Pull Me Back - Kuroo x Reader

Chapter 10

I start the hike back to the bus stop, praying that I won't have to wait a long time for a bus. It's much later than I thought. Somehow even with only two games, a lot of time passed. And I'm hungry.

I hum to myself as I walk. I would put in earbuds, but it's dark and I want to be self-aware. This is a new city after all. I've been walking for about ten minutes when I hear my name being called. Looking around to find where the voice is coming from, I see that there's a car slowly moving next to me. I have a heart attack for second, but then I see Kuroo at the wheel and I let out a breath.

"Hey, y/n! Do you need a ride?" He says, motioning to his car.

"I don't want you to go out of your way for me. Plus you don't know where I--wait--yes you do, nevermind..."

"Be quiet and get in the car. It's not a problem."

Okay, well how do I say no to that? "Fine," I say, checking the street before hurrying around to the passenger side. I open the door and hop in. 

His car is nice, not flashy or expensive-looking, but a nice, black sedan. I immediately notice it smells like him inside and it's a struggle not to deeply inhale. He smells very good. I also smell shampoo--or maybe soap. He must've taken a shower after his match. I have to work hard to not recall my dream. His hair isn't as spikey as it usually is, probably because it's damp. It still looks just as good. Gosh...I have to stop with these thoughts. He's just a friend. Plus after all the things I learned about him tonight, I don't really want to be some insignificant hookup. He's more than just a body and so am I. I like our friendship.

"Good job tonight! You absolutely killed it!" I say, my enthusiasm unable to be contained. 

He chuckles and drags one hand through his hair, the other on the wheel. "I told you I'm amazing at volleyball!"

"Wow, so humble."

"Being humble is overrated. So do you love volleyball now?"

"Okay...don't say 'I told you so' but yeah...I'm hooked. That was amazing."

"I TOLD YOU SO!!! I knew you'd love it! I just did! Plus, how could anyone resist watching me play?" He looks the complete opposite of humble.

"Gosh, you are impossible," I say, rolling my eyes and smiling. "I'm pretty sure the only reason you could hit any of those balls is because Kenma is a good setter."

"That is totally not true. Sure he's a good setter but--yeah no, he's a really good setter and that's probably the main reason I'm able to do as well as I do."

That was...sort of humble? Kind of? 

I want to ask him if he's actually okay and I want to ask what happened during the game when he wasn't doing his best, but I feel nervous to. I don't want him to completely shut down or get mad at me. Instead, I switch gears. Big breath...here I go.

"Hey, can I have your number? I figure a normal thing for friends to do is text each other, so maybe we should do that." Fuck me in the ass. What in the word vomit was that? I blush.

He glances at me, lashes lowered, and a slow smile spreads across his face. I'm so embarrassed--

"Yeah. That is definitely a normal thing for friends to do. And yeah," He smirks, his voice low "we should do that."

He tells me his number and I find that my heart is racing. Must be something in the air--oh wait--the only thing in the air is his smell. Hmm...

We're chatting about school when Kuroo suddenly reaches over and tugs at the arm of my sweatshirt. "This looks cozy," He says, hand still on the sleeve. My sweatshirt falls off my shoulder, exposing it, and I quickly yank it back up. He puts both of his hands back on the wheel. It's really not a big deal, he's seen my shoulders before, and after all, they're shoulders...But somehow that moment felt charged with something. My face heats. 

"Yeah, um, I got it for like $5. It's nothing special, but yeah, it's cozy. Anyways...um...were you okay today? You just seemed kind of down." Oh gosh, wasn't I going to avoid this topic of conversation?

He's gripping the steering wheel, and I can see the veins in his arms popping. Bad sign. He takes a deep breath.

"Y/n just don't worry about it. I'm--I'll be fine. I'm just going through some stuff at home right now. I'll tell you about it sometime, but right now, I just...can't. I can't. I'm sorry." He is looking straight ahead and there's a muscle in his jaw ticking. I don't think he's mad though, I think he's...sad.

"Okay, okay, yeah. Never mind, it's none of my business. You don't have to tell me anything anyways. Don't worry about it, Kuroo!" I say, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. We pull into my driveway. That felt like a fast drive. 

I start to get out the car, but he grabs my wrist, his hand warm and solid. I stop and look at him. 

He looks at me and there's agony in his eyes. "You don't get it...Y/n...You don't have to diminish your worth like that. I like talking to you, being friends with you. Yeah, I haven't known you for long, but I feel like I can talk to you about things that I've always only ever been able to talk to Kenma about. It doesn't matter how long we've known each other, I want to tell you things and I like telling you things, remember that. Tonight...I just can't."

I'm speechless. It feels like I'm talking to a best friend that I've known for years, not someone whom I met a week ago in a convenience store. I want to lean over and hug him. I want to tell him how much that means to me. I want to tell him to take his time because I'll always be here for him to talk to.

Instead, I bring my other hand to where his is on my wrist. I gently put my hands over his. "Thank you, Kuroo. And I get it. I'll be here when you need me." I let go of him and climb out of the car.

"Goodnight, Kuroo, you really did do amazing today."

"Goodnight, y/n. Thank you for coming today. I'll see you tomorrow." He pulls out of the driveway and soon, the only thing left of him is his phantom touch on my wrist.