#big f

before you can respond his friends call out in goodbye, and he looks over his shoulder easily as he responds. his hand finds home on the small of your back. for the first time tonight, it actually makes you feel a little warm.

“no worries,” you tell him once his attention is back on you. “i like watching you play.”

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

“even though i’m all gross and sweaty now?”

the light snort you let out is too genuine to be embarrassed about. it makes him grin wider. “yes, even though you’re all gross and sweaty now.”

“hey, look at you, actually having fun. i was starting to think this whole thing was too much of a bust…”

so he had realized you weren’t feeling it. you pause now that the pair of you are far enough down the hall that the people you’ve left behind can neither see nor hear, prompting him to do the same, and raise a hand to cradle his jaw.

“i like you a lot, kuroo. i really do. and i’ve liked you a lot for months. what i don’t like is you pretending you’re someone you’re not because you think it’ll impress me. the guy i fell for was who i saw playing volleyball with his friends tonight, not the one who picked me up in that insane car and took me to that gaudy restaurant. you get what i’m saying?”

kuroo doesn’t respond for a moment. he just stands there, staring at you, seemingly a little dazed as one heartbeat passes and then another, but then he nods.

“yeah. yeah, i do. thank you for telling me.”

you lean up to press a kiss to his cheek before pulling away. “good. now, uh… you wanna go get some ice cream or something?”

“sure!” it’s fast, a little rushed, and you giggle at his eagerness. it makes him flush again, this time surely not from his unexpected workout. his hand finds its place on the small of your back again and he gestures down the hall. “there’s a place nearby run by this old couple i’ve been going to since i was in high school. i’ll introduce you, if you promise not to be weirded out by how excited they’ll be that i brought a date.”

“i swear i won’t,” you tell him seriously, earning a cheeky grin.

“the car’s not mine, by the way,” he adds on suddenly. “i borrowed it from a friend.”

“oh? somehow that doesn’t surprise me. you seem like the mini van type.”

kuroo lets out an exaggerated gasp. “the mini van type? i resent that remark. i’ll have you know i’m the ‘still drives the old coupe he inherited from his father at 20 years old because it still works fine and he’s too attached to it’ type.”

you bite your lip, trying to resist the urge to laugh and push down the surge of affection that swells up in you at the admission. he doesn’t miss your reaction, moving in closer and sliding his hand along to wrap around the side of your waist.

“what?”

“you’re adorable,” you tell him effortlessly, a little impressed with yourself by the ease with which you get it out.

“hey! that’s my line.” he sounds genuinely affronted, and he’s pouting at you, which makes you laugh even harder.

“you can say it, too. nobody’s stopping you.”

“okay. you’re adorable.” he glances down at you with a soft, sweet smile. “i might just have to kiss you when i drop you off at your house.”

that gets you flustered, cheeks warming as your laughter peeters off and you avert your eye. but you lean in closer to him despite it, tuck your shoulder in beneath his arm, and manage to respond giddily.