Work Text:
He made it halfway through after school practice before the painkillers stopped working, the pain hit him suddenly and just as painful as always. He grit his teeth, took a breath and tried to just work through it. Ignoring the obviously worried glances from Kai and Kuroo when they quickly noticed he wasn’t on top of his game.
He thought exercising was supposed to help when it came to cramps but all it really did in his case was make it worse and as practice got closer to ending Morisuke felt more and more like he was going to just straight up pass out. With roughly ten minutes left of practice coach Nekomata pulled him aside, concern clear on his face.
“Yaku-” he started but rude as it was Morisuke cut him off
“I’m fine I promise, it’s just” he lowered his voice a little even though the rest of the team couldn’t hear them “It’s just cramps” he finished with a breath. He really was fine, fine enough to continue with practice anyway. Nekomata clearly didn’t agree though and made him sit out for the rest of it.
He sat down on the gym floor as Nekomata sent Naoi to get painkillers. He tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He felt dizzy, exhausted and warm, not to mention the pain that was getting worse by the second. Maybe exercise had helped a little bit after all. He barely opened his eyes when Naoi returned, pressing the pills and a cup of water into his hand, vaguely aware of a brief soft pat on his head as he took them and sipped the water. He was pretty sure Naoi was saying something but he couldn’t really get himself to pay attention or answer with anything more deliberate than a hum or two.
The rest of practice passed in a blur, truthfully Morisuke wasn’t even aware it had ended until he felt a cool hand pressed against his forehead. God that felt nice, he opened his eyes with a soft sigh. The calm that had washed over him instantly turned to annoyance when he spotted Kuroo’s concerned face looking back at him. It wasn’t Kuroo’s face itself that made him feel annoyed but the concerned look on his face made him want to punch him. He groaned and pushed his hand away. Kuroo said something but Morisuke couldn’t bring himself to care about what it was.
He felt Kuroo’s hand on his forehead again and turned his head away with a groan, opening his eyes to glare at him. Kuroo gave him a smile
“Come on, Yakkun I’m taking you home” he said softly and Morisuke groaned, closing his eyes again
“No need. I can get there on my own” He didn’t see but he was certain Kuroo rolled his eyes. Bastard.
“Okay, prove it. Get up” He opened his eyes again, glaring at Kuroo once again. But he wasn’t going to let Kuroo win so, shakily, he tried to get to his feet. He leaned heavily against the wall and took a deep breath, wishing the damn painkillers would set in already. Kuroo watched him with raised eyebrows, arms crossed and Morisuke glared at him again.
“See, I’m fine.” he said through gritted teeth, he started to make his way towards the club room, every step fueled purely by spite. He had to stop a few times, place his hand against a wall and take a deep breath before he kept going, all the while completely ignoring the sound of Kuroo’s footsteps close behind him.
When he reached the stairs he stopped dead and just stared at them, one hand one the railing holding himself up.
“Yakku-”
“Okay” Morisuke sighed “You win. Fine. I can’t do this” he turned to glare at Kuroo for the third time “Happy?” Kuroo frowned back
“Why would I ever be happy that you’re in pain?” Ignoring the way his heart sped up at the words Morisuke opened his mouth to speak, he wasn’t sure what he was going to say but it didn’t matter because he was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing, followed by footsteps.
“Yaku” they both turned their heads to Kai at the top of the stairs, he held Morisuke’s things in one arm and Morisuke had never been happier to see him. He continued to speak as he walked down the steps towards them “Here’s your sweats, your jacket and your bag. Figured it might be easier for you to take a shower and change at home” Morisuke nodded, taking the sweats and jacket
“Thanks” Kai gave him a nod, still holding his bag in one hand as he turned his head to Kuroo
“Kenma went ahead without you” Morisuke wasn’t looking, struggling a little to get into his sweats without falling over but he was fairly certain Kuroo nodded in response. When he looked back up Kai was handing his bag over to Kuroo and it made Morisuke’s face grow warm again
“I can carry it myself” Kai blinked back at him and then gave him a smile
“I know, but I really need to catch my train and I didn’t want to put your bag on the ground” Morisuke saw right through him but didn’t get the chance to say something before Kai had given them both a clap on the shoulder each and hurried off to catch his train.
His jacket was an easy task compared to the sweats and once it was on he looked at Kuroo again
“My bag”
“Will you let me carry you if I give it to you?” Morisuke blew out a breath and rolled his eyes, he ignored the question and started to walk instead. Kuroo followed him, easily falling into step by his side. He could feel Kuroo’s eyes on him and the closer they got to the train station it got more and more annoying. The painkillers finally started to kick in though, the pain in his abdomen fading from sharp to dull as they walked. The pain fading made Morisuke realize how truly and utterly tired he was though and it was very clear Kuroo caught on to it too, his steps slowed and Kuroo’s did along with him.
When they reached the station Morisuke couldn’t help but lean a little against him, Kuroo didn’t say a word and he felt warm and steady so Morisuke let himself close his eyes, just for a moment though. Kuroo didn’t speak until the train pulled into the station
“It’s packed” Morisuke hummed in response “We can wait for the next one, maybe there will be space for you to sit on th-” He cut him off
“No. I want to get home. I can stand” He could tell Kuroo wanted to say something but Morisuke sent him a glare and he raised his hands in defeat.
He nearly fell over when the train lurched back into motion, he probably would’ve fallen over if it hadn’t been for Kuroo next to him, Kuroo who he fell into instead. Kuroo seemed to have been ready for it though, a fact that made him angry, but it also made him feel a little giddy. Morisuke tried to squash that feeling down but he couldn’t bring himself to push away from Kuroo. Kuroo who wrapped an arm around his shoulders to keep him steady, Kuroo who placed his chin on top of Morisuke’s head, murmuring something that Morisuke didn’t quite catch as he pressed his forehead against Kuroo’s chest and closed his eyes.
He wouldn’t allow himself to fall asleep leaning against Kuroo like that, even if he was so tired he felt like he was about to. He did let himself space out though, relaxing a little more against Kuroo who supported his weight.
When the train came to a stop for the 5th time (though Morisuke hadn’t really noticed the other four) Kuroo leaned down to his ear and spoke softly
“c’mon Yakkun” before carefully guiding him off of the train. There was a part of Morisuke that absolutely hated how gentle Kuroo was acting with him but at this point he couldn’t bring himself to care. He just wanted to get home, and Kuroo was warm and held him close the entire way to his apartment building.
“Your elevator isn’t working” Morisuke groaned, he’d forgotten. He glanced at the ‘out of order’ sign on the elevator and then looked at Kuroo again
“It hasn’t worked for two weeks” he said before looking at the stairs, there was a beat of silence before Morisuke mumbled under his breath “Carry me” for a moment he thought Kuroo hadn’t heard him but then Kuroo cleared his throat
“Okay, yeah, I can do that” Kuroo took a step towards him and Morisuke raised his finger, along with a tired glare
“If you tell anyo-” he started but Kuroo interrupted him
“Yeah yeah, I won’t” he shifted to take their bags of his shoulder, putting them over Morisuke’s instead before crouching a little in front of him “Up” Morisuke let out a small breath before grabbing onto Kuroo’s shoulders, letting him hoist him up on his back. Kuroo didn’t say a word as Morisuke wrapped his arms properly around his shoulders but Morisuke felt him shiver when he pressed his face against his neck. He closed his eyes again, he’d probably be able to fall asleep like that if he wasn’t so stubborn about it.
On their way up to the sixth floor he heard Kuroo greet one of his neighbors but he couldn’t bring himself to raise his head enough to do the same as they passed her.
“Are your parents home?” Kuroo asked when they reached his floor, Morisuke shook his head a little against Kuroo’s neck
“Won’t be home until late” he said quietly, he removed one arm from where it was wrapped around Kuroo’s shoulders to reach into his bag. Kuroo shifted his hold on him so he wouldn’t fall off.
In hindsight Morisuke realized the whole ordeal would’ve been easier if he’d told Kuroo to let him down before reaching for his key but at the moment he found himself not wanting Kuroo to let him go. He managed to fish his key out with surprising ease, Kuroo bent down slightly to let him unlock the door but he didn’t speak again until they were inside
“I’ll stay until one of them comes home” he said as Morisuke slid off of his back. He looked at Kuroo with a tired frown
“I’ll probably just go to sleep. It’s fine go home” Kuroo turned to him, he seemed to hesitate for a moment before he raised his hand to affectionately run it through Morisuke’s hair.
Despite himself Morisuke leaned into the touch, closing his eyes once again with a sigh.
“Are you sure?” Kuroo’s voice was unusually soft and the words left Morisuke’s mouth before he could stop them
“No. Stay.” He opened his eyes just in time to catch Kuroo nodding
“Then I’ll stay” Morisuke pulled away from his hand and nodded a little before running his hand over his own face
“I need a shower” he paused and glanced at Kuroo again “You can shower after if you want” Kuroo gave him a nod and a small smile.
Morisuke wasn’t sure how much time he spent in the shower, he spent most of it just leaning against the wall, letting the hot water sting his skin. The pain in his abdomen was mostly gone now and he just felt queasy and exhausted. When he stepped out of the shower the mirror was completely covered from the steam and Morisuke’s hands were red from the heat of the hot water. He was sure his face and shoulders were too as he dried off and got dressed. He pulled an oversized t-shirt over his head and considered a pair of sweatpants before deciding against them, making his way out to the living room slowly, barefoot and just wearing a pair of boxers and the shirt. The floor was cold under his feet and it made him shiver.
Kuroo sat on the couch, he’d taken his jacket off and his eyes were on his phone, likely texting Kenma or Kai or maybe letting his father know he’d be late. He looked up when Morisuke entered and he stared for a moment, Morisuke shifted and blew out a breath
“What?” Kuroo shook his head and swallowed
“Nothing” he said quickly as he got to his feet, he stretched and involuntarily Morisuke found his eyes drawn to the sliver of skin that revealed itself as Kuroo’s shirt rose. He turned his head away as Kuroo spoke again “Do you need anything before I get in the shower?” Morisuke shook his head
“I’m just going to go lay down”
“Okay” Kuroo ran his fingers through Morisuke’s damp hair when he passed and once again Morisuke found himself leaning into the touch, he turned his head and watched as Kuroo brought his bag with him to the bathroom. He let out a breath when the door closed, he heard the shower start up again when he passed the door on his way to his bedroom.
He left the door wide open, and it wasn’t until he’d sprawled out on his bed that he realized why he’d done that, so that once Kuroo was done in the shower he’d know it was okay to come in. He frowned at the ceiling, usually he’d get even more distant when he was on his period. He’d shut himself in his room for the whole first day until the cramps calmed down but now he wanted Kuroo to be there with him. He groaned and rolled over onto his side, pressing his face into his pillow. This was not the time for this. Not the time for all these feelings. He buried his face deeper in his pillow.
He must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes again Kuroo was sitting on the edge of the bed, the backs of his fingers gently pressed to Morisuke’s forehead. He pulled his hand back when Morisuke opened his eyes and an involuntary whine of protest left Morisuke’s lips. It made his face heat up and he quickly pressed his face into his pillow once again.
“Hey” He could hear the smile in Kuroo’s soft voice, it made his stomach flutter and he groaned in response. He heard Kuroo’s soft chuckle and felt him run his fingers through his hair “are you hungry?” Morisuke shook his head slowly against the pillow before turning his head slightly so Kuroo would be able to hear him when he spoke
"No, I might throw up if eat something right now" Kuroo winced as he ran his fingers through Morisuke's hair once more
"That bad huh?" Morisuke hummed in reply, finally opening his eyes to look up at Kuroo. He stopped breathing. Morisuke could count on one hand how many times he’d seen Kuroo without his stupid bed head. But that didn’t mean it had the right to take his breath away every time. Kuroo’s hair was still damp and completely pushed away from his face. Morisuke had the urge to press a kiss to his forehead, just above the eyebrow that was usually obscured by his hair. Luckily he still felt too tired to move so his body couldn’t embarrass him by actually going through with it.
Unfortunately his mouth was doing a pretty good job at embarrassing him on its own.
“Come here” he mumbled. Kuroo raised his eyebrows but then gave a crooked smile
“Are you asking me to cuddle, Yakkun?” Morisuke clicked his tongue, avoiding eye contact
“No. Just…” he let out a heavy breath “I’m cold, lay next to me” He wasn’t actually cold, and he was a crappy liar so he already knew Kuroo didn’t believe him.
“If you say so” Kuroo removed his hand from Morisuke’s hair and Morisuke closed his eyes again as he felt Kuroo move to lay down next to him.
A few moments passed in complete silence before Kuroo started laughing quietly, Morisuke snapped his eyes open to glare at him. Kuroo just shook his head, still laughing
“You’re so stubborn and for what?” Morisuke scoffed
“Blame my mother’s genes” he grumbled which only made Kuroo laugh harder. Morisuke poked him in the ribs “Shut up”
Kuroo shook his head again but his laughter died down and he just smiled at Morisuke before wrapping his arm around him to pull him close
“Just come here, Yakkun”
Morisuke pressed his forehead against Kuroo’s collarbone with a content sigh. Kuroo pulled him even closer, pressing his own face against Morisuke’s hair. Morisuke slid his arm around Kuroo’s waist and feeling a little unsure of what to do with his hand he grabbed onto Kuroo’s shirt.
He felt Kuroo smile into his hair
“Shut up”
“I didn’t say anything” he was clearly holding back laughter again
“You were thinking something stupid” Impossibly Kuroo pulled him even closer
“Didn’t know you were a mind reader, Yakkun”
“You’re just easy to read” he mumbled before stifling a yawn. Kuroo hummed softly
“Go back to sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up”