Tsukishima Kei was not a people person. People were annoying to deal with and often not worth the hassle. With a few exceptions, Kei detested interacting with most people.
"Ooooi, Tsukki!"
His shoulders tensed in annoyance and apprehension as he almost lost his grip on the ball. He turned his head, wary gaze catching a messy, supposedly "styled" mop of black hair and an insufferable smirk.
Specifically, Kei detested interacting with Kuroo Tetsurou.
He narrowed his eyes as soon as the other came within earshot, firing his by now automated response, "Don't call me that."
"Aww, don't be like that." Tetsurou mock-whined, slinging an arm around Kei's rigid shoulders with a strange yet almost familiar glint in his eyes, "Let's play some more. My heart may be lost to you, but my game hasn't yet~."
And this.
This was exactly where the problem lied.
It had started with team rivalry, as it was supposed to. Sizing each other up, helping each other grow , throwing away bits of their pride while they were at it, and grinding their teeth at every victory the other gained (and God, how much he hated that smirk).
This, however, was anything but normal.
Kuroo Tetsurou's strange... fixation on him had become apparent not too long ago, and he seemed very insistent on making it even more obvious every time they met for inter-team training or anything else, really.
So, with practiced ease and half lidded eyes that radiated utmost boredom and irritation, he answered, "No." and walked away towards his team, letting the suddenly limp arm slide down from his shoulders.
And because every time this happened he never looked back, he never saw the smirk on the older boy's face.
Tetsurou could be ridiculously stubborn when he wanted to be.
Emphasis on ridiculous.
0 0 0
"Heeey, Tsukki!"
The smirk never left his face, even as he dodged the ball that flew through the space his head had been just milliseconds ago.
"Don't call me that!"
"My, so high-strung? Something happen? Did you get hurt when you fell from heaven?"
"...no." After a moment of disbelief, Kei proceeded to ignore him.
He also proceeded to ignore the strange looks his teammates kept sending him.
No, there wasn't a Nekoma player hovering around him and chattering him up with barely intangible sarcasm, completely unheeding of the practice game going on around him which Kei was very much participating in.
No, not at all.
0 0 0
It came as a surprise to Kei that it was already dark when they were finally released from practice for that day. Still, the sky was clear so it wasn't pitch black.
"Hey." A voice suddenly appeared beside him while he was looking up and he didn't even bother to suppress an annoyed sigh.
Looking sideways, he spotted the very same person he had expected to find.
Who apparently didn't know the meaning of personal space as he had to lean back before his gaze was completely captured by dark, dark eyes, something lurking behind them that he wasn't sure he wanted to know about.
"Kuroo-san...?" he asked with a lot more hesitation that he'd intended, but what was he to do when that gaze bored into him like that.
"Tsukishima, I would love to go stargazing with you," his tone was low and his demeanor serious, " but all the stars i need to see are already in your eyes."
"No."
As if a spell was broken, he turned around and walked away, almost glad for his trained response to all that encompassed the general stupidity of Kuroo Tetsurou.
0 0 0
"Tsukki-"
"For the last time, don't call me that!"
A devious smile stretched across his lips, "Then what should I call you? My sweet? My love? My angel? My moon?"
A half disbelieving, half irritated stare.
"No."
"...wait, no to which? No to which?! Don't walk away from me, you... you... you Tsukki!"
He got a ball to the forehead for his efforts.
0 0 0
"If I could rearrange the alphabet I would put U and-"
"No."
"At least let me finish the sentence!"
Kei continued walking down the street, and small part of his mind wondering why on earth the guy was even here.
A very small part.
Yes, very small.
0 0 0
Tetsurou was stubborn, but he was also very sly.
"Is this seat taken?"
"No."
A pause.
A smirk.
A pair of widening eyes.
"...no, wait! Shit-"
"Too late. No take-backs! Thank you for shopping at Kuroo's and have a nice day~!"
Kei didn't think it was possible for that smirk to grow even more insufferable. Shows what he knew.
Instead of sitting there and grumbling, however, he did he obvious-
"No."
-and stood up, leaving the table.
Very sly indeed.
0 0 0
Tetsurou had finally found the answer to all his problems pertaining the tall, first-year blond and had thereafter spent hours in the kitchen with a mostly unwilling Kenma trying to succeed in creating said answer.
It took six hours, over four dozens of eggs, a few very scary glares from his teammate for almost making him late for his date with Shouyou and a thorough scolding from his mother for messing up the kitchen to such a degree.
But it was done.
He was extremely proud of it, even as he stood in the porch of the Tsukishima household with Kei inspecting the dinosaur shaped cake.
The younger boy looked up, gaze unimpressed as always.
"Shouldn't you be in Tokyo? I heard you have a match the day after tomorrow."
Tetsurou shrugged, wry smile firm in place.
Kei looked back at the cake as a long silence ensued. On the one hand, Kuroo was an asshole and he didn't want to give him any satisfaction. On the other hand, dinosaur cake...
Finally, he retreated back into the house, leaving the doorway free. Saying nothing.
Two minutes later, Kei was holding a small plate with a piece of cake in one hand, teaspoon in the other. He took a bite and had to grudgingly admit that it was quite good, but not out loud. Never out loud.
When he looked up, Tetsurou was sporting a very stupid grin that he couldn't for the life of him wipe off his face.
A tick mark appeared on his forehead.
Tetsurou almost yelped as his face was suddenly accosted by a half eaten piece of cake.
He blinked once, twice. Then smirked full on.
"Oh, it's on!"
Kei may or may not have retaliated after the second piece went flying towards him. Several times. But he would forever deny anything the actual culprit of this case told people about it.
Him? Laughing? With this guy?
As if.