Boyfriend Material || Kuroo Tetsuro

Three

        You're quite nervous for the practice match against Nekoma, if Karasuno are going to be playing in their current state. No ace, no libero, no real coach, and inexperienced players against a powerhouse school. Sure, there was a rivalry there once before, back when old man Ukai was the coach, but how many strings did Takeda have to pull in order to get this match? You don't know if you're willing to risk your pride to go with them to watch.

Tonight was your last night tutoring and you finished up early, so you figure you'd go to the gym and spend a little bit of time there. The girl you tutored lived quite close to the school as well, so walking with the sun setting isn't a problem. You'll have Tsukki and Yamaguchi to walk home with later, anyway.

You expect to find the boys doing the same thing as they normally do at this time of night, not the gym full of some guys who are very obviously adults. You hesitate to enter the gym when you see a tall guy with bleached hair and piercings watching these adults play against the boys you've befriended. Blondie catches you watching from the door and calls out to you.

"Who are you?" His sudden question startles you and turns everyone's attention towards you. You finally enter, apologizing for interrupting the game and intruding. "Tsukishima (Y/N). Take-Sensei said it was okay for me to watch over them a bit. Are you..." You almost hesitate to ask. 'This is the guy that runs the mini-mart we go to.' "the coach Take-Sensei mentioned?"

The man sighs, but visibly resigns to whatever fate the lot of you have placed on him. "For now. You can stay. They're just practicing against some of the guys from the neighborhood."

You finally take some time to look around at the guys your friends are playing with. You don't recognize any of the adults but, to your surprise, you find both Asahi and Nishinoya on the court. "Those two...are they both officially back?" You look to Kiyoko with this question. She shrugs, but doesn't try to hide the joy in her eyes or the smile on her lips. You take that as a 'yes.'

It may only be two guys, but you can feel the holes in the team healing. Every team has holes, but Karasuno's just got a whole lot smaller. Everyone, even the first-years, feel different. They feel happier and maybe even a little more confident, and they're definitely having fun. Is this what happens when the ace and 'guardian deity' return?

~*~

You may not be able to hear the actual conversation, but the indignant sounds Tsukki is making and the look on his face will never leave your memory. This Nishinoya guy really knows how to push your brother's buttons. You decide that you've been well-behaved for long enough tonight.

As soon as you join the little group gathered around the bench, you get dragged into the conversation. "It's okay, Glasses. At least your sister is pretty." Whatever you were going to say gets lost in a snicker and you shoot Tsukki that shit-eating grin he normally wears.

"Yeah, Glasses." "Oi, you need glasses too." "But I wear contacts. And I'm pretty." He takes a swipe at your head, muttering something along the lines of "pretty annoying."

"Nishinoya Yuu." Both of you turn towards the short boy. He has a thumb jammed into his chest and a grin on his face. "I know. We're in the same year." "Really? Which class? If you need tutoring, I can help."

'Ah,' you think, exchanging a look with your brother before you both sport the same grin. 'He's flirty.' "Class five. If you need tutoring, I won't help." You shoot his words back at him before Daichi yells at the two of you about not antagonizing people. In the background, Ennoshita yells, "Oi, she's Tsukishima's sister. Did you really expect her to need tutoring? Who are you to tutor, anyways?"

Blondie, whom you have learned is the legendary coach Ukai's grandson, calls a meeting. You try to hang out around the back of the gym, but Ukai calls you up to the front and places you next to Kiyoko. Tsukki snickers at you and you stick your tongue out at him as you pass. Looks like playing hookie around this guy isn't going to work.

You space out a little as 'I'm not a coach' Coach Ukai talks to the boys about the upcoming practice match with Nekoma. You pay attention a little at the mention of a training camp, but space out again once you realize that there's no way you could haggle your way into that like you did with the practice match against Seijo. That didn't even pan out well for you. It was interesting, yes, but that Oikawa guy is too slimy for your liking. Sure, flirting back and forth with someone is fun, but only if it's not actual flirting. You couldn't tell if he was playing around or serious. 'Too slimy for me, thank you very much.'

"(Y/N) dug up some stuff about their current lineup." Tsukki snaps you back to the present. You look from him to everyone else with a rather lost look on your face. The blond boy snickers at you again and you whisper a quiet "Oi!" at him. You turn to look at Ukai, who is staring at you with an expectant look on his face. Heaving a sigh, you shove your hands in your pocket and begin to dish out what you've learned about Nekoma's volleyball team.

"To start, I thought we didn't have a chance against them without Noya and Asahi. Even with them, they're still a whole lot better. Chances aren't as grim, but I still don't think we'll win." You feel a little bad when you see Hinata's jaw drop open. You're not completely heartless like your brother, so you mutter a quiet "sorry" to him.

"If I didn't know that they're a powerhouse, I'd call them unremarkable on the surface. They don't have any players that stand out like our two freaks or Oikawa, but you don't need players that shine to be a solid team. Think of how Noya and Daichi receive, but apply that to a whole team. I don't think they'd have much trouble with Oikawa's break-your-arm serves.

I wasn't able to find a whole lot about them or even a recorded match, so I can't really tell you what to expect. I'd have to see them play in person to really get something solid out but," You turn to look at Ukai, posing your next words as a sort of question. "I don't think I'm allowed on the training camp or the practice match?"

The man scratches the back of his head as he thinks about everything you've put out to the open. "You can, but you'd have to sign on as an official manager. From what I understand you've been coming and going as you please, lending a hand here and there. You'd have to give up that freedom and come to practice every day if you were to officially join. If you don't want to, that's fine, but it's the only way for you to be allowed to come with us."

You stop to think about it for a moment but then you realize, why are you thinking about it? You're not too keen on joining another club outside of volleyball but, if you don't have anything to do, you're stuck tutoring. It's really a no-brainer.

"I'll sign on." Oh, the look on Tsukki's face when the words leave your mouth. You almost want to take a picture of it and hang it on your wall.

Everyone looks at you, a little surprised at how quickly you decided. You shrug and wiggle a little further into your sweater. "What? No club means no reason to decline when I'm asked to tutor someone. At least this way I'll get to stay in volleyball, pick on my little brother daily, and get excused from school every so often."

Kiyoko smiles from beside you and motions for you to follow her. She already had the papers ready. You have the pleasure of watching your little brother's soul leave his body as you sign them.