I do not own Haikyū!


It is by pure chance that Chitōse Akiko meets Nekoma High's dorkiest male student. And by dorky, she means it with the utmost kind version of the word.

Kuroo Tetsurō does not look dorky- no, his personality is what makes him a complete dope. He is quite the handsome boy if she says so herself. She doesn't think that anyone can pull off messy hair until the day she truly lays eyes on him. And when she does, oh boy. He is tall and damn it if she isn't already so short. Not to mention that cackle that he calls a laugh. It nearly made her jump ten feet in the air when his boisterous guffaw shook her out of a conversation with her seatmate.

Truth be told, she never truly noticed him until they are assigned to a project together for the Science I class. Yes, she has seen him around when she walks to and from school (though those moments are few and far between because of his apparent volleyball practices). Yes, she notices that a messy-hair boy seemed to go to school with her since sometime during her primary education. And yes, she notices that despite crossing paths many times, they never interact.

Until today.

Today that is all going to change because she is assigned to work with him. So, when she hears her name paired up with his, she is rather excited. Now is her chance to finally get to know this boy that's always been toeing at the edge of her radar, her red string barely every grazing his. Or, maybe not red, she thinks. More like orange, probably yellow. Maybe.

After their teacher dismisses them to interact with one another, Akiko immediately gathers her stuff and takes it over to his desk, a friendly smile easily curving onto her lips.

"Hello, Kuroo-san," she greets. He gives her a lopsided smile in return.

"Chitōse-san."

"I am looking forward to working with you. Please take care of me!" she bows. Her loose brown hair falling forward with her, slightly hiding her light blush.

He is much prettier up close than she thought, and she is quite nervous despite not knowing the reason.

"Maa- maa; no need for such formalities, Chitōse-san," he soothes.

"Ah- I see. . ."

She can't help but look at him and take in his casual manner, wondering if maybe she should also be as casual. But no, that would need to take a bit more time for her. All the years of being drilled about propriety always leaves her at a distance when making friends and talking to people, this instance being no different. Even if Kuroo is going to be casual and laid back, she cannot afford to be so familiar.

"May I please sit here," she asks with a smile while gesturing to the empty desk beside his own.

"Of course," he beams.

Despite her own reluctance at relaxing, she is very relieved that he is friendly and approachable. From what she can recall, he is always surrounded by people and friends. A bright beacon of light and kindness to all those that are around.

She likes that about him. Akiko loves meeting people and talking to them, loves to smile and laugh. It seems he is very much the same. She is grateful that people flock to her, much like they do with him. It provides an opportunity for her to talk about little nothings or have somebody to study with. It makes her happy.

Sitting down at the desk, Akiko and Tetsurō make quick work of getting down to business about the assignment. Despite his silliness, she realizes that Tetsurō is very smart and a hard worker. It seems he might genuinely care about his schoolwork more than his ranks in class, or at least that's what she believes from the little time she works with him on the assignment. He's passionate about their science topic, speaking rapidly with a smile before apologizing for rabling, but goes right back to it when Akiko assures him that it's quite alright.

And when he joins her for lunch in the classroom despite her never once seeing him eat there, it brings a genuine smile of contentment to her face. They start by talking about the project that soons turns into talking about him being on the volleyball team and her not being in any club yet. A slightly embarrassing conversation but she takes it in stride. Because of course how can she not notice that he is a volleyball player? She's only gone to school with him since she was eight! She'd be blind to not at least notice that.

Really, it's quite amazing how they never talked before this. She talks to everyone in class with the exception of him it seems, always the exception of him for reasons she does not even know! Then again, he's never approached her either.

"Why don't we walk together after school," he suggests, leaning forward with a wide smile on his face.

She can't help the automatic widening of her eyes at his suggestion. She's never talked home with anybody after school. Sure, Akiko's walked to other places like a cafe or to karaoke with a classmate after classes, or even to their homes, but never to her own. She can't ever let anyone take her home, let alone invite them over.

"Oh- are you sure? I wouldn't want to take you out of your way."

"Not at all," he insists. "We both live in the same area and that way we can go ahead and start on our project."

Outwardly, Akiko smiles and nods her head, accepting his proposal Inwardly, however, she is anxious about the ordeal. So, after saying yes, she knows she needs to ask if they can work at his home.

"I'm sorry, but I hope you won't mind that we study at your place. Unfortunately, it's very busy at my house right now and I can't bring anyone over."

"Of course!" he replies without any hesitation. "It's no problem. But I hope you're not allergic to dogs."

Akiko shakes her head, her eyes lighting up at the mention of the four-legged animal. "Nope! Not allergic! What type of dog do you have," she asks excitedly.

"A French Bulldog," he says with a smile, his eyes glazing over almost like he is seeing the dog in his head. "Her name is Yoshi."

Akiko giggles, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Like Mario's Yoshi?"

"Yup! She's the cutest little thing, but she can definitely clear a room, if you know what I mean."

"She sounds adorable."

"She is. I've had her since I was little. She used to be all black, but now her coat is graying from age."

"Well, I can't wait to meet her."


A little bit of Chitōse's POV ;)

(Edited 09/23/2020)

Hello! Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed! I sincerely appreciate that you do! A big thanks especially to those that leave me comments; I read each and every single one and it always makes me happy to see what you have written!

A few changes have been made to this chapter, with the editing of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, etc. A few sentences have been added, deleted, or altered in some ways but nothing major.