"He did what now?"

Sneakers shuffling against concrete, I gripped the strap of my backpack as I stared up into the eyes of the lanky first year. He had been waiting patiently at the back gate of the school grounds, already clad in his team uniform.

"He told me to make sure you didn't escape! Those exact words!" Inuoka replied with a smile, obviously not reading the situation very well. If he did realise, then he was just very good at playing dumb. He'd caught me in an attempt at getting out of practice. It had been over a week now, and I'd stuck it out, but there was only so much sweat and balls a girl could take while sober.

"I'm...not escaping? I have a doctor appointment today, so I can't make it. He must've forgotten, but I've got a note in here somewhere if you don't believe me..." I made a fake-out move to check my bag, but the boy hurriedly lifted his hands up to stop me.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it if that's the case! I'll go remind him for you!" Inuoka replied, smiling sweetly as he turned to head back to the gym. "I'll see you tomorrow, (L/N)!" Did I feel bad about lying to the kid? Not really. He'd get over it.

Finally, I can go have some fun!

With a pep in my step, I exited the school gates and started down the road, trying to decide where I'd check out first. There were a few local parks I'd already snuck out to during the night to have a smoke, and a couple of other spots I'd heard about from making conversation with other like minded teens online. So much to choose from, so little time.

"Oop, nice try!"

All of a sudden, my feet were swinging off the ground, and my neck bunched up into the collar of my shirt as something held me from under the pits.
"What the fu-" I tilted my head all the way back to meet bright green eyes, and I immediately deflated. "Lev, buddy, I'm gonna give you three seconds to put me down."

Shaking his head, the second tree of defence started walking back the way I had come from, letting my pits slip from his hands into the crooks of his elbows so I couldn't just slide on out of his grip.
"Sorry, (L/N), but I'm under strict orders from Yaku to make sure you don't run off!"

What am I, a criminal?!

"Do I have to remind you that he's my literal nephew? He has no say in where I go or what I do." I squirmed about, trying to free myself, but I guess volleyball built up more muscle than I expected, because I was stuck fast.
"Coach agreed with him, so unless he's your nephew too, you're going to have to deal with it!"

I fought a lot harder this time, but Lev was a lot stronger than I was, and by the time we reached the gymnasium I was worn out, legs dangling a good foot above the ground in utter defeat. Talk about embarrassing.

"You can't outsmart me, (Y/N)." Yaku looked so freaking proud of himself as he walked up to us, a big, smug ol' smile on his face. "You can run, and you can hide, but remember who always won at tag and hide and seek."

Scowling so hard I could feel the pinch in my brow, I was finally released, and I rolled my shoulders around, still unsure whether or not I'd decided to hit him yet, or Lev, for that matter.
"Keep an eye on that toothbrush of yours, Morisuke...cuz I'm more than happy to make your breath match that shit eating grin..."

"Real mature. Now, move it. You can sit with our bags." Yaku rolled his eyes, sweeping his leg out and gently kicked the backs of my ankles, forcing me to walk forward. Muttering some unsavoury curses under my breath, I trudged through the middle of the court to what was essentially my time out corner.

"What, don't wanna hang out with us? I'm hurt." Kuroo teased as I passed by him, and I shot him a glare.
"I thought you were on my side?" I asked with a growl, and he simply shrugged.
"Hey, I said I'd rile him up, that's all. I have a duty to be loyal to my bro."

Pausing, I turned to give him a very convincing pout, tucking my hands behind my back. It was always a good move if I wanted to look sweet and innocent.
"Okay, I understand. I guess you don't like me enough to be loyal to me, too...Now I feel silly, because I was starting to like you a whole lot..."

There was that dusty pink against his cheeks again. Not as prominent as the first time I'd made it happen, but it was enough for me. If I was stuck here for another day, then at least I'd get some fun out of it.
"Nuh uh, don't buy into it! She's just trying to draw you in so you'll let her run off next time!" Yaku jumped in to snap Kuroo out of it and I slumped again, dropping the act and making the rest of the way to my spot.

"Buzzkill." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he returned in kind, pulling one of his lower eyelids down with his finger.
"Brat." Kuroo wasn't flushed any longer, but he still kept his eyes on me, so I shot him a 'nyeh' of the tongue too, for good measure. All I got out of him was a smirk.

Well, two and a half hours of boredom yet again...

As the Nekoma team went through their usual drills, I began to arrange their bags into a pile around myself, essentially creating a pathetic half fortress of canvas and vinyl. By the time I'd done that, not long had passed, and I still had enough space at the top to peek over the wall of bags.

"Heads up!" Kai shouted out a warning, and I watched as a stray ball sailed my way. Both arms up, it was pretty easy to catch. If it had been one of those spikes I would have been done for.
"Awesome reflexes, (L/N)!" Lev approached, smiling as usual, his hands out and ready for me to give it back to him.

Making dead eye contact, I slowly lowered the ball into my lap, protected by my fortified wall.
"Oh, no. This is mine now." He blinked, I blinked, he deflated and I stuck my chest out, even when Yaku stomped on over.
"Give the ball back, (Y/N)!" He demanded, but we both knew that wasn't going to happen, especially now that all focus was on us.

"This right here," I motioned to the bags surrounding me. "is a sovereign nation. You have no authority beyond these walls, Morisuke. However, I would be willing to strike a deal. This ball for the release of your prisoner. It's me. I'm the prisoner."

The ginger made one of my favourite sounds, complete exasperation, and aggressively motioned to me with both his hands as he turned to Coach Nekomata, as if it say 'See?! This is what I have to put up with!'.
"Leave her be, Yaku. We have plenty of balls." The elderly man chuckled, and I gave him a thumbs up as thanks.

By the end of practice I had accumulated several more spherical citizens for my bag nation, but alas, no amount had been enough to win back my freedom.
"So, I can go now? It's over?" I asked hopefully as the boys began to come and collect their bags, which caused the balls to start spilling over and rolling across the gym.

"Nope, you have to come with me to pick up the groceries mom asked for." Yaku replied, unphased by the way I threw myself back against the wall.
"You seriously don't even trust me to walk home by myself?! What's next?! An ankle monitor?!" The look Yaku gave me spoke volumes before he even opened his mouth.
"Would you trust yourself to walk home by yourself with your track record?"

Touché, dear nephew. Touché.

"How about a compromise?" Kuroo piped up, bending down to pick up his own bag, along with another he passed to Kenma, who looked just as done as I felt.
"Nah, you give her an inch and she takes a mile. Compromises are a gateway to chaos." Yaku did a little skip and hop to avoid my foot, that shot out to try and kick his ankle.

"I was just going to offer to walk her home. You won't have to deal with her complaining, and she won't have to be dragged along. It's kind of a win win, if you think about it." As much as I didn't want to be escorted, it was a decent idea. Both Kuroo and Kenma lived in the same direction, and if it meant I would be spared having to lug bags of groceries home then I wouldn't refuse.

Besides...I can probably get away from them before we reach home anyway...

"It's settled then!" I announced, springing to my feet before Yaku had the chance to respond, grabbing my own bag to sling over my shoulder. "Nothing to worry about, Momo! I'll have a big strong chaperone, and you'll be bitch free for a while! Byeeee!"

Grabbing Kuroo by the arm, I started rushing him towards the doors of the gym, and Kenma plodded along behind us, already pulling his console from the front pocket of his bag.

It was nearing summer, and the cicadas were beginning to awaken, so the night air held a kind of buzz to it as we left the school grounds, path lit by street lamps.
"So, you really going to mess with Yaku's toothbrush, or was that just an empty threat?" Kuroo asked, and I released his arm now that we were clear of the school.

"Maybe. We'll see how I feel when I'm next in the bathroom." I hummed, dropping back a little to peer over Kenma's shoulder. "What'chya playing?" This was the start of my plan. Casual conversation. I'd make sure to lull both of them into a sense of security, then I'd make my move to skedaddle.

"Legacy of Imelda, Cries of the Queendom." He replied in short, too focused on mashing buttons to pay me much mind. That worked for me. Now it was just the bed headed captain I had to beat.
"Y'know, just because you're friends with Momo doesn't mean you can't throw me a bone once in a while..." I sped up again, making sure to bump arms with the team captain.

"Th..Throw you a bone..?" As expected, my choice of words had the third year averting his eyes, even if it wasn't actually dirty. "It's nothing personal, I just promised Yaku I'd help keep an eye on you." That annoyed me, despite the fact I already knew about it.

"What exactly has he said about me, huh?" I wanted to know, especially since the Nekoma boys really seemed to be taking it seriously.
"Not much, really. Just that he's worried about you, and that he promised his mom and the principal that he'd keep an eye on you." Kuroo hummed, tucking his hands into his pockets as we walked. "I didn't expect him to sick Lev on you, though. Why, you a secret felon, or something?"

So he hasn't been running his mouth? That's a first.

Spinning to walk backwards, I skipped to be directly in front of Kuroo, each respective leg moving back as his went forward.
"I don't kiss and tell~" I purred, enjoying the way he still didn't want to look directly at me. Flirting was a cheap trick, but I knew how teen boys worked. If I wanted to get my way, then I'd use whatever advantage I had at my disposal.

"Did you get pregnant or something?" I stopped dead when Kenma spoke up, placing my hand on Kuroo's chest to halt him, staring at the blond until he bumped into his friend's back.
"Wow, okay, that's a negatory, my dude." I was thrown off by how casually the weedy setter had asked it, but he had still barely looked up from his game.

"Excuse him. He doesn't think when he has his nose buried in that thing." Kuroo chuckled, watching as Kenma walked around us to continue towards home. If I wanted to get away, I'd have to make my attempt now, or else I'd be stuck for another night. At least until everyone else went to bed.

"Listen, Kuroo...I have a proposition for you..." I kept my hand against his chest, leaning up on the tips of my toes. Damn, he was pretty tall too. Yaku must hate that. He tensed under my touch, but I had finally caught his eyes. "All I want to do is go see one of my friends for a little while, but Momo has such a tight leash on me that he won't even let me do that. It's hardly fair...So why don't we cut a deal?"

Kuroo took a half step backwards, stopping only because I was using his chest as a way to balance.
"What kind of a deal..?" Success! He was buying into it. I knew laying some ground word would come in handy.
"If you let me go, and tell Momo you dropped me home without issue, I'll do anything you want, no questions asked."

Clearing his throat, Kuroo glanced over the top of my head towards where Kenma was still walking along, either oblivious or just uncaring that we weren't with him.
"A..Anything, huh..?" Yep, typical teen. Even though he was basically an adult already, they were all the same. I wasn't above some heavy petting if it meant I could scram.

"Anything at all~" I murmured, almost on complete point with my toes to try to reach his face, throwing in a few quick glimpses at his lips. His cheeks were nice and pink again, so I knew I had him in the bag. It was just too easy.
"And...you promise you're not going to get into any actual trouble..?"

Aw, bless him.

"All I want to do is go see my friend and chill out for a while. No felonious activities, cross my heart." I wasn't exactly lying. There was no issue in going to have a few drinks and a smoke session with some people if we didn't get caught.
"Okay...Then in return I want you to put some actual effort into being our team manager."

Actual what..?

That had been the last thing I had expected him to ask for. A kiss, a makeout session, hell, maybe even some groping or something a little more, but an actual request with substance? Regarding volleyball? I blinked at him a few times before narrowing my eyes.
"Effort..? Are you serious?"

He nodded firmly, a smirk spreading to his lips as he used his index finger to push me back to a normal stand.
"As a heart attack. All I'm asking is that you join in a little, learn how the game works. Some of the guys see the other managers doing stuff for their teams and it kind of sinks their moral a bit."

Damn...Captain mode thwarted horny boy mode...

"In return for that you'll tell Momo you saw me home..?" I'd agree to it, but it didn't mean that our versions of effort were the same. He held his hand up, pinky out, tilting his head with the same lazy smile.
"I'll tell him I walked you all the way to your door and watched you go inside."

Snorting, I hooked my pinky with his, sealing our deal in the sacred manner.
"Wow, and here I was thinking you'd ask me to do something naughty." I quirked a brow and the boy averted his gaze again, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"I'm...not like that. Besides, you're Yaku's aunt. That's gotta break some kind of code, right?" He laughed awkwardly, and I joined him, though I wasn't at all weird about it.
"Suit yourself, my dude." I shrugged, side stepping so I could head back in the direction we had come from. "But hey, seriously, you're a real one. We should hang sometime."

Shooting him a round of finger guns, I turned tail and sprinted on out of there. That was easier than I had imagined it would be. Honestly, it could have gone either way, especially after his mention of loyalty back at practice.

Now all I had to worry about were the repercussions when I got home later, but hey, out of sight out of mind. I could deal with that once I'd had my fun.