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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It was becoming increasingly obvious something had happened between Tsukishima and Amaku. She hadn't said a word to him all morning, and he was doing the same thing. Both of their moods were more grumpy than normal, barely speaking to anyone.
It wasn't until midday, when a few of the managers brought out watermelon for the boys that anyone said anything, though.
After handing out all of the slices they had, Amaku was sitting with Daichi and Asahi, Tanaka joining them a few minutes later. Kuroo approached the group, smiling at them in greeting.
"Yeah, I just wanted to say sorry." He said.
"What for?" Daichi asks.
"Yesterday, I kinda had a disagreement with your big lanky blocker with the glasses." Amaku would've laughed at his description if it wasn't for the sour mood she was in.
The boys turned to her, expecting her to add something, but she just picked at the grass next to her.
"First of all, I can't believe Tsukishima actually trained with you. Anyway, what was the fuss about?" Daichi asks as Kuroo sat down beside Amaku, handing her a piece of watermelon.
"Well, you can thank 'Maku for that. Barely took her a glance at him to get him in the gym. But, I warned him that the short guy on your team would out do him, that's all."
"I'm guessing you two fought, too?" Tanaka nudged Amaku with her shoulder. She just shrugged.
"Wasn't really much of a fight." She spit out a watermelon seed.
"I guess it's true that Tsukishima feels a little inferior compared to Hinata." Asahi thinks aloud.
"I don't know if this has anything to do with what we're talking about, but my sister said there was another player with the same last name a few years back." Tanaka said with food in his mouth.
"Yeah, his brother, Akiteru." Amaku said softly, a few things clicking in her head. "I didn't know he played volleyball, though."
"Hey, we're getting ready to start up again!" Suga called out, breaking the conversation.
Amaku stayed silent for the rest of the day, having to stay by Shiminzu and Hitoka during the games instead of Coach Ukai like she usually did. It felt like everyone had noticed Tsukishima's slacking energy, and it was hard not to when everyone else was trying so hard.
"'Maku!" Hinata jumped up as he called out to her. "Can you help me with my spikes after practice?"
"Sure thing." She nodded. "I'll swing by practice after I'm done playing with Bokuto."
"Thanks 'Maku!" He jumped again, and even in Amaku's bad mood, she found her lips twitching into a smile.
"Bo!" She called out, catching his attention. "We're still on for tonight?"
"Of course!" He smiled at her, before turning to Tsukishima who happened to be walking by. "Hey, skinny! You wanna help us out with our spikes again tonight?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm gonna pass." The blonde walked away, Amaku scoffing at him.
"What, really?" Bokuto mumbled to himself. "Hey, Kuroo-"
"Shut up!"
"I haven't said anything yet!"
Amaku would've laughed at the interaction if it wasn't for Hinata bolting after Tsukishima, no matter how much she protested.
She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could assume the ginger was chewing him out for saying no to Bokuto, and that Tsukishima was tuning him out.
Amaku wouldn't admit it, but him avoiding her so violently struck her harder than she anticipated.
Not wanting him to see how hurt she was about everything, she walked out of the gym. Yamaguchi watched her leave, never seeing such a sad expression on the girls face before. He wasn't sure what to do, he knew he had to talk to his friend, but he didn't know what to say.
Tsukishima spoke up for Yamaguchi, always. That's how their friendship started. But now, the shoe was on the other foot, and Tsukishima needed his help, whether he realized it or not.
Yamaguchi found himself chasing after the blonde, Amaku's face fresh on his mind. "Tsukki!"
"What?" He asked while he tried to catch his breathe.
"Tsukki, you've always done everything in a cool, smart way. And, I was always jealous." He panted.
"Yeah, and?" Tsukishima didn't mean to sound harsh, but he had been miserable all day with Amaku's words on his mind, and his lingering embarrassment around her didn't help, either.
"You've been acting really lame lately, okay?!" Yamaguchi exclaimed. "Hinata may very well become the next Tiny Giant someday, and if that's true you just need to buck up and beat him. You have plenty of skill, use it to prove you're a better player than he is. You have the height, the brains and the reflexes, so why do you always set limits for yourself? Why?"
"Fine." Tsukishima's face is contorted into anger. "Let's say I tried really hard and became the best player at Karasuno. What comes after that? On the off chance that we get to go to the national championship, what comes next? There's always another level to get to, no matter how good you get, you can never be #1. Which means you'll eventually lose! Everyone knows that. What's the point? What makes you guys keep pushing? Why does it even matter?"
Yamaguchi grabbed the material of Tsukishima's shirt. "Don't be an idiot! It's our sense of pride! What more do you need?!"
"How about that." The blonde smiled. Yamaguchi dropped his grip. "The day finally came. When the hell did you become such a badass?"
Yamaguchi panics, confused with his reaction. "Really, you're cool now. But still, I'm not convinced yet." He steps away, leaving the freckled boy at a loss for words.
