Chapter Text
A light snow falls over Daichi as he walks home from work. It’s not unpleasant, and he only lives about 10 minutes away. Besides, the thought of what awaits him at his apartment is enough to make his entire body feel warm.
He’s been dating Bokuto and Kuroo for about 9 months, living with them for 3. It’s been the best time of his life. The whole thing still felt so new and yet so much like home. It was like something in his life finally clicked, the puzzle pieces finally falling into place. He feels so lucky to not only have found one person just perfect for him, but two. Two amazing people to love and be loved by.
Yes, he’s sentimental, he knows. But god, it’s everything he ever hoped for. As a kid, Daichi was never really sure what he wanted to be when he grew up. But he knew he wanted to fall in love, and be someone’s boyfriend, or even husband. That last thing could wait, he thinks now, he’s in no rush. He’s perfectly happy with where their relationship is at now.
And sure, there are little things he's had to adjust to. Things that sometimes got on his nerves, but what relationship didn't have compromises? What was a relationship good for if you couldn't grow in it?
When he reaches the front door he pulls out his keys and smiles to himself. The keychain is probably a bit too juvenile for someone his age, but he doesn’t care. The three of them have a matching set; cute figurines of their mascots from high school. It’s cheesy, but volleyball is what brought them all together, and Bokuto came up with the idea, so it was important. He keeps his smile as he opens the door and steps inside.
Immediately, Daichi can tell something is wrong. No one greets him, and the air in their apartment is thick with tension. His face morphs into one of confusion and concern.
“Kou? Tetsu?” he calls out, slipping out of his shoes and dropping his keys on the counter.
He walks into the living room, and finds his two boyfriends glaring at each other.
“Hey, is everything alright?” Daichi asks, glancing cautiously between them. He’s never seen them like this. Staring at each other with pure rage. Like they hated each other. It made his heart race.
“No, everything isn't alright, Testu—“ Bokuto starts, but Kuroo immediately interrupts him.
“Oh, of course, run to Daichi for help and blame it all on me. You can’t even fight your own battles,” Kuroo spits venomously.
Bokuto growls and steps into his space, Kuroo doesn’t move an inch to back down.
“Why, afraid it might ruin your perfect reputation? You know what your problem is?” Bokuto asks harshly.
Kuroo laughs bitterly. It sounds to Daichi like broken glass.
“Oh, I’m begging you to tell me, Bo. What’s my problem?”
“That you’re so goddamn self centered, you need everyone to like you and think you’re perfect,” Bokuto tells him, jabbing a finger into his chest.
“Guys, stop,” Daichi tries, but his plea falls upon deaf ears.
“Right, cuz you don’t need the whole world to love you. You have a fucking breakdown at any minor inconvenience!” Kuroo shouts.
Daichi isn’t even sure if they realize he’s still there. He feels invisible and helpless, and scared. He’s never seen them argue like this. This isn’t even arguing anymore, it’s just plain fighting. It breaks his heart to hear them talk to each other so viciously, he knows this isn’t like them.
“I do not have a fucking breakdown,” Bokuto seethes, his eyes watering.
“What? You gonna cry about it like you always do, you big baby?” Kuroo pushes forward, twisting the hypothetical knife in Bokuto’s side that he put there. “See, you can’t handle being told the truth. You’re so damn needy, you need to be coddled like a damn kid.”
“Tetsurou, stop, that’s enough,” Daichi says, firmer this time. Kuroo has crossed the line, and he knows, he knows that under normal circumstances his Tetsu would never say things like this.
“Stay out of this,” Kuroo spits towards him. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Oh. So that’s how he felt.
Daichi is the most recent addition to this relationship, Kuroo and Bokuro were already together by the time he entered the relationship. It felt as if Kuroo were saying to him, ‘Mind your business, this is about my relationship with Bokuto, stay out of it.’ Like he wasn’t apart of what they had together. It felt like a stab to the heart.
But he tries to push past it. Kuroo didn’t mean it, he tells himself. He couldn’t have meant it. And Bokuto was fully crying now.
“If only everyone knew what an asshole you are!” Bokuto shouts at Kuroo, fully lost to his anger and grief. “You put on a fake personality every time you talk to someone else so that they’ll like you!”
Daichi knows that cuts deep. Everything they’ve been throwing at each other are things they’ve said to each other in private, in confidence. Things they’ve comforted each other about before into the early hours of the morning. They bore their weaknesses to each other, just to now use it against them as a weapon.
“Guys, stop it, you need to calm down,” Daichi says, but they completely ignore him.
“Sorry that people like me more than they like you!” Kuroo yells back. “Excuse me for being more popular than you! Jesus, this isn’t high school, grow the hell up!”
“That’s rich coming from you, you’re still hanging on to the glory days of high school because you know that’s when you peaked! Showing up to Nekoma practices uninvited, just let it go!” Bokuto laughs madly. “You’re pissed I got on a professional team and you didn't! You’re jealous.”
Bokuto crosses his arms like he’s figured out some great secret, and Kuroo looks like he’s about to break something. Daichi takes a step forward to stand between them, concerned their tightly closed fists won’t stay by their sides much longer.
“Koutarou, please, just listen to me—“ Daichi tries again, this time trying to reason with Bokuto.
Bokuto spins on him hotly and throws his hands up in the air.
“Oh my god, just fuck off! This isn’t about you!” he shouts at Daichi angrily.
The perfect picture that Daichi thought was his life shatters like glass. Kuroo and Bokuro go back to fighting, but Daichi doesn’t hear it, not really. He isn’t paying attention anymore to what they’re saying. They don’t stop him as he turns around, heads for the door, and walks out.