tokiloki

[tokiloki]

Roommates Part 1

Sakusa Kiyoomi (fluff)

He’d mind his business, and you’d mind yours. You wouldn’t get in each others way, nor would you have any issues. But it seems that your peace may soon be broken.

“Turn that down,”

Your head flicked backwards at the sudden sound of your roommates voice.

“I’m trying to sleep.”

“..I’ll miss it if i don’t watch it live.”

“Ever heard of a recording?”

An awkward pause.

Rude. Someone’s never heard of a live show. The whole point is that you watch it live. It’s like watching a sports match after the results are out - the hype is gone at that point.

Though, you were still recovering from the surprise that he’d just spoken directly to you for the first time in who knew how long. Well, he’d keep to his own and you’d do the same. He did always keep the apartment clean, often doing the washing and tidying up the common space. It was a little weird how routinely he did that, actually.

But no matter how many times he’d cleaned up, you wouldn’t be turning the volume down. Raising the volume would make it too loud for the other tenants, and lowering it would make it too hard to hear.

“Either you wait for it to be over,” You paused, turning back around to grab the bowl of popcorn you had set down onto the coffee table earlier. “..Or you watch it with me.”

After his attempt to reason with you, he ultimately failed to do any convincing, joining you on the couch. You couldn’t help but think that the way he’d sat with a little force felt like he was sulking. Like when a child is told to go to bed - they complain and whine, then they slam themselves down onto their bed with a thud.

Though you’d rather keep your mouth shut than tell him he was acting like a kid. It would be a joke, but you had no idea how he’d take it. Again, this was the longest argument conversation you’d held before, so dropping a comment like that probably wouldn’t help lessen the awkwardness.

other works ✩ part 2

[tokiloki]

“Hey, open what I just sent you”

A sigh sounded from the other end of the speaker “Is it another IP logger?”

“No!” You giggled, “Just open it.”

Majoring in IT with zero prior experience in it wasn’t the easiest thing. With all the stress that’d been plaguing you lately, it helped to wind down and code something that you’d have fun doing, using a mix of skills you’d picked up in class, as well as online tutorials.

Despite being busy himself, Kenma often tested things out for you, so that way, it’d kind of count as practice. Recently, he’d been complaining that he was always waking up late, missing classes because of it; his alarms weren’t going off at their set times, so he was constantly oversleeping. Of course, you considered that he could’ve been up at night playing video games, sleeping so late that he’d forgotten to actually set his alarms. Though you shook that thought away pretty quickly; after all, most of his nights had been spent with you over call as of recent.

So, although it took you a while to complete, you’d been working on a small alarm app that was designed specifically for him. Something simple that’d remind him of you throughout the day, given he remembered to use it.

Making the commute to university every day on your own, spending hours in classes in an attempt to absorb everything, then heading home only to continue studying—it was overwhelmingly pressuring. Though something that’s made things feel a little lighter, was having someone around that you could talk to, even if it was a guy who you'd met not long ago, majoring in something completely different.

The clicking of his mouse lingered in the background as he read the contents of the app aloud. "'Kenma's Alarm'?" He hummed in thought. "I don't know if other people would use this if app if that isn't their name".

"It isn't for other people." Your voice carried a smile. "It's for you, for helping me."

"...With what?" His voice was small, timid. You could only imagine the expression he'd be wearing.

It was only something little, something you'd made to help. Even though he didn't know it, being there to talk to you, taking the stress off your shoulders without even realising it—to put it plain and simple—did far more for you think he knew.

"Just," You paused, taking a deep breath. "Don't.. randomly leave me, okay?"

"Why would I even think of doing that?" He sighed, speaking in a soft, slightly sarcastic tone—one that told you he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

a/n: been so stressed lately... sigh </3 something short I wrote earlier today. stories for my reqs coming soon!

[tokiloki]

I MAY HAVE PASSED AWAY

⋆⭒˚.⋆𝜗𝜚 Order up! Brown sugar milk tea, 100% sugar, 100% ice with black pearls for @moochiwoochi!

Morning Coffee Sakusa Kiyoomi (fluff, crack, mutual pining, post high school)

Every morning for the past few weeks, at nearly the exact same time, the entry bell to the cafe you worked at would ding. In would walk a tall curly headed man, ordering the same thing each time. Once in a while, you'd offer him a baked treat, and he'd accept. Not many words would be exchanged between the two of you, but as time went on, you couldn't shake the curiosity that began to bubble up inside you.

As time passed, you'd begin to anticipate his arrival as one of the first people entering the store at the beginning of your shift. You'd began to apply just a little more lipgloss before leaving the house, touching up your makeup here and there even though you'd never paid it much mind before.

You'd never seen his entire face due to the covering he seemed to always be wearing. Though, as he left the store, drink in hand, you sometimes saw him pull it down a little to take a sip as he pushed the door open with his foot.

Tying your apron in the backroom of the kitchen, you decided that today would be the day that you finally speak to him. But how? And what would you say to someone you'd never had a conversation with before? A couple thoughts rushed through your head as you took one last glance in the mirror, the sound of the entry bell ringing in the background. You hurriedly rushed back to the front of the cafe, standing at the register where you saw him glancing over at the pastries in the display case.

You decided to start with a simple greeting - maybe something funny too?

"Going for something else today?" You smiled.

Surprise momentarily engulfed you as he shot you an unamused side-eye before turning his attention back to the case of sweets.

'So this is how it's going to be.' You thought to yourself before revising your expression, plastering another smile onto your face.

After he was done with his intense inspection of the pastries, he placed his order which was unusually large this time, consisting of a few drinks and sweets. Who on earth would be drinking 3 coffees and an iced chocolate this early? You didn't think he would eat 2 chocolate croissants and 3 strawberry danishes on his own either. As he swiped his card across the machine to pay, you took this as another opportunity to at least try to strike up a conversation.

"Meeting up with someone?" You asked, bagging his items.

"Kind of." He replied, slotting his card into his wallet and slipping it into his jacket pocket.

Holding the bag out to him, he grabbed it from the bottom, holding the handles once you let go. The bell rang once more as he left, and you resumed your work. You shifted around the store, cleaning up coffee cups and wiping down tables when you noticed something laying atop the counter in front of the register. Someone had left their phone there - though it didn't look like it belonged to any of the older ladies who were enjoying a breakfast at the front of the cafe. You still asked just in case, and they confirmed your thoughts.

Setting the phone aside, you wondered if it might be for the man who was at the counter not too long ago. Either way, you'll probably see him again tomorrow if he forgets to retrieve it today - there was plenty of time.

During your break, you took the phone to the 'lost items' box in the back room, sliding onto one of the chairs and enjoying your lunch. After only a few bites into your sandwich, a faint vibrating sound could be heard from the direction of the box you had placed the phone in. Following the noise, you discovered the screen of the phone was lit up; somebody was ringing.

Deciding to click the answer button, you placed the phone on speaker. Maybe you could tell whoever was it was that the owner had lost his phone.

"Didn't I tell you to change my contact name?"

"How come? Whats wrong with Oomi? See, I even put a mask emoji as well..”

You heard bursts of laughter in the background as whoever was on the other side sounded like they were fighting - albeit pretty calmly. Though it didn't seem to be a very long lasting squabble, as it was soon noticed that you’d answered.

"Hello?" You spoke up first. The line fell silent, save for a few subtle voices.

"Giving girls your phone, omi-omi?" Someone sneered in the background.

"Give me that."

"Hey!"

It seemed that he took the phone from the callers hand, opting to speak directly into it instead.

"You have my phone." He bluntly spoke.

"Yeah, you left it at the cafe earlier today."

A pang of silence ran through the speaker as he seemed to have realised who you were.

"Right.." His voice trailed off, softening ever so slightly. “What time does your shift end?"

"5’ o clock." You replied.

"I'll be there before then. Just keep it on the side if you can." His voice was somewhat hushed - maybe he didn’t want the others to hear? Even though he'd only said a few words to you, he seemed somewhat easier to talk to than he had this morning.

Throughout the rest of the day, you wondered if the boys in the background of the call were the ones he had bought the sweets and drinks for. A study session? Maybe they were hanging out together. You began to realise how little you knew about him considering you'd never shared a full conversation before. Thoughts swept your mind as you began to wonder how old he was, if he was in college and what he’d be studying - heck, you didn’t even know his name. And calling him what those guys had said on the other side of the phone didn’t exactly sound like something he’d be too happy about.

You found yourself glancing at the clock every few minutes, wondering how long until another 10 minutes would pass. You’ve never worked so fast before - nor had you been so eager to clock off. You had so many questions to ask him, wondering if he’d even answer any; you let them accumulate inside your already crowded headspace.

At exactly 5:00, you rushed into the employee room to freshen up a little, washing your face and applying some perfume. You made sure not to forget the reason why he was meeting you in the first place, sliding his phone into your pocket. Taking one last glance in the mirror before hoisting your handbag over your shoulder, you left the store, standing at the front where he mentioned he’d be waiting.

Stepping outside the store, you noticed a car stopped on the side of the road, its headlights still gleaming. The drivers seat window began to lower, a familiar pair of eyes meeting yours.

“Hey!” You waved walking towards the car. He stepped out, closing the door behind him.

“Here’s your phone.” He slipped it back into his pocket, thanking you.

This wasn’t exactly how you’d imagined it playing out. The plethora of questions you’d accumulated over time suddenly disappeared with him standing right in front of you.

Without a counter separating the two of you, things felt different. For one, you didn’t realise how tall he was, nor did you notice the slight frizz in his curls that seemed somewhat styled earlier in the day. The way the light of the afternoon sun lightly glossed over his skin - you simply couldn’t look away.

He cleared his throat. “Are you heading home now?”

“Yeah,” You replied, adjusting the strap of your handbag. “I just need to wait for the bus.”

He turned towards the door of his car, opening it. “Won’t it be late by the time you get home?”

“Kind of, but I’m used to it by now.” You shrugged.

“That doesn’t sound very safe if you ask me,” He said, slipping into the drivers seat and closing the door. “I’ll take you home.”

“No, don’t worry, I’ll be safe!” Embarrassed, you waved your hands in front of you in an attempt to clear the air.

Though he didn’t exactly look like the negotiable type, as he simply stared back at you with an expression that read ‘Just get in.’

Hesitantly, you walked to the other side of the car and stepped inside, placing your handbag on your lap and pulling the seatbelt over yourself. His car seemed like it had just been driven out of a dealership - it looked completely brand new. There was also a faint smell of sandalwood and vanilla - a very pleasant smell, and it was well ventiated. Below your feet was a duffel bag which was pushed as far into the leg space as it could go - as if he was expecting someone to sit in the passenger seat.

“Well? Are you going to tell me where to drop you off?”

“Oh, right! Let me just pull it up on the maps..” Embarrassed, you dipped your head to search on your phone, almost sure you heard a small laugh from the drivers seat.

As you directed him through the streets, you shared a simple conversation, finding out that he wasn’t currently a college student, but instead a professional volleyball player; and the people on the phone from earlier? Those happened to be some of his team-mates.

“I had no idea,” You chuckled. “I don’t really watch any sports. But I’d watch you play!”

“That’d be nice.” He replied, turning the wheel into the street before yours. “Oh, i’m just down there to the right,” You pointed out. “You can just drop me off here if you like.” He turned on the indicator to take the next street. “I’m already here, might as well get you home.”

Pulling into the street, he stopped in front of the apartment complex you signalled was yours.

"You really didn't have to do all this.." One hand held a grip on your bag, the other on the passenger door. You wondered if you'd ever get the opportunity to speak to him other than just a greeting in the mornings - more than the conversation the two of you shared on this short trip to your home.

"Didn’t you find my phone?" He replied, shifting the car into 'park' and turning to face you. "Someone could've stolen it."

"You'd be able to easily afford another one though."

"Yeah - well, thats," He sighed, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "Thats not the point,"

"Does your shift end at the same time everyday?"

You nodded. "Yeah, why?"

He held his phone, tapping a few things before handing it to you. "I can take you home in that case. But I'd need to let you know when I'd be waiting outside, no?"

You paused, looking at the empty contact screen he handed you; was he expecting you to fill it in?

Taking the phone from his hand, you saved your name and typed in your number, handing it back to him.

"You've never called me by my name, you know?"

"I don't usually need to call a cafe worker by their name."

"Is that an excuse?" You teased. "Because from when I stepped foot into your car, you've never called my name - not even once."

"Um, not necessarily..?" His voice trailed off.

"It's on my name-tag. You know, the one thing hanging off my apron at work."

"I didn't see it, alright?" He sighed, exasperated. "But you don't seem to know mine either." He shot back.

"Come to think of it, I may have already known it from before." Your thoughts trailed back to the phone call from earlier.

"Really? What is it then?"

You had to control yourself from bursting out into laughter as a chuckle escaped you alongisde your words. "Is it.. Omi? Omi-omi?"

"He’s so going to regret that."

[tokiloki]

recent stuff!

[tokiloki]

freckles

Yamaguchi Tadashi

“Nine.. ten.. eleven..”

His head rested atop your legs, eyes shut as you counted the freckles scattered across the right side of his face. The gentle blow of the wind ruffled his hair, puffing it out ever so slightly, and in the corner of your eye, his curled up body rose and fell with each soft breath.

The tree you sat under shaded you both, although the weather was calm, the light from the sun provided a pleasant warmth.

You recently noticed that he’d become hesitant to take photos with you, asking to apply filters to blur his skin, or edit his face after the photo was taken. You’d known that he wasn’t the most confident in the past when it came to his face, but you had no idea he had been this insecure about it.

You told him not to worry, and that they weren’t something you’d even think of editing out of the photo. They weren’t bumps, acne marks or blackheads, they were something that he’d had since he was a child. Face wash or expensive cream, they weren’t going away anytime soon, and neither were you. Not for something as small as a couple of birthmarks. Not when he was someone who always cheered you up even when he struggled so much on his own.

You switched on your phone, checking the time, with your lock screen shining in the background; a candid photo you had taken of him as he was laughing, smiling so radiantly.

You wondered how he was so worried about some freckles with a smile like that.

other works

[tokiloki]

Beach (Family outing: Twin boys and a girl)

Kuroo Tetsuro

Anon - from my 50 followers event

“Mommy, can I wear my new swim clothes?” Your 5 year old held out the frilly swimsuit that was amongst the numerous things Kuroo had recently spoiled her with. Giving her the okay, she skipped off into her room to change, only after attempting to wake her brothers up, who had been napping on the couch for half an hour after snarfing down breakfast.

“Five more minutes…” One groaned.

“Ten…” His twin replied.

“Kuroo, I need to finish prepping the snacks - could you wake the boys up?”

Kuroo, who had been wiping down the table perked his head up. “Sure, just a sec.”

He made his way to the sink, wetting his hands before walking over to the napping boys and flicking water onto their faces.

“Wakey-wakey!”

Groggily opening his eyes, one of the pair’s face contorted into a confused look. “Dad, why are your hands wet..?” Pulling his sleeve over his hand, he wiped his face down, complaining as he did so. Kuroo sent them to get ready, telling them of their plans to spend the day at the beach.

Sure, it had already been 10 years since they were born, but twins definitely aren’t easy to get used to. Somehow they’re always fighting over wanting the exact same thing, but not wanting the other to copy them; which is why most of their belongings are the same, only in different colours. Sometimes you’d take one of the boys shopping, encouraging him to pick out things he specifically liked, and getting Kuroo to do the same with the other son. Though, they still manage to find things to argue about, and this time it was their floaties and sand toys.

The five of you arrived beach after listening to your kids nagging at eachother for the duration of the car ride while you attempted to have a semblance of a conversation with Kuroo. He went ahead, setting up the beach tent while you placed the blanket underneath. The twins ran into the water together, splashing around, their gleeful laughter filling your ears. You opted to sit in the shade under the tent, watching them have fun together as your daughter played in the sand close by. Kuroo sat down next to you, slinging an arm over your shoulder.

“The older she gets, the more she looks like you, y’know?” He glanced over at the little girl in the as she shoveled sand into a bucket beside you both.

“The boys as well.” You chuckled. “From their eyes to the way they laugh. It’s like there’s two more of you.”

“But I can’t let them have my bed head.” He sighed. “That’s not something i want to be recognised by.”

You giggled, remembering how messy his hair used to be all throughout your childhood together. Only recently did he begin paying attention to his appearance, combing his hair at the very least.

The boys called out to him from the water, and he stood up to walk towards them. “Are you okay on your own?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m alright.”

He took off towards the boys, making his way into the water as they splashed him incessantly. He’d prop one of the boys onto a floaty, thrusting him forward as he swam.

“Me next!” The other would squeal.

You took a few steps over to the sand where your daughter was playing.

“Don’t you want to jump in the water?” You asked, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

“It’s okay. I wanna play in the sand with Mommy.” She handed you a bucket, instructing you to fill it with sand. “We’re gonna make a huge castle!” She chirped.

Playing with your daughter in the sand, hearing Kuroo’s laughter in the background as he splashed around with the twins; the environment brought you back to when you were young as well. Reminding you of when you’d come to this very beach with Kuroo, just the two of you as awkward teenagers.

But now, you’re both back here at the same beach, being reminded of your youth. Except this time, there are three new people bringing a plethora of memories to a place that already holds so many.

[tokiloki]

My brain chemistry has been altered irrevocably

One and only

Hinata Shoyo

A key shuffled into the keyhole, the doorknob to his hotel room twisting as the door cracked open. Clothes and towels were strewn all over the small room, Shoyo’s suitcase wide open, having been rummaged through in a rush before you both left for his game earlier today. He dropped his duffel bag onto the ground before slumping over the bed that was still crinkled from earlier that day.

“I never got time to clean up before we left.”

‘i’ll fix it later!’ you’d said to yourself before the both of you darted outside the room to catch a taxi. You sighed, having not realised how tired you’d become.

“We’ll do it tomorrow..” He groaned, the back of his hand pressed against his forehead. He, in particular seemed much less energised than usual. “It’s been so long since i’ve been able to play like that.” He muttered. Picking up stray items from across the room, you noted moments in the day where Shoyo had been barely able to sit still, excited to dart across the court as he always had since you first met him.

“Well, you’ve really made yourself known, didn’t you?” Tossing a pair of shorts into his suitcase, you decided that you’d actually fold the clothes tomorrow.

Rummaging through your own luggage, you grabbed some pyjamas and your skincare bag before heading to the bathroom.

“You won’t be able to sleep properly in those” You ushered towards his outfit, still wearing his uniform, complete with the jacket on top.

“I’ll change out of them soon..” He drowsily mumbled. You could already tell he was dipping in and out of consciousness.

Changing out of your outfit, you washed your face and set your day clothes aside to be packed away tomorrow. The day flashed through your head - the exhilarating feeling of being in the stands, hearing the crowd chanting the name of the man you’d watched grow over so many years. The smile on his face filled your gaze as he waved at the audience, his eyes lingering slightly longer on you. Watching the way he dashed across the court, standing tall at the peak where he never imagined he’d be.

That starry eyed, young boy who strived to be seen had become a man whose name rolled off the tongues of all the people watching him play.

He’d made it a thing to rush to you first after a game, picking you up and spinning you around as his sweet laughter filled your ears. He’d always thank you, cupping your cheeks into his hands, his arms wrapping tightly around your back.

Throughout your years together at school, and even after you graduated, you were always together. You still remember the day you first heard the news about his long leave to Brazil. Having been beside him for so long - and having him ripped from you so fast wasn’t something you could get used to.

You washed your face in front of the mirror, the sound of the gushing water lingering in your ears as your thoughts continued to wander.

Reminiscing on the day he arrived back in Japan, you recalled how he’d been walking in the airport, his head turning from side to side to catch a recognisable face.

As soon as he walked out into the crowd, you poked his back from behind. He turned, eyes widening at the sight of you as he immediately wrapped you in his arms, his voice cracking through sniffles.

It was the first time you’d heard him cry.

Switching off the light in the bathroom, you found Shoyo crawled up on his side, holding a pillow close to his chest. Of course, he hadn’t changed out of his clothes.

Giggling to yourself, you switched off the light, crawling onto the bed. You shifted to your side, eyes watching his face as his body rose and fell with each gentle breath. You felt the weight in the bed shift as he slid the pillow away, wrapping an arm around you, holding you close. The lingering smell of deodorant filled your nose as your breathing steadied.

“Goodnight.” Your free arm snaked around his back.

“Night..” He whispered after a yawn.

[tokiloki]

RAHHHHGHHHHH (foaming at the mouth)

A sight for sore eyes

Yukimiya Kenyu

@sailorstar9

“You don’t have to come by you know..” Your hesitant voice sounded through the phone to the other end of the speaker.

“Sounds like you really don’t want me to meet your family.” He hummed in thought, the clicking of his car’s indicator lingering in the background.

With a deep sigh and a smile to yourself, you wrapped your arms around a large pillow on your bed, placing the phone beside your ear on speaker. “It’s not like that, Yuki. I can’t exactly explain it, but you’d be able to tell straight away if you see it.”

 “…Guess I’ll take your word for it then.” A soft chuckle strung alongside his words. “I’m still going to come over though. I’ll just have to deal with it, right?”

He sounded so confident that it’d be fine, though you worried how things would unfold knowing your younger sister was back from college and would be for a while. She’d always been spoiled by your parents who fold under any pressure from her.

“I… I can’t take this anymore…!” She’d ‘sulk’ to herself, before rushing to her room, locking the door behind her. She’d sit there for upwards of 10 minutes max, and soon after, she’d give up and return with another attempt at garnering sympathy.

For the second round, she’d exaggerate her sobs, heaving and heavily coughing. After a few moments of feature film acting, she’d drop the bomb.

With a hand loosely holding her neck, she’d begin wheezing and shakily pointing to the counter where her asthma puffer sat. You’d seen this hundreds of times. Of course, she had her moments where she’d genuinely suffer an asthma attack. But it was painfully obvious to you when she was faking it.

Despite that, your parents would give in, rushing to her assistance and complying with her out of fear of her having another lethal attack similar to the one she had as a child.

You had a feeling she’d pull a stunt once she sees him, knowing he was out of her reach. Despite your worries, Yukimiya ensured you that he’d be there to meet your parents, not to meddle in things that didn’t concern him.

Ending the call, he told you he’d be there in around half an hour. You quietly let your parents know, and headed back to your room to prepare an outfit.

Sitting on the couch in the living room, you fiddled with the fabric of your dress, nervously waiting. Suddenly, your sister walked in, inspecting the living room with her arms crossed.

“Why is the house so… tidy all of a sudden?” Her scrutinizing gaze fell to you. “And why are you dressed up like that? Having a photoshoot?” She sneered.

“A friend is coming over.” You replied, wondering what made her come out of her room where she’d usually be sleeping until midday.

Your mother was preparing a fruit platter in the kitchen, when her voice called out to your sister. You exhaled a sigh as relief as she left the living room; one step closer to her returning to her room.

Almost immediately as she was out of sight, a knock came from the door. You stood up, flattening your dress and taking one last glance in the mirror before opening the door.

“Ah, there you are.” You were greeted by Yukimiya who was carrying a cake box and a large bouquet of elegant, neutral coloured flowers whose hue matched his clothes. He wore an overcoat that ran down to his shins, complimenting the fall colours present within his turtleneck and pants.

Before you could say anything, the overly familiar sound of your sister gushing met your ears. Whipping your head around, you shot her a glare as though to say ‘don’t you dare.’ It might keep her at bay for now.

He hadn’t even stepped foot inside your house yet, and you were already worried.“May I come in?” He smiled, offering the gifts to you. Taking them from him you led him inside to the house.

“You didn’t need to do all this...” Forgetting the annoyance you felt towards your sister moments before, your lips curved upwards.

“I happened to be at the pastry store and they had your favourite. How could I leave without getting it for you?” He chuckled as the two of you made your way to the living room where your parents and unsurprisingly, sister were waiting.

The three of them stood up, politely greeting Yukimiya. Your father shook hands with him and your mother took the gifts from you, placing the pastry box and bouquet on the coffee table in between the couches.

Though your sister wasn’t even trying to hide her intentions. While four of you sat, chatting together, she suddenly shifted from where she was sitting next to your parents – to the couch you sat on with Yukimiya.  

“A Model?” Your mother questioned “Well, you certainly are very tall and handsome.” She looked towards your father who smiled.

Yukimiya let out a coy laugh “It’s not much, really”.

Though suddenly, your sister’s unwanted voice swamped the conversation that the four of you were having.

“You are handsome!” With a giggle, she inched closer and placed a hand on Yukimiya’s shoulder. “I look pretty good, but what if you and I were together? Two people who are…” Her gaze narrowed as it shifted to you “…easier on the eyes.”

Yukimiya uncomfortably stood, shrugging her hand off his shoulder as he did so. He politely smiled at your parents, excusing himself before asking you where the bathroom was. As you lead him to the corridor outside the living room, your eyes reflected apology - what you had worried about seemed to be happening right in front of you.

Once you returned, you noticed that your sister looked elated, and she took your hand by force, leading you to back the corridor to ‘chat’.

“Where did you meet him?!” She whispered in a scolding tone.

“None of your business.” Your words were blunt, telling her more than enough.

“Is that so?” She sneered. “Well, he won’t be with you any longer now that I’m around.”

That was the last straw. For as long as you could remember, she’s ripped toys, books and many belongings out from your hands whenever she pleased, and once she was done with them, she’d get rid of them. But this time it was something completely different.

Threatening to ‘take’ a person away was low. Especially Yukimiya, who was one of the only people you had met who actually paid genuine attention to your needs, considering your thoughts and feelings instead of treating you like a burden. Ever since you and him became closer to each other, the void in your heart has begun to heal - allowing you to feel what it’s like to be acknowledged and understood. So her threat did not come lightly to you at all.

“You wouldn’t dare do anything.” A scoff escaped your lips as you crossed your arms.

She sighed, mocking you with false pity“Come on, we know how this goes, don’t we?” She whispered, cocking her head to the entry of the corridor where your parents, who were none the wiser to her intentions sat.

“It won’t work on him. You’ll only embarrass yourself.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Though, it seemed that she forgot to consider a circumstance where she might’ve been heard.

The doorknob to the bathroom at the end of the hallway clicked and turned with Yukimiya stepping out wearing a surprised expression.

“Is everything okay?” He smiled, looking in your direction.

Sashaying a few steps in his direction, she locked her arm around his. “Yukimiya… My big sister, she’s...” Cracking her voice into a sob, she began to gradually elevate the sound. Just a few more words and your parents would come rushing.

“She’s.. so mean to me..!” As she rubbed her moistening eyes, he looked at her, confused. He then shot you a look that read ‘So this is what you meant.’ You couldn’t help but snicker a little. Though your little laugh seemed to get to your sister, as she decided that to be the reason for her to start shrieking.

“You have the nerve to let out such an ugly laugh while I’m crying!?” She whipped her head towards you. “You think you’re so pretty just because this guy gave you a second of attention?”

Dumbfounded, you opened your mouth to defend yourself but no words came out. You knew she wasn’t too fond of you but this was a whole new level of disdain. Suddenly, Yukimiya annoyedly yanked his arm away from her, and took a few steps towards you, standing bu your side

“I don’t exactly have a place to speak in this…” He looked at her, then back to you “family.. discussion. But the way you’re acting is completely uncalled for.” He’d been able to speak clearly for as long as you’ve known him, but to be able to shut your sister up hadn’t been within your expectations.

As he spoke, your parents appeared behind you, confused by the situation. Your mothers first instinct was usually to coddle your sister and ask her what was wrong. Though before she could do so, she dug the hole even further.

“But… but I’m so much prettier than she is! You don’t seriously like her?” She scoffed, folding her arms.

“Like?” His eyebrows were slightly raised in confusion. “I don’t think I’d come to visit the family of a girl I only liked, no?” He wore a smile, but you’d seen that expression multiple times before; and you knew he wasn’t about to lose his cool over a girl like her.

As a last resort, she tried to farm remorse from him; thinking that he’d fall for her exaggerations. She caught a glimpse of your parents standing behind you and him in shock, and panic began to wash over her as she realised that they’d seen the way she had been acting. Her eyes were dry despite all the fake sobbing she had done, and despite this, she began to heave, coughing and placing a hand on her chest. Although your mother did immediately rush to her side, this time it was to tell her off. Your father apologised to Yukimiya, and offered the two of you to sit back down wherever, and that they’d be there soon.

Leaving the corridor, you could still hear your mother and father scolding her, calling her behaviour ‘unacceptable’ as they saw through the act she had been putting up for years. As you sat back down on the couch, an audible exhale escaped your lips. “This is what I was talking about.”

Removing his glasses, he wiped them with a cloth from his pocket as he spoke, “Nothing I haven’t been through before.” He looked at you with warmth in his smile, as he turned his body to face yours. “Besides, I wanted to talk to you for a little – just the two of us.”

Your eyes followed his hand as it reached inside his coat pocket, pulling out a small box. He gently opened it, revealing a glistening gold ring with a sizeable diamond perched at the top. Your gaze lifted, following his hand that took yours as he slipped the ring onto your finger. Warmth crept up on your face as your eyes began to moisten, and once again, you were at a loss for words, although this time was unlike before.

Eventually, you choked out a few words. “Yuki, you…”

Holding your hand with his two, his thumbs held your fingers, rubbing the back of your hand. “I did say I didn’t only like you.” He chuckled, his cheeks painted a gentle hue of red. “Unless, well, you don’t actually like me.”

The growing lump in your throat protested against you as once more you fought to speak. “Of course I like you…” You smiled as a memory played back in your head. “Didn’t I tell you that in high school?”

He nodded in response, being taken back to the same memory. “And what did I tell you then?”

The memory replayed in your head, the words the same way they were when you first heard them. The redness on both of your faces, the way you were too shy to meet each other’s eyes, and the way his voice shook ever so slightly when he spoke.

“That you’d always be with me.”

[tokiloki]

⋆⑅˚₊ Order up! - Banana cupcakes with cookie dough and chocolate chips to eat in for @moochiwoochi

'A friend of a friend' ft. Kozume Kenma (fluff, crack)

w.c 1.5k

“Here, I’ll carry that for you!” A voice perks up behind you, and soon after, a small weight is lifted right off your shoulder.

“You didn’t need to do that, Hinata. It’s a light bag.” He shook his head in dismissal.

Before becoming the current manager in training, a classmate of yours noticed that you’d always leave school immediately after class, never heading to any sort of after school club. Approaching you on one of those days, he suggested that you join the volleyball club as their new manager. You felt like he had locked in on you as a target, because once he made the connection that you were essentially free, it was like he became hardwired to pester you about it every single day.

So you could say it was more like he forced you to join, telling sob stories about how lost the team would be once they’re left without a manager, saying that someone has to keep the troublemakers in line. You wondered if he considered himself part of that bunch.

On todays agenda – or rather, this week’s agenda, was a training camp organised to bring a few teams together for practice matches. The boys piled onto the bus, leaving space at the front for you and the other manager to sit. Hinata usually talked your ear off about volleyball in general, but he’d always specifically mention ‘Nekoma’ and ‘his friends from Tokyo’. You opted not to admit it, knowing that he wouldn’t shut up, but it left you wondering who these mysterious ‘City boys’ – as Tanaka calls them – really were.

After a drive filled with petty arguments (Hinata and Kageyama as per usual), the bus reached the inn where you’d all be staying for the rest of the camp. You were informed that the practice matches would commence tomorrow, and so you set your things down and went to sleep.

With the morning sun peeking through the curtains, you awoke. Tidying your clothes, you headed out to the cafeteria where your peers were having breakfast.

“Hey!” Hinata waves to you from a seat, and you walk towards him, setting your plate down on the table.

He started rambling about how excited he was to play, talking with a mouth full of food

“Finish your food first!” You scolded him, elbowing his arm. 

Once everyone had finished eating and preparing themselves, you all headed down to the gymnasium where they would be playing their games today. Stepping inside, there were multiple other teams who you’d never seen before, matched up and playing against each other. Though there was a single team that was standing off to the side, waiting.

Suddenly, you felt a tug on your arm as you were pulled towards them by an overly gleeful Hinata.

“Kenma! Hey!” He called out to a blonde haired boy who looked as though he’d rather be somewhere else. Though, upon hearing his name, he turned towards Hinata with a smile.

“There you are. You guys got here yesterday, right?” You wondered if this soft spoken boy was one of the aforementioned Tokyo students.

“Huh? How did you know we were here?”

“Oh, just from the..” He paused for a second, pulling out his phone. “...10 – or so – messages you sent since yesterday.”

“Let’s not sweat the details!” He chuckled, a little embarrassed. “Anyways, I wanted to introduce you to our manager!” Hinata ushered towards you.

“Hello.” He turned to you with a faint smile. You nodded in return, smiling back.

Before you could continue, a whistle sounded, calling the boys to group up. Sitting near the coach, you took notes as you watched the game play out.

During the break, the boys grouped up once more, all talking about various things. Handing out water bottles, you overheard Hinata’s loud voice in conversation with Kenma as they sat on the steps near the gym doors.

Walking over to the two of them, you handed Hinata his bottle, and he took a big gulp before continuing.

“Hey Kenma, our manager plays games too!” He quipped. You crouched down near the two of them.  

Kenma’s head whipped towards you. “What kind..?” His gaze was kind of.. scrutinizing?

You figured it was nothing. “I play RPGs and shooter games. Sometimes I’ll play other stuff though.”

“What about that driving one with the turtles and bananas?” Hinata chirped with his arms in front of him, twisting them left and right.

“Mario Kart?” Kenma replied with a scowl.

“Yeah!”

“Oh, I’m not very good at that one.” You chuckled. “I always end up in last place.”

“Probably better than Shoyo.” Kenma muttered. “He can’t even hold the controller properly.”

You laughed as Hinata tried his hardest to defend himself, giving up eventually. Leaving the two of them, you went to collect the bottles and refill them for later. As you were walking back to the exit, you noticed that Hinata was no longer there.

“Where’d he go?” You asked Kenma.

“Kageyama challenged him to a race or something” He shrugged. “They have so much energy..” He sighed before looking up at you.

“I’m just going to wash and fill these up.” You said, looking down at the bottles you were carrying.

“Wait a sec, I’ll come.” He offered as he left to retrieve his own team’s bottles, leaving you to wonder where their manager was.

Once he returned, the two of you headed outside towards the outdoor sink. You looked over at him; “Does your team have a manager?” You asked.

“Nope.” He sighed. “We don’t really need one. The manager work is usually split up between us all. So since you were filling your team’s bottles, I figured I’d do the same.”

You nodded in agreement, setting the bottles down near the sink.

“Do you find it hard? Being the manager.” He asked, unscrewing the caps off the bottles.

“Not really.” You answered. “It’s a little outside of what I’m used to, but I get to meet so many people, and I always have something to do, so I guess not.” Turning the tap, you shudder at the recollection of a few unsavoury memories.

“Though, sometimes I have to deal with a bunch of fights. I usually break up Hinata and Kageyama’s squabbles when the captain isn’t around.”

“Kind of like a referee.” He jokes. “Maybe you should start carrying a whistle..”

“Right? I’ll end up losing my voice at this rate.” You rinsed the caps, and began filling the bottles one by one.

“They’re still at it..” He points out. The two of them have been racing up and down the hill for who knows how long at this point, yelling at each other as they do so.

“Whatever.. Maybe one of them will trip and roll down the hill..” You mutter, defeated and exhausted. “How about you? Anything difficult with your team?”

“Well.. Theres this new guy who keeps insisting that he’s our ace.” He spoke with a small frown. “He’s sort of okay.. but he’s lacking in all the fundamentals.”

“And I’m guessing you’re who’s been asked to help him?” You chuckled as Kenma grimaced, screwing the cap of the last bottle. “Yeah..” He began to help you with yours as the two of you continued your conversation, chatting about various subjects including the games the two of you were into, how you came to join and whatnot. He wasn’t surprised to hear how Hinata practically guilt tripped you into joining. Though, the two of you agreed that there was just something that made him hard to ignore.

Kenma also told you about how the two of them first met and how Hinata had been lost at the time, which was very characteristic of him. You made a comment that despite his loud demeanour, he always seemed to befriend much quieter people.

Though it was your first time at a training camp like this, you found yourself letting loose pretty easily. Having so much in common with Kenma really smoothed out your conversations. The two of you landed back onto the topic of games as you headed back inside the gym to set the bottles down.

“Really? You have that game?” You gushed. “It was always out of stock wherever I checked!”

“Yeah, I waited in line before the store opened.. First and probably last time I’d do that.”

“I couldn’t even find it on second hand sites..” You complained. There were usually so many resellers, so where did they all disappear to at the time?

“I can lend it to you if you want” He offered. “I brought it with me. Finished it on the train.”

“Seriously? You’d let me play it?”

“Only if you don’t mess up my save files.” He joked.

Before you knew it, the coaches called the boys back to practice. You had kind of been coaxed into joining this club at some point, but it wasn’t something you’d say anymore. After all, you’ve been able to meet so many people. You looked over at the team, watching Hinata as he flailed around in an attempt to escape Kageyama, who seemed to have made a rare miss with his toss. You couldn’t help but laugh.

Mya's Bakery Event 𝜗𝜚 other works

[tokiloki]

⋆⑅˚₊ Order up! - Grape macaron with mini mochi to eat in for anon!

'Sick at home' ft. Yamaguchi Tadashi (fluff)

“So hot..” Basking in the last few seconds of cool air before you shut the door of your house, you desperately fanned your face with a free hand. If it was so hot in the early morning, then you could only imagine how much hotter it’d become later on in the day.

You were out to grab a few things for your parents, and a little something for yourself while you were at it. Once you finished running their errands, you sat down in a café, sipping on a refreshing iced tea. Though, you felt a little bored by yourself, so you decided to text your friend to meet up with you.

Turning off your phone and setting it down on the table, you took another sip of your tea. You’d probably end up visiting Yamaguchi before you went home. You knew if you were sick, you’d probably want someone beside you.

Strolling around the store before you left, a few things caught your eye. There was a stall with handmade keychains that you thought were pretty cute. Picking up some stuff, you left on your way to visit him, buying a few things from the convenience store near his house.

Knocking on the door to his house, you heard a faint voice call out to you.

“Coming..”

Shortly after, the doorknob twisted, revealing a flushed Yamaguchi in a t-shirt and trackpants.

“You look terrible.”

“I know..”

You walked with him back to his room, noticing the strewn tissues all over the floor near the bin. Despite that, the room itself was tidy. Picking up the tissues one by one, you dropped them in the bin and brought it closer to his bed.

“Thanks.” He said as he crawled under his covers.

“It’s really dark in here. Don’t you want some sun?” You commented.

“I wouldn’t mind.. But I couldn’t open the curtains.” He said before coughing into a tissue. “The most activity I’ve done today was opening the door for you.”

You chuckled as you swept the curtains to the side and opened the window, letting in a flow of the cool afternoon air.

“It was so hot today” You said, taking a seat on the foot of his bed. “The air has definitely cooled down.” Reaching for the bag of snacks, you pulled out some throat lozenges, a sports drink, and some cooling patches. “I got you some stuff!”

“Thank you so much..” He sniffed, taking the items from you. He fiddled with the packaging of the lollies, popping one into his mouth. “I think feel a little better now.”

“That’s probably because of the wind – it was really stuffy when I first walked in.” You tore open the cool patches, unwrapping one. Standing up, you took a few steps and leaned in front of him. “Here. This’ll probably help more than the towel that you keep having to replace.” You said, taking the moist towel off his head. It felt warm, so you figured it had been there for a while.

“You haven’t been wringing this out!” You scolded, plopping the towel back into the bowl.

“Sorry.. I’m too fatigued..” He chuckled.

Grabbing a tissue, you wiped his forehead so the patch would stick, and sliding his fringe out of the way, you placed it on his head, which was very warm.

“Hey, you’ll get sick if you’re not careful.” He said before breaking into a coughing fit.

You unscrewed the lid of the drink and handed it to him with a smile.

“Will you take care of me if I do?”

“Of course.” He replied after taking a sip.

Mya's Bakery Event 𝜗𝜚 other works

[tokiloki]

⋆⑅˚₊ Order up! - Strawberry Muffins with cookie dough to eat in for @ailurophile

Club Manager ft. Tetsurou Kuroo (fluff)

w.c 2k

Spoilers for the Battle at the Garbage Dump movie!!

“It’s already our second year, are you sure you aren’t going to join a club at all?” The girl spoke while glancing over at her friend, whose head was slumped on the table.

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to at all, but the thought of asking would be too embarrassing. It was already the fourth week of school, and everyone seemed to have joined a club already. She hadn’t joined one in her first year, so how would she gain the confidence to join one now?

“It’d stand out on your resume” She grinned convincingly.

“I know..” The girl groaned. “It’s hard for me to just waltz up to an already established club and ask to join.”

“You can be so awkward.”

“I know.”

Though, it seemed someone had overheard her from across the classroom, as when she was packing her bag for the day, she was approached by a timid boy.

“Um.. I overheard you and your friend from across the class..” He spoke with a soft tone, avoiding her gaze. She titled her head in confusion.

“About?”

“Joining a club.”

“Right..” She chuckled.

The boy stuck his hand into his pocket, taking a phone out. “We have a spot at the volleyball club. The team is looking for a manager.. I can call our captain if you want to join” He offered.

“Oh! Um… I don’t really know much about volleyball. I’ve never even seen a game, I don’t think I’d be much help.” A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

“It’s fine. I had to start somewhere too.”

Nodding in agreement, she zipped her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She weighed her options; she could join a club now, and continue with it until her third year. Or she’d reach her third year, having not joined any clubs or made any friends outside her small circle.

And after three whole years, she’d leave school with so many things she could’ve partook in. She’d be the one person who always stood off to the side while everybody else took the opportunity to grow.

“I guess I’ll join.” She smiled warmly.

“I’ll call him then..” The boy’s voice trailed off as he pulled out his phone, dialling somebody. Suddenly, the sound of a ringing phone from outside the classroom inched closer alongside a set of footsteps.

“Is he outside?” She questioned

“Give it a few seconds,” he replied “He’ll probably let it ring out.”

Sure enough, a few moments later, a tall student slid the door to the classroom open. The first thing that stood out to her was his very messy bedhead.

She stifled a laugh.

“Kuroo, this girl said she’ll be our manager.” He said, stepping aside.

“Hello..” She waved.

Kuroo let out a hearty laugh as he walked towards the pair. “Kenma, you actually spoke to someone you didn’t know? Without anyone else?”

“It was for the club.”

As he stood in front of her, she was reminded how tall the third year students were in comparison to her.

“Our new manager?”

“I don’t have any experience, so..” She replied, shy.

“We’ll teach you the ropes!” He grinned, slinging an arm over the boy who looked as though he wanted to leave immediately.

After introducing themselves, the three of them, headed for the gymnasium with Kenma lagging behind. It seemed he was distracted by a game on his phone.

She felt nervous, walking next to this boy who she’d never seen before today. Not to mention how tall he was; if she’d turn her head to the side, his shoulder would block her view.

“Say..” She began, aware of his gaze turning towards her. “Is there a reason why you waited until now to recruit a manager?”

“Well, we usually do all the manager work ourselves.” He admitted. “But for us to grow as a team, we need every member - even the substitutes - focused on enhancing their skills.”

She had never involved herself in something like this before, having no idea that it required this level of perseverance. She wondered if this new role of hers would inspire her to pursue a goal of her own.

“..And why did you wait until now to join a club?” He teased, almost scoldingly.

Warmth crept into her cheeks as she raised a hand to rub her neck, eyes locked onto the hallway in front of her. She didn’t even think about turning to face him – not from this close.

“I don’t know.” She replied with a nervous chuckle. “I guess I’m a bit lazy.”

Through a sideways glance, she caught a glimpse of a smile forming on his lips. “To be honest with you, some guys on our team want a female manager” He blurted out casually.

Eyes wide with surprise, she giggled “What?”

Listening as Kuroo explained the situation with Karasuno’s manager – forming an unspoken rivalry between two boys on each team.

As the minutes passed, her speech began to flow more than usual. She hadn’t expected to be this at ease when talking to somebody new – especially someone who seemed as intense as he did. She found herself sneaking glances at him as he spoke, her gaze lingering longer each time.

He continued, answering her basic questions about volleyball theatrically. The corners of her lips curved upwards as she was unable to stop the constant laughs escaping her as he spoke.

Their walk to the gymnasium seemed to last way longer than any usual circumstance. Their initial brisk pace gradually slowed down.

As he spoke, it was as though he singlehandedly untied the knot in her chest. It was then when she began noticing the smallest things. The way his genuine laughter would sound in her ears, the brightness in his eyes despite their oak hue, the softness in his expression when he spoke of his friends on the team. The way he’d lean over to hear her when she wasn’t clear enough.

Amongst dozens of students passing by, each engrossed in their own conversations, and through all the lingering shouts and laughter, her attention remained focused on him.

And just like that, he introduced her to the rest of the team. Met with a warm welcome, she didn’t feel any of the pressure she had imagined.

She watched as they trained, playing practice matches on a weekly basis with multiple other schools, each team member striving to work on their weaknesses.

Alongside her new friendships with the team members, something separate happened to be blooming on the side.

Whether during class time or practice – it became a joke amongst the team members that if you saw Kuroo, you’d probaby see her, and vice versa.

“Kuroo, eyes on the ball!” Yaku shouted from behind the defence line.

He was usually hyper-focused when on the court. Though, something had uncharacteristically been weighing down his thoughts lately.

The libero’s shout broke Kuroo’s distraction, and with a forward glance, the flying spike rushed into his face and sent him to the ground.

“You okay?” Taketora yelled from the opposite side of the net.

“I’m fine..” He replied, standing back up despite feeling a little dizzy.

“Someone’s been pretty distracted lately.” Yaku teased, walking up to Kuroo and slapping his back.

“Excuse me?” He defensively responds, crossing his arms. “Kenma, you tell them.”

“He’s always talking about our manager.”

“Hey!”               

The rest of the team bursts out in laughter as not even Kenma could disagree that he’d definitely been distracted by something lately.

As if right on cue, she walked into the gym holding water bottles for the team, handing one to each of them as they regrouped for a break. His eyes softened upon seeing her face again, something that he’d been doing subconsciously as of late. Upon handing him a bottle, she noticed his face was visibly wounded.

“Did you hurt yourself?!” She gasped, leaning forward for a closer look.

Kuroo’s eyes widened, darting to the side “I’m good..!” He nervously chuckled, taking a gulp of water. He knew he was distracted and was well aware of how he was acting – especially around her.

Bright lights, roaring crowds and dozens of teams, each representing their prefecture. 52 whole teams. It was one of the first times she’d been somewhere so intense, and although she wasn’t playing, she felt extremely nervous.

Nekoma had made it to the quarterfinals – facing their long awaited opponents. She heard about the rivalry from Coach Nekomata; she could only imagine the stress weighing down on the shoulders of both teams.

Though, she herself had been thinking of something for a while. After clarifying with one of the team members, he confirmed that this would be the last match for the third years unless they make it through.

That also meant her last match as Kuroo’s manager.

She had a feeling that he’d been thinking of the same thing as well. Though, she’d avoided mentioning it. If she was the captain of a team playing a national match that generations had been waiting to see, she’d probably try to drown out distractions.

All she could do was sit on the bench, record details, and  keep things organised for their time-outs.

She watched as each team fought tooth and nail for every point, treating each play like it was their last. The tension weighed heavy, Nekomas persistent defence paired with Karasuno’s intense offence. Every point scored, every set passed inched closer to the conclusion of the match.

Then it came – Karasuno’s match point of the last set. Gripping her book and pen tightly in her hands, her eyes darted across the court, following the course of the ball. Both teams’ exhaustion was reaching its limit.  

She watched as Kenma briskly stepped back, raising his arms for a set as Taketora ran outwards for a quick start to his jump. It all happened so quickly – the next thing she knew, the ball had hit the floor on their side of the net.

Everyone seemed to pause for a moment, taking time to process everything that had just happened in the span of a few seconds.

The whistle sounded, marking the end of the match. She watched as the boys shook hands with the opposing team, not a single one bearing a semblance of anger at the other.

Remaining seated on the bench, her lips began to quiver. She kept her gaze downwards at her feet, her vision becoming clouded by the layer of tears glossing her eyes.

The team then regrouped in front of the coach to hear a few words from him. She stood beside them, unable to look anyone in the eye; she flicked through her book, making annotations here and there to keep herself distracted.

He had noticed her uncharacteristic silence - usually, she’d be all over the place, making jokes and whatnot. Though, he couldn’t say he didn’t understand why she had been so quiet.

As she stood behind the bench, stuffing her notebook and pen into her backpack, she noticed a familiar pair of black shoes in her peripheral.

Looking up at him, she felt tears intensely well up in her eyes, once again distorting her sight.

“Kuroo, I-“

“Not here.” He said gently “Let’s go.”

She followed him as he guided her into the hallway, voices and cheers from the court muffling, and the crowds decreasing. In front of him, she crumbled, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to communicate her feelings.

“Come on, why the tears?” He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and gently rocking back and forth. “Aren’t you supposed to be the calm and collected manager?”

She sniffed, managing a stifled giggle. Loosening his hold around her, he pulled back momentarily.

She wiped her tears before finally looking up at him. He met her eyes with an expression that read ‘I know’.

“I’ll still be around. After I graduate..” Pausing, his voice softened “..And even after you graduate.”

“It won’t be the same..”

“But it doesn’t mean it’s over.”

Mya's Bakery Event 𝜗𝜚 other works

[tokiloki]

⋆⑅˚₊ Order up! - Lemon Madelines with brownie bites to eat in coming right up!

'The Moon is beautiful, isn't it?' ft. Kei Tsukishima (angst, mutual pining)

wc. 1.2k

The sound of chalk scratching across the board echoed in her ears as she listened to the teacher at the front. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes in an attempt not to fall asleep midway through his explanation on proverbs.

“I want you all to listen carefully, some of these carry double meanings - and yes, they will be on your Literature test next week”

Murmurs and scattered complaints were heard from multiple students in the class.

Straightening her posture, she decided to pay more attention to the explanation.

Turning back to the board, he wrote down a few proverbs in English and began explaining each one.

“This one, ‘Actions speak louder than words’, is basically as it sounds. For example, when you apologise to someone, you need to show that you mean it; sorry isn’t only gonna cut it all the time.”

Following the teacher’s explanation, she wrote down the key points.

“Here’s one some of you might want to hear. ‘The Moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’; it’s not your traditional proverb, but apparently it was taught by a Japanese teacher to his male students as a way for them to confess, but only under a moonlit night. A girl probably won’t take it romantically if you tell it to her in the middle of the day” a couple chuckles sounded across the classroom.

She had heard of that proverb before. She always found it hard to imagine the circumstances all coming together for this small statement to hold so much meaning. She continued note taking as the teacher moved onto the next set of proverbs.

As class came to an end and the teacher packed his materials, she closed her notebook and turned around, facing her two friends.

“Do you guys have club today?” She asked, zipping up her pen case.

“Yep!” The shorter of the two answered.

The three of them left class together and headed to each of their clubs, agreeing to meet at the gates after practice to walk home together.

Both were on the boys’ volleyball club, whereas she was in the girls’ basketball club. She had been friends with them since her second year of middle school, when she was paired with a tall blonde boy for a class project. He wasn’t loud, was relatively easy to talk to, didn’t seem to judge her, and they seemed to have a lot in common. Through him, she was introduced to his slightly timid friend, and the three of them had frequently hung out together since then.

At some point in time, she wasn’t sure when, but each time he’d speak to her, her heart seemed to beat a little faster. She felt herself becoming distracted by the smallest things about him.

His tone that was quiet but mellow. The rare moment he’d crack a smile, his eyes squinting ever so slightly. The way he walked, the way he slung his bag over his shoulder, the way he would listen so intently to her rants. She felt it then, and she still feels it now. That soft, budding warmth grew inside her chest whenever he turned to speak to her. Though the only difference was that it was becoming harder to hide.

Being paired with a girl for a class project wasn’t a big deal to him – it was just something they’d have to get done together. He was only trying to finish this task and head home as quick as he could.

So, what was keeping his gaze fixed on her?   

From the corner of his eye, he could see her notebook. One of her delicate hands was holding the page down, the other gently gripping her mechanical pencil. Her free hand lifting momentarily to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and the softness of her breathing.

His heart reverberated loudly in his chest. Picking up his pencil, he got back to work.

Slipping her head through the collar of her hoodie, she tidied up her belongings before heading out of the changing room to walk home with her friends. Shivering from the cold, she decided to slip on a pair of gloves – it was a little cold in the morning, so she was glad she had brought them with her, as the temperature dropped when the sun had set.

Walking towards the gates, she sees the two boys standing and waiting. Waving, she jogs up to them, and the three of them walk together.

“How was practice?” She asked, holding the handles of her backpack.

“Same old” Tsukishima responded.

“What did you do for practice?” Yamaguchi asked her.

“Well, we did a lot of laps today since your team was using the court”.

Shivering from the cold, she glances up, her eyes glazing over the bright full moon. Despite it being winter, the sky was clear for the first time in a while. The three of them carried on in conversation until Yamaguchi reached his house. Waving at them both, he headed inside, closing the door.

She turned back to face Tsukishima.

“My house isn’t too far from here, I can walk there myself.” She smiled.

“It’s fine. Mine’s close by as well.” He replied.

The two of them take off together, walking down the street.

Removing her hands from her pockets, she blows warm air into them, feeling the heat scatter across her cheeks, and sink into the fabric of her gloves. Placing her hands by her side, the warmth on her face continued to linger.

It was just the two of them, walking together down the street under the bright Moon. He noticed her place her hands by her side, inching closer to his own. Lifting his hand slightly, he hesitated, brushing his fingers against hers. He wavered.

And maybe that was why she shoved her hands back into her pockets.

Standing right next to him, she worried that he’d be able to hear her heart practically jumping out of her chest.

‘Did his hand bump into mine by accident?’ She thought to herself, worrying that he might think she was trying to hold his hand. It was a bright, moonlit night. The words of her teacher from earlier today replayed in her head: ���..A way to confess, but only under a moonlit night’

No way, even if he did say it, she’d never think of it as a confession.

‘He probably only sees me as a friend.’

Her head was noisy, filled with thoughts and paranoia,  although the silence between them was practically deafening. He and her usually speak to each other without issue every day. So what was the difference now?

He found himself feeling antsy, fiddling with the hem of his jacket as he walked beside her. Her street was the next turn. If he didn’t say something now, he didn’t know how he’d be able to carry on speaking to her like nothing had happened.

At the edge of the street, right at the turnoff, Tsukishima stood still, and looking up at the sky; he said:

“The Moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Standing a few steps in front, her gaze fell over him. Unable to see his facial expression properly; his head remained facing upwards.

That wasn’t a confession, right? He’d probably laugh if she said anything of the sort, right?

She had to come up with an answer, and fast. She couldn’t balance between a confession and a regular statement, and the growing silence between them engulfed her thoughts.

Preparing herself to speak, she felt her heart sink. With tear glossed eyes, she glanced upwards at the Moon.

“So very beautiful.”

Mya's Bakery Event 𝜗𝜚 other works

[tokiloki]

I love baked goods.

*yes I returned to tumblr for the sake of this statement*

˙ . ꒷ 🍰 . 𖦹🫧˙— Mya's Bakery (Haikyuu Event!)

Hello, hello! Looks like you've stumbled across my little bakery! Are you gonna grab something before you go? Something for the ride home, or a gift for a friend? This is a little event that I'm holding! The way this works, is to choose one thing from each category, and it comes together as a sweet. 'Made to order' and 'What flavour' are limited! Once chosen they'll be out of stock!

✰ - What flavour?

Strawberry - Kuroo Tetsurou

Banana - Kozume Kenma

Blueberry - Tobio Kageyama

Orange - Shoyo Hinata

Grape - Tadashi Yamaguchi

Lemon - Kei Tsukishima

Coconut - Kotaro Bokuto

Blackberry - Keiji Akaashi

✰ - Made to order!

Pie - 'You're famous?'

Cupcake - Academic rivals

Muffin - Club manager

Cheesecake - Beach day

Friand - Took the wrong bag home

Madeline - 'The moon is beautiful'

Doughnut - Online friend

Macarons - Study buddy

✰ - Any toppings?

Mini mochi - Text message Story

Cookie dough - Fluff

Brownie bites - Angst

✰ - Eat in or to go?

Eat in - more than 600 words

To go - less than 600 words

Note: custom orders may be made if I do not have the ingredients or toppings in stock for your preferred sweet! (If the topics aren't interesting, you might suggest something else!).

[tokiloki]

Notebook p.2

Yamaguchi Tadashi

The winter sun shone brightly through the overcast clouds. It was warm enough to ditch your gloves, but not your jacket. Feet sinking into the snow as you walked to school, you left small footsteps behind you. Occasionally slipping, but not enough to faceplant.

As you walked, you rehearsed your greeting in your head.

“Hey, Good morning Yamaguchi!!”

No, that sounds too excited..

“What’s up, Yams?”

No, absolutely not. He’d probably never speak to you again.

“’Sup.”

Just, no.

You sighed, watching as puffs of air exited your mouth, condensing in the cold Winter morning. Your cheeks felt warm despite the weather, and you cupped your face in your hands.

Am I seriously overthinking a greeting? What’s gotten into me? I can do this!

And somehow, you needed to go from greeting him in the morning, to asking him to help you organise your notes, and maybe even to study. Eventually, you found yourself standing in front of the school gates, purposely walking slowly to class.

What if I get there and he’s not even in class yet? Is he usually early? I can’t remember..

After scrolling on your phone for a couple minutes, cooing at pictures of cats, you decide to finally enter the building, and in turn, your classroom. Walking up the steps, you thought to just take it as it comes; to go with the flow! You open the door of the classroom, and there he is, taking his chair out and placing his bag onto the desk. You paid it no mind and walked towards your own. Though, he saw you first.

“Good morning, y/n!” He greeted you, turning to face you with a small smile.

“Good morning, Yamaguchi” You replied, attempting to sound as nonchalant as you could manage.

You did it! You said hi!

Setting your belongings down on your table behind him, you felt your heartbeat finally come to a stable rhythm. You sighed to yourself, trying to decide how you would take the next step.

You took a glance at Yamaguchi, your eyes shifting to the table beside him. You recognised the now empty seat as the place of the tall blonde boy you saw in the volleyball gym yesterday. He and Yamaguchi seemed to be friends, but it looks like he couldn’t make it to school today. The bell signalling the beginning of homeroom rang, and everyone rushed to their seats. Soon after, the first class of the day began, and you took out your notebook, preparing to write.

Looking forward at the teacher who began to take their resources out from their bag, your eyes shift to the rest of the class.

Everyone else was doing the same. Taking out their notebooks, pencases and.. textbooks?

Oh! You still needed to take yours out of your bag.

You stuck your hand into your bag, hung on the side of your table, searching for the familiar feel of its binding. Though, you couldn’t make it out. Confused, you propped the bag up onto your desk, and began searching inside it with both hands.

Oh… Looks like you lost your book this time.

In all your panic putting together a plan greet Yamaguchi, it seems like you forgot your textbook at home. Actually, it looks like you didn’t just forget your first class’s textbook, you forgot to pack every other textbook too.

You mentally shed a tear.

With the little material you had on your desk, your eyes nervously shifted around the classroom, your hands placed on your lap.

What do I do..?

You decide to remain silent for the time-being. Maybe your teacher wouldn’t catch on, or-

“y/n, where’s your textbook?”

Oh man.

Standing up from your chair to reply, “I-I left them all at home!”, you internally recoiled from your tone. I sounded oddly confident in that.

A couple smirks were heard amongst your peers.

Your teacher sighed, holding the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. It seemed he wanted to tell you off but decided to remain calm instead. Removing his hand and scanning the classroom, his eyes fell upon the empty seat in front of you.

“Sit next to Yamaguchi and the two of you can share his textbooks for the day”.

What?!

Your heartbeat began to pick up pace. This.. this was too much for you to handle!

Though, you obviously didn’t say anything, picked up your belongings and scurried over to the empty individual table text to him. You pushed it towards his to connect the two and sat down nervously.

Timidly keeping your head down, you facing your notebook as the teacher began his lesson. That was until you heard a low whisper from your left.

“Hey, y/n..”

Turning your head to face him while he spoke, you felt your ears burn up. After you spoke to him yesterday in the gymnasium, his face was practically etched into your memory. Though, here you were, sitting only centimetres beside him, arms nearly touching, and with his face so near to yours as he whispered into your ear.

“..Could I get some lead refills?”.

With a smile and a nod, you reached your hand into your pencase, and took out the lead, placing a few on his side of the desk. Some time into the lesson, your focus began to waver as you caught yourself glancing to your left on multiple occasions.

He sat beside you, taking soft breaths with his head propped up on his left hand. When his hair occasionally fell into his line of vision, he’d use his right hand to brush it out of the way. He’d then place that same hand holding his mechanical pencil back onto the book and continue his neat notetaking. When he made a mistake, he’d gently rub the page with the rubber, and brush the eraser shavings out of the way with his right hand.

You figured you hadn’t thanked him for using his textbook yet, so you decided to discretely pass him a note that read

‘Thanks for the textbook’. Before sending it over, you added a small smiley face.

Using your left hand to push it towards him, he took it and placed it over his notebook to read it. You didn’t directly look at him, but you made out a coy smile from the corner of your eye.

Soon after, you received the note back, to which it read: ‘You helped me yesterday, right? This is nothing’. Next to his reply was a poorly drawn depiction of his previously lost notebook. You couldn’t help but giggle.

Soon enough, the two of you found yourselves passing notes to each other every few seconds, with him discretely tearing out small bits of paper from the back of his book in order to write to you.

‘Do you understand the lesson?’

‘Yeah, kind of. Could do with some extra studying though’

‘You got this!’

You eyed out his last message, trying to make out the drawing on the side. Was it.. a flexing arm? Using the context, that was what you ended up deriving from it. Taking your mechanical pencil in hand, you decided to correct his little drawing, with an arrow pointing towards your own on another part of the note. You silently handed it back to him, wearing a timid smile.

‘Wow, I didn’t know you draw!’ He wrote

‘It’s just a hobby. Like you with volleyball’

‘Seems like you’re dedicated, no?’

‘Haha! Kind of  :)’

It was as though you were listening to him speak through his font. You had seen his notebook before, but when he wrote to you on the small, torn piece of paper, you could hear his voice in his words. Before you knew it, there were a ton of crumpled up notes across both of your desks, filled with little chats and doodles between the two of you. Grabbing them all, you stuffed them into your pencase. The teacher already caught you out once today, but if it happened again, that’d be really embarrassing.

You overheard a small chuckle from your left as you shoved them into your pencase with slight panic.

Before you knew it, the bell signalling lunch break had rung. You returned your belongings to your desk and grabbed your lunchbox from your bag, preparing to sit on your own table.

You thought that he may have felt uncomfortable, having you sit next to him for the whole day. As you pulled out your chair, lunchbox in hand, you heard a voice call out to you.

“Everything okay?” He said, turning his body halfway in the chair to face you.

“Yeah, I just thought I’d go back to my table. I feel like I’m being a bother”. You replied with a shrug, fidgeting with your hands in an attempt to avoid his eyes.

Once you momentarily shifted your gaze towards him, you caught sight of his expression. He wore a worried look as he lifted his hand to scratch his neck, his freckled face now a subtle hue of pink.

“You don’t have to move..” He stammered; eyes hesitant to meet yours.

You stood silently for a moment, surrounded by the almost muffled voices of your various classmates in the background.

Looks like he didn’t see you as a bother.

“Are you sure?” You asked hesitantly.

Yeah, I mean, Tsukki’s not here today, and, well” He cleared his throat, “It’s not like you’re annoying or anything..”

As you sat back down next to him, you worried that he’d be able to hear your heartbeat from how heavily it thumped in your chest.

The two of you began chatting again, following the topics that you had mentioned in your notes.

Even though you were only sitting together because your teacher told you to, once class was over, the two of you carried your conversation outside of school, as he offered to walk you home.

The two of you picked up a snack from the convenience store. Once you both picked what you wanted, he even offered to hold your things and told you he’d be right back. Turns out, he paid for both of you without telling you beforehand.

“Why’d you do that? I could’ve paid for me and you!” You frustratedly asked as the two of you left the store together.

“It’s no big deal!”

Once you eventually reached your home, you were about to say goodbye, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks outside the gates to your house as you were unlocking them.

Turning around, you see him standing there with a somewhat focused, nervous look on his

face. You’re not sure if it was the snowflakes, partially falling atop his head, sparkling in the afternoon glow, or the winter sunset, glossing his face and contouring his features; but his face seemed somewhat flushed.

“Um..” He murmured, nervously biting the skin on his bottom lip before continuing. “You.. Uh, you really.. brightened up my day..”

“I don’t know what it is, but.. you make me really, really happy”.

Your eyes widened. It took you a moment to comprehend what he was trying to say. You cupped your cheeks with your hands as you felt them warm up. Your stomach churned, butterflies sprawling around inside.

“You.. really mean that..?” Looking up at him, you watched him nervously blow warm air onto his gloved hands, cupped Infront of his mouth in his pockets in an attempt to distract himself.

“Yeah..” He timidly replied with a soft smile.

Silence befell the two of you. This was probably the last think you were expecting him to say. For him to reciprocate your feelings was such a shock that you could barely bear the weight of it. These feelings only began to bud a few days ago; where you couldn’t help but ignore him after seeing him for who he is. The way he’d carefully string together his words, softly speaking them to as to not taint your feelings, and the subtle gestures he’d make to you, watching you with full attention as you spoke.

You’d only really known him for two days, but it felt as though you grew up with him from when the two of you were kids.

Suddenly, you broke the silence that the both of you were basking in.

“Yamaguchi, don’t you have practice?”

He adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag.

“Yeah.. but if it was to spend a little more time with you, I figured they wouldn’t mind me being late..”

other works

[tokiloki]

Kuroo Tetsuro Science Major and Y/n Creative Arts Major

Kuroo Tetsuro who is a science major at college. He’s very particular about not messing up his daily routine, but always seems to leave something out in the morning.

Y/n, who is a late sleeper, texts him every night with a short list of things he needs to remember to do in the morning. He’s gotten less forgetful overtime, so it looks like it’s working.

Kuroo Tetsuro, who never stays up late unless it’s to study (which has become more frequent). He and y/n always have joke-arguments about staying up, with him insisting that based off his studies (🤓) staying up too late is this, and that, and y/n, who says she’s always busy at night; most of the time she waits for him to sleep so she can sleep too.

Y/n, who is a Creative Arts major, always finds herself absentmindedly sketching Kuroo as he studies, and Kuroo, who insists that she can draw him once he’s finished his work so he can pose.

Kuroo, who sometimes asks Y/n to help him with his anatomy diagrams, and Y/n who obliges.

Kuroo Tetsuro, who always has an idea of what to give you when you’re sick or feeling out of it. You have a cough? Here’s Honey-Lemon Tea, it’ll soothe your throat. Feeling Nauseous? Let’s take a walk and breathe in some cool air.

Kuroo Tetsuro, who wears oval black-framed glasses when studying. sometimes he’ll move them up to his head, where they get buried in his lush black hair. Y/n who occasionally takes his glasses to try them on, shrieking when she wears them as his eyesight is ‘so bad!’. He insists that they’re reading glasses, and he only uses them to see the projector in from afar in class, and to concentrate on his studying.

Y/n who sometimes picks his clothes out for him. During winter, it’s turtlenecks, coats and scarves. During summer, it’s button up’s, folded up to his elbows, and dress pants. Kuroo who sometimes asks to pick Y/n’s clothes, and ends up finding pieces of clothing that she forgot she even had.

Kuroo and Y/n, who spend almost all their time together. Be it on campus, at restaurants trying new things, or during their study time. Kuroo who always uses Y/n’s Ipad for note taking, and Y/n who always draws Kuroo for her projects.

[tokiloki]

A sucker for wholesome fics even without watching the source

Newspaper Club Reader interviewing the Karasuno Team after the Miyagi Spring High Preliminaries

Yamaguchi Tadashi (Daichi Sawamura, Sugawara Koushi, Ennoshita Chikara, Hinata Shoyo, Kageyama Tobio)

Twirling your pen around your finger, you were absolutely stumped for ideas.

What am I supposed to report about?

You, a first year, who just joined the Newspaper Club out of your enjoyment for writing, were now being flooded with an overwhelming amount of responsibilities. Why weren’t the third years doing any of this..?

“You can get all the juicy details from them! After all, you’re in the same grade as the first years, and they’re all the rave right now!” One of your upperclassmen said whilst encouragingly patting you on the back, flashing you a grin alongside a thumbs up.

So here you were now, racking your brain during your limited lunch time to think up questions that you can ask them.

What am I supposed to interview them about? I don’t even play volleyball!

Not to mention, you still had to ask the school for permission to impede on their practice time to even ask them anything? And who said the team would even agree?!

You happened to be familiar with some of the members, because as your captain had said, they’re in your grade. So, you sometimes pass by them in the hallways, and other times-

“SOMEONE HELP ME!!” The supposed ‘top class’ volleyball decoy’s voice screeched throughout the hallway.

“GET BACK HERE YOU IDIOT!” The infamous first-year setter’s voice echoed close behind.

Yeah, that.

And that was the extent of your familiarity with them. Just hearing their voices rage so loudly in the hallway.. how would you even interview people who were so.. hard to cope with?

An idea suddenly popped into your head, and your eyes widened with excitement.

Yeah, she’d know what to do!

Grabbing your notebook and pen, you dash outside of your own class, towards Class 1-5. Standing at the door, out of breath, your eyes dart across the room.

“Yachi! Hey!” You say, excitedly pacing towards her, placing your belongings down on her desk.

“Hi y/n!” She happily responds, glancing down at your book and pen. “Club work?”

“Yeah.. I have to interview the boys’ volleyball team, and I was hoping you’d be able to give me some ideas”. A sigh accompanied your words as you spoke.

“Sure! In terms of being able to give a comprehensive response to a question, there’s some people you’re gonna want to ask the most so you can get really detailed answers..” She continued, explaining who would be able to give you newspaper-esque responses, who, and what to centre your questions around.

The two of you brainstormed a bunch of questions based off their most recent feats, training regimes, habits and general information such as height, jumping height and spike speed.

Next up on your list was to get permission from the school. Yachi told you not to worry, saying they probably wouldn’t have a problem with it.

You managed to get all those things done within lunchtime, with the school actually agreeing to allow you. The team was notified by their manager, and you’d be able to conduct the meeting at the end of the day.

You spent the last few classes before the end bell rang, and a little after that, refining your questions, and pinpointing people for each, making sure to ask specific players questions where you knew they’d be able to give you the most detailed answers. Following the directions to the volleyball gym that you’d received from Yachi, you nervously rehearsed how you’d conduct the interview in your head.

‘It’s okay! Yachi will be there! She’ll be my emotional support!’

You found yourself in-front of the gym, with one of its doors already open wide. Stepping in you made sure to put on a confident display so as to seem semi-professional – as though you knew what you were doing.

The coach, who you were told would introduce the team to you, was standing inside near the entrance.

“Hey, you’re here for the interview, right?”

“Y-Yes! I am!” You timidly replied.

He clapped his hands together, catching the attention of the team, whose eyes darted towards you.  “Daichi probably already told you all, but for a little while today, y/n here is going to be watching you all practice and interview some of you for the school newspaper”. Some of them shout in glee, others wear a slightly nervous or excited smile.

‘Oh no.. They’re all staring at me..!’

You see Yachi standing to the side, smiling and giving you a thumbs up. In order to distract yourself, you look down at the notes you took with her, and recall her words;

“You’re going to want to target the boys who’d probably give actual responses to interview questions. That’d probably be.. Daichi, Sugawara, Ennoshita, and Yamaguchi”.

“So, is there anything you specifically wanted to start with, y/n?” Coach Ukai said, turning to you.

“Well, for most of it, I’d ask for..”

You called out the first four names you had written down. They came forward, and the rest were dismissed to continue practice until you were finished. You overheard the orange haired boy and his energetic upperclassmen sounding disgruntled about ‘not being acknowledged’. You were also pretty sure you felt the intimidating stare of the intense-looking setter on your back as you turned to face the other boys..

You shuddered. ‘Yikes..’

You turn to the boys who’ll be the main part of the interview. “I’m probably going to be asking at most 2 questions each. So, when you’re finished responding, you can go back to practice if you’re bored”. You said with a smile. The boys nodded in response.

You set up your handheld recorder alongside a pen and paper.

“Oh, and don’t worry about giving super long answers, short ones shouldn’t be too much of an issue” You added. Yamaguchi and Ennoshita seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

You began asking them questions, starting with Daichi.

“What do you find to be the hardest to do as a team captain?”.

He thought for a second, tapping his chin, then proceeded to answer.

“It might be the pressure I feel to make sure everyone is on their a-game during matches, while also keeping my nerves in check..” He replied, choosing his words carefully; with him knowing the whole school might read what he’s saying.

He continued about his job during the actual matches, and you noted down that he seems to be a centre point of the team, holding things together like glue.

Sugawara was next. You turned to him, meeting his gaze with a smile.

Clearing your throat, you continued with your questions. “Don’t let this get to you, but my upper-classmen wanted to see if I could get ‘juicy’ information”. You cautioned, scared to overstep your boundaries. Sugawara laughed at your warning. “It’s fine, I don’t think I’ll be offended by an interview”.  

‘Okay, here goes..’

“Do you feel inferior to..” You squinted, reading the name, making sure to pronounce it properly, “Kageyama Tobio, the first-year setter who dramatically took your regular spot on the team?”

“Nope!” He immediately responded, leaving you surprised.

“Instead of feeling defeated or inferior, I see it as an opportunity to learn about setting from someone who’s more talented at setting than I am. And it’s not like I don’t play at all” He added. “Besides, it’s my final year anyways, I’ve had my time as a regular on the team”. You couldn’t say that didn’t surprise you.

Looking over your shoulder, you see a catch a glimpse of a eyed Daichi.

“Suga…!!!” He sniffles dramatically.

Sugawara puffs out his chest jokingly, “That’s me, teaching my junior the principles of setting!”

‘more like the other way around..’ you joke to yourself.

The five of you laugh at the exchange, with you writing down the key points, making a note to come back to the recording later when typing up the actual article.

Glancing over at Yamaguchi who was going to be up next, he looked pretty nervous, so you decided to let Ennoshita go first instead.

“Ennoshita, I’ve heard rumours of you being the next captain after Daichi graduates. How  does that make you feel?”

“Well, for starters, a captain should have the confidence to pump up his teammates.. and I don’t think I’m currently at that level.” Ennoshita nervously laughs, looking over at Daichi who shoots him a confident smile.

“There’s also other second years on the team, so I’m not sure who spread this rumour, but.. I don’t think I could do a captain’s job” He states with a ‘matter of fact’ tone.

Glancing towards Sugawara and Daichi, they adorn dramatically worried expressions.

“Tanaka as captain.. or even Nishinoya…” Daichi’s voice trails off.

“Scary.. I won’t be here to see it, and Noya can’t be a captain since he’s the Libero.. but just the thought of it makes me shudder..” Daichi and Sugawara comically shiver.

You chuckle as you note down the personal preference towards Ennoshita being captain over the other second-years that seem to stand out the most.

You look down at your notebook, highlighting the questions you were planning to ask Yamaguchi, when he walks towards you as the others are distracted in their own conversation.

“Hey, um.. are you sure you need me to answer anything? I don’t think I’d have anything interesting to contribute..” He softly questioned, leaning down to whisper so as not to gain the attention of the other guys. Yamaguchi was conscious that he wouldn’t have anything of use for an interview.

For a moment, you didn’t focus on his words, as you felt like you’d seen him somewhere before.

“Ah! You’re Yamaguchi from Class 1-4!” You exclaimed.

“Huh..? Y-yeah, I am..”

“We’re in the same class!”

“Yeah, we a- wait we are?”

You felt relieved now that somebody you were at least slightly familiar with was with you while you conducted your interviews. Sure, Yachi was here, but she still had her assistant work to attend to, alongside learning from Kiyoko, the original manager.

You exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling slightly less intimidated. Sure, you’ve never spoken to him outside of today, and he probably doesn’t even recognise you from class, but it brought you a little bit more confidence. Knowing someone in your class just so happened to be on the volleyball team, made it feel less like they were bigshot professionals, and more-so like the high school students that they are.

“Okay Yamaguchi! Let’s get started”.

He nodded in response, still feeling surprised that a girl knew his name, let alone recognised him. The tips of his ears warmed up.

You tapped your pen on the side of your notebook. “Yamaguchi, during Karasuno’s match against Sejoh, You scored a ‘Service Ace’ using your ‘Jump Float Serve’. How did that make you, a pinch server, feel?” You questioned, straightening the pen in your hand preparing to write down notes.

“Well.. I was really nervous that I wouldn’t be able to make it, given how I’ve only learnt how to do a serve like that recently.” He explained “But even though it barely hit the line, I felt like I finally had something to fight with on my own”. Yamaguchi wore a nervous smile, as he continued.

“I might have some height, but before learning how to Jump Float Serve, I wasn’t able to do much other than stand on the court with my feet glued in place when I was subbed in. And the one time that happened, I was called to the bench immediately after..” Fiddling with his hands, he tried explaining what he meant. “It’s like..” He takes a deep breath, thinking of an analogy.

“..When you’re called on to answer a question in class, but you’re too nervous to do it, even though you know exactly how. You feel stumped standing in front of the board, with the whole class staring at you..”

“So, the teacher calls on somebody else to answer it. But when you sit back down in your seat, you’re relieved that you didn’t embarrass yourself, but disappointed that you didn’t do something you know how to”.

Wow, I didn’t expect him to give such a detailed response.

“I-I didn’t mean to say too much!” He says, worried that you’d gotten bored of his mini speech.

Looking down at your book, you continue writing, making sure you get down all the notes that came to you as he spoke so as to not forget them later.

“It’s fine! Your point against Sejoh is one of the things that I wanted to know the most about! Based off what I’ve learnt about volleyball so far, a service ace seems pretty hard to score, especially against that team” You reassured him with a smile.

“Next question! What’s it like watching the team play from the sidelines? Do you ever feel like they had a play where you would’ve been able to do something more?”.

He hesitates, careful not to sound conceited.

“I wouldn’t say that I’d be able to do better.. That’s probably why I’m not a regular” He chuckles, running his fingers through his hair.

“Though, if I do see something, I’ll probably ask them about it later. I usually use the time I’m on the side to observe and see if there’s anything I can incorporate into my own practice..”

“Okay..” You said, wrapping up your final notes from his answer.

“Now, a few more questions! I’m going to write a section about you in the interview, do you mind that?”

“About me? Only?” He replied, cheeks flushing a hue of pink.

“Yeah!” Flipping the pages of your notebook, you arrive at a part you sectioned out for personal information.

“I’m going to need your height, jumping height, spiking height, serve speed..” Your voice seemed to trail off in his head as he felt his heart beating faster by the second.

She’s going to write part of the article about me..? Her..? Writing about me!?

Meeting your eyes, he could see the excitement bubbling up within you. You didn’t seem too into it at the beginning, so why was it that you suddenly seemed.. brighter to him..?

He told you the things that he’d already known, such as his height. For the rest of the information, the two of you measured and recorded them together in the court. Once the two of you were done, you needed to record some information about their practice routines and the like. Having become somewhat acquainted with Yamaguchi at this point, he helped you interview the rest of the boys who you felt a little embarrassed to approach on your own.

First, you interviewed the ‘famous’ first year duo, Hinata and Kageyama about what they do to sync with each other during a match. You felt some tension between them, though you chalked it up to being a friendly rivalry.

You ended up getting information on Kageyama’s training routine, alongside recording Hinata’s spiking height, which you planned to compare to his regular height.

This’ll definitely catch the eyes of onlookers! I mean, someone so short spiking so high..!

Yamaguchi laughed at the grin you wore on your face while writing down Hinata’s information. He turns to Hinata, jokingly smiling.

“Your name’s gonna be all over the school, Hinata..!” He said, egging him on.

“I know!!” “It’s just the school newspaper.” Kageyama irritably added.

The two shot him a glare.

Once you finished compiling the Hinata and Kageyama’s information, they returned to their training where the rest of their teammates were refining their serves. You said goodbye to the coach and prepared to leave the gymnasium.

Though, Yamaguchi didn’t return back to practice with the rest of his teammates. “Did you have anything else you wanted to add?” You said, turning to him with a smile on your face as you adjusted the strap of your bag.

It seems you caught him off guard.

“N-No! I’m good!” He stuttered.

He cleared his throat before continuing “Um.. Thanks for.. You know, interviewing me..”

Now that caught you off guard.

“Oh..! I-Its nothing! Just doing my work as a member of the Newspaper Club!” A nervous chuckle left you alongside your reply.

The two of you stood in silence for a few seconds, you, feeling a little awkward, searching for something to say.

Suddenly, his soft voice broke the silence. “Um..! Is there any way I could, uh..” He shuffled around, sticking his hand in his pocket to take something out.

You turned your head in confusion. Suddenly, your cheeks flushed red as he held out his phone in front of him, looking down at his feet timidly.

Taking the phone from his hand, you typed in your number with trembling fingers, and set the contact number as ‘Newspaper Girl’. You look back at him with a nervous smile while he took the phone back with wide eyes.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow?” You questioned.

His eyes met yours once again. This time, he wore a bright smile.

“Sure..!”

[tokiloki]

God, I love him so much 🤧