𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 ~~ A HQ x Reader thingy (〜￣▽￣)〜

KurooOooOoOo◑﹏◐

KuROO oyA

Work.

That was the compendium of your life; just work.

Nothing less and nothing more.

Well... there were aspects of more-

It hurt, it hurt so much.

Blink.

The single action hurt a lot more than it should've; sleep deprivation was not as ornamental and edgy as society made it look like.

It was painful, it was like a constant ache that pulsed through your body, an encompassing ocean that yanked at you, dragged you into tides of sleep, scrapping your sanity against the diamond-serrated rocks, pulling you in and out, and finally at the bottom, after you've sunk, you wonder....

How did it come to this?

Why can I not shut my eyes and rest?

You jerked yourself awake, your body refusing to submit to the exhaustion you've accumulated over the past few weeks.

Blink.

It was like sandpaper against skin.

It was three weeks after your small trip to Europe over business terms and your body had no time to get over the jet lag.

Once again your head was submerged in work.

Your dark room was filled with nothing but the voice of torn fingertips over keys, tapping away rapidly with methodical stops, eyes burning against the bright light of your screen.

"Repetitive strain injury...... Chronic insomnia....." Oh, doctors...

"It could accumulate to something worse....." If only I could stop-

There was a background noise though. It seemed to come from outside your room.

Ah, it must be him.

You suddenly craved the outside, the need to step out of your work bubble overwhelmed and you stood up, working your creaky and painful joints.

Totally not because you wanted to see a certain someone.

It was one thing you wouldn't confess to, you felt a deep heat rush to your face as you pulled your hair down from its bun, the thought of his handsome face in your mind's eyes.

Yeah.... Definitely not because of him...

The lights of the living room more or less blinded you - a little wave of shock entering as you realised how much you've missed normal lighting. Rubbing your eyes, you padded towards the kitchen, where you found him.

"Finally.... It's been years."

The amount of joy that filled your chest upon the sight of his face and the nearness of his voice was truly unimaginable. Kuroo held a knowing and sombre expression, a bowl of ramen seasoning in front of him.

It wasn't long before you buried your face in his chest, hot tears burnt the drought in your eyes, soaking his shirt as you clutched harder, feeling your mind break apart as sobs ripped from your mouth.

It hurts..... It hurts so much....

"I know, kitten. I know." You didn't realise you spoke your mind out until you heard his response as he slowly smoothed your hair, whispering reassuring statements.

A feeling of disappointment and rage entered you, but just as quickly as that feeble candle was lit, it was snuffed out by none other than that feeling of insignificance. It was disgusting, how your own feelings could put you down.

"Tetsurou..." A soft mumble came.

"Hm?"

"I need you.... I need you."

A feeling of weightlessness came over; Kuroo had picked you up, effortlessly manoeuvring you towards the couch, not moving your face from his chest.

He set you down as gently as possible, movements so soft you barely felt anything. He looked you in the eyes before kissing your forehead and an expression of excitement claiming his features.

He rushed to the kitchen before you could speak up- not that you could, you would've cried again.

"I made shoyu ramen for you; no spice, just the way you like it." Kuroo walked as slowly as possible, holding the steaming bowl from before in front of him. The sight of his forced concentration and slightly crossed eyes cracking a smile on your face. Really, he was adorable.

Under all that authoritative figurine, you knew, was a deeply affectionate dork that you fell for in middle school. A kid - as you used to tease - who never got over his emo phase.

No- he was never in an emo phase.

You looked from the meticulously decorated bowl to his face, which was to the brim with joy and anticipation, his eyes literally sparkling.

He waited for a few seconds before looking down at the bowl, then back at you then prying your fists open and shoving a pair of chopsticks in.

Your giggle came out as more of a sob than an expression of happiness, you looked down, a tear slipping out. Suppressing another grin, you switched the chopstick to your right hand before looking at him.

He let out a soft "Oh." Upon which you laughed.

You had no appetite, your acid-filled stomach was begging for repeated starvation, but for Kuroo, you vowed to finish the entire bowl in one sitting, watching Kuroo's eyes perked with interest on the telev.

At that moment you wondered how someone could look so hot and cute at the same time, highschool happiness claiming your 25 year old mind; the contrast of his sharp jawline, leading down to his adam's apple and below that a sharp beginning to his toned, muscular body, it was stark against the look of adoration his wide eyes held as he looked, unblinking at the screen, his lips pursed, looking like a kid.

"It isn't even entertaining, change the channel." You mumbled, feeling a wave of embarrassment over the sound of your own voice, loud and emotive.

"No way, my girlfriend is on tv, I'm not gonna miss it." Kuroo complained, his eyes never leaving the screen. You looked down slightly embarrassed. It's just a stupid debate... you thought. Kuroo wouldn't even understand the content of her speech.

And still....

Kuroo showed genuine interest in that image of you in a suit, standing over the podium in front of a large crowd, an event that took place no more than a month ago.

He'd seen it a million times, over and over in different places and in different languages. But it was all the same to him; his first love looked confident and strong in a crowd of unrelenting, old critics..

And once more so as he looked at you fighting the spice of the ramen he prepared, biting a huge smirk when you sniffled.

"You prick..." You mumbled, sniffing long and hard at the rich flavour coupled with the sharp burn of chilli.

He knew you hated spicy foods.

~~~

im back from the dead lolll