#omimi

“Suna!” You dropped the other volleyballs you had picked up on the cart - didn’t want to risk anyone tripping on one and getting injured. One’s never too safe- and ran over to check up on the dark haired boy lying on the ground.

“Are you okay?” You leaned over him from one side. He was blinking, probably trying to make out what had just happened to him. And there were three of you looking down on him. If he hadn’t been worried by the simultaneous numbness and hurt he felt on his face he might’ve thought he was having a dream.

“He should be okay. If it were a spike serve he might’ve passed out.” Everyone finds reassurance differently, you guessed.

“I’m fine.” He tried to sit by grabbing the hand Osamu was offering. He missed it.

“Think you might’ve given him a concussion?” Osamu tried again and gently helped him sit. Suna’s head spun for a moment but it slowly came back to focus. “What day is it?”

“2nd of August.” Suna answered as you inspected the red spot on his forehead, brushing his hair away from his face.

“Who hit ya straight on your snout?” No answer. “Oi. Suna, I’m speaking to you.”

“What?” He briefly looked away from your concerned eyes and looked over to where Osamu was by one side before returning to look at you. “Oh. ‘Tsumu did.”

“Okay, y/n, Imma need you step out for a moment.”

“What?” You looked at him, confused.

“You’re clearly distracting him. I can’t consider the integrity of this test if I don’t know if he’s concussed or just crushing on you.”

“Well, okay.” You left, still worried yet a bit flustered. “I’ll bring the first aid kit.”

Kita gave the team a fearsome earful for not going home after the countless times he told them to, making them warm up properly before leaving -and 10 extra laps to make things interesting-. After making sure that Suna was okay -Suna’s punishment got a rain check, but for now he was staring at his fellow second years, Akagi and a couple of first years, thinking he was on the clear- , you took care of his nosebleed, sitting on the court’s left side bench. He felt so lame right now. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious.”

“Of course it’s serious.” Suna answered, “Atsumu could’ve broken my nose or ruined my face.” You laughed.

“Well, he didn’t. But someone else might someday if you’re continuing this career path.”

“Not if I actually receive with my arms.”

You fell in a comfortable silence as you worked. You tilted his head and moved to wipe the blood off his lips and nose .

“How are you feeling?” You asked after a while. Suna straightened up and seeing as he wasn’t bleeding over his face and t-shirt anymore you considered it safe.

“I’m okay.” He nodded, trying to ignore how his surroundings blurred when he did. But when he stood up, you noticed the gone look that flashed in his eyes for a second.

“You’re still dizzy, aren’t you?” you quirked a brow, then chuckled softly, “Here.” proceeding to wrap one of his arms around your shoulders and put one of yours around his torso.

***

Everyone was busy. From afar, you could hear the faint melodies while the school band rehearsed. The cheering squad gathered their team and practiced their routines and mottos - the captain even asked if you were interested in joining them like last time-, and as every year it was expected that a great part of the student body would attend to support their team. It was a big moment for the whole community. Thankfully, the boys were used to all of it, and rather than feeling pressure over it, they couldn’t be more excited. They knew the extent of their capabilities and their responsibility. And as their team captain always said: There’s no point in being nervous if you know what you can do.

***

“Where’s y/n?”

“She has a talent of disappearing without anyone noticing.”

“It’s quite scary if you think about it.”

“She hasn't left. Her stuff’s on the bleachers.”

“I can’t wait to get over with this.”

“I know. I bet it’s been awfully hard for you to keep your mouth shut.”

“Guys,” They all turned when they heard you, “c’mon, we have to leave soon. Don’t even think of extra practice time today- Wait. What are you up to?” You eyed them warily. The boys were all huddled in a group, each set of eyes looking in your direction pairing with innocent smiles - which inspired the opposite of innocent intentions. No one could blame you for being suspicious -.

“We have a surprise for you.” Osamu said, stepping up. His twin grabbed what he was holding and didn’t give him a chance to protest before he was handing it over to you.

“A-A what? Why?” After all, you thought you were the one supposed to prepare them a gift given the occasion. You stared at the box with a little bow on top, then straight to the blonde’s smiling face and at the rest of the boys, at a loss for words.

“When someone offers you a present you don’t ask such questions. Just accept it.” Aran encouraged.

You reached for it, brushing hands with the setter as you grabbed it. “Thank you.”

“But since you asked,” Osamu started after glaring at his brother as you opened it and saw it, “We wanted you to know, if you still hadn’t figured it out, that you are as important to us as any of the members of the team.”

“We appreciate all the work you do, your kindness and you taking care of us.” Kita added.

In your hands, you held a familiar fabric of equally familiar colors. It was a shirt like the ones they used on their official matches: black, with the name of the team written in white bold letters on the front and your name on the back.

You felt warmth spreading all over your chest. They could be a handful sometimes, but this was your team and also your friends, and you were so proud of them.

You hugged the blonde boy in front of you , taking him by surprise yet he was quick to return it. When you pulled back, you beamed at him, and he was thankful the other guys joined for a hug and stole your attention from his burning face and pounding heart.

Morning came, and this morning was not one to wish to stay five more minutes in bed or to sit at the edge of it with your head lost in space. You were up in a beat, turning off your alarm before it could go off and dashing to the bathroom to get ready. Getting out, you got dressed up, your Inarizaki tee shirt under your jacket.

“Good morning.” your mom saluted, looking at you oddly for how animated you appeared this morning.

“Mornin’ mom.”

“Wait, you’re not having anything for breakfast?”

“Uh no,” you said, adjusting your bag on your shoulder before balancing on one leg while you put on one shoe, then doing so the other way, “I grabbed something for later though. Want to get to the club room before the boys to double check that everything's in order.”

“You have everything you need?” She asked and you ran over your mental note.

“Yeah, I think so.” You kissed her cheek goodbye when she came over to see you off, “I’m heading out. See ya later.”

“Good luck!”

All the boys were quiet during the ride over to the gymnasium where Interhigh Tournament would take place, and by all it means even Atsumu was sharing his earphones with his twin and was sitting quietly, bobbing his head softly to the beat of his music. He was lively, could even describe him as wild sometimes, but you could count on him to remain sober and serious on such big moments. Suna was nodding to whatever the captain was saying to him. It was a bit amusing and also endearing seeing him look a little nervous listening to Kita. Ginjima was speaking with his upperclassman Aran, while Omimi and Akagi chatted with the first years, which seemed to be the most nervous.

The gym was a large building, fit for the several matches that would be taking place simultaneously. You went with the coach and you were quick to find your section upon your arrival, leading the team inside. Bright lamps on the ceiling met your eyes as you looked up, taking in the scene, while the chilly air from the air conditioned space hit your face. Other teams were heading to their respective areas and some of the first contenders were already warming up on their side of the court.

Dropping their bags, the boys took off their school jackets and changed their tees to their uniform. Some put on their knee pads and arm sleeves before they all headed over to the court to start their warmup routine. Warmups and drills had also another purpose besides, well, getting ready for the game. It was also a time to show off; show your confidence, your skill to the opposite team, and what they were about to confront. If you knew how to do it, and the Inarizaki boys were infamous for that, you could lead them on with a bit of intimidation.

“C’mon show me your best one, ace.” Atsumu encouraged Aran, who gave his start before jumping in the air with excellent form and slamming the ball on the floor to the other side of the net with booming force. Smiling, the setter watched the ball bounce off, making eye contact with one of the players from the other team when he looked up, smile unwavering.

Other players achieved to make their rivals uneasy without meaning to. Kita was that type. As he carried out with his drills, purpose-set as usual, boys from the other team stared at the captain move seemingly effortlessly. Reputation also helped, as the known middle-blocker Suna Rintaro moved on the court with such familiarity as if he were back on the Inarizaki High gym.

Of course, they didn’t reveal everything then and there. It was only a taste before the real thing started. The boys were also good with the element of surprise.

The stands above began to fill up with students from the different schools of the prefecture and from outside, and volleyball fans overall. These sort of events always attracted people from all over, ages ranging from the youngest to the eldest.

You recognized your school, the band standing in their place and the cheering squad hanging the banner you had made on their spot. Soon enough, the ref blew his whistle calling for the coaches to hand him the information of their respective starting lineups and player positions. After, it was just a few more minutes before he called for the captains to decide which side served first.

*

When the boys’ first couple of matches were over and they’d won without major inconveniences, you rushed over to watch the other matches and keep track of the bracket.

“I think Inarizaki should be over too. You think they did alright?”

“Dunno. But if Miya plans to defeat us they better have.” The blonde may not be his favorite person, but the rivalry was there. And things wouldn’t be as interesting or fun without it.

At that moment as they turned to head over the court where your team’s match had taken place, Sakusa saw you coming.

“Y/n!” Motoya waved at you, “Good to see you.”

“Hi, guys.” you smiled, happy to find friends out of the multitude. They were carrying a towel around their shoulders and you took it as their most recent match had just finished as well. Sakusa’s otherwise neat kept locks were a bit messy, slightly damp by his sweat. His dark eyes emitted friendliness as he acknowledged you, even a small smile threatened to take over his features.

“Did you guys win?” He asked.

“Yeah.” You responded with a satisfied tone and knowing smile. “Did you?”

“You really had to ask?” Motoya said jokingly.

“So that means that if we both win our next matches,” you looked down at the papers on your clipboard.

“We’ll face each other.” Sakusa finished for you. “So you better make it.”

And both teams did make it and were bound to face each other.

The other matches had gone alright. The team never underestimated any of the others. Sure, someone could get a little over its head and there was a little taunting, but it was normal for players to mess with opponents psychologically.

But considering these two teams knew each other better, they felt as if there was this responsibility for each other to go all out for it to work and have a good match. Both teams didn’t seem as exhausted as they saluted each other in the middle of the court before their match started.

During the first minutes of the first set, the team made a few mistakes while the coach told them to get themselves together. He had to call for a time out before Itachiyama could further their lead. After that, things fell into a good rhythm for them and they took the first set.

The game went downhill for them from that point on. Itachiyama’s defense surpassed them, not letting a lot of the boy’s attacks land and prolonging the rallies. Even when both Suna and Aran were on the court they couldn’t earn enough points to steal another set. They knew how to find their weakest spots, and who to target. And things only got worse as the game continued and they grew more fatigued and frustrated.

Atsumu set the ball for Suna, but the latter wasn’t fast enough in his approach and had to hurriedly make the pass, without as much force as he would’ve liked.

“Feint!” Motoya called and another of the players called for the ball, easily receiving it. They spiked it over and Kita was there to readily pass it to Atsumu, who set it for Aran. The ace tried to hit over the blockers that were marking him, but the hit lost power as it hit one of the blockers' hands.

The road for Inarizaki ended with none other than Sakusa sending a spike over to their side.

*

The beginning of the second semester. Your second semester in your new school, and this time it wasn’t as daunting. Now, you had the boys from the volleyball team. You reached the school gates, and not long after crossing them, you found your fellow second years.

“Y/N!” Gin noticed you first.

“We gotta take a group photo.” Atsumu stated, leading Suna to ask a random student to take a picture of you. Awkwardly, the boy accepted Suna’s phone.

“Do we really have to?” First mistake.

“Are you saying you don’t want to take a photo with us? Do you even like us?”

“No! Of course not!- Wait. Hold up,” Nothing you were saying was coming up straight judging by his face. Even the other three seemed to deflate a little. “What I mean is that I do like you.” You said looking straight into the setter’s eyes. And why were his cheeks burning all of a sudden?

“Then why not take a picture?” Suna, who kept a digital record of everything he could, asked you. “It’ll be nice to look back at it.”

“I just don’t look very flattering in front of a camera.” you shrugged, trying to play down your insecurities. “Plus, we have taken plenty of photos together.” During games they always made you.

Of course, some of them had noticed you’ve been shy regarding the topic. But that wouldn’t be the end of it. “But we don’t have one of this moment.” Osamu said.

“If I may say, I think you’re very pretty, Y/n.” The boy, still holding Suna’s phone, nervously said. Suna quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh. Thank you.” Receiving compliments was nice. You wished you knew how to take them. It made you feel a little bad that you didn’t even know the boy’s name. But to be honest, you were bad with those too.

“Yes, she is. Glad your eyes are working dude. Now take the picture.” Atsumu shared his opinion but wasn’t thrilled to hear the boy shoot his shot right in front of his face. You ended up apologizing for him. Someone was a little on edge today.

They all looked at you, their expressions all saying, Please?

“Fine.”

Now, the other problem was picking where they would stand. Osamu ended up pushing his way between you and his twin, while Gin stood on your right. Since Suna was the tallest, he stood behind you. He whispered something in your ear, which made you smile and your face heat up.

After looking through the pictures, complaining about how he looked on some of them, the blonde finally broke down, “Did ya see that nonsense about a ceremony to recognize the team for our representation at Interhigh?”

You looked at the others searching for clues regarding the cause of Atsumu’s newest outburst, which was somehow related to the ceremony. Osamu’s expression denoted some sort of pain (now you had no doubt Atsumu was the cause of this pain), Gin hung his head, while Suna turned away, whistling. Thanks a lot, boys. Finally, your eyes settled back on the setter. “Uh… Yes, the coach sent me an e-mail about it. That’s great!-“ Osamu started gesturing and shaking his head. What? Did you say something wrong?

Okay, so the school wanted to recognize the volleyball team’s job in the tournament. Of course, there were some mixed feelings about it. The team had lost. But they’d reached finals and that landed them a spot at Spring High Nationals. They might’ve not won but still their hard work paid off. So that was good, right? That was what you thought before this conversation and the scene unfolding at the moment.

Second mistake.

“Oh yeah. Right. I mean, after all, the important thing is having fun. And second place is great.” Atsumu’s words were dripping with sarcasm. “We are the second best.” He gestured with his hands, making an arch. “It isn’t enough that we lost. No, they have to rub it in our faces calling us shitty names. Just outright call us a bunch of losers.” He muttered the last part. For a moment you had forgotten who you were talking to. Atsumu was one of the most competitive people you’ve ever met.

But still, he was dismissing a lot. “Okay, I get it. Second place might suck for you but you can’t just brush away all your and your teammates' sacrifice to get where you are.” There you were. They boys could always count on you to knock some sense into them. “But it’s good that you don’t settle. It makes you keep aiming high.” You smiled at him.

Atsumu stared at you for a moment. That funny feeling from the other day kept creeping and blooming all over his chest. And what was that fluttering on his stomach?

Osamu looked at him, waiting for his brother to speak again whether it be another complaint or another snarky comment. But when it took a few beats more than usual, it clicked to him.

“But…” Atsumu’s voice wavered a bit as he regained his composure and started walking behind you as you made your way to your classroom. The bell would ring soon. The rest followed you two. “It doesn’t mean I have to attend, right?”

“Uh, I think you should. You don’t want to be rude.”

“You’re saying that to one of the rudest, meanest people here.”

“I’m not mean!”

“Remember that girl that tried to give you homemade cookies she made herself and you said you weren’t interested in buying them?”

“It was a misunderstanding, Gin.”

“Sure it was.” Suna snorted, “And right after when she clarified, you didn’t accept them saying you had to take care of your weight.”

“We’re athletes. It’s very important to look after what we eat, and I didn’t know what she put on those.”

“You were stuffing your face right after eating pudding. And one of those was mine.”

“I told you I didn’t eat it!”

“Okay. That is pretty rude, Atsumu.”

“Whatever.” He frowned, “I’m not interested in any of those squealing girls. And this is besides the point.”

“Well,” you said, swerving back to the topic, “Think of it as a rehearsal. Years later, you become a pro player and something like this happens. You dislike it, but you go, show your face, be grateful,” You emphasize that point, “and then you leave. Even if you truly hate it. You can still complain all you want and we’ll hear you out.”

“ “We” sounds like a lot of people. I don’t know.” Ginjima scratched the back of his neck.

“Count me out.”

“I’ll hear you out.” you fixed.

“I guess I will too.” Osamu added. He didn’t think he'd have much choice. “And who knows, maybe one day you’ll learn about good sportsmanship.”

“Fake it ‘til you make it.”

“So you want me to be fake.” Atsumu stated.

“No.” you glared at Suna, hitting him in the arm - it felt more like a caress to him.-, making him chuckle. “Just,” you raised a finger, “Don’t be rude,” another, “be grateful,” the finale, “and go to your classroom you all.”

**

Extra 12: Shirt on or shirt off? [word count: 214]

“I’ll walk you to your dorm. I just need to arrange some things into the storage room first.” You said as you walked behind Suna towards their locker room and stood in the doorway while he grabbed his stuff, insisting on seeing him off safely.

“I feel better now. And it’ll be more late for you to get home. Who says I’ll let you go if you go with me?” Suna tried reassuring you and, why not, teasing you a little bit.

With lack of a response, he turned to look at you to find you blushing and mouth open to answer back, but settling on frowning.

Then your eyes traveled to his sweaty t-shirt, sticking to his chest and torso. A white tee, basically see-through at the moment, and the bloodstains on it. “Take your shirt off.”

Suna nearly knocks down the rest of his things. “What for?” Just how fast the tables turned. And the thing was you weren’t even trying to get him flustered.

“The blood. I might be able to get it off.” Then you turned around to give him privacy.

“Right.” He did as told. You reached your hand back for him to hand you the shirt, making him chuckle while doing so, and you were out of there.