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With a deep sigh, Tsukishima let himself flop down on one of the available seats in the train. He placed his backpack on the floor under his seat and leaned back against the window.
He was so tired. He'd thought at the beginning of the year that taking morning classes would be a good idea since then he'd have the afternoons and evenings free to study. What he hadn't taken into account was the fact that while lectures weren't always mandatory, seminars were. Those were in the afternoons.
So, his best efforts were for nought, and on most days he was forced to show his face at school the whole day, instead of just the mornings as he'd intended to. As a result of that and the endless studying he now had left to do in the evenings, he was tired after classes. Every single day.
Someone else sat down in the seat next to him, and Tsukishima moved his legs to give the other more space. He forced his eyes open and sneaked a glance at the man beside him. Tall, dark hair. Probably a university student as well. Tsukishima decided it wouldn't be necessary to pay the man any attention, and he closed his eyes again.
The train started to move, and the rocking of the car was immensely soothing. He forced back a yawn and sat up a bit. With one painstakingly opened eye, he saw it was already dark outside. He sighed again and ignored the concerned look the man beside him sent his way. Before he knew it, his consciousness slipped and he was asleep.
When Tsukishima woke up, it was to the stranger beside him gently shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and leaned back a bit, the stranger's face just a bit too close to his own for comfort. Sleepily, he blinked a few times and sat up. "What?" he managed to murmur.
"I didn't know what your stop was but this is mine and you were still asleep, so I thought I'd wake you up," the stranger said with a not unpleasant voice.
Yawning, Tsukishima rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "Then what stop is it?"
"The second to last of this track, before it turns around again."
Second to last. He was supposed to get off… six stops ago. He groaned. It would take him at least an hour to walk home, and he was certainly not spending extra money on the train back to his stop.
"I was too late wasn't I," the stranger said, sheepishly wringing his hands.
"I shouldn't have fallen asleep," Tsukishima replied, and stood up. He'd better get off the train now, then, or he'd have to walk even further.
This was stupid. Immensely stupid, and not like him at all. He was usually rather punctual and orderly, and he'd always thought the people who fell asleep on the trains and then missed their stop were stupid. Now he'd gone and done it himself. With a fairly handsome stranger as witness, at that.
"You're getting off here?" the stranger asked. Tsukishima didn't look at him when he nodded. "Alright!" the guy continued, "do you know how to get home from here?"
Tsukishima wasn't sure why the guy was still talking to him, and he wasn't sure how to answer either. Of course he knew the way home, he wasn't an infant. He had lived in this city for over two years now, and he'd done his fair share of research about the area he lived in.
He wasn't looking forward to walking, though. Especially not in the dark with possible dangerous people around. You could never be too sure about the people lingering in the streets at night in bigger cities.
"You need a ride home?" the guy asked, apparently still not done questioning Tsukishima. It was… strange, and a little uncomfortable. It was nice of him to offer, though.
"No, thank you," Tsukishima declined politely, "I'm fine with walking."
The guy let out a scandalised gasp. "What? How far is it?"
Tsukishima didn't really want to answer the guy. He didn't know him, he didn't want to know him. He wasn't telling a stranger where he lived. He wasn't sure why the stranger thought he would.
The automated female voice announced the next stop, and the stranger stood up as well. "Let's go, then," he said. Tsukishima assumed he was talking to himself, but then he turned to Tsukishima again and smiled, holding his hand out for him to shake. Tentatively, he looked at the outstretched hand and shook it quickly. Just to not be rude. "I'm Kuroo! Kuroo Tetsurou, nice to meet you."
"Yeah," Tsukishima mumbled as he stuck his hand inside his pocket and shuffled past the stranger. Kuroo. Weird man.
They got off the train at the same time. Tsukishima followed the arrows pointing him to the exit, and Kuroo kept walking by his side. Tsukishima noticed that he was tall. Almost as tall as himself, maybe a few centimetres shorter. He didn't know many people who were the same height as him.
"So," Kuroo spoke up again when they got closer to the exit. Tsukishima had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. "You look like a perfectly grown man but you won't tell me how far it is to your home and I've got the feeling that it's far. It'd be totally uncool if I just let you walk so far by yourself, so… The offer still stands. I live together with my best friend. His boyfriend has a car and I have a license, so I could totally drive you home. No big deal."
Tsukishima sighed. He didn't even know Kuroo. Kuroo didn't even know his name. Why on earth was he even offering this? Part of Tsukishima was still not very eager to interact with Kuroo for much longer, but the more lazy, selfish part of him kind of wanted to take him up on that offer.
Tell a stranger where he lived and letting him drive him home with the risk of being kidnapped and killed, or walking home for an hour at night with the exact same risk?
He sighed again, and stopped, Kuroo immediately standing still beside him as well. Tsukishima studied his face for a second. Or maybe more.
He was handsome, sure, in a messy, ragged way. His hair looked like at least three cats took a nap in there. Tsukishima wasn't sure whether it was gelled up like that or if it was somehow natural, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know either.
His eyes were slightly slanted with a hopeful, semi-tired look in them. Those eyes, paired with his lazy grin, he probably should've had a more dark or sexy vibe around him, but to Tsukishima he just looked like an idiot. Still, a handsome idiot. He was smaller than Tsukishima, but broader. With a final sigh he decided that Kuroo was most likely harmless.
"Fine," Tsukishima said, "I'll let you drive me home." Kuroo smiled widely. Tsukishima noticed a happy shimmer in his eyes. Cute, he caught himself thinking. "Lead the way."
Kuroo nodded happily and was then on his way, Tsukishima following a bit behind him. He refused to let himself think about how bizarre of a situation this was. If he did, he'd probably end up cursing himself for being irrational in his tired state, and turn around. He kind of did want that free ride. He wondered what Kuroo looked like driving.
Tsukishima was not at all planning to talk more to Kuroo on the way to his home, but Kuroo kept asking him questions. He felt it'd be a bit rude, even for him, if he ignored him. Especially when Kuroo told him he was two years older than Tsukishima.
So, on the ten-minute walk, Tsukishima found out Kuroo was originally from Tokyo and still played volleyball in their university's team, after starting together with his childhood friend in middle school. Tsukishima found himself talking about his own friends who also played, about how he'd tried in middle school but had gotten tired of it quickly.
Kuroo told him about his friends, about how he enjoyed going to little restaurants on a whim and try different places and meals every time, about how he had never been abroad. In return, Tsukishima told Kuroo he had one older brother and that he moved to Tokyo two years ago, on his own. That he also lived with a friend, and that he was usually too picky about his food to be able to go on little food adventures like that.
Upon arriving at the apartment building Kuroo apparently lived in, Tsukishima offered to wait outside. Kuroo agreed, and returned three minutes later with a wide grin and car keys in his hand. In the car, an old beat down thing Tsukishima didn't think would last much longer, he rattled off his address and Kuroo quickly drove off.
"You're more talkative than I expected," he said after a little while, a satisfied smile on his lips.
Tsukishima scoffed. "No, I'm not."
He really wasn't. On a daily basis, at least, he only talked to his few friends. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to other people. He just avoided talking to his professors, and he didn't meet that many people between classes and studying.
"So I'm special? Wow, I'm flattered," Kuroo laughed.
Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "Don't get too excited. This is a one time thing."
Kuroo quieted immediately, and Tsukishima kind of regretted saying that. Only kind of. He didn't even know Kuroo, damn it.
He stayed silent and it seemed like he was going to stay quiet for the rest of the ride. The idea made Tsukishima weirdly uncomfortable. He fidgeted in his seat, and shot Kuroo a sideways glance.
"Why are you even doing this?" he muttered after another minute of awkward silence. "I could've walked home, I won't get kidnapped or anything."
"I'm sorry," Kuroo just replied.
Tsukishima frowned. "I- why?"
"For making you this uncomfortable," he said, biting his lip, "I just- doesn't matter. I shouldn't have forced you. I just wanted to make sure you get home safely."
Tsukishima was stunned to silence. Kuroo took that as Tsukishima being angry at him, and quickly shut his mouth.
Tsukishima was annoyed, yes, but more with himself than with Kuroo. Kuroo was doing such a nice thing for him, and here he was, making him think he was mad about it. Kuroo must think he was such an ungrateful kid. That's what he would think, were he in Kuroo's place.
He really should apologize, and make it clearer that he was just trying to thank him, before he left the car. Just to be polite, he told himself. Not at all because he felt as frown didn't suit Kuroo's face. Of course not.
"It's this building," Tsukishima said, already undoing his seatbelt as Kuroo stopped on the side of the road. He didn't get out of the car, though. Kuroo shot him a curious look.
"Um-" Tsukishima started, unsure of what would be the best way to phrase this. "Sorry for making you think I was annoyed, I'm actually… shocked, kind of. That you'd do something so nice for a stranger. So thank you."
"Oh," Kuroo breathed. "I'm… um. Yeah. You're welcome."
Tsukishima sent him a smile, and only then made his way out of the car. Before he could close the door, he saw Kuroo lean over the gear stick. "By the way, I think you're really pretty!" he heard the older call out right before the door fell shut. Thanks to the street lights, he could see the small blush on Kuroo's cheeks. Before he could reiterate, the car drove off and he was left alone
He was sure his own blush has been just as visible. The smile on his face was still there when he fell asleep.
Tsukishima hadn't seen Kuroo at all at the university campus over the past week, and it was stressing him out, and the fact that it stressed him out only served to stress him out more. He hadn't been sleeping well, Kuroo on his mind a bit too often for someone he didn't even really know.
For someone he'd like to get to know.
It had messed up his sleep schedule, and another week later, he caught himself nodding off on the train on his way home again.
Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. His face immediately flushed red when he saw Kuroo's smile, face close to his own. "Sleep," he said, his voice gentle. Tsukishima didn't know what to say. "I'll wake you up for your stop," the older promised with the sweet smile still in place. Tsukishima smiled back, a plan already forming.
Surely enough, Kuroo shook his shoulder, successfully waking him up at his stop. "This was your stop, right?" Kuroo whispered to not disturb the other passengers. Tsukishima felt his heart flutter dumbly at the fact that Kuroo remembered that.
Tsukishima smiled. "I think I'll stay. If you don't mind."
The happy expression on Kuroo's face told him he'd made the right decision.