A/N: Hello everyone! My exams are over and I'm back in action. Sorry for the long break and I thanked everyone who waited patiently for the next update. This chapter will be a bit longer since all of you deserved it. So, without further a do, let's get on with the story!
***
"(name), you look very tired. Did you not have good sleep yesterday?"
You were falling asleep when you heard Suga's concerned voice. Not wanting your upperclassman to worry about you, you forced yourself to look awake as you replied, "Ah, I'm fine. Don't worry, Suga-senpai!"
Suga fixed you an "I-don't-believe-you" look as he sat down next to you, placing his tray of food on the table. "You're lying, (nickname)-chan."
"How can you tell?"
"Your nose always scrunches whenever you're telling a lie."
"Fine, you caught me." You sighed in defeat as you took a bite out of your sandwich.
"So, are you gonna answer my question or not?" Suga asked as he gave thanks for his food before shoving a spoonful of rice in his mouth.
Suga waited patiently for you to reply as he ate his breakfast, giving you time to collect your thoughts. Ever since last night the way how Tsukishima acted coldly towards you, you've been feeling quite down. You could still remember how your heart cracked a little when the blonde walked off, leaving you all alone feeling cold and lonely. Even now, you still longed for the warmth and security you felt around the middle blocker.
Swirling your tea absentmindedly, you replied to Suga's question. "You're right, senpai. I didn't really have a good night rest. I couldn't sleep, not when my mind was a mess."
Suga's eyes softened when he heard the tinge of sadness in your voice, knowing who exactly it was behind your troubled mind. "I'm going to take a bet that Tsukishima was on your mind the entire night. Is that why you couldn't sleep?"
From the moment you wake up till now, Suga has been the first person to cause you to smile. You glanced up at your vice-captain with a small smile, saying. "Nothing can get by you huh, Suga-senpai."
"I'm the mother vice-captain of the team, it's my job to know my team members well." Suga winked at you.
You shook your head at Suga's silliness and let out a quiet laugh. "You never fail to make me smile."
"That's my job. So, what happened between you and Tsukishima?" Suga nudged you gently, hoping to get an answer out from you.
At the mention of string bean, your smile fell as tears gathered in the corners of your (e/c) eyes. Suga frowned when he saw that you were trying not to cry, feeling guilty for pushing you too far. "Hey, it's okay if you don't wanna tell me what happened. Just don't cry."
You quickly wiped away the tears as you replied, your voice slight wobbly. "It's okay, I think it's good if I get it off my chest."
Suga waited patiently for you to calm down and gather your thoughts, worry and concern filling the mother hen of Karasuno. You took a deep breath before explaining what about happened yesterday between you and Tsukishima to Suga, the entire time your eyes were fixed on the half-eaten sandwich before you.
(A/N: I didn't include in what happened between Reader-chan and Tsukishima because it will be too long as I'll just be basically re-telling the entire previous chapter.)
Suga listened carefully as you speak, not saying anything as you poured out your heart to him.
"So, that's basically what happened yesterday." You ended your story, feeling as though a weight had lifted off your shoulders.
Silence could be heard as Suga took a few seconds to let everything sink in. You finished up your sandwich as you waited for Suga to say something. However, what comes out of the setter's mouth completely surprised you. "I don't think that's the main reason why you're feeling this upset and troubled, (nickname)-chan. There's more to it."
Suga gave you a small smile, knowing that he was right when he saw the look of surprise on your face. You returned Suga's smile as you let out a chuckle, "Nothing can really get by you at all, Suga-senpai. If volleyball doesn't work out for you, you can become a detective."
"Don't assume that I won't be playing volleyball forever. Who knows, maybe I'll surpass Kageyama." Suga glared at you playfully.
"You and I both know that you surpassing Kageyama is almost impossible."
"Hey!"
Both you and Suga began laughing, the tense atmosphere having dissipated at Suga's little distraction. You wiped away the tears that have gathered in the corners of your eyes from laughing too hard as you gave Suga a small smile. "Thanks, I really needed that."
"No problem." Suga smiled back.
You glanced down at your empty plate as you gathered your thoughts, knowing that Suga wanted to hear the rest of the story. You took a deep breath as you began speaking, "After Kei-kun caught me following him, he asked me if I heard what he said and I said no. But he knew that I was lying which I'm not surprised since this is string bean we're talking about. Nothing can escape from him. Kei-kun confronted me and Suga-senpai, I've never seen Kei-kun that cold before."
Suga's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand what you're saying."
You took a few moments to think through how to explain to Suga before continuing. "When I saw the look in Kei-kun's eyes, I've never felt more afraid than ever. His eyes were filled with coldness and hatred that rooted me to the ground. Kei-kun reached out to me, but I think he saw fear reflecting in my eyes that he held himself back. After that, he left. At that moment, I felt lonely and cold. I missed his warmth, Suga-senpai."
Suga's eyes widened when he saw tears rolling down your cheeks, your (e/c) eyes reflecting the turmoil and confusion you felt inside of you. The setter pulled you into a hug, knowing that the only thing that could comfort you were not words but actions.
You blinked your eyes in surprise when Suga pulled you into an embrace. That's when you realized that your vision was blurry, so you touched your face to only felt that it was wet from your tears. "Huh? Why am I crying?"
Suga handed you a tissue to wipe away your tears as he waited for you to calm down before speaking. "I think it's normal to feel scared when someone that you're close to suddenly became someone else - a stranger. However, I'm sure that Tsukishima didn't exactly mean to be cold towards you. Did you maybe stop to think that he was feeling lost and confused at that moment that he didn't know what to do other than putting up his walls?"
You sat there as you contemplated Suga's words, placing yourself in Tsukishima's shoes. Ever since you met Tsukishima, you've always felt warm and safe around him. Sure, he can be a tease and mean towards you at times, but you knew that's how he showed affection or care towards someone he really cares about.
"Hey, Tsukishima! Eat up, or you're not gonna last!" Nishinoya exclaimed as he slammed his breakfast tray on the table in front of the blonde male, a loud banging sound can be heard throughout the cafeteria.
"Nishinoya-san, at least your stomach's big," Tsukishima replied teasingly.
"What'd you say?! You little brat!" Nishinoya shouted, irk marks appearing on his forehead as he glared at his underclassman who simply smirks.
A smile grew on your face as you watched Nishinoya pulled on Tsukishima's glasses while the blond tried to defend himself against his upperclassman, a small smile on his face. "H-Hey! Stop! They're gonna break."
Suddenly, Tsukishima's gaze landed on yours causing your eyes to widen in surprise. You immediately turned your head the other way, your cheeks a slight pinkish hue. You placed your hand on your chest, feeling how fast your heart is beating. Tsukishima had caught you off guard.
Meanwhile, the middle blocker smirked at the sight of you being flustered as he continued to defend himself against the libero's antics.
The both of you might not be on good terms with one another, but that doesn't mean it still stopped Tsukishima from feeling happy at the sight of you.
Suga let out a laugh and ruffled your hair, his face beaming. "I think you know what you've to do now, right (nickname)-chan?"
You glanced once more in the direction of Tsukishima who was smiling smugly as Daichi scolded Nishinoya for almost breaking the megane's glasses. With a lighter heart this time, you replied Suga. "Hmm, thanks for your help Suga-senpai."
"You're welcome."
For the remaining morning, you enjoyed breakfast with your friends.
***
Beep!
The whistle blew and the first match of the second day of Tokyo training began. You stood next to Ukai as you observed your friends closely and took down notes. You were focused on your team's every mistakes and improvement, but your mind was on something else. Ever since breakfast, you've been trying to find the best time to apologize to Tsukishima.
At first, you wanted to approach the middle blocker and apologised after breakfast. However, you thought it through and decided now that wasn't the best time. After all, Tsukishima couldn't afford to be distracted during practice and you know that you'll feel guilty if that happens because of you.
Hence, the game "apologizing to String Bean at the right time" begins!
The first opportunity for you to apologize came during a short break for Karasuno after their first match.
Ukai watched his sister with raised brows as you kept pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing in the direction of the team. Feeling curious at what you were looking at, Ukai followed your gaze and it landed on none other than Tsukishima Kei. A smirk grew on the coach's face when he knew what exactly his sister was so nervous about, and being the good older brother that he is, Ukai decided to help you out.
"(name)-chan, just go to talk to Tsukishima-san."
Immediately, you whipped your body around to face your brother with a look of horror at the idea of having to talk to Tsukishima when you're not exactly sure on what to say yet, replying. "It's not that simple, Nii-chan! I can't just simply walked over and be like 'Hey Kei-kun, let's talk!' It doesn't work that way."
"Fine, since you say you can't talk to him, let me help you out."
"I don't like the sound of this."
However, when you saw the smirk on Ukai's face, you knew what he was planning. "Nii-chan, whatever you thinking of doing, stop thinking about it. It's not going to work."
Ignoring you, Ukai cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted for Tsukishima. "Tsukishima-san, (name)-chan wants to speak to you, but she's too much of a coward to do so!"
Immediately, all heads turn towards the direction of your brother's voice as your face burst into a million shades of red, feeling embarrassed that your brother would do something like that. Ukai smugly smiled as he placed his hands on his hips and looked at your trembling form, feeling extremely proud of himself. "You can thank me later, baby sis."
"STUPID NII-CHAN!!!" You screamed as you send a flying kick towards your brother's face, sending him crumbling to the ground.
You didn't stop there as you continued to hit Ukai left and right, the poor man trying to defend himself against his vicious sister. "Argh! (Nickname)-chan, I'm so sorry. You can stop now! Ouch! I'm gonna get bruises!"
Ukai's pleas fell on deaf ears as you continued your assault until Daichi came and pulled you away from him while Takeda attended to him, making sure Karasuno's coach was alright.
"Let me go! I'm still not done with the idiotic ass of my brother!" You hissed as you squirmed around in Daichi's arms, trying to escape.
Daichi placed you on your feet and began reprimanding you. "That's enough! You're disrupting training! I would have let you continue if this is back at school, but currently, you're at another school so please behave!"
You stomped your foot on the floor as you talk back to your captain. "It isn't my fault that nii-chan decide to embarrass me in front of everyone! He deserves it!"
Daichi face-palmed, muttering under his breath. "What did I do to deserve this?"
You were still fuming when you saw that people were staring at you, so you glared at them. "What?! You wanna fight with me?"
Immediately everyone turned away, pretending that they didn't see anything and resumed with whatever that they were doing. You smirked slightly, feeling pleased that people know that they shouldn't mess around with you unless they want to meet your wrath. You enjoyed this feeling of power that you hold over people since you tend to be taken lightly due to your short height and petite size.
Sometimes, you really can be a sadist.
The whistle blew once more, indicating that break time was over. Every volleyball players returned back to their respective courts, getting ready for another round of practice matches. A frown appeared on your face when you realized that you missed this chance to apologize to Tsukishima, no thanks to your idiotic brother.
Letting out a sigh, you marched back to the benches to resume your role as the assistant coach of Karasuno, ready to observe your teammates once more and find ways to help them improve on their gameplay. As you pass by Ukai, you glared at him with such intensity that it caused your brother to hide behind Takeda, quivering in fear like a small child.
You smirked to yourself as you took a seat next to Yachi who gave you a warm smile, thinking, 'Tch. Serves him right for doing so.'
Meanwhile, Tsukishima was standing on the sideline, his head down to hide the fact that he was still blushing in embarrassment at what his coach did earlier on. Even though the middle blocker was feeling embarrassed, deep down he was delighted at the fact that you were trying to reach out to him even after what he did yesterday.
After he left you, Tsukishima was overwhelmed with guilt with the way how he reacted towards you. The first-year wanted to find you and apologized to you, but he was afraid that you would either ignore or reject him so he didn't bother. Losing you was the last thing that Tsukishima wishes to happen.
"Tsukishima, how much longer are you gonna let your pride stand in your way from approaching (name)-chan? Can't you see the effort she's putting into to apologize to you?"
Tsukishima lifted his head when he heard Suga who had a knowing look on his face. When he noticed that his senior was waiting for an answer, he quickly replied. "It's not my pride that's stopping me from talking to Munchkin. I'm just afraid that she'll ignore me after what happened yesterday. She's the one person that I don't want to hurt and I ended up hurting her."
Suga gave Tsukishima a motherly smile as he tried to comfort him, saying, "Both of you are so alike, always thinking that you hurt the other party even though it wasn't your intention of doing so. Tsukishima, how about this, if (name)-chan is another girl, will you still feel guilty?"
Tsukishima seemed taken aback by his senior's question, but nonetheless, he still replied immediately without a doubt. "Not really. If Munchkin is another girl, I probably won't even bother at all."
"Why?"
"That's because she won't be a girl that I care for a lot, unlike Munchkin."
Suga gave Tsukishima a satisfied nod, happy to hear his answer as he replied, "You're a smart person, Tsukishima. So, I'm sure you know what to do without me giving you the answer."
Tsukishima glanced down at his senior with a grateful smile, thankful for Suga's help even if he didn't ask for it. "Thank you Suga-senpai, you've really helped me a lot."
"You're welcome." Suga returned the blonde's smile, happy that he was able to help both of his underclassmen.
Suga might not admit it out loud, but sometimes he's happy that he was the mother of the team. Otherwise, the team would have fallen into chaos if he had left Daichi handled their baby crows all alone. (A/N: Suga mama looking out for his husband and children, bless this angel.)
***
"I'm hungry and tired!" You complained as you accepted your water bottle from Yachi and drank it like no tomorrow.
"There there, (nickname)-chan." Yachi comforted you as she handed you your towel to wipe off your sweat.
You've decided to take a break from doing your job as the assistant coach and joined the boys in training. Ever since practice match start, Karasuno has lost almost every single match and as punishment, you guys have to run up and down the hill behind the school gym. Since you joined in practice, you weren't allowed to skip the punishment even if you want to.
At first, it was fun. But now, you just want to lie down and never get back up again.
You were on the verge of dying when suddenly the managers of Ubugawa and Fukurodani entered the gym with plates filled with fresh-cut watermelons for the volleyball players.
"Everyone! The parents from Shinzen High gave us some watermelons!"
Immediately, everyone let out shouts of joy at the idea of fresh, juicy entering their bodies after feeling hot and sticky from practice. You were no exception as you leap to your feet despite on being the verge of death a few seconds ago, the thought of eating watermelon in the hot summer refreshed you.
For the next half an hour, all schools enjoyed eating watermelons together with one another, mingling around with their friends. You were seating with Hinata, Lev and Kenma, happily munching on your second watermelon.
"Whoa! That's awesome, Lev!" Hinata exclaimed in awe at the sight of Lev's spitting watermelon seeds.
"You should try it, Hinata!" You encouraged the ball of sunshine who took a huge bite out of his watermelon slice.
Your (e/c) eyes gleamed with excitement, only to start laughing when Hinata failed to spit the seeds properly.
You finished your watermelon slice and approached Yachi who was on stand-by with a plate of watermelon slices. "Ya-chan! Can I have another slice?"
"Of course, (nickname)-chan! Here, help yourself to it!" Yachi replied happily, holding out the plate to you.
"Thanks!" You licked your lips and took one more slice. Before you could take a bite, a certain blonde-haired male walked past by and dumped his finished slice into the trash bag set up next to Yachi.
"Huh? Tsukishima-kun, is one slice enough?" Yachi called out to the middle blocker.
"Yeah. Thanks for the food." Tsukishima lifted a hand up in thanks, not even turning around as he headed for the gym.
Your eyes followed after Tsukishima and that's when you realized that this is the perfect moment to talk to Tsukishima. You placed the untouched watermelon slice back onto the plate, thanking Yachi before running after Tsukishima.
"Kei-kun, wait up!"
Tsukishima stopped in his tracks when he heard you calling out his name. He turned around and was met with you running towards him. He raised his brows in question as you stopped in front of him on bended knees, trying to catch your breath. "Munchkin, what are you doing here? I thought you're still eating your watermelon?"
You stood up straight as you looked Tsukishima in the eyes, searching the golden orbs that were staring at you. "I already finished eating. I just wanted to...erm...how do I put this in a way that will come out right?"
Tsukishima watched you as you struggled to find the right words to say to Tsukishima. You clutched your hair in frustration when your mind refused to work with you, complaining. "Argh! This is so hard!"
The first-year smiled, feeling happy that you were attempting to apologize to him even if you couldn't find the right words. He placed his hand on your head and bend down to your height, saying. "Hey, it's alright. I accept your apology."
You lifted your head up and looked Tsukishima in the eyes, seeing fondness and warmth, unlike yesterday night, causing your heart to flutter. Even if Tsukishima accepted your unsaid apology, you still felt that you should say it out loud. Taking a deep breath to calm down, you tried again. "Look, I'm not very good with words. So, bear with me. I'm sorry for what I did last night, it wasn't in my place to pry into your personal matters. I apologized for overstepping boundaries."
Tsukishima's eyes softened as he looked at your downcast head, knowing that you were genuinely sorry. He placed his hand under your chin and lift your head up, but your eyes refused to meet his. "Hey now, look at me (name)."
When he was certain that you were looking at him, Tsukishima went on. "You shouldn't be apologizing when I'm in the wrong too."
You opened your mouth to protest, but Tsukishima caught on to it. "Ah, don't you dare say it wasn't my fault when I did wrong too. Anyway, I just want to apologize for my cold attitude towards you. I didn't mean to react that way, it just so automatically happened whenever I feel too vulnerable. My actions must have hurt you and I wanna apologize for doing so."
This time round, it was Tsukishima's turn not to look into your eyes, for he was afraid of your reaction. You rolled your eyes and a smile appeared on your face as you wrapped your arms around Tsukishima's torso, your face buried into his chest. "Silly String Bean. Sure, I might feel a bit hurt by what you did, but then Suga-senpai pointed out to me that was just your way of defending yourself. So, apology accepted. Although, sometimes you should open up to people once in a while or else one day that tightly sealed bottle of emotion is gonna explode and then you'll feel lost on what to do. Ow, why did you hit me for?!"
Tsukishima hit you on the head, causing you to cry out in pain. The first-year chuckled at your complaints, wrapping one arm around you while the other stroke your hair gently, murmuring, "I miss you."
You nuzzled into Tsukishima's chest, your arms tightening around as you replied, "I miss you too."
You smiled as both of you stood there hugging one another despite the summer heat and sweat from playing volleyball. You could care less now that you're back on good terms with Tsukishima, feeling whole once again. Never again are you gonna have a real fight with him, since you didn't want to go through the feeling of being cold and lonely again?
Bonus:
"So, I bet that you're lonely without me right?"
"S-shut up! Why will I be feeling lonely? As if anyone will miss you if you're gone."
"That's not what you told me. And don't think I didn't notice you gazing longingly at me."
"AH, YOU'RE SO ANNOYING STRING BEAN! FINE, I MISS YOU! THERE, I SAID IT. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!"
"You know, you didn't have to shout. But I miss you too."
"Stupid string bean."
"You look cute, ichigo(1)."
"S-shut up!"
***
It was nightfall when training ended, but that doesn't mean the volleyball players stopped there. In fact, many of them were having self-practice. That includes you as well, deciding to help your friends out.
You entered the gym after doing the last punishment of the day, your eyes looking around the gym to see who could you help with first. Your gaze landed on a certain owl who was approaching Tsukishima. Feeling curious, you walked towards the duo, wondering what is Bokuto doing.
"Hey, four eyes, (name)-chan!"
Your eyes lit up in excitement while Tsukishima's body stiffens at the sound of Fukurodani captain. "Hello, Bokuto! What's up?"
Bokuto let out a chuckle at your excitement, ruffling your hair as he replied, "I was wondering if you and four-eyes would like to help Akashi and I out with spiking practice?"
Immediately without hesitation, Tsukishima turned the ace down. "I'm sorry. I'll pass."
Bokuto gave a shrug as Tsukishima walked off, not fazed by the middle blocker's rejection. Instead, he decided to turn to his friend, Kuroo for help. Meanwhile, you simply stood there with a confused look, not understanding why would Tsukishima refused to train with Bokuto.
After all, training with the top five ace of Tokyo is rare to come by and it will improve Tsukishima's volleyball skills a lot.
"Why?! You know the ace from Fukurodani?!" Hinata asked Tsukishima, feeling jealous at the fact that Bokuto personally approached the middle blocker for practice.
"No," Tsukishima replied flatly.
"Why did you refuse? That's such a waste!" Hinata protested.
"Shut up. Unlike you, I don't have endless stamina."
"What the heck? What's Tsukishima's problem? The ace from Fukurondani invited him to practice and he declined? That's unbelievable!" Hinata complained, feeling frustrated towards his teammate attitude.
You frowned as you watched the exchange between Tsukishima and Hinata. You noticed Hinata heading in the direction of the gym entrance where Yamaguchi was standing, observing his childhood friend as well.
"You know, Hinata. What would you say to Tsukki right now?"
You perked up with interest as you heard Yamaguchi's question directed towards the ball of sunshine. Feeling curious, you approached the duo, interested to see where this was going.
"Huh?" Hinata confusingly replied.
"I mean...Like you did with Kageyama and Yachi-san." Yamaguchi went on explaining.
Hinata who was still confused by Yamaguchi's question simply said. "I wouldn't say anything. Well, I can't tell if Tsukishima even wants to play volleyball. There's no point in trying to get a guy to play if he doesn't want to."
"Tsukki..."
Both you and Hinata turned your attention on Yamaguchi, waiting what he has to say about the middle blocker.
"...doesn't hate volleyball. I don't think. If he did, he wouldn't have come to Karasuno."
"What about you, Yamaguchi? What would you say to Tsukishima?"
You smiled at Hinata's innocent but meaningful question, knowing what exactly Yamaguchi was thinking when he approached Hinata for help. You glanced towards Yamaguchi who has a thoughtful look on his face as he thinks through Hinata's question. A determined look replaced the thoughtful look on Yamaguchi's face as he thanked Hinata who gave a confused look.
"Thank you, Hinata. You really help me a lot. I know what I need to do."
"What? What did I do?"
Yamaguchi was about to head out of the gym to look for Tsukishima when you grabbed his arm, stopping him. The green-haired boy turned to you with a confused look, but before he could say anything, you gave him an encouraging smile, wishing him good luck.
"Good luck, Yamaguchi. I know you can do it."
Yamaguchi understood your words and gave you a smile, nodding. "Thank you (name)-chan. If you don't mind, I'll head off first."
You waved goodbye to Yamaguchi who waved back before running off to look for a certain blonde. You watched until you could no longer see Yamaguchi and entered back into the gym, a smile on your face. You send a quick prayer to heaven, hoping that things will turn out well between Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.
If there's one person who can make Tsukishima open his eyes, that person will be Yamaguchi.
***
Third's POV
The moon shone brightly in the sky, crickets could be heard chirping in the grass. Other than that, there was no one else as Tsukishima made his way back to the sleeping dorms.
His mind was filled with memories of his older brother and his lies that he told him when they were younger. Those lies that made him look up to his brother at first, only to be knocked down the pedestal when he found out the truth himself.
Lies that made him came to dislike his brother, no longer trusting him like he used to.
Lies that made him lose the respect he once had towards the sport that he now plays.
'It was just a club, but it was everything to my brother. In the end, it made my brother tell pointless lies.'
"So, you're the ace!"
"Yup!"
'But my brother probably believed that he could be the ace if he tried hard. But so what if he did? Would it be worth all of that trouble?'
"TSUKKI!"
Tsukishima snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his nickname being called. There was only one person in the world who would call him that, and it was none other than his childhood friend - Yamaguchi Tadashi.
He turned around and was met with Yamaguchi running towards him at full speed, wondering why did he come after him when his friend was at the gym practising with his team. Yamaguchi stopped in front of Tsukishima on bent knees as he took in a deep breath from running too fast.
"What?" Tsukishima asked, waiting for an answer.
Still, bend in half, Yamaguchi replied, his tone serious. "Tsukki, you were always able to do anything while being cool and smart, so I've always been jealous."
"And?"
Yamaguchi stiffened when he heard Tsukishima's careless tone, anger bubbling within him. He straightened his body and faced Tsukishima square in the face as he went on, "But you're being lame lately, Tsukki!"
Tsukishima stiffened, surprised by Yamaguchi's words. Not giving Tsukishima a chance to say anything, Yamaguchi carried on. "Hinata might become the Little Giant some day. That just means you've to beat him, Tsukki! You just need to become an even better player than Hinata and prove your skills! You have the heights, brains and instinct, so why do you decide that getting any better is impossible?"
"Even if I worked really hard and become the best player on Karasuno's team, what would happen after that? Even if there's a tiny chance we might make it to nationals, what happens after that? No matter how high you climb, there's always someone better. Even if you're able to show some results somewhere, you'll never actually be number one! You're gonna lose somewhere! You all know that, so how can you keep going?!" Tsukishima shouted in anger, all those years of hurt and anger finally being let out.
Yamaguchi grit his teeth in anger and frustration at his childhood's friend words, remembering the one chance he was given to prove himself, but he failed at doing so. Those times where he could never the get one move that could be his speciality right no matter how hard he practised and practised.
Tsukishima has everything he wished for as a volleyball player, but he has nothing. Tsukishima who has everything was on par with Karasuno's third years, yet Yamaguchi who has nothing, practised so hard and he still could never reach that level.
Tsukishima who has everything was willing to throw away everything just because of what his brother did in the past.
Feeling bitter and angry not towards Tsukishima, but at himself for his failures, he grabbed the middle blocker by the shirt and shook him, looking him straight into his eyes, shouting. "What else do we need besides pride?!"
Tsukishima stared at his childhood friend in surprise as he searched Yamaguchi's eyes which glared back with anger and frustration, not expecting Yamaguchi who always so quiet and agreeing with everything he says and does to lash out at him. Yamaguchi was panting after his outburst, eyes reflecting his inner emotions.
The two of them stood there, glaring at one another, not saying a thing. Tsukishima's eyes widened in surprise when the moonlight shone on Yamaguchi's face, revealing to him answers to questions he has been asking himself for years.
"To think this day would come..."
Yamaguchi released his tight hold on Tsukishima's shirt and took a few steps back, afraid of Tsukishima's next words. Instead, he was taken back by shock when a giant grin appeared on Tsukishima's face.
"When did you become so cool? You're actually cool."
Shock was written all over Yamaguchi's face at Tsukishima's words as he replied, "T-Tsukki? What's wrong?"
'If anything, it's at least better than my worn-out thought.' Tsukishima thought to himself, before lifting his head to look at Yamaguchi. "But I can't accept that."
After contemplating for a while, Tsukishima headed in the direction of the other gymnasium where the other Tokyo school players were practising, leaving the green-haired still confused.
"I'm going to ask," Tsukishima explained with a rare determination.
At the back of the wall, a certain (h/c)-haired girl leaned her back against the cool concrete structure. Her lips lifted into a small smile, feeling a sense of relief as she thanked the heavens for answering her prayers.
***
"Oya?" Akaashi let out a sound of surprise.
"Oya, Oya? (What's this?)" Followed by Bokuto.
"Oya, Oya, Oya? (What's this? What's this?)" Kuroo popped out this, surprised at a certain figure standing before the three of them. (A/N: I followed after the anime where Akaashi, Bokuto and Kuroo were surprised to see Tsukishima. It sounded funny in the subbed version so I decided to use it, hahaha! ^^)
"There's something I'd like to ask you. May I?" Tsukishima asked as he entered the gym, approaching the three volleyball players.
"Sure!" Both Kuroo and Bokuto replied enthusiastically in sync.
"Both of your schools are sometimes considered powerhouse schools, right?"
"Well, yeah," Kuroo replied, irk marks appearing on his forehead.
"Even if you were able to make it to nationals, actually winning there would be difficult right?"
"But not impossible!" Bokuto replied angrily, his hands clenched into a fist.
"Now, now, let's hear him out. This is just a what-if." Akaashi reassured the two idiotic captains.
Tsukishima went on explaining, "I seriously can't figure out how everyone can be determined. Volleyball is just a club, and maybe you'll get to write, 'I worked really hard in my club in high school,' on your resume, right?"
"Just a club?" Bokuto questioned with narrowed eyes, feeling insulted by Tsukishima's words as he went on. "That almost sounds like someone's name."
"Ooh, like Mary Club?" Kuroo piped in.
"No wait, I guess it was 'just some club'," Kuroo explained in realization.
"Aw, man! So it doesn't sound like someone's name. Man, I was so close!" Bokuto cried out in frustration.
Both Tsukishima and Kuroo watched with blank eyes as the clever captain cat and "top five in Japan" owl's ace discussed whether "just a club" is a name or not. For being third-years and valued volleyball players, Bokuto and Kuroo can be such idiots and immature.
"Are you basically asking me to retort?" Tsukishima asked blankly.
"Nah. There'll be no end to it," Akaashi replied, used to their childish and dumb antics.
"Say, four-eyes."
"It's Tsukishima."
"Say, Tsukishima-kun. Is volleyball fun?" Bokuto asked Tsukishima with a knowing smile.
Tsukishima furrowed his brows before shrugging his shoulders, saying. "No, not really."
"Maybe that's because you suck," Bokuto replied, triggering the blonde.
Bokuto went on explaining, "I'm a third-year and I've been to nationals, and I'm better than you. Like way better. But I only recently started thinking that volleyball was fun. Ever since my straight became usable in matches. Because my cross hits that I was really good at kept getting blocked, I got frustrated and practised the hell out of straights. And at the next tournament, the same blockers couldn't touch it. I got right past them. Just that one shot made me feel like my time had finally come."
Bokuto laughed out loud in pride before fixing his piercing gaze on Tsukishima, crossing his arms. "It all depends on if you have that moment or not. It doesn't really matter what happens in the future, or if you can win your next match. The joy you feel beating the guy in front of you, and when you're able to pull out 120% of your potential, is everything."
Tsukishima was taken aback by the captain owl's words as Bokuto went on. "Well, at least that's how it's for me, and it doesn't apply to everyone. I don't really understand why you say it's 'just a club', but I don't think you're wrong. However, once that moment arrives for you, that's the moment you'll be hooked on volleyball."
Tsukishima's golden orbs widened as Bokuto drove the point home, pointing a finger directly at the first-year.
"All right. I answered your question, now helping with blocking." Bokuto cheerfully said as he placed a hand on Tsukishima back, pushing him towards the court along with the help of Kuroo.
"All right, now. Come on, hurry it up."
"Wait, what..." Tsukishima trailed off in confusion as the two third-years dragged him into their training.
With that, Tsukishima spends the next two hours putting his effort into practice after a long time.
***
First's POV
Tsukishima walked out of the gym, feeling tired after the intense practice with Bokuto, Kuroo and Akaashi. He wiped his face to get rid of the sweat, but let out a shout of surprise when he saw you standing in front of him with a giant smile on your face.
"What are you doing here? I though you were back at the gym practising?"
You winked at Tsukishima as you handed him his water bottle, replying. "I was waiting for you."
Tsukishima accepted the water bottle and took a drink to quench his thirst before speaking to you. "You're lying. What were you really up to?"
You clasped your hands behind your back, rocking back and forth on your feet, saying. "Fine, you caught me. I was walking by the gym when I saw you practising with Kuroo-nii and Bokuto-san, so being the good friend that I am, I went to fetch your water bottle for you knowing that you'll need it after practising with them."
"Basically you were stalking me," Tsukishima replied as the two of you head back to the gym where your teammate was.
"Is this how you thanked someone for looking out for you?"
"Only you."
"Forget about it, next time don't expect me to help you anymore."
Tsukishima let out a chuckle as he ruffled your hair while you tried to push his hands away. "But seriously though, I thought you're turning in for the night already. Since when did you change your mind?"
Tsukishima glanced down at your curious expression, smiling as he replied. "After Yamaguchi came running after me."
You pretended to not know that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were fighting earlier on. You deserved an award for being the best actress ever. "Ah, I see. So, everything worked out well in the end?"
Tsuksihima nodded his head in reply, his gaze directed towards the moon. "Yeah, everything worked out well in the end."
"I'm glad. By the way, why do you exactly not put in much effort during volleyball until Yamaguchi opened your eyes?"
Tsukishima looked at you once more, replying mysteriously. "I'll tell you someday."
"Awww, why can't you tell me now? I'm curious."
"That's because if you do, you'll tell everyone you know."
"Hey, that's not true!"
"..."
"Oi, don't ignore me, String Bean! Answer me!"
The entire walk back to the gym, you kept pestering Tsukishima who has his lips sealed shut. After a while, you simply gave up, knowing that the blonde wouldn't reply you. But it's alright for now, you're just glad that Tsukishima's perspective towards volleyball has changed, thanks to Yamaguchi.
And that's all you asked for.