Labels || Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader

Chapter Two: The Teacher and the Learners

Kuroo had to admit, he really missed seeing (F/n) on the court, even though he'd talked to her about zero times.

Whenever he brought his team in for a surprise practice match, she would often be helping her junior out, or be teaching the other first years about something new. She refused to join in with the match until she was done passing on her knowledge.

She was the most levelheaded one on the team, keeping everyone calm. Everyone trusted her observations and (normally accurate) guesses about the other team. More often then not, her teammates would glance at her during the game to see if they saw something right, and she would either reassure them with a nod or give them a slightly confused frown.

She was sort of like Kenma or Akaashi in a way, trustworthy until the end. You can always depend on them, and their ability to get the team a point, or to completely save the team in general.

He didn't realize how much he and the teams appreciated her until she was gone. Kenma had been broken up about it for awhile. He was good at hiding it on the court, except for when his sets flunked. Once they even switched him out because he looked like he was internally breaking down.

"Kuroo!" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and a hand shot right in front of his face to push a wild volleyball away. "Get out of your head and join us in the present."

He blinked, looking down at the saviour of his face. (F/n) rose an eyebrow at him, the side of her mouth peeking up just a little bit, before she picked up the ball to toss it for Lev, who missed.

He was surprised with how patient she was, even after all her mishaps. Even after Lev flunking nearly all of the tosses she gave him, she just encouraged him and occasionally corrected his stance, reassuring him that she herself was basically new to this too.

The team observed her closely, looking for any sign of pain or fatigue. She would occasionally stomp her left prosthetic foot as if it's fallen asleep, but other than that, she seemed fine.

"You don't think you're pushing yourself too hard?" Yaku asked as a few of the boys hovered around her during their short break. "You can sit down, if you'd like. I can get you some water."

(F/n) merely shook her head. "Like I said, I'll survive. I kept it up for this long, haven't I? I'm not about to give up now." She waved her hand airily, walking off to go watch Kenma play a game (and to steal his water bottle, as there weren't any extras).

The rest of the team stared at her with wide eyes. "S-she's..." Taketora began, his eyes welling with tears.

"AWESOME!" Everyone else said in unison, except for Kuroo, who simply blinked at his chattering team.

"Kenma." She said to the setter, and tapped his phone from over his shoulder. "Watch your surroundings or you're gonna get jumped."

The two shared a glance, and (F/n) grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "Advice is advice, Ken. Take it or leave it. Watch your game or you'll have to restart." She added, tapping the screen again. Kenma nodded and returned to the game.

The coach then called to the team that the break was over, and began setting up teams on each side of the court. (F/n) managed to sneak in beside Lev and Kuroo with a wink, and the coach just chuckled and gladly allowed her to play.

As the game began going, people became more and more agitated. Lev, being new, frequently missed the tosses Kenma gave him. (F/n), with all the patience in the world, tapped Kenma on the shoulder and asked him if they could switch places for a few rounds. He agreed, which surprised the team.

Kuroo watched closely as the ball eventually came to her. It took him a moment to wrap his head around what she was doing. She'd delayed herself just a tiny bit, and shot the ball a little higher. Lev missed the spike, but his fingers did graze the ball, sending it to the other side.

"YES, LEV!" She cried, her eyes shining proudly. The two shared a high five. "Try swinging your arm faster. Like swatting an annoying bug." She explained, wiggling her fingers. The rest of the team found her explanation strange, but Lev seemed to understand, looking proud of himself. He nodded, looking like the world opened up to him.

"Geh!?" Yaku hissed. "He's actually listening? Is she magic or something?"

"Get us one more point, newbie." (F/n) nudged him. "Remember, it's not just you on the court! Five more people are here to catch you if you fall. Figuratively, but maybe literally too if they're nice enough." She shot a warning glance at the rest of the team, and they all nodded slightly nervously.

She set to Lev a few more times, and then finally, he managed to get in a spike. It was fast, hitting the floor on the other side of the net with a loud smack. Everyone grew silent, and (F/n) smiled.

"I knew it." She hummed. "Give him advice, bastards, or else he'll never improve. Match your descriptions with everyday sensations, like I said about hitting the bug."

She turned to directly face Kuroo, her hands on her hips with a stern expression. "Captain," She addressed him formally, "if you're going to let people join, make sure to read how they think and act. Don't get impatient with them, it'll just add to the pressure they're already piling up on themselves."

She then turned to look at Lev, who was still frozen in shock. Her chest seemed to swell slightly, and she grabbed his shoulders and shook him back into the present. "You're so awesome."

He blinked at her, then beamed. "THANK YOU, (L/N)-SENPAI!"

"Oi, she's right there, you don't need to shout." Yaku muttered, and (F/n) just sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh please. What kind of teacher can't handle a little bit of noise?" She grinned, then stretched out her arms. "Alright, I'm done for today. I'll be outside on the bench, Kenma." She called to the setter, then went to go grab her things and leave.

Everyone was silent when the doors clicked shut, then Kuroo's impressed whistle cut through the silence.

"She sure is one hell of a teacher."