Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It had been four months since Tetsurō Kuroo’s second school year had started. Every morning since Kenma, being a year younger than Kuroo, had come to Nekoma, Kuroo walked with him to school.

Kenma was his best friend since childhood and he had joined the volleyball team — something Kuroo had found surprisingly easy to talk him into, since he’s always been a very lazy person.

But because Kenma was very smart and strategic, Kuroo was certain things were going to be good, now that he was their setter. He wanted his team to be the best, since he was captain now.

He pretended not to be surprised when they chose him as the new captain, but he was. And also deeply touched. He was determined not to let them down.

His other close friend, who also calls himself his best friend, was Kōtarō Bokuto. He didn’t know him nearly as long as he knew Kenma, but he loved spending time with him. They were the same kind of crazy, and he thought Bokuto was one of the kindest people on earth. He would catch a bullet for those he held dear and Kuroo felt like he would never betray him. He also wanted to protect him, in case his kindness was ever taken advantage of by the wrong person. Of course, he sometimes took advantage, but since he was his best friend, he thought it was okay.

They’d met at a training camp during their first year of High School. He noticed how strong Bokuto’s spikes were and was truly impressed, which he of course would never tell Bokuto. He noticed that some of the third-years made fun of Bokuto, because of his loud voice and his dramatic poses. Bokuto’d  pretended not to notice, but he looked so hurt that it’d stung in Kuroo’s chest.

That’s when Kuroo felt the urge to be his friend for the first time.

On the last day of that training camp, they held a barbeque. Bokuto was in charge of getting the skewers from the grill. He did it with so much energy, that most of them landed on the ground and some inside the grill, on the ash.

Kuroo then helped him pick them up and put them on plates. Some of the others started yelling at Bokuto, saying that they’re not edible anymore.

Bokuto seemed like he was about to cry, so Kuroo stuffed his cheeks with a hot skewer and said: “I’ll eat them all then.”

Bokuto looked at him in awe and they’d been the only ones then to eat the skewers. Kuroo had 8 and Bokuto had 12 plus two steaks.

They were so full that they had to lay down in the grass, holding their stomachs. And they just laughed about the whole situation.

That was the start of their friendship. They exchanged numbers and met frequently – as often as possible. It just really wasn’t easy, since they went to different schools and were in different volleyball teams. Still, they had that kind of friendship where they just remembered all the funny things that’d happened so they could tell each other later.

All in all, Kuroo enjoyed his second year in high school much more than the first one. Some subjects were still a drag, but some were difficult and therefore quite interesting. 

This Monday was filled with ups and downs: They got back an essay – they were supposed to write about what makes a good leader. Kuroo had concluded that he already was a great leader because he led the promising volleyball team of Nekoma. Apparently, the teacher thought it was too self-centered, or not modest enough, or whatever.

Then came Math, which was much better, because Kuroo was just good at it without being judged based on personal opinions of some teacher.

English – was okay. He was above average and felt confident with his English, until he actually had to talk to tourists a few weeks ago, who were looking for some character café. He was out with Bokuto, whose English was way worse, so he didn’t even notice how much Kuroo struggled and admired him after that. He smiled as he thought about that, when the teacher called him out, asking him to read a passage. It went surprisingly well, considering he wasn’t really paying attention to class before.

Kuroo sometimes drifted off, not because he couldn’t concentrate, but because most things were just not challenging enough. He thought of himself as smarter than the average student. Not only when talking to Bokuto.

In Biology, Kuroo’s favorite subject, they learned human physiology – the muscular system. Very interesting for an athlete. It was the only subject where he even raised his hand sometimes. Rarely. Not enough to be that kid. But it was kind of fun then, especially since the others never seemed to know the answers.

At lunch, he met Kenma in the cafeteria, who was frustrated, because the teacher confiscated his playstation portable. He tried cheering him up, but of course, it didn’t work.

In History, he almost fell asleep, thinking about why the hell they would put that after lunch.

Then came P.E., where he could finally get some fresh air and move around.

He stayed in the gym after that, because volleyball practice was right after.

They practiced blocking and receiving. He tried helping Kenma, who hated blocking. Probably because he was really short. At receiving, however, he seemed to be a natural.

Kuroo lived with his father and his grandparents, in a loving home.

His mother left them when he was just a baby. He stopped asking about her long ago, since he’d noticed it made his father sad and he was sure he didn’t even need her, since he did get a lot of love and attention from his father and his grandparents.

They usually had dinner together when Kuroo came home from practice and they always wanted to know everything that’s been happening at school. Kuroo didn’t mind telling them.

After taking a bath, he did some homework and went to bed.

Just like that, the school week went by and the weekend came. Kuroo relaxed together with Kenma until Sunday.

On Sunday, just like the year before, Nekoma was scheduled for a training match with Fukurodani to welcome the new players. Bokuto had been boasting nonstop about his new setter and how he was sure to win. Kuroo thought otherwise.

He picked Kenma up to walk to the gym with him.

“Stop making that face, it’s weird,” Kenma muttered when he finally appeared and Kuroo grinned to himself.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Kuroo greeted him.

“Morning. Why does the match have to be so early when it’s Sunday?”

“Were you up all night playing video games again?”

“No. Not all night.”

Hopeless, Kuroo thought.

As they approached the gym, Kuroo noticed someone standing in front of it — alone, composed, almost cinematic in how put together he looked. He stood upright beside the wall, his bag neatly placed by his feet. A Fukurodani jacket hung from his shoulders. Could that be him?

“Hello there,” Kuroo said, stepping forward. “I am Nekoma’s captain, Tetsurō Kuroo. I’m looking forward to our match. This is Kenma.”

Kenma lifted his gaze from his game long enough to give a small bow. The stranger mirrored the gesture.

“Keiji Akaashi,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Bokuto-san has told me about you.”

Kuroo clicked his tongue quietly. No wonder Bokuto liked him.

“Where is Bokuto-SAN and the rest of your team?”

“They should arrive shortly. I got here a bit early.”

Kenma shot Kuroo a sidelong glare — he’d noticed the time discrepancy. Kuroo had lied about when the match began, knowing full well Kenma’s tendency to run late. In his defense, if the match really had been scheduled earlier, they would’ve arrived five minutes late.

“Why are you so early?” Kuroo asked.

“I don’t like being late,” Akaashi replied.

Too perfect, Kuroo thought. He didn’t quite buy it.

Kenma went back to playing his game, and Akaashi began typing something on his phone when a loud shout broke the calm.

“AKAAAAAAAAASHIIIII!”

Bokuto came charging toward them, panting as he skidded to a stop in front of Akaashi.

Kuroo stepped forward and clapped him firmly on the back. “Oi, nice to see you too, you idiot.”

“Kurooo!” Bokuto beamed, pulling him into a half-hug.

“Hi, Kenma,” Bokuto said next.

Kenma gave a brief nod, not bothering to look up. Kuroo sighed — his two best friends, and they didn’t really get along.

“So, you already met Akaashi,” Bokuto said. “I hope you’re not at an advantage now.”

“Yeah,” Kuroo teased, “Kenma just told me our strategy to defeat you, based on his height and all the secrets he told us.”

“Akaaaashi…” Bokuto groaned, sounding betrayed.

“I think Kuroo-san was making a joke,” Akaashi said softly, though there was something unreadable in his eyes.

When the match began, Kuroo did what he always did — he teased Bokuto. It wasn’t cruelty; he just knew how Bokuto’s self-esteem could crumble mid-game.

Nekoma’s coach hadn’t been able to make it that day due to a family emergency, so when Bokuto shouted across the net, asking if the coach needed a break from them, Kuroo couldn’t resist.

He told him their coach thought Bokuto’s play style was boring and predictable.

At first, Bokuto only got angry, trying too hard to change things, eventually ordering his team not to pass him the ball. Kuroo almost felt bad — but this was for their own good. In a real match, they’d need to handle this better.

Nekoma won the first set. During the break, Kuroo glanced toward Bokuto, wondering how to make it up to him later. He saw Akaashi lean in to whisper something in Bokuto’s ear. Kuroo noticed that Akaashi’s shorts seemed a bit shorter than those of the others. Did he make them shorter?

Bokuto’s expression shifted — sadness melting into calm, then sharpening into a predator’s grin.

Kuroo didn’t like that look. He was right not to.

After whatever Akaashi had said, Fukurodani swept the next two sets. Bokuto was unstoppable, and Kuroo finally understood — Akaashi wasn’t just their setter. He was the one who gathered Bokuto’s shattered confidence and pieced it back together, making him even stronger than before.

After the match, Kuroo explained that his teasing was only to help. Bokuto believed him. Always too trusting.

“Oh well, we’ll win the next one,” Kuroo told his team. Kai Nobuyuki, his vice captain, nodded optimistically, the others seemed frustrated about losing, even though the other team’s ace broke at the beginning of the game.

As he walked home with Kenma, listening to the tinny sounds of Kenma’s handheld game, Kuroo found his mind returning to Akaashi — and the way something about him lingered, unsettling and intriguing all at once.

The following week dragged on endlessly and by Friday, Kuroo was determined to unwind — maybe find some company for the weekend, no strings attached.

He jogged, worked out, showered, ate and sat down with his phone to check out the best college parties nearby. That was when Bokuto’s message came through:

“We need to talk. Please come over.”

Kuroo frowned. He had other plans, but remembering the events of last week, he sighed, grabbed his keys, and headed over to his best friend.

When he rang the doorbell, no one answered. Bokuto’s parents were out of town, but Bokuto should’ve been home. Using the spare key Bokuto had given him, Kuroo let himself in.

Inside, Bokuto sat on his bed, his hair damp and unstyled, eyes distant. Kuroo was almost relieved he wasn’t naked.

“Oi, what’s wrong with you?” Kuroo asked.

Bokuto looked up, eyes glassy. “Kuroo… I’m in love!”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, but you’re not my type.”

“It’s Akaashi,” Bokuto blurted. “He’s so beautiful.”

Kuroo blinked, then smirked faintly. “Huh. I remember when I told you about a guy I’d been with, and you were shocked to learn I liked both.”

“I don’t like both, I only like Akaashi.”

Kuroo sighed. This was going to be tough. At least if he was right about Akaashi – and he usually is right about stuff like that. He had been with a lot of people, and Bokuto had never been intimate with anyone.

Once, he took him to one of these parties and tried to hook him up with someone, but it just really was not his thing. Unfortunately, if he really is right about this, it’s Akaashi thing exactly.

Maybe, he thought, it was just his looks. So he asked his friend: “What do you like about him?”

Bokuto finally looked at him and said: “I don’t even know, where to start. Since he’s in the team, we got even better. He knows exactly what kind of set we need.”

“Okay, so following that logic, I’m in love with Kenma now?”

“He’s also beautiful. His eyes make me want to undress.”

That’s probably the plan Kuroo thought, when Bokuto carried on:

“His lips look so soft. When he thinks about something, he sometimes licks them. I think he doesn't even notice.”

Like hell he doesn’t.

“The way he says Bokuto-san makes me feel like I’ve never felt before. Really strong and attractive.”

“You feel strong just because he says your name?”

Bokuto nodded and then continued: “I don’t know, if you’ve noticed,”

I’m pretty sure I have.

“-but sometimes, I lose all my confidence during a game.”

Yep, I have. “You don’t say?!”

“It’s true. I feel like I’m not worthy of doing a spike. But Akaashi. Akaashi knows just what to say to me to make things better.”

“Well, good for you.” Kuroo said, half sarcastically, when he remembered how they’d almost won.

“And his skin seems so bright and pure. His legs are so long that it gives the illusion his jersey shorts are shorter than the others. His thighs look really soft.”

Illusion, yeah, right. Kuroo had already noticed they were shorter and he was sure it was not a coincidence.

Bokuto’s voice was different, when he added: “Most people make fun of me for being so emotional and loud all the time. Akaashi takes me seriously.”

Kuroo felt a bit sad, because he’d always hoped Bokuto might not have noticed. He sat down next to him and put his arm around him, asking: “Do you even know if he likes men?”

Bokuto turned to face him and grinned, when he said: “One time, I accidentally pulled down my underwear, too. Akaashi stared kind of long.”

“Hahaha. Well, if that’s not proof, I don’t know what is.”

He listened some more about how pretty and perfect and sweet Akaashi was, about how they now eat lunch together every day, how Bokuto picks him up from his classroom, how Akaashi’s classmates probably suspect they’re together, how Akaashi seems to look at him when he changes, how Akaashi does everything he says during training, which can’t be because he’s the captain, because no one else was so devote, so submissive.

                                                                                      ***

That night, Kuroo had a dream about Akaashi’s thighs. He touched them and they were amazingly squishy. It wasn’t one of his typical, wet dreams. But when he woke up, it was still wet.

The dream didn’t let him go all day and he tried remembering, if Akaashi’s thighs really were a bit soft for an athlete. And he kept thinking about how his shorts really were shorter than those of the other Fukurodanis.

Chapter Text

I was fourteen when I lost my virginity to a boy, but I’m sure I always had that feeling it would be a boy and I had set eyes on him a while ago, when I just got into middle school.

I never really hated going to school, but I couldn’t say I loved it either. Most of the kids were loud and restless, constantly buzzing like they’d been plugged into a power line, and their noise made it hard to focus. Still, my grades were fine; I always did my homework, and every now and then I even raised my hand in class — especially in Japanese.

Hirano-sensei, my Japanese teacher, was my favorite. He was still young, with a smile so warm and effortlessly charming that it made even the dullest grammar lesson feel lighter.

It was in May of my first middle school year – one afternoon, I stayed behind after class to ask Hirano-sensei a few questions about the book we were reading. We were still talking when students of my parallel class wandered in. I remembered I should get going.

I bowed my head quickly and thanked Hirano-sensei before rushing toward the door. In my haste, I almost collided with one of the students. He wore a mask, but even so, I noticed his eyes — very dark, and simply beautiful. Two small moles dotted his forehead, making his face instantly memorable. He was a bit taller than me.

I offered him a shy, apologetic smile. He dipped his head in return, and the movement sent a few black curls falling across his face.

For reasons I couldn’t yet explain, my heart skipped a beat, and I forced myself to keep moving, heading toward the science lab, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him — about his eyes and the graceful way he’d bowed his head. I had to think about him even long after the moment had passed.

I’m sure it was that day when I knew for sure I was different from other boys.

Every time I walked through school after that, I tried to find him.

It was rather easy, because he was the only one wearing a face mask.

The first week, I thought he might be sick and did not want to get others sick, but even after a whole month, I had never seen him without his mask. Or without his light-brown-haired friend.

I tried to find out his name, so I could look at his facebook-page.

And then one day, after sitting close to him at lunch, he left and forgot his English textbook.

Knowing they usually had the student’s name written inside, I went to pick it up and found the Kanji that were probably his name:

佐久早

Sakuhaya? Hisahaya? I wasn‘t sure how it was read, since there were no hiragana.

Slightly disappointed, I was about to turn in the textbook, when he was suddenly right in front of me.

“You again.” He said.

“How is your name read?” I blurted out, slightly blushing for being so direct.

“Sakusa.” He said.

“I am Akaashi.” I told him.

“Nice to meet you. Can I have by book back?”

I handed it to him, giving him a sweet smile.

“Thank you”. He said and walked away.

Sakusa. What a beautiful name. I thought, still standing there in awe.

In that first year, I never got the chance to talk to him more. There was no time between classes, and he usually sat away from others, with that one friend.

I admired him from afar and he always greeted me with a slight bow when I saw him in the hallway and during lunch, when he had removed his facemask, I thought I saw him smile at me.

According to facebook, his friend’s name was Motoya Komori.

It was April, when my second year of middle school had begun.

I would turn 14 in a few months and already felt so much more mature and more confident.

On the first day, I got up early to go to school and look at the class assignment board. I hoped to be in Sakusa’s class.

But just like when I spent my allowance on gacha capsules, I was not lucky.

Seeing his name all the way on the other side of the board, made me think of the time I really wanted to get the pink winged staff from Cardcaptor Sakura. I’d tried five times and only got these stupid plastic coins. I stopped when I got one that was just empty.

Unfortunately, this time I only had one more try, next year.

I still stared at the board when Komori and Sakusa came next to me, to check what class they were in.

“Yay, we’re in the same class again.” Komori said. Sakusa seemed pleased but didn’t say anything.

Again?! I thought. What a lucky bastard. I was sure Komori was someone who would have gotten that staff right away.

When they turned to leave, I looked at Sakusa and he said: “Good morning, Akaashi.”

I smiled and said: “Good morning.”

I let out a quiet sigh. As a second-year, he was even more good-looking. He seemed so mature.

At least I got Hirano-sensei as new homeroom teacher.

In the last week before summer vacation, everyone at school got together for a costume movie night.

We would all meet at school, there were snacks and we were even allowed to spend the night at school because it was going to be late when the movie was over.

Because my parents hadn’t allowed to go in my first year (my grades hadn’t been good enough), I was looking forward to it very much. I never got to watch a lot of movies, since my parents were very strict. I was even a little surprised when I was allowed to go this year.

Hirano-sensei had warned us, saying the movies are usually a bit scary, but that did not bother me, because I knew none of it was real.

First, I thought about what kind of costume I wanted. It had to be something simple, but I still wanted to look special.

A few days before the event, I went inside a costume shop and spent a lot of time looking through the costumes. They were all very expensive and my parents had only given me 1.000 Yen.

I’d decided to go with the cat ears because then I had some  money left to buy make-up. I always wanted to try it, and it wasn’t normally allowed at school. But, wanting to be the most beautiful cat they had ever seen, I bought mascara and eyeliner, determined to try it out before the event.

It took a bit of practice until I’d gotten it just right.

On the day of the movie night, I’d packed a bag with a sleeping shirt and my toiletry bag and left for school.

When I saw the first dressed-up kids, I got very excited. I was so busy worrying about my own costume that I hadn’t even thought about what Sakusa would dress up like.

I walked around the whole school, trying to find him.

And then, just when the movie was about to start, I went to the auditorium, where everyone was gathering for the movie.

When I slid the auditorium door open, the first thing that struck me was the warm glow of orange lights. They were strung along the walls like a path of tiny lanterns. For a moment, it didn’t feel like my school at all — more like I had stepped into a small, enchanted theatre.

Rows of chairs stretched out before me, perfectly arranged, their metal legs catching the dim light. Up near the front, the beamer sat on its table, humming softly. Its lens threw a pale, steady rectangle onto the big white screen, the image edges flickering in a way that made it seem alive, as though the movie was already impatient to begin.

I stepped farther inside.  

In the back of the auditorium, the snack tables were set up. Bowls of popcorn towered dangerously close to spilling, and rows of sodas and juice boxes sat chilled in open coolers. A handmade sign—drawn in bold marker strokes — read MOVIE NIGHT — HELP YOURSELF.

And there, in the back, I saw Sakusa:

He was dressed in a classic doctor’s outfit, wearing a crisp white lab coat that reached down to his knees. A stethoscope hung loosely around his neck, the metal chest piece catching a bit of light as he moved. Under the coat, he wore simple, professional clothing — likely a button-down shirt and white trousers. A disposable-style face mask covered his nose and mouth like always, but now it was adding to the medical look and making the costume feel more authentic.

When he noticed me, he nodded slightly as a greeting, and I took it as an invitation to walk over to him.

“Hello Sakusa.” I said, bowing politely.

“Hello Akaashi. So, are you excited for the movie night?”

“Yes, it’s my first time watching a movie at school. And you?”

“I was forced. Teacher said he won’t allow me wearing a mask anymore if I don’t come.”

I giggled. Sakusa’s eyes looked like he smiled, but I could not be sure.

“Where do you want to sit?” I asked him, hoping it wasn’t too bold of me to assume we could sit together.

“All the way in the back, wherever less people sit.”

I nodded and we waited for the room to fill. The last row on the right side was completely empty, so that’s where Sakusa went to sit down. I sat right next to him, once again hoping I was not being rude. I just really wanted to stay near him.

I wondered if Komori was coming, but as the movie started, he still hadn’t come.

The movie was about a girl who moves to a remote island after her mother dies and discovers a mischievous yōkai who helps her face her grief and reconnect with her family.

Not scary at all, but they probably didn’t want to get in trouble with parents. I did not mind. I was enjoying sitting so close to Sakusa, our legs even touched occasionally. I offered him some of my popcorn, but he declined with a polite gesture. Mid-movie, I placed my arm on the armrest so it would touch his arm. He did not move and they touched during the whole rest of the movie. I felt my arm get very hot and the heat reached my face, too. I wanted to press my whole body against him, making him feel the warmth he gave me.

When the credits started rolling, I turned my head to look at him, but he had his eyes closed. I wondered if he was asleep.

The other students started to leave but I wanted to stay as long as I could. Also, I was getting pretty tired. I closed my eyes and gently leaned my head on his shoulder. He either did not mind, or he really was asleep.

After a few minutes, the lights were turned on and students were starting to remove the chairs. I looked at Sakusa and he got up and left.

He’d left me sit there, slightly confused and tired, until someone told me to “Help or get out of the way, squirt.”

I got up and helped remove the chairs. Then, they laid out futons for all the students.

I went to the restroom to brush my teeth, thinking about Sakusa, of course. Was he only forced to stay for the movie and not to spend the night? I really wanted to see him in his sleeping clothes and maybe even lie next to him. I changed my clothes and removed the whiskers, but left the rest of the make-up, because I felt so pretty, and went back to the auditorium.

I pushed open the door, the metal handle cool against my palm. Rows of futons covered the floor in loose, uneven lines, which were less organized than when the teachers had first laid them out. The room hummed with soft activity: clusters of first- and second years sat cross-legged over half-finished card games, the glow of someone’s phone screen flickering across their faces; a pair of boys argued quietly over who took someone’s Pokémon cards; the air rustled with the sound of bags unzipping and snacks being unwrapped. A few students were already stretched out on their futons, whispering to each other, their laughter rising and dissolving into the vaulted ceiling. Someone’s portable lamp cast a warm halo over a circle of students trading stories, while near the back, a supervising teacher scribbled on a clipboard, barely looking up.

I hesitated on the threshold, holding on to the subtle flutter of my heart as my eyes searched for Sakusa, hoping he was somewhere among the scattered silhouettes.

An older boy put their hand on my shoulder and said: “That’s such a cute PJ you got there. Aren’t you cold with those shorts?” I turned around to see a third-year student with his friends. One of the friends said: “Aw, we could warm you up real nice, come sleep with us, hm?”. They were pulling me towards some futons in the left corner and I had a very bad feeling about this.

“Keiji, there you are. Come with me.” I turned around and was so happy to see Sakusa.

I excused myself by bowing briefly and then hurried to Sakusa.

“Mine’s the one in the corner. You can lie next to me.”
“Thank you.”

“I hope you don’t mind me using your first name, I wanted us to seem familiar to avoid arguing with them.”

“I don’t mind, Sakusa.”

He nodded and sat on his futon. I sat on mine and I was so nervous. I was going to get to be next to him all night long. My heart was racing, and I had to smile when I thought about how he’d just saved me from these older kids. They must have been older than Sakusa and even a bit taller than him.

I laid down, my sleeping bag up to my nose so I could discreetly watch Sakusa. He was reading a book and looked very serious. After a few minutes, he’d put the book away and then he finally took his mask off. When he laid down, he was facing away from me, but I could still see his face shortly. Up close he really was even more attractive, and I yearned for him to smile at me.

It was less noisy in our corner and as the lights were turned off, I moved as close as possible without touching him. I focused on the sound of his breathing and soon, I fell asleep.

He turned around and took me in his arms. Holding me so very close.

Then, my mother yelled: “Keiji!”

I woke up. It had been very early, and I realized it all must have been a dream. I had my forehead pressed against Sakusa’s back. Then I remembered my make-up. Because I didn’t want him to see me if it was all messy, I sneaked to the bathroom. All the other students were still sleeping.

I’d reached the bathroom and noticed it wasn’t all that bad. Instead of removing all of it, I fixed it so I could look perfect for Sakusa. I also brushed my teeth and used the toilet. Then I hurried back, hoping he was still sleeping. But when I got there, Sakusa sat on his bed and took his shirt off.

I was not sure if I was truly ready for this but still, I took it all in. His skin was so bright, and he looked very athletic. By the time I got there, he had put his other shirt on.

“Good morning Sakusa.” I said.

“Good morning Akaashi.” He gave me a quick smile before he put his mask back on.

I felt both relieved and sad. I wanted to see all of his face longer, but I also did not want others to see it. Also, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t call me Keiji again.

We said goodbye before breakfast, because he had not planned on staying. I’ve fought the urge to hug him and only smiled at him slightly.

It had gone better than I could have hoped for. And I had no Idea the best was yet to come.

Chapter Text

The weekend of the quarterly Tokyo/Miyagi-captain-meeting came up. Kuroo had heard about it before from Nekoma’s former captain.

It was supposed to be something where all captains would get together for a weekend of leadership coachings.

The nights after these meetings were rumored to get out of hand. Of course, some captains would show up to actually learn how to be a better captain, but most of them, according to his senpai, were only after the parties at night.

It was not mandatory to attend and of course, each member would have to pay their share, so not everyone would be interested or could afford to go, but Kuroo was actually looking forward to it, since the day he became Nekoma’s captain.

In a Line-group with captains, they started asking around who would be going.

Kuroo checked the list again. It read:

Tokyo:

• Nekoma: Tetsurō Kuroo
• Fukurodani: Kotaro Bokuto
• Nohebi: Suguru Daishō
• Itachiyama: Kiyoomi Sakusa

Miyagi:

• Aoba: Tōru Oikawa
• Karasuno: Daichi Sawamura
• Shiratorizawa: Ushijima Wakatoshi
• Dateko: Takahiro Onuma

He hadn’t had much to do with most of them, but this was a chance to talk and mingle. Who knew – this could get interesting.

Bokuto seemed nervous to see Kiyoomi Sakusa up close.

He’d told Kuroo about their first game against each other. Apparently Bokuto had told Sakusa after the game that he admires his technical perfection, but Sakusa apparently just scoffed “LIKE I WAS NOT EVEN WORTH TALKING TO”

Thinking of how his best friend could work himself up over such an arrogant little jerk made him smile a little. Sakusa was famous in the world of high school volleyball as soon as he’d set foot to his first game. Why did Bokuto even think he had to compete with that?

They met next Friday at 11am to take the Shinkansen to Sendai. The location of the meetings would always switch between Sendai and Tokyo.

Bokuto had suggested they ask the others if they will be joining them, but when Kuroo told him It’s not our problem how they get there, he’d dropped the subject.

The Shinkansen was very crowded and Kuroo let Bokuto sit at the window because he knew he was exhilarated whenever he thought he saw Mt. Fuji or anything else actually.

Kuroo forgot to pack his lunch, but he’s had a big breakfast, and he thought he’d just buy something in Sendai.

After Bokuto kept going on about everything Akaashi did the last week for about an hour, Bokuto got two Bentos from his bag and gave one to Kuroo.

“I just thought, in case you forgot yours.”

Kuroo was touched, but hid it well, as usual, by saying: “I was planning on inviting you to lunch in Sendai, but I guess now we’ll just eat this. Thanks.”

Another hour passed relatively quickly, and they got off the train at Sendai Main Station.

They still had time before the meeting was supposed to begin, so they strolled through the city. Bokuto had brought a volleyball, so they stopped by a park and played a bit.

When the time had come, they went to the hostel where the meeting held place.

A few chairs were put up inside a small auditorium, and they sat down next to Daichi Sawamura, who greeted them cheerfully. This should be his first time at this meeting, too, Kuroo thought.

After Nobuteru Irihata had introduced himself as coach of Aoba, he told them about the schedule for the weekend. Then, some guest speakers, who must have been here voluntarily, Kuroo thought, told them about what it meant to be a leader and how it was on them if one of their teammates does not perform the best they can.

Nothing Kuroo didn’t already know.

Just when his mind was about to doze off, they announced there would be a snack break.

The Miyagi-captains brought a bunch of snacks, as was apparently tradition for the hosting city.

Kuroo grabbed a milk bread from a plate next to a hand-written sign that said:

From the coolest Captain, enjoy :P

He ate it while he was gazing through the room, watching the others.

Bokuto had gone to the restroom.

Sakusa was still in his seat all the way in the back, a single empty seat separating him from Daishō, who was resting his arms on the chairs next to him, a snakish look on his face, like he was planning something.

Sawamura was eating a Taiyaki and talking to one of the guest speakers.

Of course, Kuroo thought. He seemed like such a kiss-ass to him.

Oikawa looked like he was pretending to have an important phone call, so he did not have to deal with Ushiwaka staring at him.

Onuma was scribbling down the last page of the presentation.

Kuroo was not so sure anymore that this was going to be fun at all.

The sweet bread, however, gave him back some energy to focus on the next presentations and they weren’t even that bad.

A former volleyball referee told them about making hard decisions quickly and sticking to them. And forgiving yourself for mistakes, as they would happen a lot if there were only seconds to decide and you only have your own point of view. That really made sense to Kuroo and he always thought it must be hard to be a referee, but they’d always been mere bystanders for him, never really personalities. But this guy knew his shit.

It was already dark outside, when the speeches were finished and Irihata-san told them to freshen up before dinner.

Bokuto and Kuroo helped move all the chairs to the side and then they went to check out the dormitory. Of course, in such a cheap and traditional hostel, there was only one room with eight futons on the floor.

Seven of them were all directly next to each other, but one of them was scooted over to the wall with as much space as possible between the next one.

A green-yellowish bag that Kuroo was sure belonged to Sakusa was put in the gap so it was pretty obvious that he was the one who had moved it to the side, ensuring he would not have to be right next to someone. It was no secret that Sakusa was downright germophobic. Sleeping in a room with so many people must be hard for him.

No one forced you to come, he thought.

Daishō seemed to have chosen the futon next to Sakusa’s bag.

Bokuto’d put his things on the futon all the way on the other side, so Kuroo claimed the one next to it. Sawamura put his things on the one next to Kuroo’s, but Oikawa made him trade so he did not have to be next to Ushijima.

Kuroo thought Oikawa was just too full of himself, making such a big deal out of not lying next to Ushijima. He was sure Oikawa secretly liked the attention he got from Ushijima, who had been stalking his every move that day.

They’d prepared a big hot pot (Sakusa brought his own food, because he seemed to have a problem with eating out of a big bowl with everyone).

Kuroo had decided to sit down next to him, which made Sakusa scoot all the way to the end of the bench.

Kuroo smirked and when he got himself a bowl of the hot pot, he turned to Sakusa and asked: “Are you sure you don’t want any? You know, germs die when they’re cooked.”

Sakusa ignored him at first, but then Kuroo thought he heard him murmur: “Not all of them apparently.”, making Kuroo think whether he was just called a germ and if Sakusa wished for him to die. He looked at him and watched how he ate his food in such a distinguished way, with a facial expression like he was in actual pain.

Eating turned out to be some kind of battle, but in the end, they all ate their fill and then cleaned up after.

Daishō suggested that they should all play a game.

He’d made them sit in a circle and went to get a bottle of sake out of his bag.

“Won’t we get in trouble?” Sawamura asked.

“Not if no one finds out.” He said, grinning at him and placing cups in front of everyone.

“I’m tired.” Sakusa said and left for the dormitory. Onuma then seemed to have noticed that participating was not mandatory and followed Sakusa.

“Spoilsports” Daishō huffed. Sakusa gave him one last look of despise and then he was gone.

“Are we playing?” Bokuto asked Kuroo.

“Well, I am pretty thirsty”, he said.

“I don’t like drinking; I will be going to bed.” Oikawa stated, but Daishō asked Ushijima if he would also go to bed then. He just looked a little confused and ignored the question.

But it had worked because Oikawa then decided to stay.

Kuroo thought he might be afraid of what Ushijima could do back there.

“Does everyone know spin the bottle?” Daishō asked as he placed an empty bottle in the middle.

“One person asks a question or says a dare and then spins the bottle – whoever it points at must answer or fulfill the dare OR drink a glass OR take something off. I will show you – the next person must tell us who his first crush was.” He spun the bottle and it pointed at Sawamura.

He blushed and then said: “Tehe, a girl in my class in middle school – she would always put others first and yell at the bad guys.”

“Well, if that wasn’t totally boring.” Daishō mumbled. Then continued: “Okay, it was just so you all get a feeling of how the game works. Now it’s your turn, Karasuno. Give us something spicy.”

Kuroo was sure he saw Sawamura blush again. Then, without much hesitation, he placed the bottle in the middle and said:

“The next person has to tell us about how he lost his virginity. If he lost it.” He spun the bottle, and it pointed at Bokuto.

“Just take off your shirt.” Kuroo whispered to him.

“Uhm, I’ll take off my shirt.” Bokuto said and started fumbling with his shirt to free his muscles. Kuroo noticed they’d gotten even bigger, and he wondered if that new crush of his had anything to do with it.

He stared at Bokuto’s upper body and thought of Akaashi, how he’d snuggle up and look so small in his arms. It made him so jealous that he was a little annoyed of Bokuto.

Daishō reached for the bottle and said: “Since you’re busy, I’ll cover for you. –

Next person will be blindfolded and must kiss the next person the bottle points at.”

He spun the bottle and it stopped spinning, pointing at Oikawa.

“So, you too scared, or doing it?” He asked.

Oikawa smirked. Kuroo always thought he was kind of cute, but always way too full of himself.

Daishō went to get a bandana from his bag and tied it around Oikawa’s head, covering his eyes.

Before he spun the bottle, he signaled everyone to be silent.

The bottle stopped spinning between Sawamura and Ushijima. Kuroo thought he saw them both lean in. Maybe Sawamura thought Oikawa would rather kiss anyone but Ushijima. Kuroo thought so, too.

Ushijima stood up immediately and walked to the middle of the circle. Oikawa was already standing there.

Ushijima then placed his hands on the back of Oikawa’s head and pulled him closer, pressing his lips on Oikawa’s lips and right away stuck his tongue inside Oikawa's mouth. Oikawa gave in to the kiss, his body signalizing he wanted more.

If only he knew who that was Kuroo thought. He kind of enjoyed watching Oikawa tremble as he unknowingly made out with Ushijima out of all people.

Who does he think that is?

Kuroo was asking himself, as there were only four others.

Which one of us did you want to kiss like that?

The thought crossed Kuroo’s mind that it was just this spontaneous and mysterious situation that everyone but him knew what was going on. Kuroo has found this very arousing and thought about if Oikawa could become someone for fun with no strings attached.

When Ushijima pulled back, no normal pants could have hidden how aroused he was.

But he did not seem to care, as he just walked back to where he sat, with a huge bulge in his pants.

“You can take it off now.” Daishō said.

Oikawa removed the blindfold and gave every one of them, except Ushijima, a look like he was trying to find out who had just kissed him.

He picked up the bottle and said: “Time for truth – whoever the bottle points at, has to tell us how this just made him feel.”

The bottle pointed at Kuroo. He grinned and said: “It was pretty hot.”

Oikawa (and Bokuto) blushed at that.

Uh-oh, now he thinks it was me. Kuroo thought, while grabbing the bottle.

“The next person gets to spin the bottle again and write ANY message to anyone on that next person’s phone.”

He let the bottle spin, and it came to a halt pointing at Daishō.

Daishō grinned and spun the bottle.

“Okay, little owl, give me your phone.” He said, looking at Bokuto.

“You know you can drink or take something off, right?” Kuroo reminded him quietly.

“I think I’d rather save that for when I have to be kissed or whatever.”

He unlocked his phone and handed it to Daishō.

After about two minutes of mischievous grinning, he handed it back to Bokuto.

“I can’t look; you do it.” He said, giving his phone to Kuroo.

The last sent message was, of course, to Akaashi and it read:

I miss seeing your cute butt and I want to fuck it ‘till you bleed.

“Don’t worry, he’ll know it’s not from you.” is what Kuroo said as he gave the phone back to Bokuto.

Bokuto tried acting normal as he read what he supposedly had just sent Akaashi.

He took the bottle and said: “Let’s do some truth now. Whoever the bottle points at, must confess, if they were ever in love with another boy.”

The bottle pointed at Sawamura, who gave a soft nod, again blushing a little.

“Whoever’s next has to tell us who they would want to be with the most, if they had to choose from the people in this room, plus Sakusa and Onuma.” He said.

Aw, such a good person, not wanting to exclude anyone.

The bottle pointed at Ushijima.

“Tōru Oikawa. Even if it was not limited to the people here. His talent is wasted with those team members with the skills of pre-schoolers.”

Kuroo wondered if he’d even understood the question.

Everyone seemed to look at Oikawa, who did not seem surprised at that, rather very angry.

“Whoever the bottle points at, has to come sit on my lap.”

Ushijima said, before giving the bottle a very calculated spin, making it point at Oikawa, who just flinched at the thought and drank a whole glass right away.

Didn’t he just say he didn’t like drinking? Kuroo wondered.

“What now?” Ushijima asked, looking at Daishō, who he’d apparently accepted as some kind of game master.

“Spin again.” He ordered him.

He did as he was told and let the bottle spin again. It pointed at Kuroo.

After hesitating a moment, Kuroo said: “Yeah, I want to save taking something off, too.”

He walked over to Ushijima, who did not seem very happy, and sat down on his lap.

Oikawa burst into laughter and Bokuto joined in, taking a picture.

“Wait, I have a request.” Sawamura suddenly said, standing up.

“How about we make a pact not to tell anyone outside this room, whatever happens here. That includes taking pictures.”

Everyone, including Bokuto agreed and Kuroo thought he noticed how he only pretended to delete the picture. He didn’t really care, so it was okay for now.

It was Kuroo’s turn to spin the bottle: “The next person has to grab the dick of the person after that.”

Oikawa. It looked as though he was thinking about declining again, but then he nodded.

Kuroo spun the bottle again, and it pointed at himself, still on Ushijima’s lap.

Ushijima pushed him down, saying: “I actually sit here.”

Oikawa stood in front of the two and said: “Too bad, the bottle did point at the cat on your lap just now.”

Kuroo stood up and walked to the middle of the circle. Oikawa put his hand inside Kuroo’s pants. It got hard right then, and Oikawa gripped it tightly a few seconds, just before letting go and going back to his spot like nothing ever happened.

Kuroo shook his head, grinning and went back to sit next to Bokuto.

“That could have been me!” Bokuto exclaimed.

“You can touch it anytime, honey.” Kuroo said, putting his arm around Bokuto.

Oikawa said: “Give the person to your right a dirty, but honest compliment.”

It pointed at Daishō, who looked at Sawamura next to him to tell him:

“Your setter is pretty damn hot and I would want to fuck she shit out of him.”

At first, Sawamura seemed a bit confused, but then he looked relatively angry.

“I’m not sure if that was complimenting me.“ he said.

It was Daishō’s turn and everyone seemed to stiffen a little.

“I noticed most of you haven’t even touched their drinks. That’s kinda rude, isn’t it? Come on, raise your glasses and let’s enjoy this night.”

They all finished their glasses. It was strong stuff for people who probably don’t drink, Kuroo thought. There was a quick bathroom break, Sawamura got some bags of chips and Bokuto kept checking his phone.

“I’m telling you, you’re fine. He’ll know it wasn’t you.” Kuroo assured him.

When everyone was back, Daishō continued:

“The next person has to suck on the toes of the person after that.”

“Can we wash them first?” Bokuto asked, sounding terrified having someone take his dirty feet in their mouth.

Daishō looked at him annoyed and said it was up to him if it was his turn.

The bottle pointed at Sawamura. He spun it again – Oikawa.

Oikawa was looking at Sawamura daringly – Someone can’t handle alcohol, Kuroo thought as he noticed that Oikawa’s expression changed completely.

It has only been a few minutes since those two glasses; can he really be drunk already?

He walked over to Sawamura, took his sock off and pressed his naked foot against the latter one’s chest.

“I didn’t say I’d do it.” Sawamura said.

“Oh, I think you will.” Oikawa said, letting his foot glide up Sawamura’s throat, pressing his toes against his lips. Sawamura slightly opened his mouth and started sucking on Oikawa’s toes.

Kuroo couldn’t decide what was the most amusing – Oikawa seducing the one person he would have to see the most after this, Sawamura, who was completely overwhelmed by his own excitement, or Ushijima, who seemed to have a problem containing himself.

When Oikawa’s expression started shifting from teasing Sawamura, obviously feeling sublime, standing above him like that, to enjoying what he was doing to his toes, he seemed to have trouble balancing on his one leg. He trembled and Ushijima stood up quickly to catch him before he could fall.

Daishō poured Sawamura another drink and he really looked like he needed one. He also filled up everyone else’s glass.

Oikawa tried breaking free of Ushijima’s grip and Kuroo had to ask himself why he seemed to hate that guy so much. He let him go and they both sat back down.

A slightly confused and probably heated Sawamura held on to the bottle, thinking about what to say.

Kuroo was looking at Bokuto who seemed genuinely relieved to not have been part of the last task.

“Whoever this points at next, must tell us a wet dream he’s had.”

The bottle pointed at Daishō.

“That’s easy. I once had a dream that everyone was naked at school so I just got naked, too and we all kind of rubbed on each other. Sadly, people are so boring, so these kinds of things never really happen.

My turn. Next two people have to stand in the middle of our circle and make out for one minute. And if they don’t want to, they must undress to their underwear. My game, I can change the rules however I like.”

I’m sure his big brother never let him play or something, is what Kuroo thought. Then he started looking around. The only one he would make out with here was Oikawa. But he wouldn’t care about being naked, it was kind of warm in here anyways.

Like he already had the feeling, the bottle pointed at him. And Ushijima.

They looked at each other briefly and almost simultaneously started undressing.

Now they were almost naked. Kuroo looked at Oikawa, who tried to avoid looking at Ushijima. Unfortunately, he was sitting right across from him.

“Okay, another rule-change. Whoever’s turn it is next, can choose who he wants to make out with.” Daishō declared.

Oikawa. He looked at everyone, Ushijima, Sawamura, Daishō and Kuroo were looking back at him. Bokuto was avoiding his gaze completely.

Idiot. You could use some practice and I sure as hell won’t give it to you. Kuroo thought.

He did not know if it was because he looked back at him like that or because he was the only other half-naked guy, but Oikawa chose Kuroo.

They both went to the middle of the circle. Kuroo felt a bit weird, having so many guys look at his almost naked body, but it was also kind of nice. He did put a lot of work into having such a perfect body, why not show it off every now and then? Oikawa still seemed tipsy.

Kuroo was slightly taller than Oikawa. That, and the fact that Oikawa always seemed a bit feminine to him, made him feel very manly. He grabbed Oikawa by the neck to pull him closer and kissed him almost aggressively.

His body reacted immediately, and the tip of his hard dick pressed wetly against his boxers. Their tongues rubbed each other and just as Kuroo sucked on Oikawa’s lip, Ushijima put his hand on Kuroo’s shoulder, gripping it tightly, telling him the time was up.

He pulled away from Oikawa, giving him a mischievous grin before they both sat back down.

Of course, Ushijima had not liked seeing that, but the others seemed to have enjoyed it.

Is anyone here straight? Kuroo thought.

“Next person must call their crush right now and engage them in a private conversation for as long as possible with us the rest of us listening. On speaker, earning 100 Yen from each of us for every minute.” Oikawa said.

“It’s kind of late.” Sawamura reminded him.

“Then they better have turned their phone off if they went to bed this early on a Friday night.” Daishō said.

Oikawa spun the bottle and it pointed at Bokuto.

Kuroo patted his back: “Now you can apologize for that text you sent him.”

Bokuto fumbled on his phone and then he called Akaashi.

Kuroo thought he heard him think please don’t pick up.

Daishō handed him another drink saying: “Here, this helps.”

Bokuto chugged it down, obviously not thinking straight, when Akaashi’s voice came through his phone’s speaker.

“Hello, Bokuto-san. Is everything okay?”

He really did sound like he was already in bed, which was kind of surprising to Kuroo.

“Uhm, hey Akaashi, did I just wake you up?”

Kuroo noticed that the others did not seem very surprised, learning about Bokuto having a crush on his setter.

“It’s okay. How is Sendai?”

“Small. But nice. I learned how to be an even better captain today.”

“That is good news. I think you were already very good, Bokuto-san.”

Daishō stuck his finger inside his mouth like he was about to be sick.

“Akaaaashi, thank you. Oh, and did you get my text message?”

“Yes, Bokuto-san. I must say I was a little confused and I am not sure I understood what you meant. You would never hurt me, would you?”

“No, of course not, Akaashi. It was… someone else. Someone took my phone and texted a lot of people weird stuff.”

“Don’t you lock your screen?”

“I do, but my passcode is my birthday, so it’s not hard to get into it.”

“I understand. Yes, you should probably change it. Who would do such a thing?”

“I will tell you when I find out. Just don’t worry, your butt is very safe with me.”

Kuroo did a facepalm and some of the others tried not to laugh.

“I mean I won’t touch it.”
“…”
“Unless you want that.”

“…”
“I had alcohol.”

“Bokuto-san, you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol. What kind of event is that?”

“What are you wearing?” Bokuto read off a paper Daishō was holding up.

“Um, a sleeping shirt…why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you even alone, Bokuto-san?”

“I think so. But I should go now. Good night Akaashi.”

“Good night, Bokuto-san. Please take care of yourself and get back home safely.”

“Akaashi. I will.”

“Only two minutes.” Oikawa said, after Akaashi has hung up, giving him 200 Yen. The others did the same.

Bokuto seemed guilty when he got money from all of them. Then he said:

“The next person may give me a massage. Please”

Sawamura.

He came over to Bokuto and started massaging his naked shoulders. It didn’t look like it was his first time giving someone a massage.

Because the one who’s turn it was, was busy, there was a short break. Daishō made sure to keep everyone hydrated. Kuroo noticed that Oikawa stumbled to the restroom and Ushijima was following him. It didn’t seem right to have the half-naked Ushijima follow Oikawa when he was probably too drunk to resist whatever that guy planned to do to him. So Kuroo also followed them, which kind of made it even weirder that two half-naked men now followed him.

Oikawa had only made it outside the door, leaning against the wall, barely conscious.
Ushijima was already pressing himself against him, kissing his neck.

Alcohol really is scary, Kuroo thought.

He tried to pull Oikawa out of Ushijima’s grip. Oikawa then was clinging to Kuroo, trying to kiss him.
He swung him over his shoulder and carried him back, leaving Ushijima standing in the dark hallway.

“You shouldn’t drink when you can’t handle it.” He told him.
“Thank you for saving me”

Dodging another kiss, Kuroo asked: “What’s going on between the two of you? What does he want exactly and why do you hate him so much?”

“He annoys me. And insults my team, my friends, my Iwa-chan. If I give in and am even a little nice to him, I feel like I’m betraying them. I know he’s an okay volleyball player. But I really want to beat him with the people I love.”

Kuroo looked at his teary eyes and thought he really was such a drama queen. But he kind of knew how he felt. He sat Oikawa down and brought him a glass of water.

Sawamura seemed to have finished Bokuto’s massage and went back to his seat, picking up the bottle on the way.

Just as Ushijima went to sit back down, Sawamura said:

“The next to people must share a Pocky by eating it from opposite sides until their lips touch.”

Daishō. Oikawa.

Oikawa seemed to have recovered a bit.

Daishō got up to get a strawberry Pocky and held out the strawberry-side to Oikawa. He took it inside his mouth, and they both ate until their lips met. Daishō obviously tried to linger – What’s his deal? Kuroo was wondering, but Oikawa took the bite and pulled back.

Daishō took the bottle and said: “The next person has to hit the naked butt of the person after that as hard as he can.”

Bokuto. Oikawa.

“Aaw, don’t be too hard on me, Bokuto-san.”

Kuroo was wondering if he was trying to copy Akaashi. To his surprise, Bokuto stood up and was really planning on doing it.

Oikawa glanced at Ushijima and pulled down his pants and underwear.

Bokuto turned red and pulled his arm back, almost like he was about to do a serve, and hit Oikawa on his naked ass.

According to the loud clap, it must have hurt, but Oikawa didn’t seem to find it entirely unpleasant.

Bokuto sat back down next to Kuroo and said: “The next person has to walk on their hands, in underwear.”

Kuroo found himself hoping it wouldn’t be Oikawa, because just now, he couldn’t even walk on his feet.

The bottle pointed at Sawamura. He took his clothes off. Kuroo thought he had a rather big bulge and was surprisingly well hung.

He got into position, having his boxers scoot down, and took a few steps. When he was back on his feet and got dressed again, Kuroo decided to try this at home. He also decided it was time for bed when he saw it was already 2 o’ clock.

“I think we should wrap this up.” He said, and everyone seemed to agree and went to bed after they’d cleared the mess they’d made.

Kuroo tried to watch over Oikawa as everyone was falling asleep.

But of course, when he woke up, Ushijima was on Oikawa’s futon, cuddling with him. At least it seemed rather innocent.

Kuroo woke up Bokuto, who still seemed to dream some crazy stuff, and they got up and dressed for breakfast.

Everyone seemed very tired during breakfast and during the speeches that day. So, they decided not to play another game that night.

Instead, Kuroo and Bokuto went for a walk after dinner. The streets of Sendai were a lot quieter than in Tokyo. Kuroo kind of missed the busy streets with the cars and the lights and the people. Here in Sendai, he heard his thoughts way too loud. And Bokuto. He did love Bokuto, but ever since he fell in love with Akaashi, that’s all he ever talked about.

“And his eyes. Kuroo, I have never seen anything like those eyes. They’re – ”

“So, when can I meet him?”
“You already met him.” Bokuto said, sounding confused and unsure.

“I mean what he’s really like. Invite him over to stay the night. We’ll have a small party. Just the three of us. Ask him, if he’s free next weekend.”

Bokuto was blushing, but he eventually nodded and said: “I will do that.”

Chapter Text

A few months had passed after that sleepover at school and at the end of July, I went on summer vacation with my parents.

My parents have always been afraid of trying new things, so we’ve been going to the same hotel in the same city for years. A city known for being beautiful in winter, which was why my parents loved going there in summer – it was cheap. I didn’t really care anyways. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see Sakusa for weeks, which made me feel miserable, no matter where we’d go.

We took a flight to Sapporo and headed to our Hotel in Otaru, which was right next to the beach. It was a traditional Japanese Hotel with one big room that could be separated with sliding doors, so I had a small room to myself.

The futons were already laid out when we got there and I sat down on mine and grabbed my phone. I didn’t even have his phone number, so I don’t know what I expected. I thought about uploading a picture to Facebook, but the chances of my mother walking in on that were a bit high.

I still checked out Sakusa’s Facebook, but we weren’t friends, so I couldn’t see much, if he had even uploaded anything. Just looking at his picture was enough for now. He was gorgeous.

I almost dropped my phone when my mom called me to tell me they were going to the beach.

“Okay.” I said and then added: “I’ll come, too.”

Determined to get some sun and look relaxed and beautiful when school started again.

I quickly changed into my swim pants, put on my hat and sunglasses and grabbed a towel.

Even though I’d hurried, my parents had already left without me. Fine. I thought and strolled through the lobby. Passing the check-in, I noticed a boy, who must have been a bit older than me, staring at me. I smiled briefly and bowed my head slightly.

I walked down the beach a bit and found a nice spot to put my towel, put sunscreen on and lay down. After a few minutes, something had blocked the sun, and I opened my eyes to see the guy from the lobby again.

“Is this spot taken?” He asked and pointed next to me.

“Uhm, no.” I said and he said: “Great. I’m Ren, by the way.”

“I’m Keiji.” I said.

“Wow, a pretty name for a pretty boy.”

I blushed and said: “Thank you.”

“Those swim panties sure make your legs tan all the way. I just always think they’re a bit tight on certain parts, if you know what I mean.”

I looked at him as he winked at me, not sure what to say. I liked them because I liked how my butt looked in these better than in those loose ones.

But I obviously could not say that to a complete stranger. So, I just said: “I think they’re comfortable.”

“Wanna go swimming?” He then asked. I was still a little confused about him pretending we came here together, but I didn’t hate his company, so I nodded and got up. It was fun, we got along well.

Just as I thought I’d made a new friend, I’d noticed he was interested in more than that.

Back on our towels, he asked me: “Can I have some of your sunscreen?”

“Sure.” I said and handed it to him.

“You should put some on, too. After swimming and all. Don’t want to ruin your porcelain skin.”

He applied it generously and rubbed it over his body. Then he said: “Would you do my back for me?”

“Sure.” I said and smeared it all over his back. He seemed to work out a lot.

“Wow, you’re good at that.” He said and I wasn’t sure if he meant that, because I hadn’t noticed I did anything special.

“Your turn.” He said and got behind me.

Yeah, he couldn’t have meant it. He was massaging the sunscreen in like a professional masseuse. It felt nice. And he went lower. When his fingers slowly slid beneath my swim trunks I flinched and turned around.

He said: “Have I misread some signals here?”

“What signals?” I said, really not understanding what he was talking about.

“Got it.” He said and got up and left with his towel, like he’d never been there in the first place.

I still sat there, slightly confused, when it finally hit me: He was coming on to me the whole time. Realizing I could have had a hot summer fling made me a little excited. But he was gone now and I told myself it was good, since Sakusa was supposed to be my first and only one. And also, I had a vague idea that my parents would not approve.

Still, I was a little bit disappointed that we couldn’t have just hung out together some more. Also, I thought it was a good sign that someone thought I was attractive. I really hoped Sakusa would think so, too.

When school had started again in September, I tried to be near Sakusa whenever I could. Sometimes we ended up sitting together at lunch, usually because he’d already claimed a seat and I was brave enough, on those days, to take the spot beside him. We talked about homework, or TV shows everyone was suddenly obsessed with, or whatever nonsense the first-years were getting scolded for. And then the bell would ring, he'd get swept away with the other kids from his class, and I'd go back to my class pretending it didn’t bother me. I forgot to ask him every time, why Komori wasn’t near him anymore.

In the new school year, my class had a P.E. class when Sakusa’s class also did. And a third-year class.

Some of the older students would bully us second-graders, but I always knew how to stay out of trouble, so they usually left me alone, because I was no fun to torment.

When I was about to head to my first P.E. class of that year, I saw Hirano-sensei in the hallway, picking up tests from the floor that must have fallen down, scattering all over the place. I hadn’t hesitated to help him pick them all up.

That’s why I was late that day. When I got to the changing rooms, Sakusa’s class and the third years were there, but most of my classmates were already gone.

I smiled at Sakusa and started taking off my clothes between him and a third grader, since it was the only gap. I noticed that they did not leave even after they’d finished and in the corner of my eye, I could see the one on my left, Suguru Daishō, grin snakish. I knew his name because he usually got in trouble for bullying other kids.

When he took a breath, I knew he would say something to me when I was just putting on my pants.

“Aw, I love your cute little panties. Did mommy buy them for you?”

I ignored him, which he did not like. He shoved me and I fell into Sakusa. He held me, making sure I wouldn’t fall over and I gave him a shy smile, but the look he gave me was terrifying. I got goosebumps as he directed his disgusted gaze at Daishō, telling him to get his shit together and go to class.

I was still a bit frightened of the face he’d made and also in awe because of how he talked to an older student.

Daishō was still grinning, but he started moving towards the door and said:

“Poor Sakusa, did I get germs all over you? Here, let me get rid of them-”

He tried to lick his face, but Sakusa punched him in the gut lightly, looked back at me, then just scuffed and turned back around to face Daishō.

I thought he might punch him again, but Daishō’s teacher then came inside and yelled at him to hurry up, because they were waiting outside.

My heart was pounding, and I still had goosebumps, after they’d left. Probably because I still hadn’t changed and it was kind of cold. I tried to focus and finished changing but I had to sit down for a moment. I never had a problem with bullies, and I did not care about Daishō, but Sakusa really got to me. Was he really angry with me for falling into him? He didn’t have to catch me. Why had he even still been standing there, was he not done changing when I had arrived?

The thought, that he had wanted to protect me from Daishō only made my heart race even more. But he probably would have done that for any one of my classmates, since Daishō was known for being nasty.

When I felt better, I went into the gym. It was separated as usual. My classmates were already in the middle of stretching. The teacher told me to quickly get a mat and join them. He must have seen me help Hirano-sensei, otherwise he definitely would have yelled at me for being late. Kawahara from my class was late last week, and he yelled at him so much that he was crying for the rest of the lesson.

I did what I was told and got a mat, sat down on it, stretching my legs slowly. Trying to ignore the urge to gaze over to the other side of the gym, where Sakusa was about to do a box jump.

I sank a little deeper into the stretch, feeling the pull along my hamstrings and back. I have always been flexible, and I loved that feeling of control over every line of muscle. My body bent so easily, almost effortlessly, and that felt good. It was satisfying to think that my body could do exactly what I asked of it.

Even if it was much more advanced than what the others did, I stretched my back with the wheel pose – I laid down on my back, placed my hands by my ears and pushed myself up, arching my back, opening my chest, tilting my head behind me – to the other side of the gym. I did not expect to find him that quickly, considering my pose made me see everything upside down.

But there he was, about to do a sprint before jumping the box. I had the feeling he was looking at me, but I was not sure about that, until his teacher yelled at him to focus and not stare at the Yoga-Class.

He started running and jumped in such a beautiful way.

What I hated about sports was that it made people look sweaty and ugly. But there was nothing ugly about Sakusa. His acceleration was perfect, and his nonchalant jump could have been that of a pro athlete. And when he landed, his expression was still the same – no unattractive grimace from the impact on the mat. As he walked away, I noticed he was turning his head again, looking back at me.

“Akaashi, you’re overdoing it again. Kuroda-sensei already thinks I’m teaching a yoga-class.”

I came down from my pose and moved myself into a squat, hoping my head was not too red, feeling relieved that I was turned away from him.

I hoped that I would get to see him in the changing room, but when the lesson came to an end, the others did not make a move to leave, meaning that they probably had a double lesson.

Before I left for the changing room, I turned my head slightly to look at Sakusa one more time and he was already looking at me.
I noticed that he always kept standing a bit further away from the others and it made me remember what Daishō had said about getting germs all over him and I kind of suspected even before that that he might be a germaphobe.

The rest of the school day, I kept daydreaming of Sakusa.

I saw myself apologizing to him or thanking him and kept getting deeper into the situation in the changing room, blowing it out of proportion increasingly.

What if Daishō had done more? If he had touched me, stripped me out of my underwear? What if Sakusa had to interfere that, if they both had seen me naked, but Sakusa did not want Daishō to look? He would have had to cover me up, but then he had to look and of course, touch me.

After math, I had what was supposed to be a boring history class, but since I had felt something grow bigger inside my pants, I will never forget this lesson. The teacher was going on about the discovery of the emergence of a new style of pottery in the Yayoi period and I had a discovery of something emerging on my own body, for the first time in school.

This sudden arousal felt so intense that I was sure my classmates had to notice. But looking around, I was relieved to see that no one was paying attention to me and my body.

Being in a classroom full of students and the teacher occasionally looking at me while telling us about that era only gave me more excitement.

My mother had told me that sex was something very intimate that should only be shared with a special someone and that no third party should ever be part of it.

I knew it was wrong. Still, I wanted to imagine they would all know exactly what was going on with me. With me and Sakusa.

He couldn’t take his eyes off me, staring at me like he wanted to touch my body again. He did hold me when I was almost naked, protecting me from that perverted guy who was looking at my underwear, even commenting on it.

I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom.

I ran inside the first stall and locked the door. The sudden urge to be completely naked overcame me, but I resisted taking off my clothes, because it wasn’t that warm and there wasn’t really a place to put them.

The gap between the stall door and the frame was big enough for me to see the sinks. No one was there right now but that was almost disappointing.

I closed my eyes and started touching my upper body beneath my shirt. Did Sakusa like what he had felt? Did he also still think about it?

The sound of the restroom door opening startled me and I opened my eyes. Spying through the gap, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Sakusa came inside to wash his hands. I saw his face in the mirror, and I thought he was so beautiful, studying his face from his little moles to his eyes. The rest was covered by his face mask. I guess he was not allowed to wear that in P.E. at least.

I was right behind him, touching myself, only about six feet apart and I let out a soft huff and touched my dick, slowly fisting it for the first time, staring at Sakusa who must have had very dirty hands. I quickly reached for some toilet paper when I felt something was missing.

I used my other hand to grab my butt, gently circling the hole with my index finger. The urge to push it inside was bigger than the hole itself, which could only take one for now, I thought. I pressed it inside slowly. Moaning quietly, I ejaculated inside the toilet paper just as Sakusa looked inside the mirror, at the door between us and then he left.

I fixed my clothes and freshened up to get back to my classroom.

As I walked in, positive that they must have noticed something, the teacher was going on about wet-rice agriculture.

I sat down, trying to suppress a slight smile as it all still felt wet. I then knew that I was finally ready for the stuff I had been reading about, and I also knew who was going to be my first.

During the final lesson that day, I tried to make out a plan how to run into Sakusa as often as possible.

When I had left the school grounds, Daishō and two of his friends were waiting for me. I guess he does not like losing is what I thought when I approached them.

“Hello, you are blocking my way, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you could-“

One of his friends slapped me. I looked back at him, my cheek still stinging from the slap.

“Walk us home, would you?” Daishō said.

I knew it wasn’t really a question, because I didn’t have a choice.

I gave a light nod and he grinned his snakish grin.

We started walking next to each other, his friends in front of us, taking the lead.

My thoughts were racing.

What’s going to happen to me now? Am I being punished for being bad, just like my mom had always told me would happen to naughty people?

I was set on enduring whatever they were planning to do to me with my head held high. But a scary thought crossed my mind and my throat tightened as I tried not to cry:

Now he might not be my first.

I wanted to stay brave. Just as we reached the stairs to an apartment complex, my head was telling my heart not to panic and that it would all work out.

His friends led the way upstairs and entered a small apartment.

Daishō was just signaling me to follow them, when he fell on his knees, because someone had kicked him inside his knee pits.

He really did save me again. He took my arm and pulled me inside the apartment next door, closing the door behind us. I heard Daishō curse outside, promising he will pay for this.

I looked at Sakusa, who still had this kind of suffering look on his face.

“Th- Thank you so much for doing that and I am sorry about falling into you earlier today.”

I said, bowing my head. I had planned thoroughly all day how I would apologize and it wasn’t supposed to be so sloppy.

He scuffed and said: “Forget about it, I did not really have a choice, did I?”

And: “You can stay for dinner; they might still be waiting for you.”

“Won’t your parents mind?”

“They don’t mind me living here alone.”

I was so surprised to hear that, that my face must have been giving me away. I felt my cheeks blush and I slightly turned away.

“I can also take you home, if you like.”

He must have thought I was afraid of being alone with him. He doesn’t have a clue that I planned on creating scenarios that weren’t even as unrealistic as what’d just happened. What were the odds of him living right next to that guy? Maybe that explained why he’d been so unpolite towards him, even though he was older.

“I would like to stay for dinner.” I quickly told him.

He made some Nanohana Karashiae for us and we ate with plastic bowls at his small kitchen table.

I was usually bad at making small talk, but talking about school, family and basic everyday things with Sakusa did not feel like small talk at all.
We got to know each other bit by bit and he was smiling at me when I told him the food was delicious.

“It should be safe for you to go home now, Daishō always has volleyball practice and should be gone by now. But I could still take you home.”

I tried not to sound too disappointed that I had to leave when I said: “Okay. Thank you for dinner.”

We put our shoes on and walked to my house. I memorized the route between our homes the best I could.

Sakusa was about four inches taller than me, but it felt like so much more. He seemed so grown-up, so reliable and I felt very safe walking home with him.

We talked some more about some of the teachers we both had, I got the chance to compliment him on his box jump and he said that I seemed athletic too, “at least very flexible”. I looked straight forward because I had the feeling he made me blush again.

Like he was trying to change the subject, he said that he’ll head to school because of practice.

“What kind of practice?” I wanted to know.

“Volleyball.”

“With… Daishō?”

“Unfortunately, yes. We have a game next weekend, so I can’t skip practice. He’s a third-year, so he’ll be gone soon.”

“Can I come see your game?” I asked.

“Sure. I will text you the details.”
And just like that, he gave me his number.

That’s it! I thought.

“I was actually thinking of joining the volleyball club”, I lied, before I could even think this through.

This is how I can be close to him.

“Great.” is what he said when I stopped in front of my house.

“Thank you for taking me home.” I bowed and he did the same.

“See you tomorrow.”

I nodded and smiled at him.

He walked away and I went inside.

“I’m home.”

“You’re late.” My mom said.

She seemed angry, but nothing she could do could have made me regret being late.

“Sorry. I was at a friend’s place, studying. Didn’t you get my text?”

“No. And I also did not get a call, and I don’t remember you telling me yesterday, like you are supposed to.”

“It was not planned. Umino offered to tutor some of us at his place and there are tests coming up.”

“Next time, call me.”

“I will.” I said, bowing my head politely, secretly smiling down at the floor.

We both sat down in the living room and watched a Korean Drama my mother loved. My dad always worked late Thursdays, so we could have the TV to ourselves.

I’ve found the show awfully cheesy, but the main actor looked so much like Sakusa, so I started to enjoy seeing it with her.

And I couldn’t wait to see Sakusa at his Volleyball game.

Chapter Text

It was finally Friday and Kuroo got ready for a very special date. It was actually Bokuto’s date with Akaashi and the latter probably had no idea.

When he got to Bokuto’s, Bokuto was a nervous wreck. His parents had gone out of town for the weekend, so they had the house to themselves. Akaashi could be here any minute and Kuroo had to find a way to relax Bokuto.

He found some booze and decided to pour glasses for himself and his best friend.

“What are you doing, that’s my dad’s.” Bokuto complained, but Kuroo just handed him a glass and told him to drink this magic potion.

It could have backfired, but it really did help Bokuto. He seemed less nervous and by the time the doorbell rang, Bokuto was relaxing on the couch, trying to decide on a good movie.

“I’ll get it.” Kuroo offered and went to open the door.

“Hello, Kuroo-san.” Akaashi said with such innocent eyes. Yeah, right.

“Hey. Come on in.”

Bokuto jumped up and greeted Akaashi. Kuroo, standing behind Akaashi, signalized him to calm down.

“Would you like something to drink? We have Coke, Calpis, Ramune, Ginger Ale.” Bokuto offered.

“A Ginger Ale would be great.”

Kuroo nodded and went to the kitchen, letting the two of them have a moment alone.

He also opened a bag of potato chips he’d brought and put them inside a nice bowl.

“Here you go, Akaashi.” He said when he put the glass and the chips on the table in front of them.

“Thank you, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo tried some Smalltalk: “So, Akashi. You’re a pretty decent setter. When did you start playin?”

“In middle school. I consider myself merely average, though.”

“Well, in volleyball it’s more about the whole team. Whose team has the better captain,” He pointed at himself, without Bokuto noticing.

“Whose team has the better libero,” He pointed at himself again.

This time, Bokuto noticed and said: “I thought you didn’t get along with Yaku.”

“I don’t. And don’t tell him I said that, but when he’s backing me up, I feel like nothing can go wrong.

Bokuto smirked and said: “Except it did kinda go wrong, because you lost.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes and said, “Well, like I said – it’s the whole team.”

Akaashi got involved, like he tried to keep the peace: “I think Yaku-san and Komi-san are both great liberos.”

Kuroo ignored Bokuto murmuring “Komi’s better.”

It didn’t really matter to him, and it was only natural for Bokuto to say that, just like he would do for anyone on his team, no matter how well they got along.

“How did you end up being a setter?” He then wanted to know from Akaashi.

Akaashi finished his glass of Ginger Ale and then said: “When I watched my first volleyball game, I couldn’t stop watching the setter. I thought it was really cool how he ruled over the game.”

“Akaaashi. The captain rules over the game.” Bokuto interrupted.

“Of course, Bokuto-san. I was very young; I must have misunderstood.”

“No problem. At your first game, you were probably too young to understand.”

“Yes, maybe, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said, with a weird look on his face, which he fixed as soon as he caught Kuroo’s gaze, who’d been watching him.

“I might move into my own place, soon.” Bokuto said, out of nowhere.

“What?” Kuroo asked.

“My parents are moving to Okinawa. I let Yamiji-sensei talk to my parents about how promising of a player I was and that my chances of going pro aren’t that bad if I stayed in the team. So, they said I could stay here, as long as my grades are good enough. We found a nice small apartment they want to pay for when we sold the house.”

“Didn’t he mean your chances of going Pro are better than your chances of going to college?” Kuroo asked, giggling.

Bokuto turned red and said: “Maybe.”, looking at the floor.

Akaashi jumped in and said: “I don’t think so, Bokuto-san. Your serves are amazing. And also, I’m really glad that you’re staying here with me.”

Kuroo was positive that Bokuto got hard from that.

He tried getting their attention, by complaining: “Why didn’t you say something before? I could have asked if I can move in with you.”

“I thought Kenma needed you next to him and I’m sure your grandparents would be very sad if you left them.”

“That’s true.”

“You live with your grandparents?” Akaashi asked.

“Yeah, and my dad.” Since Akaashi asked so bluntly, he added: “And you?”

“I live alone. I mean, I have a roommate, but I don’t live with my parents.”

“Wow, you’re so sophisticated.” Bokuto said.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said, looking kind of sad.

“Why do all your parents just up and leave their babies?” Kuroo asked, trying to be funny, but Akaashi didn’t laugh.

They decided to watch The Miracle Season – A volleyball team loses their ace in a motorcycle accident. Classic tragic sports movie stuff. Kuroo had actually wanted to watch something light, because he knew Bokuto always cried easily watching sad movies.

And he was right. The credits started rolling and so were Bokuto’s tears. He’s put his head on Akaashi’s shoulder, who looked slightly overwhelmed, but still gently caressed his leg. This was either really good, or really bad, Kuroo thought.

“Don’t worry, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said.
“Our Ace is safe, and he doesn’t even own a motorcycle.”

Bokuto chuckled slightly and then he got up, excusing himself to the bathroom.

Just as Kuroo wanted to have some more chips (he doesn’t really like eating while watching a movie), he noticed that the bowl was already empty.

Akaashi had apparently been hungry and already ate them all.
“Oh, sorry,” He said, bowing his head. They were so good, I couldn’t hold back.

Kuroo smirked and said: “No problem, we have more.”

Maybe that dream about Akaashi having a lot of thigh to grab, wasn’t that far off.

When Bokuto came back, Kuroo went to the kitchen to find a nice desert for Akaashi and his thighs. He was sure Bokuto wouldn’t mind, since they usually liked the same stuff. Chubby Akaashi must be one of them.

He found a whole matcha roll and some mochis.

He put it all on a plate nicely and brought it with plates and forks back to the living room.

Akaashi’s eyes widened, like it was just what he’d wanted right now.

Bokuto must have noticed, because when Kuroo asked: “Bokuto, is it okay, if we have some of this?”

Bokuto stared at Akaashi and said: “Sure.”

He cut a piece for Bokuto, a piece for himself and a piece for Akaashi, that was twice the size of theirs.

The mochis that Kuroo brought also vanished inside Akaashi’s mouth rather quickly.

“You in for a little game?” He asked them both.

“If you explain the rules, sure.”

Kuroo went to get the card game he’d brought and said:

“Do or Drink, conversation edition. Pretty simple. Someone reads the text on a card, and the others must answer or drink.”

“I don’t drink, because I am not old enough yet.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just Chūhai. Doesn’t have much alcohol in it.”

He placed some bottles on the couch table and Bokuto, who had apparently been staring at Akaashi the whole time declared: “I’m going to win””

“It’s not so much about winning, Bokuto. Listen up, I’ll read the first card and Akaashi or you or all of us must answer or drink.” Kuroo picked a card and said: “Oh, it’s for all of us – Have you ever cheated on a partner? I’ll go first. Yes. Bokuto?”

“No.” He truthfully said and when they both looked at Akaashi, he opened a bottle and took a sip. Kuroo’s eyebrow went up as he said:

“Your turn Akaashi, pick a card and decide who it’s for.”

Akaashi picked up a card from the pile, read silently and then said: “Kuroo-san. Rate each player’s looks on a scale of 1-10. Do this or take a shot.”

“That’s easy. I’m a ten, Bokuto’s a nine and Akaashi. A twelve.

Your turn Bokuto. Give yourself a task.”

Bokuto picked up the next card and read out loud: “Admit to the group the most days in a row you’ve worn the same underwear. Do this or take a shot.

Uhm, three days, I think.”

“Haha, gross. My turn – Everyone: Tell the group something that weirdly turns you on. Hm, I kind of like it when someone pretends to be all innocent but is actually a slut.”

Akaashi slightly blushed, gave him a quick angry gaze and took a sip, signalizing he would not answer. Bokuto also drank, making Kuroo sigh:

“Argh, you’re both so boring. Akaashi’s turn. Give us all a task.”

Akaashi read the next card out loud: “Share a story of when you tried to kiss someone and got rejected. Do this or take a shot.
I’m afraid that’s never happened to me. Do I need to drink now?”

“Yeah, never happened to us either, right, Bokuto?” Kuroo said, taking a sip, signalizing Bokuto to do the same so that he won’t blurt out it was because he had never even tried to kiss anyone.

“Uhm, yeah.” Bokuto said, taking a sip and reading out loud what next card said:

“All of us – Tell the group a childhood fear you still haven’t gotten over. Okay, I’ll go first. This might surprise you, but I actually still sometimes fear being left out or being unimportant.”

Kuroo was about to sarcastically comment on that, but Akaashi was quicker: “Really, Bokuto-san? That’s just awful, you could never be unimportant.”

Kuroo felt Bokuto’s self-esteem rise, and maybe even something else, as he smiled at Akaashi and said: “Akaashi, neither could you!”

“My mom once accidentally locked me inside the basement,” Kuroo said.

“Only for thirty minutes, but it was dark and cold, and I still don’t really like going down basements.”

“Aaw, I never knew that, poor baby.” Bokuto said, trying to hug him, but Kuroo pushed him away by his face, saying: “You, Akaashi?”

“I don’t know if it’s a real fear. When I was four, we were at a water park and some older kids ran into me and I fell inside a wave pool. The intake vent sucked me down and held me underwater. A lifeguard had to help me get out of water. That was rather scary, but I guess most people would be afraid of drowning.
Bokuto-san, it’s your turn. Why don’t you pick something nice for Kuroo-san.”

“Okay.” Bokuto said, looking like he still tried to process the little drowning Akaashi. He picked up the next card and read: “Admit to the group a lie you told to get out of a hookup – Kuroo.”

“Uhm, I once told them I had to leave because my best friend needed me because he had the worst case of diarrhea.”

“Kenma?” Bokuto tried to confirm, like it made a difference.

“Sure.” Kuroo said, knowing Akaashi already imagined Bokuto.

“Why did you need to get out?” Akaashi wanted to know.

“She was going on about how risky meeting me was, even though our zodiac signs wouldn’t match at all.”

“Then I guess she was right about that.”

“Teh. Yeah, I guess no Geminis for me. I could have also told her I’d be off to find a cute Cancer or Pisces.”

They all giggled and Kuroo picked up the next card and read out loud:

“Admit to the group a time you hooked up with someone and never got their name. Do this or take four shots. Akaashi.”

Kuroo was surprised when Akaashi ended up not drinking, but putting his bottle down, staring directly at Kuroo like Bokuto was not even there, and said:

“It was at a party. I went with some older friends and there was someone interesting. I actually tried getting their name, but it all happened so fast.”

Bokuto looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

I knew it! Kuroo thought.

“I wanna go again” Kuroo said, picking up the next card and read out loud:

“Admit to the group if you’ve ever had a threesome. Do this, or take a shot. Yeah, let’s all answer. Sadly, it has never happened to me so far. How about you, Akaashi?” He said, as if he was trying to break his façade.

Akaashi returned Kuroo’s gaze for a split second, like he was telling him to stop prying so much and then he took another sip. Bokuto then did the same, which Kuroo thought was pretty cute since it was kind of obvious, he couldn’t have had a threesome, if Kuroo hadn’t even had one.

“Your turn, Bokuto.”

He picked up a card and said:

“Admit to the group if you have ever been in love with someone from the same sex. All of us.”

“I HAVE.” Bokuto declared.

“No, I don’t really fall in love. Ever” Kuroo said and he and Bokuto both looked at Akaashi, who was blushing when he said: “Yes, I have.”

Bokuto was also blushing and Kuroo thought it was kind of sad that he thought he was the one.

“Okay, your turn, Akaashi.”

Akaashi picked up a card and looked at Bokuto with innocent eyes and then read: “Admit to the group one thing you would really love to do to each player. Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto immediately blushed and turned away from Akaashi to look at Kuroo, saying: “Uhm, I would really like to travel the world with you, Kuroo.”

“Very cute,” Kuroo said “and what about Akaashi? Be honest.”

He gave Bokuto a trust me look. Bokuto looked at Akaashi and said: “I want to do what you did at that party.” Then he finished his bottle, trying to act natural and did not have to keep looking at Akaashi.

Kuroo grinned when he noticed how Akaashi pretended to be surprised. Bokuto had never been subtle and Kuroo was sure Akaashi had noticed Bokuto’s admiration before Bokuto had said it out loud.

He decided not to comment on that and said: “Your turn Bokuto.” Handing him the next card.

Bokuto seemed to be okay with pretending he never said what he just had, took the card and read:

“Admit to the group if you’ve ever fantasized about someone else when you were in a relationship. Do this or take five drinks. Both of you.”

“I don’t do relationships,” Kuroo said.

They both looked at Akaashi and he finished his bottle.

“Okay, my turn. By the rules of the game, if you can’t drink because there is no drink left, you have to kiss someone instead.”

He picked up a card and read: “Admit to the group the number of people you’ve hooked up with. Akaashi.”

Akaashi’s cheeks were red, maybe from alcohol, maybe from thinking about who to kiss. Bokuto would kill me Kuroo thought when he realized he might pick him.

“Are you trying to count or what?”

Akaashi gave him a dirty look and said: “You know you could have made the rules more clear before we started.” Then, he crawled over to Bokuto, pressing his lips on Bokuto’s lips, still on his hands and knees.

Bokuto was slightly overwhelmed, so it took him a while to understand what was happening and then he closed his eyes.

Kuroo could tell that Akaashi was a pretty good kisser. He immediately pressed his tongue inside Bokuto’s mouth and Bokuto seemed to enjoy it. A large bulge was forming at his crotch, but just as he tried to take Akaashi’s face into his hands, Akaashi stopped kissing him and crawled back to his corner of the couch.

He looked very composed and told them: “They were not many, but I did not feel like telling you.”

“That’s okay.” Bokuto said, looking rather high than drunk.

Akaashi picked up a card and read: “Admit to the group someone you dislike and still can’t quite justify why. Kuroo-san.”

“Uhm, Suguru Daishō. Always giving me weird vibes.” Kuroo said, after thinking about it for a little while.

Of course, certain Kōhais of his came to mind first, but they were his teammates and if he’d think about it, he’d know why they were annoying and that wasn’t disliking for no reason. He’s never had much to do with Daishō, he just had a bad feeling about him.

 “I understand, he’s a little scary.” Bokuto added.

Kuroo thought he saw Akaashi shiver for a split second, but that couldn’t have to do with Daishō. As far as he knew, they hadn’t had a game against Nohebi, so why would Akaashi know him?

“If you woke up as the opposite sex, what would be the first thing you would do? Akaashi and Kuroo.”

“Touch my boobs and finger myself.” Kuroo said, grinning at Akaashi, who looked at him in disgust.

“I would go back to sleep, hoping everything would be normal when I wake up again.” Akaashi said.

Bokuto laughed very loudly.

Kuroo was not sure if this confidence boost from Akaashi’s kiss was necessary, but it was too late now. And, knowing Bokuto, it won’t stay like that.

He picked up the next card and read: “Admit to the group your body’s most erogenous zone. Both of you.”

“The tip of my dick.” Bokuto said, slightly blushing.

“Are you sure?” Akaashi said, when he crawled over again, this time to sit on his lap, facing him.

“I think so.” Bokuto said quietly, like he was actually unsure about everything in the world.

Akaashi looked him in the eyes and moved his hips slightly. Kuroo was not sure if he was doing this out of pleasure or just to tease Bokuto.

“Is it okay, if I kiss you again, Bokuto-san? I don’t want to tell Kuroo-san something so private.”

“Sure it’s – “ He couldn’t finish, because Akaashi’s lips had already sealed his mouth. This time, Bokuto was quicker to close his eyes and he placed his hands on Akaashi’s hips as his tongue tried to keep up with Akaashi’s.

This time, the kiss was longer than before and Bokuto seemed like he was about to burst.

He pressed against Akaashi, pushing him down on the sofa until he was lying on his back with Bokuto between his legs, while still kissing him.

Akaashi turned his head sideways, saying: “I think it’s enough.”

Bokuto continued kissing his neck, pressing his bulge against Akaashi.

“Okay.” He managed to say and forced himself to back away.

Kuro was positive he saw Akaashi look at Bokuto’s bulge and that he wanted it badly. He was hoping Bokuto would let him fuck Akaashi after he’s had the chance. Maybe he’ll just not ask for permission.

“Excuse me.” Akaashi said and left for the bathroom.

Kuroo went to sit next to Bokuto and placed his arm around

him, saying:

“What’d I tell you, hm? He’s not what you think. He’s very hungry for your erogenous zone. And mine perhaps.”

Bokuto only looked at him, making Kuroo wonder if he’s overstepped, so he added:

“You can fuck him first, if you’re up to it, but he seems to be very experienced, I don’t want you to make a fool of yourself. I could try first and find out what he likes? Or we could both take care of him at the same time?”

“How?” Bokuto wanted to know.

“There’s a lot of ways. You could start my licking his hole and he gets to lick my dick, maybe suck it, if he wants to.”

“You think he does stuff like that?”

Kuroo had to fight bursting out, because like hell he did stuff like that. He whispered to Bokuto: “We can find out. But you should take it slow and start by licking him real wet until he begs you to use your – “

“Am I interrupting something?”

Kuroo wasn’t sure if Akaashi’s heard them.

“Not at all. I’ll be right back.”

He said, making his way to the kitchen.

When he came back with three bananas, Bokuto and Akaashi were just sitting there next to each other, a bit closer than before, but not touching.

“Let’s see who can take most of their banana inside their mouth.”

He gave each of them a banana, ignoring the irritated gaze Akaashi gave him.

“What’s the prize?” Bokuto wanted to know.

“The winner gets to sleep in your bed tonight.”

 “Okay, I’ll go first.” Bokuto said and unpeeled his banana. He tried to take it all inside but started to gag when it reached the back of his throat. Then he bit off and had the last piece still in his hand.

“’dis hwoa much” he said, chewing.

“Wow, that was so good, Bokuto-san. Kuroo-san, you go next.”

Kuroo grinned at him and took a big bite off his banana, leaving more than Bokuto had.

“Oh, it seems to be between me and you, Akaashi.” He said, even though Bokuto had actually done a better job.

“I will try my best.” Akaashi said and he held the banana up to his lips, both Bokuto and Kuroo watching closely as he opened his lips and took in all of the banana. Kuroo was sure it went right inside his throat.

“Okay, we seem to have a winner. I’ll take the sofa, Bokuto, get ready to sleep on the floor.”

“Aargh, I was so close!” Bokuto exclaimed. Kuroo wasn’t sure if he was just not paying attention to details or if he wanted to sleep on the floor next to Akaashi rather than the couch in the living room.

“I’m tired. Let’s go to bed. Or bed, floor and sofa.”

They went to change into their sleeping clothes. Kuroo lay down on the couch and Akaashi approached him while Bokuto was still in the bathroom.

“What are you up to?” He asked.

Kuroo sat back up and pretended he had no idea what Akaashi was talking about.

“Come again?”

“You know what I mean. Why are you trying to make me do these dirty things?”

“You seem to be enjoying them just fine, so I don’t see the problem.”

“The rumors about me aren’t true, just so you know.”

“I haven’t even heard a single rumor about you, but good to know. I just had the feeling that you like doing some naughty stuff.”

“Why do you have that feeling? What did I do?”

“You mean what gave you away?” Kuroo grinned at him. Akaashi gave him an angry look and Kuroo just knew he was right. Then he added:

“I don’t know, maybe I was just hoping so I could bang you when Bokuto is done.”

“I will not sleep with either of you, just so you know. I’ve made some mistakes and I’ve learned from them. Good night, Kuroo-san.”

“Night.”

Bokuto and Akaashi went into Bokuto’s bedroom as he heard Akaashi say:

“Your bed is quite big, I think we can both fit, Bokuto-san. I don’t want you to sleep on the floor.”

What rumors? What mistakes? Kuroo thought. He took his phone and tried to find out what he could about Akaashi. He found out he went to two different middle schools.

After digging quite deep into it all, Kuroo found some very naughty pictures of Akaashi. Now he really hoped Bokuto would share him.

__

Kuroo woke up to the sweet smell of pancakes the next morning.

It must have been pretty warm because he had taken off his shirt and the blanket was on the floor. He got up and folded it neatly, when a very tired looking Akaashi opened the bedroom door.

The house of Bokuto’s parents was small, but comfortable. The living room, where Kuroo had spent the night, connected directly to an open kitchen, Bokuto’s room sat right off to the side.

Akaashi’s hair was quite messy, and he was squinting his eyes.

“Good morning sleeping beauty.” Kuroo said.

“Good morning, Kuroo-san. Where is Bokuto-san?”

“In the kitchen, making breakfast.”

Akaashi went to the bathroom and Kuroo gathered the scattered cards with a practiced sweep of his hands. He slipped them back into the box and put it on the coffee table. It was the first time he’d used them and they’ve actually been a decent ice breaker.

The living room was still a bit messy — cushions pushed out of place, a cushion half-slid off the couch where he’d slept. He shook it out once and placed it back on the couch.

He wasn’t nearly as tidy as Bokuto was, but being a guest in his parent’s house made him want to at least try. When everything looked okay again, he stretched, spine cracking faintly. The bathroom light was spilling under the door; he waited a moment until it clicked off and Akaashi stepped out, looking a bit less tired than just before.

Kuroo slipped past him with a muttered thanks and shut the door behind him.

He relieved himself first, then washed his hands, splashing cool water on his face until the last traces of sleepiness prickled away. His reflection blinked back at him: bed hair in full disaster mode. With a resigned sigh, he ran his fingers through it and styled it the usual way, using Bokuto’s hair wax.

He flicked off the light, and went to the kitchen, where Akaashi was already sitting at the table, talking to Bokuto, who was serving pancakes.

He was worried about Bokuto being awkward because of all the fun they’d had last night and whatever they did after that, but he seemed very content and relaxed.

Kuroo slid into a chair at the small kitchen table, still very tired. The plate in front of him was stacked high with pancakes — fluffy, golden, and steaming.

“Damn, Bokuto,” he said, picking up his fork, “you’re really trying to spoil us this morning.”

Bokuto perked up immediately. “I used extra eggs! And buttermilk for the fluffiness.”

Across from him, Akaashi nodded politely, already cutting into his own portion. “They’re good,” he said. “Really good.”

Kuroo took a bite and let out an appreciative hum. “Good? These could win awards. Me and Kenma would eat these every day if we could.”

Bokuto beamed. “Kenma likes sweet things, right?”

“He likes convenience,” Kuroo corrected, grinning. “But if you shoved a plate of these in his hands every morning, he’d probably marry you for the effort.”

Bokuto blinked. “Eh? Marry?”

Kuroo leaned back, pointing an accusing fork at him. “I’m serious. You keep this up, and you’re gonna make an amazing wife one day.”

Bokuto froze, fork halfway to his mouth. Then, slowly, color flushed up his neck to the tips of his ears. “A-amazing wife?!”

Akaashi looked down at his plate, but Kuroo caught the tiny smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“I mean it!” Kuroo added, laughing now. “Cooking, energy, emotional support — total wife material.”

“I—I don’t know if that’s a compliment or—”

“It is,” Akaashi supplied gently, still not looking up.

Bokuto’s blush deepened, but he straightened in his chair like he’d just been handed a trophy. “Well… if you say so…”

Kuroo snorted. “Look at him. It went straight to his head.”

But Bokuto’s grin was so wide, so genuinely pleased, that Kuroo didn’t have the heart to tease him any further.

They quietly ate together, until Kuroo said:

“So,”, turned his attention to Akaashi, and continued: “how’s first-year life treating you? Holding up under the pressure of Mister Future Househusband over here?”

Bokuto let out a wounded noise. “Kuroo!”

Akaashi finally allowed himself a small laugh. “It is going quite well. Bokuto-san’s been helping me a lot.”

“I better be! Captain duties!” Bokuto chimed in, puffing up a little.

Kuroo rolled his eyes affectionately. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t let him run you into the ground. I’ve seen him ‘help’ people before.”

Akaashi nodded. “I’m managing.” There was something warm and quiet in his tone — something Kuroo didn’t question but noticed.

Bokuto leaned forward, eagerly. “We should do this more often! Breakfast together!”

Kuroo shoved another pancake into his mouth. “If it comes with these? Yeah, I’m moving in.”

Bokuto went pink again. Akaashi hid another smile.

At this moment, Kuroo thought he couldn’t be happier. One of his best friends and a new friend who could easily become so much more.

It was Saturday and Kuroo did not need to be anywhere until volleyball training in the late afternoon.

So he stayed until after Akaashi had gone home, because he was dying to know:

“How was it? Did you do it? What happened?”

Bokuto smirked at him, saying: “What if I don’t wanna tell you?”

“Oh, so you didn’t have sex with him? Why not?!”

“I didn’t say that… Fine. We didn’t because he said he was not ready.”

Kuroo scoffed.

“What? I will give him as much time as he needs.”

“You don’t actually believe he’s a virgin, do you?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. He is not ready and I will wait for him.”

When Kuroo got home, he thought it was pretty frustrating. Akaashi was playing them and he was not going to fall for this like Bokuto was.

I’ll show him who you really are. He thought as he grinned to himself, determined to unravel Keiji Akaashi’s true nature.

Chapter Text

I was so nervous when I went to watch my first game. I tugged at my pants as I stepped into the gym, the sound of sneakers squeaking on the polished floor echoing louder than I expected. People were already finding seats, chatting, and warming up. The gym was so big and bright, actually a little intimidating.

I found Sakusa right away.

He was stretching near the far end of the court. He looked composed like the game was nothing for him — precise, steady, completely in control of his body. His curls were falling on his forehead, his face mostly covered by his mask, but somehow, he still was the coolest.

And of course, my heart immediately started beating way too fast.
I really shouldn’t have come. There was no way that it wasn’t obvious I liked him.

But he actually invited me. So, I just had to come.

“Akaashi.”

I snapped my head up as he walked toward me.

“You made it.”

“I — yeah. I wanted to see you play.” I tried to sound casual. I don’t think I succeeded.

“Good.” Sakusa nodded once. “Sit wherever you want. It’ll be a quick one.”

It should have sounded cocky, but with him it didn’t. More like he was stating the weather. Something inevitable.

When the whistle blew for the first set, I leaned forward so hard that my elbows almost slid off my knees.

Sakusa was incredible. He took his mask off for the match and I could see his beautiful face.

The way he moved — it was like he knew exactly where he needed to be at every moment. His approach was sharp and clean, and when he jumped, it looked unreal, like gravity just let go of him for a second. His spikes were fast enough that the sound of the ball hitting the floor reached me before I could even track where it had landed.

The opposing team had barely reached ten points.

I noticed there was a player on each team wearing a jersey in opposite colors. I planned on doing some research about the positions later.

A position I knew was that of the setter. I couldn’t stop watching him, either.

He always seemed like the center of the court, like he belonged there more than anyone else. Everything passed through him: the first touches, the fast sets, the misfires he somehow saved and turned into attacks. He never called out, he didn’t demand attention, but everyone responded to him instantly.

When he signaled, they moved.
When he pointed, they understood.
And when Sakusa made the smallest bit of eye contact with him, the ball went exactly where he wanted it to be.

I felt something twist warmly in my chest.

He’s the one everyone depends on.
I want to feel that way too.

The second set went by even faster. Sakusa did three jump serves in a row, the kind of serves you only see high schoolers, or professionals do. His teammates followed him with such confidence.

He really didn’t say much. He never seemed to.
But somehow, everyone was tuned to him anyway.

And then it was over as quickly as it had begun: 2–0. Just like Sakusa said.

“Did you like it?”

I had gone downstairs to see him.

Sakusa had come to me right away, he drank water, hair sticking to his forehead. I didn’t know where to look for a second.

“I loved it,” I said before I could think. “You were… amazing. All of you. And your setter — he’s incredible. Everyone listens to him without him even having to say anything.”

Sakusa blinked, then nodded. “He’s reliable. Every team needs a setter like that.”

That strange warmth spread through me again and I still wasn’t sure what it meant.

“I think,” I said softly, “volleyball is really cool.”

Sakusa’s eyes softened just a bit, not quite a smile, but close enough for him.

“You should try it.”

And this time, I really thought I might.

I nodded, determined to sign up for the club next week.

“What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?” I blurted out way too loud.

He said: “I have to tutor someone tomorrow.” I felt rejected, until he asked: “And you?” Like I was just making smalltalk.

“Tomorrow’s my birthday.”
“Oh, give me your number, so I can text you.”

Very excited about that opportunity, I asked: “Sure. Do you have your phone?”

“It’s in the locker room. I’ll remember it.”

I told him.

And the whole next day, I’d waited for his text. I waited when I had my birthday breakfast with my parents, I waited when I unwrapped a gift from them (a book called How to be a successful man), I waited when we went out for dinner to my favorite restaurant and I waited when I went to bed.

He forgot, or maybe he just didn’t remember my number after all.

I hoped he wouldn’t be stressed about it, when finally, my phone beeped.

Happy Birthday Akaashi.

I stared at these three words until my eyes were too tired to stay open and I fell asleep.

On Monday, after school, when I told my parents I wanted to sign up for the volleyball club, they seemed surprised. I’d never shown much interest in sports before — not beyond watching Sakusa play, at least. But they signed the form when I promised my grades would not drop, and the next day I walked into the gym to hand over the form.

Sakusa was already there, of course. He nodded at me when he saw the form in my hand, like he was giving me his approval.

Daishō had also looked at me but did not say anything.

Coach Sakamoto — a tall man with a stern but kind face and a whistle that looked older than the whole team — smiled when he saw me.

“So, second-year,” he said. “Why did you wait so long, what made you want to play volleyball now?”

“Uhm, I saw your last game, the teams last game, I mean, and it looked like a lot of fun.”

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t a trick question, I was just curious. What position are you interested in?”

Before I could even open my mouth, Sakusa answered for me:

“He wants to be a setter.”

My brain short-circuited.

“I— I do?”

Sakusa looked at me, completely unfazed. “You said you liked ours. And you watched him the whole game. So, setter.”

My ears felt hot. I was a bit relieved that he didn’t notice I’d actually been watching him the whole game.
But… he wasn’t wrong.

And if Sakusa thought I could do it, I might as well try…

I swallowed, trying to summon whatever version of confidence he seemed to believe I had.
“I’d… like to try it,” I said.

Coach grinned. “Great. Our third-year setter, Ishida Tomoya, can start teaching you the basics.”

I turned to see Ishida jogging over — a boy with soft brown hair, blue eyes, and the aura of a true athlete. He bowed his head.

“Nice to meet you, Akaashi. So you want the best job on the team?”

I slightly bowed my head and asked: “Is it really—?”

“For sure,” Ishida laughed. “You get to tell the others what to do without looking bossy. Come on, let’s begin.”

We passed the boy who I remembered was wearing the opposite-colored jersey in the game. He was rolling around on the floor.

Ishida must have noticed my questioning look and he laughed, saying: “Don’t worry. That’s Kazuma Hokao, he’s our second libero. It’s the libero’s job to save the balls close to the floor. You’ll almost never have to do that.”

He came closer to whisper: “Liberos are also the only ones who get to be that short.” He straightened up again and added: “However, our first Libero is not that short.”

I wanted to ask, who that was and why he hadn’t been in the game, but I never really liked asking a lot of questions, so I stayed silent until we started to practice.

Setting had looked quite simple until I actually tried it.

Every time I touched the ball, it either spun wildly or smacked the floor with a sad flop. My wrists hurt. My arms shook. My pride dented itself repeatedly.

“No, no,” Ishida said, gently taking the ball from me. “Fingers relaxed. Shape the ball — don’t crush it.”

He reorganized my fingers, showing me how to grip the ball.

“Shape the ball,” I muttered, trying again.

It wobbled. Badly.

Ishida nodded like this was normal. “You’ll get it. No one starts perfect.”

When we took a break, Sakusa appeared beside me like I’d summoned him by doubting myself. And just as I was hoping he had been focused on his own training, he said:

“You’ll improve.”

It almost sounded like an order.

Daishō had completely ignored me the whole time and practiced serves.

When practice was over and I got home, I was so tired I could barely stay awake during dinner.

“So, how is volleyball?”

My mother wanted to know.

“A lot of fun. They’re making me their new setter and everyone’s real nice.” Apart from that molester I thought.

“Good. A team sport will look great on your high school applications.”

“Uh-huh.” I agreed, but thinking about leaving middle school made me sad.

The next day, we did serving practice.

Which meant disaster for me.

On my very first attempt at an overhand serve, I tossed the ball too high, swung too late, and somehow managed to miss entirely. The ball bounced pitifully to the side. I pretended not to hear a couple of third-years snicker.

When the ball hit my forehead, Coach Sakamoto walked over, with a look that said he’d seen this exact situation about a thousand times.

“Akaashi,” he said, “for now, stick to the lower serve.”

“Lower… serve?” I repeated.

He nodded. “Underhand. Most players start there. Actually, almost everyone on this team uses those. Except Sakusa, of course.” Coach huffed a quiet laugh. “He’s been serving overhand since he started in his first year.”

I glanced across the court. Sakusa wasn’t even doing a normal overhand serve — he was jump-serving, sending the ball crashing down like it had offended him. No one else even attempted doing that.

Coach clapped my shoulder; I had to force myself to look away from Sakusa. “This one’s fine for you. Solid, accurate, dependable. We build the flashier stuff later.”

That’d helped a little.

Still, when I stepped up to the line again, I hesitated. “Is it really okay if I keep doing it this way? It feels like — it feels… childish.”

Before Coach could respond, Sakusa appeared at my side as if he’d been listening the whole time.

“It’s fine,” he said simply.

I blinked at him. “But it’s not—”

“You’re consistent,” Sakusa cut in. “Most of them can't even control the underhand one. Don’t worry about looking cool. Just make it go up. Scoring points is my job.”

I stared at him, surprised, and felt my cheeks blush.

Sakusa was the strongest server on the team, and he wasn’t teasing me.

He wasn’t even judging me.

He was just… telling me the truth and being there for me like I was his responsibility.

I swallowed and nodded. Then I swung my arm in the simple underhand motion the Coach had taught me. The ball lifted off my palm and sailed cleanly over the net, landing exactly inside the back corner I’d aimed for.

Coach grinned.

Sakusa gave one small nod.

“See?” he said.

And somehow, that single word made me feel lighter — like maybe I really could do this. I felt something swell inside me — pride, maybe. Or relief. Or just the strange warmth that always showed up when Sakusa was near me.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll keep practicing.”

“You should,” he replied, already turning back to his drill. “You’re going to be our setter someday.”

My breath caught.

Not a setter.
Not maybe a setter.

Our setter.

I wasn’t sure I was anywhere near deserving that kind of trust yet.

But for his sake (and for mine) I was determined to try.

After a week of practice, my hands were sore, my arms were tired, and my forearms were red from failed receives. However, my sets were finally starting to look like real sets. The ball no longer spun out of control every time. Ishida even said, “Nice touch,” which felt like earning a medal.

On Friday, as we were packing up, Sakusa walked over to me with his usual unreadable expression.

“You improved a lot in your first week,” he said.

I blinked. “I… did?”

“Yes.” He paused, then added, “So I want to treat you to dinner.”

My brain short-circuited.

“D–Dinner?”

“As a reward,” Sakusa clarified. “For working so hard.”

My heart thumped, but I nodded quickly. “O-okay.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Seven.
Seven.

I barely managed to walk home.

As soon as I got through the door, I sprinted to my room, relieved about being home alone. I’d never been invited anywhere by a friend outside of school before — not like this, not something that felt special, like a date.

After taking a shower, I tore through my closet. Everything looked too boring or too formal or too something. I wanted to look casual, but I also wanted to look… good. Attractive.

After ten minutes of panic, I finally settled on a black hoodie and nice jeans.

I tried to fix my hair, checked my reflection, checked it again, dabbed on the tiniest bit of concealer under my eyes. Not enough for anyone to point out. Just enough to not look like I’d stayed up way too late watching volleyball tutorials.

At exactly seven, the doorbell rang.

Sakusa stood there in a black jacket and his usual mask. He looked… well, like Sakusa. Calm. Collected. Impossible not to admire.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, hoping he couldn’t hear how fast my heart was racing.

We walked through the evening streets until we reached a small Japanese restaurant tucked between two shops. Warm lights glowed from inside, and it smelled incredible even from outside.

When the host greeted us, Sakusa simply said, “Sakusa. Party of two.”

He made a reservation?
For us?

They led us to a small booth with sliding wooden screens. Private, quiet, softly lit. My stomach tightened and I didn’t feel hungry one bit.

Sakusa sat across from me, taking off his jacket but leaving his mask on, probably until the food came. I sat opposite him, trying not to fidget too visibly.

The menu looked… expensive.
Beautiful, but expensive.

I froze.

Sakusa glanced at me once, immediately understanding.

“Do you know what you want?”

“I… um… everything looks so good,” I said, which was true and also a clever way of saying, I have no idea what to order and I’m terrified of picking the wrong thing.

Without hesitation, Sakusa reached for his menu.

“I’ll order for you,” he said plainly. “You’ll like it.”

I didn’t even have time to protest before he signaled the waiter.

“One katsudon, one oyakodon,” he said. “And two cold barley teas.”

I sat there, trying not to smile too obviously.

He ordered for both of us so confidently, like it was natural, like he already knew what I’d like.

And somehow, that simple act made me feel warm in a way I couldn’t explain.

I folded my hands on the table, trying to look calm even as excitement buzzed through me.

This was just a friendly celebratory dinner.
Nothing more.
I knew that.

Still… I couldn’t help thinking—

I was really, really glad he chose to do this with me.

The drinks arrived first. I held mine with both hands just to stop myself from fidgeting. Sakusa seemed perfectly relaxed, sitting straight, looking so unbelievably good.

When the food came, it brought the smell of warm broth, fried cutlet, and sweet soy sauce. My stomach growled so loudly I almost wanted to hide underneath the table.

The waiter slid the katsudon in front of me. The egg was fluffy, the sauce glossy, the pork cutlet perfectly crisp. It looked too good to touch.

Sakusa unwrapped chopsticks – they must really know him because they only gave him disposable ones. “Eat,” he said simply.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and took my first bite.

It was… incredible.
Warm, comforting, rich. The kind of food that made your shoulders drop and your whole body relax.

“This is really good,” I murmured, almost to myself.

“I knew you’d like it,” Sakusa replied, matter-of-factly, as if ordering perfect food for me was something he always did.

We ate quietly for a while. Not awkward-quiet, just peaceful-quiet. The soft clink of bowls, the low murmur of other diners beyond the booth. Everything felt… still, in a really nice way.

Halfway through the meal, Sakusa asked, “How do you like being in the club so far?”

“Oh.” I straightened automatically. “I like it. Ishida-senpai says my form is improving.”

“It is,” Sakusa nodded. “You’re thinking faster.”

“You can tell?”

“You look less panicked,” he said bluntly.

I choked on a grain of rice, then laughed.

He glanced at me and I wish I knew what he was thinking.

“You’re getting used to the timing,” he added. “And you don’t flinch at fast passes anymore.”

“That was only the first two days,” I protested.

Sakusa tilted his head. “Three.”

I groaned, covering my face with one hand, but I couldn’t help but smile.

The conversation drifted after that — about the team, about our school workload, about how Ishida-senpai kept trying to set from ridiculous positions “to build creativity,” as he called it. Sakusa rolled his eyes so hard I nearly snorted into my food.

And slowly, without noticing exactly when it happened, I felt the tension melt out of my shoulders.

My heartbeat steadied.
My hands stopped fidgeting.
I felt less intimidated by the whole date-situation.

I sat across from Sakusa, eating delicious food, talking about volleyball, and realized I just felt… happy.

Not excited-in-a-panicked-way.
Not nervous-because-he’s-here.
Just genuinely happy.

When I finished my bowl, I set my chopsticks down carefully. Sakusa was still eating, slow and precise as always. He looked up at me once, as if checking that I was finished, then nodded slightly.

“Good?” he asked.

“Really good,” I answered. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“It’s a reward,” he said, but his voice was softer than before. “You worked for it.”

I felt my cheeks blush and smiled at him.

“Ready for dessert?” The waiter asked.

Sakusa looked at me when he asked: “Would you like to share something?”

“I would. You choose.”

“Then we’ll have some matcha ice cream please.”

“Do you come here a lot?” I wanted to know, trying to ignore the sting that he might have been here with someone else.

“Not a lot, I don’t eat out much, but I know the owner and I trust them here.”

There came our matcha ice cream and two spoons. One of them wrapped in plastic, disposable.

Sakusa signalized me to take the first bite, so I tried not to mess up the neatly served ice crem and took a small scoop on my spoon. It was very good. I smiled and nodded at Sakusa.

He then elegantly took a much bigger scoop and agreed with me. He let me finish it.

When we left, Sakusa paid the bill, looking so cool and grown-up, like he always did this kind of thing.

I didn’t know if this was goodbye, but when Sakusa started walking towards my house, I let it happen.

“I will get even better next week. This could get expensive for you.”

I hoped it was not inappropriate, and that he knew it was a joke. I looked at him and he still hadn’t put his mask back on, so I could see him smile at me when he said: “We can always just cook at my place. Or have I spoiled you now?”

“Okay. Next Friday, dinner at your place.”

I wasn’t sure if it was like a sugar rush giving me this kind of confidence and really hoped he wouldn’t see it as a desperate try to get closer to him. I held my breath, until he said:

“We’ll see about that at practice.” The way he smiled, I was sure he was half joking and that my chances were pretty good.

We arrived and I was sad to see my front door. I wanted to walk home with him forever.

“Good night, Akaashi. I had a good time.”

I felt like I watched myself stepping closer, reaching up and kissing him. It was like I was being controlled and could only observe how someone ruined everything.

My lips were pressed against his’, he touched my cheek and opened his mouth briefly.

Just as I wanted to deepen the kiss, he pulled back. I guess I was going to have to settle on that innocent kiss.

“Good night, Sakusa.” I said when he gave me another smile, put his mask back on, turned around and walked away.

I stood there and watched, until he was out of sight.

I was not ready to go home yet. So, I turned right and started running. In this one week of volleyball, my stamina has improved quite a bit, and I was surprised at how far I could run until I had to slowly came to a halt, panting heavily.

There was a bench right at the entrance of a park, so I laid down on it, to look at the stars. This was the night I had my first kiss. I hoped there would be many more to come. All of them with him.

When I got home, it was almost 10 and my parents were still not home, which was a good. I couldn't handle it if they forbade me to go out with Sakusa again, so I was a real good boy and did all my homework, before finally going to bed. Sakusa never left my thoughts. His lips were so soft. I wanted them everywhere on my body.

The whole weekend passed with no messages between us.

Not a single one.

Sakusa didn’t reach out.
And I didn’t know if I should.

The silence felt huge. Not exactly bad, just confusing.

I replayed our dinner many times in my head, the quiet booth, the feeling I had being alone with him, the way Sakusa had looked at me when he told me I had earned the meal. Something about it lingered so strongly it was almost like a physical weight behind my ribs. The small kiss I gave him, which he so subtlety returned.

I needed to have dinner with him again. So, I decided to work hard and improve even more, so I could become someone Sakusa could trust on and off the court.

He did say “You’re going to be our setter someday.”

And I just knew he only said what he truly meant.