In which Kyioko Amaku and Tsukishima kei come to the annoying realization that they might be more similar than they'd like to believe.
Slight enemies to friends to lovers
This is a SLOWBURN and will take place from s1-s4
A lot of the events don't go...
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The boys were training harder than ever. With new motivations and goals, as well as Coach Ukai and Amaku's intense practices, they were steadily improving. The practices were becoming more focused on receiving and going back to fundamentals.
Amaku was preparing for the training camp with Shiminzu, cooking more food than she'd ever had before. An apron was tied taught to her waist and her hair was tied up in a bun, a few pieces hanging loosely.
The two girls heard the team enter the house before seeing them, unsurprisingly. They were a loud group, and Amaku couldn't ignore Hinata declaring how "awesome" each room was if she tried.
"Go tell them dinner's almost ready." Shiminzu said, focusing on setting the table. Amaku nodded, heading down the hallway.
She turned the corner, finding a few of the boys littered in the hall. Hinata was adamantly displaying his excitement, rocking back and forth as he spoke.
"It's just a bunch of loud, disgusting guys in your face all day, every day." Tsukishima frowned, not noticing Amaku behind him. "What's so fun about that?"
"You take that back!" Tanaka and Nishinoya yelled from behind them both. "Yeah! Any place in a quart mile radius of our gorgeous Kiyoko is automatically pure and beautiful!"
"I don't know why you're complaining." Amaku said as the two boys rambled about her cousin. "You need the most work here."
Tsukishima turned to respond, but when he took notice of the girl beside him he stopped. Amaku usually dressed comfortably, but the top she had on was different from what she usually wore. The tank top was tight fitting and practical for what she was doing mere minutes ago, but Tsukishima had never seen her wear something like that before.
Scolding himself, he covered up his flustered expression with a scoff, not realizing he had missed an entire conversation between his teammates over the sight of her collarbones. He only came to when Amaku had thrown Tanaka's shoe at his head in an attempt for him to stop gawking at her cousin, who had quite literally thrown himself at her feet.
"Dinner's ready." She said, stepping over Nishinoya who'd down the same, meeting Shiminzu in the doorway.
After everyone had gathered a plateful of food, they sat down, happily saying a quick "Thank you for the food" before scarfing it down. Amaku watched first, making sure everyone was content before finding a seat next to Yamaguchi.
She fell into an easy conversation with him, talking about their teacher and assignments. Amaku liked Yamaguchi, he reminded her of Hitoka.
Surprisingly, Tsukishima kept quiet for the entire dinner, keeping his gaze down. He was only a seat over from Amaku, but he didn't even as much look up at her. Yamaguchi thought it was odd, usually when the three of them spoke Tsukishima and Amaku couldn't stop bickering. He decided the blonde boy was probably just tired.
The boys stayed behind to clean up, even after Shiminzu and Amaku told them they could do it. They were insistent, telling the girls to go wash up and it was the least they could do. Shiminzu was heading home to sleep there, but Amaku decided to stay over.
Secretly, she was hoping to head to the gym at night and sneak a small practice in, just to see where she was at. Ever since playing that set against the neighborhood association team, it was getting harder to stay off the court.
Walking towards the baths, Amaku yawned, being by herself for the first time all day. She didn't mind it, but it was a big difference from a few months ago. The girl had always kept to herself, but now she was apart of something again.
She bathed quickly, drying off and letting her hair down. She decided not to wash it tonight, as it was too long and thick and wouldn't dry by tomorrow morning. Changing into shorts and a blue tank top, she brushed through her hair and took off any lingering makeup.
Amaku was pretty indifferent about the scar stretching down her leg, but subconsciously chose to wear pants more often to cover it. She used to love wearing shorts, it showed off her muscular legs. But now it just caused lingering stares.
The girl sat in her room, relishing in the privacy she had until she was sure all the boys had went to bed. She tied her shoes and taped her knee, giving it more support. Tying in her into a long braid, the hairstyle she always wore for volleyball games, she quietly walked to the gym.
Her footsteps barely made a sound as walked, her braid swinging behind her. She entered the gym and got ready, stretching out and starting her practice. She went through the motions for a little while before locking into focus. The hours flew by and it was early morning, but Amaku had to force herself to stop and go to sleep.
She cleaned up quickly, stopping at the vending machine before retreating back to her room. While waiting for her drink, she heard another person behind her.
Turning her head quickly, she watched Tsukishima round the corner, rubbing his eyes. His hair was more tousled than usual and he wasn't wearing his glasses. Amaku whipped her head back to the vending machine quickly, confused at her reaction.
"What are you even doing?" He asked, his voice lacking the usual sarcastic tone.
"Wow I didn't think you relied on your glasses that much." Amaku sighed.
"Try not to be so loud next time." Tsukishima wouldn't admit that he actually wasn't awoken from the girl a few feet in front of him, but that he couldn't sleep to begin with.
Wordlessly, Amaku sat with her back against the wall, opening her drink. Tsukishima followed her actions, getting his own drink and sitting beside her. They were both quiet, but it wasn't awkward for either of them.
There was a tiredness surrounding the blonde next to her, but it wasn't physical. He was chasing a question for weeks now. While the rest of the team was doing as much as they possibly could to get better, Tsukishima couldn't bring himself to.
To get attached to something that he'd probably end up failing at in the end was something he feared. He saw all the third years practically counting down the days until they couldn't play anymore, how desperate they were for just one more game.
Tsukishima didn't want to disappoint himself.
That was why he never gave it his all. That was why he never ventured past his comfort zone. In a way, he was envious of the rest of the first years. Even Yamaguchi, someone who was mortified of most things, was doing all he could to prove himself.
Tsukishima didn't get it. Didn't they know it had to end eventually? That it was all a waste of time? That it was only a game?
He looked at the girl next to him, who was absentmindedly tracing the scar on her knee. He didn't understand a single thing about her. How could she sit here and watch what she dreams of doing and not be able to join in for months? Did that not drive her mad?
Tsukishima got up and walked back into the room he was sleeping in, putting on his headphones and staring at the moon until he fell asleep.
