"Oi, Y/n," Kei throws a chocolate bar at you.
"Ooh, my favorite." You open it and start snacking.
"I'm going to a training camp."
"Fun."
"Mom wants me to take you with me."
You scrunch up your nose. "Why?"
"Because she insists that you need to get out of the house and make friends."
"I have friends!"
"The stuffed animals don't count."
You purse your lip. "They're great listeners."
"Whatever. She said to pack."
"I'm not going."
"What's your deal? Just do what she said or I'll be the one in trouble."
You snort. "Who wants to hang out at a gym with a ball? Abunch of sweaty dudes who cant keep their eyes off of a stupid ball."
"Poor Y/n." He rolls his eyes. "Now get your stuff together. Last weekend I went for a little while, but now I'm going back for a week. Make sure you have enough clothes."
"I hate you."
"I hate you, too
He walks out, and you bang your head against the wall. Stupid Kei and his stupid sport he doesn't even give a crap about.
Annoyedly, you start packing your suitcase up. Mainly, you pack comfortable clothes that are easy to wear, and shoes that you can run in. While you won't be on the court, it's likely that you'll be asked to do something, and if that's the case, then you should be prepared.
Once its packed, you put it in a corner, then go to take a nap. Before falling asleep, you secretly hope that you'll be left alone during the trip, and will get to read without being bothered.
Ryunosuke and Yuu are fawning oved a service tower, calling it the Skytree. Dumbfounded by their stupidity, you tilt your head, squinting your eyes as you try to make sense of it all.
You hear laughter that sounds odd and a bit annoying. Looking over, you see a boy. He's tall, though not as tall as your brother. He has messy black hair that covers one of his small, yellow eyes, and a pale complexion. Quite muscular and broad. Attractive, really.
Looking at Daichi, the captain of the volleyball team, the same boy asks, "Have you country bumbkins never seen a service tour before?"
You snort. "Have you never seen a hairbrush before?"
His eyes fall on you, and they glint with something that you don't recognize. "Who's this? You guys bring another girl? Tryna flex or something?"
Rolling his eyes, Kei replies, "That's my sister."
"Wow, didn't you know you were a doting big brother, Tsukki.'"
"Don't call me that."
You whisper to your brother, "Who's bad hair boy?"
He whispers back, "That's Tetsuro Kuroo. He's annoying. And obsessed with volleyball."
"EW."
"I know."
"It's nice to meet you," Suddenly, he's right in front of you. "I'm Tetsuro Kuroo. You?"
"None of your business."
"Aw, don't be like that."
You stand behind your brother, wearing a disgusted face.
"Ah, I see. You take after your brother. What's the age gap?"
Tsushima replies for you, "Five minutes."
"So you're twins! Cute. Who's the older one?"
"Do you ever shut up?" you ask, feeling both bored and annoyed.
"You really are just like your brother."
Shaking his head, he smiles and begins walking into the building. Everyone else follows, so you do as well. As you enter the gym area, the sound of volleyballs hitting the floor fills your ears. All around you, guys are slapping balls, tossing them, running, catching.
Feeling tired you perch yourself on a bench, pulling out your phone for entertainment. You open up a game to play, but then it's taken out of your hands.
Angry, you look up, ready to yell.
"Hey, hey," Its that Tetsuro guy. "What would you need this for?" He holds it up like it's some kind of explosive.
"Entertainment?"
"Look around you! You're in a volleyball gym! There's plenty you could do! Toss for someone, learn something, watch and appreciate the sport."
"I'd rather die." You reach out to grab your phone, but he holds it up too high for you to reach. Irritated, you stand up, but you still can't reach.
"Seems like your brother took all the height genetics." He leans forward, bringing him at eye-level with you. There's an annoying and cocky smirk on his face, and you really wish you could slap it right off.
"Shut up and give it back."
"If you were just gonna play on your phone the whole time, why'd you come?
"My mom made me. She wants me to make friends or whatever."
"You're not gonna make friends on your phone."
"It's not your business. Now hand it over."
"Dunno. What do I get out of that?"
"A spared life!" You smack his arm, but he just laughs it off.
"C'mon. Don't be a grump. Why don't you watch us awhile? I mean, watching your own team is probably boring since they're the dive receive kings, but Nekoma won't disappoint you."
"Really? And what'll you do that's so interesting. Smack the ball and let it hit the floor on the other side of the net? So impressive." You sit on the bench, then pull out a book, deciding that you're not getting your phone back anytime soon. "Go ahead and keep it. You win."
"You're no fun."
"Aren't you supposed to be training? Some captain you are."
"Some sister you are. Not even bothering to watch your brother."
"He doesn't give a crap about volleyball."
"You're no fun at all. A total bore."
"That's right. I'm the least interesting and entertaining person alive. And it's because of that, you should leave me alone."
"Fine. Whatever."
When he's gone, you get stuck in your book, doing this thing where you forget where you are and loose all concept of time. Unbeknownst to you, a smile spreads across your face. While reading, you change your position at least fifteen times in an hour, though don't really notice
After about five hours, you fall off of the bench, waking you up. "WHERE"S THE DRAGON-" Looking around, you realize that you're not in a fantasy world of knights and dragons and elves and mystical beasts. And you're not at an arranged marriage between an elf princess and a demon king. You're. in a gym that reeks of boys and sweat.
"What dragon?" asks Tetsuro, staring you down.
"For the last time," snaps Kei. "Stop getting the absurd idea that you're in the book you're reading. You're not. It's fiction, There's no dragons. No elves. No knights. No demon lords or whatever. Just people."
You pout a bit. "I'd trade all of these sweaty boys for one of the hot demon lords in any of my books."
"I'm not a demon lord," says Tetsuro. "But I think I'm just as hot as one. And if not, hotter."
"You wish", You pick up your book, and start yelling. "I LOST MY SPOT!! KEI I LOST MY SPOT!! OH MY FREAKING GOSH I'M GONNA HAVE A MELTDOWN UGH! WHERE'S THE STUPID HOTEL I'M DONE IN THIS STUPID SWEAT BOX!!"
You stand and march out of the gym, cussing everyone out for just existing. After all, it's their fault you have to be there, right? If they hadn't invited Karasuno, you never would've had to go. You could have stayed home and read your book peacefully on your bed.
In the hotel room, you slam the door shut and start looking for the spot you left off at. The whole time, you grumble and pout. Impulsively, you look for your phone to complain to your mom, but remember that a jerk has it. Angrily, you kick the bedframe, but then you realize that it hurts
Holding your foot, you groan. "I hate this stupid trip... I just wanna go home!"
Someone knocks on the door, so march over, yelling "Ow!" with every step from the foot you hurt. When you swing the door open, you see Tetsuro there, holding up your phone.
"Forget something?" He smirks a bit.
"I freaking hate you!" You snatch your phone from him. "I hope the rest of your life is filled with back-to-back suffering! And both sides of your pillow stay so hot you wake up with burns!" You slam the door in his face and limp back to your bed, cursing him under your breath.
"I'm not going," you declare to Kei.
"Mom will yell at me if she finds out you hid in your hotel room the whole week."
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."
"It's not a sacrifice for you. Now let's go, you antisocial ogress."
He grabs your bookbag, slings it over his shoulder, and starts dragging you by the ankles.
"NO!! I DON'T WANNA GO!! YAMAGUCHI! SAVE ME FROM YOUR EVIL FRIEND! HE'S GONNA TAKE ME OUTSIDE AND I'LL MELT!" The moment you're through the doors, you start hissing
"You're not a vampire! Sheesh! Now shut up!"
He drags you onto the buss and drops you, sitting in his own seat. The whole time, you go on and on about how you'd don't want to and want to hide in the hotel room all day. Kei ignores you and puts headphones on to drown you out.
When the bus arrives at the gym, Kei drags you off of the bus, though you deadweight on the ground. In passing, you see Tetsuro, who tilts his head to the side.
"Are you being dragged?" he asks, a hint of amusement behind his voice.
"I'm being forced to be here against, my own will."
Kei hands your hands to Tetsuro, who stands there awkwardly, not knowing what to do with you. "She's your problem. Now do with her what you please so long as it's appropriate. Y/n, behave. Or don't. I don't care." He walks off, so Tetsuro stares at you with a smirk. "So" he says, eyes glinting with mischief. "I can do with you as l please, huh?"
"Oh, shut up. I don't listen."
"Today, we'll be confiscating your entire bag. You'll have no choice but to watch. And I expect your eyes to be on me, doll."
Narrowing your eyes, you give him a glare. "I'll sleep."
"No one can sleep the whole day. Even koalas. They can only sleep up to fourteen hours a day. Pandas sleep up to twelve. You could never manage a whole day. Especially not after sleeping all night."
Grinning, you shoot back, "Who says I slept? I spent the whole night reading an entire BOOK SERIES!"
"Oh, yeah? Then I'll just have to keep you awake, babe."
"You wish. And don't call me that."
"Oh? And what would you prefer I call you?"
"Don't call me at all."
"You're gonna fall for me, y'know. I bet by the end of this week, I'll be in your dreams."
You snort, "More like my nightmares."
"Ah. You dream that you're in perilous danger? I'm touched that I'm your hero."
"No, you'll be the ugly King of Locusts that a beautiful prince saves me from."
"You're such a nerd."
He starts dragging you, and your stare at the sky the whole way. Oficially, you've decided to hate him and his guts. He's annoying and a huge, arrogant jerk.
He drops you by the bench, propping your legs against it and leaving your back on the floor, then runs off to go start practice. Upside-down, you glare at him, plotting his murder. A knife to the back is nice, but to basic. There's a gun, but that makes too much noise and is overused. You could hang him, but where? Crowbar is too thief-like.
What should you do?
Every few minutes, Kuroo looks over at you, and will either smirk or give that annoying giggle he has. Annoyed, you'll just harden your glare, which only makes him get even smugger. If only I had my book...they were just about to kiss when Kei forced me out of bed this morning.
When everyone breaks for lunch, both you and Kei try to sneak off, neither hungry. On your way out, someone grabs your collars and barks, "Lunchtime!!"
"No!" you shout back. "You're not my boss, rooster head!"
"You can't make me eat, Kei tells him."
"I'm not asking. Let's go."
"Kei" you whine out. "Are you just gonna let him treat me this way?"
"Forget you, I'm saving myself." He wriggles free and runs away.
"HEY!!! BACK BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE-" He sighs. "At least I got this stray."
He drags you inside, and the whole time, you pout. When he drops you into your chair, he puts food in front of you, then looks to one of the other boys, Kotaro Bokuto, and says, "Make sure she eats. I gotta go catch another stray." He jogs off. Tiredly, you pick at your food, not really hungry. Neither you or your brother tend to eat a lot. Actually, you usually avoid it.
"Is something wrong?" asks Kotaro. "Did you loose your appetite because of something?"
"I just don't normally eat a lot." You shrug a bit.
"But food is life! See?" He holds up a bowl of rice. "You can't say no to rice!"
"I don't have an appetite. I normally eat a decent dinner-"
"Kuroo will be upset if you keep that up."
You snort. "Why would he care?"
"Because he really likes you! He's always saying how pretty and cool you are!"
"Yeah, right. I'm neither of those things."
He tilts his head to the side. "What makes you say that?"
"My brothers got all the good genetic. That's all."
"I don't think so. And I know for a fact that Kuroo doesn't. I can show you the texts." He pulls out his phone, opens his messages and the chat, then shows you.
My partner in CRIME: yo have u seen that y/n girl?
My partner in CRIME: she's so fine
My partner in CRIME: like dude u gotta see her
(Kotaro): yah I saw her she's really pretty
My partner in C RIME : she's more than pretty stop kidding urself
(Kotaru): HEY HEY HEY THEN GO ASK HER OUT
My partner in CRIME: nah I gotta work on the build up
My partner in CRIME : she hates me rn
My partner in CRIME: I keep stealing her stuff so she gives me attention but she'll be thanking me when we're married with kids
(Kotaru): ooOo0hhHH
(Kotaru): what u gonna name 'em?
My partner in CRIME: we'll figure it out when we get there
"See?" Kotaro bounces around. "He's totally into you!"
Blushing, you avoid his gaze. "W- whatever. I'm going."
You stand up and look for your bag. Tetsuro hid it. Finally, you see it in a supplies closet. Grabbing it, you start on your way to the hotel.
When you're in your room, you try to read, but just can't focus. He likes you? Tetsuro Kuroo likes you? Why? You're really not all the pretty. And not really fun to be around. Besides, you're not very close, either.
In the morning, Tetsuro greets you in front of the gym, holding a paper bag which smells of your favorite breakfast.
"How'd you know?" you ask.
"I annoyed your brother into telling me while we poached him for extra practice last night. Now eat."
Remembering your conversation with Kotaru, you blush and run inside. Sitting on the bench, you eat the breakfast slowly, mind running around in circles. A boy is interested in you. Genuinely interested. So interested that he talks about you to his friends.
No matter how hard you try not to you keep looking at him during the practice. Sweat runs down his neck and forehead, drenching him. His clothes stick and outline his figure. There's a flame of pure passion in his eyes. How has it not occurred to you that he looks so... good?
A blush makes its way onto your face. Embarrassed, you hide it in your hands, determined not to let anyone see it. Though, you take peeks at him between your fingers. He's so fine...dang it, Y/n. You're such an idiot.
Today, lunch is outside, so everyone eats delicious watermelon and talk happily. Except you. You're quiet as you try to sort your thoughts out, not eating or moving
"Here. Have some watermelon." It's Tetsuro. The one who's been occupying your thoughts.
"No, thanks."
He sits beside you. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I noticed you looking at me all day."
"I'm trying to make sense of it all."
"Of what?"
"Bokuto said you liked me. It doesn't make sense to me."
"First of all, I'm killing that loser. And Secondly, how does it not make sense?"
"I'm no one special. I'm not even pretty. I'm just..little old me. Not even close to being spectacular."
"You're wrong."
"What? How-"
"You're beautiful. And I really like your short tempter. It's cute when you get mad. I like your book obsession and how needy you are. I love how you can get sucked into another reality so easily. Every time you make a snarky remark to me, my heart pounds and I fall for you even harder. I always wanna get to know you even more, and I feel like I could spend the rest of my life just learning about you."
Blushing, you turn your head away from him. "You know how stupid that is, right? And are you blind? There's no way I'm that pretty. And I-"
He leans in and smashes his lips onto yours, shutting you up entirely. Bringing a hand to your cheek, he presses harder, bringing another hand to cradle the back of your head.
You just sit there on the ground, unsure of what to do. Should you kiss back? Should you not? If you do, how? Or should you just push him off? Why are you liking this? So many questions swirl around your head, driving you absolutely insane.
When he pulls away, he stares at you, eyes full of sincerity. It's hard for you to believe any of this. Truly.
"Why did you?"
"You kept saying awful things about yourself. I had to get you to stop."
"What are you doing with my sister?" Kei stands there with his hands on his hips, glaring.
"Oh, nothing." Tetsuro gives Kei a smirk as he pulls you into an embrace. "Look forward to the day we become brothers."
"That'll never happen. Y/n, knock it off."
You sit there, speechless. Brother? Kiss? Embrace? Before you can get too many crazy thoughts, Tetsuro whispers in your ear.
"Don't worry. You're gonna fall for me"
He gives you gentle peck on the cheek, then stands up to go off to his friends. Blushing, you touch where he kissed, staring off into nothing.
"You'd better not let that come true," Kei tells you. "| will not accept that sorry excuse for a person as a brother."
"Well?"
"Did he really kiss me?"
"You're so slow sometimes." He walks away, leaving you to your own thoughts.
Every day, you sit on a bench, watching silently. When Tetsuro tells you to eat, you oblige just because you're in no state to argue. Most of the time, you're just spaced out, and your replies become dry and loose their attitude.
By the end of the camp, you're all getting loaded up in the van. Part of you wanted to stay. You didn't want to come at first, but now you just want to get to know Tetsuro Kuroo better.
Before you've completely boarded, someone spins you around and plants a gentle kiss on your lips. Surprised, you tense up, but ease back down a bit when you see that it's Tetsuro. It only lasts a couple seconds, and when he pulls away, he gives you a gentle smile.
He whispers into your ear, "Make sure you come to nationals."
He runs off, so you turn around and start climbing inside, a blushing mess. When you sit down, your brother sits on the other side of you. He looks agitated.
"Don't get with that guy," he tells you. "He's annoying."
"Do you think I'd ever be able to find anyone else?"
"What?"
"I don't even have friends. Do you- do you think any other guy would ever want me? Or am I confined to the first person that confesses to me? I don't have the looks nor the personality to win someone over like that."
"Don't sweat it. If you don't like someone, don't bother."
"I don't know if I like him."
"You'd better not."
At nationals, you watch both Karasuno's and Nekoma's games. Both teams are on fire. You've never been interested in volleyball up until now. Eventually, it gets down to where Nekoma is against Karasuno.
Before the match, Kuroo goes up to you.
"We win," he says. "I have a question for you."
"And if you loose?"
"Then forget it."
He runs back to the court. Nervously, you fidget around, not knowing who you want to win. You haven't stopped thinking about him. And if he asked you out or to be his girlfriend, you're certain that you'd agree. Nekoma takes the first set, though just barely. Karasuno struggles for the second. And they completely take the third, with a bit of fighting toward the end.
Nekoma lost, and now you won't know what Tetsuro has to ask you.
As the team walks out, you chase after him. He's with the other third-years, but you don't care. You grab his sweaty arm and drag him down a hallway for privacy. He tries to ask what you're doing, but you don't reply. Just run. When you're sure nobody is around, you lean up and place a kiss square on his lips.
He's surprised. You can tell by the way he stands. But, slowly, he puts his hands on your hips and leans down, trying to deepen the kiss. it's gentle and sweet, though passionate and strong.
"What was that for?" he asks as he pulls away, panting just a bit.
"Well, since you didn't get to ask your question, I should ask mine. Do you still have feelings for me?"
"Of course I do."
"Then we should make something out of it."
His eyes glint, and this time you recognize it. It's excitement. He's happy and full of anticipation.
"Oh, yeah? What should we make out of it?"
"I think you know.'"
"You're right. I do. Give me your number. I'll have to come to the countryside to see you."
"It'll be worth it, won't it?"
"Oh, I never said it won't be."
Eight years later, you're in Tokyo with him, staring at the ocean with your head on his shoulder. He holds your waist, and while you don't look at each other, you each know that the other is smiling.
"Y/n," he calls, voice shaking a bit.
"Hm? What's up?"
He moves away from you, confusing you a bit. Then, he gets down on one knee, giving you an awkward and nervous smile. From out of his pocket he pulls out a small box; and when he opens it, he reveals a ring. A beautiful one, at that.
"Y/n," he says again, looking you dead in the eyes, though you can see how anxious he is. "You're fully aware that I love you. And it's sometimes difficult for us because you live a good few hours away. We don't really get to see each other as often as we want to. But, I love every moment I spend with you. And I don't wanna live this life without you right by my side. I'm not one or words or anything cheesy like that, but I sincerely love you. Since we first met, I've loved to get on your nerves and push your buttons. So, will you do the honor of marrying me? Because I wanna piss you off for the rest of our lives."
Tears build up in your eyes. A smile breaks out onto your face. You can't control it. You're just too happy. Without thinking, you throw your arms around him and yell, "I freaking hate you! Now put that lousy ring on my finger already!"
He chuckles. Carefully, he slides it onto your ring finger, and it fits you perfectly. Nobody could compare to the happiness you feel in these moments. Nothing at all. No person has ever felt such a strong joy as this, you're sure.
But that's because you don't know how happy he is.
