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Kuroo was nervous; sure, he knew Sawamura and the rest of the Karasuno team (vaguely), but the entire Karasuno senior class was a different story. He was on a different campus, enemy territory, wearing a tux his mom rented out for him that felt a little too stiff and not very good at blocking out the cold of Miyagi at night.
He waited for thirty minutes, smiling awkwardly at the other people who walked past him, not recognizing him, wondering how the hell his hair did that . But thirty minutes felt like seconds when the familiar pink VW bug pulled into the parking lot and the most beautiful girl in the world stepped out of the driver’s seat.
When Kiyoko saw Kuroo standing in the middle of the courtyard near the gym, she rushed over, wide-eyed, moving as fast as she could, limited by her black, glittery heels that sparkled under the moonlight. When she came into full view, the building lights illuminating her form, Kuroo felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“I’m sorry, Kuroo. My mom was fussing all over me.” Kiyoko spoke, but Kuroo couldn’t hear her. He was too busy admiring her red strapless dress, the bodice covered in white flowers, the outline of the bust in delicate white roses that accentuated her red rose necklace and matching earrings. She still wasn’t taller than him in her heels, but close enough to where Kuroo didn’t have to bend down too much if he wanted to kiss her (oh he wanted to kiss her so bad). His eyes trailed down over Kiyoko’s legs, from her knees down to her ankles covered in a soft, sheer crimson as red as her lips, as red as his beating heart.
Kuroo clutched his chest, trying to take deep breaths to calm himself. “Shall we go inside?” Kuroo offered his hand, which she took with a smile, gently placing hers over his palm.
“Kuroo, you’re freezing…” Kiyoko frowned at the abnormally cool hand in her own, upset that she made her date wait longer than he should have.
“It’s fine; I don’t really know anyone except for your captain. Besides, I wanted to walk you in.” Kuroo smiled, looking away, scratching his cheek with his free hand. Kiyoko’s cheeks were almost as dark as her lips.
As soon as they stepped inside, all eyes were on them. Kiyoko was famous for her beauty throughout the school, and no one was disappointed by her stunning outfit, her entire demeanor. And the fact that she brought a tall, handsome young man from another school? No one could stop staring.
Kuroo could sense Kiyoko’s discomfort and tried to lead her away from prying eyes and sighed in relief when he saw the only people in the gym he knew. “Well, if it isn’t Sawamura.” Kuroo hummed, invading into the circle with Sawamura, Sugawara, Asahi, and Nishinoya.
“Nice to see you Kuroo.” And when they saw Kiyoko, their jaws dropped. “S-shimizu?” Daichi sputtered. Again, Kiyoko began to grow even more embarrassed, hiding a little bit behind Kuroo’s arm.
“Beautiful!” Noya swooned, stupified. And when the initial awe wore off, their gazes turned cold and hard at Kuroo. Said man flinched and inched slowly away.
“Hey, bedhead.” Nishinoya said, coming forward and trying to get in Kuroo’s face. “If you hurt Kiyoko, I won’t forgive you. You hear me, Tokyo boy?” Nishinoya drew his finger across his neck, assuring full well that Kuroo would not leave unscathed if Kiyoko would come into harm.
Kuroo swallowed. “Of course.” He smiled and slid away from the group, promising to meet up with them later. But he could tell Kiyoko was shy and probably wanted to be alone for a while, to get away from people staring at her. “Hey, is there a classroom nearby? Or a hallway we can escape to?” He asked, guiding her by the shoulders gently.
“Yeah...this way.” Kiyoko showed him to a hallway in the back of the gym where they could be alone. Kuroo pulled up two chairs for them to sit on, plopping in the seat with a heavy sigh. She smiled as he shed his jacket and loosened his tie. “The dance just barely started. Are you okay?”
Kuroo smiled a little. “Yeah. But all those people staring at you and looking at me funny, and your protection squad...I’m already tired.” He rolled his head to the side to look at her, and gave her a goofy, lopsided grin that made her cheeks turn pink and a twinkling laugh to bubble from her lips. “But I’m glad I’m here.” Kuroo smiled sheepishly. “With you.”
Kiyoko turned away from him. “M-me too...thank you for coming with me. I...really appreciate it.”
Despite them being alone and in a different room, the music was still loud enough for both of them to hear. “Do you want to dance?” Kuroo asked, smiling when Kiyoko looked back at him, wide-eyed and curious. “In here of course, where no one can watch us. You can take off your shoes if they hurt.”
“That sounds nice.” Kiyoko kicked the heels off, letting out a sigh of relief as her bare feet were free, fit with red marks from the straps. Kuroo extended his hand out, a gentlemanly manner that didn’t suit him, yet did so all the same. The cold tile floor felt cool beneath her feet and Kuroo’s arm around her waist and his hand laced with her hand were warm. Kuroo led thoughtfully, never once stepping on her toes despite his clumsiness. His form would probably insult many professional dancers, but the way he slouched made Kiyoko wonder if maybe he was trying not to bring her on her toes.
Everything little thing Kuroo did was thoughtful, and the mere thought of his unbridled and impetuous kindness was too much to take in. Her mind went blank, the atmosphere blending into nothing, and Kuroo’s sweet smile and his intoxicating touch were all Kiyoko could think about. Without realizing, their bodies were a lot closer than before, the awkwardness dissipating after a few minutes, even after the song changed to a more upbeat tune. And although it wasn’t awkward, Kiyoko couldn’t help but still feel warmer than usual, heart pounding against her chest that she was sure Kuroo could hear. But he couldn’t, because his own heart beat was ringing in his ears that not even the music was important.
They began to slow in their steps, growing tired. Kuroo’s arms slouched even more, probably sore and tired now, though they hadn’t been dancing for too long. But Kiyoko was appreciative of it, letting herself be swept away by his everything until their foreheads were touching, the burning sensation rather pleasant. Kuroo inched his face even closer, sighing at the touch of his nose against hers, the way he could feel her sweet breath fanning over his cheeks, the tiniest whimper of affection leaving her lips.
It wasn’t a kiss; not quite the passionate surge of emotion between lovers. It was more of a grade school crush, the tiniest touch of lips together creating a small spark, unmoving, just resting with the contact, the body heat seeping into each other’s bones, the way her lips, fresh with mint, tingled his skin, the way her skin tried to mold and form perfectly against his hands, his forehead, his nose, their lips.
Kuroo’s fingers trembled and their lips separated ever so slightly. He didn’t remember when he had closed his eyes, but he knew Kiyoko wasn’t looking either. But they both knew the other was smiling, swaying gently to a beat far away from the dance hall. Their lips met again, barely touching, breathing into each other.
Kuroo was a healthy teenager; and in being so, he often thought about kissing girls, kissing boys, wondering how passionate they would be, how their hands would feel over each other and usually end in a sticky white mess.
But their almost kisses, their faint movements of shy lips, they were better than any fantasy, any imagination Kuroo could conjure. If only he had known how magical the moment would be.
And Kuroo felt if he had deepened the kiss any further, he might not have been able to think clearly.
So he didn’t. And Kiyoko too appreciated the small brush of their lips. The delicacy of it all was invigorating enough that she felt her knees go weak. Kuroo held her up, guiding her back to the chair, feeling she wouldn’t be able to stand any longer. Kiyoko slumped to the hard plastic, still clutching onto Kuroo’s shoulders as he knelt beside her.
Kuroo laughed first, and Kiyoko joined in. They were both so embarrassed, and it was a beautiful thing. Kuroo laid his head in her lap, breath heavy, exhaling her sweet taste, and trying to suck the memory back in. Kiyoko’s hands moved from his shoulders to his hair, pinkish cheeks growing warmer by the second. “Shimizu.” And using her first name wasn’t making the blush disappear any time soon. “I really like you.”
“I know.” Kiyoko hummed in reply.
“Like a lot.” Kuroo reiterated with a drunken smile.
“I know.” Kiyoko leaned down by his ear, tugging ever so slightly on his hair as she did so. “I feel the same.”
Kuroo exhaled deeply, mixed with a sound of complete and utter joy. “Would you like to come to my school dance? I know an especially hidden room just like this one, far enough away from the crowd, yet close enough to hear the music so that we can dance to it.”
Kiyoko smiled and pressed a kiss to his ear. “But we’d dance even without the music, wouldn’t we?”
“Aha.” Kuroo grinned. “Well, I also know another classroom where we can dance to the beat of your heart.”
“I’d rather listen to yours.” Kiyoko replied, running her fingers through her hair. “But it sounds nice, Tetsurou. Because I don’t think I really want this night to end.”
“Me neither.” Kuroo sat up, looking up at her, his shyness long gone.
“Then, let’s hope midnight never comes.”