A/N: This is the sequel to Not As Expected. I recommend that you read that first. :)
Kuroo couldn't say he was disappointed to find out Oikawa Tooru was his soulmate. He would admit that he had been surprised by the random text message, not to mention the things he had heard from shrimpy about the so called "Great King" didn't really line up with the boy he had been texting for the last couple of months.
The guy he had been texting was a complete nerd. He was obsessed with volleyball and aliens. He had a mean streak, no doubt about that, but the streak matched with Kuroo's. He was intelligent and was easily able to keep up with Kuroo's train of thought. But there was one thing that differentiated between them – Oikawa was vindictive. Kuroo was manipulative and somewhat possessive, but that was nothing compared to his soulmate. However, Kuroo knew something else as well. He knew that one of Oikawa's biggest weaknesses was the fact that he actually had extremely low self-esteem regarding a few things. Regarding a few people. He measured himself against them and constantly found himself falling short.
Oikawa Tooru thought that he was inadequate.
Which is why Kuroo wasn't surprised when he received some very…unhappy messages from his soulmate during the summer training camp.
He wasn't sure how Oikawa had found out. He had told the other captain that he had a training camp with a group of schools in Tokyo but he hadn't mentioned the fact that Karasuno would be joining them. He knew how Oikawa felt about Kageyama. He knew that his soulmate was secretly terrified that Karasuno would improve enough to beat them at the next match.
He hadn't wanted Oikawa to know that he was one of the people helping them improve. He knew how furious the other boy would be. He knew he would see it as a betrayal. So he decided it would be best not to tell him. Not yet, anyway.
But somehow he found out anyway and, after a round of very unpleasant messages, Kuroo hadn't heard from his soulmate in weeks. He should have expected that.
He found out from Kenma that Karasuno had won their first few games and it now came down to them and Aoba Johsai. Whoever won the game would move on to fight in the finals.
Kuroo wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't conflicted. On one hand, if Aoba Johsai won, Oikawa would probably forgive him and Kuroo would be happy for his soulmate. However, if Karasuno won…well, he knew how vengeful Oikawa could be. But if he wanted the Battle at the Garbage Dump to occur, Karasuno needed to win.
It really wasn't a good situation for him to be in.
It was Kenma that convinced him that he needed to actually go to the game. If Karasuno lost, he could be there to congratulate Oikawa and comfort his friends from Karasuno. If Karasuno won…well, hopefully Oikawa would be too shocked that he would let Kuroo comfort him.
So that was how Kuroo found himself, and Kenma, sitting in a hard chair and watching as the two teams bowed to one another. His eyes were instantly drawn toward Oikawa. The boy was even more gorgeous in person than he was in the pictures he had seen. How the hell was someone like that supposed to be his soulmate? It didn't seem possible.
"Oikawa-senpai! Do your best!"
Kuroo glanced to the side to see where the shouts were coming from and couldn't help but scowl when he saw the multitude of girls hanging around the court, eyes fixated on his soulmate.
"Stop it, Kuro," Kenma muttered, slipping lower in his seat as Kuroo's hands clenched. "You knew they would be here."
"How did I get stuck with a soulmate that has a fanclub?!" Kuroo whined pathetically as both teams got into position. "I'm too jealous for that!"
Kenma didn't bother to respond verbally. He only raised an eyebrow before turning pointedly toward the game.
Mean.
He sat forward eagerly when he saw that Oikawa was up to serve first. He had heard many things about those serves.
"Man, Oikawa is serving first?" A man standing by the railing asked. He was standing with another man, a woman, and the Karasuno blond manager. Kuroo leaned forward just slightly so he would be able to hear. It was always interesting hearing others perspective on things – he couldn't always trust what shrimpy had to say.
"Is he that good?" The woman beside him questioned.
"He's a freaking canon," the second man replied.
"If Seijoh's able to build momentum with this serve," the first man explained, "we're going to be in trouble."
Well, maybe shrimpy hadn't been exaggerating.
The whistle blew and Kuroo couldn't have torn his eyes away if he tried. That serve was…
"Blow my arms off," Kenma muttered.
"But Daichi got it," Kuroo replied as he watched the ball fly through the air. One of the Seijoh members managed to hit it back but Kageyama quickly received it. Kuroo smirked as Noya jumped forward to set it to Karasuno's ace. "Well, it looks like they got the kinks worked out of that one," he muttered as he saw Oikawa placed his hands on his hips and let out a yell in irritation.
Yeah, this might not have been the best idea.
Kuroo shook his head as Kageyama served. The ball was out but he could easily see where the other boy had learned. That had Oikawa written all over it.
"Iwaizumi-san! Nice serve!"
Kuroo looked at the boy serving with interest. Iwaizumi was the famous "Iwa-chan!" Oikawa was always talking about. He had never really had the chance to meet the other boy and the pictures on Oikawa's fan site never seemed to include his best friend. Just like Oikawa, Iwaizumi had a nice serve. Karasuno managed to get it up and Kagama set it for Tanaka, taking the next point.
"Shoyo looks upset," Kenma commented softly and Kuroo turned his attention toward the redhead. He chuckled when he saw the look on the younger boys face.
"I think he's upset that Kageyama hasn't set to him yet."
The next play had Tsukishima blocking Seijoh's spike and Kuroo couldn't help but feel a little proud about it. "This is already close," Kuroo told Kenma as he looked toward the score. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about that or not.
"They're good," Kenma replied as he motioned toward Seijoh. "But Karasuno hasn't really started yet."
"…did Kageyama just kick shrimpy?"
"…I think so…"
"…huh."
Hinata scored the next point and Kuroo winced slightly when he saw the look on Oikawa's face. He had nothing to do with shrimpy and Kageyama's improvement but he still felt…guilty in a way. Oikawa was up to serve again and, once again, Daichi managed to save it. The point went to Karasuno as Hinata managed to score once again.
"If they don't stop Shoyo this is all over," Kenma muttered.
It was only a couple plays later where Seijoh managed to do just that. "They narrowed the line to where shrimpy could hit and had someone waiting to receive," Kuroo mused.
"It's the same strategy we use," Kenma responded. "Especially against Shoyo."
The two boys watched in silence as the game continued. Seijoh seemed to trail one point behind Karasuno until Oikawa was back up to serve.
"Hey, it's the tear-your-arm-off server!"
Kuroo wondered if Oikawa would be happy with that nickname. He seemed to enjoy Great King.
Kenma nudged Kuroo's side and he glanced over to see his best friend pointing at Seijoh's ace. "Four looks nervous."
He sure did. Kuroo couldn't help but wonder what Iwaizumi saw on his best friends face that caused him to cover the back of his head. Maybe it was just because Oikawa was frustrated? Kuroo wouldn't want to get hit in the head by one of the those serves, that was for sure.
Oikawa threw the ball up in the air and jumped. Before Kuroo could blink, the ball was on the other side of the court. "What the hell was that?" He muttered, sitting forward in his chair as the ref called the ball out.
Kenma was shaking slightly, "Even Yaku wouldn't have been able to get that."
With that, Karasuno was at set point and Kageyama was up to serve. But Seijoh quickly took the point back. "What an odd time to call for a new player," Kenma said thoughtfully. Kuroo agreed. With Karasuno at set point, it was odd to trade someone in.
Oikawa didn't seem thrilled by the decision either. Kuroo might not have spoken to the other boy in person but even he could see the tension in his smile.
That couldn't be good.
The play was playing out fine and Kuroo actually thought that Seijoh might end up matching Karasuno in points. That is, until Oikawa set a ball that was obviously meant for number twelve and number sixteen ran up, pushing twelve out of the way, and jumping for a spike. "What the hell?!" Kuroo cried out indignantly as twelve fell to the ground. The spike was powerful, no doubt. Powerful, but out.
Sixteen had just cost Seijoh the set.
"That was dangerous," Kenma muttered.
"No kidding," came Kuroo's reply. Even from where he was sitting he could see Oikawa's clenched fists.
"Well, Karasuno won the first set," Kenma muttered as he reached into his too big sweatshirt.
Kuroo didn't bother trying to stop his best friend from grabbing his game device. "What the hell were they thinking?" He asked as he shook his head and stared down at his soulmate and the blond haired boy that had just stepped onto the court. "He could have-"
"He didn't touch Oikawa, Kuroo," Kenma sighed as he turned his game on. "You don't need to be worried."
"But he could have- wait, I'm not worried!"
"Whatever you say."
Kuroo huffed and leaned back in his chair, a scowl fixed firmly on his face as he continued to stare shocked and furious Oikawa. They players met up quickly and Kuroo's eyes narrowed when they once again walked into position. "They're letting him start?!" Kuroo asked furiously, once again leaning forward.
"Right, not worried at all."
"Lay off!" Kuroo snapped at his best friend. He instantly regretted it when he saw said friend flinch slightly. "Sorry, Kitten."
"It's fine," Kenma said lowly but Kuroo could see his hands tightening around his DS. Yeah, he needed to do something to apologize later. Maybe take him to a game store or something.
"Why do you only respond to Iwa-chan?!" A furious shout echoed to where Kuroo and Kenma were sitting. Kuroo turned his attention back to the court and saw Oikawa glaring at #16. Great. This didn't bode well.
Maybe Oikawa wouldn't blame him after all.
And if he did, Kuroo could just divert his attention toward 16. Yeah. That would work.
The second Kuroo saw 16 spike, Kuroo knew that Karasuno was going to be in trouble. They were good at adapting and he knew Tsukki would be able to stop it eventually, but the question was how long it would take them. There was a good possibility Aoba Johsai would run away with this set.
Kuroo felt himself wince as two of Aoba Johsai's players crashed in mid-air. That 16 again… Kuroo didn't know how Oikawa was doing it.
Kuroo would have lost his cool a long time ago with a player like that.
He wouldn't have wanted him near Kenma anyway.
"He got 16 motivated and then set the ball to 12," Kenma said softly. Kuroo was surprised – he had thought Kenma was too focused on his game to watch the match. "He's getting him riled up. Karasuno is going to find it difficult."
"Yeah," Kuroo responded.
"Oikawa planned it that way," Kenma continued.
"Yeah." His soulmate really could be terrifying.
"I don't want to play him," Kenma informed him. Kuroo turned to him, surprised. "He's smart. And a good player. He can manipulate the situation around him. I don't want to play against him."
"I'm sure we would-"
"No."
Kuroo huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. They had played against many of the best schools in Tokyo and Kenma had never flat out said he didn't want to play against any of them. Did he think Aoba Johsai was that good?
Or did he just not want to face Oikawa setter against setter?
One look at the court and Kuroo knew the answer.
"It might be fun to see him play against Akaashi," Kuroo mused out loud and Kenma let out a snort of agreement.
Kuroo wasn't surprised in the slightest that Aoba Johsai ended up taking the second set. Karasuno was adjusting what they knew about the other team and had yet to find a good way to respond. Putting Suga in was a great move and it certainly helped the team but it wasn't enough.
It was the third set that had Kuroo wondering if he should make his escape. Both teams were fighting well, exceptionally well, but only one was going to win. The last few plays of the game were some of the best he had ever seen in a high school match. It was in one of those plays that Kuroo watched as Oikawa managed to do a spectacular set by flying off court and into the tables. He winced in sympathy as Oikawa scurried to his feet, placing most of his weight on his bad knee.
And then it was over.
Karasuno won.
Oikawa had lost.
Shit.
Kuroo watched solemnly as Aoba Johsai bowed, most of the team with tears streaming down their faces. Oikawa's face was carefully blank when they did so and Kuroo just knew the other boy was going to break as soon as he was alone.
"I'm going to go down and meet Shoyou," Kenma muttered as he pocketed his DS.
"Do you want me to-"
Kenma shook his head and let his eyes fall meaningfully on Oikawa. "Go, Kuro."
Go he did.
He waited in the lobby, sure that he would see the other boy before he left. He wanted to give him some time with his team. Some time to come to terms with what had just happened. He saw a flash of white from the corner of his eye and he turned quickly.
Not Oikawa.
But the boy froze momentarily as he saw him. He blinked for a moment, as if trying to verify what he was seeing, and then moved forward cautiously. Ah. Iwaizumi. "You're Kuroo, right?"
"Yes," Kuroo agreed, stepping away from the wall he had been leaning against and bowing slightly to the other boy. "Kuroo Teturou. Nice to meet you. Iwaizumi, correct?"
"Yes," Iwaizumi agreed, bowing as Kuroo stood. "Are you…does Oikawa know you're here?"
"No," Kuroo shook his head and Iwaizumi's expression darkened.
"He's a little-"
"I know," Kuroo said, cutting the other boy off with a bit of impatience. He knew Oikawa was going to be upset. Both with the fact that they lost and that he blamed Kuroo for at least some of it. "I wanted to watch the game – where is he?"
Iwaizumi's eyes traced over Kuroo's features and Kuroo wondered what exactly the other boy was looking for. Finally, Iwaizumi nodded once and nodded his head to the side. "The bus should be here soon so he went to round everyone up."
"Ah, well then," Kuroo bowed his head once again and moved off down the hall toward where Iwaizumi had indicated. If the bus was going to be there soon, he didn't need to waste time waiting on the other boy.
When he finally saw Oikawa, he was standing in front of another boy. This one was slightly taller than Oikawa with a strong jaw line and a close cropped hair cut. Kuroo felt his eyebrows rise as he took in the features. He looked familiar for some reason.
"Worthless pride, huh?" Oikawa's voice sounded and Kuroo wondered just what he had walked in on. "That's true. Listen up Ushijima."
Ushijima.
Oh. One of the top three aces.
Bo was going to be pissed.
"I never thought my decision was wrong," Oikawa continued. Decision? What decision? "And my volleyball hasn't ended at all. Don't you ever forget my worthless pride." Seriously, what the hell was going on? Should he step in? "Oh, yeah. If you keep all your attention on me, you're going to get stabbed from the direction you least expect."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ushijima asked, speaking for the first time since Kuroo had appeared. The other boy hadn't even moved his eyes from Oikawa and Kuroo wondered if he was even aware Kuroo was standing there. He wasn't sure how he felt about the other boy being so focused on his soulmate.
"My junior," Oikawa answered, "isn't smart and isn't even close to my level yet. But now that he's not by himself, he's strong." Oikawa turned suddenly and his eyes widened as they fell on Kuroo. His mouth dropped momentarily and Kuroo purposely let his eyes flicker toward Ushijima, reminding his soulmate that the other boy was still standing there. "When crows flock, they might even kill a huge, white eagle," Oikawa finished as he moved forward and came to stand in front of Kuroo. Kuroo swallowed hard as he saw his soulmate up close for the first time. Damn. He really was beautiful.
"Excuse us," Kuroo called over Oikawa's shoulder before turning his eyes back onto the boy in front of him. He slowly reached out, giving Oikawa time to pull back, but the other boy didn't move. He slowly placed his hand against the smooth cheek. "Sorry," Kuroo whispered.
"Tetsu-chan?" Oikawa asked, his voice just as low. Kuroo had to stop himself from wincing as he heard that smooth tone crack. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I should be here," Kuroo responded as his thumb slid up Oikawa's cheek and caught the tear that managed to escape. "I'm so sorry."
Oikawa seemed to be struggling for words. His eyes were swimming with tears the other boy seemed to refuse to let fall and Kuroo could see his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Finally, Oikawa managed a broken whisper. "You helped them. You wanted them to-"
"I did help them," Kuroo admitted as he took a small step closer. "I did want them to get to nationals. But I never wanted to upset you."
Oikawa didn't respond but he didn't step away or push Kuroo's hand away. Instead, his hand came up and wrapped around Kuroo's wrist lightly. He pressed Kuroo's hand more firmly against his cheek. "Tetsu? Is Ushiwaka still there?"
Ushiwaka?
Kuroo figured Ushiwaka was some sort of nickname for Ushijima. He let his eyes move away from Oikawa to look down the hall. "He's gone."
"Good."
The next thing Kuroo knew, he was pulled forward and Oikawa was pressed against his chest. The setter was sobbing as he buried his face against Kuroo's shoulder. Kuroo scrunched his nose at the feeling of water soaking through his shirt but he quickly wrapped his arms around Oikawa, pressing the boy firmly against him. Giving into instinct, he pressed a quick kiss to the soft brown hair and let is left hand slide up and down his soulmates back. "It's okay, Tooru," Kuroo said softly as his hand moved up and wove itself in Oikawa's hair. "I've got you."