THE BAR WAS relatively quiet for a Tuesday night–at least, Tsukimi believed so as she waited for her drink. She drummed her fingers impatiently against the table, watching Rin's amber eyes flit about nervously from the corner of her eyes.

Sighing, she flicked her green irises back to the front. She still couldn't believe it was Rin, of all people, who had bought her star.

And Suna couldn't believe it was Hoshi, of all people, who had discovered his star.

Once their drinks had finally come–a Sherrie for Tsukimi and a beer for Rin–they simultaneously turned in their bar stools to face one another. Their knees knocked together from the mirrored movement, and for a moment they both froze, staring at each other from the sudden contact.

Rin was the first one to break into a smirk, then a laugh. Tsukimi couldn't help but follow through. Once they finally calmed down, the astronomer took the first word. "So, mister pro athlete Rin," she took a sip of her drink. "May I have the honor of asking why you bought the star?"

The athlete rolled his eyes at her exaggerated politeness. "A birthday present for my kids," he waved away the question. "Next!"

But Tsukimi wasn't done–she was staring at her stargazing companion with owlish eyes, her jaw dropping wide open. "A birthday present for your kids?" she echoed him incredulously, then shook her head. "Good fucking God. You really are rich," she muttered, taking another sip of her sherrie. Rin merely laughed at her comment.

"Stop fucking laughing! You should know better than to spend a lavish amount of money like this in front of someone who's fucking broke!" scolded Tsukimi, glaring playfully at her–friend? She wondered if this strange, otherworldly man could possibly be a friend of hers.

Rin shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "My bad, sorry I couldn't foresee the future and realize that my broke-ass friend over here was the one who discovered the star I wanted," he teased, but Tsukimi caught onto how his tone slightly changed on the word friend.

She shifted somewhat anxiously in her seat, unsure of how to feel about this new progression. "Yeah. You should be groveling on your knees, begging me for an apology," she rolled her eyes.

Suna laughed, briefly wincing when he felt his heart leap. Holy shit, he thought to himself, what the fuck is she doing to me?

He watched with a guarded yet undeniably affectionate gaze, this small, seemingly perpetually angry insomniac genius, carelessly sipping a sherrie with such a disheveled, defiant, and cynical air.

She was so angry with the world, it seemed, unsatisfied with everything it had given and thrown at her. And so she challenged its rules, snapping harshly when she was angry and laughing grandly when she was happy.

Suna sucked in a breath sharply. He wasn't blind to his own feelings–he knew that a small part of him had begun to develop feelings for her.

And thinking about it now, it scared him.

Not so soon, after Ochika...

Setting his lips into a tight line, he twisted his body back so as to face the counter and took large, gulping sips of his beer.

An hour later, after idle conversation and the occasional call of More over here, please, the two–friends–were thoroughly drunk. Suna definitely hadn't planned on it, considering Atsumu was babysitting his kids again, but a part of him couldn't help but just... relax for once.

He'll be fine. He's a twenty-nine-year-old man anyway. Two six-year-olds won't be the end of the world for him.

And so he found himself wandering the park where he'd first met Hoshi with her, both drunk and sharing silly anecdotes.

Tsukimi herself didn't really know how to feel about the fact that it was Rin who had bought her star, but even if she were to feel any negative emotions about it, the alcohol dulled them all with the buzzing feeling in her head.

"Fuck!" she cursed as she stumbled over her feet, yelping as she saw the ground nearing her face–

Tsukimi gasped lightly when she felt a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap around her waist, supporting her and hoisting her up. "Thanks," she drunkenly thanked her athletic friend, blinking slowly as she rested a hand on his chest.

Rin gave her a lazy smirk back. "No problem at all, my damsel in distress." Scoffing lightly, Tsukimi slapped his chest, raising a laugh from him. "What!" protested the athlete, laughing.

They were drunk, the astronomer knew at the back of her mind as she looked up at her new friend. So maybe that was why, under the pale moonlight, Rin seemed astonishingly handsome at that moment. His tall, well-built figure towered over her, his body radiating heat, and she could feel the pulse of his heart beating rhythmically against the palm of her hand as she held it to his chest.

Suna could hear Hoshi's breath hitch as she looked up at him, the moonlight illuminating her velvet green irises beneath her hooded eyelids. Unconsciously, he felt himself bending lower and lower, meeting her height. From how close he was to her face, he could make out every single individual eyelash of hers, watching them flutter shut as he came closer and closer–

"FUCK!

Tsukimi jerked her eyes wide open at Rin's exclamation, backing rapidly away as she processed what just happened. Was I about to–

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" her thoughts were interrupted by her friend's incessant cursing, and she turned, blearily worried about him. "Yo, are you okay?!" she asked, stepping next to him once more as she peered at him anxiously.

"No! I think I just got stung by a fuckin' bee," spat the athlete as he swatted at the back of his neck. Tsukimi narrowed her eyes. "Let me see?"

Her companion compliantly lowered his neck and bent down so that she could check his nape for him. She whistled softly when she saw that there was, indeed, a red spot that had already begun to swell on his neck.

"Haha! Dumb fuck," she couldn't help but laugh. "How the hell did you get stung by a bee?"

"I don't fuckin' know!" snapped Rin, wincing as the pain set in. His mind was foggy from the alcohol, but the pain was still startlingly clear. "Yeah, yeah, quit the whinin', ya big baby," Tsukimi rolled her eyes as she grasped Rin's wrist and started dragging him towards a certain direction.

"Where are we going?" he managed to ask, his eyes squeezed shut from the pain.

"I'm takin' you to my apartment. It's like a five-minute walk from here," explained Tsukimi.

Suna's eyes widened partially–even if he was drunk, a tiny fraction of his mind was still sober enough to ask, "Woah, woah. Your apartment? Are you sure?"

Hoshi quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not taking you there to fuck you if that's what you're worried about."

Suna couldn't help but stifle a laugh at her crude choice of wording. "No, no, I mean–I'm not sure if I should? Go? If you know what I mean?"

This also seemed to have a somewhat sobering effect on Hoshi as well. "Shit, you're right," her words were slightly slurred as she turned blearily towards him. "You have a wife, right? Is she going to get mad? You should head home, actually. Why'd you even come out here in the first place tonight?!"

Suna winced at the mention of his wife. "My wife's... dead," he stated bluntly, the alcohol untying his tongue. Hoshi's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck–I'm sorry. I didn't know, I wouldn't have brought it up," she quickly apologized, although her words were still slurred together.

"It's fine," Suna waved his hand, lowering his head once again. "If you're fine with us heading over, then whatever. This is starting to really fucking hurt," he winced again, referring to his bee sting.

Still, Hoshi was unconvinced. "Hey. What about your kids?" she questioned, still unsure if she should proceed.

"I have a friend babysitting them. They'll be fine."

"Whatever you say, star-boy."

"Didn't I tell you to not call me that..?"

"Shut the fuck up, pretty boy."

"Oh? So you think I'm pretty?"

"I said, shut the fuck up!"

Rin laughed drunkenly as he watched the girl in front of him, her pale, tiny ears peeking out of the strands of her short hair that brushed against her neck while she tugged at his wrist, getting him to follow her to her apartment. His heart was palpitating, he could feel it, and just at this moment, he couldn't care enough to chastise himself.

Once they'd reached her abode, the stargazing duo stumbled blindly into the living room, where Tsukimi got Rin situated on a couch while she went into her kitchen to find the first aid kit. The athlete looked lazily around, observing his surroundings as he waited–her home was small, but it was neat and tidy.

The complete opposite of my own house, he grunted to himself mentally.

After applying medicine to the bee sting, the two reclined in the living room sofas, chatting idly about life. Never had Suna felt so relaxed in somebody else's presence after he'd gained fame, casually sipping wine as the two astrophiles ranted and vented about life.

And yet, every conversation must come to an end. Suna eventually found Hoshi and himself quietly sipping wine, listening as the clock eventually struck midnight.

"Fuck, I should go home," he groaned, trying and failing to get up. Watching him stumble, Hoshi didn't bother to hide her laughter. "Not in this state, you aren't," she chuckled, getting up herself and helping support her friend. "You should just stay the night, at this point."

Suna blinked slowly as he tried to assess the situation. He was barely standing, supported by his left hand against the counter and Hoshi's hand pressed against his chest... again.

Looking down at his companion, his pale amber gaze met Hoshi's verdant ones, and he tilted his head slowly to the side.

Beautiful, he found himself thinking.

"...Is this the part where we fuck?" his mouth moved, separate from his brain, and Hoshi laughed, slapping at his bare arm. The sound of her skin meeting his echoed crisply throughout the apartment.

"No, you perverted asshole," she wiped a tear from her eye, turning away. "Go take a shower or something–sorry I don't have any other clothes, you'll have to wear the ones you're wearing right now," she apologized. "Tell me when you're done, and I'll get you a spare toothbrush. You're sleeping in the bed tonight–I'm taking the couch."

Suna at least had the decency to argue. "But–"

"Nope!" Hoshi immediately raised a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. "I'm not hearing it, and I'm too fucking drunk for this. Just do as I ask, okay?"

The middle blocker was honestly too tired to argue, so he merely nodded in assent and followed her words. Thoroughly exhausted, he plopped down on Hoshi's bed once he was finished, just about ready to pass out.

"Thank you, Hoshi..." Tsukimi heard Rin mumble just as she turned off the lights to her own room. His voice was low and raspy–he was definitely half-asleep, she chuckled to herself. "No problem at all, Rin. Good night," she yawned, beginning to step away.

"Wait!" she paused when she felt Rin's hand grasp onto the hem of her shirt. "Don't leave yet... I have something to say to you..." he trailed off. In response, Tsukimi rolled her eyes. "You're half asleep, Rin. I'm sure it can wait 'till tomorrow," she groaned.

She was surprised to see that her companion had enough energy to weakly shake his head. "No... I need to say it now..."

Sighing in defeat, Tsukimi returned to her bed and sat on its edge, watching the athlete in front of her. "What is it?" she asked softly.

"I... wanted to say sorry for buying your star," he mumbled sleepily. "I know... you must've been really mad when I bought it."

Tsukimi, albeit drunk, still smiled softly at the sweet apology. "It's all good, Rin," she assured him. "Better you bought it than any other fucker," she snorted.

"Yeah, but... I know that star meant a lot to you... knowing you..." Rin sleepily pressed. "So I wanted to say sorry..."

Tsukimi's harsh green eyes softened. "Yeah, I know you are, Rin. And don't worry, I've already completely forgiven you. So get some sleep now," she urged. "You're already halfway there."

"I know, I will... Mom," Tsukimi couldn't help but silently giggle at Rin's flippant response despite his sluggish state. "But I just wanted to say that... that star..." he trailed off. Clearing her throat, Tsukimi hummed in encouragement. "Mhm?"

"That star... Aquarii Cor..." Rin started up again. "Heart of Aquarius... I'm an Aquarius..."

Tsukimi tilted her head to the side, surprised. "Really? That's cool."

"Yeah?" Rin sleepily hummed. "Well, I'm sure that... Aquarii Cor... is Ochika. She's come back to watch over me and the twins..." he finished.

The astronomer froze, her intelligent brain able to quickly connect the dots even despite her drunken state. "Ochika, your wife?" she asked softly.

Rin nodded in confirmation. "Yeah... you may think I'm crazy, but I know... I know it's her..." he trailed off, then began to softly snore.

Tsukimi exhaled through her nose, smiling softly. "I'm sure it is," she assured him quietly, despite knowing that he could no longer hear her. Lifting her head up, she looked through her bedroom window and into the night sky, searching until she found her own star she discovered.

"Ochika, huh?" she whispered quietly to herself, unconsciously moving her hand to pat the head of Rin's sleeping figure.

"Fallen flower. You poor, loveless star," she murmured.

Aquarii Cor only glinted brightly in response.