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strawberry-hachi · 3 days

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Kenma x GN! Reader x Kuroo

Kenma and Kuroo will always hold a special place in your heart.

The first time you'd met them was separately. You were the only other kid in the neighborhood and Kenma's mom had wanted him to make friends since he stayed in the house all day.

"Hello!"

He was a quiet boy with long, black hair that reached his shoulders. He responded with a small, "Hi.." that he had to repeat because you couldn't hear him. He was small, if not a bit scrawny, but when you came over next time with a Gameboy, the way his face lit up gave promise that he was more than that.

Kuroo Tetsuro, on the other hand, you had met much later. He had moved to Tokyo probably a month or two after you met the boy named Kenma and he was introduced to Kenma first.

Kenma, a bit more socialized, hung around the boy and talked with him while they played games. However, as you recall this memory now, Kuroo was quite the non-verbal kid until school hit.

It's a fond memory, when you first met him. You had come over to Kenma's house on your own accord under the hot summer sun and Kenma's mom, as kind as she was, let you in without a doubt in her mind.

So, when you went upstairs to say hi to Kenma, you were surprised to see another boy around the same age with hair that spiked in all directions as though he went straight here from bed.

And you two stared at each other for a long while until you, as excitable as you were, bounced to him and introduced yourself.

Kenma had introduced him as Kuroo Tetsuro and your young mind, thinking it'd be funny, called him Shiro as a play on his name.

Kenma freaked out at Kuroo's lack of response but after a moment or two, he laughed.

It was the first time either of you had heard his voice.

You three were inseparable after that. Though you quite often had to drag them both out of the house because one of them didn't like the sun and the other was scared of people.

This certain memory had been one of those times. You had barged into Kenma's house yet again to drag him outside.

With that you two had went to Kuroo's house and you had to ask, very kindly, for Kuroo by his father who was absolutely ecstatic that his son had friends.

The moment Kuroo saw you, he had sprinted upstairs and it wasn't until he saw Kenma that he went along with your devious plans.

Today was a special day you see. Today was the day you build a fort for the three of you.

Of course, when you had brought up the idea to Kenma at first, he retorted saying his room was just fine for the three of you.

You, as young as you were, had bounced back saying that a secret hideout would be cool and Kenma, as young as he was, agreed before saying that you would do all the work cause it was your idea.

And so, here you were, out in the woods, dragging them to the spot you had found for your secret hideout.

You had worn high yellow rain boots that day alongside a sunhat much too big for you because it was your guardian's. It kept falling down on your face when you were travelling and even caused you to misstep and tumble into a river. Although shallow, you got soaked and Kuroo, upon seeing this, somehow convinced himself it was the perfect time to run.

With this, you were both soaked because you grabbed his shirt to try and stop him and just pulled him in. Kenma laughed so hard he almost fell over as well.

With that out of the way however, you were getting close to your destination.

The place in question was shaded by trees high enough that you couldn't see where they stopped or began. Even as you head back to the hideout every so often you stare in amazement as you can't seem to spot where it stops.

The cicadas that day were buzzing and you remember because of how hot it was and Kenma complaining about the noise as Kuroo quietly followed along, holding onto Kenma.

You had brought a long stick to act as your walking stick and so every so often, when Kenma got on your nerves, you'd poke him with it before continuing onwards.

Kenma, although he has gotten quieter, was always quite the complainer and it seemed to double whenever it was just you three and so quite often did you have to turn around and beat him with the stick whenever he complained about the heat or gravity.

The place itself was quite boring, with a barren and flat grass bottom and two trees flanking one another, but what made it really special was the ground that rose up two times higher than you that both of the trees were up against that jutted out at the top to create a little roof. It was a mixture of rock, mineral and dirt and you knew that geologically it was formed for some reason to do with water, but the way it jutted out to create a roof over your head while it was raining last week was the confirmation you needed that this was destiny. Much later you learned it is what is called a terrace in nature

Anyways, it was what made you want a hideout.

And with Kuroo and Kenma's free labor of bringing the various tools and supplies to make the hideout, you were set.

What you had done was secure two giant tarps onto the ground above by pinning them, and you admit it was hard to get up there until you began climbing by using the tree's roots that jutted out through the dirt, and then let it drape down onto the trees to create a roof and then you had begun to collect foliage, leaves, branches, anything, to cover the tarp as well as slowly build the walls. The entire time Kenma and Kuroo stayed inside the base as you worked. You found it funny and called them out on it, but Kenma simply said that you agreed to it and so you shut up.

At some point while you were collecting more foliage, it had begun to rain, and it was bad. Your clothes were completely soaked when you had gotten back, but while Kenma looked surprised and Kuroo looked horrified, they were completely dry. You felt proud that your hard work had protected your friends and had said so at the time, but they didn't say anything back and so you simply got back to work reinforcing the hideout.

It was thundering and the branches were swaying with the wind and so, upon realizing that there was nothing else you could do until the storm let up, you joined them as you crawled through the little opening you made with the foliage.

It was actually quite okay inside and pretty well insulated upon inspection and so you simply took to work inside as you used the little shovel Kenma brought and the bucket Kuroo dug out to keep the walls insulated. Every so often you would put the dirt filled bucket outside in the rain and take it back inside when it was utterly soaked and muddy so that you could use it to build up the walls.

Kenma simply watched you but at some point Kuroo began helping as you taught him how to build up the wall with the mud.

He nodded vigorously as he, quite clumsily, tried to help. You giggled during that particular moment and Kenma had called you creepy, but you couldn't help it because this was the first time Kuroo had initiated a conversation (or as much of a conversation he could muster) with you.

At some point you began sneezing and feeling faint and so Kenma, who was freaking out at this, thought it best to huddle as close as he could to you. Kuroo, who had a little more brain on the situation, had deduced that you were sick and you he attempted to wrap around you just like Kenma and you three became a big sick sandwich hug.

By the time the storm let up, the sun was going down and both you and Kuroo had mud stained hands and you specifically had soaked through clothes and a nasty fever. Kenma, in all his wise wisdom, had told you to quit it and that we can come back tomorrow and so, with a tearful goodbye to your seconda home, you all ventured off to the scolding of a lifetime.

But that didn't deter you as you dragged Kenma there the next day. Kuroo specifically waking up early so he could join you guys.

The mud has dried nicely and now the house had walls and a bit more space since you and Kuroo dug out part of the cliff.

Despite still being sick, you three stayed there for hours as you watched the two play volleyball while staying in the safety of the fortress you had built.

Every so often you would go fetch the ball when it wandered too far since you knew the forest the best out of you three, and Kenma, despite being tired and worn out, had the brains to call you some forest beast because of your affinity.

Kuroo had to break up your fight before you decided to infect Kenma with your cold.

At the end of the day, you, Kuroo and Kenma had all huddled up inside the cave and shared stories of before you came to Tokyo.

Kenma had always lived in Tokyo but he had one story of when he went outside of it to the country side. He expected it to be quiet but it really wasn't, and the people were much too friendly for his tastes. He was upset that everybody knew everyone and didn't like being known. You laughed as he recalled the embarrassing memories of growling at a kid for trying to speak with him and biting another for hugging him.

Kuroo, meanwhile, had lived in a different place of Japan all of his life until this point and so he told story after story after Kenma finished. Such as one where he caught a snake, or another where he was able to sneak into a grocery store and steal some snacks for his volleyball friends. It was the most talkative you two had seen him and so you both listened with smiles, yours noticeably larger.

At the end of it he simply thanked both of you for being his friends as Kenma made a gagging noise and you snorted at his choice of words. He obviously backtracked as he realized how heartfelt the words sounded, but he didn't deny them. He never did.

With you as the last one, you simply recalled before your family moved to Japan all those years ago. You recall the hot summer months and a mother tongue barely familiar to you now. At the end of it all you smile and make fun of both of them for their boring stories.

Both Kenma and Kuroo jump for you as it turns to a battle inside the house you built for you three. Kenma had jumped first as he went to shake you as he attempted to say how boring your story was. Kuroo, meanwhile, joined in for the laughs as he tried to go after you and then proceeded to tackle Kenma to the ground, successfully getting all three of you tangled by your awkward limbs.

The years passed quickly after that. Each year more blurrier than the last. As they grew, so did you. You were part of different middle schools because of your guardian's insistence on academics; so you only saw them when they would come over to hang out.

Such as when Kuroo, taller now and much more talkative, had dragged you out to your secret hideout you made all those years ago to study. You three seldom visited because of your conflicting schedules, but you knew that Kenma and Kuroo must have visited often because of the regular footprints in the dirt and the new additions inside the little cave such as chairs and tables and little desks to put things on. You often travelled there alone simply to make upgrades on it, and at one point you had spent an entire day making a volleyball court outside of it a little ways away in another open space and the very next day you had your window broken into by Kuroo who was carrying Kenma by the torso and who was all but ecstatic that you had made it.

He was so happy you had made it and even said that he wouldn't ever need a gym or house if you could just make it; which made you laugh. The day had then consisted of the two staying inside your room as you played games, watched volleyball games on Kuroo's phone and got absolutely destroyed by Kenma on your PSP.

As highschool was slowly arising, Kenma and Kuroo, alongside you, had begun to make big changes.

Kuroo, for one had gotten a major growth spurt, but he also got more muscular, somehow even more charismatic, if not charming, and slowly you had wondered if he was the same nonverbal boy that you had met all those years ago.

It's not like it was any different with Kenma either. Once he was shorter than you, but now you find yourself having to compete to see who is taller. Now, you realize how observant he is; something you didn't care for before. Or how devious, or downright malicious, he can get.

When you were younger you thought his complaining was annoying, if not his entire character, but now you realize it is something he seldom does, even more so without any venom behind. It made your heart squeeze at the thought that he cared enough to not regard other people's judgement for you and Kuroo.

You had begun to wonder if these were the same boys you grew up with at times. It was as though they were leaving you behind.

And yet, they were still the same. Kuroo still would throw rocks at your window to get your attention so that he could hangout in your room. Kenma still arrived at your house in the middle of the night to escape Kuroo; giving you one hell of a scare.

They were still the boys you loved.

You just weren't sure what kind of love anymore. If it was familial and platonic or something different.

Your years at Nekoma, as you entered highschool, were chaotic.

Letting Kuroo and Kenma know you were finally going to be in the same school as them had them quite literally screaming and it took all you had to not join them.

Things had changed, you weren't the same, over excitable kid anymore. You were more mature, more composed now.

But you wouldn't say that you didn't enjoy getting to be like that again.

The first day you had arrived at Nekoma, Kuroo had quite literally waltzed into your classroom, ignored the teacher who had said he would get detention if he didn't leave, sat on your desk, and demanded that you become the manager for the boy's volleyball or that he would never leave your house again.

You had gawked at him as he was dragged out by two other third years. Their names you later learn being Kai and Yaku.

It didn't get better though as during lunch, Kenma had walked right up to you and dragged you to the gymnasium to eat with him and the other volleyball players. Kuroo was grinning the entire time and you didn't appreciate being asked by one of their first years if you were dating one of them or not.

You do admit that Kuroo and Kenma both freezing at the question before absolutely losing it was hilarious and you laughed and made fun of both of them, even if you didn't quite understand why they had acted like that.

At the end of the day though, you had practically signed your death certificate as the volleyball coach, Coach Nekomata, patted you on the back and thanked you for always being there for Kuroo and Kenma who couldn't stop talking about you during practice.

Kuroo quite literally face planted when he overheard it and Kenma, who was informed of what Coach Nekomata said, had proceeded to begin listing out various ways he could screw over the team.

You, meanwhile, mentally errored at the fact that they talked about you just like you did with them. If they even attempted to talk to your friends from middle school, they would know that they were all you talked about to the point that, "Hopeless" became your nickname for how hopelessly in love you were.

You did not make fun of them over that fact on the way home and they simply ignored it happened all together as Kenma laid across your lap to play games and Kuroo leaned his head against yours as he watched volleyball matches with you on your phone.

So much had changed, but also not. It was confusing to navigate at times, but you managed.

Even if your brain would stop functioning for a moment when Kuroo decided to carry you all the way to the gymnasium because you sprained your ankle. Or when Kenma had made friends with a particularly bright boy named Hinata who gushed about you being the lover Kenma couldn't shut up about.

Both instances, the two were called out by either Coach Nekomata or a fellow teammate, and in either instance they flushed a cherry red, Kenma's more subtle, before raining havoc against the person in question.

At times you wondered if you were being played with emotionally, or if Kenma and Kuroo had finally reached that stage where they couldn't care less about screwing anybody over emotionally.

But whenever you started getting these thoughts, you would escape through your window and run back to the hideout where all of this started. Where promises were made and kept like battle scars. You would probably kill for one of them if they truly asked it of you.

It was a time like this, a few weeks before nationals, where you had holed yourself up in your little hobbit hole.

It had gotten smaller, and you bigger, and so you had to crawl to get through the entrance and you only really fit if you huddled up into some cocoon and pressed your chin to your knees.

Memories carve the muddy walls with finger prints and claw marks, but besides that the room is barren. Once there was furniture, now there is nothing but memories.

You had stayed there for who knows how long as you listened to the sharp blowing of wind and breathed in the fresh scent of incoming rain. The scent wasn't nearly as noticeable in the heart of Tokyo, and if anything the smell of gasoline and cigarettes pervaded every area of the city.

It takes a while to get used to and once you had brought it up to Kenma who had responded that he didn't smell anything, but a few days later he carried cologne around with him everywhere.

Kuroo, bless him, had never even thought about the scent until it was brought up in conversation but recalled when he first moved that he hated going outside because of it. It made you feel bad but he reassured you that the forests around the area didn't have the same scent.

You hug yourself a little tighter as the wind seems to get through the walls of your enclosure. You reminisce too much, but you cannot help it. It feels like your friends have been replaced with strangers and you are being left behind. That perhaps, just maybe, that you aren't catching up fast enough.

It was only a few months ago that Kenma met Hinata Shoyo, but since then he had completely transformed into the boy you have rarely seen since that first day in the forest.

A boy confident in himself and his abilities and someone utterly terrifying given the opportunity. You grinned at him as he told you his plans during nationals and all he did was return it. No words needed to be traded.

However, besides that, they were practically strangers. You couldn't carry a conversation like you used to with them and sometimes it felt as though one day you would just stop talking completely after all of this. That, once you all graduated, they would just be strangers. A stranger, but you knew their favorite colors, that they liked plaid, not polka dots, that when they smiled, one had dimples and the other had fangs, that one could tan enormously easily and the other only got sunburnt, or that when they went to get food Kuroo would take anything with protein and Kenma had to be physically dragged away from the candy aisle. Sometimes, you would wake up in cold sweat from those dreams. Dreams of you walking past them, and them not recognizing you and you barely recognizing them. It feels terrifying to know someone, but still be too far away from them.

Why didn't Yaku or Kai have this problem with Kuroo? They never showed any hesitation when speaking with Kuroo, and yet every time they attempted to include you in their special trio it always felt like you were the odd one out. You saw that Kai could sense it and so often you would excuse yourself from the conversations.

Or with Kenma and Fukunaga and Yamamoto. Yamamoto, while he does tend to scare you, does try and include you on their group activities as you are in the same year, yet you can barely start a conversation with Fukunaga and everything with Kenma is like a dead end. He stares right through you as though you are one of his complex puzzles and sometimes, just sometimes, you wonder if maybe that is all you are to him.

Blinking out of those memories you shuffle yourself further into your home as you finally hear rain being to pour. It's a few drops at first, but quickly it's pouring.

It was hard to call this a home, when only you could really visit it. You didn't see Kuroo's or Kenma's tracks here anymore and the volleyball court you made, although small, was barely ever touched unless you yourself made edits. It was like a house with the lights on, but no one was home. You felt like the nervous dog waiting for the owners that would never return.

You attempt to stand up, realizing the hole you are spiraling into, but quickly bump your head as you duck and check if everything is all right. You don't feel any blood and you made sure not to use rocks to insulate the roof.

You let out a breathy laugh before attempting to go outside. The attempt, although successful, leaves you drenched as you begin to walk through the forest back home.

You have always been good at navigating the natural world. You couldn't handle a GPS for the life of you but if dropped in the middle of nowhere, you would somehow stay alive. Kenma had mentioned once how this was the perfect skill set for a manager, and you weren't quite sure how to respond other than laugh.

However, the further you get from the hideout, the more you doubt your skills. The rain, as heavy as it is, weighs you down like an extra weight and brings a fog you had not previously seen in the forest.

You can barely see much ahead of you and with little else except fear and adrenaline in you, you try and tread as carefully as possible.

Because of the rain, what were once easy slopes to navigate become muddy hills that threaten your own life. More than once do you get a scare as you begin to slide downwards, unable to stop yourself.

In a spout of doubt, you crouch down and huddle in on yourself as you think that maybe, just maybe, you should have waited instead of trying to run away from your feelings and thoughts. That maybe you should get to the bottom of what is going on.

You hear a voice in the distance, the voice unrecognizable and their words garbled amongst the rain, but it's enough to make you continue.

You slide down some muddy rocks as the voice gets closer and you begin to make out the tone. You remember when he was squeaky the first time he laughed but his voice dropped around the last year of middle school.

You are able to make out his figure in all the fog and rain as you get closer to his voice, his noticeable hunched back as he screams your name.

Finally a few feet away, you whistle at him as his head snaps to your direction. You didn't expect it to be so full of worry.

"Need something, Tetsuro?"

His face morphs into one of his rare grimaces as he stomps (though he looks more like he is slipping around then anything else) to you, grabs your shoulder and begins dragging you opposite of where you came.

"I know you don't want to talk for whatever reason but I can't read your mind, Tetsuro," He always gets an odd look on his face whenever you say his name, and you haven't been able to ever really decipher it. It was around the time you joined Nekoma that he began reacting like this, similarly with Kenma whenever you called him by his name as he seemed to freeze up a little before striking you with eyes that fell like they were cutting through you.

Sometimes you were unsure if they ever even liked you to begin with, but Kuroo's father had freaked out when you told him this and said that he couldn't shut up about you before Kuroo dragged you away.

He slows down from his military march as he turns to you, his face a bit more somber, but still frowning, "I was worried when I called and you didn't pick up is all."

Were you guys still doing that? Back before you joined Nekoma you would all keep in contact by the family phone you had downstairs so you could all talk at the same time on the phone, but it had stopped after you joined Nekoma.

"I didn't realize we were still doing that, my bad," You give him a wry smile as he lets out an awkward laugh before continuing ahead.

You two end in an awkward silence as you continue walking and you can't help but feel like he has something to say but can't say it. You wonder if this is the day where he has decided to stop being your friend. You expected it but weren't prepared for it being so early.

You come to a stop as Kuroo lurches forward before turning to you with a blank expression and wide eyes.

"You're going the wrong way."

"Am not."

"Are too."

You raise an eyebrow as his somber expression seems to brighten, "You were always better at this stuff than I was."

"That's because I used to eat dirt."

"We ate dirt together?"

You snort as he gives a grin towards you before continuing onwards.

"Though seriously, this isn't in the direction of your house or mine, the trees in this area are more sparse," You point out as the rain continues to pelt on both of you.

"That's because we are going to Kenma's."

You raise an eyebrow at this as you finally see the boy in question's house a bit of ways away.

"Why?"

His cheerful mood seems to dissipate to a more serious one as your heart hammers in your chest like you are about to receive the death sentence.

You look away from him and continue on, swiping your hand back from his as you make the trek a little ways behind him. You don't dare look at his reaction and you ignore his hands tightening into fists when you do so.

You both are in Kenma's backyard as Kuroo rummages through his pocket and gets out his spare key to unlock the back door. Kuroo, oddly, had a talent at using his father's 3D printer and this was only discovered by you and Kenma when you both were playing games at your house and he had unlocked the door with a 3D printed key because he couldn't wait for you to unlock the door for him.

You always forgot how luxurious his house was, as both of his parents were considerably wealthy while your parents moved to Japan for a better living. The wooden floors were spotless until you both came trudging in knee high with mud, and the soft atmosphere coupled with the luxurious lights that illuminated the darkened house seems to disappear as Kuroo quickly marched into Kenma's kitchen to fish out food.

You yourself relegated to trying to get off as much mud as possible on your pants before inviting yourself in. You could apologize later for getting water on the wooden floors but first you had to find slippers. Upon further inspection they were in the same little room at the front of the house all those years ago. It had been years since you last visited and yet everything was still in the same place it was. You made an effort not to look at Kuroo for too long as he hunched over the microwave as he heated up two meals he found in the freezer.

You hear ruffling upstairs as well as a bit of commotion; as though someone kept falling around and hitting the floor, and you only assumed Kenma figured out you were both here.

However, when he comes downstairs, he is holding a knife as he stares at you two. He quickly puts it down but cusses out Kuroo in the process.

"Did you not tell him?"

Kuroo shrugged, "I assumed he knew I would come here."

"Fuckface," He grimaced at the rooster headed boy as he made a silly, if not stupid face at Kenma that only served to tick him off more.

"Do you know how late it is? What are you doing here?" He set the knife down on the table in front of the kitchen, turning on the lights in the dining room. It was a small, but still fancy, chandelier and when you first saw it Kenma had lamented that it wasn't as big as the one they had in their vacation home. You had slapped his head for that one.

"You say that yet you're awake," Kuroo raises an eyebrow as he opens the microwave and taste tests the food, before grimacing and putting it back in for thirty more seconds.

"We already have established why I stay up late so shut up," He groaned, crossing his arms. His hair was messy, but not to Kuroo's extent. He wore an oversized Misfit's T-shirt with some sweatpants and it was clear that he was playing some game as he still wore his headphones that likely unplugged when he heard the commotion and went to go check. Overall he looked very Kenma.

Kuroo repeats Kenma's words in a mocking tone, high pitched and squealing as Kenma makes a sound that reminds you of when your guardian's car broke down and set itself on fire.

Kenma, finally seeming to realize you are here, widens his eyes. He looks down at himself as he seems to smooth out some permanent wrinkles on his t-shirt as he takes his headphones off and smoothes his hair. He gives you a once over, "You look like someone tried to drag you to hell."

"Thanks," You give him a nod and a thumbs up as you give your own attempt at looking neater. He closes the few feet you had between you as he goes to fixing your drenched hair and you work on wringing out the water still in your clothes. He barely gives a thought as the water gets onto him.

He stops momentarily messing with your hair and you choose to not look at him, fearing the expression on his face.

Kuroo, meanwhile, makes a noise of triumph as he takes one of the microwave meals out of the microwave and sets it on the counter, "Do you want anything Ken?"

"Nah I have food upstairs."

"Of course you do," You laugh as Kuroo makes a snorting noise. Kenma turns to you, betrayal written on his face, "What does that mean?!"

"Whatever you want it to, casanova," Kuroo responds as Kenma gives him a look that could kill, "I could kill you and they would never stop finding your body."

"I think that's enough threats for today," You say, walking away from Kenma as his head snaps to you trailing away to the counter to pick at the microwave meal. It's mac and cheese, "Is this for you, Kuroo?"

"No, the other one I'm cooking is for me."

"He says, as though the microwave is cooking."

"Says the one with a private chef?!" He turns to look at him incredulously.

"He only comes on Mondays and Wednesdays?!" Kenma responds as both you and Kuroo groan.

"Oh I'm the weird one as though you don't constantly go on vacation during the summer."

"It's for my father's work, it's barely a vacation," You roll your eyes, "Shut up, nepo babies."

Kenma's jaw drops as Kuroo smacks his head against one of the cabinets and you almost start laughing as Kuroo drops and lays dead on the floor.

Kenma, ever quick with his expressions, shifts to one of discontent as he stares through you. It was something he had done lately that only added to your stresses. It was as though it was a cat watching a mouse through its enclosure.

"Why did you two really come here? You wouldn't just barge in unannounced for some shelter. Even Kuroo's house is closer."

Kuroo makes a choking noise as you can hear him whispering "It's Tetsuro.." before groaning and getting himself up as he checks on his food.

"Well, uh," He struggles to find words for himself for the first time in years, "I thought it best to explain that when we are all together, y'know?" He said more as a question than a statement.

Kenma takes a second to understand whatever the hell Kuroo is on about, but very quickly his eyes widen and switch swap between you and Kuroo before nodding and going to pull out a chair at the dining room table.

"I thought you wanted to say it, Kuroo?" He raises an eyebrow.

Kuroo shifts his body weight from foot to foot, "I was going to but when they weren't at their house and then I was told they went back to the hideout I kind of got cold feet," He looks anywhere but Kenma.

"Besides, you were always better at words than me."

"That's because I talked with the final boss here," He jabs a finger towards you, "Before I ever interacted with you, idiot."

He laughs, "Fair" He points a fork at Kenma before going back to tend to the microwave.

Did someone die? Is that what this is about? Have they accidentally come in contact with one of your ex's?

You still recall Kuroo getting in trouble because one of your ex's attempted to join practice to get you to quit and he punched him the moment he stepped through the doors. Surprisingly he didn't get kicked off the team because of his importance, but it was Kenma who was close to getting kicked off for whatever reason. He never showed up again though, so you can only thank them.

"Do you want me to just come out and say it?" He says, his gaze finally remaining on you as you feel a sweat fester on the back of your neck.

"Is it bad?"

"Maybe?" He shrugs, much too calm considering Kuroo is so visibly shaking in the kitchen that you can hear the clattering of utensils, "It depends on how you take it."

"Are you finally unfriending me?" You blurt out as you hear Kuroo cuss as something clatters onto the floor and Kenma freezes.

"What?"

"Is that not it?" You ask, sounding more scared than you'd like.

Kenma blinks a few times as he registers what you have said before quickly shaking his head and laughing, "What made you think that?"

"You guys have just been more..." You trailed off trying to find the words to say, "odd? As of late. Like you have some inner joke I'm not a part of."

At this point Kenma is laughing so hard he looks like he's about to fall over in his chair as Kuroo looks so defeated that you wonder if he is a kicked puppy instead of a cat.

"We should've told you sooner then," He finally says as he begins shoveling the microwave meal into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously to Kenma's chagrin.

"Hey we weren't sure how to approach it until the training camp and even then I had to map out how this interaction would go," Kenma rolls his eyes.

"That's because you have to be in control of everything," Kuroo places a hand on his hip with his face full of food.

"Oh don't get me started you piece of shi—"

You clear your throat as Kema immediately hushes down and Kuroo seems to slink back into the kitchen floor and under the counter from where you can see him. Funny enough though you can see his hair sticking out.

"I'll just rip the bandaid off then," Kenma grins. Those malicious grins that promise more pain than anything else, "Me and Kuroo are dating."

Oh.

"That's it?" You breathe a sigh of relief before laughing a little bit, "God that makes a lot more sense."

You begin laughing much harder now as Kenma stares at you like a cat caught in catnip and Kuroo behind cackling.

"I told you it'd be easy!"

"Yeah but that's not the extent of it," Kenma sticks his tongue out in Kuroo's direction as your heart drops again.

"Is this the bad news?" You question.

"Please stop being pessimistic my heart can only take so much," Kuroo groans.

"I mean," Kenma coughs, more nervous this time around, "It could be bad news to you?"

You give him an incredulous look as he smiles, but his hand is very obviously shaking on the table.

"Would you mind joining?"

"what?"

Kenma slams his head down onto the table as Kuroo lets out a fake whine on the kitchen tile that sounds almost like crying.

"Just let me down slowly! Please!" He whines as Kenma groans into his hands.

"You can be so stupid sometimes."

"Says the guy failing all his classes," You groan as his eye slightly twitches.

Kuroo, meanwhile, is complaining in the background as he seems to lament his food that was accidentally dropped on the floor in his dramatics.

"What I am trying to say is that I," Kuroo then yells a we, interrupting Kenma.

"We, want you to join us in the relationship," Kenma emphasizes as the reality of it all hits you.

"You like me?" You blink at him.

"You didn't realize?" He looks slightly worried, "Nekomata said I was coming off too strongly and Lev even made fun of me and you know how dense he is."

Oh. Oh.

Technically, you have won. You have liked them your entire life, but even this feels too sudden.

"Are you sure you're not just saying that to be compulsory heterosexual?" You say, "It's okay to admit that you only like guys—"

"Just shut up for a moment!" He snaps, looking at you, "I have always liked you and only recently did I know Kuroo felt, or feels I guess, the same! We can figure it all out as we go but I need an answer now so I can decide whether to drown myself in ice cream or to bring both of you upstairs!" He finally stops, breathing heavily as he slowly sits back down.

"So," he says, calmly, "Your answer?"

Your jaw goes slack as you look between Kenma and the counter as Kuroo attempts to hide his attempts at eavesdropping even though he is technically apart of the conversation.

"I mean I do like you both back, I always have," You say as Kenma's eyes blow wide and Kuroo jumps onto the counter in his muddy jeans to stare at you like the cat he always is, "but I need to know if you want this or are trying to say in a very odd way that our dynamic will stay the same."

Kenma throws his hands up in the air as Kuroo seems to stand still like a statue and you aren't sure he is breathing.

"Since you have so graciously gotten out of the hidden hells of the bottom cabinets, Kuroo, how about you help me here?" Kenma says, not so calmly as Kuroo makes a poor attempt at cackling but it just comes out as a cough.

Kenma then seems to try and absorb into his chair as he looks up at the illuminated chandelier, "This could've been so much easier if we weren't all cowards."

You tsk, "You two have always been the bold ones, I just was an extra pair of helping hands."

"You say that as though all of our hangouts and memories weren't made because you dragged us out of the house kicking and screaming," Kenma smiles.

It feels weird, to be able to talk about normal things in the very real presence of a possible relationship with the two. They don't feel like strangers right now, and perhaps they never were and you were the stranger.

"Okay!" Kuroo clears his throat as he, not so elegantly, falls over and across the counter and drags out a chair from under the table to sit with you two at the oddly large dinner table.

"We aren't fucking with you I promise and I don't know what we did to make you maybe think that but Kenma is absolutely serious even if he doesn't sound like it." He jabs a particularly nasty stare at Kenma as Kenma gives him the finger.

"I am glad that has been established, Tetsuro, but that doesn't solve the issue of how this would all work. Wouldn't I not encroach on your relationship?" You put your head in your hands as you stare at him. His eyes seem to soften as you hold his gaze before he puts his head in his hands.

"I think an important piece of information we are leaving out is that we have liked you before we even realized we liked each other," Kenma adds as Kuroo makes another very animalistic whine.

"But that's embarrassing."

"There is not a corner of my heart I would not turn over right now to convince them and you know this. Suck it up," Kenma sticks his tongue out at Kuroo as the man in question groans.

Kuroo lifts his head up, "Sorry, off track. We still need a yes or no," He stares at you as you cough up a laugh.

"I mean, yeah, of course, but I am just worried for you guys."

Kenma practically levitates out of his seat and right next to you at the table as his face seems to disfigure itself into the widest grin you have ever seen on his face. Kuroo, right across the table from you, begins clapping as he heads to the fridge; bringing out a large cake that is very messily written "For three!"

"You always thought of other people, Eve with that stupid hideout idea," He pulls you out of your seat as Kuroo attempts to find where Kenma hid candles.

"How long has this been in planning?"

"Since both me and Kuroo realized that we both wanted to kiss you alongside each other," He laughs as he swats Kuroo away from the utensils and goes to another drawer to bring out candles.

You laugh as Kuroo makes an attempt to glomp you, only for you to move out of the way as he almost falls face first on the stove.

"Oh my god look at the time," Kuroo points as it reads 2:43am on it.

Kenma shrugs, "I've seen worse."

"We have a game tomorrow?!" Kuroo almost pulls out his hair as he stares at Kenma.

"It's your fault not waiting until after the game like I said." He tuts as Kuroo turns to you, "Make the bully stop."

You laugh, "Kenma you're being mean."

"I know," he grins, "that's the fun part."

You snort as Kuroo makes a leap at Kenma and Kenma begins swatting him with a towel. It only makes you laugh harder.

Kenma and Kuroo hold a special place in your heart, and you don't think they will be relinquishing their hold on it anytime soon.

#I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED THIS UNFINISHED? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT<333 #you are lying and nobody will believe you (i am gaslighting you go along with it or i will cry)#anyways. have food.#nekoma #haikyuu #nekoma x reader #haikyuu!!#kenma kozume #kuroo #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kenma #kenma kozume x reader #i love being gay peace and love on planet dirt #okay love y'all bye bye

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strawberry-hachi · 5 days

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we know nekoma and seijoh are teams that emphasize a strong defense, which is what makes them such difficult opponents for karasuno, but what really intrigues me is how both teams revolve around their setter in ways that other teams don't, and yet i feel like nekoma and seijoh couldn't be more different in terms of how their team is built around their setter.

at nekoma, the team is built in a way to make playing as easy as possible for kenma. kuroo has his little speech about how they're the blood, and they need to flow smoothly in order for the brain (kenma) to work properly. kenma may guide them, but the team moves to support him, to be there when he needs them to be.

as for seijoh, oikawa builds the team himself. he's their captain, their leader–he even runs practice. whereas nekoma revolves around kenma, oikawa leads his teammates. he matches his plays to their strengths, using them as best he can, demanding that they make themselves available where they need to be.

the setter may be the control tower of the team, but each control tower is different.

#LOVE THIS OP!!!#nekoma #aoba johsai #kenma kozume #oikawa tooru

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strawberry-hachi · 12 days

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#how does it feel to have the biggest and more beautiful brain ever op #queer platonic kenhina is everything to me #they should all definitely kiss #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #sakuatsu #sunaosa #bokuroo #oihina #kenhina

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strawberry-hachi · 1 month

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⌗ LAYOUTS

⋆ nekoma high icons + headers

⋆ like/reblog if u save

#haikyuu!!#haikyū!!#haikyuu layouts #haikyuu headers #haikyuu packs #anime layouts #anime packs #lev haiba #kuroo tetsurō #kenma kuzome #yamamoto taketora #fukunaga shouhei #yaku morisuke #nekoma #nekoma high #nekoma layouts #nekoma headers

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strawberry-hachi · 1 month

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banners !! can you identify the school?

#these are so cool op!!#love them so much aaaaaa #i can aks you privately in dms if you want but is it alright if I use these for future fics I write for Nekoma?#ill credit you and everything! but again its okay if not!#haikyuu #haikyuu banners #haikyuu icons #haikyuu headers #nekoma #aoba johsai #fukurodani #seijoh

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strawberry-hachi · 1 month

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Chapter 17: Lev

Prompt: (Character) trying to impress Reader and ends up hurting themselves Character: Lev Haiba ________________________

Being manager of the Boys’ Volleyball team at Nekoma High School was tough.

More specifically, being a female manager of the Boys’ Volleyball at Nekoma High School was tough.

Now, you didn’t want anyone to misunderstand you; you absolutely loved managing this team. It was the only reason you enjoyed going to school at all. The excitement of the game, the passion of the players, and the genuineness of the boys would never fail to make you smile. It was just that often, you forgot that they were boys.

Even worse, teenage boys.

While it seemed like most men never truly grew up, the stage in which they don’t have to, they seemed embraced wholeheartedly. Now, you could comprehend a certain level of foolishness, you yourself are no saint, but it seemed like these boys seemed to try and do stupid things on purpose, expecting some sort of godly result.

Your days were full of reprimands, warnings, and scoldings. No, Yamamoto, you can’t lift that much, Kenma stop with the videogames, Kuroo stop trying to annoy Yaku, Yamamoto you can’t lift that much! These were some of the few that you had shouted in the last week.

You’d never fully understand how they functioned, their thought processes, or their motives but you felt as though it was your main job to avoid them from killing themselves during the season.

But you definitely weren’t perfect at it.

Lev Haiba was a prime example of that.

When the half-Russian had joined the volleyball team, you had immediately had one thought.

He’s a mound of human silly-string with an affinity for accidents.

His lanky form, paired with his endless energy, was bound to cause some sort of natural disaster, you were sure. So sure, in fact, you made sure to tell him the very first time you met him.

“My job is to keep you organized and keep you alive until the next game. Don’t make it too hard for me.” Were the words you chose for your introduction, to which Lev responded with his back immediately snapping up in attention, taking your words so seriously it was laughable.

“I’ll do my best!” He said, looking down at you with such a sincere and determined smile that you felt as if you needed sunglasses to avoid looking at the pure shine of his teeth. You heard a scoff before Kuroo came and slapped the tall first-year on the back to loosen him up.

“You should be saying that to me. And calm down, she’s our manager not our drill sergeant.” You roll your eyes at the captain, seeing right through his feigned cool façade. “With how you all act, I’m more of a glorified babysitter.”

You heard dispersed chuckles from the rest of the team stretching, and you match Kuroo’s playful glare before he chuckles and shrugs before joining Kenma on the ground. You look back to Lev, to find his full attention on you. You open your notebook, detailing every member's extensive game record, and make a page for Lev. He continues to watch as you write his name.

“I’ll be watching you this practice and see where you stand out. From there we can work with the coach and find where you’re best suited. You should start stretching.” You had said calmly, but with so much finality there were better described as commands. Lev simply stares at you, before you look at him, patiently waiting for him to join the team.

“Lev! What are you gawking at her for!” You heard Yaku yell, all the while stretching out his hamstrings. This seems to snap him back into action, with him muttering some apologies and sitting on the ground. You ponder for a moment on what that was, but you have other things to worry about, so you don’t think too deeply.

Watching Lev play was like watching a cartoon cat try to catch a mouse. He was all over the place, missing passes, missing hits and just generally clumsy. Exactly as you predicted. Once you watched him miss Kenma’s toss for the fourth time, you gently whispered to Coach Nekomata. “Are we sure we want to bring him on the team mid-season? Inuoka’s a perfectly fine player.” The coach only chuckles, waving off your worries. “The higher the risk, the higher the reward.” Is all he says back to you, watching is covered in amusement as he watches the practice game.

By the end of the session, while everyone was cleaning up, the coach pulled you and Kenma away.

“We’ll need to train him for the season. I’ll leave it up to you and Kenma.” Coach Nekomata said, looking quite entertained as you and Kenma shared a look of mutual worriedness and future exhaustion. Neither of you says anything to argue, both knowing that it would fall on deaf ears.

“I can’t believe I have to train him.” Kenma had later complained when the coach wasn’t around, listening to Kuroo cackle as you three walked to the train. It just so happened that you all took the same line, so you often road with them to avoid taking it alone at 8 pm.

“This does have major potential. How often do you get to mold your own hitter?” Kuroo, ever the optimist, asks, with you now rolling your eyes. “You’re acting as though he’s made of the perfect material to mold. It’s like building a castle out of dry sand and no water.” Kenma sighed and pointed to you.

“What she said.” Kuroo snorted, leaning against the rail of the train as he watched both of you clearly defeated. “Guess you guys have to find some water.” The captain said all proud-like as if the words being uttered from his mouth were somehow inspirational. Kenma only looked at him in mental exhaustion.

“You’re not helping, you know.” It was your turn to point.

“What he said.”

~~~

Preparing Lev for the next game was akin to wrangling an excited tornado. The guy had a heart of gold, but his enthusiasm often led to mishaps that bordered on calamitous. It wasn't that he lacked talent or determination; it was just that his coordination seemed to take occasional coffee breaks. Or you know, year-long vacations.

You watched for half an hour as Lev fumbled bumps and tosses. Either he was too fast or too slow, or just all around clumsy. With each failed attempt, you could feel the mutual blood raising of both you and Kenma’s.

You both exchanged a glance that spoke volumes. You could no longer stay silent once you saw the tall first-year miss a toss entirely.

“Lev! You need to watch the ball!” You all but shouted across the gym, causing more than one member to flinch at the frustration in your voice. The first year all but stumbled, before turning to you and yelling a quick ‘Right! Sorry!’ before returning his focus to Kenma who looked like he wanted to burn down the world.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, trying to stop the incoming headache from building.

“If you’re having trouble training the rookie, why don’t you take a break and have some one-on-one time with me? Promise I won’t be half the trouble.” You hear Yamamoto try to say smoothly, to which you feel your eye twitch. You turn to give him a look that accurately expresses what you’re feeling.

“Word of advice. You don’t want to try with me when I look like this.” You said calmly, Yamamoto responding with a meek ‘Duly noted’ before slinking off to the other side of the court. You return to Lev and Kenma.

“Okay, so I think we try another skill. Coach said he was a good hitter.” You watch Kenma’s nose wrinkle.

“He can barely hit the ball on the ground, we’re gonna try in the air?” You both hear Lev’s quick ‘Hey!’ in protest, but a stare down from Kenma renders him silent and sad. You sigh, seeing really no other option.

“Let’s just give him a chance. You can do it can’t you?” You ask him, voice only slightly skeptical, but the moment you asked, you saw a fire burn in Lev’s eyes.

“I won’t let you down!” There it was again, that extremely serious tone and expression that you couldn’t quite get. But he was willing to try so you once more didn’t think too deeply about it.

“Fine…” Kenma muttered with a deep sigh, before going back to his place on the court. Lev eagerly followed him, still keeping his eyes on you, however.

You watched for the first ten minutes as Kenma set up perfect tosses, only for Lev to miss them entirely. Kenma tried to adapt, toss them higher, lower, slower, faster, but Lev also seemed to get the opposite message.

You felt the annoyance build up in Kenma and yourself as you began to get impatient. Surely, he could get one?

“Lev. Eyes on the ball.” You heard the setter say tired but sharply. The first year nodded, really trying to head his advice. Kenma tossed the ball, you watched as Lev had his eyes on it entirely, never once straying.

You saw him taking steps only his long legs could take and jumping higher than you’ve ever seen him.

Before making perfect contact with the ball, the satisfying smack of it hitting the gymnasium ground faster than you’ve seen in a while. The whole gym was silent as they watched.

“Yes!” You fist-pumped, even surprised at yourself how much you expressed yourself. You heard the other members also show their surprise, going over to Lev and patting his back in admiration and comradery.

You could only see Lev smiling at you though. You couldn’t help but smile back.

You made your way through the boys, looking at Lev excited at his progress. “That was beautiful! Exactly like that okay?” He nodded furiously, the members leaving the court to watch his second attempt. Kenma, not reacting all that much (not very surprising) went back to his place and tossed the ball exactly the same.

Lev gave you once last glance, a smile wide on his face as he attempted to focus once more. You watched him watch the ball, taking the long strides again, jumping to reach it with much more energy than last time.

It was too late to realize it was too much energy.

Your face morphed into horror as you watched Lev jump past where the ball was in the air. You saw Kenma’s eyes widen.

“Lev! The net!” You tried to stop him, not quite knowing how your words would stop him. The gym fell into a momentary hush as Lev's body collided with the net, hearing the sound of his lanky body hitting the gym floor. Hard.

Your hands covered your mouth in shock, along with everyone else, staring in mortified horror at the way he fell.

"Lev! Are you okay?" Yaku's voice cut through the tension, his normally calm demeanour replaced by genuine concern as he rushed to Lev's side, followed by the rest of the time.

"Ow…" Lev whined, though his slight wince betrayed the pain he was trying to hide as he rubbed his head. You hear Yamamoto’s rambunctious laughter. “He got caught in the net like a fish!” He wheezed. You responded with a rather harsh blow to his head, which shut him up quickly, along with your glare.

Kuroo's brows furrowed in frustration as he approached Lev, his expression a mixture of annoyance and relief. "Damn it, Lev, you scared us."

Kenma, ever the calm and collected one, stepped forward, his gaze assessing Lev's condition with a critical eye. "Maybe we should take it easy for today."

You were unable to hide your concern, evident in the furrow of your brows and the tightness of your lips, and hurried over to Lev's side. You crouched down beside him, your hand hovering over his shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. "Come on, let's get you to the nurse's office just to be safe."

Lev nodded, his eyes reflecting a mix of embarrassment and determination. "I'm really sorry about that. I just wanted to do it right for you."

Your cheeks flushed slightly at his words, a surge of warmth spreading through her chest at his earnestness. You ignored the looks of the team towards you, knowing that it’d be worse if you acknowledged it. You placed a gentle hand on his back, offering him a supportive smile. "It's okay, Lev. Just take it easy, alright? We'll work on it together."

Lev nodded, his resolve firming as he pushed himself up from the ground with a determined grunt. "Yeah, together."

You didn’t notice the looks the team gave each other.

Seemed the drill sergeant had a soft spot.

#so amazing aaaaaaaa!!!!#i love it so much <3333 #haikyuu #fanfic #writing prompt #humour #writing #drabble #hq x reader #lev haiba #nekoma #lev haiba x reader #nekoma x reader

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strawberry-hachi · 1 month

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Kuroo has always had a pretty rigid idea when it came to people. It was either those in his corner that he would fight tooth and nail for, or people who he kept at a distance. Who simply took him as the kind, intelligent boy who only spoke when spoken too.

That was till you came into the picture and quite literally tore his ideology apart.

You were someone who, upon arrival, had rumours spread about them. You were somebody who had to transfer late because of this or that. Every rumor from the mill getting more unbelievable than the last.

Despite his own senses, however, he kept his distance. Sure he is social, but even he knows when it would be the right time to interact with somebody.

And he was more than willing to wait the entire year without seeing you.

And then you just, appeared at practice one day. He didn't really get to hear Coach Nekomata's reasoning behind it, but suddenly you were there.

And he would consider himself a pretty logical person. He can read people easily and knows how to push certain buttons so people befriend him. It's why he is the captain after all.

And yet all logic is thrown out the window whenever you decide to make your face known. He isn't exactly sure if he should run or not, or say hi or something. His heart is beating too fast and loudly and his palms are much too sweaty to do anything. He isn't sure if it's fear or nerves.

And despite everything, you get to see the other side of the coin that is Kuroo Tetsuro. The devious little cat that is itching to push somebody's buttons. The person who willingly went along with Kenma when he decided he had enough of people calling him Sadako and dyed his hair and also, maybe intentionally, snuck hair dye into the shower faucets at school as well. The person who went along with Lev's idea to put beans in one of his bully's shoes. The person who always butts heads with Yaku.

And despite everything, he sees a different side of you as well. Someone called a mad dog and outcast smiling and being as kind as fresh blossoms in May.

He wouldn't say to your face how much he liked your first encounter. How you helped him off the ground after he so gracefully fell to the ground (it was, in fact, not graceful and he pulled down Kai and Yaku with him).

Or the time he found out your birthday by Coach Nekomata and had scrambled to get everything together, only to end in failure and cake covering his entire body as you attempted to clear his eyes of the delicious monstrosity.

He wouldn't say to your face how grateful he is that you personally hand out the water bottles. Or how his skin tingles each time your fingertips brush. He didn't know exactly why that happened.

He found himself looking forward to every occasion with you, yet he still kept his distance. Would only speak to you if you started the conversation. He didn't know how to approach you and this all built up until you eventually threw his jacket, which you had fetched for him, into his face and stormed out after you had approached him with said jacket only to overhear that he didn't consider you a friend, much less a colleague.

It hurt a lot and you never really accepted his apology, and he still remembers crying for weeks about it as Kenma, as sweet(?) as he is, told him to suck it up because it was his fault (and it was! He admits it! It still hurt though).

And that was probably the last time you ever stayed in a place alone with him after that. Until you absolutely had to.

It was about seven pm, if not a bit later, and the only people in the barely illuminated gym were Kuroo and you.

He had volunteered to stay behind to help you pack up for tomorrow's big home game. Nekomata has given him a certain look and he responded with a caring roll of the eyes. He didn't dare look in your direction in fear of your expression.

The gym itself, void of people such as Lev or Yamamoto, was in eerie peace. The moon that came through the window that only slightly gave light to their surroundings. The clean floor that gave the occasional squeak as Kuroo went around the gym cleaning up.

You were in the middle of the court putting away the net and cleaning the gym floor. You always had an oddly serious expression on your face when anything related to volleyball happened to come up. He found it endearing, to see someone just as passionate.

Though you two couldn't be more different. He was popular and kind, and well thought of by the teachers and students alike while your only time socializing with your peers is during volleyball. You had even lashed out at him once early on when he, not so kindly, said that you could just make friends if you tried hard enough. He obviously apologized later, as he had to run through the rain and onto the bus that you were on, and later you both ate cheap sushi underneath the yellow light of the street lights as you both recalled your first years in highschool.

Admittedly, it is a cute, if not embarrassing way to reconnect with somebody, but it was the only option and, recalling the memory, was quite a memorable experience as, upon returning home after walking you home, had talked his father's ear off about it.

He still remembers as you recount your wild stories before you transferred to Nekoma. You were the bombshell of your team in your first year and, as he searched your team's national matches, quite talented to boot.

And so here you sit, your back turned to Kuroo as you work on folding up the net into it's small bag.

"Hey," he calls out and momentarily cringes at the gravely nature of his voice. As though he had not spoken in years.

"Hm?" You don't turn to look at him and if he wasn't making an attempt to hear you, he'd probably not have heard you at all.

"I am your friend, right?" He says unwittingly.

It is times like these that he wished you didn't make him such a fool so easily. So that he could easily piece together his thoughts and emotions about you and get straight to the point instead of asking meaningless questions.

"Of course you are," You scoff, standing up, "Even if you don't view me as such."

"Y'know," He clears his throat, "Everything I said about you being an annoyance and dead weight," He winces with just recalling the words, "I didn't mean any of that."

The silence is deafening, if not suffocating to him as you take a few minutes to gather your thoughts; your back still turned to him.

"What did you mean then?" You finally look at him, and his breathing starts up again.

He thinks of a multitude of things in that short few seconds before he responds. All more so along the lines of someone he wants to push onto the bleachers and kiss until they're sick of it, but he doubts that's the correct way to phrase it.

"I don't know," he clears his throat to continue speaking as you stay silent, giving him your attention.

"You've always been a, uh, oddity to me, y'know?"

You strike him with a look as you raise your eyebrow and he is quick to correct that he doesn't mean it in a bad way.

"It's just, I am not sure exactly who you are to me."

"So you don't consider me your friend?" Your voice, as melodious it is through the echoing of the gym akin to a church, sounds hollow, if not stiff.

"Yes," He swallows a lump he didn't know he had in his throat, "You are much more than that to me."

You are quiet. Deathly quiet, and if you don't make any noise soon he might just run out of the gym now and never return to volleyball.

Kuroo Tetsuro! a valiant man who attempted to put his thoughts and emotions into words and was slain and who now lives out the rest of his days stuffing his face with food and watching romance movies to cry to so he can live through the embarrassment!

It was probably about time he quit volleyball anyways. I mean, who would care if he stopped just a little early?

"Who am I exactly to you then?"

His mind goes blank.

And it is times like these that he wishes you didn't get rid of, "Logical Tetsuro" so easily. It is times like these exactly where he wishes he could simply get it over with and not feel so much pressure to answer a short question.

"I don't really know."

He finally lifts his head off the ground as he realizes he has been spinning the volleyball in his hands the entire time and stops. Your face, as lovely as it is, is blank. You are looking straight at him, maybe even through him and he hasn't been more nervous in an entire lifetime.

"Then," you take a small step forward, and upon the realization that Kuroo doesn't move, get a bit closer.

Your shoes are touching together when you stop and you look at him. Really look at him and give him that stare that gives him butterflies and makes him mess up his receives and blocks that he blames Yaku on.

"What do you want to do with me?"

It was a charged question. Unless someone really knew the meaning behind it, it could be easily taken as some innuendo or sexual connotation, but he knew. He knew.

"I want to hold you and keep you close," He finally is able to take a deep breath, "I want to be able to give you love and affection until you are sick of me and most of all, I want to kiss you."

His body almost freezes up and shrivels as he finally seems to voice his thoughts. What he has dreamed of (he isn't proud of waking up in cold sweat after having a make out session with you in his dream. He really isn't).

He is still staring at you, and you don't seem entirely sure what to do. Neither does he, if he is being honest. There are many emotions welling up inside him, a lot of them going alongside the lines of embarrassment and shame.

He is considered attractive by his peers and he always has control on how he thinks and behaves, so why now is he throwing all that out the window? Is he really the same little boy that Kenma befriended that couldn't even speak a sentence in or out the house?

"I'm sorry, I'm pushing my emotions onto you aren't I?" He attempts to laugh to ease the situation but it comes out forced and he feels himself somehow die more inside.

"Shut up," His shirt is pulled as he registers that your lips are on his. You are kissing him.

It is swift and painless and you quickly separate with your cheeks flushed red as you quickly turn around to put away the bag that holds the net.

"I still won't forgive you for what you said about me, but I'm glad I know why now," You laugh, incredulously so, "Goodnight, Kuroo."

"It's Tetsuro."

And in a moment of no thoughts and pure emotion, he grabs your arm as he turns you around. He doesn't even register you dropping the bag with a giant CLANK! until later when you go to assess the damages because he is too busy taking you in.

What was that quote from Bond again? First is happenstance, second is coincidence, but third is enemy action?

Yeah.

Your lips are softer as he takes longer to register it all, and you make a little gasp when he kisses you that has his heart soaring as you are quick to return the kiss.

He refuses to stop the kiss until he physically can no longer breathe and has to take a second to take a deep breath, before immediately kissing you again.

You both are there for who knows how long as he grabs you by the waist and pulls you against him, attempting to deepen the kiss with the limited knowledge he has.

You make a little noise as he pushes his tongue into your mouth and he holds you tighter as he continues to kiss you.

He is about to pass out from lack of air until you pull back, catching your breath. Unwittingly, when you pull back, his head moves forward to try and connect back with you and when you finally seem to be able to breathe you begin laughing.

"I'm sorry."

He blinks at you as you hold his arms to stabilize yourself from laughing. His own still holding you against him from your waist. He repeats the two words over and over again as he holds you close to him.

"Uh," he says, oh so intelligently as you wrap your arms around his back. He can practically feel Yaku laughing at his lack of charm.

And it's not like he hasn't dated others. He remembers Kenma's absolute horror in first year at his, then girlfriend at the time, and was the person who quite literally cheered when he announced he broke up with her during practice. He still remembers that.

Yet somehow, all of that just, peaces out, like he doesn't need it or something which he very much does.

With all that aside though, you simply laugh harder at his lack of response and he finds himself laughing along with you.

As the laughter dies down, he thinks himself a little lucky. Sure, he wishes he had his loveably logical self right now to learn how to navigate all of this and you but, it might be okay to be all over the place if it means having you.

Yeah, it might be okay.

#this is dedicated to that one person who reblogged the other one because I think they like Kuroo so HI!!!!#nekoma #nekoma x reader #kuroo #kuroo testuro #kuroo tetsuro x reader #dang not a lot of tags this time lmao #okay have a goodnight and remember to eat. also. I want to make an MSBY/Alder's one specifically for my wife Hoshiumi but I DON'T KNOW #I DIDN'T FUCKING CUT IT WTF

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strawberry-hachi · 2 months

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Nekoma falling head over heels for their manager? Yes.

It was just a coincidence that you were transferring to a different school in the Tokyo area. It was just a coincidence that you happened to like volleyball. It was just a coincidence that the school in question was Nekoma, which was closest to your guardian's work.

What wasn't a coincidence however, was getting kicked off the girl's volleyball team for retaliating against some girls who were picking on you for coming into the school year late.

So now your only way to really do anything volleyball related was to do it outside of school or become a manager for the other team.

Nekoma hasn't had a manager in who knows how long so of course they jump at the chance when you are somehow brought along as one of Kuroo's many friends.

He was able to convince you with the allure of skipping class for games as well as more help with homework and who would pass up good grades and the chance to play volleyball? Not you.

Kuroo has always had an eye for you, believe it or not. He is a logical person, even underneath all that mischief and wild flair. He had a way with words and an even better way with figuring people out. So it's no wonder he would attempt to talk to the new person who suddenly appeared at Nekoma one day. Even less surprising was him falling face first when talking to you.

All you did was help him when his school supplies got trashed from a particular nasty fall he took early in your time at Nekoma, and that was it for him. He was stuck to you like a parasite despite the different classes and year. He was hooked.

He was a logical person until he wasn't. Such as when Kenma oversleeps on purpose to avoid playing games, or when Yaku gets on his nerves for the nth time that day. He was logical with certain people, and perhaps a bit of a menace with others. He isn't really sure where you fit in his us vs them mentality and he isn't sure if he wants to find out. Not when you glance at him while walking through the hallway that sends a chill up his spine, or when your arms or legs brush together when you are studying together that has him shoving his head into his pillows at night, or even that one time when you had shoved him and you into a locker that was much too small for both of you so you could avoid the girls on the volleyball team. Yeah. Perhaps it's better if he doesn't figure you out just yet.

And it wasn't long till he began bringing up the idea of manager, even more so since you got kicked off the girl's volleyball team.

So now you are being introduced to the team as Kuroo practically vibrates with joy because his favorite people are coming together for something he loves.

And it's not long till Yamamoto tries to approach you. Despite his rather intimidating demeanor, he is a sweetheart and a bunch of nerves at heart. He could only keep his eyes off the ground when talking to you once and so you simply gave him the space he needed. He was obviously overwhelmed and somehow, this was all he needed to have confirmation with himself that he liked you.

Just like the Humpty Dumpty duo at Karasuno, he can be a bit overbearing at times. You can't seem to exactly shake him off even when he is practically dying on the floor.

You need to refill the water bottles? He can help if you let him! You need to help plan the team schedule? He has the entire night! You need to pick up some groceries? He's already got it!

You know who is just like Yamamoto but x10? Lev. He is such a sweetheart but goodness gracious sometimes he needs to take a step back otherwise he will take all your personal space.

He first approached you about a week after you joining the team and it was because he almost fell onto you while trying to get his water bottle. He had apologized, of course, but not without taking note of how nice it felt to hug you.

Lev, as you learn later, has always been the affectionate sort and it grew from his older sister, Alisa, who would constantly dote on him. You met her much later during nationals, which you had attempted Lev to try and set her up with you but it resulted in absolutely dreaded failure because Lev immediately passed out upon the request and Kuroo, upon hearing said request, attempted to take Alisa's place.

Lev, as he later learns, is that he developed much more than a stupid puppy crush. He isn't sure exactly when it started. Maybe when he first met you and how he almost crushed you under himself, or maybe a bit later on when you two accidentally got locked inside the gym because you were practicing late together, so you two talked until dawn. It could've even been the instance when you taught him how to do a floater serve and he clearly remembers how your hands held his and your body up against his back as you focused on the ball instead of his red face.

It was from then on you didn't escape practice without Lev trying to glomp you at least once, and you aren't entirely sure if you hate it or not.

Someone who does hate it would be Yaku, who can't seem to stop yelling at Lev each time he goes rushing to you for help with his spikes and receives.

The first time Yaku interacted with you was a little after Lev did, with Yaku scolding the boy for trying to "run you over" (you could probably tackle and eat Lev alive if you really wanted to but you didn't mention it).

Yaku has told you that you are too soft on the boy and he needs more discipline if he wants to be good, but you honestly don't have the heart to be as mean to him as you would be with actual teammates.

Yaku, quite frankly, finds it infuriating how soft you are with Lev, and the team in general, but he won't say anything about it if it means that he gets to call you in the middle of the night after a particularly rough practice to hangout. If it means he gets to see you look at him with such a soft smile on your face that he seldom sees during school, he is more than willing to let it slide.

And if you two accidentally get trapped in the storage room one day, it isn't exactly his fault if you two decide to use each other as warmth until they unlock the door. His face was red anyway, he's sure that you won't think twice about it.

Fukunaga on the other hand, is someone who probably over thinks every single little thing you do in relation to him.

It was around the time you met Inouka that you met him. You were helping Inouka with rounding up the stray balls when you had responded to one of Inouka's questions about your volleyball skills with a joke (as you often do because why go into detail about how often you had beef with your own teammates?!). It was then that Fukunaga had fired a quip back and turned the question once more onto you had you two finally learned of each other's existence.

Perhaps it's why you two are so aware of every little thing either of you say.

You said hi to him, does that mean anything? Oh you helped him with his serves, that must mean something right?

However, just because he is prone to overthinking (just as you are with him) doesn't mean it's his whole character. More often than not he is trying to come up with jokes for you and is probably the one you talk with the most if Kuroo wouldn't constantly stalk (he doesn't actually and he swears by this but Yaku and Kenma find it funny as it is something to hold over his head) you.

It's odd to say the least. He is usually the most detached of all the people in Nekoma's team and yet despite this, you find yourself absorbed in conversation after conversation with him. It was a matter of time till he started looking for you in every single room, unconsciously or not.

Liking someone is a foreign concept, especially in the way Fukunaga sees you and so you can't blame him when his jokes slowly turn to pick up lines every so often or he replies to your quips with compliments to throw you off. It's not like you can blame him either when he decides to try and plan your conversations ahead of time so he can catch you at every single front. Perhaps even get you flustered in the same way you do to him he so often finds.

Someone who doesn't show his emotions, however, is Kenma, who you've never really gotten a good read on.

He was perhaps one of the last ones that you had truly met before things kicked off with the team.

You'll admit, the way you met him wasn't the best. It was after practice and it was particularly stormy that night. You had an umbrella but a certain somebody didn't.

Kuroo, bless his heart, had left earlier before the storm came full blast to get something back home, and so Kenma was planning to walk through the rain until you offered him your umbrella.

You had more than once ran through the rain because of practice running late and so you thought nothing of it, but instead of him going with it, he simply took it and glued next to your side until you got home yourself.

It was an awkward walk as you stood shoulder to shoulder, and even more awkward when you got home as he bid you goodnight like some boyfriend and walked home; umbrella still in hand.

It was a Friday and so you did not see him or your umbrella until Monday, and so when he gave it back during class it was quite the sight. Yet, he did not seem fazed from all the stares and whispers. Not a bit.

You don't think you'll ever be able to read his expressions.

Him on the other hand, finds you quite the enigma. You were known as some wild dog since you had attacked three of the members on the volleyball team at Nekoma your very first day, and yet had acted so kindly, if not reserved, as a manager.

Even more so when he saw the way some other members looked or spoke of you.

He caught on quickly with the other's feelings for you, and he wasn't sure you'd ever come to realize, but that's okay. It's perfectly fine if it means he can take you to the rooftop to hangout without any pressure of another. The moment he perhaps truly fell head over heels, however, was during their summer camp that Karasuno was invited to. You had met Shoyo and hit it off, and he, somehow, was able to convince you to teach him how to serve. Something perhaps all of Karasuno + Kenma knew how bad Shoyo was at it.

It was then he fell, he thinks. To see someone so straight laced and aggressive during school hours willingly help someone with a smile on their face? Yeah. He fell hard.

And he struggles to show this to you and not others, especially considering how Kuroo has attached himself at your hip and Lev at your arm. Especially considering how Yaku always tries to find time to hang out with you and Fukunaga talks to you all the time. It infuriates him to no end but yet you still have patience for him even after all that socializing. You still have time to watch as he beats a level you were stuck on. You still have time to get him that game he has been looking at and for once, he doesn't mind the company.

He really doesn't mind, even if the side effect comes with wanting to kiss you breathless and have you look at him the way he looks at you.

#im so glad you liked it 🥹#reblog

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