"You are more precious to this world than you'll ever know."

~Lili Rhinehart

-Kuroo's POV-

"Bro, this place is nice!" I commented as Bokuto showed me around his and Akaashi's new apartment. I was going to go this past weekend and help them move, but some stuff came up last minute at work and I wasn't able to make it. Either way, they told me not to worry about it and by the looks of it, they had settled in pretty well on their own.

"Thanks, bro! Oh! I wanted to tell you that I ran into a girl in the lobby on my way to the gym this morning! I think she said her name was Endou something or another! She was really pretty and was even carrying some kind of gym bag!" my silver haired friend rambled on causing me to chuckle. Akaashi looked to be growing more and more annoyed with Bokuto's ramblings, and I couldn't help but stir the pot once I noticed.

"I didn't know you were into girls, Bokuto," I teased earning a bout of booming laughter from him and an annoyed glare from his boyfriend.

"Not for me, you dumbass rooster!" he responded after his laughter died down a bit, giving me a serious look that I rarely saw from him as he continued, "Seriously though, Kuroo. She was totally your type! Long, brown curly hair, athletic, a bit on the taller side for a girl, and she even had blue eyes! You should totally get her number!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this as I found myself once again seriously regretting the night I told my best bro all of my preferences when it came to women. It was the same night Bokuto opened up to Kenma and I about his sexuality after a couple of drinks, admitting that he and Akaashi had been dating since his senior year of high school. Shortly after, Kenma explained to us both that he was asexual, something that was news to us but we were both supportive of the pudding haired boy.

After all of that, Bokuto decided it would be fun to hammer me about my preferences. We had had a couple of drinks by then, so I found myself much more open to describing my dream girl. It was like a scene I swear only showed up in chick flicks, but regardless, since then, Bokuto has had an on again off again obsession with helping me find my dream girl. It's not like I hadn't dated or had a hookup or two in the past couple of years; however, due to my introverted personality, most girls would get bored after the first or second date when they realized I was only outgoing around certain people. And it took me some time to warm up to people to that point.

Don't get me wrong, I was confident in myself, definitely liked going on adventures here and there and I enjoyed the sexual side of relationships, but I found myself craving simple affections a bit more than what many girls considered manly. For instance, my ideal time spent with someone I liked would be cuddling and watching movies or playing video games all day. And most girls found that weird and would be immediately pissed if I didn't want to go to fancy restaurants or something more adventurous constantly. It's like they were more interested in how I looked or the idea of me more than who I actually was.

"Bro, I appreciate it, but just because she looks a certain way doesn't mean she and I would be a good match. Also, she probably already has a boyfriend," I dismissed his suggestion nonchalantly before giving him a smirk, "Besides, if I started dating, I wouldn't be able to come irritate the shit out of you two as much. And let's be real, that's the highlight of your week."

At that, Bokuto gave me a sad smile. None of that was said in a negative way in my mind. I was simply being practical. Looks weren't the only important part of a person, especially when it came to getting to know them. Also, if even Bokuto was freaking out about how pretty she was, she most likely had a boyfriend. A lot of guys in this world were unfortunately still shallow enough to only care about things like that.

My silver-haired friend opened his mouth to no doubt argue that I should give this mystery girl a chance, but thunder boomed and the power went out for a couple of seconds. Thankfully, it switched back on pretty quickly, but that wasn't what ultimately ended our conversation. Not even a full minute after the power cut back on, the sound of glass shattering followed by several thumps that were mixed with the now much more frequent claps of thunder just barely muffled the sound of what sounded like someone crying out "please stop!"

Akaashi looked especially concerned as we all walked out of the apartment and down a couple of doors where whimpering could just be heard through the door. Looking at the others who nodded, I knocked softly on the door. When the door opened, I felt myself blink a couple of times in surprise. The woman in front of me, despite her disheveled appearance, was, bluntly put, stunning.

Her eyes were a gunmetal blue that only stood out more because of the red rings around her teary orbs. Her long, curly brown hair was sticking up in multiple places and the athletic fabric dark gray turtleneck stood out against her pale skin and left very little to the imagination, hugging her athletic physique but also showing well-defined curves. The sound of a throat being cleared knocked me out of what I'm sure was a trance that made the woman in front of me very uncomfortable.

"Endou-san! Are you okay? We heard thumps and what sounded like something breaking!" Bokuto asked bluntly and it was then that I noticed a couple more things. One: This was the girl that Bokuto had told me about. And two: she was definitely NOT okay. Despite the confident expression she tried to hold even with her teary eyes, she was trembling. Something wasn't right here.

"Hi, Bokuto-san. I'm sorry, but all I've heard is the sounds from this storm. It got pretty bad there for a couple of minutes. Maybe a window in the building shattered from the winds. It wouldn't be the first time," she explained with a small, polite smile, but there was a nervous glint in her eyes as they darted around and she quickly checked over her shoulder before putting her hand more firmly on the door, "I'm sure everything is fine. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have an assignment due tomorrow that I really need to work on. Have a good night." As she went to close the door, I finally found my voice again as I put my hand on the door frame casually.

"Sorry to bother you, Endou-san was it? I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, the horned-owl idiot's best friend," I introduced with a small smile, "Are you sure you're alright though? You look as though you've been crying." At me pointing this out, she froze, the color draining from her face as she glanced over her shoulder again before grabbing my hand that was on the frame and shoving it off and slamming the door in my face. Bokuto looked pissed and was about to knock again but Akaashi stopped him, finally speaking up, his face practically pressed into the door.

"Endou-san, I'm Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto's partner. If you ever need a place to go, we're in apartment 201. You're welcome anytime. Sorry about letting these two morons bother you for no reason," Akaashi said just loud enough to let his voice be heard through the door before turning and grabbing both mine and Bokuto's arms and dragging us back to their apartment. As soon as we got back to the apartment, he shut the door, and he looked quite shaken up.

"What do you think was going on back there, Akaashi?" I questioned, my eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern as I saw the usually calm and collected man begin to falter. He had a pained expression and looked very conflicted. As he took a couple of breaths, Bokuto went over to him and wrapped an arm around the smaller man's waist in support.

"That girl... I think she's being abused," he stated bluntly as his eyes lifted to meet mine and I nodded. The same thought came to my mind, which is why I had actually wanted to talk to her a little longer. Maybe it would have somehow given us a chance to get her out of there.

"Why did we leave her there then, Keiji?! We need to go back now and save her from that!" Bokuto yelled in concern as he went to open the door but was stopped again by his boyfriend.

"Bokuto... You can't save someone who doesn't want help," Akaashi explained, his voice strained as he took a deep breath to calm himself, "If we tried to force her into coming with us, it would only hurt the situation. She has to make that decision for herself. That's why I told her she was always welcome here. That's the most we can do for her right now."

"How do you know so much about this?" I questioned gently, feeling sympathetic towards the younger man who was obviously struggling with the situation. Don't get me wrong. I was struggling too, but this seemed a lot more...personal for him somehow.

"My older sister went through something similar," he admitted, tears starting to shine in his usually stoic blue eyes, "My parents tried again and again to force her into getting out of the situation, but every time she went back. It happened so often that eventually, they stopped trying. She wasn't willing to get help on her own until it was too late. She called my parents for help, and by the time the police got to the apartment... She was gone..." My eyes widened in shock for what felt like the hundredth time since coming to their apartment that night.

"We can't let that happen to Endou-san," Bokuto stated, his voice shaking too. Without another thought, I pulled both of them into a tight group hug.

"Let's just listen to Akaashi's advice this time. We'll be here when she decides to ask for help," I stated firmly, intentionally using "when" instead of "if", knowing that Bokuto especially would run down the hall and grab the girl if he didn't believe there was any chance of her seeking help on her own.

"Thanks, pain-in-the-ass Kuroo-san," Akaashi mumbled, his voice shaking ever so slightly as Bokuto and I both tightened our grip around him. It was going to be okay. It had to be.

Our way too emotional bro moment was interrupted as my phone started ringing, playing the Dragonborn Comes, the song Kenma chose when I let him pick his ringtone. Knowing the smaller boy was probably concerned with the storm, I separated from the other two before heading to the door and slipping on my shoes as I answered my phone.

"Where are you, Kuro? The storm is supposed to start up again soon," Kenma's quiet voice came from my speaker.

"Awww you're worried about me, Kenma? I'm a grown ass man. A storm won't bother me, but since you're so worried, I'll head home now," I teased and I could practically feel his annoyance through the phone.

"I'm not worried about you," was his only response.

"Are too."

"I'm not."

"You are too."

"I'm not."

"Come on, Kenma. Just admit you're worried about your best friend. I'll be home in no time," I crooned in a teasing tone. The only response I got was the click of Kenma hanging up earning a much needed laugh from me and Bokuto. Hell, even Akaashi cracked a smile.

After saying our goodbyes, I decided to jog to mine and Kenma's place. I needed the exercise to help organize my thoughts and also to hopefully make it home before the storm picked back up. However, no matter how fast I ran, I just couldn't get that image of Endou-san's terrified eyes matched with her fierce expression. In 24 years of being alive, I couldn't remember ever being so immediately invested in another person's well-being.

"Okaa-san, if you're watching, can you please make it to where Endou-san escapes whatever or whoever it is that she is so terrified of?" I found myself speaking out loud as I looked up to the stormy sky, hoping more than ever that my mother could hear me from her place in the clouds.

Song: Must Have Been the Wind by Alec Benjamin