#meanwhile you're calling in players who don't even know the ball is supposed to go in the goal and not to pluto

[hardtchill]

It doesn’t matter in what league you play. 

Unless it’s not the NWSL. In that case everyone else is better than you no matter how well you play...

Vlatko AndNOTski everyone 

[hitoshiikigai]

Foreign Feelings

anon request: Hiya there Sen!! I love your blog and i would love to read more of your writings. Can i request an imagine for being like a first year european shy student and becoming Nekoma’s manager, she slowly develops a crush for kenma but doesn’t know how to express her feelings because of language and because she thinks kenma won’t return her feelings

‪(o_ _)ﾉ彡☆ a/n 「i made it gender neutral, i hope that's ok and if it's not, i can change it to your liking! also, this is my first romance fic in my whole life, i hope it's satisfactory(ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ i feel like i just forgot the slowly part-」

‪pronouns used: they/them

‪word count: 2.8k

You continuously repeat your introduction in your head as you wait for your turn. It's ok, you can do this, you've learnt this in basic Japanese lessons, it's just a few lines. Nothing too complicated!

The voice of the person behind you breaks the chant in your mind, "I'm Haiba Lev and..." Your thoughts block out the rest of his introduction. Is he a foreigner too? That name definitely does not sound Japanese but you note of his perfect pronunciation- a screech of a chair moving startles you and you're suddenly aware of the eyes of your new classmates staring right at you.

Sucking in a deep breath, you stand up, doing a bow, the Japanese words tumbling clumsily out of your mouth, "I'm (Y/N) (L/N)- no wait- (L/N) (Y/N), please just call me (y/n). Nice to meet all of you." You keep your eyes on your desk as you bow once again before sitting back down. You pretend not to notice the murmurs and sounds of interest about the two foreign students in their class, busying yourself by preparing your things for the lesson.

Mechanical pencil on the right. Pencil case right above your notebook. The ruler-

"Psst... Hey, you're not from Japan, right?" You turn around to meet glowing green eyes that somehow made you feel like you were looking into a cat's eyes instead. You nod and he grins in what you could guess as excitement. However, before he could say any more, he was cut off by the teacher signalling the start of class.

Maybe he's a potential friend?

After a few lessons of trying to keep up with the lessons taught in Japanese, your brain's finally granted with a break from trying to translate and you can't help the sigh that escapes you as you rest your cheek on your table, closing your eyes.

"Hey Y/N! Wanna have lunch with me?" You open your eyes to see your tall classmate looming over you- right, his name's Lev. Or should you call him Haiba?

You quickly weigh the pros and cons of eating with him. He seems like a nice person to be friends with and having a non-Japanese friend in this less-than-familiar country could definitely do you some good, maybe your Japanese can improve faster as well. But... you were planning to just find some nice quiet spot to listen to music in hopes of preventing the growing headache, a result of an overwhelming first day.

Well, there's no harm, you suppose... "Sure, I don't mind," you agree and you search for your wallet in your bag as Lev waits patiently.

Once he sees you're ready, he smiles widely and starts walking to the cafeteria most likely and you follow him, having to walk slightly faster to keep up.

"Where are you from? I'm half-Russian but I can't speak Russian. Oh! I know a few people here already! I visited the school before the school year started and made friends with people from the volleyball team. I'm actually gonna join the team once they start taking in applicants and-" Lev rambles on and you could only hum or nod, insert a few words of your own when he asks a question until you reach the cafeteria.

"Lev! Here! You're late!" You see a student with black messy hair that spikes up everywhere except for the fringe that covers his right eyes waving his arm. Lev bounds up to the table with you in tow and you can already see a few curious eyes examining you. Your gaze sweeps across the table, an uninterested guy playing with a switch catching your eyes a tiny fraction longer than the others before you look down at the floor, shuffling just a bit behind Lev, your current shield.

"This is Y/N, my new friend! They're not from Japan and I thought I could show them around," Lev claps his hands on your shoulders and moves you forward, putting you right in the spotlight.

Oh no. Ok, deep breaths. A simple introduction, no big deal. It's definitely a smaller group, better than a whole class.

"H-hi..." You clear your throat, cursing yourself mentally for the stutter, and repeat yourself with what you hope was a stronger voice. There's a chorus of greetings and before you even realise, you find yourself squished between Lev and a friendly-looking guy with a buzzcut, who you soon come to know as Kai, after a round of introductions.

How did you end up here? In a gym full of flying balls that could accidentally hit your face anytime? With your arms full of water bottles that you just filled up? You definitely did not sign up for this... Ok, well technically you did, you just didn't know what was in store. Try being a manager just for one practice, they said. Somehow, it feels like you were tricked somewhere along the line.

You hand the water bottles to the boys, jolting slightly when your hand unintentionally brushes against Kenma's. He thanks you quietly and you only nod in acknowledgment, avoiding any form of eye-contact with him and quickly moving on to hand the rest of the water bottles out before going back to the sidelines to watch.

It's really amazing watching them play. Everyone seems so coordinated with each other and the teamwork is seamless. Despite that, there are a few individuals that pique your interest: Yaku who seems to be able to teleport anywhere in the court, Lev with his tall and powerful stature, and more importantly, Kenma with his smart plays. It's like he calls the game, dictating where and how the ball goes and it's a whole experience observing him. Of course, the other members are amazing in their own ways, watching the team play is like watching a well-oiled machine working.

"How are you, Y/N?" Kai asks from beside you, wiping his sweat and giving you a warm smile.

You peel your eyes away from the quiet setter to answer Kai, and also to make sure you aren't caught staring at the certain player, "It's..." You try to find the correct words in your brain as Kai waits patiently for your answer. "It's nice... to watch. Everyone's good." You blush in embarrassment at the simple words you used, not having the full vocabulary to communicate what you really want to say. Kai, being the angel he is, makes a noise of approval and gives another warm smile which at least make you relax.

"If you need help with anything, you can ask any of us," he tells you before going back to the courts. You bow to him which he only waves off, laughing amiably.

After attending a few more practice sessions and having lunch with the team almost every break, you've grown a bit more comfortable with them, especially with Kai and Yaku, along with Lev. The team always tried their best to use simpler words whenever they spoke to you and you're definitely grateful for their efforts. However, there's just one person you've barely interacted with:

Kozume Kenma.

The third years obviously noticed the lack of interaction, especially Kuroo and he made it his own personal mision to try to get the two of you to talk to each other more, albeit with many difficulties.

"Come on, Kenma. You don't think I don't notice you paying attention anytime Y/N talks? You're not exactly very slick, you always pause your games just for Y/N," Kuroo nudges Kenmas side with his elbow which Kenma slaps away in irritation.

"Shut up Kuroo."

Kuroo leans in closer to Kenma, "You can't tell me you don't notice Y/N staring at you during practice? Blushing whenever you're 5 metres away from each other? Or when-"

"Kuroo, please just shut up," Kenma groans and glares at his switch, clicking away at the buttons and suppressing the urge to scream in anger as the words 'GAME OVER' flash on the screen. Instead, he closes his eyes, inhaling deeply before letting out a long sigh.

Kuroo smiles knowingly before his eyes shift over to something behind Kenma.

"Kuroo-senpai? Kenma-senpai? Has Kai-san arrived yet? I need to ask him something..." Kenma stiffens as your soft voice reaches his ears. He bristles at the 'senpai' title attached to his name, wanting you to just rid of the honorific altogether. He was supposed to tell you, in fact, he had been wanting to tell you to just refer to him casually just like everyone does but he never got the chance. How could he when your conversations only last 30 seconds long each time?

Jump. Jump. Duck. Ju- GAME OVER.

He pressed down his buttons more aggressively, a frown slowly forming on his face. Why couldn't he be more talkative? Why is talking so hard? Why is talking to YOU so hard? Lev does it so easily, Kai too, and Yaku and... and just everyone in the team but him.

You stare in concern as you watch Kenma play angrily with his game and you look to Kuroo for answers only to be met with a shrug.

"Yaku will be running late, some class meeting or something," Kuroo stands up and stretches, walking out of the gym, "Meanwhile, I'll go get my things."

The sounds from Kenma's game filled up the awkward silence and you take a moment to steel yourself, walking towards Kenma. "A-are you okay, Kenma-senpai? You look... angry?" At your question, Kenma's fingers still and the sounds suddenly stopped.

Kenma looks up at you and places his switch on his lap before looking away. "I'm okay... I'm not angry." He mumbles and you smile in relief at his words. "Do you want to play?" He suddenly offers his switch to you and you blink in shock, never really having known or seen him to ever share his switch with someone, simply rejecting anyone- save for that tangerine boy from another school- who tried to even get their hands on his beloved switch.

Noticing your hesitance, he places the gadget on the bench, between the two of you, letting you take your time. You look back to search for anything that will clue you in if he doesn’t actually want to do this, but finding none, you gingerly take it, careful not to drop it or at least try to not leave any embarrassingly sweaty fingerprints. You feel Kenma shifting closer to you to get a closer look at the screen and you don’t know if you feel lightheaded from him being the closest he has ever been that you can actually feel body heat radiating from him or from forgetting to breathe. Trying to focus on the little digital character instead and your fingers clumsily hitting the buttons, a contrast to the way his nimble fingers moved with muscle memory.

And if you felt butterflies in your stomach as he occasionally positioned your fingers on the correct button, the butterflies immediately flew away the moment Lev walks in the gym and you were left with just tingling fingers.

You cradle the box of apple pie you bought in a rush from the bakery, trying to tidy up the ribbon you tied around it to make it more presentable. You had asked Kai about what Kenma liked because you knew there was no way you could write or even say anything close to romantic in Japanese, so you figured out you could give him little gifts, you know, actions soeak louder than words, that kinda thing? As you think of the many ways you could say something wrong by declaring your feelings to him in a foreign tongue like unknowingly saying something ridiculous, or stupid, or even worse, something dirty! Lev’s incessant teasing and mock-kissing noises only stopped when you reached the gym.

“Oh? Y/N-chan, who’s that apple pie for, I wonder,”Kuroo gives you a knowing look and blatantly stares at Kenma, who just seems unbothered. You try to reason yourself that he was only concentrating on his game. Ignoring Kuroo, you take a tentative step towards Kenma, making sure you’re in his line of sight before thrusting the box to him, “For you Kenma… Uh, enjoy it!” You blurted out before brisk walking to the equipment room to take refuge, not even waiting for his reaction.

You hear the muffled shouts of the boys and you can imagine them crowding Kenma. You wince in sympathy.

During the whole practice, you had to deflect the many looks and questions the boys gave you. Thankfully, Kai managed to stop them before it got too much. A godsend. Before any of them could corner you after practice, you zoomed past the gym doors the moment you were done with your manager duties, forgetting that you had barely paid any attention to Kenma the whole time.

“Lev, do you know who’s this from?” You ask Lev, holding up the canned drink that was left on your table.

“Oh, that’s from Kenma. He came here earlier to place it there. He honestly could’ve just asked me to pass it to you but he said I would lose it or something. How mean,” Lev huffs but you can only focus on the fact that Kenma went through efforts to make sure you received it.

“Thank you for the apple pie yesterday. It was really nice,” Kenma took a seat beside you, on the same bench you first played his switch together.

“T-thank you for the drink! It’s my favourite,” you smile shyly. The corner of his lips curl up, just ever so slightly, which you think was the trick of the light.

Kenma gives his switch to you, now a weekly routine for the both of you on days he finishes class earlier. The distance between you and him grew smaller and smaller until your elbows brush against his at any slight movement.

This is it. This is the moment. You made a mental deal with yourself a week ago. If you win this level today, the one where you always lose, you’ll confess to him and if you don’t, you’ll simply leave your feelings hidden and buried deep in the safe in your heart.

Your eyebrows furrow in concentration, refusing any help from Kenma (Kenma just ignored the tiny sting in his heart when you did).

In the meantime, Kenma takes the chance to watch you, sharp, feline eyes studying your features. The stray baby hairs peeking out after a long school day, the slight sheen on your skin from the hot and humid gym, the determination in your eyes. Determination? To beat the level? He restrains himself from chuckling at your cuteness. This felt very different when he watches Shouyo play his video games. Kenma just really feels different any time he’s around you.

You abruptly stand up and cheer, “I did it! Kenma, look!” You show him the screen with the words ‘MISSION COMPLETE’ flashing repeatedly on the screen. You grinned widely at him and he smiles back in fondness.

Suddenly, you go all quiet, which concerned Kenma. “I have something to tell you.” At that, he tilts his head, urging for you to go on.

“I… IlikeyouKenma!” Your words end up being stringed together but from the widening of his eyes, he mostly likely understood.

“You do?”

You nod with pink dusting your cheeks, your fingers fiddling with the ends of your blouse. You’re prepared to get rejected, maybe even move back to Europe and never show your face to him again. And if not, at least you could quit the manager position to avoid any future confrontations with him.

“I like you too, Y/N,” he replies softly, but it was definitely audible in the quiet gym.

And if all else fails- wait what? This time, it’s your turn to look at him wide-eyed, processing what he just said.

“Y/N! Did you leave me for your boyfriend?!” The doors burst open with Lev boisterously shouting, Yaku walking calmly behind him with a twitching eyebrow.

You backpedal away from Kenma, dropping the switch in surprise and you scramble to pick it up, saying a stream of apologies to him, wiping away the dust and checking for any cracks.

Yaku, being more aware of the mood, kicks the back of Lev’s knees, adding a smack to the back of the head for good measure, hissing, “Shut up, you idiot!”

You make eye contact with Kenma before bursting into giggles, him just letting out a snort. You’re just glad you managed to confess before Lev could confess for you.

[1 New Message]

Kenma: wanna beat the next level after practice? you can come over to my house for dinner

You: yes! i’d love to!

[nekomasmanager]

Azumane Asahi × Reader

Am I going to post my one shots here too? Yes, yes I will. This is a collection of one shots I'm currently writing over on ao3 (if you want to you can check it out there! This is the first chapter). This collection features a female reader that is actually part of the Girls Volleyball Club at the boy in the pairing's High School (that way it makes more sense and it's easier for me to write!), and her multiple encounters with the different Haikyuu!! boys. I hope you like it and don't find it too cringey╰(*°▽°*)╯

So first off it's going to be my Asahi one shot! Hope you like it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pairing: Azumane Asahi & Reader Word Count: 2275 Fandom: Haikyuu!! Original Post Date on ao3: 24/02/2021

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You lost. You didn't make it past the first preliminary round. You're going home empty handed. It was all your fault. You didn't think you could reach a lower point in your volleyball career, but you just did.

He would be so disappointed in you. After everything he did, this is how you're repaying him for the hours of training you did together. He would be disappointed.

Your team was huddled up outside the gym, crestfallen expressions on your faces. One teammate was even crying thinking it was her fault this happened. She doesn't know that it was all yours. Captain reassures her that it's not, you did whatever you could to try to win, even if you didn't, she was proud of your team. After saying all that, she was called over by your sensei. You noticed some were admiring her strength, but you quickly noticed that she's just strong in front of you. She's just waiting for the moment she's alone, away from your prying eyes, to finally let down all her tears. She shouldn't cry. It wasn't her fault, she tried her best to get you to practice. You were at fault for not telling my teammates to come to practice, for not encouraging them more, for not pushing them more, because, well, it was your job to do so, being vice-captain and all.

You felt terrible. Your mind couldn't focus on anything else but the failure you just witness because of your lack of leadership skills, your lack of volleyball skills. You just had to practice something. You excused yourself, telling your teammates that you're going to look for an empty gym to practice your serves. They looked at you with pity in their eyes, knowing they couldn't stop you, even though they know you're going to exert yourself to the point of exhaustion. You always held the weight of failure on your shoulder, blaming yourself over and over. Being a third year, those tournaments are going to be the last ones you'll be able to compete in while still being on your school's team.

When you finally find an empty gym, you find a few wayward balls. You begin by collecting them in the bin, thinking that maybe this is the space for a team's practice time. After gathering them next to you, you pick up one ball, and try to jump serve it. It gets to the other side, but the power behind that serve is still weak.

You need to get better. You pick up a second one, and start imagine it as one of your failures that you want to get far away from. When you hit it, it had more force behind it. That's it, you thought. That's how you should do it. You keep doing that, thinking of all the terrible things you need to get away from, of the disappointment you issued with your playing, of all the things you could do better, you could've done better if you were a bit more authoritative.

You did not notice tears flowing down your face, until you saw them splashing on the ball between your hands. Not being able to stay up, you crash down on your knees, volleyball forgotten, and start sobbing silently into your hands. You began muttering: "he must be really disappointed in me. I'm such a failure. He'll no longer be my friend. I ruined everything for my team."

You heard some steps outside the gym door, but you don't care who saw you like that, the tears wouldn't stop anyways. The steps are now faster and louder. You hear a bag hitting the floor, and someone running to you. You thought it was one of your teammates checking up on you. "Y/N?" That's a male voice. Looking up, you see Asahi-San with a worried look on his face. Not being able to stop your tears, a sob finally escapes your lips when you see him, and that's all it took him to go down on his knees and hug you.

Before you wrap up your arms around him, you mutter under your breath "I don't deserve such kindness. I'm a failure. I shouldn't be part of this team. They're better off without me." Not wanting to hear you belittling yourself, Azumane holds you at arm's length, and looks at you dead in the eye, "what are saying about yourself? Did someone tell you all this?" You shake your head not wanting to speak. "I heard you before saying 'he'll be disappointed in me', were you referring to me?" You gently nod, looking down at your fingers, fidgeting and averting his kind brown eyes.

He gently grabs your chin, making you look at him, "I will never be disappointed in you, Y/N. Why would you think that of me?" "Because you wasted so much time on training me, and it was useless. I couldn't do anything to help my team win. I could barely keep the ball in the air. How could I be a good teammate when I'm such a burden to others, not letting them work well?" Your eyes were starting to well up with tears again. Azumane let go of your chin, and you buried yourself in his chest, clinging to his jacket.

He engulfed you in his arms, stroking your back and your hair, whispering softly in your ear, "none of the time I spent training with you was a waste. You're a formidable player, and I wouldn't ask someone else to train with me. You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, I'll always be by your side whether it's through victory or failure. I'm always going to be on your team." With those last words, you couldn't help the sobs that racked your chest and escaped your mouth.

You were shaking, but Asahi-San never let go of you. He smoothed your hair, and stroked your back, humming a song to calm you down. When you felt yourself calming down, no longer sobbing, just sniffling, you look up to Azumane, "do you have some tissues please?" "Yeah sure let me check in my bag for a second." He brings his discarded bag next to you, and shuffles through it, until he finds a packet of tissues that he hands to you. You nod your head while accepting the packet, blowing your nose softly and trying to wipe your eyes.

Your finger are pried away from your face and replaced with bigger warmer hands that wipe your tears gently. You noticed you were quite forceful when wiping your tears. You were so grateful for Azumane, that you closed your eyes and just relaxed under his touch, trying to calm your breaths. A few tears still escape your closed eyes, the movement on your face stopped, and you open your eyes. You noticed Azumane's face got closer to yours, but before anything happens you had to ask one question.

"Why are you always so nice to me? I don't deserve it. I'm just me. Plain old Y/N. But you're perfect. You're an amazing athlete, one I can only aspire to be like. You have such a gentle and kind soul. Even if you get nervous or scared of something, with a few encouraging words, you're back to your confident self. Meanwhile I'm here, crying and sobbing cause I'm the reason my entire team failed, I'm supposed to bring them together with my captain, but I couldn't even do that. You don't even deserve me liking you, you deserve someone who's better than me to like you. Someone who can complete you in the best ways possible. Someone who's not me. So why do always stay by my side even when I wouldn't want to be by my own side?"

You started crying again, letting out all of your feelings for Azumane accidentally because of your frustration. Silent tears were rolling down your face, you're looking down at your fingers clutching the tissue packet, not daring to look him in the eyes. "Y/N?" "What?" "Look at me." You gingerly lift your head up, scared of meeting his eyes. But what you face wasn't what you expected.

Azumane's face was a mix of shock and warmth and something you couldn't quite read. He wanted to say something, but was struggling to do so. He ended up engulfing you with one of the biggest hugs you ever received, the kind of hug that puts everything back in its place, the kind of hug you never want it to end. He whispered so low you were afraid you wouldn't be able to hear him, "I like you too Y/N."

You couldn't believe what you just heard. Shocked, you raise your head, tears still prominent on your face, and you're met with the most handsome, warm face you've ever seen in your life. "Why are tearing up Azumane? I'm the one who should be crying!" "I just couldn't handle seeing you this sad and distraught over something that wasn't your fault. I couldn't handle seeing the girl I love belittling herself." While saying that, you noticed that both his hands are on your cheeks, and getting closer with every word he said.

Your breath hitched, but at the same time, you wanted him closer. You stand up on your knees, facing him head on. That's the only sign he needed before closing the gap between the two of you. You never would've thought that you would be kissing Azumane Asahi, but there you are, in his arms, in the arms of the man who loves you. You couldn't have asked for a better way to make you feel better. As you disentangle yourself from him to catch your breath, you notice him being flushed and you couldn't help but rest your hand on his warm cheek. He nuzzles his head into your hand and kisses the inside of it. You melt right there and then.

"Do you really love me? Or did you mean it as friends?" you ask shyly, feeling stupid as the question left your lips. "Well I wouldn't have kissed you if I only loved you as a friend" he says gently as he tucked a loose strand of your hair. You blush and try to cover your warming cheeks, but he catches your hands before you do so. "Can I ask you something Asahi?" "Anything for you Y/N." "Oh stop it." you lightly hit him on his shoulder. "How did you know where to find me? I remember only telling my teammates."

"Oh well you see. Sometime during our second match, your team came to cheer us on. But I didn't notice them until the end. I was looking for you between your teammates, and I guess your captain knew who I was looking for, and told me where to find you, with the notice that you may or may not be blaming the loss of the game on yourself." You shyly look down at your intertwined hands. "So as soon as I could, I came looking for you, worried that you might be exerting yourself, practicing as you usually do when you blame yourself. And when I heard tiny sniffles, a volleyball hitting the floor, and a bunch of mumbled words, I came faster, and I saw you broken down on the floor, silently crying and sobbing into your arms. My heart was wrenching when I saw you. I could only just come and hug you, trying to make you feel better. And well I guess I achieved that." He says cheekily while booping your nose with his finger but never letting go of your hand.

With still warm cheeks, you look at him, wondering one thing. "Wait you said you finished playing your second match. It means you played against..." "Date Tech High, yeah.." "Oh my God. Are you okay? How did it go? Please don't tell me you're going to stop playing volleyball again? I couldn't handle it. I barely managed to hit a ball when you took your break. I felt like a complete failure when you wouldn't show up to our practice meetings. Thinking it was my fault you didn't want to continue on. Please don't tell me you're quitting again!" "Y/N.. breathe" he says, reassuringly squeezing your hands. "I'm not going to stop playing volleyball anytime soon. And just so you know... we won."

Your face literally lights up, and you couldn't contain your happiness. You jump up and down, overly excited for him and his team. You jump into his arms, and he immediately catches you and spin you both around, laughing with glee. You couldn't believe it. They defeated the Iron Wall of Data Tech. Azumane isn't leaving volleyball behind. He finally conquered his fear. When he sets you down, he leaves his hand around your waist, enjoying your expression full of pride and happiness, for him.

You still couldn't believe it. "Asahi! You did it! I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it! My strong Ace!" "My strong Ace you say?" "I.. umm.. is it okay if I call you that?" you ask, biting your lip cause you're embarrassed you made that slip up. "Of course you can... my little spiker" You blush so profusely, that your entire face and ears are as red as a tomato. You lightly hit his bicep, hiding your face in his chest. He laughs so wholeheartedly while engulfing you with his arms. He kisses the top of your head and whispers: "God I love her so much" With a wide smile hidden from his eyes, you whisper back, "I love you too Asahi"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well here you have it, that was my very first attempt at a fanfic chapter! I have two more fully ready, a new one shot in the works, and an entire new fanfic idea that is linked to my blog name. I hope you'll stick around until then!