#the entire inarizaki match

[kaistarus]

Watching Inarizaki match and forgot how much I love Atsumu

[thawthebeez]

ah yes, home at last... ON TONIGHT'S SPECIAL: What The Hell Is Tumblr User Thawthebeez Going Crazy Insane About Today?

The winning point Karasuno scored against Inarizaki.

Let's discuss this real fast, because this is once again another VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT that is overshadowed because "omg kagehina touched hands for like 2 frames."

For those who have NO IDEA what the hell I'm talking about and care for a summary: Karasuno is at match point against Inarizaki, a powerhouse school that's favoured to win the Spring Tournament. Stakes are high and the tension in palpable. The ball is on Inarizaki's side, and they're about to send it over. Now, what attack do they choose? Well, it's none other than the Miya twins with their minus-tempo attack. You know, the same one that Kageyama and Hinata do.

This attack is fast. Like, very fast. It literally occurs within the blink of an eye. This isn't an attack that can break through blocks. Speed is its main weapon. It's also an attack that relies on trust. You know, a certain bond between the two players. Because of its speed, the setter and the spiker need to have absolute faith in one another.

All throughout the series we see Kageyama and Hinata figure this out. Hinata isn't a heavy hitter, but he is fast, making this kind of attack perfect for him. And it works for a good long while. It's faster than all the other fast attacks and can evade blocks pretty well. Until it doesn't. And that's when they regroup, developing this attack so Hinata can have some more freedom.

Essentially, Hinata and Kageyama learn that while this freak quick they do is strong, it's not invincible. It's fast, but not unstoppable.

Now what gets me is the fact that the only characters in the ENTIRE SERIES to pull off the minus-tempo attack are Hinata & Kageyama, and the Miya twins.

Just two guys, and twins.

Atsumu and Osamu have known each other their entire lives. That's sixteen years of bonding for you. Not to mention the fact that they're bounded by blood, too. Of course the chemistry they're going to have on the court is going to be insane. They literally have, like, twin-telepathy. Of course they can pull off an attack that happens within the blink of an eye. Of fucking course. The faith that's needed between the setter and spiker has been established since the dawn of time for them.

Kageyama and Hinata met for the first time in Junior High. Their third year of Junior High, by the way. They were also on separate teams, and they played a whopping 31 minute game against each other. They were reunited again at Karasuno, but were immediately at each other's throats. They saw the other as a rival (and they still do now, but it's more of a friendly rivalry as opposed to "I need to utterly destroy this guy"). They weren't even officially on the same team until after they pulled off their freak attack. At the point in which Karasuno plays against Inarizaki, Kageyama and Hinata have only been playing on the same team for less than a year.

The freak quick was developed in a single day. By this point, they don't even have faith in one another, just the point, the "I trust that the ball will come my way" and "I trust that he'll score," and even then, the trust Kageyama put into Hinata was iffy.

Allow me to state this again: the only people to have pulled off the minus-tempo quick attack in the entirety of the Haikyuu series are the Miya twins, and Kageyama and Hinata.

To put this into absolutely utterly batshit insane speak: HINATA AND KAGEYAMA HAVE A BOND AS STRONG AS BLOOD, DARE I SAY STRONGER, BECAUSE IN A SINGLE DAY THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE SAME ATTACK THAT LITERAL BIOLOGICAL TWINS CAN. THE ATTACK IS BUILT ON TRUST, AND WHILE THEY MAY NOT HAVE PUT IT INTO EACH OTHER AT THE TIME, THEY WERE STILL WILLING TO GIVE FAITH TO ONE ANOTHER. WHY? SOULMATE SHIT, MAN, IDK.

Like, if we're going back to the first ever quick attack, we're dealing with a Hinata that has been told all his life that a guy like him playing volleyball is a waste, and we've got a Kageyama that's still coping with the events of Junior High. They have absolutely ZERO REASON to trust one another, even if it's just for the single point, but they do anyway because there's at least a subconscious voice- an instinct, maybe, knowing how much these two rely on instinct- that this one, for whatever fucking reason, is okay to trust.

And I think that Tsukishima sums it up perfectly when he mentions that only Hinata and Kageyama could have blocked that attack- that out of anyone, they were the only ones who truly understand that while the attack is strong- while the speed of it is an absolute weapon- it's not invincible.

(the fact that it was both of them, too- the fact that both of their hands were on the ball in that moment- the fact that after everything was said and done they still bickered about who scored that point because that's just who they are, and the fact that in the reality it was both of them who scored. ugh. they just. you get it. you understand)

[dieno-tsuki]

does anyone else have an emotional support match in haikyu or is it just me..

[sanaexus]

pass pass- oh smash.

the inarazaki volleyball team was nothing short of chaos. be it the twins bickering, suna recording every fight, aran cheering them on, omimi's loud sighs of disappointment, kita's scolding and the manager's threat was something that happened on a daily basis, it was normal.

but despite all that nothing changed the fact that they were all extremely close, specially with the manager. in the past all most all the managers quit because of how patient you needed to be dealing with the havoc they created. but you were different. dealing with their bullshit every day, helping them with whatever they needed and just being a friend they really needed.

while to anyone outside it may have seemed like you have romantic feelings for one of them and that's why you chose to become the manager, so you could be closer to them. but that really wasn't the case. the last thing you'd like was one of those hooligans.

it was supposed to be a normal practice match with aoba johsai, but this was inarizaki they were talking about, of course it wasn't.

no one knew you were dating oikawa. no, everyone just automatically assumed you were with atsumu. they weren't exactly to blame, you were close to him but that's what happens when you know someone since your childhood.

to say you were tensed about the match was an understatement. not only about how this was going to end on the court but about how the teams would react if they somehow got to know you were with oikawa.

but it was as if luck decided to make a complete fool of me their entire team came barging in, the loud entrance made everyone flinch for a second as they stared at the door.

now you were panicking and omi being the actual saint he was asked you, "are you alright?"

"no, fuck shit no, do i look alright?" i was pacing back and forth trying to hide my face thinking about ways to hide myself from oikawa or at least let him no that he shouldn't approach me.

"are you alright you look like you just saw a ghost"

"that's because i saw someone worse than a ghost! oh my godd can i call in sick please?" you pleaded with him, trying to find any excuse that would get you out of here.

"no. why would you want that, what happened?"

"i'm kinda maybe sorta might be dating someone from seijoh"

"what's the problem, he's in seijoh this is volley- wait you have boyf- WHAT?"

the yelling had caught the team's attention as they look at the both of you confused.

"WE'RE FINE, NOTHING HAPPENED" as you glare at omi "shhh are you trying to get me killed here? the problem is he is the volleyball team and is kinda the captain of the team. i'm just gonna pray he isn't stupid enough to approach me here with these creatures all around me"

"praying isn't going to be enough for what the twins might do to him if they find out."

cue the bad luck as kindaichi and kunimi wave at you, surprised you're standing at the other side of the court. your hands frantically making the cross sign across your chest mouthing "stay away, you don't know me"

"oh wait how about you text him or something to like not come up to you and you'll explain later"

"ohhh my god you're a genius i love you omi"

as you whip your phone out going to text iwaizumi with your hands shaking.

-IWAIZUMI HELP

why do you look like you're about to pass out? are you fine?

-it's because i might pass out any second. my team doesn't know i'm dating oikawa

oh

-yeah tell him to not approach me please if they find out i'll be dead

i'll do it. good luck w this mess

-thank you i owe you big time

you look up from your phone to talk to omi- "i told his bestfriend to tell him to not approach me that should work right?"

"why didn't you tell him directly? what if he thinks he's just saying it so he stays focused"

"ohhh you're like SUPPER smart, i dont know what i'd do without you"

"probably have your little affair get caught"

you just mutter a little "rude" before going to text oikawa. but before you can, he comes in yelling.

"Y/NNN CHANN I MISSED YOUUU" his whiney voice can be heard to everyone as he jogs his over to you.

you sigh, knowing what's about to go down. "hi oikawa, i missed you too.." you whisper so only you can hear it. and before you can process the entire inarizaki volleyball team (and seijoh) is surrounding the two of you.

suna could careless about who you dated, if you were happy he didn't mind it. but this was something that was both surprising and funny, so of course he had to record it.

it was confusing to the team because up until now they were under the impression you were dating atsumu.

"wait wait wait what does he mean by he missed you? are you two friends?" osamu was curious, he knew you weren't dating his brother but he thought you liked him.

oikawa dramatically turned towards you "you haven't told them?"

"ladies, ladies there's enough of me to go around" which only brought you deadpan looks from both the volleyball teams "ok sorry, my bad for being funny"

"wait what does he mean you haven't told us??"

"we've been dating for a year, the last thing we could be is friends-"

"you're dating him? I thought you were with atsumu?"

"atsumu? i thought you were dating suna?"

"why me? i didn't even do anything keep me out of this?"

"NO WHY WOULD I BE DATING EITHER OF THEM?"

"what's wrong with us?" suna and atsumu asked offended.

"shut up i've seen you eating sand and you ask me what's wrong with the two of you?"

"y/n chan, what's going on?" kunimi asks curiously. the seijoh's team just stood there watching you, oikawa and the inarizaki members going back and forth.

"all of you shut up, we didn't even let y/n explain properly"

"oh my god thank you kita-"

"you don't like the twins?"

"KITA?! no oh lord i don't, i've been dating toruu for the past year, i never did and never will like any of these hooligans, no offense"

"HEY! that's rude-" before atsumu could whiney any further osamu smacked him in the back of his head, which shut him up immediately.

"what about the rumors of a girl making out with atsumu? that wasn't you?" suna finally asked, genuinely wanting to know more.

"Y/N-CHAN YOU MADE OUT WITH PISS HAIR? WHAT?"

"no oh my god toruu I didn't-"

"oh, that wasn't her that was just a junior i dated."

"yeah that wasn't me wait ew juniors? really atsumu?"

"she was cute! don't shift this on me"

"but guys seriously i never had have or will like anyone from the volleyball team. i'm sorry i hid it from you guys, but i was just scared of what you guys would think"

"are you happy? does he keep you happy?" aran asked borderline choking atsumu.

the question caught you off guard but instantly a small smile replaced the shock on your face "yes, he does, he's stupid but he really does make me happy"

"then that's all that matters"

"aww thank you-"

"nuh uh, i don't approve, what if he's a playboy?" atsumu disapprovingly shook his head praying aran's hands off him.

"oh god no one wants to hear that from you" suna shut atsumu up.

atsumu quietly huffed a "rude"

"well now that that's sorted, we should probably get back to warming up"

"yes thank you kindaichi, finally a normal person"

"y/n?" aran called out to you.

"yes?"

"just because your boyfriend's in that team doesn't mean we'll go easy on them, we'll just be rougher with them"

"if it makes you win, be my guest."

this was a bit awkward to write and I'm not proudest of this either but we'll js roll with it

@daisy-room here you go mam hope I did your idea justice

[causenessus]

love notes

part 0.1. I KNOW A GUY

"being stupid and being fifteen, the simple mania of no responsibility"

from the gaping mouth by lowertown, left at inarizaki high, hyōgo

° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . three years ago. ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

“huh? sakusa, why do you have a stick in your bag?” she watches in surprise as he pulls out a light brown piece of wood

they’re sitting under a tree (on a cloth, of course, they both agree that sitting on the grass would be unsanitary) unpacking their lunches. it’s their first year at itachiyama, only a few weeks in, and they’re still getting situated in their new setting. but the fall weather is nice, and they welcome the nice breeze from the wind. inside is far too noisy for them.

however, when she looks over, he has yet to pull out his food. instead, he’s wielding his stick like a weapon.

“i just have a feeling…something bad is going to happen soon,” he answers, turning his head to scan their surroundings as if something will come leaping out at them any second. perhaps the wooden stick will come in handy if anything pops out of the blue, like two high schoolers.

putting it like that, it didn’t sound that strange. sakusa and her were high schoolers as well, after all. the difference was that they weren’t supposed to be here. they were from an entirely different high school. she had thought nothing of their discolored uniforms until they started coming closer and closer as if they were heading straight for them.

sakusa had noticed them well before her. she had looked towards him to find his head turned away from her, looking down the field towards two small figures in the distance. from that far, neither of them could make out who they were, but as they neared his face contorted. his jaw clenched and his lips were pressed into a thin line as they approached.

“do you know them?” she asked still watching them while sakusa turned back to look down at his food. they looked identical besides the fact that one had gray hair and one had blond hair, their bangs swept in opposite directions.

“omi! are ya happy to see us?” the blond one calls out with a big grin on his face, his other half following behind with a smile that only spelled out trouble.

“what are you guys doing here?” sakusa doesn’t even try to match their enthusiasm, continuing to pick at his food.

“aw, don’t be like that,” the blond continues to whine, “we’re here for our game of course! our school let us out early.”

the two boys both sit down in front of them and she decides to copy sakusa’s posture, paying attention to her lunch instead.

she sees sakusa shift out of the corner of her eye, “no way they let you out this early. it’s like noon.”

she hears a sigh, “yeah, you’ve seen through our little facade…we skipped school and came early, suna’s really pissed we didn’t bring him.”

she’s focused on trying to piece together who the boys in front of her are when suddenly one of them is leaning forward, yellow hair coming into her sight as he tries to peek at her face, “who's the pretty girl here?”

she’s reflexively repulsed backward while sakusa pushes the blond’s face away with his stick. she internally thanks his sixth sense and talent for being overprepared.

“her name is y/n. she’s a photographer for publicity. she’s a good friend and she’ll be taking pictures of the game later today, so back off,” sakusa’s tone is nothing short of hostile, yet she can’t help but give him a smile when he calls her his friend. they haven’t known each other for long, but they’ve bonded quickly over a shared distaste for people and physical contact.

she learns in the next few minutes that the blond’s name is atsumu and his twin brother with him is osamu. they’re both volleyball players for inarizaki, the team sakusa will be playing after school. although initially she was convinced atsumu was the only troublesome one, she quickly learned they were both equally destructive. they'd bickered at least four times in the span of their lunch break, each time being uniquely different and entertaining.

one of her only contributions to the conversation had been making sure the twins had eaten, in which they nodded enthusiastically, explaining that they had stopped at a convenience store before coming here. sakusa had only rolled his eyes, “did you guys even go to school? or did you just come straight here to plague me?”

soon after, she noticed that other students in the grass were starting to pack up and she checked her phone, “oh, lunch is ending soon.”

she’s quick to put away her things, zipping up her bag as she turns back to look at the two boys in front of her. she seems to be thinking the same thing as them, and sakusa is the one to bring it up, “since you guys completely thought through your plan, what are you planning to do while we’re still in class? i’m not letting you into our gym.”

they both place a finger under their chins, looking identical as they ponder the question. “hm, ‘tsumu, i think i have an idea.” osamu wears the same grin she first saw them with and she’s already bracing herself for the kind of plan he’s thought up.

“i think i’m thinking the same thing, ‘samu,” atsumu returns the sly look.

they pause for a moment before they speak at the same time,

“i’m going with dollface.”

“you’re going with omi-omi.”

“come on, ‘tsumu. you’re making her uncomfortable. let her breathe a little before she has to deal with your stinky ass on the court,” osamu scoffs, sticking out his tongue at his brother.

“how dare you! i use deodorant and those hours on the court will be great. besides–” atsumu’s gaze slides from osamu to her, “you’ll get all the good shots of me, won’t ya?”

his stare is intense and it makes her want to curl up. she looks away, trying to cover how red her face is.

“aw look, she’s blushing– FUCK! OMI–” she looks up again and atsumu is holding his forehead while sakusa is once again brandishing his stick. osamu immediately bursts out laughing and has his phone out, taking pictures of his brother.

“you guys aren’t even wearing the right uniform. you’ll get kicked out immediately,” sakusa chides, beginning to stand up and she follows after him, dusting off her skirt.

“don’t worry,” atsumu is quick to recover, bouncing up with a grin on his face, “i know a guy.”

sakusa quirks a brow, but when atsumu doesn’t let up, he groans. “fine, whatever. maybe it’s better that you guys aren’t left unsupervised. but i’m not handling you both. osamu, go with y/n. atsumu, i’ll leave you behind if you can’t catch up.”

the twins share a cheer and high five each other before atsumu runs after sakusa whose already walking away, “don’t worry, ‘samu, i’ll get a uniform and find you!”

he leaves her and his brother standing alone under the tree, and she can’t be bothered to feel surprised anymore at what just happened. sakusa seems like he’s already used to their antics, and she’s starting to feel the same way after one day. when osamu turns to her, she lets him follow along as she walks back towards the school. 

separated from his brother, osamu isn’t that bad. she’s like how he initially perceived him to be, calmer and more observant. as soon as they step into the school, he’s keeping in step with her as he talks, “don’t worry about supervising me. i’m not pushy like my brother. i hate him, and i’ve vowed to never be like him. you know, this may come as a surprise, but no one likes him.”

he smiles when she lets out a laugh, unable to keep it to herself, “you seem like the complete opposite of him when you’re not with him, i was starting to think you guys were just mirror copies of each other and twice the trouble–you bounce off of each other so well.”

he shrugs, hands stuffed in his pockets. he doesn’t seem bothered by the looks some people are understandably throwing his way. his uniform stands out in the sea of green they’re walking through. “it’s a curse and a blessing. depends on the day. hey, by the way, do you make your own lunches? it looked like you were eating tamagoyaki, I couldn't tell.”

she nods, “yeah, now that i think about it, i guess i always like having something to do with my hands. if i’m not taking photos, i like to cook.”

“a woman after my own heart!” he slaps a hand to his chest dramatically before he gives her a grin when she looks at him, “just kidding. i promised not to flirt with you, remember? i think omi would kill me anyway. but i do love cooking, and it’s nice to talk with other people who enjoy it as well.”

she hums in agreement. for how similar he and his brother are, she’s not sure she could ever imagine atsumu cooking something edible, but it fits well with what she knows about osamu. “so, there’s one more of you guys coming?” she asks, trying to keep up their conversation until they reach her class.

he doesn’t answer immediately, seeming to think about her question. “oh, suna? i mean yeah, the whole team will be here later since we’re playing omi’s team. but you’ll definitely meet suna soon. we drag him along everywhere.” 

she doesn’t doubt him. if they skipped school just to wiggle themselves into an entirely other different school, it doesn’t sound out of the question that they could force a third person to come along with them on their adventures. her phone buzzes once they sit down and she’s thankful that the seat behind her is empty, hoping that maybe she’ll be able to block most of osamu from her teacher’s view.

much to her surprise, osamu had gone the entire class without getting caught. he’d taken notes as if this was one of his actual classes and even tapped her on the shoulder to show her a text of atsumu getting his phone getting taken away. she’d had to cover her laugh up as a cough. when the bell rang, she almost left immediately out of habit before remembering she had someone following her.

“i need to stop by the yearbook room real quick to grab my equipment for your guys’ game tonight, is it okay if you follow me there before we go to the gym?” she clarifies.

he nods and she starts to lead him out the door. “and you remember suna, right? how he was mad at ‘tsumu and i for accidentally leaving him behind? he wants food in return…is it also okay if we stop by a vending machine?” he asks, walking alongside her.

“oh, sure,” she answers, “did you want me to drop you off there first instead? honestly, the vending machine with the best snacks is by the gym so we’ll pass by it either way.”

“no, that’s fine. i can follow you to the yearbook room,” he shrugs and she keeps walking. it’s nice to have company as she walks through the halls.

“do you know what he wants? i can pay for it,” she looks at him from the corner of his eyes.

“oh, don’t worry about that. he wants atsumu to pay,” he replies and she snickers. in her head, she can already imagine how atsumu flipped out upon being told that. osamu reaches a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “and he uh…he wants jelly sticks.”

she tries to stifle her laugh with her hand but can’t completely muffle it. “sorry, i don’t mean to laugh. that’s just adorable. your friend sounds cute.” atsumu and osamu were both quiet childish as well. when she tried to imagine what suna might look like, he just looked like another version of the twins. if he hung around them, he was at least probably just as silly as them. 

how wrong she was.

she first meets suna rintaro in the middle of a fight. she’s barely pulled back by sakusa before she gets caught in the crossfire.

it started with osamu and her arriving at the vending machine after picking up her equipment bag. she had said something about buying something for herself too and was digging through her school bag for her coin purse when osamu stepped forward. “here, let me pay. what did you want?”

before she could respond, footsteps came stomping down the hall, “no way in hell you’re paying for her, i am!” atsumu had come out of nowhere once again, sakusa trailing a few paces behind, his face mask doing nothing to hide how severely annoyed he looked.

osamu clicked his tongue, “you have to pay for suna and i know for a fact you’re broke as shit! it’ll be a miracle if you can even afford to buy him jelly sticks!” they began to wrestle, osamu pulling at atsumu’s hair while the blond pulled at his brother’s cheeks,

that was when sakusa had pulled her back just in time for a third voice to enter the picture, piercing through all of them and making them freeze in their tracks,

“seriously? you guys couldn’t even buy me food by the time i got here?”

atsumu and osamu are quick to break up their fight, osamu rubbing his cheeks grumpily. “i have no idea what you’re talking about,” atsumu purses his lips as he turns to face the vending machine again, “i’m buying them right now. see? here they are. your jelly sticks.”

her eyes follow atsumu to the boy he’s handing the plastic package to and her mouth goes dry. he’s nothing like the image she had in her head. what did she even imagine him looking like? surely not this pretty.

shit, he was really pretty. 

the collar of his red jacket hides the edges of his face, but when he turns towards her, she sees his entire face and instinctively shuffles back towards sakusa under the weight of his stare.

“suna! this is y/n. y/n, this is suna,” atsumu follows up, for once (in the few hours that she’s known him) seeming to read the social situation.

“nice to meet you,” she says, not moving a muscle because he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to do handshakes.

“yeah,” he replies, holding her gaze for a moment longer than she expects him to, “you too.” then he turns around and walks back the way he must’ve first come from.

she wants to bury her face in her hands and overthink everything she’s ever done, his yellow-gray eyes still prominent in her memory. osamu’s voice pulls her out of her thoughts, “well, that’s suna.” he states the obvious and no one replies. “anyway, what did you want from the vending machine, y/n?”

“you’re paying for her over my dead body,” she looks up to see atsumu shouldering osamu away from the front of the machine.

“oh yeah like it’s gonna be hard to kill you–”

“you’re both making a fool of yourselves,” sakusa cuts them off and they both immediately straighten at sakusa’s grim tone. 

“you guys don’t have to buy me anything, really,” she tries to add before all three boys look at her and she shuts up.

“no, they won’t let you go until you let them pay for something,” sakusa sighs, and she feels drained. she hasn’t even picked up a single piece of equipment or put her bag down, yet all she wishes she could do is go home and fall asleep, pretending atsumu and osamu were just figments of her imagination. 

but this was reality, and she continued to see atsumu and osamu quite frequently after their first appearance. sometimes they’d show up after school, or visit during school breaks. other times, she saw them during their frequent matches with itachiyama, and she couldn’t help but suspect they were manipulating their coach; there was no way the amount of games between itachiyama and inarizaki was just a coincidence. but their matches were also where she saw suna the most. she had never been able to warm up to him the way she had with atsumu and osamu, but then again, the twins had basically forced themselves into her life. nonetheless, she still talked to him sometimes, and he became part of the reason for the small habit she had formed.

atsumu and osamu complained the most about being starved after games, and she had never realized how draining volleyball must be until she started taking pictures of it up close. it made sense, seeing how attentive everyone had to be 100% of the time, and they were always jumping or running. she saw how it wore even omi (a nickname she had stolen from the twins) and suna down, despite how much they tried to remain their neutral faces.

as a result, she had decided that maybe it was a good time to flex her cooking skills, and to give herself peace of mind that none of them would pass out on their way home. she often made sure to bring food for omi and his cousin komori, but she always made extra when they had a game with inarizaki.

and none of them complained, it was second nature for osamu to come stumbling towards her after every game, looking like a sweating mess unable to even keep his eyes open as he asked her for food. she’d force him to patiently wait a few more minutes as she took shots of the teams packing up which also gave atsumu and suna time to come over as well.

she had told herself she was making food for all of them, but in reality, she knew it was for suna most of all. she was too scared to talk to him as often as she did the rest of the boys, yet she still found herself pulled to him. food had instead been the mutual connector between them. it was something they exchanged without many words, but she reasoned that it was a good thing that they weren’t very close. as much as she tried to play it off, she couldn’t keep her camera off of him. she knew she was supposed to be taking pictures of itachiyama–and she did make sure to take good shots of them–but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t find herself always turning towards the other side of the court every chance she got, following one middle blocker in particular. 

it was always embarrassing to think about, and she tried to push the thoughts away as she rustled through her bag for her container. 

she almost felt like a mother, really. she'd taken in three insatiable foxes plus whatever omi could be considered as–something more passive than his sly opponents. she'd fed them all once and now they'd become attached to her for life. they definitely played the part, looking restless and grumpy while she tried to do her job. eventually, she'd give up trying to take any more pictures and rustle through her bag, finding the rice balls she'd prepared earlier that morning for them. they weren't sufficient as a meal, but something she deemed good enough to last them until they got home.

"y/n, I could kiss you," osamu would confess as he stole the first ball and she'd laugh, seeing atsumu nod eagerly in agreement and the look suna threw their way. neither of the twins ever noticed, too invested in their food to care about anything else.

"back off, she's not yours." omi came to stand beside her, nodding in thanks when she offered the food to him.

"oh whatever," osamu shrugged, "i'll open a restaurant and hire her, then you won't be able to say anything."

"y/n made food for us all, omi-omi. you're just jealous you lost~" she’d grown accustomed to how much trouble atsumu got himself into, seeming to never learn from the beatings omi would give him. she watched the two fight before suna approached her, making her freeze up.

"do you have any food left?" he asked.

sometimes it took her a moment to respond, too caught up in admiring his eyes before she forced herself to respond, "oh, yes. I have a few more. take as many as you want," she held out the box, laughing when osamu snuck in next to her to steal another ball as well. she sent up a silent apology to komori; she had technically made enough to feed him too, but if suna wanted a rice ball meant for him, she was definitely giving it to him.

she was glad he liked her cooking, it was always a worry in the back of her head if he would like what she made. osamu and atsumu would eat anything, and she knew what omi liked. he was the only one she wasn't sure about. whenever he seemed to like something she brought, she made sure to write the recipe down so that she could make it again. she may not have been able to talk to her with words, but if she could show that she cared about him with actions, she was going to make the most of it.

that was how their time through high school had gone, all the way up until graduation. when suna had decided it was time for that to change.

prev. | m.list | next

extras <3

just a little bit of backstory between the friendships of most of the characters! i thought it'd be cute <3 hopefully this wasn't too long and this chapter was pieced together over a few weeks so i hope it flows alright

doing something a little different with song reccs this smau!! i don't think it's very clear although i tried to make it easy to understand, these are basically lyrics that suna left written on a wall in different locations <3 they range in how specific they are and nothing's really important about them! i just thought it was cute to include <3

y/n was put in charge of taking photos for the boy's volleyball team since the yearbook program was stretched thin

inarizaki’s coach, seeing how she took a lot of photos of inarizaki too (bc of suna but he doesn’t need to know that), asked her to send the photos to him

she was so intimidated she made sure she edited them and then sent them his way. he was impressed with her work and asked her to take pictures for inarizaki’s team too whenever she had the time ofc

which also meant she was always cooking to bring something for suna & co. <3

when she got into college, she was offered a job as a photographer for a sports magazine but she declined because she realized it was just not the kind of photography she wanted to do for the rest of her life

this is important for next chapter 😭 but suna is on y/n's private!! most of her friends are, because it's where she posts everything since her main account is dedicated to photography. so that also includes atsumu and osamu ofc

they're all also second years in college in present time

NEXT CHAPTER HAS NO WRITTEN PARTS I SWEAR AND PROMISE ON MY LIFE I'M SO EXCITED FOR IT I JUST NEEDED A CHAPTER TO WARM UP TO THIS SMAU

taglist: @0moonii @iluvmang @bluebeanbee @wyrcan @oyasumeii @froyaoya @gyuijns @nbcvs @milkteade @eggyrocks @guitarstringed-scars @makkir0ll @mylahrins @cherrypieyourface @vivian-555 @sharkerino @r0seandth0rns @staileykout @lunavixia @thvvluvr @elliott0o0 @wolffmaiden @rockleeisbaeeee @toges-cough-syrup @cnnmairoll @ryeyeyer @hibernatinghamster @localgaytrainwreck @lemonocity @bows4life @sereniteav @madiexuberant @eclecticeggknightpsychic @phoenix-eclipses @sonicsolos @httpakkeiji @brkfclub @snail-squasher @starry-magicshop @cr4yolaas @kitnootkat @zzzlevislothzzz @iluv-ace @iluvaquaphor @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @applepi25 @twiishaa @girlkissersco @sleepystrwbrryy @encrypta

[boredbakedbeans]

class divide & struggle in haikyuu

haikyuu twitter has brought up the theme of class struggle in hq and it really got me thinking just how subtle and effective furudate is in portraying class divide throughout the story.

hinata is introduced riding a bike, seeing volleyball through a store TV (not his own like Hoshiumi, Ushijima, Kageyama), and years later he's still riding a bike up and down a mountain every day for an hour to get to school and practice. how the gyms in the public schools like nekoma and karasuno have stages because they're multipurpose, as opposed to the specific volleyball facilities that shiratorizawa and other private schools have. the bond that nekoma and karasuno have as being the public schools in their prefectures, being known as "scavengers", taking what they can get and fighting tooth and nail for it. THE DUMPSTER BATTLE.

Shiratorizawa Academy vs. Karasuno High. almost every other school (aoba johsai, shiratorizawa, kamomedai) having non-volleyball team-specific tracksuits and merch, while karasuno wears the generic "ics" athletic wear. star players like ushijima and hirugami having family that played pro-volleyball and got them started from a young age in professional spaces.

daichi's nightmare about the basketball team overtaking their gym and not letting them practice. kageyama noticing right away that the floors in the all-japan youth camp weren't wooden. takeda working overtime to try to get gyms reserved, practice matches organized, buses rented out. ukai still working at his grocery store his entire first year coaching karasuno (suggesting that karasuno couldn't afford to pay him enough).

karasuno having to adjust to the lights and the height of the ceiling at nationals, when all the other teams were used to it. karasuno renting out that little old inn for nationals, right next to the giant, 25-floor hotel that other teams were staying in. inarizaki intimidating their opponents with their huge student section, affording to literally transfer an entire student BAND from hyogo to tokyo.

it's the reason that there's something specifically annoying about ushijima when we first meet him, something off-putting as we see hinata and kageyama watching shiratorizawa practicing for the first time in their fancy gym at their huge school. something infuriating about hearing ushijima talk down to hinata and basically dismiss karasuno as a threat entirely. when ushijima says aoba johsai is "infertile soil", hinata thinks, if they are infertile soil, then I Am Hinata Shoyo from the Concrete. and our concrete school, despite all odds, despite lack of resources and funding and reputation, will still beat you. i don't have what you have and yet i will still make it to the top!!!!!!!

[kitasgloves]

You're an Inarizaki graduate in a relationship with the SAKUSA KIYOOMI. You were close with the Miya bros, especially Atsumu, and friends with the entire Inarizaki volleyball club. You already had a longtime crush on Sakusa when you watched the practice match between Inarizaki and Itachiyama. You were forever grateful that Atsumu forced you to watch game because you wouldn't be able to have seen Sakusa.

You're working as PR in the MSBY Black Jackals and got reunited with Atsumu (unfortunately). He knows your big fat crush on Sakusa and tries to be your wingman. His plan? He gets you drunk in a party and forces you in a room alone with Sakusa. He claimed it would give you the enough courage to confess.

You confessed but you couldn't remember what Sakusa's reaction was. It ended up with Sakusa taking you to his place because you're incredibly drunk and unable to get home on your own. You woke up to the worst hungover since college and a shirtless Sakusa making breakfast calling you 'darling'.

The rest is history. You and Sakusa have been together for more than two years. Although you two seemed like the ideal couple, there has been frequent verbal fights lately. It mostly had something to do with conflicting schedules and a lot of dates cancelled. Sakusa was a busy athlete and your job as the PR didn't mix well with his hectic schedule.

"This is the fifth time that I have to cancel reservation, Omi!"

"Then just stop making reservations! You know how busy I am so don't get mad that I couldn't make up to our date!"

"You could've at least made an effort to! Or say sorry!"

"We've gone through this over and over again [Name] and I'm getting sick of it"

"So, what? You're sick of me?"

"Maybe I am!"

This argument was different from the previous. You were left stunned as Sakusa breathlessly glared at you, shattering your heart into smithereens. Immediately, your eyes felt wet as you turned around, grabbed your keys, phone, and wallet and stormed out of the apartment. You completely missed the sheer regret that erupted on Sakusa's face.

You called up Atsumu and asked to meet up at Onigiri Miya. When you arrived there and saw the blonde setter, you quickly went in for a hug and sobbed your poor heart out. Atsumu knew you had another fight with your boyfriend since you've been telling him about it for the past few days. It seemed like today, a line was crossed.

Sakusa tried reaching your phone but you have put your phone in airplane mode. Osamu kindly made you your favorite onigiri as you told them about the fight. Of course, the twins took over your side because they've known you for a very long time. You stayed over at Osamu's and had a sleepover with the Miya twins.

The next day, Sakusa was driving all the way to Osamu's place. He has found your whereabouts through his cousin Komori who he got from his teammate, Suna Rintaro. He sucked in a breath and knocked on the door. What he was not expecting was a very serious-faced Atsumu Miya answering the door.

"The hell are ya doin' here?"

"I need to pick up my girlfriend"

"She doesn't wanna be with ya right now"

"That's none of your business, Miya"

Atsumu gives Sakusa a humorless laugh and gives him the most intimidating glare that Sakusa has ever seen from him. Usually, the blonde setter is all smirks and smiles but seeing this death glare from him actually made Sakusa physically shiver.

"Ya made her cry all the way over here sayin' that yer sick of her! Do ya have any idea of the amount of effort she puts in scheduling a dinner fer the both of ya 'cuz she misses ya so much?"

Sakusa was officially speechless as he gulped. He rigidly stands there and gets his well-deserved scolding from Atsumu Miya of all people.

"[Name] means a lot to me 'cuz she's like a sister so if I ever catch her cry 'cuz of you again, I will personally beat yer ass then skin ya alive and give ya some bonus ass whoopin' from Osamu and the entire Inarizaki alumni"

Atsumu warned him. And Sakusa makes sure to keep that in mind. The blonde sighs and finally takes a step aside from the door.

"Go apologize to her and make up, Omi-kun"

Sakusa doesn't need to be told twice as he rushed inside the apartment, not bothering to take off his shoes and pounced at you in the kitchen. You just woke up but you were pleasantly surprised with your boyfriend profusely apologizing to you.

Osamu places a hand on his hip and looked at his twin. Atsumu was smiling as if he didn't just threatened Sakusa earlier.

"What did ya tell him?"

"Oh nothing, just gave him a little warnin' that's all"

Osamu knows Atsumu is a lying piece of shit.

[choppyama]

Hinata is intensely competitive and he thrives when he’s challenged so when a player proclaim that they want to be his rival, it is the biggest form of an acknowledgment.

“finally someone who doesn’t want to be my rival but instead dream to be on the same team as me and be by my side unlike everyone else🥺” is something you would NEVER catch shoyo saying bc it never mattered if it’s on the same or opposite sides of the net… it’s all volleyball.

wanna play together? Cool✨✨ wanna be rivals? Even better ✨✨✨

while it is true that at the start of the series, Hinata’s abilities in volleyball were on a newbie level and he needed a setter like Kageyama to enhance him, It’s also true that most of the time players underestimates him bc of his appearance,

BUT as soon as they see him play they always acknowledge that he bring something to the table, that aside from being part of the freak duo he’s worth recognizing on his own.

‘Everyone thinks hinata only shine bc of Kageyama’ NO THEY DON’T lol. You’ll always hear random players from rival teams says oh that number 10 surprised me the most! he’s a scary monster! wanna take down Kageyama? gotta take down hinata first’

They see him as an actual threat. They see him as a worthy competitor.

This might be about hinata being acknowledged within a rivalry context but ofc others wants to play with him too, set for him.

and Kageyama? He wants both rivalry and partnership. He actively wants to compete with shoyo, not just on the court but through every little thing they do, and he also wants to toss to hinata for the rest of his life.

so to think that “no one ever appreciates hinata outside of the freak duo” or that “everyone just actively wanted to be his rival and not his teammates” until the inarizaki match is such a disservice to his story.

not only it reduces hinata’s hard work and effort, his ability to convince others to choose him but also downplay Kageyama’s impact on him

when this guy was asking hinata to stay with him forever when they were just 15!

Kageyama being the first ever opponent shoyo’s ever encountered, who took him seriously, never once put his guard down the entire match and even after completely obliterating shoyo’s weak team he still viewed his opponent as an equal I could go on but I digress bc if I start yapping about kghn I’ll never stfu this isn’t abt them LMFAOOOOO

Ok back on topic, It’s not like hinata isn’t allowed to be… insecure (?) He was unsettled by Washijo's comment that he's only valuable with a setter during the Karaneko match. Even when praised by a Kamomedai player, Hinata deferred all the credit to Tobio. it’s understandable, that’s his entire dilemma for more than half of the manga.

but still,

Yes shoyo once had to ‘beg’ his friends for tosses in middle school, yes he had no teammates in the beginning or a partner but HE HAS KARASUNO NOW!!!

He has a very dedicated partner who promised to toss to him anytime he wants. Who makes sure hinata knows he’s integral to the team, who tells him he’s the greatest decoy. who made a whole speech about how much shoyo is needed when he was being insecure about his height. Who tells him he can fly even higher

Hinata has people in his life who believes in him, who appreciates him, respect him, acknowledge him as a worthy rival and partner. He’s doing fine!

*wanted to add his reaction when he was being praised after a match. He’s so cute shoyo i love you

[ineedhaikyu]

Inspirational Drabble

Summary: The match between Inarizaki and Karasuno is about to start! The crowd was buzzing with excitement, ready to cheer their hearts out for their favorite team. As everyone prepared themselves, one person couldn't help but torment himself. Luckily, Asahi didn't have to drown in his self-deprecating thoughts as someone became a lifeline.

Word Count: 2.8K

Warnings: Spoilers from the manga, especially chapters 248 and 249! A lot of fluff. Inspired by the picture above!

Asahi tried his best to breathe as normal as he could. He had to stay calm, not just for his sake but for his team’s sake. All of their hard work paved their way all the way to Nationals.

Out of habit, Asahi traced the kanji of person (人) on his palm before swallowing it. It might look like a silly routine but it helped. Though for some reason, he wasn't as nervous as he usually was. They're playing against Inarizaki, one of the top favorites to win this whole thing.

Yet, here he was hoping to catch another glimpse of his opponents before the match officially started. Specifically, the girl that brought a storm of warm emotions inside his stomach. (L/N) (Y/N), Inarizaki's manager, the girl he met just yesterday but already made her way into his fast beating heart.

The eagerness to see her again began this morning when he woke up in the very shirt she gifted him. It wasn't just the fabric that kept him warm but the feelings he had for (Y/N) as well. It almost seemed to good to be true but once he replayed the conversations and read their texts from yesterday, Asahi could honestly believe that (Y/N) wasn't just his dream girl... She's the girl he wanted to be with.

But would she go for someone like him?

He hoped so and if not... Well, a guy could dream, right?

"On a different topic entirely," Suga began as everyone finished changing into their alternate uniforms. "I saw a girl carrying an Atsumu fan earlier. Is he an idol now?!"

"Actually, he pretty much is for high school volleyball. The Inarizaki team garners a different kind of popularity than Itachiyama." Coach Ukai explained. "They have a solid core of talent and a wide array of spectacular, crowd-pleaser plays. That makes them the ultimate contenders."

"We do see them getting interviewed on TV a lot too." Suga pointed out.

Asahi confirmed with a nod. "(Y/N) mentioned yesterday how they're always being interviewed by multiple reporters and journalists."

"Oh?" Suga smirked up at him. "Was this on your date yesterday?"

"N-No. We were just talking." He defended though he couldn't do anything to hide the stutter in his voice. "She even told me she once got interviewed."

"Woah, really? That's cool! I guess that's the advantage that comes with being a part of a high class powerhouse school. I mean, have you seen their cheering section? It's huge."

"And that means no one here... Not a single person in this whole crowd, thinks we have a chance."

To his and Suga's surprise, it was Daichi who voiced this sad fact. Asahi wondered if he was in an alternate dimension. Ever since last night, his friend has been wound up.

"Gah! Daichi, what's gotten into you?!" Suga shouted. "Pull it together, man!"

Asahi was just about to say something similar when he saw Daichi lips turn into a smile. His eyes gleamed with determination as he said, "Now I'm fired up!"

The two third-years sighed in relief, knowing they had nothing to worry about as their captain was back to normal.

"It's about time you snapped back to yourself, Daichi." Suga commented.

Asahi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You've been awfully quiet since last night. Meek, even."

"H-Hey! I-I was focusing."

~

The moment Daichi opened the doors to the main arena everyone was blown away at the sheer intensity the crowd produced. The lights of the gym shined like mini suns above his head. The gleam of the laminated floor looked untouched, almost spotless. It was enticing, begging to be played on.

Then there was the crowd. Asahi can easily see their supporters standing behind their signature black banner, sporting their signature orange colors. It was a welcoming sight.

The warm reassuring feeling quickly left his body when he looked at Inarizaki's section. They had triple the amount of fans Karasuno had, not to mention they even had cheerleaders and a marching band. It almost made Shiratorizawa cheer section tiny in comparison.

Asahi clenched his fist tightly and took another deep breath to calm down his nerves. Though the Inarizaki's marching band wasn't helping his case at all.

Suddenly, the crowd cheered loudly and Asahi took this as a sign that their opponents have made their appearance. Which means-

(Y/N) walked next to Inarizaki's coach, looking unbothered by the amount of fans cheering for her team. The smile on her face was enough to calm his nerves from her intimidating teammates. Even from the other side of the court, his eyes met with her (E/C) ones. The connection was instant as they smiled at one another.

"Aran!!"

"Atsumu!!"

"Osamu!!"

"Okay." DU-DUM! "Let's go." Daichi's voice could barely be heard over the marching band's drums.

So he tried again. "I said, let's-" WAAAA!!

This time it was the cheerleaders' collective cheering.

Asahi watched as Daichi grew frustrated with the crowd's interference. So much so that the captain yelled from the top of his lungs, "LET'S!! GO!!"

"Yeah!!"

~

Official Warm-Ups

(Y/N) felt her heart lurch against her chest when she saw Asahi again. She felt a bit silly with how happy Karasuno's ace makes her, especially when they spoke to each other just a few minutes ago.

She shook those thoughts from her head. Now was not the time to daydream about Asahi.

'Focus! Your team needs you!' Thought her brain. 'Don’t get distracted!'

'But Asahi's so cute. He’s such a gentle giant.' Her heart argued. 'Omg, his biceps look amazing! Just imagine having those strong arms wrapped around you and having him lean down to kiss-'

'STOP! Now is NOT the time to think about that! At least, wait till AFTER the match is over.' Her brain tried to reason.

'Fine…' Her heart relented to her brain’s demand but it only took one more glance before crumbling once again. 'Those broad shoulders though… Asahi is literally hot guy status.'

“(Y/N)!”

“Yes, Coach?”

“It’s the twins' turn to warm-up and you know how superstitious they are. You know what to do, right?"

"Yes, sir."

She caught the ball with ease and made her way to where Atsumu and Osamu were waiting for her.

Ever since the Miya twins joined the club, they began a silly little routine of her tossing the ball for Atsumu to set to his brother. The first time was during the twins' first appearance playing for Inarizaki. Usually, the coach or assistant coach would do the tosses during warm-ups, but at the time they were occupied which led her to do the toss for them. Atsumu was perfect with his set and Osamu effortlessly spiked the ball. From then on, they demanded, Atsumu more than Osamu, for her to toss for them in future warm-ups, claiming she had the lucky touch.

(Y/N) smiled to herself at the memory. She didn't believe in luck but she went along with it. For two years, she tossed them the ball in each official warm-up and now that this was her last year with them... Well, they weren't going to change tradition now.

"You guys ready?" She asked them, tossing the volleyball up and down.

"Heck yeah!" Atsumu answered excitedly. He held up his hand for her to high-five. "No way are we going to lose."

(Y/N) laughed as her hand connected with his. She turned her attention on Osamu, the small pout on his lips was enough to know what was on his mind.

"The faster we win the match, the quicker we can go out to eat. I'll even treat you to dessert. How does that sound, 'Samu?"

With the promise of food, the twin straightened up and high-fived her. His eyes sparkled with joy. "Let's show these guys what Nationals is all about."

With both twins looking eager to start, (Y/N) stepped back and stood next to the net as the twins also went to their positions. Without meaning to, she looked over at Karasuno's players and internally smirked when all eyes were waiting to see the twins in action.

After counting to three, (Y/N) tossed the ball in a beautiful arch as it made its way to Atsumu's waiting hands. Not surprisingly, the ball was set perfectly for Osamu to spike strongly.

"Nice kill!" She told them, her chest swelling with pride.

"One more!" Osamu called out.

(Y/N) raised a brow and was about to ask why when she saw both twins sharing a look.

"Alright, last one!"

Tossing the ball one more time, (Y/N) watched as the twins jumped in unison and her smile grew when she witnessed Osamu displaying his setting skills for Atsumu to spike.

"Ha! Ha! Super body and soul switch time delayed spike!"

'If only they could find a better name for that move...'

Despite the move they just did wasn't a delayed spike, it still made the crowd go crazy, screaming several compliments.

After the twins waved to their fans, they made their way to her.

"How was that, (Y/N)-senpai?! It looked cool, didn't it?!" Atsumu bombarded, looking for her praise more than anything (as if the crowd's praises weren't enough for him).

"Amazing as always, Miyas!" She complimented them as she clapped both of their shoulders before making them lean down to her level. "What's your reason for doing that move?"

Atsumu looked smug while Osamu answered her. "We have to prove the other team what we're all about."

"Uh-huh..." (Y/N) raised a brow looking unconvinced with his answer. "Now give me the real reason."

The twins looked at each other and (Y/N) wondered if twin telepathy was real because a few seconds later Atsumu sighed before replying, "To intimidate that crush of yours. He kept starin' at you when you weren't lookin'. It's creepy."

Osamu lifted his head for a second before crouching back down. "He's still starin'."

"Oh my god, you guys. I appreciate you caring for me but focus on what's important, okay? Right now, in your eyes, Asahi is your opponent so just view him as that and nothing more."

And with that, (Y/N) gave the twins another pat on their shoulders before making her way to the bench. Unbeknownst to her, the twins didn't take her advice to heart. Instead, they focused on something else.

"Did ya notice how she's on a first name basis with that guy, 'Tsumu?"

The twin nodded as he placed his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowing on Karasuno's #3 from across the net. "They literally met yesterday, 'Samu! How did that samurai guy make an impression on our manager?!"

Osamu shrugged his shoulders because the answer was a mystery to him as well. "You're just jealous that (Y/N) likes him."

Atsumu whipped his head to glare at his brother. "AM NOT!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

Osamu sighed, not wanting to continue this argument. "Whatever. We still have to beat them."

"Without question. If he can't beat us then he has no right to even talk to (Y/N)-senpai." Atsumu declared.

"Agreed."

The twins took one more look at Karasuno's ace, making a mental note to pay special attention on the guy… and crush him.

~

National Spring Volleyball Tournament, Round 2

Hyogo Prefecture Rep: Inarizaki High School (3rd Appearance Straight, 31 Appearances Overall)

Versus

Miyagi Prefecture Rep: Karasuno High School (1st Appearance in 5 Years, 9th Appearance Overall)

~

It was time. Both teams stood on either side of the court, every member held a sense of seriousness as they tried to make themselves as imposing as possible.

At the sound of the referee's whistle, every emotion seemed to jump to another level. Asahi's hands fidgeted anxiously. Call it paranoia but he felt like he was wearing a large target. It looked like everyone wearing a black Inarizaki uniform were glaring daggers at him. He hoped it was just his imagination.

Then there was (Y/N) by the sidelines. Even from afar, he could see the excitement in her eyes. She looked so angelic with that smile of hers. He felt a wave of relief when he recalled how much support she gave him the day before.

"I’m not saying you should just get over yourself because we all have experienced some level of negative emotion in our lives, right? And it’s not as easy as turning a page in a book. Trust me I know. So believe me when I say this, it’s okay to express those feelings. Maybe one day, you’ll find solace in someone."

Asahi felt his spirits lifted when he thought about (Y/N)'s words. Solace... She didn't know it but that was what she became to him. Her words gave her comfort and alleviated all the strangling roots of anxiety that surrounded him. He smiled to himself at the memory. It was enough to fall for her all over again.

After mentally counting to three, both members of the Karasuno and Inarizaki team bowed down to each other and yelled, "Here's to a good game!"

Asahi's feet moved automatically to where the coaches were standing. His heart was still beating like crazy. His nerves were still going crazy because in a few seconds they were about to play a high caliber team that were the people's favorite to win this whole thing.

That's when Takeda-sensei came to the rescue and provided the much needed words of wisdom. Asahi listened as his head coach spoke, "You know... Two months ago, during the qualifier finals, no one thought we could beat Shiratorizawa either." A bright smile accompanied as he continued, "What say we surprise everyone again!"

"YEAH!!" They shouted in unison with Hinata and Nishinoya jumping with joy.

It was time for the announcer's to present to the crowd the starting lineup. Asahi took a deep breath as he waited for his name to be announced. Not wanting to look any more nervous that he actually is (and to hide away his fidgety hands), Asahi crossed his arms and tried to look brave.

Physically, he looked intimidating. Mentally... Well, it went something like this:

'Daichi's right. Nobody's paying any attention to us. I don't have to be nervous. Nope. Nuh-uh. I'm not nervous at all. Nobody's looking at me. That means I effectively don't even exist!'

With a furrowed brow, Asahi quickly shook his head at the thought.

'Wait, no. Now that I think about it, that was going too far. Heck, it was pretty sad!'

And of course his friends noticed how quiet he became.

"Asahi. Get over here." Daichi called, his voice full of authority and masking the slight anxiety he had. He didn't need his ace player to go down the rabbit hole before the match even started.

Suga couldn't help but laugh as he said, "I don't have to be a mind reader to know there's something laughable on your mind right now."

Daichi narrowed his eyes at Asahi. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it! That's an order!"

It was scary how frightening Daichi can get.

"I-I wasn't thinking a-anything bad." He defended through stutters. "At least... Not anymore."

Before Daichi could reprimand his ace, Suga cuts in with a slap on his shoulder and said, "Hey, don't make it obvious but (Y/N)-san has her eyes on you."

All the thoughts from a moment ago disappeared instantly at the idea of his crush paying attention to him. It gave him a new sense of motivation to play the best that he could. Volleyball was something he was good at, like really good, and (Y/N) took notice of his skills from yesterday's match. If he could impress her even more then maybe... He has a chance.

"Let's win this match and then win some more!" Asahi declared as he made his way to his assigned position. His aura was slowly but surely glowing with confidence.

Daichi and Suga sighed in relief as their ace finally looked mentally ready to play.

"Tell me the truth, Suga, was (Y/N)-san actually looking at Asahi when he wasn't looking?" Daichi asked his vice-captain.

Suga grinned. "Come on, Daichi. Just like I don't have to be a mind reader with Asahi, I don't need to be a psychic with (Y/N)-san. Those two are perfect for each other. Just you wait, a confession is going to happen in the future. Mark my words."

Daichi could only sigh at his friend's words but he didn't say anything against Suga's prediction. Even he could see the effects the pretty Inarizaki manager has on his gentle giant of an ace. He wouldn't be surprised if they kept in touch after all of this is over.

~

Little did anyone know, this wasn't going to be the last day for Inarizaki's manager to be a part of their lives, especially in Asahi's.

~

Next: Chapter Four

[rizsu]

mansae, mansae, mansae sunarin, kenma, bokuto, kageyama.

sum. ib ( inspired by ) mansae from seventeen (kpop) !!

suna rintarō

inarizaki student suna — he thinks he's cool & slick when talking to you but he gets a little fidgety because of his overwhelming feelings for you

comes up to you in class like "yo" but it's not just any yo, it's a "yo please let me be your boyfriend i love you" but he's not going to say all that.

you guys are deskmates so he sneakily reaches out to hold one of your fingers saying "damn, it's cold today!"

suggests café study sessions when there's no practice (this is an excuse to be with you)

professional volleyballer suna — oh he's still awkward but a little bolder. we all know suna's the cameraman for ANYTHING so yes, he does use you as his personal photo dump.

definitely has your chats pinned. his screentime is high but when you're available to talk? that goes up to HOURS.

when he confessed to you, it was really sceneric. like you know all those fancy restaurants, 5 star hotel weekends, cute little dates to some garden— i mean he has money so why not spend it??

after any match, he comes over > throws himself face down on your bed > begs for you to massage his back > sleep.

kenma kozume

nekoma student kenma — you are his personal room. leaves everything in your care if he has practice or won't be able to use his switch at all.

kenma the typa man to take years before he confesses. he has plans he cannot afford to mess up. meticulously planned plans.

when his class is over he immediately makes his way over to your class and waits until you're out.

conversations usually go like:

"hey, let's go to the gym" > "what about lunch??" > "we can send lev for lunch i dunno."

he LIVES for the way he can just not talk and yet you two would be in a comfortable silence.

uni student & gamer kenma — drives to your house so you guys can go to university together.

if your courses are different — he waits for you at the caféteria and then you guys go wandering about waiting for the next course

if your courses are the same — sits next to you and you guys end up gossiping the entire class. "oh right did you hear about lev's interview?? it was.. something..!!" #1 lev hater (he loves lev)

invites you over for "just the weekend" but you end up staying the entire week.

kageyama tobio

karasuno student kageyama — awkward. very awkward. i know you guys saw the way he freezes up at anything that's not volleyball.

"uh- damn- hi- uhm, can you help me??" yeah you gotta help him or else he can't go to the practice with seijoh to settle his beef with oikawa.

really shy?? he literally cannot form a proper sentence without having hinata's help from the sidelines. sometimes he goes mind blank while staring at you.

does he answer anyone's messages? hardly. does he answer yours? immediately.

professional volleyballer kageyama — still awkward but not as much. isn't as bold as suna but he doesn't think before speaking and just lets it out. you can be wearing rags and he'd be like "wow you look so pretty.."

has this one pic of you furiously scooping out ice-cream while wearing some powerpuff girls pajamas as his lockscreen and wallpaper.

holds your hand like his life depends. he's asleep? holds your hand. scared bc of the horror movie? holds your hand. walking into the house? holds your hand.

a cutie honestly.

bokuto kotarō

fukurodani student bokuto — he does NOT care! will let you know he likes you and will court you until you give him an answer.

likes it when you massage his head after practice but you have to restyle it ++ tries to fit you in on any trips whenever they're going to practice with nekoma/karasuno/some other school

there was this one time he walked you home since he "lives nearby" but it was like?? 6pm so your mom made him stay over. she adores him.

lets you use his volleyball jacket(?) and loves it when he sees you down the hallway wearing it. whether it's tied around your waist or you're wearing it, he loves it.

professional volleyballer bokuto — made you his personal manager. talks A LOT about you when drunk,, to the point where sakusa had to tape his mouth shut.

"yeah so like y/n's so pretty i just wish—" "please shut up bokuto."

stole one of your perfumes bc he loves your scent and cannot live a day without your scent (exaggeration but you get me).

once bokuto messages you, there is no end. he WILL tell you every little detail about his day and honestly you love it :(

he can SING. whenever you guys are driving about it turns into a karaoke session.

[ladydigianna]

secrets out || atsumu miya x reader

|| note: gonna start off my haikyuu fics w the pretty setter squad

|| pairings: atsumu miya x reader

|| from the author: hey !! its been a while, ive just been really busy lately, anyways, requests are open

-fic under the cut-

Being Kageyama Tobio’s younger twin sister came with an extra layer of complications, especially when Karasuno acted as your personal security team. They were relentless in their overprotectiveness, particularly around guys who so much as looked in your direction. If someone even smiled at you, the entire team would close in, their hawk-like glares chasing away any potential suitors.

At first, you found it endearing. But then you met Atsumu Miya at nationals.

It was the first day of the tournament, and you were helping the team prepare when you caught Atsumu staring from across the court. His grin was wide and cocky, clearly confident as he threw you a playful wink.

“Oi, pretty twin!” he shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. You stiffened in place, your cheeks burning, but before you could respond, Karasuno had already reacted.

“What did he just call you?” Nishinoya shot up from his stretching position, his eyes narrowing.

“Pretty what?” Tanaka echoed, cracking his knuckles as he stood next to Noya, his protective energy bubbling to the surface.

You tried to brush it off with a wave of your hand. “It’s nothing. He’s just—”

“Flirting with you,” Tsukishima interrupted, smirking as he adjusted his glasses. “And he’s not even subtle about it.”

Kageyama’s brow furrowed as his head slowly turned to where Atsumu was standing. His eyes darkened, though his expression remained relatively blank. He might not have shown it as outwardly as the others, but you knew your brother. Tobio didn’t like Atsumu from the moment he met him, and this wasn’t helping.

“Let’s not get distracted, guys,” Daichi called out, though even he was giving Atsumu the side-eye. “We’ve got a match to win.”

Still, every time Atsumu caught your eye, he’d flash you a grin, causing the Karasuno members to collectively tense up. It was almost funny seeing the boys get so worked up, but the situation quickly became something you tried to push to the back of your mind as the tournament progressed.

Three months later, you had a secret—and that secret had blonde hair, a cocky smirk, and answered to the name of Atsumu Miya.

It had all started with some casual texting, which turned into late-night phone calls, which somehow turned into a relationship. Keeping it hidden from your brother and the rest of Karasuno had been exhausting, but you and Atsumu enjoyed the thrill of sneaking around.

The challenge? Not letting Karasuno catch on, especially when they seemed to be hyper-aware of everything involving you.

“Y/N! Watch out!”

Hinata’s shout snapped you out of your thoughts just in time to duck a stray volleyball that came hurtling toward your head. You let out a yelp and crouched down, feeling the breeze of the ball as it narrowly missed you. You looked up to see Noya sprinting over with wide eyes.

“Are you okay? Did it hit you?” Noya’s panic was so evident it was almost endearing.

“I’m fine!” you assured him, standing back up with a nervous chuckle. But the second the rest of the team saw the near-miss, they rushed over.

“Seriously, guys, I’m fine,” you repeated, now surrounded by a circle of worried faces. Even Tsukishima raised an eyebrow from the sidelines, though he didn't move from his spot. Kageyama frowned, clearly irritated that he hadn’t seen the ball coming.

“You gotta pay attention, Y/N,” Daichi said, his captain voice kicking in as he patted your shoulder. “We don’t need anyone getting hurt.”

You laughed lightly, brushing it off. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be more careful.”

Little did they know, your distraction had nothing to do with the ball and everything to do with a certain setter from Inarizaki.

Today, practice was running long, and you were helping gather up volleyballs when the gym doors suddenly burst open with a loud crash.

“Oi, Y/n/n! Yer not gonna believe this!”

Atsumu’s voice rang out, and your heart dropped to your stomach. You whipped around to see him standing in the entrance of the gym, his Inarizaki jacket casually draped over his shoulders. Behind him were some of his teammates, including Osamu, who looked like he was bracing for whatever chaos his brother had just set off.

The entire gym went dead silent.

“What... is he doing here?” Daichi’s voice was the first to break the tension.

You could feel every pair of Karasuno eyes burning into you as you slowly made your way over to Atsumu, desperately trying to push him back out the door. “Tsumu! What are you doing here?!” you hissed under your breath.

He just grinned, completely unbothered by the growing tension in the gym. “Came to surprise ya! Thought you’d be happy to see me.” His tone was teasing, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“You’ve got to leave—" you started, but then you heard Tanaka groan.

“Wait a minute…” Nishinoya muttered. “Did he just say ‘surprise’? Why is he here to surprise you?”

Atsumu winked, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Guess it’s time to let the cat outta the bag, huh?”

You stood frozen, heart racing as Karasuno’s eyes ping-ponged between you and Atsumu. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

“Let what out of the bag?” Hinata asked, his voice full of confusion.

You sighed deeply, rubbing the back of your neck. “Okay, um… I was going to tell you guys eventually, but... Atsumu and I are dating.”

The gym erupted.

“WHAT?!” Tanaka and Noya practically screeched.

“How long has this been going on?!” Daichi demanded, his arms crossed over his chest.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Tsukishima snorted, looking both amused and shocked at the same time.

Kageyama was staring blankly at you, his expression unreadable but his fists clenched. He clearly didn’t know what to do with this information.

“Aww, don’t be mad,” Atsumu called out, stepping further into the gym. “It’s been three months now. Didn’t wanna cause a scene, but I guess I kinda did, huh?” His smug grin only made the situation worse.

Tanaka and Noya were the first to move, charging straight at Atsumu, who dodged them with ease, laughing all the while. “Oi! You guys serious?”

“Get back here, you sly fox!” Noya yelled, determined to catch him.

Atsumu darted around the gym, dodging stray volleyballs and Karasuno’s players like it was some sort of game. You couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Atsumu, one of the top setters in Japan, being chased by your overprotective team like he was a kid caught stealing candy.

Even Daichi couldn’t help but crack a smile as the chaos unfolded, though he tried to keep things under control. “Alright, alright, that’s enough!”

Finally, Atsumu stopped, catching his breath as he leaned against the wall. “Man, you guys are protective, huh?”

“Obviously,” Tanaka huffed, still looking like he wanted to tackle Atsumu. “But we’ll let it slide—for now.”

Atsumu glanced at you, flashing that familiar grin. “Guess I’ll be visiting more often now.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t hide your smile. “You’re never going to stop causing trouble, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

Later that day...

After the chaos settled a bit, Atsumu found himself cornered by Karasuno’s starting lineup. You watched from a distance, chilling with Inarizaki, who had shown up to see what all the fuss was about.

“You better take care of her,” Daichi said, his voice low and threatening. “Because if you don’t…”

“We’ll beat you up,” Tanaka finished, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

Nishinoya nodded vigorously. “No mercy.”

Even Kageyama, who hadn’t said much this whole time, was standing with his arms crossed, silently glaring at Atsumu. His intense stare did more than enough talking for him. It was clear: Atsumu was on thin ice.

Atsumu, to his credit, didn’t back down. He just grinned that same cocky grin. “I wouldn’t dream of hurtin’ her. But thanks for the heads-up.” He held up his hands in mock surrender, but his eyes glinted with amusement. “I get it, I get it. Take care of her, or I’m dead.”

Satisfied for the moment, Karasuno finally backed off, though they were still watching Atsumu like hawks.

Meanwhile, you sat on the bleachers with Osamu and Suna, who had been watching the whole thing with mild amusement.

“Can’t believe ya managed to keep it a secret for three months,” Osamu said, shaking his head. “Didn’t think you could pull it off with this idiot as your boyfriend.”

“Oi!” Atsumu called from across the gym, having heard his brother’s comment. “What’s that s’posed to mean?!”

Suna smirked lazily, glancing between you and Osamu. “Dealing with Atsumu must be exhausting. You have my condolences.”

You laughed, along with the rest of the Inarizaki boys. Despite all the drama, it was nice to know that both teams had your back—no matter how much they clashed.

After practice ended, Karasuno wasn’t quite done with you and Atsumu. You found yourself dragged into the clubroom, where Daichi, Suga, Tanaka, and Nishinoya sat you both down like they were about to conduct a police interrogation.

Suga smiled sweetly, but you could feel the tension in the room. “Alright, let’s get some answers. How did this start? And why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

You glanced at Atsumu, who just shrugged like this was no big deal. “We met at nationals. Kinda hit it off, y’know? Textin’ led to more textin’… then calls… and, well, here we are.”

Tanaka leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. “But why keep it a secret? You didn’t trust us?”

“No, no! It wasn’t that,” you said quickly. “We just didn’t want it to get... complicated.”

“Complicated?” Noya repeated, raising an eyebrow. “You mean you didn’t want us freaking out and chasing him around the gym?”

You both exchanged a look.

“Maybe a little,” you admitted with a grin. “But you guys kinda proved us right.”

There was a beat of silence before Daichi cleared his throat. “We’re not trying to be overbearing. We just want to make sure you’re happy, Y/N. And that you’re with someone who treats you right.”

Atsumu, for once, looked serious as he nodded. “I get it. But trust me—I ain’t gonna mess this up. I’m crazy about her.”

Karasuno’s members exchanged glances, and finally, Suga sighed with a small smile. “Okay. But we’re keeping an eye on you, Miya. One wrong move, and—”

“I know, I know.” Atsumu raised his hands again. “I’ll behave.”

The interrogation ended on a somewhat lighter note, but as you walked out of the room with Atsumu by your side, you could still feel the weight of Karasuno’s watchful eyes.

“They’re never gonna let this go, are they?” you asked, glancing up at him.

“Nah,” Atsumu chuckled, throwing an arm around your shoulder. “But it’s kinda sweet, ain’t it? Means they care about ya.”

You smiled, leaning into him as you both headed out of the gym. “Yeah. I guess it does.”

The secret was out, and while it had been a wild ride, you felt relieved. Despite all the threats and teasing, you knew you were surrounded by people who had your back—whether they were from Karasuno or Inarizaki.

And as for Atsumu? Well, you had a feeling he was going to enjoy riling up Karasuno for a long time to come.

[kimbapisnotsushi]

here have a medley of miscellaneous timeskip pro team headcanons bc WOW i haven't posted in a while and this is my only stress outlet other than binging new series <3333

starting off strong with ejp raijin LET'S GOOOOOO

washio 🫱🏼‍🫲🏼suna 🫱🏼‍🫲🏼komori: being EXHAUSTED from carrying the pro team world on their backs

no no i'm kidding. mostly

they keep a tally of other pro team matches in which their former teammates go up against each other and are REALLY smug if their respective teammate wins. which means you get shit like this

komori, cheerfully: "so how about that hornets v falcons game last night, huh?" suna: "oh shut UP tell iizuna tsukasa that aran-san could kick his ass any day of the week you little SHIT - "

they ARE united on the jackals front tho. all three of them want the adlers to go down HARD.

is suna nursing a grudge against ushijima from high school? yeah. is he ever going to get over it? probably not.

only komori feels bad bc he is fond of kageyama, but, hey, family's family

they ask washio why he hates the adlers and he looks them dead in the eyes and goes "hoshiumi kourai . . . he is a man that requires constant vigilance"

actually wait i know we all saw everyone watching and talking about the game (which makes me wanna cry SO bad) but god. how fucking funny would it be if players from monster gen convinced everyone else on their very professional and very mature teams to take sides

ejp raijin captain, who's been friends with hirugami fukurou for like ten years: "okay so explain to me again why we need to blow our entire team budget on jackals merch when we're not even going to the goddamn game?" komori: "well, it started on a cloudy but beautifully crisp spring day in 2012 - "

SPEAKING OF TACHIBANA RED FALCONS

hakuba joins the team, sees aran, and IMMEDIATELY starts texting the old kamomedai group chat

altho tbh i don't think there's no way that the "who-from-where-made-WHAT-pro-team" news never breaches the high school circuit. like come ON you know everyone's keeping up with the third year stars when they graduate

by the time the first years are third years they've got everyone pinned down on a fucking MAP. they have a shared file where they update each other on EVERYTHING. it's way less creepy than it sounds they're just a really passionate bunch okay!!!!

well that AND they can't help but brag about their amazing upperclassmen

okay sorry back to it. so it really goes more like

hakuba: "HOLY SHIT OJIRO ARAN FROM INARIZAKI IS HERE" suwa: "hakuba, we already knew that. i linked the article when it first dropped, remember?" hakuba: "yeah but it's still so WEIRD like it's OJIRO ARAN from INARIZAKI" hoshiumi: "lol atsumu told me he talks in his sleep, go find out if it's true"

aran actually does recognize hakuba mostly because gin paid him a compliment ONE (1) time and then aran had to listen to atsumu complain incessantly about the "stupid wall of muscle with stupid hair and his stupid height and stupid arms" ever since

ALSO. i think people get hakuba and hyakuzawa mixed up a lot. they've both got a similar height and build and hairstyle and play the same position

(not to mention the similar backstories)

it becomes a running joke throughout the pro leagues and makes for a fun time with falcons v warriors matches

in the event of a hyakuhina hookup (which i feel like actually could happen) they somehow get onto the topic of "haha it'd be even harder to tell them apart with your eyes closed!" and hinata, without thinking, goes "well, i probably could" and everyone is like "WHAT"

he digs himself an even deeper hole by saying "no, i just meant - i know hyakuzawa's body really well!!!" and everyone immediately starts screaming

poor hyakuzawa is dying on the inside

i think shibayama (MY BELOVED) kind of occasionally forgets that he also has his own fanbase and is sort of semi-famous as the libero of tokai heavy industries esperanza bc. he knows kenma and yaku and lev and komi and yamamoto and fukunaga and, in general, a bunch of people that he believes are much more well-known than he is

he's always so flattered whenever someone stops him in the street to ask for a pic or when he sees posts online gushing about him

this is extra funny bc he never talks about his friends like they're famous so all of his teammates don't really know that shibayama is friends with all these other famous people

and then one of them, an avid kodzuken fan, spams their group chat when kodzuken's newest video is released and shibayama shows up in it

they're like "SHIBAYAMA!! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD US THAT YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH KODZUKEN??" and shibayama is like "i have?? i talk about kenma-san all the time??" and they're like "YOU'RE TELLING ME KODZUKEN IS THE SAME KENMA-SAN WHO RIPPED HIS HIGH SCHOOL JERSEY TRYING TO JUMP OVER A FENCE???"

(shibayama's second year. they'd been dealing with things. it worked out, in the end. even if they had to lie to nekomata and naoki about why all their jerseys ended up with holes in them.)

i love the pro teams you guys they're so fucking funny

[reineyday]

the haikyuu thing im emotional about today is how asahi gets introduced as a former ace that was so intimidated, afraid, and guilty of being shut out by datekou that he decided to quit volleyball entirely. yet by s4, he has not just conquered against them in an official match, he also no longer intimidated by them to the point that he uses a practice match with them to practice a new maneuver he takes with him to the inarizaki match, completely undaunted and ready to go for it. we love to see that character development!!!

[jamminlocks]

Just A Wink {Suna x Reader}

•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°~•~°

Flirting, flirting strangers, Fluff, Humor, Canon Compliant, oneshot, not beta read, reader is a volleyball player word count: 3,174 Summary: While waiting outside to enter the gymnasium in early January weather, a player from the Inarizaki's volleyball team is staring at you in way that chills you more, so you decided to have a bit of fun. A/N: this fic idea took over me and i spent a night writing it ao3 ꒰1꒱ ⪼ 2 ⪼ 3 edit: some changes and additional text edit 2: had to change stuff again cause i fucked up the timeline

The crowd of volleyball players waiting for the gymnasium to enter seems to just grow denser in front the glass doors entrance. Your coach and captain had your team on stand by right on the stairs, away from the cramp crowd. The downside is you feel the chill on your face and hands. With your sensitive ears, you have to put earmuffs on. The team’s bag is placed on the stairs while you wait.

Some of your teammates wear their excitement on their sleeves, smiles and radiate with energy to start a game at any moment. Others are in the process of mentally preparing themselves. Most of you are just themselves as usual or taking in distractions to avoid nervousness.

You are talking with one of the setters and opposite hitters about how long you all have been stuck outside already. That maybe the team could have around thirty minutes later. The other argues that it could have rushed everyone by the time the team got here.

Eventually, the chat moves on from a topic you aren’t really knowledgeable enough to take part in. With not much to contribute to the conversation, you look at the scene outside the Tokyo gymnasium. Other teens in their winter wear. Groups identified by their team’s color and standing by the banners with their school name. The bright uniforms contrasted by the dule clothes of regular folk here to watch the games in person, mixes of grays, blacks, and beige. Everyone is walking and standing around, waiting to enter.

A new team arrives, stationing themselves not too far off by the stairs too. A boys team wearing maroon jackets with thick black lines over their shoulders and sleeves. The banner matching their jackets reads in bold black characters “Inarizaki”. Its the team ranked second place in the last nationals tournament. 

You do your best to pay no mind to them, but you are very awestruck, and so are some girls in your team. The setters looking for Inarizaki’s setters. You team’s second libero, ever the boy lover that she is, is checking out their entire team with one of your third year opposite hitter having to be the nearest ear to what she has to say. A middle blocker informs the team manager, who seems to have no clue who Inarizaki is.

Your team didn’t make it to nationals last time– losing at the prefecture’s finals– nor did you watch it in person. The faces from Inarizaki you knew, but couldn’t put names on. Only identifying them based on their positions.

The easiest you could identify was the ace and captain. The rest of the boys you had a hard time scanning to match the faces you remember from TV. Most of them are wearing masks. Leaving you with only their eyes and heights to go by. Much like the rest of the boys teams, they tower most of your teammates, including you.

Two of Inarizaki’s middle blockers you recognize, the tallest blocker standing next to the captain. His attention was on the rest of their team while the captain talked to their coach. The other, the one with an impressive torso, is standing next to the ace. Even back then you noticed that he slouches the most, but you didn’t think that he did it outside the court too. His hair is parted in the middle, straight on both sides, covering the thin sideburns next to his ears. His eyes are closed, as if he was sleeping up right. The last you notice are the twins and theur dyed hair.

Other teams arrived and you watched them as well. Finding notable players and the players from the girl’s team’s to look out for. Another ten minutes fly by. Having done enough examining, you return your attention to your friends and teammates. Picking up your bag from the stairs as you all prepare to enter. Not that you’ll enter at any moment, just so you could all get a move on when you do. The sea of volleyball players walked at snail’s pace to let the people at front move. The teams still at the back are standing but stationed. One team after another, they enter. 

Most of your attention is on the people in front of you and your team. With each shift of the crowd, Inarizaki and your team are now side by side in the crowd outside though still distant, waiting for your turn to pass the glass doors. Your eyes naturally wander back to the maroon colored boys team. They stand firmly. Their confidence as the powerhouse of Hyogo prefecture manifested itself. That aura compels you and many others to not get any closer.

Another team approaches and you mind your bag. To make room for your other teammates, you switch your duffle bag to your other shoulder, carefully maneuvering it not to hit anyone. 

And then you feel a chill, not the cold, a sort of awareness. You don't know what it is but you ignore it. Attention on the crowd again, you scheme the heads for how many people left. Not caring where you look, you turn to your right.

Meters away, Inarizaki is facing forward, ready to march in at any moment. Except the slouching middle blocker. He has his eyes squarely on you. His gaze is a stab to your head, and it's alarming. 

Everything is slower as you stare back, trying to find anything that his eyes are saying. They are narrow. Sharp as a knife. The shadow on his lids are prominent. An eerie combination. And yet, you don’t look away. It's hauling you in. Such eyes could only mean a scowl, but they feel impressionless. Without the rest of his face for you to see, you feel exposed, seen in your natural state.

However, a part of your mind says “he’s looking at you.” but you are quick to dismiss the thought, not completely. You know what he looks underneath, and from what you remember, you did like what you saw. 

Or his gaze just so happens to land on you.

Not knowing if the guy is judging you quietly or is simply staring at you with other thoughts in his mind, you decide to have a little fun. 

He doesn’t seem to know that you’ve noticed him. Holding eye contact as you tilt your head up slightly, the corners of your lips tug into a small lazy smirk, eyes playfully narrow at his. 

You give him a quick wink. 

His thin eyes instantly gape open, stunned. It brings a new aura to his face. One moment he looked like a young assassin that found his target, the next he was a ruffled school boy. It endears him to you. 

Eyes flickering away. He is tugs his masked face under the collar of his jacket. No one from his team seemed to notice his sudden alertness. Save for their captain beside him, looking with minimum curiosity.

Not what you expected. Not that you had a reaction in mind. It's better than the disgust or indifference you supposed.

In a matter of seconds, the crowd's pace changes and your team is propelled into the entrance.

In no time, you are already at the waiting area where teams prepare. 

Still, Inarizaki's middle blocker's reaction lingers in your thoughts. The longer you think about his reaction, replaying it, the more you find it cute. Delighted to fluster a boy, you smile to yourself, humming a lighthearted tune as you change shoes

“You seem chipper all of a sudden. Are you excited too?” your manager asks worryingly. Were you smiling to much? To save face, you chew the inside of your cheeks, returning you expression to the unusual unreadable.

“A guy was staring at me so I winked at him and he got shy” you recount matter-a-factually. 

Hearing this, your starting libero said, “ahh, feeling bold today aren’t we?”

It sinks in how embarrassing it could have been for you if he hadn't responded that way. From a different angle, it's like you were flirting at a player from a powerhouse school. What does he think of you now? 

"Maybe."

"What team is he in? How hot is he? Or is he the cute type?" Your other libero probed.

Before you could say anymore, your captain called everyone.

"Get ready girls! The opening is in a few minutes"

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

During the first three days of the tournament. You sometimes feel that chill again. 

Though you are aware that many eyes are watching, it's still different from what you experience.

It would be too much for you to assume that was him again, bordering wishful thinking. Especially when your team has not had a run in with Inarizaki since day one. You saw some of their players walking around and about the gymnasium. None of whom were that blocker. 

Fortunately, you had the chance to get a glimpse of their game on the second day. Truly an impressive group. A promising ace. A near undefeatable defense specialist. Gamble making twins but the result often counts. And him, their middle blocker who can make the spikes at almost any direction. Such a shame you didn't get to see more, having to leave by the end of the second set.

Later on, you see in the tournament brackets that Inarizaki lost to Karasuno, moving up to the next game.

It's the forth day, you and your team's captain, starting libero and middle blocker watched Ichibayashi High vs Kamomedai High after winning your match. Your middle blocker friend wanted to see the shortest Ace in the boy's tournament in action and you three accompanied her. 

Standing behind the cement railings, you watch the game with an overview of the court. Other people are here to watch. So you pay no mind to everyone around you, watching only the match.

Then the chill is back. The same one you felt before. You turn to the crowd. Most are visitors. Players have sore thumbs for their jerseys. No one seems to be looking at your group, or you.

It's when you glance at the corner of your eye you see the guy, not too far from where you stand, that middle blocker from Inarizaki.

He is without a mask. The gymnasium lights lit his features well. You’ve seen plenty of attractive boys during the games that have a lot of girls swooning. He isn’t one of them. Except the longer you look, the more good-looking he becomes even when he isn’t trying. Brown hair almost neatly combed down. His posture is much like before, lean body slouching and hands inserted in his jackets pockets. You feel his towering figure even more.

Other players from Inarizaki are with him too, the twins, captain and ace. They all intensely observe the match, occasionally hearing side comments from the twins and their ace rebuttling them.

Although the middle blocker isn’t looking at you, the chill remains. Interacting and getting close was not an option.You can only steal glances of the boy as you watch on, distracting with the game in front of you. And it works, it goes unnoticed to you the people leaving and arriving on the railings. Then, Inarizaki left and their place was taken by others. When they return, they are closer to your group now. And he is right next to you.

Another Inarizaki player arrives and inserts himself between the blocker and their ace. The middle blocker moving aside, even when there is still an entire foot of space. Moments pass as you remain tense, pretending to still have your whole attention to the game. You have the sneaking suspicion that he is doing so as well. There is too much unnecessary tension for two strangers to have.

You try to covertly steal a quick glance. But when you turn, his eyes are on you, just like before. The world slows again as you stare at each other. Eyes still sharp and a monotonous gaze that could petrify. The two of you trapped in this bubble in time. It's clear that you caught his attention. “He’s definitely looking at you,” said a voice in your head and you have no reason to disagree.

Without a second to spare, you took your chance.

You softly chime, “Hello again.”

“Hello,” he said. His voice is low and cool, matching his face.

Impulse prevents you from thinking further ahead, so you just return to the game in front of you. Not caring for embarrassment. He does so as well. The noise of the cheers and smashing balls fill the air of the abruptly ended chat.

“Sorry about the other day.”  He continues and you take a second to make sure that it was him and not your thoughts.

“Oh, it's fine. No harm done."

Then it's quiet for about a minute. Now that he is next to you, you have the urge to talk to him, get to know him a little. But the silence between you two has lingered longer for you to feel comfortable breaking it.

"How were your games?" the middle blocker asked. his voice is monotonous and yet not disinterested. Loosely catching the attention of the boy beside him, though not interested to hear more.

"Its tiring really. Loads of fun though. We won semi-finals so thats good," you state. Not really bragging. Its just the truth. The boy leans back to see you.

"Congrats," Suna replied.

"Thank you.” looking at him again and him at you. There's a small softness in his expression that wasn’t there before. You stray a little “and you are?”

In a split second, he is stunned before he speaks. “Suna.”

And you offer your name in return and he nods, continuing to watch the match.

The static noise of loud merging voices and bad drums from cheers return. It could have ended there, but perhaps you really are feeling bold lately.

Still focused on the court, you said, “you played well yesterday”. He doesn’t say anything, likely because you just admitted to have watched him after your little interaction. And you aren't ashamed of it.

“Thanks” he says, this time catching the attention of their ace. 

Him and the guy look at Suna, then at you as casually as they can. The air around you two tenses up for your respective teammates listening. Neither of you are facing each other.

“Wish I saw more. Had to leave by set 2” 

“There's still next year,” he reminds you.

“That's true.”  Cheekiness sparks in you. “Are you sure you’ll be here next time?”

The gray heard twin on the other side leans forward inconspicuously, taking interest in your private chat. Their white haired captain side eyes you from where he stands, arms crossed.

With dry yet natural confidence, he said, “We will.” 

“Will you be here next year?” Suna asks. Genuinely questioning it too, you paused. 

The Inarizaki players could only silently gawk in different ways, trying their best for neither you or Suna to notice. They did not expect his question. Taking notice of his team’s sudden change of focus, The blonde twin head’s snaps to you, confused.

Honestly, you said, “Depends, if we're lucky.” He seems content with our answer.

“Good luck, then.”

You look at Suna, arching a brow with that spark of cheekiness. “For my next game or next year?” 

“Both, if that makes you happy” 

Without much thought to keep in the flow of the conversation, you slip "for me or my team?"

Suna then turns to you, and says, "whatever makes you happy." His tone didn't change, yet there was more weight to it.

His answer makes your face a degree hotter. Especially when his eyes have hidden suaveness meant for only you to see. You've been out of the court for a while and suddenly you're weak from your knees to the soles of your feet.

“Then I'll make sure it won't run out.”

As much as you enjoy the back and forth, its cut short by your manager’s high voice perses through the noise, “guys, coach wants everyone back. Let's go!” she waves at your group to comply.

Not following after the other girls leaving, you look at Suna one last time, giving him the smirk you had before. You didn't care if anyone else would see. Indeed, you are incredibly bold today.

"See you around, Suna-san”

Like the first time, you give him a quick wink but your stare lingers just enough. Intrigue in his eyes, Suna cooly nods back, one corner of his lips tuck into smile.

His teammates gave a more colorful reaction you get a glimpse of as you jog away to your team. The most notable is the blonde twin turning to the middle blocker in shock as if he had done a crime.

All you heard was the loud fussing of the blonde as you leave.

Walk alongside your teammates, your libero speaks, “it was him wasn’t it?” 

“Him who?” you play innocent.

“Yeah who?” the captain asks the both of you.

“She said she winked at some boy the other day, and just now, she was flirting at a guy.” 

The manager asks in a child-like giddiness, “so, was he?”

Should you bite their shallow bait? Given that they are witnesses and your admition the other day, you do, no point in pretending. “Yeah it was”

Your libero laughs as your captain and middle blocker are entertained and astonished. 

“He wishes us luck, by the way.” You tell them

“More like, good luck to you” your captain teases.

Suspiciously squint at her, you said, “listening in, are we?”

“Hard not to when your flirting with one of the best blockers of the nation”

“I wasn't flirting. We were just chatting” you clarify, ignoring the bit of information your blocker just stated. However, you are lying. You were half-flirting. That's not for you to admit.

“You asked if he’ll be here next year,”  reminded your libero.

“And he asked if you’ll be too”, your captain adds as your manager cooed. 

Hoping to deflect their antics, you retort "Who wouldn't want to be here next year?"

Hand on her chin with a thoughtful expression, your captain argues. "I don't know, but it really, really sounded like Suna-san specifically wants you here next tournament." 

“We better tell the rest of the girls to do their best, then” your manager suggests and they strongly agree. Their teasing heats up your face.

“Alright, that's enough. Now shut it and keep walking” you said with clenched teeth. Pushing the short libero forward through the crowd.

The four of them laugh, taking it as your defeat. Rubbing your temple, you can only imagine the commotion among your team. To them, they'll be motivated to your benefit. To you, they'll be motivated at your expense. You regret ever opening your mouth.

But when you recall what he said and the way he briefly looked at you, you are far from regretting it completely

[nartml]

Still pissed about that Kamomedai match.

Not from a critical perspective.

The fact that they could've—.

No, that they would've won that match, were it not for Tsukki's cramp and Hinata not properly taking care of himself was the point, after all.

It's different to all the other huge Haikyuu matches (Seijoh 2.0, Shiratorizawa, Inarizaki etc).

The reason why the losing team's defeat stung so much was exactly because they could've won.

They could've had it. They gave it their all, and so did Karasuno, but at the end of the day, the winners played just a smidge better on that particular day.

Had it been the next day, or the day before, maybe Seijoh or Shiratorizawa or Inarizaki could've been the winners.

Exactly because these teams were all such strong contenders, and pretty evenly matched with Karasuno. (Though that's not entirely it, but that's a different conversation)

The difference is, with Kamomedai, Karasuno would've won the match.

That they could have goes unsaid.

It's more important that they would have.

And that's the point, and why this defeat stings even more than it would've if they just gave it their all and still lost.

It's not that Kamomedai overwhelmed them, or that they were just objectively better.

Had Hinata been more careful with his health, they would've won.

Self care has been a subtle, ongoing theme throughout the series, which became that much more prominent during the ball boy/nationals arc.

This loss needed to happen, for Furudate to get the point across without leaving a shadow of doubt in anyone's minds:

Taking care of oneself, eating healthy and sleeping well and taking breaks etc, is one of the most mundane, but most important, parts of being an athlete.

A message not just for the audience, but for our protagonist as well.

Personally, I find that this loss was the most meaningful one during Hinata's career.

And the lifestyle he built and maintained for himself in Brazil reflects that he's learned his lesson, and he's not planning to ever forget it.

It was just one of the things that needed to happen, and I think Furudate executed it beautifully.

Hinata's fever also happened around the same time Itachiyama's captain, Iizuna, injured his ankle.

Which highlights the difference between an unpredictable injury you couldn't have prevented, and, say, a fever that could've been avoided had you taken better care of yourself.

Besides all that, it was a good point to end it.

Quarterfinals are nothing to sneeze at.

Not to mention, the boys achieved everything they set out to accomplish.

They made it to nationals, which was the initial goal.

And they finally had the trashcan showdown, which became the second main goal after a point.

All that said, to reiterate my initial statement, I'm still pissed about that Kamomedai match.

I desperately wish that my boys advanced to the semifinals, won those too, and went onto the finals and played against Fukurodani.

Apart from another two legendary matches, we would've gotten to see an official game against Fukurodani, a school that we've been seeing for ages, a school that we've built up, one we know, and one that I was convinced we would encounter in an official match.

And I know that it wouldn't have been all that realistic to beat Ichibayashi, the tournament winners.

But even if they lost in the semifinals, we would've gotten at least one more badass match.

Yes, yes, I'm whining at this point, I know.

However, understanding, appreciating the ending we got doesn't mean that I don't also wish for the fun outcome.

[theheightofdishonor]

for a lot of the characters in haikyuu, especially the more major ones, they don't have one big moment that defines their entire arc but rather multiple big moments that all volley into each other and combine with the smaller moments to create a bigger, more complex arc. Take Yamaguchi and Tsukishima for example. Obviously there's the "what more is there than pride?" scene but then there's the second seijoh match and then each of the matches in the spring tournament gives them one if not multiple moments to just built on that arc. Likewise, the freak duo's arc with speed spans from the very first chapter to like, i'd say the end of the spring tournament arc but there's a mini arc in there during the spring tournament (well technically, it begins when hinata wants to hit the ball with his eyes open but) where they have to evolve in their relatioship to speed and learn to become more than it, both individually and in terms of their partnership and that's best seen in the spring tournament matches of inarizaki-nekoma-kamomedai. The Miyas ofc crack the whole thing open by forcing the duo to counter their own move and recognize that it's not all powerful and unique. The Nekoma match, for all that the movie frames it as being centered on Hinata (and Kenma), is where Kageyama reaches the culmination of his arc when he builds up the courage to set a four toss- multiple times, even after it fails!- and with it, decides to trust Hinata no matter what. Like that's a biggg moment for him and it really gets done dirty in the movie. Though it's also notable for Hinata and puts him back into the race, it's more Kageyama's victory than his own. And then the Kamomedai match is where Hinata fully polishes up his own new weapons and then ofc it all kinda falls apart. (and isn't that just wonderful, so unpredictably predictable, Furudate rarely lets a victory go by without some trouble, i utterly love it, i utterly hate it). But the falling apart is less about the speed-evolution arc and more about other things that were happening simultaneously so