i love...

01. tugging hearts like summer

Maybe it was the summer heat getting to him. The tenderness of the sun tingled the hairs on his skin, it was as if they had a body of their own and were sunbathing like people on the beach. Kuroo had overslept, which was quite a rare occurrence for him despite the laid-back attitude he tends to put up. It was likely past six o' five now and the sheer thought was nagging on his restless mind. Furthermore, the alarm for his early hour jogs had set off thirty-ish.. maybe forty minutes ago?

He groaned, burrowing his head deeper on the soft covers of his pillow. The highschooler knew his hair was going to be a pain to fix once he got up, but he couldn't care less right now.

So yea, maybe the summer heat was getting to him. Oversleeping for him happens once in a blue moon, but this summer break, 'once' becomes twice and then a week. The subtle shift in his usual routine made his days dreadful to wake up to. Did it ignite two weeks ago when he had stayed up later than usual? Or was it when he snuck out of his house to buy some late-night snacks in the nearest konbini?

Kuroo sat up, the cool wind of his fan in front of his bed directly blowing to his face. The weight of his covers felt unusually hefty and the creases of the fabric were engraved carefully on his tanned skin like a sculptor had just chiseled it. He rubbed his eyes, jolting at the volume of his alarm that he had snoozed five minutes ago, and turned it off once and for all. The ringing sound had only added to the morning headaches he frequently encountered these days. Seizing the plain white blanket draped across his thighs, the soles of his feet greeted the worn-out wooden floors with a drop.

Undeniably, Kuroo considered summer to be the most promising season out of the four seasons in Japan. With nothing to worry about (except for the summer homework his teachers had poured on them the day before the summer break. He still didn't understand why they were allowed to give them work during their break) and loaded with fun plans, it was the best season for him. Nevertheless, that didn't deter him from grumbling and wailing about the increase of temperature in each passing second.

He didn't bother concealing the heavy thumps he created as he descended the stairs of his home, "Morning."

"Ah, good morning, Tetsurou," His grandmother's attention briefly diverted to him before her interest was set on the omelette again, "You didn't take a jog today?"

At her concern, Kuroo couldn't help but pinch his lips into a thin fine line, sensing the oncoming regret soaking him once more in the fair daylight. The old woman didn't say anything wrong, but annoyance pricked him hastily, especially after waking up feeling like he just stomped on dogshit barefoot.

"Nah," He decides against snapping, biting back a snarky retort and tugging himself to the dining room to set up the table, "I overslept, it's too hot now. Where's grandpa?" He shifted the topic.

"Your grandfather?" She inquired more to herself while tossing the omelette effortlessly, "In the garden, doing God-knows-what. You know how he is, saying he's starting a new hobby and he gets tired of it quickly."

Kuroo snorts, albeit a forced one just to enlighten the woman he was still listening, as she continued, "Give it one week and he'll tell me 'it's not for him.'"

Her ever-flowing words were drowned out, evolving into nothing but stagnant noise to his ears. He might've dozed on the wrong side of the bed; Kuroo was uncharacteristically out of it today.

It was the summer heat, he thought.

Shortly after preparing the table, he heard the door from his left shutting close - speak of the devil, it was his grandfather. Kuroo looked up from his phone, not before replying to the missed messages he had received last night that were primarily from the volleyball group, sending the modest elder a good morning to which he earned a nod.