#kageyama first and/or pitcher

[kawoala]

save me haikyuu baseball au saaaave me

[killiakill]

adding ur tags becus thats my EXACT thoughrs that i hadnt been able to put into words !!! its extra interesting to me becus abe and tobio learn very different lessons from their middle school sports traumas, abe's whole "i hate pitchers who shake their head at me" and having to unlearn that mentality vs tobio being so badly affected by the "king of the court" events that he tries SO HARD to give tosses the spikers want (for the senpai at least) that atsumu calls him a "goody two shoes" and he has to learn its okay to have expectations of the spikers just as they have expectations of him and that above all the most important thing is communication (which actually now that i think abt it is very close to MIHASHI learning its okay to shake his head! because its about communication!!!!!!)

⬆️ and this realization also ties into my thoughts about the roles of pitcher and catcher vs setter and spiker bc the pitcher and the setter are both the ones delivering the ball to the other but its the CATCHER and setter making the decisions based on the opposition (strengths/preferences/status of the batter vs positioning of the blockers) (at least initially, until mihashi begins to feel comfortable shaking his head and hinata demands he be given tosses that allow him to fight his own mid-air battles and becomes a collaborative effort!! TEAMWORK!!!!!)

also re: how they would interact i also think its soooo interesting bc abe and tobio are so similar but mihashi and hinata are SO DIFFERENT (at least in outward personality) but i also think the two of them would get along well, becus hinata can befriend almost anyone and he has that sort of tajima energy that mihashi seems to mesh well with. meanwhile i think abe would be like. mildly irritated by both of them but without a good reason to be and tobio would be like 🧍‍♂️ <- just kinda standing there letting hinata do most of the socializing. mihashi would be scared of kageyama at first (which pisses abe off) but hinata is like "nah he's harmless lol"

👍...😳

[justinther0ck]

Why Eijun Sawamura getting his Ace tag is the most cathartic moment in sports anime history: Essay

Background

The Diamond No Ace manga has been serialising since 2006 and it has taken the sports anime industry by storm. The longevity of this manga comes from a time where manga from this genre would go on for a very long time, with examples such as Ahiru No Sora and Dear Boys. Modern sports manga would dictate such that it's a lot shorter than its older counterparts, with Haikyuu ending at 403 chapters and Kuroko ending at 275 chapters. Diamond No Ace however, uses long term story telling akin to series such as One Piece to pay off some of its narrative high points.

A typical high school sports anime has a template as such: Team plays the inter high => loses to a strong team => tries again with the next nation-wide tournament => qualifies for the national tournament. It's a tried and true formula which has been proven to work many times. What does it mean for Diamond No Ace? It's not typical whatsoever.

Many sports anime would feature an underdog team but Diamond No Ace does the opposite: It features a powerhouse team in the strongest baseball region in Japan. Seido High School has been well renowned as one of the strongest schools in the Tokyo region, with many Koshien (national tournament) appearances before the main plotline takes place. Players that join the school for baseball have an exceptional skill and talent for it, and usually have been playing the sport for many years. In this case, what's so interesting about a team that's already developed? The main character: Eijun Sawamura!

Eijun Sawamura was basically from the boonies, the countryside and played baseball for fun with his childhood friends as a pitcher. He was seen with promise and potential by a Seido scout and made a difficult decision to move to Tokyo and pursue his dreams of becoming a pro baseball player. However, he found himself inferior to many of the players. Mainly, Furuya.

The importance of an ace tag

Furuya Satoru was another 1st Year player scouted to play for Seido as a pitcher. His relationship with Sawamura is akin to other sports anime duos such as Kageyama and Hinata and Rukawa and Sakuragi. From the very beginning, Satoru was labelled as the better pitcher. What did this mean?

He was in the way of Sawamura becoming the Ace of Seido High School. After being told that he was filled with promise and potential, as well as moving away from his family, friends and his entire life, Sawamura instead found himself playing second, nay third fiddle to the ace of the school. It was at this moment he knew the hard work that he had to put in to put the school on his back as the future ace.

The ace tag, the number 1 on the back of the players, is only given to pitchers who have shown great talent and aptitude in breaking down the defense of their opposing team's batting order. Throughout the series, it was emphasised that the reason why Seido wasn't a top tier team was because they lacked the indomitable ace that was present in other powerhouse teams like Inashiro. The appearance of Furuya and Sawamura would inevitably begin the battle of who would become Seido's ace and lead the team to become the National Champions.

Losses and heartbreak

The first challenge for Seido was the Summer Koshien tournament. Seido usually makes it very far into the bracket as they are a powerhouse team. However, since Tokyo is one of the biggest and most competitive regions in Japan, it's split into East and West Tokyo. This meant that only one team from each split would make it to the Summer Koshien with the other teams in the nation. Seido undoubtedly blasts through the entire bracket until the finals where they face off against long time rivals: Inashiro High School.

The long time winners of the West Tokyo wing of the Koshien qualifiers, they were the undisputed champions of the region. With an unstoppable batting roster, they were already one of the best teams in Japan. What puts the cherry on top? Their ace, Narumiya Mei.

He was everything Seido was looking for to become the best team in Japan. The pitcher that could put his team on his back and lead them to victory. It was a battle of ideals akin to Shiratorizawa Vs Karasuno from Haikyuu. The heartbreaking thing was: Seido lost. Without a pitcher that could match Narumiya Mei, they just couldn't close out the game with their lead. We said goodbye to the Seido third years and this of course led to Sawamura feeling distraught and putting the blame on himself.

Yips

For the following months, Sawamura found himself in a state of despair. He wasn't able to pitch and improve like he was prior due to his mental failing. When someone like Sawamura puts the weight of the loss entirely on their own shoulder, it's bound to have consequences. However with the help of his teammates and coaches, Sawamura bounces back and slowly makes a recovery on the way to the Fall Koshien

A second try

After finding himself back on his feet, Seido had to go through a rebuilding phase to prepare for the next Summer Koshien: The Fall Koshien. Unlike other sports anime with a second chance, the Fall Koshien fulfills a criteria:

The third years aren't able to play, so no such thing as a Winter Cup or any cop out of such form

It ultimately doesn't have the same prestige as the Summer Koshien tournament.

This means that the loss against Inashiro still had weight and consequences and showed that Seido still had to move on with whatever they had left. Sawamura took this opportunity and ran with it as much as he could. In matches such as the Yakushi and Hakuryuu ones, Sawamura proved to be a skilled and amazing pitcher in his own right.

His biggest plus compared to Furuya was that he has variety in his pitches while Furuya mainly had speed. Sawamura diligently put in the effort but still played second fiddle to Furuya, who had become the new ace after the third years retired. This however did not affect Sawamura's journey and ambition as he and the rest of Seido moved forward through the Fall Koshien. Doing pretty well for themselves, they beat Yakushi in the finals of the qualifiers and made it to the quarter finals of the Fall Koshien before losing to the favourites, Komaidai Fujimaki.

The Ace Tag

After concluding their Fall Koshien journey, Seido found themselves in a new year with new first year students. This meant that there was a need to form a brand new roster with the new members and such. After the Fall Koshien, Furuya found himself in a rut. He was unable to pitch at such a high level consistently due to his godlike performance in the match against Komaidai Fujimaki. Furuya was still great don't get me wrong, but a certain someone was waiting in the shadows and showing off his new weapons and skill.

After a year in the plot and FIFTEEN YEARS IN REAL TIME, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for. The new year began with Sawamura pitching for Seido in practice matches. He had formed an amazing chemistry with the catcher, Miyuki. Sawamura developed new pitches that had a high level of consistency and variety. As a result, most teams that played against Sawamura had no idea what to do as they tried to predict his next move. Sawamura had become the rock of Seido.

His skill, improvements and consistency had proven to be an invaluable asset to the team and as a result, he was ultimately chosen to become the Ace of Seido, representing the entire team to once again take on the Summer Koshien.

Conclusion

Whatever I have touched on was just the tip of the iceberg of the brilliant storytelling that is Diamond No Ace. The other narrative threads such as the third years retiring, Miyuki's story arc and Chris' back story has a comparable amount of emotional weight but this particular thread had one thing that shines from the rest: Long term storytelling. It was a story that was 15 years in the making, every page, every drawing and every word in the manga led to this moment where Sawamura achieves his first big milestone as a baseball player. The story is far from over as Seido has yet to win the Summer Koshien and I am excited to see what's next in possibly Act III of Diamond no Ace.

With all this being said, Sawamura getting his ace tag is the most cathartic moment in Sports manga history. (My opinion LOL)

[yujikuna]

Heyyyy!!

I thought of an idea that I’m sure has been done before but imagine:

Karasuno as baseball players — what positions would they be??

I have my own ideas but I thought maybe you’d like to brainstorm with me!

anon!!! i love this thank u so much for letting me brainstorm with u. i’ve seen a few hq baseball au’s but most of them don’t really go into what positions people would play other than who the main battery would be. i’m trying to think about what positions would suit them physically but also fit with their growth as characters. i got SO into this and i loved thinking about how their skills as volleyball players translated to another sport lol. it got SO LONG though so i had to put it under a read more 💀💀💀

of course we’re going to have the kagehina battery. i know everyone makes the setters the catchers in baseball aus but kageyama was made to be a catcher okay. super agile and has great reflexes, great lower body strength, strong arm, amazing game sense, quick thinker. superrrrr high baseball iq. it’s perfect. and we’re obviously making hinata a pitcher. almost all of hinata’s motivation comes from him wanting to prove people who look down on him wrong and i think that would translate nicely to him being a pitcher. he definitely would’ve still been looked over because of his height and body type. i hate to compare him to eijun in dna because i’m trying not to compare characters too much but i think he probably definitely has something very special about his pitching that kageyama witnessed during his last at bat against hinata in their middle school game. their dynamic just fits perfectly for this. i honestly could go on and on about a kagehina battery lol.

suga’s going to be our relief catcher. i think he has a good eye for baseball and pretty good reflexes but not the best throwing arm. until kageyama comes around to challenge him he probably struggles with making risky calls especially late in the game.

as for other pitchers, im going to make asahi a pitcher. he probably has a really heavy fastball, maybe also a curveball. our beloved asahi just starts out with the spine of a limp noodle and doesn’t necessarily have the mental fortitude it takes to be a pitcher. i think he and suga would make a great battery but i think before kageyama and hinata came, suga would have definitely prioritized asahi’s mental state over his play calling in order to keep him in the game as long as possible. him being a pitcher also allows he and noya to still have their whole “dont you know i’m right behind you” dynamic.

karasuno is a team that probably struggles with finding pitchers. i think tanaka at least really WANTED to be a pitcher, but definitely had to come to terms that he would be better at another position. maybe not super popular but i’m kind of thinking about yamaguchi as a pitcher?? i struggle choosing between putting him as a closing pitcher that they only use in certain situations or a pinch hitter. i think both fit his character well. i could see him wanting to perfect a pitch that hinata and asahi don’t have but i can also see him working really hard on his batting. whhhdjdjdjd i can’t decide, let me come back to him later.

okay now, 1B we obviously have big man sawamura daichi. not tall but he’s broad which is good for first base. big strong man with good game sense and quick reflexes. BIG POWER HITTER. my guy probably breaks karasuno’s record for most home runs in a season during his third year. i love him.

okay second baseman is who i’m struggling with the most. i don’t see any of karasuno’s starters being on second base. they need to be quick, they need to have a good eye, they need to be skilled, they need to be consistent at bat. call me crazy but i’m kind of thinking narita? i originally had ennoshita at 2b and narita at 3b, but narita isn’t as physically strong as ennoshita, but he has pretty good speed and his game sense in haikyuu is 4/5, so i think he would do better at 2b.

short stop we obviously have noya. besides kageyama he’s probably the best player on the team. really could honestly play any position that’s how good he is. doesn’t have height but his inhuman reflexes make up for it. he’s fast and much stronger than he looks. he can jump. amazinggggg agility. noya is just amazing and probably got a million offers to play at different high schools.

third base, i feel like most would put tanaka here and i GET THAT but i’m putting ennoshita because i remembered that furudate said he was one of the strongest characters in hq even though his stats don’t really reflect that lmfao. he’s super similar to daichi though so i think if he beefed up a little he’s make a great third baseman. probably a big hitter but ennoshita strikes me as someone who struggles to get on base. strong arm though.

okay NOW FOR OUTFIELD. considering how fucking insane japanese high school baseball is, your outfielders have to be pretty good and narratively i think these people would also be good in outfield. i did kind of struggle with this because tsukki, tanaka, and kinoshita all have different strengths but are lacking in other areas.

i’m putting tanaka at center field okay. i think out of the three of them he makes the most sense to play center and is overall a little better technically than the other two. his power stat in hq is 5/5 so i think that would translate well to him having a really really good throwing arm and also being a good power hitter. tanaka’s game sense sucks but he makes up for it with strength and being able to jump.

kinoshita is going in right field. tanaka is stronger but kinoshita is faster. he’ll definitely have to work on his strength and if he was better all around i would rather have him in center field but i think he’ll do well there.

and then we have tsukishima. i think tsukishima should be in outfield not only because of his skillset but because i think it makes sense with his character arc. tsukki probably was put in the outfield as a kid and became a little complacent because “oh i’m in the outfield i don’t have to try as hard because this is where they put the bad players.” it works well with his “it’s just a club” mindset. i think he would learn pretty fast that at the level they’re wanting to play at, outfield isn’t where they put the bad players. so he’s going in left field because of how good of a defensive player he is. has the weakest arm out of the three of those and also isn’t a big hitter but he has great game sense and can be fast if he tries. i think he would definitely still have his ~moment~ while playing against shiratorizawa that makes him realize how much he actually loves baseball and wants to try to be better.

i definitely need to think about their batting order but to sum up their positions we have

-asahi (p)

-hinata (p)

-kageyama (c)

-suga (c)

-daichi (1b)

-narita (2b)

-noya (ss)

-ennoshita (3b)

-tsukki (lf)

-tanaka (cf)

-kinoshita (rf)

-yamaguchi (?????)(ph) (i’m going to have to think on him, i kind of like the idea of yamaguchi wanting to be in outfield with tsukki but then after seeing shimada pitch during that game with the neighborhood association deciding that he wants to try pitching?? i think it would work well with the motifs we see of him running on “ahead” of tsukishima, with him being in front of tsukki on the mound but i think his position as a pinch server is more similar to him being a pinch hitter in the sense that if he was a pitcher, he would have an entire inning or two to prove himself but as a pinch hitter, he only has that at bat to do something, just like how as a pinch server if he doesn’t get the ball in play during that first serve then it’s over for him. i dont know let me know what you think!!!!!!!)

[h3art-n-s0ul]

How They Would Ruin Your First Date

Yams, Lev, Terushima, Osamu, Hinata, Oikawa, Tendo, Asahi

(Please feel free to reblog and comment)

A/n: part 2?

___________________________

Yamaguchi: He would get nervous, say he’s going to the bathroom (to panic-call Tsukki,) and when he gets up-would spill an entire pitcher of water all over you.

Lev: Would come 20 minutes late. Not because of anything important, but he definitely went to the wrong restaurant the first time.

Terushima: Would wear so much cologne you would immediately fall dead onto the table. Would mansplain to your corpse. (A/n: I see Terushima as the type of man who needs to apologize to all women.)

Osamu: Would order a bottle of red wine. Would proceed to not open the bottle of said wine out of nervousness. Bottle of said wine would remain unopened the entire night. Only for it to be drank by Atsumu later.

Hinata: Would invite Kageyama to come. Sees nothing wrong with that.

Oikawa: Definitely stalked you online before the date.

You: “Oh that reminds me of a funny story about my brother! He was-”

Oikawa: “Which one?”

Tendo: Would not shut the fuck up about the true crime podcast he listens to and how Ted Bundy was such an “amateur.”

Asahi: Easy. He wouldn't.

[intheticklecloset]

5 Characters Tag

I saw this floating around somewhere a day or two ago and now for the life of me I can't find it again, but I wanted to do it so I'm starting a new thread for it!

List five characters you have a crush/squish on or are just attracted to/really like!

~~~

1) Abe (Big Windup): Honestly I could go on about why I love Abe so much forever if you let me, but I think the big highlight is just his initial character and how it develops over time. I love that he fights hard for Mihashi in the beginning just because he wants a good pitcher, but over time it's more because they become good friends. Plus he's just really cute! ^^

~~~

2) Deku (MHA): I love, love, love Deku because of how hard he works to achieve his dream of becoming a pro hero. He never let anyone tell him he couldn't when he didn't have a quirk, and now that he has one he does everything in his power to hone his skills and protect those in need. He's amazing and adorable and I love his cute face so much!

~~~

3) Kageyama (Haikyuu): The first time I watched Haikyuu I loved Kageyama because he was like the angry, brooding character that grew into a team player over time, but rewatching it now I think I love him even more because of how hard he's always worked to improve and become more of a team player on his own terms rather than because others told him he needed to. Like, even before he met Hinata and the rest of the team he knew something needed to change, and they were just the stepping stones to help him do that. Kageyama grows and seeks betterment because he wants to. I just think that's the coolest thing.

~~~

4) Senku (Dr. Stone): I don't think I can really describe why I love Senku's character so much. I just do. He's this tough, logical, almost robotic kind of person on the outside, but when he has moments alone he shows he's more vulnerable and emotional than he pretends to be, and it just makes me love him all the more for putting on a brave face for those who need it most. He deserves the world (and Gen). <3

~~~

5) Miwa (World Trigger): Here's the thing - I don't actually know too much about Miwa yet, because I'm still a newcomer to the World Trigger fandom. All I know is my heart soars when he's on screen and I can't wait to learn more of his backstory as the show goes on. He's just so cool to me already.

~~~

I tag @veryblushyswitch, @skribblz, @giggly-squiggily, @made-by-jade-222, and @heyoitsgenderconfusion. Only if you want to, obviously! Honestly not sure anyone will pick up on this but like I really wanted an excuse to gush about my faves so here you go. XD

[kuroos-moon]

hello!! you’re an amazing writer an i was wondering if you could write something about any of the third years having a crush on kageyama’s older sister😳

ok hear me out, suga crushing on his sister is cute i think, like he’s just so soft about it yk and so whipped <33 

• Suga having a crush on someone is obvious but hard to tell at the same time

• Why? It’s because he’s naturally so kind and gentle with women so it’s nothing extraordinary when he’s so polite and smiley with Miwa Kageyama

• but he maybe stares a second too long, blushes, gets flustered too easily—even his ears turn pink

• it’s a minor crush, he’s content with practically just knowing Miwa exists

• and it’s actually funny and cute how he feels like Miwa would praise him every single time he looks out for Tobio

• his most treasured memory was the day he met her

“Are you sure it’s okay Kageyama?” He asks the first year setter for the millionth time as the team walks in a cluster, on the merry way to Kageyama’s house.

“It’s fine, only my sister’s home and she doesn’t really care,” he shrugs, sipping on his milk.

“Really? You have a sister?” It was a mindless question from Sugawara, a spark of curiosity seeping through for a fraction of a second only because he’s discovered something he once didn’t know about his kouhai.

Everyone was fairly disciplined in his room, some of them sat on the floor while Tanaka, Noya, and Shoyo lay in a pile on his bed. Kageyama ought to get snacks, and Suga, being helpful by nature tagged along.

“I thought your sister was home,” he mutters, descending the stairs behind him.

“She’s probably inside her room. Wait, I forgot something upstairs can you…”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll manage,” he smiles, tapping his shoulder.

He busies himself, putting some chips in a bowl, cookies in another platter, setting a pitcher of water on the tray, and he looks around for a glass.

“Damn, I’m hungry.” He freezes, hearing a voice behind him. Turning around, he locks eyes with a matured yet youthful woman who looked just like Tobio.

“Why are you in our kitchen?” She asks, crossing her arms, scanning her eyes at the snacks he had prepared and finally going back to look at him.

“UH,” that was the first thing he says—loudly. Eyes wandering from hers because he felt so intimidated and nervous all of a sudden. “Relax kiddo, I heard you guys come in,” she chuckles, making her way in front of him before standing on her toes, reaching for the cupboard above Koushi’s head.

So close, he thought. Instinctively backing away, his hands on the counter behind him. “Here,” her lips tug upwards in a smile as she hands him a glass. “Uhm, thanks.” He finally composes himself as she steps back from him, casually getting chips from the bowl.

“So, you’re Tobio’s friend?”

“Oh, right, I’m sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sugawara Koushi, a third year, I’m our club’s vice-captain and I play setter too.” He manages to say without a hint of shyness, as if he wasn’t flustered to be talking to such a pretty woman with attractive hair.

“That’s cool. Miwa Kageyama, it’s nice to meet you Koushi-kun,” she smiles that loop-sided smile, holding out her hand to him. He takes her hand in his, noting how his hand was bigger and how hers were so slender. 

“I hope you don’t mind me in your kitchen,” he mutters.

“Help yourself by all means, ooh, milk for Tobio, huh?” She notes, looking at the milk carton on the tray. “Yeah, I know it’s his favorite,” he says, setting down the glass on the tray. “Do you want something Miwa-san? You said you were hungry.” 

“It’s fine, I’ll just wait til dinner. Well then, have fun you guys, and good job for taking care of Tobio, Koushi-kun.” She waves, walking away with his heart in her hand. 

• ‘Koushi-kun’ he just loves her voice, so casual and welcoming

• “How’s Miwa-san doing?” “She’s fine, we don’t really talk much, she recently got a boyfriend though.”

• He’s not even disheartened, genuinely just wants to know if he’s a nice guy

• “Wow, Suga, I didn’t know you were that close with Kageyama’s sister.”

• “I’m not,” he nonchalantly says, because he really isn’t, he just cares about Miwa nonetheless.

• “Oh yeah, she mentioned you guys talked once, she said you were nice and that I shouldn’t cause you any trouble.”

• was so happy about it, even treated Kageyama steamed buns out of nowhere after practice

• he rarely sees his sister, but when he does see her during Miwa’s surprise visits at school, she would always say hi to him

• and he’s so proud about it because the only one she knows is him, “Koushi-kun! It’s good to see you again”

• looks so smug as the rest of the team looks at him in jealousy

• when it’s time for her to leave, Suga would always walk her out the gym and offer to take her home

• “Miwa-san aren’t you gonna wait for Tobio? Do you want me to walk you home instead?”

• she declines of course, and always bids him goodbye with a pat on his head

• he knows Miwa simply thinks of him as a younger brother but his heart is just so full 

• like she could just breathe and he’ll still gush over it excessively

• their interactions are rare but it’s the little things that he holds on to and he could never seem to let her them go 

• the third years would tease him about it but he beats them up before the teasing reaches Tobio’s ears

• “you don’t stand a chance though, you’re way too young for her taste.”

• “shut up Daichi, it’s not wrong to dream big,” he scowls 

General Taglist [Open]: @noyasbitchh @dinablossom @haru-the-secret @strayczennies @lalisbitch @tinymidgetsstuff @animebs @astrealia @kittykitkatstrawberry @hajimesbbygrl @kellesvt @24hr7dysdizzy @arnxldss @elianetsantana @vicassa @floraraine @beanst0ck @leinnah @kageyamasgirl @deafeningart @minibobabottle   @franko-pop @moonlightaangel @throughtheinterstices @micasaessakusa @dixonsbugaboo @thevillagehiddenintheinternet @ultzuko @yappychan

[i-need-entertainment]

Haikyuu Teams as what sport they would be if they weren’t a volleyball team

Teams: Karasuno, Aoba Johsai, Date Tech, Shiratorizawa, Johzenji, Fukurodani, Itatchiyama, Nekoma, Nohebi, Kamomedai, Inarizaki and Mujinizaka.

**Please note that these were chosen from the perspective of someone who has grown up on the East Coast, I am aware that some of these sports (*ahEm* lacrosse) might not be as popular where you are as they are here.**

**DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NOT PLAYED MOST OF THESE SPORTS, I RESEARCHED THEM TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY BUT WHO KNOWS, MAYBE I MESSED SOMETHING UP! PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED IF SOMETHING IS OFF, I DID MY BEST!!**

Karasuno: Soccer

Goalkeeper: Yuu Nishinoya

Centre Back: Daichi Sawamura

Central Midfielder: Tobio Kageyama

Sweeper: Kei Tsukishima

Full-back: Chikara Ennoshita

Wing-back: Tadashi Yamaguchi

Defensive Midfielder: Koushi Sugawara

Attacking Midfielder: Hisashi Kinoshita & Kazuhito Narita

Winger: Ryunosuke Tanaka

Striker: Shoyo Hinata

Forward: Asahi Azumane

Aoba Johsai: Baseball

Pitcher: Tooru Oikawa

Designated Hitter: Hajime Iwaizumi

Catcher: Issei Matsukawa

First Baseman: Yutaro Kindaichi

Second Baseman: Shinji Watari

Third Baseman: Kentaro Kyotani

Shortstop: Shigeru Yahaba

Right Fielder: Takahiro Hanamaki

Centre Fielder: Kaneo Yuda

Left Fielder: Akira Kunimi

Date Tech: American Football

**So uh, there’s a lot of positions in football...here are a few though**

Quarterback:Kaname Moniwa

Center: Kenji Futakuchi

Offensive Tackle: Takanobu Aone

Offensive Guard: Kanji Koganegawa

Running Back: Yasushi Kamasaki

Wide Receiver: Takehito Sasaya

Cornerback: Kosuke Sakunami

Kicker: Yutaka Obara

Punter: Taro Onagawa

Safety: Jingo Fukiage

Shiratorizawa: Wrestling

(there are no positions in wrestling...:) so i’ll just explain~

From what I have seen, wrestling requires a lot of skill, strength and general technique. 

And Idk, when I thought of Shiratorizawa wrestling came up. 

It can also be for people who are tall AND for people who are shorter.

Johzenji: Track & Field

High Jump: Yuuji Terushima

Long Distance: Kazuma Bobata

Middle Distance: Arata Tsuchiyo

Hurdling: Nobuyoshi Izaka

Sprints: Katsumichi Higashiyama

Long Jump: Takehito Futamata

Triple Jump: Rintaro Numajiri

Fukurodani: Swimming

(there are no positions in swimming)

I don’t really know why but I just saw Fukurodani as swimming...?

It was DEFINITELY not because of my bias towards Washio and Akaashi🥰🥰

Itatchiyama: Golf

(there are no positions in golf)

idk man, somethin about them being an academy and idk man. 

Believe it or not, at my school at least Golf is a really big sport. 

idk man, somethin about Iizuna, Komori and Sakusa playing golf just....makes sense to me.

Nekoma: Basketball

(There are fewer positions in basketball, so I had to double up on some all of them.)

Point Guard: Kenma Kozume & Yaku Morisuke

Shooting Guard: Yuki Shibayama & Tamahiko Teshiro 

Small Forward: Nobuyuki Kai & Shohei Fukunaga

Power Forward: Taketora Yamamoto & So Inuoka

Center: Tetsuro Kuroo & Lev Haiba

Nohebi: Cross country

(there are no positions in cross country)

Something about Daishou and Numai being runners just...stuck with me I guess. 

It requires a lot of determination, and they definitely have that so yeah.

Kamomedai: Ice Hockey

(I also had to double up on them cause there’s only 6 positions in ice hockey)

Centre: Sachiro Hirugami

Left Defensemen: Kazuyoshi Bessho & Aikichi Suwa

Right Defenseman: Gao Hakuba &Liam Tokura

Goalkeeper: Keiichiro Kanbayashi

Left Winger: Izuru Nozawa & Isao Norikura

Right Winger: Korai Hoshiumi

Inarizaki: Lacrosse

(..there are FOUR positions in lacrosse giVe mE a BrEaK)

Attack: Aran Ojiro, Osamu Miya & Hitoshi Ginjima

Midfield: Rintarou Suna, Atsumu Miya & Yuto Kosaku

Defense: Ren Omimi & Heisuke Riseki

Goalie: Shinsuke Kita & Michinari Akagi

Mujinizaka: Military Drill team 

**This is typically only in JROTC units, BUT you practice, compete and it is physically taxing, thus I am counting it as a sport. Please note I am not implying that they are going into the military or anything like that, I just thought it fit the best for them!**

For best results, I would recommend looking up what a military drill formation looks like if you have never done drill before!!

Platoon Commander: Wakatsu Kiryu

Guidon: Nozomu Mami

1st Squad leader: Subaru Hondo 

2nd Squad leader: Michiru Usuri

3rd Squad leader: Keisuke Unnan

[lalikaa]

“Gravitate”

A fic I wrote for the @yamakagezine years ago and forgot to post, whoops haha. Hope you enjoy!!

~*~

It was a crisp Sunday in March; the kind of day where you’re not sure  whether you need a coat or not. The sakura trees had yet to bloom, and the  frost of February still lingered. This was one of Tadashi’s favorite times of  the year; he liked the chill before everything bloomed. 

However, Tadashi was not enjoying the cool weather at the moment, as  he was currently inside, piling bread onto a plastic tray. 

“It feels like just yesterday we were nervous about our first practice  match against Seijou, and here we are,” Tadashi began to lament. 

“...We’re in a cafe, Tadashi.” 

“You know what I mean!” Tadashi said with a huff. He was almost  tempted to say his boyfriend was being snarky, but in reality, it was just Tobio being… Tobio. 

When Tobio titled his head to the side slightly in a way that made it look like a giant question mark was floating over his head, Tadashi could not find it in himself to be exasperated. 

“Y’know, as in we’re here as third years, about ready to graduate and move on with our lives, that kinda thing.” 

The giant question mark dissipated over Tobio’s head (quite a feat, since  it was invisible to begin with), but was quickly replaced by an equally invisible exclamation mark. 

“I was never nervous about the match against Oik- Seijou,” Tobio retorted to Tadashi’s previous remark.  

“Well, you’re never nervous about anything.” 

Tobio didn’t respond to this, as they got to the cashier. Tadashi set a chocolate cornet and a red bean roll, which he had gotten for himself, and  Tobio’s melon bread and taro bun on the counter while Tobio ordered their usual drinks; a hazelnut latte for Tadashi and a matcha latte for himself.  

They scoped out their usual table by the second window to the right, and once they sat down Tobio said; “Well, some things make me nervous.” 

“Yeah? Like what?” 

“Like… passing tests, not being able to play volleyball, possibilities of  injuries… askingyouout.” The last few words were mumbled, but Tadashi  caught them anyway,  

“Awww, really? Asking me out made you nervous? But you didn’t even-” 

“I know I didn’t! Because I was nervous!” 

“There was no way you were more nervous than I was! Wait, then is  that why Shouyou-” 

“Yeah,” Tobio interjected. “Because I couldn’t do it.” 

“That-- this makes more sense now. Though, y’know, it’s not like I could’ve either.” 

Tadashi unwrapped his cornet and took a bite, now thinking back  to when their relationship had begun. If he were being honest, their  relationship definitely had an unusual start.  

Tadashi was pulled back to almost three years ago, when he’d first  joined Karasuno’s volleyball team, to when he’d first met the briskly terrifying force of nature that was Kageyama Tobio. 

~*~

Tadashi hadn’t been the only one blown away by Kageyama, but he felt like he was being affected more strongly. His heartbeat skittered whenever he was around him, something that he hadn’t experienced before. At first Tadashi was concerned that perhaps he was showing premature signs for cardiovascular disease, but when he confided this to Tsukki, he’d been met with a scoff and an eyeroll.  

“This is why feelings are stupid,” Tsukki had said. 

Whatever the hell he’d meant by that. 

After a few weeks (and a few hours on WebMD), Tadashi came to the  conclusion he wasn’t at risk of heart disease. He poured his anxiety into volleyball, and found relief in striving to be the best player he could be, drawing heavy inspiration from a certain setter.  

With every successful jump serve he made, the thought that often crossed his mind was-- 

I hope he notices. 

Months passed though, and Kageyama didn’t seem to pay any more  attention to Tadashi than he did anyone else. Tadashi tried not to take it personally.  

~*~

“He’s just so cool,” Tadashi said wistfully one day in autumn as he and Hinata sat on the steps outside the gym before practice. Tadashi was  eating a convenience store onigiri and sipping apple juice while Hinata was  bouncing a volleyball on his arms, focus sharp. 

“Yeah, he is, you should ask him out,” Hinata replied, still bouncing the  volleyball. 

Tadashi promptly spat out his juice. “I can’t do that!” 

“Why not? You’re just as cool!” 

“I’m… I’m really not. Thanks, though,” Tadashi said sheepishly. 

“Why do you think you’re not cool?” Hinata asked, catching the volleyball as he looked at Tadashi. 

Tadashi couldn’t find the words to articulate that he felt like he was floating in space when he was around Kageyama; he was a scattered  meteor, helpless to the gravitational pull of Planet Tobio.  

...That sounded kind of odd, but still.  

Tadashi sighed. There was no way he could tell Hinata all that, so instead he just said; “I don’t know.” 

“Well, I think you’re cool! You work really hard, you know? Plus you’re super nice, even though people wouldn’t think that ‘cause you hang out with Tsukishima so much.” 

Tadashi snickered. Hinata just said whatever was on his mind. 

Maybe he should, too.  

~*~

About a week after Shouyou had suggested that Yamaguchi should ask  Kageyama out, he found none other than Kageyama by his side as they were cleaning up after practice. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had finished  folding the nets early, leaving Hinata and Kageyama to sweep the floors.  “I feel… weird,” Tobio started, which made Shouyou jump a little because Kageyama hardly ever initiated the conversation.  

“You’re always weird, Bakayama-kun,” Shouyou replied. 

When no volleyball came hurtling at his head in response, Shouyou  knew something was wrong.  

“I think I like someone as much as I like volleyball,” Kageyama  muttered. 

Shouyou stopped mid-sweep. 

Kageyama? Talking about his feelings?  

This had to be serious. 

“So… who’s your someone?”  

“No one,” Kageyama said, immediately backing out. 

“It’s gotta be someone,” Shouyou insisted, trying not to bounce in excitement. 

“Nevermind,” Kageyama grumbled.  

“Is it me?” Shouyou teased. “Kageyama, please, I’m too dedicated to volleyball to be in a relationship.” 

“It’s not you!” Kageyama snapped. 

“Ouch,” Shouyou said, pretending to be hurt.  

Then, it came to him. 

“Is it Yamaguchi?”  

“No,” Kageyama said too quickly, turning bright red. 

Aha. 

Now Shouyou just had to find the right time to ask. 

~*~

The right time came a couple months later, after the intense training camp hosted at Shiratorizawa. Hinata and Yamaguchi were eating lunch together at Hinata’s desk while Tsukshima was listening to music in his and  Yamaguchi’s classroom. Meanwhile, Yachi was tutoring Kageyama in her classroom. 

“So how was the training camp, Hinata? Tsukki said it was lame and that you were annoying.” 

“Ugh, not as annoying as he is! He put in such minimal effort, you wouldn’t believe-” 

“I think I get the idea.” Yamaguchi laughed.  

“Anyway! Are you free this Saturday afternoon after practice?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“Awesome! You’re gonna go on a date with Kageyama at Aki Cafe in Sendai! I booked your train tickets already, you’re welcome!”

“Oh ok, thanks-- wait, WHAT.” 

Shouyou grinned as Yamaguchi proceeded to panic, giving himself a  mental pat on the back. Man, was he the most awesome friend, or what! 

On the day of the date, Tadashi had to remind himself that ‘this is fine’ approximately 19 billion times.  

But what if Kageyama didn’t actually like him? I mean, why would he?  What the hell had Hinata been thinking?! 

~*~

The train ride was as awkward as he’d expected, honestly. Kageyama  wasn’t the most social of butterflies, but as soon as Tadashi brought up  their latest practice match against Datekou, one thing led to another and  soon they were talking about various ways they could demolish Datekou’s  Iron Wall. Tadashi loved when Kageyama talked about volleyball; he was  so passionate. Tadashi envied him a little, as he felt as though his passion  for anything could never match Kageyama’s. It was just another aspect of  him that drew Tadashi in.  

Tobio was surprised at how easily he could talk to Yamaguchi. He was  used to people not wanting to talk to him, ever, so this was an unusual, but  appreciated, change of pace.  

The train bumped along as they traveled towards their destination. Tobio didn’t have the faintest clue why Hinata had bought them both train tickets and given instructions on getting to a particular cafe, and he had  definitely considered declining when Hinata brought it up… until Hinata  mentioned that his travel partner would be Yamaguchi. 

Partner was a word reserved for someone you could completely trust, and Kageyama hadn’t felt a true connection like that until he’d met Hinata.  But then, how he felt about Hinata was vastly different from how he felt  about Yamaguchi. While he wanted Hinata to spike his tosses, he wanted Yamaguchi to hold his hand... or something. It was weird.  

They got lost on their way to the cafe Hinata had suggested. “We could just go to another one,” Tobio said as they took what was likely their eighth wrong turn. 

“But Hinata went through all the trouble of finding one, so we should  go!” Yamaguchi insisted. 

Tobio shrugged. As long as he was home in time for his 8 o’clock run  he was fine. It was only 1 o’clock now, so he should be good. He tried not  to think about spending seven hours with Yamaguchi. Surely it wouldn’t be  that long…? If it was, Tobio was in trouble. He might get the urge to do  something drastically romantic, like pat Yamaguchi on the shoulder.  

Tobio snapped out of his thoughts when Yamaguchi said suddenly;  “Oh, here it is!” 

Aki Cafe was a small building, nestled between a hair salon and an  ice cream parlor. The two walked in and were greeted by the smell of  cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, and at least nine other different scents. They  studied the menu together in silence, then picked up their bread and made  their order; they each got savory crepes. 

As they waited on their food at a table by the second window to the  right, they fell into awkward silence. The waitress brought them a pitcher  of water and glasses, which was a welcome distraction. They both then  sipped their water, with Tobio doing his best not to stare too much. He’d  never realized how many freckles Yamaguchi had. They were kind of cool.  Tobio began to wonder how many there were and oh god what was wrong  with him? 

Thankfully, Yamaguchi broke the silence by bringing up a homework  assignment that he’d recently struggled on, and they came to an agreement that math was indeed the Worst, and should be banned from school. The waitress came with their crepes. They thanked her, and began to eat. 

~*~

Think of something else to say, think of something else to say oh my god why  are you so awkward this is why no one really ever wants to hang out with you,  you don’t deserve- 

“You’ve- you’ve gotten really good at jump float serves,” Kageyama said  abruptly. 

Tadashi tried not to gape at him. Kageyama, the king of serves, was  complimenting him on his serves!? No way. 

“Uh, thank you,” Tadashi said. He was still pretty bad at taking  compliments. “You’re really amazing at serves too!”  

Kageyama seemed to be just as bad at taking compliments, but not in  an awkward way like Tadashi—more in a blunt, yet endearing sort of way.  “I still have a lot to improve on,” he said seriously. 

“Me too,” Tadashi said. “Maybe you could- maybe you could help me  practice sometime?” He winced, fully expecting Kageyama to decline. “Yeah, sure,” Kageyama said. 

Tadashi suddenly felt overwhelmed. Because extra practice with  Kageyama obviously meant spending more time with him, which meant  that Tadashi’s life would become far more complicated. He wasn’t sure how  much his heart - and his nerves - could take. 

“I’d really like that!” Tadashi responded, a little too loudly. “Me, too,” Kageyama said, giving a rare smile.  

To Tadashi, it felt special, somehow. Kageyama was smiling because  of him, and only to him- it felt intimate in a way. Tadashi grinned back,  feeling his heartstrings loosen and his nerves settle down. Maybe he could  handle more time with Kageyama after all. 

~*~

After they finished their crepes, Tobio suggested getting ice cream at  the parlor next door. He was still hungry, and anything milk-based was always a good thing. The parlor was really cool—various pictures hung on the walls, and the shiny tiled floor made it look like the shop was brand  new. The counter had a large display of at least 30 flavors of ice cream  on display behind clear glass. The signs above the counter showed that  the parlor also served soft serve, sundaes, and milkshakes. The friendly worker greeted them, and after some deliberation, both boys decided on  milkshakes- chocolate for Tobio, strawberry for Yamaguchi.  

They found a table near the corner of the parlor, milkshakes in hand.  As they sipped their milkshakes, Tobio couldn’t help but think; God, he’s pretty. 

Was “pretty” the right word, though? Maybe it should be handsome.  Either way, Tobio wanted to look at Yamaguchi more than he looked at a  volleyball. 

Something was really wrong with him.  

Yamaguchi was cool in a lot of ways, so maybe his line of thinking  was acceptable then…? In all honesty, Tobio had no clue. He was already subpar at best with friendships, never mind actual romantic relationships.  

He hadn’t even considered being in a relationship like that until, well…  when had he considered it first? Maybe when Yamaguchi made his first  successful jump float serve in practice?  

He didn’t know for sure, but he was certainly happy to be where he was  now. Yamaguchi looked a little anxious, but Tobio couldn’t be sure. He  gave a small, nervous smile, in hopes it would… do something. Maybe he was reading the situation wrong…? 

When Yamaguchi smiled back, though, he felt his heartbeat quicken, like he’d just run several sprints.  Tobio wasn’t sure if he would get used to this feeling, but his instincts told  him it was a feeling that would last.  

~*~

Tobio and Tadashi finished their bread at Aki Cafe, a sense of nostalgia still hovering between them. Tadashi thought maybe they were too young  to feel nostalgic about a relationship that was only a little over two years, but  the pull he felt on his heartstrings and the maybe-maybe-not tear in his eye felt differently. Tadashi tried to think of something to say as they started walking out of the cafe. This time, though, it was Tobio who initiated their conversation. 

“It’ll be… hard not seeing you every day,” Tobio admitted.  

“Nothing is ever hard for you, Tobio,” Tadashi assured him. 

“Except for not seeing you every day.” 

Tadashi really loved how straightforward Tobio was. He never left Tadashi guessing; he was always honest. 

The sun started setting as they meandered along the sidewalks of  Sendai, glowing red-orange in the cloudless sky. 

“I promise to come to all of your matches,” Tadashi said as they turned  a street corner.  

“I’d rather you promise to play.” 

“We’ll see.” 

“I’ll see you on the court, then,” Tobio said firmly. 

It was comforting how much Tobio believed in him. So, Tadashi  responded by laughing as he took Tobio’s hand, the two walking side by side, with no real destination in mind in the two hours they had before  their train home. It really didn’t matter where they went though; they  would always gravitate back to each other in the end.

[sammetje08]

Haikyuu as baseball positions

What positions do the haikyuu boys play in baseball? These are my hc!!

Daichi

First of all, ofc he is the team captain

You know the dude who screams at the team to run faster? Yeah hes that.

I also see him as a first base man, like this man can catch really well!

If its his turn to hit he would be hitting till a bit futher then first base.

He is the kind to steal any chance he gets

Sugawara

He is a catcher, and i just know it.

When he is on his position he would be the one who sarcastically wishes the batter good luck.

He’l laugh when the batter misses a ball and its an strike.

When its his turn to hit he would be the fucker to make it look like he’s going to do a full swing so the field people go back and then he just bunts so he could go quite easy to first base.

Asahi

He would be pitcher, and most of the time he is pitching on suga.

When he accidentally hits the batter he’d be the one to make sure he/she/they is okay.

Would take alot of convincing to get him to pitch again just cuz he is scared hitting a batter again.

If its his turn to hit he would go full swing to almost the back of the field.

Nishinoya

Mid field, like he is energetic he could run to the back of the field and throw to second base man/woman/person

Would be the one who curses his self if he lets trough a ball.

When its his turn to hit he or hits them as a bunt or goes like full swing to mid field

When back in the duck out he would be hitting the “building” when the rest is hitting (daichi do be getting mad)

Tanaka

Yeah he would be left field, noya trust him to catch the balls and he can throw hard sl yeah.

When letting through a ball he would freese for like an second before turning around to see if noya got it

When it is his turn to hit he would act like he is going to do a full swing but then he just tries to do a bunt like suga but sometimes doesn’t succeed

He’d be hella mad at him self for that 💀

Tsukishima

He would be a third base man, i think he would throw hard but still gets hurt easy.

He would be the dude who gets runners out really easy. Also be like “tsk didn’t expect you would make it so far”

When its his turn he just go for a softer but still strong hit. He would steal easly cuz those long ass legs

Yamaguchi

He would be right field. Daichi trusts him to catch the balls he lets through.

Is kind of nervous when that happens, would daichi be mad if also he lets it trough?!

When hitting he isn’t the strongest but still makes it to the base.

Poor boy would lose it if he went out while stealing.

Kageyama

Catcher just yeah he would be one. Reaplacing suga even in baseball 💀

He would be hella smooth with the signs to tell the pitcher what kind of ball he wants. Like bestey are you just itchy or is that a sign for a curve ball?

When it is his turn to hit he would hit till the end of the field and sometimes over the net, good luck finding those ig…

Hinata

He would be left field and switch with asahi as pitcher. I just see him trying to hurt kageyama if its his turn to catch.

When he throws a wide he would be the one who grabs his hair and starting to re think his life choises

When it is his turn to hit i can just see him standing there full confidence and than BAM hit by pitcher💀

Or like he tries hitting full confidence and then misses

[joshllyman]

Preview for Prodigy: A Kageyama Zine: What Makes It Great

“It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” —Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own

---

Tobio has always liked the feeling of the baseball in his hand.

The raised seams, the weight of the cork inside, the leather against the tips of his fingers. There’s something indescribably right about it.

As a pitcher, he gets the chance more than anyone else, and he counts himself lucky for it. There are moments when he stands on the mound and faces down a batter, and it’s like he’s the only man standing on the entire field. The deep breath that he takes echoes across the silent turf.

And then he releases.

The part that comes after is less satisfying because it generally involves having to deal with the other members of his team. Some of them aren’t so bad; Daichi’s a great catcher and captain, Asahi, the third baseman, is gentle in demeanor but intimidating at the plate, and Suga, the relief pitcher, has been a great mentor for Tobio since he joined Karasuno’s team.

The second and first years, however, are all far more frustrating characters. 

---

Please look forward to the full piece in the FREE zine coming August 12th! Check out other previews on the @kageyamazine tumblr!

[geekyjoys]

Japan’s National Catcher, Miyuki Kazuya, Accused of Doping During Recent Baseball Season

Posted seven hours ago - December 1, 20XX - by Japan Professional Sports author Kitamura Kou

Miyuki Kazuya, Yomiuri Giants’ main catcher, and recently promoted Japan Team Captain for the World Cup, stunned the world when he led the Japanese Team to win against the Puerto Rican last season at the World Cup, before losing to the American Representative Team, landing securely in second place. The Yomiuri Giants' orange "Miyuki 22" jersey has been increasing steadily in sales until it peaked as the most-sold official NPB merchandise in a single season. Although still a relative rookie—three years as the starting catcher for the giants, and only six total under the NPB—Miyuki's reputation as the up-and-coming superstar came as no surprise to most avid watchers. Especially because of his skill.

However, it seems some officials have gotten suspicious of his near-perfect gameplay (a 0.402 batting average, 37 home runs, and 98 RBIs all in a single season!). Miyuki is currently being investigated by the NPB for suspicion of the use of PEDs during the recent season, and possibly prior seasons. His managers and the Yomiuri Giants’ have yet to comment on this scandal. However, it has been confirmed by NPB officials that Miyuki has submitted samples to a lab to be tested.

Comments:

baseball-fanatic lol i knew he was too good to be true. how do we know he didn't send in someone else's blood to scam the system?

see comment thread below:

miyumiyukazu he’s been playing this good ever since he was in high school??

yomiurimiyuki it literally hasnt even been proven yet, theyre just investigating so stop acting like he's guilty. and there's a thing called DNA in blood that EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS EARTH has unique to them. if he submitted someone else's blood, they'd know

catcherintherye all lies come from SOME place of truth

pitchtomepls that… that doesn’t even make sense...

tigertime stay pressed, hater. peace!! (-3-)

lovekazukun i can’t believe this because remember that one time the team went out drinking at a bar and miyuki only got a soda and waited outside because he can’t stand alcohol or the smell of cigarettes

see comment thread below:

baseballislife OMG YES!! during the “team diaries” video last year right?

miyumiyukazu yes!! you expect me to believe miyuki kazuya, the smol-but-tol-and-angry team captain was doping??

npbfollower what i’m more surprised about is the fact that the npb actually started the whole thing. the news didn’t come from an outside leak, npb information spread and went viral.

lovekazukun but he’s the darling of the npb… why would they want to destroy him like that??

meisan because the mlb is offering him bigger contracts once he becomes a free agent next year

101pitching oh yeah next year will be his seventh season and the end of his contract with the giants

pitchtomepls you guys think it’s a warning to miyuki? like they’re blackmailing him not to go?

npbfollower idk but something’s fishy here

meisan the only reason miyuki wants to go is because he wants a new pitcher. he’s said it before in interviews. he wants a real partnership with his battery mate, and he hasn’t found that in japan. not even with narumiya mei (as much as i hate to admit it lol)

pitchtomepls and the npb doesn’t wanna lose their international advertising cash cow to the major leagues. pffft typical.

101pitching if he signs with an MLB team, he's probably going to get a nike or adidas contract but Asics has their claws DEEP in the NPB board so they might've done something here to prevent him from leaving and signing with a rival

miyukikazoo what, ran out of dating scandals to throw at him, so you accuse him of doping??

see comment thread below:

miyumiyukazu HAH OH SHIT !!

baseballislife at least it's right after the season, and not during or right before. that way, the scandal can be proven false and he'll have plenty of time to forget

furuyaaasss ikr i was getting so pissed off at the dating scandals,,, like, he's already confirmed he's GAY so stop trying to pair him up with the first actress he greets at a business party

pitchtomepls wowowow we have some shots fired in the area

101pitching wow these insults are almost as sharp as miyuki's would be hahaha

miyukikazoo what can i say, we miyuki stans learned from the best

furuyaaasss ive stanned him since his seido days and his battery with furuya so ive had time to learn lol

tigertime you know what they say, don't mess with a fangirl in a miyuki 22 jersey

anonymousbaseball why did they make kitamura write this shit?? his expertise would be much more useful taking a look at the upcoming college drafts, not this "scandal" or whatever. stop tarnishing his reputation as a credible author.

goldeneaglefan hes just really good, why does that automatically make him suspicious of doping? he had like 50 something career homeruns in HIGH SCHOOL, so 24 in a single season, SIX YEARS after becoming a pro isn't all that surprising tbh

see comment thread below:

kazuyaaa thats the truth right here. being naturally good at something DOES NOT make you a cheater

kyotobaby lol what about that one volleyball player who was accused of doping last year?? or the hakone runner?? and weren't they both proven false?? haven't we had enough of these flase allegations by now?

see comment thread below:

tosstome you mean kageyama and kurahara? https://vleaguenews.com/kageyama-tobio-doping-scandal-disproven https://collegeathletics.org/hakone-issues-official-apology-to-runner-kurahara-kakeru

sssportsss KAGEYAMA TOBIO DESERVES AN APOLOGY FROM THE V-LEAGUE AND I WANT IT NOW!!

rahrahrakuten welp looks like ill have to find a sports fandom that isnt toxic. anyone have any suggestions?

see comment thread below:

npbfollower swimming?

lovekazukun nah dude, matsuoka and nanase (japan's star swimmers rn) are always at each other's throats. it's like they want to kill each other 24/7 and its so horrible

npbfollower please tell me that's a joke. you're joking, right? i might be dense but pls tell me thats a joke

lovekazukun no...? why?

npbfollower sis, they're literally dating. they have been together since like college https://sportsshipping.org/matsuoka-and-nanase-are-official

nautilusshell hopefully he'll be back for the annual college tournament! my brother goes to waseda and he was kind of excited to play against miyuki

see comment thread below:

baseballislife yessss its a tradition! and as as the starting catcher, he should be there to scout out potential threats or assets to the giants' team!

nautilusshell he has some say in who the giants sign next, right? as the superstar catcher, i would assume they don't take his opinion on who to sign lightly

baseballislife yeah he does. i've been following some of the college teams not associated with schools and i wanted to see how miyuki would fare against the nagano jets... they have four pitchers currently and are looking for a two new ones ever since the two oldest ones moved on/graduated. one of their pitchers has been giving all the other universities and independent teams some trouble, though...

nautilusshell ah yeah i've heard that! mihashi ren, right? the nagano jets have an impressive lineup this year... kominato haruichi, abe takaya, and then the newcomers, seto, okumura, asada, kuki, yuuki (who is the younger sibling of seido's assistant coach!!)... i wouldn't be surprised if they swept the college series and minor-leagues this year.

[Link to master page]

Author’s Note: The NPB actually has a nine-year free agency rule but, for the sake of the story, I’ve cut it down to six years like the MLB.

[state-of-divinity]

Haikyuu!! baseball AU - karasuno edition

a lil baseball au for karasuno w/explanations for each plus a few headcannons for play styles!

Daichi

2nd baseman

2B covers both first and third base, requiring a player who is mindful of all teammates strengths and weaknesses and able to cover for them

you need a good arm to play 2B, as well as good aim, and Daichi’s aim is near perfect

Daichi can catch even the most aggressive of hits, and his quick reflexes help stop the ball before it makes it past the infield

he is a powerful hitter but lacks the precision to aim where he wants

runs quite fast, can usually dive for 2nd base if he tries

Sugawara

catcher

the catcher leads on defensive plays and has the full view of the field, and therefore must be smart and be able to strategize quickly, two of suga’s strengths

the catcher is the team’s emotional focal point, and usually has to calm the pitcher down when worked up

catchers and pitchers also usually use hand signals to quickly decide plays without alerting the other team

has a pretty weak hit but can aim fairly easily

a good sprinter but tires easily

Asahi

1st baseman

1B should ideally be tall and strong, which Asahi is both! not only strength in throwing, but strength in catching fast balls

1B is expected to cover for other’s throwing mistakes, so they have to be okay with leaving the base for the 2B to cover

1B comes in contact with the ball a lot, and while the pressure of constantly being relied on wore on Asahi, he came to enjoy having others look to him to stop plays

the powerhouse hitter of the team, forces the other teams to push their outfielders way back, but can usually manage a few homeruns per game

not the fastest, but his strong hits mean he has more time to run so long as the outfielders don’t throw it fast enough

Nishinoya

center fielder

CF are in charge of all outfielders and primarily go after the ball the most, and Noya loves diving for crazy fast and crazy high balls, his speed being his biggest advantage

CF covers both left and right fielders, and covers for their errors

CF always has 2nd bases back in case a player tries to steal or a force out is in play, and Noya eagerly rushes to cover for Daichi if he has to step off 2nd

his batting is average but he zips around the bases before anyone even realizes, loves to steal any chance he gets

Tanaka

3rd baseman

3B is the hot corner for most players (unless you’re a lefty) which means they have to have quick reaction time and know where all runners are at all times

Tanaka intimidates the other team with his lightning fast reflexes and how closely he shifts forward from the plate to discourage blunts

gotta have a strong arm to play 3B, but Tanaka occasionally throws too hard and Asahi has to jump or let right field cover him

another powerhouse hitter with incredible running speed, but can sometimes fall for pitcher’s baiting them or messing them up with quirky pitches

he likes to steal bases like Noya, but is a bit more obvious with his leading and gets caught often

Kageyama

pitcher

pitchers (especially good pitchers) only have one goal: to get the batter out with their pitches alone, and Kageyama has perfected his fastballs and curve balls

pitchers have to cover for everyone infield and are usually under the greatest pressure, so they must thrive under that, and Kags’ focus only increases with every play

the team trusts him to make the right calls, and if he ends up with the ball, he’ll throw to whoever he needs to in order to get the out and keep them from scoring a run

he’s a fairly decent batter with average running speed, and will almost always risk sliding into second or third base if he can get away with it

Hinata

shortstop

shortstops are usually tall because they need to cover the gap between 2nd and 3rd, but Hinata makes up for that with his speed

shortstops need a good arm and good aim; hinata’s arm is great, but his aim is not always perfect

covers 2B a lot, relying on Daichi to snag the ball and throw it to him to get the out

not a powerful hitter but has a great eye and can hit even balls intended to be strikes, also incredibly fast at rounding bases

can usually taunt players into thinking he’ll steal bases, other teams have a hard time telling whether he’ll try to steal or not

Tsukishima

relief pitcher, right fielder

switches in and out with Kageyama; though Kags has fast pitches, Tsuki is good at playing mind games with the batter and tricking them into swinging at bad pitches, and their deadly rotation keeps the other teams on their toes

when he’s pitching, he and Sugawara can come up with quick plays and can calm their team down when the stakes are high

if Tsuki knows a batter is powerful, instead of risking a homerun, he’ll usually intentionally walk the batter

he’s not a strong hitter or runner, but he isn’t easily fooled by crazy pitchers and won’t be baited into swinging at bad balls

when playing in RF he doesn’t have a powerful arm, so he’s thankful the ball doesn’t come to him as often

Yamaguchi

right fielder

RF don’t get the ball that much (unless the batter is left-handed), but often has to cover 1B

RF needs a strong arm to throw all the way to 3B, and usually has to rely on Daichi or the pitcher to throw it the rest of the way

he’s a good strategizer and figures out batter’s habits pretty quickly, and will often call out where he thinks the ball will land, which is almost always correct

he’s a quirky batter who can trick the other team into thinking he’ll swing and then goes for the blunt, but he can also aim with great accuracy to the other team’s weak spots 

not a fast runner and is usually too scared to slide into base

Ennoshita

left fielder

LF has to cover for 3B, which, luckily for Ennoshita, Tanaka is a strong 3B, but when it slips past him, Ennoshita is quick to recover

he has a strong arm and good eye for which runner is the easiest to get out first

knows noya is way faster than him and lets him get the balls he can’t, but he still has his work cut out for him when hinata misses a ball infield

he’s a decent batter and average runner, but he sometimes gets too eager and swings at bad pitches

LF is required to cover 3B, and Ennoshita will sprint to the bag if Tanaka leaves

[hjazysol]

Henshi: ... ...Sanbi?

Sanbi: Yeah?

Henshi: Why are you a villain?

Sanbi: Me? Well it was clear that the world never wanted me this way as someone who fought for good.

Henshi: All that happened was you got demoralised and acted out of frustration. Seems a bit childish.

Sanbi: ... ... ...Well what about you?

Henshi: Well I was backed into a corner I had no choice it was either become a villain or die. Leading a double life is scary. Like I'm afraid that at times I'll turn out to be nothing but a disappointment to my brother if he ever finds out.

Sanbi: ... ... ...

Henshi: Do you ever wish you could bring back the people you kill?

Sanbi: What?

Henshi: Like...Nevermind it's not important...

Sanbi: ... ...Yeah. Maybe I do...

Henshi: If they ever find a way to apprehend us for good. We're dead. Even if I haven't killed that many I still killed. Death is just round the door.

Sanbi: Well as a villain... ...It's do or die...People always used to question my belief in God. There is no such being. Purely just a fake manifestation of our minds. If God were real our lives would be fair & we'd be forgiven for our sins against humanity. That's why I believe God is a lie.

______

Hokori: Playing today as Pitcher is Hokori Hitoshi! The God above all! Ready to stand above you peasants-

Kageyama, in batting: Just throw the ball Elf!

Hokori: Jeez! No need to be so rude!

Bakugou: You better win Kageyama! I picked you for a reason! Got that!? Or else you'll regret it!

Kageyama in his head: Scary!

Hokori: Here's a big one!

Hokori threw a charged up curve ball.

Midoriya: Woah! All that power from such a small guy?

Hokori: I AIN'T SMALL!!!

Kageyama: Hmf! Too easy!

Right before the ball made contact with the bat. The ball got sliced.

Hokori: ... ...Huh?

Midoriya: W-What just happened?

Galacta Knight: I happened.

Galacta Knight stepped forward out from the shadows looming over nearly all the students their.

Kageyama: Excuse me! But if you couldn't tell we're trying to play a game here! That I was about to win!

Galacta Knight: Call the police!

Kirishima: Wait a second did this random girl just say to call the police?

Iida: May we ask why? Has someone hurt you in any way!?

Galacta Knight: No I'm fine...Just please do it I don't want to hurt anyone.

Iida: What?

Omega: Oooh. I get it. So your a villain right?

Stain, hidden away: Oh great. What's she doing? I ain't wasting my time here! I'm heading to Star Allies.

Omega: So I think you should go now. Otherwise someones gonna get hurt. Not me. But just saying.

Kirishima: She doesn't seem evil. Just oddly......Blank.

Omega: Ah well I don't care. Just get lost yeah.

Galacta Knight: I'm afraid I can't do that.

Omega: I see. Well then. It seems I'll have to dish out my special move!

Midoriya: Special move!?

Ururaka: Really!?

Misaka: ...Oh boy here we go.

Omega: SPECIAL MOVE!... ..."Let someone else handle it!" (Walks away)

Kageyama: ... ...Where are you going!?

Omega: Fuck this shit I'm out.

Misaka: (Sighs) Michiko could you dispose this woman please since Omega doesn't wanna do anything.

Michiko: Err! O-okay! S-sorry about this miss!

King Dedede, running at full speed: STOP EVERYTHING YOU WERE ABOUT TO DO KIDS! HEHEHEHEHEH! NEVER FEAR CAUSE TRIPLE D IS HE- (Trips) Oh crud! (Falls).... .... ....

Everyone stared at Dedede unimpressed. Dedede stood up.

King Dedede: A'ight let's pretend you never saw that. AHEM! I've called for back up already now you better surrender or things'll get messy.

Galacta Knight: You know about me don't you Dedede?

King Dedede: Tch. What's it to ya? Filth like you is easy to crush!

Okashi: Make way! Mister Girl has stretched towards the battlefield! What's up doc!?

Tsubaki: And Bone Farmer is here to break you down to pulp!

Okashi: Hey that was a good entrance!

Tsubaki: Oh! Thank you! I've been thinking about things to say when I enter a fight! Heheh.

King Dedede: So you're the first ones here huh?

Okashi: Yep! I may not know this girl but my brain can automatically tell she's strong.

King Dedede: You have no idea.

Galacta Knight: Perish!

Galacta Knight stabbed Okashi only for her body to stretch out.

Okashi: Bit rude not gonna lie.

Okashi wrapped herself around Galacta restraining her for now.

Okashi: Oh! And Big D.

King Dedede: Please rephrase that.

Okashi: Your entire agency is gonna be coming soon. They should arrive in 30 minutes.

Tsubaki: In the meantime we'll try our best to hold this lady down!

King Dedede: Right! ("How unfortunate that I had to be passing by through this on my day off. But ah well.")

______

Jackson: My my my. It seems that a few brats are being confronted by a villain.

Henshi: Which?

Jackson: The U.A. kids.

Henshi: All of them!?

Jackson: Classes 1-A, B & S

Sanbi: Any heroes?

Jackson: Mister Girl, Bone Farmer & King Dedede-

Daizo: DEDEDE!!! Ah yes! The man that scarred by body! At last I will take vengeance! By killing him!

Daizo left.

Sanbi: Hmm. Hey you missed something dude. Look. There's also a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of my city surveillance system far off from the current fight. They entered Star Allies HQ. A hero?

Jackson: You fool! That is my lord & saviour!

Sanbi: Stain?

Jackson: Your damn right it is. Heeeerhahaha! Blood will be lavished upon those walls...I want a front row seat to the blood bath.

Jackson left.

Henshi, whispers to Sanbi: Let's help the students.

Sanbi, whispers back: WHAT!?

Henshi: Listen! I don't want that bitch hurting my little bro! We'll go in our civilian clothes it'll be fine.

Sanbi: But we are-

Henshi: Don't go hypocritical on me now boy! I know damn well you wanna help aswell because you want to make sure Bone Farmer's safe. Not that she needs you but ah well!

Sanbi: Fine let's go.

______

Kaabi: Alright guys Dedede has made a call. Which means it could potentially only lead to one person. So we're gonna have to go and deal with...Her while Jun is resting.

Stain: Sorry. But I'm afraid that not all of you will be leaving the building alive. But let's start this off easy shall we?

Bandana: No way!

Susie: Hero Killer Stain!

Stain: You can give yourselves a head start by telling me this! WHERE'S HOSHINO JUN THE FAKE HERO!?!?

@hopeaterart

[kurooswaifu-bb]

I’m living for this🥵💖

Also I was thinking what if our lovely setters in the baseball world were actually catchers? Since they kind of rule the game almost? They have the whole view of the field and usually they are the ones who call out the orders and make the big stops. I think that would be so awesome. I’m a catcher and I’m in love with suga so I think that would be pretty cool to Have something in common with him.💖💖

So like here I’ll make a list of their positions since I’m deep in this now lol:

Daichi: outfielder probably center and left. He would be awesome in this he is amazing at receives so getting that ball is no issue always telling his defense which batters will be more or less powerful so they can move in or out. I also feel this is a good place for him to see whose screwing around so he can yell at them. After every inning catch Daichi at the dugouts entrance making sure everyone gets a high-five, He’s super supportive.

Sugawara: Catcher of course I just talked about that lol, and since kageyama is always in he’s sometimes a base coach. I also feel he’d be decent at hitting where he wants the ball to go to get some RBIs ( runners batted in), but not usually home runs but it’s not impossible he gets 1 or 2 a season. He also is a good 2nd baseman definitely plays there. I feel in this scenario he would definitely get to play more because there is more spots to fill he just doesn’t get to be catcher as often which is what he loves. I also feel he’s a bit of a superstitious player, and is always yelling at people for walking on baselines, being negative. He also has some form of ritual before games like eats the same lunch on game days after they had a big win. He also has a song he listens to before to get him hyped and also because on the day he listened to it they won.

Asahi: Pitcher cause he’s the ace and pitching is moi inportante and also as like his secondary position when the team feels like switching it up First base because you have to be really tall and good at catching those balls. I feel like he wears the same socks every game idkw.

Nishinoya: so he would def be shortstop because you have to make a lot of stops there since usually batters are righty’s and he’s good at recieving. So when the team encounters a lefty (ushijima) he has to be switched over to second base to make those stops. I also think he would be a good base runner and is always sliding into home base with silly faces and peace signs. He also definitely is that one player who points up to the sky like he’s gonna get a home run (he doesn’t haha but still puts it in play smh) he also dedicates his hits for a girl in the benches or one of our boys ( specifically asahi which gets him super flustered lol) .

Tanaka: Tanaka is a really powerful spiker but I don’t see him as a pitcher. I’m gonna go along with the artwork and say he’s a really powerful hitter but he sometimes he doesnt have it under control so sometimes he might be struck out and get a lot of fouls, but when he does make contact (which is more often then not he’s still a very reliable player) he gets hits into outfield and home runs. As a baseman I feel like he would be 3rd base because he’s got really good chemistry with Noya. Also bonus he’d be one to get hit with the ball to get a walk and be SUPER DRAMATIC and try and fight the pitcher. Also Like noya you’ll see Tanaka dedicating his hits to Kyoko who just rolls her eyes (when he does this he gets a strike or foul lol)

Ennoshita: so like in the show Ennoshita is in line to be Daichi’s predecessor so he’s also an outfielder and is really good at receives but I also see him as a second baseman that’s something I really can’t back it’s just a feeling. I don’t know ennoshita very well sorry. But please feel free to help me out.

Kinoshita: I don’t know him that well I’m sorry, I think he’s be second or 3rd baseman, or even outfielder he’s probably got a good idea how everything works so you could put him as a filler anywhere.

Kazuhito: again I don’t know much about this guy sorry!!😢 but he could be a good 1st base man considering he’s a middle blocker. Maybe a good hitter? Decent base runner.

Kageyama: Catcher this is where he can show his bad temper when a base runner tries to steal a base or run home. He will literally walk all the way over to 3rd base to put that runner in their place. He also gives snide remarks to batters to throw them off their game, people really hate him. He has great chemistry with Hinata so they are always paired together but he’s always yelling at him lol ( duh lol). He’s a great batter, hits deep into out field and sometimes a home run. He also is a good First base player but is rarely put there because he’s more valuable as catcher.

Hinata: is obviously gonna be pitcher he’s really good at it. Grows quickly and can do curves, fast pitches, sliders, everything. Given that baseball seems to be apart of his middleschool he probabaly had decent practice with catching and throwing so I feel like he’d be a really good left outfielder because he’s so fast. He’s got extreme potential because he’s got hops but he’s primarily pitching and in outfield if Asahi is pitching. He’s the one player who always has sunflower seeds and a different favor each game, everyone comes to him for seeds. He’s always clutch with seeds but he doesn’t eat them right he eats the shell and the seed lmao. Suga realized he wasn’t spitting the shells and was deeply concerned. Everyone makes fun of him for it now lol. Also not good at batting. He’d be a pinch base runner probs for Tsukki.

Tsukkishima: Definitely first base for sure because he’s so tall. Really good at strategizing and quick to get outs. Okay at hitting not the fastest runner hinata usually subs for him. Gets super mad when people spit shells around him. Also whenever there’s a quirky catcher he just causes the catcher to get flustered and mess up instead of the other way around.

Yamaguchi: he is a GREAT batter! He can do bunts and send that ball wherever he wants. He tricks the opposing team so easy and can send that ball between players so they get confused. He’s great for turning the tides of a game or just anything in general. He gets super flustered easy so he’s not a basemen but he’ll grow and learn. He’s always got fruit for the team especially the BEST tasting oranges.

•this is my first post so sorry if its layout is confusing

•if you feel you have a better idea for someone’s placement please lemme know I’m willing to listen.

•Also sorry if anyone else did this I just saw these beautiful artworks and my brain was flooding with ideas for this concept so I just got excited.

haikyuu no ace? diamond no haikyuu? not quite sure how to call it, but I swear, it’s for science.

I’m sorry I was too lazy to draw the rest of Karasuno but oh well ~maybe one day quietly playing on the distance~

[jellyryans]

it’ll be fine, as long as your hand’s in mine

Pairing: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu

No warnings, just good old fashioned coffee shop pining. 1647 words. 

The bakery supply closet became his own personal sanctuary, a place at work where Asahi could retreat when he needed time alone, or when things got to be too much.

Things. Or people. Or just one person.

Happy Haikyuu!! Holidays to @gabberwockywrites as part of the @haikyuuwriters secret santa exchange! Hope you enjoy! Fic below the cut.

The sounds were muted, but Asahi could hear everything. A milk pitcher hit the floor with a sharp metallic crack. Steady footsteps trod by, up the stairs, past the door, behind the espresso bar, into the cafe. The main door opened and the bell chimed, followed by an unfamiliar chortle.

He could hear everything, but nothing couldn’t touch him where he sat, nestled uncomfortably on a person-sized bag of flour in the dark, on the other side of the heavy closet door.

Asahi often wondered why it seemed like he was the only person to hide in the bakery supply closet. It was slightly obscured by all the doors, nooks, and crannies of the old building, but it wasn’t hidden. It was possible that everyone else simply knew better. He could hear Daichi scolding him for contaminating the dry ingredients, that he should get off his butt and go back to work already., but no one had found him yet, and no one had ever said anything.

The bakery supply closet became his own personal sanctuary, a place at work where he could retreat when he needed time alone, or when things got to be too much.

Things. Or people. Or just one person.

Asahi started to groan, then slapped his hand over his mouth before the noise could fully form in his throat. He sat completely still, not even daring to breath, until at least a minute had passed without someone barging into the room with pointed fingers. He rolled his neck on his shoulders in a sad attempt to release the tension that racked his body.

He might’ve been hidden from the forces outside the room, but he was never safe from the terrifying weight of his thoughts.

Asahi recalled the first time he met Nishinoya Yuu. He had burst into the café for his first shift, vibrating with energy at four in the morning, and Asahi didn’t manage an actual greeting until hours later, halfway through their first shift together.

Nishinoya was one of the best baristas Asahi had ever seen. He was there when you needed him, always ready to talk to customers, had a smile that somehow transformed the air around him, was willing to switch shifts to make everyone’s lives easier, and would make any drink on the menu without complaint.

The issue was that he was so much more than just an amazing co-worker. He was a good mentor to younger baristas, a good friend, a good person.

Even though it had taken months for Asahi to translate the butterflies in his stomach, deep down he knew had been a goner since the moment Nishinoya bounced into the café like there was nowhere else he would have rather been and smiled at Asahi like he was the only guy in the world.

Asahi screwed up his face, guilt coursing through his veins. The issue wasn’t really Nishinoya, though. It was him.

He thought of the day when he wore a new headband to work, how Nishinoya had to stand on toes to touch it, how he called it a “string” and said it was the “coolest thing he’d ever seen!” Asahi had to hide for twenty minutes before his face returned to its normal hue.

Then there was the time that Nishinoya burnt himself on the steam wand and had requested that “only Asahi-san” tend to wound. Nishinoya sat on the sink of their cramped employee washroom and Asahi stood between his legs as he touched Nishinoya’s skin. Asahi shivered at the memory. Nishinoya’s skin was so soft and he was so terrified that Nishinoya would be able to feel how fast his heart beat in his fingertips as he smoothed down the bandage.

Asahi had barely made it to the supply closet before his knees gave out, and he stayed hidden for a whole half hour, practicing the breathing exercises that his mother had showed him.

That hadn’t been the first time they touched, and it wasn’t the last.

Nishinoya gave high fives like they were an extension of his being. His hands shot up when they finished a particularly long line of drinks at the bar, or when Asahi finally managed to get the perfect laurel on top of a latte, or when Asahi made it to work in a giant snowstorm that had frozen public transportation.

Asahi’s throat went dry and he looked down at his palms. He willed himself to think of anything else, anything other than time that Nishinoya raised his hands for a high five and didn’t let go.

He had twined their fingers together, palms lowered but still in the air. Nishinoya had looked up at Asahi and there had been something soft in his eyes, something that made Asahi rip his hands away. He had turned before he could see Nishinoya’s reaction and sprinted to the closet, where he had hid his face in his hands and lost track of time.

It wasn’t just the two of them anymore, either.

The week before, right in the middle of their busy afternoon shift, out of the borderlands between absolutely nowhere and Asahi’s worst nightmare, Suga had asked him when the hell he was going to man up and ask Nishinoya out.

Daichi had appeared next to Suga and nodded his approval. Hinata had come out of the woodwork and screeched. Kageyama’s head had almost snapped on his neck when he glared at Asahi.

Even the customers in line agreed with Suga. Iwaizumi, a regular, told him that “it was about damn time already.”

Asahi didn’t sleep for days, worried that Nishinoya had somehow overheard despite not having been there, or that someone would tell him when Asahi wasn’t around.

But those sleepless nights paled in comparison to that morning.

Nishinoya was scheduled later than usual and was bundled almost appropriately when he came into the café for his shift. He waved to Asahi with a swish of his puffy sleeves and his greeting was muffled by the scarf wrapped around his neck. Asahi’s heart skipped a beat, as it usually did, and he waved back.

Just as his heart settled, Nishinoya came out of the locker room, and Asahi’s mouth fell open.

His hair was tall and wild, finally free from the confines of his beanie, and the skin over his cheekbones was pink from the howling December wind. His apron was haphazardly tied but it was snug around his slender waist.

Asahi was well aware of how gorgeous Nishinoya was, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the shirt he was wearing.

Nishinoya had on the standard uniform polo, but it wasn’t the one he usually wore. This one must’ve been at least three sizes too small, because Asahi saw every line of defined muscle, the slight bump of his pecs, and the sharp outline of his collar bone.

And if that hadn’t been enough to bring Asahi to his knees, the sleeves were short and tight on his arms, exposing a generous swath of skin and muscle that tensed and relaxed as he moved.

Asahi had run off without saying a word.

His feelings for Nishinoya were obvious to everyone before, and if they weren’t obvious to Nishinoya then, they certainly were now. Asahi was caught short of breath, even in the solitary dark of his sacred spot, and hiding didn’t seem like enough anymore. How could he possibly face Nishinoya again?

The solution was as obvious as it was painful. He had to quit.

But no sooner had the thought materialized, than the door flew open and exposed Asahi. He brought his arms up in defense and tried to hide himself as much as possible while blocking the light.

Asahi’s heart pounded against his ribcage, and braced himself, but nothing happened. He lowered his arms and squinted at the figure in the doorway.

“Asahi-san!”

Asahi jumped at his name, away from the person in front of him. “Nishinoya? How did you, me? Here?”

He grimaced at his own pathetic attempt to initiate conversation, but Nishinoya wasn’t fazed. 

“The supply closet’s a good place to be alone, I get it! Plus, I looked everywhere else.” He laughed. “You ran away so fast that I thought you might’ve teleported away or something!”

Asahi forced a laugh in response, but it sounded more like the sad wheezing of an broken squeaky toy, and he averted his eyes. “No, um, sorry. No teleporting, just… yeah.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear, but his hand shook so badly that he brought it back down and sat on it. “Is it busy? Do you need me?”

“I do, but not because it’s busy.”

“Okay?” 

Dread settled in Asahi’s stomach and he ran through the possibilities. Someone was hurt. They were getting held up. Something had broken. A customer had slipped. Nishinoya didn’t seem bothered, leaning in the door frame with an unreadable expression on his face.

“I just missed you.”

Asahi blinked in surprise. “You... What?”

Nishinoya smiled so wide that Asahi thought it might escape his face and swallow the café. “I missed you, Asahi-san.”

He reached out, but Asahi just eyed Nishinoya’s hand, wary that he was imagining it all and desperately afraid that he was. Nishinoya took another step forward and grabbed Asahi’s hand, pulling him to his feet, confirming that everything was real.

“And I might’ve told Daichi-san that I wouldn’t work another second if you weren’t there.”

Asahi yelped, squeezing Nishinoya’s hand on instinct. “Nishinoya, you didn’t!”

Nishinoya squeezed back, looking over his shoulder as he lead Asahi out of the bakery supply closet. “I did, so let’s go back together, okay?”

He looked down at their hands. It didn’t feel like Nishinoya had any intention of letting go, and Asahi was tempted to pinch himself as Nishinoya lead him back to the espresso bar.

He was still in that tiny shirt, and it was still very distracting, but Asahi was more entranced by the way their hands fit together.

“Okay,” Asahi whispered. “Together.”   

Maybe he wouldn’t have to quit after all.