TSUKIMI WAS ANNOYED to be woken so disruptively that Friday evening. She'd been grading papers when she, overcome by her exhaustion from lab work and her insomnia, fell asleep on top of her papers. It was only at six when an incoming call awoke her from her slumber, causing her brows to furrow as she grouched.

"Who the fuck..?" she muttered sleepily, turning over her phone so that it was face up. Her right brow reflexively quirked up when she saw the calling contact. "The hell is Rin calling me for?"

Swiping right on her phone, Tsukimi sleepily rubbed at her eyes as she pressed the device to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey. Are you ready to get going?" Suna's voice came at a somewhat crackly pace over the phone. The astronomer frowned. "Huh? What're you talking about?" confusion flit across her face.

The other side of the phone was silent for a moment. "Hoshi," Suna's voice finally came in a disappointed deadpan. "Please don't tell me you forgot," he sighed.

Tsukimi still didn't understand. "Forgot what?" she was seriously blanking. "You're coming with me to the banquet tonight," Suna gently reminded her, his voice low over the phone.

The memory clicked in place, forcing the astronomer's jaw to drop open in shock. "You–remembered that?" her tone was infused with disbelief. "I–thought you were drunk! The fuck?!!"

Tsukimi pulled at her hair, visibly frustrated as Suna chuckled deeply on the other end of the call–she could almost picture his face; The lazy smirk, his head tilted against his shoulder to keep his phone in place. "Of course, I'd remember asking my star-girl to my all-important banquet," he replied wittily.

The girl flushed red, closing her eyes as she pinched her nose. "Your star-girl? You–Rin, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I can't go! I thought you were just–drunk and would forget about it, so I said yes just to humor you in that moment," she explained with exasperation. "I have papers to grade, and others to write–"

"That can all wait a few hours," the middle blocker interrupted his astronomer smoothly. "You're coming with me tonight. I already mailed you your dress. You didn't see it?"

Tsukimi's mind quickly flits back to the mysterious package sitting in her living room, unopened. "So that's what that was?" she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Well in that case," Suna continued after a brief pause. "When I pull up to your place in fifteen minutes, I expect to see you in that dress, ready and waiting."

Tsukimi's eyes widened. "Wait–but I seriously don't have time!"

Suna scoffed on the other end of the call. "Then make it," his responses were brief. "If you're not ready by the time you get there, I suppose I'll have to dress you myself." Tsukimi grew red at the teasing, sly smirk she could picture on the athlete's lips. "Rin, the fuck–?!"

"Oops, the phone's low on battery. See you in ten!" The man hung up without another word, leaving a red and infuriated astronomer on the other end of the call, gripping her phone so tightly she vaguely feared it might crack.

"What... the fuck!!"

. . .

"Good to see you all pretty and dolled up like this, star-girl."

Tsukimi glared reproachfully up at her date for the night, and yet she couldn't suppress a laugh. "It's nice to see you cleaned up nicely too, Rin," she rolled her eyes. The middle blocker laughed throatily, his amber eyes flitting up and down as he took in the sight of the girl before him with a satisfied smirk.

The deep green of the dress made her velvet irises pop, hugging the natural curves of her body perfectly. Suna, unable to help himself, reached over and tugged her closer to him by her waist, chuckling as he observed her slightly startled expression, supporting herself by placing her hands against his chest.

"You look dazzling," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. Tsukimi rolled her eyes from his flattery, although she was unable to suppress the heat rising to her cheeks. "How much did this even cost?" she whined. "And how did you even get my measurements??"

Leaning back, Suna chuckled. "I called up your cousin," he replied lazily, slowly guiding the astronomer out of her apartment and into the hall, where he eventually led her to the car. She smiled as he opened the door for her with an exaggerated bow. "So Koushi gave you my measurements?" she clarified as her date seated himself in the driver's seat.

"Yup," replied Suna as he buckled himself up, starting up the car as she did the same. "Asked his wife for what she thought would be the best color, shit like that. Glad to see it all worked out," he turned to look at her one more time, appreciating his work.

Tsukimi rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just get me back home before ten, please."

"Whatever you say, star-girl."

. . .

They were not back home before ten.

Instead, it was one in the morning when the duo finally stumbled back into Tsukimi's apartment, drunk, tripping over one another, and laughing airily over the nothings that they would forget by dawn.

"What about the twins?" Tsukimi had managed to slur out at one point, but Suna's hands were already everywhere, briefly resting on her hip while he mumbled his reply into her neck. "Remi's with them. She told me she was fine with stayin' the night," he rasped, chuckling lowly.

"Yeah–? Oh, what the fuck–" The astronomer laughed lightly as the middle blocker swept her up into his arms, bridal style, his long strides bringing the two of them into her bedroom, where he set her down on her own bed with a long kiss.

As he climbed onto her bed to join her, Tsukimi briefly stopped Suna in his actions with her fingers against his chest. "Wait, Rin. You're sure?" Despite being totally wasted, the astronomer was still able to gather her thoughts one last time.

"Always," Suna whispered back before closing the distance once more.

And so they held onto each other tightly that night, under the pale light of the moon–but even as his hips met hers, despite their intoxicated states, it wasn't wrong, no, not when they knew–

In a world that seemed forever against them, they undeniably needed each other.

. . .

Chika closed the front door lightly as she reentered the apartment. She'd been out all day for work, and she was exhausted by the long day.

"I'm home," she called out, humming idly as she took off her shoes. Then, she paused when no response came back. Frowning, she turned to the clock–it was seven in the evening already. She furrowed her brows. Is Keiji not back?

Stepping into the living room, she blinked in surprise to see her... partner sitting on the couch, a stack of papers in the coffee room. As she stepped further forward, she froze when she read the words 'paternity test' scrawled in large, bold, daunting letters on the top.

"...Keiji?" her voice was shaky. "What is this..?"

When the editor looked up, Chika flinched to see the cold, hard glint in his steel blue eyes. "Chika," his voice was low.

"We should talk."