"oh? moving quickly, are we?"

kita quickly pulled away, turning to atsumu with a faint crimson dusting his cheeks. he walked over to the setter, taking the bag of sweets whilst doing so. somehow reclaiming his usual dull expression, he wordlessly stretched his arm out to atsumu, the brown bag clutched in his palm. he firmly pressed it onto the blonde's chest, the setter having no choice but to accept it with both hands.

 shinsuke retrieved his hand, his voice stern as he spoke,

"share this with the team, say one thing about what you saw and i'm giving you extra laps."

"g-got it, c-captain!"

atsumu quickly turned to the door with the bag in his arms, suddenly coming face-to-face with a confused aran, who stood at the gym's doorway. you were the first to greet him, lightly waving.

"oh! ojiro-san, hello."

he briefly nodded at you, a smile painting his face. his gaze moved to kita, then to the bag in atsumu's grasp.

"what's going on?" he questioned, taking a step forward and closing the door behind him. "shinsuke, where were you? coach was looking for you,"

"l/n-san brought us dessert, so atsumu told me to help her find her way to the gym,"

your eyes widened at his words, eyes moving to the spot where atsumu was, only to find nothing.

'damn it, the brat got away before i could beat his ass.'

aran sighed, playfully rolling his eyes at the setter's antics.

"come on, loverbirds," he turned back to the gym, sliding the door open, "i'm sure they'll be happy to see you again."

the boy entered without another word, leaving you to process what he said,

"loverbirds?" you whispered, face heating up at the thought of you and kita being referred to with the title,

shinsuke, on the other hand, seemed to be unfazed by it, rather pleased with the idea.

he turned to you, chuckling at your blushing appearance. he stepped closer to you, gently patting your head.

"you seem a bit flustered, l/n-san," he cheekily grinned, walking to the first few steps of the stairs and ushering you to follow him. you watched him smirk through his words, his arm outstretched to you, "let's go, the kids are waiting."

your face grew red, bashfully accepting his arm as you walked up the steps. you avoided his eyes, playfully slapping his shoulder as the two of you walked up the steps.

"don't say embarrassing things like that, kita-san."

he half-mindedly hummed in response, stepping into the gym with you following behind. your presence earned a few stares from the team, but you were too flustered to notice.

kita motioned to the same bench you sat on yesterday, side-eyeing you.

"you can wait there again, unless you wanna sit with our coach," he raised an eyebrow at you, nodding his head in the direction of their coach, "we have another coach, but he's not here today."

you examined the said coach, who had been assisting the students with his arms crossed, sitting on the bench that settled near the wall across from the door. he seemed to be in his early 40's, seeing that there were faint wrinkles on his face. a soft smile was bound behind his black-brimmed glasses as he watched over the team.

"will i be a burden, though?"

"no," he replied almost immediately, it almost surprised you how casually he said it. he patted your back in certainty, "i'm sure he'd be pleased to have you here,"

"alright, then." you sighed,

as the two of you approached him, you failed to catch sight of akagi and aran throwing knowing looks at the boy next to you, followed by omimi giving subtle glances.

"coach," kita spoke, earning the attention of the man,

he turned to the captain, only then taking notice of your being. his eyes widened at the sight of you, but it quickly left. it was very faint, but if you looked close enough, you'd be able to see the growing smirk on his face.

"ah, shinsuke, there you are," he spoke, fully turning his body to look at the pair. he sent you a small smile, "i see we have a guest."

"this is l/n-san, she stopped by to share some things with the team, so i had to help her get to the gym." kita explained, placing a hand on your shoulder, "is it okay if she sits with you until practice ends?"

"of course, i wouldn't mind a bit of company," he replied, patting the space next to him. just then did you notice the paper bag that you carried, resting at the other end of the bench; you assumed that atsumu was the one to place it there. "here, you can watch the boys for the time being."

kita's hand that lied on your shoulder quickly shifted to your back, sending an encouraging smile.

"go on, i'll be here if you need help."

"right, thank you, kita-san." you nodded at him, taking a seat on the bench.

he only smiled in response, jogging back to his teammates.

"i haven't introduced myself, have i?" you heard the man beside you speak, causing you to look at him. he held out his hand, shooting a welcoming grin, "kurosu norimune, please call me coach kurosu."

"a-ah, l/n y/n, nice to meet you, coach," you shook his hand.

"you seem to be close with shinsuke, are you his girlfriend?"

his question caught you off guard, a dark shade of pink dusting your cheeks. you frantically shook your head, waving your hands to dismiss the question.

"n-no! i'm not, he's just a good friend i met back in tokyo."

"my bad, i shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," he chuckled, "you met him in tokyo?"

"yep," you responded, eyes traveling to the court. "i bumped into him while buying groceries."

"i see, you're form tokyo, l/n-san?"

"i am, i'm just in hyogo because my dad thinks i need a break." you sighed, playfully rolling your eyes at your dad's doing, "he's not wrong, though, i really did need to take a rest from everything, i just really miss my friends."

"i don't blame you, school can get drive you crazy sometimes," the man laid back with his arms crossed, keeping his eyes on the court, "everyone needs a break from time to time."

"agreed," you hummed in response.

the twins watched your interaction with their coach from afar, brows raised in suspicion. the setter nudged the boy next to him with his elbow,

"what do you think they're talking about, 'samu?" atsumu asked his brother, his eyes unmoving.

"i don't know, and i don't care." the grey-haired boy sighed, bringing his attention back to practice, "it's none of our business, besides, it's probably nothing important."

"eh? your no fun," he pouted at him but did as he said nonetheless. whilst practicing his serves, his captain's infatuated figure caught his attention, causing his mouth to curl into a smirk. "oya?"

"what now?" osamu groaned in annoyance, aggravatedly following his twin's gaze. his quickly transformed into a puzzled pout, "oh?"

"shinsuke's pretty lucky, isn't he?" aran appeared behind the twins, ignoring how they jumped in surprise. he placed his hands on their backs, "go back to practice, yeah? i'll talk to him."

"but aran-kunn," the older twin whined, back slouching at his friend's words, "i wanna know how he's doing, this is a one-in-a-million thing- who would've thought kita-san could be like this?"

"he's human, atsumu, he has emotions." aran sighed, pushing the two farther away from the captain. "plus, l/n-san seems like a very nice person, it wouldn't be a surprise if shinsuke has feelings towards her."

he took a step back, resting his hands on his hips.

"get back to practice, we can't miss the nationals, now, can we?"

"but-"

"come on, move, you two."

aran made his way to the captain, slinging his arm around his shoulder. it seemed that the boy had been caught in a small daze, slightly flinching at the contact.

"ah, aran, do you need anything?" he relaxed after acknowledging who it was, quickly moving his eyes away from you. he stared at the boy, crooking an eyebrow.

"you seem closer to l/n-san, am i missing something?" the smallest smirk made it's way to his face, it grew wider when kita averted his eyes from the wing spiker.

"nothing is going on, aran." he answered, still avoiding aran's gaze. "i'm simply helping her get comfortable in a new environment."

"really? nothing more? if i didn't know you two, i would've guessed you guys were dating. "

"y-yes, nothing more."

aran's ears perked at his stutter, chuckling at the captain before him, nudging his shoulder.

"oh? you just don't want to admit it, do you?" his voice was laced with cheekiness, arm dropping back to his side. "shinsuke, catching feelings is nothing to be embarrassed about, you know that, right?"

"i know that, but i really don't have any interest in l/n-san." kita's voice switched back into his usual dull tone, crossing his arms whilst he stared at aran. but his stare deliberately shifted to the waxed wooden floors, slowly reconsidering his words.

'do i?'

he unconsciously shook his head, dismissing the idea.

'no, i don't. l/n-san is just like every other friend, there's nothing special about our relationship.'

"oi, what are you shaking your head about?"

"nothing," kita sighed, walking away. "let's go, i need to practice my receives."

riinnngggg!!!

muffled rings came from your bag. you got ahold of it, a wide grin painting your face upon reading the caller's name. you turned to coach kurosu, excusing yourself, to which he replied with a brief nod. you were quick to answer the call as you stroll towards the door, greeting them once you reached the doors.

"akinori!"

"y/n-chan!"

you grinned to yourself, walking outside to sit on the steps after shutting the door.

"how's hyogo? did anything happen? are you okay?"

"hyogo has been good, but that's not what's important." you answered, resting your hand on your face whilst your elbows lied on your lap. "akinori, haruki told me you've been leaving class for the restroom, are you okay?"

"of course! everything's fine, y/n-chan. there's nothing to worry about, really."

"are you sure?" you knitted you eyebrows, "you know you can talk to me, right?"

"i-i do! i just..." his voice grew smaller, you could almost imagine the frown on his face as he spoke, "i really miss you, y/n."

"akinori,"

"what if you get in danger and i won't be there to help? what if something bad happens and i won't see you again? i can't help but worry, i'm scared, i'm probably overreacting but i can't help it. just the thought of you being scared actually makes me feel sick, you're safe, right?"

"i'm safe, akinori, there's nothing to worry about. i have my parents with me, i've got friends from inarizaki, and i'm sure you'll see me again." you told him, "listen, i get that it's difficult, but that doesn't mean you can skip classes, akinori."

"but-"

"hey, i've survived being your friend for more than a decade, isn't that enough proof?"

"i- well, yes but- y/n- just, s-shut up!"

"okay, okay," you chuckled, "but seriously, i'm alright, and i'm talking to you right now, am i not?"

"you are," he sighed, "i miss you, y/n. a lot."

"tch, you're such a baby, aki-chan." you joked, earning a groan from the phone. "i miss you too, idiot."

"can't you be a little nice about it?" he whined,

"no,"

"fuck you."

"i'd fuck me too."

"damn it."

"mhmmm," you half-mindedly replied, playing with the strings of the hoodie you wore.

"just tell me how hyogo is, jesus."

"pretty good, though i'm starting to miss fukurodani already." you answere him, "do you know the miya twins?"

"yeah?" his reply came out as a question, confusion lacing his voice. "what about them? did they ask you o-out?"

"huh? no! i have my eyes on someone else." you exclaimed in bewilderment, nose scrunched in displeasure at the thought.

"a-ah, you do?" you caught onto his stutter, but brushed it off, answering him either way.

"i do, but that's beside the point!" you rolled you eyes, "we went for ice cream yesterday with a few others."

"eh? are you letting go of fukurodani that easily?"

"i'm not! you know i'd never ditch fukurodani!"

"your actions say otherwise."

"it can't be helped, aki, atsumu practically forced me to go."

"whatever," he scoffed, "i have to go now, komi is looking for me. please promise me you'll stay safe?"

"of course, but you have to promise me you won't skip classes, go to the clinic if you feel sick, ask your classmates for notes when you do."

"i will," he sighed, "if i don't see you walking to school next week, i'm gonna fucking cry."

"crybaby,"

"y/n," he groaned,

"alright, alright," you snickered, watching the trees dance in the light breeze. "don't worry about it, aki-chan, i'll be back before you know it."

"you better," he said, taking a gulp of air,

"i'll be going now, bye aki-chan, talk to you later."

"r-right, bye, n/n-chan," his voice grew nervous, turning into incoherent mumbling, "i..."

"hm?" you scrunched your nose, trying to get a better hold of his words, "what was that?"

"i l-lik- actually, u-uhm, nevermind. talk to you later, yeah? bye-bye."

he hung up, leaving you to blink in amusement. shrugging your shoulders, you stood up, switching your phone off and slipping it into your pocket. turning around, you slid the door open and stepped back inside, gently closing it behind you.

"ah, there you are," a voice from beside you spoke, your eyes landed on the same brown-haired boy from yesterday, his figure leaning on the wall near the door as he sat on the floor, his bottle in hand. his fox-like eyes stared you down, "kita-san was looking for you."

"o-oh, alright, then." as you were about to walk back to your seat, he stopped you.

"l/n-san, was it?"

"yes, and you are...?" you crossed your arms, crooking an eyebrow at the boy below you.

"suna rintarou," his tone was blank as he spoke, the boy casually examining his nails. "you're pretty, no wonder kita-san's got his eyes on you."

'the fuck is this kid talking about?'

"eh? well, t-thank you?" your face flared up at his words, eyes widening at the sudden compliment.

he only replied with a subtle nod, causing you to flusteredly look away.

"it's been nice talking to you, suna-san, but i have some things to discuss."

you quickly rushed back to the bench, burying your face in your palms once you sat down. you could almost feel coach kurosu's confused glances at your slumped figure.

"you look... concerned, did something happen, l/n-san?"

"suna rintarou happened." your voice was muffled by your hands.

"i see, he doesn't really filter his words when he speaks, i'm sorry if it bothers you." he apologized, eyes scanning the court.

"it's fine, i'm just a bit taken aback," you sighed, muttering your next sentence, "these inarizaki kids are out of pocket."

after practice, the team sat on the floor, most of them munching on the sweet delicacy you brought as others were either cleaning up or laying sprawled out on the floor. whilst coach kurosu had business to do and left early, you stayed on the bench, watching over the team with a faint smile on your face.

'i miss fukurodani.'

"y/n-chan!" a beaming atsumu came jogging your way, taking a seat on the floor in front of you, the corners of his mouth had been covered with a mixture of crumbs and chocolate. a cake pop lied in his hand, "these are so good!"

"really?" you stared at him, internally cringing at how much of a messy eater he was.

"mhm! where'd you get 'em?"

"my mom bought them from a bakery across the hotel i'm staying at." you answered, gaze shifting towards the ceiling, "i haven't tried them, though, i might visit the bakery tomorrow."

"take me with you!" it was as if his eyes had stars in them, they shimmered at the thought of eating.

"no."

"eh? why not?" he stopped eating, looking up at you with a pout, to which you only playfully rolled your eyes in return.

"i won't have the energy to handle you and your loud ass, atsumu. go with osamu if you want." you reached down to pinch his cheek, resting your arms on your lap.

"tch, fine." he gave in, "what were you and coach talking about?"

"oh, that? nothing important, really."

"are you sureee?" he questioned, dragging out the sentence,

"yes,"

"hmm, are you moving here?"

"i told you, it was nothing important." you exclaimed, "man, 'tsumu, you should really stop being so nosy."

"i can't help it," he spoke with a full mouth, small bits and pieces of dessert flying out with each word.

you grimaced at the sight, averting your gaze away from him.

"well, is something going on between you and kita-san?"

the question made you choke on your spit, coughing as your hand made its way to your chest. your face heated up for the seemingly hundredth time.

(a/n: no covid jokes, thank you. they're not funny.)

"that explains everything." atsumu stated cheerfully, a cheeky grin painting his face.

"what?" you looked at him with eyes the size of saucers, wiping off the sweat on your forehead. the boy stood up to sit next to you, leaning in your ear to whisper, hand cupping his mouth.

"you like him, don't you?"

"n-no, i don't!" you exclaimed, eager to convince him otherwise, but your stutter failed you.

"admit it, there's no point in hiding your feelings anymore." he nudged you with your shoulder,

"but i barely know him!"

"okay, and? that doesn't matter." he rolled his eyes, staring at his teammates, who were cleaning up the gym. "kita-san seems to enjoy being with you, i wouldn't be surprised if you two end up dating someday."

"oh, shut up." you smacked the back of his head, earning a yelp from the boy. you motioned to the court, "aren't you supposed to be helping them?"

"yes, but i'm too lazy," he replied, back slumped.

"i'll buy you cake pops tomorrow,"

you earned gasp in return, and almost immediately, the boy stood up, turning to you with stars in his eyes. "you really mean that, y/n-chan?"

"yes,"

'no i don't,'

his eyes grew bigger, lips curled up into a confident grin.

"alright! i'll go help them." he began to walk away, but not before poking fun at you one last time, "i'll help you get together with kita-san in return, thanks, y/n-chan!"

"what-" he sprinted away before you could respond.

'damn it, atsumu.' you furrowed your brows, heaving out a deep breath.

you felt something bump against your ankle, upon taking a look, you were glad to find out that it was just a stray ball. you reached out to grab it, only to have it taken away from you before you had the chance. you stopped your hand midway, looking up to lock eyes with a familiar pair of brown ones.

"kita-san,"

you seized your hand, fixing your posture. your gaze wandered to the ball in his grasp, you couldn't help but stare his hands.

the very same hands that brushed against yours upon your first encounter with him at the grocery store, the same hands that caressed your cheeks with the uttermost care. so gentle and flooding with warmth, you wondered how it would feel to hold hands wit him. how, good it would feel to have your hands intertwined in his.

you were so drowned out in your thoughts that you hadn't noticed kita crooking an eyebrow at your flushed face. he followed your line of sight, eyes landing on his hands.

"l/n-san," he called out, gaining your attention.

"huh?" you ripped your eyes away from his hands, looking up to meet eyes with him once again. you repeatedly blinked,  eyes widening upon realization. "ah! sorry,"

"what were you thinking about?"

"eh? well," you began to fidget with your fingers, "stuff."

"'stuff'?"

"yes,"

a brief stillness washed over the two of you. you could almost feel kita's eyes looking at your flustered self,

"l/n-san, do y-"

"hey, hey, y/n-chan!" atsumu came jogging towards the two of you, playfully swinging an arm around your shoulders. "wanna get ice-cream again later?"

"no, thank you, atsumu. i'll pass for now." you gripped his forearm, removing it from your shoulders. "we'll get it next time, yeah?"

"aww, but-"

"atsumu i was talking to l/n-san, it's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking." kita cut him off, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. he nodded towards the second-years, who were engrossed in a deep conversation at the corner of the gym. a blank glare was present on his face, "go talk to the other's first."

the setter stiffened at his orders, and without a word, he spun around to join his friends as the captain had told him to. your eyes followed atsumu's back as he walked, widening once they roamed back to kita's.

"you wanted to ask me something, kita-san?"

he hesitated.

"nevermind, it's nothing important" he shook his head, walking over to a nearby basket to place it inside. his hand gripped onto the basket, motioning to the small room located at the gym's corner. "could you help me put this in the storage room? i have something to take care of."

"ah, of course." you complied, taking ahold of the basket to push it along the court. much to your luck, the door was already opened.

kita sighed, making his way to the second-year setter.

"atsumu," he began walking towards the gym's exit, ushering the blonde to follow him. "come here."

suna and osamu eyed the said boy, throwing questioning glances at him.

"idiot, what did you do?" osamu whispered, entertained as to where this was going.

"i didn't do anything!" he whispered a shout in return, nervously standing up. he dusted himself off, walking out the door, which was where kita was located. he closed the door behind him, anxiously folding his hands behind his back.

"y-yes, captain?"

"do you have feelings for l/n?" kita was straight to the point, eyes unwavering.

"e-eh?" bewilderment washed over the blonde's face, his eyes practically popping out of it's sockets. "no! y/n-chan is like a sister to me, kita-san!"

"are you sure?" his stare shot daggers at him, making atsumu cower.

"i'm sure!" he exclaimed, "i swear i'm not taking away your girlfriend or anything!"

'girl... friend?' shinsuke thought,

"...good." he let out a huff of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing at the news.

'he's not gonna deny it?' the setter gaped at him,

"kita-san, are you... jealous?" atsumu tilted his head, fascinated at this new side of his captain's normally dull personality.

"no, i'm not." his voice grew stern as he answered the question, hand reaching for the door. "i don't want her to end up with someone as loud and messy as you."

he opened the door and stepped back inside, leaving the second-year to ponder to himself, awkwardly standing alone.

"yeah, he's totally jealous."

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

you and kita stood at the school's entrance after locking up, saying your goodbyes to the teammates as you watched them walk away, their silhouettes growing smaller with each step they took. an orange hue began to paint the sky as the day wore on.

"shinsuke, l/n-san," aran came jogging towards the two of you, his bag slung over his shoulder. "i have some business to take care of with the twins, so i won't be able to walk with you guys today, sorry."

he shot you and kita an apologetic smile, his hand reaching up to scratch his nape.

"that's okay, do what you have to do, aran."

you simply nodded at him, sending him an understanding smile.

"i'll see you guys tomorrow- that is, of course, if you're visiting again, l/n-san."

"i think i'll be visiting again, not too sure when, though," you replied,

"ah, alright, then." he chuckled, he turned away to join the twins, who were arguing at a spot not too far away, waving as he did so. "bye-bye!"

you replied with a simple hum, waving back at him. kita simply nodded in acknowledgment, watching his friend's attempt at halting the bickering twins.

he sighed once they left, the building's entrance now only consisting of you and the captain. he turned to you,

"let's go, l/n-san, i'll walk you home again."

"a-ah, alright, just give me a second." your hand dug into your bag, searching for your wallet. you figured that it'd be best to pay kita back after he paid for your ice-cream, but the problem was, it was nowhere to be seen. your eyes widened, body freezing on the spot. "e-eh?"

'did i forget my wallet?'

your eyes widened even more- if it was even possible.

'my hotel card is in there! no wonder i felt like something was missing, fucking dumbass.'

"is everything alright?" he worriedly placed a hand on your back, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"i-i forgot my wallet back in the hotel room, my key card is in there!" you began to panic, fumbling over your words. your hand remained in the bag, eagerly casting around for the small leather wallet. your breath began to heave unevenly, sweat forming on your temples. "my pa-parents won't be back until midnight, w-what do i do?"

"hey," kita's had found it's way to your shoulder, "calm down, l/n-san. i'm sure we'll find a solution, but you have to calm down first."

"you have your phone with you, right? maybe you can call them?" he spoke, his grasp moving to your forearm when he saw that you were still breathing heavily, "please, calm down."

you nodded, shakily taking ahold of your phone. you dialed your mom, pressing the device to your ear. surprisingly, she answered not long after.

"hey, kid, you need anything?" she chirped,

"mom?"

"yes? are you okay? did something happen?"

"ah, well, i left my wallet and keycard in the hotel, so i can't get back."

"what? but you're still with a friend now, right?"

"i am,"

"thank god," she breathed out, "a boy?"

"y-yeah? why are you aski-"

"can i talk to them?" she cut you off, making you knit your brows in confusion.

you glanced at kita, meeting eyes with him. you moved the phone away from your mouth, covering the mic with your palm.

"my mom wants to talk to you, is that okay?" you asked,

"of course," he nodded in response,

you planted the phone on your ear again, answering your mom.

"yeah, give me a second," you spoke, passing the device to the boy in front of you. he quickly accepted it, politely greeting your guardian.

"hello," he calmly spoke, "yes, i am."

"no, i'd never do anything to make your daughter uncomfortable, ms. l/n... no, it's not that far... a relative, yes..." his eyes widened, "are you sure? okay, i'll keep that in mind... you're welcome, it's no problem."

he hung up, readjusting his bag on his shoulder. the boy carefully removed your bag from your shoulder, quickly slipping your phone inside and hanging it on his own. he bent down to your height, dusting off your hoodie.

"let's go," his hand made it's way to yours, lacing your fingers together. the two of you began to walk, with kita being slightly ahead of you.

"kita-san, where are we going?" you questioned, raging blush reaching your face.

he only kept on walking, sparing you a subtle glance as he spoke, gripping your hand tighter.

"your mother told me to take you to my home, i hope you don't mind being thrown around like this."

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

VOTE GRRR

you know i just HAD to make kita jealous at some point

oki i hope u enjoyed yes *thumbs up*

- yuza