Sweet as a Sunflower (akaken)

✲ Chapter 1 ✲

The Gym smells of wood polish, rubber, and sweat.

Everyone is practicing for the next game with Karasuno High. Last time they almost beat us, So our coach is making us up our game by practicing more often and staying later.

I got tired so I sat by the bleachers and drunk some water, sweat running down my forehead. Then, I hear someone calling out to me, so I look around the gym and its Kuroo.

"KENMAAAA!" he yells while waving his arms frantically.

He's been my best friend since we were small, he can be so annoying sometimes if i'm being honest. He's always bothering me when i'm trying to be alone and he's usually very loud. As i walk over there i notice Bokuto, I saw him last time during our last game with Fukuodani Academy. Their setter wasn't feeling well so they had another teammate fill in for him. Bokuto is so energetic all the time, unless hes acting all depressed. 

He runs over to me after greeting Kuroo, I try to walk away pretending as if i didn't see them but he yells "KOZUMEEE!" i turn around agitated and I slightly yell "I told you not to call me by that name Its embarrassing!" Bokuto smiles brightly and says "Oh sorry i forgot! Its been so long since I last saw you, it must've slipped my mind." He chuckles and rubs the back of his head and I turn around and roll my eyes. Bokuto looks over my shoulder and asks "Aren't you guys supposed to be practicing right now?" I look back at him flustered, thinking I completely forgot, i hope coach didn't notice how long I was meddling with Bokuto..

I sneak back in as if nothing happened and start throwing sets to my idiot teammate Lev Haiba, I try to stay calm as he messes up every spike.

- - -

As I'm packing my bag I see Kuroo in the corner of my eye talking to a group of people so I walk up to him nervous from my head to my feet and tug on his jacket. He turns and says "Oh hey Kenma! Whats up?" Looking at my feet I ask him "um..are you walking with me today?.." He replies "I'm sorry I'm going out with some friends in a little while.." With a strange look on his face. I tuck my hair behind my ear and walk away with my phone in my hand. 

Thinking to myself: 'I feel like I'm being left out..' As I'm walking home playing my game I bump into someone and It's Kageyama Tobio. Karasuno's setter and he's really scary looking, so I back up and apologize. He turned around smiled and said "Oh that's okay." This confused me because he seemed so rude and obnoxious the last time I saw him. I start walking again and i hear him call out to me saying "Oi! you're Kenma Kozume right? That cutie from Nekoma huh?" I turn back around blushing. 

'Cutie? He thinks I'm cute? He must've hit his head this morning..'

He walks up to me bends over with his hands in his pockets, looks me straight in the eye smiles deviously and says "We're not losing to you again cutie." Then pats me on the head and walks away drinking from a milk carton.

My mind is blank and my face is really hot as I'm walking home.

'What was that? Why was he being so nice...he was actually kinda hot..WAIT WHAT AM I THINKING?! Stupid me thinking stupid things about stupid people.'

I get home lock the doors, take a shower and head up to my room to sleep.

@ 6:30 AM

- - -

I wake up to my alarm and turn it off. I get up and take a shower and brush my teeth. I get down the stairs and head to the kitchen for something to eat and head out to school so we can leave with the other teams. As I walk past Kuroos house I notice he's hugging a girl by his porch i think nothing of it and assume they're just friends or family but then

He kisses her

I run off through the park tears flowing and all of sudden I trip and fall on top of someone at a bus stop. As I'm getting up head fuzzy, and hands shaking I notice I'm on top of someone and i look to see who it is, But I've never seen him before all I know is i made him drop all of his things.

 I wipe my eyes and start picking up everything that fell and I'm apologizing like crazy thinking about how stupid I am and I notice a jersey that looked a lot like Bokutos. On the Back were the words "Keiji" I look up and see a tall boy with curly black hair and piercing...but gentle eyes. 

I zoned out and didn't realize he was asking if I was okay. I picked up his bag and nervously say "u-um y-yes I'm fine thank you for asking." And I bow and he laughs it was almost like a giggle, feminine-like and he says
"You don't have to be so formal I can see you were in a rush so it's fine."
I start blushing because he was just staring at me looking at my features. He then asks if I'd like to walk to the buses with him, I ask
"how did you know about where I was going?"
He then chuckles and says
"I'm Fukuodani's setter I couldn't miss yet another practice day." 

We start walking to the meet-up spot

I notice every girl is staring at us and talking and I overhear some of them
"oh my gosh It's Akaashi Keiji! He's so handsome!"
"Wait..is that his girlfriend shes so pretty and feminine..She's so lucky no fair!"
I start wondering, do I really look that feminine? I didn't think so at first. 

I look back at Keiji and he was staring again so I avoided his eyes and i start to get nervous. He leans down into my ears and whispers gently
"It seems like people think we're dating"
My eyes widen and I jump, startled I say " Don't whisper stuff like that in my ear!"
"Sorry, sorry." He says. At this point my face is as red as a tomato, I've never seen anyone that handsome except for Kuroo..

A random girl runs up to me grabs me by the hands and cheerfully asks
"Are you Keiji's Girlfriend? You're so pretty! And your hands are so soft!"
"u-um no.." I mumble.
The girl then says "Sorry i didn't hear that."
Then Keiji grabs my hand and pulls me away and we run away getting closer to the other teams boarding the buses. He pushes me into Fukuodani's bus and gets me into a seat behind Bokuto and A spiker named Sarukui.

Bokuto pops his head out the seat and says "HEY HEY HEY, IT'S KENMAA! Akaashi how do you know Kenma?"
"I ran into him today while waiting for you and you never showed up baka."
Bokuto gets all depressed again. "Akaashi you're so heartless always slinging insults at everyone!" I start playing my game and Keiji gets realy close to my face and asks what I'm playing. Me being startled I stutter and show him. We've been on the bus for a while now and I feel Keiji pull back my hair and lick my ear. I jump blushing all over and ask
"W-w-why d-did you do that?"
"You taste sweet.."