Chapter Text
Atsumu’s POV
Inside the school gym, the volleyball team huddled in the center, Coach standing at the front. With the tournament fast approaching, they needed a plan to sharpen their skills and stand a chance against other schools. But first—
“We all know volleyball is important, but that does not mean you can let your grades slip,” their coach said, sending a glare that landed squarely on one setter in particular.
Osamu burst into loud laughter. “Ha! He’s obviously talking about you, dumbass.” His boyfriend, Suna, snickered beside him.
“Shut yer trap, Samu!” Atsumu swatted at him, though his brother effortlessly dodged. Atsumu’s grades weren’t terrible… but they weren’t exactly passing either, and that might be the very reason his volleyball career could end before it truly began.
“Now, now, Osamu, I’m not just talking about Atsumu,” their coach added sharply.
“Well, looks like getting bad grades is genetic,” their senior Aran commented, earning laughter from everyone—including their captain, Kita-san.
“Okay, everyone, settle down. No matter how talented you are, I will not allow you to join practices—or even the tournament—unless your grades improve,” their coach commanded. “You are dismissed.”
Once he left, chaos erupted in the gym.
“NOOOO!”
“My grades are beyond repair!”
“I’ll probably start going to the temple!”
“Maybe there’s medicine for a non-functioning brain!”
“How do you even cure something you don’t have?!”
Amid the chaos, Kita Shinsuke took the spot left by their coach, and instantly everything quieted. Everyone knew he wasn’t mad—but he wasn’t happy either.
“I’m sure you all know what to do at this point. I don’t need to lecture each of you individually. If you love your position and want to keep it, you will study hard to earn a passing mark. Practices are off until we see improvement,” Kita said, and everyone hustled out of the gym, likely heading to the library to pretend to study until they inevitably fell asleep at their desks.
Atsumu trudged to the locker room to gather his things, utterly lost. How could he possibly improve his grades when he didn’t even know where to start?
“Oi, Tsumu! Rin’s gonna help me study. I’ll meet you back home,” Osamu called, waving before his boyfriend dragged him out of the locker room.
“Lucky bastard,” Atsumu muttered as he closed his locker.
“What about you, Atsumu? Any plans? I can help if you want,” Aran offered. Atsumu appreciated the seniors’ kindness—but he’d tried learning from Aran before, and most of it went in one ear and out the other.
“Thanks, Aran-san, but I think I’ll try studying on my own first,” Atsumu said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
“Alright, but let me know if you need anything,” Aran replied, leaving the locker room.
Okay… maybe the library would help, Atsumu thought. But being surrounded by books in silence didn’t automatically make learning any easier.
“You know,” a voice said from behind. Atsumu turned to see his captain tying his shoelaces. “I’m part of the quiz-bee team, and we have a new first-year member. He’s really smart. I could ask him to tutor you, if you’d like.”
Atsumu nearly teared up. His captain actually wanted to help him—but of course, he wasn’t about to show it.
“Kita-saaan, you’re an angel!” Atsumu cheered.
“Very well. I’ll contact you once it’s all settled,” Kita said, smiling.
The next day, Atsumu sat slouched at a table in the library, pencil tapping restlessly against his notebook. Kita-san had told him his tutor would meet him there to help with homework and studying. Atsumu tried to do a bit of studying but nothing seems to make sense. He squinted at a math problem for the third time, feeling his brain slowly melt.
A shadow fell across his table.
“Is this seat taken?”
Atsumu looked up—and froze.
Shouyo-kun stood there smiling, the afternoon light shining upon him making him glow in Atsumu’s eyes. It's as if the sun itself had decided to take human form. Atsumu’s heart stuttered, then started pounding in his chest. The memory of seeing him in the hallway on the first day of school flashed back instantly—bright hair, bright smile, and now, here, right in front of him.
“I’m just kidding,” Shouyo said with a soft laugh, setting his bag down. “Sorry to interrupt you, Atsumu-san. Kita-san said you needed help with tutoring.”
For a moment, Atsumu could only stare. “You’re the first-year tutor he was talking about?” he asked, trying—and failing—to hide the grin spreading across his face. Of all the people Kita could’ve sent, it had to be his crush! Maybe the universe didn’t completely hate him after all.
“Yeah,” Shouyo replied, bowing his head, shyly. “I hope that’s okay with you. I mean,I know we’re not on the same year-level, but I promise I’ll try my best to help you understand.” Sounding enthusiastic and offering Atsumu one of his genuine smiles.
Atsumu huffed a quiet laugh trying to lighten the mood. “And here I am, a year older than you, still not knowin’ half the things you probably study.”
That earned him a laugh from Shouyo—light, genuine, and so painfully adorable that Atsumu’s heart felt like it was doing somersaults. Shouyo didn’t even realize he was probably a thousand times smarter than Atsumu would ever be, and that made Atsumu weirdly grateful.
“Okay,” Shouyo said,gathering all his materials on the table. “Let’s get started. Can you tell me which part you’re confused about?”
Atsumu nodded, but as the study session began, he realized he wasn’t paying much attention to the notes in front of him. His eyes kept drifting across the table—to the way Shouyo’s brow furrowed when he explained something, to the curve of his smile when Atsumu actually understood a problem.
Yeah, Atsumu thought, watching him, he could definitely get used to tutoring.
Shouyo’s POV
When Kita-san had asked if he could tutor one of his teammates—particularly the Miya Atsumu—Shouyo almost said yes before the sentence was even finished. How could he turn down such an offer? Ever since that night, his heart hadn’t stopped racing. He was going to spend time with his crush. Face-to-face. For hours .
He just hoped Atsumu wouldn’t be too distracting, or else it was going to be hard to focus on anything remotely academic.
Now here they were, sitting across from each other in the library. They’d been working through assignments for over an hour, and Shouyo had done a decent job keeping his thoughts on the lesson—until he made the mistake of looking up.
Atsumu was hunched slightly over his notebook, brow furrowed in concentration. Those sharp brown eyes moved from page to page, his jawline looking almost unreal in the afternoon light. His blonde hair framed his face perfectly, the gold strands making him seem even brighter. And then… there were his lips.
Gosh, Shouyo thought, biting back a smile. He’s so handsome.
Shouyo quickly tried to redirect his attention to his own notes, but it was too late.
“You know,” Atsumu suddenly said, glancing up with a teasing glint in his eyes, “if you like staring that much, you can just take a picture.”
Shouyo blinked, caught red-handed—but he wasn’t about to back down from some harmless teasing. Two could play that game.
“Well, how come you never take a picture of me , Atsumu-san?” he shot back, resting his chin on his palm and batting his lashes at him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you staring for the past hour.”
Atsumu froze, mouth hanging open in shock, and Shouyo couldn’t help but laugh at his expression.
“I’m just kidding,” Shouyo said, shaking his head. “But, I am sorry for staring. You’re really handsome, you know?” The words slipped out without any filter—because honestly, what was the point in pretending?
He wasn’t prepared for what came next. Atsumu actually blushed .
“Uh, thanks,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in a rare display of shyness. This was so different from the confident, spotlight-loving setter everyone knew. Shouyo found he really liked this side of him. He liked the fact that he’s the only one who can indulge in this cute side of Atsumu-san.
“You’re pretty cute too, you know,” Atsumu countered, smirking and giving him a wink.
And just like that, it was Shouyo’s turn to blush. Atsumu laughed at his reaction, and Shouyo swore his heart was about to leap from his chest.
They spent the whole afternoon studying, laughing, and teasing each other until it was finally time to leave.
Atsumu leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms. “Wow, you’ve taught me more than any of my professors ever did. You should really replace them.”
Shouyo snorted as he began fixing his things. “Well, I’m glad you actually learned something, despite staring at me most of the time.”
“At least there’s progress,” Atsumu replied with a grin, and that got them both laughing.
Shouyo realized he’d genuinely enjoyed his time with Atsumu. He wouldn’t mind doing this every day—turning their afternoons into a routine he could always look forward to.
They cleaned up their desks and stood, ready to leave. Shouyo was reaching for his books when Atsumu beat him to it.
“Here, let me carry that for you,” Atsumu said, snatching them before Shouyo could protest.
“I can carry my own books, you know,” Shouyo said, trying to hide the smile and blush creeping across his face as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
“I know,” Atsumu teased, “but between the two of us, I’m the athlete. Can’t have my favorite tutor injure himself just ‘cause he’s got too many books to carry.” He punctuated the statement with a wink.
Shouyo laughed at the response, shaking his head as they walked out of the library together. Once they reached the school gates, he was ready to say goodbye—but it seemed Atsumu had other plans.
“Do you live far? I can walk you home,” Atsumu offered.
“No, just down that street, but you don’t have to walk me home! I don’t want to trouble you, and you’re probably tired from training,” Shouyo said, feeling a little guilty that Atsumu thought he needed to walk him home just because he tutored him.
“No, it’s not a problem, and it looks like we’re on the same path anyway.”
So they walked in comfortable silence. Shouyo glanced at Atsumu as they strolled, thinking to himself how surreal this all felt.
Just weeks ago, he kept bumping into this stranger who had quickly become his crush and occupied his thoughts all the time. And now, here they are, walking home together. It turns out his crush is the famous high school setter and is now carrying Shouyo’s books and walking him home after an afternoon of tutoring. Could high school get any dreamier than this? Shouyo smiled to himself at the thought.
When they reached Shouyo’s house, they stopped at the gates.
“This is my stop. Thank you so much for walking me home, Atsumu-san,” Shouyo said.
Atsumu handed him his books, their fingers brushing ever so slightly, sending both of them into a quiet, blushing mess.
“I should be the one thanking you—you really helped me study,” Atsumu said with a genuine smile.
“I doubt you actually learned much, with all the staring,” Shouyo teased, making them both laugh at the memory of their earlier banter.
“See you, Atsumu-san,” Shouyo said, stepping inside the gate.
“Wait!”
Shouyo turned back to find Atsumu looking a little shy. “I, uh… haven’t gotten your number yet.” He fumbled in his pockets, pulling out his phone and holding it out.
“Why? Are you going to sell my number to your teammates for more tutoring?” Shouyo teased.
“The hell I would,” Atsumu replied with a wink. “It’s for me only.”
That made Shouyo blush even harder. Atsumu really should stop flirting with him, because it only made his hopes rise.
“I’ll text you later so you can save mine. See you tomorrow, Shouyo-kun,” Atsumu said before heading off.
Later that night, Shouyo was studying again when his phone buzzed.
Unknown number: Hey Shouyo-kun, thanks for tutoring me… and for saying that I’m handsome 😉
Shouyo immediately knew who it was. He typed back quickly:
Shouyo: You’re welcome! And it wasn’t a lie.. you really are handsome.
Unknown number: Well then, I guess I’ll have to keep impressing you. See you tomorrow. Good night!
Shouyo stared at the text, smiling like an idiot. Without thinking, he saved the contact and renamed it: Atsumu ♥️. He turned off his phone and continued studying. This time, with a smile ghosting his face.