Ready, Set.

Crush

Everything about the new school seemed off to Kenma, too shiny and pretentious. It had been so long since he last changed schools, but a new high school was just what he needed. Especially the one in his childhood home town, Nekoma High.

They were a power school in Tokyo, he had heard about the volleyball team all over Japan. He was never much of a player, but he did love the sport. The power behind a good setter had always intrigued him, so he'd been playing through middle school, only to realize maybe he wasn't that good at it. Deciding whether or not to join in high school was going to be easy, he couldn't handle the embarrassment from such a well known school. But a peak inside the gym wouldn't hurt anyone.

He knew he was small enough to not be noticed as he crept up the stairs and peaked between the double wooden doors. He could hear the sneakers hitting the polished floors, the balls whacking against the walls and a few even making the familiar smacking against skin. What he saw was sky scrapers, men atleast six feet tall all jumping and receiving. They must have been third years.

I wonder how big the team is..

He got lost in thoughts of playing with men this size, the power he could hold if he were able to meet their skill level.

————

He must think I can't see him, or maybe he doesn't realize he's standing in the open door way now. I'd seen the small boy with two toned hair sneak a look in the gym while I was fixing my knee brace. His bright eyes lit up like Christmas when he saw the boys practicing,  I'd seen those eyes before but I couldn't place them.

He was staring into space now, his small features screwed up into deep thought, a few more teammates have noticed him by now, but I was stuck on him, so stuck I missed the beginning of the set and got a tri-colored ball right to the face.

"Stop drooling and get it together Kuroo!" Yamamoto yelled as he jogged to me from the other side of the net.

Yamamoto was smirking as he held out a hand to pull me up. Taking it and laughing off the bruise I stood to me feet, Yamamoto had a blonde Mohawk and a wild attitude to match, the combo could just make you laugh, or make you want to kill him.

"We all know small and skinny is your thing." He whispered.

"Yama..." I whined, "I wasn't drooling." He smacks my arm before wrapping his around my shoulders and pointing at the boy in the door, my collision must have got his attention because he was looking right at me now.

————

Kenma was frozen to the ground, the doors had opened without him noticing and two massive players were grinning at him. He'd seen the black haired boy take one to the face, he thought maybe he was staring at him when it happened, but that wouldn't make any sense.

Why was he looking at me?

The tall and muscular boys walked over now, the Mohawk boy seemed giddy, while the spiky black haired boy practically dig a ditch through the gym floor with his heels.

"We saw you staring, first year?" The Mohawk boy asked Kenma.

"Transfer actually, second year." He answered quietly, probably too quietly, he'd been known for being that way.

"Same as us! Thinking about joining the team?" He was being nice, something Kenma wasn't prepared for based on looks. The other boy remained stoic, his face unreadable.

"I'm not very good," Kenma wraps his arm around his neck, "I haven't got the height for a game like this." He tried to justify himself.

"It's not about height." The dark one broke his silence, "it's about talent, and I saw the way you walked in here, you know this game don't you?" Now the line of questioning was more direct. Kenma shifted on his feet, unable to hide his embarrassment as his neck went crimson

"I am better at watching." He mumbles, Mohawk can barely hear him but the tall one knows what he's said.

"What better place to watch from than the center of the court? You are a setter, aren't you?"

————

Yama was pinching me, warning me that I was being too aggressive. I rolled my shoulder back to push him off, the small boy was looking me right in the eyes, giving me an excuse to look at his.

Bright. They could have had a million suns in them, they were catlike and sharp, I imagined him matching them. I tried not to daydream for too long as I was waiting on his answer

"How.. how could you have known that?" He stuttered, I was hoping it was me making him stutter. Yama smirked,

"Who makes a better setter than someone who knows how to watch" Yama said for me. A tilted my lips into a grin, Yama and I were childhood friends, together we always got what we wanted. And Yama knew I wanted this kid, as a setter of course.

"Our setter isn't that great, he's been injuring himself left and right trying to play with us," I explained, guilt him into the spot, then hook him,"I bet if you set us a few you'd fit right in."

"N-Now?" He shot a glance back outside, his neck catching the gym lights. I found his face again when he shot back,

"Why not? Got somewhere else to be?" Yama asked, "hot date maybe?" He added. I pinched him this time. Hard.

"No. What? No of course not.. I just.. I wasn't planning on, well, ya know..." he was staring at his feet now, he was wearing nice shoes. Definitely not for volleyball.

"What size we got here? I'm sure we have a pair in the supply room." Yama was on a mission now. He'd taken a mental note of the size and jogged off the grab a pair.

I stood in front of him, towering over him more like. He was small, I could see a handheld gaming system in his pocket, his plain black sweater hung too big on his frame, his fingers just sticking out of the sleeves.

Nearly lost in thought about his thin fingers I was saved by Yama storming back with a pair of white and red shoes,

"Here pipsqueak, get to setting. We'll go a few rounds once they finish these receives." He slumped down to rest his hands on his knees, panting next to the boy.

"Well if we're gonna play I should know your names right?" The boy said as he stepped out of his shoes, his socks were decorated with some characters I couldn't make out.

"I'm Yamamoto, but call me Yama." He bowed theatrically, the boy looked to me next, those eyes fixed on me and I felt my stomach tighten,

"Kuroo." I kept it short. Too short. He was going to think I didn't like him, but I did just invite him to practice with us. I was overthinking this.

"Well, I'm Kenma, nice to meet you." He half chuckled as he swapped shoes. I could have watched him tie those laces a hundred times over, he'd definitely laced volleyball shoes a lot, he'd known exactly how tight he wanted them and his fingers did all the work while I could see his mind drifting.

Yama darted to the edge of the court,

"Lev, come practice with the new setter! ShoHei, come toss us a few!" He shouted. The two newbies wobbled over, clearly over worked already from summer practices and this weeks intense sessions.

"To the balls then?" He mumbled,

"The what?" I shot a glance down at him, he squirmed under my gaze, ah yes. I knew what he'd meant obviously, but I had to see if he'd react and he did.

"I meant.. like, the volley balls.. I- oh whatever." He sighed, I laughed and touched his shoulder, surprisingly I could feel the power and toned muscle under his sweater.

"I was fucking around," I whispered, leaning down so my nose touched his hair, "we can think of a safe word if I go too far."

Red. His face went fire engine red. Perfect. I jogged over to Yama, hiding the blush that broke out on my face, being that bold had a high reward, but I wasn't about to let him see me turn ten shades of crimson.

"What have you done to him?" Yama asked quietly, I took a peak at Kenma, he was chewing his lip and I suppressed a groan,

"Hopefully nothing he can't handle." I laughed. To be the teeth sinking into his bottom lip..