Archive of Our Own

“Kuroo!” An excited voice called his name as Kuroo entered the Fukurodani gym along with the rest of his team. He turned to see his friend Bokuto waving and walked over to meet him.

“Hey bro!” he said with a smile.

He and Bokuto were good friends, having met earlier that year at a practice match. Now they texted each other often, hung out on weekends sometimes, and definitely looked forward to practice matches together.

Bokuto hugged him briefly with a tight squeeze before pulling him away from the rest of the team.

“Come and do some serving practice with me!”

Kuroo laughed, Bokuto was always so eager. “I don’t think we’ll have time bro, we’re here for a practice match, remember?”

“Aw, but I want to practice with you,” Bokuto pouted, “How about after the match? Will you stay for extra practice with me?”

“Maybe, it depends on how long the game takes. I have to get all the way home afterwards.”

“Pleeeease Kuroo? No one ever stays with me for extra practice anymore.” Bokuto looked at him with puppy dog eyes. He really could be cute sometimes, Kuroo thought.

“Maybe, I can’t make any promises.” He had to get home in time to meet Kenma at the train station and also finish all his homework.

“Okay, fine,” Bokuto said, kicking his feet along the ground in disappointment. Kuroo did feel bad, Bokuto seemed a bit lonely on his team. His teammates seemed to get along with him fine but would get annoyed at his low moods and couldn’t keep up with his stamina to practice extra. Kuroo hoped he could make a friend on the team who could keep up with him. They were only in first year, who knows what could happen.

The coaches called them over to get ready for the practice match, so Kuroo and Bokuto had to split up. Kuroo was excited to play against Bokuto though; he was a great player as well as a good friend. He was in Fukurodani’s starting lineup and well on his way to being their ace even though he was a first year. Kuroo wasn’t too bad himself, and trying to block Bokuto’s spikes was great practice.

They played three sets, Fukurodani winning the first, Nekoma the second. Kuroo kept his eye on Bokuto – his mood often predicted the outcome of the game, but he was doing remarkably well today. Bokuto kept smiling at him, so much that Kuroo almost worried that Bokuto would get too distracted. It would be good for Kuroo’s team, though, if that was the case. He managed to block some of Bokuto’s spikes, but not enough to stop Fukurodani winning the third set.

“Well done, bro,” Kuroo said from across the net.

“Thanks!” Bokuto grinned. “Can you stay for extra practice?”

Kuroo looked at the time, their practice match had taken longer than a normal practice, and he still had to get back to his neighbourhood of Tokyo.

“Sorry bro, I’ve got to get home, lots of homework to do.”

“Aww…” Bokuto pouted but perked up again when he had another idea. “Can you come over to my house on Saturday instead?”

“Sure bro.”

Kuroo decided to take the train directly home from Fukurodani since it would be slightly faster than going back to Nekoma first, so Bokuto walked with him to the train station. They talked the whole way about volleyball and random things until they arrived. Kuroo’s train was just about to leave, so he gave Bokuto a quick hug and promised to see him soon before getting on the train.

Kuroo realised he hadn’t texted Kenma yet, so he told him he would be late and he could go home without him. Kenma was his childhood best friend and neighbour, but since they were a year apart, Kenma was still at middle school this year. Kuroo missed seeing him at school every day and playing volleyball together, but they made an effort to still see each other most days before and after school.

Kuroo had a selfish reason to miss him. He’d had a crush on Kenma since he was eight years old but had never told him. He was scared to ruin the friendship they had now, but this year was especially tough. It solidified the feeling that Kuroo didn’t want to be apart from Kenma any longer than necessary.

He eventually made it to his home station and headed towards the exit. As he rounded a corner, he was surprised to see Kenma waiting in their usual meeting spot for him.

“You’re late,” Kenma said when Kuroo caught up.

“I did text you. You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Yeah.”

Kuroo smiled and nudged Kenma’s shoulder as they walked. He sometimes wondered whether Kenma cared about him as much as he did, but little moments like this confirmed that he did.

When they reached Kenma’s house, Kuroo decided to stay for a little bit. He told Kenma about his day and the practice match with Fukurodani, and Kenma told Kuroo about his day too. He left soon after – he really did have a lot of homework, even if he did want to spend his whole day with his closest friends.

***

Kuroo arrived at Bokuto’s house on Saturday and was greeted with an excited hug from his friend.

“Hey Kuroo! Do you wanna go to the park?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Bokuto ran inside to grab a volleyball and then they walked a few blocks down to the park near Bokuto’s house. They found an open greenspace where they could pass the ball back and forth. Bokuto practiced some serves while they were there, and Kuroo received most of them. Even on the weekend, Bokuto was as keen as ever to practice volleyball. Kuroo wasn’t one to judge though, he was just as obsessed with volleyball as Bokuto was.

When one of Bokuto’s powerful serves hit Kuroo’s arm at a weird angle, the ball went flying across the grass. Both of them made a start to chase after it, their eyes catching with a glint of competitiveness.

“Race you for it,” Kuroo said, not waiting for an answer as he sprinted ahead.

“Hey!” Bokuto called, chasing after him.

Kuroo was gaining on the ball still rolling across the grass, but he could tell that Bokuto was right behind him. He felt a hand grip his shirt and then he was pulled to the ground. Bokuto couldn’t control his momentum, so he ended up on the ground too, right on top of Kuroo.

Laughing, Kuroo tried to shove Bokuto off, but he was too heavy. Bokuto stared at him for a few seconds, grinning brightly, before he got up and ran the rest of the way to get the ball.

Kuroo sat up and called after him, “That was low, even for you.”

Bokuto walked back towards him with the volleyball in hand. “A win’s a win, bro.” He held out his hand and helped Kuroo up.

They stayed in the park a while longer, serving the volleyball back and forth and until they were tired out. They headed back to Bokuto’s house afterwards and sat beside each other in Bokuto’s room.

For being so full of energy earlier, Bokuto was strangely quiet now. Kuroo tried to start a conversation, but Bokuto’s mind seemed to be elsewhere.

“You okay, bro?” he asked.

Bokuto glanced up at him. “Yeah.” He didn’t sound okay; he was looking down at his hands and he was quiet. It was unnerving when Bokuto was quiet.

“Bro?” Kuroo tried to encourage him, unsure what to say, but Bokuto didn’t need much of a push.

“I was wondering… have you ever kissed a boy?”

Well, that was out of nowhere. Bokuto knew that Kuroo was bi, they had talked about it before, but Bokuto had never told Kuroo about someone he liked before.

“Are you thinking about kissing boys?”

Bokuto’s face turned red. “Just hypothetically! I guess I’m curious…” he looked at Kuroo expectantly.

“I haven’t kissed a boy before. But I do have a crush on Kenma, so hopefully one day.”

Bokuto considered his answer, Kuroo wasn’t sure what he was hoping for.

“Maybe we should practice.”

“What?” Kuroo raised his eyebrows.

“You know, just like…” Bokuto struggled to explain. “You don’t want your first kiss to be with your childhood crush, right?”

Kuroo wasn’t quite following Bokuto’s train of thought. “I think I do want my first kiss to be with my childhood crush.”

“But don’t you want to be a good kisser? So you can impress him?”

Kuroo really didn’t think Kenma would mind if he was a bad kisser, but his fantasies did often include an incredible first kiss straight out of a romance manga. Not that it would matter if Kenma didn’t like him back, though. He could see where Bokuto was coming from, although he wasn’t fully convinced.

“I don’t know bro. Do you really think it would be a good idea?”

“Yes! I do!” Bokuto leaned forward, his golden eyes sparkling as he looked at Kuroo. He looked very eager; why did he want to kiss Kuroo so much?

“What are you getting out of this?”

“Uh,” he leaned back, looking away, “I need practice too, I want to be a good kisser. And… if I kiss you, I might be able to figure out if I like boys.”

Huh, interesting. Kuroo had never seen Bokuto act so shy around him before. Did Bokuto like him? Surely not, he knew Kuroo liked Kenma. He definitely seemed to want to kiss him though.

“Just as friends, right?” Kuroo could hardly believe he was considering this. It was probably a terrible idea. But he couldn’t help but feel like it could be fun to kiss Bokuto.

“Yeah, just for science!”

For science. An experiment. Harmless curiosity between friends. Maybe it could work.

“Okay.”

“Yeah?” Bokuto lit up.

“Yeah. Just this once.”

“Yes!” Bokuto hugged him in excitement. Kuroo laughed. “Do you wanna do it now?” Bokuto asked as he pulled back, hands on Kuroo’s shoulders, staring at him intensely.

“Sure, I guess.” It was all happening so fast, Kuroo didn’t have time to properly think through the consequences.

Bokuto repositioned, trying to calm down enough to keep a straight face. Kuroo looked at him, glanced at his lips and leaned slowly closer. It was Bokuto who closed the gap, pressing their lips together. They weren’t exactly in sync – their lips weren’t lined up properly and they didn’t know what to do once they were there. After a couple of seconds, they broke away.

It wasn’t how Kuroo had pictured his first kiss going, for more reasons that one. His heart rate was up, but he didn’t feel the so called ‘sparks’ he had heard about. He wondered if it would have been any different with Kenma, or if first kisses were always this clumsy.

Bokuto chuckled. “That was a bit weird huh? That’s why we need practice though, right?”

Kuroo nodded, “I can’t argue with you there.”

“Can I try again? I feel like I can do better.”

“Alright.”

Bokuto cupped Kuroo's face with one hand, his other hand leaning on the bed beside him for balance. Kuroo let him do the aiming, trying not to move too much. Their lips met, fitting together better this time. Bokuto moved his lips a bit to settle more into the kiss and Kuroo tried to do the same. Their lips parted and Kuroo expected Bokuto to move away, but he didn’t. He kissed him again, short and sweet, before they broke apart.

That one was certainly better than the first.

Bokuto blinked, taking a moment to catch up, then smiled at Kuroo. “That was fun, right?”

“Yeah.” Kuroo couldn’t stop himself from smiling back.

Kuroo thought that went okay. Did Bokuto get what he wanted from this? Kuroo wasn’t sure what he wanted himself, but they certainly got some practice.

“Uh,” Bokuto looked around for a second. “Do you wanna watch a volleyball game?”

“Oh. Sure.”

Was that it? They weren’t going to talk about it? Kuroo watched as Bokuto found a recent V League game to put on. They settled in beside each other and watched the game as though everything was normal. Kuroo didn’t feel like everything was normal. Did Bokuto have no thoughts or feelings about having his first kiss with his best friend? Maybe it really was a harmless experiment and Kuroo was overthinking it. It just felt weird to go back to calling out the cool spikes and impressive blocks after what they had just done.

As the V League game continued and nothing else out of the ordinary happened, Kuroo reasoned that it was fine. This was the best-case scenario, really. They had kissed once—well, twice actually—and they were still friends as normal. Kuroo could go back to pining after Kenma, and Bokuto could go back to… whatever was going on in his head. Fine and normal and good.

***

Kuroo was not fine and normal and good. Kuroo felt awkward. He hadn’t talked to Bokuto or Kenma on Sunday and he was getting all in his head about it. Despite Bokuto’s insistence, it was weird that they had kissed. It was a bad idea. Kuroo knew this, and he tried to push it down, they were just friends.

He sat next to Kenma in his room after school on Monday, watching him play a video game. Kuroo could feel himself being awkward around him, he was just hoping Kenma wouldn’t notice and wouldn’t say anything.

He had decided he wouldn’t tell Kenma that he and Bokuto had kissed. Kenma might get the wrong idea, that he and Bokuto were interested in each other, and that was not the kind of message Kuroo wanted to send. If all went well, Kenma would never have to find out. Eventually, Kuroo would muster up the courage to ask Kenma out, and if he said yes, Kuroo would pretend their first kiss was his, too. Maybe he would be a slightly better kisser than he would have been if it really was his first, but Kuroo was doubtful their practice had made much of a difference.

His phone pinged, and he glanced to see that it was from Bokuto. His heart rate shot up, what if it was about the kiss and Kenma accidently saw? Kuroo watched him, he was concentrating pretty hard on his game and didn’t seem to have noticed Kuroo move. Carefully, he opened Bokuto’s message. It was a picture of a cat swatting at an owl with a text from Bokuto saying ‘look! it’s us :D’. Kuroo smiled and sent a quick reply to say he thought it was cute. Maybe he had nothing to worry about after all.

***

The next two weeks passed by like any others; school, volleyball, going home with Kenma. As far as Kuroo could tell, Bokuto was his usual self as well. They hadn’t seen each other in person since he had last been over to Bokuto’s house, but they were texting each other just as often.

Bokuto would send him a funny post he saw online, Kuroo would send him one in return. Bokuto would brag about how well his cross shot was coming along and Kuroo would taunt him with threats of blocking them all at their next practice match. It was good. Kuroo liked having him as a friend.

His friendship with Kenma was steady as well. Of course, Kenma didn’t know anything had happened, so he was the same as always. Kuroo thought, as he often did, about whether he should confess to Kenma. He was sure he would one day, but because he’d had a crush on him for so many years he never knew when the right time would be.

He was never sure whether Kenma liked him back, either. They had a casual intimacy from being friends for so long; they knew everything about each other. They were so comfortable together that Kenma would often fall asleep leaning against him on early mornings or hold onto his jacket sleeve when there were too many people around for his liking. They were never flirty with each other though, and Kenma would never admit that he cared about Kuroo. He could tell that he did though.

After kissing Bokuto, Kuroo had thought more about kissing Kenma. He really wanted to. He wanted to know what it would feel like. He wanted to try different kissing techniques, figure out which ones were the best. But what if he took the leap to ask him out, and he said no? Could they ever go back to how they were now? The thought of losing his childhood best friend was too much to bear.

Kuroo’s phone pinged a few times, distracting him from his running thoughts.

Bokuto: brooooo

have you done organic chemistry? this shit suuuuucckkkss

Kuroo: yes I have lol

it's not that bad, you just need to remember the structure of each type of molecule

Bokuto: I don’t even know what you just said bro I’m doomed

I have a test on monday

can you teach me? pleeeeease?????

Kuroo: sure bro I’ll teach you

you’ll be fine, don’t stress!

Bokuto: you’re a life saver bro!

come over on saturday?

Kuroo: sure

Bokuto: 😭❤️

Kuroo smiled to himself; what would Bokuto do without him?

***

Kuroo brought a few of his chemistry books and worksheets over to Bokuto’s house. Despite Bokuto’s best efforts to distract them with something, anything else, Kuroo got straight into studying. Bokuto sat pouting next to him as Kuroo tried to explain the types of molecules and their properties.

It took a while to get into, but Kuroo was used to having a distracted student when he would tutor Kenma before his tests. To Kenma’s credit, he usually didn’t need much help, just lacked the motivation to revise properly. Bokuto, on the other hand, was almost starting from scratch.

Kuroo decided to just focus on what he would need to scrape up a passing grade. With a little patience on both sides, they had managed some progress after a couple of hours.

“Bro, can we please take a break now?” Bokuto was getting restless and mopey, they probably wouldn’t be very productive even if they kept going.

“Okay bro, you’ve earned it.”

“Woohoo!” Bokuto jumped out of his chair and spun around before flopping face down on his bed.

Kuroo chuckled, Bokuto could be quite cute sometimes. He moved from the desk to sit next to his friend on the bed.

Bokuto looked at him for a second out of the corner of his eye before sitting up. With his eyes darting between Kuroo and random spots in the room, he clearly wanted to say something.

“What?” Kuroo prompted.

“Oh! Um…” He stilled. “I was just thinking, maybe, do you want to practice again?” Bokuto looked at him nervously.

Kuroo had wondered if this would happen. They had agreed to kiss one time, but that had opened the possibility. If he agreed now, there was no telling how far it could go.

“We said just once, right?”

“Well, yeah, but it wasn’t much practice. We didn’t even kiss with tongue! You can’t learn a jump serve just by practicing a normal serve for a day.”

“This isn’t volleyball, Bokuto. This is…” toying with each other’s feelings. Or was it? Kuroo didn’t know how he felt himself, let alone how Bokuto felt. “I don’t know. Is this even helping? Did you figure out if you like kissing boys?”

Bokuto considered his answer. “I’m not sure yet. I liked it, but I think I need to kiss you again to be sure.”

So Bokuto liked kissing him? Kuroo didn’t not like it. They were just… inexperienced. They were just friends. Experimenting.

“I don’t know how to kiss with tongue,” Kuroo admitted.

“Me neither. That’s why we need to practice.”

This was a bad idea, but for some reason, he couldn’t say no to Bokuto.

“Alright, let’s try it.”

Bokuto lit up and shuffled closer to Kuroo. He cupped Kuroo’s face with one hand like he had the time before, like he knew what he was doing this time. There was a pause, Kuroo took the chance to take a breath, and Bokuto pressed their lips together.

Just like last time, their lips were flush together, but they wanted to try something else now. Kuroo moved his lips, repositioning so Bokuto’s bottom lip was snugly in between his own. He parted his lips slightly, pushing Bokuto to follow him. Kuroo certainly didn’t know what he was doing, but if they were going to get tongues in there, they were going to need some room.

Tentatively, he moved his tongue forward and made contact with Bokuto’s bottom lip. Bokuto made a little surprised noise. Kuroo had to stop himself from smiling, that was cute. He licked Bokuto’s lip again, hesitant to go any further.

Bokuto gripped Kuroo’s hair and pushed further into the kiss until Kuroo felt Bokuto’s tongue meet his own. Kuroo tried to match his movements but they weren’t in sync at all. Bokuto kept pushing his tongue further into Kuroo’s mouth. It was getting a bit uncomfortable, too wet and too forceful, so Kuroo moved back to break the kiss.

Bokuto moved back too and put a hand against his mouth as he looked at Kuroo. They both caught their breath.

“I think that was a bit too much tongue at the end,” Kuroo said, letting out a laugh.

Bokuto smiled back. “Yeah, sorry. The rest felt good though!”

“Yeah. It was fun.”

“Try again?”

Kuroo hesitated, but they had already gone this far. And they were learning things. And it was fun.

“Sure.”

They kissed again, similar to the last but more confident. Bokuto didn’t stick his tongue in too far, and their movements weren’t contradicting each other so much. Their teeth did touch once, but they tried to not let it ruin the flow. Kuroo ran his tongue along Bokuto’s teeth just to see if it would do anything. It was fine, but Kuroo preferred when Bokuto ran his tongue along his lip instead.

Eventually, they parted. Kuroo stared at his friend for a few seconds. He couldn’t believe how easily they fit together. Surely this couldn’t just happen with anyone.

Bokuto was looking at him rather intensely, so Kuroo averted his gaze, looking around the room. His eyes landed on the desk covered in papers and was reminded why he was here in the first place. Despite how it might look, he was not here to make out with his friend.

“Should we get back to studying?”

Bokuto groaned, “No, don’t remind me!” He slung his arms over Kuroo, hanging off him. “Kiss me again?”

Kuroo laughed softly as Bokuto looked up at him with pleading eyes. He leaned down and kissed his forehead.

“That’s all you get until you can tell me the structure of an amino acid.”

Bokuto let out a big sigh. “Fine.”

***

“Hey, Kuroo!”

Kuroo heard the familiar call as he opened the door for Bokuto, having invited him over for a sleepover that weekend. They had been seeing each other more recently, nearly every weekend for the past month or so. And every time they saw each other, they ended up kissing. Bokuto brought it up the first couple of times, saying they needed to keep practicing to maintain the skill. Kuroo started to expect it, and hardly noticed when Bokuto stopped asking and just kissed him without pretence.

They went to Kuroo’s room, and as soon as he closed the door, Bokuto had his hand on Kuroo’s cheek. He kissed him, just a gentle peck, followed by a smile. Kuroo smiled too and followed Bokuto to sit down on his bed.

Bokuto started talking about volleyball, and Kuroo let him ramble for a while before interrupting.

“You know, you shouldn't give away all your secrets to your opponent.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Bokuto paused and looked at Kuroo for a moment.

Kuroo smirked. “I'm kidding, don't worry.”

He leaned closer, pushing Bokuto down against the bed, and started kissing him. Bokuto happily followed his lead.

Kuroo had stopped thinking about the why and just thought about the how. How Bokuto’s lips felt against his. How tightly Bokuto would grip his hair whenever Kuroo tried something new. How they would always end up laughing after making out.

Eventually, they stopped kissing and went back to chatting like normal. Like making out was just a casual part of a conversation between friends.

Kuroo’s phone went off, and he paused to check the message.

Kenma: are you coming over today?

Kuroo smiled, maybe Kenma was missing him. He had been hanging out with Kenma less since he had been with Bokuto so often on the weekends.

“Is that Kenma?”

Kuroo looked back up at Bokuto, putting his phone down.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“It's okay, you can reply.” Bokuto watched him as Kuroo picked up his phone again. “You always have the same smile when you think about Kenma.”

Kuroo paused, looking at Bokuto again. “Do I?”

“Yeah.”

Kuroo couldn't tell if Bokuto was jealous or just making an observation. He was sitting quietly, just waiting for Kuroo to finish texting Kenma. He turned his attention back to his phone.

Kuroo: no sorry, Bokuto’s staying over tonight

Kenma: oh. nvm

Kuroo: did you want something?

Kenma: … I was feeling like going out for cake

Kuroo chuckled, it was rare for Kenma to want to go out. It was a shame he was busy.

“What is it?” Bokuto asked.

“Kenma wants to get cake.”

“Ooh, that sounds nice! We should all go together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it'll be fun!”

Kuroo was surprised that Bokuto wanted to hang out with Kenma. They weren't really friends, they only knew each other through Kuroo, and he thought Bokuto might be jealous since he knew about his crush on Kenma. Maybe Kuroo was just making up rivalries in his head. He definitely thought Kenma would be apprehensive about the idea, but he could ask anyway.

Kuroo: Bokuto says he’s keen for cake if you want to go together

Kenma: hmmm

ok

Kuroo: you really want that cake huh?

Kenma: shut up

“Kenma wants to go,” he told Bokuto.

“Yay!”

They got ready to leave and stopped by Kenma’s house to pick him up. Kuroo knocked on the door and waited for a minute until Kenma opened it.

“Ready?” Kuroo asked.

Kenma nodded, closing the door behind him. He looked briefly at Bokuto standing beside Kuroo.

“Hi Kenma!” Bokuto said with a wave and a big smile.

“Hi.” Kenma quickly looked away to avoid eye contact and stuck close by Kuroo’s side as they started walking. Kuroo thought it was cute how Kenma would be clingy in unfamiliar social situations. He wished he could put an arm around Kenma to hold him closer.

As they sat on the train together, Kuroo in the middle, he was hyper aware of both of their presences beside him. He had to remind himself to keep his hands to himself. Don’t make either of them feel more awkward than necessary.

They got off the train and walked the rest of the way to the dessert place that had Kenma’s favourite apple pie. It was a cute little shop with bakery themed decor and a wide selection of desserts.

Bokuto hadn't been there before, so he carefully looked at all the options in the display case.

“They all look so good! I don’t know what to get.”

Kuroo leaned down next to Bokuto to look at the cakes. “All the ones I’ve tried have been good, so you can’t go wrong.”

“What are you getting?”

“I’m thinking about the matcha roll.”

“Hmmm.” Bokuto kept looking, trying to decide.

Kuroo turned to Kenma on his other side. “Apple pie or apple cake?”

Kenma glared at him, “Apple cake.” He was easy to predict, he hadn’t even been looking at the display case.

Kenma took out his wallet and gave Kuroo a few coins so he could order for him. Sometimes Kuroo would just pay for his, but it was probably best not to when Bokuto was here too. Kuroo went to order while Kenma found a table to sit at, and Bokuto eventually decided on something.

Kuroo carried their cakes over to the table and sat across from Kenma. Shortly after, Bokuto slid into the booth beside him with a chocolate cake. He was sitting very close, their legs almost touching. Kuroo kept his eyes in front of him, trying not to stare too much at either of his friends.

They all tried their cakes and Bokuto made an excited noise.

“Mmm, this is good!” He leaned into Kuroo. “You should try it! Can I try yours?”

“Okay.” Kuroo slid his plate towards Bokuto and they each took a forkful of the other’s cake.

“I like chocolate more than matcha, but yours is good too bro.”

“Well good thing I like matcha more than chocolate.” Kuroo smiled and took his plate back.

Kenma was watching them, but he didn’t say anything, turning his attention back to his own cake.

“Can I try yours, Kenma?”

Kenma looked up at Bokuto and hesitated, eyes flicking to Kuroo and then back. “Um, okay,” he finally said, putting his fork down.

“Thanks! Do you want some of mine?”

Kenma shook his head, so Bokuto just took a small piece from Kenma’s plate.

“Woah, yours is the best Kenma!”

Kuroo saw a small smile on Kenma’s face as he took back his plate and had another bite.

“Bro, we should come here again and get the apple cake next time.”

“Totally, bro.”

Honestly, Kuroo was a bit apprehensive about the idea. This place felt like his and Kenma’s special place. When they were here, just the two of them going out for dessert, it almost felt like a date. If he went with Bokuto instead, it wouldn’t be the same. Would it also feel like a date? Kissing, sharing cakes, most likely kissing again. It was almost like they were dating already, Kuroo realised. The thought made butterflies swirl in his stomach, but he wasn’t sure who for. It could be nice to date Bokuto, but if he did, would he ever get to take Kenma on a date?

He watched his two best friends awkwardly interact with each other. Kuroo thought it was quite cute, actually. He really hoped everything would work out, but he honestly didn’t know what that would look like right now.

Later that night, Kuroo lay next to Bokuto in his bed. They had gotten out the spare futon, but it was on the floor unused. Bokuto had been lying next to him, and they had been talking and kissing, and now the lights were off and they were under the covers together.

Doubts crept into Kuroo’s head. He liked spending time with Bokuto and kissing him, but what they were doing couldn't last forever. They needed to talk about it. But if they talked about it, they might have to stop.

Sometimes Kuroo thought Bokuto liked him in a romantic way, sometimes he wasn’t so sure. They said they were friends; they hadn't said anything different, but what they were doing didn't really feel like friendship anymore. Hadn't they already crossed a line many kisses ago?

Kuroo reached out and put an arm around Bokuto who was already half-asleep. He wanted to be closer, but did he feel the same?

“Bokuto… are we still friends?”

Bokuto stirred and said with a yawn, “Yeah bro, of course we're friends.”

Kuroo’s heart sank. Bokuto was probably trying to be reassuring, but that was not what he wanted to hear. So this was nothing more than friends kissing. A harmless experiment.

***

It was Wednesday, and Kuroo was at Kenma’s house. He hadn't stayed after school for the past couple of days, too busy thinking about what he was doing with his life and with Bokuto.

It was nice being with Kenma. Everything felt normal next to him. They had a lot to talk about today and they had played Mario Kart as well, so it was getting quite late.

“I should probably go back to my house.” He didn't particularly want to, though.

“Can't you stay the night?” Kenma asked, looking up at him.

“It's a school night.”

“Yeah, but you hardly ever stay anymore.”

Kenma wanted him to stay? He had been feeling crazy for wanting things recently, but maybe he wasn’t the only one.

“Okay, I'll stay.” He could just go next door to brush his teeth and change his clothes tomorrow morning.

They stayed up for another half hour, then they each had a bath. Kuroo managed to find some of his clothes that had been forgotten at Kenma’s house at some point to sleep in.

They got into bed together; they had done this many times but Kuroo always felt like he was pushing up against a line he might accidentally cross. He wanted to touch Kenma. He wanted to kiss him. He knew what it felt like with Bokuto, but he needed to know what it felt like with Kenma.

Kenma snuggled into him, and Kuroo thought he might just die. Surely Kenma liked him back, right? He knew the situation with Bokuto wasn't viable anymore, so maybe he should take the risk and try with Kenma. Ask him out properly instead of letting things get messy like with Bokuto. Kuroo felt a warm sense of hope in his heart.

***

Kuroo had decided that he was going to ask Kenma out. But he felt like he should tell Bokuto first, and he had no idea how he would take it. Bokuto had said that they were just friends, but still he felt bad for ending whatever they had going now. He felt like he was breaking up with Bokuto before they were even really dating.

Kuroo showed up at Bokuto’s house on Saturday, full of nerves. Bokuto opened the door with a smile and led him to his room. Bokuto hugged him and Kuroo held onto it for a few seconds before pulling away.

“Bro, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, okay!”

They sat down on Bokuto's bed and Kuroo took a deep breath. If they really were just friends, this shouldn’t be such a big deal.

“I think I'm gonna ask Kenma out.” He watched Bokuto’s reaction closely – his eyes widened. “Is that okay with you?”

Bokuto paused, blinking, before he smiled half-heartedly. “Yeah, of course. It's not like we're dating or anything.”

“Are you sure?” Kuroo was half hoping that Bokuto would try to stop him, that he would ask Kuroo to date him instead.

“Yeah. You should do it. You've liked him for ages.”

Kuroo sighed. He didn't like this feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“If he says yes, we won't be able to kiss anymore.”

“Yeah…” Bokuto was quiet, was he upset? All he needed to do was tell Kuroo not to, and he wouldn't. Bokuto looked back at him. “Can we do one last kiss?”

Kuroo nodded, there was no way he could say no, even if maybe he should.

“Come here.”

He pulled Bokuto in and kissed him, slow at first. Bokuto’s hands were in his hair and on his thigh. Kuroo licked Bokuto’s lip, pushing his way into his mouth with building intensity. His hands moved their way up Bokuto’s back and he held onto the back of his head, not wanting to let go.

He was being selfish, really. He was giving up on Bokuto, but he wanted to hold him close one last time. Keep the taste of what they could have had for a moment longer.

Kuroo couldn’t tell how long they sat making out on Bokuto’s bed, it felt too short and too long at the same time. Eventually, they stopped, breathing heavily inches away from each other.

“I should probably go,” Kuroo said after a long pause. It wasn’t good for them to drag this out any longer.

“Okay,” Bokuto said quietly, “Good luck bro.”

***

The next day, Kuroo went to see Kenma. He needed to do it now, so he wouldn't change his mind. This was the right choice.

He knocked on Kenma's door before opening it. That felt weird, but Kenma didn't seem to notice. His eyes were glued to the screen of the game he was playing. 

Kuroo sat down beside him. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Kenma replied but didn't take his eyes off the screen. Kuroo wanted to hold his attention, wanted to hold him close, but he let Kenma keep playing.

When he finished the level he was on, Kenma paused and looked to Kuroo.

“Did you want to do something else?”

Kuroo swallowed. He should just do it now, get it out of the way so he could deal with the consequences, good or bad.

“I actually have something I want to tell you.” He took a deep breath, Kenma looking at him curiously. This was it.

“I like you. Will you… go out with me?”

Kenma’s eyes widened. “You like me?” He looked down, thinking.

Had Kuroo made the wrong choice? Did Kenma not like him back? Was everything about to fall apart?

“Okay,” Kenma finally said. “I'll go out with you.”

Kuroo let out the breath he had been holding and smiled.

“Really?”

Kenma nodded. Kuroo held open his arms for a hug and Kenma snuggled into him. He wanted to kiss him as well, but he thought it would be better to take things slow this time. This was perfectly good for now.

“How long have you liked me?” Kenma asked.

“Since we were kids.”

“Wow, seriously?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I don't know. I hadn't thought about it until just now, but I think I do like you. I want to be closer to you.”

Kuroo’s heart grew warm. So, all the signs Kuroo had picked up that Kenma might like him weren't even things he was consciously doing, that was just how their relationship already was.

Kuroo pulled back from the hug to look at Kenma. “I want to be closer to you too.”

He kissed Kenma gently on the forehead. His face turned bright red and he hugged Kuroo again to avoid eye contact. Cute.

“Shut up.”

***

Kuroo stared at his phone, hovering over the call button next to Bokuto’s contact. He should tell Bokuto how it went with Kenma. That's what Kuroo would do with any other friend, and that's what Bokuto was, right? Just any other friend, who he had been making out with for the past few months.

Kuroo pushed the call button and waited for it to ring.

“Hey bro, what's up?” Bokuto answered.

“Hey,” Kuroo hesitated, “So I asked out Kenma.”

“Yeah?”

“And he said yes.”

“That's great bro, congrats.” There was a pause. “Are you happy?”

“Yeah.” Kuroo answered quietly, maybe it sounded like he didn't mean it, but that wasn't the case. This conversation just felt sombre, like there was something else swirling under the surface.

“That's good.” Bokuto took a deep breath. “He's lucky to have you.”

Kuroo paused. That almost sounded like Bokuto was jealous. Almost like maybe he was interested in Kuroo after all.

“What, are you jealous or something?” Kuroo said in a teasing tone.

“No!” Bokuto sounded defensive. “Anyway, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?”

And with that, the call cut off. Shit, had Kuroo misunderstood something? Bokuto had been strangely quiet during both of their conversations about Kuroo asking out Kenma. Did Bokuto like him or not? Was Kuroo right to feel this bad for rejecting Bokuto?

He told himself there was nothing he could do about it now. There was no point in pushing Bokuto for an answer. Even if Bokuto liked him, Kuroo was already dating Kenma. That was what he had always wanted. There was no point worrying over what could have happened or not happened.

***

Kuroo liked dating Kenma. It was easy, no confusing feelings or miscommunications, it just felt right. They would walk to and from the train station together just as normal, hang out in Kenma’s room after school and on the weekends just as normal. But now the air was different between them. Kuroo’s heart felt warm when they were together, skipped a beat when Kenma looked up at him.

They could kiss now, too. Kenma was a bit hesitant at first, he found it embarrassing, but Kuroo managed to encourage him to get used to it over time. The way they kissed was very different to Kuroo and Bokuto’s kisses, they were soft and sweet instead of curious and energetic.

Kuroo took the lead with Kenma, partly because he was more confident in what he was doing and partly because Kenma didn’t want to take the initiative. With Bokuto, it felt like they were both equally curious to try new things, even if Bokuto was often the one to start them off.

Kuroo still thought about Bokuto a lot. When he was with Kenma all he could think about was his boyfriend, but when they weren’t together, his mind often drifted to Bokuto. Had he hurt Bokuto’s feelings? Did his heart also ache?

They didn’t hang out as much as they had before. Kuroo’s weekends were often taken up by Kenma, but they had seen each other a couple of times in the two months after Kuroo and Kenma started dating. They would text each other as well, but less often, and never about anything serious.

Kuroo liked dating Kenma, he still thought that confessing to him was the right decision, but there was something else lingering in his heart.  Another friend pushing up against that line they weren’t supposed to cross.

***

The next time Nekoma and Fukurodani had a practice match, Bokuto’s team came to visit Kuroo’s. When they arrived at the gym, Bokuto immediately ran over to Kuroo, just like always. Bokuto hugged him briefly, probably out of habit. They had hugged plenty of times in front of other people before so it probably didn’t mean anything to the people around them, maybe even to Bokuto, but Kuroo couldn’t help thinking of all the times they had hugged in one of their bedrooms and kissed right after.

Now was not the time for that, they had a practice match to play. They did some warmups together before splitting off to their separate sides of the net.

The game started off strong with Nekoma and Fukurodani scoring an even number of points for most of the first set. With some well-timed plays and Bokuto hitting through a few too many of Kuroo’s blocks, Fukurodani won the first set.

Kuroo had been closely observing Bokuto and was ready to take on the challenge of stopping his momentum for the second set. It wasn’t easy though, Bokuto put up a good fight. As Kuroo watched his powerful spikes from the other side of the net, his blood was pumping fast with adrenalin. This was what their friendship was built on; a rivalry that pushed them to be better as well as laugh about it afterwards.

Kuroo saw Bokuto run up for a spike, there was another spiker running up on the other side, but Kuroo was pretty sure the ball was coming to Bokuto. He had him marked, following to the spot where he was going to jump, and blocked the spike cleanly. As their feet reached the ground again, Bokuto glared at him through the net.

“Better luck next time,” Kuroo grinned.

“Just you watch.”

As the second set continued, Kuroo got used to Bokuto’s patterns and started blocking him more frequently. Even if he missed, his defence focused teammates could sometimes pick up the ball and give them another chance to score. Nekoma was ahead, and Bokuto was starting to falter.

As Bokuto continued to get blocked, he slowed down and stopped calling for the ball as often. Kuroo could tell an emo-mode was coming, and he tried to not feel bad knowing he was likely the cause. He felt Bokuto’s eyes on him, even when they were both rotated to the back row.

Nekoma took the second set, and they had a timeout before the third started. Kuroo only half listened to the coach’s encouragements and suggestions as he glanced at the other team. Bokuto was sitting on the bench with his chin resting on his hand, clearly not paying attention. Their eyes met for a moment before Bokuto turned away. Kuroo wasn’t entirely sure if this tension he felt between them was just about the game.

The third set began, and Bokuto was definitely off. He didn’t run up for the ball very often, and when he did, his movements were easily read, and he got blocked. It was a downward spiral and his team didn’t know how to stop it. Kuroo felt bad, even as the points ticked up on Nekoma’s side of the board. He hated seeing Bokuto upset. This was his fault.

He waited for a few more rotations, hoping Bokuto wouldn’t get benched. That would make things a whole lot worse. When they were both rotated to the front, directly opposite each other, Kuroo stared him down.

“Hey Bokuto, you’re not gonna give up that easily, are you? Are you really gonna let me win?”

“Maybe that’s just how it has to go.” Bokuto stared back at Kuroo.

“How it goes it up to you. It’s up to all of us. If you want it,”—if you want me—“you’d better do something about it.”

The whistle blew – it was Fukurodani’s serve. The ball went from the libero to the setter, and Kuroo called for it. He spiked, but there were three blockers waiting for him, and Bokuto was the one to send the ball to the ground. It was a taste of his own medicine, but Kuroo couldn’t help himself smiling. Bokuto was smiling too.

That seemed to be all Bokuto needed to get back into the game, and before long Fukurodani was racking up points. They overtook Nekoma and eventually took the third set, 25-22. Kuroo should have been disappointed, but with the rush of adrenalin and seeing his best friend back to his usual self, he couldn’t stop smiling.

They said their congratulations, had a run-down of the match, and then were dismissed. Bokuto cautiously approached Kuroo as he helped tidy up the stray volleyballs.

“Hey Kuroo, could you stay for extra practice with me?”

Kuroo smiled and threw a ball towards his friend. “Sure bro.” He had already told Kenma that he had a practice match and might be late, so he thought he might as well make the most of it. Bokuto grinned as he threw the ball into the cart beside him.

Kuroo told his captain that he would take care of the last of the cleaning and locking up, and he and Bokuto took a cart of volleyballs to the side of the gym. Bokuto wanted to practice his jump serve, so Kuroo practiced receiving them.

Slowly, the gym began to empty as people made their way home. Eventually it was just the two of them and the sound of volleyballs hitting their hands and the gym floor.

“Should we take a break?” Kuroo asked after about half an hour.

“Yeah.” Bokuto agreed and they sat down next to each other on a bench.

It was quiet. Kuroo could hear Bokuto’s heavy breathing. It had been a while since they had been alone together, mostly going out to do things when they had seen each other recently.

Kuroo looked at his friend; his hands resting on his thighs, his chest moving up and down, his skin slightly flushed from exertion. Kuroo still had the sense that there was a spark between the two of them, something drawing them together. Did Bokuto still want to kiss Kuroo? Did he think about it as much as Kuroo did? Or was this all just in Kuroo’s head?

Bokuto turned to look at him. “Um, thanks for what you said earlier. You didn’t have to, but you really got my confidence back up.”

“Of course, bro. You deserve it.”

Bokuto smiled gently at him. It was a rare smile from him, not the energetic fun smile, not the fake smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but a soft, genuine smile of affection. Kuroo wanted to see more of that smile. He was overwhelmed with the feeling that he should do something, that he wanted to kiss Bokuto. He shouldn’t. They weren’t supposed to do that anymore. But they were here, alone in the gym, and Kuroo couldn’t make the feeling go away.

He found his lips on Bokuto’s, his body moving faster than his brain. Bokuto seemed surprised, but soon enough his hand was in Kuroo’s hair again and his tongue was in his mouth. The kiss built up in intensity, they were both holding on to this moment like it could disappear any second. And it could. It should.

Kuroo suddenly thought of Kenma and pushed Bokuto away. He stood up, heart rate skyrocketing as he realised what he was doing. This wasn’t a harmless experiment anymore.

“Sorry, Kuroo. I didn't mean to…” Bokuto looked concerned.

“No, it was my fault.” It was all his fault. He needed to get out of here.

“I have to go,” Kuroo continued, turning towards the door. He took a few steps, then paused and looked back awkwardly. “I have to lock the gym, so…”

“Oh, right.” Bokuto jumped up and followed Kuroo out of the gym.

He stood there, awkwardly watching as Kuroo fumbled with the key.

“Are you okay, bro?”

“I'm fine!” Kuroo snapped. It came out harsher than he had intended. “I'm fine,” he repeated more calmly. He didn't want Bokuto to feel bad, it was Kuroo who had fucked up. “What is wrong with me?” he muttered to himself.

“There's nothing wrong with you.”

Bokuto was too nice. Kuroo couldn't be mad at him.

They walked in silence to the train station, Bokuto trailing a few steps behind. Kuroo wanted to be alone, but they were both headed the same way. They took different train lines though, so they parted ways once they reached the station, saying a quick goodbye.

Kuroo hoped Kenma had already gone home without waiting for him. He didn't think he could face him without acting weird. Why had he kissed Bokuto when things were going so well with Kenma? If he had wanted to date Bokuto, there had been plenty of opportunity to confess, but neither of them had taken that step.

Luckily, Kenma wasn't waiting for him when he got off the train. He went straight home, bypassing Kenma’s house, and lay down on his bed.

He had kissed Bokuto because he wanted to. The answer was simple, but the implications were so complicated.

***

Kuroo was feeling so guilty. He hadn’t wanted to cheat on Kenma, but he couldn't deny that he had wanted to kiss Bokuto. It wasn't fair to Bokuto either, Kuroo didn't know how he was feeling about this, but it couldn't be good.

He didn't see Kenma the next morning since he had to go to school early to unlock the gym and finish the tidying up he had neglected the day before. That just gave him more time to think about how much of a horrible person he was.

A voice inside his head told him that he must not care about either of them if he would do something like that. He must have gotten with Kenma to run away from Bokuto, and now that things were too stable, he must have gone to Bokuto to blow up his relationship with Kenma.

But that didn't feel right. He loved Kenma, he wanted to be with him, but he was also drawn to Bokuto. Did he just have a physical attraction to Bokuto? Or did he have romantic feelings too? Kuroo wasn't sure if he could really love two people at once, or if he was allowed to.

After a long day at school, Kuroo finally made his way home. There was a pit in his stomach that grew deeper the closer he got to the train station where he knew his boyfriend would be waiting for him. It lightened, though, when he saw Kenma there, leaning against the wall and staring at his phone.

“Hey,” Kuroo said as he approached. Kenma looked up and pushed off the wall to join him.

“I haven’t seen you in, like, two days.”

“Sorry, I had extra practice.”

“Yeah.”

Kuroo thought Kenma probably commented on his absence because he missed him. Kuroo smiled at the thought. He had missed him too. His mind wasn’t racing so much now that Kenma was beside him.

They walked home together and stopped at Kenma’s house. In his bedroom, they sat close together on the bed.

Kuroo put one arm around Kenma, the other on his cheek, and kissed him gently. He needed to prove to himself that Kenma was the one he wanted to kiss. It wasn't hard.

He leaned in further, pushing Kenma back unintentionally. He moved back to reposition and nudged Kenma to lie down.

“What's with you?” Kenma asked, blushing as Kuroo leaned over him.

“I just missed you.” Kuroo smiled and held his boyfriend’s gaze for a moment before leaning down again.

He guided Kenma’s lips apart with his own. Kenma wasn't the most responsive kisser, but he tried to keep up with Kuroo as their tongues rolled past each other. Kuroo felt his boyfriend's hand rest gently on his back. He could stay like this forever.

He loved Kenma, and he loved kissing him. He didn't want this to change. If he were dating Bokuto, he knew his heart would ache for Kenma. But still, as he was dating Kenma, his heart was aching for Bokuto.

Kuroo broke away from the kiss and rolled over to lie on his back. Kenma rolled over too and folded his arms across Kuroo’s chest, resting his head on top.

“I'm glad I said yes,” Kenma said.

“To what?”

“Dating you. I wasn't sure what my feelings were at the time, but I like being your boyfriend.”

“Aw Kenma,” Kuroo held him tightly, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kuroo didn’t feel like he deserved this. Kenma was so adorable, so special to him, yet Kuroo had cheated on him. He must be so greedy and selfish if this wasn’t enough for him. Why did he have to have feelings for Bokuto too?

***

Two weeks passed and Kuroo still couldn't get Bokuto out of his head. He couldn't leave it like this, he needed to talk to him. Plus, he just wanted to see him, he missed hanging out with his friend.

And so Kuroo found himself knocking on Bokuto’s door that weekend and being led to his room. They sat next to each other, an awkward sense filling the air.

They had kissed so many times in this room, Kuroo had grown accustomed to it. He wanted to. But he couldn't.

Bokuto was also looking at him without saying anything. Was he thinking the same thing?

Kuroo didn't know what to do with himself under Bokuto’s gaze. What else did they used to do before they started kissing? He decided to just start the conversation, get them out of this situation so they could go back to normal, hopefully.

“So, I think we should talk about the kissing.”

“Okay.” Bokuto looked at him nervously.

“I really shouldn't have kissed you that time in the gym. I don't know what I was thinking, but we really can't do that again.” 

“Yeah, I get it.” Bokuto looked down. “I'm sorry for making you kiss me the first time. You said it was a bad idea but I made you do it anyway.”

“You didn't make me do anything. I wanted to do it too.” Kuroo paused, there was a question on the tip of his tongue, the thing he really wanted to ask.

“Do you like me?”

Bokuto’s eyes grew wide. “Um, yeah. I do.”

Kuroo felt a momentary sense of relief, but then the twist in his stomach returned. “Why didn't you ask me out?”

“I wasn't going to tell you. I knew you wouldn't like me back because you liked Kenma. But I wanted to try kissing you, even if it was only for a little while before you two got together.” Bokuto folded his knees up to his chest and hid his face. “I'm sorry.”

“Hey, Bokuto, it's okay,” Kuroo said gently as he put an arm around him. “Can I tell you something?” Bokuto turned slightly to look at him, so Kuroo continued. “I think I like you too.”

“Really?” Bokuto sat up, his golden eyes hopeful. 

Kuroo nodded. He could hardly believe he was admitting it, but it was the only explanation for his feelings. 

“What about Kenma?”

“I still love him. I'm sorry, but I can't break up with him for you. If we’d had this conversation before we started dating it might be a different story, but I still would have liked Kenma so I don't know what I would have done. If there was a way to make it work, I would do it, but I think this is just how it has to be.”

Kuroo watched Bokuto nervously as he listened and processed everything. He hated hurting Bokuto's feelings, he wished he could kiss him to make him feel better, but that would probably make things worse.

“Yeah, I figured that's how it would go. That's why I never said anything. But I'm happy that you like me too.”

Kuroo smiled and pulled Bokuto in for a hug. At least hugging was still okay.

“Can we still be friends?” Bokuto asked.

“Yeah, of course.” Kuroo moved back to look at him. “Just friends who don't make out with each other.”

“Yeah.” Bokuto smiled sheepishly.

***

They didn’t kiss again after that. Time passed, and their friendship slowly went back to how it was before. Kuroo’s feelings persisted, but he managed to keep them on the back burner as he focused on his relationship with Kenma.

They didn’t talk about it, but Kuroo could tell from the way Bokuto looked at him that he probably felt the same. Lingering hands on shoulders, hugs that lasted too long and not long enough, intense gazes through the volleyball net. Those things had just become a part of how they were together.

Winter turned to Spring, and a new school year started. Kenma finally started at Nekoma and things were good. Kuroo dragged him to morning practice, they had lunch together and they walked home together. Kenma took up most of Kuroo’s time and the space in his mind that wasn’t filled by school or volleyball or Bokuto.

Kuroo never told Kenma about what he and Bokuto used to do alone in their rooms that year. It was better if he didn’t know; it would just make him upset. It was better for everyone if only Kuroo held this secret. If he could hold it for Bokuto too, he would.

The first time Kuroo saw Bokuto and Akaashi together was at a practice match early in the year. Kuroo had heard a lot about Akaashi through Bokuto’s texts; how great of a setter he was, how kind and attentive he was, how pretty he was.

On the other side of the net, Bokuto was constantly seeking Akaashi’s attention, his eyes always drawn to Akaashi instead of Kuroo. It was obvious that Bokuto liked him. Akaashi was more aloof, but the way he observed Bokuto and stuck closely beside him made Kuroo think he probably liked Bokuto too. They were so in sync with each other on the court even though they had only just started playing together. It was like they were following a script written just for them. 

Kuroo’s feelings were messy as he watched the two of them interact. He thought it would be good for them to be together, for Bokuto to have someone who could love him, and could actually be with him. But it was hard seeing someone he loved with someone else. Maybe Bokuto wouldn’t need Kuroo anymore.

During a break between sets, Kuroo approached Bokuto, who was sitting on a bench next to Akaashi.

“Hey Kuroo!” Bokuto smiled at him.

“Hey bro. Can you come with me for a sec?”

“Oh, sure!” Bokuto got up and glanced at Akaashi. “I'll be back soon.”

Kuroo led them outside the gym and around to the side. He tried to keep his head clear, telling himself that he wouldn't regret what he was about to say.

“So… Akaashi, huh?” he said with a smirk.

“What about him?” Bokuto smiled awkwardly.

“You like him, don't you?”

Bokuto’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Oh… yeah.”

Kuroo felt a twist in his heart that he willed to go away. He was being a supportive friend, no matter what his feelings were.

“Are you gonna ask him out?”

Bokuto looked at him with a slightly pained expression. “I don't know. Do you think I should?”

“Yeah, why not?” Kuroo tried to sound enthusiastic. “My guess is that he likes you back.”

Bokuto looked down and spoke quietly, “What if I fuck it up?”

Kuroo instantly knew he was thinking of what had happened between them. Bokuto must regret how it turned out. Kuroo was sad too, but it wasn't like he wished it had never happened. The moments of intimacy they had shared still meant something.

“You won't fuck it up.” Kuroo’s words drew Bokuto's eyes back to him. “Just be honest about your feelings. I think you would make a good boyfriend, you know.”

“Really?”

“Really. I already know you're a good kisser.” That got a smile out of Bokuto. “And, you know,” Kuroo paused, “if things were different, I would go out with you.”

Bokuto hugged him tightly. “Thanks Kuroo. I love you bro.”

“Love you too bro.”

The hug lingered, like they always did, until a loud whistle coming from the gym reminded Kuroo where they were.

“We should probably go back.”

“Yeah.”