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Chapter Text

The strap of his heavy gym bag cut slowly into his shoulder. The longer he stood there looking down over the tiers at the rink, the more painful the material pressed into his already tight and hurting muscles. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off the two men on the ice. They were alone, the rest of the skating squad had already left; not even the coach was there anymore. There was no music playing, but they ran through their program, anyway.

They circled one another, their hands found each other. For a moment it seemed like a fight. They pushed and pulled, then the taller of the two grabbed the other by his sides, lifted him up and threw him. Before coming back down on the ice, the black-haired man performed a frightening number of mid-air pirouettes, then landed safely on one foot and continued gliding backwards, the other leg stretched out in a perfect line with his body.

Bokuto had seen this choreography so often by now and it still was fascinating how easily and elegantly these two giants moved across the ice. He had stood next to the black-haired guy once, and the man had towered over him a bit. His partner was almost a full head taller than him.

Bokuto held his breath as the taller one slipped behind the black-haired guy and put his hands on his waist. Now came his favorite part of the whole choreography. A small jump from the man in front and the taller one lifted him over his head. The black-haired man's body arched back while his arms and legs elegantly stretched out like a lolling cat. They held this pose for a moment. Then the tall one lowered the black-haired man and caught his body with his own before his skates could even touch the ice. His thighs settled on those of the man behind him as if to wrap his legs around him, who put a hand against his upper body to support his weight. It was so beautiful, how he turned his head to one side and rested it against the other's with that pained look on his face.

"Are ya comin' or what?" came Atsumu's annoyed voice from the other end of the hallway, bringing him back to reality.

Their own training had once again taken longer than planned, not an uncommon occurrence.

It was also not uncommon for them to watch the figure skaters for a while in the smaller neighboring hall – which they had to pass to get to the exit – while waiting for their captain's boyfriend. Since they had collected him, the rest of the group had already disappeared through the door at the end of the corridor, which Atsumu had just pushed open again to call for their lost teammate.

Without taking another look at the two dancers on the ice, Bokuto heaved his bag higher onto his shoulder and hurried towards the others.

* * *

The music swelled. However, contrary to his expectation the turns of their parallel pirouettes slowed down until the taller man stopped spinning altogether and reached for the black-haired one, snapping him out of his spin and pressing their bodies together chest to chest. The black-haired man leaned back and pressed his back into one of those beautiful arches, stretching his arms above his head while his partner held him like a fragile piece of thin china. Then the music ended and they pulled each other into a tight and dramatic embrace.

The other members of the figure skating group, who sat scattered around the stands on the entrance side of the rink, applauded them – a few even whistled. Some of the younger girls squealed excitedly as the two men finally broke apart and made their way over to leave the ice, breathing heavily. Behind him, Hinata let out a low "Whoaa!" and all Bokuto could do was agree as they looked down at the rink from where they were standing at the entrance of the hall.

“It really is a shame that same-sex couples aren't allowed to officially compete anywhere. Those two would win so many titles with that program,” Oikawa sighed, coming up the stairs to meet them with his backpack over one shoulder and his skates over the other.

"Don't they also do solos?" Iwaizumi asked, trying to take the backpack from his boyfriend who instead gave him a kiss on the cheek, which made the captain of the hockey team grumble.

"No. Mishima has actually retired from competitive skating and coaches one of the younger groups now. He just agreed to help Kuroo with this choreography. And Kuroo hasn't even tried to compete in… forever. He thinks he's not fit enough for a solo because of that," Oikawa explained, looking down to the ice with them, where the group of girls from before were now warming up under Mishima's supervision. Kuroo sat on a bench and took off his skates. An older man, the head coach of the whole team, sat next to him and laughed at a comment the younger one made.

Kuroo. Finally he had a name for this pretty face.

"At some point it annoyed him so much that he never made it through the preliminary rounds and kept himself to planning choreographies."

"But isn't this thing a bit… too much for just a show night?" Atsumu asked, taking a last look down towards the ice. Iwaizumi slowly started walking towards the exit, the others followed him.

"Well, taking a look at the way Bokkun isn’t able to close his mouth anymore, I think it's just right. We wanted to show what we’re capable of and raise some money for charity," Oikawa replied with an amused laugh before taking Iwaizumi's hand, who held it out for him to take. Bokuto felt the blush creep onto his face as he actually had to close his mouth, which seemed to have been hanging open the whole time, and the figure skater laughed.

"After all, he helped me choreograph the freestyle that won me gold last year," Oikawa literally sang.

"Yes, babe. We know," Iwaizumi sighed, knowing that the other one couldn't stop talking about how he had won national gold.

Still, it was impressive

, Bokuto thought. Both winning medals among the best of the best, and Kuroo's share of it. He had seen the recording of Oikawa's performance; it was so cool! He had also seen how Kuroo handled himself on the ice. If he still never made it through the preliminary rounds, how tough was the competition?

* * *

Hinata and Atsumu couldn't stop talking about how well their teamwork had been on the ice today. They had already forgotten that the smaller had almost given the blond a black eye until Iwaizumi reminded them of the incident. Hinata stuttered nervously at that while Atsumu puffed out his cheeks indignantly.

When they came through the door that led from their section of the hall to the long corridor leading to the exit, Oikawa was already standing at the wide-open door to the smaller side hall where the figure skaters were still in full training mode. The dancer waved at them, grinning happily, which all but their captain returned. A swing number began blaring from the room below. On the ice, a young couple started their run.

It was fast, a lot of twists and little hops. It wasn't an incredibly spectacular or dramatic number like Oikawa preferred them or like Kuroo and Mishima's choreography. There weren't many lifts or fancy jumps, but there was so much energy in their movements. It was more like they were dancing together and they enjoyed it. It was so much fun to watch.

But his attention quickly fell on the tall man in all black, who was swinging his arms to warm up. Mishima stood next to him and said something, which made Kuroo laugh out loud. It sounded awful, but his expression was cute.

“You should just say hello to Kuroo sometime. He doesn't bite, you know?” came the cheeky remark next to his ear, making him jump. He turned his head to the side where Oikawa had spoken to him and winced once more at how close the other was. He was almost leaning on his shoulder, his eyes sparkled with a knowing expression.

"What do you mean?" Bokuto simply asked, pretending that his voice hadn't just cracked at the end of his question. He cleared his throat and hid it behind a cough. The others were already headed towards the exit, so he took that as a reason to move away from Oikawa, who watched him for a moment before following.

"I could introduce you two, if you want me to. He is really nice," the other practically sang. Bokuto felt his ears getting hot from a growing blush.

He had considered going down those steps a few times in the past months he had been watching the other on the ice, but... That wasn't right. How awkward would it be when Kuroo found out that Bokuto had been constantly watching him. He had just found out the other's name a couple of days ago.

“Ah, n-no. You really don't have to,” he said and literally fled into the entrance area.

Oikawa followed him laughing, earning them questioning looks from the others.

* * *

Bokuto's gaze swept over the people on the ice and in the stands. Kuroo was nowhere to be seen. There was also no trace of his partner. It had been like this for a few days now. Were they already done and had gone home?

He had never realized how much he was looking forward to seeing Kuroo after his own training, until he was disappointed to find that the other wasn't there; even if it was just from a distance. But wasn't it strange? They had never spoken a word to each other and yet he was dejected when not seeing him either skating or laughing at the periphery of the rink.

After making sure that Kuroo really wasn't hiding somewhere in the stands, he started following his friends. For a moment he looked at his feet while walking and bit his lip in thought. Was he really disappointed not to see the figure skater? It somehow seemed strange to him, but he didn't know what else to call this nagging feeling.

When he looked up again to grab the door, Oikawa was holding it open for him and looked straight at him. Bokuto pushed past him and said nothing to the questioning look in the other's eyes.

* * *

Bokuto was the last one in the locker room. He had completely lost track of the time, even though he had wanted to meet up with his sisters to discuss what they wanted to do for their mother's birthday. Not even Atsumu and Hinata had waited for him so they could take the bus into town together.

He hurried down the empty and silent corridor towards the entrance of the ice rink hall. If he was fast enough he could still catch the next bus, otherwise he really was going to be too late for his date. His heavy bag dug deeper into his shoulder with every step. Maybe he should invest in a backpack instead of those crossbody gym bags, even though he had to find one big enough for his needs.

The figure skater's ice rink was still fully lit, which in all honesty surprised him a bit at this hour. As he looked through the few windows – that were placed just before and after the double door opening into the hall – and at the shining white ice surface below the stands, he slowed down until he finally stopped at the door. Kuroo was back and going through a routine. But he was alone.

The clicking and sliding of his skates on the ice echoed softly up to him in the otherwise relatively quiet arena, as he jumped a couple of times and landed back on the ice. Bokuto didn't really have an idea what the other man was doing down there, but he seemed dejected. His movements were too frantic in some places, losing the elegance they had just a moment before, only to find it again one movement later. Maybe he was just acting?

When he finally slowed down in a pirouette and dropped onto the ice on his knees, Bokuto held his breath. Kuroo didn't seem to have fallen and hurt himself, but he stayed there unmoving, until Bokuto saw him running both hands into his hair.

"Fuck!"

He didn't yell, but it still echoed clearly across the empty stands. This run had been different from the elegance he usually displayed and Bokuto didn't know if and if so where he had made any mistakes. It had been nice to watch – maybe a bit out of place, but still so beautiful. He would have loved to tell him exactly that, taking away Kuroo's frustration that still lingered in the now again silent room, but he probably wouldn't find the right words or the courage to do that.

Kuroo slowly got up after just sitting there on the ice, where he had tried to make himself as small as possible. He turned towards the exit of the rink, which was right between him and Bokuto, in one fluid motion and when he noticed the shadow in the door at the top of the stairs, he stopped in his tracks and looked up.

This suddenly turned awkward very quickly. The figure skater probably just had a bad run and a minor mental breakdown. And Bokuto had watched him the whole time. Before their eyes could meet, he started moving and basically ran down the corridor.

* * *

"Bokkun! Your favorite boy is on the ice again!” Atsumu shouted in his general direction with a big grin on his face, when Bokuto finally left their locker room and joined them in the corridor. The blonde and Iwaizumi stood at the entrance of the smaller hall and he could hear an already very familiar piece of music.

"He's not my favorite," he grumbled in response as he approached his teammates. His eyes fell onto Kuroo, who was doing pirouettes on the ice that made him feel dizzy just from watching. He was going so fast.

But he was doing a routine on his own again. Bokuto could see Mishima and their trainer standing at the edge of the ice, Oikawa was sitting next to a music system and didn't seem to have noticed the group of hockey players behind him. All three of them tensely watched what was happening on the ice.

Kuroo looked as tense as his audience, his run being bumpy and then falling back to smooth movements that didn't seem to fit together. And suddenly Bokuto realized what he had witnessed the other day.

He had watched the two figure skaters often enough to get a rough idea of what was going on, but this had almost nothing left of the original choreography. It wasn't just that Kuroo was alone and with that a lot of steps that were missing and changed. There was a lack of energy and... emotion? It certainly had always felt different when the two men were on the ice together.

When the music piece came to an end Kuroo dropped to his knees again and looked so small and defeated. Why did he change his and Mishima's program into a solo? Oikawa quickly fiddled with the music system until it stopped starting the song from the beginning.

Kuroo wasn't sitting on the ice for even one second before he turned his head to his trainer and partner. For a moment no one moved. Eventually the older man waved him over and Kuroo got up, following the prompt.

"Tooru," Iwaizumi called and the addressed turned his head towards them. The look on his face was tight and stressed. An unusual picture compared to his otherwise relaxed and cheerful nature.

"I'm staying a little longer. Go home, you don't have to wait for me," he said to the hockey captain and turned back to the three men who were still discussing something.

Iwaizumi sighed and turned to Bokuto and Atsumu.

"See you tomorrow then, boys," he said and made his way down the stairs to sit down next to his boyfriend.

"See ya!" Atsumu replied, waving before he started moving towards the exit. When he noticed that Bokuto wasn't following him, he turned around again. "Ya comin'?"

Bokuto's eyes lingered on Kuroo, who was holding onto the rink's railings with outstretched arms and letting his head hang low in frustration as his trainer talked to him calmly. Mishima next to him didn't say a word. Suddenly Kuroo slammed down both hands on the railing and lifted his head.

"Again!" the figure skater called breathlessly and Oikawa let out a quick "Yessir!" before he fiddled with the music system again to play Kuroo's music piece one more time.

Kuroo glided back onto the center of the ice. His trainer let his head hang for a moment and shook it before looking up to watch his protege.

"Go ahead," Bokuto said, seeing Atsumu shrug out of the corner of his eye and went down the stairs as well.

He joined Iwaizumi and Oikawa. The latter was thoughtfully rubbing his lower lip with his fingers while he watched Kuroo. Everyone on the figure skating team looked like they were attending a bomb disposal. The atmosphere was fairly uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" he asked hesitantly after he managed to look away from Kuroo, who had just made an unsteady landing after a jump.

Oikawa startled, turned his head and looked at him in surprise. He has obviously been too deep in thought to notice the newcomer.

"Mishima broke his wrist pretty badly. Now Kuroo is trying to make a solo out of their pair choreography.” Oikawa turned back to watching Kuroo make his rounds on the ice again.

Bokuto's eyes wandered over to Mishima. He couldn't see any sign of his injury from his position, but the look on his face spoke volumes. He seemed just as frustrated as Kuroo, who was struggling to turn their – in Bokuto's opinion absolutely breathtaking – program into something that he could pull off alone. And even the hockey player saw how much vigor the piece had lost as a result.

"Then… why don't you do it with him?" he asked Oikawa, who just laughed.

"Cute, but I can't lift Kuroo and neither can he lift me. At least in the way he imagined it. Besides, I already have way too many pieces in the evening program and he..." Suddenly, Oikawa didn't seem as cheery as he had been just a second ago at Bokuto's statement. “He only has this one and helps out Mishima with the younger groups. Otherwise he is not on the ice and showing off what he's capable of. And giving the choreography completely over to another couple wouldn't be right either."

Kuroo dropped to his knees again as the music ended. This had to hurt, especially without any protectors! Just how bruised must his knees be by now?

“The theme is 'connection and companionship', the impact that people can have on each other and... Well, it's very personal. Either he is going to perform it or no one is," Oikawa said and turned off the music system at the right moment this time.

He had sounded just how the expression on Kuroo's face looked like. Tense and unsure.

Connection and companionship. How was someone supposed to put this into a solo? Nevertheless, he still tried and apparently had been for about a week now, probably every day. And with the way that Kuroo's coach shook his head, he didn't have much success with it. Both Mishima and the man on the ice slumped in frustration.

"This is not going to work out, Tetsurou. You made the choreography into a good solo and with a bit more time I'm sure you will perform it without mistakes, but I know you too well. If I let you go onto the ice with this piece you'll never step on it again, because you are not happy with it. I can see that you hate it," the older man said with a kind voice, reaching out to Kuroo and patting his upper arm when he finally reached the railing again. "I'm sorry, son. Call it a day and go home."

Kuroo let his head hang, rubbed his face with both hands before he covered it completely, hiding away, and nodded slowly. If the deep breath that followed was any indication of what was happening behind his hands, Bokuto felt a pang in his chest.

Mishima uncrossed his arms and reached for Kuroo as well with his uninjured hand. The cast on the other arm was covered in colorful names written in scrawly handwriting of children.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, to which Kuroo answered by shaking his head.

"It's not your fault," Kuroo said just as quietly.

He sounded weirdly calm and sincere, if it wasn't for the shaking at the end of the sentence.

Next to Bokuto, Oikawa cursed under his breath and stood up, trying to push past Iwaizumi to get to the three men standing not too far away from them to comfort his friend. But Bokuto was quicker, while the figure skater almost stumbled over his boyfriend who wasn't reacting fast enough to make space.

He was even faster than his own brain, as he stumbled down the last few stairs and loudly proclaimed, "I can lift you!"

His voice echoed in the silence between everyone present and all eyes turned to him. Even Kuroo's face popped out of his hands again as he stared at him. Somehow Bokuto was relieved not to see tears rolling down his face, but he very obviously had been on the verge of tears.

"Huh?" Kuroo said, stunned by his bluntness.

Bokuto suddenly realized what he had just done. He could feel his cheeks heating up in the cold room with an embarrassingly hard blush.

The coach looked him up and down before his eyes went over to Iwaizumi, who was still holding onto Oikawa to keep him from falling down the stand when Bokuto had charged forward without thinking. A warm smile grew on his face.

"You're one of the Black Jackals, aren't you?"

"Yes, Bokuto Koutarou," he introduced himself properly and bowed stiffly, his voice was still way too loud in his own ears.

Behind him, he could hear Oikawa quietly asking Iwaizumi what was happening right now. And in all honesty, he asked himself the same thing.

"Well then, Bokuto. Do you have any experiences with figure skating?" Bokuto straightened at that. The trainer was still smiling warmly and his eyes studied him curiously. Meanwhile, Kuroo looked more and more confused and worried.

"Not a bit," he admitted and Oikawa let out a soft "Oh my god" behind him.

"I've never done classic figure skating. But I can lift you!" He felt tense, but said the last bit with every ounce of confidence he had addressed at Kuroo. The coach began to laugh heartily.

"There's a lot more to it than being able to lift someone," he explained, still very amused.

Bokuto knew that and with every word the older man said he became more aware of how stupid he actually sounded. But seeing Kuroo so devastated had just completely turned off his rational thinking.

"He has very good control on the ice," he suddenly heard his captain from behind him.

Bokuto turned to look at the two men sitting in the stands. Iwaizumi was holding Oikawa's hand, who dug his fingers into the hockey player's and looked at his boyfriend intently. When the figure skater lifted his eyes and gave Bokuto the same look, he felt like he really had to convince the old man and Kuroo now. He needed to convince them.

"It's worth a try, isn't it, Nekomata-sensei?" Mishima forestalled him. "He is on the ice everyday, has balance, coordination skills and strength. His reflexes are probably better than ours. Everything else will probably be relatively easy for him to learn, minus the flexibility."

Was Mishima praising him? Although Bokuto felt like they were talking over his head now, he didn't say anything as the trainer looked thoughtful for a moment and glanced at Kuroo, who hadn't taken his eyes off Bokuto until now. He also seemed like his mind was somewhere else.

"All right then, why don't you guys try some little practice lifts? Yes, right here. It still feels a bit different on ice than it does on solid ground."

This seemed to rouse both Kuroo and Bokuto from their momentary paralysis. The latter dropped his bag on the ground and pulled out his skates in record time.

"Wait a second! What if you hurt yourself?" Kuroo suddenly tried to intervene when he finally managed to overcome his surprise.

Bokuto looked up and met the other's serious gaze with his own, before he continued to put on his skates without answering. He was determined to do this. Still, he was optimistic that he could pull this off without hurting himself or Kuroo. But the other genuinely didn't seem like he thought this was a good idea, as he sought support from Iwaizumi.

"If he gets injured, he'll be out of your team for weeks!"

"That's his decision," his captain said just as stoically as ever, though Bokuto really didn't want to imagine how angry their coach Meian would get if that happened.

With that, he put all the responsibility in Bokuto's hands, even if he supported his decision, getting himself out of the line of fire if anything happened. As Bokuto got up, he turned to the two men behind him and nodded his thanks to Iwaizumi, who just shrugged one shoulder.

Meanwhile Kuroo had hurriedly put on his blade covers that Mishima had handed him and came off the ice, heading towards Bokuto. God, he had completely forgotten how tall the other really was. Bokuto had to look up.

"You really don't have to do this!"

Sure, letting someone lift and throw you required a great deal of trust. Bokuto was aware that Kuroo didn't trust him as much as Mishima, after all they didn't know each other, but somehow he hadn't expected that he would resist this idea this much.

"But I want to! I want to help you! Let's just try it and see where it goes. Trust me a little," he said with a big, confident grin, and walked past Kuroo towards the ice.

When he didn't follow, Bokuto turned back and held out his hand for the other to take it. He hesitated for a moment before taking the outstretched hand and allowing himself to be pulled back towards the rink without much resistance. As soon as they were on it he let Kuroo take the lead, since from here on out he was at least a little bit out of his element.

"Have you ever done this before?" the other asked him as he turned to stand about an arm's length away.

"You mean lifting people?" he asked and Kuroo nodded.

He still didn't seem completely comfortable with the situation and Bokuto wanted to give him at least some kind of reassurance. He wanted to show him that he didn't have to be afraid for his own and Bokuto's safety. So he nodded confidently and put his hands on his hips.

"Yes, often. At promotional shoots and such.” Even though the people he had lifted had been mostly delicate and petite young women, it seemed to ease the other's tension at least a bit. Kuroo's shoulders relaxed. "You just have to explain to me how you do it. Techniques and stuff, if there's anything."

"Well then, why don't you just try something easy to finish for today? Maybe just a level two?" Nekomata called out from the edge of the ice, after he listened to both of them talk.

Bokuto didn't understand what the older man meant and watched the figure skater. Kuroo looked at his coach and nodded. Then he turned back to Bokuto and looked directly into his eyes and a small crooked smile appeared on his face, making the hockey player blink in surprise. Maybe it was just a show, but he seemed much more confident. And it looked very cute on him.

"Ok, follow my lead then, I'll explain it," he said, glided closer to Bokuto, took his hands and pressed their palms against his hip bones. "We teach lifting in stages. This trains the muscles needed and is safer for the skaters. Keep your hands there, ok? Press against me. Yes, just like this."

Kuroo let go of his wrists. Bokuto did as he was told and pushed back as the other leaned a bit into his grip. He looked from his hands back up into Kuroo's face. The smile was still on his lips, maybe a bit more tense than before, but there was something in his eyes that Bokuto couldn't name. Kuroo rested his hands onto his shoulders and drew his attention back with the touch. Right, lifting. Pay attention, no one’s getting injured today!

"I'm going to jump onto your hands on three, ok? Just lift me a bit, maybe up to your shoulders. Please don't overexert yourself." There was worry in Kuroo's voice, but Bokuto just smiled and nodded at the instructions.

The other mirrored him with a tight expression and started counting. On three Bokuto instinctively mimicked the figure skater's motions, bent his knees and held even more against his weight, which then suddenly rested entirely on his hands.

The momentum of Kuroo's jump caused them to glide back, so Bokuto shifted his weight slightly, stabilizing them before pushing the other further up towards the ceiling. He could feel Kuroo tense up his whole body, making him easier to lift, legs long and dangerous blades far away from them. His cold fingers dug into the jacket over Bokuto's shoulders as the latter lifted him even higher over his head with outstretched arms.

A quiet gasp brought his attention to Kuroo's face from where his eyes had been staring at his own hands on the other's hips in pure concentration. He looked down at the hockey player, lips pressed into a thin line and a mixture of surprise and concern in his eyes. Bokuto couldn't help but grin, beaming with joy and pride. He had told them that he could lift Kuroo, hadn't he? Even if he already started to feel the unfamiliar strain in his arms.

"Y-you can let me down now," Kuroo said quietly with that tense expression on his face and Bokuto complied without hesitation, getting the other back on ice before his arms could start shaking.

Kuroo landed without a problem, but held onto Bokuto until he was standing securely on both feet again. Bokuto noticed that he himself had his hands still on the other's hips when the latter let go of him and turned towards his coach, who started laughing. He quickly pulled back and clenched his fists behind his back, not knowing what to do with them.

“That was significantly higher than level two. You're strong, son!” Bokuto's grin widened a bit as he looked to the coach, then back at Kuroo.

"Told you I could lift you, no problem."

"But that's not all there is to it! The choreo-” Kuroo started, but Bokuto simply cut him off.

"Then teach me! I'll do what I can, I'll be your partner for this!”

Kuroo just looked at him. The room fell silent for a moment before he sighed and lowered his thoughtful gaze to the floor, chewing on his lower lip. Bokuto couldn't imagine how hard this was going to be. Maybe he wasn't as flexible as Kuroo, Mishima and Oikawa and because of the fact that he lacked the necessary elegance, but he would do his best. For Kuroo.

"There are still about two months left until our event. You can try to make it work, if you want to. If you can make it happen, perform it. If not, then don't. No obligations," Nekomata suddenly said with a warm smile on his face. But there was something like a challenge sparkling in his eyes, which only motivated Bokuto even more.

"We're doing this!" he announced loudly.

Kuroo's head snapped back up and there was this unsure expression in his eyes again. Oikawa managed to bite back a loud snort that Iwaizumi punched him in the side for. Coach Nekomata, on the other hand, laughed heartily again while Mishima grinning from behind his good hand. Bokuto felt the determination rise even more as he turned to Kuroo with a bright smile. They could do it! They would do it! He was going to give it his all! He might need Kuroo's help but the other just had to believe in him!

Kuroo watched him for another moment before he let out a quiet huff. A crooked smile returned on his face as he put a hand on his hip.

"Ok, alright, let's try it," he said and the smile on Bokuto's face grew even wider.

Before he could demand for them to start straight away however, the coach clapped his hands twice to get their attention.

"Very well!" The older man was still laughing, even more so after he spotted the hint of disappointment on Bokuto's face. "Enough for today. It has gotten quiet late!"

His tone didn't allow for any further discussion, so he and Kuroo made their way back to the exit of the ice rink. Nekomata handed them both their blade guards as they approached and Bokuto let the other go first.

Without another word they both retreated to their respective camps of discarded bags and equipment to change. Mishima sat down next to Kuroo, who was taking off his skates, and started to speak quietly to him. Bokuto looked away, down at his own feet, and did the same with Oikawa and Iwaizumi literally breathing down his neck.

"If your impulsive ass didn't get you into some deep shit now…" Iwaizumi said and Bokuto turned around to look at the two men sitting behind him.

While Oikawa's gaze was almost unreadable, his partner's expression was serious and his arms were folded across his chest. If he hadn't defended him before, Bokuto would think that one of his captain's famous lectures was coming upon him.

"I'll be fine," he said, putting his stuff back in his bag after slipping on his sneakers.

"Don't hurt yourself, don't hurt him and don't get over your head like always." It sounded dry, almost unfriendly, but Bokuto knew Iwaizumi didn't mean it like that and nodded. With that, the other got up, reaching for Oikawa's hand and dragging him up with him.

"Come on now. I'm hungry."

"Take care of yourselves. And thank you, Bokkun,” the figure skater said before calling out a goodbye to the rest of those present, who returned it. After that he followed Iwaizumi, who was already halfway up the stairs to the exit of the hall.

Bokuto was just getting up and shouldering his bag when Kuroo was about to walk past him towards the stairs. But he stopped, turned back to the other two men and seemed about to say something. Nekomata noticed too and just waved it off with a warm smile.

"We're going to clean up. Go home already, Kuroo! You've been here all day," the coach said and Bokuto could see the hesitation before Kuroo nodded and said his goodbyes. Bokuto did the same and followed the figure skater up the stairs.

Kuroo walked ahead of him in the aisle and Bokuto made no move to catch up with him, still in his head over what had happened and wondering if Iwaizumi might be right about him getting himself into some sort of trouble.

He watched the other's back, how he let his head hang for a moment, his hair ruffled wildly in all directions with light curls. Was it always like that or just from his training? While the other's backpack mostly blocked the view, Bokuto knew how muscular his shoulders were and how slim his waist was. He had watched him long enough and his athletic sweaters, which he always wore on the ice, were all form fitting. He carried the bag with his skates in one hand. Was it still as cold as before? Wasn't he freezing without gloves?

Suddenly Kuroo turned towards him and Bokuto felt like he had been caught having all those thoughts about the figure skater. He hadn't noticed how they had arrived at the intermediate door to the entrance area and the other was now holding it open for him behind himself. He took the door from the figure skater so he could go further and thanked him. But this time Kuroo didn't move further ahead and waited for the hockey player to catch up to him. Together they went outside through the stadium's entrance.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the parking lot, Kuroo stopped and looked at him. Bokuto had accepted the – in hindsight – somewhat awkward silence between them on the way out, since he hadn't known how to break it. Or rather: he had been too caught up in his own head. Now Kuroo held out his hand with the same crooked smile he had just worn on the ice. Bokuto looked at it questioningly before taking it.

"Kuroo Tetsurou," the other said. "We haven't really introduced ourselves yet."

"Bokuto Koutarou," he answered and couldn't help but smile as he squeezed the other's hand briefly. It really felt slightly cold to his touch.

"Thank you, Bokuto." With that, Kuroo pulled his hand back before he could reply anything.

Bokuto felt like he had to say something, but the other already turned to leave and he just followed him again, since they were walking in the same direction. The silence between them was still a little uncomfortable, but it didn't last long when he noticed that Kuroo was also heading for the bus stop in front of the stadium.

"So you're also taking the bus? Which direction are you going?" he asked when the other put down the bag with his skates on the floor to hide his hands away in the pockets of his jacket and warm them up. It looked a bit thin for these temperatures, but if Bokuto was honest his own wasn't much thicker.

"I'm heading east. And you?" Kuroo said as he pulled his jacket a little closer to himself. Bokuto didn't know why this strange feeling of disappointment rose in his chest again with this answer.

"North," he said calmly and then glanced at the timetable at the bus stop. Kuroo's bus was scheduled right before his and according to it, they didn't have to wait too long in the cold either.

"Sorry, I meant to do this earlier, but… May I ask you something?" the figure skater asked after another brief moment of silence while Bokuto was still looking at the departure times with great interest and turned his head to Kuroo, who was watching him attentively.

"Uhm, yeah! Sure! What's up?"

"Why?" Bokuto didn't immediately understand what the other meant by that. Kuroo seemed to notice and started over. "Why were you so keen on filling in for Mishima when you've never done figure skating before?"

Oh damn, well... The truth would certainly sound strange since they didn't know each other at all, but he couldn't think of a credible lie off the top of his head either. He should have known that Kuroo would find it strange that he insisted on doing this choreography with him. When he didn't answer right away, the crooked smile reappeared on the other's face.

"You were watching me, weren't you? A couple of days ago?"

Bokuto felt caught. He felt the blood rush to his face, his cheeks getting hot in contrast to the cold air that he couldn't blame the sudden blush on. Kuroo's smile turned into a grin.

"I thought I always saw someone at the top of the stairs every time we trained after hours. I knew that I wasn't imagining things."

His giggle was almost reserved compared to his loud, hyena-like laughter. An amused snort, a soft hum. Cute. He seemed so much less tense than he had been on the ice before. Bokuto smiled weakly in embarrassment and looked down when he couldn't stand the other's provocatively cheeky look any longer.

"Yes," he admitted quietly. A new wave of heat reached his face. Bokuto probably didn't have to say anything more, Kuroo was smart enough to put two and two together. He had it already figured out.

"I– Oikawa told us what happened to Mishima and what you were trying to do now and well, I couldn't just watch how all of it beat you up," Bokuto said and looked up again.

The other had continued to look at him intensely. His cheeky grin had shrunk to a soft smile and Bokuto felt like he had to say something else. Kuroo suddenly seemed so small, although he was half a head taller than him. His eyes wandered past him briefly before he looked at Bokuto again.

"Can I have your phone for a second?" Kuroo asked before Bokuto could say anything else himself.

Bokuto fished it out of his jacket, unlocked it, and then passed it over to Kuroo. As he turned to follow Kuroo's gaze from earlier, he saw the other's bus approaching the stop. That was probably the end of their conversation for today.

Kuroo handed him his phone back and Bokuto looked at the screen, which now showed the newly added contact 'Kuroo ;)'. The figure skater picked up his bag and got ready for the approaching bus.

“Text me tomorrow when you're done with practice. We have a lot to do," he said with a big smile.

Bokuto returned it and nodded. He would do his best for him, he had known that from the start. He didn't know why Oikawa's voice suddenly whispered "He won't bite" into his ear, but when the bus stopped in front of them, he took a brave step towards the other.

"Go out with me!" he said and Kuroo nearly tripped against the opening door he had gone for.

He turned his head and looked at the hockey player in surprise once more this evening. Bokuto's heart was thundering in his chest. He had actually said it and the other just looked at him with questioning eyes. Iwaizumi was right, his impulsiveness would one day cause him some problems.

"If all of this works out and we're able to perform this, then... please go out with me," he said in a much softer tone and swallowed when Kuroo wore that crooked grin again that brought that challenging gleam to his eyes.

"I'll think about it," he said and entered the bus. Bokuto felt like his heart would stop at this very moment. Did he hear that right? "Get home safely, Bokuto."

"You too," came out of him automatically, his brain still having to catch up and the door of the bus closed.

The other briefly raised his hand in goodbye. Bokuto imitated the movement, still not quite understanding what had just happened. What he had just asked. What Kuroo had just replied. When he finally began to, he resisted the reflex to cover his face with his hands.

Chapter Text

"See you tomorrow!" Kuroo waved his colleague goodbye as they left him for the rest of his shift. The busy morning hours in the small cafe were over, no need for two people behind the counter, at least that's what their boss said. They took turns who had the longer solo shift into the afternoon when it got busier again and a different duo would take over the shop. But for now, Kuroo was alone for the next four hours.

Even though he had no one to talk to and only once in a while a customer to serve, he wouldn't die of boredom. There was enough to do in the shop and he had a choreography to plan – which he was not particularly excited for. Well, he was, but the new turn of events scared him. A little. What was he supposed to do? To think? That hockey guy had just stumbled into his life and caused a lot of chaos – and on so many levels at that! He already felt more stressed out than he had when Mishima had called him from the hospital to tell him about his broken wrist.

Kuroo wiped down the counter around the coffee machine where there were still remnants of the rush hour caused by tired office workers getting coffee to start their day.

"Ya-hooo!" The cheerful greeting matched the sound of the door chimes. "Oh, no one else is here?"

"Why do you act so surprised? You always choose to come around when no one else is here," Kuroo said with a smile, and looked up into Oikawa's smug expression.

"You make it sound like I'm stalking you. Do you like that?" Kuroo turned to the coffee grinder to prepare the portion he needed for his friend's order, which he knew by heart, while the other came over to the counter.

"You know my schedule and I know yours. That either makes us good friends or we're even."

"I would say we're even then," Oikawa said as he watched Kuroo work on his coffee, making his friend laugh quietly. They stayed silent for some time, letting the espresso machine fill the room with its loud hissing and buzzing while Kuroo prepared the cup.

"So, are you going to tell me what you're thinking about yesterday or do I really have to ask for details myself?"

Kuroo hummed and poured the coffee and milk into the paper cup, contemplating if he should put some art into the milk foam but decided against it and instead sprinkled some cocoa powder on top of it.

"I'm not really sure what to make of it, to be honest,” he said, placing the cup in front of his friend. "He seems nice and genuine, but–"

"But?" Oikawa poked after Kuroo had fallen silent for a moment. He really didn't know how to describe it. It was a weird feeling of being thankful that some stranger jumped in and decided to help him out, seemingly completely at random, and at the same time not being sure how he should approach this situation, maybe even being a bit weirded out by the gesture. But maybe he shouldn't bother Oikawa with that.

"I don't really know what to do. He probably can't do most of the technical stuff, so I have to rethink everything again. Or maybe I just let him… be there? I have to see what our training brings us, I guess." And the weirdest part? That one thing had kept him up more than it should have last night. Kuroo stared at the cup in Oikawa's hands as his friend lifted it to take a sip. "And he, uhm… He asked me to go out with him, if we're able to perform at the event."

The other stilled and Kuroo lifted his eyes from the cup to his friend's surprised expression. He might have looked surprised to everyone else, but Kuroo could see right through those wide open eyes and excited smile.

"No way! He did?! And what did you say?"

"I said that I would think about it. You seem awfully smug about this, Tooru. What is going on?" he asked, watching his friend take a long sip from his coffee, which was probably still way too hot to be doing this.

"Nothing," he said in a strained voice. There was pain in his eyes and Kuroo sighed before turning away to prepare a glass of water. He put it down in front of the other and let him take it right away, nice as he was. "I just hope you were nice to him, you know? He is such a sweet guy."

Kuroo hummed and crossed his arms while watching the other attentively. He obviously knew something Kuroo didn't.

"So was this all just a plan by you two for him to ask me out?"

"What? No! Maybe I would, but Bokuto wouldn't even get the idea for something like this! To be honest, I'm not sure he even thought through anything he did yesterday," Oikawa said after taking a sip of water. He suddenly looked a bit worried.

Kuroo had had the same feeling and after asking the hockey player why he stepped forward to help him, that feeling had only solidified. Although his gestures had been nice with good intentions, it had seemed weird and hasty. All of it.

"I just thought he might be interested in you, and for a long time now as well. But he always seemed too shy to make a move."

"That doesn't explain why he stepped in to do the choreography though. Especially without any experience," he said and huffed quietly.

"That I don't know either. But he is strong, you've seen – or better felt that yourself. Just imagine how you could utilize that!"

The way Oikawa's eyes lit up told him that the other didn't necessarily mean that for ice skating purposes. And to be fair to Bokuto, Kuroo had been impressed by how easily he had pushed him up. It had felt a bit shaky, but that was just a matter of technique because he had more than enough strength for it.

"And they have a lot of stamina," Oikawa said, smirking. He winked at Kuroo who snorted a laugh.

"Who?"

"Hockey players! I speak from experience."

"Uh-huh, stamina for what now?" He knew exactly what Oikawa was trying to say and by the look on the other's face, he knew as well that Kuroo was playing dumb. The other figure skater set down his cup and leaned in closer over the counter, as if to tell him a secret even though they were alone.

"I don't care how you utilize his stamina, but don't give it a hard pass until you try it," he whisper-yelled at him.

"Damn, you sound like you're his pimp." For that he got smacked against his upper arm.

"I know you like big boys and I'm just trying to advertise him, because I think he really likes you and he is a very sweet guy!"

"Thanks, mom," Kuroo said with a soft laugh.

"But back to business," Oikawa said after a moment of silence. "What's the game plan with this piece of yours?"

Kuroo pursed his lips in thought, eyes glued to the paper cup in his friend's hand. That was a good question. The question, actually. Before he had been struggling to change the choreography into a solo, but now?

"Keeping the thing as it is is one option. But I don't think that we will be able to pull that off. Then again, I also do not know what he's actually capable of. Maybe I'm underestimating him. Maybe overestimating. And to be honest I don't really want to change the choreography. Nekomata was right yesterday. I'm not happy with the solo. I'm not sure I will be happy with it when I'm skating with Bokuto."

Oikawa nodded along with Kuroo thinking aloud, also watching the paper cup in his hand as he slowly turned it between his fingers.

"I don't think I'm in the right place to give you advice on it. If you want my opinion: try it. He might surprise you, but I don't know. I only know his little dances during games and, well…" Oikawa paused and frowned before he snorted out a quiet laugh. "As cute as it is, it might not be what you're looking for, but then again, as you said, we might also be underestimating him."

Kuroo sighed before he returned to his cleaning duties.

"Cute is definitely not what I'm looking for…"

"And here I thought you liked them cute. Big and cute."

Kuroo looked up, unfazed and unamused, and blinked slowly at his friend. What was this? A discussion about the choreography or about his non-existent love life. He had other worries than this. Oikawa blinked back at him, just as unfazed. They looked at each other for a moment, motionless, as if to see who would crack first. Although, no one did.

"Don't you have ballet class?" Kuroo finally asked and turned to open and unload the dishwasher.

"Are you going to join me in the afternoon?"

"No. I don't feel like talking about big cuties anymore today."

"Serve yourself, then. See you tonight!"

With that Oikawa paid for his coffee, grabbed his things and left with a wave, which Kuroo answered with a nod, since his hands were busy with drying off freshly cleaned cups. Although he didn't want to talk about it anymore, he had to admit that Oikawa was right. Bokuto was a big cutie. And a strong one at that.

* * *

Bokuto definitely wasn't new to being on the ice, but their way of moving on it couldn't be more different. The hockey player was fast and pragmatic, turning easily with snow spattering to all sides. His moveset and skates were made for a different purpose than Kuroo's, that much made itself clear when Kuroo saw the other making his rounds while he was waiting for him to return from the skate rental service at the entrance. When Bokuto saw the figure skater coming down the stairs with another pair of skates in his hands he slowed down again, coming up to the entrance of the rink.

"These are the best ones I could find, but they are still terrible," Kuroo said while approaching the other, who finally came off the ice after putting his blade protectors on.

"Is it really necessary though? I mean… I have skates, don't I?" He still reached for the pair Kuroo was holding out for him.

"The blades are different. Yours are made for movement speed. These here have a little saw at the front, see? Makes it easier to jump and hold a position when you're the counterweight in a turn for example," he said and sat down next to Bokuto to put on his own skates while the other changed into the rentals that probably were dull as a butter knife.

"Makes sense," Bokuto said and got up, looking down at his feet before his eyes met Kuroo's again. "But in the end they're still skates, right?"

"Right."

Bokuto's smile was bright when Kuroo started following him onto the ice. If he had to be honest, he was very nervous about this. Even though he had told Oikawa that he would plan how he wanted to go about this, he still felt extremely unprepared.

He sometimes helped with the kid's training so he shouldn't have problems with teaching people. And Bokuto wasn't an ever tumbling kid whom he had to teach the basics to first and take away the fear of falling over. This should be easy, so why did he feel so strangely tense?

And then the other tripped over the grooved tip of the blade – the "little saw" – but managed to catch himself before going down. Kuroo stared at him in surprise, Bokuto turned his head towards him with an equally surprised expression before he started laughing.

"I actually have to lift my feet with these, huh?" he asked, still laughing while straightening himself up again and moving more into the middle of the rink. Kuroo watched him swivel a bit from side to side as if to test out his range of motion in these new skates. He immediately stumbled again.

Kuroo wasn't able to hide disbelief in his eyes, even though he wanted to. Why? How on earth was Bokuto stumbling on that little thing on the front of his skates that was different from his usual ones? It wasn't even in a position where he could step on it by accident and yet…

"Are you ok?" Kuroo asked, hoping the answer was yes and that Bokuto had been joking on the last stumble. Bokuto threw one of his hands up in the air, giving him a thumbs up.

"Yup, all good! Just… Just need a little time I think," Bokuto said, now more careful in his steps. Wait.

"You don't have to step, you can slide in these," Kuroo laughed at the picture Bokuto was, lifting one foot actually off the ice – way too high even for normal walking – before he sat it down just a couple of inches away from its former position. Then he repeated it with the other foot. He looked like someone mimicking a burglar as a joke.

"Yeah? Feels like these have a different idea, though," Bokuto said a little gruntled, but as he turned his head to look at Kuroo he saw the big grin on the other's face. Which made Kuroo laugh even more.

"Come on, be brave. Trust me, I've got you," he said softly, like he was talking to a little kid who had his first encounter with ice skating. Maybe he actually needed this skill of his after all. He was not prepared for the pause in Bokuto's movements and the small blush creeping over his already lightly reddened cheeks from the cold air in the room, though. Kuroo still reached out one hand for the other to take and when Bokuto actually turned to take it, he himself froze.

The hockey player's hand was so warm in his, as big strong fingers wrapped around his palm. It felt weird, but nice. Usually all his skater friends also suffered from chronically cold hands. Oikawa sometimes brought a pocket warmer with him that they would share. It was a nice change to finally meet someone who might not have this problem. Kuroo remembered how warm Bokuto's hands had been the night before. He had even felt them through his Pullover as the other had pressed them against his hips to support his jump and lift him up.

Kuroo pulled the other man in slowly in a controlled motion, until he was right next to him. Maybe he hesitated just a moment to let go of Bokuto's hand, the other probably didn't notice. After he brought his new student into position he looked at both their feet. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The rental skates looked terrible, but that was another problem he didn't feel the urge to tackle right now. First he needed to investigate how much of the basics Bokuto was able to recreate.

And so they worked on the mental checklist Kuroo crossed off – or crossed out – while he demonstrated something and then watched Bokuto follow the instructions to the best of his abilities. One thing was glaringly apparent right from the start: grace was something Bokuto was not familiar with. At least not the kind a figure skater needed. Kuroo didn't want to sell Bokuto short elsewhere, where he might display it. Bokto also wasn't as flexible, but Kuroo didn't expect that from him either. It wasn't a particularly useful skill for a hockey player anyways. But Bokuto was fast, his movements precise after short struggles to figure and sort out his limbs.

Kuroo didn't expect a miracle. He was very aware that this wasn't going to be perfect, much like his single run. Both versions were imperfect copies to his vision. But maybe implementing Bokuto and this journey would make it something special. Bokuto's jumps and little hops were cute, but lacked strength and determination. His lifted back leg was far from a 90 degree angle, but that was fine. His movements were something else in a positive way when he glided backwards. Kuroo had to stay positive, otherwise he would hate what he was about to create here.

If it wasn't for this growing worry with each stumble and even falls Bokuto took because of the blades of his skates. Kuroo watched the other's feet and there was no indication that he was tripping himself. He only saw the tip of the blade touch the ice every time it happened. Unfortunate, but surely something they could work on…

Bokuto fell like a tree. Kuroo felt the impact in his own bones, as the other hit the ice not too particularly hard, but he knew it hurt. Especially after the umpteenth time of stumbling and sometimes meeting the ground unexpectedly. He knew how easy one could bruise from the hard and cold surface and how much it hurt hitting that same knee, that same hip, that same thigh again and again.

"Are you ok?" He asked again, lost count at this point at how often it had been. It was frustrating. For him to watch and for Bokuto to experience, he was sure. The other was probably sick of hearing the question at this point.

"Goddamn, this is hard!" Bokuto proclaimed before slowly getting himself up again. He took Kuroo's offered hand and brushed off the ice after he stood. "These skates are harder to control than they look."

"It's just the tip," Kuroo tried to give insight and Bokuto looked at him funny for a second, before he realized what he had said and frowned. "No. No! You know what I meant."

"Didn't say anything," Bokuto said, clearly struggling to repress the laugh that was building up in him.

"What are you? Twelve?!" They both giggled at that. Bokuto didn't seem too hurt, which was good, and the twinkle in the other's eyes let the frustration Kuroo felt melt away little by little.

"I just have to get used to them, that's all. Maybe tease the tip a little." Now they were both laughing. Maybe this was a good point to end their first training session, also before Bokuto could actually hurt himself. When he announced his decision the other looked a little deflated, but didn't argue against him.

They left the ice, changed into their normal shoes, cleaned up and collected their gear almost in silence, only interrupted by the occasional question from one another. They both were in their heads. Kuroo didn't know what Bokuto was thinking about, but he himself was already troubleshooting. Which passages of his choreography were salvageable, which ones were impossible.

Kuroo hadn't laughed this much during a training session with Mishima once. The other figure skater was pragmatic, straight to the point. Bokuto was fun. A clown, be it intentional or not. Free. He didn't have a stick up his ass, as Oikawa would put it, like most of the conceited figure skaters. Yet Kuroo felt a sting in his heart. As they waited at the bus stop outside he remembered Bokuto's answer on why he wanted to help him. But did Kuroo feel any different now?

He shivered as the wind picked up around them and Bokuto asked if he was fine, just for Kuroo to smile and nod. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. Kuroo didn't even know to what he was answering, even though Bokuto very clearly meant the cold wind.

"See you tomorrow," Kuroo said as his bus came to a halt. Bokuto smiled so brightly it was almost blinding. Once again he seemed more sure about everything than Kuroo.

"Yeah, see you!"

Maybe he was overthinking too much.

* * *

He felt a little weird to teach someone else the first steps of the choreography again, much slower than with his first partner, but also doing so while the rink was in use by other people. They weren't on the ice, though. Kuroo deemed it more safe to let Bokuto sort out his arms and legs without the danger of tripping over his skates again. They would still do some basic training on the ice again, but later when everyone else had left. He didn't want Bokuto to feel embarrassed, although Kuroo wasn't sure if Bokuto was even able to feel this way.

"Ugh, shit… what was next? Like this?" Bokuto's hands were placed on Kuroo's hips as the hockey player moved into his space.

"Yep, keep going. Now up, right, hold it, let go. Yes!" Kuroo kept calling out the steps encouragingly. Dancing the choreography off the ice always looked a bit dumb, even more so since Bokuto's confusion at some parts left him struggling with his balance and ripping pauses into the sequence of their movements at unexpected moments. But it was fine. Bokuto had just started and struggled enough with Kuroo calling out words he had never heard before. He did great, considering everything. Kuroo was actually impressed. For safety they left out any lifts for now. They would try them out a little later, to decide which ones to scrap and which to keep.

The only thing that bothered Kuroo a little was Oikawa in the stands. He could feel his friend's gaze on his back, since he hadn't left with Iwaizumi as usual. The hockey players’ training had ended as usual, most of them just left, Iwaizumi had waited for Oikawa and Bokuto had come down the stairs to join Kuroo at the bottom excitedly. That little jump down the last two steps and the big smile on Bokuto's face had apparently been enough to make Oikawa wave at Iwaizumi to leave without him, if he wanted to – which this time he actually did. And Kuroo was very aware that his friend just stayed to watch them a little longer.

After their second, a bit smoother but still slow runthrough, most of the other figure skaters had packed their things and left. Oikawa still sat in the ranks and watched them, even as they took a short break. As Bokuto sat uncharacteristically quiet and sipped on his water, Kuroo turned and looked up at his friend. Their eyes met and Oikawa winked at him.

"Are you planning on watching the whole night? Don't you have somewhere to be? Like… home?" Kuroo asked, acting annoyed and with a cocked head directed at the other figure skater. Oikawa pursed his lips and got up to move down the stairs toward them.

"And miss out on your adorable stumbling around? Hell no! No offense, Bokkun."

"No, I get it," Bokuto sighed and put away his water bottle. "It's as hard as it looks after all."

"If you struggle memorizing the moves, think of it like a strategy your coach gives you."

Kuroo looked from Oikawa to Bokuto, who blinked at the other figure skater and suddenly looked like he realized something. Quite adorable, Kuroo thought and turned away again, not to make his thoughts known to Oikawa by his expression, which he was sure his friend would notice easily.

"Well," Oikawa started directed at Kuroo, who didn't acknowledge his friend and just looked over the emptying ice rink. "I'll leave you two to it then, since I'm apparently not welcomed here. Don't want to distract you when you get to the important bits."

The other's teasing tone had Kuroo rolling his eyes, yet he turned to his friend smiling.

"Why, suddenly got an angry text from Hajime?" Oikawa's only answer to this was him sticking his tongue out and a wave. Kuroo waved back and watched the other climb the stairs. Suddenly he felt very tired. As much as he didn't like being under Oikawa's ever critical gaze, it also gave him some sense of security when it came to their sport. He would always give feedback immediately when he had some, but today he left without a word, even though Kuroo saw that he wanted to say something.

"You two seem to be very good friends," Bokuto suddenly said and stopped Kuroo from questioning Oikawa's unusual behavior.

"You could call us that, yes," he said and sat down next to the hockey player.

"Is this piece… about you two then?" Kuroo looked at Bokuto questioning before he continued. "Well, uh… Because Oikawa mentioned that this choreo is about connection and companionship? Like… People's influences on each other?"

For a moment Kuroo was speechless. He didn't expect Bokuto to know or to actually be interested in the theme. Kuroo would have told him at some point, because how did one expect to show and express emotions on the ice, if he didn't know what this was all about.

"Yeah, a little. Maybe," Kuroo answered after a moment of contemplation. "It's not only him. Our Coach, my family, the people I worked with and choreographed for. Good and well… not so good interactions. To put it simply, it's more like how the people in your life shape you into who you are with care and pain."

Bokuto seemed in thought before he nodded to Kuroo's shortened explanation. The theme was complex, hurtful and vulnerable in many parts, soft and loving in others.

"It's like a bittersweet embrace by a lost and forgotten friend," he said quietly and the silence between them grew a little heavy before Bokuto hummed softly. Kuroo imagined that he felt its vibrations in his own chest, warm and understanding. Maybe Bokuto did understand, who was he to know? He wouldn't probe him. He had no right to do so.

"Wanna continue?" Bokuto asked after another moment of silence, and although he looked calm there was something strained yet cheerful in his voice. Kuroo nodded as a small smile tugged at the corners of the other's lips.

"Let's try the lifts. Some are pretty technical, so don't worry if they don't work out."

With that they got to work again, still in the ground next to the ice. This time it wasn't as surprising as the last. This time he expected to be held and hoisted into the air, he knew what he was in for. How Bokuto lifted more with pure strength than a plan, even when Kuroo explained it beforehand.

"Woah, slower! Wait until I'm steady to remove one hand! Don't hurt yourself!" But Bokuto seemed too excited to show off what his massive shoulders and arms could do than to listen to the figure skater with years of experience. Kuroo sighed as soon as his feet touched the ground again.

"Listen, I know it's a lot to take in, but if you just hurl me up like a barbell you'll fuck up your shoulders. And not just until the next game or the next season. For good! So please, go slower. I know you're strong, you don't have to impress me!"

Bokuto nodded sheepishly at the sincere worry in Kuroo's voice, as he grabbed the hockey player by his shoulders and shook him a little. Or better, tried to shake. Bokuto just stood there unmoving.

"Yes, sorry."

"I'm not mad, just– just worried ok? I don't want you to ruin your career because of me."

"And I don't want to let you down," Bokuto said quietly, eyes darting towards his feet. So he knew he should be more careful, but wasn't because he thought Kuroo expected him to be so reckless? To be as experienced as someone who had been figureskating for decades, like Mishima? Kuroo sighed.

"And you won't, ok?" Because Kuroo wasn't expecting much. As mean as this sounded in his head, it was true. But he would never say this out loud. "Let's just try to find some lifts that are manageable. I can change what needs to be changed."

"Can I make a request, though?" As curious as Kuroo was about this request, he was also worried.

"Sure," he said and let go of him, already regretting his answer a little. He didn't know Bokuto for long, but Kuroo would say that he could already feel when a dumb idea came into the other's mind.

"Well, uh… There is this one lift in the original, that you're really pretty in– I mean, that is really pretty and I would like to try and… so we can keep it in?"

Kuroo wasn't sure what exactly he expected, but Bokuto calling him pretty? Was he flirting again? Kuroo fought the thought, refusing to acknowledge it, so no blush would bloom on his face. Although, he wasn't sure how effective it was and hoped he looked just a little stunned before his mind registered the actual question he had asked.

"Which one?" he asked without commenting on anything else that had left the hockey player's mouth and Bokuto tried to explain it in simple terms as best as he could. After a bit of back and forth with "over my head,” "on your back," and "pretty arch," that switched into a "hold in front of me," it finally clicked. That one was mostly technical on Kuroo's part so if Bokuto wanted to, it was worth a try, right?

"Sure, You mostly just have to lift me as high and steady as possible and keep us both in balance. It's a high risk lift, but most of the "danger" comes from my end. I think we can manage it." Bokuto very obviously tried not to look too excited, but Kuroo could see it in his eyes and how he straightened up a little more. Like a puppy, he thought as he started to sort their positions out.

After he told Bokuto to go into a small lunge and explained how to steady himself and the figure skater the best during the lift, Kuroo turned his back towards the other and asked for his hands. He placed them against his lower back and the warmth already seeped from Bokuto's palms through the layers of clothes into Kuroo's skin. How was he always radiating so much heat that would linger for minutes after he had already let go again? Kuroo would probably never get used to this.

He leaned onto the hands in his back, his own hands looking for somewhere to hold onto Bokuto's arms before he started to count down from three. With a controlled jump at zero he was up and rising as he flexed every muscle to be as stiff as a board, although he looked relaxed and fluid motions suggested otherwise. The ceiling came into view, which was his sign to arch himself as much as he could, stretching his arms and legs like a cat lolling in the sun.

"Wow…" It was soft, almost mumbled, but Kuroo heard it. It sounded mesmerized and even though Bokuto was "behind" him, Kuroo could see his smile and the wonder in the other's eyes. It was hard not to imagine it. And it was flattering to a degree Kuroo had never felt before. He could feel a blush rise to his cheeks.

"O-Okay. On three again," Kuroo said, trying to hide his croaking voice behind the strain his body was under at this moment. It was embarrassing how fast his heart was suddenly beating. He counted and Bokuto guided him back down as directed in the short briefing of steps before… But Kuroo didn't follow. He didn't wrap his legs around the body behind him properly to give Bokuto the chance to change his grip on Kuroo's body and he slipped right through his hands.

A gasp, a thud, and Kuroo was on the ground. Bokuto still tried to catch the figure skater's short fall as he rolled over one knee and landed on his side due to too much momentum on his way down.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" The other was immediately over him, reaching out to help him back onto his feet.

"It wasn't your fault. I didn't concentrate enough."

"Are you ok?" Bokuto pulled him from the ground carefully, as soon as Kuroo took his outstretched hand, which wasn't only warm but also a bit sweaty now.

"Yes, sorry. I didn't want to scare you," he said and jumped a little in surprise as Bokuto leaned in and started to brush off some dust from Kuroo's black clothes. He still didn't let go of his hand, though.

"Maybe we should practice the lifts in our gym. The floor in the weight section is a bit padded," Bokuto started but trailed off, just looking at Kuroo, still holding his hand and a worried expression on his face. Kuroo understood the suggestion, and the other words he didn't say.

"Yes, maybe that is a better idea. Although something like this will surely never happen again, right?" Kuroo said with a crooked smile growing on his face. Bokuto didn't seem to take this invitation to relax immediately, but when he let go of Kuroo's hand the tension from his shoulders also dropped. "Wanna go on the ice now?"

"Sure, my turn falling now!" Kuroo was relieved by Bokuto's smile, although his remark worried him now.

* * *

It had to be some kind of curse. It had to be. There was no improvement to Bokuto stumbling over the ice with the skates Kuroo had organized for him. They were better than the rentals from their first training session, but even with better blades he was still falling as much as before. Maybe even worse. And although he was still stumbling a lot, his confidence had risen, which Kuroo didn't really understand.

All the while, Kuroo was still doing adjustments to the choreography; he struggled to find the right balance. Not just in regards to the elements he wanted to keep and which he needed to change, also in regards to being held by the hockey player. Or watch him lose his balance once again, be it because of the goddamn skates, or because he wasn't able to stretch his leg out far and straight enough as counterbalance to the rest of his body.

All of this was frustrating. They had been at it for over a week now and Kuroo had to recognize that Bokuto was keeping his end of this bargain, but Kuroo obviously didn't. What the hell was he supposed to do, to make it a little easier on Bokuto? Should he let him switch back to the hockey skates? But what about anchoring when countering Kuroo in a spin? Should he remove this element? But what to put there instead?!

Kuroo sighed in frustration, his face in his hands as he sat down by the rink and waited for Bokuto to arrive from hockey training. A group of teenagers Mishima was coaching did their synchronized piece, which got better with every day of practice. The music blasted over his head so he noticed Coach Nekomata next to him only when he started to speak.

"Why are you sighing like the world is ending, son?" Kuroo jumped at the kind voice and reemerged from his hands. For a moment he contemplated asking his mentor for advice. Kuroo really wanted to solve this unexpectedly hard puzzle on his own. But on the other hand he had to admit that this was maybe more than he on his own could chew in this short period of time. He could have said no to Bokuto though. But now? He still could, yes, but he didn't want to. It felt… not right. Asking for help maybe also didn't feel right, but–

"I think I hid a roadblock. I'm struggling to make the choreography work for us."

"Well, as I said on the day that boy barged in: There's no pressure," Nekomata said, a smile on his face as he watched Kuroo.

"But I don't want to back out. And I don't think Bokuto would either."

For a moment Nekomata just looked at him, before his attention went back to the group of young people on the ice. Kuroo followed his gaze and watched them stop twirling almost at the same time.

"Maybe this is a good opportunity to think outside the box." Kuroo turned to look at his coach again, who was still watching the teens now coming to their grand finale. "Use his unique strengths, even if they are a lot different from yours. You both can learn a lot from each other."

With that the music stopped and Nekomata started clapping, just as everyone else. Kuroo joined as well, thinking about his coach's words and wondering how he should do that.

* * *

They were done for the day. Another one of Bokuto doing his best and giving it his all and Kuroo doubting that their efforts would come to fruition. Bokuto had taken a really nasty fall earlier. It was the first time Kuroo had voiced his concerns and his thoughts on just calling it.

"Did you mean it?" Bokuto suddenly asked as he stretched his calves. He clearly struggled to bend his knee, as bruised up as it was from his fall. Kuroo had hissed in pain at the sight when the other had rolled up his pant leg to have a look. It had still been blooming then, but was already almost as dark as the other bruises around it from the week before.

"I'm not sure," he answered Bokuto's worried expression after a moment of contemplation. "I don't think it's worth it, when you hurt yourself so much for… nothing."

"It's not nothing!" Bokuto sounded upset and as Kuroo lifted his head from looking to the ground where he was positioned in a split stretch he froze.

"But you're getting hurt."

"It's nothing." Kuroo just raised his eyebrows at that remark and as Bokuto slowly realized

that he was about to be hit back with his own words the figure skater started to grin.

"Yeah, yeah, ok. You don't have to say it," he said rolling his eyes, a laugh already back in his voice. For a moment they both were quiet again as Bokuto changed his leg and Kuroo got up to reach for his bag and get his notebook and a pen.

"So, since you're so keen on disregarding your health, why don't we brainstorm a little. How can I make this easier for you? Because I don't want you to not be able to play hockey any more. I'm also pretty sure Iwaizumi and your coach would kill me." He opened the little note book and flattened it against the ground where he sat down again. There was already a list on the left page of things he (and Bokuto) wanted to keep in the choreography and on the right thinks Kuroo deemed unmanageable for them at this state of their training. "Any ideas of what might help you?"

Bokuto stopped his stretches and looked around in thought. Kuroo waited, pen in hand and ready to get or change anything for him he might need. But then Bokuto just looked at him and shook his head with a shrug.

"O…kay? Then… how about we figure out how to use your skills?"

"Well, uh… I'm fast, I guess. Don't know how that helps," Bokuto said, now visibly deflating as seemed to realize how little 'of use' he was.

"Don't do that," Kuroo immediately tried to stop him from drooping even more in a calm tone and it somehow worked. He wrote down a new bullet point in his notebook. "Fast is good! Anything else? It doesn't have to be on the ice."

"I can do a flip. On the ice." Another new bullet point. And then silence. He shook his head when Kuroo asked again if he could think of something else. A strength, a skill, a weird little quirk, anything. But there was apparently nothing that Bokuto deemed worth mentioning. Now Kuroo really wished he knew the other better. He just wanted to make it right for both of them.

* * *

Jumps, pirouettes, legwork and flexibility. Learn how to coordinate and detangle one's limbs. Kuroo had always hated ballet practice, but with Oikawa it was tolerable. He didn't take actual classes anymore, that was a thing of his youth. Now him and Oikawa just took over one of the smaller rooms of the ballet studio that they had first met in as teens, and Oikawa still went to, to keep the basics fresh on his mind.

"I'll be honest, I'm at a loss," Kuroo answered to Oikawa's question about how training and adapting the choreography went along. His friend pushed Kuroo's leg up further into a stretch that made him wince.

"What's going on? Come on, confide in me."

"If you let go of me, I might do that," Kuroo hissed through the pain and Oikawa reduced the pressure, so he could lower his leg again to stand relaxed at the barre. After he recounted the complications he and Bokuto had met so far Oikawa stayed silent for a long moment.

"I'm surprised that he's so ‘stumbly’ on the ice. He's usually really, really – how do I put it? Confident. Almost scary? He's more nimble than any of us, I tell you."

"Well, it seems the little ‘saw’ on our skates throws him off."

"Huh!" Oikawa seemed more surprised and immediately went quiet again with a thoughtful expression. "Have you thought about using his strengths more?"

Kuroo fought the urge to roll his eyes at his friend. Frustration grew in his chest again, but he wasn’t sure where exactly it came from. The absurdity of the situation or that he was too blind to find the solution himself, even with two people pointing at it.

"Nekomata gave me the same advice, but I feel like I don't know him well enough to ‘unleash his full potential’. When I asked him, he just told me that he's fast."

"I mean, he's not wrong. He is fast, but not only that. It's hard to describe…" Oikawa didn't finish his thought and Kuroo laughed softly. Bokuto also seemed like he had problems voicing his abilities. But it was always harder to do this for oneself, right?

"I have an idea: Let's go to their game on Saturday together! Then you'll see what I mean," Oikawa suddenly said and maybe – just maybe – he was right. Maybe it would help him figure stuff out if he saw Bokuto in his natural habitat.

"Sure, won't do any harm, I guess."

"Great, we–"

"Guys, it's already quarter past eight. You were supposed to be gone half an hour ago. You're late as always." Sakusa, one of the ballet head teachers at this studio, stood at the door watching the two men, clearly annoyed to find them here again. How long he had already been there, nobody could tell. He would always sneak up on them like this.

"Yeah, yeah… we're already on our way out…" Oikawa rolled his eyes while Kuroo tried not to laugh at the third man's sour expression.

"Come on Toruu, leave him alone. He's just doing his job."

"Maybe someone should do him for once," Oikawa said just loud enough for Kuroo to hear after they left the room and started snickering. "I'll see you Saturday at the latest then?"

"Yeah, thank you for your help."

"Not for that." Oikawa said with a wink.

Chapter Text

Oikawa grabbed him off the bus stop as he arrived and went straight to the main entrance to join the queue of all the fans and sport's enthusiasts that headed towards the stairs. No need to be quick, Oikawa had said, because the two seats next to the penalty box he had reserved for them would not be given to any guests. When they reached the entrance and every guest showed their ticket, the staff just waved Oikawa and Kuroo through.

"We're special guests. Well, I am. And today you are as well," Oikawa said when Kuroo looked at him with a frown.

"You always get in for free?"

"It started at some point and no one complained, so I'm not going to be the one starting it."

Which was fair enough, Kuroo thought and followed his friend down the familiar hallway. Music already blared insanely loud from the hockey rink and people pushed from left and right for no particular reason. He knew why he didn't usually attend such events. Too loud, too full, too many people. And the fact that he didn't really care for hockey. At least until today. Maybe this was going to be some sort of revelation.

As soon as they entered the big stadium-like hall through one of the four double doors that were right next to each other the crowd dispersed a little while everyone went looking for their seat. Kuroo just followed Oikawa down the stairs and around the whole rink to the other side, where they sat down right next to the penalty box. Some other people were already there and greeted them.

Apparently these seats were really popular. That's what he gathered from a man in the row in front of them that had his young son sitting right on the seat next to the plexiglass that surrounded the box. The boy seemed really excited and told them that this was his first ever game to visit.

"Oh? It's his first game as well!" Oikawa said with a grin and looked at Kuroo, who still felt insanely out of place.

"Are you excited as well??" The boy didn't really wait for an answer before he told them what he was excited about most, what he liked about hockey, what he liked about the Jackal mascot most, who his favorite player was…

"Who's your favorite??" The excitement in the boy's eyes shone brighter than the floodlights on the ceiling.

"Oh, that's a good question. Mhhhh…"

Kuroo looked at Oikawa who had the audacity to act like he was actually thinking about this question. Iwaizumi would scoff at him and not pay for Oikawa's dinner, if he knew.

"I think Iwaizumi Hajime. He's the captain, so he's pretty cool!"

The boy agreed and looked expectantly at Kuroo who just blinked back at him for a moment.

"Uh… I don’t know, actually. I don't think I have a favorite–"

"What about Bokuto?" Oikawa interfered before Kuroo could finish the sentence and the disappointment settled on the boy's face. There was a weird expression in Oikawa's eyes, as if he wanted Kuroo to admit that he liked Bokuto. Kuroo frowned at him.

"I guess he's alright," he finally said. Probably not exactly what Oikawa wanted to hear, but what else was he supposed to say? Bokuto was an alright guy and Kuroo hadn't even known the rules of this game until last night when he thought it might be smart to at least read some articles about it in preparation. To not be absolutely clueless. Although, he still felt absolutely clueless.

They hadn’t seen each other for practice last night. Kuroo really didn't want to risk injuries on Bokuto's side, even though the other had insisted. For Kuroo. Because he wanted them to make progress, while Kuroo was still hesitant to be optimistic about each little step they made in the right direction. Kuroo hadn't even told Bokuto that he would be here today, watching his first ever hockey game because of him. Somehow, he could imagine the bright smile on the other's face if he had told him, though.

Soon the players were on the ice, warming up and getting ready. Fans were still pouring in through the big doors. Loud pop songs still screamed down at them from the speaker setup, but he couldn't make out which song it was through all the chatter around him.

At some point, Oikawa waved at the players and one greeted him back with a small hand gesture. Probably Iwaizumi, Kuroo thought before the other man turned around to present the name on his jersey and confirmed Kuroo's suspension.

Fans and players of the Jackals alike were dressed in black, yellow, and white while the opposing team wore white and blue. Easy to keep them apart.

A small commotion happened when two players of the Jackals hit each other on their helmets with their sticks. Fans cheered and laughed at the gesture, as Atsumu patted Bokuto's shoulder afterwards, both of them also laughing.

"It's their ritual, for good luck," Oikawa explained to the confused expression on Kuroo's face.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"No, not their thick skulls at least," Oikawa said, tone playful and teasing, as if the two could hear him and answer to his provocation.

But to be honest, maybe Oikawa was onto something here. Bokuto's pain tolerance was something Kuroo had been worried about during their practice as well and all the time. But he really wasn't prepared how aggressive Bokuto was on the ice. He played like lives depended on it, like it was a fight to the death. They all did.

Their speed was fear inducing and Kuroo questioned if it was really necessary to hit the puck this hard. Especially at the poor person guarding the opposing goal. Bokuto engaged more with the other players than he did with that damn black disc to be honest. Like he wanted to distract, cause some chaos, always on the other side of the rink where Iwaizumi did the same, although their captain was even worse. He was the first to visit the Jackals' penalty box and now Kuroo understood why this was Oikawa's usual spot.

The moment Iwaizumi sat down and took one of his gloves off Oikawa's full attention was directed to the box and the man inside it. Whatever the people cheered about didn't matter. A goal? A fight? Men speeding past them and bumping into the sides on the rink? Oikawa didn't care anymore. Iwaizumi at least pretended that he cared, before he turned to his boyfriend who formed a heart with his hands. They grinned and smiled at each other, until Iwaizumi was allowed to leave again.

When Oikawa's attention was back with the outside world he met Kuroo's eyes for a brief moment.

"He looks hot in his gear, what am I supposed to do?!"

Kuroo just chuckled before he flinched as two players bumped violently against the barrier in front of them. They were gone again before he could make out who they were. The opposing player was sent to the penalty box this time. What the hell was going on? This time Oikawa chuckled at Kuroo's confused expression before he pointed in Bokuto's and Iwaizumi's general direction.

Hockey was such a fast paced game. Kuroo lost the puck more than he could count and was confused on what was going on even more. The players were even interacting and trying to hinder each other when that small black disc was nowhere around them. Penalties were not exactly given very often, but they were definitely happening quite a lot…

Iwaizumi was a regular guest, as it seemed. The time showed the middle of the second third of the game and this man had already scored his fourth penalty. And since Oikawa was immediately back to flirting after Iwaizumi sat down, Kuroo didn't even dare to ask if this was normal behavior. It was also a little concerning to him how progressively more provocative their flirting became with each penalty. A child sat right in front of Oikawa and Kuroo, yet his friend decided to almost lick the plexiglass and then pressed his tongue into his cheek when Iwaizumi grinned at him.

Kuroo decided to let them be for the five minutes they had together like this and looked out for the Number 12 that was speeding over half the rink and yelled something. The puck was passed to Bokuto and he only kept it for what felt like 0.2 seconds before Kuroo had lost the damn thing again. But instead of letting the frustration set in, he just kept his eyes locked on Bokuto. At least he couldn't lose the big guy as easily as that tiny black thing. He was even bigger than usual in his protective gear. Almost scary. Especially with this… sparkle in his eyes.

But as much as Kuroo didn't want to be the one in Bokuto's way when he had this look on his face, everyone else on the field seemed to match his energy. Which was even scarier than just this really nice and easy going man Kuroo had come to know who kept charging towards the puck and people like a predator ready to kill, because everyone seemed to be out for blood, some even in the literal sense of the word.

While Iwaizumi still waited for his penalty to count down, Bokuto tried to protect his teammates as they started an attack. One of the opposing players sped up and seemed to go straight for the shortest players of the Jackals who had passed the puck just a moment before. Kuroo and probably a lot of other fans anticipated the impact, some already booing and whistling, but Bokuto was quick to react and caught the bodycheck before its force could hit his teammate. The smaller man was already following the other players, not even looking back at Bokuto who looked mad, pointing at the opponent who bumped into him hard a second ago. They yelled at each other, Bokuto more agitated than the other one, yet both completely engulfed in their argument. The audience was a cacophony of boos, whistles and cheers. Suddenly Kuroo felt worried as Bokuto closed the distance between them and pushed the other man hard.

"Oh? What's happening?" Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi had turned their attention towards the ice again as the first blow hit Bokuto's face. Cheers and boos alike erupted around them, as both Kuroo and Oikawa cursed as another, now ungloved fist, landed straight in Bokuto's face. Still, Kuroo believed he could hear Bokuto roar and in a blink of an eye the two men were on each other's throat. Immediately a whistle sounded and two referees went between them. Both earned a penalty for that.

"Woooow…" Oikawa quietly said as Bokuto turned and approached the Jackals' box, one glove off his hand and carefully touching his nose. Kuroo could already see some red running onto his upper lip as well as a split in his lower one, that Bokuto licked at.

"Shouldn't he see a medic or something?" Kuroo asked.

"Nah, probably just popped a small vessel," Oikawa said nonchalantly, but Kuroo couldn't rid himself of the worry at the sight of Bokuto sitting down next to Iwaizumi while dabbing and smearing the blood around his nose and lips with his fingers, still looking like he wanted to rip the other player's head off.

Iwaizumi turned to him, said something and Bokuto's eyes darkened even more. Kuroo couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it was obvious what Bokuto thought about the situation. His gestures were big and agitated. He nearly ripped his helmet off his head, revealing the messiest hair Kuroo had ever seen on him. Bokuto would have looked so cute if there wasn't blood dripping from his nose and him probably calling the other guy a son of a bitch. But this "wild" Bokuto was interesting to watch. Fast, furious, righteous. Very different to the childish, soft and bright guy that had always made him smile so far. Interesting and… Kuroo couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something inside him stirred.

Bokuto was still smearing the blood all around his nose, until a referee came by and handed him a paper towel into the box after Iwaizumi had waved at their coach. He was still (probably) cursing the other guy out and his captain listened to him quietly, only indicating with his hand where he had missed a spot of red. Not that the dry paper was doing a good job at cleaning Bokuto's face.

Then, in a moment where Bokuto calmed down a bit and most of the blood flow seemed to have stopped, Iwaizumi nudged his side. Bokuto looked at him, brows still furrowed, as his captain pointed in Oikawa's and Kuroo's general direction. Oikawa waved at him before leaning to the side when Bokuto waved back, so he could get a clearer view of the other figure skater.

Bokuto blinked at him, clearly surprised to see him, but his face relaxed immediately and a bright smile split his face, just as his split lip started bleeding again. Kuroo couldn't help but snort out a quiet laugh at this stupid grin the other gave him, yet he smiled and waved at him as well. There he was again. His cute, big guy. This time with bloody teeth and red smeared around his nose, fresh blood only dripping slowly out of one nostril now.

Iwaizumi leaned toward his teammate and said something quietly in his ear, as if anyone around them could hear his words over the intense noise of the game still going on. But whatever he said, Bokuto's hand stopped mid-motion and a blush crept onto his unreadable expression. They exchanged some more words, much calmer than before, and Iwaizumi got up to return from his penalty.

Bokuto looked back at Kuroo, who wondered what this exchange between the hockey players had been. But whatever Iwaizumi had said to him, Bokuto blushed more noticeably now as Kuroo smiled and mouthed "good job" at him. The other smiled a little back, before averting his eyes and clearly avoiding any more interaction through the remainder of his penalty, before he rushed back on the ice with one last wave in the two figure skaters' general direction and a shy smile.

"What was that about?" Kuroo asked, surprised and worried about this sudden avoidant reaction. Bokuto seemed so happy to see him initially. Did Kuroo do something wrong?

"Nothing. You probably just make him a bit nervous," Oikawa said, a knowing smile almost splitting his face in half. Did he know something Kuroo didn't? Bokuto had asked him out, so Kuroo knew that the hockey player was interested, but why would he be nervous with Kuroo being here? And what had Iwaizumi said to him? Somehow he felt like these two were plotting something, although that was more Oikawa's and less Iwaizumi's thing.

Kuroo turned back towards the game, ignoring the smug little laugh erupting from his friend. While Oikawa kept giggling next to him he watched Bokuto back in his element. The shyness was already gone. He was back to being fast and dangerous. Maybe, if one squinted, there was still a blush creeping up from his neck and flushed his cheeks. But maybe that was just exertion.

But he looked wild; wilder than before. The red smear of remnant blood added onto that challenging twinkle in his eyes. The duality of this wild and angry man on the ice, and the brightly smiling shy boy after he noticed Kuroo… was intriguing and suddenly very inspiring. Now he understood what Oikawa had meant by saying that he should see Bokuto in action. Kuroo finally got it. He knew what Bokuto was on the ice, now he just needed to find a way to utilize it and–

The horns announced the end of the match and the deafening eruption of cheers left little room for error that the Jackals had won this match. Iwaizumi met with each of his teammates on the rink and patted them on the helmet, praising them for a job well done. Kuroo didn't see much as the people around them jumped up, cheering and celebrating the team's win, but through the bodies in front of him he could make out that Bokuto's nose was bleeding again.

Oikawa tugged on the sleeve of Kuroo's jacket.

"Come. We'll wait by the back for them. They'll probably go out for dinner afterwards," he said and got up, expecting Kuroo to follow him. And he did, after one glance back on the ice, where Bokuto was once again dabbing his nose, but laughing this time. He wasn't angry like before.

He was really cute like this.

* * *

He was even cuter when he emerged from the back entrance with his teammates. Each of them smiled, chattered and laughed, freshly showered and packed with their gym bags and skates. None of them seemed surprised when they saw Oikawa waiting for them, Kuroo might have been a different story. At least Bokuto looked surprised.

Big eyes met his the moment Bokuto walked through the door. If the blonde guy behind him hadn't already been pushing him through he would have probably stopped in his tracks to stare at him. His hair laid pretty flat in a middle part with strands hanging in his eyes. Very different from his usual messy spikes.

"Good game, you guys!" Oikawa said and was met with cheers from the other men. "Have you decided where you wanna go celebrate?"

"Onigiri Miya," Iwaizumi said before stealing a kiss from his boyfriend.

"My brother's keepin' the shop open just for us. Let's hurry!"

"I'm starviiiiiing!!"

As everyone started to move, following Iwaizumi, Oikawa and the blonde guy; Kuroo waited for Bokuto to close the distance between them before joining the party. The other had waited until everyone else was in front of them, so they were walking in the back.

"Uhm, hi."

"Hi," Kuroo answered, and Bokuto's signature bright smile grew on his face as they walked side by side.

"Didn't expect to see you here, like… at all." Bokuto spoke rather quietly, as if he didn't want the men in front of them to listen in.

"Oikawa said I should come and watch. I don't have a clue about hockey…" Kuroo shrugged, hoping not to disappoint the other with his honesty.

"Was it still fun?" The question sounded curious. When he turned to look at the other, Bokuto was already watching him for his reaction.

"Yeah, it was a good game! Especially when you got smacked in the face," Kuroo teased with an impish grin that made the hockey player laugh shyly. "Was that usually how it goes?"

"Haha, no. I just get too aggravated sometimes and then someone decks me. Either someone from the other team during the game or Iwaizumi after."

"Wait, really?! He just punches you unprovoked?!" This time Bokuto grinned and laughed at Kuroo's shocked reaction, pranked by his own methods.

"No. I also usually don't get smacked around on the ice like this."

"What happened, then?"

"That guy targeted Hinata from the start of the game, the referees did nothing and I got angry. So I went between them and gave him my two cents. And got my response." Bokuto shrugged, aware that this might not have been the best way to intervene, but Kuroo nodded slowly. The hockey player had seen how his friend got targeted and wanted to defend him. Exactly what it had looked like during the game. "I'm not regretting it though. Even though my face still hurts."

"So you're a protector, hm?" There was a blush creeping back onto Bokuto's face that Kuroo couldn't help but smile at as the other denied his observation. Apparently his duty on the ice was to deflect and keep the opponent busy, maybe stir some trouble. Some kind of "aggressive defense." Kuroo wasn't entirely sure if he got the concept, but it made a little sense with the ways Bokuto had behaved on the ice. Fast, taking up as much space as he could, trying to dominate whoever entered their attacking zone, protect their own players from harassment. He was protective, even if he denied it.

Like he was with Kuroo, even if the "threats" were wildly different.

The smile on Kuroo's face softened as he listened to Bokuto explain a little more, and asked questions where he didn't understand a single thing the other was talking about with an enthusiasm one expected from a kid. And slowly but surely something clicked. Bokuto's facets finally fell together into a picture Kuroo was able to understand, also as an artist.

Reckless and wild – things Kuroo wasn't. Elegant and calm – things Bokuto wasn't. But things that were interesting to combine…

Bokuto pulled Kuroo out of his head by holding the door open to the restaurant they had been heading to. It was so close to the stadium, yet he had never been here before. The atmosphere was nice. It looked a bit like a café with a self-service counter. No one was here but the staff thanks to the closed sign on the front door, yet no one told them to leave as they entered.

"Good game everyone!" A man behind the counter, looking a lot like the blonde Jackal, greeted them, his hands forming onigiri and plating them. He and his team had prepared some of the flavors they offered in the store, and had arranged them in a pile-like assortment that everyone could grab their favorites from after they sat at the biggest table in the shop.

The guy who looked like the blonde Jackal joined them after a while of cleaning the kitchen and sending his staff home for the night. As he sat next to him, he reached over Bokuto on his other side to shake Kuroo's hand.

"Heya, name's Osamu. I'm Atsumu's brother," he said and nodded his head in the blonde's direction. Kuroo nodded and introduced himself after Osamu announced that he was the owner of this place.

"Ya new in the group? Are ya his boyfriend?" He asked and pointed at Bokuto with his now free hand.

Suddenly it felt like half of the group went quiet as if to listen in. Kuroo knew that this was at least true for Oikawa who immediately turned his head towards them in great interest. Bokuto next to him, on the other hand, looked a bit panicked.

"Miya-sam–"

"Oikawa took me to watch the game," Kuroo avoided the question. He saw Oikawa slump in disappointment in the corner of his eye, while Bokuto seemed to relax a little.

"Ah, so ya one of the figure skaters? The one this guy is trying to help?"

"You know a lot," Kuroo chuckled as Bokuto tensed up again at the sound of Osamu's questions.

"Well, my brother talks. A lot."

"Hey!"

As a small fight between the brothers erupted, Bokuto turned to Kuroo. He still looked a little uncomfortable as he smiled apologetically. Kuroo just smiled back at him and shrugged.

"I mean, you did ask me out, didn't you?" He asked quietly with a teasing grin. Bokuto's eyes widened and the first thing that came to Kuroo's mind at this sight was cute. Bokuto looked cute with his hair down and the surprise in his big eyes.

"I, uh.. I'm sorry, I–"

"Don't worry about it so much," Kuroo chuckled before he slowly got up. "You know… who knows? Maybe…"

Even though Kuroo didn't say anything specific, Bokuto's expression grew softer again as he looked up at him.

"Where are you going?" Oikawa chimed in when he saw Kuroo stand.

"I'll go home. I have a choreography to change for tomorrow. I think I finally have a good idea," he said before he turned to Bokuto once more and winked. "See you tomorrow, big guy."

"Yeah." Bokuto's voice was soft, almost as if he was lost in thought, but his eyes followed Kuroo until he was out the door. Before it closed Kuroo could hear Atsumu holler something about "getting some." Kuroo just smiled cheekily. He acted like he didn't know what Atsumu tried to imply.