I've Always Loved You | Kuroo Tetsurou

four

A beautiful Saturday morning was on full display outside as you opened your curtains along with the window. April was one of your favorite months since the sky was always decorated with pastel pink petals. 

You walked down the stairs into the kitchen to make your morning coffee, seeing that your dad wasn't there, you sighed and turned on the coffee maker. Your dad wasn't usually home, not even in your old home. He was always busy with work since he had to provide for you and him. After your mothers passing, he was determined to continue to give you a perfect life despite no longer having a motherly figure around. Moving back to this side of Tokyo made you both uneasy since it was the place your family had the most memories, but you had to move in order for you dad to be financially stable. Getting a new job with higher pay wasn't easy to find, but when he did find one, he was willing to make another sacrifice in order to keep you happy.

Moving back to your first home wasn't as rushed as when you moved away the first time. You were able to say goodbye to your new friends and find ways to keep in touch. Nekoma wasn't the only school in Tokyo, you obviously could have attended Fukurodani, but you decided not to since many rich kids went there. Staying at Itachiyama would have been a nice option too, but you didn't want to ride the train every day. 

Your coffee machine stopped, meaning that it was ready. The smell of fresh coffee filled your nose, but before you could take a sip your phone rang. You rolled your eyes and saw your fathers contact light up the screen. 

"Good morning, dad." You yawned and took a sip of your coffee. Oh the bitter taste of coffee slowly woke you up. "Good morning, sweetie, sorry for waking you up so early, how did you sleep?" he sounded tired, but that was pretty normal now. You honestly didn't know why he worked so much, by working regular hours he made enough money to be okay. 

"I slept well, but I was already awake... When are you coming home?" 

"I should be there tonight, how about you make some delicious dinner?" You smiled and nodded, even though he couldn't see. "Of course I will, I'll run to the grocery store today. Do you have anything in mind?" He hummed and chuckled. "Surprise me, anything you make is perfect." You smiled even wider. 

"Gotcha, well have a good day, dad, bye, I love you."

"I love you too, pumpkin." He hung up the phone. 

You sighed for the millionth time that morning and continued drinking your coffee. Running to the store didn't sound like a bad idea since you had nothing else to do. Usually you would go with a friend back in your other home, but you had to suck it up now. It was 10am, and Kenma is most likely still asleep which means he can't go with you. 

You decided to head to the grocery store once you finished getting ready. You threw on some ripped mom jeans, a long sleeve cropped Henley shirt, and some white shoes. You messily tied your hair in a low bun and walked out of your house, keys and wallet in your small purse. As you walked down the side walk you looked at Kenma's house, but his window was closed, which confirmed that he was sleeping. 

You walked past Kuroo's house and saw him walk out. You looked the other way and continued walking, increasing your speed trying to avoid him.  

"Oi, Kiko!" Just your luck, you did not want to talk to Kuroo right now since your main priority was to go to the store, come back home, and make dinner for your dad. You turned around and waved at him. He smirked and walked up to you, he had some reusable bags in his hand flying around due to the wind. Your mind went blank, you were staring too hard at him. He was wearing a basic white t-shirt, grey sweatpants and white shoes. Why do sweatpants look so good on guys?

"Where are you headed?" His question snapped you out of your horrendous thoughts. 

"The grocery store, what about you?" You turned back around and kept walking, hoping that he would get the hint to keep walking next to you. Thankfully he wasn't as dumb as he seems to be and walked next to you. "I'm headed there too, my parents are out of town again and I don't have any more groceries for myself." You nodded and continued walking in silence.  

Kuroo was happy he got to see you this morning. He had also received a call earlier from his parents saying that their stay in the States was going to be extended since his fathers work ran into some issues that would take longer to solve. This was also normal for him, both of his parents were always busy with work which caused him and his older sister to learn how to take care of themselves. His sister moved out a couple of years ago when she went to college, so he lives on his own now. He was grateful to somehow bump into you this morning since he hated shopping on his own, he was very undecisive. 

"How come you're going on your own?" He looked at you waiting for an answer. 

"My dad's at work and he wanted me to make dinner tonight once he got home." You looked straight seeing that the grocery store was coming into view. 

"What about your mom?" He must have hit something because you went pale. Your eyes started to form tears, but you blinked them away just so Kuroo wouldn't see you cry. 

"She passed away last year." You managed to make a sentence without your voice cracking. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." You nodded and went inside the store with him. 

Old couples passed by the both of you as you shopped for food. Some smiled widely at the two of you since you almost looked like a married couple. As you filled your basket with pork and other red meat you saw Kuroo have a lot of fish in his. 

"What are you a shark? Why do you eat so much fish?" He looked back at you with an annoyed face. 

"Huh? What are you a lion? It's not my fault you lack docosahexaenoic acid!" He fully turned around facing you. Your mouth was wide open and your eyebrows rose up. 

"Excuse me? What are you even talking about? Doco- what?" You waved your arms in the air and cracked a small laugh. 

He laughed as well and shook his head, "I think you would get along with another third year on our team." You giggled and lightly slapped his arm. "Shut it, nerd." He laughed even more as both of you walked to the cash registers. 

Once both of you paid, you walked back home together. The silence wasn't as awkward anymore as it was that morning. The sun was out and it was a little hotter than earlier. Kuroo was happy to share a laugh with you over something stupid. That moment almost felt like déjà vu to him, but with a female instead of an annoying libero. 

"Hey, Kuroo," Your voice caught him off guard. "Thank you for coming to the store with me, it was nice to have someone shop with me." A light blush began to appear once again on his face. He smiled and finally realized you were standing outside of your house again. 

"Anytime, I enjoyed your company as well." Now it was you with the small blush appearing. Never in your life did you think Kuroo would enjoy hanging out with you. "See you Monday." He waved and walked back in the direction of his home. 

Once inside your house you set everything up everything to start cooking dinner for your dad. 

Spending time with Kuroo was too much for you. You had just moved back and didn't expect him to actually like being around you. Honestly, you expected to find the same annoying, disrespectful boy from your childhood who continuously broke your heart. But instead, you found a boy who just wanted to make it up to you since he realized what he did was wrong.