The Cat and the Crow

The constant sound of notifications coming in, in addition to an alarm that hadn’t been turned off, was what finally woke Kei up the next morning. He reached for the phone, and tapped on the notification on the top. It just happened to be the squad chat.

[OH GOOD. KUROO’S AWAKE]
[Not Kuroo]
[HEY HEY HEY! WELCOME TO TOKYO TSUKI!]
[Thanks. I think. What time is it?]
[Almost 8am. I tried to get him to stop, but he’s too excited]
[I noticed]
[Happy belated birthday, Tsuki]
[YEAH, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!]
[Thanks again, guys]

Kei felt when Kuroo woke up. He’d turned over, and wrapped an arm around his waist, gathering him into his arms. “Good morning, love,” his sleep-roughened voice murmured in his ear. Kei shivered.

“Good morning,” he replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had to start talking to them to stop the phone making noises.”

“Nah, I don’t care. Bet you surprised them, though,” Kuroo grinned. He moved so that he could see the screen, and reached up to type something.

[8am? Really?]
[DIDN’T WE ALREADY ESTABLISH THE TIME, TSUKI?]
[Didn’t think you knew words that big, Bokuto]
[There’s Kuroo]
[Yeah, he’s awake now]
[OKAY. NOW, I’M CONFUSED]
[Not even a surprise at this point]
[Good one, Tsuki]
[LOL! Hey guys? Can you give us a little time?]
[OH? TIME FOR WHAT?]
[Standard morning procedures, Bokuto]
[That could be anything]
[True, Akaashi. Bbl.]
[Okay]
[FINE]

Kei let go of the phone, Kuroo placed it on the bedside table, and they managed to sit up without tumbling off the bed. Then, Kuroo stood up and walked over to the dresser. That’s when Kei finally noticed that while he wore a t-shirt and shorts, Kuroo was just in a pair of shorts and his charm necklace. He felt his face flush with heat, and yet he couldn’t look away.

“Keep staring at me like that, and I will lose what little control I have left,” he heard Kuroo growl. He took a deep breath, and let it go, and then turned just enough to catch Kei’s curious, and heated, gaze. “Oh god. I shouldn’t have looked,” he said, quickly turning away.

Deciding that now would be the best time to take a shower, Kei stood up and rummaged through his bag for clothes to change into. He also took a towel and the little bag that had all his toiletries in it.

At the door, he looked back at Kuroo, who was watching him. He said nothing until he was on the other side. “Would losing control really be that bad?” Not staying around to hear the answer, he turned and went to go take a long, cold shower.

[On The Town]

“I do want to take you to a few places and play tourist, but you wanted to see Tokyo as I see it, and that’s pretty limited to the neighborhood and school,” Kuroo said as they all sat around the table. Kei had the idea to cook everyone breakfast, so they’d made a quick run to the grocery store down the street. Bokuto and Akaashi had arrived just after they got home.

“Whatever you want to do,” Kei said, looking at Kuroo. When he caught Akaashi watching them, he shrugged a little and smiled. “You’re the one who planned this.”

“Kuroo,” Bokuto interrupted, pointing his chopsticks at Kei. “Keep him.”

“You only say that because you like his cooking,” Akaashi said. His eyes flicked between Kuroo and Kei, before finally landing on Kuroo. “I agree with the bottomless pit. Keep him.”

“Oh my god, you’re both just saying that because of the food,” Kuroo moaned dramatically, even as he ate another bite. “Sentiment shared, though.”

Kei smirked. “Guess I’ve been promoted to squad cook,” he said snarkily. Then, he looked pleased. “I’m glad you like it.”

Kuroo looked like he couldn’t be happier. After they ate the rest of breakfast and cleaned up, they headed down to the street, and started walking toward the nearest train stop.

“We’ll go to Edo Castle, Ginza, and Ueno Park. And I have another little surprise planned for tonight. Sound like a plan?” Kuroo asked as they boarded. Luckily for them, they found a spot where they could all sit together.

Kei nodded and smiled shakily. His nerves were starting to get the better of him again. Reaching for Kuroo’s hand, he held on tight. Kuroo squeezed his hand, and looked at him, slowly leaning in for a kiss.

“It’s alright. We’ll all stick together, okay?”

“Are you okay, Tsuki?” Bokuto asked, concerned.

“I don’t think he likes crowds,” Akaashi said gently.

Kei focused on Akaashi. “You’re psychic,” he accused.

“No, just good at reading people. Kuroo’s right. We’ll stay close so at least one of us is with you.” He shrugged and smiled. “Better to travel with friends, right?”

“Yeah,” Kei nodded.
They stayed true to their word (as if there was any real doubt), and the four of them spent the day playing tourist. Most of their time was spent at Ueno Park, which ended up being what Kei liked the best, despite the crowds. Everyone’s phone was conscripted to take pictures, and Kei dutifully sent several to his mom, brother, and Tadashi (who would no doubt show the rest of the team). As the sun set, and the city lights began to turn on, Kuroo checked the time on his phone.

“We need to get going. Last admission is at 7pm, and if we hurry, we can make it just in time.”

“Where are we going?” Kei asked.

“You’ll see,” Kuroo replied cryptically.

“Dinner is our treat,” Bokuto said. “There’s a place with the best sushi and ginger rice.”

“Is food all you really think about?” Kei asked sarcastically, but Bokuto grinned.

“Only most of the time!”

“Thanks, guys,” Kuroo said to both of them, too excited to let them keep bickering. They caught the next bus, and Kei was led to sit near the window. “Just keep watching,” Kuroo whispered, weaving his fingers through Kei’s.

A few minutes later, the Skytree came into view. Kei sat up in his seat and then looked at Kuroo, his eyes wide and brilliant. “Really?”

Kuroo nodded. “I knew how badly you wanted to see it, so I bought us tickets.”

“Thank you!” Kei said, and leaned in to kiss him. They ended it when the train slowed down to a stop.

“Let’s go. And be sure to take lots of pictures. I know the rest of your team will want to see them. They were so excited over those steel towers the last few visits.”

Kei laughed. “I’ll tell them it’s from you.”

“You do that. Come on!”

They were lucky to make it just before they closed the ticket office, so Bokuto could get tickets for Akaashi and himself. Pictures were taken at various levels on the way up, until they reached the top-most observation deck. Dusk had fallen, and the city below was a mass of brightly colored lights. Kei looked at everything, his eyes trying to take it all in at once.

“The view is amazing,” Kei said, awestruck. He looked over at Kuroo, who was staring at him.

“Yes. It is. Beautiful, too.”

Kei blushed. “Kuroo?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“I love you,” he said quietly, wrapping his arms around him and holding tight.

“I love you, too.”

They stayed like that for a while, not knowing or caring about what was going on around them. Kei only knew it felt like heaven, and he hated the fact that it would all be ending soon. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the reminder that the Skytree would be closing came over the PA system.

“I don’t want to,” Kuroo said softly.

“Yeah, same,” Kei agreed. “Think maybe, if we hide…”

“Best not. Could get into trouble.”

“You’re right. Can’t go to Nationals if we’re both in jail.”

“Fair point.”

They looked at each other, and broke out laughing. A second announcement interrupted them, and they started making their way to the elevators.

“Okay. I thought Bokuto and Akaashi were with us?” Kei asked, looking around for their friends.

“I thought so, too. Maybe…”

At that moment, both of their phones chimed with notifications. They had their phones out and tapped the group chat after they boarded the elevator. Kuroo pushed the button for the ground floor.

[Come on, you two. We need to go]
[Already on our way, Akaashi]
[We kinda started looking for both of you, though.]
[Yeah, sorry. Bokuto needed to eat, so we left]
[I WAS HUNGRY!]
[You’re always hungry, though]
[TRUE. BUT I WAS ALSO GETTING HANGRY]
[Understandable. We’ll be there shortly.]
[WE BOUGHT DINNER FOR YOU, TOO]
[Second dinner, Bokuto?]
[YEAH. THE FIRST ONLY TOOK THE EDGE OFF]
[Well, then, dinner at my place]
[AND A MOVIE]
[Sure. We can discuss plans for tomorrow, too]
[Sounds good.]

“You don’t mind, do you?” Kuroo asked quietly. The elevator stopped, but the doors hadn’t yet opened.

“No, why would I?”

“More time alone with you would be nice.”

“Even if they stayed over tonight, we still had last night, tomorrow night, and most of Sunday to be alone. Plus, it’s not like we can’t steal time for ourselves, you know?”

The next thing Kei knew, Kuroo had pushed the button to keep the doors closed, and he was pinned against the wall. Kuroo had pressed against him, hands on the wall on either side of his head, and his lips brushed lightly against Kei’s ear.

“You drive me crazy, Tsuki.”

“Yeah, same, Kuroo.”

“I’m not sure I can behave much longer.”

“Me either.”

That made Kuroo lean back to look deep into Kei’s eyes. “Are you saying you…”

“Please exit the elevator. If you need assistance, please use the red courtesy phone below the number pad.”

Kuroo’s head fell onto Kei’s shoulder, and both of them chuckled breathlessly.

“Saved by Lady Skytree Voice,” Kuroo joked as he slowly backed away from Kei. “Let’s go. We have a pair of friends, and dinner, waiting for us.” He reached down and took Kei’s hand, entwining their fingers.