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hinataninja · 4 years

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helloooo can you please recommend some comfort kagehina fanfics? 🥺🥺 was thinking of finally finishing reading the hq manga and i know i'm gonna CRY and be emotional and sad and i just want kagehina fanfics that will make me remember that everything is ok and kagehina still endgame 😭😔 lengthy ones would be the best. thank u so much 🥺 and also ur blog is amazing!!!! i've read everything u post here <3

YES!!! (I apologize ahead of time because I definitely went overboard 😳) Don’t be afraid to finish Haikyuu, fanfics will always be here for you 💖💖💖Plus, we still get to wait for the anime to adapt everything, so it’s not over yet!! Here are my best recommendations for KageHina longfics that will make your heart explode! I promise, even if these fics have some angst, KageHina get what they need by the end (EACH OTHER)!

Binding Problem by @majesticartax

Hinata tries to kiss Kageyama after a game on sheer instinct and then twists himself into knots while simultaneously jumping through hoops of fire, trying to convince both Kageyama and himself that it didn’t mean anything. This is an extremely long KageHina pining fic, guaranteed to make your heart feel like a claw machine is eating it, but there’s an insanely satisfying get-together moment in the later chapters. Also, we get both Hinata's and Kageyama's POV in this! It’s not totally done yet, but is still being actively updated, and most of the conflict has already been resolved.

I Can Do Better by Buu @manakete

Kageyama is distracted and doesn’t want to stay late tossing with Hinata for once, which Hinata absolutely does not accept. Through all his whining and needling, Hinata accidentally discovers a very (ehem) hard problem in Kageyama’s shorts. That leads to the kind of R18 competition only two total idiots could fall into, and before Hinata knows it, he’s in way in over his head, having a gay crisis. This entire fic has a fun, light-hearted vibe mixed in with some minor angst and not minor smexiness. There are some lovely Daisuga mentions here too!

Here is Rhea314 (Rhea)’s excellent podfic of this story. If you’ve never listened to a podfic, you’re in for a treat.

Thirst by Esselle @esselle-hq

This story takes place in an AU where people are broken up into Wolves and Lambs in the same way that an omegaverse fic works. Hinata is a Wolf blacksmith in a medieval village. Kageyama, a Lamb, comes to apprentice for him. Touch-starved Kageyama from a toxic noble background gets a happily ever after, but not before tons of UST and master/apprentice dynamic goodness. I find Wolf (aka Alpha) Hinata to be super refreshing. Esselle has another fic (Hunger) which takes place in this same-ish verse where Kags is the Wolf, and Hinata is a royal Lamb.

All three of the authors above are giants in the Kagehina fanfic community. I’ve read all of their fics and would blanket recommend any of them.

**Note** I’ve been writing my own KageHina fanfics lately, so if you have any specific fics that you’re looking for, feel free to send another ask and I’ll try to write it!

Enjoy!

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hinataninja · 4 years

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13 - are you drunk?

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a/n - thought i would write this part to be multi-media to just give some idea of what happened at the club. let me know if you enjoyed it! some future parts will likely have the same format so this is just a small taster to see if you like it this way!

Akari was quick to turn the key in the ignition, the car humming to life as you jogged towards her. You threw open the car door, slamming the door shut and twisting to clip on your seat belt before telling her to drive. She didn’t hesitate, foot pushing down hard on the accelerator as she pulled out of her drive. The silence in the car was stifling, making you feel tense. You could sense the occasional assessing glances she sent your way.

“If you want to ask something, please don’t,” you sighed, leaning your head against the window. “At the moment, I just want to focus on getting them away from the public eye. After, I’ll answer questions.”

“Okay,” Akari nodded, her attention turning back to driving. “Were they really dancing on the tables? The media will have a field day with this.”

“It’s just shit to be honest,” you sighed, foot tapping insistently against the floor. “I’d hate to be their social media manager.”

“Tobio.”

His name cut through the loud music, through the haze of alcohol. He squinted, watching as a figure he knew as yours sprinted towards him. The drink clutched in his left hand was yanked free. It was smacked onto the table harshly, some of the contents spilling out to splash onto the table. You fixed him with a glare.

“We’re going home right now,” you stated, clutching him by the wrist and dragging him towards the exit. Somewhere to the right of you, Akari was supporting Hinata, who had an arm slung over her shoulder as they followed. He was talking incoherently, likely trying to explain. You were glad it was Akari left to deal with his excuses and not yourself.

Kageyama stumbled along, staring at you hazily. Despite the anger radiating off you, he was hit with the overwhelming urge to hold you, to kiss you. His conscience warred against his drunken self, saying it was a bad idea. But, he was too pissed to think clearly. Not even the sudden bite of cold wind was enough to cut through his drunken state.

He stopped, feet no longer allowing you to drag him along. The sudden resistance made you turn to look at him, releasing his wrist in the process. His gaze was unfocused as he stared at you, hands going up to hold your face. The stink of alcohol on his breath made you cringe, turning your head away.

“Tobio,” you demanded, though you made no effort to pull his hands away, “please step away from me. Your breath stinks.”

“But I want to kiss you,” he whined, lips pouting as he leaned in, his forehead knocking against your own. You let out a sigh, finally pulling his hands away from you. You had forgotten how much his character changed when he was drunk. This was highlighted by the way he said your name, drawing out each syllable. “y/n…”

“What?” you questioned, beginning to walk him to the car again.

“Why won’t you let me kiss you?” he asked, voice soft as he grasped your hand, tangling your fingers together. You ignored him, gaze focused on that of the car as he walked beside you. “Do you not like me? Is that it?”

There was a slight wobble to his voice, one that told you ignoring him further would likely lead to tears. The last time he had drunk cried was not pretty and definitely not something you wanted to experience again. You replied, “Come on, Tobio. You know how much I love you. You’re my best friend.”

“Sometimes I really hate being your best friend,” he confessed, muttering under his breath. You looked at him in confusion, eyebrows furrowing. In a clearer voice, he asked, “If you love me, why won’t you kiss me?”

“Because you’re my best friend, Tobio.” He shook his head at that. It was a weak excuse, one he was not prepared to accept.

“So could you never love me like that?”

“I don’t know.”

Before he could question you again, Akari appeared, the drunken Hinata giggling beside her. She was nodding at his phone, the smile on her face a contrast to the exasperated look in her eyes. She opened the door, pushing Hinata into the backseat. Once she turned her gaze to Kageyama, he was immediately scrambling in to join Hinata. She took note of your conflcited expression but you waved off her concern.

“Let’s get these boys home.”

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hinataninja · 4 years

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11 - piping hot tea

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hinataninja · 4 years

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language learning tip: an interpreter’s guide to learning vocabulary

If I had a penny for every time someone told me they had trouble memorizing words, I’d probably had hundreds of pennies, which is not very helpful in terms of paying rent but hey, could just possibly lure a tiny dragon under my couch, so.

Anyway, if you’re one of those people and feel like you don’t have a good head for words, here are a few tips.

1) Sounds silly, but stop focusing on how bad you are at this. Vocabulary is most of what you need in any language - if you’re serious about speaking that language, you’ll need to find a learning technique that works for you, and if you keep convincing your brain you just can’t do it, you’ll end up believing it. Not helpful.

2) Learning anything gets much harder with age, and also when you’re stressed. Be patient with yourself, and manage your mental health. if you’re learning for school or for some important test, give yourself time to get there and plan ahead, because vocabulary learning is not the kind of studying you can get done by pulling an all-nighter. And if you’re an older learner, just remember what you’re doing is extremely healthy for your brain, so however long it takes you to achieve some results, you’re doing something really good for yourself: kudos!

3) Whether you’re writing your own material or studying with online apps, keep vocabulary lists short. You’re not going to learn 100 words in one go. It’s much better to work with groups of 20, or even 10, so if you’ve been given a list from a teacher, or are compiling one from your textbook, remember to chop it down in smaller units.

4) The sad thing is: many people learn better by writing things down, especially by hand*. Personally, there are still words I write down fifty times, but thanks to the current magic of technology I mostly go on websites like Memrise or Quizlet and use the ‘write’ function. As a warning: it’s going to be difficult and irritating, especially at first, because obviously these programs won’t forgive you spelling mistakes, but in the long run, I find writing things forges a direct path to your brain that’s not easily undone.

(*This is also why you shouldn’t use a computer when taking notes in class.)

5) Another good way of learning is creating context. You can simply associate a word to another (for instance, noun + adjective, which also helps you memorizing gender if gender is a thing in your target language), or you can write lists centered around specific themes (animals, family, the nuclear winter we’re all headed towards). One thing I find helpful are lists based on clusters of similar words - think stuff like sun, sunrise, sunny, sunglass and so on.

6) Speak as often as you can - not necessarily with people. A conversation with a potted plant can be just as helpful, and placing a new word you’re learning in the context of a sentence is a very good way to give life to it.

7) If you have access to an etymological dictionary, use it. Remembering words is much easier if you understand how a specific word was born, and the logic behind it.

8) Use post-its or change your computer’s wallpaper to difficult words. Seeing stuff all the time is an excellent way of making it seep into your subconscious. I used to write on my arms, which is Quirky and Interesting, but also not very kind to your skin, so maybe stick to the bathroom mirror.

9) Remember there’s a difference between active and passive knowledge, and that both are normal and good. Active knowledge are those words you’d use in conversation; passive knowledge are words you recognize and understand, but wouldn’t use yourself. Depending on your level, education, linguistic curiosity and reading habits, the number of words in each category and the ratio between them will vary, but your passive knowledge is always going to be much deeper than your active one. Don’t be stressed about that.

10) Finally, some good news: you need fewer words than you think. Many native speakers around the world function on as little as 500 words of active knowledge; 2000 words is considered a good base for reading most texts. If you find it helps you, keep track of how many words you’re learning, but don’t let it obsess you. Human brains are built to fill in blanks with reasonable solutions, and the more familiar you become with grammar and basic words, the more you’ll find that you’re able to guess the meaning of new words simply by their context or what they look like.

Oh, and since this is tumblr -

11) Don’t learn an excessive number of ‘weird’ or ‘cute’ words, especially if you’re a beginner. Writing lists of elf-related words can be fun, and a way to keep yourself motivated, but ultimately what you need are normal words - stuff you can use in conversation, in a restaurant, and to read the news. I met people who stubbornly fill their notebooks with absurd lists, and it’s all very nice and instagrammable, but what tends to happen is that sooner or later, they feel they’re not making any progress and get discouraged. So please remember - whatever language you’re learning, it’s most probably a human language human people use to speak to each other, which means you’ll need all sort of boring words to understand them and make yourself understood. Embrace the boring, the average and the mundane - they’re never as boring, average and mundane as you fear.

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hinataninja · 4 years

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ushijima’s response

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Ushijima looked at the salads he had bought at the store his father recommended while standing in front of Iwaizumi's apartment door. He heard your deep breaths accompanied with a soft sob making him open the door to see the small studio apartment to see you on the bed. Hunched over your phone and Iwaizumi's. You had heard him open the door and turned slowly with broken eyes to look at him. His heart dropped, he didn't know how else to explain the feeling in his chest than that. He picked up his pace to be by your side, nothing mattered at that moment than being at your side.

"U-Ushijima..." you weakly said his name and he lowered to his knees in front of you, putting the salad on the floor beside him, he stared at you.

"Words fail me, Y/N..." he spoke after a moment of silence and you smiled softly, moving to put the buzzing phones onto the bed, his eyes following your hands.

"He forgot his phone," you explained and his eyes moved back to you, seeing you already looking at him, "I..." you began and your whole body shook, "Iwa... It's..." words failed you as well. Ushijima gave up using his words and instead do what his body had wanted to do the moment he saw you. He stood up, bringing you with him using your arm and the slid the hand on your arm towards your shoulder. He wasn't expecting you to throw yourself at him but he caught you with ease. He securely wrapped his arms around you and brought you close to him. He was confused as you convulsed from crying harder and sobbing loudly but he remained with his arms tightly around you.

"Wakatoshi, you forgot-" his father had opened the door but stopped when his eyes locked with Ushijima's. The younger shook his head and the father bowed quickly before retreating.

"Wakatoshi," you used his first name was a surprise but he hid it well and looked down at you as you shuffled in his arms, "Stay with me please..." your weak voice was one that hit his heart the hardest, he knew you as this aloof girl, funny, smart and professional when she worked. This was a you he's seen before but worse, but it was a you he was thankful to know. Your walls completely down, not afraid to show him the ugly side, and humility wasn't an issue. You put your face back into his chest, tears soaking into his shirt that he felt on his chest but didn't care.

"I'll be here as long as you want me..." he whispered softly with your hair tickling his lips as he spoke. Tightening his arms around you that little bit more to assure you of his words.

🙂 Fluff? 🙃

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Taglist: @wickedgamesoyaoya @90s-belladonna @mooshijimaa @thehungrybum @cuddlesslut @ly-nia @therealwalmartjesus @chokemelevi @chaoticalybiased

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hinataninja · 4 years

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I'm so so so so happy :')

Monster Generation Special

The Japanese representatives have been announced, and 11 players from the Monster Generation were in the list! Introducing the hottest players with a questionnaire.

Pay attention to Hinata and Kageyama, the Karasuno combination!

The “Monster Generation” who has entered the Japanese national team is from the 3-generation monster players from Ushijima Wakatoshi to Kageyama Tobio! After showing off and playing central roles in their teams as part of the V.League, the two people to look out for are Kageyama and Hinata Shouyou who have lead their teams since their first year at Karasuno High School. Expectations are high for Kageyama who has been a Japanese representative before and Hinata who has trained as a beach volleyball player in Brazil. Keep an eye on the dynamics of the Monster Generation to win the medal!

Kageyama Tobio

Birthday: December 12 (23 y/o)

Position: Setter

Height: 188 cm

Weight: 82 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 348 cm

High School Team: Karasuno (Miyagi)

Team: Ali Roma (Italy)

Appeal point: Sets and serves

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I’ll do my best

Hinata Shouyou

Birthday: December 12 (24 y/o)

Position: Opposite

Height: 172 cm

Weight: 70 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 350 cm

High School Team: Karasuno (Miyagi)

Team: Asas Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Appeal point: I can do anything! I will do anything!

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: Gold medal!!

Hyakuzawa Yuudai

Birthday: April 3 (24 y/o)

Position: Middle Blocker

Height: 206 cm

Weight: 100 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 346 cm

High School Team: Kakugawa Academy (Miyagi)

Team: Japan Railway Warriors

Appeal point: Height. I’ll hit any toss.

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I’ll do my best

Miya Atsumu

Birthday: October 5 (24 y/o)

Position: Setter

Height: 187 cm

Weight: 80 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 342 cm

High School Team: Inarizaki (Hyougo)

Team: MSBY Black Jackals

Appeal point: Aggressive sets and serves.

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I‘ll become number 1.

Sakusa Kiyoomi

Birthday: March 20 (24 y/o)

Position: Outside Hitter

Height: 192 cm

Weight: 82 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 345 cm

High School Team: Itachiyama Academy (Tokyo)

Team: MSBY Black Jackals (Japan)

Appeal point: Sense of stability.

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I’ll do what I can

Hoshiumi Kourai

Birthday: April 16 (25 y/o)

Position: Outside Hitter

Height: 173 cm

Weight: 69 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 351 cm

High School Team: Kamomedai (Nagano)

Team: Schweiden Adlers (Japan)

Appeal point: Mid-air battles. Defense

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I won’t lose to big players and will do my best.

Hakuba Gao

Birthday: June 27 (25 y/o)

Position: Middle Blocker

Height: 203 cm

Weight: 99 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 350 cm

High School Team: Kamomedai (Nagano)

Team: Tachibana Red Falcons (Japan)

Appeal point: Blocks

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I want to stop aces from all over the world

Komori Motoya

Birthday: July 30 (24 y/o)

Position: Libero

Height: 181 cm

Weight: 75 kg

Jumping reach: 330 cm

High School Team: Itachiyama Academy (Tokyo)

Team: EJP Raijin (Japan)

Appeal point: Digs, sets.

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I want to do plays that will inspire my team

Ushijima Wakatoshi

Birthday: August 13 (25 y/o)

Position: Opposite

Height: 192 cm

Weight: 90 kg

Dominant hand: Left

Jumping reach: 350 cm

High School Team: Shiratorizawa Academy (Miyagi)

Team: orzel Warszawa (Poland)

Appeal point: The ability to score

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I’ll do my best

Bokuto Koutarou

Birthday: September 20 (25 y/o)

Position: Outside Hitter

Height: 190 cm

Weight: 87 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 348 cm

High School Team: Fukurodani Academy (Tokyo)

Team: MSBY Black Jackals (Japan)

Appeal point: I can be very normal at anytime!

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: The world!!!!

Yaku Morisuke

Birthday: August 8 (25 y/o)

Position: Libero

Height: 169 cm

Weight: 67 kg

Dominant hand: Right

Jumping reach: 325 cm

High School Team: Nekoma (Tokyo)

Team: Yekaterinburg’s Tigers (Russia)

Appeal point: Defense as a whole

What are you enthusiastic about as a representative: I want to be a defender that breaks the opponents’ spirits

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hinataninja · 4 years

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IV. Sky (W. Ushijima)

Taken from my AO3 series of one-shots & reposted here; this part is more Oikawa centric

Pairing: Ushijima x F!Reader; platonic Oikawa & Reader

Word count: 2,305

Genre: Hurt/comfort (from oikawa)

Summary: Aoba Johsai’s volleyball team has never been able to defeat the Great Ushiwaka of Shiratorizawa. Their manager, however? She can bring him to his knees in mere seconds.

Or, Ushijima Wakatoshi is helplessly in love with Seijoh’s Ace’s twin sister, and the Aoba Johsai VBC is not appreciative of it.

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Dating Ushijima is not easy. Especially when Oikawa is your best friend.

Especially in situations likes these. Aoba Johsai vs Shiratorizawa in the Spring Interhigh Preliminaries. You sit on the benches with the coaches, towels, and water bottles. Your boyfriend may be the ace and captain of Shiratorizawa, but your team is Aoba Johsai. You promised to wear Oikawa’s blue jersey in support.

It took three sets, Shiratorizawa coming out as the victor. Unlike a usual sweep of two sets, Aoba Johsai almost won this time. Instead of smiling at your boyfriend on the court, you paid attention to Oikawa’s bowed head.

He would not cry on the court. But you know that later tonight, when he is alone and watching the video of their match he will need a friend with him.

After quickly cleaning up the water bottles and towels, you make your way to the foyer. Shiratorizawa is out of the gym first.

Ushijima does not know how to read the atmosphere, but he can tell from your worried expression he will have to talk to you later.

“I’m sorry, Wakatoshi, I just…” You avoid making eye contact with him out of shame. He’s your boyfriend, after all. You should be happy for him, and yet… “congratulations, though. Really.”

He nods in understanding, he already knows who your mind is on. “go take care of him. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With a kiss pressed to your forehead, he leaves the stadium.

When your team finally walks out of the gym and makes their way to the bus, they are dead silent. The frustration was oozing off of them.

“Next year, guys.” Oikawa perks up, slapping Hajime on the back. “We’ll be at nationals next year. No doubt about it.”

You’re not sure if he’s really convincing the team or himself. On the bus ride back, you take Hajime’s usual seat next to Oikawa instead. Despite your smaller frame, he still finds enough comfort in you to fall asleep on your shoulder (even though his body is practically halfway slid down the seat). Under normal circumstances, either you or your brother would have shoved him off of you. Your arm wraps around his shoulders and your hand gently cards through his soft brown hair instead.

When you all make your way home after having a dinner with the team, Hajime is silent. Your parents feel the tension upon immediately stepping inside your house and decide to leave the both of you alone.

Rather than changing into pyjamas, you change into something else to prepare to head out. You carefully fold Oikawa’s jersey, keeping it in hand.

When you walk into Hajime’s room to check on him, he’s laying on his back and staring at the ceiling blankly.

“I’m supposed to be the ace…” He doesn’t even look at you, “so why…?”

You sit on the edge of his bed setting the jersey by your side, “I can’t say.”

“You’re always with him. Is he just a better ace than I am?” Hajime looks at you expectantly.

“Wakatoshi is… one of the best aces in the country.” You hear him grunt in response. “But you’re every bit as good of an ace in your own right. You keep Oikawa in line. You even keep Kyoutani in line.”

He’s silent for a moment, “do you think… that I’m nothing as a spiker if Oikawa wasn’t my setter?”

You frown, “what? No, of course I don’t think that.” You sigh, “no matter who your setter is, that doesn’t change the fact that you can definitely hold your own against Wakatoshi. I don’t doubt that. Sometimes a defeat is left to luck. Sometimes it’s teamwork. But when it comes to Shiratorizawa and Seijoh… the both of them have skill on par with each other. It’s not about who the better setter or server or spiker is. Your both amazing in your own right. Seijoh’s teamwork is practically flawless. Shiratorizawa’s main weapon is Wakatoshi. If he didn’t have the stamina he has, they would’ve fallen apart years ago. Not to mention Satori’s blocks…”

You continue on with your speech, trying to keep your brother’s morale up. By the time you finish, his breathing is even and his eyes are shut.

You make sure to grab the jersey before leaving the room. “Next year.” You whisper and shut the door.

“Hey, I’m going to Oikawa’s.” You mention to your parents on your way out of the house. When you get the okay, you make your way out and begin your walk. You’ve been to his house so often that the way there is practically muscle memory by now. You no longer have to look at signs or bring up your maps or rely on your brother to find your way to his house.

When you knock, his mom is the one to answer the door.

“Ah, Iwaizumi.” She greets you with a knowing smile. She already knows why you’re here. “He’s in his room. I think he’s still awake. Come in.” She makes room for you to enter.

The smell of the Oikawa household is familiar to you. You smile, the smell always reminds you of home. You can point out everything in this house by memory. The TV stand has a cabinet with a glass door that, when Hajime was much younger, he had slammed closed too hard and shattered the glass. At the kitchen, there was a particular corner of one of the counters that, when you and Oikawa were play-fighting, he had slammed your head against on accident and you lost consciousness. Oikawa’s mother had to bring you to the emergency room. You had a pretty bad concussion and when you regained consciousness, Oikawa was next to you, trying to apologize through his sobs and hiccups.

When you enter Oikawa’s room, it doesn’t surprise you how dark it is. The only light comes from his computer, blocked partially by his frame. He sits there, dead silent with his knees raised to his chest.

“Mom, please, I already told you-” He stops short when he feels you snake your arms around him from behind.

You lay his jersey in front of him, the #2 glaring almost accusingly back at the both of you. “Hey.” You murmur against his back.

“…shouldn’t you be out celebrating with your boyfriend?” He practically spits out the last word.

You furrow your brows, “I can’t come over and make sure my friend is okay?”

“I’m fine. I have next year. I’ll win. Go congratulate Ushiwaka. He’s the winner, you don’t have any business here.” He doesn’t turn back to face you. The video continues to play.

Your heart sinks. You release him from your hold. “Tooru-”

“Go!” He yells. The venom in his voice is clear. “Shiratorizawa won. Ushiwaka’s the winner. You don’t have to be here! We didn’t win. Just leave!”

“I want to be here!” You shout back, trying to keep the tears from falling.

“Why?” He finally, finally turns to you.

There it is. You knew he would cry. “You shouldn’t be alone, Tooru, and you’re my friend is it so bad to want to make sure you’re doing okay?”

“I- How- How can you still call me your friend?” He’s glaring at you.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re dating that bastard Ushiwaka. How can you date someone wh-”

“Do not turn this on me, Oikawa.” Your tears fall freely now, “that’s not fair. Don’t you dare bring my relationship into this. That’s low, even for you.”

“Why not?! How can you like him?! You’re our manager, for god’s sake! Why don’t you just go to Shiratorizawa? Huh?” His words cut deep.

You open your mouth to say something. When your voice cracks instead, you decide it’s pointless to argue with Oikawa when he’s like this. You leave without another word.

The volleyball team immediately knows something is wrong when you don’t sit with the third years during lunch like usual. Instead, you sit quietly with your other friends in the lunchroom. To add to the confusion, Oikawa is very clearly in a bad mood and quickly shoveling down his food and ignoring the conversation before leaving and going outside to grab a volleyball and practice his sets.

When they turn to Hajime, he simply shrugs in confusion. He’s not sure what’s happening either.

Oikawa’s serves are much more powerful, but lack any control. He keeps setting a little too high, putting too much power behind them. He doesn’t speak.

You come to practice and do the bare minimum. You write and hand out towels and water bottles to everyone (excluding Oikawa). You don’t care, he could call you petty. He’s an asshole. You also don’t speak.

“Iwaizumi.” Your coach calls over one day. Both you and your brother turn to look at him. “Hajime.”

He nods and runs over.

“What’s wrong with those two?” He points at you and Oikawa.

Hajime shrugs, “I don’t know.”

“Can you fix it?”

“The situation will probably fix itself, coach. [Name] has a date with Ushijima today and Oikawa’s probably already started to get antsy since he hasn’t been talking to my sister recently.”

The coach nods in understanding. “Oikawa and Iwaizumi seem a little unstable right now, so until they both solve their problem, I need you to…”

Ushijima wasn’t sure what to expect on this date. He knew you were upset, sure. He knew what Oikawa had done, of course. He just thought it would blow over by the time the both of you went out to the park.

Admittedly, he thought it did. The date went smoothly, but by the time it was time to go home and you both stood at your driveway, your tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

He pulled you into an awkward hug (after a small internal debate), rubbing your back as you sobbed freely. “I don- Wh- Oika- He-” You blabbed pathetically. You couldn’t even form a coherent word.

Several minutes had passed when you finally calmed down. “Ah, I’m sorry, Toshi… Your clothes…” You cringed at the sight of the dark spots on his shirt where your tears had fallen.

He shakes his head, “I don’t care. Don’t apologize.”

Before you can say anything else, you hear someone clear their throat behind you.

Lo and behold, Oikawa stood there next to your brother. You’d never seen him look so uncomfortable before.

Ushijima gives you a nod of encouragement before he makes his way to leave. Hajime slaps Oikawa, pushing him forward and towards you and heads inside to your house.

You and the subject of your distress are left alone.

“I-” The both of you begin. You quiet down, letting him go first.

“[Name], I… Uh…” He’s nervous, that much you can tell. “You’re one of my best friends. I just… I don’t think we should be friends anymore if I can’t even keep my promise to you. I told you I would make it to nationals this year, and I couldn’t even do that. I asked you to wear my jersey because I was so confident we’d win and…” He looks at you with a pained smile, “and we didn’t. Pretty humiliating, huh? Sorry I put you through that.”

Oikawa Tooru is not a genius. What he lacks, he’s made up for through hard work. His bad knee can attest to that. He comes off as having an inflated ego, when it’s really just the opposite. He’s the most insecure person you’ve ever met. He’s a perfectionist who knows that he can’t be perfect. His drive to become the best is a result of knowing that he isn’t the best and he likely never will be.

Your heart breaks.

“I don’t care about whether or not you won, Tooru. I care about you. Wakatoshi can win hundreds of matches but that doesn’t make you any worse. I didn’t wear your jersey because of your promise, I wore it because I wanted to support you. You’re the best at what you do. You taught me to set. You held me when I cried. You played with me when I was bored and you tutored me when I was failing classes. I’m not your friend because you’re a great volleyball player, I’m your friend because you’re a great person. I want to be there for you, so please just let me. You’ve always been there for me, let me return the favor. Your value to me doesn’t depend on volleyball.”

“…When I…” He steps towards you, enveloping you in his warmth with a hug. “When I think back on everything that’s made me who I am today, everything that has made me do what I do and love what I love, you and Iwa-chan are always standing next to me in those memories. So I… I just wanted to go to nationals while we’re all still together. I’m sorry I lashed out at you. I’m sorry I couldn’t achieve what I’ve been promising for years now. Next year will be different. We’ll win. And even if we don’t…” He steps back from you, holding you by your shoulders at arm’s length, “I’ll go pro. And then you can cheer for me while I win every game from that point on.”

You laugh, “I look forward to it, Tooru. Until then, do you think you can handle another loss?”

He tilts his head in confusion.

“I know you’re a sore loser and you’re sulking and all, but I’m still gonna kick your ass at Street Fighter.”

“I’m not sulking! Iwa-chan! Your sister’s being mean to me!”

“I am not! You’re just pouty!”

“Pouty?! We’ll see who’s pouting when I beat you at Street Fighter.”

Iwaizumi opens the door, “the both of you’d better shut the hell up before I lock you both outside.”

“Eheh… Sorry, Iwa-chan.”

“Sorry, Hajime…”

Fin.

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