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It was Friday afternoon, and Kuroo was holed up in his dorm room as the rest of the student population clamored in the hallways. He sighed and turned his music up louder. His paper was due Monday, and he was booked solid for the entire weekend, starting that evening. His goal was to push through it right then and there so he could relax and enjoy himself with his friends.
A sudden knock at the door threw a wrench in that plan, and he groaned as he raked his fingers through his hair.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Kuroo. Can we talk about tonight?”
Kuroo tilted his head, staring at the closed door. He had plans with Sawamura later, and that was Sawamura’s voice, but it didn’t have the same tone as usual. Even stranger than that was him coming to Kuroo’s dorm when his own was across campus, and typically they texted about plans.
“Um, yeah. Be right there.”
Sighing, he got up and lumbered to the door. When he opened it, he flinched as Sawamura suddenly filled the entire doorway. His smile was strangely alluring as he leaned closer, but his eyes were wide with a slight panic in them.
“Hey,” he said in a velvety voice, and, for a moment, Kuroo’s heart fluttered.
“Hey back,” he snickered. “What’s up?”
Sawamura cleared his throat. “Nothing. Just wanted to discuss our plans for later. You, uh, still wanted to see that movie, right?” he asked, idly playing with the door trim.
His behavior was baffling. If Kuroo didn’t know any better he’d say Sawamura was flirting with him, but Sawamura never flirted with anyone. It was one of the main jokes between their group of friends that he was totally clueless when it came to romance. Apparently, he was mistaken, but that begged the question as to why he was directing such suggestive behavior toward Kuroo.
“Yup. That’s the plan.”
“Good, good… and you want to do something after? Go out for drinks, or perhaps come right back here?”
Kuroo recognized the language Sawamura was speaking, but it was as if he still couldn’t interpret it. It was too alien, coming from straight-laced Sawamura and all Kuroo could do was gape back at him. As he stood there, unable to move a muscle, Sawamura grimaced and stole a quick glance down the hallway. He stiffened immediately and turned back to him.
“How about we talk about this inside,” he purred as he placed his palm against Kuroo’s chest and pushed.
Kuroo stumbled back, his heart racing as Sawamura followed him in and slammed the door behind them. He panicked, wondering if Sawamura was about to pin him on the bed and devour him but instead, he headed straight for Kuroo’s computer and turned the music up even louder. When he turned around, he had completely reverted to the usual Sawamura, his expression wracked with guilt.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered and gestured for Kuroo to take a seat on his bed. “I didn’t know what else to do. There’s this girl from my Anatomy class who likes me, and—”
Kuroo couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing. “Sawamura, I know you’re not that experienced, but you don’t flirt with a dude when a girl is interested in you. No one’s going to be attracted to that level of immaturity, though I am relieved. For a second I thought you were replaced by your evil twin or something.”
Sawamura glared at him and folded his arms tightly. “So, I’m suddenly evil and immature because I flirted with you? I didn’t realize you were so sacred.”
“Well, now you know. Next time you should bring an offering along.”
“You’re ridiculous. Back to the point, I’m not interested in her. She’s crazy to the point that she’s stalking me.”
Kuroo shook his head. “Sounds like you’re being a bit dramatic.”
“Kuroo, when have I ever noticed that somebody liked me?”
“Holy shit, you’re right. The last time, the girl literally handed you a confession letter and you asked her who it was for. It had your name on it!”
“I didn’t have a chance to look at that part!” Sawamura snapped, turning a delightful shade of red. He gasped and hunched his shoulders suddenly, glancing at the door in a panic. “Quick, we need to sound flirtatious, so she doesn’t get suspicious.”
“Want me to bounce on the bed and make moaning noises?”
“That may be taking it a bit far.”
Seeing how genuinely Sawamura was worried, Kuroo finally felt an ounce of sympathy for him. “Relax, baby,” he said, loud enough to be heard above the music, and patted the bed next to him. “We’ve got all night to play. For now, let’s talk about our plans.”
Sawamura sighed and flopped down beside him. “There’s a chance she’ll follow us,” he murmured. “We talked about playing darts, but that’s not very date-like.”
“Nonsense. As long as we’re together, we can make any outing a date. It’s all in the mood, and from what I just witnessed, Sawamura can put out a moooooood,” he said, leering in Sawamura’s face.
He chuckled and pushed his face away. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“Damn, I’m getting excited. But I should warn you, Sawamura. If I start treating you like a legitimate date, you’re probably going to fall in love with me.”
Sawamura barked out a laugh. “Yeah, sure. We’ll see.”
—
“You know,” Kuroo whispered into Sawamura’s ear, “until a few minutes ago, I still thought you were overreacting. To think she went as far as to see the same movie as us.”
“She’s been following us since you picked me up at my dorm, I think,” Sawamura sighed. “Looks like we can’t even enjoy the movie.”
Kuroo scoffed and slipped his arm around his shoulders. “I bet to differ. We can still enjoy it as long as we flirt from time to time.”
Sawamura wrinkled his nose before taking a sip of his drink. Kuroo smirked and licked his lips.
“Can I have a sip?”
“Don’t you have your own?”
“Yes, but if I drink out of yours, it’s an indirect kiss.”
Sawamura chuckled and held the cup out for him. “Fine, but who’s being childish now?”
“Just easing you into a romantic vibe. It has to be subtle, or I run the risk of turning you off.” He leaned in a took a little sip of Sawamura’s soft drink. Humming, he leaned back and licked his lips again. “Delicious.”
“You got the same thing as me,” Sawamura whispered, but he was smiling so deeply, his dimple emerged. Kuroo wanted to poke it, but he didn’t want to be hit.
“Somehow it tastes better than mine. It must be the magic of your lips that transferred to the straw.”
“When am I supposed to be falling in love with you again?” Sawamura asked, his voice rumbling with laughter.
“It’s all part of the process, Sawamura. Oh look, the movie’s about to start. This will give your racing heart a chance to rest.”
“Thank God, I thought for sure I was going to perish,” Sawamura sighed and settled back in the seat. He didn’t seem bothered by Kuroo’s arm resting idly around his shoulders at all, but Kuroo supposed that was normal for them. There were many aspects of their friendship that were physically affectionate. Although it would have made him uncomfortable with other guys, it felt natural with Sawamura. Maybe it was because he had a million siblings.
They had decided earlier to only buy one popcorn, so they’d be forced to share. Sawamura kept it on his right thigh so it would be easy for Kuroo to get some and for the most part, they were amicable about sharing it. When the movie began to lull, however, Kuroo couldn’t resist accidentally missing the popcorn bucket and brushing his fingers over Sawamura’s leg instead. With a gasp, Sawamura flinched from the light touch and nearly knocked the bucket over.
“Whoops, sorry,” Kuroo snickered. As Sawamura glared at him, his eyes flickered off Kuroo for a second, and when they came back, his expression changed completely as he leaned in closer.
“It’s fine. Mind if I whisper something in your ear?”
“What else would we do during a movie date? Besides making out, of course,” Kuroo added with an eyebrow wiggle and then turned his head, letting Sawamura lean close to his ear. He shivered as his warm breath tickled over his sensitive skin.
“Asshole.”
Kuroo stifled a giggle. “So romantic, Sawamura. I take it she’s still watching?”
“Like a hawk. I can’t believe to what lengths she’s going to.”
“Hmm, maybe we need to turn the heat up. Otherwise, she may not think we’re serious about each other.”
“I don’t know where she’d get that idea from,” Sawamura deadpanned. Then he blinked as he glanced at something above Kuroo’s eye line. “Oh, look here for a second.”
Cupping Kuroo’s cheek, Sawamura guided his face lower as he reached up with the other hand, threading it through Kuroo’s hair. He tugged gently on a strand and then lowered his hand, showing Kuroo a small piece of popcorn. Gazing at it, Sawamura snickered.
“How did you get popcorn in your hair?”
Kuroo couldn’t answer right away as he was suddenly dazed and overheated. It was so stupid to get excited over such a little thing and it was obvious that Sawamura meant nothing by it. No one had a clue what a fetish he had over someone touching his hair.
“Um, my hair’s like a magnet sometimes,” he chuckled, finally pulling himself together. “I lost my pen the other day only for it to fall out of my hair in the shower the next morning.”
Sawamura’s smile was warm as he laughed softly. His eyes focused back on the screen as he leaned back, but Kuroo’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d ever be on a date with Sawamura, real or fake. Whatever it was, he realized that he was having a nice time. Certainly more fun than most of the dates he’d been on lately.
He sighed and rested his head back against the seat. Unfortunately, the movie had kept going, despite his distracted state, and was now in an action scene, leaving Kuroo a little clueless. At least he could appreciate the special effects.
—
Kuroo was thankful that if he had to pull off a fake date with anyone, it was Sawamura, especially when they headed to their next destination. Their rivalry had continued past high school and their favorite thing to do together was to be competitive. Volleyball, board games, grocery shopping, grades, they always managed to make it a war and for Kuroo, it was like a delicious seasoning peppered throughout his life. It made everything fun and interesting.
He’d nearly forgotten about their stalking tagalong as they immersed themself in a game of darts and when he spotted her at the bar, he realized with a jolt that their trash-talking lacked a bit of romantic flair. It was Sawamura’s turn to shoot and as he let the first dart fly, he landed it just inside the bullseye. Kuroo leaped at the chance to both mess with Sawamura and to get cutesy in front of the girl watching them from behind a drink menu.
“Mmm, your aim is so good, Saaawamura,” he purred as he slipped his hands around his waist. Immediately, Sawamura stiffened in surprise, but Kuroo quickly pressed his lips against his ear. “Try playing it off; she’s watching us closely.”
Sawamura huffed out a laugh and turned his head, bringing his lips closer to Kuroo’s. “I think you’re just scared I’m going to beat your ass.”
“Sawamura, you can do whatever you want to my ass.”
“Stop,” he giggled and shook his head, trying to focus.
Kuroo watched as he held up the next dart, his hand trembling slightly. With a devilish grin, he grazed Sawamura’s ear with his teeth. Sawamura threw the dart and immediately swore as it landed outside the target completely.
“What’s wrong, Sawamura? Getting a little distracted?”
Huffing sharply, Sawamura turned in his arms and gripped Kuroo’s collar, pulling him down. “You said I could do whatever I wanted to your ass? Be careful what you wish for.”
Despite the dangerous look in Sawamura’s eyes, Kuroo crumpled in a fit of laughter. If only real dating could be as fun as messing with Sawamura. To his utter surprise, however, the more he laughed, the more Sawamura relaxed and began to laugh as well.
“You think I’m joking.”
“No, no, I think you are perfectly capable of doing nasty things to me, Sawamura. It’s just that that doesn’t exactly turn me off.”
“Weirdo,” Sawamura mumbled, shaking his head as he turned back to the dartboard. As he lined up his final shot, however, Kuroo spied a small smile on his lips. It was tempting to mess with him again but before he could, Sawamura said, “Touch me right now, and this dart is going straight into your face.”
“Hmm, maybe from this distance it could actually hit me.”
Sawamura exhaled a long slow breath between his teeth. He flicked the dart at the board, this time landing it right in the center of the bullseye. Kuroo swallowed hard as Sawamura turned toward him with a smug grin.
“Yeah, looks like I could. Let’s see how well you do,” he said, gesturing for Kuroo to take his place. Though there was a smile on his lips, his eyes were deadly serious. Kuroo gave him a weak smile back and hustled to the board to fetch the darts. Not many people knew how devious Sawamura could be, and he had a feeling that karma was about to bite him in the ass.
—
Kuroo accidentally brushed Sawamura’s shoulder as they laughed together. They had nearly been thrown out after so many rounds of darts and every battle containing an absurd amount of trash talk and extreme displays of affection meant to trip the other up. When Sawamura’s hand cupped his ass on the last round, Kuroo sent the dart all the way to the board next to them, startling the couple playing there. It took a lot of apologies and promises to settle down for them to agree not to go to the manager, so they decided that it would be best to take their battles somewhere else.
“I’m not sure we can show our faces there again,” Sawamura snickered, and Kuroo grinned back at him.
“It’s a shame. I had a lot of fun.”
“Me too. At least there’s a lot to do around here.”
“I’m sure it feels that way after suffering so long in the countryside,” Kuroo sighed as he hooked his arm around Sawamura’s neck. “What did you do for fun besides volleyball? Go fishing?”
“No! Oh, well, I did enjoy fishing from time to time, but there’s nothing wrong with that,” he grumbled as he avoided Kuroo’s gaze.
“Aww, I meant nothing by it, Sawamura! I’m just saying that, even after a couple of years of living here, the city must seem exciting and full of possibilities.”
Sawamura rolled his eyes and shook Kuroo’s arm off him, turning around to give what Kuroo was certain to be a delightful comeback. Spotting something behind Kuroo, however, Sawamura’s expression darkened.
“Ugh, she’s still following us,” he groaned and turned back around.
Kuroo winced and guided him a little faster down the street. “Jeez, by this point, you may have to report her.”
“I’m not sure to what point her stalking would be considered illegal. From what I can tell, she’s never done it before today.”
“Hmm, maybe she just wants to see if we’re serious or not.” Spotting a bridge up ahead, Kuroo brightened and steered Sawamura toward it. “Guess we’ll have to resort to drastic measures.”
“Huh? What do you mean? Where are we going? The station’s that way.”
“Relax, we’re just going on a romantic walk. Aren’t the lights along the bridge pretty?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Sawamura frowned as he stared ahead. Although Kuroo was thoroughly enjoying himself, he felt a slight ache in his chest, thinking perhaps it was more one-sided than he thought. This was a fake date, after all, and most of their flirting so far had been relatively harmless.
He nearly called off the romantic walk with a laugh when he felt a gentle touch on his hand. Glancing down, his breath hitched as Sawamura’s fingers threaded with his.
“Is this alright?” Sawamura murmured, giving him a small smile.
Kuroo smiled back and squeezed Sawamura’s hand. “Yeah, this is nice. You know, Sawamura, you’re more charming than I thought you’d be.”
“I’m not completely hopeless,” he laughed as he gazed out over the water. “I’d be a great boyfriend.”
“Oh, really?” Kuroo asked as he pulled them to the side. He kept Sawamura’s hand as he turned toward him and leaned back against the railing. “What charming things would you do with me if you were my boyfriend?”
Sawamura hummed and settled close to Kuroo on the railing. “There are some things that wouldn’t change with you. I think we both have too much fun getting competitive with each other to quit that.”
Kuroo snorted. “Agreed.”
“The main difference would be the aftercare. Your hand hurts after throwing so many darts right? Whether you win or lose, I’d take the time to give it a good rub,” he said, holding Kuroo’s hand up between them. With both hands, Sawamura gently rubbed his thumbs over Kuroo’s palm and fingers. It felt heavenly, and he couldn’t hold back a little groan.
“Damn, you are good with your hands.”
Sawamura chuckled. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I’d rub other parts of you, too, if you wanted.”
“Just marry me, why don’t you?”
“Wow, you’re easy.”
“Apparently I am, considering this wasn’t supposed to be a date in the first place.”
Sawamura paused his hand rubbing and frowned. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. Do you still see you-know-who?”
Kuroo’s eyes glanced up for a quick second. “She is, and not that far off either. Hope she didn’t hear what I said. Anyway, keep talking about what you’d do to me if you were my boyfriend.”
Sawamura’s smile warmed him up from his head to his toes. “You’re so curious about it. What would you want me to do as your boyfriend?”
“Oh ho! Turning it around on me, I see… Well, for starters, you’d need to speak to me in that low, lusty voice you were using earlier.”
“My what?”
“The sexy voice you used on me back at my dorm room. Don’t tell me you weren’t doing it on purpose!”
“I don’t know, I was just pretending to be suave! What did it sound like?”
“Like Kuroo, you can’t ask questions but from now on, you’re my love slave.”
It was a poor imitation, but Sawamura’s laughter made it worth it, especially as he leaned forward and buried his face against Kuroo’s chest.
“I didn’t say anything like that.”
“You may as well have. But in that tone of voice, I probably would have done anything you asked.”
“Really?” Sawamura tipped his head up, his dark eyes smoldering as his lips drifted closer to Kuroo’s. “Maybe I should test that theory.”
Technically, he hadn’t asked Kuroo to do anything, but he’d dropped his voice down again and Kuroo could feel the intent of his words. With a quick lick of his lips, Kuroo leaned in, giving in to the kiss Sawamura silently requested. They sank into it and Kuroo hummed with pleasure. He’d never even imagined kissing Sawamura before that day but even if he had, it would have never compared to the real thing.
“Noooooooooo!”
Kuroo and Sawamura flinched at the cry of dismay and turned. The stalker girl, who had been hiding conspicuously behind a lamppost, was running in the other direction, crying the whole way over the confirmation that Sawamura was, in fact, taken.
“Huh,” Sawamura said, staring after her. “I guess that’s that.” He turned back to Kuroo and gave him a shy smile. “It was kind of a pain in the ass, having her following us, but I guess it had its perks.”
“Told you, Sawamura,” Kuroo sang as he leered over him. “Go on a date with me, and you’ll fall madly in love.”
Sawamura stared up at him, unimpressed. “Can’t say I’m madly in love with you, Kuroo.” Before his heart could sink completely, Sawamura smirked and reached up, cupping his chin. “I am a little crazy about you, though.”
Kuroo laughed softly, overwhelmed with relief. “Good, because I think I’m a little crazy about you, too.”