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Kuroo had told him, multiple times in fact, that there was no need to ever visit or pick him up from his new part-time job. Which of course meant that Sawamura had to go and visit him at his new part-time job. The only problem is he had no idea where it was. Or even what he was doing. The only information Kuroo had given him was that it paid nearly twice as much as his last part time job at their local 7-Eleven and that he had to take the metro there.
“It’s not anything illegal is it?” Sawamura asks, watching Kuroo as he throws on his rucksack and steps into his shoes. He’s wearing his everyday jeans, one of his dorky t-shirts and the dark green cardigan Sawamura had bought him for Christmas. What kind of part-time job paid well for him to look so casual?
“You just have to trust me.” Kuroo answers with a wink and a smack to Sawamura’s bottom. And then he’s gone, laughter echoing in the hall of their apartment block. Sawamura does trust Kuroo. Trusts him a stupid amount perhaps. It’s just that this isn’t a matter of trust. Sawamura’s not stupid; he recognises this for what it is. The wink had been the final straw – Kuroo is daring him to try and find out. And well, Sawamura’s never backed down from a challenge.
“What do you mean you didn’t know he had a new job?” Sawamura pants outside of Bokuto’s apartment. He had cycled over as soon as he was sure Kuroo was safely on the metro and thus none the wiser to his plan to pick him up from work as a surprise. Bokuto, of all people, had to know. And yet he didn’t.
“You’re telling me,” Bokuto’s mouth droops down on one side, “that he no longer works at the 7-Eleven? Oh this is just terrible! Am I going to have to start paying for my ice cream and toasties?”
“Uhm… he hasn’t worked there for nearly a month.”
“A month!?” Bokuto reels back away from the door as if shocked. “But I took some ice cream just yesterday!” Sawamura blinks at him.
“And Kuroo was there?” Maybe he’s been promoted at the 7-Eleven and that’s the whole joke. Getting Sawamura to meet him at the metro station to walk home together would be something Kuroo would do just for the hell of it.
“Well, no.” Bokuto hums, scratching behind his neck, “now that you mention it he hasn’t been there for ages… but if I pop in when he’s not there then I just text him to let him know what I took.” Bokuto’s eyes grow wide. “If he hasn’t been working there have I just been– am I a thief?!” He screeches into Sawamura’s face, clearly distraught by this turn of events. Sawamura sighs.
“What could he be doing that he wouldn’t want to tell you about?”
“Something embarrassing!” Bokuto doesn’t even try to lower his voice back to a normal volume. “Or something naughty!”
“Something naughty?”
“Oh my God.” Bokuto smacks himself in the head. “He’s working at a maid café! Making loads of money on tips because, hello legs.”
“I don’t know why I thought you’d be any help.”
“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto pouts, throwing his arms around Sawamura. “Don’t be like that. You know you secretly want to see Kuroo in a maids dress with thigh highs on. Don’t lie to me. Secretly that’s what everyone wants.” Sawamura huffs out of the side of his mouth, feeling a wave of fondness for Kuroo; apparently he hasn’t told Bokuto about what they got up to on their last anniversary.
“He’d tell me if that’s what he was doing.” Because not only is that not the kind of thing that would embarrass Kuroo, but he would take endless enjoyment out of strutting around their apartment in a maid’s outfit trying to distract Sawamura from his university work.
“Ohoho, really? In that case there’s only one person we can ask!”
“We?”
“Well yes, obviously I’m coming with you.” Bokuto’s hold on him tightens.
“Obviously?” Sawamura balks. His plan of getting one up on Kuroo by nabbing him as he comes out of work, or even walking into his work as a customer, is completely ruined if Bokuto is his accomplice. Bokuto does not know how to sneak or be subtle.
“Uh-huh yeah. Ignoring the fact that I want to come, I forgot to bring my key with me and when I jumped on you the door closed.” Bokuto grins happily, gesturing at the very closed door behind them. “Akaashi has classes all day.”
“You’re not even wearing shoes.” Sawamura points out, eyeing Bokuto’s thick bed socks meaningfully. He decides not to mention how Bokuto’s still in his pyjamas.
“Do you think Scooby Doo ever let a lack of shoes stop him from solving a mystery? No!” Bokuto marches them both down the hallway, completely fired up.
“You know he’s a dog, right?”
“What’s your point?” Bokuto raises an eyebrow. Sawamura simply shrugs; sometimes it’s easier and less time consuming to let things slide. They pause when they arrive at Sawamura’s bicycle. He chained it where he always does, next to Bokuto’s. From the way Bokuto folds in on himself it’s clear he’s only just realised he hasn’t got the key for his chain.
“Who did you plan on visiting for our next clue?” Hopefully they’re within walking distance.
“Kenma, duh.” So not an impossible walk, but if they have to walk there and then to wherever Kuroo is they might not make it before his shift ends. “But he’s the second stop. First we have to run into the 7-Eleven and get my good reputation back. You’ll lend me some money right?” Sawamura thinks about protesting, but then he’s struck with a genius bargain.
“Only if you cycle us there. And to Kenma’s.” Bokuto barks out a laugh.
“Deal! But you’ve got to give me your shoes.”
As it turns out Bokuto is a thief. He’s consumed more ice cream and toasties in a month than Sawamura has in his whole life, insisting to Sawamura that he only eats so many because Kuroo lets him have them for free. Luckily 7-Eleven accepts card. Bokuto pinky promises to pay him back but Sawamura tells him not to worry: Kuroo will sort it out. It’s basically his fault after all. Half way on their ride to Kenma’s Sawamura takes pity on Bokuto and offers to take over for a while. Twenty minutes later Kenma opens his door to the both of them red in the face and sweating. He looks them up and down slowly before shrugging and throws his door open.
“Sawamura-san, did you lose your shoes?” Sawamura blinks down at his socked feet. He’d forgotten to get them back off of Bokuto when he took over as cyclist. “Bokuto-san, why are you in your pyjamas?” Sawamura feels properly chastised until he recognises the half-smile flirting on Kenma’s face; he’s teasing them.
“Kenma! This is no time to quibble over pyjamas!” Bokuto huffs impatiently, placing a hand on his hip and shooting Kenma a stern look. “Where is Kuroo?” Kenma looks at Bokuto dubiously and then dismisses him entirely.
“You’ve lost Kuroo?” He asks Sawamura, holding a hand up to Bokuto as he opens his mouth.
“Not exactly. I was just curious about where his new job is.”
“We,” Bokuto hisses, “we were curious.” Sawamura doesn’t look away from Kenma.
“In hindsight I wish I’d come to ask you first.”
“We all make mistakes.” Kenma nods, lowering his hand.
“Kenma?” Sawamura jerks to look behind him. Padding down the hallway towards them, dressed in nothing but a baggy t-shirt and fluffy socks is Hinata. “Who are you talking to?” He rubs at the corner of his eyes.
“Hinata!” Bokuto cries out happily. “We have the same kind of socks!” Hinata’s eyes snap open, instantly bright.
“Bokuto-san!” He runs his hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. “Ack! Sawamura-senpai!”
“Morning Shouyou.” Kenma hums, smile warm on his face in a way that Sawamura rarely gets to see. “Want me to get you breakfast?” Hinata nods a little dazedly. Sawamura pretends not to notice the bite marks on his thighs as he high-fives Bokuto on their superior taste in socks. Kenma returns less than a minute later with some kind of chocolatey cereal for Hinata, who peppers Kenma’s face with half a dozen kisses as thanks and throws himself down on the sofa to eat. Apparently having people turn up to his flat in a shoeless and pyjama wearing state doesn’t faze him in the slightest.
“I’m sorry Sawamura-san,” Kenma doesn’t sound sorry, but Sawamura supposes it’s the thought that counts, “I don’t know where Kuroo’s new job is.”
“Eh?” Bokuto has managed to procure a spoon without anyone noticing and is perched in front of Hinata pillaging his cereal. “Did you think he still worked at the 7-Eleven too?”
“Nuh,” Hinata splutters around a mouthful, “he shed we cwuldant nwo.” Sawamura furrows his eyebrows, turning back to Kenma.
“Why couldn’t you guys know?” At least he knows it’s definitely not illegal now.
“He seemed to think we’d tell you.” Kenma twirls a bit of his hair around his forefinger. “I’m inclined to agree with him.”
“So what? We lose? Game over? Forever a mystery?” Bokuto stares up at Sawamura with wide eyes, clearly distressed by the possibility he’ll never know where Kuroo works, even though less than an hour ago he was convinced he still had his job at the 7-Eleven. Hinata swallows, looking between Bokuto and Sawamura thoughtfully.
“Yaku-senpai knows.”
“EH?” Bokuto flaps his arms out wide, toppling himself out of his perched position and landing on the floor in a crumbled heap. “Why would he tell Yaku and not us?” Bokuto makes a sweeping gesture at everyone in the room, which seems to flatter Hinata immeasurably.
“I don’t think he told Yaku-senpai.” Hinata admits, scooping up some more cereal. "Lev made it sound like it was impossible for him not to know.”
“Lev knows?!” Sawamura has never seen Bokuto look more offended. Hinata shakes his head, swallowing his mouthful before speaking.
“Nope. Yaku-senpai won’t tell him. He just knows that he knows.”
“Sawamura!” Bokuto leaps up suddenly from the floor. “This is a Tokyo-wide mystery! We must crack the small angry one!”
“Maybe don’t refer to him as the small angry one when we’re trying to crack him.”
“Morning Yaku-san.” Sawamura and Bokuto spin around so fast they almost collide with each other. Kenma holds his hand out to the both of them, humming politely into his phone. “Shouyou said you might know where Kuroo’s new job is?”
“Kenma’s the best detective.” Hinata crawls to the end of the sofa, leaning over it to stare adoringly up at Kenma.
“Well! He’s not being very secretive with his intentions!” Bokuto pouts, clearly put out that he’s been bested at something.
“Bokuto, we literally cycled here to openly ask where he was.” Sawamura feels like a phone call might have actually been a better option and can’t figure out why he didn’t think of that.
“Yep, Sawamura-san and Bokuto-san are both here.” Kenma nods into his phone, shifting it away from his face and pressing a few buttons. Yaku’s face clicks into the frame.
“Morning!” Yaku waves cheerfully, apparently more than happy to be contacted by them. They all shout back a greeting dutifully. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy. I can’t tell you where Kuroo works.” His smile grows a little wider. “But he didn’t say I couldn’t show you.”
“Yaku, I think I love you?” Bokuto hops from foot to foot excitedly, nudging Sawamura in the side. “Did ya hear Sawamura? He’s going to take us!”
“We’re all at our house!” Hinata calls. “How soon can you get here?” The view point from Yaku’s end of the phone shifts, panning out to show him already sat in his car. Lev is riding shotgun.
“We’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Thank you, Yaku-san.” Kenma ends the call and looks at the three of them. “Shouyou maybe you should put on some pants.”
“Maybe.” Hinata agrees, face a little pink.
“Wahoo! Road trip!” Bokuto throws himself at Kenma, picking him up and swinging him around. “You’re the best!” He plants him back onto the ground and marches into the kitchen. “I’m going to grab some snacks for the ride.”
“Is Yaku’s car big enough for all of us?” Part of Sawamura hopes that Kenma tells him no, just so they can force Bokuto to wait here. He’s still in his pyjamas after all.
“Shouyou can sit on my lap.” It’s clear from the way Kenma nods that this point is non-negotiable.
Five minutes later Sawamura finds himself wedged in the middle seat, with Hinata held tightly in Kenma’s lap on his left and Bokuto eating a bowl of chocolatey cereal with the window open on his right. Bokuto is still in his shoes and is happily humming away to the song on the radio.
“Sorry for tagging along.” Lev twists his body around to address Sawamura. “I just really want to see! I’d never know otherwise.”
“Don’t worry, I understand.” Sawamura smiles. So far Lev has been the only one to apologise for high-jacking what he had intended to be a cute and possibly romantic surprise. He’s definitely not as bad as Kuroo makes him out to be.
“Yaku-senpai, how long is the drive?” Hinata leans forwards a little to peer around the seat in front and address Yaku.
“Ten, fifteen minutes,” Yaku shrugs as if time is of no consequence; apparently no one has anything else they should be doing on a Thursday afternoon, “so sit back and enjoy the ride.” Hinata obeys immediately, wriggling back and tucking his head under Kenma’s chin. It’s only then that Sawamura notices that instead of throwing on some clothes Hinata simply put his pyjama bottoms on. Kenma too is still wearing his.
When Yaku finally stops the car just over fifteen minutes later Sawamura thinks he might be joking. He’d sort of been expecting some place lavish and loud, a small theme park perhaps where Kuroo was the balloon man or a stage performer. Maybe even a dog shelter or an owl café. A place where you wouldn’t exactly expect to find Kuroo but wouldn’t be wholly surprised to find him either.
“What is this place?” Bokuto's voice shakes next to him, clearly unnerved. “Sawamura, Sawamura it’s like… a place… for adults.” Sawamura laughs, fluffing up Bokuto’s hair with both hands. He isn’t wrong though; Yaku has brought them to a street filled with grey office buildings. Admittedly a few of them look shiny, but they’re the type of buildings Sawamura would cycle right passed without a second thought.
“Does Kuroo-san really work around here?” Lev leans across the dashboard blinking up at the buildings all around them with a wrinkled nose.
“Yep. I helped him get the job.” Yaku spins around to take in all their expressions, obviously delighted.
“Is one of these places secretly a tattoo parlour?” Hinata’s wound down his window to poke his head out and glare at the buildings all around.
“Or an arcade?” Kenma sounds hopeful.
“Not exactly.” Yaku stares at Sawamura. “His building is number forty-nine.”
“I’m on it!” Bokuto’s door flies open and he jumps out, dashing down the street. Sawamura can’t tell if he’s just eager to find Kuroo and leave this place or if he’s trying to run away from Sawamura so he can keep his shoes.
“His shift doesn’t end for another ten minutes.” Yaku frowns at his watch. “Maybe we should have driven a longer way round.”
“Yaku-san, you even know his schedule?” Lev peers up at him from where he’s still folded across the dashboard. Sawamura knew he was working a morning shift today which is why he wanted to discover where he was early on, but even he’s a little surprised that Yaku knows the exact time.
“Not really. I text and asked him when you guys were piling into the car.”
“Kenma, you should fight crime with Yaku-senpai.” Hinata whispers fiercely. “He’s almost as good as a detective as you.”
“Found it!” Bokuto wails from half-way down the road. “It looks really boring! I don’t think we can get tattoos here!” Hinata frowns. Sawamura steps out of the car, gesturing for Bokuto to come back to them.
“We have to wait until he’s finished.” Before Yaku had told him that he’d intended to just walk on in and announce himself as a visitor for Kuroo. Now he’s a little nervous; Yaku made it seem like their only option was to wait. Bokuto runs back to the car, pushing Sawamura in and almost jumping on top of him. He slams the door behind them and rolls the window up hastily.
“I’m not a fan of this place.” He hunkers down in his seat, eyeing the outside with mild contempt. “It doesn’t look like it harbours dreams.”
“Oh yeah? What does a place that harbours dreams look like?” Sawamura stares down at Bokuto, enjoying the height advantage he’s been given.
“Ohoho.” Bokuto squeezes himself closer to Sawamura. “My bedroom.” He winks and then cackles hysterically.
“My bedroom too.” Kenma looks up at Sawamura from his other side, giggling at Sawamura’s blush.
“Yaku-san, now what?” Lev whines from the front seat. “We just wait here?”
“Obviously!” Bokuto lifts himself up just so he can flick Lev in the back of the head. “That’s what real detectives would do.”
“Real detectives like Scooby Doo?”
“Wah!” Bokuto smacks Sawamura with the back of his hand. “Sawamura you’re a genius! We are exactly the same as the Scooby Doo gang!” He gestures to all of them. “We’re even in a Mystery Machine!”
“Weren’t there only five members in the Scooby Doo gang?” Kenma asks as if that’s the only problem with Bokuto’s suggestion.
“No?” Bokuto tips his head to the side. “Okay so if I’m Scooby and Sawamura’s Fred.”
“Wait, I’m Fred?” Sawamura wonders if that’s a compliment when, if he remembers correctly, Fred wasn’t very clever.
“You did unite us like a leader.” Kenma points out.
“Yes that, but also.” Bokuto strokes Sawamura’s bicep fondly. “I think you understand.”
“I understand!” Hinata squeezes Sawamura’s other arm. “Who am I? Who am I?”
“Velma! She’s short and orange. Maybe we can get you some glasses.”
“Isn’t she the clever one?” Lev frowns, “why would the shrimp be the clever one?”
“Shut up Shaggy!” Bokuto flicks him in the back of the head again. “Kenma has the hair and the height for Daphne.”
“Also he’s a babe.” Hinata presses a kiss to Kenma’s red cheek.
“So then I’m just the van driver? Thanks.” Yaku drawls sarcastically.
“Who said that? Yaku-san you’re obviously Scrappy Doo!” Bokuto sounds exasperated, as if that’s the most obvious thing, and Sawamura can’t help the laugh that rolls out of him. Hinata splutters, trying in vain to silence his own laugh into his fist. Kenma clings onto the back of Hinata’s top to shield himself from Yaku’s view and giggles freely. Lev is the only one who manages to keep a straight face. Sawamura thinks maybe he should be Scooby; he’s a very well trained dog.
“Do you all want to walk home?” Yaku snarls.
“Scrappy was the bad guy.” Bokuto points out cheerfully. “If you make us walk home you’d only be proving my point!” Sawamura punches Bokuto for Yaku, mostly because Yaku looks like he’s going to explode.
“Ah!” Lev bolts upright in his seat. “Isn’t that Kuroo-senpai?!” Everyone falls silent, staring forwards with wide eyes.
“Oh my God.” Hinata squeaks next to him in a hushed breath.
“No.” Bokuto sounds scandalised.
“Shit.” Sawamura doesn’t know how he’s supposed to react. Because yes, that’s Kuroo. His boyfriend of nearly four years. You would think he’d be used to how disarmingly attractive he is by now. And maybe he would be if Kuroo wasn’t in a suit. A fitted suit. One that clings to his thighs in a way that not only makes Sawamura’s mouth run dry but should probably be illegal. He can only imagine how nicely it hugs his bottom.
“Is he a stripper?” Bokuto asks Yaku shrilly. Kuroo’s top button is done up and his tie is tucked neatly into his trousers; his hands are stuffed casually into his pockets. Surely if he’d been stripping all morning he’d be a little more ruffled.
“Let me out of the car.” Sawamura knows he sounds too breathless simply from the confused way Bokuto looks at him and the smirk Yaku throws over his shoulder. When it becomes apparent that Bokuto is not going to move Sawamura leans over him and opens the door, swinging both of his legs over his lap and rolling into the street. It’s a dramatic enough exit that Kuroo pauses in his walk towards them, less than a building away, and narrows his eyes. He walks forwards a few more paces.
“Daichi?” Sawamura’s knees almost buckle out from under him at the way Kuroo’s face floods with colour and how his name rolls of his tongue so sweetly.
“Surprise?” Sawamura runs at him and jumps, knowing there’s no way that Kuroo won’t catch him but realising after he’s already in the air that maybe he should have checked to make sure nobody else was in the street. Kuroo doesn’t seem to care, hoisting his legs around his waist and kissing him. Sawamura’s hands trail up Kuroo’s chest intending to make their way to his hair but pause when they arrive at his tie. He groans, palms smoothing along his shirt instead, and bites at Kuroo’s bottom lip. Bokuto’s wolf-whistle is the only thing that stops him from going further. Kuroo pulls back, stunned.
“Bo?” Sawamura lets himself down, turning to find Bokuto, Hinata and Kenma all hanging out of the back window. Yaku has slotted himself beside Lev to hang out of the front one.
“Congratulations on your new job Kuroo-senpai.” Hinata trills as if he hasn’t known he had a new job for the past month. Kuroo groans.
“Yaku! You promised!”
“I didn’t tell anyone!” Yaku retorts, mock offended, “we just took a drive and happened to see you.”
“I always knew you were a leprechaun!” Kuroo shouts back, grumbling under his breath about how only leprechauns get out of deals on technicalities.
“No no no!” Bokuto shakes his head dramatically. “He’s Scrappy Doo, K-Cat, Scrappy Doo!”
“Do I want to know?” Kuroo whispers as Yaku climbs into the back seat to kick Bokuto a few times.
“Probably not.” Sawamura admits, knowing that even if he did explain it now Kuroo would still get a re-telling from Bokuto later.
“Thanks for coming guys.” Kuroo yells, grabbing onto Sawamura’s hand firmly. “But as there’s not enough room for us all, I’m going to get the metro back with my boyfriend. See ya later!”
“Who do you think you are?” Bokuto squawks. “Kidnapping Fred!” Kuroo rolls his eyes, leaning down and kissing Sawamura unexpectedly. It’s only a soft brush of his lips, a small caress of his fingers across Sawamura’s cheek, but it’s more than enough to leave Sawamura breathless.
“I won’t stop you if you’d prefer to go home with those guys.” He cocks an eyebrow, issuing a challenge. Sawamura turns back to say he’ll get the metro home but Yaku is already pulling out of their parking spot, waving goodbye.
“Yaku is the new Fred!” Screams Bokuto wildly, flipping them off as the car speeds down the road. Sawamura looks at Kuroo, watching as he sheepishly smiles, scratching at the back of his head.
“What? I got a part-time job at a legal patenting company where I sit for hours and fill out forms and stuff. Okay?” Sawamura smiles.
“And you didn’t want to tell me because?”
“It’s so uncool!” Kuroo explodes, hiding his face in both of his hands. “It’s like I’m a boring office worker and I like it.” He wails. “It pays well and everyone is really nice and even though I'm only a part-timer they gave me a little desk!”
“You have a desk?” Maybe finding out Kuroo was stripping on the side would be less of a shock than discovering he is a desk worker after all.
“Yes! A tiny one. But it’s got a picture of us up in it so it’s a little cute.” Kuroo takes a peak at Sawamura’s face through his fingers.
“I don’t think you’re uncool,” Sawamura wants to know if people have asked who he is if there’s a picture of them on his desk, but he’s afraid the answer will actually turn his legs to jelly. Instead he gestures at all of Kuroo slowly, eyes raking up his body and licks his lips suggestively. “That’s a good look for you. A really good look.”
“Ohoho.” Kuroo brings his hands away from his face to wrap them around Sawamura’s waist. “Really?”
“Yes.” Sawamura nods earnestly; he knows Kuroo can be self-conscious about weird things. “I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on you in a suit for nearly a month.”
“I get changed in the toilets at the station.” Kuroo admits, nibbling on his lip. “I thought I looked really uncool, like a kid playing dress up.”
“Impossible!” Sawamura head-butts Kuroo’s collar bone, whispering into his skin. “You’re the coolest person I know.” No small feat considering Sawamura’s best friend is Suga. He pulls back to look at Kuroo’s face again. “And as good as this suit looks; I’d really like to help you out of it.”
“Shit,” Kuroo swallows, abandoning Sawamura’s waist and tugging onto his hand, “home time. Now.” He drags Sawamura after him at a brisk pace, looking over his shoulder with a bright smile every few steps. It’s only when they’re sat side by side on the metro, pinky fingers locked together, that Kuroo nudges him and asks, “Ney, is there a reason why you’re not wearing shoes?”