Big, brown, eyes
Kuroo was tired. But then again, he was always tired. That’s why he had a car to drive to work, a nice air-conditioned sedan that the company had afforded him. He didn’t have to pay for gas even, and traffic wasn’t too bad, he’d make it there in twenty. And yet, he’d decided to take the metro today.
Like an idiot. The tall man stood in the crowded compartment, trying his best not to lean too far left or right onto any unsuspecting old lady, shooting apologetic looks every time his briefcase whacked somebody when the train stopped. It had been a while since he took the train. It used to be a regular thing back in school and maybe he missed it- either way, he was regretting it now as he stared back at the digital sign. Two more stops. Dear god.. He very nearly groans out loud- but he’s got so much more patience than that. So he sighs quietly instead, barely noticing when the man enters through the doors and stands next to him. Kuroo gives him a cursory once-over. Shorter than he is, strong by the looks of his arms.. pleasant face. He had a sling bag that bumped against Kuroo’s thigh when he stood close. The man looks up at him, and it seems it takes him a few seconds to give a polite smile before he turns to the window and the city whizzing past them outside. It was the longer than average look-over that got Tetsurou interested. His eyes were pretty, big and brown. It didn’t take him long to decide he wanted to look into them again. A curious pair of gold regarded his face- the man who was paying close attention to the telecom tower they were passing by, but he couldn’t peruse for long- they were passing through a tunnel. For some reason, this pleased Kuroo- a small little smile of satisfaction building on his lips. Fuck that telecom tower. It was so silly.. he was being silly. But he didn’t care, he’d look if he wanted to- in the dark, his gold eyes would take in as much as they could of his outline. And he would look till they passed out of the tunnel, his eyes blatantly fixed on him as was evident in the bright sunlight. But color him surprised when he finds that those pair of chocolate were trained on him too. It was barely a second that they met, before he looks outside again abruptly. Kuroo felt it, the little thrill of knowing he had been watched. One more stop.. One more stop? It had him sighing again, morose. His eyes suddenly losing their lustre, and zeroing in on the doors in front of them as he reflexively tightened his grip on the handle of his bag. “Getting off?” The man spoke, nodding as he enquired this simple thing of him. “Mm-“, Kuroo nodded back- using this opportunity to the fullest, like the greedy, whorish man he knew himself to be. He doesn’t drop his gaze, an exchange that was supposed to be polite surely must’ve turned awkward by now. Several seconds ticked by, but the other man didn’t budge either. “You..?”, he finally managed to say, something to make his behavior more civil- something to mask the fact that he really just wanted to look at his face, as long as he possibly could in this short, short frame of time. He looked cornered, the poor guy. He probably thought he was some kind of creep, or looking for a fight- he simply shakes his head no- eyes still patient and pleasant as ever. Kuroo’s done. It’s time to go, it’s time to leave his two-minute reprieve from his real life. His manner seems to change in seconds as the train comes to a stop- politely smiling and making his way through the crowd to the doors. And just as they open- just as he steps outside, he hears a “Have a nice day at work-“ His head turns so fast, so fast towards the voice- to see his face, and a smile. A soft little up-turn of his lips, and he barely catches it but those eyes are flicking ever so slightly lower, climbing back up- lingering on his face as the doors close… before the train takes him away down the line, to whichever mysterious land. Kuroo stands there on the platform, unwilling to move for a while. Another big sigh. As he walks to his office, his mind is spinning. He’s.. a painter. No, he’s a server in a café. No, he’s a writer, he had a sling bag with some sheets peeking through it. All day, he sits in his swivel chair, clicking away at his computer- and every so often he looks up like lightning struck him- A script writer? Maybe he wasn’t even on his way to work? He takes the metro home, takes the same compartment- much emptier at this hour. No sign of him of course. He finds himself sinking in his seat, staring out the window, exhausted after the long day. Maybe he was visiting his partner. Maybe he was going to the airport.. At 8 am the next day, as Kuroo is brushing his teeth and watching the clock in his bedroom- he suddenly runs. What compels him, he doesn’t know- pulling his trousers on, his shirt buttons mismatched, his hair looking more dishevelled than was strictly normal. But he’s on the train again at 8:10 am, smiling apologetically at the old lady he saw yesterday and standing by the door. He watches that door till the stop comes, watches it carefully. Who’s to say it wasn’t a dentist’s appointment for fuck’s sake. Who’s to say he wouldn’t just get on a different train at 8:15 instead. Who’s to say he wouldn’t climb into the compartment just next to his. And yet, there he was- the same man, the same sling bag, and those big, brown eyes finding him as soon as he sets foot on the train. What a rush, what a mad fix this was turning out to be. Kuroo’s mouth was hanging open a little, marvelling perhaps, at his sheer luck. “Were you.. expecting me?”, the man says with a warm little chuckle. Warm enough to melt ice he’d reckon. “No.. actually..”, he manages to choke out, looking embarrassed as hell. “Hoping.. more like it-“ Trust him to say something stupidly bold like that as he looks back at his face. The man gives him a shy face, another chuckle, and a flutter of his eyes- before turning them to the window again. That damn.. telecom tower.. “Work sucks huh?” “Oh yeah.. sucks the life out of me-“ The tunnel was coming. He couldn’t wait, he could hardly contain himself when the compartment got dark- the pair of gold flitting over his form, his face, the outline of his hair, like a thief stealing his keep in the dark. Seconds later, light floods back in to reveal his dark brown eyes doing much the same- bolder today than yesterday as they fall over his shoulders, then climb back up his neck and his chin. It was such a mad feeling this, to be watched by this man. To want to be watched by him. He didn’t know who he was, his name, or where he came from. All he knew was that every time he glanced away from him, Kuroo felt this fiery urge to capture his gaze again. He hoped now, that he couldn’t tell what he was thinking. One more stop. One more stop? Well crap, he was sinking again. He didn’t want to go- did he have to go, couldn’t he just ride this train longer, stand in this slowly shrinking space between him and this man,
just a little longer. “Getting off?” Why did he ask. Why did he have to look at him with those big brown eyes and ask, like he had a choice. “Mm yeah-“, he answers, looking at his feet, a dog who didn’t want to be done with his walk for the day, didn’t want to admit that it was ending. Kuroo looks up as the train comes to a stop, exhaling slowly, fingers clenching tighter on his bag. There’s a lump in his throat as he desperately wills himself not to give himself away, failing miserably with a ‘See you tomorrow?’ He holds his gaze, waiting to see him falter- expecting him to give him an awkward little smile and sever his ridiculous new obsession right away. “Yeah.. same compartment?”, he answers casually, nodding at him like it was a business deal they’d just agreed to. Kuroo nods back hurriedly- eyes widening just a little at what had passed, he steps out the doors and onto the platform- turns around to catch his gaze. And he smiles, this man, right up to his big, beautiful brown eyes, “Have a nice day..” The train carries him away, pulling Kuroo’s neck in a long, slow swivel as he watches it go- his heart banging obscenely against his chest. The next day, and the next, Kuroo runs to the platform, takes that compartment and waits in his spot. For his brown-eyed man. And he comes, as promised, giving him a little smile which grows bigger as the days go by. Names are exchanged. Sawamura Daichi, who likes to take the train instead of driving to work, who likes to stop where he can get the best breakfast bagel in town and walk the rest of the way to his office, who has a pet raccoon called Meimei, and who has Kuroo’s heart in a buttery, warm vice every time he looks back at him..
with his big, brown eyes.