Salted Caramel (Akira Kunimi x Reader)

01

The gym was huge. Looking around, you felt just slightly out of place in this crowd in this Seijou boys volleyball team fan-club. Everyone was wearing either a bright teal shirt or a collared white jacket, holding either a matching bright-teal cone or clear plastic bottle cheer with. You were just wearing your normal going-out clothes along with your friends. You thought this was supposed to be casual, but you guessed you never realized how committed people could be to a high-school sports team.

"SEII-SEI-SEI-SEI-SEI-SEIJOU!" One guy yelled through his cone.

"SEII-SEI-SEI-SEI-SEI-SEIJOU!" Everyone else followed.

You clutched the strap of your bag sitting in the back of the bleachers. "They're pretty intense, huh?"

Your friend, Yamada, seemed to have stars in her eyes staring down at the court. "Super pretty..."

"Are you goggling over Oikawa again?" Your other friend, Hirano, questioned.

"Can you blame me? Just look at him..." 

You looked down at the players. There he was in all of his glory, Tooru Oikawa, in his white and teal-accented uniform, a big number 1 plastered on his back. You watched as he set a ball to player number 4, Hajime Iwaizumi, you recalled, allowing for a perfect spike onto the other team's court. The crowd erupted in cheer. You were surprised you still had your hearing in-tact.

Oikawa was cute, sure. He was tall, had nice light-brown hair, and had a pretty face. But you couldn't understand how someone could have such an infatuation that they'd be drooling over him.

"You seem to be having a good time, Y/N," your other friend, Sonoda, stated. "You look like you're critiquing their every move."

"Oh, do I?" You smiled and scratched your hair. "I swear, I'm not, I don't even know the first thing about volleyball."

"Neither do I," Hirano contributed. "But it's fun to watch and support our school. The boys volleyball team are also all very good looking."

You smiled and rolled your eyes. "Tall boys have always been your type."

You looked down at the court once again. Of course, Oikawa had the ball, bouncing the ball in his hands, ready to serve. He threw the ball up in the air, starting up a quiet "aa" in the crowd that gradually quickly and quickly got louder the longer it was in the air. Oikawa jumped and hit the ball with such force, you could hear the loud slapping noise through all the cheering from all the way up at the top of the bleachers.

You made a mental note to never get hit by one of those serves.

To your surprise, the other team managed to receive it. Another player tried making a pass, but it was too long. The ball flew towards Seijou's side of the court.

Number 3 easily received it, passing it to who other than Oikawa.

You assumed this rally would go on just as the previous ones had gone. A toss to the ace Iwaizumi, and another easy point taken. You wondered how much longer it would be before you and your friends could go home. Maybe you'd be able to grab some salted-caramel flavored ice cream on the way.

For the first time during the match, your eyes widened. Oikawa had set the ball, but not to Iwaizumi. He'd set it to the player on the left side of the court, number 13.

Akira Kunimi.

Kunimi jumped to hit the ball, and you realized you just overreacting just a little bit. This point would go on just like every other one had gone before. Kunimi would hit it, they'd score another point, Oikawa would serve again, and the cycle would go on and on until one team one. You just couldn't warp your head around the idea of finding a lot of entertainment in volleyball.

Kunimi did not hit the ball. Or at least, he didn't spike it like normal. He just barely touched it with his fingers, making the ball spiral counter-clockwise softly towards the ground. The ball landed just at the feet of the blockers, one of the opposing side's players diving for the ball in futility.

You sat up straight in your seat, taking a quick inhale as the crowd roared. "Oh, wow," you muttered.

Kunimi had always been an impressive guy in your eyes. In class, he was one of the smartest people you'd ever known, even though you never talked to him. Seeing him play so well at volleyball only added to how cool you thought he was.

"No way, is Y/N actually interested in the game?" Sonoda blurted, her hands over her mouth.

"That's a first," Hirano said. "That was Kunimi, right? He's in our math class."

"Oikawa's sets are perfect," Yamada sighed dreamily.

You turned indignantly to your friends. "I'm always interested in the sports games we go to!" 

"Didn't you fall asleep at the basketball game last time?" Yamada giggled, snapping back into reality out of her Oikawa-land. 

"Yeah, well, I just like hanging out with you guys," you simply responded, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear.

It was silent for a second. You looked up at your friends, internally questioning if you said anything wrong.

They looked like they had just seen a puppy lost in the woods. "AWW, Y/N!"

They threw their arms around you in a surprise bear-hug, nearly suffocating you in the process.

"Okay, okay, that's enough! Oikawa's about to serve, let's watch him in his beauty!"

They released their death grip from you, and you all shared a laugh. Everyone's eyes immediately went to Oikawa, serving up but his eighth serve in a row.

But for some reason, your eyes were astray. You couldn't explain why, but the only player you seemed to be looking at was number 13.