Having stayed up so late the night before, you really had to put up a fight against your heavy eyelids that threatened to shut at every moment.
Your chemistry teacher kept pacing back and forth around the classroom, hands mimicking the various chemical reactions he was trying to visually teach you. And you had to follow his movements with your head, turning it whenever the restless old man rushed from one side of the room to the other, nodding along with the other students every once in a while to show you were paying attention.
But nobody was. They repeated your same movements, their necks rotating with every step of the teacher, in reality just fighting to not sleep.
You kept zoning out and thinking about the delicious food Fukunaga had prepared for breakfast that morning, mouth almost drooling with the memory of the smell and taste of the goods he'd made for you and Kiyoshi.
That was probably his way of apologizing to you after his weird behavior the previous night, but you had nonetheless long forgiven him. In fact, you didn't even really get mad at the boy, but he felt so guilty that he couldn't get a wink of sleep the whole night.
With a sigh, you turned your attention to the limpid sky out of the window. Being trapped in that jail of a school, the sight outside really felt like an unreachable dream - little birds perched delicately on the naked tree branches, the sunlight filtrating through the last dry leaves desperately holding on to the strong wood. But those leaves swayed away even with the most imperceptible movements of the wind, falling shakily to the ground.
"(L/n), are you following?"
You snapped out of your daze, immediately hiding your hands beneath the desk. The old man smiled at you warmly as you nodded timidly, a little mumbled apology falling from your lips.
Feeling now forced to follow the lesson, you decided to grab a notebook from your backpack and write down at least the day's date. But just as you started tinkering your bag in search of an empty sheet, you noticed something was off.
It was the same feeling you had the previous day when preparing to go home - like your backpack was naked.
And it was after a short while that you realized that it was your little cat charm that was missing.
"No," you mumbled, noisily turning the bag around in every direction, "no, please."
You tried to maintain calm, now looking through the books in your backpack, inside your pencil case, under the desk... but nothing.
You roughly scratched your scalp, trying to mask the feelings of guilt flooding your mind with the pain that came with your nails digging in your own skin. It hurt, but not enough. Not enough to shut down the uneasy feeling in your chest.
Tears filled your eyes, both for the physical pain on your head and for the memories of the little keyholder. You couldn't be that dumb, could you? How did you even lose it? No, it had probably just fallen somewhere around the school.
Before you knew, your arm shot in the air.
"Can I go to the bathroom?"
You didn't even wait for the teacher's permission before storming out of the classroom, loudly shutting the door behind yourself.
Fukunaga caught a glimpse of your dreaded face, "Can I go too?" he asked, his long legs ready to spring out of his chair.
The teacher scoffed, "If it were someone else I'd probably say yes. But the two of you? I'm old, not stupid."
A few scattered laughs were heard across the class, the students hiding a smile under their hands. Fukunaga rolled his eyes and leaned back into his seat, his worry for you translating in the hasty bouncing of his leg.
Out in the hallways, meanwhile, you were inspecting every single place you had stepped foot into that day. Your eyes darted from side to side, never once breaking away from the ground as you looked for your little white cat. But nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
You let out a frustrated sigh, feeling almost lightheaded with all the negative emotions building up. But you kept pushing yourself to search for Yuki.
A change in the floor tiles made you realize you had reached the shoe lockers. That was it. It was either there or lost somewhere outside in the streets, on the train - it could've been anywhere.
But just to be extra sure, you looked through every row of the lockers. Until you reached your own.
That was it.
You rested your head against the cold metallic lockbox, allowing some tears to stream down your cheeks. Your legs couldn't hold up your weight anymore, almost as if they were made out of jelly, so you let yourself drop to your knees, a hand on the ground to prevent you from falling over as you sat down. And you would've really liked to just lie on the dusty floor, blocking everything out - it was so tempting to sink back into the old unhealthy coping mechanisms.
The only thing keeping you from doing it was the fact you were in public. So you simply sat there, body jerking with each sob, as you thought of the lost gift.
In fact, Yuki - that was the cat's name - was a gift from Iwaizumi. He'd given it to you on a cold winter night as he walked you home from the arcade. You had spent the entire evening with Hajime and Oikawa playing games, completely forgetting about your homework and about the quick ticking of time. So it was no big surprise that you three had ended up going home so late at night, with the prospect of a mountain of work to do for the next day.
It was very subtly that Iwaizumi patted his friend on the back, motioning him to walk the opposite way from you and him. And it was also very maturely that Tooru handled the situation, whining like a kid as he complained to you about the other boy's violent manners. But he indeed had quickly figured out that Iwaizumi wanted to have some alone time with you, and he only acted so obnoxiously to tease him about it.
After another very subtle and delicate pat, Oikawa finally decided to leave you and Iwaizumi alone, turning every once in a while to blow you kisses.
You chuckled a bit at the brunette's childish way of acting, "I don't think I'll ever understand how he's got fangirls."
Iwaizumi's features softened a tad as he looked at you, "This question keeps me up at night."
The two of you walked silently, not speaking much besides some little comments and questions. It wasn't awkward, though - you really enjoyed the fact you weren't being forced to keep a conversation going, just enjoying the quiet of the night.
You could fully relish your surroundings, taking in the details and sounds around you without the fear of something bad happening. Iwaizumi was there, with you.
And with Hajime, you were sure you had nothing to be scared of.
As you two got closer to your house, you could see him get a little agitated, his knuckles visibly moving under the soft fabric of his jacket's pockets.
Before you could step past the entrance, he called your name. A nervous gulp traveled down his throat as you looked at him.
"Yes?"
"I want you to have this."
He took your hand and carefully placed something in your palm, wrapping his fingers around yours closed into a fist.
You looked at him with a puzzled expression, feeling your cheeks burn up from his touch. When he let go of your hand, you took a look at the small plastic object in your grip.
"The cat!" you exclaimed, staring in awe at the gift. The little keyholder had caught your attention earlier at the arcade, and apparently, it hadn't slipped past the boy's attention.
He smiled softly, placing his hand on top of your head and caressing your hair sweetly, "You like it?"
"I love it," you admitted, letting a breathy chuckle escape into the night. Your nose tingled with the biting cold, but you were insensitive to it looking deep into Hajime's peaceful green eyes.
You noticed some snowflakes ever so tenderly resting on your skin, melting in droplets with the warmth of your hand. You closed your fingers on the cat and turned your gaze to the sky, seemingly endless white flakes spilling from the heavy clouds and absorbing every sound around you. The world was peaceful for a moment - no worries, or sadness. It was just you and Hajime, your breaths dissolving into the muffled surroundings under the form of milky puffs, as you stared at each other, big smiles in your eyes. Because what your lips failed to say, your pupils shouted, twinkling under the moonlight.
"I'll call it Yuki."
Hajime nodded, ruffling your hair one more time. You'd probably kill anyone else who tried to mess up your hair, but you accepted it when it was him doing it.
Iwaizumi was well aware of this, and it nonetheless made him feel empowered. You were fucking his. He was the only one allowed to touch you like that.
And he would kill anyone who dared lay a finger on you.
"I'll get going then," he put his hand back into his pocket, a smug look on his face as you begged him to stay with your eyes.
You tried to come up with something, "But it's snowing, you'll catch a cold."
"You'll catch one too if you stay out here too long."
"But-"
"Don't be stubborn."
You defeatedly nodded and lowered your gaze, "sure, dad," you scoffed under your breath, a pout on your face as you headed towards the door.
"Sleep tight," he said before also leaving, ignoring your little remark.
And that night, you did sleep tight. You played with Yuki until you fell asleep, the cat still in your grip as you dreamt about a bright future with Hajime.
You didn't really remember how you got back to class, nor how the other periods passed by. You just somehow happened to be sitting back in your chair, hands on your desk as you stared into nothing. Your eyes hurt from the intense crying, still red with the number of times you'd rubbed them. And nobody interacted with you, so you simply sat there like a doll, cutely giving the impression of a diligent student.
"(Y/n)."
You glanced over the clock, noticing it was finally lunch break. A few more hours and you could run back home.
"(Y/n)."
Fukunaga's tall frame hovered over your desk, gently shaking your shoulder to gain your attention. You finally looked up at him, still feeling kind of lost.
"Let's go out."
He took your hand and pulled you out of your composed position, helping you stand on your feet. He dragged you out of the class and to the schoolyard, where he sat you on a bench - still handling you as delicately as possible.
"Now," he tried to lock his eyes with you, moving his head to meet your gaze, "can you tell me what happened?"
That one sentence got you all emotional again. Maybe it was in the tone - it had something so fatherly to it, like he was taking charge to help you find a solution. So you took a shaky breath and decided to explain your situation, starting from the basics.
"Shochan I'm so stupid."
Your eyes began watering, the sides of your mouth curling downwards as you thought of the lost cat charm again.
"No, no," he denied, wiping a tear off your cheek, "just tell me what happened. I'm sure there is a solution."
So you told him about the missing keyholder, and how it meant the world to you - your sentences often broken by soft sobs. At some point he stopped drying your face, deciding to silently hold you in a hug as you emptied your heart on his shirt.
"Dumbass," he mumbled against your forehead, pushing you off him, "I'm sure we can find it. I'll help you, alright?" he then promised, squeezing your cheeks.
You laughed hearing your favorite insult come out of his mouth, saliva bursting out as you started giggling. "Oh fuck, I'm so sorry," you apologized, this time you wiping his hands clean.
Kuroo observed you not too far from the bench you sat on, peeking from behind a wall.
Bitch.
He was planning to give you the little cat charm during that break, but seeing the way you catted around with Fukunaga made him want to see you suffer a little more. You needed to see how the only person you needed was him and him only - you had to totally hang from his lips, obey his orders, and be his.
Still, he didn't think you'd be so desperate for that insignificant bag charm, so it made him wonder about what emotional value the object in his tight grip could ever hold. But it excited him. Seeing you all messed up because of something so stupid made him feel some sort of way down to his core.
He chuckled lightly thinking of his revenge, fidgeting with the white plastic toy in his hand, totally insensitive to the metal repeatedly stabbing his palm.
"Kuroo?"
The boy immediately turned around, startled to hear his name, only to meet Kenma's slender figure not too far from where he stood.
"Oh, hey hey," Kuroo faked his typical laid-back tone, walking towards his friend to sneak an arm around his shoulders, "what's up?"
Kenma stared with his big eyes, visible suspicion glimmering behind his pupils, "You should be back in class, the break is over."
"Shit, you're right," he patted Kenma's head, a little too violently for the blonde's liking, "I better get going."
With that, he rushed to class under his best friend's apprehensive watch.
Kenma was kinda worried about his best friend's unusual behavior. Kuroo had been skipping lunch for almost a week now and barely even spoke to him. During lunchtime, Kuroo's eyes would wander around the corridor, smiling to himself as he laid eyes on this one same girl every time and snapping at whoever dared talk to him.
Kenma just followed him around playing games on his phone, apparently unfazed by Kuroo's weird way of acting. In reality, he'd been closely observing his friend. He started to look seriously into the situation when, one day, he noticed Kuroo's almost assassin stare at Fukunaga talking to that same girl in the corridor.
The boy already knew of his best friend's crush on you, but he still couldn't explain those homicidal looks he gave Fukunaga.
It was difficult at times to not interfere, given Kuroo's pitisome state - deep dark circles framed his now dull eyes, devoid of their usual golden sparkle, with unkempt black hair lolling around his face - but there was no other way to help.
Kenma looked at the little snack he was still holding mid-air, the packaging all humid and crumpled with the heat of his hands. He'd wanted to give it to Kuroo and scold him for not taking care of his health enough, just like his best friend had always done with him.
But Kuroo didn't even hear Kenma repeatedly calling him, more and more nervous each time he had to say his name. So the blond simply gave up and hid the protein bar, bitter as he thought of all the time he'd spend looking for it.
You were almost dragging your feet on the rough asphalt while going home. You couldn't find the cat charm even with Fukunaga's help, so in the end you just decided to give up on it. It was lost, there was nothing you could do about it.
Since it was late autumn the days had been getting shorter and shorter, so even though it was still afternoon the sky was already mottled in red and pink hues with the sunset.
Your elongated shadow followed you just as listlessly, at times seemingly refusing to walk along with you. "You're leaving me too, now?" you whined, not worrying about being heard. In fact, you couldn't care less.
Life in Tokyo was turning out to be just shitty, so what if others heard you bickering with yourself? Or even worse, your shadow? Yeah, fuck them all.
"Hey, excuse me!"
You half-stopped on your steps, unsure whether that voice was directed at you. But when you turned around you saw a tall boy jog towards you, confirming the dreadful suspicion that someone was really talking to you.
He quickly reached you, allowing you to take a better look at him - his features were somehow altered by his weariness, but you could indeed confirm he was handsome. He had a muscular and lean frame, his uniform jacket nicely hugging his broad shoulders. His eyes sparkled in gold, sand dunes dancing in his irises with the filtrating sunlight. And to finish it all off, messy black hair framed his head in the cutest bed hair you'd ever seen. After Iwaizumi's, of course.
He smiled briefly before digging his hand in his pocket, looking for something.
"I think this belongs to you."
In his big hands, a white plastic toy hid. He slowly spread his fingers, fully unveiling a cat charm. You looked up and down, incredulous at the sight of Yuki. It didn't seem real. Were you hallucinating? Or was he a creation of your mind to cope with the stressful events?
"How?" was all you could muster up, your voice incredibly feeble as you tried to articulate the thousands thoughts in your head.
"I saw it fall from your bag yesterday in the morning," he explained, "I live around here."
"I-I don't? Just ugh, thanks. I thought I had lost it forever and it means so much to me, oh my god you don't even know-" you went off in a ramble, "Shit, yeah. So thank you. Thank you so much." you thanked him once again, gratefully taking Yuki from his hands.
He chuckled, "No problem at all. I would've given it back sooner but I didn't get the chance," he scratched the back of his neck, a fake embarrassed expression veiling his true intentions.
"I- thank you again, really," you giggled, "Uhm, you said you live around here?"
"Yeah, right at the end of this street."
"Oh! I live not too far from you. And wait, do you go to Nekoma too?" you asked noticing his uniform.
"Yeah, you too?" he forced the question, hissing through his teeth. It confused you to see the flash of anger in his eyes, but you didn't think much of it.
"Yeah, oh my god that's so cool!" you kept going, now never wanting to let your savior go.
"Oh," the boy let out a surprised sound, "yeah I think I've seen you a couple of times with Fukunaga."
"Yes! Do you know him?"
"Not to brag or anything," he gave you a knowing smirk, "But I'm his captain. Volleyball team."
You nodded absently, "Yeah, it's kind of evident with your physique and all," you thought aloud, realizing only seconds later that he'd heard you.
"Well, you have a good eye," he smirked, "Used to be a manager or something?"
Not like he didn't know. He just wanted you to fall into his trap.
"Yeah, but in my old school," you explained, "long story."
"I'd love to hear more about it," another smile. Kuroo didn't think you'd make everything so easy for him, "We could really use some extra help on the team here. Why don't you become our manager? No, actually, you know what? We have practice tomorrow, you come watch us and then tell me."
Just as you opened your mouth to decline, he intervened, "And I won't take no for an answer."
"Well, if you put it like that," you submitted, nervously readjusting your skirt.
God, did Kuroo want to fuck you on the spot. You were just so vulnerable, so submissive to him. He loved your nervous rambles, the way you touched yourself to adjust your clothes. Everything about you made him want to undress you right in the middle of the street. And he felt all of this arousal build up right in his groin.
"I'll see you tomorrow at school then, kitty." he greeted quickly, a hand grazing your cheek before he finally left you. His enormous erection was just starting to show.
You stood in the middle of the street, kind of weirded out by both the nickname and the way he'd touched you. But you thought nothing of it, or at least, tried to shut your concerns up. You were too grateful to just let mere thoughts ruin the kind image you had constructed for him. Because he was indeed kind.
You saw in him a remembrance of Oikawa or Iwaizumi - maybe it was the way he was so friendly to you and made you feel safe.
Little did you know that savior would turn out to be your biggest nightmare.
(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)
helloo everyone, i hope you're enjoying the story so far. if you have anything to say just write it, like anything really. ily keep slaying