Work Text:
Bokuto and Kuroo meet at age 12 during summer break, with scraped knees and sun blazing, bug nets in their hands. Bugs are a rare find around Tokyo, given that there aren’t many wooded areas, and neither of them are going to let this one go. It shines a brilliant gold that neither of them have seen before. When Kuroo manages to catch it, he notices Bokuto’s lip starting to quiver as he drops to the floor. Looking away as he holds out the bug container, he mumbles a quiet ‘here, it’s only fair you take this one, but only because it reminds me of your eyes,’ and Bokuto takes it with those bright eyes shining.
They stay out until sunset, sitting on rocks with their toes just barely touching the cool surface of the river, exchanging names and promises that they’ll meet up often to do this again.
And they do.
At age 15, they lie sprawled across Bokuto’s bed, basking in the evening sun peeking through the cracks in the blinds. Kuroo is idly flicking through the latest issue of Jump, Bokuto not-so-subtly glancing over his shoulder. Tomorrow, they start high school; Kuroo at Nekoma and Bokuto at Fukurodani. They would both like to be on the same team - they’d be unstoppable together - but there’s something more thrilling about having your best friend as your rival too, eyes meeting from opposite sides of the net with a fierce, determined gaze that screams ‘We’re going to win this one.’
“Fukurodani are going to win at nationals this year, you know.” Bokuto says with a mischievous grin.
“Oh really?” Kuroo questions, a smirk slowly creeping onto his face. “I heard Nekoma were ones to look out for this year. We’re gonna beat you for sure.”
“Oh yeah, and just you watch - I’m going to be Fukurodani’s ace!” Bokuto exclaims proudly, standing now, his fist slamming onto his chest.
“Well that I can believe.” Kuroo responds, with a hint of admiration in his voice.
They share their first kiss beneath the stars at age 16. They’ve both been holding back heart-felt confessions and urges to utter the words I think I like you more than just a friend or even a simple I like you, perhaps out of fear that the other does not feel the same.
It is during their annual joint volleyball camp over summer, after their extra practice late in the evening, Kuroo takes Bokuto’s hand, leading him outside with the promise of something beautiful. He tells Bokuto to close his eyes. He tells him to trust him and that it’ll be worth the long walk. So he does. They walk in silence, only the sound of the crickets’ resonant chirping and the crunching of grass beneath their feet filling the cool summer air. They reach their destination and Kuroo guides Bokuto to lie down, gently letting go of his hand, eyes still closed. And when Kuroo tells him to open them, Bokuto is speechless.
“You see those 3 bright stars there, Bo?” Kuroo begins. “That’s Deneb, Altair and Vega. And you see the bright star right across from there? That’s Spica, which means the constellation you can just make out around it is Virgo. That’s your zodiac sign. See?”
Bokuto does not respond with words. Instead, he slowly reaches for Kuroo’s empty hand and squeezes it gently, glancing over as he does, finding a being more beautiful than any star, more beautiful than the entirety of the cosmos that encompasses the Earth. With that, Bokuto closes the narrow space between them and presses a gentle kiss to Kuroo’s lips. Before Kuroo can respond, Bokuto points to the sky and says, “Look at the sky, Kuro. You see? There’s a star for everything I love about you.”
This time, Kuroo is the one closing the breadth between them.
They are 18 years old when Kuroo first says those three forbidden words. They have been caught on Kuroo’s tongue for a while, but never has he felt the need to say them aloud. They exchange I love you’s through simple touches, long, tender kisses and spontaneous text messages which read ‘I hope you’re sleeping well’ and ‘Good luck with your match today. I’m proud of you.’
Kuroo’s parents are away from home for a week and it’s their first time. It’s awkward; their teeth clash and their foreheads bump together more often than not. But despite that, it’s full of childish giggles, crinkled eyes and wide grins. They are not only lovers, but best friends, and there’s no one else they would rather be with. So when Kuroo leans down exhausted and breathes into the crook of Bokuto’s shoulder a small and sincere ‘God, I love you,’ without thinking, it comes as a small surprise to both of them.
“Shit, I’m sorry, just ignore that. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Kuroo says, fumbling over his words and waving his arms. He stutters over many I’m sorry’s for a few moments more, until Bokuto carefully places his index finger over Kuroo’s lips and says “I love you too, you dork.”
When they both turn 20 years old, they’re living at different universities a 3 hour train ride away. It wouldn’t have been impossible to attend the same school, but they wanted to study different subjects, both desiring to go to universities better suited for their respective courses. It’s been 2 years since they moved away and it’s only getting more difficult by the day. Amongst busy schedules, deadlines and the occasional volleyball practice, they find it difficult to talk as much as they'd like to. They’re on Skype most nights, but school is tiring and more often than not Bokuto passes out during the call, missing Kuroo’s quiet sobs entwined with silent whispers of ‘goodnight’ and ‘I miss you, Kou.’
No matter what Kuroo does, nothing rids the hollow feeling wallowing in his ribcage, and nothing fills the emptiness of the void that consumes him at night. He tries to imagine that Bokuto is here, lying next to him, reaching over to press a tender kiss to his cheek. He finds it comforting to know that somewhere on Earth, perhaps on a planet far, far away, someone is gently kissing someone’s cheek. And that’s good. Then there are only stars.
They both push through until winter break comes by once more, and Bokuto is riding the train to Kyoto. The train arrives after what feels like a lifetime, and neither of them have run so fast before. They embrace each other with open arms, relieved to finally be home. Kuroo presses his lips delicately to Bokuto’s head, whispering gently "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I missed you, I really fucking missed you." over and over and over again, as if saying it a hundred times cannot make up for time lost. But it's okay, he thinks, because I have all the time in the world with you.
At age 26, they’re both back in Tokyo having lived together for 4 years now after leaving university. Those 4 years were not only spent laying around, appreciating the comfort of one another’s presence, but they were spent playing games in the arcades, running around the local park with water guns and going for late night drives at 2am in the countryside, blasting their favourite music for anyone to hear just because they can.
It’s late on a Sunday evening, and Bokuto takes Kuroo’s hand and leads him through the dark with the promise of something magnificent. Kuroo’s eyes are closed, unaware that Bokuto is taking them to the same spot where they were in the summer 10 years prior. Bokuto guides Kuroo to a blanket he’d left there previously in preparation, sitting him down, not letting go of his hands this time. When Kuroo opens his eyes to see Bokuto kneeling before him underneath the far stretch of the cosmos, uttering a quiet ‘Tetsurou, marry me?’ and proceeding to leave loving kisses on each of his knuckles, he thinks he’s dreaming, the feeling of euphoria overwhelming.
Kuroo does not respond with words; he only presses his forehead against Bokuto’s with tear-stained cheeks, giving a simple nod. After a few moments of comfortable silence and long, soft kisses, Kuroo breaks away, points to the sky and says, “Look at the sky, Koutarou. You see? There will never be enough stars to count for everything I love about you.”