Love is not Extinct

Chapter 09: Red Handed

A/N: Coucou mon petit choux! So I am having such a hard time naming my chapters lately, so sorry if these titles are getting kind of lame. Haha! But non-the-less, here is the next chapter hope you all enjoy! Thank you for those who have followed and commented your support keeps me motivated and warms my heart! I love you all!

Kuroo yawned and stretched as he got off the train. He had spent a very long weekend out of town for work, attending multiple games, interviews, and press conferences for athletes and a sleepless night last night, compiling all of the information he had gathered into a cohesive article so that he could meet his deadline. But thankfully everything had gone smoothly. He had received a message from Akaashi in the early hours of the morning, just before he got on the train to head home, that his article met the editor-in-chief's standards, so he knew that he would have a few days to relax and recover.

Thankfully the train stop was right around the corner from his apartment complex. He took a shortcut through the parking lot and around the back of the building as he dug through his bag to find his keys. Just as he was about to turn and go into the entrance he felt someone, much shorter than him, run into him hard before falling back onto the sidewalk with a thud, letting out a puff of air.

Looking down he saw a boy sitting down below him, clearly only an elementary schooler, with a mop of wavy brown hair, and when he looked up at him, Kuroo he could see big brown eyes that seemed like they took in everything around him with a strangely high level of observation for a kid his age.

"Oi, hey there little man. You should watch where you are going." Kuroo reached out his hand to help the boy up as he grinned. "Here let me help you up. You should be more careful."

The boy hesitated for a moment, cautious of the stranger, but finally put his hand into Kuroo's and allowed the man to pull him to his feet. Just then he could hear someone yelling and footfalls as the voice got closer.

"Haru! You know better than to just run off where I can't..."

Kuroo looked up as the voice of the boy's father, he presumed, faded off and he felt a smirk grow on his lips as his eyes fell upon the familiar figure standing in front of him. Letting go of the boy's hand, Kuroo stood up straight again and adjusted the strap of the duffle bag that was slung over his shoulder.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Dino Guy. Nice to see you again."

Haruhisa looked between his father and Kuroo with curiosity as Tsukishima's lips turned down into a faint frown. Adjusting his glasses, then putting his hands into his pockets, the man's shoulders slumped, relaxing a little now that he knew his son was safe, though he was perplexed and slightly miffed at the odd coincidence of running into Kuroo after having just talked to Yamaguchi about him earlier that afternoon.

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" His tone was flat and unimpressed as Kuroo just grinned wider at his luck at running into him outside his apartment building.

"It's not a wrong description though," Kuroo countered.

"Uh..Tsukki?"

Kuroo looked over, the soft voice drawing his attention to the man who stood next to Tsukishima. He was slightly shorter than the blonde with dark grayish-green hair, a single strand standing up stubbornly at the top. But what stood out the most were the freckles that dotted his cheeks and the bridge of his nose like stars in the sky.

One of the first things that Kuroo observed about the pair was that Tusikishma's companion was standing rather close to the blonde, who Kuroo had noticed didn't particularly like people invading his space. Then he remembered the photo Tsukishima's son had sent him and realized that this was the same man who had been standing next to the blond, looking so comfortable in the close proximity.