Pulchritudinous

9

"Alright! I'm excited!" Hinata shouts.
"Hinata, it's literally midnight. Please don't be so cheerful at this hour." Chura complains, the air around her dark.
"Oh, that's right. You weren't here last time." Tanaka laughs after noticing Hinata squeak at her tone, "Chura needs her beauty sleep on the ride over otherwise she'll be a cranky pants!"
"Her royal highness needs the peasants to keep their mouths shut." Tsukishima smirks as he walks onto the bus.
"Koushi, today's the day." Chura rolls up her sleeves again, but her brother holds her back.
"It's never going to be the day, Chu. We kinda need him alive if we're gonna go to nationals." Koushi smiles warmly.
"I'll kill him after nationals then." She glares at him through the window.
"Chura! Did you want to sit together again?!" Noya bounces on feet as he asks.
"I-"
"Unfair! I want to sit with Chura this time!" Hinata whines.
"You sat with her on the way back from Tokyo last trip." Kageyama glares at him, "Someone else can sit with her."
"Oh? Are you saying you want to?" Tsukishima smirks.
"I um..." Kageyama looks away with an annoyed expression but the tips of his ears are pink.
"I want to sit with her!"
A majority of the boys start arguing on why they should sit with her this time, but the loudness makes Chura's head hurt.
"Hey! Shut up!" She screams, causing everyone to stop, "I'm gonna sit with my brother since he seems to be the only one who isn't annoying me." She glares before stepping onto the bus.
"I can see why she needs her beauty sleep." Asahi laughs nervously, "Good luck, Suga-san." He pats his shoulder.
"If you don't want to sit with her, I don't mind." Daichi offers, patting his shoulder.
"Nope! After what I found out, I'll decline." The grey haired setter enters the bus without looking at the captain's reaction.
"I-I told you I don't anymore!" Daichi rushes after him.
"Doesn't mean it can't come back." The boy Sugawara smiles.
"That's a scary smile." Noya gulps.
"I'm not gonna involve myself in this." Asahi rubs the back of his neck, scooting closer to the shorter boy.
~
Arriving at Shinzen High School, Karasuno is greeted by Kuroo, Kenma, Yaku and Lev. Chura woke up about fifteen minutes ago, feeling fully rested up. Hinata and Kageyama were so surprised by her change in atmosphere. It was sorta frightening to witness how simply sleeping a few extra hours can determine her whole aura.
As soon as the bus is completely stopped, Chura climbs over her brother, causing him to groan in pain, and runs out of the bus to greet Kenma.
"Kenma~!" She squeals and jumps into his arms, which he surprisingly catches her, groaning at the impact.
"Wow! I expected her to full on tackle you to the floor but you were able to catch her!" Lev exclaims.
"He's used to it by now." Kuroo points out, laughing.
"Whoa! Is that The Skytree?!" Hinata bubbles in excitement when he's out of the bus.
"Do you guys not have transmission towers in Miyagi or something?" Kuroo asks the Karasuno captain.
"Well, we live in the country." He says.
Everyone engages in their own conversations so Chura turns to Kenma with a smile.
"How's everything been over here?" She asks.
"We've been working really hard." Yaku pops into their conversation.
"O-oh, Yaku! I didn't realize you were h-here too!" Chura's cheeks heat up.
"That's alright. I know Kenma is your best friend and all so he gets the first hug." He chuckles awkwardly.
"R-right." She looks at Kenma for help.
"Hey, Yaku, can you show them where they're staying?" The second year turns to the libero.
"Oh. Um... sure, I can do that." Yaku frowns, walking towards her teammates.
Something in Yaku tells him to turn back around and quickly hug her before he does what the setter asks. Chura's breathing stops when his arms wrap around her, her heart pounding.
"Come find me later and give me a proper hug." He whispers, letting go of her and walking to the vice captain of Karasuno.
Chura watches the boy retreat, her breathing slightly heavier than normal. Once he's out of earshot, she looks at Kenma with a panicked expression.
"W-why did he come too?! I stopped breathing for a second!" She squeaks.
"He wanted to see you." Kenma smiles lightly.
"What?" Her eyes widen, face burning up.
"Just saying, I don't think you should give up on him just yet." With that, he strolls over to Hinata and Lev.
"H-hey! You can't just tell me that and leave!"
"Chuie~!" A loud voice yells, sprinting towards her.
"Bokuto! Don't!" Chura begins to laugh when he tackles her to the ground and starts tickling her.
"S-stop! Y-you do this e-everytime!" She huffs between laughs.
"Bokuto." Akaashi walks up to the two, making the white haired boy pout.
"But it's been so long since we've seen her!" He complains.
"I saw you two weeks ago, dork." She ruffles his hair.
"Too long for my liking! Even Akaashi was complaining! Going on about how pretty you've gotten and-"
"Okay that's enough, Bokuto." Akaashi covers the boy's mouth, smiling in embarrassment.
"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Aka~" she teases, knowing he'd become more flustered but inside she's literally dying of happiness.
"We're stealing her for the day! Bye!" Bokuto announces, tossing her over his shoulder and running away.
"Hey! You can't just steal our manager like that!" Tanaka yells at Fukurodani's ace.
"I'm sorry for his behavior," Akaashi bows in apology to her team, "but he's set on keeping her for the day. Is that okay? We haven't gotten to catch up since she's reappeared in our lives. We didn't want to pressure her too much at the last training camp." He admits.
"Suga-san, they can't just-" Kageyama starts to protest but he's cut off.
"That's alright. I saw how much she missed you and you missed her." The grey haired third year pauses, "She's back with the managers by curfew." Her brother points out.
"Thank you." The setter of Fukurodani bows once more, glancing at Karasuno's setter momentarily.
He turns on his feet after catching his eyes then turns to follow the two. Kageyama feels the threat behind his glance as if saying 'I know you do too, but back off'. Kageyama scoffs, he already has to deal with all of these boys flirting with her at this camp for the next week, but to make it worse she's close friends with them. Those two, or even Nekoma, could easily steal her.
He's not the only one on Karasuno who's thinking this.
~
"Sorry about Bokuto today. You know how he is, especially with you." Akaashi sighs, making the girl laugh.
It's the end of the day, practices are finished and everyone's taken their showers by now. Chura and Akaashi are walking without aim, for the first time getting away from Bokuto. They love him to death but he could be a hassle from time to time.
"I'm glad neither of you have changed since I cut myself off from everyone here." She frowns, "I'm still so sorry about that. I was a coward and an idiot and-"
"Chura," she stops when he grabs onto her hand, "breathe."
She tries to steady her breathing but it's kinda hard when Keiji Akaashi is holding her hand. They stare into each other's eyes in silence, Chura's jaw dropped slightly as if to say something but nothing comes out. She starts laughing nervously, directing her attention to the path in front of her. They had been walking for a while around the empty halls of the school to catch up on everything, but they haven't even talked about anything yet.
"I-I'm finally able to receive again." Her eyes widen, knowing she hasn't told him.
"What do you mean again?" He eyes her, suspiciously.
"Did I say that? I must be really tired wow!" She tries to play it off.
"Chura." His voice is stern, making her tense up.
"Ugh fine... Remember how I told you about my injury?" She looks at the floor.
"Yes..."
"Well, I lied. It wasn't an accident... My old team's ace spiked the ball at my head after we lost the final round of Inter High and it made me unconscious. Since then, I had been frightened to play." She bites her lip, knowing he's gonna tell her something like he did before when he thought it was an accident.
"Geez, Chura. Why do you always have to hide stuff from people who care about you?"
Chura's eyes widen at his words. That's not what she expected him to say. She thought he was gonna go crazy and say he was gonna find them and tell them off, but he didn't. Akaashi stops walking with his gaze to the floor, his actions making Chura also come to a halt.
"You know... That day when Bokuto and I came to your house to check on you after your aunt passed away, I wasn't expecting you to tell me you weren't heartbroken just because of her death..." his eyes meet hers, "I was hoping I could be there for you and you'd fall for me, but your heart was still mending over Yaku. So I couldn't bring myself to say anything."
"A-Akaashi." Her voice gets caught in her throat.
"Have you never thought of me that way, Chura, the way you fell for Yaku? Or am I like Kenma, just a close friend?"
Chura stands there speechless, her head and heart pounding. This is definitely unexpected. Keiji Akaashi, a boy who barely shows his feelings, likes her? And does she still like him? Hard to tell when three months have passed by with no contact. Akaashi doesn't know what to do. Her face is red, meaning there is something but that could mean past or present, knowing her. He decided he should test his luck out. He slowly walks towards her, making her back up into a wall.
"A-Akaashi. W-what're you d-doing?" Her breathing heavier.
He doesn't say anything. Actions speak louder than words, right? Hopefully, it's enough to express how he feels. He cups her cheeks and presses his lips to hers. Chura tenses at first but soon relaxes into this kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Akaashi momentarily stops, not anticipating her actually kissing back, but soon leans into her more. Chura tangles her fingers into his hair, making him moan quietly. He picks her up and she gladly wraps her legs around his torso, pressing her chest to his so they're closer. With her back still pressed against the wall, he lets his hands move down to her waist, his fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. Is it hot in here or is it just her body temperature rising from how out of breath she is? Akaashi removes his lips from hers and kisses down her neck, stopping at her shoulders, making sure she isn't uncomfortable. She huffs out sighs of pleasure, closing her eyes.
"Chura?" He looks up at her, his breathing heaving.
"Hmm?" She doesn't trust her voice.
"Can I... leave a mark on you...?" His cheeks redden, though Chura couldn't really tell in the dark.
"W-what?" She opens her eyes in surprise.
"You know what, I'm sorry. That must've been too far." He lets her feet touch the ground, staring into her eyes, "I've been resisting for so long, my body was moving faster than my mind could process." He rubs his neck nervously.
"Akaashi... How long have you liked me for?" Her voice quieter than normal.
"Since the first day I saw you." He admits.
"Oh god." She slowly lets go of him, leaning back completely against the wall and covering her eyes.
"Ch-Chura?"
"I'm so sorry, Keiji. I didn't even notice! I feel horrible! Why do I never see when someone falls for me? I'm so oblivious! I think they just want to be friends but their feelings are stronger than that and I never feel the same." She removes her hands, looking back up at him, "Why did you have to tell me so late?"
"...what...?" His voice is softer.
"I liked you since the day you came over. You wanted to help me smile again so bad and it made me so happy to know somebody cared so much other than Kenma. But you and Bokuto were so busy with practice after that and you lived kinda far away that it felt like I couldn't reach you anymore." She smiles sadly.
"Chura-"
"I'm conflicted right now, cause I really like you, Keiji, but I feel like I'm being unfair to you. To both of us." She rubs his cheek with her thumb, a frown across her face, "If I had realized sooner, maybe things would be different. Maybe... I would've stayed in Tokyo... for you."
His eyes widen. Did she like him that much? And he was jealous of Yaku...
"You can come back. Or even better, come to Fukurodani." He leans his forehead against hers.
"Akaashi, I've had so many confessions since elementary school, but this one... this one is the one I feel the most guilty for. That's why I need some time to think about it... Okay?" She whispers, intertwining her fingers into his.
"Okay..."
"This isn't a rejection, I promise. But you telling me you've liked me since the first day we met is eating me inside. I feel like I'm the bad guy." She pouts.
"But if you like me back now, that's alright. That means my wild goose chase is finally over."
"Akaashi." She breathes.
He pecks her lips once more, causing her face to flush. He laughs a little, standing up straight.
"Let me walk you to your room before your brother kills me."
"Koushi wouldn't even know the time I come back since our rooms are at opposite end of the hallway." She rolls her eyes, smiling.
"Yeah but Fukurodani's room is two doors down from Karasuno. He could be standing outside the room, waiting for my return."
"He would do something like that." She shakes her head, stopping when they reach the managers' room, "Um... Thank you for that? I don't know how this works." She laughs nervously.
"Oh, that's right. I'm your first real kiss, huh?" His eyebrows raise in amusement.
"Kissing Kenma was real." She mutters, looking to the side.
"What?" He didn't hear her.
"Oh nothing! I'll see you tomorrow?" She asks.
"Yup."
And he's back to his normal self.
"Please don't be awkward with me tomorrow. We don't need to tell anyone, especially the boys." She warns.
"You really think I'd tell the boys, especially Bokuto and his big mouth?" He smirks.
"True." She laughs.
"Goodnight, Chura." He kisses her cheek, this time in a friendly manner unlike that heated session earlier.
"Goodnight." She smiles, walking inside quietly and closing the door.
"Ooh~ Busted!" Someone says, making her jump.
"What ever do you mean?" Chura turns around, smiling innocently.
"We've always noticed you were close to Nekoma and the duo from Fukurodani." One of the managers notes.
"But are you extra close with certain boys?" Another girl wiggles her eyebrows.
"We tried to tell them that's just your personality but they didn't believe us!" Yachi pulls on her sleeve when she walks up to her.
"That's alright, Yachi. Thank you though." She whispers with a smile, patting the girl on the head.
"Actually, my best friends are the duo and Kenma. That's all, nothing more, promise." Chura claims.
"If that's the case, I ship her with Nishinoya!"
"WHAT?!" Chura chokes on her spit, her face burning.
The girls start picking out boys from Karasuno who they'd think she'd look good with, causing Chura to cover her face in embarrassment.
Kiyoko smiles at the girl, scooting closer to her. Chura slowly uncovers her face to look at her senior, making the older girl giggle.
"I personally think you'd be cute with Kageyama." She whispers.
Chura's eyes widen. With... Kageyama...? Chura's heart skips a beat. Oh?