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The worst subject, and, of course, it’s right before I’m done for the day. Your gaze, like usual, was focused on the clock; watching the seconds tick by instead of the lesson had become a habit for you. Your professor’s voice, reduced to mere mumbles as you tuned her out, suddenly pulled you out of your daze.
“May I see you after class, L/N?”
Oh God. Not again. You nodded, head hung low in embarrassment. How many times would this happen? It was an evil cycle: you score horribly on a test, and your professor calls you out in front of all your peers. It was absolutely humiliating.
As your fellow students shuffled out of the room, you slowly packed your things in your bag, trying to prolong the inevitable conversation as long as possible. You contemplated making a run for the door and avoiding your teacher, but you knew that would only make matters worse.
Sighing, you made your way to the chair closest to her desk. “You wanted to see me?”
She nodded, a sympathetic look crossing her face, “We need to discuss your latest test, L/N.”
Suddenly passionate, you began to defend yourself. “Okay, Ma’am, listen. I studied so hard, like, so hard. You don’t even know how hard I studied.”
“I can tell you’ve been trying, but I’m afraid, Dear, it’s not enough. How have you been studying? Walk me through your process,” she replies.
“I’ve tried everything! I mean it. I’ve watched YouTube lessons, studied with the textbook, and gone to office hours for revisions. I mean, what else could I possibly do?”
She sat for a moment, humming lightly in agreement. “Okay, L/N, I suggest you try peer tutoring; sometimes it can help to have a friend explain things. I’ve already asked one of your classmates who I’m confident is more than capable. I assume you and Tsukishima-san are familiar with each other?”
There is literally no way. Why him, out of every student in Karasuno University? “Yes, I know him,” you nodded; you are, unfortunately, familiar with him. You don’t want to seem ungrateful, but honestly, you were.
“Great! He’s done very well in Statistics this year, so I’m hoping that he can give you the help you need to catch up. I’ll see you tomorrow, L/N.”
“See you tomorrow," you mumble as you bow to your teacher. What could I have possibly done to deserve this? I hate him. I hate his stupid glasses and his stupid hair and his stupid volleyball skills and every other stupid thing about him.
Lost in thought, you didn’t notice the very man you were currently mentally cursing.
“Hey, L/N. Heard your dumbass needs my help in Stats,” Tsukishima retorts with a slight smirk.
“Shut up. I didn’t ask for this, you know,” you can’t stop the scowl that flashes across your face, matching the equally sour tone.
“And you think I did? I don’t want to be stuck helping you.”
You couldn’t lie; his harsh words did sting, but you’d never give him the satisfaction of knowing that.
“Whatever, let’s just go,” you turn to walk away, promptly stopped by a large hand on your shoulder.
“Not so fast. I have volleyball practice. You’ll have to wait in the gym,” he shrugs.
“What? When does it end? I’ll just come by then.”
“We don’t have a set practice time. It’s just whenever Coach decides we’ve done enough for the day. Just sit in the gym and work on your homework, and after practice, I’ll help correct your work.”
His reasoning made sense, yet you still let out a loud groan. I have to be in a gym with a bunch of sweaty guys? I thought our volleyball team sucked, anyway. “Fine. After you, Jackass.”
⋆.˚✮ 🎧 ✮˚.⋆
The walk to the gym was silent, save for the slight scuff of your shoes every now and then. You awkwardly walked beside Tsukishima, every so often glancing in his direction. His eyes stayed focused on his phone, yet he managed to walk to the gym without running into anything. He has to be a robot; no way he’s human.
“I know I’m handsome, but do you really need to stare, Feisty?” His sudden question pulled you out of your daze. Handsome and an asshole. “I can see you out of the corner of my eye, you know?”
You awkwardly blushed at the nickname, focusing your gaze on your feet instead. He’s called you that since your second year in high school. The two of you had been bickering over the conjugation of some English verb, and when you doubled down and asked your teacher—proving yourself right—the nickname slipped out. It was sort of sweet, the way he’d kept the nickname over the years. Although you’d never admit it, you liked the way he’d tease you. You supposed, in your own strange way, the two of you were friends. Over the years, as Tsukishima grew taller—and his muscles grew wider—you’d find him attractive, but he’d never know that. Did he pick fights and tease me for the same reason I do? Does he think I’m pretty?
As you neared the gym, your ears filled with the sounds of squeaking shoes and grunts. Gross.
“Wow, Tsukishima, I didn’t know you knew how to be kind,” you teased as he opened the door for you.
“Watch out!”
Suddenly, a wayward ball flew in your direction. Well, I guess this is how I die. It’s been a good life. Tell my mother I love her.
As you accepted your untimely death and froze in place, you suddenly felt a pair of strong hands grasp your waist. You yelped as you were tugged out of harm’s way and fell onto the ground, right on top of none other than Tsukishima.
Looking down, you gasped as you realized just how close you two were. Your hips and stomach lay flat against his, and you mentally noted the dips of his abs beneath you. Your eyes met his as you felt the burn of his gaze, and although you two lay on the ground together, legs tangled, for only a few moments, it felt like a lifetime.
“Sorry Tsukki and Tsukki’s friend! I didn’t mean to hit you!” a short boy with orange hair bowed as he apologized. You were distinctly aware of Tsukishima’s hands still gripping your hips, and your cheeks blushed at the current situation.
“Who’s that hot girl you’re holding? Is she your girlfriend, Tsukishima?”
“Hey Tanaka! I wanna see the pretty girl! Move out of my way!” Tsukishima’s gasp tightens around your waist. His hold was almost possessive.
The yelling around you was more than overstimulating. All eyes in the gym were focused on you and Tsukishima, and you quickly scrambled out of his grasp.
“Ignore them, Y/N,” you heard from your classmate, Yamaguchi, as his outstretched hand lifted Tsukishima from the floor.
“Hello there Ma’am. Nishinoya Yuu at your service.”
“And I am Tanaka Ryunosuke, but you can call me yours,” the guys in front of you kneeled at your feet, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“Um… L/N Y/N. Just here waiting for Tsukishima to finish practicing.”
The bald one gasped, “Tsukki, are you taking her on a date after practice?”
“No, Tanaka. She’s stupid, and I’m tutoring her,” he retorts.
“Shut up, Tsukishima. You’re only good at math and science. I always score higher in literature and history.”
He rolls his eyes, “And who’s tutoring who tonight?” Your scowl returns as you turn away from the tall man. “Suddenly silent now, huh, Feisty?” His nickname, once again, makes you blush, and you mentally curse your body for betraying you.
“Whatever,” you turn away, trying to hide your pink-dusted cheeks, and slowly walk towards the benches on the side of the court.
“Don’t bother her, dumbass. She’s studying,” you hear Tsukishima’s commanding voice; he was almost being nice. No. He’s not being nice. He just wants me to study so that his job is easier later.
Ignoring your strange feelings, your focus is redirected to your homework once again. Okay. A test for a rare disease is 99% accurate. Only 1 in 1,000 people have the disease. If a randomly selected person tests positive, what is the probability they actually have the disease? Why the hell do I care? This is so stupid.
Giving up, you instead gaze onto the court. You see Tsukishima jump in front of the net, blocking a spike by the orange-haired boy from earlier. His shirt lifts as he jumps, and you catch a glimpse of the toned abs you felt earlier. Your cheeks blush, and you quickly look away. Unbeknownst to you, however, Tsukishima saw your gaze—and subsequent blush—in his peripheral vision.
She’s kinda cute… What the hell? Focus on volleyball. That’s all that’s important right now. Though, her hips sat perfectly in my hands…
Lost in thoughts of you, Tsukishima missed the ball coming right at him; it would've been an easy block had he not been preoccupied.
“Tsukishima! What the hell is wrong with you?” an older blonde man, presumably the coach, yelled at him.
“Maybe he’s distracted by the hot girl waiting for him, Coach!”
“Yeah, I’m distracted too! Hey, Tsukki, since y’all aren’t dating, I’m gonna ask her out later,” the short guy yelled.
“You know I’m right here, don’t you?” you giggled, and everyone’s gaze focused on you.
“Oh my God, Tanaka! She’s so cute! She giggled at me!”
“She’s cute, but she could never be cuter than my Kiyoko,” the two bickered back and forth, and you honestly didn’t know how to react. You’d never been complimented so many times in the span of a few minutes.
“Everyone’s running laps today. I don’t care if your grandma or a Victoria’s Secret model is here. Get your shit together, all of you,” the coach’s commanding tone scares even you. A collective groan is paired with squeaks and steps, the boys beginning their jog around the gym. You giggle at the boys’ annoyance, and your eyes lock with Tsukishima’s. ‘Sorry’ you mouth, and he turns away. You can’t see the blush dusting his cheeks, and he’s glad for it.
Okay, Statistics, I’m going to make you my bitch.
⋆.˚✮ 🎧 ✮˚.⋆
“Alright, boys, that’s enough for the day. Go get changed,” a sigh is heard as the boys slow their jog; their loud stomps now reduced to mere patter.
“Beautiful L/N-chan, please do me the honor of going out with me,” Nishinoya, once again, kneeled in front of you, but this time, he held a rose. Where the hell did he even get that from?
Giggling, you replied, “Um, thank you, but no thank you, Nishinoya-san. I don’t even know you…” His smile dropped, and his friend, Tanaka, began to comfort him.
“Leave my stupid tutoring student alone, idiots,” Tsukishima slapped the back of their heads. Why does he even care? “I’ll be back in a sec, L/N. I’m gonna go change, and we’ll leave right after,” You nod and begin to pick up your study materials.
Moments later, your tutor returns, changed and no longer as sweaty. “Okay, lead the way to your house,” he says.
“Oh! My house? Why would you want to go to my house?” You question with a slight panic evident in your voice.
“Would you rather go to mine?”
Nodding vigorously, you reply, “Yes. I would, please.”
The two of you set off towards the train station, and you settle into a comfortable silence.
Deciding you’d try conversation, you speak up, “What are you listening to, Tsukishima-san,” He glances in your direction, but doesn’t bother to reply. Instead, he simply hands you one of his earbuds. “Hey! Tsukki, I didn’t know you knew Arctic Monkeys!”
He sideyes you before replying, “I didn’t know you knew Arctic Monkeys,” a slight smile—one you didn’t even know he knew how to create—crosses his face. “What’s your favorite song by them?”
“Arabella. What’s yours?”
“Suck It and See.”
You giggle, “Woah, Tsukki, I don’t know you like that, Freak,”
He rolls his eyes, and tugs his headphone cord back. “Alright, Feisty, that’s enough out of you.”
You frown and look up to him, batting your eyes sweetly. “Please, Tsukishima…”
You pout your lip, and he can’t help the internal battle he’s going through. She looks so cute… almost too cute. “Okay, fine.”
Your face lights up as you smile, and you can’t help but blush at his kindness. Is he being… nice to me? He’s been weird all day. Spacing out, you don’t notice when your train arrives.
“Hey, L/N, c’mon,” Tsukishima grabs your wrist, and your connected skin burns under his touch. The doors begin to close, so his hand doesn’t let go of you. In fact, he adjusted his grip in favor of lacing your fingers with his.
Oh my God. Is this happening? As you’re tugged onto the train, Tsukishima’s hand drops yours, and you can’t help but mourn the loss of contact.
“Sorry… didn’t want us to have to wait another half an hour for the next train,” he sheepishly shrugs as he ruffles the back of his hair.
“N-no worries,” you whisper in response; you can’t help the nervous stutter, and you pray he doesn’t notice.
The train slows, and people begin to flood in. The train car becomes more and more crowded, and you have no choice but to position your body against Tsukishima’s toned chest. You’re not touching him, but if either of you move, you certainly would be. The train begins to move, and in your distracted state, you have yet to grasp the bar in front of you. You yelp as your body is pushed into a man next to you, and he turns to face you.
“Don’t touch me unless you want me to touch you back, pretty girl.”
The gross statement makes your blood run cold, and apparently, it has the same effect on Tsukishima. “Shut up, Creep,” He shoots a cold glare in the man’s direction, looking down on him considerably. “Leave her alone, unless you want a problem.”
The man glares back as he doubles down. “What are you gonna do, boy? Gonna punch me for hitting on your pretty little girlfriend? She’s pretty cute, so I understand why you’d wanna protect her. We can share; I don’t mind,” His grin is terrifying, and Tsukishima hooks an arm around your shoulders, pulling your body tight against his.
The man’s gross behavior attracts the attention of those around you, and if you hadn’t been so scared, you might’ve been glad to see so many strangers care about you. A woman to the side discretely records, and the man next to her, likely her husband, speaks up. “Leave the girl alone. She doesn’t want to talk, clearly.”
An older woman nearby adds, “You should be ashamed of yourself. What would your mother say if she heard you say that?” The man holds his hands up, clearly giving up, and as the train slows, he makes his way towards the doors.
When the doors finally close behind him, you let out a shaky breath—one you hadn’t even realized you’d been holding.
Tsukishima’s arm doesn’t leave your shoulders as he looks down, into your eyes. “Hey, you okay?”
You nod, “Just a little freaked out, I guess,” you mumble in response.
The elderly lady from earlier reaches into her purse and hands you a candy. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart. At least your handsome boyfriend was here to protect you,” she giggles lightly, looking up at Tsukishima.
“Oh, he’s not my boyfriend.”
“No, we’re not dating.”
You both speak at the same time, and the woman just laughs, gaze flickering between the two of you. “Oh, whatever you kids say!” She stands to leave and winks at you as she makes her way to the doors.
You’re distinctly aware of Tsukishima’s arm, still holding you securely, and his fingers, rubbing soothing circles into your skin. As the train prepares for the next stop, Tsukishima tugs on you lightly. “We’re here, c’mon.”
He doesn’t let go until you’re out of the train station altogether, and houses come into your view.
What do I even say to her? She’s probably so freaked out. God, what if I hadn’t been there? Does this happen to her often? A million thoughts race through his head, and he says the only thing he can think of. “We don’t have to study today, L/N. I’ll walk you home.”
You shake your head. “No, Tsukishima, I do actually need to learn this, or I’ll definitely fail the test on Friday,” you say with a soft smile. “Besides, I’d rather not talk about it. I just want to study.”
He gazes down at you—eyes locked on yours as if he’s trying to read your thoughts through your pupils—and stays silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
Since when is he so… caring? What happened on the train made him feel bad for me, I guess.
“Hey, we’re here,” he tips his chin towards a house, and you both make your way to the door. “Mom, I’m home!”
As you remove your shoes, a tall, blonde woman, nearly identical to your tutor, walks toward you, quickly pulling you into a hug. “Hello, Dear! It’s so nice to meet you!” Her smile beams, and you almost laugh. How is she so nice and her son is so, well, him?
Your smile matches hers as you bow, “Hello, Tsukishima-san, My name is L/N Y/N. Thank you so much for letting me into your home; it’s very beautiful.”
She lightly waves her hand as she speaks, “Please, just call me Tomoko. It gets too confusing when there’s multiple Tsukishima’s around. You can call him Kei, too!”
“Geez, Mom, thanks for speaking for me,” he retorts as his eyes roll.
You giggle, “Well, in that case, please call me Y/N,” you say before adding, “Both of you,” your eyes flashing to make contact with Kei’s
“Y/N-chan, are you thirsty? Kei, be a good guest and go get her some water!” he rolls his eyes as he walks down the hallway, presumably to the kitchen. “Come sit in the living room while you wait for Kei, Dear.”
She ushers you down the same hall that Kei just walked through, and a small, simple living room comes into view. You sit on the couch, and begin to pull your homework out of your school bag.
“Oh, Y/N-chan, you and Kei are going to study in his room. My favorite show is on tonight, and I don’t want to bug you with the TV on.”
“Oh, okay, thank you Tomoko-san,” you reply with a slight smile. Internally, however, you’re freaking out. You blush at the thought of being alone with Kei. Thinking back, you realized you’d never been alone with him before, and the thought of it happening now scared you. You weren’t scared of him, no, you were scared of yourself and how you’d act. Kei had this effect on you; it was like you were under a spell. His voice, his teasing words, his confidence, every little thing about him terrorized your thoughts.
The deep voice of the man you were currently thinking of caught your attention, “C’mon,” you follow Kei to his room, and you can’t help but look at everything. His walls were bare, the only decoration in the room being some dinosaur figurines on a shelf above his desk.
You giggle and can’t help but tease him, “God, Kei-san, you’re such a nerd,”
“Shut it, Feisty… You can drop the honorific, if you want. It’s just us two,” his voice softens, and he looks down at his feet rather than your eyes. “Would you mind, um, stepping out for a sec? I just wanna change,” his long fingers loosens his tie as he speaks. You nod and leave the room, your mind running wild at the sight of him undressing.
Your cheeks flush as you realize the newfound closeness that you and Tsukish… Kei now shared. No one called him Kei, not even Yamaguchi, and they’d known each other since childhood. It was fitting for the two of you, you supposed. He was mean, but he put up with you more than anyone else.
Maybe he felt something more for me? I mean, he didn’t have to agree to tutor me. He’s not getting paid or anything. He wouldn’t do this just for anyone, right?
The door opened, “Y/N,” Oh God. That was the first time you’d ever heard your name fall from his lips. It sounded so right. He’s changed into a plain t-shirt and sweatpants, and it felt so intimate. “Wanna borrow a hoodie or something? I hate wearing my uniform longer than necessary, so… I assume you don’t either.”
“Thank you, Kei. That would be nice,” you manage a small smile, and he turns to his closet.
“Go ahead and change, I’m gonna go grab another chair,”
As the door closes behind him, you indulge yourself and sniff the collar of his hoodie before pulling it over your torso. It smells so good. His scent is comforting, even. All those years you’d known him, and it subconsciously stuck with you.
⋆.˚✮ 🎧 ✮˚.⋆
Tsukishima Kei is a dumb man. Yes, he’d tease you more than others, but he never realized it was for a reason. Seeing his teammates flirting with you was almost too much to bear, and the creep on the train had every neuron in his brain on fire.
Something shifted between you two today, and although he’s only just now realizing it, it had always been there. So when his heart conjured up the idea of seeing you in his hoodie, his brain couldn’t bear to disagree.
Sighing, he picked up a chair from the kitchen table, and slowly made his way back to his room.
He knocks, and when the door opens, he sees you, sitting at his desk, wearing his hoodie. Kei has to stop the groan that builds in his throat, coughing in order to hide it. “Well, let’s just get started.”
Your thoughts mirror Kei’s as you watch the muscles in his biceps flex while he holds the chair. That’s a sight I could get used to… No. Bad Y/N.
As he sets the chair down next to yours, you realize just how small his desk is. Your thigh sits mere inches from his chair, and you know that when he sits, your bodies will be squished together. And exactly that happens. Your thigh brushes against his, and you blush. But Stats homework won’t do itself…
“Okay, so, when you’re solving a problem like this, it’s important that you read super carefully. We know the probability that the person has the disease is one divided by 1000 or 0.001. If the test is 99% accurate, what’s the rate that it gives you an incorrect result?”
You bite your pencil, seriously trying to improve. “One percent?”
He smiles, a real, genuine smile. “Yes, good job. I didn’t know you actually knew how to do anything, Idiot. How would you try to solve this question?”
You think for a moment, blinking, “Um… I would leave it blank.”
He shakes his head, “Okay, Dumbass. You need to use formula for the probability of A given B.”
You continue on like this for a while; Kei asking questions and gently praising you when you’re right and teasing you when you’re wrong. It’s sweet, and you love the way his teasing makes you feel. You should feel embarrassed, but for some reason, you don’t. Overtime, your chairs scoot impossibly closer under the guise of being able to see the work better, and your bodies sit comfortably touching.
“No, no, don’t forget that when you convert a percent to a probability, you have to move the decimal. C’mon, Y/N, I know that you know this,” You turn your head and meet his eyes, and you can’t help how fast your heart beats at the proximity of your faces.
Kei’s eyes flicker down to your neck, where your quick pulse is currently pumping in the hollow of your throat. It’s… breathtaking. Intimate. Beautiful. You’re beautiful.
Your faces sit so closely, and your gaze flickers to his lips.
Suddenly, you’re interrupted. “Kei, have you seen my phone charger? I swear I left it in the living room last time I was here… Woah. Um, hey, Little Brother,” a slightly older man, probably in his mid-twenties, stares at you both with wide eyes.
“Akiteru, out… now, please,” Kei shoots a sharp glare at his brother, and clearly, he takes the hint.
“Yeah… yeah, okay, sorry, Kei,” the man—Akiteru—retreats back into the hall, shutting the door behind him.
“Sorry, Feisty,” Kei mumbles as you face each other once again. “Let’s just… get back to work.”
You nod, dejected; you wouldn’t admit it, but you really had hoped your lips would meet his. The moment was perfect, but of course, it was ruined.
“Okay, so the probability is 0.0034. That means it’s statistically significant, and we should… reject the Null Hypothesis.”
“Wow, Y/N. I can’t believe it. You actually answered all your homework problems; I think you’ll do just fine on Friday’s test,”
You squeal; the feeling of finally understanding something that had tormented you for so long just made you so happy. You couldn’t help yourself as you threw your arms around Kei’s neck. He hesitated for a moment; ultimately, Kei’s arms snake around your torso, and his head leans against the top of yours.
“I’m proud of you, Y/N. You did so good,” he whispers into your hair.
Your arms tighten around his neck, and you turn your head up to look at him. He’s so… handsome.
His gaze lowers, and when your eyes meet, Kei’s head is only occupied by thoughts of you. She’s so… pretty.
“Y/N.”
“Kei.”
You call each other’s names simultaneously, and you both just know. You lean in, and your lips meet for the first time. The kiss is electric. You pull back after just a few moments, but it feels like forever. You stare into each other’s eyes, both scared to speak and ruin the moment.
Kei’s hand finds your face, cupping your cheek. For the first time, Kei was being gentle; he held you like you were fragile, and he was scared his large hands would break you.
“C-can I… kiss you again, Y/N?” It was the first time you’d ever heard him stumble on his words, and you almost giggled.
You nod, “Yes, please, Kei.”
He takes in a sharp breath before his lips find yours again, hungrily. You moan into the kiss as his free hand reaches to hold your hip, and your body instinctively turns towards him. The kiss is messy, desperate, and full of passion. Kei pulls your body closer into his, and you can’t help but crave more.
You move to sit in his lap, and he momentarily breaks your kiss. “Feisty, hang on,” he mumbles against your lips before kissing you again. His hands drop below your thighs as he easily lifts you off his lap.
“Kei! Let go! You’re gonna drop me!” You say, slightly panicked. God, he’s so strong. You can’t help but give into the urge to feel his biceps, flexed as he carries you to his bed.
“Relax, you weigh like nothing. You’re tiny.”
You blush at the teasing, but your brain flashes to your earlier interruption, “Wait, Kei… door,” you whisper. He gently sets you down on the bed before rushing to lock the door.
The soft click of the lock lightly echoes throughout the room, but you can’t hear anything over the nervous beating of your heart. Kei turns back to you, and for the first time in your life, you see him nervous; he was never one for showing his emotions. He hesitates at the edge of the bed, and you can’t help but giggle.
“C’mere, Feisty,” he mumbles as his large hands reach for your thighs. You yelp as he tugs you towards the edge of the bed, and his large frame looms over your body. Your lips meet again in a hungry kiss, and you feel one of his hands reaching for your ass. “You’re so pretty,” he whispers into your lips.
“Thought you hated me, Kei… always making fun of me.”
Kei laughs, “I made fun of you ‘cause I wanted you.”
You hum in agreement, “I guess that makes two of us,” you say before finding his lips once again. Your hands tug at the hem of his shirt, and he quickly breaks the kiss in favor of removing his shirt. You can’t help but groan at the sight of his bare chest.
“Like what you see?” he asks in a teasing tone.
“Uh huh… Sure do.” you mumble as your hands roam his body.
“Your turn, Feisty” he says as he pulls his hoodie off your body. “Beautiful,” he whispers into the skin of your neck. “You’re so beautiful.”