Goodnight, Tadashi

Chapter 5

As promised, Tsukishima got more. 

That night, when he finally got home after his work shift and his evening class, Kuroo had dinner ready and the table set… with three places. Tsukishima could sense it was a trap, and didn’t ask about it. That didn’t save him, unfortunately. 

“Aren’t you going to invite Tadashi to dinner?” Kuroo asked when they sat down, the smile on his lips portraying the picture of innocence. “I set a place for him and everything.”

The next day, when Tsukishima was leaving for class, “So, did you and Tadashi meet in one of your classes?” Tsukishima rolled his eyes. Kuroo persisted, “What’s he majoring in?”

A text received while Kuroo was at the supermarket, “Does Tadashi have any food allergies I should know about?”

When Tsukishima balled his fists in his hair, sighing agitatedly down at his research paper, “Maybe Tadashi could help you study?”

Of course, the fabled Tadashi was eventually mentioned in front of their friends, which was just as embarrassing as Tsukishima had imagined it would be. It was game night, and the lot of them were piled up in Bokuto and Akaashi’s living room, circled around the entertainment center. It only took until halfway through their first round of Mario Party for Kuroo to give an exaggerated sigh and set his controller down.

“It’s a real shame you wouldn’t bring Tadashi with us tonight,” Kuroo mourned, glancing across the circle at Tsukishima. “I’m sure he would’ve enjoyed this too.”

“Tadashi?” Bokuto asked, leaning so that his head was between Kuroo and Tsukishima’s line of sight. He looked back and forth between the two of them. “Who’s Tadashi?”

“No one.”

“Tsukki’s lover.”

They spoke in unison, and Tsukishima glared at Kuroo.

“Lover?” Bokuto asked excitedly, grinning widely at Tsukishima before turning back to Kuroo. “For real?”

“Lover?” Akaashi repeated, softer, and aimed at Tsukishima.

“For real,” Kuroo confirmed, at the same time Tsukishima shook his head in the negative.

“Congratulations, Tsukki!” Bokuto beamed at him. Akaashi knitted his brows in confusion.

“I don’t have a lover,” Tsukishima insisted firmly, exasperation in his voice. Bokuto blinked at him.

“Then who’s Tadashi?”

“No one.”

“Go on, Tsukki,” Kuroo encouraged, grin on his lips and chin in his hand. “Don’t be shy. Tell them about Tadashi.”

Tsukishima bit the inside of his cheek. Kuroo was cruel. He was giving him the choice to either lie about having a lover, and deal with their friends’ pestering questions, or tell the group himself that he had named his body pillow. Neither option seemed a lesser evil.

“He’s talking about Tsukishima’s body pillow,” Kenma interjected. “That’s what he named it.”

“Kenma!” Kuroo groaned, betrayal evident in his voice. Tsukishima sighed, a little bit relieved that at least the decision had been lifted from his shoulders. “You ruined the reveal!”

“How? Now everyone knows.”

“Yeah, but…” Kuroo puffed out his cheeks, arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit the petulant child. “Tsukki was supposed to admit it himself.”

Kenma frowned at him. “You’re not as funny as you think you are.”

Kuroo held a hand to his chest in exaggerated offense. “I give you nothing but love, and this is how you treat me?”