Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You owe me a pork bun,” Kageyama reminded Hinata once practice was over.

“No fair! You cheated, Kageyama-kun!” Hinata complained.

“How did I cheat?”

During practice that day, the whole team did a suicide of dives as warm-up. Kageyama betted that he could do more successful dives than Hinata, who was only successful at bumping and burning his chin. Hinata was riled up about the challenge, and ended up owing Kageyama his pork bun for today.

“Now now, you two,” Sugawara approached them, “let’s just get some pork buns and head home. It’s getting dark.”

“Alright,” the two of them sighed, packed up their belongings and headed to the club room.

Kageyama leaned into Hinata’s ear and whispered, “You still owe me a pork bun.”

Hinata groaned out of dismay.

“Thank you, Daichi-san!” the decoy and the setter waved to their captain and vice captain, and continued on their path.

Hinata sulked as he handed over his pork bun to Kageyama, who smirked at his victory.

Kageyama stuffed his face into one of his pork buns. With his mouth full, he exaggerated, “Mmm, these are really good.”

“Don’t rub it in,” Hinata grumbled.

As a serene silence filled the air between the two (except for the occasional huffs from Kageyama hastily eating and the rattling of Hinata’s bike), Hinata finally spoke up.

“Kageyama?”

“What?” the setter looked at the decoy from the corner of his eye.

“Do you like anyone?”

Kageyama focused back to the path before him.

“Yeah, I like my family.” Kageyama nonchalantly replied.

Hinata rolled his eyes and face-palmed himself.

“No,” the shorter exasperated, “I meant ‘like-’like’. Like, you feel attracted to someone, and your heart beats like crazy and you feel butterflies in your stomach. Even, love at first sight?”

“Well then, no. I don’t have time for that, and nor do I believe it. And besides,” Kageyama swallowed his last bite of supposed-to-be-Hinata’s pork bun, “I have volleyball to worry about. That’s all I ever need.”

“Tsk tsk, Kageyama-kun,” Hinata waved a finger pointedly at the taller, “if you’re gonna focus only on volleyball, you’ll lose the world around you!”

The two of them halted when they reached the fork of the road.

“See ya tomorrow Bakageyama!” Hinata got on his bike, and rode off.

“Don’t call me that, you dumbass!” Kageyama retorted.

With a sigh, Kageyama started to head off on his own path. Just when he was about to take his first step, a black cat strode in front of him. The black cat stopped in its tracks, its amber eyes locking with the cobalt eyes of the boy. It seemed as if the cat was staring straight into his soul, and it gave Kageyama the chills. When he put a hand out towards the black cat, the cat ran off into the nearby bushes. The rustling of the bushes diminished, and the night regressed back to its silent state.

“What was that?” Kageyama mumbled out of confusion. He shrugged the matter off, and continued to walk home on path that only he, himself, goes.

The next school day passed by in a flash, and it was already time for afterschool practice. The boys put their blood, sweat, and tears into their practice, as their summer training camp with, Ubugawa, Shinzen, Aoba Jousai, Fukuroudani, and the host, Nekoma. Their practice came to a halt when the metallic gym doors opened with a rumble.

“It’s Kiyoko-san!” Nishinoya delightfully exclaimed.

“Everyone, I’m sorry for suddenly barging in, but we have a new manager,” Shimizu announced.

The whole team, wiping their sweat on their shirts and slightly panting from the vigorous training, huddled around their manager in curiosity.

“Actually, she’s just stopping by to look at the club to see if she’s interested, right, Hitoka-chan?” she peered behind her shoulder.

Hiding behind Kiyoko, a small blonde poked her head out, and robotically emerged, revealing her small stature. As all eyes were on her, her knees shook from nervousness. She mustered enough courage to introduce herself: “I-I’m Yachi Hitoka! Nice to meet you, and I hope you would look after me!”

A few chuckles were heard due to her stuttering. Some boys welcomed her, and even commented about how cute she was.

Kageyama listened to the girl, but he was busy tying his shoes that he couldn’t catch a glimpse of her. When he was done, he stood up and looked straight ahead of him. At that moment, he finally understood what Hinata was saying last night.

There, he saw Yachi Hitoka. Her blonde hair fell perfectly under her chin, her small hands defending her dear life from the zestful second-year duo, her pink-tinted knees facing inwards, and lastly, but definitely not the least, was her subtle brown eyes. Her eyes glistened in the sunlight, producing the most exquisite thing ever to exist.

"Isn't that cool, Kageyama? We're gonna have a new manager! Come on, let's greet her," Hinata proclaimed. When he didn't receive an answer, he turned his head to face Kageyama. The setter didn't hear the decoy, as he was too enchanted by the girl.

Hinata gradually formed a smirk. He slapped Kageyama on the back, "Tell me tonight." With that, he ran off to Yachi.

To Kageyama, the whole world was slowly progressing, its gears shifting and turning. His mind couldn’t catch up to the crazy beating of his heart. His chest swelled with warmth, and his stomach fluttered as if it were filled with butterflies. It was like the little blonde cast a spell on him that sent him into euphoria.

“Is this,” Kageyama whispered under his breath, “love at first sight?”

Chapter Text

        Am I in love? he inquired himself. He was awe-struck, flabbergasted, stupefied, astonished. Yeah, I am. The girl who stood in front of him made him feel as if he was trapped within a bubble, a bubble of bewilderment, which enclosed him from the outside world. And he didn’t even hear his short teammate yell out to him.

        “Kageyamaaaa! How long are you gonna stand there? A whole century? Now hurry up, and meet Yachi-san!” Hinata hollered to Kageyama.

        After a few fluttering blinks, Kageyama returned from his epiphany, and strided over to Hinata and Yachi. Each step he took closer to Yachi made his heart race even faster and faster. If his heart was a Nascar racer, it would’ve definitely crossed the checkered-finish line and won the golden first place trophy. Once he arrived, Hinata introduced himself right away. During that time, Kageyama stared at Yachi.

        She looks even cuter up close, Kageyama thought as he felt his cheeks accumulating heat. Calm down, dumbass heart, it’s just a girl. A girl who’s a foot shorter than me and looks absolutely adorable and makes me wanna pat her head and—

        “C-can I help you?” Yachi squeaked out of fear.

        Kageyama was scowling down at her, and this scared Yachi to the core.

        Did I do anything wrong? Oh my gosh, what if I did something to him that I don’t remember and he still holds a grudge for it? But I don’t even recognize his face! Oh, what if he’s one of Shimizu-senpai’s fanboys?! He’s out to kill me for sure! Yachi rambled on in her head.

        “What’s the scary face for Kageyama?” Hinata laughed as he smacked Kageyama’s back hard, which brought the said boy back from his rambling train of thoughts.

        “HEY!” he yelled at Hinata.

        The decoy shrugged, “Not my fault you’re scary looking.”

        After sending Hinata a glare, Kageyama whipped his head back at Yachi. He observed her pale complexion, and shivering frame.

       “Sorry,” Kageyama slightly bowed as he blunty apologized. On the outside, he looked indifferent to the point it’s insulting. However on the inside, he was slapping himself for ruining his first impression. Good job Tobio, he sarcastically praised himself.

        “It’s fine, really,” Yachi gave an uncertain smile, and waved her hands in front of her to dismiss his apology, “Kageyama-kun, was it?”

        Kageyama relished the sound of her calling his name. The fact that she hesitated to add the “-kun” after his name stabbed his heart, and spilled out his adoration for the petite girl. It perfectly rolled off her tongue; he would like to hear his name being called by her by more.

        The taller boy was about to reply, but Hinata hyperly interjected: “Yeah! He’s the team’s genius setter! And my partner in crime, hehe.”

        “No I’m not, dumbass.”

        “I’m kidding, geez.”

        “U-um,” Yachi stuttered, “sorry to interrupt, but what’s a ‘setter’?”

        The duo blinked.

        “Isn’t it stupid? I came here to possibly become a volleyball manager, but I don’t even know a thing about it,” Yachi hung her head.

        “I don’t think it’s stupid.”

        Yachi looked up once more, and found Kageyama’s sincere eyes stare into hers.

        “To go out of your comfort zone and learn something new is an admirable thing. You shouldn’t put yourself down for exploring an unknown territory. Instead, you should be proud you’re doing so.”

        Kageyama internally facepalmed himself. The warmth of his cheeks that finally cooled down began to gather more. How could I say something so dumb, he internally groaned.

        However, Yachi’s eyes, that were once wavering with fear, shone with a hopeful, determined light. With Kageyama’s words, she felt her heart swell in encouragement.

        And Hinata just stood there, barely processing the taller boy’s surprisingly wise words.

        “Then,” Yachi balled up her fists, “I-I’m going to give being a manager a try.”

        As Daichi overheard that one statement, he whispered to Suga, who then whispered to Ennoshita. Soon, the whispered message was soon spread throughout the whole team. Kiyoko called out to Yachi, telling her that they should be leaving now.

        “Everyone, Hitoka-chan and I will be going now,” she announced to the club, giving off the signal.

        “Alright guys,” the captain of Karasuno started, “on the count of three: one… two… three!”

        The whole team (excluding Tsukishima) turned their backs to face the little girl. The white kanjis for “Karasuno High School Volleyball Club” fully contrasted their black jackets that resembled the plumage of crows. They directed their thumbs to the writing, and warmly greeted their new manager in unison: “Welcome to the Karasuno volleyball club!”

        Yachi’s eyes widened and her mouth was slightly apart from the shock caused by the unexpected, wholesome greeting, but that was soon replaced by an ecstatic smile. “Thank you!” she bowed to the whole team.

        Just as she was about to scuttle out of the gym, a low voice called out to her: “Yachi-san!”

       Yachi turned her head around to see the boy who aided her decision of becoming Karasuno’s manager, Kageyama. Fully giving his attention by facing him, she asked “Yes, Kageyama-kun?”

        As he caught up and, once again, stood in front of her, Kageyama felt his heart beat again. He struggled to find the correct words, feeling his hands become clammy, and forehead turning hot.

        “I can teach you stuff about volleyball,” Kageyama blurted out, “if you want…”

        “Really?” Yachi asked, her eyes still retaining its shine.

        Kageyama nodded, staring down at his shoes out of sheer embarrassment.

        “Thank you so much, Kageyama-kun!”

        Kageyama shot his head up upon hearing her gratitude, and he knew that was a big mistake of his. He froze when he laid his eyes on her beaming smile. Her warm ambiance engulfed Kageyama into a sickness called “love”, and now his heart was racing and his cheeks were burning for the umpteenth time that day.

        He snapped out of his trance, not wanting to make himself look like a fool for staring too long. But luckily, Yachi wore an overly cute close-eyed smile. By now, Kageyama’s face was painted in pink for sure. His mouth creepily twisted into what was supposed to be a smile. Kageyama averted his vision elsewhere, while he brought up his hand to (hopefully) conceal his “smile”.

        “Just meet me after practice tomorrow,” Kageyama muffled behind the back of his hand. And with that, he turned on his heels and stiffly walked backed to his team, who returned to their practice without him.

        The newly-joined manager watched the setter’s retreating back. Yachi brought up a little, sweet smile, and left the gym, her heart faintly beating.

        “Come on, tell me!

        “No.”

        “Tell me!!”

        “No!”

        “It’s not that hard Kageyama-kun! You can just briefly tell me and I’d be satisfied.”

        “She and I talked. That’s all.”

        “That didn’t tell me anything. And besides, that was too brief!”

        On their home, Hinata pestered Kageyama about him and Yachi, and what they conversed about.

        “Tell me more than that! What did you guys talk about? Did you get her number? Oho? Maybe you got her address?” Hinata smirked and wiggled his eyebrows in a teasing manner.

        Kageyama was irked by the relentless questions flowing out the ginger’s mouth.

        “Do you like her?”

        Touché Hinata, touché.

        “NO!” Kageyama’s voice cracked, and he rapidly stomped ahead of the decoy.

        “Ohhh~ someone’s in loooove~!” Hinata cooed, followed by snickers as he caught up to the flustered setter.

        “Stop following me and go home!” Kageyama yelled in vexation.

        “Not until you tell me what you guys talked about!” Hinata demanded.

        Kageyama grumbled in defeat, collecting his jumpy thoughts and feelings.

        “I just told her that I could help her with volleyball, and she accepted, so I’m gonna teach her tomorrow after practice,” Kageyama furrowed his brows in embarrassment.

        “So where’re you guys gonna go?”

        I thought he was gonna leave me alone if I explained myself, Kageyama sighed internally. “To the library nearby. I’m sure it’ll be open by the time practice is over, and there’s probably a bunch of volleyball information books that could help me explain to her. After that, I’m heading straight home.”

        “You’re not even gonna walk her home? Talk about being a gentleman,” Hinata snorted.

        “Dumbass, of course, I’m gonna walk her home, then I’ll go home.”

        “Well okay,” Hinata put a finger to his lips, and a smile crept up his face, “then when are you going to confess to Yachi-san?”

        Hinata put up his hands in defense, expecting a tight grip at the head or at least a harsh ‘no’.

        Kageyama took a deep inhale of the crisp night air and sighed, much to Hinata’s surprise. “I don’t know. Ever since I laid my eyes on her for the first time today, my chests keeps hurting at the thought of her. When I stand in front of her, my hands get clammy, I feel light-headed, and my stomach feels all jumpy. It’s like she did something to me to make me like her—”

        “AHA! So you do like her! In fact, I think this is love at first sight! Wow Kageyama, I never thought this would ever happen to you out of all the people in the world,” Hinata laughed.

        Kageyama clenched his jaws, mentally slapping himself for exposing his secret so carelessly.

        The two boys were so caught up in their juicy conversation, that they didn’t realize they reached the fork of the road already.

        “Well,” Hinata got on his bicycle, “Good luck, Bakageyama! I’ll be cheering for you!” Hinata winked at his direction and rode off.

        “Ugh, don’t call me that Hinata, you dumbass,” he mumbled.

        Kageyama looked up to the night sky; white specks were sprinkled throughout the black blanket that stretched on forever. The shining stars had their own sizes, and some gathered at one place, while others strayed off all alone. The boy didn’t really care about astrology and the lot till this point, so why did he notice all of this now? A sudden flashback surged through him at that split second.

        “Ever since mommy was a little girl, I wished upon the first star I see every night, and weird enough, it came true! Although, not all the time. I used a special chant and after it, I make my wish. You have to really mean it though, because Mr. Star knows which wishes are sincere and which are greedy. Oh look Tobio!” she pointed out the window and towards a star, a slightly larger one than the rest. “We’re going to use the special chant. Repeat after me, alright?”

        Kageyama inhaled through his nose.

        Starlight, star bright

        First star I see tonight

        I wish I may, I wish I might

        Have the wish I wish tonight.

        “I wish Yachi-san would love me back."

Chapter Text

        Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee—

        Kageyama smashed the top of his alarm clock, his face emitting a dour aura. The boy groaned as he got out of his bed, and shuffled off to prepare for the day. When he was done dressing up in his training attire, he glanced over to his desk. There laid a book about volleyball basics Kageyama used back when he started volleyball at his second year of Akiyama Elementary. Yesterday night, he placed the book there in case he forgot it (in which he almost did).

        Good thing I did that , Kageyama thought to himself. The setter stuffed the book in his school bag, checking once more that he had everything he needed for the day. Then, Kageyama’s mother hollered from downstairs.

        “Tobio! Breakfast is ready!”

        Kageyama looked at the clock on his wall; it read 6:37. In Karasuno High School, school started at 8:30, which left the setter with enough time for morning practice with Hinata. Kageyama hustled downstairs and peeped into the kitchen, spotting his mother setting a plate on the dining table.

        “Good morning, mom.”

        It was nice to have a mother sacrifice her sleep time in order to make her son breakfast at such an early time. Kageyama was very thankful to have such a supportive mother.

        “Good morning Tobio. Now, sit down so you could eat,” her soothing voice commanded Kageyama.

        Kageyama obliged as he pulled out a chair and sat down. His mother placed Kageyama’s breakfast platter down; crispy sunny-side up eggs, accompanied with two golden slices of perfectly buttered toast, and a salad in a simple, white ceramic bowl. The son thanked his mother and digged in, leaving the plate spotless after 5 minutes of consumption. After bringing his plate up to the sink, Kageyama scooped up his bag and said, “I’m heading out!”

        “Take care, and have a nice day!” his mother called out to her son, who was already at the vestibule putting his shoes on.

        Kageyama tapped his shoes on the grund for comfort, and headed out with a last bye to his mother, jogging to the second gym of Karasuno High School.

        Yachi Hitoka was a lark. She would always wake up and prepare for school early just so she could gaze at the garden of elegant tulips next to her high school’s baseball field. Flowers were one of Yachi’s interests. And everyday, she would watch the flowers grow as if they were her children. Time to time, she would even tended them as well.

        Yawning to herself, the blonde walked into the kitchen with her pastel pink bunny slippers. Right in the middle of the dining table, she saw a plate covered in plastic wrap. Yachi approached the table, and saw a yellow sticky note on the plate that read: “Hitoka, eat this for breakfast -Mom”. She unwrapped the plastic, and her eyebrows fell a bit; her breakfast was the last night’s leftovers that Yachi herself cooked. The girl microwaved her breakfast in her cold, dim household, and ate by herself in silence.

        Once she finished up, she washed her plate, and went back to her room to prepare for the day. She put on her star-patterned backpack and headed out. Yachi checked her phone, which read the time to be 6:15. With a determined huff, she started walking to the bus stop. Once the bus stop was in view, she noticed that a few people stepped down the stairs of the bus and dispersed. Not wanting to be left behind, Yachi ran to the bus, dropped a few coins into the metallic container, and plopped down at the back of the bus. She felt the rumble of the vehicle accelerate, and she felt her muscles relax.

        Fifteen minutes pass, and Yachi hopped off the bus, thanking the bus driver. She continued her walk to Karasuno, which was still relatively far. But it was only 6:30, and class starts two hours from then. There would be no difference if she was a minute earlier or later, or would it?.

        Yachi was humming a tune, already 10 minutes passed from her departure from the bus. She was about to turn the corner, but before she realized, she was violently shoved to the side. The blonde barely processed the predicament she was in, and at that rate she knew, she was going to crash onto the ground, break all her bones, and end up in the hospital to die. However, she didn’t.

        Yachi, who screwed her eyes shut to embrace the fall, slowly opened her eyes. She only saw the black void.

        Wait, wasn’t I supposed to fall? What happened? Oh no, am I dead ?

        She began to panic. But the girl felt a beating of a heart resonate through her, and it wasn’t her’s.

        Then, perceived a warmth of another engulfing her small frame. A hand gently, yet protectively, pressed Yachi’s face into their broad chest. Their other arm snaked around her waist, instinctively pulling her closer to themself.

        Who is this person?

        Yachi nuzzled out of the person’s chest, and her breath hitched. Her eyes widened as much as possible to assure that this was all not a mere dream. Kageyama Tobio, in the flesh, appeared right before her eyes.

        Yachi Hitoka’s life became frozen in ice. Yachi realized she was in Kageyama’s sturdy arms, chest to chest, and a few inches away from touching her lips with his. She felt the boy’s warm breath on her exposed collar bones, and she observed they way his ebony bangs hung slightly over his entrancing dark blue eyes. Amidst being lost in his orbs, it felt as if she was surrounded by a nostalgic, starry night sky on a mountain. A mountain that had yet grown its flowers.

        The overwhelming heat radiating from their bodies melted the ice that stopped time. Now that time resumed once again, Yachi snapped to her senses. The second she did, her cheeks lit up red in embarrassment. Although the ice melted away, the girl was still physically frozen in place, not knowing what to do.

        “Are you okay?” Kageyama inquired.

        Yachi nodded hesitatingly, and Kageyama sighed. He stood her upright and leisurely removed himself from her, as if he didn’t want to let her go. A moment of silence passed, and the two of them spoke up at the same time.

        “Um—”

        “I’m—”

        “Uhh, no you first,” Kageyama stuffed his hands in his pockets.

        “No no! You go first!” Yachi flailed her small hands in front of her.

        “Okay, um, I’m sorry for running into you. I wasn’t looking where I was going. It’s my fault. I’m sorry,” Kageyama bowed, concealing the blush on his face.

        “I-It’s not your fault! I was the one not looking where I was going. I-I’m sorry,” Yachi bowed likewise.

        “Don’t take the blame off me. Let’s just call ourselves equal,” Kageyama raised his hand and ran it through his silky hair. The street lamps glistened the little beads of sweat on his forehead. The tall boy let out a huff and made a guilty pout.

        Yachi sworn she could’ve exploded by now. What the heck, that was so cute—no hot! No Hitoka, don’t think like that. That’s embarrassing! And you only met him yesterday! But oh my goodness, I swear, he could just do that again and I’d be ready to crawl into my grave. Ah, it’s been a good life. She felt weak in the knees.

        If the girl wasn’t so flustered, she would’ve noticed the boy in front of her suffering the same symptoms; Kageyama was burning in embarrassment. The thought of holding his crush’s delicate frame within his athletic build made him want to run all the way back home and lock himself up in his room. And the fact that they were face to face in such close proximity was enough for him to wish he never existed.

        The two awkward high school students stood motionless, helplessly replaying the scene over and over in their heads. Yachi took out her phone to check the time: It’s been 5 minutes already?! She tilted her head up to face the person who saved her.

        “Kageyama-kun, thank you for earlier. I think I’ll be going now. I wouldn’t want to cause more trouble,” she half-heartedly laughed, “so see you later!”

        Kageyama would be lying if he said it didn’t break his heart to hear that last part. He wouldn’t have minded if she caused him more trouble. In fact, it’s more like he wanted her to do that, forever.

        Yachi was already a few steps ahead of him, and with each step she took, Kageyama felt his chest ache.

        “I’ll walk with you.”

        Yachi turned around to assure if she heard correctly. Sure enough, Kageyama’s eyes pierced through her’s. She was about to ask if he was sure, but Kageyama cut her off by approaching her, and halting besides her.

        “Let’s go.”

        The manager  turned around once again, facing the same direction as the setter. With a hum of approbation from Yachi, the two of them started walking side by side to the gates of Karasuno High School.

        “Well, I guess this is where we part. See you after practice, Kageyama-kun!” Yachi waved with the same ecstatic smile, and ran off.

        “See ya,” Kageyama replied, and walked off to the gymnasium.

        Once he knew he was all to himself, the setter shot a hand to his mouth to cover his furious blush and twitching “smile”. A part of him praised himself and held a boisterous party, while his other half slapped Kageyama across his face. Lost in the disarray of his thoughts, Kageyama found himself in front of the gym. He slid the metallic door open, entered with a squeak from his shoes, and put his bag down. His morning with Yachi was so tranquil, that he didn’t want to hear the perky voice of his teammate so soon, but it was inevitable.

        “You’re late, Bakageyama! I win this time!” Hinata snickered in triumph.

        Kageyama sighed, “Shut up, dumbass.”

        Hinata jokingly teased, “Heh, can’t face the taste of defeat? Don’t be such a sore loser now.”

        “I ran into something this morning. If I didn’t, I would’ve knocked that smile off your face by now, like I always do,” Kageyama smirked.

        “Ohhh, what happened?” Hinata asked.

        Kageyama’s smirk fell, and pink dusted his cheeks.

        “Nothing.”

        Hinata groaned, “You can’t just tell me something happened and not tell me about it! Come on, tell me. What happened?”

        The decoy kept relentlessly bombarding the setter with questions, in which the setter brushed them off. But when he heard the 3 words, he flinched: “Was it Yachi-san?”

        Seeing Kageyama’s reaction, Hinata laughed, “HAH! It is about her. Now tell me.”

        Fed up with Hinata’s whining, Kageyama gave in. I’m gonna regret this.

        “Okay, so here’s what happened…”

Chapter Text

        “Hello everyone! I’m back again!” Yachi bent down to greet them.

        Of course, there were no replies, for they were flowers—tulips to be exact.

        “You’re all looking very beautiful this morning...” she gently caressed a vibrant vermillion tulip in front of her, “and so did he.”

        The tulips serenely swayed in the light breeze.

        The sun was close to retiring for the day, and the night sky was soon approaching. The Karasuno volleyball team just finished their practice match and warm-up routines.

        “All right everyone! Gather up! Coach has something to say to us,” Daichi bellowed throughout the gym.

        Once the team huddled around the coach, Coach Ukai cleared his throat: “Hope you guys are shaped up, because our training camp with Ubugawa, Shinzen, Aoba Johsai, Fukuroudani, and Nekoma are just around the corner. I know you guys don’t need me to say this, but keep at it! Train your very best!”

        “Yes coach!” the team enthusiastically responded.

        “Also, don’t forget to eat and sleep well. You’re no use on the court if you can’t stay on your feet. Practice is over!” Ukai waved off.

        “Thank you, Coach Ukai,” Daichi and his teammates bowed in respect toward their coach.

        With a clap, Daichi ordered the team to clean up and put away the equipment, in which the team obliged. After a few minutes of cleaning, the gym doors slid open to reveal the blonde manager, wearing her signature star backpack.

        “Yachi-chan came over!” Tanaka exclaimed in delight.

        Kageyama, who was busy picking up the stray volleyballs, whipped his head towards the doors. His cheeks started to heat up a bit, but the flustered boy continued to pick up the balls to distract him from the girl’s adorableness.

        “H-hello everyone,” Yachi stammered, still not accustomed to the team. The boys greeted her warmly as yesterday, and turned back to their duties. This made Yachi feel slightly eased from her anxious state.

        Kiyoko walked up to the blonde, “Hi Hitoka-chan, what brings you here?”

        “Uh…” the first year looked down to her feet, “...I came here for Kageyama-kun.”

        She indistinctly said the setter’s name, but Kiyoko was able to catch his name. In slight shock, the third year’s eyebrows raised.

        “Do you want me to call him for you?”

        Yachi timidly shuffled her feet, “Um, yes please.”

        The third year faced Kageyama’s direction and called his name. Kageyama, whose hands grew clammy with each passing second, put the last balls into the cart and rushed over to Daichi.

        The girls couldn’t hear what the captain and the setter were discussing, but after a moment, Daichi let out a heart laugh. He patted Kageyama’s shoulder, and the first year bowed, grabbed his bag, and approached the managers.

        Once Kageyama stood in front of the blonde, he asked, “Ready to go?”

        “Yeah!” Yachi exclaimed a little too eagerly than she intended.

        “Okay, let’s go. I already told Captian about this.”

        With that, the two of them bowed at Kiyoko and the team, before heading out of the gym.

        As the both of them were walking out, Kageyama heard the hoots and chitter chatter from his fellow teammates.

        “Good luck~!” Hinata peeked his head out the metallic doors and whistled to his hopeless friend.

        Agitated, Kageyama’s face contorted into a scowl, and nearly sprinted toward the team room. Yachi was too concentrated on matching the boy’s long strides with her own to notice Hinata and the team. In the end, her short legs couldn’t keep up, so she resorted to jogging. When the two of them arrived in front of the team room, Kageyama twisted the doorknob before abruptly halting.

        “Do you mind if you wait out for just a little bit? I need to change,” Kageyama turned his head to meet eyes with the petite girl.

        The said girl wore a genuinely perplexed countenance. It took a few moments before Yachi’s face lit up in shame from her obliviousness.

        “Y-yeah sure! Don’t mind me,” Yachi awkwardly and forcibly laughed.

        Without a word, Kageyama twisted the rest of the knob and entered the room, shutting the door behind him with a click. The moment she heard the door click, she slumped against the cool wall, and buried her face in her trembling hands. Why’re you so stupid, Hitoka?! Of course he wanted to change! Who would want a creep like me watching? But even if I did have the chance to see Kageyama-kun’s body, I still wouldn’t have. That’s just plain out disrespectful! I would never spy on Kageyama-kun like that. He’s doing so much for me already, so I can’t ruin whatever this friendship is becoming.

        Kageyama had no trouble changing his tops in front of people, let alone females. He’s done it around Kiyoko and his mom and older sister, so why did he feel like he would crumble to ashes if Yachi saw him? It’s not like Kageyama was insecure of his own body, but the thought of the certain blonde tracing his curves and muscles inflicted emotions of sheer embarrassment. Oh yeah... it’s because Kageyama has a huge fat crush on her.

        Once Kageyama was finished and exited the team room, he found Yachi crouched next to his feet, head buried in her knees. Kageyama was well aware he was socially incompetent and didn’t know how to deal with other people’s emotions well. But seeing Yachi in this state ate away his mind, and he couldn’t help but feel so concerned to the point where he initiated and asked if the girl was fine.

        The blonde shot her head up, and craned her head to meet Kageyama’s enigmatic gaze. Her breath hitched; this sight resembled the incident from this morning. The light bulb behind the setter emitted a heavenly glow, and Kageyama’s features were noticeably defined more than ever. So beautiful, Yachi unconsciously said in her mind.

        “What was that?” Kageyama asked.

        “What was what?” Yachi internally panicked. Oh my goodness, did I say that out loud? Fix that habit of yours, Hitoka.

        “Anyways, it was nothing,” Yachi dusted herself off before getting up, “Shall we get going then?”

        Kageyama gave a nod of affirmation, and the two started walking toward the school gates. The silence between them was a bit suffocating, but Yachi decided to face her fears of initiation and break the ice.

        “So where did you think of going, Kageyama-kun?”

        “The library nearby. They have a bunch of books on volleyball there.”

        “Oh I see. It’s a good thing it’s close by.”

        Another moment of silence.

        Come one Hitoka, you can do this. Just start a friendly conversation and everything will be alright, right? Yachi pepped-talked herself. Just ask him basic questions… like when he started volleyball and stuff.

        The girl confidently inhaled, and gathered up all her courage: “Kageyama-kun?”

        The said boy looked down to her, which sent chills down Yachi’s spine. Nonetheless, Yachi brushed off her nervousness and continued on.

        “When did you start volleyball?”

        “When I was very young. I don’t really remember exactly when, but I remember playing with my grandpa and older sister.”

        “That’s nice… you have an older sister? Does she still play volleyball?”

        “She already graduated college, but she stopped playing volleyball in high school.”

        “Oh that’s unfortunate. At least you still have your grandpa, right?”
Kageyama turned his gaze back at the road ahead of them. There was an unpleasant pause.

        “No.”

        Yachi’s eyes widened, and immediately felt guilty for asking such a thing. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

        Kageyama turned his head at Yachi, “It’s fine. You didn’t know.”

        The walk to the library couldn’t have been any more tense than it was now. Ahhh why did I have to ask him that? I should’ve never opened my mouth from the very beginning. I’m so stupid. Just shut up so you don’t make things worse. Yachi berated herself harshly, while she focused her vision on the ground. She couldn’t stand being next to Kageyama at that moment. From now on to who knows how long, he is going to be seen as a walking reminder for her stupid and careless curiosity. Yachi hated herself for forcing Kageyama to dig up memories that were stored away for a reason.

        On the other hand, Kageyama didn’t particularly mind Yachi prying into his business. In fact, he was actually touched; people rarely asked him about his family and any personal questions. Everyone who willingly approached Kageyama only knew him for his impeccable volleyball skills and talent—but not for himself. The occasional love confessions by his female classmates were just as transparent, as they only liked him for his looks. Over time, Kageyama came to accept the fact that no one truly cared about him. It was easier that way, for both himself and his passion: volleyball. But here was this girl, whose existence entered his life just yesterday, legitimately curious about Tobio, not Kageyama.

        When the two of them reached the library, Kageyama held the door open for Yachi, nodding for her to go in first.

        A meek ‘thank you’ slipped past the petite girl’s lips, as she entered the library, shrinking under Kageyama’s gaze.

        The same nasty sensation that occured at the teamroom pestered him again, except it was worse. To Kageyama, the feeling was indescribable, but the best way he could put it was that it felt as if he was stabbed in the abdomen with a dull knife. Is she avoiding me because she thinks I’m mad at her? Kageyama came to the conclusion upon pondering.

        They set their belongings on a nearby table, and just before Kageyama was about to head to the sports section, he heard a little squeak. He turned around, and saw Yachi before him, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

        “I-I’m…” Yachi stuttered out, “I’m really sorry for bringing up a topic you’re not comfortable with. No matter what you say, it’s my fault for being too nosy. I promise I’ll never step out of the boundaries again.”

        Yachi’s head was hung low, and Kageyama couldn’t see her face. But even without seeing it, the painful sensation amplified into an excruciating one, and he had to make it stop.

        “Thank you.”

        Huh?

        Yachi’s trembling ceased as she timidly lifted her head, and their eyes met once more. According to Yachi, Kageyama’s eyes conveyed the message that he was as confused as she was.

        “Why are you thanking me, Kageyama-kun?”

        “It’s just that…” Kageyama trailed off. The boy was struggling to find the right words, but as he was desperately trying to add on, he got lost into the girl’s chocolate brown eyes, which regained its amiable glimmer ever since the beginning of this tension. Kageyama started to get flustered from staring into Yachi’s entrancing eyes for too long, and decided to drop the entire subject. They were here to learn volleyball, and nothing else.

        “It’s nothing, Yachi-san. I’m fine, and I forgive you, so don’t mind all of that stuff… really,” Kageyama turned around. “I’m gonna get some books, so you wait here and watch our stuff.”

        Yachi watched Kageyama’s back, which disappeared behind the bookshelves taller than him. How can he say that so easily? What if he’s just saying this to make me stop being annoying? But what if he truly meant it? I’m probably just overthinking things like I usually do… But… what did he mean when he said “thank you?”

        As the girl was left alone with her thoughts, the boy struggled to retain his composure behind the bookshelves. Tobio. Stop. She’s just here to learn volleyball, and you’re just here to help her. Kageyama picked three informational books to start off with, and one book containing all the technical terms and plays. Walking back to their table, he was relieved to find Yachi a bit more relaxed than before, but more importantly, she seemed to be lost in her thoughts.

        “Yachi-san?” Kageyama whispered to her while setting the books down.

        Yachi perked her head up, “Ah, sorry.” She glanced over the books Kageyama picked out, “Which book should we start with?”

        “Let’s start with this one…”

        With the help of the books, Kageyama explained each position and the basic rules thoroughly. Sometimes, he demonstrated the positions to help Yachi visualize them. On the other hand, Yachi was busy jotting down notes in her brand new notebook she brought yesterday, dedicated just for volleyball. The tense atmosphere dissipated the more time they spent together, until it was completely out of the picture.

        An hour or so had already passed, and the library was going to close up. With that, Kageyama and Yachi agreed to end for today. The two were walking out of the library, when Kageyama suddenly remembered his book from this morning.

        “Yachi-san, I brought this book from home. You can borrow it for as long as you need.” Kageyama handed the book to Yachi.

        Yachi graciously took the book from Kageyama’s hands, “Thank you very much. I promise I’ll take great care of it.”

        “Yes please, it’s from my grandpa.”

        At that moment, Yachi was reminded of her past foolishness, and a swarm of guilt surrounded her again, but it abruptly disappeared.

        “I trust you, though.”

        A hesitant smile made its way on the girl’s face, and she carefully inserted the book inside her backpack. “Thank you, again.”

        Kageyama huffed, and strode toward the library’s exit. He was internally elated that: one, he felt himself improve on interacting with other people, and two, Yachi seemed to be feeling better. When they reached outside, Yachi pulled out her phone and pressed the home button. Her phone illuminated in the dark environment, and the time read 7:21.

        “Wahh… it’s late, so I should be going.” Yachi stuffed her phone back in her pocket.

        “I’ll walk…” the dark-haired boy mumbled.

        Walk? The blonde tilted her head in confusion.

        “Walk you home.”

        “Eh?” she impolitely responded, but immediately apologized. “It’s just that I live pretty far from here! And by 'pretty far,' I mean very far!”

        “I’ll still walk you home,” Kageyama insisted.

        “No, it’s okay, Kageyama-kun! You already did so much for me today… from this morning up until now.”

        Kageyama fully faced Yachi, looking down to make direct eye contact, “It’s late now, and I want you to get home safely.”

        Kageyama’s unwavering, cobalt eyes pierced through Yachi’s, and she felt helpless to his persistence. With a sigh, Yachi admitted defeat: “Okay.”

        Aside from the fews words exchanged for navigation, the still of the night enveloped the two of them as they started walking. He had to admit, Kageyama felt a little uneasy from the silence. Why wanted Yachi to ask him more about his life, but didn’t want to seem too creepy by bluntly requesting that she do. Was she still not over about Grandpa? Did she still feel bad, even though I told her it’s fine? Kageyama thought of all the possible reasons for Yachi’s lack of talkativity, but before he could land on a concrete answer, Yachi spoke up.

        “Kageyama-kun, I’m fine from here. I just need to wait at this bus stop, so you can go home now. Thank you for accompanying me,” Yachi gave a polite smile.

        No, not yet. I don’t want to leave you just yet. Kageyama stayed motionless and remained in his spot, not heeding Yachi’s words.

        Oh my goodness, what’s happening? Did I do something to make him mad? Yachi started up a cold sweat.

        “Can we exchange emails?”

        For the second time today, Yachi unintentionally responded with an ‘eh?’ She blinked her eyelids out of pure bewilderment a few times. Never in her sixteen years of existence had she been asked for her e-mail by a boy. Ah, this must be it. I’ll wake up from this dream and—.

        “Yachi-san?” Kageyama called out to her, his tone laced with worry, “Are you okay?”

        The blonde snapped out of her phase, and regained her posture: “Oops, sorry. I’m okay, and yes, I’d be glad to!” She took out her smartphone, tapped it a few times, and handed it to Kageyama.

        “Whoops, hold on,” Kageyama rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his flip phone. Likewise, he handed her his phone after a press of a button.

        They took each other’s phone and typed down their email addresses. After that, they exchanged their phones back, and word of gratitude passed them both. As Yachi was putting her phone back into her bag, she saw two bright headlights flare from behind her. As suspected, her bus stop had arrived.

        Yachi turned to Kageyama with the same amiable smile Kageyama was so whipped for. “Thank you for everything you did today. Because of you, I… I feel more confident in my abilities as a manager now.” Yachi rambled with clenched fists filled with determination to her chest.

        Kageyama felt a warm, fuzzy feeling arising in his chest, making its way to his cheeks. His stomach did a 180 degree flip, and he couldn’t find himself to utter out any words. Kageyama was trapped in Yachi’s trance, and he wished he was trapped in it forever.

        The blonde made her way to the bus’s steps, and was halfway up the steps until she turned her head back and called out to Kageyama, “Bye Kageyama-kun! Get home safely!” With a final wave, the bus doors shut, and the bus drove away. The night was still once again.

        Kageyama’s feet were still planted in the same spot, and his heart threatened to explode any second now. It was slowly registering into Kageyama’s mind; he took his crush after practice to the library, was alone with her the entire time, and he just got her email. By now, the poor boy was a blushing mess, and he was covering a helpless smile with the back of his hand. Luckily for him, no one seemed to be around at the moment, and it was dark enough to conceal his blush from any potential people.

        He was over the moon. No matter how minimal his actions were on the exterior, Kageyama held an ecstatic party inside his head. But even a party didn’t have the power to drive off his unavoidable hunger. I’m starving, Kageyama thought to himself after his stomach grumbled and growled.

        The boy repositioned his bag, and started his walk home. An unexplainable force told him to look at the starry night sky above, and just like yesterday, he chanted:

        Star light, star bright

        First star I see tonight

        I wish I may, I wish I might

        Have the wish I wish tonight.

        “I wish Yachi-san would arrive home safely.”

        “Wait… wasn’t I supposed to walk her home?”

Chapter Text

        After an anticipating week’s worth of intense volleyball training, it was finally time for the summer training camp. The Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team were on their way to Tokyo, and to train their very hardest. When they finally arrived after hours of driving, everyone was groggy except for the little human tangerine.

        “We’re finally here!” Hinata exclaimed, hopping out of the bus.

        “Your drool is disgusting, you dumbass,” Kageyama followed suit, wiping off the drool on his shoulder with a handkerchief.

        “No it’s not!” Hinata retorted back.

        “Hinata! Kageyama! Let’s get going!” Sugawara called. The whole team was already walking up the stairs of Nekoma High School. The duo trailed behind their team, each step bouncing in excitement.

        The moment Karasuno set foot in front of the school, a cheery greeting filled the silence.

        “HEY HEY HEY!”

        “Bokuto-san!” Hinata ran up to Fukuroudani’s ace.

        “Hey Hinata! It’s been a while. This means that…” Bokuto took his eyes off of the tiny decoy, “Tsukki must be here!”

        “Please don’t call me that, Bokuto-san,” Tsukishima finished his last step.

        “Oya oya? Karasuno’s kinda late,” Kuroo popped up behind Bokuto.

        “Really? It’s only…” Sugawara checked his phone for the time. It read 8:58 am, and they were supposed to arrive at 8:30. “I guess we kinda are,” the vice captain chuckled.

        While the three teams were having light chatters amongst each other, the two lady managers of Karasuno distanced themselves from them. Yachi was not used to the other teams, and didn’t want to get involved in the party just yet. She was never accustomed to the towering figures of volleyball players in the first place. The distancing went well, until three rowdy boys had to ruin it all.

        “IT”S KIYOKO-SAN!” Yamamoto, exclaimed in delight.

        “Yes Tora, and we recruited a new one,” Nishinoya showed off Yachi with a proud smile.

        “She’s so cute!” Nekoma’s ace sank to his knees.

        “I know right? This is the power of Karasuno,” Tanaka piped in, laughing in triumph.

        Regaining his posture, Yamamoto approached the petite blonde and asked, “What’s your name?”

        “Y-Yachi Hitoka!” she nearly screeched out of terror.

        “Come on Hitoka, everyone is going inside,” Kiyoko put a hand behind Yachi’s and guided her into the school. With that, the two ladies left the trio to themselves, and a moment of silence ensued. After a piercing breeze bit their faces, they cried: “How could they just leave us like that?!”

        Inside the school, the rest of the crows were following the cats and owls. They still continued with their idle chatter, all except a certain lil somebody.

        “Kageyama, are you okay?” Hinata asked, concerned.

        Although he did not show any signs on the exterior, Kageyama radiated a dark atmosphere. The setter saw Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Yamamoto surrounding Yachi, fawning over her cuteness and throwing compliments here and there. Kageyama swore he could feel himself getting sick at the sight. He almost went over to his crush to pull her out of there, but with all his remaining willpower, he decided to grit his teeth and not bite. Kageyama couldn’t help shooting deadly glares at them, and luckily, nobody noticed. Unbeknownst to him, Kageyama was jealous.

        “I’m fine, dumbass,” Kageyama grumbled, balling his fists to keep himself from lashing out.

        Hinata was not in the mood to pry, so he quietly followed his teammates beside Kageyama. There was an awkward, tense atmosphere between the two of them, so Hinata thought it was upon him to alleviate it.

        “So… aren’t you excited to see the Grand King? And their #4 wing spiker? They weren’t here the last time we came here,” Hinata’s eyes sparkled in genuine excitement. However, this question only irked Kageyama more.

        “No,” the setter curtly grumbled, and stomped off. Hinata pouted, yelling out to Kageyama while catching up to him and his teammates.

        “Left, left, LEFT!” Tanaka waved vigorously before running up to the net to spike.

        “Tanaka-san!” Kageyama tossed to the second year. The moment his fingertips made contact with the ball, he felt his thumb slip. Kageyama cursed under his breath, but nonetheless, Tanaka was able to spike the ball successfully. Karasuno earned themselves a point.

        “ALRIGHT! Beat that, city boys!” Tanaka grinned intimidatingly to their opponents.

        “Pfft,” Tsukishima snickered behind his hand, “he said ‘shitty boys.’”

        Karasuno’s captain clapped his hands to get the team’s attention, “Tanaka, good job, but stop that. Okay guys, we got one more point till we’re tied with Nekoma. We can do this!”

        With a determined affirmation from the whole team, each player returned to their respective positions. Daichi, however, stopped Kageyama in his tracks.

        “Hey Kageyama, are you okay? That toss was a bit… different.”

        Damn the captain for being observant, Kageyama cursed to himself. “I’m fine, captain,” Kageyama lied.

        “Alright then, just tell me if anything is bothering you,” Daichi patted Kageyama’s shoulder, and jogged back to his position.

        As if I can tell you about something so dumb as my crush, Kageyama frowned before walking up to the net.

        “Aw man, seriously? We were so close,” Hinata whined as he went down for a flying receive.

        “Don’t worry, Shouyo,” Nishinoya reassured his junior, “we still got more games!”

        “I know, but we were so close!” Hinata sighed.

        “Hinata! Nishinoya! Hurry and finish up your flying receives,” Sugawara called out.

        “Sorry Suga-san,” the two apologized before turning back to their punishment drills.

        While Karasuno was doing their punishment drills, the managers were busy organizing the towels and water bottles.

        “Hitoka-chan, can you please fill these water bottles up?” Kiyoko handed her five bottles to the blonde.

        “Yes! Right away!” Yachi clutched the bottles to her chest, and made a bee-line to the nearest water fountain. While rushing, she was suddenly bumped to the side, and a water bottle fell out of her grasp.

        “I’m so sorry! Please, let me get that for you,” a short boy (but still taller than Yachi) with light brown hair bent down and handed her the stray water bottle.

        “Th-thank you… um…” Yachi’s lips quivered in anxiety.

        “Yaku. Yaku Morisuke. I’m Nekoma’s libero, nice to meet you,” the boy introduced himself with a polite smile. “Say, aren’t you Karasuno’s new manager? Uh… was it—”

        “Yakkun? It’s only the first day and you’re already hittin’ on girls?” a tall boy with crazy bed hair approached the two with a teasing grin on his face.

        “First of all, don’t call me that. Second, I’m not,” Yaku turned around and gave his teammate an icy glare.

        The taller boy ignored him and turned his attention to the tiny girl,

        “Oya? Who’s this?” Yachi was so short compared to him, that he had to bend his back to take a closer look at the manager. Yaku faced Yachi as well, a tad curious about her.

        “I’m Ya-Yachi Hitoka,” Yachi cowered under the boys’ shadows.

        “Nice to meet you Yachi-san, I’m Nekoma’s captain, Kuroo Tetsurou,” Kuroo gave a charming smile after straightening himself up.

        “As if she cares,” Yaku smacked Kuroo’s arm in jest.

        “Kuro, Yaku. The coach is calling for you guys,” another boy with bleached hair and black roots called.

        “M’kay Kenma, coming!” Kuroo hollered over his shoulder before turning his attention back to Yachi.

        “See you later, Yacchan,” the captain waved, and jogged back to his team.

        Before Yachi could utter a ‘see you later,’ Yaku spoke up: “Sorry about that Yachi-san, he’s like that, so don’t mind him. Anyways, I hope we talk again.”

        Yaku gave a small smile, bowed, and joined his team. Stunned, Yachi was left with her thoughts and only her thoughts. Yaku...san? He’s so kind… but that tall guy….he was pretty handsome… What was his name again? Uhh… Kuro? Tetsuno? No it’s Tetsurou, Hitoka you dummy. How are you gonna be able to stay alive in society if you can’t even remember the name of someone you just met? Wait… did he just call me ’Yacchan?’

        “Hitoka-chan!” Kiyoko interrupted Yachi’s endless rambling, “Have you filled up the water bottles?

        Yachi, who snapped back into reality and realized her cheeks were hot, scrambled to the water fountain. Oh gosh, I hope nobody saw my face! Yachi grimaced at the thought.

        However, unbeknownst to her, a certain somebody witnessed the whole scene. Jealousy churned in their stomach, and their knuckles turned white from clutching the end of their shorts intensely; it was Kageyama Tobio.

        “And I even saw Nekoma’s captain wave at her. Like, what the hell?” Kageyama murmured as he punched his pillow.

        “Chill, Bakageyama, Kuroo-san just waved. But I gotta admit, it was kinda funny to see you scolded by Daichi-san because you kept looking at them,” Hinata teased.

        “Shut up dumbass, I’m serious,” Kageyama glared at the ginger.

        “You must really like Yachi-san, huh?” Hinata wagged his eyebrows toward the setter.

        Kageyama didn’t reply. He found it embarrassing to admit he has a huge crush on their manager, even though it was only the freak duo in their teamroom.

        “Say… she’s your first crush, right?” Hinata piped up. After a moment of silence, Hinata burst out into laughter.

        “Stop laughing, idiot,” Kageyama smacked Hinata’s head. Hinata wiped his tears and managed to wheeze out an apology.

        “Wait, seriously? Dang, no wonder you’re over-the-top jealous,” Hinata was about to have another laughing fit.

        “If you laugh, I’ll hit you for real,” Kageyama threatened.

        “Fine, fine,” Hinata contained himself, “anyways, why don’t you just make a move on Yachi-san?”

        “Hinata, do I look like someone who can do that?” Kageyama stared straight into Hinata’s eyes.

        “Nope. Absolutely not, that is why I am here,” Hinata proudly gestured to himself with his thumbs.

        “I know I’m dumb, but I’m not dumb enough to think you had one bit of experience.”

        “That’s mean, Kageyama-kun!” Hinata pouted, his ego bruised. “Why don’t you ask someone else then?”

        “But I don’t know anyone who’s some smooth talker, or a charismatic guy like…” Kageyama trailed off, as his eyes widened in realization. The setter abruptly stood from his futon, spooking Hinata from his sudden actions. Kageyama ran to the door without a word, putting on his slippers, and sped out.

        “Hmph, a ‘thank you’ would’ve been appreciated at least” Hinata spoke to himself, perplexed. Now that Hinata had no one to talk to, he rose up and shuffled to the door, “Guess I’ll just hang out with Kenma then.”

Chapter Text

        “Oikawa-san,” Kageyama huffed as he gripped the edge of the sliding door open.

        The said man turned around, and his face immediately contorted into disgust. “Tobio-chan?!”

        The two stared down at each other, one trying to muster up the right question to ask, and the other questioning why his oh-so-lovely junior was at the door of Aoba Johsai’s team room. When Kageyama had a talk with Hinata just mere seconds ago, the first person that popped into his mind was none other than Oikawa Tooru. Oikawa was literally the definition of a ladies man; he attracted girls from every block and at every match, and he displays kindness to his flocks of fans. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Oikawa was the only person he could rely on at this moment. 

        “If you just came here to look at me, you can leave,” Oikawa shooed Kageyama off, turning back to minding his own business.

        “Oikawa-san, I need to—” 

        “NOPE! I don’t wanna hear anything. Turn around, and leave this room. Bye~!” 

        “Please, Oikawa-san, this is important.”

        Oikawa peered over his shoulder, and sensed a deep desperation within his junior’s cobalt eyes.

        “Hmph. Alright then,” Oikawa shifted to fully face Kageyama, “are you just gonna stand there or what?”

        Kageyama rolled his eyes and scanned the room. To his surprise, he didn’t see Iwaizumi, who was always by Oikawa’s side. Their #2 and #3 were chatting further into the room, occasionally snickering at who knows what. Kageyama shifted his gaze and saw Kindaichi taking a nap, and next to him was Kunimi making scrolling motions on his phone. Their libero was listening to music with his earbuds, and slightly nodding to the beat. Kageyama felt a bit uncomfortable with the amount of people in the room, but he was here anyway, so might as well just ask Oikawa. He sat down formally in front of his senior, back straight as a wooden plank.

        “So,” Oikawa stretched his arms, “what do you need?”

        Kageyama fumbled with his words, “How do you… uh… try to, um, I mean—”

        How can I say this without sounding weird? Kageyama internally raged.

        “How do you get a girl?”

        And it was at that moment, Kageyama knew he screwed up. The third-year setter choked. Oikawa wasn’t listening to a word Kageyama said, so hearing THE Kageyama ask him that question threw him off. However, instead of acting surprised, Oikawa decided to take a different approach: to tease Kageyama. 

        “Oh? Tobio-chan has a crush on someone~! Who is it?” Oikawa snickered, making himself heard loud and clear by his teammates.

        Kageyama’s ears burned when a few faces turned their direction. 

        “Oikawa-san! Shh!” Kageyama hissed.

        Oikawa playfully put his hands up in defense and laughed, “You’re just so fun to tease!”

        Kageyama scanned the room, and thankfully, everyone was back to minding their own business. “Anyways, I need help on… how to get a girl,” the junior shrunk in shamefulness while saying the last part.

        “Why don’t you just Google it yourself?” Oikawa retorted.

        “Because you’re really good with girls.”

        “Oh! That’s right!” Oikawa’s shoulder rose up and he pridefully stuck his nose in the air. 

        Kageyama sighed at his mistake in feeding Oikawa’s ego, “Can you please tell me how you do that?”

        “Well first of all, you need to get that glare off your face,” Oikawa pointed at Kageyama.

        “I can’t help it! I was born with this face!” Kageyama got irked.

        “True, you weren’t born with a handsome face such as mine,” Oikawa combed a hand through his luscious, brown locks. 

        Kageyama, fed up with his senior’s arrogance, sat dead silent. Oikawa peeked at his junior, and felt a bit apologetic. Just a bit.

        “Well, have you tried talking to her?” 

        Kageyama remembered the time he and Yachi went to the library, and exchanged emails. He had never forgotten about that night, and every passing day, Kageyama wished another night like that would come again.

        “Wipe that grin off your face. It’s gross,” Oikawa pointed out.

        “I’m not grinning! But anyways, yes… I did… talk to her,” Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows in embarrassment.

        “You probably said a few words and just called it a day, right?” Oikawa picked at his nails, already bored.

        “No! We actually exchanged emails that night!” Kageyama fired back.

        “WOAH woah woah. You got her email? You’re better than I thought, Tobio-kun,” the senior patted his junior’s shoulder. Oikawa mockingly threw that compliment in, but Kageyama took it to the heart.

        “How many times have you guys emailed each other?” Oikawa’s excitement over the tea piqued. 

        Looking back, Kageyama never really emailed Yachi anything. The only times they emailed each other were for volleyball matters, and Kageyama’s replies mainly consisted of a few words. He was the textbook definition of a “dry texter.”

        “Not… many times,” Kageyama mumbled as his shoulders fell.

        “Tobio-kun!” Oikawa pounded his fist into the mattress, “You have to make the first move in that type of situation! Actually, that goes for all situations, but you have to show her that you’re interested in her, or else she’ll just see you as just another person! Once or twice is not enough, so don’t just give up after a few interactions. You gotta put effort in order to get results. It’s just like volleyball.”

        Once Kageyama heard the last part, his eyes widened in hope. Comparing love with volleyball somehow made the whole thing easier to comprehend. Love was not as foreign to him as Kageyama thought to be.

        The junior stood up, and looked down at his senior, “Thank you.”

        “What was that? I couldn’t hear you!” Oikawa sneered, and put a hand to his ear to tease Kageyama once again.

        “I said ‘thank you,’” Kageyama enunciated in irritation.

        The first year was about to leave the team room, but before he could turn on his heels, Oikawa piped up.

        “Oh, Tobio-chan?”

        “Yes, Oikawa-san?”

        “If you ever need more help, just ask me!” Oikawa gave his signature smile and a wink.

        Taken aback by his sudden generosity, Kageyama opened his mouth to utter another ‘thank you,’ but was abruptly cut off.

        “NOT. I’ll never help you! No way!” Oikawa dragged a finger under his eye and stuck his tongue out, throwing insults like ‘stupid’ and ‘dummy.’

        Kageyama sighed, Of course, who was I kidding when I thought he might actually be a nice person. Nevertheless, Kageyama still thanked Oikawa for hearing him out before walking out the door. The moment he was about to head off to Karasuno’s team room, he almost bumped into Oikawa’s best friend.

        “I-Iwaizumi-san,” Kageyama was going to apologize, but was interrupted by the third year ace.

        “Don’t worry,” Iwaizumi smiled, “he means it.”

        And with that, Iwaizumi headed inside and shut the door behind him, leaving Kageyama alone in the hallway all to him, himself, and his thoughts. 

        “Oikawa, I’m surprised you actually helped him,” Iwaizumi sat down beside his best friend.

        “I did not! He just looked so pathetic being desperate and all…” Oikawa averted his gaze anywhere besides Iwaizumi’s eyes.

        Unbeknownst to Oikawa, a small smile crept up on Iwaizumi’s face. He doesn’t have to hide it...

        “This is why you’re so trashy, Trashykawa,” Iwaizumi flicked the brunet’s forehead before he laid down.

        Oikawa yelped and shot a hand to rub the inflicted spot, “No I’m not! And at least call me something else!”

        “Then I’ll call you Shittykawa.”

        “What? No!” Oikawa whined.

        “Choose. Either Trashykawa or Shittykawa.”

        “Then I’d go with Shittykawa!”