Unorthodox
A Kuroko no Basuke/Haikyuu! crossover
by mew-tsubaki
Note: The Kuroko no Basuke characters belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi-sensei, and the Haikyuu! characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. The 1st non-HQ! ship in the Birds of a Feather AU! :D BUT! This fic stands on its own so you don't have to read the fics in the BoaF collection to enjoy this. I'm indulging my love of KoMori here. XD Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: Though you don't have to read the BoaF fics to enjoy this, things will be clearer if you do; this is set after the 6th story, "Opportunity," and occurs at the same time as the oneshot "Molting" (links at bottom of my FFN profile).
- ^-^3
"Ah!" Ennoshita held up a hand to block Moriyama's shot, but he only touched the paper wad with a finger. He watched as the ball still landed in the waste basket, despite its shaky trajectory. Ennoshita snapped his fingers. "Darn. My timing was only ever so-so for blocking," he remarked with a chuckle.
"And I have a knack for shots that'll make it in anyway," Moriyama told his superior as Ennoshita joined him out on the Marketing floor at Ukai Corporation. Moriyama had more sticky notes to toss, so he grabbed the next one, crunched it up into a tight paper ball, and threw it. Without a blocker this time, it landed in the middle of the basket's mouth.
"Wow… That's something…" Then Ennoshita shook his head. "Agh, I didn't come out of my office to be impressed. Did you finish the drafts from yesterday?"
Moriyama passed him a folder with the work inside with one hand and balled up another sticky note with his other. "That I did. I had a couple of extra ideas for the third case, so I included two more drafts."
Ennoshita looked it over as Moriyama made another, perfect three-pointer. "Good work, Moriyama-san. Ah, but," he added with a glance to the office beside his, "maybe you can make your baskets later, when Sugawara-san's not around?"
Moriyama half grinned. "Will do," he replied, and he shoved his discard pile off to the side with one sweep of his arm. Briefly, he dragged his eyes over the desk, a space he'd only been occupying for more than a month since its prior occupant was no longer with the company. He grimaced, but he stopped when he realized Ennoshita also eyed the space forlornly.
The brunet opened his mouth as if to comment on Terushima's absence, but he thought better and closed his mouth. Both of them had worked closely with the spunky guy, especially Ennoshita, who'd sat with him out here for years before accepting the Marketing supervisor promotion last fall.
"Things feel more like normal around here," Moriyama quipped, saving the younger man from the need to comment.
"Oh. Yeah…" He leaned slightly on Moriyama's desk, his eyes trained on Sugawara's door. "I thought it'd take longer after Sugawara-san said the layoffs were over. But I guess not." He perked up as he recalled something. "That's right. You know Kobori-san in I.T."
Moriyama shrugged, not having a better way to describe him and the I.T. department head. "He's…my friend," he said in an odd echo of when he'd first mentioned the connection to Ennoshita. "And, before you ask, they still don't know what happened in the hack. But they've improved our security."
"No, I know. My friend, Narita, is on loan to help our I.T. guys, and he's said the same. I thought Kobori-san would know more."
"Oh, he probably does. He just doesn't say." Moriyama blinked, feeling a sense of déjà vu. Ah. Right. Kobori had known more months ago, knowing how bad the hack was, and Moriyama had been huffy with him after for not sharing. Unfortunately, Ennoshita had been right about Kobori not being allowed to share the extent of the damage at the time. The memory made him frown now.
Ennoshita tilted his head towards him, curious. "Something wrong?"
"Nope. Just—have other work to do."
"I see. I assumed you had something more to say about Kobori-san."
Damn. Ennoshita, like Sugawara, was a lot more perceptive than he seemed. That mental acuity made it clear to Moriyama and the rest why background character types like them had been chosen to lead the department. In that way, Ennoshita and Sugawara were like Kobori, so at least Moriyama was used to that personality type.
"Moriyama-san?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, I'm good." He smiled until Ennoshita either bought it or gave up and then returned to the office adjoining Sugawara's. Then Moriyama dropped his smile, massaged his cheeks, and went back to throwing out old sticky notes.
- ^-^3
At the end of the day, he considered swinging by the basement to say "heya" to Nakamura and to pick Kobori up on the way home. But then he realized he'd never collected Kobori, nor had Kobori ever come up to the fourth floor to fetch him, so he scrapped the idea and left by himself in search of ice-cream on this warm summer's night.
Honestly. Why had he thought to do that, to act out of the ordinary, all of sudden? They'd been living together for years, roommates since university, so why change it up now?
Hmm. "Friends." "Roommates." Such funny things to call him and Kobori.
He stopped at the ice-cream stand that had set up for the season near the public basketball court up the street from their apartment. Behind him in line, two high school-age girls whispered to each other about the handsome man ahead of them, so he left some money to cover their ice-creams and flashed them a radiant smile as he walked away with a cone of coffee chocolate chip.
Their whispers went away after seeing his smile, but at least the taller girl thanked him for treating them. Dammit. Kise made it look so easy, winning hearts left and right with a well-timed smile…!
Moriyama's phone rang while he sulked, but his hands were full between his ice-cream and his briefcase, so he went to sit on the bench by one side of the court. He dug his phone out of his pocket and answered it by the fifth ring. "Kobori…! I got the most pitiful looks from two cute girls again…!"
Kobori half sighed, half chuckled. "Really, Moriyama?"
"Really!"
"Well, their loss. By the way, since you're already out of the office, would you mind going to the spice shop and buying a grinder of the good red peppercorns? I won't make it before they close."
Moriyama rolled his eyes. The spice shop was in the opposite direction from home, so he'd have to hoof it there…or he could just pick up the store brand from the local convenience store. However, Kobori, unlike Kasamatsu, never filled his ear about his casual, failed flirtations, so Moriyama supposed he could be just as nice and humor Kobori by going to the specialty shop. "Sure, sure."
"Thanks. I'm leaving shortly, so I'll see you at home soon. Bye, Moriyama."
"Yeah. See you soon."
He finished his ice-cream first and turned right around to make it to the store. Luckily, the owner saw him before she turned the "OPEN" sign to "CLOSED," so she let him inside. He found the grinder pretty quickly, so he bought it and a strong-smelling cinnamon mill, too, as he couldn't resist.
Moriyama wasn't surprised that, since he'd doubled back, he arrived home after Kobori, which he noted by the absence of the taller man's slippers inside the door. "I'm back," he called into the apartment as he untied his dress shoes.
"Welcome back," Kobori said on his way out of the bathroom. He was still in his work clothes. "I got home about five minutes ago. Success?"
"Success," Moriyama confirmed, passing him the bag.
"Great! Wait, why's there a cinnamon mill?"
"Because it smelled good and now I want cinnamon cookies."
Kobori laughed and followed him into the kitchen. "Isn't it the wrong season for those? Have some mochi ice-cream after dinner."
"I had some ice-cream already," Moriyama admitted, but he opened the freezer to check the flavor. He'd forgotten they had mochi ice-cream left over…ah, never mind. They only had strawberry.
Kobori came up behind him with a sigh and pushed the freezer door closed. "Why is it you always eat dessert first?"
Moriyama flashed him a victory sign along with his wide smile from earlier. "Because Mom never broke me of the habit," he announced happily.
The computer tech scrutinized him with a wry smile, and he chuckled again. "Dinner'll be in half an hour," he said as he turned away.
Moriyama blinked. Not that he'd ever made an effort to use his smile on his friends and teammates, but how could Kobori have no reaction? Were all guys immune to it, or had Kobori simply seen it enough over the years? He blinked a second time, snapping out of his thoughts as he followed after his former teammate. "So, uh…what are we having?" he went with in the end, still confused if he should prod or not about the strange idea in his head.
"Fried chicken," Kobori answered, assembling the ingredients. "Proper summertime food," he teased with a quick, mischievous glance at his friend.
"Oh, cut me some slack." Moriyama let an odd beat pass before forging ahead. "Hey, you…don't think of my smile as scary?"
Kobori did a double-take and furrowed his brow. "Scary? Of course not. What, were the girls you mentioned earlier rude?"
"No, not really…" Moriyama glanced at the ceiling as he loosened his tie, and he leaned against the kitchen counter to watch Kobori cook. "I've always marveled at how someone flashy like Kise can socialize so easily, whether he talks or not. He could probably have his fans screaming in his sleep, it's that natural."
"Not anymore. You know he fell out of the fashion scene while we and Kasamatsu continued our studies. Who would've thought he'd actually become a pilot after that birthday lesson Kasamatsu bought him?"
"Don't remind me. I was the one who gave our beloved Captain Bad-At-Romance the idea, remember?" He ran a hand through his olive–black hair and ultimately crossed his arms in front of his chest. "But that wasn't my point. I mean that Kise's smile…naturally charms everyone. I've always thought I had a nice smile myself, but tonight I just…wonder."
Kobori nodded. The chicken was ready to be cooked, so he laid the pieces in the frying pan gently with a pair of chopsticks. He used a second, clean pair to flip them when one side was done, and a third when the meat finished—though Moriyama had never once gotten sick from Kobori's food, so he didn't heckle him for being a kitchen hygiene freak. "Your smile's not scary," he assured Moriyama.
Moriyama frowned.
"Really," he insisted, and he laughed when Moriyama swatted his arm for imitating his inflections from their phone call. "You just…get really into it when someone piques your interest, even if only for a moment." He tapped the unused end of the chopsticks to his chin. "Kasamatsu and Hayakawa used to bellyache about you being distracted when you spied a girl of your type during a game, but I think you were always focused—are always focused, in your own way."
…well, jeez, put that way, how could Moriyama refute? "You flatter me," he groused, his cheeks pleasantly warm.
"And you, me. Takeuchi-sensei and Kasamatsu always did say I should've used a firmer hand with you, but it was easier for me to corral the kouhai." Kobori's tone was lighthearted, as was his grin. The view was nice, so Moriyama shelved his vanity for the evening as Kobori made his night better and chatted to take his mind off things.
- ^-^3
In the morning, Moriyama woke up at the sound of his alarm clock and hopped out of bed. He headed for the bathroom, knocking on Kobori's door as he passed. "Oi, get up, Kobori."
No sound.
Moriyama rolled his eyes and popped his head in. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You'll barely have time to get dressed let alone eat if you don't get moving."
"…thanks" came Kobori's sleepy reply. He waved over his shoulder, an indication that he was, in fact, awake.
Well, he'd done his job, so Moriyama got to use the bathroom first. He dressed and was nearly ready by the time Kobori slogged into the kitchen to heat up leftovers from yesterday's breakfast for them, but he snickered while Kobori ate.
"What?" the tech asked after swallowing a folded egg.
"Nothing. Except your faux-hawk's back."
Kobori mussed his hair up, groaning. "I just need to run a comb through it."
Moriyama shrugged. "I don't get why you don't style it that way anymore."
"Because we're closer to thirty than we are to twenty," Kobori retorted.
"But it was cool on you." Oh. Had that been too much? Kobori's eyes widened, and he suddenly found their breakfast to be very interesting.
"As I said, it's no longer age-appropriate."
The olive-haired man shrugged again. Suddenly, he had an idea, and he pointed rudely with his chopsticks. "Oh! You should've tried a real mohawk! Completely shaved the sides and gone all big up top."
Kobori eyed his laughing friend skeptically. "Yeah… And then Takeuchi-sensei would've had a heart attack and I would've been suspended. Sounds great, Moriyama."
Moriyama still snickered, but this lackadaisical atmosphere was better than the strange one a moment ago.
They finished eating, and Moriyama went on ahead to work first. Kobori would clean up since the night owl had stayed up a bit later than he meant to, but that was the norm. They didn't go to work together. They didn't leave work together. They did often meet up to have lunch together, but that was really just a habit carried over from their university days, a habit started because Kobori had gone to a different school from him and Kasamatsu after Kaijou.
They lived together, ate together, occasionally slept together—that was their norm. But, close as they were, Moriyama didn't think it right to call them "friends." Hmm.
The bus stop by their place was a two-minute walk, the bus, a seven-ish-minute ride to work, so Moriyama inhaled, exhaled, and wished for this funny, itchy feeling to disappear. It did, when he felt a pair of eyes on him.
Moriyama paused his count of the telephone poles outside the window and looked around him when he got the sense of being watched. He saw no one…and then a middle-aged housewife gave him a coy look when their eyes met for a second. Yikes.
Internally groaning, Moriyama resumed his count, and he smiled uncomfortable when he felt he was being watched again. Would it be wrong of him to tell the woman off, if he did so politely? But she sat too far away, across the aisle and two seats ahead. It would be little effort to shoot her a dirty, though.
Yet, when he looked up this time, he found she wasn't looking at all. Weird. However…
He glanced up and beside him, and an older man averted his eyes as if caught red-handed. Oh.
Well, Moriyama was accustomed to the occasional gawker, male or female. The women tended to be the ones bold enough to stare openly. The men, more often than not, acted like shy maidens who'd been found doing something inappropriate.
But, since he clearly had this salaryman's attention, he decided to test out yesterday's theory. Moriyama waited for the man to look his way again, and then he gave him a winning smile.
As with the girls last night, the man's interest cooled. He stood up a bit straighter and pressed the destination button, getting off once the bus pulled over to the side of the road.
How rude!
Moriyama wore a scowl for the rest of the ride. He eased up by the time he entered the lobby at Ukai Corp., and the light orange check-in desk seemed welcoming as he swiped his employee badge and went upstairs. By the moment he arrived at his desk, he felt almost completely better, not fully so only because he could've used Terushima's chipper morning-person attitude right then.
"…and no, I'm not saying" came Ennoshita's disgruntled voice from Sugawara's open door. Sugawara laughed in response.
Okay. No overexcited puppy Terushima to entertain him, but this sounded promising.
Ennoshita walked out of the Marketing manager's office, looking relieved for a fraction of a second when he saw Moriyama had arrived. Then his expression went flat when Sugawara followed his subordinate out and slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Come on, Ennoshita…! Daichi and I can't swing by The Roost as much as we'd like. So I expect you to keep me updated on all the goings-on that occur," the sandy-haired man practically whined.
"No, you want me to share gossip that involves me, and I'm not biting, Sugawara-san."
Sugawara raised his eyebrows, glee evident in his pale brown eyes. "Something Tanaka probably did not say last night, eh?"
Ennoshita turned redder than the hair of Kise's former Miracles captain. But he said nothing more and stomped towards Moriyama to pass the latter some files. At least Sugawara took the hint and whistled as he waltzed back into his office…though he could be heard laughing again as he shut the door this time.
Moriyama bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Good morning," he managed, only cracking a friendly smile.
Ennoshita groaned. "Don't join him," he insisted with his back to their boss's office.
"In doing what?"
The brunet blanched, realizing he'd have to give an explanation in order to give clear instructions. "Just—don't become someone like him," he bumbled.
Moriyama chuckled. "It's fine. I like being me." Which was true. He had a good life, a good job, good friends, came from a good family. So what that his smile was too much for strangers to handle? Kobori liked it, a lot.
And yet…
But Moriyama shoved his odd thoughts to the back of his mind. He took a long look at his supervisor, feeling something was…off. "Hang on. The suit's new, but…aren't those the shirt and tie you wore yesterday, Ennoshita?"
Once more, Ennoshita's cheeks grew hot, but he didn't get angry with Moriyama. Instead, he spluttered, "I just—I forgot, okay?"
"Forgot what?"
Ennoshita grabbed the empty chair from what used to be his desk out on the floor and pulled up beside the older man. "I stayed at a…friend's last night, where I'd left this suit," he said, tugging on a deep green lapel, "but…I forgot to leave a fresh shirt there and a different tie."
"The tie I would've assumed was a favorite," Moriyama said of the raspberry-hued neckwear. "But the shirt? And on a school night?" His grin widened.
"Don't stare," Ennoshita reminded him with a pointed look. "Sugawara-san noticed right away, and he's begging for details about me and…my friend."
It was funny. Moriyama had not noticed the same thing. Instead, he paid more attention to Ennoshita's words. Yesterday, Ennoshita had mentioned Narita so easily. But today's use of "friend" was like Moriyama's use when speaking of Kobori, and it made Moriyama wonder. "Person must be a good friend," he remarked.
"…yeah," Ennoshita admitted, softening. A gentle, private smile curved his lips upward, reminding Moriyama of that time in university when Kasamatsu had his epiphany that maybe, just maybe, he really liked Kise, and that the blond deserved a chance to show he was serious in his love for his senpai.
Friends and seriousness and romance. "Hmm."
"What?" Ennoshita asked.
"Nothing," the olive-haired man lied. "Good for you, Ennoshita." Now that, he meant. He almost added a casual "I'm jealous," but he kept those words to himself, suddenly not sure he wanted to share….
- ^-^3
"Today I—" Moriyama stopped short as his nose caught a whiff of what Kobori had just popped into the oven. "You made the cookies," he stated dumbly, his eyes glued to his roommate as the other man cleaned up after their late dinner.
"I did," Kobori said. He laughed at himself. "It's why we ate late, because I prepped those first. Frankly, I couldn't help myself after what you said last night. The freshly ground cinnamon really is nice."
"Thanks," Moriyama remembered to say at the last second. He was…flustered. This little indulgence made him feel pampered. Kobori really was a good guy.
"Least I can do since you bought the mill." Kobori checked the kitchen timer and pocketed it. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "So, I've got the timer, so I can hear it on the balcony, but I'll be at the telescope, if you need me."
Moriyama nodded and ushered him towards the balcony. He watched Kobori open the sliding door and step out onto the private balcony, and he smiled when Kobori left the door ajar like usual, a standing invitation should Moriyama ever join him in his stargazing hobby.
Sometimes Moriyama thought he might. But he was an early riser in contrast with Kobori's being a night owl. It was wisest he stay away rather than rudely fall asleep while they hung out.
So he went and took a quick shower. He settled in to watch the news for a bit—thank gods the hack rumors were old, unconfirmed stories these days—but Moriyama was bored by himself. His stomach growled the closer the cookies grew to being done.
Thankfully, the timer beeped, but Moriyama waved Kobori back to his telescope and observation journal. He took the tray out himself, and he poured two glasses of cold green tea while the cookies cooled.
"You really do sit out here no matter the temperature," he remarked as he came outside and passed one tea to Kobori.
"Ah, thanks. And, yeah, I do." Kobori sipped his drink and stared up at the night sky. "As long as the sky's clear, I'll be here to enjoy it." Kobori talked about most things with enthusiasm, but this…this was different. This quiet excitement was more intense, more enthralling.
Ahh. Why had he not come out to the balcony sooner?
Kobori glanced at him. "What? Do you want to give the stars a look?"
Moriyama shook his head, believing he'd likely break the expensive telescope if he touched it. So he motioned his head to the observational notebook in Kobori's lap instead. "What do you even record in there? Planetary motion? The constellations?"
"Something like that."
"The only thing I know about constellations comes from Tanabata." Moriyama paused. "And the Dippers, I suppose."
Kobori grinned and scooted his chair closer. "I can teach you about some of the others, if you want. There's everything from animals to inanimate objects to concepts to people. Kings and brothers and hunters and a princess."
"A princess?" Oops. Moriyama's interest piqued hearing that, and his imagination ran wild, depicting various beauties.
His friend laughed. "Yes, a princess. I take it that's a 'yes'?"
Moriyama pursed his lips, since Kobori was right on the mark. "Yes…."
- ^-^3
He fell asleep in the spare seat on the balcony, dreams full of stars and chairs and princesses and Kobori. Moriyama hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he was bad at staying up late, and Kobori hadn't been bothered when Moriyama rested his head on the larger man's shoulder while Kobori told him myths and legends, from Japan and beyond.
But Moriyama also recalled falling asleep outside. He was a tad surprised to discover in the morning that he was tucked into Kobori's bed, the other man's form at his back.
Moriyama patted his chest. His clothes were still on. All right. So last night hadn't been one of their sexy nights. But still. Even after sex, usually they returned to their respective beds.
Hmm.
He turned onto his other side, yanking the sheet up over his shoulders and gazing at a back wider and more reliable than his. Kobori, he thought, really was a good man. Making sure Moriyama slept in a proper bed, cooking food Moriyama liked, taking care of things around the apartment even though Moriyama was more than capable of doing chores himself, not being annoyed with or tired of Moriyama's personality—
Kobori Kouji was a good catch.
Moriyama blinked in the darkness, his eyes adjusting and outlining more of Kobori's shape as the computer tech turned in his sleep to face his roommate. Moriyama was stunned the notion hadn't struck him sooner, but it had, now. Kobori was a friendly person with a slew of great qualities about him—plus his skills! He was a hard worker and already led a department at their company. And he was so sweet after making love, not saying anything but letting his expression say it all, holding on for a bit even if actual cuddling was off and had never been on the table, just as kissing was something meant only for the bedroom.
Shit. Kobori could…do better than Moriyama. And deserved better than Moriyama.
Moriyama frowned upon his realization, but he knew it was true. Their life together was good, but this…was a bad situation. It wasn't just Kobori being marriageable, but Moriyama's lack of seriousness. He still got distracted by pretty women multiple times a week if not once a day—sometimes the rare, androgynous man made him stop for a second look. But he didn't have that twinkle in his eye Kasamatsu and Kise had for each other or that confident smile Ennoshita had for his "friend." …well, damn. He really felt it. "I'm jealous," he thought aloud quietly.
Kobori stirred. He squeezed his eyes shut, blinking the sleep dust from them, and slowly opened them. "Did you say something?" he asked, his voice still thick with grogginess.
"Nothing, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."
"It's okay," he said, ending with a yawn and stretching his free arm. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah. But I thought we'd been on the balcony."
"We were. You held on almost 'til one in the morning, but then you were fast asleep in the chair beside me. I got tired after four and finally called it a night myself. But I was too tired to do anything other than carry you in here. Sorry 'bout that."
"Oh." Moriyama tried to think about anything besides how strong Kobori was to be able to carry him like that, even though the larger man, proportionally, was more willowy than he was. "Ah!"
"What?"
"The cookies!"
Kobori raised an eyebrow, a motion Moriyama sensed more than saw. "What about them? You took them out of the oven last night before coming out to the balcony, remember?"
"Oh. Right." Moriyama frowned. "Damn. Now they're cold."
"So we heat them up and have them for breakfast," Kobori suggested. He resituated himself, putting less distance between them on the mattress but staying far enough away nevertheless. The only difference was his head on the edge of his pillow, close enough that they'd bump heads if Moriyama looked up. "If you don't mind, though," Kobori mumbled, "I could use another five minutes."
"Sure," Moriyama agreed, but he didn't go back to sleep. Instead, he watched Kobori's sleeping face—another thing he'd never done before, like stargazing.
Fifteen minutes later, Kobori woke up properly. They exited his room, and he brewed coffee for himself and tea for Moriyama. Then he microwaved a third of the cookies and sat on the couch with Moriyama, the two eating as they flipped back and forth amongst the various Sunday morning variety shows.
All the while, Moriyama thought about these experiences he shared with Kobori, all the firsts he had with Kobori…all of the things he shared with Kobori. And he wondered if maybe they should belong to somebody else. He wasn't in love with Kobori, so shouldn't be Kobori living this life with someone who was?
- ^-^3
The next several days found Moriyama spacing out between tasks. Even on his lunch break, he went up to the roof to clear his mind by shooting some hoops. There was no gym in the building, but there was a basketball hoop up on the roof and an old basketball for employees to use on their breaks. Moriyama lucked out, having both to himself.
But having Kobori to himself… What a silly idea, he internally groused as a gust of wind caught his shot and bounced the ball off the rim. Moriyama frowned not at that but at his inner musings. He knew Kobori was a good catch. He knew Kobori's type—a woman who lived in moderation and behaved as such, the gentle type—was not hard to find. So how could he help his friend land that special someone?
He dribbled the ball mindlessly as he stood there, thinking about what the future would look like. He couldn't stay in that apartment on his own; it worked only with both of their salaries. But it wasn't just that. He'd see less of Kobori, too, just as he saw less of Kasamatsu after Kaijou's former captain finally gave in to their former ace. The same went for Hayakawa and Nakamura, his friends despite being the year after him. And, of course, Kise, who'd all but dropped from the public eye once he settled into a pilot's life and made work and Kasamatsu his only priorities.
Maybe life was supposed to go that way. Maybe a guy wasn't supposed to keep connected to his high school teammates. Maybe a guy was expected to leave those relationships behind at some point, to embrace new faces in his life, and, if old faces happened to remain in the picture, then that was that and didn't mean anything.
Of course, he could just hear the others now, if they heard him. Kise and Hayakawa probably would be impressed, hearing him be more reflective and mawkish than they knew him to be. Nakamura might scrutinize him over the rims of his glasses and remind him that he still considered his senpai a friend, no matter what. Kasamatsu undoubtedly would see right through him, send him a glare, and tell him he was talking nonsense; if Moriyama were unlucky, he'd probably even receive one of those infamous kicks Kise had received for years. And Kobori?
He tried not to think too much about how Kobori would react. But his imagination kept drawing Kobori's frown in his mind's eye, and it was an image that made Moriyama uneasy.
On that note, something else occurred to him: If he wanted to set things straight and send Kobori on his happy way, then he'd have to draw a line between them. And he'd have to tell Kobori as much.
Interesting. He'd never gotten close enough to someone to break up with them. He wondered if it felt something like this…
As for telling someone off, Kasamatsu was an expert, and Moriyama considered calling Kaijou's assistant basketball coach for some tips. …then again, maybe this required a visit, so Kasamatsu wouldn't misunderstand. Besides, Kanagawa was only a hop and a train away.
But days passed, and Moriyama didn't act on the idea. As the weekend neared with every passing hour come Friday, he figured it was for one of two reasons: Kasamatsu might not believe Moriyama was involved in such a way with Kobori to begin with, and Moriyama didn't think he could make a stop at Kaijou alone without sparking Kobori's interest.
The dark-haired man found himself frowning since he'd dragged his feet, and he shut down his computer and was one of the last ones out of Marketing that evening. Even Ennoshita's office was dark, and the door was closed.
Agh. He really could've used a friendly chat on the way out to distract him…!
"Oh, Moriyama! You're still here?"
He turned at Sugawara's voice and paused so the shorter man could catch up. "I'm on my way out."
"Mind if I join you?" Sugawara fell into step with him and loosened his tie. Though his steps were shorter and numerous to keep up with Moriyama, he acted as though their paces matched and peered up at him. "How unusual for you to stay late."
"I got absorbed in something," Moriyama answered. Which was true. It just hadn't been work.
"I see…" Sugawara thanked him as the other man held the door to the stairwell open for him. "That happens to me on occasion, but I usually get scolded for not coming up for air."
Moriyama didn't have to imagine that. Even though Sawamura, Sugawara's partner, worked in Production down on the second floor, he often came upstairs to pull the Marketing manager from his swivel chair, and everyone in the department had seen or heard their boss nagged at least once.
"You've got the right amount of focus, though," the sandy-haired man continued, recapturing Moriyama's attention. "You work when you need to and stop when you don't. I envy your punctuality for stopping right when the clock does."
Uh-oh. "Are you implying I've acted wrong? Neither you nor Ennoshita have said I've left anything unfinished."
Sugawara swatted the idea away. "No, you're good. I mean it when I say I'm envious." He made a face, scrunching up his nose and pouting. "I want to stick to a schedule, too. Get up, go to work, leave timely to get home to my honey…"
Moriyama chuckled dryly, but only partly at poor Sawamura's maudlin descriptor. "Uh… I'm not going home to anyone…"
"You aren't? Oh. My mistake, sorry."
The dark-haired man shook his head. Technically, at this hour, Kobori was likely to be home already, but Moriyama wasn't going home to him in the way Sugawara implied. …no. He wasn't, and he never would. Someone else would, eventually, he knew.
He glanced at the beauty-marked manager while Sugawara stared. "You know, I'm kind of surprised."
"By what?"
"That you're a bachelor."
Moriyama blinked. "Really?"
"Sure." Sugawara halted their conversation as they reached the main floor, and he picked it up as they slowed near the lobby's front desk. "You're a smart, handsome guy, Moriyama." He grinned. "You fit right in with us Marketing 'studs.'"
He humored his boss with a wan smile, but…hmm. Would it be the worst thing in the world to test it out now? Before he changed his mind, he morphed his wan smile into one of his best ones, and—
"All right. You fit in—except when you do that."
"Huh?" He blinked again, in disbelief, and he dropped the grin. "Is it that bad?"
Sugawara sighed. "Moriyama… You're handsome, you are, and you have a nice smile. But not this one."
Agh, damn it. "It's scary, isn't it? Or"—and this was worse—"creepy."
"No. No," Sugawara repeated with a vehement shake of his head. "Not scary. Or creepy."
"Then what?"
"It's…" Sugawara tapped his foot and checked his watch. He scanned the lobby and, as Sawamura had not arrived, continued. His pale brown eyes bored holes into his subordinate. "It's intense. Maybe a little off-putting."
Moriyama grimaced. "That doesn't sound any better, Sugawara."
"It is, though. Either way, that's what some of the single women in our department have been scared off by. You're a known flirt, but that smile shows that you're…too eager, I guess? It's not bad, but just tone it down a bit."
Holy crap. All this time—that was all it was? Knowing that, he perked up and tipped his head to Sugawara. "Thank you. I'm surprised no one ever said anything before."
"Never?"
"No." Ahh, his mood was lifting…! "So I might stand a chance next time."
Sugawara put one hand on his hip, the other lightly swinging his bag. "You know, I really thought you had someone already."
That again. But Moriyama brushed it off with a lighthearted chuckle. "Why?"
"Because. I figured you didn't care how strong you came on when flirting because the flirting was harmless and didn't matter, since whoever waited at home—" He stopped short, his face lighting up. "Ah! Daichi!"
Sawamura joined them and greeted Moriyama, but the latter couldn't be bothered to return the friendly exchange with enthusiasm. The couple left, and Moriyama felt as if his feet were glued to the spot.
He didn't need Sugawara to finish his sentence. Moriyama was smart enough to fill in the blanks.
Whoever waited at home accepted Moriyama and his flirty-ness and flawed smile.
He trudged home after, it never occurring to him that Sugawara had said of him what he'd been thinking of Kobori, that he was a good catch. No, he was too focused on how to end things, because now…now he realized how comfortable he was with things as they currently stood. And, if he didn't fix that soon, it'd be unfair to Kobori. He could handle being unfair to himself as long as Kobori drew the fair lot in life.
- ^-^3
The following day, Moriyama hopped up from his desk as soon as his lunch hour began. He descended the stairs and made his way to I.T. in the basement, though he'd never been before.
The I.T. offices resembled the bullpen up in Marketing, with tables running the length of the room and short walls put up to give a modicum of privacy as needed. The color scheme was the same as anywhere else in the building—all concrete grays and washed-out oranges—but one notable difference was the temperature. It was chillier down here with the big fans turning to cool the servers and assorted other technology, so Moriyama was glad he'd slipped his suit jacket back on before coming here.
He didn't have to flag anyone to fetch Kobori, nor did he have to go searching himself. Kobori left a large desk at the far end of the room with a man in a red polo, and they chatted as they headed in Moriyama's direction. But Nakamura, at a nearby station, noticed Moriyama and interrupted the two, motioning with a jerk of his head to the Marketing employee.
Kobori's eyes flicked from Nakamura to Moriyama, and he appeared a tad stunned. He excused himself and left the shaven-haired man in red behind. "Moriyama? What are you doing here?" he asked once he was in earshot.
"Lunchtime," Moriyama reminded him.
The I.T. manager checked his watch. "No, I—I know the time. But you're here."
Internally, Moriyama grimaced. He could do things his own way, but acting unusual hadn't been a good idea. Still, he wanted to try this at least once, considering what he'd have to say later tonight. "Yeah, I'm here. Are you not hungry yet?"
Kobori shook his head and patted Moriyama's shoulder as he turned him around and they left the basement. "No, no, I can eat. Just—it's nice."
Moriyama had to agree. Sure, it felt strange, having all those eyes on him as he entered the room, but it was fun, collecting Kobori. Like proclaiming some kind of ownership…which he'd be giving up soon enough. But still.
They went to a small Korean barbeque shop up the street, a place Moriyama had recommended to Ennoshita not long ago. There were two open seats at the counter, so they ordered and waited and ate, all the while Kobori told him about a "dumb coding error" Narita had found in some old lines written by someone who'd left the company a long time ago. Much of his story was chock full of terms that mystified Moriyama, but he could enjoy the anecdote all the same, especially when Kobori was this vibrant when recounting it.
Sadly, lunch had to end at some point. The former teammates strolled back to headquarters at not much more than a snail's pace, and Moriyama stuck his hands in his pockets while Kobori prattled on about something else. They'd walked together countless times before, but this was, as Kobori put it, nice.
Near their building, he spied Kobori glancing at the arm nearer him.
"Something up?"
Kobori chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nope. Nothing."
Then they were back. Moriyama briefly looked up, squinting at the sunlight that glinted off the giant Ukai Corp. logo on the top, right corner of the building, the large U.C. underlined by a matching orange feather.
"Moriyama?"
He met Kobori's eyes for less than half a second. "Yeah, I know. Back to work."
"Yeah. Hey, I'll see you later, okay?" Kobori raised his eyebrows, as if waiting to be promised, and he went inside with a grin only after Moriyama nodded.
Damn. This was going to be hard to do.
The tick-tock of the clock put him on edge as the day wound down. He felt more jittery than when the ball was in the air as the buzzer blared on the court… And, yet, he'd survived those games, won or lost. He had to believe he'd survive this, too. Right? Hmm.
The day ended. He tidied up his desk and scrunched up an old sticky note, tossing it into the waste basket without looking.
"Ha!" Ennoshita exclaimed behind him.
Moriyama turned, eyes wide at Ennoshita standing there victoriously, the paper wad in his grasp. "You caught it."
"I did!"
"…which is fine in basketball, but aren't you not supposed to do that in volleyball?"
Ennoshita grew flustered and dropped it like a hot potato. "Uh! Well, no, not in volleyball, but cut me some slack! I finally stopped one of your shots…!"
Moriyama sighed, the sound reminiscent of a breathy, uneasy chuckle. "I guess you did," he replied as he put his suit jacket on and grabbed his bag.
"You can't be perfect, Moriyama-san," Ennoshita stated, throwing the trash away. "Sometimes it's important to miss your mark completely."
"I'll keep that in mind. Have a good night!"
It felt easier to breathe downstairs in the lobby. Ten more feet, and then he'd catch the bus home. And then— "Moriyama!"
He glimpsed Kobori waiting for him in one of the lobby chairs, so he caught up with him. "You're here," he stated dumbly, an echo of Kobori's earlier amazement.
Kobori got to his feet, slipped his pack over his head, and met Moriyama halfway. "I am. Ready to go home?"
Moriyama gaped at him. He was at a loss for words, so they left the building, and Kobori led the way to the bus stop.
Even though Kobori said nothing, he appeared to be in a good mood, all covert smiles and loosely linked fingers in his lap and feet tapping out a nonsense rhythm on the bus's floor as they rode home. When their stop came up, he was the first off the vehicle, and the small smile he had for Moriyama as he waited for the other man to disembark—
That. That was blinding, and Kise couldn't even compare.
"We're almost home, but I've no plans for food," Kobori thought aloud as they passed the basketball court. "What do you want for dinner?"
Moriyama furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. He didn't want to discuss meal plans right now. "Kobori…"
"Yeah?"
"There's something I want to discuss. And not dinner." He let that hang in the air while they entered the building and took the elevator to the eighth floor. Their apartment was three doors down, and Moriyama followed Kobori in with a gloomy expression. Somehow, the happier Kobori was, the gloomier Moriyama felt. Maybe he should just do this another night…
No! He had a plan. Sort of. It was vague, but it was a plan nevertheless!
"Kobori!"
Kobori looked at his roommate over his shoulder after putting his shoes away. "What? Did you make up your mind about food?"
"No."
"Is there something else you wanted to do?" Maybe involuntarily, he glanced at the balcony. It was clear on his face, how he enjoyed the memory of last Saturday.
"Kobori, we've…got to stop."
Kobori stood up straight. He cast his pack to the side and tugged on Moriyama's briefcase until the latter relented and let go. Then he tugged on Moriyama's hand, stopping when Moriyama shrugged him off to change out of his shoes. "Moriyama," he began when the olive-haired man stood but didn't meet his eyes, "what are you talking about?"
In all honesty, Moriyama knew this was best done when not looking him in the eye, even though it was cowardly. So he kept his eyes on the corner of the kitchen counter to his left. "This. Living together, indulging each other, sleeping together—you ought to be doing these things with someone you love, with someone who can take this seriously and see a future with you and actually make you happy." There. He'd said it. One Band-Aid, freshly ripped off.
And yet Kobori wore this deer-in-the-headlights expression. Moriyama considered backpedaling, softening the blow, until Kobori amazingly…quirked an eyebrow. "Technically," the tech said, "you don't have to do those things only with someone you love—"
Moriyama groaned. "That's what caught your interest?"
"—but who said I'm not and you aren't?"
"…huh?"
But Kobori shrugged casually. He tugged on Moriyama's right hand again and succeeded in getting him to enter their place properly. They locked eyes, even, in Moriyama's shock. "Here's another way to view it: Aren't you taking us seriously, considering how worried you've been about me to reach this—ah, pardon—idiotic conclusion?"
Moriyama furrowed his brow, gob-smacked. "Ah—"
"I take it there are probably some silly ideas floating around in there," Kobori added, brushing some hair back from Moriyama's forehead, "about me marrying some girl and settling down?"
"Uh— Well— I— Yeah." Kobori knew him too well.
Kobori shook his head and very nearly smirked. "Who says I can't do those things with you?"
All right. Somehow things had gone from zero to sixty in five seconds. "Huh?!"
"Rather, I should say, 'Who says I haven't already done those things with you?'" Kobori smiled, relieved, and his shoulders dropped half an inch. "To be honest, I dug my heels in a long time ago, so my parents gave up changing my mind. Granted, their response was that they at least still have my younger brother, which wasn't encouraging, but—"
"Hold on." Moriyama grabbed his shirt and stood on the balls of his feet so they were eye to eye. His anxiety had not evaporated. "Don't you get what I'm trying to say?!"
"I can see you care, a lot, about me," Kobori replied softly, smoothly. He brought a hand up to cover one of Moriyama's.
"But I— Women—" He hadn't dreamt Kobori would be the unfair one here.
And Kobori wasn't. "I get it. So you're bi. But," he continued, placing his other hand on Moriyama's waist, "I doubt anyone else can make you feel the way I make you feel." He punctuated his declaration with a loose hug, and he released a content sigh like some cat basking in warm sunlight.
And Moriyama? Moriyama was dumbfounded—and developing a headache at how things had gone in the wrong direction. He'd missed his mark, as Ennoshita had phrased it. But…the confused part of him felt funny. Uneasy? Bubbly?
Happy?
Hmm…oh. "But—"
Kobori backed off, not convinced Moriyama didn't accept this yet. "Why 'but'? Yoshitaka, I love you. But you do things your own way, out of order. It just took you until now to realize you feel the same about me, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten this weird idea into your head about putting my needs first." He pecked the top of Moriyama's head and lightly pushed on his shoulders until Moriyama stood flat on the floor. "Now. What do you want for dinner?"
Moriyama gave him a reproving look. Use of first names outside of the bedroom was playing dirty. But he gave Kobori his flirtiest smile, and his pulse quickened when Kobori laughed and kissed him.
Ahh…! He'd never be able to tease Kasamatsu over Kise ever again, having been so oblivious himself… But, he thought as Kobori went to rummage in the cupboards, it wasn't so bad, coming home to someone who loved his unorthodox manners…
"Wait, you love me?!"
- ^-^3
XD Honestly, considering the tone of some of the other side stories set after/during "Opportunity," I wanted this one to have a lighthearted feel, even when Moriyama ridiculously decided Kobori could do better. Psshaw. C'mon, Mori. ;) It's been a while since I last wrote for KnB (I think last one was the 4th in my Iwaizumi&Kasamatsu are cousins AU?), but KnB will always have a spot in my heart like Sailor Moon and HQ!—I love these series way too much to ever leave. XD That was why it was fun also to write a little about some of the other KnB headcanons for the BoaF universe, like Kikasa and Hayanaka. I hope I have the chance to revisit my fav KnB charries as more than just support charries or background namedrops, but we'll just have to see how BoaF itself develops and expands. -w-
Some thoughts:
-The title: Okay, I tried really hard to find a fitting title for this, but after I settled on "Unorthodox," I realized I'd had a brain fart and had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN that's how they describe Moriyama's style to begin with in KnB. XD Then again, I liked expanding that canon into him doing other things out of order. It works for Moriyama. XD
-A catchphrase: At least, that's how I felt "Hmm" became for Moriyama. Poor guy was lost in thought a lot. ;]
-Moriyama & the cinnamon mill: I wrote some headcanons before (Morizuki, Miyazukiyama) that Moriyama is forever a victim of impulse buys. ;P
-Kobori really does enjoy astronomy and stargazing; it's canon, and I love it. This boy is romantic without even trying. =w=
-Tanabata: For those who don't know, it's a holiday celebrated both in Japan and in China (as the Qixi Festival). Also called the Star Festival, it celebrates the time of year when two lovers, usually barred by the Milky Way, can cross the night sky and meet at last. They can only meet once a year, so the romantic notion ties in with wish-making, and the Japanese will tie their wishes (tanzaku) to bamboo branches in the hopes they'll be granted . I first learned of Tanabata as a little girl thanks to a bonus chapter of the Sailor Moon manga and have always been fascinated by it. I know Moriyama mentions it in passing, but it's still a romantic idea, especially considering Kobori's hobby, and I just. I encourage everyone to read up on Tanabata. *happy sigh* :3
-Kobori's "type" is also based on canon, taken from his profile page in one of the guide books.
-I wanted to gush in case anyone missed it: When Komori walk back to U.C. after eating Korean BBQ, Kobori keeps eyeing Moriyama 'cuz the poor baby wanted to hold hands. So precious.
-Lastly, the song "Kikasetai no Wa" ("Things I Want You to Hear") by nekobolo/sasanomaly helped inspire the story, and I thought it fitting over the overall plot. And, boy, did they have things they wanted the other to hear. XD
Thank you very much for reading, and please review/comment/leave an ask! The next fic in the BoaF collection, "Personal Day," will take a while since it has its own fair share of side stories, but I hope you can enjoy the other side stories while you wait, and please visit the BoaF tumblr page (on my tumblr, le-amewzing) for lotsa stuff~! Show your support for this AU, and share your excitement for it, too!
-mew-tsubaki -w-