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Daichi loathed going to chemistry lab every Tuesday and Thursday for many reasons. One, because he was dumb enough to pick the 8 am lab. Two, because chemistry was not his strong suit. And three, because he might have a crush on his lab partner.
He’s not sure what made him fall in like for Kuroo. It could have been the science knowledge Kuroo had hidden behind his teasing words. It could have been strictly a physical attraction. It could have even been because of that one time they were working on a blood typing experiment and Kuroo explained everything step by step in layman’s terms because the professor was too confusing. Daichi’s not entirely sure. He just knows he has a crush, and it’s a problem.
In fact, his little crush fiasco was such an issue that it warranted a stress free night, and what’s more stress free than a baseball game? Daichi’s heard great things about his college’s baseball team. A new season for the sport was startling, and he was prepared to support them 100%. He was invited by his roommate Iwaizumi to the first game, and he agreed to be there, especially since Iwaizumi has been to plenty of his football games.
The day of the game, he arrived with his friends and fellow teammates Matsukawa and Ushijima and together the trio grabbed a seat in the stands. They were a bit early, watching the teams warm up a bit, and also watching the stands fill up with other students. “My first baseball game.” Matsukawa began, “I can’t believe I haven’t been to one before, especially when I know at least three of the regular players.” Matsukawa was referring to Iwaizumi, Oikawa and Kyoutani. Daichi knew Mattsun went to high school with the first baseman, the pitcher, and the catcher.
“Do you know anyone on the team Ushijima?” Daichi asked, and Ushijima slowly nodded his head.
“Semi Eita, the left fielder. He’s Tendou’s best friend.”
Daichi looked out at their school’s team, finding the one identified as Semi. “I also know the reserve pitcher, Azumane and the right fielder Tanaka. We went to high school together—oh no.” Daichi’s gaze fell upon his lean string bean of a lab partner, Kuroo.
“What?” Matsukawa asked, turning to follow Daichi’s gaze. “Do you know him too?”
“He’s my lab partner…”
“The one that Moniwa is convinced you have a crush on?” Ushijima questioned, causing Daichi to reach out to cover his mouth.
“Ssh! Someone might hear you!”
“He looks cute! And tall!” Matsukawa complimented, “The baseball uniform really suits him.”
“I’m surprised he got his hair to fit under that cap…” Daichi muttered, “Why did he have to play baseball out of all sports? I came to the game to forget that I have a crush on him.” Daichi pouted.
“Well… it’s not like he knows that you’re here.” Matsukawa pointed out.
“Yo Sawamura! Mattsun!” Iwaizumi called out, waving over at his friends from where he stood with his teammates, all the players just about to huddle together. With flushed cheeks, Daichi lifted his hand to wave back while Matsukawa started cackling. Azumane and Tanaka waved at him too, along with Iwaizumi’s boyfriend Oikawa. Daichi’s eyes immediately went to Kuroo, who looked surprised that he was there, but offered him a small smile anyway, nothing like his usual smirk, which confused Daichi.
"Well...now he does."
Daichi didn’t understand baseball rules all that much (he was the center midfielder for their school’s soccer team for a reason), he did know enough to appreciate how well his school’s team played. Iwaizumi seemed like a great captain, encouraging all his teammates and keeping Oikawa and Kyoutani from arguing on the field. Azumane did great whenever he was put in to relieve Oikawa, and Tanaka was just as energetic on the field as he was off it. The shortstop known as Yaku also seemed to have quite the chemistry with Kuroo, who played third baseman, and that second baseman Bokuto.
As the game continued on, and it was their university’s turn at bat, Daichi found himself cheering on everyone, going wild when Kyoutani hit a homerun, cheering for Iwaizumi when he was able to steal two bases off a single hit, and trying to cheer up Bokuto when he got an out, but was at least able to give Iwaizumi an opportunity to make it to third base. It was Kuroo’s turn at bat, and Daichi found himself chewing on his bottom lip, practically nervous for Kuroo.
Kuroo was definitely attractive as he took his stance, and prepared himself at bat, his fringe poking out from underneath his helmet, making Daichi practically drool. From his seat, he had the perfect vantage point of Kuroo’s back muscles, tensing as he adjusted his grip on his bat. “Keep staring like that, and we’ll soon be swimming in your drool.” Matsukawa teased, elbowing Daichi in the side.
Daichi ignored him, focusing as the opposing team’s pitcher threw the first pitch, Kuroo swinging his bat. “Strike!” The umpire called out, and Daichi pouted.
“Come on, Kuroo…” Daichi encouraged under his breath. He wasn’t sure if his crush was manifesting himself, or if he was rooting for Kuroo out of school spirit and pride. He figured it was probably a mixture of both, though it was easier to blame school spirit as the main cause.
“Relax, Sawamura. I’m sure your friend will do fine at bat.” Ushijima shared.
The words did little to relax him. Daichi couldn’t fully relax until the next pitch was served, and Kuroo was able to hit the ball with enough force to have the basemen scrambling, giving Kuroo plenty of time to make it to first base, and help Iwaizumi make it to home base, gaining a point.
“Yeah, listen to Wakatoshi. Your friend is doing fine, Daichi.”
Of course, their school won, and Daichi waited around with his friends, letting the stands clear out a bit as the baseball team huddled together with their coach. “Daichi! Come here, I want you to meet someone!” Iwaizumi called out from where he stood on the field with some teammates, while others started gathering equipment. Iwaizumi was chatting with Kyoutani at first, so he patted the young catcher on the shoulder, dismissing him, while Daichi walked over with Matsukawa and Ushijima in tow. Iwaizumi gestured to his teammate, “Daichi, this is—”
“Kuroo. We’ve met.” Daichi stated.
“Oh?” Iwaizumi questioned.
“We’re chemistry partners.” Kuroo explained, “Nice of you to come to our game, Sawamura.” Kuroo’s usual smirk was back on his face, and it relieved Daichi somehow.
“You played well!” Daichi complimented, turning to Iwaizumi as an afterthought, “Oh, you too.” Iwaizumi’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the game.” Kuroo remarked.
“Yes, I love baseball.” Daichi commented.
“Since when--”
“These are my football teammates, Matsukawa and Ushijima.” Daichi interrupted, pointing to the two males behind him.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, same. It’s great to put a face to the infamous lab partner that we hear so many stories about.” Matsukawa stated, shaking Kuroo’s hand. Kuroo looked at Daichi, almost asking for an explanation, one that he wouldn’t be getting from Daichi’s mouth.
“So, any plans after such a long game?” Daichi asked.
“We’re all heading to the uni cafeteria for some grub.” Iwaizumi answered, he shared a quick look with Matsukawa, “Why don’t you three join us?”
~~~
When Tetsurou saw Sawamura sitting in the stands, cheering on their school team, he felt an immense amount of pressure. He’s had a crush on Sawamura since their first lab together, when they were paired as partners. Sawamura was attractive, intelligent (though Chemistry was not his expertise), and he didn’t take Kuroo’s teasing lying down. Sawamura wasn’t afraid to fight back, and Kuroo was smitten from Sawamura’s first jab at his hair after Kuroo made a wise crack on his height.
With Sawamura at the game, Tetsurou felt he had to work even harder to impress him, just in case the other was paying attention to his playing. He always gave his all through a game, but this was different. He wanted to appear cool, calm, collected, and skillful. When it was his turn to bat, and he got his first strike, it took a second for him to cool down. He knew everyone was watching him carefully, that Sawamura was watching him, and whether Sawamura liked him the same way or not, Tetsurou didn’t want to let him down. Or to let his team down. As he swung his bat, Tetsurou hoped that this hit would be enough to get him on a base, and get Iwaizumi home. Luckily, it worked out in his favor, and as Tetsurou caught his breath from his quick sprint to first base, he looked out to the stands, catching sight of Sawamura who was smiling and cheering hard for their team. Tetsurou allowed himself the indulgence that Sawamura was cheering for him, and not Iwaizumi making it to home base and securing a point for their team.
After the game, Tetsurou stood with Iwaizumi, complimenting Kyoutani on keeping his cool and playing as well as he always did. His heart stopped a bit when Iwaizumi suddenly called Sawamura over. “Daichi, this is—” Iwaizumi tried to introduce, and Tetsurou was not jealous that he could easily toss out Sawamura’s given name like that.
“Kuroo. We’ve met.” Sawamura stated.
“Oh?” Iwaizumi seemed surprised.
“We’re chemistry partners.” Tetsurou spoke up, turning his attention to Sawamura and hoping that his blush could pass as a result from the sport, “Nice of you to come to our game, Sawamura.” Tetsurou let his smirk fall on his face, a familiar one that always seemed to grace his mouth when he was face-to-face with Sawamura. He watched Sawamura carefully, who seemed to relax once he started talking to him, and Tetsurou wondered why he was tense in the first place. He tried to keep his expression neutral as Sawamura introduced him to Matsukawa and Ushijima, and when Iwaizumi invited Sawamura and crew to eat with them.
After putting up some equipment and changing out of their game clothes, the entire baseball team made their way to the cafeteria. Sawamura and his two teammates had waited patiently for them to finish up. Tetsurou watched as Matsukawa immediately made his way over to Oikawa and Iwaizumi, wedging himself between them to disrupt the hand holding they were about to partake in. He then watched Ushijima make his way over to Semi, and leaving Sawamura alone. First, Tetsurou allowed Sawamura a few minutes to talk to Azumane and Tanaka, thankful when Kamasaki came over to ask Azumane something while Tanaka slipped to Kyoutani’s side. When the coast was clear, and Bokuto was distracted by Inuoka, Tetsurou made his way over to Sawamura. “So…you seem to know a lot of my teammates.” Tetsurou tried to spark conversation.
“Iwaizumi is my roommate, and I went to high school with Asahi and Tanaka." Sawamura looked up at him, chuckling softly, "I didn’t know you played baseball.”
“Just like I didn’t know you played football…then again, sports don’t really come up in chemistry lab.”
“You have a point there.”
“So how come this is my first time seeing you at a game?” Tetsurou asked, not really knowing how to make conversation with Sawamura. It was a lot easier when they were in lab, any small thing could make them go on a tangent. Right now, Tetsurou was too conscious of Sawamura’s presence and it was starting to make him overthink everything.
“Last year, Iwaizumi and I were new roommates, so our relationship was very surface area. I knew he played baseball, he knew I played football, and that was that. Now, he’s definitely a close friend of mine, so coming to the game means a lot more. He’s been to a few of my own games, and now that the season is here, I can reciprocate.” Sawamura rambled on, but Tetsurou understood what he was saying. “You should come to my next one.”
“You mean it? I know nothing about football.”
“Yeah, I’d like for you to be there.” Tetsurou felt his stomach jump.
~~~
Spending time with the baseball team after their win was quite fun for Daichi. He also got to learn more about Kuroo and delve into a conversation that didn’t start based off a misunderstanding with school coursework. Thanks to Kuroo’s friends Yaku and Bokuto, he got to hear embarrassing stories from Kuroo’s middle school and high school days too.
Inviting Kuroo to his next football match was a spur of the moment decision, one that Daichi does not regret, however, with the match fast approaching, Daichi is getting nervous. It did not help that Kuroo also made sure to ask if Daichi was excited for the game every time they saw each other in their lab course.
So when the day finally arrived, Daichi was shaking with nerves, but was able to hide it well. As his team huddled up together on the sidelines, preparing for a quick pep talk from their coach, he did a quick visual search through the stands. Seeing Kuroo sitting along with Iwaizumi, Oikawa and Asahi made his heart stutter. He sent the group a quick wave of acknowledgment before focusing on his coach’s words. It was game time.
Being center midfielder meant that Daichi was constantly moving on the field, whether that be focusing on defense or playing striker and trying to score some long distance shots. Their opposing team was good, kept them on their toes, but it was hard to score a goal with Ushijima as the goalkeeper.
In the end they were superior with a score of 4:3. It was a rough game, and Daichi was exhausted by the end of it, but there was also a lot of adrenaline pumping through his veins.
He met up with his friends and teammates after changing out of his game kit. “Great game!” Iwaizumi called out.
“Thanks, my legs feel like jelly though.” Daichi teased as Asahi complimented him on the goal he was able to score. Daichi thanked him and then turned his attention to Kuroo. “How was your first football game?”
“Quite entertaining.” Kuroo admitted, “Though there were a few moments when I felt like you all weren’t getting anywhere after stealing the ball back and forth from each other for five minutes.”
“That tends to happen a lot, actually.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
“It’s no big deal…you’re welcome to come to the rest of them too.”
“And you’re welcome to come to get some ramen with us! Oikawa’s treat!” Matsukawa joined in, Oikawa protesting loudly in the back.
“Sure.” Kuroo agreed. “I’d love to.”
~~
As Tetsurou walked to the restaurant with Sawamura and their friends, he began to wonder what this meant for his friendship with Sawamura. Was Sawamura dropping hints that he liked Tetsurou more than a friend? Or did he invite all his friends to all the football matches? It was difficult. Tetsurou didn’t feel like he was Sawamura’s type of guy, though it’s not like he asked what Sawamura’s type actually was. He just wanted a clear picture, a definite ‘yes, I like you’ but he didn’t want to just straight up ask.
Tetsurou was used to others leading the progress of a relationship. He was confessed to and he either accepted or rejected the advances. It appears that he needed to be a bit more proactive with this relationship. It was just hard because they haven’t really had time to be alone…because lab doesn’t count. “You okay?” Sawamura questioned, nudging Kuroo with his shoulder.
“Huh? Yeah…yeah… I’m fine.”
“After this meal… do you want to walk home together?” The question definitely caught Tetsurou off guard, but this opportunity was presenting itself. He had to take it.
“Yeah…totally.”
The best way to block out the nerves was to absorb himself into the atmosphere, and it was pretty easy because the football team were a wild bunch and entertaining. Tetsurou could see comparisons in the team compared to his own team. Matsukawa, Moniwa, Ushijima and Sawamura made an odd quad but even Tetsurou could see how much they meant to each other and how all their personalities balanced out together. Tetsurou also found it amazing that Sawamura could polish off two steaming hot bowls of shoyu ramen and still have room for dessert.
They bid farewell to their friends as they all separated to make their way home. “Iwaizumi is heading home with Oikawa, which is partly why I asked you to walk with me.” Sawamura stated, breaking the comfortable silence that fell between them for the past few minutes.
“Partly?”
“Well, that and I did want to hang out with you.”
Tetsurou tried not to blush, and instead went with a different approach, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Do you have a type?”
“Like for relationships?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm… not really. I pay more attention to the personality of someone, and how well we can click. Plus attractiveness is pretty subjective, don’t you think?”
“You have a point there…”
“Do you have a type?”
“…Blondes.”
“Really??”
“No, I’m just kidding.” Tetsurou joked, “I like anyone I can vibe with.”
“I thought you were serious!” Sawamura stated. “I thought maybe you had a thing for Yaku-san or something.” He added on, seeming a bit disheartened?
“Me? No way! The blonde thing was seriously a joke…and I could never date Yakkun of all people… I’m not picky about hair color, though if I was forced to pick a preference I would say brunettes.”
“I may be biased, but that saying ‘blondes have more fun’? Complete bullshit.” Sawamura teased. They shared a laugh, and when Tetsurou looked up, he noticed they were a lot closer to Sawamura’s dorm building than he wanted to be at this moment.
“I like hanging out with you, Sawamura.”
“I like hanging out with you too.”
“We should do this more…like just the two of us.” Tetsurou hinted as they stopped at the front of the building. This would be their goodbye since Tetsurou lived in the building adjacent to Sawamura’s.
“That’d be great. You can text me when you’re free to do something.”
“Actually, I’m free tomorrow night.”
“I am too! Pick me up at six?”
“It’s a date!” Tetsurou said eagerly, before he realized what he actually said, his cheeks flushing bright. Sawamura’s face was a similar shade, and it was creeping down his neck.
“It’s a date… goodnight Kuroo.” Sawamura smiled before quickly entering the building. Tetsurou then promptly dropped down to bury his face into his knees, to hide the huge smile spreading on his face.