Kuroo Tetsurou had liked Tsukishima Kei from the moment he saw him. Karasuno had stepped off that bus for their first practise match, and though there were a number of interesting characters, the one person that stood out the most was the tall blond who seemed to be ignoring absolutely everyone. He had been listening to music, not really seeming to care much or share the same excitement that everyone else on the team had. There was something simply alluring about him, that despite being distant and somewhat cold in personality he was also an important part of the team. Kuroo knew that if you got accustomed to shrimpy and let him take center stage, you'd be hit much harder when Tsukishima came back into play.

That was when he'd come up with the nickname 'Moonshine'. He was beautiful, he was intelligent, and despite his coldness (and almost loneliness) he was still a fundamental part of the team.

Still, there was something about the teen that he couldn't quite decipher. Kuroo didn't know what it was, but he certainly wanted to get closer to him so he could find out. He felt deeply confronted, because his feelings ran a lot deeper than a simple crush, more like a yearning or a longing. Dare he say it, it was like love at first sight. Unfortunately, just like how the moon always seemed so far out of reach, Tsukishima seemed out of reach for him. He could only watch and hope that some of that beautiful light would fall upon him, that Tsukishima would pay attention to him.

He was so desperate that he had smiled. Kuroo smirked, he had his sly grins, but unless he was with people he'd known for a very long time (Bokuto and Kenma) he didn't often truly smile. Tsukishima had made him smile, and then he had the gall to send him the middle finger.

Kuroo knew he was utterly screwed, because even despite the harsh gesture his heart was still pounding in his chest and butterflies were fluttering inside of him. Tsukishima, his stunning Moonshine, had noticed him. That was all that mattered and all that was on his mind, on repeat like his favourite song, except that song was a person and he couldn't get enough of him.

The weekend training camp couldn't come fast enough for Kuroo. He didn't care if they didn't talk properly, he just wanted to see him up close again. The way that he looked at him, wearing his normal sly grin, he hoped that it wouldn't cause too much suspicion. Kuroo couldn't keep his eyes off Tsukishima, and a volleyball game when they were on opposing sides of the court was much too good of an opportunity.

He hoped it wasn't too weird that he loved hearing every word that the blond uttered from those perfect lips, even if the majority of the time it was snide remarks or rude comments. Kuroo supposed Tsukishima was similar to himself in that regard. He may have a reputation as 'the scheming captain' and 'the master of provocation', but he never truly meant to upset or hurt people. The way that Tsukishima spoke those words, even despite the sneer he wore, there was no malice in his eyes. Kuroo felt hella was beginning to understand him just that little bit more, even if they didn't actually speak.

Kuroo wanted to speak with him, of course, but it was almost as if he was being avoided by the middle blocker and he didn't have any reason to talk to him. He didn't want to come off as weird or creepy, especially if he was getting signs that Tsukishima didn't want him around. Perhaps he had been overthinking things, but he was falling extremely hard for him, and his mind couldn't help but go into overdrive.

Hell, even Kenma noticed something was up and expressed his concerns. He had to assure him that he was okay and he just had a lot on his mind, and changed the topic to one of the games his setter had been playing recently. It's funny, he must have been hallucinating or imagining things as a result of his feelings, but Kuroo would have sworn he felt Tsukishima looking at him. When he looked over, the blond was gone, and Kuroo felt a little pang of hurt in his chest as he was once again reminded of the distance between the two of them.

By the time the week long training camp arrived, Kuroo was almost completely out of hope. He was still totally mesmerised by his Moonshine, but he still had no clue how he would get to talk to him, let alone become friends. He'd been warming up when Akaashi pointed out Tsukishima was walking by and suggested that he might help out if Kuroo was busy. (Of course, none of them really knew the setter's true motives. He was really just sick of the mutual pining, Kuroo's constant whining about his 'Moonshine' and the obvious crushes they both shared.)

Trying to think of something to say, Kuroo simply called out to him and hoped it all turned out okay. "Oi, Megane-kun! Come jump some blocks for us?" He hadn't been meaning to call him 'Megane-kun', but he had to stop himself from slipping up and calling him Moonshine since then he would have an even bigger mess on his hands.

He was pretty sure he saw Tsukishima swear under his breath, before plastering on a smile and waving his hand in a dismissive motion. It was strained, Kuroo could tell, and he was pretty sure he felt his heart begin to break at his next words. "I'm finished for the night, my apologies. Now if you'll excuse me," he told them, looking away. Of course Tsukishima wouldn't want to talk to him, let alone practise with him.

He was just about ready to say that it was okay, to try and salvage at least some shred of respect and hope that he hadn't completely ruined his chances, when he heard Bokuto speak up. "Come on, there's no point in spiking without blockers," he whined, causing Tsukishima to roll his eyes.

That was all it took for Kuroo to realise it wasn't over yet. He'd never been more grateful to Bokuto in his life than now. Tsukishima was looking at them with a bored, slightly annoyed look, but he hadn't left yet and that meant there was still a chance of him joining their training session. "Why does it have to be me. Why not someone from Fukurodani?"

Even better, Kuroo saw that Tsukki had spotted Akaashi coming over, which meant that the odds of him joining them were even nighters. "Bokuto's spiking practise is endless. Nobody in our team wants to deal with blocking since they'll be stuck here for a while, so they left to go to another gym," the setter explained calmly.

Kuroo nodded in agreement and smirked, seeming to have come up with some sort of idea that was really him just hoping that he could do that final push and convince Tsukishima to join. "You know, he may not look it, but Bokuto is one of the top five spikers. It would be good practise for you as a middle blocker," he said, giving him an innocent smile and shrugging. "Besides, I'm busy whipping this idiot into shape, otherwise I would be blocking for Bo." He glanced over to Lev, who was lying in a puddle of sweat on the floor, before looking back to Tsukishima. "It's your choice, Megane-kun, but I'd consider it a compliment to your skills that someone of Bokuto's level finds you a worthy blocker."

'Ah, fuck yes' he thought, positively radiating as Tsukishima walked into the third gym and past them. "Whatever, Pain-in-the-ass Kuroo-san. Let's just get this over with," he said, standing on the other side of the net.

Kuroo looked over to his friends and grinned, quite happy with himself. Bokuto sent a thumbs up and wink to Kuroo, which he returned with a thumbs up of his own. Akaashi saw it, of course, and just rolled his eyes.

Tsukishima began blocking for Bokuto, managing to block a few but mostly not being able to stop them. Bokuto certainly was strong, his cross shots and straights were both excellent and almost unpredictable. From where he was working with Lev, Kuroo looked over to him and checked up on how he was going, noting a few thugs that he was doing well and a few things that needed some work. He could also tell that Tsukishima was beginning to get frustrated, but Akaashi seemed to notice this and stepped in. "Congratulations, Bokuto-san, you got through all of one blocker," he told his spiker, rolling his eyes. It at least made Tsukishima chuckle when he saw the pout on Bokuto's face and heard him whine about 'Aghaashi!' or some horribly pronounced version of the setters name. Kuroo's heart beat a little faster hearing that laugh, and after making sure Lev was ready for a break he spoke up.

"How about two blockers?" Despite the smirk he wore as he was walking over to Tsukishima's side of the net, his brain was going haywire and he was trying not to short circuit. If he'd thought that focusing when the blond was across the net was hard, this was a whole new challenge. They were standing pretty close together, and he could almost feel the warmth from the other male. He could certainly smell him, and even despite the stench of sweat from their many games he found he liked the smell. He wondered if Tsukishima felt this way too, or if it was just him freaking out over these things.

Still, it was volleyball and he had to focus, so the indulgences of relishing their closeness wasn't something that could continue. Kuroo instructed him to 'take care of Bokuto's straight', knowing he was able to take care of any other shots that his friend would use. He wasn't a middle blocker for nothing, he knew his stuff. Besides, he hoped that maybe if he stopped a ball like that then Tsukishima would be impressed with him and want to learn more.

He took a deep breath and relaxed himself as he saw Akaashi about to set the ball to Bokuto, eyes flickering as he carefully watched Bokuto. Seeing that Bokuto was glancing towards an 'opening' he moved his arms to the side and successfully blocked the ball. He smirked victoriously, glancing to Tsukishima to see his reaction but finding that there wasn't much of a reaction at all. "Dammit, Kuroo," Bokuto whined, causing him to pay attention again. He was sure that Bokuto would go off about how it would have been such a cool spike, but instead the ace looked to the blond and frowned. "You know, you're tall and your smart, but your blocks are pretty weak. I feel like I'll snap your arms if I spike with full power."

"I'm still growing taller and developing muscles," Tsukishima retorted, glaring at him and rolling his eyes before glancing to Akaashi for help. The setter saw and was about to speak up, probably to chastise him for being rude or something (he was experienced with keeping Bokuto in line, after all), but Kuroo spoke up first. He had thought that maybe if he could say something, Tsukishima might be a bit more motivated to learn from him and they could spend the evenings together working on blocking. He'd thought that it would provoke him, not upset him.

"If you talk like that, Megane-kun, shrimpy is going to hog all the glory. You two play the same position right?" he remarked, taunting him a little and smirking. He had expected the male to retort back and take up that challenge, or to say something, anything other than what he did.

As Kuroo watched Tsukishima plaster on a smile (the same fake one he used when he was annoyed or taunting someone himself, not a proper, happy smile) and say what he did, his heart sunk and clenched with pain and guilt. "I guess it can't be helped, though, right? The difference in our natural talent is too great," the blond said, refusing to meet Kuroo's gaze and instead glancing over as some of the other Nekoma members entered the room. "Anyways, it seems that I'm not needed anymore. Night." With that, Tsukishima left the room, and Kuroo knew he'd fucked up.

The rest of the night was spent hoping desperately that somehow Tsukishima would forgive him.

x-X-x

The next morning, Kuroo was clearly not looking too happy. More than anything he wanted to apologise to Tsukishima, to explain that he hadn't meant to upset him and he felt absolutely horrible about what he'd said. His feelings only intensified when he saw the tired state the other male was in as he entered the room and trudged over to sit with his friend.

"Tsukki, come sit with us!" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he was just about ready to beat himself up for it. Of course Tsukishima wouldn't sit with them, he was probably still angry at Kuroo for what he said, and especially if those words had kept him up.

When Tsukishima actually began heading there way, he was surprised, but caught the thumbs up sent to him by Yamaguchi. Was he really that obvious? His heart was beating much too fast, and he was praying that he wasn't blushing. How awkward would that be, if Tsukishima was angry at him and he was blushing like a schoolgirl?

He had been so preoccupied by his thoughts that he hadn't even realised Tsukishima was sitting next to him until he heard a voice. "Bad sleep?" Akaashi asked, looking up from his homework. Kuroo knew the only reason he had schoolwork was so that Bokuto wasn't pestering him. The ace was way too affectionate with his boyfriend, after all, and constantly demanded attention even if it wasn't through hugs or kisses.

"I guess you could say that. Our whole room was talking pretty much all night and by the time I finally got to sleep it was only a few hours until I had to get up since Nishinoya-san wakes up early and insists everyone else does too. What I wouldn't give for a proper cup of coffee and not the instant shit over there," he said, yawning and taking a bite of his food. Kuroo was honestly surprised that he wasn't the reason, but then again it could have been a lie to avoid admitting the truth. It seemed unlikely though, since Tsukishima wasn't really avoiding him or seeming angry at him.

He seemed really tired though, and Tsukishima had even been staring at Bokuto from across the table. Kuroo was a mixture of both jealous and concerned, and the on the his face game him away all to well. The concerned side of him won over though, and he rested the back of his hand on his head. When he did so, the other jumped in his seat and was looking around in a dazed manner. "What?"

"Hm, you don't have a fever, so I don't think you're sick," he mumbled to himself, moving his hand away and standing up. "Come on, Tsukki, lets get you some proper coffee. It'll be no fun playing against you if you're like this," Kuroo said, taking the blond's hand and tugging it. "Besides, you're obviously not going to eat much and you need some sort of energy."

Kuroo could tell that the other was too tired to even protest, and once he had gotten up he pulled the male in the direction of the teachers lounge where he knew there as a decent coffee machine. He worked at a café and made coffee a lot, so he knew what he was doing, he just hoped it helped his tired crush. He even managed to ignore the fact that they were holding hands, but his heart beat faster nonetheless. Later was a better time to reflect on how well Tsukishima's hand fit inside his, not when he had coffee to make and Moonshine's to look after.

Kuroo smiled softly when he heard how the taller teen yawned once more. He could tell Tsukishima was staring as he was dragged along, but he seemed tired and dazed so it probably meant nothing. Once they got there he made sure Tsukki was sat down on the floor where he wouldn't be hurt and then got to work making the coffee.

A few minutes later, he was finished making the beverage. He'd glanced down at the blond, only to see him almost asleep on the floor. Knowing it must not be comfortable for him, he sat down beside him, wrapped his arm around him, and shifted him so that Tsukishima had his head resting on his chest instead of the cabinets. A large blush spread across his cheeks as he did so, but even more as the other curled up to him and nuzzled his chest. This was way too much for him to handle, but Kuroo tried his best to stay calm. He didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, since the situation was so odd. They'd gone from not even being friends to hugging on the floor in the teachers lounge where they were not meant to be.

He had to force himself to focus and keep an eye on Tsukishima, wanting to make sure he was okay and see if he would have to carry him to his room so he could sleep. Seeing that the first year had opened his eyes caused his breath to hitch, but luckily he saw the coffee in his hand being offered to him, before seeing it was Kuroo. It gave him some time to relax and smile, so that when Tsukki glanced up, he saw Kuroo smiling softly at him. It was a genuine smile, and Kuroo realised he found it easy to smile around him.

The best part about it was that he only accepted the beverage gratefully. No snide remarks, no elbowing him or any other thing that he'd thought Tsukishima would usually do. It was peaceful, and though neither of them talked as he drank the coffee, it was a comfortable silence.

Eventually the coffee was finished, and it was clear that he was feeling more awake than he'd had before. He slipped out of Kuroo's embrace, and the captain felt sad that their moment didn't last longer than it did. "Uh, thanks, Kuroo-san. Sorry for causing trouble for you and interrupting your breakfast. I just really didn't sleep well. Usually I get to bed early enough that when I fall asleep I still get enough to function properly, but I was thinking a lot last night..." he trailed off, looking down. Kuroo smiled, though he felt guilty about what he said still especially since the other had mentioned thinking a lot.

"You don't need to be sorry, Tsukishima, and don't worry about it. I'm sorry for what I said last night, too. I hadn't intended to upset you, just motivate you a bit more. You're tall, smart, and you have a lot of potential to be an excellent middle blocker. I truly believe that if you put in the work, you could be one of the next middle blockers in the country and an extremely valuable part of your team. I don't know if it was what I said that was keeping you up, so if it was I apologise for that too. Look, just come back to the third gym this evening. Yaku, our libero, can handle looking after Lev's receives. Bokuto and Akaashi will be there too, but the two of us can do some blocking together. I've been playing volleyball my whole life, I'm sure I can help you improve in some way," Kuroo said, his voice gentle. He hoped that his apology was able to help with any hurt or anger that he thought Tsukishima would feel at him after what he said.

"I think I might take you up on that offer, Kuroo-san. Just... why me? Why not help someone from your own team?" he asked, looking up at him. Kuroo bit his lip and thought for a moment before sighing. Honestly would be the best way to go, even if he sounded a little creepy to the other.

"Firstly, just Kuroo is fine, we're friends now, aren't we? And to answer your question, you may not think it but you have a special kind of natural talent. You're intelligent and tall, and because of that you can learn so many things that your shrimpy teammate can't. I wouldn't want to see that go to waste, and so out of the goodness of my heart and your senior I've decided to teach you," he said, giving him one of those sly grins. He had to leave out the fact that he was falling in love with him, of course, but the parts about his type of talent was all true. "Anyway, Tsukki, lets go back. You need to eat, or else you won't have the energy to practice with us tonight and then I'd either be sad or ditch practice to come look after you like the kind soul I am."

Kuroo stood up, taking the cup from his hand and putting it in the sink, before offering his hand to help Tsukishima up. He'd beamed when the male accepted it, glad that they had sorted everything out.

They walked back together, making quiet conversation. They were both back to their usual selves, but it was more comfortable than usual.

By the time they got back their breakfast had gone cold, and not as many people were in the room. Bokuto and Akaashi had left already, so it was just the two of them at the table. Kuroo saw that Tsukishima ate what was on his tray, but figured he was still hungry afterwards since he seemed to be feeling more awake now. The breakfast service had been packed up though, so there was no getting more. He'd been worried initially about doing it, but after a moment decided that even if it was weird the middle blocker needed more food. As quickly and quietly as he could, he put more good food into Tsukki's bowl. "I can't take this, this is your breakfast, Kuroo," he said, shaking his head and trying to give back the food.

He just shrugged and refused to take it. "You need food or else you won't be able to play, Tsukki. I got too much, anyways, and you barely got anything earlier. Geez, you and Kenma can be so alike sometimes, but then sometimes you're just like me. I'll figure you out one of these days," he said with a smile, turning back to his food and continuing to eat.

As the rest of the day went on he continued to be more friendly with the tall blond, not noticing that Tsukishima was hurt by the words he'd said. Kuroo had simply meant that he and Kenma both didn't eat much and were pretty much insistent that they didn't need to eat much, not like he was comparing the two of them.

Each time he faced off the other male, he would give him advice on his blocking from across the net. He could see that already Tsukishima had been able to make use of the practice against Bokuto. He was watching more carefully for the timing and seeing what the spiker was doing, probably since he was used to Bokuto changing things up. That was a good sign, and it made him proud seeing him do better even despite there still being faults and improvement. Each time he did particularly well, he sent him a smile and thumbs up.

As he watched the male from across the room in later games, Kuroo noted that he was even able to block Bokuto a couple of times, or get in a touch that kept the ball from falling to the ground.

Finally it was lunchtime, and Kuroo was with Bokuto, Akaashi and Kenma. He had his arm wrapped around the boy with pudding-like hair, and was laughing and smiling about a game he was watching him play. It was a good distraction from Tsukishima, since the blond was pretty much all he had thought about aside from volleyball during their time at the training camp. He was happy and at ease, since Kenma had been his best friend since forever, and he was pretty close with Akaashi and Bokuto as well.

When Tsukishima entered the third gym after a long afternoon of games, Kuroo immediately noticed and could tell that he was totally exhausted. He'd been in the middle of talking to Bokuto, clearly excited about Tsukishima coming to practice with them. The spiky haired male didn't seem to find anything strange about his friends enthusiasm and was just happy he wasn't talking about this 'Moonshine'. If only he knew that 'Moonshine' was in fact the blond middle blocker, then perhaps he might have been more annoyed. He watched as his crush walked over to Akaashi, giving him a quiet 'hello' in greeting, and simply nodding to Bokuto and Kuroo who were mid conversation about blocking and spiking.

"What, no hello for me? You wound me, Tsukki," Kuroo said, as it had gotten to the end of their conversation and it was a prime chance to talk to him again. He grinned cheekily, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and shrugged a little. "You were talking with Bokuto-san. Besides, it wasn't like I completely ignored you when I came in," he replied, moving around the net to be facing Akaashi on the opposing side. "Let's just get this going, please. If you didn't know, I'm rather tired and I'm ready to sleep. I'm pretty sure I could fall asleep in here, right now, and I struggle with sleeping. Imagine me after training. You're lucky I somewhat enjoy your company, Kuroo, or I wouldn't have agreed and just went straight to bed."

Bokuto just shrugged and grabbed a ball ready to send to Akaashi so it could be set, and Kuroo smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Tsukki, but I wouldn't want you here if I didn't think you'd benefit from it." He really was happy that Tsukishima was there with them. Not just because of his massive crush on him, but because he wanted to see the other thrive and really enjoy volleyball. He wanted to see him block lots of spikes and be able to say 'I'm so proud of you and how far you've come', and be able to brag to the people around that 'I taught him everything he knows'.

"Whatever, it's fine. As long as I get to sleep more than three hours I'll be fine."

With that note, the group began their practise, Bokuto working on his spikes and Kuroo helping Tsukishima with his blocks. He spent time carefully explaining parts of read blocking to him, congratulating him when he did well and making sure that he also instructed him on how to improve. Tsukishima may have been tired, but Kuroo could tell he was listening and paying attention. It seemed like he was actually having fun and felt like he was improving, and that made the captain fill up with joy.

They went on like that for about an hour, before Tsukishim became far too tired to continue playing. Kuroo called of the rest of training since they all needed to finish up for the night anyways. After cleaning up and packing everything, he glanced over to the blond to see how he was doing my only to notice that he was drifting off to sleep leaning against the wall, similarly to earlier that day. Kuroo smiled fondly at the sight, walking over and scooping the tall male into his arms. It was a little awkward since Tsukishima was so tall, but then again so was Kuroo, and the blond wasn't particularly heavy.

His heart was pounding and he had a blush on his cheeks, but it was nice. Tsukishima was so adorable, and it only made Kuroo wish that one day he could hold him for real. Not because he was asleep and he was taking him to his futon, but because the other was his boyfriend and they were cuddling at night. This moment meant so much to him, but he knew that Tsukishima didn't like him back (or thought he did, anyways) and wouldn't let him know how much he loved holding him close.

Kuroo carried him to Karasuno's room, Akaashi bringing his shoes, water bottle and knee pads. Once he found out from Yamaguchi which futon was his (the teen was grinning and extremely compliant), he lay Tsukishima down and tucked him in, causing the younger to stir. "Shh, just sleep, Moonshine," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his head. The bed was in the corner and nobody could see what Kuroo was doing, so he felt that he could get away with that much. It would probably be the only chance he ever got, after all.

As he got up to leave, Sugawara just sent him a knowing look. Kuroo watched as he sent Akaashi a thumbs up, tilting his head and mumbling a quiet 'Oya?' as Akaashi rolled his eyes but returned the gesture. He shook it off though, thinking it was nothing and that they had made friends when Kuroo wasn't around.

He returned back to his own futon after showering, and dreamt of holding the blond in his arms and peppering gentle kisses on his face. It was so perfect, and Kuroo felt himself ache when he woke up only to find that he had only been dreaming.

x-X-x

Editing from here

Kuroo had gotten to the dining hall earlier than most. He'd managed to snag Yamaguchi's number from Kenma who got it from Hinata, and so he was able to coordinate it so that by the time Tsukishima came to breakfast, he was greeted with a proper cup of coffee waiting for him. Kuroo wasn't sure how much the other male would sleep, though he seemed to be pretty peaceful when he'd left the night before so he hoped that was a good sign. Still. He thought it might be nice to give him a cup of coffee either way.

"Good morning, Kuroo, Akaashi, Bokuto-san," Tsukishima said, sitting down with his tray of food. He picked up the coffee, sipping it gratefully and letting out a relaxed sigh. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way, it's some of the best I've had. I've never really been a morning person, so it helps a lot," he muttered, words only loud enough for Kuroo to hear, though he had no doubt that Akaashi probably understood the gist of what he said.

Kuroo only smiled at him and nodded, not making too much of a fuss over those words. They really meant a lot to him, since he'd been hoping he would like the coffee, but he didn't want to make him embarrassed or anything. He himself was trying to hold back a blush, since he couldn't get the thoughts of the male in his arms the previous night out of his head. "I see you slept better? You looked pretty beat last night," he said with a soft laugh, taking a bite of his food. Hopefully he hadn't stepped too far, but he wanted to see how much Tsukishima remembered. It would be embarrassing if he knew he was Moonshine, after all.

"Ah, yeah, I did. I don't really remember how I got back to the room, but I've had times where I've come home and forgotten leaving school because I was exhausted. It's just frustrating that the best sleep I seem to get is when I'm that tired," Tsukishima said, eating some of his own food. "I still remember the stuff about read blocking from last night, which is a relief. It's not like I'll become a master at it overnight, but I think I'll be able to do a bit better today, especially since I rested well enough."

"I'm looking forward to playing you, then, Tsukki. I'll have to see for myself how you've improved," Kuroo said, with Bokuto humming in agreement through his mouthful of food. He felt a wave of relief run through him, though a part of him was sad. He hated to admit it, but he was too chicken to ask the blond out and if he was going to do it would be right before the camp ended. At least it Tsukishima had heard he could have confessed and gotten it over and done with. Alas, he didn't know if he ever would confess now. He didn't ever want Tsukishima to hate him.

Akaashi only smiled innocently as if nothing was up and said, "I look forward to it too, but especially our practise tonight. Don't forget, Tsukishima." Kuroo saw that look and was confused, but guessed it was something to do with the way Akaashi had been around Sugawara and Yamaguchi more often.

"I won't, Akaashi," Tsukishima said, no longer looking up at the people but at his food. It was odd, but he had absolutely no clue what it was about. He guessed he would find out later that night.

x-X-x

The minutes ticked on, and Kuroo was just having a great day in general. He and Nekoma were playing well, and he got to spend a lot of time with Tsukishima. Their evening practise where they worked on read blocking was still his favourite, since he had an excuse to be close to him, and talk about volleyball. Still, the conversation from that morning was still bugging him, especially since Tsukishima seemed nervous. Instead, he decided to ask his crush if he felt sick because he wasn't acting like himself and he seemed off, since he didn't want to make things worse if it did have something to do with what Akaashi said that morning.

As they finished up and put everything in the gym away about to leave, Tsukishima tapped Kuroo on the shoulder. "Uh, if you wouldn't mind staying back a couple of minutes, I wanted to talk about something in private," he said softly, his voice strained. He couldn't look at Kuroo, not until he was about to say what he needed to.

Kuroo was more than happy to stay behind, but he was concerned about the blond. He had been tired the day before, but this was different, like he was scared to talk to him. That made his heart clench a little, since he wanted to be someone Tsukishima could trust to talk to about anything, but he nodded anyways, telling Bokuto and Akaashi to go on ahead and that he would catch up with him the next day. "Yeah, of course. Are you not well or something?"

Tsukishima shook his head, biting his lip and looking into Kuroo's eyes. He looked back, his own heart beating faster since they had never really had such eye contact. Moments passed, and then- "I like you, Kuroo, more than a friend." Tsukishima had blurted those words out, looking down as soon as he said them so he wouldn't have to see Kuroo's face. Kuroo's expression shifted through shock, to confusion, to understanding and then a grin, and he was about to speak up and say he liked him too when he heard what the other said.

"I know Akaashi said you like this 'Moonshine' or whoever, but I'm selfish and I wish that I was yours. I've liked you since the first game we played, when I saw you across the net and I thought you were probably the most attractive guy I'd seen. Even when I stuck my finger up at you because you smiled at me, it was just because I didn't know what to do with my feelings. I've never really had a crush before, and I've never been good with emotional situations, so it was so hard." He took a deep breath, continuing to talk before Kuroo could interrupt him. The older male wouldn't have done so either way, since he didn't want to interrupt him and he wanted to hear everything that Tsukishima had to say.

"The second time we played, I couldn't help but watch you, even during the games. I liked the way you would smirk and schemed, and even though you still had that bloody bed hair I couldn't help but think it suited you. I'm not going to lie, I hated it at first, along with your laugh, but only for an instant. It's a part of you, and I don't think I could ever truly hate you, Kuroo. I saw the way you treated your teammates, too. On the surface it looked like tough love, but it's obvious you really care about them. The way you would look after them all with that big heart of yours — I don't think enough people see how kind you really are."

At the last part, Kuroo's expression softened and he felt his heart continue to beat. He'd never known Tsukishima payed so much attention to him, and it made him feel special. A soft blush on his cheeks, he continued to listen enjoying hearing it all but looking forward to be able to tell the blond that he was his Moonshine and he liked him more than anyone else in the world.

"And then we came here, and we properly talked. Maybe you pushed some of my buttons, but you still cared enough to genuinely apologise. You looked after me when I was tired, because I had come out as gay and then pretty much the whole team came out and were talking about how happy they were that they could all be themselves. It had taken me even longer to get to sleep, because even though I was upset with you I also couldn't keep you off my mind. When I was falling asleep, you hugged me and just cared for me until I felt better. You told me that you thought I had talent, you actually believed in my abilities when I felt that I wasn't needed on the team. You spent time with me working on blocking, when you have absolutely no reason or obligation to do so. You're such an amazing guy, and I could never deserve someone like you. I won't ruin your chances with the guy you like because of my feelings, so don't worry about trying to make me feel better, but I just thought you deserved to know."

Before Kuroo could react, his mind still processing everything since it was frankly adorable how Tsukishima had said all of those sweet, thoughtful things, the taller teen let out a heavy sigh and ran out of the building. His heart shattered, thinking that Tsukishima thought that Kuroo didn't care the same way, and he wanted nothing more than to hold him close and tell him how he felt. He ran out of the room, sprinting down the pathway until he reached the other. His heart ached at the sight of him, he'd clearly been crying and was grabbing onto the bottom of his shirt while letting out another sob.

Kuroo was quick to wrap his arms around him, resting his chin on his shoulder, keeping him from running off. "You idiot, you can't just say something like that and run off without giving me a chance to reply," he told him, the older male's voice slightly strained as well, as if he was holding back tears of his own. Yes, he had almost been brought to tears because of the whole situation, but he wasn't ashamed of it as long as Tsukishima knew he cared and stopped hurting. "You are Moonshine, and you could have been mine from the day you walked into our gym. All you had to do was ask. I like you too, Tsukishima, so, so much. There's no need to cry anymore, my Moonshine," he told him, gently pulling away and then walking around so he could be facing the blond male.

He gently cupped his cheek with one hand, using the other one to brush away his tears with his thumb. He pressed a gentle kiss to his free cheek, and then just wrapped his arms around him, holding the other male close. He could tell that Tsukishima was confused and hurt and understandably shocked, but he wouldn't leave him. "I don't understand, Kuroo-"

"Tetsurou. Call me Tetsurou, Moonshine," he interrupted, giving him a caring smile. He was happy to let him call him by his first name. He'd always wondered what it would sound like to have it uttered from those perfect lips of his.

"Tetsurou... I just don't get why you would like someone like me when you're, well, you. I don't think I'm nearly good enough to be your Moonshine," he said, leaning into the embrace and hugging back just as tightly. Just feeling that made Kuroo so, so happy, but his words also hurt him. He wanted, no, he needed to make sure his Moonshine knew how much he loved him and how amazing he was. So, he kissed his head and continued to hold him close.

"That's the thing, I don't think that I'm good enough for you either, Moonshine. You still said all of those lovely things about me, and especially coming from you it means much more than you know. But you're Tsukishima, you're tall, smart, you've got the face of an angel. You've got this wicked personality, I don't think I've met anyone else that's so fun to banter with. At the same time, you're kind and you have this gentle side. I can't even begin to tell you how fucking cute it was when you curled up to me yesterday morning in the staff room, or when you fell asleep in the gym last night and I carried you back. You just seem so peaceful and I don't know, but I felt so lucky that I got to spend time with you like that. When we're practicing and even just when we talk, you listen to me, I mean really listen, and I feel like it's just me and you and nothing else really matters. I could go on for hours about you and I'm not going to lie, I have done that and I'm pretty sure Akaashi was sick of it. I just really, really like you, Tsukishima."

He saw tears well up in the other's eyes again, though it didn't hurt to see them this time, Kuroo knew they were happy tears, relieved tears. Now he knew, they both knew, that they had both just been oblivious idiots all along. It seemed almost comical to Kuroo, really.

"K-Kei, not Tsukishima. Just don't overuse it, it's a very rare privilege and Yamaguchi is the only other person aside from family and now you allowed to use it," Tsukishima sniffled, continuing to stay close. "Also, fuck you for making me feel all these feelings. I haven't cried since I was eight, and now I've cried multiple times this week. That being said, since you carried me back yesterday I guess I can get over it."

Kuroo chucked softly at his words, humming. He loved that he would be able to call him Kei, and that things weren't so sad anymore. "Well, I'm glad my Moonshine, no, my Kei doesn't hate me. It would be pretty hard for you to be mine if you didn't want to be mine, after all," he teased, loosening the hug so he could once again wipe away Tsukishima's tears.

"Does that mean that... you perhaps want to be boyfriends?" he mumbled, a soft blush on his cheeks now that he wasn't as teary anymore.

Kuroo laughed loudly at that one, and gave him a massive grin. "Duh, Kei. I thought that was obvious when I was calling you my Moonshine. I would be an even bigger idiot than I already am if I let you get away, when I've already been an idiot to not realise that we liked each other. I always imagined confessing first, but honestly you did it much better than I ever could. Rest assured, there will still be awful pickup lines, even if you're already mine and I'm yours."

Kei snorted at the last part and nodded, giving Tetsurou a proper smile this time. It was a genuinely happy one, accompanied by a loving look in his eyes, much different than the fake ones he plastered on or his amused smirks. This was a smile he only reserved for his Tetsurou, and Kuroo knew it. He knew that it was a special smile, and he would treasure the memory of it forever. That he promised himself.

Tsukishima no longer had to wish that he was Kuroo's. He was Kuroo's Moonshine, he was Kuroo's Kei. And Kuroo? He finally had the love of his life, and he wouldn't have it any other way.