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‘I love you’ were three little words Daichi wished he was able to say out loud without dreading the reaction that would be revealed on the face of the person he yearned to tell. But he won’t say a word about it because first, they were both guys; second, he had no clue if Kuroo Tetsurou was as open minded as he thought he would be, and last, they were good friends and Daichi treasured their friendship greatly despite often telling Kuroo that if given the chance, he would sell him to the devil for a bowl of natto that he greatly despised.
Leaving Miyagi and somehow attending the same college as Kuroo was a pure coincidence that made Daichi question if he was living in some sort of a cliché shoujo manga. He still remembered that day when a familiar voice called out to him when he was slurping his noodles in the cafeteria and upon lifting his chin, the one and only Kuroo Tetsurou— aka his high school secret crush— stood before him with the most incredulous yet joyous face he had ever seen. Daichi was frozen on the spot with wide eyes, mouth hung open and the noodles caught between his chopsticks slipped and dived back into the steaming soup that splashed on Daichi’s face, leaving a piece of leek stuck on his chin. It made Kuroo cackle and walk toward him while Daichi internally struggled between getting off his seat and power walk away as if he had never seen Kuroo or leap into his long arms and bury himself into his chest and hug the breath out of that nerd.
Daichi had to pinch his cheeks everytime he was back in his apartment just to make sure he wasn’t living in some fantasy. It was fun hanging out with Kuroo and although they tend to compete over the most insignificant nonsense, Daichi loved every second spent beside him; though that little happiness came with a small dose of stress the day Daichi met Oikawa Tooru on campus and learned that the latter was his crush’s roommate.
Daichi knew Oikawa had gorgeous eyes, but they were calculating and so unnecessarily sharp that Daichi’s adoration for Kuroo was found out by the campus’ ikemen prince— nickname widely acknowledged by every woman of the establishment— by the third time they hung out together.
“Dai-chan, I can’t take this anymore, when are you going to confess your feelings to Tet-chan?!” Slamming his textbook on the table, Oikawa crossed his arms on his chest and pursed his lips, brows creased from such annoyance Daichi almost felt bad for being the cause to make that ikemen ruin his pretty face. “It’s been months, Dai-chan, almost a whole year ever since I found out your little secret and an eternity ever since you fell in love with him.”
Daichi didn’t even bother to lift his head from his books. “Why are we back on this subject when we should be studying for tomorrow’s exam?”
“Because we’ve studied enough for the last two days and I care for my friend’s happiness.”
“Care my ass,” Daichi threw his eraser at Oikawa’s head, but the man avoided it only for it to land soundless on the library’s gray mat, “you just want the deets.”
“You do have a great ass, I gotta admit I have yet to see a finer pair of buttcheeks than yours.”
Crimson colored Daichi’s face as he finally met Oikawa’s eyes. “I need you to zip it right now and no, I’m not confessing. Ever.”
“Why are you so stubborn, Dai-chan?!” Oikawa threw back his head with an agonizing groan, arms hanging limp on the armrests. “I told you it’ll be fine. Tet-chan will not hate you, trust me, I’m sure he also—”
“Oh, there you are! Let’s go to that bento shop, I’m starving!” always having such great timing, one Kuroo Tetsurou decided to pop out between the two rows of bookshelves packed with loads of celebrities' autobiographies that Daichi could have cared less. “...the hell are you guys doing?”
Oikawa Tooru was truly a very handsome man, dangerously smart and fairly kind. However, the man could also be the most childish, persistent and annoying prick at times and Daichi didn’t trust that tongue of his from leaking out words faster than his brain could process, so he plastered both his hands on Oikawa’s mouth to make him swallow the words he was about to let out faster before Daichi could see his own lifespan drain out even more.
“Nothing!” Daichi feigned a smile while Oikawa produced unintelligible muffles under Daichi’s tight grasp. “We were studying for our upcoming exam but OikawaAGH—!”
Daichi retrieved his hand to his chest almost protectively, eyes wide and brows raised high while looking at Oikawa with shock. Oikawa simply smirked teasingly, the tip of his tongue briefly licking his lips, pale brown eyes filled with playfulness before flashing a toothy grin. “Nice hand, Dai-chan, tastes salty.”
“YOU—” Every hair on Daichi’s body stood on end and he was sure chickenpox covered his arms wrapped by his white woolen sweater. A suppressed agonizing disdain was born in his throat and Daichi forcefully and repeatedly wiped his hand on Oikawa’s shirt that probably could have covered Daichi’s meals for three days. “Oikawa you shit! Disgusting! Ew! Take that saliva back you shameless flirt—”
While Oikawa tried to cackle quietly so they wouldn’t disturb anyone as well as doing his best to cover himself from being punched by Daichi, none of them saw Kuroo still stand close to the bookshelves without a word, mind playing back the pink he saw on Daichi’s face when he clasped his hands on Oikawa’s mouth and the almost sultry look Oikawa bore in his eyes after licking Daichi’s hand.
“Kuroo.”
Huh. So Daichi could blush like that.
“Hey, Kuroo.”
Oikawa was a pro at annoying others, he could be crowned king if there was ever a competition for that. What could he have said to make Daichi flustered, though?
“Kuroo.”
Suddenly Daichi’s voice reached loud into Kuroo’s mind and pale irises blinked quickly back to reality. Daichi looked at him with concern, both hands still gripping at Oikawa’s collar. “Do you have hand sanitizer with you, Kuroo?”
Kuroo shook his head, the dark strands of his bang brushing against his skin. Daichi hummed with his lips pursed and dropped Oikawa’s shirt dryly, letting him bump his butt flatly on the cushioned chair. “I’m gonna go wash my hands, I’ll meet you guys at the entrance.”
Daichi gathered his belongings into his backpack and made sure to fix one last glare at Oikawa before disappearing between the rows of shelves. Kuroo was about to catch up to him when he heard Oikawa chuckle.
“Cute.” he simply commented and finally stood up from his seat to collect his books.
Kuroo raised one brow and instead of going after Daichi, he turned his body to Oikawa. “Since when do you mess with him like this?”
Oikawa was a natural at flirting. He was confident of his looks and the universe also graced him with an impressive athletic body ready to take on any challenge and a highly functional brain dedicated for academics (because apparently other than that it wasn’t guaranteed to function properly). He could easily sweep away anyone he wanted without even trying, even celebrities would most definitely be swooned by his charms, so why would he pick Daichi of all people?
“I wonder.” Oikawa zipped his messenger bag, flung it over his shoulder and walked past his friend, stopping his track for a mere second right beside Kuroo who couldn’t see his face, but could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “Don’t you think Dai-chan’s reactions are cute? It makes me want to tease him.”
As Kuroo swirled on his heels, Oikawa was already stretching the distance between them, strolling leisurely with both hands in his pockets, his good humor perceptible from the low humming reaching Kuroo’s ears. “Come on Tet-chan, don’t make Dai-chan wait for us too long or he’ll make us pay for his lunch. He can ruin both of us when he’s starving.”
“I’d love to see the renowned prince ruined to his last cent because of his friend’s stomach.”
Oikawa never looked back nor did his legs come to a stop, only replying with the rise of an arm gracefully showing a beautiful hand sticking out a middle finger. Kuroo snorted and moved his legs, his mind momentarily left out the fact that he was famished just a minute ago and replaced it with playbacks of the scene he witnessed earlier.
Yeah.
Yeah, Daichi was kinda cute.
If allowed to speak frankly, Daichi would say that he knew little of Oikawa. They had first met each other during high school and Daichi could definitely count the number of times they actually talked to each other and every conversation only revolved around volleyball. Though, ever since college, Daichi learned more about Oikawa as a friend rather than just an opponent in sport.
He knew what time Oikawa would pass out in his bed and how cranky he would be on mornings, how he liked his coffee with way too much sugar and how beautiful his fingers were when his gestures accompanied his words. He learned to decipher smiles that meant ‘I’m gonna plaster this on my face so they can leave me alone’ and the real ones he showed to his close friends. He was allowed to witness indescribable infantile nonsense worthy of being told as tales for future generations, but as well as kindness shown through a different language one wasn’t usually fluent of.
There were other little details about Oikawa that Daichi filed them into his brain and just when he thought maybe he knew too much about Oikawa, there were times he felt like he still couldn’t understand the man like right this instant with Oikawa’s hand firmly squeezing Daichi’s biceps.
“Oikawa... what are you doing?”
Oikawa hummed in thought, hand still shamelessly feeling Daichi's muscle. “I’m trying to tell if your biceps is more developed than Iwa-chan’s.”
A deadpan look was shown on Daichi’s face, hammer in hand and brought to a standstill. “Can you like... not do this when I’m trying to fix this bathroom cabinet you destroyed probably due to the exaggerated amount of hair products you own?”
“Rude. Why would you assume they’re all mine and not Tet-chan’s?”
“Because no hair product can save his hair.”
“And yet you still fell head over heels for that horrid bird nest.”
Daichi instantly flushed red under Oikawa’s smirk, thin eyebrows wiggling suggestively at him. “If you utter another word about this I’m gonna smash this hammer right into this cabinet and you’ll deal with your hair in front of a broken mirror!”
An exaggerated dramatic gasp escaped through Oikawa’s lips. “Noooooooo!!! Dai-chan don’t be so mean! You wouldn’t do this to me!”
“Try me!” Daichi threatened with annoyance as Oikawa proceeded to turn into an octopus and wrapped his arms around Daichi’s, mirthful giggles and sudden cries of surprise erupting from his throat when Daichi couldn’t shake him away and planted his hand on the ikemen’s head to ruin his hair and jab at his sides with his fingers.
“It’s barely eleven in the morning, what are you being so loud for?”
Kuroo stood before the bathroom door, face soft with sleep, hair sticking up in every direction possible and traces of bedsheet creases imprinted on his cheek. Daichi thought he saw Kuroo’s sleepy eyes linger where Oikawa still had his arms tangled around his before scanning them up and down. They were in a rather compromised position with how close an Oikawa with disheveled hair was looming over Daichi who was almost sliding off the bathroom’s countertop, back against the tiled wall and face burning hot.
“Dai-chan is being stingy, I just wanted to touch his biceps.” Oikawa pouted and took the opportunity to snuggle his face in the crook of Daichi’s neck, arms hugging Daichi’s even tighter. Under Kuroo’s gaze, the crimson coloring Daichi’s face darkened instantly, he could feel his ears burn and hear the accelerated pounding of his veins.
“Get off, you’re gonna make the whole countertop break!” Daichi kicked the ikemen off the furniture and covered his mouth with the back of his hand as Oikawa’s whines filled the tiny bathroom in the background. He hopped off the counter and after sliding a hand to the back of his neck, Daichi looked up at Kuroo. “Sorry for being loud, I’ll get this fixed quickly and leave.”
Kuroo didn’t respond right away, eyes observing Daichi closely with his dark strands falling before his face. Daichi thought Kuroo’s brain was slow to process since he just woke up, but then Kuroo hummed with a light curve of his lips and patted Daichi’s head, ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry, I should be up anyway. I didn’t know you were coming today, thanks for fixing our old stuff, you’re a big help.”
After reminding Oikawa to call him when they would be done with it so he could use the bathroom, Kuroo trotted lazily back to his room.
“So,” Oikawa sneakily hung an arm around Daichi’s shoulder and brought their faces close, “what’s up with that sudden blush back there, hmm? Your crush wearing a tank top with jogging pants, freshly woken up with a cute sleepy head and that got your little heart thumping?”
“He...” Daichi’s voice was practically a murmur, but just when Oikawa was going to tilt his head even closer to hint his friend to speak louder, Daichi abruptly turned to him with so much eagerness it got Oikawa slamming his back against the wall. Pink clung on Daichi’s cheeks and Oikawa had never seen the ‘eyes shining filled with sparkles’ for real until this very moment with how big and bright were Daichi’s eyes. “He looked so adorable, what the hell?! Who even looks this good right after waking up?? Did you see his hair? It was catastrophic but how those wavy strands fell out of place gave him such a handsome vibe?? and that groggy voice was so soft, does he always sound like this right after waking up?? I almost let the hammer slip out of my hand and neutered you.”
Oikawa silently shed a tear and thanked the gods for protecting his marbles and chortled at the sight before him. Daichi was having a crisis. He was obviously so lovestruck at what he just witnessed but Kuroo’s room being not too far from the bathroom, Daichi couldn't let his voice out and had to whisper-scream his dilemma with hands gripping at Oikawa’s t-shirt. “Still complaining about me asking you to come fix our cabinet during a weekend?”
Daichi bit his lips with a shy smile. “Not as much. You still owe me lunch though.”
“I’ll make something as thanks. You should be honored to have the king himself cook you something.”
“It better be edible.”
“Listen here —” The arms around Daichi’s shoulder moved to wrap around his neck where Oikawa attempted to put Daichi in a headlock and had the latter writhing and laughing to free himself.
In the midst of fooling around, Oikawa thought if Kuroo had only seen Daichi’s smitten face, maybe his heart would have found a new weakness. Oikawa was picky regarding his preferences for a love interest, but even Daichi had occasionally made him reconsider his tastes. After all, who was truly immune to Daichi’s genuine smile on top of witnessing that split second when adoration filled his eyes?
Three rooms further down the hallway where the door wasn’t entirely shut and lying on his belly in the comfort of his bed, Kuroo heard the hushed whispers and giggles and wondered why he felt restless and bothered.
Unconsciously, he wrapped an arm around himself and was suddenly reminded of Oikawa’s hand on Daichi’s biceps. Their bathroom was already cramped, was there any necessity to be that close to each other, both on that minuscule countertop, not to mention how Oikawa was practically pinning Daichi down and Daichi’s flushed face and legs almost hooked around Oikawa’s hips and—
I don’t like that.
Wait.
What.
“Want something warm?”
Oikawa walked toward the kitchen with nothing but a white t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajamas on him. Daichi shivered just from seeing Oikawa’s bare feet on the laminated floor and wondered how the guy could endure such low temperature wearing just those. It wasn’t as if their heater was turned on that high, Daichi could still feel a little breeze despite his warmest sweater on.
“Water is fine. It shouldn’t be long before Kuroo returns.”
Kuroo promised to take Daichi to that cat café newly opened next to the library. At said day and an hour before agreed time, Kuroo forgot he had to get his textbooks back from Yaku since he wouldn’t be able to get it back from him by the time he’ll need it, so he asked Daichi to wait for him at his apartment while he made a quick trip to Yaku’s place.
“Dai-chan, you know I really wanted to go to that coffee shop too, but I didn’t want to be the third wheel and ruin your date so you better tell me that you and Tet-chan got together by the end of the day.” Oikawa handed the mug over, steam warming the tip of Daichi’s nose. Oh, he was generous enough to drop two slices of lemon in it. He sat across Daichi and propped his chin on his hand, his own cup of tea placed between his elbows. “At this point I don’t even care what method you intend to use to bind him to you, just do it before my hair turns gray.”
“You’re saying it as if I’m some sort of psychopath obsessed with someone.”
“You get my point.”
Drinks were nearly consumed after a while and just when Daichi was telling his friend that one tragic event involving Asahi and a pot of miso soup, his story came to an abrupt stop when he let out a sharp painful cry.
“Dai-chan?” The cup of tea held in Oikawa’s hand was promptly set on the table, back straightened and both hands placed on the small table. “What’s wrong?”
Daichi rubbed one eye with a long whimper. “I think I have an eyelash in my eye, it hurts.”
“Don’t rub it like that, you’re gonna hurt your eyes!” Oikawa quickly rose from his cushion and moved beside Daichi, hands instinctively reaching out to cup his face and eyes peering attentively at his friend. “Lemme see.”
With a hand holding his jaw, Daichi let it tilt his chin and closed his eyes. Oikawa gently prodded his eyelid, his own brown eyes focused on the foreign body fallen into the wrong place. This was probably a rare sight of him looking so serious on something that wasn’t related to volleyball, but Daichi couldn’t witness it with both eyes shut and trying to not instigate any pain by blinking.
“There,” Oikawa whispered as Daichi reflexively opened his eyes and fluttered his eyelids thrice, twice more just to be sure the eyelash was indeed removed, “feel better?”
Daichi hummed with a smile, realizing just then that Oikawa was sitting on the table, back hunched with both hands holding his face, strong thighs caging Daichi between them and feet firmly planted on the floor. “Much better, thank you, Oi—”
“Oh, hey Tet-chan!”
Daichi’s whole body flinched and almost got a whiplash from whipping his head so quickly toward the door behind him where Kuroo stood. His lips were drawn to a tight line, textbook held close to his waist. Eyes of gold stared at them without blinking and Daichi, for once, couldn’t read what emotion was contained in them.
“Ah, Kuroo—”
“Sawamura, come.”
It almost sounded like an order, or was it with the dryness of Kuroo’s tone and how he just randomly tossed the volume that landed on the nearest cushion and turned his back to the door, expecting Daichi to follow him as he walked down the hallway to grab his sneakers.
Daichi hurriedly trotted behind him after thanking Oikawa properly, the latter sending him off with a small wave of his hand, a casual smile that soon morphed into a mischievous grin as the front door shut close.
“Well, well, well...”
Studying together turned to aggressively solving physics questions by shouting the best formula across the table to trying to solve the mystery of Bokuto’s natural hair color to discussions about the cutest animal ever to exist on this planet. That eventually led to Kuroo learning that Daichi had never visited a cat café in his life yet and a major problem Kuroo was determined to fix. However, miscalculations delayed their plans and after running all the way back to his apartment once the book acquired, never in Kuroo’s life was he expecting to find his roommate pressing his lips against his friend’s at the other side of the door.
Any thought in Kuroo’s mind was abruptly obliterated to blankness, leaving him glued on the spot, eyes witnessing Oikawa part his lips and talk so softly to Daichi who hummed just as gently in return.
“Oh, hey Tet-chan!”
At Oikawa’s call, Daichi promptly turned back and the red that flared up upon seeing him was as adorable as it ticked something off Kuroo. Irritation created a tension that pulled his insides and before he knew what he was doing, his mouth ran faster than his mind.
“Sawamura, come.”
It was the first thing that came to his mind and without even filtering his thoughts, words just slipped out. He heard Daichi scramble on his feet as he walked away without sparing his roommate another glance and unconsciously felt relieved seeing Daichi run to his side in a hurry, far away from Oikawa.
Ah. So that was the thing.
He disliked seeing Daichi being that close to Oikawa.
...but why?
Daichi didn’t bring it up and Kuroo didn’t ask, so the whole day spent at the café Kuroo wondered why the sight of Daichi and Oikawa together bothered him. Oikawa was a flirt, he knew that. All the side characters he flirted with didn’t matter to Kuroo: Bokuto, Suga, Hondo, Hirugami; Kuroo could’ve cared less. Yet, it made his brows pinch and jaw tense when Daichi was involved.
Don’t you think Dai-chan’s reactions are cute? It makes me want to tease him.
Oikawa’s words flashed through his mind and golden eyes landed on Daichi sitting across him giddily petting a tabby purring so loud Kuroo wondered how the cat with silver long hair could still nap on Daichi’s lap.
Daichi was handsome alright. Not the same kind of handsome as Bokuto, but Daichi had his own natural charms that would never get Kuroo tired to gaze at. From the way he tried not to bawl when watching dramas with tragic endings to the way he blushed after Kuroo messed with him, there were times Daichi was so very cute in Kuroo’s eyes just like right now with how Daichi’s big round eyes looked watery when the tabby poked its nose against his and Daichi signaling Kuroo with his hand to make sure he saw that proof of affection to that little bed hair sticking out at the back of his head and that fucking white sweater slightly oversized that gave him sweater paws and—
He’s so damn cute I wanna squeeze him into my arms and make him giggle while showering him with kisses—
Wait.
What.
“Yakkun, something’s wrong with me.”
“Is that supposed to be new ‘cause that’s just the usual.”
Yaku slammed his textbooks shut and collected his papers under the bitter glare of his friend.
“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that because I’m nice.” Kuroo stretched his legs under the table, cheek glued to his books piled under his head. “What do you think of Sawamura?”
“Reliable,” Yaku replied without a single hesitation, still packing his things into his bag. “Kind, respectful, sometimes scary but very helpful and enjoyable to be around. Pretty much everything that you aren’t.”
“You have no idea how thankful I am that my roommate is Oikawa and not you. I’d rather have him narrate for the umpteenth time about how he crushed Kageyama back in middle school than have you edge at my pride everyday.” That earned Kuroo a swat on the head with Yaku’s notebook. “Anyway, do you find Sawamura... easy on the eyes?”
Yaku zipped his bag and swung it over his shoulder. “He has nice features. What’s up with all these questions about Sawamura? You got dumped by a girl who compared him to you?”
“Wha— no!”
Yaku smirked. “You jealous then?”
“No! That’s not it!”
“You trying to hit on him?”
“No! I— ”
“If you’re trying to hit on him then you better do a fucking amazing job because he already has a crush on someone.”
Kuroo needed a minute to process those words into his brain.
Daichi got a crush on someone.
That Daichi from the countryside.
The same Daichi who thought the skytree was Tokyo tower.
The Daichi who always avoided topics related to girls and relationships.
That Daichi. That same guy had feelings for someone.
Kuroo abruptly stood up and almost crutched down as quickly due to the prickling pain he inflicted on himself when his skin almost peeled off from the hardcover textbook. “ON WHO. SINCE WHEN. HOW EVEN—”
“Would you chill?” This time it was a karate chop that made Kuroo fold on himself. He had seen this technique used by Suga on Azumane, it was clearly a mistake to introduce Suga to Yaku. “I don’t know the details, I only know this much.”
Kuroo stood dumbly on site while the classroom slowly emptied itself, Yaku soon bouncing down the stairs and ready to make a run to the cafeteria. It was only when he reached midway that Kuroo finally found his voice and called, “how did you know?”
“It’s clearly on his face,” Yaku replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world with one brow raised, both hands clutching at his bag strap, “you’re the only one who didn’t notice.”
By the end of the week Kuroo still had no clue as to Daichi's secret love interest. It didn’t help with assignments swamped onto him to the point everyone started to make fun of his lab room being his second bedroom and the white coat being his pajamas. Weeks passed in a blur and on a fine afternoon where powerful sunlight brought smiles on everyone’s faces after days of clouded skies, Kuroo’s phone vibrated under the pile of textbooks crushing on it.
Sawacrow
Hey nerd, it’s been a while.
Do you wanna hang out today after class or are you still busy dating chemistry-chan?
Kuroneko
I didn’t realize I was in a relationship.
When did that happen?
Sawacrow
And here I thought you were smart.
Chemistry-chan would cry if she knew what you’ve just admitted.
Kuroneko
You’re hurting my feelings.
Chemistry-chan would defo prefer me than a man who can’t even ace a 80% for her.
Sawacrow
You know what
Just changed my mind. I’ll ask Oikawa to get okonomiyaki with me instead.
Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding with chemistry-chan.
Bye.
Kuroo’s eyes widened before the creases between his brows deepened without him being conscious of it, phone digging into the palm of his hand from the tightened grip as fingers quickly typed a reply, his heartbeat quickening at the sight of that name displayed on the screen.
Kuroneko
No wait.
Bros before hoes and I’m not one to refuse an invite for food.
Kuroo snagged his lower lip between his teeth, eyes staring at his screen for a reply with his hand covering his mouth. Minutes passed and the sneakers resting on the footrest of the stool involuntarily started to shake due to his impatience.
Kuroneko
Sawamura.
Sawamura pls don’t be angry I was just kidding,
you are the greatest man to ever exist and I really want to go to that okonomiyaki restaurant with you.
Sawacrow
I was just returning a book I borrowed in the library, why are you panicking
5:30 and I’ll go fetch you at your lab?
Kuroneko
Bring me flowers too.
Sawacrow
They’re wasted on you.
Kuroneko
Anyone saying you’re a kind soul is blind.
True to his words, Daichi slid open the door leading to Kuroo’s lab at 5:30 PM sharp. Students were leaving the classroom, others putting away their instruments or packing their bags while Kuroo was busy writing his report with his security glasses still on his face, an unusually focused expression Daichi rarely got to see.
“Hey,” Daichi gently greeted him with a wave of his hand, unsure if his timing was bad.
Kuroo lifted his chin and eyes brightened with the curve of his lips lifting high enough for Daichi to see his white canines resting on red lips. “Sawamura! I’m sorry, I had to restart my assignment midway. If you prefer—”
“It’s fine.” Daichi dragged a stool out from the table and made himself comfortable with his back pressed against the wall and legs dangling in the air. “Take your time to finish your report, I can wait.”
Kuroo’s eyes were almost watery when he placed a hand on his chest and smiled goofily. “I take back what I said earlier, you’re truly a kind soul.”
Daichi grinned. “You’re paying, though.”
“I retake back what I just said.”
Daichi’s hearty laughter filled the now empty lab, the sound going straight through Kuroo’s heart, his cheeks growing warm and thoughts in a beautiful mess. He quickly turned his back to Daichi and proceeded to put the pen in his hand in motion, but no word inked on his paper due to his unavailability to think straight.
The pen and the security glasses finally dropped on the table when sunlight dimmed. Kuroo huffed with content and stretched both arms in the air and chuckled with amusement upon seeing Daichi dozing off on the stool with his head resting against the wall.
Kuroo stood up, removed his white coat and quietly made his way to Daichi. He didn’t wake up, face peaceful with his chest subtly rising up and down as he breathed, legs motionlessly hanging in the air. The hallway was void of any living being, the lab deserted except for the two of them. All thoughts were muted in Kuroo’s mind, his body simply acting on autopilot as he crouched down between Daichi’s legs and rested his chin on his hand. His eyes strayed on the man’s features, noticing for the first time the thickness of his eyelashes and the shape of his brows, the gentle slope of his nose and that beautiful naturally drawn lip line.
He already has a crush on someone.
Yaku’s words suddenly played in Kuroo’s mind uninvited, disturbing the tranquility he was feeling. And just like that, the brain started to work and dug in his memories for clues— as small as they could be— and every single one linked back to that one person Kuroo sincerely hoped he got it wrong.
Daichi suddenly stirred and eyelids trembled before slowly sliding them open to reveal hazy brown eyes. His hand rubbed the remaining sleepiness away as he hummed, and Kuroo wondered where he had been for the past five years because how come he had never seen this softness before and what were the many other precious things he had missed.
Daichi yawned big, a hand stroking his sore neck and some hair strands sticking out of place. “Are you done?”
Kuroo nods. “Tell me,” the tone of his voice was light, but his gaze on Daichi was piercing under the faint sunlight, flecks of gold shimmering from the light cast on them, “a little bird told me you have someone you like.”
The proper reaction Kuroo expected was a snort along with the raise of one eyebrow; however, the second Daichi flinched on his seat and his jaw tensed, there was no denying that he just confirmed what he hoped was just a rumor.
“So you do,” Kuroo mumbled and suddenly his insides churned with bitterness, “why was I the only one who didn’t know?”
Daichi always had something to add for everything, but right this instant, his brain could only deploy a blaring siren from his internal panicked state, heartbeat thumping so loud and in such a hurry that made Daichi bring his knees close to his body, curling in his seat with a flaming face hoping it could prevent the sound from reaching to Kuroo’s ears.
The sight made Kuroo’s eye narrow in annoyance, the hand in which his chin was resting clenched and fingers pressed into his skin despite the calmness of his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me? Is it because that person is a man?”
To Kuroo’s displeasure, the red on Daichi’s cheeks turned scarlet.
“I don’t mind that.” Kuroo slid his fingers through his bang, dark strands being brushed to the back but falling right into their usual place. “But I do mind the fact that it’s Oikawa that you’ve been showing those expressions of yours.”
“Huh?”
A heavy sigh was pushed out from Kuroo’s lips as he dragged a hand down the long of his face before looking up at Daichi with pleading eyes. “Of all people, you had to fall in love with him?”
Daichi needed a minute to process those words. Did Kuroo just mention Oikawa’s name along with the word ‘love’? In what wicked universe was he living to come up with that assumption? Oikawa? The popular flirty prince who actually couldn’t even get his shit together to confess to his childhood friend?
Daichi was left staring blankly at Kuroo like a fish with its mouth hung open, dumbfounded as to the silliest nonsense he had heard in all his life. Seeing Daichi not seemingly going to reply, Kuroo’s gaze dropped and his back slouched. He slowly stood up and just when he was about to walk away, Daichi hurriedly pulled his shirt, his free hand gripping the stool he was still glued on to stabilize himself.
“Ah—Um—” Daichi tightened the fabric between his fingers and the red coloring his cheeks managed to intensify even more. Kuroo said nothing, simply waiting for Daichi to find the words he needed to most likely hurt him less. “It’s not Oikawa.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah, sur— wait. What.”
Daichi made sure to look into Kuroo’s confused eyes and repeated again, louder and firmer. “It’s not Oikawa.”
Kuroo finally shifted his body toward him, standing on his ground and not stepping closer. “What do you mean it’s not Oikawa? You guys been hanging out so much lately and he’s been so horribly clingy to you it’s annoying. He was practically pinning you down on the bathroom counter, constantly sliding an arm around you whenever we meet at the cafeteria and he’s treating you like his personal human pillow when you come over for movie nights.”
“Well, he’s always been a little touchy...”
“It’s gotten out of hands!” Kuroo scoffed with his hands thrown in the air. “And everytime you’re blushing so hard when he’s around and even more when he’s whispering into your ears whenever we’re together!”
“He’s just making fun of me because of you!” Daichi let it slip out and immediately regretted, mind flashing all those times Oikawa purposely did all those unnecessary flirting whenever Kuroo was close by and teasing him by whispering nonsenses such as ‘oh, Kuroo’s looking this way’, ‘your face is red, are you imagining if Kuroo was the one holding you this close?’, ‘Your heart just throbbed because of his smile, am I right?’. Daichi wished he could jump into a lake on a freezing winter night and go into hibernation to only wake up eons later.
Kuroo narrowed his eyes, creases digging deeper into his skin. “You don’t need to deny it, he even kissed you.”
His voice sounded a little sour to his ears and Kuroo wondered why Daichi’s whole being seemed to come to a stop, big round eyes staring at his face, lips slightly parted as he pondered the statement he just made. Kuroo tried to free his shirt from Daichi’s grasp, but just as he did so, the grip tightened and tugged on it, Kuroo unwillingly closing their distance with one step.
“When did Oikawa kiss me?” Daichi asked with complete puzzlement in his voice, one brow quirking up so high to hint his utter lack of recollection of this matter.
“The day we went to the cat café and I went to Yaku’s place. I came back to the apartment and saw both of you kiss then whisper to each other.”
“Oh my god.”
“Yeah, so don’t—”
“Oh my god Kuroo, we weren’t kissing.” Warmth regained on Daichi’s face once again, the latter wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or to cry. “Oikawa was removing an eyelash that was hurting my eye!”
There was stillness between them with Daichi struggling to not combust right on the spot while Kuroo dumbly stared at him and let his words sink into his brain.
“An eyelash.” Kuroo repeated dumbly after what Daichi felt like forever.
Daichi nodded with embarrassment, unaware that his declaration just now soothed the nerves boiling in Kuroo’s body, making him release the tension built on his shoulders and allowing him to breathe easier again. “So you don’t like him? romantically?”
“No! How did you even came up to that conclusion??” Daichi finally let go of Kuroo’s shirt to massage his temples, an urge to cry at this ridiculous situation only abstained from his determination to waste his energy on eating okonomiyaki rather than spilling tears.
Kuroo strayed his gaze, still not letting the matter go. “If it’s not Oikawa, then who is the person you’re—”
Don’t you think Dai-chan’s reactions are cute?
It’s clearly on his face.
You’re the only one who didn’t notice.
Kuroo’s eyes snapped to Daichi.
He’s whispering into your ears whenever we’re together.
Red.
He’s just making fun of me because of you.
Daichi’s face was very red.
And everytime you’re blushing so hard.
From the color of red roses darkening to a gorgeous vivid scarlet, it was now as dark as a tempting bottle of red wine and reaching all the way to Daichi’s ears and down his neck. Deep brown eyes that used to look ahead of him without fear now laid low and blinked incessantly to avert his, pretty lips drew into a thin line that Kuroo knew Daichi was biting the inside of it to conceal any reaction he might betray.
“Look at me.” Kuroo’s voice was firm and spoke with a little haste.
“No.”
“Sawamura, look at me.”
Daichi squirmed on the stool, sneakers solidly planted on the seat and arms coming to hide his burning face. “No.”
How the steady rhythm of his breathing got disrupted from the accelerating pounding of his heartbeat was truly annoying when all Kuroo wanted was to clearly hear Daichi’s voice without anything else meddling in. The distance between them decreased with Kuroo wrapping Daichi’s wrists and pulling them apart, fingers holding Daichi’s chin and tilting it up to face him, barely aware that his own skin was burning.
Kuroo gulped, but somehow his throat was still dry and his voice deep. “Since when?”
“I-I don’t know...” Daichi fiddled with his bag held in his arms, dark eyelashes fluttering nervously and away from the man standing before him. It was too much, too stressful, too intimate that Daichi craned his face out of Kuroo’s hold only to have the latter firmly veer it back to him. There was an intensity that differed from the ones Kuroo bored in his eyes when standing on the court, these ones looking closely at Daichi’s every reaction contained what he would dare say hopefulness with how much they sparkled, and that was all Daichi needed to keep his mouth moving. “My eyes just kept following you since high school... I think. Probably. I’m-I’m not sure anymore.”
“Why didn’t you say anything or make it more obvious?!” Kuroo was now cupping Daichi’s cheeks, large palms squeezing the soft skin and pulling that flustered yet perplexed face closer to his. “You looked so normal!”
“Of course I gotta act normal!” Daichi retorted as his hands grasped Kuroo’s wrists to free his face. “There’s no way I was going to make it obvious, I’d rather take it to my grave than have you hate me and lose you!”
“Gosh, why are you so—” Pink dusted Kuroo’s cheekbones and a sound resembling a suppressed groan could be heard. Hands still captive in Daichi’s, Kuroo lowered them to cradle his neck and golden eyes with a hint of shyness looked into warm browns. “Are you going to punch me if I kiss you now?”
Wrinkles deepened between Daichi’s eyebrows. “Why would you kiss me? You don’t even like me.”
The corner of Kuroo’s lips lifted to reveal his familiar smirk. Using his height to his advantage, Kuroo stepped closer and put his knee on the seat between Daichi’s thighs, one arm resting on Daichi’s shoulder while the other hand slid up his neck. “Bold of you to assume I don’t hold the slightest affection toward you when you’ve been occupying my thoughts 24/7.”
Kuroo knew exactly what he was doing and it was sending Daichi’s soul out of his poor flustered body. In the mere seconds where Daichi subtly struggled to control the heat flaming his face and his reason clear, Kuroo could see those round eyes drunk in love blink repeatedly to ensure himself if this was reality while the hands pressed against Kuroo’s chest that once tried to keep him at a reasonable distance lost their determination.
Don’t you think Dai-chan’s reactions are cute?
Hell yes.
They were definitely most adorable and incredibly cute and Kuroo cursed at himself for not realizing it sooner, letting others— especially Oikawa— witness something so precious. If Daichi’s words stand true and his feelings bloomed since high school, then it had been a few years that Daichi stood beside him without spilling a single word about it and believing that his affection will unmistakably be unrequited.
But that was going to change because Kuroo most definitely felt the same and decided he will be spoiling one country boy Sawamura Daichi with everything he got for as long as he would let him.
“I...” Daichi started before gulping, then tilted his chin to look into Kuroo’s eyes, earnest and unwavering, “I take relationships seriously. If this is some kind of joke for you then leave me alone.”
Kuroo had always admired how Daichi was straightforward with his thoughts, going for it despite fear residing in his gut while unsure of the outcome and maybe that was one of the many endless things that made Kuroo unable to look away from him, unconsciously stealing glances at the country boy and not understanding why until this day.
Slowly, Kuroo folded his legs and crouched down between Daichi’s legs once again and when he looked up, there was a fondness that stole Daichi’s ability to speak and left him mesmerized by the crinkles around Kuroo’s eyes as well as the loving smile displayed to him. The tick from the old clock with dark plastic frame hung by the door seemed to slow down, every course of action happening in the world around them moving in slow motion when Kuroo gently held Daichi’s wrists and murmured in the space between them, just enough in that little bubble they created, “Darling, I intend to make you the first and the last person I am going to take on dates in my whole life.”
Daichi’s breath caught a little and he wasn’t sure if it was from the endearing words that Kuroo just pronounced or the fact that there was a strength that pulled at his wrists, sending him tumbling forward where a pair of soft lips gently collided with the seams of his own lips.
The contact lasted a second— one tiny little second enough to enhance all the colors in Daichi’s world and body still unable to react, leaving him gaping at Kuroo who pulled away and chuckled giddily in a way that sent thousand of butterflies fluttering erratically in Daichi’s stomach.
Kuroo cocked his head to the side, charming cat-like eyes addicted to the carmine flushed on Daichi’s face. “Would you like that, S’aamura? Being my only one?”
When Daichi nodded and stammered a yes, Kuroo heartily laughed with his head thrown backwards and the sound echoed in the room, quickly becoming one of Daichi’s favorite sounds.
“I’m gonna kiss you on the lips next,” Kuroo snickered with mischievous eyes, dust of pink darkening on his cheekbones, thumbs rubbing circles on Daichi’s hands still wrapped in his.
Daichi’s whole body jolted, ears burned and heartbeat skyrocketed. “No, wait, I’m not ready—”
“To the count of three!” was the only warning Kuroo gave before he intertwined their fingers, keeping his love close and unable to flee. “One, two—”
Hands were pulled and body was sent forward. The last count never reached Daichi's ears for it never made it out from Kuroo's lips that were too eager to meet his. It was a chaste touch, a gentle press of their lips and when Kuroo pulled away just enough to lay his eyes on Daichi who had his eyes tightly squeezed shut, he simply closed their distance again for it would take godlike powers to not dive back in.
Then a smile was drawn on Kuroo’s face because Daichi met him halfway and wrapped his arms around his neck with one hand coming up to brush his fingers through his messy hair, and Kuroo’s heart soared to the sky and his body melted under Daichi’s touch.