he'd tired to swallow the feeling for so long. he didn't realise when it dissolved like sugar on his tounge (see what i did there), filling his senses.
for the first time in all of his years, he ached to listen to someone's rambling. it didn't matter. whether it was about his schedules, diet, holidays– hearing you speak, speak for him, ignited something unfamiliar in the soft corner he'd have embedded in his heart only for you.
you were so composed, nonchalant. his fingers inched to unravel through all the layers of the 'scary and strict' facade you had built around yourself.
you never spoke about your life outside of the relentless training and sweaty armpits. you just sat there, scribbling into your notebook.
which was used to keep 'records' apparently.
sometimes, practices ran late. the kind lady that cleaned the place told you to go home, but you stayed. stayed for him, or to hear about the lady's problems with her husband? he didn't know.
it didn't matter, you always stayed.
then, one evening, when he was walking you home to 'get extra miles in' you told him that you wanted to be like the manager from haikyuu.
he'd always looked forward to her appearing on screen anyway.
a/n: kiyoko is my entire life sorry this is so dumb and mb for my absence
in which──you have a crush on your math tutor, kiyoko.
kiyoko x gn! reader ✶ fluff, mutual pining 1.4k ୨୧ written for the lovely @ottocre ! my first time writing for kiyoko, hope i did her justice > <
“you know this.” kiyoko murmured. her voice was quiet and steady, carrying a low timbre that made your stomach flutter.
you bit your lip, fiddling with the edges of your notebook.
you do know the answer to this question—or you would have, if you could focus on anything but the way her knee nudged against the side of your thigh, soft locks slipping past her shoulder when she leaned across the table, watching you intently.
it started off with something small.
her hand brushing against yours when she handed you a pen, eyes lingering on you for just a moment too long. you told yourself it was nothing more than wishful thinking, your brain forcing meaning into something when there was none.
but then she began to lean in every time you asked her a question, closer and closer. until she got so close that you had to remind yourself to breathe, to ignore the way her warm breath skimmed past your cheeks.
but the worst of it all was when she fell silent to let you work, because the weight of her gaze alone was a hundred times louder than the nervous drumming of your heart.
even now, when she finally decided to settle back against her chair, the faint trail of her perfume clung stubbornly in the air.
“do you need a break?”
your eyes flicked up to kiyoko, who gave you a smile. there wasn’t anything special about her smile, not this time. it was the same courteous one she always wears. still, it was enough to make your heart stutter.
“yeah.” you breathed out, not trusting yourself to form a coherent sentence.
kiyoko closed her notebook with a quiet thud, before pulling out a small brown paper bag from her tote. you recognised the logo printed on it immediately—your favourite bakery.
“here.” kiyoko handed you the bag, “it’s a muffin.”
you stared at the bag dumbly, then back up at her.
“i heard you like muffins.” kiyoko added quickly, clearing her throat. if your mind wasn’t so muddled up by her mere presence, you might have noticed the pink that began to spread across her cheeks.
“did you…” your voice faltered.
the logical part of your brain told you to stop. because there was no way kiyoko went out of her way to go to your favourite bakery—they were notorious for selling out the first thing in the morning, and that would mean she lined up before the bakery had even opened just to buy this muffin.
“eat it before it gets cold.” kiyoko said, voice softer than usual. and when she noticed you still staring at her, she broke away, finger idly tracing patterns on the cover of her textbook.
“thank you. really.” you whispered, words rolling off your tongue, slow with sincerity.
kiyoko sent you a quick side glance, nervous, almost. but then she smiled, one of the rare ones that made her eyes curve into crescent moons.
“i’ll bring you another one next time.”
and she kept her promise.
every time you showed up to a tutoring session, she’d be waiting with the same brown paper bag, offering it to you like it was part of a normal routine. and soon, it did become one. you even started to locate where she was sitting in the library from just the smell of the muffin alone.
on the days you craved a treat, your legs would work with a mind of their own, dragging your body all the way to the sports hall, discretely passing by the steel doors a few times in hopes of catching a glimpse of kiyoko.
sometimes, she’d notice you, and you liked to believe that the light sparkling in her eyes was because of you, and not the sunlight peeking through the windows.
you thought your feelings would simmer down with time, but you couldn’t be more wrong. with each week that passed, her ministrations inked its place like a tattoo in your mind. small touches, affectionate smiles, lingering gazes. held together by a frayed string, about to snap.
and it did, the week before your exam.
kiyoko was late.
she was never late.
you suggested meeting at a nearby cafe instead, hoping to buy her a coffee to thank her for all her help, and for the muffins, of course. but now you were left staring at your phone in worry.
rain pattered against the windows harshly, wind blowing so violently that it drowned out the jazz music playing in the background.
you were just about to call her when the door slammed open.
kiyoko rushed in, breathless. her usual styled hair fell flat against her head, dripping with rainwater. she spotted you quickly, boots squelching against the tiled floor as she made her way over to you.
“sorry.” she said before you could even speak, her voice airy from exertion. “the bakery was sold out. i had to go to another one.”
you stared at her, mouth agape, “you went to another bakery? in the rain? without an umbrella?”
kiyoko hesitated, wiping off the droplets of water clinging to her glasses. she hastily gathered her hair at the back of her head, tying it up into a loose bun.
“sorry. i must look like a mess.”
you wanted to laugh, because kiyoko looked nothing short of stunning. in fact, she looked like a model who had just finished a professional photoshoot in the rain, and if it wasn’t for the worry gnawing away at your heart, your knees would have buckled from just the sight of her alone.
“you don’t.” you replied, voice thick with the emotions that coiled in your throat, “not at all.”
kiyoko fell silent for a moment, before slowly taking out a crumpled brown paper bag with a logo you had gotten so used to seeing.
“kiyoko—”
your voice cut off when a violent shudder ran through her body, making you shoot up from your seat, faster than light.
you grabbed your jacket and draped it over her shoulders, feeling her body tremble against your own, “you shouldn’t have,” your chest tightened with guilt, “you’ll catch a cold, you really didn’t need to—”
“your smile.” she interrupted, pressing the paper bag into your arms. there was a firm, unyielding tone to her voice. one that meant she was being stubborn, painfully so. “your face lights up. every time.”
you didn’t know if you wanted to cry or smile. maybe both.
“please don’t do this again.” your voice cracked a little, but the corners of your lips surrendered into a faint smile. “i don’t care that much about a muffin.”
“i know it was reckless. but…” kiyoko averted her gaze, pulling your jacket tighter around herself. “i don’t know what came over me. i suppose i didn’t want to keep you waiting.”
your brows furrowed, mouth dry with emotions that threatened to boil over. you wanted nothing more than to pull her into a your arms—and so you did. you hugged her with such an intensity that it surprised the both of you. but you didn’t let go, and neither did she.
“you’re stupid.” you mumbled against her skin. she was cold and damp from the rain, but you couldn’t care less.
“i know.” kiyoko whispered, her arms finding their place around your waist. “i should have just asked you out sooner.”
you froze at her words, jerking away from her hold, eyes wide as saucers. kiyoko’s hands tightened slightly on your waist, as if she was afraid you’d run away.
“i…” she stammered, “i didn’t mean to…”
but her hesitation faded immediately when she noticed the disappointment in your face. it took her a few seconds to understand, but when she did, she took in a sharp breath in realisation.
“can i take you on a date?” kiyoko asked softly. her voice was still an airy whisper, but this time, it carried a hint of hope. maybe you were clouded by the joy soaring through your heart, but you thought she never looked more beautiful. even after running through the pouring rain, beads of water clung to her lashes like stars in the night sky, skin dewy and glowing from the rain.
a smile spread across your face, giddy and wide. “yes,” the words spilled from your lips like a flood breaking through a dam. “yes i will.”
“even without the muffins?”
“even without the muffins.” you echoed, earning a bubbly laugh from her. the sound was so sweet and lovely that you’d trade all the muffins in the world just to hear it once more.
