Thread by @IDtsuKei

I’ve got 30 minutes to kill while my hair is getting dyed so have for your viewing pleasure: a short #krtsk #kurotsukki ft cat boy tsukki.

The laws protecting hybrids have advanced drastically in the last few years, but the majority of public opinion is still on the fence.

That’s to say, things are very different from when Tsukishima was younger and had to watch his brother get kicked off of the karasuno team once they found out he was a hybrid, but not different enough that Tsukishima wanted anyone to know he was also a hybrid. The only ones who

Knew were his immediate family. He even tells yamaguchi that the oddity skipped Kei completely, a weird gene leftover from their dead beat dad who split once Akiteru’s ears grew in(when in reality, it had been when Kei, his second son, was also born with the telltale cat ears

Poking out of his fluffy newborn blonde hair.)

Before Tsukishima started school, his mother taught him how to suppress it, how to use the magic he was blessed with(blessed, his teenage self scoffed. More like cursed.) to pop the ears back into his head, hide the tail from view.

After the debacle with akiteru, Kei got even better at hiding it. He didn’t even allow his ears and tail to show when he was home alone. Months of akiteru telling him no one cared about him being a hybrid, months of him swearing that the team treated him the same even with his

Cat ears, culminating in a lie that crushed Kei when it was revealed had him shrinking even further into himself.

He wasn’t worried when the training camps showed up on his schedule. His near 24/7 suppression of his hybrid traits meant even in sleep he could maintain the

Facade. Before the camp, Ukai held a mandatory team meeting. Tsukki took up his spot on the floor, next to yamaguchi but on the outsides of the group. When Ukai started talking, a speech about unity and equality, yamaguchi shot a confused look at tsukki who just shrugged, unsure

Where their coach was going with this. Then Ukai’s speech shifted to talk about how everyone was welcome on his team, and there would be no tolerance for hateful speech or discrimination. Tsukishima shifted, uncomfortable and unsure what the source of this conversation was. He

Tensed when Ukai started talking about hybrids, a small moment of panic, how could they know? He had been so careful? Yamaguchi must have thought the look of discomfort was from remembering what happened to akiteru, and leaned comfortingly into tsukki’s shoulder. Discreet, but

Enough to calm tsukishima’s racing heart. He reasoned with himself, this couldn’t be about him. Then Ukai finally revealed that sugawara was a hybrid, a rabbit type, and would most likely have some traits pop out when it got later into the night. Tsukishima relaxed, heart slowing

As the rest of the team reacted to the news. They all seemed more curious than anything, but Tsukishima squashed the small part of his brain that suggested maybe it would be okay if he told them the truth about himself.

On their way out, sugawara hurried his pace to walk next

To him.

‘Tsukishima, you were the only one who didn’t have a million questions. Is there anything you wanted to say?’ Suga asked.

‘Is there anything to say?’ Tsukki shrugged, refusing to slow his pace.

‘Well I would like if you would tell me that you were okay with it. It’s

Hard to read you first years still.’ Suga replied with a shrug of his own but tsukki could see the tightening of his face.

‘It doesn’t matter to me. But don’t think this means you can steal all the carrots from my plate.’ He quickens his pace even more to get away as Suga

Yells and attempts to karate chop him. Once he gets home, his dreams are filled with floating cat ears, and suga and yamaguchi hopping in the background.

~

They’re on day three of the training camp when it happens. Tsukki had been practicing in the third gym, and despite his

Regular sleep schedule, exhaustion was starting to set in. Between actual practice, penalty laps, and extra practice with the never ending energetic bokuto, tsukki was wiped out. At the end of the mini-match they had, he all but collapsed onto the bleachers. His brain knew he

Should get up, start the cleanup because it was his day, but his body was refusing to do anything without at least a five minute break.

Kuroo joined him not long after, handing tsukki a fresh bottle of water before plopping right next to him.

‘How do you do it?’

‘Hm?’ Kuroo

Tilted his head at tsukki’s question.

‘How do you do a whole week without keeling over dead?’ Kuroo laughed, quieter than normal. Despite tsukki’s prickly attitude, and the occasional over-the-line comment from kuroo, the two of them had formed a unique friendship. Well, tsukki

Considered it unique because what else do you call a friendship between rivals who were two years apart in age.

‘It’s all a lie, I’m just as tired as you.’

‘Liar,’ Tsukki scoffed. ‘Did nekoma even have to do any penalty laps?’

‘One or two, but, and this is a big but, I did

Have to corral lev all day.’ Kuroo nudged his shoulder into tsukki’s, smiling as the blonde laughed behind his hand.

‘Ok, you got me there. At least you don’t have to play with hinata, sometimes just looking at him drains my energy for a week.’

‘Maybe we should set up a trade

Between the two of them, so we can judge who’s the most draining.’ Kuroo suggests.

‘Pass. Lev would be worse without your libero to kick him around.’ Tsukki takes a swig from his water bottle to hide the blush he can feel starting from the way Kuroo’s giggling. He’s not so

Unaware of his own feelings that he doesn’t recognize his crush on the older middle blocker, but he would prefer it stay a secret. He was so good at keeping them.

‘Oh yeah! I didn’t come over here just to give you h2o and roast our more energetic teammates!’ Kuroo starts,

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket.

‘Shame, I thought I had finally convinced you to be my devoted servant. Who will bring me drinks the rest of the camp?’ Tsukki teases. (He may ignore his crush, but he will indulge in the banter whenever he can.)

‘Oh, tsukki. You don’t

Need to ask, I’ll be your servant any night.’ He winks, and tsukki is glad he looks down to the phone he just pulled out of his pocket and cannot see the dazed look in tsukki’s eyes. ‘But no, I came over since I have my phone back to show you that block I was talking about

Earlier.’

Kuroo pulls out his phone, and tsukki leans in a bit to watch as he pulls up the YouTube video. If the video wasn’t enough to keep him awake, bokuto’s absolutely-not-inside voice from where he’s conversing with akaashi a few rows down should be, but he finds himself

Drifting away. Before he even realizes what’s going on, his head thunks softly onto Kuroo’s shoulder, and he is dead to the world.

Kuroo freezes, mumbling a quick and quiet ‘Tsukki?’ Before realizing that he had fallen asleep. He smiles to himself, closing the video and

Shifting slightly to allow a better position for tsukki’s neck. He debates for a few seconds before tilting his own head to rest lightly against the top of tsukki’s. They sit like this for a few minutes until akaashi catches their placements out of the corner of his eye.

‘Shouldn’t you both be cleaning up?’ He asks, before Kuroo glares and whispers for him to shut it.

‘He’s exhausted, let him get a few minutes of sleep before you put him back to work.’ He argues.

‘Yes, I’m sure you have no ulterior motive here.’ Akaashi deadpans as bokuto

Snaps a pic.

‘Bro, I’m making the two of you my background.’

‘You better hope Tsukishima-kun never sees that, bokuto-san. Come on, let’s go get a snack before bed. Kuroo-kun, I’m entrusting you to make sure he gets to an actual bed at a decent time.’ Akaashi nods, standing

And pulling bokuto to his feet and out of the door, ignoring Kuroo’s grumbles about respecting your elders.

Once they’re gone, kuroo does set an alarm on his phone for 10 minutes from now. He wasn’t kidding about also being exhausted, but he knew sleeping on the bleachers would

Only make the two of them feel worse in the morning. He closes his eyes, fully expecting to wake up once the timer goes off.

He does wake up, just much, much later than the original plan of ten minutes. Kuroo groans, blinking his eyes awake to see that not only had he turned

The alarm off in his sleep, but the two of them had shifted and were laying between two sets of bleachers, tsukki’s fluffy ears ticking his nose. He doesn’t know how he manages to turn the alarm off while asleep, why would his brain curse him like that?

Wait.

He rethinks that

Last bit in his head. Tsukki’s what now?

He chances a glance down to confirm. Yes, his ears. Cat ears to be precise. They were lying with tsukki’s face pressed against Kuroo’s chest(which was beating dangerously fast at the proximity), and tsukki’s cute blonde ears were

Sticking out, twitching whenever Kuroo’s breath would ghost over them. He had a tail too, it appeared. It was curled around Kuroo’s arm, which was curled around tsukki’s waist. Huh. He took a second to ponder if tsukki would be more mad that they were hardcore cuddling, or at

Being woken up from kuroo wiggling out of his grasp. He pondered for too long though, because tsukki started to stir. His eyes blinked open slowly, hand dropping Kuroo’s shirt to cover a yawn. He blinked a few more times before realizing their position and flushing, sitting up.

‘Hi.’

‘What the fuck.’

‘We fell asleep, don’t know how we got like that. Sorry, we probably would’ve spent the whole night like that if your ears didn’t tickle my nose.’ Kuroo watched as the cute flush drained from tsukki’s face, instantly turning ashen.

‘My what?’ He

Asked in disbelief.

‘Uh. Your ears, yaknow?’ Kuroo pointed to the top of his own head around where tsukki’s ears were still showing.

Tsukki brought his hand to the top of his head, and looked sick when he felt the cat ears, showing for the first time in years. Before kuroo

Could blink, they were gone, the tail vanishing too, as tsukki scrambled to his feet.

‘Hey, you know I don’t care about stuff like that right?’ Kuroo frowned, unsure why tsukki seemed so panicked.

‘I do!’ Tsukki hissed as he darted towards the door.

‘Tsukki, wait!’ Kuroo

Tried to follow him, but tsukki whipped around to level the sharpest glare at him.

‘If you tell anyone what you saw, I’ll call you a liar. I mean it, kuroo.’

‘Why would I tell anyone?’

‘I mean it kuroo! Swear to me you won’t.’ His finger came up to jab Kuroo’s chest, and

Kuroo hears the catch in tsukki’s voice, the trembling lower lip and is suddenly desperate to not make him cry.

‘I swear it. I won’t say anything.’ Tsukki deflates a little but turns back around and continues his sprint out of the door, leaving a very confused Kuroo standing

There. Kuroo looks around the gym, still full of runaway volleyballs and a two-person-minimum net and groans. The entire time he’s cleaning the gym his mind is on tsukki. He doesn’t know what he did to cause such a panic, but he hopes that he’ll accept an apology tomorrow.

Meanwhile Tsukishima has locked himself in a bathroom stall halfway between the gym and their room for the week. He’s crouched on the floor with his face buried between his knees to hide the gasps for air. He knew it was a bad idea to humor Kuroo. Knew he shouldn’t have gotten

So comfortable with him, dropped his guard. How many years of a carefully crafted distance between him and his classmates to prevent incidents exactly like this had he thrown down the drain for five minutes of play bickering? He’d have to go to practice with them at least two

More nights to avoid akaashi and bokuto wondering where he was. Two nights of waiting for kuroo to reveal his secret to everyone. Fuck.

By the time he gets his breathing under control and slips back into the karasuno room, everyone is asleep. He has to crawl over a sleeping

Suga, ears flopped over, without a care in the world. It took everything in tsukki to not start panicking again and lay down on his futon in the back part of the room, under the window. As he stares out of the window, blanket pulled up to cover all of him but his face, he drifts

Off again. This time it’s dreams of Kuroo telling the whole gym about tsukki being a hybrid, and sugawara kicking him off of the team while coach Ukai shakes his head in the background.

It can’t be more than four hours later when nishinoya’s voice wakes him up. He rolls over,

Groaning at the noise. Asahi shoots out a quick apology before dragging the libero out of the room.

‘You got back late?’ Yamaguchi questions once tsukki gathers the will to sit up.

‘Yeah. Couldn’t sleep, feel like shit.’ He kept his sentences brief so yamaguchi would just

Assume Tsukishima has a headache and keep the conversation to a minimum. He bribes yamaguchi to bring him breakfast with an extra serving of his moms dinner when they get home. Yamaguchi agrees and brings back both of their meals so they can eat in the room together. Tsukki nods

Along to yamaguchi’s quiet ramblings, but his brain is running through every possible scenario awaiting him during the practice matches.

He’s pleasantly surprised though, when Kuroo holds true to his oath and pretends like nothing happened last night. Tsukki almost feels bad

For leaving him with cleanup duty, until kuroo corrects his form from the opposite side of the net. He can’t help but scowl at that, and shoot off a biting remark about captaining the wrong team. Kuroo just laughs, the full body cackle he seems to reserve solely for when tsukki

Toes the line of rude and playful comments. Daichi offers to help if kuroo is bothering him, and he makes sure to reply loud enough Kuroo can hear him.

‘Thank you, daichi-san, but there’s no helping him.’ He smirks at Kuroo’s sputtering face, and it’s almost enough to forget

The entire fiasco last night.

Karasuno end up losing, and their penalty laps count keeps increasing as the day goes on. By the time everyone is splitting into free practice, tsukki is even more tired than yesterday. He plans on roughing out extra practice for at least an hour

To keep akaashi and bokuto off of his back. He did not plan on bokuto and akaashi to have planned a date and abandon their unofficial plans to practice. Seriously, who plans a date in the middle of a volleyball camp??

He doesn’t realize his mistake until he walks into the gym to

See kuroo once again cleaning up. He tries to reverse out before kuroo sees him, but is too late.

‘Tsukki!! Help me fold the net pretty please? If I have to do it alone I’ll probably cry,’ he pouts over exaggerating his facial expression. Tsukki grumbles out something that

Sounds like a ‘fine’ before starting to detach the left side from the stand. Kuroo makes small talk for the first few minutes but after tsukki’s one word answers, he switches to just humming a song. Tsukki ends up helping him clean up the entire gym, feeling guilty for leaving

Kuroo to do it alone the night before. They finish the clean up in relative silence. Once everything is put in its place kuroo kills the lights and they head outside. As much as tsukki doesn’t want to talk about his slip up the night before, the complete avoidance is making him

Nauseous. He knows he shouldn’t be, he’s only getting what he asked for, but part of him wants to grab kuroo by the shoulders and shake him, shouting why you, why’d you have to go and crawl into my skin like that? It was supposed to be a simple crush, unrequited and ignored, you

Weren’t supposed to ever see that side of me. He’s so lost in thought he doesn’t realize that his feet have stopped moving just outside of the doors to the gym, or that kuroo had stopped alongside him, and was currently studying the side of his face.

‘Come sit at the top of the

Hill with me? Unless, of course, your poor legs are too tired from running the penalties.’ Kuroo prods tsukki, betting on tsukki falling for the taunt. He does, scowling as he stalks up the hill just ahead of Kuroo. He sits at the peak of the hill, facing away from the gyms,

Knees to his chin and wrapping his arms around his legs. Kuroo sits next to him, close but not close enough to spook him, legs crisscrossed and leaning back on his hands.

‘Sooo. Nice night out tonight?’ Kuroo breaks the silence.

‘Please. Spare me the small talk, I’ve heard

Enough of it tonight.’ Tsukki scoffs.

‘Okay then. Deeper topics, I can do that. Tell me tsukki, what is the meaning of life?’ Tsukki groans, burying his face into his arms.

‘The meaning of life is for you to shut up.’

‘Not up to your usual par as far as comebacks go but

I’ll let it slide.’

‘When are you going to ask about it?’ Tsukki finally cracks, nerves outweighing his need to never mention the fact that he’s a hybrid ever again.

‘Ask about what?’

‘Don’t play dumb, you know what.’

‘If you mean what happened last night, I swore I

Wouldn’t mention it again. I assumed that meant to you as well.’ Tsukki tilts his head out of his arms to look at Kuroo. He was gazing up at the sky, and if he felt tsukki’s gaze studying his profile he didn’t say anything.

‘You assumed right.’

‘Okay.’ They sit in silence

For a few more minutes before kuroo starts talking about a play he saw tsukki doing earlier. Tsukki can’t shake the unease though and interrupts him.

‘I know I said I didn’t want to talk about it, but I don’t know how to talk about anything else right now.’ He admits.

‘Did

You want me to stop talking? We can sit in the quiet if that’s what you need.’ Kuroo offers. Tsukki curses him in his head. Damn him. Why couldn’t he be an ass about this situation! It would make squashing the crush that much easier, but no he had to be all understanding and

Considerate. Jerk.

‘No.’

‘Okay. Look, tsukki, I know I’m not as close to you as like, your freckled friend from your team, but I hope we’re close enough you can still feel comfortable talking about this stuff with.’

‘He doesn’t know either.’

‘Hm?’

‘Yamaguchi, the

Freckled one. He doesn’t know I’m a hybrid.’ Kuroo drops his gaze from the sky to make eye contact but tsukki breaks it after a few seconds, choosing to look out ahead.

‘Oh. I guess I thought you were close.’ Kuroo says slowly.

‘We are, he’s my best friend. He sleeps at my

House like twice a week.’

‘Huh. And he’s never seen the, yaknow?’ Kuroo gestures to his head again, not wanting to say cat ears and freak him out.

‘No. I don’t normally let them show, even when I’m asleep. That was the first time they’ve been out in months.’ Tsukki admits.

Kuroo tries to ignore the way his heart skips at that.

‘Oh.’ Kuroo curses his voice for wavering, it’s not like tsukki just confessed or anything, calm down. ‘Wait, is that like healthy?’

‘Are you my doctor?’ Tsukki snarks back.

‘No, but I am your friend. If you don’t let

Them out, how many people know about them then?’

‘My mom. My brother. You. Maybe some of my aunts and grandmas, who’s to say.’ Tsukki shrugs.

‘Wow. I guess thank you enough for trusting me enough to show them, even if it was an unconscious decision. Am I allowed to ask why

You don’t tell your team? Isn’t your vice captain a hybrid?’

‘And?’

‘So clearly the team is okay with it, I didn’t see anyone making a fuss about it.’

‘If he wants to put that out there, that’s on him. Not everyone has to do the same,’ Tsukki argues.

‘No, you’re totally

Right but tsukki, what are you so scared of? Clearly your team would support you.’ Kuroo has shifted so he’s no longer leaning back, instead leaning closer to tsukki with what feels like each sentence.

‘You know, it’s only been just over a year since they passed the laws saying

You couldn’t kick people off of teams or fire them for /just/ being a hybrid? /Just/ being a hybrid, not making it so you couldn’t use it as a reason at all. All it takes is one other small mistake and they can tack it on and still kick you out for it. Miss a block in an

Important game? Add that to your hybrid status and you’re out. Five minutes late to work once? Also a hybrid? Good luck finding a new job.’

‘I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen, because I’m sure it does, but what are the odds of that?’ Kuroo asks. ‘I know plenty of hybrids

Who are open about it and they aren’t getting targeted for it.’

‘I guarantee that’s not true. Also, I live in miyagi, not Tokyo. We’re just county bumpkins right?’

‘Okay, alright, I’ll concede there. But tsukki, it’s a high school volleyball team, I doubt people would be that

Adamant to get someone kicked off just for being a hybrid.’

‘Tell that to my brother. He was kicked off karasuno five years ago, just for being a hybrid.’ Kuroo freezes, and realizes that his arguments are not helping the situation.

‘Shit. I’m sorry, tsukki, that’s awful.

And you’re right, I don’t know what you’re going through or what it’s like for you, but you know who does? Your vice captain. I just think that, even if you’re not ready to tell everyone, maybe you should talk with him about how the school is handling him being a hybrid before

You assume all doom and gloom.’ Kuroo’s fingers are aching to reach out and touch tsukki, offer some kind of comfort, but he knows he’s already pushing it having this conversation.

‘That’s a totally different situation.’

‘How?’

‘Well for starters, sugawara is actually a

Likeable person, people will stand up for him. And also-‘ Tsukki starts to say before Kuroo interrupts him.

‘You’re a likeable person???’ He sounds bewildered.

‘To who?’ Tsukki laughs. ‘I’m mean, and rude, and-‘ he’s once again cut off by Kuroo who has shifted to his knees

Now, facing tsukki. One hand grabs tsukki’s shoulder and the other grabs his chin to turn his head so they’re making eye contact. Tsukki freezes, caught in Kuroo’s intense stare.

‘Tsukishima Kei, you’re likeable to me. You’re not mean, or any of those other things you were

About to insult yourself with. Anyone who thinks differently is wrong. And an idiot.’ Tsukki feels faint, all of Kuroo’s attention focused directly on him, along with the heat from Kuroo’s hands, scorching into his skin where he’s touching him. ‘Akaashi and Bo, they like you

Too. Hopefully not in the same way or I’d have to fight them for you. I don’t know if I could overpower Bo, but I could probably trick him. Akaashi would be the real problem, he’s crafty.’

‘Kuroo-san,’ Tsukki says weakly, stopping Kuroo mid tangent. ‘You don’t mean that.’

‘I

Really do, tsukki.’ His voice softens, and he relaxes his grip on Tsukki’s chin, but still keeps contact. ‘I like you so fucking much, before and after last night.’ His eyes keep darting to glance at tsukki’s lips. Tsukki has never felt as suddenly dry-mouthed as he does right

Now, but he takes a dive.

‘Prove it.’ He challenges kuroo. Kuroo’s eyes light up.

‘Tell me to stop and I will.’ He tilts tsukki’s face up with his hand and leans his own down, pressing his lips against tsukki’s. His mouth is warm and firm against tsukki’s own, lips slightly

Chapped but still impossibly soft. He pulls back far to quickly for tsukki’s liking. Tsukki’s eyes flutter open from where they had shut involuntarily to see kuroo staring at him still, a goofy grin on his face.

‘Hi. Does that count as proof?’

‘Hm, it’s under review.’ Tsukki

Wants him to shut up and kiss him again, but he sees Kuroo’s eyes flick to the top of his head before he realizes he can feel a breeze on his cat ears. He groans, hands coming up to cover his head.

‘I can’t believe you’ve done this to me twice. I’ve never had such awful self

Control. You’re a bad influence.’ He accuses kuroo.

‘Tsukkiii, you’re so mean!’

‘You’re the mean one.’ He glances up to see a fond look on Kuroo’s face.

‘How am I mean huh?’

‘Cause, I wanted to kiss you again but I’m not going to make out with you with these just

Hanging out on my head.’ He can feel himself pouting, but is too upset at the thought of not kissing Kuroo again to stop himself.

‘Wait, I have a solution!’ Kuroo ruffles through his sports bag that they had tossed to the side of them, pulling out a worn red nekoma hoodie,

Before pulling it over tsukki’s head. With the hood up, the ears are hidden from everyone besides Kuroo.

‘Very clever,’ Tsukki praises, pulling kuroo back down into a kiss. At the back of their minds, they both know it’s not the end of the conversation about tsukki hiding his

Hybrid status, but they’re content to lay next to each other on the hill for a few more hours, switching between lazily making out, and cuddling, laughing as the other one makes jokes.

Fast forward a few more than a few years later. Kuroo’s waiting outside of the frog’s locker

Room to pick up his fiancé after a game well played. Tsukki comes out and snakes his arms around Kuroo’s waist. Kuroo presses a kiss to tsukki’s forehead, and asks him if he’s ready to leave.

‘Not until I get a real kiss from you,’ Tsukki counters.

‘A real kiss huh?’ He walks

Tsukki backwards until he’s pressed back against the wall, leaning up slightly(damn tsukki’s last growth spurt!) to press his lips against tsukki’s. Years of dating has not quelled their passion for each other at all, and they’re seconds away from a sloppy make out in the hallway

Until kyoutani clears his throat.

‘Get a room.’

‘We’re in a room,’ Kuroo argues but pulls back, glancing at tsukki’s teammate.

‘You’re in a hallway. And your ears are out again.’ He directs the last part of his statement to tsukki, who just shrugs and wraps his hand around

Kuroo’s.

‘We’re heading out, don’t tell koganegawa.’ He pulls Kuroo down the hallway and out through the lobby to their car, ears out the entire time.

End.

Bonus scenes not included: sugawara finds out tsukki is a hybrid next, after seeing kuroo kiss tsukki when he thought no one was around and tsukki’s ears immediately pop out. He screams.(it takes tsukki at least a year to be able to kiss kuroo and not lose his focus on them).

Also: tsukki finally tells yama about it a few months after kuroo and him start dating, with the support of kuroo and suga. Yama is supportive but he’s so upset that tsukki told two people before him, tsukki has to buy him meat buns for weeks in apology.