Kei's made this journey countless times over the last year and half. The route from the station to Kuroo's apartment block is one he's long committed to memory, but this time it feels different.

 

He's used to making his way down the crowded Tokyo streets with a familiar, calming, presence by his side excitedly pointing out his favourite shops or restaurants ('they do the best grilled mackerel') or the places he likes to go to relax when college starts taking its toll on him ('there's a really nice park just down that road') or the railings where Bokuto got his head stuck for twenty minutes that one time ('they had to call the fire brigade, it was hilarious'). 

 

Without Kuroo by his side, the journey feels unfamiliar and strange.

 

Kei frowns, feeling the absence in full force as he turns a corner and spots the familiar apartment block at the foot of the road. He quickens the pace, stuffing his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie, only to recoil slightly when his fingers brush against something cold.

 

His heart skips a beat.

 

He shouldn't be nervous. There's nothing to be nervous about. And yet—

 

Just let yourself in.

 

Kei twists the keys in his pocket between his fingers, frown deepening ever so slightly as he remembers the day, all those months ago, when the small package had arrived for him. 

 

Just let yourself in.

 

The anxiety he'd felt when he'd first torn open the envelope and watched the keys fall into his lap is back in full force.

 

Part of him knows that it's silly to allow himself to get so worked up over this. They've been together - an item, a couple, an us - for coming up to two years now and it makes sense for this to be the next step in their relationship, it's just— It's just—

 

Kei groans quietly to himself as he slows to a halt outside Kuroo's apartment block. 

 

It's just, this is difficult for him. Kuroo giving him a set of keys is symbolic, and shows the level of trust Kuroo has for him. Shows the level of love Kuroo has for him. And it's not like Kei doesn't trust and love Kuroo either - because he does, holy shit he does - it's just, things like this - things like love and romance and being an 'us' instead of being an 'I' - don't come easy to Kei. This is still relatively new territory to Kei, but he's trying. 

 

He hums to himself as he makes his way down the corridor, trying to still his nerves. This is fine, he tells himself, fingers still toying with the key in his pocket. This is fine, this is normal, this is okay. 

He ignores the way his heartbeat quickens as he approaches Kuroo's apartment, ignores the way the key slips slightly in his grasp because his palms have become suspiciously sweaty, ignores the way his voice cracks just a little when he pushes the door open and murmurs a quick 'sorry for intruding'. 

 

No reply comes and Kei heaves a sigh of relief.

 

He shuffles further into the apartment, closing the door behind him as he slides on a pair of novelty cat slippers (a gift from Bokuto to Kuroo a few years backs) and makes his way towards Kuroo's bedroom.

 

Like the journey here, the apartment has become oddly familiar to him over the course of the last year and a half. He feels his anxiety begin to wash off him in waves as sidesteps the piles of clothing (washed, he hopes), novelty blow-up swords ('Tsukki, you are gonna believe what me and Bo found today!!!!'), mugs of half finished coffee, half eaten pizza, textbooks, and all the other weird and wonderful things Kuroo and Bokuto have managed to collect over the last year or so.

 

He makes his way towards Kuroo's bedroom, pausing for only a second outside his door before he shoves it open and steps inside.

 

Like the journey and like the apartment, the room is familiar to him as well. He remembers countless lazy weekends spent wrapped up in Kuroo's duvet, with him pressed up beside him, arms wrapped loosely around his waist, chin resting gently on his head, watching crappy sitcoms and eating crappier food and soft kisses and urgent kisses and wandering hands and— Well. And a whole lot more.

 

Kei smirks as he inches further into the room, vision zeroing in on his favourite part of it.

 

There's a pinboard leaning against the wall, covered from head-to-toe in photographs. Kei glances over pictures of Kuroo and his family, pictures of Kuroo and the rest of Nekoma, pictures of Kuroo and Kenma from childhood to now, pictures of Kuroo and Bokuto getting up to God knows what (Kei has learnt not to ask), and pictures of Kuroo and him.

 

The 'Tsukki Section' as Kuroo has so affectionately named it, takes up the largest chunk of the pinboard and is packed to the brim of photos of them, documenting the last year and half of their lives. Kei hums to himself, crouching down to tug at the newest picture on the board. It's one he hasn't seen before, but he immediately knows when it was taken.

 

They're sat close together huddled under a bus shelter, soaked from head to toe after being caught in a spontaneous thunderstorm. Kuroo's hair is sticking sticking to his forehead and cheeks, and Kei's isn't faring much better. You can't see it in the picture, but Kei's arm is wrapped tightly around Kuroo's waist, pulling him in as close as possible. Their cheeks are pink and it's obvious they're both freezing cold, but they're smiling. Laughing actually and some stupid joke Kuroo had said seconds before snapping the selfie.

 

They look happy.

 

They look so in love it's almost embarrassing. And yet, Kei can't bring himself to feel embarrassed. 

 

He makes a mental note to ask Kuroo for a copy of the picture for his own pinboard back home (it's nowhere near as impressive as Kuroo's yet, but it's getting there), and stands upright, clicking his back muscles as he goes.

 

He yawns a little as he moves over towards Kuroo's bed, plopping onto it and trying not to smile when a scent that is so entirely Kuroo assaults his nostrils. Fatigue washes over him as he pulls Kuroo's blankets over his head and, within seconds of his head hitting the pillow, he's out. 

 

-

He doesn't wake when Kuroo comes home twenty minutes later and finds his boyfriend sprawled out in his bed.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo quickly dips out of the room to let Bokuto know not to disturb them.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo comes back and shuts the door quietly behind him.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo slides into the bed next to him, strong arms wrapping themselves around Kei's midsection to pull him closer.

 

He doesn't wake when Kuroo presses his lips against his forehead and murmurs three little words.

-

 

When he does wake, he's confused. He can feel something warm pressed up behind him. He can feel strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him close. "Morning sleepyhead," Kuroo murmurs, nuzzling Kei's head with his chin a little.

 

Kei feels his cheeks begin to flush slightly, but he ignore it in favour of rolling over slight so he can peek up at his boyfriend a little easier. "Happy Birthday," Kei murmurs.

 

Kuroo smiles, lips spreading wider than Kei thinks he's ever seen, before he dips his head and presses a quick kiss against Kei's lips.