Kei and Nakano were awakened by the sound of an argument outside the bedroom door.
"Bro, I don't wanna see...anything..." came Bokuto's voice.
"Dude, relax, it'll be fun! Come on!" Kuroo responded.
"But what if they're...like...you know..."
"Like what, Boku-bro?"
"Naked, or something!"
"So? You've seen Tsukki naked already anyway."
"But...but...Naka-chan's like my little sister! I can't see her like that! What if they're...like...ya know..."
"What?" Kuroo loved the fact that Bokuto only ever seemed to get embarrassed when girls he cared about were involved. If it were just Tsukki, he'd have been the one to fling the door open and jump right on the bed. But with Nakano also in the room...the Boku-bro could tease and talk a good game, but when push came down to shove, he'd almost literally die of embarrassment if he accidentally saw his pretty blonde friend naked.
"You know..."
"I don't, bro! What if they're what?" Kuroo knew, of course, but it was just so much fun to watch Bokuto turning various shades of red and fiddling about with his hands.
"Doing...things..."
"You mean like..."
"DON'T SAY IT!"
"...getting it on?"
"BRO!"
"Doing the dirty?"
"DUDE!!!"
"Having sex?"
"AUUURRRHGGGHGHGG!" Bokuto sounded broken.
"Well, let's find out!" Kuroo began to throw the door open.
Nakano and Kei had listened to this exchange with their hands over their mouths, desperately trying not to laugh out loud. They briefly entertained the idea of having Nakano dive fully under the blankets to make it look like she was in the middle of sucking Tsukishima off, but they both agreed that had a decent chance of doing permanent brain damage to the Boku-bro. In the end, they decided to just remain as they were, snuggled up together in bed as Kuroo came bursting into the room.
"And what's going on in here this morning, lovebirds?" Kuroo sang out, tossing himself onto the bed to sit next to the couple.
"So far, waking up is about as far as we've gotten, Kuroo-bro," Nakano answered with a smile. "You seem chipper this morning."
"Are you going to come in, Bokuto-san?" Kei asked, sitting up and leaning forward a bit to peer through the door.
Bokuto peeked into the room, flinching at first seeing Tsukki's shirtless torso, but then noting that Nakano seemed to have a tee shirt on and was sitting upright. "Can I?"
Nakano laughed. "Get in here, you silly owl. Come sit with us."
"See Bokuto? Nothing untoward happening with your little sister," Kuroo teased his buddy as he made his way over and joined them on the bed.
"Shut up, Kuroo-bro. You'd have totally flipped if they'd been in the middle of anything and you know it," Bokuto pouted.
Nakano chuckled. "Given the amount of noise you two made outside the door, we had plenty of time to stop whatever you think we might have been doing," she said, smirking at the boys.
"Or, you know, you could have just come in and joined us," Kei said, "since you guys are always willing to help a bro out, right, Boku-bro?"
Bokuto's jaw dropped open. Then suddenly, the boy exploded in laughter. Within moments, he had collapsed back on the bed, tears rolling down his cheeks. Tsukishima turned a superior smirk to Kuroo.
"Oh, well done, Tsukki-bro," Kuroo said, offering the blonde a high five, which he completed. "Nicely done indeed."
Nakano looked back and forth between the three boys. "I'm gonna assume this is some kind of bro thing and that I'm not actually going to find myself in a foursome here," Nakano said with a wry grin on her face, "Not that you guys aren't all wonderful and all that, but I've already got my hands full with just one bro." She shoulder-checked Tsukki, who leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"Sorry, guys, I don't share," Tsukki said, wrapping his arms around Nakano and hugging her close as the girl squirmed and laughed.
Bokuto smirked up at Tsukishima. "Dude! What about bros before hoes?"
Nakano's gaze snapped to the captain of Fukurodani. "What the hell did you just call me, owl boy?" she said in mock-fury, pouncing on the already prone Bokuto and tickling him under his arms.
Bokuto burst into laughter again, gasping and writhing and pleading for the girl to stop. Kuroo and Tsukki shifted away from the battle, chuckling.
"Whahahahahaha...how...did you...armpits...stop..." Bokuto gasped out the occasional word amid the laughing and crying he was once again doing, pawing gently at Nakano's hands and trying feebly to get her to stop.
"Hmmm...did I let slip about how ticklish the Boku-bro's armpits are?" Kuroo said, gently tapping his cheek with a forefinger, "Oh dear. I'm sorry, bro. How silly of me."
"Uncle! Uncle!" Bokuto cried, "Please, stop!"
"Take back what you said!" Nakano cried, letting up on the tickling a little.
"You're a perfect lady! A queen among women! A dazzling goddess!" Bokuto enthused, "I shall be your humble servant! As a Bro-sketeer, I pledge my undying devotion to you!"
"Alright, that's enough of that," Tsukishima said, pulling Nakano away from Bokuto, who sat up and quickly scooted away from the girl, "She's all those things, but she's also mine." He wrapped his arms protectively around the girl once again, she sank gratefully into his embrace.
"Do you remember Aramis being so possessive, bro?" Bokuto asked Kuroo, who was now laughing hysterically.
"Alright, Athos, enough for one morning," Kuroo said, smacking his owlish bro lightly on the back of the head.
Nakano laughed. "Of course you would be Porthos, Kuroo. I should have known."
He flashed a wicked grin at her. "Anyway, I gather from how active you both seem that you're feeling well today. No lingering effects?"
"Other than wanting a shower, I feel fine. How about you, Naka-chan?" Tsukki asked.
"All good, Kuroo. No sign of a hangover. How about the rest of the boys?" Nakano queried.
"Everyone's up and we're all trying to figure out some brunch, since it's a little late for breakfast," Kuroo said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Will you make us tamagoyaki, Naka-chan? Yours is the best!" Bokuto looked hopefully at the girl.
"Sure," she said, grinning. "Let me grab a quick shower and get dressed, and then I'll join you in the kitchen." She turned to her boyfriend. "Will you make yakitori, if Kuroo's got what you need? I could really go for it."
"Oooh, that sounds awesome, bro! Will you cook for us?" Bokuto was starting to drool a little bit.
Tsukki chuckled. "Sure. Same deal as Naka-chan." His bros looked at him, eyebrows wiggling. He clicked his tongue at them, pushing them both over. "Different showers," he said, sighing.
Nakano laughed again, looking at Bokuto. "Weren't you just in an absolute tizzy over the possibility of walking in on us doing...something...and now you're teasing Tsukki about us showering together?"
And cue a Bokuto emotional U-turn, as the boy blushed down to his socks. "Augh! I'm sorry! I shouldn't even be thinking things like that! Not about my little sister!"
Nakano gave the boy a peck on the forehead. "You are the Bokuto-iest Bokuto ever."
Suddenly Bokuto was all smiles again, getting to his feet and dancing towards the door. "Hear that, guys? I AM THE GREATEST!! HEY! HEY! HEY!!" Kuroo followed his bouncing buddy out of the room, winking at the couple before closing the door.
Nakano and Kei turned to each other and broke into laughter. "Well, that was a hell of a way to wake up," Kei said. "You want the first shower?"
"You go ahead, love," she replied, giving him a sweet kiss. He nodded, climbing out of bed at last and getting out the clothes he would need for the day.
Nakano covered her mouth with her hand as she saw his back - five darkening hickeys and reddish trails all over it. None seemed to have actually bled, but her nails had definitely left behind some tracks. So that actually did happen, she thought, for a bit there, I wondered if it all had been some drunken dream. Of course, I can feel the hickeys Kei left on my stomach, so I knew it wasn't all a dream.
Kei could feel the girl's eyes on him. "How bad does it look?" he asked her, the smirk evident in his voice.
"Not bad," she said, "but the hot water might sting a bit this morning. Your back is still a bit red."
He came back to the bed, leaning over and kissing the girl firmly on the lips. "Worth it," he said, before slipping out to the shower.
🏐🏐🏐
Brunch was as delightfully delicious and raucous as the dinner had been the night before. Tsukki and Nakano found the boys munching on the scant leftovers from last night, and gathering materials for the two of them to prepare some hot food. The couple got to cooking at once, Akaashi helping them by occasionally feeding them leftover tidbits while they worked. Kuroo focused on the drink to accompany their meal - freshly squeezed orange juice. He decided to patently ignore Lev's suggestion about mimosas, even though he knew his grandfather had several excellent bottles of champagne in the cellar. He also knew ojii-san would kill him if he found out he'd used any of those bottles to mix with orange juice - the cheapest bottle of champagne his grandfather had was 31,000 yen. He was not going to appropriate that without asking. Not to mention that they'd gotten plenty drunk enough for the weekend last night - Kuroo really didn't want to push things any farther than he'd done already.
The seven friends ate, drank, talked and laughed, teasing Lev and Kenma good-naturedly for falling asleep and missing out on the cuddle-puddle. Kenma looked deeply relieved, while Lev pouted that they should have woken him up. When Nakano and Akaashi both asked 'where would we have put him?' at the same time, everyone cracked up.
Nakano had finally finished cooking and was sitting down to eat her own food, when Kuroo smiled at her in a way that sent a shiver running down her back. "So, Pretty Setter," he began, "what do you plan on wearing to the concert tonight?"
She raised her eyebrows at him, mouth full of tamagoyaki as she looked down at her black leggings, daisy-covered sweater and sneakers. "Ummm...this?" she said uncertainly after she swallowed her food. "I've never been to a concert before. Was I supposed to bring something dressier?"
Kuroo was about to launch into what seemed to be a very planned reply when suddenly he stopped short, staring at the girl. "Wait, what? You've never been to a concert before? Ever?"
Nakano shook her head. "I guess I never thought I needed to go to one," she said, looking down at her food, her face becoming a bit red. "I figured all I ever needed was the music, right? How different could it be in person as opposed to recorded?"
She's lying, Tsukki thought, but why? Why would she feel the need to... It suddenly struck him. He'd been to his first concert in middle school. Of course, he realized, she didn't do most of the things people do for the first time in middle school. She was too busy rebuilding her life and her legs. I guess she'd rather not have to explain all that to these guys. He reached over and wrapped his hand around hers, giving it a squeeze.
Kuroo, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, laughing, looking around at the boys in the room. "Oh girlie, this is gonna be the best night of your life. Gentlemen, we're on a mission. Lev, can you handle the outfit? I'll do the makeup, of course. Bokuto - you're in charge of her hair."
"Woah, woah, what are you guys talking about?" Nakano said, giving Kuroo a steely look.
"Naka-chan, we are going to a club tonight. You cannot go to a club, not even one as casual as The Play House, in sneakers and a sweater. Look, I confess, I deliberately left you off of the text telling everyone to be ready to dress for clubbing..."
"Kuroo!" the girl exclaimed.
"...but now, knowing this is your first experience with live music, oh my goodness, we are going to give you an evening you're never gonna forget. Gentlemen, prepare yourselves. We are going shopping."
"Shopping!? Wait, no, I can't! I didn't bring enough money to buy clothes, Kuroo!" Nakano protested.
"And you probably didn't bring any makeup either, did you?" Kuroo asked. The girl shook her head. "So we're going to need to buy that as well...Bokuto, will you need anything for her hair?"
"Kuroo, stop!" Nakano barked out. "I can't. I simply don't have the money. I'll just have to make due with what I've got. I'm sorry - I wish you'd told me..." Kuroo was ignoring her and continuing to talk to Bokuto, who was musing about whether or not she needed anything in her hair at all.
"Nakano." Kenma's quiet voice stopped everyone from speaking. Nakano looked at her fellow setter. "You promised you wouldn't argue with us about what we had planned for you. Well, we planned this long before you got here. So stop arguing. You wouldn't break your promise to us, would you?"
Tsukishima bit the inside of his cheek to stop his laughter, desperately working to school his features to the same gentle pleading look the rest of the boys were giving the girl. Nakano's mouth opened and closed several times before she finally gave up, her shoulders slumping. "Aww, guys, this really isn't fair. How am I supposed to deal with all six of you looking at me like that? Kei, what have you gotten me into?"
Nakano's boyfriend stood, wrapping his arms around the girl and giving her a gentle kiss on the side of her head. "I've no actual idea, Naka-chan. I told Kuroo that once we were here, he could take over the plan to make sure you had a fabulous time this weekend."
She looked at him, her eyes wide. "You...what?"
He smiled softly at her. "You did give the bros a hell of a weekend for my birthday. I think they'd like to repay you for that."
"Consider it a kinda early birthday present, Naka-chan," Bokuto said, "if that makes you feel better. Because you're not getting out of this, no matter what you say."
Nakano laughed, resigning herself to the inevitable. "Very well. But I get final say - final right of refusal on anything you plan to buy."
"No, I don't think so," Tsukki said, his voice teasing, "I think I'd like to hold those rights, if you don't mind, gentlemen. Ignore her protests - I'll be making the final calls today."
"KEI!" Nakano smacked the boy on the shoulder as he just fixed her with a truly glorious smirk.
"You heard Tsukki-bro - he's the one we gotta impress, which makes sense. Come on guys, let's head out." Kuroo grabbed his housekeys and headed for the door, the rest of the crew following dutifully behind. Tsukki pulled his pretty girlfriend into their favorite way of walking together.
"It's your turn to just relax and enjoy the ride, okay, Roses?" Kei whispered in the girl's ear.
She laughed again. "Am I being given a choice?" she asked rhetorically.
"Nope," the boy responded, snuggling the girl close to him as they walked down the streets of Tokyo, headed out on another adventure.
🏐🏐🏐
It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon when Nakano finally sat down on the bed in the guest room she was sharing with Tsukki - alone at last.
A jumbled mix of emotions washed through her as she briefly closed her eyes, laying back on the bed and thinking about the whirlwind of an afternoon they'd just had. Kuroo had taken them to a rather upscale shopping district, and Kenma had once again reminded her of her promise to not argue. Plus Kei, Kuroo and Bokuto had all looked at her with such sweet smiles...but even that, she could have resisted.
But when Kei took her hand and whispered in her ear about the difference between presents and gifts, and would she please give the Three Bro-sketeers the gift of accepting the present of this concert makeover from them as an early birthday present, well, her heart had simply melted. How could she deny them the gift they seemed to want from her so badly when it was such an easy thing to give them?
After that, the afternoon became a strange mix of an episode of a show like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and a reverse harem story straight out of the cheesiest shojo manga. The boys alternated between treating her like their own personal dress-up doll and fairly drowning her in compliments and praise. The memory of it all still brought a blush to her cheeks - they'd been more than a little over the top. Nakano knew she was in good shape, but she was no beauty queen. Heck, she wasn't even a sparkle girl like Kiyoko-senpai! And yet the boys had insisted on flattering her every time she tried something on. They were so sweet, but it really had become a bit too much.
Kei had been her rock through it all. Once she'd accepted that the boys were not going to back down on this and stopped trying to fight against them, he'd become her advocate, reading her emotional state and guiding the boys appropriately. Kuroo had chosen a swanky boutique to start the clothes shopping, and Lev had immediately started pulling dresses that left little to the imagination, short and body-hugging, going on and on about how Nakano could wear all the clothes his sister complained didn't work on her because Alisa had no real curves to speak of.
"You've got that nice curvy hourglass figure that Alisa's always complaining she wishes she had," Lev had said, making Nakano blush down to her socks. "Any one of these will look great on you! What do you want to try on first?" The tall boy had offered out no less than six dresses in his oversized hands.
Nakano had fidgeted and looked down at her legs. Short dresses like the ones Lev was suggesting were...problematic. She preferred being able to hide or camouflage her legs and her braces whenever possible, and those dresses were not the kind where that would be a thing she could do. Kei caught her glance, and spoke up. "They're all very pretty Lev, but, Kuroo, didn't you say The Play House was more of a casual club? These look like the kind of thing a B-lister wears to make sure the paparazzi notices them. I'm going to be in jeans, maybe we ought to think more along those lines."
Lev had pouted, but Kuroo hadn't missed the tension releasing from Nakano and her grateful look at Tsukishima. "Hmmm...you've got something there, Tsukki-bro. And I think I know just the place. Let's go."
The next store Kuroo had chosen seemed to specialize in jeans that were statement pieces unto themselves. Lev had gone to look for a top while the other boys got her to try on more pairs of jeans than she could count, each one a different cut and style. Finally, she'd come out of the dressing room in a pair of deep blue jeans with a vine of roses winding around the right leg, delicately spangled with little sparkles that made the rose petals seem wet somehow. There were flowers all down her leg, but the largest one was on the back pocket of the jeans, right on her ass. She turned in the jeans, and as soon as her backside was facing Tsukki, she heard his voice.
"That's the pair. I'm buying those."
Almost as those words left Tsukishima's lips, Lev approached, holding the same blouse in an array of colors. "Nakano, you have to try this on. It's gonna look..."
"That one. That deep reddish one. Try that one." Tsukki's voice left no room for questioning.
The beautiful asymmetric blouse had a deep V-neck and was the exact shade of the rose on the jeans. Tsukki had ended up buying both items, the look on his face the most self-satisfied the girl had ever seen. Nakano smiled to herself, getting up off the bed and beginning to change into the outfit her boyfriend had chosen for her. She put her braces on first, wearing them under the jeans so the rose pattern would be visible.
Shoes had been next, and the group had spent the longest time in the shoe store. Kenma had favored a simple pair of beige flats. Bokuto championed the silver three-inch heels. Tsukki had made her try on a pair of black wedges. Lev found a deep forest green pair of boots. Kuroo preferred a pair of pointed-toe reddish slip-ons with a moderate heel.
She'd paraded around in each pair over and over as the boys argued back and forth about the merits of them all. She was in Kuroo's favorite pair for the third time when Akaashi returned with Hinata in tow.
"Wow, Naka-chan! Those shoes make your legs look so long!" the tiny middle blocker gushed.
Nakano had bought the shoes on the spot herself, causing the boys a great deal of consternation. Even Kuroo wasn't too thrilled with her, and she'd chosen his pair! She shook her head, remembering how ridiculous they all were.
They'd gone to a cosmetics store after that, where Kuroo and Bokuto purchased a great many things on Tsukishima's approval that they didn't even show her. The character of the group had changed with Shoyo's arrival, as Nakano had known it would. Hinata's ebullient personality drew Kenma out just a little, but tended to push Tsukki back, as if he felt the need to counterbalance the enthusiastic ginger by being a little extra withdrawn. He also grew even more attached to Nakano, which the girl did not mind in the least. The couple stayed in the general vicinity of the other bros, which seemed to lighten Tsukki's mood. Nakano couldn't help but smile at the memory of watching the three boys together, the bond between them becoming more apparent the more she saw them.
Finally, she'd been sent out of the store entirely to wait with Lev, Akaashi, Hinata and Kenma while the Bro-sketeers finalized their purchases. "Are you looking forward to tonight, Nakano-chan?" Akaashi asked with a smile.
"I really am. Especially because I get to go to my first concert with all of you!" the girl replied.
"Well, almost all. I'm not coming," Kenma said softly.
"Kenma! Why not?" Shoyo whined.
"Clubs like that get too crowded, and Kuroo said that with Centimillimental playing it's sure to be standing room only. Being squashed in with so many people..." the boy shuddered, "...it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it."
"I'm sorry you won't be coming with us, Kenma, but I understand," Nakano said, smiling at her senpai. It came as no shock to her that the reserved Kenma wouldn't want to spend an evening crammed together with a whole ton of other people. Thinking back on it now, she wondered if Kei was going to be a bit put off by the number of people that were likely going to be at this club.
"You'll wait up for us though, won't you, Kenma? So we can hang out a little?" Shoyo asked, looking rather unhappy that his Nekoma buddy wouldn't be coming along.
"Kuroo put me in charge of having late night snacks ready for you guys when you get back. So you can tell me all about it afterwards." Kenma said, rolling his eyes at his friend.
As Nakano looked herself over in the mirror, a light knock came at the door. "Pretty Setter? May we come in?" the girl heard Kuroo's voice call.
"Sure!" she sang out, turning to the door and smiling at Kuroo and Bokuto as they entered. "How do I look?"
Kuroo and Bokuto exchanged a look, Bokuto whistling low under his breath as Kuroo turned to grin at the girl. "Wow. Tsukki has excellent taste, I must say," the captain of Nekoma said.
Nakano laughed, looking down at herself. "Yeah, I was actually sort of surprised he was so insistent. He usually doesn't seem to give much thought to what people are wearing..."
"He wasn't talking about the clothes, Naka-chan," Bokuto interrupted her.
Nakano's answering blush set both boys to smiling. "Alright, guys, enough already. It's too much."
"Sorry, Pretty Setter, but you're wrong there," Kuroo said. "You ready to polish her off, Boku-bro?"
"Let's do it, Kuroo-bro."
The two boys set to work putting the finishing touches of hair and makeup on Nakano's look. The girl sat patiently as she had promised she would, letting her two senpais fuss over her to their hearts' content. Finally, as Bokuto was fiddling around with something in her hair, she asked them the question she couldn't shake out of her mind.
"Boys, how is it that you two are so good at hair and makeup?"
Kuroo and Bokuto exchanged a look. "Older sisters," they said together wryly.
The sudden image in her head of Bokuto and Kuroo, both having been given 'makeovers' by their older sisters made Nakano absolutely shake with laughter. The boys looked at her in mock-consternation.
"She's laughing at us, bro. And after all we've done for her today. I think my heart might be breaking." Kuroo placed a hand over his heart dramatically, sighing deeply and bowing his head.
Nakano placed a kiss on the Nekoma captain's forehead. "Akaashi is right - we should just call you Pain-in-the-Ass-Kuroo-san all the time. Thank you for everything today, you big idiot."
"Hey!" Bokuto pouted, "I helped too!"
The girl gave a similar kiss to Bokuto, making him smile again. "Thank you, Bokuto-san. You guys really are the best."
"You know who else is gonna think we're the best? Tsukishima." Kuroo said, as he took Nakano's hand and made her stand up in front of the mirror to look at herself. She gave a little gasp as she took it all in. Kuroo's makeup was impeccable, making her feel beautiful without feeling like she was 'made up.' Bokuto had kept her hair simple, just adding a little shine and some sparkle in the form of a set of hair clips in the shape of the Moon and stars.
"Bro, we might have a problem," Bokuto said as he watched the girl admire herself. Kuroo hummed at him in question. "Well, when this beauty walks in the club, every guy in the place is gonna be staring. So we're gonna have to protect her. But then how are we supposed to meet any pretty girls ourselves?"
"Guess we'll just have to leave her in Tsukki-bro's capable hands then," Kuroo said with a mischievous smile. "Shall we go make his day, Pretty Setter?"
Nakano giggled as the boys led her downstairs to where Tsukishima was waiting.
Tsukishima was occupying himself by playing around at billiards with Akaashi. Lev, Hinata, and Kenma were chatting away across the room, the tiny ginger's voice carrying easily and grating on Tsukishima's ears. He sighed, trying to focus on the game he was playing and utterly failing to do so.
Ugh, he's just so...loud. And irritating. And overly enthusiastic. Tsukishima's thoughts were swirling around, tangling in his own head, and had been ever since his teammate had joined their group. Bokuto's loud and irritating and overly enthusiastic too, the other half of his mind answered, and yet somehow he doesn't bother you the way Hinata does. In fact, Kuroo's not much different, either.
But they're my bros, he thought, my senpais. They've done so much for me, and I know they're always going to have my back. They'd never do anything to betray my trust.
And you think Hinata would? He's your teammate. Why don't you trust him the way you trust Kuroo and Bokuto? Tsukishima was brought up short by his own internal debate. He suddenly stopped, just standing off to the side of the billiards table, staring off into space.
"Tsukishima-kun?" Akaashi called out to the boy for the third time. "Hey, are you alright?"
Tsukishima jumped as Akaashi rested a gentle hand against his arm. "I'm sorry, Akaashi-senpai, did you say something?"
The dark haired-setter smiled. "Yes, your name, three times. Something seems to be on your mind. Can I help?"
Tsukishima gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, thanks. Just...Hinata's voice is so...loud."
Akaashi chuckled. "Hinata-kun is unfailingly enthusiastic about everything. It's kind of fun to watch, but it can get...exhausting."
Tsukishima snorted. "That's a very polite way of putting it, Akaashi-san."
Akaashi fixed the blonde with a rather penetrating look. "It's not just that Hinata-kun is so outgoing, is it, Tsukishima-kun? Something about him seems to bother you more than, say, Bokuto-san, who is equally...outgoing...or Kuroo-san, who is, in my opinion, far more irritating in his ways than Hinata-kun. Has your teammate done something to particularly bother you?"
Tsukishima tried to keep his features schooled to their usual bland expression, but he was a little caught off-guard by Akaashi's rather accurate assessment of the situation. "Well, I...he just...always has to push himself forward all the time. Into every conversation. And he's always ingratiating himself to other people, complimenting them, being so over the top. I just find him very irritating." The middle blocker turned away, trying once again to focus on the billiards, his eyes darting briefly towards the stairs.
Akaashi caught the glance. "Ah, like the way the first thing he did when he joined the group was compliment Nakano-chan's legs."
Tsukishima nearly dropped his cue. He turned and stared at the older boy, his face registering shock and more than a little surprise.
"Tsukishima-kun, I think you might be misinterpreting Hinata-kun's actions. He's not trying to ingratiate himself to anyone. At least, he doesn't seem like the type who does that deliberately to me. He's just the kind of person who says what he's thinking, pretty much most of the time. And most of the time, his thoughts about other people are complimentary. Try to give him the benefit of the doubt, hmmm? I think you'll find he's a little less irritating when you realize that he's not doing any of that in order to gain anything from you. He's just...a nice guy." Akaashi patted Tsukishima on the shoulder, and sank his last billiard ball before setting his cue aside and walking over to join the other three boys.
Tsukishima stood, letting Akaashi's words settle into him. Am I really judging Hinata too harshly, he wondered. I mean, sure, he is loud and annoying, but then again, so are most people. Have I really been suspecting him of having ulterior motives? He thought back to seeing Hinata and Nakano at the carnival, and when the ginger won Nakano the panda at the amusement park, and even earlier that day, when Hinata had gushed over Nakano's legs. His words immediately upset me, Tsukishima thought, even though all of the guys had been complimenting her all day. Crap...am I really threatened by that miniature idiot? Naka-chan's warned me about jealously...and she's told me that in no way does she see Hinata as anything other than as a friend and teammate. So why the hell does he bother me so much?
Kuroo came trotting down the stairs, capturing everyone's attention. He smiled at the boys, saying nothing. He just offered his hand back up the stairs.
Nakano came down, taking Kuroo's hand and allowing him to guide her steps into the room.
As the girl became visible, Hinata began to draw in a breath loudly. Akaashi quickly covered his short friend's open mouth, whispering to the younger boy. "Hinata-kun, let Tsukishima-kun have this moment, okay?"
Hinata turned towards Akaashi, freeing up his mouth. "But she looks so beautiful," Hinata whispered.
"Yes," the setter responded, "but I think she'd like to hear that from her boyfriend before she hears it from anyone else." Hinata nodded, his mouth curving in a smile.
Kuroo brought Nakano into the room, and moved her gently in the direction of his blonde bro.
There was only one word that could accurately describe Tsukishima's expression: dumbstruck. The boy was literally speechless, his mouth slightly open, staring in unabashed wonder at the gorgeous girl walking towards him. He'd been there when each of the items had been purchased, he knew she was going to look stunning. But nothing had prepared him for this. This, this was...
"...damn," was the only word that came out of Tsukishima's mouth.
Nakano smiled, reaching out a hand to her boyfriend, who took it gingerly and kissed the back of it. The girl's eyes sparkled as she darted a glance back at Kuroo.
Tsukki's mouth quirked into a grin, getting the hint. Keeping her hand close to his lips, he intoned, "Are you made of oxygen and neon? Because you are definitely the ONe."
"Did he learn that from you, Kuroo-san?" Hinata asked.
Kuroo delicately wiped imaginary tears from the corner of his eyes. "I...I am so proud of you, Tsukki-bro...so proud..." Bokuto came up to his fellow bro, and patted his shoulder, chuckling.
Everyone began laughing, offering 'congratulations' to Kuroo and making their way up the stairs to get ready to leave. Hinata stayed watching the couple as they stood together until Akaashi dragged the boy away. "But Akaashi-san..." Hinata complained. "Come on, Hinata-kun," the setter replied, making his way up the stairs with Hinata in tow. "But I almost never get to see Tsukishima being all romantic with Naka-chan..." Hinata's voice faded away as the couple laughed together.
"You really look fantastic, Roses," Tsukki said, looking her up and down.
"Thank you. You look pretty incredible yourself." She ran a hand over his forest-green shirt, enjoying the feel of the fabric. "Is this silk?" She cuddled up to him, ostensibly to feel more of the shirt, but the boy began to wonder if she had an ulterior motive as her hands slid around to his back.
"Mhmmm. I...uh...borrowed it from Akiteru. I don't really have much in my closet that he deemed appropriate for clubbing. He said these jeans were good, though."
Nakano slid her hands down the boy's back and into his back pockets with some effort, pushing the two of them closer together. "I like the jeans too, very tight, gorgeous."
He returned the favor, liking the feeling of being squeezed so tight to her. "You know, we could just have our own concert right here..." He began kissing down the side of her neck.
"HEY HEY HEY DOWN THERE! QUIT MAKING OUT AND LET'S GO!" Bokuto's voice came rattling down the stairwell.
The couple laughed again, kissing once more before making their way up the stairs. "Stay close to me tonight, okay?" Nakano whispered to the blonde.
"Of course I will. Nervous about something?"
"Uh...well...it's the first time I've ever worn heels." Nakano replied with a sheepish grin.
🏐🏐🏐
Kuroo had been entirely correct in his prediction that the concert would be standing room only. In fact, the space had been cleared of all tables and chairs, and the venue had reached capacity long before Centimillimental took the stage. By the time things had balanced out, the Gym 3 Squad had found themselves in approximately the center of the venue, a little closer to the drink station than truly in the middle of the room. The opening act was doing an excellent job of getting the crowd excited. Nakano wasn't sure how to describe what was happening. Dancing wasn't really the right term, as there really wasn't room enough for that. It was more like waves moving through the sea of people, causing their group to bounce rhythmically in time with the music. Whatever it was, it was fun. Tsukishima was behind her, arms loosely around her neck and shoulders. He was very clearly impressed with the lead guitarist of the group, based on the comments he kept making. The rest of the boys had formed a loose circle around the couple, protecting the girl of their group by mutual unspoken agreement. Nakano laughed to herself - she wasn't really sure what they felt the need to protect her from. The crowd was large, but well-behaved for the most part, and given the age range of the room - Nakano saw several groups of what had to be middle-schoolers, numerous high schoolers like themselves, but then also more than a few groups of college students - the club had chosen to not to serve alcohol for the concert that evening, meaning that things were much more likely to stay on an even keel. Nonetheless, Nakano was happy to be surrounded by her friends as they enjoyed the music, smiling and laughing together.
As the opening act was drawing their set to a close with a particularly energetic song, Nakano was struck by the fact that Akaashi seemed to be the one throwing himself into the music with the most abandon. Lev and Hinata were having a blast, but were talking and laughing with each other as much as they were enjoying the music. Kuroo and Bokuto were equally enthusiastic, but were also carefully checking out the crowd, hoping to spot some unattached ladies of the correct age. Tsukki was very into the music, but, as she expected might be true, was not as much into the outrageous bouncing. He moved to the music well, and held her tight while doing it, which she thoroughly approved of.
But Akaashi-san was completely lost in the crowd energy. He moved wildly, arms sometimes flailing and body twisting around seemingly at random. His eyes were shut most of the time, and the look on his face was almost rapturous. It seemed to Nakano like he was completely attuned to the ebb and flow of energy through the crowd, and was riding it for all he was worth.
The girl leaned over towards Bokuto. "Is Akaashi always like this at a club?" she asked the big ace.
Bokuto looked his setter over, then laughed. "Oh yeah. He's really into it. This is like, his one vice. He loves this kind of stuff!"
Nakano laughed, thinking enjoying live concerts was hardly much of a vice. The crowd erupted in cheers as the song ended and the band thanked their audience. Nakano looked over at Akaashi again, who was now panting, face flushed, and eyes wide and sparkling. She chuckled to herself. Okay, maybe this is a vice for Akaashi, she thought, he looks like he's more than a little worked up.
"You really like live music, huh Akaashi-san," Nakano said, smiling at the setter.
"Yeah," the boy replied, catching his breath, "especially in big crowds like this. It's...hard to explain. But I absolutely love it. Something about it makes me feel...so alive!" He smiled at Nakano. "What about you? Are you enjoying your first concert?"
"Oh yes! It's been incredible so far!" She looked up to where the opening act was clearing the stage, making way for the main event. "I can't wait for Centimillimental to start!" She glanced around the room as the crowd shifted around, people getting drinks and headed for the restrooms before the main act started. Nakano decided that might be a good idea. She turned around to face Tsukki, who was busily downloading some of the opening act's songs on his phone. "Hey, I'm gonna run to the bathroom, okay?"
He leaned down to kiss the girl. "Want me to come with?"
She laughed. "I don't think you can, love."
He rolled his eyes at her. "I mean to walk you over there. There's a lot of guys in this crowd..."
She giggled. "Sure, I won't mind having some help making my way through all these people."
Hand in hand, the pair threaded their way over towards the restrooms. Tsukki stayed off to one side, continuing to mess around on his phone as he waited for Nakano. Suddenly, he felt a hand slide along his ass. He smirked, turning to tell Nakano that she was being rather naughty here in front of all these people, when his golden eyes connected with a pair of green ones, and he came to a sudden realization.
The hand on his ass did not belong to Nakano.
He jerked away, disgust crossing his face. "Get off! What the hell are you doing?"
"Sorry, handsome, I just couldn't resist such a tight pair of jeans. Your ass was just begging to be touched." The girl's words were a bit slurred, and her green eyes seemed a little unfocused. She flipped her long brown hair back and gave Tsukishima what she probably felt was a winsome smile. "I'm Daitan, and what's your name, blondie?"
"Not interested," Tsukishima responded, trying to get further away from the girl as she attempted to sidle up to him.
"Awww, don't be like that," she cooed, successfully leaning into his side, "See, I'm a little drunk, and I need a strong, sexy man to take care of me tonight. I was hoping that would be you."
"Sorry," Nakano said, pushing the girl aside and placing herself where the brunette had been moments before. Tsukishima wrapped his arm around Nakano, drawing her close in to him. "But I'm afraid he's already got plans for this evening, and they don't involve a drunken idiot. Go find someone else to pour yourself on." Tsukki chuckled as Nakano turned them resolutely away from the obnoxious girl.
"Oh yeah? Come say that to my face, bitch!" Daitan called out to Nakano.
For the first time ever in Tsukki's hearing, Nakano clicked her tongue in annoyance, stopping but not turning back to her erstwhile rival. "I just did, idiot. Weren't you paying attention? Or are you too drunk to figure out when someone is talking to you." Nakano spoke very loudly, looking over towards the drink station.
Daitan was beginning to let go a string of curses at the pair, when two staff members from The Play House grabbed hold of her, leading her out of the club. Tsukishima realized that his girlfriend had done that deliberately, making sure the club staff knew that they had someone drunk and a little aggressive on their hands.
"Nicely done, Roses," the boy whispered to her, kissing her forehead. "Now do me a favor and grab my ass," he said softly as he began moving them back towards the Gym 3 Squad.
"What!?" Nakano whisper-yelled, steps faltering.
"She touched me back there, and I seriously need to replace the memory of that creepy feeling with something a lot more pleasant."
Nakano laughed. "Oh Kei, don't be silly," she said aloud, while simultaneously letting the hand she had at his waist slip down over the seat of his jeans. "Mine," she whispered, gently grabbing him as he'd asked.
A pleasurable hum left the boy's lips. "Yeah, that's much better."
The couple shared the story of their adventure with Daitan to the amusement of their friends. Lev shuddered, recalling Tsukishima's description of the moment he'd realized the person touching him wasn't Nakano. "She actually grabbed your butt? Just, like, out of nowhere? Eaarruughhh." The lanky boy looked thoroughly creeped out. "I kinda want a shower just thinking about that."
Kuroo snort-laughed. "I mean, a little butt-grabbing in a crowd like this is to be expected. Can even be kind of fun, if both parties are into it."
"Yeah, I very much wasn't," Tsukishima deadpanned, "at least, not from a random drunk girl." He kissed Nakano again, a smirk on his face.
Centimillimental soon took the stage, to overwhelming applause and cheering from the crowd. Soon everyone was into the music once again, moving with the beat and having an incredible time. It was about 20 minutes into the set before the artist chose a slower song, letting the crowd come down a little and relax. Tsukishima wrapped his arms around Nakano from behind again, swaying to the music with the girl. Everyone seemed to settle gently into the rhythm of the song.
Everyone except Hinata Shoyo, who somehow managed to trip over something.
He started to fall with a yelp, only to be pulled into the chest of a girl next to him. He literally crushed his face right against her breasts.
Hinata stammered and stuttered seemingly random words, his face turning a deep crimson as he tried to set himself back on his feet and stop staring into the chest of the girl who'd rescued him. "I...I...sorry...so...uh...I..."
The young lady blushed sweetly, waving her hands in front of her. "It...it's okay! I, uh, saw you start to fall, and I didn't want you to get hurt. So I...kinda pulled you close to stop you from hitting the ground. Sorry about that." She dropped her hands, twiddling her fingers together and peering shyly at Hinata through her eyelashes. She took a deep breath, and smiled at the ginger. "I'm Nakajima Yua. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Hinata Shoyo, and the pleasure's all mine!" Realizing what had just happened, Hinata colored again. "Uh, I...I mean...I didn't mean...uh..."
Nakajima chuckled. "Are you here with anyone, Hinata-kun?"
"Yeah, a bunch of my friends!" Hinata enthused, gesturing towards the rest of the Gym 3 Squad. "What about you?"
"Well," the girl began, fixing her brown eyes on Hinata, "I came with some friends, but I'm the only one of them that doesn't have a boyfriend. They've all kinda...wandered off." A blush crept up the girl's cheeks again. "Would...uh...would you dance with me, Hinata-kun? It's more fun to have someone to dance with..."
Hinata gave the girl a sunny smile. "Sure!" he said, grabbing her hands and swaying to the music with her. The pair continued to chat, gently drifting away from the rest of the Gym 3 Squad.
Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "Leave it to the Shrimp to plow face first into some poor girl's chest. Clumsy idiot."
Bokuto and Kuroo glanced at each other and laughed. "Don't blame Hinata for that one, Tsukki-bro," Kuroo said, "That was entirely the girl's fault."
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.
"She was the one who tripped him, dude," Bokuto said, "A classic move. Got exactly what she wanted, too."
Nakano looked a little worried. "Should we get him away from her, do you think?"
Kuroo looked over to the tiny middle blocker, who was chatting happily with his new lady friend. "I don't think so," he said. "I'll keep an eye on them, but I think she genuinely just wanted to get him to notice her. She'd been dancing around him for the past little while but he'd paid no attention. Guess she decided that just wasn't going to do."
"Think the King will be jealous?" Tsukki whispered in Nakano's ear.
"Stop that," she giggled back, "I don't even think they're thinking along those lines. But I'm totally telling Tobio about this."
"You just want to see how he reacts," Tsukki chided her.
"Well duh," she replied, "What other reason would there be to tell him?"
"Wow, you are evil," he commented, just as Centimillimental launched into his first song from Given. Nakano was quickly swept away, singing along softly with the artist as Tsukishima kept her in his embrace, smiling gently. They went through several songs from the anime before the girl noticed that Kuroo was also singing along. She caught his eye, and was shocked to see him blush gently. She kept an eye on him as the artist went through the entire set of Given songs, smiling as she noticed Kuroo singing along with all of them, the emotional content of the songs clearly affecting him. When Centimillimental thanked the crowd and announced he'd be taking a little break but would be back soon, Nakano spoke up.
"I had no idea you liked Given so much, Kuroo-senpai," she said, grinning.
Kuroo hoped she'd interpret the flush of his cheeks as just heat from the crowd and the singing. "It's got great music, you know? Can't help but like that."
Nakano's eyes sparkled as she looked at her friend. "And a very sweet love story, don't you think?"
"Hey," Kuroo said, starting to make his way towards the drink station, "how about I get us all some sodas?"
Nakano grabbed his arm as he moved by her and Tsukki. "Everybody likes a good shojo once in a while, Kuroo-san." The couple gave him identical knowing looks, and he laughed.
"Yeah, and me more than most," he patted Nakano's hand as he disengaged from her. "Back in a couple minutes."
It took him that long just to make his way to the drink counter. He flashed the girl behind it a smile, which she returned, stepping over to him. "What can I do for you, tall, dark and handsome," she said, looking him up and down. Kuroo returned the favor, taking in how good the girl looked in her jeans and Play House tee shirt. Her long bleached-white hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her makeup highlighted her jade green eyes. She looks somehow cat-like, Kuroo thought to himself as he asked her for Ramune in a variety of flavors, making sure to get strawberry for Nakano and Tsukki and a blueberry one for himself.
"Are you enjoying the show so far?" the girl asked, pulling out the sodas he'd requested one by one.
"Love it," Kuroo replied, wondering at her slow movements. "I guess you get to see shows like this all the time, huh?"
She smiled. "Yep, but this one is pretty special. It's not every day we get an artist like Centimillimental in." She searched around for a carrier for the sodas, offering it up as Kuroo nodded. "I'm Hamasaki Katsumi. Here with a big group, huh?"
"Kuroo Tetsuro. And yeah, a bunch of us decided to come check out the show." He turned to look back at the Gym 3 Squad. Several girls had wandered up to them, and appeared to be chatting up the boys. Nakano had her hands holding Tsukki's arms around her, and caught Kuroo's eye, waving at him with a wry grin. "Looks like I'd better grab a couple more sodas, just in case," he said to Hamasaki, chuckling.
She added a few more Ramune to his basket. "That your girl?" she asked, keeping her eyes away from his.
He laughed. "Nope. That would be my friend's girl - the tall blonde. See, he's got his arms around her. Cute couple."
She looked up, smiling. "Ah yeah. They are cute. Looks like you guys are having a good time." She totaled up his sodas, and Kuroo paid, telling the girl to keep the change. She grinned at him.
"We are. If you get the chance, come and join us," he said, his Cheshire cat grin sliding onto his face, "The more the merrier."
"If I can get away from here, I might just do that, Kuroo." She offered up a bright smile as she began to turn away, when Kuroo noticed something on the floor behind her.
"I didn't think you were selling alcohol tonight," Kuroo mused as she looked at him quizzically. He gestured with his chin to an open cooler on the floor. "Is that Kirin Ichiban Shibori?"
She chuckled. "You know your beer, Kuroo. We're not selling it tonight, but it's Centimillimental's favorite beer, so we've got it on hand for him and his crew." A wicked grin stole over the girl's face. "Want one?" she whispered to him.
His smirk matched her own. "I wouldn't want to get you in any trouble..." he began.
"You won't," she said, "We've got more than we really need. Hang tight." She slipped a bottle out of the cooler and turned away from the counter for a few moments, fussing with some napkins. When she stepped back over, the beer's label was covered entirely with napkins wrapped around the bottle. "Keep it covered for me, okay, Kuroo? Enjoy."
"What do I owe you?"
"We'll figure that out later, eh, handsome? I've gotta get back to work." She winked at him and turned to serve another guest.
As Kuroo turned to head back to his friends, taking a sip of the beer, he noticed something on the napkin covering it. He grinned as he spotted the girl's name and phone number written on the top napkin, along with the phrase 'looks like you owe me one.' He turned back and caught the girl's eyes, raising the beer in salute and slipping her note in his pocket.
Centimillimental had re-taken the stage and was playing again when Kuroo finally returned to the group to share the sodas, offering some to the girls who had decided to continue to hang around with Bokuto, Lev and Hinata. The smile on his face was wide and genuine as he looked around at his friends enjoying themselves. Best weekend ever, he thought to himself, running his fingers over the napkin in his pocket and losing himself in the music once more.
🏐🏐🏐
It was midnight when they got back to Kuroo's house, and Kenma welcomed them with tempura and apple pie, as well as some hot tea. They all gathered in the basement again, eating and talking and laughing. Akaashi nibbled on a little tempura, but fell asleep in a recliner almost immediately. Tsukishima lay down on a couch with his head in Nakano's lap, the girl feeding him tempura and playing with his hair. He remained awake only about a half an hour longer than Akaashi.
The other boys regaled Kenma with tales of the concert, and of the girls they'd met. Kenma watched Hinata with wide eyes as he talked about Nakajima Yua, who he'd spent the entire latter half of the evening dancing with.
"So what happened at the end of the concert, Shoyo? Did you get her number?" the pudding head asked his friend eagerly.
Shoyo looked blankly at him. "Her number? No, I guess I didn't."
The other four boys groaned loudly. "Missed opportunity there, Shoyo. She seemed like she was really into you," Lev said, shaking his head.
"Well, what about you, Lev?" Hinata asked the tall boy, "Did you get the number of the girl you were hanging out with?"
Lev's face fell. "I tried, but she wouldn't give it to me after she found out I was only a first year in high school."
"Why, how old did she think you were?" Bokuto asked.
"Same as her, a college third year," Lev answered.
"You are too tall for your own good, Lev," Kenma muttered, shaking his head as the other boys all laughed.
"What about you, Boku-bro?" Kuroo asked the ace, "You had a girl by your side most of the second half of the evening, how did that turn out?"
Bokuto smiled. "She was fun to dance with, but I don't think there was anything much more to her than that. We didn't exchange numbers or anything."
Kuroo grinned like a cat who'd gotten into the cream. "You mean I'm the only one who got a number tonight, gentlemen?" He pulled the napkin out of his pocket.
"Who's number did you get?" Hinata asked, "I don't remember seeing any girls with you!"
"The girl behind the drink counter," Kuroo said, "She called me tall, dark and handsome."
Nakano smothered a chuckle. Kuroo looked thoroughly satisfied with himself, and the other boys were congratulating him on being able to successfully score a phone number. Nakano wondered if Kuroo would actually call the girl, or if the point of this little game was just to get numbers, regardless of whether or not you planned to ever use them.
"You know who could have had a pocket full of numbers tonight?" Bokuto asked the assembled boys, who looked at him curiously. "Tsukki-dude. I got asked about him at least three times, and saw a couple of girls looking him over."
Nakano knew Bokuto was clueless, but Kuroo was not. She quickly composed her features, making it look as though she too had fallen asleep. She could feel Kuroo's eyes look over her, and she kept the ruse up, listening carefully.
"Yeah, a couple of girls asked me about him too. They wanted to know if Nakano was his steady girl, or just someone he'd met at the club." Lev chimed in.
"If Naka-chan hadn't been with us tonight, I bet Tsukki would have had more offers than just one drunken girl," Kuroo said, telling Kenma the story of the couple's encounter with Daitan.
As Kuroo told the tale, Nakano considered the idea that apparently quite a few young ladies had been interested in her boyfriend that evening. She hadn't really noticed anyone checking him out, but then again, she hadn't really been looking for it. She felt...oddly conflicted hearing that so many girls had been after Kei. After all, he was very handsome, and knowing that she was with a man that other girls considered to be worth pursuing made her feel good. But she couldn't help but wonder if Kei had noticed any of those girls. Had he considered any of them to be beautiful? Did it make him feel good to be noticed by other girls? Had he wanted to talk to any of them? Maybe do a little harmless flirting? After all, who didn't like being told you looked good by someone? Hell, Tsukki spent the entire weekend making sure that I felt beautiful, Nakano thought, I'm sure he would have loved it if he'd gotten to talk to some of those other girls, hear them tell him how handsome he is...
"You wanna know the best thing, though? Did you guys see the way Tsukki looked at the girls who tried to catch his eye?" Bokuto laughed out.
Hinata laughed as well. "You'd think he was looking at the biggest, ugliest bug you'd ever seen!" the ginger exclaimed, "But then he'd look down at Naka-chan, and his whole face would change!"
"I think he actually scared some of those girls off with his glare," Lev said, grinning, "They literally fled from him."
"Tsukishima really adores Nakano. I can't imagine him ever looking at another girl, no matter how interested she might be in him," Kenma said, "I can imagine the sneer he'd give any girl who tried to get his attention away from Nakano, though."
"He's right, you know," Kei said softly, not opening his eyes.
Nakano jumped. "I thought you were asleep," she whispered to him.
"I knew you were bothered when you stopped playing with my hair," he said, opening his beautiful toasted golden honey eyes and taking her hand in his. "Don't even give those girls a second thought. I didn't."
"I bet they were so jealous," Nakano said, smiling, "I had the most gorgeous guy in the whole place at my side all night long."
"And that's just where he's going to stay, Roses," Kei said, stretching up to kiss the girl, "for as long as you'll let me."
"How does forever sound?" she replied against his lips.
Kuroo watched the couple kissing and smiled. Mission accomplished, he thought.