It was the summer of their third year when Kageyama's feelings for Yachi finally bloomed, a soft bud that he nurtured into secrecy back during their first year until he realized he couldn't hold it in any longer. He was accompanying her to buy drinks while the others were practicing. True, she could've just asked the first years instead to help her, and Kageyama could've just stuck to practicing sets with the others, but he didn't.

He insisted on going with her because he wanted to be with her.

Autumn of their second year was the start of his small crush on her, admiring how the fall of leaves and orange skies complemented her warm smile on him. He was having a hard time back then choosing between ordinary milk or yogurt milk until Yachi decided, "I'll have the plain milk for you then." He didn't know back then it would change his life.

From that moment on, he became conscious of her. Every small detail was left unnoticed. The way she focused intently on the team and handed them their water bottles. The nail file she always kept in her bag in case he forgot his. How she kept everything documented for them. The way she made sure all training clothes would be washed properly. Her slender fingers on her pen as she wrote the things he needed to study for their tests.

And then it moved towards the particular details. Her blonde hair getting longer. Her laugh singing like a melody. Her fresh scent lingering in the air. The way she moves with so much grace even though she was a nervous wreck before.

He could go on and on about how he's slowly getting insane over her.

But in this summer heat, he heard her complain about how the sweat kept sticking to her skin and how it might burn if both of them stayed out for long. So he led her to a nearby bench under a tree for a quick break, then ran to the nearby convenience store to buy ice cream for her. Again, he didn't have to. He was just being an idiot who's head over heels for their manager.

And they stayed there for quite some time, talking about random stuff until she said with a beaming smile, "I'm glad I spent this time with you, Kageyama-kun. You're such a nice person."

That was all it took before he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, fleeting yet making her want more of his taste. Tastes like strawberry ice cream, they both thought. Kageyama was loss for words, surprised at himself yet also wanting to be bold again because he wanted to savor this chance.

The second time around, she also kissed him, and this time it was a lot longer. She held onto his hand, and he gently caressed her cheek. When they came back, their faces were red and Hinata scolded them a bit for not wearing their sunscreen properly since "it's hot weather today."

They were seeing each other in secret, and no one knew because they wanted to be holed up in their bubble. They never talked about what they're actually to each other, but for Kageyama, it's safe to say he's her boyfriend and Yachi's his girlfriend. After all, his words gave it all for her: "There's no way I'm kissing and holding hands with a girl who's not my girlfriend," and it was the truth.

They paid the price for this little secret, though.

Jealousy was a green-eyed monster and he forgot about the fact that Yachi was a lot closer to the others, especially to that idiot Hinata whom he treated as both a rival and friend. Well, they had been the first to be friends since day one and he knew Hinata never harbored any romantic feelings towards her. But boy, oh boy, he couldn't control it whenever the goofball would voluntarily assist her in just about anything. He's even the one initiating a lot of their conversations, and Yachi would give that same wide smile that he had always wanted for himself.

One night, practice ended later than usual and all that was left was him, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Hinata, and Yachi. They helped Yachi first with her tasks before they packed up and talked about going somewhere to rest before heading home. Kageyama wanted to take this chance to secretly sneak out with her, make up an excuse that he had somewhere to go to when all he wanna do was walk Yachi home.

But Hinata beat him to it.

"I'll take Yachi-san first to the station then we can buy nikuman later."

"Okay, we'll wait outside," Yamaguchi informed with Tsukishima following in tow.

Before Hinata could grab his belongings, Kageyama said, "Yachi-san can handle herself. You don't have to accompany her."

It sounded so wrong, and he knew he was being rude. But to hell with everything. He couldn't let him have this chance with her.

Hinata scrunched his face up in confusion, frowning at him. "What are you talking about? I can't let a girl walk alone at this hour. You know that very well, Kageyama."

Kageyama clenched his fists in frustration, grunting in annoyance. He yelled, "CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING, IDIOT?! I'M TELLING YOU NOT TO WALK HER HOME!"

Now it was Hinata's turn to get mad at him, almost livid at his nonsense. "What the—Are you being crazy?!"

And the next thing, they were already fighting. When Yachi came out of the storage room, she was horrified to see the same thing she saw back when they were first years, and it only took both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima to restrain them. Yachi was worried about the two boys, especially Kageyama, seeing his bloodied nose and the bruise near his mouth as he tried to calm himself down.

Once they were apart, Yachi exchanged glances with Kageyama, and he was visibly surprised to see her, scared that she might be afraid of him like the last time. She started walking closer and he anticipated her next move, only for him to be disappointed later on when she hesitated and tended to Hinata instead.

Tsukishima noticed the shift in Kageyama's mood, following his line of sight to where Yachi was, asking Hinata what happened and if he was okay. The middle blocker sighed; it didn't take him long before he had a hunch of what this was all about.

"Yachi-san," he called, and his tone was authoritative, "Hinata's fine. Please tend to Kageyama first. We'll handle the rest."

Yachi did what she was told, kneeling over to Kageyama's side and gently holding his face towards her. She made sure to whisper so the others won't hear. "W-What happened? Why did you—"

"Why didn't you go to me first?" he asked—well, more like barked. It wasn't the tone he was going for, but he couldn't help these feelings. "We're dating, right? Why are you worried more about Hinata than me?"

The trio stopped in astonishment, looking back and forth at the couple. It was then that Hinata slowly realized why the setter was acting all weird, telling him not to walk Yachi home because he wanted to be the one to do that. Then he suddenly remembered why these past few days he was a lot harsher whenever he was doing his demon toss.

Yachi blushed furiously at that, stammering for a response. "K-Kageyama-kun—"

"What? You gonna tell me that's not true?" he countered angrily. "It's true, though. It's time they know we're dating by now anyway."

Later that night, they stopped by the convenience store for the said nikuman and Hinata couldn't help but tease Kageyama about his snarky behavior because of Yachi.

Yachi was well aware that Kageyama was a man who would do anything to get what he wanted, and even if volleyball was important to him, he would still make time for her. But volleyball still came first, and Yachi made a lot of sacrifices for him. She could remember that one time when they decided to have a date, only for the coach to set up an extended practice during the weekend and they had to settle for an ice cream date.

There were also times when they should have been dating, but because Kageyama had to make up for his studies, she had to settle with their dates becoming study sessions instead. The only time she would feel relief was when Kageyama would still try to touch her on his own, kiss her when no one was looking, or hug her because she was too irresistible. He's even ecstatic whenever the bell rings, immediately sprinting towards Yachi's classroom just so he can have lunch with her at school because, for him, it was all worth it.

They were happy, yet Yachi wasn't satisfied. She wanted him, so bad; so bad that she was secretly selfish on her own. "Can't you schedule your training for next week?" "My birthday's coming up. I want to have a day off with you." "I want to kiss you Kageyama-kun, all day, and I'm being so greedy, but I can't be that selfish."

Her feelings are bottled up despite her love for him, and she could feel herself wearing down day by day. She loved it when Kageyama pursued his dream, but she also didn't like it when he was always far from her reach; when she was not the priority.

But I love him. I love him. I love Tobio.

He didn't see the heartbreak in her eyes until he finally freed his schedule for her during the winter of their third year. He thought it would be a moment when he would see her so excited and beaming because he hadn't seen that for so long. On the other hand, Yachi convinced herself for the umpteenth time, wearing a sad smile as he held her hand while they walked under the snowy night. Everything was fine; this was just regular Kageyama Tobio, her boyfriend who's so into volleyball and it's his number one priority.

She couldn't fault him for being such a hardworking player. He deserved it, but it didn't mean she wasn't hurting.

I love you, she wanted to tell him as she admired his back for a few minutes. I love you and it's killing me that you don't feel the same as I do.

"Tobio."

"Hm?"

She breathed deeply. "J-Just what am I to you?"

The world stopped, and that's when he realized her suffering. He was still holding her hand, the snow falling on them as she was teary-eyed, swallowing her pride because that was all she had.

I didn't want to let go, but I had to; I needed to.

"I'm sorry," she cried, covering her face with her hands as Tobio was saddened at the fact that he hurt her this much; that his love, instead of making her feel nice things, only ended up destroying whatever was left of her. "I know you made an effort just to be with me today, but I couldn't—I just—I needed you so bad, but I think—"

I think it's time for the end to come.

Kageyama didn't want to accept this separation, not leaving her side because he wanted to fix this. He wanted to make things right for both of them. But how do I do that? How can I ease her pain when I'm the one who did this to her?

She was shedding more tears as things had become so overwhelming that her heart wanted to burst, and he sighed in defeat. He lost her, and he had no idea what to do now.

Kageyama pulled her towards him and hugged her to his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her hair, tightening his embrace but still careful not to crush her. "I'm sorry for everything."

Yachi had finally calmed down, hugging him back as she didn't want to be apart from him. "I don't want us to end like this, not when we have all the time now."

He pulled away to kiss her cheek, then he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I know."

It was a silent walk down to a love hotel, and they didn't waste any chances. He was immediately holding her, kissing her passionately as she fumbled with her clothes. He had to pull away to help her before everything was stripped down as she lay on the bed with him on top, and he only stared at her, internally memorizing her image in his brain because this would be the last time he would be able to touch her freely.

He followed suit, taking off his clothes until there was nothing but bare skin, kissing her openly to the point that she was drowning in his romance, wishing they were trapped in this room forever. No words were needed as he took her virginity, trying his best to be gentle (and not clumsy since he still wanted to look cool for her) because Yachi was still fragile and she shouldn't hurt more than this.

Afterward, his lips would move on every part of her skin, savoring her taste as he thrusts deep with her fingers digging into him. This was a shameless act, one that would have them craving for each other in the future, but they had to do this. They needed this, just for once.

Her eyes. Her soft lips. Her fair skin. Her blonde hair on the sheets. Her moans singing in his ears. Her warmth.

I'll have them all.

"Tobio," she kept calling his name, begging him to satisfy her needs. "Tobio…"

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, whispering the right words. "I love you, Hitoka."

I love you so bad it's making me crazy.

They weren't satisfied, so they did it many times until they couldn't. In the morning, they would wake up, and she was smiling at him gently, giving him a final kiss before she ultimately decided they go back to what they were before that summer.

Kageyama agreed without much thought, letting her go even though he was aching to go after her and change her mind. For once, in this hotel room, he felt nothing but loneliness, and he hated it. That's why, for now, he'll settle with the memory of last night and the hope she'll take him back again.