Vany Writes

—

When you opened your eyes, your head was laying on Ushijima’s lap. 

“Toshi?”

“Yes, it’s me. What happened, love? Low blood pressure?” 

“Yeah… yeah, I’m sure” 

You sat up

“Easy, easy. Sitting up quickly can get you to faint again”

“Um, yes. I just came here to ask if you were about to leave” 

“Well, practice had just ended. We can go home”

He slowly helped you stand up and grabbed his things. You two walked out as his teammates said things like: “Y/n be more careful!” “Hope you get better soon” “Take care!”. 

Outside, he got hold of your bag too. He always carried your things when he walked you home, but today he went for it even quicker. When you walked, it was noticeable how slow his pace was. His large hand holding yours a little tighter.

“Can I stay over tonight? It’s Friday" — he asked, his tone a bit different from his normal one

“Yeah babe, my mom is not coming home tonight”

“When is she even home?” 

You just hummed in response. You were not planning on eating dinner tonight but now that your boyfriend is coming over, you’ll need to cook dinner and eat it with him too. There wasn’t even enough food for both of you at your house. When you arrived, you started cooking dinner and sent Ushi to a mini market to get some meat, you know he loved pork but you asked for chicken, it had less fat.

“I’m back” — the door creaks open. 

“Toshi, how was it? Was it crowded?”

“No, not many people” — you hear the plastic container with the chicken on the counter and soon enough his long arms engulfed your waist while you were cutting some vegetables.

“You’re tired from practice? You can watch some TV until it’s ready” 

“I’m okay, just want to help you” 

“Well then, can you cut the chicken for me? Then it’s ready to be grilled” 

You cooked together, while you talked a lot about your favourite series and books and Ushijima would hear it and comment here and there because although he’s not that talkative he loves you. 

After you two finished, you served him a big portion (he needed to get energy back afterall) and of course you knew he could do that himself but you loved spoiling your boyfriend. You didn’t want him to notice your problem with food, especially after you fainted in front of the whole volleyball team, so you did put a decent amount on your bowl.

Your boyfriend was a slow eater, really. He had no rush when eating, and you tried to follow his pace but he was noticing how you seemed to eat with agility. Still, there were no comments on it. Before and after eating, he thanked you for the food while gently holding your hand and after everything was done and he spent a long time just sitting after he ate, he washed the dishes for you.

“Babe, can you pick a movie for us? I’ll go upstairs to change into my pyjamas and see if I can find something for you to wear, okay?"

He nodded and started picking out a movie, he ended up choosing one you talked about when it was released but didn’t get the chance to see it in the theater. However, when you reached your bedroom upstairs, he heard the bathroom door closing. Of course he knew how it sounded, because he was around with your family when you went to take a shower and things like that. But there was no need for it now, right? He’s the only one here with you, and you said you would just change and find something for him to wear. And now it’s been 20 minutes since you left.

The bathroom door was closed, but not locked. Still, Ushijima was not someone who would purposefully disrespect your privacy. He knocked first, and then announced himself.

“Y/n, can I come inside?”

He heard you moving inside before the door swung open and you throwed yourself in his arms. His shirt was getting wet, quickly. You were crying. He’s starting to get why you’re feeling like this, but he doesn’t say anything at first. When he felt you calmed down as much as you could, he decided this was alarming enough for him to question you. His hands gently grabbed your face, holding it facing his.

“Did you do it?”

“What?”

“Did you puke, love?”

Everything went silent.

“I… No! No…” — and you couldn’t help but cry again, your tears burning down your cheeks. 

“Shh… It’s okay. You really didn’t?” — you shook your head — “Okay, I’ll trust you. Can you sit down so we can talk?” 

He guided you to your bed, your hands were trembling in his. 

“Toshi… I’m sorry” — you sob, you were sitting in his lap now, face hidden in his broad shoulder. 

“It’ll be okay, love” — he whispers in your ear, hands rubbing your back. 

He could see it clearly now. How you’re weighing less in his lap. How your face was a bit thinner when he held it. How your hands were always trembling the slightest. He mistook your interests in “healthier lifestyle” and "athleticism”, and a disorder, in his eyes, was the desire to improve, and not destroy yourself. But he couldn’t blame himself, never. He always praised you, explored your body while you made out (got hard even), adored every single piece of clothes you picked at the store, and made sure to tell you every single day how much you are loved (through words and actions). Was someone being mean to you? That’s the only way he could imagine you being put in this situation. 

“Is it food?” — he was demanding. Although his touch on your back was the gentlest possible, he wanted answers. He needed to know who was responsible for all of this. 

You nod. The fact that he knows your secret now makes you not want to say a word. 

“Why? And who?” — he was getting even angrier and in that way he would not get a single answer out of you. — “Please love, tell me. I love you and I want to understand how you get that idea in your head… please?” — he immediately changed his tone to a calm, caring one. 

“My social media just started showing girls with those ideas and when I opened Pinterest there were a lot of girls' bodies and none looked like mine and then…” — you were crying again, but what you just said was enough for him. He knew it was not the whole truth, but it was something to work with. 

“Love… I fucking love your body, it’s like the greatest thing that ever stepped on Earth. Every single day that I enter school grounds and see you like a goddess waiting for me, my god. I love every centimetre of it equally. And food is so important to keep you capable, capable of walking, dancing like you always do, laughing, studying, reading your books and watching shows. How do you think I manage walking you home while carrying both our backpacks? Or how do I play volleyball, spiking and serving? It’s because I eat well, love. Food is essential for all of us and for you including. And if you want to lose weight or you’re not entirely satisfied with your body, it’s okay! But you can change all that without starving or puking. You can go to the gym, or start running, or even play volleyball! And you’ll be able to lose weight and still eat all the foods you love.” — he made sure to say all that slowly, very close to your ear. He needed you to hear and process it all. 

“And I know that the habit you develop won’t disappear suddenly, and you’ll need a lot of support but are you willing to try? I’ll be here every step of the way” — you had your doubts, but you trusted your boyfriend more than yourself.

— 

After that day, you still went on morning runs with Ushijima but he would only take you with him if he slept over at your house or you slept over at his, because that was the only way he could make sure you ate breakfast before going. He is the one who cooks your breakfast on these occasions and all foods used are based on his nutritionist experience being a very young athlete or deep internet research (especially if he wants to introduce you to new foods he has not much knowledge about). And if you are comfortable enough to go to the gym (because it is also frequented by other people), he’ll pay for your membership and will guide you to the exercises he chose for you to achieve your goals! And he’ll do every single set with you. 

It will come to a point that you agree on showing him your social media accounts. He’s at your house while the two of you look at your phone. After you show him everything (Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc), he’ll let you talk about your boundaries and what you feel like doing to recover from your disorder. Eventually, the agreement was: Ushijima will change all your accounts passwords, and you’ll lose access to all of them. You guys now share new accounts so he can monitor everything those algorithms are showing you. When you feel comfortable enough to get back your original accounts and don’t feel triggered by specific contents anymore, he’ll unhesitatingly give the login information back to you. He’s not being controlling, it was all consensual so you couldn't see harmful posts as easily and keep motivated on your journey. 

There are days you don’t want to eat, and he won’t argue with you. The only thing that is not negotiable: at least one small meal a day. You can choose if it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or something in between. But you have to eat something, as small as it is. And he’ll spend the rest of the day with you, cuddling if you want or offering more food if you let him. But he won’t force it on you, because he knows that if he force feeds you on a day you don’t want to eat, you’ll just want to starve the next day. And it can turn into a bigger problem. 

But also there are days you are feeling confident in your own body. You smile at the mirror when you brush your teeth, you style your hair, you wear lipstick, you explore clothes that are not your comfort ones. And those are the days Ushijima smiles the most. As soon as he notices your mood, he’s already taking you shopping for new clothes because he knows that are the moments you’re enjoying living on your own body. And those are moments to hold onto when things get darker again. These are the memories that tell him that you are on the right path and progress isn’t linear, but you are much better than you were last month, or yesterday. And he’s there to hold you if things don't go according to yours or his plans.

And he knows it’s all worth it when 3 months later, on your birthday, you eat a piece of the cake he bought you. Not a tiny piece to satisfy him, a piece big enough that you spent 3 days praising him about that wonderful cake. And he’s suddenly the happiest man alive.  —

At the very beginning, she was clumsy but she was okay with it, she joked around about it too, and it didn’t feel suffocating. It was a characteristic and it was okay. But now, everytime she tries to do right only to do wrong, she gets mocked by it. Even when nothing happened yet. She realised that was not what she wanted, and it left her incredibly frustrated with herself and her clumsiness.

Then, she lost her brightness. She tried not to stand out. She would trip and be silent about it. She didn’t respond to the jokes. Y/n wanted to be normal. As normal as possible. She didn’t volunteer in carrying the volleyballs bag anymore, she would always fall down with it. She filled their water bottles as if they were made of glass. But most of all, she stopped talking about herself, about anything she had done that day or on the weekend, because it could turn into a joke about her, and she hated it.

“She thinks she’s silly but it’s so pathetic” — Tsukishima Kei

“We need a manager that is more professional” — Ryuunosuke Tanaka

“If she thinks we are liking whatever bullshit this is, we are not” — Yuu Nishinoya

“It’s distracting, really” — Kageyama Tobio

“You know, I’m getting a bit tired of intervening” — Azumane Asahi

“I don’t know if I can stand her much longer” — Sawamura Daichi

—

That type of negative feeling just grew stronger on the team, to the point none of them could really stand seeing her and her antics (that’s what they called it). So they would send her to fill their water bottles more than 3 times per practice.

On one of those days, she was outside filling the water bottles and the boys heard a sharp noise coming from outside. Y/n had dropped it all again, everyone assumed.

That was until she didn't show up when they took a break. They went straight to get water but she wasn’t there. Daichi took a deep breath, already expecting to go after her and fix whatever bullshit she did. Sugawara patted him on the back like saying “I’ll deal with this”. He went outside the gym, where she filled their bottles.

She was sitting curled up next to the water dispenser. Koushi let out a sigh. Still, he has always been the patient one. He crouched down next to her.

“Manager, what happened?”

She looked up, it was Sugawara. She trusted him. She looked at him and he saw her tear streaked face.

“I feel down”

“That’s not something new, manager. Why are you crying?”

“I think I hurt my arm”

He scoffed, that was no reason to be outside crying like a baby. But he knew he had to treat her well.

“Can I see it then?”

And when she extended her hurt arm, Sugawara held his breath. It was clearly broken, with a huge swollen spot near the wrist. All he managed in that moment was calling Daichi to come help.

Daichi had the same conclusion that her arm was probably broken and they took her inside the gymnasium. She couldn’t handle the looks, the clear smirk on Tsukishima's face. Her hands were trembling and she held all her emotions not to cry in front of them.

15 minutes later her parents came and took her to the hospital. That night, she did not receive any messages from the team. She cried herself to sleep when she came back from the hospital and wished the volleyball manager bullshit never happened.

—

The next day she went to school with a cast on her arm. She felt so embarrassed about it, about everything. She looked for Daichi and informed him that, if he and Takeda sensei agreed, she would leave the team as soon as possible. The excuse? It was very honest: I do more harm than good.

Still, that day Y/n was present in practice. At least that was what she planned. But as she approached the gym, she noticed it was locked. Doors closed. No sign of anyone.

After 5 minutes of waiting outside, Asahi came running with the gym keys at hand.

“Sorry, manager. I think they are all late. I’ll open the gym so you can enter and wait.”

She doesn’t focus on him opening the door. All she looked at was the small step leading to the gym. She couldn’t trip up again, not today. When she entered, head still down, she heard a loud noise.

“MANAGER, WE ARE SORRY!”

There, all the boys stood, saying sorry to her. They felt bad about her insecurities after everything they said. No, they wouldn’t let her slip.

“Guys… what’s all this?”

“Y/n, we are sorry about everything. You are a capable manager and we can’t keep this team going without you. We are sorry for the jokes and mean comments. Please, stay” — Daichi said as the voice of the team.

“I don’t know. I’m clumsy and my arm is broken. And I’m not a good addition to the team, if you want I can help get another manager.”.

“Look, we are sorry. You're clumsy but that’s your way. We are the ones wrong, because we should be helping you” — Tsukishima was introverted, but he knew he should take responsibility.

“Yes, we are sorry!” — Hinata was taking this very seriously, very different from how he behaves normally.

“Well, I can try but… you already know how I am”

“And we like it like that!” — Sugawara smiles softly, almost ashamed

—

After that day, there was always someone around helping. Kageyama makes sure you don’t drop the bottles. Nishinoya holds you when you almost trip. Hinata ties your shoe laces (because of the cast). Tsukishima helps you gather the volleyballs. Tanaka worships you. You are now more than welcome to walk with them home and Daichi will include you when buying food.

When you got the cast off, they did a small celebration before practice and you played a short game with them!

—

Gives you hundred bottles of water to keep hydrated 

If you don’t feel like leaving the house to do groceries or other needs, Sugawara will not hesitate going alone and bringing some things for you 

He will definitely do massages with those cold ice rollers on your face because he heard it helps and it will get you to sleep, it’s just so gentle and relaxing 

When you can’t sleep because of the stuffed nose and extreme headache, he won’t be able to sleep too

Feels extremely relieved when he hears your snores 

To be honest there’s not much he can do because an allergy is an allergy but he will do his best to make your life easy while you’re suffering with it 

If you can’t eat because of how sick you feel, Koushi will 100% try to distract you and get you to eat something 

When you notice, you already ate a protein bar or a fruit

And if you feel like you won’t be able to keep it down, Sugawara will gently tie your hair up (if you have a long hair or it’s getting in the way) and keep cold air coming to your face to cool you down and keep the nausea at bay 

When you’re finally feeling better, he will bring you to your favourite places, get your favourite foods and engage in activities you love

Because his babe is finally doing well and he couldn’t be any happier 

—

“Hi, Y/n! Good morning”.

“Good morning, Kageyama. How are you doing?” — she softly smiles at him. 

“Well, I’ve been here almost everyday after what you reported to the staff” — he tries to reciprocate the smile, although it was a bit awkward.

“They will do a great job, you’ll recover as quickly as possible. And it’s also nothing serious enough to get you out of court” 

“I’m just wondering how you identified that with such precision just after a few sessions” — Tobio sounded so admiring she couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I just noticed how some of your right arm joints were doing movements that looked like they were trying to compensate for shoulder instability. It was very subtle but it’s part of my job” 

“That’s… very impressive” 

“Not more than your plays I must say” 

“Hum… Thank you” — he was blushing, his face felt hot, incredibly hot. He just turned around and left, without even saying bye. 

— 

After that, the team’s staff made sure to book more private pilates sessions for Tobio, since it would be efficient in preventing new injuries and speeding up the recovery of his shoulder. 

The classes were done at night, after he spends his days training, doing weight work and having some free time. Y/n was incredibly kind to him and always asked if some exercises brought him pain or some discomfort. He then would wait for her to tidy up the machines and equipment because she was the responsible for locking up the club's facility being the last staff to exit. 

One day, Tobio decided to try his luck. After the class ended, he asked if she wanted to grab some coffee. He knew it was risky, she could deny it and then all would be so awkward from now on, ruining their friendship. But he liked her so much that he needed to take the first step. She agreed, and his smile couldn't be any brighter.

They went to a small cafeteria where he learned her favourite coffee is iced latte. He paid for the drinks without even hesitating and they stayed there for a good 15 minutes that oscillated between a comforting silence and interesting talks. Still, he noticed how often she would look at her phone screen or go through her chats like she was expecting something.

After that, they said goodnight and Kageyama took the bus to his apartment, while she entered her car and went to wherever her home is. 

— 

He thought he was doing well and that maybe after a few more “dates” he could confess, and that maybe, maybe she would say yes. But that’s not what happened. The next sessions happened in strange silence and only professional remarks. Her smile had dropped and did not reach her eyes. She looked at her phone screen too much and he could see it light up every 3 seconds with new notifications. She rushed after the classes were done, did everything to avoid him and went to her car quickly. Her Instagram profile became private. 

Did he do something wrong? Was he too fast forward? It can’t be, he never meant to overwhelm her in any way. So, he decided to pay attention to her, she would probably leave any signs as to why she changed so much. 

And Tobio noticed, a lot. 

Y/n was not hanging out with the team anymore, everything was strictly professional. After wins, she wouldn’t go with them for drinks, always saying she was busy but he knew (because she told him) that besides the work with the team she had nothing to do rather than just go home and sleep. She looked obsessed with her phone screen because of how much she looked at it. But the most concerning of them all is that Y/n stopped spending much time in the club anymore, she just did what was needed and then went somewhere else. 

But then it got worse, much much worse.

Tobio was waiting in the pilates room for his night session with her, and from what it seems she was at least 30 minutes late. He tried calling but it went straight to the voice mail. After an hour, that was when the class was scheduled to end, he informed other staff members that also had no idea why she didn’t show up. That night, none of them got any information on why she decided to skip work but they continued trying the next morning. Y/n eventually picked up the phone and profusely apologised for missing the class. She didn’t give any excuses, just said sorry for all the staff and sent a message for Kageyama also apologising for all the trouble.

He didn’t care about trouble or anything like that, he just wanted to know if she was okay. — 

The response to that concern came quickly. Two days later, Tobio had yet another class with her, and although he arrived earlier than her, she at least came. But when she entered that room, Kageyama had the first heartbreak of his still quite short life. 

Her hair was down, but she always used to have it up. Baggy clothes that covered almost everything. But it was the look at her face that told him everything he should know. She was trying her best not to cry and break down in front of him. 

He decided not to comment on it, at least not for the first minutes when he started to do the exercises. She was very flatten, not joking, not laughing. Her voice held no emotion and her body language no enthusiasm. At the end of the session, when they were starting to go home, he knew he couldn’t let her slip. Not when she showed up. Not when she showed up like this. 

“Look, Y/n, I don’t know what’s happening and I don’t have to know if you don’t want to but… it’s okay to ask for help, really. There are a lot of people here that love you and your work and would not even hesitate to help if there’s anything wrong”. — Tobio felt like he just got rid of a burden that was heaving on him by saying those words. He tried to sound as gentle and less intimidating as possible but she needed to know that calling out for help was an option. 

“Tobio… I’m grateful but there are things that are made to be personal” 

“Did he get aggressive?”

“What?” 

“Your boyfriend, did he hit you?” 

“What are you asking?”

“That is exactly my question” 

“Let’s… There’s no reason to talk about that” — and there it was, the first tears spilling out her eyes. 

“Y/n, I really want to help you but I need you to accept it, to recognise you deserve and you need help” 

For the first time, she didn’t argue back and just nodded at his words. 

That night, Tobio called a locksmith that changed the locks of her apartment, he convinced her to block all her boyfriend’s (or ex-boyfriend) social media and channels that he could communicate with her. And then they waited, both of them. Kageyama made her tea and a good meal, and when that bastard got the courage to knock on her apartment door, he was met with a tall intimidating volleyball player that told him to fuck off. 

Later that day she told him that her ex was always manipulative, telling her what clothes she should wear or when or if she could go outside somewhere. She always needed permission. And all worsened when he noticed she had grabbed coffee with someone, probably from her work. And that made Tobio even more angry with that guy and protective of her. 

The team and staff got to know it all and they (gently) begged her to go to therapy, which she did. And although they wanted to celebrate and be loud and always let her know that she was loved, they didn’t want to be overwhelming. 

Kageyama always texted her several times a day to make sure her crazy ex didn’t come looking for her. If he did, Kageyama would be at her side in a second. 

— 

It took her months to be back to herself, to know that it’s okay to be independent and there’s nothing wrong with having male friends, having work friends and hanging out with people that are not your partner. Her therapist She was bright, relaxed, happy again, and for Tobio, she was the prettiest girl in the world. 

And so it was just another night at a cafeteria, he was the first to enter ordering his coffee and an iced latte. His shoulder had already healed but he kept the night Pilates classes that he recognised did wonders for his athletic performance. Y/n was waiting for him after picking a table.

“Here, your iced latte”

“Thank you, Tobio” — she replied with the most genuine smile.

He didn’t make small talk that night.

“Y/n… I really really like you. And I know things weren’t great for you in your past relationship, I saw it all. But… I must ask, and we can take this very slowly and respect your boundaries but do you want to be my girlfriend?” — his face was as red as the first time he met her in that hall.  —

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

Oikawa waited for his girl outside the locker room. She was one of the last to come out, and while the other players exited, all Oikawa could say was “you did a good job”. When Y/n came out, the first thing she did was hug her boyfriend. He hugged her back, trying to appear comforting, although he had many things to say. He got her bag and they walked outside. He would walk her home. The first 10 minutes were silent, Oikawa could see on her face that the defeat was still in her mind. But after that she became more talkative and jokey. That was what encouraged Oikawa to vocalise his thoughts. How could she be behaving like that after such a humiliating loss?  

“You know this is all your fault, right?” — that’s what Oikawa had to say. Being a setter, he couldn't help but notice how bad of a player his girl was. 

He sensed her stopping, and he looked back.

“What?” — was all she could muster.

“Yeah, you know it. All your attackers were blocked heavily. That’s the setter’s fault. Your sets were off and clearly predictable. It was a poorly done job.” 

“Tooru… why that?” — her voice and expression were filled with hurt, betrayal, insecurity.

“You know why, Y/n! I’m a great setter and we are in a relationship. There will be expectations and you should be able to meet them. I assumed you to the public, there will be eyes on you! And doing what you did today… you'll only be embarrassing yourself.”.

“I… I did my best!”. 

“Well, clearly your best isn't enough. Maybe think about today when you decide to skip practice like you always do. You're not good enough to give yourself these privileges.”.

She didn’t answer. She knows she shouldn’t. If that's what Oikawa was feeling about her technique, she knew he meant it with the best intentions. He was the best afterall. He let her back at her house before walking away. That night all she could think of was his words, and the game, and the blocks, and her missed serves. Disaster was all she could remember of that day. 

---

The next day, Y/n woke up earlier, much earlier than usual. Taking a volleyball, she went jogging to school. There, she trained her sets outside the gym. After a while the volleyball team boys arrived for the morning training. Her boyfriend spotted her. She was training, she wanted to improve. He was surprised. 

“Good morning, Y/n!” 

“Tooru…?” — she looks at him as she holds the volleyball, stopping the sets. “Are you training, baby?” — he asks as he hugs her from behind. She hardens at his touch.

“Yeah”

“Soo good um?” — he says, giving a peck on her cheek. — "I'll come help you when practice is over, okay?”. 

Y/n nods, not paying much attention to him, focusing on improving herself. Oikawa notices it. That’s why he leaves practice early and helps Y/n on her technique. At lunch, he explains to her a lot of volleyball strategies. And he watches the girls practice also, focusing especially on her. That night, when he walked her home, Oikawa couldn’t help but criticize her more.

“Yeah, you improved your technique but you were still distributing your sets dumbly. No strategy whatsoever. I’ll have a match next week, maybe, more than cheering, you should be taking notes.”. 

And that’s what she did. Not only at the game, but everyday. Overworked her body and mind, wanting to become a better player and stop relying on her boyfriend’s shadow, who everyday had a new thing to say about her: “your serve is shit”, “jump higher, block more”, “your set is too close to the net”, “too far”, “eat healthier”, “do more running, you are too heavy on the court”. She felt ashamed, a failure, but she kept listening and going to Tooru for help. She wanted to do better, and even remembering that match where she led the team to defeat made her feel devastated. She started doing some weight work, running and also playing with the boys team when she had the change. Her friends would tell her to take it easy, but any new muscle or joint pain she had was a confirmation that she was on the right path. Her boyfriend also had his injuries, right? And that’s a sign that he puts up much effort. 

---

Only a month later is when the next Seijoh girls match comes. Against another not so strong team, but it’s clear that the students are not very hopeful with the outcome, not many people are expected in the gymnasium. Oikawa spends the whole week trying to instruct her, but he keeps destroying her confidence: “you jump everyday and still look like you jump lower each time”, “maybe you should be a libero, your forearm passes are decent”, “where would you set the ball?” while showing a situation on a clipboard “so predictable”, “please, don’t do this on the match”, “in that way, your serve won’t go past the net”. And all that only gave her the need to practice even more. Now, she had tape on all her fingers (after trying to block her boyfriend’s spikes, or getting wrong contact with the ball while setting) and pains she never even had before. It would all pay off. 

Match day came, Y/n put on her uniform and warmed up with the girls. After the warm up was over and she was walking to the coach, Oikawa called her. She walked closer to the stands and all he said was “you can do it, just do the basics” and kissed her on the cheek. He had really high hopes for her because he saw how she put effort into improving, even if she wasn’t the best and probably didn’t have any more potential. Oikawa even brought a notebook to put all his thoughts down and later have a talk with her.

The game started and Seijoh was doing well. Y/n sets were still predictable but they were a bit quicker, managing to escape the block more times. Her serves were not hard to receive but they were getting to the other side of the court. But the block was her biggest difficulty. She wasn’t that tall, and she also couldn't jump high. The first set ended 25-23 to Seijoh, which began to bring more people to the gymnasium. From the stands, she heard Oikawa say she should’ve been more focused when jumping up to block. And that’s what she did on the second set, giving all her energy on jumping as high as she could and doing the right movements so her arms would invade the spiker space.