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[holychocopie]

Bodyguard!Sanemi x Reader - Part 1

Going shopping with Bodyguard!Sanemi

Author’s notes : Sorry it’s been a wee while. I have been working on other projects at the same time (a multichapter fanfic, a couple of collabs, etc. All the good stuff!). Anywho… I already published the intro to this Bodyguard!Sanemi x F!Reader HCs series, and now here is part 1. Thank you to all of you who liked it, this is pure motivation for me. If you enjoy this series, please like and reblog, that will help a lot giving this series more visibility on the platform. Also go check @mari-the-bimbo 's amazing Bodyguard!Megumi series, it's absolutely amazing! Warnings: F!Reader, swearing because it’s Sanemi, Minors DNI (just to be safe) Word count: 2390

Intro - Part 2 - Masterlist

Going shopping for the first time with Bodyguard!Sanemi

🤍 It has been a few days since Bodyguard!Sanemi had started working for your family as your personal security detail and things haven’t been easy. This guy was absolutely everywhere, following you like a damn shadow: he had your detailed schedule from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, which made it pretty much impossible for you to even just take a stroll in the garden on your own.

🤍 You had texted your other rich friends who you knew also had been assigned a 24/7 surveillance, to complain about it. Some had taken the opportunity to vent as well – « so invasive, so overwhelming, so unfair, etc. » - but others had a more chilled approach. They had told you’d get used to it and that, at some point, your bodyguard would become a part of your decor, like a piece of furniture or a silent and well-trained little watchdog. You just had to be a bit patient at the beginning. While you appreciated that they tried to lift your spirit, you didn’t like the idea that, like them, you would end up losing your empathy to the point of considering another human being as nothing more than a chair or a clothes rack.

🤍 Still, you didn’t like having Bodyguard!Sanemi around. He was definitely not as bad as you had imagined a bodyguard would be, because as long as you were responsible and did not put yourself in a situation of danger, he mostly let you be. But the dude was killing your vibe!

🤍 It was like Bodyguard!Sanemi had two moods only and randomly switched from one to the other: the ‘can’t be fucked with life right now’ mood, and the ‘don’t even look in my general direction or I’ll kill you’ mood. Not that you would want to engage into a conversation with him anyway.

🤍 You also couldn’t help but remember how poorly he treated you on the day you two were formally introduced. Damn jerk!!

🤍 So, you had decided to go ahead with Plan B: getting Bodyguard!Sanemi fired asap. And for that, there was only one way! You had to show to your father how unreliable and useless Sanemi was, and that you could be trusted because you were a mature young woman who was always careful and responsible. And today would be the perfect opportunity! A full day of shopping at the mall and shops in Shibuya.

🤍 Plan B, step 1: Act as usual! You started off with a casual visit to a few of your favourite shops, the sales assistants rushing to help you since they knew you were likely to spend a lot. You made sure to behave as usual, keeping up with your bitchiness, so nothing would give you away and you could easily shift the blame on Bodyguard!Sanemi later on. You had be above any suspicion.

🤍 Step 2: Get Bodyguard!Sanemi to relax! At first, he chose to stay standing in a corner of the shop from where he could both keep an eye on you and have a good view over the area: he would always find the perfect spot to be able to intervene quickly in case anything happened. He was good at his job, that you couldn’t deny, so you had to set things in motion in order to make him fault – or at least make it look like he did. You had to make him feel at ease, even just a tad bit, so eventually he wouldn’t be so alert.

🤍 Acting as ‘friendly’ as possible without being too obvious, you suggested he sat by the changing room instead. “Since I’m gonna be spending most my time in there anyway,” you had argued.

🤍 It must have made sense to him in a way, because when you opened the curtain to ask for a different size, you found him manspreading on the small couch by the huge mirror. He did seem a bit more relaxed already.

🤍 Step 3: Get Bodyguard!Sanemi distracted! You were no cat-walk model, but you were proud of your womanly attributes and charms. And he was in for a show! Outfit after outfit – from the cute bustier dress that showed off your curves, to the mini skirt and crop top combo that didn’t leave much room to imagination, the tight skinny jeans and sheer white shirt, to the deep red bikini with push-up bra… The idea was to overwhelm his brain with crazy-hot images of you. If you managed to catch most of his attention, he’d likely try to compensate by forcing himself to look around more often to keep track of everything and everyone in the shop. You wanted to wear him out.

🤍 Eventually, after five long hours of intense shopping, you could feel that his attention was starting to spread thin. He had done great at pretending to not watch you model for him, but you knew when you has a man's attention. And you had his for sure.

🤍 Between you, the many bags of stuff you had bought so far, the other patrons coming in and out of the shops, the passers-by when you walked from one place to another, Bodyguard!Sanemi was getting more irritable and less patient.

🤍 Step 4: Slip away! It only lasted a few seconds… But eventually the perfect opportunity rose, in the shape of a random customer at Sephora who approached Bodyguard!Sanemi, thinking he was working there as a security guard. You didn’t stick around to see or hear him kindly tell the lady to fuck off – you simply knew he did. And by the time she was gone, so were you. You had conveniently ‘forgotten’ your phone on the Anastasia Beverly Hills shelf – a meager sacrifice that you were willing to make, most of your stuff was saved on your cloud anyway – then you had quickly escaped.

🤍 You could see him from your hiding spot about 50 metres away, searching for you in the thick weekend crowd, a pissed off scowl on his face.

🤍 To stay coherent with Step 1, you decided to stay close by, yet out of his sight. It had to look like he had lost you, and not the other way around. You had it all well planned: you went into a shop that you were very unlikely to buy from, so Sanemi wouldn’t think of looking for you in there at first. Then when – or if – he’d find you, you’d pull your Get-Out-Off-Jail-Free card by pretending you were looking for a gift or something. The closest boutique that matched the description was... a sex-shop. Urgh. Typically your luck.

🤍 You really didn’t feel comfortable in there at all, not because it was a sex-shop – after all, you had visited a couple in Paris and London when hanging out with European influencers. This one, though located in Shibuya, was nothing like that; in Europe they had felt more chic and glamourous, compared to this shabby rat hole. The atmosphere here felt cheap, and the clientele seemed unsavoury. Yet, you had to go along with your plan, so you started to stroll from one aisle to the other, browsing random items with faked interest.

🤍 Naturally, you caught the attention of a few people, with your tailored outfit, Louboutin shoes, and shopping bags branded Louis Vuitton and Prada. You definitely stuck out like a sore thumb.

🤍 “Hey, has anyone ever told you that you are absolutely beautiful?” It was a very creepy looking 40-or-so year-old guy wearing a cheap suit. As he was approaching you, he added: “You have a very well proportionated silhouette and very glowy, healthy skin. I’m actually a casting director and we’re looking for young women like you for our next movie…”

🤍 You quickly stopped paying attention to his bla-bla. You knew he wasn’t really a casting director, but more likely just a recruiter for some dodgy modelling agency, or a random hentai dude hiring for porn movies. And you were not interested in starting an Idol career or featuring in a sex tape, like the infamous Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. “Thanks for your offer, but I'll pass,” you answered as politely as you felt inclined to.

🤍 Alas, the guy wasn’t letting go that easily. “It’s the kind of career that brings instant fame, you know. With a body like yours, I’m positive that you wouldn’t have trouble signing more contracts after that!” “Cool story, but like I said, I’m good,” you said as you started to walk away to a different part of the shop.

🤍 He must have not appreciated that you tried to shrug him off and felt offended by your lack of manners, because he grabbed your arm and held you back forcefully. “You know, it’s not very polite to turn your back to an elder when they’re talking to you, young lady! I wasn’t finished—”

🤍 “I think you were.” You nearly didn’t recognise Bodyguard!Sanemi’s voice when he talked, his tone low and menacing as he dropped a very heavy hand on the so-called director’s shoulder.

🤍 If he could shoot lasers from his eyes, his glare would have set the other guy on fire. The two men were about the same height, but Sanemi’s aura was so imposing, it felt like he was towering him. He wasn’t directing his cold angered stare at you, but you still shivered in fear, as if your survival instinct had suddenly kicked in.

🤍 Of course, the ‘director’ didn’t even try to argue and took off immediately.

🤍 And now, Sanemi’s glare was on you. You gulped.

🤍 “You slippery little shit,” he growled as he grabbed you by the arm to lead you out of the sex-shop.

🤍 “Hey!” you tried to argue. “I was shopping here!” He stopped as you were about to pass the doors and looked at you defiantly. “Oh yeah? My bad! What were you about to buy?” Unfortunately, that’s the moment your brain decided to go blue screen/boot in safe mode. You were struggling to come up with an excuse, that stupid hentai guy had completely ruined your flow! So out of panic, you grabbed the first item you could reach for.

🤍 Handcuffs. Fuck!

🤍 Sanemi snickered evilly. “Well, well, how kind! Exactly what I needed!”

🤍 Half an hour later… You were still shopping. Sanemi had insisted you visited all the shops you wanted to see because he “won’t put up with another day of this shit anytime soon.” So here you were, struggling to try on stuff with your right hand cuffed to your bodyguard’s left hand. He was standing by the changing room, his arm through the curtain up to the elbow to give your movements some slack.

🤍 But because he was a real douche, he would randomly pull, making you stumble on your feet or miss a button… And every time you’d glance out of the changing room to give him a nasty look, he’d smirk at you provocatively. The nerve of this guy, challenging you! Mocking you! Aaaargh!

🤍 Eventually, once you were done spending money, he texted the chauffeur and you went back to the car. Still attached.

🤍 Walking through the mall like that attracted curious glances and murmurs. You felt the red creep up to your cheeks and ears – from both embarrassment and anger – while he walked casually through the crowd like he owned the damn place.

🤍 Even in the car he refused to remove the cuffs. He was gonna make your humiliation total!

🤍 Of course, needless to say that Plan B had backfired horribly! Most of the house staff witnessed the walk of shame that Bodyguard!Sanemi made you take through the estate as he led you to your father’s office. He didn’t give a single fuck that he might be interrupting some important meeting when he barged in, without knocking, pulling you behind. But surprisingly, your father didn’t tell him off.

🤍 “As expected, you tried to lose your security detail,” your dad said disappointedly after Sanemi had summed up what had happened and why the two of you were cuffed. “You know it’s for your protection and my peace of mind, but you still stubbornly try to defy me.” You tried to defend yourself with your well-prepared arguments: “I thought he was still following me when I left,” “I didn’t do anything wrong, I was just browsing in a nearby shop,” “I misplaced my phone by mistake while swatching some makeup, that’s all,” and so on… But he didn’t believe any of your bullshit and even gave a friendly tap on Sanemi’s shoulder, silently praising him for doing a great job today.

🤍 No matter the humiliation Sanemi put you through! Nor his poor behaviour after that, bordering harassment! Argh, you were so angry!

🤍 Now not only Sanemi had proved himself worthy of your father’s trust and demonstrated just how good he was at his job, but you also somehow convinced your dad that you couldn’t be trusted, and that the around-the-clock bodyguard was an absolute necessity! Guess I’ll need a Plan C, now…

🤍 Sanemi walked you to your room, your wrists still linked by the metallic bracelets. Only once in front of your door did he uncuff you.

🤍 “How did you find me without my phone to track me?” you eventually asked as curiosity took over. He smirked, then brought a steady hand to your chest. The tip of his finger barely brushed against the side of your breast as he pointed at the metal wire of your bra just by your armpit. You blushed furiously, half freaking out – half only (!). What the fuck is he trying to do????

🤍 “I bugged your undies.”

🤍 WHAT!!??

🤍 Before he left you so you could get ready for dinner, he handed you your phone. Not without a mocking grin.

🤍 Now lying on your bed, finally alone, you sighed. Sanemi was a cunning adversary, and you had made the mistake to underestimate how resourceful he was. Time for Plan C!

BONUS: Can you imagine Sanemi asking the maid on laundry duty to bring your underwears to his bedroom before she folds them and put them back in your drawers... Holding onto them while sewing the tracking devices at night, with an evil grin as he just know that his hard work will definitely pay one day 😅

[holychocopie]

Bodyguard! Sanemi x F! Reader

Meeting your new security detail 😫

Author’s note: This trope is inspired by @mari-the-bimbo’s exceptional JJK series, please go check out her blog if you don’t know her yet, her Dorm mate! Gojo series is just to die for 😍 This will likely be a series as well, probably some ‘slow burn/can’t make my mind/deep in denial yet terribly jealous and possessive’ sort of romance, Sanemi being Sanemi! I have a few ideas but I’m open to prompt suggestions so please DM me with your ideas! BUTT! This doesn’t mean I am taking requests yet, sorry, I’m just afraid to get overwhelmed… Also, I plan on keeping this mostly SFW – we’ll see how it goes. Warnings: swearing, F! Reader, word-count 2075 Part 1 - Part 2 - Masterlist

· Your family being crazy rich and influential, and your father financing a lot of lobbies, you grew up with a target on your back.

· That and the fact that you’re barely 18 and finishing high school, you kind of lack in the maturity department still, and often take rash decisions just to upset your father with whom you have a bit of an oppositional relationship. So naturally, you tend to find yourself in risky situations…

· Clubs open their doors wide open for you because they know you’re loaded – well, your parents are, but ain’t that the same thing?! – and cracking a couple grands shouting your besties is a regular occurrence. Fashion week in Paris? Sure thing. Sponsors from huge brands? Don’t need to ask, their PR packages are already at your door. Want to hang out with some celebs? Dude! Zendaya, Lily-Rose and Millie are already asking you what you’re planning for the summer break! So yeah, you’re kind of a spoiled brat.

· But really, you’re not that bad – I mean, you ARE a bit of a little shit, but you actually stay out of trouble… mostly. A lot of the rich youth tend to go for drugs, extreme partying, terrible behaviour, hanging out with the wrong crowd, etc. But the truth is, you’re a sham! You still go to school, you actually plan on going to college to further your studies, you’re too much of an introvert to ask your crush out, you’re not even that popular at your school because your classmates just know you’re a dork, and you can count your real friends on the fingers of one hand.

· Your family’s wealth just made you a wee bit capricious.

· Unfortunately, it also attracts attention from the wrong kind of people, and I’m not talking paparazzi, stalkers and panties-thieves!

· Recently, as you accompanied your dad on one of his business trips to Hong Kong, you two got into an argument and you decided to go do some shopping to cool down – indulge, friend! You deserve it! Of course, paranoid as he is, your dad sent one of his security staff along, but you absolutely hate being followed so you quickly (and way too easily) lost the gorilla. I mean, did this guy even try to do his job seriously? Or did he think walking behind you and looking mean were the only two criteria to fulfil his mission?!

· Of course, shit went south quickly enough. As it turned out, a rival company to one that your father invested in considerably, wanted him to withdraw his funds. And his daughter was the perfect leverage. They tried to take the opportunity of you fluffing around Hong Kong’s busy malls to get their hands on you, only failing because somehow the security detail who was meant to shadow you managed to find you first, and actually did a decent job at kicking the bad guys’ asses before extracting you to the safety of your armoured rental car (yeah, there is a niche market for that visibly…).

· Since it has become obvious that his enemies are trying to attack him through you, and that you’re too much of a handful for a regular bodyguard, your dad decides to hire a pro. He knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy (you know the drill) … who specialises in the other niche market of rare talents: mercenaries and former or reformed militaries to hire for the security of high profile clients. When you hear about that, you’re anything but happy.

· Your parents took the decision to have one of those thick-arm-no-brain kind of dude be your personal bodyguard. He will follow you literally EVERYWHERE. At school, when you go out with friends, etc. Your social life on campus was pretty much nil already – let’s not even mention your love life because, clearly, you’d have more chances finding true love in Antarctica than in this poor excuse of an elite school! – and you just know that this will hammer the final nail in the coffin, burying forever your chances at blending in and living a somehownormal life…

· When you get home from school that afternoon, you know the guy will be there, ready to be introduced to you. You fully expect some sort of Vin Diesel or Sylvester Stallone type of overly body-built stern-looking humour-deprived 2 metres tall man in black.

· The butler welcomes you with a polite bow and takes your coat and bag from you while you remove your shoes and put on slippers before going any further. A maid picks up your fancy Mary-Janes to take them back to your dressing-room for you, and you thank her with a nod and a smile (‘cause you’re a little shit but you’re still nice to the staff!). “Your parents are waiting for you in the master’s office,” you get told by the butler, and you can feel your stomach twist and churn.

· As you reach your dad’s office, you brace yourself. You take a couple of deep breath: it will go well! You don’t need to be friendly with the guy, he’s supposed to be your shadow after all. And it’s not a team’s work, you won’t be working as partner, so no stress! He’s an employee, he works for you! It’s not like you want him to appreciate you or that you should care about what he’ll think of you.

· You already start forming the outline of an evil plan to get him fired in case he turns out to be too much of a dick. Because one should always have a Plan B ready to get rid of unwanted attention from creeps or bullies.

· You eventually knock at the door, and wait to be invited in, like a proper lady – you’re already upset, no need to make your mood worse by getting into a never-ending argument with your old man about etiquette.

· After hearing your mother’s kind voice answer “Come in!”, you push the door open and get in. At first, you’re kinda confused… Like, where the fuck is the bodybuilder? Nowhere to be seen! Did your dad change his mind about the personal security detail?! Your veeerrrry brief moment of relief is quickly replaced by renewed confusion. There is a guy standing there, in the middle of the room, back to you and facing your parents, both sitting behind your dad’s huge hand-carved wooden desk. His more average silhouette isn’t quite what you expected: he’s only 180cm tall or something, medium build – like definitely not Arnold Schwarzenegger material but you can still see the curve of his biceps through the fabric of his white shirt – and somehow he appears a bit less stiff than the rest of the security staff. Yeah, they kind of all look like they got a stick up the ass… I mean, the guy has already gotten rid of his blazer and casually has his arms crossed over his chest. Etiquette? Nay nay! Visibly, this guy’s got no fuck to give about good manners in high society.

· And of course, there is his hair. Like WTF, does he bleach it or something?! In his line of work, shouldn’t he keep it neatly cut and natural? How does he even get such a perfect snow-like white?! He’s got a thick mope of it too, and you can’t help but think that he must have some pretty bad bed-head mornings. It’s cut sort of short at the back, probably in a desperate attempt at taming his gravity-defying mane. I wonder if it’s soft… you think, before pursing your lips. Why would you even think that, girl!

· “Good evening,” you say with the most neutral tone you can muster. Because you definitely refuse to give your dad any excuse to make you look like the horrible daughter he often makes you out to be when talking to his guests and business partners. You know he thinks you’re an ungrateful, worthless child, despite your many attempts at making him proud with good grades and honed creative skills… Sure, you’re spoiled, and you act like it more often than not, but you’re far from being the bad seed he regularly portrays.

· “Y/N, you are late. You knew you were expected to be home at 3.30 on the dot to meet the new member of our security team.” Of course, he’d find something to reproach you anyway!!

· Your father looks at you intently, clearly your cue to apologise. You sigh audibly and mumble: “Right, sorry, I should have foreseen we’d be stuck in traffic and teleported home instead.”

· The words slipped before you could stop them, talking back to your father like you always did because… well you know, you’re a bad seed and all. You bite your cheek, already mentally facepalming for taking the bait waaayyyy too quickly.

· Your father frowns, pinching the bridge of his nose to hold back the hearing he would have given you normally – your mom rubbing his shoulder with sympathy may be what’s helping him keeping it cool(-ish.) His turn to sigh, one minute together in the same room and he’s already done with you. He would have sent you to your room if he didn’t have to see through the formal introduction of your bodyguard. “Y/N, this is Shinazugawa Sanemi. He will be attached to your personal security around the clock. He will not be living in the North wing like most of the personnel, but in a suit close to yours in the main building, to make sure you do not sneak out at night again.”

· You immediately try to argue that: “Dad, that happened only once an-” “That’s one too many time!” he cuts you firmly, voice raising and shoulders tensed, trying to assert his authority. You bite your bottom lip, fully frustrated with the whole situation, and your mom gives you a look that says ‘Sorry-not sorry, you know your dad…’. Poor her, always having to play Switzerland to try and smoother your firey fights. Your dad resumes, this time addressing the new-comer: “Shinazugawa-san, please do not hesitate to take every measure you deem necessary to protect her. Keep her safe at all costs.” “I will.”

· Was he one of those ‘men of few words’, who act more than they blab? Then maybe he wouldn’t nag you too much and you’d have some peace after all?

· But just as that thought crosses your mind, he glances at you above his shoulder – the nerve of this guy who doesn’t even turn to face you properly when looking at you! He didn’t even bow to you or anything either, what the hell! It’s as if he was gratifying you with his contempt! You could feel your blood boiling already, damn! He is an employee like everyone else here, who does he think he is!

· I mean, sure he is kinda cute… in spite of the many scars that litters his face… and if you are into perpetually pissed looking fuck-boy – the basic tsundere type! Like, he has some pretty features, really: light purple eyes, glaring at you angrily behind thick long lashes, like he’s gauging the size of your coffin or something … You randomly take note of the barely visible white eyebrows, considering he might actually be albino after all.

· The conversation doesn’t last much longer after that, and soon enough, the both of you are kindly told to fuck off, because your dad has better shit to do, like plan his next golf trip or whatever. As soon as the door closes behind you, the newly appointed bodyguard sneers at you.

· “You little shit better behave, ‘cause I ain’t some glorified babysitter for spoiled brats. I’ll put a leash on you if I have to.” “Sure, you can try! You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you sadistic polar grizzly!”

· Once again, you talk faster than you think, words spilling out of your mouth like verbal diarrhoea. It’s only after a hot second that you realise your words could somehow be perceived as some sort of invitation to a very inappropriate kind of foreplay… And judging by his raised eyebrow and slight frown, the white-haired man got the awkwardness of your vindictive answer just right. You blush – definitely out of anger, nothing else, okay! – and walk off. “I’ll go to my room, good night!” you inform, drapping yourself in whatever’s left of your dignity.

· You start to seriously consider working a bit more on your Plan B.

[holychocopie]

Patch him up

Romeo, Save Me collab with @bakuroo-writings for White Day

Fushiguro Toji x F!Reader

Summary: Toji comes knocking at your door in the middle of the night, he needs to be patched up. It's turning into a bad habit but you can't deny him: you're weak for this man, and you caught feelings.

Author’s notes: Hi friends! Here’s my contribution to @Bakuroo-writings ‘s Romeo, Save Me is a Damsel (Damoiseau) in Distress collab. I tried to not be too out of character with Toji, I hope you enjoy! Please reblog to share the love, it helps a lot! xx

Warnings: F!reader, slightly tsundere reader, swearing and some crude words because it’s Toji, blood and injuries, mentions of medicine and needles, mostly SFW but mentions of sex + sorta classic tragedy feels. Proof-read by me, at 2am, so probs a few typos left, sorry 🙇‍♀️

Minors please do not interact.

Word count: 5281 (I know… it’s long again, sorry)

Thoughts and highlights in italics. Texts in bold.

--

It was very late that night – or maybe very early in the morning – when you heard loud poundings against the door downstairs. In the midst of your upside-down dreams full of zombie dogs and creepy people walking through walls, your brain first thought that the banging was part of the soundtrack of that crazy night fiction. It did take a long minute for you to realise that there was an actual someone at your door. So, you got out of bed, put on some sweatpants, pocketed your phone in case you’d need to call the cops, and shuffled out of your room, then down the stairs.

You were leaving on top of your parents’ pharmacy; it was an exchange of courtesies. You were a broke med student, and they had some dodgy people trying to break in at night a few times over the past year, only chased away by the sound of the alarm system. So, you agreed to move in there and make the place look “alive” until late at night, and in exchange they wouldn’t charge you a dime for rent, power, water or internet. Extra bonus: it wasn’t far from your campus!

So far, over the six months that you had been living there, you’d had to get out of bed in the middle of the night only twice. Once for a junkie trying to get in, whom you had frightened away by showing up behind the window-door, wielding a baseball bat. And the second time, for your bloodied neighbour, Fushiguro Toji, in dire need of a nurse to patch him up. You hadn’t asked any questions, you knew if he wanted a doctor he could have just gone to the hospital instead. Plus, it was nothing serious, so you had been able to patch him up on your own easily.

You really hoped it was him this time again, ‘cause you couldn’t be fucked dealing with a random junkie again. Although, you also hoped that if it was him, he would be injured again…

On your way to the back door, you grabbed the bat because ‘you never know’, right?!

“Yeah, yeah, stop knocking already, I’m not deaf, alright?!” you grumbled loudly, although you doubted whoever was knocking at your door could hear you above the noise they were making.

You unlocked the door but kept the safety chain on, then turned the outside light on, so you could check the identity of your unwanted guest.

“Turn the damn light off,” the familiar deep voice growled as he pushed the door roughly enough for the chain to crack and break.

“Please, come in,” you said, sarcasm coating your words, yet turning off the back door’s light off, as you were told.

While closing the door behind him, you absentmindedly wondered if the chain was just poorly made, or if the man himself was simply too damn strong.

“What the fuck do you want, Toji? It’s past 3am, you know…” you asked, trying to sound annoyed while truly you were (a bit too) happy to see him again.

“Yeah, I know, brat. What are you, the universal clock or something?” he answered with a mocking smirk.

You noticed immediately that something was off with his voice… Other than the fact that he was keeping his voice down, he sorts of sounded out of breath or something. But you decided to give him a bit of a hard time anyway, because he always ever came to you when he needed you, and you were kind of done with his attitude overall.

“I need a service,” he added. “Can you patch me up?”

“Just go to a damn hospital, for fuck’s sake! I’m not your personal nurse, alright!” you answered, really annoyed with his cowboy-like manners.

“Come on, ain’t neighbours supposed to help one another? I happen to need your help right now… Badly…”

Somehow his voice died down as he hissed in pain, holding himself to a shelf. Your instinct kicked in immediately and you came closer to him to catch him up. As soon as you were in his arm-reach, Toji’s free hand clasped onto your shoulder for support. He still stumbled a bit, and you reached for his centre of gravity, to try and keep him steady. But when your hands touched his body, you felt the familiar thick, warm liquid stick to your palms and fingers. The blood was soaking through his t-shirt and hoodie. You gasped as you could only guess how much of it he had lost already. The cogs in your brain switched you on doctor-mode, and you already knew the best course of action: lay him down in recovery position, find a thick cloth to pressure the wound and limit the blood loss, call for help…

But Toji wouldn’t give you the luxury to get him down gently: his legs gave away under him and you struggled under his weight, both arms wrapped around his torso to try and hold him up. The man was tall – an absolute hunk – so your smaller frame couldn’t really do much to keep him standing. As he pulled you down in his fall, Toji still managed to land on his side, dampening the shock, his large hand protecting the side of your head so you wouldn’t break your skull on the tiled floor of the storage room of your family’s pharmacy. The only thing that stopped the shelf he was holding onto to fall on top of the both of you, was that it was screwed to the wall in case of earthquakes, and a part of you silently thanked your father for being so diligent.

“Sorry,” Toji mumbled, now barely conscious.

“Hey, stay with me!” you exclaimed as you sat up, quickly pulling your phone from your pocket. “I’m calling an ambulance!”

“No…”

“You need proper medical attention! Don’t argue with me!”

“If you call, they’ll come for you too…”

“They?!” you exclaimed, slightly panicking, frantically searching for something to press against his wound. “Who’s ‘they’? Oi! Toji!”

But the man had just passed out.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” you mumbled to yourself as you hurriedly stood up to turn on a small desk light that you put on the floor beside your patient.

Since you couldn’t call the emergency services, you had no choice but to do your absolute best to keep Toji alive, by yourself. You grabbed a medical kit before kneeling beside him again. You removed your top, sacrificing your favourite Harry Potter t-shirt to save the bastard’s life, pushing the piece of clothing onto his injured flank.

With your free hand, you unzipped his hoodie, then searched through the kit for a pair of scissors, which you used to cut through his tee. You peaked at the wound: it looked like his left side had been neatly slashed. The blood wasn’t gushing out, more like flowing out gently, which was a good sign. It seemed unlikely that any artery or organ was touched, but of course you couldn’t be 100% sure with the poor lighting and without actual imagery material. You were only in your fourth year of med school and you definitely didn’t have enough practice to analyse an injury at first glance… But you had enough knowledge to stop the bleeding and patch him up!

So, you did your best. But by the time you were done cleaning and dressing the wound, you found him very pale. Checking for his heartbeat and blood pressure, you figured that they were both pretty low: he had definitely lost a lot of blood and would need a transfusion… Toji was in luck, because you happened to have a bit of blood to spare.

---

A good couple of hours later, the adrenaline was finally leaving your system, and exhaustion started kicking in. But you couldn’t just let yourself fall asleep; you had to keep watch and make sure your patient was holding up.

You had put your dirty medical stuff away for sanitising, thrown away the used gauze, gloves, needles and transfusion kit – as well as your now dead tshirt – and you had cleaned as much of the blood on the floor as possible. With Toji spread across your storage room, unconscious, it had been a hard task. You had also wrapped the man up in a space blanket to keep him warm, making him look like a giant takeaway burrito, and put a couple of folded towels under his head as a make-do pillow.

You were sitting not far from him, with your back against the wall, playing mindlessly with the dead skin around your nails; you had thoroughly scrubbed your hands a few times already, but the blood had stained a bit in some spots. You had used gloves of course, but because you had already come in contact with his blood, then put on the gloves without washing your hands because of the urgent situation, it had dried and imprinted in the dried skin. Gross… you thought. That’s why I want to be a GP, and not a surgeon...

In the silence of the room, Toji’s sudden muffled groan just about made you jump out of your skin. Now wide awake and alert, eyes dashing to the patient lying down a couple of metres away, you warned him:

“Don’t move, you idiot.”

But of course, he wouldn’t listen. Toji pulled an arm out of the burrito wrapping then passed a hand over his sweaty face. You got up and fetched one of the clean towels that you had brought down from your bathroom while he was resting. You kneeled beside him again and gently wipe his forehead and neck, relieved that he had warmed up enough to sweat a bit; before, his temperature was on the lower side because of the blood loss.

“So, you did patch me up,” he whispered in a hoarse voice.

“It wasn’t easy since you lost so much blood. You’re lucky the damage wasn’t too bad in the end, or you would have died since I’m not equipped for life-saving emergencies.”

You reached for your stethoscope and checked his heartbeat and blood pressure, then with a small light you inspected his eyes for pupillary reflexes. If you hadn’t fixed the motherfucker yourself, you wouldn’t believe that there was anything wrong at all. Everything seemed already back to normal… You frowned. This guy really is something!

“How long have I been out?” he asked.

“Just about three hours.”

“How did you do it? I was pissing blood, I half expected to die. Do you keep packs of O-negative in your fridge or somethin’?”

He was joking, but you didn’t laugh.

“I’m O-negative.”

The expression on his face changed as he seemed to realise the extent of what you just said… You literally gave a bit of yourself to save his ass. From his perspective, that meant a lot: no one had ever gone that far for him. Ever. But he would be damned if he mentioned that to you… So instead, he just kept on joking.

“I’ll keep note of that for next time.”

“Please don’t. I don’t intend on becoming your personal blood bank. Don’t make a habit of turning up here all beat-up, please.”

He chuckled at your annoyed expression.

“You know what they say: ‘all good things come in three.’”

“Don’t be too smug, I might just let you bleed out on my doorstep next time,” you answered grumpily.

“So, mean…” he said with a small pout, mocking hurt.

“If I was, I wouldn’t have taken care of your sorry ass twice already!”

“I took care of your ass too,” he smirked.

Offended, you punched his shoulder straight away, only to yelp as your knuckles hit what felt like a wall of brick.

“What the fuck! What are you made of? Concrete?” you exclaimed, rubbing your sore hand.

“You just hurt me and you’re the one complaining?”

“Like hell I hurt you! I just about broke my hand!”

He laughed, and you couldn’t help but cracked a tiny smile. There was something endearing about Toji whenever he genuinely laughed and bantered with you. He was a handsome and charismatic man, and the permanent darkness that seemed to surround him really added to his charm. But you were absolutely weak for his cheeky grins and loud laughter.

He was your neighbour – and yes you had saved his life twice and shagged once – but you actually crossed path with him on a regular basis too. First, because he somehow seemed to always be in need of bandages and painkillers, but also because you were buying your groceries from the same konbini, taking the bus and train from the same stations, walking in the same park… So, as you got more and more acquainted, you came to know a bit more about him each time you met. And somehow, you had a feeling that he wouldn’t smile and laugh so heartily very often. So you kind of felt a little bit special everytime he did in front of you.

“My whole body hurts, you know,” he said, his smug smirk back on. “Even my dick… You should kiss it better.”

And here he goes, happily stomping over whatever romantic thoughts I was starting to have… you thought, shaking your head at his lewd invitation.

“I’m not that kind of doctor, but I can easily punch it better if you want. I’m pretty sure you are just as weak as any man down there.”

“You and I obviously remember our ass-on-desk session very differently. From memory, you kept loudly moaning how good my thick hard cock felt while I was railing you…”

You blushed madly, not even trying to deny anything. And he laughed again.

“You’re so bitchy.”

“And you’re a cunt,” you talked back as you stood up to go get the bottle of water you had brought down earlier.

Toji tried to move again, wincing in pain.

“Don’t fucking move!”

“So what? You want me to stay lying on the floor of your storage room?” he complained, yet lying back down obediently.

“Yes. Hence why the pillow and blanket. At least until you’ve rested enough.”

You sat down beside him and handed him the water, and a few painkiller pills. He took the items that you handed him, but ignored them and asked:

“Why so bitter? You hate me that much or somethin’?”

If you didn’t know better, you’d say it nearly sounded like he was hurt (?). You sighed and answered:

“I guess waking up alone last time after you had your way with me, a bunch of crumpled 10,000¥ notes stuffed in my hand like I’m some cheap whore, won’t incline me to show too much sympathy.”

“The money was for the care,” he stated, and you could nearly hear the silent ‘duh!’ at the end of his sentence.

“Yeah, thanks, I have enough common sense to have figured that much out. Still, doesn’t trump the feeling of having been used like a prostitute.”

“Not a cheap one though, with all the cash I left.”

He smirked.

“I’m definitely gonna punch you, even if I have to break my hand in the process.”

He chuckled, and you only got more frustrated by his attitude.

Toji eventually chucked down the pills and emptied the bottle of water in a few gulps. You started chewing at your bottom lips nervously when your eyes caught the sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing. He angered you so much, and yet turned you on so easily! You redirected your frustration at yourself; how could you be so weak…?

Toji looked at you as he put down the bottle on the other side of him; he was very aware of the effect he had on you. He had to be aware, there was no way your very obvious embarrassment would go unnoticed. He was a very sharp man, always prompt at picking up details, that much you knew… You only had sex once – well, like half a dozen time in one night but that’s a technicality – and he had quickly figured out what were your pleasure points, and what was the fastest way to make you come. So yeah, you had no doubt that he had noticed that, despite your general annoyance at the situation, your attraction for him was just as strong as always.

He patted the spot beside him, and said in a voice that didn’t leave room for argument:

“Come here.”

But you were up for a challenge, so you answered stubbornly.

“What for?”

“I’m cold. Keep me warm.”

“I’ll just get you another blanket.”

“Just come here.”

His tone was firm, but not mean nor threatening, and you found yourself caving in. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to be close to him anyway, so might as well just give him what he wanted… So, you lied down beside him, somehow comfortably snuggled against his right uninjured flank, your head resting on his chest as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders. Given how warm he felt, he was clearly full of shit when he said he was cold, but you already knew that.

After a moment of silence, he said:

“Thanks. For taking care of my sorry ass again.”

“You’re welcome,” you mumbled with exaggerated annoyance, yet touched by his genuine display of gratitude.

Another few minutes went by without any of you speaking, and you thought he might have fallen asleep. But then all of a sudden:

“Do people still go on dates nowadays?”

“What rock do you live under? Of course, yes, dating is still a thing.”

“Should I take you on one?”

Your heart missed a beat. You bit your lip again before answering.

“I’d rather not. I don’t want whoever did that to you to think that I’m linked to you in any way, shape or form.”

It was a sensible answer, but you knew it was also full of shit.

“Fair enough. So, should I just sneak in for a quick fuck again, then?”

You scoffed at his poor attempt at romantism, but since he wasn’t really the gentle type, you decided to settle for whatever demonstration of affection he had to offer.

“I guess you could bring some takeout…”

“Mexican?” he asked with a hint of… Was it excitement that you heard in his voice?!

You smiled to yourself.

“Italian.”

“Gotcha.”

Your heart was definitely beating a lot faster, because you were excited at the idea of seeing Toji again in a less dramatic context. You didn’t want to hope too much because you knew that he probably would never be the one to give you that house by the beach with six cats that you dreamt of – he didn’t seem to be much of a family person to be honest. But you had such a strong crush on him that you were happy to take him as he was, if he would let you have him.

Another few minutes passed by and this time, judging by his quiet breathing and the calm pace of his heartbeat, you knew he was asleep. Or not.

His next words made you jump.

“Wanna ride my cock now?”

“In the name of everything that is good and pure in this hell of a world, will you just sleep already?!” you exclaimed. “Get some rest so I can kick you out without feeling guilty!”

“I’d fall asleep faster if you’d fuck the pain away,” he answered.

“I’ll get the morphine and shoot you to sleep then,” you said, blasé.

But as you moved to get up and go for the potent drug, he flexed his muscles, tightening his embrace. His silent plea was heard, and you settled down again with a sigh. He didn’t want you to go, and you didn’t want to leave either. You were so weak for this man.

---

Two weeks had passed since Toji had shown up at your door in the middle of the night, bloodied and in need of your help. Two weeks, since you woke up alone, on the floor of your parents’ storage room at the back of their pharmacy, tucked in the space blanket that you had used for Toji. Once again, you had found a bunch of notes in your hand, this time not crumpled but neatly folded – as if that would make you feel better! What did make you feel better however, was the post-it he had stuck on your forehead that said, ‘Thanks again hot-stuff, I’ll see you soon’, with his phone number on the back.

Two weeks had passed, yet when he texted you earlier that day, you immediately forgot about your annoyance. You just wanted to see him again.

Just finished a big job today, wanna celebrate with me?

You had to hold your horses so you wouldn’t rush it and answer straight away. Eventually, after five minutes, you had texted back:

Sure. Don’t forget the food.

Italian, yeah?

You had smiled; he remembered! That simple detail had you all happy for the first time since your years in high school, little butterflies and popping bubbles in your stomach, and all that jazz.

Yep.

Cool. You home right now?

Why?

Yes or no?

Yes. I am home.

Sweet. See you tonight hot-stuff.

That cryptic last text had you fidgeting, to the point that you had trouble focusing on your revisions. You really wanted to get some work done before your wild lover visited you, because you just knew that you would not get anything done while he’d be there.

You had kept on blushing, your head full of stupid and superficial thoughts. What should I wear? Does he like lingerie? Maybe we could go for a walk through the park, the night will be warm and the moon full… perfectly romantic! Or maybe we could just watch a movie while having dinner? I love having sex on the couch!

Your thoughts had been interrupted by your mom, half an hour later after Toji’s last text, calling for you from the pharmacy on the ground floor. There had been a delivery for you, and it had your mom and the couple of old ladies there for their refill gossip excitedly about your not-so-secret admirer. Indeed, a massive bouquet of 50 red roses had been brought for you by the local florist, and your heart just started pounded in your chest as loudly as Toji had, against your door, two weeks prior.

You didn’t even try to hide your smile as you reached for the flowers and breathed in the delicate scent of the luxurious gift.

There was a card attached to it: ‘I suck at stuff like that, but I know girls like flowers. I really wanna take you out tonight. Put on a cute dress.’ Stop making me fall for you, Fushiguro Toji! you had thought.

But that, was hours ago.

Sitting on your bed, you glanced at your clock, it was about 11pm. If Toji really wanted to take you out for dinner, he was definitely too late for that. All the restaurants would be closed by the time you hit town… Nothing was gonna happen tonight. Or maybe he had simply changed his mind and decided to stay home with you instead? You kept hoping he’d knock at your door anytime. You sighed, disappointment having progressively replaced your excitement as the evening had passed and the hands of your clock moved through the dial. It was time to give up.

You stood up and walked to your mirror so you could take one last look at your neatly arranged hair, your perfect makeup and your pretty dress. You had put in so much effort and care in making yourself cute and girly for him… what a waste.

After you put on your pyjama, you went to your kitchenette to cook some noodles, since you hadn’t had any dinner yet. You then tried to use the extra time to do some revisions, but you just couldn’t get any work done, so you ended up going to bed. It took a while for you to fall asleep, a nasty feeling of anxiety and fear clutching to your core. That lead to a bunch of terrible nightmares.

In the morning, you decided to text Toji. You wanted to sound annoyed, you wanted to put on a façade and show that you didn’t care. But you didn’t. You decided that maybe, if you showed that you cared, he’d would give you a truthful explanation as to why he didn’t show up last night.

Look, I’m not gonna lie, I’m mad. But I’m worried too. I hope that you simply changed your mind, and just didn’t wanna see me after all. But I have this nagging feeling…

Just text me back ‘cause I’d rather stay mad than be keep worrying.

But days passed. Weeks passed. And Toji never replied.

---

Years had passed. Nine years exactly.

You walked into the emergency room, ready to start your shift. You grabbed a pad with a few admission sheets that the head-nurse had put together for you, while taking a sip of well-needed caffein from your keep-cup.

You never thought you’d become a surgeon. You used to hate the blood, and the panic that came with having to take the right decision in a matter of seconds in order to save lives. But here you were, a fully-fledged general surgeon, living on bad coffee and four-hour sleeps, like some adrenaline junkie.

You walked over to the small room where your first patient of the evening was waiting for you. A tall young man, all dressed in black, with thick, short white hair, round black shades and lanky legs, was standing there nonchalantly, his back against the door frame. Visibly in perfect health condition, he obviously wasn’t your patient. You ignored the charming smirk that spread across his lips as you passed him, and looked at the kid sitting on the bed, waiting for you.

“Hi…” you started, but your voice died down in your throat as you took in the sight of his raven hair, emerald irises, and grumpy expression.

With an experienced eye, you could tell that he was mostly okay, except for the few bruises along his jaw and on his left cheekbone. You had read the sheet on your way there: ‘Gojo Megumi. 14 years old. Abdominal pain, possible broken ribs.’ Though if he was in pain, he was doing a fantastic job at not showing it.

But what was really troubling you was the resemblance. Toji.

You’d lie if you said you hadn’t thought about the man in a while, because you thought of him nearly everyday. You sighed. Fushiguro Toji, the man that had you head over heels for him before mysteriously disappearing, was still holding a way to big portion of your heart, to the point that you were having trouble committing to a relationship. And seeing this kid, who was a carbon copy of him, just gave another jab at your wounded, weeping heart. It had been years, and now you had you house by the beach, and seven cats! But you still wished you knew about Toji’s whereabouts. If asked, you’d probably give back the house – but not the cats – in exchange for a reply to your last texts.

“You alright there?” the white-haired man enquired when your silence prolongated beyond what would be considered socially not weird.

You took a deep breath in before answering a bit coldly:

“Yes, thank you for your concern.”

You then examined your patient thoroughly. He was quiet, probably an introvert, maybe even quite shy. He let you do without complaining, and you did your best to put your tormented thoughts aside. The names didn’t match, after all. Besides, what would be the chances anyway?

“Where did you get those bruises?” you asked as you took some notes.

“I got into a fight at school.”

You took a look at him: his casual attitude and flat tone didn’t make it seem like he was lying. His school uniform was indeed crumpled and dirty, and his knuckles were bruised and a bit bloodied too. The white-haired man behind you, who was watching your every move silently, didn’t look like he took any damage, so it was unlikely that he was the one who had roughed up the kid. Yet, you had to do your job.

“Can you leave Gojo-kun and I alone for a short while, please? Patient-doctor privilege.”

“Sure!” he exclaimed happily, putting on a bright grin even though you could feel his eyes piercing through your skull, even with his shades on.

“Wait a minute! Gojo-sensei, did you write down my name as ‘Gojo’?”

For the first time, the black-haired kid showed some emotion: a deeply annoyed frown marked his young features as he glared at the older man.

“Yep! You’re my ward, after all!” the man answered with a pout.

How old is this man-child? you wondered, as you witnessed their interaction.

“Argh! Please, leave so we can get this done!” Megumi – since Gojo wasn’t his name – said with a I-am-so-done-with-your-antics kind of expression.

“Fine, fine!” the man – Gojo-sensei – chuckled with a shrug as he walked out.

Once he had left, you asked:

“So, do you often get into fights?” you asked as you gently padded his flanks.

“Yeah… But they deserve it.”

“How so?”

“They’re bullies. They reap what they sow.”

You nodded as if you were about to bless him with some old wisdom:

“But then, aren’t you becoming a bully too?”

“If that’s what it takes, I’m fine with it. Don’t worry, I pull my punches.”

You chuckled although you shouldn’t have. You checked his abdomen, and took some more notes.

“Well then, Megumi-kun, looks like you do have two broken ribs, and I think we’ll have to book you in for an appendectomy in the morning. But first, some X-rays just to confirm everything. I don’t think the appendicitis is related to your fight, it’s probably just bad timing. It’s easy surgery though, so don’t worry. It’ll likely heal faster than the ribs. You’ll have to be a good kid for a few weeks if you don’t want to come back with a punctured lung.”

“If that happens, you’ll just patch me up.”

You gulped, trying to ignore the feeling of unease that spread along your spine as those words left his mouth. You scribbled a few more things before you enquired:

“So, Gojo-sensei, is he your guardian?”

“Yeah… The most annoying guardian in the whole country if you want my opinion,” he sighed. “But it’s better than nothing I guess…”

His expression softened, and you smiled fondly. He only pretended to be annoyed… Somehow, that reminded you of yourself. He was a bit of a tsundere too; rough and grumpy on the outside, a softy at heart.

“Is he a good guardian? Does he do his job, and keep you safe and well-fed?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

You chuckled again.

“Alright then. So, should I change the name on the sheet?”

“Yes, please. Fushiguro Megumi.”

You dropped your pen.

Time seemed to have frozen. Your heart stopped beating for what seemed like forever, before it started again, now pounding against your ribcage nearly painfully. Toji…

You didn’t notice that Gojo-sensei had come back. Neither did you notice when picked up your pen.

“You dropped this, doctor,” he said in a soft voice.

He had removed his shades, his impenetrable blue eyes reading your very soul. When you crossed his gaze, you just about stopped breathing. You gasped for air as if you were drowning right then and there. You grabbed the pen clumsily, nodded a silent thank you, and walked out on auto-pilot. Behind you, a confused Megumi asked:

“What’s wrong with her?”

“‘Dunno…”

You mindlessly gave your notes and instructions regarding Megumi’s treatment to the nurse, who immediately started organising for x-rays and the surgery. Meanwhile, you walked to the nurses’ room for a quick two-minute break. You needed it; you were in no condition to check on any patient right now. You were shaking.

You were used to horror. You saw it everyday at the hospital. Families torn apart, people being sick, injured, killed. They’d leave their house in the morning, never doubting they’d go home at the end of the day, only for life – or fate – to get in their way. I just like them, you hadn’t thought when waking up this morning, that fate would put Megumi on your path.

Fushiguro was definitely not a very common name. And Megumi surely looked a lot like Toji. What were the chances?! you thought again. Is it okay if I ask?you wondered. If the kid wasn’t his son, they were at least related somehow, for sure. They had to be… And you needed an answer.

I’ll ask!

Strong with your newfound determination, you walked out of the nurses’ room, only to bump straight into Gojo-sensei’s lanky figure. Was he waiting for you right outside the door or something?

“I was just gonna check on you, doctor. You had Megumi over there quite worried, you know,” he said with what was supposed to be a gentle voice.

You had a feeling that the man was probably very bad at showing empathy, as he sounded sort of fake. But his expression though, was that of awkwardness. He likely felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation too.

“S-Sorry,” you answered. “I—”

“He’s dead you know. His dad,” he said in a very casual tone that made you instantaneously sick. “About nine years ago.”

You blinked at the news. Your mouth went dry, your throat tightened, your mind blanked…

“I was there,” he added as he handed you an old Nokia flip phone.

The battery was dead, but you didn’t have to ask who the antiquity used to belong to. You just knew. Toji.

“He never got your texts.”

One single tear rolled down your cheek.

Now that you finally had your answer, you wished again that he had only changed his mind. That he had stood you up instead, because you would rather be mad at him, than him be dead. You remembered that dreadful feeling that had clung to you that night, and remained for weeks on.

‘All good things come in three,’ Toji had said. If you had been there that third time, maybe…

“I wonder… If I would have been able to patch him up again…” you wondered quietly, yet loud enough for Gojo-sensei to hear.

His tone was genuinely kind this time when he answered.

“Not this time.”

---

Author’s notes: SORRRRYYYYYYYY 😅😭 I know! I cheated! I’m sad too, okay! But technically, Reader did save Toji! Twice even! I’m so bad, sorryyyyyyyyy…

[holychocopie]

The Social Experiment

Speed-Dating collab with @bakuroo-writings

Kuroo Tetsuro x F!Reader

Summary: For science, Kuroo decides to try speed-dating. Of course, he meets the girl, but things get complicated because he's such a dork, right!

Author’s notes #1: I'm so happy I could take part to this amazing event! I wish I could update earlier but Valentine's week was real busy with my partner's, my mom's and my birthdays... I hope you'll like it people. Sorry, I know it's long but I wrote it with love xx Also, I tried something new for me: I made some fake texting to illustrate a text conversation... Tell me what you think!

Super tip! A friend recommended me an extension for Google Chrome called InteractiveFics, which enable you to replace 'Y/N' by the name of your choice. I use it all the time 🤍

Warnings: F!Reader, SFW, a bit of swearing, mentions of D-pics, but lots of romance and fluff, and a bit of angsty tears too! Characters are aged up (all are Uni students).

Word count: 10966 😅

Thoughts and flashback are in italics.

-----

Kuroo Tetsuro loved University. He loved all the subjects he had picked for his first year. He had successfully completed all the tasks the different teachers had given him so far: essays, presentations, quiz, occasional research and readings. However, this time, he was doubting his ability to achieve. He was simply not inspired. On the paper, the topic was great. ‘How does modern consumerism impact social norms?’ In reality, it was just too broad for him to actually picture… There were just so many approaches he could go for, so many examples. It was deep, so many aspects to cover. However, he could only pick one phenomenon to observe and analyse but there was simply too much choice, too many options.

The dark-haired man was looking blankly at his computer, his elbows on the table as his head was resting in his hands. He sighed, annoyed, bored, lost, for what seemed like the 100th time this afternoon, and for his friend Bokuto Kotaro, it was one too many times.

“Bro, what’s wrong? You look like… well, like me, when I try to work on a physics equation.”

“Just that stupid assignment for my Social Study course.”

“Can I help?”

Kuroo chuckled. He was usually the one offering his help to the crazy owl, tutoring him in science. So far, he had never been on the receiving hand, and he honestly thought that he’d go all the way through his college years without ever seeing the day when Bokuto would actually be in a position to give him a hand with something academic.

“I don’t think you can. But don’t worry, I have a couple of months to work it out. I’ll probably be more inspired after the winter holiday break. I just thought that if I could pick a topic today, I could at least start the preliminary research.”

“What is it about?”

“How our social constructs and habits have been modified by capitalism and marketing. I need to find a specific example to illustrate the evolution of society, observe and analyse it.”

Bokuto brought a hand to his chin, nodding appreciatively, seemingly deep in thought. Like always, his exaggerated Sherlock Holmes-like expression made him look like some bad actor in a 1970’s crime TV series. After a good 5 seconds, the ace shrugged.

“Yeah, sorry, no clue. But what about you give it a break and go out with me tonight! That’ll take your mind off it for sure, then when you come back to it later tonight or tomorrow, you’ll have fresher perspective!”

Well, for once Bokuto’s advice wasn’t half bad. Actually, it was even pretty good!

“Okay, yeah, let’s do that. What do you suggest? The arcade?”

“Nah, actually I was planning to try something new!”

Kuroo raised a doubtful eyebrow. Bokuto trying something new often ended in drama, like that time when he had that ‘free entry and free first drink’ voucher for a new club, and they found out once there that it was a gay club. It was such an awkward moment… They did have a lot of fun – the people were super friendly, the music with great, the cocktails tasty – but Bokuto just didn’t know how to politely reject the few guys who had tried to flirt with him. And when he found himself overwhelmed by a never-ending flow of invitations to dance, free drinks and phone numbers on napkins, he came up with the excuse that Kuroo was his boyfriend. They even had to kiss!

Rubbing his right temple, ready to face whatever crazy new thing his friend wanted to test tonight, Kuroo asked:

“Mmmmh, okay… So, what’s the plan?”

“I wanted to try speed-dating!”

“Huh?!”

Well, that was unexpected…

“Wait, didn’t you find a girlfriend on Tinder or something?”

“Well, I thought I did! But I got catfished!”

“Like, what, she wasn’t an 18 year old Yoko but a 45 year old Taro?” he laughed.

“Close enough! She was definitely not the age she said she was, like probably 35 or 40. And she was basically searching a boyfriend for her daughter! So, the picture on her profile was actually one of her daughter! So awkward!”

Kuroo just burst into a loud laughter, arms crossed over his belly. That only ever happened to the horned owl.

“Dude! You and your drama!” he exclaimed, tears in his eyes.

Bokuto’s disgruntled expression slowly turned into a happier one.

“She did pay for the diner though, and it was a fine dining restaurant. So it wasn’t that bad, in the end, I guess. And I really liked talking to her. I felt like we had a true connection, you know!”

“Yeah, right, can’t say no to free food!” Kuroo pointed out as his laugh died down and he straightened in his chair. “But how true can it be? It’s just an application designed to sell you the dream of the perfect partner and get you hooked on browsing and swiping profiles, hoping to find the real gem. Marketing 101!”

“I just can’t seem to casually break the ice with a girl. If it’s in a dating context, I feel like half the job is done and all I have to do is get to know her. Because we’re both already in the optic of dating so no quid pro quo...”

Kuroo could easily see what Bokuto meant. The way people interacted together these days was so different. There was a need for immediate satisfaction, immediate results. And also, not everyone had the same concept of dating: some people just wanted something casual, others were after a one-night stand, and then there were those who wanted to find a companion. Some wanted exclusivity, some were happy to share, and others wanted freedom. Then there were those who just wanted a flirt, some others wanted to take you on a date and make you feel wanted and less lonely.

If the rules were already set before the encounter and everyone adhered to them, then finding a like-minded partner would be easier. So many new needs had emerged, the market had started to get more diverse in order to match the demand. Speed-dating, aps like Tinder, Hinge or Plenty of Fish… all of those were just a modern declination of a well-established profession that had existed for centuries but needed a refresh to fit in nowadays society ! Match-makers, they were always a thing.

Wait! That’s it! That’s my example of social norms impacted by modern consumerism! the former Nekoma captain thought. The timing of Bokuto’s invitation was so perfect it felt like Kuroo had had a little light bulb light on in his brain. And everything was clear in his mind; ideas were already blooming! He knew exactly what he would write in his introduction, what references he wanted to use to make parallels and support his hypothesis. Once again, he found himself excited and inspired by this subject!

He would have to go with an open-mind and a scientific approach to make observations and stay away from any form of subjectivity. This was gonna be great!

“So, speed-dating, huh?”

“Yeah, that way at least I get to meet the girl IRL and I won’t be as disappointed! So? What do you say?”

“I’m in!”

----

The café near your place was absolutely packed tonight. It was always busy on a regular basis, and you often found that it was safer to book on weekend, even for brunch, as it was a very popular place in this side of town. The Wallflower Café was well-named for its double entendre: the wallpaper in each of the two main rooms was indeed covered in watercolour designed flowers, and the regulars hanging out there were often nerds, loners, and other introvert misfits who would likely feel inadequate at a big party. But here, it felt peaceful, comfortable; it was the safe place your shy personality had always craved for.

Plus, the atmosphere was great and gave British tea house vibes with its wooden furniture decorated with floral carvings, its large windowpanes and French doors. It also had a few Romantic paintings and old silver-made mirrors hanging on the walls. The coffee was amazing, the cabinet food was great too, and the staff was always so friendly. The perfect spot to study, read a book or share a cute fruit tart with your best friend and flatmate.

However, once a month, the place would turn into the perfect rendez-vous for desperate souls seeking a partner. The Wallflower Café organised very successful speed-dating events every first Friday of the month, and this time was a special occurrence: the theme was ‘Find your perfect Holidate!’. Christmas was only a few weeks away after all! At this time of the year naturally, bachelors and bachelorettes were often in search of a boyfriend or a girlfriend to spend Christmas with.

You never really gave the modern mating parade much thought, and simply avoided your favourite café on those crowded evenings. But tonight, you were gonna be a part of it.

Your best friend Shoko – bless her heart! – thought that you could do with a little distraction from your very demanding nursing studies. Plus, you had remained single for just about 10 months now, after your high school boyfriend broke up with you for a girl going to the same college as him. So much for ‘sticking together after graduation’… you thought as you entered the café after Shoko, remembering the very shitty feeling of being dumped via text by the guy you thought was your one true love. What a bitter disappointment it was.

Had it been Shoko, you knew she would have drowned her sorrow in ice-cream and cheap snacks for a couple of days before immediately dating again – “You gotta get back on the saddle asap!” she would say. But you were an introvert! A shy one, at that! And you were such a serious student, always going the extra mile, when were you supposed to find the time to date? You knew deep down that you were voluntarily overbooking yourself with studies and activities to forget how lonely you felt most the time. And lately, well, it was simply harder than usual to pretend everything was fine: for the past three years you had spent Christmas with your boyfriend, and the perspective of being alone this year wasn’t really bringing the jolly to your winter break.

So here you were, ready to find your holidate!

“Hi ladies, welcome to today’s Holidate event!” one of the hosts said, catching your attention as she welcomed you in the entrance, by the booking desk. “Just a quick recap of the main rules: the women sit, the men turn. Each round lasts 10 minutes, and there will be a short break every two rounds. Always be polite, as it is often a first time for a lot of people, and we wish for everyone to have a great time. For your safety, do not give your personal details directly to a participant. At the end of the evening, you will be given a list of the participants who were interested in you and would like to contact you, and only with your approval, we will give them your email address and phone number. If at any point tonight another guest makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please ring the bell that will be at your table, and we will handle it.”

You nodded with a smile, stress already bubbling up in your chest and your stomach twisting at the idea of having to talk to potentially many strangers tonight.

“Here’s your participation form,” the host continued as she handed both Shoko and you a sheet and a pen. “Please fill it in and we will assign you a table and a name tag.”

It was only 5.45pm when you were seated at table number 6, and all fifteen or so tables in this room were all assigned. The other room, a bit bigger, was reserved for the LBGT+ community, so you estimated the number of participants to tonight’s speed-dating at roughly 70! Only then did it down on you how popular the Wallflower Café was on those special evenings.

You were anxiously sipping at your hot chocolate, waiting for the event to start at 6. You tried to take your mind off the rising stress by looking at the many Christmas decorations that adorned the furniture, walls and ceiling, and admired the majestic Christmas tree and its many cute ornaments, tinsels and lights. You smiled when you noticed the miniature reindeer plushie sitting on your table by the sugar and the napkins.

Eventually, 6pm came, and the speed-dating session started with the duty manager giving a friendly welcome speech, inspired by the seasonal holiday. You didn’t pay much attention to what he said, you were too busy trying to deal with the mild panic rising in you. You looked behind you, at table 7, where you knew you’d find Shoko. She immediately grinned at you and gave you the thumbs up. At least one of you was excited!

When the host finished speaking, the first round started.

“Remember your notes!” Shoko whispered, loud enough for you to hear.

It wasn’t rare for a few people to come with some notes, or at least a paper and a pen to write down stuff. After all, you had only 10 minutes! A very short amount of time to make an opinion on someone, and make good impression too. So, upon Shoko’s advice, you had prepared a few questions to start the conversation and get to know the guys. You had also made a ‘short’ list of qualities to you were looking in a man, and flaws that would be an absolute deal-breaker. Yes, quotation marks on ‘short’ because we know how high your expectations were thanks to all those anime and books and comics you were ingesting on a regular basis.

Your ideal boyfriend would have to be tall, and athletic, dark and handsome, but still cute. He had to look good in a dress-shirt and a tie, but also in a pair of jeans and a hoodie. He had to be smart, but fun too. Reliable and a good cook. Kind, thoughtful, a pet-lover who gives good massages and doesn’t forget your birthday or anniversary. Someone with a solid sense of humour, and great pop culture references (extra points for nerdiness!). Someone who would surprise you with French poetry and random scientific facts – like did you know snails have actual teeth?! Oui, madame.

However, you would never go out with someone with dubious hygiene, who thought cats were assholes, or who would rather watch sports than a rerun of Doctor Who or the OG Star Wars trilogy. You could tolerate tardiness, but would not allow being stood up without a valid reason. Entitlement was also a big no-no, you didn’t want the guy to take your relationship for granted! Someone without a dream or an ambition to drive them, someone who thought a woman belong in a kitchen, someone who would take and never give… Someone who would break up through text.

Focus! Breathe! Smile! you thought as the first guy sat down in front of you…

----

It was only round 4 but it felt like he had been at it for hours already. Kuroo had underestimated how exhausting speed-dating could be. Only 10 minutes per person. 10 minutes during which he had to give his absolute and undivided attention to a stranger, listen, answer, talk… pretend! Thankfully, he had noticed that a few people were taking notes, so he decided to do the same, although he doubted the others had the same scientific purpose as he did. There were so many things to write down, so much he was observing, from the general atmosphere to the wide variety of questions and topics that were brought up. Some were more concerned by material stuff like jobs, social background, favourite brands of clothes, etc. Facts and countable criteria. And others were more interested in subjective matters such as common hobbies, favourite book or movies, etc. A girl even asked him to choose between 100,000,000¥ or teleportation. Was there even a good answer?

The victory theme song of Final Fantasy rang across the room, announcing the end of the round 4, and Kuroo politely smiled at the young woman across table 5 before standing up. There was a short five-minute break, which he welcomed gladly as he walked towards the drink station where Bokuto already was.

“Any luck tonight?” the white-haired man asked.

“It’s not like I really any,” Kuroo mumbled barely loud enough for his friend to hear as he poured himself a glass of water. “What about you?” he asked. “Any chance for a Ms. Bokuto tonight?”

“Nooooooo,” the ace pouted.

“We still have 8 more dates to go, I’m sure you’ll meet someone interesting tonight.”

“I really like the girl on table 7, she looks cute. Do you think she’ll be impressed when I tell her I am in the national youth team?”

Kuroo looked in the direction of table 7. The girl was cute, for sure, and she had that same huge grin as Bokuto himself so somehow, the raven-haired boy could picture the two of them together. She was enthusiastically talking to the girl from table 6, who had her back turned to him so he couldn’t really tell what she looked like. But he guessed he would know soon enough since table 6 was going to be his fifth date. The fact that she and number 7 were so friendly probably meant that they knew each other. Maybe they came together like Bokuto and him.

Sonic the Hedgehog’s intro theme song played, announcing the beginning of date number 5 and Kuroo couldn’t help but wish good luck to Bokuto, who would have to go through 10 very long minutes with table 5. To Kuroo’s opinion, she was a bit boring, so he couldn’t imagine how hard it would be for his hyper-active friend.

As he got closer to table 6, the young woman there had already stopped talking to number 7 and was sitting straight, her shoulders maybe a bit too tensed, as she held onto her mug with both hands, her gaze focused on the hot chocolate and its floating marshmallows. She’s cute, Kuroo thought with a smirk as he sat down.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi.”

Your voice wasn’t loud, your tone was a bit neutral. An introvert?

“So, what’s your name?”

He decided to start with an easy question. Not too invasive given the circumstances, but enough to hopefully get them started. I mean, he could have simply looked at your name tag but where would be the fun in that?

“Y/N,” you answered as you finally looked up.

His smirk turned into a full smile as he finally got to look at your pretty face.

“Hi Y/N. I’m Tetsuro. Nice to meet you.”

“Same.”

There was a bit of a blank, but Kuroo didn’t mind. The way you pursed your lips, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear, not quite sure what to say next in spite of it being round 5… it was all so adorable to him.

“Your first-time speed-dating?” he assumed.

“Is it that obvious?” you asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah, but only because it’s the same for me.”

“Really?”

You seemed a bit relieved, and Kuroo saw that as the perfect opportunity to help you loosen up.

“Yeah, my friend convinced me to come.”

“Same for me,” you chuckled, your lips curling up into a shy smile.

“So, wanna ask me some of the questions you prepared?” he suggested, nodding towards your notepad.

“I realised earlier that they were a bit stupid though,” you said as you grabbed your notes.

“Is that what someone told you?”

Somehow the idea that another guy may have made a nasty remark to you bothered him.

“Yeah… I mean, he was nice about it, but I guess he kind of expected me to be more… I don’t know… spontaneous?”

“Well, I don’t know… those are what could be the most important 10 minutes of your life. Imagine missing out on your soulmate because you didn’t ask the most important questions!”

“Yeah like, aisle seat or window seat?” you chuckled.

“Aisle.”

You raised an eyebrow at his quick answer, obviously surprised that he would answer at all. And seriously, too. Kuroo smirked.

“I hate having to ask people to move so I can go to the bathrooms,” he explained.

“Fair enough,” you admitted, lightly shaking your head in mild disbelief. “So, hum, ketchup or mayo?”

“Mayo.”

Keeping up with the game, you increased the pace of the questions.

“Beach or mountain?”

“Beach.”

“Calling or texting?”

“Texting.”

“Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Is strawberry an option?”

“Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?”

“Both is good.”

“Playstation or Xbox?”

“PC.”

Your eyes widened. You were impressed.

“‘The moment you think of giving up…’”

“… ‘Think of the reason why you held on for so long.’”

You seemed nearly taken aback. But to be honest, so was he. Quoting Fairy Tail, showing your nerdy side with the console question, low key admitting that you were indeed an introvert who hated phone calls when you surreptitiously nodded at his ‘texting’ answer… You were opening up in your own subtle way and he loved what he was seeing. In a way, you were a bit like Kenma, minus the permanent bitch face that the Nekoma setter always put on.

“Okay, my turn. Very important question! If you could choose between 100,000,000¥ or teleportation, what would you pick?”

You laughed. Like, a proper laugh.

“Dude, what kind of question is that?!”

The 10 minutes went on so quickly Kuroo couldn’t help but feel frustrated when the time came for him to change tables again.

He had come here tonight with nothing in mind but his assignment, yet here he was, determined to see you again. In the short amount of time you had just spent together he felt like something unexpected yet absolutely amazing had happened. And he wanted it to happen again. And again. That smile of yours, your straightforward personality, that kind heart, that nerdiness… that beauty. When he came to this holiday speed-dating event, he wasn’t searching for a girlfriend – he never really had any trouble getting one before anyway – but somehow he wanted you.

----

Two months later…

Kuroo had a very strong feeling of déjà-vu.

He was in his regular study room, with his best friend Bokuto, looking blankly at his computer screen. Although this time, it wasn’t a lack of inspiration that blocked him. Quite the opposite actually; he had a lot to share about his little social experiment at the speed-dating event back in December, but how much of it was relevant? It wasn’t like his assignment was a complete blank page anymore though! He had his introduction where he described the topic, he had defined his keywords, presented the hypothesis to be tested, his approach and method, and had his arguments laid out. He even had cues for the final discussion and conclusion. But the actual observations, which were supposed to support or contradict his theories? Well, he could only rely on the notes he had taken during his first four dates. After that, he had lost all objectivity as soon as he met you, and then for the rest of the night and the remaining few dates, he just couldn’t focus anymore. His notes after his ten minutes on table 6 were superficial at best, and his memory, pretty blurry. All he could remember of the other participants were anecdotic details such as funny questions, awkward jokes, outstanding outfits or physical traits such as showing tattoos and dyed hair.

So, yeah, he had fuck all. And whenever he tried to jog his memory by looking at the incomplete handwritten scribbles on his pad, moments with you were the only thing that came to his mind. And the assignment was due in five days, on Wednesday 16thFebruary.

He sighed, passed a hand in his crazy black hair and laid back in his chair. It was only 10am, maybe he just needed another coffee. Or ten!

Across the table, Bokuto was on the opposite being quite productive. He was typing away with a very intense expression on his face, a slight frown of his forehead, as his sharp golden eyes were focused on the screen. It was rare to see the owl in this godly state of academic transcendence, Kuroo thought as he noticed how fast the other man’s fingers were flying over his keyboard.

Kuroo’s phone vibrated on the table by his laptop, catching his attention. At this time of the day, it would only be either Bokuto, Kenma, or his precious girlfriend. The first one was with him, in a crazed study trance, the second was likely in class right now, so it could only be you.

Even if he already had a solid guess on who was the sender of the text, the former Nekoma Captain couldn’t help but smile when he saw your nickname attached to the notification that popped-up on his screen.

Baby-girl: Good morning good sir, may the sun bless you on this wonderful day of February 💃

His smile widened at the sight of the flamenco dancer emoji, straight sign that you were in a great mood. He texted back immediately.

- ‘Morning m’lady, you’re in a good mood today!

Your answer was just as fast:

Baby-girl: I happen to have started my day with very good news

- Please do share because right now anything positive could help out

Of course, the sweet bunny that you were immediately worried, and you asked:

Baby-girl: You’re all good? Anything happened?

- Nah, just that stupid assignment… I don’t have enough data to finish it

Baby-girl: 😲💔 Can I help?

Kuroo bit his bottom lip as typed again:

- Nah don’t worry.

- So? What’s the big news?

Baby-girl: Well, you will be pleased to know that not only did I pass my finals, but I nailed them so good I got extra credits! 😎

- Kitten, that’s awesome! 🎉🎉🎉

Baby-girl: You proud of me?

- I’m next-level proud! I wanna brag about my super smart baby to the whole world 😘

He never had to lie or pretend with you, every emotion felt genuine, every word was earnest, every interaction felt natural. So right now, he really was proud of you. The school year was reaching its end, and the pressure on students across the country was mad! So, he truly was relieved and happy that you got to finish it with great fanfare! Next year would be especially demanding for you, since you would have two placements and a handful of reports to hand over, so it was good that you had the extra credits to give you a head-start.

Baby-girl: Just so you know, I’m blushing right now 🤭

- So you should! And I plan on making you blush so much more tonight since you’ve been a good girl working extra hard

- 😉🍆🍑💦

Kuroo cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Sexting wasn’t really the most comfortable thing for him, but he did it anyway because his previous girlfriends really liked being turned on remotely with suggestive emojis and dirty talk. Damn, he had even sent a few dick-pics in exchange for nudes! Meanwhile, with you, things were a bit different. Being the shy piece of fluff that you were, mild PDA – such as holding hands or forehead kisses – was absolutely fine for you, but as soon as he would put his hand on the small of your back in the street, you’d start blushing. And of course, the mere mention of sex would make you turn absolutely red – sometimes he could nearly see steam smoke out of your ears as you tried to cope with his cockiness. So, no matter how uncomfortable he felt sending you those emojis, especially with Bokuto just in front of him, he loved the idea of making you blush madly. I’m such a dork, he thought, fully embracing that personality trait of his.

Your response came and he couldn’t help the satisfaction it brought him.

Baby-girl: 😳��🔥🔥

He had to bite his cheeks to hold back a chuckle.

Baby-girl: Should we go on a date too? 😊

- Definitely!!!

Baby-girl: Speaking about date, Vday is 3 days away…

Kuroo immediately jumped at the opportunity to make his request.

- Please bake me some chocolates 🙇‍♂️🍫💝

Baby-girl: I had a feeling you’d prefer home-made

- If it’s too much though I am happy with regular ones too!

- As long as I’m the only guy you give them to 😜

Baby-girl: Of course you’re the only one!! 😠

Baby-girl: And home-made you want, home-made you shall have 💪

He smiled.

Across from him, Bokuto cleared his throat very loudly, catching his attention. When the raven-haired man raised his eyes from his phone’s screen, he was met with the owl’s mocking smirk and suggestive eyebrow game.

“Distracted, I see…”

Kuroo shrugged, trying to act casual, and quickly texted:

- I’ll pick you up tonight. 6pm?

Baby-girl: Sure! Looking forward to it

- Me too 😘

When Kuroo put his phone on the side, he had a lingering smile on his lips.

After the Chrismas Holidate speed-dating session, you had agreed to pass your contact details to him and, as soon as he had received them from the Wallflower Café, Kuroo had texted you. It was late at night, and he was lowkey afraid you would think he was a creep for texting you so soon after the event, but he just couldn’t wait. And he did well: you ended up chatting until past 3am. You were a night owl like him, being only productive when your brain was about to pass out from exhaustion.

Since then, you had gone on a proper date: movie + diner, the whole thing! Then, you did a multi-date on Christmas with your friend Shoko who (very conveniently) had started ‘dating’ Bokuto. Kenma, Akaashi, the Miya twins and a few other of their old Volleyball friends living in Tokyo had joined in with their partners too. Together, your merry gang ordered massive amounts of fried chicken and rented a large room at a karaoke where you spent most of the night. You even gifted Kuroo a hand-knitted bobble beanie, black with cat ears on it. He remembered how guilty he felt because you had spent so much time making his gift while he only came up with a pink bunny plushy. You had claimed that you loved his present, and you did keep it on you bedside table, but he had sworn to himself he would go above and beyond for your birthday!

For New Year, after diner with your respective family, Kuroo and you had spent the night together for the first time at your place, making sure to wake up before dawn so you could watch the first sunrise of the year. Then you also went to the shrine together for the first prayer and the omen. Overall, things had been developing at a comfortable pace for the both of you. No matter how stressed or exhausted or frustrated Kuroo was with himself or his studies, or life in general, a simple text or snap, or a quick facetime with his girlfriend was enough to chase the bad vibes away for a bit.

“You’re so in love, bro. Smitten!”

“Yeah, so what?!” Kuroo admitted, a faint blush building up on his cheeks as he looked at his computer screen again.

“So, I think you should show some gratitude to me for introducing you to your future wife!”

Turning water into wine would be easier than trying to ignore Bokuto’s teasing antics and straight-up foolishness. Besides, Kuroo couldn’t really add anything to his essay at this point, so pretending to be working seriously was quite pointless. He sighed, giving up on pretending to be working seriously, and looked up at his best friend.

“First off, we’re not getting married—”

“YET!!”

“Then,” he continued, ignoring the owl’s interjection, “you didn’t introduce us.”

“I so did!”

“You did not.”

“I did!”

“Hu-huh, you did not.”

“I did! You would never have met Y/N if it wasn’t for me taking your sad ass to the speed-dating thing!” Bokuto exclaimed a bit loudly.

“There is like a massive gap between inviting me to tag along to an event, and introducing us, mate!” Kuroo answered.

Of course, there was a bit of bad faith from him; he knew that ultimately, Bokuto was the reason why he went to the speed-dating event, indeed. Meeting you was just a fortuitous bonus.

Bokuto crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, acting overly offended, like a fifty year-old cuckolded housewife.

“Fine, okay, thanks for taking me there,” Kuroo admitted with exaggerated annoyance. “But please don’t mention marriage in front of Y/N, I don’t want you to freak her out!”

The white-haired man chuckled proudly.

“Fret not my friend, I won’t! But!! You owe me!”

Kuroo sighed for what felt the hundredth time since he woke up.

“Fine, what do you want?”

“Help picking up a Valentine’s Day present for Shoko and your expert eye to proof-read my freshly finished essay!”

“When is it due for?”

“Valentine’s Day is in three days, duh!”

“Not the gift, the essay, duh!”

“Oh!” Bokuto exclaimed, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “At the end of next week.”

“Sweet, no worries, I’ll do it.”

“My man!”

With that, the Ace shut his laptop and stood up to start a little happy dance – only he could get away with that in public places without feeling embarrassed. Sure, they were in a private study room, but the door and partition walls were made of glass…

With a little disgruntled groan, Kuroo tilted his head backward, rubbing his eyes with his palms. That caught Bokuto’s attention, who sat down again with a very serious expression on his face.

“What’s up?”

“You finished your essay, Y/N passed her finals, and here I am, struggling with my last assignment of the year…” he grumbled.

“Why can’t you finish it?”

“I miss some data.”

“How can you get them?”

Well, Kuroo couldn’t exactly explain to Bokuto. He hadn’t told his friend about his social experiment because he too was a part of it; he was one of his subjects of observation. While he doubted the owl would take offense, Kuroo didn’t want to take chances. Besides, all his subjects were referred to anonymously in his essay, the same way a journalist would make observations in an article without naming some of the people they encountered during their investigation.

“It has to be in a very specific set up and I won’t have the opportunity again.”

Kuroo frowned at his own words.

Wait, wait, wait! Isn’t the speed-dating a recurring event at the Wallflower Café? he thought. Immediately, he googled the name of the coffeeshop and checked their website. Well, look at that! Another speed-dating special V-day was happening tonight. He read the pop-up that appeared on the homepage:

Because we wanted to offer our beloved customers the opportunity to find their perfect Valentine, exceptionally this month, the Speed-Dating night will happen on the second Friday of the month, instead of the first! So, mark your journal: Friday 11th February at 6pm, special ‘Be My Valentine’ Speed-Dating night!

The only issue was he already had plans with you tonight!

Another sigh escaped his lips; he knew he could post-pone his date, however he wouldn’t get a third chance at gathering the data. Tonight was an especially good opportunity because, just like the ‘Christmas Holidate’ event, this special Valentines would provide the same unique atmosphere and a similar celebration-type of context, meaning the settings would remain cohesive between his first data and the new ones.

Before he could change his mind, Kuroo grabbed his phone:

- Hey princess, actually I won’t be able to make it tonight…

- Really sorry, I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night tenfold ❤❤

“Looks like you found a way…” Bokuto observed.

“Yep, and it’s gonna have to be tonight.”

Kuroo’s phone vibrated in his hand.

Baby-girl: Everything alright?

- Yeah I am gonna work on my essay

- If I can finish tonight I’ll come for breakfast and we can spend the whole day together since no volley practice tomorrow

Baby-girl: You gonna bring croissants? 😍

- Of course 😘

Baby-girl: Do your best then! 🥐🥐🥐

Kuroo smiled at your cuteness before turning his attention back to Bokuto.

“Wanna go shopping for presents now?” he offered.

“Hell yeah!”

----

It was about 7pm when Shoko came out of her room, all pampered and ready to go out.

“So, what do you think?” she asked, spinning around as if modelling on a catwalk.

You raised your eyes from the manga you were reading as you were sitting crossed-legs on your favourite spot on the couch. Your friend was really cute in her outfit, her makeup and hair were on fleek, and the pair of shoes she intended to wear was a great match. You gave her a silent thumb up before going back to your reading.

“What? That’s it? Should I change?”

“No, you look great.”

“Then why the mild reaction?”

“‘Cause I’m in a mild mood?”

“Aww, you still upset that your boy took a rain check?”

“I wasn’t upset in the first place,” you mumbled, looking back at your manga.

Truth was, you werea little bit upset. But Kuroo was being a serious student and a reasonable young man; it was exam period, and you knew he had already handed over all of his assignments except for this one. You didn’t know what it was about, but it seemed to have given your handsome lover a lot of grief recently, so you were still glad when he announced he was planning on finishing it tonight. Meaning, he would finally be done with it, and would have more free time to relax in between his practice sessions with his college volleyball team. Sure, you’d spend the evening alone while all you wanted was to celebrate your passing your own exams, but you were looking forward to your romantic breakfast now.

You had contemplated accepting your classmates’ invitation to go for drinks with them instead, but you only really talked to a few of them – and more out of politeness and need than actual friendliness – and you didn’t feel like forcing yourself to be social tonight. You wanted to be able to be yourself with people you actually liked. That would have to wait until everyone was done for the year; you could all get together and celebrate everyone’s hard work and success.

“Now, now, Y/N. It’s okay to be upset…” Shoko said as she came to sit down beside you.

“It’s okay, really. We’ll spend the day together tomorrow…” you explained, failing at showing any enthusiasm.

Shoko shuffled your hair with an amused sisterly smile.

“So, my outfit is really okay, yeah?”

“Yes. You look amazing,” you reassured her a bit more vehemently. “You sure it’s not a date?”

“We’re not dating!” she defended herself a bit too quickly.

You smirked. Shoko had been seeing Kuroo’s friend Bokuto on a regular basis. She kept claiming that they were not a thing, but they clearly were, whatever they wanted to call it. They’d hold hand, exchange cute and long hugs, snuggle up in each other’s arms on the couch while watching movies, and all other sorts of PDA. And your friend’s excitement every time she was getting ready to see him… you had never seen her like this before. Maybe they were just moving a bit slower than Kuroo and you, and that was absolutely fine. And her stubborn denial was actually quite cute and gave you many great opportunities to tease her – nicely, of course – since she had been giving you so much shit for falling head over heels for Kuroo so quickly.

The interphone rang and she just about jumped off the couch; she ran so fast to the buzzer on the wall in the hallway that it seemed to you like she was flying. You chuckled to yourself, knowing you were just as bad when it was Kuroo at the door. You were simply better at interiorising.

You resumed your reading – you’d never ever get tired of reading Ouran High School Host Club, one of the best shojo out there!

When Bokuto arrived, you could hear their chattering in the background, but didn’t pay much attention until the boy came to you to say hello.

“Congrates, Victory-girl!” he exclaimed cheerfully with a bright toothy grin.

“Haha, thanks,” you answered with a small smile, raising your eyes from the book again.

Because he was the first of Shoko’s boyfriends to have ever genuinely paid attention to you, you were always happy to exchange with him. You had had a few occasions to chitchat with him over the past two months, and you could tell he was a very passionate and inspiring person. While you could completely understand why Shoko and he were a perfect match, you were still trying to wrap your head around the fact that he was one of Kuroo’s best friends. Your lover really had the most heteroclite group of friends: Kenma was an introvert like you, but with a bit of more caustic sense of humour, Yaku was an absolute tsundere, the Miyas were like a comic duo…

Overly extrovert, Bokuto sometimes overstepped your boundaries, but never in a forceful manner, so you always enjoyed his presence.

“What are you gonna do tonight?” he asked.

“Just gonna stay here and read.”

You shrugged, nodding at the pile of manga by your feet to highlight your plans.

“Maybe I’ll order some yakisoba too…” you added, now a bit more aware of your hungry belly.

“Nah, you just passed with honours! You should go out for a drink even if Kuroo ain’t here!”

“I prefer drinking with friends though.”

The owl-looking man nodded, a thoughtful expression on his features.

“I got an idea! What about you come with us? We’re friends after all, right!” he suggested.

You definitely weren’t expecting that. You looked at him with wide eyes, then looked over at Shoko, who was excitingly nodding behind him with both thumbs up.

“Yes! Come with us!” she approved.

“You guys sure? Weren’t you supposed to have some together time?”

“We’ll still be together with you!” Bokuto affirmed.

You blinked. Wow, that’s actually a very kind thing to say, you thought before caving in.

“Okay then, I’ll just grab my stuff…”

Five minutes later, the three of you were out the door. And one hour after, you were leaving a local ramen shop, stomachs full and cheeks warm after sharing some noodles and sake.

“Should we go karaoke? Or go to a bar?” Shoko asked, holding onto Bokuto’s arm.

The two had kindly been keeping their extreme PDA in check until now, and you were glad for it. So far, at no point they had made you feel like the third wheel, so you were actually able to enjoy being out with friends, even though you couldn’t help the little guilt bubbling up in your heart for high-jacking their not-a-date date.

“I completely feel like singing!” Bokuto exclaimed a bit too loud, catching other pedestrians’ attention.

You laughed.

“Okay, sure.”

“Oh my God, what’s that over there?” Bokuto nearly screamed, eyes wild as he looked further down the road.

You followed his gaze, only to find a very long queue in front of your favourite coffeeshop. That was weird… It shouldn’t be that crowded at night.

“Looks like they’re having an event of some sort,” Shoko noted.

You frowned. Speed-dating was the only event you were aware off… Oh wait! You did see a few posters around by the till a couple days prior when you visited the café to grab a hot chocolate on your way home. Special ‘Be My Valentine’ speed-dating night was happening tonight instead of the first Friday of the month because of the upcoming lovers day. Usually, at this hour, every participant was already set up inside, so why the big crowd? Did they decide to run two sessions in one night? That would make sense; some people were really lonely and depressed on V-day, so searching for someone to spend the holiday with was only normal.

“Oh!” you exclaimed.

“What?” Shoko inquired.

“Well, I wanted to take Kuroo there on Monday morning for coffee… You know, since that’s where we met, I thought it’d be cool to do something there on Valentine’s day together. Maybe I should call them and book ahead, ‘cause it’s probably gonna be busy all Monday.”

“Awwww! That’s so cute!” your bestie exclaimed.

“He will actually love that,” Bokuto approved. “This guy is just a big romantic and he’s completely weak for you!”

You blushed.

As the three of you kept walking along the street, you could see the rich and flamboyant red and pink decoration in front and inside the coffeeshop. That was so cheesy and cliché, nearly sickening, yet absolutely cute! Like in one of those American rom-com movies you secretly liked. You could feel a smile spread on your lips at the idea of taking your favourite dork there! He’d both hate it and love it. It’s gonna be so much fun, you thought, imagining the two of you sitting at your favourite table by one of the big windowpanes, exchanging Valentine’s gifts and chocolates while sipping at a hot drink… You crossed the street, excited to take a closer peak at the inside.

Your eyes scanned the room: hundreds of red glittery hearts of different sizes were stickered to the ceiling, thick ribbons in shades of dark fuchsia and Barbie pink were hanging on the walls, heart-shaped balloons were gathered in tree-like arrangements and positioned in each corner, and the tables were dressed in white clothes, red and pink roses in porcelain vases and baby pink candles ornamenting each and every one of them, and—

You froze.

You instinctively took a step back, ending up stomping on Bokuto’s foot.

“Ouch!” he yelped. Then, when you didn’t react: “Y/N, you okay?”

You could hear him, but your brain was blank.

Tetsu…

What eventually pulled you out of your personal pit of despair was the wetness on your cheeks. Did it start raining? you wondered stupidly as you brought a hand to your face, only realising then that you had started crying.

“What the fuck!” Shoko growled.

She visibly saw it too.

“What’s going on?” Bokuto asked.

“I’m gonna kill him!” Shoko added, ignoring the white-haired man beside her.

“Oh, shit…” Bokuto murmured right behind you.

Yep, he saw it as well… Right there, on the second row of tables, not far from the drink station, was your boyfriend. There was no mistaking his crazy bed-hair and his trademark smirk. He was smiling and chatting with a girl and seemed to be in the middle of a very enthusiastic conversation. When the pain started to spread from your chest and outward, making your limbs go numb and your head dizzy, you realised just how much you actually loved him. Because it definitely felt way more awful than when you had found out that your ex had a side chick, even after three years of relationship. And really, there was no doubt about what was going on, it was a speed-dating event after all.

Was it all a game for him? Did he simply enjoyed picking up lonely and desperate girls, because he knew he’d have no trouble scoring one or two? Wait, what if he was dating a few girls at the same time, gathering phone numbers at each event? They’d have no way to know, it was the perfect plan for a serial cheater!

Panic started to rise in your chest as some of the worst scenarios reeled through your mind at the speed of light, making breathing more and more difficult. You had to get away. Now!

As you were about to move, you noticed Shoko. She had somehow made it past the crowd by the door and past the Wallflower managing team, and was now walking – or more like furiously stomping the floor with each step – to Kuroo’s table. Since he was sitting with his back to the door, he didn’t see her coming. She swiftly grabbed a glass of water from a nearby table, catching other participants’ attention, and without an ounce of hesitation, she splashed the content of the glass at your boyfriend’s face.

You couldn’t hear what she said to him, but her facial expression was cold, her glare was pure wrath, and the finger she pointed at him might as well have been a sword.

Eventually, Kuroo turned to the large window, his features twisted by fright and panic as his hazel eyes found yours.

You immediately took off. Your body was on autopilot, reacting on its own, as if moved by a strong sense of self-preservation to protect you from further arm. Although, well, it was clearly too late, because the emotional pain was so intense you were physically hurting.

You never knew you could run that fast. You zoomed through the familiar streets of your neighbourhood and made it to your building in what felt like a handful of seconds only. And since the elevator was taking way too much time to reach the ground floor to your liking, you took the stairs. You reached your apartment completely out of breath, but that was fine. You’d soon be okay once you made it to the safety of your bedroom. You just wanted to be alone. That’s all you needed.

You ditched your shoes in the lobby, but didn’t even bother removing your coat. You locked yourself in your room, and curled up in foetal position on your bed. And you cried.

----

The sun was rising and Kuroo hadn’t slept at all…

His brain just kept replaying what had happened the night before at the Wallflower Café, again and again.

The splash of cold water that hit him had caught him off guard, and it took Kuroo a hot second to register what was going on. The whole coffeeshop was quiet, all eyes on him as he turned to look at the source of the sudden hosing.

Shoko was there, by the table he was sharing with what-was-her-name-again. Her soul-slaying glare was piercing through his bones and he felt himself instinctively shrink in his seat.

“What the--”

“Don’t be surprised!” she cut him, pointing a sharp manicured finger at him. “You hurt my friend, so I had to do something, since she’s too kind to do it herself.”

Hurt? What is she talking about? he wondered. He didn’t do anything wrong, did he? Wait!Realisation slowly downed on him. With what Shoko just said, he realised that him participating in a speed-dating event could definitely be interpreted the wrong way. Somehow, in his eagerness to gather the data he needed in order to finally finish his assignment, he just completely omitted that part. To him, it was only a social experiment, and because of the nature of speed-dating, he wasn’t committing to any of the women he was meeting tonight. It wasn’t cheating, but he could completely understand why Shoko would conclude that he was.

‘You hurt my friend’? Y/N? But you weren’t here though… were you? Once again, Kuroo’s brain put more pieces together and eventually got the full picture. This very unfortunate predicament appeared to have much worse consequences than Shoko-dzilla angrily watering his face in public. The black-haired man slowly turned to the large windowpane; he didn’t even have to search for his girlfriend, he spotted you immediately, right beside a visibly very disappointed Bokuto. When Kuroo’s eyes met yours, the absolute distress and pain he found in them completely crushed him. He was, indeed, hurting you.

The eye contact didn’t last long though, as his lover took off, dashing through the pedestrians and quickly disappearing from his sight. Struck full-force by a wave of panic, Kuroo rose from his chair and hurried outside. But by the time he made it to where Bokuto now stood alone, you were nowhere to be found.

“Fuck…” he whispered to himself, running a frustrated hand through his messy hair.

His heart was beating so fast and his blood was pulsing so loudly in his ears that he couldn’t really hear what Bokuto was telling him. Kuroo quickly went back inside to gather his stuff, ignoring Shoko’s pissed off comments, his date’s shocked expression, and the other participants’ murmurs. Somehow it only made sense to him to fetch the precious notes for which he had ruined his relationship with the woman he loved, so at least his loss wouldn’t be a total waste. Fuck you, Kuroo! You haven’t lost her yet! he thought to himself angrily as he left the café with his messenger bag across his chest and his jacket under his arm. He had to go after you. He had to find you and explain to you. It was all just a big misunderstanding after all!

But he hadn’t gone more than half a dozen metres in the direction of your building that he was called out by Shoko:

“Ooooh no! I hope you’re not planning on seeing her, you cheating bastard!” she threw at him as she caught up with him, Bokuto following right behind her.

“I wasn’t cheating! I gotta tell her that!” Kuroo defended himself.

“Then what were you doing there?” Bokuto asked.

Yeah, if even his best friend was doubting him, the whole situation must have really looked bad. How come he didn’t even think it would, was beyond him. He should have just come clean about what he was doing in the first place! He should have told them about the experiment. But then, what would you have thought? That you were just another experiment to him? His frustration went up a notch as he answered:

“I was gathering data for my assignment.”

“What are you on about?” his friend asked, obviously confused.

Kuroo stopped walking and turned to face the owl and explain:

“Remember my paper for Social Studies?”

“The one that’s been giving you so much trouble?”

“Yes, well, I decided to write about speed-dating.”

Kuroo groaned when, once again, he remembered Bokuto’s sad expression. He could easily tell that hetoo felt sort of betrayed and hurt… like a lab rat being experimented on against its will.

By the time the boys had gone home to the flat they shared, Kuroo had been able to explain himself, assuring to his friend that what he had written was respectful, and that nothing in there could tip off the reader about the identity of his ‘subjects’. He even offered him to read his essay – or at least what he had written so far – which the owl did. And that probably helped untangle the situation. Maybe if I could get Y/N to read it, she would understand too?

He had tried texting and calling his girlfriend many times last night, but his messages were left ‘unread’, and when his last call bounced straight to your voicemail, he knew there was no point insisting as you probably ended up turning your phone off. At least he wasn’t blocked – yet! – or his calls wouldn’t even have reached, and he would have been met with an automated voice message instead. Now, Shoko had been clear about not wanting him to show up at their door until you felt comfortable seeing him, or she’d call the cops and get him arrested for harassment. That definitely made it harder for him to plead his case, but he couldn’t blame Bokuto’s girl for wanting to protect her friend. If anything, Kuroo was kind of glad that you could rely on someone like Shoko, although right now it was at his own detriment.

As Nekoma’s captain, Kuroo always knew what to do. He was sensible and responsible, and somewhat mature too, which made him a great problem-solver. But right now, he just couldn’t see any solution. It all depended on whether you would give him the benefit of the doubt and hear him out, or whether you’d simply cut all ties with him and kicked him out of your life. Given what had happened with your previous boyfriend, he wouldn’t be surprised if you opted for the latter.

With a heavy sigh, the young man decided to get out of bed. He didn’t exactly feel like having breakfast or anything but staying in his room all day would only lead to more spiralling. His twisted stomach was too upset for food, but he could at least make some coffee. Kuroo dragged his sorry ass to the small kitchen and, as he was setting up the coffee machine, someone knocked at the front door. He frowned. Did Bokuto go out and forget his keys? That would be highly probable if it wasn’t 8am on a Saturday morning… The owl was definitely still in bed, especially with practice being suspended during the exam period. A parcel delivery maybe? Kuroo didn’t remember ordering anything recently but maybe his flatmate did? With a lazy sigh, the raven head went back to his room to put on a tee-shirt before opening the door.

Another knock, a bit fainter and more hesitant than the first one, could be heard just as he made it to the hallway.

“Coming,” he mumbled, barely loud enough his visitor was to hear.

Eventually, Kuroo unlocked and opened the door.

Well… That’s unexpected.

Standing there in front of him was his girlfriend.

Your hair was attached in a very messy bun and your face seemed a bit puffy. Upon looking closely, Kuroo noticed the red in your eyes, and the dark circles underneath, sign that you definitely didn’t sleep well either and probably cried a lot. Knowing that he was the cause of your tears was hurting him even more than his fear of you leaving him.

You stood in silence for a few long seconds. Kuroo wanted nothing more than to take you in his arms and hold you, but he was afraid you’d run from him again.

He cleared his throat before speaking:

“Wanna… Wanna come in?”

You pursed your lips, lowering your gaze before nodding.

Kuroo moved to the side and opened the door wider for you. You removed your sneakers and winter coat while he closed the door, only to reveal that you were only wearing a pair of sweatpants and an oversized tee, no socks, and visibly no bra either… You had come all the way to his place, that early in the morning and in the winter cold, wearing only your pyjama!

Immediately, Kuroo grabbed you by the shoulders – you were so cold – to lead you into the living room and wrapped you in one of the blankets they kept on the couch. Only then did he realised that you had been holding onto a large paper bag. He wanted to ask what was inside, but you talked first.

“I read it… Your paper, I read it.”

Kuroo froze.

“Bokuto emailed it to Shoko, and she made me read it,” you explained in quiet hoarse voice.

“I’m sorry,” was all Kuroo could muster, disappointed with himself.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I….” he sighed, frustrated.

How was he supposed to make you understand? Would you even believe him? He passed a hand over his face, then through his knotty black mope.

“Because I didn’t want you to believe that I wasn’t serious with you, and that you were just part of an experiment…”

“Was I not?”

“NO!” he exclaimed a bit too loud. “No… You’re my girlfriend, you’re not a lab subject.”

“You mentioned your own best friend in that paper – not by name, but I knew it was him. And you talked about Shoko too.”

“Yeah, that’s shitty of me…” Kuroo mumbled. “This paper is meant for my teacher only though, I didn’t intend on having anyone else read it.”

“I still don’t understand… Why did you go last night?” you asked, a touch of sadness laced in each word.

“I… I can’t be objective when it comes to you. The night we met, from the moment you smiled at me I was done for. I couldn’t focus on anything else after that. I can’t remember any of the other girls’ faces or their names from that night… Remember how I told you that I didn’t have enough data? Well, that’s because I just didn’t take any valuable notes after our date. I couldn’t focus my mind on anything. And then Christmas happened, then New Year, then I prioritised my other assignments and procrastinated this one for as long as I could…”

Kuroo took a pause; he knew how stupid and lame his excuses sounded right now but, at least they were the truth.

“That’s when I realised all I could rely on was the notes from the first four dates of the night, and that wasn’t conclusive enough for my analysis. And I found out last minute yesterday that I still had a chance since this month speed-dating had been postponed to match Valentine’s Day… and believe me, I… Not a single moment did it occur to me that going there last night was ‘cheating’ because, in my mind, it was just about gathering data, finishing this stupid paper, and make it to you for breaksfast.”

Yeah, it definitely sounded very lame.

Still standing, face to face with you in silence, the volleyball player felt vulnerable. He needed to give his body some substance or he felt like he would flake, so he went to the couch and sat on the armrest.

“I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot,” he whispered.

You approached him, standing at arm’s reach, and that’s what he did. He reached. Palm up, a silent invitation for you to take his hand.

“Will you forgive me?” he asked, raising a timid glance at the beautiful woman he hoped would still be his.

But after a few long seconds that felt like an eternity, you didn’t take his hand.

Instead, you put the brown paper bag in it.

Kuroo gulped, feeling his heart drop. What was that supposed to mean? He opened the bag and took a look at the content: the bag was holding a white pastry box with a logo he recognised. He caught a faint whiff of the sweet perfume of freshly baked croissants from the delicious French pastry shop that was across his local train station.

“You promised me breakfast,” you said, a soft smile curling at the corner of your mouth.

You must caught his confusion because you explained:

“I had forgiven you the moment I finished reading your paper. Even though it’s not finished yet…”

It took everything Kuroo had to stop himself from jumping and screaming his joy – Bokuto was still asleep, and his introvert girlfriend would probably freak out a bit. So instead, he bit his bottom lip, his mouth stretching in a smile. He put the croissants away on the coffee table, then grabbed you with both arms around your waist and pulled you to him. Since he was still sitting on the armrest, he was in the perfect position to burry his face in your soft chest. Now perfectly muffled in the plush of your flesh, his voice lot go a loud groan of relief.

When he felt your arms wrap around his shoulders, one of your hands sliding in the short hair at the back of his head, Kuroo tightened his embrace.

“I thought I’d lost you…”

The raven-head boy opened wide eyes. The words could have come out of his mouth, but they came from yours instead.

“I thought I fell in love with the wrong person again, and that I’d lost my boyfriend.”

You let go of him, your hands moving to cup his face. You looked into each other’s eyes, then you captured his lips into kiss.

It started as a soft, kind and loving kiss, but quickly turned into a more needy exchange. Kuroo could tell by the subtle moan you let out, that somehow you felt like him: you wanted to hold onto him and never let go.

He deepened the kiss, and you didn’t complain. He would say that he loved you – he had never said the three magic words before, although he definitely didn’t feel less for you – but right now, after nearly losing you to his own stupidity, they would feel too cheap. Besides, V-day was only two days away now, a more appropriate opportunity.

When eventually you both pulled apart, slightly out of breath, Kuroo grinned at you before securing his hold around your waist. And without any warning, he simply let himself fall backward onto the couch. You let out a surprised yelp and you found yourself being pulled down with him. You landed onto him safely, pressed against his chest and he murmured against your ear:

“I’m so exhausted, we should take a nap here together.”

Your legs were tangled together, hanging in an awkward angle due to the armrest, but somehow it wasn’t too uncomfortable. He was just happy to be able to hold onto you. You nodded, kissed his cheek and buried your face in his neck.

“You’re such a dork,” you whispered.

And he smiled.

-----

Author's Notes #2: I tried to stay accurate with Japan’s traditions and perceptions of Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Meaning that Christmas isn’t really a family holiday, because only 1 or 2% of the population is Christian. It is mostly the occasion to party with friends or go on a date with your lover. Fried chicken is also a must on Christmas, not sure why lmao. The family gathers more for New Year’s Eve and New Year. Valentine’s Day is usually a day where girls will treat the boy(s) they like by offering them chocolates, and already established couples also go on a date. Also, calendar-wise, the school in Japan usually starts in April and goes all the way to end of February or mid-March for some schools and institutions, with a small break in between school years. They also have a summer break, a short winter break over the holidays, a golden week and public holidays here and there. I hope this helps.