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CHAPTER 22
Bitches In The Beach
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Going out was the last thing you'd want to do right now, specially since it was summer. The heat was just something you can no longer stand. But there you were, riding on a rented van with Nekoma's volleyball team as Naoi-sensei drove to Kamakura.
It was after their weeklong team practice, where by the end was a team building to be held at Yuigahama Beach. Of course the 'team building' was just an excuse for them to have fun before summer ends, and they still had enough time before their first preliminaries.
They had invited you as a thank you for being their temporary manager during the training camp, and also, under a hidden motive, to ask you to continue being their manager just until the end of the year. You didn't intend to come and would rather spend your day drawing, but you couldn't resist Kuroo's pleading look. Who could even resist that?
The van was filled with excited chatters from every seat, but you stayed silent as you focused on not throwing up. Thankfully, the windows were open, and it lessened your nauseousness. Kuroo was also massaging your hand, pressing on pressure points to help you feel better, which he learned to do from his Grandma.
Lev, Inuoka, and Yamamoto were all singing in an unsynchronized manner, making your head ache even more as their voices penetrated the music playing in your headphones.
Kuroo sneaked his hand onto yours after he finished massaging, intertwining your fingers together which made you turn to him with a raised brow. He simply smiled, bringing your hand to his lips as he planted a soft kiss, making your heart leap. You looked away as you felt your cheeks heat up.
"Damn you." You muttered, earning a chuckle from the male.
Soon, you arrived at the destination, and everyone excitedly left the bus. It was the first outing of the team that isn't practice, and although it was disguised as a team building, the motive was simply to have fun.
"Personally, I'd prefer if we went camping in the mountains." Yaku commented, but he was obviously excited as well.
"The beach is the best choice!" Kuroo countered, and you noticed how you two were still holding hands even after leaving the bus.
You felt embarrassed when the others noticed it as well, but you didn't want to let go either. The comfort of his warm, big, calloused hand was something you liked. It was a good thing none of them pointed it out, otherwise it would really make you feel shy.
You reached your hotel near the beach shortly, and since it wasn't an overnight stay, they only had to rent one room for the bags and stuff. If you didn't have to, you wouldn't have wanted to let go of his hand. But you all had to settle your things down. You were already wearing your bikini under your shorts and white shirt, so you didn't worry about changing.
When you got to the actual beach, it was buzzing with people of different ages. Yamamoto started to ogle on some girls who were wearing a bikini, and opposite of him, Kenma still had his eyes on his game. Meanwhile, you helped as the others set up a spot. Lev assisted Yaku on putting the beach umbrellas, while you cleared the area and placed a large blanket over the sand.
After everything was settled down, they all rushed to the ocean, leaving you and Kenma sitting under the umbrella. For Kenma, he wanted to finish his game first, while you just weren't in the mood to swim. You were sketching, using their bodies as reference, but you were more focused on Kuroo's abs.
"You're not going to swim, Kenma?" You asked, your eyes still on your sketch pad as you stroked your pencil. Nekomata and Naoi had left off somewhere, probably to drink.
"Maybe later. What about you?"
You shrugged. "Maybe later." You really were cousins.
You continued to draw, and since you weren't that far from the ocean, you could see them quite close and were able to draw more details. They were all having fun, tossing each other to the water. The quiet ones, Shibayama and Kai, were trying to build sand castles like they were children. You also included that in your rough sketch.
"Hey, you two! Come over here!" Kuroo called out loud, waving a hand as he motioned on you and your cousin to come over. He was holding a beach volleyball, Lev and Yamamoto beside him, and across them were some girls you didn't know.
"Well, I'm done. You're not going?" Kenma stood up, placing his PSP down as he turned to you.
"I'll watch over our stuff." You mumbled in response, and the male nodded before jogging towards the others.
You added Kenma to the sketch, excluding the random girls they were playing beach volleyball with. They all seemed to be having fun, and you can't help but glare at Kuroo as he appeared to be teaching the overly happy girl how to properly spike.
Gripping on your pencil, you growled when he touched and held her arms, positioning it in place. Since beach volleyball was a 2 on 2 game, only Yamamoto and a random girl was playing against Lev and Kenma. Kuroo and the others were still at the side, waiting for their turn.
But he didn't seem to be bored at waiting, he was rather preoccupied and he seemed to be enjoying. If you were a character in an anime, you'd be portrayed with a deadly aura surrounding you as you glared at them. Another girl joined him, obviously flirtatious as she chatted with him.
You were too focused on them that you didn't notice Inuoka coming back. "(Y/N)-san, you're not going to swim? I'll watch our stuff for you!"
Turning to him, he flinched when he saw your pissed off expression. "Oh, thanks. I'll go." He was on cue, because you suddenly wanted to walk around. Or at least, away from the irritating scene.
You stood up, telling him to watch over your sketch pad. He eagerly nodded as he sat down on the blanket, taking a bottle of soft drink from the cooler they brought. You pulled your shirt up and over your head, ignoring the surprised and flustered first year beside you. "Watch over this one too." You threw him your shirt, making him even more flustered.
"O-Okay!"
Stepping out from under the umbrella, you pulled your hair up into a messy bun as you walked away. You were only wearing a (F/C) bikini bra and your shorts, exposing a lot of skin. Purposely ignoring the Nekoma volleyball team when they saw you, you walked straight, pretending to be filled with confidence just so you wouldn't seem like a loner.
You didn't even have a destination, you just wanted to walk away to calm yourself. He was simply enjoying himself, it's not like you two were dating for you to have anything against his actions.
"(L/N)? Is that you?" Your feet stopped moving when you heard someone call you, and you turned to the side to see two guys approaching. One guy's face lit up as he waved. "It's you!"
"Oh, hi?" You smiled at them, recognizing the one to be someone you knew from middle school. The other looked similar to him, so you assumed he was a relative. "Ikijeri-san?" You remembered his name, since he was a teammate close to Daichi.
"Yeah! You remembered me!" He stopped in front of you with a cheerful smile, then pointing at the other male behind him. "My cousin, Nato."
Nato was slightly taller than his cousin, with long similar brown hair and eyes. From one glance, you could tell he was a player as he smiled charmingly at you, extending his hand out. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." You shook his hand out of respect for Daichi's old friend.
"So, are you alone? Wanna come with us?" He grinned.
"Nato, stop that."
"Why? I'm just being friendly to your old friend!" The taller male chuckled at his cousin, turning back to you. "We can have a few drinks if you'd like."
"She and I are still underaged." Ikijeri intercepted, hiding his annoyance at his cousin's advances. "Besides, I don't think she came here alone."
"Yeah, that's right." All of a sudden, a familiar voice appeared beside you. An arm wrapped around your waist protectively, sending shivers down your spine from the sudden direct contact. "She's with me."
Your face heated up as you glanced up at Kuroo's face, watching his intense stare at the two. The annoyance you felt towards him just suddenly melted when he pulled you towards his bare chest.
"O-Oh, is that so? Sorry for the bother!" Ikijeri panicked and desperately pulled his cousin away, who had engaged in a staring contest with Kuroo. Thankfully, he was successful on dragging Nato away.
"K-Kuroo." You nervously called him, noticing he still had an upset expression. Without warning, he grabbed your wrist and started to pull you away.
"Hey, wait!" He was walking fast and with large steps that you couldn't keep up. Panting, you tried to snatch your hand back, but his grip just tightened. "You're hurting me." You muttered.
Kuroo still didn't stop, a pissed off expression painted on his face as he continued to pull you away from the crowd.
"I said you're fucking hurting me, damn it!" You yelled, glaring as you forcefully pulled yourself away. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
The raven-haired male inhaled sharply, turning to face you as he frustratedly ran a hand through his messy wet hair. You two coincidentally stopped near an alleyway, and you just followed him when he marched inside. The walls of two establishments on each side of you kept the space small. "What were you thinking?!" He finally spoke, trying his best to control his tone.
"Nothing, really." You replied quite coldly, crossing your arms over your chest as you averted your gaze. "Aren't I allowed to enjoy the beach?"
"That's not what I'm saying, (Y/N)! You just walked out on your own in a place you're not even familiar with!" He uttered frustratedly. "I was worried, and you're wearing only that!" Pointing at your outfit, his face reddened before he averted his gaze.
"Oh, yeah? Was I supposed to wear pajamas in the beach, then?" You rolled your eyes at him, not hiding the annoyance in your tone as you leaned against the wall. "Why did you even bother looking for me? Weren't you having fun?"
"(Y/N)." Kuroo slammed his hands on either sides of your head, towering over you as he trapped you between himself and the wall. "If something's troubling you, tell me."
The little confidence you had completely melted as you looked up at him nervously, your heart drumming loudly against your chest. He was so close to you, and the position was something you never thought you'd actually experience. It was something you always liked when watching Shoujo animes, and Kuroo made you appreciate it even more.
"I-I d.. don't have a p-problem..." You stuttered out, looking down as you averted your gaze from him.
"Please, (Y/N). Don't be like this." Kuroo's voice softened as he tried to look at your eyes. "If I did something that you didn't like, I'm sorry. Let's talk about it, don't run from me, okay?"
Before you realized it, tears had formed at the corner of your eyes. They just fell without warning, and your heart ached at the thought that you were hurting him with your actions. "I-I'm sorry..." You sniffled, moving your hands to cover your face.
"I... I j-just... I didn't like h-how you were so nice to those girls..." You mumbled, trying to stop your tears while still covering your face.
"Those girls? I was just—"
"Even so, I hate it!" You yelled, cutting him off. "I know you're not my boyfriend or anything, but I hate it."
"Understood. I won't talk to any other girl but you." Kuroo smiled calmly, gently putting your hands down before he wiped your tears with his thumbs.
"It doesn't have to be that extent..." You averted your gaze.
He chuckled, pulling you towards his chest into a warm hug. "You should've just told me you were jealous." He teased.
"Shut up."
He laughed even more, affectionately planting a kiss on your forehead. As much as he just wanted to kiss you full on your lips, he resisted and controlled himself. "I only have my eyes on you, (Y/N)." He uttered sweetly.
Your face heated up and your heart fluttered in happiness. Lowering your head, you hid the smile that broke through your lips. "W-Whatever."
Kuroo is just someone you can't stop yourself from falling for, but your insecurities with yourself hindered you from being with him. You just didn't think you were fit for him, but now you wanted to change that. Seeing how some random girls could take his attention away, you felt scared that he'll get tired of waiting one day, and look for another. Because of this, you wanted to become a better person for him. You wanted to be someone that yourself would be proud of being with him.
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To Be Continued
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