Work Text:
Tsukishima figured things couldn't get much worse than they were.
In three days, he'd managed to spill a freshly made coffee over his apron, break a whipped cream machine, and mess up two different orders. He held one of those mistakes in his hand, glancing behind him in case his customer was getting impatient—he wasn't, thank god—and tossed it into the sink whilst muttering obscenities under his breath. He had to snap out of it, before he managed to get fired in his first week of working at the Nekoma coffeeshop.
It wasn't easy to do that with Kuroo around.
Tsukishima swore the guy was doing this on purpose. He wasn't sure if Kuroo had it out for him or something, but simple tasks were nearly impossible when he was in the room with him, brushing his arm against Tsukishima's every time he walked by, sending him glances and sly grins, loudly chatting up girls right next to him as if it was a competition, and it was driving Tsukishima up a wall. He was too distracting, the only words he'd said to Tsukishima were on the first day, a simple "hello" with that gross smirk and then later on a "need help with that?" (Tsukishima had replied to neither, as he was finishing up an order the first time and no, he did not need help with the cup lid, it was just being difficult.)
Tsukishima slipped off his glasses before running his hand under some cold water and flicking it into his face.
Get it together, he scolded himself. He's just pushing your buttons, don't show any weakness.
The hairs of his neck stood on end. Shit.
He turned around. Kuroo stood before him, lopsided grin and messy hair, arm outstretched, holding a drink. Tsukishima stared at him, unmoving, until Kuroo waved the drink between them. He blinked.
"What is it?"
Kuroo snorted. "Me or the drink?" He practically shoved the cup into Tsukishima's hand. "It's your order."
Tsukishima's brain decided at that moment to stop working. "My… order."
"The one you messed up?" The other boy raised an eyebrow and moved aside, lightly pushing the him towards the counter.
Tsukishima snapped out of it. Right. Coffee. Customer.
Once he had handed back the change and wished the customer a good day (employee protocol, which Tsukishima had always found a bit dumb), he decided to take a break. The little shop was empty of people, and his annoying coworker could take the orders if needed. He'd had enough of today, and yesterday, and the day before. If he wasn't so desperate for the extra cash, he would've dropped the job as soon as he saw Kuroo's face.
Tsukishima turned. And walked right into the boy in question. With a sound of surprise, he backed away, nearly taking the cash register with him, while Kuroo—the bastard—laughed. Tsukishima regained his balance and glared at the other boy, his heart thumping in his chest rather unnecessarily. Kuroo seemed undeterred.
"Hey, sorry," he said, snickering one last time. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Tsukishima flushed. "I wasn't—what do you want?"
"Nothing." Kuroo leaned against the counter. "You seem a little out of it today. Everything alright?" He still wore that irritating face, but Tsukishima thought he caught actual concern in his voice.
He really needed that break.
Much colder than he meant to, Tsukishima said, "Everything's alright, thanks. Excuse me," and walked past Kuroo.
-:-
Kuroo watched Tsukishima enter the back room, swinging the door shut behind him. He frowned worriedly. His coworker had seemed relatively asocial upon meeting, but now Kuroo wondered if the guy actually hated him.
Shit. Did he do something? Say something? Before today, they'd only spoken once or twice. Tsukishima Kei was too damn unapproachable, ignoring every one of Kuroo's attempts at getting his attention. Today was Kuroo's way of saying, "Hey, we're friends, right?" and the response he received was a door shut in his face.
He could barely admit it, but Kuroo wanted to be friends with Tsukishima. Working at the lonely coffeeshop was dull enough alone, but working alongside someone who apparently hated him was ten times worse.
Especially when that someone made his chest feel tight and his stomach do flips.
Sighing, he picked up a clean rag and ran it under the sink for a few seconds before shutting it off. He twisted out the excess water and started wiping down the counter. It wasn't really dirty—he'd just cleaned it that morning—but the silence and loneliness of the shop was suffocating him. He missed his old coworker, with the spiked grey hair and loud, childlike manner, who'd become one of Kuroo's best friends within days of working together. He made every dreary moment brighter. And he actually said more than five words a day.
The door chime jingled. Kuroo glanced up and tossed aside his towel.
"How's it going, Yamaguchi?"
The freckled customer waved cheerily and approached the counter. He wore his usual smile, but Kuroo noted that it looked tighter than usual.
"The usual?" Kuroo asked, taking a medium cup from the stack. He raised an eyebrow when Yamaguchi didn't respond immediately.
"Oh, no. I mean—yes, please!" His cheeks pinked slightly.
"Something happen?" Kuroo placed the cup under the Cat-puccino machine. "You haven't been here in a week."
"I guess so, yeah. It's just.…"
Yamaguchi went silent. Kuroo turned to look at him, and frowned at his troubled expression. He didn't often see it on Yamaguchi, who seemed to always have a cheerful twinkle in his eyes.
"Well, don't just leave me hanging," Kuroo said, dropping the finished drink on the counter. The customer started reaching into his pocket for payment but Kuroo stopped him. "On the house."
Yamaguchi unwrapped the straw and poked it through the lid, then lifted the cup to his mouth. He took a small sip.
"I don't want to bother you with it, is all."
Kuroo laughed. "Bother me?"
He stopped at the apprehension in the other boy's eyes.
"Yamaguchi, it's completely fine. Don't bottle it up like that."
Yamaguchi deflated with a sigh, and twisted a strand of his hair. "It's kind of stupid, really. I had a breakup."
Kuroo hissed through his teeth. "Yikes. Was it bad?"
"Hmm, kinda. It was mutual, but we haven't talked since. It just… feels weird, not being around him."
"This is the guy you've been dating for the past year?"
Yamaguchi nodded. "It's not really that big of a deal, honestly." He shrugged, but Kuroo narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, don't—"
"No, seriously," Yamaguchi said, placing his drink down gently. "You're probably worried I'm downplaying my feelings, but I'm not, really." He cast his eyes downwards. "Thanks, though." Then he lifted them back up, a smile growing on his face. Kuroo returned it, leaning on the counter again.
"So, what was the guy's name again? I'm pretty sure you told me once but I can't remember."
Yamaguchi laughed. "Surprising. I talked about him so much—"
"You always referred to him as your boyfriend," Kuroo reminded him.
"Ah, right. Anyways, his name was Tsu—"
The back door opened abruptly, and Kuroo jerked up to see his grumpy coworker standing at the doorway, staring straight at him.
"I lost my cell phone. Do you know where—"
"Tsukki!?"
Tsukishima froze and Kuroo spun around to frown at Yamaguchi. Tsukki?
The air was strange as Tsukishima faced the counter, a decidedly cool expression on his face.
"Yamaguchi."
Kuroo could feel the gears in his head turning. If Yamaguchi was calling Tsukishima 'Tsukki', did that mean they were close? Tsukishima didn't at all seem like an easy person to make friends with. And what was with the atmosphere?
Kuroo thought back to his conversation with Yamaguchi just before Tsukishima had walked in. He had asked what Yamaguchi's ex-boyfriend's name was, and Yamaguchi had replied…
'Tsu—'
'Tsukki.'
Tsukishima.
Kuroo's eyes widened. "Wait." His eyes flicked between the two boys. Their unease was obvious; Tsukishima stood stiff as a board while Yamaguchi refused to meet anyone's eyes. "He—" Kuroo pointed a finger at Tsukki—"is your ex?"
Yamaguchi reddened while Tsukishima scowled at the hand being pointed at him.
"Well, isn't this awkward." Kuroo scratched his head and laughed, hoping to at least somewhat lighten the mood.
Judging by the glares he was receiving from both sides now, it didn't work.
Yamaguchi coughed and forced a smile. "I guess I should get going. Thanks for the coffee, Kuroo. Tsukki… try checking your backpack for your phone. Maybe one of the side pockets."
"Take care, Yamaguchi," Kuroo called after him. The door jingled open again before shutting with a gentle click.
Tsukishima's gaze lingered at the door before he shifted it to Kuroo. Kuroo grinned.
"Don't," Tsukishima warned, eyes flashing. Kuroo was about to protest that he hadn't said anything yet, but he was cut off. "Whatever Yamaguchi told you, forget about it."
"He said he was fine." Kuroo raised an eyebrow at his coworker, who nodded and moved past him to search for his phone, apparently ignoring Yamaguchi's advice. "Do you want to call it with mine?"
"Sure."
(It turned out Yamaguchi was right.)
-:-
Kuroo definitely did not save Tsukishima's number in his phone. He definitely did not stare at it for twenty minutes while lying in bed later that night, and he definitely did not almost send him a text saying "Good night."
Kuroo was definitely not screwed.
When he went back to work the next day, Tsukishima seemed much more open to talking to Kuroo. The rest of the week fell into an easy routine. During busy hours, they worked together to increase efficiency, one manning the machines while the other took orders at the counter. When there were no customers around, they chatted, leaning against the counter with their backs to the door, about weird people they'd seen and volleyball and Tsukishima's annoying roommates, Hinata and Kageyama, who apparently couldn't go a day without arguing with each other.
("Uselessly hot-blooded people irritate me," he'd said about it.)
Sometimes Tsukishima caught Kuroo staring at him, or gazing at his lips, Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat. He'd half-grin in response, willing away the heat crawling up his neck. Tsukishima frowned and looked away most times, and Kuroo would laugh it off.
The next time it happened, Tsukishima didn't look away.
"Will you stop that?"
Kuroo blinked. "Stop what?"
Tsukishima shifted uncomfortably. "That gross face you always make."
Gross face? Kuroo thought, his stomach sinking slightly in spite of himself. "What do you…"
"Your smirk." Tsukishima's face flushed, and Kuroo almost laughed, lips turning up in a smile. "Like that. It's distracting."
"I'm not trying to—" he stopped himself and narrowed his eyes mischievously. He leaned closer, until their noses were inches apart and Tsukishima was sputtering. "Wait. Distracting, huh?"
"Not like that, creep," said Tsukishima, shoving Kuroo's face away. He reddened even more and Kuroo burst into laughter, feeling himself heat up as well. "So annoying."
Kuroo grinned widely and flicked the blond boy's head playfully before pushing himself off the counter. Tsukishima kicked him.
"Ouch. That was mean, Tsukki."
"Stop calling me that."
"Why? It's cute," Kuroo teased over his shoulder as he slipped off his apron. He cracked open the back door and hung it on the hook just inside. "Our shift's almost over. Want to get something to eat with me?"
Tsukishima untied his own apron and placed it over Kuroo's. "No."
Kuroo stared at him. The blunt rejection was like a hammer to the chest. A big, heavy hammer.
"What?" he grumbled. "I'm not hungry. Maybe another time."
Kuroo forcefully ignored the urge to dance on the spot. Another time. Tsukishima just agreed to go on a date with him. Tsukishima just agreed to go on a date with him.
Unless, Kuroo realized with a sinking feeling, he didn't mean it that way. Which was way more likely.
That didn't stop him from dancing around his room once he was home.
-:-
The next couple days, Kuroo was off work. He definitely did not spend it watching sappy romcoms and avoiding his roommate Kenma's curious stares. And he definitely did not imagine himself with a certain tall, blond, grouchy person, and definitely did not wonder what their lips would feel like against his own.
Kuroo was definitely not screwed.
He knew Yamaguchi had said his breakup with Tsukishima wasn't a big deal, but he felt guilty. Was he being a bad person? Maybe there was a certain amount of time you were supposed to wait before entering a relationship with someone who dated one of your friends. And it probably increased exponentially with the amount of time they'd spent dating. If Kuroo was doing his calculations right, he should wait another month or two, shouldn't he?
"That doesn't make any sense," Kenma murmured, eyes glued to his game. Kuroo flushed, realizing he'd thought aloud.
"Kenma," he whined, leaning back on the couch until he was resting his weight on the smaller boy's frame, "what do I do? Do I tell Yamaguchi about this?"
"Yes," came Kenma's reply.
"But what if he gets angry?"
"I don't know. Now get off, you're heavy."
Kuroo groaned and rolled off the couch onto his feet.
"Thanks for the help, best friend."
"Mm."
Kuroo sighed, dragging himself to the bathroom. He flicked on the light and leaned against the door, weighing his decisions. He could call Yamaguchi right then. But he could also ignore his feelings for a month and—
Fuck it.
Kuroo reached into his pocket and dug out his phone, unlocked it, opened his contacts list, and scrolled down to 'Yamaguchi Tadashi'. They'd exchanged numbers, but he'd never needed to use it until now.
His finger hovered over the little green call button for a second. Then two seconds. Then five. Ten. Thirty. Kuroo groaned and banged his head against the door. He couldn't do it, he couldn't call him, maybe he should text instead? But what would that say about him? Maybe it was his best bet—
His phone buzzed in his hand and he nearly dropped it in surprise. With a sigh, he checked the caller ID.
What a coincidence.
Kuroo put the phone to his ear and answered the call. "Hi, Yamaguchi. Perfect timing."
"Hey, Kuroo. Perfect for what?"
"Nothing. What's up?"
"I, uh… ah, jeez, how do I put this.…"
Kuroo frowned at the wall, listening to Yamaguchi shift in what he guessed was his bed. "Is something wrong? Is it about you and Tsukishima, or—"
Yamaguchi cut him off with a loud laugh. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to—Kuroo, I already told you everything's fine and—actually, it's kind of funny you brought that up just now, because I was about to talk to you about him. He mentioned you."
"What? Really?" Kuroo coughed. That sounded way too eager. "What did he say?"
"He was asking about your favorite restaurant or something. I'm not totally sure, but—"
"Wait, so you guys are talking again?"
"Apparently. I mean, we agreed to go back to being friends in the first place, but it was kind of awkward." There was a short pause on the other side. "I think we just needed some time away from each other. Maybe a little more, to be honest. Things are still kind of… different."
"You guys dated for a year. 'Course it's gonna feel different."
Yamaguchi sighed softly. "Yeah, I guess." Another pause. "Kuroo, I think I might've messed up."
Dread settled in Kuroo's stomach. He mentally cursed. Don't be upset, don't be selfish, of course he's still not over it—
"I told him he should start seeing other people," Yamaguchi continued. Kuroo almost dropped his phone, again, and blurted out the next words before he could stop himself.
"Could I see him?"
Silence.
"Shit, I didn't mean—wow that wasn't supposed to happen." Kuroo banged his head on the bathroom door again and winced, either out of pain or embarrassment. Or both.
Then Yamaguchi was laughing, muffled giggling into his pillow, and Kuroo felt his face heat up.
"I can't believe—hic—you just said that. Hoo," he sighed, trying to regain some self-control.
"Did I fuck up," Kuroo whispered through the speaker.
"No, it's just… Kuroo, I told Tsukishima he should try going for you. That's why I was worried that I messed up, because I had no idea what your feelings toward him are and I didn't want to ruin your friendship," Yamaguchi admitted. "He hasn't talked to me since, though. I thought he might've been mad at me, but now… I don't know."
Kuroo was floating. He was sure of it. The floor was no longer beneath his feet and there wasn't enough oxygen in the air to sustain him.
"Anyways," said Yamaguchi, "I'm pretty sure he likes you. There's no other reason why he'd come to me about it, right?"
"Uh-huh…" Kuroo mumbled. Was this real?
"Alright, I gotta go. So… bye." Kuroo could almost feel Yamaguchi's smile. "By the way, he likes strawberry shortcake. Especially homemade. Just a tip."
The line went dead.
Then, Kuroo actually dropped his phone. And he smiled, so wide it stretched across his entire face and his muscles hurt. He didn't stop for five minutes.
When those five minutes were over, he grabbed his phone off the floor, stumbled out of the bathroom, and grabbed his coat off the hook by the apartment door. Kenma glanced up, his eyes following Kuroo across the room.
"Where are you going?"
"Shopping," Kuroo said. "I have a cake to make."