The Cat and the Crow

“I think we’re safe, now,” Kuroo said breathlessly once they ran past the baseball fields and surrounding tree line.

“Yeah,” Tsuki replied. He had his hands on his knees, breathing hard.

“Not much of a runner, are ya?”

“I’m getting better. Penalty laps up that blasted hill help.”

“Do you guys actually like doing those?”

That earned him a death glare. Kuroo couldn’t help laughing. Taking a few steps around, he waited for Tsuki to catch his breath and calm down, and scrubbed the towel over his face. Summer was in full swing, and while it was a bit cooler here at Shinzen, it was still pretty hot. Even now, as the sun was setting, the heat was only just beginning to let up.

“We don’t have much time,” he told Tsuki through the towel. Kuroo listened for a response, but when none came, he started to lower the towel. “Hey, Tsu-” he began, but suddenly another towel covered his face. Tsuki’s hand held the towel on his head, and second later, Kuroo felt his warm mouth touch his through the towel. Being kissed by the one he loved, knowing he did not initiate (or even ask for) it, sent him reeling. But it ended almost as soon as it began, and Tsuki had pulled away, leaving the towel behind. It slipped down his face, and he watched as his love walked back the way they came. If only he’d have looked back, he’d have seen Kuroo’s wide eyes and flushed face.

“H-hey! Wait!” he called out, and started after him. Luckily, Tsuki hadn’t gone far, and Kuroo crossed in front and stopped him.

Tsuki’s face was adorably flushed, and his expression was an amusing cross between ‘totally meant to do that,’ and ridiculously embarrassed that he even tried. Kuroo’s lips trembled as he smiled, trying not to laugh.

“Did you just…?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Did you not want me to?”

“Yes! God, yes! I can’t wait for more, to be honest.” But now he had to know something. “Why?” he asked again.

Tsuki took a deep breath, and stepped closer to him. “I wanted to. Since Tokyo. I was curious, but also nervous. I couldn’t bring myself to ask.” Those golden brown eyes of his connected with Kuroo’s, and a tiny smile tipped his lips.

“What are you thinking?” Kuroo asked softly.

“Do you remember what you told me that night?”

“Like I’d ever forget. I told you I'd wait until you’re ready.”

Tsuki nodded once. And then… he smiled the most beautiful smile Kuroo had ever seen. “Kiss me goodnight?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Kiss me goodnight.”

Kuroo exhaled, not realizing he’d been holding his breath. With his left hand, he reached up and caressed Tsuki’s face, and watched as his eyes fluttered closed. With his right hand, he took hold of Tsuki’s hand, tangling their fingers together. He took in the sight of Tsuki’s beautiful face before leaning in and capturing his mouth in a kiss.

If he thought that familiar, and all too addicting, sensation of a bolt and shiver down his spine had been the best ever, Kuroo knew he would need to reconsider those thoughts.

It hadn’t just been the bolt and shiver; it felt like… like a sparkler had ignited inside him. Little pinpricks danced all over his body. His heart was racing a mile a minute; Tsuki tasted sweet, and he couldn’t get enough. But since this was Tsuki’s first real kiss, he held back. A few moments later, he ended the kiss, softly withdrawing and leaning his forehead against Tsuki’s.

“Oh my god,” he managed to whisper.

“Yeah, same,” he heard Tsuki’s shaky reply.

Kuroo chuckled, and then took a moment to remind himself where they were. The sun had almost completely set beneath the horizon, and there was going to be a full moon tonight.

“We should go back,” he said. “If we stay out too much later, our fanbase might send out a search party.”

“You may be right,” Tsuki agreed. “We should go back.”

Neither of them moved.

“Tsuki?”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me goodnight?”

And he did, sending Kuroo into a tailspin. Maybe it was the fact that Tsuki didn’t hesitate this time, or that he’d been waiting for Kuroo to ask. He didn’t know, or care. Tsuki was kissing him back, and he loved every last second of it.

[Charmed, I'm sure]

[HEY GUYS! WAKE UP!]
[Not again, Bokuto]
[I’m sorry, guys.]
[Not your fault your boyfriend wakes up at an ungodly hour, Akaashi]
[You should all be grateful I’m even awake to see this]
[Phone on silent, again, Tsuki?]
[Yeah, to protect myself from morning people]
[TSUKI, WE’RE EXCHANGING CHARMS TODAY]
[Couldn’t it have waited til breakfast?]
[WE HAVE BREAKFAST READY]
[We'll meet you in the cafeteria. No one else is there, yet.]
[I’ll be on my way shortly.]
[DON’T BE LATE, TSUKI!]
[Yeah, whatever]

Kei stretched and struggled to get up. The time on his phone said 6:00am, and he knew breakfast for everyone else would start in an hour and a half. Then, practice would start, and he really needed to concentrate on his blocking. Bokuto had asked them to block for his spiking practice, once Kuroo and he had returned, and that had gone on for several hours. Akaashi hadn’t exaggerated; Bokuto never stopped.

He grabbed a change of clothes, a towel, and a few other things, and went to take a quick shower. Once finished, he changed into his clothes, put his things away, collected the box his charms were in, and started to leave the team room again. But before he left, he saw both Suga and Daichi watching him. He grinned, waved goodbye, and left them without a word. They’d be catching up to him later, he just knew it.

At the base of the stairs, he met Kuroo, who was waiting for him.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Kuroo said quietly. “Not still grumpy, are ya?”

Kei rolled his eyes. “Can we get Akaashi to train Bokuto not to wake anyone up before 9am? At the latest.”

“Yeah, still grumpy,” he chuckled and moved closer, leaning in for a kiss. “Good morning,” he said again.

“Good morning,” Kei sighed. “Let’s go before Bokuto comes charging through the halls to find us.”

“Right.”

They walked hand in hand to the cafeteria, and went directly to the table where Akaashi and Bokuto waited for them. Once again, they had food already laid out and served; this time, he saw eggs, bacon, fruit, a few sushi rolls, and rice.

Kei sat down, and Kuroo did right after him, scooting his chair closer, so he could rest his arm around the back of the chair. “So… how do we do this?” Kei asked as he served himself some fruit and bacon. “Is there some sort of ceremony?”

“I mean, there could be, if you want,” Bokuto said sarcastically.

Kuroo glanced at his friend. “Easy, buddy," he warned.

“What? He asked. Anyway, we don’t have any special ceremony planned. We can just exchange charms and then eat breakfast.”

Kei looked over at Kuroo, who shrugged. “Since it was just the three of us before, and I had already given them a cat charm with the necklace, all we needed to do was add their owls. You’re the newest member, so it’s a bit different.”

As soon as he said that, Akaashi took out a small plastic bag with a little owl charm inside. Kei took it and upended the bag, with the charm falling into his hand. It was a snowy owl, with little black accents, and golden eyes.

“I like it. Thank you,” he said to both Akaashi and Bokuto. He reached back to unclasp his necklace, when Bokuto stopped him.

“No, wait! I have an idea!”

“Here we go,” Kuroo muttered.

“Bokuto,” Akaashi said with a long-suffering sigh.

“Come on guys! Just hear me out. By default, Kuroo already gave Tsuki his charm,” he started saying. “Cute little black cat, there Kuroo, I must say,” he added with a wink in their direction.

Kei hadn’t really given it much thought, and the only time he’d even seen the necklaces was back in Tokyo, but he hadn’t looked close enough. Now that he had the chance, he looked at Bokuto’s necklace, and noticed that the cat and owl charm were different from his own.

“Are they all different?” he asked everyone, interrupting Bokuto. Both Kuroo and Akaashi nodded, pulling out their own necklaces.

Bokuto had a horned owl and a tortoiseshell cat. Akaashi’s necklace sported a barn owl and a calico cat. Kuroo’s owl was a little tawny owl, and he also had a little black cat on his necklace; the same as Kei’s little charm.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Bokuto regained their attention, “Akaashi just gave Tsuki our charm, so after he gives us his little crow charms, we all put them on at the same time. We can make it ceremonial.”

“Bokuto…” Akaashi looked pained.

“I think we already had that planned,” Kuroo said through his facepalm.

“I don’t know how you keep up with him,” Kei said to Akaashi, who merely shrugged. “So anyway,” he tried to recover the situation, and took out the little box that held four little black crows. “I also thought to be a little different.” He handed two of the charms to Akaashi and Bokuto. “They’re magpies. Still in the corvidae family, and well, they are black and white with a yellow beak; Fukurodani’s colors. Almost.” He shrugged a bit, then handed Kuroo his. “Just plain, ordinary crows for both of us,” he said.


“Nothing ordinary about them,” Kuroo said with a wink. As he started to add the little crow to his necklace, he stopped. Kei held his breath. He’d painted a little red heart on the back of the charm, and Kuroo had just found it. After a moment, Kuroo’s eyes met his. “Have you looked at yours, Tsuki?”

“No…” he replied, and unhooked the clasp from around his neck. On the back of the black cat was a little red heart. Speechless, he returned his gaze to Kuroo’s.

“Awwww… Look, Akaashi. We have a pair of lovebirds,” they heard Bokuto joking.

“Adorable,” Akaashi deadpanned.

Kei and Kuroo stopped staring at each other and affixed their charms to their necklaces. As they finished eating their breakfast, and as everyone else began to enter the cafeteria, the four of them talked and laughed with each other. And while they talked, Kei slowly reached over and captured Kuroo’s pinky finger with his. He had the distinct pleasure of watching Kuroo blush, but then Kuroo winked slowly at him, making him blush, too.

They stayed that way until it was time to go practice.