[10:23 AM]
Me: Hello?
[10:34 AM]
Me: Kuroo? It's Tsukishima. I'm hoping this is the right number.
[10:39 AM]
Me: Hey, I don't know what you're up to but
[10:39 AM]
Unknown Number: tsuki!
[10:40 AM]
Me: This is about the job, so.
Me: Oh. Finally. This is Kuroo, right?
[10:42 AM]
Unknown Number: yep u got me
Unknown Number: i wasnt sleepin
[10:42 AM]
Me: Sure you weren't.
[10:44 AM]
Kuroo: :(
Kuroo: wait brb
[10:45 AM]
Me: Serious? I'm trying to talk about something important.
[10:48 AM]
Me: ... This is stupid, I might as well scrap this altogether.
[10:57 AM]
Kuroo: tsuki no! the kids arrived thats all
[10:59 AM]
Me: This early?
[11:00 AM]
Kuroo: its not that early
Kuroo: what did u want
[11:02 AM]
Me: I'm wondering... if I should accept your little job offer, thing...
[11:03 AM]
Kuroo: well what could go wrong? i think its worth a shot
Kuroo: you get to work alongside me ;)
[11:05 AM]
Me: That's partly why I'm hesitant.
[11:05 AM]
Kuroo: okok i get it
Kuroo: well what other reasons are there
[11:07 AM]
Me: The biggest reason is just the fact that I'll be taking care of kids. I already told you that I don't like handling children.
[11:24 AM]
Me: Where did you go this time?
[11:29 AM]
Kuroo: sorry tsuki the kids desired the gr8 kuroo tetsurous attention
Kuroo: u got all my attention now ;)
[11:34 AM]
Me: Stop with the winking emoticons.
[11:35 AM]
Kuroo: anyways what im getting from this is
Kuroo: u hate handling kids but you dont necessarily hate the actual kids
[11:36 AM]
Me: No, I hate kids.
[11:36 AM]
Kuroo: what a liar~
Kuroo: i saw the way you treated those kids the past two days
Kuroo: and the way u look at them
Kuroo: super cute btw
[11:38 AM]
Me: Whatever.
[11:41 AM]
Kuroo: but am i wrong?
Kuroo: ?
Kuroo: ?
[11:44 AM]
Me: God, you're annoying.
Me: But... I guess you're not entirely wrong.
[11:46 AM]
Kuroo: aha! gotcha
Kuroo: u might as well give it a try
Kuroo: plus, in all honesty, ur little job w/ akaashi actually looks rlly boring
[11:47 AM]
Me: As much as I've been denying it
Me: It is a pretty shitty job.
Me: Who knew customers could be so rude? Like they personally come up to the counter just to complain about a particular artist. Geez
[11:50 AM]
Kuroo: sounds like a hassle
[11:50 AM]
Me: It is
Me: So then... is this actually serious? Like are you legitimately hiring me?
[11:52 AM]
Kuroo: well it was a joke at first
Kuroo: but u know its not a bad idea
Kuroo: it would be gr8 to have help, sometimes the kids do get out of hand
[11:54 AM]
Me: Yet you say you're a registered caretaker.
[11:55 AM]
Kuroo: hey that doesnt stop the kids from acting the way they do
Kuroo: im not prepared for everything!
Kuroo: but u seem to be a natural with kids
[11:58 AM]
Me: I'm not...
Me: But I guess... if you say so, I'll try it out
[11:59 AM]
Kuroo: yaaaassss
[12:01 PM]
Me: ... Ugh.
Me: What am I getting myself into?
[12:05 PM]
Kuroo: a whole shit ton of fun! :)
[12:07 PM]
Me: Oh god.
Me: Anyways, I guess I should call up Akaashi. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic.
Kei wasn't wrong in the slightest. When he called up Keiji and told him the situation, he seemed a little too happy to be losing an employee.
"Isn't it bad that I'm basically quitting?" Kei questioned. He was pretty much over pondering his friend's objectives, but that didn't stop him from asking the obvious questions.
"I guess," Keiji replied casually, his calm voice hiding the smile on his face, "but I've got Bokuto to cover up. And like I said, there'll be people taking up your place in no time." Kei wasn't sure if that statement was supposed to be offensive or not.
"I also don't want to see that downer frown all day."
That statement nearly made Kei frown in response. "What do you mean?"
"I just hope that next time I see you, you're a lot more satisfied than you ever were working here," Keiji said. "Even I'd admit this place really, really sucks."
"Um... alright, I guess."
The call soon ended and Kei sat down for a moment or two, thinking over what to do next. He was still questioning why he would ever quit his job to deal with something he couldn't stand. The more he thought about it, the more he thought about Kuroo's words and the way he felt when communicating with the children. Sure, it was annoying, but Kei was beginning to think that that was the only reason he had when he suddenly decided that kids were the epitome of all evil.
He guessed he was the one being pretty ridiculous this time.
Kei shook his head. Picking up his phone, he made the decision that he would just try it out first. If things went the way he thought they would- aka everything going downhill- he could easily force Keiji to hire him again. Then Kei would never have to see Kuroo Tetsurou ever again. He wouldn't have to deal with his stupid teasing, he wouldn't have to hear that irritating voice, he wouldn't have to look into those rich copper eyes... he wouldn't have to look at that devilish... devilishly handsome grin ever again...
Kei typed out a quick text before getting up to fix himself lunch.
[12:53 PM]
Me: So, what are the times that I should be coming?
"Tsuki?"
"What?"
Hibiki stared at Kei from his spot on the floor, momentarily shifting his attention away from the television. "Why are you always so angry?" Kei frowned before reclining back on the couch and closing his eyes.
"It's because of annoying childr-"
"Alright kiddos!" Kuroo barged into the room, cutting off Kei's blunt answer. "Your snacks are ready, go eat." The kids piled out the room and into the kitchen, Kei's eyes filled with boredom as they followed them until they were gone.
It had been two weeks since Kei started working with Kuroo. They decided that the blonde would only come on weekdays, and it was optional if he wanted to work on a weekend (he never did). Originally he had questioned why the three siblings never attended school, and Kuroo was noticeably flustered for some unknown reason. He nervously explained that the family couldn't afford a proper education so it was mainly up to him to help "homeschool" them. Kei didn't complain nor did he question any further.
The end of the week had come, and it hadn't been very eventful. The usual three siblings were around, and Kei will admit that they weren't as rambunctious as he expected. Nanami was almost always asleep, and Hikaru was the quietest five year old he's ever met. Hibiki talked the most out of all the kids. Something Kei noticed was the little boy didn't just talk about anything and everything, but he was quite observant. Most of the words that left Hibiki's mouth were questions; he questioned small things that he noticed. It actually made Kei quite happy as if he was a proud parent.
"Those kids are pretty smart," Kei mentioned to Kuroo.
The older man gave his signature grin. "Of course! I'm teaching them, obviously." Kei rolled his eyes at that statement. He sluggishly stood up, moving to clean up the mess that was left in the living room.
"I don't necessarily mean academically. Don't get ahead of yourself."
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not!"
"Your head's too big. Is that what your ridiculous bedhead is hiding?"
Kei snickered at his own comment, turning his face away to hide his widening smirk. Kuroo caught it though which caused a large pout to appear. "Hey, that's not nice."
"It's called being honest, Kuroo."
A comfortable silence fell between them, the sounds of light chattering coming from the kitchen. Kei was unnerved by the stillness when he first started to situate himself in his new job. He soon learnt that Kuroo didn't always have something to say, yet he noticed that the usually lively male was okay with it. Kuroo replied that even he appreciated quiet atmospheres after taking care of kids for a little over a year. It was understandable, and Kei always took advantage of these moments to relish in the peace.
For some reason though, Kei wanted to speak up today. He suddenly felt flustered and he didn't know why.
"Uh, as I was saying," Kei said, catching Kuroo's attention, "the kids. Yeah, they're a lot more sharp than I expected them to be. Props to their parents."
Kei was now feeling more anxious because as those words left his mouth, Kuroo's content expression fell. The other glanced around awkwardly for a moment before he quietly shrugged, gazing back at the bespectacled blonde.
"I suppose so."
Kei blanched at Kuroo's dull and uncertain response. Regret filled him as he realized that this was a reason why he didn't enjoy making small talk. He became uncertain himself, and Kei began to worry over what brought out such a reply. These occasions always bothered him. Kuroo was odd, then there were times when he becomes really odd, but Kei could never figure out why he acted such a way. He never pushed, though, and he could tell that Kuroo was grateful. Kei's thoughts shifted to himself, beginning to feel stupid over his abrupt urge to make conversation in the first place.
"Sorry." Kuroo cut off Kei's thinking. "I'm tired, I guess. Maybe I'll take a small nap with the kids later."
Frowning, Kei shot the other a skeptical look albeit nodding. He sighed, looking away. Kuroo would forever be an enigma to him.
"You shouldn't be sleeping on the job, idiot."
The two put away all the toys and books that lay strewn across the floor. Kuroo explained to Kei on his first day that it was routine for the siblings to take a nap after their late afternoon snacks. They would sleep until their parents arrived at the usual time, which was 6 PM. Kei usually left during nap time, since it was getting late anyway. Today wasn't going to be any different, and thankfully Kuroo never complained.
"So, you uh... got any plans this weekend?" Kuroo asked as Kei headed to the door. This question caught the blonde by surprise, and when he turned around he met the other's sheepish expression.
"Uhh... maybe?"
Kuroo was flustered because of what happened earlier. He nearly let himself slip in front of Kei, but he couldn't let the other see any more. A forced but nonetheless playful grin replaced the raven-headed male's originally diffident expression.
"You wanna go out, Tsuki~?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making Kei frown in response. The blonde was taken aback by the forward request, but he rolled his eyes at the other's antics. Kuroo regularly made attempts at what Kei took as flirting. He was usually put off by it but sometimes he couldn't help but let it effect him.
"No," Kei bluntly replied, "I suddenly have plans now, bye bye."
"Tsuki!" Kuroo whined, grabbing Kei's arm before he could turn away. "Come on! That means you are free! You're so salty..."
"Don't call me that."
"Salty Tsuki!"
"Shut up..." Kei groaned. "Don't you have to watch the kids anyway? Geez, you're so irresponsible."
Kuroo smiled smugly, patting Kei's back. "Oh, don't worry! I have someone else looking after the kiddos this Saturday! I was originally gonna just take a sort of day off, I guess, but now that you're here I might as well ask you to keep me company."
"Are you serious? You're being paid to babysit those kids and now you're dropping them on someone else to babysit them?" Kei asked incredulously. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the most irresponsible action he's ever witnessed. What was this guy's deal? And he calls himself a certified caretaker?
Kuroo noticed Kei's contempt and he began to grow sheepish again.
"Geez Tsuki, I'm sorry! I know it seems thoughtless but I need a break too sometimes..."
"And what?" Kei crossed his arms. "You couldn't just tell their parents that and have them send their kids somewhere else for the day? What's your problem?"
This appeared to have set something off, and Kei wished he knew how to tone down his words.
"Don't come around and tell me how to do my job," Kuroo snapped, taking a step forward. "I know what I'm doing, okay? I'm the one looking after those kids, I'm the one making the decisions. Listen, I don't just decide these things carelessly! I care about their well being, but I also care about mine. I think things through first, I'm not a dumbass!"
"Kuroo, I get it. I'm-"
"I care about them, Tsuki!" Kuroo exclaimed, his voice shaking slightly. "I care about them..."
Kuroo faltered, his eyes widening as if he just realized what he said. Kei bit his lip, distantly gazing at the emotional man in front of him. This was the first time Kuroo had ever really gotten upset. It wasn't like the times when the kids didn't listen and he scolded them, or the times Kei ignored his advances and he began to whine- this was completely different and new to Kei. He didn't know what to do.
"I- Uh... I'm, um, sorry?" Kei looked away, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, uh... I don't know."
He suddenly felt a little hurt.
"I'll see you."
Kei turned and walked away from the townhouse, his pace hurried. He wanted to go home and maybe stay there for the entire weekend.
The blonde didn't feel hurt as if Kuroo offended him or anything. His pace slowed as he approached the bus stop, his amber eyes focused on the cracks in the sidewalk and he remembered the pained look in Kuroo's eyes.
Kei hurt for Kuroo, and he hurt for whatever it is that he's hiding from him.
[7:46 PM]
Me: Kuroo?
Me: I hope you're not still mad at me. I need to talk to you.
[7:53 PM]
Me: Please? God, I hate begging.
Me: But this is important.
[7:57 PM]
Kuroo: hey tsuki
Kuroo: sorry late reply
Kuroo: and i was never mad at u tsuki! i swear
[7:57 PM]
Me: Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset earlier.
Me: I don't know what I said to set you off, but I apologize.
[7:58 PM]
Kuroo: aw dont apologize! i rlly wasnt mad, i promise
Kuroo: i should be the one apologizing that was rlly stupid of me i didnt mean to lash out at you or anythin
Kuroo: its just... oh man. yeah... i uh i do care about those kids
[8:00 PM]
Me: I could tell.
[8:00 PM]
Kuroo: im sorry is it weird
Kuroo: i mean since im lookin after them i gotta have at least some compassion for them right
Kuroo: right? pls dont tell me u think im creepy or smth
[8:01 PM]
Me: I don't necessarily find it weird... or creepy...
Me: I don't know how I would describe it. I just wasn't expecting that much love?
Me: For someone else's kids?
Me: Maybe it is a little weird.
[8:03 PM]
Kuroo: oh no, shit! see it is weird! im so sorry im rlly not like that!
[8:04 PM]
Me: No, no, calm down. It's fine
[8:04 PM]
Kuroo: idk tsuki.. pls
[8:05 PM]
Me: Just chill out. It's honestly fine. It's a little weird at first, but it's not that bad.
Me: I mean, I guess I see what you mean when you said you have to have some sort of compassion for them.
[8:05 PM]
Kuroo: yea! yea ur right
Kuroo: i mean im right
Kuroo: im just, i guess, a real passionate person like i rlly feel things
[8:08 PM]
Me: I'm not really the same, but I can see what you're talking about.
[8:09 PM]
Kuroo: and i mean
Kuroo: when ur lookin after the same bunch of kids for over a year
Kuroo: u get attached real quick
[8:11 PM]
Me: ... I uh
Me: I know what you mean there.
[8:12 PM]
Kuroo: u do? i thought u hated them tsuki!
Kuroo: dont tell me ur gettin soft~ u like them dont you!
[8:14 PM]
Me: I cannot believe you put 'u' and 'you' in the same sentence.
[8:14 PM]
Kuroo: dont change the subject u lil sneak!
[8:15 PM]
Me: Okay, okay fuck.
Me: They're... they're okay. They're not bad compared to some other kids.
[8:16 PM]
Kuroo: aha! see!
Kuroo: and i bet thats a lie too
[8:16 PM]
Me: What are you talking about? You're making me seem like such a big liar.
[8:20 PM]
Kuroo: bc u are!
Kuroo: u say compared to some other kids but im pretty sure u dont actually hate any kids
Kuroo: in fact
[8:21 PM]
Me: Don't be ridiculous.
[8:21 PM]
Kuroo: i bet u LOVE kids!
[8:22 PM]
Me: I said quit being ridiculous! No, I don't.
[8:22 PM]
Kuroo: tsuki pls
Kuroo: ok tell me why u hate them so much then
[8:28 PM]
Kuroo: i went to check on nana and u still havent answered
[8:28 PM]
Me: -They're annoying
-They're needy
-They're loud
-They cry too much
-They can't take care of themselves
-They have no common sense
-It's hard to keep track of them because they're always running around
-They eat too much
-They're just a lot of work in general
-They're unhygienic
-They're just generally gross looking
[8:28 PM]
Kuroo: r u in denial~
Kuroo: oh.
Kuroo: well i think thats a whole list of BULLSHIT
[8:31 PM]
Me: Excuse me?
[8:31 PM]
Kuroo: ur list is dumb!
[8:32 PM]
Me: You act just as much as a child, maybe that's why I find you so irritating.
[8:32 PM]
Kuroo: oh tsuki how u wound me!
Kuroo: but pls that list rlly is bs
Kuroo: the fact that it took u over 5min to even type out and send just makes it even more obvi
Kuroo: it just means u were hesitating lots or couldnt even think of good reasons
Kuroo: tsuki? am i right or am i right?
[8:36 PM]
Me: Fuck you.
[8:37 PM]
Kuroo: D:
Kuroo: but also :D bc i am right!
Kuroo: oh tsuki ur so cute and in denial
[8:37 PM]
Me: And you're still irritating.
Me: But... fine. I'll give it to you. I, uh, I don't really know why I actually hate children.
[8:38 PM]
Kuroo: or act like you do?
[8:40 PM]
Me: ... Yeah.
Me: Look I don't usually just tell this to anyone, so feel special. You'd just keep pushing it anyway.
Me: I've just always put up this cold front. And when my brother had his daughter, I was really happy but... I didn't know what to do. Sometimes him and Chiharu are busy so it was up to me to watch over her. I kept up my little act even if I didn't mean to.
[8:42 PM]
Kuroo: wait so ur not actually stingy? :O!
[8:42 PM]
Me: Shut up.
Me: Okay well, I don't know. I am? I've just grown to naturally be like this. Whatever.
Me: But Aoi still liked me even though I wasn't the best uncle. And it was weird. Kids trust too easily. I didn't know how to take care of her properly, but she didn't seem to care.
[8:43 PM]
Kuroo: but thats whats so gr8 bout kids!
Kuroo: theyre so naturally loving and they dont care who u are but as long as u love them n care for them theyll do the same
Kuroo: it may not look like it but kids care for u just as much as u care for them
[8:45 PM]
Me: That was surprisingly... smart. And reasonable. And kind of enlightening.
[8:45 PM]
Kuroo: surprisingly?! :(
[8:46 PM]
Me: Listen, Kuroo...
Me: I'm sorry about earlier today. I should be better at watching my words.
[8:46 PM]
Kuroo: i already told u its ok tsuki dwai
[8:46 PM]
Me: Okay but... I still think you shouldn't be having someone else watch the kids because it is your responsibility. I understand you don't mean to be, but still.
Me: When I said I understood what you meant earlier, I meant I also... grew an attachment of sorts to the children.
[8:49 PM]
Kuroo: awwww! tsuki! i cant believe it
Kuroo: ur so cute i bet ur blushin rn
[8:51 PM]
Me: Die, please.
[8:52 PM]
Kuroo: :(
[8:52 PM]
Me: But don't ignore what I said.
Me: Call up whoever it was that you somehow convinced to watch the siblings and tell them not to worry about it.
[8:54 PM]
Kuroo: u sound like a mom!
Kuroo: its kinda like u are their mom anyway
[8:54 PM]
Me: I'm sure I'll seem more like an actual authoritative figure more than you ever will.
[8:55 PM]
Kuroo: so i gotta give up my day off? :( i wanted to go on a date w you tsuki...
[8:56 PM]
Me: God, I hate this.
Me: Look
Me: I'll... spend time with you tomorrow
[8:56 PM]
Kuroo: :O
[8:56 PM]
Me: BUT
Me: You're watching over the kids tomorrow- like you're SUPPOSED to be doing.
Me: I'll just be helping you.
Me: We can... we can take them out to the park or something.
[8:57 PM]
Kuroo: well...
[8:58 PM]
Me: Well...?
[8:58 PM]
Kuroo: alright tsuki
Kuroo: sounds like a plan!
Kuroo: aw man its like a happy family outing!
[8:59 PM]
Me: Don't act like their our kids.
[8:59 PM]
Kuroo: our~?
[9:00 PM]
Me: Ffs. Stop trying to add suggestive meaning behind my words!
Me: Whatever. Look, everything's settled. Go call up whoever you called before, okay?
Me: I'm going to sleep, okay? I'm really tired. What time do you want me to come over tomorrow?
[9:01 PM]
Kuroo: okok
Kuroo: wow u sleep early. no wonder ur so tall tsuki
Kuroo: uh 1 is fine by me
[9:05 PM]
Me: Okay.
Me: Idiot. You should head to bed as well, or something.
[9:07 PM]
Kuroo: alright mom geez
Kuroo: goodnight mommy tsuki~
Kei laid in bed, his phone screen illuminating his face. After rolling his eyes at the last text, he locked his phone and placed it on his nightstand. He was too tired to make any retort back.
Settling into a comfortable position, Kei was about to let his eyes fall when something Kuroo said flashed in his memory. The blonde furrowed his brows. He was about to grab his phone again to check if what he was remembering was correct, but his tired state lulled him into a slumber before he could think any further.
Meanwhile, Kuroo was seated on his own bed, briskly scrolling up through the texts to immediately delete the same message from his own phone. He bit his lip, realizing that it still wouldn't remove it from Kei's messages.
"Shit."
He hoped that Kei would be as exhausted as he said he was, and that it slipped his notice.
Author's Note: HOO HOO HOO
I was planning on putting the text they were worried about at the end, but I decided to make it mysterious and leave you guys guessing. Haha. Unless you noticed which message it was. Then nice job, good for you.
Sorry not sorry for leaving you guys waiting for a week? Sort of a week? It's nearing the end of my school year, so lots of tests and assignments. Next week is my last week (then finals) so I can't say for sure when the next update is. Probably at the end of the week, again.
Anyways, favorite, follow, and review (if you can) if you like it so far. See you next chapter.
