When Kuroo had met Kenma when he was eight, he was completely reserved and a damn right mess. All he had was his silent personality and an interest in volleyball. His grandfather had gotten him an actual volleyball ball for his birthday, and now he carried it around all over the place. He got his even more reserved neighbour to practice with him and later, noticing Kenma's interest in the tactics behind the sport, encouraged him to become a setter.

Having his best friend by his side, they both tackled their junior high's team and became much, ­much stronger. It was in his third year, his last tournament with that team, that he met a quite interesting figure on the opposite side of the net.

They were going up against Ushimi Middle School, a school not particularly strong but were in no means weak. Their greatest strength seemed to be their greatest weakness as well, and that double-edged sword went by the name of Bokuto Kōtarō.

The golden eyes that seemed to pierce through Kuroo had him immediately hooked on a feeling, and that feeling pushed him greater and farther in that match than he had ever gone. This owl demanded his attention, and he was not one to disappoint. Similarly, Bokuto had his eyes trained on the sly feline, occasionally messing up his plays because of the lack of focus. When Kuroo got in his first block against Bokuto's cannon of a spike, both parties were in awe.

"Dude, that was awesome!" those were the first words Kuroo heard from his lips, and it was ­glorious.

"Thanks," Kuroo rubbed at the back of his head, feeling humble.

"Bokuto, don't cheer on the enemy!"

"Sorry, sorry!" So ­Bokuto was his name, huh. Kuroo smirked and continued to push himself to his limit, now knowing the name – or family name, anyway – of this monster he resonated with.

Kenma wasn't a regular, but he could see enough from his spot on the bench that something was different about the way Kuroo was pushing himself on the court. He was like a swimmer trying to puff out his chest to appear bigger, using experimental plays and getting his team motivated alongside him. Kenma was swapped in early in the third set to give their official setter a few breathing moments. He jogged over to Kuroo, gently pulling at his shirt to pull his attention away from the owl running around the other side of the court.

"Do you know him?" Kuroo's eyes shot towards his silent friend, question in his expression.

"What? No. This is our first time playing," Kenma tilted his head in confusion.

"... You should talk to him after the game, regardless of the outcome," the whistle blew, the serve came and the game continued. At 22-25, Ushimi Middle School won and Kuroo couldn't even be upset that his junior high games were over because all he could focus on was the 'Hey hey hey!' that came from the winning side. His team had to drag him to the line-up and as his cat-like pupils directly caught the glowing gold globes, he felt his breath hitch. The teams bowed to each other and ran up to the net to give out handshakes.

Kuroo was a bit dazed as he held out his hand under the net, not knowing if he even had the courage to shake this man's hand. His eyes couldn't even look up. Bokuto grabbed at him with both hands, shaking his hand violently and giving him the largest smile. Kuroo was forced to look up, and seeing him from this up close and seeing all the detail of his badly dyed hair, was so much worse for his emotions.

"I'm Bokuto Kōtarō!" he introduced happily, his smile blinding. Kuroo was stunned but he could feel his own smile growning.

"Kuroo Tetsurō," his showed his teeth, Bokuto's eye gleaming at the sight.

"Tetsurō! Want to meet outside after this?" and of course he wasn't going to say no, so he shot him a sly glance and smiled. Bokuto got the message.

Thus, after thanking the supporters, packing up and all the works; Kuroo found himself sitting in the foyer, waiting for the owl. The rest of the team had gone up to watch the next match on the court, eating their lunches there before they would head off. Kenma had stopped Kuroo before he headed up to join the team.

"You're waiting for him?"

"Yeah,"

"Good luck, I guess," and then Kuroo was alone. He was on his phone, messaging his family about the defeat but tried to convey his emotions to them accurately. He wasn't disappointed; not really, anyway. For the first time, he felt like he actually did his best on the court. A potential was unlocked he didn't even know he had.

"Tetsurō! There you are!" he looked up when Bokuto came, putting away his phone.

"I don't remember giving you permission to use my name," he smirked as he stood up to Bokuto's length.

"Well, you can use my name! Then we're even, right?" Kuroo could only laugh at him and nodded. "You played so ­amazing! There's not a lot of blockers out there who can stop me like you did!" Kuroo almost became embarrassed at the compliment.

"And I've never met an owl with a cannon for an arm," he replied smoothly.

"Hey!"

"Bokuto!" a voice cried out and they turned to see one of Bokuto's teammates. "Coach wants to talk. Hurry up,"

"'K!" Bokuto turned to Kuroo. "Sorry. Can I have your number, possibly? I want to continue talking," Kuroo smiled and nodded, pulling his phone out without hesitation. They quickly put his number on Bokuto's phone and send a quick text to Kuroo's phone, both parties now having each other's numbers.

"You're a third year, right?" Kuroo nodded. "Same. What high school are you going to?"

"Nekoma,"

"Really? I'm going to Fukurōdani, so we'll both be in the Kanto region! And Nekoma is a part of the Fukurōdani Academy Group, right? Where they have practice matches and training camps together, right? That will be so cool!" Bokuto spoke with such high and quick energy that Kuroo almost couldn't keep up.

"Bokuto!"

"Coming!" Bokuto yelled off to his teammate, turning towards Kuroo with one last smile.

"Hope you'll be cheering me on, Tetsurō!" and how could he say no to that smile?

"Of course I will. I mean, you beat me today, Kōtarō. You have to take responsibility for that," the two fifteen year olds could only appreciate each other's company for another moment before Bokuto ran off, Kuroo watching his back as he disappeared from his line of sight. That back would be the image embedded into his mind until they met again.

Kenma didn't pry when Kuroo returned to sit next to them, but he could tell it went well from how Kuroo immediately pulled out his phone to look at the profile picture and status of his newest contact.

His picture was simply of himself lying in a field, eyes closed and arms punching up to the sky. His status read 'I'm definitely going to fail my math exam. Send help :(' and Kuroo wanted to laugh. His finger hovered over sending the message 'I'll help you out with those number crunching ;)' but decided it was too soon. Bokuto had another match still today and they just lost theirs. This was not the time.

He did, however, head over to see if Bokuto had a social media account and he wasn't surprised when he found it, albeit a bit of a dead acount. It was all pictures of himself in very bright sceneries, two younger twins he guessed were his siblings and volleyball. Kuroo smirked at the aesthetic. This was definitely someone he could get behind.

Kuroo was watching Bokuto's next match on his phone on the bus when they headed out, this time carefully examining what exactly made Bokuto's playstyle catch his eye. Was it his appearance that boosted his playing or his personality? What was different to any other volleyball player he had been up against?

"He's really energetic, isn't he? Makes the entire audience want to cheer for him. Makes me sick," Kenma commented through lidded eyes, clearly just wanting to sleep.

"You can rest on my shoulder if you want," Kenma didn't say no to that offer and leaned over.

"You know, you're both monsters,"

"Huh?"

"It's like you two belong to the same species of monsters. No wonder you immediately caught each others attention. You're like homing pigeons, finally finding someone else of your own kind,"

"Are we really that bad?"

"You'll see it one day,"

Ushimi Middle School lost that match and Kuroo didn't know if he should say something or not. He figured if Bokuto wanted to talk, then he would.

And he was right.

'Lol. Guess we both lost today,' but Kuroo could sense the sadness in Bokuto's text.

'We should work harder then, right?' and as an afterthought, he added 'Next time I'm going to crush your ass,'

'Bring it, Kitty,' Kuroo smirked. He was at home, his father in the other room busy making dinner they would both probably sit and eat in silence later. His father tried to be supportive of his volleyball, but he simply lacked the knowledge and understanding of team sports to be able to sympathise. He was a doctor, after all.

'Come at me, Owl,'

'We should do something,' it surprised Kuroo how quickly that text came and how to the point it was.

'Like?'

'We can just toss a ball around and talk, maybe? Both of our volleyball seasons are done for the year. Not a bad time to be more social, right?' Bokuto was on edge, trying not to scare Kuroo away on the first day.

'How did this entire thing happen anyway? Was my blocks just too good for you?' Kuroo was in weird state where he still can't believe that he just saw someone across the net and they mutually agreed that 'yes, this is someone I want in my life'. Was it like a love at first sight type of situation, but with friendships? Does that even happen?

'You played because you wanted to enjoy yourself, not to crush your opponent and win,' Kuroo stared at the words that were on his screen and pondered over them. 'There's no point to playing if you're not doing it to have fun, right?'

'You saying you've never met someone who plays volleyball because they enjoy it?'

'NO! I mean, yes! I mean,' Bokuto's text came through in separated messages as he thought. 'You know what I mean! It's just somehow different with you, bro,' Kuroo chuckled to himself.

'Bro, did you just brozone me, bro?'

'BRO,' Kuroo nearly lost his shit. 'I'M SORRY, BRO,' Kuroo then mentioned to Bokuto about sending him a request on his social media.

'You better not reject me there, too,'

'BRO I'M SORRY,' Kuroo could already tell he loved teasing him. 'OF COURSE I WON'T REJECT YOU,'

'Better not,' Kuroo smirked to himself. 'How far is Namimori park to you, by the way?'

'Hmm let me check,' a few minutes later Bokuto answered. 'I can actually run it! I think,'

'Well, we can test that. Tomorrow?' Kuroo felt unsure about offering to do something literally the next day after meeting.

'Sure! Meet at like 11? That fine?'

'Yeah,' Kuroo was surprised he had to tell himself that this was just making plans to meet up with a bro, not a date or anything like that. 'There's a basketball court there. I'll bring a ball,'

'Why basketball? Not volleyball?'

'We want to talk, right? Can't do that when we're competing at what we're good that,'

'AH! You're right!' Kuroo found it funny how easily this conversation was flowing. 'Our bus just stopped. Need to go. See tomorrow!'

'Tomorrow then,' and finally, Kuroo could breathe. He picked himself off his bed and headed downstairs.

"I'm just popping in next door! I'll be quick!" he yelled to his dad and after the quick affirmation, he headed out. He went over to his neighbour's house and stood beneath the top floor window. "Kenma! Kenma, acknowledge me senpai!" he joked. It wasn't long before Kenma popped his head out of his window and looked down at Kuroo with tired eyes, already in his pyjamas. Shame, the guy was tired after playing today.

He literally played only half a set.

"What do you want, Kuroo?"

"I've got a date with destiny!" he announced, lifting his phone up to the sky. Kenma scrunched his brows in confusion.

"You mean the guy who crushed us today?" Kenma spoke lazily.

"Yeah, just wanted to let you know we'll be heading out tomorrow and that I'm not cheating on you!" Kenma frowned at him and snarled.

"You make the weirdest friends, Kuroo. You also could have also just texted me this. Just don't get pregnant," he joked with a serious expression and closed his window, retreating into his room. Kuroo laughed at Kenma's words. They were always joking around like that. He was glad Kenma could be as entertaining as he was.

The next day, Kuroo was at the park wearing sweats and a tight fitted shirt. He would've worn jeans but they were there to play basketball, after all. He was early and he knew he was going to be early as soon as he left from his house. His phone was filled with messages from his coach and team discussing how their practice would continue now that their season was over and whether or not the third years still wanted to practice with but Kuroo couldn't be bothered by that right now. He was unsure about what he wanted to do, too. He still needed to pass Nekoma's entrance exams and his final exams but he knew he was overly prepared for that already. He shouldn't stress as much.

He bounced the basketball ball as he headed around the park, losing himself in thought as he began to collect his thoughts and plan out his schedule for tackling the rest of the year. He didn't even notice Bokuto run up until he was clapping him on the back, nearly shocking Kuroo into a 'I'm going to start punching' mode.

"Sorry if I'm late! Got lost," he apologized.

"Nah, I was just really early," Kuroo explained, bouncing the ball to Bokuto.

"You looked kinda lost too. What were you thinking about?" Bokuto questioned, bouncing the ball.

"Final exams," at that, Bokuto made a gagging noise.

"Disgusting! Why even bring that up? Now I feel violated," Kuroo could only laugh at that.

"I'm guessing you're not academically strong?"

"HUH? I am strong all round!" Bokuto declared, holding his arms out and puffing out his chest. He then deflated and looked away. "... Except schoolwork," he admitted silently. Kuroo laughed like a hyena. "Don't judge!"

"I'm not, I'm not," he assured, waving his hand. "I used to hate studying but I've tried to make a lifestyle out of it, much like volleyball,"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, if you need help studying," he pointed a thumb at his chest. "Then I can help you!" Bokuto's eyes turned to stars.

"I would love that!" Kuroo chuckled and took the ball from him, leading Bokuto to the court.

"I saw your match yesterday, by the way. That last hit you did seemed incredibly strong," Bokuto deflated at Kuroo's words.

"Yeah, but it was out,"

"It was out, but didn't you love seeing the blockers run away from your spike with a 'no touch'?" Bokuto cheered up at those words.

"Yeah! They looked so scared!" Kuroo chuckled. "Wait, you watched my match?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Bokuto just smiled.

And that was the start of it, of the unbreakable bond that their respective schools – both their junior schools, as well as both Nekoma and Fukurōdani the following year – couldn't understand. They played volleyball and whatever else together when they could, constantly texted each other about daily things and were like each other's parasites. They just couldn't seem to get rid of one another and didn't seem like they wanted too.

Kuroo helped Bokuto pass his exams and even help him get into Fukurōdani which, for the record, was quite prestigious and had a difficult enterance exam. Luckily with Bokuto, if you played your cards right, he could actually memorise quite a lot.

The first time Kuroo formally introduced Bokuto to Kenma, only a few months later when the final exams were over and they were at the school year end break, he was glad to have found a mutual ground for the two. Bokuto and Kenma would play reflex video games on the controller, Bokuto using lightning fast movements but Kenma using tactics. Kenma won each time and Bokuto had to admit defeat.

Besides their game interactions, Bokuto and Kenma did not have much of a relationship but that was okay with Kuroo. He didn't expect Kenma to stick onto Bokuto like he had. After all, he had mentioned that Kuroo and Bokuto were of the same species and Kenma could barely deal with Kuroo as it was.

Kuroo slept more over at Bokuto's place than the other way around, since if Bokuto was over at Kuroo's then it was automatically implied that Kenma might pop in or they would raid the Kozume household. At the Bokuto residence, they had more privacy.

Sort of.

The Bokuto family was very loud. His mother was all over the place and his younger twin sisters were even worse, but it made for interesting stories. Kuroo was accepted into this high-energy atmosphere of their household not long after he was over there the very first time. Bokuto wouldn't admit it out loud but he was beyond happy that his family approved of Kuroo like he did. Bokuto had to behave himself more in the Kuroo household, since his father was very business orientated but he had no problems with the owl-like child.

Both parties had fully integrated into each other's life and they couldn't be happier.

It was a year later, both first years at their respected high schools when the fated time came – Training Camp.

Bokuto had been correct about Nekoma being a part of the Fukurōdani Academy Group, and that caused quite the excitement from both parties in the months leading up to it. Bokuto had been the first one to spot Kuroo at the first camp and jumped on his back, wrapping his arms around the cat and brining him down the ground.

"Kōtarō! Get off!" Kuroo screeched, Bokuto just laughing. The Nekoma team was staring at the interaction, whispering about how interesting the first years from both teams were. Coach Nekoma only laughed off the scene and went on ahead.

"KUROO!" Kuroo's fellow Nekoma firsy year, Yaku Morisuke, slid onto the scene with an angered expression. "Don't cause our senpais problems already!"

"What have I done, Yakkun?! This is all him!" Kuroo spoke, referring to Bokuto was still sitting on him.

"Yakkun? What a cool name, Yakkun!" Bokuto spoke.

"That's not my name!" Yaku screeched. Yaku and Kuroo had been at each other's throats since day one, going out of their way to have different likes and interests but when it came to volleyball, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, Yaku wasn't a regular since there was a third year libero who's experience still won over Yaku's raw talent, but he'll get his moment. Kuroo was certain of that.

The training camp went off without a hitch, Bokuto and Kuroo serious when on the court but absolute messes off the court. It was after the first day that they haven't had enough yet and headed to train on their own in a separate gym. Yaku, Kai, Washio and Sarukui – all the first years - joined in as well but could only go for another hour before having to leave it up to the dynamic hyper duo.

Training with just the two was difficult so they worked more on their bodies than specifically the sport. It later just turned into more talking that practicing, but they didn't want to return to their respective teams just yet. This went on every night, one time they even went as far as to video call Kenma out of needing to fill their time. It became clear to all four schools present that Bokuto and Kuroo had an unbreakable bond, one that pushed them farther and higher.

They had multiple training camps that school year, the last one being right before the Spring High-Tokyo Representative Playoffs where the Tokyo representatives for Nationals would be decided. That time period in their life they would always remember, and not because of the volleyball. They barely remember anything from the matches, actually. Fukurōdani had won the playoffs and went on to play in Nationals where they fell out in the third round, but that still wasn't important. Bokuto's memories of his first year were not dominated by his first high school nationals, but instead that training camp right before the playoffs.

It was the third day of the camp and Fukurōdani was playing their last set of the day against Ubugawa. They wrapped it up quite nicely in a little bow with 2-0 and had no punishments. Bokuto's team headed out but he stayed behind, eyes trained on the Nekoma vs Shinzen match that was in their third set. It seemed as if the flow was in Nekoma's favour and if Bokuto could be biased, it definitely seemed to be in Kuroo's favour.

The way Kuroo was moving had Bokuto tranced and he had to stop in think when was the last time he saw Kuroo in this light. They had always played against each other or went up against others in their nightly sessions. It's been forever since he's just stopped and looked.

Kuroo was fucking majestic.

Bokuto always knew that Kuroo had a flair to his movements that had him captivated, especially when he was playing in the Nekoma manner – keeping the enemy off Nekoma's strategist. The Brain.

Kuroo was beyond excited for Kenma to become the Brain of Nekoma next year.

Bokuto wanted them to play on the same side of the court. He wanted Kuroo to play as if he was protecting Bokuto like that.

Well, Bokuto wasn't and would never be a Brain, nor did he need protecting but god if he didn't fantasise brief moments over the last year of Kuroo using his flair for Bokuto's sake. Bokuto would be the spear, and Kuroo would be the shield. What a combo.

"Do you always stare at him like that?" Bokuto was caught off guard by his fellow Fukurōdani teammate.

"Captain, I-,"

"You two are really close, I can tell. Even closer than when our volleyball season started," Bokuto wasn't at all affected by the fact that he was a third year. They've gone through a lot this year already as it is. The team was really connected.

"Tetsurō just is that amazing," Bokuto said completely serious. His captain regarded him carefully, analysing the look Bokuto was still throwing Kuroo's ways. He was picking apart every small detail of him, every small movement. Eventually, his captain smirked.

"You should tell him how you fell," Bokuto looked at him in confusion.

"He already knows how I feel. He knows I'm happy," the third year could only laugh at Bokuto's obliviousness.

"Not those types of feelings," he placed his fist over Bokuto's heart. "Those types of feelings," Bokuto scrunched up his face, genuinely not understanding what he was getting at.

"I don't understand. My heart is the one making all the feelings, right? Like my happiness?" the poor captain was struggling with this first year.

"Come here," he pulled Bokuto more off to the side, in case he made a scene. The captain hooked his arm around Bokuto's shoulders and pointed towards Kuroo.

"What do you think about when you see Kuroo?" Bokuto followed the line of sight to where his friend was playing on the court. "Is it just happiness? Or something more?"

"There's just... a lot. Everything and anything, I guess,"

"Do you like him then?" Bokuto frowned at this. What a stupid question.

"Of course I-,"

"More like, do you ­like him in the same sense where if your feelings grow even stronger, you'll love him? Do you want him to put his arms around you and never let go? Do you want him to whisper into your ear and give you all the attention in the world? Do you want to... kiss him, perhaps?" Bokuto could only stare at his upperclassman, complete and utter confusion embedded in his eyes. "It's okay to be gay, Bokuto. This is the modern day century. Nobody is straight anymore. Not really," he nodded up his shoulders. "Last year I had a fling with a guy from Shiratorizawa. Turns out guys were not for me, but that doesn't mean they're not for you," he smirked at Bokuto, his poor underclassman flabbergasted.

"I'm- I- I've never really-,"

"Thought about it? You seem quite like you have tunnel vision. Just like how we've been telling you about expanding your volleyball range, like doing both cross and straight shots, maybe you can think about expanding your life with Kuroo as well? If you think about yourself ten years from now, where do you want to be with your volleyball career? Where do you want to be with Kuroo?" Bokuto just had a shakily breath, eyes darting between his captain and Kuroo.

"Like a... relationship relationship? Like he would be my..."

"Boyfriend," Bokuto released a breath, nodding to himself in thought. "Look, I could be totally wrong and have misinterpreted you guys' relationship, but to me it just seems as if you two have a thing for each other. You don't need to listen to anything I say if you don't feel that way," he put it at it is and patted Bokuto's shoulder for comfort. "Just think about it," and left. Bokuto now stood, alone with his jumbled up thoughts. He stared ahead at Kuroo and retreated until his back was against the wall. He slid down to the ground, eyes not blinking.

How did he feel about Kuroo?

What did he want from him? What did he want to do for Kuroo? What did he want them to be?

Was what they had enough? Did Bokuto secretly desire more?

Did he want Kuroo to hold him in his arms and never let go? Did he want Kuroo to whisper in his ears and give him all the attention in the world? Did he want to kiss Kuroo?

Bokuto had always been blunt, straight to the point, possessed no filter and was in no means subtle. For the first time, he was stumped.

Bokuto and Kuroo did not have a nightly session that day and instead Bokuto made up the excuse that he was asked by his teammates to help with some spikes. Kuroo shrugged it off and dragged Yaku and anyone else he could find to do their own training. Bokuto had not been training, after all, and instead sat at the side of the gym his teammates were actually busy in and... sulked, essentially. Some of the others tried to approach him but were stopped by their captain, excusing him. This was something nobody could help him with.

He did not sleep much that night, and instead laid scrolling through Kuroo's social media page, the last year of posts heavily featuring Bokuto. All of their pictures together, all of the feelings Kuroo made him feel.

The problem was he knew he felt an incredible amount for Kuroo, but the question was, just how far did that go and to what extent?

It wasn't until the next day when Nekoma and Fukurōdani were squaring off, Bokuto tired from the lack of sleep and mind all over the place, that he had a bit of an epiphany.

Well, he had been hit in the face with a ball. He had went in for the spike, Kuroo and Nekoma right there to block him, when he spaced out and the blocked ball got ricocheted straight into his face. He fell over, bottom hitting the floor. He hadn't even fully realised what had happened before his teammates and Kuroo were at his side.

He felt a strong grip on his arm, the fingers sending rippling tingles throughout his limb. He looked up, eyes connecting with Kuroo and then he just knew. He gave Kuroo the biggest smile he could, confusing everyone around him.

"Are you okay?" Kuroo questioned.

"I am now," Bokuto answered. Behind him, his captain smiled knowingly to himself. After that, Fukurōdani crushed Nekoma with how on top of the game Bokuto was. It didn't even feel like a crushing defeat, with how Bokuto brought up the spirits of everyone around him. Kuroo felt like he was back at that very first match against Bokuto, where they had met.

That same giddy feeling.

At the end of that day of matches, Kuroo approached Bokuto.

"Should I drag Yaku to practice with us again?" Bokuto looked up at Kuroo with a thoughtful look and smiled to himself.

"Actually, can we head off somewhere? I want to talk a bit," Kuroo thought it absolutely out of character for Bokuto to pass up volleyball training, but he guessed that was what their conversation would be about.

"Sure. We've got two hours before dinner," Bokuto nodded and headed to pull on his school jacket. Kuroo grabbed his things as well and they headed out of the gym. Bokuto led them to the hill behind the Shinzen High school, challenging Kuroo to race upwards. Kuroo won, but maybe that was just because of his long legs. They were giggling to themselves, falling and rolling around on the field.

They were quite the ways away from the school, completely in a private area. They sat together, close, and their laughter died out. It became awkward, quickly, as Kuroo worried over what the purpose of this conversation was.

"So, Kōtarō-,"

"Do you trust me?"

"Huh?" Kuroo tilted his head at the interruption. "Of course I trust you,"

"We... we've been through a lot together and we're really close, aren't we?" Kuroo hummed at this and sat back onto his hands, eyes closed as he faced the sun.

"You're really doubting that, Kōtarō? I know you can get down sometimes but I had hoped you at least know how much I care for you,"

"Can I try something, then?" Kuroo turned to look at Bokuto, slight confusion taking over him.

"Uhm, sure?" he laughed, almost nervously. What was Bokuto on about? He's never been this serious before.

"And please, just stop me if it's not okay, alright?" Kuroo couldn't answer him, feeling his heart rate speed up at how anxious this was making him feel, but he could see Bokuto wait for an answer so he nodded.

"Yeah, of course," he answered softly. Bokuto took a deep breath in, closing his eyes. Kuroo watched him, noticing the rise and fall of his Adam's apple. When Bokuto opened his eyes, Kuroo's breath stopped. The intense look Bokuto was giving him, those eyes that were fixed on him, and only him, was enough to make him whimper. He never wanted to back down from him though, so he tried to match Bokuto's emotions and get lost in the atmosphere that was brewing between the two.

He looked at Bokuto, and Bokuto looked back. Bokuto was looking into him, so Kuroo tried to do the same. He tried to dig into those eyes of Bokuto to try and decipher what was it that made him so... unique.

Then he felt Bokuto's hand on his face and he couldn't focus anymore. He was now lost to Bokuto's gaze and Bokuto's touch. He leaned into it, almost as if second nature. Bokuto stretched his fingers across Kuroo's cheek, cupping it and gently running his thumb across the reddening blush. He moved closed to his Nekoma friend, their foreheads nearly touching. He was still giving that insane look, Kuroo feeling lost and at Bokuto's mercy.

He probably knew by then what all of this was about, but if he had the cognitive ability to function at that time, he defiantly wouldn't have moved away. Bokuto swiped his finger over Kuroo's cheek slowly before moving in to close the gap between them, his eyes growing heavy as they closed.

Their lips touching had all sorts of emotions blooming for both of them, but it was just too much too much too much that they lost themselves. Bokuto experimented by moving his lips a bit but neither had a clue what to do. He moved away, but only enough to open his eyes and stare into Kuroo's.

He could not decipher anything that Kuroo felt. His eyes gave nothing away. Bokuto was still caressing him, the poor Nekoma player slowly picking himself mentally up. Bokuto took this silence as a bad sign and slowly began to pull away.

"AHHH listen, Tetsurō, I'm-,"

"If you're not going to do that again, then I will," Bokuto's eyes snapped to Kuroo's devious look, the sly look on his lips absolutely demolishing him. The sixteen-year-old felt his breath hitch at the eyes Kuroo were giving him, the eyes he never knew he was capable of. Kuroo absolutely hated the pregnant pause and took measures into his own hands.

His long fingers wrapped around the small of Bokuto's head, pulling him closer until their lips were touching once more. Their lips were planted together a lot more firmly than the unsure one they had just had, and Bokuto could feel himself get absolutely giddy at the implications this second kiss had. He wrapped his hands behind Kuroo's head and just went for it.

Both parties were sloppily moving their lips together, crashing and burning in the feeling that each other gave. They fell into a pattern, pushing and pulling at each other's lips in a completely inexperienced way, but hell if they knew the difference. To them, this was everything they never knew they needed. The two absolute monsters that were Boruto and Kuroo had each other captivated and god if they were going to let go now.

Saliva was all over the place and their hands began to explore their shoulders, necks, faces and hair. When the first tug at Kuroo's hair came and he gave that surprised whimper, Bokuto's world had been made.

"Wow, Kōtarō..." Kuroo spoke when they let up for air, Bokuto deciding to take the chance to plant his lips on Kuroo's neck. Kuroo grit his teeth and forced his face into Bokuto's hair. "You are impossible,"

"No," Bokuto looked up, eyes staring straight into Kuroo and now they both knew what emotion was behind those glowing pupils. "We are impossible,"

Kuroo laughed immediately, cackling like a hyena.

"You just ruined the mood!" Bokuto pouted.

"That was so cheesy though!" Kuroo said through his laughs and grabbed Bokuto's head, bringing it down so that he could land a kiss on his forehead. The owl definitely blushed at that. "You sounded like a teenage girl,"

"Who ever said I wasn't?" Bokuto played, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh god no. I'm gay, I can't handle that," Bokuto stared at Kuroo, eyes widening.

"You're gay?! How?"

"Kōtarō," Kuroo spoke seriously, placing his hands on his shoulders. "You are an idiot," he laughed while he spoke, leaning in for a quick peck to the lips.

"OOHHH!" Bokuto spoke in realisation, Kuroo nearly facepalming. "Wait! What does this all mean now? For us?" Kuroo sighed.

"Kōtarō, you were the one who brought me up here,"

"Oh right," Bokuto took Kuroo's hands into his own and stared eye-to-eye. "I think I like you, Tetsurō," Kuroo huffed.

"Well, I kind of figured," he chuckled, but Bokuto just kept on staring seriously.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Do you like me back?" Kuroo was dying on the inside, dying.

"No, Kōtarō, I don't like you," he replied, trying to be absolute serious. Bokuto deflated and he swore his hair deflated as well.

"Ah, well, I mean, I guess-," Kuroo took Bokuto's face into his hands, forcing him to look up at him.

"I absolutely adore you," Bokuto's hair bounced back up, as did his spirits. He grabbed at Kuroo, surrounding his body with his arms in a hug. They fell down, Bokuto lying on Kuroo's chest where he could hear the glee in his heartbeat.

"I promise to make you happy, Tetsurō!"

"You already have, Kōtarō,"

Their conversation turned more serious then. They spoke of how they wanted to tackle the relationship and where exactly they stood with each other. Bokuto questioned when exactly Kuroo knew he liked Bokuto, the reply being 'I was gay for you at first sight' with a playful tone but 'I guess it had to be around the half year break when I was staying with you that I realised?' being his legitimate answer. Even then, he said, he still hadn't been sure that it was exactly romantic feelings he was feeling.

He was 100% sure he liked Bokuto when he realised during that first kiss that Bokuto felt something different about their friendship as well.

They fully agreed to keep their relationship off the court and if they could help it, out of the lives of their teammates. That meant keeping it to themselves until, at least, they were a few months or years down the line and all of their relationship mandatory problems were figured this. This included, but were not exclusive to, situations where they found themselves jealous of someone else, throwing plays so that the other could win, family interactions, the faithful Kenma interactions, PDA and personal boundaries.

Kuroo added in those last three – actually, he basically though of all of it. Bokuto was still on cloud nine and wouldn't be done for a while. Kuroo knew Bokuto was openly affectionate and stopped for nothing so the situation where Bokuto accidentally kissed Kuroo in public – it wasn't a hypothetical situation, it was damn near assured.

Bokuto returning to the Fukurōdani table at dinner immediately had the captain's attention. He signalled to Bokuto without drawing the other's attention, and the question was clear in his eyes. Bokuto replied by smiling and lifting up one of his finger. He kissed his finger.

The captain's eyes went wide and he had to cough and look away to stop himself from growing embarrassed.

Well, he caused this.

Bokuto was well behaved the rest of the camp in not jumping at Kuroo every opportune he got, but that was maybe because of Kuroo and the captain's glares that stopped him in his track and kept him in check.

Besides, their make out sessions after hours were slowly getting better due to the experience and Kuroo was worth waiting for.

Bokuto nearly broke when the camp was over but they still lived in the same region: their relationship was far from being long distance.

The day after the camp ended, Bokuto popped up in front of Kuroo's house. They had planned to tell Kenma and, if they were feeling brave enough, Kuroo's father when he got back from work. Kuroo met Bokuto with a long kiss, rubbing his hands against Bokuto's arms He peered at Bokuto curiously.

"I love the texture of your shirt,"

"Do you want it?" he nearly began to strip right there. They hopped over one house and went to stand beneath Kenma's windowsill that was on the second floor.

"Kenma!" Kuroo screeched.

"Mr Future Brain!" Bokuto added.

Kenma had heard them – of course, he did, they were incredibly loud. He also didn't know if he had the strength to deal with both of them on this Sunday. Nevertheless, he slid open his window and peered down at them with tired eyes.

"What?"

"We have news!" Kuroo spoke. Kenma yawned and just gave him a look.

"Okay? What is it?" with that, Kuroo turned towards Bokuto and cupped his face and with one quick movement, connected their lips. Kuroo didn't want to give his friend a screening of their make-out session, even though he could feel Bokuto really get into it, so he quickly pulled away and gleamed up at Kenma. Kenma gave no huge reaction to seeing Kuroo and Bokuto kiss in front of him and instead just sighed.

"I thought you guys were together a long time ago,"

"HUH?!" Kuroo gave him a look.

"The way you two have been clinging to each other – you were either full blown monsters or dating. I even named two of my characters after you. I had you marry. You have a kid, she's called Trampoline. Ran out of name ideas," with that, Kenma closed his window and retreated inside.

"T...Trampoline?!" Bokuto lost his shit and began laughing.

From there on, their relationship just kept growing and expanding. The Bokuto household was easy to win over. I mean, Kuroo already had them dazzled. Kuroo's father was a bit more of a challenge but all it had taken was a night of isolated pondering before he came to realise that he had never seen his son happier than with Bokuto by his side. Bokuto's team had gone on to Nationals and then it was end-year exams again. No more training camps for the year. The third years left, the school year ended and then it was break. This was the time Bokuto and Kuroo had spent the most time together and finding a wonderful balance.

Then came second year, the year when that wonderful balance was both broken and built up upon.

Kuroo now had Kenma backing him up in volleyball and at school again. Nekoma was getting strong and so much stronger with their new brain and it was ­glorious.

But Bokuto also had a new first year backing him up, and god did he make life complicated in so, so many ways. Bokuto's delicate balance got shattered when he came to know one Akaashi Keiji.