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“-don’t you remember, babe?”, Bokuto’s ever so cheery voice boomed.
Oh, shit, you mentally cursed yourself, forcing yourself out of your comfortable thought bubble you’ve stayed in for the evening. You straightened your shoulders, startled by the sudden mention of your name, offering a tight lipped smile to the group of men gathered around you and your boyfriend. The discomfort of it all weighed heavy in your stomach. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t quite catch that, Koutarou.”
His smile was interrupted by a slight pout at your reply, whining. “Nooo, why’d you use my name?”
You suppressed a smile. “Because it’s your name?”
“Wha-”, he huffed, leaning down to rub his head on your shoulder in a mix of neediness and frustration. “But I call you ‘babe’ all the time. You know, because you’re my babe.”
A wave of heat and embarrassment rushed to your face as you felt their eyes turn to you more intently than before, some of them more curious than others. Was it curiousity or judgement? Shit, was there a difference? Should you even care? Why did you even care? Why for the love of god couldn’t you stop caring? You bore your nails into the fabric of your christmas sweater - Bokuto had insisted on you two matching and really, who were you to deny his enthusiastic request. “Can we talk about this later?”
Kuroo’s laugh rang through the room, when he nudged your side, obviously having downed a few too many drinks already. “Come on, (y/n). You should cut lose more often! Here we are at our wonderful, wonderful Christmas party - Great job on the gingerbread men by the way, Lev! So full of talent, our giant baby”, he motioned to the man in question with a nod of his head. “-and you’re still so serious! What could I possibly do to better your mood?”
The urge to punch Kuroo right in his stomach has never been stronger.
You forced out a strained chuckle, while you felt Bokuto shift next to you, his hand tugging you closer to his wide frame. “Charming as always, Tetsuro, really.”
It wasn’t like you were particularly offended by Kuroo’s childish attempts at egging you on. Hell, you’ve known him since high school, he had always been a bit of a tone deaf bastard, so this was nothing new. Yet that didn’t lessen the embarrassment you felt at being put on the spot so fucking blatantly. It was already challenging enough to drag yourself out past 5pm, making small talk with your boyfriend’s friends and pretending like you didn’t feel insecure for his sake alone.
He was just too kind at times. You knew, if you’d ever hint at feeling anxious during a party, he’d drop everything then and there to focus his attention on you for the rest of the evening. And you’d hate to keep him from his friends for your sake, that’d be unfair. Right?
Pushing yourself up from your seat with some protests from your boyfriend and his friends alike, you declared that you needed some fresh air. The guilt upon hearing Bokuto call out for you, made you feel dizzy. But it was for the best, you decided. It’d be for the best, surely. He’d have a better time without you dragging him down, dragging down the mood.
“You’re drunk, Kuroo”, you heard Kenma say, voice as soft and words as sharp as always. Despite everything, you couldn’t help but smile when you made your exit. Get wrecked, Tetsuro.
The chilly night air bit into your skin, tearing its way into your bones, making goosebumps run down your whole body, yet your mind was too occupied to care. Occupied analysing every other little glance directed your way throughout the evening, every question you’d been asked, every answer you had given, every answer Bokuto gave. The rational part within you was screaming and cursing, telling you to get your act together, to get inside again and have fun with your boyfriend. To hell with your insecurities and your anxieties, damn it.
Pulling your big jacket closer, you closed your eyes, relishing in the calming silence of the night. No chatter, no laughter, no social expectations that weigh you down. A sigh.
“Hey, babe.” You could already feel your throat start to close up at his concerned tone.
With a click, Bokuto closed the door behind him, snaking his arms arms around you, letting his chin rest on your shoulder. You felt yourself relax against his embrace, leaning into him. “Hey.”
“How you doing?”, he asked, lips pressing a soft kiss to the crook of your neck.
“Fine.” It was an automatic reply, one you didn’t think about - one you knew, wouldn’t satisfy Koutarou in the slightest. You furrowed your brows, annoyed at yourself at the lie. “Shit, sorry. No, I’m- doing better, I think. Better than before though.”
“‘M sorry, baby. I didn’t- Did I make you uncomfortable?”, his voice was barely above a whisper now - so small, so insecure.
Your heart felt like bursting right then. “Huh? No, why’d you think you did?”
“You told me, you’d rather not come to the Christmas party and I still asked you to,“ Hiding his face like a kid caught in an act of disobedience, he mumbled. “I just like to show you off, you know? I love to have you next to me and it gets so boring when I have to go alone. I don’t- I don’t like it when you’re not with me. I’m- I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no. Koutarou - baby - please”, you turned around, his strong arms still firmly wrapped around your torso as if to ensure you’d stay with him. “Look at me.”
His gaze met yours, his nose pink from the cold, a cloud of your breath fanning across his face his pretty face. “It’s not your fault that I get all anxious in crowds, okay? Don’t blame yourself. Please. I made the decision to go with you. You didn’t force me to do anything. I went with you, because I knew it’d made you happy and I also want to spend time with you. You didn’t guilt me into anything.”
Bokuto leaned forward then, pressing - what felt like - a million little pecks all across your face, only halting when he reached your lips as a last stop. His cold lips touched yours so softly, so gently, so full of love, you felt yourself tearing up. “I love you, babe. So, so, so much. Next time, I’ll just stay home with you. I like having you all to myself better anyway. No one else there to look at my beautiful girlfriend!”
A sniffle. “I love you too, you big baby.”
And with a quick squeeze of his hands against your sides, he offered you a warm, wide smile. “Do you want to get out of here?”
You let out a quiet laugh. “What are we going to tell Kuroo and the rest?”
Bokuto’s smile turned cheeky at your question, raising his eyebrows. “Easy. I’ll just tell them that I’d rather spend the night in bed with you than with any of them.”
“You’re so corny sometimes.” A giggle escaped your lips at that, playfully hitting his shoulder with your balled fist. He caught your hand in his, bringing it to his chest - his heart.
“The corniest.”
“I wouldn’t have you any other way anyway.”
He grinned. “Good, ‘cause you’re stuck with me.”