#kurodai week 2019

[46kitchensinks]

#kurodai #kurodai week 2019 #haikyuu!! #haikyuu #my art #grass is now my enemy

[ragewerthers]

Take My Hand

Summary:  Kuroo has a song stuck in his head. Or to be more precise, Daichi seems to have a song stuck in his head and Kuroo finds himself absolutely addicted to it.  What does it mean?  And what could it lead to?

A/n: This is for Kurodai Mid-Birthday Week 2019! I went with the song inspired prompt and it took me almost til the end of the fic to figure out which song I wanted, haha!

It is ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love With You- by Elvis Presley’. It’s an oldie but a goodie! :D

You can also read on AO3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21741760

Enjoy! :D

Word Count: 2227

————————-

“Hmm… hmmmm… hmmmmmmmm…,”

“Daichi?”

“Hmmhmm… hmmmhmmmm… hmmmmm…,”

“Sa’amura?”

Kuroo peeked his head around the corner of their shared apartment, glancing at his roommate who seemed to be lost in his own little world.  He had to bite back a smile as he saw the way the former Karasuno captain continued to hum from his spot in front of the kitchen counter.  Swaying back and forth as he mixed together something for dinner he seemed to have lost himself completely to a song in his head.

They had been living off campus for awhile now.   It had seemed like a good idea.  Both were still getting their feet under them and renting an apartment together and sharing expenses would definitely make things easier.  Not to mention they knew one another from high school and a friendship had definitely grown from their rivalry all those years ago.  Daichi was a bit more serious than Kuroo and helped to ground him a bit.  Kuroo was  bit more outgoing and helped to pull Sawamura from his shell.  Their cohabitation was definitely beneficial to both parties, but Kuroo did wish that he’d had an inkling of what was going to happen so he could’ve prepared himself a bit more.

In their time living together they had grown used to each others little idiosyncrasies.  This one in particular was one of Kuroo’s favorites not that he would ever say anything to Daichi.  If he did, the man might stop altogether.  There was just something so… endearing about catching the other man in these moments.  He never sang… always just a little hummed song and only when he thought he was alone or he got caught up in a task.

However, it was always the same song.

It had started just a few weeks into them living together.  Kuroo had been hidden away in his room attempting to get in some extra studying and before he’d known it the clock had read somewhere near one.  Groaning he’d leaned back from his small desk, feeling his spine pop pleasantly and had decided to head into the kitchen to find a snack.

That was the first time he’d heard it.

Making his way quietly down the hallway he’d heard a quiet mumbling.  No… not a mumble.  A rumble?  No.  They hadn’t quite fit the sound either.  As he drew closer to the little kitchen he’d noticed that a light had been left on and his brow furrowed.  Quietly he’d glanced around the corner and seen Sawamura standing over by their small stove.  He was stirring something in a saucepan that smelled suspiciously of chocolate, but what caught Kuroo’s attention more was that he finally registered the noise.

The man was humming.

It was quiet and soft, but a song nonetheless.

Kuroo felt something in his heart flutter as he heard it and he’d had to take a moment to find the breath he’d lost.  Why had it effecting him so?  He’d actually had to compose himself against the hallway wall before working up the nerve to make his entrance.  Not wanting to startle the other he’d taken a deep breath and made his footsteps a little louder as he entered into the kitchen.  As expected, the humming had instantly stopped, but Daichi didn’t look startled or embarrassed.  Actually he’d turned his head and given Kuroo a little smile, making Kuroo wonder if he’d even known he’d been doing it in the first place.

“So… couldn’t sleep either?” Daichi had asked, opening one of their cupboards and pulling out another mug.

“No… studying got away from me… a bit… by three hours,” Kuroo had answered honestly, scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, still feeling the way his heart beat a little faster in his chest.

“Well… lucky for you that I made a bit too much cocoa to help with my own sleeplessness.  Here… I’ll pour you a cup as well.”

The warm feeling that infiltrated Kuroo’s chest upon hearing the soft humming only grew at the gesture.  He’d happily accepted the drink and they’d spent another half hour chatting in the kitchen before they’d finally called it an evening when Daichi had almost nodded off at their kitchen table.

After that one evening, there had been a few more instances of Kuroo being caught off guard by that humming and each time his heart felt like it was going to flutter out of his chest.

It was around the fifth time that he realized that perhaps… possibly… he may be harboring a bit of a flame for the other man.  There was no denying that when they were younger he’d had a crush on the guy.  Who didn’t?!  Or to be more specific… who couldn’t?  He was strong, smart, charming… you’d have to be an idiot to not have had a crush on one Sawamura Daichi.  However, Kuroo had simply pushed back his feelings.  It was supposed to have been a highschool crush, nothing more.  They were all getting ready to start their university careers and who would have time for something trivial like that?  He’d been completely content to just continue a friendship nothing more.

But…

But….

Then he’d had to hear that soft, gentle humming that made his heart flutter, his stomach feel like there were butterflies inside and his knees feel like jelly… and now all those old feelings came rushing back like a tsunami.

And that had only been the start of his troubles.  Ever since the realization had struck he’d found himself falling harder and harder for the man with each passing day.  Did Daichi even realize what he was doing to him?!

Probably not.  But every teasing comment, every home cooked meal, every time they shared a moment together only seemed to make the fondness in his heart grow for the former captain.

So… here he was, standing in the hallway, listening to Daichi humming that same song like always, his heart beating a mile a minute and savoring every second.  He would happily stand there and listen to this song over and over again and to be fair… hadn’t he already been doing that?  The only thing that ever bothered him… was that he had yet to be able to figure out what the song was.

How many times had he secretly heard it now?  Fifteen?  Fifty?  Maybe somewhere in the middle, but each time he would go through the list of songs he knew and not once was he ever able to come up with the right tune or melody to match.

He’d even gone so far as to ask Bokuto and Kenma for help, but he himself had never really been able to carry a tune.  When he’d tried to hum the song or sing it a bit, he’d gotten two different reactions.

Kenma had asked if he was being serious or if he was trying to purposefully sing off key.

Bokuto had laughed so hard he had literally cried, claiming that Kuroo sounded exactly like a cat yowling in an alleyway.

Needless to say he’d given up asking others for help after that.

Still, there was something kind of thrilling about it.  A little mystery that Kuroo hoped to one day figure out or… that maybe one day Daichi would be willing to confide in him?  But honestly, what were the chances of that?  He didn’t know that Kuroo was harboring these feelings.  Daichi probably had no idea that he hoped to one day have more than this friendship, but

“Wise men say… only fools rush in… But I can’t help… falling in love… with… you,”

Kuroo’s smile faltered as he heard the humming shift into Daichi’s smooth voice, though the other still kept his words soft.  In an instant, the former Nekoma captains entire world focused completely onto that melody.  

“Shall I stay?  Would it be a sin?  If I can’t help… falling in love… with… you.”

The words were so gentle that it made Kuroo’s heart ache as he listened to it.  This was far more… personal than when he’d simply heard the melody hummed along in Daichi’s timbre.  This… this was a song the man honestly felt.

But for who? 

“Like a river flows, surely to the sea… darling so it goes… some things are meant to be.”

With every word, Kuroo found himself drawn more and more to Daichi.  He needed to know just who was it that was making this… amazing man sing so openly from the heart?  There was no way a song like this just gets stuck in a person’s head for weeks without there being a catalyst for it.

“Take my hand… take my whole life too.  For I… can’t… help… falling in love… with… K-KUROO?!”

The spell was immediately broken as Kuroo realized that he hadn’t just been drawn to Daichi’s words on an emotional level.  Apparently, much like a bed-headed moth to a flame, he’d made his way from his spot in the hallway to stand directly behind Daichi… managing to scare the hell out of the man and almost getting a wooden spoon to the face.

“Do I have to get a bell for you?!  Oh my heart….,” Daichi panted, clutching his chest and trying to get his breath back.  “Wh-what… are you doing sneaking up on me like that?”

Kuroo felt his ears heating up as he realized that he really, really didn’t have a good enough reason to be there.  His original reason for even being in the hallway to begin with was completely lost to him so his mouth decided to try and help as his brain slowly short circuited.

“Who are you singing about?” he asked quietly, his brain finally kicking in to remind him that his mouth said stupid, stupid things when left to its own devices.

Daichi’s entire face turned a slightly unhealthy shade of crimson and he cleared his throat.  “Oh… I… it was… I heard it on the radio today,” he said with a shrug, turning back to the food he’d been working on.

However, Kuroo found he really couldn’t let this go.  Not now.

“If you just heard it today, Sa’amura… then why have you been humming it for weeks?” he asked, stepping a little closer to the man, enough to see that the crimson color was now moving to his ears.

“No I haven’t.”

“Yes you have.”

“Prove it.”

“What are you, five?”

“What are you, five?”

Kuroo actually snorted as his own question was mimicked back at him in a very non-Daichi way.  Apparently he’d already had an effect on the man from them living together… and he was starting to wonder if perhaps in more ways than he’d dared to hope if the blush was anything to go by.

“Actually.  I can prove it,” he said with a wider smile, watching as Daichi turned to him with a narrowed expression.

“Is that right?” he asked, folding his arms over his broad chest and all but daring Kuroo to continue.

This only made Kuroo  grin and he nodded.  “I can prove it because I’ve been trying to figure out what this song is for just as long.  Since I first heard you humming it when making cocoa.  I’ve asked Kenma… hell I’ve even asked Bo!  I can name each and every time I’ve heard it because… each time it has always made me stop… and made my heart feel like it was going to flutter out of my chest,” he admitted, watching the way Daichi’s eyes widened before he quickly ducked his head to look at the floor.

Kuroo’s own expression softened and he stepped closer, carefully reaching forward and taking Daichi’s hand in his.

“Y-You don’t have to… you don’t… if you don’t feel the same I understand… I…,” Daichi seemed to be floundering for words now, as if his darkest secret was finally being exposed and Kuroo would take it and crush it in his hands before him.

Kuroo couldn’t take that.  Couldn’t take seeing and hearing that worry and fear and knew he had to make sure Daichi understood… really understood.

“T-Take… my hand.  Take my whole life too…,” he began, his words slow and careful and the notes a little offkey.  “For I… can’t… help.  Falling in love… with… you.”

Daichi’s eyes instantly glanced up as he sang, his eyes wide as if trying to decide if this was real or not.  But just as Kuroo was beginning to wonder if he’d misstepped he watched as a smile began to spread over Daichi’s face and the shorter man brought his free hand up to stifle a laugh.

It was Kuroo’s turn to feel his cheeks going red and he cleared his throat.  “S-Sorry.  I… I’m not very good at singing.  Ask Bo!  He almost passed out he laughed so hard when I tried to get his help figuring it ou-,”  His words were cut off as soft lips pressed against his own.

He remained frozen in that moment as Daichi leaned back, a warm smile on his face that Kuroo vowed he’d always work to keep there.

“I don’t know what Bo’s talking about,” Daichi murmured softly, giving Kuroo’s fingers a soft squeeze in his own as the former Nekoma captain realized that this man held his heart utterly and completely.  “You sounded perfect to me.”

#kurodai week 2019 #kurodai #Kuroo Tetsurou #sawamura daichi #fluff #nontickles #music inspired #I love this song #I love this pairing #my fics #Kurodaiweek #kurodaiweek2019

[matchalattewithice]

kurodai week day 3 with the travel prompt!!!

#haikyuu #kurodai week #kurodai week 2019 #kurodai week day 3 #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #kurodai #ultcc #cc #mateo does an owo

[yikescaninot]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationship: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi Characters: Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi, Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa Tooru, Sugawara Koushi, Hanamaki Takahiro, Matsukawa Issei Additional Tags: Getting Together, Mentions of Alcohol & Drinking, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Rated Teen for Mentions of Drinking, Otherwise Really Tame, Iwaizumi Wears a Frilly Apron, It's Suga's Favourite, kurodai week 2019, Drunken Confessions, Humor

Summary: 

“Kuroo and Sawamura—” Bokuto crooned, interrupted by Kuroo’s hand slapping over his mouth. “Bro, buddy, pal,” Kuroo cut in quickly before any more could be said, his face slowly turning as red as his old jersey. “Can we not do this right now? Can the most embarrassing thing in this apartment please be Iwaizumi’s apron?”

KuroDai Week 2019 Day 1: Secrets/Confessions

#kurodai #kurodai week 2019 #kurodaiweek2019 #haikyuu #haikyuu!! #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #kdwk2019d1

[jadehqknb]

KuroDai Week 2019, Day 1, Secrets / Confessions

@kurodai-week

#kurodai #kurodai week 2019 #day 1 #kurodaiweek2019

[huii-2d]

Kurodai Week 2019 ( @kurodai-week )

First week: Song-Inspired 

Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars

(I changed the gender of pronouns >3< )

It’s the morning of the day they tell their parents that they are going to marry each other U v U*

..Tumblr still does not show toe best resolution...TT

here is my blog link if you want to see this with better resolution :)

#kurodai #Kuroo Tetsurou #sawamura daichi #my art

[kurodai-week]

Hello everyone!

To make up for the lack of weekend events this year, we decided to have another KuroDai Week instead!

Here are the prompts for KuroDai Mid-Birthday Week 2019!

All forms of original work are accepted. The prompts are subject to your own interpretation. Kindly include #kurodaiweek and/or #kurodaiweek2019 within the first five tags or you may also tag us in the body of your work. We are still going use the KuroDai Week 2019 AO3 Collection for this event.

For more information, you can visit the FAQs and guidelines. If you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an ask. You may also reach us through twitter.

We are looking forward to seeing all your wonderful creations! :)

#haikyuu!! #kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #kurodaiweek2019

[kenmagoesblep]

Fic Writer Interview

oh wow, I haven’t posted an original post to this blog in so long that I forgot how to start... hi!!! 

@stylinbreeze60 tagged me in this!! thanks for the tag, this seems really fun. 

just fyi, I’ll be counting only my most... recent-ish fics posted. I’ve been writing and publishing fics for various fandoms in various fanfic websites for the past decade and some of these I wouldn’t be found dead near them bc they are cringe KLGHDSLG I’m taking into account fics I’ve posted since 2017 only. 

some of these works will be written on brazilian portuguese, too, and I will link to those in the odd eventuality that I have any portuguese-speaking followers, but they’ll be highlighted differently!! 

fics written in english will be like this, while fics in portuguese will be like this. 

Name: kimmi

Fandoms: haikyuu!! and kimetsu no yaiba/demon slayer were the ones i wrote for the most in the past few years, but I’ve also written for boku no hero academia and kingdom hearts

Where you post: AO3 and used to post at Spirit Fanfiction (PT-BR) 

Most popular one-shot: in terms of views, it’s human manners 101 , the only inotanzen I wrote!! in which the three guys are back resting at the butterfly estate and they decide to build a pillow fort after spending waaaay too much time sitting there bored and with no supervision. i quite like this one but in terms of personal favorite, my two favorites are plant a kiss on me, a florist/tattoo artist rengiyuu AU i wrote for kimetsu no yaiba secret santa 2019, and staring at the sun, a kenhina fic in which kenma spends a couple of weeks with his aunt at a beach town and meets lil merman boy hinata. i haven’t been as powerful as that in a looooong time.

Most popular multi-chapter: hands down, its the courting of tomioka giyuu, which is a collab between me and my friend sassi (@sassi_perere on twitter), which can be accurately described as “a shitty romcom with a weird law setting”, as eloquently put by one of the characters themselves. it’s probably my most popular fic of all time too!

Fic you were nervous to post: the real answer here is ALL OF THEM, I’m an incredibly anxious person and I’m not very confident in anything I do, but one special fic that comes to mind is all of our flaws lie there, hand in hand, which is a kurodai soulmates AU that I wrote for @/yikescaninot for a valentine’s day exchange. my friends were beta reading it for me while I was out with my friends and I had a mild anxiety attack 

How you choose your titles: most of my fic titles fall under these 3 things: 1) clever one lines that I’ll come up with that summarize the fic well without drawing from the fic’s text itself; 2) a line from the song or one of the songs I’ve been listening on loop while I was writing that specific fic (that generally has some influence on the fic because I generally pick songs that match the fic’s theme and emotional setting to listen to); or 3) puns

Do you outline: yes!!!! I always have extensive outlines and I can’t work without one

Do you take prompts: sometimes! I’m not currently taking prompt requests, but I love getting them on asks or on curiouscat (don’t use this anymore but I used to like it)

Complete: 23 works, 21 on AO3 and 2 on Spirit Fanfiction. all of them are one-shots 

In Progress: 7 fics in total, one being the last chapter of the courting, other 5 rengiyuu oneshots I’ve been working during the whole year and one commission! 

this was a lot of fun but I won’t be tagging anyone for this, I don’t have many writer friends KLDGHSDL thanks if anyone read this all the way through!

#personal #kimmi says #tag game #haikyuu!! #hq!! #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #fanfiction

[spring-emerald]

bloom (just for you)

For @kurodai-week mid-birthday week 2019 day 1: song-inspired | magical realism | tattoo artist & florist au

Song inspiration (sort of): Bloom by Troye Sivan

-----

Daichi frowns when he didn’t see the tall bed-headed captain among the other players who were waiting for their arrival. It’s unusual because all the other captains are there along with some of his teammates. It just struck him as weird that he isn’t with his usual group. He takes his phone out to check if there’s any messages from Kuroo, but there isn’t.

“Daichi?” He feels a hand on his back and looks up at Asahi’s worried frown. “Everything alright?”

Daichi nods. “Yeah,” he says, pushing the anxious thoughts away. Kuroo’s probably busy helping Coach Nekomata or something. His absence is nothing to be worried about. Besides, they’ll see each other later and will have more time to talk then. With assurance in mind, he hefts his bag on his shoulder, and with strict instructions to be in their best behaviors, he ushers his teammates out the bus, where the inevitable loud and excited greeting, courtesy of his rambunctious teammates disturbs the otherwise quiet of the surrounding suburb.

He shares a fond but exasperated look with Suga at their teammates’ antics and smiles as he shakes his head. Some things never change.

Then he thinks of Kuroo and the back-and-forth messages between them, the promise of something deeper and less antagonistic than rivalry but nonetheless passionate, and thinks that maybe, one thing will.

-----

Except it won’t. Not until he talks to Kuroo. Which is difficult at the moment, considering he’s seen neither hide nor hair of the said guy. Lunch has come and gone, and Kuroo’s still nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s running an errand? Kai was surprisingly absent as well during the break, maybe they were doing something that the coaches asked of them? Maybe get more things for another planned barbecue or something?

Daichi would’ve let it go like that, would’ve patiently waited for Kuroo to message or to appear except the Nekoma members are acting rather strange.

Not around the other Karasuno members, no. Yamamoto’s still diligently following Nishinoya like a loyal disciple, with Tanaka in tow to encourage the crazy, but once he got in the general vicinity of the group to say hi (and maybe to gently remind his underclassmen to behave properly) like the polite person and captain that he is, he can’t help but notice how Yamamoto instantly stiffened and started acting flighty and fidgety, and can’t even meet his eyes. He can’t get ahold of Kenma, because Hinata’s attached to his hip since they arrived, and Yaku is supervising Lev, like a mother looking over her two-year-old child.

What gave it away was how he noticed how Bokuto’s on the verge of going to their group to come over and chat, but is always pulled back by Akaashi.

Honestly, it feels a lot like one huge prank is being played on them, on him, specifically, and the knot of anxiety that balled up in his stomach a while ago twists and tightens even more.

Just where is Kuroo?

-----

It’s a miracle that he’s able to focus on the practice matches during the day, what with the restless state he’s in. He’s doing his captain duties on autopilot and thankfully, Suga is as perceptive as ever and is there to fill any gaps and things he’d missed.

He’s just worried about Kuroo. No one mentioned about him getting hurt, or not being in the camp. He’d never taken this long to reply to him, and in the instances that he did, he always explains why, not that Daichi required him to or something, knowing full well that Kuroo’s also a busy senior like him and had other things going for him, but the thought and explanation was still reassuring. So this radio silence for almost three days is uncharacteristic.

Because the latest message he finally caved in to send still goes unread, Daichi decided to look for him and heads to the wing of the campus designated as the sleeping quarters of Nekoma and Ubugawa.

It’s well that he meets Lev on his way there.

“Hi, Lev,” he greets, reassuring captain smile firmly in place. Lev returns his greeting with a small, respectful bow. “Is Kuroo around?” he asks. He might as well, to make sure his trek won’t be futile.

Lev shifts his gaze to the side and bounce on the ball of his feet. “Uhhh, um, yeah. Kuroo-san’s around. He’s um… resting. Yeah. He’s resting.”

“Why? Did something happen? Is he sick?” Daichi frowns.

“Ah no, it’s not like that.” Lev scratches his head. “Actually, I’m not sure what happened to him, but he’s been cooped up in one of the spare classrooms all day. Also, Kai-san’s been bringing him his food and all that, so maybe he is.”

Daichi exhales a worried breath. “Can I visit him?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sawamura-san,” he shakes his head. “You see, I kind of overheard him talking to Kai-san, Yaku-san, and Kenma-san- I wasn’t eavesdropping, promise!” He flushes, and even puts a hand up in swearing position, “I heard it because it was kind of loud, because Kuroo-san shouted it, but he said that he…uhhh, he doesn’t want… to see you?” Lev bites down on his lower lip, looking at Daichi, apologetic.

Actually, Kuroo-san said he doesn’t think he can stand to be in the same room with Sawamura-san, but Lev thought that sounded more awful so he decided to lie about what he heard.

Daichi blinks up at him, blinks away the sudden hurt that spiked the tightening knot of anxiety in his stomach.

“He,” he swallows, “he said that?” He asks in a small voice.

Lev only nods. Before he can say anything to Daichi though, a sliding door opens, and Yaku’s distant voice floats loud enough to reach where Daichi and Lev are standing.

“You’re gonna have to face him sooner or later, Kuroo. You can’t hide in here forever.”

Then the door close and footsteps can be heard getting louder.

“Lev, what are you standing there for?” Yaku’s behind Lev now and he steps closer.

“Are you- Sawamura!” He exclaims upon finally seeing Daichi and quickly throws a glance at the direction he came from. “Uhh, wh-what are you doing here?” He gives Daichi a fake smile that made Daichi feel even worse.

“I thought I’d see Kuroo. But I guess there won’t be any need for that.” He gives the two of them a tight smile then abruptly turns and leaves.

He doesn’t hear Yaku slap Lev on the arm nor the hissed demand to know what he said.

-----

Daichi doesn’t find Suga and instead just messages him that he’s going to be gone for a while and he’ll probably miss dinner, and that there will no need to look for him, he just needs some time alone and so he’s leaving him in charge for the meantime. He didn’t offer much explanation and avoids the areas where camp members are possibly congregating, afraid to break and be seen breaking by them, because he doesn’t know how much he can hold it. Everything is dramatic enough as it is, and he doesn’t want to involve more people, much less the members of the different clubs and add more to it.

He seeks asylum by the water fountain at the back of the campus and there, he cried his eyes out, not noticing the passage of time, how the orange dusk tinted sky turned to that of deep melancholic blue, nor the sound of the cicadas that started humming around, drowning the area with their soft music, because he’s busy drowning in his own tears.

He knew it. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of it because it will just cause him to spiral into even more negative thoughts, but it was always at the back of his mind, this niggling thought. He thought everything was going well. Despite his hesitation, Kuroo convinced him, and he thinks he’d return the affections back as best as he could despite it being a delicate and not an official thing, but he thought they had an understanding.

They were supposed to talk about it tonight, the possibility of getting together, for real, and try to squeeze in as much time as they can together until they see each other again. Daichi had been looking forward to it. Until three days ago when Kuroo’d stop replying to his messages.

And it hurts, because he’d hoped. What he wasn’t counting on was how Kuroo can do something like this. The pity he feels for himself slowly changes to anger. One that is directed at Kuroo. If he changed his mind, the least he can do is be man enough to face Daichi and tell it to his face that he can’t, doesn’t want to do this anymore. Daichi’s not a child. He can take it. He will be hurt, but he can take it. He deserves that kind of honesty and a clean break, right?

Who does Kuroo think he is?

Daichi angrily wipes his tears, almost scratches himself in his haste and intensity. If Kuroo thinks Daichi’s going to back away without giving him a piece of his mind, then he’s got another thing coming. So he stands, dusts himself, washes his face and drinks some water and sets out to find one Kuroo Tetsurou.

-----

Which didn’t happen because one Kuroo Tetsurou found him instead.

“Oh thank god, I found you,” are not the words Daichi are expecting to hear from a panting and disheveled Kuroo who seemed to have scoured every nook and cranny of the campus looking for him, nor is he expecting the obvious relief in Kuroo’s tone and expression, no matter how dimly lit the area they are in is, because he’s not supposed to sound like that especially after knowing what Daichi knows now, but he’ll take it.

Kuroo will really wish he will find god when he’s done with him.

“You.” Daichi seethes, the glare he reserves for the most unruly of them all is directed full force at Kuroo and it makes him stumble and stop in his tracks. It even makes his knees tremble a little. Not because he’s scared, at least not completely because of that, but because Daichi looks so damn good and downright authoritative and Kuroo really shouldn’t be thinking about that right now.

“Sawamura, it’s not what you think-”

“Oh yeah? How can you possibly explain to me why you don’t want to see me, huh? What? You got bored already-”

“No!”

“I’m too easy for you-”

“No. That’s not-”

“-and now you got me, you want to drop me? Is that it?

“Sawamura, please-”

“It’s so easy for you to keep saying that you like me,” Daichi scoffs, but tears are threatening to fall again. “Were you just lying the whole time?” The tears fall and Kuroo wince at the sight of it.

“Of course not-”

“Are my feelings a game to you?” Daichi almost chokes on the sob that comes out. Kuroo, unable to take anymore, steps into his space and grabs Daichi by the shoulder and shakes him, effectively making him stop.

“Of course not, Sawamura! Please listen to me!” He pleads. “It’s not like that. I never lied to you. And I don’t think your feelings are a game, goodness. I’m so sorry I let it go for so long like this, but please, let me explain.”

Daichi swats the arms away from him angrily. “Then what is it? We were fine, and then for three days I hear nothing, then out of the blue you don’t want to see me?”

“It’s not like that. God, I want to see you so bad, Sawamura. I really do, it’s just-” he rakes his hand across his hair in agitation, but stops short and curses under his breath. “Ah, fuck.”

The smell of roses permeates the air and when Daichi sniffs he takes in a lungful of it and in confusion looks around. There are no roses planted around, he would’ve known, would’ve smelled it earlier if that were the case.

“Where is that smell coming from?” He asks, momentarily forgetting about his anger.

“Me,” Kuroo answers him, shoulders slumping.

“…you? Why would you- wait, why are you sparkling?” Daichi rubs his eyes because he might just be seeing things, but no. Even after he blinks, sparkles are still surrounding Kuroo and the longer he looks, the more things seem to add to whatever is happening to him. There are now bubbles floating sporadically, a soft light creating a halo around his head, and roses blooming on the sides of his Kuroo-vision.

“Kuroo, what is happening to you?”

“This is the reason why I didn’t seek you out.”

Kuroo takes them to the nearest bench and proceeds to explain how a few days ago, he bought a custom-made hair wax from an aesthetic witch.

“I just wanted to tame my hair and look good for you when we see each other again. I requested for it to be strong and retain its hold and scent, even after all the playing we’ll be doing. I said I want to remain appealing. But she operates like a genie and the devil is in the details. I put it on the other day, to practice styling my hair and I was fine, up until I was about to message you and I saw your picture and suddenly sparkles started to come out. Bubbles too, like I was a damn bubble machine, and the smell of roses were really strong I could rival a flower shop. It happened during practice so everybody saw, and they read the label, while I combed the FAQs of the product and we realized that you trigger it.”

“Me?”

Kuroo nods. “Yes. It was so crazy. I tried washing it off, shampooed a lot. Taken multiple showers in a day, but it only strips away a few of its effect. Now, it only happens whenever I touch my hair, but it won’t stop until I’ve calmed down.”

Daichi takes it in but there’s something he wants to know. “How am I triggering it?”

Kuroo blushes and more sparkles comes out. “Sawamura, its effect is tied to how much I like you. The ‘strong’ had been taken to mean the strength of my feelings, and ‘retain its hold’ to not being easily washed off, even after shampooing. The scent component is tied to the two factors, and the appealing part in the form of the sparkles and the other ridiculous things.”

“So… you avoided me because you don’t want to smell like roses and become a human bubble machine?” Daichi doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but it’s a good thing he’s so confused.

Kuroo rolled his eyes good naturedly at him. “No. I avoided you because I didn’t want to overwhelm you with my feelings. I didn’t want to see you because I just got over looking at your pictures, but I wouldn’t know how it would react to my reaction of seeing you again. I… I didn’t want to risk it.”

Daichi blinks. Then blinks some more. “So, you don’t hate me? You… you still like me?”

“I’m sorry I gave you the wrong idea, but it was the only way I can think of.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Kuroo.”

“Sawamura,” he says, the air becomes thick with the smell of roses again and Daichi gets how Kuroo could think he’s a bubble machine. “I could never hate you. And I like like you. Very much. Too much.” More sparkles. “I wouldn’t be reacting like this if I didn’t.”

Daichi doesn’t know how the events turned out like this, how his hurt had turned into anger, turned into confusion, but now, he feels light. And wholly flattered. He’s not exactly vain, but the feeling of being liked too much feels good. Probably because he likes this boy too much too.

“Okay. Good,” he says absentmindedly.

Kuroo snorts. “Good that I smell roses and spread sparkles?”

“In a way. But what I mean is good, that you don’t hate me. Because I like like you too. Very much.”

#haikyuu!! #kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #hq fanfic

[stacysmash]

Kurodai Week Dec 2019 Day 1: Song Inspiration @kurodai-week

Rated: Teen WC: 3859 Side Ships: UshiOi, BokuAsa

Excerpt: 

“What’s up with you Dai-chan? You’re all worked up about something.”

Daichi stopped the incessant drumming of his chopsticks against his empty bowl and glanced up at Oikawa. “I’m fine.”

“Bull shit.”

Daichi winced and looked away. “It’s really nothing.”

“Dai-chaaaaan, you need to talk about your feelings. Not bottle them in. It’s not healthy.”

“You must be the epitome of good health then.”

“Thank you… Hey!”

Daichi snickered and turned back to Oikawa. “Fine, just promise me you won’t tell anyone, and you won’t make fun of me.”

Oikawa grimaced and whined in his throat. 

Daichi groaned. “What part is going to trouble you? The fact that it’s a secret or that you can’t tease me?”

“Both! You can’t expect me to listen to your problems and just keep it to myself! And with how nervous you are, I know it’ll be perfect fodder for teasing you.”

“I didn’t want to talk about it! You insisted. Man, you’re such a pain in the ass.”

“Don’t say that! Okay, fine, fine, fine. I’m all ears and no mouth.” 

When Daichi raised an eyebrow, Oikawa sighed and motioned zipping his lips and throwing away the key. Daichi nodded and took a deep breath, wishing he had talked to Asahi about it already and didn’t have to resort to Oikawa at that moment. 

“So… I want to confess to Kuroo.”

Oikawa perked straight up, his eyes wide. “Finally! I’ve been saying forever that you two need to bone. Oops, sorry.” He clamped his mouth shut as Daichi scowled back at him.

“Anyway, I just don’t know how to go about it. I’d like to confess in private I think, that way if he says no—” he paused when Oikawa snorted, “if he says no, neither of us are humiliated in any way and we can keep it quiet. Also, I don’t know what other people do, but I don’t think it needs to be anything crazy.”

“Okay, I need to stop you there. Trust me on this. Confessions are a risky business, but they need to be special and memorable. What if you end up staying together for your entire lives and people are going to ask for the story of how you got together? What would you tell them? Oh, I asked Tetsurou out in my shitty dorm room in case he didn’t want to bone me, and I misread the situation. Come on!”

Read the rest on AO3!

#kurodaiweek2019 #kurodaiweek #kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #song inspiration #day 1 #ushioi #bokuasa

[thatishogwash]

Not a Surprise

KuroDai Mid-Birthday Week 2019 December 9th, Day 1: Magical Realism/Tattoo Artist & Florist AU 

AO3

Kuroo pauses outside the the tattoo parlors doors, looking surprised as he takes notices of the shop next door.  It had been under construction for months now, a huge disturbance to everyone who worked at the tattoo shop, but it looks complete now.  There are two huge barrels full of overflowing flowers, soft hued pastels that contrast nicely with the light blue the new owner of the shop had painted the building.  There’s several hanging planters, greenery flowing almost artistically down.  The only thing that seems off is the hand painted open sign but even that is charming in a ‘my third grader did this’ kind of way.

The sight makes the corner of Kuroo’s lips tip upwards despite the constant noise and ruckus the constructors workers had caused for months on end.  Kuroo thought he was going to have to start using earbuds just so his concentration wouldn’t be shot while tattooing.

Kuroo takes a step into the parlor and is met with a second surprise that morning.  There is a number of vases filled to the brim with brightly colored flowers.  They are all different, unique in their own way and despite the scribbled Open sign there is also a clear artistry to who ever had made them.  They should clash with each other or not look right in the modern and minimalist design the parlor sports but instead they fit right in, bringing just the right amount of color and warmth into the front room.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?”  Misaki says, big smile planted on her face as she touches the purple and white bundle that sits on her desk.  “The new owner from next door brought them over this morning as an apology for all the noise.”  Misaki is probably the most tattooed out of all of them.  She has full sleeves, a huge chest piece, her entire back is covered, and she has a circle of tattoos going around her neck.  The only place she hasn’t tattooed is her left thigh, where her soulmate mark stretches from her outer midthigh up to her waist.  Kuroo tilts his head as he realizes that the bouquet on her desk matches her mark perfectly.

“He was very apologetic.”  Akaashi speaks up, tone soft as his eyes catch on his own bouquet before quickly looking away.  Kuroo can feel his smirk widening as he catches sight of the pink spreading on Akaashi’s cheeks.  The other tattoo artist had been the most annoyed by the disturbance nextdoor, though he would never admit to it, far too polite to do so.  About a month into construction there had been a rather loud bang then cursing.  The tattoo parlor shared a wall with the new florist next door, and Akaashi had the unfortunate luck to have his desk right against that wall.  Akaashi had been so frustrated he had snapped his pencil in half, stood up abruptly, gathered his items, and excused himself.  He had found solace in the small coffee shop down the road.

Actually Kuroo and the others thought he found much more than a good place to work given that he was now always wearing long sleeved shirts to hide his previously unbloomed soulmark.  Kuroo, Misaki, and Matsukawa had all gone to the coffee shop to try and figure out who exactly Akaashi had met there.  They had figured out it had to be an employee, given how Akaashi had made it a daily ritual to go down there for lunch, but they couldn’t figure out which employee.

Kuroo had his money on Bokuto though Misaki and Matsukawa called him out for personal bias.  Kita, who claimed he was uninvolved in their spying, said it couldn’t be Bokuto considering Akaashi had already known the outgoing barista and while they were friends, had never shown romantic interest in each other.  Kuroo still hoped it was Bokuto.

Misaki thought it was the new barista, Yachi.  She was tiny and adorable, but mostly it was because while she seemed a nervous mess with everyone else she relaxed around Akaashi.  Kuroo could even admit they would make an adorable couple.

Matsukawa thought it was Iwaizumi.  While he wasn’t new he had mostly worked the night shifts and had recently switched to the day shifts.  Kuroo was insulted no one called bias on Matsukawa considering he had known the burly baker since high school.

“He was very handsome too.”  Misaki said, trying to hide her grin and failing miserably at it.  Kuroo drops his bag on his own desk, taking note of the fiery reds and oranges that make up his own set of flowers.  He wants to bend down and take a deep breath but will have to wait until no one is around to witness and then make fun of him for it.

“Are you meddling in my affairs again?”  Kuroo asks without venom, moving the flowers to the other side of his desk and taking a seat.  The problem with being now one of the only single people in a business full of those who had already found their soulmates meant people were constantly trying to help him.

Kuroo did not need nor want help finding his soulmate.  He was of the mindset that if he never met them then that would be fine too.  He had made an entire career out of reasons why finding “the one” didn’t always turn out in a happily ever after.

Like most artists, Kuroo had a speciality.  He did other work every once and a while but mostly he was kept quite busy with doing coverups.  Cover Ups involving soulmate marks specifically speaking.  There were a lot of reasons to get a mark covered up.  Sometimes people did not want their life dictated by a magical phenomenon that was practically unexplainable even in their modern age.  If a soulmate died then their mark died with them, leaving the mark looking faded, dull, and tarnished.  Rejection also came into play, twisting the mark into something akin to a rotted looking scar.

Kuroo’s own mark started practically at his left knee, up the length of his outer thigh, spreading out over his side and ribs, curving around his chest and up his shoulder, peeking out onto his neck and almost covering his entire left bicep.  The blooms were tightly closed and while he never shied away from telling others about his disinterest in soulmarks he left that area of his body free of tattoos.  He told himself it was because he was picky about what he put on his body but considering the amount of times he had let others tattoo on him for practice when he was younger he knew he was full of it.

“You should go over and introduce yourself, it’s the neighborly thing to do.”  Misaki said hopefully.

“I’ll pass.”  Kuroo pulls out his sketchbook and tablet.  He has a lot of work to catch up on now that things are back to being quiet.  Misaki pouts but she lets it go, which Kuroo is thankful for.

Kuroo uses the flowers on his desk as a warmup for his sketches.  It’s only logical, a lot of his art contains flowers so why not use the ones right in front of him.

-----------------

A month later Kuroo found himself stepping into the flower shop for the first time.  It was bustling as always, even more overflowing with flowers and plants crowding every inch of available space.  Kuroo found himself having to duck and shift constantly to avoid knocking anything over.  He kind of enjoyed the chaos even though he couldn’t imagine working in such a place day after day.  Nothing seemed organized, not by any standard he could tell and the aisles were set up haphazardly as if the plants came first and the people were only a minor thought.

There’s only one employee that Kuroo can see, a guy with brown buzzed hair who is shorter than Kuroo but even from a distance Kuroo can see he’s built well enough.  The warm smile and pastel pink shirt he wears underneath the gray apron give him a friendly appearance as he chats amiably with the people he is ringing up.  He doesn’t look anxious and pressured despite the queue.

“Hello!  Sorry for the wait, how can I help you?”  Kuroo turns towards the loud voice, as do several people in the store.  There is another employee, only noticeable because of the gray apron with the store logo on it, this one is quite short with ridiculously spiky hair and some of the biggest eyes Kuroo has ever seen.  The employee isn’t talking to Kuroo but a confused looking young teenager so Kuroo continues about his business, making his way steadily and slowly towards the back of the shop.

“Moniwa,” Kuroo startles at the low baritone, turning to see someone leaning out a door with an Employees Only sign on it.  He’s also wearing a gray apron, though he would tower over both of the other employees.  A short man with curly black hair leans closer, nervously fidgeting with his bag.  “Would you like to see the orchids?”

“Oh!  Hello Ushijima!  Shouldn’t you help with the crowd?”  The man, Moniwa Kuroo can only guess, asks.  The taller man with some of the widest shoulders Kuroo has ever seen and clear green eyes looks around the shop before his eyes land back on Moniwa.  Kuroo pretends to look at some small blue flowers as he eavesdrops.

“Hoshiumi and Nakashima have it under control.”  Ushijima says in a voice devoid of emotion, as far as Kuroo can tell anyways.  “Sawamura told me to let them handle it and he should be back soon.”  Kuroo could understand not wanting the giant to interact and scare away customers.  But just when he was thinking the large man was akin to a robot his eyes softened and his voice, if possible, lowered.  “Do you not want to see the orchids?”

“No no, please I would love to.”  Moniwa said, flushing adorably.  Kuroo ducked his head to hide his grin, not that he needed to since the two were clearly in their own world.

Kuroo wandered around the store, enjoying his time to people watch.  The two workers flitted from customer to customer, bright and welcoming in their own ways.  Neither seemed to lose any patience no matter how long a customer hummed with indecision, carefully making suggestions until a mutual understanding was met and everyone walked away happy.

Kuroo was so busy watching these interactions that he ran right into someone.  Kuroo would never be called a small man, though he was more on the lanky side, but he stumbled back a couple steps before regaining his footing while the other person barely swayed.

“I’m sorry.”  A deep voice apologized from behind the heavy bag of dirt they were carrying over a broad shoulder.  He put it down, nudging the bag beneath an overflowing table.  “I should have been paying more attention to where I was going, are you okay?”  Big brown eyes stared at him from beneath the bill of a baseball cap.

“It’s okay, my fault.”  Kuroo said easily.  The man in front of him wasn’t wearing the same apron as the other workers but he had a sweatshirt the same soft gray with the company's logo on the front.

“Have you been helped yet?”  The man asked, pushing the sleeves of the sweatshirt up to reveal nicely toned and tanned forearms.  Kuroo told himself his spike of interest in that newly revealed stretch of skin was purely professional, he could make some beautiful art with that man.

On that man.  Kuroo could make beautiful art on that man.

“It’s my mothers birthday, I thought she might enjoy some flowers.”  Kuroo forced himself to meet those soft brown eyes and not stare at anything else.  Due to the cramped and crowded shop they had to stand quite close and from that distance it was obvious the handful of centimeters Kuroo held over the other man, who had to crane his neck up to look Kuroo in the eye.  It was adorable and Kuroo knew he was in trouble.

“Any specific colors?”  The man asked.

“Yellow?”  Kuroo scratched at his neck as glanced around the shop, noticed that both of the employees were staring at them before hurriedly going back to their jobs when they were caught.  “Are their cat friendly flowers?  I know a lot are poisonous and my mom has three.”

“That will help narrow it down.”  The shorter man hummed before he started to make his way through the store, grabbing flowers at seemingly random.  Kuroo watched him gather a couple different yellow ones but he pulled in some light blues and purples too.

“I’m Kurro.”  Kuroo introduced himself as he followed behind the man, who shot a grin over his shoulder, revealing a single dimple in his cheek that made Kuroo walk directly into a table.

“So you’re the other tattoo artist I missed.”  He was looked up and down before he turned back around to continue gathering flowers.  “Your friend, Misaki, she described you to a tee.”  Kuroo cringed at that and patted down his hair.  Misaki never had anything nice to say about his hair.

“So you must be the owner?”  Kuroo thought of the name of the new flower shop.  “Sa’mura was it?”  He recieved a glare for that and felt something twist pleasantly in his stomach.  “You were causing quite a ruckus, disturbed the peace for months.”

“Ruckus?”  Sawamura snorted.  “What are you, 70?”  Kuroo sputtered at that.

“It’s a perfectly good word!”  Kuroo defended, wondering when the teasing had been turned back on him and why exactly he liked that so much.

“Okay Grandpa.”  The dimple was back.  Kuroo did not walk into a table but he did get nailed in the head with a hanging pot.  “Watch it.”

“I’m sorry I’m not from the lollypop guild and able to navigate this place like you.”  Kuroo rubbed his temple, wondering if it would bruise.

“I’m above average height.”  Sawamura angrily snatched up another yellow flower.

“For a 12 year old girl, sure.”  Kuroo teased.

“You know what, I think the backroom needs a little work.”  Sawamura stepped behind the counter, the shorter employee with the buzz cut stepped back with his hands held up in surrender.  “Shouldn’t be too long, maybe a month or twelve.  Construction won’t disturb your work too much, will it?”  He tore off a long piece of brown paper.

“Speaking of that, you kind of owe me.”  Kuroo couldn’t see Sawamura’s eyebrows due to the baseball cap but he was sure they were raised.  “A lot of my work involves flowers, you should let me come in and sketch to make up for all the ruckus.”  Kuroo leaned against the counter and gave his best smirk, the one that made Akaashi’s lip curl up in disgust.

“Oh should I?  Really?  Because I’ve been losing sleep over the fact that starting my own business might have inconvenienced you for a little bit of time.”  Sawamura put the now wrapped flowers on the counter before storming off.  Kuroo made a pleased noise as he took them, they were artfully arranged and the paper wrapping with the twine gave it a finished look.

“How much do I owe you?”  Kuroo asked, glancing at the two bug eyed employees and then to the retreating back of their boss.

“It’s on the house!”  Sawamura yelled, shoulders relaxed despite his tone.

“So when should I stop by for those sketches?”  Kuroo couldn’t help but push his luck.

“Tomorrow at seven!”  Sawamura stomped into the back room and Kuroo tapped the counter happily before making his way out of the store.

Kuroo’s mother loved the flowers and he was only partly surprised when she yanked on the neckline of his shirt, demanding answers about his partly bloomed soulmate mark.

#kurodaiweek #kurodaiweek2019 #kurodai #haikyuu #haikyuu!! #kuroo tetsurou #sawmaura daichi #my writing

[underwaterrain]

Kurodai week 2019 - day 6/7 90′ anime/just married

#kurodaiweek #haikyuu!! #kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #hq #dailyhaikyuu #allhaikyuu

[ragewerthers]

Secrets Don’t Make Friends

Summary:  Something is wrong with Daichi and Kuroo is going to get to the bottom of this no matter what it takes!

A/n: This is a piece a wrote for day one of KuroDai 2019, the prompt being 'secrets/confessions'. I wanted a little bit of angst and a whole bunch of fluff and I hope that whoever reads this can find enjoyment in it as well!

You can also read it on AO3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18740725

Happy reading! :D

Word Count: 1772

------------------------------

Something wasn’t right.

Kuroo couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but… there was something wrong with the picture in front of him.

It was early morning in his and Daichi’s shared apartment, both men just starting to get their day going before classes called for them.

Kuroo had been starting on his second cup of coffee when he heard movement from their bedroom and then the former Karasuno Captain made his way into their kitchen.

And now things were wrong.

Kuroo narrowed his eyes slightly as he sipped at his coffee, trying to figure out what it was that was bothering him.

Daichi looked the same.

His hair was a little messy from sleep, something Kuroo loved perhaps a bit too much considering the other always wanted to look ‘presentable’.

His eyes seemed a little tired, but honestly, being at university had that effect on everyone.

Hmm… was it his clothes?

No.  He was still wearing the same pajama’s from last night and it always made Daichi look that much softer.  Actually… focusing on that made Kuroo want to cuddle up with the man again, but he didn’t want to intrude upon his breakfa-...

Wait.

That’s what was wrong!

On any given morning Kuroo’s breakfast of choice was a good few cups of coffee and maybe a bit of toast if he was feeling peckish.

Daichi went all out.

He’d make cheesy eggs with toast, bagels piled with cream cheese or peanut butter and jelly, if he was feeling lazy he would go with a bowl or two of his favourite cereal.

What he seen before him was a Daichi without a breakfast.  He had grabbed himself a glass of orange juice and… that was it.

That wasn’t like Daichi.

“Are you feeling alright?” Kuroo asked as he set his cup down.

Daichi glanced up from the table, the glass of orange juice still held in his hand.

“What?  Yes of course,” Daichi said, looking over at Kuroo curiously.  “Why do you ask?”

Kuroo nodded to the others choice of breakfast, quirking an eyebrow.  “In all the years I’ve known you, you have never gone without some sort of breakfast.  We literally have an entire cupboard dedicated to your cereal,” he teased, watching as Daichi’s cheeks flushed slightly.

“Well… maybe I just don’t feel like having breakfast this morning?” he shot back.

Kuroo’s smile fell away as he got that particular response.  While it was always fun to tease his boyfriend, there was something else happening here and he wasn’t going to let the man go without getting to the bottom of this.

“Maybe… but I don’t believe you,” Kuroo shot back, narrowing his eyes like a cat stalking its prey.

Daichi shifted a bit in his chair, recognizing that look and swallowing thickly.

“K-Kuroo, just… leave it,” Daichi said, already setting down his pseudo-breakfast as Kuroo followed suit and set down his coffee mug.

“You know I can’t do that, love.  And you know I have ways of getting what I want,” he warned, a wide cheshire cat grin already spreading across his features.

The world paused for a moment and then utter chaos erupted.

In a flash both men were out of their seats, one running for his life the other in hot pursuit.

“Leave me alone, Kuroo!” Daichi shouted as he ran toward the living room, socks slipping on the floor as he tried to dash around the sofa.

Kuroo could only smile as he easily started to catch up to his shorter boyfriend.

“Never!” he cried back, swiping at the back of Daichi’s shirt and only just missing him.

Daichi tore off back down the hallway toward their bedroom, hoping if he was quick enough he’d be able to shut the door on his menace of a partner!

He was not quick enough.

As soon as he spun around to shut the door, Kuroo was already making a mad dive for him and as his body collided with the shorter man they toppled over onto their bed.

“G-Get off, Kuroo!  It’s n-nothing!  Please, just… leave it alo-nononon!  No, K-Kahaharoo!” Daichi yelped out in a giggle, his boyfriend settling to straddle his hips, pinning his partners hands under his knees and leaving the poor man vulnerable to searching fingers.

“Something is wrong, Dai... and you’re going to tell me.  Or we can do this the hard way,” he warned, his fingers already lightly resting against the mans sides and feeling the way they twitched even under the barely there contact.

Daichi gasped and shook his head, trying his hardest to look defiant.

“Nothing is wrong!” he tried to argue, tugging at his pinned hands and Kuroo could only look at him with mock sympathy.

“Suit yourself, Daichi,” he cooed and instantly started to skitter his fingers against his poor boyfriends sides.

For as defiant as Daichi was trying to be, he had always been weak against tickle attacks, something Kuroo adored and took advantage of far more than he probably should of.  So… it was only a matter of seconds before he got the result he was looking for.

“Stahahahap!” Daichi instantly cried, trying to shimmy this way and that to dislodge the fingers spidering against his sides and working up toward his lower ribs.

“You know how to get me to stop, Sa’amura,” Kuroo teased, his fingers finding his partners sensitive lower ribs and rubbing light circles against them, making Daichi arch up and snort.

Daichi was going to kill him when he got free, but for now all he could do was focus on the horrible, ticklish sensations running through his body.

“I-I’m no-ahahahat gonna tehehehell you!” he laughed, trying to buck Kuroo off of him, but finding no success.

Instead, Kuroo only laughed as he attempted to keep his seat and in the process his hands gripped a little higher up on Daichis ribs and the shorter male instantly fell into heavier laughter.

“Not there!  N-Nahahat thehehehere!!!” he squeaked out and Kuroo’s grin turned absolutely evil.

“Oh?  Is this a bad spot, Dai?” he cooed, his fingers vibrating against the mans upper ribs as his fingers tickled higher and higher before spidering against his underarms.

Daichi’s legs kicked out and he tried to draw his arms closer to his torso as he shook his head, ridiculous laughter now pouring out of him as Kuroo drove him insane with tickles.

“What?  It’s not a bad spot?  Then perhaps I should try somewhere else?” Kuroo murmured lightly, ceasing his tickling to move his fingers to rest against his partners trembling stomach.

Daichi instantly flushed and shook his head, this time something more was hidden behind his eyes then his fear of more tickling.

Kuroo paused then, merely resting his palms against his boyfriend’s stomach, the action only making Daichi flush more and turn his head away.

“Daichi?  Daichi look at me,” Kuroo urged gently, rubbing his hand gently against the mans belly and watching as Daichi’s cheeks and neck grew far more flushed then he would’ve thought possible.  

“Secrets don’t make friends, Daichi,” Kuroo tried again, offering a little smile toward the man and watching as the former Captain took a deep breath and finally turned his eyes back toward his own.

“It’s… last night… when we were fooling around and I laid on top of you… you said I was heavy,” Daichi whispered and Kuroo instantly felt the beginnings of guilt building up in his chest.

He remembered that moment, Daichi rolling them over to settle on top of him and then making that stupid comment, acting like he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him and just teasing the other.  Unfortunately he hadn’t realized that his words may have stung a little deeper then intended.

“I know I’m not as toned as I was in high school and… Bokuto offered to help me come up with a new fitness regime.  I… I didn’t think I’d gotten so out of shape, but… I guess I have let myself go a bit,” Daichi admitted, the embarrassment and shame that was etched across his face instantly making Kuroo feel like the worst human being in the world.

He brought his hands away from Daichi’s stomach, reaching up and cupping his boyfriends reddening cheeks, turning him to meet his gaze once more.

“You listen to me, Sawamura.  You are perfect.  A solid 10.  The most gorgeous human being in this world and don’t you dare think you are any less than that because of something absolutely stupid I said,” the former Nekoma captain murmured, soothing his thumb over Daichi’s cheekbone.  “I was only teasing you, but I didn’t mean any of it.  None of us look like we did in high school.  But I could honestly care less if you gained weight, lost weight, stayed the same… you are still my Sa’amura and the man I adore.  But I will not stand for you skipping meals and trying to change yourself for me.  If you want to do something for you I will help however I can.  But you’re perfect to me, Dai.  I wouldn’t change a thing.”

The more Daichi listened the more the flush on his cheeks grew, though the shame that had been in his eyes slowly started to shift to a warmth he could feel deep in his chest.

“Thank you, Kuroo,” he murmured gently, turning his head to press a little kiss to one of the man’s palms and watching as the other started to blush a bit as well.  “And… I adore you too.  Now… if I promise to eat a normal breakfast… will you let me go?”  He smiled lightly up at the man, wriggling his fingers a bit for emphasis, but the look he got in return made him realize he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

A grin had started to retake Kuroo’s features and he quirked an eyebrow.  “Let you go?  After hearing that I haven’t been giving your middle the love and attention it deserves?”

Daichi’s eyes instantly widened and he shook his head, watching as his boyfriend slowly pushed up his shirt, baring his stomach to whatever he had in store.

“Kuroo!  Kuroo Tetsurou if you do what I think you’re going to-stahahAHAP!”

Daichi never got to finish his warning as Kuroo had instantly ducked down, peppering his poor partners stomach in as many kisses and nuzzles as he could manage, instantly making the other man break out into a flurry of ridiculous giggles that he knew his boyfriend would never let him live down.

“Y-You’re a-ahaha m-MoAHAhahanster!”

“And you love it!”

“I do-DoHOHOn’t!”

“Do too!

“K-Kahaharoo!”

#kurodai week 2019 #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #KuroDai #tickle fic #my fic #they deserve love and happiness!

[matchalattewithice]

kurodai week day 2 with the college au prompt!!!

#haikyuu #kurodai week #kurodai week 2019 #kurodai week day 3 #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #ultcc #cc #mateo does an owo

[kythen]

Haikyuu!! - Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Pairing: Kurodai

Summary: Kurodai Week 2019 Day 7: Just Married / Childhood Friends

When Kuroo was a young boy, he lived in Miyagi and loved a girl with beautiful brown eyes and a smile like the sun. Fast forward eight years and when Kuroo’s father takes him back to Miyagi on a business trip, Kuroo jumps at the chance to reconnect with his first love—only to find out that his first love isn’t a girl at all.

Also found here on AO3.

Word count: 11,848

Some of Kuroo's earliest childhood memories are of his old house in Miyagi with its creaking floors and walls, a green park and its brightly coloured playground, and a girl with the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. He doesn't remember her name—because what were proper names to kids their age—but he remembers what he used to call her and what she used to call him, endearing little childhood nicknames that he hasn’t used in forever.

He remembers a promise too and the feelings that came with it—the sticky anxiety that had clung to the back of his shirt, the fear that he was saying something wrong, that he was being too forward, that she didn't like him the way he liked her, and rising above all that, a brimming, fluttery sensation in his chest that he would only later learn the name for.

"Will you marry me when we grow up?" young Kuroo had asked, gazing into her bright brown eyes and wishing that they could stay like that forever.

She was a pretty little thing, with short hair and a round, chubby face, dressed perpetually in shirts and shorts like the rest of the boys. Kuroo liked her eyes the best, but he also liked her smile and the way her missing tooth showed a gap in between her pearly whites. When he had asked, she had been squatting in the grass, combing the ground for colourful flowers and anything else of interest, and Kuroo had been on his knees and his butt, holding a bright yellow flower out to her, the best thing he could find for her that day.

He can't remember her reply, but he knows that he had been happy with her until his mother passed away and his dad decided to move back to Tokyo to raise Kuroo with his grandparents. There, Kuroo stayed for eight years, growing up from a boy with dirt on his knees to a towering teenaged boy. He hasn't been to Miyagi in eight years and he considers himself more city than country, his once drawling accent smoothing out into sharper tones and his feet accustomed to moving about in the bustling traffic of Tokyo.

He doesn't think about Miyagi and the girl all that much these days when his life is all here, but one day, his dad brings it up again over dinner.

"Say, Tetsu," Kuroo's father muses, "do you remember the Sawamuras?"

"The who?" Kuroo asks absently, picking the bones out of his fish.

"The Sawamuras. You know, our neighbours when we lived in Miyagi," his father prompts.

"That was ages ago. I was what, six?"

"We moved when you were about eight," his father confirms. "It's no wonder you don't remember them. But you used to be especially close to the Sawamuras' eldest child, who was your age. Do you remember that?"

"Dai-chan," Kuroo blurts out, her name springing forth in his head immediately and slipping out of his mouth. He remembers brown eyes, a bright smile, and a grubby little hand in his. He remembers being in love, as much as a six or seven or eight year old child could love. He had cried when they moved because he missed her the moment his father had bundled him up in his car and drove off to a place far away that was now his home. He was going to marry her when they both grew up.

"That's the name!" his father exclaims, beaming. "You were always going on about marrying Dai-chan and how pretty Dai-chan was and how Dai-chan gave you a flower or a rock or even a snail, that one time."

"Why are you bringing that up now?" Kuroo groans, scuffing his feet under the table, embarrassed.

He had been a kid then and the world had been a wide, wonderful place with Dai-chan by his side. It is unfair for his father to bring that up now when Kuroo is almost seventeen and all grown out of his childhood affections. He doesn't even know what Dai-chan looks like now, if she had grown up still liking volleyball or if she had taken up other interests in his absence. She is all the way in Miyagi, left behind with all the other beloved childhood memories he has of their countryside home, and Kuroo is here in Tokyo, with his dinner to eat and his homework to do later.

"Well, you see," his father explains, finally getting to the point, "my company wants to send me to Miyagi for a little business trip and since your summer vacation is starting soon, I was thinking that you could come with me for a week or so. You know, just to jog those childhood memories. See how much Miyagi has changed since we were last there. I believe I still have the Sawamuras' number so we could even drop by to see how they're doing. Don't you want to know what your childhood crush looks like now?" He smirks, the patented Kuroo smirk, with flashing teeth and wicked eyes.

Kuroo scowls. He does want to go to Miyagi, but not if his dad keeps ribbing him about Dai-chan. He isn't embarrassed of her and his past affections for her, but he doesn't want to embarrass her if his father keeps bringing it up while they are there. For all he knows, she might have a boyfriend now and she might not appreciate having dumb childhood crushes from the past being brought up.

"Even if you don't, Dai-chan wants to know how you are," Kuroo's father continues casually, producing a scrap of paper from out of nowhere. "I might have an email address here that the Sawamuras gave to me when I talked to them over the phone last week."

"Give it to me." Kuroo lunges for it so quickly he almost flings himself across the table, surprising himself with how eager he is to know what Dai-chan's email address is.

"It's all yours." Kuroo's father relinquishes the scrap of paper to him all too easily, with a knowing grin on his face. "Maybe you should talk to Dai-chan before we go to Miyagi."

And that is how Kuroo ends up sitting cross-legged on his bed at night instead of tackling his homework, staring intently at the email address scribbled on the scrap of paper in his father's terrible handwriting. He hasn't thought of Dai-chan and Miyagi in ages, but the moment his father had said something, it had stirred up those dusty old memories settled at the bottom of his head. He remembers joyful days filled with giddy, bright happiness, wearing his heart for all to see and wrapping it up and giving it to the girl of his dreams.

His last girlfriend had been so different from his first love. She had long hair while Dai-chan wore hers boyishly short; she ate like a bird while Dai-chan out-ate Kuroo at every meal. She eventually grew tired of Kuroo because all his time was spent on volleyball instead of her, but Dai-chan had been the one to drag Kuroo into volleyball, pulling him into forming a local team out of the neighbourhood kids. He wonders if she still likes volleyball. Her dream had been to get into the volleyball powerhouse, Karasuno High School, and by chance, Kuroo had gotten into their rival school, Nekoma High.

Well, there was only one way to find out. Kuroo takes a deep breath and plunges in, reaching for his phone. She had asked about him first so it wouldn't hurt to initiate first contact. Kuroo spends close to half an hour typing and retyping a message before he finally comes up with something that sounds familiar, but not too familiar, and casual, but not too casual.

From: Tetsurou

Hey, Dai-chan? It's been a while but this is Tetsu. You know, the boy who lived next door when we were teeny-tiny kids. I got your email address from my dad, who said he got it from your parents.

How have you been?

There. It takes another fifteen minutes or so before Kuroo can muster up the courage to hit send and then he immediately puts his phone face down on his bed and walks to his study table, determined to get some work done. Just as he is in the middle of tackling a tangle of chemical equations, he hears the quiet vibration of his phone in the sheets and he almost flings his textbook out of the window while scrambling to get back to the bed.

From: Dai-chan

Tetsu-kun? It's been ages since we last met! I missed you.

I'm doing well. I'm a second year at Karasuno High School now. Things have been hectic since I'm trying to juggle volleyball with the mid-term exams, but with summer vacation around the corner, I think I'll finally get a bit of a breather.

How have you been? I haven't heard from you and oji-san since you moved to Tokyo. Please give my regards and thanks to oji-san for passing on my email address to you. I'm so glad to be able to talk to you again, Tetsu-kun.

So she did get into the high school of her choice. Kuroo tries to envision her in the Karasuno school uniform, but it is hard to when he doesn't know what she looks like now. She had always been pretty and cute and steadfast as a child and he has no doubt that she had retained all those qualities of hers as a teenager.

As he rereads her message, his eyes keep going back to the sentence she had so casually tacked on: "I missed you." Reading it does funny things to his heart and it is almost as if Kuroo is seven again and looking at Dai-chan like she held cupped sunlight in her hands. Now that they are talking again, a yawning hole opens up in Kuroo's chest and he realises how much he misses her too.

From: Tetsurou

So you got into the school of your dreams! How does it feel to be flying among the crows?

I'm glad to hear that you're still playing volleyball. You had a mean spiking arm as a kid—I would know, seeing that you spiked a ball into my face before. Multiple times. If my face looks a little different now, you would know why.

Funnily enough, I'm in Nekoma High. The cats and the crows, the rivals of the trash heap. Have you heard of their rivalry?

I've been doing fine as well. Same as you, I've been having to balance volleyball with exams. I can't wait for summer vacation to roll around, although that means practice, practice, and more practice. We're aiming to get to Nationals so we can't afford to slouch… or so I say, because I'll be heading your way during summer. Nekoma can do without me for a week and I'll make sure to get juicy intel about the Karasuno Volleyball Club while I'm there since I have insider information.

Not five minutes after Kuroo hits send, his phone vibrates with a new message from Dai-chan.

From: Dai-chan

It's been fantastic. Or rather, it was a struggle at first, but we'll get there eventually. You'll see us at Nationals.

If your face looks a little different now, it wouldn't be because of me. If you still have that awful habit of sleeping with your face buried between two pillows, I wouldn't be surprised if your face has gone completely flat. I would still be able to recognise you by that hair though, I bet.

Nekoma High! They've got a reputation in Tokyo. They're a good school, Tetsu-kun, and I have no doubt that you've added your own flair to their play style. And of course I've heard of the rivalry between Karasuno and Nekoma. The Battle of Trash Heap. We're going to kick. Your. Ass.

You wish you had insider information. I'm not telling you anything. You'll just have to brace yourself for us during Nationals.

I can't wait for you to visit, Tetsu-kun. When you're in Miyagi, I hope that we can meet again.

Kuroo's toes curl in delight, all homework forgotten as he burrows into his blanket. Dai-chan wants to meet him! After all this time! She still sounds as amazing as ever, their conversation flowing naturally between them even after eight years of silence. As he types a new reply to her, he wonders if she still remembers the childish promise he had made to her, the one born out of pure love and adoration for her.

It would be weird to bring it up, wouldn't it? Kuroo muses, his thumbs hovering over his phone. Hey, Dai-chan, remember the time I asked you to marry me when we grew up? And then I didn't talk to you for eight years after that? It sounds silly once he puts it like that since they are both sixteen year olds now with separate lives of their own. Kuroo chuckles and he types out a simpler reply to her message, trying to find out more about the current Dai-chan instead of dwelling on his old memories of her.

By the time Kuroo puts down his phone after chatting with her, it is way past midnight and Kuroo still has a stack of unfinished homework to rush through. But he also has a clearer impression of Dai-chan, her personality if not her looks, and he thinks, fondly, that she hasn't changed one bit. Maybe she has developed a sharper tongue, but so has Kuroo and he laughs at the jabs she sends back in response to his.

Kuroo's father had said that his business trip would be in the first week of summer vacation, which is a month from now, and Kuroo grins as he throws himself down onto his bed, hugging his pillow close as he thinks about meeting Dai-chan again.

---

Miyagi is as hot and muggy as Tokyo in summer and Kuroo wilts in the sun, trying to locate the barest scrap of shade as his father and him trudge to the hotel they are staying at for the week. The Sawamuras had offered to put them up in a guest room, but Kuroo's father had politely declined, telling them that they didn't want to impose on them. Kuroo had been secretly grateful for that because if his meeting with Dai-chan doesn't go well, it would be awkward to continue seeing her under the same roof. Even if it does go well, the thought of staying with Dai-chan under the same roof for an entire week makes Kuroo blush. He is a healthy sixteen year old boy and Dai-chan is a healthy sixteen year old girl whom Kuroo might or might not have lingering affections for. Perhaps that was why his father had turned down the Sawamuras' offer in the first place.

From: Tetsurou

Miyagi is hot. Why didn't you warn me, Dai-chan? I'm melting into a puddle of goo.

From: Dai-chan

I thought you remembered—or have you become that much of a city boy that you can't stand long hours in the sun?

From: Tetsurou

Volleyball is an indoor sport. People actually have air conditioners in Tokyo, Dai-chan.

From: Dai-chan

Those are the words of the weak. What, you don't go for long runs around the neighbourhood and up and down the hills?

From: Tetsurou

In Tokyo? I'll more likely get mowed down by a car or something if we did all our training outside. Besides, unlike some schools, we can afford indoor equipment.

From: Dai-chan

Note to self: Nekoma's weakness is their ability to avoid incoming traffic. Bring a car and Saeko-san to the match against them.

Kuroo laughs and puts his phone aside as Kuroo's father checks in to the hotel. The sweat on his back has dried in the air conditioning and Kuroo sighs in relief as cool air washes over him. Like Kuroo, his father is dressed in light clothing, but he has to put on a stuffy suit for his meeting later at his company's branch office and Kuroo doesn't envy him one bit.

"Were you talking to Dai-chan?" Kuroo's father asks as they step into the lift, dragging their luggage bags behind them. "You've got that look on your face again."

"What look?" Kuroo touches his hand to his face, peering into the shiny mirrored lift wall.

"Something like… youthful innocence." Kuroo's father smirks. "Ah, to be young again like the both of you."

"We're just rekindling our friendship," Kuroo says defensively.

"Did you ask if Dai-chan remembers your marriage proposal? Because I do. And the Sawamuras do too. It was tooth-rottingly sweet how in love the both of you were."

"We were kids," Kuroo huffs, stepping out of the lift the moment the doors open onto their level. "Give it a rest, dad. We aren't like that—we barely even know each other now."

"Sure, whatever you say, Tetsu." His father chuckles, but finally, mercifully, drops the subject.

As they settle into their room, his father wastes no time in pulling out his business suit and taking a quick shower to refresh himself, leaving Kuroo to explore the room lazily and lie down spread-eagled on his bed. He messages Dai-chan a few more times before she gets too busy and has to put her phone down. Lying flat on his back with a summer-induced lethargy creeping up on him, Kuroo shuts his eyes and tries to imagine what Dai-chan would look like now.

Would she have short or long hair? Kuroo prefers girls with long hair himself, but he thinks Dai-chan would be cute enough to pull off short hair with her round face. How tall would she be? They had been the same height as kids, but Kuroo had stretched and broke past the 180cm mark recently so he thinks it would be hard for her to keep up. It would be endearing if she was shorter than him, not by a lot, but just enough for Kuroo to bend down and—

Kuroo presses his palms against his eyes, starbursts exploding behind his closed eyelids as he steams with embarrassment. His memories of her are wispy at best, dredged up from under eight years' worth of memories. He must be mixing her up with his last girlfriend, who had been a full head shorter than him and needed Kuroo to bend over to kiss her.

What if Dai-chan had a boyfriend? He hadn't asked her if she was seeing anyone, but she didn't ask him either, so the topic had never been broached. It would be no problem, Kuroo thinks firmly. After all, they were only friends and when he meets Dai-chan again, he wouldn't be jumping right into confessing.

"When are you meeting Dai-chan later?" Kuroo's father asks out of the blue and Kuroo jumps. Engrossed in his thoughts of Dai-chan, he hadn't heard his father come out of the bathroom.

Kuroo sits up on his bed, crossing his lanky legs in front of him. "Karasuno is having their volleyball practice now so I'll meet Dai-chan after that. We're meeting in front of the school gates."

Kuroo's father nods sagely as he loops his tie over his neck. "Ah, youth. That's a classic meeting spot for a young couple. I'm not sure what time I'll be done tonight so you'll be on your own for dinner." Taking his wallet out of his pocket, he pulls out a bill and hands it to Kuroo. "Treat Dai-chan to something nice."

"We're not—" Kuroo opens his mouth to argue.

"I know, I know." Kuroo's father raises his hands quickly. "Do it for me. Treat Dai-chan to something nice for me."

Kuroo shuts his mouth grudgingly and slips the bill into his wallet. It would be nice to treat Dai-chan to something nice after all this time. He remembers how much she loved to eat, getting excited whenever it was dinnertime or snack time. His father used to treat them to meat buns when he came to pick Kuroo up from the park and he remembers how Dai-chan could polish off one whole meat bun by herself and still have room for dinner.

"Well then, I'm off." His father picks up his leather satchel, dressed smartly from head to toe.

Kuroo waves at him from the bed. "Remember to eat something in between your meetings."

"I'm sure they'll take a break to feed me sometime," Kuroo's father says laughingly as he leaves the room.

Left on his own, Kuroo lies back flat on the bed with a contented sigh. The air conditioning on his face, a soft bed at his back, and a whole week to do nothing but wander. He is missing out on a week of volleyball practice, but he justifies to himself that he needs the break. He will just have to work doubly hard when he gets back.

He checks his phone. No new messages from Dai-chan. It is two in the afternoon now and Dai-chan's practice ends at four. Kuroo has two hours to kill before he meets Dai-chan at her school—one hour if he factors in the travel time. Kuroo mulls over his options for a moment before he springs up and out of bed. He might as well get an early head start.

---

Torono Town is located further away from the heart of Sendai than he remembers. It is still as quiet and tranquil as it was in his memories, but the shops look unfamiliar and Kuroo has to rely on his maps app to find his way around. Here is the old park they used to play in, the old, rusted playground equipment swapped out for a new, brightly coloured set. There is the elementary school he went to in the first and second grade, filled to the brim with laughing and shrieking children. He remembers the way back to his old home on foot, during a time when his mother had still been around, but he stops at an intersection and turns back. It is almost time for him to meet Dai-chan after all.

It is still sweltering and Kuroo's jeans adhere to his legs uncomfortably, making him wish he had worn shorts instead. He had long shed his flannel outer shirt, wrapping it around his hips instead, and his bare arms are blessedly cool as he swings them at his sides while he walks. Perspiration runs down the side of his face and neck, and Kuroo ducks into a nearby convenience store to cool off. He wonders if his cologne had held out on the way here and he takes a tentative sniff at himself, only to look up and see the lady across the counter raising a judgemental eyebrow at him.

What am I doing? Kuroo leaves the store hastily, his face burning in embarrassment. He smells fine. He looks fine, if not a bit sweaty. He wipes his clammy palms against his shirt. Why am I so nervous?

Kuroo arrives at the school gates fifteen minutes early and resigns himself to loitering before the school like a suspicious-looking character. There aren't as many students around now that school is out for summer vacation and they leave through the front gate in trickles of twos and threes. Even from outside the school walls, he can hear the baseball team hard at work in the field, but he can't hear the familiar squeaking of sport shoes and thudding of volleyballs no matter how much he strains.

His phone buzzes in his pocket, the tone almost blending in with the cicadas crying out all around him, and Kuroo glances at it.

From: Dai-chan

Practice is done for the day. I'll see you outside?

From: Kuroo

I'm already here. Take your time.

After that, every set of footsteps has Kuroo swivelling his head to stare at the approaching students, trying to look for a spark of recognition, a pair of warm brown eyes and a smile like the sun. Some students balk once they catch him staring, muttering among themselves as they give him a wide berth, and some of them blush and quicken their footsteps, giggling at his attention. None of them come towards Kuroo and Kuroo idly flips his phone over in his hand, waiting for some sign of Dai-chan in person or on his phone.

A group of girls files out through the front gates and Kuroo catches sight of the print on the back of their sports jackets, which reads "Karasuno Volleyball Club". His heartbeat quickens and he stares especially hard, trying to guess which girl could be Dai-chan. A tall blond catches him looking and she looks wary, nudging the arm of the girl next to her. A ripple passes through the group of volleyball girls and they throw tentative glances at him as they rush by before Kuroo can even think about approaching them to ask about Dai-chan.

Was that all of them? Dai-chan had mentioned that she was on the volleyball team but none of them had been her. Should he call her? Kuroo bounces on the balls of his feet nervously, ducking his head to peer through the school gate.

A girl dressed in the same pitch-black volleyball jacket as the earlier group of girls hurries in his direction, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. She has a cute round face, brown flyaway hair that bounces as she walks, and her eyes are a light brown as she looks up and catches sight of Kuroo at the gate.

"Dai-chan?" Kuroo blurts out as she draws close to him, stepping out hurriedly in her path.

The girl comes to screeching stop, her eyes wide and confused as she looks up at Kuroo. "Excuse me?"

"Um, I'm Tetsu. Kuroo Tetsurou," Kuroo introduces himself awkwardly, trying not to fidget, "and I was wondering if you were Dai-chan?"

Judging by the growing bemusement on her face, she isn't and Kuroo feels like a creep for approaching her out of the blue.

"I, uhhh… You're from the volleyball club, aren't you?" Kuroo rambles on, trying to explain himself. "I'm supposed to be meeting a childhood friend from the Karasuno Volleyball Club. Her name is…" Kuroo's head blanks out for a moment as he realises that he doesn't know what her first name is. Thankfully, he does know her family name. "Sawamura—"

"Michimiya!"

Another flock of black Karasuno jackets come swarming in his direction, the volleyball boys this time, and a boy detaches himself from the group to come jogging towards them. He looks sturdy and reliable, with short cropped hair and concern in his brown eyes as he assesses the situation between Kuroo and the girl. Is he her boyfriend? Kuroo takes a step back, hoping that there isn't going to be an ugly confrontation between them.

Even as the boy stops beside the girl, his eyes are still trained on Kuroo, and Kuroo meets his gaze squarely. He hadn't been doing anything wrong, even though he is acutely aware of how suspicious he must have been looking.

"Sawamura," the girl says in surprise, looking between the boy and Kuroo.

"Are you okay—"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Sawamura—"

Kuroo's voice overlaps with the boy's and they both stop, trying to register what just happened. The boy tilts his head in a quizzical manner as he stares at Kuroo, the corner of his mouth twitching as something shifts in his brown eyes.

"Um, he's Sawamura." The girl gestures towards the boy, looking unsure.

Kuroo stares. "That's a guy."

"I'm both Sawamura and a guy," the boy says drily, folding his arms. "Those two things are not mutually exclusive."

"But the Sawamura I'm looking for is a girl," Kuroo explains, waving his arms about. "A second year in the volleyball club? Dai-chan?"

The girl looks more confused than ever as she whips her head between the boy and Kuroo and gestures towards the boy again. "Sawamura… Daichi?"

"Huh?" Kuroo blurts out.

The boy sighs. "Thanks, Michimiya. You should go and catch up with the other girls. I'll take it from here." He flicks his eyes up at Kuroo and up close, Kuroo realises that they are a beautiful shade of brown, the same kind of brown that Kuroo had fallen in love with, now flecked with annoyance. "I didn't realise that your memory was this bad, Tetsu-kun."

As the girl trots off, throwing a curious look over her shoulder as she leaves, Kuroo stares at the boy again. This can't be right. The Dai-chan he remembers from his childhood had been clearly a girl. She was pretty and cute and had a smile that mesmerised Kuroo. The boy before him is… admittedly handsome but looks one word away from scowling at Kuroo.

"Dai… chan…?" Kuroo asks tentatively.

"Tetsu-kun," the boy says patiently.

Kuroo's head spins. "Weren't you a girl?"

"I've always been a boy," Dai-chan—Daichi? Sawamura??—says, a furrow forming between his brows. "Did you think I was a girl the whole time?"

Kuroo's mouth opens and closes soundlessly before he croaks out a meek, "Um. Yes."

"How on earth do you make that mistake?"

How on earth indeed. No matter how Kuroo looks at the Dai-chan before him, he is definitely a hundred percent male. He even looks manlier than Kuroo with his sideburns and his chiselled jaw and his sturdy bulk, a far cry from the pretty little thing he had been as a child. But then again, Dai-chan had never been delicate, hardy even as a child, and the more Kuroo looks, the more he can see how the Dai-chan of his childhood had grown up into the boy standing before him.

Kuroo turns bright scarlet. Now would be a fantastic time for the earth to open up under his feet and swallow him whole. "You were very pretty. Even the mothers used to coo about how cute you were so I just thought…"

"I dressed the same as you and I'm pretty sure my mom referred to me as her son in front of you at least once," Daichi says, looking exasperated. "Tetsu-kun, I used the same washroom as you."

"Look," Kuroo says defensively, "I never claimed to be smart."

The corners of Daichi's mouth twitch. "I'm pretty sure I can find a message on my phone of you claiming otherwise."

"Why didn't you ever correct me?"

"How would I know that you thought I was a girl?"

"Why didn't my dad ever correct me?"

"Does he think I'm a girl too?" Daichi looks grim.

"I actually think he was hoping that you would be my girlfriend." Kuroo laughs. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out why we won't be getting together."

"Oh." A shadow flickers across Daichi's face and his smile looks a little tight as he says lightly, "Well, since you've discovered that you were wrong all along and I'm not a girl, is this where we go our separate ways?"

Kuroo grins at him. "Don't be silly. I came all this way to see you, regardless of whether you're a boy or a girl. Let's find someplace to catch up. Do you still like sweet things? We could go to a café."

"You remembered?" Daichi asks, surprised.

"Hard to forget when you would steal my cream puffs and cakes whenever the adults bought treats for us," Kuroo teases him. Dai-chan might have ended up being a boy all along, but the banter that flows between them is still natural and comfortable.

"You gave them to me," Daichi huffs.

Because I loved seeing the smile on your face when you were eating them, Kuroo bites back his retort. He doesn't want to weird Daichi out, especially since they are both sixteen year old guys and saying mushy things like that between them, even if they were childhood friends, was bound to make things awkward.

But it wasn't as if Daichi had suddenly turned into a guy over the years when Kuroo was the one who had made a mistake in the first place. In the back of Kuroo's head, he wonders what Daichi thought of Kuroo's proposal when they were kids. He has sunlight-dappled memories from the childhood they spent together, but it had been long enough that he doesn't remember specific details. Had Daichi been weirded out after being proposed to by another boy?

"Tetsu-kun?" Daichi peers into his face and Kuroo startles as he realises that he had been drifting off mid-conversation. This close, Kuroo notices that Daichi is shorter than him, his head tilted back slightly to look up into Kuroo's eyes. The top of Daichi���s head only comes up to Kuroo’s eyes, his big brown eyes upturned towards Kuroo, and it is dizzyingly cute. Just enough to bend down and—

Kuroo's face steams as that wayward train of thought from earlier returns to hit him again. He is confusing Daichi with his ex-girlfriend again—or no, even worse, confusing his mistaken memories of a girl Dai-chan with his ex-girlfriend again. He had worked himself up, imagining Dai-chan all grown up as a sixteen year old girl, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't hoping for something to happen between the both of them. A spark, a rekindled promise, the blossoming of a romance between them that was rooted in their feelings for each other as children. None of that is going to happen with Daichi, who oozes masculinity just by standing still. His rescue of Michimiya just now had been something straight out of a shoujo manga and Kuroo can only imagine how popular Daichi must be with the girls. Maybe he was even dating Michimiya.

"Is the heat getting to you or something?" Daichi asks worriedly, still looking at Kuroo. "I know you complained about the heat earlier and you've been waiting out here all this time."

Kuroo wipes his forehead with the back of his hand and grimaces as it comes away tacky with sweat. It is hot and now that he has met with Daichi, there isn't any reason for him to be standing out in the sun longer than necessary. "I'm fine. Maybe just a bit roasted from walking in the sun."

Daichi reaches out, almost as if to take Kuroo's hand, but then he swings his arm back, his face tense with embarrassment. Kuroo politely pretends not to notice that aborted action, sympathising with him. They held hands all the time as children and he understands the instinctive urge to just act on what felt natural to him.

"Let's get out of the sun," Daichi says, gripping his bag strap instead and offering Kuroo a small smile. "There's a place I like to go to that's nearby."

---

"One black coffee, one café au lait, and a Mont Blanc cake please," Daichi tells the waiter. As the waiter leaves, Daichi looks back at Kuroo. "Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"It's fine. I had a heavy lunch after reaching Miyagi. Plus I feel like the heat has sapped my appetite." Kuroo sighs as he lounges in his chair, trying to absorb all the air conditioning into his body.

"It's no wonder you’re such a beanpole if you're eating so little all the time," Daichi comments. "I mean, you were a skinny kid, but since you mentioned that you did weight training as part of your volleyball practice, I thought you would be a lot bigger."

"Hey, I eat a good amount." Kuroo sits up in his seat indignantly. Daichi might be built with a sturdy upper torso and firm, muscled legs, but Kuroo is pretty sure that he doesn't lose out to Daichi in the muscle department. It is only because Kuroo is taller that his muscles are stretched out along his lanky frame, that's all. "What about you? A single Mont Blanc and black coffee? That's almost moderate for you. What happened to my Dai-chan with the sweet tooth?"

Daichi makes a face. "It's hard to have a sweet tooth when you aren't a kid."

Kuroo studies Daichi. Maybe he wasn't all solid muscle under his clothes as Kuroo had thought, but even if he had a little bit of pudge, Kuroo thinks it wouldn't detract from his good looks. He remembers Daichi's chubby cheeks as a kid and it had been endearingly cute.

"You look fine to me. Anyway, wouldn’t it be better to indulge a little more at this age? It’s only going to get harder the older you get." Kuroo idly peruses the menu. From what he remembers, a parfait seems a little more to Daichi's tastes. Maybe even a whole stack of strawberry-laden pancakes. Kuroo wouldn't have minded splitting a box toast with a scoop of ice cream himself. He is surprised that Daichi didn't ask.

"Easy for you to say. You look like the type who doesn't get fat at all even if you eat a lot," Daichi says enviously.

He is right and Kuroo smirks, which is all the answer that Daichi needs.

The waiter drops by with their orders and Kuroo sneaks glances at Daichi as he sorts out who gets what. Daichi's hair is even shorter than it had been when he was a child and Kuroo thinks it suits him. Gone is the baby softness that rounded out his face and accentuated his big brown eyes, and his expressions are now laced with a sharpness that matches the wit he sees in their exchanged messages.

Daichi pushes the tall glass of iced café au lait in Kuroo's direction before settling down with his coffee and cake. Without a word, he digs into the cake with a silver fork, helping himself to a generous bite, and the moment it melts in his mouth, Kuroo sees Daichi's eyes brighten up and pure happiness bloom in his face as he savours the sweet treat.

Suddenly, they are six or seven again, and Kuroo has just insisted that Dai-chan has his share of the roll cake or apple pie or ice cream. Dai-chan always does such a bad job of declining Kuroo, her—his—eyes fixed on the treat even as he tries to refuse Kuroo. In the end, Kuroo's portion always inevitably finds its way into Dai-chan's stomach. It is nostalgic, seeing Daichi savour his cake while radiating happiness, and Kuroo's stomach flutters as he watches Daichi help himself to another bite, looking just as contented with his second bite as his first.

Daichi's eyes flick up as he notices Kuroo's gaze on him and he swallows his mouthful before asking, "Do you want some?"

"Is it good?" Kuroo asks, his mouth suddenly dry, and he licks his lips as he thinks that it would be nice to have something sweet now.

Daichi cuts a piece for Kuroo—almost imperceptibly smaller than his portion, Kuroo notices with some amusement—and holds the fork out to him. Kuroo reaches out to take the fork from him, but a whimsical instinct overtakes him and Kuroo finds himself leaning in to eat the morsel of cake straight from the fork that Daichi holds out to him.

"Oh, it's good," Kuroo mumbles as the smooth chestnut flavour spreads over his tongue.

Daichi retracts his fork and pulls the plate closer to him defensively. "You can't have any more of mine."

"Stingy."

"Get your own."

Kuroo sucks absently on the inside of his cheek, licking the sweetness from his lips. "Why should I get my own when I can mooch off yours?"

Daichi snorts. "Spoken like someone who mooches off his girlfriends all the time."

"Hey, I pay for all my dates. I'll have you know that I'm a perfect gentleman," Kuroo says loftily.

"Is that so?" Daichi teases, with a playful light in his eyes. "You sure have grown up well, Tetsu-kun."

"You make it sound like I was a horrible kid." Kuroo pouts.

"You weren't," Daichi says, prodding at his cake meditatively, keeping his eyes on his fork. "If not, I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with you today."

A smile splits Kuroo's face as he basks in the almost-compliment from Daichi. "You weren't horrible either, Dai-chan."

"Weren't horrible?" Daichi says slyly, looking up from his cake with a wicked gleam in his brown eyes. "Didn't someone say that he wanted to marry me when we grew up?"

Kuroo flushes. He didn't expect Daichi to bring that up at all—even if it had been the largest thing occupying Kuroo's mind ever since his reunion with Daichi through text messages. Now that it has been established that they are both very, very male, he thought that Daichi would prefer to put it behind them as another embarrassing memory of the past. "You remember that?"

Daichi's mouth twists wryly. "Don't worry, I won't hold you to that promise since you thought I was a girl then. We were just kids then. You probably didn't know what you were doing."

Kuroo's heart squirms uncomfortably in his chest and he takes a long sip of his café au lait to drown out the sensation. They had been young, yes, but to have his feelings so casually dismissed by Daichi like that doesn't sit right with him. It isn't as if he had been pining for Dai-chan all these years when he had only remembered Dai-chan and his promise a month before coming back to Miyagi, but it doesn't mean that those feelings he had for Dai-chan weren't real either.

What had he expected out of this meeting with Dai-chan? Definitely not a relationship, when they had only just begun to rediscover each other as teenagers. Talking to Daichi makes him happy and he enjoys their banters, looking forward to Daichi's messages all the time. He still likes Daichi so much, there is no doubt about that, but when Kuroo looks across the table and sees Daichi, his head feels like a roaring mess.

The boy across the table is all grown out of his sweet, pretty Dai-chan, looking nothing like all the girls Kuroo thought Dai-chan might grow up to be, and yet, Dai-chan is still there, in the warm depths of his eyes and the sheer bliss he gets from eating something delicious. He hasn't changed one bit and it all makes sense how Dai-chan could grow up into the strong, stalwart sixteen year old boy across from him. Kuroo was the one who had it wrong all this time.

Kuroo feigns a laugh. His café au lait sits cold in the pit of his stomach as he says, "I was a pretty dumb kid, wasn't I? Mistaking you for a girl, proposing to you, and then leaving for Tokyo after all that."

"If I had known where you were then, I'd have broken off our engagement." Daichi grins at him. "I cried my eyes out when you left."

"Me too. I didn't want to leave Miyagi." I didn't want to leave you, Kuroo thinks.

"I'm glad you came back though, Tetsu-kun." Daichi gives him a small smile. "Even though I'm not exactly who you thought I was."

"That's totally on me." Kuroo flushes again, still embarrassed about his dumb mistake.

Daichi laughs and it is a bright sound, warmed by his current natural baritone. Kuroo likes how it sounds. As he gazes at Daichi, with a familiar sensation rising in his chest, he thinks about how much he still likes Daichi.

---

The first thing that Kuroo's dad says as he throws open the door of their hotel room is, "So how did your meeting with Dai-chan go?"

His dad looks positively gleeful, even though his face is lined with exhaustion from work. It is well into the night, the glowing figures on the clock reading 10:45pm, and Kuroo is assuming the facedown position on the bed, even though he isn't sleeping yet. He hasn't messaged Daichi since they parted at the café and no new messages have come in from him either. Kuroo tries not to think too much of it—maybe Daichi is busy with schoolwork or working out or playing with his younger siblings—but for some reason, he feels like their face-to-face encounter might have something to do with the abrupt silence between them.

Kuroo rolls over onto his back, squinting suspiciously at his dad. He wouldn't put it past his dad to have kept the truth of Dai-chan's gender a secret from him while ribbing him all this while. Or maybe he truly didn't know that Dai-chan had been a boy all along. With his dad, Kuroo can never tell.

"Tell me honestly, dad," Kuroo demands, "did you know that Dai-chan was a boy?"

His father shoots him an incredulous look. "Well, yeah. What, did you think that Dai-chan was a girl?"

The look on Kuroo's face says it all.

"Tetsu." His father looks torn between amusement and horror, but by the way a corner of his mouth is twitching, Kuroo can tell that the former is winning. "I know that Dai-chan was a seriously adorable kid, but seriously?"

"How was I supposed to know?" Kuroo says defensively, feeling like a dumbass for the second time in a day.

"For starters, you used the same washroom," his father explains, trying to put it as delicately as possible. "Not to be crass, but I thought you would have at least seen his—"

"DAD." Kuroo buries his face in his hands, mortified. "Don't talk about Dai-chan like that. Please."

His father shrugs. "It's the truth, kiddo. What, did you just close your eyes and face the wall whenever your beloved walked into the washroom?"

Kuroo falls face-first onto the bed and tries to suffocate himself with a pillow, his face steaming to the top of his ears.

His father walks over to ruffle his hair. "Geez, you're adorable, Tetsu. So, how was Dai-chan?"

"He's very manly," Kuroo mumbles into his pillow.

Kuroo's father laughs. "It must have been a shock for you to meet with your childhood sweetheart when you were expecting a cute girl and got a hulking lad instead."

"Dai-chan's still cute," Kuroo continues mumbling into his pillow, "and I'm taller than him so he isn't that hulking. He still likes sweet stuff and has a nice laugh and his eyes haven't changed at all."

"So you're saying that you're still in love with him?" his father puts in.

"I'm not gay, dad."

"Well, you're not exactly straight either from the sounds of it, son."

Kuroo squawks into his pillow, ripping his face away from its plush surface in sheer embarrassment. "I had girlfriends!"

"Your first crush was, and is still, a boy." His father sits down on the edge of the other bed, shrugging nonchalantly. "I'm just saying, Tetsu, maybe if you looked past Dai-chan's manliness, you'd find that there are still many, many things you like about that boy."

There are still so many things Kuroo likes about Daichi. He liked Daichi before he realised he was a boy and he liked him when they started exchanging messages and he had no clue what he looked like. Even meeting him in person hasn't diminished that glowing ember of "like" burning in his chest and Kuroo had found himself discovering more new things about Daichi to feed that flame instead of dousing it cold during that encounter.

Short hair still looks as good on Daichi as it had eight years ago and his features, which had always been pretty to Kuroo, were still there, if not fitted on a more masculine canvas. Daichi isn't hard on the eyes at all and his smile still brightens up a room, his baritone voice giving his laugh a warmth that seeps into Kuroo pleasantly. His tongue is as sharp as Kuroo's, giving him a run for his money, but he still blushes like a tomato when Kuroo manages to get one up over him. He isn't as tall as Kuroo, but from the looks of his toned arms and legs, he could probably lift Kuroo up over his head and throw him a fair distance—and somehow the thought of it doesn't turn Kuroo off as much as he thought it would.

"I like his manliness," Kuroo blurts out after a moment of extended thinking about those thick arms and legs and what they could do to him.

"There you go. Not straight at all," his father says pointedly.

"Okay, I might not be that straight after all," Kuroo says, keeping it surprisingly cool for someone who just redefined their sexual orientation, "but what about Dai-chan?"

"Tetsu," his father says carefully, "I don't mean to assume since I haven't met sixteen-year-old Dai-chan, but he really, really liked you then and I'm pretty sure he was fully aware that the both of you were male. You know, even if you weren't. And he was pretty excited to talk to you again once he found out that his parents were on the phone with me, if you catch my drift."

Kuroo frowns, disbelieving. "He didn't say anything about it."

"Could he have said anything about it, Mr 'I'm Straight and Had Girlfriends Before'?" Kuroo's father raises an eyebrow at him.

Kuroo brings his hands back to his face. "I'm a goddamned fool."

"You're just young." Kuroo's father pauses. "And maybe a little bit on the dumber side for someone who brings back stellar grades."

"They don't teach you about what to do when your childhood love whom you thought was a girl turns out to be a boy," Kuroo groans into his palms. "And what to do when you find out that you were never as straight as you thought you were."

"That’s what your good old dad is for." Kuroo can hear the grin in his dad's voice as he adds, "By the way, the Sawamuras have invited us over for dinner tomorrow. Do you think you can make it, Tetsu?"

Kuroo wants to talk to Daichi again. He has to, or he thinks he will regret it when they leave Miyagi at the end of the week and he won't see Daichi again for who knows how long. "I'll be there. Definitely."

Kuroo's father pats his back sympathetically. "Good luck, Tetsu."

---

Daichi is there, standing by his mom's shoulder when Kuroo and his dad show up at the Sawamuras' front door for dinner. They are early and Daichi's mom gushes about not expecting them until six and how dinner isn't ready yet.

"Is that you, Tetsu-kun?" Daichi's mom exclaims, looking Kuroo over with great interest. "You've sure grown! Look at how tall and handsome you are now. Daichi didn't tell me how much of a model you've become after he met you yesterday." She looks pointedly at her son.

"You're flattering me, oba-san." Kuroo chuckles. "I'm sure Dai-chan gave a completely accurate description of me to you yesterday."

"Well, he did get the 'tall and handsome' part right," Daichi's mom muses.

Daichi thinks he is handsome? Kuroo's eyes dart to Daichi instinctively but Daichi is keeping an impressively bland face, even though a faint bit of colour rises to his cheeks at his mom's words.

"Tetsu" —Kuroo jolts as his father clamps a hand down on his shoulder and when he looks sidelong, his father's respectable smile has stretched out into something a little more devious— "told me that Dai-chan had grown up very handsomely as well and now that I'm looking at him, I can see that he's right."

Now it is Kuroo's turn to keep his face as bland as possible even though he can feel the heat rise to his face as Daichi looks his way curiously.

"They've always been fond of each other, haven't they?" Daichi's mother sighs nostalgically. "Daichi was always going on about Tetsu-kun this and Tetsu-kun that as a child. Imagine my surprise when he came back one day and told me that Tetsu-kun had proposed to him and that he had said—"

"Mom, I'm right here," Daichi grits out through his teeth, his face as red as a tomato.

"Yes, you are, dear," Daichi's mother tells him, unfazed. She turns back to Kuroo and his father brightly. "But where are my manners? I've kept you at our front door for long enough. Please, come in."

As they take off their shoes at the genkan, Kuroo's father nudges him and murmurs under his breath, "'Tall and handsome', hm, Tetsu? Dai-chan sure has good eyes."

His father ambles off to strike up a conversation with Daichi's father before Kuroo can say a word and Kuroo quietly steams as he fumbles with the laces on his sneakers.

"Daichi, be a dear and take Tetsu-kun up to your room while I get dinner ready," Daichi's mother instructs Daichi. "You know where the tea and cups are." She disappears into the kitchen while Kuroo's father and Daichi's father head into the living room, leaving Daichi behind with Kuroo.

"Hi." Kuroo looks up at Daichi and smiles as he tries to get his sneakers off without falling over.

"Hi," Daichi says back, his lips curling up in a smile. With the colour still on his face from his earlier embarrassment, there is something almost shy about his smile.

Kuroo finally pops his sneakers off with minimal stumbling and places them neatly to the side. Daichi retrieves a tray of cups and a bottle of oolong tea from the kitchen and Kuroo follows Daichi up the stairs to a room he remembers well.

Daichi's room has definitely changed since the last time Kuroo was here. The child-sized study desk has been switched out for one that suits Daichi's current size more, the toys packed away or given to his younger siblings, and his high school uniform hangs neatly on the door of his wardrobe. The one thing that has not changed is the worn and battered volleyball sitting on a bottom shelf and Kuroo lights up as he lays his eyes on it.

Daichi had made him write his name on it before he left Miyagi and from where it sits on the shelf, Kuroo can see his chicken-scratch handwriting on it, spelling out a shaky "Tetsurou" in a child's hand. Kuroo makes a beeline for the old volleyball and he picks it up with great care, turning it around in his hands and marvelling at it.

"You kept this old thing?" Kuroo asks Daichi.

"It's full of memories," Daichi says as he puts down the tea and cups. "I'm pretty sure it might even have an imprint or two from all the times it got up close and personal with your face."

"That's got to be more valuable than a signature. After all, I do have model-like good looks, according to your mom," Kuroo preens.

Daichi snorts in disbelief, his nose scrunching up with laughter. "I wouldn't go that far."

"But you told her I was handsome, didn't you?" Kuroo asks casually, pretending to fiddle with the volleyball as he watches Daichi closely.

Daichi shrugs, his face impassive as he says, "She asked if you were handsome and I just said yes. What, would you rather I say no?" He raises an eyebrow at Kuroo.

Touché. Either Daichi has a marvellous poker face or he is really telling the truth and Kuroo was just reading too deeply into what Daichi's mother said.

"So," Daichi continues with a hint of amusement in his voice as he takes a seat on his bed, "did your father know that I was a boy all along or did he think I was a girl like you did?"

Kuroo bites back a scowl as the heat rushes to his face. Daichi isn't going to let this go anytime soon and given what a big mistake it was, Kuroo can't exactly blame him. "He knew that you were a boy all along," he admits.

Daichi chuckles. "And he never corrected you all this while?"

"I don't think he knew that I had mistaken you for a girl."

"Even after you proposed to me?" Daichi grins wickedly.

"Dad's more open-minded than I thought," Kuroo says grudgingly, remembering his conversation with his father last night and the revelations that had come out of it.

"He probably knew that you weren't serious about it. We were just kids after all," Daichi says lightly. "After all, looked how you turned out, dating girls and all in high school."

Kuroo's stomach squirms. Not straight at all, his father's words from last night echo in his head. Kuroo thought that he liked girls only, but he had also thought that Dai-chan had been a girl when he really was a boy and he finds that he still likes him even after that. The summer of his sixteenth year seems to be a time of revelations, all his previous notions about himself melting away to give rise to new ones.

"What about you?" Kuroo asks nonchalantly, trying to match Daichi's tone for lightness. "You must have had plenty of girlfriends in high school. That girl from the volleyball club, is she your girlfriend? You both seem close."

"Michimiya?" Daichi looks surprised. "No, we're just friends."

"What about a current girlfriend, or an ex?" Kuroo presses on, toying with the volleyball, his eyes still trained on Daichi.

Daichi's gaze drops to the floor and he clasps his hands loosely in his lap, shaking his head. "No, I didn't have time for a girlfriend. School's busy enough as it is with studying and volleyball."

Kuroo takes a deep breath. If Kuroo was going to have revelations all over the place, he might as well try for another one. "What about a boyfriend?"

This time, Daichi's eyes dart towards him, wide and alarmed, and Kuroo meets his gaze head-on, dropping all pretence of being occupied with the volleyball in his hands. They lock eyes for a heartbeat before Daichi looks away, a flush creeping up his cheeks as he says, "Like I said, I haven't had the time."

That isn't too bad of an answer and hope hums within Kuroo. He doesn't think too much about what he is saying, his words escaping him in a rush as he pushes on, "Do you want a boyfriend?"

Daichi's cheeks grow redder but when he looks at Kuroo this time, there is a spark of something like anger in his eyes as he asks, "Tetsu-kun, are you making fun of me?"

Kuroo is taken aback. "No, of course not! What makes you think I am?"

Daichi studies him for a moment, his brown eyes glowering with heat. Then he seems to deflate, his shoulders slumping as he drops his head into his hands. "Why are you asking me this then, Tetsu-kun?" he mutters into his palms. "I knew you were a boy the whole time and I still said yes to you when you asked me to marry you so what do you think?"

Oh. Kuroo's throat works as he swallows hard, trying to come up with something to say in response to that. Daichi had yes then. Kuroo had forgotten it, but it all makes sense now that he thinks about it—Daichi's eagerness to meet him again, his disappointment that Kuroo had thought he was a girl, and his shyness around Kuroo from time to time.

"I wasn't making fun of you," Kuroo finally says.

"I know," Daichi replies, his head still buried in his hands.

"I just wanted to be sure."

"That I was gay?" Daichi asks drily. "Congratulations, you've confirmed that."

"I still like you, Dai-chan," Kuroo blurts out and it comes out of him surprisingly easily despite the crisis he went through last night. He didn't get much sleep after talking to his dad, tossing and turning as he tried to figure out how to patch things up with Daichi, even though there wasn't really a visible break between them. Maybe it was because he had the time to think about it that what he has to do seems so clear to him now. "I was asking if you wanted a boyfriend because I was hoping that I still had a chance."

Daichi finally lifts his head from his hands and blinks at Kuroo, bemusement and disbelief flooding his face. "I thought we established that I wasn't the girl you thought I was."

"Yes and, I won't lie, that did throw me off," Kuroo admits, fiddling with the volleyball in his hands. "But I had a good, long think about it last night and I realised that even after meeting you in person and realising that you were a boy, there's just so much about you I like that I just can't stop liking you. You've probably knocked me firmly out of the 'straight' category." He smiles ruefully, hopefully, at Daichi.

"One night is an awfully short time to re-evaluate your sexual orientation," Daichi says drily, narrowing his eyes at him.

"It wasn't pretty." Kuroo shrugs.

"That's your fault for thinking I was a girl all along."

"No, it's your fault for being absolutely adorable. Even now," Kuroo says shamelessly, and he means it a hundred percent.

Daichi steams, reddening to the tips of his ears and proving Kuroo's point. "You're still as sappy as ever. I should have known that something was up when you kept calling me 'cute' when we were kids."

"I was just telling the truth and I still am. I made a mistake in thinking that only girls could be cute when I was a kid. I just saw you and thought that you were the loveliest person to ever cross my path." Kuroo puts the old volleyball down on Daichi's desk and crosses the room to Daichi's bed. He kneels before him and it is as if he is six or seven again, on his knees in the dirt and offering Daichi a pristine yellow flower he dug up himself. Only this time, Kuroo has nothing but his heart to offer Daichi. He gazes up at Daichi and sees sunlight in his startled eyes, clear as the day and just as brilliant. Kuroo could drown in them forever. He might have forgotten many things about his childhood, but this is one thing that he would carry with him until the end of days. "Dai-chan, I won't jump straight to marriage this time, but I'm going to ask you this: will you go out with me?"

Daichi stares at him with wide brown eyes, looking like he hasn't believed a single thing that has happened since Kuroo entered his room. Looking at him like this, there are some things that Kuroo recognises in him from their time as kids, but there are also things about him that are unfamiliar, grown during their eight years apart when Kuroo wasn’t around. Kuroo wants to know all about the things he missed out on. He wants to know all about Daichi.

"Do you really think," Daichi finally says, softly, a note of disbelief still catching in his throat, "that I would be able to say no to you after the first time I said yes? You're a menace, Tetsu-kun. I don't even know how we're going to make this work when you're going back to Tokyo at the end of the week."

Laughter bubbles up in Kuroo unexpectedly, light and airy. He is so relieved. He thought that Daichi would say no because here Kuroo is again, rushing into things when he doesn't even know how Daichi feels about him. There is just something about Daichi that brings out all the stupid in him and Kuroo beams giddily up at Daichi, his cheeks almost hurting with how wide he is smiling. "We were apart for eight years but things are still fine between us so what's another one or two years apart? Plus, this time, we get to talk to and message each other."

Daichi looks unimpressed, even though there is a smile breaking through his earlier gloom, like the sun through the dark clouds. "The last time we were apart, you thought that I was a girl. Are there any other misunderstandings we should clear up before I send you off again for an unforeseeable period of time?"

"No, no, I think we're all cleared up now." Kuroo grins at him mischievously. "Unless you think that Karasuno is going to win Nationals because that's totally going to be Nekoma."

"You wish." Daichi laughs and his joy is so infectious that Kuroo starts laughing too.

Sometime in between their uncontrollable peals of laughter, he hears a knock on the door and Daichi's mother asking them to come down for dinner. It takes a while for them to calm down and when Kuroo looks at Daichi, with tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks, he realises that he has Daichi's hand in his. He doesn't know who reached out for who first but when Daichi looks down and sees their linked hands, he doesn't pull away, embarrassed, like he did the previous time. Daichi's hand might have grown out of its childish smallness but it still fits perfectly in Kuroo's like it did all those years ago. It is warm and steady, just like the beating of Kuroo's heart as he gazes at Daichi and sees all his love and adoration reflected back at him in the bright depths of his brown eyes.

---

Epilogue

Two teams, one in red and one in black, face each other outside the gymnasium of the Karasuno General Sporks Park on a fine day in May. It has been years since the two rivals have met, Nekoma from Tokyo and Karasuno from Miyagi, and the air hums with anticipation, the fulfilment of a history long thought forgotten.

"Sawamura-san," Kuroo says formally, locking eyes with the captain at the head of the lineup of black jackets, "thank you for inviting us over for a friendly match with your team."

"Oh, no," Sawamura replies, just as formally, "we should be the ones thanking you for accepting our offer and travelling all this way to play against us."

"It's no trouble at all. After all, it's something we've been looking forward to ourselves. You have heard of the Battle of the Trash Heap, haven't you?"

"Of course I have. From what I understand, our advisor took inspiration from this famous rivalry to approach your team and you so graciously accepted for this very reason as well."

Somewhere down the line, Kuroo hears a distinctive murmur from the orange-haired shrimp who had yelled when he saw Kenma, "Why does it feel like Daichi-san and the Nekoma captain-san are going to kill each other?"

He promptly gets shushed by a senior and Kuroo has to fight to keep a straight face, biting down on his lip so that he doesn't outright grin. Daichi's poker face is as beautifully immaculate as ever and Kuroo sighs inwardly in longing as he discreetly runs his gaze down his darling's body. Daichi has grown again in the span of time they have been apart, putting on even more muscle, if that is possible, and gaining a clarity and confidence about him that only comes with experience. Kuroo had not been surprised to learn that Daichi had been named captain and looking at him head his team makes Kuroo swell with pride.

However, Daichi is still shorter than him, Kuroo notes with a touch of smugness. Even if he has grown, Kuroo has grown too, reaching his current full height of 187cm, which gives him a wonderful view of Daichi looking up at him with those determined brown eyes. Just enough to bend down and—

And then Daichi is walking away from him as both teams disband to head into the gymnasium. Kuroo leads his team in, looking perfectly unruffled, cool and collected on the outside, but his eyes keep going back Daichi within his team of black.

It is only after their actual match, when all the other players are mixing around and exchanging praises and numbers, that Kuroo actually manages to get close to Daichi. Discreetly, out of view from everyone, Kuroo slips his hand into Daichi's and squeezes his fingers gently. Daichi keeps a straight face, but he squeezes back and lets Kuroo lead him out of the gymnasium and into a secluded corridor, away from the rest of their teammates.

"It's so good to see you again, Dai-chan. I missed you," Kuroo murmurs happily once they are out of earshot, letting his eyes roam up and down Daichi's body before fixing on his face.

Daichi is smiling, breaking his professional captain mask, and he lets himself look at Kuroo too, his eyes glowing with happiness. "You didn't miss me for eight years. What is a year compared to that?" he teases.

"You know what they say," Kuroo tells him loftily, "'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' And I am very fond of you, Dai-chan." He leans down into Daichi's space, grinning widely. There is a wall behind Daichi and in this narrow corridor, Kuroo thinks it wouldn't be too much of a monumental effort to back Daichi up against it and kiss him senseless.

"You sly cat, Tetsu-kun." Daichi crosses his arms across his chest, holding his ground against Kuroo as he gazes up at him with a knowing gleam in his eye. "You're trying to sweet-talk me into trouble, aren't you?"

"I'm not denying that." Kuroo shrugs nonchalantly, rolling his shoulders languidly and noting with pleasure the way Daichi's eyes catch onto that fluid movement. "It's rare that I get to see you in person so I thought we should commemorate the occasion." He tilts his head down, looking at Daichi through his lashes as he asks, "So, is it working?"

Daichi considers him for a moment, but his throat bobs noticeably in a swallow, his pink tongue darting out to wet his lips, and Kuroo is unsurprised when Daichi wraps a hand around Kuroo's wrist and drags him into the direction of a nondescript door off to the side of the corridor. They enter a tiny room that looks to be a storage room, cool and dim and most importantly, secluded.

"They won't miss us for a couple of minutes," Daichi says, his voice low and Kuroo shivers. He likes seeing new sides of Daichi, learning about him the more they deepen their relationship, and he is coming up with new adjectives all the time to describe him. Cute, pretty, steadfast, cunning, handsome, and now, alluring.

In what little sunlight that filters through the shuttered ventilation shaft, Kuroo is guided by the pull of Daichi's eyes, a clear molten brown that beckons to him as Kuroo draws Daichi to him with his hands on his hips. Daichi fits perfectly against Kuroo's body, in ways so different from the innocent touches between them as children, his face turned up to Kuroo at just the right height. Just enough to bend down and—

#kurodai #kurodaiweek #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #my writing

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