Chapter Text
"She's Been Living in Her Uptown World,
bet she's never had a backstreet guy."
Tokyo was a big city. It was full of life, with people constantly hustling and bustling with their own businesses. Kuroo Tetsurou had just found out what it felt like to fall in love that summer. Summer was spent with his pals, having the Fukurodani Academy Training Camp, and they surely were having it at the moment. Usually it was just the three schools associated with Fukurodani Academy who would participate in the training camp, but recently they took in Karasuno High School from Miyagi. Fukurodani was such a big school, and they also offered summer classes for international students who were part of their exchange student program. That was a busy summer for everyone, and the newest batch of the exchange students had recently arrived the very same day of their training camp.
Students were usually given the entire day to be toured around the entire academy, and they’d soon be lead to their dormitories. That was when Kuroo had met you. You were clearly from a different caliber; especially with your foreign features. You brought yourself with so much class and grace, that it was almost terrifying to approach you. He first saw you while you were being given a tour with the rest of the exchange students. Bokuto had explained to him that it was “a thing” their school usually had every summer. Kuroo couldn’t take his eyes off you during that training, maybe it was because you looked different, or it was the air around you that caught his attention.
And then your eyes met his. Such striking (e/c) hues. Kuroo could feel his breath hitch, but you looked away soon enough, continuing to listen to whatever it was the student tour guide had been saying about that building.
Kuroo finds out who you were that night. It seemed that it wasn’t only him who had noticed you, the rest of the guys had also seen you walking around the campus, even after the tour.
“I heard she’s from America.” One of them says as they were gathered in a circle.
“Oh! That’s why she looks like a foreigner!”
“She IS a foreigner. Hinata boke.”
Kuroo listens, of course. He’s interested in finding out more about you, but he didn’t want to make it too obvious. He finds out you were actually from France, and with Hinata’s suggestion for Kenma to look you up, they all found out that you were the daughter of a big shot business man. The only daughter and heiress to the fortune, it seemed.
‘So that’s why she looks like that. Sounds about right for a daddy’s girl.’ Kuroo mused to himself, snickering at his own thoughts.
The rest of the boys continue talking about you when they find your social media. You were an excellent student from an international school, and you were chosen to be one of their exchange students for Fukurodani. Kuroo hated to say how he was a little intimidated with your over-all persona, but he liked a little challenge. He wasn’t exactly going to ask you out, you two barely knew each other, so he counted you off as a summer crush. Someone he’d look forward seeing for the next 3 days.
He steps out of the room, ready to give himself a breather. Nights in Tokyo weren’t usually that hot during the summer, so the breeze was still a bit cold when he stepped outside. Oh, but what surprise he had when he saw you standing by the vending machines. He thought whether or not to approach you, but seeing as you’ve been standing there for longer than a usual person (getting drinks), he does.
“Need some help?” He asks and you whip around, your hair seemingly flying with the wind.
You paused for a moment. “No, I’m quite alright. Thank you.”
Ah. So you do speak Japanese. Kuroo waits for you to move, but all you’ve been doing was staring at the machine. He wondered if you knew how to use those. He steps beside you, and you notice that, getting a little irked about it.
“Which drink do you want?” He asks, staring at the machine, surprisingly not at you.
“I know how to operate this.” Came your short answer, laced with just a little bit of annoyance.
Kuroo chuckles. “I wasn’t asking if you knew how to operate the machine.”
A tinge of red creeps across your cheeks as you turned to look at him. Did he think you were an idiot? He waits for you to answer though, looking at you and raising an eyebrow with an amused smile. You look back at the vending machine, the peach drink catching your attention, so you point at it.
“That one.”
Kuroo was about to press it, but realizes you haven’t placed cash or swiped your card yet.
“Have you paid?” He asks, and you feel for your wallet. Only your credit card and your phone were at hand.
“I only have my card.” You say as you hand it to him. “Does this take cards?”
Kuroo didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at your statement. You were that rich? Kuroo snickers as you look for the card slot.
“I don’t think this takes cards. It just scans.” You say, bending down to look at it closely.
You were surprised to see his hand put in some cash, looking up at him in disbelief. He pressed the button for your drink, and another one for him. The drinks clatter in the silence that had suddenly enveloped the two of you. You stand up when Kuroo takes the drinks, handing you yours.
“Excuse me. I don’t think I asked you to pay for mine.” You say, not really irritated, just taken by surprise that someone had actually paid for you.
“Yeah, well, consider it as Japanese hospitality.” Kuroo responds as he bids you goodnight and walks back to his room, leaving you staring at the peach drink. Not knowing your cheeks were turning pink.
---
The next time Kuroo had seen you, you were alone. While the rest of the exchange students had gone off to their newly found friends, you were sitting alone and looking someplace else. It was break time for them, so he could take that as a chance to continue talking to you. But he found himself staring at you instead, looking at the sky with an admiring look. There was something with the way you looked at the clouds longingly, as if you wanted to be somewhere else other than here.
“Hey bro, watcha lookin’ at?” Bokuto suddenly asks beside Kuroo, who had just recovered from his staring at you.
Bokuto follows his line of sight, and shoots his best friend a teasing smirk.
“Oh~ I see you found yourself a summer crush~” Bokuto teases, knowing all too well that Kuroo had that little habit sometimes. Of course it wasn’t only girls who’d have summer crushes, and besides, he was a guy who needed inspiration once in a while, too. “What, too shy to talk to her?”
Kuroo glares at Bokuto, before walking back inside the gym.
“We’re just busy with practice. I can talk later.”
Oh boy, when he turns around he sees Bokuto had already approached you. The ace had turned to face him, pointing at Kuroo. The cat-eyed captain had immediately rushed to Bokuto, about to drag his best friend back to the gym to give him an earful, but he was surprised to see you with a softer look on your face instead of the scowl you had last night.
“This is Kuroo Tetsurou, (y/n)-Chan. He’s my best friend, captain of Nekoma, and really good at blocking my spikes.” Bokuto introduces Kuroo who’s face had almost turned red. It was a good thing he had very good self-control.
You turn to him, your eyes held a softness he was sure he didn’t see the first time he saw you. Perhaps you settled down to the new environment that night? You looked ethereal under the sunlight, like a walking daydream. The wind blew past you, your hair flowing with it gently, and he caught a whiff of your scent; sweet like strawberries and cream. He watched as you brushed your hair behind your ear, everything was in slow motion for him. How you blinked, how you parted your pink lips to talk—wait. Did you say something?
“Thank you for last night. I’ll be sure to transfer the money to your account. Would it be possible you can give me your details in my phone? I’ll have it wired right away.” You thanked, taking out your phone and handing it to him. You had a tint of pink dusting your cheeks, but you were honest when you told him you’d pay him back.
“Oho~ is this your way of flirting with me?” Kuroo asks with a smirk as he was about to take your phone.
Your face turned red as you immediately took your phone away. Eyebrows furrowed and you stuttered your response. “F-flirting? What would make you think I’d want to flirt around? I’m being honest about paying you back!”
You huffed and faced Bokuto instead, handing him your phone and telling him to drop his account details instead. Bokuto had no problems with that and put everything in your phone, including his number. Unbeknownst to you, he had also put it Kuroo’s number for good measures. You gave Kuroo another glance before walking away, the red on your face slowly fading into a light pink. Kuroo only watches your back in amusement as you turned to the corner and disappeared.
“Hey, bro, tell me I did a good job.” Bokuto said, showing Kuroo two thumbs up, waiting to be praised.
“Bo, you probably gave me zero chances of actually getting to know her.” Kuroo responds as he begins walking back to the gym, hand scratching the back of his head.
“Hey, what do you mean ‘gave you zero chances’? I gave you a chance to speak to her! Plus, I gave her your number too!”
Kuroo stops on his tracks and turns around to see Bokuto frowning. He didn’t think of his best friend being as sneaky as that.
“Bo, I could kiss you right now.”
“Please do!”