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Chapter Text

Squeaking sneakers resounded in the gymnasium, the echoes of balls being slammed into the ground filling the large hall. It was another regular Friday evening practice.

The boys were chipper and motivated to get their bodies moving, their bantering and cackling reverberating across the court. The coaches were sitting idly on the sidelines, monitoring the first years, who were exchanging serves and passes with one another.

Inuoka and Teshiro were chattering away, whereas Shibayama and Lev were bickering – their height difference making it difficult for them to sync with one another. You saw coach Nekomata shake his head with an amused smile whereas coach Naoi looked simply exasperated with the two.

Across the gym Kuroo was berating Kenma for slacking off, one of his hands holding onto the setter’s gaming console, whereas his other hand was gripping his shirt to prevent him from escaping.

You snickered into your palm, the scene between the two best friends a familiar one at this point. Focusing your eyes back onto your notebook, you continued documenting their training regime as the sound of Yaku scolding Lev reached your ears.

With raised brows, you decided to watch the situation unfold, the latter backing against a wall with his palms raised defensively. Kai stepped in between them with his gentle and patient smile, ready to diffuse the never ending tension that seemed to follow with their hotheaded libero.

Meanwhile Yamamoto was choking on his water, his loud laughter breaking through each time, his carefree nature infecting the entire gym to join him. You raked your eyes across the hall, noticing that one boy was missing from the scene.

You turned your head left and right and were surprised to find the boy in question standing leisurely beside you, a hand resting on his cocked hip as he too watched the others.

“You’re not managing a volleyball club,” he stated, his lips curling into a Cheshire grin. “You’re managing a cat’s den.”

“Fukunaga!” Your chest bubbled with an airy giggle as you slapped his arm lightly. He really had the most interesting things to say. “Shouldn’t you be practicing?”

He reciprocated your laugh with a loud one of his own, his eyes disappearing into two half-moons.

Fukunaga handed a ball to you, his catlike eyes staring into yours, “Wanna toss to me?”

“Left! Left!”

Yaku winced when Yamamoto’s spike ricocheted off his forearms, the skin red and angry from the powerful intrusion. In front of him, Inuoka ran to the left side of the court, jumping off the ground and raising his arms in preparation.

The ball fell into Kenma’s hands, who tossed it to the first year with precision, the air around him blasé. “Inuoka!”

The brunet slammed his hand against the ball, sending it through Lev’s wide arms, his expression one of victory.

“Lev! How many times do I have to tell you not to lock your elbows like that?” Yaku furrowed his light brows in agitation, causing the Russian boy to mumble under his breath,

“We’re not even on the same team right now… Focus on your own game…”

“What was that?”

“Ah! N- Nothing! Yes, sir!” He saluted in an effort to calm the brooding libero down, a nervous smile darting around his features as his voice fell into a whisper, “Scary… Yaku-san is scary…”

“Alright!” You interrupted their bickering, their heads turning to you curiously, “Save the chit chat for later and get back to training!“

“Yees.” They dragged their voices simultaneously, going back to playing their six on six matches.

“(Surname), can you watch over them for a second? We’ll be right back.” Coach Naoi asked as he raised himself from his seat.

“Of course! Leave these kittens to me!” You smiled at him cheekily, receiving a ruffle through your hair in return.

You watched the coaches leave through the wide gym doors before you turned back to analyze the boys. The third and second years were beautifully in sync, their bodies moving instinctively as their loud and boisterous voices drowned the sounds of the balls hitting the ground.

The real challenge were the first years.

They were still unsure of themselves and their skills, rough around the edges and shy to show initiative with all the strong-willed and outspoken upperclassmen around them.

One particular first year was a real challenge.

“Teshiro! Me! Me! Toss to me!” Lev jumped on the spot enthusiastically, his arm raised high as his slanted teal eyes shimmered beneath the bright lights of the gym.

His face was split in an almost maniacal grin and you found yourself standing up and moving to the other side of the net to observe his form up close. There was no denying that he had exceptionally long limbs – if only he would find a way to properly use them. No one would be able to stop him.

Teshiro pushed the ball off his fingertips and towards Lev in a high toss and even you had to smile in awe at how good the first year tossed. He was steadily improving with the help of Kenma, who had after much berating from your side relented and began tutoring the younger student.

“Lev!” The setter announced, watching the ball with a blush and wide open mouth, amazed at his own toss.

“Here! I! Go!”

The ball fit snugly around his palm as he braced his abdominal muscles to draw strength from them. He broke through the wall of blockers with a whoosh .

Kuroo’s eyes widened in surprise at the power that came with the spike and they all turned their heads to watch the volleyball slam to the ground with an ear-shattering slap before it bounced off and changed its trajectory.

You were vaguely aware of the panicked voices from Yaku and Yamamoto, who were sprinting your way. But before you were able to tilt your head and ask them what was wrong, you were already sprawled across the floor with a strangely throbbing sensation in the middle of your face.

The sensation spread from your nose all the way to your temple, your eyes welling up with salty tears at the intruding pain. Colorful nebulae burst behind your closed eyelids and you briefly wondered if someone had brought fireworks into the gym.

'What… the…? What in the world happened?’

“(Name)-chan!” Yaku’s face shot into your line of sight, his toffee-colored eyes blown wide in concern.

“Oh my god! Are you alright?!” Yamamoto popped in from beside him with a scowl.

“Holy shit, that hit her right in the face!”

“That must have hurt…”

“Ah, I’m so sorry, (Surname)-senpai! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

The panic-stricken voices of your friends flew right past you as you lifted yourself up to a seating position with the help of Yaku and Kai, who were kneeling on both of your respective sides in an instant. Your brows furrowed in agitation at the persistent throb, your hand reaching to touch your nose delicately.

‘Ah, good. Not broken.’

“(Name), I need you to tell me if you’re okay?” Kuroo asked seriously, his hand resting reassuringly on your knee.

You blinked the tears away, trying to connect the necessary words to give him a suitable answer, but the pain in your nose was just too much. 

Damn, that was one hell of a spike.

‘Thank god I don’t play volleyball.’

“(Name)?” Kuroo repeated, this time his voice dipped in genuine fear.

Not wanting to freak them out even more, you placed your hand on top of his and nodded curtly, the words “I’m fine” about to leave your lips when Lev suddenly squealed and started crying himself.

“B- Blood ! Blood! (Surname)-senpai is dying! Help! (Surname)-senpai is dying!”

“A-A-Ah! Quick! Someone! Someone call the doctor! No! The ambulance!” Shibayama shivered as he clutched onto Kenma, who looked like he was about to empty the entire contents of his stomach.

“I’m-“ You managed to croak out, but were immediately silenced by a cursing Yamamoto, who was stalking towards the Russian first year with a swinging fist.

“You damn little brat! Now you’ve really went ahead and did it- “

“Yamamoto-san, please calm down!” Inuoka held him back with the combined efforts of Fukunaga and Teshiro, the latter two looking frantically in your direction.

Your nose was bleeding profusely at this point, the warm scarlet liquid trailing across your chin and staining not only your shirt, but also the floor beneath you. You lowered your head curiously to find out how much of the ground you had ruined, but squeaked when your head was jerked back forcefully by a strong grip instead.

“Don’t! You’ll bleed even more.” Yaku held onto the back of your neck firmly, his other hand wrapped around his sleeve, which he used to wipe your chin clean. With a finger and thumb, he pinched the lower fleshy end of your nose. “Keep breathing through your mouth, (Name)-chan.”

“Someone get us some ice and paper towels!” Kai bellowed as he rubbed soothing circles across your back.

Lev and Shibayama bounded into two different directions with clumsy steps, the former still sputtering apologies while the latter was crying out for the coaches. Yamamoto, who had now with the help of the second years calmed down from his raging fit slowly stalked towards you, an accusing finger now pointing at you.

“You! What the hell were you doing there? What do you think why the coaches sit at the side?”

“Yamamoto, not right now.” Kuroo warned, his grip around your knee tightening.

“But, captain! What if she broke her nose? Look at how much pain she’s in- “

“I’m fine.” You managed to interject as you leaned against Yaku’s warm chest, “Just need some water is all.”

“Kenma.” Kuroo said.

“O- On it.”

The setter handed you a bottle and with the help of the others, you managed to give your dry throat the hydration it craved.

“Woah… She’s getting really pale…” Inuoka commented quietly.

“Shouldn’t we go and get the nurse, captain?” Fukunaga asked.

“(Name), are you really fine?” Kuroo turned to you, his hazel-colored eyes swirling with a soft fondness he only reserved for you and Kenma.

“I’m fine. It’s not broken.” You repeated, a little more steady this time, “But it hurts real bad…”

“What were you even doing back there?” Kai leaned closer protectively, the scent of his sweat mixed with cologne tingling in your nose.

Shifting your focus on the steady rising and falling of Yaku’s chest against your back, you felt the pain slowly subside and turn into a dull throb that was much more bearable than the original sting you had when the ball first collided with your nose.

“I- I wanted to see Lev spiking up close… He’s so tall, I wondered what his spike looked like…”

“(Name)-chan…” Yaku whispered tenderly against your temple, his voice intending to be scolding but his concern for you shining through. “Please don’t do that again. That was stupid.”

“Hah. You bet your ass, I won’t.” You chuckled against him humorlessly and felt the stuffy air around you clear up a bit – you seemed to be doing fine considering the circumstances.

That caused their anxiety to shrink a bit. The second years collectively released a relieved breath as they all fell onto their knees.

“Thank god!”

“You got us really worried there for a second!”

“Hehe… Sorry…” A sound of appreciation escaped your lips when Yaku started scratching your scalp slightly. He shifted behind you to position you comfortably between his knees, his other hand still compressing your nose.

Pressed flush against Yaku’s chest, Kai was now leaning over his shoulder to trace across your arms in a comforting manner with Kuroo sitting cross-legged in front of your thighs. His hands were on both of your knees, his thumbs drawing circles on the inner part of your thighs innocently.

Kenma was peeking from behind Kuroo’s shoulders tentatively, as if checking if it was safe to come back out or if the blood fest was still going on. Over his head, Inuoka and Teshiro were leaning against the setter, squishing him between them and Kuroo.

“Sorry for lashing out like that…” Yamamoto mumbled as he too scooted closer to Kuroo.

“You were frozen stiff man…” Fukunaga rested his head on the ace’s shoulder, his cat-like eyes trained on your form.

“I was wondering why the ball was getting bigger,” you started with a dumbfounded tone lacing your voice, “Then it hit me.”

Your body started shaking and you tilted your head curiously to be faced with Yaku, who had thrown his head back in roaring laughter. Confusion was written all over your face when Kai and Kuroo joined him, the others following suit not long after.

“Ah, you really are something else…” His arm around your waist tightened as he rubbed his cheek against your head fondly.

“Really.” Kuroo started in a reprimanding manner, the amused smile and tender glimmer in his eyes giving way to his true feelings, “What are we going to do with you?”

And as you looked around the court to see the boys all cuddled up, their limbs intertwined and connected with one another, you felt your heart swell up with happiness and gratitude.

When Lev and Shibayama stumbled in with your coaches in tow, you locked gazes with Fukunaga and exchanged entertained smiles, his earlier words coming back to mind,

‘Like a cat’s den.’

Chapter Text

“Eeeeeh? Kenma has plans for Saturday?” You asked incredulously as you sipped your apple juice.

“I got rejected once again… He never has time for me… ME – his best friend!” Kuroo cried dramatically, holding onto your shoulders for moral and literal support.

You pushed him off you with a groan, the sun licking your skin with its scorching flames. The last thing you needed or wanted was for the giant captain to smother you with even more of his body heat.

“Is he visiting family?”

“Nah. He said he’s going to a video game tournament.”

“Woah! Really? Kenma? Going to a tournament? I thought he hated crowds?” Your straw slipped from your lips in astonishment.

“Yeah, apparently there’s a prize he wants to win.”

“A tournament, huh? I’ve always wondered what those looked like.” Yamamoto plopped down beside you, ruffling your hair in greeting before biting down on his sandwich with a very unnecessary groan.

“Online video game tournaments are all the rage these days!” Yaku interjected as he seated himself on the steps below you, the other guys from the club safe for Kenma imitating him soon after.

“We could go and watch him?” You suggested.

“Wouldn’t he have invited us if he wanted us to come?” Kai gave you a knowing smile when you glared at him for having the audacity to be right once again.

“Ah! I know!” Lev raised his arm with a bright look in his eyes as if he had just uncovered the galaxy’s mysteries, “We could go and watch him in secret.”

Fukunaga and Inuoka broke out in laughter, whereas you were left to shake your head. Yaku did the talking for you, giving voice to the thoughts that inevitably coursed through all of your minds, “Says the guy who sticks out like a sore thumb no matter where he goes.”

When you saw Lev looking at Yaku like he didn’t understand what exactly the problem was, you were left to wonder once more how in those 196cm he sported, he only seemed to have one brain cell – and that brain cell was dedicated to ‘becoming Nekoma’s ace’ and nothing else.

“Ah! (Surname)-senpai,” Shibayama turned to you when it became quiet again, “You also enjoy playing video games, right?”

All eyes were on you as you squirmed in your seat, feeling your ears heat up at the sudden attention. Girls, who enjoyed playing video games, were still a rare occurrence in your school, so you felt shy to admit your passion for it.

Scratching the back of your red ears, you decided to simmer it a bit by murmuring, “Mh. A little bit.”

“Me too!” Kuroo broke the tension as he whipped his phone out – bless the captain, he knew exactly what he was doing by diverting the attention back to himself – “Kenma showed me this game and I’ve been playing it ever since!”

He stretched out his arm to show everyone the screen, several eyes lighting up in recognition with a “Ah, I know this one! I play it too!”

“But wait?” Yaku tilted his head as a visibly disturbed expression blossomed on his face.

“Your avatar is a female character?” Lev furrowed his brows in confusion, not having expected their captain to customize a girl when he had plenty of options to pick and choose all kinds of characters.

Yamamoto all but stumbled over his own feet to rip the phone out of Kuroo’s hand, eager to see what the character looked like. You peeked over his broad shoulder in curiosity as well, surprised to see a brunette with cat-like features. A long fuzzy tail swung around her backside lazily, paws pointing directly at the camera with a sly grin as her cat-ears flopped on her head.

“Woah! She’s so pretty!” Shibayama blushed, “Did you pick a cat because of our school? That’s so noble!”

When Kuroo gave him a lop-sided grin, you shot him a warning glare to keep his indecent thoughts to himself. Shibayama was too pure for this world and you were adamant on keeping it that way. If that meant letting him live with the fantasy that Kuroo picked a female half-cat half-human character to represent his high school – then you were damn sure as hell gonna keep your mouth shut to keep it like that.

“Me too!” Yamamoto crossed his arms with a proud grin, a light shade of red washing over his cheeks, “I myself use female avatars from time to time.”

“Really?” You turned to him with a look that showed how much you did not believe him in that moment.

“Yeah! Girls in video games these days are super cute!”

“Ah.” You slunk back into yourself, a scowl making its way on your face, “And here I thought you cared about gender equality in the gaming world. Turns out you’re just like bedhead.”

“Pfff, you really thought he thinks that far?” Kuroo laughed in that hyena way of his and it took a good punch to his shoulder for him to stop and get it together, “All jokes aside, I don’t do it for the same reasons as you.”

“Why does the captain use a female avatar then?” Lev asked curiously, slinging a lazy arm around your shoulder and burying you beneath his frame. He looked so happy to be able to hug you, you let him do as he pleased, earning a mildly offended look from Kuroo, whom you had rejected only mere minutes ago.

A glint passed through his hazelnut eyes and you could tell right then and there that his answer would harbor nothing good. You sighed before he even started, ignoring the second offended look he shot your way.

He cleared his throat and lifted his chin, acting like he was about to give a very important speech, “Whenever I use a cute female character that fits in perfectly with society’s standards, these creepy dudes come up to me. They save my ass all throughout and let me steal their kills without kicking me from the game, sending me all kinds of gifts that help me level up. I flirt with them a lil’ and raise their hopes up high-“

Oh no… You could already tell where this was heading. An unwanted chuckle ripped from your chest when he winked at you, fully aware that you knew what was coming.

“Kuroo…” You grumbled lowly in an attempt to shut him up.

“-and then! ‘Surprise, I’m actually a guy!' ” He continued right over you, that stupid shit-eating smirk plastered all across his smug face. “That’s a lot of fun, you know. Crushing people’s dreams and hopes – I feel like I’m on court!”

“You’re a horrible person, Kuroo. On court and off court.” Kai snorted behind you at your lackluster comment, “I expect nothing less from our pain-in-the-ass captain.”

“Hey!” He protested with a pout and leaned closer to you, but you shoved his face away with your own frown, much to the others’ entertainment.

You chose to blatantly ignore his jabs at you, a failed attempt to get you to pay attention to him again and decided to focus on the sweet taste of apples coating your tongue.

Raking your eyes across the campus, some part of you hoped for a hero in the form of Kenma to come to your rescue. He always knew how to handle Kuroo.

The boys soon recovered from their laughing fit at Kuroo and you and went back to talking about the game and what their characters looked like. You faintly registered the sound of Yaku kicking Lev, when the plain-spoken first year commented on the physical differences of his tall and beefy character in contrast to his own much smaller body.

It was only when you received frantic and pleading stares from Inuoka and Shibayama that you sighed out loud in exhaustion as if you had lived a thousand lives too many. You rolled up your sleeves and waltzed down to the aspiring ace and the libero - your hands curled into fists and your face set with the determination to stop those two.

Chapter Text

Sweat dripped down your neck, trailing a path inside of your shirt, all the way down your spine until you were forced to arch your back with a grimace. You exhaled with a disgruntled groan, pinching the sides of your shirt to shake it.

A gust of cold air seeped through and caressed your sticky skin, sending shivers all throughout your skin as goosebumps erupted. “Ah… So hot…” You complained as you fanned yourself with your notebook while watching the boys stretch and run a few rounds around the court.

“How can they practice when the weather is like this…” You lamented.

“The training camp with Karasuno and Fukurodani is right around the corner. The boys are especially fired up for it.” Coach Nekomata grinned at you, his wrinkles still as friendly and inviting as the first day you had met him.

“But still, sensei!” You whined when he pressed a bottle of cold water against your neck, “It’s so hot!”

“Mhm. Truth be told, I did consider canceling practice today since it’s the hottest day of the year.” He turned his head towards the boys who had started on their serves by now, “But it doesn’t look like they want to be anywhere but here.”

You followed his gaze and sighed, shaking your head in amusement when you saw Lev flailing around excitedly as usual, Shibayama running after him with a familiar glimmer in his eyes. The energy the first years exuded, running after the boisterous second years and ignoring the blatant scolding and screeching of the third years was simply something you would never come to understand.

Your smile faltered as you noticed the absence of a certain puddinghead, tilting your head curiously when you couldn’t find him anywhere in the gym.

“I’ll be right back.” You said as you placed your clipboard on the seat, walking away from the court to check the club room.

You were surprised to find that the official setter of the club wasn’t in there either, so you pulled out your phone to go through your messages in the group chat. When you found nothing and he didn’t answer your texts or calls, you sighed in exasperation, already fully aware what the situation at hand was.

“Kuroo.” You started once you were back inside the gym and the captain locked eyes with you, his palm slamming against his forehead almost immediately.

Right now, no words were needed for him to understand what you wanted to say.

“Find him. And bring him back please.” He looked at you imploringly, the corner of his lips sneering slightly, “Seriously. We have a training camp soon and this idiot chooses to skip practice now? Of all times now ?” The last bit was muttered, but your ears perked when they picked it up anyway.

You sent him a sympathetic smile, clapping your hand against his broad chest in a friendly gesture, “Aye, aye, captain. I’ll make sure to pull his ears thoroughly.”

“Please do.”

“Eeeeh, Kenma-san isn’t coming?” Lev asked once you left the court, his expression falling when he overheard the two of you, “Then… Who is going to toss to me?”

“I will!” Teshiro lifted his palm ambitiously, his chocolate-colored eyes swirling with determination.

“Eeeeh…” The middle blocker’s face fell even more, his voice low and unenthusiastic as he gave the first year setter an unimpressed look, “But you’re not Kenma-san?”

“Enough!” Yaku hit both their backs harshly, the shit-eating grin on his face betraying the intensity with which he struck the two, “Save the talking for later. Karasuno is constantly evolving,” an image of Nishinoya flipped through his mind, his lips forming a dangerous smile, “We can’t afford to be left behind.”

At the mention of the revived crows, the first years regained their focus and vigor, screaming one senseless thing after another as they started their first 3 on 3 match.

Coach Nekomata crossed his hands on his lap with a satisfied smile, pride simmering through his veins at the impact the libero’s words had. He couldn’t have said it better himself.

Meanwhile, you were dragging your feet around campus, stealthily trying to jump from one shadow to another, eager to avoid the scorching sun. The female soccer club passed you and you greeted them with a friendly wave, sending them empathetic glances behind their backs.

‘Even in this goddamn heat, these girls are out here practicing… And I thought only our team was full of monsters…’

You passed the cafeteria empty-handed, Kenma nowhere in sight. This wasn’t the first time this happened and you knew it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Whenever seasons would change and winter or summer would announce itself, Kenma’s attendance during practice would drop.

Summer would be too hot, he’d much rather be at home with his air conditioner blasting while playing video games.

Winter would be too cold, he’d much rather snuggle under his kotatsu and grind for hours with no end in sight.

Usually Kuroo would be there to pick him right back up and drag him to the gym, but Kenma had gotten more creative as time passed, disappearing off to who knows where and only returning once practice was over.

He certainly had skills in the sport as he was dubbed ‘ the brain of Nekoma’ , but even Kuroo couldn’t play favorites and would have to berate and nag him about it until he would relent and apologize. But all of that would mean nothing as Kenma would go into hiding at the next practice session anyways.

When you finally joined the team and seemed to have some sort of grasp on the problem children (being Kenma, Lev and Yamamoto), the team had collectively hoped that you’d be the one to break this skipping habit of his.

So far, it was an even score – you had managed to pull him by the ear and into the gym enough times for the coaches to appoint you as the official guardians of the cats, but the setter had outtricked you enough times for you to frustratedly pull at your hair.

Just as you were about to give up and go back to practice, a soft mewling reached your ears. You craned your neck curiously, the sound getting louder and louder as you approached the edge of the cafeteria – one more step and you’d reach the back entrance.

“Hey there, little friend…”

You froze in your step when you heard the barely there voice of Kenma, an uncharacteristic coo lacing it. With your hands curled around the corner of the wall, you peered over, your eyes widening in surprise.

Kenma was crouched on his knees, his trusty gaming console in one hand, the other stroking along the fur of the raven cat. It curled its tail around his wrist sweetly, its eyes closed in bliss as it purred against his palm.

The bleached tips of his hair glistened beneath the sunlight, the individual strands shimmering like wheat with each of his movements. The paleness of his skin seemed to be enveloped by a sheer glow, making him appear like a holy deity kissed by the goddess of sun herself.

A small smile darted around his youthful features, the kind that you only rarely got to see from him – when he won a battle against a particularly strong boss for example – and he continued to talk to his new found friend, completely oblivious to your presence.

“What are you doing out here all on your own, hm?”

“I could ask you the same thing, puddin’.”

The squeal he let out when he heard you was a precious one, a sound you’d never expect from someone like Kenma. So you recorded it and saved it somewhere special in the back of your mind as an amused smile broke out on your face, “Found you!”

“(N-Name).” He merely muttered, whipping his head away from you to hide his cherry face.

His efforts were futile as you merely skidded towards him and plopped down behind him, crossing your legs and resting your back against the wall. The roof of the cafeteria provided you with a cool shade and you exhaled in relief when you no longer felt the burning tongue of the sun on your skin.

“What are you doing here?” He inquired with red ears, his hand never leaving the small bundle of joy below him.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at practice getting annoyed at Lev?” You snorted.

He was silent for a full minute and you wondered if you crossed a line. His expression didn’t give way to his feelings so you opened your lips to change the subject when he merely scooted back to join you, the cat following his pleasant fingers until it curled around his lap comfortably.

“It’s too hot…” Kenma said as he tucked a strand of his blond hair behind his ear, the rosy tinge still clouding his cheeks.

“Mh… It is very hot indeed.” You agreed with a nod of your head.

He didn’t respond, but you could clearly feel how uncomfortable he was. The air around you was charged with electricity, waiting to snap and cause a storm of thunder. A glint of gold was trained on you as he watched you from the corner of his eyes.

Will you berate him?

Will you force him to go back to practice?

Will you tell the others about his new hideout?

You chose to act oblivious to his staring, willing your face to remain neutral as you turned your head this way and that, taking in your surroundings. The back entrance of the cafeteria wasn’t somewhere you’d usually go, so you had to give him credit for thinking so far ahead.

The trees of the small forest behind your school reached all the way to the canteen, their beautiful cherry blossoms dancing with the wind. The sweet scent wafted through your bodies, causing you to close your eyes peacefully to fill your lungs with it.

“You don’t have to be so on guard with me.” There was no need to open your eyes to know that his shoulders twitched in surprise, “Whatever goes on in that pretty head of yours, you can tell me. I won’t bite.” You turned to him with a wink, loud laughter vibrating from your chest when he sent you an appalled look.

“Honestly?” You continued as you stretched your arms above your head with a groan, a yawn following soon after, “It ain’t too bad here. Not too hot. Not too cold.”

A small nod.

You added, “And there’s a cute cat.”

You reached out to brush your fingers through its back gently, smiling when it purred against your touch. Kenma was now watching you intently, nodding again.

“You know Kuroo sent me to fetch you and drag you back by your ears, right?”

He winced in a pathetically small voice and you had to fight yourself tooth and nail to not squish him between your arms – you could tell why the captain was so fond of him. He was simply effortlessly adorable. He was a natural.

“Are you…?” He asked meekly, holding onto the console tighter.

“Hm… I wonder if I should?”

You locked eyes with him, pursing your lips into a sly smile and enjoying him cowering from you way too much. Seeing the usually aloof Kenma so restless fueled your inner sadist, so it was no wonder when you scooted closer, letting your shoulders brush.

He physically recoiled from you, his hands shaking when the scent of your perfume tickled his nose. ‘So close…’

“(N-Name)?”

“Yes, puddin’?”

“S-Stop calling me that…” He muttered as he peeked at you through his long, dark lashes, “Will you tell Kuroo about this place?”

“Mh…” You hummed thoughtfully, tapping your chin as you lifted the cat off his lap to snuggle it closer to your chest.

He pulled his knees against his chest and pressed his cheeks against them to look at you.

“I don’t think I will.”

“Eh? Really?” The golden hues widened in disbelief, his voice gaining in volume steadily.

“Yeah. Even I want to run away and hide from him sometimes. He’s so exhausting!” You threw one of your arms into the air exasperatedly as you whined, “He’s always so demanding!”

Feeling encouraged when he snickered into his knees, you continued this little gossip session of yours, “He just bursts into my classroom at odd times to make me run the numbers of the team for him. At this point, the people in my class are convinced we’re dating.”

You made a gagging noise that prompted a proper laugh from Kenma, the sound so pure and clear, you felt your heart filling with warmth and swelling with affection. The tension dispersed with your next words, “I’d much rather receive Lev’s spikes with my face for the rest of my life than date that roosterhead.”

Your shoulders started shaking as a melodic laughter rumbled through your throat when he threw his head back to bark out loudly as well. Never in your life had you wanted to stop time as much as you did now – Kenma was laughing .

In the past few months that you had been Nekoma’s manager, you had maybe seen up to three emotions flicker across his features – annoyance being one among them, a feeling reserved solely for the Russian first year.

Indifference being the other one – more often than not, the blond looked like he couldn’t care less about the things happening around them.

The last emotion was something he’d show once in a blue moon: when a game he had been looking forward to had finally been released and was snugly inside his palm; when he crushed his opponents in a rough volleyball match; and right now, when you were shit-talking his best friend and captain Kuroo.

You were starstruck, your ear perking at the beautiful sound of his laughter reverberating around you and for a second you swore you could feel a string wrap around your wrists to seal a newly formed bond. He seemed to forget any caution he held towards you, opening up to you by uncrossing his arms to rest them on the floor on each side of his waist.

“Don’t tell him I said that.” You pointed a warning finger at him playfully, “I really don’t want him up my ass.”

If Kenma was laughing before, he was actively wheezing now. He completely blew up, snorkeling his way through as he shook his head, “(Name), you’re really something else.”

You joined him and used this as your chance to strike, turning your torso to face him head-on, “You come here to play games?”

He nodded after calming down from his laughing fit, his cheeks still flushed and eyes still misty.

“What game are you playing these days, Ken-chan?”

This time he didn’t hide his strawberry glow at the nickname, but instead flipped open his console to show you the loading screen, “It’s this game where you live on an island and have to look after it to pay the mortgage on your house- “

“Woah! You play ‘Crossing with the Animals’ as well?”

He swirled around in shock towards you, not having expected you to know of this game. His unspoken question reached you without him having to utter the words.

“I mean, I myself don’t play it, but I watch a few people on PlayTube-“

“You know PlayTube?” Kenma was borderline livid at this point. You were dropping one bomb after the other on him.

He never expected you to be into video games, so having you sit there right beside him with a glimmer in your eyes as you went on and on about the different online gamers you had been following for years now, he couldn’t help but feel more at ease with you, the steel walls around him cracking one by one.

“Can I watch you play?” You asked with such enthusiasm after a while, he couldn’t find it in himself to turn you down.

He was surprised, to say the least. When he took a moment too long to answer, you slipped right back into your sly smirk, “If you let me watch you play, I won’t tell the others about this place.”

He sighed exasperatedly, a small smile tugging at his lips. ‘There she is.’ He was wondering when your scheming side would appear – after all, you weren’t Kuroo’s favorite manager for nothing.

You only gifted him a sickly sweet smile as you scooted even closer, pressing your arm against his while you tirelessly scratched the cat’s soft stomach. Kenma started the game and turned the console slightly to allow you to partake in his game.

Your lively commentary and interest in his island, the inhabitants and the decorations in his home was amusing even to him and after a while, his stiffness was replaced by a quiet kind of joy. He went about the game and calmly explained the logistics to you, why he did what he did and how far along he had gotten.

You were there with him for god knows how long, volleyball practice long forgotten as you watched him play and listened to him talk for an amount of time no human on earth has witnessed so far.

You don’t know how much time passed, but when your head flopped on his shoulder sleepily, he didn’t tense or flinch, your touch and smell already ingrained in his brain.

He merely shifted to let you settle against his side comfortably, his eyes flickering towards your resting form before he grinned amused when the first snore ripped out of your chest.

BONUS:

“(Surname)-senpai sure is taking a long time…” Lev pressed his cheek against the floor as he stretched his arms out further.

“I wonder if she’s still looking for Kenma?” Shibayama pushed against the Russian’s back lightly to help him with his stretches.

“I swear to god, when I find that little puddinghead, he’s in for a beating!” Yamamoto exclaimed wildly, sweat dripping down his chin.

“You don’t think (Name)-chan is still out there…?” Yaku asked with a worried tone, his shoulders cracking when he rotated them.

“I don’t think she’d subject herself to a search party when the sun is out like this.” Fukunaga stated.

“(Name)-chan isn’t too big on hot weather after all…” Inuoka added with a frown.

“I’m afraid something else happened…” Kai said sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck.

While the others were busy discussing your potential whereabouts, Kuroo exhaled with a groan, running a hand through his messy raven strands as he eyed the phone in his hands.

A picture of you peacefully dozing off against Kenma, your pink cheeks squished against his chest with a kitten in your arms.

🍮: Kenma: 1 Kuroo: 0

“Kenma… ” He gritted his teeth at the sassy text message, already plotting thirty different ways to punish the setter the next time he manages to catch him during practice.

Chapter Text

“I think I want to become a libero.” Lev said dejectedly as he sipped on his water bottle.

“Huh?” Yaku whipped around exasperatedly, “You? A libero? What in the world makes you think that you can be a libero?”

“You’re not even good at being a middle blocker, you dumbass.” Yamamoto slapped the back of his head, earning a whine from the Russian first year.

“Why do you have to say it like that, Yamamoto-san!”

You happened to overhear their conversation as you drove the ball cart back into the storage room, “How come you want to change positions? Are you not happy with your current one?”

He shook his head when he was met with your frown and shoved a determined fist in the air, “It’s not that, (Surname)-senpai. It’s just…” He was uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes cast on the ground.

Worried that something frayed his mind, you placed a comforting hand on his arm, tilting your head and peering up at him, “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

“Lev?” Even Yaku was worried now, his earlier mock replaced by an urgency lacing his voice. He was on the other side of the middle blocker, a steady hand placed on his lower back.

“It’s just…” Lev ruffled through his hair with a frustrated groan before shouting into the ceiling, “A libero looks so much cooler!”

There was a moment of silence as he huffed into the air – a pin falling to the ground could be heard like a gunshot in an empty hall. Your eyes locked with Yaku’s and you could see the mixture of fury and disbelief in them before you craned your neck to look up to the first year.

“Excuse me- What?”

“Well!” Lev started with a serious tone, leaning down to gaze deep into your eyes as if he was recounting something of dire importance, “First of all, liberos are almost always on the court! I wanna almost always be on the court too!”

You could hear the slapping of skin, noting from the corner of your eyes that it was Kuroo facepalming.

“Secondly!” Lev continued, oblivious to the amused whispers behind his back, “They have a differently colored uniform! They always stand out on the court! I wanna always stand out too!”

“Is he serious? He’s literally the tallest player of the team??? What the fuck is his problem?” This one was Yamamoto, who was sounding more and more exasperated as time went on.

“Thirdly!”

“How many reasons does he have to be acting like a dumbass?” Kenma sighed defeatedly behind you.

“Liberos get to say cool stuff like,” he took a step away from you, placing a hand on his hip while his other pointed towards his puffed out chest, “’As long as I’m behind you, you don’t have to worry about anything.’”

His posture fell, his back slouching as his forehead dropped against your shoulder with a whine. He made a pathetic sound from the back of his throat, “But I can’t do that to Yaku-san!”

Uh oh.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” The boy in question growled lowly, his brows furrowed in agitation.

“Ah- Mori-kun- “ You racked your brain for possible excuses to minimize the damage that was about to erupt, but Lev beat you to the punch when he obliviously spoke his thoughts,

“Well what are you going to do if I become the libero? You’re too short to play any other position!”

Uh.

Oh.

“Holy…”

“He really went there.”

“Hey Kenma, pull out your phone, quick quick, record this!”

“K- Kuroo-senpai, shouldn’t we intervene?”

“Sit back and watch, Shibayama. This is what happens when you rub our precious libero the wrong way.”

“Lev- “ You tried to stop him from talking any more as you saw fume leaving Yaku’s ears – he was close to blowing up.

“It’s his last year as well! I could never do that to him!”

“Lev- “ 

But the damage was done.

Before you were able to say anything else, Yaku drop kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying across the gym. The first year gurgled in pain, holding onto his stomach and hunched over on the ground.

“You little piece of…” Yaku stomped towards him with a cloud of wrath enveloping him. His eyes were set in steel and his fists were shaking beside him.

“Mori-kun, wait!” You rushed to step in between them, your eyes blown wide as you looked back and forth in a silent plea to the others.

“Yaku-san! Is this what I get for being thoughtful?” Lev asked with a pout, completely misreading the entire situation.

“Don’t look at me like that, (Name). He’s digging his own grave here.” Kuroo called from the other side of the gym, his sports bag slung around his shoulder, “Make sure to not kill him, Yakkun! See ya tomorrow!”

And with that, he was off with the others trailing behind him – the first years were sending you apologetic glances. They were all too scared of an angry Yaku to interject.

You sighed in defeat, waving them off. They were right to be afraid of him, so you didn’t take it to heart. What you did take to heart though, and that with a startling clarity, was how little Lev was aware of how close the libero was to ripping his head off.

“You really think that with your shitty passing and non-existent receiving you could become a libero?” He snarled as he made a pass at him, but you pulled him back by his arms with a yelp, crossing your arms around his stomach to press his back against your chest.

“I’m sure he means well, Mori-kun! This is Lev we’re talking about. Let’s just let it go and go home, okay?”

“Wait, but why are you so angry with me, Yaku-san?” He asked in genuine confusion, tilting his head in a manner you would’ve found adorable if not for the fact that he was about to face a very painful death, “I’m just saying, logically speaking, I would be able to stop many more balls because of the length of my limbs- “

“LEV‼!” Yaku slipped from your arms and jumped onto the first year with a snarl.

You winced when you heard a pained scream followed by pleading apologies, shielding your eyes with fingers from the violent display of attempted murder.

A muffled snicker caught your attention and you turned your head to be faced with Kenma – who unlike the others, stayed behind to watch the interaction unfold – and a camera in his hand, recording the entire scene with the utmost pleasure.

Chapter Text

The sun was blinding and merciless once again, its rays fuming across your sweat-drenched skin. You whined loudly, fanning your face aggressively with your rolled up notebook.

“Aren’t you supposed to keep track of the stats?” Coach Naoi chuckled.

“Aren’t you supposed to suffer a bit more in this heat? Are you even human?” You shot him a look of disbelief and groaned, leaning away when he moved to ruffle through your hair.

“Don’t be like that,” he started as he wiped the trickling droplets off his forehead, “I’ll treat you all to ice cream after practice- “

“Ice cream?”

The first years snapped their heads towards the two of you with a glint in their eyes. Inuoka jumped up like an excited golden retriever, his brown mop defying gravity as it stood proudly despite his erratic movement.

“Sensei will treat us to ice cream? How many scoops can we get?”

“I want lemon!” Lev beamed at the thought of a cold treat, his eyes glistening like brilliant gems, “Three scoops!”

“Oh, oh! Can I get strawberry with chocolate please?” Shibayama sidled between the two, joined by Teshiro, who was currently busy uncapping a cold bottle of water,

“Pistachio! Pistachio! Pistachio!”

“Oya, oya, oya – did I hear ice cream?” Kuroo slung his arm around a grumbling Kenma, who struggled to get out of his grip,

“Kuroo, let go.”

“No can do. Can’t afford you skipping practice and taking our (Name) with you again.”

“Ugh.”

“Did you just ugh me?”

“ICE CREAM?” Yamamoto sprinted towards them, heckling and drooling, “NAOIIIIII BEST MAN‼‼”

“ After practice,” you said lazily, continuing to fan yourself, “If I catch you slacking off, you’ll run extra laps. Now off with you.”

Your gaze dropped to meet them languidly, a cold shiver rushing through their spines at the dangerous twinkle. They knew you well enough to know you stood true to your word. Scrambling off clumsily, they stumbled over one another and fell to the ground in a pile.

“Sometimes (Surname)-senpai can be as scary as Yaku-san…” Lev whispered with a pout.

“Yeah… She’s usually really nice, but she’s really scary when she gets angry…” Inuoka added.

“Hm? I don’t know what you guys are talking about. (Surname)-senpai is always super kind! I like her!” Shibayama stated with a frown, oblivious to the pink tint on his cheeks.

“Of course she is. You’re her favorite! She always treats you the best!” Lev whined, pushing Teshiro off him before getting back on his feet.

“Eh? F- Favorite?” He stuttered, feeling his heart at his throat when he tilted his head to glance at you. You were smiling at something the coach said, your lips curled in the way that always reminded him of the feeling he got when his mother made him his favorite pie.

“Don’t even think about it!” Lev pointed an accusing finger at him in warning, “(Surname)-senpai is off limits!”

“Is it because you don’t want to share the honey lemons she brings for you whenever we have a practice match?” Inuoka snickered into his palm, narrowly avoiding a flying fist from the Russian.

“Shut up! Stupid dog!”

“Oi! Get your asses over here!” Yaku slammed a volleyball into Lev’s butt harshly, his brows furrowed in frustration, “We’re practicing our receives and last time I checked,” he lowered his voice threateningly, Lev jolting upright at the unspoken threat promise behind his tone, “You sucked at them.”

The poor first year winced, trudging like a kicked puppy to the libero, followed by a sheepish looking Shibayama, Inuoka and Takahiro.

Practice continued as usual – they were energetic and diligent in spite of the hot weather. The prospect of the upcoming training camp had all of them fired up.

You were excited as well.

You had heard a lot of the powerhouses that were supposed to be there.

Karasuno.

Your fated rivals.

Fukurodani.

…

The team with the insanely pretty setter.

You cupped your flaming cheeks when you thought back to the dreamy azure eyes, the lush black hair, the deep, deep sultry voice of Akaashi Keiji-

“(Name).”

Your head whipped up at the impatient tone of the captain. Uh oh. How many times had he called out to you?

He pointed to the loose strands sticking to his forehead with a frown, “Do you have something to help us get rid of this?”

He nodded towards Kenma – who was struggling with tugging his hair behind his ears only to have it fall in front of his golden slits again – and Lev – who was puffing out frustrated breaths of air to rid himself of the slick grey strands, “It’s bugging as hell.”

With a hum, you nodded and skidded towards your bag by the entrance. You groped around with pursed lips, pulling out a pair of scissors with an innocent expression, “Somethin’ like this?”

“Gah!” Lev backed away with a thoroughly disturbed expression, “(Surname)-senpai!”

“(Name)… Why are you even carrying that around? ” Kenma only sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Kuroo met you with a cackling laugh, “Maybe you’ll be the first one to win against my bedhead.”

“(Surname)-senpai… you’re not serious, are you?” Lev asked, his brows furrowed in concern, “All I’ve got going for me is my hair… Please don’t- “

“I swear this guy pisses me off.” Yaku fumed with a shaking fist, barely held back by a chuckling Kai and Fukunaga, “Height. Long limbs. Russian. And he dares to say the only thing he’s got going for him is his stupid hair- “

“There, there.” Kai patted his shoulder with a comforting smile, “Why don’t we get back to practice and let (Name)-chan handle it?”

The libero gave you a menacing look, the hatred seeping from his eyes in an attempt to lure you to his side, “ Cut. It. Off. All of it. ”

The vice-captain pulled him back on court when you dove into your bag to find a few hair clips. You curled your fist to keep them secure as you waltzed up to the three waiting boys, a beaming grin on your face.

“I only got these sparkly ones.” You giggled and started pulling Kuroo’s bangs back with nimble fingers, securing two purple butterflies on his scalp with an approving nod. He closed his eyes with a stupid smirk, leaning down towards you until you were finished.

He struck a pose and you burst out laughing, hitting him playfully across his broad chest, “How do I look?”

You shook your head when he started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, barely able to stifle the vibrations of your chest at his ministrations, “Like the princess you truly are.”

“Yusss!”

“Yeah, yeah. Off to practice with you, you big oaf. Next one! Puddin’!”

“I told you not to call me that…” Kenma mumbled under his breath when he approached you, his gaze averted from you.

“Aw. Don’t be like that. C’mere.” You tilted your head, offering him a sweet smile as you stretched out your palm to him, “Here. I’ll even let you choose which ones you’ll get.”

“It’s not like I care…” He pointed to the two kittens curled up next to each other, the scarlet and gold of their furs intertwining beautifully like a flame.

A grin bloomed on your face and you stepped closer towards him to part his hair. With swift movements, his strands were firmly clipped off his face to reveal the quiet beauty that was Kenma. 

The sun-like hues were glancing from left to right, from the ceiling to the ground, nervously, insecurely as you took in the purity of his skin – who knew what Kenma was hiding behind those thick layers of his long hair?

“Are you done?” He asked and pulled you out of your reverie, a slight crease of irritation between his brows.

“Ah! Yes! Next one! Lev!”

The Russian first year sprinted towards you with glittering eyes, lapping up the different kinds of hair clips resting in your palm with an overabundance of interest.

“Woah! (Surname)-senpai’s got so many!” He bent down on eye-level, his face only mere inches away from yours and you could practically smell the excitement puffing out from him in fumes, “Which one should I get? They’re all so cute!”

You could hear Kuroo snort from the distance, Yaku grumbling exasperatedly and a set of amused chuckles overtook your body as you ball your hand into a fist, “Then… How about I surprise you? Hm?”

“Yes~ I love surprises! You never know what you get!”

Yaku moaned in the background, “That’s the concept of surprises, you dumbass.”

Lev pretended not to hear and closed his eyes with his lips quivering in excitement. He tried very hard to stay still for you, but his shoulders started shaking nevertheless, his feet kept shuffling around and he was this close to exploding from curiosity if you didn’t take it up a notch.

‘He’s such a baby… Really…’

Your chest inflated with an amused exhale and you brought the white strands over his forehead to clip them back with a set of baby lions.

His reaction certainly didn’t disappoint.

“(Surname)-sen‼!pai‼! is‼! the‼! best‼! Now I look as cool as Kenma-san and Kuroo-san! Thank you, (Surname)-senpai, thank you!”

He pulled you into his arms and off your feet, slinging you around in happy circles. You yelped at the sudden movement, laughing into his chest when he nuzzled his chin across your head like an oversized kitten.

“Lev‼! Stop harassing (Name)-chan and get back to receiving!” Yamamoto screamed as he stomped towards the oblivious first year.

“Cool? He looks like he’s 5.” Yaku snorted when he saw the baby lions scattered across his scalp.

You slipped through his arms and shooed him away to join the others, about to turn back to join your coach when you caught sight of Shibayama.

He was practicing with Yaku, wiping his hand across his forehead ever so often. The black strands growing from his scalp fell over his eyes whenever he dove forward to catch the ball, an annoyed groan leaving his puckered lips when he had to swipe across his face again.

You looked down to peer at the two clips left in your palm, a grape on the right and a tangerine on the left. He padded over to you with a confused expression when you waved him over, his tone always a polite one, “Senpai? Is something the matter?”

“Come over here.” You pulled him by his arm, not noticing the cherry that spread across his face when your fingers grazed his bare skin. “Why didn’t you say anything, you dork?”

“Hm?” He tilted his head curiously when you inched closer to brush through his hair. Purely out of instinct, he jerked back, not seeing the tiny pins you were holding.

You only snorted and repeated the motion unoffended, humming as you straightened his sweaty hair behind his ears to fix it with the pins. He relaxed once he realized what you were doing, the beautiful blush stubborn on his cheeks as he trained his gaze on the ground.

Shibayama closed his eyes when he felt tiny ripples breaking out on his skin, an unconscious fluffy cloud of a smile ghosting over his lips when your nails lightly scraped over his scalp. He leaned into your touch gently and your heart swelled with the utmost of affection when he fluttered open his lashes to look into your widening eyes.

‘God, he’s so pretty. How unfair.’

With a groan, you pulled him into your chest and squished his face between your arms with a squeal, “Why are you so cute‼!”

You swung back and forth with him, ignoring his sputtering protests and his quickly reddening expression. Just as he was about to explode, you released him with a hearty laugh, doubling over when he all but sprinted to hide behind an amused-looking Inuoka.

“C-Cute-” He whispered into his best friend’s back as he watched you retreat with a spring in your step, “She called me cute…”

His fingertips lingered on the fruits on his head all the way until you sat back down next to coach Naoi, your eyes meeting once more as you gifted him a sweet smile.

BONUS:

“Hm? That’s weird…” You mused as you dug deeper into your purse.

“What’s wrong?” Your classmate asked, not looking up from scrolling through her phone.

“I can’t find any of my hair clips. I was sure I put them in here this morning.”

“Maybe you dropped them when you switched books in between classes? Happens to me all the time.” Your other classmate yawned as she let her toes hit the leg of the table repeatedly.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Still is weird though… Coulda sworn I put them here…”

Meanwhile in the classroom of the first years:

“You coming, Yūki?” Inuoka poked his head back inside the classroom when he didn’t follow him as he usually would.

“A-Ah, yes!” The boy in question shrieked, shoving his hand aggressively back into his bag and skidding towards his friend with a tense expression.

He prayed to god no one would notice the residue of orange and purple glitter around his fingers.

A few days later:

“Lev.”

“Hm?”

“You know, you can stop wearing the clips now. We’re not at practice anymore.”

“But don’t they look so cute, Yaku-san?”

“They look stupid.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re jealous (Surname)-senpai didn’t play with your hai- Agh! Ouch! What was that for?”

“Jealous, my ass… Stupid titan.”

Chapter Text

“Has everyone loaded up their stuff already?”

You counted the bags in the trunk of the large bus, turning your head sideways to glance at the yawning boys. The sun cracked through the horizon, orange hues swirling lazily with the first chirping birds.

A smile rested on your face at the lack of usual noise; some part of you was happy that none of them was an early bird. It was way too early for you to deal with their boisterousness.

“Is your stuff inside as well?” Coach Naoi asked as a yawn rippled through him.

“Yeah! We’re all set, we can go!” You nodded towards coach Nekomata, giving him a signal that everyone could start filing inside.

The boys entered one by one, still half asleep with closed eyes and silent murmurs among each other. You slung several bags over your shoulder, pressing your chin down onto the first aid kit in your hands to keep it from falling. With tentative steps, you entered the bus and stopped momentarily when you were greeted with the guys already fast asleep in their seats.

Kuroo and Kenma were in the front row, the latter’s head resting comfortably on the captain’s shoulder as the former snored lightly. You quickly dropped the bags on an empty seat beside you and snapped a picture as the coaches settled behind the steering wheel.

Behind them were Teshiro and Lev, the smaller first year squished against the window with a grimace, whereas the Russian first year smiled dumbly. Whatever was going through that pretty head of his was enough to elicit a snort from him. Another snap resounded from your phone and you had to bite your lip to stifle the laughter that was threatening to burst forth.

To their right Fukunaga and Yamamoto were snoring loudly, their long limbs scattered messily everywhere as the latter muttered something underneath his breath. You thought you heard the name of Karasuno’s manager and shook your head amused, ‘He’s really a lost cause…’

Fukunaga shifted when you took their picture; you stilled, scared you woke him up before you were finished checking with the others, but much to your relief he hummed pleasantly before nestling further into the seat.

‘Phew…’

You spotted Kai and Yaku in the backseats, Kai’s arms crossed over his chest with his chin tucked neatly, a peaceful expression on his kind face. Yaku exhaled audibly, his lips pursed in an adorable pout just as his head fell onto his friend’s shoulder.

He looked so innocent like this; if you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t believe this was the same demon senpai that routinely beat up Lev with a flaming passion.

“Hungry…” Inuoka mumbled from beside them, his head lolling back and forth with every movement of the bus.

You snickered quietly as you quickly turned back to reach into one of the bags, snatching a sandwich to place it gingerly inside the net bag of his seat – the first thing he’d want when his eyes opened was food after all; that much you knew about him already.

With nimble fingers, you snapped one more picture of the last duo, your eyes lingering fondly on Shibayama, who breathed into his best friend’s stomach with a hum.

His grip tightened on Inuoka’s stomach when the bus shook, a childish frown blossoming on his face, disgruntled that he couldn’t find a comfortable position to sleep in. You couldn’t stop your hand from reaching out to clear his face from the raven strands that kept falling. He leaned sweetly into your touch, a fond smile breaking out on your face when you thought of how he would react if he were to wake up right now.

His naïve honesty was part of why he was so dear to you, reminding you of the sibling you’ve always wanted to have. So you decided to indulge him whenever you could, showering him with affection and encouraging words whenever the chance arose.

Overshadowed by an incredibly capable third year, he was one of the more insecure players of the team; but you had made it your personal mission to turn him into a machine. And if your name was (Name) (Surname), you were going to make sure that by the end of his high school career, the name Yūki Shibayama was one that instilled fear and awe in those active in the high school volleyball world.

When a yawn broke through your own lips, you pulled back and trudged to the front of the bus, rubbing your eyes as you settled on an empty double seat behind coach Nekomata.

“The boys behavin’ themselves?” He asked with an amused glint lacing his voice as he felt the seat behind him shift.

You nodded and chuckled at his insinuation, another yawn clawing from your stomach, “They’re all fast asleep.”

“As should you. You won’t be getting any rest this weekend, so might as well get your last bit of peace while you still can.” He laughed at his own joke, followed by the snorting of coach Naoi, who gave you a tickled glance.

“We’ll wake you when we’re there, (Surname). Now rest up and let the adults do the rest.”

You hummed in agreement and were vaguely aware of the deep voice of coach Nekomata as he started a conversation with the other; their voices a deep timbre that lulled you into sleep like a soothing lullaby.

And before you knew it, you were passed out against the fabric of cushion, your mind slipping into a hazy dreamland.

“When (Surname)-senpai is sleeping, she looks really peaceful.” Lev whispered with a pout, “These days she’s always sporting a grimace. I wonder what’s gotten her so frazzled.”

Yaku snorted as if the answer was obvious, shooting the first year a menacing look, “Yeah. I wonder why.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Yaku-san?”

“That you’re a pain in the ass, you stupid idiot!”

“Shhhh! Or else she’ll wake up!” Inuoka shushed them when he noticed you stirring in your seat, your hand dropping from the armrest into emptiness with a thud.

“How about you all stop being creepy and get back to your seats?” Kenma asked as he tapped away on his console, his golden eyes flitting from side to side as he focused on grabbing all the collectibles before the next boss appeared.

“C- Creepy?” Lev repeated with a horrified expression, “We’re not being creepy!”

“Watching a girl while she’s sleeping isn’t creepy in your book?” Yaku raised his brow sarcastically.

“Well… When you put it like that…”

“It’s nice to see her get some rest though.” Kai nudged the libero softly, pointing to the small crease between your furrowed brows with a chuckle.

Shibayama nodded his head vividly to his statement, his eyes not leaving your form, chin resting on his sprawled out forearms, “She’s been super busy recently… She needed the rest.”

“Super busy?” Inuoka questioned as he bit into the apple he had fished from one of your bags.

“Mhm. She’s been visiting a bunch of practice games all across Tokyo to scope out the competition-”

“She’s been doing what ?” Kuroo gripped onto the edge of his seat as he leaned out with gouged eyes. As if a truck had just pummeled right through him, his face stretched in painful disbelief, “Why am I hearing about this only now?”

“How do you know that?” Yaku frowned as well.

The first year fiddled with his fingers, looking away as he stuttered a response, “I, um, asked her? She looked really tired the last few times we had practice and always stayed longer after we left. So I asked her if there was anything we could help her with.”

“Wow… So thoughtful…” Lev released a breath through his puffed cheeks, “No wonder she favours you.”

“That’s… actually really nice of you, Yūki.” Inuoka added with slight surprise in his voice.

“She’s been spending her weekends going over to Itachiyama, Nohebi and Fukurodani to watch their games to document the players progress. And during our practice, she would collect our data to come up with possible strategies for the Tokyo Representative Playoffs.”

“Wait- The Tokyo Representative Playoffs? But those are in November?” Kuroo tilted his head in confusion, glancing over his shoulder when Yaku gave voice to the rest of his thoughts.

“We still have the preliminaries ahead of us though?”

“Ah, (Surname)-senpai is convinced we’ll make it through them without any issues. She said her only concern are the three schools she presumes will definitely make it to the Playoffs, so she wants to be adequately prepared.”

A moment of silence washed through the moving bus, prompting even the coaches to turn back, who had listened in on their conversation. The only audible sounds were the whirring vibrations of the motor, the silent song of the radio playing through the speakers and the disbelief coursing through them.

“She- What?” Goosebumps broke through Kuroo’s arms, traveling up his spine as he let the weight of the words settle in his bones.

Kai was the first to chuckle, his eyes wrinkling in genuine joy at the perplexed state you had put everyone in despite being asleep. He gave the other two third years a reassuring smile, their dumbfounded expressions egging him on.

“How do you even respond to something like that?” Yaku scratched the back of his flushed neck, his eyes unable to stick to one place.

“That’s easy.” Kenma spoke with his usual tone of indifference. He glanced up when he was faced with the expectant stares of his teammates, “We deliver.”

The captain huffed a proud smirk, smacking Kenma on his shoulder a little too enthusiastically, “You heard the puddinghead. There’s a lady we can’t disappoint involved now. You better crush this training camp to show these country boys who’s boss.”

They affirmed his statement with a synchronized yell, their movements freezing on the spot when you released an annoyed grunt at the bothersome noise level.

“But first,” Kai smiled as he pointed at the still snoring Fukunaga and Yamamoto, “Let’s let these three sleepy-heads rest.”

“(Surname)-senpai, let me help you!”

You had just stumbled out of the bus, half-asleep with one bag filled with snacks slung over your arm, another bag with empty water bottles and towels around your other arm and a first aid kit between your hands. You turned when you heard the chipper voice of Lev running up to you from behind, lifting your head to meet his blinding grin.

“Let me take this from you!”

He snatched the bag with the water bottles from your arm as if he had just won the lottery and was picking up his prize. A tune seeped from his curled lips, his head swiveling in rhythm to the song he was whistling and skidded away from you and towards the ryokan.

“Thank…you?” You tilted your head with a frown, wondering what had gotten into him.

Before you had a chance to process the encounter, the bag on your other arm slid out of your grasp and into the waiting arms of Yamamoto, a toothy grin on display.

“Yussss, let’s go, (Name)-chan!”

“Wai- Yamamoto! I could’ve carried that!”

“Nah, nah, ‘s fine!”

You watched him walk through the wooden doors baffled, his booming voice bouncing through the walls and out into the fresh air, some random tune erupting from his broad chest as well.

Too busy wallowing in your own confusion, you missed the way Kuroo sidled up behind you with a smug grin, slipping his nimble fingers around your waist and between your arm to grab the box from your hands.

“Eh?”

Your hands were floating in front of your chest and it took you a full minute to register that there was nothing in front of you but air. Perplexed, you stared dumbfounded after the captain when he glanced over his shoulder with a cat-like smirk and winked at you.

What was going on?

You shrieked when Kai suddenly stood beside you, his taupe eyes glimmering with fond amusement at your distressed state. His voice was as soothing and calm as always, “Just let them have their moment.”

His statement did nothing to ease your conflicting thoughts and you only groaned in exasperation when he clapped your shoulder in a friendly manner before he left as well.

“(Surname)-senpai, let me- “ Shibayama froze when he noticed you empty-handed, his lips casting an adorable pout, “Oh.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle, “What has gotten into you guys? What happened while I was asleep?”

He straightened with blood rushing to his cheeks, his voice a tad higher than usual, “N- Nothing! Nothing happened!”

He ran from your prying gaze, further feeding your suspicion when Inuoka and Fukunaga shot you weird smiles, exchanging frantic whispers and hushed chuckles. You narrowed your eyes when you spotted Teshiro.

The first year was your ticket out of this one way street of chaos.

If someone would spill the beans, it’d be him.

“Teshiro~” You spun towards him, locking your arm with his with a charming smile, “Hey~ Say- “

“(Name), leave Teshiro alone.” Kenma said as he trudged past you, his eyes glued to the little device in his hands as he tapped away eagerly.

“Puddin’!” You whined after him, hopping from your first choice of prey to your next, “Everyone is acting so weird! What’s going on?”

His brows furrowed as he cringed at your overly cute tone, not one to like those acts; he wasn’t Yamamoto or Yaku after all. “Shibayama told us about you going to practice matches from other schools and they’re being all sappy about it.”

“Kenma, you weren’t supposed to say that!” Yaku scolded him as he pulled your luggage after him, visibly displeased with the setter.

You were beside him in an instant, “Mori-kun, I can carry that! God! Since when have you guys been so chivalrous with me?”

You plucked the duffle bag from him, giving him a disgruntled glare. Yaku didn’t seem even the least bit fazed, all sunshine and beams as he lazily walked beside you and countered, “Since when have you been such a cool manager?”

That stupid smug expression with that stupid chipper voice and those stupidly quick comebacks. You huffed indignant, puffing out your chest in headiness, “Hmph. It’s the least I can do. I’m a manager after all. I have to make sure Nekomata-sensei’s dream will no longer be just a dream.”

“Hmmm… (Name)-chan sure grew a lot, didn’t she?” He narrowly avoided your flying fist with a cackle, “Come on, I’m just teasing you~”

You were in the traditional Japanese hotel now, noting that there were a few more heads inside than the ones that were on the bus with you. A tuft of blond and green caught your attention as the former guy towered over Yamamoto, whose voice was so loud, he drowned out the rest of Karasuno catching up with the Nekoma boys.

“I can only do so much.” You started solemnly, catching Yaku off guard, who perked his ears to listen closely, “I can’t go on the court and fight with you…”

His expression dropped and his lips opened in protest, words of comfort stuck in his throat when you twirled to him with a hopeful smile, “But I can prepare you guys to kick ass! So I’m leaving the rest to you, Mori-kun!”

“(Name)-chan…” His toffee-colored eyes welled up with dramatic tears, his lips quivering into an endearing pout as he all but smashed you against his chest, his big hands threading through your hair.

“A-Ah, Mori-kun, can’t breathe !”

“Who gave you permission to be this cute?”

“M-Mori-kun, air - “

Your protests were drowned out by his buoyant laughter, curious pairs of eyes observing the close bond you two shared. There was no stopping the snort that bubbled from your chest, your airy giggles joining his until it filled the entryway sweetly, starting off the camp in the best way possible.

BONUS:

“Did you see?”

“Yes…”

“It has begun...”

“Yes…”

“Do you know what this means?”

“Yes…”

“The moment… The moment is now closer than ever…!”

“What are the two of you doing?”

Uh oh.

Caught red-handed.

The steel-cold voice of Kiyoko pierced through the two hiding figures like a sharpened knife, causing both of them to flinch and whip around to face her.

“K- Kiyoko-san!”

“I- It’s not what it looks like!”

“ What are the two of you doing?” Her stormy blue eyes swirled like the calm before a seething storm, a promise of a threat in the hues as she looked down at the two boys with such malice, they cowered and fell on their knees.

“You’re still our number one, Kiyoko-san!” Nishinoya wailed as he rested his forehead on the ground in a praying motion, followed by a repenting Tanaka,

“Kiyoko-san‼ You have our heart always!”

“No, don’t go, come back! Kiyoko-san!”

“Wait, Ryū- Do you know what this means?”

“Hm?” Tanaka looked up with tears clouding his vision – partly heart-broken, partly enamored at her cold tone.

A dangerous smile curled on the libero’s face, a glint passing through his amber eyes, “ She’s jealous. ”

Chapter Text

Mosquitos buzzed around the stuffy summer air, cicadas singing their own songs in tune to the chattering birds. The bus rumbled through the country road, shaking with each bump and pebble as the occupants glued their faces to the window.

“Where exactly are we going again, captain?” Inuoka asked, his big brown eyes whizzing from left to right to take in every new stimulus.

“You’ll get dizzy.” said Yaku, dragging the first year by his collar to sit properly again.

“Miyagi.” Kuroo yawned as he made to lean on Kenma’s shoulder, frowning when he was denied with a disgruntled look.

“It’s hot,” was the only explanation he got from his best friend, his eyes busy with the screen in front of him. He swiveled from left to right with his controller in hand, unconsciously moving along with his character.

“Karasuno…” Yamamoto hummed with a thoughtful tap to his chin, “I wonder if they have a pretty manager… Ah- “ Fukunaga raised an unimpressed brow at his friend when he froze stiff in his seat, “What if they have two pretty managers?”

Fukunaga shook his head with an exasperated sigh, leaning away so as not to have to listen to the other’s ramblings any more than necessary. He had been babbling about whether or not their opponents had a pretty manager ever since coach Nekomata had informed them of this practice match.

“Is that all that goes through that tiny brain of yours?” Kuroo smacked the back of his head when he got too loud, “For someone, who’s so into women, you sure have trouble speaking to them.”

At this, the entire bus exploded into laughter, the two coaches joining the boys in amusement. It was Kai who laid a comforting hand on his shoulder with a kind smile, “Don’t let them get to you.”

“Tch. You’ll see. They’ll have a super pretty manager. And (Name)-chan isn’t even with us… How are we going to assert dominance now?” He pouted, earning a groan from at least half the bus.

“Dude, what the fuck?” came from Yaku.

“Assert dominance?” asked a confused Shibayama.

“Is he always like this?” Inuoka whispered to Fukunaga, who gave him an amused smile, but Kenma’s voice was the one that broke through their mutterings, quiet but steady; his words sharp as blades,

“No wonder you always get rejected.”

The bus filled with silence, the painfully awkward kind as disbelieving eyes shot between Kenma and Yamamoto; the former continuing to play his video game unbothered, whereas the latter had his palms pressed firmly together, a thoroughly lost expression on his face as he prayed to whatever deity was listening to him.

‘To have Kenma lecture me… What has the world come to?’

Their bickering continued back and forth and it wasn’t until the quiet first year spoke up shyly that they fell into a thoughtful silence, “I wonder what (Surname)-senpai is up to now?”

“Why didn’t she come with us again?” Teshiro asked as he sipped on his water bottle, “Did she have to stay back for supplementary classes?”

“(Name)? Ha! Not a chance. Not after that last history test she had to retake.” Kuroo laughed mockingly.

“And this is exactly why she doesn’t like you.” Kenma grimaced as he wrinkled his nose, receiving an appalled look from the captain.

“What do you mean she doesn’t like me? (Name) loves me! Why would you say something like that?”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“It’s not!”

“It is.”

“It’s not‼!”

“It is.”

“Urgh, whatever!” He threw his hands in the air in surrender, tilting his head to Teshiro to answer his question, “She chose to stay back with Lev.”

“Oh, right. He said he didn’t want to show up until he could officially play in the starting roster.” Inuoka commented.

“What a fool.” Yaku shook his head, “He still has a lot to learn before that happens.”

Yamamoto dropped his head with a frown, apparently not listening to what his friends were talking about, or not really caring about it, “I wish (Name)-chan came with us…”

Kuroo snorted at that, causing the other third years to double over in laughter knowingly when he said, “I bet Lev thinks that too right now.”

“(Surname)-senpai,” Lev panted on all fours on the ground with sweat dripping from his chin, “Break. Please .”

“Break?” You raised your forehead, crossing your arms as you firmly said, “Get up, Lev. We just started with the drills.”

He lifted his head to give you an incredulous look, a pout mixed in somewhere with the hope that you’d feel sorry for him and give in. But you weren’t easily swayed by an adorable face, so you only tapped your foot impatiently on the ground, ordering him back up.

“Your serves are terrible. Your receives are worse. Don’t even get me started on your blocks or your spikes. Let alone your stamina.” Your voice was cold, calculative and drastically different than when you talked to him outside of practice, “If you want to be in the roster for the next practice match, then you better get up now.”

The air in his lungs felt like ice, burning through every crevice as he stood on shaky legs. The muscles in his thighs were screaming – it had been two hours since you waltzed into the gym with a determined grin, promising him a worthwhile session.

But right now, all he felt was pain and exhaustion as his limbs screamed at him to just lay on the ground and quit. You had him repeat the basic movements dozens, no, hundreds of times: receiving, blocking, serving, spiking, setting. And as if that hadn’t been enough, you had him run around the court and jump rope for several minutes, insisting he build up his stamina.

Your goal had been to get him used to run around the court and get his fingers accustomed to the feeling of a volleyball. He was after all a newbie. He hadn’t played in any official matches, hadn’t been in any teams before and only recently gotten into the sport. There were many things he had to improve on.

Lev had exceptionally long limbs, standing at a proud 194,3cm - if only he knew how to use his height to his advantage.

He was ditzy, had terrible posture and didn’t seem to have any control over how his body moved – put simply, he was a clumsy mess. But he was driven and an incredibly fast learner; which was why you were sure that with the right amount of practice, he would very soon be put into the starting roster, despite being a first year.

And it was precisely because you had so much faith in his potential that you went hard on him, keeping him late after practice for extra drills and using this day, in which your team traveled to Miyagi, to really go over everything once more.

When you heard him ask if he could stay behind to practice on his own, you couldn’t help but chime in, pleading with the coaches to join. The other first years were confused; they didn’t understand why you’d voluntarily stay back, but the others knew.

They knew you well enough by now to know what your intentions were.

And as you watched Lev finish up on his 50 diving receives, you felt your nostrils flare as your voice reverberated throughout the large gym, “Lev! Don’t just dive into the ground! Dive like you’re receiving!”

He groaned quietly, flopping onto the ground with his cheek mushed against the ground and you grumbled to yourself as you trudged to the sidelines to grab a towel and his water bottle. You threw the former object sloppily at him and he caught it with much difficulty.

“Where are your knee pads? I thought I told you to wear them last time… They make it more comfortable when you’re diving for the ground.” You started massaging his thighs and received a grunt of pleasure and thanks.

He didn’t respond to your question, but only blew a loose strand of hair from his forehead.

“I’m not letting you do these just for fun, you know. You have to work on your form.”

“(Surname)-senpai, “ he whined with an adorable pout gracing his features, “Have some compassion please! I am dying here!”

“You are not dying, Lev.” You knocked his temple lightly with an amused smile, planting your butt on the ground beside him to let him catch a small break, “What you need right now is repetition.”

He listened attentively, his eyes focused on you. So you took the initiative and continued, “You started playing way later than the rest of the guys. What makes you so special that we should let you on the starting roster and not Shibayama? Or Teshiro? Just because you’re tall?”

The corner of your lips twitched when he nodded honestly.

‘Seriously. This guy.’

“Sweetheart, height means nothing if you can’t use it. Right now, you’re just a hindrance to Mori-kun and the others.” He winced at your choice of words, but you only focused on diffusing the tension in his muscles with your fingers, “The only reason we put Inuoka on the roster is because he knows how to play. He doesn’t just play volleyball, he knows the game. He has great potential.”

You noticed Lev’s expression deepening, his face threatening to become one with the ground, so you patted his head affectionately and used the kind of tone one would use when nurturing a child, “But you aren’t so different, Lev. That’s why I’m putting you through hell now.”

He looked up at you hopefully, to which you gave him a reassuring smile, “It’s because I know you’re going to grow into a greedy monster that I’m here spending my weekend torturing you.”

It’s as if you held a candle light to his torch, a flame of determination erupting from the depths of his core at your unconcealed words. He jumped up with renewed energy, his fist in the air and a childishly pure grin plastered across his face as he all but yelled out, “(Surname)-senpai! I’m fired up now!”

You pushed yourself up from the ground and dusted your backside, glancing over your shoulder to point towards the net with your head, “Go on then. We still have to work on your spikes. Come on. I’ll toss.”

The practice match had ended, or rather the practice matches had ended. After defeating Karasuno 2:0, the crows had demanded a rematch, their short middle blocker eager to play until every single last one of them dropped.

“That shrimp has incredible stamina.” Kuroo commented as he downed his water bottle, watching how the guys from the opposing team were ruffling through his tangerine hair and slapping his back – the boy was beaming.

“Their libero isn’t half-bad either.” Yaku smirked when he saw him jumping around their manager excitedly.

“They’re going to be scary once they find a way to work with each other’s strengths.” Kai sighed in resignation.

“I wish (Name)-chan was here. She would’ve been thrilled to see that freak duo combo!” said Yaku.

“Oh man! She could’ve seen me block that spike!” Inuoka whined as he gripped at his hair, “Next time we have to take her with us!”

“Next time?” asked Shibayama.

“Hell yeah,” Kuroo said, “This was fun as hell. I’ll ask sensei to schedule another match in the future!”

“Guys? Where is Tora?” Kenma wiped the sweat off his neck with his towel, turning his head from left to right to sweep through the gym.

“Who knows?”

“Who cares?”

“Probably ogling the manager, poor girl…”

“Aren’t you being a bit too cruel…?” Shibayama asked meekly, noting with a shiver that Yaku and Kuroo had very amused grins on their faces.

They only laughed and left the first year to his own devices; he was after all still not fully familiar with Yamamoto and his mildly disturbing obsession with cute girls – how he didn’t lose his shit whenever you were around was a wonder to begin with; one they didn’t dare question out of fear of him realizing that you were a cute girl and reverting to his awkward and shy self.

What they didn’t know however, was that Yamamoto was currently in the storage room, exchanging pleasantries with a student very similar to him – his splitting image actually: Ryūnosuke Tanaka.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, brother. Welcome to the clan.” Tanaka held onto their clasped hands tightly, a shimmer of appreciation glossing his eyes.

“My long lost brother…” Yamamoto whispered, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.

“What… are they talking about?” Asahi asked Suga as they rolled the ball cart into the room.

“Ah,” the other scratched at his neck with an embarrassed smile, “Nishinoya and Tanaka have created their own Kiyoko appreciation clan . Apparently they’re recruiting…”

“O…kay…”

“Yeah. Don’t ask anymore, please.”

“Actually,” Yamamoto started, the two second years unaware of the conversation happening behind them, “We have a female manager too.”

Tanaka stilled cautiously, his Adam’s apple bobbing when he gulped. His hand tightened around Yamamoto’s, pulling him closer so as not to attract too much attention, “You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Where is she?”

Yamamoto glanced back with a frown, making sure no one from his team heard him bragging about you, “She stayed back to practice with one of our first years.”

“Huh?” His forehead rose in suspicion.

“We have a brat, who refused to show himself unless he’s on the roster, so he didn’t join us and said he’d much rather practice.”

“And your manager stayed with him to monitor him?”

“Somethin’ like that.” He gave him a confident smirk, a hidden message lurking beneath his tongue.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oi! Yamamoto! We’re leaving, are you coming or are you coming?”

The voice of Kuroo broke through and caused their hands to split apart as Yamamoto turned his back to his newly found friend, making his way out of the storage room before stopping one last time to give him a mysterious smile, “You’ll see.”

After a very dramatic parting, the Nekoma students were finally back on the bus and on their way home. They were tired and exhausted to their bones; the matches were anything but easy, but they were fun nevertheless and the boys were already looking forward to the next time they’d get to meet the ravens.

Kenma was especially happy about having made a new friend, not that he showed it though. He simply traced his finger over the newly acquired contact information on his phone, the tiniest hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Most of the team was knocked out cold sleeping with only the third years awake.

“Do you think (Name)-chan is still in the gym?” Yaku asked.

“(Name)?” Kuroo gave him a look of ‘You’re really asking that?’

“Ah… You’re right.” He smiled abashed as he held onto his neck at the insinuation.

Kai winked playfully at him, saying, “She’s your junior after all, demon senpai .”

“I’m dead.” said Lev and dropped to the ground with a thud, his arms hanging limply by his side.

A pool of sweat collected below him, his drenched shirt clinging to his lithe frame. You knelt beside him, patting the back of his neck with a fresh towel.

“You’re not dead, Lev.”

“But I am!”

“No, you are not.”

“You killed me, (Surname)-senpai!”

You chuckled amused, pressing two fingers against his pulse to prove a point, “Doesn’t look like I did a good enough job then.”

He peeked through his bangs with a horrified expression, his fingers twitching when they started to tingle from the overexertion, “I don’t think I ever had a practice session like this. I feel like jello.”

“You know we still have regular practice tomorrow morning, right?”

“…”

“…”

“(Surname)-senpai, have mercy on me- “

You patted his shoulder with a laugh, “Come on, get up. You did well today. We still need to get the net down and clean the gym up before the janitor arrives though.”

“(Surname)-senpai~ “ He whined in hopes of you taking pity upon him, but you only nudged his waist and prompted him to lift himself up.

He did so reluctantly, groaning with every single one of his movements. It took you double the usual amount of time to roll down the net and gather the balls, but soon you were finished and closing up the gym, locking it behind you.

“Here, eat this.” You handed him a protein bar you had procured from your bag.

Lev took it with a grunt, his eyes lifeless and tired. There was a slouch in his posture as he bit into it and you found yourself wondering if you went too hard on him. But you reminded yourself in the same instant that if he really wanted to be a part of the roster, he still had a lot to catch up on.

He was years behind everyone else on the team and as much as you adored the Russian first year, you couldn’t play favorites; in the state he was in now, there was no way the coaches were putting him on the roster.

“As soon as you get home, eat a proper meal with enough carbohydrates and protein – your muscles should be screaming for them by now.”

“Why carbohydrates?” He turned to look at you with a confused expression.

“You just spent a lot of energy, we need to get that back in. Don’t forget to add vegetables as well, but go a bit lighter on the fat, okay? Your muscle-cells repair at the fastest rate during the first two hours after working out, so don’t wait too much.”

“That’s too much information… My brain… can’t think… It’s dead…”

“Well, good thing we already have a brain on the team then.” You joked, breaking out in a belly laugh when the features of his handsome face twisted into agony.

“(Surname)-senpai can be so mean sometimes…”

“Oh, baby, come here.” You locked your elbows with his and rubbed his arms in a comforting manner.

The two of you walked for a bit like this, a comfortable silence settling over you two. There was a thoughtful expression decorating his twisted face.

It was clear as day – he was battling with something inside his head.

To ask or not to ask?

“What’s up, sweetheart?”

He pouted in that adorably Lev-way of his and huffed a breath of frustrated air, “(Surname)-senpai, there’s something I don’t understand.”

“Hm?”

“You know so much about volleyball, how come you’re not on the girls’ team?”

“Oh, ” you laughed lightly as you squeezed his arm, “I don’t do sports.”

He looked at you as if he didn’t understand what you were saying, confusion darting across his features, “That… makes literally no sense.”

“Except it does.” You stuck out your tongue, “I come from a family of coaches, so I really like the concept of sports. I grew up watching my parents work with athletes and always wanted to do the same – my dad is a basketball coach and my mom teaches swimming.”

“Ehhh? Really? How come you ended up in the volleyball club then?”

You passed the gate of the school, walking down the steep hill towards the bus station, your arms still intertwined comfortably. A light breeze wrapped around you, your hair dancing behind your shoulders as cool air hit your neck.

“That’s a story for another day.”

He gave you another impatient pout and you returned it with a delighted giggle, amused at his curiosity towards you, “But you know all the basic movements… do you not have any fun playing it?”

“I have fun watching you guys play.” You said seriously and he conceded with a reluctant sigh. “Besides,” you continued, “I have two left feet and two right hands.”

For an instant, he actually lowered his head to look at your hands and feet, turning away with a bright blush of embarrassment when you exploded into another fit of laughter. You slapped his arm with a snort, tugging him closer when he made to distance himself from you in shame.

“You fool! That means I’m super clumsy!”

And so you continued on your path to the station, his boisterous voice and your melodic laughter traveling through the streets, with him towering over you, arm in arm.

BONUS:  

The bright screen of the computer illuminated the dark room in bursts, going from dark to light, back to dark and then again to light with every new picture that was shown. Faint sounds of the video playing could be heard through the headphones, gym shoes squeaking and balls bouncing on wooden floor, occasional shouts accompanying them.

The alarm clock on the desk blared in bright red ’12:45 AM’ , surrounded by dozens of books on nutrition and sports science.

A feather light creak resounded, the door opening and shining a streak of light into the room.

“(Name)?” Your father called out from the doorway. When he wasn’t met with an answer, he stepped forward gingerly. After seeing what you were doing, he sighed and shook his head, placing his hand lightly on your shoulder so as not to scare you.

You jolted upright and ripped the headphones from your ears, slamming your laptop shut as if caught red-handed. “D-Dad!”

“It’s past midnight. Tomorrow is a school day.” His brows were furrowed but there was concern swimming in the pools of his eyes.

“I was just about to go to bed!” You tried to sound convincing, but judging by the subtle raise of his brows, you weren’t doing a good job at it.

“Were you?”

“Yes!”

“…“

“…”

The two of you kept staring at each other in silence until you felt uncomfortable, squirming underneath his imploring gaze, “A- Are you just gonna stand there?”

“Are you not going to go to bed?”

“Are you serious?” You groaned and clutched your head, but he firmly stood his ground and placed his hands on his hips. “Dad!”

“I’m not moving until you’re in bed. Now, chop chop.”

You couldn’t help the little smile that broke on your face, followed by a cheeky grin of his own.

“You’re terrible, dad.”

“No (Name). I’m (Your father’s name).

Chapter Text

Dusk was settling on the sky, painting it in a beautiful mixture of purple and orange, the flaming sun burning its last rays. The colors were illuminated in the small water fountain beside the large building, icy water cascading down its layers, filling the air with trickling sounds of refreshment.

The familiar squeaking and bouncing of balls was faintly audible, followed by exhausted grunts and loud boisterous cackling coming from inside the gym.

“Nice serve!”

“Chance ball!”

“Don’t mind, don’t mind!”

“Alright, time for the punishment – diving receives, go!”

On the other side of the court, the boys from Karasuno filed for the ground one by one, surrounded by dozens of stray balls littering their surroundings. The captain clapped his hands and started headfirst, followed by the vice-captain and the other giant third year.

A bit further from them were teams of six battling against each other, first and second years playing ridiculously long rallies – the boys from Fukurodani refusing to stop striking and the boys from Nekoma refusing to stop defending.

You scribbled down everything you managed to see, soaking up all of the information from the players like a sponge dumped into an ocean of play styles. Having prepared three notebooks for each team and a separate section for each player beforehand, you flipped the pages back and forth eagerly, your tongue poking out in concentration.

It was your second time partaking in a training camp and your first time seeing the boys from Miyagi in action. After the lively stories told by Yamamoto and Inuoka, you had been excited to see them play.

They were rough around the edges, making more mistakes than you’d have anticipated, but you could see the ferocious will in their eyes as they dove to the ground to fulfill their punishment without a single complaint for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

“Scary…” You muttered under your breath, your gaze trained on the perfect form of Nishinoya, who was cackling as if this was his first diving receive of the day, “They’re going to be so scary…”

“You noticed it too, hm?”

Surprised by the silky voice, you twitched and whirled around to find Akaashi standing next to you, wiping the sweat off his chin with his shirt. His ebony hair was messy and tangled, his gunmetal blue eyes fixed on Karasuno as he continued, “Once they get their own play style and manage to incorporate that into their regular play, they’re going to be a hazard to fight against.”

You nodded, agreeing with his words and trying to will away your blush, ‘Relax. (Name), breathe. He’s a human; just like you too.’

“You’re pretty attentive.” He leaned down to peer over your shoulder when he noticed the amount of notes you had taken. The scent of his refreshing deodorant wafted toward you, making your nose twitch.

‘But since when have humans been this pretty though?’

“Wait a minute? That’s us!” Surprise laced his voice and he snatched the notebook out of your hands despite your protests, skimming through the pages out of your reach until he found what he was looking for.

You squirmed while he was reading your notes on him, terrified of what he’d think of you. Would he think you were weird for writing literally everything you noticed about him? Would he think you were creepy for being so observant?

You were sure the entire gym could see how much of a tomato you had become at this point, “I- Uh- Yeah. I like to stay informed…”

“Wow… You’re incredible, (Surname)-san.”

Oh. How did you breathe again?

The smile on his pretty face was almost too small to notice, but you were as perceptive as it got, so you noticed the awe in his features instantly. Flowers budded in your chest and you coughed to hide your flustered state.

“You really have a page on all of us… Just how much time did you spend on these?”

Thankfully, there was someone to save you from any further embarrassment; and this someone came in the shape of a giant owl, screeching offended, “Akaashi! You said you’d toss to me- Oh, (Name)-chan!”

He sprung up like an excited puppy, gripping Akaashi by his shoulders and bringing his face right in between the two of you, “Whatchu two doing? Hm? What’s that?”

“N-Nothing!” You stuttered and made to take your notebook back from Akaashi, but Bokuto was faster and screamed in delight when he saw his face on the very front page, “Woah! That’s me! And- Woah??? Wait- What? What’s all this text?”

His curious eyes flitted from one corner to another, a childish grin taking up most of his face as he turned back to you with a beam, “Holy shit, that’s so cool! (Name)-chan, you’re such a cool manager! Do you wanna transfer schools and become our manager instead?”

“Oya, oya? What’s that I hear?” Kuroo sidled up beside you as if he had been waiting to make an entrance, draping a casual arm over your shoulder with his signature smirk, “You’re trying to seduce our dear manager?”

“Kuroo, lay off.“ You pushed him away with a groan, successfully taking back your notebook from a bewildered Bokuto, “You’re sweaty and gross. Don’t touch me.”

He physically recoiled with a pathetic sound, his smirk dissolving into a shocked grimace, causing Bokuto to burst out laughing, “(Na-), (Name)- Don’t say that- “

“You’re being creepy again.” Kenma said as he walked past, his face one of exhaustion as he sipped on his water bottle lazily.

“C-Creepy? Me? Again? When have I ever been creepy?”

“Always.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No! Kenma!”

“Yes.” He gave his captain an unimpressed look and turned away, “Kuroo.”

You used their bickering as an opening to escape and ducked through the flailing arms of Kuroo with practiced ease. He noticed a second too late that you were no longer beside him, and started crying after you to come back.

He swirled around and pointed a failed attempt at a threatening finger to the two in front of him, “Don’t flirt with (Name)! Don’t seduce (Name)! She’s our manager! Ya hear me? And with her, we’re going to beat your ass in the preliminaries and come first place!”

“I wasn’t flirting with her.” Akaashi merely stated, watching you strike up a conversation with Yukie and Kaori, “But her observational skills are incredible.”

“Hey, hey, Kuroo, is she my fan? Is she my number one fan or somethin’? Should I give her my autograph?”

“What? Why would she want your- “

“She has so much information on me! Hey- Kuroo! Come back here!” He cried when Kuroo whisked away to nag Kenma and turned back to Akaashi with wonder, “She even has every single one of my mood swings and when they appear noted down! She’s like a spy!”

Bokuto lifted his hands to curl them into tiny goggles, hovering in front of his eyes and pretending to stalk the people in his surroundings.

“Hm.” Akaashi hummed and kept his gaze on the little book in your hand, remembering all the on-spot details you had caught of his habits during a game, “Looks like Karasuno won’t be the only difficult opponents we might face in the future.”

Bokuto switched from you to Akaashi, his detective mode turned on, back to you and then back to Akaashi, thoughtful and quiet. He released his hands and lowered his voice ominously.

“So what do you say? Should I give her an autograph? Oh , maybe she’d want a picture with me?”

“Here.”

A pair of hazel-brown eyes gazed up in surprise when you leaned down with a bottle of water in your hand.

“You must be tired from all that diving on the ground.”

“Ah, thank you.” Sugawara took the bottle from you with a grateful smile, “It’s a little embarrassing to be honest… I didn’t think we’d be that bad compared to you guys.”

“No, not all.” You shook your head as you knelt down to be on eye-level, “I think you’re holding your own pretty well, Sugawara-san.”

He noticed the thoughtful look on your face when you watched his teammates and almost choked on his water when you said, “I’m afraid you guys might eat us up at nationals.”

“Huh? Have you not… watched our matches? You absolutely destroyed us!”

“That’s not true and you know it. Compared to the first match today, you’ve already made quite the improvements.”

He watched you in silence, letting the weight of your words sink into his bones, calming his jittery nerves. He had been so focused on doing all of their punishments with shame flooding his blood that he had completely neglected to notice how much more easily he reacted when the ball came to him.

“I can’t wait to see how much you evolve by the time we have our next training camp.” You tilted your head and gave him a kind smile before you jumped back up to go to their managers. “I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah! Wait.. Next… training camp?” He asked aloud, taken aback. 

But then he realized something.

You weren’t just saying that for the sake of conversation. You were actually looking forward to it.

He huffed a small smile, feeling energized again.

‘Yeah… Next time.’

“(Surname)-senpai is neglecting us…” Lev whined with a pout, “I don’t like it!”

“Stop being such a big baby.” Yaku commented dryly, taking a bite of his banana.

“But Yaku-san! Look!” He pointed to you talking with Konoha and Sarukui now, “She’s spent all day talking to Karasuno and Fukurodani! She’s supposed to talk to us!”

“You mean she’s supposed to talk to you?” Fukunaga smirked knowingly at him, earning the skin of the fruit to his forehead.

“I overheard Bokuto-san asking her to become their manager…” Shibayama mentioned somberly, his usually bright eyes falling to the ground in defeat.

“What?” Lev’s eyes widened into dinner plates and he grabbed onto the hem of the libero’s shirt as he tugged him harshly, “Yaku-san! Do something! They’re going to take (Surname)-senpai away! We can’t let her get away!”

“You mean you can’t let her honey lemons get away?”

“Fukunaga-san, can you please stop that!”

“Calm down, you fool!” Yaku slapped the first year across his head, releasing a groan of frustration, “Are you really this stupid? Do you not realize what she’s doing?”

“Realize.. What she’s doing?”

“My god… You really are stupid.”

“Yaku-san!”

“She’s observing, you idiot.”

“Observing?” Inuoka chimed in from beside them, having listened to the exchange with a growing curiosity.

“Why do you think she brought all those notebooks with her?”

“I’m getting tired… I wanna take a break.” Kenma stretched his arms above his head with a yawn.

“We are taking a break right now.” Kai nudged him gently in his side, “Also, who knows? Your friend might burst in through that door any second now.”

At that thought, Kenma stifled a smile and glanced at the door, excited at the prospect of getting to see the orange ball of joy again.

“Why did she bring all those notebooks with her? Does she have tests coming up?” Lev asked, still oblivious to the very obvious answer at hand.

“Seriously… Where is your brain in that big head of yours?”

“I don’t have a big head!”

“Why don’t you two just get a room already?” Fukunaga asked with a sly smile.

While Yamamoto broke into boisterous laughter and high-fived his friend, Yaku ignored his teasing question and pointed to you giggling at a joke Konoha made, your hand swatting at his arm playfully – you looked so natural among them, melting into their team as if you were already a part of it, “She gets to know the players as regular people, really getting to know their personalities, their habits, their strengths and their weaknesses.”

Realization dawned on the first years’ faces, mouths widening and brows raising. Inuoka was the first to voice his thoughts, “Oh… And since everyone has their own way of playing… “ He didn’t need to finish his sentence for the others to know what he was trying to say.

“Right.” Kai continued for the libero, “She gathers all the information she can find, interpreting and analyzing them until she comes up with a few strategies to prepare us for all kinds of scenarios in a game.“

Yaku nodded and crossed his arms like a proud father, “She computes the probability of each strategy and goes with the one she deems most likely. It’s a weird skill to have, one I’ve definitely never come across- “

“But a really useful one as it’s helped us out of sticky situations a few times now.” Kai interrupted with a finger pointed at the ceiling.

“And will most likely do so in the future too. Nekomata-sensei gives her pretty much all the freedom she wants as an aspiring coach, so she gets to explore and figure out through trial and error what works for her.”

“It’s also really useful for whenever we have a math exam.” Fukunaga added with a silly grin.

“Or a physics test! She really knows her stuff when it comes to numbers.” Yamamoto praised you with a doting tone.

“She… computes…?”

“The probability…?”

“Of each strategy…?”

The three first year exchanged baffled looks, moving sideways to continue watching you make your way through Fukurodani, talking to everyone as if you had known them for years. If Yaku hadn’t pointed out that your intention was to use the relationships you were building with them against them on court, they never would have guessed it.

“Yaku-san,” Lev started with marvel dripping from his tongue, “Is (Surname)-senpai a genius?”

The libero bellowed out a vicious round of laughter, his stomach shaking in elation when he took in the expressions of his kouhais beneath him – they looked like they had just witnessed one of the world wonders right at this very moment.

It took him a good five minutes to calm down, and when he did, he noticed you starting to approach them with a ditzy smile on your face, a spring in your step and your arms swinging by your sides. A fond smile latched on his face and he answered the still waiting first years with something akin to awe in his voice,

“Yeah. Yeah, she is.”

It was a few hours later, the sky painted in hues of gold and orange, when the first guys flopped to the ground with tired groans. The scent of sweat filled the entire hall, the air stuffy and thick with exhaustion. After playing one practice match after another, they were exhausted. Their limbs were screaming for a break. Preferably one that didn’t only last five minutes.

In the back corner of the gym, the students of Karasuno were diligently diving towards the ground as yet another punishment for a lost match. Their knees were colored in a mixture of blue and purple, the patch of skin slightly swollen from the continuous impact.

Sweat was dripping down their bodies, their shirts clenching onto every crevice of their lithe frames; however the hunger in their eyes was still very apparent, their form not faltering once on their way to the ground.

The remaining two teams watched them incredulously, partly horrified, partly amused at the determination and motivation they had. Whereas Karasuno didn’t seem to know the concept of a break, the other two teams were using the minutes off the court to chirp happily with one another, exchanging stories from their school days and private lives.

Since Fukurodani and Nekoma were part of the Fukurodani Academy Group, they had practice matches and training camps like these often – thus the players all knew each other on a personal level. Some of them were even friends off court, meeting privately to do things unrelated to volleyball.

It was when coach Nekomata had suggested adding Karasuno to the mix that the dynamics had started to shift. The coach wasn’t one to recommend other teams easily, so curiosity was at an all-time high when he came back from a practice game in Miyagi, his eyes ablaze with an old flame that he thought had died out.

When Karasuno first stepped into the gym and played against each other, the students of Fukurodani had been visibly confused – was this the same team coach Nekomata and Naoi had been talking about ever since their trip to the countryside?

They were so… normal?

Clumsy, even.

They made more mistakes than your average team, losing every single match they had that day, their play style rough and aggressive and lacking in strategy and finesse.

However, unlike any other average team that would wallow in dejection and self-pity after their seventh round of diving receives, the boys from Karasuno took everyone by surprise when they eagerly screamed “One more!” after each loss.

It was nothing short of incredible, really.

Their will power was commendable.

Your fascination for them only grew with each match and soon you found yourself beside their two managers, having left your own team behind to watch them play with big wondering eyes and hands as fast as a panther as you wrote down pages upon pages of notes for each player.

It was only when the doors to the gym creaked open and the soft, barely there voice of Kenma spoke up that the barriers of your concentration broke, “Oh. Shōyō.”

You snapped your notebook shut and turned towards the door to see a tuft of orange and black, both boys panting as they raked their eyes across the court, grins slowly forming on their faces.

“Arriving fashionably late, huh?” Kuroo rested his elbow on your shoulder, ignoring your disgruntled stare as he all but watched the two newcomers, “Look out, (Name). Your mind is about to be blown.”

“Hm?” Your grimace turned into a question, “Oh, you mean the ‘ freak quick ’?”

“Yeah. Last time Inuoka managed to block it after being exposed to it long enough, but I’m sure they practiced like mad to improve their quick. Doesn’t matter though. We’re gonna block ‘em again- “

“Why don’t you get back to practice and let me be the judge of that, hm?” You gave him a fake sweet smile, one that had him moping as he trudged away from you and towards Kenma.

“Why is she always so rude to me… I’m the captain!”

“It’s because you’re slacking off when you should be getting ready for our next match.” Kenma said after greeting Hinata, his golden eyes a notch lighter than they usually were.

“Am not!”

“Are too.”

“Am- “

“I swear to god, if you start arguing again instead of starting the match, I’ll make you do 100 jump serves tonight.”

You could practically hear the two straightening their shoulders and rushing to their teammates, Kenma muttering hasty apologies to Hinata before hiding behind Yamamoto’s present frame.

They both knew well enough that you always followed through with your cruel punishments.

Your brows furrowed when you felt a weird sensation shoot up your spine, and you turned your head to find Hinata watching you with an interested gaze. He eyed the booklets pressed against your chest, the question as to why you carried that many with you on the tip of his tongue. But he felt a hand close around the collar of his shirt, an unknown strength yanking him back.

The unknown strength turned out to be Kageyama, who was starving to hold a ball in his hand.

“Hurry, dumbass. Let’s get on the court.”

A threateningly exciting grin split Hinata’s face in half as he jumped off the ground to tap the soles of his feet against each other twice, before he squatted low and held onto his inner thighs, his voice low and auspicious, “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

And do it they did.

You stood completely motionless on the sidelines, your jaw unhinged with your hands hanging limply by your sides; your notebooks had fallen to the ground with a clatter, the pen rolling off to the side as you were unable to do anything but stare.

‘What… the heck… was that?’

You repeated the scene in your head in slow motion, remembering the specific amount of steps Hinata had taken as he zoomed past his teammates to the front of the net, jumping – no, flying – off the ground and remaining suspended mid-air.

Your wide eyes traveled to the ground, measuring the distance and you balked at the realization that he had jumped higher than three meter s!

‘Holy hell…’

But that wasn’t all.

There was more to this ‘What the hell?’ -moment.

Just as you thought Hinata had reached his highest point, a ball came out of nowhere and snuggled right into the center of his waiting palm as he slammed the volleyball across the court with the wildest grin you had ever seen.

There was a blood-freezing silence that followed, everyone exchanging baffled looks; but you were too focused on the slow pounding of your heart and the aggressively spinning cogwheels in your mind.

‘What… just happened?’

A hand reached from behind you and pushed your chin up to close your gaping mouth, followed by a hearty chuckle as Kuroo crossed his arms across his chest, “Told ya.”

“Holy shit.” was all you managed to say.

“Yeah. Holy shit indeed.”

BONUS:

“Everythin’ alright over there, bud?” Saeko glanced from the corner of her eyes at Hinata, who was squirming in his seat.

He had his thighs squeezed tightly together, his hands balled into fists on top of them, “Excuse me… Can we stop somewhere? I really need to pee…”

“I told you to go before we left, you dumbass.” Kageyama said condescendingly as he bit into his lunch.

“Oh, yeah sure. There’s a gas station a few miles- “

“I need to go now .” Hinata furrowed his brows and bit his lips, a sound of restraint leaving his throat in hopes his desperation would reach her.

Saeko’s brown eyes widened for a fraction before she nodded with understanding, lightly pressing her foot against the brake and slowly switching lanes to stop on the outer side of the freeway. As soon as the car came to a halt, Hinata ripped the seat belt off of his body and jumped out and towards the bushes.

“What an idiot.” Kageyama remarked.

“Wanna go too while we’re already here?” She asked him with an amused raise of her brow.

He shook his head and continued eating, pushing the handle to the door open, “Is it okay if I go out for a breather?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Kageyama stepped outside and inhaled a long, deep lungful breath of air and sighed, gulping down the last remnants of his tuna-filled rice ball. Just as he was about to step into the vehicle again, a piercing scream resounded from the woods and Saeko came rushing out of the car at the speed of lightning.

Before he even had a chance to process what was going on, she ran into the woods with a bat in her hand, ordering him to stay back and lock himself in the car. But a sudden sense of urgency and curiosity took over his limbs and Kageyama found himself following after Saeko to see for himself what had caused Hinata to release such a terror-filled scream.

“Shōyō!”

“Hinata!”

They both stopped abruptly when they were faced with his back, his hands in the air shaking. Saeko furrowed her brows, her grip on the bat loosening, “Shōyō, are you okay? What’s going on?”

“H-Help…” Hinata responded in a meek whimper, his bare knees rattling against each other-

Bare knees?

Kageyama trailed his eyes from Hinata’s back lower and lower, ripping open in shock when he noticed that Hinata was naked from the waist down . And as if things hadn’t been awkward enough, he slowly and very carefully turned around – seemingly oblivious that he was showcasing his family jewels in front of not only Kageyama, but also Tanaka’s older sister.

His face was ripped in a disgusted and terrified sneer, tears streaming down his face as he pointed downwards, “B-Bug… There’s a, there’s a big bug on it...”

It took a full minute for the entire situation to sink in, but when it did, Saeko exploded in a fit of roaring laughter and threw her bat to the ground, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes, “Holy shit, ya really got me there kid. Go on, Tobio, help your friend out. I’ll be in the car waiting.”

She picked up the metal bat and trudged back through the woods, leaving a bewildered Kageyama behind, who watched her retreating form with confusion, ‘Help… Hinata out?’

He turned around and was once again faced with a shivering and half-naked Hinata, whose brown eyes were shooting pleading glances at him. “K-Kageyama-kun, the bug is crawling up higher, oh my god help me, please I’m gonna die- “

“Like hell I will touc- help you with that thing‼! Do it yourself, you dumbass!” He was about to leave the crying boy behind, but stopped in his tracks when he heard a genuine hiccup breaking through his chest. He clenched his jaw in agitation and racked his brain for possible solutions to this problem.

With a glance over his shoulder, he let his eyes linger on the bug, zoning out everything else surrounding it and grimaced, ‘What should I do?’

Chapter Text

With the arrival of Kageyama and Hinata, it was as if the atmosphere in the entire gym had changed within seconds. Awe and tension dripped off of everyone, their eyes wide and disbelieving in the face of the freak duo.

The duo in question screamed in delight, high-fiving each other and running back to their smug looking team. Coach Ukai smirked at Coach Nekomata, his dark eyes emitting pure sadism.

“Alright! Let’s not lose our heads over one point.“ Daichi said, a manic grin splitting his face in half, “We’re just getting started after all.”

“Yeah. You guys sure took your time.” Sugawara clapped Kageyama’s back loudly, his otherwise kind face looking anything but kind at this moment.

He fell back towards Yamaguchi, Ennoshita, Kinoshita and Narita, giving Hinata a thumbs up, who in turn gleefully sprinted back to his position. His earthy eyes blazed with determination, cool air radiating off his body in waves, infecting his teammates with his enthusiasm.

“Let’s do this!” The captain bellowed, followed by a chorus of warrior screams.

And thus the match began.

You gripped onto the clipboard tightly, your nails digging into the plastic as your eyes flitted from Hinata to Kageyama working perfectly in synch with one another; to Yaku, who received their regular quick easily; to Fukunaga, who spiked it with terrifying accuracy towards Tsukishima, who dodged to make room for Nishinoya, who perfectly received it with his rolling thunder and sent it towards Kageyama once again.

Your heart was jumping from your stomach to your throat, back down to your toes and up to your lips, anticipation coursing through your racing blood as a light headache announced itself from the overflow of information seeping into your brain.

Kageyama touched the ball with natural ease as if it had melded into his fingertips, sending the ball flying at incredible speed towards Hinata, who was already suspended mid-air, his hand wide out and ready to slam the ball towards the other side of the net.

You were so focused on analyzing the logistics of the freak duo that was bound to come that your lips opened slightly to let out a breath that had been clogged in the back of your throat.

The ball came closer and closer towards Hinata, and this time you deliberately held your breath and sucked in your stomach, closing off everything surrounding you to zero in on what was about to happen in front of you.

The coaches beside you vanished, as did the cheering sounds of Inuoka and Shibayama from behind you, even the piercing scream of a delighted Bokuto was no longer audible to you – only the backspin of the ball, the slight whoosh that raced your way.

'Now. Focus, (Name). Here it comes.'

You prepared yourself mentally for the scenario with Hinata focusing on the other side of the net, not even looking towards Kageyama – his back was arched, his legs bent with his spiking arm in the air; ready to strike.

You waited, and waited, and-

The ball dropped a few inches short beside Hinata on the ground.

'Eh?'

Your mouth fell open in disbelief as you watched Hinata fall back on his feet with a confused expression. Kageyama had a deep scowl etched across his features, his brows almost connecting as he glared daggers at the small boy in front of him.

“He… missed?” You asked aloud, the sound of your voice causing both of their shoulders to twitch.

“Ack! That was too short…”

“Don’t mind, don’t mind- “

“Shut up, you dumbass! That was just a miscalculation on my part- “

They continued bickering, but you turned your head towards coach Nekomata with a frown, “What was that about? Was that first quick they pulled just a coincidence?”

He gave you a knowing smile, his eyes closed as always, “I am afraid no.”

You looked back to see the third years ruffle through Kageyama’s hair comfortingly, and much to your surprise, to see Kenma watching Hinata warily.

'Kenma… watching someone warily?'

“Their loss against Seijoh was a wake-up call for these two.” He started again, crossing his arms across his chest, “They can no longer rely only on each other. They have realized that they each have to hone their skills to become individually strong players.”

“Two strong players combined are more powerful after all.” Coach Naoi added, stroking along his stubble thoughtfully.

You turned back with a grim expression, noting that neither Kageyama nor Hinata looked discouraged from their failed attempt at their freak quick. If the air of calm surrounding them was anything to go by, they seemed even more eager to get back in sync.

“Don’t mind, don’t mind!” The reassuring voice of Daichi filled the court and slowly but surely, your surroundings reappeared in your field of vision.

“I don’t know what exactly is going on with our cute little crows over there, but let’s not get carried away by them.” Kuroo’s confident words reached you as he handed Yamamoto the ball, “Nice serve, Yamamoto!”

“Nice serve!”

The others joined their captain, the middle blockers lifting their hands to shield the back of their heads. Yaku spread his legs open and squatted, ready for whatever was to come from the other side. Kenma kept his eyes on the ball, small droplets of sweat traveling down his jaw and dropping on the ground.

'He’s right.'

You reminded yourself sternly when you gazed down at your notebook, only to be met with the lack of notes you had failed to take during this match.

'Don’t get flustered. Observe and analyze, (Name).'

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, rearranging the swirling thoughts in your brain one by one, until you felt them float in an orderly manner between your ears.

'Just like you always do.'

With a click, you opened your pencil and started jotting down everything you had stored in the crevice of your brain, lifting your eyes back up to Yamamoto when the whistle resounded; ready to continue documenting what was to happen during this match.

“You’re staying behind.”

You gave Lev a pointed look as your team filtered out of the gym safe for Kuroo, undoubtedly to go take a long bath, eat a filling dinner and get some well-deserved rest for the night after their individual practice sessions. Kuroo joined your side, resting his elbow on your shoulder when Lev twitched where he stood, his head slowly reeling towards the two of you.

“(Surname)-senpai? Kuroo-san?”

“Yeah, we still have some drills to go through.”

“B- But- I already got the hang of wall passes- “

“That’s why we’re going to practice your receives tonight.” You reached across your back to brush your hair up with your nails, looping the collected strands through your hair tie and into a high ponytail. “Lucky for you, I’m not half-bad at serving.”

“I’ll be over there practicing my blocks with Bokuto and Akaashi if you need me, (Name).” Kuroo gave you a friendly pat on your back before skidding off to the two, who had been waiting for him to come.

“(Surname)-senpai…” Lev gave a defeated sigh, slinking to the ground and on his knees, “I really wanna practice my blocks with Bokuto-san as well- “ He stopped short when he saw you pulling out a whistle.

He tilted his head back when you walked over and stretched your hand towards him, this being your silent way to show him he wasn’t alone in this, “Come on, let’s get you sweating.”

With a very drawn out groan and long strides, he went to the other side of the net, squatting down with his eyes fixed on you, a cheeky and provocative grin curling around his face. “Fine.. Ready whenever you are, (Surname)-senpai.”

“You little… smartass,” You smirked deviously as you threw a volleyball lightly into the air, reaching back with your arm before hitting it forward.

The ball held its course steadily and flew in a curve over the net, gravity taking over when it passed halfway on the other side of the net, falling right towards Lev. He took a wider stance and pressed his wrists together, just the way you and Yaku had shown him previously that day, and the ball collided with the pale skin of his forearms.

It bounced off and into the air in a perfectly straight line, towards where the setter would usually stand. Euphoria ripped through Lev’s chest, a smile that could rival the sun blooming on his face as his finger kept pointing towards the ball, “(Surname)-senpai, did you see that? Did you see that? That receive was perfect, right? Right?”

“Good job, Lev. That was a very good receive! Remember when you’re in a game to always call mine, even if it’s obvious that the ball is meant for you. We want to avoid missing the ball, because you think someone else gets it, or worse; collision with another player, because you both think it’s yours.” You gave him a thumbs up and an encouraging smile as you talked, jogging forward to grab the ball again, halting mid-way down when you heard the velvet voice of Akaashi caress your spine.

“Giving him a perfect serve that even a volleyball rookie could receive with no problems simply to boost his mood and confidence… You’re scary in your own way, (Surname)-san.” He smiled knowingly at you and the sight of it had you contracting your core to keep the butterflies in place.

“You’re one to talk, Akaashi-san.” You glanced at Bokuto and then back to him, your thoughts loud and clear for the setter, who gifted you with a silent chuckle that sounded like jingling bells at the entrance gate for heaven.

“Akaashi! Toss to me! Come on! I gotta make that stupid cat eat his words! He said he could block all of my spikes on his own…” Bokuto grumbled under his breath, steam leaving his ears in clouds as he walked to the other edge of the court with clenched fists.

“Coming.” He gave you another soft smile, “Duty calls.”

You went back to your position after he left and slammed the ball to the ground twice, catching it swiftly between your tingling fingertips. Lev waited patiently, his tongue peeking out to trace over his dried lips, his eyes wide and focused.

‘Hm…’ You smirked at the sight of him; just now he was whining and begging for a break, but a simple proper receive and some encouragement from you was enough to put him back into the mood for more.

‘Let’s try making it a tad bit harder.’

This time you served with more strength from your stomach – like Yamamoto had shown you – your wrist twisting at the last minute to send the ball flying to an empty spot a bit farther from Lev. You missed the impressed whistle from Bokuto and the proud smile from Kuroo, too busy focusing on the reaction of the first year.

Lev made a sound of displeasure when the ball wasn’t flying directly towards him like before, but he moved fast enough to touch the ball with his hands. However, instead of sending it towards where another player, preferably the setter, would be, the ball flew out of bounds and onto some corner of the gym.

“Out. You touched the ball and sent it out of the line. That’d be my point and I’d get to serve for another rally. We don’t want that in a game.” You called out to him, “You need to watch the angle of your arms, Lev. Every twist and rotation changes the trajectory of the ball. Try to point your body in the direction where you want it to go and then pop up from your squat after the ball has touched your forearms. You get more control of the angle this way.”

“Eeeeeh? I have to think about all this? I thought I was just supposed to get the ball?”

You pinched the bridge of your nose with a light exhale, “God, please never say that when Mori-kun is around. He’ll rip your hair out strand by strand for that question alone.”

Lev physically recoiled with defensive hands in front of his chest, the image of an angry Yaku enough to scare him into submission. He ran after the ball and threw it to you, squatting back into position as he reminded himself gently, “Got it. Watch the angle of your arms. Use your entire body. Watch the ball. ”

“Alright then. Here comes another one.”

“Hey! Karasuno! Guy with the glasses!” Kuroo waved a hand, his usual shit-eating grin plastered across his face with Bokuto joining him.

“Mind jumping some blocks for us?”

“Manners, Kuroo. The guy’s got a name.” You reprimanded him as you sent another ball flying, groaning frustratedly when Lev only flopped to the ground into a pool of sweat, the ball thudding on the back of his head, “Lev! You receive with your hands! Not with your head!”

Kuroo exploded into a fit of laughter, joined by Bokuto, who had a supporting hand draped over his shaking stomach.

“I’m sorry. I’ve had my fill of practice today already. If you’ll excuse me.”

At the sound of a new voice floating through the gym, you curiously peered at the intruder. Tsukishima was about to leave from the direction he came from, but stopped when you called out to him.

“Ah! Tsukishima-kun!”

A huge question mark popped over his head, discomfort very evident on his features. ‘Why is she talking to me?’

“What a nice coincidence! I was hoping someone would stop by to satiate our dear Bokuto-senpai’s hunger.” You jogged towards the four guys, letting Lev wallow in his fatigue and self-pity as you handed Kuroo the ball, “Change of shifts!”

“Huh?” came from Lev and Kuroo simultaneously.

Akaashi glanced from the corner of his eyes with an amused smile. He could tell you were getting exasperated and tired from coaching Lev, who despite his athleticism was stubborn and had his focus set on Bokuto and Kuroo, instead of you and receiving.

“Well dinner isn’t gonna cook itself, you know. I promised the girls I’d help out in the kitchen tonight.” You grabbed the water bottle from his hands, taking a few sips of it before thrusting it against his chest, “So I’ll leave Lev in your care.”

“Wait- (Name)- “ He started to protest, but you merely turned towards Lev, curling your hands around your mouth to yell at him.

“I’ll be off now, Lev! I’m trusting you to clean up your receives by tomorrow morning or else you’re staying for extra drills again!”

You faintly registered his gut-wrenching wailing, before moving to walk towards Tsukishima, who was eyeing you with a curious expression. You stopped just short in front of him, tilting your head up to lock your eyes with his as you spoke in your most serious voice,

“There’s a lot you can learn from these guys. They might not be the brightest of this bunch- “ An offended ‘Hey, that’s rude!’ by Kuroo interrupted you, “But they’re good at what they do. Don’t let this golden opportunity go to waste.”

Dropping your voice to a volume only he could hear, you winked, adding conspiratorially, “Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.”

You slipped out of the gym without turning back, blissfully unaware of the mess you had left behind – Lev still on the ground, his tears mixing with the lake of his sweat beneath him; Akaashi watching entertained the interactions between an overbearing Kuroo, an over-energetic Bokuto and a disinterested Tsukishima.

Stopping by the bathroom, you quickly washed your face and hands before racing to the kitchen to reach the girls before they started on the preparations for dinner. You were met with Yukie, who already had her mouth stuffed with several cookies, chocolate chips dribbling down her chin.

Her face was the definition of pure joy, her eyes closed as she sighed happily with each bite.

“Ah! (Surname)-senpai.” The blonde first year from Karasuno perked up when she saw you, her cheeks tinged with pink.

“Ohhhh, are you helping out too, Hitoka-chan?” You ruffled through her soft hair fondly, taking the apron Shimizu was holding out to you with a thanks before wrapping it around your waist. “What are we making?”

“Well,” Kaori started, her grey-blue eyes narrowing accusingly at Yukie, who was still happily munching away on the snacks, “We were thinking of grilled fish with vegetables and baked potatoes for the guys? And a few dumplings as a side dish?”

You seized Yukie’s wrist just before she managed to get another cookie, eliciting a low whine from her and choked laughter from Kaori, “Sounds good! I can get started on the fish and veggies. We do them fairly often at home.”

“I- I can do the potato! I’ve already cleaned out the oven.” Yachi rubbed the back of her neck shyly, bursting up in flames when she was met with approval and praise from everyone.

“Kiyoko and I were wrapping the dumplings up, so we’ll continue doing those, and Yukie, “ Kaori cleared her throat exaggeratedly, “was busy eating our dumplings away.”

You had to struggle not to burst out laughing; the scandalous look on the redhead’s face was worth a million dumplings. Motioning towards the sack of rice standing on the other side of the counter, you cocked your head, “Can you cook the rice for us, Shirofuku-senpai?”

“Mhhhh, don’t call me that.” She yawned as she licked her lips one last time before jumping off the barstool to walk to the other side of the kitchen, “Told you just Yukie is fine.”

“Then, Yukie. Can we count on you to make the rice?”

She clicked her tongue at you with a grin, a dangerous glint passing her eyes, “Can’t guarantee any of it will be left once I’m done though.”

The kitchen was filled with the clattering of pans and the chopping of knives on wooden boards. Lively chatter broke out between you, all kinds of topics getting breached as you grew closer and more comfortable with one another.

Kaori started humming under her breath when she mixed the minced and seasoned meat with chives and cabbage, occasionally stealing a peek at Shimizu to see how she was folding the gyoza skin. The scent of grilled vegetables wafted through the kitchen deliciously, a mixture of carrots, corn and broccoli sizzling in the oil-slicked pan.

Yukie was stealing glances over everyone’s shoulder every now and again and you could swear you saw drool leave her mouth in buckets. But true to her word, she stuck to the rice cooker like a champ and didn’t touch any more food as the four of you prepared enough to feed an entire village- which, to be honest, all three of your teams combined, along with the coaches and all the managers, could count for an entire village at this point.

“Say, (Name)-chan,” Kaori pursed her lips thoughtfully when none of you spoke for a while, “What’s it like being the only manager for a team as chaotic as yours?”

Yukie doubled over at that, shooting her friend a disbelieving look, “Are you really asking that? When we have Bokuto on our team?”

“I know, I know. But we’re two managers. There’s no way in hell I could handle that fool all on my own!”

“Are you really on your own, (Name)? Aren’t you considering getting someone to help you out?”

“Yeah, it’s just me and the boys.“ You flipped the fish to grill both sides evenly, “It is hard sometimes... “ You admitted, “Especially since I’m not only doing managerial duties. Naoi-sensei and Nekomata-sensei teach me a lot on how to be a proper coach. Sometimes it gets overwhelming to be honest.”

Kaori gave you a thoughtful look, before sharing what was on her mind, “On days when Yukie is sick or can’t attend practice, I get overwhelmed with all the different kinds of chores too, especially when Bokuto is having a bad day.”

“Well to be fair though, the guys are always helping me out.” You added nonchalantly.

“They are?” Shimizu asked, surprised.

“Mori-kun and Nobu-kun are always keeping an eye out for me. They help me clean the court after practice is over.” You smiled when you remembered their refusal to leave after practice, both insisting to stay behind with you, “The first years are always eager to carry their dirty laundry to the laundromat. They turn it into a competition on who can go there the fastest – sometimes I wonder just how much energy exactly they have?”

Shimizu laughed at this, nodding vividly to your words, “I ask myself this every time I see our wild ones.”

“Nishinoya-senpai and Tanaka-senpai sure have a lot of it!” Yachi added, her eyes big and wondering.

“Eeeeh? Really? Those two? I thought that walking tangerine would be your main source of problems.”

“Hinata? No, he’s actually really nice and helpful!”

“Hm~ He sure is a cute one, isn’t he, Hitoka-chan?” You teased her with a flick of your spatula.

“Ye-“ She stilled, gasping as delight overflowed you from the explosion of crimson that happened on her face when she realized the trap she had almost walked right into. “(Surna-) (Surname)-senpai!”

Shimizu snickered amused, patting her junior on her shoulder comfortingly, “She’s just teasing you, Hitoka-chan. Don’t let her get to you.”

“Sorry sweetie, but he just seems like such a ball of sunshine, I couldn’t resist.“

“I remember when Akaashi first joined our team.” Kaori nudged Yukie, who had joined her side now that the rice was done.

“Right? We were all head over heels for him in the beginning.” added Yukie.

“I’ll believe that immediately.” Shimizu nodded.

However it was your questions on this topic that sent the final blow for Yachi, “I mean, is he even human? How can he be so pretty? Do you guys know his secret?”

Her face blossomed into a beautiful shade of rose, her brain working in overdrive when she realized that she was really having a girl talk with four super pretty girls .

And so she continued to listen faithfully to every word you were saying, her head flipping from one manager to the other as she all but soaked in all of the information with a dazed grin, happily chiming in whenever she was asked a question.

Just like that, dinner was prepared and eaten in the chaotic fashion that was the norm for the three rowdy schools.

BONUS:

Kuroo yawned audibly as he trudged down the hallway, scratching at the little bit of exposed skin on his stomach, his shirt riding up to rest on his forearm. His eyes were still closed, sleep dripping from them on his way to the bathroom.

After he relieved himself and washed his hands, he made to return to their shared sleeping space, stopping short when he heard sounds of flipping papers nearby. Confused as to who would still be up at this time, he rounded the corner and to his surprise, found you hunched over the tables in the canteen.

You were scribbling something on a piece of paper, groaning in frustration and crossing over what you just wrote, only to flip a few more pages and start scribbling again.

“(Name)?” He asked around another yawn, walking closer to inspect the contents of the table.

Several sheets were strewn across the table, some ripped in half, others completely crossed out with angry thick lines. Your notebooks laid open all around you, red comments squeezing in between each line and filling the pages to the brim.

“What are you doing?”

You turned around surprised, tilting your head back to see him properly, “Kuroo? I could be asking the same thing. Couldn’t sleep?”

He stepped one leg over the bench and sat facing you to your left, his eyes scanning the discarded pages. “Went to the bathroom. What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Maybe.” You muttered meekly before returning back to the pile of papers, “I’m going over my notes from today. Here.“ You slid the one you had been writing on in his line of sight, pointing your pen at it, “I’m trying to come up with a set up to better stop Bokuto-senpai.”

“Huh?” Kuroo raised his brow and grimaced.

You interpreted it as him not understanding what you meant, so you went on to explain, “Our blocks are really good with you, Fukunaga and Inuoka in the front, and our receives with Mori-kun in the back are almost perfect. But we still struggle with Bokuto-senpai. Akaashi-san knows exactly how to utilize him and throw off our blocks.”

He looked at you like you had grown a second head, “I don’t get it.”

“Well, two on two, you are always able to stop his spikes, but in an actual match it’s a lot harder- “

“No, I still don’t get it.” He shook his head and pushed the paper out of his view, “I don’t understand why you’re up at this hour thinking about these sorts of things. It’s what? 1am?”

You turned your head to escape his stern gaze and focused back on the mountain of crumpled papers. “If not now, when then?”

He was about to answer you, but you spoke over his attempt at scolding you to explain your side of the story, “All this information, “ you pointed at your notebook – Bokuto’s page was currently the one you had been reading through – “is the latest knowledge we have on him. We have the chance to play with them again tomorrow morning. I want to make the most of these fews days to come up with something that can help us in our journey- “

“(Name).” Kuroo said, placing a warm hand on your shoulder, “Hey, look at me.“ His voice was gentle and gave you the courage to peek up through your lashes, “I appreciate you going to such great lengths and thinking about us like this, but…”

He took a deep breath, as if trying to collect his thoughts and think of a way to combine the words through the sleepy haze that was his brain right now, “What good is that strategy of yours if you’re half-asleep tomorrow and can’t even witness it properly?”

You looked down sheepishly; he had a point. You were feeling quite tired from the long day and your temple was already showing the telltale signs of another incoming headache.

He took your silence as his cue to continue, “You can use our lunch break to work on your notes when the others are preparing the food. You’d even have all the coaches there to guide you through and show you how to come up with a proper strategy. I’m sure the girls will understand – we all know what your priorities in this training camp are.”

Kuroo yawned loudly again, letting his forehead fall against your shoulder, his voice now almost too small to catch, “You need to take care of yourself in order to take care of us, (Name).”

Warmth spread from your shoulders all the way to your toes when his body heat enveloped you in a tight hug, causing your eyelids to flutter closed for a second. You instinctively brushed through his messy hair, letting the soft strands fall through your fingers and eliciting a hum of pleasure from him.

“So your hair really does look like this all the time, huh?” You mumbled, to which he whined and pressed closer against you.

“’s not like I can help it…”

It was quiet for a good while as you simply let the moment pass, enjoying the soothing warmth of him and the peace that came with the citrusy scent of his shampoo tickling your nose. The words were out of your lips before you registered it, your feelings laid bare in front of him, “Thank you, Kuroo…”

He lifted his head and grinned victoriously at you, standing up with his hands reaching towards the table, “Come on, little one. Let’s clean this up and get you to bed.”

“You.. scheming captain…” You muttered under your breath with a huff, hiding your smile behind your hair.

Chapter Text

The wind rustled through the dozens of towels hanging on the laundry rack, the scent of fresh detergent flying through the air. Leaves rustled above the roof, stroking along the walls and curling into the fence surrounding the top.

You hummed a light melody as you reached to unclip the fully dried towels, folding them neatly and placing them in the laundry basket. One by one, you removed them from the rack and shook them out, closing your eyes in bliss at the flowery scent they released.

After you were finished with the towels, you took the jerseys with their matching shorts and shook them out as well. The sun was warm on your skin when you folded and placed them into the basket number coordinated, your voice accompanying the chirping birds.

By the time Kaori and Shimizu joined you on the rooftop, you were halfway finished with the pile of clothes.

“Good morning.” You called out to them, tossing some of the clips into the little box that was attached to the rack.

“Morning, (Name)-chan.” Shimizu smiled and started removing the colorful clips from the towels, her nimble fingers working deftly and quickly.

Kaori yawned behind her hand and sleepily picked out mismatching socks, curling a pair into one another to keep them together before haphazardly throwing them into the basket she had brought along with her. “’s too early…”

“You look tired.” You commented, earning a soft glare from her, followed by a loud sigh.

“I’m sorry… I’m really not a morning person. I wanted to sleep longer.”

“No, it’s no problem. It’s still pretty early after all.” You turned to face the rise of the orange sun, the sky tinted in pink and purple. 

“Say… (Name)-chan, “ Shimizu started calmly as she laid one of the tracksuits in the basket, “What’s the deal with you and Kuroo-san?”

“Hm?” You frowned, confusion evident on your face, “What do you mean?”

She gave you a sly smile, one you wouldn’t expect from Shimizu, “You came back pretty late tonight. Together. With him.”

“HUH?” Kaori whipped her head towards the two of you with wide open eyes, her fatigue discarded by the new juicy bit of information, “You were with Kuroo last night?”

“Wait- “

“Yeah, I heard him drop her off at like 1am.”

“Kiyoko-san, it’s not- “

“What? 1am? What the hell, (Name)-chan, I didn’t know you were like that!” Kaori gave you a shit-eating grin, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “Good for you!”

“What? No! Guys! Hear me out for a second, would you?” You flailed around clumsily, your voice strained, “It’s not like that!”

Shimizu raised a suspicious brow, “You were giggling when you came inside.”

“Because Kuroo is a stupid idiot, who can’t stop making jokes. Even at 1am at night!” You quivered with a sour face, “Besides, ew .”

“Ew?” Kaori tilted her head.

“I would never date that roosterhead. I’d rather…” You thought long and hard, crossing your arms across your chest with a hum. The girls waited patiently for you, “I would rather eat super spicy food for the rest of my life and die than date him!”

“Eat… super spicy food?”

“And die…?” Shimizu and Kaori exchanged baffled looks, before both burst out laughing at your unique reasoning.

“(Name)-chan, you’re really cute. Has anyone told you that before?”

You felt warmth creeping up your neck and a blush surrounding your cheeks. In a haste to escape their teasing, you lifted the basket and propped it against your hip, changing the topic with a clipped tone, “Where are Yukie and Hitoka-chan?”

“They’re filling up the water bottles.” Kaori responded with a knowing smile, now working on the jerseys.

You hummed and excused yourself – you too still had to fill the water bottles after all. Yesterday’s conversation occurred to you, ‘Having two managers really is a lot more efficient…’

The voice of Kaori reached you one last time before the door to the rooftop fell closed, “Teasing her is almost as fun as teasing Hitoka-chan.”

You raced down the steps with much effort and stopped by the boys’ sleeping room. Hushed conversations were faintly audible through the wooden door. You knocked lightly against it, not wanting to wake up the ones, who might still be sleeping.

The door opened to reveal a disheveled looking Fukunaga, who gave you a sleepy lopsided grin, “G’mornin’ (Name)-chan.”

“Morning, Fukunaga!” You held the basket towards him cheerfully, “Can you give these to the guys for me, please?”

“Sure thing.” He took it from you with ease, holding it against his side with only one arm and resting his other against the door frame, “Slept well?”

“Meh.“ You admitted with a shrug of your shoulders, “I went to bed a bit late.”

“Yeah, captain was grumbling about it all night. But look at him now.” He pointed a finger over his shoulder.

You snorted when you were met with the image of Kuroo sleeping on his stomach, his face mushed in the center of his pillow, the outer edges pushed against his cheeks, “I guess now his hair makes sense.”

“How he’s able to sleep like that is beyond me…” Fukunaga shook his head with an exasperated sigh, before focusing his grey eyes on you again, “Did you guys have another fight? He was really frustrated when he came back.”

“Ah, no. Not this time, no. I just stayed up late to review some stuff and he wasn’t happy when he found out.” You winced when Fukunaga gave you an unimpressed look, his lips opening to most likely scold you as well, “Wait wait wait, before you start: Kuroo already gave me an earful.”

Your lips curled into a grin when he smiled cheekily at you, “Anyways, I gotta go. There are a few more things that need to get done before we can head down for breakfast. Can I leave the guys in your care?”

He patted your head affectionately before turning around to go back inside, “Sure thing, see ya later.”

The door closed after you and you rounded the corner with the intention to take your duffel bag with the empty bottles from your sleeping room. When you entered, you noticed that the futons had already been folded up and stashed back inside the closet. The windows had been opened, allowing a cooling breeze to caress your skin.

You opened the closet to peer inside when you couldn’t find the bag lying in the corner, where you had previously put it the night before.

It wasn’t there either.

You tried to think of if you had put it somewhere else, but in that very same moment the door to the room opened, revealing a giggling Yachi and Yukie. They each had a bag slung around their shoulder with the latter carrying another very familiar bag in her hands.

“Good morning, (Surname)-senpai!” Yachi chirped and carefully placed her sports bag on the ground.

“Good morning, Hitoka-chan. Good morning, Yukie.” You trudged beside her to help her with the bags, taking your duffel bag and peeking inside.

“We cleaned them up and filled them while we were down.” She said around a yawn, plopping to the ground with her legs crossed.

Your heart swelled with gratitude and you gifted them what you hoped to be a bright smile, “Thank you! That’s really kind of you.”

“It’s nothing.” She waved you off and turned towards Yachi, “What’s for breakfast?”

“The coaches said to go with something simple since we’re going to have a big lunch. It’s going to be miso soup with steamed rice and some tamagoyaki as a side dish!”

“Miso soup?” You asked with furrowed brows, “Who’s cooking?”

“Oh, the coaches are already in the kitchen getting started on breakfast.”

“The coaches?”

“Yeah. Since we did all the cooking and cleaning up last night, they said they would handle breakfast.”

Yukie yawned again and flopped to the ground with her eyes closed, “Time for a nap then.”

You watched amused as Yachi hesitantly hovered above her with a concerned expression, “Shirofuku-senpai, we just woke up!”

“Jus’ Yukie is fine.” She drawled, shifting to her side to curl in on herself, her hands resting beside her body comfortably. “Wake me up when the food is ready.”

Your shoulders shook as you snickered silently, Yachi’s face paling even more when you said, “Got it. Sweet dreams.”

“The second ball is always meant for us.”

Teshiro looked up at Kenma from where he was kneeling on the ground, his fingers working on the laces of his gym shoes, “The second ball?”

“Remember how each team gets to touch the ball three times before they have to send it back over the net?”

Teshiro nodded.

“Well, the second ball is meant solely for us setters. We have to make sure that the third touch goes towards the spiker.”

The first year setter frowned, “But what if we can’t get the second ball?”

“And this is the part I dislike the most…” Kenma murmured under his breath, “We’re expected to be fast, to get to the ball no matter where it is and still get a good set-up for the spikers. Too much moving around…”

Teshiro hummed thoughtfully and lifted himself off the ground, dusting off his thighs before facing Kenma again, “And what if the ball is headed to one of our other players, say the wing spiker?”

Kenma released a long, deep breath, the image of him having to run around on court already enough to exhaust him. He twirled the volleyball in his grasp, feeling the leathery texture beneath his calloused fingertips.

“It’s kind of an unspoken rule that no one touches the second ball except for the setter.”

They got back into position, with Teshiro standing in front of the net and Kenma a bit further away from him to observe his posture. With lackluster energy, he threw the ball his way, narrowing his eyes to focus on how the first year stumbled over his own feet to twist his body to get the ball. His fingertips grazed the ball and he sent it towards one of the bottles they had placed on the ground, narrowly missing it and landing a bit to its right.

“Ah.” Teshiro dropped his arms slightly, his expression sour and annoyed, “I set too close to the net.”

Kenma only nodded, watching him walk to retrieve the ball, before turning back around to him. Before he could come over to his side though, Kenma gestured to the net with his chin, “Show me how you stand in front of the net.”

The latter did as he was asked, trudging back to his original position and holding the ball close to his chest. He fidgeted uncomfortably, the inquiring eyes of Kenma burning a hole through his body.

“You’re standing wrong.”

“Huh?” Teshiro lifted his brows, his mouth slightly agape. He looked at his two feet standing parallel apart from each other, his right shoulder almost grazing the net beside him, “Am I too close to the net?”

Kenma shook his head wordlessly, pointing a finger at his feet, “Step forward with your right foot.”

He did as asked, “Like this?”

“And don’t lock out your knees. Bend them a little bit. Yeah, just like that.”

He nodded satisfied, his finger underneath his chin scratching at the skin as Teshiro called for a ball again. With a very strained exhale, as if he was asked to move the world for him, he swung the ball forward, twisting his wrist just before his fingers let go.

There was a minuscule moment in which Teshiro’s eyes widened, his thick brows reaching his hairline when he realized the ball was coming at a particularly inconvenient angle.

'Right? Or left? Which way should I turn?'

His gaze flitted from the net, noting he still stood a tad too close, to the still swirling ball, thinking about ways he could save the ball, so he could send a proper toss to one of the bottles on the ground.

Instinctively, he twisted his body to the left side, lifting both of his arms to form a triangle, his thumbs barely touching. The ball landed beautifully in the little pouch he had created and he thrust it off lightly, watching it twirl in a curve to the edge of the court, falling smack dab on the water bottle and toppling it on the ground.

“Oh. I did it.” Teshiro said.

“You did.” added Kenma.

“Can one of you please at least pretend to be excited about this?” Kuroo drawled, his chin resting on his fist as he watched the two lazily from across the court.

“I am excited.” The first year looked straight through him, absolute and unwavering.

“Uh…” Kuroo frowned, lifting his head slightly, “I don’t know about you, but doesn’t ‘being excited’ encompass some semblance of a smile on one’s face?”

“You did well.” Kenma started, ignoring his best friend by turning his back to him, effectively earning him another protesting cry, before he continued talking, “If you stand with the foot closest to the net ahead of the other, you’ll have an easier time turning towards the ball when the receive was off.”

As if wanting to test this new knowledge, Teshiro tried the stance in its reversed manner: stepping with his left foot forward and bending his knee lightly. He imagined a powerful serve from the other side of the net and Yaku, who barely got it up, shouting “I’m sorry, it’s a bit off!” and the ball racing towards him with an odd twirl.

The distance between him and the ball drastically shrunk, until it was only a breath away – the same speed as in a match – and as he tried to turn around to properly face the ball and toss it, his feet tangled and in the time that it took him to get his footing back, the ball had already smacked the side of his cheek.

‘Ah. So that’s what he meant.’

“Try to get strength from your legs, elbows and wrists by extending them the moment you toss.” Kenma brought him back from his daydream, his eyes half-lidded as he scratched at his temple, “That’s all I can tell you. The rest is just practice.”

“Are you guys done?” Kuroo asked around a yawn.

Kenma nodded, before stopping midway and turning back around. Once he reached the other end of the court, he knelt down towards the little sports bag he carried around with him. The other two watched him zip it open with unconcealed interest, his hand digging inside until he pulled out a small piece of paper.

“What’s that?” Teshiro furrowed his brows and peered over his shoulder once he caught up to him.

“Um,” the setter started nervously, his voice meek again, “(Name) wrote it.” was all he said at the same time as he thrust it against his chest, urging him to take it wordlessly.

Kuroo was about to comment on his behavior with a sly smile, but was silenced with a glare resembling death itself. Kenma trudged out of the gym and towards the cool shade of a tree, his gaming console ready in his grasp, waiting to be turned on and used. He had deserved a break. Now you wouldn't nag him anymore to train his first year successor.

The captain kept his eyes on his best friend, taking a minute to stomach the fact that Kenma had actually used some of his break time to teach volleyball to the first year. Perhaps having you gripe him to be more thoughtful of his teammates was finally starting to bear its fruits. He couldn’t help but wonder what you might have written on that paper that could also be useful to the first year.

He placed his hands on his hips and leaned over the shorter setter, narrowing his eyes to read out loud what was written in your clean and crisp handwriting. His gaze softened with each word that left his lips.

Beneath him, Teshiro tightened his grip on the paper, a glint of determination soaring through his blood as he kept glaring daggers at it, as if the words would emblazon in his mind if he kept it up long enough.

“ Setting Drills for Ken-chan:

First of all, warm up your hands! Never start any drills without properly warming up and never end a session until after you have cooled down and stretched!

• 3 intervals of 45 seconds setting against a wall and 15 seconds rest

Try to aim for more sets with each interval. The goal is to enhance quick sets! Do this in various distances from the wall – near the wall, far from the wall, don’t stick to one exercise only! Once you feel your stamina building up, make those intervals 60 seconds, and then 90 seconds, and then…

• Lie down on your back and bend your knees hip-width apart

Stretch out your arms to the ceiling with your hands parallel to your head, keep your elbows slightly bent and your wrists straight – set quickly for 45 seconds and then take a 15 second break. For the next set, set the ball higher and the next set higher. The goal is to practice setting low and high. The same thing applies here – once your stamina grows, extend that to 60 seconds and then 90 and then… ”

Kuroo stopped reading, but instead exploded into laughter at your meticulous habit of writing every single detail without excluding a single thing. He shook his head to himself with a huff; someone like Kenma would read it and practice with it, however someone like Yamamoto or Lev with the attention span of a fly… Just thinking about it caused his belly to ache.

“Kuroo-senpai?” Teshiro peeked at him through his thick brows, his expression once again unreadable.

“Mh?”

“Can I practice my tosses with you?”

After several more hours of individual training, the managers had returned to the court to announce that lunch had been made: freshly rolled sushi with icy watermelons as dessert.

The boys filed into the large dining halls with excited murmurs, Hinata and Nishinoya jumping from one of their friends to the other, whereas Bokuto bounced on his spot with drool dripping down his chin.

Yaku held Inuoka and Lev back by their collars, not unlike an impatient owner trying to keep their dogs at bay. Kenma had a sour face as he trudged gloomily around Kuroo, making grabby hands towards his phone that had been stashed safely away in the pockets of the captain’s shorts.

Eventually they all managed to settle down and waited patiently, their fingers drumming on the table, their knees bobbing up and down as they eyed you and the other girls with interest. Yachi and Shimizu were the first one to come out of the kitchen, several plates carefully balanced on their arms during which they scattered them evenly around all tables.

Yachi leaned down to place the little bowls of ginger beside them, dropping a dollop of wasabi on the edge of the plates. She managed to pull her hand back just in time as Tanaka and Nishinoya roared in appreciation and dove straight into the meal, wolfing down one sushi over another. Occasionally they would pull back to take a deep breath before they’d continue to vacuum the contents of the table into their black pit of a stomach.

Conversations were at an all-time high once everyone started eating, boisterous chatter and shy giggling filling the halls. It was when Yukie came back with a tablet of onigiri that Akaashi’s eyes flashed a brilliant blue. Never before had you seen him be this expressive as he did when he dove down to grab four for himself, before scuffling away to eat them in silence and peace.

A silence and peace that never had been granted to him, for Bokuto snuck up on him from behind, stealing two and shoving them into his mouth before the poor setter even had a chance to protest.

“How many do you think I can fit in my mouth?” Lev asked seriously, eyeing the platter in front of him critically.

“Five!” Inuoka challenged him with a boyish grin, and just as he was about to retort, Fukunaga chimed in with a raised brow,

“That’s weak! Do ten!”

“I bet I can do fifteen.” Yamamoto exclaimed haughtily, raising his voice and eyeing the corner where you and the other girls were sitting, his gaze loyally on the beautiful manager of Karasuno.

Lev followed the interactions of his fellow teammates curiously, his emerald eyes glistening as he burst out loudly, “Do you think I can fit twenty?”

“You’re an idiot.” Yaku watched him with a half-lidded gaze, a thoroughly bored expression on his face with his chin resting in his palm.

“And a coward!” came a disappointed yell from the other end of the table.

They collectively turned their heads to see Nishinoya slamming his hand on the table, keeping a determined fist in the air as he all but screamed out, “I’m gonna do thirty!”

“Woah… Nishinoya-senpai, you’re so cool!” Hinata beamed at his upperclassman, his hands clasped together as he was waiting for the magic to unfold.

“I can’t lose…” Lev murmured under his breath, reaching out to the platter in front of him but freezing in his movements when a chill ran through his spine. He heard your sharp words before he felt the burning glare from Yaku, the combination of your threatening auras keeping him from moving even a single inch of his body,

“Don’t even dare to think about making a mess.”

BONUS:

“What did you do?”

“We didn’t mean to! I swear! It just- It just happened somehow!”

Yaku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, literal steam blowing out of his nostrils, “ What did you do?”

“Oh god… it’s everywhere. What even happened here?” Sugawara frowned, holding onto a chair for balance as he took in the state of the dining hall. His eyes stopped on Nishinoya accusingly, the latter jumping back defensively with raised palms.

“Don’t look at me like that! It wasn’t me!”

“We better get all of this cleaned up before the girls- “

And in that moment the creak of the twin doors resounded ominously, the boys’ halting and staring wide eyed as you and the other girls came chattering inside. It all happened in slow motion, as you felt your heart drop to your feet, taking in the sight of Lev and Nishinoya, Hinata and Bokuto, and then the state of the dining hall.

You had only gone out for fifteen minutes to dispose of the trash bags before wanting to come back to wrap up the leftovers and clean the dishes.

Yachi gasped and clutched at her chest, Kaori growled in a low rumbling voice, Shimizu sighed exasperatedly and Yukie burst out laughing.

You, on the other hand, continued to roam your eyes around the room in displeasure, pausing for a second to grit your teeth in disgust and anger, staring straight into Lev’s dwindling soul,

“…Explain.”

Chapter Text

Lev was a lot of things. He was honest and ambitious, ready to fight for what he wanted. He was tall and handsome, and had half the school turning their heads after him whenever he passed them.

He was a lot of things.

Smart wasn’t one of them. Quick-witted wasn’t one of them either. Logic was on a completely different planet than the one Lev inhabited. This was proven by his current actions. He was standing below a tree, arms stretched above him and eyes squinting from the blinding sun.

“Come on!” He urged, pulling his fingers towards his palm and extending them back out, “I just wanna help you!”

The wind rustled through the leaves, tickling the skin of his slightly exposed stomach, his shirt riding up the more he stood on his toes, “Why won’t you come down? You’ll hurt yourself!” 

He frowned when he was met with an unimpressed look, the cat on the tree merely crossing one paw over the other, like royalty looking down upon its kingdom’s peasants. Thanks to the excuse of a bathroom break, he had gotten out of his practice match, but before he even had a chance to empty his bladder, the tiny bundle of fluff had caught his attention. The cat was hanging leisurely off a branch, looking dangerously close to falling.

Naturally, his first instinct was to run and help it, not wanting the cat to hurt itself. But this task was proving itself to be excessively difficult as the cat didn’t seem like it wanted his help. “Come on, I’ll even give you belly rubs- “

“I’ll be right back!” The voice of Shibayama floated out of the open gym doors and his head popped out a second later, his eyes finding Lev a few feet away up on a hill, “Ah- Haiba-kun! I was just about to look for you- What are you doing there?” His eyes widened in disbelief, “You- You didn’t really…? You know there’s a toilet just around the corner- “

“What? No!” Lev whipped his head towards him, looking positively perturbed, “Of course I didn’t do it here!”

Shibayama sighed in relief, but his earlier shock morphed into confusion, “Then what are you doing up there? The others are waiting for you!” He stepped up on the hill and felt the first jolts going through his calves – he was going to be so sore tomorrow morning, he could already feel it.

For a minute, he wondered how Karasuno was able to run up and down this hill for their punishment the amount of times they did, but then his attention was back on Lev. He tilted his head back and took in the lax posture of the cat, its forearm in the air as it licked a stripe across its fur.

“I’m trying to save the cat!” Lev announced proudly, turning his emerald eyes back to the dark ones above him.

There were many times when Lev did questionable things and with each day spent by his side, the first year libero was getting more and more used to his antics and his unique way of thinking. But as he was trying to understand the situation he was currently in, he found himself shaking his head. “It doesn’t look like it wants to be saved though?”

He pointed to the lazy swishing of its tail and the tiny glint passing through its slit, as if thoroughly enjoying the distressed state of the Russian first year.

“It’s because it’s testing me!” Lev froze, his mouth hanging open as a thousand light bulbs went off in his head at once, “Right! That’s it!”

Shibayama’s frown deepened, “What?”

“It’s testing me! It’s testing my endurance and my loyalty!”

“Your loyal- Your what ?”

Lev groaned, his face one of extreme inconvenience as he gestured to the cat with his chin. His arms were still straight and facing the branch, albeit slightly shaking from the strain, “My loyalty! If I give up now and lower my hands, I will prove myself unworthy of its friendship! If I win this battle of endurance, I will have earned its respect.”

He was speaking full of confidence, so sure of himself with zero ounce of doubt in his words that Shibayama found himself with his mouth slack and quite literally speechless. How on earth was someone supposed to respond to a statement like that?

Shibayama didn’t know where to start. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, not unlike a fish. He knew Lev had a very distinctive way of thinking; he had proven this several times during their lunch breaks and their practice sessions. At this point, it was common knowledge that logic and rational thinking wasn’t part of Lev’s arsenal, and Shibayama was used to his quirky antics, should not be surprised at whatever was playing out in front of him right now.

But still his feet took steps backwards on their own, his expression disturbed as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, “Right… I’ll go and get (Surname)-senpai.”

And with that, the black-haired first year raced back into the gym, narrowly avoiding stumbling over his own two feet. Lev was too focused on the cat to give him any attention, his eyes now narrowed with a superior smile.

“I know what you’re trying to do. But you won’t outsmart me! I’ll show you!” He bit at his lower lip when the muscles in his arms twitched, a silent plea to lower his arm for just a second of rest. But how could he think of giving up when that was exactly what the cat wanted?

If the patronizing air surrounding the cat was anything to go by, he couldn’t give up. Not yet. Not now! He had overcome much more difficult obstacles after all.

As if trying to remind him that it was still present as well, Lev’s bladder gave a tiny squeeze, making him yelp and almost lose his footing. He jumped from one foot to the other, keeping his jaw tight and his eyes on the cat. ‘I will not lose!’

“Lev! What’s taking you so long- Oh, give me a break, what are you doing up there?”

He didn’t need to turn his head to see you standing there with your legs apart and your hands on your hips. He also didn’t need to look at you to see the impatience written across your features; your voice was doing a pretty good job of letting him know of your frustration.

“This is no time to play around! The guys are waiting for you, we’re in the middle of a match , Lev.”

“But I’m not playing around! I’m helping the cat! It’s stuck!” He pouted through his words, pressing his feet even deeper into the grass.

You released a long breath through your nose, your tongue shoved against your inner cheek as you counted to five and then back down to zero. When you no longer felt like dragging him inside by the shell of his ear, you walked up the hill and gazed up the tree.

You gave him an unimpressed look when you noticed the muscles beneath his skin twitching, sighing exasperatedly as you stretched out your arms next to him, lowering your voice slightly, “Come on, gorgeous. Let’s get you down from there.”

The next thing that happened caused Lev to gasp in shock, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. The treacherous little creature lifted itself up with its paws, stretching out its back before jumping into your arms with a mewl. It curled its tail around your arm and purred when you giggled, nestling its face into the nook of your neck.

“Aw, aren’t you a cute little kitten?” You brushed through its fur with a fond smile, closing your eyes when it started to lick your cheek appreciatively.

Lev stood on his spot dumbfounded, his feet literally frozen on the ground. He couldn’t believe he made a fool of himself in front of this cat. And after all of the pain and strain he went through! He felt utterly betrayed, his lips now sporting a very deep scowl.

“Come on, Lev. We helped your little friend. Time to get back to practice.” You skidded down the hill with the cat snug in your arms, stopping when you were half-way inside the gym without a gigantic shadow hovering behind you. “Lev?”

You glanced over your shoulders to see him shaking his knees helplessly. His bladder was now very aggressively pushing against his skin, but for some reason he couldn’t find it in himself to get his legs or his arms to move. “What are you doing, Lev? Come down already, we don’t have all- “

“(Surname)-senpai, I’m stuck.”

“Huh?” You fully turned around now, your brows once again furrowed. One of these days, you were going to start sporting wrinkles because of him, you were sure of that.

“M- My arms. I- I think I’ve got a cramp. I can’t move them anymore!”

If this happened to anyone else, you would probably find this situation funny and would laugh. But you were in a training camp with national qualifiers right around the corner, with the very same guy, who wanted to be part of the official roster, but was nowhere near ready to be so. The pressure you had placed yourself under had been immense these days and your patience was starting to run thin.

And the tall first year ahead of you wasn’t doing this any easier. You were about to scold him for not thinking before acting, but his desperate plea reached you first, his eyes glimmering hopefully towards you, asking you silently for your help. “(Surname)-senpai… I forgot to go to the toilet and now I can’t move… But I really have to- ”

“KUROO!” You shouted from where you stood, your jaw clenched and your grip on the cat a little tighter than either of you would’ve liked.

The captain appeared by your side in an instant, but before he had a chance to ask what was going on or find Lev in the compromising position he was in, you slammed your palm against his chest and left both of them behind with three familiar words, “ Change. of. shifts. ”

“You should be careful with those.” Fukunaga said as he bit into the watermelon, its sweet juice dribbling down his chin.

“Mh? Why’s that?” Shibayama peered through his lashes, tilting his head slightly. The slice in his hand was already halfway in his stomach. He bit it once again, slurping the liquid that threatened to slip out of his lips.

After several more hours of practice, the boys had finally been allowed a break to catch their breaths and get in some liquid to accommodate for the sweat they’d lost in the form of the perfect snack for summer: icy cold watermelons.

“If you swallow all of the seeds, you’ll end up growing a forest in there.” Fukunaga pointed to the first year’s stomach, his lips quirking when Shibayama lowered his eyes to look at his stomach.

“No way… You’re just messing with me again, right?”

That his voice wavered by the end of his question didn’t go unnoticed by the second year, so he kept his expression trained and neutral, “What? Why would I mess with you? Do you think we spit out the seeds for fun?”

“Well…”

“It’s not like we want to make a mess of the environment. But between having a few watermelon seeds on the ground and having them grow inside of my stomach, I’d rather choose the former.”

“What are you telling the kids again?” Yamamoto whacked the back of his head lightly, plopping down beside him with a new plate full of watermelon slices. He placed it between them and plucked out two for himself, chomping down on the one to his right.

“I was just telling Shibayama that he shouldn’t swallow all of the seeds when eating watermelons.”

Yamamoto nodded, saying, “Oh yeah. Don’t do that.”

“Eh- Why? Is it true then?” Shibayama stilled, the slice in his hand frozen mid-air. Having another person confirm what Fukunaga had said caused his stomach to contract. He looked at the piece in his hand with concern. How many slices had he eaten already today? Had he swallowed all of the seeds? What was he going to tell his mother when his stomach suddenly swelled-

“Is what true?” Yamamoto asked around a full mouth, completely oblivious to what was going on in the first year’s head.

“Y- You said not to eat the seeds.”

“Yeah. ‘cause it’s disgusting.”

“Eh?” 

“Who the hell wants to eat watermelon seeds? They don’t even taste like anything!”

Fukunaga snickered into his hand as he watched the interaction between the two, taking another slice from the plate and suckling on it. He sighed dreamily when the sugar hit his tongue, coating his senses sweetly. The fact that his earlier comment was turning this entire scene into a comedy act was even sweeter to him.

“I eat them.” Your voice came out of nowhere, causing all three of them to snap their heads towards you. As if on cue, you opened your palm to show them the seeds you had collected. With a smile, you threw your head back and swallowed them all in one go.

Yamamoto looked at you with disgust, Fukunaga with disbelief and Shibayama with absolute panic. The first year was on you within a second, shaking your arm as his voice cracked, “(Surname)-senpai! What did you just do? Are you crazy! You’re going to die!”

“What?” You pulled back and gave him a look, “Why would I die from some watermelon seeds? In fact,” you held an educating finger in the air, leveling your gaze with Yamamoto, “They have immense nutritional value, so you might do well to eat a few yourself, Take-chan.”

“They taste disgusting! And I told you not to call me that!” He argued, spitting out the ones lying on his tongue, his voice turning oddly shy, “’s not manly…”

You quirked a brow at that, “You just said they don’t taste like anything.”

“Well- I- Argh!” He flailed his arms in the air in defeat before pushing himself off the ground and leaving you three by yourselves.

“Nutritional value?” Shibayama asked meekly, “But Fukunaga-san said if you eat the seeds, you’ll grow them in your belly.”

“Fukunaga did what- “

The boy in question now finally lost it, the watermelons next to him long forgotten as he shook in laughter. His hand was draped around his trembling stomach, his eyes closed in joy. He laughed and laughed and laughed, breathless from how gullible their first year was, “I can’t believe you just bought it like that- I- Pfffff!”

You sighed, a small smile tugging on your own lips. As much as you wanted to be stern with him for messing with the purest boy of your team, you couldn’t help but be amused by the way Shibayama’s face fell, his cheeks burning a bright red. There was no way he could look any more embarrassed than he already did.

Not wanting to drive him away from you by outwardly laughing at him like Fukunaga did, you lightly patted his head and gave him a friendly grin, “Don’t take it to heart, sweetheart. That’s just Fukunaga for you.”

A few hours later after everyone was finished with their practice matches and dinner had been served, the conversations on the table were still strong and lively. Tonight, you had decided to eat together with the coaches, wanting to use this as your chance to squeeze as much advice out of them as you possibly could.

Having the coaches from Fukurodani, Karasuno and your own school around wasn’t an everyday occurrence after all. And when coach Naoi had asked you if you wanted to sit with them, you had grabbed the opportunity by its throat and happily obliged.

You dabbed your lips with the napkin, turning towards coach Yamiji, “Excuse me, but what did you mean when you said that playing volleyball isn’t the only important thing?”

He sipped on his beer and wiped the excess froth from his mouth with a smug grin, pointing towards Bokuto with his chin, “That boy didn’t get those muscles just from running around the court, you know.”

You followed his eyes to the ace’s body. His shirt shifted whenever he moved, the muscles on his broad back rippling when he reached across the table to grab some meat from Akaashi’s plate. The sight was no surprise for you. It wasn’t a secret that Bokuto was ripped; anyone, who had a pair of functioning eyes could see the mountain of rolling muscle.

“I’ve been making him work with weights lately and it’s had a positive effect on his overall performance.” He started explaining, secretly enjoying how wide and attentive your eyes were. He certainly wasn’t used to this level of interest in what he had to say, especially not from the rowdy boys from his team, nor from the overworked managers, who were constantly trying to keep their team out of trouble, “Just running around the court won’t lead to a long and injury-reduced volleyball career. You have to focus on individual muscle groups and build up from there, strengthening and enhancing them. Did you notice any changes from the last training camp?”

You glanced at your empty plate, taking a second to mull over the notes you had memorized from the previous times you had seen him play. Comparing them to what you had assessed over the past few days, you said, “His spikes seem to be a lot more powerful. Our guys actually winced when they blocked or received them.”

Coach Yamiji grinned haughtily, raising the beer in his hand as if he was toasting you, “That’s because he’s been working on his core strength.”

“Huh…” was all you said as you looked back to Bokuto, noticing for the first time during this camp that his arms seemed a lot thicker than the last time you had seen him, “Has he worked on his legs as well? His jumps seem a lot more coordinated than before.”

He nodded, “Mhm. I’ve been having him do plyometric drills two times a week.”

You let this new piece of information sink in and pulled out the mini notebook you carried with you at all times. The coaches looked at you like you had grown a second head when you reached into the pocket of your jersey and reemerged with the little booklet. With a click of your pen, you started rattling down notes, only lifting your head to lock eyes with a bewildered coach Yamiji, who was doubled over in laughter at your actions.

“What an ambitious little coach in training. Why don’t you come and train under me, hm?”

“Oya, oya, I would watch my mouth, eager owl.” Coach Nekomata chimed in with his usual calm smile, setting a protective arm over your shoulders to pull you towards him, “We’re not giving away our precious manager.”

You felt heat rise up to your cheeks, their playful jabs regarding you flustering you to no end. Having someone like the coach from Fukurodani acknowledge your potential and offer you a place beside him – even if it had been a joke – was deeply humbling for you. After all, behind every joke was some truth. At least, that was what your father had told you growing up.

When coach Naoi filled your glass with water for you, you thanked him with a smile, allowing yourself to open up and engage in more volleyball-related topics. Keen to fill your head with as much knowledge as you possibly could, you fired off one question after another, keeping your eyes loyally on your notebook as you brought everything to paper.

Kuroo was right. Using these breaks to talk with the coaches was proving to be very effective for teaching you new things and broadening your horizon.

You had to thank him the next chance you got.

A pair of hands invaded your vision and closed the notebook to your right, catching your attention and making you stop your scribbling. You lifted your head to see Kai hovering above you, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“I was thinking about going for a walk. Would you like to join me?” He asked.

You glanced at your wrist watch, frowning suspiciously, “Now? It’s almost bedtime.”

“And yet you’re still sitting here reviewing strategies.”

Touché.

You bit your tongue, an unwanted smile itching on your face at his cheeky comeback. You sighed, knowing when a battle was lost and stood up to clear your things from the table. He helped you pick up the scattered notes and stacked them on top of each other before aligning them lengthwise.

“Here.” He handed them to you and nodded towards the door, “I’ll wait outside.”

“Yeah… Be right there.”

You dashed upstairs to put your belongings into your bag, halting for a second when you saw your jacket – would it be cold outside? You pursed your lips, thinking about how the weather had been really well these past few nights, so you decided to skip the extra luggage. Telling the girls not to wait for you and to go ahead and close the lights, you bounded down the stairs to a waiting Kai.

He held the door open for you before stashing his hands back inside his jersey. You took off to the direction of the gyms, the warm breeze of the night caressing your skin. The sky was now covered in a dark blue blanket with tiny dots of white scattered across. You tilted your head back to appreciate the sight, remembering how you’d spend nights lying on your balcony with your father, pointing to the different constellations and letting your imagination run wild.

“I like taking walks after an eventful day.” Kai started, making you look at him, “It helps me come down from the high and collect my thoughts again.”

You hummed in affirmation, focused on the shadows stretching out beneath you from the tall lamp casting a glow on your bodies. You took a moment to really look at him, noticing the smoothness of his forehead in comparison to the wrinkles you seemed to constantly be sporting.

“Nobu-kun?” You called out to him unintentionally, your own eyes widening in surprise when you realized that you spoke his name out loud.

“Yes, (Name)-chan?”

“A-Ah, nothing… It’s… nothing…” You tried to escape his gaze meekly, feeling the burn of his grey eyes focusing on you.

“Hm… If you say so.” He merely said and continued walking, stopping every now and then to peek inside the gyms to check that everyone had left. After catching Kageyama and Hinata practicing way after you had all said to close up the gym, you had been extra cautious.

After all, if word got out and the teachers found out about this, you’d all be in trouble. But much to your relief, the lights were turned off and the doors were locked. A small peek through the window revealed the court to be cleaned up and empty for the night.

Looking at the abandoned sports hall brought forth an unwanted sickness in your stomach and you stopped walking, facing the ground with a sour expression.

“Nobu-kun, can I ask you a question?”

Kai turned around to you with a kind smile, his voice gentle and featherlight, as if he had been waiting for you to reach out to him, “Of course. I’m all ears.”

“As a vice-captain… do you feel pressure to match up with Kuroo and be his equal?”

He tilted his head back and mulled over your question, crossing his arms over his chest, “I do have a certain role to fulfill in our team. And expectations to meet of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have been the vice-captain.”

“How do you juggle all of that with school?”

“I’m not sure I understand your question?”

“Well… with volleyball taking up so much of your time and with your finals right around the corner – how do you make time to study for your exams, but also give it your all during practice, but also still have some semblance of a teenage life?”

His expression softened and he stepped forward, peering straight into your soul, “Want to tell me what exactly is bothering you?”

You groaned and avoided his eyes, knowing too well how they always made you want to spill every bean that you hid in your closet, “I’m on the brink of failing several of my classes, but I also don’t feel like I’m anywhere near ready to coach a team that’s about to go nationals. But with all the nights that I’m spending catching up on my volleyball knowledge, I barely have the time to go over the things we learn in class- “

“Deep breaths, (Name)-chan, deep breaths.” Kai placed a comforting hand on your shoulder and cut your rant short, “Slow down, I’m not going anywhere.” He gave you a disapproving look that only someone like Kai could pull off, “What makes you think you need to be at a coaching level to accompany us to nationals?”

“Well- I- “ You stammered while flailing your hands around helplessly, unsure how to connect the messy string of words in your head to build a coherent sentence to accurately portray your concerns, “This may be our last chance…” You whispered, “And I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Volleyball is a sport where six people are on court.”

You lifted your eyes in silence, hanging onto every thread of his words.

“We’re a team . We win and we lose together.” Kai released his hold on your shoulder and turned around, slowly walking up the same hill the Karasuno boys had run on for their punishment that evening. He sat down on the highest point, stretching his legs out on the soft grass and supporting his weight with his arms behind him.

You silently joined him when he patted the spot beside him, pulling your knees towards your chest and crossing your arms on top of them to rest your temple there. “I know… I know that logically you’re right… It’s just… When I look at the things my parents accomplished at my age… I feel like I can’t catch up to them.”

“Do you want to know the number one secret to happiness?”

“Hm?”

“The lack of comparison.” He gave you a boyish grin when you rolled your eyes at that, “No, I’m serious. When you’re too busy focusing on your own goals, you don’t have time to keep checking in with other people. Everyone moves at a different pace, there’s no set timeline for everyone to follow. It’s like growing a garden- “

“Ugh, no, Nobu-kun, not with the flower references again- “

“Different weeds grow at different rates, but that doesn’t mean that none of them reach their peak stage, nor does it mean that one is more beautiful than the other.”

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, this doesn’t apply to our case. We don’t have much time- “

He interrupted you effortlessly, throwing his head back to let the moonlight bask his face, “For someone, who only recently got into volleyball, you’ve made immense progress on both your knowledge and strategy building, you know. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Your nails dug into your thighs and you leveled your gaze on his peaceful expression again, letting his words sink into every crevice of your bones.

“You’re being too hard on yourself, (Name)-chan. You deserve to give yourself some credit for all the hard work you’re doing.”

You gave a small humorless laugh, lifting your hand to scratch the back of your neck, “Yeah... I don’t do too well with those…”

“You wanted to know how I juggle both my studies and my club activities. I don’t burn myself out. That’s how.”

What was it with Kai and his endless wise words that always left you speechless?

“There’s something Kuroo used to say during our first year that still very much resonates with me. ‘Volleyball is supposed to be fun.’ and I fully agree with that. Playing volleyball and watching volleyball should be fun. But at what cost? If you’re going to fail your classes because of us, then I doubt volleyball is going to be fun for any of us.”

“Hold on. What does me failing my classes have anything to do with- “

“We’re family, (Name)-chan. You fail your classes, we fail our classes. You get sad, we get sad. We win a match, you win a match. It’s just how things work. How would you feel if Lev had to retake one of his tests, because he was too busy practicing his receives to properly study?”

There wasn’t a second of hesitation when you gasped and gave him a stern look, “That would be terrible! He’s still in his first year, there’s no way I’m letting him fail any classes already- “

“See?”

The smile Kai gave you was both endearing and superior, a closed eye-smile that would’ve looked kind to anyone else, but knowing him, you could read the underlying feelings beneath it. The patience he radiated regarding your stubborn nature, the compassion flickering through his eyes whenever they landed on one of his teammates. And not to forget the wisdom and calmness of an eighty-year old grandfather.

You shook your head with an exasperated smile, giving him a cheeky grin of your own, “You and Kuroo are both terrible. Terrible, terrible people.”

“But you still love us.” He winked, extracting a mixture of a groan and a laugh out of you. His expression softened when you bit your lip and smiled that impish smile of yours,

“Yeah… Yeah, I do.”

Chapter Text

“Emergency!” Lev burst through the door, sounding out of breath, “There’s an emergency!”

Immediately everyone in the locker room stiffened. Yaku froze with his shirt halfway over his torso. Inuoka and Shibayama stopped chatting and turned to him in concern.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Kai placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a kind smile, “Calm down first, okay?”

“B-But, Kai-san!”

“What’s all this commotion?” Kuroo asked as he entered the club room, eyeing the tense atmosphere curiously. He sighed, “What did you do again, Lev?”

“Wha- I didn’t do anything!”

“Well? What’s the emergency?” Yamamoto crossed his arms over his chest, raising a brow.

“Some third year just confessed to (Surname)-senpai!”

“...”

A minute of silence stretched across the room with all kinds of expressions flickering on the members faces. Lev waited with bated breath for the outbreak of panic.

“That’s it?” Kuroo asked, unimpressed.

“ That’s your emergency?” Yaku shook his head and went back to continue undressing, “And to think I took you seriously for a second there...”

“Huh???” Lev looked from Kuroo to Yaku, and then back to Yaku with wide and disbelieving eyes, “D- Do you not realize how bad this is?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Inuoka tilted his head with a thoughtful finger on his chin, “(Name)-chan is really cute. Of course someone would ask her out eventually.”

“Not you too!”

“Isn’t this a good thing though?”

Lev gave Teshiro a look of betrayal. The ‘ how dare you’ kind. “How on earth is this good?”

“You’re overreacting.” Kenma deadpanned.

Teshiro replied without giving the Russian first year a chance to pounce on Kenma, “Well, she’s always busy with our club. Don’t you think it’d be a nice change in pace if she could do what other girls her age do?”

Lev gasped.

He must have heard wrong.

There was no way his teammate would say something this preposterous.

Why did no one understand how urgent this matter was? And where the hell was Shibayama when he needed him?

“Alright, alright.” Kai chuckled softly, as if trying to appease a child, “Did you see who it was?”

“I did!!!!” He exclaimed loudly, brows furrowed frantically, “It was this tall third year!”

Yaku groaned. That matched up with about 70% of the student body.

“Ooooh. I know that guy.” Kuroo said sarcastically, hitting his palm with his fist. 

Kenma snickered.

On the other side of the locker room Yamamoto was oddly quiet. Brooding in his own corner. Lev turned to him in a desperate attempt, “He was ridiculously tall... Taller than me! And uh... He... He had really dark hair! And extremely blue eyes and uh- a mole over his lip! He was kinda intimidating...“

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kuroo grimaced.

Yaku followed suit, clenching his jaw, “Really man? Out of everyone, it’s him?”

“What? What? What?” Inuoka turned from one to the other, “Do you know him?”

Kai sighed, displeased, “It sounds like Katō Tatsuya from class 2.”

“Katō Tatsuya? The captain of the soccer team?” Teshiro looked visibly surprised. Which was a first, considering his usual state of aloofness.

“You know him?” Lev asked, perplexed.

“Who doesn’t?” This was Yamamoto, albeit sounding slightly strained. If you looked close enough, you could see steam blowing from his ears, “He’s a lil’ popular, I guess.”

“A little? That’s an understatement! He’s the heartthrob of our school!” Teshiro interjected.

“What? No way!” Lev sunk down to his knees, already having accepted defeat.

“‘suuuuup.” The door to the club room opened once more with Fukunaga and Shibayama entering. 

The latter looked deflated. Like a popped balloon whizzing through the clear sky.

“Fukunaga-san! You’re in (Surname)-senpai’s class, right?” Lev jumped on him at the first opportunity, holding onto his senior’s shoulders for support.

“Uh... yeah?”

“You have to help us!”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“God, shut up and sit down, Lev.” Yaku pulled him back by his collar and thrust him on the bench.

“What if (Surname)-senpai leaves us?” Shibayama interrupted meekly.

Everyone turned to face him. His eyes were downcast, his lips quivering in uncertainty.

Fukunaga sighed, “You’re being dramatic. Just because Katō-san confessed, doesn’t mean she’s gonna leave us behind.”

“(Surname)-SENPAI IS LEAVING US BEHIND?” Lev screeched.

“You really have such a one track mind, don’t you?” Kuroo snorted.

Kenma covered his ears with a sour look, “So troublesome...”

“Why does that bastard get all the girls?” Yamamoto clenched his fist.

Beside him, Inuoka and Teshiro exchanged confused looks. It was just a confession after all. Why was everyone overreacting like this?

“Calm down, Lev!” Yaku sounded more frustrated by the minute. “Why should she leave the club?”

Shibayama fidgeted on the spot, playing with the strap of his bag, “Well... If (Surname)-senpai starts dating Katō-san, she’s not going to have as much time for the club anymore...”

“(Name) would never favor a guy over club duties. Becoming a coach is the only thing that girl cares about.” Kuroo said matter-of-factly.

“But it doesn’t matter what sport she coaches, does it?”

This question stunned everyone to silence. It took them a moment to let the words settle in the air around them. It took another to digest them and then another to fully comprehend the meaning behind them. And then, panic started to build.

“What are you implying?” Yaku asked.

“What if she just switches clubs and becomes the manager for the soccer team instead? (Surname)-senpai only recently got into volleyball... Who’s to say she will stay?” Shibayama looked positively gloomy by now. There was a shimmer to his eyes that wasn’t caused by his usual awe, but instead by an onset of tears.

Lev paled, his soul draining from his body slowly. He locked eyes with Shibayama, “But... What about my honey lemons?”

“ That’s what you’re worried about?” Inuoka had joined their train of drama, now also anxious and frenzied. He turned to Kuroo for guidance, “Who’s gonna bring me delicious snacks if she leaves?”

Yamamoto smacked both of their heads, “Ya both got the wrong priorities! If (Name)-chan leaves us for that damn pretty boy, I’ll never have the chance to meet her cute friends.”

Now it was Yaku thwacking him, “What the hell is wrong with you guys?”

“Aren’t you worried too, Yaku-san?” Lev whined desperately.

“I’m more worried about our school’s heartbreaker asking her out than I am about her leaving the club!”

“Yeah... I don’t like this either.” Kuroo added, “The guy’s known for ditching girls left and right.”

“We shouldn’t judge him and his actions when we don’t even know him really well ourselves.” Kai intervened, “(Name)-chan is a smart girl. She’ll know how to take care of herself.”

Several loud arguments broke out in the small clubroom, tinged with panic and concern. The volume rose when none of them were able to agree with one another. It was as if they were discussing strategies before heading to war.

Lev and Shibayama were planning how to best talk you out of accepting his confession. Yamamoto was trying to win Fukunaga over and convince him to help him scare the third year off. Kuroo and Yaku were discussing whether to pull you aside to have the talk with Kai occasionally making valid points on how it would not only be inappropriate, but would also leave you feeling incredibly uncomfortable should they broach the subject. 

The remaining three: Kenma, Inuoka and Teshiro seemed not to care even an ounce whether you were going to accept or reject their senior’s feelings. Rather, they continued getting changed until they then left to go and get warmed up in the gym.

“Wait!” Yaku shushed the remaining boys after what felt like years of unsolved discussions and turned back to Lev, “Did you get to hear her response?”

Everyone waited with bated breaths as Lev inhaled deeply.

“No. I had to come and inform you- Ouch! What’s that for now, Yaku-san!”

Yaku shook his stinging palm, watching the first year rub his temple with a wince, “Seriously...” 

“Whatever man. We gotta get to practice now. We can’t slack off now.” Kuroo motioned for all of them to leave, “By the way, do not breathe a single word of this to (Name).”

Lev was about to protest, but Kai picked up where the captain left off, “Confessions like this are very private and intimate things for girls. We shouldn’t intrude that much into her personal life. If she feels ready to talk about it, she will approach us on her own.”

“Kai-san is always so mature...” Lev mumbled under his breath, but nodded nevertheless to show that he understood his point.

“Alright then. Let’s get going.”

BONUS:

The next day:

“Dude, what did you do this time?”

Tatsuya frowned and gave his friend a look, “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“That guy over there is giving you a really mean look. Flirted with his girl or somethin’?”

“Huh? Who?”

“That guy with the mohawk over there.”

“Woah, what the- Who the hell is that?”

“Is what I’m asking you!”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Beats me. No idea.”

“I’m telling you, you’re gonna get yourself in trouble if you keep it up with the girls. Take it down a notch and focus on, I don’t know, soccer or something- “

“Nah man. I got my sights set on someone.” His teal eyes glistened when they caught you walking by yourself on campus. “That’s my cue. Gotta go. See ya!”

“Hey! Tatsu- What the hell man, come back here!” 

But Tatsuya was already gone, his hand waving frantically as he called out loudly,

“(Name)-chan~ Wait up for me!”

[Legend says that the howling of a wolf with a mohawk rang through the entire night.]

Chapter Text

It was common knowledge that whenever you had fun doing something, time passed by in a breeze. You were surprised to find out that the concept of time really seemed to change when you were immersed in doing something you loved. 

The training camp was over before you knew it and you were already on the bus back home. Once Monday rolled around, you were all back to your daily school lives, torturing your way through the classes and the endless assignments, only to then meet up in the evening to practice and practice and practice. 

Go back home. Eat a filling dinner. Sleep. Repeat . 

After your talk with Kai, you had decided to take his advice to heart and started focusing more on your classes. Which was why you were currently staying behind after school to go over your notes in the library with Fukunaga. He had offered to help you catch up with the topics you had missed out on.  

Yamamoto had joined you for moral support, claiming, “Do I look like someone who gets good grades, (Name)-chan? Probably need it just as much as you. If not even more.”  

Even though his major differed from yours – what with you choosing the science route and him choosing the literature route – some of your classes thankfully overlapped. Japanese History was one of those. And right now, Fukunaga and you were animatedly discussing the tragedy of comfort women that took place during the second World War. 

Yamamoto was dozing off across from you, his chin resting in his palm as he gazed out of the window. His notebook remained untouched. His pencils were scattered across the table in a silent demonstration of his refusal to spend any more time on his studies than necessary. 

Necessary being the simple act of being present in classes. It wasn’t like he could stay focused anyway, his mind wandering to the latest manga he had read, and then to the cute girl he kept seeing during lunch, but was too shy to speak to, and then to that one new movie that came out that no one wanted to watch with him. 

His thoughts were disturbed when he saw a familiar silhouette walking across campus hunched over. He perked up and craned his neck to see Kenma focused on his gaming console, his lip trapped between his teeth as he glared at the device like it was inconveniencing him. He came closer to the library, passing them without a single glance as he tapped away. Occasionally, his scowl deepened before he relaxed his face, inevitably in a stage of his game that was challenging him to no end. 

Looking at him being so focused on what was in his hands, Yamamoto wondered how long it’d take for Kenma to walk into something; given that his parted hair also shielded his peripheral vision. It seemed he didn’t have to wait for long. Because just as his trail of thought had ended, a loud thunk resounded from outside.  

Yamamoto leaned back in his seat and almost fell off when he noticed Kenma stopping and rubbing his forehead with a grumble. He whipped around to Fukunaga and you, pointing his finger over his shoulder, “Holy shit, did you guys see that- Huh? Where’s (Name)-chan?” 

He blinked, gaping at the empty spot beside Fukunaga. The latter grinned cheekily, motioning for the other to turn back around. As he did so, he released a disbelieving grunt. 

You were already beside Kenma. You held up his chin with your thumb and pointer finger, your eyes narrowed as you inspected his face.

“When did she even get there?” 

“It’s (Name)-chan we’re talking about.” Fukunaga shrugged as if that explained everything. 

“Does she have a sixth sense at this point or what?” 

“Mh… Something like that. I mean after all, she’s our- “ 

“God damnit, don’t you dare say it, Shōhei, don’t you dare- “ 

“Nekomom.” 

“How many times do I have to tell you to watch where you’re going? Now look at yourself walking straight into a pole.” You rubbed the sore spot on Kenma’s forehead, frowning when it turned red, “Ugh… That’s gonna leave a bruise…” 

“I’m fine, (Name).” He tried to brush you off, but you kept your grip on his face firm, giving him an unimpressed look when he tried to glare at you. 

“Doesn’t look fine to me.” 

“Try looking harde- Ouch!” He winced when you flicked his forehead, right on the spot that was already throbbing. 

“No need to get sassy with me. Come on, we’re taking you to the nurse’s office, we have to cool that.” 

“I said I’m- “ 

“Aaand I’m taking this from you.” You didn’t wait for him to finish his protests and snatched the console out of his hands while he was still distracted. ‘Gotta strike while the iron is hot.’ “I need you in one piece for today’s practice.”

“Give it back!” He made to reach across you and get it back from where you were holding it above your head. But you flicked him on his forehead once more, stashing the gaming device inside your bag. “Hey! Would you quit doing that!” 

“I will if you choose to follow me.” 

He stared you down for several seconds, hoping that his golden eyes shrouded in threat and anger would wear you down and make you give up. He kept silent, opting to keep glaring at you as if you had committed an unforgivable sin against his ancestors by having the nerve to take away the console. But much to his disappointment, nothing happened. So now it was him, who dropped his shoulders in defeat, releasing a long breath that probably drained the entirety of his lungs. 

Reluctantly, he followed your chipper self all the way across campus. You had spent a good thirty minutes cooling his forehead and waiting to make sure he didn’t get any nausea or delayed headaches. 

After you had gotten the thumbs up from the nurse that everything was fine and that apart from some swelling and a bruise nothing would happen, you had given him his console back with the warning that if he wasn’t careful next time, you would not hesitate to fully take it away from him. 

When you told this story later on to Yamamoto and Fukunaga, who had been waiting for you in the library, the latter gave the former a knowing look and threw his head back in a guffaw. 

The next time Fukunaga nudged Yamamoto with his elbow was right after practice, after everyone had changed back to their school uniforms. You were trudging behind the guys on your way to the bus stop. The third years were lost in a deep conversation about their upcoming oral presentation. Kenma was busy playing games with Lev watching over his shoulder. Shibayama and Teshiro were silently walking beside the two, exchanging amused glances every now and then when Kenma would shut down Lev’s request to play a round for him. 

“Eh! Kenma-san, why don’t you let me try it out just once! Just once! I promise! I’ll even set a new high score for you!” 

“No.” 

“Why?” 

“Cause I don’t wanna.”

“Argh! So mean…” 

“Don’t bother other people with your selfish urges, Lev.” 

“Yaku-san! How can you say that to me with such a straight face!”

You were right behind them with Inuoka to your right and Fukunaga and Yamamoto behind you. The poor first year dragged his feet with his hands limply by his side. He looked thoroughly dazed with his eyes sunken in and a deep pout pressing into his face. 

A loud growl resounded from him and with a lot of effort, he grabbed his stomach and whined to no one in particular, “I don’t get it… I literally just ate before practice... Why am I hungry again?”

You looked up from your phone. “What did you have?” 

He drooled just thinking about it. “The cafeteria sold tuna sandwiches today… They were so delicious.” 

“Didn’t you bring something to snack on for after practice?” 

“I did!” He stopped and huffed at you, “But it was just a banana! How is that gonna hold me over until I’m home, (Name)-chan?” 

You sighed and shook your head. His appetite truly was nothing to brush over. Boys his age already experienced an increase in hunger, but throw in someone of his height and activity level and you really got yourself a hungry monster. 

You made a mental note to check in with your parents to figure out how to deal with this issue. You pulled your bag over your chest and zipped it open, rummaging around until you felt a plastic package. He took the snack from you curiously when you offered it to him.  

“These are energy bars my mom made. It’s just oats with banana and berries. Nothing too big, but it should curb your hunger until you get home.” You watched him unwrap the bars with stars in his eyes and he bit down on it, moaning when the flavor of sweetness coated his tongue. “They’re good! Right?” He nodded vividly, already on his second bar within mere seconds, “I can never get the texture right when I try them, but my mom really aces them like a pro!” 

He fawned with a full mouth, a ditzy grin plastered on his face, “(Name)-chan’s mom is the best… These are really good! But is it okay if I eat them all? What about you?” 

“Nah, it’s fine. We have more at home. You make sure to feed that little monster of yours.” You playfully patted his stomach. 

“Woah! What’s that? (Surname)-senpai, I want something self-made too!”  

For someone as tall and lanky as Lev, he sure had been stealthy in his approach, jumping on Inuoka from behind and grabbing onto his shoulders, a trail of drool leaving his own lips. You ripped out a packet of tissues with an expression of disgust and thrust it at him. He messily swiped it across his lips and begged Inuoka to let him have a bite of whatever he was eating. 

“No way! (Name)-chan gave it to me!”

“What about sharing? Weren’t you the one who said that sharing was caring?” 

“Not when I’m about to starve to death!” 

“You were not- “ 

“Stop arguing in the middle of the road, you idiots!” 

“But Yaku-san! He’s not sharing and I’m hungry too!” 

You breathed out exasperatedly, thrusting your hand into your bag again to rummage some more and extracted a thick crimson apple. With another tissue, you wiped the apple with it and threw it to Lev, who almost missed it. 

“There you go. Can we continue going home now?” 

That seemed to please Lev as he shut up and very enthusiastically bit into his apple, munching loudly on the fruit. Yaku slapped him harshly on the back of his neck (because he couldn’t reach higher when they were walking next to each other) with an annoyed, “Don’t chew so loudly, you fool!” 

“Do you want a bite, Yaku-san?” 

“Hell no!” 

Fukunaga snickered into his palm when he saw you take the wrapper from Inuoka and throw it inside the trash for him. You asked him if he still felt hungry and gave him something to drink. Beside him, Yamamoto frowned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, “She’s doing it again…” 

It happened again during practice, when Teshiro was sitting on the floor with his legs sprawled out, a thoroughly focused expression splitting his face in half. With his tongue peeking out in concentration, he scrunched his nose in annoyance when the tape slipped through his fingers once again. 

You were by his side before anyone had even noticed his distressed state, squatting down on your knees and picking up the tape from the ground, “Here. Let me.” 

He watched you silently as you rolled it along the base of his fingers with ease, overlapping it several times until you deemed it secure enough. “It’s good that you’re starting to wear the tape around your fingers.” You mentioned as you took his other hand gently, getting to work on the still bare fingers. 

Teshiro nodded, “I read that it offers more strength when setting and that it can help prevent injuries.”  

You smiled. “You read right.” You glanced over your shoulder with a frown, “I wish Mori-kun would tape his wrists… Sometimes I’m scared his arms will break in half when I see what kind of serves and spikes he has to receive.” 

“Has that ever happened before?” He asked you so earnestly, you had to bite back a laugh. He tended to look so stoic and mature that you were actually quite surprised to find he had the most innocent and childlike questions stored in him. 

You shook your head in amusement, “Of course not. And I sure hope we won’t be the first ones to experience that sort of thing. I’d rather he keep his arms.” 

He nodded in agreement once more, flexing his fingers to test the mobility after you were finished up taping them.  

“Is it too tight? Can you still feel your fingers?” 

“Yes. I can still move them comfortably.”

“Okay, good. If you feel a weird kind of tingle in your joints, let me know, okay?”

“Okay.” 

You continued fussing over him, making a few adjustments here and there while a few feet away from you, Yamamoto stood with his mouth agape, his arms wide open in a ‘What the hell’ motion. Next to him, Fukunaga had the most smug grin as he shot his friend a ‘Told you so’ look. 

Now that they were actively looking out for these instances, they seemed to appear as if highlighted by the brightest neon green marker. You were currently squatted down in front of Shibayama. He sat on the bench bent over, his hair falling and covering his expression. His hands were balled into fists, his jaw clenched as he mumbled something the two couldn’t quite catch. 

He was undoubtedly frustrated over his performance after once again having compared himself with their powerful libero. 

You had a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing ever so slightly with that encouraging smile of yours and you kept talking to him, and rubbing his shoulder, and talking to him, and brushing his hair out of his face, and talking to him in that sweet and soft voice of yours as you wiped the sweat from his brows and talked some more to him before you handed him his water bottle.

It was driving Yamamoto insane now that he had noticed how much you were babying the first years. How you seemed to be prepared for literally every scenario. 

He recounted how you had rushed to Lev, when his nail broke during one of his shitty blocks. You had wrapped his bleeding finger with those kitten-themed band aids of yours. He remembered how you conveniently happened to carry around a portable charger for Kenma whenever the battery on his console ran out. And these were only things that had happened this week alone .

The only ones who didn’t get this special treatment of yours were the third years, Fukunaga and himself and he just couldn’t understand why he was left out of it. Why was he denied getting fussed over and looked after by you? It’s not like he had any ulterior motives - after all you were their manager and like family to them, but why did that snotty brat Lev get to be coddled like a baby and he didn’t ? 

He gave the third years a seething look one day during practice, bellowing out for everyone to hear, “Really! You’re just gonna let that happen? What about justice!” 

“Justice?” Yaku asked with a raised brow, clearly amused by his outbreak. 

Kuroo gave him a smug grin, “Are you jealous, Yamamoto?” 

“Huuuuh?” He gave him a stupid look that was intended to look intimidating, but really, just looked stupid, and then deflated again, “Of course I am! Look at her!” He pointed accusingly to you – you were currently tying the shoelaces of Lev while going over the drills you had prepared for him, “Look at her‼!” He thrust his pointer finger at you three more times, “ It’s not fair! ”

“It does make sense though.” Kai interjected calmly, completely unfazed by Yamamoto’s mental breakdown, “(Name)-chan’s incredibly harsh with them when they’re practicing, so I guess she tries to make up by being more doting once they’re off court?” 

“Makes me look even more like a demon…” Yaku grumbled underneath his breath, earning him a light slap across the back and a guffaw from Kuroo. 

“Dude, if you start treating them the way (Name) does, they’re gonna start thinking you’ve got a terminal disease or something.” 

“Right.” He grinned at that. “We can’t have that.”

“Why don’t you just hurt yourself and see if she comes running to you?” Kuroo suggested. 

He meant it as a joke.

“I already tried that…” Yamamoto muttered, earning him several disbelieving looks from the boys around him.

“You did what?”

“Are you for real?”

“But it didn’t work!” He whined, gripping his head and falling dramatically to his knees, “She said that I’m a big guy and that I’ll be okay!”

The laugh that came out of Fukunaga’s mouth was so loud, it caught everyone’s attention, causing even the coaches to give them a reproachful look. He couldn’t stop himself, bending forward in a futile attempt to wheeze in air for his twitching lungs. 

The entire scene was so comedic that even Kuroo joined in with his hyena laugh. And when Yamamoto gave them a dumb look of confusion, Yaku couldn’t hold it in either. Even Kai was chuckling, and the realization of that caused a flush to wash over Yamamoto’s cheek, embarrassment kicking into his system belatedly.

It was your annoyed command that got them all to somewhat calm themselves and trudge towards you with remnants of tired laughter to resume practice where they had left off,

“Guys! What are you doing? Get your asses over here, we’re not done yet!” 

BONUS:

It was only a matter of time until it happened.

“What’s with him?” Lev asked curiously, pointing to Shibayama. He was on the ground, his knees tucked into his chest with his head hidden between his knees, facing the wall.

“Apparently he called (Surname)-senpai mom and now he doesn’t want to talk to any of us.” Teshiro answered, his expression unreadable.

“He did what?”

The echoes of laughter from Kuroo, Yaku and Fukunaga reverberated across the gym, all of them on the ground cackling. Kuroo was hitting the floor with his fist, Yaku was literally crying and Fukunaga’s face had turned a concerning shade of blue from the lack of oxygen.

“I- It’s okay, Shibayama, things like this can happen- “ You tried to reassure him, but your voice lacked its usual confidence, replaced with a flustered stutter.

But the shivering first year wasn’t listening to you. His ears were ringing from the never-ending laughter that bubbled out of the trio from the ground, his life flashing before his eyes. His face was so red, he practically invented an entirely new shade for it.

“M-Mom- ” Kuroo hiccuped, “Pfffff.”

“(Name)-chan- (Name)-chan has become- “ Yaku inhaled sharply, his stomach starting to ache, “Jesus, I can’t- “

Fukunaga opened his mouth, but you glanced over your shoulder and yelled at them with a bright blush of your own, “Would you stop and help me over here!”

“Y-You heard her, guys- ” Kuroo barely managed to lift his head to meet your eyes, an awful amount of mischief swimming in them as he said loud enough for Shibayama to crawl even further into the ground, “Mommy is calling us.”

Chapter Text

August 8th.

Yaku Morisuke, highly acclaimed cornerstone of the team known for their unbreakable defense, turned eighteen today. Three years had passed since he joined the Nekoma VBC and two and a half years since he had become their regular libero.

Liberos.

The pillars of defense for any volleyball team, responsible for receiving any serve or spike. They are known to have incredibly fast reaction times and one of the best passing skills. On the court, they stood out the most. Their uniform was a different color from the rest of the team, to signal everyone that they were the one to be feared.

Fear.

A feeling the name Yaku Morisuke instilled in many people, ever since his junior high days. He was known as the man who killed spikers without even touching the ball. And he prided himself in being Nekoma’s libero and worked his best every day - even on his off days - to remain healthy and active, to give his school’s, as well as, his reputation justice. 

If that meant taking on the name of a demon, he would willingly plaster it across his forehead and proudly show it off. Hard work brought results. Yaku Morisuke was proof of that. And he was going to make sure that no matter what happened, they would stand on the national court this year. 

No matter what happened.

Yaku Morisuke, highly acclaimed cornerstone of the team known for their unbreakable defense, walked into the gym suspiciously, after seeing how empty the court was. His eyes narrowed as he stepped further inside, noting the stillness of his surroundings. He was wondering where everyone had gone off to, when everything around him turned pitch-black.

“What the- “

The day before

“Come on, guys! We have to do something special!” You said enthusiastically, flailing your arms around.

“Where is he even? It’s not like him to be this late.” Kuroo asked.

You gave him a smug grin, “I sent him to run some errands for me.” Your face twisted into a painful scowl and you hissed, grabbing onto your wrist, “I think I sprained my wrist from all that writing… How am I going to carry all of that paperwork now...” 

His eyes widened and he scoffed as he watched you straighten up with a cheerful giggle, “You women are dangerous and cunning creatures.”

“Whatever. It got him out of our hair for at least an hour.” You opened up one of your million notebooks and clicked open the tip of your pen, “Time to brainstorm! Fukunaga, go!”

Said boy hummed, a thoughtful finger on his chin with his eyes closed, “What does Yaku-san even like?”

“He likes girls with short hair.” Yamamoto crossed his arms with a proud gleam in his eyes.

You raised a brow at him, “I don’t think that’s gonna be of much use in this case.”

“Unless you want us all to dress up as girls with short hair and surprise him.” Fukunaga snickered.

“A maid café!” Lev thrust his hand into the air, not unlike he would do in class when a sudden ‘brilliant’ thought would strike him. Just as you were about to comment that this might actually be a good idea since you had heard him mention how he wanted to go to one a while ago, Lev continued his trail of thoughts, “Let’s all dress up as short-haired maids and serve him tea and cake!”

“What?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Kuroo, Kenma and Yamamoto gave him looks of disbelief, their jaws unhinged as they tried to process what he just said. 

“What did you just say?” Kuroo started.

“Are you insane?” Kenma continued.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Yamamoto finished.

At the confused look of Lev, who tried to understand what the problem was, Fukunaga threw his head back in laughter. Lev turned his head from one of them to the other. Didn’t they like what he proposed? 

After all, it had been Yaku, who had openly admitted to wanting to see a maid café with his own two eyes. And it was no secret that he liked the visual of short locks grazing the smooth jaw of cute girls, revealing the expanse of skin on their necks. With his idea, they would not only make his wish come true, but they would make it come true together. 

A group activity! Why didn’t they see the fun in that?

Shibayama, who for some reason had now acquired the ability to peek into Lev’s brain and pick up on his lingering thoughts, swooped in to save him from further embarrassment. “Maybe we should consider something that doesn’t require a lot of planning and executing time? His birthday is tomorrow already. I don’t think we can make it until then.”

Receiving a pleading look from Shibayama, Inuoka was beside him in an instant, a boyish grin on his radiating face, “How about we store this idea for future use?”

“Fine…” Lev deflated and pouted like a kicked puppy.

You sighed. He really was like a little child sometimes. On tiptoes, you reached as high as you could and patted his head reassuringly, watching him straighten up just a tad bit, “Thank you for pitching in your idea though. Mori-kun would feel touched to know you would go all the miles to surprise him like that.”

“Of course! He’s my senpai after all.” Lev stated seriously, “He might be super scary when he’s angry, but he always takes so much care of us. He deserves to know how much we appreciate him.”

Kuroo whistled, clapping his hands lazily, “Wow, Lev, color me impressed. You do have a brain in that head of yours.”

“Kuroo-san!” 

“Hey, hey, don’t take it to heart.” You patted his head once more, this time with stifled laughter, “It’s Kuroo we’re talking about.”

“Wait- What the hell is that supposed to mea- “

“Alright!” You interrupted Kuroo without any second thoughts, turning your eyes towards the other two quiet listeners, “Nobu-kun, Ken-chan, any ideas?”

“How about a game?” 

“Mh… Yaku isn’t really into games.” Kai shook his head and pursed his lips, “Should we collect money from everyone and buy him something big or does everyone want to gift him something individually?”

“What are some of the things he likes?”

“Girls with short hair.” Yamamoto repeated, eliciting a round of collective groans from everyone present in the club room.

“Volleyball.” Lev stated the obvious with a shrug.

“Cats.” Kuroo added.

“Stir-fried vegetables with a hefty portion of meat.” You said.

“Going to the mountains.” Kai concluded.

“Why don’t we all go hiking together?” 

All eyes were now on Teshiro, who had casually joined the conversation. 

“Holy sh- Since when have you been here?” Yamamoto took a step back.

“I’ve been here the entire time, Yamamoto-san.”

You turned around to him, beaming, “That’s a brilliant idea! Does anyone have any objections?”

When you were met with silence, you started scribbling away, murmuring along, “Alright, so a few mountains to consider would be Mount Oyama in Kanagawa region- “

“Scratch that one.” Kuroo interrupted you as he plopped on the ground in front of you, placing his chin lazily in his palm, “Best time to hike there is during cherry blossom season.”

“And we’re a few months too late for that, huh…” You nodded along and struck a line across the words. “How about Mount Takao?”

Shibayama sat beside you, his eyes meekly looking into yours, “There’s an onsen and a zoo nearby. We went there last year with my parents. It was really nice.”

“How long was the hike up the trail?”

“Um… I think we went by foot and it took us about... One and a half hours? But my mother took the cable car and was there before us.”

“Well, if we’re going hiking, we better go all the way, right?” Lev squeezed in between both of you with a silly grin, “I’ve never been to a zoo before! We should totally pick this one! I wanna see some lions!”

“There’s also Mount Hiwada.” Kai pulled his phone from his bag, typing and scrolling something as he continued talking, “There’s a field full of spider lilies- Look! Isn’t it beautiful?”

With the way he was smiling into his phone, you could have mistaken him for Kenma with a new game. It was definitely an expression of bliss and joy you had never seen before on his face. Before you were able to comment on that however, said boy had spoken up from tapping on his console, “Isn’t that close to Miyagi? We could go see Shōyō...” That last bit was murmured, more to himself.

“Eeeeeh?” You turned wide-eyed towards Kai, “But that’s too far away! How are we gonna get there and come back?”

His entire demeanor from earlier darkened, the light in his eyes dimmed as his head fell, “Right… I guess I’ll have to see the spider lilies some other time…”

“That’s the reason you want to go all the way there?” You gave him an amused smile. 

What else could you expect from the vice captain when the topic was flowers out of all things? If there was someone, who knew of his affinity and love towards plants, it was you after all.

“What about Mount Fuji?” This was Fukunaga speaking, “It’d be a really long hike, but the scenery would be well worth it.”

Yamamoto exhaled blissfully, his eyes closed, “It’s beautiful up there. You really need some proper willpower to get to the top.”

“More like leg strength, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.”

“Hey! I heard that Kenma!”

“Good. I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret.”

“What was that- “

“Guys!” Your reprimanding tone didn’t go unnoticed by your amused captain, whose lips quirked into a satisfied smirk, “This is not the time, Mori-kun could be back any second now! So, we have Mount Takao and Mount Fuji up for debate, any other place you guys would like to go to?”

“Mitake.” Kuroo drawled, “It has waterfalls and mossy rocks and stuff.”

“And stuff?” Fukunaga grinned.

“There’s a river stretching all the way down the mountain and a shrine nearby we could explore.” 

“Ah! Are you talking about the Musashi Mitake shrine?” Inuoka asked loudly, the invisible tail connected to his lower back wagging aggressively.

You couldn’t hold back a snort, “You wanna go there?”

“Yes please!”

“Can someone look up the distance to Nerima for all the mountains we just listed?”

Kenma, as usual, was already on it and answered almost immediately, “Mount Takao is about 60km from our school, Mount Fuji about 140km and Mount Mitake about 70km.”

“Hm… So the closest one would be Mount Takao…. And we’d even get to go to a zoo and an onsen to relax… But then again Mount Fuji is supposedly really pretty… Argh, but waterfalls are beautiful too…”

“Hey.” A warm hand lay on your shoulder and you lifted your head to see Kai’s taupe eyes calm yours immediately, “How about we all think about it until tonight and text (Name)-chan where we’d like to go? And then depending on what the majority wants, we prepare a small card for Yaku to surprise him tomorrow?”

“SURPRISE!” You jumped from your spot with a shriek, “How could I forget?” Your hands flew to your head aggravatedly and you started pacing back and forth, “Cake… We need a cake!”

“A cake?” Inuoka drooled at the mere thought of sugar. Teshiro wiped his chin with a tissue he pulled out of nowhere. The rest of the boys watched you perplexed.

“Okay, so, uh- Would you guys mind if I stepped out for today’s practice?”

“Huh? ” Kuroo scowled. 

A moment passed in which no one spoke. Everyone looked from Kuroo to you expectantly. He took a step forward. And then another. And then he grabbed onto your shoulders and shook them, “Who are you? And where is (Name)?”

“Eh?” Lev stood up from his spot as well, flitting his eyes from you to Kuroo, and then back to you, bewilderment swirling in them, “(Surname)-senpai is right here though, Kuroo-san?”

Kuroo rolled his eyes and gave him a look, as if asking ‘You can’t be serious?’  

Shibayama meekly tugged him back, giving both of you an apologetic smile and turned around to quietly scold his friend for his inability to read the room. While he was busy doing that, Kuroo continued grilling you.

“There’s no way (Name) would miss a practice. Who are you? And why are you impersonating someone like (Name)? There’s like, a million better options than this small nagging- Ouch!” He clutched his chest with a cheshire grin, the dark hues in his eyes glimmering in mischief.

“Shut up, stupid…” You murmured the last part, slightly flustered at being called out like that.

His grin only widened, “What was that? Did you say some- Ouch! Hey! Quit it!” 

Your punches to the air did nothing to stop his laughter, infuriating you even further and you huffed with a frown, fueling his entertainment even more. He held you at an arm's length by pushing against your forehead, his tone dripping with cheek, “Do you really think you look intimidating like that?”

You growled, deep from your throat and lunged at him with your claws out, ready to strike him into submission, “Kuroo!!! Let me go!”

“No can do~ You’re too adorable like that~”

“I’ll show you adorable!”

“Aw~ Are you professing your love to me, (Name)-chan?”

Yamamoto made it just in time to hold you back, slinging his arm around your waist to pull you back. You stretched your arms in a futile attempt to claw at Kuroo, your face contorted into a disgusted expression, “I’m going to rip your tongue out- “

“Woah, hit the brakes, little one. We got kids around- “

“Kuroo! ”

“Yaku-san is coming!” Lev interrupted the both of you with a panicked expression, his face glued against the window. 

Everyone collectively exhaled a breath of relief - when the two of you started arguing, there was usually no end in sight, so it was a welcome distraction to have their libero return earlier than expected.

“We aren’t finished, sir.” You pointed a threatening finger at him, to which his smile only grew more, damn him.

“I would like to think so too.”

“Urgh, whatever. Let go, Yamamoto.” You wiggled until he released you.

Just as you finished packing the evidence of your little scheme in your bag, the door swung open, revealing a content looking Yaku. He sauntered up to you with a dazzling smile, carefully placing the stacks of paper on the shelf rack.

“Ah, Mori-kun!” Your tone switched immediately to a sweet one, earning you a rather disturbed look from Kenma, an amused raise of a brow from Kuroo and Kai, and dropping jaws from the rest of the boys at how quickly the air around you changed. 

Just seconds ago you were getting ready to claw Kuroo’s eyes out and now you were plastered all over their libero like a koala. “Thank you so much for today! I’ll make it up to you soon, I promise!”

“Nonsense. This is nothing, (Name)-chan.” He patted your head with a fond smile before walking towards his locker, “What are you doing in here anyway? Practice is about to- Why is no one in their uniform yet?”

Using his scolding to your advantage, you excused yourself out of the club room. The boys started to undress and get ready for practice, so you used this time to make a quick run to the coaches. If you told them about your plans for tomorrow, you were convinced they would let you off the hook today.

You weren’t usually one to miss practice, but tomorrow was a very special day and sometimes sacrifices had to be made. Just thinking about the face Yaku would make, the way his caramel eyes would widen in surprise before he would break out in flustered laughter - missing practice once would be so worth it.

The next morning 

Yawning loudly, Yaku opened his locker and took out his indoor shoes to place his sneakers inside. He slipped into them and stretched his arms into the air with a grunt. His spine cracked loudly, the girl from the locker beside him whipping her head towards him with wide eyes.

He smiled awkwardly before he slowly started to make his way towards his classroom. With light steps, he skidded through the halls. Occasionally, he would stop and converse with one of his friends, who’d stop him to congratulate him.

Finally 18. 

So many things were happening this year. He was now legally allowed to drive on his own. He was going to graduate from high school and dive into the new world of colleges. He was going to stand on the national stage of volleyball, together with his friends, his chosen family.

Giddy with excitement, he was too busy swimming in his thoughts to notice that this was the first morning during their summer courses that he hadn’t seen Kuroo or Kai around. So instead of being suspicious why his two best friends were avoiding him on the day he was born, he merely dropped himself in his seat and started taking out his school supplies.

As soon as his teacher entered the room with her usual stern gaze, he had no time to think about such things anyway. He drummed his fingers against the desk. 

This morning was undoubtedly going to be yet another tiring one, full of computations and formulas he had spent the past few days beating into his brain.

It was when the bell rang a few hours later, announcing it was time to eat lunch that Yaku noticed something was off. Neither Kuroo, nor Kai came to his classroom to talk to him - which was unusual in and of itself. In the past three years, not a single day had passed where they hadn’t sought each other out during their breaks. What was even more concerning, was the fact that you hadn’t contacted him either. 

It had been an unspoken tradition between the two of you to greet each other every single morning, almost like a ritual to start the day off on the right foot. And it had always been you, who would sneak into the hallways of the third years, jumping into his classroom like you weren’t trespassing into, what was for other second years, terrifying territory.

But you had never really cared much for things like that, your tunnel vision preventing you from the curious pairs of eyes that watched you in the beginning, turning into amused smiles and then excited waves as the third years started getting friendly with you as well.

Yaku huffed into his cheek with furrowed brows, tapping at his desk when his classmate from the seat in front of him turned around, “Don’t tell me she’s ditching you on your special day?” 

The amused glint in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Yaku, who responded rather gruffly, “Nah. That’s not like (Name)-chan. She has our birthdays saved in her phone.”

He whistled, “I’m impressed by your manager, dude. We need someone like that on our baseball team. It gets lonely with just guys, you know.”

They cocked their heads back in laughter and pulled out their packed lunch. With finals looming around the corner, they were having college prep classes almost daily now - and his birthday was unfortunately no exception.

“Come on, give her a break.” His friend said as he stuffed his face with rice, “She’s on her summer vacation after all. You’ll see her later at practice anyway, won’t you?”

Yaku smiled into his box of apple juice, “Knowing her, she’s probably writing some training regimen for the first and second years. Ah… She really is something else, you know?”

His friend remained quiet, his hand holding the chopsticks frozen mid-air. The squid shaped sausage fell off with a plop and he grimaced, “Dude. I know it’s your birthday and all. But quit being so disgusting.”

“Wha- “

“Just eat your damn food, alright!”

“Yakkkuunnnnnnn!”

Yaku turned around at the familiar sound of Kuroo’s voice, his lips stretching into a grin when he was finally met with his two best friends. Kuroo enveloped him in a friendly hug and patted his back, “Happy birthday! Finally 18, eh? Now you get to play taxi for us.”

“He doesn’t mean it like that.” Kai smiled that gentle smile of his before pulling Yaku into his chest, “Happy birthday. Sorry we couldn’t make it earlier.”

“Prep classes are surprisingly taking up more time than I expected them to.” Kuroo sighed.

Yaku nodded, “Amen to that.”

“Let’s not think about it any more than we have to. Practice starts soon, shall we go ahead?” Kai nudged his chin towards the outside. Breaking into a full conversation, all three of them changed back into their outdoor shoes. They moved towards the club room slowly, enjoying the rays of sunshine on their bare skin.

The sun was perched on its highest point in the sky, painting everything in a beautiful orange hue. If it wasn’t for the occasional gust of wind, their shirts would be clinging onto their every pores.

“Do you have anything planned for your birthday?” Kai asked.

Yaku shook his head no, “With college prep classes and volleyball practice, there’s not much time left to organize something big. I’ll probably eat out with my parents though.”

“Lemme guess, meat?” Kuroo gave him a disdainful look, earning him a playful punch to his shoulder.

“Shut up, you doco-something-something-freak.”

“Excuse you, that’s docosahexaenoic acid.” 

“Whatever, nerd.”

“Hey- “

“The door, Kuroo.” Kai nudged him gently, once again effectively breaking off the tension between the two hotheaded third years.

Kuroo did as asked and retrieved the keys to the club room, plunging it into the keyhole and twisting to the right, “Ah, by the way. (Name) is with the first years, they’ll be coming a bit later.”

One of Yaku’s eyes narrowed, his voice turning hoarse, “Why?”

“Something about our spare uniforms and banners needing to be picked up from the laundromat - you know the drill. The kids are ready to cut off their arms if it means helping (Name).”

Convinced with Kuroo’s reasoning, Yaku laughed, his earlier irritation replaced by amusement, “Fair enough.”

He was the first one to finish changing what with the other two dawdling, so he went on ahead to start his stretches. When he reached the gym, he was surprised that neither of the coaches were anywhere to be seen. He frowned and entered, keeping his hand on the door as he craned his neck to take a look around. Not even the second years were present.

“I swear to god, if they’re skipping practice because we’re on summer break, I will rip them a new one.” He muttered to himself and moved his neck back and forth, jogging on the spot and lightly moving his arms around.

Kuroo and Kai were supposed to be done by now - what was taking them so long?

Just as he was about to call for them, your voice reached his ears and took him by surprise, “Mori-kun!”

He turned around, his heart dropping to his stomach when he saw every single one of you stand by the door with ditzy grins. You were holding a cake, your eyes taking the shape of two half-moons with Inuoka and Lev flanking you, their voices loud and clear as they shouted in sync, “Happy birthday, Yaku-san!”

“Surprise!” Yamamoto strode over to him and slapped his back.

Fukunaga joined their side by holding out his fist for the libero to hit, “Happy birthday, gramps.”

“You guys…” Yaku managed to whisper, his sight blurring when Shibayama and Teshiro congratulated him with a formal bow.

“Congrats.” Kenma pulled the lower end of the stick he was holding, dousing Yaku with a pop with a good load of colorful confetti. 

Kuroo and Kai moved to let you pass them and you stopped once you reached the birthday boy, holding the cake in front of him, the neatly arranged candles burning brightly, “Happy birthday, Mori-kun. Make a wish?”

He stared at the cake dumbfounded and then let his gaze wander to take in the image of every single one of you. The first years, who were supposedly in the laundromat. The second years, who had acted awfully suspicious during practice yesterday. The third years, who took so much longer to change into their uniforms. The coaches, who would usually be the first ones to arrive in the gym.

It was only after you wiped gently across his cheek with a tender smile that he realized he was crying. Unable to conceal it, he laughed shakily and wiped at his eyes, “I can’t believe this… You guys are insane.”

“Woah… Yaku-san is crying?” Lev muttered, “I didn’t know he could do that!”

“Shhhh! Don’t spoil this, you fool!” Yamamoto bit back.

They froze when you sent them a deadly glance over your shoulder.

“Come on.” Kai nudged his side, “The candles won’t hold out forever. You only have one wish.”

Kuroo added, “Make it a good one.”

He closed his eyes and thought of the one thing he yearned for the most. The one thing that caused his heart to swell and his cheeks to burst with happiness.

He smiled and blew out the candles in one go.

All of you erupted in cheers and clapped enthusiastically with you wiggling on the spot as you were too busy holding the cake. “Great!” You looked over at Shibayama, “Can you get me my bag please? I brought eating utensils with me!”

The first year nodded and sprinted off almost immediately. Soon you were seated all over the court, cross-legged and deep in conversation. Practice would be postponed to tomorrow, the coaches had decided - today was Yaku’s day.

You watched wide-eyed, filled with trepidation as Yaku raised the fork to his mouth, the first one to try the cake you had slaved over. You gulped, holding onto the edges of your shirt in anticipation. He took the first bite with everyone’s eyes on him.

“Man, how lucky to have (Name)-chan make a cake for him… I can’t wait for my birthday.” Yamamoto said wistfully, waiting for any sort of reaction.

A reaction that you had been deprived of.

You frowned. “Mori-kun?”

He sat motionless, the fork still in his mouth as he chewed the piece very slowly. His toffee colored eyes were closed, his expression unreadable. At least a full minute passed and he was still working on that one bite.

Your shoulders dropped. Was the cake not good?

Yamamoto scrambled towards the cake, too impatient to wait any longer, “It’s probably so good, he doesn’t want to waste a single bite! As expected of (Name)-chan!” He cut a huge piece for himself and plopped it onto a plastic plate, grabbing a fork and shoving a gigantic piece into his mouth. 

He chewed once. Twice.

And spit it right back out.

“What the hell is in- “

Yaku threw himself in front of him with his admirable libero reflexes, covering the mess on the floor with a shaky smile. You only tilted your head in confusion and he thanked all the gods he had ever believed in that you didn’t see what had just happened. 

He was about to comment on the very questionable texture and taste of the cake when he noticed several bandages wrapped around your fingers. His heart twitched painfully when the image of you burning yourself while preparing this cake specifically for him flashed in his mind. 

His eyes found the cake sitting on the ground with hesitation and before he could backpedal, he let his appreciation for you take over his limbs. Yaku lunged to the center of the court, snatching the cake for himself.

“No way in hell I’m sharing this with any of you! (Name)-chan made it for me, right?” He gave you that confident smile of his he knew always cheered you up.

It didn’t fail this time either as you brightened up considerably, “Yes! It’s strawberry flavored, just the way you like it!”

He thrust an inhumanely big piece into his mouth, gulping the entire thing without even chewing as he simultaneously fought off the constipated expression that threatened to take over his face. “‘sho good! Mh! Really, sho freakin’ good!”

Yamamoto gave him a horrified look with Fukunaga looking from his best friend to Yaku, raising his forehead when he was able to read the situation clear as day. He decided to lean back and watch the scene unfold with a humorous grin.

Kai chuckled and held onto the libero’s shoulder, “Slow down, you’re going to choke.”

“Am I the weird one here or does it look like Yaku-san wants to choke?” Lev whispered, making sure to stay out of your hearing range.

Shibayama shook his head and bit his lip, “No… I think this time you’re right, Haiba-kun. He looks very uncomfortable.”

“Is it really that bad?” Inuoka asked, eyeing the cake critically, “It looked fine to me.”

“It smelled really good too.” Kenma added thoughtfully.

You were too busy watching with star-covered eyes as Yaku devoured the whole thing, only lifting your head when Kuroo leaned down beside you.

“Hey, (Name), what did you put in the cake?”

“Hm?” You thought back to the recipe you had found online, “Well.. You know, all the basic stuff: eggs, milk, vanilla beans, oh!” You perked up, your face all sunshine and giggles as you proudly proclaimed, “I replaced all the dry ingredients with protein powder to make it healthier!”

Kuroo’s eyes bulged from its pockets and he lost his balance, falling face first into the ground, “You did what?”  

To conclude, Yaku fought like a champ and finished the cake up to its last crumb. Afterwards, he passed out cold and remained unresponsive throughout the entire remainder of his celebration.

BONUS:

August 7th, Tokyo, some sports shop

“Hm…” You bent lower and narrowed your eyes to inspect the labels in front of you, “Banana, coconut, peppermint, no, that’s not it…” You took a step back and tilted your head back to look at the boxes on the upper shelves, “Peanuts, cinnamon, ah! Strawberry, there you are!”

Your eyes lit up when you finally found the box of protein powder. You had spent the past twenty minutes walking through the sports store, trailing around the aisles like a lost puppy until one of the store clerks had taken pity upon you and guided you to the section you had asked for.

Rows and rows of dozens of different brands littered the shelf racks, varying in all kinds of protein powders with all kinds of flavors. 

“Okay… Now, how do I get up there?” You asked yourself out loud, raking your eyes from left to right in hopes of finding some kind of ladder. Surely there was something for the customers? How else were you supposed to reach the highest shelf?

You stood on tiptoes, stretching your arm as high as possible, groaning when you barely grazed the shelf that housed the boxes of strawberry protein powder. When your arm started to sting from the stretch, you dropped back down with a huff, feeling slightly out of breath.

‘Okay.’ 

You took a deep breath, glancing to each corner of the aisle to make sure you were alone. Hopefully there were no cameras facing your way.

‘Desperate times call for desperate measures.’

With a slightly elevated heartbeat, you stepped towards the shelf rack, its size suddenly appearing a lot bigger than it had just a minute ago. You gulped, wiping the sweat off of your palms and reached towards the column hesitantly. Your hand gripped the steel tightly.

‘You can do this, (Name). It’s just a tiny stretch.’

Your nails dug into your palms when your right foot left the ground and settled on the first board. Your left foot followed and pressed into the board on the second-level. Both of your feet had now officially left the ground.

‘Okay, okay. I can do this. This is nothing. This is just 30 cm off the ground. I’ll be fine. I’ll be totally fine.’

The theme song to Tomb Raider started playing in your head and you found yourself humming along  absentmindedly, oddly finding courage and strength to continue your climb up the shelf rack. Thinking about how she navigated through rocky cliffs with god knows how much luggage on her back, you told yourself that as a fellow woman, you could not let her down and give up now.

‘Just a bit more.’

You were now half-way to the top, tiny droplets of sweat sliding down your neck and your heart racing against every piece of skin it could find.

‘It’s okay, just don’t look down, (Name). You’ll be fine. As they say.’ You leaned your head back to get the box of your choice in sight, ‘Keep your eyes on the prize.’

If anyone decided to walk into the aisle right now, it would probably be the death of you. You must have looked like a little monkey, clutching to the bars with your face twisted in concentration. 

Who in their right mind would even put products that high up on the shelves? Maybe you should’ve just brought Lev along… He was practically begging to accompany you earlier.

‘No.’ You shook your head as you climbed higher, ‘He needs to work on his shoddy receives. Besides, Mori-kun would’ve gotten suspicious if he tagged along.’

You gulped once more, your mouth lacking its usual moisture. So this was what people meant when they said that adrenaline did crazy things to one’s body. By the time you reached the highest level, you were panting, out of breath with your arms burning from having to shoulder your entire body weight. You just had to reach out your arm and then you could grasp the box and slowly make your way back down. 

It was only then that it dawned on you that you had to shift your entire weight to only one arm and the thought of it horrified you so much, you spent a good five minutes up there, just clinging onto the support bars. 

‘Okay… (Name)... It’s now or never. No backing out now. Remember… It’s for Mori-kun.’

You held your breath (which really, in hindsight, you should not have done) and slowly leaned your entire body to the side of your dominant hand. With as much control as you could muster, you tried to keep the most of your weight on your thighs, gripping the bar with only one hand so tight, you would have broken it had you been strong enough, and reached forward with your other arm to grasp the box.

‘Yes! Finally!’

The package was now securely trapped between your chin and your chest, your free hand going back to hold the bracing. All you had to do now- 

“(Surname)-san, is that you?”

Your eyes widened when you heard your name and you whipped your head to see for yourself who had caught you in such a compromising position. A punch was delivered to your gut, all breath leaving your lungs as you wheezed, “Komor- Ah- “

Several things happened at once.

You slipped on the board and lost your grip on the bar, unsuccessfully trying to hold onto some part of the shelf. The nails on the rack got caught in the nails on your fingers, causing a sharp pain to shoot up your hands.

Komori was behind you in an instant to brace the falling rack with his broad back, the veins in his arms popping at the immense weight he had to keep back. Dozens of boxes dropped with loud thuds around you, causing a commotion loud enough for others to peer curiously into your aisle. Another silhouette raced towards you, his arms outstretched and dark eyes frantic as you fell and fell and fell, closing your eyes to prepare yourself for the painful landing.

The painful landing that never came.

Your hands groped something firm, followed by a warm sensation tickling the back of your neck. The scent of detergent invaded your nose and you found yourself instinctively taking another whiff. When you opened your eyes to see for yourself, you were met with a frowning Sakusa, who had his arms sturdily around you. 

He was quite literally breathing down your neck, his voice deep and tinged with discomfort, “You okay?”

You stumbled backwards almost immediately, your spine hitting the now steady shelf rack audibly. “I’m so sorry!” Your hands balled into fists and you tried not to let the guilt of having invaded his personal space eat you up alive, “I’m sorry, Sakusa-san! Are you okay?”

“Huh?” His scowl deepened and you misunderstood and clambered shakily to your feet, but the other boy present held you by your shoulders before you had the chance to bolt.

“Woah, hey, easy there. You shouldn’t move abruptly like that.” Komori said gently, taking your hands into his, “Ouch. That must’ve hurt.” 

Confused by his words, you followed his gaze and shrieked when you were met with blood trickling down your fingers. Your first instinct was to whip your head towards Sakusa, who pinched the fabric of his shirt and looked at the splotches of red disdainfully.

“Oh my god, I’m so- “

“Let’s get that washed off, hm?” Komori tilted your head back to him, placing his hand steadily on your back to guide you towards the counter, “I’ll take you to one of the employees. Sakusa, why don’t you go on ahead?”

Said guy merely nodded with a grunt and left the two of you alone before you had a chance to properly apologize. You sulked all the way to the staff’s room, washing the dried blood around your broken fingernails guiltily. When the cold water hit the ripped skin, you hissed, your toes curling inside of your shoes.

“God, I feel terrible…” You said when Komori came inside with a first aid kit, “He must have felt so uncomfortable... “

“Are you really in a position to feel bad about someone else?” His thick brows quirked in amusement, “Did you hurt yourself anywhere else?”

You shook your head, aware that it was just the two of you now. It felt weird talking to him outside of the court, in regular clothes, without any of your teams around. 

“Let me patch that up.” He took your hands into his once again, as if it was the most natural thing in the entire world and started wrapping one band-aid after another, gently and carefully, until all of your injured fingers were covered. 

He was acting like he always did, cheery and friendly, like this was just one of your every day interactions, making you realize that you were the only one overthinking this and making it awkward.

“Thank you, Komori-san.” You said once he finished, inspecting your wrapped up fingers, “This feels weird…”

He smiled. “That’s actually what setters and middle blockers feel like during a match.”

The reference to a shared topic that you both were comfortable with brought forth a chuckle from you, “Yeah… I guess it is.”

“What were you even doing up there?” He asked when he deemed it safe enough.

You tried to fight off a blush, but failed miserably. So you only escaped his gaze and stared stubbornly at the ground, “I tried to get the strawberry flavored protein powder, but... It was so high up, I couldn’t reach it…”

His shoulders shook as he snorted, the twitch transforming into full blown laughter, “You couldn’t have gotten one of the staff to get it down for you?”

Your mouth dropped into an o-shape, a dumb sound escaping your lips when you realized that you hadn’t even thought of that. You slapped your palm against your forehead and groaned, his laughter intensifying.

“Please don’t tell anyone what happened today.” You begged him, receiving another snort from him.

“Cross my heart!” He straightened up like a soldier, a boyish grin splitting his face in half.

You found yourself smiling along, reminded how easy it was to talk with him. 

“Come on.” He stood up and held the door open for you, “I happen to drink the same one. I’ll help you get one for yourself.”

“Oh god, I made such a mess, didn- “

“To be fair, my timing couldn’t have been any worse.” 

You gave him a confused look.

“I mean you were climbing up a shelf rack, so of course you would be startled if someone just called out your name like that.” 

You couldn’t help but smile at that, “Yeeaah, no. I’m not climbing anything again any time soon.”

And just like that, your earlier embarrassment was discarded, forgotten even, as you chatted all the way back to the aisle. He discussed a few of the brands with you, sharing his experiences with them and recommended you different kinds - but in the end, you decided to pick the same one he was buying.

Once you were done with your shopping, he walked you to your bus station, never once ceasing his talk. Whether it was questions about the notes you took on them when you visited their practice matches, or off-court related topics like the summer festival that was about to take place, the two of you had a pretty fun time just conversing.

“Thank you again for everything, Komori-san.” You bowed when your bus started approaching.

“Motoya.” He said, his eyes bright as he grinned, “Call me Motoya.”

The bus stopped in front of you, the doors opening to let everyone in. Your expression softened and you smiled, “Then, feel free to call me (Name) as well. I’ll see you around, Motoya-kun?”

He nodded his head and you stepped in to show your ticket, picking a seat that allowed you to sit right beside a window. 

When you glanced out after the bus started moving, he was still standing right there, waving at you happily. And you too, found yourself waving him goodbye.

Chapter Text

It was cold.

It was so unbelievably cold, and grim, and suffocating when Kuroo swept his eyes across the venue. Everywhere he looked there were no smiles. Gazes fixed to the ground to blink back the onslaught of tears or lost in the pitch black coffin resembling the haunting night itself.

He tried not to think about it, not to follow their eyes, but he betrayed himself, turning his head to where you now lay, openly displayed for everyone to see. 

Was this really you? Was this really real?

You were unmoving and quiet… So unlike you. The (Name) he knew was bubbly and loud, obnoxious and annoying, so full of life-

“Kuroo.” Yaku’s listless voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “The eulogy begins any minute now. We should head to our seats.”

Kuroo turned to his friend, seeing himself in his empty eyes that were still glistening from his tears. A cracked mirror to represent what he must have looked like as well. Cheeks gaunt, eyes bloodshot with bags underneath them big enough to fit the ocean of sadness they had shed.

Kai nudged his shoulder, his hands no longer as warm as they used to be, “Come on, Kuroo.”

His legs carried him on auto-pilot, the rest of the volleyball club dragging their feet behind him. They joined his side, like a protective little circle that denied entrance to anyone who wasn’t you. He absentmindedly registered the sound of Shibayama hiccuping, his sobs muffled by Inuoka’s limp arm. The latter was biting into his lip hard enough to draw blood, the energy in eyes nowhere to be seen.

Even the seats weren’t comfortable. The boys shifted and shuffled around, unable to sit still as your father made his way to the front - to where you were lying peacefully. 

Kuroo dropped his gaze to his lap and wrung his hands aimlessly, trying to ignore the feeling of a phantom noose collaring itself around his neck.

Beside him Yaku was tracing the fabric of the seat in front of him - it was your favorite color: a bloodstained red. The same beautiful hue that used to dust your cheeks whenever he praised you. The same flower that would never bloom across your face again. 

A lone tear slid down his cheek again; he didn’t even bother to wipe it away. After all, what use was there in trying to stop a waterfall with merely a set of palms?

Behind them was Yamamoto, whose fist was clenched by his side, his free hand soothing across Fukunaga’s back, who looked like life had slipped through his fingers. Teshiro was by their side, his bloodshot eyes not once leaving your coffin.

“Good evening… everyone… Thank you all for attending- “ Your father started speaking into the microphone, halting for a second to take a deep breath. His hands were clutching the edges of the microphone stand, his eyes blinking rapidly, “Thank you all for attending my daughter’s funeral.”

Silence stretched across the venue as everyone collectively held their breaths. Shibayama was the first to break it, his agonized cries crackling through the air like thunder. He was quickly followed by Lev, who was bent over in half, his face pressed into his hands as he refused to look forward. Refused to acknowledge a reality without you.

Your father continued, wiping at his eyes with a sniffle, “Nobody wants to say goodbye to their daughter. Nobody is ever ready to say goodbye to their little princess. I know… I certainly wasn’t ready when I kissed her goodbye that morning when she left for school. Had I known that it was this kind of goodbye… I would’ve locked her into my arms and never let her go.”

It was cold. It was getting so unbelievably cold that Teshiro started shivering. His hands on his lap were shaking, only to be encompassed by another pair of frozen ones. Kenma kept his eyes loyally on your father, his jaw clenched and hair slicked back for the first time in years. 

Today, he wanted to see all of you. One last time.

“My princess was only sixteen when she was taken from us. She left a huge emptiness in the hearts of all of us, who loved her dearly. She was… a true joy to be around. Full of energy, full of love, … full of life.”

Your mother broke down into the arms of your uncle, her gut wrenching sobs chilling everyone to the bones. Your father’s grip on the stand tightened, so much so that his knuckles turned white like the snow littering the streets, but he continued. He owed you this much at least, “She wanted to go to nationals with her volleyball team - the boys, who have grown to become her brothers.” 

He pointed to the group of ten boys sitting in the front row, all of them stilling at the mention of their respective names. Kai kept his gaze firmly locked with your father and sent him a reassuring nod, both of his hands holding onto Yaku’s and Kuroo’s.

“She wanted to follow our footsteps and become a coach, she wanted to take over the world with her undeniable talent and skill. She would... stay up late into the night and revise like she’s never done for school.“ He chuckled through his tears, eliciting a few choked laughs from the guests as well, “She wanted to be free.”

A few rows behind Kuroo and the others, the entire volleyball team of Karasuno and Fukurodani sat there, guarding their backs, making sure to catch them if they were to fall. Their expressions varied from surrendered, to shocked, to denial, to pure and unadulterated heartbreak.

The news of your death had struck them hard. The sorrow that followed would be one they would never really get over.

“Those of you who know her- “ Your father stopped, grief hitting him like a ton of bricks and he gulped, staring into space before he found the strength to continue, “Who knew her, will miss her laugh, her excited little squeals, that little wiggly dance she made when she got to eat something delicious… and the sparkle in her big eyes as much I as do. I will cherish her memory until the day that I get to join her side and be one with her again. Thank you.”

It started off quietly, as a lone touch of two hands brushing against each other, like a single chord on a harp. More people joined with each passing second, a symphony of love washing through the funeral hall and towards your coffin as everyone stood up and clapped for your father, for his feelings, for his loss.

One by one, they trudged to the front, getting ready to say their last goodbyes to you. Just as Kuroo was about to step onto the platform, he stopped, his feet rooted to the ground. Vines with thorns sharp enough to fill the floor with the crimson of his blood curled around his ankles, keeping him firmly where he stood. Just one more step and he would be beside you, within an arm’s reach of your peacefully resting form.

He closed his eyes. And inhaled. It did nothing to ease the pressure in his lungs. He couldn’t bring himself to take that one last step, as if staying right where he was would make all of this unreal. He didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to accept-

“Kuroo.” It was Yaku again, who stood by his side with his sunken eyes; who took his cold hand into his own, “She’s waiting.”

“I don’t wanna go!” Shibayama had his fist curled around the fabric of Teshiro’s dress shirt, his lips quivering into a pout, “I don’t wanna!”

“Do we have to?” Lev asked dejectedly. His voice was thick with misery, his eyes never losing the shimmer of his salty tears. He risked a look toward your coffin before he whipped them back over to his captain, pleading, “Do I have to?”

“Get your ass moving, you brat.” Yamamoto scolded, albeit his usual fire was nowhere to be felt, “No one is staying back. We’re all going up there together.”

“Together…” Teshiro repeated, his head hanging limply on his neck, his mind still incapable of comprehending that you were no longer with them.

“She would have liked that…” It was the first time Fukunaga spoke since they had entered the somber halls. His voice was barely audible, a whisper of hopelessness crawling up his spine at the thought of never seeing his childhood friend again, “She would’ve wanted us all to be together… One last time.”

And so they crowded all around you, each one of them guarding you from every angle, their eyes now set on you. You looked peaceful, your eyes closed and your lips slightly parted. Your hair was lying in a blanket of sorrow around your unmoving face, but there was something ethereally beautiful about you. 

Even in death, you were the most wonderful thing to have happened to them.

Words weren’t enough to describe the aching in their chests and the dull throb in their throats - was this what a world without you was going to be like?

It was Kenma, who stretched his arm over your body, keeping his fist hovering in the air. 

“We’re like the blood in our veins,” he began, words dancing out of his pale lips in a misty cloud until it hung loose between them all, waiting for someone to connect with it.

The first years' eyes widened and they collectively joined Kenma, their fists shaking next to his. Lev stuttered through his tears, his face twisted in agony, “W-We- We must- “

“We must flow without stopping,” Inuoka exchanged a look with his struggling friend, his own cheeks stained with the salty poison dribbling down his chin, only to bounce off and find their home in your intertwined hands.

Fukunaga and Yamamoto raised their arms high, and their voices even higher, praying that their words would reach you, wherever you were, “Keep the oxygen moving.”

Everyone in the hall went quiet. All eyes were on you.

Kuroo, Kai and Yaku stood there in sheer bafflement until a wave of overwhelming sadness threatened to drown them. Light filtered in from the high windows above, casting a heavenly glow on you that only served to tug at their heartstrings even more.

Now you had truly become an angel.

After what felt like a lifetime, Kuroo finally lifted his hand to join his brothers, followed by Yaku and Kai, who kept their eyes loyally on you. His words were carved in melancholy, the noose around his neck tightening with each of his words,

“... and your mind working.”

“Aaaaand cut!”

“What the heck! That was so good, you guys!” You leapt up into a sitting position, holding onto the edges of the coffin as you gazed at them with stars in your eyes, “Since when were you so good at acting?”

“As long as you have willpower, you can be good at- “

“Shut up, Tora.”

“Kenma! At least let me finish, will y- ”

“Ahhh, it’s so stuffy in here. I wanna go see Shōyō…”

“There, there. We’re almost done filming this scene, be a bit more patient.” Kai patted his shoulder gently as the director walked up to them, script rolled tightly in her clasp. She beamed at them, handing out tissues for them to wipe their eyes with.

“You guys were a-mazing!” She turned around to the people sitting on the seats and rotated her finger in the air, motioning for the staff behind the cameras as well, “Take five, everyone- Actually, make that ten! I think we got it with this one.”

“I was good, right? I was really good, like a natural, right?” Lev walked straight to the director, completely disregarding the concept of personal space as he leaned down to face her, “Eden-san, I could be the next Leonardo, right?”

“You mean you’d never get an Oscar? Sounds about right.”

“Yaku-san!”

“You didn’t even look into the camera once!”

“Because I was crying! ”

“We were all crying!”

The director looked from the tiny libero to the giant middle blocker, her hands defensively in the air as she thought about how to dissolve the growing tension. 

What she didn’t know was that it took the mere sound of your voice for the bickering to stop.

“To think you guys were that much in love with me,” you sighed dramatically, fanning yourself with your free hand, “If I’d known sooner- “

A hiccup interrupted you and all of your heads collectively snapped to the source of it.

“S-Sorry- I just- thought about- what would happen if- if you hadn’t woken up- “ Shibayama was still crying buckets, his lips cast in an adorable little pout that tugged at every single one of your heartstrings.

You leaned out of the coffin and crushed him against your chest within a heartbeat, squeezing until he was nothing but a bag of bones, “It’s really not fair. Really not good for my heart when you’re this cute.”

He blushed up a storm at being embraced by you, but the adorable pink dust on his cheeks was hidden when Inuoka threw himself at the two of you, his large arms enveloping you both into a bear hug, “I wanna hug too! Yay to (Name)-chan being alive!”

“Wait! Don’t leave me out! I wanna hug (Surname)-senpai too!”

“You tools! You’re gonna crush her- “

“What do you say? Wanna join them, Tora?”

“...”

“Wanna see (Name)-chan getting crushed to dust?”

“Hell yeah!” The two second years followed after the first years, dragging the ever quiet Teshiro, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, with them and into the pile of limbs.

“Kenma-san! Yaku-san! Kuroo-san! Kai-san! Join us!” Lev screamed blissfully, “We’re not complete like this!”

“Why in the world would anyone ask for her to die anyway? What the hell is wrong with our viewers?“ Yaku grumbled under his breath, kicking Lev in the shin when he attempted to lift you out of the coffin. A slow smile stretched across his face when he heard your hysterical laugh bubble from within the boys.

Kuroo grinned, “Why do you look like you wanna join them?”

“Tch. Your observation skills rival your stupidity, Kuroo. Meaning both are pathetic.” Yaku lifted his chin haughtily and pretended not to look your way when you squealed in delight.

Kuroo’s grin only widened, “And your denial skills rival only your charisma, Yakkun; nonexistent.”

He narrowly avoided a flying fist from the libero, an air of victory emanating from him when (as usual) Kai stepped in between them like the angel he was.

“Now, now. Wouldn’t it be the perfect time to connect?” He pointed to the amalgamation of messy limbs - it was unclear which arm belonged to who and where the train of hugs began and where it ended.

Kuroo and Yaku exchanged narrowed looks, as if both were waiting for the other to give up and go back on their word. 

But when your head poked out from the center and you reached your hand out to them, literal galaxies beneath your eyes, they couldn’t find it within them to resist you.

Kuroo pressed your face into the warm space between his neck, his hands carding through your hair; Yaku was hugging you from behind, his arms wound around your waist and his head in between your shoulder blades; Kai came in from around them, enveloping his large arms around all of you.

“Awwwww, looks like this scene really did a number on you boys. Aren’t you going to join them?” The director asked Kenma, who was watching the entire situation unfold quietly.

“Why did you make us do this?” He asked her instead. She gave him a look of confusion, so he elaborated, “What use was there to film a funeral scene? She’s not even dead. We’re going to be releasing another episode with her next week. The script said she was going to be with us until the very last episode. This was literally a waste of time.”

The director smirked and held a superior finger in the air, “See, that’s where you’re wrong, our precious Ken-chan!”

He grimaced, “Don’t call me that. You’re not (Name).”

“But the readers love it!”

“...”

“You’re as salty off camera as you are on camera. How charming.”

“You’re evading my question.”

“Ah, right. So we’ve been receiving more and more mail from people tuning in each week and we had a couple of ‘em ask for (Name) to die.”

“What?” His grimace turned into nauseated disbelief.

“Yeah… For some reason people wanted her dead? And uh, so I thought it’d be funny to prank them and let them believe that Managing the Cat’s Den is over.”

“You’re weird.”

“Yeah. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Ken-chan!” Your breathless voice interrupted their conversation, “Get your ass over here!”

“Kenma-san!”

“Kenma!”

“Get over here, puddinghead!”

“I guess that’s your cue?” The director smiled at him warmly and watched him leave her side to reluctantly join his friends.

The tiny smile dancing across his features didn’t go unnoticed by her. She inhaled deeply before she whirled around to the single camera that had been following her since this morning.

“And that’s a day on the set for MTCD, guys! I hope you enjoyed getting to see a little bit behind the scenes - as you can see,” she pointed to the absolute mess that had erupted on the podest. You were lying on the ground, having fallen out of the coffin. Half of your limbs were covered by the boys, who had fallen down with you, “They’re exactly the same as they are when we’re filming. So please continue to watch over them kindly and support them with your love!”

Just as she was about to walk off, she winked at the camera and ended the video by saying, 

“And we’ll return to you with a new episode on Monday. Get ready for a trip to the zoo!”

BONUS 1:

“He’s still crying?”

A sigh. “Yeah. He hasn’t stopped since we finished filming.”

“His heart is too big and pure for this world.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t cry. I thought you were pretty close.”

“Mh. She’s always looking out for me in school. I was devastated at the thought of no longer having her around.”

Kuroo gave Teshiro a dubious look and blinked. He blinked again. And then again. Nope. Teshiro still looked like his head and thoughts were empty. 

“Right.” Kuroo drawled.

BONUS 2:

“Do you think I’ll finally get girls to notice me?”

Tap tap.

“Get your ass moving, you brat. No one is staying back. We’re all going up there together.’”

Tap tap.

“Of course a cool guy like me would get a cool line like that, hmph.”

Tap tap.

“I wonder if people will finally start talking about me in the comments…”

Tap tap.

“Everyone is always talking about Kuroo-san and Yaku-san… They even started talking about Shōhei!”

Tap tap.

“It’s only fair for it to be my turn, right?”

Tap tap.

“...”

Tap tap.

“Are you even listening to me, Kenma?!”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

BONUS 3:

“What in the world is he doing over there?”

“He’s trying to convince the director to give him more screen time.”

“Huh? He literally has the most lines out of all of us?”

“That’s Lev for you.”

“You know, intelligence could stab him in the face and he still wouldn’t know left from right.”

“Ouch. That’s harsh even for you, Yaku.”

A beat of silence. The awakening of a light bulb.

“Are you perhaps jealous?”

“J-Jealous- Hah! As if!”

“Is it because you want more screen time for yourself? What did they say again last time? ‘Yaku Rights’, ‘Yaku best boyfie’?”

“Heh, yeah they did- Wait- Why are you smiling at me like that?”

BONUS 4:

After you were done filming for the day, you had changed back into your own clothes and stepped out onto the hallway. Just as you were about to walk out of the double doors, someone tugged at your shirt and pulled you back. 

Fukunaga stood unusually quiet by your side, his hand still holding onto the hem of your shirt and a frown cast to the ground.

“Fukunaga?” You leaned down slightly to get him to look at you.

He avoided your questioning eyes even more. His voice was barely audible when he spoke up,

“Let’s walk home together.”

Chapter Text

“I’m going to stay here for the rest of my life.”

“No, you’re not.”

“How unfortunate.”

“Hey!”

Allow me to give you some context.

Lev was currently standing in the middle of the enclosed garden, surrounded by dozens of butterflies all over his 194cm glory. They started in a beautiful line of indigos and azures, blended into mesmerizing violets and magentas, all the way from his shoulders to the tips of his fingers. They descended all over his chest, fiery red like the sun, blindingly yellow like a cornfield, twisting around his sides and claiming ownership of his long legs with forest greens and earthy browns.

He himself stood with his legs hip width apart, arms stretched out to his sides with the most dazzling grin on his face. They fluttered their delicate wings and he released a round of snickers when he felt them brush against the tip of his nose. There was quite literally not a single spot on his body that wasn’t occupied by the beautiful little creatures.

Beside him, Kuroo was watching him warily, partly impressed, partly horrified at how things ended up this way. Yaku had his arms crossed and the most deadpan expression, tapping his feet on the ground impatiently. The others had run out to find someone from the staff to help them get this situation back under control.

While Lev declared his loyalty to the swarming butterflies, Kuroo tried to talk reason into him, whereas Yaku was only too glad to leave him behind.

“They have chosen me as their supreme leader, Kuroo-san! I can’t abandon my people!”

“How often did your parents drop you as a baby?” Yaku gave the first year a reproachful look, “Actually, no- What the hell went wrong during your delivery?”

Kuroo spluttered into a fit of laughter, doubling over when Lev stared at him challengingly.

“I’m not leaving, Yaku-san.”

“Yes, you are. Now get over here before I make you.”

“I can’t! They need me here!”

Yaku rolled his eyes and groaned, a deep, frustrated sound from the pit of his stomach before he started making his way to the first year. Lev’s sense of self-preservation kicked in and he backed away cautiously, sputtering excuses in the vain hope that the libero would leave him be. Miraculously, the butterflies remained comfortably on his body, not moving an inch even when his steps increased in pace.

“Lev. I’m not repeating myself. Get your ass over here.”

“No!”

Kuroo quirked a brow with a sadistic grin as he watched the first year middle blocker about to be brutally murdered by his friend.

“Lev.” Frost crept over from where Yaku stood, his hands curled into fists.

Fear laced every single cell of his body, but he remained vigilant, for he had found something worth fighting for. He looked down to gaze at the beautiful butterflies playing with his bracelet and a surge of affection rushed through his heart. He steeled himself and gathered all of his courage to utter these two simple letters, “No.”

Fear drove humans to do the most unreasonable things. It dictated one’s actions - some people would freeze, others would flight, others would fight. 

It turned out Lev belonged to the latter category.

What possessed him to conduct the next following set of actions remained unknown. He pointed a determined finger at Yaku, his voice ringing loud and clear through the glass windows surrounding them as he bellowed, “I am commanding you to protect your king! Attack the intruder!”

What happened next was something that no one, and I mean no one, had ever anticipated. Hundreds of butterflies whizzed out of nowhere and toward Yaku with terrifying accuracy. A hiss went through the air and they charged at him like a bull would at a red cape. Yaku ducked with a curse, taken by surprise when they literally followed him wherever he ran.

Lev, with his newfound power, stood speechless, his finger hovering in the air with his jaw set on the concrete floor. As realization settled into his bones, anticipation and excitement prickled through him and an almost manic grin was born. A deep, evil laugh droned from his chest, “That’s for making me do a hundred jump squats!”

Yaku whipped through the air with his arms, trying desperately to get rid of the butterflies. A seething fury bubbled from his core, melting through the frost of his words and threatening to burn everything to the ground, “Lev, I will fucking kill you!”

The magenta butterfly that had previously rested peacefully on Lev’s arm, hit Yaku’s nose, flailing around his face and obscuring his view. Not seeing where he was going, he walked straight into a tree, releasing another string of colorful curses when a sharp pain burst from the center of his face and spread through the rest of his twisted features.

“And that’s for making me practice receives when everyone was out eating ice cream!” Lev announced with a confidence he really shouldn’t have. His hands were now on his hips, a superior and haughty air around him with his chin lifted to the heavens.

Kuroo had been watching the entire ordeal from the sidelines, but even he had dropped to the ground in breathless laughter, his face blotchy from the lack of air and his arms wrapped snug around his shaking core.

It was only when the caretaker arrived with a telescopic butterfly net and Lev was stripped from his newly acquired title that he realized how utterly fucked he was.

Yaku stood in front of him with a tight jaw and shaking fists. In his usually beautiful caramel eyes burned an unforgiving inferno, the word mercy no longer a part of his dictionary. Lev’s apologetic cries fell on deaf ears and the libero grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him down to eye level.

“You little son of a- “

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES - PLEASE STAND BY!

Earlier that day

“What do you guys wanna check out first?” Kuroo asked as he eyed the map in front of him.

“Lions!” came from Lev.

“Gorillas! They’re so manly…” This was Yamamoto.

“I’ve heard the pandas here are pretty mischievous.“ Inuoka said, “There’s a bunch of funny videos online!” 

Kenma nodded, “Yeah, I saw them too.”

Kuroo turned his head to the four, who hadn’t answered yet, “What about you guys?”

“I don’t really mind where we start, we have enough time to go through the entire park anyway.” Yaku shrugged his shoulders, to which Shibayama vividly nodded, adding that he felt the same way.

“Why don’t we just start from the beginning?” Teshiro asked.

Kai agreed, “That way we won’t walk around in circles and get to stay together. Saves us the time of trying to find each other once it’s lunchtime.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Kuroo hummed thoughtfully, “Alright then. It looks like we’ll get to see the flamingos first.”

“Flamingos?” Lev piped up from between them, leaning down to get a better look at the pictures on the panel, “I didn’t know they had flamingos here!”

“Wow, what a surprise.” Yaku said dryly, rolling his eyes.

“Yaku-san!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s get a move on.”

Reluctantly and with a pout, he followed them into the first section of the park, his hurt feelings immediately discarded when faced with the glowing animals. Their lean and long legs carried them through a small pond, their elongated beaks dipping into the water in search for nourishment. The brightness of their peachy pink feathers glistened underneath the sunrays, stealing a breath of awe from each of the boys.

“They move very elegantly…” Kai craned his neck to watch one of the flamingos bend its throat in an absolutely inhuman angle to scratch its back with its beak.

Yaku noticed that his attention had wandered off and joined him, curious as to what his friend had seen. His brows furrowed and he scowled, “Holy shit, they can do that?”

“That looks so cool!” Inuoka bounded up to them, phone ready in his hand to take a dozen pictures of whatever they were doing. “Actually, wait, I’ll make a video.”

The two third years went quiet, allowing the excited boy to lean in closer over the railings to get as close to the birds as possible. His eyes were glossed over, the muscles in his fingers twitching when one of them came closer curiously. The flamingo sniffed his phone and observed it from every angle, letting out a squawk after deeming it wasn’t a device that would put him in danger. 

It was obvious Inuoka was trying to hold in the temptation to just pet it, but the fear of getting caught and thrown out of the zoo was big enough to prevent him from giving in. After all, they had been warned by their captain at least three times that this was no petting zoo (although that third time was just for good measure and meant to be heard by Lev).

“Aren’t you so pretty, and so quiet and soft, so peaceful- “ He praised when the flamingo tilted its head, peering into his eyes, “Yes, you are. The sweetest- “

A loud and broken squawk resounded from the other side of the pond, followed immediately by an even louder, much more coherent squeak. The trio lifted their heads in surprise, trying to observe the scene, Inuoka’s phone still recording. 

Two of the flamingos were standing beak to beak, squawking and squeaking at each other in what undoubtedly had to be a very passionate argument. The pink birds around them stopped what they were doing, each one taking a step back to stay out of whatever was transpiring in the center of the pond. 

The smaller flamingo raised itself higher and pushed its beak forward as if attempting to bite, causing the larger one to pull his head back into an odd angle. The latter released a piercing scream before doing the same, getting all up in its face and never once stopping for an intake of air. Neither was letting up or listening to the other, each one just getting whatever was stored up in their system out into the fresh air, charging their surroundings with electricity and tension.

The entire section for the birds was drowned by their fight with almost every one of the visitors glancing over their shoulders in concern. Whatever the two were arguing about seemed to be serious, considering how neither was backing down and only increased their volume and speed of their babbling. 

The boys were baffled into silence at their violent bickering, if they hadn’t known better, they’d have thought they were trying to bite their beaks off. Kenma, like Inuoka, had pulled his phone out to record the entire thing with a small smile on his face.

One of the caretakers arrived shortly after a visitor approached her, but she only smiled and waved it off, “Oh those two are always at it, bickering like an old couple. Don’t mind them. They’re all bark and no bite.” 

Lev, who had been listening, returned his gaze to the two flamingos, sounding thoughtful, “I feel like I’ve seen this before…”

“You too?” Shibayama whipped his head, “I had the same thought!”

Lev nodded and added, “It just looks so familiar.”

“Hm? What are you kids talking about?” Kuroo approached them, curious as to what the commotion was about.

“It’s because they’re like (Name) and Kuroo.” Kenma deadpanned, causing everyone to still in their movements.

There was a legitimate minute of stiff silence as the boys looked at the flamingos and then at Kuroo, the cogs in their brains turning.

Yamamoto was the first to react, throwing his head back in roaring laughter, “Shit, you’re right! Look at them!” He pointed a finger at the two still fighting, trying to push out the words in between his breathless laughter, “The small one is all loud and feisty- That’s- That’s like (Name)-chan!”

Yaku squinted, trying to connect the dots. The large flamingo took a step back and the shorter didn’t let go of this chance, taking two more forward with a snarling hiss. “Hah! I see it!” He hit his fist on the fence, cackling like mad at the resemblance.

“Wha- That’s not true! We don’t look like that!” Kuroo frowned, only fueling the delirious laughter of Yamamoto and Yaku. The tips of his ears were burning in a brilliant shade of red.

“You do.” Kenma cooly said, his phone clutched in his hand.

“We don’t!”

“You do.”

“We don’t!”

“You do.”

“We don’t!!!”

“You don’t.”

“We do! Wai- Argh!” Kuroo threw his hands in the air in surrender, blowing off literal steam as he stomped away and muttered under his breath, “We don’t look like that…”

Kenma followed him quietly, a smug grin now on his face as he began tapping something into his phone with Kai and Teshiro in tow. The latter two shared a look and shook their heads in amusement - they too could see the resemblance, but chose not to share this sentiment with the rest of the team.

Behind them, Yamamoto and Yaku were still laughing, albeit now side by side as they continued to monitor the two flamingos, alternating in pointing out the similarities between the birds and their captain and their manager. At one point, the characteristics they mentioned became scarily accurate and it was in the same instance that they both figured it out as well. They smiled awkwardly at one another, silently making a pact that this would not reach the world outside of the zoo, slightly terrified you would rearrange their brain structure with your famous notebook-thwack if you were to find out.

(If only they knew both Inuoka and Kenma had ended up recorded this entire exchange.)

The remaining three first years stood rooted to the ground, letting the words mull through their minds as they too took one last glance at the birds. A light bulb went off in their heads simultaneously and their eyes widened.

Loud and not scared to share their opinion? Check.

Biting back when provoked? Check.

Stubborn and unrelenting? CHECK!

“Wow, I can totally see it now.” Lev started.

“Oh my god, me too.” Inuoka continued.

Shibayama nodded, “(Surname)-senpai does that thing where she gets all close to him when she gets angry with Kuroo-san as well.”

“Right?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s Kenma." Kuroo pointed at a sloth barely hanging onto a tree trunk, its eyes lacking any sign of life, “That’s so Kenma.”

Kenma lifted his eyes lazily from the screen, raising a single brow when he saw what Kuroo meant before he then returned to his phone, unimpressed.

This was obviously not the reaction the captain had hoped for, so he reached to drive the knife deeper, “Actually, did you know- “

A single look was enough to silence him.

He groaned, kicking at a pebble on the ground. His pout was audible through his words, betraying his usually cool demeanor, “So you get to make fun of me, but I can’t?”

Clearly, he was still miffed about the flamingo incident. Only Kenma had the power to make him act like a helpless little child.

“Of course. What did you think?”

“But that’s not fair!”

Kenma smiled a smile that promised nothing good, a dangerous twinkle in his molten gold eyes, “I know.”

After walking through several more sections, an unspoken challenge had begun between the boys. Who would find the most animals that resembled the other? 

And so it began. Whenever they would encounter a new animal, the first years would scramble to reach the fence, talking over one another animatedly. Even Teshiro had joined them, spurred on by their energy in the heat of the moment.

His grey eyes glimmered with mischief when he pointed to a giraffe, proclaiming that this was Lev’s long lost brother. While everyone else would be offended to be compared to an animal, his chest puffed out with pride. This was much to the amusement of Yaku, who was physically incapable of repressing his two cents when the topic at hand was a very specific Russian Titan.

“You’re literally the only idiot on the planet to get happy over something like this.”

“But Yaku-san! Giraffes are super cool animals, don’t you agree? They’re so tall and pretty- “

“They are animals. You just got compared to an animal, Lev.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be jealous! I’m sure there are some small animals around here somewhere too- “

“What was that?”

“I think I heard someone mention they have penguins around here somewhere!”

“Huh?” A vein popped on his forehead and he dared the first year to continue making his deathbed. 

Lev, as usual, was completely oblivious that he was presenting the libero a cleaned and sharpened knife, ready for him to use at his disposal, “They’re really small and cute, just like you, Yaku-san- “

He released a cry of agony when Yaku kicked him in his knee, the libero whipping around to face Kai with a death glare when he chuckled at Lev’s words. Yaku clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with a warning, “Don’t say a word, Kai.”

“The guy adores you. Maybe you should thank him instead of punishing him for always being truthful around you?” 

If there was an expression that could turn the world to dust, Yaku was wearing it now, “Maybe you want to get a taste of this punishment?”

Ever the tranquility in person, Kai only grabbed his shoulders and pushed him to resume walking, “Why don’t we go and check out what’s next, hm?”

“Nice save.” Yamamoto whispered as he breezed by the two of them, pursing his lips in an attempt to stifle his laughter.

It turned out Shibayama and Inuoka were huge fans of elephants. They were running from one end of the terrain to the other, eagerly shouting at each other to “Look, look, the small ones are playing with each other!” and “Oh my god, they are so cute! Can you see how the big one is snuggling with the young ones?”

While they were excitedly off to the side, Kenma and Teshiro were a bit further away, leaning on the railing to enjoy this small moment of peace. The third years had left to grab something to drink, whereas Yamamoto and Lev had sought out a toilet.

Silence. 

Finally some silence.

Kenma sighed a breath of relief, gaining himself a surprised look by the first year. He lowered his head, replying to whomever he was texting with and grumbled, “I’m tired. Wanna go home and sleep. It’s too hot.”

Already used to this side of Kenma, Teshiro turned his gaze back to see Inuoka and Shibayama imitating the behavior of two calves. He fiddled with the straps of his backpack and began talking, “Did you know that elephants never forget anything?”

“Hm?” 

“Their temporal lobe- “ He stopped when Kenma cringed, a sign he had no idea what he was talking about, “The part of their brain that stores memories; it’s a lot bigger and denser than that of humans. So they literally never forget anything.”

Kenma hummed, “Guess I lucked out when I became a human then.”

“Why?”

Another small smile adorned his features, “If you spend enough time around Kuroo, you’ll understand.”

“What will he understand?”

Of course it had been too good to be true. 

Kuroo stood behind him with a smirk, dangling the cold water bottle in front of him like he would with a child, “If you’ll play nice and tell me, I’ll give you your water.”

Teshiro looked from one to the other and, feeling slightly out of place, decided to leave them lest they dragged him into any sort of endeavor. Kai offered him a bottle when he reached his side, his own already half empty.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” He asked.

He nodded and took a sip to cool the heat in his throat, “Yes. Elephants are some of my favorite animals. Did you know the calves can walk within the first two hours already?”

Kai’s eyebrows raised to the sky and he turned to see one of the smaller elephants hopping after the larger ones, “Really?”

Another nod, “It’s so they can follow the herd as soon as possible. That way, they don’t have to remain in the same place for too long and risk exposure to potential threats.”

“You sure do know a lot about animals.” Yaku appeared from behind him, “That’s impressive.”

“Of course he would!” Lev clapped his back in what was meant to be a friendly manner, but elicited a wince from the smaller first year, “He’s in class six after all, so he’s super smart.”

“Unlike someone we know…”

“Yaku-san!”

“If Fukunaga was here, he’d ask you two to get a room.” Yamamoto snickered as he joined them. “Ahhhh, it’s not the same without him and (Name)-chan here.”

“She would’ve knocked the living daylights out of Kenma for that comparison earlier.” Yaku said, an amused smile dancing on his lips.

“I mean I’m not surprised (Surname)-senpai has to take extra classes this weekend. It’s no secret she sucks at history, but Fukunaga-san?” Lev mused.

“Yes, I was shocked too.” Teshiro did not look shocked, but what’s new? “I thought he was a straight-a-student? I overheard the teachers wondering why he didn’t accept the proposition for him to switch to the advanced class.”

“Yeah! He was the one who helped me with my assignments the other day!”

The two third years exchanged baffled looks. They were well aware that despite his jokester attitude, Fukunaga was an extremely perceptive and intelligent student, but the prospect of him having the chance to advance was news even to them. Especially considering since you would’ve nagged him until he gave in, claiming that this was the opportunity of a lifetime and that he shouldn’t take high school as carelessly as he did. Unless… even you didn’t know about this.

Yamamoto however seemed to have already heard, his expression a mixture of defeat and fondness as he muttered, “I guess that’s just what happens when you have an idiot you can’t let go of…”

Lev tilted his head in confusion, “Idiot?”

“Ahhh, this feels just like back in the day, right?” You leaned back in your seat, beaming at Fukunaga, who was sitting beside you doodling on his notebook.

He lifted his gaze and gave you an unimpressed look, “You mean when you got detention and I had to join and wait for you because your parents couldn’t pick you up?”

“Come onnnnn! It was really fun!”

“Admittedly, it felt less like a detention and more like club activities.”

“Except, it wasn’t a club.”

“And certainly not an activity you’d do for fun.”

You were the first one to break out in laughter, earning you a silly grin from him as he resumed his little art piece that consisted of a stick figure flying on a vacuum cleaner made broomstick.

He poked out his tongue in concentration, “The teachers sure were lenient with you even then, huh?”

“That’s because I’ve always been cute and persuasive.” You straightened up haughtily.

“Some people would call that manipulative, but go off I guess.”

You made a gesture of nonchalance with your hands, “Tomato, tomado, it’s all the same Shō-chan!”

His hand froze mid-motion and he briefly glanced at you before he returned to shading the pizza pieces that flew of out of the head of the vacuum cleaner, “You haven’t called me that in a while.”

You were about to remind him that he was the one who had asked you to drop the nickname when you entered high school, but the loud clearing of your teacher’s throat caused both of you to still, apologetic smiles immediately on your faces.

“Fukunaga-kun, (Surname)-kun, I don’t recall permitting you to talk with each other.” She gave you a stern look that could freeze the entire Gobi desert and you ducked your head like a mouse caught in a trap.

While you were busy trying to remember the reason why the warlord Oda Nobunaga’s attendant Ranmaru Mori committed seppuku after his death, you heard the almost inaudible muttering of your best friend from beside you,

“Looks like your charm doesn’t work on this one, huh, (Name)-chan?”

The highlight of the visit to the zoo would have to be the pandas. They were so adorably clumsy and clingy that none of the boys wanted to leave. They stood in front of the panes, their hands pressed against the glass and their noses glued to the display just as one of the staff entered the room to clean up the fallen leaves from the ground.

Only a second had passed since she had entered and already two of them threw themselves at her, wrapping their thick limbs around her legs, mistaking cleaning time as play time. One of them whined in a cute little voice, whereas the other scratched her thigh, demanding her to pay attention to them. With astounding effort, that really deserved a round of applause and praise, she resisted their squishy cheeks and pried them off of her.

“Why.” Lev muttered under his breath, disbelief painted all over his face, “Why would you do that. Play with them. Look at them!”

Inuoka gulped, keeping his eyes fixed on the chubbier one of the two pandas, “That’s a lot of restraint you gotta have to not just fall to the ground and cuddle with them…”

Once the caretaker reached the other side of the room, she picked up a broom and a chest and slowly made her way to the giant tree. She gave the pandas a reprimanding look, but really, who was she kidding, did she really think these fluffy goofballs cared about her work?

The first one jumped at her legs in another attempt to pull her to the ground, whereas the other one ripped the box out of her grasp and climbed into it, its fluffy butt sticking out for everyone to see.

Yaku crooned, his lips turning down into an admiring pout, “So cute…”

Kuroo smiled, shaking his head, “How does she plan on cleaning the place with these two I wonder.”

She reprimanded the one clinging to her leg for dear life, pulling it up and racing to the panes to deposit it right in front of the boys before she sprinted back to pull out the other panda by its rear legs to do the same with it. 

Now distracted by the Nekoma boys, the pandas craned their heads back to gaze at them, tapping at the panes while the caretaker started to collect the fallen leaves with the broom. Shibayama knelt down and placed his palm right over where the paw rested, the smile of an angel gracing his face when he locked eyes with the panda. 

“I want one.” He said, voice steady and sure.

“One?” Lev sounded like he couldn’t believe his own ears and squatted to join his friend, “I want ten of them! Think about how much fun they would be!”

“How do you intend to take care of ten pandas when you can barely look after yourself?” Yaku asked, pressing his hand against the top of Lev’s head.

“Do you think these two are siblings?” Yamamoto asked, “They look like they can communicate without even talking to each other.” He too was on the ground now, at eye level with the two pandas that were peering at them curiously. 

One of them stepped to the side, right where Teshiro stood and just stared at him. Just stared at him, nothing else. The others were intrigued and stretched to see Teshiro waving, his eyes never leaving those of the panda. It lowered its head to look at its paw before resuming its staring match.

What happened next?

It waved back.

Everyone's jaws collectively fell to the ground as they tried to wrap their minds around what had just happened. Teshiro, as unaffected as always, decided to take it one step further and poked out his tongue. The boys whipped their heads from their first year to the panda, now fully anticipating the next set of actions.

Ah. There it was. It poked out its tongue as well.

Yamamoto groaned, gripping his skull with a death grip, “Now I want thirty of them!”

“That’s… a bit much, don’t you think?” Kai asked around a smile.

Kenma, Kuroo and Yaku looked back to see the caretaker giving them a bow of gratitude, finally able to get some of her work done now that the babies were distracted.

What a foolish thought.

Just as she turned back around to gather more leaves, the chubby one pounced to the box and grabbed an armful of the leaves. While she was unaware and humming a tune under her breath, the boys were unable to tear their eyes away, watching the floof ball throw all of the leaves into the air with a horrified fascination reserved only for train wrecks.

It was when she turned around to deposit the newly collected leaves and saw all of her hard work lay to waste on the ground, her face one of utter hopelessness and exasperation that Kai stopped breathing. 

He saw you, bending down to collect ball after ball to place them inside the trolley, ready to finish cleaning up the gym and go home. And then he saw Lev, sneakily grabbing a volleyball when you turned your back to practice one more serve. And then it was you again, placing one more with a satisfied smile, only to turn around and have him grab the same one to use for his own benefit.

He snorted, pretending not to see the surprised looks of his teammates as he snickered into his hands, deciding to keep that little thought of his to himself, and to himself only.

“Is there anywhere else you wanna go before we head back home?” Kuroo asked later that evening.

“There’s this enclosed garden with all kinds of flowers. I’d like to see it.” Kai motioned to the spot on the map, feeling Lev squeeze against his cheek.

“The garden of the butterflies? Ooooh, sounds neat, let’s go there!”

“Somehow… I have a bad feeling about this.” Shibayama frowned.

Yaku hit him on his back in a friendly gesture, pushing him to follow them, “Come on, what’s the worst thing that can happen?”

(Famous last words, Yaku, famous last words...)

BONUS 1:

“The relationship between Oda Nobunaga and Ranmaru Mori far surpassed that of a mere lord-vassal one. It was widely known that they shared an intimate relationship, so some theories suggest that Ranmaru committed seppuku not only because he was a devoted attendant, but also because of possible romantic attachments he might have had towards the warlord.” 

Your teacher was writing against the blackboard with her chalkstick, her words never-ending as she continued to drone the knowledge of the Sengoku era into your heads.

At least, that’s what she thought she was doing. 

You were sprawled across your desk, your head resting on top of your folded forearms as you dozed off into dreamland, a dazy grin plastered across your face. Fukunaga was watching you with his chin resting in his palm, his eyes occasionally stealing glances to check if your teacher was still facing the board.

He sighed. You really shouldn’t be sleeping during supplementary classes, especially not when you had failed the assignments and tests so often your teacher stopped keeping count. But he also knew how stubborn you were and if he hadn’t been able to persuade you to study more back in middle school, there was absolutely no way he could get you to change your ways in high school.

His eyes lingered on you when you started babbling something in your sleep and a cheshire grin brimming with mischief slipped on his face. You really shouldn’t have let your guard down around him, sleeping so openly and vulnerable around him. It was almost like you were asking for it.

Fukunaga grasped the edge of your desk and leaned over, hovering only inches away from your face. His warm breath fanned across your skin, your perfume tickling his nose the closer he got to you. His lips ghosted over your cheek and he pressed closer, and closer, and closer until he was just shy on the shell of your ear.

It cost him the strain of every single one of his muscles to not lose it and explode in a guffaw right then and there, but he was strong, he had done this before (several times actually) and he inhaled, bracing his core before he whispered, “(Surname)-senpai! ”

The effect was instantaneous.

He ducked back to his seat in record speed just as you clattered out of yours and jumped up, your head held high as you wildly proclaimed, “Yes!”

Your teacher turned back with a mildly disturbed expression, taking in your hair sticking out from every side, the very apparent mark your bracelet had left on your forehead and the still slightly hazy look in your eyes.

She sighed and shook her head, her voice turning eerily quiet, “(Surname)-kun…”

Meanwhile, Fukunaga watched all of this with what had to be the best poker face in the entire world. 

He suppressed a smile. Yup. Still as entertaining as the first time.

BONUS 2:

“You, uh, you go on ahead. I… I will join you guys later.” Yamamoto mumbled, his voice uncharacteristically insecure.

“Huh? Why?” Yaku asked, glancing over his shoulder.

He didn’t answer, but rather, kept his eyes trained on the gorillas ahead. Saliva clung to the walls of his throat and he gulped, trying to rid himself of the uneasy feeling in his stomach.

Kuroo sidled up to his side and threw an arm over his shoulder, “Don’t tell me… you’re actually scared of them?”

“What?!” Yamamoto perked up, “O-Of course not! I just... “ He fell quiet, leaving the two boys beside him baffled.

“Wow.” Yaku said dryly, “The Yamamoto Taketora is terrified of gorillas. What a day for mankind.”

“That’s not it!” He protested, “I just- I- Forget it…”

“Is everything alright?” Shibayama asked, concern causing his brows to furrow.

 “Yeah, is everything alright, Yamamoto?” Kuroo had a smug grin plastered across his face, thoroughly enjoying ruffling his feathers.

“You don’t know, okay! They are… They are evil!”

“Come again?”

Yamamoto leaned in conspiratorially and started whispering, “Listen… A few years ago… I did something I shouldn’t have done. A terrible mistake.”

“And Santa isn’t real, what’s new?”

“Now is not the time, Yaku-san! You don’t understand… I… I challenged one of them as a child. I was young and silly… And I thought I could take them on, you know, assert my dominance and prove that my willpower was stronger than theirs!”

“Why are we even listening to this…” Kenma rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone again.

Yamamoto intentionally ignored his jibe and continued, “I was trying to show that I was superior by eating a banana in front of them, mocking them that they couldn’t have it, because only the strong ones get rewarded- “

“How did you even make it to high school- “

“Shhh, Yaku-san, I wanna know how this story ends!” 

“And then… I was naive… I didn’t know how strong they are... How good their aim is…”

“Oh god… Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.” Kuroo cringed, his lips curled in a disgusted sneer.

“They flung their dung at me! All of them! They got so angry, they started screaming at me and attacking me.” Yamamoto inhaled a shaky breath, “The caretaker had to go in to calm them down… And I was covered in- “

“Okay, please stop talking.” Yaku pressed his palm against his mouth, all color drained from his face.

Yamamoto removed his hand with ease, a shudder rushing through his spine, “Ever since that day… I’ve been avoiding them. What if they remember me? What if the caretaker won’t make it on time this time?”

He waited until a moment passed and looked all of them in the eyes, sounding like he was sharing the world’s most precious secret with them, “I just can’t risk it.”

BONUS 3:

“I think you guys were right.” You said after you slipped into your shoes, placing your school slippers into your locker.

“Hm?” Fukunaga was leaning sideways against the locker next to you, his arms crossed.

“I think I baby our first years too much.”

He smirked, “How come?”

“Well,” you started tentatively, crossing your brows, “Lately I keep having these dreams that one of them is calling out to me. And I can’t help, but purely on instinct at this point, wake up and rush over to help them. It’s so weird. I can literally hear their voices, it’s as if they’re right next to me!”

Schooling his expression into one of nonchalance to not let his feelings show, he merely responded, “Hm… Really?”

“Yeah… It’s so weird.”

He couldn’t suppress a smile, “Yeah, weird indeed.”

Chapter Text

Another weekend.

Another training camp.

The preliminaries were just around the corner and what better way to prepare for it than to meet up with your friendly rivals and duke it out with them? 

“The girls haven’t come back yet. Do you think there’s an issue with the gym?” Yaku asked no one in particular.

“We did schedule this training camp very last minute… I’m guessing they are still trying to sort things out with the coaches.” Akaashi said as he started his stretches, “We should get warmed up and wait for them.”

The boys made their way to the center of the court and began moving, jogging around and stretching their arms and legs. Several minutes passed as they waited for the managers and the coaches, sweat slowly starting to seep from their pores and clinging to their bodies. Several more minutes passed and the managers were still nowhere in sight. 

With each passing minute the boys grew more and more restless. Bokuto was the first to groan, moaning to an indifferent looking Akaashi, “What’s taking them so long? I wanna start playing now.”

“Why don’t we just set up the net here?” Konoha pulled his leg back and pressed his sole against his butt to stretch his thigh, “We could just get started without them.”

Kuroo shook his head at that, “They don’t actually have any of the necessary equipment to set up the court in this gym. That’s why the girls left in the first place.”

“They’re going to get the keys for the gym next door. It’s larger there as well, so we should have more room to properly practice.” Kai added and craned his neck out of the door. He frowned. You should’ve been back already.

More time passed and even the more mature and calm ones of the lot started to become antsy. Just running around in circles got old pretty quickly. A body only had so many muscles to stretch. And sitting around doing nothing was proving to be even worse than all of the above combined.

They just wanted to play.

The first one to snap, to no one’s surprise, was Bokuto. He bounced off of his seated position and proclaimed loudly, “I’m not gonna sit around and wait for them, I’m bored!”

“Bokuto-san- “ Akaashi barely said his name, but the hyperactive owlhead was already across the gym, bursting into the storage room only to come back out with a cart full of balls.

He grinned from ear to ear, triumphantly, proudly, as if he had just come up with the solution to all of mankind’s problems. The others watched in interest, bored out of their minds. Even Lev was quiet for once, the trauma from last week’s punishment after the butterfly incident too present to allow him to talk. 

Akaashi, ever the loyal attendant vice captain, was by Bokuto’s side immediately, asking him what he was doing.

“I have an idea.” Bokuto held up the ball, a dangerous glint rushing through his gold eyes. He raised his arm and pointed an accusing finger at Kuroo, who regarded him with crossed arms and an amused raise of his brow, “I challenge you to a game of dodgeball!”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

“Huh?”

“Is he serious?”

“What is he? An elementary student?”

Bokuto ignored the mutterings whisking through the gym, clearly not reading the room as he all but yelled, “The losing team will have to pay for a round of katsudon.”

At the mention of food, several heads snapped to Fukurodani’s captain, eyes now filled with undisguised eagerness. This didn’t go unnoticed by Akaashi, whose gut was telling him that this was very wrong and that they needed to stop right now.

If one of you came back to see them playing around rather than preparing for the upcoming practice match, they would end up being one head shorter. He looked to Bokuto. No. There was no way he would allow him to become one head shorter.

“I don’t know about that.” He started nervously, trying to appease his too motivated captain, “We should wait for the others to come back. If we tire ourselves out now, we won’t be able to perform at our best later.”

Of course there had to be someone to twist his words into a taunt. Of course it had to be Yamamoto, who was always looking for a fight to prove something.

“Oh? Akaashi-san?” He sauntered like a teasing cat, a mocking grin plastered across his face, “Don’t tell me… you’re scared?”

Wrong person to mess with, Yamamoto. Wrong fucking person.

“Akaashi isn’t scared of anything!” Bokuto gasped, offended, as if Yamamoto had just insulted his deceased ancestors.

Said setter placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, looking more and more alarmed. He just wanted to avoid making a scene. “It’s okay, Bokuto-san. There is no need for you get worked up on my behalf- “

But Bokuto wasn’t listening, “I, one of the top 5 aces in Japan, will defeat your team!” 

Kuroo, who had been listening with mild amusement until now spoke up, visibly trying to contain the shaking of his shoulders, “Dude, do you even know the rules to dodgeball?”

A moment of silence. 

The planets shifting in the realm of the universe could be heard. 

Bokuto glanced at Akaashi, whispering, “There are rules?”

“Bokuto-san!” The entire team of Fukurodani expressed their exasperation in unison.

“Is he serious?” Konoha gritted his teeth, holding onto the last strings of his patience to not just go over and thwack his captain on the head.

What was meant to be a whisper turned out to be a roar.

Kuroo threw his head back loudly, Yaku was snickering and even Kai had a little smile darting around his features.

Washio was the first to speak up, the others in his team still wondering aloud how their captain even made it this far into high school, “There are a few key rules, Bokuto.”

“I thought if you get hit with a ball, you’re out. And the last man standing is the one to win.” Bokuto mumbled, pouting like a kicked puppy.

The distress was clear on Akaashi’s face, who wanted nothing more than to desperately avoid an emo Bokuto. They hadn’t even started yet. This was not going as planned. He gave a pleading look to Konoha, who immediately got the message and patted his captain on the back.

“Never too late to learn something new, buddy.” He straightened up to recite the rules.

If you get hit with a ball, you’re out.

If you catch a ball, the person who threw the ball is out and one of your fallen teammates can be resurrected.

If you get hit with a ball, but you’re able to catch the ball before it hits the ground, you survive and the person who threw the ball is out.

You can use the ball in your hand to deflect another incoming ball, as long as it doesn’t touch any surface of your skin.

If the ball hits a wall before it hits you, it’s a dead ball and the hit doesn’t count.

If you hold onto the ball for longer than 10 seconds, it’s a dead ball and you have to roll it over to the opposite side of the court.

One ball can only hit one person.

You are not allowed to cross the line to the other side of the court or you’re out.

Headshots are forbidden.

“Got it?” He asked afterward, his shoulders sinking a bit when he saw the conflicted look on Bokuto’s face. It was the same expression he made when he was sitting in math class and watching his teacher write down equation after equation.

Not a good sign.

“There are six players on each side of the court, just like in volleyball.” Sarukui said, noticing the way Bokuto perked up at the mention of the sport.

“And two referees on each side of the court, so we have 4 referees in total. Unlike volleyball, there’s not only one ball in the court, but six in total, three for each team.” Komi finished, doing a final stretch as he raised his arms to the sky and clasped his hands above his head.

The cogs inside Bokuto’s head turned and he beamed, gripping onto Akaashi as he all but sang, “So dodgeball is six times as fun as volleyball?”

Another round of silence.

Followed by snickers from Nekoma and sighs from Fukurodani.

Akaashi looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. 

“Now that the rules are out of the way,” Kuroo smirked, “Let’s get that katsudon, shall we?”

It was Nekoma against Fukurodani with two referees from each team standing on the sidelines to monitor the game. Kenma and Kai were the representatives of Nekoma, whereas Onaga and Anahori kept an eye on the players for Fukurodani.

“This is so bothersome… I don’t even like katsudon, why do I have to play?” Kenma pulled a face, his scowl deepening when Kai gave him another one of his assuring smiles. Too optimistic, too kind. Kenma grumbled even more.

“Don’t give me that look.” Kai said, “You’ll see. It’ll be fun.”

Kenma’s face screamed doubt, but he chose to let it go and turned to Kuroo and Bokuto trying to rile each other up. Across from them, Onaga was explaining to Anahori what kind of responsibilities a referee had. He shook his head. He just wanted to go back home and play video games.

“All this just for some pork…”

“Alright! Is everyone ready?” Bokuto asked loudly, placing one ball after another on the centerline of the court, “On the count of three!” He pointed to Anahori, who flailed until he caught the whistle his captain had thrown at him.

One. Two. Three.

The game had begun.

Or rather, a war had begun. 

Once the ear piercing screech of the whistle filled the hall, the boys sprinted to the balls, grabbing however many as they could before they rushed back. If the cacophony of screaming and maniacal laughter was anything to go by, the boys had really settled into their respective roles. One would think they were fighting for life and death, not for fried pork with rice.

Konoha was the first to attack, throwing the ball with one squinty eye at Lev, who was too busy grumbling at Yaku for having snatched “his” ball right in front of his eyes.

He released a shriek of indignation when he felt the sting in his chest, his eyes widening in fear when the ball crept closer and closer to the ground. Konoha lifted a victorious fist in the air, about to release a string of praises aimed at himself, but Yaku’s impressive reflexes stopped him mid-motion. 

The libero dashed to the flying ball in record speed and flicked his wrist upwards, hitting the ball up in the air, screaming, “Someone connect with it!”

Fukunaga jumped as high as he could and grabbed the ball with both hands, pressing it snug against his stomach with a smug grin. “Nice receive, genevieve.”

“Konoha, out!” Onaga announced, blowing into the whistle once for emphasis, “Please line up right here.”

Konoha narrowed his eyes and thrust his finger at a grinning Yaku, “I’ve got my eye on you, libero.”

His grin only widened, “Well then, watch closely, opposite hitter.”

As Konoha left the court, he felt burning eyes on his back and turned to see Lev grinning haughtily at him, acting all high and mighty as if he had been the one to kick him out. His air of pride didn’t last long, because Yaku was right there to pull him back to the ground with a kick to his lower back, cursing him out for being as careless as he had been. 

“Don’t worry, Kon!” Bokuto called after him, giving him a thumbs up, “We’ll get you back inside in a jiffy!”

But Bokuto shouldn’t have tried to be a hero, he should’ve focused on himself, because right in that moment of distraction, a ball came flying right towards him, threatening to pillow itself right between his full-

“Bokuto-san!” 

Akaashi ripped his friend to the side, hoping to shield him from the damage. Alas, Bokuto’s glutes were too big and the ball still grazed his right cheek.

“Ha! He’s out- “ Kuroo wanted to bask in this early victory, but was rendered speechless when Akaashi kicked the ball with his toe and right into his own chest, his hands coming up to hold onto it tightly as if his entire future depended on it. He looked up to Bokuto, breathless, barely having saved his captain.

“Akaashi…” Bokuto whispered reverently, his eyes flitting from his crouched friend to the ball, and then back to him, grateful tears glistening behind his lids.

“Kuroo, out.” Kenma said in a bored voice, pointing to his left side, “Line up.”

“What! But- That’s not possible!” Kuroo complained all the way until he was beside his best friend, “I could swear I had it all perfectly planned out. I had him! It’s all because of Akaashi… I have to do something about him…”

“Are you done muttering, creep?” 

“Who are you calling a creep!”

“You.”

“I’m not a- “

“Take this!” The loud voice of Washio overpowered their bickering and he flung a ball at Yamamoto, who let out a warrior scream as he jumped up high with his legs stretched to the sides. The ball flew right through his legs and he landed swiftly in a squatted position, using all of the mobility in his shoulder as he went for his attacker when he turned to grab another ball.

“No, you take this!”

“Oof!”

“Washio, out!” Anahori blew into the whistle again, the grumbled voice of Onaga peaking through, 

“It’s like you’re not even trying… I’m not ready to say goodbye to my katsudon yet…”

“Oh shut up and stop being so dramatic.” Konoha frowned, “This is just the beginning. We’ll get back at them.”

While Yamamoto was too busy showing off to Lev (“This is how ya do it, kid! Watch closely and learn!”), Sarukui took this as his opportunity to get revenge for his friend and sent the ball in his hand shooting. The panicked screams of Inuoka and Lev filled up the air, but it was too late.

Too late for Yamamoto to realize his mistake, because now he had been hit. Smack dab against his back. The whistle resounded, his name was called and he fell dramatically to his knees, dropping his hands on the hardwood floor.

“So this is it…” He sniffled, “This is the moment where the great Tora falls…”

“Shut the hell up and move.” Yaku thwacked him across the head, “That’s what you get for being a dumbass.”

With very reluctant steps, Yamamoto joined Kuroo, his eyes still focused on the ground as shame threatened to swallow him in its deepest blanket, suffocating him to the ground. Kenma rolled his eyes and Kai smiled at him sympathetically. 

Kuroo only gave him a friendly, yet harsh slap on his back. “We’re not done yet, Yamamoto. We’re still fighting.”

And fighting they were.

Twisting into the oddest positions, sliding on their knees, ducking with shrieks, protesting whenever the ball hit a wall to protect their place on the court - it was chaos.

Pure and utter chaos.

The kind of chaos that Fukunaga blossomed in. He appeared out of thin air and struck Komi, poking out his tongue when the defeated libero was called to the sideline, “Bullseye.”

But that wasn’t the only thing happening. A bit further from them Sarukui shouted“An eye for an eye, you stupid cats!” as he aimed for Yaku, only for the libero to do a backflip and catch the ball fluidly, holding it against his chest with a wicked grin.

“Sarukui, out!”

“Kuroo in!”

Kuroo bounded back into the court, whistling a happy, carefree tune, much to the frustration of Bokuto, who glanced over to the side to see four of his guys standing solemnly. He couldn’t go easy on them anymore, not if he wanted to save face, not if he wanted to eat the delicious, delicious taste of free food.

The ball in his hand blasted out at high speed, smacking Lev square in his stomach, the pressure so intense, the poor boy fell flat on his back with a painful whoosh of air rushing from his lungs.

“Now we’re talking!”

“Bokuto-san! That hurt!”

“Lev, out.”

“Ehhh, Kenma-san? That’s not fair! He hit me in my stomach!”

“Yeah. I saw. That’s why you’re out.”

“But- “

“Stop moping and go!” Yaku shouted as he ducked yet another incoming attack from Bokuto, the ball barely grazing his caramel strands before slamming against the wall behind him.

“Bokuto-san, maybe you should calm down a bit…” Akaashi tried to talk to Bokuto, stepping to the side gracefully when Inuoka threw a very predictable ball at him. “Kaori-san and Shirofuku-san won’t be happy when they see that you’ve used up all of your energy on- “

“Akaashi!” Bokuto glared at him, all boundless energy and joy replaced by a fierce determination, “Do you wanna eat katsudon?”

Akaashi blinked.

“Well… I mean, I do enjoy eating a bowl of katsudon, but that’s beside the point- “

“Then follow my lead!” Bokuto began to run and launched himself from the ground, his arms stretched back as he let go of the bowstring, watching the ball fly towards Inuoka with a terrifying accuracy. 

The first year went barrelling straight into a wall, the impact of the ball so harsh, his eyes teared up. With wide and disbelieving eyes, he heard Kai call him to join the others in the line. It was over before it had begun. It had all happened so fast.

Inuoka glanced at Bokuto, “So that’s what it's like to play against pros…”

Kenma cringed, wishing, like he had never wished before, for you to hurry up and finally come to put an end to this stupid game.

Fukunaga was the next to leave, too busy to run from Bokuto to see Akaashi crawling towards him like a soldier in disguise. If he couldn’t stop Bokuto from playing the game, he could at least assist him to finish it successfully. After all, Bokuto was the hardest to deal with after a victory.

Maybe this game of dodgeball would end up turning to their favor after all…

“Akaashi.” Bokuto said, calmly.

They shared a look. A look that spoke a thousand words and none of these were of any good premonition. And then… He said the three words Akaashi dreaded the most.

“Let’s try something.”

And that was how it began.

Bokuto threw the ball up in the air, Yaku and Kuroo watching in bewilderment as Akaashi reluctantly ran right underneath it, letting it fall gently onto the tips of his fingers before he then tossed it high up towards the ceiling. The sinking feeling in his stomach that this was not a good idea intensified when Bokuto jumped, his form immaculate with his wings drawn back, ready to snap like a crackling whip.

The ball caressed his palm, the familiar sting causing his heart to flutter, and ah, yes, this was a good toss. Kuroo’s eyes widened when he noticed Yaku crouching, his attention completely captivated as his body moved on pure instinct, ready to receive.

“Yakkun, no!”

But it was too late.

Bokuto slammed the ball across the court and Yaku dove forward, his tongue peeking out in concentration, his eyes locked firmly on the flying ball. He pushed his connected forearms up when the ball met his skin, a content smile blossoming in his features and he could already hear his teammates call out from behind with a “Nice receive!”-

“Dude, what the hell?!”

Huh?

Yaku turned, perplexed, to his teammates looking at him with disappointment and confusion. Even the first years Teshiro and Shibayama, who had sat out and watched from the benches, were looking at him as if they couldn’t believe what they just saw. Shibayama rubbed his eyes, whereas Teshiro exhaled deeply, like he was thoroughly let down by the libero.

“Did he really just…?” Sarukui asked, baffled.

“Receive the ball? Pfff, yeah. Yeah, he did.” Konoha snorted, exploding into a full belly laugh. He was still feeling petty after having been pulled out of the game so early because of Yaku’s receiving skills. But those very same skills had been his own downfall. Talk about karma.

“Yaku-san, I can’t believe you just did that.” Lev said, pouring salt on his freshly bleeding wound, “You of all people… I’m… I’m speechless.”

Yaku lowered his head in shame, for the first time incapable of retorting. He had fallen into a pool of shock; his body had moved without his command; he hadn’t thought - he just saw a spike and had to receive it. His body had been trained to do that.

To think that the one thing he was the best at would be the reason his team wouldn’t get to enjoy a bowl of nice, sizzling hot, juicy pork with steamed, delicious rice. If he hadn’t had an ounce of pride, he would fall to his knees and cry. But he wasn’t Yamamoto. He couldn’t sink that low.

As if said boy had read his thoughts, he narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, getting ready to hurl at him in the heat of the moment. Fukunaga was the one who held him back, his palm sprawled across his chest, voice too dramatic to be taken seriously, “Don’t… He already knows.”

Kenma rolled his eyes so far into the back of his head, he could actually see his brain trying to disconnect itself. Good to know he wasn’t the only one who had enough of this bullshit.

“Yaku, out.” He merely drawled, lazily sliding his eyes to Kuroo and silently begging him to just surrender so they could finally quit this childish game that had gotten all of them riled up for nothing.

However, Kuroo completely misinterpreted the lazy glare, taking it for a plea of redemption and he grabbed the ball that had hit Yaku, snarling in a way only a starved man craving for meat could have. With enough power to shake the walls of the gym, he snapped his wrist and whirled it at Bokuto.

Akaashi, who had seen this play out far before Bokuto did, screamed out for his captain to watch out, his hand reaching out to clasp his shirt. And with whatever desperate strength was left in his core, he pushed Bokuto away and stepped forward, his eyes closing in resignation as he took the brunt for his captain - his best friend.

His stomach was met with the high velocity of the incoming ball and he collapsed on the floor with a wheeze, his soul practically leaving his body from the force of it.

“Akaashi... out.” Anahori mumbled in disbelief.

The entire gym lost its sounds.

Bokuto paled, his skin becoming bloodless at the sight of Akaashi on the ground. Dazed, he knelt on the ground, taking him between his arms and cradling him against his chest.

“Akaashi… Don’t… Don’t do this to me, please! You- You can’t leave! Not now… Not now!” He watched Akaashi’s long lashes flutter shut, curdled sounds trying to escape his quivering lips, but Bokuto pressed a finger against them, shushing him.

There was a beat of silence as Bokuto remained on the ground, breathing deeply before he gently laid Akaashi back. He grabbed the nearest ball, his nails digging into the leather painfully and he scowled, hard.

Kuroo felt a chill rush down his spine and he quickly grabbed a ball for himself, every single one of his muscles on alert.

“You.” Bokuto growled from deep within his chest, his eyes lacking its usual warmth, no longer the beautiful gold of the sun. Rather now, they were painted in a venomous yellow, promising nothing but wrath.

“H-Hey, Bokkun,” Kuroo laughed nervously, inching back slowly, “It’s just you and me now, huh. F-Funny turn of events, huh?”

But Bokuto wasn’t laughing.

“Funny?” He repeated slowly, calculatively, in a way that was so unlike Bokuto even Akaashi peeked open a curious eye, “You think this is funny?”

The temperature of the gym dropped by several degrees.

“Come on, buddy. It’s just a game- “

“What the hell are you guys doing?”

The boys snapped their heads to the addition of a new voice, several breaths of relief released when they saw the three managers standing by the doorway.

“We’ve been waiting for you guys for like half an hour now?” Kaori raised an angry brow, eyeing the balls on the ground, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Yukie merely snorted when she saw Akaashi on the ground and Bokuto shaking in anger, her lips quirking into a smirk, “I think our princess decided to take revenge for her knight.”

You were the only one who had remained quiet, sweeping your eyes across the court to take in the countless balls littered on the ground. You met Kenma’s bored eyes, your voice as cold as ice, “I texted you, Kenma.”

Ouch. Kenma. Not Ken-chan or Puddin’.

Fukunaga whistled under his breath, “Phew. Now we’ve really done it.”

Kenma lowered his gaze, trying to avoid your piercing one. He shuffled uncomfortably and mumbled, “Don’t have my phone on me…”

Kaori and Yukie went up to check on Akaashi while you took a step towards your boys, “Huh. You don’t have your phone on you? Interesting.”

He stepped to the side to hide behind Kai and before you were able to pressure him any further, a wince to your right caught your attention. You glared at Lev, who was rubbing a spot on his chest with a painful expression.

Now usually, you would’ve softened at that, asking him where it was hurting and try to soothe him. But you and the girls had spent the past hour running around from coach to janitor, back to the coach, back to the janitor, open up the second gym, set up the net, bring out the balls, wait patiently for the boys only to get scolded by the coaches when said boys didn’t appear.

So naturally, your fuse was very close to blowing. You gritted your teeth as you marched up to Lev and without any forewarning pulled his shirt down to reveal the very red patch of skin that was slowly starting to turn into a blueish purple.

Your grip around the fabric tightened and you glanced over your shoulder with the most poisonous look you could muster to Kuroo as if asking him how he dared to let one of his teammates get hurt like that. Kuroo, terrified of your wrath, lifted his arms in defense and pointed towards Bokuto in a“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my idea.” motion.

Bokuto’s earlier outburst was immediately erased when he was faced with the tornado wrecking havoc in your eyes. He stilled, his feet rooted to the ground as you approached him with a sickly sweet smile.

“So, Bokuto-senpai. You’re telling me that right with the preliminaries around the corner, you thought playing dodgeball would be a good idea?”

It’s a trap. It’s a trap. It’s a trap. It’s a trap.

But heck, you looked like you would kill him if he lied and he was sure you could smell lies from a kilometer away.

“Yes.”

“You thought wrong.” Your reply was instant and snappy.

Bokuto winced underneath your scrutinizing gaze, looking more and more liked a kicked puppy, or a child who got his lollipop stolen from him, or a petrified owl about to be devoured by a bloodthirsty lion. Yeah, definitely the last one.

“Tell me, what made you think this was a good idea?” You tilted your head with the same smile, your voice taking on a calm route that caused the boys from Nekoma to shiver.

They had been on the receiving end of this voice a handful of times.

It never ended well.

Bokuto’s next answer hammered the nail to his own coffin, “Well… We uh… We played for a round of katsudon.”

Your brow titched and a vein popped on your forehead, your smile now strained, “Katsudon?”

“Hey, (Name), maybe lay off him a bit…” Kuroo intervened, feeling somewhat sorry for his friend, “It might’ve been his idea, but we all agreed to- “

“That’s the problem, you fool!” You raised your voice, missing the snort erupting from Yukie’s chest, “None of you said a damn thing!”

“I think what (Name)-chan is trying to say is that it’s very irresponsible of you to be playing around when we worked so hard to schedule this weekend to practice for the upcoming preliminaries.” Kaori came up beside you, somewhat trying to do damage control as she shushed a shaking Bokuto away from you.

“So irresponsible!” You repeated, giving Kai an upset look, “Really, Nobu-kun? You didn’t try to stop them? I thought I could count on you!”

“He-Hey! I’m the captain!” Kuroo interrupted, offended.

“Yeah, look where that has gotten us.”

“Hey! That’s rude- “

“What’s rude, is that you have zero common sense. We’re out there waiting for you guys and you’re here playing around? Do you have any idea what kind of message this sends to the coaches?”

Every single one of the boys looked at the ground in shame, feeling very much like getting chewed out by their mom. Yukie tried her hardest to suppress a laugh, but after becoming a subject to your glare, she zipped her mouth shut and trudged behind Kaori.

“You know, the coaches who leave their family and their free weekend behind to prepare you brats for the upcoming matches. Are you even aware how disrespectful it is to keep them waiting for katsudon? ”

When none of them answered, you took a step back, trying to contain the angry tears burning behind your lids. Truth be told, even you didn’t know why this was enraging you as much as it did. 

Maybe it was the stress of having failed yet another exam on the expense of spending your nights brushing up your knowledge on sports nutrition and how to massage certain spots to alleviate the stress and strain on the muscles. Maybe it was the fact that in only a few weeks you would be facing off against the three top schools in the Tokyo region for a spot in the national tournament. 

Or maybe it was just that you hadn’t gotten to eat anything since yesterday because you were running around trying to book the gyms and now your furious stomach had taken over your mind.

Whichever of the above it was, it was enough to strip you of any empathy.

“Suicide drills.” 

Kuroo’s and Yaku’s eyes bulged out of their sockets and both of them jumped towards you with desperate expressions.

“(Name), you can’t be serious- “

“(Name)-chan, please, we’re sorry, it won’t happen again- “

“Suicide drills.” You repeated, letting your gaze wander to the boys from Fukurodani, “All of you.”

“Uh oh…” Yukie licked her lips with a glint in her eyes - admittedly, she was enjoying watching her teammates get kicked in the balls too much, “I’ll go and let the coaches know.”

Kaori, for the first time since she had met you, looked slightly alarmed and dashed after her, “Y-Yeah, um, I’ll go with her.”

“I can’t believe you guys.” You said, your voice now nothing more than a whisper, “I’m really disappointed in you.”

Shibayama looked close to tears, Yamamoto looked like he wanted to jump out of a fifty story building, Lev looked like he was about to burst into tiny little pieces, but you only turned your head to Akaashi, your eyes softening and your lips pulling into a pout, “I expected more of you, Akaashi-san. I thought you knew better than this.”

And with that (very intentional) psychological little kick to the gut, you turned around and briskly walked out of the gym. 

Just as they were about to release the inhumanely long breath they had held, you stomped back in, looking as angry as before as you all but shouted, “What’s wrong with you guys?! I’m distraught, somebody follow and comfort me! God, does a girl really have to do everything by herself around here!”

Kuroo raced after you.

BONUS: 

“(Name)-chan!”

You froze at the familiar chirpy voice, feeling a shudder embrace your spine as you slapped a polite smile on your face.

“Katō-san. What a surprise.” You said dryly. Your tone went flying right over his head - whether intentionally or unintentionally, you couldn’t tell, because his grin only widened.

“Aw, come on. Ya don’t have to be so formal around me.” He winked, “Call me Tatsu.”

“How can I help you today, Katō-san?”

“Lemme walk you to the station!”

“Why?”

Clearly, this hadn’t been the reaction he had expected, because he actually faltered for a second. Playing hard to get, huh? Okay. If this was how you were going to act, he would just have to put in more effort.

“A pretty girl like you runs the danger of getting snatched from the streets. I can’t believe your parents let you out all on your own- “

“Katō-san, with all due respect: what are you trying to do? I already said I don’t want go on a date- “

“Nu uh, (Name)-chan.” He tutted you and took your bag from your hand, ignoring your protests as he slung it over his shoulder, “I’m not asking you on a date.”

“But you’re asking to walk me to the station?”

“Baby steps, (Name)-chan. One step after another, we don’t wanna rush this sweet thing between us, now do we?”

“There’s no ‘sweet thing’ between us- “

“Not yet there isn’t. Now, now, you’re gonna be late for your bus if you keep this up.”

You sighed, having been defeated by his persistence for yet another day. On the way to the station, he never ceased to talk and somehow (you really have to give credit to him for this) managed to rope you into a conversation. 

You don’t know when he caught you on his hook, but when you realized he did, you blushed a bright red and ripped your bag from his hand. His lips curled into the most boyish grin at that and you couldn’t help but admit that he actually looked kind of-

No. Stop.

Not much later your bus arrived, the door opening to allow the passengers to get off. He was still standing there, waiting for you to get on. 

God, why did he have to have such good manners?

“Katō-san?”

“Yes, (Name)-chan?”

You hesitated, but decided to bite the bullet and just go ahead with it, “Why are you trying to win me over? The whole school is literally obsessed with you- “

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smiled a mysterious smile, an unspoken softness lingering behind his brilliant blue eyes, “I’m just being extra friendly to someone who’s extra cute.”

Chapter Text

One of the best things about summers in Japan were the festivals.

Filled with lots of laughter, beautiful traditional music and the delicious scents of all the food stands, it was by far one of the many things one would look forward to every year. Companies would reward their hardworking employees a few days off from their harsh day to day cubicle lives. Schools would allow their students some respite from all the merciless studying. And club activities would take a backseat to allow everyone some room to breathe.

To put it simply, it was a well-deserved break for everyone.

The doorbell to your apartment rang loudly, the pitter patter of your mother’s slippers resounding on the hardwood floor as she skidded over to open the door. Her eyes lit up in recognition, “Shō-chan! How long has it been? Come in, come in! (Name)-chan, Shō-chan’s here!”

“Coming!” You called over from your room.

A crash, followed by a thud and your swearing had your mother smiling apologetically, gesturing for Fukunaga to make himself comfortable in the living room. He leaned back on the couch, his eyes gazing out of the large panes overlooking all of Tokyo. Everything still looked the same.

“Would you like something to drink?” Your mother asked.

“No, thank you. Ah- ” He perked up as if he remembered something, reaching into the small bag he brought with him and handed her a box, “My mother asked me to drop this off.”

Your mother beamed, two dots materializing on her cheeks to accentuate her dimples as she leaned down to take it from him with both hands. Opening the container, she was delighted to find fresh mochi the color of cherry blossoms inside.

“Your mother is too kind. Please give her my gratitude.”

“I will.” He looked around with curious eyes, “Is (Surname)-san not here?”

The light dimmed in her eyes, a pout audible in her dejected words, “I’m afraid, no. He has another tournament abroad, so he had to accompany his team.”

“Stop pretending to be sad about it.” Your voice swirled into the room along with you, “We both know you’ve been dying to go on a… What did you call it again?”

“Girl’s night out.” Her smile was filled with mischief and once again Fukunaga was reminded where your attitude came from, “But can you blame me?”

“When you have a husband who is as overbearing as dad? Hell no!”

Both of you shared a snicker, and it was after you turned around to greet Fukunaga with a beaming smile of your own that he stood up from the couch, letting his eyes wander all over you. 

Your yukata was a bleeding crimson, folding over your shoulders to reveal the smooth expanse of skin of your collarbones. It cinched around your waist, a sleek black obi tied snugly over the fabric; an eye-catching contrast to the vivid color underneath it. Your hair was tied up in intricate braids, shimmering flowers nestled deep into the strands.

You looked beautiful. Fukunaga smiled.

“You wore a yukata too!” You exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the simple midnight blue he had donned, “Yay! I was worried I’d be the only one.”

“Can’t have you stealing the show.” He winked.

“Alright, sweety.“ Your mother wove in between you two, her voice full of authority and mother-ness, “Stay safe, don’t go off wandering on your own and if anything should happen, call me. Okay?”

“Mom, I’ll be fine- “

“And please, for the love of god, at least just for this year, don’t bring a dozen of goldfish back home.”

“But mom!”

“No buts!” She flicked your forehead at your childish tone, a fake stern expression on her face, “Now go and have fun.”

“Party pooper…” You grumbled, narrowly avoiding another flick as you ducked and hid behind Fukunaga, “Don’t stay out too late yourself! Or I’ll tell dad!”

“I have raised a tattletale…”

“Mom!”

“Joking, I’m joking! Now go, you’re still too young and wild to be spending the summer festival with your mother.”

Fukunaga snorted at the reference of you being wild, when you had been nothing but strict and nurturing with them. He turned to your mother when he felt her burning eyes on the back of his head. 

Before she even had a chance to open her lips, he had already erased her worries with four simple words,

“I’ll watch over her.”

“Are you coming out or do I have to drag you out by force?” Kuroo asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

“I said I’m not going.” came the muffled reply of Kenma, who had hidden himself beneath a dozen layers of blankets.

A sound akin to a frustrated growl left Kuroo’s chest and he leaned down to tug at the fabric, gritting his teeth when he was met with stubborn resistance from Kenma.

“Come on, the others are waiting.”

“Tell them I won’t come.”

“You will.”

“I won’t.”

“You will.”

“I won’t.”

“Kenma!” Kuroo released the blanket without warning, causing Kenma to roll against the wall and hit his forehead with a thud. 

He winced and rubbed the sore spot, a movement that was visible even beneath the lump he had become. Why was Kuroo even making such a big deal out of this? He knew how much he disliked big crowds, let alone festivals. What was so special about this one that warranted Kuroo to barge into his room, throw a yukata at him, steal his gaming console and rattle on and on about what kind of activities the festival offered?

“Just go. I’m not coming.”

Kuroo groaned even louder this time and threw his head back to stare at the ceiling exasperatedly, “Come on. Just for a few hours! Please? Pretty please?”

When his best friend didn’t move a muscle, he took a deep breath and reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. It was time to pull out the big guns.

“‘Hey Kuroo, do you think you can convince Ken-chan to wear a yukata as well? I bet he’ll look super cute in it, plus we can all take a group picture! I asked the others to wear one too, I’m so excited!’"

There was some shuffling underneath the blankets and a tuft of blond-and-brown popped out, golden eyes glinting with suspicion. 

“But I guess I can’t force you to come if you don’t want to. I’ll just return the yukata and tell (Name) that you didn’t feel good- “

“Ten minutes.”

Hook, line, and sinker.

A shit-eating grin plastered itself all over Kuroo’s face, but he knew better than to press a sore subject. He let the feeling of satisfaction well in his chest as he opened the door to leave and said, “I’ll wait outside.”

The sky was painted in a royal blue with dashes of maroon blending to result in a beautiful sunset. Below it, lights illuminated the various stands lining down the street, the people behind the counters calling out to the people passing by to entice them for some of their time. 

Chipper conversations turned the music around them to background noise, the clattering of traditional Japanese sandals hitting the asphalt adding a soft touch to it along with the familiar sound of the singing grasshoppers. Little kids screamed in elation whenever they won a game or got to eat some of the candy being sold and it was between three happily wiggling boys that they found Inuoka.

He was munching on candied fruits, crumbs of whatever snack he had previously eaten still scattered across his cheeks. Everything around him brightened when he spotted you and he waved frantically, his voice booming, “(Name)-chan! Fukunaga-san! Over here!”

“‘sup.” Fukunaga made a peace sign, whereas you frowned when you were close enough to see the mess he had left on his face.

You sighed and reached up to wipe the crumbs off his cheeks, “Really… You’re such a messy eater.”

“Sorry…” He smiled meekly before he dropped his eyes to your feet and then back up to your face, “You look cute, (Name)-chan! Red is really your color!”

There was nothing but pure-minded admiration behind those brown orbs - a genuine, heartfelt compliment. Leave it to Inuoka to make your heart soar through the skies. He bit into another piece of candy before he offered a piece to both of you. A soft grey yukata fitted on his tall frame, his chocolate-colored eyes looked even deeper under the bright lights.

You snatched a strawberry from his hand and plopped it whole in your mouth, the crunch reverberating across your skull as the enticing aroma of sugar melted on your tongue. A pleased hum escaped your lips and with the beginning of an idle conversation, the three of you started moving.

You found Yamamoto at the shateki - the gun shooting stand - deep laughter droning from his chest when the elderly gramps handed him a rifle. He pretended it was loaded with real ammunition instead of corks and that he was wearing the uniform of a renounced warlord rather than a brown yukata. His blond mohawk seemed even brighter in contrast to his dark uniform, the veins on his forearm bulging when he adjusted his grip on the weapon.

“Wow. He actually looks cool like this.” Inuoka said, stunned.

“Don’t let him catch you saying that.” You grinned.

Fukunaga, refusing to let this golden opportunity pass, added, “We’ll never hear the end of it.”

But Yamamoto was completely unaware of their presence behind him. His eyes were focused on the prize, the one thing his eyes had latched on when he passed this booth, the one and only thing his heart desired.

A tiny statue of the famous warlord - the god of war: Kenshin Uesugi.

He bent his arms and held the rifle against his chest, squinting one of his eyes shut to focus on the action figure. His finger was hovering right above the trigger, droplets of sweat rolling down his back like tiny crawling spiders and he gulped, trying not to think of what was at stake here.

He held his breath and braced his core, the conversations around him fading to white noise. Yes, he smiled against the cold metal, this was a good aim. The tip of his finger inched closer to the trigger, his open eye narrowing to zero in on his target even more. This was it. Kenshin Uesugi, the god of war was going to be his-

Just as ecstasy filled his lungs and his finger pressed into the trigger, a voice materialized out of nowhere, causing him to lose balance and shoot into the ceiling. 

“Yamamoto-san!”

He cursed, hitting his knee against the stand harshly and falling over dramatically. The cogs on the counter fell to the ground with a clatter, but the giant intruder grinned like he had won the lottery, completely unbothered by what had just transpired.

“Yamamoto-san, you looked so cool! I wanna hold a gun too!”

Said boy lifted his head to glare at whoever had dared to get between him and his favorite warlord, literal daggers shooting from his eyes. If looks could only kill… Yamamoto grit his teeth, watching Lev roll his shoulders, daring to have a haughty grin after he just completely ruined his shot.

“Gramps!” Lev thrust his hand in the air, blossoming like a sunflower under the sunlight when the elderly man behind the stand praised him for his height and looks, “I wanna shoot too!”

“Oh boy…” You sighed and decided to step in. Today was not the day for Yamamoto to murder him. You were here to celebrate the dead souls visiting the land of the living, not to add more to the list of the deceased.

Fukunaga smiled, “I think that’s his default mode.”

“Are you talking about Lev? Oh yeah, you guys should see him in class.” Inuoka added.

“I’m not sure I want to, to be completely honest…” You said with a grimace, reaching Yamamoto just in time as he was about to pull the Russian first year by his arm, “Heyyyy big guy, what are you guys up to?”

“(Name)-chan?” He turned to you, momentarily distracted before he spotted Fukunaga and Inuoka. Red spread from his hot ears all the way to his cheeks. Did you see how he failed to shoot after he tried so hard to look cool?

Lev, completely unbothered and oblivious to the hot waters he had treaded a minute before, held onto the rifle and exclaimed, “Yamamoto-san looked like a real soldier, you guys should’ve seen him! I want to look as awesome as he did!”

Kill? Kill who? Lev? Pshhh, Yamamoto would never! Lev was one of his favorite underclassmen, he wouldn’t ever dare to think about hurting him!

These exact thoughts were clear as the night sky above, written plainly all over Yamamoto’s face, prompting a snort from both Fukunaga and you. So you just stepped back and crossed your arms, an amused smile on your lips as you watched Yamamoto help Lev with his stance.

The forest green yukata illuminated his already pale skin and coupled with his teal eyes and his snow-kissed hair, Lev appeared as if he jumped out of a fantasy novel. His looks garnered attention from more than just the three of you with people turning their heads when they passed him. Girls poked one another and giggled into their hands and kids craned their necks back to take in his height with awe. 

The boy in question was too focused on the prize he had set for himself to notice the heart-eyes thrown his way, and thankfully Yamamoto was too encompassed to help his junior to get jealous over the lack of attention on him. 

With Yamamoto’s instruction and Inuoka cheering him on from behind, Lev managed to make his first shot right into the little plushy sitting in the far corner to the right. A baby lion with eyes bright like cerulean gems was now resting comfortably in his belt, a grin as bright as the stars on his face.

“Good job, Lev.” You patted the lion’s head, turning to Yamamoto to make sure he wouldn’t feel left out, “You too, Take-chan. You looked pretty cool out there, teaching our newborn how to shoot.”

He blushed, frowning like your words hadn’t had that much of an effect on him, “Y-Yeah. I mean, I’m his senpai after all.”

“Sure are.” Fukunaga nudged him.

“Hey, guys.“ Inuoka interrupted you after he finished chewing his candied fig, his phone in his hand, “Yuki just texted me. He’s with Yaku-san and Kai-san. They’re at the wanage stand a bit further down.”

“Wanage?! Well, what the hell are we still waiting for?!” Yamamoto was filled with renewed energy and he gripped Lev without second thought, dragging him along as he all but sprinted down the stands.

“I feel like I’m surrounded by children no matter where I go…” You said as you stole a slice of a candied apple from Inuoka, who looked at you like you had committed an act of treachery.

Fukunaga’s eyes wandered to the corner of your lip, a piece of sugar hanging stubbornly off to the side. His own curled and he too snatched a slice for himself from poor Inuoka, muttering, “Yeah, children everywhere.”

“Y-Yaku-san, I think this is enough now…” Shibayama said, his brows connected in a line of concern.

Yaku, however, was having none of that concern. His brows were threatening to touch as well, but rather than of worry, it was because of his growing frustration. 

How hard could it be to toss a ring? The presents were right there, right in front of him laid across the table. They weren’t that far away and his eyesight had always been really good - it was something he prided himself in. After all, his quick reflexes were a result of how fast his eyes picked up on movement.

Then why in the world did he have such trouble to get one of the items inside of that stupid circle? He widened his stance and bit his lip. He had only one more ring left. This time he absolutely had to make it.

Shibayama turned to his other upperclassman, hoping for his intervention, “Kai-san, don’t you think it’s time to move on as well?”

But his question fell on deaf ears, for Kai was busy chatting with the elderly ladies that had crowded around him. He was exactly where he wanted to be, right in his element as he talked to them about things Shibayama didn’t understand. He heard the words “plants” and “growing in our garden” fall a few times and disconnected with a slump of his shoulders - there was no relying on Kai in this case.

“Yaku-san, “ Shibayama tried again, “(Surname)-senpai and the others will be here any second. We shouldn’t keep them waiting, right?”

Yaku stirred, his grip tightening around the ring in his hand. Below him on the ground lay all the discarded rings he had failed to properly throw - nine in total. If Lev were to come and witness this grande failure, he would never hear the end of it. Even worse - what if that stupid Titan tried his hand and scored at his first try?

No. He would rather be locked in a dungeon and get tickled for ten hours straight than stand next to a victorious Lev. Especially when said boy was victorious at something he had failed at. Nine times in a row. 

He faintly heard the sound of Shibayama’s anxious voice, but he had more important things to do in that moment than to appease the first year. So he ignored him (he shouldn’t have) and swung his arm back (he shouldn’t have) and whipped it back as fast as he could (again, he shouldn’t have).

“Yaku-san!”

“Mori-kun!”

The combined excited shouts from both Lev and you caused him to falter, the ring slipping through his fingers as he watched with wide eyes the chaos unfold. The ring spun and spun and spun, right into Shibayama’s face, smacking his nose with a thwack.

The first year stumbled back and clutched his nose, his grey eyes swimming in a pool of burning tears when the pain turned into a dull throb. Yamamoto and Fukunaga exploded into a fit of laughter, Kai looked genuinely taken aback, Lev looked horrified, Inuoka and you rushed to Shibayama and Yaku… Yaku slowly walked towards him and leaned down to grab the fallen ring, bringing it back to the elderly man behind the counter.

“It’s okay, young one.” He patted Yaku’s hand in a grandfatherly manner, “You’ll make it next time.”

“Shibayama, let me see your nose.” Yaku heard you say in that gentle tone of yours.

Inuoka chuckled right after, “Dude, that was bullseye on your nose. You okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He leaned out of both of your reaches, slightly embarrassed by all this attention.

The two second years were by Yaku’s side in an instant. Yamamoto clapped his back in a friendly manner, “Don’t let it get to you. He also ruined my shot in the shateki booth.”

“It’s always him…” Yaku moaned, dragging a hand across his sullen expression. 

Kai joined them, his hands hidden in the sleeves of his yukata. At the sight of all them wearing one, you forgot Shibayama in an instant and perked up like a happy dog, your imaginary tail wagging aggressively. Your wish to get a group picture at the summer festival was looking more and more like it could become a reality.

“Guys…” You clapped your hands and intertwined your fingers, lights exploding in your eyes, “Everyone looks so handsome!”

Kai held himself gracefully, a mahogany yukata wrapping around his broad figure and emphasizing his height. With his shaved head and his peaceful expression, he looked like a dutiful monk passing through the festival. Shibayama wore a baby-blue one with a black fan stashed in his belt and a small bag hanging off his wrist. Yaku was standing between Fukunaga and Yamamoto, a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. The caramel yukata revealed the paleness of his chest and matched with the color of his eyes and his hair - the yukata seemed to have become one with him.

They squirmed under your gaze, their cheeks taking on a pink hue when you continued to gush over their outfits and run your fingers through the fabric. You genuinely didn’t expect them all to comply with your wishes and show up in yukatas. Somehow, the thought of them wanting to commemorate this possibly last festival outing with a picture made you both happy and sad.

And with a new topic at hand, you all continued your exploration through the festival, stopping occasionally when Inuoka wanted to eat another snack (so far he had cleaned out the entire candied fruits and takoyaki booths) or when random ladies stopped Lev to ask him if he was a celebrity (to which Yaku would curse under his breath and glare daggers at the smug first year).

It was after you received a rather reluctant message from Kenma telling you that he was at the kingyo sukui stand with Kuroo that you steered everyone away from the crowd. You maneuvered through them effortlessly, watching as the height of the crowd around you shrunk until the people around you turned to kids. 

Bratty, little kids screaming from the top of their lungs and cackling like mad as they ran from one end of the booth to the other. In the center of this scene were Kuroo and Kenma, both squatted in front of a pond, a poi in each of their hands as they focused on the water below them.

Kuroo immediately caught your eye with his orange yukata, the blackness of his hair appearing even darker in contrast to the flames licking from the fabric. Kenma had chosen to go with something a lot more modest, a raven-colored yukata that revealed just the slightest bit of skin beneath his neck. His blond hair was tied back into a small ponytail with two large strands framing his face.

He already had trouble walking with the traditional sandals as is and with all of his hair covering his sight - he simply couldn’t risk slipping and slamming into the ground in front of everyone. That would be so much worse than pulling his hair back and seeing his surroundings more clearly than usual.

Besides… It was just for a few hours. Just until the picture was taken.

Yeah, he could hold out until then.

“Ken-chan!” You bounded up to him and crouched down, brushing your knee against his as you leaned in to peer into his poi, “How many did you catch so far?”

“None.” He muttered under his breath, feeling very much uncomfortable with the commotion you caused when you sprinted to him. Now all of the kids were looking at him expectantly, as if he was supposed to be some fishing pro.

His answer disappointed you and you frowned, resting your cheek against your palm, “Aren’t you supposed to be a pro-gamer?”

He turned to you, “What does that have anything to do with catching goldfish?”

“Well, it’s like a game, isn’t it?”

“Come again?”

Kuroo leaned both his forearms on his knees, looking from you to Kenma with a smile. He could tell what you were trying to do. And based on the unimpressed cringe on Kenma’s face, the latter knew it too. 

“It’s not gonna work, (Name).” Kuroo said.

You glared at him before you returned to Kenma, “Look at it this way: you have a set time limit. In that limit you absolutely have to catch five goldfish or else it’s game over.”

“Why would I want to catch five goldfish?” Now he looked confused.

“Why not?”

Kuroo threw his head back in a guffaw and dropped his poi into the pond. The tool dissolved in the water, releasing the tiny fish he had caught and allowing them to continue swimming with the rest of them.

“Come on, Ken-chan. Let’s do it together.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“What? But I challenge you!”

“No.”

“But Ken-chan!”

“No.”

Not when all these big, curious eyes were glued on him.

“But…” You dropped your head, your lips forming a pout as your protest died in your throat.

Don’t look at her. 

You exhaled with a pitiful sound and made to give the poi to one of the kids standing next to you. Your voice was nothing more than a sad whisper at this point, “I guess that means no goldfish for me, huh…”

No. Don’t look at her.

Kuroo watched with astonishment as Kenma’s eyes flickered to your dejected frame for just a second, a big, big sigh falling from his lips. He could see the exact moment his brain issued the command to give in and it took all of his willpower to not break into another fit of laughter when Kenma nudged you with his knee, his words loud enough for just the three of you to hear.

“On the count of three.”

And that was how later on when you were watching the Bon Odori show, you held onto two large plastic bags holding onto six goldfish each. Kenma had won the first six, you had caught the remaining six. Twelve in total, the middle-aged man of the booth was left completely exasperated when you told him you wanted to take all of them home with you.

Fukunaga had given you a reprimanding look, about to remind you of your mother’s words. But after receiving a convincingly pleading look from you, he too gave in to you (just like Kenma did) and shrugged his shoulders, saying, “You’ll be the one to face your mom. Do whatever you want to.”

You held onto the bags tighter and heard Lev gasp behind you when the beautiful melody of the flutes started to surround you in soothing waves. A few meters in front of you was Teshiro, mixed in with the people from all over of Tokyo, dancing the traditional dance of Odori. His yukata was a dark copper, almost like rusty metal and moved gracefully with each of his movements.

His eyes were closed and his expression calm, still like the sea at night. His arms moved fluidly through the air as he twisted and turned, perfectly in sync with everyone around him. A tiny little smile played across his lips when one of the ladies began singing, her voice loud and clear and pleasant to the ear.

Yamamoto whistled, nodding his chin repeatedly, “Gotta admit, I’m impressed.”

“Indeed.” Kai said, “It looks very natural on him.”

“He wears the same expression during practice.” Inuoka whispered, turning to Shibayama, “Did you know he danced?”

Shibayama shook his head, “No. He never told me.”

“Look how delighted the older folks are.” You interrupted them with a fond smile, gesturing to the couple a bit further from you pointing to him with something akin to pride on their faces.

The dance ended too soon, the comforting whistle of the flute disappeared along with it and in the next moment Teshiro stood in front of you, lifting his hand in a greeting. He accepted all of your praises with a thankful bow and smoothed out the fabric of his yukata.

“Since when have you been dancing?” Kuroo asked the question all of you had been wondering.

His answer was simple. And confusing. 

“Since never.”

When he was met with the equivalent of “What?” on your faces, he tilted his head in confusion as well, “Do you not know the meaning behind the Bon Odori dance?”

His question made all of you stop and think. 

Inuoka was the first to answer, his hand scratching his neck uneasily, “Well… My mom told me that Obon is the time of the year when the dead spirits return to our world. That’s why I shouldn’t wander by myself late at night.”

“That’s only half the story.” Kuroo snorted, “Gramps taught me that during this time, when the dead visit our realm, we are supposed to honor them by cleaning their graves and making offerings to them.”

You listened intently. Your parents had never been too big on teaching you things like this, so you soaked up all of this information like an eager sponge. Yaku noticed this and grinned at you from the side.

“But what does that have to do with the dance?” Lev asked, “Is the dance meant to honor them as well?”

Teshiro hummed, thinking about how he could best put it into words, “The dance is meant to welcome and celebrate the souls as they briefly visit our world. It dates all the way back to when Buddha used to be alive.”

Now Yamamoto was intrigued. If anyone had willpower, it was Buddha. And anything and everything related to Buddha, was anything and everything related to Yamamoto.

“A disciple of buddha made offerings to release his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts.” Teshiro continued, “And when she was released, he did a dance of joy, which then became the famous Bon Odori dance.”

“You’re so smart.” Lev merely said.

Yaku gave him a disgusted look, “Really? He’s talking about our country’s culture and religion and that’s all you can say?”

Before they even had a chance to bicker, you pushed both of them apart rather roughly and gazed deep into the first years eyes.

“That was so cool! Can you teach me the steps to the dance?”

He appeared to look unaffected at first, but when the lantern lights over you swayed from the rustle of the wind, the crimson spreading through his cheeks came forth. All of you grew silent when his eyes widened for a fraction, an expression on his face none of you had ever before seen on him.

He looked taken aback.

But calm and collected as he was, he managed to gather his wits within the same second and beamed, happiness spreading from the bottom of his heart and to the edges of his lungs at the idea of getting to share something as intimate and personal as his beliefs with his team.

“Of course, (Surname)-senpai.”

BONUS:

It was beautiful.

Dazzling fireworks spiraled into the pitch black sky, dancing around the glistening stars in all kinds of colors. A colossal explosion pierced its way up, crackling and popping and stealing everyone’s breath and attention.

Your heads were tilted back, all of you enthralled by the enchanting sight in the sky. Golden wheels spun like whizzing bees until they slowed to a single small pop. Everyone was watching in wonder, some even letting out a breath of awe with little kids pointing their fingers to the sky and sharing their excitement in loud giggles. There was a couple right in front of you, hand in hand, with the girl resting her head on her partner’s shoulder. The sight of them brought a smile on your face and when another set of fireworks was set loose right behind them, your jaw dropped open.

Right now.

You dragged the guys into a more secluded corner and looked for a slightly elevated surface. They watched you curiously, some of them still focused on the fireworks, and waited patiently for you to finish whatever you were doing.

A large stone caught your attention and when you stepped closer, you noticed that the top was flat, a perfect resting place for your phone. You tapped on the screen and ordered the boys to stand closer together, glancing over your shoulder quickly to check if the fireworks were visible from where you were standing.

A mesmerizing shower of purples and greens, you rushed back when the timer began to count down from five. You quickly grabbed the two plastic bags with your goldfish back from Fukunaga and stretched your arms towards the camera to show them off. 

“Okay, cheese!” You said loudly.

Effortless smiles graced everyone’s face, the tiny seedling that had rested quietly in the chambers of your stomach stirring awake. You continued to grin stupidly into the camera, overjoyed at finally getting a group picture, but the jokester to your right had other plans.

Fukunaga crept his sneaky hand behind your head to try and give you bunny ears just as the timer hit 1. The three third years who saw this snickered in your direction, Yamamoto slid the fabric of his yukata back to show off his biceps, Kenma had the equivalent of a “Are you serious?” look on his face whereas the first years smiled shyly into the camera. A crimson flower painted the sky.

CLICK!

Wondering what was going on, you turned around and gripped his arm, growling at him with a frown while everyone else exploded - even Kenma had a small, amused smile on his face. The red turned into a soft pink, bursts of purple surrounding the stars.

CLICK!

In your haste to scold Fukunaga for his childishness, the plastic bags slipped from your hands and you yelped, several arms reaching forward to catch the fish before they fell on the ground. Purple bled into blue, and blue turned into green, a true spectacle taking place in the sky.

CLICK!

Lev stumbled, his hands curling on Yaku’s yukata instinctively to brace his fall. He hadn’t thought to consider how much taller and heavier he was and thus brought him down with him. During their descent, Yaku managed to push Shibayama, who was too close to Inuoka, who accidentally hit Yamamoto, who then tried to hold on Kai and Kuroo simultaneously. The combined weight of everyone behind you was too much to handle. Kenma, Fukunaga and Teshiro weren’t spared either and soon, all of you lay sprawled on the ground.

The goldfish barely survived and were now safely cradled against your chest. It took one look at each other’s bewildered faces and then the dam burst. Giggles and laughter filled the abandoned alley and if anyone that passed by heard the breathless wheezing, they would have probably been concerned, but none of you cared as the camera went CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The seedling in your stomach grew, nurtured by the breathless laughter of your friends, budding into a beautiful dark green ivy. Its vines curled around your heart and tugged at your core, the camera now long forgotten.

It was beautiful.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 - in which lev almost breaks your nose:

Kuroo’s eyes widened in surprise at the power that came with the spike and they all turned their heads to watch the volleyball slam to the ground with an ear-shattering slap before it bounced off and changed its trajectory.

You were vaguely aware of the panicked voices from Yaku and Yamamoto, who were sprinting your way. But before you were able to tilt your head and ask them what was wrong, you were already sprawled across the floor with a strangely throbbing sensation in the middle of your face.

The sensation spread from your nose all the way to your temple, your eyes welling up with salty tears at the intruding pain. Colorful nebulae burst behind your closed eyelids and you briefly wondered if someone had brought fireworks into the gym.

'What… the…? What in the world happened?’

“(Name)-chan!” Yaku’s face shot into your line of sight, his toffee-colored eyes blown wide in concern.

“Oh my god! Are you alright?!” Yamamoto popped in from beside him with a scowl.

“Holy shit, that hit her right in the face!”

“That must have hurt…”

“Ah, I’m so sorry (Surname)-senpai‼! I didn’t mean to hurt you‼!”

The panic-stricken voices of your friends flew right past you as you lifted yourself up to a seating position with the help of Yaku and Kai, who were kneeling on both of your respective sides in an instant. Your brows furrowed in agitation at the persistent throb, your hand reaching to touch your nose delicately.

‘Ah, good. Not broken.’

“(Name), I need you to tell me if you’re okay?” Kuroo asked seriously, his hand resting reassuringly on your knee.

You blinked the tears away, trying to connect the necessary words to give him a suitable answer, but the pain in your nose was just too much.

Damn, that was one hell of a spike.

‘Thank god I don’t play volleyball.’

“(Name)?” Kuroo repeated, this time his voice dripped in genuine fear.

Not wanting to freak them out even more, you placed your hand on top of his and nodded curtly, the words “I’m fine” about to leave your lips when Lev suddenly squealed and started crying himself.

“B- Blood! Blood! (Surname)-senpai is dying! Help! (Surname)-senpai is dying!”

Shibayama froze at the sight of crimson liquid running from your nose, his eyes slowly rolling to the back of his head before he fell backwards. Yamamoto caught him in the very last second with a huff, holding onto his shoulders tightly.

“Dude! What the heck? Shibayama, is everything okay?”

“I- I think I’m gonna- “ Kenma muttered from right beside him, holding onto his stomach and mouth, his skin turning drastically more blue with each passing second.

Before anyone was able to interject, he was already bent over in half, emptying the entire contents of his stomach on the floor with a whine.

You were bleeding as if you had limitless blood supply, Inuoka released a panicked scream and Lev was still crying bloody murder, Shibayama was unconscious in an overwhelmed Yamamoto’s arms, Kenma was panting into the floor with Fukunaga drawing soothing circles across his back and where the hell was Teshiro?

The three third years exchanged conflicted looks and nodded to each other.

Kuroo was by Kenma’s side in an instant, placing his arm over his shoulder and helping him walk out of the gym. Fukunaga was already pouring water on the hardwood floor, a broom in his hand as he got ready to clean up the mess Kenma had left behind.

Yaku walked over to Yamamoto after thwacking Inuoka and Lev on their heads to get them to calm the heck down. He let Yamamoto hoist Shibayama onto his back, placing his hands underneath the first year’s thighs so he could carry him on his back to the infirmary.

Kai wound one of his arms below your knees and the other around your waist, lifting you up and against his chest effortlessly. He and Yaku were rushing to the school’s nurse with Lev and Inuoka hot on their trails. Yamamoto and Kuroo had left to bring Kenma to the toilet to get washed up, which left Fukunaga by himself, still mopping the ground.

The coaches walked in with Teshiro in tow, the very first thing they were greeted with being their quiet second year whistling a happy tune while cleaning up blood. He lifted his head and gave them an innocent smile, further adding to the very disturbing image at hand.

Coach Naoi leaned down to Teshiro’s ear, whispering quiet enough that only the first year heard him,

“What the hell happened in here?”

Chapter 2 - in which kuroo is a troll:

“Kenma showed me this game and I’ve been playing it ever since!”

Kuroo stretched out his arm to show everyone his phone, several eyes lighting up in recognition with a “Ah, I know this one! I play it too!”.

“But wait?” Yaku tilted his head as a visibly disturbed expression blossomed on his face.

“Your avatar is a female character?” Lev furrowed his brows in confusion, not having expected their captain to customize a girl when he had plenty of options to pick and choose all kinds of characters.

Yamamoto all but stumbled over his own feet to rip the phone out of Kuroo’s hand, eager to see what the character looked like. You peeked over his broad shoulder in curiosity as well, surprised to see a brunette with cat-like features. A long fuzzy tail swung around her backside lazily, paws pointing directly at the camera with a sly grin as her cat-ears flopped on her head.

Yamamoto went eerily quiet, his face drained of all color. You were the first to notice how stiff his posture had gotten, but before you were able to voice your concern, Lev had beaten you to the punch.

“Why does the captain use a female avatar?” Lev asked curiously, slinging a lazy arm around your shoulder and burying you beneath his frame.

A glint passed through Kuroo’s hazelnut eyes and you could tell right then and there that his answer would harbor nothing good. You sighed before he even started, ignoring the offended look he shot your way.

He cleared his throat and lifted his chin, acting like he was about to give a very important speech, “Whenever I use a cute female character that fits in perfectly with society’s standards, these creepy dudes come up to me.” Yamamoto choked on his sandwich, followed by a very harsh cough. “They save my ass and let me steal their kills without kicking me from the game, sending me all kinds of gifts that help me level up. I flirt with them a lil’ and raise their hopes up high-“

The can in Yamamoto’s hands crinkled as he crushed it into oblivion, his jaw set awfully tight.

“Hey… everything alright?” You asked him with a whisper, touching his lower back in a friendly manner.

“-and then! ‘Surprise, I’m actually a guy!'” Kuroo continued right over you, that stupid shit-eating smirk plastered all across his smug face. “That’s a lot of fun you know. Crushing people’s dreams and hopes – I feel like I’m on court-”

“I didn’t know! Okay?” Yamamoto interrupted his speech with an exasperated cry, his eyes devoid of their usual crimson fire, “I didn’t know it was you, I’m sorry!”

Silence.

Complete and utter silence.

Not a single breath was shed.

And then… all hell broke loose.

“Dude, what the hell?”

Chapter 3 - in which kenma skips practice:

“What game are you playing these days, Ken-chan?” You scooted closer to get a better look at his screen.

He flipped open his console to show you the loading screen, “It’s this game where you live on an island and have to look after it to pay the mortgage on your house- “

“Woah! You play ‘Crossing with the Animals’ as well?”

He swirled around in shock to you, not having expected you to know of this game. His unspoken question reached you without him having to utter the words.

And in the next heartbeat, you whipped out your own console and thrust it at his face with a silly grin, “I play it too! Wait! What’s your island’s fruit?”

“Apples... “ He managed to mumble despite his shock.

“Oh, cool! I have cherries! You wanna trade?”

Dazed and most likely still in shock, he nodded and connected your accounts, inviting you over to visit his island.

Hours later, when the sun had already left for the day and both of your batteries had run out, you lifted your heads from the screen. His neck cracked with each of his movements and you winced at the sting in your own, the position of sitting bent over for hours now taking its toll on your body.

“Oh. It’s night already.” Kenma noted dully.

You couldn’t hide the yawn in your voice as you raised your arms into the sky, groaning when you felt the delicious pull of the muscles, “Mh. We seem to have played around for quite a while. Pretty sure practice is already over.”

He regarded you quietly before retrieving his phone from his backpack. The harsh light of the screen caused him to squeeze one of his eyes shut and after a quick flick of his eyes he bit his lips, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by you.

You leaned over and peered at his phone, skimming over the very aggressive choice of words Kuroo had sent him, your brows connecting in a line of worry, “Oh shit.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Kuroo was standing in the center of nowhere, his head tilted back, patience nowhere near his understanding after having spent the past few hours walking around the school grounds. He inhaled a deep, lungful breath of air before he released it in a burst of fury, the air shaking from the wrath of his chest, “WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TWO BRATS?!”

Chapter 5 - in which you become the team’s hairstylist:

“(Name).” Kuroo pointed to the loose strands sticking to his forehead with a frown, “Do you have something to help us get rid of this?”

He nodded towards Kenma – who was struggling with tugging his hair behind his ears only to have it fall in front of his golden slits again – and Lev – who was puffing out frustrated breaths of air to rid himself of the slick grey strands, “It’s bugging as hell.”

With a hum, you nodded and skidded towards your bag by the entrance. You groped around with pursed lips, pulling out a pair of scissors with an innocent expression, “Somethin’ like this?”

“Gah!” Lev backed away with a thoroughly disturbed expression, “(Surname)-senpai!”

“(Name)… Why are you even carrying that around? ” Kenma sighed and shook his head disapprovingly.

Kuroo met you with a cackling laugh, “Maybe you’ll be the first one to win against my bedhead.”

“(Surname)-senpai… you’re not serious, are you?” Lev asked, his brows furrowed in concern, “All I’ve got going for me is my hair… Please don’t- “

“I swear this guy pisses me off.” Yaku fumed with a shaking fist, barely held back by a chuckling Kai and Fukunaga, “Height. Long limbs. Russian. And he dares to say the only thing he’s got going for him is his stupid hair- “

“There, there.” Kai patted his shoulder with a comforting smile, “Why don’t we get back to practice and let (Name)-chan handle it?”

The libero gave you a menacing look, the hatred seeping from his eyes in an attempt to lure you to his side, “Cut. It. Off. All of it.”

The vice-captain pulled him back on court when you dove into your bag to find a few hair clips. You curled your fist to keep them secure as you waltzed up to the three waiting boys, a beaming grin on your face.

“I only got these sparkly ones.” You giggled and started pulling Kuroo’s bangs back with nimble fingers, securing two purple butterflies on his scalp with an approving nod. He closed his eyes with a stupid smirk, leaning down towards you until you were finished.

He struck a pose and you burst out laughing, hitting him playfully across his broad chest, “How do I look?”

You shook your head when he started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, barely able to stifle the vibrations of your chest at his ministrations, “Like the princess you truly are.”

“Yusss!”

He was about to leave for the court when suddenly your hair clips went flying and fell on the floor with a clatter. Kuroo looked at the clips and then at his hair and then at you. You did the same, in the reversed order.

“What the hell just happened?” He asked.

You waved him over, crouching down to grab the clips, “Come back here, lemme do it a bit tighter.”

He leaned down again, this time keeping his eyes open and watching your fingers sift through his soft strands with that focused pout of yours. He was about to tease you but winced when you pulled harshly, your brows threatening to connect. Your eyes met for a brief second and you apologized with a sheepish smile, pushing the clip deep into his scalp to ensure longevity.

“Alright. It should hold now.”

He straightened up again, “Thanks.”

But again, like before, just as he turned his back to you, the glimmering clips released themselves and fell away, his hair popping back into its original messy state.

You frowned. This wasn’t possible. These clips were one of your most used clips, they were trustworthy and good; they kept all of your stray baby hairs at bay. There was no way they couldn’t handle a little bit of Kuroo’s nest.

And with a daring glint in your gaze, that previously wasn’t there, you tugged him down to eye level, ignoring the close proximity of your faces as you all but began to declare war against his hair.

You styled it back and clipped it against his scalp, waiting a few seconds with a scrutinizing stare as if daring the strands to let go of the clips. When nothing happened, you smiled satisfactorily. But in the exact same second that he straightened up and left your personal bubble, his hair grew more bold and threw your clips away almost haughtily.

‘This must be a joke.’

This little escapade continued for a good ten minutes, causing the team to grow curious and stop their practice in favor of watching you battle it out with Kuroo’s hair. Whenever you watched the strands, they behaved and did as you wished, but the instant they left your proximity, they defied any logic and manner and grew a mind of their own.

“What” you pulled at a particularly messy strand, eliciting a small whine from him, “the” and pressed the sharp end of the clip so deep into his skull, he could feel it graze his brain, “hell” and for good measure clapped your palm hardly on top of it, “is wrong with your hair?”

At this point, Kuroo was close to tears, thanking the gods for being born a male - hair clips had become his mortal enemy.

In conclusion:

Thirty minutes had passed and you still hadn’t been able to tame his hair. You had given up reluctantly after the coaches had reprimanded you for keeping the captain from practice. After you turned your back to trudge gloomily towards your back, sulking because you lost the battle you had declared yourself, the coach thrust a signal to Kuroo to show him that he got his back.

Chapter 6 - in which you go to miyagi:

“(Surname)-senpai, let me help you!”

You had just stumbled out of the bus, half-asleep with one bag filled with snacks slung over your arm, another bag with empty water bottles and towels around your other arm and a first aid kit between your hands. You turned when you heard the chipper voice of Lev running up to you from behind, lifting your head to meet his blinding grin.

“Let me take this from you!”

He snatched the bag with the water bottles from your arm as if he had just won the lottery and was picking up his prize. A tune seeped from his curled lips, his head swiveling in rhythm to the song he was whistling and skidded away from you and towards the ryokan.

“Thank…you?” You tilted your head with a frown, wondering what had gotten into him.

Before you had a chance to process the encounter, the bag on your other arm slid out of your grasp and into the waiting arms of Yamamoto, a toothy grin on display.

“Yussss, let’s go, (Name)-chan!”

“Wai- Yamamoto! I could’ve carried that!”

“Nah, nah, ‘s fine!”

You watched him walk through the wooden doors baffled, his booming voice bouncing through the walls and out into the fresh air, some random tune erupting from his broad chest as well.

Next came Inuoka, who was in front of you in one second and then gone in the next, your first aid kit no longer in between your hands, but rather resting comfortably against his chest. He gave you a brilliant boyish grin before he bounded after Yamamoto, asking his senior to wait for him.

Too busy wallowing in your own confusion, you missed the way Kuroo sidled up behind you with a smug grin, slipping his nimble fingers around your waist and between your arm to grab the box from your hands.

“Eh?”

What he didn’t know was that that very same box was no longer with you but with Inuoka. And because he didn’t know that the space between your arms was free, he grabbed onto the very first thing his hands came into contact with.

Which happened to be your chest.

It took you a full minute to register that the warmth spreading from your chest was from someone else’s touch and it took Kuroo a few curious squeezes to belatedly realize what he was holding. You lowered your wide-eyed stare to see his calloused fingertips on the fabric of your shirt, something akin to deadly fury bubbling from the pit of your stomach.

You cleared your throat, your voice eerily calm, “Kuroo.”

He stiffened behind you, his hands still on your two best friends, the shame and ridiculousness of the entire misunderstanding freezing him in place, “Y-Yes?”

“What are you doing?” Your smile was strained and he could feel the waves of terror seep out of your pores and surround him in a cloud of painful promises.

After what felt like eternity, he finally managed to release his grip on you, the imprint of his fingers still scorching against your skin. And then you turned around and he didn’t know what hit him.

No. I meant that literally. He literally didn’t know what hit him.

Whether it was your elbow that came stabbing into his temple, or your knee that was piercing into his thigh, or it was your bag that was continuously being brought down to meet his face, he could not tell where the pain started and where it ended.

All he knew was, that you were angry and he was suffering.

And this would not end anytime soon.

Chapter 7 - in which the guys leave for miyagi and you stay behind with lev

Yamamoto was currently in the storage room, exchanging pleasantries with a student very similar to him – his splitting image actually: Ryūnosuke Tanaka.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, brother. Welcome to the clan.” Tanaka held onto their clasped hands tightly, a shimmer of appreciation glossing his eyes.

“My long lost brother…” Yamamoto whispered, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.

“What… are they talking about?” Asahi asked Sugawara as they rolled the ball cart into the room.

“Ah,” the other scratched at his neck with an embarrassed smile, “Nishinoya and Tanaka have created their own Kiyoko appreciation clan. Apparently they’re recruiting…”

“O…kay…”

“Yeah. Don’t ask anymore, please.”

“Is there anything I, as a devoted new recruit, have to accomplish to prove my worth and loyalty?” Yamamoto asked, unaware of the conversation happening behind him.

Tanaka stilled cautiously, his Adam’s apple bobbing when he gulped. His hand tightened around Yamamoto’s, pulling him closer so as not to attract too much attention, “Actually, there is.”

“Please do tell.”

“Every single member has to be slapped by her divine hand once.”

Yamamoto glanced back with a frown, making sure he had heard correctly, “You mean… like slap slap?”

“Like slap slap.” He repeated, voice full of sincerity.

“But… I- I can’t!”

“Why not?”

“I- I’m too shy...” Yamamoto diverted his gaze, completely oblivious of the distraught expressions of Asahi and Sugawara behind them.

“You have to win this battle, brother. You can do it!”

“I can… I can do it!”

Yamamoto nodded to himself, clenching his hand into a determined fist as he all but stormed out of the storage room and towards the poor unsuspecting third year manager from Karasuno. Before he was about to wreak havoc with the weapon that was his loose tongue, Kuroo fisted the collar of his shirt and pulled him back like a dog on a leash with Yaku apologizing profusely to Kiyoko, following up with a kick to Yamamoto’s lower back.

“What the hell are you doing, you fool?”

Chapter 8 - in which the training camp begins

A threateningly exciting grin split Hinata’s face in half as he jumped off the ground to tap the soles of his feet against each other twice, before he squatted low and held onto his inner thighs, his voice low and auspicious, “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

And do it they did. (Kinda.)

You stood completely motionless on the sidelines, your jaw unhinged with your hands hanging limply by your sides as you were unable to do anything but stare.

‘What… the heck… was that?’

You repeated the scene in your head in slow motion, remembering the specific amount of steps Hinata had taken as he zoomed past his teammates to the front of the net, jumping – no, flying – off the ground and remaining suspended mid-air.

Your wide eyes traveled to the ground, measuring the distance and you balked at the realization that he had jumped higher than three meters!

‘Holy hell…’

But that wasn’t all.

There was more to this ‘What the hell?’ -moment.

Just as you thought Hinata had reached his highest point, a ball came out of nowhere and snuggled right into the center of his waiting palm-

And then brushed right through the skin and approached your wide-eyed gaze in lightning speed. Warning bells blared through your mind, the all-too familiar panicked screams of Yamamoto and Yaku reaching your ears and the only thing you managed to do was reflexively lift your clipboard to shield your barely recovered nose.

The ball bounced off of the plastic, the impact of it pulling at your muscles, and hit Hinata in his face instead. He had sprinted to your rescue, but was too slow to see that the target now was no longer you, but rather him.

There was a blood-freezing silence that followed, everyone exchanging baffled looks; but you were too focused on the slow pounding of your heart and the familiar crimson liquid dripping from his reddened nose.

“Oh shit…”

Chapter 9 - in which the first day of the training camp ends

Kuroo yawned audibly as he trudged down the hallway, scratching at the little bit of exposed skin on his stomach, his shirt riding up to rest on his forearm. His eyes were still closed, sleep dripping from them on his way to the bathroom.

After he relieved himself and washed his hands, he made to return to their shared sleeping space, stopping short when he noticed the still lit cafeteria. Confused as to who would still be up at this time, he rounded the corner and to his surprise, found you hunched over the tables.

“(Name)?” He asked around another yawn, walking closer to inspect the contents of the table.

Several sheets were strewn across the table, some ripped in half, others completely crossed out with angry thick lines. Your notebooks laid open all around you, red comments squeezing in between each line and filling the pages to the brim.

“What are you doing?”

When you didn’t answer, he leaned over with a frown, only to find you sound asleep, your cheek squished against the drool-filled pages of your book. He snorted, snapping a quick picture with his phone before he whispered, “How can you fall asleep like this... So irresponsible.”

His soft smile stood in direct contrast to his harsh words and he began closing up the notebooks and tucking your pencils into your pencil case. He gathered all of the material at the edge of the table and then went to look for your backpack, zipping it open with a cautious grimace and then filling it with your utensils.

After weaving his arms through the straps, he leaned down and pulled you carefully to the side, allowing him to slip his hands below your knees and around your waist. He lifted you into his arms with ease, huffing as he adjusted you against his chest, “So heavy, little one. What are you eating these days?”

His boyish grin only widened when instead of punching him, you curled more against his warmth, grumbling incoherent words as he made his way to the girls’ room.

Chapter 11 - in which you open up

“Do you want to know the number one secret to happiness?”

“Hm?”

“The lack of comparison.” He gave you a boyish grin when you rolled your eyes at that, “No, I’m serious. When you’re too busy focusing on your own goals, you don’t have time to keep checking in with other people. Everyone moves at a different pace, there’s no set timeline for everyone to follow. It’s like growing a garden- “

“Ugh, no, Nobu-kun, not with the flower references again- “

“Different weeds grow at different rates, but that doesn’t mean that none of them reach their peak stage, nor does it mean that one is more beautiful than the other.”

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, this doesn’t apply to our case. We don’t have much time- “

He interrupted you effortlessly, throwing his head back to let the moonlight bask his face, “For someone, who only recently got into volleyball, you’ve made immense progress on both your knowledge and strategy building, you know. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Your nails dug into your thighs and you leveled your gaze with his peaceful expression again, letting his words sink into every crevice of your bones.

“You’re being too hard on yourself, (Name)-chan. You deserve to give yourself some credit for all the hard work you’re doing.”

You gave a small humorless laugh, lifting your hand to scratch the back of your neck, “Yeah... I don’t do too well with those…”

“You wanted to know how I juggle both my studies and my club activities. I don’t burn myself out. That’s how.”

What was it with Kai and his endless wise words that always left you speechless?

“There’s something Kuroo used to say during our first year that still very much resonates with me. ‘Volleyball is supposed to be fun.’ and I fully agree with that. Playing volleyball and watching volleyball should be fun. But at what cost? If you’re going to fail your classes because of us, then I doubt volleyball is going to be fun for any of us.”

“Hold on. What does me failing my classes have anything to do with- “

“We’re family, (Name)-chan. You fail your classes, we fail our classes. You get sad, we get sad. We win a match, you win a match. It’s just how things work. How would you feel if Lev had to retake one of his tests, because he was too busy practicing his receives to properly study?”

There wasn’t a second of hesitation when you gasped and gave him a stern look, “That would be terrible! He’s still in his first year, there’s no way I’m letting him fail any classes already-“

“See?”

The smile Kai gave you was both endearing and superior, a closed eye-smile that would’ve looked kind to anyone else, but knowing him, you could read the underlying feelings beneath it. The patience he radiated regarding your stubborn nature, the compassion flickering through his eyes whenever they landed on one of his teammates. And not to forget the wisdom and calmness of an eighty-year old grandfather.

You shook your head with an exasperated smile, giving him a cheeky grin of your own, “You and Kuroo are both terrible. Terrible, terrible people.”

“But you still love us.” He winked, extracting a mixture of a groan and a laugh out of you. His expression softened when you bit your lip and smiled that impish smile of yours.

“Yeah… Yeah, I do.”

“Shall we go back now? It’s getting quite late. We don’t want to risk getting locked out.”

“Yeah, let’s head back. And… thanks, Nobu-kun.”

He patted your head fondly, like a brother would, “Don’t mention it.”

Ten minutes later

“Shit.”

You pulled the door once more, this time a bit more harshly, but to no avail, because it wouldn’t budge. You turned around to face Kai.

“We’re locked out.”

Chapter 15 - in which you throw a surprise party

Just as he was about to call for them, your voice reached his ears and took him by surprise, “Mori-kun!”

He turned around, his heart dropping to his stomach when he saw every single one of you standing by the door with ditzy grins. You were holding a cake, your eyes taking the shape of two half-moons with Inuoka and Lev flanking you, their voices loud and clear as they shouted in sync, “Happy birthday, Yaku-san!”

“Surprise!” Yamamoto strode over to him and slapped his back.

Fukunaga joined their side by holding out his fist for the libero to hit, “Happy birthday, gramps.”

“You guys…” Yaku managed to whisper, his sight blurring when Shibayama and Teshiro congratulated him with a formal bow.

“Congrats.” Kenma pulled the lower end of the stick he was holding, dousing Yaku with a pop with a good load of colorful confetti.

Kuroo and Kai moved to let you pass them, but apparently your body had other plans.

You tripped over your own two feet, gravity pulling you to the ground with the cake parting from your hands.

You don’t know what happened first - your face meeting the ground enthusiastically or Yaku’s face colliding with the cake like two forcefully separated lovers.

You don’t know what was more painful - the stinging throb spreading from the tip of your nose all the way across your face, or the hours full of hard work decorating Yaku’s face in the form of crushed whipped cream.

You didn’t get the option to think much about it, because everyone around you (safe for Yaku) burst out laughing. Even the director barely managed to squeeze in a “Cut!” in between her wheezing.

And here you thought you would get to have one quiet, normal chapter.

Jokes on you.

No day with Nekoma was normal or quiet.

Chapter 16 - in which you have a funeral

“Good evening… everyone… Thank you all for attending- “ Your father started speaking into the microphone, halting for a second to take a deep breath. His hands were clutching the edges of the microphone stand, his eyes blinking rapidly, “Thank you all for attending my daughter’s funeral.”

Silence stretched across the venue as everyone collectively held their breaths. Shibayama was the first to break it, his agonized cries crackling through the air like thunder. He was quickly followed by Lev, who was bent over in half, his face pressed into his hands as he refused to look forward. Refused to acknowledge a reality without you.

Your father continued, wiping at his eyes with a sniffle, “Nobody wants to say goodbye to their daughter. Nobody is ever ready to say goodbye to their little princess. I know… I certainly wasn’t ready when I kissed her goodbye that morning when she left for school- “

Hachoo.

Your father glanced around and cleared his throat, continuing where he had left off, “Had I known that it was this kind of goodbye… I would’ve locked her into my arms and never let her go.”

It was cold. It was getting so unbelievably cold that Teshiro started shivering. His hands on his lap were shaking, only to be encompassed by another pair of frozen ones. Kenma kept his eyes loyally on your father, his jaw clenched and hair slicked back for the first time in years.

Today, he wanted to see all of you. One last time.

“My princess was only sixteen when she was taken from us. She left a huge emptiness in the hearts of all of us, who loved her dearly. She was… a true joy to be around. Full of energy, full of love, … full of- ”

Hachoo.

Your father’s grip on the stand tightened, so much so that his knuckles turned white like the snow littering the streets, but he continued, trying to ignore whatever was happening right now. He owed you this much at least, “She wanted to go to nationals with her volleyball team - the boys, who have grown to become her brothers.”

He pointed to the group of ten boys sitting in the front row, all of them stilling at the mention of their respective names. Kai kept his gaze firmly locked with your father and sent him a reassuring nod, both of his hands holding onto Yaku’s and Kuroo’s.

“She wanted to follow our footsteps and become a coach, she wanted to take over the world with her undeniable talent and skill. She would... stay up late into the night and revise like she’s never done for school.“ He chuckled through his tears, eliciting a few choked laughs from the guests as well, “She wanted to be free.”

A few rows behind Kuroo and the others, the entire volleyball team of Karasuno and Fukurodani sat there, guarding their backs, making sure to catch them if they were to fall. Their expressions varied from surrendered, to shocked, to denial, to pure and unadulterated heartbreak.

The news of your death had struck them hard. The sorrow that followed would be one they would never really get over.

“Those of you who know her- “ Your father stopped, grief hitting him like a ton of bricks and he gulped, staring into space before he found the strength to continue, “Who knew her, will miss her laugh, her excited little squeals, that little wiggly dance she made when she got to eat something delicious… and the sparkle in her big eyes as much I as do. I will cherish- ”

HACHOO!

“For god’s sake, (Name), are you done?” Your father was bent over the microphone stand, chuckling into the hardwood as light laughter washed through the audience.

You raised yourself from the coffin, rubbing your nose with a sheepish smile, “Sorry… It’s a little dusty in here…”

Yaku jumped up the stairs by the time you threw your head back and held a tissue in front of your mouth, holding onto the back of your neck as you sneezed right into it. He brushed through the strands lightly, a small smile lingering on his features when you looked up to thank him.

The director sighed wistfully, rotating her finger in the air as she announced, “Take five, everyone.”

Chapter 17 - in which you go to the zoo:

“That looks so cool!” Inuoka bounded up to them, phone ready in his hand to take a dozen pictures of whatever they were doing. “Actually, wait, I’ll make a video.”

The two third years went quiet, allowing the excited boy to lean in closer over the railings to get as close to the birds as possible. His eyes were glossed over, the muscles in his fingers twitching when one of them came closer curiously. The flamingo sniffed his phone and observed it from every angle, letting out a squawk after deeming it wasn’t a device that would put him in danger.

It was obvious Inuoka was trying to hold in the temptation to just pet it, but the fear of getting caught and thrown out of the zoo was big enough to prevent him from giving in. After all, they had been warned by their captain at least three times that this was no petting zoo (although that third time was just for good measure and meant to be heard by Lev).

“Aren’t you so pretty, and so quiet and soft, so peaceful- “ He praised when the flamingo tilted its head, peering into his eyes, “Yes, you are. The sweetest- “

Before he was allowed to finish singing these loving words, he released a surprised squeak when his phone was snatched out of his hand and thrown right into the pond. The flamingo took a step forward and nudged Inuoka’s hand lightly before trudging off without a care in the world.

ღღღ

It turned out Shibayama and Inuoka were huge fans of elephants. They were running from one end of the terrain to the other, eagerly shouting at each other to “Look, look, the small ones are playing with each other!” and “Oh my god, they are so cute! Can you see how the big one is snuggling with the young ones?”

While they were excitedly off to the side, Kenma and Teshiro were a bit further away, leaning on the railing to enjoy this small moment of peace. The third years had left to grab something to drink, whereas Yamamoto and Lev had sought out a toilet.

Silence.

Finally some silence.

Kenma sighed a breath of relief, gaining himself a surprised look by the first year. He lowered his head, replying to whomever he was texting with and grumbled, “I’m tired. Wanna go home and sleep. It’s too hot.”

Already used to this side of Kenma, Teshiro turned his gaze back to see Inuoka and Shibayama imitating the behavior of two calves. He fiddled with the straps of his backpack and began talking, “Did you know that elephants never forget anything?”

“Hm?”

“Their temporal lobe- “ He stopped when Kenma cringed, a sign he had no idea what he was talking about, “The part of their brain that stores memories; it’s a lot bigger and denser than that of humans. So they literally never forget anything.”

Kenma hummed, “Guess I lucked out when I became a human then.”

“Why?”

His next words were drowned by the screams of Inuoka and Shibayama. They turned their heads to the sound curiously, their eyes widening at the sight of both first years standing there drenched in water.

Both of them exchanged a look, exploding into fits of laughter as they pointed at one another and giggled uncontrollably. The elephants, mistaking this as playtime, filled up their trunks with even more water and with a terrifying accuracy fired another load of water towards the two first years.

The park was filled with their delighted screaming and their breathless laughter and Kenma only sighed, turning his head to Teshiro with an unimpressed stare, muttering, “You were saying?

Chapter Text

Even if you never really speak about it, you remember like it happened yesterday.

It was your first day of primary school, nervous and excited jitters taking over your small body. Your mother dropped you off at the entrance, kissing your forehead goodbye before she left. Your father cried when you left that morning, the reality of his little princess growing up too painful for him to accept.

But you had always been a shy child around strangers, quiet and observant of their behavior. This quality of yours caused others to pick on you, labeling you as the girl with the strange eyes, the creepy one, and while words were just words - they hit you deep.

You never shared this with your parents, not wanting to worry them on top of their own adult concerns. So you pretended to have a lot of friends, smiling sweetly when they took a bit longer to pick you up after classes were over.

“I’m sorry for coming so late, little one... You weren’t waiting by yourself, were you?”

“No! My friend played with me and just left!”

It wasn’t a complete lie to be fair. Your friend, the tiny stuffed cat in your chubby hands, had stayed with you.

Only when your school hosted a festival, did you start regretting not telling your parents about this. The kids in your class were with their families, laughing freely as they visited the booths all of you worked hard on. They played games together, their boisterous cackling stabbing a growing needle of envy in your heart.

“I’m sorry, little one... Mama and Papa won’t make it today. But you’ll be with your friends, won’t you?”

“Mhm!”

“So make sure to have lots of fun with them, okay?”

“Will do!”

“We love you, okay?”

“I love you too!”

But as you watched them all dissipate around you into different corners, girls climbing their father’s shoulders, boys pressed against their mother’s chest, you were left to stare at your own shadow - large and haunting.

Alone.

You shuffled your foot and fiddled with the hem of your skirt, feeling a strange burning sensation in your eyes. Something was creeping up on you. You knelt on the ground and pressed your face in between your thighs. Just as the claw of sadness threatened to devour you, another shadow merged with yours.

You lifted your head with a sniff and were faced with five stocky fingers reaching your way. Feline eyes in the color of the night sky stared at you, a Cheshire grin emphasizing the cat-like appearance of the boy before you.

“Why are you sitting here by yourself? Wanna play together?”

Clouds parted to reveal the bright lights of the sun shining down on you, cloaking him in a light that warmed the depths of your heart. A thread of hope wove itself through each corner, giving you the strength to grasp his hand and be pulled up.

The words of consent left your lips as sweetly as the juice of the watermelon the both of you ate later on. You ended up swallowing the seeds and he laughed at you, pointing to your stomach with a smirk. He came up with a name for each of the seeds and you ended up creating an entire forest within you.

When he asked you where your parents were, you told him about the profession of your parents and how it often resulted in you being alone. He went on to question if you never felt lonely.

“Sometimes,” you said.

And then he just looked up from the watermelon slice in his hand and grinned at you, all smug and haughty as he said, “You won’t feel lonely anymore!”

“Really?”

“Really.” He nodded meaningfully at your big, hopeful eyes.

“How do you know?”

“Hmmmmmmm.....” He pursed his lips before he perked and grabbed your wrist roughly. With nimble movements, he traced it with his pointer finger and thumb connected and dragged a line from your wrist to his own, and then traced his own wrist.

You let out a sound of wonder and stared at your wrist, literal stars bursting beneath your lids when you saw the imaginary faint line between the two of you.

“We’re connected now!”

Chapter Text

Japan, Tokyo, Sumida-Ward Gymnasium

You craned your neck to stare at the tall building in front of you, your palms sweaty as you held onto the duffel bags.

This was it.

The Semi-Finale for the Playoffs to decide who would get to represent Tokyo in the upcoming Spring Volleyball Inter-High Tournament. 

Four schools. Four teams. But only three spots.

Nekoma High School, Nohebi Academy, Fukurodani Academy and Itachiyama Academy - who would be the unfortunate team to not be a part of those three spots?

“Our first match is against Fukurodani. Facing off against those pesky owls right at the beginning, huh?” Kuroo mused.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you pulled it out to check who had messaged you. Meanwhile Yamamoto was prowling around, on the lookout for any cute female spectators. 

“You guys go on ahead,” you said as you handed Inuoka and Shibayama the bags, “I’ll join you in a minute.”

One by one, they trickled into the gymnasium, leaving you to sweep your eyes around your surroundings. You scanned the area for two very familiar faces, pulling the sleeves of your crimson jersey over your frosty hands. 

“(Name)-chan!” 

You turned at the mention of your name and sure enough were faced with what had to be one of the prettiest sights a human could be graced with. Long silky hair in the color of cool silver fluttered with the wind, teal eyes disappearing into two half moons as Alisa smiled at you brightly. She jogged to you with Akane in tow, both of them wrapped in thick coats to protect themselves from the cold.

You smiled back. “Good morning, Alisa, Akane-chan.”  

They exchanged a giddy look before Akane peered up at you and asked with a glint in her amber eyes, “We’re finally here… Are you ready?”

“Are you nervous?” Alisa gave you no chance to answer, her slim fingers grasping your shoulders urgently, “Remember, we’re right behind you in the stands!”

You couldn’t suppress the chuckle in your chest and placed your hands over her own, squeezing them reassuringly, “I’m fine. We worked hard for this day,” you gazed at the door your teammates just went through, a small smile tugging at your lips, “We’ll be okay.”

Alisa followed your gaze curiously, her eyes widening slightly when she noticed what, or rather who, you were looking at. Her face softened and she turned her hands so her palms faced upwards, and then she threaded her fingers with yours, “Yeah. You’ll be okay.”

Akane watched this exchange with a confused, yet interested look and took a step to the side. But no matter how much she stretched her neck, she couldn’t see what the other had seen. A defeated pout settled on her features, only to be wiped clean when she heard your gasp of wonder.

“Is that your cheer squad, Akane-chan?”

Her eyes lit up like the bright sun above them and she nodded vividly, puffing her chest in pride.

“We gotta let everyone know who we are after all!”

“What would we do without you?”

Your words had the desired effect, causing an adorable blush to blossom on her full cheeks. She curled in on herself and smiled sheepishly; and somehow the sight of her like this brought forth the image of a flustered Taketora in your mind. An apple never fell far from the tree after all.

After a few more minutes of chatting and catching up with the girls, you excused yourself and rushed back inside. With the guys in your sight and the nervous butterflies building their home in your stomach, you were too busy to really look at who you passed.

You missed the way he stopped and turned his head to stare after you; and the way his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, his lip curling into a sly smirk.

You failed to see the cogs turning and the poisonous tongue coming out.

Shibayama was starry-eyed as he walked into the gym, his hand clutching his bag tighter and his teeth biting into the soft flesh of his lip. He was positively excited, his insides squirming when he saw the amount of people standing on the sidelines and sitting in the bleachers.

The hall was filled to the brim, the other three teams already warming up on both sides of the courts. The cheer squads began raising their voices, the cheerleaders with their huge grins thrashing their pom poms in the air. 

He couldn’t believe they had already gotten so far in his first year of high school. Just one more game, only one more win and they would get their ticket to the Inter-High Tournament. All of their hard work, all of the past few weeks that they spent pushing their bodies to their very limits - it all came down to now.

Even if he wasn’t part of the starting roster, even if he couldn’t prove himself and have his chance to shine this time, there was no denying the excitement that buzzed through his veins at the mere thought of getting to be there in person and watch all of the schools battle each other until the last one of them remained standing.

“Hey there,” you said and pulled him out of his thoughts, “How are you holding up?”

“A little nervous,” he admitted.

“Yeah, me too.” You received a baffled look from him, and laughed it off, “What? Do I not have the luxury of fear?”

“Ah, no… It’s just that… I don’t know…”

He closed one of his eyes when you patted him on the head and said, “It’ll be okay. We’ll play like we always have.”

The effect was immediate. The way you spoke calmly as if you were sure of yourself - sure of the boys - grounded him and allowed his lungs to expand in relief. He remembered Kuroo’s words from a bit earlier; how he had said the exact same thing as you just had.

And then he smiled after you, his eyes loyally on you as you took the water bottles and placed each of them on the bench, following along with the carefully folded towels and jelly snacks. But he had no time to watch you prepare the bench. He had a job himself.

“Come on, Yūki! We don’t have all day!” Inuoka called after him, the trolley of volleyballs right in front of him.

Shibayama steeled himself and took another deep lungful breath of air.

It was almost time.

This was it.

“Coming!”

“I heard our cute crows have taken down the almighty Ushiwaka. They’ve made it through to nationals,” Kuroo smiled dangerously at his teammates, his hand resting on Kai’s shoulder, “We can’t afford to lose here.”

Everyone let out a shout of agreement, their faces scrunched up in a mixture of excitement and jittery nerves. Yamamoto was smiling at his little sister in the bleachers, who was shouting commands into her giant megaphone to get the atmosphere pumping. Lev and Yaku were waving at Alisa, the latter swooning over her pretty looks and the former boasting about his good genes, earning him a kick in his shin.

You fastened your blank papers on your clipboard and clicked open the lower end of your pen. And then, you lifted your eyes to meet their faces. Your voice was calm, but authoritative and they stilled immediately, hanging onto every single one of your words. Coach Nekomata smiled.

“Whatever happens, we can’t let Bokuto-senpai find his groove. Once he finds his rhythm, we’re gonna have real trouble stopping him. This is not a practice match. This is not a three-on-three. This is the real deal. So let’s not even let it get to that.”

They nodded affirmingly and huddled together for their chant. Just as you were about to step back to take your spot beside the coaches, Kenma glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with you. “Coming?”

Your eyes widened at the implication of his words, delight taking over your face as you bounded up to them, squeezing in between Kenma and Kuroo. The captain began their slogan with his usual bravado, his palm warm on top of your stacked hands. It ended as soon as it began and by the time you skidded back to stand beside the coaches with your trusty clipboard pressed against your chest, the whistle had already been blown.

Sarukui started the rally off with a jump serve and your fingers got to work. You pressed the tip of your pencil against the blank canvas when Yaku squatted to receive it. The ball went flying in a high arch right into Kenma’s hands, who set it towards Kuroo with ease. Kuroo grinned provocatively, looking the blockers right in their eyes and spiked the first point.

“GO GO NEKOMA! FIGHT FIGHT NEKOMA!” Akane shouted into her megaphone, everyone behind her following suit by echoing her words. 

Kenma and Kuroo high-fived each other, the latter wiping his sweaty palms over the fabric of his crimson shorts. Yamamoto moved to the back of the court with a ball in his hands, inhaling deeply before he served for the next rally. 

Konoha received it effortlessly, his eyes moving over to Akaashi, who calmly set it to a waiting Bokuto. The wing spiker was already giddy on his feet, practically starving for the leathery texture of the ball to snuggle his palm. He smashed it right into Kai’s block, the force of it so brutal that it bounced off of his fingers and all the way up to the bleachers, right into Akane’s hands.

The entire gymnasium went quiet, safe for the wing spiker himself, who filled the void with his signature screech. His hey, hey, hey! reverberated across the walls, urging the cheer team of his school to become even louder. 

A strained smile tugged at your lips and your grip around your pen became tighter. ‘We can’t let him find his groove.’

The match continued, both sides refusing to let the other pull forward. Back and forth it went as one team scored a point, only to get the next one snatched from right under their noses. Your eyes followed like a hungry panther, your wrist not letting up as you documented the entire proceedings with your brain running on the highest possible gear.

The scoreboard read 12 points for Nekoma and 11 for Fukurodani, but soon those numbers changed as Bokuto scored, and scored, and scored.

“I hate to say it out loud, but Bokuto’s in top form today. It’s quite mesmerizing to watch.” Coach Nekomata leaned back with a wry grin.

Coach Naoi bent forward to rest his chin in his palm, his brow raised as he assessed Bokuto, “Yeah. It could get troublesome if we don’t do something about him.”

Meanwhile you were still scribbling away, your first page already filled to the brim. By the time the coaches were done talking with each other and the rally ended, you lifted your hand from the board. Your head turned to coach Nekomata in the same instant that he glanced over to you.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

You nodded. He motioned for the referee for a time-out and the whistle blew before the next rally could begin. With quick movements, you distributed everyone’s water bottles and towels. Their bodies were already drenched in sweat, their chests heaving with fast pants.

“Bokuto is in top form…” Kenma commented as he lazily sipped on his bottle.

“That’s made itself pretty obvious.” Yamamoto muttered.

“However Yaku is also in top shape today.”

Said boy grinned mischievously and wiped the sweat off his brows, “Yeah! It’s like the game’s really slowed down for me!”

Kenma looked at the ground for a second, looking thoughtful, before he said, “Bokuto appears fixated on his straights right now.”

“It’s most likely ‘cause he knows he can’t get through with his crosses since Mori-kun is right there to receives his spikes.” You added, tapping your pencil on your clipboard.

“We’ve been blocking all his crosses so far, should we switch it up to stuffing his straights?” Kai asked.

You shook your head, “No. We’ll hold off on that until after we have fully exploited his straights. Just keep playing like you always do. Cover all perimeters. Leave no space unoccupied. Don’t give him the luxury of thinking there’s a spot he can comfortably spike to.”

Coach Nekomata smiled from behind you, stifling an amused snort at your perceptiveness. The boys nodded affirmingly and dropped their towels on the bench when the whistle signaled for the end of the time-out.

Not much later, you were forced to call in a second time out after Lev missed two spikes in a row. Sensing the nervous and frustrated energy within the first year, you waved him over. 

The scoreboard read 18 points for Nekoma and 20 points for Fukurodani. 

You patted his neck dry as he downed his water bottle and began talking, “There’s no reason to sweat the small stuff. The game’s just begun and you’re not on your own.”

He was about to thank you, but you showed him you had no intention of going easy on him just because it was his first official game. “Keep your eyes on the ball. Don’t drop your elbows. And focus more on the height of your jump rather than the speed.”

Lev gulped, trying to look for escape routes from the uncomfortable situation, but you only passed the knife to Kenma, who drove the tip deeper into his insides. “You’re still a far cry from being Shōyo’s peer.”

The whistle blew again and thus, the match resumed where it left off. You ended up losing the first set, but managed to gather enough information from all the rallies that you were able to come up with a plan.

When the second set began, the boys did as you told them to and pretty soon you saw the result of your and their hard work. Fukurodani struggled more and more to score points with each passing minute. The rallies were getting longer and by the time you appeared to take the lead, Fukurodani called for a time-out.

“Let’s nip it in the bud,” you said, “Aim all of your serves and returns to Akaashi-san. Let’s exhaust him until his sets are no longer satisfactory for Bokuto-senpai. Otherwise, keep up what you were doing. You’re doing brilliant.”

They beamed at you and resumed their spots on the hardwood floor. Slowly, but surely, Akaashi’s movements got sloppier, his shirt clinging onto his lean frame like a second layer of skin. And if you looked closely enough, you could see a little vein of frustration pop up on his temple. You smiled satisfactorily, lifting your chin haughtily when you once again took the lead.

This set was going to be yours.

Your smile turned into a grin, making you look almost maniacal when Bokuto spiked outside of the line and muttered to his teammates “How do I even spike crosses again?”

This set was going to be yours. You were going to win this set and get the third as well. You were going to secure your place for the Inter-High Tournament and battle it out with the other winning team for the representative team of Tokyo-

But right as you mentally celebrated your quick thinking and your seemingly genius strategy, Akaashi once again proved you wrong. He once again proved to be a worthy opponent - the shadow of the ace Bokuto - when he single-handedly with a single spike raised Bokuto’s spirits from the pits of hell back up into the milky way.

The second set ended earlier than you anticipated, rendering you speechless when your plan failed you. Akaashi glanced over and locked eyes with you. Droplets of sweat rolled down his chiseled chin and it was clear as day that he was exhausted - both physically, as well as mentally. 

You gave him a tired and defeated smile, collecting everyone’s towels and water bottles to pass them around. There was a 45 minute break in which the girls team would compete for the final spot. The boys used this as a chance to wash their faces and get freshened up in the bathrooms, whereas you rushed to get all of their bottles refilled.

The hallways to the water dispensers were almost empty. There were only a few people mulling around, either going to the toilets or taking a walk to calm their jittery nerves. You thought back to your coach’s words as you washed the bottles thoroughly. It was hard not to blame yourself for the loss, considering you had taken it upon yourself to lead them throughout the entire game with the strategies you had come up with.

But this was Fukurodani you were speaking of. The combination of Bokuto and Akaashi had always been enough to keep you on your toes. Akaashi brought out the best (for your case however, the worst) in the wing spiker and if it wasn’t for his extremely volatile mood swings, you were sure there would be no force that could possibly stop Bokuto.

You began to fill the bottles one by one, unaware of the approaching storm from behind you.

“Do you feel better now?” Shibayama asked Lev after Kuroo left them to look for Kenma.

The tall first year messed up his hair with a grunt, a permanent frown etched on his otherwise handsome features. This last game had really done a number on him. It was supposed to be his grande debut, the game in which all eyes were on him. He had worked so hard for this moment, had followed your training and nutrition schedule to a T.

How come his body refused to move the way it should have when it mattered the most? He was frustrated, to say the least. He wanted to do more. He wanted to fight more.

This was not it yet.

This could not be the end.

“We still have one last chance.” Inuoka said with an encouraging smile.

Teshiro was there as well and patted his shoulder. “Use your shortcomings in this match as feedback for the next. We only have to win now.”

“And then we’ll get to play many, many more times!” Shibayama added giddily.

Lev let their words sink in, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. He lowered his gaze to his palm, the delicious pull of the muscles still lingering behind his skin. 

He wanted to spike again.

“Many, many more times…” He repeated, feeling a glimmer of hope within his chest.

“Excuse me?” 

A voice unknown to you pulled you out of your thoughts. You turned around to be faced with slanted, piercing eyes and clover-colored hair. It was a familiar face. A face you had seen often.

Suguru Daishō.

Captain of the Nohebi Academy’s volleyball club.

You gulped and gave him a friendly, yet strained smile. You had watched him plenty of times when you went to do recon during their practice matches, however you never had the opportunity to actually talk with each other. 

Kuroo had warned you.

Your unease didn’t go unnoticed by him.

“Suguru-san, how can I help you?” You asked politely. 

He rested his hand on the edge of the water fountain and leaned his body weight on his arm. “Looks like both our teams lost and have to face each other now.”

You turned away from him and continued filling the water bottles, hoping that he would get the message of your body language. “Is that so?”

“You know I’m a bit worried though.” He crossed his arms and looked off into the distance. He didn’t even look at you, yet you felt as if he was stripping you bare, your stomach squeezing with tiny knots.

Suguru didn’t wait for you to respond, and merely continued, “You came to so many of our matches and I’ve heard quite a few things about you. Maybe I shouldn’t even be talking to you?” 

He made it sound like a joke and chuckled, but you still felt a prick to your heart and froze for a second. Perceptive as he was, it didn’t go unnoticed by him. You chose not to answer, quietly moving to the next bottle.

“What if you already see through me and find my weakness now? Surely, you’ll come up with one of your genius plans and use my weak points against me during our match. But that’s not really how volleyball works, is it?”

Your grip around the bottle tightened and you glanced over at him, “What are you trying to say?”

“Isn’t the only reason your team even got this far because you pretended to be everyone’s friend?”

Time froze.

His tone was no longer casual, his eyes focused on you. It was like he was assessing you, scanning your reactions. An army of tiny ants were running rampant inside your stomach and you tried desperately not to linger on his words.

But he had no intention of stopping. “But isn’t that just cruel, (Surname)-san? Exploiting everyone’s kindness and using them for your own gain? Although, on surface level, I think I get it.” He smiled at you; a smile full of spite, “You gotta do what you gotta do to be successful, right?”

“That’s not,” you finally managed to find your voice, “That’s not true. Everyone worked really hard to be where they are now. I didn’t- “

“Save the talk for someone who actually believes you.” The temperature dropped by fifty degrees as soon as his sharp eyes landed on you, threatening to devour you alive, “You know, like ‘your friends’. But I guess cruelty just runs in the cat’s blood.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m saying just like you used all of your precious friends, they are using you too. This is not a one-way street.” He leaned in closer, completely disregarding any boundaries you had set for your personal space. 

You felt cornered, like a scared little kitten, your heart beating like a sledgehammer against your ribcage. Like he was the large, poisonous snake who was getting ready to strike. Arguing with him would be futile, your voice would come out shaky and garbled anyway. The last thing you wanted was for him to see how vulnerable you were.

The large snake rose to its full height and hissed.

“As soon as you prove to be useless to them, they’ll cast you aside.” 

And then, it struck.

“Just like your old basketball team in middle school.”

They were only words. But the weight they carried surpassed mountains. 

Wounds you had long since forced yourself to forget and banish from your mind rushed back in an onslaught of guilt and dread. You paled, the agony in your eyes excruciating.

How did he even find out about this?

“Oh!” He straightened up and plastered a fake smile when people started filling the hallway again, “But that’s none of my business, is it? Listen, I should go. My boys are waiting for me and so are yours.”

Suguru gazed at you for a few seconds before he then turned away to strode off, glancing back one last time to say, “Good luck, (Surname)-san. ”

But you were no longer listening to him. Your eyes were unfocused, stinging with tears as something began to slide around your ankles. The bottle was filled to the brim, overflowing into the tub when you didn’t turn off the faucet.

Your hands were sopping wet and cold.

So, so cold.

You don’t know how you managed to get back on the court without tripping over your feet. Your legs felt like jello, like every single muscle lost its tightness and became loose, wobbling around inside the layers of fat. Your stomach felt empty and full at the same time, like it was expanding so much that it stretched your skin, threatening to burst open and paint the walls.

Suguru’s words replayed themselves like a mantra, echoing inside your brain. The boys huddled together in a circle again, pushing you between themselves. You couldn’t tell who was to your right or who was to your left. 

Someone said something, but they sounded far away as though all of you and everything around you had been submerged in water. Only the gentle shake of your arm resurfaced you and you realized that they were talking to you. 

“You okay?” Kuroo asked, giving you a once over.

You gave him a shaky nod and turned away from him as you mumbled, “Good luck out there.”

He eyed you suspiciously, but didn’t pry further. 

But when instead of scribbling like a madman on that clipboard of yours like you usually did, you merely stood there petrified, the threads began to unravel. Nohebi pulled one dirty trick after another, winning the referees for themselves and scoring points along with it.

Your boys grew more restless with each unfair move, the uneasy feeling in your stomach festering into something poisonous. Coach Nekomata glanced at you from the side every now and then, waiting for your signal, frowning when you gave him none.

Your mind refused to process the information your eyes transmitted, the match in front of you making no sense and by the time the coaches called for the first time out, you wished for the ground to swallow you whole. 

Everyone looked at you as if they were seeing you for the first time, like you were a complete stranger. They exchanged worried glances, communicating without words and it was the captain, who took a step forward.

“Everything okay?” He asked you again, his voice gentle and inquiring.

Your eyes found Suguru, who was shooting you a polite smile, giving you a half bow as if he hadn’t just mentally messed with your head. Bile rose in your throat, an invisible hand coming from around your neck to press its palm against your lips, preventing you from speaking.

When you didn’t answer, the boys became even more concerned, looking over to their coaches for help. But before anyone was able to say anything else, the whistle blew to call the players back on the court. Too busy trying to figure out what was wrong with you, they missed their chance to regroup and discuss a new strategy.

‘This is all my fault…’

Tears pooled at your eyes when the point difference grew for Nohebi’s favor and when Yaku stumbled back injured, you felt your entire world collapse. Your heart dropped heavily in your stomach, the sight of him wincing with each step he took enough to make you shiver.

He looked so frustrated, so small and sad in that moment that there was nothing more that you wanted to do than hold him and reassure him that everything was going to be okay. But the vines around your ankles kept you rooted firmly to the ground, their thorns cutting into your skin hard enough to draw blood.

Yamamoto supported him all the way over to the benches where coach Naoi was already waiting with an ice pack. When he passed you, he pressed his palm against the back of your head, his eyes facing ahead. 

There were no words spoken in that moment, but this one tiny gesture spoke volumes.

It was as if the deities were against you - Kuroo was the next one to injure himself and it was Inuoka who sprinted to treat his bleeding finger, not you. You willed your legs to move, clenching your jaw when desperation threatened to take a hold of you.

You couldn’t breathe. You were choking and you couldn’t breathe and Suguru was right across from you with a tiny sly grin that no one but you saw and you were so angry-

“I don’t know what that snake told you behind our backs, but if you’re so thin-skinned to lose your cool and priorities over something like this, I have nothing left to say.” Kuroo materialized beside you and looked down at you. There was no sympathy in his voice when he said, “We don’t need a coach who will drag us down when things get tough.”

He left without giving you the opportunity to retaliate or defend yourself and was immediately faced with the wrath of Yaku, who had to be held back by coach Naoi. However you stood there wide-eyed, your cheeks warming at the choice of his words. 

He called you their coach.

You turned your gaze to linger at his broad back, gratitude swelling inside your chest when your eyes began to sting again.

“(Name).” Kenma said, looking straight into your eyes. You don’t know if it was because of the bright lights of the gymnasium or because of something else, but his eyes were positively gleaming. “I’ve got it from here. Go back and rest.”

The match continued as if neither Yaku nor Kuroo were missing. The other boys did a wonderful job in filling the empty spaces they left behind. Fukunaga and Kai received every spike and rebound like they were born to do it; Kuroo and Lev worked in sync on their blocks; Yamamoto was killing his spikes and Kenma was having the time of his life pulling the strings.

You watched slack-jawed as they fought for you, their earlier distress at not being able to help you transforming into boundless energy on the court. Coach Nekomata called your name and patted the seat beside him, a patient and kind smile on his face.

He crossed his arms when you seated yourself next to him, his eyes not once leaving the boys.

“Do you know what it means to be a coach?” He asked.

You lowered your gaze shamefully to the ground, clutching your sweatpants in frustration. You chose not to answer. He seemed like he expected it and patted your thigh in a grandfatherly manner.

“It means to be able to lead. To have a firm grasp on reality and tackle problems head on, not dwell on them.”

The audience roared and you snapped your head to the scoreboard to see that Nekoma had pulled ahead and was now at match point. Akane screamed into her megaphones, Alisa was shouting unintelligibly, her face pink and sweaty.

‘Just one more point. And then we get to play at nationals.’

When had the first set even ended? 

When had the second set even begun? 

When had they scored all these points?

“But you’re not a coach yet,” coach Nekomata said as the rally started, “So indulge in all of these fears and insecurities while you still can.”

You turned to give him a confused look, “I don’t… I don’t think I understand?”

“I’m a firm believer that you need to hit rock bottom to be able to soar freely up in the sky. You have to fall in order to learn how to stand up. But you also need trust. Trust in yourself and in your teammates.”

Another roar from the bleachers. It was as if the planets aligned, as if the universe was reaching out a soothing hand to stroke your cheeks. Your insides tingled and before you knew it, you were already standing and stepping towards the edge of the court.

Lev pulled off an insane block, leading Shibayama to receive the spike perfectly. Your eyes flitted to Kenma, who had his arms lifted and waited patiently for the ball to fit into the little pocket he had created. 

Your mouth fell open, the weight on your ankles feeling lighter and lighter with each step your teammates took when you noticed the familiar picture: a synchro attack.

A kindle of hope glimmered in your chest. You felt like a match about to be ignited. Just a small spark, that was all you needed.

Your eyes were transfixed on Kuroo’s arched and broad back. He seemed suspended mid-air, as if he was flying, as if he was telling you to look and slammed the last ball over the net, hitting the block right at its very edge before sending the ball into a far corner of the gym. A corner that no one was able to reach in time.

The whistle sang.

Nekoma: 26 Nohebi: 24 

2:0

The flag pointed to Nekoma’s direction.

There was a moment of sheer, baffled and uncomprehending silence.

It all came rushing back to you - Suguru’s ruthless words piercing your heart into a million tiny pieces, you losing your composure and falling to your knees helplessly, your friends rushing to your aid to help you up and comfort you as they began to glue the pieces back together.

“We’re a family, (Name)-chan. We win together, we lose together. It’s just how things work.”

Kai’s kind words swirled inside your mind, curling itself around the vile statements Suguru had left, squeezing them dry until there was nothing but ink dripping from them. And when the first thing everyone did after winning the match was to turn to you with big, expecting eyes, you lost it.

You burst onto the court and jumped into Kuroo’s unsuspecting chest, your weight knocking the breath out of his lungs as he wrapped his arms to steady you. His sweaty shirt was getting wetter, your tears pooling around the fabric when you pressed your nose deeper into his embrace.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…” You couldn’t stop muttering in between your sobs, your nails digging into his shirt.

He sighed and sank forward, his chin plonking on top of your head. “Stupid. Don’t pull something like that again. Talk to us. To me.”

The unusually melancholic moment didn’t last long, because in the next second you were toppled to the ground, crushed in between sweaty bodies. You couldn’t tell who was where, but the delirious laughter and the snotty tears were enough to fully free your ankles from the shackles of the chains. 

You were surrounded by warmth, by laughter, by joy, by love.

“You made it…” You whispered when you managed to look up, meeting the teary eyes of Yaku.

He took your hand and shook his head, something indescribable glimmering in his gaze, “We made it.”

Kai patted your head and leaned in from the side, his perfume clouding your senses in a blanket of safety and comfort. “We’re going to nationals, (Name)-chan.”

Kenma nudged you shyly, his hair sticking to his face and thus covering his small smile of delight, “We get to play Shōyo again…”

“Nationals, nationals, nationals!” Lev, Inuoka and Yamamoto shouted in sync, pumping their fists in the air in rhythm to the cheer squad.

Shibayama was crying in Teshiro’s arms, swallowing half of his words as the quiet first year simply patted his back in an exhausted manner. Fukunaga squatted behind you, his chest pressing into your back when he leaned forward to rest his cheek on your shoulder. The strands of his hair tickled your neck and you looked down to see him dazed and exhausted. 

With a smile, you reached to pat his head, “Good job, Shō-chan.”

He froze for a nanosecond before he loosened up again, a satisfied grin settling on his face. 

But then a light bulb went off in your head, thunder struck and you suddenly felt like you had forgotten the most important piece of this puzzle.

You twisted your head to the side and everyone followed suit. Several gasps resounded.

It was if the tiny click in your head led to a chain reaction of glimmering light bulbs around you. You all moved in sync as if you were connected to a link. Whatever tiny bit of stamina was left in everyone’s legs was put to good use as you started sprinting.

The coaches heard your thundering steps and looked up curiously from their little chat. 

It all happened within a second.

Coach Nekomata’s eyes opened impossibly wide.

You screamed out his name.

And then.

You all jumped.

BONUS 1:

“Do you want a bite of my sandwich?” Inuoka held his snack towards you with a shaky smile.

After winning the match against Nohebi, you had cried a bucket worth of tears. You only stopped sobbing like a lost child after you were seated on the bus and on your way back to school.

You shook your head and thanked him, feeling your heart swell. Somehow looking back now, Suguru’s words clearly were nothing more than just that - words.

It was obvious in every small action of the boys, in every tiny crevice of their being that their feelings for you were pure and genuine. Shame coursed through your veins when you thought back to how easily you let yourself be deceived. 

If there was anyone who knew these boys like the back of their hand, it was you. If anyone knew of the bond you shared, it was you.

“I used to manage my middle school’s basketball team.” You said after a very long pause.

Inuoka stilled mid-bite and gave you a sideways glance. Not knowing what to respond, considering this was the first time you opened up to him, he waited for you to continue.

“My dad is a basketball coach. So I used to accompany him wherever he went as a child. It kind of went without saying that I would follow his footsteps.” You stretched your legs and stared at your feet, “But I didn’t mind. I loved basketball and I loved the dynamics between my dad and his athletes. I always wanted that too.”

The bus shook as it rode over pebbles and curving asphalt, the quiet murmur of the motor vibrating throughout the vehicle. Most of the boys were knocked out cold, some snoring loudly, while others (Lev and Shibayama) were muttering in their sleep. Kenma, as usual, was back to playing on his console. Inuoka made a sound of affirmation, a signal that he was listening to you.

You felt oddly at peace, as if every word that left your lips took weight off of your shoulders. 

“But the coaches didn’t really like it when I meddled and wanted me to focus on managerial duties. They would refuse to look at the strategies I came up with, completely disregarding any of my ideas. A girl is not supposed to teach boys. You’re supposed to look after them, they would say.” 

A bitter smile on your face, you continued, “I felt small… so small and insignificant. Like I didn’t matter. But I stuck with them for the whole three years, because I thought they would come around eventually. I really wanted to prove my worth and make my dad proud.”

“What happened?” Inuoka found himself asking, completely captivated by this piece of information.

“In our last year of middle school, everything went down the drain. They all left the club. I was the only one left.”

There was a moment of silence and then he bowed his head, “I’m sorry.”

You patted his head, “Don’t look so gloomy, I’m over it now.” 

He noticed from the corner of his vision how you eyed the team with a fond smile, a whisper of gratitude behind your smile that previously wasn’t there. But there was something still bugging him. It was itching inside his throat, begging to be let out.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how come you joined the volleyball club when you wanted to become a basketball coach then?”

You took a moment to think, feeling yourself get thrust back in time. You were in your living room, on the sofa with your knees tucked against your chest, your chin resting on top of them. The lights of the television flickered over your face, casting shadows under your wide eyes as you watched transfixed.

“I saw the Olympics last summer. There was one particular player that caught my eye.” Just the memory of it made your eyes glimmer, “He looked so beautiful playing volleyball, I couldn’t look away. I was…” you scrambled for the right word, “enraptured.”

“Enraptured?” Inuoka asked, eyeing you with curiosity.

“He made it look like a dance. All of his movements were calculated and executed perfectly. There was no wasted energy and… he just radiated. Like he truly lived to play on the court. I guess I was simply inspired by his passion.”

Inuoka hummed and leaned back against his seat, crossing his feet over one another as he pondered your words. Not a minute later, he turned back to you, his eyes resting on the edges of his seat as he asked,

“Who was it?”

BONUS 2:

“Who’s that?”

“Hm?”

“This girl over there seems awfully involved for someone who looks to be a manager.”

“Oh, that? That is (Surname) (Name), sir. She’s a second year at Nekoma and manages the volleyball team.”

The man turned to his companion with wide eyes, “(Surname)? As in (Surname) (Your father’s name)?”

The latter only nodded with a smile full of mirth.

“What on earth is the daughter of the national basketball team’s coach doing in a volleyball club?”

“That.. I do not know, sir. But it seems she has made quite a name for herself. The coaches of the Fukurodani Academy Group sing high praises for her potential to become a coach.”

A moment of thoughtful silence passed.

“A coach, huh?”

Chapter Text

With the preliminaries successfully behind them and their spot as Tokyo’s representative secured, one would think that the Nekoma boys’ volleyball team would sit back and relax. Bask in the outpour of serotonin a bit more. Buy some cake and celebrate.

(They had learnt their lesson last time you had baked one for them. Never again.)

But one would then not properly know the Nekoma volleyball team. Because these young men were anything but relaxed. If the preliminaries taught them anything, it was that they still had a lot of room left to grow. 

That was exactly why they were in their school’s gymnasium right now, on a Sunday afternoon, sweating buckets from every pore of their skin. The familiar sounds of volleyballs slamming the ground accompanied their breathless panting, followed by the rhythmic whistling of coach Naoi in between each drill.

However, there was one thing that was amiss.

You.

The spot you usually occupied was empty, the dozens of notebooks that would litter the bench coach Nekomata sat on was devoid of said items and there was no one to calm Yaku whenever he shouted at Lev.

Your lack of presence was glaringly obvious for the group of boys who had gotten used to the high timbre of your voice. At first, no one said anything, only glanced over their shoulders at where you should be standing. After fifteen minutes and you still not showing up, the first few began to grow antsy.

They exchanged confused looks, some even voicing out their concern that something could have happened to you. After all, you weren’t someone to miss practice, especially not when the national tournament was right around the corner.

Perhaps you were sick, your body finally having reached its limits after you continuously pushed yourself for the sake of the preliminaries?

Or worse – what if you were involved in an accident and had no way of contacting someone to come for your help?

Hence why when their first break commenced, they huddled around coach Nekomata and shot one question after another at him.

Except for one of them.

Fukunaga was smiling smugly, almost triumphantly, and refused to say anything until their coach cleared his throat to get the attention back on him.

“Alright, alright, I can already tell you lot won’t be fully present in today’s practice if I don’t tell you where she’s been whisked off to.” He smiled shrewdly.

They looked at him with anticipation.

His lips moved.

The boys listened.

And then… chaos.

Earlier that day

“(Name), are you in there?” 

You lifted your head from your notebook when your mother knocked against your door and used this as an opportunity to reach for the ceiling to stretch your spine. A groan slipped from your lips and she stepped inside, a knowing smile on her face.

“Your dad wants to talk to you for a second. Can you come out?”

“What’s up?” You wheeled around and tilted your head.

“Just come with me for a second, will you?”

‘Oh, shoot.’

This sounded ominously like you were in trouble.

You bit your lip and thought back to every instance in your life in which you might have done something unpleasant for them. Several small moments showed up in your mind’s eye, but surely if your father was angry with you, he wouldn’t send your mother to fetch you? And surely she wouldn’t have that smile on her face… right?

“Ah, there you are.” Your father said and pulled you out of your very engrossing internal debate, “I need to talk to you about something. Sit down.”

Oh.

So it was something serious.

Your eyes widened slightly when he gestured towards the couch. With a silent gulp, you lowered yourself and took a seat next to him. Your mother remained by your father’s side, her gaze expectant and focused on you.

Was this supposed to imitate the atmosphere of a confession booth? 

Because right now, it certainly made you feel like they were expecting you to bare your soul to them. You fiddled with your fingers and watched him meekly.

“Something happened.“ He said. “And I have some news to share.”

“Okay…” You stretched the word as if trying to delay the revelation of this supposed news, not yet ready to be faced with whatever seriousness he wanted to confront you with.

Was he finally fed up with all the bad grades you had been bringing home? Had his tolerance to all your supplementary classes and make up tests run out? Was he going to make you choose between volleyball and school now?

“You’re going to the all Japan boy’s youth training camp.”

Actually, scratch that.

“What?” You gaped like a fish, looking from your father to your mother and then back to your father.

The cogs in your mind came to an abrupt stop, your eyes blinking as if trying to process the information you had just been given. But the only words going through your mind right now were System failure! System failure! and you shook your head as if the action would help get rid of the confusion.

“You’re going to the national volleyball training camp for young adults.”

A few seconds of silence passed and they looked as if they expected the world of you right now.

You still gaped.

And then you frowned.

“Yeah, no, I still don’t get it. Come again?”

Your mother scoffed in a loving way and leant forward to place her chin in her palm. Your father’s lips quirked in a victorious grin as well and he repeated, with the patience of a saint, “You are going to the national all boy’s youth training camp.”

Miniature mountains rose from every surface of your skin, the goosebumps making you shiver in your seat when the wires in your brain finally connected. You exhaled shakily, trying to understand, really understand what your father meant by that.

Your eyes filled with a salty sting.

“I don’t get it- H- How? Why?”

He looked at your mother, who beamed brighter than the sun itself when she said, “An old acquaintance of your father saw you at the preliminaries and contacted him to ask what his little girl was doing in a volleyball club rather than a swimming or basketball club.”

“That old geezer felt too much satisfaction that you ended up pursuing his sport rather than mine.“ He laughed in that old fatherly way that never failed to fill your stomach with warmth, “And to rub one in on me, he asked me to let you participate in his training camp.”

You were still trying to fully come to terms with what he was saying, but he was already rambling on, a silly grin stuck on his face, “Life works in funny ways, huh? You ended up in a volleyball team and his son ended up being the ace and captain of his high school’s basketball team. We scouted him to take part in my training camp as well.”

Suguru’s words rushed back into your fried mind and you steeled yourself for whatever answer might come next. You had to know.

“So he wants me there because I’m your daughter?”

“No.” He said patiently, already aware where your mind was wondering. It was one of his ‘dad skills’ as he liked to call it. He leaned closer to really look into your eyes to make sure you listened carefully to him, “He wants to teach you because you fascinate him.”

Heat rose to your cheeks and you straightened your spine in a flustered manner, “F-Fascinate?”

His smile did not falter once. “It’s not every day that a manager gets involved in their team like you do, let alone get praised by coaches from other schools. You’ve made quite a name for yourself, huh?”

Everything came spiraling back to you. Like a truck slipping on a rain-sodden road, it hit you smack dab in the face until you fell forward with a crushing dent in your chest. And then the truck reversed and barreled over you once more. Just for good measure.

All of the all nighters on your desk with books open left and right, the dozens of bunched up papers overflowing from your garbage bin. All of the documentaries and interviews you had watched, the words of advice from both your mother and your father, your coaches, the coaches from the other schools. Every single trip to said schools; all the missed study sessions and make up tests; all of the wrist pain you had endured from writing all of the info sheets and strategies-

It had all been worth it.

It was only when your mother couldn’t hold it in anymore and squeezed you in her arms to suffocate you with her love and pride that you felt the first few drops rolling down your cheeks.

The empty basketball court with only you in the center, lights out and abandoned by your own team.

The now full volleyball court with ten overly eager boys fighting and laughing with each other, the two coaches who held nothing but warm adoration for you.

And when your father reached to wipe the tears away, he kept his palms cradled against your cheeks, his thumbs ready to catch them as they fell, and fell, and fell.

Your hard work finally began to pay off.

You were shaking.

You were so nervous, your entire body was trembling with fear and trepidation. Was it getting hotter in this gymnasium that seemed to shrink or were you just sweating profusely in the face of a dozen curious eyes peering straight at you?

You felt like one of those mannequins at the mall, displayed out in the open for everyone to look at you from every single corner and scrutinize. It was not a very pleasant feeling.

You tried not to let it show, tried to think of your father’s words, of how you needed to appear confident to be confident and how if you didn’t learn to swim among sharks, you would be devoured in an instant.

So fast, you wouldn’t even know you were being digested already.

Wait, what?

Unaware of the constipated expression on your face as you pondered your very questionable thoughts, a deep and low voice pulled you out of your reverie. Coach Hibarida placed an encouraging hand on your shoulder and faced forward. The slight jerk of your shoulder didn’t go unnoticed and you were met with a few amused snickers from the boys who stood before you.

“And this is (Surname) (Name), manager and coach-in-training of the Nekoma High volleyball club. Some of you might be familiar with her.“ Komori beamed at you, Kageyama gave you a small smile with a nod and Sakusa… just stared at you, like your very existence was a grim reminder to that very unpleasant run-in at the sports store, “And some of you might be seeing her for the first time.”

The others, whose faces and names were familiar to you (thanks to your arduous study session the night before when the coaches had sent you the list of attendants via mail), switched their gazes from you to the coach, listening to his every single word as if he was a god.

To be fair, he probably was a god in their eyes.

There wasn’t a single person in this group who didn’t have high potential and even higher goals - being part of the national team one day was somewhere in there for all of them.

(And to be frank, you were idolizing him a little bit yourself.)

“Regardless of whether you know each other or not, I would ask you to view her as one of us,” he gestured to himself and coach Hitaki, “So if she asks you to do something or interrupts your drills for whatever reason she deems fit - I want you to trust her and go along with it.”

“But remember, she too is here to learn. So if you have any questions or concerns that you can’t figure out together,“ coach Hitaki said, “Us old geezers are here as well.”

A friendly round of laughter reverberated across the walls and you felt the ants in your stomach come to a slow halt. When it got quiet again and no one talked, no one moved, just looked at you, you realized they were waiting for you to say something.

Your throat dried right back up and you hoped to god or whatever deity was watching over you that you didn’t appear as stupid and awkward as you feared you did.

As if sensing your unease, Komori locked eyes with you and gave you a toothy grin, his thumbs pointing up encouragingly. Confronted with his limitless positivity, it was impossible to not be infected by it. Wings fluttered in your chest and breathing became easier again. You managed a half-stiff bow and raised your voice so even the ones in the back could hear you loud and clear,

“Thank you for having me! I’m looking forward to working with all of you, please take care of me!”

Coach Hibarida glanced at you from the corner of his vision, his dark eyes surrounded by wrinkles as his lips lifted into a fond smile. He was thrown back in time.

You were just like your dad.

The first few hours passed uneventfully. The boys began to warm up not long after you introduced yourself and you were stationed right beside the coaches, in between coach Hibarida and coach Hitaki.

You were dutifully taking your notes as you observed them do several drills and then periodically changed your position when it was time to play three-on-three matches. Your hand did not stop scribbling once, even when you were moving to observe from another spot. 

It was kind of comical, really.

Your face buried in your clipboard and the liberos (mostly Komori) jumping in front of you frantically every now and then to save you from a stray ball. 

Whenever the coaches clipped in to give their comments to a specific rally, you flipped a few pages and jotted down what they were saying, although your eyes never really left the boys. A few of them had already gotten used to the burning sensation in their necks as you stared at them, but some of them just couldn’t rub the feeling of being watched away.

Miya Atsumu, famous setter from the Hyogo prefecture, was one of those cases.

He huffed when one of his sets got blocked again and grumbled under his breath, almost too quiet for anyone to hear, “Yanno, usually I don’t mind cute girls lookin’ at me. But this one’s just really makin’ me uncomfortable.”

However his words had still reached the ears of someone, who was very much not having his temper tantrum, “And you want to play in front of national tv? It’s just one girl. Get your head out of the gutter.”

A vein popped on Atsumu’s temple and he gave Sakusa a ticked off look with a strained smile as he said, “Omi-kun, ya still got that sharp tongue, I see.”

“It’s Sakusa-san for you.” 

“Ya little- “

“Sakusa-san!” 

Atsumu froze upon hearing your voice and they both turned to see you jogging up to them. He half-expected you to look at him with glimmering eyes like the girls in his school did, but you only smiled at him curtly, politely, before you turned back to Sakusa, who very much looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

‘Just one girl, my ass.’ Atsumu smirked upon noticing how uncomfortable the other appeared.

Sakusa chose not to respond, but he did the mistake to meet your eyes and that was enough consent for you to continue, “Do you mind if I pull you aside for a bit? I wanted to see that drill of yours.”

“My drill?”

You nodded, “Yeah. The one where you do that thing with your wrist and the ball just goes whoosh! and then bam! and then thunk! ”

They both stood there dumbfounded, watching you try (and fail) to recreate the ball’s movement with your clipboard. Atsumu snorted. Sakusa frowned. ‘ Another one…’

As if summoned by his cousin, Komori skidded over blissfully, putting even angels to shame, and clapped Sakusa on his back, “She’s talking about the Sakusa drill!”

“The Sakusa drill?” Atsumu asked with furrowed brows.

You, on the other hand, appeared to be delighted, “You even got a name for it? That’s so cool! Now I have to see it! Please? I promise I won’t keep you from practice for too long!”

Your conversation garnered more attention than the outside hitter would want to have, and when several more people (namely Kageyama and Hoshiumi) joined your group, his frown deepened even more.

“Sakusa drill?”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know, but it sounds cool. I wanna see it. Bet I can do it too! Watch me turn it into the Hoshi- ”

“Uh, guys,” they stopped talking and turned to you, “I don’t recall the coaches calling for a break right now?”

Cue another round of a bunch of dumbfounded looks.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were speaking in ancient Latin right now, that was how confused they appeared at your words.

“I’m talking to Sakusa-san right now, but that doesn’t mean that you get to kick back and relax. We still have ten more minutes until lunch break. That’s ten minutes of three-on-three matches.”

Atsumu openly gaped. Hoshiumi blushed in embarrassment. Komori was rubbing the back of his neck apologetically whereas Kageyama nodded in determination and set off to the court before you even finished speaking. 

Sakusa… well, he still looked slightly uncomfortable, but there was a hint of a tiny smile on his face. And when the boys left with hanging heads to join an overly eager Kageyama for their next match, no one even thinking of a retort to you basically reprimanding them, he had to admit, you were quite impressive.

The coaches were standing farther back, observing this interaction with interested eyes. A reluctant Sakusa led you to a far corner of the gymnasium, a volleyball in his hand and a clipboard in yours. And then they watched you make him show his drill again, and again, and again, and again, and again until finally they blew the whistle to announce that it was time to eat something.

And even then, you gripped your board tighter, your pencil trembling in your hand and your teeth nipping at your lower lip - you hadn’t gotten enough.

The realization struck Sakusa like thunder, his palm stinging from the repeated impact and for a second, he feared you would ask him to do the same after lunch, or worse, ask him to stay a bit longer. 

But when his stomach started growling like an angry animal demanding food, you let him go with a sheepish smile and turned away from him.

He left the gymnasium without a single glance back.

Later that night at dinner

“I didn’t know (Name)-chan would be here as well. What a nice coincidence!”

“I’m not surprised. (Surname)-san is really hard-working. It was only a matter of time until she was scouted.”

“Right? I said so too when I first saw her at one of our practice matches! She’s so dedicated, I can’t help but want to work that much harder when I see her give her best like that!”

“Yes. I understand what you- “

“Would you two shut it and eat your food in silence? You’re making me lose my appetite.” Sakusa glared at the two unsuspecting boys, who were eating with their mouths filled.

Kageyama and Komori gave him baffled looks, rice corns decorating their cheeks like freckles. Sakusa had to glance away, lest he released whatever he just swallowed down his throat.

Why did no one around him practice basic table manners?

As if to answer his question, their attention was caught when a tray was smacked harshly on the table, the water inside the glass swishing and threatening to almost spill over the rim. A mop of furious snow-white hair invaded their sight and Hoshiumi dropped himself next to Komori unceremoniously. 

His eyes shone like molten gold and his lips quirked into a smirk. “‘sup?”

“‘sup indeed?” Atsumu echoed, plonking down right next to him.

“What’cha guys talking about?” 

With the addition of Hoshiumi and Atsumu, they resumed their conservations and filled the table with cheerful chatter again. They were going over today’s practice matches, exchanging tips and tricks on how to improve their form and techniques. 

You crept up so quietly that none of them noticed until after you were seated next to Sakusa and right in front of Kageyama. The former scowled, the latter nodded acknowledgingly.

“So, how come Shōyo and Tsukishima-kun aren’t present?” You asked as you began to eat your meal.

The others stopped and listened, their interests now piqued. 

Having all of the attention on him clearly made him uncomfortable, but he still managed to answer your question without stuttering over his own words, “Tsukishima was invited to a different training camp for first years back in Miyagi and Hinata…”

You lifted your brows expectantly, your chopsticks hovering mid-air as if they too were waiting with stiff anticipation for him to finish his sentence.

“... he didn’t get invited anywhere.”

The ball of rice slipped through your chopsticks and fell back into the bowl with a plop . You blinked. Everyone else blinked.

They looked from you to Kageyama, blinked again, and then back to you, as if to say why is she so perplexed, who is this Hinata, why isn’t she talking, hey is she going to eat that piece of salmon or can I get- 

Sakusa shot them a glare and effectively silenced them. It was around then that you managed to regain your composure. You picked up a piece of salmon and dropped it into Hoshiumi’s bowl, your eyes still focused on Kageyama.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“No, I don’t believe you.”

“Wha- Why would I lie?” He scowled, his expression looking a lot more grim than he intended it to. 

But you knew Kageyama well enough by now to know that this stemmed from confusion as to why you wouldn’t believe him. You waved your chopsticks in the air and said, “Come on, you know I don’t mean it like that. It’s just surprising to not see him hopping around here.”

He snorted at the mental image of Hinata jumping from one player to another, asking billions of questions and demanding everyone to give him one more toss . He drank his miso soup and then moved on to the pickled radish with a mouthful of rice.

You were still playing around with the salmon, occasionally dropping some in Hoshiumi’s bowl, who looked at you like you were his hero. He wolfed down each bite you took, an imaginary pale tail slipping out of his lower back to wag harshly until you graced him with another piece.

Komoya and Atsumu had to stifle their laughter at the image, whereas Sakusa gave them all a look of disgust. Or maybe he was just watching their interaction. Truth be told, you had difficulty discerning between the two.

“But then again, “ you started after sipping a few spoonfuls of the spicy broth, “He did suck at everything else aside from jumping really high and spiking really fast. So… I guess I kinda should’ve seen this coming.”

At the words jumping really high, Hoshiumi snapped his head to you, his tail no longer wagging. His eyes were boring right through your skull and into your brain, his interest now fully unlocked.

At the words spiked really fast , the demon setter came out of Atsumu and he too tried to unravel your string of thoughts to look into them with a single stare.

But before they were able to bombard you with a million questions, Sakusa had already spoken up, “How come none of your teammates are here?”

Your voice grew tenfold and you squared your shoulders like you were ready to fight whoever dared to oppose you, “I know! It’s crazy! I was convinced they would scout Mori-kun! It’s unbelievable! There’s no better libero than him! No offense.” You quickly shot Komori an apologetic smile, to which he just beamed brighter.

“None taken.”

“But it’s such a shame.“ You deflated again, your last piece of salmon now between Hoshiumi’s lips, “I know he would’ve never agreed, but I was secretly hoping they’d call Ken-chan too…”

“Ken-chan? Who’sh dat?” Hoshiumi asked with his mouth full.

Sakusa glowered at him and then turned back to you, “Your setter truly isn’t half-bad.” 

When Atsumu was about to chime in with what was going to be no doubt a comment gloating about his own skill, Sakusa’s lips curled into a snide smirk and he added, “It makes the world of a difference in a team when you have a setter with a brain.”

What was supposed to be a “harmless” comment turned into a war declaration. Atsumu sputtered and choked on his water, a thousand and one profanities swimming on the tip of his tongue, ready to drown whoever was willing to listen. Kageyama, who for some reason also felt addressed, lowered his head in shame and muttered an almost inaudible, “I can’t help but move on pure instinct…”

Komori and Hoshiumi exchanged confused looks and you were too busy sulking into your half-eaten rice bowl to really register what was going on. You merely sighed, completely oblivious to the little fight going on over your head.

You faintly registered the hysteric voice of a riled up Atsumu and the calm as a deep sea voice of a provocative Sakusa and shoved a slice of seasoned tofu in your mouth.

Later that night when Atsumu left their sleeping quarters to empty his bladder in the toilet, he saw that the lights in the cafeteria were still on. Too tired to really care, he brushed it off and trudged back to bed with one hand scratching his head and the other resting in the fold of his sweatpants.

You felt something burning through your back, so you turned around to be met with a glowering Hoshiumi. His hands were balled into fists at his side and he was frowning so hard, you would think he was trying to eradicate your very existence from this universe.

“Hoshiumi-san?” You asked meekly.

His eyes seemed even more explosive than before when he narrowed them into two tiny slits, “Why are you like this?”

You stood there, your hand frozen mid-motion as you were about to write something down. The sounds of the volleyballs and the whistle of coach Hitaki faded to white noise.

“Come again?”

Your heartbeat picked up a notch when Hoshiumi hmphed and stalked closer to you, his every step thundering through the gymnasium. There was no trace of the playful, carefree puppy whom you had shared your dinner with last night. He was a predator now with zero care for personal space and you tensed, feeling his breath ghosting over your nose.

“Why are you not surprised?”

“Huh?”

“You’re supposed to go all ‘Wah!!! Hoshiumi-san! You’re so cool! How can you jump so high like that?’ ”

(Cue crickets chirping.)

Atsumu and Komori, who had been practicing together a few meters away, turned their heads with disbelieving looks to the two of you. Hoshiumi stood in front of you, expecting, no, demanding an answer.

“Excuse me?” You stammered.

How does one even respond to a statement like that?

Your answer wasn’t satisfactory for him and his voice grew even louder (where in that body did he hide this volume?), gaining even more attention from the other students. The words that left his lips flew over your head and thrust themselves into your ear, poking around every corner in your brain before they shot out of your other ear.

Faintly, very very faintly, you thought of Yamamoto and how he too threw a tantrum when he didn’t receive the kind of reaction for his plays that he expected of you (or of anyone else for that matter).

You decided to just go with your gut and treat him the same way you did with Yamamoto - punch him in the metaphorical gut to get him back down to earth. Sweet-talking or pretending to be blown away would only worsen the situation; and thus you prayed that this following approach would work.

“With all due respect, Hoshiumi-san, you got scouted for the national training camp for Japan’s most promising volleyball players. It goes without saying that you’re a monster.” 

His mouth snapped shut immediately, but you weren’t done yet. “Please take a look around. We are surrounded by incredibly good people here. If I lost my footing anytime someone showed some extraordinary talent in this camp, I would never get to actually assess and analyze your skill.”

A bright red bud sprouted from his nose and spread throughout his entire face, rendering him speechless. The predator had retreated. You smiled.

Apparently he and Yamamoto were indeed quite similar. He turned away, flustered from having you call him a monster so naturally as if you hadn’t given it second thought - like you genuinely took is as the truth.

Before you even had a chance to see his boiling head and the crimson bleed into the white of his hair, he had already sprinted off, a volleyball in one hand and his shirt clutched in the other.

The rest of the day passed by in a breeze. 

You continued to observe the different playstyles, writing everything down until you felt your wrist go numb. It was vastly different having two high-calibre coaches around. With the speed and the amount you were writing, you were sure you were about to break some kind of record.

The boys were shy and hesitant to talk to you in the beginning, but quickly opened up when they noticed how involved you got. They were eager to try out your strategies and quick to reassure you when your predictions turned out to be wrong.

Every fear that they would deem you useless and unnecessary was wiped clean whenever one of your predictions did turn out to be accurate. And the more time you spent around them, the more rallies they played around you, the easier it became for you to anticipate their next move.

The coaches in particular were interested in you and how you took your notes. When coach Hibarida asked you for your notebook, you squealed and jumped back with a bright blush on your face.

“Not yet,” you had said to him. “I’m not ready yet.”

And by the time everyone went to bed to give their muscles some well-deserved rest, the lights in the cafeteria were still on.

You were late.

With your heart pounding against your ribcage and a jam-packed toast shoved into your throat, you raced to the gymnasium. You felt the all too familiar stitch in your side, as if a little asshole was sitting in the fold of your stomach to remind you of your non-existent stamina.

You half-choked on the bread once you arrived and came to a sudden halt just as you were about to crash into another body. Sakusa leapt away before he could relive a certain traumatic incident and stared at your hair.

A tiny, amused smile graced his lips at your state. “Good morning.”

You looked up to see the strands disheveled, stretching up to the ceiling and struggling to reach every corner of the wall. Flustered, you rushed to pat your hair back down, “Good morning…”

“Dreams too sweet to wake up?”

His mocking tone flipped a switch in you and you took a step closer to him, glowering like a flickering flame from below him. The ambers grew and exploded into a fit of wildfire, “I’ll show you what I was up to last night.”

Before he had a chance to respond, you had already turned around and with a loud voice called, “Tobio-kun! Motoya-kun! Hoshiumi-san! Do you have a minute?”

After a quick ten minutes of you talking to them, and then to the coaches, it was decided that they would play a three-on-three match. And you would get to play coach with one of the teams.

Atsumu, Sakusa and another incredibly talented libero from a small school in Osaka on one side of the court.

Kageyama, Hoshiumi and Komori on the other side of the court, with you next to them.

One round. Fifteen points.

The coaches had been curious what you were up to and decided to watch while the others had their own matches. The first few points were uneventful, one team scored and then the other, and your eyes flicked from left to right, untiring from all the stimulation. Once they reached a tie at five points, you called for a time-out and crouched on the ground.

You placed your notebook where the boys could see and turned it upside down for them to read. Your pen was used to gesture to the points of the court you had drawn on and you rattled down the numbers as you talked. 

Hoshiumi looked at you like you had grown a second head when you began to talk about the probability of each scenario taking place. It was as if the words and numbers floated numbly around his head, each accompanied by a question mark.

Kageyama nodded vividly, his eyes fixed on the paper as he memorized your strategy within a nanosecond. “Understood. I can do it.” He said.

Komori, on the other hand, patted your shoulder with a grin, “Man, you’re really cool, (Name)-chan. How did you come up with this on the spot?”

You lifted your head, looking surprised, “I didn’t.”

“Huh?”

The whistle interrupted your conversation, leaving you unable to further explain. You gave him an encouraging smile and sent them back to the court. While their backs were turned to you, you made sure to give a lift of your brow full of mirth to Sakusa, who was eyeing you warily from the other side of the net.

Today, you felt like proving yourself.

The rally started off simple.

Kageyama served. The opposing libero received it effortlessly and sent it to Atsumu, who was waiting for the delicious pull of his muscles. His eyes roamed the court before the ball even met his hands and from the corner of your vision you saw Komori’s fingers twitch. He was doing as you said.

He remained motionless in the far right corner of the back of the court, his tongue sneaking out in a show of focus.

“Remain on one side of the court and stick there.”

“But wouldn’t that be too obvious? Sakusa wouldn’t fall for a trap like that.”

“I know.”

He resisted the urge to follow the trail Atsumu’s eyes left and rooted his feet deeper into the ground, his thick brows squeezing in a line of resolution. The rhythmic beating of his heart thundered through his skull and he closed his eyes for a brief second and inhaled.

“That’s exactly what he’ll think too. He’ll be thinking about whether I set him up on purpose.”

“Do you think he’ll be able to see through that?”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.”

“Come again?”

“Sakusa-san is smart. He’s going to be suspicious and think I’m trying to fool him into thinking I’ve set up a trap for him. If everything goes according to plan, he should spike to exactly where you’re standing, in the very last second after pretending to spike to the empty spot.”

“So you’re saying he’s going to act like he’s walking right into the trap?”

“I’m saying once he’s tangled in our webs, there’ll be no escape for him.”

Komori risked a peek at the empty spot in front of him, a motion that didn’t go unnoticed by Sakusa. Just like you said, he waited until after his palm already kissed the ball and flicked his wrist in the last possible moment to send the ball flying. 

But instead of diving forward like he pretended to, Komori remained rooted to the ground and voilâ - the ball fell right into his lap like it was called by its owner. He easily received it and sent it to Kageyama in a high arch, who then dumped the ball without a second thought to the other side of the net.

Sakusa stood with his mouth gaping, only now realizing that he had been thoroughly played with. Atsumu snarled, infuriated, and smiled dangerously in your direction.

“I don’t know what miss coach over there just said to them, but keep yer eyes on the ball, Omi-kun. I feel like this is just the beginning.”

And boy, was he right. 

The last two days had proven to be good resource material because almost all of your predictions came out true. Hoshiumi and Kageyama scored one point after another, keeping the rallies short and sweet. Komori caught every single serve and spike thrown his way and there was literally nothing that could stop their momentum now.

The short match was over before it even properly began, and you stood there, at the edge of the court, with your clipboard pressed against your chest and your lips pursed into a shit-eating smirk. Your brow was raised and you lifted your chin haughtily when your eyes met those of Sakusa and Atsumu.

You glanced at your notes, the sting in your wrist fading to a dull ache. You felt feather light when Hoshiumi and Komori sprinted your way, giddy on your feet when Kageyama looked at you with awe in his blue eyes.

Your heart soared.

All of your hard work was beginning to pay off.

BONUS 1:

“Please tell me you finished for the night?”

You chuckled into your phone and cast your eyes on the ground. “You’re beginning to sound a lot like my dad, Mori-kun.”

“That’s because I care!” His low laugh filled the line and even from all these miles away, it still gripped you and tugged you along with it.

“Don’t worry, I’m not. I’m actually outside right now. Thought I would go for a walk.”

“What? At this hour? On your own? (Name)-chan, don’t you know- “

“Mori-kun!” You groaned and kicked a pebble, “You’re doing it again.”

“Right, right. You’re a big girl now. Sorry.” He didn’t need to stand in front of you for you to see the sheepish smile on his face.

“How’s your ankle doing?”

“Much better. I should be able to play again soon. Thankfully, it was just a minor sprain.”

“Yeah…”

It was silent for a while. No words were exchanged. Just the whistle of the wind shifting through your hair and the rustling of his sheets whenever he moved. There was something on the tip of your tongue, waiting to be let out. Right there, itching and kicking against the roof to see the light of the day itself.

The two of you spoke at the same time.

“Mori-kun- “

“(Name)-chan- “

Silence once more.

Your voices met again.

“What’s up?”

“You go first!”

You were the first to dissolve into snorkeling laughter. It filled the humid air and joined the singing mosquitoes - the only two sounds in the otherwise quiet park.

“I’m sorry, you were saying?” You asked once you eventually managed to calm down again.

He seemed hesitant at first, as if he was trying to search for the right words. His voice came out more hushed and unsure than you had ever heard from him.

“We’re all very proud of you. Keep it up and let’s win nationals together!”

Warmth raced through your heart and suddenly the image of all of you together on the court - on the national court of Japan - flashed in front of your eyes. The boys huddled together in the center, sweaty and exhausted, but with the widest grins they could possibly wear.

In the middle of them, you were hoisted up by Yaku and Kai, seated on their shoulders with the trophy in your hands. 

Let’s win nationals together.

You smiled.

“Yeah, let’s win this together.”

BONUS 2:

Later that night while you were working on the notes you had gathered that day, your phone lit up from the corner of your vision. You were too lost in the numbers in front of you to really register the light, so you continued to scribble and rack your brain.

A tiny bubble popped in the center of your screen. It read as follows.

‘Go to sleep, little one. That tiny thing called your brain needs its rest too. 👊 ’

Chapter Text

Three days passed like a breeze when you were focused on performing at your highest possible setting, so when the fourth day rolled around, you finally had a grip on the guys.

What they were like, what their playstyle was, what their habits entailed and overall what kind of person they were - it only took four days of constant interactions with them for you to be able to read them like an open book. While it creeped out some of them how much attention you were paying to them, most of them didn’t mind.

It didn’t take long for them to get used to your burning stare or your constant note taking no matter what they were doing. At the end of each day, they were grateful they could receive personalized feedback from both you and the coaches, who took a great interest in your notes and in your absence sang praises about your diligence during the dinner table.

However one thing caught Atsumu’s eye and, for some reason he couldn’t quite decipher himself, had been bothering him ever since.

“Yanno, isn’t it really weird how she’s never here for lunch?” He asked no one in particular.

Kageyama, who sat closest to him and nibbled on a piece of fried shrimp, heard him and asked back, “Who?”

“(Surname)-san!”

“What’s wrong with (Name)-chan?” Komori popped into the conversation, his eyes big and wide and clear like that of a lake. Sounding like the concerned angel that he was, he added, “Did something happen to her?”

“Why are we talking about her again?” Sakusa intervened. 

Hoshiumi shot him a feral grin, “I think Miya-san over there has a lil’ crush.”

“What?” Atsumu’s reply was immediate. He was talking so loud, you’d think he was trying to get everyone’s attention in the cafeteria. “That is ridiculous. You have a crush on her!”

“Why would I have a crush on her?”

“Well- You- You’ve been running after her all the time during practice!”

“That’s because she always gives me some of her food during dinner, you fool, that’s not a crush- “

“Who are you calling a fool- “

“Guys, let’s not get worked up over this.” Komori placed a reassuring hand on both of their forearms, his smile as genuine as it could possibly get, “It’s completely natural to have a crush at our age, there’s no shame attached to it.”

Atsumu and Hoshiumi’s mouths snapped shut. 

It was like the first rally of a match was about to begin. The entire table was eerily quiet.

Bless Komori; his boundless positivity knew not the concept that was reading the room. He simply continued hammering the nail on their wounded pride as if he was making idle conversation, “Plus (Name)-chan’s a great girl! I’m rooting for you guys!”

“Please stop talking.” Sakusa said with a final tone as he grabbed his tray and left them. A distraught and slightly confused Kageyama followed him, no longer wishing to be a part of this conversation lest someone decided to pull him into it as well.

While they were busy returning their trays, Atsumu came back to his original statement, trying desperately to change the topic that left his ears burning, “As I was saying, don’t you guys think it’s weird how she’s never here during lunch time?”

He swept his gaze through the cafeteria conspiratorially, noting once again a lacking presence of a certain you. You were so bubbly, loud and energetic during their drills, always looking for someone to talk to and always having that bright smile on your face.

Of course he would notice it when you were gone.

At first, he was hesitant to approach you. Captivated with volleyball and his dream to become the best setter the world has laid its eyes on, Atsumu had never really been big on girls. It was always volleyball, volleyball, and more volleyball for him. His days consisted of school work and volleyball practice - nothing else mattered for him.

So he was positively perturbed when you suddenly appeared in front of him and acted like you knew him since pre-school. Unlike most of the other girls who saw him during tournaments, you weren’t flushed red and stumbling over your words when talking to him.

You were acting just like you were with everyone else around you.

It was offensive for him in the beginning. It wasn’t something he was used to and as humans tended to do, he took it as a personal attack to his well-being when something strange and unknown in the shape of you entered his life.

But, he had to admit, you grew on him.

In the span of four days, you challenged him to rethink his entire opinion of girls. Your exceptional skill in picking up and analyzing their skills and habits, along with your ability to regroup and strategize accordingly amazed him.

On top of it all, you were very kind to him and you made them all laugh when sometimes all they wanted to do was cry out in pain and exhaustion. There would not be an ounce of a lie when he said that this training camp was what it had become because of your presence.

He wouldn’t call it a crush though. It was no secret that you were a pretty girl - he heard a few of the younger ones from camp talk about you when they were in the common bath the night prior. 

Some of them wanted to ask you for your number; others wanted to ask you out on a date, but all of them eventually chickened out because they considered you to be way out of their league.

Atsumu wanted to laugh at them. “Ya can’t get something if ya don’t fight for it,”  he wanted to say, but decided to keep quiet in the end.

None of that really mattered in the grand scheme of things, because Atsumu didn’t consider for even a second to pursue anything romantic with you.

He was dedicated to volleyball. And so were you.

If anything, he thought he found a valuable friend in you. (Although he wouldn’t ever admit that aloud in front of anyone, ever.)

So the fact that you disappeared during lunch time immediately caught his attention and aroused his suspicion. 

Atsumu leaned in and beckoned them closer. Hoshiumi and Komori exchanged curious glances before they complied, listening to the setter as he said,

“I have an idea.”

“And why exactly did you drag me into this?” Sakusa asked, unimpressed.

“Sshh!” Atsumu whipped around with a finger pressed to his pursed lips, his expression one of panic. He pressed his ear back to the door to check if you had heard them.

They were currently in front of your room, looking as out of place as they possibly could. Atsumu had gathered them (Kageyama and Sakusa) after talking to Hoshiumi and Komori and dragged them down the hallway to the room they knew you occupied.

Kageyama felt mildly uncomfortable, like he was doing something wrong, and kept glancing back to see if one of the adults would catch them in the act of eavesdropping on a girl’s room. He still didn’t understand what exactly was going on, only heard snippets of Atsumu’s rushed explanation when he ran after them after lunch.

Considering how Sakusa looked like he was close to turning his back on them and leaving, he figured it must not have been some type of emergency. But taking into account that Komori - one of the most considerate people he had met so far - was with them led him to believe that it must still be something fairly important. Why else would he use his precious break time like this instead of resting?

Hoshiumi, who was physically incapable of being quiet, got bored fairly quickly of just standing around and waiting for you to make a sound, so he did what any other sane person would do when standing in front of a door to someone’s room.

He knocked.

Atsumu gasped as if someone had struck him in his chest and scrambled to hide behind a very disgruntled Sakusa, who merely sidestepped and avoided his touch like the pest. A few seconds passed, but the door still remained shut.

Hoshiumi knocked again, this time stronger and louder.

“Maybe she’s not inside?” Kageyama offered when you didn’t show up after several more seconds.

“But if she’s not in here, where else would she be?” Atsumu asked more himself than anyone else, but Sakusa who wanted nothing more than to go for a light walk to digest the food he had just eaten, responded with his usual snarky tone anyway,

“Why is that any of your business?”

“Omi-kun, you don’t understand- “

“It’s Sakusa-san for you.” 

“Don’t you think it’s odd that we only get to see her during dinner and never for breakfast or lunch?”

“Do you think (Name)-chan is skipping breakfast and lunch?” Komori asked, his brows curved down in a show of concern. His poor little heart broke at the thought of you not getting the nutrition you deserved and needed.

Kageyama shook his head decisively, “That’s not possible. (Surname)-senpai always made sure her teammates ate proper and enough food. I doubt she’s the type to not practice what she preaches.”

“But she did always give most of her dinner to me…” Hoshiumi lowered his gaze, looking more and more alarmed. 

If you really skipped breakfast and lunch, then dinner was all you would have that day - and even then, almost half of your plate went straight into his tummy. Was he robbing you of the only source of nourishment you had and you were too kind to say no to him? 

Just as the cloud of guilt was about to swallow him, Komori had already raised his voice and shared his thoughts with them, “Well her school isn’t too far off from here. Maybe she uses the lunch break to meet up with her friends?”

“Oh right, her school is from around here, isn’t it?” Atsumu nodded his head as if agreeing.

Sakusa rolled his eyes, his patience now stretched thin. “This is senseless. I’m wasting my time here with you.” 

He stalked off before Atsumu had a chance to be offended and retaliate, quickly followed by Komori, who was smiling abashedly while apologizing for his cousin’s behaviour. After they were left alone, Kageyama cleared his throat and said, “Well then… I will be off too. I would like to do some revisions before we get back to practice. Good luck in finding (Surname)-senpai.”

It was quiet now with only Atsumu and Hoshiumi, oddly enough, and they just stood there, looking at each other as if one was waiting for the other to talk. 

“So uh, what now?” Hoshiumi asked, shuffling his foot from left to right.

Atsumu shrugged, not sure himself, “Dunno… Wanna go to the gym and practice spiking a bit more?”

Like a sunflower rising to meet the sun, Hoshiumi straightened at the mention of his favorite move. “Hell yeah! Let’s go!”

It turned out that their search for you would have ended much much faster had they decided to look inside the gym.

You were sitting on the floor, your head tilted back to observe the large screen above you. On it Kageyama was running from one end of the court to the other, setting the ball that Komori had saved to Hoshiumi, who spiked it effortlessly across the net. 

The ball flew back into Hoshiumi’s palm as he dropped on the ground and ran back while the ball returned to its former position inside the little socket Kageyama’s hands had created until it was rolling in a high arch to Komori’s forearms in the time that it took Kageyama to sprint to the other side of the court again.

And then, the scene replayed itself.

All around you were scattered papers, some of them crumbled, some of them ripped apart and others neatly stacked in a pile. To your left was a box with tiny leftovers of food, a half-full bottle of chocolate milk and several candy wrappers to show that you were indeed not starving yourself.

A wave of relief washed over Hoshiumi and without giving it too much thought, he skidded over to you. You were too focused on the screen to even hear them enter, Hoshiumi was too excited to see you and the video of them practicing to properly look at where he was running, but Atsumu saw it crystal clear.

It was as if time slowed down - your head tilting sideways to see Hoshiumi running towards you, a small smile blossoming on your face to greet him; your eyes lowering themselves to the ground before flicking back up in alarm, your hands reaching out to stop Hoshiumi; Hoshiumi, who slipped on a piece of paper in his rush and slammed face first in the ground, toppling everything surrounding him together with him;

Your notes getting soaked and becoming unreadable with tiny specks of rice and tofu clinging to it for dear life.

Atsumu saw it crystal clear.

The very moment of the calm before the storm.

Much later, after many panicked apologies from a sulky Hoshiumi trudging around gloomily, practice ended for the day. It was alarming how fast time was passing.

Tomorrow would be the last day of the training camp. It would be the last day that you would get to gather all the information of your rivals for your team and the last day you could spend milking the coaches dry with all of the wisdom and knowledge they had to share with you.

Looking back, it felt as if only a few hours had passed; as if this was still the first day.

It was a testament to how much fun you were having and how much you didn’t want this training camp to end. There was still so much to learn, so much to improve on and with each match you realized, to both your horror and amazement, that you weren’t the only one progressing with rapid speed.

The boys were gaining in stamina and strength; their moves became more fluid and they adapted themselves to fit into the new teams they were thrust into. What started off as clumsy and rough turned into a well-oiled and slick machine capable of working on its own.

It had only been four days yet they had already come so far.

It was terrifying, to say the least, to witness this with your own two eyes and to know that some of these starving beasts were going to stand on the other side of the net soon enough. 

You were realizing that while your hard work may have been starting to pay off, it did not mean that this was your cue to rest and relax. If anything, you had to work even harder now if you wanted to keep up with them.

“(Surname)-senpai?” 

You turned around to see Kageyama coming out of the building, bundled up in a thick jacket and dressed in running tights. 

“Tobio-kun? What’s with that get-up?”

There was no need to check the time on your phone; the sky was doing its job in letting you know how late it was.

Kageyama zipped his jacket up higher, all the way to his chin before he responded, “I wanted to go for a run.”

“After all that training?” Your frown unnerved him and he escaped your glare to stare at a flickering light in the distance, “Shouldn’t you be taking a hot bath to loosen your muscles and rest?”

“W-Well… I wanted to do that after- “

“I’m not letting you go on a run after you spent the past ten hours running around on court like a maniac.”

“M-maniac?” His eyes widened at the unexpected insult, the tips of his ears turning red from the cold.

“Why don’t you join me for my walk instead?”

He seemed to consider it for a moment, because he tilted his head in that tiny degree he would do whenever he thought about something. In order to fully secure the nail in the coffin, you added, “I would feel much safer having you by my side than being on my own…”

“Huh?”

“You know what they say about girls walking on their own late at night…”

The mood turned eerily cold, the space between you almost electrified from the tension of your words. Kageyama leaned closer to hear better when your voice lost all its touch. “What do they say?”

You lowered your eyes, fully aware of his curious and anxious gaze, and then looked back up for the perfect dramatic effect, “They never return.”

A tiny gasp left his lips and if it wasn’t for the immense composure you had acquired after messing with Lev for the past school year, you would’ve surely broken out in a thunderous laugh at his horrified expression.

Kageyama, who was still unfamiliar with the city and lived in the safe shell of a peaceful country life, straightened his posture and nodded harshly before he said, “Of course I will walk with you, (Surname)-senpai.”

You smiled, partly amused, partly fondly. “Thank you, Tobio-kun.”

He nodded once more as if to reassure himself that he had officially taken on the duty of protecting you during your walk. Nothing happened of course, because Tokyo was as safe as a metropolis could possibly get, but Kageyama didn’t need to know that.

You reached a nearby park and settled on a swing set, the occasional whistle of the wind the only sound accompanying you. Kageyama was quiet throughout the entire way, stiff and tense as a board with his eyes inspecting every side alley you passed.

It was adorable how serious he was and a part of you wanted to reach over and ruffle his hair in the affectionate manner you would do when Shibayama would tug at your heartstrings. But considering how formal and polite he was around you, you didn’t want to risk the comfort you had built with him by jumping the gun.

“I’m really excited for nationals.” You said instead.

He glanced over to you, waiting for you to continue.

“Nekomata-sensei and Ukai-sensei have been waiting for this day for a long time. And now we’re finally making it a reality.” You turned over as well, a soft smile grazing your features. “We absolutely have to meet at nationals.”

Kageyama looked at you, quiet and thoughtful as he let the words sink in. For him it was a no-brainer that his goal was to aim for the absolute highest: win the national tournament with his team. Getting to play with your team was only a by-product for what he actually wanted to achieve.

But right now, sitting under the moonlight, faced with your almost pleading eyes, he found himself wanting the same thing: to play with you for real. Not the practice matches you had all grown used to; not the matches that you knew held no consequences should you lose.

He wanted a real challenge, a real battle - he wanted to face the real you.

So he opened his mouth to forge a new promise with you, one that would bind the two of you until you met again on the court.

“We will.”

It was the last day of the training camp and it really couldn’t have ended any better.

All of your predictions proved right and all of the boys were on top of their game, following your instructions to the t, causing you to win every single match. You were rewarded with high praise from the coaches and silly grins and sweaty high fives from the boys.

Even Sakusa, who was initially cold towards you, had begun to warm up and was indulging you by actually responding to your quips and talking with you. You still hadn’t managed to bring a full smile out of him, but after receiving a snort while you were bantering with Atsumu, you figured you would take what you could get.

Speaking of Atsumu; he had proven to be the complete opposite of how you first perceived him to be. His initial picture was that of a self-centered, egoistic volleyball freak who put himself and his goals first and everyone else second. Manipulative to the core, you were convinced he never thought of others.

But looking at Atsumu now, who was openly snorkeling at something Hoshiumi said, his eyes wrinkling at the sides from how deeply he was laughing, you had to inwardly apologise to him for judging him so quickly. He was so much more than a volleyball freak and you felt very grateful that you were able to see this side of him.

Hoshiumi too ended up being someone who had quickly carved his own spot in a corner of your heart. Energetic like no one else, he reminded you of a brilliant beam of happiness. Someone, who radiated warmth and filled everywhere he went with sunlight.

Komori and Kageyama were both already familiar people in your life, but spending the past five days consistently in their presence certainly strengthened your bonds.

You hadn’t just learned how to become a better coach in this training camp.

You had formed new friendships, built new memories that you would forever treasure in the chamber of your heart.

It was the last day of the training camp, a tiny feeling of wishfulness lingering in the air when you thought of how these fun days had to end.

But as you lifted your head to take in the image of Sakusa wiping the sweat off his brows; Atsumu throwing his head back to down his water bottle and half-choking on laughter when Hoshiumi made another funny comment; Komori rushing to pat him soothingly on the back with a face made of concern; Kageyama sporting that soft small smile that you had grown so fond of-

You realized that this wasn’t the end of your days together, not by a long shot.

This was only the beginning of your stories.

BONUS 1:

“Woah, this one looks good! Let’s send it to Shoyo!” You beamed when you leaned over to see the picture Kageyama had taken of you two.

After much persistence from your side, he relented and took a selfie to commemorate the little heart-to-heart swing session you had shared.

Kageyama hummed thoughtfully before he asked, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? He might jump on the next train and ambush this training camp if he knows you’re here too.”

You giggled, tiny puffs of cold air escaping your lips. “All the more reason to do it! I wanna see him jump again! Gaaaah, I can’t get enough of your freak quick!”

Kageyama blushed - whether from the cold or from your words, you didn’t know (perhaps it was a combination of both) - and nodded, his voice barely audible when he said, “Okay. I’ll send it to him.”

Not long after that, when you were both walking back to the training center, your phone chimed, the name of a certain pudding-headed setter taking up half of your screen.

His message left you smiling for the rest of the night.

“Come back home soon.”

BONUS 2:

Hoshiumi was on all fours, panting his lungs out with a puddle of sweat forming below him. You stood a little bit to the side, your eyes narrowing to take in the digits of the ruler you had brought with you.

When you shook your head to signal him that he indeed hadn’t jumped higher than the many times before, he punched his fist on the floor with a grunt, another drop of sweat plopping on the ground.

But against all of your expectations, he rose and stalked over to you, a determined glint in his brilliant green eyes as he proclaimed, loud and clear for everyone to hear,

“Next time. I will make it next time for sure.”

BONUS 3:

On the fourth night of the training camp when you were busy rewatching the footage of the day’s training with your earbuds plugged in, something happened.

You were hunched over, focused on the notes surrounding the lines you drew for the strategy you were planning. So enthralled in your work, you heard nothing but the sound of the sneakers squeaking against the polished ground and the slamming of the volleyball fluttering against the net.

Much later when you moved to stretch your arms to the ceiling and your neck to each side of your shoulder, you noticed with a dumbfounded expression that there was a box of chocolate milk and a nut bar resting beside your pencil case.

You glanced over your shoulder, only to be met with an empty cafeteria and no sign of life but you. Your heart fluttered.

You smiled.

Chapter Text

There were many things Kenma disliked about being in a volleyball club.

Running until his lungs breathed fire under a burning sun was one of those things.

Leaving the warm embrace of his bed early in the morning when ice fell from trees was another one.

But this, he thought as he watched the scene in front of him unfold, was arguably the worst.

“I am not wearing those.” He said for what had to be the hundredth time in the past sixty seconds.

“Come on, please. You promised you would!”

“That is a lie.”

“Maybe, but I still want it to come true!”

“(Name).”

Kenma gave you another exasperated stare, but you were never one to back down and he should know better than to argue with you, because now you gave him your best kicked puppy look and he already felt his resistance wavering.

“Just give it up, Kenma, you know how stubborn she can get if she wants something.” Kuroo said as he passed them.

Kenma exhaled in a disgusted sneer, still in disbelief how you managed to rope in the entire club to your whimsical idea of opening a cat themed maid café for this year’s school festival. Kuroo glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and strutted off with a touch of attitude. The frills of his black miniskirt brushed his muscular thighs, which were covered with cat paw printed thigh highs. Kenma didn’t even want to think what the top half of his costume looked like.

“Come on, Ken-chan, please?” The tiny little tilt of your head came with the meekest, softest of barely audible pleas. It was uttered out in a silken, sugared tone that shattered the last bit of resolve Kenma had.

“Fine.” 

Your face lit up like a sunflower stretching to meet the sun and all too quickly, as if you had already anticipated it, you whipped out a pair of fluffy caramel colored cat ears and pinned them to each side of his head. His stomach was queasily stirring around, discomfort spreading through his gut at the mere thought that people were going to see him like this, but when you squealed and gripped his cheeks tightly to scream how cute he looked, he thought that for today, just today, he would let it slide.

“Welcome to Neccafé! What would you ladies like to order?” Lev stood as tall as a tree with his spine straight like a ruler and his nose high in the air. 

He too had donned a maid uniform, albeit his much taller frame had him looking like he was wearing legs, legs and more legs. If this wasn’t a private school festival, but a public event, he would have surely been casted as an up and coming model already. 

The girls giggled among themselves and the bravest one asked what they had to offer. It was clear she was trying her best to maintain eye contact and not fall into the trap to stare at his porcelain skin.

Lev, who was the perfect representation that a big head didn’t always house a big brain stood dumbstruck and failed to answer. But lucky for him, Yaku was always keeping an eye on him (for everyones’ safety, not just his) and smoothly inserted himself between Lev and the girls.

The lights above reflected on his hair in a way that made it look like each strand was spun from honey and the lace apron stretched itself across his chest in a way that had the girls exploding in red. Yaku inconspicuously elbowed Lev, however inconspicuous it could be with Lev squealing like a high school girl meeting her celebrity crush.

“We have omurice, ramen and takoyaki as our main dishes.” He leaned forward with his lips pulling into a charming smile. “As for dessert, we offer something to match you in terms of sweetness. Dango and dorayaki.”

A chorus of nervous giggles and half-squealing erupted from their chests and with stuttering breaths they ordered what they wanted, sighing wistfully after him when he went to relay the orders to the guys working on the food. 

Lev trailed after him like a lost puppy, his eyes wide and awe-filled. “Yaku-san, how did you do that?”

Yaku placed his hands on his hips, ready to give him a grand speech on things Lev didn’t really care about, but you interrupted him before he got into the flow when you whistled with a raised brow. “Who knew you could be this charming?”

He smiled when he spotted you and immediately changed course to meet you halfway. “You’re hurting my feelings, you know.”

“That was a compliment and you know it” 

“(Surname)-senpai!” Lev skipped your way, did a twirl and then sparkled at you like he was waiting for you to shower him with compliments. Sometimes, it was way too easy to read him.

But you were never one to deny him his daily need of affection and to be completely truthful, he did look really cute in the uniform, so they naturally tumbled out of your mouth. With each word of praise, he grew taller and taller, impressively so, until his enthusiasm shot through the roof and had him whirling back to a pair of intimidated first years who peeked into the classroom to check out the café.

“I knew he would be the one to enjoy this the most.” You said with a light chuckle.

Yaku turned his head so he could watch him and then shook his head in amusement. “I don’t think there’s anything he doesn’t enjoy. But you know,” he leaned over to you with a whisper, “Captain doesn’t seem to mind either.”

You followed his line of sight to see Kuroo standing in front of a table with his hip jutted out. He took his role very seriously, so much so that he used his free hand to make a cat paw an actually meowed. In turn, the girls in front of him exploded in a fit of snorkeling laughter - all girls from his class - and scrambled to get their phones to forever capture this version of Kuroo.

No matter how you looked at it, it just looked so… off. Kuroo, the smooth and suave captain of the Nekoma High volleyball team that had all the other schools in the vicinity running, dressed like a maid and acting like a cat?

You sighed when he shook his hips to get the tail attached to his backbone to move.

No one was going to take him seriously anymore.

“How’s it going back here? You guys need any more supplies?” You asked as you popped your head through the curtains, which were keeping the small makeshift kitchen separated from the café itself.

Fukunaga lifted his head to meet your gaze and gave you a brilliantly beaming smile. He was totally in his forte with rainbows and sparkles emanating from him. His hands didn’t stop stirring the omelet mixture as he answered you, “No, we’re good.”

“I will get started on the takoyaki if that is okay.” Teshiro said from the corner, the bowl with the batter in his hands and ready to get poured into the takoyaki maker.

“Yeah, go for it.”

After receiving Fukunaga’s permission, he turned on the stove and greased each little hole in the pan. With the chopsticks to his right, he dropped a little bit of the batter to check if the temperature was hot enough for the cooking process to begin.

You watched with a slowly withering throat as he began to pour the batter into the pan evenly with just a little bit of space left to the top. The instant it kissed the heat, it sizzled in the most satisfying way that had you gulping. Teshiro placed the bowl back on the counter and reached for a few diced octopus before he then carefully dropped them into each hole. Your mouth started to water when he sprinkled tenkasu on top, poured the rest of the batter until the hole overflowed and then finished it off with spring onions.

It cost you a fountain of willpower to not barrel your way through and eat them right then and there and by the time Teshiro separated the takoyakis with a bamboo skewer to rotate them on each side, you felt your soul leaving your body. Unaware of your predicament, the first year continued the rotating ritual until the thick balls took on the shade of a beautiful golden brown.

The scent of cooked octopus permeated the air and Yamamoto, who was on the other side applying a generous layer of sweet soy sauce on the dango, noticed your expression and snorted in amusement.

“Didn’t you have your lunch like five minutes ago?”

You kept your eye contact with the takoyaki balls that were now being served on a wooden plate when you gave him a sulky response. “But they look so good…”

As if all of this wasn’t taunting you enough, Teshiro had the audacity to brush a glazing coat of okonomiyaki sauce that left the takoyaki balls looking like they had been plucked straight from an ad. You bit your lips with your brows wound tightly together. Bonito flakes, slices of long green onions and drizzled mayonnaise came together in a wedding ceremony of delicious flavors all just waiting to explode in your mouth.

Fukunaga had been watching all the while preparing a plate of steaming omurice. Shibayama stumbled shyly through the curtains, brushing your shoulder as he entered the kitchen. His hands tugged the hem of his skirt lower, a faint hue of red traveling from one ear to another, dousing his entire face on its way.

He took the omurice and disappeared within the same breath, no doubt running to serve whoever was on the other side of the classroom. You glanced back briefly, watched the fuzzy black ears on top of his head bob up and down with each of his steps and if the reactions from the girls were anything to go by, he played his part perfectly. (Except for Shibayama, it wasn’t an act. He was just born precious. Being sweet and adorable with blood made of sugar came naturally to him.)

You turned back to give a last wistful and longing gaze to the takoyaki balls when Inuoka sprinted into the kitchen and nearly toppled you over with him.

“Are the dango balls ready yet?” He asked, breathless.

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes in warning. “Remember what we said about running when you wear short skirts like that?”

Suddenly reminded that his legs were a lot more breezy than they were used to, Inuoka straightened up and laughed nervously. His hand went up to rub a spot on the back of his scalp, the frilly hem of his skirt riding up above his knees with the movement. He looked so silly that it already became adorable; not to forget that he, on his own account, added whiskers with some eyeliner he borrowed from his mother.

“Sorry, I got a bit too excited there.” He smiled apologetically.

Yamamoto handed him the box with the sweets. “Just make sure not to flash anyone. We don’t want the dean to think we’re a bunch of weirdos.”

“Man this looks so good…” Inuoka muttered when his eyes met with the slice of heaven presented in front of him. Whatever his upperclassman had warned him about entered one ear and exited the other, finding no space to settle and sink in.

“Are you listening to- Hey- Wait, where are you going- Ugh, I swear to god, if he ends up eating those, I will make him clean the dishes.”

“You are just saying that so you don’t have to do it yourself, Yamamoto-san.” Teshiro said smoothly, earning him a delighted chuckle from both Fukunaga and you, but an expression of being caught in the act by Yamamoto.

Out of nowhere, like it was trying to remind you that it was still here and hungry for what it had laid its eyes upon, your stomach roared louder than thunder. The boys snapped their heads to you in surprise. 

A moment of silence passed, one in which you desperately wished for the ground to swallow you up. Warmth slid up your neck and you were about to whip around and bolt out of there, but Fukunaga was the first to break the terse moment with a sigh.

“Get over here.” He said as he walked towards Teshiro, taking one of the bamboo sticks from him and impaling a takoyaki ball with it. He held it up with a protective hand underneath to keep it from falling to the ground should it slip off.

It took you a few seconds to get the hint and when you did, your lips stretched into a childishly gleeful grin and you skidded to him with two large steps, your mouth already wide open before you even reached his side. An explosion of a savory ocean blended with the chewiness of the octopus and settled on your tongue in the most pleasant way possible.

“Mhhh, you really are the best, thank you.” You mumbled around a full mouth.

His face softened when yours morphed into one of pure, unadulterated bliss.

“You’re welcome.”

While Fukunaga, Yamamoto and Teshiro were diligently working in the kitchen to prepare all the orders that came flooding in, the others were on the other side of the classroom serving them with bright smiles and nimble hands. Kenma stood at the register by the door and made sure that there wasn’t anyone without a spot to occupy. He kept an eye on the queue that was slowly starting to grow with mild frustration - how many people could possibly be interested in such a ridiculous café?

He regretted asking himself such a question.

Apparently a lot of people would be interested.

Kenma knew they needed to use this school festival wisely if they wanted a decent place to stay at during nationals. While they were a successful team with many talented players who were brimming with potential, Nekoma was just one out of dozens of high schools Tokyo housed.

Kenma knew that very well. Unlike his friend Shoyo, who came from a small place where loyalty and support was everything for the people living there, his club wasn’t blessed with the love of an entire village. 

So when you came sprinting into the clubroom a few days prior with your face flushed and your chest rising and falling breathlessly, he knew instantly that you had found something. However, he wouldn’t have dared to think that you had found something like this.

(But then again, you always had a knack for surprising him in the weirdest ways possible.)

He released a loud breath from the deepest part of his lungs, supplying the room with all of his oxygen, and then some more, and gestured for the two waiting girls to step forward. They squealed in delight, one of them avoiding his eyes shyly and the other gaping at his accessorized cat ears.

Her eyes were shimmering in the same way yours did when you clipped them on for him. It left a sour taste on his tongue and an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. There was no way he was going to put himself through this longer than he had to, so he gave them the number of their table rather coldly and then swiped his phone from his pants to keep himself busy.

Playing games sounded so much better now.

Kai had always been known as the gentle giant among your club. 

Imposingly tall and intimidatingly broad, those who didn’t know him would cross the street to avoid the made up dramatic scenes in their heads. If given the chance, he would blow all of the prejudices against him right out of the water.

Soft, patient and kind were more fitting words to describe the vice captain of the Nekoma High volleyball club. 

(In hindsight, if anyone would stand between Kuroo and Yaku during their first year in the volleyball club and survive the whole ordeal with a bright smile still plastered on their face - it would be Kai.)

It was only natural for him to agree with your proposition when you asked them what they thought of your idea. Anything you offered was accepted by Kai, always, unconditionally.

Whether it was because he gained so much joy from your happiness or because he trusted you to make the right choice or it was a combination of both, Kai didn’t know. And frankly, Kai didn’t care either.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself. Seeing his friends dressed up like maids and getting to flash everyone his kindest smile and watch flustered girls slowly unravel before him - it was absolutely delightful.

He thought back to Fukunaga and his beaming face, to his untiring mouth pouring words like an overflowing bath and his eyes like that of a starry night sky. They not only got to see their resident comedic relief be more talkative than ever, they also met a new side of him.

It was the same with Yamamoto. Any other day his only concern would be what his hair looked like, if his shirt fit tight enough to show how much he worked out and what the right ways would be to speak to a girl (not impress, speak; Yamamoto had long decided to cross that bridge when the time came).

And now, on the other side of the classroom where not a single girl was present, he was whistling a jovial tune while bobbing his head and shaping dango and mochi. 

No matter how Kai looked at the situation, he could not hide the amusement flickering between his brows when he first slipped through the curtains to pick up his orders.

The two were a true cooking duo, followed by a motivated Teshiro, who surprisingly was just as skilled in the department of cooking as his two upperclassmen were. Considering how their guests gobbled up their food within minutes and some even went for a second round, it was clear Kai wasn’t the only one having these thoughts.

He gave another smile to the stammering girl in front of him, whose cheeks were so red that blood would be jealous of her. Kai felt her eyes on his thighs and gently (knowing fully well what effect it had) chastised her with a single shake of his index finger.

Another explosion on her face and she dunk herself into her plate of omurice.

Kai smiled.

He was enjoying this way too much.

If there was one state Shibayama would never want you to see him in, it was this.

Dressed in a frilly black dress with a white lace apron snug around his slim waist, he looked exactly like all those cute idols he would see (and crush on) on TV. Which isn’t exactly something he wanted you to think of when seeing him.

He was absolutely horrified when you brought the dresses to the club’s changing room, wearing that one smile that never promised anything good. After all, Shibayama wanted to be manly, confident and someone you could rely on - but how was he to achieve that wearing something like this?

As if your squealing reaction when he finally peeked into the room wasn’t hurtful enough to his pride, all the other girls had to respond in just the same way you did. 

Any other day, he would call it a win when a girl complimented him, would stammer and blush and scramble to hide behind Inuoka. But right now, having a group of cute girls beg him to let them take a picture with him drained the life out of him.

He had the expression of someone who devoured a lemon and chili simultaneously and glanced wistfully at the watch.

Just a few more hours.

He wanted nothing more than to be done with today and put it in the past. Unlike his best friend, who appeared to be having the time of his life.

Inuoka skipped past him to a table hosting four girls. He served them their desserts with finesse, did a last twirl and struck a peace sign before darting back to another table with three guys from his class.

Who would have thought that wearing dresses was so much fun?

There was so much more mobility to his movements now, so much more fluidity and ease and to think that nothing was constricting him downstairs-

Anywho. 

He was familiar with dressing up in costumes whenever his family had big get-togethers and everyone’s children came along. To him, this was nothing more than dress-up again; getting to play an act for a meaningful purpose.

If him being a good cat-waiter meant his team would get to have a comfortable place to sleep at while they partook in the national tournament, then he would do it ten times over. Wearing a dress, having fluffy ears and a thick tail attached to his lower back, those tiny details didn’t matter to him.

After all, his team worked hard, very hard to get to where they are now and he would never forgive himself if they weren’t properly rewarded for it.

Not to mention… this was kind of fun.

“Hey guys!” He chirped, blinding his classmates with a toothy grin.

“You really did it.” One of them said, leaning back to make sure he could see the rest of the team as well. “Your manager is really something. The guys in our baseball club would rather run ten miles barefoot in the snow than do this.”

“But man, look how much it’s working.” The other gestured to the still growing queue. 

Inuoka swelled in size like a proud peacock would with its colorful wings. “Of course it’s working. It was (Surname)-senpai’s idea after all.”

“What do you guys have to eat?” The last one asked after they exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Inuoka recited the menu and took out his small notebook and pen.

“Are you nervous yet?”

“Hm?” Inuoka looked up from the blank page to be met with three inquisitive eyes.

“You know, about nationals!”

“It’s the first time our volleyball club will be on the national stage again after such a long time! You guys must be training like insane, right?”

A thoughtful hum slipped out of his lips and he pursed his lips when he recalled the previous practice sessions. The sound of slamming volleyballs and squeaking sneakers echoed in his ears, causing a tingle to travel through his fingers. They twitched, itching to hold another volleyball.

“Ah…” The first one smiled softly at him, his cheek resting in his palm, “I see.”

“Huh? See what? What?” Inuoka flipped his head from one of his friends to the next, all of them wearing the same expression of fondness and envy.

They didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer. That was something he would have to find on his own.

“Yaku-san! Look!” 

Yaku turned and immediately had the air struck from his lungs. He rushed to Lev in an instant with his arms reaching up to clutch the tray that was currently being balanced on top of Lev’s head.

“What are you doing? Are you mad?” 

Lev’s face twisted into a frown when the weight on top of him disappeared. His voice was nothing but a mumble when he responded. “But I was doing so well…”

“There’s food on the tray, Lev. You don’t play with food.”

“I wasn’t playing with food! I was doing the thing princesses do!”

Yaku’s brows bunched together. “What thing?”

Lev’s words were followed by grand gestures, garnering them more attention than Yaku was comfortable with. “You know, that thing where they get books on their heads and they have to walk while balancing it! I read somewhere that it’s very good for elongating your spine and your posture in general.”

Whether he should be more distraught that Lev used the words ‘elongating your spine’ or ‘I read somewhere’  he wasn’t sure. However there was one major difference he needed his junior to understand. “Books, not food.”

“But food is more of a challenge! Like… if the book falls down, it’s not so bad, right? But food - food can’t fall down! So I’m more motivated to do a good job!”

Seconds trickled by with no reaction. The fact that Lev’s argument was logically sensible was enough to leave Yaku speechless. Each day spent by his side, he was pushed to his mental limits, felt the walls of his patience stretch and thin like that of a rubber band. Each time he thought that this was it, there was no way Lev could be even more Lev, that there had to be some finish line for his foolishness to rest at.

“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that, Yaku-san?”

But every single time, Yaku was proven wrong.

The smooth texture of paper brushed your fingers with each bill you counted, accompanied by the sound of flipping. It had been a few hours since the school festival ended and only a few minutes since you finished dismantling the café and cleaning each surface and corner of the classroom.

Everyone had helped with pulsing feet and weary legs - standing and running around all day tired all of you out. Lev was more quiet than usual, his eyes already halfway to dreamland and even Inuoka, who asked if he could eat the leftovers once everything was done, now sat slumped beside you with an untouched plate of mochi and dango.

Shibayama had his knees tucked to his chest and his cheek pressed against them. His eyes were closed and his breathing came in soft, even strokes. 

Kenma was on his phone catching up on his game he missed out on all day and Kuroo was next to him, watching his progress.

Yamamoto, Teshiro, Yaku and Kai were in a deep discussion of what rental to stay at, whispers and chuckles so quiet, it sounded like a lullaby to sleepy ears.

Fukunaga was by your side, his elbow connected to the surface of the table while his chin rested in his palm. His eyes followed your movements as you finished counting your earnings before you then neatly rearranged the bills into one stack.

You turned around to face your friends with a thick grin and waved the stack around as if fanning yourself. The motion caused them to halt their conversation and look at you. Yaku shook his head, smiling.

“Good job guys, looks like we get the one with the onsen.”

BONUS 1:

“We should do this too!”

“No.”

“The food was so good! The desserts were even better!”

“That is true, but still, no.”

“But didn’t you see the queue?”

“We do not need a queue like that. We have enough funds for a rental.”

“But the costumes, Akaashi!”

“Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto exhaled in a long, exaggerated, dragged out breath and dropped his lips to a sulk. It took twenty minutes of constant badgering to get his best friend to accompany him to Nekoma high.

It took even longer to convince him to stop by the volleyball club’s cat-themed maid café and it took Akaashi triple all of that time to drag Bokuto out of there when you began to pack everything up. He was so enamored with the entire concept that a tiny seedling of inspiration had planted itself in the deepest pit of his brain.

He wanted to be a part of it.

Akaashi watched all of these emotions flicker across Bokuto’s face and turned away from him, sighing.

Later that night Bokuto tried on his sister’s skirt and ended up ripping it in half, earning himself several angry bruises and a very swollen lump on the side of his temple.

BONUS 2:

“Kuroo, stop.”

His lip curled into a smug smirk and he tugged his brow up once.

“Oh my god, you’re not seriously doing this.”

He tilted his head down and forward, his dark eyes locked with yours as he tried to replicate a scene from a movie he saw the night before. Your gaze trailed to each side of your head, locked between his arms that were currently pressed against the wall behind you. He effectively trapped you between his broad chest and the cold wall of your currently abandoned classroom, all naughty and mischievous.

You bit your lip and tried your very best to hold in the bubble within you. “Kuroo, you look really silly right now, you know what?”

“Oh, do I now?” He asked back with a provocative lilt to his voice. Your faces were now only a breath away and you could smell the sweet red bean paste from his earlier snack on him. “So, my beloved customer, what would you like to order?”

You gave him a long, silent look full of disbelief and judgement, full of amusement and cringe and he continued to smile at you like he was trying to seduce you with his black dress and his tight-fitted white frilly apron, decked with a pretty red bow right where his cleavage would be.

You felt it bubble up inside of you, tingling warm in your throat and chest until it exploded into a firework of laughter. It spilled out of you like a fountain and Kuroo leaned back slightly to fully take in the view of you laughing so openly, so vulnerable like you haven’t done in a long time.

The prospect of the national tournament and the expectations others (and you) have set on yourself had robbed you of your carefree and cheeky nature. 

If it meant making a fool of himself to hear you giggling like this, he would gladly sacrifice whatever reputation he was supposed to keep up.

(After all, that’s what friends are for, right?)

Chapter Text

In retrospect, your coaches should have known better.

Pairing up a team of rowdy teenage boys who had way too much testosterone in their lanky bodies with a group of energetic children, who never seemed to run out of their energy supplies? 

Really, what were they thinking?

You looked at the mess that had become the gym. It looked as if a bomb had wrecked the place apart. Dozens of volleyballs were strewn about, the nets that were supposed to get stretched out by the two poles standing opposite each other were coddled together in a mess on the ground and as if that wasn’t enough, there were water bottles everywhere.

“Hold it.” You said with a finality that could have ended wars.

The boys froze on the spot, their palms up in the air as if caught in the middle of a crime. Slowly, almost robotically, Kuroo twisted his head back and smiled with strain at you.

“Hey there.” He said, sounding just as awkward as he looked. “Didn’t know you were still around.”

You raised an unimpressed brow at his lackluster acting. “Huh. I could swear I just heard you say ‘Quick, let’s book it before (Name) notices.’ ”

A cringe-worthy gasp tumbled out of Kuroo’s mouth, who gave the word “overreaction” an entirely new meaning as he cried out. “Rude! I would never say something like that! Right?” He nudged Shibayama beside him and if it wasn’t for your imploring gaze, the first year would have gone along and supported his captain’s claim.

But if there was one thing Shibayama disliked more than cleaning up the gym after a strenuous practice session, it was seeing a disappointed frown on your face and knowing he was the cause of it. Asking Shibayama to lie to you was like asking Kenma to delete all of his save slots from his favorite video game. So basically, if you still don’t know what this means - it was asking him to do the impossible.

“You heard right, (Surname)-senpai. He did say that.”

“What! You traitor- “ Kuroo was about to headlock him to teach him a lesson or two on loyalty and where his lay, but the exhale you released made him think otherwise. His hands stopped half-way in the air and he gulped, determined to avoid your blazing eyes at all cost.

“Is that so?” 

Your smile reeked of a sweetness Kuroo knew poisoned even the strongest soldiers, so he gave up and admitted loss before even engaging in a battle he knew he wasn’t equipped for. 

“Fine. “ He mumbled like a dejected child before trotting off to begin gathering some of the volleyballs.

Shibayama remained on the spot, gazing at you expectantly and if you squinted hard enough, you could see a tail emerging from his lower back and swishing back and forth with way too much enthusiasm. 

Praise. It was written all over his tiny, perfect little forehead. He wanted praise.

Which he would have gotten if it wasn’t for the fact that just a few seconds ago, he too was trying to worm his way out of the gym together with Kuroo. 

“The net.” You said when he still didn’t move from where he was standing. He raised his brows a breath, so you added, “You can start with that.”

The heartbroken look on his face would have snapped the strings of your composure any other day, but right now you had about forty volleyballs to gather and an entire court to sweep, so Shibayama was the last thing on your mind.

With Kuroo clearing up the balls and Shibayama reluctantly twirling the net back into place, you dragged the rest of the boys from the changing room back into the gym. As messy as it was, as tired as you were, as much as you wanted nothing more than to slip underneath a warm stream of water and disappear into the softness that were your blankets - the exhaustion in your bones carried something special in them.

And that something special started the instant you stepped foot into the gym this morning.

Let us start at the beginning.

When the coaches first called you into the teacher’s room during lunch break a few days ago, you feared you had done something wrong. Maybe it was something you did during the national youth training camp? Your mind was running a mile a minute as you had walked with unsteady feet to see coach Nekomata, but it turned out you were fretting over nothing.

He greeted you with a soft smile and nudged you closer, the wrinkles on his forehead moving in ripples across his skin.

“You have a chance to give back to the community.” He had said, a strange glimmer swimming in the depth of his eyes as if he was thinking back to a time long lost. “Would you like to use it?”

You hadn’t known what he had meant exactly, only an inkling as to what his words might have meant, but when you arrived at the gym this morning to find a group of loud children running around, it all clicked into place.

Coach Naoi was already there, talking to some of the lingering parents. When he spotted you, he waved you over to him before he ended his conversation and moved his focus on you and the boys. 

“I hope y’all like kids.” He had a shit-eating grin on his face, directed particularly at Kenma, who looked like a bucket of ice cold water had been emptied on him.

Before Kenma had a chance to run, Kuroo’s nails were already deep inside his shirt, preventing him from moving even an inch. Whatever look was on coach Naoi’s face was now plastered across Kuroo’s, only it was ten times worse.

“I love kids!” Inuoka bellowed out, unreceptive of the tense atmosphere. He was itching to run across and introduce himself to the small bundles of joy. His enthusiasm infected the rest of the team (sans Kenma) and they listened intently as coach Naoi explained the plans for the day.

Some of the parents from Nerima’s children’s volleyball club had gathered one evening for a round of beers and noticed that their children had been actively keeping up with Nekoma’s matches. One of them had the idea of contacting the school and asking if they would be up for an afternoon of bonding time with them.

And that was how you found yourself crouched in front of a little girl, who averted her eyes and held onto her ball a little tighter. You introduced yourself with a smile and held out a hand for her, testing not only her limits but also how easily you could nudge her out of her shell. Slowly, very carefully, she inched closer until her skin brushed yours and her tiny hand rested smugly in yours.

“Nojiko,” she mumbled, barely audible for anyone else, but loud enough for your heart to swell, “My name is Nojiko.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Nojiko-chan. Do you mind if I call you that?”

A beautiful dust of timidity breezed through her cheeks and she ducked her chin even further into her chest, causing her twin ponytails to sway against her shoulders when she muttered, “It’s okay…”

“So you like playing volleyball, huh?”

She nodded with a soft sound that threatened to send your heart into the ether.

“Hm… What is the most fun for you? Is it spiking?”

Meekly, she shook her head no.

“Setting the ball for the spiker?”

Another shake.

“Oooooh, do you like blocking all those annoying guys and showing them that us girls are superior?” You added a conspirational wink which attracted a silent chuckle from her.

The color on her cheeks intensified, but still, she shook her head no.

Well, that left you with only one choice.

“So you like being the backbone of the team? Receiving all those pesky serves and spikes and giving your friends a chance to fight back?”

Nojiko’s beautiful eyes lit up like the stars and for a second, she forgot to be shy and vividly responded, “Yeah!”

The moment was gone as soon as it came, because she outwardly cringed and dropped to a squat immediately, bending down to hide her steaming face between her knees. A laugh tumbled out of your lips and you patted her back reassuringly, letting her know that there was nothing to be shy about.

It took her a few more minutes of coaxing and mindless chattering until she felt safe enough to peek out from her spot. Her eyes were tentative, yet wide and inquisitive as she raked her gaze over to the guys and then back over to you. 

“I know just the right guy to help you become the best libero in all of Japan!” You said in a low tone you knew roped in kids like her.

It worked, because her mouth fell open in a mixture of fascination and disbelief and this time, her whisper came without hesitation. “All of Japan?”

You nodded proudly. “Mhm. And you know what?”

A moment passed. It was full of silence and crackling anticipation.

And then another.

“What?” She finally asked, taking a tiny step closer to you.

You smiled.

“He’s right here with us.”

Yaku was having an absolute blast with Nojiko. They hit it off immediately, her hesitance ebbing away the more he talked to her and soon, she was enamored by both of you.

You decided to stick around and watch him show her some of his favorite exercises to practice lightness in her feet. She was a fast learner, listening intently to him as if he was reading some sort of prophecy and well, if Yaku’s chest pushed forward and his voice took on an air of brilliance, he couldn’t really be blamed.

But he still was.

“Isn’t Yaku-san enjoying this too much?” Yamamoto asked no one in particular.

He was at the far corner of the gym, all on his own, talking to himself as if it was the most normal thing on the planet. 

While all the others were busy with the kids, teaching them proper form, secret techniques and just exchanging jokes and laughter with them, Yamamoto stood off to the side, feeling left out.

And left out he was! The girls were scared of him, the boys were intimidated by him and the only one brave enough to face his fear and approach him turned out to be a curly-haired little boy challenging him to a battle of dominance.

The self-proclaimed leader of the junior volleyball club lifted his chin and his freckled nose crinkled as he dared Yamamoto to block one of his spikes. Yamamoto, who was always ready to be provoked (even by someone much younger and much smaller than him) accepted it with a tight jaw.

A part of him tried to reason with him to not get pulled in by such a double-edged sword, but when he was asked whether he was scared of losing, that part of him got shoved down the drain real quick. Especially when Fukunaga added his fuel to the quickly growing fire by giving him a lopsided smile and saying, “Don’t tell me you’re gonna let a child diss you like that?” 

Yamamoto growled, roughly grabbed the nearest ball and shoved a harsh finger at the boy. “You’re gonna regret the day you were born, you cheeky little runt.”

Admittedly, his reaction was extreme. This was a child in front of him. He shouldn’t be this worked up about something that was said by someone who probably still wet their bed at night. But Yamamoto already had a very fragile ego to begin with and frankly, this child was kind of a fucking dick.

Let’s be real, kids could be cruel if they wanted to. And this one really wanted to be.

“Want me to help you?” Fukunaga asked in a tone that made Yamamoto think that maybe, just maybe he was justified in smashing his head to the ground.

“Get lost!”

“Are you ready?” The child asked defiantly, standing sideways across from his friend, who would be acting as the setter of this mini match.

“Don’t go crying to your mom-”

SMACK!

And just like that, the ball bounced off the wooden floor and into the waiting hands of Fukunaga, who blinked at the ball twice. In front of him, Yamamoto remained motionless. His jaw indented whatever hole he wished to appear underneath him, so he could get swallowed up and transported into a world unknown to mankind.

He gulped.

What had just happened?

“Oh my gosh!” Your voice - right now the very last thing he wanted to hear - broke through the victorious laughter of the small boy. In two large strides you were beside him, your eyes filled with the sort of astonishment he wanted to be on him. “You are fast! Wow! Can you do that again?”

“Looks like we got another shrimp in the making here.” Kuroo grinned as he leaned his elbow on your shoulder, only for you to shove him off with a disgruntled sigh and him tumbling to the ground ass-first. “Hey- What was that for?”

“I’m not here so you can rest your weight on me. You’re heavy, you know.”

“What? Heavy? Me? I’ll have you know I eat a very healthy diet and work out very often.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell that to the sakura-flavored Kit Kat bars you’re stashing under your desk.”

“Those are my study rewards! Wait, how do you even know about them?”

You ignored Kuroo in favor of fawning over the young boy, whose chest swelled with pride upon having been recognized by a pretty older girl like you. He spoke loudly, intending each word to be heard by Yamamoto as he talked about this being a piece of cake and how he wasn’t even trying and if you really wanted to see him go all out, you needed to stop by for one of their official matches.

Basically, Yamamoto felt justified head-butting him so hard, his head snapped back.

Kuroo’s eyes widened when he realized that the shrimp was trying to rile Yamamoto up before he exploded into a thundering laugh, the timbre of it booming across the entire gym. It attracted the attention of Yaku and Kai, who had been teaching Nojiko and her best friend a few stretches and they slowly made their way over, the girls shyly trailing behind them.

“What’s going on?” Yaku asked curiously.

Nojiko reached out to grab your shirt and when you lowered your head to smile at her, she looked away.

“This little shrimp is either a genius or has a death wish.”

“What?” Shibayama, who happened to be nearby, joined the lot of you, wondering what the commotion was about. “Who has a death wish?”

The grip around your shirt tightened and you were surprised to see a frown pulling at Nojiko’s features. Her voice was wispy light, but a tinge of a threat hung onto her words when she murmured, “Dai-chan, leave him alone.”

Upon hearing her voice, Dai-chan froze. The tiny little bud growing in his neck bobbed down and back up when he gulped, his eyes now searching to find the distance. A rosy hue stretched across his face and it took you approximately 0,000001 seconds to catch up on what was happening.

Kuroo, who was watching silently from beside you, grew a foxy grin and nudged you from behind. You turned your head to meet his gaze and raised your brow in question. He motioned to Dai-chan and then to Nojiko and then wiggled his brows twice.

Oh.

And then a light bulb went off in your head, illuminating every single inch it could find until you felt yourself beaming. 

“Say, Dai-chan,” you walked closer to him, dragging Nojiko along with you, who reluctantly followed, trying to put as much distance between herself and him. Her ears were dipped in crimson. 

“Do you wanna practice receiving with Nojiko-chan?”

Both of their heads snapped to you, a sound of disbelief dragging from their lips. It took all of Kuroo’s willpower to not burst into one of his hyena laughs. Seeing him like that, Yaku bit his lip as well, trying not to make it obvious how entertaining he found this entire endeavour to be.

Before either of them had the chance to refute, you added, quite sneakily, “Your spikes are so good that once she manages to receive those, she can take on anything, right?”

Nojiko’s eyes lit up again at the prospect of becoming a libero that no one could beat, whereas Dai-chan’s ego inflated to the size of a boulder. They glanced at each other before averting their eyes once more, unsure how to proceed. 

“What do you say?” You turned, straightening slightly upon spotting Teshiro. “Teshiro! Do you mind setting for these two?”

“W-Wait- “ Nojiko began, but you were quick to cut her off. You knelt down and whispered secretively, sharing something with her that was only intended for her ears.

“You have to take every chance you can get! Especially when all around you are annoying boys, who will constantly underestimate you. Plus,” you winked, watching the crimson flower on her face blossom once more, “I think he kinda likes you.”

The shock was plain as day on her face.

“Don’t you think he’s cute? Look at his freckles!”

“He’s annoying!” She said reflexively, losing her grip on your shirt in order to show with her full body that she disagreed with you. But then, after a moment of contemplation, “But he’s not that bad, I guess…”

Teshiro came just in time to take over from there. You gently nudged her towards Dai-chan, who kept dragging his foot on the floor in a sorry attempt to hide his flustered state. Kuroo leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Go get her, tiger.”

While all of this happened, Yamamoto was in the back, seething.

This child dared to make a fool of him and then score a one on one practice session with a girl?

Oh man, he hated kids.

“A little bit higher- Yeah, just like that! Good job!” 

Inuoka removed his hands from the boy’s forearm and took a step back. With his own ones on his hips, he gave him an encouraging smile and gestured forward with his chin.

“Go ahead, you can do it!”

The boy gulped audibly, counting to three in his head before he took a deep breath and then, with hesitancy lacing each of his movements, pushed the ball from his fingertips. It flew up in a beautiful high arch and right towards one of his friends, who was waiting from the corner of the field to run, jump and connect.

From the other side of the net, one of the girls stretched her arms to the ceiling, delighted when the ball grazed her fingers and she screamed, “One touch!”

Inuoka watched, elated, as the opposing receiver caught the ball with his forearms, sending it to their own setter clumsily, apologizing all the while. His friend gave him a shy smile and then dunked it effortlessly while all eyes were on their spiker.

“What! That’s mean!”

“Hey! Unfair!”

“So sneaky!”

An uproar of protests expanded over the court, none of them having expected their introverted setter to pull this type of move. They were arguing among themselves, some claiming that there was no way this could count, while others angrily berated themselves for not being attentive enough.

Inuoka was surprised as well. Usually these types of underhanded techniques came with experience. It was not something you would see with kids. It wasn’t even something that was all that common with teenagers. In all of the practice matches he had participated in and watched, only a handful of setters were bold enough to try it even out.

There had to be more to this.

And just then, when he moved to grab his water bottle for a sip, he noticed Kenma watching from afar, nodding to the shy setter approvingly.

(To say that Kenma was uncomfortable was an understatement. 

Having someone look up at him with inquisitive eyes that tore through the veil of his long bangs and seemed to see right through him, he felt the intense urge to scowl.

Which he did.

To his credit, the tiny boy in front of him did not waver.

“What’s your position?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kenma’s answer was curt. “Setter.”

“Me too!”

Kenma eyed him wearily, unsure what to do next. What was he even supposed to say? And to make matters worse, this child - he could not for the life of him remember all of their names, having blocked out any and all outside noise when coach Naoi introduced everyone - was just as reluctant to speak as he was.

So chocolate brown met with molten gold as they involuntarily slipped into a staring contest, both of them hoping the other would either speak up or turn around and leave. Considering what was awaiting Kenma if he would do the latter (your never-ending scolding combined with Kuroo’s painful headlock), he decided to suck it up and pursue the former.

An army of ants crawled up his stomach, but he bit the bullet and reluctantly asked, “Wanna practice together?”

Literal galaxies combusted behind his eyes and he nodded, holding onto the hem of his own shirt.

“Yes, please.”)

Inuoka announced a break and watched as the children immediately forgot about their little tantrum and ran to the benches with wild chatter, two boys hanging behind to grill the shy setter about his annoyingly cool move.

One of them nudged him every now and then, nodding his head with a quiet smile whereas the other loudly, boisterously talked his ear off. It looked oddly familiar; how the setter flushed in embarrassment and started looking for a hole to hide in; how the boys flanking him squeezed every inch of life out of him.

He didn’t know why this picture struck him as such and as he tilted his head back for another gulp, he nearly choked in realization at the scene in front of him.

Fukunaga was giggling away as Yamamoto pestered Kenma about god knew what, while the latter had the most foul expression he could possibly wear on his face.

Someone save me, he seemed to say, to anyone who could hear and have pity on him. Inuoka had seen statues look more alive than he did in that moment.

The parallels between the three kids and the three second years was unmistakable.

“Inuoka-san!” 

Small hands patted his arm and he was surprised to see the same child from earlier whom he had encouraged to serve. There was something in his gaze that warmed Inuoka’s heart. Something akin to admiration and fascination; something only a child could so effortlessly convey.

“Yes?” 

His next words were uttered in an innocently silken voice, wrapped around with a pretty bow of cuteness that left Inuoka wanting to fall on his knees and pound the ground.

“Can we play again?”

BONUS 1:

“How… do you even do that?”

“Ha! I’m just that good. You have to have a very strong core to be able to- “

“Lev! What the hell are you doing again?”

Yaku came barging from the other side of the gym, exasperation written all over his features as he approached Inuoka and Lev.

“He’s been at it for ten minutes now! Isn’t that really cool, Yaku-san?” Inuoka motioned to the volleyball resting precariously on top of Lev’s forehead. It looked dangerously close to slipping off and falling on the ground, but miraculously stayed rooted to the spot just where grey strands clung to smooth, pale skin.

Lev didn’t break his stance, only lifted his hand to give his senior a smug thumbs up. “You won’t believe how much I practiced for this.”

Yaku breathed out through his nose, pinching the fleshy bit in an attempt to remain calm. Calm. He had promised you to stay calm, to not let his short fuse get the better of him anymore, to remain. in absolute. control. But there was nothing in the world that could make him bite his snarky tone when he remarked, “Oh, I can actually believe how much time you would waste on something as insignificant as- “

“Woah, so cool!”

Before Yaku was able to reprimand Lev for getting sidetracked again, several kids barreled straight through him, pushing him off to the side in order to get a closer look at what Lev was doing. At this point, he had his arms stretched out, the ball still against his forehead while doing squats . Up and down he went, a big grin splitting his face in half as more kids joined and cheered him on.

Inuoka laughed out loud, completely blown away by Lev’s unexpected impressive sense of balance. Soon he became the star of the show, surrounded by a small army of fanboys and fangirls urging him to “Jump!”, to “Do some lunges!” and many more things that were meant to challenge him.

Yaku sighed.

Leave it to Lev to have the most bizarre talents outside of the court.

BONUS 2:

“Ouch… It hurts…” 

“I know.” Inuoka said gently, rubbing comforting circles on the lower back of the little girl in front of him. He lifted his hands to thumb away the tears flowing down her pretty face.

She had slipped while sprinting towards the ball, eager to catch it and save her team from loss. But in her desire to turn the match around, she had taken one too many steps and fallen face first on the floor while scraping her knee. A small patch of skin had been peeled away, revealing angry pink and dots of red.

Inuoka unwrapped a bandaid from the first aid kit and carefully, with feather light touches, placed it above the scrape and pressed down on it. He gave her an apologetic smile when she hissed and warned her to be more careful the next time.

As if lightning struck him, he released a sound of surprise and reached into the bag he had brought with him.

“Here.” He said, holding out a wrapped piece of candy.

She inspected it before asking, “Strawberry?”

Inuoka nodded.

She smiled, her heart fluttering a little.

“My favorite.”

BONUS 3:

The day ended just the way it started.

That was to say, chaotically.

All you wanted was a sweet picture to capture your experience today and keep it as a fond memory to look back at.

“Hey! Roosterhead!”

You lifted your head with dread, scared of what you were about to find.

Kuroo was on his stomach, tackled by Dai-chan who was straddling his back and instructing the others on what to do next. One of them tugged at his strands to check if they were naturally this wild or if he had plastered it with a ton of gel. Another one poked his ribs, eliciting a strangled laugh akin to a sneezing horse.

It was a sorry sight to behold.

The captain of the Nekoma volleyball club falling victim to the vicious hands of merciless children.

He looked up at you, silently begging you to save him from this torture.

You thought back to all the times he used you as a human hanger, draping his jacket or blazer over your head; all the times he stole your food when you weren’t looking and suddenly something petty and mean rose from within.

“(Name)...?” Kuroo called out once more, eyes and voice full of fear, bordering on desperation when he saw your lips form a scary, sadistic smile.

You did what anyone else in your shoes would do.

You turned away and left.

Chapter Text

Gray clouds parted the gloomy sky, allowing cascades of rain to pour on the ground. The scent of wet asphalt hung in the air, puffs of mist traveling through the bustling streets. People were huddled underneath their umbrellas, rushing to get to their destination in an effort to avoid getting wet.

The school year just started and it was already a bleak day. Hopefully this wasn’t a sign as to how the rest of the year was going to be like.

You sighed at the sight of it and pushed the entrance door of your apartment building open while simultaneously hoisting your umbrella over your head. The raindrops clung to it immediately, racing their way to the edges to then fall off gracefully. 

There had always been something oddly calming about the sound of rainfall, so you naturally found yourself closing your eyes as you started to walk the familiar route to the bus station. Making an effort to avoid the puddles that started to pool on the ground, you hopped over them carefully. If you stained your freshly bought shoes on the first day of school, your mother would personally take offense to it. And you weren’t sure if you were ready for that sort of temper tantrum yet.

As you rounded the corner of the street, something caught your attention and made you stop. An abandoned box stood there, strange sounds coming out of it. When you walked closer to inspect it, your curiosity bigger than your sense of caution, your forehead rose in disbelief. 

The sight you were greeted with made you drop your umbrella.

How did one pretend to be fully present in class and listening to what the teacher was saying? 

What did you need to do to avoid being called out to answer his questions? Maintain eye contact? Avoid eye contact? Nod and pretend to think whenever he made a statement? Never stop pretending to scribble something in your notebook?

But what if that made it worse? What if that aroused suspicion and the teacher walked up to your desk to check what you were writing?

You have never been an exemplary student; that fact remained true since elementary school. But despite your average grades and your occasional detentions, you had managed to stay out of trouble with teachers by at least paying attention to what they were saying. Which made all of this pretending even harder.

How were you supposed to understand what he was currently drawing on the blackboard when your mind kept wandering back to this morning? You could not stop thinking about it. You lowered your gaze to your book with a frown, your grip on your pen tightening in frustration.

What were you supposed to do? It felt like you were backed against a corner, left all on your own to deal with it.

But unbeknownst to you, a pair of dark, feline eyes watched you attentively from behind.

The school day quickly came to an end, what with the focus being on welcoming everyone back from their summer break. It was mostly spent on explaining what the next six months entailed, what topics they were going to cover and what supplies they were supposed to get in order to be able to keep up with everything.

It was also already the first day in which all extracurricular activities began, meaning that all students participating in a club were to gather with the coaches to start planning their goals for the next year.

“I’ll go ahead then.” Kuroo said as he closed the lid to his shoe locker. 

“Okay. See you there.” Kai nodded in response before he then turned back around to make a quick stop at the teachers’ lounge.

Kuroo took a few steps forward until he passed the open door and stopped just short outside of it. He tilted his head back, shielded by the roof above him and watched this morning’s drizzle turn into a shower of rain. The air in Tokyo was already hot and stifling as it was, but with the torrents of falling rain, the surroundings had turned even more stuffy. He cringed. This was the type of weather he disliked the most.

His umbrella opened just in time to catch the first droplets and he started to make his way towards the club room. Regrets from the previous year filled his head as he maneuvered his way through campus. They hadn’t managed to land a spot at nationals, even though they trained rigorously, practiced until late at night and gave it their best. 

This year, he had gotten offered the position as captain and it was his responsibility to whip his friends into shape if they wanted to even be anywhere near the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Whatever they had been doing the past year was clearly not working, so they had to sit down and think of new ways to grow. Now that his upperclassmen had graduated and he himself had become a third year, he had to become strong enough to shoulder the burden and responsibility of his entire team.

He smiled. If Kuroo had one redeeming quality about himself, it was that he faced every challenge head on and never ran from his fears.

He made it past the cafeteria with these thoughts clouding his mind, his feet stepping in puddles on purpose. Dirty water sprang from his feet and splashed further away, leaving proof behind that he was here. Just as he was about to take a left, he noticed something odd and halted. He narrowed his eyes and squinted so as to see better.

Someone was crouching on the ground a bit further away, their umbrella resting on the ground beside them. Upon closer inspection, Kuroo realized it was a girl.

Purely on instinct, he rushed towards whoever was on the ground, worried that someone had collapsed on their way home. But when he reached out to grasp your shoulder, he froze mid-way, his hand hanging limply in the air.

You were hugging your knees, your hair drenched and clinging to your face like second skin with your neck and your blazer sopping wet. However it was your expression that stopped him from touching you. Your expression was soft, almost fond, as you smiled at the ground. He lifted his hand and took another step forward, holding the umbrella higher to protect you both from the rain. 

It was then that he understood why you were soaking wet. Your umbrella was spread open on the ground, the handle of it leaning against a box that lay hidden in the corner of some flowerbeds. 

A box that was filled with tiny kittens snuggling into a red scarf, their weak mewls drowning under the force of the rainfall.

When said rainfall stopped pressuring your scalp, you leaned back in surprise to see Kuroo standing behind you. Your eyes widened to match his look and you turned sideway to push the box behind your back with furrowed brows.

(A futile move, really, because you were much smaller than the box.)

“I was just about to move them. Please don’t tell the teachers about this!”

Kuroo frowned, not understanding the meaning of your words.

He took in the shape of you, the slight shiver of your fingers and the blueish tint of your lips. The rain was icy and merciless as it continued to thrum from the sky. 

“Please.” You repeated, your voice now more urgent.

There were a dozen things he wanted to know at that moment. Where you found the cats from, why you were hiding them, if you were foolish for sitting under the rain in nothing but a short skirt and a thin blouse.

“Where’s the mother?” He found himself asking instead.

His question threw you off since you hadn’t expected him to linger and talk to you. Your biggest fear when you had left your umbrella with the kittens had been that if someone found out, they would tell the teachers and have the kittens removed. Yet… this stranger behind you seemed genuinely curious and… dumbstruck?

“I don’t know… Someone left them near our apartment building.” The way your fists clenched against your school skirt didn’t go unnoticed by him. “Out in the rain and the cold. All on their own.” You blinked, adding mostly to yourself, “Who would even do such a thing?”

“Let’s get you somewhere warm and dry first. You’ll get sick if you stay here.” Kuroo said responsibly. 

Any other question buzzing at the tip of his tongue could wait. Right now, he had to make sure that neither you nor the kittens were subject to the harsh rain any longer than necessary. That was the least he could do. He couldn’t just leave you by yourself in the rain after all - that was not the way he had been raised by his father and grandparents.

You looked up at him with a confused expression and then at the large box in front of you. He couldn’t possibly expect you to walk into the school halls with the very thing you had been trying to hide all day? 

However Kuroo didn’t give your inner turmoil any second thoughts as he gently grabbed your elbow and pulled you up with surprising strength. He kept his umbrella over the both of you when you squatted down to hoist up the box, deciding to trust him, because really - what else could you do at this point? You followed him wordlessly, unsure what to say to him. 

Was he a student in your year or an upperclassman? His face seemed somewhat familiar, but you couldn’t quite put a finger on it. But then again, your lashes were wet and heavy and your sight was slightly blurry from all the rain that you could barely make out his features. Wild dark hair and sharp eyes were the things you could distinguish, but that was about it.

Kuroo found himself wondering the same thing as he led the way, trying to remember if he had seen you somewhere before. Instead of brooding over it and leaving the both of you in the awkward silence any longer, he did the most polite thing he could think of at that moment and said, “I’m Kuroo by the way. Kuroo Tetsurō from Class 5.”

You looked up from the box and blinked. It took you another moment to gather your bearings and reciprocate. “(Surname). (Surname) (Name) from Class 2.”

“Are you in your first year?”

You followed him up a staircase, adjusting your grip on the box when you felt it slip. “Er, no. I’m a second year. What about you? I’m not sure I’ve seen you around before.”

He glanced at you. “I’m in my final year.”

The both of you passed several doors, your curiosity growing the farther you went. He was not heading the way of the dean’s office, which was a good sign. “Um… Kuroo-san? Where are you taking me?”

“Just Kuroo is fine.” He stopped in front of the last door of the hall. “We’re going to our club room.”

“Club room?”

He pushed down the handle of the door and swung it open, guiding you inside by pressing his palm against the lower part of your back. It felt cold and sticky. As you stepped inside, he shook out his umbrella outside and left it on the ground beside the door to dry. 

As soon as you entered the room, time seemed to simultaneously freeze and race all at once.

A guy with a blond mohawk screeched and ripped a shirt in front of his bare chest, covering himself with a furious blush. “A- A- A girl?! ”

Another one with caramel colored hair frowned and gave Kuroo a disapproving look. “Dude, what the hell? We’re in the middle of changing.”

“You could’ve at least knocked,” came a quiet, dead-like voice from the corner, face hidden by long, blond strands.

Several more curious eyes watched you intrigued, but it was the familiar voice of a certain raven-haired boy that stood out the most to you. “(Name)-chan!”

Your eyes widened in recognition and you took a step forward, a relieved smile already tugging at your lips. Finally someone that you knew! “Fukunaga! What are you doing here?”

“That’s my line.” He smiled as he took in your appearance. “And you’re dripping wet at that. What’s that you’re holding?”

“You know each other? Wait- ” Kuroo intervened, stepping between the two of you. “Let’s do the talking later. If everyone’s finished changing, get out and into the gym. Let’s give her some privacy to change into something dry.”

One by one, the boys filtered out of the room, not without taking one more inquisitive look over their shoulder at you. You tried not to flare up in embarrassment, but it was not so easy when quite literally everyone was staring at you. It was so bad that Kuroo actually had to kick one guy’s knee to get him to leave faster. Only after they were gone and you were left alone with Kuroo did it click. You turned to face him.

“Um, Kuroo-san- “

“Just Kuroo is fine.”

“Ah, right. Kuroo?”

“Yeah?” He took the box from you and placed it on the ground gingerly, reaching one hand inside to pet one of the kittens. Its fur was soft and pleasant, tickling the tips of his fingers when the kitten nuzzled into his palm with a mewl. It was easily one of the most precious things he had ever seen.

“I don’t have any spare clothing.” You mentioned.

“Right. That.” He stood up and walked across the room, opening one of the lockers to pull a duffel bag out. He zipped it open and pulled out a white shirt and red sweatpants. “I always bring two sets with me for training, just in case.” 

He stretched out his hand for you to take it from him, giving you another encouraging nudge when you only continued to look at him dumbfounded. “Don’t worry, they’re clean. I’ll wait outside until you’re finished changing. I don’t trust Yamamoto...”

You took it from him with shyness lacing your fingers and he left your side and waited outside the door for you to call him back in. It was cold outside and the wall he leaned against was even colder. He crossed his arms, recalling the image of you sitting under the rain in front of the box. 

What were you even thinking when you did that? 

What would have happened if Kuroo hadn’t seen you right then and there? What if you had gotten caught by a teacher? He wasn’t sure whether it was forbidden to bring in stray cats to campus, but he doubted you would have gotten off without a scratch. Not to mention that you risked catching a serious cold.

You pulled him out of his thoughts when you slowly opened the door and poked your head out, hesitating before you then pulled it open the rest of the way to reveal yourself fully.

“Thank you for the spare clothes. I’ll return them to you tomorrow.” You made to bow, but he stopped you by catching you by your shoulder.

“What are you gonna do now?”

You sighed. “I don’t know… The rain’s not letting up anytime soon and I can’t hold onto the box and the umbrella at the same time.”

He looked at you thoughtfully.

You continued, “But I can’t just leave them here either! I think I’m going to wait the rain out...”

“Are you gonna take them back home?”

“I can’t.” Your face twisted in a scowl. “My apartment complex doesn’t allow any pets.” 

Well, that certainly sounded like you had landed yourself in a pickle. Kuroo hummed and threw his head back, scratching at his chin as he racked his brain for solutions. There was no way he could take all of those kittens to his own place either. His father was too busy with work and his grandparents were too old to take care of ten newborn cats. 

For a second, he considered talking to Kenma about it. But given how overwhelmed his mother was with her own jobs and his lack of interest towards anything that wasn’t gaming or volleyball, he dropped that thought as quickly as it popped up. The last thing he wanted was to find these cute balls of fur malnourished and on the brink of death because his best friend failed to take care of them. Virtual cats were different from real ones after all.

“Kuroo! Coaches are calling us! Are you coming?” The caramel-haired boy from earlier stuck his head inside. His brows raised when he saw your new outfit and he looked you up from head to toe. And then he grinned. “So that habit of yours to carry around two sets of clothing finally paid off, huh?”

“Mind your own business, Yaku.” Kuroo replied, annoyed.

“Yeah, yeah. Nekomata-sensei is calling us in. Hurry up.”

You stood at the side, flipping your eyes from one boy to the other as you involuntarily listened in on their conversation. You didn’t know what to do, feeling awkwardly left out, so you fidgeted on the spot. 

When they continued to bicker back and forth, you crouched down  next to the kittens and adjusted your scarf around them. They made a sound of appreciation and before you knew it, the guy called Yaku was already kneeling beside you, his shoulder brushing yours.

“Woah. You’re gonna be in so much trouble if a teacher finds out.”

“Wha- “ 

“I’m joking.” He shot you a bright smile when you whipped your head towards him in shock. “I wouldn’t rat out these cute kitties. Look at them go.” 

His voice turned childish and sweet as he played with one of them, baiting it with his finger by moving it from one spot to the other. It jumped weakly towards him, paws out and ready to strike, only to fall clumsily on its butt.

Yaku laughed. “Man, seriously, how can they be so cute? Oh, I’m Yaku, by the way. Yaku Morisuke from year 3, class 5.”

You bowed your head as best as you could, considering you were still crouching on the ground, and introduced yourself back. He went on to ask you if you wanted to join their practice to wait out the rain or if you’d prefer staying inside the club room with the kittens.

At the mention of volleyball, you found your heart stuttering for a beat. Of course. You felt stupid for a second, because you hadn’t thought of asking what kind of sports club they were. Your conflicted look didn’t go unnoticed by Kuroo, who then offered to take the cats with you to the gym.

“I’ll talk with the coaches to make sure it’s okay.” He said and left you behind with Yaku, who insisted on carrying the box for you. In a far off corner of your mind, you wondered if everyone in the club was as chivalrous as these two.

“How do you know Kuroo? You his girlfriend or something?” He asked.

You coughed, startled, and bit your lip sheepishly. “No. Actually, I don’t even know him.”

You received a curious lift of his brow.

“You see, I um, I was hiding the cats in the botanical garden and came to pick them up. And then he was just behind me, holding his umbrella over us.”

Yaku scoffed and snorted at how much that sounded like something his captain would do. He asked you where you even found the kittens and what you intended to do with them now that they were with you. You went on to explain your situation as you had done with Kuroo just a few minutes ago, a bud of dread coiling from your stomach at the grim reminder that you did not know what to do with them. 

He nodded and hummed in thought, taking a few moments to think about possible ways to help you. But he too came out empty-handed, just like his captain and apologized with a sour face. 

“We can ask the other guys after practice. Maybe they’ll have an idea?” He suggested when you entered the gym.

And that was how you found yourself sitting in the corner of the gym with ten kittens on your lap while everyone else practiced drills. 

Your pupils were dilated as you processed every stimuli that was thrown your way. The boys were playing three on three matches, the rallies getting longer with each point they scored. Your fingers were itching, questions balancing on the tip of your tongue.

Every now and then Fukunaga would stop by and check in on you, scratching the kittens behind their heads until he got called back for the next round. 

“Whaddya think?” He would ask you.

“What do you mean?” You would smile amusedly at him.

“We’re pretty cool, aren’t we?”

“Urgh Fuku- “

“All this time, I’ve been begging you to stop by and come watch us practice and it takes a thunderstorm and a bunch of cute cats for you to finally give in and do it?”

“Fukunaga, go.”

It was when they had their first break that the coach came up to you.

You gulped, feeling slightly intimidated by his closed eye smile and the air of mischief he carried with him. You hastily stood up, holding onto the kittens as you bowed. “G-Good evening, Nekomata-sensei. Thank you for letting me stay here while it rains.”

“Oh, what do we have here?” He reached out and brushed through the fur of the smallest one in your arms, the wrinkles on his eyes deepening. “Are they yours?”

You hesitated. Would he tell the teachers about this?

“They’ve been abandoned. (Surname) took them with her to shelter them from the weather.” Your savior in the form of Kuroo came from behind, taking a cat from your grasp to hold it against his chest. 

His lips tugged into a small smile when it nuzzled into the crook of his neck, its whiskers tickling his sweaty skin. Yaku and Fukunaga followed suit, taking two more from your arms to play with them as well. The others stood at a distance from you, their eyes looking longingly at the cats, but still too shy to actually approach you. They hadn’t discerned whether you were safe to be around yet, specifically the first years, who appeared to be the most hesitant about it.

Upon the mention of your name, coach Nekomata lifted his head from the kitten to you, surprise written all over his features. “(Surname)?”

You straightened instinctively, thinking he was addressing you. “Y-Yes?”

“(Surname).... As in (Surname) (Your father’s name), coach of the national basketball team?”

“What?” Kuroo turned to you, his mouth slightly agape.

Yaku gave an impressed whistle and Fukunaga grinned knowingly.

You however chuckled awkwardly and avoided their gazes, your voice a mere whisper at this point. “Yeah…”

It wasn’t often that someone recognized your father, since people outside of the sports world didn’t really care for the name of coaches or trainers. But whenever they did, you still felt a tinge of embarrassment. This time was no different with warmth flooding your cheeks.

Coach Nekomata laughed heartily at your flustered expression. You were so easy to read for his old eyes that had seen so much more. “So you’re telling me, right now, in front of me, is the daughter of the basketball coach of Japan?”

You gave him a weak smile and nodded. It was getting more embarrassing with each passing second, attention on you being something you never really appreciated but this time it was Yaku who saved you from making a fool out of yourself. He intervened with a “That’s awesome! No wonder our basketball team is so good! They went all the way to the finale during nationals!”

“Wait, you’re managing the basketball club?” Kuroo asked.

Your eyes widened when the implication of Yaku’s words settled in and you shook your head in denial a little too quickly. “No, I- You’ve got it wrong. I’m not with the basketball team.” You looked down and added, more to yourself, “Not anymore at least.”

Fukunaga snickered. “Those brutes don’t look like they’d know how to properly talk to a girl anyway.”

At this, coach Nekomata laughed even harder. The reputation Nekoma’s basketball team had built over the years had remained true to its name. Once he calmed down from his fit of laughter, he steeled his gaze with yours and asked, “Why don’t you join us then? We were in need of a manager anyway.”

Your forehead wrinkled and you stood there dumbfounded, unable to respond to the sudden question. Even more warmth crept up the back of your neck when you realized that everyone’s eyes were once again on you. 

Sensing your discord, he conspiratorially added, “If you want, I’ll even teach you a thing or two about coaching.”

The way your lips parted and your eyes glossed over didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Coach Nekomata smiled. There was the bait. And you were just about to take it, your fingers hovering right over it.

You whispered, again, more to yourself, “But I’m a girl…”

Kuroo’s eyes narrowed even more.

“And I’m a boy. Glad that we got that out of the way.” Fukunaga said matter-of-factly as he stood by your side, the shit-eating glint never leaving his eyes. He snickered once more when he was met with your eye-roll.

“Even better.” Coach Nekomata ignored his student’s quip and gave you a grin that could almost be considered evil. “Manager and coach-in-training. Taking down two crows with one paw.” 

A collective groan resounded throughout the gym, taking you by surprise when the other coach laughed gruffly. “You’re never gonna stop talking about Karasuno, are you?”

Watching them joke around like this left you feeling awkwardly out of place. You fidgeted on your spot, surprised when Kuroo suddenly stood in front of you. He had this weird look in his eyes you could not quite read.

His voice was crisp and clear, sharp in a way you did not expect from him. “Is volleyball fun for you?”

It took you a moment to answer, knowing that everyone was watching. “I can’t play volleyball, but I like watching the matches.”

“So it’s fun for you to watch?” 

You nodded, unsure where he was trying to go with this. He merely nodded back, although it looked like the gesture was more so meant for himself. “That’s good enough for me. What about you guys?”

All of them looked excited at the prospect of getting a manager for their team. Yaku gave you a thumbs up with a toothy grin. Fukunaga muttered “About time you finally joined” . The others bowed shyly to your direction, giving you friendly smiles and short introductions of themselves. The guy with the mohawk… cried?

Before you had time to ask what that was about, Coach Nekomata spoke up again. “How about we make a deal?”

You stopped and gave him a look. Now things were starting to get interesting. There was no denying he managed to awake your curiosity. There was however, one small question nagging the back of your mind. 

Why did he want you as a part of his team in the first place?

“I take those kittens from you and make sure they find a home and in turn you become my disciple and their manager.” 

Now you really were confused. This sounded more and more like something from which only you would benefit from. You couldn’t help but be suspicious. And you had never been someone, who could bite their tongue when they needed to, so you simply blurted out, “With all due respect - what’s in it for you?”

His shoulders shook in delight, a glint racing through his eyes when faced with the defiant raise of your chin. The other coach raised an amused brow. Straightforward and to the point. You definitely were someone they needed on their team.

Coach Nekomata’s eyes opened to two tiny slits and your skin broke out in goosebumps at the sheer intensity of his gaze when he said,

“Don’t worry about me, young (Surname). I will get my share in due time.”

BONUS:

Cheers rang through the stands, a symphony of high-pitched screams filling the air as the whistle blew once more through the hall.

“One more, Tora!” His teammates called simultaneously from ahead.

Yamamoto closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling the worn out leather of the volleyball in his hands. The blood in his veins rushed through his ears and it was as if his senses were heightened, able to pick up every little sound. 

He could hear the shift of Kenma’s sneakers when he adjusted his stance. He could hear the rustling of Fukunaga’s sweat-drenched shirt when he lifted his arms to cover his head. He could hear the praises dripping from the cute girls in the second row on the left, like ice cream on a hot summer’s day.

He opened his eyes and glanced at them. One of them shrieked in surprise and hid behind her friend, who was blushing up a storm at his intense gaze. 

Finally.

Finally, it was no longer the pretty guys, who were getting blessed by the attention of cute girls. The girls in the stands were rooting for him , they were wearing his jersey and calling out his name. 

What kind of ace would he be if he couldn’t deliver now?

So he steeled his core and blew out a breath of air, throwing the ball ahead of him as he ran three steps forward and jumped. He arched his back and whipped his arm back, pulling in his abdominal muscles and holding his breath and-

“SERVICE AAAAAAAA CE- Huh?“

Yamamoto stood wide-eyed, his arm extended and frozen in the air as the entire classroom went deadly silent. He gulped, his throat as dry as the desert. All eyes were on him and light chuckles were traveling through the room at his expense.

The clearing of his teacher’s throat caused him to wince. If looks could kill, he’d surely been burnt to dust by now. 

“Yamamoto-kun.” She said, her voice sharp like a thousand needles cutting through his skin.

He lowered his head in shame, feeling flames burst from his neck when the cute girl in front of him laughed into her hand. Right about now would be a very convenient time for a hole to open up in the ground. Suck him in like one of those vortexes he saw in that movie he watched the night before. And then spit him out into another timeline, in which he would finally get to live the life he deserved. 

A life in which he was respected by many and loved by even more. Maybe if he stared with enough willpower, the ground would start to crack open- 

“ Yamamoto-kun. ” His teacher said again, this time sounding more vexed. “Are you even listening to me?”

His eyes widened in fear when he realized that, while he had been too busy staring a hole into the ground, she had been talking to him. And he had not been listening to her.

What was he supposed to do?

Admitting he was too busy thinking about riding in a space ship surrounded by cute girls meant becoming one head shorter.

Lying meant making a fool of himself when she’d inevitably expect an answer to a question he hadn’t even heard.

He briefly considered jumping out of the window when she sighed exasperatedly and turned her back to him, lifting her hand to continue writing on the blackboard.

“Come to me once class is over.”

Chapter Text

Introducing: Managing the Cat’s Den - Sticker Edition! 🐈

Thanks to the amazing fittsythesnail who worked her magic and created these fun and cute stickers, they are now available online, from us to you. 💖

With all of the love MtCD has been receiving, we wanted to give back to this amazing community by starting this little project. And depending on what kind of feedback we are going to receive, we are thinking of expanding and adding our cute little kittens into the mix as well.

If you do get it, please snap a picture and make sure to tag us both! We would love to see them!

We know not everyone feels comfortable ordering stuff online, so we have decided to include two shops we are both familiar with, regularly order products from and can vouch for.

You can find the first print at Society6 and RedBubble. The second print can also be found at Society6 and RedBubble.

All profits made from these stickers will be donated to a local animal shelter!

On a personal note from me, I am floored and to this day cannot believe how much love and support MtCD has received and for that, I am eternally grateful. What started out as a fun little collection of high schoolers goofing around turned into so much more - and I have you guys to thank for.

So I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, hope that you guys will like this and that you will continue to support me, all the way, until the end.

Thank you. 💖

Chapter Text

The sun was shining brightly above you, rising to meet the sky in a beautiful molten gold. It stretched across the horizon, a brilliant contrast against the pale grey it lay against. Your breath came out fogged when you exhaled, an army of restless ants crawling all over your stomach.

This was the day you had all been waiting for, the day you had all been working for.

The Spring Interhigh.

The championship that would crown the high school with the best volleyball team in all of Japan. Just thinking of entering the gymnasium filled with hundreds of people, dozens of powerful teams made the hair on your arms stand on edge.

It felt surreal, like you weren’t really here, like none of this was really real.

Like this was all just a dream.

“We finally made it, huh?” asked Kuroo, standing beside you as he too gazed at the entrance.

You turned your head to meet his eyes, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. There was something in them you couldn’t read. Anxiety? Excitement? Pride?

He didn’t need to say anything for you to know that they mirrored yours. You worked just as hard as he did and this meant just as much to you as it did to him. 

You did this. Together.

The edges of your lips quirked into a grin, toothy and infectious as you repeated, “We finally made it.”

“Is everyone here?” You asked, standing on your toes as you counted all the heads you could see. When the number stopped at nine, you froze, blinked and recounted from the start.

A distinctive mop of blond was missing from your group and no one even had seemed to notice it. One look at your watch was enough to send you into unease - the first match was supposed to start in about half an hour.

Which meant you’d have to enter the hall in fifteen minutes to start warming up and preparing everything.

“Has anyone seen Ken-chan?” You asked, trying not to sound as anxious as you felt.

Kai glanced over his shoulder, wanting to point to a spot right behind him where Kenma had been just a few minutes ago. His eyes widened imperceptibly before he faced you again, surprise written all over his features.

“He was right here…”

“Maybe he went to get something to drink?” Inuoka offered.

Teshiro nodded, adding helpfully, “He did mention he was thirsty and forgot to bring his water bottle.”

“That’s what happens when he plays games all the time!” Yamamoto sighed like a disapproving mother whose go-to phrase consisted of the universally dreaded words “I told you so.”

Kuroo pulled out his phone. “I’ll give him a call.”

You waited, your lip trapped between your teeth and your forehead bunched up as it rang, and rang, and rang. But Kuroo only shook his head. “He’s not picking up.”

“Let me try,” you find yourself saying, not yet wanting to alert the coaches.

A missing member right before the first round would be catastrophic.

Before your anxiety could feed your mind unwanted images of going into a match without Kenma, losing in the most humiliating way possible, deeming you the embarrassment of Japan, you took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself down.

Kuroo gave you a look of genuine confusion. “What makes you think he’ll pick up when you- “

An unmistakably soft voice chimed from against your ear and Kuroo felt his blood turn to ice.

“Ah! Ken-chan!” You visibly deflated in relief and turned away from the boys, specifically from Kuroo, who looked like the world had just ended. “Where are you?”

“Water.”

“Huh?”

To your left, Kenma appeared with a bottle of water in one hand and his phone, which was no longer pressed against his ear, in the other. “I got thirsty.”

All of your concerns drained out of you in an instant while Kuroo pounced on his best friend, demanding a reason why he’d answer your call but not his. Not wanting to be a participant in what was most likely going to be a petty fight, you left them behind and made your way towards court B.

The coaches were already there, leaning against the door and watching the game with avid interest. They noticed your presence only after the match ended, both of them sporting an expression you haven’t seen on either of them.

They too were nervous. 

Or was it excitement?

You couldn’t tell, not with the flutter in your own stomach and the weight pressing against your chest. The players from both teams filtered out of the doors, passing by you without sparing you a second glance.

The winners were too busy celebrating and crying tears of joy, whereas the opposing side quietly walked past with clenched fists.

You gulped.

This could be you. 

“Nervous?” Yaku interrupted your treacherous thoughts when he poked your lower back with a friendly smile. “It’s the third match of the day and we get to square off against the folks from Kiyokawa.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about!” Lev announced loudly, unintentionally pushing Yaku to the side to clap his hand against your back. Unaware of his own strength, the force of it sent you tumbling several steps forward, dragging the breath out of your lungs.

When you gave him a reprimanding look, he returned it with a grimace and offered you an apologetic smile.

“Lev! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It was an accident!”

“Does she look like a volleyball to you? Why did you slam into her like that?”

I sure hope I don’t look like a volleyball to anyone, you thought. The familiar sight of Yaku and Lev fighting took some of the edge off of your bones and you felt yourself relaxing.

Right. You could do this. This was what you prepared for.

One by one, everyone in your team entered the court, starting with Kuroo, who winked teasingly at you. Kai was next, reaching out his hand to pat your head reassuringly, as if to say not to worry.

Yaku grasped your hand and squeezed it once, saying, “I won’t let any of them through.”

Another weight was lifted off of your shoulder and you smiled, giving him a nod of agreement. “I know.”

Yamamoto came after with his head held high and his eyes burning with a blazing fire. Determination seeped out of his every pore and he spoke with such confidence, you couldn’t help but admire him. “Let’s show them what we’re made of.”

For the first time since meeting him, you thought, at that moment, he looked kind of cool.

(Not that you would ever tell him this.)

“What are you even worried about? Didn’t you study every single one of their habits? This isn’t even the end boss,” muttered Kenma without sparing you a single glance. The light brush of his fingers against yours however was enough for his feelings to reach yours. 

You let your finger curl against his for just a moment, just a second for him to register your warmth. From the corner of your eyes, it was visible. It was small, tiny, almost invisible, but still, you could see it. Underneath the curtain of his blond hair, Kenma smiled.

“Let’s serve a good show!” Fukunaga waltzed right into the court with his arms crossed behind his head, looking as carefree as ever. “Make it worthwhile, am I right?”

“Ah, I can’t believe it… We’re really about to be on national television,” whispered Inuoka, reverence glittering in his eyes.

Teshiro made a sound of agreement as he joined him, raking his eyes all over the court once he stepped foot in it.

“Does my hair look okay?” Lev bent down on eye-level with you, fussing around with the grey strands falling over his face in what had to be the most effortlessly charming way. There was something restless about the way his fingers moved, almost like he couldn’t stay still.

While this was nothing new for someone like Lev, it was unmistakable that this wasn’t something that was caused by his boundless chaotic energy. 

“You’ll be okay,” you said, taking his hand in yours. Your thumb rubbed soothing circles across the back of it, your words like a healing salve to the ball of tension unfurling inside of him. “In fact, you’re going to be amazing. I know it.”

“(Name)-senpai…”

“So go out there and enjoy it, okay?

A moment of silence passed in which your words slowly registered inside his mind and dissolved into a cotton candy softness that melted away his fears. He felt courage surge from the pit of his stomach, all the way up to his lungs that opened up wide for him to take in a deep breath. The cheers of the audience were audible all the way from where he was standing.

Soon, they would cheer for him too.

His sister, his friends, his teammates, you .

“I will!” He proclaimed with a newfound determination before storming right into the battlefield before last second jitters could keep him from going forward.

And last but not least, Shibayama.

He was trembling all over, his face devoid of any color as he stood rooted on the spot, unable to advance.

“Shibayama.” 

Upon hearing your voice, he straightened up like a rod, too tense and too forceful as he called back, “Yes?”

Oddly enough, seeing him come apart at the seams was filling you with strength and endurance, like your body suddenly remembered its job - looking after your boys. You walked up to him and placed a gentle, yet reassuring hand on his back, giving him just the slightest bit of a push in the direction of the court.

“Don’t you want to show Japan who Nekoma is?”

He tilted his head back to meet your eyes and whatever he found in them drove away the angry bees buzzing inside his stomach. His nerves started to settle.

“I do.” He said eventually, finding his voice again.

Inside, the boys started shrugging out of their jerseys to get ready for a few warm up drills.

“Well then,” you nudged him once more, your sights set ahead, “Let’s win this thing.”

And win, you did.

The match against Kiyokawa High School ended 2:0 with Nekoma snatching both sets from underneath their noses.

Sweaty, exhausted, exhilarated and most of all starving for more, you celebrated the win by going for a hefty round of yakitori. The coaches treated you for a nice and filling dinner, allowing themselves a few mugs of beer to wash down the days’ activities.

Since the gymnasium in which the Spring Interhigh took place was only about forty minutes away from where your school was, it had originally been decided that you wouldn’t rent a place to stay overnight. But when the coaches heard that you had kept all the earnings of your maid themed café, they had let themselves be convinced to agree with your wishes.

It was a small place, barely enough to house an entire group of rowdy teenagers, but it was cozy and it had its own indoor onsen, so it was more than you could ask for. 

Because the rental didn’t have a lot of rooms, you ended up sleeping in the same room with the boys. They were cordial enough to arrange their futons in a way that allowed you to keep your distance and it wasn’t like you were intending to sleep much anyway. You spent the entire night going over your notes and rewatching today’s match of the team you would face off with tomorrow. 

Fukunaga was the one to wake you in the morning, with your cheek glued to your notebook, an imprint of the binding spines proof of your nightly activity. He gave you a disapproving glare, but decided to spare you when you yawned loudly in his face, nowhere near coherent enough to understand any of his words.

After breakfast, the boys went ahead to the gymnasium to watch a few of the other games before it was their turn to play while you stayed behind to go over your notes one last time together with the coaches.

Not much later you found yourself back inside the bustling hallways, surrounded by food and beverage stands for the audiences as well as merch shops that sold items like volleyball themed plushies and t-shirts.

It was there that you saw a familiar mop of white hair, arguing with someone much taller than him.

“Hoshiumi-san!” You approached him with a friendly smile, lightly bowing to the person next to him.

“Ah, (Surname)-san, what’s up?”

“I’m good, thanks! So you guys made it safely through the first round as well?”

A wolfish grin spread through his face - predatory and thrilling. It tickled a laugh out of your chest. His expression relaxed into a more natural one and he gestured toward his friend with the intention of introducing him.

“This is Hirugami- “

“Sachirō, middle blocker, also known as the Immovable, I know.” Hirugami’s perplexed expression tore another, much louder cackle from Hoshiumi, which left him breathless and wheezing.

“Dude, you should see your face right now.”

“I’m sorry.” You apologized sheepishly, biting your lip. “Bad habit.”

But Hirugami didn’t seem to mind, rather he couldn’t hold back his own smile. So Hoshiumi wasn’t exaggerating when he had talked about you a while ago. Amusement swirled through his toffee brown eyes.

“It’s okay.” He replied. “But I didn’t quite catch your name?”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry, it’s (Surname). (Surname) (Name).”

Hoshiumi narrowed his eyes suspiciously when your flustered little self became more and more comfortable until you blossomed into a conversation with him. Not because of your actions, because you had done nothing wrong.

You were just being you.

But Hoshiumi could swear he told Hirugami all about you, including your name, which team you were managing and how you met him in the first place. So it was all the more interesting when Hirugami, despite knowing all of this information already, still proceeded to ask you the very same questions he already knew the answers to.

Unsuspecting as you were, you continued chatting with him, losing track of time until you heard another familiar voice calling out your name.

When the three of you turned around, you were met with none other than Inarizaki High itself.

“Miya-san! How nice to see you again.”

“Yo, (Name)-chan, I told ya to call me ‘tsumu. Oh, the little giant is here too.”

“Sup. I have a name you know.”

You were about to ask Atsumu how he had been doing since you last saw him and if they had already finished their match of the day, but the sight of the Aran Ojiro rendered you speechless. 

Jaw unhinged and wide eyed, you stared right at him like it was the first time you had seen another human being. So much so that literally everyone around you noticed and rotated from looking at him to you and then back to him.

“Uh… hi?” He offered awkwardly, uncomfortably aware of all eyes on him.

Ripped out of your own reverie, you giggled in a way that left Atsumu and Hoshiumi gaping and proceeded to twirl a strand of your hair. “Hi.”

“What is happening right now?” Atsumu asked no one in particular, receiving only a shrug from his twin, who looked like he couldn’t care any less.

“Wow, so even Aran has fangirls, huh?” Someone from the back - whom you knew to be Rintarō Suna - commented with a lazy smirk.

The words seemed to have their desired effect as Aran stood just a little bit straighter with his chest puffed out and a shy, yet satisfied smile on his face. He introduced himself nevertheless, more to be polite than anything else.

“I can’t believe I’m talking to the ace of Inarizaki… God, you have no idea how much I admire you! I really hope we get to play against you guys!”

“Not that ya would stand a chance!” Atsumu interrupted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What ya saw at the training camp’s nothin’ compared to the real deal.”

You were about to bite right back at him, not one to let anyone insult your team - as indirectly as it had been - if it were not for another much smoother, velvety voice dragging through your spine.

“I presume yer the rumored manager of Nekoma High?”

From between Osamu and Suna came the captain of the team, Shinsuke Kita. His voice was gentle and peaceful, nothing like Atsumu and nothing like Hoshiumi, who both sort of took a reverent step backwards.

Even you felt stunned by his effortless beauty and how graceful his every move appeared. 

“It’s a pleasure ta finally meet ya. Miya’s been talkin’ non-stop- “

“Anyway!” Atsumu butted in, grabbing both you and Kita by the shoulder to squeeze himself in between the two of you. “Where’s yer team, (Name)-chan? I wanna meet that setter of yers.”

His hand felt warm on your shoulder and you glanced at it from the side, confused and slightly taken aback by the sudden close contact. Not thinking much of it and missing the knowing, amused looks shared by his teammates, you merely shrugged out of it and adjusted your grip on the bag you were carrying.

“They’re watching Fukurodani’s match right now. Bokuto-senpai would cry a river if he wouldn’t see Kuroo’s face in the crowd.”

“Yikes, now you make me feel bad for leaving him to fend for himself.”

The familiar voice of Kuroo made you turn around, only to almost slam right into his chest. He was unexpectedly close, forcing you to tilt your head back to look him properly in the eyes.

“Kuroo? What are you doing here?”

“Could be asking you the same thing.” He responded, dragging his gaze from you to the boys behind you. “Lev won’t shut up about you not being there and Yaku’s starting to go into his mother hen mode.”

“I was on my way!” You tried to argue, but thought better of it when you remembered that several pairs of curious eyes were watching your interaction. Clearing your throat, you first gestured to Hoshiumi and his friend, and then to Atsumu and the rest of his team. “Everyone, this is Kuroo, our captain. Kuroo, this is- “

“Hoshiumi Korai.”

“Miya Atsumu.”

You stopped when both of them interrupted you at the same time, their level of eagerness catching you off guard. Apparently you weren’t the only one to be surprised, because Hirugami and Kita also raised their brows.

Someone from Inarizaki snorted, and then another chuckled.

“What they said.” You finished rather awkwardly, letting your hand hang in the air.

Kuroo hummed thoughtfully before a smirk tugged at his lips. “So you’re the ones who kept our dear (Name) up at night?”

“Ew, don’t say it like that.”

“What? Yaku mentioned you barely slept because of them.”

At the suggestive tone of his teasing, both Atsumu and Hoshiumi flared up in a vicious flame, their ears a deep red, neither of them having expected a blow like that. Kuroo met their gazes head-on as if he was challenging them, but you continued to be oblivious to this war of pheromones and grimaced.

“You’re being creepy again.”

“Me? Creepy? When have I ever been creepy?”

“Oh come on, you’re always being creepy.”

“Now that’s just rude.”

“Stop talking like that!”

“Like what?” He wiggled his brows for added emphasis.

“With that weird fake gentle voice, you can’t fool me.”

“Fool you? Now why would I do that to our precious little manager?”

All the while, the others followed with apt attention as the two of you spiralled into the most petty exchange they had ever seen.

Hirugami nudged Hoshiumi inconspicuously and whispered so that no one else would hear, “Are they a thing?”

“Huh? How would I know?”

“Feels like I’m imposin’ on some lovers’ quarrel,” added Suna lacklusterly, before mentioning off-handedly how he was going on ahead. Most of the team followed him safe for the twins, Aran and Kita.

The latter two exchanged an amused smile with Kita saying, “Doesn’t this seem familiar?”

“Ugh, you’re being unbelievable, Kuroo!” Overcome with frustration and slightly embarrassed to have them see this side of you, you quickly apologized with a low bow before you dashed out of there, still muttering to yourself how annoying your stupid captain was being.

Kuroo, seemingly satisfied with the result of his actions, offered a suspiciously kind expression and coated his words with a hefty amount of honey. “Looks like I drove her away. Sorry.”

Atsumu narrowed his eyes, seeing right through the act. He knew “fake niceness” when he saw it. After all, he was the master of it.

“Oh, by the way,” Kuroo lowered his voice conspiratorially, his eyes half-lidded and full of something none of them could decipher, “Good luck against Karasuno. You’re gonna need it.”

And with that, he was off to chase you with that same high pitched voice he sported just a second ago. 

“What’s his problem?” Atsumu huffed after both of you were out of his sight.

Hoshiumi nodded gravely. “Right?”

Bored out of his mind and hungry for the food stalls, Osamu sighed heavily before shaking his head, sounding utterly disappointed in both his brother and his brother’s friend.

“Yer such a clueless scrub.”

The match against Sarukawa Tech High drained everyone of so much energy, none of you remembered the dinner after, nor how you ended up back in the rental. Not even the long, steaming bath managed to keep the boys on their feet.

As soon as their backs hit the mattress, they all passed out, weighed down by their blankets and their exhausted muscles.

Tomorrow, the third round will commence.

Tomorrow, you will face off with Karasuno.

Tomorrow, the battle at the trash heap will no longer be a dream of two old friends.

It will be a reality.

Even though your heart stung for your newly acquired friend who had lost against Karasuno, there was no denying it. As much as you wanted to play against his school, this desire of yours was nothing compared to the thrill rushing through your skin at the thought of having the crows on the other side of the net - and this time for real.

A game in which winning meant advancing forward.

A game in which losing meant disqualification.

A game with no second chances.

You spent the rest of the night wide awake, tucked in a corner of the room with your headphones plugged in tight and your computer’s brightness at its lowest. Your hand did not stop once. You wrote, and you thought, and you calculated, and you drew, and then the cycle repeated itself.

All night long.

Everything that happened after was a blur.

The match with Karasuno was one none of you will forget.

It was one that left Kenma screaming at the top of his lungs, for the first time in his life commanding his team to keep going, because he did not want to stop.

He could not stop.

It was a match that had you sweating and panting even though you were rooted on the spot, overloaded with information and trembling as each side scored one point after another, neither knowing when to give up and quit.

The first years were hoarse by the time the first set was done and you could swear Akane’s cheer squad was audible from all the way back in Nerima. Everything that you hoped for, everything that you waited for, everything that you worked for - it was everything and more.

And when the third set ended, the world became still.

“Thank you for getting me into volleyball.” Kenma said, looking up at Kuroo from where he was sitting.

You all gazed at him in silence, shocked into speechlessness. It was a sacred moment with all of your emotions teetering on so many edges it was unclear where they would fall. Not even Lev or Yamamoto, who didn’t know the concept of shutting up could find it in themselves to make a comment.

Kuroo’s expression was blank, dumbfounded even, as he struggled to make sense of what he just heard.

“Uh, sure.” He responded rather awkwardly.

You were the first to break the bubble with a small laugh. All heads turned to you at the sound of it and almost immediately the magic of the moment was gone.

You lost.

3:2, Karasuno took the last set and secured their spot in the quarter finals. 

Your lip quivered and your eyes stung, but still, you did not cry.

You handed everyone their towels, gave them their water bottles and a strong pat on the back to let them know how well they had done.

Dazed from the match and overwhelmed by how much they had lost themselves on the court, the boys stumbled into the changing room absentmindedly, leaving you behind.

It was when they finally rounded the corner that a long, deep sigh left your chest. Almost as if a heavy weight was pulling you down, your shoulders slumped and left your stomach with an empty hole.

This was the last time everyone stood together on the court like this.

Somehow, it felt odd. It didn’t feel like the end.

Your hands trembled at your sides and you took a step back, becoming one with the shadows of the hallway.

There was still so much left to do, so many strategies left to explore, so many more victories to celebrate, so many more losses to mourn.

They curled into fists, the pain of your nails digging into your skin not even registering in your brain.

The next time you entered the gym, Kai wouldn’t be there. Yaku wouldn’t be there.

Kuroo wouldn’t be there.

Who would lead the team once he was gone?

Who would tame Yamamoto, force Kenma to join practice, look after the first years-

The first tear fell quietly, slowly, as if testing the road to know where it would end. But as your thoughts spiraled out of control and you started to doubt yourself and whether you had lost because you hadn’t been good enough, they multiplied.

All the strength in your legs dissolved and you dropped to a low squat, bent in half with your face pressed against your knees and your fists shaking on the ground. A sob wrecked through your body, loud enough to shatter your world, but small enough for you to remain hidden.

You cried, and you cried, and you cried, until your eyes were red and puffy, until your throat was perched and begging for some kind of moisture.

You cried like a little child who for the first time lost something precious to them, yearning for a pair of soothing arms to hold you, to tell you that it was okay.

You didn’t want it to end yet, you didn’t want it to ever end.

While you were quietly crying in the corner, someone else passed through the hallway, stopping only when they heard the telltale signs of someone trying to hold in their sobs. 

Hoshiumi turned toward the choking sound with concern, recognizing the owner of the voice immediately. His heart sank to his feet once he saw you.

Suddenly you appeared smaller, much smaller than he ever thought you were capable of being. He wasn’t sure what to do - it was the first time he was confronted with a girl crying all by herself.

His knee jerk reaction was to rush over and slap you on the back, like he would do with the boys. But you weren’t one of his boys, nor were you close enough for you to be comfortable with him seeing you like this.

But when a particularly heartbreaking whine left your lips, his legs moved on their own accord, unstoppable even if he wanted to.

When a hand gingerly touched your shoulder, you tensed, your head still locked between your knees. Only when Hoshiumi spoke, and you knew it wasn’t some random stranger trying to console you, did you physically relax again.

“Hey.”

You didn’t look up. You didn’t even respond. Not that you had the voice to do so in the first place.

“That was a great match, you know. We watched it from the sidelines.”

Hoshiumi didn’t seem to mind your silence. He took it as his cue to continue talking and settled himself on the ground beside you with his back to the wall.

“Losing sucks, there’s no other way to go about it. I ain’t gonna sugar coat it, it sucks.”

You plopped back next to him, your face still obscured by the strands of your hair. Your shoulders brushed and Hoshiumi exhaled loudly.

“But you know, even if you can’t change your loss right now, you can still change what’s ahead.”

Feeling a slither of confidence surge through him, he lifted his hand and awkwardly petted your head, saying, “You can come back stronger and make those you have left behind proud of you.”

A small smile tugged at his lips when you sniffled and wiped at your eyes. He knew this feeling all too well - this feeling of hopelessness, like there was nothing you could do to help yourself.

Like you were doomed to fail.

“This ain’t the end, (Surname)-san.”

He sounded so convinced, so sure of himself that you couldn’t help but give in and finally look up to meet his eyes. They were uncharacteristically gentle, like he was talking to a grieving child.

In a way, he was.

He was seeing himself as a child in you.

Perhaps that was why it was so easy for him to reach out and comfort you, why his hand felt so right against your head just like his mother’s did with his so many years ago.

Perhaps all you needed was for someone else to believe in you at this moment for you to start believing in yourself.

There were so many more things he wanted to say.

He wanted to say how there were going to be so many more matches to play, how you were going to learn so much more, how this was not the end, this was just the beginning-

But when your eyes met and the last tear rolled off of your lashes, he knew he didn’t need to say anymore. 

“So don’t cry anymore, okay?”

“Ah, so this is it, huh?” Kuroo sighed once outside, next to Yaku and Kai, who had finished getting dressed while the younger members were still busy in the changing rooms.

Yaku grimaced in response, zipping up his jacket when a cold gust of wind drew from behind them.

“The next step for us are finals.” Kai exclaimed, his hands tucked inside the pockets of his sweats.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“Why? Are you scared, Yakkun?”

“Shut up, not everyone is a genius like you.”

Kuroo grinned. “Why thank you. It’s not everyday you compliment me.”

“I was insulting you, you big oaf.”

“Now now, let’s not get too into it.” Kai reprimanded kindly. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“We won’t have much time to stop by practice anymore, will we?”

They turned to Yaku, noticing with a pang that his eyes were covered by the still slightly damp strands of his caramel locks.

“My heart is still racing.” He continued, lifting his hand to inspect the center of his palm. It was colored in a stinging red. “It’s funny. We just spent the past three days running like crazy. I should feel tired, but… I don’t.”

Kuroo turned away right as a singular teardrop dragged down Yaku’s pale cheek. Kai did the same, both of them wanting to give him the space he needed.

“Yeah, me too.” Kai agreed, albeit more quietly. His throat felt perched even though he had just downed an entire bottle of water before they came out. “I wanted to play one more set. Karasuno really has become a fearsome opponent.”

“When I think back to how shitty they were during our first match, it’s almost impossible to believe how much they improved.”

“Right? Especially their number ten. He’s going to be even more annoying in a few years.”

“I wanna see that.” Yaku smiled, feeling the tightness inside his chest unfurl just a little bit.

“Me too.”

Kuroo threw his head back, allowing the evening sun to bathe over his features one last time before it would inevitably part to rest for the night. He felt the tears burning behind his closed eyes. He tried not to think about the lump inside his stomach, pressing against every corner, demanding to be noticed.

“Thank you.” He said before he had a second chance to think through his words.

Kai and Yaku froze amidst their half-hearted jokes, each of them slowly turning to see their captain silently crying to himself. 

“Thank you for the past three years.”

As if waiting for permission to let the dam break loose, they too lost all inhibition and gave free way to their emotions. They cried and laughed with snot and tears and hiccups, allowing themselves to release the pain that was associated with the reality they were now facing.

“You idiot, why’d you have to say that.” Yaku muttered while aggressively wiping at his eyes.

Kai smiled sarcastically, his brows furrowed into an expression of anguish. “Ah, look at us. Now we’re going to worry (Name)-chan even more.”

“It’s all his fault.”

“Just shut up and cry.” Kuroo chided, opening his eyes to face the blurry sky. “Let it all out before the kids come. We can’t have them seeing their cool upperclassmen break down like this.”

“You’re seriously the only person who thinks you’re cool.” Yaku chuckled through his tears, thankful for the less heavy atmosphere.

“Am not.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess.”

The familiar scene of the two arguing made Kai smile. He was brought back to their first day of high school, when they all had just met. It was like nothing had changed.

So many things had happened over the course of three years, so many trials had been faced and so many hurdles had been overcome.

However, some things, Kai thought as he watched Yaku yap up at Kuroo, who only grinned provocatively in return, apparently were meant to stay the same.

Not that he minded.

After Hoshiumi left to prepare for his own game, you went to the bathroom down the hall to wash your face and calm yourself back down. The last thing you wanted was to worry the other members when you went out to meet with them.

It was your duty as their manager to look after them and make sure their spirits remained high, and as a coach in training, you could not afford to be weak now and sulk.

And although it hurt and your heart pained each time you saw Lev and Shibayama’s red-rimmed eyes, you pushed through and stayed strong.

The train ride back to the school was silent, only the occasional yawn interrupted the rattling of the rails. Teshiro, Fukunaga and Inuoka fell asleep at some point, their faces relaxed as their muscles finally got the reprieve they were craving for. 

Everyone else was doing their own thing; playing on their phone, gazing out of the window or simply staring at nothing in particular. You sat with your back to the scenery outside, squeezed between Yamamoto and Fukunaga.

The latter’s head was resting against your shoulder, providing you with a comfortable warmth that made you feel safe and secure. Even in sleep, he was there for you.

Somehow, the thought of having him be there for the next year was enough to take off a chunk of weight from your shoulders.

Once you arrived at school, the coaches asked you to follow them to the gym for a brief meeting. You didn’t really listen to coach Nekomata’s words, as much as you know you should have. But at the moment the insistent pressure against your chest was too much for you to handle. You weren’t sure you were able to digest the emotional words of your coach.

Realizing that you weren’t the exception to this and that the rest of the team had just as much trouble keeping their attention on him, he sighed and kept it short. Afterwards, Kuroo cleared his throat and asked for a moment to spare.

He walked up to the coaches and faced his teammates, voice steady and expression oddly at peace as he thanked everyone for the past three years. All the while you kept your sadness at bay - Kuroo’s calm energy soothed your own anxiety and kept you grounded.

If the captain didn’t shed any tears, then neither would the manager.

“Hey (Name).” Kuroo called out when you slowly started to make your way home a little bit after his speech. “Wanna walk home together?”

His question startled you into a halt. It was the first time he offered to accompany you home.

 Kenma glanced up from his phone and you shared a look with Fukunaga, who would usually be the one to drop you off.

“I’ll go on ahead.” Fukunaga waved nonchalantly and left before you even had a chance to stop him.

Kenma grunted a soft goodbye to Kuroo as well and followed Fukunaga toward the gates, not even asking if he should join the two of you or what this was all about.

“Sure.” You responded after what seemed like eons. Kuroo relaxed and smiled.

Side by side, you passed the neighborhood of your school with neither of you saying a thing. It was only the brush of your arms and the sound of your footsteps that reminded you he was still next to you.

Your tongue swelled with unspoken words and you found yourself pushed back and forth, torn between wanting to fill the silence and joke around like you always did and wanting to keep this peaceful moment, capture it with the palm of your hands and store it somewhere where it would forever be safe.

Unbeknownst to you, Kuroo was facing the same dilemma. All too fast, you ended up right outside of the building to your apartment.

This was it.

After today, Kuroo was no longer going to be the captain of the Nekoma High volleyball club.

Logically speaking, you knew that this wasn’t going to be the end of the world. 

You were still going to see him in the hallways of the school. You were still going to run into him in the cafeteria. And you were pretty sure he was still going to come over to your classroom to bother you until you kicked him out with a barrage of insults.

You knew all of this, yet you still couldn’t make any sense why this felt like goodbye.

“This isn’t the end.” He broke the silence at last. With the same glimmer in his eyes like Hoshiumi earlier today, he continued, “We’re just getting started.”

Here, standing in front of you, with the beautiful evening sky stretched out behind him, Kuroo made a promise.

One that would keep you motivated through all the highs and the lows.

One that would follow you for years to come.

One that neither of you intended to break.

“Let’s stand on the same court again.”

BONUS:

A few months later in the club room of the Nekoma High volleyball club

“Are you coming, (Name)?”

“Yeah, yeah, gimme a second, Ken-chan!”

“You said the same thing five minutes ago.”

“Well then give me five more minutes!”

“Just hurry up. I’m going on ahead.”

“Be right there!”

You slipped into your sports shirt as Kenma turned toward the gym and pulled your hair up into a loose ponytail. 

Just as you were about to close the door to your locker, you froze, coming face to face with the picture you had taken back at the summer festival. Your heart warmed at the memory of that beautiful evening below the mesmerizing fireworks.

It was with a gentle smile on your lips that you left the room behind and joined your friends for another afternoon of volleyball training.

Chapter Text

17th NOVEMBER, 2018 | KAMEI ARENA SENDAI, MIYAGI, JAPAN

“Not gonna have any bowel issues today, are you?”

A simple question. One, that might have been written off as taunting or derogatory by strangers. But to people who knew the history behind those words, they knew that there was so much more to them.

It was a Welcome back, a It’s been a long time coming, a I’ve been waiting for you.

Now, in front of the men’s bathroom, where it had all started, where all of their paths had connected, they met each other again.

“Heck no,” Hinata said, looking up at Kageyama, “I’m not the kind of guy who gets stomach troubles before games anymore.”

He sounded confident, the jittery stutter that would usually lace his voice when faced with a dangerous opponent no longer present. Because now, he had become just as dangerous.

But Kageyama wasn’t impressed. It’s what he had expected. Anything else would have been a disappointment to him. “You’d better not, you runt.”

“In fact,” Hinata added with a smile, “I think I could even beat you in an arm wrestling contest now.”

A vein popped on Kageyama’s forehead. “Wanna try me?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it,” another voice entered the scene. It was one that Kageyama recognized all too well. One he could do without hearing.

Atsumu rested his arm on Hinata’s shoulder, his annoyingly over-the-top smirk as provocative as always, “Tobio-kun, would ya mind not pickin’ a fight with my wing spiker, hm?”

“I didn’t pick a fight with him,” he responded with a dead-pan face, “He picked one with me.”

Another familiar face all but burst out of the bathroom with the enthusiasm of a little child about to meet his superhero, “Ooh! Ooh! Who picked a what now? Rice balls? One of Myaa-sam’s maybe?! Those look so good! I want one!”

Atsumu who was, as always, overwhelmed by Bokuto’s sheer energy backed off and tried to get a handle on him before he had a chance of escalating.

“No. Not rice balls. It was a fight,” Kageyama simply said, completely unaffected. After all, he had known Bokuto far longer and had by now already figured out how to deal with him.

Of course no reunion in front of a bathroom would be complete without the Super Ace of Shiratorizawa. Ushijima strode in like he owned the place and with the authority of a troop commander stated, “Don’t get in any fights. Settle your differences on the court.”

“Hi, Ushijima-san!” Hinata greeted him with excitement, “It’s been a while!”

“Shōyō Hinata. Today, I will be the winner.”

Where there was chaos, there was always Hoshiumi. His loud footsteps as he sprinted were the first telltale sign of his arrival as he zoomed right in between the two with his jacket whipping behind him like wings.

“Shōyō Hinata! You’re here!”

“Hoshiumi-san! Hi!”

As they fell into a discussion of who had grown the most since the last time they had seen each other, Atsumu dissociated and reminisced about how simpler things were when his teammates hadn’t all been devoid of brains. While all of this happened, a breeze colder than death itself seeped out of the changing room.

Sakusa stepped out of it, his mask covering up what had to be a disgusted frown as he proclaimed, “You’d better have all gotten your flu shots.”

Their loud and boisterous conversation continued to echo throughout the entire hall, turning heads from whoever passed them. It was as if Hinata had never left for Brazil, as if all those years hadn’t gone by.

As if they were still a bunch of high schoolers with a dream bigger than their body.

Only when the middle blocker of Schweiden Adlers, Sokolov Tatsuto, came, did they stop to acknowledge his presence. He nodded with a smile, greeting his rivals before he then turned to his teammates.

“We should get going, coach is calling.”

Immediately, all of the Adlers straightened like a pole and gulped. Hinata cocked his head in confusion at their sudden shift in stance. His intrigue only grew when Sokolov went on to mutter, “Don’t incur her wrath, I really don’t feel like doing another round of suicide drills after a match…”

“Huh?” Hinata watched them run back to their changing rooms, his face molding into the shape of genuine distraught and confusion, “What just happened? Surely she’s not that bad? … Right?”

Atsumu broke out in laughter like he had said the funniest thing he had heard in all of his life. Even Sakusa, who would twist his features into disgust whenever Atsumu so much as breathed, snorted.

“Just wait and see for yourself,” he said.

A little while later, the players of the Schweiden Adlers team stood in a wide circle facing their coach. With their hands on their hips and their hearts beating in anticipation, they listened to her give her usual pre-game speech. Her last words left them trembling with hunger.

“Let’s crush them!”

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 2018 and 2019 season V. league division 1 Schweiden Adlers home game here in the Sendai Arena!”

Cheers erupted from the stands as the commentator’s voice boomed through the microphone. Familiar faces of the former students of Karasuno, Shiratorizawa and many more lit up in excitement.

“Now, to introduce your Schweiden Adlers’ starting lineup!”

The double doors opened to reveal you, alongside your team striding inside with a confidence that brought out another thunderous roar from the stands. You took your place beside the bench as each member got introduced and came to join you on the court.

Your heart swelled when they all lined up in front of you, pride and happiness pouring out of your beaming face. You finally made it. After all the effort, the sweat and the tears throughout the years, it all paid out.

You had finally become a coach.

Part of you still couldn’t believe it. No matter how many times you had stood on the court with them now, every single time it took the breath right out of your lungs. Hoshiumi gave you a toothy grin and a thumbs up and you mirrored him, noticing him standing just a little bit straighter after.

The commentators didn’t give you a lot of time to dwell on your thoughts however, because in the next moment, the audience was taken by another storm.

A storm by the name of MSBY Black Jackals.

After they made their entrance and were preparing to warm up, Hinata spotted you from amongst the many flying balls. His eyes lit up in recognition and he almost ran over to you had he not remembered that he was live on television and about to play a very important match. It had been years since you last talked with each other.

One thing that hadn’t changed about Hinata was how transparent he was. When it came to his thoughts or his feelings, they had always been plainly written all across his face. He was still like that. So you saw the exact moment his brain clicked and he stopped half-way through his motion of turning towards you.

You simply waved at him and he reciprocated with a lot of enthusiasm, shouting your way that he would come to chat after the match.

“You’re not gonna go soft on him now, are you?” Hirugami asked.

You tilted your head back to gaze at the captain with a mischievous smile. He saw the twinkle in your eyes and shook his head, laughing softly. “Yeah, I know. Could’ve saved the question.”

“No offense, coach,” Kageyama chirped in with his hands on his hips, “But I intend on mopping the floor with them.”

Ushijima followed, “As do I.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Well that makes three of us then.”

The whistle blew once. Giving you a last high five and jogging up on the court to take their positions, you took in a deep breath and filled your lungs with the familiar smell of the arena. Your stomach was in shambles and your heart fluttered with a nervous sort of excitement you had grown to love.

“Now then,” you clicked your pen and placed the felt tip against the blank paper, “Show them what you’ve got.”

Kageyama started off the first set with an aggressive, but controlled jump serve. It zoomed over the net and across the court in a perfect line, too fast for anyone to react.

Anyone, but Hinata.

In the very last second before the ball hit the ground, Hinata crouched and bumped it high, receiving it in a way that left even you grinning. Atsumu was already there, as if he had anticipated it, and set the same ball back to Hinata. With an impossibly beautiful form, Hinata soared to the sky and slammed it right past the line of blockers and scored the first point of the game.

The entire crowd froze. Dumbfounded, shocked, and speechless beyond reason, they watched him land on both of his feet. He inhaled audibly, with all of his body before he shot back up with his arms stretched out like wings and roared, “I’m here!”

Almost immediately, several voices at once shouted back, “Welcome home!”

Even you, the coach of the opposing team, could not hold back from laughing openly at his opening act. Joy bubbled from the surface of your core, along with a sweet nostalgia that shot you right back into your high school days when you first saw Hinata fly. A few strange glances were shot your way from the audience behind you, but you didn’t pay them any mind and simply whispered, “Welcome back, Shōyō.”

A chill went through your side of the court. Awe and apprehension was not only something the audience felt. Your teammates took a second to process what had transpired. You kept your eyes on them to make sure they didn’t let Hinata intimidate them, too aware that that was something your friend specialized in.

But when you saw the bone-chilling smile on Ushijima’s face, you were relieved to find that it did the exact opposite.

It spurred them on.

After Hinata scored the first point, Atsumu went to grab a new ball and slowly, but consciously walked to the back of the court. Dozens of people filled in to clap for him, synchronized and loud enough to fill the entire arena. Even if it wasn’t meant for you, you still felt a shiver trickle through your spine. It was an all encompassing sound that never failed to make you feel uneasy.

But what was worse was the deadly silence that followed Atsumu’s fist.

Here it comes.

Like a tornado, his serve whizzed over the net and found its home right outside of the line, becoming an out. Atsumu cursed and held his head in his hands. Dragged along by Hinata’s show, he had felt the need to show off and make a statement of his own, but had miserably failed doing so.

Still, that was a lucky fluke for us. It’s good that Romero-san is up next.

The rotation shifted and gave way for your outside hitter, Romero. You relaxed, fully trusting in his ability to bring back that one point Hinata had stolen from you.

And bring it back he did. He served a beautiful ace right in between Hinata and Sakusa, earning an earth-shattering cheer from the audience. The fans went wild, thrilled to see their idol in the flesh. His charisma was so irresistible that even the players of the MSBY team gazed at him with reverence as he strode across the court to high-five his teammates.

“What a privilege it is to watch a world-class player do their thing right here in person,” the commentator said.

“What a privilege indeed,” you added, to yourself. “Now give them another one of those.”

Romero went in for a second serve, but this time Sakusa barely managed to catch it, sending it awkwardly up to Atsumu, who took his chance and trusted Hinata. The notorious freak quick silenced the audience once more, promising them another point, but you smiled, seeing something they did not.

Kageyama was right behind the line of blockers and took the full brunt of the ball, his forearms bursting into flames from the impact. He grunted and watched the ball fly out of bounds, costing him yet another point.

While everyone lost their composure over the inhuman thing that just took place, you disconnected and began to write. Unknowingly, Bokuto bought you even more time as he hyped up the crowd. But you didn’t hear anything, your mind was busy replaying the events until you had every single detail on paper.

Hoshiumi watched you like a hawk and it was as if he could see the wheels turning in your mind. He remembered the all nighters you pulled prior to this match, the late night calls into the gym when you asked them to come in for you.

He would not let it go to waste.

Energized by your effort, he effortlessly received Bokuto’s serve, allowing Ushijima to shine. His spike thrust into Inunaki’s chest like an unstoppable cannon, the sound of the ball hitting him so loud that the audience winced in unison.

“Good job, big guy,” you muttered with a proud smile, continuing to take notes on the MSBY guys.

The match went on, brilliantly showcasing each player’s abilities. Neck to neck, they scored a point each, neither side willing to let up. Your wrist started to throb from the amount of notes you were taking, but your eyes didn’t leave either side once.

Like possessed, you switched targets almost every second. You didn’t hear the chants of the audience, nor the passionate voices of the commentators, nor the whistles and hoops of your own players. It was as if you were cloaked in an invisible cloud, able to see, but unable to hear.

Your thoughts were the only thing running through your mind and while you were diligently recording every move of every player, your brain already thought ahead.

The first break point was brought on by the Adlers. However there was no time to celebrate, because as the points racked up and the first twenty hit the board, Hinata proved to the world that he had come back stronger.

He went to Brazil as a boy and came back as a beast.

With that tiny body of his and that sunny smile that disarmed just about anyone in the world, he took the first set from right under your noses.

“Man, he’s grown so much!” Hoshiumi gasped as he downed an entire water bottle. Sweat was dripping down his chin and his chest was heaving. He never looked more alive than on the court.

“It makes me want to crush him even more,” Ushijima mused. He glanced back at Hinata, who was currently busy laughing at something Bokuto had said.

The rest of the team were wiping their faces and filling up on the sports drink you brought for them. Meanwhile, you glared at your notepad like it was your mortal enemy.

Kageyama watched you, feeling something stir within his stomach. He knew that look on your face.

He wasn’t the only one, for Atsumu frowned on the other side of the court, too aware of what was going to come. “Guys. No matter what happens, don’t let your focus falter for even just a second.”

“Huh?” Sakusa gave him a nasty look, “This coming from you?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!”

“I’m just saying. It’s not like you’re the type to focus on anything for more than a split second, are you?”

Just as Atsumu was ready to square up against him, the reprimanding voice of their captain tore them apart again. He too had been watching you for the entirety of their break. His voice was thick with suspense when he said, “Listen to Atsumu. Keep your eyes open at all times.”

You finally looked up from your notes, life coming back into your eyes as you slowly allowed the outside world to slink back into you. It was borderline insane how you had perfected your dissociation from reality to focus on your thoughts. Your teammates knew better than to disturb you when you were in that state, so they patiently waited for you to reach out to them.

“Huddle together,” you ordered, your voice strangely monotone.

“Oooh, it seems Adler’s genius coach is on the move!” The first commentator noted, making everyone turn their eyes on you.

The second commentator was quick to follow up. “Can’t help but think of a commander ordering their troops when I see her like that, you know.”

“I was wondering why she didn’t call for a time out, but it seems she wanted to observe the entire first set without interruption.”

“What do you think she’s scheming in that head of hers?”

He shook his head with a laugh. It held no warmth. “Who knows? All I know is that the Jackals need to be hyper aware of what comes their way now.”

By the time the commentators prompted a hearty laugh out of the audience, you had finished relaying your plan to your players.

“Any questions?” You asked, giving them enough time to raise any concerns they might have.

When neither of them spoke up, you added for good measure, “Remember. You’re the ones calling the shots. I’m just handing over the goods.”

Ushijima nodded. “Understood.”

Romero came up from behind and clapped your shoulder firmly. “[Ninja Shoyo isn’t the only one who has tricks up his sleeves. Let’s show them what you’re made out of, kid.]”

The warmth of his hand filled you with a sense of calm you didn’t know you needed. A weight fell off of you and you breathed normally again.

You smiled. “[Yeah. They’re all yours.]”

The whistle blew once more, calling the players back on court.

And just like that, the second set was under your belt. The Jackals didn’t even know what hit them. They didn’t know who to focus on - Kageyama, whose jump serves threatened to split their wrists in two; Ushijima, who fired off one fatal spike after another; Hoshiumi, who appeared out of nowhere and shattered through every wall; or Romero, who proved with every single rally that he was far superior than any of them could ever hope to be.

The commentators sang praises at the turn of events and the crowd went wild. It was as if an entirely new team had come out of the short break.

They trusted your words and implemented whatever you threw their way, not once questioning the validity of your strategies. They believed in you. Unconditionally.

You smiled.

This was your family now.

You heard your name from behind you, in that familiar happy tone that Hinata tended to have. Exchanging a few parting words with the previous coach of the Adlers, you turned around to greet him. He was already jogging your way, with disheveled hair and his sweaty shirt clinging to his chest.

“(Surname)-san! It’s good to see you again!” He said.

You laughed. “Sure is! I see Brazil has treated you very well. The tan looks really good on you.”

He flushed adorably, still oblivious to his own charms.

“That was one hell of a comeback you made there. You left us all gaping.”

“You say that, but you are the one who made us drop to our knees by the end of the match. I’m totally beat!”

You mirrored his grin. Hearing him say that made your heart swell with even more pride. “Well I should hope so! Do you know how many all nighters I had to pull because of you? You just don’t stop evolving, do you?”

“Of course he doesn’t. He’s made a promise with Kenma after all.”

The suave voice of Kuroo sneaked in through the space between you and Hinata, settling in the spot he took up a second later. Dressed in a clean suit, he extended a hand to place it on Hinata’s shoulder. Still as tall as he was in high school, even more so now, he towered over the two of you.

“Kuroo!” Hinata said enthusiastically.

“What promise?” You asked, looking from Kuroo to Hinata. “What did I miss?”

Hinata flushed again, evading your curious eyes. “Ah, it’s nothing worth mentioning.”

But Kuroo had always been the mischievous type. He thrived upon teasing people like Hinata - gullible and defenseless. Under any other circumstances, you would have reprimanded him. However, right now, you couldn’t deny that your curiosity was winning over your morality.

“Don’t be shy, shrimpy, tell her.”

“Yeah! Tell me!”

Hinata wilted under the combined pressure of you and Kuroo, so he gave in with a fiercely red face and said, “Well, I, uh, I promised Kenma I wouldn’t get boring. Otherwise he’ll drop me as a sponsor.”

You blinked. And let the words sink in for a moment. A laughter so loud that people turned their heads at you blossomed out of your chest, rendering you breathless in less than ten seconds. Kuroo smiled, a fond twinkle in his eyes as Hinata all but exploded into a stuttering mess.

„That sounds just like Ken-chan, alright,” you managed to say.

It had been a while since you had last seen him in person, what with his streaming career taking off and demanding more and more of his time. But you managed to tune in to his sessions every now and then, so much so that his viewers too already knew of you. The amount of times they tried to pry stories from his high school days from you was astounding.

It almost felt like Kenma had become an idol.

“I’m actually heading over to his place after our post-match meeting. Wanna come with me?” You asked him.

Kuroo gasped. “What? Why did I not know of this?”

Hinata looked from you to Kuroo, feeling a little conflicted. He wasn’t sure if he should bolt and escape the slowly rising tension or if he should stay to watch the show. It felt just like back in high school during all of the training camps you had shared together.

“I don’t know. Ask Ken-chan.”

“(Name)! Don’t be like that!”

You grimaced. “Ew. Don’t whine like a child. It makes you look even more creepy.”

“Even more? What the hell does that mean!”

“Guys- “ Hinata tried to intervene because people started looking your way, but you only crossed your arms and smiled smugly at Kuroo.

“You know exactly what the hell I mean, Tetsu.”

For all the betrayal he felt, Kuroo still managed to don a smirk himself, one he knew you particularly despised, and said, “You were so much cuter in high school. So much kinder and- “

“Wow, so you openly admit you’re into minors? That’s gross, even for you.”

His face fell. No trace of the provocative smirk that was intended to get a rise out of you remained, not in lieu of what you just said. He didn’t even know where to start unpacking that statement. Out of all the insults you had thrown his way over the years he had known you, this one hit him right where it hurt. When he saw the way your eyes glittered with victory, he knew. You were fully aware of the impact your words had.

Kuroo shook his head, too aware of the unbelieving stares sent his way, having to hold himself back from reassuring the terrified Hinata to his right that he in fact did not chase girls with school skirts. Instead, he made an effort to unclench his jaw and take a deep breath to fill his lungs. If he didn’t remain cool-headed with you, you would just pull him under water again. Recently, you seemed to have acquired a taste for doing it with him.

“You kiss your boyfriend with that rude mouth of yours?” He asked, trying to reclaim whatever dignity he might have left.

But at this point, he was digging his own grave. He knew you better than anyone else, so he should have known that you, of all people, would know exactly how to counter him. Your smile turned wickedly sweet and you peered at him through your lashes. “Actually, yes. Yes, I do.”

Kuroo’s face flared like a flower made of fire and he scrambled to hide it with his hand, groaning right into it. A tiny smile tugged at his lips. He just couldn’t compete with you.

He never could.

JULY, 2021 | TOKYO, JAPAN

Kenma liked being alone.

Being around other people, specifically strangers, suffocated him and drained him of his energy. It was why he had been so hesitant to join his high school volleyball club in the first place. If it hadn’t been for Kuroo, who had brought him out of his shell, he was pretty sure he would have remained alone for the rest of his life.

His intellect and quick thinking had allowed him to have an irreplaceable role in his team, even after his best friend had left. It was also precisely because he had always been particularly smart that he was able to forgo university and a regular desk job. He quite liked working on his own alone at home. He was his own boss and could decide his own working hours and there was no one forcing him to go to stupid drinking events that no one really enjoyed.

He liked being alone. But right now, his house was full of chatter and laughter, and truth be told, he didn’t mind. His former teammates had decided to crash his residence to throw a dinner party. Almost everyone was present.

“Sure we don’t need to go pick him up at the airport?” Yamamoto asked while washing the freshly bought vegetables. “Yo Kenma! Get your ass over here and help us!”

Kenma’s response came coolly. “I’m already helping by providing the venue.”

Yamamoto couldn’t find a counterargument and groaned, continuing to mumble something under his breath, all the while still washing the vegetables. Kenma smiled. Some things just always stayed the same, he supposed.

“He mentioned he had some business in Shibuya, so he’ll swing by later.” You said. You had already called up Kenma in the early morning hours and helped him clean his house before the others came.

“Shibuya?” Yamamoto tilted his head questioningly. It took a moment for him to connect the dots. “Oh! Because of that, huh?”

Kai nodded with a gentle smile. “Yes, indeed. That.”

Inuoka sighed dreamily. “Russia… I wanna go there someday too.”

“I still find it hilarious that Yaku has learned the Russian language, yet Lev, who is Russian, still can’t say a damn word.”

“Don’t be too hard on him, Yamamoto, he was raised in Japan and surrounded by Japanese people. Cut him some slack.”

“You’re not cutting him enough slack! That’s why he’s grown into such a massive baby!”

You rolled your eyes, to which Kai laughed. He said, “Neither of them are complaining though, are they?”

Yamamoto groaned again. He would never understand you or Kenma.

“Where’s Kuroo-san?” Teshiro asked while you continued to argue with Yamamoto.

Shibayama retrieved the drinks he bought from the shopping bag and placed them on the kitchen counter. “He said he’d be late. He has to work overtime.”

“He’s always working overtime!” You complained, a pout tugging on your lips.

“Aw, don’t tell me you miss him?”

“Shut up, Yamamoto. The bell pepper won’t cut itself!”

The bantering continued and later on Fukunaga came into the kitchen to fulfill his task as the cook of the night. He had learned a new recipe at the restaurant he was working at and he really wanted all of you to try it. After a few more nagging complaints from Yamamoto, who had been preparing the ingredients for hot pot, he finally got the stove to himself and began cooking Paella.

All the while, you exchanged stories from what you had missed in each other’s lives over the past few weeks. It was harder to stay in touch now. Your schedules no longer aligned like they did in high school and university and most days, you couldn’t even get around to answering a single text.

Some of you were out of the country multiple times a year (Yaku and Lev), so seeing them had become something of a phenomenon. You couldn’t recall the last time you had seen Yaku in person. Ever since he joined the Russian volleyball super league, he had only managed to come back to Japan a handful of times. And usually that time was spent with his family before he had to fly back.

Lev, on the other hand, had taken the fashion world by storm when he had partnered up with his sister Alisa. They had become so adored by the public that they had managed to land a deal that allowed them to showcase one of their photo shoots all over Shibuya station.

So that you got to see the two of them again tonight was kind of a big deal. If you were being completely honest, you were so happy that you feared you would end up crying when they took you into the familiar embrace of their arms.

It had been too damn long since either of them had hugged you.

Your wistfulness didn’t last too long, lucky for you.

Only a mere forty-five minutes later, Yaku and Lev both came in through the front door with a bunch of ice cream in tow. You barreled right into their arms, causing a cacophony of panicked screams when the boxes threatened to tumble on the floor.

Yaku’s face softened impossibly when you lay your head against his chest. He squeezed you so tightly, it almost became painful.

“You know, (Name)-chan. I think if someone saw us like this, they’d get really jealous.”

“Hey, no fair! I wanna hug her too!” Lev squeezed himself in between you and Yaku, effectively trapping you from the outside world. He was so much taller than you that he completely caged you.

All you saw was Lev. All you heard was Lev. All you smelled was Lev.

“Help, I am suffocating,” you tapped his back with a wheeze.

“No. I’ve been wanting to do this all day, (Surname)-senpai. Let me have this.”

You relaxed, letting all of your muscles go slack as he started to rub his cheek on your temple. A dopey grin on his face, he made it no secret that he was enjoying himself very much at that moment.

A moment that was shattered all too soon.

“Hands off of my girlfriend.”

Kuroo slipped his arm around your waist and effortlessly pulled you to his side, placing a gentle kiss on your head before he shot Lev a sly grin. Whereas the previous line-up of the first years (sans Lev) cooed at the public display of affection, the others were not quite as enthusiastic about it.

“Not in my house, you sleaze bag,” Kenma yelled from inside the living room.

“Yeah! Not inside his house!” echoed Yamamoto, though his words seemed to hold more passion.

“Are you hungry?” You asked Kuroo, ignoring the two.

He loosened his tie with an exhale, looking worse for wear. “I grabbed something from the store, I’m good.”

His hand slipped into yours and he followed you into the living room where the rest of your friends had already settled in with beer and other beverages. They were watching the Olympic volleyball matches for the female teams. You settled in behind them and Kuroo huddled closer, leaning his head on your shoulder. Instinctively, your fingers wound their way into his messy hair, brushing out the knots that had accumulated throughout the day.

Kuroo had a habit of running his hand through his hair whenever he was stressed, and with the high-stress job he had, it was a given that he always came home each night with a bird’s nest on his head. He hummed pleasantly and leaned in further into your warmth, scattering your shoulder and neck with tiny kisses of gratitude.

Kenma looked like he was about to vomit or kill you - you couldn’t decide which expression he was going for. Shibayama coughed awkwardly and looked away, a visible blush spreading through his cheeks.

“I’m gonna throw you out,” threatened Kenma.

Kuroo only laughed at that and reluctantly pulled away, not wanting to make his friends any more uncomfortable. As much as he enjoyed teasing them, he knew when to stop. He always did.

For the rest of the night, as you watched the matches and drank until the late hours, laughing and bustling with happiness, Kuroo always remained close.

Whether it was his knee brushing yours or his hand trickling up your spine, he made sure to always feel your warmth and your presence. And in that moment, surrounded by all of your friends - your chosen family - you felt at home.

You felt at peace.

AUGUST, 2021 | 2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS MEN’S VOLLEYBALL DAY 12

JAPAN VS ARGENTINA

“The Japan men's national team has been firing on all cylinders so far in this tournament. Today they will take on Argentina, a team that has been riding a hot streak.”

Thousands of cheers resounded throughout the stadium as the commentator’s voice filled the hall. It echoed through every microphone and resounded in everyone’s ears, adding to the restlessness and excitement of the crowd.

“Since they brought on the renowned coach Jose Blanco to be head coach of their national team, they've climbed up the ranks to number four in the world.”

Many more people stood in front of their televisions, flags drawn on their cheeks and the national uniform stretched across their chests. They too marveled at the screens.

“The biggest topic coming into this game has to be Argentina's starting setter, Tōru Oikawa. Born in Japan, he followed his mentor coach Blanco to Argentina after graduation and eventually became a naturalized Argentinian citizen.”

Oikawa stood tall and proud, facing his friends and rivals. He oozed confidence and radiated calm.

“Oikawa was virtually unknown as a player during his school years in Japan, having never made it to a national tournament in either middle or high school.”

The commentator was unaware how many people cursed him for speaking so lowly about someone, who had done nothing but fight and sacrifice for his dreams. But you and your players knew better than to underestimate him. You’ve known Oikawa for many years now, after all.

You’ve witnessed first hand as he grew from a desperate boy wanting to become the number one to a highly intelligent man, who knew better than to take the easy way out. Your eyes met from across the court. The last time you saw him was in Brazil when you had run into him and Hinata on one of their friendly dinner dates.

He gave you a wave and smiled at you. You remembered his warm promise from years ago when he mentioned how much he wanted to fight you on the court - how he wanted to challenge you and beat you.

You smiled back, not in the least bit intimidated.

You too had grown immensely over the years.

“On the other side of the net, all eyes are on him - Shōyō Hinata, the greatest decoy! After two years of beach volleyball in Brazil, he returned to Japan and joined the V. League. In this, his first Olympic appearance, he gets to play alongside his old teammate Kageyama. In high school, they were feared as potent masters of aerial combat.”

The commentator continued while the players were getting ready for their big match.

“Having Ushijima and Hinata - two drastically different players - playing opposite for Japan must be a point of concern for Argentina. They won't be happy to see either on the court. Not only that, Japan has not one but two setters capable of getting 100 percent out of both of them. This Japan team has an extremely deep roster. But that’s not all!”

There was a nervous tickle in the back of your head, like someone was staring a hole through you. When you turned around, you noticed that there was indeed a pair of eyes trained on you. It was the commentator.

“(Name) (Surname), daughter of the notorious national basketball team’s coach, has made a name for herself in the span of only four years and sealed herself a spot as the head coach of the national volleyball team for Japan. Previously a manager for Nekoma High’s volleyball club, she brought them to the national tournament twice in a row and then left Japan to intern under none other than Nicollas Romero himself!”

You felt searing hotness wash over you when everyone in the crowd focused on you, uncomfortably aware that your every movement was now being recorded live for the world to see. Faintly, you thought you understood a sliver of Kenma's anxiety. You wished he was here now.

“Entering the V. League as Schweiden Adler’s coach, she proved time and again that she is to be feared. It really makes me concerned for Argentina if I’m being completely honest!”

A friendly laugh was exchanged with his co-commentator, who waited for the audience to recover as well. Then, he added, “We wish everyone a pleasant time as two phenomenal teams duke it out. Are you guys ready?”

The crowd roared.

And so, it started.

Haikyuu - also known as volleyball.

The players entered the field and the hall fell quiet.

Two teams separated by a net-

Oikawa filled his lungs with air and then shot his signature jump serve, dragging all the strength he could muster from his core.

- bounce a ball back and forth between each other. The ball is not allowed to touch the floor.

Sakusa managed to receive the ball in the last second, hearing a sympathetic wince coming from Hinata from behind him.

It cannot be carried. Once it is in the air, a team has no more than three touches-

Hinata and Kageyama moved in unison. You watched them enthralled, your arms glittering with valleys and hills of awe as Hinata jumped and Kageyama reached for the ball.

- to connect -

And then, in that giant stadium filled with thousands of people, all having come together to enjoy something they all deeply loved, magic took place.

Hinata caught the serve and slammed it into the ground before the blockers even had a chance to assemble. A bone-rattling cheer shook the floor, flooding everyone in adrenaline.

- and take the ball from receive… to attack.

Your eyes met Kuroo’s from across the court. He held his fist out to you, a gold band glittering around his ring finger. You reciprocated his grin and followed his example, pumping his fist from the distance with a beautiful ring engraved with his name on your own.

Haikyuu hasn’t ended.

Haikyuu has just started.