Chapter Text
“Stop staring, Kyoutani, that’s rude. ” Iwaizumi scolds, glaring at the sophomore.
“Sorry about Kyoken-chan!” Oikawa chimes in cheerily. “He’s always had a bit of a… staring problem. He’s from a small predator-dominated town so it’s not often he encounters prey hybrids. Probably never seen a deer hybrid, to be honest!”
“Oh. Um, that’s okay; I realize I may be a bit… off-putting…” you trail off, not certain how to describe yourself.
“Stop fuckin’ talkin’ ‘bout me like I’m not even here,” the blonde wolf hybrid growls in Oikawa’s direction, ears swiveling back. “No, I’ve never met a fuckin’ deer hybrid. So what?”
Oikawa puts his clawed hands up in a placating gesture, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “No harm, Kyoken-chan. Just explaining your quirkiness.”
Kyoutani’s hackles rise. “You—!”
“Hey,” Iwaizumi barks, yanking Kyoutani back by his shirt. “C’mon guys, try to at least get along for once. It’s fucking embarrassing.”
Oikawa doesn’t look fazed, but at least Kyoutani has the decency to walk away from the situation— all while growling under his breath, ears pinning back even more so.
The fourth-year manager for the Seijoh boys’ volleyball team (the only manager, actually; before you joined), a ferret hybrid, hands you a clipboard with some marked-up notes of theirs to help you along. “Here: we can get started. Today’s an easier day, so don’t worry too much.”
You nod at them in thanks, clicking your pen open.
It’s time to start the day.
That was weeks ago; you’re semi-confident in your manager abilities now, especially since you have prior experience playing volleyball, having been a setter throughout middle school and some of high school. You’ve also memorized the schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are evening practice days, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are morning strength-and-conditioning days (when the team is mostly in the weight room, or running and doing drills outside). Weekends are off days.
You trot into the gym, ears bouncing with the motion, waving to Kunimi as you pass.
The other manager is already inside; you nod at them in greeting before settling on the bench beside them.
Everything goes normally; well, as normal as it can be for a bunch of college boys. That is, until you’re helping the team shag stray volleyballs to start the next drill, when Oikawa pulls you aside.
“Y/N-chan! Not to be rude,” he begins. “But I’m not sure anyone else has the guts to say this, so… I just wanted to let you know that your scent’s a bit… well, heat-oriented. Is your heat cycle supposed to start soon?”
Your tail flattens protectively against your butt, ears twisting back in an instinctive manner of self-consciousness. Your cheeks flame hot with embarrassment.
“Um,” you start, honestly taken aback. “I… No…? At least it shouldn’t be.” After a pause: “oh my god, is it starting now? Shit, it’s early, and practice is only halfway through—”
Oikawa puts a hand on your shoulder. “It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t panic! We have the other manager here; you can go home early.”
“I— are you sure?”
“Positive! Besides, you have yet to miss a single practice— better than a certain opposite hitter of ours,” Oikawa mumbles, glaring over in Kyoutani’s direction.
The wolf hybrid is currently holding three volleyballs. As he goes for a fourth, he pauses, an ear flicking in your direction. Kyoutani raises his head to point his intense gaze towards you and Oikawa, amber eyes narrowing with suspicion when he sees you both already staring.
His nostrils flare as he scents the air; then he shakes his head as he quickly snaps his stare back to the floor.
“...Can he smell me?” You whisper to the brunette, mortified.
“Definitely,” Oikawa replies casually, and your heart sinks. “The brat’s been rubbing at his nose all day. Wolves have particularly sensitive noses.”
You heave a heavy sigh. “This is so demeaning. I think I might just melt into the floor.”
“Nonsense,” Oikawa waves his hand dismissively. “Just biology. We’re all adults here. Now run along, little deer, and get yourself home safe.”
“Okay,” you say. “Thanks for letting me know, Oikawa-san.”
As the boys begin to start the next drill, you gather your backpack from beneath the manager’s bench.
“Oh, leaving already?” The ferret hybrid asks, and you nod, smiling sheepishly.
“Yeah. Oikawa-san said my scent is indicating that my heat is starting soon, so I may not be back for the next day or so. Sorry.”
“No worries, coach and I can handle these guys. Have a safe trip home!”
You give them a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach your eyes. You wave your goodbyes to the team before exiting the gym into the crisp evening air, hanging still with fog.
As you begin walking, breath frosting in the air, you think. It’s not that heats are particularly bad, it’s just… heat cycles always remind you of how utterly alone you are. Besides, having not been in a relationship since you were cheated on in early high school, it’s not hard to remember that the world is a cruel place where romance isn’t quite for everyone. Maybe you just haven’t met a good match yet, but still. How long will it take for the “right person” to come along, anyway?
You’re tired of waiting. Plenty of dating apps take up space in your phone, but none of the conversations on there have had any real substance or connection. Plus, your matches always ghost after a week. It’s exhausting and humiliating.
Maybe you just have shit luck, you reason. Whatever.
Your keycard scans the doorway of your building, and you take the stairs up to your dorm room on the third floor.
Oikawa was definitely right, you think, as you feel the beginnings of a cycle stirring up your body’s internal rhythms. Sighing, you climb into bed and under the covers, thankful your roommate isn’t here right now. It’s always awkward to go through heat when your roommate is present, and it’s even worse when your heats sync up.
Pulling your blanket up to your chin, you close your eyes, prepared to sleep some of it off.
The next few days happen in a blur. Your mood was constantly fluctuating between horny and depressed; sometimes, it was both, which was off-putting and something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Nonetheless, it’s over now, although you’ll have to go through it all again in a month. One thing that sucks about being a deer hybrid: heats happen once every month if one fails to become pregnant from the previous cycle.
Oftentimes, you find yourself wishing you were a predator hybrid instead. Like a dog hybrid, who only has to experience estrous once or twice a year. It’s exhausting having to miss 1-2 days of school every fucking month.
The team greets you as you enter the gym. It’s Thursday now. That, coupled with your heat keeping you up and upsetting your sleep cycle last night, makes it apparent that you’re tired.
“Somebody looks sleepy,” the senior manager comments. “Tough heat?”
“Awful,” you complain.
“What, no stud to keep you up?”
“Oh my gosh, no! Jesus fucking Christ,” you whisper, mortified with their scandalous comment.
Head coach Irihata claps to get everyone’s attention, crossing his arms once he has all eyes. “Good morning. You all know the drill by now. Try and get all your reps done in a timely manner or you’ll be doing diving drills tomorrow. Managers, keep the charts updated if anyone breaks their maximum.”
You and the other manager nod, pens at the ready. As the coach dismisses everyone to their stations, you take notice of Kyoutani setting up his weights alone.
“Kyoutani-san has no spotter,” you comment to the other manager.
“Coach Mizoguchi usually spots him since everyone else is already paired up with a consistent spotting partner for weight training days,” they reply. This makes sense, given the fact that no one ever knows for sure when Kyoutani will come to practice. Though it’s ironic that Mizoguchi spots him, given the fact that he gets irritated with Kyoutani’s recklessness more than the head coach does.
“Oh… I never noticed.”
You feel your heart get a bit heavy at the comment. Kyoutani may be brash and hard-headed, but he’s passionate about volleyball and always delivers his 100% (when he actually shows up). You don’t know him well— or at all, actually— but you can tell that he’s just a bit misunderstood. Besides, while he’s occasionally been straight-up mean to the others (or was it just bluntness?), he’s never been mean to Iwaizumi-san or coach Irihata. Or you, for that matter. Perhaps that means you’ve earned his distant respect?
For what, you’re not sure. Maybe he’s just wary of you, being one of the only deer hybrids he’s met and all. Yeah, that’s probably it.
Iwaizumi announces a new squat weight record for himself, and you quickly scribble it down. 250 pounds? Impressive.
Naturally, you watch Kyoutani to see when he’ll inevitably try to increase his max as well, since he has some sort of friendly rivalry with Iwaizumi. Right now Iwaizumi has a higher squat max than Kyoutani does, but Kyoutani’s bench-press record is the highest out of everyone, which is very fitting for an opposite hitter.
Nevertheless, you see Kyoutani up his bar weight to 251. Your teeth worry at your bottom lip as it’s a bit of a drastic increase from his current 239, but you watch closely nonetheless.
Kyoutani gets down into a squat with the additional weight easily enough, but he struggles to stand back up. He does without help, though, but he doesn’t push himself to try to squat the 251 again. He huffs a frustrated growl, setting the bar back on the rack to lower his weight to 240.
He gets the 240 easily after attempting to beat Iwaizumi’s maximum. Your lips quirk in a small smile as you write down the new number on your chart.
“Write down two—” Kyoutani starts.
“—two forty. Right?” You finish.
He blinks, seemingly taken aback at the fact that you were paying attention to him, especially since most of the team is focusing on cheering Iwaizumi on as he continues breaking his record with his 250-pound squat reps.
Kyoutani doesn’t respond right away, so you look back up from your chart. He’s giving you a quizzical, almost analytical, look. His eyes are intense as ever.
“...Yeah.” he answers.
You give him a small smile and thumbs up. He doesn’t smile back— you didn’t expect him to— but he nods, and that’s good enough.
Throughout the rest of the day, you sip at your coffee and think about how— ignored? neglected?— Kyoutani is by the rest of the team. Sure, he could try to show up to evening practice more than once or twice a week, but you sure as hell don’t know his life situation. Honestly, you’d bet on the fact that perhaps no one on the team does. Maybe he’s in an abusive household. Maybe he struggles with depression. Maybe he works unpredictable hours and his boss is strict.
Whatever it may be, you know for a fact that there’s something he’s likely not telling the rest of the team. Not that he’s obligated to share any parts of his life with his teammates, but… something’s gotta give, right? Either his teammates put in the effort to actually get to know Kyoutani, or Kyoutani opens up to them, at least a little bit.
Not that it’s really any of your business, but… you are somewhat responsible for the team, right?
Finally, your last lecture of the day is over. Sighing, ears twitching at the increased sound of chatter in the lecture hall, you gather your bookbag and all your writing utensils and leave behind everyone else.
You’ve seen a few other deer hybrids around campus, but you haven’t had the guts to approach any of them. And as you watch the other deer in your lecture leave ahead of you, it seems like today will be another one of those days.
Admittedly, it’s depressing; your only friend so far seems to be your roommate. Typical of a freshman such as yourself, but you came all the way up here from your small-ish town to experience a new scene and give yourself a fresh start in life. For the most part, that’s what it has been, but it sure sucked to leave all your friends behind. Now that you have to make new ones here, it’s become daunting, and a lot more complicated than you’d thought.
Especially since it seems like everyone already has their own friends. Even those on the team: Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki are definitely a clique, as are the seniors on the team. The freshmen, Kindaichi and Kunimi, tend to stick to themselves as well. Yahaba and Watari and the other sophomores are their own friend group as well, though at least Watari always makes you feel included when you speak.
…The only exception from that group: Kyoutani. He has apparently always been the outcast, even as a freshman.
Perhaps that’s why he doesn’t bother to show up to practice sometimes, because he feels like no one values his place on the team. Although you’re not sure what came first: his unreliability or his outcastedness. Maybe they go hand-in-hand.
You frown, deciding then and there that your goal as assistant manager will be to make sure everyone on the team feels included. You aren’t the most outgoing, so it’ll be a social challenge for you; but you’re determined.
Besides, you understand how it feels to be a bit of an outsider, never having a solid friend group in high school and always being deemed a “friend of a friend”. It’s disappointing, and it makes you mad at the world.
Which would definitely explain Kyoutani’s short temper and tendency to lash out.
Hmm. There is a lot to ponder here, you tell yourself.