The new chapter is heere~! I can't believe I'm already at more than 10 chapters with more than 50 favorites and follows and almost 50 reviews! Thank you all! :D
Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed! ;)
jungkookies : AHah! I imagine you hurryign through the chapter and getting to the end and being very confused like "where's the smut? She said- wtf? False advertising." The action arrives eeerh... next chapter I believe? ;D
Bookl0ver1998 : I'm so glad you love it, hope you'll like this chapter as well! ;)
PandaHee : Oh yes, they will be a hot match. I'm so happy you like all my fanfics with te haikyuu boys! :D
Lovelybaka : Ta review m'a rendue si heureuse, si tu savais~! :D J'adore quand les gens lisent toutes mes fanfics de haikyuu parce qu'elles sont connectées et se suivent~! ET toutes ces émotions sont signes que je fais un bon boulot! ;D Merci beaucoup, j'ai hate de savoir ce que tu penseras des chapitres qui arrivent! :D
Savage Kill : It's here, it's here~!
LuxKlara : AkaKuro è adorabile, a modo loro~! Sono molti differenti del fluff di Q.V., ma ci sono momenti quando AkaKuro sono semplicemente carini~! Questo capitolo è ancora carino, ma il prossimo è un po più intenso. Dopo, l'intensità e il fluff erano mescolati~!
THIS CHAPTER'S PLAYLIST SONG: "LIGHTNING" from Little Mix, and "SUMMER RAIN" from Sia
FANFICTION
HAIKYUU! : BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
CHAPTER XI : Coup de Foudre
"My heart has an indescribably strong desire to meet yours."
— R. Jacob
"Trusting is hard. Knowing who to trust, even harder."
— Maria V. Snyder, Poison Study
"I don't ask you to love me always like this, but I ask you to remember. Somewhere inside me there'll always be the person I am to-night."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender Is the Night
"I find that most people worth knowing are [screwed] up in some way or another."
— Jonathan Tropper
"I do want someone, need someone. You were right. And when I'm with you, I feel like I'm a better person. I feel happier, less alone. Less lonely. But it's not as simple as that, is it? Being with someone."
— Naomi Campbell, Skins
"She is a beautiful, hard piece of work. She is damned beautiful, actually."
— Ernest Hemingway, Across The River And Into The Trees
"I'm much softer than people think. I don't present to the world an emotional face. I'm pretty good at self-control, but I am easily moved."
— Christopher Lee
"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope… I have loved none but you."
— Jane Austen, Persuasion
"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."
— Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"Why do you like thunderstorms?"
"Because it shows that even nature needs to scream sometimes."
— E.D.
"It is a frightening thought, that in one fraction of a moment you can fall in the kind of love that takes a lifetime to get over."
— Beau Taplin
"Whoever it is you fall in love with for the first time, not just love but be in love with, is the one who will always make you angry, the one you can't be logical about."
— Jeanette Winterson, The Passion
"One day I hope to be soft again, like the grey sky right before the sun rises. Maybe the touch of your hand, so delicately, can loosen my grip and remind me that it is possible
— D.R.
"Maybe we met each other a little too soon, to have a love that was supposed to last forever."
— Unknown
"There's a beautiful thing that happens inside you when you care about someone."
— Unknown
"I love you but I don't know what to do."
— Charles Bukowski
"I've tricked my heart into forgetting how to love while being completely aware of it."
— Ronke Owa
"Colpo di fulmine. The thunderbolt, as Italians call it. When love strikes someone like lightning, so powerful and intense it can't be denied. It's beautiful and messy, cracking a chest open and spilling their soul out for the world to see. It turns a person inside out, and there's no going back from it. Once the thunderbolt hits, your life is irrevocably changed."
― J.M. Darhower, Sempre
"I'm awfully difficult. But I do know when I love someone and I've loved you ever since I can remember."
— Ernest Hemingway, The Complete Short Stories
There was a change. Something felt different. Both Tetsurou and Akane could see it, feel it. The air was still charging in electricity whenever they were in the same room, their bodies still felt on fire when their eyes met, but there was something else between them. Another layer of something they couldn't quite explain or understand – it felt soft and peaceful. They weren't sure which sensation they craved most: this new soothing feeling or the usual lustful electricity.
It started after he had taken care of Akane during her period. He had checked on her just once more the following morning; and the day after, when he came out of his apartment to go to classes, she was closing her door as well. He asked her if she felt better, she said yes and thanked him then they walked together to the classes. They walked slower than usual, in complete silence, not quite sure if it was awkward or nice. Then they went their separate ways in different classes. Tetsurou, finally allowing himself to flush, had glanced over his shoulder and had found Akane doing the same. They immediately looked away.
Their lives were the same as usual, except for Akane plaguing his mind; or Tetsurou invading hers. They were still teasing, but it was more good-hearted than out of annoyance. Instead of tickling her neck in classes to make her jump in her seat, the tickling would be more playful and instead of trying to rip off his hand, she'd just swap it away. Their fingers would always brush a little then pull away and they'd crave for more touch on their warm skins.
Tetsurou would always watch her leave first. Sometimes she'd disappear from view, sometimes her boyfriend would come to get her, surrounding an arm around her shoulders possessively. Tetsurou had harassed Kiku (the only one in regular touch with Akane) to find out the truth about this guy and according to Akane, they weren't dating. The guy didn't seem to realize that notion though, considering how touchy-feely he was with her. He hated that Akane needed to have a 'sex-friend' as ridiculous as this guy, but so far, with all the information Tetsurou had gathered, it was all they were.
"Who does he think he is, seriously…?" Tetsurou grumbled, angrily chewing his food.
Bokuto and Ushijima both looked up at him curiously, then followed his gaze and finally noticed Akane and her not-boyfriend at another table of the university cafeteria. They were done with their lunch and cooling off. Or warming-up, depending on the point of view. Akane was mostly immobile and ignoring the attention from her sex-friend, but the guy was hungrily kissing her neck, one arm around her shoulder and the other hand running up and down her leg.
"Jealous?" Bokuto finally said, smirking.
"They should be more respectful of the environment they are in. The cafeteria isn't a place for such activities," Ushiwaka grumbled, uncomfortable.
"No kidding…" Tetsurou mumbled, still glaring.
Then he felt disgusted and looked down, quickly finishing his rice and fish before grabbing the cereal bars he so desperately needed to feel fed. But in the same time, he wasn't hungry when the girl he had realized he liked was being touched by her not-boyfriend in public. He glanced back at the scene, noticing Akane's far-away gaze and the way she tried to distract herself from his touch.
"She doesn't seem to like it though." He remarked, the two other men glancing back at the scene.
"Who would like to do such a thing in public…" Ushijima sighed.
"I know one who would." Kuroo said, the corners of his lips tilting lightly but the amusement not quite reaching his eyes.
The apple Ushijima was bringing to his mouth stopped mid-way as he seemed confused and thoughtful, then looked back at the middle-blocker.
"I can't tell if you're referring to yourself, or Bokuto."
"Ahah– hey!" The wing-spiker exclaimed.
"I didn't mean it in an insulting way."
"I know you didn't but come on! I wouldn't do anything to Ayaka in public-public! Semi-public is a bit of a turn-on though…"
"I didn't need to know that."
"Do you think I should intervene?" Kuroo asked, completely ignoring their conversation, as focused as he was at staring at the scene at the other side of the cafeteria.
The two spikers seemed to remember how this conversation had started and looked back at Akane who was now whispering in embarrassment to the guy.
"You're dying to intervene and be her knight in shining armour, just go then." Bokuto said, shrugging.
"If she does that thing with her mouth again that shows she's uncomfortable, I'm gonna go there and separate them…" Kuroo mumbled, narrowing his eyes.
"You're like a cat, threatening from afar without having the balls to actually make things move." Bokuto noticed, snorting.
"Shut up, bird-brain. Ah!"
Akane looked up and met Tetsurou's eyes. The middle-blocker immediately flushed and looked away, almost hiding his face in his arms because of Bokuto's amused chuckle. Tetsurou couldn't help but look up again, Akane was still staring at him from afar.
Before their hearts could even speed up, the guy moved away and noticed Akane looking away. He looked between her and Kuroo then kept his lips thin. He grabbed Akane's face and forced her to look back at him. He said something to her then stood up, grabbing her arm and forcing her to follow. She didn't look back at Tetsurou who felt angry and miserable.
"Damn it… I hate seeing her with this guy… How did you even manage to not rip out Ushiwaka's eyes when he was dating Ayaka?" He mumbled, hiding his face in his arms, fallen over the table.
"We weren't dating, per say." Ushiwaka mumbled, frowning lightly at the memory.
"Oh, it was tempting!" Bokuto answered.
"I'm right here."
"But the situation was different – I'm sure that if you were telling Akane that you like her, she'll dump that guy! Especially if they're just sex-friends! Between a super intelligent guy like you who is head-over-heels for her–"
"I'm not head-over-heels for her."
"–And a guy who only looks at her boobs and butt, there's no hesitation to have! And sure, you're not."
"I thought you had realized your feelings for her?" Ushijima questioned.
"Geh… yeah but it's still confused… The only part I fully understand is that I want to be as close to her as that guy."
"Don't fall as low as him," Ushiwaka warned.
"Just kiss her and you'll figure out how you feel! If time seems to stop and it's full of warmth and peace, then it means you're in love with her! True love even!" Bokuto exclaimed enthusiastically.
Kuroo made a face. No matter how much he wanted to kiss her, he didn't want to experience anything that might mean that he was fucked. No matter how much he wanted to feel her body pressed against his in so many different ways, he didn't want to admit he might be in love with her. He wasn't ready to come to terms with his feelings. Not yet…
"…Thanks for the advice, I suppose. I have to move, class starts in fifteen minutes for me…" Kuroo mumbled, standing up.
"I don't have class this afternoon, I'll go at the training centre to do some muscles-building training. Will you join me? Oikawa will be there too." Ushijima proposed.
"I would have, but I have my driving lesson soon, and then Kuroo and I will go to the mall for some stuff. It's still okay to make it happen today, by the way?" Bokuto answered, looking up at Kuroo.
"Still okay for me, unless you're freaking out, birdy~!" He mocked.
"Don't call me that! Of course I'm not freaking out!"
"Then I'll see you at practice tonight," Ushijima said, saluting with a nod Kuroo who waved him goodbye.
He went to classes, going to his usual place and pulled out his notebooks to review the last class. It was almost the beginning of class when Akane arrived and ran at her place, the teacher practically on her heels. She was out of breath and flushed so she must have been running but Tetsurou noticed two things that had nothing to do with her hurry: her neck was covered in bruising hickeys, and her eyes were red from crying.
He swallowed hard, not knowing what to think of it. He could feel the disturbed, panicked atmosphere around her. Almost cursing himself for doing so in the middle of class, he pulled off a paper from his notebook and wrote a quick message on it. He tapped her shoulder, startling her and passed her the message. Akane took it and read it, before quickly looking at him, as if surprised by his concern.
Are you okay? He had asked.
She took a pen, about to answer. Her hand trembled when she wrote down her message, a big lie, written all over her face when she gave the message back to him.
I'm fine.
He could tell she wasn't fine. He hesitated before writing another message he gave her. She tried to ignore him but when he insisted, tickling her neck with the message, she sighed annoyingly and grabbed the message, reading it quickly. She blushed, apparently panicking and covering her neck with her hand.
You might want to cover your neck, it's covered in hickeys, he had written.
She swallowed hard and looked down at her jacket and bag, but she didn't have anything to cover it up with. Tetsurou barely held back a sigh then grabbed his own scarf. It was a man scarf, but it was black and probably would pass on a girl. He handed it over her shoulder, slowly, and she turned around, surprised by his gesture.
Not quite knowing what to do, she took the scarf in her hands, still staring at him in disbelief, her lips opening and closing. Then he saw the relief and thankfulness in her eyes. He looked down, going back to writing what the teacher was telling. She couldn't speak in the middle of the class, but her lips formed the words "thank you". He was tempted to lean over and kiss her cherry-red lips, but he just nodded, flushing a little. She covered her neck and went back to focus as best as she could about the class.
The same day, at practice…
After training to gain some more muscles, Oikawa and Ushijima, arrived among the first ones. They didn't change clothes but only put on their volleyball training gear: changing shoes and putting on their knee-pads.
"If you're up to it, we could practice our set-ups before the others arrive," Oikawa suddenly proposed.
Ushijima glanced at a surprisingly cooperative Oikawa – he had almost not complained when he realized the muscles training would be just the two of them. It was slow, but Oikawa was opening up to the idea of Ushiwaka being his teammate and partner.
Ushijima was so surprised that he only stared at the setter, instead of answering – which annoyed the young man.
"Don't look at me like that, I know how to put aside my dislike of you for the sake of the training and our coordination still isn't good enough!" Oikawa mumbled.
Ushijima opened his lips, about to answer to go practice but suddenly, Bokuto and Kuroo arrived, talking loudly. At first, it almost sounded like they were arguing.
"I can't believe you dragged me there! It was so embarrassing!" Bokuto whined, frowning and pouting.
"Excuse me! It's less expensive and just as good as any other place!"
"But everything was pink and purple!"
"You have a pink shirt in your drawers!"
"It's coral! And it was to match with Ayaka's dress back in America– and it has nothing to do with how embarrassing it was to get there! All the little girls were staring at us and their mothers were dragging them away, thinking we were perverts!"
Oikawa, Ushijima and the few others of their teammates glanced at each other, vaguely worried about what they had done and where they had gone.
"Like I said, less expensive and just as good!" Kuroo exclaimed, letting down his bag on a bench before narrowing his eyes at Bokuto, "And don't you dare talk about embarrassing – you cried and held my hand!"
Bokuto startled, gasping in shock, feeling betrayed. Then he blushed, looking away.
"What happened?" Ushijima asked, raising an eyebrow.
The two friends looked back at him, a little sheepish and surprised when Oikawa gasped, noticing something shining.
"Did you– did you get yourselves piercings?!" He exclaimed, half-shocked and half-impressed.
Bokuto grinned, bombing his chest proudly. He turned his head so that the new diamond earring on his left lobe could shine. Kuroo showed both of his ears, with black earrings. For both young men, it was discreet enough but it had a very nice effect on them.
"It fits you surprisingly well," Ushijima said, "It looks painful, though. Won't it bother you at practice?" He asked, everyone surrounding the two men.
"It was painful…!" Bokuto whined, remembering the quick, sharp pain that had shot through his ear.
"I don't see how we could get our piercings grabbed on during practice, it's not pendants so it should be fine." Kuroo answered.
"The Captain has similar piercings, so I don't see how it'd a problem," one of their teammates said, before turning a teasing smirk towards Bokuto, "So~ Bokuto, you cried~?"
"Geh!"
"Like a baby~!" Kuroo added.
"KUROO!"
He laughed and Bokuto, as embarrassed as he was to get teased, was almost glad to see him feeling obviously better. Kuroo had told him what had happened with Akane during their class and it had obviously bumped him out. Until they got their piercings, now Kuroo was very excited and happily distracted for the moment.
The distraction didn't last much, though. Just a few hours later, while he was getting ready to get to bed but was half-worried his new piercings would get tangled with the pillows, he suddenly heard a vivid knocking at the door. He startled, not having expected anyone visiting him when it was past 1am and there was a stormy rain outside. More knocking, more impatient. He hurried at the door and opened it, freezing there in shock.
"A-Akane…?!" He exclaimed, not believing what he was seeing.
She looked up, she was completely soaked, holding her jacket bundled up. She was breathless and flushed, she looked completely panicked and was shaking – was it the cold or something else?
Tetsurou's heart immediately sped up, worried and panicked for her.
"K-Kuroo!" She exclaimed, looking relieved to see him awake, then she swallowed hard, "I-I'm sorry…! Coming suddenly, in the middle for the night b-but… I-I didn't know where else to go… who to go to…!"
She pulled away her jacket and Tetsurou's lips fell open. A little grey something was moving weakly.
"Is it… a kitten?" He asked.
She didn't answer, the little kitten moving enough that he could distinguish his tiny ears. His eyes were still half-closed, he must have been only two weeks old at best.
"P-please… I-I don't know what to do…!" She continued, pleading, "Y-you're good with animals, you know cats well, right?"
Thunder rumbled above their heads and a violent gust of wind made her shake while the rain doubled. Tetsurou still wasn't sure what was happening but he opened the door, letting her in. He quickly took the kitten and put him on his bed, observing him. The poor little thing was cold and wet, despite Akane's protection from the storm.
"What happened? Where did you find him?" Tetsurou asked, trying to know what to do.
He was good with animals and cats, but Hime-chan had been a grown kitten if not an adult when he had found her. This one was practically a new-born, probably sick, without his mother and he didn't know what to do.
"I-I was going out of work and hurrying to get away from the rain but… I tripped on a box. I found… an entire box of kittens…"
Tetsurou looked up and realized she had tears in her eyes, her entire body shaking – but not from the rain.
"H-he was the only one still moving… I-I don't know what to do, my phone has no more battery and I couldn't find a veterinary around a-and…"
"Calm down, we're going to find a way, okay?" Tetsurou said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Her skin was ice-cold, but he didn't let go, squeezing for reassurance. She looked up at him, comforted by his words and the hot hand on her bare shoulder. Instinctively, her hand reached up, resting on top of his and they stared at each other for a short moment… until a tiny meow brought them back on earth. Tetsurou let go and she was left breathless.
"I'm going to try to warm him up, and we'll find a veterinary, use my phone, it's on the table." He said.
He put a towel around the kitten that was meowing, probably calling for his mother. Once Akane found a night-shift veterinary, they called and followed the doctor's instructions. The veterinary was close-by and they hurried there, keeping the kitten warmly against their bodies to be protected from the cold rain. The veterinary gave them instructions and everything they'd need for the moment and they went back. The kitten was already feeling better, both Tetsurou and Akane alternating between feeding him and keeping him warm.
He glanced at her and saw the hickeys all over her neck once again, cruelly reminded of what he had seen at lunch, and the state she had been in when she had entered the class.
"…What happened today?" He asked, trying not to let his curiosity and annoyance slip into his voice.
She hesitated, shaking lightly her head and avoiding looking his way.
"It's… nothing. Takehiko and I… argued. That's all."
"Takehiko? Your sex friend?"
She looked up at him and he flushed, realizing he wasn't supposed to know that. Then, she sighed.
"Yes… though, we're not that anymore."
For a short moment, Tetsurou panicked, thinking they might be a real couple now but Akane shrugged.
"I ended things with him after our last… y'know." She said, showing her neck, trying to ignore the young man's burning gaze, "That's why he wasn't very happy."
"Because… you broke up? I mean, ended things? Did you do that because of what he did at lunch in the cafeteria?"
She stared at him once again, brows furrowed, and he realized that he started to sound like a creep that was stalking her.
"…Bokuto just pointed it out," he lied, flushing.
"…Uh-uh. As for Takehiko… there's that, and many other things. It was getting boring."
"He doesn't know how to please you? Well, good thing you left him behind," he mocked, grinning – he knew how to please women.
"Oh, he does know how to please me, at least he does the job better than the rest of them. But… things have changed…" She whispered, glancing very quickly at him before lowering her gaze.
Tetsurou was left breathless, wondering if it was supposed to mean something special. For him?
Absentmindedly, they both tried to caress the kitten but their fingers brushed and they pulled away.
Tetsurou stared at Akane, she was ice-cold. She still hadn't changed her clothes from the first soaking she had received. Her hair was a wet mess and her sleeveless shirt was clinging to her skin. He could see her bra through it and all her curves that became awfully distracting… He was painfully aware of her chest rising up and down with every breath, her lips opening and closing, half-dry and still a little red from her make-up. A drop of rain fell from her hair and slid down her neck and against the curve of her breast.
He felt too hot all of a sudden, like a sudden fever caused by being out in the rain – but he knew it wasn't a fever and the rain wasn't the cause.
"Y-you should… take a bath and change clothes before you catch death…" He suggested, carefully avoiding looking into her eyes.
Right, good idea, suggest for her to get naked when you're standing here, you idiot! Not distracting at all! He thought to himself.
"R-right… g-good idea…" She nodded, standing up.
She hesitated, glancing at the kitten but he smiled.
"I'll watch over the little one." He said.
She smiled back and went into the bathroom. The walls were thin enough that he could hear her clothes falling damply on the floor, then the shower running and her body going into a bath.
Trying not to let his line of thoughts go in uncharted territories, Tetsurou distracted himself by watching all around her room. It was simple, similar to his, but there was no decoration. He wasn't sure what he had expected from Akane's living space but… it was exactly that. Some dishes were waiting to be washed, some clothes hung around scattered messily. Make-up and accessories seemed to have invaded every corner of the room. Piles of science and chemistry books everywhere it could stand as long as it didn't fall…
His gaze was attracted to a corner of the room and he decided to leave the kitten just for a few seconds to have a better look. He approached and his heart skipped a beat. A butsudan. A little shrine to a deceased person. A very simple one at that. A small wooden cabinet with some incense burners and three never lit, little candles. There was a picture in the cabinet of a young woman, with black hair and brown eyes. She looked familiar and it wasn't difficult to understand that it… probably was Akane's mother.
He had always wondered about her family, but she never spoke about it, even if she were asked questions. That… was probably why.
Heart heavy, lost in thoughts, he went back to the kitten's side and waited for Akane's return. She stayed in the bath for a little while, but quickly came out, wearing dry clothes and drying her hair with a towel.
"How is he?" She asked, looking relaxed when she sat next to the kitten, opposite to Kuroo.
"Fine, he doesn't stop moving around. He's in better shape than us at this point," he said with a chuckle.
"I-I'm sorry I bothered you in the middle of the night… y-you should go back and sleep, I can handle it from here now…" She said, caressing the kitten's head carefully.
Tetsurou observed her closely, her damp hair and what must have been her pyjamas, just a sleeveless shirt and a baggy pants. Thunder resonated and lightning lit the room and he realized that he loved seeing her like that. So simple. Just some clothes on, Akane relaxed, her hair a little messy… She looked up just the flash of the lightning made her reddish eyes look like hot metal. For some reason, it pulled at his heart, like some memory or bound he had almost forgotten. But he was too distracted to actually think of it deeply and fully remember. His heart seemed to stop and speed up in the same time and he didn't want to move, no matter how exhausted he was.
"…I thought you didn't like cats? Or animals in general?" He asked, remembering the few times he had seen her interact with cats in Nekoma – it hadn't looked good.
"I-I don't dislike cats but… they dislike me… I don't know why, they always attack me for no reason." She answered, flushing and pouting.
He chuckled – so that was why she was avoiding cats. To not get attacked. For some reason, it didn't bother him at all. He liked that she couldn't handle animals and was at a loss when it came to cats.
"Animals, and cats especially, always hated me…" She mumbled, looking down.
She suddenly seemed sad and lonely. Not just a "I never had a pet as a child" type of lonely but just… plain lonely. No one to be here for her, to look after her, not even an animal. Tetsurou glanced quickly at the altar to her mother, and wondered for how long Akane had had to look at a cold picture.
A little meow attracted their attention and they looked down, the kitten going against Akane's thigh and resting there. She seemed surprised and hesitated before caressing him gently. Tetsurou couldn't help but smile a little:
"Not this one. This one doesn't hate you."
She looked up at him, smiling. It wasn't a smirk or a teasing smile, it wasn't confident or bright, it barely reached her eyes but it felt like a truer, more beautiful smile than he ever saw on her face.
They fell into a comfortable silence and time slipped away as the storm quieted down, but it kept on raining.
When Tetsurou woke up the following morning, he felt groggy, uncomfortable and tired, woken up by the daylight, even if the sky was still covered in dark clouds and a light, cold rain was still falling. He closed his eyes again, getting closer to the source of warmth nearby. He breathed in the scent of apple and cinnamon, mixed in with scents of kitten and dampness. He smiled while a hand squeezed his and a soft, moaning breath escaped Akane.
Tetsurou froze, opening wide eyes. He looked straight in front of him, Akane sleeping on her bed while he was sitting down against it. He realized that the source of warmth was Akane's body laying close to his, even if they weren't touching. Except for their hands. They were holding hands in their sleep and just between the two of them, curled up, was the little kitten, sleeping peacefully.
He opened his lips, about to scream but he realized she was still sleeping. He didn't even remember falling asleep, even less next to her. His heart was thundering and he swallowed hard.
Slowly, he bit on his lower lip and pulled away, as slowly and silently as possible. Regretfully, he pulled away his hand from hers and tried standing up. He wanted to observe her sleeping face but he didn't trust himself if he remained one more second so close to Akane. Realizing she hadn't woken up, he sighed in relief and turned around. And stumbled over her bag. He screamed ridiculously loud as he fell forward. Akane woke up, startled, and startling the kitten that started meowing annoyingly.
"T-tetsu… K-Kuroo!" She exclaimed, watching him stand up.
"Sorry! So, sorry! I didn't mean to wake you!" He exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment.
Then he froze again and stared at her, slowly blushing. She had… almost called his first name. She blinked in confusion, not understanding why he was staring at her. Then she understood and gasped, blushing and covering her mouth. He blushed even more and straightened up.
"Sorry to have woken you! Good night! I mean! Good day!" He exclaimed so quickly he almost bit his tongue as he rushed to the door.
She opened her lips to call him but he was already closing the door. Tetsurou kept walking forward instead of turning to go back to his place. His hands grabbed the railing and he leaned forward, the cold metal pressing against his lower stomach. Eyes wide and barely breathing, he remained there, not caring if the rain fell on his hair and shirt. Waking up next to Akane had been embarrassing enough, definitely not good for his heart-rate, but waking her so embarrassingly and then the way she had almost called his name…
A lightning crossed the sky and thunder rumbled, but it sounded far away and weak. Just like his memories. Like the previous night when the lightning had lit up the room, seeing her eyes turned a smouldering fire by the lightning… the memories tugged at his heart and he got lost for a moment, closing his eyes.
Nekoma middle-school, first year…
The girl who had just answered the teacher caught sight of Tetsurou staring and turned to him curiously. Long, silky black hair surrounding her calm expression. She seemed surprised by his staring and she suddenly looked away, blushing. Thirteen years-old Tetsurou, impressed and shaken up, felt his heart speed up like never before as he stared at the pretty, shy girl.
Then he remembered another moment that had occurred not long after, in a summer day, in a summer storm. It was pouring down, and he was running to get home faster, his umbrella doing a poor job at keeping him dry. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder resonated. He wanted to go home–
He went to a stop and noticed a girl curled up against a wall. She was wearing the Nekoma uniform and kept her face hidden in her knees, long, silky hair keeping her from the world like curtains. Little Tetsurou's heart missed a beat as he stared at her and recognized the pretty, shy girl from his class. Saito Akane.
He wanted to go home but…
Akane startled when she didn't feel the rain falling on her and instead, heard a light tapping. She looked up, stunned, just as lightning struck through the sky. Her reddish eyes, turned metallic from the lightning bolt, met Kuroo Tetsurou's. His amber eyes seemed to be a melting gold from the lightning. They both seemed stunned and flushed when their hearts sped up, to the rhythm of the thunder.
That was it. That was the moment, the defining moment of the beginning of their relationship, whatever it would become, even though they were still kids who didn't know what was happening in their hearts.
Coup de foudre. Lightning strike – love at first sight.
Tetsurou opened his eyes, staring at the sky, as dark and rainy as that day. His fists tightened around the metallic railing and a chuckle escaped his lips. He would have expected fear and panic, but instead it was peaceful and familiar.
It had been that long, uh…? He realized, feeling warmer and more comfortable than he would have imagined.
So much happens in this chapter... Kuroo and Bokuto get their ears pierced, AkaKuro get closer, a kitten arrives, a great realisation for Kuroo, their got their ears pierced...
NEXT CHAPTER: PASSIONATE DREAMS (what you've been expecting is finally coming~)
Yours Truly,
May