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The first time Kuroo sees Yachi is at Karasuno’s excursion to Tokyo for the practice matches.
It’s an accident, really. His eyes are scanning the small murder of crows for the power duo but there’s no sign of the scowling setter and his shining spiker. He’s talking with Daichi when he spots a head of blond hair in his peripheral vision. Interesting, he thinks since Tsukki is the only one on the team with such colored hair.
His curiosity gets the better of him when Daichi pauses during his updates to yell at the rambunctious Tanaka and Nishinoya to quiet down since they are in public. Kuroo turns his head towards the distracting person, and he vaguely wonders if the dull throb in his heart is Cupid’s arrow piercing it.
Karasuno’s older manager shields a tiny girl with short blond hair from Yamamoto’s intensity and over-enthusiasm. She’s gaping, eyes wide and curious. Yamamoto sinks to his knees in front of the beautiful girls, face in his hands. He’s probably crying, Kuroo thinks absentmindedly. After all, it’s second nature for Yamamoto to grovel for a girl’s attention.
The tiny blond girl curls herself further into Kiyoko’s side for safety as the two make their way to their lodgings to stow their belongings before joining the rest of the team in the gym. When they pass Kuroo, he notices the tiny blond girl’s side half-ponytail held up with a star hair tie, and he can’t help but think that it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen. It only adds to her air of innocence and youth.
The tiny blond girl glances in Kuroo’s direction, probably from sensing his gaze on her. Her warm, brown eyes look like they’re about to pop out of their sockets as she takes in Kuroo’s appearance, especially the bedhead. He actually thinks it looks half-decent today but he can already read the stereotypical thoughts about him churning in her head. For some reason, it doesn’t sit well with him that the girl’s first impression of him is anything but good. He doesn’t know why he has the urge to smile openly at her, to assure her that he’s not dangerous. And he really wants her to smile back. He wonders what she looks like with a smile on her delicate face.
She doesn’t hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds before she squeaks and hurries after Kiyoko like a duckling after its mother.
She’s like a mouse, Kuroo thinks in amusement. A very cute mouse.
Kuroo may be the cat here, but he sure hopes she can see past that.
***
Kuroo can barely focus on the matches. His eyes keep drifting off to the sides where Karasuno’s two managers stand. Kiyoko has a notebook in her hand as she writes down important data about the team. Every once in a while, she explains something to the tiny blond girl, who nods her head vigorously. Kiyoko continues pointing out moves and plays that Karasuno is currently utilizing against Shinzen to her. The girl’s eyes are wide as she processes all the visual and verbal information. Kuroo wonders if her eyes are normally this big or if she’s always in such a state of wonder. Regardless, it suits her. He finds himself smiling softly which doesn’t go unnoticed by Kenma.
Kuroo feels the cold condensation on the outside of the water bottle press into his arm. He flinches away from the object but the damage is done and the spell is broken. The icy water droplets slide down his heated skin, raising gooseflesh along the way. He whips his head in the direction of his assaulter, ready to chew him out. But when he sees that it’s Kenma, the words die in his mouth.
“You’re being really creepy,” Kenma says in his usual monotone voice. Straight to the point as always, Kuroo sighs internally. “Stop staring and just go talk to her.” Kuroo snatches the water bottle from Kenma’s hand.
“I’m not staring at anyone,” Kuroo mumbles and takes a swig of water in an effort to mask his lie.
Kenma snorts, clearly not buying Kuroo’s bullshit. “Right. And the fond smile on your face is due to the flying receives we now have to do because someone couldn’t block that easy spike.” Kenma wears a pointed look on his face because if there’s anything he hates more than getting his PSP taken away is flying receives.
Kuroo flushes in embarrassment at the accusation and looks away. Kenma isn’t wrong though. He remembers the last match point clearly. He had the spiker marked, he knew where his opponent was going to hit, his arms had been ready, fingers spread wide, to completely shut out the spike but at the last second he noticed the tiny blond girl staring at him with something akin to amazement and…fear?
His concentration shattered along with his block as the spike went between his arms like water through a sieve, cleanly and easily. In the heat of the final set, their formation was disrupted and no one had been behind him to dig the ball. Needless to say, Coach Nekomata verbally sliced him to bits. The old man had picked up on Kuroo’s absent-mindedness and ordered an extra five laps of flying receives for him to do. The team was surprised to see their composed and tactical captain turn into such a blundering mess. Only Kenma picked up on the reason why.
“She probably thinks you're intimidating,” Kenma continues, “And you staring at her like that isn’t going to help matters.” Kuroo knows Kenma is right. Damn it.
Coach Nekomata calls for the team to get ready for their penalty.
“Her name is Yachi Hitoka by the way, and she’s a first year,” Kenma says over a slumped shoulder. “I asked Shouyo.” He sulks off to do his penalty. Kuroo could kiss him for being such a great wingman, but he knows Kenma wouldn’t appreciate such an intimate gesture.
Yachi Hitoka, huh? Kuroo thinks. He sees images of the earth in his mind’s eye when he hears the name. He doesn’t think it’s fitting since she looks more like a celestial object to Kuroo, bright and easily noticeable even amongst the millions of other stars. That’s probably why he can’t take his eyes off of her.
He catches Coach Nekomata’s piercing gaze on him and hurries off to do the flying receives, plus five.
***
Kuroo and Kenma are walking leisurely in the cafeteria to get their lunch. Kenma plays on his PSP as Kuroo talks about anything but Yachi, still a bit embarrassed that his best friend read his crush on the cute first year so easily. Maybe he figured it out because they were best friends? Either way, Kuroo is glad no one else on the team knows. He had made it quite public when bickering with Yaku during their first year that he was into girls with long hair. The last thing he needed was the endless teasing that followed matters such as these. (Yaku above everyone else would never let Kuroo hear the end of it, the little shit.) He knows it was a shallow thing to say and at that time he just wanted to piss off Yaku by disagreeing with him. His crush on Yachi was testament that he didn’t care about silly things such as the length of someone’s hair.
“Hey Kuroo, look at this,” Kenma interrupts Kuroo’s pointless talk to show Kuroo something in the game he’s playing.
Kuroo leans down a bit to get a better look, and he thinks Kenma is also about to huddle closer too. Instead, the pudding head pushes him hard sideways and straight into another oncoming soul. The only sound heard for a few seconds are the dishes and silverware hitting the floor in a series of harsh clinks.
The miso soup drenches Kuroo’s black shirt and sticks to his abdomen. It’s hot and he hisses through his teeth from the burning pain. That’s not the only thing though. The tofu bounces off his shoes and onto the floor in sorry lumps and the white grains of rice follow. Some of the rice fixes on his wet shirt along with the clumpy potato salad. Kuroo can feel the starchy mess stain his skin through the material, and he doesn’t hide the disgust on his face. The soup is now steadily dripping down his shirt and soaking into his red Nekoma sweatpants.
Kuroo seethes. He’s going to kill Kenma. Fuck the years of friendship. Kenma is done for.
“Oh sorry, Kuroo.” Kenma doesn’t look or sound the least bit sorry with his head still bowed over the game. “I guess I underestimated the distance between us and the strength I possessed.” He saunters off before Kuroo can wring his neck.
“I—I’m so so—sorry!” A small, terrified voice breaks through his wall of rage. He looks down and wow she’s much shorter than he’d guessed earlier. Standing across from him now, Yachi doesn't even reach his shoulders. She has to crane her neck to look at Kuroo.
Yachi’s face is red, and her eyes are filling rapidly with tears. The empty tray in her hands is shaking. In fact, her whole body is shaking. Kuroo feels his anger dissolve when he sees Yachi's scared expression. He relaxes the scowl on his face and tries to offer a comforting smile. It has the opposite effect though, and Yachi takes a small step back, a single tear sliding down her face. It doesn’t take long for another to follow.
“Hey, hey, it’s ok!” Kuroo blurts out quickly, panicking. He holds his hands out in a weird peace offering.
Yachi seems to not have heard him because she’s still shaking. “I’m so, so sorry,” she repeats, sniffling. Kuroo wants to hug her. He wanted to see her smile, not cry!
Yachi’s protector, Kiyoko, is by her side immediately, followed closely by Daichi and Suga. The rest of the cafeteria is also staring at them curiously. Kuroo just hopes no one thinks he did this on purpose. Kiyoko puts an arm around Yachi’s shoulders and that seems to calm the tremors wracking her small body.
“What happened?” Daichi asks.
“Uh—,” Kuroo begins, but Yachi cuts him off.
“I’m so sorry!”
Kuroo hopes he didn’t break her. That would be a shame.
“It was my fault, Sawamura,” Kuroo continues. He doesn’t bring up the fact that it was actually Kenma who pushed him. Kuroo’s hoping this act of kindness (i.e. not ratting on Kenma and letting him keep his pudding head on his shoulders) will somehow benefit him in the future. That’s how karma worked, right?
“I wasn’t paying attention, and I accidentally collided with your manager.” He looks at Yachi and bows, grimacing from the disgusting feeling of the sticky and now-cooling shirt riding higher up his stomach. “I should be the one who’s sorry.” When he straightens back up, Yachi’s expression is flabbergasted. At least she’s stopped crying. It makes Kuroo want to crack a smile.
“No, it was my fault too! I wasn’t paying attention either,” she agrees and bows as well.
“Well, no matter,” Daichi says, “At least no one got hurt. Let’s just get this mess cleaned up.” He claps Kuroo on the shoulder and starts walking towards the storage closet, but Kuroo stops him.
“Sawamura, it’s fine. I’ve got it. Why don’t you guys go back to eating lunch?” It really didn’t make any sense for all of them to help since most of the mess had ended up on him anyway.
Daichi’s brows furrow. “Are you sure? It’ll take less time if all of us help.”
“I’ll help him,” Yachi pipes up. “I would hate for you all to miss lunch over something that’s our fault.”
Kuroo nods in agreement.
Daichi seems conflicted, and Suga and Kiyoko wait for his verdict. Eventually, he sighs and gives in to Kuroo and Yachi’s wishes.
“Um, excuse me…?” Yachi’s shy voice calls out to Kuroo.
He gives her a pleasant smile, hoping to lessen her anxiety. “Kuroo Tetsurou.” He extends his (thankfully clean) hand.
Kuroo is entranced by the light blush that dusts her cheeks. He thinks he stares a little too long (maybe Kenma was right, he is a creep) because Yachi ducks her head bashfully. She still politely shakes his hand though, and Kuroo thinks he’ll never forget this moment. Her hand is warm and oh so small against his. He completely engulfs it without even meaning to, and she doesn’t have a chance to squeeze back. It’s also a bit clammy, but Kuroo didn’t expect anything less from this skittish creature. Even though Kuroo doesn’t want to, he lets go of her hand after an acceptable period of time. He thinks he’s been weird enough for today without adding the excessive touching to the mix.
Yachi peeks at Kuroo through her golden bangs, and Kuroo wonders if she’s being this cute on purpose. He doubts it. Even though he hasn’t interacted with her until now, he knows that being cute is as much a part of Yachi as the bones that make up Kuroo’s body. It doesn’t stop his heart from thumping any less though.
“Kuroo-san,” she begins and fuck Kuroo loves the way his name sounds on her lips, “You can go ahead and change. I’ll just clean up by myself. It’s the least I can do for messing up your clothes.” Her eyes rake over Kuroo’s filthy shirt and her frown deepens.
Kuroo looks at her in a way that would definitely get him endless teasing remarks from his teammates. “It’s ok, Yachi-san. I’ll go change after I’ve helped you.”
Her eyes widen. “How—how do you know my name?” She asks innocently.
Kuroo panics and kicks himself internally. So much for not being creepy. “Uh—I—uh heard Chibi-chan calling you that once.”
“Chibi-chan?” She cocks her head slightly, eyes blinking in confusion, and Kuroo wants to groan because that is just too fucking cute. He’s eighteen and definitely does not have heart problems but now he’s beginning to think he just may have arrhythmia.
“Oh—uh that’s what I call Hinata.” Kuroo rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.
Yachi whispers an “Ohh” and fortunately buys the earlier lie as the two pick up the fallen dishes and set them back on the tray. They drop them off in the sink to be cleaned later. Kuroo wipes as much of the food off his shirt as possible before they make their way to the storage closet. He insists on filling and carrying the bucket of water while Yachi handles the mop and napkins.
The two work in silence but Kuroo’s itching to talk to her, to get to know her. After a short inner battle, he gives into his desire. “You must be new to the club, right? I don’t remember seeing you the last time Karasuno came to Tokyo for practice matches.”
Yachi’s hair bounces as she nods her head vigorously. Her eyes are bright and this is the first time Kuroo has seen them so alive. “Yes, I finally committed to it just last week!” She turns her head and looks at her teammates sitting together for lunch. There’s a small smile gracing her pink lips as she observes everyone. Hinata and Kageyama are competing to see who could shovel as much food into their mouths as possible and Tanaka and Nishinoya seem to be timing them. Tsukki looks disgusted and is trying to scoot as far away from the wildlings as possible while Yamaguchi laughs at their crazy antics. Suga is trying to convince the power duo to not inhale their food, and Asahi is holding Daichi back away from smacking them all in the back of the head. Ennoshita, Narita, Kinoshita and Kiyoko are doing their own thing, knowing better than to get involved.
“I wasn’t sure in the beginning about becoming a manager because I knew nothing about volleyball,” Yachi confesses. “It didn’t make sense to be part of something I couldn’t give my all to. I felt like I’d hold everyone back. But now—now I’m glad I took the leap of faith and joined the team. Everyone has been so kind to me, and I’m learning all sorts of new things every day. It’s a great honor.”
A look of horror passes over face after she realizes what she’s just said to a person she hardly even knows. “S—sorry! I didn’t mean to sound so sentimental!” She claps her hands over her mouth and the blush is back, a bit darker than before.
Kuroo chuckles. “It’s ok, Yachi-san. I’m glad you joined the club too,” he admits, and his cheeks begin to feel hot from the sudden confession. He prays she doesn’t notice.
Yachi’s hands drop limply by her sides in surprise but before she can ask Kuroo the meaning behind his words, he finishes the last bit of mopping.
“Well, I guess we’re all done here. I’m gonna go change now. Why don’t you go eat?” He takes the bucket and mop and hurries off to clean them and put them back. “Thank you for your help,” Kuroo calls over his shoulder as an afterthought. He gives her what he hopes is a charming smile, and Yachi is stunned into silence.
When Kuroo returns to the cafeteria after a quick shower and in a fresh change of clothes, the place is almost empty. The food too is all gone. This is what happens when so many teenage boys (and athletes no less) gather after lots of intense practice matches. Kuroo wishes he made his tray of food before going to change but it’s too late now. He’s going to have to buy something from the vending machine and hope that dinnertime arrives quickly.
Kenma waves Kuroo over once he sees him. Curious, Kuroo goes to him and notices Kenma’s untouched tray of food while his PSP lies on the side, game paused. Kuroo is about chastise Kenma for not eating after burning so many calories, but the setter beats him to it.
“Yachi-san made a tray of food for you after you left. She said there might not be any left once you came back and she was right.” Kenma’s cat-like eyes blink up at him slowly. “You’re welcome by the way.” He goes back to playing his game with a small smirk on his face.
Kuroo groans but sits down next to his best friend anyway. He knows what Kenma is referring to but he’ll never admit that Kenma’s plan actually worked in Kuroo’s favor. And people call him the scheming captain. Yeah, right.
“Whatever,” Kuroo ends up saying. Instead, he focuses on the food in front of him and thinks about Yachi making this tray with thoughts of just him running through her mind. Kuroo’s heart flutters in his chest like the wings of a butterfly that’s just broken from its chrysalis. But it’s not a bad feeling at all.
***
When Karasuno’s getting ready to leave later in the evening, Yachi comes up to Kuroo shyly and once again he’s reminded of a mouse. She’s wringing her hands together nervously as she apologizes and bows to Kuroo for the umpteenth time. Kuroo waves it off nonchalantly and insists that she never apologize for the accident (that wasn’t even her fault to begin with) again.
Yachi leaves with relief in her brown eyes and a sparkling smile that Kuroo wishes he could take a picture of. Her demeanor is much more relaxed than when she first encountered Kuroo, and he feels like he’s on cloud nine despite the fact that it will be a while until he sees her again.
He’s still waving at the back of the bus like an idiot when Kenma comes to stand next to him. “I’m still waiting for my thank you,” he says cheekily.
“You’ll never get it,” Kuroo retorts but there’s hardly any bite to it. It doesn’t help that he can’t stop smiling. He’s itching to tell Bokuto about the girl who stole his heart.
***
It’s here. The summer training camp at Shinzen High School is finally here.
Kuroo hadn’t slept a wink the night before because he was so excited to see Yachi again. The time between their last meeting and now had been hell for Kuroo. He constantly found himself thinking about Yachi. What was she doing? How was she faring as club manager? Did she think about him or even remember him? And the worst yet: did she have a boyfriend? With her adorable face and amiable personality, Kuroo had no doubt that guys weren’t vying for her attention. In the beginning, he had a sinking feeling that Yachi and Hinata had a thing between them but Kenma quickly squashed that idea.
“Can you text Chibi-chan and ask him how Yachi-san is doing?” Kuroo had asked Kenma for the hundredth time. The request was always accompanied with a bribe in the form of a video game or apple pie. That day it had been apple pie because Kuroo’s supply of cash had quickly depleted with the amount of games he’d bought Kenma.
Kenma had scowled at him. “No. If you want to know how she’s doing, ask Yachi-san for her number yourself. Shouyo thinks I have a thing for her with the amount of time I’ve asked him about her well-being, and he won’t stop teasing me about it.” Kenma hid behind his hair and spoke so low that Kuroo had to strain his ears to listen. “He thinks we’d make a cute couple and wants to help set us up.”
Kuroo was more surprised than jealous. “Wait,” he began, excitement coloring his voice, “Yachi-san and Chibi-chan aren’t going out?”
Kenma had looked at him with amused golden eyes. “I can see why you’d think that but no, they aren’t going out. They’re just good friends. Besides, Shouyo is already seeing someone else.”
Kuroo had been over the moon when he found out. He had a chance!
“But that just means her boyfriend isn’t Shouyo. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend outside the volleyball club,” Kenma had inputted, logical as always.
And just like that, Kuroo was yanked back down to earth. He glared at Kenma.
“What?” Kenma had asked, eyes blinking innocently. “I’m only being a good friend and preparing you for the worst.”
Kuroo hated to admit it, but Kenma was right. It didn’t mean it hurt any less though. This is why he much preferred talking with Bokuto about his love life (or lack thereof at the moment).
Speaking of Bokuto, the captain of Fukurodani was probably the only one as excited to see Yachi as Kuroo. He wanted to congratulate the girl who’d finally succeeded in claiming the heart of his best bro. Kuroo knew he couldn’t keep his crush on Yachi hidden from Bokuto. He just hoped he made the right decision about telling him. When curious and excited, Bokuto could be quite frightening and overwhelming. Kuroo knew Yachi’s timid personality, and he didn’t want Bokuto to scare her away.
Bokuto throws his arm around Kuroo’s neck and sags against his side. Kuroo stumbles a bit from the added weight but doesn’t pull away from him.
“Brooo!” Bokuto whines loudly in Kuroo’s ear and Kuroo doesn’t even swat him away. Sometimes Bokuto can be as annoying as a gnat but right now Kuroo is in too much of a good mood to care. “When are they gonna get here? I’m dying to see her!”
“I just got a text from Sawamura, and he said they’ll be here soon,” Kuroo says to placate the owl lookalike.
They end up readying the entire gym and the crows still have yet to arrive. With nothing else to do, Kuroo and Yaku instruct Lev on how to perfect his receives when Bokuto comes bounding with a water bottle in hand and sprays it directly in Kuroo’s face. He runs off howling with laughter. Besides Kuroo, the rest of team also giggles.
It’s so sudden and unexpected (even for Bokuto) that Kuroo just stands there for a few seconds with wet hair plastered to his face and water dripping down his neck. When he finally comes to his senses, he rakes back the hair he actually spent time styling today (it may or may not be to look good for Yachi) and runs after Bokuto, who’s now making silly faces over his shoulder at Kuroo.
“Bokuto, you bastard!” He yells and his long legs catch up to Bokuto in no time. Between the two of them, Kuroo had always been the faster sprinter.
Kuroo puts Bokuto into a headlock, but the latter is unaffected. He’s shaking so much from the laughter that Kuroo has a hard time getting a good grip around him. He gets a good hair tug in nonetheless, and Bokuto half-winces, half-giggles.
“Why the fuck did you do that?” Kuroo demands with his arm still around Bokuto’s neck.
Bokuto’s eyes glitter like antique jewelry. “I just have too much pent up excitement!”
“So you thought it was a good idea to take it out on me?” Kuroo asks, punctuating every word by tightening his hold.
Bokuto grins widely and wraps his arms around Kuroo’s middle. “Well it is your fault, after all. I can’t wait to see—.”
He stops suddenly, body going slack when his eyes land at the entrance of the gym.
He untangles from Kuroo without much difficulty and shouts at the congregation dressed in black tracksuits. “Hey, hey, hey!”
The whole gym turns to see an overly energetic 6’1” giant race towards the team from Miyagi, but more specifically towards the tiny blond girl who’s flanked by Kiyoko and Hinata.
Kuroo notices the exact moment Yachi also realizes this fact. Her curious eyes lose their gleam, and Kuroo thinks she’s probably seeing her short life flash before her eyes. Fear screams from every crease on her face, and she grabs onto the back of Hinata’s jacket, trying to melt against him. Honestly, Hinata looks just as scared and is also looking for someone to hide behind. His eyes land briefly on Kageyama before flitting away as if burned.
They’re just friends, they’re just friends, they’re just friends, Kuroo repeats to himself when he notices the close contact between Yachi and Hinata. Kenma said so himself.
He still can’t stop the tendrils of jealousy blooming in his heart though. But right now he has bigger fish to fry, or more accurately owl because he is going to kill Bokuto after this. Bokuto practically pushes Hinata aside like a rag doll in his frenzy to get to Yachi. She pales and backs up involuntarily.
“You’re Yachi Hitoka right?” Bokuto says with no regard for personal space whatsoever as he leans right into Yachi’s face. Kuroo is afraid her spine will snap like a twig if she bends back anymore.
Yachi splutters. “Uh—uh y—yes?” Kuroo can practically see the sweat trickling down the sides of her face.
Bokuto’s face splits into a grin. For someone like Kuroo, it’s a completely normal expression on Bokuto. In fact, it’s one of his much tamer ones. However, Kuroo can see Yachi’s anxiety grow as her eyes dart around, probably wondering how fast she can run back to Miyagi.
“Kuroo’s told me so much about you!” Bokuto exclaims. “But you’re definitely much cuter than he described!” Yachi’s eyes grow wider, if that’s possible, and they accidentally land on Kuroo. If she wasn’t flustered and red before, she definitely is now. Karasuno’s members look curiously at the exchange.
The blood runs cold in Kuroo’s veins, and he rushes to the duo, oblivious to the state of his wet hair and shirt. (Why is that whenever he’s around Yachi, his clothes are a mess?) He knew he shouldn’t have told that dumb owl about his crush! Kuroo thinks it would be too traumatizing for Yachi if he murdered Bokuto in front of her. She’s too pure to witness such violence. He’ll drag Bokuto behind the gym and do the dirty deed there.
He mercilessly slaps the back of Bokuto’s head for now and hauls him away from Yachi. “Bokuto, you dumbass, you’re scaring her!” Kuroo seethes, wondering where Bokuto’s babysitter, Akaashi, was at a critical time like this. Bokuto whines at the harsh treatment but puts a safe distance between himself and Yachi.
“Kuroo-san—,” Yachi begins but Kuroo cuts her off, hoping to salvage the little dignity he still had left.
“Ah, Yachi-san! Sorry about that. Bokuto, here, doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he shoots his friend a glare to shut him up when he thinks Bokuto is about to open his mouth to spew some more secrets.
Yachi looks dejected, but Kuroo is too busy being weary of Bokuto to notice. “Oh ok, Kuroo-san.”
She smiles then, and Kuroo definitely notices that if the sudden hammering of his heart is anything to go by. “How are you?”
He’s about to answer when Bokuto beats him to it. “Oh he’s much better now that you’re he—.” Kuroo claps a hand over Bokuto’s mouth to stop the word vomit, and he wonders what heinous crime he did in his past life to deserve such an awful friend. The tips of his ears feel hot.
“I’m good,” he says much too quickly, “Really good. And you?”
Yachi beams as she answers Kuroo. He feels Bokuto’s mouth drop open in surprise behind his hand at seeing this new side of her. His moist breath coats Kuroo’s hand, but Kuroo is too distracted by Yachi to be disgusted. Kuroo isn’t even mad at Bokuto for ogling her because he understands. Yachi draws people to her without even trying. She’s like a single, shining star in the dark desert sky; the only companion for the lost and lonely. She doesn’t know her own value, but someone gazing at her can definitely recognize her rareness.
They barely get a chance to catch up before the coaches are on their asses about stretching and starting what they came to Saitama for: the practice matches.
Shinzen’s gym is large enough to easily house two volleyball courts side by side. On one court, Karasuno plays against Fukurodani while on the other Nekoma plays against Shinzen. Ubugawa waits patiently for their turn and observes the four teams closely.
It only takes a few wandering glances while Kuroo is playing to notice that Karasuno is doing exceptionally bad compared to the last time he saw them. The team is in disarray and it looks like the short middle blocker and the brooding setter aren’t getting along, even less so than usual. Kuroo wonders what happened to the budding team but doesn’t let it distract him too much. The last thing he needs is a repeat of what happened in Tokyo.
Shinzen’s synchronized attacks are better than ever but no match for Nekoma’s solid defense and within no time, Nekoma is victorious. Kuroo is glad because now the penalties consist of ten laps up and down what the students at Shinzen call “Suicide Hill”. He feels infinitely sorry for Shinzen and Karasuno (whose crushing defeat was a surprise to no one), but he thinks, Better them than me.
Kuroo is resting before they play against Fukurodani, and his eyes seek out Yachi, much like a plant seeking sunlight. They aren’t playing right now so it’s ok for him to be distracted, he reasons. He finally spots her and she’s struggling with the many water bottles in her arms. She wobbles as she walks to the back doors of the gym, waiting for her team to finish their penalty so she can rehydrate them.
Kuroo thinks this is it, this is his chance to help her out and showcase his caring nature. He wipes the last bit of sweat from his face with a towel and fluffs his hair. He blows his breath into a cupped hand to check the smell. It’s not as fresh as he would like it, but it’ll have to do. On the court beside him, Ubugawa practices their deadly serves, and Kuroo is careful to stay as far away as possible. One hit, and he’s sure a concussion would likely follow.
“Yachi-san!” Kuroo calls her, and Yachi jumps a little from the sudden mention of her name. She smiles when she notices that it’s just Kuroo, and for a moment, she’s completely oblivious to her surroundings as she walks in his direction.
But a moment is all that’s needed.
Kuroo watches in horror as a volleyball from a poorly aimed serve by a player from Ubugawa cannons straight at Yachi. He hears a player distantly yell Watch out! Yachi freezes in terror at the sight suddenly before her. Her eyes squeeze tightly shut, shoulders squaring and bracing for the impact. Kuroo’s feet lurch into motion as he runs the short distance and places himself in front of Yachi, arms forming a cage around her. The volleyball hits him hard on the back of the head, and the momentum causes him to stumble into Yachi’s cowering figure.
Yachi opens her eyes in confusion, wondering why there is no pain. Instead, she looks up to see a grimace on Kuroo’s face. The realization dawns on Yachi.
“Oh my God, Kuroo-san, are you ok?” Yachi’s voice raises in pitch the more she speaks. She’s hesitant to touch him, probably not wanting to make matters worse.
The rest of the people in the gym rush over to them before Kuroo can assure Yachi that he is alright, even though it hurt like a bitch. But, hey better him than Yachi, he thinks. The player from Ubugawa who botched up the serve apologizes to Kuroo profusely, bowing the entire time.
“Make way!” Coach Nekomata’s voice cuts through the small crowd around Kuroo and Yachi. Everyone parts to let the old coach through.
“Are you ok?” he asks.
Kuroo nods out of habit which probably wasn’t such a good idea. A sharp pain flares up at the point of impact and spreads all across his skull. He tries to hide the wince, but Nekomata’s sharp eyes zero in on it. He crooks a finger, and Kuroo’s bends down to his level. Nekomata’s old eyes, framed by crow’s feet, bore into his as he discerns Kuroo’s physical state.
“What’s your name, and where are you?”
Kuroo groans internally. This is so embarrassing! He does not have a concussion. “Coach, I’m fine, seriously! It was just a little hit—.”
But Nekomata leaves no room for argument. “What is your name, and where are you?” He repeats, voice clipped.
Kuroo sighs and resists the urge to roll his eyes, “My name is Kuroo Tetsurou, and we are currently at Shinzen High School in Saitama for the summer training camp.” But he doesn’t stop there as the smartass part of his personality takes over. “My birthday is on November seventeenth, and my best friend is Kenma. Your name is Nekomata Yasufumi, and you’ve been the coach of Nekoma since before I was even born—probably before even Naoi-san was born actually…”
Nekomata cuts Kuroo off by flicking him on the forehead, but he’s smiling.
“Ouch!” Kuroo cries out and rubs the sore spot. The entire gym collectively lets out the breath they're holding and disperse.
“Naoi has some ice packs. You’ll sit out for at least the first set against Fukurodani,” Nekomata tells Kuroo. Kuroo doesn’t even bother arguing this time and goes to sit by the sidelines.
Naoi comes over to him, an ice pack already in hand. “That was pretty impressive, Kuroo.” His words sound genuine, but his eyes twinkle mischievously.
Kuroo plucks the ice pack from Naoi’s hands and applies it to the steadily raising bump on the back of his head. “Thank you, Naoi-san.” It comes out as a hiss as the coldness from the object finally seeps into his scalp. He closes his eyes, trying to get used to the feeling.
Naoi chuckles. “Rest up,” he says before leaving to tend to the rest of the team.
A few moments later, Kuroo hears light footsteps approach him. He cracks an eye open and sees Yachi standing before him, hands clasped behind her back. Her eyebrows are furrowed in concern and Kuroo forgets about his pain instantly. She sits on her knees before Kuroo, and he gulps because they’ve never been this close before. The ice pack lays forgotten next to them, quickly melting from the heat radiating off of the gym floor.
“Kuroo-san, are you ok?” Yachi asks. Her voice trembles slightly and Kuroo wonders why. He does know one thing for sure though: he doesn’t like it.
He puts all the sincerity into his smile as he answers her. “Of course, Yachi-san. I’m a lot better knowing that you didn’t get hurt.”
She looks away with a frown. “But you could’ve gotten seriously hurt. You’re the captain, and an important asset to your team. I always end up getting in your way and hurting you.” She scoots back a little before fully prostrating before Kuroo. “I’m so, so sorry, Kuroo-san,” she hiccups.
Kuroo is slack jawed. Yachi never fails to surprise him, which is probably why he likes her this much in the first place. Right now though, he really didn’t want to see her in this position.
“Yachi-san, there’s no need to apologize, so please stand up,” Kuroo practically begs her. She doesn’t budge though, and Kuroo sighs. He raises her by the shoulders so they can finally reestablish eye contact. Kuroo doesn’t let go of his hold lest Yachi sinks again. Yachi’s eyes are shining with unshed tears, and Kuroo’s heart aches at the sight. Why does he always make her cry?
“Yachi-san,” Kuroo makes sure his tone isn’t too harsh because Yachi isn’t used to his quirks yet. But he knows he must say this to Yachi if their relationship is to ever progress. “Please stop apologizing for something that isn’t your fault. I could never forgive myself if I was able to keep you from getting hurt but didn’t.” Yachi’s eyes go wide and her mouth drops a little, but Kuroo continues, “And I’m not just saying I’m alright to make you feel better. I seriously am alright. Small things like this happen all the time in volleyball. I’m a lot stronger than you think.” He cracks a smile and finally, finally Yachi does the same.
She blinks away the tears and shifts a little closer to Kuroo. He tries to keep his breathing under control when Yachi’s hand reaches behind him to tentatively part his hair and touch his scalp.
“Is this the spot where you got hit?” She asks, concentration clear in her brown eyes.
All Kuroo can do is nod because he knows his mouth will betray him if he uses it. She massages the spot gently and honestly the pain is the last thing on Kuroo’s mind. His skin is hyper aware from the contact and all the little hairs on his body rise from their pleasant slumber. The pain dissipates as the warmth from Yachi’s fingers works its magic. Kuroo commits this interaction to memory. There is no way he’s forgetting this, ever. His eyes flutter close, and he almost purrs when Yachi’s curious fingers thread through his locks. He absolutely loves it when someone runs a hand through his wild hair. Kuroo tries to get Kenma to do it all the time, but he always evades the task, the lazy rascal.
Speaking of the devil…
“Um, Kuroo? We’re done with the first set, and Coach Nekomata wants you back in the game.”
Kenma’s monotone voice rings between Kuroo and Yachi, wrenching them out of their private moment. Yachi seems to have finally realized what she’s doing and jerks her hand back. Her shocked expression would have been comical if Kuroo wasn’t mirroring it. But Kuroo misses the soft touch and wants to guide Yachi’s hand right back, spectators be damned.
“I—I didn’t mean to touch you like that!” Yachi flounders.
“It’s ok,” Kuroo says a little too breathily, “I actually liked it.” He blushes to the tips of his toes as soon as he finishes the sentence. Did he really just say that out loud? Kuroo face-palms internally and wishes for sweet, sweet death. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Kenma snicker into his shoulder. Great, now he’ll be teased for all of eternity.
He stands to leave before he can dig himself into a deeper grave, and Yachi does the same. They part ways but not before Yachi mutters a quick, “Feel better, Kuroo-san!” Kuroo watches her scamper off and sighs forlornly.
“I’m totally fucked aren’t I?” He asks Kenma.
“More than you think,” Kenma replies and Kuroo doesn’t even have to look at him to know he’s smirking.
Nekoma ends up losing the match against Fukurodani, and once again Coach Nekomata forces an extra set of penalties on Kuroo because he “couldn’t get his head out of his ass”.
“Aww, don’t worry Kuroo,” Kenma says, pretending to sympathize as they get ready to sprint up Suicide Hill, “You’ll actually like it.”
The entire gym can hear Kuroo’s yells as he chases after Kenma.
***
Kuroo stares at his reflection. His hands grip the sink tightly, knuckles turning white. The sweat on his brow glistens in what little light there is. He takes a deep breath and mentally prepares himself before he goes back outside and faces Yachi.
“You’re gonna be fine,” he whispers to himself. “You’re Kuroo fucking Tetsurou, cool as a cucumber. People get flustered around you, not the other way around. Just do it real fast. Just do it as if you were ripping off a bandaid.” He fixes his hair (or attempts to anyway) before leaving the bathroom. You can do it, you can do it, you can do it, Kuroo keeps chanting in his head to maintain the little confidence he has mustered. Kuroo’s going to do it alright! He’s going to get Yachi’s number one way or another!
(Unless she doesn’t want to give it to him. Then, he’ll just buy a carton of ice cream and bemoan his unrequited first love to Kenma.)
Kuroo makes his way outside where the coaches have held the barbeque for all the teams. The air smells like the perfect combination of cooked meat and spices, but Kuroo’s stomach is queasy, knowing full well what’s at stake. His mouth seems to have missed the memo though as it salivates. His team calls him over to their grill which is still laden with plenty of meat, but he waves them off. He needs to do this first otherwise he won’t be able to keep anything in his stomach.
When he spots the characteristic golden blond hair, he nearly laughs.
Even from this distance Kuroo can see the drool glistening on Yachi’s lips. Her nose sniffs desperately in the direction of the food as her chopsticks click at the empty air. Yachi looks lost and deathly afraid as the giant guys from Ubugawa surround her. She looks like a cornered mouse in a jungle full of jaguars, expecting to be devoured. Except the guys from Ubugawa have no such intentions.
When Kuroo gets closer, he hears Yachi cry, “I promise I don’t taste good!”
She clutches her empty plate like a protective breastplate against her. The next thing Kuroo knows, Yachi takes a very charred piece of meat and stuffs it in her mouth. He sees her expression morph to one of absolute horror as she does her best not to barf. She chews and grimaces, eyes watering. Kuroo takes pity on her and picks up a cup of water, unable to contain his laughter as he makes his way to Yachi’s hunched figure.
Kuroo taps her on the shoulder and Yachi’s eyes flood with gratitude when Kuroo offers her the water. While she downs it, Kuroo makes her a proper plate of food, filled with the most succulent of meat. He tops it off with a few onigiris and hands the plate to a much relieved Yachi.
“I guess I owe you for making me a tray of lunch back in Tokyo.” Kuroo scratches the back of his neck shyly.
Yachi smiles so brightly that the sun pales in comparison. “Thank you, Kuroo-san! I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Kuroo's brain malfunctions for a second as the only thought clogging his circuits is Cute! Too cute!
“Aren’t you going to make your own plate?” Yachi asks, noticing Kuroo’s empty hands.
“Oh! Right—right, I am going to make one. Hold on a sec.”
Kuroo picks up the first couple of things he sees before him and Yachi decide to sit on the stairs to the gym’s back entrance. Their knees knock together and Kuroo feels like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water as the warmth from the sun beats down on his back.
At this spot, they have the entire view of the barbeque. Kuroo sees Kenma playing on his PSP and wonders if his best friend had enough to eat. He sees Yaku and Nobuyuki chatting with Suga while Lev hangs a piece of meat just out of Hinata’s reach. Close to them, Akaashi is patting a choking Kageyama on the back, a cup of water already in hand. Then, he sees a flash of white hair and of course it’s Bokuto swiping meat off of everyone’s barbeque grills like a sneaky fox.
“Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun,” Yachi says, stealing the words right out of Kuroo’s mouth.
“Yeah, they are, aren’t they?”
His eyes wander and land on Kageyama offering a petulant Hinata some of his meat and the middle blocker beams with delight. The two sit away from the rest of the crowd as Kageyama feeds Hinata small bites from his own plate with a fond look on his face. Even from this distance, Kuroo can practically see the hearts in Hinata’s eyes as he wipes a stray piece of rice at the corner of Kageyama’s mouth. He had his suspicions about the two of them being together, and he's happy they made up from the obvious fight they were having earlier during the camp. But jealousy still scratched at Kuroo’s heart because he wishes he were that close with Yachi. He wants to do romantic things like that with her too.
“Kuroo-san, are you ok?” Yachi inquires, snapping Kuroo out of his daze. “You suddenly went quiet.”
“Oh, yes, ah—sorry about that. I’m fine, I’m fine,” Kuroo lies, and thankfully, Yachi is too polite to question further. He stabs at his food and dares to take a bite. The meat melts in his mouth like butter. It’s a delicious blend of marinated flavors and Kuroo offers a silent thanks for all the coaches for putting this barbeque together. His stomach growls appreciatively, and he hopes Yachi doesn’t hear it.
Her nose crinkles cutely as she lets out a giggle, and Kuroo is too mesmerized to be mortified. “You must have been really hungry, huh?”
“A little,” Kuroo says sheepishly and takes another bite. They sit in silence, enjoying their food.
“When I first found out this training camp was a whole week long, I was surprised, but it passed by in the blink of an eye,” Yachi speaks up. She stares straight into Kuroo’s eyes and this is probably the first time he’s seen her so sure. “I’m going to miss it so much.” Her normally bright eyes look dull and sad. Kuroo wonders if there’s an alternative meaning behind her words but he’s too busy taking in this moment to dwell on them.
Time is suspended. Everything else fades as Kuroo and Yachi just stare at each other. It’s like they’ve been placed in a snow globe. Everyone around them continues with their lives while Kuroo and Yachi are caught in this golden pocket of time, this pocket that Kuroo wants to treasure and preserve forever. He wants to pull her to his chest and hold her close. He wants to feel her warmth and meld it into his own. He’s going to miss her so much, especially her sunshine smile. He doesn’t know when he’ll see her next after today, and it tears his insides to shreds.
He can’t convey all he feels into words, so he settles for a quiet, “Yeah, me too.”
There’s a beat of silence, then Yachi sighs, “I wish I could have stayed longer to explore Saitama. I’ve never been here because I hardly travel, so this would have been a nice opportunity.”
Kuroo straightens up, suddenly giddy with joy as an idea pops into his head. “Well, I don’t know about Saitama since I don’t live here but how about Tokyo?”
Yachi’s expression is puzzled as she tries to decipher his question. “Tokyo?”
Kuroo nods, “Yeah, Tokyo. Next time you’re in Tokyo, I’ll show you around. What do you say?”
Kuroo worries he’s being too forward, but it seems Yachi is just as excited as he is. The sunlight turns the strands of her hair into fine threads of gold as she agrees.
Kuroo feels the tightness in his chest loosen. His heart feels lighter than the feather of Ma’at. He extends his little finger before he can stop himself. “Pinky promise?”
Under the sun, Yachi’s eyes look like dripping honey, luminous and sweet, as she wraps her own little finger around Kuroo’s. The warmth spreads from their twined fingers to the rest of Kuroo’s body and leaves him feeling fuzzy like a peach. “Pinky promise,” she confirms, and he knows for a fact she will never break her word. Kuroo can’t stop smiling, and he thinks Yachi can’t either.
***
In the chaos of cleanup and packing, Kuroo forgets to ask Yachi for her number. He’s banging his head against the wall for his incompetence when Kenma finds him.
“There you are.” Kenma looks cross, probably from having to look for Kuroo all over the place. “Hurry and come to the front gate. Karasuno is about to leave, and I know you want to say goodbye to Yachi-san.”
“I don’t want to say goodbye to her, though,” Kuroo frowns like a child told to give up his favorite toy.
Kenma rolls his eyes, “I know you don’t but, you will. Otherwise, I’ll have to hear you complain about being a coward and missing this chance for the rest of my life.” Kenma pulls at Kuroo’s jacket sleeve. “Come on, I know Yachi-san wants to say goodbye to you too.”
Kuroo lets Kenma guide him to the school entrance. They step outside into the dying light that's painted the whole world sepia. The evening breeze plays with Kuroo’s hair like an old friend. He sees Yachi’s head swivel as she looks for someone. When her eyes land on Kuroo, he’s surprised to see them soften with relief. She jogs over to them, and Kenma slips away, silent as a shadow.
She ruffles her bangs nervously and doesn’t look Kuroo in the eye. He notices that the stars on her hair tie are now red rather than the usual light blue. His heart races like he’s just run a marathon, and Kuroo is glad for the commotion around them.
“So we—we’re leaving,” Yachi still doesn’t lift her gaze, staring adamantly at her shoes. Her dark golden hair obscures most of the rosy dusting on her cheeks, but Kuroo’s sharp eyes still catch it.
“Yeah, you are.”
Kuroo thinks, Fuck it before continuing on in a quick breath, “I’m going to miss you.”
That definitely gets Yachi’s attention, and she peeks shyly through her lashes, cheeks tainting darker. “You will?”
“Yes.” And Kuroo always means what he says.
“I’ll miss you too,” Yachi confesses and now it’s Kuroo’s turn to blush madly. True, he did not expect that, but he’s beyond happy and can’t help the love-struck smile from stretching across his face. He feels like he’s flying through the clouds with the twinkling stars as his guide. But he has eyes for only one. It’s not the biggest and probably not the brightest star, but it’s Kuroo’s favorite.
Yachi thrusts out her hand, and Kuroo is surprised to see a folded piece of paper in her fingers. “A way to keep our pinky promise,” she blurts out. Kuroo hopes the rest of her body is getting enough blood since all of it seems to have situated on her face.
He gingerly takes the paper from her with his heart in his throat. Their fingers brush and the smallest of shudders travels through Kuroo. He unfolds it and reads a series of numbers and her name written in neat script. It’s her phone number, Kuroo thinks, flabbergasted. Yachi never fails to surprise him.
“Yachi-san, come on we’re leaving,” Hinata calls in their direction.
“Be right there, Hinata-kun,” she responds.
She turns back to Kuroo, “Well, I guess this is goodbye.”
“For now,” Kuroo adds on quickly because no way is this the end. Not when Kuroo feels like he’s just stepped into the first patch of spring sunlight after surviving the harsh winter; not when he’s been spoiled with the warmth.
“For now,” Yachi confirms with a dazzling smile, and Kuroo drinks it up like the nectar from the gods.