Chapter Text
Your first impression of Kuroo was a quiet, shy boy who seemed easy to bully.
You met Kuroo when you visited Kenma for the first time in weeks because you decided to do karate on a whim. You were losing for the umpteenth time against Kenma with his video games. Therefore, you were going to learn karate and beat him in the video game with your newly-profound knowledge, to which the boy convinced you that it did not work that way.
But no.
You were adamant, leaving his room immediately to run to your mom that you were gonna learn karate and that you were never going back to Kenma’s house until you learned enough to beat him.
However, by the time you returned to Kenma, after weeks of learning karate, you had been replaced by some awkward boy with a very bad case of bed hair.
“I’VE BEEN REPLACED? I’M NOT YOUR BEST FRIEND ANYMORE?” You pointed at the newcomer with a flabbergasted look.
Kenma raised an eyebrow over your sudden accusation.“What are you saying? Nobody said that I can’t play with two people at the same time.”
You then learned the newcomer’s name — Kuroo Tetsurou. He recently transferred to your hometown with his dad and grandparents. But it was Kenma who did all the talking, making you wonder why this boy with a bad haircut was so shy.
“Come on, let’s play. I’m gonna show you my skills!” You grinned, your fingers motioning for the controller. Kuroo immediately handed his as you grinned and tried to beat Kenma in this.
The keyword, however, was tried as he ended up winning again.
“I already told you that learning karate in real life won’t help you.” Kenma let out an exasperated sigh, something oddly mature for his age.
But you refused to budge as you played another round. And another. And another until Kenma handed the controller to Kuroo who stayed quiet at the side. You even forgot he was here the whole time.
“Go on. You haven’t played in a while." Kenma stood up from his seat, motioning for Kuroo to move forward so that he could see the screen. Oddly enough, you and Kuroo were on par, but he managed to beat you at the last second, since you were out of practice.
“One more!” You grumbled as he nodded and the two of you restarted the game. Once you finally beat him after a few more rounds, you turned to Kenma with a smirk. “Come on, I’ve gotten the hang of it.”
“We’re supposed to take turns. You’ve been playing for so long now. That’s being selfish."
“You’re so mean, Kenma! I just wanted to play with you after so long and now, you’re mad at me!”
“We can play together, but we all have to take turns. It’s not fair!”
“What’s not fair is that you suddenly replaced me with someone else just because I wanted to beat you in this game!”
“I told you that I didn’t replace you!” Kenma scratched his head, getting annoyed.
Meanwhile, the two of you didn’t notice that Kuroo had slipped out of the room, only to return with a volleyball in his hands.
“W-We won’t have to fight if we play volleyball. We can all play together at the same time,” he murmured, his voice reaching your ears for the first time. His voice was easy on the ears, making you wonder why he was quiet the whole time.
You and Kenma agreed without a second thought as the three of you left his room, looking for a free space where you could play. Being the newcomer, you were taught the rules of the game, its key positions, and the basic skills. They even showed you what a spike was, amazing you with its speed and power.
At the end of the day, you rushed to your mother, asking her to enroll you in volleyball lessons. However, she denied your request.
“My dear, didn’t you promise me that you were going to stick to karate this time?” Your mother smiled at you, but you suddenly felt a chill going down your spine. You suddenly had remembered all the times you wanted to do art lessons, piano lessons, and swimming lessons, only to quit after a month or two.
“B-B-but volleyball’s different! Kenma and Kuroo know how to play it, but I don’t! I don’t want to lose to them!”
“Oh, so they know how to play volleyball? Why don’t you ask them to teach you when you don’t have to attend your karate lessons, alright?” Your mother grinned as you realized that it was the end of the conversation. You frowned, sighing as you regretted your whims from a few weeks ago.
Now, you were going to be the only one who sucked in volleyball.
Gradually, Kuroo went out of his shell, especially when he gained other friends from the volleyball club in school. Meanwhile, you went to a different school as they did, your parents preferring to enroll you in an all-girls elevator school, where you could practice karate, something you flourished in surprisingly.
Contrary to the stereotype, you didn’t grow up becoming awkward with boys, since you still interacted with Kenma and Kuroo on a regular basis. In fact, you would even watch volleyball games with them in Kenma’s room when there was a big game. Sometimes, you’d grumble that it was boring, but they’d annoy you, telling you that you could always go home. Not wanting to be alone and to miss out anything, you’d suck it up.
Fortunately, it was easy to cheer for the Japan team, especially when they were so good. Every now and then, you’d let out a scream whenever they’d hit one for the team after a very long run rally.
“Oho, I thought it was boring?” Kuroo, whose personality had turned a 180 since the first time you met him, found happiness in teasing you. Lately, it seemed to be his favorite habit, much to your displeasure.
“Shut up, Kuroo.”
“That’s Kuroo-san to you. I’m older than you, you know.”
“Kenma calls you ‘Kuroo’ and we have the same age! What makes us different?”
“Kenma and I are friends. Didn’t you say that we aren’t friends, hm?” He smirked, reminding you that you refused to call him your childhood friend. He was harboring such a big grudge against you for this. The only reason why you didn't call him that was because he kept annoying you recently.
“I’m going home!” You stormed out of Kenma’s room as Kuroo laughed at your walk-out. You knew that if you stayed one more minute in that room, you were going to wreak havoc and you would have punched him straight on his smug face.
While you and Kenma argued a lot when you were younger, Kuroo had taken Kenma's place when the three of you reached middle school. Recently, he’s been annoying you so much. In the past, he wasn’t even like this.
It was as if he was taking revenge for that horrible first meeting.
The next time you saw them was a few weeks after you stormed out of Kenma’s room. You never went back for a while because your blood would boil every time you thought about Kuroo. It also just so happened that you had to train harder for a junior competition in the Tokyo area.
Unfortunately, you lost, failing to place or even reach the semifinals. Remembering how hard you’ve worked for it and how a lot of people were counting on you to win, you were so disappointed on yourself for failing so badly. You cried alone on your bed, wrapping yourself with your blanket.
You heard the door open as you heard Kenma’s voice. “It’s me.” You nodded as he placed a plate of apple pie on your desk. He sat down at the side of your bed, patting your head as if to comfort you.
“I heard you fought against someone who was big in stature. Maybe, you should build up on muscle mass next time. I think you’re too thin.”
He was right, actually. The person you faced, even if she was in the same weight division and same age range as you were, was pretty muscular. You, on the other hand, sigh.
“Thank you.”
He patted you twice on your head before standing up and leaving you. Ah, Kenma was really precious. He’s definitely the best childhood friend you could ever ask for. He knew what exactly to tell you in his own Kenma-like way.
You pulled the sheets over your body, wondering if you should just sleep now, so you would feel better tomorrow. Though Kenma comforted you a bit, the stinging pain was still there. Maybe, a good night sleep might help you feel better.
A knock on the door interrupted your thoughts as Kenma’s other neighbor went in. He placed something on your desk, but you didn’t look up to take a glance, preferring to hide underneath your blanket. You sincerely hoped that it wasn’t mackerel, though. Kenma had brought you his favorite food, apple pie, but Kuroo’s favorite food was grilled mackerel. You didn’t want your room to smell like fish.
“Really? Crying because you lost? It’s not like it’s the first time you lost, right?” His annoying voice irked you a lot, but you stayed silent. It was your first loss. “Well, if it makes you feel better, my team lost again. We were up against this team that had a good libero. He was able to return all our spikes.”
That should’ve, at least, comforted you, right? That everybody suffered losses in life. He crossed his fingers.
“Kenma’s better in comforting me.”
Kuroo scratched his head, wondering how he was going to put you back to your usual mood. He hated seeing you like this. “So, what are you gonna do then? Are you gonna mope around just because you lost? Well, it’s not like you enjoyed karate in the first place. You just joined it because you already knew how to do it, right?”
You shoved your blanket down, sitting up annoyed with what he just said. Did he just think you would waste time, effort, and money over something you didn’t like? “Whoever said that I didn’t enjoy karate? Why on Earth would I be playing for 7 years if I didn’t enjoy it? It’s so fun whenever I successfully pull off a kata flawlessly or when I win against a bigger opponent!”
He nearly laughed at the exasperated look on your face, remembering how you used to grumble about karate practices and lessons growing up. “So, if you’re enjoying it, are you just gonna mope now because you lost?”
You stayed silent as he smiling, knowing he had hit a nerve.
“Oh my, I thought you loved challenges. Why are you instantly put off by just 1 loss?”
You still didn’t respond, but he knew that was a good sign. It meant that you were thinking hard about what he said.
“Hmm, wanna spice things up?”
You raised an eyebrow, knowing that nothing ever went right whenever you saw that smirk on his face. “What do you mean?” You asked hesitantly.
“Let’s make bets whenever we have a match or something. If you win a match, you get a favor. Same goes for me.”
“And what could our favors be about?”
“Anything!”
“Anything?”
“As long as it’s not illegal or will cause problems to the people around us.”
You thought about it for a while, wondering what he was going to get out of this. But you realized that even if Kuroo was good, that didn’t mean his teammates were also good. Karate, however, had individual matches, aside from team matches.
In other words, the odds were in your favor.
“Deal.”
Kuroo grinned, happy that you finally went back to the usual bright you. “Well then, just text me if you have a match soon.” He left afterwards, only for you to look at your desk, realizing that he left a slice of your favorite strawberry cake on your desk. You smiled to yourself, immediately digging in without a second thought.
As you had already predicted, the odds were, indeed, in your favor.
Hence, you had a month’s supply of strawberry cake whenever you won a competition. It was like hitting three birds with one stone: you win a tournament, you get strawberry cake, and Kuroo’s wallet was suffering. Nothing made you happier than seeing him groan whenever you showed up with a medal in tow. Fortunately for him, karate competitions took place, at least, once a semester, and you didn’t include promotional exams.
There was one time, however, you didn’t cash in your medal.
You were about to head to his room to gloat when you heard from his grandparents that he was in Kenma’s because Kenma was sick. You rushed to Kenma’s house, hearing from the Kozume matriarch that Kenma was down with fever because he had a grueling day of practice, overexerting himself the day before. You run up to Kenma's room, only to find Kuroo peeping at Kenma through the door.
“This is all your fault!” You pointed at Kuroo as he turned to you, surprised at your sudden accusation. “You know that he doesn’t get a lot of exercise! While it’s good that volleyball keeps him going, it shouldn’t reach the point where he’s vomiting and down with fever!”
“It’s not like I wanted this to happen, okay?” Kuroo scratched his head.
The competition was near and the coach wanted everyone to be in good shape so that they would win. It had been years already since they last entered Nationals. They wanted it to happen so bad. Furthermore, there were rumors that Coach Nekomata was returning to coach them the following year, so they needed to do well to convince him to return.
“Well, you could've prevented Kenma from draining himself too much! You’re a smart guy, right? You could’ve at least checked up on him!”
“The two of are you are so loud.” Kenma interrupts your argument with Kuroo as he opens the door to his room. He looked so tired, a fever patch on his forehead.
“Why are you up? Go to sleep, okay?” You told him, motioning for him to go back inside.
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the one shouting here,” Kuroo murmured as you glared at his direction. He rolled his eyes. “Well then, I should probably go by now. Your other neighbor can watch over you.” He left, feeling a bit sour over what happened. Kenma nods at him before going back inside his room.
“Wait, replace your fever patch. It’s dry and cold now.” You touched the patch on his forehead, realizing that it was time to replace it. He nodded as he lied back on his bed. “You’re not forcing yourself too much, are you?” You asked him.
He sighed, replacing the patch on his forehead. “While it’s not something I love so much, it’s not like I entirely hate it that I would quit on it.”
“You do know I just want you safe and sound, right?”
He nodded at your question. “Thank you,” he smiled as you turned off the lights in his room. You were about to leave when he calls your name one more time, making you stop on your tracks. “Go talk to Kuroo, alright? It’s not his fault.”
You knew Kenma wasn’t the type who could be forced to do something he hated. Nodding, you sighed, knowing that you were at fault this time. You made your way outside the Kozume household, only to find Kuroo lingering by the gates.
“How’s he?” Kuroo asked, a guilty look on his face.
“I think he’ll be better by tomorrow. I had him replace the patch on his forehead before I left.”
“I see.”
“Kuroo.”
“Hm?”
“I’m sorry.”
Kuroo is taken aback for a moment as he smiled for a moment before breaking into a smirk. “Am I hearing you sincerely apologizing for the first time?”
You rolled your eyes, feeling your blood boil yet again. But, you knew you were at fault this time so you were just going to swallow the insult that was about to leave your mouth. You turned around to your house’s direction, leaving him behind.
“Apology accepted, by the way.”
Ah. How you hated that idiot so much.
The first time you saw them in an actual match in high school was when you heard that Kenma was going to play as a regular setter for the first time.
Fortunately, your competition was already over, so you could excuse yourself from practices on that day. You were excited to finally see them in an actual match, as you made your way through the seats that was on Nekoma’s side of the court. You heard it was their second game of the day, but you failed to wake up early and you also got lost on the way to the gym. You didn't bother asking them about the directions since you wanted to surprise Kenma.
Yes, just Kenma.
You saw the team enter the grounds as they started to warm up, doing serves and spikes to start their gears on. Your eyes widened at the sight of Kenma passing a toss to a teammate. He was actually moving! He wasn’t just sitting on the bench and playing a game on the side. He was even talking with his teammates! You recognized some of them from the pictures that Kuroo showed you, but you had yet to meet any of them. You were brought back to reality when you heard girls squealing and shouting a very familiar name.
“Good luck, Kuroo-kun! Kyaaa!”
You blinked for a moment, realizing they were referring to Kuroo Tetsurou who successfully spiked a ball to the other side of the court. Seriously?
“Oh my god, he’s so handsome and hot! Just look at those biceps”
“He looks very mature, right? Isn’t he just in second year?”
“Yes, yes! We can still see him next year!”
“I should apply as Nekoma’s Manager, then! At least, I have a year to get closer to him!”
“That’s not fair, Hanako-chan!”
You cringed, realizing that people actually looked at Kuroo in that way. Was he actually famous in Nekoma? You were in a different high school as they were, so you never knew. But, from the looks of it, Kuroo was someone very desirable to people. It’s not like he was that handsome or that hot. Maybe, he had a few muscles here and there, but not enough to make people swoon, though?
The team was actually doing a good job, their spikes making it through, but for some reason, the other team still managed to stop a few of their spikes. Nekoma’s blocks were also doing great, but some still literally slipped through Kuroo’s fingers. This caused them to lose the game, immediately cutting their chance to make it to the Nationals. Some of their teammates cried as they patted each other, a bit of frustration on their faces for failing to reach their goal of reaching Nationals.
“I heard that the third years were going to retire already. I guess that makes Kuroo the captain now!” You were still eavesdropping from the girls who sat in front of you.
It was not surprising because Kuroo had good leadership skills. He might be sneaky and scheming, but you knew he had a good head on his shoulders. It was easy for him to defuse any tension, even when he was younger.
“Thank you very much!” The team thanked the crowd that supported them as everybody cheered and clapped for the team for their effort. You did the same until you realized that Kuroo noticed you from afar. He sent a very irritating smile to your direction and waved, making the girls in front of you squeal. You knew that he knew that that particular smile irritated you a lot. He then called Kenma’s attention, motioning to your direction. Kenma nodded at you, acknowledging your presence. You smiled and waved at the now-blond setter.
You made your way to them as you gave a hug to Kenma, who was a bit annoyed because of the weather, but still tolerated it because of your history together. “You did so well, Kenma! I’m so proud of you!” You complimented him, narrating the tricks he made during the entire game. He just nodded at every compliment you gave him until you’ve had your own fill of narrating the entire game.
“We still lost, though.”
“Are you kidding me? The fact that you’re actually moving more than you usually did is the biggest surprise of my life!” Kenma frowned, breaking away from the hug, taking out his PSP and walking away, annoyed. You saw his teammates, hovering around him and asking him about you. He introduced you in your behalf, telling them your name, your school, and your relation to him and Kuroo.
“Hello! It’s very nice to meet you all!” You smiled and waved at them as they introduced themselves one by one, giving their names, year, and position. Fortunately, it was easy to recognize them, with Kenma giving you a few anecdotes about his teammates ("I could never understand why Tora's very fired up always." "Fukunaga's usually quiet, but he wouldn't hesitate to throw water on your faces.") and Kuroo showing off pictures once in a while ("Don't you think I look the best in this photo?" "Do you know you're shorter than the shortest guy in our team?").
"Thank you very much for taking care of Kenma. He doesn't socialize a lot, but he's good on the inside." You gave a sincere bow, happy to finally meet the people behind the stories and pictures. At first, you felt left out whenever they'd talk about their teammates, but now, you figured why they enjoyed talking about them.
Kuroo rolled his eyes, walking nearer to you and his teammates. “Don’t get fooled, this girl’s crazy in the ins- OOOF.”
You elbowed Kuroo’s stomach, cutting off whatever he was about to say, as you gave a hearty chuckle, trying to mask the anger that was about to show up on your face. “What are you saying, Kuroo? Do you want to die, you crazy bastard?”
The others took that as a cue to leave, Yaku saying that they should start walking back to their bus. You and Kuroo trailed a bit behind them, walking slowly as he rubbed the stomach that you had elbowed, the pain written on his face. “That actually hurt, you know.”
“I know. I intentionally exerted a lot of effort on that.”
He shakes his head, giving a light chuckle before sighing, realizing the reality before him. “We lost this time. I guess I won’t be getting that Perfume CD then.” You nodded, as he realized something. “Though I don’t think you’re gonna buy me one, because you might cancel it out with the medal you won a few weeks ago.”
You stopped on your tracks as you raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that you did forget to cash in one medal. Ah. The one you forgot because you were angry with him because of what happened to Kenma.
You shook your head to what he said. “I was still gonna buy the CD for you if you actually won. You worked hard for it. It’s not fair to just cancel it out with a medal I earned.”
The two of you stopped walking as the Nekoma bus was already a few steps away. “How are you getting home? I won’t be able to walk with you because we still have to do some post-match evaluation,” he explained with a worried look on his face, hoping that you would understand.
You laughed at his expression. “I know that, you idiot. I play in a sports team, too, you know.”
"Well then, I’ll be on my way. Take care and don't randomly punch people. Message me when you get home, alright?”
You rolled your eyes as you started to walk away from the bus until you realized something very important. A voice in your head told you that you were going to regret if you didn’t do it. You weren't sure why, but you found yourself running back to his bus. You didn't even know why you wanted this, but you knew you just had to tell him.
You needed to tell him.
“Kuroo! I forgot something! I know now what I want!” He stopped on his tracks, turning to you, a surprised look on his face. You didn't even wait for him to say something as you immediately interjected, "I don’t want any female managers for Nekoma when you become captain.”
And there goes Yamamoto’s hopes and dreams.