The Days of Our Youth Are Love and Volleyball

2-Strawberry Milk

Summary: The training camp continues through the blistering Tokyo heat! Kuroo and Yachi both want to get closer to each other, but how will they succeed?! What will bring the two of them together?!

Three days had passed since the beginning of summer training camp and Yachi was definitely feeling the Tokyo heat. She went to bed sweating buckets, and woke up sweating barrels. The only thing that would help cool her down was a nice long and cold shower. And she certainly needed one after today's practice.

It was the hottest day the summer had seen thus far. It was like the sun was sitting on top of them and refused to move like a defiant, stubborn child. The doors to the gym were open, but did nothing to stave off the heat since there was no slight breeze or gust of wind to cool them down. It was utter torture. By the evening practices, Yachi's hair was slick with sweat and putting it in a low ponytail did nothing to cool her down. It felt like she was bread in a toaster that had gotten stuck; the heat surrounded her until she had forgotten what a cold breeze felt like.

The teams took more frequent breaks to cool down and drink plenty of fluids. Yachi had been in charge of distributing the water bottles to the members while Kiyoko had been the one to refill them. They went through gallon after gallon of water, the players gulping it down as if they were in the middle of the desert and it was their first time seeing it in days. Tokyo might as well have been the desert; a desert city of sky high buildings and volleyball players thirsty for both water and a trip to Nationals.

It had been evening, the sun sinking torturously slow behind the horizon, when Yachi had noticed something about the players. Much to Yachi's surprise-and hidden delight-most of the players had gone shirtless by the end of the day. She didn't blame them. She was barely moving, but her own shirt began to stick to her as sweat ran down her neck, her back, and other places she didn't even know could sweat. She couldn't imagine how the boys must feel as they sweat both from working hard and from Tokyo's blazing heat.

While she watched them, she wondered if all volleyball players were this toned and tall, looking as if they could break a rock in two with their bare hands. If they were, Yachi couldn't find room to complain. Not as she stared from afar to appreciate their diligence and dedication when it came to the sport. It would've been a different story if she were standing before them, though. She could see herself cowering before their overpowering muscles and impressive height. She tried to imagine a Yachi that wouldn't be afraid of them, but that girl would take some time to discover and manifest.

She realized as she put the balls in the ball cart that most of Karasuno had kept their shirts on, but it was no surprise to see Tanaka and Nishinoya without theirs. She knew it had more to do with getting a certain black haired beauty's attention, but it hadn't worked. Or at least that's what they had thought. When the two were engrossed in conversation, Yachi caught Kiyoko staring, not at Nishinoya, but at Tanaka. She felt somewhat sorry for Nishinoya that he would never be the subject of Kiyoko's gaze, but it seemed only natural for Tanaka and Kiyoko to harbor feelings for one another. Maybe the time when Nishinyoa had been absent allowed the two to grow closer. Or maybe Tanaka's constant admiration and relentlessness had finally paid off. But for every ball that Tanaka hit, he was just as clueless about Kiyoko's gaze. Or the blush that appeared when he spoke to her.

At the thought of her Senpais' meandering love story, Yachi let her treacherous eyes wander the gym to look for a certain black haired captain. She had avoided his gaze all day in fear that their eyes would meet. She couldn't imagine how gross she looked covered in sweat, or how badly she smelled; she didn't want to think about Kuroo looking at her in such a state. She grimaced at the thought as she finally spotted him.