The snow had started falling sometime after practice ended.

You hadn’t even planned on walking with him—but somehow, Kuroo ended up beside you anyway, hands shoved into his coat pockets, steps matching yours down the quiet street. Streetlights bathed the snow in a hazy glow, soft and golden. The kind of night that felt like a secret.

Neither of you talked much.

Not until you paused at the corner, breath curling in the cold air, hair dusted with snowflakes.

“You always walk home alone?”

You looked over. He wasn’t smirking like usual. Just watching the sky. Like he was waiting for something.

“…Sometimes.”

He hummed. Nodded once. Then stepped closer, gaze finally meeting yours.

“You’re really pretty in the snow,” he said quietly, like it wasn’t a big deal. “Annoying. Distracting. Infuriatingly smart.”

He paused—then gave a breath of a laugh.

“But really pretty.”

You blinked. “Kuroo—”

“I like you,” he cut in before you could speak. No teasing in his voice. Just that quiet certainty. “I don’t need you to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”

The snow fell between you in silence. But his eyes never left yours.

And in that moment, with the hush of winter all around you, it felt like the world had stopped just for him to say it.