Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tsukishima was sitting at his desk, writing up some notes for his class. He had to make good use of every minute he had. He was at the top of his class and he had every intention of remaining there. He was also a new recruit with the Frogs and that meant early morning workouts and afternoon practice. The internship applications were due next week. Being organized was key to his success. He was a multitasking machine, he smirked to himself. 

His phone pinged with an incoming message. He dutifully ignored it and continued writing, despite several consecutive alerts. It had to be the 3rd gym group chat he had joined against his better judgment almost 3 years ago. It was still going strong, with 90% of the activity generated by Bokuto’s ceaselessly enthusiastic texts and Kuroo’s dumb memes. And yet, he was checking in on their idiocy at least once a day. He told himself it was because he appreciated Akaashi’s wit and he enjoyed laughing at the stupid-ass situations Kuroo got himself into. Bokuto could not be laughed at, he was just pure sunshine and enthusiasm. But he did post a lot of pictures and if Tsukishima looked at all of them, just in case he caught a glimpse of Kuroo, well, it was nobody’s business but his own. Allowing himself a short break, he pushed aside his books and reached for his phone to read the messages. As usual, Bokuto had started the chat, proposing a 3rd gym get-together on his next trip to Tokyo. Tsukishima muted the chat before returning to his work. He’d let them hash out all the details in endless back and forth messages. Then he’ll pretend to be annoyed, to be too busy, but in the end, he will agree because he’s just weak that way.

Finally done for the night, he put his books into his backpack, ready for tomorrow. He opened the chat and, just as he expected, Kuroo and Bokuto were still debating the whens and wheres of the upcoming visit. Akaashi had just added that except for one morning he would be available all weekend long. Tsukishima was about to put his phone down when it pinged again. He sat on the bed and opened his chat with Yamaguchi.

Tadashi: Hey, Tsukki, can I show you something?

Kei: Sure

Tadashi: (picture sent)

Kei: Ew! Why would you do such a thing! 

Tadashi: Kei… be serious, please. What do you think?

Kei: Right now? I’m rethinking all my life choices. Why did you send me a shirtless picture? 

Tadashi: It’s not for you. You know this guy in my class I’ve been telling you about? He sent me a gym pic and I guess he’s expecting one in return.

Kei: Um. OK. Then why did you send it to *me*? 

Tadashi: Because, genius, I want to know if it’s good. What do you think?

Kei: Oh, gods. What have I done to deserve this…

Tadashi: Smartass…

Kei sighed and scrolled back up to take another look at the picture. He couldn't help wincing. It was extremely weird, trying to look at his best friend and try to think of him as ‘sexy’. Not that Yamaguchi was repulsive, far from it. He was fit, tall and had an absolutely winning smile. Objectively, he supposed Tadashi was very good-looking. But it was like trying to think of his brother as sexy. The concept just wouldn't fit in his head and it left him vaguely nauseous.

But his best friend needed his help so with a big sigh, he tried to look at the picture as objectively as he could.

Kei: Hey Yamaguchi, are you having digestive problems?

Tadashi: What? No! What… Why would you ask me that?!

Kei: Because it looks like you’re constipated.

Tadashi: Gee, thanks, former best friend.

Kei: Try to relax your face. And flex those abs. They're pretty nice so make sure they show.

Tadashi: Ok. How about this one?

Tadashi: (picture sent)

Kei: I said, flex your abs, not bend down like a hunchback. You look like one of the seven dwarfs. Probably Dopey.

Tadashi: Sometimes I wonder why I even bother putting up with you. How about this?

Tadashi: (picture sent)

Kei: Good god Yamaguchi, do you even understand the concept of a thirst trap? You’re supposed to look good.

Tadashi: I’m starting to regret asking you.

Kei: I’m waaaaay ahead of you in the regrets department.

Tadashi: Seriously, Tsukki!

Kei: OK, try this: hips at an angle, shoulders straight, show those muscles and for fuck’s sake, smile!

Tadashi: Like this?

Tadashi: (picture sent)

Kei: Hahaha! Looks like you’re ready to mambo with your grandma!

Tadashi: I don't understand what you want me to do!

Kei: Ok, ok. Wait, I’ll show you.

Tsukishima had by now acquired, somewhat against his will, surprisingly extensive knowledge of what made a good thirst trap, thanks to Bokuto’s barrage of gym pictures. He stood in front of his mirror, pulled his shorts down a bit so they sat right on his hips, pulled up his shirt on one side, stopping just shy of showing the nipple, angled his body so that the desk lamp highlighted all the dips and ridges of his muscles and gave the camera his most impish smile. He hit send and went to take a bath.

---

He returned, running a towel through his hair. He picked up a book and put it on his bed, thinking that he could get some reading done before he fell asleep. He hung the towel up, plopped down on his bed, and grabbed the phone. Tadashi’s answer was waiting for him.

Tadashi: Show me what?

Tadashi: Still waiting…

Tsukishima broke out in a cold sweat. He scrolled up the chat but his picture was nowhere to be seen…

With a mounting sense of dread, he switched over to the other chat… “Fuck,” he breathed.  “Fuckfuckfuckfuck…” There was his picture. And next to it, three tiny profile pictures. They all saw it. He closed his eyes in mortification and debated flushing his phone down the toilet, himself included. Or possibly witnessing a crime so he could go into witness protection… 

---

Kuroo was seated across from Akaashi, two steaming bowls of ramen between them. Kuroo was already eating but Akaashi was still on his phone. “You can put the phone down, you know,” Kuroo said. “You won't get fired for leaving your boss on ‘read’ while you get your dinner.”

Akaashi shot him a curious little smirk and continued to type for a moment before putting his phone down. They ate in silence for a while before Akaashi restarted the conversation. “So, you think Tsukishima will be able to make it for our get-together?” I mean, he’s pretty busy, what with school and volleyball…”

“Ah, you know he’d never miss out on the pleasure of my company,” Kuroo grinned.

“Hm. Debatable,” answered Akaashi.

“You really think he’ll be too busy?” asked Kuroo, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

“He has a lot going on at the moment. The way he juggles all his commitments is quite admirable,” Akaashi answered. “But judging by the picture he just sent us, I think we will be seeing him soon,” he added with a wicked smirk.

Kuroo nearly choked on his soup. “Picture? What picture? Tsukki sent a picture???? He never sends pictures! Why didn’t you tell me!” He dropped his chopsticks and let them clatter to the floor in his haste to get out his phone. He hurried through the passcode, having to try twice before he managed to unlock his phone. 

Akaashi watched in amusement as Kuroo scrolled down to catch up with the new messages and then watched his eyes go wide when he saw the picture in question. Kuroo fumbled with the phone, trying to take a better look but his hands shook too much and the phone slipped from his fingers, and despite his frantic efforts to prevent it, landed in his ramen bowl with a spectacular splash. “Fuuuuck!” wailed Kuroo, wiping soup from his face and then retrieving his phone, dripping broth and noodles. “Fuckfuckfuckfuck…” 

He wiped down the phone and started prodding buttons, trying to turn it back on. Unfortunately, the phone was pretty beat up to begin with, the screen badly cracked and the forced bath put a final nail in its coffin. There was no bringing it back to life. “Aghasheeee...” Kuroo moaned, “Let me see your phone? Please??? I need to see it!” He was draped halfway across the table, stretching an imploring hand towards Akaashi. “Mine’s dead and I’m going straight to work from here, I won't be home for hours…

---

There was no escaping the inevitable. Tsukishima unlocked his phone again and opened the chat. As expected, Bokuto had been the first to comment under his picture.

Bokuto: Oh wow, Tsukki, all that extra training is starting to show! Your abs and obliques look really good but make sure you don't neglect your SITS muscles, they’re important in keeping you from injuring your shoulders! I can show you some good exercises if you want!

This was followed by a slew of emojis that he didn't even try to decode for meaning. Underneath was a comment from Akaashi, followed by two winking faces.

Akaashi: I’m guessing you sent this by accident? Don't worry though, no one here is complaining. It’s a really good picture.

He bit his thumbnail, waiting to see what Kuroo would add to that. A fresh wave of embarrassment swept through him. He waited for what felt like an hour but there was nothing. He tossed his phone onto the covers and buried his face in his pillow. Why wasn't Kuroo saying anything? He saw the picture, it was not like him to hold back when faced with such an opportunity to tease… 

That night, Tsukishima hardly slept at all. He alternated between checking his phone obsessively every thirty seconds and swearing to never look at it again. He turned it off completely, only to turn it back on after only three and a half minutes. And still, nothing from Kuroo. As a seasoned overthinker, his mind was constantly cycling through all the worst scenarios for this unexpected silence. Oh, gods, he probably thought Tsuukishima was a sleazy tease, a player. Or maybe he thought he just looked ridiculous! Or Akaashi’s comment made him think that Tsukishima had meant to send it to someone else, that he was dating someone? He probably thought he was so shallow, sending pictures like that… He finally drifted off into uneasy sleep. It felt like only minutes had passed before his alarm woke him up again. With a resigned sigh, he checked his phone once again (no new messages) before getting up and heading out for his morning workout. 

---

Kuroo had not slept at all. Normally, he managed to squeeze a few hours of sleep between the end of his shift and his morning class. But last night, he spent most of that time desperately trying to revive his phone. He was very aware that the more time passed, the weirder his long silence became.   

Eventually, he resigned himself to the inevitable and knocked on his best friend and roommate's bedroom door. “Kenma? Are you still up?” He asked quietly. A soft grunt answered him from the other side so he pushed open the door. Kenma was still at his desk but it was hard to tell what he was doing, so many screens were showing different things. He could be playing or writing code for one of his freelance contracts or editing a video for a class project. Or breaking into Fort Knox for all he knew. “I need your help,” Kuroo muttered, clutching his deceased phone to his chest.

“What did you break this time?” Kenma sighed and extended a hand for Kuroo to give him the phone. He took it gingerly between two fingers, lifted it to his face and sniffed. “Is that… soup?” he asked incredulously. Kuroo just grinned sheepishly.

Kenma turned to rummage through his drawers. He emerged holding a pair of nitrile gloves, a couple of cables and a small toolkit, as well as another phone, apparently new and still in its box. He went quickly about swapping Kuroo’s SIM card into the new pone. He removed the back of the old phone and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the small puddle of cold broth that oozed onto his desk. “Gross,” he muttered but carried on with connecting the two phones with cables to his laptop. He typed a few commands on the computer, entered a code into the new phone and restarted it again while Kuroo watched in awed silence as row after row of familiar icons appeared on the new device. After a few more moments Kenma disconnected everything and swept the old phone unceremoniously into the wastebasket, along with the used gloves. He handed the new one to Kuroo. “Here, you should be good to go.”

“Kenma, you can't give me a new phone!” he protested.

“It's not new. It's a freebie I once got to run some tests on. I don't need it anymore.” Kenma said and turned back to his screens.

Kuroo knew this was the end of the conversation. “Thank you,” he said. Kenma put on his earphones and ignored him. Kuroo walked out quietly and closed the door behind him. He went to his own bed and powered up his new phone. He quickly found his way in the new layout and opened the chat. He took a good long look at the picture. Damn, Tsukishima sure had had a glow up. Of course, Kuroo always thought he was good-looking, but now? There was no denying that, as Bokuto had noted, all that extra training was starting to show. 

The criminally short shorts were sitting low on Tsukishima’s hips, showing off considerable amounts of his well-defined thighs. The waistband was tugged down so that the sharp angle of his hips was clearly visible, the lines drawing his eyes down almost against his will. Not that he was resisting very hard. He let his eyes wander at will, appreciating the lean hard lines and sleek curves of Tsukishima’s body. He looked at the long, graceful fingers holding up the shirt and the elegant line of his neck and strong shoulders.  

But Kuroo couldn't help feeling that he shouldn't be looking at the picture. Quite apart from Akaashi’s comment, based on everything he knew about Tsukishima, there was just no way this picture was meant for him. It was definitely sent by mistake. His heart tightened in his chest at the thought that there was someone out there for whom this picture was meant. But he shouldn't be surprised, he told himself. Tsukishima was very good-looking, and Kuroo was certainly not the only person to have noticed that. 

A sour taste settled in his stomach. Had he missed his chance? He had always been interested in Tsukishima. How could he not? Besides his ethereal good looks, he was smart as a whip, merciless in his teasing and stubbornly dedicated to the things he loved. Kuroo had always flirted with him, relishing the soft blush that would occasionally grace Tsukishima’s cheeks as a result but he had always stopped just shy of making his interest clear. He had told himself it was because Tsukishima was still young. Because he didn't want to rush things, didn't want to pressure him. But Tsukishima had always been the more mature of the two of them, he certainly didn't need to be coddled and protected. He made his decisions rationally, he would definitely not let himself be pressured into something he didn't want. 

It was starting to become painfully obvious to Kuroo that the reason he had held back so many times was his own fear of rejection. To put it plainly, he was afraid someone as amazing as Tsukishima would want nothing to do with a joker like him. And now it was too late, wasn't it? He looked at the picture again, his attention drawn by Tsukishima’s smile. Gods, what a smile that was! Still sharp and teasing but also easy and relaxed, not holding back. His eyes sparkled with mischief and warmth. What wouldn't he do, Kuroo thought, to have Kei look at him with that smile? What wouldn't he do? Well, the problem is he hasn't done anything at all. But the thought of having those bright amber eyes look at him like that lit a fire in his chest and Kuroo decided it was time for a change. Maybe it was already too late but Kuroo would be damned if he didn't at least try to set the record straight and tell Tsukishima that… Tell him that… Well, he’ll figure out what he wants to tell him. Eventually.

---

Tsukishima was trudging up the steps to his residence hall. It wasn't a particularly long or difficult walk but his day had dragged on forever, especially after the sleepless night he had. He opened the front door and crossed the lobby, empty except for a sleeping figure slumped uncomfortably in one of the chairs that looked stylish but seemed to be designed by someone who only had the vaguest idea of how the human body worked. He was about to go on his way when the untamed shock of black hair caught his attention. He stopped in front of the chair and took a better look. It was Kuroo. It was definitely Kuroo. He was slumped on his side, one knee hooked over the arm of the chair, face half-hidden by his jacket and a small bouquet of tulips held against his chest. His face, what little was visible between the jacket and that godawful hair, was pale and tired-looking, with shadows under his eyes. He looked for a moment longer and then nudged Kuroo’s foot with his own. It took two more tries but eventually, Kuroo’s eyes blinked open. “Ummm, hi?” he croaked, his voice rusty with sleep.

“What are you doing here?” Tskishima scowled down.

“I came to see you.” Kuroo was craning his neck to look up at him.

Tsukishima looked away. He couldn't help remembering the embarrassing picture that no doubt was the reason why Kuroo was here. “What do you want?” he asked, not even trying to keep the bite out of his voice. A passing student gave them a curious look. Tsukishima glared at him until he looked away. 

Kuroo cleared his throat. “Is there somewhere we could talk?” he asked.

Tsukishima sighed and nodded. “Follow me.”

They made their way to Tsukishima’s room. It was a tight fit between the desk and the bed and two awkward, suddenly shy, long-legged guys. Tsukishima dropped his bag on the desk and turned to face Kuroo who stood by the door, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. “So? Talk,” he said. He knew he was unfair but he was tired and humiliated and didn't feel very generous at the moment. “Why are you here?”

“I saw your picture,” Kuroo said. Tsukishima’s scowl only deepened. 

“And consequently, you brought me flowers?”

“Ummm, yeah. I mean, no! I mean, yes, I did bring you flowers but it’s not because of the picture. Well, it kinda is, but not really… I mean, I wanted to apologize!” Kuroo nearly shouted the last part and then bowed his head and extended the bouquet to Tsukishima.

“What on earth do you want to apologize for?” Tsukishima asked, not taking the flowers. “I’m the one who sent the picture.”

“I wanted to apologize for the long silence but it was because I dropped my phone into my soup and I couldn't say anything! And then I didn't really know what to say,” he babbled semi-coherently.

“And therefore you brought me flowers?” Tsukishima asked again. He was still mad and embarrassed, but he couldn't help a small smirk. But, as fun as teasing Kuroo was, Tsukishima couldn't hold back his annoyance. "Look, I don't know what you're imagining you're going to accomplish with these,” he pointed at the flowers, “but it’s not like that. I’m not like that. I… I don't send pictures to strangers. I don't.. tease .” He looked down and added quietly. “Look, I did not intend to send that picture to you. I didn't mean for anyone besides Yamaguchi to see it.” His words were practically a whisper by now. They stood face to face, the small bunch of tulips sad and drooping between them

Kuroo’s heart dropped. “Tsukki, I’m sorry,” he said. When Tsukishima glared at him again, he just waved him off before continuing. “I didn't come here to hit on you. Or… or imagining anything like that. It’s just… I’ve always liked you, you know? You’re smart, hard-working, you’re fascinating when you talk about the things you like. You’re a really good volleyball player and you’re incredibly funny in that prickly way of yours. You’re pretty amazing and I just wanted to tell you that… But don't worry. I won't try to come between you and Yamaguchi. So, um…. Will you accept these anyway?” he smiled a sad little smile and extended again the very battered-looking flowers. “As a friendship thing?”

Tsukishima looked at Kuroo and tried to make sense of everything Kuroo just said but it was proving very difficult. Finally, his mind latched onto one particular thing he could explain. He took the flowers from Kuroo’s outstretched hands and plopped down on his bed with a sigh. “I’m not with Yamaguchi. We’re not together. I was just trying to help him out.”

“Oh,” Kuroo’s face was carefully neutral, trying very hard not to show any emotions. It looked so different from his usually expressive face, devoid of his stupidly attractive smirks that Tsukishima instantly realized that his words could be interpreted in more ways than intended.

“Gods, No! Whatever it is you’re thinking, stop right now!” Tsukishima yelled. “Sit down and shut up,” he added, waving Kuroo towards the desk chair. When Kuroo sat down obediently he continued. “It’s just because Yamaguchi was trying to take a picture to send to someone and he was really bad at it, so I showed him what he should try to do. Purely as an example,” he added with a frown. The smirk was back on Kuroo’s face and Tsukishima’s stomach did a weird little backflip at the sight. Especially when he allowed himself to think back on the rest of what Kuroo had said. He was not going to do that though. He let the silence stretch, not sure what else he could say.

“Ok, um, well, I’ll better get going I guess,” Kuroo said, standing up from his seat. “Let you get your rest and all that.”

“Where?”

“The train station? I’m heading back to Tokyo.”

“There won't be another fast train until tomorrow morning. You'll spend the night rattling around on those hard seats, stopping at every town and village between here and Tokyo Station.” Tsukishima hesitated but continued. “If you stay here and take the first express train instead, you’ll arrive practically at the same time and at least you’ll be able to sleep.”

“Stay here?” Kuro asked, eyeing the narrow bed.

“Don't even think about it!” Tsukishima exclaimed. He tossed Kuroo a small towel and one of his teeshirts. “The bathroom is to the right at the end of the hall. Go clean up a bit while I set things up. 

With Kuroo gone, he rummaged in the bins stashed by his bed and pulled out a spare blanket. He then lifted his mattress and extracted the spare futon from underneath. He laid it out on the floor along his bed. It took up all the floor space and curled up a little against the far wall. It was the best he could do. Yamaguchi never complained about it when he slept over so he supposed it was fine. He moved around the room, putting his things away and stripping down to a teeshirt as well. Before he had time to start overthinking his decision, Kuroo was back, closing the door softly behind him and standing uncertainly at the entrance. 

He looked around the tiny room, Tsukishima’s sparse belongings tucked neatly away. His class schedule and the games calendar were pinned to the wall above the desk. A few personal items were on the shelf, including three framed pictures. One was of Tsukishima with a man who had to be his brother, both decked out in Sendai Frogs green that clashed horribly with their pale complexion. The other showed Tsukishima, Bokuto, Kuroo and Akaashi, sitting on the steps by the 3rd gym, eating ice cream. It was a candid shot, taken from a bit of a distance and it showed them all laughing. The third was from the nationals, All of Karasuno were gathered around Daichi, looking exhausted but oh so proud. Next to the pictures, he saw his tulips, looking considerably less bedraggled now that they were finally standing in some water, arranged in a yellow sports water bottle. “Very stylish,” he commented, lying down on the futon by Tsukishima’s bed. 

“I’m sorry. If I’d known know you were bringing flowers I would have made sure the crystal vase was clean,” Tsukishima bit back but Kuroo could hear the smile in his voice. It was small and uncertain but Kuroo was glad to hear it. 

Tsukishima took off his glasses and turned out the light. “Good night Kuroo,” he said quietly in the dark.

“Good night Tsukki,” whispered Kuroo back. 

They lay in silence for a while, the light of streetlamps filtering through the narrow window. Kuroo’s eyes were wide open, watching Tsukishima’s profile on the bed next to him. They were both quiet but neither was sleeping. 

“Um, Kuroo? Can I ask you something?” Tsukishima asked quietly. Kuro’s heart did cartwheels in his chest.

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’ve no business telling you what to do with your phone but… Could you delete that picture?”

“Oh, yeah! No problem Tsukki!” Kuroo pulled the phone from under his pillow and quickly cleared the whole chat history without a second thought. “I’ll ask Akaashi to do that too. And Bokuto of course, “ he added, putting the phone away. “I’ll even check on him when I see him next.”

“Thank you. And let's never speak about it again,” he added. His voice was flat and serious and one had to be very familiar, or very attentive to notice the faint trace of humour in it. Luckily, Kuroo was very attentive to all the subtleties of Tsukishima Kei. He paid attention to the shifts of his voice, the secret subtext written in the lines of his eyebrows, the frankly adorable scrunch of his nose…  

“Okay,” he whispered back and felt his face stretch in a smile. “So, who was Yamaguchi trying to impress?” he asked.

“Some guy in his class, apparently.”  

“Do you think it’ll work?”

“I thought we had agreed not to talk about that. Bring it up one more time and you’ll be sleeping on a bench at the station.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry, Tsukki!” Kuro chuckled. “So… You two are not together. Yamaguchi is trying to catch someone else's attention. And you? Do you have your eye on someone?”

Yes, he wanted to say. “Gods, you never shut up, do you?” he said instead.

“Oh ho ho, seems I hit a sore spot,” Kuroo laughed.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes at him although the effect was lost in the dark. “Kuroo, I have a full course load. I play in the V league. I had to make special arrangements with the university to accommodate my travel schedule. I don't have time to date,” he answered. It wasn't an answer to the question Kuroo had asked but neither mentioned it.

“But if you did. Have time I mean. Would you?”

“Kuroo, you’re so infuriating! I don't know! I don't know what I would do if I didn't spend all my time in class or at practice. If I had leisure time. If Tokyo wasn't so far away. If you weren't…” he stopped and wished desperately to take back the words. “I refuse to discuss hypotheticals,” he grumbled instead.

“Tsukki?” Kuroo whispered. “Hey, Tsukki?”

“What?” the reply was muffled, Tsukishima’s face buried in the pillow.

“I’m okay discussing hypotheticals. You know, if you want to?” he let the question hang in the quiet and the dark. “And… I think that, if I… if I had a very busy boyfriend, I would… Well, I wouldn't ask for much. Because I’d respect his commitments and I’d want to see him succeed at the things that matter to him. I wouldn't ask him to change anything for me, you know? But I’d make sure to be there if he needed someone to talk to, if he needed encouragement or advice or just someone to rant to? And I would come up to visit him whenever I could, even if it was just to study together for a few hours, you know? And when he would come down to Tokyo, I’d take him to this really cute café that serves amazing strawberry milkshakes!”

“Those are awfully specific hypotheticals.” 

“Yeah, they kinda are I guess,” Kuroo smiled broadly in the darkness.

“Spent a lot of time thinking about it?"

"Just recently," Kuroo answered quietly. "And, maybe you could give it some thought too? Because I think if you wanted to, with the right person, you could really make it work. And I really think you’re awesome."

“I think you’re pretty okay too,” muttered Tsukishima. “But I swear to god, if you don't shut up soon…”

“Okay, okay! I’m done,” Kuroo chuckled. Tsukishima grumbled his disbelief at that and turned on his bed, taking his face out of the pillow. But it was no accident that he slipped his hand from under the covers and to the edge of his bed, right in front of Kuroo. And when Kuroo, heart beating wildly, reached to touch it, Tsuksihima laced their fingers together. 

Kuroo would never be sure if he even slept at all that night. He thought no dream could ever rival how he felt then, with Tsukishima’s fingers curled lightly around his own, his quiet breathing whispering in his ear and his pale hair shining silver in the night. 

The alarm woke them when the sky outside the window was still pre-dawn gray. They quickly picked everything up and got ready to go, Kuroo to the station and Tsukishima for his morning run. They stepped around each other a little awkwardly in the tiny room, stealing shy looks at each other, smiling when they weren't looking. Soon enough, there was nothing left to do and they stood by the door, facing each other. 

Tsukishima was biting his lip, his eyebrows drawn together. It had been easy to let his guard down in the night but now, in the bright glare of the overhead light, he felt vulnerable and unsure once again. Some confessions, softly spoken in the dark, can wither and fade in the light of day. 

Kuroo looked up at him. “So…” he started cautiously. “Hypothetically speaking, would you be opposed to kissing your boyfriend goodbye? Should you have one?” he grinned stupidly but Tsukishima could see a bit of uncertainty in his eyes. That, more than anything else reassured him. 

He moved half a step forward. “I don't know,” he said. “That’s a hypothesis that will need some testing,” he added, a smirk curling up the corners of his mouth. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kuroo’s. They were soft and still sleep-warm. All of Kuroo felt warm, familiar and enticing. Tsukishima closed his eyes. He felt Kuroo’s hand wrap around his neck, his long fingers sliding into his hair, tilting his head so that Kuroo could deepen the kiss. It felt good. Tsukishima didn't have much experience with kissing but there was no doubt in his mind that this was what kissing was supposed to feel like. Kuroo’s lips moved gently, unhurriedly against his, pulling at his lower lip in a way that made his knees a little weak. He put a hand on Kuroo’s waist and tried to do the same thing. Kuroo’s bottom lip was plush and full, and he bit it gently, loving the quiet growl that Kuroo made in response. 

They pulled away, cheeks flushed and breathing quickened. Tsukishima licked his lips, chasing the taste of Kuroo. Kuroo’s eyes flickered between Tsukishima’s eyes and his mouth, trailing that little flick of the tongue with hawk-like attention. “And?” he asked.

“Not enough data points. I’ll need to do more research.” Tsukishima replied.

“You’re nothing if not thorough, huh?”

Tsukishima just smiled at him and Kuroo’s heart nearly stopped at the sight. That gorgeous, teasing, luminous smile was meant for him and no picture could ever do it justice.