#fukurodani gakuen

[nissakii]

7 reasons why Bokuto and Akaashi's relationship is precious

Last time we saw how much there was behind the friendship of our most favorite freak duo, as we presented 10 reasons why their relationship is underrated. But they are not the only characters who share such a precious friendship that is mostly only seen in one light.

In today’s blogpost we will see another relationship that may be popular but underrated as well for its reasons.

Here are 7 reasons why Bokuto and Akaashi’ relationship is so precious, and what makes the Senpai-Kohai duo so different from others.

Disclaimer: please be aware that this post contains spoilers up to the end of season 4 so please proceed at your own risk.

With all of your weaknesses

Weakness is something most people fear to reveal to one another. Even to family or friends weaknesses seem like something intended to hide, far away from people’s eyes.

Yet we have Bokuto, a man full of obvious flaws that even the opponent must know by heart if they ever confronted the Ace on the court. And while most of the people would get fed up by having to bear with those weaknesses and behaviors of his, having a much harder time to keep up we have the younger Akaashi who knows every weakness by heart.

It’s one thing to know someone’s weakness, but it’s another thing to know how it is triggered and how you can counter it which earned Akaashi the respect of coach Nekomata in doing so.

Handling Bokuto is not only Akaashi’s task but all of Fukurodani deals with a little bit of Bokuto’s ups and downs, still most of the time it ends up with the former finding a solution for the arising problems.

Still, we see Akaashi accepting Bokuto as he is, handling it with no further complaints and taking Bokuto with all his strengths and weaknesses, embracing them all and making the best of it at the end of the day.

From making several options on how a situation could end up and choosing the best of it, we see that Akaashi always takes into account how Bokuto might feel about certain accounts and how important it is to take proper care of someone whose flaws might impact the bigger picture.

So what might look to others like a small thing to turn a blind eye to, is added to Akaashi’s list of Bokuto’s weaknesses to make sure that not only their team wins, but that his Senpai is always in top form and as healthy as possible. In Haikyuu-bu! Chapter 01 we see several occasions where Akaashi even is able to predict Bokuto’s behavior and has a notebook in which he writes down events that may occur and how to prepare for them.

Which means whether as a team-mater or underclassman Akaashi is always prepared to protect and care for Bokuto instead of avoiding or making fun of his weaknesses.

Age doesn’t matter

With a difference of at least a year Akaashi is the younger one in this relationship, making him Bokuto’s Kohai in school.

Usually most Senpai-Kohai dynamics feature a reliable senpai who is there for the Kohai, but we see that this dynamic actually works the other way around.

Not that Bokuto is completely unreliable, which we will see later in the post, but most of the time he is a walking wildcard with a much higher risk than chance at that.

But their dynamic shows us that age doesn’t matter in a friendship, moreover Bokuto relies a lot on Akaashi and we see him turn to him seeking advice, help or validation when he hits rock-bottom. Not only does Bokuto cherish those around him a lot due to him stating he wanted to play longer with his team if he could in season 4 episode 25, it also shows his little mature side from time to time and that he actually will leave sooner than the rest of the team who are not third-years.

Bokuto never thinks of Akaashi being a disrespectful Kohai who should respect his Senpai in every situation, but we see that he sees Akaashi as someone equal to him if not he even respects him the same way Akaashi respects Bokuto. Even when Akaashi calls Bokuto out in front of others for his bad habits or misbehavior it’s rather that Bokuto doesn’t like to be scolded in front of people like Kuroo or his disciple Hinata as we see that Akaashi is able to scold him just as the third-years would do.

Since in Japan it’s more common to be polite towards people who are older than oneself we can see that Akaashi still uses san as a suffix but their conversations are still very laid-back as one may expect under usual circumstances.

A friendship not based on a hierarchy, but seeing each other as proper equal despite their difference in age makes this relationship even more special.

Reliable other

As we mentioned the word reliable earlier on the first thought that may come up is obviously Akaashi is the more reliable one out of the two. This thought stems from occurences in the series in which we often see that Akaashi cleans the mess of Bokuto who ever not so often gets into his so-called Emo-mode.

But as we saw in the Bokuto Character Talk post, Bokuto is pretty reliable in many different ways as well, if you want to get the in-depth analysis about that check the blogpost out.

One of the reasons Akaashi relies on Bokuto is his love for showing off and fun for Volleyball, therefore he knows that despite his little tantrums or bad moods he displays, Bokuto will in the end succeed when he gets back on track.

The ball that will be spiked, the way that must be paved, Bokuto nonetheless of his many moments of being distressed shows the qualities of an amazing ace who sooner or later leads his team to victory.

Yet we have Akaashi who is not only relied on by his team, but as well the coach and the managers to solve any problem in their way. Therefore it is seen that many of his team mates ask him for advice before going to action with a plan especially considering Bokuto. The latter is seen to always turn around to Akaashi finding a pillar or safety when he is in his Emo-mode and always calls for him first.

Whether Bokuto himself is aware of that or not is a mystery, but it makes it even more visible how much he relies on his Setter.

Shining star

We know that Bokuto often steals the spotlight, whether as the Captain, the ace or when he is behaving utterly unpredictable in the most crucial situations.

Paving the way in a tight situation or being the most energetic when the times look dark shows how much of a motivational source he can be, which might look irritating to Akaashi at first sight but is also one of the traits in Bokuto he cherishes, as we see him giving the one or other little side smile secretly.

But not only Bokuto is the shining Star of this relationship, Akaashi on the other hand knows how to motivate Bokuto as well and create chances for the Ace that might have been missed with Bokuto’s simplistic way of thinking. Not ever so often does Akaashi save the day with one of his plans and proactive way of thinking which earned him the label of a little hero within the team and maybe even in Bokuto’s eyes.

Twisted trust

Trust is a little bit more complex as it may seem, we saw already that despite the Miya twins' bond that may be very strong still urges Osamu to question if he really does trust his other half.

Yet with Akaashi and Bokuto there is also the little twist in trust, that may feel like they trust each other dearly while they each have their own doubts about the other.

In Akaashi's case he in a way trusts Bokuto to not disappoint him when it comes to his extreme sudden change in behavior, keeping Akaashi always on his toes but also makes him suspicious when Bokuto is perfectly fine - deviating from Akaashi's calculations. Still despite all of his efforts Akaashi knows that if the conditions are met Bokuto will give his best in the end and trusts in the simplistic side of Bokuto that does things straightforward.

On the other hand Bokuto knows that when he is in a pinch Akaashi is there, and even if he is not there visibly he trusts him to aid him in the end. Despite his looks Bokuto showed in season 4 while watching the Inarizaki vs Karasuno game that he is self-aware and perfectly knowing of his bad habits and slip-ups. Which would mean he can allow himself to do that because he knows he has someone as caring, considerate and calculating as Akaashi backing him up.

Yet Bokuto knows that if he messes up he can get scolded or even ignored when acting up which leads him to silently retreat at times but a little bit more cautious, he trusts that Akaashi will sooner or later catch up with what he did and therefore uses that knowledge to play around.

While their trust has a playful twist that can be used to manipulate how the other may proceed it is built on a foundation of knowing each other's traits and habits, as Akaashi is more on the logical side of things and Bokuto more on the feeling side that the other will make up for the thing their partner lacks.

With you around

Sometimes there is this one person that doesn’t need to do much, but knowing as long as the person is around things are much more different.

It’s the same with Akaashi and Bokuto, not only because they play essential roles for the other in their team but also in many various ways.

Akaashi stated in the OVA that when he sees Bokuto spike and give his best it urges him to do his best as well and let Bokuto succeed to see that amazing view that motivates him. Despite all the trouble he has to go through, it's the most satisfying and rewarding feeling for him as long as Bokuto is around to be that role model Ace and also the figure of energy that fuels him to try his best as well.

For Akaashi it might not seem like he needs to do his best for himself, but for Bokuto he also knows that there is a limit to how much he can bring out his potential. It doesn't make him less of a safety net and security for Bokuto as the feeling of being right there in the right moment and time is enough to at least make the big owl a little bit less insecure.

Therefore Akaashi can be at his best when Bokuto is around while Bokuto doesn't need to try too hard to hide his downfalls when Akaashi is around.

With no questions

Sometimes even if you know a person for a long time it still feels like they are questioning you for one reason or another. It may be due to a habit, something you like or a certain pattern in behavior.

But to be able to accept something without questions requires a strong bond and tolerance which doesn't come with only time and respect.

Bokuto has his little habits and we see him fuss over the smallest things like the place he is at or how many people are watching. While many reprimand him or question him about his antics Akaashi is the only one who tries to understand and accept that Bokuto is the way he is. It's quite the opposite. Akaashi rather blames himself for not being able to figure Bokuto out completely and reaching that understanding instead of accusing Bokuto for making a big deal out of small things.

Because every person reacts differently to certain problems or triggers, it shows the deep consideration of Akaashi trying to take these details to heart and remember them instead of forcing Bokuto to change himself drastically.

It shows that with all his strengths and flaws he accepts Bokuto for who he is and tries to adapt in order to cheer him up and get him back on track.

Same goes for Bokuto who doesn't like getting scolded or lectured by anyone and oftentimes refuses to listen for example to Kuroo or other team mates. His pride and simplistic way of seeing things yet having a complex world of emotions often shuts out others from criticizing him as he thinks they are making fun of him.

But we see him taking every word of Akaashi by heart and silently listening to the younger one, sometimes retaliating but still taking the advice or scolding.

Why?

Because he doesn't need to question Akaashi, he knows that he doesn't mean any harm with the things he says but is always out to make things better.

It results from the trust and reliability we mentioned earlier to reach this level of friendship.

With these seven reasons Bokuto and Akaashi's relationship seems far more precious than it has already been and we learn that the duo's fundamental basics of trust and respect is met in order to carry it on.

What do you think makes their relationship precious?

Or do you think it's not as precious as mentioned?

Let's discuss in the comments!

Until then with a precious cup of tea,

Makii

[aka-a-shii]

These arrived from korea earlier 🥰

Akaashi with cat ears is so adorable 😍

[winunk]

Under A Peach Tree | iv | Akaashi Keiji x fem!OC

Chapter Four: Can I Call You Tonight?

Pairing: Akaashi Keiji x fem!OC

Summary: Akaashi isn’t sure why but he wants to spend more time with Sasaki. He’s struggling to figure out his feelings and doesn’t want to push Sasaki’s boundaries.

Genre: romance, angst, humor if you squint and think I'm funny

Warnings: cursing, incompetent author who literally does not know how to update regularly, cringe anxious teens, broken caps lock key

Word Count: 1.8k

Check out the series playlist here!

I fucked up.

I watched her walk away from me.

I fucked up.

The train was shaking me, but I couldn’t feel it.

I fucked up.

I hung my bag on a hook next to my desk.

Why couldn’t you just tell her that you wanted her around?

I dried my hair with my towel, staring back at the boy in the mirror.

Why do you even want her around?

I sunk into my bed, wrapping myself in the covers.

Tomorrow came too soon. Before I knew what was happening, I was unlocking the club room and getting all the equipment ready in the gym.

Focus, Keiji. You’ve got to get this team to the Spring Tournament again.

I began warming up as the rest of the team trickled in. I set the volleyball off the wall, and it came back perfectly to my hands.

This isn’t enough.

I started going faster, running back and forth, bouncing the ball of the wall from different angles.

Just hit that same spot.

I kept going, sweat dripping down the side of my face. The cold air of the morning pricked my skin. 

Just--

I slipped. My shoes screeched against the gym floor, stopping my feet as my body flung too far to the left. I landed on the hard ground, a sharp pain in my ankle.

I fucked up.

“Akaashi-san,” Onaga called out, rushing to my side. “Are you alright?”

I rolled over onto my back, sprawling out on the floor. “I’m sure I’ll be okay,” I reassured him.

I’m definitely not okay.

I accepted his help up, and my knees almost automatically buckled. Pain flared up in my ankle.

Well, shit.

“Yeah, you’re going home.”

Onaga called Yuka and Coach Yamiji over to help me to my feet. He explained the situation to them, and Coach gave me a pointed look before telling Yuka to wrap my ankle and lock me out of the gym.

“You’re not going to actually lock me out of the gym, are you?” I asked Yuka.

She slid the door shut with a slam.

So much for being her favorite senpai.

I started on my way home.

Where did I go wrong?

I grabbed a bag of ice on my way to my room.

I’ve never been kicked out of practice like that before.

I set the ice bag against the part of my foot that hurt the most and sat down at my desk. I started to do some work written on my to-do list, but I kept glancing at my phone. I wasn’t sure why, but I kept checking to see if Sasaki had messaged me.

Yu-chan must have told her about my injury. She had to have given Sasaki my number for managerial reasons.

I picked up my phone and started looking through my social media apps for any missed notifications.

Why do I want her to message me so badly?

I opened the video calling app on my phone and called the first person on my recents list. Really, he was the only person on my recents list.

Maybe I just want attention right now.

“AGAASHE!” Bokuto’s hair filled up most of the screen. His eyebrows filled the rest. “How are you? You never call this early in the day.”

Do I want his advice or do I just want to catch up with him like normal?

“I finished my homework early, so I thought I would call you, Bokuto-san,” I replied, rubbing the nape of my neck. “How have you been?”

“I’m doing GREAT!”

I turned down the volume.

“I took Coach’s advice and stopped practicing on our days off!” he bragged. “I’ve been spending so much time just WALKING AROUND! THERE’S SO MANY FOOD STALLS HERE!!! I’LL JUST STOP ON MY WALK AND PICK UP SOMETHING TO EAT AND BE ON MY WAY!!!”

I smiled. “That’s good for you, Bokuto-san,” I said. “You always seemed a little more tense during those week-long training camps. Training nonstop didn’t do you well.”

“BUT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, AGAASH!!!” he exclaimed. “THE FOOD HERE IS SO GOOOOD!!!!!!”

“I’m sure it is, Bokuto-san.”

He continued talking about how much he was enjoying Osaka. Bokuto rambled on and on about the food. He had been upset that he wasn’t on the official roster for the team at first, but he was in the pool for the team to pick players from.

“It’s actually a lot nicer than I thought it would be, Akaash!” he shouted. “I’m getting to play a lot of games without feeling the pressure weigh down on me.

“I mean sure, I have to be good enough for them to put me on their team, but everyone here is good. Not that the guys at Fukurodani aren’t good. These guys are just so good. I don’t feel like I’m being pushed into a corner though. They’re pushing for me to be better in a good way.”

I nodded along. He gave me the opportunity for me to talk about what universities I was applying to. As always, he tried to convince me to go to a school with a good volleyball team so i could play.

“Hey, why are you upset?”

I blinked rapidly, his question washing over me like cold water.

How did he know?

“I’m not upset, Bokuto-san,” I responded, trying to slow my breathing.

My heart was beating faster as my mind scrambled for something, anything, to say to shake Bokuto’s interrogation.

When was he able to read me this well?

“How was your game with Nekoma yesterday?” Bokuto asked instead. He was narrowing down on everything that could have gone wrong in the last 24 hours.

I nodded my head, looking at the stack of books on my desk. “It went well,” I said. “We lost, but only barely. They have a pretty solid team while we’re still trying to get the first-years working in sync.”

Bokuto scratched his head. “Didn’t you say there was a really good first-year hitter?”

“Mamoru-kun.”

“Mamoru-kun! How is he doing?” Bokuto asked, light flashing in his eyes. “Is he giving you as much trouble as I gave you?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Bokuto-san, you weren’t as troublesome as you thought you were,” I reassured him. “But, uh, Mamoru-kun is shaping up very well. Anahori-kun actually got to play quite a bit in the last set of the game as well.”

His eyes narrowed and a wide grin graced his face.

Ah, so he’s caught on.

“I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG!” he shouted. “What’s got you so wound up?”

“You seem awfully happy that I’m upset, Bokuto-san.”

“AGAASHEE!!!”

I sighed. “So there’s this,” I hesitated, “person that I’ve gotten close with. I asked them to help Yuka-chan with her manager duties--”

“Haha! You said duties!”

“--but yesterday they quit out of nowhere,” I finished, ignoring Bokuto’s comment. “I don’t know if it was something that I did wrong, or if the team was actually stressing them out.”

My mind flashed back to Onaga’s arm around Sasaki’s shoulders. I felt my blood boil thinking about how uncomfortable she looked.

Bokuto scratched his chin. “What does this have to do with you losing to Nekoma?” he asked. Didn’t you guys just play them last weekend at the training camp?”

“I think I just got nervous with them watching,” I admitted, not realizing that it was the truth until I said it. “It’s the first game that they’ve watched, and I really wanted to impress them.”

“Oh?”

I sighed. The storm that had been brewing in my mind for the past couple days was finally settling down into a soft drizzle.

“They’ve been really distant from me, but I can see the intelligence behind their eyes. I want to spend hours talking to them about literature and school. I want to ask them a million questions about how they think the universe works.”

Bokuto laughed heartily at me.

“Why are you calling me then?”

“Wha--”

“Bye Akaashi!” he shouted. “I think you know what to do!!!”

He hung up on me. I couldn’t believe he just hung up on me. My own face looked back at me in shock.

Bokuto’s voice echoed through my room, through my mind. The phrase repeated itself over and over again.

I know what to do.

I messaged Yuka-chan.

“Took you long enough,” she sent back before sending me what I asked for.

I didn’t ask her what she meant by that.

How did Yuka-chan and Bokuto-san catch onto my feelings before I did? I’m still not even sure just how I feel.

“Hi, it’s Akaashi Keiji,” I typed out.

The blinking cursor mocked me. My thumb rapidly deleted the message and tapped out a new one.

“Hey, it’s Akaashi.”

I sent the message, my stomach uneasy with nerves.

“Can I call you tonight?”

The bubble indicating that Sasaki was typing popped up almost immediately. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Throwing my phone on my desk, I wrung my hands.

My phone buzzed, and I scrambled to pick it up. I couldn’t have her thinking I left her on read.

“I’m about to shower, but you can call me in an hour.”

I sighed in relief.

She doesn’t think I’m weird.

My phone vibrated again. “Are you alright? Did you need something?” she asked.

“I’ll call you at 19:30,” I texted back.

I’ll just explain to her what I need when i call her. Perfect. I get to talk to her.

Why do I want to talk to her?

I spent most of the next hour killing time. I cleaned my room, though it didn’t need much cleaning. I walked to the kitchen and stared at the contents of my fridge. I sat on my bed, staring at my closet in contemplation before deciding that I didn’t need to change my shirt.

By 19:28 I was lying on the ground, staring at the clock on my phone.

Should I call her exactly at 19:30? What if she thinks that’s creepy? Should I call her a little bit sooner? What if she’s busy and misses the call? Should I call her a little bit later? What if she thinks I forgot to call?

I groaned in frustration, slamming my thumb down on the screen. I quickly put my phone on speaker and laid it down next to my head.

With each ring, the pounding in my chest felt louder. My stomach felt like it was trying to dig its way into the ground.

Why is this so nerve-wracking?

“Hello?” a voice called out from the speaker on my phone. “Akaashi-san?”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Hi, Sasaki-chan,” I replied.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Taglist: [Open]

a/n: Most of this playlist/fic will be Dayglow songs. I love his music so much and they just vibe.

fun facts:

**I 100% made up Bokuto’s situation (I don’t know how pro sports works in Japan)

**Bokuto is Akaashi’s BEST FRIEND!!! just because he’s loud doesn’t mean he isn’t emotionally intelligent and knows what Akaashi needs!!!!

[haikuhaikyu]

How is he so cute 🥺🥺🥺✨✨

[kuchi-sabishiii]

these two sHOULD meet

[darumarina]

~Fukurodani Zine~ @fukurodanizine

I hope you didn’t forget about this! :D I and my fellow creators are working full force on our works. Today I will show you another tiny bit of the picture I’m working on.

I couldn’t not share this lovely Bokuto with you :’D May he make you smile~

Follow this link for the first WIP~

[itstheunstoppablegirl]

¡Happy birthday Akaashi! My love, my owl, thank you for existing and taking care of Bokuto, you're a being of light, super sweet and attentive, love you so much, you deserve the world and more///////////////////¡Feliz cumpleaños Akaashi! Mi amor, mi búho, gracias por existir y cuidar de Bokuto, eres un ser de luz, súper dulce y atento, te quiero mucho, te mereces el mundo y más.💕

[swaggysunflower]

Bokuto is fat Albert’s fan !!!! :D

[didimadeit]

akaashi, (probably) before every match

[mystic-kawa]

srs

is the third gym squad only kuroo bokuto akaashi and tsukki or are hinata and lev in it as well this is a serious question

[euphoricimagination]

Summary: The Interhigh is already here, you’re going to the Hyogo Prefectural Cultural Gymnasium, where the winner will be determined. December then rolls around, the guys helping you to the holidays with lots of love before the big tournament happens. Sadly, you received sudden news that could change your life forever.

Year 1: Suna x reader; Miya twins x reader(platonic)

[Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4] -> Second Year

The first school that they have a match with is Hōtoku Gakuen High School, starting the match with Inarizaki serving, gaining a point right away thanks to Atsumu and setting the peace for the rest of the game, Inarizaki winning the two first sets quite easily.

“That was really good guys, you did awesome” you say while giving them their water bottles “Although Rin, by the end of the match it felt like you were slacking off a little”

“We were winning though” he whines back as he back hugs you

“Does it matter though? You know that things can turn around when you least expect it. Try not to do it again, ok?” He nods while taking a sip of his water

“The long matches with Fukurodani really helped us today, I'm not tired at all!” exclaims Atsumu

A few hours after eating lunch the guys have their second match of the day with Kobe High School, one of the favorites to continue the round; and while everyone knew that Inarizaki has a good history of going to the nationals, it seems that having too many first years in their line up made them doubt the school a bit.

The match started, this time the other team serving first, and before anyone could notice, the ball was already smashing the floor, which ended up with the first set in favor of Kobe High. You go around giving them their bottles and telling them some things that you were able to pick up from the other school, listening to you carefully. The whistle sounds telling the players that the second set is going to start when you hear the twins scream.

“This game is going to be fun, Samu!”

“I know, Tsumu. Let´s win this!”

The second set starts with a serving ace by Atsumu. He does it again by switching his serve from the powerful one that he has been using, to the floating one. This time the set goes in Inarizaki´s favor; and Suna, who in the first set was mostly blocking and using normal attacks, starts to use the wide range one. The move not only confuses the blockers, but also the whole audience; for them Suna basically looks like he was diving horizontally. The second set finishes in favor of Inarizaki. The third set starts with a powerful serve from the other team, but Inarizaki is able to dig it nicely, ending up with Inarizaki winning 30 – 28.

“Well done guys! You did amazing!” you say to them

“Chibi-chan!! We're going to the finals!!” screams Atsumu crashing you into a tight hug

“Tsumu, I can't breathe” you chuckle making Atsumu relax his embrace while muttering a little sorry “Should we go to eat dinner? You have a big game tomorrow too”

“Let's get ramen!”

“Sure, you need to stretch first...and a shower”

“Chibi!” exclaims Atsumu offended, only receiving a hit on the back of his neck.

After all of that is done the coach takes your to a ramen place nearby. Throughout the dinner the team talked about the matches, not only the good things, but they also wanted you to give them all the feedback to get better, it was heartwarming how much they wanted your opinions. When you were done, you went back to the school for a meeting so the boys could prepare for the next day

“So let me start by saying that you guys did really well today, well done, but we still have one more match to go. Let me give you this report of Koyo Gakuin, the school we're playing against. Yn-chan can you pass them?”

“Sure”

“Report? Do we have to read it?” asks Osamu

“We just won 2 games, coach! We're tired” adds Atsumu

“Oh, so you guys want to throw away all the hard work your manager put into this? Go ahead then” The boys eyes widen at that sentence, clearly not expecting that.

“Chibi-chan, did you do this? Why? When?” asks Osamu

“Yep, I did it. There's so much I can do as a manager, so I wanted to help you as much as I can. And when we received the lists of schools, I search them up and I thought that Koyo Gakuin would go to the finals...So, I went to watch their match when you were resting”

“You did all that...for us? Damn, we have the best manager ever” says Suna astonished

“So, still tired?” asks the coach with a smirk on his face

“Tired? Who's tired? Couldn't be me. Let's read this” says Atsumu

“Good job, Yn-chan. The match hasn't even started and I already know they will win” whispers the coach while the boys are reading the report and discussing it.

++

It's the day of the finals, today it’s the day were it’s decided if you go to Tokyo or not. After the meeting the guys were more confident than ever, everyone could feel their energy when they entered the gym. Despite all this the coach asks you to do the prep-talk, because for some reason, he thinks that your words will be 10 times more effective than anything he could say.

“Ehh...You guys have practiced like crazy for this, I've witnessed all the efforts you have put into it. This is your first match with 5 sets, but you have played longer with Fukurodani and have won. You guys are strong, you know this. You got this; I believe in all of you”

“You heard our chibi-chan. Let's go all to Tokyo” screams the captain

And just like the coach thought, Inarizaki was killing the game; it wasn’t by a huge gap, but they ended up winning by the 4th set. The guys hug each other after winning, all of their emotions coming out at once. You tried your best to not cry, but failed miserably; you had seen the amount of hours all of them spent practicing, so you couldn't help but feel proud. Unexpectedly Suna was the first to run up to you and hug you, the twins following seconds after making it a group hug.

“I'm so proud of you guys” you say to them

“Thank ya for being our manager”

“We love ya chibi-chan”

++

December rolls around, and with that the winter break. Surprisingly, even the twins were down to take it easy throughout the 2 weeks of festivities, which shocked you greatly.

It was a week before Christmas when you started to feel sick, to the point that you had to leave early from the Friday afternoon. You hoped that it was just a little sickness, however you started to feel worse the more time it passes. You were tired, but couldn’t sleep properly; you were nervous and anxious, but you didn’t know why; and despite the boys constant messages and calls, you felt lonely and insecure.

When you went to the doctor he told you that you were fine, and all the symptoms could be because of homesickness, after all Christmas was coming and the way it was celebrated in Japan was completely different, which may have triggered it.

It was the 24th, you were lying on your bed when you heard a bunch of voices coming from downstairs, voices that soon came to the front of your door. As soon as the door opens, you see the three of your favorite people, a mix of blankets and snacks on their arms.

“Ya look dead Chibi” Atsumu says receiving a slap on his head

“Yer’re such an insensitive pig!”

“I’m trying to be honest!”

“Both of you are idiots” adds Suna; you chuckle at the scene, making the guys turn to you again “What happened to you sunshine?”

“I haven’t feel good lately” you say, your voice shaking. Atsumu pouts, taking one blanket and moving to cuddle your left side, Osamu cuddles your right side passing you a cup of dangos, and Suna puts his bag by the end of the bed and lays on top of you.

“We were worried about ya Chibi, yer mom told us that ya were barely eating” Osamu pass you a snack so you can eat it “Ya need to take care of yerself”

“Yeah, we miss ya a lot Chibi” Atsumu adds hugging you tighter “Everyone in the team misses ya a lot”

“I told you to tell us whenever you need help, idiot, you don’t have to deal with things alone anymore, you have us” Suna flicks your forehead lightly. Truth is, your mom told them everything, so they knew that you probably just needed love; which was evident by the small tears that started to fall.

“Thank you guys, I love you” you sob

“We love ya too. Don’t leave us again, ok? It’s boring without ya” Atsumu says while drying your fallen tears. They let you relax while telling you what happened throughout the week, a successful attempt to cheer you up. Once they saw that your mood got better, Atsumu moves slightly to pass you a bag “Merry Christmas Chibi, we know it’s not the same, but we hope it helps”

Inside of it there was the classic Japanese Christmas cake, alongside some KFC, a laptop and some gifts.

“We figure that ya don’t wanna go out, so we’ll just have a movie marathon together. We can do more traditional stuff next year when ya feel better” Osamu says while setting up things; at the same time Suna moves behind you, pulling you so your back is on his chest and his head on top of yours. After a few movies passed, all of you fell asleep in a cuddle pile.

The team told you to come back for the Nationals, so for the next week the guys went straight to your house after practice, they didn’t want you to be alone and your family was more than happy to have them there. Slowly you started to feel much better, but they didn’t want you to get overwhelmed again so they told you to stay at home while they went to a shrine on January 1st. When they came back, they arrived with charms and a surprise bag for you, alongside many other gifts from the rest of the team.

They stayed over until January 3rd, only leaving to their houses to pack their suitcases since the Nationals start on the 5th and you’ll be leaving at midnight. After a small fight between the twins trying to decide with who you should sit, you opted to sit with Suna; you love the twins but they can be a little extra from time to time.

“I´m falling sleep as soon as I can, just to let you know”

“Rin, it´s midnight, that´s exactly what I want”

You all settle down, the twins looking at you with a look of betrayal, yet happy that you were back with them. As soon as the bus starts moving, you get comfortable in the sit and lay your head on Suna's shoulder; before falling asleep, you can feel him moving a little so your head is in a more comfortable position, kissing the top of your head.

The six hours pass rapidly with all of the boys sleeping. It´s 6.30 am when you wake up, but you couldn’t move much because Suna was laying his head on top of yours and had a arm around your shoulders. The coach noticed that you were awake, so he whispers to you

“Yn-chan, good that you´re awake. We should be arriving in a few minutes. Can you start waking them up please?”

“Sure coach”

You had to start with Suna considering how he was holding onto you, so you open the curtains of the bus just enough to let some sun in.

“Rin, hey Rin wake up” you say while poking his chest rapidly “Rin c´mon, wake up”

“Mhm chibi-chan shut up” answers in a low voice, and instead of letting you go, he moves in to hug you better “what time is it?”

“6.34 we should be arriving soon, let me go so I can wake the others up”

“No” says putting his face on the crock of your neck, somehow hugging you even tighter. You put your hands on his shoulder to try to push away from him, but that just makes him hug you tighter. You get flustered, feeling your cheeks get warmer since you never have seen Suna this clingy before.

“Rin seriously, I need to wake them up, please let go of me” you insist

He sighs, but straighten himself and looks at you with his barely open eyes. You have to admit, he looks hot, the sun light giving him a light glow. The fluster look on your face doesn’t leave at all, making him smirk a little.

“Guess it was worth it to open my eyes, I have a beautiful view in front of me” he says while moving his eyes up and down. He was taking a risk by flirting with you, he knew that, but it was worth a shot. You feel his arms relax a little, so you take the opportunity and get up.

“Anyways, good morning, Rin. I’m going to wake the others up” You go to the sit behind you, where Kita and Aran were siting. Your fluster state didn’t get any better when you see Kita open his eyes with a little smile.

“Sorry, I woke up when you opened the curtain. I was going to help you if things went further though, I promise” he tells you making you go red again. You know he said it with good intentions, but what else was he expecting? Suna and you are just friends…

“Can you help me wake them up please?” you ask him trying to ignore the last part of his sentence

“Sure thing”

With the help of Kita everyone was awake when you arrived at the hotel. When you came back to the seat, Suna acts like nothing happened, so you decided to ignore the weird feeling and continue your conversation while arriving to the hotel and getting your things set up; the boys are all on the 3rd floor while you are on the 4th, next to the coach room.

After everyone was ready and with full stomachs, you go to a nearby gym so the boys can practice. It was odd, but you couldn’t sense any nerves from the team, not even the first years even though this would be their first time playing in the Nationals. The practice goes like usual, everyone doing their best and trying to perfect their attacks. It was already late when the coach told them to stop.

“But coach, it´s still early. Tomorrow are the Nationals; we have to practice more!” exclaims Atsumu.

“Tsumu, you already practice a lot. If you continue your body is going to get tired and you can have trouble tomorrow, you don’t want that do you?” you say this time

“But…”

“Taking care of yourself is also part of training, you know that”

“…I know”

“Then let´s go” the coach adds “Well done Yn-chan, I can always trust you to make sense with the team”

When you arrived at the hotel, you looked up the potential team you could go against, Shiratorizawa, from the Miyagi prefecture. The ace of that team, UshijimaWakatoshi, looks really strong, especially considering that he's only a second year.

You spend a good part of the night researching the teams before falling asleep, information that you share with the coach on the way to the gymnasium. Now the boys seem much more nervous, fidgeting with their clothes, or talking more; Atsumu in particular seems to be quieter than usual.

“Tsumu, are you okay?” You ask him, making him look at you with widen eyes

“Yes, just a little nervous”

“You´re going to be fine, I know it” you take his hand, trying to soothe him; so he moves you into a tight hug

“Thanks, chibi”

Once you enter the gym you noticed that it was full of colors due to the uniforms of the other schools, and since your uniform was fully black, you stood out. You were on the back of the pack making sure that all the boys stayed together alongside Osamu; you noticed that a lot of teams were looking at you, not only were you the manager of Inarizaki, but you also stood out from the rest. At some point the crowd level starts to get higher, so you instinctively take Osamu´s arm before anything happens.

“Scared chibi? Everyone is tall here” he teases you

“I just don’t want to wander off. I´m not comfortable in huge crowds”

“I know, come here, we don’t want to lose our beautiful manager with so many men around” he passes his arm over your shoulder protectively before kissing your temple.

You stopped on an emptier area, waiting for the opening ceremony to start. You were talking to Aran and Atsumu, who asked about the team they were against with, when you hear a commotion around. You barely can hear the whispers ‘isn’t that dude on the top 5?’ ‘Dude, he´s huge’.

“HEY, HEY, HEY! CHIBI HEY!” right when you turn around, you feel a really strong pair of arms around your waist, lifting you up from the ground and spinning you.

“Bokuto-san!” you laugh, putting your arms around his shoulders to give him a hug.

“Bokuto-san, stop spinning around and put her down, we don’t want anything to happen to her, do we?” says Akaashi, who’s right behind

“AKAASHI! Do you really think I would let anything happen to her?” whines Bokuto, putting you down nonetheless and moving to give you a back hug “I just missed our chibi-chan a lot”

“I know, Bokuto-san, I missed her too. Hi Yn-chan, how have you been?” he asks while putting his attention on you. You take Bokuto’s arm off and go to his side to give him a quick hug

“I’m fine Akaashi, how are you?” you say while letting him go, Bokuto immediately coming back into the back-hug before answering the question

“We have been fine! You know the other day we had a practice match with Nekoma and…”

“We’re still here, you know. Hi Bokuto-san, hi Akaashi-kun” says Atsumu with his eyes a little squinted

“TSUMU! HI! Sorry I forgot to say hi to you. HI GUYS!” screams Bokuto waving at the rest of the team. They smile waving back before letting you be, knowing that you missed the guys and that you would be safe with them.

After all the commotion the whispers around you intensify; you could hear some of them going like ‘who’s that girl that Bokuto, THE Bokuto is hugging?’ ‘she’s hot too’ ‘Isn't she dating some Inarizaki member? She was with the grey hair dude’, making you tense up. You felt a hand moving up and down on your arms, helping you come back to reality before realizing it was from Bokuto. When you look at him, he just smiles before putting his chin on top of your head.

Bokuto tells you that he is in the other group, so the only way for your schools to play against each other will be if both of you win every single match and meet in the semifinals. You continue talking to them until a voice came out of a speaker, announcing that it was time to get ready for the opening ceremony.

“BYE GUYS! Let's meet at the semifinals!” Bokuto says to our team

“Of course, make sure to not lose Bokuto-san, we will be waiting there” snickers back Atsumu with a playful grin

“I will win!” after that he turns and ruffles your hair “See you Chibi-chan, cheer for me okay?”

“Bokuto-san, she has a team to cheer on herself. We will see you in between matches, Yn-chan, after all we still owe you a birthday present”

“You don't have to buy me anything, Akaashi, it's fine. Good luck!! And Bokuto-san” he bends down noticing that you wanted to whisper something “I will cheer for you too”

“HEY, HEY, HEY. We will win Akaashi!!! Let's go!”

You go back to your foxes while they get ready, Suna, Atsumu and Osamu instantly came closer to you, a mix of proud, happy, sad and nervousness on their faces.

“I'm happy that ya have friends outside of us, chibi-chan” says Osamu taking your hand and squishing it while Atsumu lays on you.

“We are still your favorites, right?” asks Suna

“Of course, you guys will always be my favorites players and friends”

“We better be. After all we have been together”

“Let’s do this guys, let's win against everyone” says Atsumu with determination.

The guys are warming up and practicing their receives before the match. The school sent the school band to cheer for the team, making the boys presence even bigger; they were the team with the biggest cheering squad, it was impressive how intimidating it was.

“Chibi-chan, do you know something about our rival?” asks the captain when they finished their practice time

“Yeah, from what I have seen they are really good at blocking, it’s their best weapon”

“But they don’t look that tall? They’re a little taller than Suna” says Osamu

“How do you guys think that’s not tall?” you ask in disbelief “they react fast and their timing is almost perfect. They also seem to adapt fast”

“Got it. Thanks, Chibi” adds the captain ruffling your hair.

Atsumu does his little routine with the band before sending a powerful serve, earning a direct point with ease. Inarizaki is able to gain three points like this, but in the fourth one their libero was almost able to stop it. For his next serve Atsumu takes 4 steps, meaning that he will change his serve from the powerful one to the float one, but the other team doesn’t really notice, resulting with them in shock when they realize that he had fool them.

The match was completely dominated by Inarizaki, winning the two sets by a quite large margin. The other team was barely able to make points, and a part of them were due to the guys' mistakes.

“Man, that was easy. Are ya sure they were good in their other games chibi?” asks Atsumu

“They were, but you seem to completely break any strategy that they had with your serves”

“By the end of the first set they looked defeated, I guess they didn’t have a good day today” says Suna

“I hate playing against people who suck”

“Stop being an ass Tsum. GUYS! Let’s go so you can eat something light; your next match is at 14.30, you can rest in the meantime” you call the team

“Yes madam!”

You go to the backstage so the guys can rest a little. Suna goes to sleep, others are eating a snack, the twins said something about buying a t-shirt. After organizing everything you got up to see the chronogram of the matches, the match of Shiratorizawa was about to start.

You leave the boys alone, Kita promising to take charge for you, and went to the side of the court to see them play. You watched part of their match in their prefecture, when they played against Aoba Johsai. In terms of technicality, teamwork and plays Seijoh looked stronger, but Shiratorizawa had Ushijima on their team, and he was able to break all of that. When watching their match, you couldn’t stop feeling sorry about Seijoh, they were really good, although their setter was the best player in the team. Sadly, power overtook him and his team.

When you arrived, Shiratorizawa already had 3 points. You got there just in time to see the infamous Ushijima serve, and man he was powerful. Luckily the other team was able to dig it, ending up with a point. You were so concentrated in the game that you barely noticed the arms that were going through your waist, alongside with a chin on top of your head.

“Hey, hey, hey chibi-chan!”

“Fuck!” you say scared “Bokuto-san! You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Hey! It’s not my fault you didn’t hear me!” he answers squishing you even tighter

“We did talk to you and you didn’t hear us, Yn-chan” chuckles Akaashi while patting your head “Here, I bought you a Chinese bun”

“Thanks, ‘Kaashi” How did you not notice Bokuto loud self? That’s an answer you’ll never have.

“If I didn’t know how cute you are I would have run away from you chibi-chan. You looked so serious!” says Bokuto while putting his head against your shoulder.

“Sorry, Bokuto-san, I guess I was more focused than I thought. Did you guys win?”

“Of course we did!”

“Everything went smoothly, Bokuto-san didn’t have any major problems. I assumed you guys won too, that’s why you´re here” answers Akaashi

“Sharp as always ‘Kaashi” you smile at him before looking back at the court “I wanted to see them play, I couldn’t watch the whole match against Aoba Johsai. I want to do everything that I can to help the guys”

“Chibi-chan you´re so cool!” says Bokuto loudly, making some people turn around to look at you.

“Understandable, Shiratorizawa is strong” adds Akaashi focusing his eyes on the game right when they score another point “Ushijima-san is in the top 3 after all, meaning than he´s better than Bokuto-san”

“AKAASHI! That wasn’t necessary” pouts Bokuto

“And Bokuto-san is already super strong” you say, hearing a little mhm from Bokuto while he hugs you tighter, he really hasn’t let go of you this whole time “is he a monster or what?”

“He is, but he is not the only monster on the team. A lot of teams forget that he isn’t the only one playing” adds Bokuto with a sudden serious tone

“He works as a good bait too”

Right when you say that Shiratorizawa gains another point, winning the first set. But that point wasn’t done by the ace, or any of the other wing spikers, it was through a block. You haven’t been paying much attention to the number 5, the middle blocker, because Ushijima shined so brightly, but he definitely reacted differently to any other block system you’ve seen so far. The last point of the game going to Shiratorizawa made you notice him

“That middle blocker…the number 5”

“You noticed? Good” Akaashi smiles at you

“He jumps before the setter passes the ball…?”

“He does something called Guess Block; he guesses where the ball is going to go” explains Akaashi

“But it´s still a guess, how can he be so sure where is going?”

“He´s a monster as well, he´s exceptionally good at guessing, and he’s right most of the time. So annoying” says Bokuto

“The amount of pressure he puts into the setters is incredible. After a few of his well guess blocks the setters start panicking and try to find a way to not be read” adds Akaashi

“Damn they’re good. At least it’s going to be harder for him to guess with us, with Rin and his wide range”

“Yeah, it’s going to take him a while to get used to Suna-san, that’s good. Atsumu-san is a really good setter as well, he’s not going to make it easy for him”

“True, and he’s way too competitive”

Shiratorizawa leaves passing besides you when the match ended. Your eyes go from Ushijima to the number 5, only to find the latter looking at all of you with a confused expression, eyes moving to the arms of the ace in your body. Suddenly all the whispers become clear, the majority were talking about how good the match was, or about Shiratorizawa, but there were also some about you; after all seeing the manager of Inarizaki being hugged almost throughout the whole game by the ace of Fukurodani wasn’t a normal sight.

“Oh? Do we have a couple here? Is this a hidden relationship?” asks the number 5 with a lot of enthusiasm, making some of his team stop too.

“What?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry, if you don’t want your team to know I won’t say a thing!!” adds the red head with a teasing tone

“Chibi-chan and I? We’re not dating, I just think she’s cute!” Bokuto says while he unwraps himself, he could tell that you were more nervous than normal

“Bokuto-san likes giving hugs to people, but since most don’t like that he doesn’t do it often. Yn-chan here is a foreigner, she’s used to a lot more casual skinship. That’s why he clings to her when they meet. Please don’t misunderstand” explains Akaashi

"Yeah, we’re not dating, it’s what Akaashi said” you say looking at the red hair again

“So, a foreigner, how interesting! We don’t see a lot of foreigners! I’m Tendou Satori, nice to meet you!”

“I’m Yn, nice to meet you too. Your hair is cool, I like it”

“EHH?! You like my hair? You’re not afraid of me?”

“Why would I be afraid of you? You look nice” you say confused

“Everyone’s is afraid of me when they first meet me. You’re so nice, Yn-chan, so nice” he explains. Why would anyone be rude towards him?

“That’s just…mean. Why would anyone do that? Anyways, I should get going though, my boys must be waiting for me”

“We’ll drop you with them” says Akaashi

“It was nice to meet you all” you bow to them “Hope to see you again Tendou-san, bye”

“Bye Yn-chan!”

The three of you go out of the court and went to where the boys are. Bokuto talked about wanting to buy a t-shirt that says ‘the way of the ace’ on it, insisting on buying you one too before leaving. Arriving to the back stage, the first ones that you see are Aran and Osamu.

“There you are chibi, I was about to call you” says Aran

“Thought we lost ya, I was scared that ya were alone around so many men” adds Osamu going to your side to hug you

“Don’t worry Osamu-san, we stayed with her almost all the time. Bokuto-san let’s go; they need to get ready for their match”

“Good luck guys! Bye chibi-chan!” Bokuto says to the team

“Where were you by the way?” asks Suna arriving next to you

“I went to see Shiratorizawa match. I have a few things to tell you about them”

“Chibi-chan! I bought ya a t-shirt! I got it in purple, and since I know ya like wearing our t-shirts, I got it in my size so it looks big on ya!” screams Atsumu running to you with the t-shirt on the air, it reads Just Volleyball on it

“Thanks Tsumu, I’ll put it on as soon as I can” you say while hugging him “Anyways, I need to talk to the team”

Once everyone was around, you explained what you saw in the match, from how strong Ushijima was to Tendou blocks, putting emphasis on him since he can be the biggest challenge for the guys.

“You guys have been able to receive Bokuto-san spikes, so you should be able to receive Ushijima-san after a while. I think their middle blocker will be harder to deal with though”

“If he guesses most of his blocks then we should be able to get away for a while” says Atsumu

“Especially with Suna's spike, I don’t think he will expect the range, though we don’t know how fast he can get used to it” Osamu adds

“But at the end, he is still guessing. Tsumu is an amazing setter, I’m sure you can find a way to fool him” you look at him with a smile

“Yeah, I can think of something. I’m not going to let him win so easy” he says while entering the court, the match was about to start

“Thanks, Chibi” Suna passes his arm over your shoulder “while we were resting you were working to help us”

“Best manager ever” adds Aran patting your head.

“Eh?! So this is your team Yn-chan? How interesting” you hear. All of you look at the direction of the voice just to look at the tall, red hair, Tendou Satori with his team behind “I like you, you’re nice Yn-chan, but I’m going to break your team hearts”

You can feel the tension after Tendou said that, not only Suna’s arm stiffens, but the whole atmosphere changed a bit. Atsumu is the only one who doesn’t seem affected at all by the words.

“Good! Don’t contain yerselves, I hate playing against bad teams”

“We will never contain ourselves, I hope we can have a good match, let’s go guys” says Ushijima with courtesy

“The fact that he doesn’t seem to have bad intentions annoys me. How do you know the number 5 Chibi?” asks you Suna

“He saw me with Bokuto-san and Akaashi after their match, we talk a bit before I went back to you”

“Let’s not get intimidated guys, we’re good. They do have a powerful spiker, but we have that too, right Aran?” cheer them the coach

“I’ll do my best”

The match starts with the captains handshake, Shiratorizawa serving first. Ushijima gets ready, doing his jumping serve and smacking the ball on the floor, gaining the first point. The guys were shocked by how powerful it was, but they just smile getting ready for the next one. ‘Let’s stop the next one’ screams your captain, and right after, your libero is able to dig the serve, it was off, but that didn’t stop Atsumu to send a quick pass to Osamu, gaining a point. You noticed some frustration in Tendou's face, and also Atsumu saying something to him. Now it’s Osamu's turn to serve, sending right over the net and making Shiratorizawa break their formation; still their setter was able to send it to Ushijima, and even though your blockers were right there to stop him, he was able to break it.

The match continues, both teams extremely close to each other. Tendou it’s starting to get used to the tosses, but he still misses some due to how unpredictable Atsumu was. Inarizaki is in the lead right now, winning 21 – 20 when the coach asked for a time-out, right before Ushijima serve. You go around giving them their water bottles and towels before standing between the coach and Suna, the latter leaning on you. You knew that he was tired, so you just let him despite how sweaty he was.

“We’re doing good with the spikes and serves of the number 2, so continue like that. Aran you are doing an excellent job with your spikes, well done. Yn-chan have you notice something?”

“Tendou-san, I mean, their number 5 seems to be guessing more accurately. He has been right for the last points, but was slow enough to not do a complete block”

“Yeah, I noticed it too. I was sure he knew that I picked Samu the last point. Thank God he doubted a bit” adds Atsumu

“Rin, do you think you can start using your other range now?”

“I should be fine” he answers

“Then it would be good to start using it for a few moves, it would be enough to confuse Tendou-san. Try mixing the normal ones in between too” you say to Atsumu

“Sounds good”

The team goes back to the court, ready to receive the powerful serve. Once again, they are able to lift it up, sending it to Atsumu. This time you noticed that he looked at Suna, and apparently Tendou noticed too by the big smile on his face, smile that disappeared when he realized that despite guessing right, the ball didn’t even touch his hand. He looked at Suna and Atsumu with pure irritation on his face. The broad attack worked.

The last point of the first set goes to Inarizaki, thanks to a powerful spike sent by Aran. You were sure that Atsumu was going to pick Osamu, but he set it for Aran instead, making Tendou scream in frustration.

The second set with Atsumu´s serve. After a few points Shiratorizawa takes the lead thanks to Tendou, who manage to block Suna´s wide range attack; despite his attack still being effective, Tendou still was able to guess a few of them. The second set ended just as close as the first one, Shiratorizawa winning it 29 – 27. This was the first time in the Nationals where the boys will have to go to a third set.

The third and final set begins with all the boys fired up as they tried to tired up Ushijima. The end of the match is a really long deuce, but Inarizaki has the set point now. Atsumu is up to serve, ending gaining the point thanks to a mistake from Ushijima.

The match ends with the boys screaming of joy, the score being 35 – 33, the longest match of the whole season so far. The twins and Suna start running towards you, crushing you into a hug while almost throwing you to the floor.

“You won guys! Well done!”

“WE won, Chibi. Ya are part of us”

The team goes to say goodbye and give handshakes to Shiratorizawa, exchanging a few words to each other. Before you can leave the court, Tendou and Ushijima appeared behind you.

“Your team is really good Chibi-chan, I barely got some blocks because of your contortionist friend”

“Contortionist? You mean Suna? He’s really good. You did good too, I really like the way you block. And your spikes are so amazing Ushijima-san”

“Thank you. Your team did great too” says the big man with a barely noticeable smile

“AHH! You really are nice! Let’s see each other next year too!” adds Tendou moving to give you a quick hug

“I hope to see you too” you were able to say before you felt a hand pulling you backwards

“Chibi, Bokuto-san match should start soon, want to go and see them? The twins want to go too” asks Suna putting his arm on your shoulders, you didn’t see the glare he sent towards Tendou.

“Yeah, I wanted to go. Bye, see you next year” you answer bowing to the other two boys as a goodbye, Ushijima and Suna bowing to each other while Tendou waves.

All of you arrived to the court where Fukurodani is going to play. You stand on the side of the court and watch the other match, arriving at the end of the third set. Nekoma High versus Kamomedai High School. Despite seeing a few minutes, it was noticeable how good both schools were, each point took a lot to win. Nekoma High kept the ball alive no matter how strong the spike was, and even if it wasn’t the most amazing play, they didn’t let the ball touch the ground. Kakomedai on the other hand, seem to be extremely good at blocking and had a talented middle blocker. The winner will be the team you play next.

“Nekoma is good, it feels that they are watching every move and adapting” says Osamu

“I mean, they’re on their third set with another favorite, they have to be good. I wonder how a match between you two would be” you answer

“They truly are like cats” says Atsumu fascinated

After a long deuce between the teams, the match ending with Kakomedai as the winner. You really wanted to see a match between Nekoma and Inarizaki, but it would have to be the next time.

The match of the owls goes really well, Fukurodani winning the first set with a comfortable margin. In the second set, however, you noticed that Bokuto was making more mistakes than normal, ending up with the other team gaining the lead. Akaashi seems to notice too, so the coach asks for a time out.

“What is happening with Bokuto-san? I haven’t seen him like this before”

“Apparently Bokuto-san has some unpredictable mood swings; he tends to play worse if he is in an emo mode” says Osamu

You hum looking back at where the boys are, making eye contact with Akaashi who seems a happy to see you. He turns around, coming a closer to where you were, and points at you.

“BESIDES BOKUTO-SAN, YN-CHAN IS HERE TO CHEER FOR YOU, DON’T LET HER DOWN!”

The moment Bokuto hears that his head goes immediately to where Akaashi is pointing, making eyes contact with you with wide eyes. You smile at him and wave your hand excitedly

“Bokuto-san, you can do this!” you say as loud as you can

He screams his classic ‘Hey, hey, hey’, his whole aura changing while entering back at the court. The moment Fukurodani got the ball Akaashi sets it to Bokuto, who does a really amazing cross shot. After that play Bokuto becomes unstoppable, not only gaining back all the points, but also making enough to win.

“HEY, HEY, HEY! CHIBI-CHAN! You came to cheer for us!” he pulls you into a hug, you hug him back not even caring about his sweaty self, at this point you’re used to it.

“I told you that I would cheer for you. You were so cool!”

“Bokuto-san, your cross shot was so cool!”

“I know Tsum-Tsum, I know” while those two continue talking, Akaashi comes near you, doing a gentle nod to the guys. You were surprise when he takes your shoulders with a grateful look

“Thank God you appeared Yn-chan, I don’t know if I would have been able to take Bokuto-san out of his emo mode without you. Thank you”

“I just came to cheer for my friends…? How did I help?”

“Believe me, we wouldn’t have won without you here”

“Chibi-chan did you saw the straight shots that I did?!” calls you Bokuto

“I did saw them, they were awesome! And your form in the jump? Amazing” you say excited, making Bokuto even happier “Shouldn’t you guys go to stretch though? You don’t want to hurt yourself, right?”

“True Chibi-chan! Let’s go Akaashi, we need to do that” with that the both of them go back to their teams and start stretching.

“I swear, every time Bokuto-san is around it feels like ya become their manager too” Osamu pouts lightly while taking your hand to pull you outside of the gymnasium.

You arrived to the hotel after saying goodbye to the owls. The team was exhausted after playing two long games, so they went straight to bed.

However, things couldn't be so easy for you. After a talk with your mom, you found out that you had to leave to Tokyo next year.

The news felt like a bucket of ice water was thrown at you, even if you knew it could happen. While Tokyo was the place where you wanted to live first, it didn’t have your foxes.

[nissakii]

7 reasons why Bokuto and Akaashi's relationship is precious

7 reasons why Bokuto and Akaashi’s relationship is precious

Header art by @miu_akatsuki Last time we saw how much there was behind the friendship of our most favorite freak duo, as we presented 10 reasons why their relationship is underrated. But they are not the only characters who share such a precious friendship that is mostly only seen in one light. In today’s blogpost we will see another relationship that may be popular but underrated as well for…

[aka-a-shii]

💛🖤

[winunk]

Under a Peach Tree | iii | Akaashi Keiji x fem!OC

Chapter Three: Rat of the City

Pairing: Akaashi Keiji x fem!OC

Summary:  As Akaashi and Sasaki spend more and more time together she begins to feel more self-conscious.

Genre: romance, angst, humor if you squint and think I'm funny

Warnings: cursing, incompetent author who literally does not know how to update regularly, INTRUSIVE THOTS

Word Count: 2.8k

Check out the series playlist here!

“I really messed up the order of things, huh?” he asked me, looking up with a glint in his eyes.

How is he so gorgeous? I asked myself.

It wasn’t fair for one person to be that intelligent and attractive at the same time. He was a mystery to me, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to uncover his secrets.

A few weeks after our conversation under the peach tree, I was watching Akaashi flawlessly set to Onaga. It wasn’t hard to see that his skill surpassed the other setter on the team, despite only being a year older.

“Sasaki-san,” the team’s official manager piped up. “I forgot to fill up the water bottles.”

I tore my eyes away from the volleyball players and looked towards the young girl. Setting my notebook down, I followed her to the water fountains.

“I’m so glad you’re here to help, Sasaki-san,” she said, filling up the first bottle. “The boys can be so intimidating sometimes. It doesn’t help when they tower over me.”

“Don’t let them have power over you because of their size,” I replied. “Anyone who uses their body to control others is not worth your time, Yuka-chan.”

She turned to me, waving her hand. “T-that’s not what I meant!” Yuka stammered. “It’s just a little scary being surrounded by all of them at once.”

I scoffed and screwed on the lid to the last bottle. Yuka got flustered easily. I was worried about her and wondered how she would survive managing the team without me.

“You would think having a brother on the team would help your nerves.”

The first day I showed up to practice, Akaashi told the coach that I was only there to help the first-year manager, Arai Yuka. She had apparently been having a hard time following the way the old managers took notes, and learning the system while trying to keep up with the boys left her exhausted by the end of the day.

My job was easy enough. I started off filling up the water bottles while Yuka focused on taking notes. Occasionally I would help organize the equipment room, since the boys thought throwing things in there was good enough when it came to cleaning.

“I’ll bring the water bottles over. Go grab the clean towels.”

“Okay, Sasaki-san!”

One day after practice, I saw Yuka flipping through her notes, which looked like an elementary child’s scribbling. So I drew out a new format that categorized her notes more efficiently.

Within the first week, I was no longer nervous when a stray ball came my way. I even began to expect it. After the second week, I was picking up small things the boys were doing when plays didn’t go as planned. There were times when I would chime in during the team huddle, relieving Yuka of her nervous babbling.

That’s when Coach told me to be the one taking notes during the practices and games. I didn’t want to be any more involved with the team, but when Yuka eagerly agreed with him, I couldn’t say no.

“Who are we playing against today, Akaashi-san?” a first-year asked as I started passing out water bottles.

Yuka’s brother, I recalled. Name starts with an M.

Akaashi picked up a small notebook that he carried with him everywhere. “We’re playing Shinzen, if I’m not mistaken,” he answered, flipping through it. “Where did I write it down?”

I furrowed my eyebrows, handing the last water bottle to Onaga. He thanked me, but I hardly noticed.

“Akaashi-san, you guys are playing Nekoma today,” I corrected him. “You go to the Shinzen training camp next week, so you are mistaken.”

A hush came over the gym. I didn’t normally speak to any of the players and almost made it a point not to. It didn’t help that Akaashi was wrong for the first time since I’d met him, and I had sassed him for it.

“Sorry, Akaashi-san,” I said softly, bowing my head. I felt my face heat up, ashamed of myself.

You really had to tell off the Captain. At least it’ll give you an excuse to quit the team, even though no one’s forcing you to stay here.

“Oh,” he said, rubbing his shoulder and looking at his notebook. “You’re right. Thank you, Sasaki-san.”

“I’ve never seen mom scold dad before,” Yuka’s brother whispered loudly to Onaga.

I whipped around, narrowing my eyes at him. “I would suggest focusing on your upcoming game rather than starting drama for your captain,” I shot at him.

“She’s right,” Coach Yamiji said from behind me. “Nekoma should be here any minute now. Any last words, Captain?”

Akaashi stood up, looking as if he was about to go to battle, not play a volleyball practice game. “We’ve been working as hard as any team,” he started. “You saw last week that Nekoma is not much weaker than they were last year. Remember to watch out for their setter’s tricks and the silver-haired middle blocker. Kuroo-san might have graduated, but he made sure his team would be a pain in my ass.”

The last part was muttered, but I heard it all the same.

Kuroo-san? Pain in his ass? What did I miss last weekend?

I’d never heard Akaashi talk about something with so much hostility before. I had no idea what Nekoma meant to them, but I guess they were rivals. Whoever they were, it was making Akaashi tense in a way I had never seen before. 

“Just play as you always have, and don’t let them forget who made it to finals at the Spring Tournament last year,” he finished with a smirk.

The playful mood of the team disappeared with his words. Most of the team were first-years who’d never been to the Spring Tournament, so they would have to prove themselves even more so than their senpais.

If he keeps this up, he might be benched. There’s no way he’ll be able to play well without a clear mind. 

I wanted to say something to him, but I didn’t know what words would comfort him. Instead, I collected the water bottles from the boys and took them back to the water fountain to refill.

He’s saying all these things to encourage the team, but does he truly believe it?

By the time I finished and was settling down for the game, the volume in the gym went up to astronomical levels. I looked around for Yuka and almost jumped out of my skin when I saw some dude with a blonde mohawk staring her down.

“ANOTHER FEMALE MANAGER?” he was shouting. “HOW DO YOU DAMN OWLS DO IT EVERY YEAR?”

I all but stormed over to them. Gently pushing Yuka behind me, I glared at him. “You got a problem, punk?”

“TWO FEMALE MANAGERS?! I MISS ONE WEEKEND AND SUDDENLY I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!”

Another boy noticed what was going on and came up behind the punk. “I’m so sorry about him,” he apologized. “He hasn’t gotten laid, ever.”

How do you even respond to that?

I stared at him blankly before gathering myself. “Next time keep him in check,” I said. “Yuka-chan gets nervous easily.”

“I’ll be sure to keep a closer eye on him,” he assured me. “I’m Fukunaga Shohei, Nekoma’s captain.”

“Sasaki Momoko,” I said, shaking his outstretched hand. I gave him a soft smile.

He’s kind of nice.

“Already trying to steal our managers?”

“I think if we were really trying, they would already be at Nekoma, Akaashi-san.”

Fukunaga grinned at the volleyball captain beside me. Akaashi returned it with a small smile, but he seemed tense.

“Where’s Kenma?” he asked, looking around.

Weird. He didn’t use an honorific.

Fukunaga’s grin disappeared instantly, eyes widening. “He’s not here?” he all but yelled, spinning around to look for the boy.

“Who’s Kenma?” I asked.

“More importantly, how is Kenma?” Onaga asked jokingly. He came up behind me and slung an arm around my shoulder. I tensed up.

He’s never done that before. Why is he touching me? What. The. Fuck.

“I can help you look for him,” I volunteered myself, interrupting whatever Fukunaga and Akaashi was saying. “Just tell me what he looks like.”

I shrugged Onaga’s arm off of me, stepping closer to Akaashi. Akaashi looked at me with concern. He never seemed very expressive, but I could see that he had a million questions in his eyes.

“Kenma is Nekoma’s setter,” Akaashi said. “He’s a little bit taller than you and has blonde hair. He might be sitting somewhere playing a video game until someone finds him.”

“I’m right here, Akaashi,” said a monotonous voice from the doorway of the gym. “You would think that after all the practice games we’ve played here that I’d be able to find my way from the parking lot to the gym, right?”

Akaashi scoffed. “You usually have Kuroo-san holding your hand.”

“I’m not dependent on Kuro,” the blond boy argued, I think. His voice didn’t show any emotions.

“Boys!” Nekoma’s coach called out. “Enough talking. Let’s warm up!”

The boys rushed over to start their warm-up sequence. I settled down on the bench with Coach Yamiji and Yuka, notebook clutched to my chest.

“Thank you, Sasaki-san,” she said softly.

I nodded. It was the least I could do to protect her. She’d grown on me in the past few weeks, and I would do anything to keep her from getting hurt by the idiot volleyball players.

The first set of the match was uneventful. Nekoma kept up with Fukurodani, but the boys came out on top in the end. They made it look too easy. But something kept me on edge, as if the cats had something else up their sleeves.

Akaashi and Kenma seemed to be exchanging remarks between rallies. Kenma kept playing tricks on him, faking the blockers and dumping right in front of the taller boy. Any attack Fukurodani tried to do was only returned by Nekoma. It felt like forever before the ball would drop in their court. Though it was close, Nekoma ended up winning the second set.

“Don’t mind,” Onaga said, clapping. “We’ll get them in this next set. Keep up your effort and keep playing well.”

Akaashi nodded but didn’t add anything.

He’s not okay.

The raven-haired boy handed Yuka his water bottle and jogged back onto the court wordlessly.

That isn’t a good sign.

I looked over at coach, but I didn’t even know what to say. Turns out I didn’t need to say anything because he just nodded.

“I might have to switch him out for Anahori-kun,” he said looking towards the third-year setter. “In terms of intellect, the two setters are pretty matched, so their teams are what makes the difference. Last year Akaashi-kun had Bo-kun and the other third years to fall back on. This year, the team is good, but for now Nekoma has us beat in synergy and experience.”

I watched as Akaashi talked to Yuka’s brother. Akaashi’s face was more irritated than I’d ever seen before. Searching my notes for his name, I spoke up.

“Mamoru-kun seems like he’ll be a strong ace,” I noted.

Coach Yamiji nodded. “He needs some refinement, but he’ll serve us well in the next couple years.”

I glanced over at Yuka, noticing the spark in her eyes. It seemed like any compliment to her brother was a compliment to her. She would no doubt tell him about what I said after practice.

The third set began, and it did not go well for Fukurodani. Anyone who had eyes could see the strain on Akaashi’s face as he tried to set a better attack for the team. His whole body was tense. Everything was wrong.

Coach Yamiji finally switched him out for Anahori, but the damage was already done. The team was down by five, and Nekoma was not letting up. Fukurodani was able to get in a couple points, but the game ultimately went to Nekoma.

I handed Akaashi his water bottle, trying to comfort him through my actions.

What could I say to him? He’s not going to believe anything I say now. The worst thing that I could tell him is that he played well when he doesn’t believe he did.

He turned away from me, eyes downcast. Darkness loomed around him.

I sighed and began collecting towels from the team. Tossing it in a hamper, I brought it over to the washing machine at the side of the gym.

Some of the guys had already begun taking down the nets and cleaning the gym. Some were idly chatting with their friends on the Nekoma team. I absentmindedly watched as the tall middle blocker from Nekoma led Mamoru outside.

“Who’s the new girl?” the silver-haired boy asked Mamoru.

I narrowed my eyes but was anxious to see what the first-year would say.

They’ve played a couple practice games against each other, so they would’ve already met Yuka. They must be talking about me. Why are they talking about me?

“Oh, she’s just a friend of Akaashi-san’s that was helping Yu-chan with all the manager stuff,” he responded. “She’s cool but she doesn’t talk to us that much.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. I felt dirty eavesdropping on their conversation from the other side of the gym door, but they shouldn’t be talking about other people.

That wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t a compliment, but he didn’t insult me. Maybe eavesdropping isn’t that bad for my self-esteem.

“But Akaashi’s so awesome! Why is he hanging out with her?”

My body tensed up.

What did that giraffe freak say about me? Yuka better hold me back because I’m about to commit homicide.

I took a deep breath.

Calm down.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure,” Mamoru replied. “But maybe he sees something in her that we don’t? Akaashi-san could definitely date anyone in the school, though. I hear Anahori-san and Onaga-san complain about the people that ask them about him all the time.”

It’s fine. It’s whatever. It’s not like I care much about what the volleyball team thinks of me anyways. You’re here as a favor to Akaashi and Yuka. You’re just friends.

Numbly, I walked back to the equipment room. I cleaned up alongside the rest of the team, but my mind was somewhere else.

What does he see in me that the rest of the team doesn’t?

I folded the last towel and tucked it away on the shelf. 

Akaashi could date anyone in the school. He could hang out with anyone in the school.

I tied off the bag of folded jerseys and lugged it to the wall.

Why am I still helping out? I don’t have anything to gain from this.

By the end of the evening, I made my decision. Before I changed and went home, I told Coach that I was no longer able to help the team. He didn’t ask me any questions. He didn’t try to convince me to stay.

I’m not sure what hurt more: feeling like I wasn’t wanted or knowing that I wasn’t needed.

Coach Yamiji was announcing an additional practice for the next day as I was leaving. The team had lost in a practice game against Nekoma for the first time in a while, and their punishment was a weekend practice to focus on their weaknesses.

There were protests, but I knew they would show up. Even just seconds after the last ball fell in their court, I could tell they were already thinking about how they could get their revenge on the cats.

“Sasaki-san,” a voice called out after me.

I turned around to see Akaashi jogging towards me.

“I wanted to thank you for helping Yuka-chan adjust to being the team manager,” he said.

I nodded in response. “It’s been fun,” I said. “She’s a good kid.”

“I was hoping that you would decide to be a manager for longer,” he confessed. “It would be nice to have another third year on the team.”

I nodded blankly at him, still stuck in my head. “You could ask any of the third years that aren’t in a club,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll be able to convince someone.”

It’s hard to say no to you.

I turned away from him, reminding me of the first time we talked over a month ago.

Why does walking away hurt more this time? Why do you keep trying to talk to me? Why can’t you see that I’m not a lot like you?

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a/n: Why do they both have anxiety!!!! I just love him so much he’s so pretty. I wish I knew how to make those cool headers/had the time to. I’m so busy with school

fun fact: I had a hard time letting Nekoma win the game because I know Fukurodani is a really good team but I think they’re lowkey in a rebuild period also Onaga is team dad when Akaashi has his breakdowns

[darumarina]

Do you remember me talking about a FUKURODANI ZINE?

YES!! A zine full with our favourite owl kids!!

Today I'm showing you the first little bit of my illustration~ Spoiler: There will be 9 characters in the end!

Check out this blog for more information:

https://fukurodanizine.tumblr.com/

 @fukurodanizine