I'm panicking, hence, writing. Enjoy!
Chapter 17: The benefit
Haru got up that morning in a state of semi-panic. She instantly recalled that Kuroo had slept over, on a separate bed, thankfully, but still in her room. The whole space smelled of his aftershave. It was a deliciously masculine smell that she never could get out of her head. It was something woodsy but with a clear musk undertone and felt like a fresh breeze in her lungs when she inhaled it. It drove her insane. And not in a bad way.
The girl pushed herself up and left her room in only her pajamas, grabbing her cellphone on the way. It was early, just past five, and she cursed the fact that her sleeping pattern had been all messed up due to volleyball practice in the morning. As she passed the bathroom on her way downstairs, Haru heard the water running. So, that was where Kuroo had vanished off to.
She walked into the kitchen and plugged in her cellphone, putting the music to play on shuffle over the speakers. The first few beats of Chan Chan made her smile and Haru was instantly in a good mood, ready to cook some delicious breakfast. Despite the slow rhythm, she kept her body in motion, sliding from cutting to stirring to mixing, the delicious scent of fried vegetables invading every nook and cranny of the house. As Haru was getting ready to prepare the meat that had been marinating in the fridge, she heard Kuroo join her in the kitchen and turned, only to gasp in shock. Then, the girl grasped the knife from the countertop and pointed it at the unknown man standing in her house.
"Who the heck-"
"Woah, woah, woah!" That voice was awfully familiar, but it didn't go with the… hair?
"What the hell happened to your hair?!" Haru placed the knife down, breathing deep to calm her racing heart. Kuroo guffawed his weird laugh and came over to her, joining her next to the stove.
"I always get those reactions after I take a shower," he placed his hands in his hair, wet and surprisingly long when out of its usual position of a bedhead. As Haru watched him, he messed up the locks, putting them similarly to how they typically stuck up on their own. "The water makes it flop over until it dries." He explained, letting go of the hair. Haru inspected how it was falling around his face, oddly attractive and somehow off-guard. She reached up her hand, noticing how he instantly blushed as she did, and she tucked some of the longer strands behind his ear.
"Yeah, it gives me the creeps like this," she told him in a soft voice.
"Don't say it like that!" Kuroo whined, turning around to hide his blushing face. "It'll go back up when it dries, it always does."
"Mystery hair," Haru giggled, turning to the food again. "Then again, I shouldn't really be the one to say anything, should I?" She gestured to her usual tight bun.
"You should leave it down today," Kuroo told her, picking up the spatula that she'd used to stir the rice with and helping. "It looks really nice when it's down."
"O-okay," Haru agreed. "Oh, crap! I have to call the girls and set a time for us to meet up after school!" Kuroo was left in charge of their breakfast and Haru's lunch while she texted quickly. The food was done soon and the two sat down, chatting casually about the plays they were thinking of trying out.
"Have you noticed how Shōhei has a rather pinpoint spike?" Haru asked, putting her glass down. "It's like, he always gets it right where he wants it."
"Oh, yeah, he has amazing aim." Kuroo nodded. Haru smirked at him, pointing her chopsticks with a piece of meat in between them towards him.
"Let's make him aim for the back of the court, right at the line," Kuroo's eyes widened and he grinned right back. "Would totally make the opposing team call an out and we could rack up points easily."
"You're pretty devilish, you know that?" The captain asked, then dived forward, snatching the meat from her chopsticks which were still extended.
"Hey, that was mine!"
"Well, it's mine now."
"Give it back!"
"Sure, come here."
"Hell no!" Haru and Kuroo resumed their breakfast with plenty of arguing in between, snatching the good-looking food pieces from each other's plates.
"This is heaven," Akari sighed, leaning back in her chair as two women worked on her feet, pampering her.
"For once, I'll agree that a beauty parlor can be heaven." Haru sighed in her own chair, eyes closed and mind drifting lazily.
"We need to do this more often." Nana agreed.
"Preach." The two second-years told her, all three of them sighing in absolute content. When the nails were done, dry and ready, the girls moved to do their hair next. Nana had gotten dirty pink nail polish with sparkling accents on her ring fingers. They looked amazing with her long, natural nails. On the other hand, Akari had gone for the more inconspicuous French style, with a white streak over the parts of her nails that went further than the finger. They were perfect for school, as nobody could complain that they were flashy. Haru had, much to her own embarrassment, gotten a red nail polish without any decorations on her short nails. Yet, the way the ladies at the salon had done them made them look somehow elegant and longer.
"Can you straighten her hair, please?" Nana asked once they were made to sit in the chairs in front of mirrors, three ladies working on their hair individually.
"Of course." The one working on Haru's agreed. "But, you really should nurture your curls, miss. These are some of the most beautiful ones I've seen in a long while and I can tell that you don't have a routine for them," Haru sighed at that. Per Kuroo's request, she'd left her hair down that day, causing laughter and giggles wherever she went due to the bedhead.
"I don't know what to do with them, they just go crazy in random directions." The lady laughed.
"Yes, I see that with many of my curly-haired younger customers," she patted Haru's shoulder gently. "I'll write down a quick and inexpensive routine which you can do to get them to look really good down, alright?"
"Thanks, that would be a huge help!" Haru grinned.
"Woah, your hair is super long!" Akari commented, turning to look at Haru when they were done with the hair treatment. Akari had her own hair in soft waves, complementing the lines of her face due to the super short bob cut she had. Nana, on the other hand, had gone with the fluffy and floaty style of almost beach waves. Haru was the only one whose hair was completely straight, falling past her rear in shimmering lines of dark chocolate.
"it is, isn't it?" The girl frowned, turning to look at herself in the mirror. "I wonder if this will mess up with the way I look in that dress."
"No way!" Nana grinned. "I accounted for it when we were getting the dress. If your curly hair comes down to the middle of your back, the straightened version is about ten centimeters longer. This will be perfect!" The model high fived Akari, a new habit they had picked up.
"Let's go to my place for makeup?" Akari suggested, grinning. She had a whole store of products at her home, Haru knew. She'd been the subject of her friend's experimentation enough times.
"Don't you look spiffy?" Kuroo turned away from the mirror, blushing at his mother's smirk which resembled his own quite a bit. "Got a date?" She walked over, still in her business clothes and started fixing the tie which he had been struggling with.
"Thanks, I'm just glad that dad's old suit fits me," he watched her hand movements carefully as she tied the knot and pushed it up to his neck, smoothing the red tie down. "I'm going to that benefit that I told you about."
"Oh, that's tonight?" She looked up at him, then reached to attempt to tame his hair. But, it turned out to be a futile try.
"Yeah."
"Well, you look like a proper gentleman, Tetsurō," the woman patted his cheeks and then rose on her tippy toes, giving him a kiss on one of them. "Oh, I was going to ask," the woman stopped at the door, turning to look at him. "Where were you last night? I was a bit worried when you didn't come home, and in that rain nonetheless."
"I stayed over at a friend's place." Kuroo told her, searching through his book bag to get everything he needed. Phone, keys, wallet, some paper and a tiny pen.
"Kenma's?"
"No, Haru's." His mother frowned.
"That a new player on the team?" Kuroo shook his head, his hands checking his pockets to see if they looked too stuffed with all the items he had placed in them. He deemed them acceptable.
"She's our manager." Instantly, his mother squealed.
"A girl!" Kuroo blushed profusely, starting to backtrack, but the damage was done. "Oh, is she pretty? Do you like her? When will I meet her? Gosh, are you being safe?"
"No, mom!" Kuroo was mortified.
"God, Tetsurō, I thought I taught you better!" the woman glared at him. "You're still young and just finishing high school, you should be careful. Do you need money for condoms? You know that there is a morning after pill that you can get at the pharmacy if you have unprotected se-"
"No, mom!" Kuroo interrupted, hands coming up to drag across his positively on fire face and then mess up his hair even more. "I'm not sleeping with Haru or anything. She's our manager and she let me stay over because neither of us had an umbrella and it was raining. She didn't want me to get sick before a big game."
"Hmmmmm," his mother gave him a thoughtful look. "But you like her, don't you? You want to be with her?" Gosh, why was the woman so perceptive? Kuroo supposed that he'd gotten that trait from his mother's side of the family. That was one of the reasons why his mom was such a successful businesswoman, she always picked up on the smallest of details and found ways to exploit them to her company's benefit.
"Yes," he admitted. There was truly no lying to her. There was no use even attempting to.
"Then ask her out?"
"It's not that easy, mom!" Kuroo threw his hands up, the movement oddly restricted by the black suit. "What if she rejects me?"
"What if she doesn't?" His mother gave him a soft look. "Tetsurō, you're a third year now. Next year you will, hopefully, be in college. If you want to date the girl, stop wasting time and man up. I raised you better." She walked over once more and pulled him into a tight hug. "If she rejects you deal with it afterwards." Kuroo couldn't say anything, his brain blowing up with possibilities. "Have fun tonight and be good, I won't wait up." Then, she was out the door. He heard her parting yell from the corridor. "And tell me if you need money for the condoms!"
"Oh, God." Kuroo dragged his hands over his face once more before leaving his room, as well, fancy shoes that went with the suit in hand. He had to hurry if he wanted to pick Kenma up and be on time. Kuroo laced his shoes with the speed only sportsmen had through numerous times they did it in practice and rushed down the street. Kenma, luckily, lived only a few houses down from his own. His father opened the door and welcomed Kuroo in.
"He's upstairs struggling with the suit," the man told him with a smile. "Won't accept anyone's help, and we've already offered. Oh, and he has a girl over!" At that, Kuroo's eyebrows rose. "She arrived just half an hour ago in a rush. She's really pretty." Kenma's father gave him a knowing look. "Do you know who she is, Kuroo-kun?"
"I'm as surprised as you are." Then, Kozume-san pushed him up the stairs and towards Kenma's familiar room, whispering how he needed to find out what the relationship there was. Kuroo tentatively knocked on the familiar door and then entered, met with an unusual sight.
"Stop fidgeting! Oh gosh, you're worse than Haru!" Akari was standing very close to Kenma, doing the buttons of his shirt and fixing it so that it lay well on his chest. The setter looked over to the door, pure agony on his face. I made a mistake, his expression seemed to say.
"Hi, Akari-chan," Kuroo greeted with a smirk, leaning on the doorway. She glanced at him briefly, before her jaw dropped.
"Looking hot, Kuroo-sempai!" the girl giggled, causing Kenma's expression to go from uncomfortable to mildly irritated. If Kuroo had been anyone else, who didn't know the setter as well, he would've missed the change.
"Why thank you, Akari-chan."
"Is it done?" Kenma asked in a flat tone. Akari patted the shirt one final time before fetching the suit top and handing it to the boy.
"Can I tie your hair back?" she asked, grinning. Kenma shrugged and the girl was left to secure half of his dyed hair with a hairband at the back, careful do it very neatly. Then, she moved back, inspecting her handiwork. "Damn, am I good or what? You look amazing, Kenma! Don't you think so, sempai?"
"Indeed, he does," Kuroo couldn't resist giving Kenma a sly look, not missing his reddening cheeks or the awkward way the boy grabbed his cellphone quickly from the nightstand. "Weren't you helping Haru, Akari-chan?" the captain asked as the trio headed downstairs.
"She was almost done when I got the SOS from Kenma. He had some button issues that needed to be sewn quickly."
"Oh, good call." Kuroo nodded. They all said goodbye to Kenma's curious parents, Kuroo sharing a knowing nod with the boy's father. They would talk later, for sure. When they got to the train station they split up, Akari giving them both a hug, fixing Kenma's tie and then wishing them luck. Kuroo turned to his friend as they waited for the train, ready to tease him.
"You like her."
"I don't."
"You do."
"Don't."
"Do."
The place where the sports benefit was being held was, in short, intimidating. It was one of those fancy hotels with multiple large ballrooms on the ground floor. Kuroo arrived with Kenma just a few minutes before the time they'd set as the meeting hour. They found Yaku, Lev and Yamamoto already there. All three of them looked positively out of their minds, nervous as can be, watching the limos drop off the guests and wincing when they saw how graceful everyone was as they walked up the red-carpet covered steps and into the hotel.
"Worse than before a match, isn't it?" Kuroo asked, attempting to dissolve the tension, but the three, oddly quiet, volleyball players just mutely nodded. The captain sighed, joining them in people watching. Inuoka arrived with Shibayama, closely followed by Kai and Teshiro, the latter struggling with his tie. Kuroo ended up fixing it for the boy, which almost made him cry in joy. The final member to appear was Fukunaga, who seemingly just materialized behind them. Kuroo was glad that they had all color-coordinated without much instruction. The boys were mostly wearing black or grey suits with red details, their school colors.
"I'm sorry I'm late!" Kuroo turned around at the voice only to have all air leave his lungs, like he'd just received a spike straight to the stomach. Yamamoto seemed to be thinking along the same lines, an inhuman sound leaving him as he gaped.
It had to be Haru. The voice and the scent which washed over him in a gentle wave as she came over to their group told him it was her. But, this beautiful girl looked nothing like their manager. From the makeup, the straight long hair and that short red dress which seemed to accent each of her attractive assets, it couldn't be Haru. He was left gaping as the team chatted with the girl, the tension finally dispersing partially.
"You look amazing, Haru!" Yaku gushed, reaching out to touch her hair. "Your hair is so long! You always have it in a bun, I could never tell." The girl shyly smiled, blushing at the numerous compliments.
"The girls helped me get ready," she told them, then looked from one to the other of the boys with a smile. "You guys clean up pretty well, too!" There was blushing, wiggling, denying, but all Kuroo could do was stare. That dress that seemed so tight around her front, showing off her generous chest billowed around her wide hips and then stopped at the knees, giving a nice view of her legs. He'd seen her in a shorts before. Heck, he'd glimpsed her naked form basked in moonlight. Yet, this… this ought to be illegal.
"You'll catch flies like that, sempai," Haru reached over, one finger pushing his jaw up to close his gaping mouth with a devilish smirk, making the whole team laugh. Then, she tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear and grinned at them all. "Let's go in?"
When she turned, Kuroo forgot how to walk. Her back was completely exposed, the back of the dress held together only by a few crisscrossing strings of red material. It made swallowing kind of difficult and he just wanted to touch the soft skin he could see.
"Are you going to be okay?" Kenma asked him, hanging back so that Kuroo's legs could catch up with his non-functioning brain.
"No." Kuroo replied, sounding oddly strained.
The ballroom where the benefit was being held was positively humongous. It gave the boys the feel of the National's gym, but they all knew that a different kind of game would be played on the podium. All the chairs and round tables were arranged in small groups on the side, leaving the middle open. Already, some people were sitting down and chatting and others were standing, drinking from tall glasses and exchanging stories.
"So, here's the plan," Haru told them in a quiet voice after they entered. "Split up into smaller groups, find volleyball people in this crowd and chat them up. If you can get a card, that's perfect. If you can arrange a match or get scouted, even better." She looked to the boys as they nodded, each picking their partner for the hunt. "Go!" Haru gently clapped her hands together, watching them vanish into the crowd in groups of two or three. She stood still for a second, battling with her own nerves. "Get to work, Haru." The girl said to herself and then flicked a piece of her hair back, walking into the crowd.
She had done some research before coming to the benefit, looking at pictures of some of the more important people who would be there. The first group that was familiar whom she saw ended up being the Mikasa representatives. She casually joined the conversation of the group which was talking about the economy and the expansion of their companies in the West. As soon as they heard her last name, they were rather eager to talk to her, as well. She ended up getting a card from one of the representatives before she politely excused herself and continued hunting.
As Haru passed through the crowd, she met up with different people, talking casually or simply listening. The Brazilian and Cuban under nineteen groups proved to be the most interesting to talk to. The coaches of the boys' teams were surprised when she switched languages swiftly, talking to them in their native tongues. They had exchanged cards and promised to set up a match with Nekoma if there was time during their busy schedule while in Japan. Haru walked away from a great victory there, smiling to herself.
"How's it going?" She found Kai and Fukunaga standing at one of the tall tables, looking tired and rather depressed.
"I got some contacts, what about you guys?" Haru showed them the couple of business cards she'd already collected in her purse.
"I feel like I'd rather do after-practice practice with Bokuto-san." Kai sighed and Fukunaga nodded. Haru giggled at that. Then, she spotted a rather easy target.
"There, join that group," she told the two. "That's the wing spiker from Korea who just got an award for his gameplay. You should be able to talk to him about the game easily enough and he speaks Japanese." Kai nodded and the two were off, slowly joining the group.
Haru kept walking around, mingling casually. She met one of the top three spikers in Japan, Ushijima Wakatoshi, whom she wasn't sure she was fond off. Their conversation kept dropping on his side, despite how hard she tried. Finally, the girl walked over to the table where her team had gathered, talking to each other and a couple more players who didn't seem comfortable in their suits, either. She recognized two of them as the libero and the setter from the Chinese under twenty-one team, but she didn't know the last one. They all seemed to be struggling to talk to each other in English, which made her smile.
"Hi boys!" Haru greeted with her clear American accent. "How's everyone doing?" the Chinese players greeted her and the Nekoma boys seemed rather relieved to see her.
"Honestly, I can't keep up with all the people here," Yaku admitted, grammar clear despite the accent.
"Hate events like this, too." The Chinese libero piped up, groaning. "So much talk, not enough play."
"True!" Yamamoto agreed and the boys laughed together. Well, at least they'd made some friends, Haru thought with a smile. She was about to sit down then the music started. Instantly, the people from the floor cleared, letting those who wanted to dance choose their partners. Servers appeared from all sides, bringing out food to each of the occupied tables.
"Anyone want to dance?" Haru asked, looking from one boy to the next. Before any of them could rise up to her challenge, someone walked up behind her.
"Miss, would you care for a dance?" Haru turned at the Spanish, a little shocked that someone had assumed that she spoke the language. But, when she spotted the face and the tan skin, she smiled, accepting the extended hand.
"Of course." And the tall, built man led her out onto the dance floor.
"Who's that?" Yaku asked, craning his neck to see better. Haru was dancing a slow waltz with the unknown man in his late forties, looking rather comfortable.
"You not know?" The Chinese libero looked shocked. "Caballero representative, from their hospital." He told the oblivious group. "He best for all sports injuries."
"Caballero?" Kuroo asked, speaking up for the first time since Haru had joined them. His brain seemed to be malfunctioning around the girl more than he liked it to. "A relative, then?"
"Maybe." Yaku nodded and the boys all turned to watch as Haru laughed in the arms of the older man. He spun her around elegantly and she came into his hold without a single stumble. Kuroo couldn't help feeling a tad jealous of the image. He cursed his inability to dance. The group he was sitting with picked up their discussion about volleyball, but he was too far gone, watching Haru twirl and move with fascination.
The dress would billow around her thighs, showing off just a bit more skin whenever the man delicately spun her. It left Kuroo's throat somehow dry. He couldn't get over the way her hair looked, so straight and soft, moving in tune with her body. When the music switched, he saw her laugh and he wished that he was the one holding her, making her giggle like that.
"What're you thinking about, captain?" Yamamoto asked from his right, following Kuroo's line of sight and sighing in absolute bliss when he spotted their manager dancing.
"Learning how to dance might not be as lame as I thought it was." Kuroo told him quietly, Yamamoto nodding to that statement.
I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes in advance. I'm dead tired and need a few hours of sleep before the exam tomorrow…
Thoughts on Kuroo's reaction to Haru? Btw, idk why but I imagine Haru with her hair down similar to the style Leigh-Anne Pinnock has in Woman Like Me… I have issues.
Reviews:
Valen Goncalvez:
Glad you enjoyed that bit of the chapter xD I loved writing them all awkward at the end hahahhaha
Best!
KirikaAndo:
Thanks for the reviews!
Gosh he was OOC wasn't he? Grrrr that scene felt wrong any way I wrote it… I need to go back and try to make it better…
Bokuto is the MVP yessss xD
Akari chummy enough with Kenma already? :P
Kuroo making the first move? Maybe… We will see yet!
Best :D
Rosto'sGirl:
Thanks for the review!
Noya omggg I love Noya too much xD Asahi is super nice! I love how they made his character, so interesting!
I adore how you've seen Nekoma once but you're already reading a fanfic about him. Top marks! I did the same xD
Omg omg, the pairings are all like setter and captain xD Jesus, somehow all of them fit perfectly though!
Cheers!
AmIValid2:
I write because I am out of my mind with pre-exam anxiety xD I've gone nuts. Don't do this coping mechanism, it's bad xD
But, here is a way to do chapters rather quickly: 1) fix the amount of words per chapter – mine is 4k 2) make a solid plan about how you want your story to flow and follow it, more or less – this will keep you from getting stuck when you go all 'I don't know what should happen next' 3) Keep your motivation and inspiration up! – either read or watch the franchise you're writing for, maybe have a playlist for it (I do omg xD) hope that helps!
Getting hot? More like hot and domestic! Urgh, domestic scenes are my food.
KenAri is my ship. It's sailing. I'm shipping that so hard right now it's insane. Like, from the scheming to the plotting to the comfortable and easy to sheer awkwardness when they're together? Urgh, gimmie!
So glad you like my ships T_T
I'm procrastinating. It's done. I'll hopefully do well, I don't even know anymore. I can't look at the material any longer…
Best!
Moonlightshadowxiii:
Thanks for the review!
gosh, I love writing the girls together! Haru needs someone to gang up on her and make her make an effort, if that makes any sense xD
Ichhi is totally Kise vibessss Kise all the way xD But, I've noticed that honorific with many close friends who are girls, so I gave Akari that trait :D
I hope that Kuroo seeing Haru dolled up didn't disappoint? I was with him the whole time, like, I'm sorry for doing this to you, but you need it man. Keep in mind that Haru's dad is rather well-off, unlike our broke arses xD I'm jealous too!
ooooh, I hate it when people leave a mess at my place when they leave xD Like, the worst things are the crumbs. Like, if someone trails them all over my bed or floor I-Will-Know. Like, I will. It's a sixth sense and it gives me a total rage moment until it's all clean again xD
Haru loves her crazy boys :P Kenma is super sweet. I love Kenma. I need more Kenma in my life.
Hahahaha glad to make you hungry!
Awwww you made me laugh with your comment about the ending of the chapter with Haru and Kuroo xD They are squeal worthy, though :P Kuroo would deflect with humor and teasing, wouldn't he? I felt like that scene ended up super perfect! I'm so happy with it T_T Glad that you liked ittt! Though, we will see yet who makes the first move… hehehehehe not getting together yet those two xD
Kenma and Akari crack me up so badly. Like, they're such a weird matchup, yet they fit so well. I love writing them and I'm super glad that you're enjoying their scenes together!
No no no no no I shan't obsess over KnB. No KnB. Dammit, I'm watching it tomorrow probably. Daaaaarnnnnn!
Aomine is like the arse you forgive because he's hot xD So unhealthy xD But, did you see those flashbacks before he went all GoM? He was super cute!
Best!
Omake:
Kuroo scrolled through the pictures on his phone, smiling. There was one of the whole team in suits in front of the hotel, their manager in the middle. Then, there were a few with the Chinese players inside the ballroom. There was even one with the coach of the Japanese Olympic Team. But, there was one which he treasured the most. It was an image of Haru, not looking at the camera but talking to someone who wasn't in the frame. She was pushing her hair behind her ear, eyes sparkling and mouth in a wide smile.
"What are you looking at?" The girl in question asked him, leaning forward from her train seat to see better. Kuroo smoothly showed her the picture of the team on the steps.
"We look good, don't we?" Kuroo grinned as Kenma yawned from his right.
"We sure do!" Haru grinned.
"Happy with your hunt?" Kuroo asked her with a smile.
"Ecstatic!" The girl smirked, opening her purse. "Look!" Kuroo leaned forward, seeing the numerous business cards inside. He gaped.
"I… really can't keep up with you." He told her honestly, making her laugh in mirth.
That's all folks!