***KUROO POV***

"H..Hold on, lemme just wake up a bit, man...What..?"

I ran a hand down my face, squinting into the dark of my room as I held my phone to my ear, struggling not to fall back down into my twin pillows.

"SHE'S UP AND GONE AGAIN! I CAN'T FIND HER ANYWHERE! IS SHE WITH YOU?!" Yaku was hollering like a madman on the phone, and I could hear his footsteps racing in the background.
"What..? No..? Why would she be with me at..." I pulled back to look at the time on my screen. "...one in the morning..? Have you tried calling her?"

"OF COURSE I TRIED CALLING HER! SHE LIKES YOU BEST SO I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT HAVE GONE TO SEE YOU, BUT NO, SHE'S AN ACTUAL IDIOT AND IS GOD KNOWS WHERE DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT!" I winced at his sheer volume, and knowing that there was no way in hell I'd be getting back to sleep any time soon I dragged myself out of bed.

"Calm down. (Y/N)'s not that big of an idiot. She's probably just-"
"YOU HAVE NO I-"
"Tone it down!" I barked over him, pinching the bridge of my nose before blinding myself with my bedroom light so I could locate a shirt.

"You have no idea how big of an idiot she can be, okay?! J..Just trust me on this...Look, you two are close, right? I'm sorry to beg like this at such a stupid hour, but will you help? Please?" He sounded more desperate than I had ever heard him, and I sighed, not bothering changing my sweatpants as I headed downstairs.

"I'm already grabbing my keys. Where should I start?" Before Yaku could respond, my phone beeped, and when I pulled back I saw (Y/N)'s name flashing on the screen. "Hold up, I'll call you back. She's ringing me now."

"SERIOUSLY?! TELL HER THAT WHEN SH-"

Switching calls, I leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to push the barely awake annoyance out of my tone.
"You do realise your darling nephew is losing his damn mind over you right now, don't you, Runaway?"

I could hear loud music through the receiver, which honestly wasn't a major shock, but the same couldn't be said for the voice that responded to me.
"This is Kuroo, from Nekoma, isn't it? I mean, I'm pretty sure, since you're listed under Captain Kuroo."

My body tensed immediately upon hearing a man's voice, and I stood up straight, eyes narrowing towards nothing.
"Who the hell is this? Why do you have this phone?" Now I could kind of feel the level of panic Yaku had displayed. It was more than just unpleasant.

"Cool it, kitty cat. I'm Hanamaki Takehiro, we've briefly met before in the tournament circuit. From Aoba Johsai." The name didn't ring a bell, but the school sure did. "I thought it'd be a better move to call you instead of Momo, considering the circumstances..."

Keys in hand, I was already halfway out the door to get into the car.
"What circumstances? Put her on the phone. Now." Was this guy just trying to scare me? He sounded pretty intoxicated, but that just made things worse in my mind.
"Look, she's safe right now, okay? Believe me, I wouldn't let her get into any danger, but, uh, that's why I called you, man. She's...kind of a mess right now..."

Safety be damned, I put my phone on speaker and set it on the dash, starting the car up and pulling out of the driveway, not bothering to acknowledge Kenma, who was peeking out from his bedroom window looking confused.
"What the hell do you mean by a mess?! Just tell me where she is and what happened!" I barked, white-knuckling the steering wheel.

"She came out to a party in Sendai and she's beyond wasted. Like, we're having a real hard time keeping her under control type of wasted...Hang on. Mattsun, where the fuck?! Shit, okay, look, man, I'll text you the address, I gotta go."

I could literally feel my blood pressure rising by the second when the call disconnected, but I tried to stay focused, quickly dialling back Yaku and speaking up before he had the chance to.
"You shut up and stay shut up until I finish speaking, got it? (Y/N) is at a party in Sendai, really drunk, and I'm going to pick her up. No, you're not coming with me, and yes, I'll let you know when I've got her."

There was a long quiet, and I could almost visualise the poor guy lurching into a full blown panic.
"F..Fucking SENDAI?! You see what I mean?! Oh, she is in for it this time! Pick me up! I need to make sure she's alright, and if she is, then I'm going to tear her a new one!"

Lord, give me the strength to deal with tonight...

"That's exactly why I won't be picking you up. Go home, calm down, and leave her to me. I've got her, okay?"

I've got her...

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"Kuroo, right..?"

I was glad to at least have the right place. It was hard to miss, with the loud music and rowdy party goers scattered all over. A brown haired guy, not much shorter than myself, approached me the moment I started down the driveway, and I vaguely recalled his face.

"Hanamaki, I'm guessing. Where is she?" It was hard, trying not to sound too worried. I was freaking out, unsure what I was about to walk in on. Even from a respectable distance I could smell the alcohol on his breath, but at the very least he seemed to be holding himself together pretty well.

"Managed to get a few of my sober buddies to keep her distracted, so hopefully she's where I left her." He motioned for me to follow, starting towards the side gate.
"So...how did you know who to call? I'm guessing you're pretty close since you mentioned Yaku." I was sceptical, and honestly, selfishly worried, not that I had any right to be.

Hanamaki handed me what I assumed was (Y/N)'s phone, and I slipped it into my pocket along with my own, for safe keeping.
"She's one of my nearest and dearest. Never shuts up about you Nekoma guys, you especially, so it only seemed right to have you come save the day." He replied as though it were something obvious.

Nearest and dearest, huh?

"At that little birthday party you lot had for her...did she seem, I dunno, off to you? I know she can be weird a lot of the time, but anything noticeably different?" He continued, holding the gate open for me to enter the backyard. I thought back to that afternoon, trying to recall if anything seemed strange. The only thing I could think of was how she hadn't wanted me to see her getting all choked up over the jacket.

Wait...

"Not today, but a few weeks ago, at one of our tournaments, she got really quiet. Looked upset about something, but she wouldn't tell me what it was." My revelation didn't seem to surprise the Sendai local, and I wasn't sure how that made me feel.
"Yeah, that lines up. She's never been good with coping, as long as I've known her, anyway. Something goes wrong, and she's off trying to smother it with anything and everything unhealthy. Gotta love her, but yikes."

Who did this guy think he was, talking like he knew her inside and out? (Y/N) had never even mentioned Hanamaki before or anybody from Aoba Johsai for that matter, and it was rubbing me the wrong way.
"Right...You said your friends were keeping her distracted. How..?"

With a torpid swing of his arm, Hanamaki pointed across the lawn to where a group of people had gathered around a table. It seemed like some kind of arm wrestling match was taking place, and I recognised one of the participants as Iwaizumi Hajime, the vice captain of the Seijoh volleyball club.

Then there, standing behind some struggling blond kid with weird dyed stripes in his hair, was (Y/N). Barely five seconds looking at her, and I could tell she was positively hammered, swaying side to side as she whooped and hollered.
"Ayeee, it's the rooster cat. Yo, rooster cat." Another vaguely familiar guy approached from nearby the table, something that wasn't quite a cigarette in-between his fingers.

"Mattsun, Kuroo, Kuroo, Matsukawa." Hanamaki briefly introduced us before nodding towards the ruckus. "She's competitive, so we thought sticking her with other like-minded dummies would stop her wandering off. It worked, cuz she's sticking to those two like glue."

Almost on cue, Iwaizumi smashed his opponent's arm down against the table and looked damn proud of it. (Y/N) grabbed hold of the blond's shoulders, all but leaning right on top of him as she shook, though she was shaking herself more than the guy she intended.
"Nooooooo! We've got this, Kyotani! One! More! Try! Nice kill!" Oh, she was really into it, and really pressed against him.

I really didn't like it.

At least the Kyotani guy didn't seem at all phased, or even interested in her closeness. He just set his arm back up, muttering something across the table to his upperclassman.
"Come on, she'll get bored eventually." Matsukawa took me by the arm and started pulling me over towards the table, and I held my breath as a puff of smoke wafted over my face. "(N/N), look, I brought you a birthday present~"

Still flopped over Kyotani, (Y/N) gave me a double - no, a quadruple - take before gasping so loud it was a wonder anyone else had any oxygen left.
"Oh my god oh my god oh my god!" Using the angry looking kid as some kind of springboard, she launched towards me, catching herself clumsily against my chest with her arms coiling around my middle. "A Tetsuro! Issei, how'd'ya know this is exactly what I wanted?!"

Oh boy, calm down...No matter how freaking adorable it is, remember she's drunk! There's no reason to freak out!

"I had a hunch." Matsukawa shrugged, though I could easily spy his sneaky little smirk.
"Sup, man?" I glanced up to Iwaizumi who was nodding his greeting, and I offered a stiff yet polite one back. To his side, I could see a brunet absolutely comatose with his face against the table, and from the sweep of the hair I decided it was probably Oikawa Toru. "This one yours? She's spirited."

"I'm, uh, just the delivery guy." I mumbled, looking down at the girl who was still trying to squeeze the logical thought out of me. "Hey, Runaway, it's time to go now, okay? You've got a very worried nephew back home, and-"

(Y/N) jumped away from me as though I'd bitten her, brows scrunching up and nose crinkling.
"Nuh-uh! I'm havin' fun! Screw Momo!" She barked, moving to wrap her arms around Kyotani's head. I wasn't sure if it was just his usual expression, but he looked as though he actually would bite her.

Okay, I can see why they called me now...

"If ya wanna make me gogo to Momo, then ya gots'ta fight Kentaromon...mo!" I actually felt kinda sorry for the boy poor, who was now having his face 'framed' with less than gentle hands.
"I'll fight him if you fill this up with water and drink it." The blond mumbled, handing (Y/N) an empty plastic cup.

Please let this be a trick to help sober her up, because I don't want to get my ass kicked...

Now a woman on a mission, (Y/N) cackled loudly, almost crushing the cup in her grip as she stumbled off towards the house, Matsukawa following after her to hopefully supervise.
"This is tame compared to before. Like, by a lot." Hanamaki sighed, and everyone at the table seemed to hum in agreement.

"She beat one of the Johzenji guys in a chugging competition, threw up, then bit Makki when he tried to brush her teeth." Iwaizumi explained, the lighter brunet beside me nodding in confirmation.
"Offered her bra to whoever got her a shot the fastest." Kyotani added, which caused me to blanch, pulling out a balled up brazier from his pocket. "Here, got it back for ya."

It took everything I had and then some to not shy away like a flustered idiot when he tossed it to me, and I cleared my throat as I tried to hide it away in my own pocket.
"Uh...thanks..." I didn't know what to think. She'd really done that? It didn't seem like her at all, but then again, did I really know her that well?

"Uh, my dudes?" In what may have been the laziest jog I'd ever seen, Kenma included, Matsukawa returned, thumbing over his shoulder. "We have a dilemma that is entirely not my fault whatsoever." He was (Y/N)-less, so I presumed the worst, and it seemed like the others did too.

"Let me guess, she got vodka instead of water and is now terrorising the village?" Hanamaki folded his arms, not explicitly showing any concern, but I could tell he was tense. Hand moving to the back of his neck, Matsukawa shook his head slowly.
"No...well, yes, but also, she's in a tree. Again, to clarify, not my fault in any way, shape or form..."

"HOW DID SHE END UP IN A TREE?!" Hanamaki and I shouted in unison, quite possibly Iwaizumi too, which caused the guy to lift his hands in defence.
"I'm, uh, gonna take a wild guess and say she probably climbed it..?"

Lord, again, please, I could really use that strength I asked for...

We were lead back out the side gate to the front of the house, and, as we had been told, there was (Y/N), perched in the branch of a tree with a cup in hand.
"You think it's a smart idea to be so high up right now?" I called up to her, setting my hands on my hips to try and look serious.

"Dunno! Y'think it'smart idea t' make me go home'n get yelled at by a meanie?!" She replied with a loud belly laugh, teetering back and forth in a way that was shaving years off my life, maybe even decades.
"How the heck did she even get up there in those heels? Can't deny that's impressive..." Iwaizumi muttered from somewhere behind me, and honestly, he had a point, but that wasn't what I needed to focus on right now.

"If you come down, I promise I won't take you back to Momo tonight." I was certainly willing to deal with a screaming Yaku if it meant getting her down safely, but it was a matter of convincing her.
"Nope! You're on his side!" She turned her nose off, which nearly sent her off balance, and took a swig of whatever was in her cup.

"He really isn't, (N/N). Kuroo just wants to have a super fun sleepover, nono Momos allowed." Hanamaki, again beside me, tried a different tactic, and for a moment she seemed to be interested. Because of a possible sleepover? With me, of all people? Really?

"Then he can stay here'n have fun some more!" She was smiling again, at least, but dear god I was about to have an aneurysm with all that swaying.
"Yeah, our gal ain't going nowhere." Matsukawa patted the trunk of the tree, shaking his head in a mockingly solemn way.

"I found this rock? I could knock her down with i-" Iwaizumi smacked Kyotani upside the head before he could even finish speaking, the literal brick tumbling from his hands and back onto the grass.
"We have two options. One, someone goes up there and scares her down, or two, we wait."

Or, option three...

Looking up, just past her head, I blinked a few times before waving.
"Oh, hey, Kenma." I could have made it big as a Libero with how quickly I moved after setting things into motion. (Y/N) jerked around with a yelp, falling backwards, and I just barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
"HOW DOES HE DO THAT?! AND HE'S GONE AGAIN?!" She shrieked, looking around every which way, completely believing my little trick. 

I'll have to thank Kenma for putting in the groundwork for that...

"We're going home now, you little monkey." I set her down on the ground, though I couldn't shake the fierce warmth she'd caused in my arms, and her pouting, pink-nosed face made it spread.
"But...your home, right..?"

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit-

"Y..Yeah, my home. I promised, didn't I? Now, come on, say goodbye. It's a long trip back." I stood aside and watched her bid the Aoba Johsai crew farewell, starting with Iwaizumi.
"Seeya, Hajimeeeee. I forgot to draw on Toru's face." She kind of butted her head against his shoulder, and he gave her head a slight pat, chuckling to himself.
"Don't worry, I'll do it for you."

Kyotani didn't seem like a hugger, at all, but he allowed (Y/N) to give him a big squeeze around the middle, awkwardly patting her back and muttering something to her quietly. He looked like a dog that was being terrorised by a toddler. Incredibly uncomfortable but knowing he'd be euthanized if he did anything about it.

Now, her goodbye with Matsukawa ended up being the most chaotic, by far. A massive hug between two intoxicated individuals, and when they tried to rock back and forth they ended up toppling over like a singular out of place domino. They too whispered things to each other, and whatever it was had them erupting into boisterous laughter that took almost five entire minutes to subside so they could stand again.

At some point, Hanamaki had gone and fetched (Y/N)'s bag, and he walked with us to my car, tossing it into the backseat before turning to the drunken mess of a girl.
"You give me a call tomorrow so I know you lived to tell the tale, okay? If the fallout's bad, then I'll come see you next weekend." He opened his arms, and I wasn't sure why, but it startled me when she jumped right into them.

It was different to how she'd hugged the others. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck, and she had her face pressed right into the crook of his shoulder. He held her close, almost too close, and it made something in my guts turn sour. Of course jealousy was a factor, I wasn't dumb enough to think otherwise, but it just didn't sit right with me.

"Come visit anyway, please..?" She asked him, so hopefully, so damn sweetly, I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from prying her off of him. Hanamaki glanced up, meeting my eyes for all but a second before he peeled her off, guiding her to the open passenger door and ushering her inside.
"Now, what are you gonna do when you get home?"

"Have a super fun sleepover with Tetsuro!"

"What else?"

"Uh...?"

"You're going to drink some water."

"Maybe."

"You are."

"But how do you know?"

"Because I'm psychic."

"No you're not, you're Japanese."

Chuckling as he rolled his eyes, Hanamaki carefully shut the door and turned to me, heaving a long sigh.
"Thanks for coming all this way to get her. I'm over the limit and it just wasn't sa-"
"What wasn't safe was letting her drink this much. She's high too, isn't she?" I cut him off, not bothering to put on the friendly facade any longer.

He didn't seem surprised by my words, or my change in outward attitude. He just stood there, looking at me, expression hard to read.
"I didn't let her do anything. We got here, we chilled for a bit, and yes, she shared a joint with Mattsun, then she did as (Y/N) does and disappeared for a while." He replied with another sigh. "I've known her for a while, and it's what she does when she's trying to escape something. That's why I called you. She kept bringing you up, so it was obvious you were who she needed."

I was torn between thanking him for at least having the sense to call, and punching him in the face, but I had never been one for violence. Gritting my teeth, I started around to the driver's side, not sparing him another glance.
"I'll see you around, Hanamaki..."

I hope I don't...

Once I made sure (Y/N) was buckled in, I pulled out from the house and felt my anger start to dissipate almost immediately. In the passenger seat, she was leaning forward, screwing with my radio, and I tried to think of what to say.
"So, uh, y-"
"Can we stop at WcDonald's?" She beat me to the punch, and I glanced at her, now staring at me with those big ol, slightly red tinted eyes.

"Didn't you throw up earlier?" I half laughed, unsure of how I felt risking having to deep clean my seats.
"Yeah, which means room for more!" She sounded more animated, in her intoxicated state, and as frustrated as I was about it I couldn't deny that it was beyond the realms of just cute.

"On one condition." I waited for her curious hum, seeing her hand twiddling with the volume nob on the middle of the dash. "You have to tell me what's been eating you lately." She hummed some more, but this time it was along with the music that kept ebbing in and out.
"Nobody's been eatin' me lately, which is kinda shit, t'be honest."

The car jerked a little as it stalled, and along with it, my brain. My head whipped around and I felt my cheeks grow hot, but there she was, just blinking up at me with sweet, oh-so innocent eyes.

This woman is going to send me to my grave, what the fuck?!

"N..No, not...that. I mean what's been upsetting you. I know there's something going on." I changed by choice of words, and she abruptly slumped back into her seat, blowing a raspberry so wet I copped a lot of spray.
"Ugh, fine...but later. I like this song."

Humouring her, I continued to drive, keeping an eye out for the fast food restaurant as she bopped along to whatever hottest hit was playing. I wasn't really able to pay attention to the music, because she was right there. So seemingly happy, and care free...and she'd been asking for none other than me.

I have to focus. It might not mean anything. Probably doesn't...

"Oya, Tetsuro?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I call ya Tetsuro?"

"I mean, you have been, but I'm cool with it."

"Can I call you Tets?"

"If that's what you want."

"It sounds like tits."

"If that's why you want to call me that then I might be inclined to rescind my agreement."

"Speaking of tits..."

"What are y-DO NOT TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!"

"Why not?!"

"BECAU- Ahem, b..because I'll probably crash the car and we'll die fiery, painful deaths."

"Oh, yeah, that'd probably suck."

"P..Probably, yeah..."

"...I gave my bra away."

"Well that uh, wasn't very smart, now was it..?"

"I can see it in your pocket."

"O..Oh, yeah, uh, one of your Seijoh friends got it back for you..."

"Oh, cool."

"Yep."

"...You can keep it if ya want?"

"Wha...Why would I want to keep it?"

"I dunno...Did you think it was sexy-"

"OH LOOK A WCDONALD'S!"

"FUCK YEAH! NUGGET TIME!"