Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: How We Began (#4591)
Author: isilelensar
Chapters: 9

Archive: Haikyu!!
Category: Alternate Universe
Description: It started as an elaborate set up by a quirky group of ladies in a quilting club, and spearheaded by Kuroo's wily Aunt Yui: a 5 day, 4 night, all expenses paid, vacation to Kyoto. The catch? The trip was for two. It was almost perfect, too. But not all was as it seemed.
Published: 18 Dec 2021
Updated: 29 Dec 2021
Warnings: canondivergent, kurootsuki, drama, fluff
Type: Romance
Characters: Kuroo Tetsuro, Tsukishima Kei


Chapter 1 - One

"Tetsuro! Tetsuro, come over here!"

Kuroo's eyes reluctantly left the brilliantly colored lights of the neighborhood carnival at night, and quickly found his aunt, who was waving enthusiastically at him from her quilting club's booth. He smiled and waved back, heading over to see what she wanted.

"Hey, Aunt Yui!" He bent to kiss her cheek, and then smiled brightly at her friends, who never failed to flutter and giggle like school girls around him. Amused, he turned back to his favorite aunt. His only aunt. Eh, semantics.

"I was about to get something to eat. Want me to bring you back a snack, or something to drink?"
"Oh, no dear, but thank you," she replied brightly. "But you can buy a raffle ticket from me!"
"A raffle ticket? But why?" he asked even as he pulled out his wallet.
"Oh, we really haven't had too many people buying tickets this time," she told him, pulling a sad face. He knew it was just an act, she had a talent for dramatics, but he played along anyway.
"Oh, alright. Fine," he groused playfully. "What do I get if I win?"
"I can't tell you, dear," she smiled slyly. "It's a surprise!"

'Surprise, huh?' he thought as he handed her the money, and she gave him his ticket. He looked beyond her, deeper into the booth, and thought the 1st place prize was the beautiful, multi-colored quilt a few of the ladies were putting the finishing touches on. It was this year’s design for the carnival. It looked cozy, too.

"Come back in an hour, dear," she told him, patting his arm and giving him a little shove. "Go get your food and enjoy the rest of the carnival!"
"Trying to get rid of me?"
"Of course I’m not!" she protested happily. "Go on. Go ride some rides, or something."
"Pushy, aren’t ya?" He bent to kiss her cheek again, and left.

A little less than an hour later, Kuroo made his way back to his aunt's booth. He was pleasantly full from eating a variety of food, and he even won a few prizes at other booths. Oddly, there was a crowd of people surrounding his aunt’s club’s booth for the raffle; more people than he was led to believe. Maybe more tickets were sold after he'd left, or his aunt fibbed, which really wouldn’t be too unusual. Either way, the drawing was about to begin, so he pulled his ticket out of his pocket.

"Good evening! Thank you for supporting our little club!" His auntie announced into the megaphone. It grated on his ears, but he laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Because we know how excited you are, we’ll go ahead and start our drawing! Our third place prize is… four tickets to Tokyo Summerland!" She announced a number, the winner came forward, and the crowd went wild.

Impressed, Kuroo began to wonder if he’d guessed wrong about the 1st place prize. Although the quilt was beautiful, it paled in comparison to Summerland.

"For our second place prize… two tickets for Sky Restaurant 634!"

The crowd oohh'd and aahhh'd accordingly. Another number was called, and another winner went up to claim their prize.

Kuroo whistled lowly. He was definitely impressed by this year’s prizes. The club usually didn’t give out such elaborate prizes, though, so he grew even more curious.

“And now for our 1st place prize!” His auntie was so excited, he had to laugh. "When I call your number, please come forward!"

She slowly called each number of the winning ticket. Glancing down, Kuroo realized he won. With a wry grin, he ambled through the crowd, up to where she stood in front of her booth, on top of a wooden milk crate. First, she handed him the quilt, folded up neatly, and lying on top was a red envelope with the kanji for 'good luck' written in gold.

"You've won our club's carnival quilt for this year, plus an all-expenses paid trip to Kyoto!"

Kuroo was speechless. Speechless, and also a little suspicious. There had to be more to it. Subplot. Auntie was up to something, if he recognized that little glint in her eye. Prizes like this weren't just for single people. He squinted at her. There had to be a catch.

Not too long later, once the crowd had dispersed, his aunt grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the booth. When she faced him, she looked determined, and rather proud of herself. Kuroo lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Auntie?"
"Yes, there's more. But no one else needed to know."
"Tell me."
"The trip is for two; you and the other winner."
"Other winner? Auntie, what are you… "
"Tsukishima Kei." She overrode him with what he presumed was the other winner’s name.

He tilted his head. "That name sounds familiar."

"He's the owner of the little bookshop that opened a few months ago!” She replied excitedly, launching into her story. “The one that most just pass right by; it's so plain-looking! But, he added tiny prisms and stained glass accents to his windows. Anyway, I had gone in just to look around and… I miiiight have mentioned our little raffle. I’m still not sure if he bought a ticket just to get rid of me or not, but he made me promise that if he won anything, I wouldn’t mention his name."

Suspicion mounted. "Auntie? Please tell me this isn't..."
"An elaborate set-up for a date? Not at all!" she retorted sarcastically.
"But Auntie!"
"No buts, Tetsu! It's for your own good. And his, too," she said sternly. "Now, I want you to go tell him he won. Hurry, before he closes for the night."
He checked his watch; it was after 9pm. “Isn’t it already too late?”
“No. I checked his daily hours sign on the door. Go, Tetsuro! Hurry!”

Left with little choice - one did not refute auntie's orders, no matter how suspect they were - Kuroo put the quilt and envelope in a large bag and made his way to the bookshop. It didn't take long, and he made it just in time. He didn’t tell his aunt, but he knew exactly where to go. The little shop had caught his eye after it opened for business, but he hadn’t yet had the time to check it out properly. Entering the shop, he heard the tinkling of tiny bells, which were hung just over the door.

"Hello?" he called out.
The shop was so tiny, but it was cozy, and there were books everywhere. The soft, warm light from the antique lamps added to the ambiance. Along one wall, there were a few comfy looking chairs, with a side table next to each one, loaded with books. There were a few rows of shelves lining the opposite wall, and he eased around a table between the door and a counter with an antique cash register. Distracted by the charm of the shop, he didn't see the owner of the shop enter from the back.

"Can I help you?"

Startled, Kuroo nearly dropped the bag he was carrying. He smiled brightly as he turned to face the speaker, and froze.

Was this the Tsukishima his auntie told him about? The man was certainly not at all what he was expecting. Tall, buff (but not overly so), blonde hair like moonlight, golden brown eyes, lightly tanned skin. He was wearing no-rimmed glasses, a v-necked cashmere sweater, and dark blue jeans. There was a glint off a couple obsidian earrings in his left ear. Oddly, he also wore a beat-up pair of scarlet high top sneakers. Kuroo was intrigued.

“Can I help you?” Tsukishima repeated, looking slightly irritated.
"Sorry, sorry," Kuroo replied, blinking out of his semi-trance. "I'm Kuroo Tetsuro. You bought a raffle ticket from my aunt earlier today."
"Oh, yeah. Right." He scrubbed a hand through his hair, messing it up.

Kuroo grinned, biting his lip a bit to keep from saying, "adorable." Instead, he brought the bag over to where Tsukishima had stopped behind the counter. Placing it between them, he pushed it toward the shop owner.

"We won 1st prize."
"We did? Wait... what do you mean, 'we?' "
"Just like I said. We won."

Tsukishima simply stared at him. Kuroo's grin turned into a full smile and he stared back. The former was the first to look away with an irritated tsk.

"I thought prizes were just for one person," he said, peeking into the bag. He looked at Kuroo with the question in his eyes.

Kuroo nodded, and the bag was upended, the quilt and envelope falling out onto the counter. He watched Tsukishima as he admired the quilt, his long fingers slowly tracing the stitches between color patches. It was obvious that he thought the quilt was the biggest, and best, prize.

A shiver snaked up Kuroo's spine, imagining those fingers tracing anywhere along his skin. When he looked back up, his eyes clashed with Tsukishima's. As before, the latter was first to look away, breaking the connection. He shuffled his feet, and then held up the red envelope.

"What's this?"
"Open it and find out."
"Why can't you just tell me?"
"It's a surprise."
Tsukishima squinted at him. Kuroo's smile stretched wider.
"You don't know, do you?"
"No." He shrugged. "And yes."
"You're irritating."
"So I've been told."
"You’re not going to tell me, are you?"
"Nope!"

With a disgusted look aimed at him, Tsukishima finally opened the red envelope, pulling out two bullet train tickets to Kyoto, a reservation receipt for the hotel they'd be staying in, several coupons for shopping and food in Gion district, and a suggested itinerary for each day, featuring some of the most popular sight-seeing spots in the city. He laid each item out between them.

"A trip to Kyoto."
"Yep!" Kuroo picked up one of the tickets. "Looks like we go in two weeks."
Tsukishima's eyes narrowed. "How much do you know?"
"Only that it's an all-expenses paid trip, and that we're the recipients of said trip."
"Okay, but, why?"
Kuroo sighed. "I really wish I knew."

Kuroo watched Tsukishima as he rocked side to side, toyed with the corners of the tickets, and generally looked like he'd rather turn the whole thing down. If he were totally honest with himself, he'd thought the same way; until he met this prickly, yet gorgeous, bookshop owner.

"Why does this feel like a set-up?"
Kuroo shrugged. "Probably because it is, though I have no proof, and not likely to find any, either. I only heard a couple questionable phrases from my aunt."
"Your aunt?"
"Yeah. She said it was an elaborate set-up for a date, though she tried to cover her tracks after saying that. And then she said something about it being for our own good. But I haven’t figured that one out yet.”

Kuroo saw the refusal in Tsukishima's eyes before he started to speak. Quickly, he leaned across the counter and gently placed a finger against his lips.
"Look, I don't know why she set us up, but why not just make the most of it? If nothing else, it's a free getaway for a little while."

Tsukishima glared at him, tilted his head away from Kuroo's finger, and took a step back. But not before Kuroo felt a slight shiver, and a shaky breath.
"I shouldn't," Tsukishima said quietly.
"Why not?"
"My shop..."
"You're the owner, right?"
A tiny nod. "Yeah, but..."
"You could close for a few days, right? The trip is set for Thursday through Monday. Basically a long weekend."
"I can read, you know." The sarcasm was thick with that reply.

Kuroo almost called him adorable again. Time to try a different tack.

"When was the last time you actually went on a vacation?"
"I don't have to tell you."
"Last year? Two years ago?"

If looks could kill, he’d be obliterated. Kuroo tried not to smile, but failed.
Abruptly, Tsukishima gathered the tickets and papers, stuffing them back into the envelope and leaving it on the counter. Then, he picked up the quilt, wrapping his arms around it. 'Oh, to be that quilt,' Kuroo thought distractedly.

When his eyes met Kuroo's again, he looked annoyed, apologetic, and determined. It would have been amazing, but Kuroo already had an inkling that he was in trouble, somehow.

"I'm not going," Tsukishima said firmly as he turned and walked away. "Find someone else to go with you."
'Damn,' Kuroo reprimanded himself. "Tsukishima, wait!" The younger man stopped, but didn’t turn around. Kuroo felt relieved he even got that much.

"What?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you so much," he started. "It might sound like an excuse, but I tend to tease the people I like."
"You don't even know me."
"No, I don't," he agreed softly. "But I want to."

They stood unmoving for several minutes, or maybe hours, Kuroo couldn't tell. But, even in this short span of time, he knew he really wanted Tsukishima to go to Kyoto with him. He shifted nervously, and put his hand on the nape of his neck.

"Look, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I'll give the tickets back to my aunt."
"But don't you want to go?"
"Not by myself, and call me crazy but I don't want to go with anyone else."

Tsukishima turned around to face him. Kuroo couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a tiny smile on his face. Maybe it was a smirk. Whatever it was, it made his heart beat just a little harder.

"You really want me to go?"
"Yeah."
"With you."
"Yeah."
A slight tilt of his head. "Why?"
Kuroo wasn't quite sure if he could be any clearer than he had been. But then, maybe he'd jumbled it all up and it only made sense to him. Still...
"I like you, Tsukishima. I'd like to get to know you."

Slowly, Tsukishima returned to the counter, his eyes never leaving Kuroo's. He put the quilt down, and picked up the red envelope.

"I'll go," he said quietly. "On one condition."
"Sure."
"We leave the minute I'm not having fun."
"Done." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"But don't go out of your way to force it, either, okay?"
"Okay," Kuroo nodded, even if he wasn't quite sure what Tsukishima meant by that.
"I'll meet you at the train station in two weeks on Thursday."
"Two weeks. Thursday. Bright and early."
"Ugh, god no. Make it noon."
"Sure. Noon it is."

They stood staring at each other for a few moments before Tsukishima moved out from behind the counter. He was halfway to the door when he turned to face Kuroo.

"It's past time for me to close," he hinted, pointing toward the door.
"Oh. Yeah. Right." Kuroo moved to leave.

But then he stopped, and reached back to take the quilt. With a wink, he resumed his route to the door, walking close enough to Tsukishima that his arm just barely grazed the man's cashmere sweater. He told himself not to react when he heard Tsukishima's stifled gasp.

Opening the door, he took a step outside. Unable to help himself, he turned to look at Tsukishima over his shoulder, and winked. Then, he nearly tripped over his own feet. Embarrassed, he laughed it off, saluted awkwardly, and then walked away.


Chapter 2 - Two

Over the next two weeks, Kuroo visited the little bookshop. And its owner. Honestly, the owner was way more interesting to him than the books, but he also went because it was a nice place to rest after a long day of work. He tried going before work, but Tsukishima didn't open until 10am.

That was one of the first things he learned about Tsukishima: he was not a morning person. By any stretch of the imagination. Kuroo dropped by over the weekend, and witnessed for himself the grumpy, quite sarcastic, side of Tsukishima. It seemed his regular customers knew, too, giving him another hour to acclimate to the morning before trickling into the shop. Kuroo found that highly amusing.

Kuroo also learned that Tsukishima loved sweet things. His coffee, whether hot or cold, was more cream and sugar than coffee. Tea was treated the same way. There were little bowls of candy scattered throughout the shop, but he was a real sucker for strawberry danishes and shortcakes.

There were other little things about Tsukishima that intrigued Kuroo: he didn't always wear his glasses, he liked the peace and quiet, but would have light music, often something traditional like koto music, playing in the background. Some days, he wore headphones around his neck, and would slip them on occasionally.

When Kuroo came by, Tsukishima would greet him with a grin, but usually left him to his own devices. Oddly, Kuroo liked being able to focus more on a project, or finish up some paperwork. He even had a favorite chair to sit in, and it was waiting for him when he arrived. Sometimes, a steaming hot cup of something was also waiting for him.

Clearly, while he was discovering things about Tsukishima, Tsukishima was learning about him, as well.

Sometimes, Kuroo wore glasses. He preferred his coffee hot, with just a little cream and sugar. Same with his tea. He liked savory snacks over sweets, and music with a beat and big sound. He wasn’t much of a reader, which made his visits to the shop somewhat inexplicable, but Tsukishima never made him leave.

"It's like you've known each other for far longer than a couple weeks," Aunt Yui said the night before the trip to Kyoto. They just finished dinner and were enjoying a nightcap. Kuroo had told her everything. After she'd demanded it, of course.
"I wouldn't say that," Kuroo replied, feeling himself flush.
"I would," she replied. She looked quite pleased with herself, actually. Kuroo narrowed his eyes at her.
"What?" she asked, attempting to look innocent. Again.
"Oh, nothing," he replied with a shrug. "Just that I can't imagine that you'd have set us up on purpose."
"I would never! Don't be silly! Why would I even do such a thing?"

Kuroo rolled his eyes and snorted at her obvious overacting. But he remained silent, toying with the finger where a ring used to sit. Maybe she had her reasons for setting him up with Tsukishima. And it was a set up; there was no denying it. Though, after the past two weeks, could he really be angry with her? He looked at her, and smiled.

"Thank you, Auntie," he said quietly, reaching out and taking her hands in his.
"For what?" Clearly, he’d surprised her.
He smirked. "For being the sweetest, meddling auntie I know and love. You're my most favorite auntie."
She snorted, but she was blushing. Kuroo counted it as a point for him. "I'm your only auntie."
"Which is why you're my favorite," he retorted with a wink.
He planted a kiss on the backs of her hands, let them go, and stood up to stretch.
"Thanks for dinner, Aunt Yui," he said, rubbing his belly. "I need to go home and finish packing."
"Have fun on your trip, dear," she said happily. "Take lots of pictures!"
"Oh, sure. One of each torii gate."
"Brat!"

Kuroo laughed, dodging a pot holder as he left the kitchen, and then started whistling as he collected his keys, put on his shoes, and left to go home. As he drove the short distance to his place, he mentally went through his list of things left to pack, and then an idea hit him.

He checked the time; it was too late to run by the bookshop. Well, not like it would've mattered, anyway. Tsukishima tended to close early if it looked like there wouldn't be more customers. Still, maybe he could call. He'd put the number of the shop in his phone after that first night.

As soon as he made it home, he got his phone and pulled up his contact list. He was about to tap on the number for the shop, but then he noticed something else. Right below the shop's phone number was Tsukishima's personal number. Kuroo wasn't sure when he’d been able to even put it in there; Kuroo’s phone was never that far from his hand.

Not that it mattered, really. He couldn't help it; he let out a whoop and did a happy little dance around the entryway. He felt his face flush and his heart started racing. Forcing himself to calm down, he went to the kitchen, turned on his electric kettle, and prepared a cup for tea. When he felt ready, at least enough that his voice wouldn’t shake, he tapped on the number and waited patiently as it rang.

"Hey, it's Kuroo," he said as soon as Tsukishima answered.
"Wondered when you'd find it." The man was definitely trying not to laugh. Kuroo could hear it.
"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out when you even had the chance."
"Like I'd tell you."
"No worries. I'll eventually figure it out."
"Good luck with that."
"Smartass."
"Accurate."
"Anyway, I did have a reason for calling."
"What's that?"
"Think we can meet at the station a little earlier?"
"Define 'earlier,' "
"Nothing drastic. 10am. Think you can manage it?"
"I guess I could. But why?"
"You'll see."
"What? Now you aren't going to tell me?"
"Of course not. That would ruin the surprise."
"You and your surprises."
"You like them. Admit it."
"Not a chance!"
"Whatever. I'll see you at 10am, okay?"
"Yeah. I'll be there."
"Great! See you then."

By the time he hung up with Tsukishima, he'd slid down to the floor, and his face hurt because he was smiling so much. It had been a long time since he'd felt this... this happy. No, actually, he'd never quite felt like this before. It was different, new, and it felt so good.

Looking down at his contact list, Kuroo noticed something else. Tsukishima hadn't just entered his phone number. He'd also put his name in as 'Tsuki,' clearly a nickname. "Ohmigod," he whispered to himself. He wanted to yell so loud, he'd wake up the entire neighborhood.

Instead, he just clutched his phone to his chest and repeated that 'ohmigod' over and over again. Maybe this was just a major crush, or maybe he'd fallen head over heels in love; Kuroo wasn't sure. All he could really hope for was that Tsuki felt the same way.

And he couldn't just rush in. He’d done that once, and it ended in disaster.

No matter what, he didn't want to screw this up.

Whatever this was.

Later, he picked himself up off the floor, made his tea, and went to his room to finish packing. He had a bit of an earlier start in the morning, and he was looking forward to it. Hell, he was looking forward to the whole trip.

The next morning, Kuroo made it to the train station just in time to meet Tsuki. Smiling as soon as he saw the younger man, he calmly met him halfway. He was still in a rather euphoric mood; it was a wonder he even slept at all last night. Good thing he set more than one alarm.

"Good morning, Tsuki!" he said brightly, his mood still riding high.
"Morning," Tsuki replied grumpily, though a smirk had appeared on his face. "Already using my nickname, huh?"
"Well, you did put it in my phone," Kuroo shrugged.
"That I did." A little color tinted his cheekbones. Tsuki hooked a hand around the nape of his neck, looking down and away and anywhere besides Kuroo for a few minutes. Then, he turned back again.

"So. What's your surprise?"
"Can't contain your excitement, can you?"
"I'm literally overflowing with it."
"Such sarcasm," Kuroo said quietly.
"It's still early," Tsuki reminded him.
"Yeah, well, come on," he said as he started heading into the station. "Where we're going isn't far from our platform. We can take our time."

Kuroo felt when Tsuki caught up to him. He fought the urge to look over and smile, even though he really wanted to. But he wasn't able to ignore how Tsuki seemed to sidle just a little closer to him as they entered the station's huge concourse. People were everywhere; it was almost lunch hour, which meant it'd be even more crowded with those who worked nearby and ate at the numerous eateries.

This time, he did look over at his companion, who was nearly on top of him now. Tsuki was trying to be cool about it, but it was obvious he really hated crowds. The noise level rose the further in they went, and there were lights and signs drawing attention everywhere at once.

"We're almost there," he leaned close enough to be heard without yelling. "Do you have your headphones?"
"Yeah," Tsuki replied. He quickly brought his bag around, dug them out and put them on. He visibly relaxed a bit. Kuroo knew they weren’t the noise-canceling kind of headphones, but they’d help, and Tsuki would still be able to hear him.

"Better?"
"Yeah. A little."
"Do we need to stop?"
"No. Not here," Tsuki replied. "How much farther?"
"About another few minutes walking. I swear, where we’re going is in a quieter section of the station."
"It's fine. Let's just go."

On impulse, Kuroo stood in front of Tsuki, making sure he had his attention. He also gently grasped his wrist.

"We'll go when you've calmed down a little more, okay?"

Tsuki stared at him; eyes darting from hair to eyes to ears, to his mouth, then finally back up to his eyes. Kuroo knew he was grounding himself, especially when Tsuki turned his wrist and grasped his hand, needing the skin-to-skin contact.

"Better?"

Tsuki nodded and took a deep breath; his first since they stopped. "Yeah. Better."
"Good. We'll walk slowly until you can move easily, okay?" Kuroo moved so they could begin walking again. When there wasn't a response, he stopped and looked back.
"How did you know what to do?"
"I had a friend who hated crowds, too. A long time ago." He explained with a little smile. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah."

Kuroo meant to let go of Tsuki's hand, but Tsuki held his hand a little tighter. Perhaps he still needed the contact, but Kuroo didn't mind at all. Maybe it was the wrong time to think such things, but he was happy Tsuki needed him.

They arrived at their destination roughly ten minutes later. It was a sweet little coffee shop that Kuroo found on a ramble during his lunch break once. He'd been a regular ever since. When he walked in, the server behind the counter flashed a bright smile his way and waved.

"Nice to see you again, Kuroo-san! The usual?"
"Please, and thank you!" he replied. He turned to Tsuki. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"I don't know," Tsuki replied. "I'm not sure I can eat right now."
Kuroo understood well enough. "Do you think you could drink coffee or tea?"
"Tea, please? Something herbal."
"Got it. Want to find us a place to sit while I order?"
"Sure. Preference?"
"Anywhere is fine."
"Got it," Tsuki smiled, repeating Kuroo. He slowly let go of his hand and went to find a place for them to sit.
Kuroo went up to the counter to order.

"I need to modify my usual order," he smiled at the now super curious barista. "And could you make the order to go, please? We'll have our drinks here."
"Sure thing! What'll ya have?"

Out of respect for Tsuki, he ordered both of them some herbal tea, a mild mint flavor he favored, and that he knew would help calm a stomach issue. Also, plain toast, too. For the to go part of his order, he picked out a few sandwiches, each with different flavors ranging from plain to flavorful. He grinned as he added a few sweets, too. A tray with their tea and toast was placed in front of him. Kuroo paid for his order, and went to go find Tsuki.

When he found him, it was in a far corner of the restaurant, and he was practically sitting in the corner. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing steadily, so it looked like he was almost back to normal. Carefully, Kuroo set down the tray, and tried not to make too much noise.

"You don't have to be so deliberate," Tsuki said, opening one eye, and then the other. "I'm fine. Really."
"I don't mind," Kuroo replied, gesturing at the tray. "There's mint tea, and plain toast, if you're up for it."
Tsuki slowly sat up, taking in the contents of the tray. "Any sugar?"

"I mixed in a little honey to lightly sweeten it," Kuroo replied, handing Tsuki the tea he'd doctored up. He was about to warn him it was still too hot, but Tsuki merely blew on it before taking a sip.
"Good?"
"Tolerable," Tsuki replied with a little smirk. "Maybe a little more next time?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Kuroo grinned back.

He passed the plate of toast to Tsuki, who picked up a piece and began to nibble on it. As Tsuki ate, Kuroo decided to tell him a little more of the story he'd started earlier, knowing Tsuki was probably curious, but too shy or polite to ask.

"My friend was always sick after an attack. Sometimes a lot more than just nauseous. Because we were almost always together, his parents taught me how to help him through it enough to get him home, or to a quiet place. Better if it was also cool and dark. I'd give him herbal tea and plain toast, too."
"Best friends?" Tsuki asked. He'd been watching Kuroo as he talked, his attention unwavering.
Kuroo shrugged. "We grew up together. Well, at least since I was eight."
Tsuki was silent for a few minutes, finishing his tea and the last piece of toast. "Past tense."
Kuroo nodded. "Even longer story."
"Fair enough," Tsuki replied quietly, knowing he’d reached the end of the story, for now. He watched as Kuroo started clearing their trash.
"Is there anything you want to ask about me?"
Kuroo stopped and looked up at him. "You mean, besides the standard info?"
Tsuki smiled. "Birthday is September 27th. I'm 28 years old. Libra."

Surprise must have shown on his face, because Tsuki started laughing. Kuroo was slain. Tsuki was beautiful when he laughed.

"Didn't think I'd tell you that easily, did you?"
"Not really, no."
"Well, tell me yours and we'll be even. Besides, you just told me part of a story that I'm certain only a select few know."
Kuroo narrowed his eyes. "Don’t tell me you felt obligated to tell me your stats because of that?"
"No, not at all. Forgive me if it sounded that way."
"Then why?"
"I wanted to. Wanted to for a while now."
Kuroo nodded. "November 17th. 30 years old. Scorpio."

They went back and forth with their stats, almost making it a game. Kuroo discovered Tsuki was originally from Sendai, went to Karasuno High, and graduated from Sendai University. Tsuki found out Kuroo had always lived in Tokyo, went to Nekoma High, and has been working for the JVA.

It was nearly noon when they had to leave in order to make their train on time. Picking up the tray, Tsuki threw away their garbage, put the dishes in the bucket, and left the tray on top of the stack next to the bucket. Kuroo waited by the door, having stopped by the counter to get the bag of sandwiches and sweets.

"I have another question," Kuroo asked as they walked along, heading to their platform.
"Shoot," Tsuki said from beside him.
"You were so prickly when we first met, but now, it's like a switch flipped. How come?"
Tsuki shrugged. "Is it really that much of a surprise?"
"Yeah, actually. I mean, I thought it was just a part of your personality."
“Wow. Kinda rude.”
“Is it really, though?”

Tsuki shrugged and was silent for the rest of their walk. Kuroo was about to let it drop and apologize, almost afraid he’d overstepped his bounds. When he opened his mouth to say so, Tsuki spoke over him.

"You didn't run away."
"What do you m...?"
"You kept coming back. You let me get used to you. You didn't push me."

Kuroo didn't know what to say, but he was curious to know more. And Tsuki would tell him when he was ready to, not one minute before. He looked over at Tsuki, who was staring at him, and smiled.

"Ready for Kyoto?"
"I think the real question is, is Kyoto ready for us?"
"Not even a little bit."

When the train arrived, they boarded, letting the conductor clip their tickets. An attendant showed them to their private berth, which was a surprising little perk that wasn’t mentioned in their little red envelope. Securing their bags, they sat down across from each other and spent the entire two hour ride talking quietly, or in companionable silence.


Chapter 3 - Three

“Oh, wow,” Tsuki said, his voice echoing the awe in his eyes. “Are you sure we’re at the right hotel?”
Kuroo nodded. He was no less awed. “I am definitely going to have a little chat with my auntie,” he said as they finally started moving.
“You still think she did this on purpose, don’t you,” Tsuki asked as they passed through the entryway that closely resembled the Fushimi Inari torii gates.

“I’m convinced of it.”
Tsuki whistled. “Why, though?”
“That’s what I’m still trying to figure out, though I’m beginning to suspect at least one reason.”
“Oh?”
Kuroo was quiet for a few moments.
“She thinks I shouldn’t be alone. That I’m happier when I’m with someone.”
“Ah,” was all Tsuki said to that.

They went into the hotel, trying not to stare at the opulent settings. Tried not to look like they were tourists, even though that’s exactly what they were. Since Tsuki had their red envelope, he checked them in, signed the paperwork, and took the keys from the smiling receptionist.

They were offered a cart for their bags by an overly hopeful bellboy, but they politely declined, seeing as how they just had a backpack and carry on each. It didn’t take them long to find their room, which was the last one down the hall on the first floor.

Tsuki had almost reached the door before he realized Kuroo wasn’t nearby. He looked back and saw him tapping madly away on his phone, his backpack on the floor where it had dropped. His face was flushed red, and he looked like he was … well, not happy. Kuroo’s eyes were bright, but his expression clearly showed he was ready to do damage, and yet still kept it all in check. The next thing he knew, Kuroo’s phone rang, and the man quickly answered it.

“Aunt Yui, I need you to tell me everything…. Oh, don’t even try to play innocent now…. We are at the hotel…. The bridal suite? Really??”

Tsuki, knowing that he really shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but also now extremely curious about the conversation, opened the door and went into their room. He turned on the lights, dropped off his bags without looking around, and went back out to get Kuroo’s bags. The man in question was now listening intently to whatever his aunt was saying, his head tilted to his shoulder to hold the phone there, and his arms crossed over his chest.

He bent to pick up Kuroo’s backpack, and reached for the carry on, but Kuroo’s hand reached out to lightly grip his wrist.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“Why?” He straightened up and shouldered Kuroo’s backpack.
Kuroo blinked. Tsuki grinned.
“I don’t mind. Really. We can talk about it later. You talk to your auntie. I’ll get us settled in.”
“Okay.”

Tsuki had almost gone into the room again, when Kuroo called his name. He turned around and found Kuroo holding out his phone to him.

“You don’t have to talk to her.”
“Why not? She seemed sweet enough when she came by the shop.”

He put the backpack down, making sure the door wasn’t going to shut and lock on them, and gently took Kuroo’s phone.

“Hello?”
“Hello, Tsukishima-san! My nephew told me I have to apologize, so I’m sorry.”
“You don’t sound even remotely sorry.”
“And you don’t sound like you’re disappointed, or mad.”
“I’m not. I’m actually amused, to be honest.” He said that while he looked straight at Kuroo. “I’m looking forward to hearing your side of this story.”
“I look forward to telling you! That is, if my nephew will let me.”
“Why wouldn’t he let you?” He watched Kuroo roll his eyes and bury his face in his hand. “Wait. Don’t answer that. I’ve a feeling I’m going to find out.”
“Yes, well, Tsukishima-san, before you hang up, I’d like you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?” This time she sounded perfectly serious, which meant he was all ears. Something told him this was important.
“Don’t let him clam up on you. If you let him do that, you might not get the answers you need out of him. Ever.”
“But…”
“No dear, please. I know it’s rude to pry into someone’s life, especially after you just met them. But he needs someone to listen to him, and I’m not that person. I love him and want him to be happy, and… I have a hunch that you are the one who can make that happen.”

Tsuki wanted so much to talk about this further. He wasn’t going to lie, not even to himself: he was interested in Kuroo. He practically admitted it at the train station a few hours ago. He also knew he was taking a little too long talking to Kuroo’s aunt, just by the narrow-eyed suspicious look he was getting from Kuroo.

So, he smiled. “I’ll do what I can, Auntie,” he said, earning a pleased little squeak from her and rolled eyes and a snort from Kuroo. “Talk to you later!” He hung up and gave Kuroo’s phone back to him.

“I assume she apologized,” Kuroo said, following Tsuki into the room, picking up his bags as they crossed the threshold.
“Yes,” Tsuki replied. “And no.”
“Basically her version of ‘sorry, not sorry’?”
“That’s what it sounded like.”
Kuroo sighed. “I know she wants the best for me, but…”
“She can be a little overwhelming?”

Kuroo smiled gently. Tsuki’s heart flipped. To distract himself, he took a look around. Kuroo did the same from where he stood, next to the king size bed. The only bed in the room, for that matter. There was a desk next to the massive picture window, half hidden by sheers and a blackout curtain. A huge flat screen TV was mounted on the opposite wall from the bed, underneath it was a dresser, and in between that and the bed, there was a low-legged table and cushions for dining in. A small kitchenette was just inside the room, and behind another door was the restroom. A door in the far corner of the room led to the hot tub included with the bridal suite, presumably, but he’d go look at it later.

“She’s overwhelming, fun, meddlesome, stubborn… etcetera, etcetera,” Kuroo continued after a few minutes. Tsuki ambled back to start unpacking.
“You love her, though.”
“I do. Best auntie in the world.”
“Maybe you can tell me more about her sometime.”
“Sure you want to know?”
“I do,” Tsuki replied simply.

Tsuki watched Kuroo as he stopped unpacking and stared at him. His expression was unreadable, and he was speechless. Maybe he might have been a little too straightforward, but Tsuki wouldn’t take it back. Not now that he caught a glimpse of another facet that was Kuroo. This time, through his aunt, who Tsuki had to admit he liked a lot more now than when he first met her.

Without a word, Kuroo turned to his carry on and brought out a roll that closely resembled the multi-colored quilt he’d brought to the shop that first night. It was part of the prize they’d won. Tsuki had wanted to keep it then, liking the brilliant colors, and even the embroidered kanji characters woven in gold and silver thread all around it. He’d wanted to find out what they were, but Kuroo had swapped it for the red envelope.

“Here,” he said as he held it out to Tsuki. “Your turn.”
Tsuki smirked. “I feel like you’re handing me a trophy of sorts.”
“Compared to the rest of our prize, maybe it is.”
“So, do we drape it over the bed?”
“If you want to.”

Tsuki took the quilt from him, lightly brushing his fingertips over Kuroo’s. He noticed when Kuroo gasped briefly, trying to hide it. Which was unusual, considering his past behavior. The Kuroo he knew, even if it was just for two weeks, would have smiled at the very least. He might have also cracked a joke, or flirted back harder. Or just reach out to touch him back. Was this Kuroo trying to clam up on him? It couldn’t be that he was nervous. Could it?

It didn’t quite sit well with him, and Tsuki didn’t want this… this… whatever this was, to ruin their trip. They’d only just arrived!

“Kuroo, are you okay?”
Kuroo blinked as if coming out of some deep thought. “Yeah. Why?”
‘Don’t let him clam up on you… ever.’
Taking a big chance, which he seldom did, he looked directly at Kuroo.
“You’re not acting like the Kuroo I’ve come to know.”
“Pardon?”
“Since we’ve met, you’ve been… how to put this… the more dominant one. The stronger one. Now, it’s like a switch flipped,” Tsuki grinned a bit, remembering Kuroo had used the same description about him. “And it started when we got here. Why?”
“I-I don’t know what you mean.”

Defensive tactic, evasive maneuver. Tsuki knew it all too well. He knew it because he was most often the one to deploy it, not be the one to try to fight it. Or maybe fight wasn’t the correct word.

“That right there!” Tsuki probably spoke a little too loudly, maybe just a touch more harshly than intended. Still… “You’re avoiding my question.”
“I am not…”
“I know because I’ve done it, too,” Tsuki interrupted him quietly. “And I know enough about you that this isn’t normal.” He sighed. “Your aunt told me something during that call. You want to know what she said?”
“That’s between you and…”
“She told me not to let you clam up on me. That if I did, I would never be able to get the answers I’d need from you.” He scrubbed his hand nervously through his hair, letting his hand stop at the nape of his neck. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s rude to pry, and she told me that, too, by the way,” he said gently. “We barely know each other, but… there’s something between us. I feel it, and I know you do, too. I mean, why else would you stick around the shop like you did? Why else would you even bother to help me during a panic attack? Why else would you say the things I needed to hear most to let you in?”

That was the most he’d ever said at any time ever, even in past relationships. Even with his own family. But, he knew what he said had some sort of impact with Kuroo, just not in the way he’d thought it would. Kuroo’s face was unreadable again, and his eyes looked clouded, as if he were actively trying to shut himself off.

Well, maybe he should try something else…

“I think we should go…”
“No! No, wait,” Kuroo interrupted him, looking slightly worried. Maybe a little scared, too. “Please don’t say you want to go home.”
Tsuki blinked. “I wasn’t going to.”
“Good.” Kuroo let out a huge breath, as if he’d been holding it in. He looked relieved, too. Tsuki smiled.
“I was going to say I think we should go out for a late lunch, or something.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh,’”

It looked like Kuroo was trying to shake off whatever mood he’d been wrapped up in.

“Any suggestions?” Kuroo asked.
“Well, there’s a few places right around here. One of them would be okay.”
“Sounds good. We could just go across the street…” his voice drifted off as a thought occurred. “Wait a sec.”

Tsuki watched him as he picked up the envelope. He pulled out all the paperwork in there that remained: their tickets for the trip home, coupons, hotel receipts, and itineraries. Curious, he kept quiet as Kuroo picked up the coupons and the itineraries.

“All of these are for the biggest touristy spots in the city. We’re not exactly visiting during the off-season, either, but it’s somewhat less crowded…”
“I’ll be fine,” Tsuki assured him, touched that Kuroo was worried about him. “I’ll bring my headphones, and I’ll stick close to you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Part of that attack was my fault. I’d forgotten how crowded it could be at the station, even at that hour during the week.”
“Still…”
“I’ll be fine,” he repeated. “If anything happens, you’ll be there, right?”
“Right.”

And for the first time since they’d arrived, Kuroo smiled. A genuine, happy smile. Tsuki had seen that smile so many times before in the last couple weeks, but this time, he helped put it on Kuroo’s face. Kuroo’s handsome as sin face, with body to match. Tsuki knew now, without a doubt, that he had it bad for this tall, dark-haired, gray-eyed sexy man.

One of their coupons was for a nearby restaurant that they could walk to. It was late afternoon, and the crowds had thinned even more, so Tsuki didn’t bother to put his headphones on. They had to pass the Fushimi Inari shrine to get there, so they decided to stop and take a few pictures to send back to Aunt Yui. Kuroo even took a few shots of nearby torii gates, which he’d told her he would do.

At the little ramen restaurant they’d decided on, they sat at a table for two and ordered two bowls of Korean spicy beef ramyun, a plate of pork gyoza dumplings and egg rolls.

“So what did..”
“I want to expla…”

They both said at the same time, stopping and looking at each other awkwardly. Tsuki felt himself blush, and was captivated seeing a light pink hue appear across Kuroo’s cheeks. Kuroo coughed and they both reached for their drinks in unison, too. Both of them started laughing.

“You first,” Kuroo said as soon as he caught his breath.
“I was going to ask what your Aunt Yui told you before she talked to me. I mean, that is, if you want to talk about it.”
“Confirmed setup,” Kuroo replied with a smirk. He put his elbows on the table and crossed his arms. “She told me that it wasn’t just her that put it all together, but also the other ladies in her club.”
“Her club?”
“They make quilts,” Kuroo answered with a tender smile. “I’ve known them my whole life, so I could consider them all my aunts.”
“Sounds nice.”
“I can introduce you to them when we get back.”
“I’d like that,” Tsuki said with a little smile. “What else did she say?”
“They came up with the plan… oh, thank you,” he smiled at the waitress who brought their food. He waited until she left to continue. “They came up with the plan not too long after you opened your shop, actually.”
“Why me?” There were so many other questions he had, but that one would do for now.
Kuroo could only shrug. “I don’t know. Aunt Yui doesn’t either, just that she’d gone to her club one evening, and they already had that much planned.”

Over the course of their meal, Kuroo explained that the ladies, and his aunt Yui, had saved up as much money as they could to use for this year’s prizes. Which was why it was a much bigger deal than any other year before. The first two prize drawings were completely random, as they were supposed to be. But the last drawing, for the trip to Kyoto, was rigged so that both he and Tsuki would win. No one was the wiser.

“Now I see why you were so exasperated with her earlier,” Tsuki muttered after eating the last dumpling.
Kuroo shrugged. “I know she means well, but…”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
Tsuki took a deep breath, and hoped. “Do you think we would have met if she and the ladies hadn’t thrown us together?”
“I’d like to think so,” Kuroo replied softly, reaching over to take his hand. “I already knew about your shop, but I hadn’t had the chance to swing by. Work had me out of town and traveling quite a bit before and during winter break.”
“So we should probably thank them for their efforts.”
“Yeah.”

On the way back to their room, they found a little ice cream shop and ordered an ice cream cone to go. They hadn’t once let go of each other’s hand.

In the room, they spread the quilt over their bed, and then sat on it, in the middle of the bed, going over their itinerary for the next day. Most of the shrines on the list were open 24 hours, so that wasn’t an issue. There were a few other places, which had clear open and close times, that would be trickier to visit.

Kuroo argued that if they got there just before opening, they’d practically have the place to themselves once they were allowed in. Tsuki challenged that they could go just before closing, and the same thing could happen.

“You just don’t want to get up early,” Kuroo groused with a smile.
“Can you blame me? We’re on vacation. We have to sleep late. Those are the rules.”
“Vacations have rules?”
“Well, no written rules. More like, unspoken rules. The kind no one breaks for fear of bringing the wrath of the gods down on their heads.”
“Oooohh… fanciful. You made that up.”
“Maybe.”
Kuroo laughed. “Auntie’s going to love you.”
“Point in my favor, I guess.”
“Have you even seen a sunrise?”
“Usually just before going to sleep.”
“One wonders how you made it through high school and university.”
“One still hasn’t figured that out yet, either.”
“Smartass.”
Tsuki winked, and nearly laughed at Kuroo’s startled face.

The mood was much better, and settled, between them again. Though Tsuki knew they still had a few things to iron out. But that would be for another time, and hopefully it wouldn’t cause too much turbulence between the two of them again.

For another few hours, before they settled down for sleep, they discussed what they wanted to do tomorrow. As a compromise, Tsuki agreed that 9am wasn’t too early to wake up, but made no guarantees about actually being coherent, or sweet-tempered, so that they could start their self-guided tour before noon.

Since they were there near the end of cherry blossom season, they would go to a few temples and wander around Higashiyama district, especially the Imperial Palace Park. Most of the places they chose were off the beaten track, so way less people to deal with. There were several places to eat, so they’d make a day of it there, and return before dinner.


Chapter 4 - Four

If you were to ask them, years later, what that first full day in Kyoto was like, they’d have told you it was almost like any first date. And they’d stress the ‘almost’ because how many first dates start out sharing the same hotel room, and the same bed? Sure, they could still be a little nervous around each other, but that first full day was the first time they were constantly in each other’s presence. Somehow, when all was said and done, they found that just being together was so much better than whatever shrine, park, or restaurant they were visiting.

Tsuki’s first alarm went off at 8am. He grumbled, hit the snooze, and immediately went back to sleep. He didn’t hear the soft chuckle from beside him, nor did he notice when Kuroo left the bed.
The second alarm went off at 8:30am. Tsuki hit the snooze again, but tried to stay awake. He rolled over and flung one arm to the side, the other over his eyes.
First thing he noticed was that Kuroo wasn’t beside him. His side of the bed was ice cold. Tsuki groggily thought he must’ve risen after that first alarm.
Second thing he noticed; the scent of coffee. And was that… bacon?

“I had room service bring us breakfast. If you’re up for it,” he heard Kuroo say softly.
“Not even 9am, yet,” Tsuki grumbled.
“Well, no,” Kuroo agreed. “But there’s bacon, and a strawberry danish. Plus, coffee with plenty of cream and sugar for you to mix in.”

Muttering to himself something about early birds and mornings being the bane of his existence, Tsuki dismissed the rest of his alarms and struggled to sit up. Bracing his arms behind him, he squinted against the sunlight coming in from the window. Once his eyes acclimated, he looked around the room, and found Kuroo sitting at the chabudai. His laptop was open, and he was reading, and occasionally typing. He was still dressed in what he slept in: a black tank top and a pair of red shorts. His dark hair was a glorious riot of a mess, too, tempting Tsuki to run his fingers through to tame it.

Also, as he had said, breakfast was waiting. So was the coffee.

“Morning, sunshine,” Kuroo said. He had a coffee mug halfway to his mouth, and he was smiling wickedly.
“Too early,” Tsuki grumbled, maneuvering so that his legs were over the side of the bed and his feet hit the floor. “What are you doing?”
“Just checking out some of the places we want to go,” Kuroo explained. “Weather, maps, that sort of thing.”
“Drinking all the coffee and eating all the food…” Tsuki groused as he pushed off the bed. He smirked at Kuroo as he came over to join him. He sat down and grabbed a plate, loading it up with bacon and his first strawberry danish.
“You snooze, you lose,” Kuroo quipped back, pouring coffee into a mug and pushing it toward Tsuki. “I don’t know the correct sugar and cream to coffee ratio.”
“Easy,” Tsuki replied, through a bite of bacon. “Watch closely.” He snatched five sugar packets and four little cup things of creamer, dumped it all in and stirred vigorously. He brought the mug to his lips, and took a healthy sip. “Perfection,” he sighed happily.
“If you say so,” Kuroo grimaced. “If the caffeine doesn’t help wake you up, then the sugar rush will. I just hope the crash isn’t for a long while.”
“Years of practice.”
“If you say so,” Kuroo repeated. “Here. This is what I was doing before you woke up.” He turned his laptop so Tsuki could see while he ate. “Depending on how long it takes us to visit each of these, we could end up at the Imperial Palace and there’s a little place not too far from there where we could eat lunch.”
“Sounds good. We can come back here for a rest and decide what to do for dinner,” Tsuki suggested.
“Yeah,” Kuroo agreed, smiling. “There’s a spot at Nanzen-ji that I’m really interested in.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
“Another surprise?”
Kuroo shrugged. “Maybe. Though you could probably find out if you wanted to,” he said, his eyes dipping to the laptop and then slowly back up, pausing for a moment at his right shoulder. “A tattoo?”
“You saw it last night.”
“Didn’t think to ask about it then.”
Tsuki grinned. “It’s a raven, but it’s supposed to be a crow.”
“A crow? For your school?”
“Yeah,” Tsuki nodded. “Us third years’ made a… pact… you could say. We’d all get a tattoo if we won Nationals.”
“If I recall correctly, you didn’t.”
“No. But because we made it to the semi-finals, we went ahead and got the tattoos anyway.”
“Does everyone have it in the same place? The same size?”
“No,” Tsuki smirked. “Yamaguchi, the team captain, has a small one on his left calf. Hinata had his drawn just above his right hip. Kageyama bears his on his left shoulder blade. You can see where mine is. And Yachi’s…” he finished off his coffee, danish, and the rest of his bacon. Kuroo took his mug and refilled his coffee, mixing in the sugar and cream, too.
“Yachi?”
“Our team manager. Never actually thought she’d go through with it, but she did.” His smile was nostalgic.
“Did she? Where is her tattoo?”
Tsuki put his right hand over his heart. “Here.”
“Nice.”
“Mine is the only one that’s this big. Everyone else’s is smaller by comparison.”
“How come?”
“The original design was smaller. I expanded the pic online and… it looked better bigger. I printed it out, and the artist took it literally. I didn’t stop him, either.”

He watched as Kuroo tried not to laugh, his face contorting between trying to stay serious and smiling brilliantly. Within minutes, he was practically rolling on the floor, laughing. Tsuki knew his story was rather silly, but not that much. Even so, he couldn’t help laughing along with Kuroo.

Kuroo’s phone pinged, and he reached to turn off the alarm he’d set. It was 9:30am. Because Tsuki had served himself another danish and plate of bacon (someone had to finish the food, and Kuroo had already had his fair share), Kuroo went to take a quick shower and get ready to go. While he was doing that, Tsuki borrowed his laptop and also looked at the weather and their itinerary. He’d need his headphones for the Silver Pavilion and Imperial Palace, otherwise, he should be okay.

He was finished with his second breakfast by the time Kuroo was done. Standing up, he grabbed his towel, toiletries, and his outfit for the day and headed for the bathroom. He’d just got to the door when it opened and Kuroo came out. They ran into each other, and reached out to steady each other.

“I’m sorry…”
“Be careful…”

Time seemed to stop altogether. Neither of them moved. Hands lightly grasped arms in effort to keep either from falling, but the touch… It was electrifying. Tsuki shivered, and he felt Kuroo tremble. He hadn’t noticed it the first time they touched, not while he was in the midst of a panic attack. He’d just needed the contact. Even now, they’d touched out of necessity. What would it feel like if it wasn’t? What would it feel like if they…

“You dropped your stuff,” Kuroo said, abruptly letting go.
“Right.”

They both bent to pick up his things, and their heads were closer than ever. It wouldn’t take much; just a little closer, a little tilt, and they could…

“Tsuki?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to be honest with you.”
“I should hope so.”
Kuroo chuckled, and then took a deep breath. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Yeah. Same.”
“Really?”
Tsuki nodded.
“But, I… it’s going to sound crazy, but I want to wait.”
“Not crazy. May I ask why?”
They both slowly rose to their feet, and Kuroo handed him his stuff.
“I don’t want to mess this up. I don’t want to just rush right in.”
“I see.”
And in many ways, Tsuki understood what Kuroo meant. Whatever happened before they met, Kuroo was blaming himself for the outcome. Tsuki knew that all too well, himself. Even so…
“Kuroo?”
“Yeah?”
He almost lost his nerve. He almost said ‘nevermind,’ and almost took a step past Kuroo. Almost. But he didn’t. Without another thought, he leaned in and kissed Kuroo on the cheek, smiled shyly at his startled expression, and then went into the bathroom, softly closing the door behind him.

Since they hadn’t made it out as early as Kuroo would’ve liked, they went to Ginkaku-ji first, as it was the most crowded place on their tour. Before they paid admission, Tsuki put his headphones on, and nodded that he was ready. Kuroo offered his hand, and Tsuki took it, both of them reacting to that jolt of sensation like before. He wasn’t going to lie: he was doing this for himself as well as for Tsuki. He was still riding high on that kiss Tsuki gave him; still felt it where Tsuki’s lips had touched his cheek. It had taken nearly everything in him not to turn and kiss Tsuki right back. And not on the cheek.

Even after they left the Silver Pavilion, they held hands. Neither of them wanted to let go, to lose that contact. If they did have to let go, the second they were able, they reached for each other again.

They toured Konchi-in, and from there, they went to Nanzen-ji. This was where Kuroo had wanted to go, his “surprise” for Tsuki. He’d read about a waterfall grotto called Nanzon Oku-no-in. They rested here for a little bit, enjoying the view and looking at the buddhist drawings inside the grotto. As they looked out over the waterfall, Kuroo desperately wanted to kiss Tsuki.

At Murin-an Villa, they toured both main buildings, comparing what they liked between the traditionally constructed Japanese building, and the western style one. But their favorite part was the secret garden. It was blessedly quiet here, and they were practically the only ones inside. Kuroo found himself thinking of Tsuki’s kiss; this would be another perfect place to steal a kiss.

He couldn’t stop thinking about kissing Tsuki.

They made it to the Imperial Palace before closing, and managed to wander around at leisure. The crowds had thinned enough that Tsuki was comfortable without his headphones, but he never let go of Kuroo’s hand. After they left, Kuroo took out his phone and let the gps guide them to the little falafel place he’d read about. They ordered what they wanted, and made it to go, taking it back with them to their hotel.

“I’m beat,” Tsuki said as they sat at the table, dividing the food between them. “We didn’t do a whole lot, but I feel like I could sleep for days.”
“Yeah, well, we still have tomorrow and Sunday to explore,” Kuroo reminded him. He passed over two mini baklava.
Tsuki was quiet for a few minutes, staring down at his food.
“How about we just stay here on Sunday?” Tsuki asked quietly.
“And do what?”
Tsuki shrugged. “Watch movies, or binge watch anime? Take it easy and explore the hotel, or, if we really want to go out, see whatever’s close by? Whatever we want to do.”
“Whatever we want to do,” Kuroo repeated.
“I mean, if you really want to do more sight-seeing, we could but…”

Kuroo reached over and took Tsuki’s hand, tugging on it a little. Tsuki took the hint and moved closer. With a hesitant hand, he reached up and traced a shaky finger along the curve of Tsuki’s face.

“Whatever we want to do,” he said again.
“Yeah.”
“Do you know what I want to do?”
“I can guess.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. But I want you to tell me anyway.”
“Demanding.”
“Yeah.”
“I want to kiss you.”
“Thank god. Finally.”
“Been wanting to all day.”
“Same. But why didn’t you?”
“I’ll explain. But first…”

Kuroo slowly started kissing Tsuki, like he’d been dying to since this morning. He started with a kiss to the cheek, payback for the one Tsuki gave him. Then, a flurry of small, teasing kisses at the corners of his mouth, leading to longer sips more directly. Tsuki’s hands had started at his waist, but had slowly glided up to his neck, and then his fingers were tangling in his hair. Those long, cool fingers he’d dreamed about since they’d met. The feeling was enough to make him stop, to pull away, to breathe for a minute.

“Why’d you stop?”
“Too much.”
“Not enough.”
“We could get carried away.”
“Like that’s a bad thing.”

Kuroo moved back a bit to really look at Tsuki. His face flushed; his eyes were glazed with desire. Oh god… He was beautiful. Instead of saying anything else, Kuroo leaned in and kissed Tsuki properly. Open mouths, tongues tangling. Long, slow, deep. Who even cared about their food anymore? He had Tsuki.

Eventually, they came back up for air, panting as if they’d just run a marathon. Kuroo rested his forehead against Tsuki’s until they were breathing regularly again. Then, they slowly parted.

“You taste sweet,” Kuroo whispered. “Like I knew you would.”
Tsuki flushed again. “You’re spicy.” His hand went to the nape of his neck.
Kuroo couldn’t help smiling. “Maybe we should eat. Can’t let this food go to waste.”
“Sure. I’m super hungry. Now.”
“Really? I’ll have to remember that.”

They spent the next hour eating, or rather, feeding each other. The food had gone cold, but that was okay. It was somewhat refreshing and helped cool them down. Enough so that, after they cleaned up and threw away the trash, they could talk. Kuroo brought out his laptop, so they could discuss what they wanted to do for Saturday.

“I’d like to visit the Fushimi Inari shrine before we go,” Kuroo said. “Walk the whole path up the mountain.”
“And we can do that any time,” Tsuki added. “It’s open 24/7, so we could go at like 3am and it’d be completely empty.”
“3am? Good grief.”
“Less people.”
“I know. How about we save it for the last thing we do tomorrow?”
“Okay. Besides, I also think it would look prettier at night.”
“You may be right,” Kuroo smiled. “Since we went to the Silver Pavilion today, why not go to the Golden Pavilion tomorrow?”
“Sure. Could we go back to the Palace? Somewhere quiet for a bit.”
“Done.” Kuroo reached out to take Tsuki’s hand, weaving their fingers together. “We could grab a bite to eat, too.”
“Would we have a chance to go to the Bamboo Grove?”
“Oh, yeah! Been wanting to go there, too.”

Kuroo had to let go of Tsuki’s hand for a few minutes, so he could type up their itinerary, and also look up the weather and maps. He could feel Tsuki watching him; could just see a little smile curling his lips.

“Keep staring at me, and I might just kiss you again.”
“Might?” Tsuki asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. Yet, he never looked away.
“Tease.”
“Not even a little bit.”

They fell silent again, with Tsuki waiting for Kuroo to finish what he was doing. It didn’t take long. As soon as he closed the laptop, he turned his full attention to Tsuki.

“Bet I can guess what you’re thinking.”
“Other than wanting you to kiss me again?”
“Not subtle, are ya?”
“Not about that.” He lowered his head just a bit, but kept his eyes on Kuroo. “I know I want you.”
“God, Tsuki…”
“You can’t tell me you don’t.”
“No, I can’t. I want you, too.”
“Then, why…?”
“I’m pretty sure I told you why this morning.”
“You don’t want to mess this up, or rush in,” Tsuki recounted the reasons. “But… Maybe I’m not quite connecting the dots, here. I’m not trying to be deliberately stupid, but if we both want each other, then why not…?”
“We’ve only known each other for two weeks.”
“I’ve been in shorter relationships. Well, maybe not relationships, but still…”

That surprised Kuroo. And then he was annoyed.

“Did I read too much into what’s between us?”
“What do you mean?”
“Am I the only one thinking this could be more than just a fling?”
“Of course not, but Kuroo…”
“Believe me when I tell you I could easily kiss you and fuck us both senseless right now, and then when we get home, you could call it quits, and I’d go nurse my broken heart.”

He rose up to his feet, and grabbed the trash bag. He didn’t say anything while he put on his shoes and grabbed a jacket. He was about to leave when Tsuki called his name.

“Kuroo?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Has your heart ever really healed?”

Kuroo watched as Tsuki stood up to face him.

“I don’t know what happened before, and I’m not going to ask. But it feels like you’re still hurting from it, and it’s carrying over onto us. Onto me.”

Kuroo didn’t know what to say. He turned and opened the door.

“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back later.”
He heard Tsuki sigh. “I’ll be waiting for you.”


Chapter 5 - Five

Kuroo had already walked pretty far when he finally stopped to look around. He’d walked straight down the road from the hotel, somehow keeping in mind that he didn’t know his way around Kyoto enough to just walk aimlessly. He breathed deeply, and moved to the side so he wasn’t in the way. Tilting his head back, he looked up at the dark sky, wishing he could see the stars.

‘Has your heart ever really healed?’

Damn. Now that he’d had time to think about it, Tsuki was right. His heart was still healing from his broken engagement from five years ago. It wasn’t whole, and he hadn’t let it heal completely, if he was honest about it. His ex and he had known each other all their lives, and it only felt natural to fall in love, begin a relationship, and then decide to get married.

He had been so stupidly in love that he never noticed when everything started going sideways. Not until it was way too late to try and fix it. His fiance had reconnected with an old friend from high school, and old feelings had resurfaced. Kuroo had been none the wiser. Not until his fiance had suddenly called everything off, telling him that while he’d always love him, it wasn’t anything more than just a best friend. Strictly platonic. He told Kuroo he tried to give more, to love him more, but it wouldn’t happen. He was happier with his old friend, who he’d fallen in love with years ago, and then all over again.

Kuroo, blindsided, and not sure what else he could do, had given his ring to his ex, and wished him a happy life. Sure, he could have fought it, but what good would it have really done? Later, once he’d really thought about it, he realized he felt the same way. Platonic love, nothing more. It still hurt, though, and his heart did break. How could it not? Somehow, he even started blaming himself for not noticing, for not seeing the signs. And he’d been holding on to that heartache for far too long.

His aunt had noticed it.
His aunt’s friends had noticed it.
And now… Tsuki had noticed it, too.

“Fuck!” he swore out loud, disturbing some of the people passing by. “Pardon me,” he muttered, holding a hand up in apology. He turned around and slowly made his way back.

He’d lashed out at Tsuki, who had done nothing wrong, except tell him what he wanted and how much. That he was interested in more; that he wanted more. And Kuroo had let him get close, only to push him away. Tsuki, who was opening up to him, even as he tried to close himself off.

If Tsuki wanted to go back home now, he wouldn’t be surprised. He’d royally fucked up. This, after he’d been the one to express interest in the first place.

Kuroo wasn’t paying too much attention to his surroundings - at least not much beyond staying out of the road and putting one foot in front of the other - retracing his steps back to the hotel. But a flash off to the side caught his attention; possibly someone taking a picture. Yet, when he looked in the direction of the flash, he noticed a little path that he could swear hadn’t been there before. Again, not that he’d have noticed. Still, he was curious to see where it led.

The path was on the grounds of the Inari shrine, and it looked like others had found it before; the ground well-worn and defined. Yet, the further he walked, the quieter it became. Light from the shrine filtered through the trees, so he knew he wasn’t isolated, yet the only noise he heard was his own footsteps and the usual night sounds of insects and nocturnal creatures.

Eventually, he came to a stop at a charming, smaller shrine, surrounded by little kitsune statues. Someone had lit incense, which had a calming fragrance that he couldn’t quite identify. There were little pieces of paper tied to strings tied between trees: wishes and prayers to the god Inari. Kuroo had to admit it was a very cute little shrine, and since he was here, he might as well pay his respects. But instead, he found himself praying.

Praying he hadn’t fucked up so much that things between himself and Tsuki were unsalvagable.
Praying that Tsuki would forgive him.
Praying that Tsuki would give him another chance.

Kuroo had never prayed so hard in his life. He wasn’t even sure what else he had to do, or if simply praying was acceptable. Either way, he stayed there, praying, until he felt a little better. At least someone heard him. He hoped.

Turning back the way he came, he walked the short distance back to the hotel. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been gone, but he hoped Tsuki might be still waiting for him. He was passing through the lobby when he noticed a familiar blonde head. Changing direction, he walked over to where Tsuki was, and found him fast asleep.

He’d changed into an oversized sweater, where his hands were half hidden by the ends of the arms: Tsuki had sweater paws, and it was adorable. Kuroo chuckled softly. Tsuki’s sweater paws were tucked up under his head, and the rest of him was curled up into a ball. His heart did a little flip and flutter, and Kuroo knew he was a goner.

How had he not realized that he’d already fallen in love with this bookshop owner from Sendai?

Quietly, he sat down on the floor close to Tsuki’s head. He reached over and lightly ran his fingers through those soft, golden blonde locks he adored, and then gently traced the lines of his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to lash out at you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I wasn’t. Even so, I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive,” came the sleepy reply. “If anything, I’m sorry for pushing you too hard.”

Kuroo hadn’t noticed when Tsuki had opened his eyes, but now he looked at those golden brown eyes hazy with sleep.

“I did a bit of thinking while I was out. I can tell you what happened, if you really want to know, but what it boils down to is: I shouldn’t have held on to my heartache as long as I did. I should have let it go a long time ago.”
“I can’t say I’m not curious, but I’m not going to push you.”
“Auntie wouldn’t be happy with you about that.”
“She’ll have to deal with it.”
Kuroo chuckled. “Think you can make it back to the room on your own?”
“Maybe,” Tsuki replied, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Maybe not.”
“I guess I could help you, then. But give me a sec, will ya?”

Kuroo slowly got to his feet as Tsuki sat up on the sofa. He strode over to the reception desk and quietly spoke to the attendant for a few minutes. When he came back, he held out his hand to Tsuki, who took it, sweater paw and all, and Kuroo pulled him up and into his arms. They stayed like that for a little while, savoring the feel of being this close.

“Should I carry you over the threshold as the bridal suite suggests?”
Tsuki snorted. “Not a chance. Let me go a sec,” he said and when Kuroo let him go, he moved behind his back and draped his arms over Kuroo’s shoulders. “Hyah, mule!”
“Really?”
“Ummm… mush?”
“Unlikely to make me move, either.”
“I could slap your…”
“That idea is not without merit.”
“Kinky.”
“Not in the lobby, dear. At least, not the first time. We might scare the other guests.”

Tsuki snorted again, but then broke out into laughter. Kuroo rolled his eyes, and laughed too as he started back to their room, towing Tsuki along. When they arrived, Kuroo unlocked the door and they almost fell in, weak from laughing so hard. He dumped Tsuki on the bed, and went to the chabudai and opened up his laptop.

“Anything you want to watch?”
“Nothing in particular. You pick.”
“In that case, we’ll just do this,” and he bent to tap one of his playlists. He then set it up so that it was cast to the tv, and the music started playing. “Dance with me, Tsuki.”
“Oh, no. I’m not very good at it. But I’ll gladly watch you.”
“No fun,” Kuroo said, coming over to where Tsuki was. “Come on.”
“Okay, but don’t blame me if I murder your toes.”
“I won’t. I might still tease you mercilessly about it at random moments, though.”
“Of course you will.”

After a few minutes, it was clear who was better at dancing between them, but Kuroo didn’t care about that. Tsuki could at least keep the beat, so he wasn’t a total lost cause. They danced around the room until room service arrived, and Kuroo went to answer the door. He brought back a box and handed it to Tsuki.

“What’s this?”
“Open it.”

Tsuki narrowed his eyes at Kuroo, but opened the box. Inside, there were two huge slices of strawberry cream cake from one of the hotel restaurants. Kuroo’s heart fluttered when Tsuki’s eyes lit up and he smiled.

“These look delicious!”
“I’ll go get us a couple plates and forks.”
“Just the forks. We can eat these out of the box.”
“We… or just you? Because, to be honest, it looks like you’re about to dive in head first and not save me any.”
Tsuki looked at him with a wicked glint in his eyes.
“Keep talkin’ that way, and I just might.”
“Stingyshima.”
“Strawberry. Cream. Cake.”

Kuroo laughed his way to the kitchenette to retrieve a pair of forks, started the electric kettle for something hot to drink, and returned to sit with Tsuki at the table. He gave a fork to Tsuki, and Tsuki put the box between them. They each ate both pieces, mumbling and moaning around bites, about just how good the cake was.

After making their coffee, he sat down and groaned.

“You ate the rest?”
“In my defense, I was left unsupervised.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Unfair assessment,” Tsuki said, smiling. “I saved you the last bite.” He picked up his fork and held it in front of his face.

Kuroo waggled his eyebrows. He opened his mouth and took the entire bite, grinning like a cheshire cat the entire time. Tsuki reared back, looking at the empty fork with a scowl.
Kuroo nearly choked, he laughed so hard.
Tsuki’s scowl melted into something gentle and tender.
Kuroo’s laugh faded until he was just smiling, the same expression on his face.
They reached for each other at the same time, clasping hands and weaving fingers, both of them thinking that maybe… just maybe… they had finally found the one person in the world meant for them. That anyone before had been wrong, and they just didn’t know it. Until now. And now that they had found each other, there’d be no one else after.

They stared at each other until Kuroo realized his playlist had stopped. Blinking free of the spell around them, he turned to his laptop, and picked another playlist, this one playing slower music. Or rather, traditional Japanese koto music. He bit his lip, and brought up the tab with their plans for tomorrow. Then, he looked back at Tsuki, whose expression now radiated happiness.

“When did you…?”
“A few days after I started showing up at your bookshop.”
“I didn’t think you liked koto music.”
“Yeah, well, someone else does, and it’s nice music to calm down with.”
“Did you make it for me?”
Kuroo nodded. “Yeah. For me, too, though.”
“Why?”
“I played it when I couldn’t make it to the shop. It reminded me of you.”
Tsuki chuckled. “Ya big sap.”
“Only where you’re concerned.”
“Stop, I’m blushing.”
“Tsuki in rare form, ladies and gentlemen.”
Tsuki laughed. “So what’s that?” and he pointed at the page Kuroo had brought up.
“I played around with our itinerary for tomorrow. There are a few smaller places I thought we could visit, to balance out the ones that are more crowded.”
“Still looking out for me.”
“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” He winked, leaned over and kissed Tsuki’s cheek. The younger man looked so surprised that Kuroo laughed. “Anyway, if we get an early start tomorrow, we can beat the crowds at the Golden Pavilion.”
“Ugh. Early. Again?”
“This time for real, too. Want me to help wake you up?”
“All depends on how you do it.”
“Hmmm…”
“This’ll be interesting.”
“We’ll need to use cabs to get to some of these places,” Kuroo continued. “We’ll start at Kinkaku-ji first thing, then go to Tenryu-ji, the Bamboo Grove, and Okochi-Sanso Villa.”
“Quite the mission you’re on, there.”
Kuroo shrugged. “Not really. If I were truly on a mission, we’d have done lots more yesterday, too.” He thought for a few minutes, playing with Tsuki’s fingers. “We can always come back another time.”
“I’d like that.”
“Me too.”
“So, do we break for lunch after the villa?”
“Yeah. From there, we’ll get a cab to Chion-in and Shoren-in temples. Then, another cab back here. We can order dinner in, and rest a bit. We’ll save the Inari shrine for later at night.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tsuki said around a yawn.

Kuroo smiled and let Tsuki’s hand go for the few minutes it took to shut down his laptop. He glanced at his phone for the time. It was still early, roughly 10pm, but they’d been awake pretty much all day. Plus, they had an even earlier start for tomorrow.

“What time do we need to be awake in the morning,” Tsuki asked, already sounding sleepy.
“The Golden Pavilion opens at 9am. It’s about a 30 minute ride from here to there.”
“Sooo… 8am?” He sounded so hopeful.
“Sure. If you want to roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, and hit the ground running.”
“You had breakfast ready this morning.”
“I was awake and out of bed with your first alarm.” Point to Kuroo.
“Whatever.”
“Optimal time to be awake and out of bed would be 6:30am.”
“Oh god…”
“That gives us time to shower, eat breakfast, and drink tons of sugar and cream laden coffee. Well, that last one would be you. I drink coffee like a normal human,” Kuroo teased.
“Fuck off,” Tsuki said with no heat.
Kuroo tsked. “All bark and no bite.”
Tsuki’s eyes flashed. “Oh, I bite.” Point to Tsuki, who was grinning wickedly.
“Oh god…” Kuroo felt his face heat, and his heart began racing. “Retribution will be swift and inevitable.”
“Bring it.”
Kuroo retaliated quickly, and without warning. He kissed Tsuki wildly, and in the process, they fell over on the floor. Hands grabbed at clothing so that they could touch skin. At first contact, they both gasped, breaking the kiss. And then, they were at it again, kissing hungrily, hands roaming as far as they could before meeting clothing barriers.

Frustrated, Kuroo moved first, releasing Tsuki and practically ripping off his own shirt. Tsuki immediately put his hands on him, gliding over his bare chest and then his back. Kuroo damn near purred.

“You too,” he panted, teasing Tsuki by just barely touching his lips with his own.

When Tsuki sat up, Kuroo helped him out of his shirt, and then returned the favor, caressing Tsuki’s lightly tanned skin. He paid particular attention to the raven tattoo, tracing the wingspan from front to back. As he was doing this, Tsuki moved in to imprint an open-mouthed kiss on his neck. Kuroo’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head, until he felt a sharp sting, followed by the heat of Tsuki’s tongue.

“Told you. I bite.”
“That you did. But, you know what?”
“What?”
“So do I.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Oh ho! Challenging me?”
“I would never.”
“Smartass.”
“Still accurate.”

Kuroo quickly grabbed his phone and set his alarms. Tsuki did the same. They helped each other up off the floor, out of the rest of their clothes, and ended up in bed to pick up where they left off.


Chapter 6 - Six

The morning might have gone as planned if both of them hadn’t slept through their first alarm. And the second. Of course, they’d fallen asleep around 1am, finally having worn themselves out. Exhausted, but sated, they collapsed in a heap on the bed, Tsuki half on top of Kuroo, and neither bothered with a blanket. It wasn’t until around 5am that Kuroo was awake again, partially because he was cold (Tsuki had moved off him at some point), but also because he had a challenge to complete.

Nevermind that he also woke up from a particularly hot, sexy dream… featuring Tsuki. Who was also awake and staring at him…

By 6am, they fell asleep again.
And Tsuki would have a mark on his neck, much like Kuroo’s.

At 7:30am, when their third alarm sounded, Kuroo groggily rose from the bed, and woke up Tsuki (normally, thank you very much). He was tempted to invite Tsuki to join him in the shower, but they’d never leave their room if that happened. Best to save it for Sunday. Which reminded him of the hot tub they’d yet to take advantage of…

Definitely time for a shower. An icy, super cold shower. He glanced back at Tsuki, who’d attempted to burrow under the quilt, and smiled gently.

“Come on, love. We gotta get a move on.”
“Mmmph.”
“If I call down to room service, will you be awake enough to answer the door?”
“.... trick question…”
“Just think… tomorrow, we won’t have to worry about waking up early.”
“.... fast forward 24 hours…”

Kuroo couldn’t help laughing, then. He reached over to peel down the quilt from Tsuki’s face, and leaned in to kiss him.

“Come on. One more day of sight-seeing, and then a whole day to do whatever we want.”
“.... very persuasive…” One eye opened, albeit narrowly. Progress!
“It’s a gift.”
“How modest of you.”
Kuroo laughed softly. “I’m going to call room service, and then take a shower.”
“Fine. I’ll get up.”
“Good idea.”

When Kuroo was finished, he left the bathroom half dressed, and hungry. Tsuki was at the table, sipping his coffee, a plate with a half-eaten strawberry danish in front of him, and another on a plate where Kuroo normally sat. A large, steaming cup of coffee was next to the plate, and there was a plate of bacon that appeared untouched. Scrubbing the towel through his hair, Kuroo walked over and settled down behind Tsuki, wrapping him up in his arms.

“Good morning,” he murmured in Tsuki’s ear.
“Morning,” Tsuki settled back against him. “I saved you some.”
“Generous of you.”
“I’m always generous!” Tsuki playfully protested.
“Unless strawberry cream cake.”
“Priorities.”

Kuroo nuzzled into his neck, and Tsuki shivered.

“I could stay this way forever.”
“Me too.”
“Something to look forward to for tomorrow,” Kuroo said, gently kissing above the mark he left earlier. “The shower is yours.”
“Did you leave any hot water?”
“Bold of you to assume I used hot water.”
“Did you leave any cold water?”
“The reserve tank might be at a dangerously low level.”
Tsuki snorted, then chuckled. “Let me go so I can use what’s left.”
“Do I hafta?”
“Now you’re the one who doesn’t want to move?”
“Can you blame me?”
“No. I don’t want to, either. But if we’re going to do all that sight-seeing we planned…”
“Fine,” Kuroo slowly let go of Tsuki, and checked the time. “Almost 8am.”
“I’ll hurry.”

They made it to the Golden Pavilion just in time to buy admission and be one of the first inside. Since it was the weekend, and a Saturday besides, it didn’t take long for it to get crowded. Tsuki already had his headphones on, held Kuroo’s hand, and was as close as he could be without being directly on top of him. Kuroo knew it was time to leave by the strength of Tsuki’s grip. Luckily, by then, they’d admired nearly all there was on all three floors of the pavilion, so they weren’t too upset about being chased out by the crowd.

They spent a little time wandering around the grounds, and taking pictures (as directed by Auntie Yui, of course) until Tsuki was calm again, and then hailed a cab. Their next destination was Tenryu-ji, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and Okochi-Sanso Villa.

Because they were still rather early, they took their time exploring. It was somewhat calmer at Tenryu-ji, despite the slowly growing crowd. Tsuki kept his headphones on, but Kuroo knew he was doing fine. More pictures were taken, especially after they arrived at the Bamboo Grove. Kuroo often joked about it being a photo shoot, and Tsuki was the perfect model. After that remark, Tsuki would pose weird, or make funny faces, any time he caught Kuroo taking a picture. When Tsuki was photographer, Kuroo rarely made a serious subject. Only a few times would he be serious, and only because those few pictures would be Tsuki’s alone.

They saved their tickets because, as a bonus, they were able to get a free cup of tea and a sweet treat at the villa. They found a table that was semi-private, and were able to admire the garden while sitting close and relaxing. Tsuki had taken off his headphones, and grabbed Kuroo’s phone, quickly taking a selfie before Kuroo could do anything about it. Then Kuroo took back his phone, and took another picture, this one with him kissing Tsuki’s temple, and Tsuki leaning into it with his eyes closed.

“Send that to your aunt,” Tsuki suggested, smiling up at Kuroo. “I think she’d like it.”
“She’d love it,” Kuroo agreed. “But, let me hang onto it for a little while, okay?”
“Why?”
“I want to keep you all to myself for just a little while longer. As soon as I share this pic with her, she’ll absorb you into the family so fast, you won’t even know what hit you.”
“I think I could handle that.”

Kuroo smiled, happy to hear that. Even so, Tsuki sounded a little wistful, as if being part of a family was something he hadn’t really experienced. Curious, but not enough to ruin their day by asking, he suggested they walk around a little bit, and then head back. It was getting close to lunch time, and he had an idea of where to go, according to a conversation from a pair of fellow tourists that he’d overheard.

They took their time going back through the grove, and took a few last pictures at the temple. Catching a cab, they stopped at Nijo Castle, for a quick tour, and Kuroo discovered Tsuki’s love for history. Once they were finished (he literally had to drag Tsuki away from the Boshin War exhibit), they walked to the little gyoza place he’d heard about, not far from the Palace. Taking their dumplings to go, they found a secluded part of the Imperial Gardens and enjoyed their lunch, and each other.

They took their time walking to one of the last two destinations on their itinerary, Chion-in temple. It was smaller, and took a back seat to the two greater temples nearby, so it almost felt like they had the place to themselves. Which suited them perfectly.

They found the main hall under construction, so they settled for exploring the grounds. There was a pretty little pond and bridge to cross. Kuroo, seeing the perfect opportunity, took several pictures of Tsuki while he wasn’t looking. Each shot was better than the last, in his opinion. Especially when the late afternoon light hit Tsuki’s hair just right, making it appear like strands of gold. He snapped one more, while they stood on the bridge, seconds before Tsuki caught him and made a face.

“Beautiful,” he said softly, showing that last pic to Tsuki, who blushed.
“You take good pictures,” Tsuki admitted.
“I had the perfect subject.”

He reached up and traced his fingers alongside Tsuki’s face, threading through his hair around the ear. Tsuki’s eyes fluttered closed, and leaned into Kuroo’s touch. Bringing up his phone, he snapped another photo.

“The best one yet,” he said as he made the picture his phone’s home, and lock screen. “I need to upload all of these to my laptop.”
“You’ve taken so many of me. It’s my turn.”
“Sure. Can’t guarantee I’ll look near as good as you, though.”
“Well, not if you keep making faces and posing weird.”
“Says the one who made faces and posed weird.”
Tsuki squinted at him, and took out his phone. “Smile!”
Just as Tsuki took the pic, Kuroo made a face.
“Right now, I don’t know if I want to kiss you or shove you off this bridge.”
“Can I pick?”

Kuroo watched as Tsuki tried so hard not to laugh. But he failed miserably. His laughter echoed around them, drawing attention from the few other tourists who were in the area. And Kuroo felt himself falling even more in love. Putting his phone in his pocket, he gathered Tsuki up in his arms, and they spun around a little, almost dancing. They were both laughing, and so happy.

When they slowed down to a stop, so did their laughter, and then they were kissing. Tsuki had his hands on Kuroo’s neck, fingers tickling the hair at the nape of his neck, making him shiver. Kuroo snaked his hands up under Tsuki’s clothes, settling them on the heated skin of his hips, and then moving them slowly around to the small of his back.

Kuroo felt the strength of Tsuki’s shiver, felt it in the way his hands tightened, in the way his fingers curled and the nails bit into his skin. He felt the way Tsuki kissed him just a little more wildly. With just the slightest bit of pressure, Kuroo pressed Tsuki against him, slid his hands upward just a smidge. Another violent shiver, the nails dug deeper, and Tsuki suddenly gasped, breaking their kiss.

“What did you do to me?” Tsuki asked breathlessly.
“The same thing you do to me,” Kuroo panted.
“Impossible.”
“Here,” Kuroo reached up to lightly grasp Tsuki’s wrist. “Feel.” He gently brought Tsuki’s hand down to his neck to feel his racing pulse. “And here,” he moved Tsuki’s hand down to his heart, which was beating hard. Finally, he moved his hand further down his body, until he reached the evidence of his desire. “Definitely here,” he said, his voice rough. “This is what you do to me.”
Tsuki managed to look amazed, and aroused, at the same time. “But it’s only been two weeks,” he said, still trying to figure things out. “Well, two and a half. But still! How is that even enough time?”
“This coming from the one who basically got us started last night.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“How so?”
“And I quote, ‘Oh, I bite.’ ”
“Hhhmmm.” Tsuki’s eyebrows scrunched up over his suddenly troubled eyes.
“Okaaayyy. Now what’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Two weeks, or two days… I want more.”
“Tsuki…”
“I want as much as I can get.”
Kuroo caught a note of desperation in Tsuki’s voice, and not just for sex.
“Tsuki?”
“Don’t ask. Please. Not now.”
“Okay, but…”
“I want this to last as long as possible.” It sounded like a prayer.
“Alright,” and Kuroo reached up to gently cradle Tsuki’s face. “Why don’t we just go back to our room? We can eat and get some rest. We still have the Inari shrine to visit.”
“Yeah. Okay.”

They were walking back toward the main hall, when a tall man with sandy blonde hair approached them, and he looked vaguely familiar. Kuroo nodded politely, and would have continued, but Tsuki had suddenly stopped. He was staring at the man, his face had gone pale, and his eyes were wide with fear. Kuroo calmly took Tsuki’s hand, and stood between Tsuki and whoever this person was.

“Are you okay, Tsuki?” he asked over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the man in front of them.
“F-fine,” Tsuki answered, sounding anything but fine.
“Who is this guy?”
“Tsukishima Akiteru,” the man in question finally spoke up. “I’m his older brother.”
“Wait. What?”
“W-what are you doing here, Aki?” Tsuki asked. “Why?”
“Can I not say hello to my little brother?”
Tsuki’s face twisted into something between anger and… sadness. He squeezed Kuroo’s hand tighter. He took a deep breath and spoke.
“You haven’t bothered to ‘say hi’ to me for the last several years. Why now?”
Akiteru glanced at Kuroo, and then back at Tsuki.
“Are you sure you want to discuss this here? In front of him?”
“Gimme a sec,” Tsuki said, pulling Kuroo back, and then walking to the other side of the bridge. He turned so that he was facing his brother. “I know you have to have about a million questions right now.”
“Well, yeah.”
“I’ll answer as many as I can soon, but I really do need to talk to Aki.”
“Okay. We can take him back to our…”
“No! That room is ours. I don’t want anyone else to…”
“Right. Well, then, there’s another temple nearby. We can go there.”
“Kuroo,” Tsuki said firmly. “I need to talk to him alone.”
“At any other time, I might have agreed,” Kuroo replied, just as firmly. “But I’m not going to leave you alone with him, even if he is your brother.”
“Why not?”
“The look on your face, and in your eyes. You were scared, and I’m not about to leave you like that.”
“I’d kiss you right now, if I didn’t know he was staring at us.”
“So, we’ll go to that temple?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”

Tsuki and Kuroo walked back together, and stood in front of Akiteru.

“The Shoren-in temple is right next door,” Kuroo said without preamble. “We’ll go there, and you can talk. Work for you?”
“I don’t mind,” Akiteru seemed to relent. “If my brother doesn’t mind, either.”
“Considerate of you,” Tsuki snorted derisively. “That’s a first.”
“I’ve always been…”
“Stop lying!” Tsuki whisper-shouted. He started walking, with Kuroo at his side. “Let’s go get this over with.”
“Fine.”

They didn’t speak, just walked the few minutes it took to get to the second temple. They passed through a small forest of camphor trees, and made it to the main gate just in time to pay for admission before they stopped for the day. Tsuki smiled and asked if there was a map, and if the lady knew of any quiet pretty gardens to look at. She pointed to one that wasn’t too far, and politely reminded them that the temple would be closing in another hour. Tsuki bowed and thanked her, and the three of them walked along the route she’d given them.

When they stopped, they were in a pretty little garden with a pretty little pond. If this had been any other time, Kuroo would have loved to take pictures of Tsuki here, too. But as it was…

“Okay, Aki. Why are you here?” Tsuki demanded.
“Grandmother decided Tokyo wasn’t far enough,” Tsuki’s brother answered.
“So, she sent you to tell me that?”
“She didn’t send me. Mom did.”
“Mom? But she…”
“Grandmother doesn’t trust her. You know that.”
“Yeah, but you…”
“She didn’t know I was coming to visit,” Akiteru spoke over his brother. “Not until just before I left.”
“You were followed?”
“Yeah. I think I managed to lose them, but it won’t be long before they find me again.”
“Shit.”
“Exactly.”

Kuroo hadn’t said a word, but he listened. He kept his attention on both men, and began to suspect Tsuki wasn’t necessarily mad at Akiteru, as their meeting at Chion-in indicated. He was more angry at the situation, whatever that was, than with his brother. Even so, there seemed to be some tension between them.

Tsuki ran an agitated hand through his hair, and gave Kuroo an apologetic look. Whatever was next out of his mouth wouldn’t be good.
“I need to talk to my brother, Kuroo.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” he replied. He knew he was being stubborn, but he didn’t trust Akiteru any more than he could throw him.
“No, I mean, alone.”
“Tsuki…”
“Look, I know you’re trying to protect me, and I love you for it, but please… let me talk to him alone.”

Kuroo looked deep into Tsuki’s eyes, knowing he heard the three words he’d been aching to say himself, but also seeing that Tsuki hadn’t realized he said them. He also searched for some reassurance that Tsuki really would be okay, and found it.

“Fine. I’ll just go over there,” he pointed to an area just up the path that was flush up against the pond. “It’s far enough away that I won’t hear you, but still within sight.”
“Thank you.”
He stared a little longer into those golden brown eyes. “Are you really sure about this?”
Tsuki smiled shakily. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. I promise.” Tsuki leaned in to kiss him softly and rest his forehead against Kuroo’s. “I won’t be long, okay?”
“Okay.”

Kuroo left at the same time Tsuki walked over to his brother. He was already curious, and worried, about everything that transpired just in the last half hour. But, all he could do was watch over the man he loved from an infuriating distance, and wait.

He had a bad feeling about this.


Chapter 7 - Seven

“How did she find me?” Tsuki hissed.
“Info leaked by surveillance on mom,” Aki replied. “They reported to Grandmother.”
“Okay, but still… how?”
“One of mom’s old friends. Older lady in a quilting club. She’d heard one of the earlier stories we’d circulated about your death, and had called to ask because she’d seen you. Oh, Grandmother also found out about your bookshop, so I wouldn’t go back there.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“So now I have to run again, huh?”
“Yeah. And soon. I may have lost them, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before they find me. Or you.”

Tsuki wrapped his arms around himself. This had been his way of life for more years than he cared to count, and he was so tired of it all. The bookshop was meant to be his last bastion, his last stop. He was done running. Done with everything. If Grandmother truly wanted him dead, then why fight? At least he wouldn't have to run anymore. Right?

But then, Kuroo (and his sweet auntie) came into his shop, into his life. Tall, dark, handsome as sin; kind, funny, chaotic. Absolutely the best in bed, no question. He'd calmly, and steadily, worked his way into Tsuki's heart. Now, he had a reason to stay alive, to stay in one place forever, but that also meant leaving Kuroo behind. He couldn't let him be sucked into the dumpster fire that was his life. Grandmother already had her grip firmly on Aki, and his mother. He wasn't about to let her near Kuroo.

"Aki?"
"Yeah?"
"How long do I have? I need a time frame."
"Two days. Three, if the goons on my tail haven't worked their way out of Wakkanai, yet."
“Wakkanai? Did you bury them under the snow?”
“Can’t say I didn’t try,” his brother replied sardonically. “And I did try.”
“That’s also assuming Grandmother didn’t send more goons in other directions.”
“Right.”
"Two days. Fuck."
"Sorry."
Tsuki snorted. “Sure you are.”
“Still believe I’m tucked up in Grandmother’s pocket, I see.”
“You haven’t given me reason to believe otherwise.”
“I didn’t have to tell you you were being hunted again.”
“We’re both weak where mom’s concerned.”
“True. But Kei…”
“Don’t call me that!” Tsuki practically growled.
“Why not? It’s your name. And you call me by mine.”
“Kei lived during happier times. If this nightmare ever ends, you may use my name again. Until then…”
Akiteru sighed. “Fine. I’ll call you Tsuki. Though, I seem to remember a time when you hated the nickname.”
Tsuki shrugged. “Yeah, well, I don’t anymore. I haven’t for a long time.”

There was a few minutes’ of awkward silence between the brothers. They’d been close once, when they were still kids, and their family was whole. But, while Tsuki was in middle school, their father disappeared without a trace. As the heir to the Tsukishima family, this was disastrous. As far as Tsuki knew, there were still hired men out there looking for him, over a decade later. Even so, Grandmother eventually convinced their mother into moving to the family compound, and life for their small family started a slow downward spiral.

They weren’t the mafia, but they might as well have been. Grandmother ran the family, and their small township, with an iron fist and according to how she thought things should be run. She controlled the purse strings, was strict, merciless, and very set in her ways. She absolutely did not tolerate anything outside of her views, and anything that could bring disgrace to the family (and the Tsukishima name) was… dealt with. Mostly by a huge payment and relocation to another prefecture, with promises (in writing) to never return.

But there were times when something more permanent was required.

Tsuki found that out during his third year in high school. He came out to his family, thinking they’d still love and support him. He had no reason to think otherwise. Life was good. He planned to confess his feelings to his crush of two years. But then, he’d started finding out just how little his family supported him.

First, Akiteru warned him not to confess, and never gave him a good reason why. So did his mom, with the same response. His Grandmother never said a word, but sat in stony, disapproving silence. But, still wanting to be happy, Tsuki ignored them all. With disastrous results.

Even now, he almost wished he hadn’t ignored them. But he really couldn’t regret his decision.

“So, who is he?” Akiteru asked, bringing Tsuki back to the present.
“Surprised you don’t know already.”
“Contrary to what you think, I don’t always pry into your life.”
Tsuki shrugged. “True enough.”
“So?”
Tsuki shrugged. “Friend of mine,” was all he said, trying to downplay his relationship with Kuroo, though it stuck in his throat to say that. Kuroo was so much more than a friend.
“Somehow, I don’t believe you.”
“Doesn’t matter if you believe me or not.”
“Friends don’t kiss each other like that.”
Tsuki looked at his brother sharply. “How much did you see? How long were you watching us?”
“Long enough to know you’re more than friends.”
“Then why’d you ask?”
“Curiosity, mainly. No matter what you believe about me, you’ll always be my baby brother, Kei.”
“Met him two and a half weeks ago. We won this trip to Kyoto from his aunt’s quilting club…” his voice trailed away. “Mom’s friend. Is she from Tokyo?”
“Yeah, why?”
Tsuki’s hand covered his mouth. “She could be one of the ladies in the same quilting club with his aunt.”
“Putting that aside for the moment,” Akiteru wasn’t going to be diverted. “You love him, don’t you?”
Tsuki didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. It was written all over his face, and shining in his eyes. Akiteru nodded and smiled.
“I’m happy for you, Kei.”
“Good. I’m glad,” Tsuki replied with heavy sarcasm. “Because now I have to leave him. I have to leave the best thing that ever happened to me, and I hate it!”

He hadn’t realized he’d raised his voice. He hadn’t realized he was crying. Aki tried to calm him, tried to reach out to hold him like he used to when they were younger. But Tsuki backed away. He was turning around when he ran right into Kuroo’s arms. Kuroo, who held him tight and glared daggers over his shoulder at Akiteru. Tsuki wrapped his arms around Kuroo, grabbed handfuls of the back of his shirt, gave himself up to his impending heartbreak, and cried.

“I assume you’ve said what you need to say,” Kuroo growled menacingly. “You need to leave.”
“Protective? Even after such a short time? Impressive,” Aki said mildly, ignoring Kuroo’s threatening manner. He reached into his coat pocket and brought out an envelope. “Here.”
“What is it?”
“Information for Tsuki. From our mom.”
“Why should I take it?”
“You don’t have to. Tsuki does. It’s important.” He continued to hold it out toward them.
“Why should I trust that Grandmother hasn’t already seen what’s in that?” Tsuki asked, his voice muffled.
“They can’t follow mom everywhere,” Akiteru said. “She hid this and told me where to find it.”

By now, Tsuki had slowly let Kuroo go enough that he could turn and face his brother. They stared at each other and didn’t say a word. Whatever passed between them, it was enough for Tsuki to reach out and take the envelope. He tucked it into his pocket, and then wiped his face free of tears. For a few moments, Akiteru’s pained expression spoke volumes. He really did miss his brother. But it was gone the moment Tsuki finished wiping his face, the nonchalant facade back in place. For Kuroo, nothing made sense. He wanted to know what was going on, and what any of it would mean for Tsuki and himself.

“For what it’s worth,” Akiteru said as he dug out his keys, “Grandmother isn’t doing well. Doctors aren’t hopeful, but of course, she’s ignoring them. She thinks she’ll live forever.”
“I’m sorry… I guess?” Tsuki said it in such a way that no one could doubt that he was wholly not sorry in the least. No love lost there, it seemed.
“Anyway. I have to go. Maybe we can catch up another time?”
“Maybe.”

Akiteru left them, raising an arm to wave as he went. Once he was out of sight, Kuroo and Tsuki turned to face each other.

“We should go,” Tsuki finally said. He tried to smile, but wasn’t quite able to do it.
“After all that, do you just want to stay in our room for the rest of our vacation?”
“Why? I mean, I know we are going to be vacation hermits tomorrow, but I know you really want to visit the shrine. We can still go. I’ll be fine.”
“Tsuki…”
“I want to see the shrine too, you know. And since we plan to go much later, there’s a very good chance we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

Kuroo took Tsuki’s hands and pulled until they were pressed together. He wrapped his arms around Tsuki, holding tight. Tsuki reciprocated, once again taking hold of Kuroo’s shirt in the back.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you acting like everything’s back to the way it was before your brother showed up?”
“Because that’s how I need it to be. At least, for right now,” Tsuki explained quietly. “For the rest of tonight, let’s do everything the way we planned. Dinner, resting, visiting the shrine. Taking pictures for your aunt. Being happy. Can we do that?”

Kuroo melted. He knew what Tsuki was trying to do, and if that would help him in whatever way he needed, then Kuroo would do everything in his power to make it happen. This day took a hard left turn the moment Akiteru Tsukishima showed himself, and now Tsuki was trying to get things back on track. At least for a little while.

“If that’s what you want, then we’ll do it,” Kuroo replied gently.
“Thank you.” Tsuki leaned back to look at him. “Let’s put the kitchenette to good use. We can pick up a few things on the way back.”
“Sure. Are you going to cook something for us?”
“Yeah. I mean, it won’t be anything fancy…”
“I’m sure I’ll love it.”

They took the train back to the hotel, and stopped at a nearby grocery store to pick up what Tsuki needed for dinner. Then, they went to their room, with Tsuki telling him little stories about his high school days. Through it all, Kuroo watched him talk, loving the way his eyes lit up when talking about his volleyball team. He spoke about how he’d antagonize Hinata and Kageyama, but Kuroo could tell he didn’t do it out of spite or hatefulness. Then, he would talk about his senpais: Tanaka, Nishinoya, Daichi, Asahi, and Sugawara. He admired them all. Even the ones he called the Bench Squad: Kinoshita, Narita, and Ennoshita.

It was like they were family to him. The players, the managers, and especially the coaches. Even the cheer squad formed by two guys his coach was friends with, and Tanaka’s older sister. Tsuki spoke more of all of them than he did his real family. After meeting his older brother, Kuroo could see why.

After they ate the grilled rice balls Tsuki made, they set an alarm for 10pm, settled under their quilt, huddled close together, and slept. Neither realized how exhausted they were.

By 11pm, they were ready to go to the shrine. It was less than a mile from their hotel, so they walked. Hand in hand, they explored the main hall and various other buildings that were still open to the public. They even bought a few souvenirs from the shop.

The walk up the mountain, they were told, would take 2-3 hours, if they went all the way to the top. The torii gates thinned out about halfway up, so that’s where most visitors turned around to go back. Kuroo and Tsuki looked at each other, smiled, and decided they’d go all the way to the top.

Except, it took them longer than the 2-3 hours. They explored everything along the way: tiny shrines, off the main path, with kitsune statues; little shops that offered charms and souvenirs, and there were even restaurants along the way. They acted like children, chasing each other through the gates, and around them, too. Their laughter echoed around them and into the night. They didn’t care who heard or saw them. If anyone did.

Pictures were taken, too. Kuroo told Tsuki about the joke he’d told his aunt, about taking pictures of every torii gate. So, he took several pictures of the gates in nearly every angle imaginable. But, they also took pictures of each other: single shots, and selfies of them together. There were plenty of silly poses and faces, but the majority weren’t. It was like they’d silently agreed to taking real pictures without the antics.

When they reached the top, they were amazed at the beauty of Kyoto at night. Lights almost appeared to be twinkling from their viewpoint, and there were lights of many colors. Tsuki took it all in, his expression awed, and his smile radiant.

“The view is amazing, Kuroo!” he exclaimed. “It’s beautiful!”
“Yes, it is,” Kuroo agreed softly. He wasn’t looking at the city lights.

There was no mention of coming back. It was a glaring omission, considering they’d talked about it the night before. Both of them knew it, too, and the mood almost fell to unacceptable levels.

Kuroo brought his phone out and took a picture of Tsuki, smiling softly. “Stay there,” he whispered, and stepped back, taking yet another picture, this time capturing Tsuki’s silhouette against the lights of Kyoto. He walked back to Tsuki’s side, and showed him the two pictures.

“That’s my favorite view,” he said quietly. “But I think I know how I can make it even better.”
“How?”

Kuroo took his phone, took a single step back, and held it up, aiming it at Tsuki’s face. Then, he moved so that he could see Tsuki around his phone.

“I love you,” he said simply. “I couldn’t begin to tell you when it happened. Maybe it was when we first met, or maybe it was gradually over the last few days, but… I love you.”
A few moments later, he snapped the photo that became his favorite of all time. Tsuki’s face had gone from mildly confused to radiantly happy in seconds. His golden brown eyes shimmered with emotion and unshed tears. Kuroo put his phone away and went to his love, gathering him in his arms and holding him.

“Just so you know, I didn’t say that just to get a picture.”
“I know.”
“I needed to say it. I wanted you to know how I felt.”
“Kuroo?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up,” Tsuki said, leaning back just enough to look at him. “I love you, too.”

Kuroo felt the sting of tears in his own eyes, knowing he looked exactly like Tsuki did a few minutes ago. In order to keep the tears from falling, he looked at Tsuki’s face, his eyes, and flitted over his moonlit-silvered hair.

“Moonshine,” he whispered reverently.
“Pardon?”
Kuroo grinned and bit his lip. “Moonshine. My new nickname for you.”
“Okay, but why?”
“It’s a secret,” he said mischievously. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”
“Hmph.”
“Oh stop pouting. It’s a good nickname!”
“Never said I didn’t like it. But now, it’s only fair that I give you one, too.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

They took their time coming back down. In the weak morning light, they found a little shrine off to the side that they hadn’t noticed before. Perhaps because it was just a little further back from the main path, or maybe because it was half-hidden by trees. Whatever the reason, they decided to take a closer look at it.

There were kitsune statues surrounding the little shrine, and someone had lit some incense with a calming scent neither of them could quite name. It reminded Kuroo of the little shrine he’d found last night. Grinning, he took a step closer, clapped his hands softly, and started to pray. Within moments, Tsuki stood close beside him, and followed suit.

Kuroo prayed for their continued happiness.
Tsuki prayed for Kuroo’s safety, and that he’d forgive him.

There was a little stack of paper for writing wishes, and both of them did that, too. Tying their papers to the strings tied between bamboo stalks, they said goodbye to the little shrine, and then headed back to the hotel. By the time they reached their room, the sun had fully risen and their Sunday staying in began.


Chapter 8 - Eight

The scent of coffee, and a shaft of light, infiltrated his senses and Tsuki slowly opened one eye. Kuroo was seated at the table, his laptop open, and he was sipping from a mug of steaming hot coffee. Tsuki opened his other eye, and just gazed at his lover, enjoying the way the light hit his messy dark hair, his warm honey-toned skin, and the way he was focused on whatever it was he was doing.

“Keep staring at me, and I’ll assume you’re issuing a challenge,” Kuroo said without looking over at him. But his lips tilted into a smile.
“Challenge, huh? And what sort of challenge would you assume I’m issuing?”

The coffee mug was slowly lowered to the table. The laptop was gently closed. Kuroo turned just enough to look at him fully, his head lowered just a bit, and the expression on his face was pure mischief. And desire.

“The challenge of whether I want to keep you in bed, or have you out of it,” he replied, his voice heavy with innuendo.

Tsuki slowly eased himself up so that he was propped up on one arm, his head in his hand, and draped the other across his hip. The quilt had slipped down while they slept, so it just barely covered his lower half. Especially since he had one leg sticking out already.

“Oh, yeah? Sounds like you have quite the decision to make.”
“At the moment, you’re kinda making it real easy.”
“Kinda?” He moved so that he was resting on his elbows. The quilt inched lower. “How ‘bout now?”
“We’ve gone from challenge to dare,” Kuroo said quietly, slowly rising to his feet, and prowling his way to the bed.

Tsuki stretched his foot out and tucked his toes under the leg elastic of Kuroo’s underwear, slowly inching them inward. Not once did he look away from Kuroo.

“I dare you to… show me everything you know,” he said, with a smirk and lifted eyebrow, his toes brushing against Kuroo’s hardness.

Kuroo didn’t need to be told twice.

He knelt on the bed, between Tsuki’s legs, and crawled up to kiss him deeply. Then, moved down to his neck, where he left another mark, next to the one from yesterday. And he moved down further, using his hands, mouth, and teeth, to drive Tsuki insane with need. By the time Kuroo reached his goal, Tsuki was equally demanding and pleading with him to hurry and put him out of his misery. Kuroo looked up at him, face flushed, eyes burning with his own need, and smiled.

Kuroo didn’t need to be told twice.

Later, they were both at the table, eating a late lunch delivered from the falafel place they liked. Kuroo used his laptop to cast an anime to the TV and they watched as many episodes as they could stand.

They finally used the hot tub, and Kuroo dared Tsuki to “show him everything” he knew. Which he did, renewing marks and giving new ones, and breathlessly laughing when Kuroo’s eyes rolled back in his head. When he focused on Tsuki again, he smirked and said something about returning the favor.

Deciding it’d be best if they shower separately, for now, Tsuki went first, and sat at the table while waiting for Kuroo to finish. He ordered dinner from an American-style restaurant, wanting something different for a change. They were both starving, and not just for each other. As he waited, he pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his gallery, smiling at all the pictures he’d taken. It was true that many of his pics of Kuroo were with funny faces and poses, but there were several more that were actually really good. He’d need to load these up on his laptop once he got home.

Home. Despite Aki’s advice, he did have to go back to the shop. There were several things he’d need before he left Tokyo.

Shit. He just had to think of that now. Now, when he was spending what was left of their vacation with the man he loved. The man he’d be leaving tomorrow. Suddenly, he wasn’t as hungry anymore. In fact, he thought he might get sick if he ate anything.

Resigned to the mood shift, he looked around and found his jacket. In the pocket, he dug out the envelope his brother had given him.

To anyone else, or anyone not looking properly, they wouldn’t see the tiny numbers in the lower right corner. Aki was right; it was in Mom’s handwriting, so the letter was from her. He wondered what she could be writing to him about, or what sort of information she was giving him. The last letter he got from her was a few years ago, and nothing really of note.

Shrugging, he carefully ripped open the left side of the envelope and took out the letter. It was written using a combination of two older codes; the three of them had come up with them about a year after moving to the compound, when they began to realize things weren’t what they seemed.

Deciphering the letter took a little time, due to the fact that years had passed since they’d used this particular code, but he adjusted quickly and read the letter.

He was almost finished when Kuroo stepped into the room, towel slung low on his waist, and another towel draped haphazardly over his head. Tsuki tried to put the letter away, but Kuroo reached down and slipped it from his fingers. Terrific. He waited while Kuroo looked over the letter. Waited for the questions that would come.

“This is what your brother gave you?”
“Yeah.”
“Is this some sort of code?”
“Yeah.”
“How come?”
“Mom wanted to send me some news, that’s all.”
“If she wanted to do that, then why put it in code?”

Tsuki knew at this point, he’d have to explain enough to try and staunch the flow of questions. Even as he thought that, he desperately wanted to tell Kuroo everything, too. If Kuroo knew what getting involved with him could mean for both of them, he might decide to break things off between them. And while that would hurt (it would hurt like hell), it would be for the best. For Kuroo, at least.

“My past caught up with me,” he muttered, reaching up to take the letter back. “She wrote it in an older code, but it’s one I remember.”

Tsuki felt it when Kuroo sat down beside him. Neither said anything, but Kuroo leaned forward to rest his head on Tsuki’s shoulder.

“I was wondering if you’d say anything, Moonshine,” Kuroo said quietly.
“I wasn’t planning on it, to be honest,” he admitted, smiling a bit at the use of his new nickname. “There’s way too much to try to explain, and even if I could, it’s a lot to take in.”
Kuroo sighed. “You don’t have to tell me…”
“I know,” Tsuki replied, chuckling a little when Kuroo’s head snapped up. He reached for Kuroo’s hand, weaving their fingers together. “I’ll explain what I can, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Like I said a minute ago, my past caught up with me. Akiteru showing up here was actually a good thing, as much as it galls me to say it.”
“How was it a good thing?”
“Just his being here is a warning to me that my grandmother has discovered my whereabouts.”
“Your… grandmother…”
“My grandmother, matriarch of the Tsukishima family, wants me dead.”

Kuroo stared at Tsuki, not even remotely sure what to say to that. He simply stared, looking at his love’s face, noting that Tsuki looked like this was something he’d lived with for a long time. He somehow looked both resigned and determined at the same time, too.

“She wants you… dead…”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Why?”
“She disapproves of my… lifestyle. It brings shame to the Tsukishima name, according to her. Grandmother is of the opinion that I’m a disgrace, and that ‘my kind’ should not exist.”
“Moonshine…”
“I was allowed to at least graduate high school, but by then, it was obvious she no longer considered me part of the family,” Tsuki said. “After graduation, I was forced to leave my home, and told that I had to leave the prefecture or face the consequences.”
“But for her to want you dead…”
“That came later. She decided that living far away wasn’t enough. As long as I was alive, I could still bring shame to the family.”
Kuroo’s hold on his hand tightened. “So, how does your mom and brother fit in?”
“Aki is the heir apparent. My dad should be, but he’s been missing for longer than a decade, so Grandmother had him declared dead. A few years after Aki was made the heir, he started acting according to her wishes, and doing everything she told him to do. He didn’t even try to stop her when she banished me.”
“And your mom?”
“Grandmother doesn’t trust her. Not since she found out mom was tipping me off about the men Grandmother sent to kill me. Mom’s under constant surveillance.”

Kuroo took a deep breath, and let it out, trying to take it all in. He knew there was a lot more to this story than Tsuki was telling him, but that could wait til later. There was something bothering him that he needed to ask about, and he tried to gather his thoughts. Tugging gently on Tsuki’s hand, he pulled him into his arms.

“You said Akiteru being here was a warning that your grandmother knows where you are. Did he mean here?”
“No, Tokyo. Specifically, Nerima ward. She knows about my bookshop, too.”
“Did she also send…”
“Aki says she sent men after he left, so he lost them around Wakkanai. I have what’s left of today and tomorrow until they either come here, or wait for me back in Tokyo. And that’s assuming she didn’t send anyone else in the opposite direction.”
“Tsuki, I need you to answer truthfully,” Kuroo started, his voice firm.
“I’ve never once lied to you,” Tsuki replied, feeling a little offended. He started to lean forward, to turn around and look at him, but Kuroo held tighter.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Moonshine. Please, tell me something.”
“What?”
“Are you planning on leaving Tokyo? Leaving me?”

By his silence, Kuroo knew that leaving was exactly what Tsuki was going to do. He had to admit, it stung to know the man he loved was going to leave without saying anything. But he could understand why.

“I have to,” Tsuki almost whispered. “I can’t stay. I especially can’t let them find out about you.”
“Akiteru knows about me. If what you’ve told me about him is right, then they’ll know about me soon enough.”
“Damn it.”
“When will you come back?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been able to go back anywhere a second time.”
“Why?”
“I’m not willing to take the chance that one of her goons would be left as permanent surveillance.”
“Tsuki, how long have you been doing this?”
“Ten years.”
“Dear god.”
“Yeah. And it’s getting harder to keep going. Not just because of funds, but because I’m just… tired of running,” he sounded defeated.

This time, Kuroo pushed Tsuki enough so that he could turn him around. With both hands, he gently cradled Tsuki’s face. The defeat he heard was echoed in his eyes, as well as pain and suffering. They might’ve only known each other for two and a half weeks, but he knew they loved each other, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he never wanted Tsuki looking like this again.

“Let me help you,” he said.
“No! I can’t!” Tsuki replied, now also looking frightened. “You’re already more involved than I wanted you to be. If you were hurt, or even killed…”
“Tsuki, listen to me. We can come up with something to keep us both safe and alive. I’m not suggesting going with you, although that idea is worth exploring if need be.”
Tsuki tried to pull Kuroo’s hands away, but ended up just grasping his wrists. “But Kuroo…”
“Okay, first, my name is Tetsuro. I think we’ve moved well past using last names, don’t you?”
Tsuki nodded. “Tetsuro,” He was diverted enough to say his name with a tiny smile attached. “May I call you Tetsu?”
“Of course! I’d actually like that, to be honest.”
“My name is Kei, but I’m using Tsuki, at least until this is all over. If it’s ever over.”
“May I call you Kei in private?”
“I’d like that.”
“Second, and now that we have names out of the way, since we’re leaving here tomorrow, we need some sort of plan.”
“But Tetsu…”
“No buts! I’m going to help you… somehow. And just so you know, I love hearing my name on your lips.”
Kei was finally starting to look hopeful. “I love saying it.”

This time, he managed to pull Tetsu’s hands away from his face. With his mind starting to work again, he turned toward the table and reached for Tetsu’s laptop. Just as he opened it up, there was a knock on the door. Kei froze for just a moment before he remembered it was their dinner being delivered.

“That’s dinner,” he told Tetsu. “Could you go answer it? I’m going to write something out for you.”
“No problem.”

A few minutes later, he returned with their dinner.

“What did you order? It smells hella good.”
“Also hella unhealthy, but cheeseburgers and french fries sounded really good earlier.”
Tetsu started unloading the goods. “So cheeseburgers, french fries, and what looks like a couple of fried pies. And soda to wash it all down.”
“Yup!”
“What are you working on?”
“Answer key for the code in the letter,” Kei mumbled. “We could use it until we come up with our own. You’ll need to memorize it, too, and delete this later.”
“Okay, we have a code. An older one, but it’ll do for now. Do we want to write letters like your mom, or…?
“That’s what I’m trying to work out. We could buy a couple cheap phones to use temporarily. Basic call and text only.”
“But would we need the code if we’re the only ones who know the phone numbers?”
“Yeah. Better safe than sorry. Same with email, if we go that route.”
“Right.”

Kei looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t want to do this, I understand. I can’t ask you to…”
“Kei?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up. I’m not going to give up, and neither are you.”
“Right.”
“Disposable phones, at first. Email if necessary. We’ll change the code if we think it needs to be.”
“Right.”
“I think we should also tell Aunt Yui.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust her. And really, I think she’d have an unholy amount of fun with this. But, the entire reason I have to run is that there might be someone in the quilting club who knows who I am. I haven’t been able to confirm it, though. Because of that, no one besides the two of us can know anything about this.”
“She’s not going to like that.”
“I’m sorry, but tough.”
“You get to deal with her, then.”
“Okay.”

They spent the next couple hours hammering out a plan to keep in contact with each other after Kei left Tokyo. Once they decided on a plan that they felt good with, they finished their dinner, and settled down to watch a movie. They barely made it ten minutes before the movie was forgotten in favor of each other.

The next morning, they packed up their belongings, souvenirs, and everything else they came with. Kei turned in their keys, and they walked to the station hand in hand.


Chapter 9 - Nine

Once back in Tokyo, they had a hard time letting go. They wouldn’t know when they’d see each other again, and that was what they hated most of all. Texts were one thing, at least they’d still have that connection. Calls were only in case of dire emergencies, although, if they were honest, just hearing the voice of their lover was an emergency in itself. They had to promise each other not to use that excuse too much.

So, they passed the time walking slowly through the station, visiting shops and just being with each other. If they did separate, it wasn’t for long. Tetsu bought the phones they were going to use, going in to buy them himself. At a coffee shop, Kei went in with Tetsu’s laptop and set up a single email address for them both to use, and programmed the phones so that they had each other’s new number in their contacts, and could read text codes without any random emojis or symbols to screw up messages. While he did that, Tetsu ran an errand of his own, and went to a nearby fast food place to buy them lunch.

They didn’t even have to coordinate; they were a team.

“Kei, eat something,” Tetsu urged quietly, holding a ham and cheese croquette out for him to take. “You barely ate breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry,” Kei replied, taking the food anyway, but putting it down. “I don’t think I could eat it anyway.”
“Nervous?”
“Yeah, sort of. I’ll be fine once I get moving, but I can’t stand not knowing…”
“Stay. Just a little while longer?”
“Tetsu, I really can’t take the chance.”
“I hate this.”
“I hate it, too, but we really have no choice.”
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t tell you. The less you know, the less you can tell them if the worst happens and they use you to get to me. It’s already way too risky to have our phones and shared email address, but I want to at least try to stay in touch.”

They were silent for a time, just sitting at the picnic table they’d commandeered, staring at each other, and holding hands. Two pairs of eyes, golden brown and gray, flitted over features, memorizing everything, burning them into their brains.

“I think I told you I travel part time for my job,” Tetsu said suddenly. “I give motivational speeches to middle and high school volleyball teams all over the country.”
“You did,” Kei replied fondly. “I think it’s amazing what you do. I almost wish you’d have come to Karasuno when I was a student.”
“I might have if I hadn’t been in school, and university, myself,” Tetsu reminded him, smiling gently. “But hear me out,” he got back to what he was saying. “Do you think we could arrange meetings when I’m sent out to speak?”
Kei shrugged. “We might be able to make it work,” he gave it some thought. “But depending on where we both are, travel could be difficult. Time might also work against us, especially if we’re on opposite ends of the country.”
“You think you’ll be moving around that much?”
“If Grandmother is putting in more effort to find me, yeah.”
“I don’t think I can go without being able to see you or touch you for too long.”
“Yeah. Same.”
"Surely one of those travel apps makes it easy to send tickets," Tetsu muttered thoughtfully. "Once I find out where I'm going, I can send you an email or link or something for the ticket."
"That's too expensive."
"I'm not worried about the expense, Moonshine. I just want to know you're safe and unhurt."
Kei smirked and raised a brow. "Your own personal inspection, huh?"
"Not like you wouldn't return the favor."
"Obviously."
“Think we could make it happen?”
“It’s definitely worth trying. But, we’d have to really make sure it’s safe.”
“Right.”

Kei took a moment to look at the time. It was getting late. He needed to get moving for real. He didn’t want to give up the shop, and he had an idea who he wanted to be the caretaker until he was able to return. When he looked back at Tetsu, he noticed the concern in his eyes, and chuckled. He picked up the now cold croquette and took a small bite, to at least ease that concern. It tasted good, but he couldn’t eat any more, else he’d really get sick.

Tetsu stood up and came around the table to sit down next to him. He pushed what was left of their food to the other side (he didn’t eat much, either), and leaned over so that he was almost in front of Kei, but without actually being in his lap. He wrapped one arm around Kei’s middle, and with his free hand, he lightly brushed his fingers through his hair. Kei slowly leaned toward him, and rested his forehead against Tetsu’s.

“I know you need to leave, but I just can’t let you go. Not yet,” Tetsu whispered.
“Did you save the code somewhere safe?”
“Secure folder with password.”
“Try to memorize it, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I know it’ll be hard, but try to keep Aunt Yui from knowing too much.”
“I doubt I could hide it from her too long, Moonshine.”
“I know. Just try, okay?”
“Okay. But I won’t lie to her. She practically raised me.”
Kei smiled. “I’m not even surprised.” He opened his eyes and found Tetsu looking back at him.
“I got something for you,” Tetsu said softly. He leaned away from Kei, and reached into his pocket, bringing out a little black velvet pouch. “Here.”
“What is it?” Kei asked, untying the drawstring, and then looking at Tetsu.
“Only one way to find out.”

Kei upended the pouch, and out fell two pairs of earrings; both pairs were about an inch long, with one pair being little golden crescent moons, and the other a pair of little black cats.

“Tetsu,” he whispered, looking back up at him.
“We get one pair each,” his lover explained quietly, taking a moon and a cat.
“But…”
Tetsu pointed to his left ear, where there were two little studs in the lobe. “Got it done while you were in the coffee shop. Once they heal up, I’ll wear both earrings.”
Kei carefully put the little black cat earring in his ear. “I’ll get another piercing.” He grinned. “I’m gonna copy you.”
“You do that.”

Neither knew who started the kiss, nor did they care. It started slow, easy, as if they’d known each other for far longer than two and a half weeks. Then it deepened, became hotter, more passionate. As they kissed, their hands sought the warmth of skin; Kei’s hands gently caressed Tetsu’s neck, his fingers playing lightly with his hair. Tetsu’s hands slid under Kei’s shirt to rest at his waist.

“I love you,” Kei said as soon as they came up for air.
“I love you, too,” Tetsu replied. “I hate knowing I won’t see you for a while.”
“Me too. I don't want to go.”

Their next kiss was desperate, filled with longing, knowing this one was the last for the time being. When they finally stopped, panting and recovering from their kisses, they slowly eased apart.

“I’ll go first,” Kei said. “I have to make a call and get to my shop.”
“I have to go to my Aunt’s house. She’s expecting both of us, but I’ll come up with something for your absence.”
“Tell her I said hi.”
“Right. Let me know you made it safely, okay?”
“I planned to.”
“Right.”

Rising from the table, they held hands for a little while longer, and then slowly backed away from each other. Then, they turned and walked in opposite directions, fighting the urge to look back. Because looking back would tempt them to return to the other, and Kei needed to run away.

~*~

“Hey Yachi,” Tsuki said as soon as his friend answered the phone.
“Oh, hi, Tsuki! How are you? How was your vacation?”

Tsuki grinned. Yachi was incurably curious.

“I’m doing well, and my vacation was awesome. I’m hoping to go back soon.”
“Wonderful! You’ll have to tell me all about it.”
“Sure! Once I get the chance. Look, I can’t talk for too long, I have to head out of town again. Family emergency.”

Well, sort of. It did involve family, after all. And his ‘emergency’ was leaving Tokyo to avoid premature death by order of the matriarch of said family. But she didn’t need to know that.

“Oh? I hope everyone is okay?”
“I hope so, too. I need to ask a favor of you.”
“Sure! Happy to help! What do you need?”
“I’m going to be gone for a while, and it’s not clear when I’ll be back. I need someone to watch the shop for me. Would you mind doing that?”
“I don’t mind at all! When do you want me to start?”
“Tomorrow, if you can. If not, later in the week is fine.”
“Tomorrow will work. Do I need to come get the key?”
“No, I’ll drop it off on my way out of town. Which will be in the next hour, give or take.”
“Okay. Look forward to seeing you!”
“Yeah, same. Thanks a lot, Yachi. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Tsuki. I’ll see you when you get back.”

They hung up, and Tsuki hailed a cab. Loading his bags in the back seat, he climbed in, gave directions, and paid the fare, plus tip. When he was dropped off a block away from the shop, he went on high alert. There was no telling if any of Grandmother’s goons had made it here yet, but he couldn’t take any chances.

Walking to his shop like it was any other day, he went up to the door of his shop, unlocked it, and went inside, locking it behind him. Nothing appeared to be out of place. There was even a fine layer of dust covering everything, but that was typical. No one had been here since he left, which was a relief. Tsuki inhaled deeply. It smelled of dust and books. He was going to miss this shop.

Without further delay, he went to the back, and up the narrow staircase, to his tiny apartment above the shop. It was as spartan as anyone could imagine; just a bed, table and chair, tiny desk, and a dresser. Most of his stuff would stay behind; he’d only take what he could fit in his backpack and carry on.

He crossed the room and picked up his laptop and charging cord, putting both into its carrying case, and stuffing that into his backpack. He went to the dresser and took out more clothes, putting them into his carry on. From the closet, he grabbed his favorite ballcap, bucket hat, and the small, over the shoulder bag he used for important things.

Taking a final glance around the little apartment, he found himself wishing he could just fall into the bed and fall asleep. This little place was cute and cozy, and he loved it. He hoped he could come back.

Making sure everything was turned off, Tsuki made his way back downstairs, and out of the shop, locking it up tight. He’d almost made it halfway down the block, when he felt it; that uncomfortable feeling of being watched. He kept his pace normal, kept facing forward, acting like he hadn’t felt that peculiarly nasty corkscrew feeling up his spine.

He hailed a cab, gave directions (convoluted ones that would hopefully shake whoever was watching off), and went to go meet Yachi.

~*~

“Hey, Aunt Yui!” Tetsu called from the entryway. He’d dropped his backpack next to his carry on, and sat down to take off his shoes and put on slippers. “I’m back!”
“Welcome back, you two… oh!” She’d come out to meet them, and paused when she saw Tetsu. Alone. “But where’s Tsukishima-san?”
“He had to leave again. Family emergency."
“I hope it’s nothing terrible.”
“He doesn’t know, just that he had to leave as soon as possible.”
“Well, hopefully he can come back soon.”
“He’ll let me know. What’s for dinner?”

He followed her into the kitchen, and tried not to let it show how much he already missed Kei. Not that looking at three place settings helped. On the flip side, at least he wouldn’t be peppered with too many questions. Well, not any more than normal, anyhow. He hoped.

“So how was your vacation?”
Tetsu smiled. “Didn’t want to come back, to be honest.”
“Did you get any pictures?”
“Of course! Lots of torii gates.” He laughed and dodged an oven mit. “Seriously, though, I do have lots of pictures to show you.”
“Can’t wait to see them!”

They sat down at the table, and she served him a plate of curry. Tetsu took a few bites, and then leaned back a bit. The food was good, but he just wasn’t terribly hungry. He probably wouldn’t be until he heard from Kei. Naturally, Aunt Yui picked up on this immediately, as he generally ate like a horse otherwise.

“Are you going to tell me, or do I have to pry it out of you?”
“Auntie…”
“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice your strange mood?”
“No, I suppose not.” He grinned wryly. She might as well be his mother. He stalled by pulling out his phone, bringing up his gallery, and tapping the first photo. Then, he handed the phone to her. “Diversion number one.”

Auntie snorted, but she took the phone eagerly enough. Tetsu took another bite of his food while watching her. This is how he knew the moment she hit pictures of them together. Her gaze went from eager and amused, to tender and fond. And he knew when she finally found the pictures Kei had taken at the villa.

“I’m going to guess you want a copy, right?”
She nodded. “You two look so adorable together. So happy.” She scrolled a little more slowly now, looking for the gems among the torii gates. “The moment I met him, I knew he would be so good for you. I’m glad to see I was right.”
“How did you know?”
Auntie looked up at him and smiled. “Just a hunch, to be honest.”
“Oh, come on! A hunch.”
Her smile grew, and she gave a tiny shrug. “Call it… Auntie’s intuition, or whatever.” Then, she got that look in her eyes that meant she was about to say something outrageous. “Maybe I saw the two of you together in my head and thought, ‘what a beautiful pair!’” She looked down at his phone, smiled, and handed it back to him. The picture she’d stopped on was one he’d asked someone to take for them. “I was right.”
“You’re a mess.”
“That’s Auntie Mess, to you bub.”
“Whatever.” As always, she had a way of brightening his mood. He managed to eat another few bites of his cooling dinner.
She waited until he took a drink before speaking again. “So, are you going to tell me what’s really going on, or are you going to start Diversion Number Two?”
Tetsu looked at her, seeing she wasn’t about to be distracted again. “I don’t have a second diversion. I thought the first would be enough.”
“You thought wrong.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
“Well?”
He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “I can’t tell you too much, as I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, myself,” he said seriously.
“Okay, fair enough. Though, you’ve just made me even more curious.”
“Try to tuck it back in, Auntie. Please?”
She nodded. “Fine. But what can you tell me?”
“The family emergency part is accurate enough. It’s just, he’s running away from said family, and not to them.”
“Oh. Oh no,” she looked so concerned. “How can we help him?”
“We?”
“You don’t honestly think I’m going to sit back and watch, do you?”
“In order to keep you safe, yeah.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Even if it’s what Tsuki and I want?”
“Has that ever stopped me before?”
Tetsu sighed. “No. Still, I’m going to let him know as soon as he contacts me. Whatever he decides is final, okay?”
“Hmph.”
“Auntie?”
“Fine. I’ll just figure out what I can from the sidelines.”
“Good grief, Auntie,” Tetsu said through his hands. He tried to think of something he could let her help with. Then, he remembered...
“All the ladies in the quilting club have been there forever, right?”
“Most of them, yeah. Why?”
“How many are new?”
“I wouldn’t say they’re new, per se, but maybe a few? And they’ve been with us for just over a year.”
“Are any of them from Miyagi originally?”
She was silent for a few minutes, thinking. Then, “Keiko Kojima. She’s from Miyagi, if I recall correctly.”
“She might be the one who kick started this whole thing,” he muttered. “I should tell Kei.”
“Tetsuro?”
“This is one thing I can’t get into with you. Not yet. Okay?”
“Fine. But as soon as you get the green light to talk, I want to know everything you know.”
“I can’t promise anything.”
“I understand.”
“Good.”

They sat at the table for hours after, all because Tetsu finally found a way to divert his aunt: he told her almost everything about spending a long weekend in Kyoto with Kei. She was ecstatic, and Tetsu loved seeing her so happy. Telling her about his vacation also helped him; he didn’t have time to worry too much about Kei.

However, it wasn’t until later that night, as he laid awake in bed, that he worried endlessly about his love, and wondered if he’d hear from him again soon.


Fin - "Book One"
To Be Continued...
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Printed from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net) on Sat Nov 14, 2026 1:42 pm