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“Hey, Kuroo-san?” Tsukishima called out to the man laying beside him on the grassy field.
“Yeah?” Kuroo responded.
“It’s getting darker, huh?” Tsukishima said as he gazed at the changing colors of the sky.
“Yeah, I can already see the moon,” Kuroo said as he traced the pale yellow circle above him.
“The moon, huh? That reminds me of an old story my grandma used to tell me,” Tsukishima stated.
“An old story? Care to tell?” Kuroo asked, face now looking at the younger beside him. All of his attention on him.
“You know how the Tsuki in my surname means moon?” Tsukishima started.
“Uh huh?” Kuroo responded.
Tsukishima chuckled softly as he remembered the story. “My grandma said that my family used to be moon keepers or something in the past when yokais and spiritual beings were still common. We were sort of like the guardians of an old shrine which has a direct connection to the moon. Back then, only those with Tsukishima blood could go to the moon and back. This was so it could be protected directly and from afar.”
“Wow, that’s interesting. Is the shrine still standing?” Kuroo asked, intrigued.
“No, it was probably demolished long ago when supernatural beings started to disappear. However, my grandma also mentioned that when we die, our souls go to the moon. All of the past generations of my family now live on the moon, I guess,” Tsukishima said as he looked up at the moon in question. “Some of my family members even talk to the moon when they miss their loved ones.”
“Wow…” Kuroo said in awe.
“You think its complete bullshit, right?” Tsukishima asked as he looked at Kuroo with a smirk.
“No way! I think its awesome that you have a cool family past like that!” Kuroo exclaimed as he rose from his lying position.
“Really? Do you believe it?” Tsukishima asked.
“The logical part of my brain doesn’t, but the other half does,” Kuroo answered.
“Same as me then,” Tsukishima responded with a smile.
Kuroo then returned to lying on the grass. He placed his arms behind his head and began observing the moon with more interest this time.
“I hope I never have to talk to the moon,” Kuroo said all of a sudden.
“Why is that?” Tsukishima asked, curious.
“Because—“
~*~
Kuroo awoke with tears in his eyes and the soft light of the moon from his window caressing his face. The first thing he did was feel the other side of the bed. When he felt another warm body, he wrapped his arms tightly around their torso and began breathing deeply.
Said body beside Kuroo started squirming a bit, a tuft of blond hair peeking from under the blanket. Groggily, the other person shifted in the bed and looked at the bedhead.
“Tetsu? Is something wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” Tsukishima said as he returned the bedhead’s hug.
Kuroo shook his head. “No, it wasn’t a nightmare. It was actually a happy memory yet… I don’t know why I have tears when I woke up.”
Tsukishima then began patting Kuroo’s head to calm him down. “Shhh, you’ll be okay. Get some more sleep. I’ll be right beside you,” the blond comforted him.
That was enough for the both of them to resume sleeping.
~*~
“Tetsu, I might come home late today. I’ll be meeting with Yamaguchi to catch up later in the afternoon,” Tsukishima said as he grabbed his bag from the couch.
Kuroo looked up from his desk filled with musical sheets and blinked at him.
“That’s today? I thought it was tomorrow?” He asked.
“Its today, Tetsu. Today is Saturday after all,” Tsukishima said with a smile.
“Its Saturday? Oh no, I have a gig later tonight at a bar with my bandmates. I’ll probably be home later than you will be,” Kuroo said as he looked at Kei apologetically.
“That’s fine. It’s at the bar right around the end of our street, right? If I have time, I’ll meet you there,” Tsukishima said as he grabbed his keys.
“Really? You’ll watch me sing?” Kuroo asked, giddy at the implication.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Tetsu,” Tsukishima said before walking over to him, giving him a sweet peck on the lips before bidding farewell.
Kuroo, all fired up at the thought of his boyfriend watching him perform, worked harder at his desk. As he was working though, his doorbell suddenly rang.
He stood up and went to open it. On the other side was a kind old lady with a plastic container.
“Hello Kuroo dear, I made too much onigiri today. I was wondering if you would want some?” The lady said as she offered the container.
“That’s so kind of you, Shimura-san. This will go well with the breakfast my boyfriend just made,” Kuroo said as he happily accepted the food.
“Y-you… live with someone?” Shimura-san asked, surprise evident in her face and tone.
“Yes, have been for a while now. He just left actually, before you came,” Kuroo responded with a smile.
The old lady paused and just blinked a few times. She then shook her head before offering Kuroo a kind smile. “That’s nice, dear. Eat it with him when he comes back then.”
“I will, thanks again Shimura-san,” Kuroo said before closing the door.
“I didn’t see anyone walk out of here though,” the old lady mumbled to herself as she stared into the hallway of the apartment complex. “I hope that boy’s alright.”
~*~
“Bro! What took you so long?” Bokuto said as he draped an arm around Kuroo’s shoulder the moment the bedhead walked into their practice studio.
“Sorry, I forgot that today was Saturday already. If it wasn’t for Kei reminding me, I would still probably be in bed,” Kuroo explained as he scratched his head.
The room became dead silent after what he said. Kenma was bristling, Akaashi had his eyes wide open and looking worried, while Bokuto was looking at his best bro with pity in his eyes.
“I can’t stand this anymore. I’m gonna tell him once and for—“ Kenma mumbled angrily as he began stomping towards his oblivious childhood friend.
Bokuto and Akaashi were quick to act though. The owl-like man was already guiding Kuroo out the room while Akaashi swiftly placed himself in front of Kenma and was holding the smaller’s wrist tightly in his hands.
“Let go of me, Akaashi. He needs to know,” Kenma gritted out of his teeth.
Akaashi only tightened his grip further and leveled his gaze with the pudding head. “I know, but remember last time? Do you honestly want him to become depressed again?”
Kenma glared. “No, obviously. But this has to stop. Its been weeks! He can’t keep living like this!”
The taller took a deep breath and sighed. “You’re right, but he’s finally cheering up. Let’s just leave it for now? He’ll figure it out anyway.”
Kenma huffed and pulled his wrist out of the other’s now lose grip. “Fine.”
~*~
“Bro, why did you lead me out? Kenma looked mad at something,” Kuroo asked as he and Bokuto kept walking down the hallway of their small-time band’s studio building.
“He uhhh… was probably just pissed at something game related. Don’t worry, Akaashi’s in there. He’ll calm him down,” Bokuto explained to his bro, making up an excuse as best as he can at the moment.
“Right…” Kuroo said as he looked weirdly at the owl-like man.
“Anyway, any new songs, bro? As our composer, you should be coming up with songs every day!” Bokuto asked jovially.
“That’s impossible, bro. I’m not that creative. Also, did you forget that we’re still in college?” Kuroo responded.
“So… no new songs then?” Bokuto asked with wide eyes and a pout.
Kuroo rolled his eyes before remembering the music he was writing this morning.
“I may have a new song in a few days though. There’s this tune stuck in my head since I had that weird dream or memory or whatever it was last night. I’m still trying to piece it together into a music sheet,” the bedhead recalled.
“That’s great!” Bokuto cheered.
Akaashi then poked his head out of the practice room. “Hey, we’ve finished tuning the instruments. We can practice now,” he called out.
“Coming!” The two outside replied before dashing back to the practice room.
~*~
Later that day, after practice was finally done, the four bandmates walked to university together. Kuroo laughed heartily with his friends as they walked through the streets in the university.
A lock of moss green hair in the distance caught Kuroo’s attention. With a smile on his face, he waved a hand at his kouhai who was also a dear friend of his beloved.
“Yamaguchi! Hey, how are you?” Kuroo asked as his group met with the younger guy.
“I-I’m doing f-fine. Thanks for asking,” Yamaguchi said as he gave the man a kind smile despite the heavy bags under his eyes and the pale undertone of his skin.
“Really? You don’t look the part,” Kuroo said as he observed him.
Yamaguchi nervously slung his bag closer to him. “This is just cause of the upcoming exam,” the freckled man replied.
“Oh, I know the feeling,” Kuroo said as he laughed a bit.
“Did you need something, Kuroo-san?” Yamaguchi asked.
“Oh nothing. You’re meeting up with Kei later, right? That’s what he told me,” the bedhead said.
“He… did?” Yamaguchi asked, voice coming out a bit breathless as he stared wide-eyed at the other man.
“Yeah! Have fun and remind him of my gig later tonight, okay?” Kuroo said with a wink.
Yamaguchi stood frozen on his spot. His once smiling mouth bent into a thin line and his eyes became dull at what the other said.
Kuroo’s friends who remained behind him as the bedhead conversed, sensed that something was wrong. One look at Yamaguchi had them guessing of what most probably occurred.
“Yamaguchi? Hello?” Kuroo asked as he snapped a finger in front of the younger’s face. That was enough to bring Yamaguchi out of his trance and have him looking at the bedhead with utter sadness in his eyes. As he looked at his senpai though, he noticed Kuroo’s friends making silent gestures at him from behind.
Bokuto was waving his hands around from behind Kuroo’s back, signalling for Yamaguchi to please not say anything about that certain topic. Akaashi was also pleading with wide eyes beside Bokuto while Kenma just stared resignedly at his phone.
Yamaguchi wandered his gaze back at Kuroo’s awaiting face before giving him a false smile which really didn’t reach his eyes no matter how hard he tried.
“Sure, Kuroo-san. I’ll t-tell T-Tsukki to get there o-on time,” Yamaguchi replied, stuttering a little, but still getting the job done.
“Thanks! Have fun with him later, okay?” Kuroo said as he patted the younger’s shoulder.
He looked behind towards his friends and said, “I’ll be going on ahead, I have a class in five minute. See you guys!” he said before dashing off.
Yamaguchi’s false smile quickly dropped from his face. A tear slipped out of his eye as he watched Kuroo walk away quickly.
“He still doesn’t know?” He asked the group behind him, still looking at the direction Kuroo ran towards.
“Yeah…” Bokuto replied sadly as he shamefully rubbed the back of his neck. “He still can’t handle it.”
Akaashi walked forward and wrapped Yamaguchi in a gentle hug, letting the younger rest his chin on the curly-haired man’s shoulder. “We’re so sorry for making you do this…”
Yamaguchi let his body relax in the embrace. He sniffed as he turned his head away from the other man’s neck, too embarrassed to cry and wet Akaashi’s shirt.
“N-No…” Yamaguchi sobbed out brokenly, “I understand.”
~*~
Akaashi, Kenma, Bokuto, and Kuroo were all on stage as they set up their equipment. The audience below them were starting to gather and cheer a bit as an announcer walked up the stage of the bar.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, we have the pleasure to present to you, the hot new band of the month—Nocturnal!” the announcer said, gaining a lot of applauds from the audience.
Kuroo then walked up and grabbed the microphone on the stand. “Is everyone ready to party tonight?!” He exclaimed as his eyes scanned the crowd. Upon landing on a tall blond man’s frame at the table in a distance smiling at him, Kuroo grinned and with more excitement, hyped up the crowd some more with a few speeches.
“Let’s not wait any further, shall we? This first song is dedicated to all the love birds out there! So get your partners and start vibing to the beat!” Kuroo exclaimed before the band started performing to their hearts’ contents. Bokuto was beating away at the drums, Kenma was killing it with the keyboard, Akaashi was hyping it up with the guitar, and Kuroo was feeling the music thrum in his veins as he sang his heart out, all while staring at the most beautiful man on the other side of the room.
~*~
Kuroo walked with a happy hum beside Tsukishima as they went back to their apartment. On the way there, Kuroo overheard a few ladies gossiping by the hallway.
“That poor man… Always having a conversation with himself all alone in his apartment,” a lady said with a hand on her cheek.
“I often hear him talking out of his window too at night, like he’s talking to someone outside of it,” another said, worry in her voice.
“Do you think he’s gone mad? After what happened?” The other lady asked.
“I don’t know, I just wish he becomes okay soon,” the other answered somberly.
Kuroo ignored their strange conversation and greeted the ladies politely before entering his apartment. He lead Tsukishima inside before going to the kitchen and making two mugs of coffee.
“Today was so much fun, Kei! Did you see how hyped the crowd was while we were performing?” Kuroo asked excitedly as he gave Tsukishima his cup of hot coffee.
“Yeah, it really was fun. The crowd was wild,” the blond replied with a smile as he allowed Kuroo to guide him to his room’s window where two chairs were placed beside it overlooking the night sky.
Kuroo sat on one of the chairs while Tsukishima sat directly in front of him. Each held the mugs of coffee in their hands and enjoyed the night.
Kuroo rambled on and on about the practice and the performance that night, while Tsukishima shared a few details about his day as well. Each listened to the other’s stories, basking in their time together.
An hour later, when the moon was high in the sky, Tsukishima suddenly placed his mug on his lap as he placed his elbow on the window sill. He rested his head on his fist by the window and merely stared at Kuroo with a smile.
The bedhead sat back in his chair, grinning as he stared back at the blond.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kuroo asked with a chuckle.
“Nothing,” Tsukishima said before taking his glasses off and looking at Kuroo directly in the eyes. “I have a question, Tetsu.”
Kuroo merely raised an eyebrow.
“Do you like the moon?” Tsukishima suddenly asked.
Kuroo tilted his head to look at the full moon behind Tsukishima.
“Yeah, it’s pretty. It reminds me of your eyes,” Kuroo said sincerely.
Tsukishima smiled. “Can I ask another question?”
“You’re awfully curious today,” Kuroo said with a grin.
The blond merely kept the smile on his face as he inched closer towards the bedhead. “Tetsu, why are you talking to the moon?”
“What do you mean? I’m talking to you right now, Kei,” Kuroo said dazed by the blond’s proximity, but also confused by the question.
Then, a tear fell from Tsukishima’s eye. “No, you’re talking to the moon, Tetsu.”
“What do you—“ Kuroo wasn’t able to finish his sentence when the blond suddenly started fading. His body slowly became transparent, yet one of his eyes remained. The eye where a tear came out of was perfectly aligned with the moon from out of Kuroo’s window. He faded and faded until only the moon can be seen.
“No… no…” Kuroo said as he reached out towards the moon. “Come back…”
In just a few seconds, the blond disappeared leaving behind only the moon and the cold mug of full coffee on top of the chair in front of Kuroo.
~*~
Loud frantic knocks could be heard outside of Bokuto and Akaashi’s apartment. Groggily, the couple woke up and cautiously opened the front door in the middle of the night.
“Kenma, its the middle of the night… Is something wrong?” Akaashi asked as he supported his barely awake boyfriend at the door.
“Kuro’s landlady called me worriedly a few minutes ago. She said she heard a loud noise in Kuro’s apartment before the door was shut loudly and Kuro was rushing out into the night,” he said, voice laced with worry.
“What?” Bokuto asked, now fully awake after what he heard.
“Do you know where he could have gone to?” Akaashi asked his boyfriend who just shrugged. Then, Akaashi noticed the full moon in the sky as he looked out.
“Its a full moon… You don’t think… he finally realized?” Akaashi said, worry now going over the roof.
“Shit,” Kenma cursed before a memory came into his mind. “Wait, Kuro mentioned some time ago about a place where he and Tsukishima went to before.”
“Let’s try it then!” Bokuto said before the three of them went dashing for Kenma’s car.
~*~
On a road near a cliff on the outskirts of the city, Kuroo got off of his motor cycle and removed his helmet hadhazardly from his head. He tossed it beside his vehicle impassively as he trudged closer to the cliff. This same cliff with a grassy field covering the whole slope was his and Tsukishima’s favorite stargazing spot.
This was their comfort zone, the spot where they first kissed, the spot where they first dated, the spot where Tsukishima told him about his connection to the moon.
With tears in his eyes, Kuroo walked until he was just a few feet away from the edge. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted over the howling winds at the moon high up in the sky.
“KEEEEIIII!!” Kuroo yelled with all his might. “PLEASE, COME BACK!! DON’T STAY ON THE MOON! KEI, PLEASE!! COME BACK TO ME!!”
Kuroo screamed with all his might until he felt tired and his throat felt sore. Looking down, he saw the sea hundreds of meters below crashing into the side of the cliff. It looked mesmerizing.
Slowly, he walked closer and closer to the edge until he felt warm arms circle around his waist.
He didn’t need to look back to know who it was.
“Kei… You came back,” Kuroo said as he turned his head around and placed his forehead unto the blond’s.
Tsukishima only smiled before saying, “Don’t do it, Tetsu. Sing me a song instead?”
Kuroo was more than happy to oblige. Tsukishima walked in front of him, seprating the bedhead from the edge of the cliff and forcing him to walk backwards. Once Kuroo was safely away from the edge, he looked up into Kei’s eyes, one of them surprisingly aligning with the moon once again.
Kuroo hiccupped as he tried to compose himself. He wiped away the tears on his face as he said, “I have this song in my head for a while now. Its not polished yet, so don’t tease me for it, okay?”
Tsukishima chuckled before nodding his head.
I know you're somewhere out there
Somewhere far away
I want you back, I want you back
Kuroo reached out and cupped one of Tsukishima’s cheek. The blond only nuzzled into it.
My neighbors think I'm crazy
But they don't understand
You're all I had, you're all I had
Tsukishima looked at him with sad eyes, wiping away a tear that rolled down Kuroo’s eyes as he sang.
At night, when the stars light up my room
I sit by myself
Talking to the moon
Trying to get to you
In hopes you're on the other side talking to me, too
Or am I a fool who sits alone talking to the moon?
Oh-oh
Kuroo grabbed the blond’s hand and intertwined their fingers as he continued.
I'm feeling like I'm famous, the talk of the town
They say I've gone mad
Then, he looks at Tsukishima in the eyes with a sad smile.
Yeah, I've gone mad
He then looks back at their intertwined hands and holds the blond tighter.
But they don't know what I know
'Cause when the sun goes down, someone's talking back
Yeah, they're talking back, oh
Then, Kuroo grabs Tsukishima’s waist and pulls him impossibly closer, trying to imprint the blond in his body’s memory.
At night, when the stars light up my room
I sit by myself
Talking to the moon
Trying to get to you
In hopes you're on the other side talking to me, too
Or am I a fool who sits alone talking to the moon?
Suddenly, Kuroo starts swaying, and the pair are slowly dancing to Kuroo’s song.
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Do you ever hear me calling?
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah) oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Tsukishima nodded at the question in the lyrics, making Kuroo smile in relief. Then, Kuroo stopped their dance in favor of wrapping Tsukishima in a bone-crushing hug. He could see the blond disappearing again, bit by bit, and he is crying endless tears again.
'Cause every night, I'm talking to the moon
Still trying to get to you
In hopes you're on the other side talking to me, too
Or am I a fool who sits alone talking to the moon?
Oh-oh
By this time, Tsukishima has faded completely and Kuroo is now just staring up at the moon. His arms are cold and empty as they stretched into the sky.
I know you're somewhere out there
Somewhere far away
Suddenly, Kuroo reeled his arm back and collapsed on the ground. He hit the Earth as hard as he could before he screamed into the sky, “KEI! I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!!”
With all his energy spent, he began falling backwards. Luckily, before he hit the ground, his friends arrived just in time to catch him.
He stared up at them, eyes blurring with tears that refused to stop flowing. “Kei… he’s…”
Akaashi shushed him and nodded sadly, “Yes, we know…”
That was the last thing Kuroo heard before he blacked out.
~*~
“Because—“
“What did you say, Kuroo-san? I couldn’t hear you,” Tsukishima said as he rolled to his side and gave Kuroo his undivided attention.
Kuroo rolled to his side as well and cupped the blond’s cheek, endless tears flowing from both of the bedhead’s eyes.
“Because the only time I’ll talk to the moon is when you’re gone.”