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esshee · 2 years

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𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 CHAPTER 01. OF BUCKETS, BROOMS, AND BOYS

「 In which the Inarizaki Boys' Volleyball Team sometimes test your patience and make you proud of them. 」

✩ pairing. inarizaki & f!manager!reader (platonic)

✩ genre. slice of life, fluff, humour, friendship

✩ warnings. none

✩ wc. 3.4k

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Whatever it was that you walked into, you desperately wanted to turn back and feign ignorance to the sight in front of you. But, alas, you couldn’t. After all, you were the manager—that is, the manager of a team of hooligans.

It wasn’t unusual for the twins to wreak havoc and chaos wherever they went. In fact, you were used to it. You had been cleaning up after and putting up with their antics for the decade you’d, unfortunately, known them. You had long since mastered the art of reigning in the notoriously obnoxious Miya twins.

However, you had not expected every single one of the starting members (including the usually responsible third years) to somehow wind up in a literal mess. Considering all the other comparable incidents in the past year, it was likely that they joined in some time after the twins had initiated it. One way or the other, your shoulders drooped, and you pinched the bridge of your nose anytime your eyes dared to wander over to them.

You had stepped out of the gym for just a couple of minutes, and they somehow managed to make a total mess of the gym and themselves.

You were fairly certain that Osamu and Suna had been taking down the net before you left, but that very net was smack dab in the middle of the gym; the top of the poles touched one another, forming into some crooked arrow or sad triangle.

It was safe to say that none of the team had followed your instructions: rather than clean up the gym, they transformed it into a spectacle.

Volleyballs were littered all over—there was more on the ground than before you left to your utter bafflement and confusion. Water bottles rolled around the floor as some members proceeded to kick them out of their paths. Some drenched wiping cloths clung to the edge of the benches while a few of the boys had haphazardly thrown the others over their shoulders.

Four buckets were held hostage: Akagi wore one like it was some sort of crown; Atsumu tucked another under his right arm as he swung his entire body back and used the momentum of his swing to splash the remainder of his water at Suna, who used his bucket as a sorry shield to protect himself from getting more wet; Ginjima had shoved his elbow into the last one and jabbed it towards Osamu who barely managed to dodge it.

Similarly, the brooms left for clean-up were horribly misused: Osamu thrust his at Ginjima in retaliation for the earlier attack, who deftly blocked it with his shielded elbow; Aran lifted the broom and whirled his wet cloth in the air, swinging at anyone who crossed his path and effectively splashing water on everyone including himself; Oomimi held his broom somewhat properly although he proceeded to jab the wooden tip at the starting libero; Atsumu, the selfish asshole, proudly held his upside down with the brush facing upwards as though it was a regal trident.

There’s water everywhere. How? How did they do it? You briefly wondered as your brain processed the crime scene. How’d they pull this off in the couple of minutes I left them on their own?

It was a miracle you managed to stay dry by just narrowly missing the water fight that beheld you. A couple of water droplets fell a few inches before your feet, and if you didn’t put a stop to the chaos soon, then you would definitely get caught in the crossfire.

Amidst their rambunctious laughter and ridiculous war cries, you continued to stand by the door while taking note of the gym’s state as well as the state of your teammates. They clearly hadn’t considered their inescapable cleanup session following their fun. They also haven’t noticed your presence yet, but you were going to change that in a minute—you just needed that minute to collect yourself before putting an end to their “fun.”

You sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it all out.

Yes, they were idiots, but they were your idiots. With that thought, you rolled up your sleeves, straightened your back, and took a decisive step forward to the pack of wolves you called your team before clearing your throat.

“Oi.”

They instantly froze in their tracks and robotically turned to you in unison. Had you not been as tired and annoyed as you were, you might have laughed at how stupid they appeared: sopping wet from being drenched with sweat and water, they resembled a bunch of frightened and drowned kittens. Even Oomimi and Suna, the least outwardly expressive members of the starting lineup, gaped with their eyes wide open.

Good.

You managed to maintain your composure as you stared down at the boys.

They flinched under your flat gaze and dared not to resume their shenanigans.

Immensely satisfied by how quickly they obeyed your unspoken command to stop, you were more than ready to deliver their deserved punishment.

“What the hell do ya think yer all doin’?” Your Kansai-ben was more pronounced than ever. You supposed you hadn’t entirely managed to quell your irritation as you had believed.

“W-we...” Atsumu stuttered in obvious distress, knowing well that you were pissed, to say the least, “didn’t see ya there! Uh...well, w-we thought we’d clean up!” The rest of the boys all frantically nodded along as though they expected their agreeance would help their case.

It didn’t—not when they pulled all sorts of shit on a bi-weekly basis. You had let them off lightly the past few instances, but you were reaching the end of your fuse.

“I see,” you hummed in a deceptively bright and cheery tone. “Well, tell me, what were ya tryin’ ta clean? The floor? I only see small puddles that are, as y’know, a safety hazard if not wiped down properly. Surely, you know better. The balls? You bunch never cleaned them before, so I’m surprised ya suddenly decided to. ‘Sides, they don’t look any cleaner than normal, so that can’t be it. The pinnies? Again, you lot never washed them before without my help, but you’re more than welcome to do so. Ah, and you’re wearin’ them! If ya have a new cleaning technique that’s more efficient than how I’ve been washing them all this time, please, let me know.”

You snapped your fingers as though you were struck with an epiphany, “Oh! I see now! You’re washing yourselves! Novel approach, I must say. Washing while wearing yer sweaty t-shirts and pinnies can’t be hygienic, but I applaudja for tryin’ something new. I’m amazed by just how much you hooligans can find a new way to give me more work to do, hmm?”

The twins were sweating buckets by the time you finished your tirade. They and the rest of the team knew that when you got mouthy, they were in for it.

Before they could even try to save themselves, you cut in with a placid smile and turned to Aran, “Aran-kun, take the broom off of Atsumu.”

Aran put the broom down so that it was standing upright beside him in his shaking grip.

“Akagi-san,” you addressed the libero of your team. “Please take the bucket off your head.”

He quietly did so and nervously fidgeted with the said bucket.

“Oomimi-san, the broom is not intended to be used as a makeshift sword.”

He swiftly propped it up against the wall closest to him.

“Ginjima, remove your elbow from the bucket.”

He did so.

“Rintarou, the bucket is meant to hold water, not get hit by it.”

Suna gently placed the bucket on the floor.

“Osamu, you are holding the broom wrong.”

He lowered the broom from its resting place on his shoulders.

“Atsumu, you are holding the broom and bucket wrong.”

He lowered the broom and put the bucket on the floor.

After your string of instructions, the team stared at you with bated breaths and wide eyes like you were some sort of drill sergeant at boot camp. Then, you paused for a moment to catch your breath and made sure to meet each and every one of their eyes in the order you addressed them.

“Get cleanin’.”

Without missing a beat, the team immediately got moving.

You watched them for a moment to make sure they were actually going to clean before heading for the volleyball cart in the far corner of the gym, carefully avoiding the puddles along the way. You pushed the cart to the middle of the gym, now net-free as Suna and Osamu swiftly made their way to the storage room with it in their hands, and then you walked to the benches to grab the extra untouched towels that were usually reserved for the players. It seemed they hadn’t wiped their sweat after the rather arduous practice today. They should really use the towels instead of just leaving ‘em around.

You turned to examine their cleaning once more, but the sight of the team gave you pause.

Droplets of water dripped down their hair and clothes, leaving wet trails around them. Akagi seemed to have noticed the trails as he furtively wiped down the water, only to turn around and swipe at another mini-puddle that had materialized behind him. Ginjima let out a quiet achoo! in the middle of picking up the water bottles. You even caught a few members shivering as they went about cleaning up their mess.

They’re bound to catch colds if they don’t change out of their wet clothes, you noted tiredly. Hell, they hadn’t even bothered to put on their jackets to warm their bodies after the earlier practice match. As mad as you were at the lot, it would be rather cruel to let them continue and risk catching colds.

They were the pride and joy of Inarizaki. You loved seeing them play in peak condition—that was when they shined the brightest in your eyes: focused, passionate, and having fun as they were able to pull off miraculous plays in the heat of the match.

With a defeated sigh, you called out to them, “Go take a shower. Yer gonna catch a cold at this rate.”

They all halted in their tracks and gaped at you in shock.

“Yer…gonna clean this yourself?” Aran asked bug-eyed.

“Are ya sick, [Name]?” Atsumu questioned.

Osamu studied you carefully for a couple of seconds before solemnly shaking his head, “She was fine earlier.”

“Are…are you sure, [Surname]?” Akagi bit down on his lip guiltily, knowing you had a torturous task ahead of you.

“Just go,” you insisted. “I’m serious. You’re gonna get sick.”

They hesitated, seemingly torn between warming themselves in the shower and helping you clean up after their mess.

“Just go,” you repeated in a voice that left no room for argument. “Oh, but take off your pinnies and put them on the bench.”

At that, they all took off their drenched pinnies and quietly shuffled to the showers. You caught them constantly glancing back at you as though they were uncertain if you were being serious or not.

Ignoring their gazes, you waited until every one of them left the gym before you took off your jacket and got to work. Thankfully, the net had been put back in the storage room as it was supposed to be, which left you with cleaning up the water bottles, buckets, brooms, volleyballs, and rags.

Just as you shoved the pinnies in the laundry hamper and walked back into the gym after a strenuous session of cleaning, the team finally finished with their showers. You paid them no mind and groaned as you stretched your aching back.

“Good work,” Suna told you as they all approached you.

You let out what felt like the hundredth sigh of the day, “Yeah, thanks.”

“We should be thankin’ you,” Oomimi pointed out with a sheepish grin.

“Good point,” you chuckled, tired but no longer angry at them. The cleaning had helped you take your mind off of your ire and stress.

The boys all glanced at one another, and you swore you heard someone counting down from three. Then, they promptly bowed at you in perfect unison, “We’re sorry and thank you very much!”

You blinked a few times at their bowed heads before you turned your own head to the side, “Pfft.”

Confused, your boys gazed up at you and slowly straightened themselves up.

“It’s just…you said ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ in the same breath,” You bit down on your lip to refrain from bursting out in laughter. “O-only you guys are capable of doing that, I swear.”

It wasn’t even that funny. You could only guess that it was a release of sorts, of the building stress and irritation that had been chipping away at your calm façade the past couple of weeks, but you really did try to not laugh. An apology was an apology, after all, no matter how silly and clumsy it was.

But you couldn’t conceal the breathless giggles escaping your lips.

“Hey! Don’t laugh at our kindness!” Atsumu cried out, half-embarrassed by your reaction.

“Kindness?” You echoed, wiping the tears that had formed at the corner of your eyes from your fit of laughter. “You sure weren’t kind when ya kindly made a mess for me to clean up.”

“Which’s why we apologized and thanked ya!” Atsumu shrieked.

“Okay, I accept your apologies, and you’re welcome.”

“That does sound kinda weird,” Suna acknowledged with a slight nod.

“Yeah, yer right,” Osamu agreed.

Ginjima shrugged carelessly, “At least [Surname] isn’t mad at us anymore.”

Akagi patted your shoulder now that you weren’t angry at them anymore, “Ya sure are scary when mad, [Surname].”

“I’ll treat you to some meat buns. Yer always working hard for us,” Aran offered with a grateful smile. You tiredly smiled back at him and nodded. Meat buns were a welcome treat after having exerted yourself with additional cleaning.

“Aran-kun, buy me too,” Osamu chimed in shortly after.

“Ah, me too!” Atsumu followed suit.

“I wouldn’t refuse, Aran.”

“Thank you for the treat, Aran.”

“Ooh, me too!”

“Same with me.”

“Buy yer own!” Aran burst out indignantly and appeared to ready himself for his own little lecture.

Then, the door opened, and Kita walked into the gym with his bag in tow. Aran swiftly shut his mouth and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Oh, you all showered already?” He asked as he made his way over.

“The meeting took a long time today,” Oomimi changed the subject, carefully avoiding any potential inquiry into their freshly showered states.

“Yes, well, the Interhigh preliminaries are going to start soon, so the coaches had a lot to say,” Kita stated, then turned to you. “The coaches were worried. Ya said you would get yer notes but never came back.”

The team all stiffened in fear. While you were plenty scary yourself, Kita would not go soft on them as you often did.

“Sorry, Kita-san,” you apologized. “They were still practicing when I came back, so I got a little sidetracked.”

Well, more than just a little sidetracked.

Kita scrutinized the proud starting lineup of Inarizaki and reprimanded them, “We had a practice match against a strong university team. Ya should be resting up instead of recklessly pushing yourselves. We need you in top condition for the upcomin’ Interhigh preliminary games. You are our starting members for a reason, don’t forget that.”

They all avoided their captain’s piercing gaze, and you knew they were thanking you in their minds for saving them from a far worse lecture.

“And you shouldn’t be so soft on them,” Kita scolded you in a significantly softer tone. “They can clean up after themselves, but still, good work today. Go change out of your clothes. We’ll wait for you outside the clubroom. I heard that Aran is going to treat us to meat buns.”

Aran looked at his friend in betrayal.

You glanced between the team and the captain and then left the gym to change out of your uniform. You had done all you could for them, so now it would depend on whether Kita caught on or not, and that wasn’t anything you could really control.

As soon as the door shut behind their exhausted manager and they heard her footsteps retreating from the gym, Kita rested his gaze back onto his anxious teammates.

“What really happened?”

The boys all looked at each other in alarm and panic, wordlessly urging someone to speak out on their behalf. However, no one was willing to be subjected to Kita’s cold logic and sharp tongue.

After a few more moments of being stuck in a silent deadlock with one another, Osamu discreetly pinched Atsumu, who yelped out in response, effectively breaking the tense silence.

“Atsumu?” The captain inquired.

The blond setter gulped nervously and refused to meet the intimidating third year’s eyes. He cursed his twin out in his head as he stuttered his way around a response, “Er, well…we kinda messed around, and [Name] got mad at us.”

“And what do ya mean by ‘messed around’?”

“We…sorta got into a, um, water fight? With the buckets and brooms? And…maybe the balls, too?”

The rest of the team all waited anxiously for Kita’s inevitable lecture, but they were met with a gruelling and what felt like a long few seconds instead.

“You guys really do make things hard for [Surname],” Kita deadpanned.

“W-we know…”

“Since [Surname] went through the trouble to save you all, I’ll spare ya from the lecture you’re probably waitin’ for.”

“Shinsuke…” Oomimi peered down at their captain, touched by his show of benevolence and mercy.

“I’m not gonna be so light next time.”

“Yes, sir!” The team exclaimed, except Suna, who just looked relieved.

“Let’s get our things and go. We said we’d be waiting outside the clubroom, so [Surname] must be waitin’ for us now. I’m sure yer all hungry for meat buns since Aran’s treating.”

“Shinsuke, not you too!” Aran cried out as they all started shuffling out of the gym and making their way to the clubroom.

“Heh, thanks, Aran-kun!” Atsumu patted the soon-to-be-broke third year.

“Don’t mind,” Suna smirked.

“Itadakimasu,” Osamu sang a little too happily.

“Shouldn’t have offered, Aran,” Oomimi said in mock sympathy.

Aran shook his head, “It was for [Name]! For what we did!”

“I didn’t hear her stopping us from requestin’ meat buns,” Akagi pointed out, “and she’s the one who should decide…y’know, ‘for what we did’.”

“Then let’s ask!”

“Ya think she’ll really defend your wallet?” Atsumu arched his brow. “She might still be a little pissed.”

“…Yes.”

“That didn’t sound certain, Ojiro-san,” Ginjima couldn’t help but add on to Aran’s distress. He was hungry after all that had transpired both during and after practice, so he was truly grateful that their manager had let them all off easy this time.

Aran didn’t bother to respond any longer and reluctantly resigned himself to his fate. The team would not budge on matters that involved food, especially with Osamu in the mix.

“Actually, Aran-kun, I’d also like an onigiri—with the meat bun, of course.”

Speak of the devil, the third year lamented before shouting out, “Eat dinner at home! Yer meat bun’s a snack!”

In the end, Osamu got a meat bun and an onigiri and ate a full and proper dinner at home, to Aran’s never-ending distress and dismay.

Extra: The Post-Shower Emergency Meeting

“So…what should we do?” Ginjima whispered as he leaned against a locker and tapped his thigh with his left index finger.

The group of freshly showered boys were all huddled up in the middle of the locker room, keeping their voices low in case their angry manager heard them from the gym.

“Apologize?” Akagi suggested. “It’s our fault for starting the mess.”

“And she’s the one cleaning up for us,” Oomimi added.

“But how should we apologize?” Osamu asked. “Together? Separately?”

“Do you think she’ll have the patience to hear each of our apologies?” Suna wondered aloud.

Atsumu vigorously shook his head, “Let’s not test it.”

Aran sighed and glimpsed at the door to the gym, the only thing separating them from their manager, “Together?”

They all exchanged glances with each other before nodding in unison, “Together.”

Then, Aran opened the door. It was time to face the music.

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ranaiki · 2 years

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Split Apart | Chapter 12 - In Stride

wc: 3k

warnings: swearing, hurt/comfort; kita being the best man ever, basically (i love him sm).

a/n: to prevent any confusion - from here on out, there may be sections written in italics that represent the “past”. They will be labelled based on how long ago it took place, and separated clearly from the parts that are placed in the present. Thought I would give my readers fair warning since it’s a new aspect that may end up confusing. And here is my usual apology for the time it took to get out the new chapter. Been struggling with school, as per usual. It’ll probably be slow updates for the next little while too. I have a break in the middle of november, and again in december, so during those times I’ll probably be able to pick up the pace again.

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Over 1 year ago

“Where am I from?”

The words dangled from your tongue as you stared straight ahead, meeting the gazes of a rather large crowd of curious students. They waited, excitement and impatience oozing from their features.

“Well, uh.” You continued, swallowing thickly as their eye contact remained intact, searing through you with each passing second. The eager silence screamed loudly over your pattering heart, stifling your words, but it was clear that only your voice was capable of filling the gap.

Perhaps you should have expected this - a small country town with only a single high school within. Plenty to do and see, but nothing new. The same people and families have lived here for years. Someone moving away, or someone moving in, was a big deal.

So of course the students of Inarizaki had already heard of you. Of course they would be able to pick you out in the crowd the instant you stepped foot in the building.

You were a fresh face, you were new, an entirely unknown entity in a world where familiarity reigned supreme.

“I’m from Tokyo.” You finished, a chorus of oohs and aahs echoing your statement.

“Did ya grow up there?” Someone asked, leaning forward just a little too far. You subtly stepped back, finding your back pressing up against the locker you’d been trying to open before you’d been ambushed.

The accent here was far beyond anything you were used to. It was thick, nasally. Even after practice with some of the local shop owners the last few weeks, you still had difficulty deciphering what exactly they were saying most of the time.

You gave a slow nod, watching the group in front of you warily. “Born and bred.” A little awkward chuckle escaped your lips, though any discomfort you were exhibiting was lost to the crowd.

“I heard that Tokyo is dangerous, is that true?”

You blinked, frowning a little. “Well I mean, I guess?” You shrugged, pressing back impossibly further as the crowd seemed to descend upon you. “There are dangers just like everywhere...”

“Why’d you move here?” “Why’d you leave Tokyo?”

“Well I uh...”

“What’s it like there?” “Can you take me sometime?” “Did your parents go bankrupt or something?”

Questions overlapped each other in waves, your ears ringing beneath their noisy chatter, each person trying to speak over the next. You felt suffocated, drowning in the curiosity of the students and their overbearing inquiries.

“Hey now hey now.” A voice disrupted the chatter, breaking off the many sentences, and luring quiet to the crowded hallway. “What’s goin’ on over here?”

Immediately, you felt a shift in attention, the inward press of the crowd dissipating, at least partly.

You glanced up, ready to get on your knees to thank your savior, but your gratitude sat heavy in your mouth, swallowed back bit by bit.

A young man stood before you, his smile charming, bordering on arrogant, and his gaze lazy and smug. You frowned, staying put against the lockers as the boy stepped close to the crowd, gazing down and basking in the sudden adoration of the students who had previously contained undivided attention towards you.

“Miya-san!” A girl near the back of the crowd, now closest to the brunet, cheered, leaning forward and just a little too close into him - did the people at Inarizaki have no sense of personal space?

“Ah... hello!” The boy said with a smile, waving at the girl who addressed him. It was obvious he didn’t know her name, or even recognize her, perhaps, but she still giggled and blushed, cheeks an attractive shade of pink.

The boy turned away from her, gazing over the crowd to stare directly into your face. There was something there, something that hid behind his conceited expression you couldn’t quite place - and it made you uneasy.

You straightened your back instinctively, finding it hard to meet him head on, and to not turn away from his scrutinizing gaze.

“So, what is all this?” The boy finally asked, and he turned to look at the other students rather than directing his question to you yourself. Irritation tugged at your gut, fingers twitching where they rested at your sides.

“We all just wanted ta meet the new student.” A different girl piped up this time, eyes sparkling as she looked up at the boy, as if she was patiently waiting for her turn within his attention.

And he gave it - offering a brief glance down at her in recognition, before turning back up to stare at you.

“New girl, huh?” His gaze flickered up and down your figure, lingering just a little too long at the hem of your uniform skirt. Your hands drifted towards it subconsciously, fingers picking at the fabric and tugging it just a little farther down. “What’s yer name?”

“It’s-”

“I can answer that question myself.” You didn’t mean to snap, but even you cringed at the harsher edge your tone adopted once another student tried to answer in your stead.

The student flinched, glancing back at you with wide eyes, before giving a slow, feeble nod, inching back just a pace.

“It’s L/n Y/n.” You set your jaw, gaze boring into those of the brunet boy.

You watched as his eyes began to twinkle, a little sparkle lighting up his features, and the corner of his smirk tugging up just a little further on one side.

“Y/n-kun, then?”

You flinched, fighting the heat that began to rise up your neck.

“I- no! No, it’s L/n to you.”

The boy frowned a little, but nodded. “L/n-kun it is then.” You couldn’t help the roll of your eyes. “I’m Atsumu, Miya Atsumu.”

“Okay...” You mumbled, and the boy stared back at you with an expression nothing short of flabbergasted. “Can I get to my classes now?”

You pushed off the lockers with one hand, fingers splayed over the cold metal. Your bag swung onto your shoulder as you stepped forward, lifting it from the ground and away from the onlookers. The crowd parted reluctantly as you pushed your way through, shoulders bumping into those that stood just a little too close.

You side eyed one of the crowding boys as you walked past, catching the nasty glare he was sending you.

Was everyone obsessed with this guy?

The boy, Atsumu, watched you as you shouldered past, not making a move in pursuit, but you could feel his and the others’s lingering gazes, puzzling over your behavior.

Great, what a way to start the next 3 years...

⠀

Present Day

You weren’t equipped to be handling this sort of thing. You knew that.

You were quick to figure it out and understand - the onset of crippling dismay settling at the pit of your stomach within the first seconds of the earthquake.

Ever since, you’d feel queasy and unsettled, like that feeling you get when something isn’t quite right but you have no idea what. A lingering feeling of doom followed you at your every step and every turn.

And you had ignored it, at first, for a little while. As long as you could, really.

But the feeling only stacked, each day feeling a little heavier than the last, that discomfort growing from the size of a grain of sand, to a seed, to a pit, and beyond. By the time your fear and distress sat in the size of an orange in your stomach, you’d begun to wonder how long you could possibly hold out for - how long you could bottle and compartmentalize everything you saw, felt, and experienced so that you could focus on the here and the now.

You wanted nothing more to provide the support you knew the others needed, to be as steadfast as a mountain in a storm, but your will began to crumble to dust, and you felt every muscle weakening the more the time stretched.

And this right now must be the answer to your question - just how long you could stay collected had come to a grand total of a week and a half.

You could feel shudders rolling through your body, and though you knew the source was the biting cold and chill settling into your bones, you could no longer feel it - not the dull aches, nor the way your fingers had gone numb from exposure.

You still stared at the clear water of the lake, leaned away from the edge so you didn’t have to look into your dead, terrified eyes. You didn’t like the person who was blinking back at you from the surface.

Your eyes pinched closed as another shiver rolled up your spine.

What the hell were you supposed to do?

How could you come back from this?

You weren’t like Kita. You weren’t able to stand tall and proud, a reassuring and calm expression on at the worst of times. You weren’t a pillar of dependability that the others could rely on.

You weren’t like the others, either. You weren’t like Aran, comforting and steadfast, supporting Kita from the sidelines. You weren’t like Oomimi, silent, selfless, and compassionate. You weren’t like Akagi, with crucial knowledge in the arts of healing. You weren’t like Atsumu and Osamu, a relief in the shrouding darkness, providing a sense of normalcy. You weren’t like Suna either, versatile and handy.

And you weren’t even like Ginjima, who, admittedly, was the most fearful of all of them, the most timid, but even he pushed forward. He broke down every few days, for a few hours at least, but he was able to spring back up and forge on ahead as soon as the tears dried from his cheeks.

Were you able to do that?

It certainly didn’t seem like it.

Your tears had long since dried, and yet you still sat with your knees against your chest, hoping and praying that all of this would just go away, that you’d return to your bed in the morning and realize you just had a long, fucked up dream.

You felt helpless.

You pressed your face down, hiding it between your legs, where it was slightly warmer. An exhausted sigh slipped past your lips, fanning onto your inner thighs. The gravel crunched behind you. You hid your flinch, only burying deeper, wishing, like you did with all things, that the person would just go away.

They stayed silent, even as their feet stopped only a pace or two away from your shivering figure.

“If you’ve come here to scold me, there’s no use.” You muttered, just loud enough for the person to hear you. You heard him sigh a little, though again, he said nothing. “I don’t need someone else telling me to suck it up.”

“Why would I tell ya somethin’ like that?” Your eyes widened. A familiar voice echoed through the air, his words barely above a whisper, soft and reassuring. For the first time, you hated that. It was just a reminder of everything that you weren’t.

The pillar among the group.

You let out a heavy sigh, eyes fluttering closed once more. “Kita...” You mumbled, lips pressed thin. Slowly, you lifted your head from the confines of your legs, though your forehead remained pressed against the tops of your knees. “Sorry, didn’t know it was you.”

“But ya still said it anyways.” You flinched, turning your face away from him. He didn’t move, still standing in place, feet buried in the pebbles of the shore. It was quiet for a heartbeat, before he was speaking again. “So... scold ya, huh?” His footsteps crunched again as he moved forward, just a little closer, coming to a stop at your side. “Is that what ya think ya deserve?”

You didn’t answer, a little click of your tongue all you offered in the way of a response. You could feel his gaze on your neck, hot in contrast to the biting cold.

“I can’t even imagine what I would scold ya for...”

“For losing my cool? For always creating extra burdens for you and the others? For acting out just an hour ago? For not being able to walk by your side? For not being strong enough to handle it all?” You hissed bitterly, tugging your knees impossibly closer.

“And that deserves a scoldin’?” His question didn’t sound rhetorical. It didn’t sound as it had before, like he was trying to coax out your inner thoughts. No. He sounded... bewildered. Truly bewildered, like the concept of scolding you for such things was entirely foreign, horrifying, even.

You only huffed, turning your head just slightly so you could peek at him from the corner of your eye - eyelids heavy, circles dark beneath them.

He was staring down at you with round eyes, lips in the shape of an ‘o’, though they weren’t parted. You turned away again quickly, shrinking in on yourself. An unwelcome feeling like you’d done something wrong creeped up your spine.

Kita seemed to notice. His mouth pursed as he plopped down on the pebbles right next to you, his hands folding over bent knees as he too cast his focus on the glassy lake stretching before you.

“None of those things deserve scoldin’.” He murmured, letting his chin come to a rest on his forearms. “Half of them aren’t even true, but for those that are.. they’re entirely normal. They’re human. Honestly I’d be more concerned if ya hadn’t lost yer cool. Nobody in their right mind would be able to take all this in stride.”

“You have.” Your voice was shorter than you had intended, clipped and irritated. Kita only chuckled dryly, brushing past the remark without so much as a word.

“You’ve handled this all almost perfectly for tha last several weeks.” He commented, turning to face you. “It makes sense that ya can’t keep that up forever, not without someone there ta help ya carry the burden.”

You frowned a little, once again peeking from the corner of your eye to glance at him. His eyes burned in the low light, glowing like warm amber. Right now, you really hated it - you hated the way they stared deep into your soul, searching for words left unspoken, looking to soothe and console.

You didn’t want him to see the worst parts of you. You didn’t want him to see the way you were cracking under the pressure.

You didn’t want him to realize that you weren’t fit to stand at his side.

“But you can do it. You continue on with nobody helping you, nobody there to support you.” You didn’t mention that you were able to see the tolls of it on his body and face - it didn’t change the fact that he was still standing, still strong.

It was then that Kita gave you a small, nervous chuckle, cheeks rouged.

“Well, I haven’t been alone.” He said sheepishly.

“You mean the other third years?”

“No, not them.” The pink deepened a little. “You.”

You blinked in surprise, lifting your head to look at him better. “Me?”

“Yes, you. It may not seem huge to you, but all the little things ya do make a huge difference.” He turned away from you, unable to meet your gaze any longer. “Like when ya bring Atsumu back under control, or when ya stay up with me into tha late hours of the night, keepin’ me company or helpin’ me prep. Like the calm energy you exude - it influences the others, I’ve seen it. They’re all a lot calmer because of ya, more collected. If ya hadn’t been here, they all would have fallen apart by now.”

You stared at him in shock.

He... saw all of that?

Kita turned away even further, the pink beginning to tint the tops of his ears. “Yer a crucial element to the team. Yer important. That’s why I could never be mad about somethin’ as simple as expressin’ yer emotions. Even if all this hadn’t happened, I could never, and would never, be mad about that.”

“I.. I just... Is it not hard for you? To handle something else on top of everything?”

Kita shrugged, looking back down at you, finally. “Not really. Like I said before, yer just bein’ human. How could I blame ya for that? How could I expect ya to keep it all in? For my sake? No no no. There’s no harm in takin’ breaks or breathers. There’s no harm in needin’ a little extra support now and again. Because yer human. And humans aren’t expected to take on the weight of the world.”

You could feel your eyes watering, a warm feeling blossoming through your chest, replacing the bitter cold that had rooted there.

His eyes, though they themselves hadn’t changed, looked warmer to you, more welcoming. The anger you had been harboring melted away piece by piece, and you started to wonder how you’d been able to look at his concern and chalk it up to pity.

He lived up to his role.

Even though you’d blown up and rushed off, even though you refused to seek help even when you needed it, he continued to stand still, and supported you from behind.

You’d been so worried about him, worried you weren’t enough help to him that it ended up creating more of a burden, but even then, he looked at you with the same, kind eyes, and offered you the same patience and understanding.

Kita gave you a shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “So.... take all the time ya need. And I’ll be here to support ya. I’ll wait for ya, for as long as it takes. And once yer ready, we’ll go back to tacklin’ the world.”

Taglist:

@sadcrxissant @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @deathfreak45 @kotarousproperty @ochakosprettybunny @bebetiny @itsmeaudrieee @pressuredtreasure @alatuskaleidos @ketterdam-kunoichi @cherrybeomgyu

let me know if you’d like to be added or removed <3

#inarizaki fic #apocalypse au #inarizaki apocalypse #inarizaki x reader #kita x reader #osamu x reader #atsumu x reader #suna x reader #ginjima x reader #oomimi x reader #aran x reader #akagi x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu fic

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seokiloquy · 2 years

Text

Try Again - Akagi Michinari

Au: Hanahaki (Timeskip)

Requested

Tags/Warnings: GN! Reader, mentions of vomiting and drinking

Word Count: 2.5k

"Um, excuse me?"

To the left of your desk, leaning into the room by the doorway, was a girl, hand clenched by her chest as she gave you a wary look. You stood up from your desk, pacing the few steps to approach the quivering her.

"Ms Tsubasa, is everything alright?"

Tsubasa shook her head frantically. "Mira is in the bathroom. She's throwing up?"

Your brow hardened. "Is that a question?"

"No? I don't know. I think it might be..." she trailed off, looking at her shoes. "Can you come help?"

You sighed, chest weighing down a little. "Let's go."

Love was fickle. You knew that; most people knew that. People became infatuated with someone and lived their lives thinking everything was perfect. They held hands, went on dates, discussed their futures, and kissed. Then one day, they wake up to the feeling of acid in their mouth and harshness in their throat while they run to the bathroom clutching their churning stomachs, where eventually bile mixed with light-coloured petals falls out from their lips and into the toilet bowl.

Most people knew, but a select few found themselves in the situation where their partner of choice, often unknowingly, had led them on with no actual feelings of love but infatuation. It would leave the lover of the two sick to their stomach. In rarer cases, if the relationship had gone on too long and became too unbalanced, the lover developed hanahaki disease, while the infatuated remained unaffected.

The petals from hanahaki are a phenomenon within themselves. They weren't actual flower petals. That would require the lover to have consumed them. The essential components of what created the structures to take their shape had been speculated to be caused by a particular bodily reaction, while one's suspicions of their partner not loving them became stronger as evidence grew.

Usually, those with good intuition are more likely to develop hanahaki. It starts with an average gut feeling, leading to questioning, where many would leave the relationship before anything harmful occurred. If they didn't go and didn't speak to their partner, the lover's gut feeling would worsen, making them feel sick. Their stomachs would twist and churn until, eventually, they were throwing up petals into the toilet of their bathroom.

It's a painful experience, so much so that many don't even form many romantic relationships or crushes, knowing the repercussions if it goes wrong. But there are a few that throw caution to the wind.

Luckily there are ways to combat it. Option one: lose feelings. This is often the most favoured solution. It solves the problem and requires no outside help, but it can be a long and tedious process that can lead to health problems if not guided. That then leads on to Option two: therapy. Not enough people took it, in your opinion, whether it was for hanahaki or otherwise. Then there is Option three: surgery. This repeatedly came back with reports of people becoming completely apathetic afterwards and then needing to take therapy to regain their sense of emotions if they thought it would be best.

The surgery is often not recommended except in life-saving situations.

You hated knowing this. Having the information stored in the back of your mind to spew out like a fun tidbit whenever one of your friends mentioned getting in a relationship with somebody new. Then when a couple fell sideways, you'd be privy to the information they needed to prevent or deal with the repercussions. Sometimes you wondered if you should have become a therapist since you acted the role for those around you. But after going through so many rounds, you figured you weren't cut out for it.

Instead of sitting in a quiet office with soft couches, you stood in the back of a brick-walled room, dragging white chalk against green boards and talking about the human body, or sitting at your desk and marking during break periods.

It was your own time to relax. However, a student occasionally came in with a request or news.

Suzuki Mira's crush on the school's basketball captain had gone too far. You hoped she wouldn't be like you. She'd be fine, so long as she wasn't too stubborn.

The staff room was often busy. Even during class, there were enough people in the room to make it feel full. You pushed through the door and walked toward the fridge where your lunch was waiting for you.

"Whoah, you're in a rush. Where are you headed?"

Enter Akagi Michinari, the physical education teacher, an extrovert that could run, jump and twist his body around like an excited dog for hours while keeping a wide, encouraging smile on his face that many students appreciated.

However much you appreciated him teaching the complementing course to your own, you had to avoid him at all costs. Smiling at the man, you skirted past. "I'm grabbing my lunch."

"What are you eating?"

"Leftover noodles." You bent into the fridge, pulled your meal out, and then turned toward the microwave.

Akagi followed. "Oh, did you make them?"

"I did."

"Can I try some?"

Once it was warm, you could give him a bite and be on your merry way back into the quiet of your classroom and eat while waiting for the lunch period to be over. That made sense.

"Sure," you said, watching the timer on the microwave countdown.

"Great! I'll meet you in your room!"

Your heart pounded. Complete failure, every time. Why do you even bother trying? Really, with the number of times he had pulled a similar stunt, you should have expected it.

When you got to your room, Akagi played with the short spikes of his hair, munching on a sandwich while reading over your biology displays.

You walked to your desk and unpacked your food, keeping your head down as he quickly made his lunch disappear.

"There's a staff dinner happening on Friday. Are you going?"

He pulled up one of the spare chairs you had tucked in the corner of the room and sat next to you, setting his elbow on your desk and leaning into it, crumpling the papers underneath.

"Akagi, the tests." You pointed to the point his track jacket made contact with the papers. "I still have to hand those back. Could you lift your arm?"

"Sorry!" He lifted his arm, his voice cracking slightly as his cheeks reddened. "I didn't notice them."

Smiling slightly, you pulled the papers away and dropped them in the opposite corner.

"So, staff dinner?"

Akagi was a relentless coworker. While he would back up if requested, he often knew precisely what people wanted and would push for them to get there. Last year, he got the principal in the pool with the swim team for the senior's graduation party. The man says it has been his favourite moment at school so far.

Just like with the principal staring longingly into the swimming pool's deep end, Akagi was pushing you to join him and the rest of the school staff for a night out as summer break approached.

You wanted to say no. If you went, there could be irreparable damages. Soul-crushing damages that you would rather not have to live through.

"Akagi, that sounds like fun, but I have things to assign and grade, and my time after school is all booked up."

"That's a lie. You haven't assigned anything to your students this week except for some summer reading."

It felt like you had bitten into something sour. Pursing your lips, you pushed your thermos away. Akagi grabbed it, taking a bite without caring for sharing your used chopsticks.

You coughed, trying to dispel the heat pooling in your cheeks. "How did you find that out?"

"Well, you always do that before a break, and our students told me." he smiled, shoving another collection of noodles into his cheeks. "This is really good, by the way. Would you make me some?"

Warm cheeks be damned. You couldn't fight it down. "Fine."

"And how about staff dinner?"

"Only if you pay."

Akagi smiled, leaning into your desk with the palm of his hand pressed into his cheek. "I'm okay with that."

Your stomach had been fluttering all week. In and out of class, sending your heart into a spiral every time you thought about attending the staff dinner that Friday. It hadn't gotten to the point of falling off the deep end, but you were still scared, anticipating the pin drop for you to fall onto your knees on the tiled floor of your bathroom.

Practice makes it easier to make those emotions invisible to the untrained eye. If no one cared to take notice, they wouldn't.

The restaurant the staff had collectively chosen was a bit of a distance from the school. Far enough away that it was unlikely for a student to appear and make the group turn their teacher personalities back on. Seeing them so relaxed, slouching, drinking, and stuffing their faces with food was strange. It wasn't often they got to act like this. Part of you hoped the night would last long enough for them to enjoy themselves. Another part hoped that a student would show and you could use them as a way to sneak off, but that was unlikely.

Akagi dropped a few rolls onto your plate as he served himself. Not letting you get the chance to even reach across the table.

"Akagi, I can serve myself."

He used his chopsticks to carry some sashimi over to you. "Let me handle it."

"No, really, I can do it."

"I want to."

Why did his eyes have to glitter and stare so deeply into your soul? Sharp and keen, he could pick up on anything with practice.

You looked to your plate and swallowed your protests.

The twisting feeling in your stomach increased every time the PE teacher glanced your way or asked a question, to you or otherwise. You wanted to look him in the eye, memorise every feature and meet his questions with passionate responses because you did have them, and ask some in return. Every time you tried, however, there was a pull in your chest trying to drag you down. You just couldn't risk it.

You finished dinner while everyone else hadn't even gotten halfway through. They were all in conversation. One group talked about sports, Akagi was included with them, another group discussed summer plans, and the rest were too far for you to hear.

On your other side sat the principal, patting his stomach while he spoke like a poet about sunbathing on the beach, his plans for summer.

"Um, sir?" you patted his arm and glanced at Akagi, who was still running a spoken marathon about volleyball with the Japanese History teacher. "I've finished eating and left my pay, but I'm just going to head home."

"Oh, of course! Do you have a way back?"

You shook your head a bit. "It's sunny still. I'll just walk."

"Alright, I'll see you in two weeks!"

It was the fastest you had ever walked, one step after the next, nearly getting into a jog as you rushed out of the restaurant, up the sidewalk, and back home.

Running away, rather speed walking away, was cowardly. You were a coward. So be it. If it had to be done, so be it. No matter how much you would have loved to stick around and stay side by side. You weren't sure if you would last. Would it be a day, weeks, months until you began to wither away?

Maybe like the time before, it would be years, and you would be none the wiser till you found yourself sick and suffering.

Two weeks to decompress should be fine. Meditation to control your emotions and throw away attachments. It should have worked.

Sadly, Akagi had a keen eye.

"Why are you at my house?"

"You ran off from dinner. I was worried. I was supposed to pay. Here's your cash, by the way."

You pushed his hand with the flimsy paperback. "Keep it. It's fine. Go enjoy your summer."

With one hand on the door, you were about to seal the wall closed and hideaway when Akagi's hand held it open. It didn't take much force, your grip was weak, and he likely had taken notice. But his words had your grip slacking.

"Why do you keep running away?" His eyes, usually big and bright, had turned into a squint, confused. As he talked, his hands became more animated. "Like, seriously. I try to get you to do things and come out of your shell more. I can tell you want to. I can see it in your eyes. Whenever I think I'm a little closer, you run away again. Why do you keep running? I like you. Can't you see that? "

With shut eyes, you took a deep breath and pulled your door open. "Come in."

Akagi sat on the couch while you went to a dust-covered drawer and pulled out a small cracked frame from one of the drawers.

"Here," you said, handing him the photo.

"Wedding photos? You're married?"

"Was. I was married." You pulled out an equally sized glass jar and joined him on the couch.

The jar hit the coffee table with a thud before silence filled the room.

"Are those?"

"Hanahaki flower petals." Taking the cracked picture frame from Akagi's hands, you set it down next to the jar. "Don't ask why I kept them. I couldn't keep the ones from surgery. It's just some morbid reminder."

"So, they didn't love you?"

"Maybe for a time. But we married young, far too young, straight out of high school, and as we grew up, we also grew apart, till eventually, I was the only one left loving. And yet it took years before I finally left."

"You got the surgery?"

"I had no choice. I wouldn't die loving someone who didn't love me back. Even if it was tempting." You laughed, but Akagi was quiet. "If it helps, I did manage to fix the apathy problem. Somewhat."

The athlete at your side waited a few seconds before taking in a breath to speak. "So that's why you knew how to help Suzuki Mira. You'd gone through it before."

"You knew about that?"

"She started getting sick during a run. At first, I thought it was just the heat. But teenagers don't tend to stay too quiet."

You nodded, rubbing the sweat on your palms against your knees. "I'm sorry for running. It's not that I don't like you. I like you a lot. It's just terrifying."

"I may not fully understand," Akagi shifted to face you directly, placing his hand on top of yours that was still sweating on your knee. "But it's scary for me too. I don't want to hurt you."

"You can't control that."

"Well, you haven't thrown up any petals yet, have you? You might find I've liked you for longer than you realise."

The air in your lungs felt cold and clean. "How about some noodles for dinner?"

As always, I try and do something a bit different when it comes to popular Aus, I think this was interesting. - Bacon

Posted: 25/09/2022

#akagi michinari #akagi x reader #akagi michinari x reader #Haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #x reader #oneshot #oneshots #haikyuu oneshots #haikyuu reader insert #reader insert #aus #haikyuu aus #fluff #haikyu #haikyu x reader #anime x reader #anime

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millenialfanfictionaddiction · 1 year

Text

Being Inarizaki’s Manager

Miss Manager is Shy and Cute 🥹

Inarizaki x shy and cute! Female manager (she/her pronoun)

Warnings: Atsumu starts off as a butthole but we reform him, fluff

A/N: I wrote a headcanon set earlier with a shy reader and well, now I think I’m a shy reader expect 💅 so here’s one of my favs with a shy manager 😌

Oof- you good, girl?

Seriously this team is like the opposite of shy and calm

I wouldn’t say they are Karasuno level but they get HYPED

Now, many of them had given up the dream of ever having a female manager

They were prepared to brave it alone (namely Kita, Aran, Omimi, Akashi, Suna, Ginjima, etc)

They knew what their problem was…

Well PROBLEMS

Atsumu and Osamu

But it’s fine because they were efficient 💅

Kita did everything and well, Kita did everything

But that all changed when one day our precious Angel, Riseki, met someone new 👀

You see, you were the new girl in school

A curse honestly

Being the new kid is never easy, trying to find friends or fit in with everyone is so hard

And to top it off, you were ridiculously shy and a wallflower

It’s not that you didn’t want to make friends but your shy, cute nature made it difficult

When you first joined Riseki’s class, he thought you were rather cute

You kept to yourself, didn’t bother anyone

You were smart and capable

And most importantly, you had absolutely NO CLUE who the Miya twins were 😌

Riseki had watched you a few times, and you showed a lot of promise

You seemed to be able to ignore all the Miya chat surrounding you

You didn’t seem bothered by the fan girls

And most importantly, when a Miya fight would break out, you’d simply ✨ignore ✨ it

The problem was that Riseki knew you were shy

You’d never speak up in class, you barely talked to anyone

But he also knew this was his opportunity

So what does he do? Well he confides in Kita

“Hey Kita, so I think I might have found us a potential manager?”

Kita 👉🏻😐😑 *not convinced or optimistic whatsoever*

“Is this person a teenage girl?” Kita asks in return

“Yes but-”

Kita 👉🏻 No 🫶🏻🥰

“Here me out tho, she’s a transfer student and I’ve been keeping an eye on her,” Riseki says

Kita 👉🏻🤨 creepy but ight-

“She has shown zero reaction to the Miyas at all! Like none, not even a second glance!” He says

Kita 👉🏻 tell me more…

Riseki goes on to explain more about you and Kita agrees to give you a small trial run

Ok now that Kita is convinced, all Riseki needs to do is ask you

Simple right?

“Hey Yn!” He yells as you freeze

You rn 👉🏻😐😳

Please you are looking around like “is he talking to me? Am I Yn?”

“Hey I was wondering if you had a club yet?” He asked as you just stared 👁️👄👁️

Please Yn, function

Riseki realizes that he probably came in way too strong, so he backs up a bit

“Umm I’m sorry to come at you so strong but I was wondering if you needed a club? The boys volleyball team is looking for a manager and I think you’d be perfect,” he says as your eyes widen even more

Please blink before your eyes dry up

“Ohh umm I don’t think I umm- I’m not sure I’d be good- I don’t play volleyball or know anything really,” you say as you blush heavily

Riseki is DYING at how cute you are 😭

“It’s ok Yn! I can teach you everything and the guys, wellmostoftheguys, are super helpful!” He says as you ponder for a bit

Maybe this is just what you need? You never take chances like this and maybe now is the time to start branching out

“Umm I guess I can try,” you say, a tiny smile lighting up your face as Riseki dies inside 😭

After school, he brings you to practice

The gym is huge and all the guys in it are huge as well

You start to second guess your decision

Maybe you aren’t cut out to be social, yeah maybe you’ll just be shy forever

Suddenly you are forced out of you thoughts when you are approached by four guys

You quickly take refuge behind Riseki and peer out from behind him as the boys all smile at you

“Kita, Aran, Omimi, Akagi- this is Yn! Yn these are our third years!” Riseki says as you blush hard and peek out from behind him

“Umm hello, I’m YN from class 1-4. It’s very n-nice to meet y-you,” you stutter out as the third years practically perish

How the heck are you so freaking cute?? 😭

“It’s nice to meet you YN, I’m Kita, the captain. Thank you so much for coming to meet with us,” Kita says, already impressed that you aren’t making waves or causing any disruptions

“T-thank you for having me,” you say as you stand next to Riseki now, a little more confident

“So Yn, do you know anything about volleyball?” Aran asks as you shake your head

“Not really but I’m a pretty fast learner,” you say as the boys all nod

Suddenly, a rouge ball comes flying out of nowhere as you quickly take cover as Akagi stops it from hitting you

“Are you ok Yn?” Kita asks as you nod

“I’m fine thank you,” you say before being approached by a boy with a yellowish blonde hair color

“Hey girls aren’t allowed in the gym!” He shouts as you reeled back a bit

Who was this extremely rude person?

“Shut up ya idiot! Obviously she’s talking to the captain!” A silver toned man says

“Yeah well I don’t need to be interrupted by any squealing pigs during my serves so get out of here!” He shouts at you as you quietly back up

“ATSUMU! Knock it off, stop being so rude! This isn’t one of your fan girls, this is Yn and she’s going to be our trial manager!” Kita scolds the yellowish blonde as he scoffs

“This? This is going to be our manager? She’s tiny and looks like she’s afraid of her own shadow! How is she going to ever be a manager for a powerhouse?” Atsumu says as you whince a little

Man he was a jerk 😒

“Damn Sumu, you’re being a jerk! Leave the poor girl alone,” a tall black haired man says

“Suna’s right! She didn’t do anything to you,” Omimi says as Atsumu stares at you

“She’s literally taking up space! Like how is she going to even be helpful?” Atsumu says as you finally lose it

“Excuse me,” you say, a little anger and agitation now clear on your voice

Everyone 👉🏻👀

“Yes, I maybe a little shy and skittish at times but it’s extremely rude of you to judge someone you haven’t even been introduced to,” you say as the men all look at you

Kita is like mentally taking notes

Suna has his phone out and recording 📱

Riseki is like “who is this?”

“My name is Yn and I’m a first year. I might not be the best but I’m smart and I learn quickly. If I interrupted your practice, I apologize but I won’t stand here and be treated with disrespect,” you say as you bow and take your leave

Honestly Queen shit 👑

Oohhhh Kita and Riseki are BIG MAD

Kita doesn’t say anything, he just GLARES at Atsumu

Riseki turns and goes after you but not before giving Atsumu the death glare of a lifetime

Aran, Omimi and Akagi are ready to kill

Suna is still recording 📱

Ginjima has now joined the pack and is wondering what the heck is going on

And Osamu, well Osamu is 👀 👇🏻

“YOU TYRANNICAL PIGGGGG!” He shouts as he kicks Atsumu in the back

But this time, nobody stops him from beating up his brother

The team 👉🏻 😙🎶

Meanwhile-

“YN wait! Please wait- I’m so sorry about Atsumu!” Riseki says apologizing to you

“Riseki, I’m sorry but I can’t-,”

“Please Yn! PLEASE! Please just give us a shot! I promise, we will kick Atsumu off the team if we have to just please be our manager!” Riseki says, on his knees BEGGING

Dang these guys really want a manager 😅

You sign, “I’ll do a trial run if it means that much to you.”

Riseki 👉🏻😐😳🥹 really?!?

You smile and nod a little

Riseki pulls you in for a deep hug 🫂 as you simply blush

And this began your journey as Inarizaki’s sweet manager

I wish I could say it was all smooth sailing but alas, Atsumu is still on the team 🙄

You aren’t sure why but at first, he’s just not nice at all

Like he refuses to take a towel from you, or even drink the water you hand him

He kind of makes you miserable

He knows how shy you are so he often puts you on the spot just to embarrass you

“Hey Yn do you know what that was called?” He says as he slams a serve over

Omimi and Akagi 👉🏻🙄 here we go…

Kita 👉🏻 😐😑 Atsumu-

Osamu 👉🏻 just say the word Yn 🙎‍♂️🤛🏻

Suna 👉🏻👀📱

“Umm a serve ace right?” You shyly respond

“Well would you look at that, she can learn,” Atsumu laughs as he walks away

Everyone is GLARING at Sumu rn

Literally Riseki was not joking when he said they would kick him off the team Yn

Idk if you bruised his ego or what Yn but man’s has it out for you 😅

However, one thing about Atsumu is that you can win the man over

It’s simple really… 🙌🏻 praise 🙌🏻

And you do just that

“Sumu your sets are really off today!” Aran says as Atsumu glares at him

“Yeah dude you literally almost flubbed our quick,” Suna says as Atsumu rolls his eyes and walks away

He sits on the bench, putting a towel over his head as he ponders

He’s not sure what’s wrong with him today but he’s been off all day

You noticed something was off, thinking maybe he was just having a bad day

But then you realized that Atsumu Miya wasn’t use to having bad days

So you decide to extend an olive branch

You walk over the him as he sits on the bench

“YN wait!” Osamu tries to stop you but he can’t

Suna’s eyes widen in fear for your life as Kita gets ready to save you from certain destruction

You calmly sit beside Atsumu as he turns his head and glares at you

You smile a little and place your hand on his gently

The team 👉🏻😳😲

“Everyone has bad days Atsumu. If we didn’t have bad days, we’d never get better. I still think you’re an amazing setter and if you ever need a hug, I’m here for you,” you say as Atsumu’s eyes widen

Atsumu is to stunned to speak

Quick Suna take a picture!

Seriously he was so mean to you and yet, you were still so nice to him

You smile and stand up, walking back to practice when it happens 🫣

Two strong arms grasp you from behind as a warmth radiates around you

You smile a little, grabbing his arms and squeezing

“Thanks Yn,” Atsumu says as he lets go and walks back into the court

The entire team is too stunned to speak

You say nothing as you go back to your job, handling towels, volleyballs and notes

“Did that just happen?” Ginjima asks

“I think so? Is this a dream?” Omimi responds

“Holy crap Atsumu actually has a heart?” Suna says

“OF COURSE I HAVE A HEART YA IDIOT!” Atsumu screams from the court

“Not like anyone could every tell ya grinch!” Osamu responds

“EXCUSE YOU SIR?!? WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS, IF WE DISNT HOW WOULD WE EVER GET BETTER!” Atsumu responds

“YN literally just told you that ya dummy!” Ginjima says, rolling his eyes 🙄

The guys go back to practice

This time, Atsumu is much more on point

You smile and clap as the boys all kill it in practice

You don’t cheer loud, simply clap and smile 😊

It’s literally giving them life Yn!

Now when it came time for tournaments, you can’t say you weren’t nervous

This was your first time around so many people

You were still pretty shy, even thought you’d become friends with the entire volleyball team

Literally they were so protective of their shy little manager 🥹

“Ok is everyone here?” Kita asks as you nod

You had been walking in back with Suna, making sure all the members stayed together

“Ok let’s go get warmed up!” Kita shouted as the guys all nodded and followed

You were walking when suddenly, your notebook fell and your papers scattered everywhere

“Crap!” You silently said as you kneeled down to pick them up

However what you failed to notice was that the team had continued to walk

You see where I’m going with this 👀

“Hey guys- oh no!” You said as you stood up, realizing there was every color of jersey surrounding you BUT black and white

You 👉🏻😐😳😢

“Ok Yn calm down, the team is somewhere,” you silently muttered to yourself as you wandered around giants

You felt like crying, scared and nervous because there were so many people around

You had to ask someone for help

Suddenly, you bumped into the back of someone

“I’m so sorry!” You said, tears in your eyes as she looked at you

“Oh it’s fine, hey are you ok?” She asked, gorgeous blue eyes watching you

You shook your head, eyes meeting hers

“Hey Kiyoko, I’ve got the bento boxes all sorted!” A blonde girl said, walking up to you

“What team do you work with?” The girl named Kiyoko asked

“I-I’m with Inarizaki,” you said as they both smiled

“Come with me and Yachi, we can take you to the gym,” Kiyoko said as Yachi stood beside you

“Thank you so much,” you say bashfully to the two pretty girls

Meanwhile…

“Ok Riseki, Ginjima can you help YN fill up the water bottles please?” Kita asks as they nod and look over to you

Only you’re not there 😅

They start looking all over for their precious bby

Please Ginjima even looks under his shoes incase he stepped on you 😭

“Umm Kita,” Riseki interrupts

“Yes,” Kita says looking at him

“YNs not here,” Riseki says as everyone stops

“What the hell? Where is she?” Kita says looking around everywhere for you

“Suna weren’t you walking with her?” Aran asks as Suna gulps

“She was with me just a a minute ago!” Suna says, now panicking too

“Oh my god and I was just starting to actually like her and you lost her?!?” Atsumu says as Osamu smacks the back of his head

Then they hear their opponents say something

“Has anyone seen Kiyoko and Yachi?” Their team captain says

“OH MY GOD WE HAVE A MANAGER KIDNAPPER!!!” Riseki yells as two of Karasunos memebers RUN from the gym

“We have to find Yn!” Aran shouts following them with the rest of the team

All that remains in the gym is Kita and Karasuno’s captain, Daichi

“We could just text them,” Daichi says as Kita nods

Back with you, you are enjoying talking with the two Karasuno managers

They both seem a little shy like you but they still manage a strong school

“The gym is just up this way-” Kiyoko says when you hear it

At first, it sounds like a stampede of elephants

Then you realize it’s just like 15 teenage boys racing toward you 😅

“YN OH MY GOD WE FOUND YOU!” Riseki says pulling you into a hug as your boys gather around you

“Are you hurt? Do you need help? Are you hungry?” Aran says panicking as you watch Kiyoko and Yachi fight off their team

You giggle a little, the boys taken a back

“I’m fine guys, I actually just made some friends!” You says smiling at Kiyoko and Yachi

Inarizaki rn 👉🏻😐😳🥹 our baby is growing up!

“Thanks Kiyoko and Yachi! I’ll see you in the gym!” You say, waving to the two girls as they follow you

You look over at Riseki and give him the biggest hug

Riseki rn 👉🏻😳

“Thanks for inviting me to be your team manager! Now let’s go kick some butt!” You say sweetly as the team stops

The team 👉🏻👁️💧👄💧👁️

No need to worry about the match Yn, I’m sure everything will be just fine 😌

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luvingtsumu · 3 months

Text

TODDLER!HAIKYUU BOYS that will be possesive over their favorite daycare caregiver.

His favorite game was when you pretended to be a princess and he was the brave and charming knight that saved you.

For his 3 year old brain, you were the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, you always made sure his milk was warm and that he had his favorite stuffed animal whenever he took a nap.

Every time he saw you with another child on your arms, he felt the absolute betrayal. Why would you take care of another kid that wasn't him!?

"No!" he whined as he hold onto your leg while you had in your arms a sleeping little boy "y/n mine!" he puffed out his cheeks as he intensely pulled your shirt trying to catch your attention back to him.

You found him adorable, but every day it was more difficult to keep him from pushing the other kids that got close to you, and you were sure his mommy didn't like you because he seemed to like you more than her; and it was always a problem when she came to pick him up, because he never wanted to leave their place in your arms.

—MIYA ATSUMU, MICHINARI AKAGI, RYUNOSUKE TANAKA, YUU NISHINOYA, KAGEYAMA TOBIO, HINATA SHOYO, LEV HAIBA, OIKAWA TOORU, TAKAHIRO HANAMAKI, KANJI KOGANEGAWA, BOKUTO KOTARO, SATORI TENDOU, GOSHIKI TSUTOMU, MOTOYA KOMORI.

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #miya atsumu #akagi michinari #ryunosuke tsunashi #yuu nishinoya #kageyama tobio #hinata shoyo #lev haiba #oikawa tooru #takahiro hanamaki #kanji koganegawa #bokuto kotaro #satori tendou #goshiki tsutomu #motoya komori #hq x you #haikyuu oneshot

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cerisesakurainspring · 1 month

Note

Hello, may I please ask for headcanons for Inarizaki reacting to Omimi having a long distance gf, she's a foreigner in an all girls school

Thanks for the interesting concept request! Hope you like this one:)

For some reason, this prompt reminded me of that Juju Stroll scene where Megumi was being hit on.

I think that;

Kita - already knows. He knows everything.

Ojiro - still thinks moitié is the name of the girlfriend

Ginjima - goes along whatever Atsumu thinks of the girl

Suna - thinks she's just a fan. He doesnt really care though.

Kosaku - whispers “did he threaten you?”

Riseki - proud of his senpai

Akagi - created a whole ass scenario in his head as to how they were “forced to date” each other. Who threatened who? Shares the same braincell as Kosaku.

Atsumu - in disbelief. Is jealous and thinks he should also be handsome enough for a foreign girl to have a crush on him

Osamu - thinks Omimi’s cool for dating a foreign girl. Also slightly jealous.

°°°°°°°°°°

“Where’d you three run off to again?” Aran’s raised eyebrow and slight lift of his lips betrayed the serious tone he was pretending to portray on his kohais.

The Miya twins were running towards them, Suna trailing casually behind. He wondered what the second year trios were up to again.

“Omimi-senpai is being hit on!” The blonde Miya raised his pointy finger towards the gym exit doors.

“Someone’s hitting our senpai?!” The brown-haired wing spiker rolled his sleeves and clenched his hands as if readying himself for battle, “Let’s go as back-up!”

“Tone it down, Ginjima.” Kita interrupted as he finished folding his uniform. Once he put it neatly inside his gym bag, he looked up at Atsumu to inquire further. “Is Omimi speaking to a foreign-looking lady?”

The setter nodded his head eagerly and grabbed Suna’s phone from his hand. “Look at this, captain!” He pointed at the photo of the 3rd year middle blocker conversing with an angelic looking girl. The whole team gathered around him to look at the subject of interest, curiosity dancing in the air.

“Uh, should we worry about Omimi-san or the girl?” Inarizaki’s libero remarked as he stared at the unfamiliar figure in the photo.

“I think her name is Moitié.” Aran stated. “She is Omimi’s girl-”

“Speaking of the devil!” Osamu cut in as two figures entered the gym. The girl’s shy but gentle smile rendered them in awe.

Not for long though because Kosaku ran up to his senpai and coddled his arms, “Omimi-san, where’ev you been. You promised we’d have dinner tonight!”

“Yer still sleeping over at ours right?” Atsumu jumped up behind Omimi’s back and wrapped his legs around his waist. Osamu followed suit and clung onto his legs like a koala would to a tree.

Suna wasted no time and took excessive photos at varying angles. These will definitely be in the yearbook he mused to himself.

Kita sighed and approached your giggling figure, “Y/N-san, please pardon my teammates' behaviour. Although it is nice to see you again.”

“It’s all good Kita-san. I find it amusing.” You smiled warmly and nodded your head at Omimi. The latter smiled softly and grabbed your hand.

“Everyone, meet my girlfriend.”

A resounding consecutive gasps echoed in the gym, their mouths left agape with surprised whispers shared between a few.

Atsumu pointed his finger between the two of you accusingly. How is it that he himself, blessed by the gods for his fine and attractive features, does not have a girlfriend yet and his stoic but, yes, still good looking senpai does first?

Two big oh’s resembling that of a donut hole was all Suna and Osamu could muster.

Akagi was also still deep in thought when you spoke up. “Hello, pleased to meet you all!”

“It is nice to finally meet you in person, Moitié-san.” Aran extended his hand for a handshake but Omimi choked on his saliva as you laughed at the possible misunderstanding.

“Moitié is an endearment that means ‘my other half’, Y/N is my name, Aran-san.”

“Oh.” The color in his face drained from embarrassment. “Oh. Oh, I always thought that was your name because that’s what Omimi has on his contact list.” The sudden realization hit him like a truck, he almost would have been isekai’d to a fantasy world where he’d be reborn as a talking tree. “Oh. Omg I’m sorry.” Aran put up both his hands on his face from awkwardness.

“Did Omimi-senpai threaten you?” Kosaku whispered to which you laughed at what you presumed was a joke.

“No, silly. We met at a cosplay convention last year and have kept in contact since then.”

“I’m not sure if I should focus on the fact that Omimi-senpai is dating a foreigner or that he went to a cosplay convention.”

“I cosplayed Zoro from One-Piece.” Omimi said matter-of-factly so simply as if telling a grade schooler that 1+1 is 2.

“YOU COSPLAY?!” Inarizaki’s team were all astoundedly in disbelief at the surprising fact. All except for Kita.

Of course, he would know. It’s one of those things Omimi would talk over a hot cup of tea.

#haikyuu #haikyū!!#haikyuu fic #hq fic #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #inarizaki #omimi ren #omimi x reader #kita shinsuke #haikyuu miya atsumu #miya osamu #suna rintarou #ojiro aran #ginjima hitoshi #kosaku yuuto #akagi michinari

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youmarin · 3 months

Text

Now Recruiting! ft. Inarizaki VB Boys - Part 8: Inarizaki v.s. Itachiyama

Summary: It’s time for the Summer Interhigh Tournament. Rivals face each other. And after, what will the next semester bring to the boys and Miss Manager?

Word count: 3,690 + Extra 12 (214)

previous, series masterlist

“Oi! I’m leaving, you know! Exhausting yourselves won’t help you out.”

“Just one more.” The setter said as he made his starting run. One. Two. Three. Four. Jump floater. Suna, who was on the other side of it, wasn't able to discern the real trajectory - or maybe he was already tired and began to half ass-, and took position too far up front. He received it. The only problem is he did so with his face. “Holy fuck!” Atsumu cursed and ran over to him.

“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 wasn’t 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 semifinals 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.

A/N: Hello, dear readers! It’s been a while - a year 💀-. Happy 2024! I hope you’re all well and safe. I’m happy to see people are still enjoying and showing love to this series. And here we are with part 8! Funny, I started writing this part the day I posted part 7 and it took me this long to finish it. The extra was just added. I got a little confused with the tournaments’s stuff lol but I figured shit out (I think). Not that anything needs to be accurate but yk, helps the writing flow. Happy reading and see you next time, whenever that is! **slow updates**

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kanekoii · 3 months

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mechatu-a being your boyfriend <3

mika’s notes -> i love niji jp sm y’all don’t even know and this group has most of my oshis too-

pairings -> saiki ittetsu, akagi wen, usami rito, hibachi mana, hoshirube shou, murakumo kagetsu, koyanagi rou, inami rai x gn! reader (all seperate)

genre -> scenario, fluff

song -> perfect hero - mechatu-a (cover)

warnings -> canonical hero stuff, i love these fellas!!, they’re all simps lmao

SAIKI ITTETSU ->

when i say he’s naturally a loud person i mean it. of course, he still has your best interests at heart during his more chaotic moments. given his somewhat intimidating exterior, it was a little surprising to learn that he was a hero after all. if anything, he’s the anti-hero the group needs to ensure some unruly people are put in their place with his deep and intimidating voice. yet behind closed doors, he’s such a sweetheart! always sharing his food with you and gladly sitting down with you just to chat on the longer work days. being a hero isn’t just beating up bad guys after all! there’s also a decent amount of celebrity work that goes into it, so please allow him to take time out of his schedule to love and pay attention to you, because nothing could make him happier.

AKAGI WEN ->

unlike ittetsu, he doesn’t wait until he’s behind closed doors to be a total sweetheart to his beloved partner. he’s always cooking meals for you, and he’ll be absolutely over the moon if you offer to help. if you’re okay with your relationship with this cheery hero, he will talk about you constantly in interviews and such! wen just wants the whole world to know he loves you to the moon and back! ultimately, he wouldn’t trade his relationship with you for the whole world. he’ll come home to you late at night sometimes with a plushie and a dessert for you as a sort of apology for possibly worrying you, seeing as he was out so late. absolute and total soft little sweetheart boyfriend who just wants to make you happy so please reassure him sometimes and do something for him in return!

USAMI RITO ->

this foodie hero’s love language is absolutely sharing his snacks with you. seeing as he often treats food as if it’s the only thing in the world that matters, it’s a real honor that he’s willing to share with you! he’s a bit of the chaotic dad of the group, so if you date him, you’d likely end up taking on a caretaker role to the other heroes too. he’s very cheesy with his shows of affection, it’s his way of saying he doesn’t care what others think and that even if he’s technically a public figure, you’re the only one he wants in the whole world. his ideal date would likely be bringing your favorite snacks home with him and watching movies while he cuddles with you! like the others, he’s a total softie even if his job as a hero doesn’t necessarily favor that due to questionable moral situations he may be put in. he’s not as upfront about his relationship with you, but he mentions it offhandedly every once in a while to remind people that he loves you oh so much.

HIBACHI MANA ->

your relationship with him most definitely started as friends and slowly evolved into something more, mostly without either of you noticing. most definitely a friends to lovers situation, because he had been your best friend since childhood. this hero has always been a very sweet and kind person, but especially towards you. his love for you most definitely would stand the rest of time as he continued his hero work. despite stress and injury, you were always there for him no matter what. it really made mana have a new appreciation for your relationship when you would drop everything to comfort him. he knows his job isn’t the most favorable for romantic relationships, but the fact that you stay with him despite that just makes his heart flutter when he thinks about it.

HOSHIRUBE SHOU ->

seeing as he’s much more of a quiet type, it was surprising he even allowed his feelings for you to be heard in the first place. especially considering how shy and quiet he is, having someone he loves as much as you is a blessing. he knows he's not the best with expressing affection verbally, but he makes up for it by always holding your hand or hugging or kissing you. in a way, it's easier to express than saying he loves you. of course, that doesn't mean shou doesn't love you with all his heart. the first time he audibly says the words "i love you", his face is covered in blush. he hides it behind his purple and blue hair, voice shaking slightly out of nervousness. he still blushes when you take the initiative and kiss him first, even if you’ve kissed hundreds of times. showing affection in public makes him very flustered, but he still holds your hand in front of other people just to show everyone that he loves you!

MURAKUMO KAGETSU ->

simply put, you’re everything to this ninja hero. he’s much more private about his relationship so many people wouldn’t even know he had a significant other aside from his closest friends. he reassures you constantly that he isn’t ashamed or anything of the like, just that it might cause danger for you due to the relatively risky nature of his work as a hero. ultimately, it’s just to keep you safe. as soon as he’s certain of your safety, he’ll be parading you about and talking about you every single chance he gets just to show the world how much he adores you. there’s a picture of you and him together in his phone case as a sort of motivator when his hero work has him down, cuz if nothing else, he has you to come home to every day. he has you to hug and kiss and pour all his love into at the end of every day. coming through the door to your shared home and seeing you is his absolute favorite thing in the world. especially if kagetsu is home especially late and sees you sleeping on the couch waiting for him, his heart just melts on the spot.

KOYANAGI ROU ->

most definitely a more condescending type who teases you over the smallest things sometimes. he can’t help it, it’s just his love language! rou isn’t really the best with being super affectionate, so please understand that him teasing you is how he shows he loves you. of course, he occasionally shows more traditional signs of love and affection such as buying you gifts or cuddling with you, but he just isn’t that affectionate of a person. please don’t let it get you down or make it think he doesn’t love you, because he really warms up to the idea of being affectionate after dating you for a while. behind closed doors at least, he’ll be wrapped around you all day and night commenting on how cute you are and how he just loves you so so much! he would never let his friends or fellow heroes see him in such a state though, they would never let him hear the end of it and he’s the one who teases other people, not the other way around! once in a blue moon, his friends will see him kiss your cheek or forehead though, and just as expected, he will never hear the end of it.

INAMI RAI ->

the mechanic prefers just having you by his side as he works on his newest invention or tinkers with his fellow hero’s gear to hopefully improve it. just sitting and chatting with you while he tinkers with things is his favorite pastime because he gets to mess with mechanical things and talk to his beloved!! he has a bunch of pictures of you at his work station as well as in his phone case just like kagetsu! his fellow heroes end up getting pretty annoyed with the way rai won’t shut up about you, but he thinks of you so highly that he could barely even convey how much he loves you in words. doesn’t mean he doesn’t try tho, cuz he does…he talks for hours just about how much he loves you. at first, he was scared to ask you out and rou had to put him up to it. both of them were absolutely taken aback when you actually agreed to go out with rai, and ESPECIALLY when you started seeing him regularly and made your relationship official.

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cheesus-doodles · 1 month

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The Flag We Serve Under: Chapter 4

Yandere Azur Lane

Masterlist

‎‎‎

< Chapter 1 | 2 | 3

hello! not dead, but kinda busy - TR will be back next week :)

Something was off.

There was no question about that fact in your mind, your unusually silent phone gripped tightly in hand even as you tried your best to push the uncomfortable feeling to the back of your head temporarily and refocus your attention on the present. And standing atop the highest natural point, surveying the seemingly endless blanket of pink cherry blossoms that covered the Sakura Nation’s mainland far below your feet, it would have been all too easy to do so, to push such turbulent thoughts aside and away.

After all, it was a respite from the turmoil and turbulence of the world outside of these isles; here, your troubles seemed so far away. There was no headquarters, no officers breathing down your neck, no subordinates clamoring for your time and attention for one matter or another. The breeze that swept through your hair rustled the leaves gently as you allowed yourself to bask in the stillness, the sounds of life just barely starting to echo up from the streets a stone’s throw away. It was peaceful, a tranquility you could barely remember from a time before joining the Azur Lane that sang in your veins, a slight floral scent that permeated the very air tickling at your nose.

On the far side of the island, the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, the light of dawn staining the clouds and gentle distant waves with pastel colors.

You could stay here, you mused, a nice long vacation away from your exhausting schedule, if not forever.

But one glance back at the battle-worn aircraft carrier far out from the island where it was docked, a mere speck floating atop calm, azure seas from this distance, was enough to shake you from your momentary delusions; you were here to do a job. A highly sensitive mission, and it was too quiet. Unnaturally so.

You weren’t the only one who thought as such either, you noted, spotting Enterprise frown down similarly at her phone out of the corner of your eye, the white of her hair catching the sunlight as she lifted the small device higher into the sky in a bid to get a signal, and your mind returned to your initial conundrum as you glanced down at your own phone once more. Why couldn’t you reach anyone back at base, or anywhere else for that matter? Could anyone reach you?

The lack of the endless notification of messages and updates that usually plague your phone was noticeably gone, but you were sure that it wasn’t just yours and Enterprise’s whose signals have been (allegedly) jammed. Chancing a glimpse back at the two quiet Sakura light cruisers girls standing behind you, their gazes respectfully lowered from yours. Kawakaze and Noshiro, you reminded yourself - why didn’t they have communicators? Or rather, why didn’t it seem like they were using any? Not a single cackle of static, or a mumble of acknowledgement, or even the accidental ping of a message since you had arrived on the island last evening: no doubt the sudden electronic void it was starting to get to you.

“Is there something wrong, Commander?” Nagato’s child-like voice pierced through your thoughts like an arrow, and you startled back to reality, stumbling backwards slightly at the realization of just how close those amber eyes were to yours. You hadn’t even heard her arrive. And when did she get so close?

“Ah- La-Nagato,” was all you managed to stammer out in your shock, before you caught yourself, straightening up to your full height. “You’re up early.” Your first mistake of the day. The embarrassment at your stupid straight-forward observation instantly set in, and you felt like you had put your foot straight into your mouth. Sure, you were attempting to avoid her question, still in the midst of considering whether you should bring up your connectivity troubles to someone that Headquarters has time and time again labeled as enemies, but to say something so lame? In front of the Sakura Emperor?

But the other did not take offense nor laugh at your trip up, the black-haired girl instead seeming to study your face carefully before replying. “I was informed that you had left your accommodation before day break, and I came to meet you at the earliest possible time,” she clarified, her small hands folding neatly over the red of her dress, though she made no move to back away. “I apologize if I have startled you, Commander.”

You waved off her apologies, straightening your own officer coat. “No, it’s fine, I was just a little surprised.” And then, you hesitated - your second mistake.

Cursing internally, you didn’t miss her right fox ear twitching slightly as you answered, nor the brief questioning look she threw at Kawakaze and Noshiro before her attention returned to you. “So is there something wrong, Commander?” Her voice this time more firm, the demand clear in her tone.

Fuck fuck fuck. You should have known better than to take this conversation with Nagato head-on unprepared - even in your dealings with her all those years ago, she had always been sharp as an arrow and well-versed in the game of politics. How could she not be, having to handle not only those of her court but also the likes of Iron Blood and Vichya Dominion? The sudden tension was heavy on your shoulders as you tried your best to keep your gaze unwavering from her pointed one, your thoughts a turbulent sea in your mind even amidst the now-uncomfortable silence. What now? What should you do?

You wished that you could have more time to turn the situation over a few times over your books, have the opportunity to consult with your senior office or Alabama, or just to think about it a while longer. The reality of the situation, however, was that the strain between you and the Sakura Emperor had spread to the other shipgirls gathered on the hilltop, and the hostility was threatening to spill over. Spotting Enterprise just to your right, her once-relaxed stance now taut with tension, narrowed violet eyes scanning the two light cruiser girls flanking Nagato, there was no doubt. Even if none had yet to summon their riggings, you knew your time was ticking. What you had in your hands was a live bomb, and you had to solve this. Now.

Taking a breath, you swallowed your anxiety and made your decision.

‎

The world finally breathed again as you held out one hand, signaling to Enterprise to stand down. “We’ve been having some issues with contacting anyone at base since last night,” you confirmed, your gaze shifting off of Nagato to glance warily at Kawakaze and Noshiro still in their alert position, hands resting lightly on their sheathed weapons. You could hope that you had made the right decision to divulge such sensitive information; after all, in the right hands, it was a glaring vulnerability. “I thought it might have been a one-off issue, but it is starting to get concerning that I can’t get a signal, even on the highest point I could find.”

You trusted Nagato not to exploit the weakness you had just handed her on a silver platter, but despite that, you still had your own nagging suspicions; you couldn’t have absolute certainty that the Sakura Empire hadn’t cut its own connections to the outside world upon your arrival to the island nation. Why they would do that was beyond you, given Naval Headquarters was aware that you were here, but it was too far-fetched. And it seemed the black-haired girl in front of you understood the unspoken implications immediately, fox ears swirling to face forward even as those amber eyes remained steely. “The lines are working fine. I have spoken recently with Prinz Eugen from Iron Blood. Perhaps there was no one to answer when you rang because of the time differences, but I’m certain that you’ll get a reply soon.”

Of course you doubted that; at the very least Alabama would have picked up no matter what time of day - you knew she would be worried sick if you didn’t ring her the minute you arrived. But you didn’t want to call Nagato a liar outright and certainly not to her face, opting to accept her reasoning at face value until either you had the bandwidth to investigate further or drop the matter upon your departure. Whatever came first. You simply nodded, opting to say nothing more on the matter and slipped your phone quietly back into the pocket of your skirt. “Alright, I’ll try again later.”

Enterprise, however, wasn’t convinced. “Commander, but-”

“It’s fine, Enterprise,” you repeated, bodily turning to throw a stern glance at the uneasy aircraft carrier, who fell silent. You understood her, but this wasn’t the right time, and even if she was a well-respected veteran, you were still the commander. Once more, returning to face the short-statured emperor, you kept your expression as leveled as you could manage, unwilling to show any further weaknesses. “Will your entourage not be at ease? I assure you we are unarmed.” Or as unarmed as an aircraft carrier without her riggings on could be, at least.

“At ease, Kawakaze, Noshiro,” the other immediately commanded, and said light cruisers relaxed their stance, arms falling back to their sides.

“I had a look at the schedule yesterday, Nagato, but I understand there have been some changes?”

Nagato waved at you, inviting you to walk with her, her massive riggings swinging smoothly aside to give you space as the bells that decorated her dress jingled lightly. “Yes, there has been. I have another urgent meeting to attend, and Akagi is eager to meet you over breakfast. I shall join you once my meeting has concluded.”

‎

Despite the arduously trained self-control that Nagato is known for, every one of the carefully constructed walls in her mind, built to keep her emotions at bay, was on the verge of catastrophic collapse as she pushed past Kawakaze, black hair streaming out behind her. ”I messed up I messed up I messed up-” The words mumbled repeatedly under her breath echoed her own spiraling thoughts as the forest of cherry blossom trees overhead gave way to traditional houses, tiled roofs shimmering slightly in the light of the morning sun.

It had been five minutes since she had left you outside the doors of the meeting hall where Akagi and Kaga were waiting, along with Noshiro to watch over you.

The sun was creeping ever higher into the sky, the pink of dawn having faded away into a cloudless blue sky. Hearing the hurried steps of her personal handmaiden attempting to catch up did little to slow her own pace, not with Nagato being hardly in the right headspace to bother. What had just happened was an absolute disaster, to say the least, and it took everything she had left to stop the tears from welling up and spilling over right that instance.

She thought you would be proud of her for putting on a brave, professional front in front of Enterprise, after all that that white-haired carrier had done to the Sakura Empire - instead, all she saw was the stern glint in your eyes as you failed to praise her or pat her head like you always did, and even rebuked her entourage. Were you mad at her? Why were you siding with that Eagle Union ship instead of her? Have you already forgotten everything that you had gone through together?

A sniff snuck out before she could stop it, and Nagato hurriedly pressed her sleeve to her nose, turning one final corner onto a quiet, narrow alley and away from the growing crowds along the main streets; the last thing she wanted was for her subjects to see their Emperor in such a pathetic state. Barely noticing as she swept past the ancient stone walls marking the transition from public place to her private abode at the end of a small, unassuming street, the ambient sounds of life faded away into the background as the architecture style of buildings around the two aged. The black-haired girl, lost in her thoughts, continued to trod silently down the meandering path, her feet bringing her to the majestic wooden hall at the end of the walkway.

The pair of slippers left neatly on the steps in front of the silk screen doors of the reception room was the only sign that her guest had already arrived. The emperor hastened to remove her own - it would be rude to keep guests waiting any longer, after all - though she did pause to instruct Kawakaze to return to your side, before sliding open the doors and disappearing inside. She would rather not find out what Akagi would get up to if she kept her attention off of the fox-tailed aircraft carrier for too long, even more so around you.

‎

The private reception room was simply yet tastefully decorated, just as Nagato liked it. A traditional Sakura style, the emperor picked her way across the tatami mats that she knew like the back of her hand, the dark cherry wood with its small but delicate flourishes combined with screens decorated with cranes and flowers enough to bring a certain grandeur to the room. Rounding the corner, the back of a black-purple coat was what took up most of her vision, with the tall lady wearing it faced away from the entrance, though it was clear that she was aware of the newcomer, those equally large fox ears twitching slightly at the footsteps that echoed across the otherwise silent room.

With speed that was rather unbecoming of royalty, Nagato quickly moved to join her at the table, folding her legs under her as she sat. ”I apologize for my tardiness, Musashi. There was an unexpected delay.”

But much to her surprise, said woman only moved to take a sip of steaming tea before those bronze eyes turned to meet amber ones. “Why the suppressed tears, child?”

It wasn’t a question Nagato was expecting, and she blinked. How did she know? “I told you, I am no child, Musashi,” the black-haired girl finally managed to protest, though her indignation did not last long as she found herself swept up and pressed into the other’s large bosom, nor did she deny. Compared with the Yamato-class Battleship, even the weight of her riggings was barely a deterrent.

Musashi simply smiled at the objection as she kept up her stroking, gently running one hand over Nagato’s silky hair in a calming gesture. It reminded Nagato greatly of the same way you would pat her head to the point that she wondered if perhaps the two of you had met before, before shaking off the ludicrous idea - no, there was no way. “You can tell me anything,” the taller of the two soothed. “Your safe haven is here.”

The larger battleship’s assurance was enough for the usually stoic Sakura Emperor to cave, allowing her emotions to well up and show on her face - the first in a while. “I think I made her mad,” Nagato found herself whimpering out into Musashi’s dress, tiny fists clenched around black fur tight enough for her knuckles to turn white. The world seemed to fall completely silent, the smaller girl doing her best to bite back and swallow down any other sounds of distress, though several still managed to slip out; even if she was allowed to be vulnerable in the privacy of this reception room, it just wasn’t very like her to do so. But she simply couldn’t get her thoughts off of you - what if you hated her? What if you wanted nothing more to do with her?

“This person who you supposedly made angry,” Musashi’s voice broke both the stillness and the thoughts swirling around in her tumultuous mind. “Is it the commander that the Azur Lane sent for negotiations?”

Nagato felt her nerves calm a little - the lack of admonishment coming from her trusted advisor on her moment of weakness was comforting. She took a deep breath. “Yes.”

A hum, as the other pondered for a moment. “I saw her arrival yesterday evening, but I’m afraid I have not had the chance to make her acquaintance. Why do you think you made her mad?”

At that moment, all the turmoil reared its head again. “She- she didn’t side with me.” But even as Nagato spoke out, she felt her cheeks flush - Musashi was right, she sounded so childish. Yet what ugly, ugly jealousy churning in her gut failed to fade. “She chastised me for not keeping Kawakaze and Noshiro in order.”

“I see.” A pause, and the two took the time to sip at their tea.

“But let us put that matter aside,” the Sakura Emperor finally continued, delicately placing her cup back down on the spotless wooden table. “I assume there is something that you wished to bring to my attention urgently, Musashi.”

“Indeed. We can take this up personally with the Commander at a later time. You do not have to do this alone, I shall be there with you to settle this matter,” Even as Musashi acknowledged the change in topic, the smile that pulled at the corners of her lips didn’t drop with the increase in severity of the matter they were discussing. “Two Iron Blood ships have been spotted within Sakura territorial waters, but they did not get close enough for the patrol to positively identify them.”

‎

Back across the high seas, the clear night sky studded with stars stretched out to meet the ocean’s abyss horizon in the distance, the remaining lights that dotted the empty streets of the forward base reflected in the bobbing waves splashing up against stone seawalls. Yet, it was peaceful seas and tranquil darkness that hid the turmoil churning just under the surface - this much South Dakota was certain of. Most of the shipgirls had long gone to bed, save for those on night watch, though even their patrols wouldn’t bring them to this isolated part of the island.

So why was she here? The tanned battleship let out a sigh, leaning back onto the wall, her black hair shimmering as it caught a stray silver of yellow light from the nearest lamp. She wasn’t even on duty tonight, and tomorrow was no doubt going to be an equally long day. It was nothing more than a gut feel that led her to wait here, and she was starting to question it as the minutes ticked by. But right as South Dakota was about to call it quits and retire for the night, a rustle of leaves and a sudden flash of white ponytails caught her eye amidst the clumps of bushes. Bingo.

Standing from where she had been seated all these hours, the Eagle Union ship stretched, allowing the satisfied grunt to leave her lips, making her presence known. “And where do you think you’re going?”

Alabama barely slowed in her trudge across the grassy area. “Where do you think I’m going?” Came Alabama’s response, her white coat flourishing as she swung it around, slipping it on in one graceful movement as she stalked past her older sister with no hesitation.

No response was needed - both of them already knew what the answer was. And she understood where her youngest sister was coming from, she really did. It was impossible to miss the heavy tension that weighed down every room Alabama entered after she had returned without you, the same weight that only grew with every passing hour.

A few quick steps was all it took for South Dakota to catch up to the white-haired girl even with the other’s long, fast strides, and one more was enough for her to blockade the other’s path. “I can’t let you leave. Orders from the Commander.”

That last phase didn’t sit well at all with Alabama as she tried to step past South Dakota. “The Commander is missing,” the last word practically hissed.

But the older of the two wasn’t phased. “Missing is a rather strong word.” South Dakota might have been a new transfer to your command as well to this particular forward base, but there was no doubt about one thing. She knew above all else that Alabama was extremely attached to you, and she was in turn your closest confidant, having been together right from the start of your journey as a Fleet Commander. “Have you at least passed this by Bunker Hill?”

“I’m her secretary,” with the unspoken question of why she needs to pass anything by said carrier, despite Alabama knowing full well that it was the other in charge of the Eagle Union division of your fleet up until your return and not her.

South Dakota tried again. “She has an escort, doesn’t she?”

A pause, before the older of the two felt the tension in the air grow. “I’m going to find her.” Oops. Seems like that was the wrong question.

South Dakota sighed, this time moving to grab her sister’s arm. “I can’t let you. Commander’s orders.” She had been warned beforehand by Bunker Hill of the probability of Alabama sneaking off as she was passing down your orders, and the battleship could only guess that Bunker Hill herself had in turn been forewarned by you. Whatever mission you were on, it was certainly extremely classified if you were taking such precautions.

Yet, the tanned black-haired woman mused as Alabama started to struggle in her grip, she had also heard of the stories about you and your past that floated around Naval HQ, passed between the other commanders and shipgirls. It was something that she was certain Alabama remained unaware about just yet. But it wasn’t her place to tell the youngest of the South Dakota-class battleships and get herself into unimaginable trouble that only god knows about, instead opting to turn her attention back to the current brewing storm. “She just could be busy.”

“She hasn’t picked up her phone in two days, not even a text,” Alabama retorted. “Something’s wrong.”

“Have you tried calling again?”

“The whole day,” Alabama snapped back, the ire that had been hiding beneath her unbothered exterior finally rearing up, though at least she did stop trying to break free. “What makes you think I haven’t been trying again and again?”

The namesake of the class only sighed. “Look, how about we bring this up to Bunker Hill first? You don’t even know where to start looking.”

Red eyes stiffly met gold ones, as if assessing whether the other’s intentions were genuine. It was clear just how protective Alabama was of you, this much was certain, but there were better ways to go about elevating her concerns rather than rushing out into the abyss of the oceans. The chirping of insects, accompanied by the soft symphony of the waves, was all that filled the night as the two finally turned to head back towards the base, with South Dakota sticking closely to her youngest sister.

Whatever the next day brought, it was bound to be downhill from here for a while.

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certain-arcade-dinosaur · 8 months

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Inarizaki!Manager

A Brief Look Into Her First Year

a/n: hello you lovely little croissants. This is the very first instalment of my inarizaki manager au. Hope you enjoy :)

Ikeda Yusuzu is a third year student at Inarizaki High along with Kita, Aran, Omimi and Akagi.

She is one smart girl. Like she's in class 7, the college prep class and has been the manager of the boy's volleyball team since she was in middle school and she works a part time job.

She is incredibly hard working and aims to be a physiotherapist for athletes once she finishes high school.

Her homelife is a bit complicated with an absent mother and a borderline abusive father but she tries her best to not let it affect her.

She went to the same middle school as Kita and was the manager for his team as well but was not that close to him as he was not a regular player and had never played on the court officially even as a bench warmer.

They became closer near the end of their last year in middle school and were close friends by the time their high school started.

Another girl had also gotten accepted along with her but she quit halfway through the year because the third years treated her terribly.

The third year starters when she was a freshman were really the most insufferable bastards. They would act like they were above all the others and constantly mock and belittle them about the smallest of mistakes.

Aran and Kita took the brunt of it. Aran because he was the only first year in the starting run-up and Kita because deep down they were jealous of him.

Yusuzu almost punched their captain because he had called Kita a f*g. It took Aran physically holding her back to stop her from getting kicked out of the club.

Kita scolded her quite a bit while simultaneously reassuring her that he did not care about what other people called him afterwards but at the same time he was flustered that she cared so much for him.

Akagi engaged in a proper conversation with her for the first time after the almost-punching incident because she was extremely cool of her to be ready to get out of the club to protect her friend.

Omimi just started being there after some time and none of the other third years minded.

After the midterms had passed, Kita came out as bisexual to her and she hugged him so tight he could hardly breathe but it was also the time where he had felt the safest.

Later, Yusuzu's first year of high school ended without much happening but she did gain a few lifelong friends.

#inarizaki!manager #oc #my oc #haikyuu manager #haikyuu x reader #inarizaki x reader #ikeda yusuzu #kita shinsuke #ojiro aran #akagi michinari #ren omimi #miya atsumu #miya osamu #suna rintarou #ginjima hitoshi #haikyuu!!

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esshee · 1 year

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𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 CHAPTER 08. OF LOCKERS, TRINKETS, AND ROACHES

「 In which the Inarizaki Boys' Volleyball Team sometimes test your patience and make you proud of them. 」

✩ pairing. inarizaki & f!manager!reader (platonic)

✩ genre. slice of life, fluff, humour, friendship

✩ warnings. cockroaches

✩ wc. 4.7k

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“Yakisoba… Croquette… Curry… Yakisoba…” you murmured under your breath, rummaging through the plastic bag full of chouripan your fellow second years requested for after you lost three rounds of Janken.

The twins definitely cheated, you insisted when you thought back to their knowing tells.

“Are those for the others?”

You fumbled with the bag in your arms, almost losing your grip from being startled, and slowly raised your head to meet the concerned expression on Kita's face.

“Oh… Kita-san,” you sighed in relief, “ya scared me.”

“Ya startle pretty easily,” Kita noted with downturned lips. “You tend to get absorbed in your tasks, but ya should pay attention to your surroundings more.”

You let out a nervous chuckle and readjusted your grip on the bag. “I’ll try to. Anyway, what’s up, Kita-san? It’s not like you to leave yer classroom for lunch.”

Kita glanced around. “I wanted to discuss something with you,” he soon replied.

“O…kay…?”

You shifted closer to the windows so that you didn't block the halls. A couple of your classmates waved at you from afar, and you returned the greetings before raising your brow at the captain.

Kita uncharacteristically hesitated as he opened his mouth, and he seemed…almost…apologetic?

“What…" You cleared your throat, "what is it?”

“[Surname], we need to clean the lockers.”

You blinked. That’s…it?

“[Surname]?”

“What's the issue with cleaning the lockers?”

“[Surname],” Kita shook his head in exasperation. “This is no simple matter. There’s been a very strange smell coming from one of the lockers. No one seems to have noticed except for me.”

You scrunched your nose at the phantom smell you imagined, “Ugh, gross.”

“It concerns me that no one else has mentioned the stench, so I thought it would be best to discuss this with ya.” Kita explained, "I would have cleaned it myself, but…that locker appears to be more of a hassle than I thought."

“We’ll hafta have a chat with the coaches,” you mentioned as you shifted the plastic bag in your arms.

“Let’s talk with them at the start of practice,” he suggested. “We’re always the first ones there.”

You hummed in agreement, giving a thumbs up while holding the bag of chouripan.

“Have a good rest of the day,” Kita raised his hand to bid you farewell.

“You too!” You smiled at him and then watched as he turned around to make his way back to his classroom.

If only everyone else can be like Kita-san, you internally groaned, dreading the mess ahead of you. I’ve never seen him look so…spooked like that.

With that thought, you turned on your heel and trudged over to the classroom where your fellow second years were waiting for their lunch.

"What took ya so long? We're hungry!” Osamu demanded as soon as you stepped foot into Atsumu and Ginjima’s homeroom.

“Patience, children, patience,” you clicked your tongue and pulled out the chouripan from the bag.

Osamu practically lunged for his croquette bread as you took a clever step back. Suna flinched from beside the ravenous beast before thanking you for his curry bread.

“Thanks, [Surname],” Ginjima burped out around a mouthful of yakisoba bread.

You grimaced at the food being sprayed and shifted away from Ginjima. “We still have plenty of time to eat. There's no need to scarf it down." You carefully opened the plastic for your melonpan.

“What do people say? You will get three mon when you wake up early?” Atsumu mused.

“Wow, are ya complimenting me?” you huffed, knowing full well that wasn’t the blonde’s intention.

“Huh?”

“You’re basically sayin’ that you only got to enjoy this delicious food because of me,” you quipped.

“Really?”

“Did you just say that to sound smart?” Suna rolled his eyes.

Atsumu only chomped down on his lunch and avoided eye contact with you and Suna.

Normally, you would have continued to tease your friend, but you chose to hold your tongue at that moment.

Kita-san’ll probably rip them a new one for making the lockers into a mess. Though you weren't sure they were the culprits of the smell, you had an inkling feeling that the cleanup was not going to be limited to that one locker.

After you and Kita explained the state of the locker rooms to Coach Kurosu and Coach Oomi, the two eagerly permitted you to use the coming practice as a time to clean the lockers. The assistant coach even mouthed you two a 'good luck' before turning to his paperwork with gusto you’ve never seen from him before.

“That was surprisingly easy,” you muttered as you and Kita left their office and walked to the gym.

“I believe Coach Kurosu has seen his fair share of grime,” he responded with a slight shrug.

“Probably,” you agreed as Kita pulled open the gym door and motioned for you to enter first.

“Yer late!” Atsumu pointed at the two of you with narrowed eyes. “Ya know the drill for—”

“Too bad for you; we’re in charge,” you interrupted, wanting to get this cleanup over and done with. Truthfully, you were afraid of rifling through their lockers and stumbling upon something gross.

Confused whispers broke out as soon as those words left your lips.

“Did we do something wrong?”

“Is Coach sick or somethin’?”

“But I saw him earlier today!”

“Does he want us to die!?”

The corner of your lip quirked up at that. You knew that you and Kita could make a frightening duo when dealing with the rowdy team; you could only hope that you could instill the fear of God in the boys to take the cleanup with the proper attention it deserved.

Kita glanced at you, prompting you to stride forward and face the team.

“Boys,” you started pointedly. “Yer gonna clean up the mess you created.”

To get them all to settle down, you purposefully omitted that you were going to help because they wouldn't take the cleaning seriously if they knew you were going to clean up their mess for them.

The noise died down into silence.

“Mess…?” Akagi echoed in uncertainty.

“But we always clean up after ourselves,” Oomimi piped in.

“Clearly, your 'clean up' is not enough,” Kita finally cut in with an edge to his voice.

Everyone waited for the captain to say more, but he simply stared them down, silently willing them to subjugation.

Aran shifted his weight to his right foot and wrung his hands together. “So…what are we cleanin’?”

You and Kita exchanged a knowing glance with one another before focusing back on the team.

“The lockers.”

“...”

“Oh, shit.”

“Don’tcha think Kita-san’d love to be reborn as a Roomba?” Atsumu whispered to you, monitoring the captain swiftly take out the junk from the lockers and put them in the trash pile.

You shot him an unimpressed frown in return. “And you’d love to be reborn as trash, wouldn’t ya? Just…take a look at the mess you’ve made!”

“Oh, c’mon! It’s not that bad!”

You did not deign to respond to your childhood friend and crouched down beside Kita to help. The locker was practically a garbage bin, cluttered with loose and crumpled papers, barely readable receipts, unfolded plastic bags, and wrappers of all sorts.

“Which one's the recycling bag?” you asked.

“This one here,” Kita pulled the large bag from behind him and handed it over to you. “Put on your gloves and mask.”

You reached for the one-time-use rubber gloves and gingerly slipped them on. They were a little too big on you, but they would work to protect you from the deep cleaning you were about to perform. Then, you carefully put on the surgical mask and immediately got to work.

After a few moments of surgically sorting through the trash and tossing the recyclables inside the bag, you noticed the team just crowding around the doorway.

“Whatcha doin’ just standin' there?” you ground out in ire, Kansai-ben coming out thick. “Get. Cleanin’.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

You studied the team as they scrambled to put on their gloves and masks.

When Oomimi and Akagi opened their lockers and started clearing away trash that accumulated over the past few months (…dare I think since the last cleanin', you sighed), Suna and Ginjima followed suit.

Aran offered to take your place, knowing that you wanted to survey the team and make sure they were cleaning properly, so you thanked him under your breath and beelined straight to the twins.

“Yer comin’ with me,” you grasped their arms in an iron grip and dragged the two behind you.

Unlike the others, you chose to open the empty lockers. The team didn't have permission to use them, but you had a feeling your boys didn't care about whether they had permission or not. And to prove that the empty lockers weren't actually empty, you peered into the locker, then robotically turned your head to the twins.

“Which…idiot…made slime and put it in here? Which one of you did it?”

The twins were quick to put the blame on the other.

“‘Tsumu.” “‘Samu.”

The rest of the team gathered around upon hearing the ruckus.

“Yer brotherly love is truly movin’ me to tears,” Aran deadpanned.

“‘Fess up,” you scowled.

Your best friends flinched, and only then did Osamu raise his hands in defeat. “Fine, fine. I’m the one who used that locker, but…I didn’t make slime! I only put the snacks we got from New Year’s.”

“So the snacks amalgamated into slime,” you concluded doubtfully. What kinda snacks morph into slime of all things?

“Well…there was cafeteria bread, milk, mochi, and other snacks!”

“No wonder it became slime,” Kita sighed, then turned to open the adjacent locker, leaving you to deal with the twins.

“Well?” You arched a brow and crossed your arms over your chest.

“I-I’m sorry,” Osamu bowed his head.

“I’m not looking for an apology here, Osamu.”

“Right…” he readjusted his mask and gloves, then started to peel off the slime from the locker.

“Atsumu.”

“I didn’t do anythin’!” The blonde twin cried defensively.

You ignored his comment, already tired from the cleaning you had done. “Go get some wet rags,” you paused as you eyed the locker room. “Actually, fill a bucket with water and grab the pile of rags on the shelf. They're the smaller ones in white—remember not to grab the maroon ones. Those towels are the ones you guys use.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He saluted before scurrying out of the locker room.

You watched Osamu miserably peel bits and pieces of the sticky slime off the bottom of the locker. These bits, however, clung to his gloves for dear life. He had to rub his gloves against the inside of the bag to get most of it off.

These gloves won’t last, you determined, feeling a bit nauseous from witnessing him handle the sticky yet clumpy slime.

Just as you were about to turn and get him a new pair of gloves, you caught sight of Osamu reeling back and nearly falling on his rear.

“What happened?” You rushed over in alarm, nausea forgotten in place of concern, “What is it?”

Osamu wordlessly pointed at the bottom of the locker, turning a little green in the face. Your eyes swivelled over to the area he was pointing at, and a harsh gasp escaped your lips.

To your absolute horror, beneath the slime lay a small pool of yellowish-brown liquid.

“Oh God…”

“Is that…garbage juice?”

“It looks like shit water.”

“For fuck’s sake, shut up, Gin.”

You nearly bumped into Kita when you took a step back.

“Careful,” he murmured before stopping a couple feet away from the unknown liquid.

“K-Kita-san?” Osamu jerked his head up in surprise.

The third year only scrutinized the puddle for a few seconds longer, then finally nodded once and turned to you. “I’ll take care of this, but we’re gonna have to wait until Atsumu comes back. I’ll wipe it down with a couple of rags, then throw them out since we don’t know what this liquid is. It shouldn’t be hazardous, but it’s better to just trash it.”

A stunned silence followed until you broke it.

“Kita-san…”

“Our hero!”

“You’re so brave…and kind, Shinsuke!”

“Hurray for Kita-san!”

Osamu gawked up at his captain with suspiciously glassy eyes, “Kita-san, a-are you sure…?”

“It’s fine,” Kita brushed off everyone’s praise. “But this won’t be happening again.”

“Yes, of course!” Osamu bobbed his head enthusiastically.

“Go clean out the other lockers. We still have a lot to do.”

Everyone immediately scampered away from the locker and resumed their cleaning, touched by Kita’s sacrifice and wanting to lessen his workload.

And so, when Atsumu finally re-emerged with a bucket in one fist and rags hooked under his arm, no one bothered to explain what had transpired in his absence. Even when he’d cried out, “What the fuck is that?” no one bothered to explain. Kita merely sauntered up to him, took a few rags, and let them soak up the liquid without a single word.

Thankfully, all of the lockers following the slime and liquid-filled one were rather simple and easy to clean—pulling out wrappers, forgotten t-shirts, papers, and other harmless miscellaneous items.

You peeked into the next locker and, to your pleasant surprise, saw some familiar trinkets inside.

“Who put losing tickets, sweets, and knick-knacks in here?” Kita frowned.

“Oh, that’s us,” Atsumu freely offered as the other second years gathered closer to take a look at the things Kita had pulled out and dumped into a pile.

“Man, I remember ya got these back in April,” Ginjima crowed in laughter.

“Not by choice!” Atsumu protested.

“It's cuz you lost Janken,” Osamu reminisced, undoubtedly fondly recalling his twin’s frustration at having lost the game.

You gingerly pulled out the knick-knacks and organized them into a separate pile, knowing that the boys would likely sift through them and fight over who would take them home after the deep cleaning.

Suna watched from above, “So why are there three of the same keychain?”

“Ah, Osamu bought a bunch that time ‘cause he didn’t get the one he wanted, 'member? He left the ones he didn’t want.” Ginjima replied, scratching the back of his ear.

“From the gachapon?”

“Yeah? I think so.”

“How nostalgic,” Suna chuckled.

“Yeah, I’m startin’ to remember that day,” Ginjima agreed with a goofy grin.

“Yeah…” Osamu smiled.

“Aw, now we can’t throw ‘em out! They’re our memories, Kita-san,” Atsumu attempted to appeal as he hovered over the crouched captain.

“I see,” Kita nodded once before indiscriminately reaching for the pile of trash beside him, “so it's trash then.”

“Are ya sayin’ our memories are trash!?”

“Think of our banner,” Kita stated frankly. “‘We don’t need memories’.”

“That’s not what it means!” Osamu denied.

“It means you should always try new things—not throw away yer memories!” Atsumu elaborated.

“Now, now,” you pacified your fellow second years by gesturing to the trinkets next to you, “I put the keychains in another pile, so ya can take ‘em home after a thorough wash.”

Suna immediately bent down to the pile of keychains you had set aside and rifled through them. He pulled one out of the pile and dangled it over your line of sight. “I’m gonna take this one.”

“By all means,” you shrugged. “Oh, but clean it before you take it home with ya.”

“Yes, mom.”

“No fair!” Atsumu dropped into a crouch beside you. “Ya got a head start, Suna!”

“Sucks to be you,” the middle blocker stuck his tongue out.

The blonde retaliated before examining the keychains as well. “Hey, I have an idea!”

“What?” you sighed. Outside of volleyball, Atsumu’s ideas were hardly ever good.

“Let’s have matching keychains!” Atsumu plucked the three same keychains off the pile and held them out to you and Suna.

“Why me? Why not your twin?” The latter questioned but accepted it nonetheless.

“I don’t wanna share with ‘Samu. It’s bad enough that I hafta share a birthday with him!”

“And a face,” Ginjima piped in as he and Osamu joined the others.

Atsumu harrumphed and turned to you and Suna with an arched brow, “Well?”

“Sure, I guess,” you took the keychain he offered. It was rather cute: a sleeping chibi nine-tailed fox. Oh, well, ‘Samu’s loss.

“...What are these textbooks?” Kita frowned for the nth time.

Atsumu crossed his arms over his chest and belted out in laughter. “Which idiot left their textbook and forgot about it!?”

The captain flipped open the cover and read out the messily-scrawled name, “This one says Miya Atsumu.”

“Study properly!” Osamu rebuked his twin, whose eye twitched in chagrin.

Kita put Atsumu’s textbook down on the bench and grabbed the other one. “And this one says Miya Osamu.”

You wanted to strangle the twins.

The number of times they had begged you to borrow your textbook the night before a test had caused you greater grief than they could ever understand.

“You guys left it for so long that you forgot it was yours,” Aran shook his head in disappointment.

No one was surprised, though.

You stood in front of the last locker and pursed your lips. Turning to Kita, you asked, “Is this the one?”

He nodded gravely in response.

“The one?” Aran echoed in confusion.

You ignored the questioning gazes from the team and took one stride back. How did they not smell it? It stank of dirty socks, rotten food, and an unidentifiable odour.

Suna braved a step forward, and a look of understanding flashed across his face.

“Oh, you mean this one.”

“Which one?” Ginjima inquired.

The middle blocker scooted away from the locker in question before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jersey jacket.

“The trash one.”

“The trash one?” you echoed in disbelief, sharing a horrified look with the captain.

“Uh,” Suna backtracked, seeming to realize that he had given the team away. “What I meant was—”

“I’m scared,” you admitted, not wanting to hear your friend’s excuses. You were tired, physically and mentally; you did not have the patience to tolerate the usual tomfoolery.

“Scared? Why?” Oomimi tilted his head to the side in evident confusion.

“Listen, the slime locker didn’t even smell this bad.”

Akagi shook his head vehemently, “I swear we don’t put food in this one! …That I know of.”

At the libero’s words, everyone turned to Osamu in sync.

He fervently waved his hands around to deny the silent accusations, “I-I didn’t! I only put ‘em in my locker and that other one!”

Usually, you took Osamu’s words at face value. He was usually more honest than his twin, so you didn’t have a reason to not believe him.

However, the horrific visual of the slime locker had an iron-clad hold on your mind’s eye. You had known that the twins weren’t the most organized of the bunch, but Osamu had gone beyond your admittedly low expectations.

That was all to say, you didn’t know if you could hold him to his words.

Taking a deep breath and holding it, you peered into the last locker.

To your surprise, nothing suspicious was in the lockers. It seemed like someone or perhaps most of the team had chucked their sweaty t-shirts, socks, and other belongings into the locker. It surprised you that clothes of all things could smell like rotten food.

Are high school boys gross enough to stink of mouldy food? you wondered, nose scrunching in both confusion and disgust. Should I throw these out or put them in the laundry?

Just then, out of the corner of your peripherals, you saw it.

Shrieking, you used all your strength to kick yourself away from the locker and scrambled onto the bench nearby.

“W-what! What is it!?”

“[Surname]!?”

You ignored the surprised calls of your team and stared Kita down.

“Kita-san.”

“Yes?” he blinked up at you.

“I think the coaches would understand if we burned the place down to the ground.”

“[Surname],” he sighed. “Arson is never the answer.”

“What is it, though?” Ginjima boldly poked his head into the locker. He seemed to scan it for a few moments until he, too, tensed.

Ginjima was the first of the team to join you up on the bench. You suspected that the others would soon join you after discovering the horror you two had seen.

“Oh God…” he groaned, face taking on a slightly green hue as he covered his eyes with his arms.

The rest of the team exchanged fearful looks with one another, likely wondering what got both their responsible manager and boisterous second year practically flying away from the suspicious locker.

Akagi bravely stepped in front of the herd and carefully examined the locker.

Then, he saw.

“Goki!” he yelped, throwing himself back and clambered to join you and Ginjima on your perch.

Everyone, except for Kita, all joined the libero and watched in bug-eyed terror as the biggest roach they had ever seen crawled out of the locker and make itself known to everyone and everything in the room.

“Shinsuke, save yerself!” Aran frantically cried as he backed up against the wall far away from the locker.

“I-it’s huge!” Oomimi burst out uncharacteristically.

Suna shuddered and scooted further down on the bench, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that big.”

“It certainly is big,” Kita agreed in an even tone. He didn't even appear disgusted or afraid. He merely studied it like a scientist peering into a microscope with a detached sort of curiosity.

“[Surname] is right,” Akagi said. “We should just burn this place. Just look at—”

“No, that will not be necessary,” Kita cut in with a decisive shake of his head. “I have thought of a solution. Osamu, do ya plan to use this textbook?”

Kita-san, you stared at the captain in awe and admiration. You are such a great man! If only the others were like ya!

Oblivious to the awe he had inspired in all of them, Kita rolled the paper textbook in his hand after Osamu urged him to hurry with the murder.

Taking a few slow and soft gaits forward, Kita carefully poised himself a foot away from the monster, following its path with an intent gaze. His back coiled like a leopard about to charge at its prey, then he slammed the textbook down with a resonant thwack!

You held your breath in anticipation as you regarded the textbook. For a brief second, your shoulders relaxed, assuming that you were no longer in imminent danger. It made its appearance, however, by crawling out from under the sheets to face the bench where you and the team (minus Aran, who was hiding behind the doorway) were all on.

You swore it appeared like it was readying itself to charge forward. Please don't be the type to fly, you clasped your hands against your mask.

To your dismay, its half-broken wings spread in preparation for flight.

Oh no…it’s all over, you thought miserably. Flying cockroaches were incredibly difficult to dispose of. A failure to one-shot kill the pesky thing often led to a wild goose chase with an angry roach buzzing around the room. It’s like they need to assert their dominance as the stronger species.

Kita swiftly chased away your dark thoughts as he moved with lightning speed. He seized a rogue slipper off the floor and shoved his gloved hand through it.

Finally, he ruthlessly slammed the slipper down, squishing the roach and twisting it until a disgustingly familiar crunch echoed throughout the room, signalling to all of you that Kita had successfully slain the beast.

The captain gave the slipper another twist before flipping it over to examine the damage he had done.

“It’s done,” he announced.

All was still.

“Kita-san, you’re truly amazin’!” you gushed, jumping down from the bench and offering the captain a garbage bag to trash the murder weapon.

The rest of the team immediately broke out into triumphant cheers.

“Hail, Shinsuke!”

“Our hero!”

“You’re the star of the day, Kita-san! So brave! So—” Ginjima broke off, voice cracking with emotion.

“It was nothing,” Kita intervened as he trashed both the slipper and the one-time rubber glove into the bag before snatching a rag from another bench.

After you handed the captain a new glove, you carefully lifted Osamu’s textbook off the floor and hastily tossed it into the recycling bag. You recognized it as a first year workbook, so you deemed that Osamu wouldn’t want it back, especially after all it had gone through.

Kita wiped the floor with the rag before addressing the team, “Settle down, now. Resume with the cleanin’, please.”

No one complained as they held out their arms for the various articles of clothing you fished out of the trash locker. They all stank, and you feared that you'd lose your sense of smell as your nose seemed to no longer recognize the stench wafting from the locker.

Maybe everyone’s noses are broken, you considered, realization dawning on you as to why they had not been able to notice the smell. The use of the locker and the exposure to the stench must have ruined their noses forever.

With most of the clothes cleared, your eyes zeroed in on a brown paper bag sitting at the bottom of the locker.

You took hold of its handles and carefully lifted it, double-checking to make sure there wasn’t any garbage juice at the bottom of this locker. You squinted as you brought it out of its dark dwelling. Under the bright lights, you could clearly see the label plastered on the middle of the paper bag.

“McDonald’s,” you deadpanned before sucking in a deep breath and slowly turning to the twin who’d been giving you the most grief in this cleanup session. You could even reasonably pin the blame on him for the roach as well.

“I…” Osamu trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. He, too, likely came to the same conclusion as you and knew he had no grounds to defend himself.

“Osamu.”

“Y-yes?”

“Didja do it?”

“…”

You didn’t back down and continued to glare up at the prime suspect of the crime in question.

“I…am very sorry.”

Extra: Osamu’s Rotten Luck

If you had to pick which of the twins gave you more grief, you’d choose Atsumu without a doubt. He could be a downright intolerable git at times: loud, rude, impulsive, and stubborn.

Osamu, on the other hand, tended to be more mellow and lowkey than his twin. That was to say, even though he tended to be less of a hassle, he, too, could be a downright intolerable git as well.

You watched with Ginjima and Suna flanking your sides as said twin hovered over the gachapon with laser-focused eyes. Atsumu was by his side, half-absorbed in the process and half-amused by Osamu’s failure to get the keychain he wanted.

“Dammit!” the grey-haired twin yelled after cracking open another capsule.

Atsumu chortled and snatched the keychain from his twin’s hands. “Wouldja look at that! It’s the same one!”

You glanced down at the numerous keychains Osamu had wasted his money on in one of your plastic bags.

“At this point, I think ‘Samu mighta got most of the keychains this machine's got to offer,” you grumbled.

“Except for the one he wants,” Suna added with a snicker.

Ginjima ran a hand through his hair. “He might drain his money before that happens.”

You all fell silent, simply observing Osamu’s nth attempt at getting his desired keychain. He aggressively shoved in another 100 yen to the gachapon, cranked the handle, and waited as the machine dispensed a capsule out for him to take.

Osamu glared down at it before grabbing the capsule and twisting it open.

Atsumu burst out into another round of laughter, alerting you to yet another failure from Osamu.

“Should we stop him?” Ginjima queried with furrowed brows.

“What do you think?” Suna asked you instead, an amused twinkle in his eye as he continued to record the downfall of Osamu's wallet.

“...Let’s just leave him to it,” you decided. “I ain’t getting involved in that. He’ll learn his lesson.”

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