Archive of Our Own

“I caught twelve, how many did you get?”

You can’t tell where he is exactly, but Kuroo’s curious voice doesn’t have to carry that far for his words to reach your ears. You’re lucky it’s dark, because your face is squenched in dismay at the small number of dancing fireflies currently in your cupped palm. You have no doubt that if the clouds weren’t blocking out the pale moonlight, he would already be teasing you about his three night winning-streak. Make that four.

You count six fireflies in total. And you’re pretty sure one of them is actually a ladybug.

This wasn’t going to be much of a competition, was it?

“Y/n… how many?” Kuroo prompts once more, this time closer, lower, and already assuming victory.

That smug bastard. You frown to yourself. Even in the darkest hours of night, Kuroo can tell that you’ve lost this bug-related contest.

But it’s a Friday night tradition that neither of you could give up.

Catching, counting, and releasing fireflies.

A competition to see who had the most at the end of the night. As kids, you two used to go out with nets and coverable buckets, sleeves rolled up and a curfew hanging over your heads. It always ended with your shoes muddy and pants torn from stumbling in the dirt due a lack of light and a myriad of scattered, shallow ditches.

But neither of you could have cared less. All you’d known was that you were ready to laugh and fight over who won the night before, while simultaneously bantering about what the two of you would do as grownups.

And the same goes for you and Kuroo now. You may not be eight years old anymore, but being on the verge of twenty hadn’t seemed to extinguish this love for firefly catching. There was a childlike charm to the routine.

And these days, there’s a lot more to it than just glowing bugs and late nights.

There’s a lot more tickling.

A little more laying his head in your lap while you count shining stars and he points out the shimmering frames of constellations.

Several instances of tugging Kuroo’s shirt at the creak of a creepy tree or the howl of a far off animal, leading to holding his steady hand while trekking back to the city.

Not to mention, a multitude of conversations sparking from nothing, much like the twinkling little insects against the backdrop of that waxing moon. Coming and going. Bright and blinking then dark and discreet.

And lately, these patterns have left Kuroo with questions.

He’s clever, but unassuming.

He wants to believe that your glances mean more than… well, just a glance. That you, with your head against his shoulder and your side pressed into his isn’t so much related to the now cooler weather, but rather because you want to feel him against you. He trusts that these nights, usually meant for parties and friends, are reserved for him for a reason.

Still, he doesn’t want to jump the gun and lose you to untimely verbalized feelings.

But if there was any place to tell you how he really felt, it would be in this very field.

“I caught ten.” You say slowly, trying to sound as convincing as possible while closing your hands around the flickering lights.

His face is then illuminated by another floating lightning bug. Its blinks cast a yellow-ish gold glow on his cheeks, the light disappearing shortly. You’re both left in the dark of the field once again.

But from what you could see, his eyes were squinted and focused directly on you.

“Prove it.” Kuroo demands, voice curious and disbelieving. You might not be able to see his face, but you’re sure he’s wearing a humorously irked smile.

You can’t help but mess with him.

“Awh, you don’t trust me?”

He hated it when you said stuff like that. Kuroo was always the one to tease, so you at least want to fight for your dignity and bother him in the process with some prickly comments of your own. Plus you were in the mood to push him around just a little.

The clouds stop blanketing the moon, revealing both of your positions in the field.

He’s only a few, short strides away.

“Just show me your hands, y/n.” The raven-haired boy presses, taking a step toward you.

Your heart flutters a little.

“And why should I?” You take a step back, a mischievous grin growing across your face.

“Y/n…”

“I think…” You say, taking another step backwards.

“…you’ll have to catch me first!” You finish, bounding away.

You’ve finally caught him off-guard, but it only takes Kuroo a few moments before he’s after you, fireflies long gone from yours and his hands.

You leap over a few deep puddles left from the rain that poured earlier in the week. You giggle, though breathless, as you hear a splash and a grunt behind you. You were at least winning this game so far. You have to wonder if you’ve really reverted back to your eight year old self just now.

“You’re playing so dirty!” He calls after you, his pace more of a jog compared to your run.

Turning your head to respond you exclaim, “Then stop winning so much!”

You sprint through the tall grass, but you hear him closing in on you, so you opt to hide behind one of the trees at the edge of the field. As you duck down low, you hear his pace slow. Kuroo’s footsteps, once heavy, intentionally conceal some of their sound.

But he walks right past you, head tilting and peeking behind tree after tree. The supposedly confused male makes his rounds and turns back to the field.

However, he doesn’t say a thing. You can’t even hear his footsteps, carefully placed or not, anymore.

You remain quiet, catching your breath and slowly sink to the grassy floor to give your legs a break. Maybe he was just messing with you now? Had you taken it too far? Did something happen to him?

“Kuroo?” You call out calmly.

Nothing.

“Okay, I get it, I lost! Please come out.” You beg, trying to sound unbothered, but there’s a tinge of concern.

Still nothing.

You stand up again, stepping out and away from the tree, head clouding with bubbling thoughts of worry, when suddenly,

“Kuroo-”

“Gotcha!”

You let out a shriek. His hands wrap snugly around your waist, and he spins you in a quick, dizzying circle while laughing heartily. Your eyes go as wide as dinner plates and there’s an excruciating pounding in your chest. Kuroo then lets you sink your feet back into the ground, so that you can give him a firm, but gentle shove while letting out a huff.

“You squawk like a bird.” He comments, eyes golden and twinkling.

The nerve. He’d nearly given you a heart attack, jumping out at you like that and he still dared to keep that overconfident smirk plastered to his face.

The smirk that made you both want to slap him and kiss him at the same time.

You can’t help but immediately tug him into a hug, grasping at the fabric of his shirt that once clung to his broad back. His chest warms you up and tucks you in. You’d been dying to hold him all week long and this scare finally pushed you over the edge.

Kuroo’s eyes widen a fraction before his arms are folding around your shoulders and he’s setting his chin atop your head. It’s as though his body were perfectly form-fitted for yours, his frame melting into your own. He sighs deeply, breathing in your presence and the scent of honeysuckle from the bushes nearby. His mouth no longer in a smirk, but a soft, tender smile.

You’re still pretty tense, even in his protective arms.

“…Did I scare you?”

Silence.

You simply nod into the white t-shirt.

Kuroo squeezes you a little tighter.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers apologetically into your hair, rubbing a few small circles into your back. A habit he’d gotten into whenever the night held an eerie atmosphere or a day had been particularly painful.

“S’okay.” You smile into him, face pressed into him taking in his familiar scent.

The field had already been quieter today, but it was nothing like the silence that hovered above yours and Kuroo’s head in this moment. Neither of you could let go. Neither of you wanted to.

That is until a firefly lands directly on your nose.

You pull back from him warmth, but the little lightning bug refuses to budge, braving your movements. It tickles, but you couldn’t bring yourself to flick it away, though you feel like you’re going a bit cross-eyed.

Kuroo, pulls away. He simply stares at your face, a small grin forming before inhaling deeply and blowing directly at the bug. Suddenly, your nose is no longer glowing.

But you feel as though the boy in front of you is.

His face is so close. Close enough that you’re worried he’ll feel the flush of heat rising from your cheeks. The moon has his spiky, yet somehow still soft, hair shining in silver tones. His golden eyes are piercing and unreadable… but that smile. That smile reveals all.

Kuroo’s usual goofy expression is replaced with something winsome and sunny, a stark contrast to the blue light surrounding you two.

And there a peace that settles deep within him. Something that’s telling him that this is the perfect time to show you how he’s been feeling. To express to you how much he loves being by your side… but that he wants to be even nearer. So as these long and drawn-out seconds pass, he gets closer and closer.

Before you can even blink, he’s dipped into you, taking your lips into his own.

Oh.

So this is bliss?

His weight is slightly shifted onto you without it being overbearing. Kuroo’s hand has made its way to your face smoothing soft strokes against your cheek bone with his thumb. His hair is brushing gently against your forehead and his lips are pressing against yours slowly and thoughtfully, testing the waters. They’re warm. Soft. And confident.

And though the heat is flowing through your veins and you would wholeheartedly believe someone if they told you your face was on fire, you kiss him back. You’re trembling, but so secure. Hesitant, but held together by his strong arms. His hands are attentive to readjust and re-grip, keeping you steady in-between the messy, mesmerizing movements.

And like something out of a fairy tale or a childhood storybook, the fireflies seem to take notice. They dance around you in serene motions, silently encompassing this long-awaited moment.

But he pulls back. You already miss his saccharine taste and the electrifying warmth that came with.

Kuroo scours your face for a reaction. You look a bit dazed, but there’s an ethereal glow to your visage now. It’s much preferable to your previously bug-eyed look you gave him earlier.

“…But did that scare you?” He questions, a tilt to his head and a softer and more serious tone this time.

You blink… and a genuine, closed-mouth smile overtakes your face, creasing your eyes.

“Well…” You linger on the word, still teasing at him.

“Y/n.” Kuroo brings his hands to your face, cupping and squishing your cheeks between his rough palms.

“…No…” You admit bashfully, a little muffled by the strange shape your mouth has been smushed into

Your hands make their to his, pressing your palms into the backs of them and running your thumbs across his knuckles.

“Good.” He lets out a sigh of relief.

“But you seem a little frazzled.” You prod at him, tilting your face into his digits, slight concern decorating your features.

Again, the darkness tries to hide it, but there’s a flash of vulnerability in his eyes. An etching of honesty in the furrowing of his brows. You decide to shift your fingers so that they intertwine slightly, even with his hands still on your face.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking about confessing to you for months now?” Kuroo glares, but it doesn’t stick around for long. That smile flitters right back.

“So cut a guy a break, alright?” He pleads with feigned annoyance.

“And…” Kuroo glances away, smile gone again.

“…maybe go out with me while you’re at it?” He trails off, his body managing to match your flush now.

You could tell he was nervous…

But these nerves aren’t for him.

He’s searching your eyes to see if you were comfortable with this or not. If you were on the same page as him. Even with that kiss, Kuroo wasn’t about to pressure you into anything. But you’ve been ready for this for quite some time.

And like a fallen ice-cream cone on a hot sidewalk, you’re melting into a puddle of gooey sweetness on the inside. Because he really cared that much.

But you can hardly handle the tense shift in the air, already beyond flustered, so you grin again.

“Only if you cut me a break for my losing streak.” You joke, fighting the blush that battles its way back onto your skin.

Kuroo drops his hands from your face in defeat, clearly done with being the serious one right now. However, you’re promptly pulled back into another bear-like hug. He quickly mumbles something over your head as you wrap your hands back around him. Now you’re the one drawing little circles and shapes into his back.

“I didn’t catch that.” You press, pressing a kiss to his chest, then searching for his gaze.

“I said, fine.” He repeats, a little louder this time, but there a fondness to his tone.

And there’s this newness to the softness of your touch on Kuroo’s back. To these Friday’s full of those innocent firefly bystanders. To the catch and release of the quiet, blinking bugs.

Because Kuroo’s finally caught something. And this time it’s not insects or feelings.

He’s finally caught you. Or rather, he’s gotten caught up in you. But he’s not really worried about the specifics.