguchi and Yachi started to update him about school matters instead. They didn’t seem to be curious about what happened, but he had an inkling that they had asked Kuroo like Akiteru did, too. Nonetheless, Tsukishima felt slightly grateful, and he couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face when Yachi whipped out a box of his favorite strawberry shortcake.

His two friends continued to talk about what happened in school while he was away as they ate the cake. Tsukishima started feeling marginally better, and before he knew it, his friends had to bid goodbye as afternoon classes were supposed to start just as Akiteru came back. Yamaguchi and Yachi promised to visit again tomorrow, and they exchanged farewells with Akiteru as well.

"You ate cake without me. After I bought you soba noodles! Ah, the betrayal!"

As Akiteru feigned hurt and started to act like a whiny idiot, Kei rolled his eyes and checked the time. It only had been a few hours since he was awake, and he vaguely wondered if Kuroo would pay him a visit later in the afternoon.

He set that thought aside as he helped his brother take the packaged food from the paper bag, and indulged in playful banter with his brother as they both had lunch.

The next morning came and there was still no sign of Kuroo. Tsukishima would be lying if he said he didn’t care, when he felt a bit hurt not being able to see the raven even if he was now fully back in commission.

After a CT scan last night, the results came in early morning and the doctor announced that he was good to go. Akiteru had to fetch the prescription for the medications he would have to take for his concussion and pay the bills, so he would be discharged around noon. He could stand now and walk around, fortunately, so he started to pack his things up as he waited for his brother.

He was zipping his bag up when he felt arms wrapping around his waist from the back, the familiar warmth enveloping him and even made his own cheeks warm up.

"I missed you, Kei."

Tsukishima huffed. It was so annoying how easily Kuroo softened him up, even if he wanted to continue to sulk for his absence. He tugged on the raven’s hands until they let him go, so he could turn around and face him. "We’re in public, have some shame."

Kuroo chuckled at Tsukishima’s retort, long used to it as he pulled the blond back in his hold. "This might sound crazy, but I’m here to kidnap you."

The blond’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then he realized that this must be one of Kuroo’s antics. "You cannot kidnap a patient that’s just about to be discharged."

"It’s called kidnapping for a reason, because I’m not here to ask for your permission. You come with me whether you like it or not." Kuroo grinned, taking Tsukishima’s hand in his as he started to run for the door.

"Wait, Akiteru-nii will worry if he finds me missing!" Kei protested half-heartedly, even as he fell in sync with Kuroo’s footsteps.

"Yeah? Well, too bad. I’m not planning to return you until midnight."

"What?!" Tsukishima was bewildered, but one thing he knew about Kuroo was that even if you ask him for answers, you’ll always have a hard time trying to understand the enigma that the boy was.

He let himself be dragged outside of the hospital, his head pounding in protest but the blond didn’t mind one bit. It felt kind of freeing, running away from the hospital with Kuroo holding his hand, the sun bright and the skies so blue and clear that it instantly put Tsukishima into a good mood.

The afternoon breeze felt good against his skin as they jogged, and for some reason, Tsukishima felt like laughing, so he did. The birds flew past them, chirping just as happily as both the blond and the raven cut through the grass and dashed towards the streets.

Tsukishima didn’t mind where they were heading; he just knew that he didn’t mind following Kuroo around. His hand felt warm and like it belonged in Kuroo’s hold, so he held on tight. Their run slowed to a light jog, and for the first time since he was born in this town, Tsukishima took his time to look around and take in the surroundings. The buildings were old but looked like they came from a book, the trees big and the foliage pleasing to the eyes as sunlight filtered through. The asphalt crunched beneath their feet, and suddenly, everything seemed vibrant and alive around Tsukishima.

It was a whole new view, and it felt so refreshing that his cheeks strained from smiling. When his eyes met Kuroo’s, bright and golden, they both shared a smile that he knew he will remember for a long time.

Tsukishima was so immersed into the moment that he only realized they’re at the abandoned train station when Kuroo let his hand go and left him by the fishpond as the raven rushed inside the old office.

The blond hunched down, greeting the fishes with their names as he watched them swim around. Their scales were pristine white, adorned with the beautiful patterns of blue and red. Tsukishima was playing with the water, the fishes swimming around his finger, when Kuroo came back with a box in his arms.

"I have kept this for a long time, waiting for the right occasion to use them. Or at least, before they expire." Kuroo set the box down on the ground, offering a hand to help Tsukishima up.

The younger dusted his pants off as he looked into the box, his jaw dropping once he saw fireworks in different colors and sizes in it. "What are these for?"

Kuroo gave him a knowing smile, before taking a look at his watch and tapping on its glass. "We’ll light them up as soon as the sun starts to set. For now, you have to help me redecorate the room, Kei."

Kei was only left more bewildered, but he didn’t even get to ask more questions as Kuroo took his hand and led him inside the old office that has been their hangout place for weeks now.

Once inside, Tsukishima was surprised to see that all the walls were now bare, the shelves empty, and the desk clean of papers. The room was empty save for the carpet and the beanbags still on the floor, and he quickly turned his head towards Kuroo.

"What is this? What happened?"

The raven gave him a wink as he reached down and handed him an apron and a paint roller. "Renovation, Tsukki. I have closed a chapter of my life and I want to start a new one with you."

Tsukishima hardly cries, so when a tear threatened to fall, he made a show of putting on the apron and wiping the evidence away like nothing happened. He sniffled, and if Kuroo heard it, he’s glad that the elder didn’t tease him about it.

"As long as I get to choose the color for the wall." Tsukishima faced the raven with a stern expression, raising his paint roller as if he was ready for a serious business.

Kuroo found that amusing, and nudged his shoulder with a fond smile. "Deal."

For hours, Tsukishima and Kuroo painted the walls cream and aqua. Kuroo, ever the energetic puppy he was, messed around and often wiped some paint on Tsukishima ‘accidentally’. Tsukishima, of course, retaliated, which resulted to both of them having streaks of blue and white on their faces. As they got back to work, waiting for the paint to dry, they moved the couch in that Kuroo has previously set outside and covered it with a new fabric that fortunately matched the color of the walls. They filled the desk with new papers, which Tsukishima took care of while Kuroo got out a new box of fairy lights. As Tsukishima cleaned out the drawers, he saw that a stack of the old sticky notes were in one of it. He picked up one, which seemed to have been freshly written on.

‘Why do I have the luck to have an idiot as my first love? – Kei’

Tsukishima blushed hard, immediately sticking the note right back and closing the drawer. He might have pushed it too hard, as Kuroo startled from his position on the floor. The blond waved him off as the raven asked what was wrong, putting on the new pen holder as he tried to act casually.

By the time the paint showed signs of drying, Tsukishima and Kuroo had moved the new furniture inside and had a decent setup. It was alike before, but more spacious and organized. The fairy lights were a good addition but seeing as the paint still needed more time to dry, they set them aside as they took a break and went out of the room.

"Just in time," declared Kuroo as they’re greeted by a view of the darkening sky with the sun already half hidden by the mountains. Kuroo asked Tsukishima to go get something for them to eat while he set up the fireworks, which Tsukishima agreed and set off towards a nearby family diner.

He wasn’t really hungry, but he bought two slices of marble cake for him and Kuroo, and two bowls of Udon. After buying drinks as well, he set off back to the path leading towards the train station and saw that Kuroo has set up an outside table and two plastic chairs near the pond.

"You seem awfully prepared. Tell me, what’s the occasion?" Tsukishima greeted as he set the bags down on the table, taking out the items one by one.

Kuroo shrugged, avoiding his eyes as he handed out lettuce towards the koi. "Can’t I take you out on a date?"

Tsukishima willed the blush down before it appears, punching the straw into his box of strawberry milk and took the seat beside Kuroo. "If I remembered correctly, you said you were kidnapping me, not taking me out on a date."

The raven laughed, finally meeting his eyes as he leaned back and observed the blond who was sipping on his box of milk. "Ah, my true purpose had been exposed, then. I am taking you out on a date, Tsukki."

Kei didn’t fight the blush this time, looking away as he pinned his eyes on the pond before them. "Shut up."

They sat in a comfortable silence as they watched the sun slowly descend until it disappeared, leaving faint streaks of orange as the stars started to adorn the sky with their bright ligts. Once the sun has fully set, both of them ate, Kuroo telling him about how Hinami was doing and how she said that she found Tsukishima cute.

When they finished their meals, Kuroo pulled out a boombox out of nowhere. The raven fished out a flash drive, sticking it into the USB port and started to play music. Once the beat started to pour out from the speakers, he turned towards Tsukishima with a smile, offering his hand.

"May I interest you into a dance?"

Tsukishima wanted to say no, because never in his life would he ever dream of being caught dancing, but there was something in Kuroo’s eyes and the overall mood of this day that made him want to let go of all of his inhibitions. He wanted to dance with Kuroo, even if his mind said that it would look lame, so he took the raven’s hand and let the other boy sway them around to the beat of the sound.

The music was lively yet calming at the same time, and both of them shared smiles and laughter as they twisted and turned. Tsukishima has probably stepped on Kuroo’s feet more than his fingers could count, but the elder didn’t seem to care, so they lose themselves into the rhythm.

When the hook of the song approached, Kuroo led Tsukishima near the fireworks and took out a lighter. Kuroo lit them one by one swiftly, and as it started to glow, the two of them ran back, laughing like kids as they wait for the loud explosion.

The fireworks crackled before they whistled up to the sky, bursting into colors once it reached its peak and covered the sky with bright hues. Tsukishima watched in awe, his hand in Kuroo’s, as both of them watched the fireworks show with the music playing in the background. Tsukishima slightly wondered whether Kuroo had a permit or this was illegal, but his mind was on a different world, one where nothing else mattered besides having Kuroo by his side and watching the world in a new perspective.

They danced again as the fireworks continued to brighten up the sky, too drunk on happiness that they didn’t mind whether their knees knocked together or their elbows met. Once the last of the fireworks graced the sky, both Tsukishima and Kuroo were too exhausted to move so they just stood there, leaning against each other as they watched the sky.

"Kei, I have something to say." Kuroo mumbled, tapping on his cheek to catch his attention. Tsukishima turned towards him, careful of bumping their foreheads together, as he nodded to indicate that he was listening. "I’ll be leaving in a week."

It took Tsukishima a few seconds to react, wondering if he was hearing things when he saw that Kuroo only looked at him as he waited for his reaction. When it registered to Tsukishima that Kuroo was indeed leaving, he jumped back, blinking his eyes rapidly. "W-What?"

Kuroo gave his hand a soft squeeze, his eyebrows scrunched together as if it pained him to tell this. "Shirase-san and I talked. You were right, Kei. We could fix this. She dropped the charges, and for the previous days we talked about what we should do. We both agreed that we needed therapists, and the good ones are mostly found in Tokyo. There is a company there that she could transfer to work in, too, that pays more and has flexible work hours. There are a lot more hospitals there that could treat Hinami’s condition so her attacks comes less, and over all, it’s a good opportunity for us to start over, Kei. As a family." Tsukishima watched Kuroo as he talked, and he can sense the excitement behind his voice despite how shaky it was from nervousness.

A part of Tsukishima wanted to be selfish. There was no need for Kuroo to go so far away; Tokyo was two hours away by train, after all, and the train fee was rather expensive. It will be hard to see each other as often as they do now, and if the thought of not having Kuroo in the same bed made him feel lonely, how much more when he was in an entire different city?

Yet Tsukishima knew that what he did was for Kuroo to experience this change. A chance for new beginnings, to start over, and have a family once more. If he could find that in Tokyo, then so be it. This was what he wanted—for Kuroo to finally feel happy and loved. This was what Kuroo deserved. And if he was happy, then Tsukishima would be happy too.

The blond can see that the raven was anxious of his response, so before even talking, Tsukishima granted him a smile. He cupped the elder’s cheeks in his palms, pulling him closer until their foreheads met. "Promise me that you’ll keep in touch?"

Kuroo brightened, and if Tsukishima didn’t know better, he’d say that the smile on Tetsurou’s face could rival any fireworks out there. He nodded, bouncing on his toes as he scooped Tsukishima up in his arms. "We’ll call everyday! And I’ll send you mails and packages weekly! If I could find a part-time job there, I can even visit you during the holidays or once every two months. I planned it all out, Tsukki, you know?"

Tsukishima laughed, fond and amused as the raven continued to babble about all of the ways they could stay connected despite living far apart. As they talked some more, they danced lazily, the music merely a hum in the background as Tsukishima’s attention was all saved for Kuroo.

Under the stars, that night, they savored the remaining hours they have together in what was an abandoned train station but has now become their home. Tsukishima would remember this day, indeed, and he would always look back to this memory whenever he missed Kuroo.

Tsukishima has always led a peaceful life.

He has followed a daily routine he created strictly. He has studied well and has his notes organized. He has goals in life, which consists of the standard dream of any individual: graduate, get a job, build a family, retire by 60, and enjoy his remaining time teaching his grandchildren the lessons he has learned in life.

Some might say it's boring, but it's all he wanted, really.

He saw no point in living a life that's too dynamic for him to keep up with. He never had enough energy for it, nor would he ever crave for the unpredictable curveballs life will throw at him.

Which was why he didn’t expect Kuroo to come into his life and change all of that in a mere span of weeks.

Tsukishima didn’t mind the dynamic life now, if it meant that he was introduced to the greatest curveball in his life: meeting Kuroo.

"Hey, Tetsurou. Mind leaving me a souvenir?" Tsukishima whispered, making the raven open his eyes and smile at him.

"What does my Kei want to remember me for? I mean, I technically will be leaving you a cool hangout place, four koi fishes to love, and my amazing knowledge of how to break into the school rooftop. What more do you need?" Kuroo grinned cheekily, his face so close that their noses were rubbing together.

It was Tsukishima’s turn to smirk, closing the distance until their lips nearly brushed together. "This."

It took Kuroo a few moments to respond out of shock, but when he got over it, he swept Tsukishima into a kiss that had them both feeling a whirlwind of emotions burst out of their chests. It wasn’t the best kiss, with Tsukishima’s glasses bumping against Kuroo’s nose and their teeth clashing together. But it felt just right, and the raw emotion made it feel more than enough. Besides, they had a few more hours to practice.

And if they kissed until the dead of the night, only the stars were their witnesses.