Ship/Character: Kuroo/Tsukishima Fandom: Haikyuu!! Major Tags: None Other Tags: Kuroo is always this kind, beginnings, flustered Tsukki Word Count: 874 Remix Permission: yup
***
The absolute worst thing about the day, the absolutely most appalling thing ever, was not the fact that his glasses were gone, but that he knew where the replacements were. He’d been an idiot, it was true, only bringing the one pair with him, and even more stupid taking them off and not putting them somewhere safe immediately, but stopping to rub at the bridge of his nose. And it would have been okay if at that moment someone hadn’t jostled into him causing his glasses to slip out of his fingers when he over balanced.
Despite the crowd and noise at the station, Kei had heard the crack and crunch as someone—some idiot—hadn’t looked where they were going and trodden his glasses into a thousand pieces.
(It wouldn’t have been a thousand, he’s told later.
What are you? An optometrist all of a sudden?
I’m just saying, not a thousand pieces, maybe ten including the frames snapping.
The glass crushed like sand, but I really wasn’t about to sweep everything up and count the fragments.)
And he needed glasses. He had an interview and an assessment for an internship and if he couldn’t read the fricking paper, or work out which interviewer was which, or even which lift button to press, then they’d mark him down as the dumbest of dumbasses and kick him out of the door.
He didn’t even have his playing glasses with him.
But … Oh … Playing… that reminded him. Pulling out his phone, Kei scrolled through his list of contacts and found the one person, who might, just might be able to help him. Whether he would of course was another matter. Or could. It was highly possible that his saviour might be unable to assist, but …
“Hello,” he said, “Kuroo-san, it’s Tsukishima.”
“Hmm…” Kuroo sounded sleepy. It was eight in the morning, so maybe he’d only just woken up. “Who?”
“Tsukishima…” He paused waiting for Kuroo to say ‘Oh, yeah, right.’ But he didn’t. “Tsukishima Kei,” he tried again, then cleared his throat. “Tsukki!”
“Yeah, I know who it is now. I can place you,” Kuroo yawned.
Place me? It’s been eighteen months, not eighteen years!
“What’s up, Tsuuuuukkkiii?”
Gritting his teeth, Kei explained, “I’m sorry to call on you like this, and at this hour, when you’re obviously not properly awake.”
“Night shift,” Kuroo grunted. “S’okay. Not fallen into bed yet.”
OH. Of course. Kei bit his lip. “Okay, I’ll make it quick. The last time I … uh … saw you.”
“Sawamura’s surprise birthday party, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, the party. I think I … um … left a pair of glasses there, and I need them.”
“Oh, yeah, you did,” Kuroo said. “I’ve still got them. You want me to send them on.”
“No … no. I’m here in Tokyo. I have an interview and I need them. Now.”
There was something like a thump at the other end of the line, which Kei assumed was Kuroo rolling off his bed and maybe dropping the phone.
“Okay, where are you?”
“No, I can come to you.”
“You won’t be able to read the bus timetable. I’ll find you.”
“Thank you, Kuroo-san. I’m at the station.”
Kuroo looked the same (except very blurry) but once Kei had got a pair of glasses on he could see Kuroo actually looked incredibly tired.
“Night shifts at the hospital, right?”
“Yeah, curse of every junior doctor.” He yawned again, managing to muffle it in his sleeve. “So what time’s your interview?”
“Ten o’clock. It’s for an internship with an architectural firm.”
“My kouhai’s growing up.” He dabbed his eyes. “Enough to make me cry.”
“I’m not your kouhai.”
“Whatever.” Kuroo flapped his hand. “You know where I found these, don’t you?”
Kei steeled himself not to blush, but all the steel in the world wasn’t hard enough to repel Kuroo’s penetrating gaze. “I fell asleep in a bedroom,” Kei replied, hoping he sounded nonchalant as his cheeks flamed.
“Mmm, it was mine,” Kuroo replied, and to Kei’s horror he gave a wink. “I thought it was a New Year present.”
“Stop it!” He gulped and took a step away. “I should go. Don’t want to be late!”
“Hey, I’m kidding, sorry.” Kuroo sounded chastened. “Bad joke at a dumb hour of the day. Although…” He sighed. “I seem to recall we were getting on pretty well, until you disappeared on me.”
And they had. Kei remembered getting close. He remembered Kuroo’s arm on his waist, and the mouth that for once wasn’t mocking, and he’d wanted so much to kiss him, to see what those lips tasted like, how they’d feel.
“Always thought it was a shame when Sugawara interrupted us,” Kuroo continued, and then he shrugged. “Ah well. So, do you need directions to the office? I could walk with you.”
“That would be … um … kind.” He struggled for the word.
“I am kind,” Kuroo replied. “And, I dunno, once you’ve finished, I might be a little more awake and we could … um … catch up?”
And he looked sincere, not at all mocking, just as he had at the party, so Kei, with a smile, agreed. “I’d like that.”
FILL: Team Knife Emoji, G
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: Kuroo is always this kind, beginnings, flustered Tsukki
Word Count: 874
Remix Permission: yup
***
The absolute worst thing about the day, the absolutely most appalling thing ever, was not the fact that his glasses were gone, but that he knew where the replacements were.
He’d been an idiot, it was true, only bringing the one pair with him, and even more stupid taking them off and not putting them somewhere safe immediately, but stopping to rub at the bridge of his nose. And it would have been okay if at that moment someone hadn’t jostled into him causing his glasses to slip out of his fingers when he over balanced.
Despite the crowd and noise at the station, Kei had heard the crack and crunch as someone—some idiot—hadn’t looked where they were going and trodden his glasses into a thousand pieces.
(It wouldn’t have been a thousand, he’s told later.
What are you? An optometrist all of a sudden?
I’m just saying, not a thousand pieces, maybe ten including the frames snapping.
The glass crushed like sand, but I really wasn’t about to sweep everything up and count the fragments.)
And he needed glasses. He had an interview and an assessment for an internship and if he couldn’t read the fricking paper, or work out which interviewer was which, or even which lift button to press, then they’d mark him down as the dumbest of dumbasses and kick him out of the door.
He didn’t even have his playing glasses with him.
But … Oh … Playing… that reminded him. Pulling out his phone, Kei scrolled through his list of contacts and found the one person, who might, just might be able to help him. Whether he would of course was another matter. Or could. It was highly possible that his saviour might be unable to assist, but …
“Hello,” he said, “Kuroo-san, it’s Tsukishima.”
“Hmm…” Kuroo sounded sleepy. It was eight in the morning, so maybe he’d only just woken up. “Who?”
“Tsukishima…” He paused waiting for Kuroo to say ‘Oh, yeah, right.’ But he didn’t.
“Tsukishima Kei,” he tried again, then cleared his throat. “Tsukki!”
“Yeah, I know who it is now. I can place you,” Kuroo yawned.
Place me? It’s been eighteen months, not eighteen years!
“What’s up, Tsuuuuukkkiii?”
Gritting his teeth, Kei explained, “I’m sorry to call on you like this, and at this hour, when you’re obviously not properly awake.”
“Night shift,” Kuroo grunted. “S’okay. Not fallen into bed yet.”
OH. Of course. Kei bit his lip. “Okay, I’ll make it quick. The last time I … uh … saw you.”
“Sawamura’s surprise birthday party, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, the party. I think I … um … left a pair of glasses there, and I need them.”
“Oh, yeah, you did,” Kuroo said. “I’ve still got them. You want me to send them on.”
“No … no. I’m here in Tokyo. I have an interview and I need them. Now.”
There was something like a thump at the other end of the line, which Kei assumed was Kuroo rolling off his bed and maybe dropping the phone.
“Okay, where are you?”
“No, I can come to you.”
“You won’t be able to read the bus timetable. I’ll find you.”
“Thank you, Kuroo-san. I’m at the station.”
Kuroo looked the same (except very blurry) but once Kei had got a pair of glasses on he could see Kuroo actually looked incredibly tired.
“Night shifts at the hospital, right?”
“Yeah, curse of every junior doctor.” He yawned again, managing to muffle it in his sleeve. “So what time’s your interview?”
“Ten o’clock. It’s for an internship with an architectural firm.”
“My kouhai’s growing up.” He dabbed his eyes. “Enough to make me cry.”
“I’m not your kouhai.”
“Whatever.” Kuroo flapped his hand. “You know where I found these, don’t you?”
Kei steeled himself not to blush, but all the steel in the world wasn’t hard enough to repel Kuroo’s penetrating gaze. “I fell asleep in a bedroom,” Kei replied, hoping he sounded nonchalant as his cheeks flamed.
“Mmm, it was mine,” Kuroo replied, and to Kei’s horror he gave a wink. “I thought it was a New Year present.”
“Stop it!” He gulped and took a step away. “I should go. Don’t want to be late!”
“Hey, I’m kidding, sorry.” Kuroo sounded chastened. “Bad joke at a dumb hour of the day. Although…” He sighed. “I seem to recall we were getting on pretty well, until you disappeared on me.”
And they had. Kei remembered getting close. He remembered Kuroo’s arm on his waist, and the mouth that for once wasn’t mocking, and he’d wanted so much to kiss him, to see what those lips tasted like, how they’d feel.
“Always thought it was a shame when Sugawara interrupted us,” Kuroo continued, and then he shrugged. “Ah well. So, do you need directions to the office? I could walk with you.”
“That would be … um … kind.” He struggled for the word.
“I am kind,” Kuroo replied. “And, I dunno, once you’ve finished, I might be a little more awake and we could … um … catch up?”
And he looked sincere, not at all mocking, just as he had at the party, so Kei, with a smile, agreed. “I’d like that.”