Title: I Like-Like You

Pairing/s: Yaku and Lev, Kuroo and Kenma are mentioned.

Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu!, that belongs to the producers and the creators. I am doing this for my own fun, and not for profit in any way, shape or form.

Warning/s: Fluff; Mutual pining; Kuroo meddling; Kenma just wants to be left alone.

Chapter/s: One.

Word Count: 2 506.

Summary: Kuroo tries to get Lev to confess his feelings for Yaku. It goes just as well as you expect it to.

Author's Note: Completely self-indulgent. I hope you guys enjoy!

"Yaku-san, did you see that receive?!"

Kuroo glanced up at Lev's excited shout, beaming at Yaku with eyes that practically sparkled, chest puffed up with pride as he looked for praise.

"I did," Yaku said with a pleased smile, picking up another ball. "Let's see if you can do it again."

Lev readily got into position with determination and with how quick he was to follow Yaku got Kuroo's mind thinking. Lev had been handed over to Yaku to practice receives after he was doing better with Kenma and since then he hadn't seemed to leave the shorter boy alone, following him around like an adoring puppy, looking for praises and pats on the head. Now, that could just be Lev's personality and seemed to have grown some sort of hero-worship feelings towards Yaku, or it could be something a bit deeper.

A mischievous grin took over Kuroo's face as he wondered how he could help those two with those, uh, deeper feelings.

"Don't even think about it," Kenma said quietly, picking up a volleyball and putting it back into the basket.

"I'm not thinking anything," Kuroo defended as innocently as he could, which, according to the look Kenma gave him, was apparently not all that much. "And I was just going to give them a gentle nudge."

"You can give a gentle nudge as much as Lev can set."

Kuroo gasped in mock offense, putting a hand to his chest. "That cuts me deep, Kenma." But Kenma just ignored him and picked up another ball. Kuroo dropped the act and smirks.

Kenma saw this and sighed. "Do what you want, just don't be surprised when it blows up in your face."

Kuroo scoffed. "None of my plans blow up in my face."

"School festival," was the immediate response.

"Okay, that was one time-"

"My Birthday."

"Yeah, that got a little out of hand, but name one more-"

"Second day of training camp."

"I still maintain that the stove caught on fire by itself," Kuroo argued before waving a hand flippantly. "And anyway, Bokuto put it out."

Kenma gave him a deadpan stare. "With water. On a gas stove."

"Right, well, Akaashi put it out," Kuroo amended before continuing. "But that's beside the point, this is a matter of love, and this I have no faults."

"Our first date."

"Aw, come on, let me have one thing."

OoO

Kuroo watched the two of them over the next couple of days, just to make sure his assumption was correct. It became obvious soon enough that it was.

Where ever Yaku was Lev didn't seem far behind, like a long-legged eager shadow. Yaku never seemed bothered with it and was always willing to give Lev the attention he was seeking with a bright smile or a well-deserved blow. Although the hits appeared softer and more out of habit than real intent, unless of course Lev made a stupid comment about his height, then those were harsh and unapologetic.

This made Kuroo think Lev's crush wasn't entirely unreciprocated.

Lev had even stopped avoiding extra practices on receives like he used to and complied with them with mild complaining. Yaku handled these with equal parts aggression, which didn't seem to bother Lev at all and he bounced back quickly from them, and encouragement, which caused proud proclamations of being the Ace.

The worst was the adoring looks they both send each other when the other wasn't looking. Kuroo could have maybe leave them to figure out their crushes for themselves and listened to Kenma and not actually get involved for once, but seeing those longing looks made Kuroo dump those plans of right out the window. He had to do something.

"It's my duty as captain to help my fellow team-mates," Kuroo explained to a disinterest Kenma.

"Valentine's Day."

"That was your fault!"

OoO

"So, Lev," Kuroo drawled the next day when he and Lev are the only ones in the changing room, the rest have already gone out to set up for morning practice.

"Yes, Kuroo-san?" Lev asked, glancing curiously at the captain.

Kuroo smirked. "I see you've caught the bug."

Lev stared in confusion. "No, Kuroo-san, I'm in perfect health, got to be for the next practice game so I can show off how great of an Ace I am."

"Uh, no, not that bug," he corrected, realising that Lev wasn't understanding what he was implying and he really should have been clearer. "The love bug." He gave a suggestive look to make sure his meaning was obvious but by the spooked look Lev was giving him, he could see that he failed.

"Are those dangerous? What are the symptoms? Kuroo-san, am I dying?"

"Oh for the-" Kuroo cut himself off, rubbing his forehead in irritation before saying bluntly, "You have a big gay crush on Yaku."

Lev blinked a few times, processing those words and that fact that he wasn't, actually, going to die by some ridiculous thing called a love bug. He shrugged and admitted honestly, "Yeah, I do." before sudden realisation took over and he looked up at the captain with eyes wide in horror. "Kuroo-san, is it obvious? I really don't want Yaku-san to find out."

"I don't think Yaku has caught on yet," Kuroo assured the boy, since he didn't seem to have and Yaku could be pretty oblivious when it came to crushes. "But I'm getting tired of you two dancing around, so you're going to confess to him."

"I can't do that!" Lev protested. "What if he rejects me?"

"I doubt he will."

Lev shook his head furiously. "No, you don't understand, I don't want Yaku-san to be angry at me. He may be tiny but he hits really hard when he puts his mind to it. I don't want a bruise."

Kuroo should maybe talk to Yaku about his apparent anger-management problems but decided to continue. He looked at Lev seriously and said, "You tell him or I will."

Lev stared at his captain in horror. "Kuroo-san, you wouldn't!"

Kuroo gave Lev a smirk and walked off to join the others, leaving Lev in dismay.

OoO

Kuroo watched Lev for the next week as he became a nervous wreck around Yaku. Nine out of ten times he couldn't receive because he wasn't focusing, causing Yaku to shout at him more often than ever. He didn't perform well in the practice match either, missing most of Kenma's tosses and earning glares and confused looks from the team. He was even being less of his over-joyful self, instead turning into a jerky, clumsy mess.

Kuroo thought that Lev would have had the balls to go through with the confession and end the pining but it just seemed Kuroo had made everything worse. He was going to leave it for a couple of days, to give Lev more time, but at Kenma's annoyed and pointed looks it seemed he would indeed have to take matters back into his own hands.

OoO

Lev was on high alert the whole week, trying to make sure Kuroo and Yaku were never together. Of course them being team mates and part of the first-string it was a lot harder to do. But Yaku didn't seem to be acting any different so Kuroo-san mustn't have said anything.

It was this idea that Lev was lead into a false sense of security and Kenma having a new video game, that looked awesome but the second year refused to let go of his blue PSP for Lev to play it, that distracted Lev until it was too late.

"Hey, Yaku," Karoo said casually, him and Yaku just in front of Lev and Kenma on their walk to their homes. He threw a smirk at Lev which sent alarm bells ringing in Lev's head.

"Lev was telling me the other day that he-"

It was the feeling of pure white, knife sharp panic that caused Lev to blurt out the first, most ridiculous thing that came to mind.

"I'm going to die!"

"What!" Yaku yelled in obvious distressed, whipping around to stare widely at Lev. Kuroo just looked at Lev with a face that clearly demanded 'What the hell, idiot!'.

"Lev, are you okay?!"

Lev shook his head gravely, playing up the obvious lie. "Kuroo-san said I caught the love bug."

Kuroo groaned in obvious exasperation, but let the events unfold in some vain hope that maybe the desired results would happen.

Yaku frowned in confusion. "Lovebugs don't harm anyone and can only found in America. Kuroo, what the hell are you telling him?"

"They're not dangerous?" Lev asked hopefully while Kuroo blinked in surprise.

"Wait, they're real?"

"Yeah, Lev, you have nothing to worry about," Yaku reassured the first year with a smile and determinedly ignoring Kuroo's exclamation. Lev beamed back brightly at Yaku, so happy to have avoided the almost confession and have Yaku smile adorably at him like that.

Kenma was just glad that no one was bothering him anymore.

OoO

The excuses got even more ridiculous after that.

"Yaku, have you ever noticed that Lev-"

"That I'm shrinking!"

"Good. And give me the left over height while you're at it."

"Yaku, Lev said-"

"I'm pregnant!"

"Heaven have mercy on that child."

"Hey Yaku, Lev is determined-"

"To become a setter!"

Both Kuroo and Lev startled when Yaku crumpled into a wheezing mess on the floor, tears already starting to stream down. Lev looked cautiously down at his crush before whispering in horror to the captain.

"Kuroo-san, is Yaku-san dying?"

"No, Lev, that's him laughing."

"Oh… It's terrifying."

"Yes it is."

OoO

After a couple more tries that just ended up with Lev making more of a fool of himself than he already does, not getting any closer with revealing his feelings for Yaku, Kuroo decided to just go for the kill. He caught up to Yaku on the way home from practice, not even bothering to check if Lev was nearby to swoop in and fail to admit his feelings, and opened his mouth to fully tell him.

"Okay, Yaku, Lev has a big-"

Suddenly Yaku was roughly plucked up from underneath his arms and forcibly carried away from Kuroo by a panicked Lev. Kuroo should have been annoyed that Lev was interrupting him again but the bewildered and annoyed look on Yaku's face and his angry demands to be put down this instant was just too good.

Kuroo had never laughed so hard in his life as he did in that moment.

OoO

"Lev, I mean it!" Yaku shouted, squirming in the tight hold so much that he could feel his school shirt starting to ride up fast. "Let me go you beanpole!" Yaku began to swing his legs furiously back and forth, hoping to hit something that belonged to Lev. And if it happened to be his balls, all the more better.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Lev muttered, holding Yaku further away from his body and hurrying to a place that contained no Kuroo.

Lev quickly released his senpai when he deemed they were far enough away from Kuroo's bad influences. Lev's hands hovered worriedly when he realised that he dropped Yaku too fast causing him to stumble a bit.

"Sorry," Lev muttered again when Yaku sent one of his harsher glares, fully preparing and accepting the hit to his chest.

"What the hell, Lev!" Yaku demanded, adding a blow for each word. "What gave you the right to pick me up!?" Yaku added an extra hit for good measures before crossing his arms over his chest and levelling Lev a disapproving and pissed-off look.

Lev avoided the stare, looking everywhere as he began to fidget greatly. He bit his lips before confessing in a rush, "Kuroo-san was going to tell you something that I didn't want you to know."

"Oh."

Lev glanced back at his crush when he heard the soft reply, heart breaking a bit when he saw the flash of hurt that went across Yaku's face before he closed it off. He seemed to be contemplating something before asking, "Is it so bad that I know?"

"Uh, well," Lev began eloquently, shifting his weight from side to side anxiously. "It's just I don't know how Yaku-san will respond to it."

Yaku raised an eyebrow. "I think I handled you being pregnant pretty well."

Lev laughed nervously at that, realising how ridiculous he was being with all those interruptions and what an idiot Yaku-san must think he is. Maybe it was time for Yaku to be told, there was not more damage he could do, he reasoned, looking down at Yaku's curious but patient eyes and realising all over again how much he really, really liked the little libero.

Lev took a deep breath in and finally said, "I really like you, Yaku-san. And not just like but like-like."

He refused to look his senpai in the eye while being equal parts relived and terrified at finally confessing.

"Is that all?" Lev whipped his head up fast at the casual question, blinking in shock as Yaku just smiled brightly with an eye roll. He leaned forwards and laced his fingers with Lev's much larger ones, staring straight at Lev and confidently telling him, "I like-like you too, you idiot."

Lev's eyes could not have gotten wider and before Yaku could react his hand was let go and he was swept up into the arms of an over-joyed giant who was happily swinging him around.

"Lev, put me down right now!" shouted Yaku, hitting Lev on the shoulder with a fist to get the stupid boy to stop, continuing his threat, "Or I'll break-up with you!"

Lev stopped immediately but carried on holding Yaku up, a wide grin that nearly split his face in half as he demanded in an excited rush, "But you meant it, Yaku-san? That you really like me? Really really?"

Yaku groaned in exasperation at Lev's enthusiasm, wondering what he got himself into, but couldn't hide the pleased smile that found its way onto his face. "Yes, Lev, really really. Now put me down or God help me-"

He was cut off by Lev planting a quick peck on Yaku's unsuspecting lips, Yaku blinking in surprised at the unexpected kiss while Lev beamed back with such happiness that Yaku couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed by it.

"You idiot," Yaku mumbled before leaning forward to give Lev a proper kiss. Lev stiffened in surprise before quickly melting into it, holding Yaku a bit tighter towards his body.

OoO

"See, Kenma, it all worked out," Kuroo said with a great smirk as he watched the two recent couple across the court, Lev clutching Yaku's hand tightly in his own as if he's afraid that if he let's go he'll never be able to do so again while Yaku just silently deals with it with a soft, pleased grin.

Kenma responded without looking up from where he was picking up a ball. "Yesterday."

"You said you weren't going to mention that!"