Serendipity: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 42: From Now On

"Huh?"

Jun looks terrified at what she had just blurted out. It was a moment of great epiphany that struck her in one blow — and the thought left her lips before giving herself time to process.

"No, no no no no..." She mumbles, it feels as though her soul is leaving her body.

"Hey. Snap out of it."

She sees a hand wave in front of her face. Jun's face is incredibly hot, and she's not sure if it's a cold from the rain or if it's something else.

Jun flinches."I — I'm —!"

She scrambles backwards clumsily. In a panic, she attempts to stand up from the ground but —

Kuroo's hand grips at her wrist.

Oh?

His face is flushed red, brows slightly furrowed together in a concerned, serious expression. Looking down at him, Kuroo's golden eyes looks ... strangely earnest and vulnerable — and it feels like worlds away from the sly Kuroo that Jun knows so well. The nuances in his personality never fails to confuse her.

Unable to speak, Kuroo pulls Jun down to him, pulling her in a sudden embrace.

Kuroo's arms are trembling, but he holds her close to him. Jun leans on his chest, hearing its erratic rhythm — or maybe it's hers?

Her other hand grips the back of his shirt, damp from sweat. In fact he smells like sweat — but it doesn't bother her. Not when she's just dried from rainwater.

Even in the vastness of the gym, all that space feels so small.

"You do know that I like you, right?"

Kuroo's embrace is firm. "I like you. A lot."

Silence. Jun frees herself from Kuroo's hug, keeling over as if she had just been shot. She manages to regain some composure, but she still avoids Kuroo's gaze by looking to the side.

Kuroo tilts his head, lowering himself so that he can catch a glimpse of Jun's flushed face.

"Well, you weren't exactly being subtle." Jun replies quietly. "But then again, you're also a tease. So it's hard to tell."

Kuroo's eyebrow cocks up, sensing a hint of envy in her voice. Kuroo likes to think of his flirty jabs to people as a generous gesture, made with the intention to make them smile — or laugh at.

"Hey, my flirts with you are genuine." Kuroo jabs his finger at her. Jun looks at him skeptically.

"And what is the difference, exactly?"

Kuroo purses his lips. "When I flirt with you, I feel like... a part of me wants to bury myself alive. But it's worth it."

There's a thrill of flirting recklessly with people who he's not invested in, but with her... Kuroo has no room for making mistakes. It's comical and cruel for Kuroo, a bold flirt, to suddenly be so timid when it comes to the matters of the heart.

"that sounds more like a bad thing."

Kuroo leans closer to Jun. "Hard to please, aren't you?"