"What are you involved in?" Akaashi muttered, eyes peering down at you.

You didn't know what to say. There was no way to prove your innocence without oversharing.

"I asked," he grabbed your good arm and pulled it behind, turning you around so your face pressed up against the wall, "what are you involved in?"

"I-I can't explain," you spoke nervously. "It's not my choice. I care for Kuroo, I'd never do anything to hurt him."

"Are you sure?" he twisted your arm a little more, muffling your whimpers with his other hand. You could hear Kuroo and Bokuto laughing loudly from the other side of the house. No one was coming to help you.

"I'm sure! I wouldn't think of hurting him after all he's done for me!" you pleaded.

"You know..." Akaashi's voice trailed. "He doesn't act like it but he's a real smart guy. Kuroo will catch up with your lies in no time. I'm surprised he hasn't already."

"J-just let me show you something, please!" you whined as his grip on your wrist tightened. You had no choice but to tell him.

"Alright," he suddenly let go. You were surprised at his leniency.

"Could you look away for a second?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I said no," he repeated.

You sighed, unbuttoning the first few buttons of your shirt.

"That won't work on me right now. Maybe some other time," he said, unbothered. What an ass.

"Shut up. I'm grabbing something, you just wouldn't look away," you hissed, pulling an ID out of your bra. Akaashi grabbed the card, looking flustered as he read it.

"Shit. This is yours?" he asked as his gaze met yours.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you seriously thought I was a spy or criminal or something. I'm not lying because I want to. Don't blame me when agents show up at your front door tomorrow and you get a gag order," you snatched the card from him and put it back.

"Shit," he placed both his hands on the wall around you, putting his head down. "How do I make it right? I messed up. I messed up so bad," he whispered.

"First of all, stop being so close," you pushed him away. "Second of all, keep your mouth shut and do what the agents tell you. Tell everyone else I'm off to bed. I'm exhausted," you walked up the stairs without looking back.

Days slowly turned into weeks and weeks turned into months following that day. You moved in with Kuroo shortly after your one year anniversary and your second anniversary was right around the corner.

All this time Kuroo never seemed to suspect anything, but you didn't know how much longer you could lie. Everyday you lived in fear of the truth coming out. A truth he already knew.

"Is there, um, any progress?" you asked one morning on your weekly call in.

"We're getting there," the man replied.

"I can't do this much longer, I'm running out of excuses for him. Just give me a number or something," you pleaded.

"If you're asking...around 90%," the man sighed. "I don't mean to lecture you again but this is why we advised against close relationships. You know what happens once a second person finds out. You'll lose everything you have again."

"Damn it. I'll check in next week. Goodbye," you hung up and headed downstairs, finding Kuroo sitting on the barstool looking through papers.

"What's the rush?" he grabbed your arm as you walked past him.

"Aren't we gonna be late?"

"Daylight savings time. We have an extra hour," he flicked your forehead.

"Why'd you wake me up then?" you groaned, irritated.

"Because I wanna show you something. Follow me."

You followed him to the garage. He stopped you in front of the closed garage door, standing behind you resting his chin on your head.

"Close your eyes," he whispered, opening the garage door. "It's a surprise."

"You didn't—" The set up made the surprise painfully obvious.

"Shh. Don't open until I say so," he nudged your arm. "Open..." his voice trailed, "...now."

You opened your eyes and saw a fancy SUV wrapped in a red bow.

"You're kidding," you looked up at him. The surprise was obvious but something about such a huge gift actually being there was different.

"Why would I be kidding?" he kissed your forehead. You ran to the car, taking the bow off and finding a card. "Get in, it's cold," Kuroo threw you the keys as the two of you got in the car. You started the car and turned the heat on, reading the card.

"Too corny?"

"You always are," you laughed. "But it's perfect," you wiped a lone tear from your face. "It just feels like too much to accept. Why?"

"It's been almost a year since you moved in. I thought you'd want something of your own."

"I do but—"

"Don't think too much of it. Happy early anniversary," he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.

As you kissed him back you thought about how serious things were getting. Just a little longer, you thought. Just a little longer and you could tell him the truth.

"So are you gonna drive us to work or what?" Kuroo buckled his seatbelt and waited for you to reverse. "Don't tell me you don't know how."

"What?! No!" you huffed. "It's just been a while. And it's a new car."

"I'm just teasing. I know you take my car all the time," he laughed. "You can stop being so tense."

He was right. You weren't naturally a tense person, but the situation you were in left you with no choice.