Chapter 3

Day 5 Hot|Cold

Day 6 Sugar|Spice

"You want to try sleeping at your apartment tonight?"

It was a simple question, but Daichi didn't realize how much it would affect Kuroo.

His reaction was tense, his shoulders rising up to his ears and his eyes going a little vacant as he stopped reading through his research to ponder Daichi's question.

Daichi winced and he turned back towards his stove to finish cooking breakfast for the day.

It had been a little over a week of Kuroo staying over at Daichi's place, both of them sleeping in the same bed. Kuroo's nightmares were violent and rough the first few nights, but as time went on, Kuroo became more and more relaxed. The past two nights resulted in Kuroo sleeping the entire night through without any problems.

But now, all of that progress seemed to be thrown out the window as Kuroo's left hand gripped his pen. His right arm was still in a sling, making things still difficult to move around. Daichi remembered the doctor telling him that he could take it off after a week, but Kuroo still clung to that thing like a lifeline. It was as if it were his security blanket.

"O-Oh, uh… well, I guess I should move back there eventually, right? Ha," Kuroo breathed out.

Daichi hadn't heard him stutter so much in all the time he had known him. He glanced over his shoulder as the eggs cooked on the stove.

"Kuroo, it's really no big deal if you want to stay here," Daichi offered. And it really wasn't a big deal. Daichi was enjoying the company, after all. It made his large apartment seem less lonely.

But Kuroo shook his head to decline. "No, you're right." His voice took on a more somber tone. "I need to get back into the swing of things on my own. And I can't do that when I'm here buggin' you all week."

"You're not bugging me," Daichi said. He turned back to the eggs and muttered under his breath, "I've really enjoyed it, actually."

"What was that?" Kuroo asked.

Daichi felt his cheeks flush and he shook his head as his shoulders rose to hide his red ears.

"N-Nothing!" Daichi said.

Kuroo hesitated, and Daichi wondered if he was going to ask again. But instead, Kuroo sighed and Daichi could hear him closing the book that was in front of him.

"You're right, though. I need to try out my place. Tonight," Kuroo said.

Daichi threw him a smile over his shoulder. "I'll come with, so don't worry."

Kuroo smiled back at him lightly, his left hand tapping on his book. He sighed and stood to his feet, tucking his book under his arm.

"All right. I guess I'll feel safer as long as my knight in shining armor is with me," Kuroo said.

And then, he winked.

The action made Daichi feel warm all over, a tingling sensation dropping down his stomach.

Oof, he really shouldn't have been so sensitive to that, should he? Kuroo was just joking—being his usual self.

So why was this affecting him so much?

"I'll pack up my things after class," Kuroo said, pulling Daichi out of his thoughts. "Then we can… hang out at my place for the night. I'll grab some movies."

Daichi arched a brow. "Are they movies, or documentaries? There is a difference you know."

Kuroo laughed in his ugly way and headed back to the spare bedroom without answering.

Daichi sighed. "It's another one of his stupid documentaries, isn't it?"

There was a slight chill in the air that night, Daichi noticed, as he walked back to his apartment after his shift. Luckily, his adrenaline was still high from his shift.

A novice purse-snatcher thought he could escape through a neighborhood, but Daichi could climb fences much faster than he could, and he quickly pulled him down from the top of the fence line in no trouble at all.

The only issue was that the perp knew some kind of self-defense, and he ended up kicking Daichi hard in the stomach—hard enough to knock the wind right out of him. He still managed to take the man down, though, even when he was gasping for breath.

So, all in all, the cool air was refreshing to his warmed skin. And once again, the stars were beautifully lit in the sky, covering it where the moonlight didn't touch them.

When he reached his apartment, Kuroo was already at the door, changed with a bag over his shoulder. He was looking down at his phone, seeming to wait for someone. His casted arm was still hanging in a sling tightly against his chest.

"Ah, you're here," Kuroo said. He had a strange look on his face that Daichi couldn't quite place. "You're a little late. Everything okay?"

Daichi rolled his shoulder, working out the annoying kink that had been stuck there since he wrestled the guy to the ground earlier.

"Yeah. Had a ton of paperwork after an arrest tonight," Daichi explained. "Let me get changed and we can go. Can I borrow your shower when we get there?"

Kuroo's face reddened ever so slightly. "Oh, yeah. Of course."

Daichi nodded once and then hurried to change his clothes and grab the overnight bag that he had packed that morning. Then, with a yawn, he led Kuroo out of his apartment and to his squad car, happily driving the both of them back to Kuroo's place.

Kuroo was fidgety upon their arrival to his apartment, but Daichi tried not to point it out too much. He feared that pressing on it now would make Kuroo flee too early.

They walked inside, Daichi noticing that most of the damage done to the place during the break-in had been rectified. All except for the coffee table, which was now just a missing gap in between the sofa and the TV.

"Okay, so I'll order some takeout. Pizza sound good to you?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo nodded quietly and grabbed both his and Daichi's bags to drop them off in the only bedroom in the apartment. Daichi sighed, hoping he wasn't being too pushy. He always had been, especially when it came to his crushes. It was one of the reasons his last relationship ended.

He shook it off and quietly ordered the takeout, allowing Kuroo some privacy to get oriented. When he came back out, he was in comfier clothes.

"Okay, bathroom's all yours if you want to shower," Kuroo said. "Towels are already in there."

"Ah, okay," Daichi said, heading down the hall. "The food should be here soon."

"'Kay!"

Daichi quickly got the shower going and then yanked his shirt off of his head with a hiss, his entire torso protesting with aches and pains. When he turned towards the mirror, he jolted. There was a nasty bruise stretching up from his hip to his ribs, and some portions of it crawling towards his abs.

"Damn it, that kick did a number on me," Daichi said, pressing some light fingers to the bruise.

Oh well. He had other things to deal with at the moment, and it certainly wasn't this bruise.

He quickly showered and dressed into comfy clothes, and then headed back out to the living room where Kuroo had a pizza box on his lap and the TV screen flashing with opening credits. He smiled up at Daichi and gestured to the box.

"Food's here," he said. "And I've got a real movie, you uncultured swine."

Daichi huffed out a laugh and plopped down next to Kuroo grabbing a slice of pizza.

"Whatever, nerd. At least it's something more interesting than what you made me watch the other night," Daichi said.

"What?! That movie was fascinating!" Kuroo said, munching on his own slice.

"Molecules aren't that interesting."

"Maybe to you."

Daichi chuckled again and grabbed another piece, turning his eyes towards the action on the screen.

They watched and munched on the pizza until it was gone. When their bellies were full, they would talk here and there, Kuroo making comments on the acting or movie effects. Daichi would roll his eyes tell him to just shut up and watch.

It was oddly domestic, and Daichi had the fleeting idea of doing this every night.

He pushed those thoughts away quickly though, choosing to try to focus on the movie and not the heat of the man sitting next to him.

"So, is this better than what we watched the other night?" Kuroo asked, slouching back into the cushions a little.

Daichi huffed. "Of course! This actually has some action in it!"

"Oh, come on! Isn't your daily life full of action enough?" Kuroo asked. "Or is giving parking tickets just not enough for you?"

"Hey!" Daichi laughed. "At least I'm not playing with test tubes all day."

"Oi, don't diss chemistry, man," Kuroo said. "You may have brute strength, but my brains could take over the world one day."

"Yeah, and all that messy hair!" Daichi said.

"Hey!"

Kuroo leaned forward and jabbed Daichi in the side to get him to stop laughing, but his fingers jabbed right into the bruise that had just begun to simmer down.

Pain bloomed along Daichi's side, and he hunched forward and grunted, a hand going to his side to stop the pain.

Kuroo immediately froze, eyes going wide as he stared at Daichi in shock.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kuroo asked, his voice thin.

Daichi rubbed his side and smiled at him, lifting up his other hand to wave him off.

"Ah, just sore from work today. It's nothing big," Daichi said.

"Nothing big?" Kuroo asked, incredulous. He paused the movie and then focused back on Daichi, scooting close. "You acted like I seriously hurt you!"

"It's just a bruise, Kuroo," Daichi said. He leaned back to look at the TV. "Just play the movie. I'm fine."

"Show me."

Daichi's thoughts screeched to a halt. He whipped his head back to look at Kuroo to see if he was joking, but the man's face was set as a stone.

"What?" Daichi said intelligently.

"Show me your bruise," Kuroo said.

"Kuroo, I'm fine," Daichi said. "It's just a bruise."

"If it's fine, then you should be able to show me with no problem." Kuroo shrugged his good shoulder. "And if it's fine, I'll drop it."

Daichi frowned, feeling cornered suddenly. He sighed and reached for the hem of his shirt, trying to avoid Kuroo's gaze as he lifted it up to his armpit and exposed his battered side. He heard a soft gasp, and then he felt warm fingers delicately graze his side.

Daichi jumped at the contact, glancing down to see Kuroo leaned in closely to see the bruise, his fingers lightly tracing it down to his hip. Then, he looked up at Daichi with furrowed brows.

"What the hell, Daichi?" Kuroo asked, frowning hard. "This isn't just a bruise! What if you have some kind of… internal bleeding or something!"

Daichi's jaw dropped, unable to speak for a moment.

Daichi. Kuroo had called him Daichi.

And it sounded so good. Oh, he wanted to hear it again. And again.

Everything felt so tingly and—

"Oh, shit. You're not actually bleeding internally, are you?!" Kuroo asked. He pulled back and fished his phone from his pocket, and Daichi could see that he was starting to dial emergency services.

"Ah, Kuroo! It's okay!" Daichi said, leaning forward to touch Kuroo's wrist. "Really. It was just from a kick and a bad fall. Honestly, I'm okay."

Kuroo paused in his dialing to look Daichi in the eyes. "You're sure?"

"Yes. Really, this isn't so bad," Daichi said. "Just a little sore."

Kuroo paused for a moment, letting his phone rest on his lap as he pondered the idea. Then, he stood to his feet and abandoned his phone in favor of grabbing Daichi's wrist.

"C'mon," he said, pulling Daichi to his feet.

"Huh? Where are we going?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo led him to the kitchen without an answer and patted the counter. "Hop up and take off your shirt."

Daichi thought his face was going to explode.

"T-Take off my what now?" Daichi clarified.

Kuroo was rummaging through the freezer as he answered, "Your shirt. We need to ice it for the pain."

Daichi hesitated. "Um… it really isn't—"

"Nope! No arguing with me," Kuroo said, peeking around the door of the freezer. "Just do it, okay?"

His eyes were borderline pleading, and Daichi found that he couldn't resist that look on Kuroo's face. Not when he looked like a begging puppy waiting for some table scraps.

So, with a sigh, Daichi pulled himself up onto the counter and painstakingly pulled his shirt over his head. The bruise was affecting more of his upper body movement than he realized. It must've been from sitting on the couch for too long.

"Oh, damn this thing!"

Daichi glanced up to see Kuroo pulling the sling off of his neck and throwing it aside, opting to use both of his hands to get the ice ready. He sighed in relief immediately afterward. A moment later, the freezer door shut, and Kuroo walked up to Daichi with a homemade icepack.

"This'll be cold," Kuroo warned, and he pressed the pack directly over the darkest part of the purple bruise.

Daichi winced and hissed, both at the pain and the cold, and he looked down in his lap to distract his mind from the thousands of different thoughts that were currently attacking his mind. How could he feel so hot and cold at the same time?!

"Sorry. Did I press too hard?" Kuroo asked.

Daichi looked over to him with wide eyes. "Ah, no, no," Daichi assured. Was he blushing? His face felt on fire. "I just wasn't ready for the cold."

"Ah, yeah. That makes sense," Kuroo said. He moved the pack slightly lower. "Geez, this guy really did a number on you."

Daichi shrugged. "It's not the worst I've ever had."

Kuroo shot him a look of surprise. "What?"

Oh boy. He really shouldn't have opened his mouth. But, he really could use the distraction before his body decided to act on its own.

"Ah, yeah. I've been shot before," Daichi said.

"What?!" Kuroo asked.

"Mhmm," Daichi said. He shifted slightly so Kuroo could look at the bullet scar in Daichi's opposite shoulder. "I was out for a little while, but I recovered quickly."

"Shit," Kuroo said, looking at the old scar. "Did it hurt?"

"Oh, yeah," Daichi said with a low laugh. "Worst pain I'd ever been in my whole life." He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "I thought I'd get fired."

"Fired?" Kuroo exclaimed, moving the ice pack a little closer to Daichi's ribs. "For what? For getting shot?"

"For being foolish," Daichi said. "I put people's lives in danger that day. So I thought my ass was done." He hissed when Kuroo pressed on the tender part of the bruise. "But, luckily, my Captain just thanked me for helping out that day. So I still have a job."

Kuroo eyed the bullet scar and then the bruise on Daichi's side. Daichi could see his eyes glance over his chest, probably looking at the other small scars here and here. He felt his face flush at the attention.

"Seems like a pretty dangerous job," Kuroo said.

"It is," Daichi agreed. "But I'm pretty tough, you know?"

Kuroo let out a low laugh, eyes going back to the bruise. "Yeah, you're right about that."

He removed the icepack from his ribs and looked at the damage, his face grimacing.

"It still looks pretty nasty," Kuroo said.

Daichi waved his hand. "It's fine. It looks much worse than it feels."

"And you're sure we don't need to go to the hospital?" Kuroo asked as Daichi hopped down from the counter.

"Geez, would you chill?" Daichi said with a laugh. He smirked, finding an opening. "I'm perfectly fine, Tetsu."

Kuroo jolted, his face flushing and ears burning red.

"W-What?" Kuroo stammered.

"What? It's only fair," Daichi said. "You called me by my first name earlier."

Kuroo blinked at him and then looked away, eyes gazing at the icepack as he fidgeted in place.

"I… did?" he asked.

"Yep," Daichi said, keeping his smirk on his face. "I guess you were pretty worried about me, huh? You even took your sling off, which it's about time!"

Kuroo glanced down at his cast on his arm and blinked in shock. It was as if he had completely forgotten everything that happened in the past few minutes.

"Uh, I… I guess I really was," Kuroo said. His cheeks turned darker. "You… don't mind me calling you Daichi?"

Daichi's stomach fluttered. That sounded way too good on Kuroo's tongue.

He was so screwed.

"It's less syllables. Easier to say," Daichi said, trying to sound nonchalant. "So why not?"

Kuroo nodded. "All right. But only if you call me Tetsu."

Daichi smiled, his cheeks nearly hurting from how hard his lips stretched across his face.

"I think I can do that."

Kuroo acclimated to his apartment a little slowly at first, but after a week of Daichi being there, he seemed to do better.

Daichi stopped sleeping over after that first week, and he realized just how cold it was to sleep alone. He vaguely wondered if Kuroo felt the same way, but he wouldn't dare to ask him.

Fortunately, Daichi received texts on the daily, and dinner meet-ups were more often than not. If his coworkers noticed the goofy grins on his face whenever he would receive a text, then they didn't say anything. He would get the occasional knowing smile or suggestive eyebrows, but he would pointedly ignore them in favor of responding to Kuroo, or Tetsu, as his contact read.

After another week had passed, Daichi received a text from Kuroo right near the end of his shift.

From: Tetsu

I'm making dinner tonight. Come over?

Daichi smiled. As if he had any other plans for the evening.

To: Tetsu

I'll be there.

As soon as the clock struck five, Daichi rushed home to change and freshen up as best as he possibly could without actually taking a shower, and then made his way over to Kuroo's apartment.

When he arrived, he knocked on Kuroo's door, feeling a bit antsy and excited to be hanging out with Kuroo and getting a home-cooked meal from him. He wondered if Kuroo was any good at cooking. He'd always brag how he's learned so many new recipes, but he didn't know what all that would entail.

Oh, shoot. Should he have brought something? Damn it, Daichi, he chastised himself. He really should've brought wine. That would've been perfect. Romantic, even.

The door opened before Daichi could spiral into panic, and a freshly-showered Kuroo waited on the other side, a bright smile on his face. He was wearing a simple v-neck shirt and some sweatpants. It wasn't fancy at all, and Daichi loved it.

"Well, it's about time," Kuroo teased, moving out of the way. "Get in here, already."

"Ah, thanks," Daichi said. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I was stuck at work for longer than I expected."

Kuroo's smile slipped from his face as his eyes scanned up and down Daichi's body. Daichi could practically feel the burn from his gaze, and he tried not to blush at the attention.

"You okay? It wasn't another injury, was it?" Kuroo asked, his voice serious.

Daichi shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. Just a crazy amount of paperwork."

Kuroo's shoulders sagged a little and he nodded, a smile coming back to his face.

"That's a relief," Kuroo said with a soft sigh. "Well, come on in! Dinner's almost done."

Kuroo led Daichi into his kitchen, and the smell in the air was heavenly. Kuroo opened up the oven and pulled out the masterpiece. It was some kind of meat, surrounded by veggies and potatoes, and Daichi's mouth was watering.

"Ah, it's perfect! Just a few more minutes," Kuroo said as he pushed it back in the oven. He grabbed a spoon and dipped it in the sauce, holding it in front of Daichi's mouth. "Here, try it."

Daichi knew his face must've been as red as a tomato, but he leaned forward nonetheless and sipped at the sauce. The spice hit his tongue immediately, and he hissed a bit at the heat. But the taste was impeccable.

"Whoa," Daichi said, his tongue still burning from the spices.

"You okay?" Kuroo asked, brows lowering.

"Ah, it's got a kick to it," Daichi said.

"Oh, shit," Kuroo cursed, looking nervous. "I added some red pepper flakes, but I guess I added too much."

"No, no! It's good!" Daichi said.

Kuroo quirked a brow and narrowed his eyes at him. "You're not just saying that?"

"No, not at all," Daichi said. "I just wasn't expecting it. The taste is amazing, though."

Kuroo's shoulders relaxed and he put on a handsome smile. "Ah, that's good. I was a little worried." He put the spoon in the sink and filled up a glass of water for Daichi. "So do you like spicy food then?"

"I like it okay. Suga's been training me for years with it," he answered.

Kuroo leaned on the counter and gave him a smirk. "I guess I'll just have to make something sweet for you next time."

Nothing would be as sweet as your tongue.

Daichi nearly jumped as the thought passed in his brain, his cheeks flushing a deep red. He lowered his eyes to the counter to avoid looking at Kuroo's charming smile.

"Ha, well... I'd like to try that sometime," Daichi said.

Kuroo smiled, showing pearly white teeth as he snickered. He turned back around to check on the meat, and one minute later, the oven beeped. He grabbed the pan from the oven and placed it on the counter. He pointed to the nearby rice cooker.

"I've got rice ready, too. Here, have a plate," Kuroo said.

Daichi took the plate from him and smirked at him. "You sure are eager to feed me. It's not poisoned, is it?"

Kuroo put a hand to his chest. "Oh! You wound me, Daichi!" he teased. "Nah, I was just wanting to make something nice for you. Since you've been playing nurse for me for the past few weeks."

Daichi glanced down at the cast on Kuroo's arm. He seemed to have more motion in his arm, but it was most likely still broken. He still needed some time to heal.

"You didn't need to do all this, you know," Daichi said. "It must've been really hard to do with your cast on, too."

Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, cutting the vegetables was quite a challenge. But nevermind that! C'mon, let's go watch that detective show."

Daichi smiled at his enthusiasm. The show was nothing like how detectives operate in real life, but it was fun to watch Kuroo pick it apart—especially when it came to the forensics side of things.

They watched and ate in relative silence, Kuroo picking out the incorrect facts here and there. Daichi finished everything on his plate and even debated going back for more. It was a little on the hot side, which Suga would've scoffed at, but it was still good nonetheless. It gave it just the right amount of bite that Daichi enjoyed.

"Damn, Tetsu. That was amazing," Daichi said, patting his firm gut.

Kuroo smirked widely. "Why, thank you, Daichi! I'm glad that you could partake in my experiment!"

"Experiment?" Daichi asked.

"Yeah, it's a new recipe. Never tried it before," Kuroo said.

"Oh, so I was your guinea pig?" Daichi asked. "What if you gave me food poisoning?"

"What? You don't trust my cooking skills?" Kuroo asked. "I'm hurt!"

Daichi pushed against his shoulder. "Oh, shut it! I liked what you made, and you know it!"

"Do I?" Kuroo asked, pushing back and moving closer to Daichi. "Well, it's really not convincing. I think you hated it."

Kuroo pouted, and Daichi wanted to kiss it right off of his face. He wondered what the look on Kuroo's face would be. Shocked, definitely. And that smug airiness of his would evaporate in a split second.

He was so tempted. So, so tempted…

"See?" Kuroo asked, getting so close that Daichi could feel his rooster-like hair tickle his forehead. He was so close… So warm. His voice was so low that it left him tingling. "I definitely think you're lying."

That was all it took.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kuroo's, his hands gently holding him by his waist.

It was warm and chapped and so, so sweet, and everything Daichi had imagined. It took the heat from the meal right off of his tongue, replacing it with a sugary taste that made him tremble. He could get lost like this, lost in Kuroo's embrace, lost in his kiss, his touch.

He wanted this forever.

Daichi slowly opened his eyes, realizing just now that he had closed them, and stared at Kuroo's face.

Wait a minute. He was… He was kissing him—

He pulled back and sucked in a sharp breath, leaving Kuroo to stare at him blankly. His lips were wet and red from kissing, but the look of shock on his face was evident.

What the hell was Daichi doing?!

"Um, I, uh… I just—" Daichi stammered. He gently pushed Kuroo away and stood onto his trembling legs. "Sorry, I… I don't know what came over me."

"Daichi," Kuroo called, reaching out to him with a crease in between his brow. "Wait."

"Sorry, I… I have to go," Daichi rasped out all at once.

And in a flash, he was out the door and rushing to his car, turning it on and driving back to his place. He was trembling, all of him, his entire body seizing with adrenaline and fear.

What the hell had he just done?

The drive back to his place was a blur. It was as if he was drunk, the fuzzy road and heat pressuring in his chest.

He made it to his front door, the keys barely able to fit into the lock from all of his shaking. Once inside, he slammed the door shut and sucked in a deep breath. What the hell was going on? Why couldn't he breathe?

He turned around and rested his back against the door, sliding to the floor in one big slump. He reached into his pocket and dug out his phone, declining the call from Kuroo so he could open up his contacts. He quickly dialed Suga and put the phone up to his ear.

"What, is the date over already? Daichi, I'm disappointed—"

"S-Suga," Daichi rasped.

Suga's teasing tone wilted immediately. "Daichi? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I screwed up," Daichi said, and oh, crap, was he crying?

Thick tears rolled down his cheeks as the panic from the situation finally hit him like a freight train.

Oh, shit. What did he just do?

"Daichi, calm down, okay? Are you having a panic attack? Shit," Suga cursed. "Just stay on the phone with me and breathe. I'm coming over."

"N-No, I… I screwed up, Suga," Daichi said, hiccupping in a breath.

"What did you screw up?"

Daichi shut his eyes tight and thought of that beautiful smile. Messy hair and all. And now… it was all going to be different.

He sucked in a breath, and then answered with a trembling voice.

"Everything."