Archive of Our Own ^beta

Atsumu hates his intro to psych class. It’s only the first week of school and somehow he was already failing.

The class is stupidly hard and the fact that there were 270 other students in different sections of the course, left his professor with only so many open spots for tutoring himself.

He had said that his TAs would be offering a few sessions and posting their times outside his office’s door. So Atsumu had signed up with the first name he saw. A Shouyou something or the other.

He had decided to drown his sorrows at a INZ annual fox bash for welcome week, which was held on Friday night. He woke up on Saturday with a massive hangover, a missed called from an unknown number and a voice mail.

“ Hi! This is Shouyou, your intro to to psych tutor! I will be at the crow’s nest cafe from 8 am to 11 am!” The voice was way too cheery for a Saturday morning, “ look for the orange hair! See ya!”

It was now 10:30 am and Atsumu really didn’t wanna go but he also didn’t wanna fail out of the class. He quickly put on some gray sweats, a tank top and his running shoes and headed to the cafe.

10 minutes later, he’s walking through the doors of the crow’s nest, which is a little bit of a Starbucks wanna be but way more hipster. He looks for the orange head, as instructed in the voice mail.

He sees a guy in a corner booth, maybe a little younger than him wearing a  black tank top and matching running shorts. His bright, tangerine hair is contrasting with the obscure hipster vibe the cafe has going on. Raybans sit on his orange hair, and there’s a couple of books splayed in front of him. For a moment, Atsumu is wonderstruck at how beautiful his tutor is.

He held a highlighter in between his lips and for a moment Atsumu is jealous of that highlighter.

Wait what? He thinks.

“Heya,” he says as he stands in front of the booth, waving a little.

“Oh! You must be Atsumu! Please sit! We have to make this quick since I have to go to work after this!”

Shouyou then just proceeds to give him a couple of notes he had scribbled while waiting for Atsumu to show and told him to review them before the next class.

They set up a meeting time for during the week, one for during the weekend. Atsumu tries to apologize for being so late but Shouyou shrugs it off, “I managed to work on some stuff while waiting in between the other people I tutor! You’re good! Just try to be on time next time! Bye!”

With that the tangerine man ran out of the cafe and Atsumu was just staring at the neatly scribbled notes on the difference between values and fact and what psychology is as a science.

The next time they meet is on Wednesday, when Atsumu has no classes. Shouyou said he finished his only class of the day so they once again meet in the crow’s nest.

“Alright, Atsumu, I want you to complete this quiz before we begin!”

“What?! Ya didn’t say there was gonna be a quiz! Dude!”

“All you had to do was read a page of notes, Atsumu. I know you frat guys are busy with the partying and stuff but it was just a page,” Shouyou says incredulous.

“Got somethin’ against frats, pretty boy?”

“Don’t call me that,” Shouyou says glaring a little, “most of my best friends are in frats, so no nothing against frats. I just don’t party like you guys.”

“So if I can’t call you pretty boy, can I call you gorgeous?” Atsumu is leaning his head against his palm, staring into the bronze ones glaring at him.

“Atsumu,” not even a blush in sight, “stop being inappropriate.”

Atsumu laughs but just begins working in his quiz. He obviously doesn’t pass it.

Shouyou opens the textbook and assigned readings and begins explaining the basic concepts in everyone of them. He talks about the boring concepts with so much energy and enthusiasm. Atsumu feels enamored just by half paying attention. 

Atsumu knows he should be listening to these explanations as they were a dumbed down version of the papers. However, Atsumu prefers staring at the expression in Shouyou’s face.

“Ya make psychology seem fun, Shouyou.”

“Atsumu, I can only do so much.”

“Let me buy ya dinner,” Atsumu says unabashed.

“No, focus.”

“C’mon, Shouyou! One date!”

“I said no,” Shouyou sounds a bit annoyed so Atsumu decides to leave it at that for now.

“All right! Can ya explain how scientist used animals and compared their behavior to humans again please?”

Shouyou begins animatedly telling him about the experiments conducted and Atsumu really tries to listen but Shouyou, he’s just too gorgeous.

Their tutoring continues and Atsumu uses every chance he can to flirt with him. But Shouyou doesn’t budge.

That is until one day, Shouyou has the highlighter in his mouth and leaves a little mark on his cheek.

Without thinking, Atsumu licks his thumb and wipes at it. Shouyou stares at him, ears turning bright red.

“Ya had highlighter on yer face. Yer very important but ya shouldn’t brag, Shou,” Atsumu says, grinning.

“You’re the weirdest frat boy I’ve ever met. And trust me, Bokuto is pretty weird.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Oh! Shou is the first compliment you’ve ever given me!”

“Shut up,” Shouyou’s face is now red, like the t-shirt he’s wearing that day, “read about the structure of the cerebral cortex, it might be part of the midterm.”

“Ah look at ya! Ya like me so much yer gonna help me pass the class!”

“I’m your tutor, you moron!” Shouyou flicks him in the forehead, “of course I want you to pass!”

Atsumu laughs it off and shifts a little closer to Shouyou. For some reason Shouyou doesn’t move.

Somehow, Atsumu manages to pass his psych midterm. It’s probably because Shouyou helps him so much, explaining parts of the PowerPoint that he didn’t understand.

He starts doing a little better in the class going from an F to a solid C. That’s when Shouyou suggests that they stop their tutoring and Atsumu’s world shatters.

“But why?”

“You’re doing better now! And I’m glad! You could probably get up to a B by the end of the semester!” Shouyou says happily as he starts packing up his books.

They had just finished what Shouyou probably though was their last session. Atsumu is pouting, and Shouyou stares at him for a moment and smiles.

“Well, I’ll see you around, Atsumu!”

Shouyou leaves without looking back.

Shouyou knew it was a bad idea coming to a frat party. He couldn’t remember what frat Atsumu was in, but more than likely he would run into him here.

The NKF frat his close friends Bokuto and Kuroo belonged to, threw a great hell week party. It was actually fun enough that his best friend and roommate, Kenma, attended. Kenma never went anywhere without the promise of a new game, but when it came to hell week party, Kenma came without a bribe.

“Come on, Kenma! Let’s do shots!”

“Shou, I’m not carrying you to bed again,” Kenma looked up from his Switch.

“You say that every time, but you still do it!”

“Well, well, is this why you rejected me so much, Shou-you?” Atsumu appears out of nowhere, stressing his name into two slow syllabus.

“What? No, Kenma is-“

“Whatever, see ya, Shouyou’s boyfriend, Shouyou.” Just as fast as he came, Atsumu disappears.

“Is that the guy you were tutoring that you had to stop tutoring cause you thought he was super attractive?” Kenma asks.

“I want him to blow my back out.”

Thankfully, Kuroo approaches them with a bunch Jell-O shots and Shouyou downs three.

“Slow down, Shou,” Kuroo warns, “I will lock you in my room if you get too crazy, again.”

The night goes on and Shouyou has slowed down his drinking. It’s near two am and he’s ready to crash. He climbs up the stairs of the frat house and goes into Kuroo’s room, taking of his shirt and pants and crawling underneath the bed, where Kenma is already asleep.

He starts swiping through his phone, looking at memes before sleeps starts taking over, when his phone starts vibrating with an incoming call.

Shouyou answers quickly so that Kenma doesn’t wake, “hello?”

“Did ya get home okay?”

“I’m staying in Kuroo’s room.”

There’s silence for a whole minute. Shouyou really feels the need to explain but is interrupted, “well I hope you enjoy-“

“I’m not sleeping with them!” He whisper shouts.

“Then why are you sleeping on their bed?!”

“What? Want me to sleep in yours?”

“Yeah.”

Shouyou was sure Atsumu hadn’t meant that but there’s a quiet knock on the door. Shouyou puts his pants on and slips on his shirt before opening the door and finding a slightly tipsy Atsumu.

Atsumu grabs his hand, moving towards the stairs and out of the house. His frat is just a block from NKF. Atsumu opens the door and this frat house is eerily quiet.

“They’re all at the party, come on.”

Atsumu pulls him upstairs to a room that has a giant A in the door. Shouyou thinks it’s ridiculous, and giggles a little bit.

“What?” Atsumu asks, after he pulls Shouyou through the door.

“Your door is ridiculous,” Shouyou says.

“Well, yer ridiculous,” Atsumu sits on the bed and pulls Shouyou close. His head landing on Shouyou’s torso. He hugs Shouyou’s waist tightly.

“I like ya, Shouyou.”

“I like you too, Atsumu.”

“Ya do?”

“I’m here with you.”

“But are ya?”

Shouyou pushes Atsumu into the bed. He cuddles up next to him. Not caring that they’re both still wearing clothes.

“Yes.”

“Promise this ain’t a dream?”

“It’s not a dream, Atsumu,” to emphasize his point, Shouyou grabs Atsumu’s cheek and punches it a bit.

“Yer gonna be here when I wake up?”

Shouyou kiss his lips sweetly.  Atsumu sighs into it.

“I’ll be here for as long as you want me here.”