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The first day of classes is always a spectacle at Nekoma High. Club booths line the main walkway from the school gates, transforming the campus into a loud, colorful festival. Overhead, the sakura trees catch the cool breeze of the spring, showering the path in fluttering pink petals as older students enthusiastically welcome the incoming class. Most of the first-years wander through the crowd, their wide eyes darting from one invitation to the next.
Among the sea of recruitment tables, the Volleyball Club’s booth is always a massive hit.
It isn’t just Nekoma’s status as a Tokyo powerhouse that draws the crowd—a huge part of the influx is thanks to their captain. Kuroo stands at the front of the booth with an easygoing smile. He hands out fliers with an easygoing air to boys interested in tryouts, and easily turns that smooth charm on a group of girls who are clearly just there to get a closer look at him, giggling as they ask about the practice schedule.
Before Kuroo can answer, however…
“Listen up, ladies!” Yamamoto barks out, stepping up like some bouncer as he sneers at them. “Our captain is completely and happily off the market! Plus, Nekoma VC operates on blood and sweat, not romance!”
The girls all blink at him, their smiles falling at Yamamoto’s proclamation.
Smack!
“Ow! Kuroo-san?!”
“What the hell are you saying!” Kuroo squawks. “You know Vicki hates it when our relationship is broadcasted like some school-wide news bulletin! If she hears about this, she’ll kill me and Yaku will replace me as captain. Do you really want that, huh, you punk?!”
Yamamoto groans, rubbing his head, while the surrounding first-years exchange awkward glances. Realizing the handsome volleyball captain is not only taken but also completely devoted to his girlfriend, the group of girls mutter a quick thanks before shuffling away into the crowd.
Once the morning rush thins out, the gossip travels fast among the new students. Kuroo and Vicki are the school’s definitive power couple—a striking match between the charismatic captain of the volleyball club, and the no-nonsense student council vice president.
Despite being in different classes for their third year, their daily routines remain inextricably linked. If you’re a student in Nekoma, you’re bound to catch them around campus. During free periods, Kuroo and Vicki always occupy a quiet corner in the library, sharing a pair of wired earphones as they both studied in silence. At lunch, their respective friend groups would merge into a loud chaotic table in the cafeteria, where the two of them sit shoulder-to-shoulder as they nabbed from each other’s bento boxes amidst the noise.
But it’s after hours that most people would see them most comfortable. Every single day, regardless of whether Kuroo has practice or Vicki has business with the council, they walk home together. An oversized red volleyball jacket would almost always be draped over Vicki’s shoulders to shield her from the cold, the hem of it swallowing her uniform skirt. More often that not, they’d be too engrossed in their own conversation about how the other’s day went to pay anything else much mind.
Naturally, the rest of the volleyball team watches this play out with awe.
Towards the end of one of their after-school practice sessions, Vicki steps inside the gym with her school bag slung over one shoulder. She looked around to check whether the boys have wrapped up for the day, but before she could even spot her boyfriend…
“Oh! Vice Prez, you’re here!”
Yamamoto’s raucous shout echoes through the high ceiling, drawing the attention of every player on cleanup duty. Vicki feels put on the spot, but somehow manages a tight, awkward smile as her fingers clenched around her bag strap. Dating the captain is one thing, but dealing with his loud-mouthed team is a habit she hasn’t quite formed.
Before she can completely lose her composure, someone clamps a warm hand over her shoulder—making Vicki freeze in place. But she relaxes the very next second when she glances over and meets a pair of familiar, slanted eyes.
“Hey.” Kuroo grins, his gym bag already strapped across his chest. “What’cha doing here? I thought you said to meet at the school gates.”
Vicki rolls her eyes. “You were taking too long.”
“Aw, did you miss me that much?”
A loud sniffle interrupts the moment. They both turn to see Yamamoto leaning on the handle of his mop, dramatically wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
“Kuroo-san, Kyrie-san,” the wing spiker laments. “You better invite the whole team to the wedding someday, you hear?! I expect a front row seat, too!”
This is quickly met with Kuroo sighing as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Tora, I swear to god… Don’t listen to him, Vicki. He’s just being an idi—”
But before he can finish the thought, Vicki shuffles closer to him, her face the color of Nekoma’s uniform jerseys as she suddenly slips her fingers into Kuroo’s. Staring straight at Yamamoto, the usually introverted vice president makes quite the bold declaration.
“Only if you promise to behave yourselves at the reception.”
The entire gymnasium seems to have been frozen in time when the words left her mouth. Yamamoto’s jaw is practically on the floor, Lev and Yaku have stopped bickering in a corner, and Kenma even lets out a rare chuckle from the bench. All while Kuroo couldn’t decide whether to look at his girlfriend’s face or their intertwined fingers.
But the silence lasts for all of two seconds until Lev cups his hands around his mouth and bellows, “CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ENGAGEMENT, KUROO-SAN, KYRIE-SAN!”
The entire team explodes into a chaotic chorus of cheers within seconds. They’re loud and ridiculous and completely overwhelming, but for once, the noise doesn’t make Vicki want to hide.
When the shock finally dissipates from Kuroo’s system, a deep blush burns through his cheeks. He looks down at their intertwined fingers, heart doing a little flip in his chest as she glances at the equally red-faced Vicki.
Because marrying her someday doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all.