#jst wanted to come back for a beat just to throw in a last minute appreciation post 🫂❤️

[romanceuntold]

-------˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹ 𐦍 ˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹-------

~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊[special delivery]~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊

-------˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹ 𐦍 ˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹-------

I'll be writing this in a hurry bc I can't break my yearly tradition (been doing it since 2016 ig? heh). didn't want to let the last day of the year go by on a blank page, we need to write a decent ending to this rather... something-year.

how is everyone doing? is it 25 already for you already? how many hours still left for some of you? as I am writing this, it's still '24 here but I already hear the few fireworks going off in the distance. every end of the year, i wonder if the next 365 days are about to be any better. do you guys think we will finally kick it off and enter a turning point? (the best one yet?) I'd like to think so.

these past few months have been a hassle (personally it was very harsh ngl) but we've managed to survive, didn't we? I remember thinking back in '23 that "next year will be different. we'll finally be okay!!!" - oh well. to each one of you here, let's please not just survive again. let's breathe this time instead, take one step at a time, yeah? we've got time. quite literally so much of it. why rush? why run into things like we are running out of time? nope. it's always just another 365 days ahead after all. phew!

as the honorary older sister to (probably most of) you guys, in case you didn't get to hear it at all: I am so, so proud of you! despite the heaviness of all the personal burdens you've carried on your back (possibly all on your own) this whole time, you are still here, standing like nothing can, nor will break you again. (you're much stronger than you might ever give yourself credit for. big sisters know better, just listen!)

you better not skip your meals, your showers, your end-of-the-year plans, and all that. but you definitely better not skip yourself. don't listen to the wrong words coming from the wrong people. they don't know you. you are not too much, you never were. never will be! don't leave yourself out of the plans, set a plate for YOU at the table too, pour yourself something to drink, cheer you on into the new year. and don't forget to include your own name for once in your priority list, yeah? I want to see you again next year. I need you around to celebrate it again this time, a year from now.

to everyone, whether you're with family or not - with anyone at all, or spending it alone somehow like me, I hope you don't feel too alone tonight. to those who are specifically not in the most festive mindset, and to those who feel out of place, I'm sending you more than just a wish upon the stars to a happy new year right now. I'm holding your hand and walking through it with you just to let you know that we'll be okay. just hold my hand, I'm not leaving you alone until you're good to go again. pinky promise! 🫂🩵

thank you guys for yet another year. even if I'm not the most vocal about it, I truly adore each one of you. I feel like this site has become more than just a few people gathered together to share an interest or two. you guys are like distant friends, long-time besties somehow. I'll see you guys next time (in a couple of hours). happiest new years!

~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊

@yonglixx ✩ @seonghwasblr ✩ @jaeyxns ✩ @jjngkooki ✩ @hyunjinz ✩ @hooned ✩ @briankang ✩ @oomfy ✩ @facethesuns ✩ @iwishihatedyou ✩ @soujisetas ✩ @soobinies ✩ @isitstraightvodka ✩ @lgbtuan ✩ @gyusgal ✩ @honeycrisp ✩ @jaeyuned ✩ @5oobin ✩ @kimsunoo ✩ @enha ✩ @waketoearth ✩ @ppulverse ✩ @bamgeut ✩ @moonsua ✩ @nfly5 ✩ @hyunpic ✩ @shorelinnes ✩ @xiaoxiongmaos ✩ @yeonjune ✩ @timelesseternity ✩ @choi-soobin ✩ @innielove ✩ @mooonstrucks ✩ @gwkie ✩ @seungkwan-s ✩ @yutito ✩ @bestleader ✩ @dashingwishes ✩ @junmail ✩ @userjungkook97 ✩ @yuki-akari

~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊~⁠ᡣ𐭩₊˚.⋆⁺₊

[sunshinesukuna]

king of the arcade

♕ pairing: arcader! kageyama tobio x reader

♕ genre: fluff

♕ inspiration: this playlist my friend recommended (pleaseee listen to it while reading, it is a whole vibe!) reply 1988 (dir. Shin Wonho), an old letterman jacket my friend found in the back of his closet that had karasuno's exact colours it made me want to cry.

Miyagi, 14.34 JST (+9) Some time during 1984,

“Eh? He isn’t home?” 

“Yeah. He’s probably at the arcade,” Miwa said. She shrugged, like this was a daily occurrence —which it was— and paid no mind to her little brother’s business unless he was getting hurt.

Although you had anticipated that he would be out of the house, you couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. Your house was the way to the arcade, and he couldn’t have stopped by just to say hi or to bring you along? And what was he doing at the arcade already at this time of day. While everyone was frolicking at the beach or visiting relatives who-knows-where, your boyfriend was already wasting his coins at the arcade.

You wouldn’t call it wasting, per se, but… okay, he was throwing his money down the drain on what? High scores on arcade games that would eventually break down, leaving no memory of the tears and sweat shed over them? Please. It wasn’t like you were against it or anything, but you really wished he would take some time to take care after you, his girlfriend. 

After saying a quick thank you to his older sister, you sped off. You didn’t stop until you saw the big blue sign saying ‘SAKANOSHITA’S’ over the brick building. A bell tinkled above head as you opened the door. 

You had to squint so your eyes could adjust to the light, but the flashing of arcade games did little to help. The familiar sounds of Pacman, Galaga, Defender, and Mario Bros blared loudly over the entire arcade. You paid them no mind as a random song from played in your earphones.

Even with the earphones in your ears, you could hear him from here. You should be close. 

Kageyama Tobio is leaned over a bright blue arcade game. It’s his favorite, and the one he’s best at: Donkey Kong. His navy letterman jacket is tied around his waist, but you can still make out the faded orange KARASUNO VBC on the back.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” he screeched. This boy really did not grasp the concept of ‘inside voice,’ huh?

“It was a fluke! I just hadn’t popped my fingers before!” another familiar voice replied in shrill vexation. Kageyama scoffed.

“Yeah, right.” 

A nest of olive hair playing Pac-Man next to a blond glanced at the situation. You sauntered up to him and patted him on the shoulder, effectively causing him to jump up a little. The pinch server was always easily surprised.

“What’s he screaming about this time, Yamaguchi-kun?” you asked. 

“(Y/N)!” Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, he was about to beat his old high score, but then he needed to go to the toilet. He didn’t want to end the game, so he asked Hinata to cover him and...” He gestured to the fight unfolding in front of you two. You rolled your eyes. Typical Kageyama.

“You get the idea.”

Without looking up from his ongoing game of Tetris, Tsukishima said, “Do something about it, will you?” He twirled his finger around his ear. “He’s being too loud.”

The four boys were a motley pack of what could be called ‘friends’ from their shared passion of volleyball and arcade hopping. Wherever one was, the other three were sure to be trailing behind. As was the case right now.

You leaned back on an unused arcade game. “Oh really?” you asked. It amused you every time you pushed at Tsukishima’s buttons, and you were in sore need of cheering up today. You raised your eyebrows, challenging him to come at you with a rebuttal. “Look at you, ordering people around like some sort of prince.” 

To add emphasis, you rolled your eyes. The GAME OVER screen turned on with a slap of the button. Tsukishima glared at you through his oversized glasses. They shimmered along with the flickering lights from the other games. 

“Hey,” he said warningly. Tsukishima’s tone was as usual whenever you played your jokes with him. Behind the glasses, his eyes were as hard as rocks as he looked into you. Five seconds, ten... he blinked. You laughed animatedly at him, but relented once he pulled his hand back, in mock threatening.

“Okay, okay, I’m on my way...” you said. You gave him the side-eye. “Sheesh.” Finally doing what you had been meaning to do for the whole day, you embarked on your mission.

Kageyama was in the middle of starting a new game when you launched your trap. His fingers stroked over the controls innocently enough —unlike the tips of yours, that were slowly making their way around his hardened stomach. He jerked back at your touch, but you felt his body uncoiling a bit at your face. 

“Wha— ah, (Y/N).” You unknotted the letterman jacket from around his waist. Pulling it over your own shoulders, you rested your chin on his much higher shoulder.

“Don’t mind me, go on.” The muscles under your fingers tensed a bit as they prepared for a new game. Since the school you two went to didn’t have an arcading club, he had joined the next best thing. Volleyball. Combined with the wonders of puberty, he had grown into the tall, rather sullen man in your arms right now. 

To your surprise, the dark red GAME OVER signs flashed over the screen all too quickly. Normally, he could last much longer than the amateur arcade player, but today, he seemed a little off his game. 

“What happened, Tobio?” you asked. He turned over to face you, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down from the amount of physical contact he was getting right now. And in public!

“Let me teach you,” he suddenly said. 

“What?”

Using his much bigger frame and physical strength, he switched your positions. The sharp edge of Donkey Kong was now pressing into your lower stomach, as Kageyama captivated  you between his arms. 

His fingers brushed against yours, breath lingering at your thighs for a while as he inserted the coin in the slot. They moved over your fingers, that were situated on top of the buttons and joystick. 

The thundering of the giant gorillas footsteps let you know the game was going to start. As Mario appeared, Kageyama’s fingers on top of your pressed into your nails. His gamer instincts were sharpening. How could they not? When the beeps that accompanied Mario became his own little battle cries, and the princess trapped at the top his new charge. 

“Press faster,” he muttered. You were pressing as fast as you could, but Kageyama’s fingers above you egged at you to go faster. The more and more you played, the more frustrated Kageyama seemed to be getting. His constant critiques on your gameplay, despite knowing that you were an amateur, were getting to your head. 

Needless to say, the game ended quickly. Kageyama sighed in your hair. It would be sexy, if you weren’t about to go over the edge by him first ignoring you the whole day, and then this? You turned over and looked into his eyes. 

Kageyama opened his mouth to say something, but you beat him to it.“I’m not you, Tobio. I haven’t spent approximately an eighth of my life in arcades, so please excuse my inexperience.” 

He knitted his eyebrows together, the expression not far from his usual scowl. But his mouth softened at the edges as he pouted. 

“I was going to say sorry for that….” His tone was that of a six-year-old that had been caught stealing cookies from the jar. The Galaga game off to the side was very interesting as you realised what he was implying. “But if it bothers you that much, we can go get ice cream or something else instead?” 

His sudden confession had made you want to eat up your prior words. Instead, you parted your lips and broke off eye contact. Kageyama? Finally letting someone else take the reins? From all the stories you’d heard from Hinata, Tsukishima,Yamaguchi, and Miwa, this looked to be a pretty big stepping stone for someone like him. 

“It’s okay, actually,” you finally said. You turned back to the game and slid one of your own coins inside the slot. “What did you say about pressing faster again?” 

Kageyama held your hands and fingers with the same tenderness as he would a volleyball. The hold that said ‘I’m going to love and cherish you, but I’m also going to push you to your limits.’ In a good way, of course. He smiled at you. Coming from someone like him, it took everything for your heart not to melt right then and there. You saved the memory in case you needed it again.

His exasperated tone had switched to a more patronizing one, like a parent teaching a child how to ride a bike for the first time. The occasional ‘Jump!’s and ‘There’s a barrel right there!’ were accompanied by his firm pressing every time your fingers wouldn’t bend to your will. His fingers truly were a godsend, you thought.

A boy, a tangerine, and a salt shaker passed by in the middle of your game. “Oh? Where did the King of Donkey Kong go?” Tsukishima asked. His use of Kageyama’s nickname in the streets earned him a dirty glare from your boyfriend. 

“Yeah, Kageyama,” Hinata added. “Why can’t you be like that to everyone?” Kageyama scoffed. He guided the Mario on the screen, saving him from an incoming barrel that you didn’t catch sight of. 

“Because she’s my girlfriend,” he says, his trademark scowl making an appearance again. His smile’s fifteen minutes of fame were up, the limelight now shining back to his ever present scowl. 

The group of other boys snicker as they make their way to their intended games. Kageyama’s breath on your neck now feels more relaxed as he plays with you. You 

“What was that all about?” you asked, when the game was finally over. 

“Nothing.” He doesn’t seem to give it much thought as he laces his pinky in yours, the gesture sweet and unique to Kageyama.

“You sure?” 

Kageyama looks to the floor. There was a spot of mud on his Converse, probably from those rascals earlier that morning when he had tried to go get a gift for you earlier this morning. Even more was probably stained on his jeans. Thank goodness you didn’t look out your window when the tragedy happened. He remembered not wanting to show up to your house looking so soiled, so he took refuge at his usual place: the arcade.

If only you could see that his letterman jacket was two sizes two small and had ‘SHOYO’ on the tag, he would have—

“If I had to tell everyone why I love you,” he blurted out. He trains his eyes on the grey tiles beneath again. “I would talk myself hoarse at the end of the day, (Y/N).” 

You smiled at his words, catching sight of his mud-stained jeans, a still pristine ring box peeking out of the pockets.