#v4mpfluff

you had been head over heels for matsukawa issei since your time in high school together. you were the manager of their volleyball team, and best friends with the seijoh four for most of your life. however, it never felt like matsukawa paid you much attention at all. he was a good friend, but he never seemed to care too much about what you were doing. besides, you were constantly hearing about all the girls confessing to him, and gifting him chocolates, so you never felt like you stood a chance. 

as you all grew older, you and matsukawa seemed to grow closer. with oikawa and iwaizumi moving abroad for university, it seemed to bring the remaining friends closer together. all three of you attended the same university, and you now live in the same apartment building. matsukawa roomed with hanamaki, and you lived with one of your friends from first year. you all spent tons of time together, but you never felt like matsukawa would ever see you as anything other than a friend. with a sigh, you pulled yourself from your thoughts and went to grab your beach bag so you could meet up with the boys outside. 

“y/n! glad you decided to join us,” oikawa teased, referring to the fact that they’d all been waiting for you. 

“oh come on, it hasn’t even been that long,” you replied, shoving his shoulder lightly with a roll of your eyes. 

the group began to head outside towards the beach, and you fell into a rhythm walking next to oikawa. 

“i’m glad we’re finally doing this, i’ve missed you guys,” you said after a few moments of comfortable silence. 

“aw y/n-chan, i’m sure you missed me the most,” oikawa boasted with a smile. “considering you rarely get to see me.”

“what if i missed iwa more? he’s just as far away as you are,” you commented, giving iwa a smile. 

oikawa scoffed and draped his arm over your shoulders, “not a chance, i know you love me the most,”

you adjusted your shoulders, shaking his arm off. oikawa had always been this way with you. he showed his love very physically, and it tended to scare off any potential suitors. no one wanted to be in competition with oikawa, but no one seemed to gather that he wasn’t in the running at all. 

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

matsukawa knew this day would be hard for him. he missed his friends dearly, of course, but being all together again brought back some of the hardships of high school. he had never been the most outspoken person in the world, so he appreciated his friends taking that role on. however, he could do without oikawa’s incessant affections towards you. 

it’s not like he’d ever made it known, but matsukawa always had a soft spot for you. from the day you had first met, your smile and bright eyes captivated him. you were always so kind, and willing to help the team out, and honestly you cared just as much about volleyball as they all did. matsukawa never made it known how he felt about you though, partially because he would hate to ruin your friendship, but also because he began to feel like it was a losing battle. 

oikawa was the guy every girl wanted. he was handsome, talented, smart, and flirting came so naturally to him. with just one look he could make a girl blush, and all matsukawa could accomplish with one look was making a girl avert her eyes and walk away. so seeing oikawa constantly all over you made him feel like he had no chance of you ever picking him. 

he was excited for the beach though. despite his jealousy, oikawa was one of his best friends, so it was hard to go so long without seeing him. same for iwaizumi; matsukawa had been looking forward to a reunion. 

the group reached a good spot to start setting up their chairs and towels, and hanamaki was quick to toss his shirt to the side and rush towards the ocean. oikawa was quick to follow in his footsteps, and iwaizumi was next after he had sprayed his shoulders down with a good amount of sunscreen. matsukawa didn’t want to go ahead without you though. 

as soon as you popped into his head, he glanced over to see what you were doing and almost lost control of his calm facial expression. 

you had taken off your coverup, and were now only in your bikini. matsukawa knew you were hot, but seeing you like this made him feel like a teenager again. like he could barely control himself. it was a cute matching set, monochrome in color, with little ties on the side of the bottoms and the triangle shape of the top seemed to barely hold everything in. matsukawa felt his throat getting dry, and he was about to look away to regain his composure when your eyes looked up and met his. 

“what?” you asked, a confused look on your face. 

matsukawa coughed awkwardly, “uh, nothing, sorry.”

“well, whatever, could you help me with the sunscreen?” you asked innocently. 

matsukawa felt like his heart might beat out of his chest. he couldn’t string a sentence together to reply to you, so he just nodded curtly and reached for the bottle of sunscreen nearby. you turned, leaving your back facing him, and gently held your hair away from your neck. matsukawa knew today would be difficult for him. 

he quickly rubbed the sunscreen into your back, trying his hardest not to seem weird. he didn’t want you to get a strange vibe from him, especially if it would make you uncomfortable. however, he couldn’t help but linger with his hands on your shoulders. your skin was so soft, and if he stood just close enough he could smell the vanilla scent radiating off of you. however, he couldn’t place if it was perfume or something more subtle like body wash. 

“is everything okay back there?” you asked with a giggle, snapping matsukawa back into reality. 

he cleared his throat again, “yeah, yeah, i’m fine. you’re good now by the way.”

you turned around to face him with a smile adorning your face, “thanks matsun!”

he nodded in response, a smile creeping onto his face. it was like your smile was contagious for him. 

“anytime. do you want to get in the water?” matsukawa asked. 

you nodded back at him, and with that you both headed towards the ocean. 

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

despite your best efforts to keep your hair dry, of course, you ended up fully submerged in the ocean not even an hour into your day. you’d all been splashing around in the water for a while now, and everyone was reaching a stopping point. you in particular were starting to crave some food. 

as if he’d read your mind, iwaizumi popped up from under the water, and after he shook his hair dry, he posed the question. 

“do you guys wanna get out and eat something?”

hanamaki responded with an enthusiastic yes, and you backed him up. 

“yeah, i’m getting hungry.”

you all headed back towards your spot on the sand, while you lingered towards the back. it was hard to keep up with a bunch of boys with long legs, especially while walking in the water. matsukawa seemed to notice you, and hung back as well. 

“did we bring anything with us to eat?” oikawa asked, from the front of the pack. 

your eyes widened, how could you guys forget to bring snacks?

“someone could always run over to the beach grill and bring food back,” iwaizumi suggested with a shrug. 

“genius iwa!” oikawa exclaimed, reaching over to ruffle his friend’s hair. 

iwaizumi scowled and swatted his hand away, “back off shithead,” he grumbled. 

oikawa brought his hand over his heart, feigning offence, “iwa how dare you!”

he just rolled his eyes in response, and the two began to bicker back and forth. you smiled at the exchange, feeling all of the nostalgia from your time in high school. oh how you’d missed these boys. 

“do you want to go get the food for everyone?” matsukawa asked you, leaning down a bit to reach your ears better. 

you couldn't stop the heat that spread over your cheeks at his proximity, but you nodded despite the blush. 

“yeah, i’m down for that.”

“guys, everyone text your orders, me and y/n are gonna go to the grill,” matsukawa announced to the group, only catching the attention of hanamaki. 

“i’ll make sure they send what they want, you guys can go,” hanamaki said, referring to oikawa and iwaizumi who had yet to stop bickering. 

matsukawa tilted his head towards the grill, gesturing for you to follow after him. with a small wave at the remaining three, you began to follow after him. you both headed towards the boardwalk, a skinny piece of wood trailing the edge of the beach, leading towards the center where all the stands were located. with its distance from all the action on the sand, it actually felt somewhat isolated. once the two of you reached the boardwalk, you fell comfortably into a rhythm with each other. 

“i’m so hungry, i can’t wait to get our food,” you commented, breaking the silence. 

“mhm,” matsukawa hummed in reply, looking anywhere but at you. 

you felt a small pang of hurt in your chest, and quickly tried to change the direction of your thoughts. it was so hard though, with matsukawa right next to you, and his shirt nowhere to be seen. the years of volleyball had been good to him, and you knew he liked to stay active, even just by working out at the gym. he was ripped without being too big, and in your eyes he had the perfect build. he was broad, and strong, and you could see the definition of his muscles along his back and chest. his arms were huge, veins running down to his hands, and you couldn’t focus on them for too long before your mind would start to wander. you wondered how it would feel to have his arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer to his chest. you would lay your head against him, and then you wondered what he would smell like. does he still use the same axe products as he did in high school? or has he matured into using more adult scents? you wondered what it would be like to lay with him, cuddling up next to him. how would he hold you?

“y/n?”

matsukawa’s deep voice brought you back to reality. he was waving a hand in front of your face, trying to get your attention. a bright red blush swept over your face, instantly regretting letting your mind wander. 

“what were you thinking about?” he asked, genuine curiosity in his tone. 

you felt like you were blushing all the way down to your toes. how much more embarrassing could this possibly be?

“oh, uh, nothing really. i was just, uh, distracted,” your voice faded out at the end, like you knew you had no good excuse for your behavior. 

matsukawa brushed it off though, and just kept walking forwards. he began rambling about hanamaki, and his unexplainable beef with flip flops, giving you a chance to calm down. because how could you get worked up hearing about hanamaki’s feet?

you both finally reached the beach grill, and thankfully there wasn’t much of a line. once you reached the front, matsukawa ordered for your friends, and then for himself, and much to your surprise, he ordered for you too. you’d told him what you wanted while you were waiting in line, and even though it was a small gesture, it made you feel the oh so familiar blush creep back onto your face. it felt so domestic, and you couldn’t help but imagine, for just one second, that matsukawa was yours. 

you stepped to the side to wait for your food, and you kept your head hung low. the last thing you needed right now was another awkward moment with him. you wanted him to like you, and how would that ever happen if he kept catching you staring like a freak. 

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

matsukawa had no clue what came over him, but he felt the most bold he’d felt in a while. maybe it was seeing you in a bikini, and seeing the way every other man on the beach looked at you. thinking about some other guy creeping on you made his fists clench, and matsukawa knew he had to do something about it. the whole walk over to the grill, he’d been scheming a way to romance you. 

however, it was appearing to be much harder than he thought it would be. no grand gestures were coming to mind, and to make matters worse he couldn’t tell if you were fine being with him, or if you were incredibly uncomfortable. you could hardly meet his eyes, and your body language was basically running away from him. but then every time you did look at him, the smile on your face and the light in your eyes pulled him right back in.

matsukawa heard his name being called, and went up to the counter to grab their togo bags. it was only two bags, which he easily swept up in one hand. you trailed behind him, and he could feel your eyes burning into the back of his neck. 

“do you want help carrying those?” you asked politely. 

matsukawa shook his head, “nah, they’re not even heavy. besides, it’s only two bags.”

you nodded in understanding, “okay, well let me know if you change your mind.”

matsukawa thanked you, and then his mind was right back to scheming. he knew he could never make a move on you in front of your friends. he would be teased relentlessly, and if you truly did like oikawa, he would never want to make things weird for you guys. then, as if it was sent by the universe, matsuakwa spotted a grouping of tide pools tucked away in a small cove off of the shore. there wasn’t a single person in sight, not even in the collection of tide pools. without saying a word, matsukawa looped his free arm through yours and pulled you away from the boardwalk.  

“matsu! where are we going?” you asked through giggles, a smile breaking out on your face. 

“look, did you see these?” he asked, dropping your arm to gesture in front of himself. 

your eyes widened as you took it all in, and within seconds you had rushed forward to start inspecting the small pools of water. matsukawa watched as you glanced over the many pools, before your sights settled on one in particular. you bent down to look through it, and matsukawa sucked in a quick breath. he felt like a creep thinking about how your ass looked while you were digging through tide pools, but he couldn’t stop himself. 

“omg matsun come here!” you exclaimed suddenly, making his heart skip a beat. 

for just a second he thought perhaps you caught him, but your eyes never left the tide pool in front of you. he walked over to stand next to you, and looked to what you were pointing at. a small coral colored starfish was hugging the base of a rock surrounding the pool. you could hardly contain your excitement, and it made a smile break out on his face as well. 

“that’s so cool! i don’t think i’ve ever seen a starfish in person before,” you rambled excitedly.

then, you straightened up from your bent-over position, and your gaze looked up towards matsukawa. once your eyes met, it was like a magnetic pull. your eyes were sparkling, full of delight at your discovery, with something else brewing beneath. it was an intense look, and if the pull wasn’t so strong, matsukawa would’ve shied away from you. your eyes were captivating, and he had never noticed how you had small flecks of gold decorating your irises. matsukawa was sure he looked like a gobsmacked idiot right now, but he couldn’t care less. you were beautiful, and he needed to soak in as much of you as he could. 

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

you could feel your heart beating in your throat. the way matsukawa was looking at you made you feel like all of the stars in the sky. he was awed, and it made you feel like he was seeing every inch of you. like there was nothing you could hide from him. it was rare to have a moment with someone where no words are needed. you were able to notice the small crinkle in the corner of his eyes, and the drips of water running down his neck from his still-wet hair. there was one bead of water running from his temple, and before you could even realize what you were doing, you reached out and caught it with your thumb. 

your hand rested against the side of his neck as your thumb carefully swept the droplet up, but you didn’t move your hand away. his skin felt hot underneath your touch, but despite that he didn’t make a move to get away from you. instead, you felt his hand delicately wrap around your waist and gently pull you closer. 

now, you were sure you were red from head to toe. his hand felt heavy against your bare skin, and you couldn’t help but notice every single thing about his touch. it was soft, and you could count each individual finger he had placed against your skin. his grip tightened, drawing a small gasp out of your mouth. 

“is this okay?” matsukawa asked, his voice hushed, like if he spoke too loud the moment would shatter. 

you nodded, unable to get any words past the lump in your throat. now that you stood closer to him, you could tell exactly what he smelled like. he was warm and musky, without being too juvenile. it was nothing like the axe he used in high school. the scent was overwhelming you, making your head spin. you could hardly think any rational thoughts, especially not when your gaze dropped to his bare chest again. your eyes quickly darted back up to his face, where his smile was turning into more of a smirk. 

“now what are you looking at?” he teased, pressing his fingers tighter against you. 

“you smell good,” you said, your voice coming out breathier than you anticipated. 

matsukawa tilted his head to the side, leaning more into your palm that was still resting against the junction of his face and neck. 

“oh yeah?” he asked, confidence growing in his tone. 

you nodded, once again unable to muster up anything to say. almost involuntarily, your fingers crept into his curls, grasping onto the small strands of hair. the slight tug brought matsukawa’s gaze lower on you, and he pulled you in even closer. you were now just a step apart from being skin-to-skin, and you could almost feel the heat radiating off of him. like his energy was pulling you in closer. it was captivating

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

matsukawa knew he had to act now. this moment was like a blue moon, so rare he didn’t know if it could ever be replicated. he had you alone, and your attention was completely wrapped up in him. matsukawa hoped with everything in him that he hadn’t misread the energy, and he went to close the gap between you. 

his eyes darted down to your lips, and back up to your eyes. he looked for any semblance of uncertainty on your face, but he was met entirely with a sense of longing. a hungry sense of longing, like you needed him. 

matsukawa took action, pulling you flush against his chest and leaning into you. he stopped with his lips just barely grazing yours, needing final confirmation that this is what you wanted. he looked into your eyes one last time, and before he had the chance to discern how you were feeling, you hummed out a small sound of wanting. 

“matsu, please kiss me,” you whispered, your fingers tugging against his scalp harder. 

the bags of food in his other hand dropped to the ground, and matsukawa could barely spare a second to be thankful that they landed comfortably on the sand. his now free hand joined his other on your waist, and he circled your body in his grasp. then, finally, he pressed his lips against yours. 

it was like he was on fire. flames shot up his back, leaving him tingling all over at the contact. you moved in sync, barely starting out soft before passion crept into the kiss. his lips were bruising against yours, but you didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. you just pushed back harder against him, like you couldn’t get close enough. matsukawa grazed his teeth against your bottom lip, causing you to let out a small gasp. he took the moment to run his tongue against your open lips, and another small breath escaped you. 

matsukawa felt feverish, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if this whole thing was a fever-induced hallucination. having you right here, pressed against him and wanting was like a dream come true. all of the sudden he felt you grasping against his bare back with your other hand, your nails digging into his skin. it took everything in him not to groan at the feeling. then, you separated for air, not putting any distance between your faces. you were breathing shallow, your gasps ghosting over his lips, keeping the fire inside him burning. 

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦ 

“do you think they’re wondering where we are?” you asked, your voice coming out soft and breathless. 

matsukawa gave you a small chuckle, “definitely. i’m sure they’re all missing you the most though,” and then he leaned in towards your ear, his voice dropping to a whisper, “i mean, you have been the eye candy of the day.”

your cheeks burst into a blush for what felt like the millionth time today.

“oh c’mon, i don’t think that.”

“really? everyone’s been staring at you today. it’s why i had to let you know. i want you to be mine y/n. i don’t want anyone to stare at you like that, except me.”

you shyly looked away from matsukawa, unable to handle the flattery being thrown your way. your head was swimming with a thousand different thoughts, and you couldn’t seem to come to a conclusion in your head. was this matsukawa’s way of saying he liked you? or was he just calling you hot? had he always felt this way, or was it just a matter of you being scantily clad and him being desperate? 

he gave your waist a slight squeeze, pulling you out of your thoughts, and your gaze met matsukawa’s eyes once again. 

“what are you thinking about? and be honest with me this time.”

you gave him a soft smile at his reference to earlier, but struggled to think of what to say. how could you encapsulate so many questions into one, without seeming like you were thinking way too hard about everything. 

“just…” you trailed off, biting your bottom lip softly in thought.

as your eyes were cast downwards, matsukawa brought a hand off of your waist to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. 

“you look worried, is everything okay?”

you nodded quickly, bringing your eyes back up to his face. you saw the concern written all over him, but you also noticed a scared look in his eyes. like he was thinking you were about to reject him. but still, you couldn’t find the words to say what you meant. 

matsukawa took a step back, his hands leaving your waist. he raised one hand to scratch at the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“sorry, i didn’t mean to make things weird. we can just forget about this if you want,” he said, sadness creeping into his tone. 

“no!” you replied quickly, before you were able to think of what you really wanted to say. 

a smile returned to matsukawa’s face at your reply, but he gave you a moment to speak. 

“i…i like you. probably more than you like me, and i just don’t want to come on too strong if that’s not what this was about. i mean, like, i know we’ve known each other forever, and i always thought you felt pretty indifferent towards me in that way, and i just, i don’t know. i like you. but if that’s too much for you it’s okay, i’m not like expecting anything from you or anything i just-”

matsukawa reached out and placed his arms around your waist, pulling you back into his chest. he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, and before you could even process the moment, he was chuckling at you. 

“seriously y/n, you thought i was indifferent about you? i’ve liked you forever, you just made me so nervous in high school, i didn’t know what to do with myself,” he said earnestly. 

your heart was jumping for joy. you looked up at him, bringing your gaze away from the ground. 

“really? you’re not joking with me?” you asked, finding it hard to believe that the boy you’ve loved for so long has always reciprocated your feelings. 

matsukawa nodded, “not joking, i promise. i think you’re the most amazing girl ever, and that bikini definitely wasn’t helping me keep my feelings to myself.”

his fingers were toying with the straps of your bottoms, making heat scorch your face again. 

“matsukawa, you’ve gotta stop that or we’ll never make it back to the beach,” you said.

he laughed, dropping his hands once again before reaching down to grab the long forgotten bags of food off the ground. then, he held out his other hand for you to grab. you intertwined your fingers, unable to keep the grin off your face. 

“you should call me issei,” he noted as you began your walk back to the beach. 

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“what do you think is keeping them so long?” oikawa asked as he gave the volleyball they were playing with a small hit towards iwaizumi. 

iwaizumi quickly sent the ball towards hanamaki and then shrugged. 

“who knows, maybe the line was long.”

“but we’ve seen like five groups of people leave to get food, and come back since they left!” oikawa exclaimed, clearly quite hungry. 

“i bet they’re hooking up, did you see the way matsukawa was looking at y/n today?” hanamaki asked cheekily before hitting the ball back. 

oikawa mimed gagging before catching the ball that had been sent his way. 

“i hope not, my meal doesn’t deserve to see all that.”

“like you wouldn’t do exactly the same,” iwaizumi shot back with a roll of his eyes. 

oikawa then sent the ball flying towards him, a bit more aggressively than probably necessary. 

y/n had known oikawa for years; ever since they were kids. oikawa's mom went to school with y/n's family, so the two kids had grown up together. mattsun knew it was only a matter of time until they ended up dating, and he hated how upset it made him. he'd been harboring feelings for y/n since their first year at aoba johsai, and they hadn't faded at all.

two knocks echoed through the matsukawa house, and mattsun could hear his mom answering the door. he'd been bed bound since he came down with a cold that morning, and he felt miserable.

"oh yes! he's in his room, i'm sure he'll be glad to see you!" his mom said to whoever was at the door.

mattsun expected makki to be the one entering his room, probably with his schoolwork and questions of where he'd been. instead, it was y/n, oikawa's friend. he had several classes with her, which was why oikawa introduced them. y/n was anxious about high school, since most of her junior high friends went elsewhere, so oikawa thought it would be good for her to know someone.

the two had grown to be good friends through all their shared classes, and mattsun really enjoyed her company. she was really kind, but she teased oikawa just as much as iwaizumi did. she was also smart, and she always helped mattsun with his work when he got lost in class. so, it shouldn't have shocked him that much to see y/n standing in his doorway with his homework in her arms.

the surprising part though, was that she'd brought him food too. she had a grocery sack from the corner store in one hand, and it seemed to be full of snacks. in her other hand, she had not only the homework, but her notes from the day too.

"hi, i heard you're sick," y/n greeted, still standing in the doorway, like she was waiting for permission to walk in.

mattsun smiled at her, "yeah, c'mon in."

y/n took a seat on the edge of his bed, and mattsun scooted his legs a bit so she would have more room.

"i brought the homework, and i thought you might like to have my notes. i took two copies, so you can keep these. i always get stressed when i miss school, because i hate falling behind, so i hope this helps you rest easier," y/n stated, a small smile on her face.

mattsun swore that in that moment he could feel himself falling for her. he'd thought she was pretty from the moment he laid eyes on her, and ever since oikawa introduced them, he'd grown fond of her personality too. it was then though, that he truly fell. the nonchalant way she cared about him, like it was nothing but the expected, made mattsun so incredibly happy.

"oh! i also brought you this," y/n added excitedly, placing the grocery bag gently on the bed.

mattsun sat up a bit, and y/n handed him the bag. inside was all his favorites. his favorite chips, candy, drink, and a carefully packaged cup of soup. the soup was even still warm, letting mattsun know she'd grabbed it on her way to his house.

"how did you know these are my favorites?" mattsun asked as he looked up at her, his eyes wide with delight.

"i asked oikawa. he said he asked your friend makki," y/n replied, clearly proud of herself for being so attentive.

"this is like the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. thank you y/n," mattsun said, making y/n duck her head bashfully.

"oh quit it, you're sick, i'm just helping it be less awful. anyways, do you want me to go over the notes with you? if you're tired i can go, but i just thought i'd offer," y/n said, trailing off near the end.

mattsun nodded quickly, a bit too eager to get her to stay.

"we can go over the notes! it'll probably, um, help me learn it better."

ever since that day, mattsun had been hopelessly devoted to her. every love confession that had come his way he'd denied, holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, y/n could like him back. oikawa had never helped his pining though. as the group of them had gotten older, oikawa had grown into a flirt, with y/n being his primary target. every day at practice, it was incessant, and it drove mattsun mad.

"this one's for you y/n-chan!" oikawa exclaimed with a wink in her direction before he served the ball flawlessly to the other side of the court during a mock game.

mattsun could hear y/n's laugh at his antics, and it just made him more sullen. as the day's practice wrapped up, y/n was quick to rush over to the boys.

"that was great guys. you really are improving a lot," she said with a bright smile.

"thank you! you're our number one cheerleader y/n," makki teased, throwing an arm over her shoulders and ruffling her hair.

y/n ducked out of his grasp and patted her hair down with a dramatic scowl.

"hands off my hair makki! that's why mattsu is my favorite," she teased, poking her tongue out before leaning into mattsun's side.

"you played great today too," she said, her voice lower, like the comment was just for him.

mattsun felt himself stiffen, suddenly unable to think of anything clever to say.

"oh, uh, thank you."

"y/n-chan!" oikawa called out as he exited the locker room, already changed out of his gym clothes.

y/n giggled, "see you around mattsu," she said before walking over to greet oikawa.

makki whistled once y/n had walked far off enough, and he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"pussy," was all he said to mattsun, who just sighed.

"up your ass makki."

"toru i'm an idiot!" y/n exclaimed, flopping back on her best friend's bed.

he just laughed, and took a seat next to her.

"what else is new?"

y/n huffed and leaned over to shove him.

"not helping asshole."

"sorry, sorry, it's just hilarious how oblivious he is," oikawa said.

y/n nodded in agreement, and moved her head to rest in oikawa's lap.

"it's awful isn't it? i just don't know what to do. i try to talk to him, but he always seems pained to be around me. promise he doesn't hate me?" y/n asked, looking up at her friend.

"how could he hate you? precious little y/n-chan," oikawa teased, reaching down to pinch her cheeks.

she grumbled again and swatted his hand away.

"how do i get him to confess?" she wondered aloud.

"what if we made him jealous," oikawa suggested with a sly smirk.

y/n pursed her lips in thought, before an equally sly smile spread on her face. mattsun always did seem particularly irritated by her and oikawa's antics. besides, a jealous confession did sound pretty appealing to y/n.

"i'm down if you are toru," y/n said.

"perfect! so what will our story be? should i tell the boys you broke down in tears as you confessed your love for me?"

y/n grimaced, "absolutely not. i still want him to know i'm single dumbass. maybe just amp up the flirting tomorrow, and i'll dress extra cute."

"looking forward to it darling," oikawa said with a wink, making y/n roll her eyes.

the next day at practice, oikawa was insufferable. if his normal flirtations were a 7/10 on the mattsun-annoyance scale, this had raised it to at least an 11/10. y/n had entered practice in her cutest variant of the school uniform, and oikawa was quick to offer her his sweatshirt. he even helped her put it on, making mattsun glare at the pair from across the gym.

y/n sat on the bench close to the court, and oikawa shot a flirty remark at her after every cool move he pulled. every time he did, y/n would giggle and blush, and it made mattsun want to rip his hair out.

"my head is literally going to explode," he muttered to makki during a water break, with a scowl heavy on his face.

makki stifled a laugh, "just make a move already."

mattsun's scowl deepened, "no way. she's totally head over heels for oikawa. see, look."

he gestured over to the pair, where oikawa had joined y/n on the bench. he had an arm draped over her shoulder, and their heads were leaned into each other as they spoke in hushed voices. y/n glanced up, and her eyes met mattsun's, but he was quick to look away.

"did you see that, he was looking at us," y/n whispered to oikawa, a grin on her face.

"he's totally pissed," oikawa added excitedly.

y/n giggled, "this might actually work!"

oikawa got up and restarted practice, and a very sullen mattsun walked back onto the court. y/n kept her gaze trained on him as he walked, unable to look away from the way the jersey hugged his muscles. he glanced back, and their eyes met again, but this time y/n was the first to look away, a blush rising on her face.

practice continued on, with oikawa flirting with y/n every other minute. mattsun just seemed to get more and more irritated, and then, practice ended. oikawa headed straight to the locker room, as he always did. he'd always hated the sweaty feeling after practice, so y/n would normally just wait for him to change so they could go. today though, y/n asked oikawa to shower there too, so she would have more time to talk to mattsun without him around making mattsun jealous.

"hi guys! you all did great today," y/n greeted as she walked over to the three third years.

iwa smiled at y/n in thanks, "yeah, we're improving a lot."

"totally! especially you mattsu, you looked great out there today," y/n said with a smile.

mattsun seemed to tense up, and y/n mentally cursed herself. all she wanted to do was let him know she liked him, but every time she did he always seemed to get so uncomfortable.

"thank you y/n," he replied with an awkward smile, making y/n's heart drop.

"yeah, of course," she said with her own small smile.

there was a moment of silence before iwa bid everyone goodbye. most of the other years had left, leaving just y/n, mattsun, makki, and oikawa in the locker room.

"i think i'm gonna head out too, bye guys!" makki said, hurrying out of the room before mattsun could say anything to him.

y/n pursed her lips at that, since usually the two walked home together.

"waiting for oikawa?" mattsun asked y/n once makki was out the door.

"i guess. i also kinda wanted to talk to you," she added, her voice growing quiet.

mattsun's eyes widened and his gaze shot up to look at her.

"what?"

"yeah, i uh, wanted to chat with you. you know, i really like your company," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

mattsun didn't say anything back, he just stared at y/n with wide eyes. she felt a lump in her throat, but she bit back any emotions.

"sorry, i didn't mean to make this weird or anything," she added quickly.

mattsun blinked slowly, and then shook his head forcefully.

"no, no, not at all. i like spending time with you too. i just, i thought you and oikawa were like..." he trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud, but hoping y/n understood what he meant.

apparently she didn't, as her eyebrows scrunched up, "huh? what about me and toru?"

"nothing, i just..." mattsun took in a breath and shook his head, "nothing, never mind."

y/n frowned, but took a step closer to mattsun.

"what is it?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"i-"

mattsun wasn't sure what to say. y/n was standing barely a few inches away from him, and he was struggling to form a coherent thought. she tilted her head up to look him in the eyes, and he felt his face growing hot.

"you know i'm not dating toru," she said, her voice soft.

mattsun swallowed, "oh, really? i guess i just assumed..."

"well you assumed wrong," y/n replied, keeping her eyes on mattsun.

"oh," was all he could think to say, his mind too muddled for y/n's closeness.

she stayed there for a second longer, before she cleared her throat and took a step away.

"well yeah, we aren't dating. i don't plan on dating him either, he's too high maintenance for me," y/n joked, although she sounded a bit down.

mattsun just nodded, unsure of what to say. inside, he was beating himself up. she was right there, but he just couldn't do anything. she made him so nervous he lost all his confidence. it was basically torture, being so close to her, but unable to make a move.

"anyways, i think toru should be done by now. i guess i'll just wait for him outside," y/n flashed mattsun a small smile before swiftly heading for the gym doors.

"wait!" mattsun exclaimed before he could think better of it.

y/n turned around, her eyebrows raised.

"what's up?"

"um, fuck, don't go yet. i guess now's a good time to tell you i, uh, i really like you."

once mattsun started his confession, he couldn't stop the word vomit that followed.

"ever since you brought me the notes when i was sick during first year, i thought you were the nicest girl ever. i still do, by the way, you're just so sweet and pretty, and fuck i'm rambling. i just, i like you a lot, and i thought you should know. i guess."

mattsun felt his face heating up as he awkwardly went to scratch the back of his neck. y/n just stood there, a shocked look on her face. mattsun was just about to stutter out an apology for making things weird, when she rushed forwards. her arms wrapped around mattsun's neck, and she let out a relieved laugh.

"oh thank goodness! i was so worried you didn't like me that way, it was killing me you idiot!" y/n breathed out, her face pressing into mattsun's neck.

"wait what?" mattsun replied, pulling away from her embrace.

she moved one of her arms to flick his forehead, a grin taking over her face.

"i like you too!" she exclaimed.

mattsun broke into a grin of his own, and just as he was about to pull y/n back into him, oikawa exited the locker room. his hair was dripping wet, implying he'd taken a shower, and mattsun could've smacked him across the face.

"toru guess what!" y/n called out as oikawa headed over to the pair.

based on oikawa's smirk, he already knew what she was going to say.

"what is it y/n darling?"

"he likes me back," she replied smugly, stretching on her tip toes to kiss mattsun's cheek.

it was science, and the teacher announced they'd be doing partner labs. a week long project that involved experiments outside of school, and a big poster board presentation at the end. tsukishima wasn't worried about it, until he was paired with her. there was no way tsukishima would stand for her leaving this project in his hands to complete.

he walked over to her desk when the teacher told them to get started, and sat down in the now empty seat next to her's. her eyes were trained on her phone as she scrolled through social media, and tsukishima was already envisioning asking the teacher for a new partner. it was like she didn't even notice him sit down. tsukishima cleared his throat, causing her eyes to glance up at him.

"yeah?" she asked, sounding quite bored.

"we're partners," tsukishima replied, his eyes still locked with hers.

she nodded and clicked her phone off before twisting a bit in her seat so she was facing him.

"i'm y/n, you're tsukishima right?"

so she knew who he was. tsukishima was a bit surprised, since he'd doubted she paid much attention to anyone in their classes. he nodded though, and she nodded back once.

that was the start of tsukishima and y/n's unlikely friendship. they worked everyday after school, usually late at night because of volleyball, but y/n never complained about having to wait up for him. even more surprising to tsukishima was her participation. she always seemed bored with the work, but she never suggested a bad idea, or gave a wrong calculation.

"is this work boring to you?" tsukishima asked one night as they sat in his room, both working on the calculations for different trials of their experiment.

y/n raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was asking a literal question. when tsukishima didn't add anything else, she just shrugged.

"i mean sure. school's always boring," she commented.

tsukishima pursed his lips, "but not challenging?"

she shook her head, "nope."

then, it began to make more sense. her wandering thoughts in class, and general disinterest in school. it was easy for her. tsukishima then also realized, that as much as he enjoyed observing her, he liked knowing her a lot better.

the day of their presentation, tsukishima could see their poster board wobbling in y/n's hold. that explained why she sat in the back of class. without saying anything, tsukishima took control of the presentation. he gave the general explanation of their experiment, and answered all the difficult questions the teacher asked. he let y/n read the data, and made sure to give her credit for the calculations she did, so she would get a good participation grade.

the teacher thanked them, and they both walked back to their seats together. tsukishima had started sitting with y/n near the back. she gave him a small smile once they were seated, and tsukishima felt a strange sense of pride in himself. he noticed her discomfort, and made it better. clearly y/n was pleased with him, since that was the first smile he'd gotten from her. it made him feel accomplished. that day after class, tsukishima waited with y/n as she packed up her things.

"thank you," she said quietly, her eyes pointed downwards as she piled notebooks into her bag.

"of course, i couldn't have you messing up the presentation with your nerves," tsukishima replied, obvious teasing in his tone.

y/n rolled her eyes, another hint of a smile on her face as she kept her gaze down. she swung her bag over her shoulder and looked up at tsukishima.

"still, i appreciated it."

tsukishima just nodded, not sure he would be able to keep his cool demeanor if he said anything else. he parted ways with y/n at the doorway, and headed off to volleyball. just as he was thinking about seeing her after practice, it hit him. the project was over. there was no need to see y/n after practice anymore, which sent a surprising amount of disappointment through his chest.

luckily for him though, practice revealed that hinata and kageyama needed tutoring, and who better to help him than y/n, the smartest girl he knew. he promised the team that hinata and kageyama would pass their exams, and that night he texted y/n to ask for her assistance.

tsukishima felt his face heat up at her last text. he quickly shut his phone off and placed it on his night stand, trying to push the overly analytical side of his mind down. he couldn't stop himself though, and he began to overthink. what did that smiley face mean? he fell asleep with his mind on her, and the next morning he woke up excited to see her again.

they had science together last period, so tsukishima, as always, waited for y/n to grab her stuff before she left.

"hey tsukki," y/n started as she collected her pens off her desk.

"yeah?"

"could i stay during your practice? i won't if i'll be in the way, but i just thought it might be easier for me to wait than to come back up to school afterwards. if it's alright though, i don't wanna overstep any-"

"it's fine y/n. i'm sure they'll like having an audience to show off for," tsukishima said,  interrupting her nervous rambling.

the more tsukishima got to know y/n, the more he began to understand the reasons behind the behavior that intrigued him so much. she wasn't as detached from school as she looked; she actually seemed to be overly worried. tsukishima didn't understand that. why would it matter what people thought? he didn't say this to y/n though, since clearly it was a topic that bothered her. he didn't want to do anything to upset her; he liked her company too much.

"ok, thanks. i'll try not to distract your team too much," y/n teased as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder.

"not much you can do about that," tsukishima replied, before realizing what he'd just implied.

y/n's cheeks flushed, but thankfully she didn't comment on it. the two walked to the gym in comfortable silence as tsukishima's mind ran on overdrive. he couldn't believe he'd basically just admitted he thought she was pretty. it was true, but it seemed so embarrassing to admit. he didn't want y/n to get the wrong idea about their friendship.

tsukishima swung the gym doors open, and let y/n walk in before him. he followed right after her, and immediately regretted not giving her a bit of a warning when tanaka and noya spotted her. the boys rushed forward, their eyes wide with excitement.

"hi!" noya exclaimed, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"what's a pretty girl like you doing here?" tanaka asked, his voice too loud and excited to come off as creepy.

y/n looked like a deer caught in headlights though, and tsukishima mentally cursed himself for not taking her anxiety around people into account before bringing her here. he stepped up behind her, placing an arm over her shoulders protectively.

"give her some space idiots," he chided the other boys, whose eyes widened further as they looked up at tsukishima.

"tsukishima brought a girl?" tanaka asked, obvious shock in his voice.

tsukishima just rolled his eyes and led y/n over to the bleachers.

"don't mind them," he muttered, hoping to take away some of her nerves, "they're easily excited."

y/n laughed lightly, and tsukishima felt himself relax. she wasn't upset with him. y/n sat down and tsukishima stood by her as she pulled a book out of her bag. she started to read, but glanced back up at him before she got too far along.

"shouldn't you be doing warm ups or something?"

tsukishima shrugged, "i'm keeping the dogs at bay right now."

y/n peeked around him and saw almost all the boys in the gym watching her. her face flushed again and she ducked her head down.

"have these guys ever seen a girl before?" she muttered, making tsukishima let out a small laugh.

"apparently not," he replied.

then, tsukishima was called into practice, and the group's attention shifted to volleyball. every couple minutes, tsukishima would find himself looking over at y/n, just to see what she was doing. yamaguchi caught on quickly though, and pulled him aside during a water break.

"what's up with the girl tsukki?"

tsukishima choked on his water, and let out a quick cough to cover up his shock.

"nothing. she's gonna help me tutor hinata and kageyama."

yamaguchi grinned like he was in on some kind of secret.

"so, how do you know her?"

"she's in a few of my classes. we did a lab together. she's really smart," tsukishima answered, once again glancing over at her.

she was still reading, looking completely lost in her book.

"aw tsukki! you should see the way you look at her," yamaguchi gushed.

tsukishima gave his friend a cold stare, and yamaguchi stopped talking about her.

practice seemed to go on forever, and all tsukishima could think about the fact that y/n was watching him play. those thoughts ran even more rampant when he glanced over and saw her watching him. then, he found himself trying harder than normal. he didn't want to look weak in front of y/n. after a particularly well done receive, he looked up and met her eyes. she gave him a quick thumbs up, and tsukishima turned back to practice before his face could heat up.

by the time daichi wrapped up practice, it was dark outside. that never seemed to bother y/n though. hinata approached him as soon as they were released, a huge smile on his face.

"is it time for tutoring tsukishima? is that why you brought a pretty girl with you? is she going to help us too? or was she here just to watch you?"

questions came out of hinata in a rush, and tsukishima found himself fighting a blush off his cheeks.

"calm down dumbass," he snapped, "get changed out of your practice clothes, and then we'll start."

hinata nodded eagerly, and rushed into the locker room with kageyama on his tail. tsukishima followed after them, but not before looking over at y/n again. she was watching him intently, a soft look on her face. tsukishima ducked into the locker room before he could think of anything to say. he changed quickly, and found himself putting on his grey hoodie just because he liked how it looked on him. stupid y/n. he never thought about things like that before.

"bye tsukki," yamaguchi said with a wave as he began to exit the locker room.

some of the other boys filed out after him, and tsukishima took his time carefully gathering his school things after putting away his practice clothes. he heard some chatter coming from the main room, and almost immediately caught y/n's voice in the mix. he sighed again, and grabbed his bags to save her from whichever boy was talking her ear off.

tanaka, noya, and hinata were crowded around her while kageyama stood a distance away. tsukishima walked over, and caught some of their conversation.

"why do you like tsukishima?" hinata asked, his voice levels louder than y/n's.

"what?" y/n replied.

"he's so mean!" hinata exclaimed.

"and scary," noya added.

y/n furrowed her brows in confusion, "he's not scary at all."

hinata's eyebrows raised, "he doesn't scare you?"

then, he noticed tsukishima approaching, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"why are you nice to her and not us?"

tanaka and noya copied his pose, while y/n gave tsukishima a wide-eyed look that said, wow these guys have a lot of energy.

"maybe if you three were as smart as y/n i'd be nice to you too. speaking of which, don't we have tutoring to do?" tsukishima responded.

"ha! you've got it bad tsukishima, my man," tanaka exclaimed clapping him on the back.

then, he scrambled out of the gym before tsukishima could clap back over that remark. noya just wiggled his eyebrows at tsukishima before chasing after tanaka.

"have fun losers!" noya exclaimed over his shoulder as they left.

tsukishima rolled his eyes, and the study session began. kageyama joined them on the bleachers, and they started with math. y/n's favorite subject was math, so he let her take the lead. her eyes seemed to light up as she worked out the problems, explaining them with just enough patience that hinata and kageyama understood easily.

then, they moved on to the other subjects. whenever tsukishima started to get frustrated with hinata and kageyama, all it took was for y/n to make a comment, or laugh at their antics for all the frustration to leave tsukishima's mind. the boys seemed to notice it too, and while they were packing up, hinata just had to mention it.

"i see why you like tsukishima now y/n. he's nice around you!" hinata commented.

y/n shook her head, "you have the wrong idea hinata. but yeah, he's nice."

hinata looked between y/n and tsukishima with a raised brow.

"wait you two aren't dating?"

"hinata shut up!" kageyama hissed, swatting at him.

hinata moved out of his way and glared at kageyama.

"what? it's a genuine question."

y/n shook her head quickly as she shoved her books back into her bag. tsukishima could tell she was getting nervous with everyone's attention on her.

"stop being so nosey hinata," tsukishima snapped.

he walked over to stand by y/n, and he helped her climb down the bleachers to leave. she waved goodbye to hinata and kageyama before following tsukishima outside. the sun was completely set, and the only light came from the lamps lining the sidewalks around campus.

"sorry about them. they're all dimwits," tsukishima apologized once they were a fair distance away from the gym.

y/n shook her head, "it's alright. they seem very different from you though. how do you manage to play together?"

"they're good players. we make it work," he answered.

they walked in silence for a few more steps. then, they reached the exit of the school's grounds. both of them paused their walking, and y/n glanced up at tsukishima to find him looking down at her.

"well, thanks for letting me watch your practice. you're better than i would've guessed," y/n said with a teasing grin.

"i'd like to see you try to play, i bet that would shut you up," he teased back.

y/n laughed and adjusted the strap of her bag.

"so, it seemed like they got the concepts i taught."

tsukishima nodded, "you're a good teacher."

"thanks," y/n said, a proud look on her face.

"you could still come by tomorrow if you wanted to though," tsukishima offered, trying to keep his voice steady.

he was far too nervous over such a simple offer.

y/n's face lit up though, "really? to tutor them again?"

tsukishima nodded, "sure, if you want, or you could just watch practice. whatever you want."

"i'd like that tsukki," she replied, a bright smile on her face.

"alright then. let me walk you home; it's late," tsukishima offered, his nerves running too wild for him to just stand there looking at her any longer.