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It was rather good and had taken you literal hours to complete. You’d thought if you made it then you’d be more invested and actually, finally manage to confess your feelings to the guy you’d liked for what felt like forever. Unfortunately, it hadn’t seemed to help your resolve at all. Your last class had just ended for the day and you were sure Kuroo was long gone, back to the dorms no doubt, along with the small pile of chocolates he’d received from female classmates throughout the day.

It was that pile that had ultimately intimidated you out of giving him your own gift. Kuroo was a great guy, sure he liked to tease, but he was ultimately rather sweet despite an initially intimidating appearance, and smart and incredibly handsome. You’d met him your first day of college orientation when the two of you had collided each looking for your respective dorms and been friends ever since.

You’d realized about six months in that you had feelings for the smart mouthed jerk and been left floundering around about what to do about it. You were almost positive he didn’t return your feelings. Sure he flirted, but Kuroo flirted with pretty much everyone so much you weren’t actually sure he was aware he was doing it.

The one time you’d asked he’d been squaring up against a rival of his from his high school days, the two of them sniping at one another. You’d asked Mika, the girlfriend of said rival if it was just you that was confused if they were fighting or flirting. Mika, and Kenma, Kuroo’s best friend who you’d been promptly introduced to after meeting had both snorted, and then started cackling with laughter not unusual for Mika, but a drastic departure for Kenma who was usually pretty quiet and reserved. It was so unusual that you almost missed Kuroo’s choking, sputtering denials, mixed as they were with Suguru’s gagging noises of horror.

Kenma had told you later that Kuroo was just like that apparently, though he hadn’t always been. You’d listened gleefully to him tell all kinds of stories from the days of shy Kuroo while the man in question moaned in the background that he never should’ve introduced the two of you.

Surprisingly despite this flirty nature Kuroo had never had a girlfriend throughout the now nearly four years of college you’d spent together despite being rather popular and if he’d had any one night stands he’d been discreet enough you’d never noticed.

You’d had a couple one night stands yourself trying to escape your feelings, but always felt inexplicably guilty afterwards as if you were somehow cheating even though you weren’t together and probably never would be. A couple of times you’d thought maybe, maybe, there was something there and he felt something for you two, a few times when you’d thought he was going to kiss you, but later turned out to be all in your head.

You were going to be graduating soon, in just another month or so, and then you’d be leaving both college and him behind. You both had jobs lined up, he was going to work for the Japanese Volleyball Association the way he’d always dreamed and you were going off to your dream job too. While you were sure the two of you would remain friends it still felt like the end of an era, like this might be one of the last few times you had to confess your feelings and at least clear the air so you could move on from them properly.

You’d called yourself ten kinds of coward as you tried to muster up the courage to confess and still hadn’t been able to do it, one more failure to add to the pile you supposed.

You blinked back tears of frustration as you let your head fall back against the brick, sinking to the ground and heaving a despondent sigh

“So this is where you are, kitten!” the familiar teasing tone nearly jolted you out of your skin. You’d thought Kuroo had gone home, apparently you weren’t actually that lucky.

You blinked rapidly, trying desperately to clear the moisture from your eyes and trying to figure out a way to discreetly hide the box in your hands. Unfortunately, Kuroo had always been highly observant and quick on the uptake. Usually he was pretty good at putting two and two together, but luckily this time he was missing a critical piece of information, which meant he ended up at five instead.

“Something wrong kitten?” he asked his voice immediately losing the teasing lilt as he crouched down next to you, peering worriedly into your face as he demanded, “Some idiot guy I need to take a swing at for breaking your heart?”

You huffed a laugh, unable to help it trying not to think about the irony of the situation as you waved his worries away, “No, no I’m just being an idiot as usual.”

“You’re not an idiot,” Kuroo told you firmly, jokes cast aside as he examined you as if looking closely might give him the ability to pluck what was bothering you from your mind, hazel eyes kind and serious. It was a side of him only his close friends got to see, this sweet, serious side and one of the reasons you were so stupidly in love with him.

“Any person who can’t see how amazing you are doesn’t deserve any of your tears kitten,” he continued firmly.

“Good thing the tears are for me then,” you quipped back, though you sighed afterwards and admitted, “I’m not sad Tetsu just frustrated, and not with the guy either, but with me.”

“So there is a guy,” he pointed out sullenly, clearly latching on to only one part of what you’d said in his protective fury. It would’ve been sweet if the guy in question wasn’t him and you were pretty sure he only felt protective as your friend.

“Yeah, a guy I didn’t have the guts to confess to,” you retorted with a sigh of frustration, shaking the box of chocolates at him for emphasis.

“Oh…” he told you, looking rather dumbfounded.

“Yeah oh,” you echoed with a huff, rolling your eyes as he shrugged his bag off his shoulder and plopped down beside you on the cold cement. Thankfully the weather was actually unseasonably warm if chilly for February, and his body heat felt nice next to you, something he obviously noticed as he slung an arm around your shoulders.

“So why didn’t you confess then kitten? Tell doctor Kuroo all your troubles,” he encouraged with a friendly grin.

You snorted, partly in amusement and partly in self-depreciation. How low could you get that you had to vent about the person you wanted to confess to, to that self-same person? Still it might feel nice to get it off your chest, a sort of confession after all even if it would be entirely indirect.

“I told you I’m just a coward,” you told him with a self-depreciating smile, prevocating for the moment and wondering if he’d let it go.

“I don’t believe that,” he answered honestly, “Come on kitten, what is it? Afraid he doesn’t like you back right? If you tell me who it is I can definitely help. I’ve got a good eye for this kind of thing and make an excellent wingman.”

“Kenma would disagree,” you informed him bluntly.

“Yeah well he got with the jumping bean in the end didn’t he?” Kuroo grumbled, clearly not wanting to relive that particular memory, “besides Kenma even admitted he needs a push sometimes.”

“Yeah well what about Bokuto? Or Tsukishima?” you listed off, naming others he’d supposedly “helped”.

“Those worked out too in the end!” he protested vehemently, shooting you a wounded look, before scolding, “And don’t change the subject kitten we’re not talking about them we’re talking about you.”

It figured he saw right through you, just one more thing you loved about the giant dork. Deciding you needed to at least throw him a bone you confessed, “It’s less of a ‘not sure he likes me back’ thing and more of a ‘don’t want to ruin the friendship’ kind of thing.”

“We’ve been friends for a while now, but I’ve been a little in love with him for what feels like forever,” you continued mouth apparently deciding to run without permission now that you’d started, “And I don’t want to lose what we have or make things awkward for him, and I definitely don’t want him to accept my feelings out of some kind of obligation as my friend either because that would be even worse than being rejected.”

“Ah, one of those types I see,” Kuroo acknowledged nodding sagely, “Well I guess the only thing I can say to that is if they’re really your friend, if they don’t return your feelings they won’t let something like that get in the way of your friendship.”

“What I mean to say is go for it,” he elaborated with a hesitant smile that somehow didn’t feel like it reached his eyes, “Because while it might be awkward for a little while, if your friendship is strong you’ll both get over it and maybe in a year or two you’ll laugh about it together.”

“That’s… actually pretty good advice,” you told him a little surprised. Kuroo may have been sweet and smart but a relationship guru who almost certainly wasn’t given his previously listed disasters.

“Yeah, I got it from Akaashi so it’s pretty reliable,” he confessed with a sheepish grin, running his fingers through his bangs.

You laughed and his smile widened slightly, eyes softening with fondness as he ruffled your hair and told you, “And if he doesn’t want your chocolates I will gladly take them as payment for passing on such sage wisdom.”

“Really?” you demanded with an incredulous laugh, “Didn’t you get plenty of chocolate earlier? You’ll rot your teeth!”

“Ah I gave it all away,” he told you with a casual shrug, turning away to look up at the sky as if giving away all that chocolate and all the girls’ hard work was a casual thing.

“Tetsu!” you half-scolded half-laughed. A part of you felt bad for all those girls whose feelings he apparently didn’t care for, but the selfish part of you was kind of glad too that he wouldn’t accept their feelings. It shouldn’t give you hope, but it did.

“What?” he teased, a smirk crossing his lips as he turned to look at you again, “You know I don’t like white chocolate, and besides I didn’t really want it anyway.”

You huffed in exasperation but didn’t argue. He was right in a way, he hadn’t asked them to make it for him, and he really didn’t like white chocolate, which a lot of girls used for their chocolates to make them pretty. You’d heard him arguing more than once that it shouldn’t even be called chocolate at all and had heard drunk Kuroo insist it was a disgrace to chocolate everywhere, which was ridiculous if rather cute.

“But enough about me, shouldn’t you be going to confess to your friend? Valentine’s Day will be over soon, and if you don’t confess my heartfelt pep talk will be for nothing,” he told you cheerfully, climbing to his feet and dusting off his pants, holding his hand out for you to do the same.

You stared at his hand for a second, heart racing in your chest. This was it then, you really had to do this, because he’d even said it himself, if your friendship was strong than it would survive this little hiccup just fine and you could finally get an answer one way or another and stop pining like an idiot.

You took his hand and let him haul you to your feet, but didn’t release his hand just yet as you tried to reassure yourself one last time, “Do you really believe that Tetsu? That two people can still be friends if one of them confesses.”

“I do, or at the very least I’d like to believe it is, as I wouldn’t actually know myself,” he told you with a smile that looked almost sad, “Let me know how it works out for you okay? So I know for sure in the future, and I’ll always be here too you know?”

“Guess we’re about to find out,” you told him releasing a shaky breath and steeling your nerves as you reminded him, “Don’t forget you said it okay?”

“Sure,” he told you releasing your hand slowly, “good luck, kitten.”

“Here,” you told him abruptly, thrusting the box of chocolates at him before you could lose your nerve, trying to ignore how your hands were shaking.

“I really like you Kuroo Tetsurou,” you told him, trying to be as clear as possible, “And I have for a long time. It’s okay if you don’t return my feelings I just really wanted you to know.”

You stood there with the chocolates held outstretched for what felt like hours as he stared at you, hazel eyes huge in his face, clearly shocked to the core.

“Um, Tetsu this is the part where you say something,” you prompted your voice coming out more wobbly than you’d like as you warned, “And remember you said we could still be friends because I might really cry if…”

You were cut off as you let out a yip of surprise as he bypassed the chocolates entirely and scooped you into his arms, cradling you close. The chocolates you’d spent hours on were probably being squished between you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as you rested your head on his shoulder, your free hand wrapping around his waist as you clung to him.

You weren’t entirely sure what was going on, but were reassured nonetheless that he wasn’t disgusted or anything like that, but you still wanted an answer of some kind, which prompted you to prod gently, “Tetsu I’m not really sure what this means and I really would like an answer.”

“Fuck,” he swore vehemently, startling you and making your heart sink for a second until he continued, “Give me a minute to comprehend here kitten. I thought the woman I’ve been in love with for the past four years was about to walk off, confess to someone else and break my heart. Promise I’ll be good to go in a second.”

“You’re in love with me?” you repeated, not quite comprehending the words even as you said them, shocked to your core.

“Wasn’t it obvious?” he asked, with a wry chuckle even as he pulled back slightly to look at you, cupping your cheek in one of his large palms, “I tried to tell you so many times, I even almost kissed you a couple of them.”

“You should’ve,” you told him, almost absently, thinking back on all those times you’d thought were wishful thinking, but apparently weren’t all in your head after all.

“Yeah?” he asked you his voice a deep rumble in his chest as he tilted your face towards him locking eyes with you, “How about I make it up to you now.”

You hummed in agreement tilting your face up in clear invitation, one he eagerly accepted, lowering his face to yours. The first brush of his lips on yours was tentative, but it still sent sparks down your spine even as his mouth slotted more firmly against yours.

The feeling of him wasn’t something you felt could be put to words, other than a strong sense of rightness, and a surge of relief almost as if you were finally coming home. The sweet push pull of his lips on yours was enough to make the world fall away, a dizzying rush that you never wanted to end as you clung to him, fingers twisted into the fabric of the sweatshirt he was wearing.

At the first soft brush of his tongue on your lower lip you immediately parted them eager to welcome him in, to taste him. Heat was licking up your spine, desire surging through you hot and fast. You’d always known Kuroo was attractive, but had never allowed yourself to feel too attracted to him, locking it down along with your feelings for him.

Now though it was running wild and you wanted nothing more than to finally feel him to have him in every sense of the word and it felt like you could never get close enough. You wanted to touch him, and have him touch you and found yourself frustrated that one of your hands was preoccupied still holding the chocolates.

Unfortunately before you could decide whether to drop them or not Kuroo pulled back. You whined quietly at the loss chasing his mouth with your own, and he let you for a few seconds before pulling back again.

“Come on kitten,” he urged even as both of you fought for breath, “Let’s take this somewhere warmer and a bit more private hmm?”

You immediately agreed and took the hand he offered without hesitation, shyly lacing your fingers together with his for the first time. The smile he gave you when you did was so full of tender affection it made you wonder how you could’ve been so blind as to not realize just what he felt for you.

You let him lead you back to his place, aware he lived alone and didn’t have a roommate to bother anymore now that Kenma had bought his own place. You almost discarded to box of chocolates, which had seen better days after being squished between the two of you, but Kuroo insisted on holding on to it, assuring you it would still taste the same.

You sure hoped so, as you dropped it almost the second you made it to Kuroo’s apartment and the door clicked shut behind you. You’d practically thrown yourself at him, eager to get back to what you’d been doing before, not that he seemed to mind, just as eager as you were to have his lips back on yours.

The two of you stumbled around trying to kick your shoes off and still remain connected at the mouth, his warm hands steadying on your hips as you twined his hair through your fingers the two of you both laughing in a combination of giddiness and amusement as you stumbled toward his bedroom, shedding all your outer layers on the way leaving a no doubt messy trail behind you.

Not that you cared, not when you finally had him so close, your chest pressed to his, your arms around his neck and tongue tangling with his. Later you’d wonder how you made it to his bedroom without tripping over something and falling flat on your faces, but for now you were too focused on the ripple of his muscles as he pulled his shirt off up over his head, revealing the muscular torso you’d only gotten a few glimpses of before.

You were almost salivating as you sat perched on the edge of the bed, your own hands fumbling with the button of your jeans while your eyes glued to him, unable to look away. He shot you a smirk as he dropped the shirt to the floor, all masculine satisfaction and predatory intent, no doubt reading the lust clear on your face as he swiftly knelt at your feet, warm hands tracing their way from knee to thigh with a heat you could feel even through your jeans as he leaned in to kiss you again.

You accepted readily one of your hands tangling in his hair, nails scratching lightly at his scalp as your other hand smoothed over the warm bare skin of his shoulder and down his back as you pulled him close. A happy hum escaped his lips as his hands went to finish the job yours had started, clever fingers undoing the button and zipper easily before he hooked his fingers into the waist band, using the other hand to brace the small of your back and help you lift your hips as he tugged them down your thighs in an impressive display of strength and coordination.

You immediately snaked your legs around his torso, pulling him in close. Your body was thrumming with heat and desire as you tugged at his hair, pulling your mouth away from his for a second so you could pull your own shirt over your head eager for more skin on skin. He didn’t make it easy, his hot mouth trailing along your jaw and down your neck, kissing, nipping, and suckling at the sensitive skin with an intensity that made you feel as if he was trying to devour you enticing a shuddering gasp from your lips.

Dragging yourself away from that took all your will power, but it was worth it for the hot look in his eyes as he saw what you were wearing underneath. You’d worn your favorite set of fancy lingerie in the hopes it would give you courage and quietly patted yourself on the back for that particular decision.

“That for me kitten?” he asked, voice rough with desire as he slid warm palms down your sides eyes raking over your body like he couldn’t decide where to look first.

“Wore it so I could confess to you so I suppose yes,” you admitted, the heat in his eyes making you bold as you tilted yourself back, bracing your hands behind you so your chest was thrust forward, “You like it Tetsu?”

“Like might be a bit of an understatement kitten,” he rasped, his hands frantically undoing his belt and letting his pants drop to the floor. You squeaked and then let out a pleased giggle as he pounced on you like the cat you’d always thought he was, pinning you back against the bed.

A gasp left your lips as he traced his warm mouth over your collarbones, kissing and biting at them before nuzzling his face between your breasts, tracing his tongue over the lace cups as his warm hands skimmed down your sides before coming up to cup your breasts his thumbs teasing your peaked nipples through the thin layer.

“Tetsurou,” you moaned tangling your fingers in his hair as he latched on to one of the peaked nubs through the lace, his other hand sliding down your belly to cup your mound easing between your legs and finding the dampness there as he teased you over the silken scrap of fabric.

“That’s it kitten,” he purred at you, “Moan my name, only my name, my precious kitten.”

“Want you Tetsurou,” you told him unashamed, “Want you so bad.”

“I’m yours, fuck all yours,” he assured you, “Gonna fuck you so good kitten, show you you’re mine.”

You didn’t get the chance to reply, words flying completely from your mind as he slid your panties aside and slipped his clever fingers inside you, sliding it in easily thanks to how wet you were for his palm at just the right place to tease your clit as you rocked your hips in time to the thrusting of his fingers.

His mouth latched on to your neck, suckling and biting in a way that you just knew was going to leave you with a wealth of marks in the morning and finding you didn’t care a bit as one finger became two and he carefully stretched and prepped you.

You tugged at his hair, unable to help yourself, and he moaned in response, the sound making you clench around his probing fingers and a distant part of you made note that Kuroo seemed to like getting his hair pulled.

The sound as he pulled his fingers from your core was utterly obscene and your probably would’ve blushed if you weren’t distracted by the way he brought his fingers to his mouth, breathing in your scent and then licking them clean, a teasing glint in his eyes as he held your gaze and hummed in pleasure at the taste.

It was too much for you and you shoved him, the sudden move surprising him enough that you were able to roll the two of you over despite him being both bigger and stronger than you.

“Kitten’s got claws huh?” he teased, though it came out so breathy it was hard to take him seriously.

“Claws and teeth,” you affirmed leaning down to press your mouth to the junction of his shoulder, scraping said teeth against his skin for emphasis and sucking at the spot you’d chosen. You figured if you were going to wear his marks tomorrow he might as well wear yours too, after all it wasn’t fair if you were the only one.

The sound he made in response probably would’ve ruined your panties if they weren’t already sopping wet, and you hummed in pleasure in response kissing a path down his bare chest, sliding yourself downwards and running your hands over every inch of his warm skin you could reach, savoring the feel of him beneath your palms the way you’d been dreaming for the last four years.

“You’re so fucking hot Tetsu,” you murmured almost to yourself as you kissed over his chest teasing one of his nipples into hardness with your tongue.

“Not, so bad yourself Kit-nnngh,” he cut off as you engulfed the pebbled nipple in your mouth your hand playfully teasing and tugging at the opposite bud. Your core was pressed right up against his arousal and you could feel how hard he was through the tight black boxer briefs he was wearing, and you ground yourself against it, enjoying the feel of his length against your folds, though you noticed with some disappointment that there was definitely too much fabric in the way.

You immediately set out to rectify the problem releasing his swollen nipple from your mouth, and sitting up figuring you might as well get rid of the bra while you were at it, long practice making it easy to undo as you continued to grind your needy core over his clothed dick.

Kuroo’s eyes were nearly glowing with desire under his bangs, as he watched your every move, his chest glistening with a light sheen of sweat that caught the light every time he sucked in a shuddering breath, quiet moans and curses falling from his lips.

You lifted yourself up off of him in order to wriggle out of your panties as he watched you, the look in his eyes so hot you felt as if you could actually feel it burning into you. He eagerly lifted his hips when you moved to remove his own underwear, and you paused for a moment to run a teasing fingertip over the rigid outline of him, swirling your finger against the damp spot where he was clearly leaking through the fabric, earning an almost pained moan from him.

You took pity on him and divested him of the last of his clothing, finally leaving him bare to your eyes. He was perfect, his length long and thick, the red tip weeping precum, smearing it all over his bare stomach as it twitched under your hot gaze.

You met his eyes and licked your lips, then slowly licked a stripe up your palm in return for his own teasing earlier and reached down to take him in hand, running your palm up and down his length before curling your fingers around him beginning to pump your hand slowly up and down his length, using your thumb to tease the mushroomed head and to swirl his precum around the tip.

A part of you really wanted to keep going like that, to see how long you could tease him until he snapped, but it would have to wait for another time. You were too desperate now that you had his heavy length in your palm to know what it would feel like inside you, stretching and filling you to the brim.

You lifted yourself up so you could tease the tip through your damp folds, fully intending to sink down on him, when warm palms came up to clasp your thighs, holding you in place for the moment.

“Condom?” Kuroo breathed, sounding almost pained at the fact that he’d had to stop you, releasing one of your thighs to point at the drawer of the bedside table.

“I have an implant,” you informed him, taking a moment to bless your gynecologist as you asked, “Good enough?”

“Yep that’s good,” he repeated a little dazedly.

You smirked at him before sinking yourself down on his hard length savoring every inch of him until you bottomed out. You weren’t worried about STDs, Kuroo wasn’t the kind of guy that would ever take risks and you knew you were clean. Plus there was nothing you wanted more in that moment than to feel it when he came inside you.

“Fuck!” Kuroo swore as his hand flew back to your hip and squeezing hard enough you were sure he’d leave fingerprint shaped bruises, not that you cared a bit considering how lost in ecstasy you were at the feeling of having him inside you.

He felt amazing, just enough stretch to leave you feeling full to your core without it being painful, and without the condom you could feel every inch rubbing deliciously inside you.

“So wet and tight,” he praised, his voice a rough rasp as you began to rock your hips, slowly testing out the motion grinding down on him and circling your hips to find the best possible angle. He met you thrust for thrust, hips lifting off the bed as if he couldn’t bear to be anything but buried in your core, fingertips digging into your hips nearly desperately.

You impaled yourself eagerly on his cock, the wet slap of flesh on flesh echoing through the room along with the sounds of your combined moans as each stroke sent you hurtling higher, your core clenching involuntarily around him every time you managed to find the right angle to have his stroking your sensitive inner walls in just the right way earning filthy curse words and rasping moans from his throat as he let you take from him.

Sparks of pleasure were rippling through your core and your hands went to your breasts teasing your peaked nipples as you frantically chased your end, which came in a rush of overwhelming sensation and pleasure, your back arching as you choked out his name. He remained inside you, still hard and throbbing you wanted nothing more than to keep going but your legs weren’t up to holding your weight after such a mind-blowing orgasm and you knew it.

“Tired kitten? Those teeth and claws of yours all worn out?” he asked, the teasing lilt to his voice driving you up the wall as you tried to decide if you continue but ultimately failing to muster up the strength, choosing instead to tighten your walls around around him, earning a pleasured hiss from the man underneath you.

“Tetsu,” you cooed at the man underneath you, leaning down so you could nip at his ear, hands caressing his chest as you blew lightly on his neck, smirking at the goosebumps that rolled over his skin as you hissed in his ear, “Stop teasing and fuck me Tetsurou.”

“Bossy kitten,” he huffed with clear amusement, but didn’t give you time to retort as he easily rolled you over, settling himself easily between your thighs and rolling his hips in just the right way to make you mewl.

“This what you want kitten?” he urged, each word emphasized by a deep thrust of his hips making your legs quake all over again, “You want me to fuck you like this?”

“Oh fuck, yes,” you agreed immediately, your voice more of a pleading whine now that you were getting what you wanted, “Fuck me just like that Tetsu.”

“What’s the magic word kitten?” he teased holding himself still inside you, and wearing the smirk you both loved and hated in equal measure.

A part of you wanted to hold out, but you knew you couldn’t not for long anyway, not when you needed him so badly, though you swore silently to yourself that you’d make him pay later.

“Please Tetsu?” you begged, figuring if you were caving to his demands you might as well go all out, “please fuck me?”

“Fuck, kitten, anything for you,” he told you, in a manner that was probably supposed to be teasing but came out more vehement than expected as he began to thrust in earnest, one of his hands sliding down to play with your swollen clit as his mouth found yours in a sloppy kiss.

You keened into his mouth as his clever fingers teased in just the right way your second orgasm just as strong as the first, your nails digging into the skin of his back in an effort to ground yourself.

The feeling of it proved to be too much for him to as his hips sped to an almost frantic pace for a brief few seconds before he sheathed himself to the hilt, letting you feel ever twitch and spurt of cum as he painted your walls, filling you with his cum a primal sounding groan escaping from his lips as he did.

It felt like the moment was suspended in time for a second, blissful and perfect before he carefully rolled off you though he pulled you with him so you were both laying on your sides facing one another. You reached for him nearly automatically sweeping his sweaty bangs away from his forehead and feeling overwhelmingly affectionate, practically aching with it.

He caught your hand and pressed a quiet kiss to the palm of it, staring into your eyes with utter adoration and a hint of disbelief written clear on his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe that had just happened. You were having a hard time as well, it felt a bit like a dream, one you never wanted to end.

“I love you,” he told you, the words taking you by surprise, something that clearly showed as he hurriedly went on to say, “Maybe it’s too early to say it, but I know how I feel and this time I’m not waiting for the right moment or for one of us to find our courage, it’s only right I say it first this time, since you were the one strong enough to confess. You don’t have to say it back just yet I just…”

You cut him off with a gentle finger to his lips, “I love you too Kuroo Tetsurou and it’s not too soon, if anything it feels long overdue. I’ve been in love with you for at least three years now after all.”

“Just three years?” he teased, though the sheer relief on his face gave away how he was truly feeling, “I’ve been in love with you practically from the moment we met.”

“You mean when you literally rammed into me when we were looking for our dorms because I was running around like a madwoman and you weren’t looking where you were going?” you asked wryly.

“What can I say you made a very attractive madwoman, and our meeting was explosive at least,” he replied with a grin.

“If by explosive you mean painful then yes,” you agreed with a laugh, “you knocked me clean off my feet.”

“Hey now, I’m trying to be romantic here,” he told you playfully, “Stop ruining it.”

“Oh romantic is it?” you teased before telling him, “I really do love you Kuroo, Tetsurou. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“I love you too kitten,” he assured you, gently caressing your face and promising, “Now and forever. Happy Valentine’s Day my love.”

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She’d always been into the occult, absolutely one of those who believed in things like demons and ghosts without question. She was superstitious as hell, refusing to step on cracks in the sidewalk, zealously avoiding ladders, refusing to kill ladybugs, and practically barricading herself inside her room whenever Friday the 13th rolled around. The one time she’d accidentally broken a mirror she’d been near hysterical and had gone to get herself cleansed.

You weren’t nearly as wary as she was, and were far more skeptical of the supernatural, finding her a bit too needlessly dramatic over things you personally viewed as inconsequential and silly. Still she was a good friend outside of that, and it wasn’t hurting you or her to let her believe as she pleased so you let it go and simply indulged or ignored her little habits.

Which was how you somehow found yourself here, not scouting a nice bar or standing in line for a club, but in the middle of a forest clearing, your nice heels sinking into the dirt as you desperately tried not to roll an ankle.

“You said you were having a dry spell, right?” she sassed, though she kept the words quiet so as to not disturb the other women who were shuffling around the clearing, making preparations, drawing strange lines and symbols on the grass with a black tarry looking substance, “Well this is going to put an end to that!”

It was true you’d broken up with your boyfriend months ago, the two of you parting on amicable terms, the spark of your relationship having simply died out and while you’d had a few dates since, there hadn’t been any sort of chemistry with them, definitely nothing that made you want to bring them home with you even just for a one night stand. Thus you’d been making do with your good friend Mr. Rabbit but it was nowhere near as fulfilling as you knew a partner could be.

“And how is this supposed to do that exactly?” you asked her skeptically as you eyed the candles that were being placed around the circle, “Wouldn’t being at a club and finding a nice man to dance with be more productive?”

“Madame Carver says this ritual will increase your drives and fulfill your desires,” your friend told you excitedly, practically bouncing in place, “Apparently it will help with just about anything you want to do. I personally, am hoping it helps me with finishing my stupid Thesis at long last.”

You don’t get the chance to ask her just who this Madame Carver is as a woman approaches and passes both of you red candles before ushering you into a place around the circle they’ve created. You’re not sure how they’re arranging people, but you end up separated from your friend, standing between two strangers.

A quick glance around the circle shows that everyone present is female, and while some are clearly eager, some nervous, others, the ones you relate to most, look just as skeptical as you feel about this whole thing, which does make you feel better. Honestly, you feel more than a bit ridiculous, but for your friend’s sake you’ll stay and get whatever the hell this is over with so you can go out and actually enjoy yourself without her sulking about missing it. Personally you think heightened desires isn’t exactly what you’re looking for at the moment, you’re pent up enough as it is, but you doubt this silly thing is going to hurt anyone so you see no harm in going through with it.

You were so caught up in your thoughts you almost miss the entrance of a woman dressed all in red, the shade a bright crimson that reminds you of blood. She was a regal looking woman, not traditionally beautiful but striking nonetheless with dark riotous curls and strong features, bronze skin almost glowing in the little light left from the quickly setting sun.

As she stepped into the center of the circle you’d formed with the other women she took a glance around and you had to admire her dedication to her roll. Her eyes had been a shocking crimson color, one that matched her dress, and had what almost looked like a cat’s slut pupil. You wondered if after the ceremony or whatever she’d be offended if you asked where she got her colored contacts from, because they’d looked seriously impressive.

“Welcome, my sisters,” she greeted, her voice a warm, deep, mesmerizing contralto. Just listening to those three brief words you could see how she could con people into believing she was some kind of witch or mystic, she certainly sounded the part and you had no doubt that this was the Madam Carver your friend had mentioned.

“Before we begin our ceremony this Samhain night a final warning,” she told the group, spinning in a slow circle to make eye contact with everyone as if to impress the seriousness of her words, “While this ceremony is meant to ensure you’re granted your deepest of desires, never forget that for everything received there must be something given, a price paid in body, blood, or soul. Demons will always fulfill their end of the bargain, their very being demands it, however they are demons at the end of the day, they will never grant you something for nothing.”

Your friend had definitely not mentioned anything about paying any sort of price for this whacko ritual and if she’d been in your line of sight you would’ve been glaring at her. Fortunately for her and unfortunately for you she was somewhere off to your right and you couldn’t actually see her unless you stepped out of your place, something you weren’t quite willing to do just yet.

However, the minute someone asked you to cut yourself to donate blood, tried to sacrifice someone or started an orgy you were nope-ing the fuck out. Like hell were you going to participate in anything like that. The orgy might’ve been something you could be down for if there were men present, but you simply weren’t all that sexually attracted to women.

“If anyone wants to leave, now is the time to do so,” Madame Carver warned seriously, pulling you from your slightly panicked thoughts, “Once the pact is made there is no turning back.”

Several of the women around the circle shifted anxiously, but none of them actually made a move to go, the power of peer pressure and either fervent belief or blatant skepticism keeping everyone in place.

You tried to reassure yourself that your friend would never be involved in blood or human sacrifice of any kind, which was reassuring, though the reminder that she was apparently willing to deal with so called demons wasn’t exactly comforting. You didn’t particularly believe in them, but you knew she did, so either she was more desperate to finish her Thesis than you’d thought or she thought the ritual was harmless, either way it probably wouldn’t be too bad right?

“Very well, if everyone is ready, let’s begin,” Madame Carver announced solemnly after a few seconds when no one moved, “Don’t forget that during the ritual you must think of that which you desire most, hold it tightly in your mind lest you accidentally leave your contract open ended.”

With that final warning she stepped forward to the woman who was standing at what looked like some kind of nexus point in the circle, hand reaching out. You were sure how she hid the lighter but a small flame sprang forth and lit the candle the woman was holding in an impressive bit of sleight of hand. The woman lit the candle of the woman to her left, who did the same with the woman to her left, each woman continuing on as they passed the flame carefully around the circle.

You’d been a bit anxious about your turn afraid you’d embarrass yourself by dropping your candle or somehow setting something on fire, but you managed to accept the flame from the woman next to you, a pretty blonde with the brightest green eyes you’d ever seen, who also seemed to be wearing some kind of colored contact lenses that gave her a slit pupil, and passed the flame on to the woman next to you.

Once everyone was holding a lit candle Madam Carver went back to the center of the circle and began to chant. You had no idea what she was saying or what language it was, if it was any sort of language at all or just speaking tongues, but it sounded impressive at least. Skeptical though you were you couldn’t deny there was definitely something in the air, though you put that down to anticipation from the true believers among the women you couldn’t help but be a little drawn into it yourself.

As she chanted a strange sort of wind began to blow, a scent filling the clearing that was strangely alluring, spicy, and masculine, the kind of scent that would’ve caught your attention no matter the man wearing it, it was that tempting. The sound of faint whispers, interspersed with low grumbles, like the vibration of a man’s voice when you had your ear pressed to their chest swirled through the air around you, humming deep in your bones as Madame Carver continued to chant, her voice slowly but surely rising in volume, her body appearing to be under an almost physical strain as the scent grew stronger and the voices grew louder.

You didn’t even realized how utterly enraptured you were by it, drawn in by sight, smell and sound the faint wind almost like the caress of fingers against your skin. Something in the air made you feel hypnotized, almost hazy, everything feeling a bit not quite right, something flickering in and out of the corner of your vision as if daring you to turn your head to look, only it felt far too heavy to move.

It felt like there were eyes on you, looking, judging, inspecting, appraising your worthiness, and yet instead of feeling intimidated you instead felt oddly aroused your skin tingling with eager anticipation. A strange feeling, almost like hand caressed the back of your neck, not quite grasping it, but hovering close enough you could feel the heat of it on your skin.

The strange whispering had become more coherent almost forming words you could understand now as what felt like warm slow breaths puffed against your cheek, each one bringing a new wave of that dizzying scent that sent little sparks of arousal trembling down your limbs.

“Be mine, kitten,” a warm voice cooed in your ear, the sound sultry, low and tempting, the kind that had your thighs clamping together your panties dampening in want, a voice practically made for the bedroom, “Be mine, enter covenant with me, be mine.”

The voice kept whispering, coaxing, cajoling, as Madame Carver continued to chant, combined with the sweet scent, the warmth you could now feel traveling up your spine as if a strong body as bare millimeters from being plastered to your back, and that terrible, tempting voice that made all of you quake with need was too much. Even if you hadn’t been going through a dry spell you already knew your answer would’ve been the same.

“Yes,” you agreed, unsure whether you were saying the word aloud or just thinking it to yourself but hoping to convey acceptance, your want, your need, to whatever being was whispering away in your ear.

“Then, it’s a deal my pretty kitten,” the voice agreed with a pleased sounding chuckle, something that felt like lips pressed themselves to the space just behind your ear, sending a strange scorching heat through you, making you feel weak with desire.

Madame Carver’s voice was almost at a fever pitch, rising higher and higher before giving a final shout. It was like being dunked in a bucket of ice water, the word catching your attention, making your whole body stiffen, the warmth against your back disappearing so quickly it left you question whether it had ever been there at all, as suddenly every candle in the circle went out at the same time, leaving only the ones at the center of the circle surrounding Madame Carver still alight.

Goosebumps rippled across your skin as you tried to make head or tails of what had just happened. It felt as if you’d been deep below the surface of a lake or ocean and suddenly broke through taking a deep rasping breath that returned you to a dizzying sort of clarity as you tried desperately to catch your bearings.

“Congratulations,” Madame Carver’s voice was like a lifesaver an anchor that managed to help ground you back into reality. A distant part of you was surprised at how smooth it still sounded given she’d been chanting and shouting nearly nonstop for who knows how long, “Your deals are now set, and you are free to go about your evening as you will.”

“However,” she warned, “Don’t forget the deal you’ve struck, for they surely will not and to renege upon it would be disastrous. For your own sake be careful.”

You shivered slightly at her ominous words, not quite sure what to make of them. You’d gotten so caught up in that strange ritual, in the atmosphere, in everything that all your skepticism had disappeared. However, now that it had finished you found clarity returning, your logical mind slowly coming up with explanations for what had happened.

The voices? Cleverly hidden speakers, surround sound no doubt with a queued soundtrack. The scent? The candles obviously, if a woman wasn’t coming around to collect them you’d be tempted to take yours home, but in the end surrendered it graciously. The warmth at your back? The feeling of it all? Obviously your admittedly vivid imagination and your desperate need to get laid playing tricks on you.

“That was intense!” your friend told you as she practically bounded up to you, eyes a little wild and smile almost manic in its intensity.

“You could say that again,” you agreed wholeheartedly, gladly linking your arm with hers as the two of you made your way back to where you’d left your car, surrounded by the other women who all looked as swept away or dazed as you felt.

“I can’t wait to work on my Thesis, I’m going to be so inspired I’m sure of it,” your friend babbled eagerly as the two of you climbed in the car.

“I’m sure,” you assured her, indulgent, mostly because while you doubted the ritual actually worked the placebo effect wasn’t to be underestimated and even this was the most inspired you’d seen her to work on it in a long time.

The two of you both drove back into town as she babbled on, clearly energized and excited, high on the adrenaline of it all and ready to fulfill her goal. Personally you were more than ready to fulfill yours too, now more than ever you were determined to find someone tonight and finally get laid, especially since your libido was apparently causing you to hallucinate.

Except, unfortunately it didn’t seem to work out that way. Several men approached as you and your friend clubbed and bar hopped into the early hours of the morning, and while you’d had a good time dancing with a few, none of them really caught your interest, even if they were clearly more than interested in you.

The most action you’d gotten were a few sloppy kisses before deciding you weren’t into it and promptly bailing. Even stranger, all night you’d felt like there were eyes on you, as if someone was constantly watching. It shouldn’t have been so strange, you’d dressed to attract male eyes on purpose, you’d wanted people to look at you. However, there was something almost dangerous about his particular gaze, even though you couldn’t tell where it was coming from no matter how hard you looked.

It felt predatory in a way that sent shivers down your spine, though strangely not fearful ones. It almost felt like you were playing a game with someone, pleasurable and mutual and doubtless going to end in pleasure on both ends, especially since your gut insisted it was the same person every time.

Which should’ve been utterly ridiculous, especially as you’d kept very aware of your surroundings, not even touching the freely flowing alcohol since you were designated driver for the night. Not once did you see anyone following you when you migrated from bar to club to bar and back again, meeting up with mutual friends and just generally having a good time. It should’ve been impossible for someone to follow you all night long and yet…

In the end your friend had stayed with a group of mutual friends you knew and trusted and you went home feeling a combination of exhausted and wired, frustrated and yet strangely anticipatory as if something else was going to happen. That was completely and utterly ridiculous of course, as the only thing that could happen was finally getting out of your heels, washing your face, and stripping off your costume which stank of sweat and alcohol not surprising considering the night you’d had. You took a quick shower to wash the night off you, not bothering with more clothing than a pair of underwear before trundling over to your bed.

Unsure what exactly to do with yourself, feeling pent up and wired despite it being almost four in the morning you’d pulled out your laptop to watch some Netflix but only got ten minutes into the episode of the show you were watching before exhaustion hit like a freight train. You only just managed to put the laptop away before collapsing into your pillows.

You felt strange, oddly weightless, in a place between dreaming and waking. There was sensation, warm hands running slowly up and down your bare sides as warm lips traced a path down the center of your throat, your body arching into the sensation, pressing closer as a face nuzzled between your bare breasts.

There was a warm heavy weight between your legs pressing you into the mattress, and your hands came up automatically one hand tangling into thick silky hair and the other finding a strongly muscled back as a quiet moan left your lips.

To your displeasure the mouth lifted away from your body, and you slowly blinked your eyes open, a pout on your lips as you stared up at the shape hovering above you.

“Awake are you kitten?” his voice was a deep, rumbling purr, seductive and teasing sending shivers of arousal through you as you tried to focus your eyes even as your entire body felt heavy and languid.

The man above you was probably the most beautiful man you’d ever laid eyes on and a distant part of you quietly congratulated your imagination and your subconscious for dreaming him up for you. His eyes were glowing golden with a vertically slit pupil that vaguely reminded you of the contacts Madame Carver had been wearing at the ritual.

His hair was thick and dark, with bangs that were swept to the side nearly covering one of his eyes and the rest of it stuck out at odd angles despite how soft it felt against your fingers. There was a devious looking smirk curling his lips that revealed canines that looked slightly too sharp, set beneath a thin bladed nose and high cheekbones.

However, what really drew your eyes were the two black horns growing from his scalp just behind his hair line, and the strange glittering patches of color on his skin that looked almost like scales, trailing over his cheekbones, down the sides of his face and down his neck. It was utterly inhuman, and curiously you untangled your fingers from his hair, tracing them down the side of his face towards his neck feeling the odd ridges beneath your fingers.

Despite the strangeness of it, you found yourself unbothered, as even with the strange looking adornments that clearly marked him as something not human he was still one of the most attractive men you’d ever laid eyes on. Looking at him you didn’t think you’d ever wanted anyone more in your life.

You figured your subconscious was still focused on Halloween and the strange ritual you’d agreed to participate in earlier, after all why else would he have the same voice as the one you’d heard before? Still you weren’t about to protest.

A content hum slipped past your lips as you curled your hand around the back of his neck and tugged him forward. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he came along willingly enough, his lips meeting your own in a kiss that left you utterly breathless. The hand that had lingered at his back traced up his spine, relishing the strange feel of scales beneath your palm as you tasted him.

He was a fantastic kisser, teasing your mouth open with kitten licks and sharp little nips, his clever tongue tangling with your own, the heat of it making you moan into his mouth, which had his lips curling up beneath yours in clear amusement and masculine satisfaction.

You shifted your hips slightly, thighs spreading wider to accommodate his weight between them aware of the needy ache in your core, and the wetness that pooled in your panties with every movement of his mouth against yours.

Tracing your hand further down his spine you were surprised to feel something strange beneath your fingers, jutting out from his tailbone. Distracted for a brief moment from his kiss you realized that he had a tail of all things, and as your fingers probed curiously around the base he let out a low, pleased groan into your mouth, his hips grinding into yours, letting you feel a very prominent bulge that felt like nothing you’d ever had between your legs before.

“Careful now kitten,” he urged, his voice practically a growl in your ear, “I’m going nice and easy on you now, since you’re being so nice and compliant, but if you tease me like that I might have to get rough.”

“Mm and what if I like that?” you teased, utterly breathless but still able to find your tongue.

He jolted, clearly a bit surprised as he pulled away so he could peer into your eyes, before a slow smirk spread across his face, clear delight in his glowing eyes as he crooned at you, “Oh kitten, you and I are going to have such fun together. I knew there was a reason I was so drawn to you.”

“You think so do you?” you challenged, something about him making you feel wild, daring and somehow utterly sexy, no doubt the sheer desire clear on his face, “Why don’t you show me then pretty boy?”

He let out a wild cackle of laughter, the sound at complete odds with his dangerous appearance, and sexy demeanor in a way that was surprisingly endearing for something you were almost sure was a demon, amusement and enthralled wonder on his face as he informed you, “I’m no boy, kitten and I’m going to spend the rest of the day proving it to you if you keep taunting me like that.”

“Do it,” you agreed, with the complete and utter confidence that only those who are fully aware they’re dreaming and therefore invincible could have, “Give me everything you’ve got demon.”

“Oh kitten, let’s pray you don’t regret that,” he cooed, eyes alight with triumph and blazing desire, before leaning down to recapture your lips with his.

If your previous kisses had been steamy if languid this was on a whole other level. It felt as if he was trying to consume you, every brush of his lips and flick of his tongue shooting sparks of desire down your spine where they pooled in your belly as he began to trace a warm wet path down the side of your neck with open mouthed kisses until he found a sweet spot at the junction of your shoulder that had you moaning, and arching into his steady hold, kept in place by the firm hand that was cupping your jaw and part of your throat.

You hissed at the sharp nip of his teeth at the tender skin, almost but not quite enough to break it, the little zing of pain heightening your pleasure as he laved and soothed the area with his tongue before slowly moving downwards.

One of his large hands found your bare breast, cupping and gently massaging the pliant flesh, rolling your pebbled nipple between skilled fingers, and gently tweaking the sensitive little bud in a way that had you writhing, little gasps and sighs leaving your mouth as he worked diligently to leave several marks on the sensitive skin of your upper chest and collarbones.

“Like that do you kitten?” he crooned at you, his words a dark promise against your skin, “Your body is so responsive to me, so sensitive.”

You gasped as his hot wet mouth closed around the other nipple, sucking lightly at it, and flicking it with his tongue. Your hips were desperately seeking friction, grinding up against him as your legs wrapped around his waist, hoping to bring him closer to your aching center.

He let out a rasping chuckle against your skin, but let you pull him close, and you were suddenly reminded that he wasn’t quite the same down there as normal human men. You couldn’t see him, not pinned and prone as you were, but you could certainly feel him, the alien ridges that reminded you of some of the more exotic dildos you’d seen that claimed to be ‘ribbed for her pleasure’ clear even through the fabric of your panties.

“Fuck,” you swore, in both surprise and pleasure and he slowly ground himself against you, letting you feel every ridge and bump against the soaked cloth and proving that he wasn’t just shaped differently he was also considerably gifted. You weren’t sure what exactly he was packing, but the thought of taking it inside you made you feel as if you were dripping, sheer want making you feel more than a bit dizzy.

“Like that do you kitten?” he purred at you, “Like the feel of demon cock?”

“Fuck I want you so bad,” you admitted grinding your hips into his again, wishing you’d been even lazier and not bothered with the panties after your shower either and just slept fully nude so you wouldn’t have to deal with the cloth barrier and could feel him against your slick folds.

“Mm, so damn responsive,” he purred approvingly, “Such a good girl for me kitten.”

“Nngh… feels so good,” you told him, something between a moan and a gasp leaving your lips as his warm hands swept downwards, finding your hips as he sank his teeth into the top of your right breast, no doubt leaving a bruise that would be livid my tomorrow.

You whined unhappily as he pulled away from you, moving so that he was sat back on his heels, and you might’ve verbally protested, if not for the utterly fantastic view his positioning afforded you.

His body was just as desirable as his face, with broad shoulders covered in those same shimmering red scales, that crawled over the sides of his well-muscled chest before following the V of his hips, everything below that line nothing but scales instead of skin even if you could see the strong muscle underneath them. A long thin tail was lashing about behind him, reminding you a bit of a cat about to pounce, covered in bright red scales that faded into a black forked tip, it’s movement caught your attention though not for long as your eyes were drawn downwards to what you’d really wanted to see.

His cock was jutting up proudly between his hips, a darker maroon at the base, but flushed bright red at the weeping tip. The mushroomed head was the same as any normal human males, but the shaft was composed of layered ridges with two sets of bumps running along the underside that reminded you of a Jacob’s ladder piercing and that you knew would rub deliciously inside of you.

You could practically feel your mouth watering, desire making you dizzy with want as he watched you, that same sinful smirk on his lips, masculine pride written all over his face as he teased, “Like what you see kitten?”

“Mm like a walking wet dream,” you affirmed, utterly shameless even as a distant part of you began to wonder if this wasn’t actually a dream after all.

He let out another surprised cackle of laughter, his whole face lighting up in a way that was almost boyish despite his clearly demonic appearance before assuring you, “Don’t worry kitten, I’m better than any dream could hope to be.”

He made good on his words a second later as he slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of your panties, drawing them down your legs as you noted with some surprise that his nails were pitch black and surprisingly sharp looking, the backs of his veiny hands completely covered in scales, though the insides, fingertips and palms were human skin.

You’d always liked hands and his were surprisingly fascinating, an alien contrast against your own clearly human skin, and the feel of them as they caressed your thighs, nails dragging teasingly over the soft flesh sending a shiver of want down your spine.

A surprised yip left your mouth as he took hold of your hips and lifted, forcing your shoulders and head into the mattress as your back arched in surprise. It seemed utterly effortless as he hooked your knees over his broad shoulders, leaving his face planted squarely between the junction of your thighs, his hands digging into the flesh of your ass.

“You’re so wet for me already,” he cooed, staring shamelessly at the open flower between your legs as he breathed in, clearly taking in your scent, “Fuck, you’re already dripping wet kitten, and here I was thinking I might actually have to work to prep you to take me.”

You flushed a bit, but the blatant appreciation in his eyes and voice kept any embarrassment at bay as he leaned in to feast between your legs. His tongue was hot against your slick folds, the heat of it actually a bit shocking as he swiped it teasingly over your sensitive clit, making you jerk and whimper in his hold.

“That’s right kitten,” he encouraged, golden eyes never leaving yours as he laved his tongue against your folds, gathering up your wetness and adding his own slick saliva to the mess between your legs, the slurping sounds he made between words utterly obscene as he commanded, “Mewl for me.”

You were helpless to do anything but what he’d asked, his skilled mouth making an utter mess of you as he sucked and laved at your folds, swirling his tongue teasingly around your clit before thrusting it as deep as it could reach inside your hole, which you knew on instinct was much further than a normal human tongue should allow. His firm grip on your ass kept your locked in place even as you writhed unsure whether to press closer to him or pull away as he danced on the edge of perfect sensation and just over the edge of too much.

You were practically putty in his hands and that was before he laid the slick appendage that you weren’t even sure could be properly called a tongue across your clit and hissed, the sound making the thing vibrate against the sensitive swollen nub making you practically levitate off the bed, a mewling cry escaping your lips as you came harder than you’d done in your entire life.

He barely gave you any time to recover, just enough to shift your weight so he was holding the small of your back with one hand to free up the other, and bite off three of his nails in quick succession before slicking one up and plunging it into your still quivering core.

It was a testament to his inhuman strength that he managed to keep you from jerking away, the pebbled rasp from the scales on the back of his finger, combined with the unerring crook of his finger right into the soft spot at the front of your walls that had you seeing stars enough to make you arch and writhe.

It was too much at sensation too soon after such an intense orgasm, the pleasure bordering on painful as he snuck another finger in, you could barely comprehend what he was saying past your own mindless pleasure as he cooed praise about how wet and tight you were.

With the addition of a third finger, stretching you open wide came another orgasm, not quite as powerful as the first, but perhaps even more pleasurable bordering on painful as you practically sobbed at the feel of it.

Luckily it seemed the demon was willing to have some mercy, because all he did was watch as you came down from your high, thighs quivering next to his ears, though the site of him as he slowly licked his fingers clean of your juices, eyes never once leaving yours was enough to keep your desire and your attention at a high.

You’d never in your life felt this needy, and two orgasms that had been that good felt like they should’ve been more than enough, and yet you found yourself wanting more, a part of you firmly resolved that whatever this was, dream, vision, or reality you weren’t going to let it end until you got to feel him move inside you.

“You taste so sweet kitten,” your demon lover praised a wicked grin on his lips as if he knew exactly what he was doing to you and was savoring every single second of it, “And you look so good like this, spread and helpless for me, but we’re nowhere near done yet. You told me to give you everything I had after all, which means we’ve barely gotten started.”

“Give it to me,” you intended it to come out more like a command, but the breathless exhilaration in your voice made it sound more like a plea instead, “I want you.”

“So eager for demon cock, kitten,” he tutted, though from the way his eyes were burning into you, you knew he was loving every second, as he carefully lowered your still weak legs from his shoulders and gently tugging you so your hips were closer to his, palming his cock and dragging the blunt head through your soaked folds as he taunted, “This what you want pretty kitten? You want this cock inside you?”

“Fuck yes,” you breathed, desperate to know what he’d feel like as he moved inside you, “I want it. I want you.”

The hungry look in his eyes sent shivers down your spine, your own need flaring up with just that look as he began to ease himself inside you. Even with how soaked you were and how he’d prepped you beforehand it was still a stretch as he slid inside inch by slow inch.

You let out a shuddering gasp as he bottomed out inside you, the blunt head of his cock kissing your cervix in a way that made you shudder at the strange sensation of pain/pleasure deep inside you.

“Fuck, look at you kitten, taking me so well,” he praised, his voice low and guttural as he eyed the place where you were joined with something almost like awe on his face, “So tight and wet for me, like your pussy was made to take demon cock.”

Your walls clenched automatically at the words, something about them sending a deep sense of pleasure through you and he let out a low almost pained groan in response, as he slowly shifted, giving one careful, shallow thrust that pulled a pleasured mewl from your lips.

“So fucking tight,” he gasped, as his hips slowly thrust in and out of you the ribbed sensation of his cock enough to make you dizzy with pleasure, the sensation of it almost too much especially with the feel of those Jacob’s Ladder bumps rubbing up against your walls. A part of you wondered what it might feel like if you were up on your hands and knees so those bumps could rub up against your g-spot but you were quickly distracted from it as he reached for you, one hand holding your hips in place and the other pressing into your belly below your belly button, his thumb dipping between your outer lips to flick teasingly across your clit.

“Pay attention, kitten,” he ordered, eyes locked on yours and his tail swishing behind him, “Or I’ll be forced to make you.”

A part of you wanted to challenge him on it, but you couldn’t muster up the energy, not when every stroke of his cock had you seeing stars, your hands twisting into the sheets in order to find something to ground yourself with.

“That’s right kitten,” he growled at you as his hips slowly began to pick up the pace, “Focus on me, and only on me, on my dick in your perfect little pussy, your sweet little pussy that I’m going to fill up and taint with demon seed. Better learn to love the sensation pretty kitten because I’m going to fuck you over and over and over until you overflow with my cum. I’m going to completely ruin you, turn you into a slut for this demon cock.”

You’d been right. His voice was utterly perfect for the bedroom, hypnotic, enticing and enough to make you spasm around him with every word, doing something to you that you didn’t completely understand but enjoyed every moment of.

Overwhelming pleasure was building in your gut, higher and higher with each thrust of his hips, and before you’d really had any time to really process it you were falling apart, your orgasm making your inner walls ripple and squeeze around his cock letting you feel every bump and ridge of it.

A choked moan left his lips as he continued to drive into you, pace frantic, clearly chasing his own end and prolonging your orgasm as each twitch of his hips made your walls flutter. His hands dug into your thighs holding you steady, not letting you move an inch that he didn’t allow his grip tight enough you were sure you were going to have nice hand shaped bruises.

You felt it deep inside you as he sheathed himself to the hilt, the blunt head of his cock right up against your cervix. Your whole body spasmed as you felt hot jets of cum right up against the entrance to your womb, the sensation wringing a final small but intense orgasm from your limp body as you watched him, his beautiful face twisted in ecstasy, a low deep, rumbling growl of a moan leaving his lips as he finished.

For several long seconds, neither of you moved the only sound in the room that of your harsh breathing, before his eyes slowly found yours. Feeling lazy and utterly sated you held out your hand toward him, limply gesturing for him to come forward.

The bemused expression on his face told you the gesture was entirely unexpected, but he came anyway, laying his weight on you in a way you felt inexplicably comforting, his elbows braced on either side of your head.

You hummed in utter contentment your hands coming up to tangle in his hair, the other stroking along his spine again in the same position you’d been in when you’d first woken in earlier. Your lips found his in an easy, lazy sensual kiss as you gently scratched your nails over his scalp.

He returned your kiss easily, lips turning upwards in clear pleasure as the two of you spent a pleasant couple minutes simply basking in the other’s presence. When you pulled back he carefully rolled the two of you to the side, the sensation sending a ripple of pleasure through you as you were still connected to him, his cock still hard and buried deep inside you.

Your hand found his face, utterly fascinated by the feel of his scales beneath your fingers. He let you touch him, an amused smile on his face that only dipped slightly when you reached into his hair to run along one of his horns, though judging from the way his cock twitched inside you and the lustful half-lidded look he was giving you, it was because the protrusions were sensitive rather than out of any sort of displeasure.

“So, I’m not dreaming am I,” you stated idly as you ran your hand over his scaled side, “That whole demon summoning ritual or whatever that I let my friend talk me into, it was real after all huh?”

“That’s right,” he agreed slowly, his face slowly settling into an oddly blank expression, “Did you think it wasn’t?”

“I’ve never been a big believer in the occult or the supernatural,” you confessed easily, “But it’s hard to argue with the truth when it’s right in front of your face, and even my most vivid dreams aren’t as real as you are.”

“Does it bother you?” he asked, propping himself up on his elbow so that he was peering down at you, “You’re taking this awfully well for a human who didn’t believe, usually there’s a lot more screaming, or crying, or denial.”

“Mm, well it helps when the demon in your bed looks as tempting as you do, so what are you exactly, some kind of incubus?” you asked, still idly tracing your fingers over his scales, drawing unthinking patterns on his strange almost too warm skin.

“Something like that,” he agreed with a slight smirk.

“So what happens now?” you asked him curiously, “Madame Carver said something about payment?”

“That depends on what exactly it is you want kitten,” he teased, clearly recovered from whatever he was thinking earlier, “Normally with humans like you we have to ask for blood price because that’s what they’re willing to offer, but you paid in body just fine. We only take souls for really big requests though that’s fallen somewhat out of favor these days.”

“So that’s what she meant by body?” you asked incredulously, “Sex? That’s it?”

“That’s it,” he agreed amused, “Though you’d be surprised how very few people want sex with a demon.”

“Why not?” you questioned utterly baffled, “That was the most orgasms I’ve had in a single session ever in my life, and was a hell of a lot better than the ritualistic sacrifice I thought she meant.”

The demon gave a surprised cackle of laughter, shooting you a slow prideful grin that was all masculine satisfaction as he told you, “While I wouldn’t necessarily say no to a sacrifice of some kind, sex will do just fine for whatever you’re asking for kitten, unless it’s something really big, like bringing someone back from the dead or making someone fall in love with you, or making you the richest woman in the world kind of thing. Then we might have to renegotiate a bit.”

“But I already got what I wanted,” you told him with a puzzled frown.

“You did?” he asked you, looking nonplussed, “What exactly were you thinking you were going to ask for?”

“Really good sex,” you told him bluntly, earning a snort of laughter from the demon.

“No, but really,” he urged, “You left your contract very open ended, you didn’t ask for anything, which means now that you’ve begun payment we need to negotiate.”

“I did?” you asked, puzzled, but then you thought back to Madame Carver’s words, how she’d told you to keep your desire at the forefront of your mind for the ritual, but you’d been too distracted by your skepticism at first and then your enthrallment with the sensual being now lying beside you to really think of what you’d originally wanted, or what your friend had brought you there to ask for.

“Huh,” you acknowledged aloud, “So how exactly do these negotiations work?”

“It’s pretty simple kitten,” he told you, clearly amused, “You name what you want, I name my price. You can attempt to change my mind, but let me assure you we demon’s don’t like to bargain and we always get the best end of the deal.”

“But I told you I already got what I wanted,” you informed him, tilting your head to the side and studying his face, turning an idea over in your head for a moment before nodding decisively and adding on, “But I wouldn’t say no to a regular booty call if you’re up for it.”

“You’re joking,” he countered skeptically, a slight frown on his face, “You, a human, want to have sex regularly with me, a demon?”

“Thought you were the one who said you were going to turn me into a slut for demon cock huh?” you teased, reaching out to tug lightly at the hair covering his eye and running your fingers through the soft strands, “Didn’t you hear me when I said you were the best I’ve ever had? I wasn’t kidding.”

“You can’t just take my payment and turn it into what you want, that’s not the way this works,” he informed you, looking surprisingly sulky for a creature who was purportedly from hell.

“But you’re what I want,” you told him puzzled, “You’re fascinating, and sexy and physically we have great chemistry so why not?”

“Because even though we demons always get the better end of the deal, even we’re not allowed to accept everything for nothing,” he informed you, studying you as if you were the strangest creature he’d ever met.

Maybe you were being too casual about this whole thing, but you’d always been the laidback roll with the punches type and frankly this deal with him sounded just about perfect to you. You’d get sex when you wanted it without having to spend all that time dating and trying to find some kind of connection, one that you already somewhat felt for this strange demon male, more than you’d felt with any human, including your ex despite only knowing him for a few hours at most. There was just something there, something you couldn’t quite put your finger one, but he’d claimed earlier that he’d been drawn to you, and you couldn’t deny you were drawn to him to. You wanted to keep seeing him, you just needed to figure out how.

“Your name,” you decided at last, “I want to know your name, so I can stop calling you sexy demon man in my head.”

“You don’t know what you ask for,” he warned her seriously, his hand sliding up from where it had been resting on your hip to cup your face.

“I thought the names had power thing was a Fae myth not a demon one,” you told him thoughtfully.

“Humans have called us many strange things over the years,” he told you with a casual shrug as if he hadn’t accidentally tilted your whole world view sideways.

“And what other myths are true?” you asked, more thinking aloud rather than actually asking, “Can you lie? What about iron? Holy water? Salt?”

“We can’t lie,” he admitted, “We can imply, dance around and omit, but it’s impossible for a demon to lie or to break the boundaries of a contract once set. The rest is just wishful human thinking and religious myth, made up by the corrupt priests of the middle ages in order to steal more from the uneducated human masses.”

“And saying thank you to a demon?” you prompted, utterly fascinated.

“Is probably one of the greatest pranks demons have ever played on humankind, but don’t tell anyone it isn’t true,” he told you freely, a little too freely as you realized that while his words implied one thing it could potentially mean something else entirely.

“I will promise not to tell anyone, if you tell me flat out yes or no, is it true you can’t thank a demon without proclaiming a debt between the two of you?” you asked, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Ho? What a clever little human you are,” he praised, something almost predatory in his gaze that sent pleasant tingles down your spine. You probably should’ve been afraid considering what he was, but all you really felt was intrigue and the slightest bit of arousal.

“Deal,” he agreed with a toothy smile, the word seeming to settle over your skin in a way that felt a bit like a net, sinking into your core in a way that you knew instinctively would cause you excruciating pain if you attempted to renege on your deal.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone that demons are pranking humans by spreading potentially false rumors about their abilities,” you promised immediately, and felt that strange net fade away almost instantaneously.

“No, it doesn’t create a debt,” he assured you, “And because I’m so kind I’ll even tell you that thanking a demon does nothing it wouldn’t do if you thanked a human.”

“Then since you’re so generous I also promise I won’t tell people that the Fae are pranking humans by spreading potentially false rumors about their abilities,” you countered, unable to help the slightly smug tilt to your lips, not that you’d actually been intending to exploit that particular loophole, though you found it amusing that he’d let you leave one nonetheless.”

“Oya, oya, my cunning little kitten,” he half scolded, half praised you, tongue flicking out to wet his lips as he eyed you hungrily, “Careful now, keep being so intriguing and I might just try to trap you by my side for eternity.”

“A thought for later,” you told him absently, the words coming without you giving any real thought to them, “What do you mean when you say names have power?”

“If a demon gives their name to a human it will allow the human to call upon them at any time, to ask for almost anything within the demon’s power, and to command them to some extent,” he told you honestly, looking a bit nonplussed.

“Then, how about you give me your name, and I’ll promise you can refuse if I call, and say no to any command I give though I would like you to promise to at least consider any request I make,” you proposed idly.

“And what exactly do I get out of this deal of yours?” he asked, raising a brow at you in clear amusement, though you thought you could also detect some interest in his tone.

“Hmm, what happens if a human gives a demon their full name?” you asked curiously, well aware that it was something the stories cautioned against doing.

“Then, little kitten you would have no choice but to do anything I say,” he purred at you, a clear taunt in his voice, making it obvious he was sure you’d back away from it.

“Could be interesting,” you told him, your walls clenching, reminding you or the still hard cock buried between your thighs, judging by the shocked hiss and the sudden heat of his gaze he clearly knew exactly where your thoughts had gone, “Never outside when we’re having sex, and only if I give you the go ahead for it. No piss, scat or mutilation, nothing that would cause me permanent harm and a safe word if I need it.”

“That sounds entirely too restrictive,” he told you casually, though you could tell he was actually interested, very interested if the sudden agitation of his tail was any indication.

“I could be talked into blood if you’re good to me,” you teased lightly, reaching for his face and running your finger over his lower lip. He parted them for you obligingly and you deliberately swiped the pad hard over the too sharp canine, teasing your now bloody finger over his lips like a strange lipstick as he watched you with heavy lidded calculating eyes, “Something tells me Demons might’ve been called vampires here and there given how hard you bit me earlier, tell me demon do you want to suck my blood?”

You gasped slightly as his hand lashed out, snagging your wrist, and tugging it forward, drawing your bleeding finger to his mouth again as his tongue flicked out, cleaning the blood off his lips before sucking the tip of your finger into his mouth. The wet, hot, tight sensation and the slight pull of blood as it left the cut in your finger was intoxicating, and you could feel yourself starting to become wet again, juices oozing out around his cock, your core fluttering on the thick appendage as a dazed part of you wondered what it would feel like to have him do that as he fucked you, something you didn’t doubt would appeal to him given the way he was twitching inside you.

The sight of him as he sucked was utterly mesmerized, his eyes locked on yours as his mouth worked along the appendage, his tongue flicking over it, soothing the small cut, the look on his face one of pure ecstasy before he released your finger with an almost obscene pop though he didn’t release your hand, instead pressing his mouth to your open palm and then to your wrist, scraping those sharp teeth teasingly along the sensitive flesh there, his eyes searching your face for something.

You weren’t sure if he found it or not as he pulled away, though not before leaving one more, almost tender kiss on your fingertip, which was surprisingly fully healed, not even a scab to show you’d cut it before.

“You really are too tempting kitten,” he told you, voice rough with desire, “If I didn’t know how fully human you are I’d think you were a succubae.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” you assured him with an amused smile, “Though now I’m curious, succubae exist? Earlier you said you were something like an incubus does that mean Merlin existed and really was a cambion?”

“Ah, succubae is just another name for female demon, though they tend to be more on the magical and ritualistic side of things than us male demons,” Kuroo told you with an amused quirk of his lips, “But of course they exist you met one not all that long ago after all a couple of them even.”

You blinked at him startled, your mind running through possibilities before your mouth dropped open as you remembered the colored contacts or what you’d thought were colored contacts and slight of hand at the ritual earlier, “That woman next to me! And Madame Carver?”

“That’s right,” he affirmed, lips curling in a smirk, seemingly uncaring that he’d managed to tilt your world sideways again as he continued, “And as for Merlin, a fine example of a demon, but no, Cambion’s don’t exist.”

“So you can’t breed with humans?” you probed, interested.

“Oh we can, it’s actually our fellow demons we can’t breed with, but all beings born from demon seed or womb are full demon, there are no halves,” he told you amused.

“Do I have something to worry about then?” you asked, trying not to panic, you might want children someday, but not at the moment and you’d have no idea what to do with a demon child anyway.

“Relax kitten,” he assured you, cupping the back of your neck in one of his large hands and running his thumb soothingly over your jaw, “Demon children aren’t conceived unless they’re negotiated for beforehand.”

If you hadn’t been paying close attention you might’ve missed the hint of wistfulness in his voice, but fortunately for you and perhaps unfortunately for him you couldn’t help but pay him the utmost attention at all times.

You took a moment to think it over, giving yourself time to roll it over in your mind, knowing once the words were out you couldn’t exactly unsay them once they were out in the ether. However, the more you thought about it, the more it appealed, you’d always had a bit of a breeding kink and you didn’t think he’d say no, though you’d have to learn more about what it would mean first it wasn’t something you were automatically opposed to.

“Does that mean that, that’s on the table?” you asked him, trying to keep your voice casual even as your heart threatened to beat out of your chest. This more than anything would tell you how your relationship might pan out in the future, especially with how inexplicably fond you found yourself of the demon in your bed.

Are you…?” he trailed off eyebrows raised as he swallowed hard, clearly trying to find his voice before he demanded, “Are you seriously offering to let me breed you kitten, to put my baby inside you?”

You could feel his cock twitching inside you, his hips involuntarily giving slight thrusts that made you temporarily lose focus, the sensation heady, your libido thoroughly recovered after your earlier romp and apparently more than ready to go again. However, you forced yourself to focus back on the present and keep your head in the game. This negotiation was far more important than temporary satisfaction after all.

“There’s something viscerally appealing about letting you fuck your baby into me,” you admitted honestly, though you cautioned, “I’d need to learn more first, and I’d want to know you better, but so long as it’s not significantly more dangerous to my health than carrying a human baby I have no objections if you want to try in a year or two.”

“Fuck, kitten,” he moaned, his hips inadvertently giving a strong thrust and making you shudder and gasp in his hold, “Are you trying to drive me to the brink of insanity? What kind of male would I be if I said no to an offer like that?”

Does that mean you accept my terms?” you asked, taking him by surprise as you pushed at his shoulder, forcing him to roll onto his back. You rolled with him to keep him from slipping out of you, and found yourself straddling his hips your hands on his chest.

“Lay them out for me then, kitten,” he ordered seriously, pulling you out of your newfound bliss at the way he felt in this new position. You nodded, took a deep breath to center yourself and began to state your terms.

“You will give me your full name, and when I call you’ll answer unless you can’t or have no desire to see me, when I give commands you don’t have to obey if you don’t want to, but you will give all my requests thought and fair consideration,” you listed out carefully, making sure to keep your wording as firm as possible leaving as few loopholes as you could.

“In return I’ll give you my full name, with the caveat that you aren’t allowed to use it outside of times where I give you explicit, verbal permission to use it to command me. You will not share my full name with anyone or even speak it aloud outside my presence and I will not share yours or speak it unless I’m with you or calling for you,” you continued.

“I will also give you my blood and my body with the caveat that if I say stop you will, and only with permission to take it granted beforehand, and will attempt to be generous about it so long as my physical, emotional and mental health allow,” you listed off.

“My home is open to you at any time for any reason, so long as you behave with courtesy, paying for or replacing anything you use without my explicit permission within reason,” it wasn’t something you’d mentioned to him before, and you’d clearly caught him a bit off guard with it, judging by the raising of his eyebrows, but you did want him to feel welcome.

“In a year’s time on All Hallows Eve next year, so long as we are still on good terms and both agree I will negotiate having a child with you, so long as I am thoroughly educated in demon pregnancy beforehand, and it doesn’t pose extraordinary risk to my wellbeing,” you told him, trying hard not to think about it too much lest you become unfocused by your lust and let something slip.

“This contract can between us can be terminated or renegotiated at any time by my will or by yours,” you finished up with a firm nod, “Do we have a deal?”

“We have a deal, my precious, clever, kitten,” he assured you, his eyes glittering with triumph and something you thought might actually be affection.

This time when you felt the weight of your deal it was far heavier. It was if the first net had been composed of thread and this one of tight steel cable. It might’ve been uncomfortable except unlike with the other deal, this one was accompanied by a feeling of warmth unlike anything you’d ever experienced before, zinging through you like electricity and making you feel oddly powerful and alive, a bit like you’d felt after the ritual Madame Carver had completed earlier that had brought the sexy demon laying beneath you to you in the first place.

Hoping to lessen some of the weight you turned to him, leaning down to press a warm kiss to his willing mouth before quietly giving him your full name. As you’d suspected a large amount of the weight lifted leaving behind only the humming buzz or warmth under your skin.

“My name Kuroo, Kuroo Tetsurou, kitten at your service,” he told you with a slow enticing smile, one that was just teasing enough that you wanted to see if you could lean down and kiss it away, make him lose some of that smug arrogance he seemed to wear like a cloak.

“Tetsurou,” you repeated, rolling it around in your mouth, tasting the word on your tongue as you purred it back at him, something he evidently enjoyed if the way his cock twitched inside you meant anything, “It’s nice to officially meet you, Tetsurou.”

You leaned down, one hand pressed over where a human heart would be and the other sliding into his hair and grasping one of his horns your thumb rubbing against the base for a moment before stroking it between your fingers like you would a cock, something he evidently enjoyed if the way he shuddered under you was any indication, his eyes dark with lust even as he stared a bit wide-eyed, clearly taken aback by your daring.

“Now tell me Tetsurou do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” you asked even as you continued to run your thumb teasingly over the base of his horn, “Because you see someone promised to make me a slut for his demon cock and that he’d prove to me just how much of a man he is, but he has yet to fulfill that particular promise.”

He let out a low moan of pleasure as his hands found your hips and you deliberately tightened your walls around him, milking his cock, still hard and clearly ready inside you. After all he was here and with the contract out of the way you were more than ready to start round two, you doubted it could be better than round one, but you were more than willing to try.

“Oh kitten,” he purred at you, voice low and dangerous even as delight swam in his unnatural glowing red eyes, “You and I are going to have such fun together.”

You let out a pleasured gasp as he used his firm grip to lift you up before slamming you back down on his cock as if you weighed nothing, like you were a doll to be made for his pleasure alone.

“I look forward to it,” you teased breathlessly, though you meant every word, after all unconventional though it may be and despite what the stories might say you didn’t think you’d ever regret making a deal with a devil, especially one as sinfully seductive as Kuroo Tetsurou.

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The two of you had decided to go to the Halloween Street Party happening nearby later tonight, something you were eager to try out. Apparently, Japan’s Halloween traditions were really different from the ones you’d grown up with, no trick or treating or candy, but something more like a carnival or festival with lots of vendors and games and such.

However, there was one major point of similarity between the traditions you knew and the traditions of Japan, and that was costumes. Apparently, costumes were just as big a thing there as they were back home, and you were more than happy for the opportunity to dress-up.

The only person you thought might be more excited than you was your boyfriend. It was going to be your first Halloween together and Bokuto was over the moon about it. He’d been practically giddy with joy when you asked if he wanted to do couples costumes with you and hadn’t hesitated for a moment to agree.

Unfortunately, work had been rather stressful for you, and you hadn’t had the time you would’ve liked to dedicate to finding the perfect costumes for the two of you. Luckily your sweet boyfriend had noticed your stress and had happily volunteered to take on the task of finding something for the both of you to wear.

You’d agreed without hesitation, though only after he’d agreed to let Akaashi have veto power when he went to pick them out. It was only fair considering he’d insisted from the start that it was going to be surprise for you. You loved your boyfriend dearly but sometimes Bokuto got just a little too enthusiastic and you were afraid he’d end up going overboard without someone to reign him in a bit.

Luckily, Bokuto had agreed without complaint, and you’d gladly left the task in his and Akaashi’s capable hands. It had taken him a bit, but he’d eventually come home one day crowing about how he’d found the perfect costume. However, he’d absolutely refused to tell you what it was, even though he was clearly dying to do so. You knew if you’d persued it you probably could’ve gotten him to spill the beans, Bokuto never had been all that good about keeping secrets, but he was so excited about it you couldn’t bring yourself to push.

Now, just a few hours before the festival he was finally about to show you what the two of them had picked out. You could admit you were a little nervous, unsure what exactly your extremely spontaneous boyfriend would’ve picked for the two of you, especially since there was no time to exchange it when you’d be leaving to meet up with some of your friend group in just a couple hours, but he was clearly excited and that excitement was contagious.

“Alright then, here I come!” your boyfriend announced enthusiastically, pulling you from your thoughts.

You gaped a bit as the door to the bathroom was flung open and your boyfriend bounded out in his chosen costume. A part of you was more than a bit surprised about what he’d picked out, but the other part of you wasn’t surprised a bit, it was a very Bokuto costume after all.

“Ta-dah!” he announced enthusiastically, arms spread wide so you could take in the whole thing, spinning in a slow circle so you could see it at all angles, a beaming grin on his face, bright, golden eyes practically sparkling with joy as he demanded, “What do you think?”

Even if the costume had been the worst thing you’d ever seen you never would’ve been able to actually tell him that, not when he was watching you so hopefully, clearly proud of himself. Luckily you didn’t have to worry about that.

The costume he’d chosen was utterly adorable, and probably wasn’t actually meant as a costume. Instead it was something like a pajama onesie, made of a soft looking grey-brown material, that you had no doubt would be warm and comfortable. The hood that Bokuto had pulled over his hair had large eyes and a cute yellow beak with two tiny ears poking up, and if that wasn’t enough to give away what he was supposed to be, the large flaps of fabric between his arms and his sides with the feather pattern, along with the cream colored belly certainly would’ve.

He was an owl, and one of the cutest owls you’d ever seen, the clear juxtaposition of the adorable onesie and your big beefy boyfriend enough to make you want to swoon. It was utterly endearing.

“It’s perfect,” you told him, utterly awed, more than happy to feed him the praise he seemed to thrive on.

“Isn’t it?” he agreed with a proud laugh as he set his hands on his hips, “Owls are the greatest, and this way we’ll both be comfy and warm!”

“We will,” you agreed utterly delighted, holding your arms out for him, absolutely dying to touch.

Your boyfriend eagerly complied with the unspoken request, scooping you off the bed and into his arms where you could feel the soft material of the costume for yourself. You giggled happily, cuddling up to him as he pressed butterfly kisses all over your face.

Once he set you back down again he eagerly regaled you with the many things he loved about the costume, pointing out each feature as you listened, delightedly, nodding along and just as excited as he was, as he presented you with your own version of it.

You were delighted to see he’d managed to get one that was perfectly matched to his in your size and were looking forward to wearing it, laughing as your eager boyfriend ushered you into the bathroom insisting you try it on for him.

Just as you’d suspected it was incredibly comfortable and warm, you grinned as you admired yourself in the mirror. It was cute, comfortable, practical and didn’t require you to put on any sort of special make-up if you didn’t want to. Honestly you didn’t think it could get more perfect, especially as you realized that, unlike with a lot of other Halloween costumes you could definitely wear this one again, just as something cozy around the house without needing any sort of special occasion.

Pleased, you bounded out of the bathroom to your excited boyfriend who spent several minutes praising how amazing you looked, and basking in the praise you heaped on his shoulders for choosing such an awesome costume. The two of you took several pictures together, and then because you didn’t need to spend hours getting ready, thanks to the low-maintenance costume, spent the rest of your time cuddling with your very appreciative boyfriend.

Bokuto was always a wonderful cuddler, warm and large enough to make you feel completely and utterly engulfed by him, but there was something about the owl costume that made it that much better, the contrast of soft fabric over hard muscle somehow incredibly comforting and comfortable, so much so you’d been incredibly reluctant to get up out of his arms when the time came to leave.

If it was anything other than the Halloween celebration you’d been looking forward to all month you probably would’ve decided to say screw it and stay inside and cuddle for the rest of the night. However, you were too excited for that, and so was your boyfriend, which meant you did manage to make it out of the door, however reluctantly.

Luckily the reluctance gave way to excitement as you made your way to the street party, managing to meet up with your group without too much trouble. The air was incredibly festive and the food and drinks were flowing freely.

You’d stumbled across several friends, which was unsurprising considering the vast amount of connections the group seemed to have, and several people you knew had come and gone, including Hinata, dressed as a rather adorable crow, and the Miya twins in matching fox costumes, apparently the Black Jackals had collectively decided to dress like their old school mascots, and it wasn’t just them either.

Ushijima from the Schweiden Adlers had apparently taken the proposal of former team mascots quite literally and actually showed up in his school’s mascot costume, which was admittedly on the small side for the large man. You’d giggled about it a bit, high on the energy of the atmosphere, and feeling more than a bit sorry for the man in what you knew had to be an incredibly uncomfortable costume, right up until you were interrupted by Konoha.

“I wouldn’t be laughing so much if I were you,” he warned with a teasing grin on his face, “If it wasn’t for Akaashi that could’ve been you!”

“What?” you asked, absolutely baffled, though you quickly became suspicious as you realized your boyfriend was suddenly very interested in the cuff of his costume, refusing to meet your eyes.

“That or you’d be bailing him out of jail right about now,” Komori put in with a snort of amusement as he took a swig of one of the beers your group had brought along.

“What,” you repeated, voice flat and more demanding as you turned toward your boyfriend for an explanation. He was still pointedly refusing to meet your gaze so you rounded on Akaashi, who you knew would answer.

“Bokuto also wanted to borrow the mascot costume from high school,” Akaashi told you immediately, both of you ignoring Bokuto as he began to whine about betrayal, “However, unlike Ushijima-san the school refused to lend it to him.”

“Why?” you asked, morbidly curious, “I thought Koutarou was like the school’s golden boy? They’re always asking him to events and such, and I understand they boast about him a lot, especially when he made the Olympic team.”

“Oh he is,” Akaashi assured you, “The school just knows better than to trust him with things they don’t want accidentally destroyed.”

“Akaashi,” your boyfriend complained, his cheeks puffed up in a pout a faint pink tinge to them, “I wasn’t that bad!”

“Weren’t you the one who decided to see if you could jump and touch the exit sign, only to break the sign and all the ceiling tiles?” Akaashi pointed out reasonably.

“Don’t forget when he broke water fountain and flooded the hallway,” Sarukui added in with a snicker.

“Or the time he broke the stair railing trying to slide down it when he was late for class,” Konoha contributed, amused grins on the faces of all the Fukurodani alumni present.

“I’ll never forget the time Bokuto tried to ride in the ball carts at practice, he broke the cart and ended up so tangled in the net it took us over an hour to get him free,” Kaori told you with a laugh.

“Ooh! Or that time we had to call the fire department because he got his butt stuck in the spectator railings above the court when he bent down to retrieve a ball,” Yukie snickered, “They had to cut him out, the railings weren’t replaced for weeks and we couldn’t use the gym!”

“Guys, it was an accident!” Bokuto protested, clearly flustered, as everyone laughed. It was a pretty rare state of being for your boyfriend, who was about as shameless as they came, and sure enough within minutes he was also laughing along telling stories.

“You haven’t changed huh?” you teased your boyfriend lightly, leaning into his hold as he wrapped an arm around your waist. For someone who was so incredibly self-assured and graceful on the court, Bokuto had more klutzy moments than you ever would’ve imagined. Personally you thought this was mostly down to the man still not quite realizing his own strength.

It was actually pretty endearing when he did it, though from the sounds of it, just like his mood swings, this was another thing that had drastically improved since his high school days.

“Wait, so they turned him down, which makes sense of course,” Yukie pointed down as some of the laughter wound down, “But why was he going to get thrown in jail? Don’t tell me he was planning to steal it?”

It was said like a joke, but judging from the suspicious way Bokuto was refusing to meet anybody’s eyes, she’d hit the nail on the head.

“Really Kou?” you asked him torn between exasperation and amusement.

“I wouldn’t have been arrested,” he insisted, “Even if I did get caught I wasn’t stealing it, just borrowing!”

“But why would you even want to borrow it in the first place?” you asked pointedly, “Just look at poor Ushijima-san, it doesn’t fit him at all and I doubt the Fukurodani one would’ve fit you any better than the Shiratorizawa one does him.”

“But it was so cool,” Bokuto pouted at you, “And it could’ve fit you right?”

“Koutarou, I love you,” you told him seriously, cupping his face in your palms so he would understand how very serious you were, “But there are some things that I won’t do for you no matter how much I adore you and wearing a mascot costume is one of them.”

“Here, here!” Kaori and Yukie chimed in fervent agreement, raising their glasses toward you as the guys all chuckled in agreement.

“But why?” Bokuto asked you, clearly puzzled about why you would be so reluctant.

“Kou, don’t you remember when Atsumu wore the Black Jackals mascot costume? How much he complained about it?” you pointed out. You’d only overheard his whining once or twice yourself, but according to Osamu, who you saw regularly at Onigiri Miya he’d moaned about it for weeks, “How he said it was heavy, hot, uncomfortable, and smelled like dirty socks, unwashed gym bags, and vomit? Would you really make me wear something like that?”

Your boyfriend immediately shook his head fervently as you knew he would. Bokuto had always loved to pamper you and be pampered in return, he’d sooner chop off his hands than let you be uncomfortable. Honestly, he spoiled you more than a bit and you adored him for it.

“I just thought it was the Black Jackals costume that was bad,” he pouted at you, clearly sorry, “And I wanted our owl costumes to be perfect!”

You decided not to point out that even if he had managed to get his hands on the mascot costume the two of you would still only have one owl costume between you. You probably would’ve managed it somehow, but were glad you hadn’t had to and made a mental note to buy something really nice for Akaashi for Christmas and maybe take him out for coffee sometimes soon.

“And they are,” you pointed out instead, giving him an affectionate smile and tugging playfully at the tiny ears on his hood, “So everything worked out for the best right?”

“That’s right!” He agreed brightening up immediately, “I did good huh?”

“So good,” you agreed with a grin, “You and Akaashi make a good team.”

You raised your glass in the direction of the former setter, who’d been watching the two of you with a fond smile.

“The best,” your boyfriend agreed, with a warm smile for his best friend who raised his own drink in a fond salute.

“To friends,” Konoha announced, with a slightly tipsy grin, his arm around Kaori’s shoulders as he continued, “And amazing costumes, understanding girlfriends, the best team Fukurodani’s ever had and a very Happy Halloween!”

You grinned and raised your own glass in another salute, gulping down the contents, enjoying the atmosphere, your friends, and the feel of your loving boyfriend at your side, realizing that despite being different from the celebrations you were used to, it was indeed a very Happy Halloween.

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Osamu was standing behind the counter, clearly purposefully ignoring his brother’s sulking as he shaped onigiri in his hands, a thoroughly exasperated look on his face. His head lifted when he heard the bell overhead ring as you entered the shop, but a quick finger to your lips kept him from greeting you by name.

“Welcome to Onigiri Miya what can I get ya?” he chimed automatically, the usual bored drawl in his voice.

“How much for your twin?” you asked, your voice making Atsumu jerk a little in recognition, though he didn’t bother lifting his head, choosing instead to heave a sigh and pointedly ignore you, letting you know exactly what kind of mood your boyfriend was in.

“You can have that for free,” Osamu told you, face scrunched up in disgust, “In fact if yer haulin’ trash outta my restaurant I almost feel like I should be payin’ you instead.”

“Who you callin’ trash, ya scrub,” Atsumu sneered at his brother, finally raising his head to glare at his brother.

“Who else but you, ya trashy scrub!” Osamu retorted, not impressed in the slightest.

Luckily there was no one else in the restaurant at the moment to watch their antics, because while you found them entertaining you knew some found them more than a bit intimidating. Still you didn’t think either twin would be too happy if they actually started brawling in Osamu’s restaurant so you walked up behind your boyfriend, threading your fingers through his hair and gently tugging backwards until his head was resting against your chest.

He immediately quieted down a bit, though you could tell from the look on Osamu’s face that he was still glaring at his twin. Carefully you rested a hand on his shoulder and stroked your fingers through the soft golden waves, massaging his scalp in a way you knew he loved as you asked, “Rough day, Tsumu?”

He let out a huff, but didn’t bother to respond, clearly purposefully ignoring you, even if he didn’t actually pull away from your hands. You rolled your eyes at this childish behavior exchanging a look with Osamu.

“Don’t do that,” Atsumu hissed at the two of you.

“Do what?” Osamu demanded exasperated.

“Talk to each other like I ain’t sittin’ right here in front of ya,” your boyfriend retorted angrily.

“Ya really need to get yer ears cleaned out if ya thought we were talkin’ ya deaf scrub,” Osamu hissed, thoroughly fed up with your boyfriend who was clearly looking to pick a fight.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re ignoring me Tsumu?” you asked patiently, knowing that when he got in this kind of mood patience was the best way to deal with him. If you snapped back or got sarcastic it would only escalate the situation.

“It’s only fair,” he grumbled, still pointedly not looking at you, “Since you’ve been ignorin’ me all day.”

“Ignoring you?” you repeated completely and utterly baffled, “But weren’t you practicing with the rest of the Black Jackals today? And you know I was working too.”

“Ya didn’t let me kiss ya goodbye this mornin’ and ya ignored my texts all day,” Atsumu sulked, “I was startin’ to think ya weren’t even goin’ ta come fer our monthly dinner.”

“I was going to be late, and you were refusing to wake up,” you told your boyfriend reasonably, more amused than annoyed now that you knew what was bothering him, “But I still kissed you goodbye Tsumu and I even left a note for you.”

“Ya left a note?” he asked, voice perplexed though still sulky, “Where? I didn’t see it.”

“In the fridge on top of the bento I packed for you last night,” you told him puzzled that he hadn’t seen it, “Where I was sure you’d see it.”

“I forgot to bring my lunch,” he told you miserably, which definitely helped to explain his mood. Atsumu almost never ate if he didn’t bring his lunch with him insisting the food wasn’t good enough and didn’t match his diet plan. However, when he didn’t eat he tended to get hangry, which had no doubt contributed quite a bit to his foul mood.

“Sounds like a you problem,” Osamu jeered, clearly unimpressed. He of all people knew how nasty his brother could get when he didn’t eat. You gave him a look over his brother’s head again, trying to tell him not to rile him up again, and he raised his hands in surrender.

“Yer doin’ it again,” Atsumu whined, though he’d lost the slightly bitter edge from before.

“If you don’t like it, then maybe you should turn and look at me, so I can’t talk over your head anymore,” you pointed out mildly, feeling a bit like you were dealing with a sulking toddler, but willing to indulge him for now seeing as these kinds of moods were rare nowadays, something Ojirou had told you was clearly a long awaited sign of maturity from the former Inarizaki setter.

Your boyfriend huffed, but in the end swiveled his seat to look at you as you took the seat next to him. However you knew exactly what to do to coax him out of his bad mood. Gently you cupped his face in your palms and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, pulled back for a second, then pressed a longer lingering one to his willing mouth.

“There,” you assured him nuzzling your nose against his affectionately before pulling back, “The kiss goodbye I owed you from this morning, and a kiss to say I’m sorry.”

“Ya forgot to give me a kiss hello,” he pointed out, though you could see the corners of his lips pull upwards as you coaxed him out of his mood.

You grinned and leaned forward to press another kiss to his lips, enjoying the feel and the warmth of it as he cupped your face with one of his hands and held you close for a long moment both of you ignoring Osamu who was fake gagging in the background.

“But why didn’t ya text me?” Atsumu asked you when you parted again, his forehead resting on yours as he peered at you with anxious honey brown eyes, “I thought ya were mad at me.”

“My phone is dead,” you told him, with an affectionate huff, pulling it from your pocket and handing it over, “I must’ve forgotten to charge it last night.”

“Oh,” he told you, playing with the power button and refusing to meet your eyes clearly a little embarrassed at his overreaction, though he did quietly clarify, “So yer not mad?”

“I don’t think I have anything to be mad about,” you admitted, then teased, “Unless you’ve done something I should know about…?”

“No!” he protested immediately hands waving wildly in front of him as he declared his innocence looking entirely too alarmed, “I haven’t done anythin’ I swear!”

“I believe you,” you told him with an amused giggle, grabbing one of his flailing hands and interlacing your fingers together.

“Ya shouldn’t,” Osamu interjected with a huff, “If he hasn’t done somethin’ stupid recently I’ll eat my hat, and if he really hasn’t then he’s goin’ to be due fer it in the near future.”

“I’m not that bad,” Atsumu hissed at his twin, thoroughly offended.

“Ya are,” Osamu jeered, though it was more on the teasing end of things, “Otherwise ya wouldn’t have come in here and moped around, floppin’ all over my counter like an ugly fish and makin’ a nuisance of yerself because ya thought yer girl was mad at ya.”

“How can ya call me any sort of ugly when we have the same face!” Atsumu complained, exasperated. The argument was one you’d heard a thousand times now from both twins and somehow it never ceased to amuse you.

“It’s cuz I ain’t a whiney baby like you,” Osamu huffed.

“Princess, tell him I ain’t a whiney baby,” Atsumu whined, completely proving Osamu’s point and making you giggle helplessly as he pouted at you, informing you, “Yer my girlfriend, yer supposed to be on my side.”

“I am on your side,” you assured him, leaning forward to press a kiss to his pouting lips unable to help yourself, even as you told him, “But you are a bit of a brat Tsumu.”

“A what?” Atsumu asked, thrown by your use of English. He’d gotten better at speaking it a bit, picking up words here and there, though he did get thrown off sometimes when you threw out random words.

“A BrAtsumu?” Osamu repeated, his head cocked to the side in utter confusion.

You gaped at him for several seconds repeating the word over in your mind giggles beginning to spill from your mouth as both twins looked on with identical looks of confusion on their faces. The looks only made things worse and you began to howl with laughter, nearly falling out of your chair if not for Atsumu’s steadying hands.

“Brat – Tsumu, Bratsumu,” you managed to stutter out, wheezing as you tried to catch your breath, “It’s perfect, Osamu it’s perfect.”

“I don’t get it,” the onigiri chef informed you flatly, though you could see the corners of his lips curled upwards, amused at your amusement if nothing else.

“Brat means gaki,” you explained as you caught your breath, clutching Atsumu’s forearms for balance earning a snort of amusement from your boyfriend’s twin.

“Oy, oy, should ya really be callin’ yer boyfriend a brat,” Atsumu protested, though you could tell he wasn’t actually upset, just exasperated, “Especially when I just saved ya from either face plantin’ or crackin’ yer head open. What happens if I decide to drop ya huh?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to do this,” you told him lunging forward to wrap your arms around him instead to better brace yourself.

He caught you easily with a huff of amusement and cuddled you close pressing a tender kiss to your hair before he nuzzled his face into your neck with a warm chuckle as he asked, “So guess that means ya love me after all, even if ya are makin’ fun of me.”

“I always love you Tsumu,” you assured him affectionately, pulling back slightly so you could peer up into his eyes and hoping he could see how serious you were about this, “Even when you’re being a BrAtsumu.”

“Love ya too princess,” he told you fondly pressing a soft kiss to your hairline, “Gonna love ya fer ever, and m’sorry fer bein’ a pain today. Was just rough, cuz I thought ya were mad at me, an I woke up late, forgot my lunch, and didn’t do well in practice.”

“It’s okay Tsumu,” you assured him tenderly, “You weren’t that bad, though I’d appreciate if in the future you talked to me before getting angry.”

“I will,” he assured you nuzzling close.

You sighed in utter contentment, enjoying the feel of his arms, though you knew you probably shouldn’t stay too long. You were in public after all.

“Would the two of ya knock it off with the lovey dovey crap already, yer goin’ to scare away my customers,” sure enough, Osamu interrupted, though he looked more fond than annoyed, even if he was clearly giving it a go, “An where’s my apology huh? It was my counter ya were attemptin’ to merge with.”

“Thanks for putting up with us Osamu,” you told him sincerely, cutting in before your boyfriend could, meaning every word. The man really did put up with a lot at times and you really were grateful for it.

“Yeah well, the least I can do fer ya fer puttin’ up with my lump of a twin,” Osamu told you clearly a little embarrassed as he pulled off his cap and ruffled his hair, heaving a sigh, “Yer really good fer him ya know, too good if ya ask me, but thanks fer takin’ care of the scrub.”

“It’s my pleasure,” you told him honestly, “He may be a scrub, but he’s my scrub and I really do love him you know.”

“I know,” Osamu told you with a fond smile, “Of all people I’m glad it’s you that’s goin’ ta be my future sister-in-law.”

“Oy, what did I tell the two of ya about talkin’ like I ain’t here,” Atsumu protested, though there was a slightly wavering edge to his voice that told you he didn’t actually mind all that much, the pink flush on his cheeks letting you see how touched he was, even as he rushed to change the subject, “Besides we’re here fer food Samu so why aren’t ya feedin’ us?”

“Fine, fine,” Osamu told him, rolling his eyes and clearly deciding to concede just this once, “What do ya want ya big glutton.”

As the twins bickered a bit you couldn’t help but smile, enjoying the warmth of Atsumu’s arm around your waist and the way you could clearly see how both twins kept an eye on your comfort even as they argued, always sure to include you in the conversation and to let you know you were free to interject at any time.

Osamu had always made sure you felt like you were part of the family, and Atsumu, though he could be a brat at times, but he was your brat and he doted on you like nothing else. Looking at them you could almost see the future, with you solidly at Atsumu’s side coming to visit Osamu in his shop so you could all catch up together, hopefully someday with a spouse for Osamu too if he wanted one, and children that would argue the same way the twins did causing mayhem wherever they went.

It was a lovely dream for the future, one you hoped with all your heart would become reality, but for now you were content to simply enjoy the moment savoring every second of being loved by the biggest brat you knew.

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It was his turn to host your traditional Friday night dinner, so you’d gone over to his apartment determined to enjoy yourself. However, something must’ve given away the rough day you’d had, because all three of them had been casting you concerned looks all night and trading glances when they thought you couldn’t see.

It was apparently Aran’s job to confront you about it, though both hybrids were looking at you expectantly. Well, Kita was looking at you expectantly, Suna was pretending not to pay attention, his phone in his hands, but you could see him watching out of the corner of his eye.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” you asked determined to at least give it a try.

The stern look you got from Kita and the sympathetic smile from Ojiro told you how ultimately fruitless the effort had been, so you caved in with a sigh, pushing your glass away so you could slump face down on the table burying your head in your arms. You’d tell them, but that didn’t mean you wanted to be necessarily looking them in the eye when you did.

“You know how I went to that thing with some of my girl friends today?” you asked tiredly.

There were acknowledging hums all around even from Suna who you saw from the corner of your eye was no longer pretending to look at his phone and instead watching you like some rare breed of animal in a zoo doing something particularly fascinating.

“Well it was fun, great even,” you told them with a small quirk of your lips, “Right up until we started talking about significant others. Apparently two of them are getting married soon, one has a baby on the way, and the rest are in steady loving relationships or have openly declared they aren’t interested in that kind of thing. So guess who was the only sad single there?”

“Ah,” Ojirou acknowledged a well of sympathy in his voice.

“And of course once they found out, they were like ‘oh I think my husband has a brother’ or ‘oh I have this great friend from work you’d just love,” you ranted, earning a quiet snicker from Suna, which prompted you to lift your head up so you could dig back at the cat hybrid who looked to be having far too much fun at your expense.

“They even asked me why I didn’t date my nice neighbor, the one I’m always hanging out with,” you added on ruthlessly, ignoring Ojirou’s shocked sputters, “But I told them he was in a committed relationship. They were skeptical at first, but then I told them that I was sure because someone is extremely loud, enough that I’m forced to use headphones to drown out the yowling.”

Poor Ojirou was coughing, clearly dying of embarrassment, and even Kita had the faintest red tinge to his cheeks. Unfortunately, Suna, unbothered as ever, simply smirked at you, which confirmed some of your suspicions that he’d been doing it on purpose, the brat.

Heaving another forlorn sigh you decided to give up and give poor Ojirou a break, making a mental note to make it up to him somehow. The poor guy really didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire between you and Suna.

“So, I spent the time being relentlessly hounded until it was time to leave,” you continued on, pretending not to notice Kita patting Ojirou’s back sympathetically, “I tried to explain to them that I just don’t have the time and energy it takes to go out and start dating people, that work was taking up too much of my time, but they weren’t having any of it.”

“It sounds like a rough time,” Ojirou told you, with genuine sympathy, the man too kind even after you’d embarrassed the hell out of him, “like when I go home and baa-chan asks when I’m going to settle down and get married.”

Suna let out an involuntary hiss at that, and Kita’s shoulders stiffened up a bit. Even though hybrid-human relationships were accepted and even almost expected between them and their owners these days, it didn’t mean that everyone accepted them as ‘true’ relationships. There were a good chunk of people, mostly conservatives and the older generation who believed that human/human relationships were the only valid ones.

This was no doubt because of the fact that most hybrid children, once they hit eighteen chose to go to hybrid adoption centers rather than staying with their parents. This was partly because it was one of the few good ways to get out from under your parents roof.

Hybrid rights had come a long way from when they’d first been implemented a few decades ago, back when they were considered something of a toy and a pet, not better than a slave. However, they technically still required a human ‘owner’ to do things like go to school, find a job, or even be out in public unsupervised.

There were people working to change that of course, and you’d donated heavily to the cause and actively supported it, but change was slow going, so for now it was what it was. It didn’t help that there were a good deal of people around like Ojirou’s grandma who viewed hybrids as less than human, and would probably never acknowledge his relationship or any children they had, especially if the children were hybrids too.

It was something you’d listened to him vent about more than once, happy to lend him a listening ear, especially since he’d done the same for you plenty of times over the years.

“It wasn’t quite that bad,” you admitted, giving him your own sympathetic smile, “but it was rather depressing.”

“Do ya even want a companion like that?” Kita asked her reasonably, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard ya talk about wantin’ a relationship other than rantin’ about a few failed dates here and there. If ya don’t I don’t see why it should be a problem, and not any of their business either.”

“Except I think I kind of do,” you admitted with a grimace, to the practical dog-hybrid who always gave solid, dependable advice, “I never planned to spend the rest of my life alone you know? I just always put my career first figuring relationships could come later, when I had more time, but now I’m starting to wonder if later will ever come.”

“And ya don’t want to date?” Kita asked with a slight frown, “I’m sure ya could make time if ya really wanted to, we could change our dinners around fer a while maybe?”

“No way,” you protested immediately, “Dinners with you guys are my only bastion of sanity. Plus I’m not even sure I want to go out and meet people, frankly at this point I’m not even sure I know how. It just… gets a little lonely coming home to an empty apartment sometimes you know?”

“So why don’t you get a hybrid?” Ojirou asked, his tone eminently reasonable despite the shock of what he’d said.

“A hybrid?” you repeated a little dumbfounded, “Me?!”

“Well why not?” he defended, stroking his recently grown goatee with his thumb and forefinger, “You’re wealthy enough to afford one, it would solve your companionship issue, and you wouldn’t have to date anyone, just go to a hybrid adoption center and find someone you’re compatible with.”

When he put it like that it did sound reasonable, even if it wasn’t an idea that had ever occurred to you. A lot of your friends, not just Ojirou, had hybrid companions, one of the weddings discussed earlier that day was even to a hybrid even if it wouldn’t be official until they could get proper legislature passed. You just had never really considered it an option for yourself.

“Do you think I could?” you asked with a light frown, turning the idea over in your mind, the question directed more at Kita than anyone else, both because he was always the most reasonable of the three and because as a hybrid you thought he’d probably be more qualified to answer whether you were a fit ‘owner’.

However to your surprise it wasn’t Kita, but Suna who answered first informing you in his normal lazy drawl, “You’d do well with a hybrid I think, probably something lower energy, like a cat, and we’re pretty self-sufficient as you know, so you wouldn’t have to worry about leaving it home alone like you would a pet.”

“He’s right,” Kita agreed, after a thoughtful pause, “Personally I believe ya would do well with a hybrid, ya get along with us well enough. Plus if yer worried we can help ya look after them. Suna needs a playmate anyway, he’s been getting’ up ta too much mischief lately when Aran and I ain’t here.”

Suna didn’t even bother to protest, just shrugged, completely unbothered by the accusation. Figuring you might as well take advantage of the situation you asked a few more questions, all of which were answered by your friends who all had a lot of input on what kind of hybrid you should get.

You left that night with your head stuffed full of information, after telling them you needed time to think it over. Getting a hybrid was a lifechanging thing and you didn’t want to run off half-cocked. It had gotten you an approving nod from Kita and a supportive pat on the shoulder from Ojirou. Suna had simply given you a knowing smirk, as if the smug cat hybrid already knew exactly what you were going to do as you walked out the door.

You stared up at the hybrid adoption center, not quite sure how you’d ended up here. For the last week or so, ever since Ojirou had brought it up you’d had hybrids on the brain. You’d found your eyes wandering to look at them when they passed you in the street and idly daydreaming in your down time what it might be like to have one waiting when you came home and fantasizing about what kind you might get.

Normally you were very focused and productive at work, but somehow, you’d found yourself scrolling through different sites, putting in research into what kind of facility you should visit and what you’d need to do. It had gotten bad enough that some of your coworkers had noticed your distraction, which was the final nail in the coffin.

You’d already known which center Ojirou had used to choose Kita and Suna, and so at the end of a particularly long day, quietly dreading heading home to your empty apartment you’d instead found yourself driving over to the center.

It was on the smaller side when it came to hybrid adoption centers, privately run and owned by Azumane Industries, a fashion line that created clothes that specifically catered to hybrids. Ojirou had, had nothing but good things to say, and so gathering your courage you left your car to head resolutely inside.

The lobby was rather quiet, only one other patron and two people manning the desks, both of whom looked up when you entered. You were a bit surprised to see the only two workers in sight were hybrids, one a silver cat of some type and the other clearly a German shepherd.

In hindsight it made a lot of sense to have hybrids be in charge of the adoption of other hybrids as they would likely know best how to match people up. However, you rarely saw that kind of practicality when it came to hybrids especially because you knew there was a lot of prejudice out there.

You offered the cat a hesitant smile, stepping up to the desk, the smile he gave back one that was both kind and welcoming as he introduced, “Welcome to Azumane Industries Hybrid Adoption Center. My name is Sugawara, how can I help you today?”

“I’m looking to adopt,” you admitted, unsure what else to say you tacked on, “My friend recommended this place to me, so here I am.”

“Well, we’ll take good care of you,” he assured you calmly, “Usually we do this by appointment, but you’re lucky. It’s a slow day and we have an opening, so I’d be happy to start the process with you if you’re willing.”

“Great,” you told him with a quiet sigh of relief, glad that he could fit you in. Honestly you should’ve known that a place like this would require a call ahead at least. It would’ve served you right for being so impulsive if they hadn’t been able to squeeze you in, “Just tell me what I need to do.”

Sugawara offered you a sly grin, one that reminded you of Suna as he promptly pushed a large stack of paperwork in your direction and handed you a pen. You grimaced at the sight of it but set to work, quietly filling out the forms one by one and handing each of them to Sugawara after so he could log them into his computer.

The forms reminded you of a loan or job application in a lot of ways, asking after your health, your income, your living situation, if you had a criminal record, any previous experience with hybrids etc. It took you quite a while to fill them all out, and by the end of it your wrist was sore and you’d signed your name more times than you cared to remember. However, since Sugawara had been filling in as you went you didn’t have to wait long to move on to the next step.

“Congratulations,” he told you with an amused smile, watching as you massaged your wrist, “You’ve been approved to adopt from our center, which means we now get to the fun part.”

“Fun part?” you questioned a little warily, having learned from Suna that a cat hybrid smiling at you didn’t necessarily mean good things for your sanity.

“Tell me about what kind of hybrid you’d like,” he told you leaning forward, elbows braced on the desk as he watched you intently, “Do you have any preferences? I’ve read all your information as we’ve gone along so I have some ideas, but I’d like to hear from you what you think you want.”

“I’m not sure where to start,” you admitted, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“That’s alright,” he assured you, “That’s what I’m here for. Let’s start with species, that’s always good and will narrow things down a bit.”

“I know I want a cat or dog hybrid,” you told him immediately glad to have some kind of answer for him, “Rabbit and rodent hybrids have heats and ruts too often for me to handle given how busy work keeps me.”

Heats and ruts were one of the big things that separated hybrids from humans and were part of the reason it was hard for them to find and hold down jobs. There were two kinds of hybrid within each species, alphas and omegas.

Alphas were usually more aggressive, stubborn, and willful. You needed to have a more dominant personality to have an alpha hybrid otherwise they’d walk all over you. Alphas also had a period called a rut, where their hormones skyrocketed and made them want to breed with anything and everything. It was a really uncomfortable time for them, and made them even more aggressive.

Omegas were generally more passive, quiet and compliant. They tended to be favored over Alpha hybrids as companions because of their more docile nature. They had periods called heats, which were similar to an Alphas rut, the only difference being they wanted to be bred rather than to breed. It made them needy and clingy the entire time.

Both heats and ruts lasted anywhere from a couple of days to a week depending on the species of hybrid. Dogs and cats had week long heats, but they only happened two to three times a year, whereas rabbit and rodent hybrids only lasted a few days, but happened every week and a half to two weeks.

You knew it wasn’t necessarily expected for a hybrid owner to stay home when their hybrid was in heat or rut, but you also knew it was those times that hybrids tended to be more reckless. Most of the research you did advised that you should if you could, even if you weren’t the one who was going to be sexually intimate with your hybrid. There were of course hybrid heat centers, where hybrids could go to find willing partners and get their needs taken care of, but you’d heard horror stories about places like that and didn’t want to use one unless you absolutely had to.

“There are medications to manage heats and ruts,” Sugawara pointed out reasonably, a slight frown on his face.

“I know,” you agreed, “But I did some research and it looks like most hybrids don’t like to take them because they have nasty side effects, like potential infertility, mood drops, and weight gain. If there’s a rodent or rabbit hybrid that wants to voluntarily take the medication then that could be fine, but I’ve heard only a few ever want to risk it.”

Sugawara looked surprised for a moment, then slowly nodded, “It’s good you’ve looked into things, and it’s nice to see someone who’s come prepared. I’ve heard a bit of that too, so no rabbits or rodents. Do you have any preference Alpha versus Omega?”

“Not really,” you admitted with a helpless shrug, feeling a little bad for not being able to narrow down the criteria for him, “I’m pretty open so long as they can fit into my lifestyle, are a little more independent, and think they’ll get along with me.”

“Well you’ll at least have lots of options,” Sugwara assured you, with a smile that told you he wasn’t off put by the fact that you didn’t know exactly what you wanted either, “Does that mean you don’t have a preference for breed either?”

“That’s right,” you agreed with a firm nod, “I just want someone who’s going to be compatible with me, everything else is secondary.”

“Okay,” he told you cheerfully, “I’m sure we can do that! Though it might take us a little bit to narrow things down. Since you aren’t picky you might as well come with me to start looking. Daichi can you manage the desk on your own?”

“Sure,” the german shepherd hybrid agreed, from where he’d been sitting quietly, keeping watch over the two of you and typing away on his computer, since there was literally no one else in the lobby, “Just keep a radio on you so I can call you back up here if it gets busy Suga.”

Your soon to be guide agreed with a smile, plucking one of the aforementioned radios up and attaching it to his belt, before standing up from the desk. He stretched in a very feline manner, then ushered you towards a door that led toward the back of the building, tail swishing peacefully behind him.

“Each species of hybrid has its own floor,” Sugawara explained as he led you through the hall, “Bunnies are on the top floor, rodents underneath them, cats on the second floor and dogs here on the first. Each floor has four separate wings, separated into categories depending on whether the hybrid in question is male or female, alpha or omega. These wings have private rooms in them and are connected by a shared space.”

“We’ll be going into the shared space,” he explained pausing outside one of the doors, “It’s where hybrids come both to hang out, and to meet people. If a hybrid isn’t interested in being adopted by a specific human they’ll simply return to their rooms until the human leaves. This way we ensure that no one gets coerced into adoption. We also keep a close eye on things with security cameras in the shared space, for both the safety of humans and hybrids. Before we enter the room, I need you to give me verbal consent to allow yourself to be filmed.”

“That’s fine,” you told him, more than a bit impressed with how thorough and organized the whole thing was, along with the lengths they went to, to ensure everyone’s comfort.

“Alright then, let’s introduce you to the dogs,” he teased, with a confident smile.

The minute the door opened, almost every head turned in your direction, making you feel a bit awkward and unsure. Some of the hybrids were in their human forms, ears and tails the only hint of their non-human status, while others were lounging around in their secondary animal form.

The animal form of a hybrid was indistinguishable from a normal animal of the same breed. The only thing that might give it away was the high level of intelligence. Your research told you that hybrids tended to act more on their instincts when in animal form, which could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

Case in point, the minute you entered with Sugawara one enormous grey and white speckled dog came bounding over barking his head off. He was absolutely huge, and only the madly wagging tail kept you from cringing back as he charged over, his barking immediately setting off a few of the others.

You got the wind knocked out of you a bit as he collided with you, though thankfully the door was behind you, and kept you from being knocked off your feet as he placed enormous paws on your shoulders, burying his face in your hair and sniffing enthusiastically. You froze, unsure exactly what to do in this situation, and more than a bit uncomfortable.

Luckily Sugawara immediately came to your rescue, shoving the big dog off as he scolded, “Bokuto! What have I told you about jumping up on our guests!”

The big dog immediately began to whine, tail tucked between his legs, and you wanted to feel bad for him, except you were still a bit unnerved.

“Sorry about him,” Sugawara apologized with a sigh, “He’s harmless I promise, just incredibly enthusiastic about new people.”

“It’s okay,” you assured him, hesitantly reaching out to Bokuto palms first to see if he might be interested, only to have him turn away. Unsure what to do you glanced at Sugawara, whose tail was swishing in clear agitation.

“Ignore him,” the silver haired cat hybrid told you, “He’s just sulking because he got scolded. In fact, better yet ignore all of them, since they can’t stop being rude and barking.”

This last bit, along with the fierce glare that accompanied it was leveled at the room in general, earning some sheepish looks from a couple of the dog hybrids who were in human form, and managing to quiet several of the barking ones who were in animal form.

“Come on,” he urged with one last flick of his tail, “I should’ve started you with the cats anyway. You seem like a cat person to me, and I assure you they’ll have much better manners. If you don’t find what you’re looking for there, we’ll come back, but let’s explore the cat option first and give them time to recall their manners.”

You allowed him to usher you out of the room and toward the elevator, trusting his judgment. It was funny that he’d said you were a cat person, as he was actually the third cat hybrid to have told you so, Suna being one and the Siamese hybrid of one of your coworkers being the other.

It took you less than a minute to get up to the next floor, and when Sugawara ushered you into the cat hybrid room you could immediately feel the difference. There was no noise for one, just a bunch of curious eyes turned in your direction, but it didn’t feel hostile at all.

Sugawara quickly introduced you to the cat hybrids, telling them you’d come to adopt and had ‘just been slobbered all over by the dog hybrids’ so if they could all ‘mind their manners’ that would be great. You were a little amused at the exasperated hybrid’s antics, and you weren’t the only one, if the quiet snickering from a hybrid with particularly messy hair was any indication. However you were also grateful to him for being so diligent as he introduced you to everyone.

Slowly, several cat hybrids meandered up to you, some in human form, some in cat form, though some also stayed in place clearly observing everything. You chatted lightly with the ones in human form, while letting the ones in cat form do as they pleased, answering their questions and asking a few of your own.

It was a much more relaxed experience, something you were infinitely grateful for after the sudden chaos of the dog hybrid room, and you had to wonder if the cat hybrids who’d pegged you as a cat person hadn’t been right after all. You were in the middle of quietly talking to a lovely female alpha hybrid named Shimizu when Sugawara’s radio blared to life. Apparently, the front had gotten rather busy and Daichi desperately needed his help.

“Will you be alright if I leave you here?” Sugawara asked you seriously, “This shouldn’t take too long, and Shimizu is more than capable of looking after you.”

“Sure,” you agreed, after a quick glance at the hybrid in question, who gave an acknowledging nod of her head, “I don’t mind.”

“Good,” he agreed with a bright grin, before rounding on the rest of the room, “And all the rest of you better behave or I’ll hear why!”

With one last warning glare around the room he turned on his heel and left, leaving you in Shimizu’s capable hands. The two of you continued to talk amiably as several cat hybrids came by in one form or another to sniff at you or listen in on the conversation from nearby. A number of them only came over for a few minutes, lingered a bit and then left, spreading back out to the room or going into the hallways that led to their private rooms, however a good chunk of them stayed nearby as well.

Chatting lightly with Shimizu and a few of the others you found you really liked the poised and graceful cat hybrid and might’ve looked into adopting her. Unfortunately, Shimizu quickly made it clear that she had some plans of her own, that included getting herself and her young and adorable munchkin kitten hybrid Yachi adopted by one of their frequent visitors.

She was however, more than happy to give her own opinion on some of the other hybrids around, most of whom seemed to respect both her and her opinion a lot. You were listening to Shimizu tell you a bit more about Yachi, who was watching from a safe distance, clearly anxious, but also unwilling to leave, when you felt something paw at your leg.

A quick glance down revealed a long haired fluffy looking cat, in shades of silver and white who was staring up at you expectantly. None of the other cat hybrids had actually dared to touch you, a few coming close, but none making actual moves to greet you.

A little intrigued you crouched down so you’d be closer to his eye level, and extended your hands for him the same way you did for Suna when he was in his cat form, giving him a choice about whether he wanted to be touched or not. The cat hybrid eyed your hands thoughtfully for a minute, before sauntering within reach, nudging his head against your palm.

Taking your cue you allowed yourself to pet him, gently rubbing at his silky ears and enjoying the feeling of his thick, plush coat. His back arched pressing closer into your hands, eyelids lowering in contentment as you carefully massaged your fingers through his fur in a way you knew Suna enjoyed.

A rumbling purr escaped his throat and you couldn’t help the pleased smile that crossed your lips at the sound as he pressed his way closer to your torso, entering the circle of your arms and keeping himself there. You were caught up in petting him for a moment and didn’t immediately notice, but after a few seconds you realized the room had gotten very quiet.

It had been quiet before, as cat hybrids didn’t make a lot of noise in general, but now it was almost deathly still outside the small purring sounds from the cat under your hands. You immediately froze and glanced up at Kiyoko who was watching the two of you with wide eyes.

“Is something wrong?” you asked, more than a bit concerned.

“You pet him,” Shimizu murmured, more to herself than to you.

“Should I not have?” you asked worriedly, moving to pull your hands away, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize. I pet my neighbor’s cat hybrid all the time when he’s in the mood for it.”

The cat hybrid under your hands made a noise of protest as you pulled your hands away, giving Shimizu what you assumed to be a rather annoyed look based on her baffled and slightly contrite expression.

“No,” she assured you quickly, “We like to be pet, physical affection is important to hybrids. It’s just that particular one doesn’t usually allow anyone to touch him.”

“Do you mind?” you asked the hybrid in question, holding out your hands again.

He gave an agreeing mew and pressed his head to your palm, which you assumed meant you could resume petting. The fur under your fingers was clearly well taken care of, soft and plush and you truly wouldn’t have minded continuing to pet him until he got sick of you.

However, you were interrupted by a furious yowling sound that immediately made you jump, your head snapping up to search for the source of the noise. It turned out to be another long haired fluffy cat, this one in shades of gold and white who came charging out of the halls and ran straight at you.

You didn’t even have a second to react as the cat that had been in your arms darted around to hide behind you. Not that it stopped the oncoming golden one who didn’t even bother to go around and instead went right over you, claws digging into your arm as he attempted to get at the silver one.

You let out a yelp of surprise and pain, as he launched himself off your shoulder at the silver cat behind you who immediately darted out of reach, running around you in dizzying circles with the golden one fast on his heels both of them yowling, hissing and spitting, clearly having some kind of argument.

It only took a moment for you to regain your bearings and decide you needed to put an end to whatever this was, since poor Shimizu didn’t look at all ready to step in, an utterly appalled look on her face. Luckily you had quick reflexes and managed to snag both cats around the middle and stand up quickly, the abrupt shift immediately silencing both, no doubt shocked by your interruption.

“I think that’s quite enough of that,” you scolded firmly, as you hefted the two carefully, keeping them firmly separated. They were a bit heavier than they looked but certainly not too much for you to keep aloft.

“You,” you scolded the golden one, gently shaking him, who had turned to stare up at you with wide copper colored eyes, “I don’t know what he did to you or why, but I’m sure whatever it was could’ve been resolved without the ruckus. I also don’t appreciate being climbed on or used as a spring board.

“And you,” you gently shook the silver one in turn, who looked equally surprised to be addressed, “I’m not sure if he deserved whatever you did or not, but you shouldn’t have been causing a ruckus either, and I don’t appreciate you using me as a shield.”

“From what I understand, in order to be here you have to be considered adults,” you continued firmly, “So I suggest you act like it, and figure this out between yourselves without dragging innocent bystanders into your mess!”

With that you loosened your grip, fully expecting both of them to jump to the floor. However, both continued to simply hang limply in your grasp, watching you with curious eyes that you realized rather abruptly were almost completely identical.

“Siblings huh?” you asked no one in particular, nodding to yourself, “I suppose that explains a lot.”

“Are you alright?” Shimizu asked you worriedly, “You’re bleeding.”

A quick glance at your arm showed you were indeed bleeding, small pinpricks of blood welling up from where the golden cat had dug his claws into you. It stung a bit, but you didn’t think it was too bad.

“I’m alright,” you assured her, kneeling down and releasing both cats, since they seemed disinclined to continue fighting, and you wanted your hands free, “Though I’d appreciate some disinfectant and some band aids if you’ve got them.”

“Of course,” Shimizu assured you with a quick nod, “Just let me get them and I’ll be right back.”

The elegant hybrid moved with enviable grace and speed as she exited the room, leaving you alone. A quick look around the room showed that almost every eye was now on you, and you heaved a sigh, not exactly pleased to be the center of attention, especially since none of them did anything but stare, none of them bothering to approach, just look.

You glanced down in surprise when you felt something touching your leg, only to find the golden cat headbutting your shin, rubbing his face against your calf affectionately as he twined his way through your legs.

“Does that mean you’re sorry,” you asked, crouching back down and offering your hands to the pretty, fluffy cat.

He immediately rubbed his face against your hands too, which you took as permission to continue your petting, rubbing your hand affectionately over his head and earning a happy purr from the feline who arched happily into your hands.

You were distracted from your petting by a paw, which came to rest on one of your wrists, the silver cat watching with obvious envy in his pretty copper colored eyes. Luckily for both of you, you had two hands, and you reached out to pet him too after assuring it was okay. The golden cat clearly wasn’t too happy about his brother’s presence, but didn’t kick up a fuss, instead pressing himself closer and becoming more insistent as he purred ever louder. The silver cat didn’t seemed to pay him any attention though, simply soaking up your attention and affection.

“Here,” Shimizu offered as she came back, first aid kit in hand, “Do you need any help getting bandaged up?”

You were about to accept her offer, as attempting to bandage your dominant arm was always a pain, when you felt something strange under your hand. You turned your attention back to the cat hybrids you’d been petting just in time to see the silver one shift, form becoming large, limbs extending, body lengthening and bulking up until he stood in front of you in human form.

You blinked, utterly startled as you stared up at him, taking in his appearance. He was incredibly handsome in his human form, with the same silvery grey hair as his fur in cat form in an undercut and bright bronze eyes that peered out at you from under heavy lids. He had a strong, slightly square jaw and thick eyebrows, with blunt cheekbones and cupids bow lips.

He was also surprisingly big, at least six feet tall, and maybe a bit more than that, with broad shoulders and a trim waist. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt that clung to his chest, showing off the definition of his muscles. To top it all off he had two cat ears poking out from his silvery hair and a fluffy tail that was slowly waving back and forth as he looked at you.

“I’ll do it,” he told the two of you, his voice pleasant and lightly accented, his hand held out to Kiyoko gesturing for her to pass him the first aid kit, “I’ll bandage ya up. It’s only fair since the moron who scratched ya is too busy bein’ pampered.”

That earned a hiss from the golden cat, who immediately began to shift under your hands. You watched in surprise and no small amount of awe as he turned into a carbon copy of the other man who’d appeared, only with golden hair, ears and tail. You’d realized the two were related, but you hadn’t realized they were identical twins. Twins were really rare for hybrids, even more rare than human twins. As such they were usually snapped up for adoption right away, so it was rare to see them in any sort of center.

“If ya hadn’t stolen my puddin’ I wouldn’t have chased ya and scratched her in the first place,” the golden cat hybrid hissed at his brother.

“Well if ya hadn’t eaten my onigiri, maybe I wouldn’t have had to eat yer puddin’” the silver haired one retorted, his tone and expression both flatter compared to his sibling who looked like he might lunge at his twin at any moment.

Not wanting to get in the middle of a literal cat fight you held your own hand out to Kiyoko, who gratefully placed the first aid kit in your hands, then plopped down to sit cross legged on the floor. Your sudden movement startled both cat hybrids who turned to look at you, but you pointedly ignored them as you worked on opening the kit, and pulling out the things you’d need.

“Here I got it,” the golden haired one told you, plopping down beside you, “That scrub ain’t right about a lot of things, but he is right about this. I scratched ya, and I should fix ya.”

You gratefully held your arm out to him, and watched as he gently dabbed the scratches with disinfectant, grimacing slightly at the sting. You were distracted enough by his careful movements that you almost didn’t notice the other twin, right up until he gently smeared Neosporin over the scratches, placing small bandages over the deeper punctures.

“Thank you,” you told them both when they finished, automatically reaching up to pet their heads, but then pausing as you realized the gesture might not be as welcome in their human form.

Your worries were quickly allayed through as the golden one practically fell into your palm, soft, happy purring noises leaving his mouth as you gently scratched the base of his ears. His twin however didn’t immediately move for you, and you turned concerned eyes on him, worried he might be offended. The minute he saw you looking though he immediately leaned forward, pressing his head to your palm, his own soft purrs leaving his throat as you carded your fingers through his hair.

“I’m back,” a familiar voice sang, the door to the room sliding open to reveal Sugawara, with a cheerful grin on his face, a grin that was immediately replaced by wide eyed shock as he saw you and the two hybrids who were nearly in your lap with how close they were pressing towards you.

However, shock melted into fury as his eyes saw the open first aid kit and the bandages on your arm, his words nearly a hiss as he demanded, “What happened?!”

Both hybrids immediately stiffened under your hands, drawing closer to you, either looking to protect you or looking for protection you weren’t sure. Either way you allowed it, rubbing your hands over the backs of their necks in a way that always seemed to sooth Suna as you answered, “We just had a bit of a mishap is all, but we’ve cleared it up.”

“Are you sure?” Sugawara demanded anxiously, “We were told when they were brought in that they’d had a bit of trouble before, but they never mentioned that they might attack humans.”

The golden-haired twin seemed to bristle, and if he were in cat form you were sure all his fur would be puffed out as he glared at Sugawara. His twin didn’t look nearly as bothered on the surface, but close as you were, you could see how tight the muscles in his neck and shoulders were as if he was about to spring forward at any moment.

Instinctively you pulled the golden twin toward you, tipping him over into your lap. Despite his size it wasn’t all that difficult given he’d been practically leaning all his weight on you. He let out a yelp of surprise, but stayed still as you buried your fingers in his hair, keeping his cheek pillowed on your thigh. Your other hand gently squeezed the back of the silver twin’s neck, both holding him still and reminding him of your presence.

“It wasn’t an attack, simply an accident,” you assured Sugawara, as you soothed your thumb over the tense muscles of the silver one’s neck, hoping to get him to relax, “A bit like what happened with the dog hybrid earlier.”

“If you’re sure,” Sugawara told you, watching your pet the twins with wide eyes, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, “Does that mean you’ve decided to take them then? I know you were a little worried about adopting one hybrid so I never imagined you’d want two at once.”

“What?” you asked, a little overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of information, and the assumption he’d made.

“You’d have to take both of them,” Sugawara explained gently, “Admittedly sometimes twins are separated, but we don’t do that unless they want to be separated, and in this case both of them have stated they want to stay together.”

“That makes sense,” you agreed, with a smile. It was good that the center accommodated things like that, and you made a mental note to thank Ojirou for directing you to such an upstanding place.

“Should I get paperwork started?” Sugawara asked, with an answering smile, “If you’re taking the twins it will take a bit more work than usual, so I’d like to get started right away. No pressure though, you don’t have to make a decision today if you don’t want to.”

“I hadn’t really thought about adopting them,” you admitted, and felt both twins stiffen under your hands, so hurried to reassure them, “We haven’t had a chance to chat much yet. I’d like to talk to them a little bit first before we make any decisions.”

“Of course,” the kindly hybrid agreed with an understanding nod, “We’ll give the three of you some space and let you get to know one another a bit better.”

“Thank you,” you told him politely, waiting until he’d ushered Kiyoko a little bit away, clearly trying to give you some sense of privacy despite the fact that they were still well within earshot for hybrids, and likely interrogate the elegant female about what exactly had happened while he was gone.

“Do ya not want us,” the golden haired one asked you, once the two were gone, rolling over in your lap to peer up at you with wide copper eyes, the hint of a pout on his lips, and a little bit of hurt in his eyes.

“I don’t know yet,” you told him honestly, gently stroking his golden hair away from his eyes, “We don’t know each other, yet do we? Do you even know if you want to come with me?”

The two cat hybrids glanced at each other, clearly communicating silently with each other for a moment before turning back to you. The golden haired one had apparently been elected spokesperson because he was the one to admit, “We wouldn’t mind goin’ home with ya.”

“But you don’t even know my name, do you? And I don’t know yours either,” you pointed out, utterly baffled that they’d apparently already decided.

“I heard mister pleasant over there when he introduced ya,” the silver haired one told you with a shrug, “But if it matters so much to ya, I’m Miya Osamu and he’s Atsumu.”

“I can introduce myself ya know,” the golden haired on hissed, doing his best to glare at his brother, though you were sure the effect was entirely lost considering he was apparently refusing to move from your lap and was upside down, “And I didn’t get to hear yer name.”

“That’s because ya were sulkin’ in our room,” Osamu pointed out.

“And whose fault is that huh?” Atsumu demanded with a grimace.

“Yer own,” Osamu countered, looking utterly bored as he peered down at his brother. Atsumu made to lunge out of your lap, but was stopped by your hand pressed firmly to his forehead holding him in place. You took advantage of his moment of distraction to introduce yourself, gently rubbing behind his ears until he started purring again.

“And ya wonder why we want to go with ya,” Osamu told you sardonically, watching the two of you, “I ain’t ever seen anybody who could get ahold of Tsumu like that.”

“Do the two of you always squabble like that?” you asked, a little amused and a little concerned, “If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought one of you was a dog hybrid with how well you’re getting along right now.”

“It ain’t always so bad,” Osamu told you, turning his face away though you thought you saw the faintest hint of pink to his cheeks, “We’re just a little restless is all. We haven’t been here long so it’s just new, not as much freedom as we’re used to either bein’ cooped up for most of the day.”

“Surely they let you out if you want out,” you questioned, a little appalled that the center might be keeping hybrids like prisoners.

“Well sure,” Osamu answered turning back to you, his head tilted to the side as he studied you, “But there are only so many places a hybrid is allowed without an owner ya know.”

You winced slightly at the blunt statement, but couldn’t refute it. The law stated that all hybrids had to have a registered owner, and it was then up to that owner to set limits on the hybrid, about where they could go and what they could do. This was because if the hybrid caused any trouble, it was always on its owner to take responsibility which made things quite limited for them at times. There were lobbyists working to change that of course, as it was viewed as inhumane, but for now the law was the law.

“Did you have more freedom before here then?” you asked curiously, “I’ve heard this place is pretty good.”

“It’s not bad,” Atsumu piped in, his voice content and rumbly as he turned languid eyes in your direction, clearly not wanting to be left out of the conversation, “Better than the first center we were at when we first went up for adoption.”

“So you’ve been adopted before? Or did you just get moved from one of the other centers?” you asked curiously, only to have Atsumu go absolutely rigid under your hands as Osamu hissed at him, clearly angry with his brother, who’d apparently revealed something he shouldn’t if the way he shrank away instead of hissing back said anything.

You glanced between the two of them warily, unsure what to do as Atsumu pulled himself out of your lap so he could look at Osamu. The two of them were clearly communicating, both their tails swishing back and forth in clear agitation.

“We had an owner,” Osamu admitted at last, his words clearly careful as he peered at you from underneath the fringe of his hair, “But we didn’t get along with him so he surrendered us ta the shelter again and they sent us here.”

A part of you really wanted to ask why exactly they hadn’t gotten along with their old owner, but given the way Atsumu was refusing to meet your eyes, his nails practically digging into his thighs where he sat next to you, you got the feeling it would be kinder not to. Instead you carefully redirected the conversation back on topic and asked, “And what makes you think you’ll get along better with me than your previous owner?”

“Yer nothin’ like him,” Osamu told you bluntly, effectively shutting that avenue of conversation down.

“If you say so,” you told him calmly, holding his gaze until he glanced away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

It was clearly a sensitive topic, and you didn’t want to push. You’d just met the two of them today after all, you certainly wouldn’t have liked it if they tried to pry into your past, fair was fair after all.

“What do you picture yourselves doing all day?” you asked instead, figuring you might as well.

“Doing?” Atsumu repeated confused, tilting his head in a manner that you couldn’t help but find rather adorable.

“I’ll be at work most of the day during the week,” you explained patiently, “Which means you’ll be by yourselves for quite a bit of time. You’d be more than welcome to laze around if you really wanted to, but I figured I’d ask.”

“What kind of things are we allowed to do?” Osamu asked slowly, a strange look on his face that you couldn’t quite interpret.

“Anything within reason,” you told him with a helpless shrug, “I have money, it’s not an issue, so long as it’s legal, and doesn’t have the potential to hurt me, you or anyone else then I see no reason to place restrictions. My neighbor has a dog-hybrid who works a small rice farm that Ojirou bought him, but his cat-hybrid Suna spends most of his time either lounging around their apartment or playing sports with some of the other hybrids who live in the neighborhood.”

“Which sport?” Atsumu asked, eyes bright, all hesitation forgotten in the face of this new information.

“Volleyball I think,” you told him with a shrug, “Ojirou and I have gone to watch a few games, though I don’t think it’s just volleyball either.”

If Atsumu had been a dog-hybrid you were sure his tail would’ve been wagging a hundred miles an hour with how eager he looked, copper eyes bright in his face as he told you, “I like volleyball. Do you think he’d let me play?”

“You’d have to take it up with Suna, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t,” you admitted cautiously, earning a happy smile from the hybrid.

“What about you Osamu?” you prompted gently, “Do you play too, or is there something else you’re interested in?”

The silver furred hybrid looked startled to be addressed, but then slowly admitted, “I like to cook.”

“That’s amazing,” you praised, “I live on take out a lot of the time, unless I’m headed over to Ojirou’s or Kita, his dog-hybrid makes an extra bento for me. I really should cook more, but I tend to be on the go a lot and don’t want to dedicate the time.”

“It’s a bit of a shame though,” you admitted, feeling more than a bit sheepish, “One of the best features of my apartment is the kitchen and I hardly ever use it.”

You continued to chat lightly with the twins learning quite a bit about the two of them in the process. Atsumu was definitely the louder twin, always eager and a bit blunt with his words, always saying the first thing that came to mind. Osamu was quieter than his twin, letting his golden furred brother do most of the talking for the two of them. He wasn’t necessarily shy per se, and would answer when spoken to, but he seemed content for the most part to quietly observe before adding his two cents in.

The two of them together were utterly charming, which made you wonder just how they hadn’t been adopted yet. You were fairly sure it must have something to do with the reason they’d been returned to their adoption center, though for the life of you, you couldn’t guess what that reason might’ve been.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Sugawara cut in gently, interrupting Atsumu telling you all about the last volleyball game he’d played in, “But the center is closing to visitors in a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” you apologized immediately, hurriedly scrambling to your feet, feeling more than a bit guilty, “I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten.”

“That’s alright,” Sugawara assured you with a kind smile, “It sounds like the three of you are getting along well.”

“I think so,” you admitted, glancing at the twins who’d both risen to their feet as well, both of them far more graceful than you could ever hope to be.

Both of them were watching you, Atsumu with tentative hope clear on his face, and Osamu completely unreadable except for the agitated twitch of his tail which told you he wasn’t pleased your conversation had been interrupted.

“I’m glad,” Sugawara told you, “Do we have any kind of decision made?”

“I…” you started glancing between the twins, who were both looking at you. Gut instinct meant you wanted to say yes. You’d gotten along well and you thought you might continue to enjoy one another’s company. They seemed like they’d slot into your life pretty easily. However you were still a bit hesitant. Adopting one hybrid had seemed like a big deal, but adopting two?

Plus you’d only met them today. Maybe you were being overly cautious but a single day didn’t seem like nearly enough time to get to know someone before inviting them to live with you, no matter how much your heart urged you to say yes.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter,” Sugawara interrupted, an apologetic expression on his face, pulling you from your thoughts as he explained, “We wouldn’t have time to finish the paperwork before it’s time to close, so you wouldn’t be able to take them home with you anyway, not today at least.”

“But…!” Atsumu tried to protest, but quelled as Sugawara shot him a stern look.

“I think that it will be good for all of you to sleep on your decision,” the cat-hybrid told all three of you firmly, gently beginning to usher you from the room, before telling you, “You can come back tomorrow if you like. We’re open at the same times then.”

“Alright,” you agreed, following after him without a fuss, only to pause in your tracks at a heartbreaking mewling sound.

You turned around to see Atsumu staring after you with devastation written all over his handsome features, his hand outstretched like he was trying to reach out and physically stop you from leaving. Before you’d really thought about it your feet had carried you back, and you’d pulled the hybrid into your arms.

Atsumu clutched you tightly, burying his face in your neck and rubbing his cheek against yours in a move you recognized as scenting. You let him do as he pleased without protest, gently running your fingers through his soft golden hair. However, you were conscious of Sugawara waiting for you, so you gently extracted yourself after a few minutes.

Turning you saw Osamu watching you with an unreadable expression on his face, but you stepped toward him, offering your open arms anyway, waiting patiently. You were rewarded for that patience as he stepped into your hold, nuzzling at you the same way his twin had on the opposite side.

“I’ll come back,” you found yourself promising, “I have work tomorrow, but after I’ll be here.”

Osamu drew back and peered into your face, copper eyes boring into your own, clearly searching for something before nodding, “We’ll hold ya to that.”

You let Sugawara usher you out after that, but found yourself tearing up a bit as you followed after him. You desperately didn’t want to leave the twins behind. Somehow, someway you’d gotten terribly attached to them in just a few short hours.

Your sniffling apparently caught Sugawara’s attention, because he turned around and hurriedly fumbled a packet of tissues from one of his pockets.

“I’m sorry,” he told you apologetically, “I thought maybe you wanted more time to think things over. We can still do paperwork tonight if you want I don’t mind staying a bit late.”

You looked at him, startled that he’d apparently picked up on your hesitation as you gratefully accepted the tissues, dabbing at your eyes and blowing your nose before replying, “No, no you’re right. It’s not a decision I should make impulsively. I do want to think it over I just…”

You trailed off helplessly, unsure what to say or how to explain that you’d gotten incredibly attached and were currently having a crisis as your head and heart were at war with each other. However, Sugawara apparently understood as he nodded in clear sympathy.

“Don’t worry,” he assured you, “That’s completely understandable, adopting a hybrid is no small thing. Those troublesome twins will still be here waiting for you tomorrow, so take all the time you need to think it over.”

“I will,” you told him, then tacked on sincerely, “Thank you, for all your help today. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he told you with a bright, pleased smile as he walked you to the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” you agreed with a smile, letting yourself out and heading back for your car.

The drive home your thoughts were absolutely full of the twins, and what it might be like to have them with you. Your heart and your mind were at war with one another, your heart desperate to run back to the center as soon as it opened in the morning for the cat hybrids, and your head worrying about what it might mean to have both of them and why they’d been returned to the center by their previous owner.

You were so preoccupied with your thoughts that you almost didn’t notice Suna as you walked passed Ojirou’s door, headed to your own.

“What is that?” Suna demanded, his voice making you pause in your tracks.

“What is what?” you asked him baffled as he strode toward you nose in the air, clearly picking up something.

“You smell like hybrid,” he informed you his tone accusatory, watching you with narrowed golden eyes.

“Do I?” you asked mildly.

“You do,” he affirmed, “Doesn’t she Kita?”

“Doesn’t she what?” the collie hybrid asked, emerging from somewhere deeper in the apartment.

“Smell like hybrid,” Suna explained, his tail twitching languidly behind him and eyes alight with interest.

“You do,” Kita agreed, after carefully scenting the air, “Two of them actually.”

“Really?” Suna asked, clearly surprised, moving closer to sniff at you again, “You sure?”

You held still, too used to his behavior to be bothered by it, partly amused and partly annoyed at the cat hybrid who was clearly digging for information.

“Yes I’m sure,” Kita told him calmly, “They’re very similar, but there.”

“They’re identical twins,” you explained, figuring the jig was up anyway, and hoping maybe Ojirou or Kita would have some advice that might help you with your quandary.

“Ho?” Suna asked a purr of interest in his voice as he inhaled and nodded to himself, then asked slyly, “And what were you doing with these twins to have their scent on you so thoroughly?”

“Is Ojirou home?” you asked Kita, completely ignoring Suna’s question, earning a chuckle of amusement from the Siamese.

“He’s here,” Kita agreed, “Did you need to speak with him?”

“Both of you, if you have a minute?” you questioned hopefully.

“For you? Always,” Kita assured you kindly ushering you in.

“Oya, I think I’m hurt,” Suna told you as he followed along behind, a feline smirk on his face, “What about me? Don’t you want my advice too? After all they’re cat hybrids aren’t they?”

“They are,” you agreed with a huff as you plopped into your normal chair, “But are you going to give me good advice, or are you going to say whatever you think will be most amusing for you?”

“What’s this about cat-hybrids?” Ojirou asked, emerging from the hallway, where Kita had gone to fetch him.

“She’s thinking about adopting twin cat-hybrids,” Suna informed him before you had the chance to speak up, smug as the cat who got the canary.

“Are you really?” Ojirou questioned with a grin, taking his own seat.

“Yes,” you agreed, shooting the smug Siamese a look for interrupting and stealing your thunder, “I went to that adoption center you recommended today.”

“That’s great,” Ojirou told you, leaning forward in his chair eagerly, “How did it go?”

You explained your meeting with the twins, happily accepting the drink Kita pressed into your hands, which was your favorite, as the collie hybrid got everyone settled and then settled in himself to listen. You talked about how much you liked them, but your wariness about getting not one but two hybrids, and the strange issue with them having a previous owner and being so cagey about it.

“I can see why you’re wary about used goods,” Suna noted.

“Don’t call them that,” you snapped, despite the fact that you could hear the tinge of sarcasm in his voice and knew he didn’t really mean it, unable to help yourself, “people aren’t like items, and shouldn’t be treated like them.”

“She’s right,” Kita told the Siamese sternly, “Even as a joke, that was a rude way to refer to them.”

Suna slouched in his seat, looking thoroughly chastised as he admitted, “I know you don’t see them like that. You’ve always treated us just like normal people.”

“That’s because you are just like normal people,” you told him, stroking your fingers through his hair to let him know you forgave him, “Just with enhanced senses and a different set of instincts at times.”

“I don’t know why you think you need our advice,” Ojirou pointed out reasonably, “It sounds like you’ve pretty much already made up your mind, you clearly adore them already.”

“It’s just a lot,” you admitted, “Do you think I can handle twin hybrids? Especially since I’ve never even had one before? I mean, I’m not like you, none of my family ever had one growing up, and the only ones I really know are Kita, Suna, and a couple that come into the office with Tendou from time to time.”

“We’re not exactly children,” Kita reasoned, logically, “We don’t actually require all that much care outside of the basics, which I know you’re monetarily able to provide, and companionship, which is the whole reason you decided to seek out a hybrid in the first place. One or two, does it really matter? It might even be better as they’ll be able to keep each other company if they get lonely when you’re gone, and I see no reason we can’t help you look after them too.”

“You’d do that?” you asked the collie hybrid, surprised.

“Of course,” he agreed with a tiny smile, “We’re friends are we not?”

You smiled at him, touched, and extremely reassured by his ever cool logic. It did make sense, and quelled some of your worries, plus knowing the extremely reliable hybrid would help you out if you needed it was incredibly comforting.

“I wouldn’t worry about them being returned to their center,” Suna told you, surprisingly serious, “Hybrids get returned for all sorts of reasons, but most of the time its owner incompatibility rather than behavioral issues. Plus that center wouldn’t let you adopt them if they thought they’d give you trouble.”

“But Sugawara did say they’d heard the twins gave someone trouble,” you admitted, recalling the conversation with the worried cat-hybrid.

“Yes, but they didn’t give you trouble,” Suna pointed out, “We cat hybrids tend to make up our minds pretty quickly about people. It sounds like they decided they liked you, and unless something really terrible happens they’ll keep liking you, we’re terribly stubborn that way.”

“If you’re really worried you can always ask the center about it,” Ojirou told you, “They keep records, and would probably tell you, especially if it’s a concern about their adoptability.”

“I don’t want to pry into something and lose their trust,” you admitted, even as part of you was incredibly tempted to do just that.

“Then maybe try asking if the center if they think whatever the issue was, will be an issue with you,” Suna reasoned, “And if they say no then let it lie and adopt them, and if they say maybe or yes, then tell the twins you can’t accept them if they can’t tell you what the issue was.”

“That seems fair to me,” Kita agreed with a nod, “Just make sure you’re honest and tell them you asked, just in case.”

“Okay,” you agreed, letting out a relieved breath, “Okay that sounds really reasonable to me. It’s just… do you think I’m rushing into this too fast? I mean going to the center today was an impulse.”

“I don’t think so,” Ojirou assured her thoughtfully, “You’ve been thinking about it for a while, haven’t you?”

“She’s put so much thought into it she’s actually over thought it,” Suna interjected wryly before you had a chance to answer.

You made a face at him but couldn’t actually argue. He might have a point about overthinking it. Reassured you spent a good couple hours talking with your neighbor and the two hybrids as they answered more of your questions, and you told them about the twins.

Eventually however you headed home, determined now to get at least a little bit prepared for the arrival of your two new housemates tomorrow. Luckily it wasn’t dirty, but running a load of laundry and doing a little vacuuming never hurt anyone. You didn’t have a whole lot for them and didn’t know what kind of things they might have or need, but hopefully your office with pull out futon and guest bedroom would suffice for now until you could take them shopping.

Falling into bed that night you let yourself feel your excitement for the first time. You were adopting a hybrid, not just one but adorable twin hybrids. You couldn’t wait to bring them home and maybe put an end to your loneliness once and for all.

Osamu glanced slowly around the room, trying not to look at his twin, the clock, or the doors to the main area of the shared living space the way Atsumu was. Yesterday had been a bit of a revelation. He’d never actually expected to approach the woman who’d shown up looking to adopt. After what happened with their last owner he’d never expected to ever actually want to be adopted again. However, somehow he’d found himself entranced by her, and he had no one but himself to blame.

When he’d initially strolled over, it was because he’d known via his bond to his older twin that he’d finally realized that Osamu had snagged his pudding for himself and was throwing a fit about it. He’d thought that his twin wouldn’t dare make a fuss if he was with a potential owner.

The rules of this place were pretty lax compared to the first center they’d lived in. It allowed them a lot more freedoms. It let them come and go from their rooms as they pleased rather than on a regimented schedule, and allowed them to turn down any potential adopter that they didn’t like, which had felt utterly shocking and unprecedented when he’d first been told about it. They gave them a small allowance they could spend or save as they chose, and even let them deal with their heats and ruts in whatever way they chose, including with other tenants so long as birth control was used.

It honestly felt like heaven compared to the first center they’d been at, and maybe even better than living with their previous owner even before everything had gone to shit. He wasn’t sure he’d even ever wanted to leave, which he’d been assured by several other tenants was also an option if he so desired.

However, the one rule that was the same between both centers was that they weren’t allowed to cause trouble with the humans that came looking to adopt. This was only good sense considering how much the law favored humans in cases of hybrid vs human issues. However, unlike the first center they’d lived, this one at least didn’t threaten to put them down if they misbehaved.

They’d been young back then, everyone in that center was, all of them below the age of twenty-one, because anyone who reached their twenty-second birthday disappeared and was never seen again. Thus he hadn’t known it was actually against the law to kill hybrids, none of them had known and the caretakers had perpetuated the rumor that those who reached twenty-two were killed instead of shipped off to other centers in order to make them that much more desperate to be adopted.

It had made him more than a bit bitter once he’d been with their new owner long enough to learn more about what was and wasn’t allowed when it came to human hybrid interactions. The man had actually found their previous beliefs amusing and had laughed at them more than once for being so naïve.

It was positively galling, and had made his hackles rise more than once. However he’d known better than to lash out and had better impulse control than Atsumu who’d been punished by their previous owner more than once for acting aggressively. Fortunately, Osamu had never liked being made fun of, and spite was a powerful motivator, meaning he’d practically memorized any and all of the laws that had to do with hybrids.

It meant the few times their owner had toed the line with Atsumu’s punishments that he’d been able to cite the law to pull him back, right up until their owner had decided he no longer cared and pushed too far, leading to them being removed from his home and put back up for adoption at this new center.

They had been here for just over a month and while several people had been interested in adopting the ‘rare gold and silver hybrid twins’ he had absolutely refused to engage with any of them. It was probably why that female alpha hybrid had been so shocked when he’d first approached.

He’d fully intended to just use the human to keep Atsumu at bay, right up until she’d crouched down and offered her hands to him and he’d gotten a whiff of her scent. He’d known from the few lessons their ma had bothered to teach them that hybrids relied a lot more on their sense of smell than humans did, and that scent was the basis of the instinct that told them who would be a good mate and who wouldn’t.

He’d originally thought compatibility could only be found with other hybrids, after all he’d met plenty of humans before both when he’d lived in the adoption centers and with his previous owner and never once had he gotten a hint of compatibility with any of them. He thought he could be forgiven for completely losing his head and giving over to his instincts as he caught the scent of the most compatible person he’d ever met.

Her scent was honestly indescribable, and his instincts had him purring within seconds as he tried to rub her scent all over himself. She’d obliged, petting him with fingers that had felt magical, her touch kind and soothing and perfect as she rubbed his ears, carded fingers through his fur and rubbed her hand along his back.

He’d been lost in a dizzy haze of touch and scent and probably would’ve remained that way if not for the fury of his brother, which had jolted him out of it. It had been like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head pulling him from his happy haze and reminding him of the whole reason he’d come up to the human in the first place.

He probably should’ve run off, but hadn’t been able to bring himself to move very far, instead darting around to hide behind her. He’d thought that once Atsumu saw her he’d stop and at least hold off attempting to get vengeance until later, but he’d overestimated his brother again, who was apparently more incensed than he’d guessed about the lost pudding.

Instinct had kicked in and before he’d really thought about it he was running away from his brother, darting around her legs in a game of chase that was both amusing and a bit annoying, especially when he could tell how much it was pissing his brother off, his sibling’s annoyance pulsing down their bond in waves of sparks.

He wasn’t sure how long it would’ve continued, as they’d actually run around like this until someone got tired before, usually Atsumu as he got fed up and didn’t have the patience to keep going. However, he’d suddenly found himself plucked right up into the air.

He’d been amused when she’d scolded Atsumu, though the amusement had faded a bit when she’d decided to scold him too, leaving him feeling properly chastised. He’d been more than a bit pissed off with his brother when he’d realized the nice smelling woman was bleeding because of him, though there’d also been a small frisson of fear, wondering what the consequences would be.

However, to his surprise she hadn’t actually seemed all that angry with either of them. Instead she’d immediately accepted Atsumu’s apologies as his brother, who’d managed to get a lungful of her scent had cuddled up to her. He could feel Atsumu’s deep interest in the human. His brother clearly also scented compatibility with her, which wasn’t surprising given they’d shared almost everything else in their lives.

He’d found himself more than a little bit jealous as he’d watched his brother soak up her attention. It had always been like that to an extent. Atsumu had always been the more outgoing one, the one who attracted attention, who wore his heart on his sleeve and somehow managed to win people over despite his often crass personality. Osamu had always kind of faded into the background as he was much quieter and had better control over his emotions, the silver to his gold, the shadow to his light.

Normally he didn’t mind, but this time being forgotten had stung. They’d always competed with each other, but most of the time he’d been humoring his brother, or simply hadn’t wanted Atsumu to win rather than wanting the prize of winning himself. This time though it had felt like more than that. No way was he going to let his brother steal her all to himself.

Before he’d really thought about it he’d reached out a paw, and to her credit she’d immediately offered him a sweet smile and resumed her wonderful petting. Atsumu hadn’t been pleased, but he hadn’t cared a bit.

It hadn’t surprised him at all that when Shimizu had come back with the first aid kit that Atsumu had insisted on taking over when he’d been the one to offer first. The two of them had continued to quietly compete over her attention as they fixed up her scratches, though he could at least feel his brother’s guilt for inflicting them on her in the first place, which did help sooth some of his annoyance with his older twin.

It was utterly gratifying that even when she had Atsumu literally in the palm of her hand, she’d still looked for him too. He’d tried to shove the feeling down and away, trying to remind himself that neither he nor his brother actually wanted another owner, but found it wasn’t working well. The combination of her scent and her fingers as she massaged her fingers through his hair enough to make him want to curl up in her lap and never leave.

He’d thought they might get in trouble when Sugawara returned. His fellow silver cat-hybrid belonged to the owner of the center, and took his job very seriously. He wouldn’t allow any of them to make trouble, and while he respected him, and admittedly envied him a bit for the clear trusting and loving relationship he had with his owner it didn’t stop him from wanting to claw his eyes out for bringing up their past in front of her.

Right when he was considering attempting to verbally eviscerate the other hybrid and damn the consequences his brother’s shock had pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned just in time to see her pull his twin into her lap. The feel of her hand gently squeezing his neck from behind practically made him limp with pleasure as Atsumu’s own bliss at being so close to her combined with his own to thoroughly distract the two of them, though not so much he didn’t notice her excusing their behavior and ensuring they didn’t get in trouble.

However, both of them had snapped to attention when the other hybrid had asked her if she wanted to adopt the two of them. He’d been able to feel his twin’s building hope, his impulsive brother apparently forgetting all about not wanting another owner, already clearly more than half in love with her despite not even knowing her for a day.

It was a trait he both hated and envied in his twin, the ability to be so impulsive, to move on so quickly and let go of past hurts. It wasn’t something he was capable of. He knew he was a grudge holder and far slower to trust than his brother was. He liked to think it served him well and kept him from being as naïve as Atsumu could be, though there were times it made things difficult too.

He’d been unsure whether he wanted her to state her intention to adopt them or not, right up until she’d said she hadn’t even considered it. It stung more than he’d expected, his own small hurt amplified by his brother’s though both of them had been somewhat soothed by her explanation that she wanted to know them better.

It was extremely reasonable and made him like her all the more, knowing she was the cautious type, more like him than like Atsumu, even if he simultaneously wished she’d been a little more impulsive just this one time and said yes instead. Though he found himself heartened by her honesty. That she’d actually asked them if they wanted to go with her rather than making any sort of assumption had settled things for him.

He hadn’t needed Atsumu’s silent pleading to forget their original plans to agree that maybe they should give this human a chance, though it did make it easier in the end to agree as he wasn’t the only one who wanted it.

They’d both tried to win her over, and though they’d accidentally fallen into squabbling more than once she’d handled it like a champ, not at all put off and even amused by it if the smile was any indication. However, despite the fact that they were the ones trying to win her over, it seemed every word she spoke was actually meant to win them over instead.

She was nothing like their previous owner, who’d been strict with his rules and harsh with his punishments. In fact she didn’t speak about punishments at all. He wasn’t naïve enough to think there wouldn’t be any if they misbehaved, but the freedoms she was offering in turn more than made up for anything she might throw their way.

The biggest hiccup had been when Atsumu mentioned their previous owner. The horror and guilt he’d felt from his twin was the only reason he’d managed to keep himself from doing more than hiss at him. His stomach had sunk when she’d gently pressed them for answers, but he knew they had to give her something.

He’d tried to give her as little as possible unwilling to volunteer the information, both because he hated even thinking about their time with their previous owner and because he was afraid she might somehow decide she didn’t want them because of it. In the end she’d changed the subject herself, and not brought it up again, but as she’d walked away from them with Sugawara, leaving them behind he’d wondered rather despairingly if that hadn’t been a mistake.

It didn’t matter that she’d turned around to comfort them when Atsumu had been unable to keep his heartbreak quiet. He’d known the minute she walked out the doors the chances of her coming back were slim to none. That was the other thing that remained consistent between this shelter and the last. Once a potential owner walked away claiming they needed to ‘think on it’ they never came back.

Still he hadn’t been able to turn away from her embrace, or to stop himself from scent marking the opposite side of your neck from the one his twin had claimed, laying his own personal stamp with the faint hope it would remind you to come back for them. However, no matter what you’d said, he couldn’t bring himself to hope. He knew hoping would only lead to more disappointment, and he wasn’t like Atsumu he wouldn’t be able to bounce back from it.

Not that his twin was making it easy on him. His brother’s hope was so fierce it was almost painful and he could feel the slightly desperate edge to it. He’d gotten attached to her, not that he could blame him, he was more attached than he wanted to be too. However unlike him, Atsumu had fill faith you were coming back, so much so he’d actually packed up his room into the bags they’d brought from his old place and was ready to go.

Nothing Osamu or any of the others, who also seemed to understand how small the chance was that she’d come back for them, said could sway him. The moment it had passed three o’clock Atsumu had brought hjs bags out to the shared living area and began to sit vigil, waiting for her to come back.

Stubborn as ever his twin had ignored all the pitying looks sent his way and the fact that slowly but surely time had slipped by, leaving just half an hour until they were supposed to close. Though his face was resolute, his brother wasn’t actually stupid and Osamu knew it was only stubborn pride keeping him in place. He could feel the slow onset of his twin’s hurt and despair as each minute ticked down.

He’d contemplated leaving him, going to his own room to wallow, but he knew he could never abandon his twin. They’d been through everything together, and he certainly wasn’t going to leave him now.

He was trying to figure out if he could coax his brother into leaving his post when the door swung open, revealing Sugawara, who had a wide beaming smile on his face. His fellow silver hybrid cast a quick glance behind him before ushering his follower into the room.

He barely caught a glimpse of her before his brother practically launched himself at her, but it was enough to freeze him in his place, because it was her. She’d actually come back after all.

His brother had wrapped himself around her, burying his face in her neck and clinging to her like favorite a stuffed toy, not that she seemed to mind, if the hands she was running over his hair and back meant anything. He couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, the words too quiet to hear over the sudden near painful hope and the rapid beat of his own heart at the thought that she’d come for them.

Atsumu’s joy was practically burning through him, combined with his restored faith and smug satisfaction that he’d been right all along about her coming back for them. It probably should’ve annoyed him, but he found that all he could really feel was a bone deep sort of relief.

“Where’s your brother?” she asked, as she finally managed to gently extract herself a bit from his twin’s embrace, though he noticed he didn’t let go entirely, one of his hands laced firmly with hers.

He immediately stood, letting himself fall back into his more human skin as he made his way toward them, not waiting for his brother to out him. She seemed to spot him immediately and the relieved smile on her face was enough to make his traitorous heart skip a beat.

“Osamu,” she greeted warmly, more warmly than he thought he’d ever been greeted by anyone before as she opened her free arm in an inviting gesture. It was maybe a little pathetic how readily he accepted that embrace, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, as he fell into her hold, face automatically nuzzling against the side of her neck that Atsumu had left unclaimed. A rumbling purr left his lips as he felt her press her face against his affectionately, as he allowed himself to cling to her for a bit.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she murmured to him quietly, her arm squeezing affectionately around his waist, genuine regret in her tone, “My boss made me stay a little longer than usual, and then there was an accident on the freeway. I called ahead though and Sugawara has almost all the paperwork done. I just need to collect the two of you, do some signing and we’ll go home okay?”

“Really? Yer takin’ us home?” he almost didn’t recognize his own voice given how weak it sounded, the quaver in it making him feel utterly ridiculous and overly emotional, something that was supposed to be his twin’s job, and frustrated him enough that he bit his lip nearly hard enough to bleed as he wrestled with himself, trying to get back in control of his emotions.

“Yeah, as long as you want to come, then I’ll gladly take you,” she offered with a gentle smile that made his heart squeeze nearly painfully in his chest, “Though there’s something I need to admit to first.”

He froze a little at that, staring at her anxiously as Atsumu also looked on, his blabbermouth brother finally silent and clearly wary. She carefully released him, though she still reached for his hand, peering between the two of them, anxious but also obviously determined. He allowed her to grasp her fingers, squeezing them automatically, anxiety making his heartrate skyrocket and bile rise in his throat.

“I asked the center about your previous owner,” she confessed, the words automatically making his heart drop, as he wondered numbly what they could’ve told her. Had she asked for the details? Was she afraid now? Had she changed her mind or decided to add some stipulations to their adoption?”

“I didn’t ask for details,” she clarified, her voice managing to cut through the haze of panic that had been rising in his chest, “All I asked was if they thought whatever had happened with your previous owner would cause trouble for me, or put any of us in any sort of danger.”

That didn’t actually sound so bad, and was even fairly reasonable the storm of hurt and anger that had been building behind his anxiety slowly dispersing the more he thought about it. He noticed that his grip on her hand had loosened a bit, and he retightened his hold, hoping the center had responded in a way that reassured her. Given that she was here, talking to them, he thought it wasn’t unreasonable to be hopeful.

“They said none of us would be in any danger, otherwise they never would’ve offered to take you both in, in the first place, and that they were sure you’d be alright with me,” she explained, her hand gently squeezing his in return.

He wasn’t sure if the bone deep relief he felt was his or his brother’s but he couldn’t bring himself to care, too caught up in the surging hope that followed it as she asked, “So, even knowing that I asked that, are the two of you still willing to come home with me?”

“O course we want to go with ya, right Samu?” his brother replied instantly, nuzzling into her neck insistently, clearly begging for attention, attention she seemed more than willing to give if the affectionate smile on her face was any indication. When she looked at him for confirmation all he could do was nod in agreement, unable to find the words for how very much he did want it and unwilling to sound ridiculous again.

The next half hour passed in a strange almost dream like haze, as he packed himself up, his smug brother clinging to her and gloating over how he was already finished, soaking up her attention as he made a mental note to get back at his annoying twin later. Once he finished packing all there really was, was a couple of signatures before he found himself in a nice car that was speeding along the highway.

Atsumu was chatting away in the front seat, practically bouncing as he asked their amused new owner anything that popped into his head as he tried to digest what had happened. Somehow, someway, they had an owner again.

You smiled to yourself as you listened to Atsumu babble away happily in the seat next to you. The golden furred twin hadn’t stopped bouncing since you’d showed up at the shelter, clearly over the moon that you’d come back for him. Osamu was quiet in the back seat, and you might’ve been worried he was happy to come with you if not for the way he’d scent marked you, almost frantically his hand clutched tightly to yours as you’d signed the paperwork to take them home.

It was pretty clear both twins had thought you weren’t coming back for them, and it had broken your heart a bit, and made you even more resolute that you’d done the right thing for all of you. You’d been anxious the whole day to get back to them, not nearly as focused on work as you probably should’ve been, which had been part of the reason for your delay in the first place.

You’d panicked more than a bit when you’d encountered the accident on the way there, afraid that you’d break your promise to the twins. It had only been Sugawara’s kind voice, assuring you that he’d start the paperwork while you drove and even stay open late if necessary for you to get there, that had kept your guilt and panic at bay.

Now that you had them with you weren’t quite sure how you felt. Dazed that it was actually happening, excited for what the future might bring, and a little anxious about all the changes you’d have to make in your life even as you looked forward to those changes more than anything.

However, before you headed for home there were a couple things you needed to do first. Luckily you would hopefully find everything you needed in one place, at least for today. You wanted to give them time to settle in a bit, more shopping could come later when they’d decided what they needed.

“Where’s this?” Atsumu asked, pausing in his excited babble to look at you with confusion, as you pulled into the large parking lot, “Ya don’t live here do ya?”

“Don’t be stupid,” his brother huffed from the backseat, “Yer gonna make her think we’re some kind of bumpkins, ya know what a mall is Tsumu.”

“O course I know what a mall is,” Atsumu blustered, twisting around in his seat to glare at his twin, “I just thought maybe she had an apartment nearby is all. Who knows how rich people live?”

You huffed in amusement, reaching out without thought to ruffle his ears affectionately. The golden haired hybrid froze for a minute under your touch, and you wondered if you’d done something wrong, freezing as well, before a rumbling purr left his chest as he pressed his head further into your hand.

“You’re too cute,” you murmured almost to yourself as you gently scratched his ears and stroked your hand over his face and neck, unable to keep the smile from your lips.

“We’re only stopped here for a quick couple errands,” you explained to both twins, reluctantly pulling away from Atsumu who offered a pout but didn’t protest, “I noticed you don’t have as much as I thought you would, and I want to get you more comfortable collars to wear when we’re in public.”

Both twins hands immediately flew to the simple brown leather bands around their necks. All hybrids were required to wear collars in public to identify them as belonging to someone. The collars had a tag on them, which was essentially a small chip that had all their owner’s information in it, that when scanned would tell someone how to get in contact with their owner. It was to ensure they behaved and that if they didn’t their owner could be forced to take responsibility for their actions. Any hybrid who walked around without a collar immediately had the police called and was brought in and held until they could figure out why they were without.

You’d heard horror stories about the way such hybrids were treated, innocent hybrids who’d accidentally lost a collar somewhere and been so traumatized when they were finally returned to their owners that they were never the same again. Which of course was why you were determined it was never going to happen to your twins, even if a part of you balked at the idea of putting a symbol of ownership on another sentient being. Judging from the looks on their faces, Atsumu’s much easier to read than Osamu’s they’d heard stories too, and neither of them bothered to protest.

“Come on,” you urged gently, climbing out of the car yourself, “The sooner we get the unpleasant stuff done the sooner we get to the good stuff. I’ve got a couple things in mind I’d like to get you both as welcome home presents, but if there’s anything else you think you want or need feel free to ask.”

“Presents?” Atsumu asked eagerly, practically bounding out of the car.

“That’s right,” you agreed with a small laugh, watching him sulk a bit as he realized his brother had beaten him in securing your free hand, Osamu’s fingers laced with your own and a smug smirk on the silver hybrid’s face, “So keep close and let’s get going okay?”

Luckily the mall wasn’t too crowded, and while the twins got more then their fair share of admiring looks, doubtless both because of how good looking they were and how rare twin hybrids in general were, no one actually dared to approach your group, even as Atsumu practically bounced around glancing around the mall in fascination and reminding you more of an eager puppy than a supposedly slightly older cat hybrid.

Osamu was much more dignified and kept close to your side, though judging from his wide-eyed look that he couldn’t quite hide behind his stoic façade he was just as in awe as his brother. You were starting to get an impression of their previous owner and it was far from good.

You’d known that some owners kept their hybrids close to home, either because they were overly protective or possessive, and it had always rubbed you the wrong way. Ojirou had always allowed Kita and Suna to do as they pleased for the most part, treating them as capable adults and equals, more like roommates than the pets some treated their hybrids as and his was the example you were going to strive to follow.

It was why your errands today were so important, because while you would happily have let your twin hybrids run around as they pleased dressed however they pleased a collar was unfortunately the one thing they couldn’t be without, especially if they were going to go outside without you.

Luckily the mall was outfitted with several hybrid specialty stores and it didn’t take you long to find one dedicated entirely to collars. Both twins were a little wide eyed at the selection, and neither seemed to know quite what to say as you roamed through the aisles together looking at the selection.

Several of them made you grimace in outright distaste, the collars boasting accessories like inward facing spikes or tracking devices that would alert the owner if the hybrid tried to leave their home. It made you feel a little sick to your stomach, so you instead turned to the less intrusive ones.

“Do you see anything you like?” you asked the twins, squeezing Osamu’s hand affectionately, “You don’t have to wear collars in the house if you don’t want to, but you’re going to need them if you want to leave when I’m not home, which means you’ll probably be wearing them a lot, so make sure to pick something you like. You can even pick a couple if you want it to match your outfit for the day or whatever I don’t mind spending a little more to get a handful of chips programmed.”

Both twins blinked at you owlishly clearly startled by the offer, which made your heart hurt for them, even as they hesitantly turned back toward the displays, looking more closely than they had before.

“Do ya have any restrictions?” Osamu asked bluntly, not quite looking at you as he eyed a display of thick leather ones that didn’t look comfortable in the slightest.

“No,” you assured him, “I’m not the one who has to wear it.”

Osamu nodded slowly, and seemed to be taking his time as he perused the collars. You let him do as he liked, allowing him to lead. You’d only loosened your hold on him once, thinking he may like to wander the store like his brother and not have to tow you along with him, but the way his hand had reflexively tightened on yours in response had put paid to that assumption and you’d immediately re-laced your fingers together.

In the end Atsumu approached you first, holding a collar out to you hopefully. It actually looked like it was meant more for a dog hybrid, thick black leather with steel spikes on it, making it look fairly fierce. Personally you thought it was gaudy and was probably going to be uncomfortable, but you tried not to let your distaste show, after all you’d said anything they wanted and you’d meant it. Luckily in the end you didn’t need to say anything.

“What the hell is that?” Osamu demanded when he caught sight of the collar in his brother’s hands, the disgusted look on his face letting you know his feelings quite clearly.

“It’s a collar scrub, what else would it be?” Atsumu replied with a sneer for his twin you were beginning to think was automatic.

“I’m not the scrub you are,” the silver twin sneered, “Because only a scrub would wear somethin’ like that.”

“Oy,” Atsumu interjected, with a fierce glare, “She said we could have what we wanted.”

“Yeah but she probably thought ya had some sort of taste, she doesn’t know you well enough to know how scrubby ya are scrub,” Osamu hissed back.

“Alright guys,” you interjected gently, squeezing Osamu’s hand and reaching out to gently ruffle Atsumu’s ears, aware of the eyes of the cashier which had definitely turned in your direction given the twins were getting louder and louder by the second, “Let’s try to keep it to polite volume levels in public hmm?”

“Sorry,” both twins grumbled, identical pouts on their faces that made you giggle.

“It’s alright,” you assured them fondly, “Just try to be good okay?”

They nodded though Osamu clearly needed to get the last word in as he turned to you with pleading eyes, “Ya think it’s an abomination too don’t ya?”

“I said you could have whatever you wanted,” you told him diplomatically, “If this is what Atsumu likes, then of course he can have it.”

“Ha, see!” Osamu demanded of his twin, clearly seeing right through your attempt at diplomacy, “She thinks it’s ugly too!”

“Do ya really think it’s ugly?” Atsumu asked you sulkily eyeing the collar in his hands.

You’d known before that you were weak to pleading eyes, but it turned out you were even more weak to the pleading copper eyes of your hybrid, the thought that he might be sad tugging at your heartstrings.

“I just worry you’ll be uncomfortable,” you assured him, letting go of Osamu’s hand and gently cupping his face in your hands, rubbing your thumbs along his cheeks affectionately, the same way you did for one of the hybrids that occasionally came to your office to sulk when his owner brought him to work but didn’t pay attention to him.

Atsumu immediately leaned into your palms, heavy lidded eyes half-shut with bliss as you explained, “It’s summer right now, and there’s no padding so it will be hot, heavy and probably chafe. Plus didn’t you say you wanted to play volleyball? Won’t it get in the way? I can definitely get it for you if you like it, but maybe pick something else too, okay?”

“Kay,” your golden twin agreed, sounding completely and utterly content as he nuzzled into your hands, making your heart melt in your chest.

“What about this one?” Osamu offered, pulling your attention away from his brother.

He was holding a collar in his hands, one that actually looked more like a necklace a thin but sturdy looking cord of leather fastened with a silver chain in the front that clasped on both ends to a silver hoop that suspended a solid silver disc in the middle that on close inspection revealed that it housed the chip needed for identification.

“That looks really nice,” you praised, letting out a breath of relief at his choice. You weren’t a big fan of the collars in general, but seeing it look more like a necklace made it seem far more tolerable. Plus it was black and silver and thus would probably go with just about anything he chose to wear.

Letting go of Atsumu to take the collar from his twin, you completely missed the smug smirk directed over your shoulder by Osamu as you inspected it, though Atsumu certainly didn’t, giving his twin an annoyed glare above your head.

In the end, while Atsumu sulked and complained about it, he did actually put the original collar he’d offered back and go with Osamu’s choice, even though you offered to get him both. He refused, sulking slightly all the while, but remained insistent that he only needed the one, even though you ended up buying four collars total, so you could have two back-ups. Though he did insist on holding your hand to make up for the disappointment.

Luckily the manager didn’t seem to mind having to program all four collars, tapping away at the computer, while Atsumu sulked a bit by your side and Osamu somehow managed to all but radiate smug superiority. The cashier carefully ringing up your purchases for you as you pulled your wallet out.

“A word of advice?” the cashier offered as you waited for the programmed collars, surprising you with his forwardness.

“You’re too indulgent with them,” he continued on, not giving you the chance to refute the need for him to speak, “Hybrid’s need a firm hand. You’ll spoil them if you let them get away with raising their voices in public and causing a scene. Don’t ever let them forget their place.”

You felt more than saw both twins bristle on either side of you, and gently squeezed Atsumu’s hand, before laying your hand over the back of Osamu’s neck. You wouldn’t care a bit if they wanted to verbally eviscerate the man who was eying them with clear distaste, a distaste you were almost sure stemmed from jealousy given the lascivious looks he probably thought you hadn’t noticed levelled in your direction. Unfortunately, you also didn’t want them to get into trouble, and weren’t quite sure what the law said about how hybrids were allowed to defend themselves from humans, something you planned to rectify as soon as possible.

For now however you weren’t about to let the twins get in trouble and cut in your tone as cold as you could make it, “I don’t remember asking for your opinion, nor do I care about what you think in the least. I’ll treat them how I want to treat them, which means I’ll spoil and pamper them as much as I like. I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself in the future if you want to keep this business running. As it is I’ll be sending my complaint to your superiors. Let’s go guys, we can find other collars elsewhere. It’s not like they’re hard to find.”

“Wait! The chips are already programmed and you haven’t paid,” the manager protested, standing up from the computer looking utterly appalled.

“Should’ve thought of that before your employee opened his mouth, and decided to spew his unwanted bile everywhere,” you countered with a shrug, “I’d consider finding better employees in the future if I were you, or at least teach them to keep their mouths shut.”

“But the chips can’t be removed from these collars, they’ll be completely ruined,” the manager put in, sounding more than a bit despairing.

“I’m sorry,” you told her, feeling genuinely bad for the woman, after all it wasn’t her fault the other employee was an ass, “But that’s not my problem. I refuse to support any sort of business that would treat its customers like this.”

The glare she leveled on her fellow employee was utterly ferocious and had him cowering back in his seat. Not that you could blame her for being upset, each collar was about three hundred USD so the sale they were losing out on was enormous.

“I can offer you a discount?” she tried hopefully, “Fifty percent off?”

You tilted your head thoughtfully, but didn’t reply instead turning to look at the twins who’d clearly been more than ready to follow you out of the store, “What do you think?”

“Us?” Atsumu asked, clearly baffled.

“Yes, you,” you told him with a fond smile, “You’re the ones who got insulted, not me, and they’re your collars. I’m happy to buy you whatever you like from wherever you want it, whether that’s here or somewhere else.”

“Seventy-five percent off,” Osamu bargained from her other side, taking you by surprise. You turned to see him watching the manager with shrewd eyes, and when it looked like she would protest he added in, “Seventy-five percent off and we won’t leave bad reviews on every site we can or send letters of complaint to upper management.”

“Agreed,” the manager huffed, shooting another vicious look at her employee, one that clearly read that it would be coming out of his salary.

You huffed, amused at Osamu’s bargaining, gently massaging your thumb against the base of his neck affectionately before releasing both twins and moving to pay, only spending a quarter of what you’d originally planned.

“Nice work,” you praised the silver hybrid once the three of you were out of the store and out of earshot.

Osamu shot you a sly smirk, looking exceedingly pleased with himself as he walked beside you. Atsumu had claimed your hand this time, so he was carrying the bags, though it didn’t seem to bother him in the least.

“Now that, that’s taken care of, let’s go grab your gifts,” you told the twins, tugging them along to the PineApple store.

“Presents?” Atsumu asked eagerly, practically bounding along beside you, your intertwined hands swinging back and forth between you.

Laughing you simply pulled him with you into the store. Both twins were wide-eyed as you browsed through, clearly unused to the cutting edge technology on display, both of them exceedingly cautious with the expensive looking tech. It took some gentle urging, but eventually you managed to get phones and laptops picked out for each of them.

“Isn’t this too much,” Osamu asked you in an undertone, clearly worried as an employee walked Atsumu through getting his laptop set up. It turned out that of the twins Osamu was definitely more technically savvy and loved his new laptop, though Atsumu had already managed to download several apps and games on to his phone and was thoroughly enjoying them as well, “It’s expensive.”

“I have the money,” you assured him gently, “And besides, everyone has a phone these days. I want you guys to have them in case you get in trouble when I’m not home and need to reach me, like if you got lost or hurt or simply need a human to ensure you’re treated fairly. I’d feel awful if you needed me and I didn’t know.”

“The laptops are so you don’t get too bored at home, though I hope you’ll find things to enjoy outside the apartment too,” you continued, absently stroking your hand up and down his back.

“Will you be wanting hybrid trackers in the new phones?” the employee asked, her voice professional as she began to ring up your purchases.

You hesitated. On one hand you hated the idea of invading the twins privacy, and on the other you knew that you fully intended to let them roam as they pleased so wouldn’t it be better to have the tracker just in case? A quick glance showed that Osamu was impassive as ever, and even Atsumu just looked bored, not paying any attention whatsoever, instead tapping away at his new phone.

“What do you think?” you asked them, more than willing to hear their opinions on the matter.

“You’re the owner,” Osamu told her, apparently speaking for both of them as he gave an unconcerned shrug, which wasn’t helpful in the least.

You grimaced a bit trying to think of a compromise before finally pulling out your own phone and asking the employee, “Is there anyway to ensure all three of the phones will track each other?”

“Let me go ask,” she told you politely, turning away to go grab someone more knowledgeable.

“That’s fair right?” you asked hesitantly, “This way you know where I am too and can come find me if you need me.”

“Yeah,” Osamu agreed, giving you a look that you thought might be something as close to awe as you’d seen on the silver haired hybrid, “Yeah that’s fair.”

The employee quickly returned and confirmed they could indeed make all three phones track one another, and in the span of a few minutes managed to get your purchases complete. Feeling like that was probably enough for now, you led them back towards the car.

It was starting to get pretty late, and the minute you’d exited the mall Osamu’s stomach had given a loud rumbling growl. Atsumu had made fun of him for all of a minute, before his own stomach betrayed him. You’d shaken your head at their antics, but allowed a surprisingly eager Osamu to order whatever he wanted for carryout from the Chinese place near your apartment.

One quick stop for the food, and you finally managed to bring your new hybrids home. Both of them were a little quiet as you led them up to your apartment, staring around and clearly taking everything in. Either Ojirou, Kita and Suna weren’t home, or they’d decided to give you time to settle with the twins as they didn’t emerge from their apartment as you arrived in the hallway and fumbled the door open.

“Here we are,” you told them, hitting the lights, “Home sweet home.”

Both twins were laden with things, carrying their purchases, the food, and their things from the adoption center. Still looking at them was enough to make your heart clench. It had only taken one trip to bring everything up, but despite hybrids being stronger than normal humans it still made your heart clench to see how very little the twins actually had. Each of them only had a medium sized suitcase of things, and Atsumu had a worn volleyball but that was it aside from the things you’d bought them. It was something you were determined to fix for the future, but for now you’d make do.

“I know you’re hungry, so unless you want to settle in for a bit first we can eat and then I’ll show you around,” you offered.

The twins exchanged looks, but nodded in clear agreement. You pointed out the bathroom just in case, but then brought them to the kitchen, trying to show them where everything was as you pulled utensils from the drawers. Osamu clearly paid much more attention to her explanations than Atsumu did, though both diligently helped her set the table.

The food was really good, and thankfully sparked more conversation, even if it was more subdued than earlier, all of them worn out from the long day they’d had. Osamu was clearly very interested in food, and not just in eating it the way his brother was. You managed to coax out that he’d cooked for their previous owner from time to time, and told him that as long as he was careful he was more than free to use her kitchen and anything in it for whatever he wanted earning what felt like her first real smile from the silver haired twin.

Despite how tired they clearly were, both twins helped you clean up. For the first time since you’d first discovered the lovely little Chinese restaurant there weren’t actually any leftovers, the twins having consumed everything you said you didn’t want. As they worked you noted it really was kind of nice, even if things were quiet, to have the company as they went about their tasks.

“Alright, so I wasn’t sure if you’d want your own rooms or if you’d want to share,” you told them, gesturing for them to follow, “We’re going to have to do some shopping either way, since they’re your rooms and I want you to be able to personalize them any way you want, but I think they’re pretty equal in size.”

The twins stared at you, clearly surprised, glancing at each other, to the rooms you’d offered, to you, and back again, the gesture making her more than a bit nervous. You’d thought there was plenty of space for the two of them, but maybe they didn’t see it that way?

“We get our own rooms?” Atsumu asked at last, finally breaking the silence, his voice quiet and disbelieving, copper eyes huge in his face.

“If you want them, then of course they’re yours,” you assured him, concerned, “I still have to clean out my study, but I didn’t want to delay adopting you and I don’t think it will take too long. There’s a pull out futon in there, though you’re more than free to share if you want a bed, or I can take the futon and one of you can have my bed for now. I’ve certainly slept on the futon before and I don’t mind.”

“You’d give up your bed?” Osamu repeated, looking like you’d just smacked him over the head with a fish, more surprise on his face then you’d thought him capable of showing.

“Just until we find something for you,” you told him, a little puzzled at his surprise but with the sinking feeling that your suspicions about their former owner were correct.

“But, why?” Atsumu asked you, wide eyed and a little teary.

“Because, you’re mine now,” you assured him, unable to quite find the words you wanted to say, but hoping you were conveying your feelings at the very least, “And I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe and happy.”

The sad mewling sound he made in response to your words was enough to break your heart, as he pitched forward squeezing you into his chest and burying his face in your shoulder. You pressed your cheek to his hair, rubbing his back soothingly with one arm even as you automatically opened the other one for his twin, a gesture that was slowly becoming more and more familiar to you.

Osamu didn’t sob the way his twin did, but the way he squeezed you tight let you know he was just as moved as Atsumu even if he was quieter about it. Seeing their genuine gratitude for what you felt was common courtesy broke your heart, but even as it ached and you did your best to soothe them you swore to yourself, to love and care for your new hybrids so they’d never want for anything ever again to be the best owner it was possible to be after all they deserved nothing less.

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However, the moment you’d gotten home from your date, in the privacy of your room you’d finally broken down, sobbing your heart out into your pillows as pain and a sense of inadequacy had squeezed at your insides. That was how your best friend had found you, just a few minutes into your breakdown.

Kuroo Tetsurou had been one of your good friends from the moment he’d moved into the house whose backyard was opposite yours. He’d been so shy back then, but years of your families pushing the two of you together, and a solid alliance to drag your other dear friend Kenma away from his games and out to get some sunlight from time to time had built a solid friendship between the two of you.

It was a friendship that had lasted despite the awkward beginnings of puberty and some of the strange comments and looks the two of you received for being good friends of the opposite gender. The bond you had was solid and unbreakable and you knew he felt the same. That bond was actually one of the reasons your previous boyfriend had given for breaking up with you.

You’d known it made him a bit uncomfortable, but like hell were you going to push aside your years long bond with Kuroo for a boy you were dating, even if you’d been fairly sure you’d loved him, you’d loved Kuroo more even if the love for Kuroo was platonic. You’d tried to assure your boyfriend of this whenever he’d brought it up, and you’d thought he’d believed you, but apparently not.

His biggest justification for breaking up with you was that you and Kuroo both planned to go to Nekoma while he was planning to attend a different high school. He’d been absolutely sure that with him out of sight you’d cheat on him with your best friend, which was completely and utterly ridiculous and you’d been sure to tell him so before turning on your heel and leaving him in the dust.

With all the drama with your now ex-boyfriend you’d forgotten you actually had plans with your friend, ones you’d made together to celebrate your graduation just the two of you. When you hadn’t shown up your worried friend had immediately come looking for you, and found you bawling your eyes out in your room.

To his credit Kuroo had only panicked and flailed about for a minute or two at the sight of your tears before hesitantly offering his arms for a hug. You’d practically collapsed into his arms, blubbering out the whole story, though you left out the fact that he’d been one of the reasons your ex broke up with you. You hadn’t wanted him to feel guilty in any way shape or form.

Kuroo had spent several minutes comforting you, carefully stroking his hands over your back as he listened to your woes and let you cry all over his shirt without protest. You were finally starting to calm down now, your eyes aching a bit from crying and face sticky with tears as you simply soaked in the comfort your best friend was offering.

“You want me to beat him up?” Kuroo asked, clearly serious as you pulled your head away at last and reached for the box of tissues, “You know I never liked him anyway, it wouldn’t be hard either.”

That was true enough. More than once Kuroo had told you he didn’t think your now ex-boyfriend was good enough for you, but you’d brushed off his concern, sure that he loved you, and rationalizing that they’d both grow to like one another with time. Now you wondered if that might not have been naïve, and quietly scolded yourself for not listening to your best friend, because it turned out he’d been right in the end, just as he always was.

You also knew he would absolutely go and beat up your ex if you said yes. He was fairly lanky, but you knew he was stronger than he looked and a heck of a lot taller than your ex, something you thought might have helped spark some of his ridiculous insecurity.

The angry glint in his eyes told you he’d even do it happily. Kuroo was a pretty laid back guy in general, and actually made it a point to not let himself be riled up too easily. He’d actually told you that, it was because he hated that other guys might get the same sort of satisfaction about him that he did with them when it came to riling his opponents, and that by not getting riled by them there was a good chance they’d actually be the ones to lose control.

He’d taken a great deal of pride in something you found a bit petty, though you also found it terribly amusing. You probably would’ve been more worried about how vicious your best friend could be, but he only really unleashed that part of himself on the volleyball court where he made sure to keep things fair, or against people who’d upset you or Kenma.

You had no doubt if you unleashed Kuroo on your ex, not only would he get beat-up, but he’d also be verbally eviscerated, so much so he might even cry. The mental image was enough to make you smile, the vindictive part of you wanted to do it, to pay him back for the hurt he’d caused you, but in the end your more reasonable side won out.

“No,” you assured your friend, wiping your eyes and blowing your nose, “I don’t want you to get in trouble. He’s not worth it anyway.”

“He wasn’t good enough for you,” Kuroo grumbled, clearly a bit disappointed with your decision but willing to go along with it anyway.

“Maybe,” you agreed quietly, still feeling more than a bit stung and insecure.

“Hey, not maybe, definitely!” he interjected firmly, hands landing on your shoulders as he peered into your face, hazel eyes practically glowing with sincerity and intensity as he informed you, “He definitely didn’t deserve you!”

You tried to smile at him, touched by his sincerity and fervent belief even if you couldn’t quite bring yourself to believe it. It meant a lot that he did though, and you did feel a bit better, even as your insecurity drove you to ask, “Tetsu, do you think anyone will ever love me?”

It was one of your biggest fears, something that hadn’t ever really occurred to you until your ex had told you, you weren’t lovable, listing all the things he’d found repulsive about you and hitting on some of your worst insecurities.

“Of course they will!” your best friend told you, looking appalled that you even had to ask, “What kind of stupid question is that?! You’re not exactly making it easy for me to not hunt him down now you know?”

“Sorry,” you told him, sniffling a bit as tears welled in your eyes again, “I guess I just don’t feel very lovable right now.”

Kuroo stared at you with a stricken look on his face, as if your words had broken his heart too. He appeared to wrestle with himself for several seconds, before gently cupping your face in his hands, carefully wiping away the new tears with his thumbs as he gently assured you, “I love you.”

You managed to smile at him, touched by how far he was willing to go for you even as he hurriedly barreled on, “I don’t think I’ll have time for dating any time soon. I’ve got volleyball to think of and you know I’m taking college prep courses next year, but once my last game in high school is over then, if you just wait for me…!”

You giggled a bit amused as he backtracked, and rolled your eyes at how far he’d gone to try to comfort you. Sighing you flopped forward into his arms again, feeling lighter. You may not have a boyfriend anymore, but you did have a best friend, the best friend in the whole world, one who’d say almost anything to make you smile.

“You’re ridiculous Tetsu,” you told him, even as you hugged him close, “But thank you.”

“Sure,” he’d agreed, clearly a bit confused about how exactly he’d cheered you up, but willing to go with it, “Anything for you, because you know I’m going to marry you someday.”

You snorted in amusement, giggling a bit at the ridiculousness of what he’d said. It was a bit over the top, but sweet nonetheless, and you were grateful for it even if you knew he didn’t actually mean it.

Instead of your original plans to celebrate the two of you instead spent the rest of the evening parked in front of your couch, munching on snacks, cuddling, watching movies and badmouthing your ex. By the end of the night you were feeling much better, and feeling utterly grateful to have a best friend like Kuroo.

Kuroo let out a breath as he glanced around the gym. The loss against Karasuno had been bittersweet. He hadn’t wanted to lose, he’d wanted to take his team all the way to the top, to play as much as he could before his high school volleyball career ended. Still, if he had to lose he was glad it was to the crazy crows, and now that Yamamoto was officially captain with Kenma as his vice-captain he felt like he was leaving the club in good hands.

A part of him hurt that he’d never get to play in this gym, with the team he’d loved ever again, but he’d grown to accept the loss, and was looking forward to the future. No way was he going to give up volleyball entirely, that was for sure.

It was bittersweet, especially with the end of high school looming close, and an uncertain future ahead. Still not all things were bad, in fact there was something that he knew would be good, better than good really, something he felt like he’d been waiting an eternity for.

At times these past three years had felt like torture, only able to cuddle and hug with the occasional platonic date, and fairly frequent study dates where it had been more like hanging out than an actual date. There were times when he’d ached for something a little more romantic, to kiss you or just hold your hand in public. It had been especially hard when he’d seen others looking at you, and known he couldn’t make any sort of real claim.

He was the one who’d set the rules, and he stood by them even now. He never would’ve had the time he really needed to give you the relationship you deserved. The guilt of it would’ve been too much, and while he still felt guilty, forcing you to wait for him, he’d been heartened that you’d waited without complaint.

He could feel the smile stretch over his lips at the thought, the one that Kenma always insisted made him look like a lovestruck idiot, but he couldn’t help it. He’d been in love with you almost from the moment he’d met you. The year when you’d been dating your ex had been sheer agony, watching you with another guy, his heart had felt like it was breaking every single time.

It hadn’t helped that the guy in question had purposefully gone out of his way to rub your relationship in his face, always touching you, kissing you where he could see. It had been infuriating, and yet he couldn’t blame you. He’d been the one who was too much of a coward to confess his feelings, it had been his own fault because it had been very clear you had no idea how he felt.

Thus for your sake he’d endured, bit his tongue and kept his displeasure to the occasional grumble of how he hadn’t thought your ex was anywhere near good enough for you. It had been true after all, and the jerk had proved it with the way he’d broken up with you.

To this day he wasn’t certain if he wanted to ring the guy’s neck or get down on bended knee and thank him for pushing you straight into his arms. If you hadn’t been crying, if you hadn’t sounded so hopeless and sad he didn’t think he would’ve ever been able to muster up the courage to confess to you. But he had, he’d confessed, and it had felt like the absolute best day of his life when you hadn’t pushed him away, had instead smiled at him.

You’d looked beautiful then, even with a splotchy face and tear tracks on your face. You were even more beautiful to him now, all grown up, smart, strong, kind and utterly capable. Was it any wonder he was head over heels? And now, with volleyball over he was finally free to act on it, all he had to do was find you.

It shouldn’t be too difficult. You’d agreed to walk home together as usual once he’d finished closing up the gym and handing over his key to Yamamoto. The idea of finally starting his relationship with you was enough to put a spring in his step and soothe away most of the ache of never playing for Nekoma again.

Kenma was leaning against the building, a strange look on his face, one that made him a bit concerned as he glanced around, looking for you. A familiar giggle reached his ears and he grinned, heading for the sound.

“Wait Kuroo! You don’t want…!” Kenma’s voice, shocking in its urgency was enough to stop him in his tracks. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as he got an eyeful of what his other best friend had been trying to warn him about.

There you were, beautiful as ever, a bright smile on your face. However, the smile wasn’t directed at him, no it was directed at some other guy, one he vaguely remembered was part of the basketball team. His hands were on your waist and as he watched the other guy leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.

It was strange. Looking at you together his whole being felt hollow, as if someone had scooped out his heart and everything inside him and left him hollow. He didn’t understand how or why this could be happening.

“Oh! Tetsu! Is it time to leave already?” you asked, a clear blush on your cheeks, but a pleased smile on your lips.

“Who’s this?” he almost didn’t recognize his own voice as he asked, far too casual and calm when all he wanted to do was shout, to demand to know why, why, why? Why you would do this to him.

“I forgot you haven’t been introduced yet! This is my boyfriend…!” he didn’t hear much beyond that, as you prattled on, cheerfully oblivious to the way you’d somehow managed to shatter his heart into thousands of tiny irreparable pieces with just a single word.

“Aww babe, do you have to go so soon?” said boyfriend teased, gently tugging a strand of your hair, “Hang out with me for a bit. We can go for a date at that café you like.”

Kuroo didn’t think he was imagining the vicious light of triumph in the other man’s eyes, as he stared him down in much the same way your ex had all those years ago. He wanted to do something about that, but he felt numb, utterly detached to everything around him.

“I can’t,” you scolded playfully, though he thought he could detect regret in the admission, “I promised I’d walk home with Tetsu.”

“It’s fine,” he managed to say, grateful the words hadn’t come out the pained wheeze he was afraid of, feeling as if he’d been punched in the gut and wondering how he was still standing, “I’ll walk home with Kenma.”

“You sure?” you asked, concerned but clearly hopeful, “It was your last day of volleyball, today right? Will you be okay?”

He nodded, afraid that if he spoke anymore the words would get caught in his throat and give voice to the howling grief and pain that was swirling like a hurricane in his chest, tumultuous and devastating.

“Alright, thanks Tetsu!” you chirped with delight, letting your new boyfriend lead you away, though not before the ass sent one more triumphant smirk in his direction.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood staring after you, feeling like you’d taken his heart ripped right out of his chest and dragged it along with you, but eventually Kenma got his attention, and managed to slowly cajole him home carefully filling him in on what he knew as they walked.

It turned out you’d actually been dating the other guy for a couple months now. He’d just been so busy with volleyball and nationals that he hadn’t noticed. Kenma apparently had though and when he’d gone to confront you about it, you’d told him that you’d only ever thought of Kuroo as your best friend.

It hurt. It hurt more than words could say. He didn’t understand why you couldn’t have come up to him and explained it all outright to him, that you didn’t feel the same way for him that he did for you. It would’ve hurt, kami would it have hurt, but nowhere near as badly as this had.

To think that he was finally going to have his chance with you, only to be so brutally and callously shut down wasn’t something he could even fathom. It wasn’t like you at all, and even Kenma had agreed it hadn’t seemed right.

The best his genius friend could guess was that you hadn’t wanted to hurt him or distract him from nationals. It made a lot of sense, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. That night, for the first time in years, since his parents’ divorce, he’d buried his face between the pillows to muffle the sound of his heartbroken sobs.

.“Can you just stop already?!” his words were punctuated by the textbook that he’d slammed down on the table in front of him, and you cut yourself off abruptly shocked.

Yes, maybe you’d gone on for a little too long about your now ex-boyfriend, and maybe you were being a little overdramatic wondering if anyone would ever love you, but you’d felt more than a bit justified.

After the jerk you’d dated in middle school you hadn’t dated anyone until towards the end of high school. It had honestly been a bit disconcerting and made you question your desirability more than once, because no matter what it seemed like no one wanted to look twice at you. You weren’t even invited along on group dates or anything of the sort, and had always been passed over when your friends went singles events.

It wasn’t until your next boyfriend had been with you for a few months that someone had told you everyone and their mother thought you and Kuroo were dating, so of course no one bothered to ask you out. That had been a revelation, and a painful one at that.

You’d realized about five months into your first year of high school that your ex might’ve been right to be worried about your relationship with Kuroo. Maybe it was the break-up, or maybe it was just a matter of growing up, but you’d realized you were more than a bit helplessly in love with your best friend.

Kuroo was everything you’d ever wanted in a boyfriend, smart, handsome, funny and kind. He practically doted on you, always volunteering to carry your stuff whenever you walked together, making you laugh whenever you were down, going out of his way to be there for you even when he got busy. A relationship with him would’ve been a dream come true, which was why the memory of his ‘confession’ back when he’d been joking around, trying to cheer you up after your break-up, suddenly stung and badly.

More than once you’d fantasized that maybe he’d actually meant it, maybe he did really want a relationship with you and all you had to do was wait until he’d finished volleyball. However, you’d ruthlessly squashed those thoughts down. Even if he had meant that he would actually date you he’d probably hoped you’d find someone else in that time, why else set such a ridiculous timeline?

Besides if he’d meant it he definitely would’ve made some kind of move to indicate that he wanted to be more than just your best friend but he never had. Things had gone on as usual, hanging out, studying together, and occasionally cuddling on the couch or hugging.

He’d been a teenage boy, busy or not his hormones definitely should’ve had him making some kind of move if he was at all interested. There had been times when they’d cuddled that you’d fought with everything you had not to tilt your head just so and find out what his mouth tasted like.

It didn’t help that your friend, who’d always been handsome in a gangly kind of way, had suddenly bulked up, shoulders broadening as he filled out and became solid if slightly lean muscle all over. With a wicked smirk, those teasing hazel eyes, and the always mussed hair he’d become nearly irresistible and you hadn’t been the only one to notice.

Luckily or unluckily Kuroo had never showed any sort of interest in dating in high school, and even now three years later had only gone on a handful of dates. On one hand it was a good thing as you weren’t sure you could’ve stood seeing him with someone who wasn’t you, just learning about his dates afterward enough to leave cracks on your heart, but on the other if he’d seriously dated someone you might’ve been able to finally let him go.

As it was you’d only dated the guy from high school in an attempt to get over him, one that had failed spectacularly. You’d dated a handful of guys since then, but you never seemed to be able to find any sort of connection with any of them, physically, mentally or emotionally. Nothing that could compare with the connection you had with Kuroo.

Your latest boyfriend had been the worst disaster yet. He’d been a bit of an ass, though you’d initially been drawn to him because his snark had reminded you of Kuroo. Nothing had gone right, not even the sex, so you’d felt justified in coming to your best friend to complain a bit.

However, you hadn’t realized you were annoying him so badly, though you probably should’ve expected it. Ever since your relationship with your second boyfriend in high school your relationship with Kuroo seemed to have changed.

He’d grown distant, the two of you no longer cuddling the way you used to, hugs few and far between. You still hung out, you still talked, but it wasn’t the same as before. Before it had felt like Kuroo would’ve dropped everything for you, the same you would’ve done for him, but these days it almost felt like he didn’t want you around. He kept making excuses not to see you, and it hurt, more than you could say, especially since you were still as hopelessly in love with him as you’d been in high school.

Maybe it was time to end that line of thought for good. Looking at him, the clear annoyance and frustrated anger written all over his face you could tell your presence wasn’t wanted.

“Alright,” you agreed, your tone mechanical and stiff, “I can see where I’m not wanted.”

You put away your things, sweeping away your textbook that you’d technically come to study with, and got to your feet. Kuroo had turned his face away, refusing to look at you, jaw tight.

Your heart felt like it was breaking just looking at him, but it had been six years, six years of unrequited love, it was past time to give it up, and so you took the first step, “See you around I guess, Kuroo.”

You’d been in the process of setting your bag over your shoulder and heading for the door, so you hadn’t been looking at him when you said it, but the absolutely wounded noise he’d made froze you in your tracks.

You turned slowly to look at him, and your heart, which you’d thought you’d managed to numb sufficiently until you could get home and cry, absolutely wrenched in your chest as you saw the devastated look on his face.

“Kuroo?” you asked, gently deeply concerned, shoving all your heartbreak aside for the moment. Yes, you were hurting, but none of that was important in the face of his clear devastation. Something had clearly gone wrong, something that you’d apparently missed and had caused him to snap at you, and you immediately felt like the worst best friend ever.

“Kuroo, what’s wrong?” you prompted, dropping your things to the floor and rounding the table so you could kneel down next to him, your hands hovering over his arm unsure whether you were allowed to touch him or not.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked out, sounding weak and utterly defeated, and before you could tell him there was no need for apologies he continued, “I’m sorry I can’t sit here and listen to you talk about your ex boyfriends and how no one will ever love you. It’s been three years, and I know I should’ve gotten over it by now, but I can’t. I’ve tried, but I can’t.”

“Kuroo, I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” you told him anxiously, wishing more than anything that you could do something to curb the sheer devastation in his eyes.

He let out a shuddering breath as he turned his pleading eyes to yours and told you, “I can’t listen to you complain about how no one will love you when I’m right here in front of you, still as desperately in love with you as I was in middle school but somehow not good enough. I’m sorry. Maybe with time and a little more distance I can get over it, but please don’t call me that. I’ve always been Tetsu to you, and I always will be, just give me a little bit more time to try to fall out of love with you, kitten.”

The return of a nickname you’d rarely heard these days, one that he’d called you all throughout high school was like a punch to the gut, and you sucked in a hissed breath trying to process exactly what he was telling you.

“You’re in love with me?” you asked him weakly, feeling like the earth had suddenly tilted on its axis.

“I know,” he told you, despair in every syllable, “It’s been years, and I should’ve been over it. You made yourself very clear when you started dating that basketball fuckboy at the end of high school, when you didn’t wait for me. I’m your best friend, just your best friend, and I’ll always be your best friend, but please… just… give me some time?”

By the end he was practically begging, and you felt your own heart break alongside him as you started to put the pieces together. Still the only thing you could manage to say was, “You weren’t joking.”

“Joking?” he repeated, sounding utterly confused, “Joking about what?”

“That time,” you explained numbly, shocked to the core, “In middle school, when he broke up with me.”

Kuroo may have been hurt, but he’d never been slow and was apparently quicker on the uptake than you were as he demanded in a disbelieving whisper, “You thought I was joking?”

“Well what was I supposed to think?” you demanded a slightly hysterical edge to your voice, “You confessed and then immediately backtracked! Like you were just trying to make me feel better! And you never made a move not once!”

“We went on dates,” Kuroo countered slowly, “I even paid.”

“We were hanging out, the same way we always did and I paid sometimes too,” you insisted, “You never tried to kiss me, never even tried to hold my hand.”

“I was trying to be respectful,” he told you, clearly pained, “I told you I didn’t have time to give a relationship with you everything it deserved to have, and I didn’t want to push you. You were being patient with me, it was only right to be patient with you.”

You slumped forward on to the table, fighting the urge to bang your head against it slowly and repeatedly for the sheer stupidity the two of you had apparently been engaged in. All those times you’d fantasized that he’d meant it when he confessed and then talked yourself out of it when he really had, all those stupid ex boyfriends who’d insisted Kuroo was in love with you, who might not have actually been all that stupid after all. Looked like the joke was on you.

“It’s not like you dated anyone either,” he told you, his tone part defensive, partly accusatory as he clearly realized that you hadn’t had a single clue that he was actually in love with you.

“That’s because I was in love with you, stupid,” you hissed at him, embarrassment making your cheeks feel hot as you finally admitted the real reason you hadn’t had a date until the very end of your senior year. Yes, you’d been excluded and passed over for things because everyone apparently thought you and Kuroo were dating, but there had been literally nothing stopping you from attempting to confess to someone yourself.

The only problem was the only one you’d wanted to confess to was Kuroo and you didn’t have the guts to do it. Now though you really wished you’d just gone for it. This whole mess would’ve been cleared up a whole lot sooner, and would’ve apparently saved both of you a lot of heartache.

“You were in love with me,” Kuroo repeated, the tone of absolute defeat in his voice enough to make you lift your head again. Your best friend was looking at you as though his world had ended and you couldn’t figure out why until he laughed, a hollow broken sound and asked, “So I missed my chance? I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”

“Tetsu,” you interjected, unable to bear letting him hurt for even a minute longer, not when you knew the truth, not when everything you’d ever wanted was somehow miraculously within reach. Carefully you reached out, cradling his face in your palms the same way he’d done for you all those years ago when you’d been crying, thinking you might never be loved.

“Tetsu, I love you,” you told him, holding his golden hazel eyes with your own, hoping he could see how utterly sincere you were, “I’ve been helplessly in love with you since we were fifteen, and that hasn’t changed. Every guy I ever dated I dated trying to get over you, and none of them compared, none of them ever got close.”

He let out a shuddering breath as he stared at you, a mixture of fear and hope on his face as he reached for you, cupping your cheek in one large palm. You allowed your hands to slide around his neck as he leaned forward slowly, clearly giving you time to move if you wanted to, but you held still even as your heart threatened to beat out of your chest at the first gently press of lips on lips.

Your eyes fluttered shut as you allowed yourself to simply feel the warmth of his hand on your face and the sweet press of his mouth to yours. It was everything you’d ever dreamed a kiss could be and never experienced with any of your previous boyfriends, a feeling of rightness that couldn’t be denied.

Your lips parted slightly under his own, deepening the kiss as your hands tangled in his wild hair, pulling him close. A quiet groan left his lips as the two of you parted for air, before you found yourself dragged willingly forward into his lap.

His arms wrapped around you, so the two of you were pressed tight together, as he clung to you like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go. He tasted just as amazing as you’d always fantasized and you realized you didn’t ever really want to stop kissing him.

Unfortunately, the need for more air eventually won out, and you pulled back slightly, resting your forehead against his as both of you panted for breath, unable to bear the thought of moving farther away again now that you’d been this close.

“I’m dreaming again,” Kuroo told you hoarsely, “I’m dreaming, and when I wake up you won’t be here kitten and I’m going to get my heart broken all over again.”

Your heart ached for both of you as you thought about how much heartache you’d inadvertently caused one another. Communication was definitely going to be something the two of you needed to work on, but for now you’d do everything you could to assuage his hurts.

“I love you, Tetsu,” you told him, laying butterfly kisses over his forehead, his eyelids, his cheeks, nose and chin and anywhere you could reach as you held him and repeated between kisses, “I love you, I love you, I love you. More than anyone or anything Tetsu, I’ll say it as many times as I need to. I love you and I want nothing more than to be with you.”

He let out a shuddering breath before diving for your mouth again, his kisses utterly helpless and desperate, his tongue teasing your lips before slipping into your mouth to caress your own. Shivers of delight had you press in close to him, wondering if you couldn’t find a way to keep kissing him and never have to stop.

“I love you,” he told you, his voice breaking a little at his confession, as he pulled himself away only to nuzzle his face into your neck, “I love you so much kitten, all I ever wanted was to call you mine.”

“I’m yours,” you affirmed, “Always have been Tetsu, always will be.”

You weren’t sure how much time passed as you continued to explore one another, a desperate edge to your movements, both of you clearly more than ready to make up for lost time in any way you could. Eventually you slowed down though, settling for lazy kisses as you cuddled in close to one another, realization finally sinking in that this was actually happening.

It felt utterly surreal, and you couldn’t blame Kuroo for thinking it was all a dream. It certainly felt like on. He loved you. Kuroo loved you. You could barely wrap your head around it. Still now that it was starting to sink in desperation and hurt was slowly starting to give way to a giddy joy, one that meant neither of you could stop smiling at each other like the absolutely besotted idiots that you were.

A thought crossed your mind and you couldn’t help the little giddy giggle that escaped your lips, even as you buried your face in Kuroo’s neck, savoring his warmth and the feel of his arms around you.

“Something funny, kitten?” he asked, his voice slightly husky, warm and a little breathless from all the kisses you’d shared.

“Nothing,” you assured him, sitting up in his lap so you could look him in the eye as you smiled, feeling utterly besotted, giddy and warm, fingers playing with the short hairs at the back of his neck, “Just a thought.”

“Care to share with the class?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at you, a tenderness in his warm hazel eyes that left you utterly breathless and wondering how on earth you’d missed it before.

“Mm,” you hummed in agreement, leaning forward to brush a kiss over his willing mouth, before confessing, “Nothing, just…”

You paused to brush another kiss over his lips, unable to keep away and feeling utterly addicted already to the feel of his lips on yours. Kuroo smiled into your kiss, the upturn of his lips under yours enough to make your own quirk up as you pulled away and finished, “I’m going to marry you someday Kuroo, Tetsurou.”

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice breathy and tender as he stroked his hands up your spine, his eyes warm and hopeful as he peered into your face, “You promise, kitten?”

“Promise,” you assured him, meaning it with everything you had, and happily surrendering as he pressed forward to seal that promise with another kiss.

Yes, you were absolutely going to marry him someday, because now you had him, now that you’d realized he returned your feelings you knew you wouldn’t ever let him go.

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