I Don't Think I Regret it

A Man's true Weakness

Ai sat down and leaned against the wall. She spent her mornings halfway between reading manga and watching morning volleyball practice. She could tune out the conversations and loud thuds of volleyballs on skin as if they weren't even there. She stifled a yawn as she turned a page. She had become used to this routine faster than expected.

She was lost in her own little world when she heard the verbal equivalent of two trash can lids banging together. She all but stopped breathing. The way Kuroo laughed, not his normal chuckle, but his full-out laugh made her lose it. Ai put a hand over her mouth in attempts to stifle her own laughter but it didn't help much. She couldn't help but laugh. Tears started pooling in her eyes and her stomach eventually aches from the laughter but she couldn't stop laughing. She couldn't get up from her spot on the floor.

Ai knew everyone was looking at her and probably very confused but how could she help herself? She had never heard someone laugh like that before. She didn't realize that Kuroo could make a noise like that.

"Ohno-san are you okay?" Someone asked, she couldn't tell because she was laughing and couldn't see.

"She's finally lost it." She would protest but she couldn't breathe.

She started shaking and she could feel her head rolling around. "Snap out of it!"

"Haha, Kuroo stop!" She laughed. "I can't fucking breathe!"

"You wanna laugh, I'll give you something to laugh about!" Kuroo started tickling Ai and her eyes popped wide open. 

Ai was flailing on the gym floor. Practice was nearly over anyways, but because of the disturbance everyone had started to clean up early. 

"Ah! Kuroo, please!" She wailed. Her cheeks were red and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her chest was heaving. He stopped tickling her. She grabbed at his shirt. Her breathing was ragged and wheezing.

"I'm going to kill you!" She pulled him closer to her by the collar of his shirt. Ai gasped for breath. Kuroo just stared at her, wordlessly. They were mere inches apart.

"Alright, that's enough you two, get cleaned up and go to class!" The coach scolded, crossing his arms, but with a little hint of an impish smirk behind the lecture.

"You laugh like a goddamn hyena!"

"Well you cackle like a two-bit supervillain!"

Kuroo and Ai were squabbling as usual during lunch, they were both going to buy food and they were arguing the whole way to the canteen.

"At least I know your weak point," Kuroo grinned, "you're ticklish!"

"You tread on thin ice, Tetsuro." She glared. She paused to order her sandwich and pay.

"I'm gonna tell your boyfriend~!" Kuroo teased, handing the lady his money and receiving his sandwich.

"He's not my boyfriend." Ai turned over the sandwich in her hands.

Kuroo stopped walking. "How many dates have you gone on?"

Ai looked sourly at the floor, "five."

Kuroo whistled, "He still hadn't asked you out?"

Ai shrugged. It was bothering her but she tried to not let it bother her as much as she could.

"Well what are you gonna do?" Kuroo asked.

Ai ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the wall, looking out the open window to where some boys were horsing around in the courtyard. "He's a pretty mild guy, I don't want to upset him, but I am getting a bit... restless."

Kuroo opened his sandwich and took a bite. He nodded his head. "He's so cute and shy all of the time, y'know?" Ai smiled a bit mischievously. "Makes me wanna jump his bones."

Kuroo choked on his sandwich and coughed it out the window. "Dude tmi!" Kuroo wheezed.

"Kuroo, your chewed-up sandwich almost landed on someone." Ai wrinkled her nose in disgust. She watched the first-year below them in the courtyard look around for the cause. She felt bad, first-years at Nekoma sure had some bad luck.

"Maybe the reason he hasn't asked you out is because of your mask." Kuroo suggested.

"Mask?"

"Reo-san!" Kuroo imitated Ai.

"How rude! I don't sound like that!." Ai flicked him in the ear.

"Sure you do!" Kuroo snorted. "You shouldn't be with someone if you can't be yourself." Ai rolled her eyes for the millionth time that conversation.

Before Ai could say anything else, the school bell rang.

"Reo-san?" Ai said, he was walking her home after they had eaten at a fast food restaurant they had just made it to Ai's apartment complex. "Do you want to come in?" Dusk was settling in the suburbs around them.

"Um.." Reo blushed madly. Ai unlocked the door and opened it wide. "Par-pardon the intrusion." He called out weakly.

"Do you want some tea?" Ai asked, getting out guest slippers for him.

"I'm good." Reo was nervous and Ai thought it was adorable.

"Let's go to my room~." She pulled on his hand. Kuroo might have been annoying but she figured he had a valid point. She was going to push the envelope a little with Reo. Ai sat on the bed and patted the space next to her for him to take a seat. "We don't get to spend as much time alone, y'know?" She pulled him close to her. "I am glad I have time to have you all to myself."

"Uh, yeah?" He blushed, he was shaking his leg frantically. Ai guided his face towards hers with her fingertips. He turned his head away from hers.

"What are you so worried about?" She looked at him in the eyes.

He seemed hesitant. "It's embarrassing!" He fidgeted.

"You can tell me, Reo-san." She ran her fingers over his hand.

"I've never kissed anyone before." Ai felt the corners of her mouth curl up. She patted his hand reassuringly. "I'm so uncool."

"We could definitely change that if you wanted." Ai said suggestively.

"I don't know..." He trailed off as Ai pulled him by his tie.

"You're right about that," Ai batted her eyelashes and looked into his eyes, saw how pretty she looked reflected in them and liked it, "that can be easily remedied, don't you think?" He swallowed thickly. "You can do anything you want with me today." He looked scared. She pushed hair off his forehead. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"What?" He gasped.

"I want to kiss you, Reo-san." Ai brushed her thumb over his cheek. "If you want to." Reo nodded his head apprehensively, as if he didn't know what he was thinking. "Don't do anything you're uncomfortable with." She rubbed a thumb over his cheek.

He looked at her in the eyes, those eyes that were green and rolled like grass in a meadow. "Why are you doing this?" She giggled at him.

"Because I think you're cute and I really wanted to kiss you."  She paused before adding. "One day, when you're comfortable, I'd like to do more." She bit her lip like she hadn't meant to say it. Reo stared at her wide-eyed and terrified, there was something else there, something she couldn't quite place in the moment.

"I think- I think I have to go feed my cat." Reo said, excusing himself. He ran away, leaving Ai on her bed alone.

She felt empty.