warm morning, i wait

Her statement was confusing. Why was it lucky that he was cute? Why was she rolling her eyes? Had he said something wrong? Did she not want to see him at the festival? A thousand questions raced through his brain as he narrowed his gaze at her. What did she mean? His ears would fold back for a moment as he was trying to understand, assess, something out of the statement when his brow furrowed farther. Kuroo hadn't thought he had done anything wrong...

You, silly. I wish to go with you.

The words hit him like a freight train. She wanted to go with him? Specifically him and only him? "Like a date?" His voice was hesitant and confused as he continued to further squint at her. Okay, maybe he was stupid. Were they not friends? Kuroo knew he was growing closer to her. He could tell by the way he felt every time he saw a glimpse of her in the maze. The way his chest ached to share a warm den for the company, nothing more. That could be more so because he missed his brother's presence, but the thought of being able to lay outside and look at the stars with her was just as inviting.

"I did not realize that... you wanted me to ask in that way," Kuroo's tone was quiet now as he felt his cheeks flush warm. Glancing away from her to collect his thought, he sucked in a deep breath. Spending time with her within the confines of the maze and the bay had been a lot of fun. And they had been spending a lot more time together than they had been in the past. Unlike his brother who was grumpy all the time and their father who was busy raising the pups, Sayuri had time to spend. When she wasn't training with Rheum or Tenshi, they could spend afternoons at the beach or evenings in the maze.

Making up his mind, Kuroo nodded. "I do not want to upset you. I enjoy spending time with you and I would appreciate it if you allowed me to go to the festival with you," he paused then as he turned his pale gaze back to her. Smiling gently, he reached out a paw to place it gently over hers. "I just need time. I do not want to rush into anything and hurt both of us. I would like to take things slow until I am ready to make a commitment," his smile faltered as his heart raced in his chest. Worried that her reaction would be bad, he forced himself to stay in place and not run like a coward.

<3