Yukari's head was pounding when she cracked open her eyes a bit that morning. The sunlight from the edge of the window over her bed blinded her instantly, forcing her to clamp her eyes shut before groaning and rolling over to the other side of the bed, except she slammed into something hard and warm. Still struggling to open her eyes and focus her vision due to the pounding headache, she brought both hands up and ran her hands over whatever she had slammed into.
It only took her a few seconds to realize it was skin and whoever it was, they were big, lean and definitely not wearing a shirt! Just from running her hands tentatively over them, she could feel the strong, lean muscles under the surface. She swallowed nervously as she pulled her hands back and wrapped them both around herself, which only made her realize she was completely naked under the covers. She muttered a curse under her breath. Going out drinking right after finishing a 28-hour shift probably hadn't been her best idea the night before. But how much did she drink that she brought home a random guy and better yet, who did she bring back?!
Feeling mortified about the previous night she could barely remember, she rolled away to the opposite side of the bed and tried to sit up quietly. Judging from their rhythmic breathing, the person was still deep asleep. Her bed creaked slightly as she crawled to the foot of the bed and stood up. The sheets rustled behind her.
"O~ha~yō, Yu~ka~ri~chan."
Yukari scowled; that voice was unmistakable. Despite having only spoken to him a couple of times, she still remembered it crystal clear like it was yesterday. She could almost hear his signature devilish grin. That deep, playful voice could only belong to Kuroo Tetsurō.
The first time she had met Kuroo was almost a decade ago at the summer training camp during her first year at Karasuno High when she had dropped by to see the team while they were practicing at Shinzen High. Since then, even though she had attended the meetups that Hinata organized with everyone whenever he had time while in Tokyo, she had never seen Kuroo at any of them. But then the day before, out of pure coincidence, she had run into him when her advisor had taken her along to the Japan Volleyball Association for a consultation meeting.
Despite her young age, her advisor, Shirakawa Ayumi-sensei, was a leading surgeon with a specialization in sports injuries and was always invited by different sports associations to any medical-related meetings. Feeling lucky to have been able to tag along to something like this even though she was only in her second month of postgrad training after graduating from medical school, Yukari had agreed to go along even though she had just finished a 28-hour shift right before the meeting. The people at the association had invited the two of them to a dinner afterwards, which of course involved drinking.
Bits of the night before were starting to come back to her. She must have somehow gotten drunk and made some stupid decisions that had led to this exact moment. Realizing that Kuroo was probably staring at her naked back, Yukari took a deep breath to compose herself and then took small steps towards her desk, where her towel was still hanging on the back of the chair where she'd left it two days ago before she had left for her shift. Using the towel to cover herself, she turned around with what she hoped was a brave and calm expression.
"K-Kuroo-senpai," her voice cracked a little and came out squeakier than she had wanted. He must have noticed it too because he chuckled as he sat up and leaned against the headboard. She tried to not look fazed when the covers fell, exposing his broad shoulders and chiseled torso. "Oha…yō."
He smiled as he watched her struggle to cover herself with the towel, one hand pulling the bottom hem of the towel lower while the other held the knot tight right above her chest. "Did you sleep well?" A mischievous glint shone in his eyes. "I held you close the entire night."
The second part made her eyes widen and she had to clear her throat before responding, "Uh…do you mind if I shower first?"
Kuroo shrugged in response and barely got a word out before she ran off in a mad dash. The bathroom door slamming shut echoed throughout the apartment. He chuckled to himself before pulling back the covers to reveal his toned legs that disappeared into a tight-fitting pair of black briefs. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up to do some basic stretches. Letting her sleep on his arm almost the entire night had left it feeling numb and sore.
While stretching, he looked around the apartment he hadn't gotten a good look at the night before. The bedroom area was furnished with a full bed, a small nightstand, a wardrobe and a vanity. There was a desk that separated it from the living room area. Everything was neat and clean, except for the desk, which looked like it was about to give way under all the piles of books that were stacked on top of it.
He walked over to pick up his white undershirt from the floor and pulled it over his head, before picking up his dress shirt and suit pants that had been abandoned in a pile right by the vanity. After grabbing them, he walked over to where his work bag had been haphazardly thrown on to the floor next to the kotatsu. Rummaging through it, he pulled out a pair of dark blue shorts and a clean black T-shirt, both of which he had packed in advance along with his volleyball shoes, and then stuffed his clothes from the night before back into the bag.
Standing by the living room area, Kuroo looked around. Yukari's apartment was on the larger side for a studio apartment by Tokyo standards. Located on the top floor of the apartment building, the apartment had high, vaulted ceilings and huge windows along the one wall that let in a lot of natural light, making the apartment look even bigger than it was.
The overall apartment was tidy and had basic furniture that all looked new, except for the kotatsu in front of the TV; it just didn't match the style of the other pieces in the space. A couple of sealed boxes were stacked along the wall in the living room so Kuroo guessed that Yukari had just moved in recently and hadn't yet finished unpacking. The kitchen was a decent size as well with a breakfast bar and two barstool-height seats with their backs to the living room.
Right on cue, the shower stopped running and the bathroom door clicked open a few moments later. Yukari stood there wrapped in a different towel with her hair in a smaller towel. Kuroo didn't know if the slight tinge in her cheeks was from the shower or from seeing him still standing in her apartment in his briefs.
"Do you mind if I use your shower? I'm heading to a volleyball game right after and don't have time to stop by my place."
She nodded and walked past him up to where her wardrobe was. "Clean towels are in the bathroom cabinet."
As soon as she heard the bathroom door close, Yukari pulled out a clean set of clothes and threw them on. Afterwards, she made an attempt to organize her apartment a little, before dashing to the kitchen to see what she could make for breakfast. She hadn't done her groceries in almost a week so her fridge and cupboards were pretty bare. Between the long, irregular shifts at the hospital and not having time to cook, she had been on a steady diet of takeout and really only came back to her apartment to shower and sleep.
By the time Kuroo emerged from his shower, Yukari was just putting the dirty pan into the sink. She was wearing a loose-fitting shirt and black shorts with her hair still in a towel. Two plates with an omelet each were on the breakfast bar. It was only then that he realized how hungry he was. It was already almost lunch time. He'd actually woken up at his usual 5am, but not wanting to wake her up because she looked so peaceful in his arms, he'd stayed in bed and eventually fallen back asleep.
"Have a seat, senpai." She gestured towards the plate that also had a small bowl of oatmeal next to it. Kuroo didn't have to be told twice. "Orange juice okay?"
He nodded, mumbled "Itadakimasu" and then started digging in. She joined him a moment later after placing his cup of juice in front of him, pushing her chair away from Kuroo so she didn't brush against him as she slid into the seat next to his.
"Didn't realize you ate so healthy," he said as he shoveled a piece of omelet into his mouth.
She shrugged and silence fell between them, only broken by the sound of the metal utensils hitting the plate. Kuroo was busy chomping down on his food, not noticing that Yukari was just pushing hers around the plate.
"So…about last night…"
He kept chewing as he glanced at her. "What about it?"
"How did you end up being the one to take me home?" Her eyes trailed his every move.
He grinned and took his time before answering, letting her stew in suspense. "I guess Shirakawa-sensei had overheard us speaking in the office earlier in the day right before we left for the dinner reservation. She knew we weren't strangers so when you got really drunk, she gave me your address and asked if I could bring you back."
Yukari's grip tightened around her chopsticks as she scowled. Of course, her advisor had put him up to this; Ayumi-sensei was a mischievous one as well. Even though she was Yukari's advisor and a full-fledged professor at the hospital, she treated Yukari more like a little sister. While Yukari was grateful to her mentor for everything else, last night was not going to be one of it. She made a mental note to have a word with Ayumi-sensei when she saw her next.
"Thanks for the breakfast," Kuroo said as he pushed back the chair and stood up.
"Wait, senpai. Do you need a towel for your game? I have extras," she spoke as she stood up.
Kuroo nodded slowly, "Sure, if you don't mind." He walked over to the genkan and started putting on his shoes.
The towel wasn't the only thing in her hand though when she came back. He saw the familiar red jacket with "NEKOMA" printed in white on the back.
"I've been wanting to return this to you."
Kuroo's lips broke into a wide grin as he held his Nekoma jacket and admired it. The jacket was neatly folded and looked the same as when he'd given it to her almost ten years ago after finding her crying outside the Shinzen gymnasium because of Kageyama.
"I can't believe you held on it this whole time." He looked at her and she refused to meet his gaze.
"It wasn't mine to throw away so I was going to give it back when I saw you again." She passed him the small towel in her other hand and he stuffed it into his bag. "Thank you for your help back then and also last night." He stared down at her while she kept avoiding his gaze still. "And…can we forget about last night?"
He took a step forward and that made her look up. She was still thin, but had filled out her curves nicely and no longer looked like the wind could blow her away if it was strong enough. Her dark blue eyes still looked pretty and had some purple tinges in them from certain angles, but they also had a certain hardness, as if she had been through some tough times. He could tell that she was no longer the meek teenage girl that was in love with Kageyama and had broken down at the training camp due to Kuroo's excessive teasing. Studying her, Kuroo realized how deep down she was still the same girl he had met almost a decade ago, and yet he could tell she had matured as well.
He unfolded the red jacket and placed it over her shoulders in one smooth movement, before pulling her closer by tugging on the edges of the jacket. Bending down slightly so her face was right in front of his, the tips of their noses brushing against each other, he said, "This jacket is yours to keep. It looks better on you anyway." A blush began to spread across her cheeks.
"Also, nothing happened last night." Surprise flashed across her face as she looked up and met his gaze finally. "I saved my number on your phone. Call me if you need a drinking buddy." Before she could say anything, Kuroo patted her head and was out the door, giving her a wave of his hand.
Summer 2012 - Shinzen High
Kuroo pushed a sleepy Kenma out of the school building and in the direction of the cafeteria. "Kenma! Hurry! You're going to make everyone miss breakfast!" The shorter boy groaned as he picked up his pace a little.
The rest of the Nekoma team was already entering the cafeteria when Kuroo noticed that a certain member with a blond mohawk was missing. He groaned in frustration as he backtracked and looked around the school grounds. Hopefully, Yamamoto wasn't stalking the female managers from the other teams.
After searching for a bit, he found their wing spiker leaning against one of the school buildings and looking at the entrance of Shinzen High. Jogging over to him, he patted him on the back, "Oi! Go get your breakfast!"
"Senpai! There's a really pretty girl!"
Kuroo glanced around the corner of the building and saw a girl walking past the Shinzen High entrance. He wondered if she was lost since it was the summer holidays and no one else was supposed to be coming to school, but she walked confidently as if with purpose. She looked up at him and Yamamoto when she heard them shuffling. Unknown to her, they had just straightened up so they didn't look like weirdos watching her from around the corner.
She skipped a few steps and stopped right in front of them. "Ohayō! Do you know where the Karasuno team is?"
Glancing at his wing spiker, it became evident immediately to Kuroo that Yamamoto wasn't going to be any help in answering her since he could never speak to girls, even more so if they were pretty. "Everyone should be getting breakfast right now in the cafeteria. We're on our way there if you want to come along."
Kuroo glimpsed at her from the corner of his eyes as they walked along the shaded outdoor corridors back in the direction of the cafeteria, Yamamoto walking ahead of them and glancing back every so often. The girl was a lot shorter than Yamamoto so probably 160cm at most, which was still above the average height of the girls in his class. She was wearing a black cap backwards that kept her hair away from her face, with a loose, white T-shirt tucked into her denim shorts. Whenever the sunlight hit her directly, he could make out the outline of her body under her thin T-shirt and he could tell that she definitely had curves hidden under her clothes.
Her dark blue hair was in one thick ponytail that hit the middle of her back and from certain angles, you could see the teal and purple highlights in them. The colors in her hair made him feel like he was looking into a flowing stream with all the different shades of blue in it. Her hair matched her almond-shaped eyes, which were also another shade of blue, and they glistened like gemstones. Her most striking facial feature was the full lips that were set in a soft smile and Kuroo found himself unable to tear his eyes away from them for some reason. Overall, he had to admit she was pretty, and he could understand why Yamamoto was flustered.
"I'm Kuroo and that's Yamamoto," he gestured towards the wing spiker, who turned and gave a sheepish bow to the girl. "We're from Nekoma."
"Ah, Kenma's team. I'm Nozawa Yukari, a first year at Karasuno." She pressed her lips into a smile, gave a slight bow and then turned away.
"Do you know Kenma?" Kuroo found it hard to believe that Kenma had somehow managed to befriend someone, let alone a girl at that.
"No, Hinata just told me about your team after you guys came over for the practice match."
Kuroo nodded along. "Are you here to see anyone in particular on the Karasuno team?"
She didn't answer right away. Her hands fidgeted with the strap of her bag as she shifted her gaze down to her shoes. "I guess Tobio…he and I are classmates." The slight pink tinge in her cheeks betrayed her calm tone.
Kuroo grinned, thinking of how lucky the first years were to have time to be dating around. He was already in his third year and was busy figuring out what he wanted to do next. "I didn't know Kageyama-kun had a girlfriend. I thought all he could think about was volleyball."
"We're not dating! We're just classmates."
Kuroo gave her a grin as he pushed open the cafeteria door for her. "Oi! Kageyama-kun! You have a visitor!" A couple of 'ooh's and 'aah's went around the cafeteria as Yukari walked over to the Karasuno table.
As he got in line for his breakfast, Kuroo noticed how everyone at the Karasuno table greeted her and then shifted down so she could sit next to Kageyama. After getting his food, Kuroo took a seat next to Kenma, facing the Karasuno table and he kept glancing at it from the corner of his eyes. It looked like Yukari was on good terms with everyone and they were all laughing at something their chibi-chan had said.
After awhile, she got up and joined the female managers in the kitchen and was helping collect the dirty trays from the boys. He watched as some of the guys from the other teams awkwardly attempted to talk to her as they handed her their trays.
"Oi, Kageyama-kun, you'd better save your girlfriend before all the other guys start hitting on her!" Kuroo meant to tease the youngster, but had not anticipated Kageyama's reaction.
Karasuno's first-year setter stood up abruptly, slammed down his chopsticks and then yelled out, "She's not my girlfriend!" The entire cafeteria went quiet for a split second before the other players started snickering and teasing Kageyama even more.
That was the moment Kuroo knew he had messed up. It was only for a brief second, but he saw the disappointment flash across Yukari's face. She was good at hiding it though and a fake smile was plastered on her lips by the time it was his turn to hand her his dirty tray. Not wanting to attract any additional attention, Kuroo decided to apologize for his teasing later when there weren't prying eyes and ears around them.
It was early afternoon when Kuroo stepped out of the gymnasium to go run his face under the taps outside. The weather was particularly hot that summer day and they'd been playing practice matches nonstop. He had a towel in one hand and his Nekoma jacket in the other. As he walked, he thought of how to apologize to megane-kun and the girl from Karasuno. He must have been losing his touch because somehow, he had managed to upset two people in the span of two days.
As he got closer to where the taps were, he heard sniffling. Turning the corner cautiously, he found himself standing in front of Yukari, who was wiping her face as she sniffed a few times. Her cap had been flipped around and the brim was now covering her face. Scratching his cheek mindlessly with a finger, Kuroo wondered if he should leave her be, but Yukari looked up at that moment and he knew his chance to leave had just disappeared right then.
"I was looking for you." He flung the towel around his neck and ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning in the cafeteria."
As soon as he said that, her face scrunched up and her eyes teared up again. "It's not your fault. It's all because Tobio's an idiot," she mumbled as she looked away, hiding her face from him.
Kuroo could hear more footsteps approaching, probably some other guys coming over to wash their faces as well. He took a step towards her and threw his jacket over her head. He then turned around and leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, hiding her from the view of the other guys.
"Hey boys, can you go use the taps on the other side of the gym? I think these have an issue."
The guys grumbled but they all left without any complaints. Once he was sure they were all out of earshot, he turned back around and looked down at her. With his towering height of 187 cm, the top of Yukari's head just barely reached his shoulders. He leaned down until their faces were roughly level, with his hands resting on his knees.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" His head was tilted to the side so he could see her face under his jacket.
She shook her head and his jacket slid down from her head and rested on her shoulders. "No, not really. I just need to get it out of my system at this point." Kuroo straightened back up and leaned against the wall, but his concerned gaze remained on her.
"Don't you have practice?"
"We're in between practice matches right now. I have a few minutes." Kuroo noted that it sounded like her sobs had subsided at least, which was good. He never knew how to react around girls, even worse if they were crying. "Any tips on how I could apologize to Karasuno's megane-kun?"
Yukari wiped the last of her tears and looked up. "Tsukki? I wouldn't bother. He's usually the one riling up people with his crappy attitude so I think he should get a dose of his own medicine."
"Still….I think I might have hit a nerve last night. I sort of insinuated how their chibi-chan was going to become a better blocker than him if he didn't get his act together."
"Ah," Yukari leaned against the wall right next to him as well. "You hit him where it hurts. Why don't you just teach him to be a better blocker then?"
Kuroo glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot about megane-kun."
"We went to the same elementary and middle schools. I've known him and Tadashi for as long as I remember because we always somehow end up in the same classes. We're not exactly friends though. I didn't start talking them until this year."
Before Kuroo could respond to that, Kenma poked his head around the corner. "Kuroo, the next match is starting. We're playing against Karasuno." He didn't acknowledge Yukari at all besides a quick glance past Kuroo. If he did see her, Kenma did a great job of hiding it.
"Ok, be right there." Kenma was gone already; the younger boy was fast when he wanted to be. Kuroo turned back to Yukari. "You can keep the jacket and return it next time. I'm going to go get revenge on Kageyama for making you cry." A wink and then he was gone as well, leaving Yukari standing there alone.
Kuroo smiled as he remembered that day from the summer training camp. After that encounter, he had never seen Yukari again, even at the dinner meetups that Hinata planned for everyone after his return to Tokyo. He figured she had moved on from Kageyama and had stopped interacting with the Karasuno team altogether.
"You didn't come back last night."
It wasn't a question, but more of a statement from Kenma. Someone unfamiliar with how Kenma spoke might have even thought he sounded like a jealous lover, but Kuroo knew otherwise. Kuroo was just sliding the front door close when Kenma stepped out of his bedroom with his headphones around his neck, probably taking a break from streaming or playing a multiplayer game.
"Ah…I ran into someone and ended up sleeping over at her place."
Kenma seemed uninterested as he walked to the kitchen. "New girlfriend?"
"No, just an old…acquaintance?" Kuroo made sure his shoes were straight after taking them off. He also placed his dress shoes in the shoe cabinet in the genkan. "Not sure if you remember, but she came to the summer training camp at Shinzen High when I was a third year. The pretty first-year from Karasuno."
"The one that cried because you kept teasing her and Kageyama?"
"…Yeah." Kuroo didn't like being reminded of his failed provocations of others.
"How'd you run into Yukari?" Kenma came back out of the kitchen with a bottle of soda in his hand.
"How are you on a first-name basis with her?"
"She comes to those dinner parties that Shōyō plans. I think you two just haven't been to the same one ever." Kuroo just grunted. "Are you planning on dating her?"
"I don't know…why are you so curious about my love life all of a sudden?!" He growled in annoyance as he walked past Kenma towards his bedroom in the back of the house.
"Because you have a stupid smile on your face, Kuroo."
Hi everyone, newly minted Haikyuu fangirl here! I started writing this story this month and thought today was a great day to share it with everyone. It might take me awhile to post a new chapter each time, but I hope you all enjoy it and I would love to read your comments!
I recently discovered Hellogoodbye's "Here (In Your Arms)" and felt the lyrics really described the mood of this fanfic so that's why I chose to name it that.