If you bring it up or tease him about it he’ll try to deny it saying he doesn’t give a fuck about those people

But he spends hours listening to clients stories after you came back from work and wanted to chat

“Did she really break up with her boyfriend? That one who took her to Italy? I remember you telling me.” 

“Love, you won’t believe who just booked a nail appointment with me” and he stops everything he was doing to focus on what you have to say

Expect a lot of snarky remarks about anyone involved AND HE WILL DEFINITELY TAKE SIDES ON THE STORIES YOU TELL (like “that girl is right, her friend is an asshole” type of comments)

When you’re home focused on testing new products for the nail appointments, he sits with you to make sure you feel his presence if you need to talk about anything or don’t want to be alone 

Eventually, he’ll start to bring his own topics about people he knows (someone who got engaged, had a kid or filed for divorced, things like that)

Introducing him to all your family drama and lore after he met them and then exchanging glances when someone who's badly involved in the stories goes to a family reunion

Putting all this aside, Tsukishima always listens to everything you have to say and remembers all of it when you bring it up again

He’s so interested on what you have to say and that’s a way of him showing he loves you

And that means loving every single part of you

To be fair, he’s a little tall for a First-Year, taller than quite a few boys from your Class.

You walk over and clear your throat, hoping against all odds that he has forgotten that moment at the window weeks ago.

“Hey, you’re a First-Year, right?” You ask. “You can give me those books, I can take them.”

“I-It’s okay,” he stutters, “They’re pretty heavy. I can carry them.”

“Oh, okay. Do you want me to show you the way?”

His eyes light up and you swallow thickly. Wow, he’s really cute. And younger than you, your mind supplies right away.

“So, what Clubs are you in?” You ask, trying to get your brain back on track. 

“Volleyball,” he squeaks. 

You nod slowly. You have never been particularly interested in any sport before, dreading the times you have to participate during the mandatory sports classes, but maybe you could check them out? 

“Do you like it?”

“Y-Yeah, I mean, I…” He starts stuttering again, so you wait for him to catch his breath and finish his sentence. There’s no use in rushing something like that. “I’m pretty tall and I don’t like Basketball, that’s why I started with Volleyball. I don’t think I’m bad at it.”

“But do you like it?” The question seems to surprise him, he blinks at you like no one’s ever asked him that before.

“I guess?” 

“What else do you like?” You ask, only to realize you’ve reached your destination. There’s no more chance to talk, not with the bell ringing for the next class anyway. But you catch his name as he introduces himself to the teacher and you can’t help but whisper it to yourself, tasting the vowels like they are a foreign treat.

Asahi Azumane.

-

“Azumane-kun!” You wave. He blushes a feverish pink.

His friends nudge him, one on the left, one on the right, until he stumbles over.

“Wh- Can I… Can I help you?”

“I wanted to check you guys out, I brought my friends along. Just wanted to wish you good luck before the game.”

“O-Oh, thank you!” He nods, yet unable to look at you. You swallow thickly, but for a different reason this time. You’re probably too forward and he’s probably not interested in the weird Senpai who keeps chatting him up.

“Anyways, have fun playing,” you tell him, pulling away before you can clap him on the back like an absolute lunatic. And for good measure, you wave at Kurokawa too, though that seems to only confuse your classmate. 

God, you need help.

-

“What do you think of Tashiro-kun?” Sachiro, one of your friends asks. “He plays Volleyball.”

Hideko snickers. “She’s not into Volleyball, she’s into that First-Year that happens to play Volleyball.”

“I’m not,” you argue, but your friends just send you a look that speaks volumes. You’ve been found out.

“I’m so done,” you groan, “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“A little bit,” Sachiro agrees softly, “But not in a creepy way. You’ve just always crushed on older guys before.”

“I did not,” you try to argue but Hideko is already holding up her hand, counting down names as she taps her fingers one by one. You grumble but fall silent.

“Just lay off a bit,” Sachiro offers her advice, “He seems pretty shy.”

-

“E-Excuse me?” You look up from your book, surprised to see Asahi standing in front of you.

“Yeah?”

“I… I’m supposed to turn these in, but Kumagai-Sensei is not at her table.”

You blink toward the desk at the front of the Library. It’s deserted. 

The Library itself is quiet, yet well-filled. Your heart stutters at the realization that he approached you because he knew you. He approached you.

Okay, now get a hold of yourself, your mind chastises you and you send him a smile.

“No worries. You can leave them with me if you want, I’ve still got some work to finish. You probably need to get back to training, right?”

“Is that really okay?”

“Of Course, it’s no hassle at all.”

He seems unsure, but a glance at the giant clock over the door further spurs him on. He puts the books on the table in front of you, blushing yet again when you’re now able to spot their titles.

“A hobby?” You ask, surprised to see that these books are about sewing and creating patterns.

Asahi’s mouth opens and closes like he’s a fish out of water. You put one of your Calculus books over his and send him another smile, this one a bit more secretive than the others.

“It’s going to be our little secret.”

- - -

You end your second year just like you begin your third. No boyfriend, but still crushing.

Karasuno’s Volleyball-Team hopes for more talented players and while that’s not the same as getting a good Coach, you can’t help but notice that that Nishinoya-guy and Asahi get along just nicely. 

Your face has started to become a familiar sight at their games to the point that Asahi waves back, blushing furiously every single time.

You don’t know what he tells his teammates about you or what they think about you, but so far no one has asked you to leave and you’ve started to enjoy watching them play, learning about the sport one game at a time.

-

“What are you studying for?” You ask softly, surprised to see Asahi at your usual table the library. His head is buried in his book, hair now so long he’s started to tie it up.

“Japanese Literature,” he explains, “I’ve got a bad mark in my last assignment and my parents were not amused.”

“Ah,” you nod, “Not my favorite subject either. Want some help?”

He blushes as he nods, pushing the book closer to you. 

-

“Hey,” you look up from your bag to find Asahi standing over you, Umbrella at the ready. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“Do you want to walk me home?” You ask back and watch him blush.

“I… I noticed you didn’t have an.. an Umbrella with you, this morning, you know…”

“Thank you,” you get up from the floor and swing your bag over your shoulder, “I appreciate it.”

His Umbrella is big enough to keep both of you dry without you having to touch. Which is a shame, but his body is warm enough that you can still feel it from this distance, probably because of training.

“How’s the team?” You ask, content with the silence but unable to fight against the urge to get to know him just a little bit better each day.

“Good, good. I… we might have a real shot at the Nationals this time.”

“Really? That’s amazing. I’ll be sure to cheer you on!”

“I just…” He stops and you can tell he’s biting his tongue. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, it’s fine, you can tell me. I won’t judge.”

“Do you ever feel weightend down by the expectation people set in you?”

His answer is unexpected. You stop in your tracks, eyes widening. He immediately starts to apologize but you hold your hand up and stop him.

“I get it. I just… I didn’t think you’d ask that. I thought that was just a thing Third-Years have to go through.”

He laughs, a sound that’s both abrupt and not really amused. 

“No, I guess that’s an Universal feeling.”

“Yeah,” you nod and take a deep breath, “I know what you mean. All the teachers telling you that you didn’t give your best or your parents having dreams for you you cannot seem to reach.”

“How do you deal with it?” Asahi asks and you can tell he really wants to know. If only you had a better answer.

“Most of the time I make jokes about it and pretend it doesn’t exist. Not the healthiest way of dealing with it, but so far I haven’t found a better solution.”

He laughs.

“You?” You ask.

“Do you know “Don't Give up, Kamchatka”?”

-

You tell yourself that you will confess to him on your graduation day.

You tell yourself to wait when you want to blurt it out on the way home, when he hands you little treats so you manage to keep up with the demands of graduating or when he sends you a text in the morning so you don’t forget your Umbrella.

But then, just weeks before graduation, Karasuno tries for the Nationals. You sit in the bleachers, watch as Date Tech grinds your team down to the bone. 

Something breaks in Asahi, you can tell.

Nothing’s the same after that.

No more good morning texts, no walking home after school.

When you pass him in the hallways he looks the other way.

You’re not sure if he’s sick or extremely talented at avoiding you, but Graduation day comes and goes without a sight of him.

- - -

You sit right at the back, chewing on your nails to distract yourself.

Honestly, you don’t even know why you’re here, nursing a crush that has brought you nothing but misery.

But you can’t just not go to Karasuno’s games, even if Asahi is no longer on the team.

At least that’s what you think, until he steps out onto the court, taller than you remember him, determination written over his face.

It’s a good thing you never told yourself you were over him. It makes it easier to accept that you’re not.

Karasuno wins against Date Tech. Karasuno loses against Aoba Johsai.

You disappear from the crowd before he can see you.

But you’re back the next time they play, crying when they finally make it to nationals, finally get to reach what they’ve dreamed of for so long.

- - -

It’s been too long, but your mouth still works faster than your brain.

“Asahi?” You ask, hand gripping the door handle tighter. “Is that you?”

He turns, clearly surprised to hear his name so far away from his hometown. 

But Tokyo’s nothing more but a bigger village, where everyone knows everyone through someone else it seems.

He looks good, wearing his hair open now. You’re half aware of your colleagues that you keep waiting in favor of talking to him, but you couldn’t care less.

It’s been too long and your heart still beats too fast at his sight.

“Hi,” he smiles, open and easy like he’s never been painfully shy. “How have you been?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” you tell him, punching his arm lightly and regretting it right away - those biceps can’t be human.

“Do you want to grab coffee?” You ask, biting your tongue after. Why is it always you that’s pushing? Can’t you just let him go for once?

“I’d love that,” he agrees easily, but he pushes his hands in the pockets of his trousers and you can tell he’s still got his nervous ticks, hands balled to fists. It warms your heart.

“When are you free?” He asks.

“Right now?” You ask back and he laughs in surprise like you’ve known him to do.

-

“Can I walk you home?” He asks after the third cup when the barista is pointedly clearing her throat and pointing at the sign with the opening hours. 

“Sure,” you agree, not wanting to let go of this either.

You’ve talked about everything and nothing so far. How he’s in fashion college of all things - your little secret - and how you like your work so far. 

“I’m sorry,” you tell him when you walk down the street, pavement wiped clean by the light rain from earlier, “I was pretty pushy back in high school.”

“I was a wuss in high school,” he disagrees softly, “I probably needed it.”

“Relationships aren’t something you should be pushed in,” you argue and he stops abruptly. When you turn to look up at him, his Adam’s apple bobs nervously as he fights for words.

“I’ve done it again,” you sigh, “Haven’t I?”

“Relationship?” He croaks out. “With me?”

You laugh in disbelief. “I’ve had a crush on you since your first day at Karasuno, Asahi. I thought I was obvious.”

“But I’m… me?”

“Yeah,” you nod, stretching out your hand. For what you don’t know until he takes it, his grip warm and reassuring. 

“Sorry,” he apologizes, “I should have known.”

“It’s okay,” you tell him, stepping closer, “You can make it up to me now.”

You half expect him to shy away.

Instead, he pulls you in.

“I will,” he promises, burying his nose in your hair. 

You stand like that for what feels like eternity, yet still not long enough, when he speaks up again.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Asahi asks softly. You nod.

“I’ve had a crush on you since my first day at Karasuno too.”

mm okay so this is a new series

or season?

the series is the managers and this is a new season because this is karasuno’s manager!!! :)))) 

everyone say hi!!!

she’s a wittle first year and shes a cute little thing but she got the energy of a rabid chihuahua

so this is how it you came to be

when mommy and daddy love each other very much-

hehe i kid i kid

but srsly, the whole bird and bees thing

and then boom, you were attending middle school in hyogo

you were a first year that was taken in by a pair of twins that were your neighbors

the miyas

miya osamu <3

and

miya atsumu >:3

they were what got you into volleyball in the first place even though you were more into soccer like your papa and even talked you into being their team’s manager

so here you were, freshly turned 12 (because you were the youngest of your entire grade) and suddenly responsible for a bunch of older kids

the coach helped you too of course but it was a lot of work and so when the twins left and you became a third year, you were practically a know-it-all with volleyball

flying receives?

jump serves?

you learned from the best B)

however,

when you were about 3 months into being in high school and as their current manager at inarizaki,

tragedy struck.

see, your parents were often out of town and tended to go overseas for business but when a plane that they were on crashed causing their death, you had no choice but to be taken in by your next of kin which was your uncle down in miyagi

he was your mom’s cousin but she practically saw him as her brother and you didnt really talk to him very much, apart from the times your mom called him and a few sentences of greetings were exchanged, but you knew who he was because your mom was close to him

duh, you were grieving and loss is such a hard thing to go through

the miya twins were there for you the whole time, even when they were busy

i mean like you lived at their house because you couldn’t stand being in the same home that you once shared with your parents

they didnt take it very well when you had to leave but they understood as long as you promised to come visit them soon so you get to see them play on the big stage

:’)

so here you were, on the train en route to miyagi where your uncle was supposed to be waiting for you

the time on your phone blared that it’s been nearly 5 hours and you’re supposed to be approaching the prefecture now

you’ve taken the train by yourself before but it still doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking because one, you’re alone and two, theres a lot of people

you didnt really do well with a lot of people nor the anxiety that bubbles in you whenever you stuck in a place for a very long time

it doesn’t help that the worst thing to ever happen has happened

eventually, the conductor went around and it was announced that you have arrived so you quickly grabbed your backpack and your duffel bag before rushing to grab the one large suitcase that was at the back of your compartment

the rest of your luggage and clothing was already taken to miyagi when your uncle drove all the way to hyogo to pick it up so you wouldn’t be inconvenienced during your way there

hes so sweet

you pulled the handle and gripped it, nerves eating you away and sleep pulling behind your eyes but you couldnt sleep

you didnt want to

the doors opened and you hurried out, getting past the many people and you saw the familiar hair of your uncle

his bleached hair was pulled back into a baby ponytail and his headband kept stray hairs from clouding his eyes

‘y/n-chan!’ he shouted and waved

you cringed at how zealous he was and the attention he was receiving from strangers so you hurried over to him

he rushed to give you a hug as if you didnt just see him a few days ago

‘oji’ you mumbled in greeting and he pulled back, giving you a wide grin

‘man! i can’t believe you’re as tall as my shoulders! before, you were still a tiny little baby that was smaller than my arm!’

you turned red and began to pull him to go home because he was attracting many stares from blushing ladies

sigh

you guys reached his cute yellow car and piled your suitcase and duffel bag in the back so the two of you could settle in the front seats

he started the car and drove off the parking lot and into the streets

wow, it doesnt look very different to hyogo

‘how are ya, y/n-chan?’

his tone was softer and you turn to look at him

he was focused on the road but it definitely sounded like his mind was somewhere else and he was trying to concentrate on talking to you

‘’m okay’ you mumbled

he was there during the funeral and the only one to attend since your grandfather and aunt was in the middle of recovering from their surgery and your other family members had other obligations

as if this wasn’t more important 

but he was there and you couldn’t be more thankful enough

you were only 15

you don’t know how to plan a funeral and a burial by yourself

not to mention their will and the passing on of their estate 

like bruh thats stuff that you have no idea on what to do with

so keishin was there to help you sort it out and meeting with legal attorneys and you were lucky that he always made sure that you understood what they were saying and making sure with you that whatever you decided is your choice and it shouldn’t be influenced by him or the lawyers

keishin is worried about you a lot since it happened and didn’t even want to go back to miyagi afterwards but his store needed to be opened and he doesn’t have anyone else to run it apart from his mother, who he really doesn’t want moving around since she also just got knee surgery

‘are you sure? you know i’m here when you need to talk. i lost her too so i understand most than anyone’

he quietly comforted you and your nose began to sting as a signal from the incoming tears but you looked out the window and to the trees that you passed by

‘i dont want to’ you whispered to him and keishin nodded

he won’t force you but just to let you know that he was there and will always be there

you two drove in a comfortable silence and you arrived at his family home where you will be staying

‘this is where your ma grew up. its a shame she never brought you or your pops down to visit but it can’t be helped. your grandma is in there sleeping right now so its best you keep the noise down a bit but im sure she’ll be excited to see you, kid’

you got settled into the house quickly and keishin’s mom who you could call as your aunt was very excited to see you and you smiled and hugged her and stuff

apparently your grandpa was helping some friend with his rice farm and such

sigh. you remember kita-senpai so that made you sad

since you just got there, they gave you some time to adjust like a month off of school

but you come to find out that you were enrolled in a nearby school, karasuno, which was somehow associated with your uncle

keishin attended there too when he was young and so did your mom but was now the volleyball team’s coach

you were a little >:\ because you wanted to stay in hyogo with the twins but you knew that you needed to be taken cared of right now

you were still young and even now, grieving is a process that would be easier with family

keishin got you all set for your first day and you had to hide a laugh at how excited he was when he gave you your uniform

‘its like sending off my own kid to school!’

gosh he gives such dad vibes now

your first day!!!!

of course keishin got you a little whiteboard that says first day of high school written on it and he told you to stand in front of the door so he could take a picture

even his ma was giggling behind him while you were red at the amount of attention he was giving to this entire ordeal

‘come on! here’s your lunch and some allowance to get something good at the vending machine. i would’ve sent you off myself but i got a delivery for the store. you remember how to get there right? if not, you got the directions in your notes?’

you rolled your eyes playfully

‘yes, oji. me gots it’

keishin actually walked you to the school a few days ago to teach you the way there and my gosh hes adorable

you tightened the straps of your backpack and hugged your grandma and grandpa before venturing out

it was so quiet

the neighborhood that you lived in was the kind where old people lived so there was no sound of students talking amongst themselves

but about 5 minutes into your walk, you found a pair of students, boys, who were going to the same direction you were in

one had his headphones over his ears and the other was talking to him like he didn’t see the headphones at all

you could only see the back of their heads and noticed that the one who was talking had dark green hair and was shorter than the one wearing the headphones, who was blonde and was really, really tall

the only person was omimi-senpai

and that dude had to be around his height

you had your earbuds in so you couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying but you were just walking along and absorbing the scenery instead of hurrying to class

then the tall blonde guy stopped walking but you were too busy at looking around you to notice that he stopped so you bumped into his back and made a noise of surprise

duh the first thing to come out of your mouth was an apology

‘sorry!’

bro it wasn’t your fault that this dude just stopped out of nowhere

but this guy turned his head around at you and met your eyes

you shivered, scared at his glare at you 

‘’m sorry’

you apologized again by bowing and walking around him to prevent anymore accidents

you weren’t gonna make a big deal about it because it was just an accident but you were afraid he was going to yell at you or something

instead of trying to have a peaceful walk, you were speed-walking to the school and even got lost once since you turned at a wrong street

but dw dw you just had to call keishin in a panic and after laughing, he helped you back to your destination

even google maps didn’t help you bruh

gigi fact: i went to dublin and was looking for nandos and we were walking but the gps thing didnt work correctly so we walked in circles around the city without ever finding nandos

in the end, gigi never got her nandos

anyways!

you went to the little office they got in the front of the school and you smiled at the lady

‘hi, ma name is l/n y/n’

she looked at you and nodded

‘new student?’

duh

but you nodded

‘id please?’

you fumbled in your bag and found your old inarizaki id because all of your other important ids were with keishin

lowkey kinda scary but maybe i just got trust issues

it seemed like it was good enough for her so she quickly typed something in the computer and after many clicks later, she got up to get something from the printer and returned with your schedule and what looks like a card

an id?

she noticed you staring at the identification card

‘it seems a relative of yours with the name of ukai keishin sent your information from inarizaki high, if im correct, and with it, your school picture so we just transferred it over to our database and printed your school id from there’

you let out a small sigh of relief that you dont gotta take a picture and you thanked her then grabbed your things

class 1-4 huh?

you wandered around and found out that the layout of the school was like inarizaki with the third floor being for first years and the second for the second years and so on

but you hate stairs

so you were kinda already dying when you made it up to your floor and by this time, students were already arriving

you obviously felt out of place and even when you started high school back in hyogo, you were already friends with some people in there and with the help of the twins, you were a bit well-known already

but here

you were a total stranger

a background character

an uneasy feeling crept into your stomach but you inhaled and exhaled before walking to the room that was labeled ‘1-4’ 

in an instant, several pairs of eyes were on you

everyone wasn’t there yet but enough that you wanted to crawl into a hole and die

who needed school anyways?

the twins already promised you a future where you don’t gotta work so it doesn’t matter

speaking of, they were messaging you now with how your phone was vibrating and you hurriedly ran to a chair in the back of the room to avoid any more attention

you pulled your phone out and stopped a smile from creeping into your face

it was mainly atsumu sending crying emojis while osamu was fussing over the fact that you only packed some sandwiches for lunch but you were quick to calm down his concerns by telling them that you were gonna get some snacks from the vending machine

sigh

you miss them

a lot

if you were back in hyogo, they would already be in your class, annoying the ever loving god outta you along with the other guy in osamu’s class, suna

atsumu is actually in a class higher than his brother and he continues to use that as a bragging thing

but you really do miss them

it feels like something is missing

but you weren’t allowed to be in your feels for too long because you felt someone looming over you to your right and looked up to see the tall guy from earlier, golden-brown eyes piercing straight to you

you didnt do the whole gasping thing like they do in mangas but you did freeze

he was definitely going to pick you up and throw you outta the window beside you bruh

pray for me

gigi: im praying for you sis

‘can i help ya?’ you asked because we aint here to be stuttering and stammering like little anime girls

but you were still scared lmao

he looked down at you with a cold glare

‘youre in my seat’

goddammit y/n

of course you were

just your luck

y/n things, you know?

but you looked at him dumbly 

‘yer wha?’

maybe it was because you were scared of him that you didnt fully process his question 

but he leaned down at you, glasses shining for effect

‘you’re in my seat, shorty’

he repeated but with an edge this time

yea no you clearly heard that

so you grabbed your bag and stood up, hurrying out of the room

maybe you can go back home and tell keishin you weren’t feeling good and you didnt wanna be here

that could work

so you were standing outside of your class, away from the windows because duh the entire class saw the whole thing and you didnt want them to watch you like thats so embarrassing lmao

your fingers were typing a message to keishin but before you could hit send, you hear someone stop in front of you

you looked up and was met with a man who was quite short but you could tell he was a teacher

god, if hes your homeroom teacher-

‘oh? are you the new student? i’m your homeroom teacher, takeda ittetsu’

the lord just aint on your side isn’t he?

you stared at him with this grim look in your face that his brows were furrowed with concern

‘are you okay?’

you nodded, swallowing and looking to the side

he just nodded along and gestured to enter the room

you cursed in your head but followed him, surprised that everyone was already there

did they just appear there out of thin air?

or were you really that out of it to notice people walking in

‘everyone, we have a new student today. she is a transfer from hyogo so if you could please, welcome her to our school. would you like to introduce yourself?’

if takeda-sensei didnt have such a nice look on his face, you woulda bolted outta there

but also, that would be embarrassing if you just ran out

so you nodded and looked ahead, remembering atsumu’s advice

just look at the wall and tune everything and everyone else out

‘’m l/n y/n and ‘m from inarizaki high school. let’s get along’

ugh, awkward introductions were never my thing nor have i ever transferred during a school year either so idk man

takeda directed you to a seat by the windows and was in the middle of the rows so you were ahead of the tall scary guy

but my god, you felt his stare the entire time

by the time lunch rolls around, you were already ready to go home

you were messaging the twins and suna of what was happening and they all petitioned for you to move back home and into the miya household

osamu: in favor of y/n moving and staying with us, say i

atsumu: Iiiii would like that

suna: *hand raising emoji* i

*cue tears forming in your eyes*

they were so cute

but you were distracted from your phone when a bunch of students started whispering around you and you looked up to see a really really pretty girl at the doorway of your classroom

and she was looking directly at you

aint no way

you havent been here but only a few hours

how have you already made beef with people?

she saw that you were looking at her and after a split-second eye contact, she was already walking towards you before stopping beside your desk

‘can i help ya?’ you asked again, feeling deja vu

man, pretty people were really freaking scary

then she smiled 

small, but still a smile

‘i’m shimizu kiyoko, third year. i’m also the manager of the boys’ volleyball club’

ah! the club that your uncle coaches

so you felt a little better about that so you gave her a small smile back

‘o, ma uncle’s the coach. didja need’m?’

she shook her head and you could swear there were flowers radiating from her right now

‘actually, no. the third years would like to meet you and i was sent to collect you’

*cue the suspicious eye brow raise*

like we as the watchers know kiyoko is the absolute sweetest angel to ever exist but in a realistic point of view, this was still kinda sussy you know?

she saw the hesitation 

‘the team wants to meet you but that might be a lot for you so we thought it was okay for the third years to meet you instead. if you would like, you could call your uncle and see if it’s okay’

nah, you werent taking any chances so you hurriedly whipped out your phone and pressed 1

since he was in your emergency contact :’)

‘oji, theres dis really pretty lady who says shes the manager of yer team’

‘mhm. mhm. shimizu kiyoko’

‘ahhh, okei okei.’

you ended the call and looked at her before standing up

‘lead the way’

she brought you down many stairs and into a secluded little hallway of the third year floor

you were a bit scared so you were walking a little bit behind her but saw 3 figures at the end, just talking and one leaning out of the open window

they saw the two of you and perked up

‘oh hey! you must be coach’s niece!’

the one with grey hair raised a hand

‘yo’ you timidly greeted

the one with the man bun understood your shyness and gave you a small smile

‘azumane asahi’ he extended a hand and you were surprised at how soft his voice was

‘i’m sugawara koshi but feel free to call me suga-senpai!’ he gave you a peace sign that initially made you cringe but quickly found endearing

he seemed really nice

then the last one with the short black hair gave you a smile

‘i’m the captain of the team. sawamura daichi’

ahhh so he was the captain

well, he was no kita-san but they had the same vibe

the same aura

that authoritative and leading aura

they were quick to ask you questions and get to know you better and such

then the bell rang and the older boys bid farewell to you guys while kiyoko was gonna walk you back to your class

not like you were completely lost or anything

but as you walked, she asked you a question

‘y/n, would you like to be a manager? i’m graduating next year and i worry that we won’t have a new one to replace me’

you looked at her in surprise

did someone say something about you being a manager in your old school?

you blinked

‘me?’

she nods, softly

‘you know our coach already and the third years too. it wouldn’t be too hard to be friends with the others but i do admit they’re quite rambunctious’

it might sound like shes complaining but you turn and see her with a smile

‘do ya think i can do it?’

theres that underlying fear

you werent very social and you werent outgoing enough to make friends with anyone and everyone

back home, you had the twins who weaseled you in to the team in middle school and high school

but now, you were completely alone and you had no one, essentially

so yea youre kinda scared lmao

she hums

‘would you like to see first? you dont have to do anything’

you still hesitate

but maybe you can just sit there and see how it goes 

you could even walk home with your uncle afterwards and with him, you know you wouldnt get lost

so you nod and you were sent back to class which ended really quickly now that you got something to look forward to later

kiyoko picked you up from your classroom since she knew you werent sure where everything was and she asked you to wait outside a room while she got changed to her manager uniform

you were familiar of the manager uniforms since you had to wear it at junior high and high school too

you even still have your familiar red inarizaki jacket but you were too emotional to wear it nor did you want to wear another school’s jacket

kiyoko smiled when she saw you leaning against the wall after she came out and nudged you

‘follow me?’

you nodded, blinded by both her beauty and her striking white teeth

she made small talk with you along the way like how your first day was and if you liked miyagi 

she also asked about where you were from and hyogo

‘i managed ma school’s volleyball team too’

her eyes widened at that revelation

‘did you really? then you know how to do these things then!’

you smiled at her but didnt really answer

the two of you were nearing the gym and could hear the squeaks of shoes against the floor and the balls that were smacking against the walls

hehe

she opened the door and you heard shouts of her name before they saw you based on their silence

you observed the gym and noticed many heads, including the tall scary guy from your class

your brows furrowed when your eyes landed on him but he only looked at you with a blank expression

the third years already knew you so they were giving you a smile 

daichi, if you remember correctly, walked up to you and raised a hand

'hey, y/n! glad you could make it!'

you nodded

'shes just observing today, if thats okay?'

daichi lit up and clapped his hands

'of course! feel free to sit over there at the stage, y/n'

the gym wasnt like inarizaki where they had bleachers

it was just a metal box with a stage at the other side 

but before you could go, 3 people bounded up to you

one with orange hair

one with a buzzcut

and another with a bleached fringe

omg tsumu?

they looked at you with wonder

daichi noticed them and quickly put an arm in front of you

'everyone! this is l/n y/n, shes coach's niece and shes simply observing today. please be kind to her'

he pointedly looked at the meme trio and they shrunk back with a pout

but you grinned and raised a peace sign

'yo'

they immediately introduced themselves to you with hinata, noya, and tanaka being the very outgoing ones and hinata being the one who was in your year while the other two were second years

you also met the quieter and softer second years: ennoshita, kinoshita, and narita who shot you apologetic smiles after they saw the surprised and overwhelmed look you got after the trio talked your ear off

‘sorry about them. they can be a handful’

ennoshita apologized but you waved a hand around

‘don’ mind! don’ mind!’

and you met the other first years

the tall scary guy was tsukishima kei and the one who was walking next to him with the green hair this morning was yamaguchi and was strikingly opposite to his best friend

he had freckles and an adorable smile

‘hi, i’m yamaguchi tadashi’

he introduced himself with a bashful smile

your heart exploded with how cute he was and nodded before sticking a hand out for him to shake

‘l/n y/n’

then the last team member you were introduced to was kageyama tobio

he is a first-year setter with dark blue hair and seemed to have a hobby of bickering the with the tangerine

he was kinda quiet and a bit awkward with introducing himself but it cant be helped that people were awkward you know?

in a way, he reminded you of sunarin

sigh

you miss them

but once you were introduced to everyone, you simply sat on the edge of the stage and watched them practice

duh, you just met them so you werent gonna have an automatic friendship with any of them but it didnt mean that you were a stranger to them

your uncle did eventually arrive and he already knew that you met kiyoko and the others but he wasnt really sure if you were gonna be there at practice so he was still surprised to see you

keishin would look at you often just to check if you were uncomfortable but he saw some sort of light in your expression, a sense of excitement and longing

he knew that you were a part of a volleyball club in hyogo too since he met the twins in the midst of moving your stuff

so he knew that you had a connection to volleyball

which is why he dropped the hint to the third years and shimizu about possibly recruiting you as a manager for the team

once nightfall breaks and it was finally dark, everyone clapped as a signal that practice was over

you felt bad just watching them clean up so you jumped off the stage to pick up the stray balls and helping them dismantle the net as much as you could

‘y/n, here’s the cart’

shimizu gently said and you smiled before pushing it yourself and dropping the balls in as you went

she watched you with a soft gaze and she was looking forward to training you

she feels that she made the right choice

keishin rounded them up as a meeting before leaving and announced to stop by the store to get some ice pops as a treat for their hardwork today

you connected to the meme trio since they had an energy that reminded you of your friends back home and how lively they were

hinata and you bounced off each other effortlessly and you animatedly spoke to him the entire walk to the store

did you know where you were going?

no

but you were just following along with everyone else

‘ah, now we got two shortys to worry about’

tsukishima remarked from behind you and both you and hinata gave him a glare

‘rude’

hinata huffed and you nodded

‘its like i can never escape ya, tsukishima. are ya stalkin me?’

you teased and he rolled his eyes before shoving your shoulder lightly

‘dont be so vain, shrimp. maybe its because we live in the same area and go to the same school. its just a maybe though’

okay, hes sarcastic

keishin opened the door to the store and you greeted your auntie who was looking after it for the time

hinata wanted to get some chips but you wanted a drink so you went to the fridges in the back causing kageyama to follow you too

you noticed him stand beside you, looking at the contents of the fridge and you gave him a sideways smile

kageyama turned his head a bit when he saw you and nodded stiffly before opening and reaching for his milk

how cute

you grabbed your f/d and met up with everyone at the front

the third years were fussing over the meme trio while the second years were watching with an amused smile

your uncle stood beside you and nudged your arm

‘so? you okay with this?’

you looked at him and smiled softly

‘its fun’

yea keishin hasnt really seen you smile like that and he felt a warmth surge in his chest

he wanted to make sure you could start over here and help you move on from what happened

this is the first step to doing so

daichi waved you over and suga patted your head as he began to talk to you

you met keishin’s eyes and he nodded

that night, you were on a group facetime with your friends

tsumu: oi, y/n! ya better not be replacin’ us!

osamu: oh, shaddup, tsumu. nothin’ wrong with making friends yanno

sunarin: how is it there? are you getting along with them? are they nice to you?

y/n: ‘m kinda scared to start over but i’ll do ma best

and thus, started your little adventures with karasuno volleyball team

for like a week, you followed kiyoko everywhere and just watched what she did

you found out that you needed to be in a club as a first year from your homeroom teacher who also coincidentally is the advisor for the team

he was so nice omg

as the days went past, you were quickly warming up to the boys and it was like you were back on the groove that you’ve lost

as a manager, you knew that you needed to be responsible while also being a friend to them

you helped kiyoko with the note taking and doing errands with her to ease the burden on her shoulders while also making plans to hang out with the people in the team

it helped that you were also skilled in doing some medical things so you would be on stand-by with the first aid kit just in case someone did something

but when kageyama and hinata start fighting, you just avert your eyes and pretend your didnt see anything

the third years love you since you were a quick learner and you already knew what to do and what to expect during practices and such

the second years were a bit scared that you would be like the meme trio but they found you were actually not that rowdy and they often stand by you to just talk

sigh, why must they always be benched bruh

you were close with them and because they were your senpais, they would also help you with your studies and tutor you

the meme trio thought of you as another goddess with their kiyoko-senpai but hinata and you just clicked so well together

i mean like yall make jokes and be the only ones that laugh at it

kageyama is more distant and reserved from you mainly because thats just how he is but he does start warming up to you in ways like asking if you would help bandage his fingers and such

and sometimes, you grab him his milk before going to school and surprise him with it 

very very cute things

gosh, dont get me started on tadashi

you got permission to call him tadashi btw

he is so adorable like help he is so cute

like yall are in the same class and you both talk to each other a lot during lunch since you have now joined their little group (much to tsukishima’s dismay) and you guys get along with your similar interests

but gosh, now we get to tsukishima

this dude cannot seem to forget about your bumping into him and taking his seat during your first day

‘gosh, shorty. remember when-’

‘tsukishima, shaddup!’

he loves and i mean LOVES to tease the ever loving life outta you bro like you cannot seem to escape it

and during practices, he will make little remarks to anger you or tick you off 

like when youre on your toes just to reach for something in the storage room, he would somehow know you were in trouble and would make a comment

‘it wouldnt be a problem if you werent so short, chibi’

you turn to him with a glare

‘are ya gonna stand there an’ jus’ keep yappin’ like a chihuahua or are ya gonna help me like a normal human bein’?’

he laughs before huffs and grabs the cone for you but not without accidentally dropping it on your head

‘ah, whoops’

‘yer such a bully, tsukishima’

these boys adore your accent!!!!!!

so it seems that they do have an accent here too but its so faded out and its like a normal tokyo accent but gosh, you were raised in hyogo and your kansai accent is strong asf

and unfortunately i do not speak japanese so i cant explain it directly but theres certain ways that you speak that they find so endearing

like you were rushing to the gym since you were late to their practice because obe-sensei held you up with some sort of issue with your assignment

you were huffing and puffing as you stumbled into the gym and they worriedly asked you where you were and if you were okay

but you were just grumbling since you were frustrated

‘obe-sensei was goin’ on an’ on ‘bout somethin’ so not related ta the homework like didja need ta tell me ‘bout yer dog?! ugh god get the hint why dontcha?!’

you were so cute

like hearing you rant was so adorable and they were blushing at how cute you sounded just now

then training camp starts and you, along with the others, meet nekoma

AHH it was intense and you met the rooster head and kenma too

kuroo looked at you intensely before he lit up, startling you while you were taking notes

‘can i help ya?’

you ask and he chuckled

‘thats where i saw you! youre the girl in suna’s phone!’

you turn red at the mention

help that was so random why did he just say that

‘wha?’

kuroo laughed

‘man! now i remember!’

‘what’re ya sayin’, kuroo-san?’

you press on

‘kenma! come over here!’

he yelled for the bleached hair setter who cringed at the mention of his name and how loud it was yelled but still walked over, eyes glued to his phone

‘what is it?’ his soft voice fills the space

‘you remember the inarizaki trio right? the ones that bokubro brought to our last hang out?’

kenma looked up at kuroo with a furrowed brows

‘huh?’

kuroo rolled his eyes

‘you know, the training camp and how we met that one school in hyogo and we ended up hanging out after?’

‘ah, the twins’

‘same thing. anyways! you remember the middle blocker? i thought you had beef with him at first but you got along with him’

‘ah, suna’

‘yea him! y/n-chan is the girl on his lockscreen, right?’

kenma looked at you, eyes fixing itself on your face as if he was committing your face to his memory

‘uh, wha?’

you ask again

bruh youre the emoticon O.O

then he nodded

‘mhm’

you turned red, freezing and voices tuned out and your team was worriedly asking if you were okay but nah, not really

HAHA ENOUGH OF THAT

because of how young you are, the third years tend to treat you like you were a baby and at first it bothered you with how caring they were since you didnt really know them that well and they were already taking care of you

there was still some underlying trauma from your parents death that haunts you

the guys dont know what happened or anything like that because obviously that was your business and nobody else’s

all they know is that you were from hyogo and transferred over here to miyagi and now live with your uncle

one day, you got a phone call from the legal attorneys with them explaining that all of the stuff was being finalized and you were finally finished with the longest months of your life

it was during a school day and you needed absolute privacy so you were at the back of the gym since one, the rooftop had too many cliche stuff happen up there and there has to be someone that could go up there and two, the volleyball gym wasnt exactly a popular hangout spot for anyone and three, the back of it was rarely visited by any of your team members and most of them would be in class anyways so they wouldnt be here unless they were skipping

but anyways

you were pacing behind the gym with your phone pressed to your ear

‘if you have any other questions, ms. l/n, feel free to call us okay? again, we are very sorry for your loss and offer our utmost condolences. there is always light in the darkness’

‘yes, thank you. goodbye’

you mumbled before they hung up and you stopped, harshly biting your lips with tears brimming your eyes and fists clenched around your phone at your sides

this was it

everything was done

you should be relieved, there was no more issues or legalities left to worry about

so why do you feel so empty?

as messed up as it was, those stresses and problems were the last of what connected you to your parents

and now that it was finished, it felt like that connection was gone

you sucked in a breath harshly, trying to not cry and make yourself calm down but you couldnt, sobs escaping you

:( 

you harshly wiped your eyes and kept breathing in and out to stop yourself

‘l/n?’

someone’s voice called out to you from way in front of you so you looked up and saw

kageyama?

his eyebrows were furrowed like usual but there wasnt a trace of annoyance like there usually was

instead, there was concern

‘ah’

you mumbled before shakily sighing and breathing for a second before looking up at him

even with your puffy eyes and red face with tear tracks down your face, you still smiled at him

‘wha’s up, kageyama?’ you question and he sighed a bit

‘what happened? are you okay?’

he approached you cautiously but you nodded

‘yea, ‘m fine. really’

he didnt believe you but didnt say anything, continuing to look at you

your eyes glaze over and you looked down

‘please, don’ give me yer pity’

you whisper

kageyama’s eyes widens

‘huh?’

‘i don’ need pity, kageyama’

there was no malice or anger in your voice, just a little tone of embarrassment peaking through

kageyama understood

pride

he was the same way

he was prideful and would rather die than someone seeing him so vulnerable and much less, crying his heart out

especially to someone he knew personally

so he understood

and he also understood grief

no one knew anything about your past as their coach always remained tight-lipped about it

but he did hear from some gossip from his mother with the coaches in the area that the old coach ukai’s granddaughter died

were you somehow connected to that?

oh, the current coach ukai was your uncle so it had to be you

you looked at kageyama and you saw a flash of understanding

did he know?

kageyama turned to lean against the wall

‘would you like me to leave you alone? i promise i won’t say anything to anyone’

his gruff voice sounded gentle and you looked up at him

‘yer a good person, kageyama. but, ‘m okay’

there was definitely an odd aura in the gym today and you and the coach were acting weird but everyone didnt want to be involved in familial business so they left it alone

but kageyama was paying attention to you more than usual and running to you to be bandaged up

they were even shocked when he patted your head

trust me, kageyama shocked himself too

the entire time, the team were trying to make you laugh and doing more jokey things

they wanted to cheer you up and daichi suddenly remembered, in the midst of closing up and cleaning up

he got you a surprise before they were starting to do the interhighs and he ran to the storage room, everyone watching him intently

‘daich-san?’ you asked when he came out and walked towards you with his hands behind him

daichi smiled softly before presenting you a clothing

is that

‘welcome to karasuno high school volleyball club!’

they shouted and you looked at them with wide eyes, tears once again in your eyes but this time, they were kinda happy tears

you looked to the side to shimizu and she gave you a rare wide smile and your uncle too

what is this feeling

so familiar but so strange since you havent felt it in a very long time

‘thank you!’

you shouted with them and bowed to keep your tears hidden

you all went to your family’s convenience store to celebrate and when you and keishin got home, he pulled you to a hug

‘we’re here now, y/n. not just me, but the team too’

that night, you once again facetimed the trio and they saw how grinny you were

tsumu: ei, why’re ya lookin’ like that?

y/n: tsumu, rude!

osamu: yea, did somethin’ happen?

you shake your head

y/n: the volleyball team here is really nice

tsumu: ahhh, yer really replacin’ us now!!!! what would kita-san say hm?!

osamu: here ya go again with your jealousy

while the twins bickered, suna gave you a gentle smile

suna: something good happened right? i havent seen you smile like that in a while

y/n: yea. i just…

you trail off, eyes wandering to the black karasuno jacket hanging there beside your red inarizaki one

y/n: its not startin’ over. its jus’ startin’ a new part of ma life. and i think ‘m ready to do it.

It's like someone becomes the centre of your whole world, and all you can do is stand and watch, because they are suddenly your gravity. Your heart won't stop racing, and you smile for them ... it's hard to imagine that happening to you, Kei!

Akiteru had laughed at his own words, slapping his younger brother on the back. "I'm sure you'll fall in love someday, Kei."

And here he, in fact, was, unable on to concentrate on class or lunch or even his precious music, because she was always in the corner of his eye. Though he came off as (and probably was) an insufferable smartass, Kei was still just as human as anyone else, still as susceptible to the racing heartbeat that throbbed almost painfully in his chest and never went away.

Every time he saw Y/L/N Y/N, he was helpless.

Shit, sometimes he ended up blushing, insane as that may have sounded, whenever she was around. Y/L/N didn't even have to be looking at him for that swoop in his stomach to practically knock him off his feet every time she smiled.

Kei had never felt this way for anyone before, and Y/L/N confused him to no end. He still couldn't figure her out, not when they spent more and more time together when their class seating plan landed them in neighbouring desks, not when she began to act strangely around him as well. Red constantly seemed to flush her cheeks, and she avoided his eyes, hidden behind the slim frames of his glasses.

It only took a single offhand comment for the entire Karasuno volleyball club to find out about the girl Kei was useless around, and the blond spend the afternoon being relentlessly pounded by his senpais for his "clueless" behaviour, and that Y/L/N was evidently "in love with you, you complete idiot!"

Somehow, someway, Kei managed to awkwardly ask her out after class (externally as cool and collected as ever, internally less than a second away from spontaneous combustion), though only under thee pretence of a single date "to, uh, study for the English test."

He almost set on fire right then and there when she gave him an ecstatic smile and an overjoyed "I'd love to go out with you, Tsukishima-kun!"

Damn, what is this? He felt like smiling all the time, his head so far in the clouds one of Kageyama's serves hit him squarely in the face, his mind occupied solely with thoughts of Y/L/N, Y/L/N, Y/L/N.

The day before his date with her, Kei was absolutely panicking, having spent the previous night pouring his heart and soul into the only way he knew how to show affection as of yet.

A playlist.

He would never show it to anyone but her, but anyone who may have happened to catch a glimpse of his phone would've thought him completely enamoured - the playlist icon was one of those heart memes, the title 'for you <3', and every single song some kind of love song. Kei couldn't hide his feelings in the music, unwittingly unveiling every last emotion in the painstakingly selected tracks that were just for her, just for Y/L/N.

In the evening the day before she would arrive for their date, Kei suddenly bolted up in bed so quickly that his bulky, noise-cancelling headphones fell from his ears and slid onto his neck, resting on his collarbone.

His headphones.

Y/L/N actually owned a similar pair - it was one of the reasons they'd bonded, and because of that, he'd been able to get closer to her and experience that inexplicably joyous warmth he felt every time she was around. And yet, it was the last possible time he could prepare for his first time going out with anyone, let alone someone who meant as much to him as Y/L/N, and he had forgotten the most important component of his plan.

He wanted to listen to the playlist with her.

"Fuck, I'm dumb," Kei groaned aloud to himself, sliding out of bed and yelling some dumb excuse about getting food to his mother as he pulled on his shoes and ran out of his house, uncaring that he was sporting one of his dinosaur hoodies in a resplendent green. "I forgot- I forgot-"

He panted hard enough to interrupt his speech as his sprint brought him to the hardware store, barely twenty minutes before they closed. Making a beeline for a particular aisle, he absentmindedly shoved his glasses up his nose as he surveyed the technology in front of him, idly selecting one he thought Y/L/N might like the best-

Kei dropped the headphone splitter on the ground, uncaring that he was in the middle of a store with minimal time to make his purchase.

It's like someone becomes the centre of your whole world ...

He'd never shared his music with anyone - not his family, Yamaguchi, certainly not classmates at Karasuno - and here he was, making a long-term investment into a girl he'd just barely asked out, hadn't even gone on the first date with, and that meant ...

Kei swallowed deeply as he bent his stupidly long legs to pick the headphone splitter from the floor, staring at it as though it held the secrets of the universe.

He was in love with Y/L/N Y/N.

Though he'd never embraced her, never held her, never kissed her or even uttered the words aloud ... they were irrevocably the emotions he felt.

The same emotion seized him almost a day later when he hesitantly presented the playlist and splitter to Y/L/N, who smiled and plugged in both their headphones to listen as their textbooks lay discarded on his bedroom floor, long forgotten.

It encapsulated him as they both sat above the covers of his bed and she teasingly made a comment about how it was a playlist of love songs, and he managed to force out a sentence past his fiery blush that, "I thought it seemed appropriate, since I do ...", taking both their breaths away as he snapped his mouth shut.

Love became the epitome of that Tsukishima Kei was as one date turned to more and more, as shy hand-brushes turned to embraces and easy contact, as spring turned to summer and, months after their whole journey had started, he finally found the courage to press his lips to Y/L/N's- to Y/N's. Her hands ran desperately through the short locks of his hair, his knees on either side of hers and arms barely propping him up over her as she stole his breath, his being away.

And he couldn't believe it was a headphone splitter, and one irresistibly beautiful girl, that caused him to realise what love was.

find the playlist here !!