Chapter 1: December 21st
Chapter Text
“I can’t believe it,” you whispered, leaning against your boyfriend, “this place is wild!” You had been to other hotels for tournaments, but nothing like this. It was a large hotel in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains in Japan. It took one very long bullet train, and then a bus to get here, but it was worth it.
The hotel felt like it’d been dropped into the mountains, not suiting anything in Japan that you’d ever seen; old, European architecture, making the place look like a castle, ones you see from Europe. The main lobby was made of hardwood flooring, walls made of stained logs, black framed windows were all along the south side, where the main entrance was. A large, crackling fireplace sat in the center of the lobby, curved couches circling around it, already filled with other visitors, all dressed for the chilly weather outside. More log benches were around the space, covered in blankets and red and green pillows.
On the way to the middle of the lobby, your attention bounced between all the decorations in the main floor, the hotel absolutely decked with Christmas décor; it reminded you of all the American Christmas films! You were practically vibrating with excitement, your sleep deprivation from the painfully early morning no longer an issue, your head turning as you excitedly looked around, taking it all in. A tall Christmas tree was in the corner of the lobby, enormous and probably twelve feet tall, nearly touching the ceiling. Garlands draped on the walls, paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, smaller Christmas trees clustered in random areas, presents placed underneath them all. You were practically getting whiplash from looking around so hard.
From your research, you knew that originally the hotel was created for skiers, a ski resort being a very short drive away, further up the mountain. It wasn’t until six years ago that they made the gymnasium, opening it up to tournaments and private practices for national teams. From the outside you could see the newer extension, the modern building not suiting the rest of the hotel, but hey, who were you to complain? That extension is the entire reason you’re even there.
A charity volleyball tournament; the Christmas volleyball tournament- a tourney that is invite only, exclusive, and where players can be scouted. It happens every year, plays on national television, and this year Inarizaki was invited. You, being their one and only manager, was invited by extension. It took some convincing from your family, because you would be missing Christmas day with them, but having Atusmu be there swayed them a little, knowing that at the very least, you’d be with someone you love.
Atsumu whistled, his arm wrapped around your waist to bring you closer, “fancy~” The whole team waited in the lobby as coach Kurosu and Endo-sensei checked everyone in, leaving you to take care of the team in their absence.
“You’re actin’ like a country bumpkin’,” Osamu’s blunt taunt made Atsumu’s fingers twitch.
Well, take care of the twins, is basically what he meant.
“Do. Not. Start.” You looked sharply up at your boyfriend, catching him right before he retorted, mouth wide open, “both of you.” Osamu avoided your gaze when you turned your glare to him, while Atsumu’s hand slowly relaxed.
Beside you, Aran sighed, patting your shoulder as he solemnly said, “I don’t envy your job.”
You cracked a smile, “I’m used to it by now.”
“So mean,” Atsumu groaned, leaning more of his weight on you, and you had to shift to hold it. You, like everyone else on the team, ignored him. Luckily, the attention was quickly diverted as Suna stood up from his squat, sharp eyes locked on a group across the lobby.
“Look,” everyone’s eyes followed. You spotted the tallest player immediately, having seen many of his games firsthand; part of your job was to keep an eye on him, as you do with many other good players.
“Figured they’d be here,” Atsumu hummed, “couldn’t forget the golden boy now, could they?”
Ushijima Wakatoshi. One of the top aces in Japan, third year.
As if sensing their eyes, the tall red-haired boy, Tendo Satori, leaned past his captain to stare back at them. He wagged his fingers while flashing a cheeky grin, which is what brought Ushijima’s attention to the team. You held your breath as his olive eyes scanned yours, feeling like a bug under a microscope, and you couldn’t quite fight the chill that ran down your spine.
You never knew why, but every single time you interact with the ace, you get chills, like a primal warning. You never felt totally comfortable, despite the boy never doing anything at all to cause it. You’d interacted with him quite a few times too; a couple training camps, sometimes in play-offs; you always end up catching his stray balls in the warmups. Maybe he does hold amonocity against you. Even the twins, after the first year passed, noticed this funny habit; Atsumu called him out on it once, but Ushijima just blinked at him, unfazed.
“The infamous Miya twins~” A singsong rang in the air, loud enough to capture Ushijima’s attention as well. “Lucky us, getting the opportunity to practice against you like this.”
You could practically hear the veins popping in Atsumu, Aran and Suna’s brains, although all of them hid their grimaces well. Atusmu’s hand dropped from your waist, turning with a fake smile to face the Aoba J captain.
“Oikawa,” he nodded, walking up to greet him; the entirety of Aoba J trailed behind, Iwaizumi right at his side. “It’s nice to see the second-best setter here.” Oikawa’s body tensed, and you could nearly hear his teeth grinding as he glared through a tight grin.
“Yes, it is nice to see that the second-best setter made it, was the drive long for you?” You wanted to be offended for your boyfriend, but the way Oikawa switched that around was just too cool. Even Osamu snickered, and you bit back a smile. Oikawa’s brown eyes flashed down to you, his cocky smile a telling that he’d seen it.
To his credit, Atsumu didn’t seem as bothered by the retort, simply shrugging and answering, “Nah, we took the bullet train,” he replied, adjusting his bag strap on his shoulder, “we’re not sweatin’. Besides, it’s not like we’ve repeatedly lost against the same team, and have to face ‘em again, right?” He nodded towards the team dressed in white and purple; some of them had already looked their way.
Oikawa shrugged, gritting a smile as he added, “this just gives us another chance to beat them.”
“Oikawa said it right,” Iwazumi stepped in, clapping a hard slap against Oikawa’s shoulder, “besides it’s for charity, only trash would start a fight at a charity event.”
“Sounds like somethin’ a loser would say- ow-ow-“ [Name] grabbed her boyfriends ear at the same time that Kita narrowed his eyes at him; Atsumu’s eyes flickered between the two, clearly not sure who he feared more.
“Be nice,” she quietly reminded him, trying not to scold him too badly in front of others- as if she hadn’t just done it in the most obvious way.
“Now, now, Iwa-chan~” Oikawa clapped twice, cutting through the tension, “that’s a little mean dontcha think? We can settle it on the court!”
“You’re one to talk about-“
“Annnyways, we’re going to go check in now-“
“Don’t cut me off Trashy-kawa!”
“See ya~”
You sweatdropped at the interaction, forcing a wobbly smile as you nodded a goodbye, along with a few of your teammates. Kita stepped in front of the team as soon as they did, gaze holding onto the twins as he said, “let’s be polite for the rest of this tournament, we’re representing our school. We won’t ruin its reputation. Okay?” As he ended, his chilling gaze swept over the rest of the team, leading everyone to stand a little straighter, you included. Everyone chorused a “yes, captain!” Right as the Kurosu and Endo walked up, a bundle of key cards in hand.
The man chuckled, “already having to set them straight, Kita?”
Kita stepped back, “it’s just a precaution,” no one looked at the Kurosu, who levelled a weary glance, but said nothing else.
Endo cleared his throat, “alright listen carefully, Kurosu-san and I pre-assigned rooms for everyone. There will be no swapping. Quiet hours for the hotel begin at 10:00pm, which means that by that time you will all be in your assigned rooms, and have the lights out. Kurosu-san and I will be checking shortly after, every night, to assure that everyone is there.”
Kurosu nodded, “thank you, Endo-san. Listen up boys; in room 601, we have Kita, Atsumu Miya, and Ginjima. In room 602 we have Osamu Miya, Suna, and Oijiro. In 603 is Omimi, Kosaku, Riseki, and Akagi- sorry boys, but we needed one room of four.” He turned to you, “lastly, [Last] you’re in room 604 by yourself.”
“That’s so far away,” Atusmu cut in, causing your cheeks to flush and eyes to widen because that was right in front of your teachers!
The adults shared a grin, “that was on purpose, Atsumu. We don’t want your rooms beside each other, for obvious reasons.”
“Just like why you separated the twins,” Suna muttered under his breath, causing a few of the boys to snicker.
“I think those are two totally separate issues,” Akagi snickered, deepening the blush on your cheeks. You just kept your eyes forward, pretending not to hear the embarrassing taunts.
“We’ll be in room 605, so we’re all in the same end of the hall- meaning we’ll be right there to stop any funny business, got it?” Thankfully, that pointed look was not directed at you and Atsumu. You’re pretty sure you would have combusted if the coach insinuated any ‘funny business’ between you and your boyfriend.
As soon as the team agreed, they handed the key cards, and you tucked yours inside the outer pocket on your bag. Everyone walked to the elevators, lugging their heavy bags behind them all. You smiled as yours was suddenly lifted from your shoulder, Atsumu once again taking it from you.
“Thanks, Tsumu!”
“No problem,” he looked down, flashing his smug smile, and butterflies erupted in your stomach. “Gotta give you the princess treatment,” you rolled your eyes at the smug, very embarrassing joke, which was definitely half-joke, but also half-serious.
“My prince~” you had decided months ago just to lean into it; it’s cute, anyways.
“Bleh,” Osamu groaned behind, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he brushed past the two of you. Atsumu only responded with a smug grin, watching as his brother went into one of the elevators. One of the six elevators; your attention quickly went back to the hotel itself, which was beautiful. And huge. Six elevators?! That’s crazy.
“We’ll catch another one,” Aran spoke, half of the group moving to a different elevator.
“See ya,” Atsumu waved, just as the doors closed behind your small group.
“I’m excited,” you hummed, watching the screen as it climbed the levels, “I hope the beds are comfy!”
“I dibs my own bed!” Atsumu suddenly spoke up, earning a small glance from Kita and Ginjima.
“You might sleep better if he does,” Osamu advised, “he’s a dick if he doesn’t sleep right.”
“And he hogs the bed,” you added without thinking, causing the boys to sharply look your way.
“You’ve shared a bed?” Riseki asked, not hiding the shock in his face.
Your cheeks flushed, wide eyes flashing to Atsumu- of course, he just grinned.
“Of course,” he answered for you, resting his elbow on top of your head, “we’ve been datin’ for over a year now.”
“I just didn’t think…” Riseki mumbled, his own cheeks growing rosy, and he found new interest in the ceiling. The room fell silent, and you wished you hadn’t let that info leak. The only thing you were grateful for was the fact that both the adults went with the other group; you would have died if you’d let that slip in front of the others.
“I’m not surprised,” Kita spoke, just as the doors opened, “Atusmu isn’t a patient person.”
“A two-minute wonder,” Kosaku joked, and everyone (almost everyone) erupted in laughter.
“h-hey!” Atsumu choked on air, and you were pale right beside him.
“I wanna die,” you moaned, “please stop.”
“THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID-“
The laughter didn’t stop, only growing with that last thrown joke, and they were still laughing as the other group walked out of their elevator.
“What’d we miss?”
“Not much,” more snickers. You avoided everyone’s looks as you followed them down the wall, oblivious to the turns as you did. Thankfully, you came upon your door quickly, and without words you took your bag back from Atsumu, fishing the card out of the pocket.
The door opened up to a short hallway with a closet immediately to your right, before opening up to the main part of the room. Two, queen-sized beds sat side by side, separated by a wooden nightstand. The beds had crisp, white sheets, accent pillows and a long decorate blanket folded at the foot of the bed. The most grateful part was your own private bathroom- a bathroom not shared with any boys, thank god.
You set your stuff down, wondering how the boys were all fairing, and glanced around the room a little more. A table with a TV laid across the bed, but to the left of that was a wooden door with a lock and bolt. Your brow rose, where did that go? Curious, you twisted the knob, the handle already unlocked.
The door opened up to- Osamu.
The boy blinked wide in surprise, his hand held up in a knocking motion, frozen. “You surprised me,” he admitted, slowly smiling as his arm relaxed at his side.
“O-our doors connect!” You moved to the side as Osamu leaned closer, invading your personal space to peek inside your room.
“It looks the same as ours,” he murmured, “except you get two beds to yourself.”
You grinned at the words, “I know!”
“The rooms connect?” Aran poked his head in, his chest bumping into Osamu’s back, who bumped into you. You moved with Osamu as his hand pressed against your back reflexively, and stepped more into your room to let the boys look around.
“Hmm I wonder if the teachers know,” Suna questioned, also looking in.
Suddenly your main door opened, Atsumu standing in the frame with a scowl, “why’s the door unlocked?!”
You smiled, “I figured you’d be stopping by soon,” this made him absolutely glow, the scowl disappearing immediately as he sauntered over like a happy puppy.
“So cute~” It was ruined immediately as he spotted Osamu, then the door, then Suna and Aran. “What the hell? Your rooms connect?!”
“Yours should too,” Osamu bluntly stated, “you didn’t notice?”
“I just dumped my shit and came over here!” Atsumu huffed, “why the hell aren’t I in this room?! We could have shared a room!”
“Pretty sure that’s why,” Aran reasoned, right before disappearing into his own room. Suna stayed to watch.
“That’s ridiculous, if our parents are cool with it, I don’t see why the teachers care.”
“It’s a school trip, it’s different,” Osamu spoke, already sounding annoyed.
A thought popped in your head.
“You know, if you hadn’t dyed your hair blonde, you probably could have switched with Osamu and no one could tell the difference!” Atusmu gave a pained, annoyed expression.
“That’s cruel.”
“Please don’t insinuate that we’re similar,” Osamu groaned out, just as pained as Atsumu; the older twin was quick to turn on his brother.
“Fuck you, I’m awesome, you’d be lucky to be like me!”
“Why be you when I’m already the better version?”
You quickly stepped between the two, right before Atsumu made to lunge at his twin; Suna already had his phone out to record it. “Okay, no, we’re not starting this again. Down, boys, down.”
“Like they’re doggies,” Suna whispered, words barely audible, probably catching on the video you assumed he was taking. But the twins did hear, and they mirrored the same glare.
“Oi!” They shouted in unison.
Moving out of the way, you held your hands up, irking Atsumu only more, “where’re you going?” He reached forward, hooking a finger in the collar of your shirt before you could completely disappear, and your cheeks darkened. He noticed, lips twitching into a smug smirk, before he feigned annoyance. “Think you’re funny, treatin’ me like a dog?”
“Huh?” You quickly realized your stance, which looked similar to someone backing away from a dog. “Oh, no, I- pffft- I guess I did look like it, hey?”
“Not you too,” Osamu feigned being hurt, pouting as he looked down at you, joining Atsumu’s side; the two of them were towering over you now, Atsumu’s annoyingly strong finger keeping you from backing up. Your gaze flickered between the two, very aware of the smugness they began to mirror, seeing the panic clear on your face. You couldn’t help it; they both looked so attractive like that- not that you’d ever admit that to Atsmu; it’d be a bloodbath! But it’s not your fault they’re the same, just slightly different fonts. Behind, you could see Suna’s phone poking out slightly, the camera capturing the standoff.
“Two high schoolers, ganging up on an innocent, naïve girl,” he narrated, immediately taking the attention from the twins off of you.
“You better not post that,” Osamu warned.
“Oi! Delete that video of my girlfriend.”
“She’s our manager,” Aran spoke from the other room, “we all accidently have pictures of her.”
“What?!” Even Osamu looked bothered by that, your overprotective honorary brother.
“You boys better be unpacking,” Kurosu’s stern voice called out from the hallway, “we have to be downstairs in fifteen minutes. Make sure you change into your uniforms, we’re using the away jerseys.”
“I guess I should change!” You announced, turning to your bag on the ground, “that means- everyone out!” Osamu and Suna trekked out of your room while you turned away, Osamu’s gaze lingering a little longer as he slowly left through the door. His eye caught Atsumu’s right before he did. Atsumu’s gaze narrowed, smiling coldly at his twin as he followed him out, closing the door behind him.
“Can I watch that?” Atsumu asked, causing your cheeks to burn. Despite him… obviously having seen things before, he hadn’t ever seen ALL of you..
“No,” you stated bluntly, refusing to turn to show him your embarrassment.
“Aw, come on Rosie; I’ve already seen so much~”
“Tsumu!” you whined, stopping as his large hands grabbed your waist, pulling you back into his very well-toned chest. As if your nickname would make you waver. “G-Get out of here!” you pushed with all your strength against his chest, actually managing to make him take a few steps back before he conceited, grinning.
“Alright, alright, no need to get all flustered,” you glared at his cheeky smile, “I don’t want my princess passin’ out.”
“Shhh,” you hushed him, pushing Atsumu all the way to the door; he stood grinning in the hallway until you closed the door, locking it for good measure. You huffed. Despite the annoyed flush on your cheeks, a small smile bloomed. With a shake of your head, you began to walk back to your stuff. You had to get ready, too.
“This way,” a representative for the tournament guided the team to the large gymnasium. It was quite standard to the other gyms you’d been to, seeming large enough to hold two volleyball games at once. Benches lined the East and West walls, currently collapsed against the walls.
Lined up vertically were three other teams already, ones you’d recognized. Shiratorizawa was the furthest away, Captain Ushijima at the front. Then Date Tech, captain Moniwa at the front of the line. And closest to you was Nekoma, captain Kuroo standing at the front.
Your team lined up beside Nekoma, while you walked more to the center of the gym, where the other staff and managers were, right beside the officials for the tournament. You clasped your hands behind your back as you stood beside the coach, a simple smile holding on your face as you watched your team size the others up. More footsteps echoed, and everyone’s heads turned to see two more teams walk in, single file line. One you didn’t recognize, but the other was Fukurodani, captain named Bokuto. More teams trickled in, and out of those you recognized Aoba J (obviously), Nohebi, Ubugawa, and finally… Karasuno!
Your face lit up as their team walked in; you hadn’t known they were coming, the boys hadn’t told you! You waited, grinning, hoping one of your older friends would spot you.
Sugawara spotted you first, walking just behind Asahi, and he grinned, giving you a quick wave. You were eager to wave back, the motion catching Daichi’s gaze as he stopped, starting the line for his team. He smiled, brown eyes lighting up, but he otherwise kept still, trying to remain professional. Asahi didn’t seem to notice you, but you didn’t mind; he looked overwhelmed, his scowl deepening. You remembered that look from your middle school days. It used to intimidate the hell out of you, but now you know it just means he’s freaking out.
When you looked forward, you found Atsumu’s steeled gaze, eyes narrowed onto you. He was frowning, arms crossed at his chest, and his head tilted back, almost accusatory. You rolled your eyes, still smiling, hoping he’d convey the exasperated expression.
You’d told him before you know the seniors at Karasuno, that you’d gone to middle school with them, and still stay in touch. For some reason, he never remembered that. Or always pretended not to.
“Now that we’re all here,” a deep voice echoed through the speakers, and everyone’s heads turned to the tall man in the middle of the gym, “my name is Sen Harada, I’m the head organizer for this tournament, and I’ll be overseeing all the events this week!” Harada began to introduce the tournament, and while he spoke your gaze slowly trailed over the players, watching as they all listened to Harada speak, explaining the events, the reason for the tournament, and so on. Everyone was so focused that you were surprised when another pair of eyes met your own, especially that of a captain’s. Toru Oikawa. His brow shot up, holding your wide gaze, before subtly nodding to his right; you glanced, spotting Atsumu again, before looking back at Oikawa. His plain smile morphed into something more telling, almost taunting, and you wondered if he had caught the silent interaction between you and your boyfriend. Instead of responding to him, you looked away, trying to listen to Harada now.
A small woman began handing papers out to the staff, giving one to Endo, Kurosu and yourself. Your attention turned to that instead, realizing it was a schedule. The first page was about practice times. You scanned it quickly, finding Inarizaki on the list. It looks like every team gets one practice each before the tournament, today, before it starts.
Each gets an hour window, able to use half of the gym.
The first practice began at 10:30am which is right after this announcement, and the final one ended at 8:30pm. A lunch buffet ran from 11:30-1:30pm, and there was a break between 4:30-6:30pm for dinner for all teams.
Inarizaki was booked from 1:30-2:30pm, along with Fukurodani. Karasuno was the hour right after that, along with Nekoma.
As silently as you could, you flipped the page, which opened up to the tournament brackets. Your team name jumped out right away, and you were facing a team you didn’t recognize, which is good. You only pay attention to the important ones. Karasuno was facing Date Tech right away, which is unfortunate because Date Tech’s defense is solid, and that game seemed to be the most difficult, because you were certain everyone else you knew would beat their opponent. Oh wait, no, there was also Aoba J versus Ubugawa, that one would be difficult as well.
December 21st; practices, intro.
December 22nd; the first round of games.
December 23rd; round two and three.
December 24th; finals.
December 25th; Christmas banquet, and an entire free day.
Everyone goes home early on the 26th.
Seeing it all laid out like that made you feel jittery, excited to start the entire event! While you had total faith in your team, you also wouldn’t totally care if you’d lost, just because that meant less volleyball, and more fun time! More time to spend with your boyfriend- yes please.
The introduction was dismissed, and the teams that didn’t have the gym booked for practice began to leave. You waited with the coach and teacher before moving, everyone moving very orderly. As soon as you left the gym, entering the hall that extended to reach the hotel, Atsumu broke from the line and joined your side, already frowning. You knew that frown.
Atsumu was jealous.
“Who’d ya know back there?”
While you normally found the small little pout cute, you couldn’t hold back the prickle in your voice as you said, “I’ve told you about them a few times; they’re my friends from middle school.”
Osamu lingered not too far behind, and you had a small inkling that he was listening to the two of you.
“Right,” he hummed, head beginning to bob as his eyes narrowed at the groups leaving in front of you, as if trying to spot them again.
“I’ll formally introduce you guys,” you offered, “and after that, you have zero excuse for forgetting.”
“If they’re no good at volleyball, I doubt I’ll remember them,” he briskly added, causing your brows to crease.
“They very well could beat us this tournament,” you advised, this time speaking loud enough for others to overhear.
“Who’re you talking about?” Aran asked, coming up behind the twins.
“Karasuno.”
“Ah, right,” he nodded, looking ahead of you all, where the cluster of dark jerseys walked, “I heard they have impressive first-years.”
“They do,” you nodded, “I’ve got a good clip of their quick. It’s dangerous. We’ll have to watch their game early on.”
“Thank you for putting the effort in,” Kita spoke up, glancing over his shoulder to smile at you; you hadn’t expected him to be able to hear you all the way up there.
The group entered the main lobby of the hotel, and Kurosu stopped in a less-crowded area before turning to address the team. “Alright boys, our practice isn’t for another three hours. I’m going to give you all some free time until then and let’s meet in front of the gym at 1:20pm. If you’re late,” there was an icy glimmer in his stern gaze, “you’ll be doing extra laps once practice is over.”
The team all straightened, “yes, sir!”
No one was late. In fact, a good amount of the team arrived even earlier; the threat of missing out on more free time was too great. The entire break, you, the twins, Aran and Suna all went for a walk, checking out the hotel. Together you found the older arcade/game room, the entrance to the pools and work out room, and the lounge. It was just a large room with vending machines, a coffee and tea station, and a bunch of couches and tables.
You figured that’s where most of you would be hanging out-
“Hey, hey, hey! Look who’s here early!”
Everyone turned to the loud voice, and you were half-expecting the person to be talking to your team, but his gaze was just drifting around the gym, taking it all in.
Bokuto Kotaru, currently one of the top aces in Japan.
Aran’s back straightened as he walked in, sizing the captain up.
“Looky here,” this time those golden eyes did land on the team, “someone beat us to the gym!”
“That’s Inarizaki,” the setter, Keiji Akaashi, informed Bokuto, as they were passing your team. Bokuto stopped walking, halting a few teammates behind him, and his eyes quickly found Aran.
“Riight, I remember you,” he announced, “looks like we get to watch the other practice. Watch me closely, alright~”
Aran’s mouth fell open, blinking widely, before he nodded, “right…”
“He’s bold,” Atsumu laughed, while Osamu beside him sighed.
“He’s annoying.”
“He’s good though..” The Miya twins shot you the same deadpan look.
Don’t compliment him.
“[Last],” Kurosu called, “I need you to help me set this up!”
“Coming!” You flashed a quick look at the twins before going off, helping to set up one of the familiar drills.
Practice was halfway done when Endo suddenly called you over. You tucked a ball under your arm as you sped over to the teacher, “yes?”
Beside him stood another man with rectangle glasses and greying hair; Fukurodani’s coach. He smiled as you walked over, “your teacher is kind enough to lend you to our team for our last drill, I hope you don’t mind.” You blinked, confused, because you knew Fukurodani has two managers; it was one of the few teams here that has some. As if sensing this, the coach added, “One of our managers hurt her ankle so they left to grab some ice, which leaves me a little short-handed for now.”
“Oh, I see!” you eagerly nodded, “of course, I’d love to help!”
“Great, thanks! You see, we’re going to be doing this drill…” As he began to explain it, Endo pat you on the shoulder as he left, giving an appoving nod, causing your cheeks to flush with pride. The team paused as you stepped onto their side of the court, causing you to falter slightly under the sudden attention. Behind you, your team paused as well, watching you walk away. You missed Atsumu’s scowl, which followed you, focusing on the team in front of you instead. “Inarizaki is kind enough to lend us their manager, so let’s show her some gratitude.”
Immediately, ripples of whoops and thanks rang through, causing you to laugh and quickly bow, “I’m happy to help!”
“What’s your name, Miss manager?” A cheeky boy asked.
“[Last, First], it’s nice to meet you!”
“Alright [Last],” their coach stepped in, waving off the boys, “does the drill make sense?”
You nodded, “yep, I think I got it!”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto walked over with his hands proudly on his hips, “I’m-“
“Kotaro Boktuo,” you cut him off, “I know, you’re one of the top five aces in Japan right now.”
This made the senior absolutely beam, he straightened up, growing even taller than he already was, “y-you do- I mean, of course you do! I’m the best! Muaha!”
“Muaha?”
“He’s being serious too,” someone added, deepening your grin as his childlike behaviour.
“At least his confidence isn’t baseless,” you politely offered, and Bokuto hummed in agreement.
“Okay Bokuto, quit flirting, we need you to focus, there isn’t much time for practice.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coooming.” You had turned away to help their coach start the drill, unaware of the ace’s eyes following you as you went.
Their team is obviously good, having come from a powerhouse school, but Bokuto really was something else. You quickly acknowledged that as the drill went on; if Bokuto played half as good as he did during that practice, Inarizaki would have a tough time beating them- you’d still win, of course, but it’d be tough.
It was obvious why Bokuto was ranked higher than Aran, though.
You made mental notes on the captain as you practiced, trying to find his weakness, while drawing inspirations on how to help your hitters improve. At some point, Bokuto had teased you about trying to steal their secrets. In response, you admitted that you were studying his strong technique. Akaashi and the coach had to drag him away from you; Bokuto immediately became a happy puppy, tail wagging and all. Clearly, the guy craved positive reinforcement. It’s definitely the key to his heart.
By the time their manager came back, practice was nearly done, and you waved at the team, who shouted a thank you in response. It was only then that you turned to pay your team attention.
The team was tense, that was for certain. They were doing a 5 v 5 game and appeared to be focusing as if it were a real game, no one holding back. Even Atsumu was stone-faced, not an inch of emotion as he bounced the ball once, twice, readying to serve. Beside them, Bokuto shouted, and you saw the ‘tch’ fly along Atsumu’s face as he served, creating a deafening thwack as his hand hit the ball.
Akagi reached out to receive, but the ball hit too far left, and shot off to hit the gym wall instead. He grimaced, shooting a look down at his red arms before standing and gingerly waving, “my bad.”
You frowned, watching your boyfriend’s stoic expression; normally he’d smirk, grin, make an unnecessary comment when a serve lands that well, but he was silent. He just calmly caught the ball that was returned for him and served again.
Only when the practice was over, and over a dozen sneakers loudly entered the gym, had your team thawed into what they normally were. The boys pushed off to a corner to begin their stretching, and a soft murmur of talking grew.
“Nice hits today,” Atsumu complimented Aran, who gave a small smile and nod in reply. Osamu began talking with Akagi and Omimi. You stood beside Kurosu, hands clasped behind your back as you let out a relieved sigh.
“I’m glad they’re more normal now,” the coach kept his steady gaze forward, letting out a sigh of his own.
“Yeah, they were acting a little strange.”
You grimly nodded, “maybe they’re more worried about this tournament than we thought.”
He hummed, “perhaps,” before glancing down at you. You blinked under his gaze, confused by it, but before you could dwell a voice called your name. You spun around, already grinning because of course you recognized it!
“Suga!” you ran up to the Karasuno boys, throwing your arms over Suga’s shoulders. He caught you with an oof and stumbled back a step before adjusting to your weight.
“Careful [Name],” he whined, “I could have dropped you!”
You stuck your tongue out at him, “then maybe you should work harder in practice~”
“It’s not because I’m weak” he shot back, not an ounce of heat in his words, “I’m just not used to your surprise attacks anymore.”
With your feet now steady on the floor, you pouted up at the senior, “that’s so saaad!”
Daichi reached behind you, ruffling your hair, and you let go of Suga to swat his hand away, “hey!”
“Hey [Name],” he greeted. Asahi popped up behind Suga, grinning down at you as he offered his own greeting.
“I can’t believe you’re all here! You could have warned me you were all coming.”
“We didn’t know you were coming here either,” Daichi replied, putting his hands on his hips as you slowly released Suga (your admittedly favourite person out of the trio), and stepped back to be able to face them all.
“I guess that’s true… But I would have brought you all Christmas gifts if I’d known!” Asahi and Suga’s cheeks darkened at the sentiment, while Daichi just laughed.
“There’s no need, but that’s kind of you to think of us.”
“I brought her something,” Suga announced, his smile warm and loving and only directed at you. You missed the quick look Asahi and Daichi shared, after their initial shock.
“What? How’d you know I’d be here?”
“I just did,” he smugly added, and you rolled your eyes in response; it’d been a while since your previous bestie was that cryptic and smug. You missed it.
“Alriiiight, well I unfortunately am not psychic, so you’re going to have to wait until I visit Miyagi to see my grandparents. I’ll be there the 28th until after new years, will you guys be around?”
“Always.”
“Of course.”
“I wish I could say no,” Asahi admitted, “but my family is staying in town this break.” Right, he usually visits his grandparents, too.
“Then, the old usual place?” You offered, taking a step back as someone called your name from behind- Osamu.
“Yeah-“
“-sounds good!”
You grinned at your old friends, “have a good practice, we’ll catch up later!”
“[Name]!”
Atsumu’s voice has an edge to it that has you pausing, eyes widening slightly as you quickly look over your shoulder. He was smiling, but you knew that smile; he’s mad. You tried to keep your smile up as you waved a final goodbye to your friends, pretending not to notice the way all of their smiles deflated upon seeing Atsumu behind you. Osamu was walking away with the team, just about to leave the gym by the time you began trailing after them, and his eyes met yours before he left. Atsumu was waiting, hands on his hips.
“You’re takin’ forever,” he grumbled, reaching out to wrap his arm over your shoulders as you met his side, not slowing down to chat with him, “and you’ve been gone this whole time.”
“Is that why you’re like this?” you inquired, tone chipped and short.
“Like what.”
“A jerk,” you felt him tense, his gait stumbling before catching himself from the bluntness of your words. Normally you’d cushion it, try to figure out the root of his grumpiness, but it’d been happening too often recently, and you were losing patience. It was happening often enough that you were beginning to see a pattern, and you didn’t like it.
Behind you, the three seniors watched you leave. Suga’s fists balled at his sides, glaring at the empty door. “I don’t like that guy,” Suga murmured, and the other two nodded at the words.
“That’s her boyfriend, right?” Asahi asked, despite knowing the answer. You’d posted enough about him online; it’d be hard not to recognize him.
“Yeah.”
“That interaction seemed… weird,” Daichi observed, and the others nodded. They watched the space you once stood in, as if you’d come back with the same shining smile you normally had. But you didn’t. And they were left with the memory of your slight frown and slightly wide, alarmed, if not fearful, gaze. “Did she seem.. worried to you guys?”
“I think she was just surprised?” Asahi reasoned, trying to mask his uneasiness.
You sneezed, and Atsumu rolled his eyes, the both of you standing in the lobby waiting for an elevator. You always tease him about the classic myth; sneezing is a sign that someone is talking about you- and Atsumu always disagreed. But right now, you knew why he was being an ass; he’d hissed it at you the reason you left the gym.
You’re givin’ too much attention to other guys!
Jealousy. Again.
You didn’t understand it. At what point had things changed? At what point did Atsumu begin to grow weary with other guys? When did Atsumu Miya stop trusting you? He was even growing distrusting of his own twin. It wasn’t always like this.
The elevator doors opened, and the both of you stepped into the empty elevator, alone. Your only warning was a brooding, heated gaze before he moved towards you. The second the doors closed, your back was pushed into the wall, Atsumu’s mouth heavy onto yours. You could feel the anger in the kiss, feel it in his fingertips which dug into your hips. It left no room for protest, no room to move or escape; it was dominating, desperate, and you hated it.
As soon as his lips moved down to your neck, you made your discomfort known, pushing against his arms, “Atsumu!” His teeth nipped at your neck, trying to leave marks, and you tried shoving him away harder. “Stop!” He roughly grabbed your wrists in response, pinning them back above your head, your spin bending against the wall as the railing dug in. “Atsu-“ his lips pressed against yours again, silencing you, and your heart began to race, realizing he truly wasn’t listening to your protests. Atsumu is strong. Normally that’d be a huge turn on, but in this moment the fact chanted in your mind like a terrified mantra; he’s strong- stronger than you. He shifted against your grip, moving both wrists into one hand, his free hand now groping down your body, leaving a trail of unwanted touch down your ribs, before settling on your waistband. Panic filled your core. You gave everything into one final push, using your whole body against his, and relief flooded as he gave in, grunting against your lips as his were pushed away.
“I SAID STOP!” your shriek echoed in the small room, sobering whatever demons were swirling in his cold gaze. Panting filled the room, both your chests heaving as Atsumu stared down at you with wide eyes, going still as he registered your expression.
Tears filled your eyes, pooling just enough that they clung to your waterline, unspilling. But the fear. The obvious unrecognition to his actions, desperately wondering what the fuck just happened, and how fucking far was the boy you trusted going to go?
Atsumu’s wide eyes mirrored yours, his body going still as his pupils shuffled between your own, his mouth hanging open. “[N-Name]-“ any other words stuck in his throat, swallowing dryly as his hands awkwardly fell at his sides, letting you go. He took a sharp step back as the doors behind him opened, already at your floor. “[Name], I’m so-I don’t know what just- I just got so-“
“-yeah,” you coolly replied, cutting through his rambles, detached, your heart still thumping in your chest, the rapid beat echoing in your head. You tried to step around Atsumu to leave, and quickly he inched himself in front of your path. Your eyes shot up to his, still wide with shock, and he froze, his own wide, face paled. Then, he stepped back, letting you pass. You didn’t hesitate, speed walking back to your room, listening for footsteps that followed, but there were none. Atsumu didn’t follow to your room, and you were grateful for the fact, wanting nothing but time to yourself.
You locked the door behind yourself, then double checked that the door that connected your room to the next was locked, too. Behind the door you could hear voices, meaning the boys went back to their rooms.
Your body flung onto the spare bed, closest to the door, and you buried yourself under the covers. Closed eyes, deep breathing; your felt body like it was on survival mode. There was a slight tremor to your hands as you brought the blanket in tight against your body, like a cocoon.
What just happened felt… unreal.
He’s gotten jealous, yes. Been an ass to others, yes. But none of that anger or frustration ever turned to you.
It was scary.
Numb, and fingers still trembling, you opened your phone, half expecting to see a message from him. Instead, you had one from your best friend.
[Squid]: How’s the romantic trip with the bf??
You immediately locked your screen, putting your phone out of reach. You laid in bed with your eyes closed, eventually falling asleep.
Atsumu’s knee bounced beneath the table as he ate. His head was on a swivel, going to the same table every few minutes, his mind elsewhere.
Elsewhere wasn’t hard to guess.
The entire table composed of the entire team of Inarizaki, minus their manager. Their manager was four tables away, sitting with Karasuno, a random nobody team that most of them hadn’t heard of.
“I wonder what he said to piss her off,” Kosaku whispered, feeling confident enough in the distance that the brooding setter wouldn’t hear.
“I don’t know,” Aran mumbled back, “but it must’ve been bad, she looked pissed.”
Osamu kept an eye on his twin, noting the nerves in his body; it had to have been bad, indeed.
You had your back facing Inarizaki; out of sight, out of mind. Instead, you sat with your older friends, smiling as they introduced you to the rest of their team. It was nice meeting them; you remembered Noya from elementary, he was in your class for the first few years before you moved houses, again. You moved a lot, but it was funny to know one of the most memorable people from your early childhood, was now on a team with some of your best friends from middle school.
“Wait-“ Noya spoke loudly, “so if we’re in the same year, why’re you so close with our seniors?”
“Oh yeah,” Tanaka mused, “what’s a second year doing being friends with third years? Is there a little… forbidden romance?” he wagged his brows, and you laughed, sticking your tongue out as Suga and Asahi blushed, while Daichi scowled.
“Not at all,” Daichi huffed, “she was the manager for our volleyball team in middle school.”
“Oh wow, so you’ve been a manager for a while!” Yachi piped up, and you had to move forward to be able to see her past the guys.
“I guess so, five years now?”
“Wow that’s a long time!” Hinata gushed, standing up so he could see past his teammates and smile at you, “I wish my team had a manager in middle school..”
“Besides,” you heard Suga speak softly, just under Hinata’s loud voice, “she has a boyfriend.”
“Oh, who?” Noya asked, and you put your focus to Hinata as he rambled, pretending not to hear the other conversation happening beside you.
“Atsumu Miya,” Asahi nodded his head in Inarizaki’s direction, and you had to fake your smile as you pretended to listen to Hinata. When they were done, you put your attention back on the food, enjoying the buffet-style options.
When the table got a bit louder, you left a cold hand touch your elbow, just under the table, and turned to face Suga’s warm smile. It melted your heart, just a tad. And reminded you just why you had the fattest crush on him during middle school. “Are you okay?” he whispered, trying not to bring attention to you. It made your heart thump; he’s such a thoughtful person. You opened your mouth to reply, and saw his brows already furrow, as if sensing the lie you were about to default to. Suga knows you to so well. Instead of fibbing, you let out an exhaled giggle, nervous, before gently admitting, “we fought.”
Suga paused, a little tense, before slowly reaching out to rub your knee under the table. “I’m sorry, do you want to talk about it?”
You shook your head; no, I don’t. You didn’t want anyone to know what happened today, especially your old friends. They’d kick his ass. Or try to. Before either of you could speak about it further, Noya came to the rescue, cheekily asking, “so what tips can you share with us about your team?”
You rolled your eyes, “my lips are sealed! But I’m open to hear about your new quick!”
Before Hinata could foolishly admit to anything, Kageyama slammed a hand on his mouth, muffling whatever it was the ginger was about to admit to.
“Nice try [Name],” Daichi mused, joking, but also looking a little relieved that Kageyama had stopped him from saying anything. It was nice, just joking with Karasuno; you loved your team, however the vibes with Karasuno were just…. Different. Nice.
Your worries just disappeared.
Suddenly your spine straightened, a crawling feeling moving up your spine, like you were suddenly being watched. The hairs on the back of your neck stood. You ignored it, assuming it was just Atusmu, maybe even Osamu.
But you were wrong.
Chapter 2: December 22nd
Notes:
This is a very long chapter- so make sure you're in a comfy space, because this may take a little while to read. I debated splitting this one up, but the formatting would bug me, so you'll have to just accept the super long chapter!!
Also- I'm pretty sure I missed grammar mistakes, but I don't have time to double-edit right now, hopefully one day I can go back and check!
Enjoy :)
Chapter Text
Fingers dug into your hips as you rode him, pulling you back down every time you went up. His growl, desperate to keep you moving, to keep your body slamming down onto him, echoed in your ears.
“Fuck,” he moaned, sitting up to bite your shoulder, and you screamed. “Mine,” his words echoed around you, “mine-mine-mine-mine-“
He chanted it while flipping you over, so his broad chest loomed over yours, and pound into you without mercy. Your knees folded into your chest, unbearable, satisfying pressure.
Moonlight shined in through the open window, and you could see him above you- his silver hair, up and messy from your rough tugs from before, and his golden eyes seemed to glow through the dark, peering down at you. The look made you nervous, like a predator peering down at prey. But it was so hot, you didn’t care. You just wanted more-more-more-more-
“Bokuto-“ his name ripped through your heart as the pleasure built up, peaking, and the noises you were making were anything but human. The knot was building up, and you were being roughly fucked into the mattress.
Suddenly, the mattress swallowed you whole, and you no longer felt Bokuto’s touch, or the pleasure you’d been feeling a moment before. You landed hard on your back, staring up at a ceiling, shadows crawling between the hanging lights. The rug dug into your skin, itching. It was dark. You could hardly see, but you somehow knew you were in the hotel hallway on a floor below yours, alone.
Dread pooled in your gut, skin prickly in warning.
Something’s behind me.
With dread you hadn’t felt before, you slowly pushed up to your knees, feeling a nightgown move with your body as you knelt on your hands and knees in the narrow hallway. It was so narrow, only a couple inches on either side of your frame, and you instinctively knew you were trapped.
Click
Click
You turned, still on your hands and knees, looking over your shoulder at the darkness that swallowed the hallway. Something was moving within those shadows. Something awful, evil. It wanted you.
Click
Click
Click
Was coming for you.
Click-click-click-click-click-click-
“-IT’S COMING” – a voice ripped through the air, desperate and filled with absolute terror.
You pushed yourself up, limbs suddenly feeling heavy, and you scrambled to get away. It was moving in the shadows, the evil creature, moving fast as it chased after you. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall, the pace quickening as it chased after you. You tried not to look back, tried to keep your eyes forward as you sprinted- full sprinted to the elevator at the end of the hall. The elevator doors opened, allowing light to flood into the hallway, and you risked a glance back to see what was chasing you.
Broken, ungodly long limbs, moving like a spider- that’s all you quickly glimpsed before you screamed, snapping your eyes forward towards the elevator. As soon as you ran into the warmth of the light, slamming into the back wall of the elevator-
-BEEEEP
Your whole body spasmed as you shot up in bed, chest heaving up and down as you rapidly looked around, your body in fight or flight mode. Your heart was racing, fear still imbedded in your soul as your mind tried to catch up to what just happened.
A nightmare.
It was just a nightmare.
You quickly reached to the side, pulling on the lamp’s string, allowing the room to flood with light. All the shadows were chased away, easing the panic you still felt from your dream.
Thank god.
Still breathing heavily, you reached for your phone, frowning at the time. 3:06am. It’s still so early. A text was up on your phone screen.
3:05am
[Samu]: Are you okay?
You blinked, staring at the text, trying to thaw from the frozen state of fear you’d woken up in. You must have made some noise; Osamu wouldn’t have texted you so late if that were the case.
3:07am
[Name]: I’m okay, just a nightmare.
3:07am
[Samu]: want me to come over?
You blinked, considering the offer. It would be a huge inconvenience for him, and childish, and you could both get in major trouble… But the image of that… that thing from your nightmares.. You could faintly still hear the echo of it’s cracking bones, and the thought had you throwing weary looks around the shadowed parts of your hotel room. Your gaze lingered on the front door, leading to the hallway, a prickly feeling coming back to you as your stared at it, half expecting the monster to burst through the door. It didn’t, but neither did the unsettling feeling that you are unsafe.
In response, you slowly got up, padded over to the door connecting your rooms, and unlocked it. It opened to another door, which was Osamu’s, and a second after you heard the door unlock from their side. Osamu cautiously opened the door, and you could see the worry in his somber gaze as he looked you up and down, frowning.
You stepped back, allowing him into the room, and he quietly closed the door behind himself. “Are you okay?”
You rubbed your arms, feeling a chill, “just... Just a little shaken.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” You slowly went back to your bed, tucking into the warmth of it as you shook your head no. “How can I help?”
You hesitated, realizing now how embarrassing it was. Osamu has a huge game tomorrow and needs his own sleep; you shouldn’t burden him with this. Feeling guilty, you mustered your best smile, shaking your head, “never mind, I’m okay, go back to-” Osamu cut you off with a giant, warm hug, your face burying into his chest. His warm hand slowly rubbed between your shoulder blades, his other gentle behind your head, keeping you close.
“s’okay,” he murmured, voice thick with sleep, “no need to be strong.” After a moment of hesitation, you gave in and hugged him back. “Want me to sleep with ya?” he whispered, “I can take the other bed.”
It felt wrong, like something you shouldn’t do, for Atsumu’s sake. But you couldn’t deny wanting the comfort, just to know someone you trust is within arm’s reach if something bad happened. You shifted your head so your cheek was against his chest instead, allowing you to speak. “Atsumu’d lose his mind if you did,” you lowly reasoned, and Osamu pulled away just enough to look you in the eyes.
“Tsumu’s an idiot,” you blinked, “as long as you’re fine with it, I am too.”
Just having Osamu in the room already brought peace to your racing heart, chasing away the awful sounds from whatever chased you in your dreams. More fearful of your nightmare than Atsumu’s reaction, you slowly nodded, smiling softly. “Thanks Samu,” you whispered, bringing a small smile to his face. He rubbed your back once more, “’course,” then gently guided you back to the bed.
Two floors above, Bokuto woke with a start, his suddenly spasm waking Akaashi beside him. Akaashi, a calm contrast to the panting ace beside him, simply grunted, before falling back to sleep. Bokuto’s eyes flew across the room in a panic, taking a second for his brain to take in the unfamiliar room, where he was.
The hotel, the tournament, right.
Bokuto relaxed back into the mattress, heaving a heavy sigh as his gaze scanned the white ceiling, trying to recall what just happened in his dream, but it was quickly slipping away. There was something… something freaky, out of a horror movie or something, and then… Then the ‘manager girl’. The one who’d helped him in their practice. His cheeks heat up, stomach turning as he remembered it, remember what the two of you…
“God,” he groaned, rolling over so his face went into the pillow, trying to cool his thoughts.
It was just a dream, he reminded himself, it meant nothing.
Despite his desire to forget it, Bokuto stayed up another twenty minutes thinking about it.
‘I’m sorry’ were the first words out of Atsumu’s mouth as he saw you that morning, grabbing hold of your arm to keep you back from the others as you all went down for breakfast. You accepted, already missing him terribly, and he promised he’d never do it again. You believed him. At breakfast you sat by him again, and all felt well again.
It wasn’t until you got up, taking Atsumu’s tray with you, that the good morning took a minor turn. You were about to stack your trays on top of the pile of used ones, when another tray did the same, bumping into yours.
“Whoops, sorry!” You and Bokuto looked at each other at the same time, both of your eyes widening. “Ah! Uh, you’re the-the manager girl from yesterday…” He fumbled over his words, cheeks turning a little pink as he looked down at you. Your own cheeks heat up, suddenly remembering the other part of your dream from the morning. You honestly hadn’t even given that part a second thought, too tormented by the terrifying monster.
“[Last, First],” you forced through, trying to quickly thaw through the shock of ice that stiffened your limbs. You bowed your head, quickly putting the trays down, mumbling a “good luck today,” before turning around and heading to your team. Luckily, Atsumu paid the awkward interaction no mind. By the time you sat down beside him, your chest was hot with guilt. You dream cheated. It didn’t feel good.
Bokuto lingered by the trays, unable to tear his gaze away from you. Unlike you, he didn’t quickly chase away his dream; on the contrary, it repeated in his mind like a film, getting giddy over it as if it had happened for real.
“What’s with that look?” Bokuto jumped at the close proximity, his face turning red as he quickly turned to the guy leaning over his shoulder.
“N-No one! Nothing!”
“Oh?” Kuroo’s brow arched, coyly following Bokuto’s gaze to the Inarizaki table. “Does Bokuto have a crush on the little manager?”
“W-What?! No way,” Bokuto quickly denied, waving his hand in front of his face, “I-I only met her yesterday!”
“Hmm, I don’t know, you seem pretty flustered, doesn’t he Kenma?” Boktuo finally noticed the shorter setter to the left of Kuroo, his head turned down to his phone.
Kenma sighed, taking the pause of silence as his turn to talk. “She’s clearly dating one of those twins,” he simply stated, meaning- unavailable.
“Yeah,” Kuroo agreed, “but from last night, I’d say their relationship is a little rocky, don’t you think?”
“What?!” Bokuto didn’t even try to hide his eager look, perking up like a puppy about to go on a walk. Kuroo smirked.
“At dinner, she sat with Karasuno, and completely ignored the guy- he kept looking at her and looked all hurt. I’m assuming he screwed up and made her mad.”
“Pfft,” Boktuo’s brows shot up, “that’s a far-fetched guess, don’t you think?”
Kuroo shrugged confidently, “I’m good at reading people.” Bokuto eyed the other captain, silently agreeing that Kuroo is quite good at reading others. He looked back at Inarizaki; the whole table was getting up now, their table spotless. He supposed you were the one who got everyone to clean like that; you looked strong, maybe not physically, but there was some spark in your eyes that made him curious. It kind of went away, as you looked up at your boyfriend right now, staying still as his arm went over your shoulders.
“Maybe,” he conceited, before turning and making his way to his own table.
Behind, Kenma finally looked up from his phone, the same stoic expression as always. “You paid a lot of attention to her, for a stranger,” Kuroo’s smirk broadened by the casual dig.
“She’s cute, what can I say?”
Kenma barely hummed in reply, returning his attention back to the mini game he played, simply following Kuroo as they walked away as well.
“Hey Kita,” you sped up a little, catching up to the captain, “have I ever told ya how happy I am that you help me keep those boys in line?” His lips quirked up as he slightly turned to face you, “I swear, they’d be ten times messier if you weren’t around!”
“I don’t think I do that much,” he softly replied, and you laughed.
“They’re terrified of you! just one look,” you tried to mimic his deadpan look, which made his smile grow, “is all it takes!”
“Do I look like that?” There was a hint of teasing as he smiled at you, which only made your smile grow, proud to have made the stoic Kita react.
“Probably not,” you confessed, “I’m sure I’m not doing it justice.”
He huffed a laugh in response. “Who’s game are you guys most interested in?” Akagi asked, addressing the entire group. Your attention was stolen off of Kita, now listening for the replies. A few Shiratorizawa replies were heard, Aoba J, and a Nohebi. If Osamu answered, you didn’t hear it, but you did turn in time to see Atsumu answer with, “Karasuno’s.”
“Hm, really?” Aran craned his neck to look back, “how come?”
Atsumu grinned, “they have an interesting setter, Tobio Kageyama.”
“Ah yeah, I’ve heard that name. Is he part of that duo quick?”
“Yeah, he’s half of it.”
“Hinata is the hitter,” you pipped up, “the little orange guy.”
“Him?” Osamu’s voice perked up, a little quirk in his smile, “hmm, who woulda thought.” You knew that look; his interest was hooked. “Maybe we should watch their game then.” Everyone looked over at him, and from the front of the group Kita fully turned to look back at the setter.
“Sure, we can watch them.”
“Also,” you added, “they’re facing Date Tech, so it’ll be interesting to see how their quick faces against the iron wall.”
“Yeah, that sounds like an interesting game,” Aran agreed, just as Kita began to lead the group to a spot in the middle of the bleachers. You were lucky, being able to put all your attention into Karasuno, the other game having been two teams you didn’t deem a threat. You’d say it was for strategy purposes, but in honesty you just wanted to cheer on your friends.
It was fifteen minutes before the first round of games was going to start, and the bleachers were getting full. You noticed most of the teams in the tournament were gathered around, plus a bunch of others. It could have been family or friends, people who made the trip for the tournament, or random guests who saw the promotional banners around the hotel and decided to buy tickets to watch.
The sideline of the courts had large cameras and a news reporter per court, and even from your position in the middle of the bleachers, you could see that Karasuno was nervous. It made you grin, watching Asahi nervously write on his hand, and saw Hinata’s stiff walking. Luckily they looked better as they began warming up.
And then they did their quick.
Atsumu whistled, sharing a look with Osamu. “What’d you think, Samu?”
Osamu faintly smirked, “I think we’re still better.” It made you smile. Their attention suddenly turned to you and Osamu asked, “do you agree?” It made you giggle, the seriousness in their gazes as they waited for an answer; they looked the same.
“Yeah,” their faces lit up the same way, almost smug, maybe a little proud, “I still think we’d beat them.”
The game was heated, and you lost yourself in the game, cheering for them whenever they made a crazy play. The duo was incredible! Kageyama’s sets were insane; he’s just a first year, yet he’s decently close to Atusmu’s skill level already, just minus the physical attributions. Asahi had gotten so much stronger, and Daichi’s consistent receives made you so proud, remembering how hard he’d worked on that. But you lost it when Suga finally went onto the court; your team side eyed you, judging you, which made your cheeks rosy. “You don’t understand, he’s a senior!! I’m just so happy he still gets game time!” Thankfully, none of the jealousy Atsumu showed the night before was there. Instead, he laughed, rubbing your lower back as you beamed down at Suga. “Yeah I get it,” he admitted, “it’d be pretty shit to be replaced with a first-year.”
“And he’s killing it!” you gushed, pointing down as Karasuno won a set against Date Tech, thanks to Suga’s play. You swore that both Suga and Daichi, at separate times, looked your way and smiled; you hoped they’d heard your cheering, knowing you still support them even as a rival at this tournament.
Date Tech had some really good moments too, and although you hoped Karasuno would win, you wondered what their defence would look like against Inarizaki. You’d win, of course, but it’d be a good game. Especially with their number 7.
But in the end, Karasuno won!
Next up, Aoba J versus Ubugawa and Shiratorizawa versus a random. Shiratorizawa was on the court in front of your group, Aoba J the further one. Both teams radiated a strong calmness to them; it was clear they were the stronger of their matches.
“If Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai both win, they’ll be facing each other tomorrow,” Kita’s voice caught everyone’s attention.
“Oh yeah,” Aran rubbed his chin, “I think I heard something about them being rivals.”
This round of games had you on the edge of your seat. It was nearly the end of their warmups when you saw Karasuno re-enter the gym, wearing their black track suits. To your disappointment, they sat on the opposite side of the gym from your team, a little diagonal from you.
Feeling an itch in the back of your mind, your gaze slowly dropped from Karasuno, to the court below; one player stood facing you, a ball held in one hand as his unwavering gaze stood strong. You stilled, locking eyes with Ushijima. Or, you think you were; it certainly felt like it. He bounced the ball, hard. Once, twice, a third time- all while looking in your direction.
“What’s… he looking at?” Kosaku asked, glancing back up at the stands behind your group. You didn’t notice, but Aran glanced your way, brows furrowed. Then he looked at Atusmu, who was thankfully absorbed in his phone. But just as Aran felt the relief, he spotted Osamu, whose eyes were narrowed on Shiratorizawa’s ace.
Ushijima threw the ball up into the air then stepped into a serve; you blinked, and the ball smacked the far side of the court, leaving a cold crack. You cringed, “I don’t know how you guys receive hits like that.” It’d break your arms.
“You get used to it,” someone replied, but you were too absorbed in watching Aoba J warm up now.
Aoba J is a decent team, and you’d heard a little more about them from the guys, mainly the ‘egoist captain’. Daichi acknowledged Oikawa’s hard work, which is a huge compliment coming from him, and you had to believe him. No one on Aoba J screamed prodigy, not the same way it did for others, like Ushijima or Kageyama; legends like them were heard even in middle school, while Oikawa was not.
What you did see was years of training; each movement was a replica of itself, at least when considering his serves, and every time you saw him play, he got a tiny bit better. Just like your twins. Neither of them were just good at it; they’d been training since they were kids.
That’s probably why Atsumu isn’t too harsh against the arrogant captain.
Oikawa didn’t bother to look up at the crowd or cameras, his attention was solely on the court. Ready for battle. As the games started, your group grew quiet, focusing on the two strong teams. Shiratorizawa was consistent, but honestly a little boring to watch. They both sort of were; it was clear which team was stronger, as you’d figured before the games even started. What kept things interesting was their wild card player, Satori Tendo. He stood out, both physically and in his playing style. You knew his blocks would give your team trouble if you faced again. The sheer unpredictability of him is a good tool, keeping a team on edge, adding more tension than need be. Most of your attackers would persevere, but it doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be some cold moments.
As the games began their final sets, your team stood up, a sea of burgundy and black. You adjusted your own track jacket, zipping it up a little higher as you all began to leave the bleachers. Your team was next up. Despite having full confidence in your team, you were always full of nerves before a game.
Your phone buzzed against your stomach, and you pulled it out of your jacket pocket right before descending the steps. It was Suga.
10:47am
Suga: Good luck! We’ll be cheering for your team!
Your eyes found his quickly. Suga was already watching you, a huge cheesy smile on his face, and he waved. You grinned back, quickly waving back before going down with your team.
The coach led you all to a quiet spot just outside the gym doors, and everyone was silent, already slipping into their game faces. You always gave Atsumu space before a game, knowing he has his own silent rituals before he has them. So, you scooped both the trays of water bottles and went down the hall to the fountain you’d spotted earlier, just around the corner from where your team was.
Someone was already standing there, back facing you, as they filled up their own bottles. It took a second, but you realized who it was, recognizing the black, spiky hair. Tetsuro Kuroo. The sound of your trays being placed on the ground made his head turn.
“I’m almost done,” he announced, a lazy smile on his face.
“No rush,” you assured him. His dark eyes trailed down your figure quickly, before he turned back to the fountain, watching as the bottle filled. He replaced it with another one, before looking at you again.
“I wish our team had a manager,” you politely smiled, “it’d be nice not having to do this every time.”
“Yeah, I noticed you didn’t have one,” your smile tightened as he cocked a brow, the lazy grin quickly morphing into a smirk.
“Oh? You know my team?”
“Of course,” a firm nod, “I research all the stronger teams.” As his smirk broadened you added, “Nekoma’s really interesting, I hope you win so we can face each other.” You were about to point out his water bottle, which was quickly growing full, but the captain seemed to have been paying attention, despite his gaze lingering on you, because he pulled it away, tightening the lid on the final bottle. Without words, he pushed the tray out of the way with his foot, giving you space to walk over to begin filling your own.
“And why’s that?”
You shrug, turning to the task at hand now, “well if I’m being honest, I was more so curious about how consistent your team is, despite not having any standout players.” From your peripheral, you saw his hand fly to his chest.
“Ouch,” he joked, “I didn’t think you’d try to roast us like that.”
This made you laugh, “I don’t mean anything bad by that! You just don’t have an Aran, or an Ushijima, is what I mean. So,” you emphasized, side-eyeing him with a smile before he could quip, “I was wondering what made you guys so consistent… Which is why I know you.” for a moment, Kuroo had forgotten the entire point in what you were saying, more attracted to the fact that you’d done your research on his team. It was flattering.
“So, are you saying you have us figured out?” He set his hands on his hips, grinning down at you, and you returned the look.
“Guess you’ll have to see if we face each other~”
His eyes lit up, “guess so.” Kuroo picked up his tray of bottles, and waited until you returned his gaze before adding, “hopefully we can face you guys’ tomorrow.”
“Hopefully.”
“Well,” he slung the strap over his shoulder, heading towards the other side of the hall, where the other entrance to the gym was, “good luck, [Last].”
Your brows shot up, blinking widely as you watched Kuroo walk away, murmuring a “you too,” while your brain buzzed at the fact that the Nekoma captain knew your name. Clearly, he’d done his research as well. Why he felt the need to also remember you, it wasn’t clear, maybe because of your relationship? People like to gossip when a manager and player are dating. Regardless, it left you a little unsettled, and if his goal was to leave you intrigued, it certainly worked.
Repeating the little interaction in your mind, you continued to fill the bottles quickly, finishing right as footsteps echoed in the hall. A game must have finished. You set the straps for both bottle trays on either shoulder before carefully making your way back to the team, having to pause beside a vending machine as you let people pass you in the now-busy hall. Shiratorizawa walked by, a few of them glancing down at you, mostly just quickly and in passing. Tendo’s gaze lingered a little longer, eyes in half-moons as he smiled down at you, which you politely returned.
“Hiii Inarizaki’s manager!” He sung, wagging his fingers at you as he walked by, which made his teammates double take at you. Choked up with the sudden attention, you opted just to smile and nod, cheeks turning pink under the pressure.
“Do you know her?” A deep voice asked, and you automatically looked to the right, seeing their captain lingering at the end of the group, along with their teacher.
“Nope, why do you ask?” He wagged his brows at Ushijima, who furrowed his in response. “Are you curious about the cute manager?! Hmmm?”
You knew that obviously wasn’t true, but your cheeks heated at the blatant accusation nonetheless, eyes wide as you looked between the two of them. “Why would you think that?” Ushijima asked, as if you weren’t stand right there. With your back literally against the wall to allow everyone to pass, the vending machine immediately to your right, and the boys standing almost right in front of you, you were trapped. You awkwardly clutched the trays at your hips, polite smile beginning to waver.
“No reeeason~” Tendo teased, his eyes narrowed in a playful, knowing look. Suspicious, you glanced up at Ushijima, a little startled to find his attention had moved fully onto you.
“Are you dating Atsumu Miya?”
“Huh?” you took a second to comprehend what he just asked; even Tendo’s brows shot up, his jaw dropping. “Oh, uh, yeah I am?”
Ushijima slightly nodded, “did you become a manager to spend more time with him?”
“S-Seriously?” Tendo whispered, filling the silence of your pause, “are you actually interested in her?”
“No,” your smile dropped, “we didn’t start dating until halfway through our first year.” Was he accusing you of only being on the team because of Atsumu? “I was a manager in middle school as well,” you added, a little sour at the thought.
“Do you think you would still date even if you weren’t a manager?”
“Why are you asking?” you were completely on your guard now, frowning as you eyed the captain head to toe. It didn’t make sense, and more importantly he was coming across as rude.
“I’m curious,” he simply reasoned.
“I don’t know,” you replied. Seemingly satisfied, Ushijima nodded, the team and teacher having long gone now, and it felt like it was just the three of you standing there. Tendo’s jaw was dropped the entire conversation, wide eyes darting between you both. “Well, this was unusual,” you dryly joked, not really caring as you saw the crease between Ushijima’s brows, “I have to go to my team now…”
“Oi,” you all turned to the sharp tone, and relief flooded your body as you spotted Osamu. With his hands on his hips, and a scowl on his face, he looked between the two taller boys. From an outsiders view, the sight of you against the wall, two impossibly tall high school boys looming over you, probably looked really threatening. While you didn’t feel like you were in danger you were definitely relieved to have him there. “What’d ya want with my manager?”
“Oh?” Tendo “your manager?” he scrutinized Osamu, “I don’t think you’re the boyfriend though, are you?” Osamu’s scowl darkened at that, and seeing that neither boy was moving out of your way, he took the initiative to make them. He stepped between them, reaching his arm out for you, making the boys step aside. You quickly stepped into his contact, feeling safe as soon as his warm hand touched your back, guiding you protectively away from them.
“We have a game starting, whatever your askin’ isn’t as important as that.”
“You’re right,” Ushijima acknowledged, and you were surprised to see him bow his head, “sorry for keeping you.”
As soon as you were out of earshot, Osamu ducked his head down and asked, “what’d they want?”
“I don’t know,” you shook your head, “it was very confusing.”
Osamu hummed, watching you from the corner of his eye as the two of you entered the gym. It immediately got louder, Christmas music playing from the speakers overhead, mixing with the hum of chatter and cheering. You automatically scanned the crowd, nerves quickly building in your stomach from the full stands. No one would be watching you, but it still felt nerve-wracking just to be on the court.
As you always had before, your attention goes to the players, forcing your brain to focus on the task at hand. Set the drinks down at your bench, watched your team, helped correct minor things, and participated in a few warmup drills. When the team began their serving drills, you stood by the bench and watched. Atsumu took his time, movements methodical, and right as he tossed the ball up, you saw him frown. He hit it, the ball nailing the opposite court. His eyes met yours immediately after, just in time to see you smile and shake your head. You knew he hated noise as he serves, it was one of the things you were trying to help him work on; noise is unavoidable, and a major flaw. You’re getting better at it, you mentally cheered, flashing a quick thumbs up.
He smirked, before his attention went back to the drills. Soon, they began their spiking drills, and you grinned as Atsumu’s sets all landed perfectly. He’s on his game today.
Inarizaki’s warm up time came to an end, and they all joined you on the sidelines as the other team began their serving drills. The other team was consistent, decent, but nothing out of the ordinary. You knew you would win.
The ball rang, and you all went into the huddle, Atsumu stepping up beside you, his right arm in the middle of the circle, while his left rested on your lower back. “Let’s do what we normally do,” Kurosu began speaking, “use our strengths, be consistent, and Miya twins-“ their spines straightened, “only take the risks you know you can win.”
“R-right!” they replied, gulping the same way. Everyone else snickered or smiled, yourself included. You leaned into Atsumu, grinning up at him, and he glanced at you from the side, apparently not wanting to risk a full look after the coach just called them out.
“Let’s stick to our plan,” Kita spoke up, voice soft but strong, “I know you can do this.” His calm, simple confidence felt like a warm blanket, drowning out the cheering from the stands around you.
“Yeah!”
The starters walked away with confidence, taking their positions on the court. It was only during this time that you peered past them, seeing the other court; Nekoma was on the same side as your team, just on the court next to yours. They already started, less than a minute before you. Their setter had the ball, sending it up for someone with blonde hair to hit-
Buuuzzzzzz
Your eyes flew to your game, watching as the other team went up and served. Akagi received perfectly, sending the ball to Atsumu, who set it to Aran right off the bat. Aran’s long arm smacked forward, the ball breaking through a two-person block, and slamming into the ground. You flew to your feet cheering. Yeah, they would totally win this.
“Congratulations!” you extended your arms, high fiving all the boys as they walked off the court, a huge grin on your face. The tournament officials were cleaning up the court, people already moving in with brooms to sweep the dust off, while your team gathered at the sidelines for a final talk.
“Good job boys,” Kurosu’s thin, proud smile was beaming as much as it does for him, “those were some good hits out there Aran,” the tall ace smiled and bowed, thanking him. “Kita, solid leadership as always- Atsumu, your stretching routine is pulling off, good reflexes out there. Osamu-“ the coach continued to compliment each player who had time on the court, a routine he did after every single game.
You tugged at Atsumu’s jersey, a suggestive expression on as he glanced over his shoulder at you, “I like the new stretching routine too,” his smirk grew, “think you need help with it?”
“Hmm, is that so?” He whispered, “maybe we can stretch tonight?” you got flutters from his arrogant smirk, imagination making images that caused your cheeks to heat.
Like his hands, oh my god Atsumu’s hands- you eyed the veins that bulged on top, crawling up his forearms, still thick from the game. He chuckled, pulling you from your thoughts, his fingers carefully reaching up to toy with the hair at the nape of your neck, “careful Rosie, there’s cameras ‘round.”
Well, that snapped you out of it.
“Right,” you moved in, trying to hide your face from the cameras, and praying it didn’t just catch that moment.
Atsumu wistfully sighed, “I wonder if we’ll get a screenshot of that expression,” and you harshly poked him in the ribs. “Jokin’, jokin’!”
“Let’s clear the way for the next set of games,” Endo announced, gesturing for everyone to go. You glanced back, noticing that Nekoma was still going strong. Unlike you, they lost a set, which meant they still had one more set to complete. Fukurodani was taking over the court you’d just occupied, and you waved in acknowledgement as they passed you. A few of their players smiled at you, one waving back, and you soon saw the bubbly captain. He was beaming, a hand on his hip while the other waved at the crowd and cameras; he was practically thriving. His golden eyes found yours a spilt second before you passed him, and his face lit up.
“Hey, good job out there!” Atsumu and you stopped, a lazy smile on Atsumu’s face upon hearing the compliment.
“Thanks. Good luck in your game, hopefully your hits are on scale today.”
Bokuto wasn’t even phased by the slight dig, his golden eyes just moving down to you instead, “you should watch me, and find out!” Just pure confidence. Atsumu’s smile dampened, his eyes slowly scanning down Bokuto’s body.
“I think we’re goin’ to the hot tub instead,” he sharply tugged you closer against his side, earning a small gasp at the sudden motion. “But I’m sure I’ll hear the outcome later.”
Atsumu pulled you away without caring to reply, waving two fingers in the air as he said, “see ya, Bokuto.” You craned your neck to look back at him, watching as his expression fell. He looked like a sad puppy, it absolutely broke your heart.
“Good luck,” you called out, waving. His shoulders visibly lifted, smile lighting up his face once again.
“See you later, [Last]!” Atsumu’s fingers tightened against your side, and you tried to ease the tension out of you from that. You hadn’t expected him to remember your name, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was a slight dig back, at Atsumu’s expense.
You shook your head, no, Bokuto doesn’t seem like the type.
“So, the hot tubs, hm?” you looked up through your lashed at him, and Atsumu grinned.
“Sounds fun, right? The boys were talking ‘bout going after the game. Soak our muscles.”
“Good thing I brought a new swimming suit!” You announced, enjoying the way his face lit up.
“That so?” he shifted his weight side to side, making you sort of sway with him as you tried to catch up to your team, “we’re definitely goin’ then!”
That made you laugh, and effectively banished any thoughts of Bokuto. “Let’s find the team first!”
Thankfully, the adults agreed in letting the team have free time. The catch was that everyone had to meet an hour before dinner to talk about the upcoming games, strategize, and review. You were surprised they weren’t asking for more time, honestly.
Not that you were about to complain!
In the end, the ones who decided to join were Atsumu, Osamu, Aran, Suna, and Riseki. Everyone else decided on either watching other games or relaxing somewhere else, which worked out for you.
“I can’t wait,” Atsumu whined, “I heard the pools here are perfect for sore muscles!”
“Yeah I heard they add something to the water to help with muscle aches,” Aran agreed.
“That’s because it’s primarily a ski lodge!” You added, perking up, “I read that it’s a perk that brings a lot of skiers in, not all the tubs have it though, so we’ll have to find it!”
“I’m sure there’s a sign,” Osamu reasoned, lagging behind you a little bit.
“I think it’s this way,” Riseki glanced down the halls, which was close to the backside of the hotel. You had to pass the spa doors to get there, inhaling deeply as the scent of mint wafted in the air; if you had money, you’d spend it going in there.
“Alllright, looks like our door is this one,” Atsumu announced, grinning back at you as a few of the guys pushed by him to get in, “see you in there Rosie.”
You grinned, “see you guys soon!”
Your door was just a little farther away. It opened up to an average locker room; you picked a spot, and quickly changed out of your clothes, already wearing your bikini under it. Wrapping yourself in a towel you’d brought from your hotel suite, you walked through the change room, going down the damp, tiled hallway which led to the showers, and then the pools. Showering off first, of course, then into the steamy pool room!
It was a little overwhelming. There were multiple hot tubs, kind of scattered around, and while it was probably not as busy as the evening (when all the skiers usually come back) it was still decently busy.
“I’m over here,” Atsumu’s deep voice captured your attention, and there was immediate relief when you saw him walking towards you, wearing bright red shorts. Your gaze shamelessly followed the beads of water that ran down strong pecs, then to his abs… for the thousandth time, you felt grateful to be dating an athlete.
God the feeling you got when you saw those muscles. Shameless.
Atsumu’s confident smirk revealed he knew what exactly ran through your mind.
Or maybe not, because when you finally focused on his face, Atsumu’s attention was moving down, and his cheeks were quick to match his shorts. He let out a low whistle, reaching out for you as soon as you got close, his hand landing on your hip as he brought you in. “That’s a… it looks really good on ya.”
“I’m happy you like it!” Feeling a boost of confidence, you gave a small twirl, letting him see all sides of you, and he let out a strained chuckle.
“What’re you tryna do here?” You spot the bob in his throat, and don’t hold back your cheeky grin. It makes his eyes narrow, his shameless smirk growing, “ohh, you’re gonna get it later.”
You go to your toes, leaning in until his eyes flicker down to your lips, then whisper “I hope so~”
Atsumu groans, head rolling back, and his hand roughly grabs your hip before he turns to start pulling you in a different direction.
“you’re killin’ me.”
“hehe”
Gosh, you hoped he kept that frustration for later.
He led you to the area the other guys were at, which ended up being on an outside balcony. Stepping out in a bikini, already wet, nearly put your body in shock. It was freezing. To your utter dismay, as soon as you guys got close, Atsumu suddenly stopped, hesitating as soon as he spot them all, “wait,” his face went blank, “I don’t want ‘em seein’ you like this.”
“I don’t think any of them would care…”
“When you’re lookin’ like this?” You’d never seen Atusmu roll his eyes that hard before, “I don’t want my team thinking ‘bout you more than they already do.”
Before you could dismiss that foolish claim, Osamu and Suna had already spotted you, waving you over. “Tsumu,” Osamu called, loud enough for others to hear, “stop feeling insecure! Come over [Name]!”
“Uh oh,” you murmured, feeling Atsumu go still beside you. Osamu just had to say that. Trying to cut the tension, you forced a laugh, tugging his hand as you started to go over to them. “Come on, I’m getting cold!”
His scowl didn’t disappear as he looked down at you, seeing the bumps that covered your exposed flesh; thankfully, that made him move. The stark difference between the cool air, and the hot water stung, but you fully stepped in and sat down, shoulder bumping into Osamu’s in your haste. Atsumu took the spot on your right, his arm immediately wrapping around your shoulders.
“You guys could have entered through the stream,” Osamu smiled down at you, “it’s easier that way.” You both followed his point, which led to an opening in the glass wall which separated the inside and outside pools. It looked like a path which went between them, connecting the inside and outside, so you don’t have to completely leave the water and freeze. You looked at Atsumu, who sheepishly smiled, “whatever, we lived.”
“We even told you about it,” Aran added, cracking a small smile as he shook his head, “but you were too focused on not allowing others guys to-“
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” He whined, leaning past you to glare at his teammates, who all snickered at Atsumu’s expense. As the guys continued to joke, you looked around, taking in the beautiful view. The sun was peaking the middle of the sky, bringing warmth to the frosty mountains surrounding you. Dense forest climbed the lower parts of the mountains, and from this side of the hotel, you could just barely see the posts for the ski lift.
More people began to fill your part of the hot tub, a mix of ages, but primarily people around your age, maybe a little older. A group moved to sit across from you, and you eyed their reddish tan lines around their eyes, marks from ski goggles.
Osamu’s fingers poked your side, making you stiffen then smile as you turned to him. He nodded towards Riseki, whose attention settled on the girls in the group you’d just been looking at. You mimicked Osamu’s knowing smile. Riseki couldn’t be more obvious.
“You should wing man for him,” you murmured, trying not to be too obvious.
His smile flattened a little, “they’re not my type.” That made you roll your eyes. Osamu always said that. You have no idea what his type even is.
“One day you’re going to have to tell me,” you sighed, missing the way he smiled down at you.
“One day.”
When you looked up, you tried and failed to hide your grin, “looks like you’re her type though.” On reflex Osamu looked over, only to find one of the girls- the one in a bright blue bikini, already looking. She smiled before quickly looking away, which was probably for the best since Osamu kept a blank face.
“You could have smiled,” you whispered, nudging him, and he refocused on you once again.
“Why? I’m not going to give her false hope.”
“Damn,” Atsumu snorted, “that’s why you don’t have your own girlfriend.” You blinked, surprised as you were tugged away from Osamu, into Atsumu’s side. You hadn’t even realized Atsumu was paying attention.
Osamu didn’t give a response, just levelled his brother with a look, one that was unreadable to you. But Atsumu understood.
“Did you see the weather report?” One of the girls from that group, the one in a white and black bikini, asked a little loudly, and you noticed some of your guys pausing their conversation to overhear. “That storm’s getting closer to us..”
“We should wake up early tomorrow then,” one of the guys in their group responded, “make sure we get as much time on the hills as we can.”
“I’m sure it’ll pass!” blue bikini said, reaching up quickly as she stretched, her boobs bouncing up and down with the motion. She peeked a glance at the twins as she did it, looking a little smug before she tried to play it off, turning to her friends, “maaan, I’m so tired! I need a good massage after this.”
She began to rub her own shoulder, chest moving as she did, and you just ignored the occasional glances in the twin’s direction. You didn’t particularly care that she was trying to catch their attention, but you definitely noticed. It was honestly funnier to see Riseki and Aran freeze, clearly noticing. If either of your twins noticed, they didn’t show it- which is the biggest reason you didn’t care she was making a show of things.
“So, what do you think about tomorrow’s game?” Kita suddenly asked, moving closer to your group, so he didn’t have to talk so loudly. Kita was standing in front of the benches, his chest coming out of the hot water.
You wanted to say you were listening to the replies, but in honestly you were getting entertainment by seeing the girls, and guys, eye Kita’s now exposed frame. Sleeper build, for sure.
You honestly couldn’t blame the girls for checking the guys out; they all had good physiques and are tall.
“Oh,” one of the girls finally interrupted, moving closer to your group, “are you guys here for the tournament?”
Kita blinked, moving slightly so he could see who’d just interrupted, while Aran and Riseki froze. Suna just didn’t bother to reply, and the lull in the conversation was getting awkward. You almost replied instead, but Osamu beat you to it. “Yeah, we play for Inarizaki.”
She perked up, obviously pleased to finally get a reply, and you glanced over at Atsumu, who shared a small smirk in reply. Is Osamu’s head turned?
You figured he was just being polite, but you never know.
“Oou, I think I heard about your team before! My friend goes to Shiratorizawa, and she goes to all the games.”
“W-We’ve faced them before,” Riseki finally finds the nerve to add to the topic, moving forward a little to enter the conversation, “they’re a good team.”
“But we’re better,” you look up, brows raised at your boyfriend. You hadn’t expected him to speak up.
The girls turn to him, and you easily recognize the look in their eyes. This time, it does get on your nerves a little bit. “So,” one girl starts, “what are your positions? Are one of you the captain?” her gaze lingers on Atsumu as she asks, and like others, you think she assumes he’s the captain.
“This guy,” Aran claps a hand on Kita’s shoulder, “he keeps us in line.”
“That so?” One of the guys ask, a little humour in the words. It dug under your skin, the underhand mockery.
“You wouldn’t expect it,” you speak up, levelling a cold look at the guy, “but Kita can be pretty intimidating, it’s not easy keeping these guys in line.”
“Ooh, are they a handful?” One girl giggles, craning her neck to look at you, but someone else answers. Your focus was on the guy anyways, watching as he frowned at you, looking rather annoyed, before sharply directing his gaze elsewhere.
Kita, thankfully, didn’t seem to recognize the rude comment.
Atsumu does.
“And that’s why you’re our manager,” his whispered words bring a smile to your face. You leave the remark unanswered, continuing to listen to the other guys chat with the girls. The three guys in the group seem to grow bored of it, turning within themselves to chat.
Osamu hardly participates, but you don’t really comment on it. He’s never seemed to approach girls; he’s always been polite, semi-reciprocated, but never fully. Not enough to have something serious.
Just as you’re beginning to wonder if one of the boys will work up the courage to ask for a phone number, a loud whine catches your attention from behind.
“Burrrr! Iwa-Chaaan! It’s so freaking cold!” You immediately turn to the voice, recognizing Oikawa right away.
“The hot tub is right there you giant toddler.” That made you crack a smile; he could have said baby, but toddler had a certain sting to it. Oikawa must have felt the same way, because he suddenly gasped, drawing the attention of your group towards him.
“That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.”
Clearly, that struck a nerve, because Oikawa suddenly had to duck from Iwa’s sudden punch, which in turn made another one of their teammates dodge too. He looked like a first year, and was absolutely shook to the core.
“H-Hey! Careful!”
“Tsk, sorry,” Iwa mumbled out, just as the group got close to your own. You were fully turned now, not hiding the fact that you were listening to their conversation, and Oikawa was the first to notice you.
“Oho, looky here! Inarizaki.” They paused on the cold tiled floor, and you sat up a little higher, head held a little higher as he added, “we saw your game. Looks like you’re moving on.”
“So are you,” you were quick to add, because why not, Oikawa’s attention was mostly on you, anyways.
“Of course we are,” Oikawa waved his hand in the air, “I can’t believe you doubted that.”
“She didn’t doubt it,” Atsumu smoothly interrupted, “she’s just a good manager who does her research, and knows that you can get a little.. emotional.”
One of the guys, with short blonde hair, suddenly got into the water with a harsh splash, and you had to turn you face away to avoid being splashed. It felt very pointed. As soon as the guy resurfaced, he glared at your team; yeah, very pointed.
“Oi, be careful,” Iwaizumi’s stern voice captured a lot of attention, “we can’t cause others trouble.” The grumpy-looking guy only responded with a scowl before he aggressively wadded through the water to the farthest part of the pool. “Let’s go over there,” he pointed to a space closer to the hallway entrance, where a gap was between groups. To your surprise, Oikawa settled with a smug grin as he got in the water, going along with his team as they moved farther away. And that was it. After a seconds pause, your two groups began to converse again, and your attention began to wander, thinking about anything else. Occasionally you’d tune in, like if Atsumu or Osamu responded, or if one of the boys make an embarrassing comment to one of the girls. Otherwise, you let your head tilt back, eyes closing as you relaxed in the water.
“I think I’m reaching my limits in here,” the twins turned to you, “are you guys going to stay much longer?”
They exchanged a glance, “I was going to stay a little longer more,” Atsumu smiled as you turned to him, “but I can go out with you.”
“No,” you quickly declined his offer, not wanting to be the reason he has to leave, “it’s okay, I’ll probably just head to my room to finish studying.”
“I was about to leave too,” Osamu stood up, moving to stand in front of you in the pool, “I can go up with you. I was going to study before dinner, anyways.”
“How can you guys study right now?” Atsusmu groaned, letting his head rest on the rocks behind him, “bunch of nerds.” You flicked his forehead, causing it to crease and open his eyes, “ow- kiddin’, kiddin.”
“I know,” you huffed, “but you still deserve it.”
“Are you all staying?” Osamu questioned, turning to the team. Everyone decided to stay, so you and Osamu stand up and begin wadding through the entire hot tub, going to the hallway instead of forcing yourself to walk in the freezing air again. It wasn’t until you were nearly at the hallway that you noticed Osamu wasn’t following you quite yet; Atsumu was whispering something to him, neither looking in your direction.
Unfortunately for you, you noticed once you were within an arm’s reach of Aoba J’s group now; Oikawa noticed you the same second you noticed him. “Leaving already?” You were already hugging yourself, the chill from the mountain air nipping your hot skin.
You extended your arm, showing the red flesh, “I’ll be overdone if I stay any longer,” you joked, and to your relief he snorted.
“Well that’s no good,” he teased, “you’re too cute to waste away like that.”
That was a very weird thing to say. But it made you laugh. If you hadn’t, the scrunched up ‘what the fuck did you just say’ look two teammates gave him, would have done the trick. From the slight pink flush in Oikawa’s cheeks, you assumed he realized how odd that was. Luckily for him, you didn’t find it that serious, “and what’s a good way for me to waste away?”
He blinked, a little taken back, before showing an easy, charming smile. “In my arms, obviously.”
Your eyes lit up, “that was a much better line, did you just say that before, hoping I’d ask?” Oikawa seemed surprised by the genuine curiosity, either that or it was getting hotter, because his cheeks grew darker. “O-Of course it was-“
“-liiar,” a teammate cut in, grinning at her.
“That was just a bad line,” another one spoke up, further away. It made you laugh, much to Oikawa’s dismay.
“It’s good you have a team that keeps your honest.”
“It’s a full-time job,” Iwaizumi added, sighing as he settled further into the water. You gave a sympathetic nod and smile, truly understanding what that’s like.
“I’m- you guys have zero class! Why’re you even listening?!”
“It’s not like you’re in your own space, away from us..? We’re literally right here.”
“Can’t you see I’m trying to talk to a pretty girl?!”
Osamu finally walked up behind you, his large hand going to the same spot on your back that Atsumu touches. “She’s taken,” he bluntly states, levelling Oikawa a cold look. His teammates don’t get defensive, but the air around everyone changed.
Oikawa visibly straightened, “but not by you~” You don’t see the look Osamu has, but whatever expression he showed made Oikawa smirk. That’s the second time someone’s said that today.
“Doesn’t matter,” he sighed, as if deciding then that Oikawa wasn’t worth it, “she’ll still never be yours.”
He pushed against your back, and you take the hint to keep walking, wanting to leave anyways. Your torso was freezing. “What was that about?”
“I don’t get it,” he murmured, “why’d you let him talk to you like that?” The tone Osamu takes has you frowning. He sounded actually mad, not confused, and not just annoyed- there was a bite to his tone. “I don’t see the problem, we were just joking around.”
“He was hitting on you.”
“okay, but I didn’t flirt back, so why does it matter?”
“You don’t get it,” he grunted, “guys aren’t like girls, it means something to us, giving any sort of attention is enough.”
“Riight,” you drawled, just as you got inside the main pool area, “which automatically means I’m going to make out with him, right?”
“What? No-“
“Osamu,” he sucked in breath from the sharpness in your tone, “I’m already reaching my maximum with Atsumu’s insane jealousy right now,” you stopped walking, fully facing him as you glared up at him, not caring about the immediate regret that flashes in his eyes. “If you both don’t cut it out, I’m going to leave. Do you understand that?”
His eyes widened, “leave? What does that mean?”
You angrily sighed, “as in break up, leave. Leave the team and stop talking to you.” The mere notion seemed to root Osamu to the spot, because he stood on the wet tiles, looking pale as he watched you walk away.
Maybe that was an overreaction… But was it?
You felt at your wits end with those two. You didn’t understand why and where this jealousy was coming from. Sure, it’d always been there, at least a little bit. But it had never been this bad. Flashes of Atsumu in the elevator came back, and your shoulders shook as a chill passed through you. The thought of it repeating, only with his brother, made you hurry to change. Luckily you didn’t see him on your way up.
But that didn’t mean you were alone.
The captain from Nekoma cut in, right before the doors closed. Part of you feared Osamu had caught up, and you found yourself relaxing as the tall captain walked through instead. “Oh,” he stopped in the doorway, eyeing you quickly, before continuing into the elevator. He stood beside you, facing the doors before pressing five. “Congrats on the win,” he complimented you, and your smile felt a little strained as you nodded, thanking him.
“And what about you?” You asked, “did you guys win?” You’d left before their match finished, and never had a chance to check after that.
“Of course,” he smirked, “and here I thought you had faith in us.” This made you smile a little more.
“I figured you’d win, but you never know. Stuff happens.”
“That’s true.”
You pause, the sound of the elevator humming in the background as you worked up the courage to bring up what you’d thought earlier. “You’ve been keeping track on us too.” Kuroo looks at you, his grin sly, and a small part of you straightens under the heat of it. “You knew my name, before.”
“I’d say it’s because it’s part of my job, but that’d be a lie.” Oh?
“Sounds like you have a lot of free time on your hands,” you mused, just as the elevator reached his floor. “Maybe you should spend that time focusing on your next opponent,” he caught the sparkle in your eyes at your quip, and his own grin widened.
Kuroo shrugged as the doors opened, a casual swag to his steps as he began to leave, “life’s not that serious, I’d rather do things that feel exciting,” and then the smooth fucker winked. The doors were slow to close, giving Kuroo lots of time to see your surprised expression, as well as the slow blush that crawled up your neck.
God, these volleyball boys.
And thank goodness Osamu wasn’t in the elevator to witness that.
Again, you felt little flutters in your stomach, not immune to the charm that Kuroo just threw at you. Luckily, your mood was sour enough from your last interaction with Osamu, which helped to dampen the jolt of excitement you’d gotten from Kuroo.
Just in time too, because your brain was about to switch onto school mode.
12:48pm
[Squid]: Congrats on the win! Didn’t watch the whole game but I saw the final few points!
You looked good on TV too ;)
Hope the twins are treating you well, I know they’ve been weird.
Text me when you can! I miss you.
3:12pm
[Name]: Sorry sorry sorry
Been super busy up here! I’m in my room doing hw now though so I have time to text
Boooooring
Thank you ;) I hope I did!
I’m having fun, and I miss you too.
1:08pm
[Osamu]: I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean anything serious about it.
It was dumb. I didn’t realize stupid Atsumu has been
pushing you so hard lately. We can talk if you want?
2:45pm
[Name]: thank you for the apology.
It’s okay, I don’t want to burden you. He’s just been more
jealous lately, so its basically a trigger now.
We’re good.
You were grateful for Osamu to text you, because by dinner you had cooled off, and felt better about it. He was a little stand-offish at first, but one shoulder-bump at the table, and the ice thawed off.
The rest of the night went by smoothly. Dinner, recap with the team and prepping for your match tomorrow. Then you studied the other team you would have to face: the winner between Nekoma and Fukurodani. All in all, you were feeling good. Better than before, albeit a little nervous for the next few games.
That’s why, later on, you’d regret answering Sugawara’s text.
[Suga]: Some of us are hanging out in the game room downstairs, if you wanna join?
We have snacks
The snacks were just a bonus reason for leaving your team; Atsumu had passed out early, and Osamu was watching his favourite YouTube chef. So you went downstairs alone. You found Suga sitting on a plush couch beside Asahi, Daichi, Hinata, Yachi, and Tanaka. “[Name]!” Suga calls, standing up as you enter the room, “you can sit by me!”
“Thanks Suga!” You squish yourself beside him, sitting near the armrest side.
In the same area was Kuroo, Kenma (their setter), and Yamamoto. Two girls were there too, you recognized them as the managers for Fukurodani. One girl is sitting on the armrest, while the other is on the loveseat, her ankle bandaged up.
“Oh hey, you’re the manager from Inarizaki, right?”
“Yeah, my name is [Last, First].”
“I’m Suzumeda, and this is Shirofuku, we’re from Fukurodani.” You nodded, smiling at them, “I remember, how’s your ankle, by the way?”
Shirofuku waved you off, “I’m good. Thanks for covering for me, I heard you stepped in when we left.”
It was your turn to wave her off, “I’m happy to help! No need to thank me.”
She hummed, head tilting slightly as she watched you. You didn’t understand the look, or the look she shared with Suzumeda after.
“I didn’t realize you were all friends,” you eyed the Nekoma boys and Fukurodani, “how do you feel going against each other tomorrow morning?”
“Ah, right,” Daichi hummed, “I forgot you guys are paired against each other.”
Kuroo smirked, “I’m ready to block all of Bokuto’s hits.”
“It’s impossible to block all of them,” Kenma reminded him.
Kuroo didn’t seem the least bit dejected by the fact, “I’ll block enough. We just have to do it often enough that he goes into sulk mode.” You, along with those from Karasuno, all looked to the Fukurodani managers for confirmation.
Suzumeda meekly nodded, “he’s right, unfortunately.”
“God makes all things equal,” Tanaka shrugged, and you laughed.
You’re pretty sure you know what they’re talking about, but because there’s no mics for the players you’ve never truly known what goes down on the court. “Isn’t your game early tomorrow morning?” Daichi asks, “shouldn’t you go to bed soon?”
Kuroo smiles down at Kenma, whose eyes are glued to his phone screen, “yeah, we probably should rest up right away here.”
“Oooooh,” Shirofuku leaned forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “how about a spooky story before bed?”
You shift uncomfortably, and Suga eyes you. Everyone else cheers, especially Tanaka, and that’s all the encouragement the redhead needs to start. She leans forward, an ominous look casting over her face. “I heard this story from one of the maids,” she started, “so this is true lore for the hotel… In 1925, the manager of this hotel lived here. He worked his way up to the position, using his charm, wit, and dashing good looks.” She wagged her brows, and you shared a quick smile with Suga. “He was known as the hotel’s heartthrob; all the staff fell for him, all the guests loved him- some women even came here specifically for him. But he never dated, at least not publicly… Until he met her. A young woman who arrived with her family. They stayed on the fifth floor,” a shutter ran down your spine, a cursed image flashing in the back of your mind. “And it’s said that he fell in love at first sight.”
Yachi’s eyes widened at the notion, leaning forward a little more.
“The manager did whatever he could to get her attention; he wanted her all to himself. He sent flowers, gifts, delectable desserts; he even created a ball, in the time she was staying there, just for the excuse to dance with her… And it was said she began to fall for him as well, although it wasn’t as quickly or as hard as he fell. But then, her father found out. And he was furious. He didn’t want his daughter to marry a hotel manager, he wanted her to marry a doctor, so he quickly denied it. Being a good daughter, she accepted it, and broke off their love.”
Little hairs rose on the back of your neck, like a phantom claw stroking the sensitive skin. You felt as if you knew where this story was leading.
“He was heartbroken, and furious. He didn’t want her to leave, so on the last night of her stay, he got a copy of their room key… Late in the night, when everyone was asleep, he crept into her room… while she slept, he took her out of her room, and brought her to the boiler room downstairs… When she woke up, she screamed, and he tried to calm her down. He tried to make her accept his love, and told her she’s free now, but she didn’t listen. She kept screaming and crying, and feeling hurt, the manager grabbed a knife…. He made a deal with her: he’ll give her a head start to hide, and if he finds her, she has to stay with him forever. So, she ran. She ran as far as she could, and went to go hide… But he was smart and untrustworthy, and when he wasn’t supposed to watch, he did, so he knew where she went. He found her, and she fought. In the heat of the moment, the manager stabbed her. Then again, and again, and again! He didn’t stop until he realized she was gone… And then he went mad. He didn’t want to live, since she didn’t. So the manager took his own life, right beside her.”
The room was silent. Even Kenma stopped playing on his phone, his attention locked on her. Beside you, Suga took your hand, and you hadn’t realized until then that your hands were trembling.
“They say he still haunts the hotel… And if you’re ever on the fifth floor at night, you might hear his knife dragging across the wall, like nails on a chalkboard. He’s looking for his lost love, a hole in his heart he’s desperate to fill.” Your gaze snapped to Kuroo, knowing now he’s on the fifth floor. The very ends of his lips lifted, but a sternness resided in his gaze as he watched her. Then, his pupils shifted to you; you looked away, swallowing hard, heart racing.
“Some say he stalks young woman to this day, trying to steal any who resemble his first love…. And when he does, he drags them, trying to pull them down in the basement… desperate to have his happy ending… or cursed to relive the nightmare he made.”
Chapter 3: December 23rd
Notes:
Thank you for your patience !! The holidays ended up being way busier than I anticipated, and then I got sick so I couldn't write. But I'm better now, and finally got this chapter wrapped up!
Hope you all enjoy it, thanks for waiting!
Chapter Text
“You look like shit.”
“Atsumu!” Osamu’s sharp voice rang out, stepping in front of you.
“Relax, I still think she’s gorgeous,” you could practically hear him rolling his eyes at his twin, “but not even makeup can hide the bags under those eyes.”
“I didn’t-“ the words broke off with a yawn, which you covered with your palm, “mmrff- sleep well.”
“Aw,” Atsumu bumped past Osamu to get to you, and rubbed your head lovingly, “were ya worried ‘bout the matches today?”
Osamu was watching over Atsumu’s shoulder, half-lidded eyes catching yours as you leaned into Atsumu’s touch. “Yeah, of course.” Atsumu sighed, bringing your face into his chest as he rubbed your back.
“You gotta believe in us, like I believe in you.”
Guilt immediately flooded your chest, and it kept any words from leaving your mouth.
“Do you want me to help you sleep?” Osamu pulled an empty chair up to your bed, at two am, when he realized you weren’t asleep yet. You’d begrudgingly agreed, relaxing as Osamu began to run his fingers through your hair. He had a magic touch, because you fell asleep minutes later, and had normal dreams.
After the awful, too accurate and jarring story, you’d done some research. Research always calms you, brings your mind and focus to what’s real.
Annnnd, you fucking wish you didn’t.
Because not only did you find out there was an actual murder (with vague police reports and all), there were multiple versions of the tale. Versions where the man killed the girl’s family, before taking her, or killed them after he killed her. Where she was in love with someone else, and that’s why she denied him. Versions where he kidnapped her instead, assaulted her, made her love him and have his children. A version where her murder happened in the hallway, dragged down the hall with wounds already in her chest, leaving streaks of blood.
So many.
And you couldn’t ignore how eerily similar it was to your nightmare. And that terrified you. A small part of you hoped that you’d lose, just so you could leave this terrifying place. Maybe I’ll convince Atsumu to break the rules, and sleep with me tonight. It wouldn’t be that hard, and you felt bad relying on Osamu so much.
“I know you’ll do well,” you pushed away from his touch, forcing a big smile on your face, “just focus on the game. Important people are watching.” He had a lazy smile on when you looked up at him, but something in it didn’t totally sit well. You didn’t have time to ask, seeing as how your warmup drills were beginning.
“Will do.”
You could hear the crowd beside you shouting as the warmups already began for the game beside you. Fukurodani versus Nekoma. Whichever team wins will be the one to face you- assuming Inarizaki wins. In the short time span that you’d both been on the court, Bokuto had looked at you a suspicious amount. Every time you glanced over, he’d already be looking. Sometimes he would look away, but sometimes he would hold your gaze, a giddy smile on his face. It made you consider something crazy; could Bokuto have had a dream about you, too? The way he looked at you felt like you were sharing a secret, and no one knew about the specifics of your recent nightmares.
So caught up in the oddity of Bokuto, you didn’t notice a dark pair of eyes that often looked your way. Kuroo’s mind was swirling as he watched you; his head felt muddy, like he was underwater, and every time he looked your way, he broke for air. He’d never felt that way before, never fell so head over heels for anyone that way.
You’re just so gorgeous, and your smile felt like it lit up a room; and your laugh, he wanted to be the source of it, wanted to keep it all for himself. He looked your way again, and you were looking in his direction, no wait, no you weren’t. He followed the line of sight, frown deepening as it led to the other side of the net.
Bokuto.
That idiotic ace.
And Bokuto was looking at you. He knows Bokuto found himself suddenly smitten, much like himself, but he didn’t know why. From his knowledge, he met you at the same time as him. So why were you giving him more attention?
Kenma, the most observant of Nekoma, silently went up to Kuroo’s side, “is something wrong?”
With ease, he flashed his signature lazy smirk, patting his friend on the shoulder, “I’m fine, just focused.” Kenma didn’t pry; he just nodded and let Kuroo walk away, getting ready for a spiking drill. He was slow to get into position, sneaking a glance at the other court, where he’d caught Kuroo looking at.
Is Kuroo already thinking about the next match? No, he decided, Kuroo doesn’t typically oversight big opponents like Fukurodani. So why?
“Oi, [Name]!” Atsumu was jogging over by the time you looked his way, a huge goofy smile on his lips. The camera followed him as he went, as they usually do for each of the twins. You were about to reply when Atsumu suddenly reached out, grabbing your hand to pull you in; he kissed you, hard enough to make your cheeks flush, and make the air around you pause.
Everyone paused.
The teachers, who were only a couple steps away. Osamu, and the few teammates who witnessed it. Sugawara, who sat on your side of the gym near the front, scowled down at the court, swearing he caught Atsumu’s eye. Bokuto, who was about to spike in his warmup, messed the leading up steps, and skimmed the ball. And Kuroo, whose jaw clenched, his mask of simplicity slipping as he briefly glared at the sight.
Kenma’s eyes widened, mind connecting the dots.
You didn’t realize the whirlwind of commotion that just started, the desperation and anger that suddenly filled the air. Atsumu smirked into the kiss, knowing full what he was doing, while you were blissfully unaware.
When he pulled away your face was crimson, and you couldn’t string a sentence together. It felt like the whole stadium was watching, and maybe they were; it’s not often public affection is displayed like that. A couple whoops and hollers were heard amongst the crowd, and your gaze stayed near the floor.
It wasn’t until Kurosu cleared his throat that the team came together, about to start the match. “Okay…. We need to focus,” he started, and you looked in the complete opposite direction, “now that you got that out of your system, lets focus on the game.”
Atsumu’s chest puffed as his grin grew, “yes, sir!”
You’d expected a quip from Osamu, as he always does, and didn’t realize it’s absence until the starters ran onto the court. Osamu’s expression was stern, set forward on the opponents. It made something within your stir, not sitting quite right.
But that doesn’t matter now; the game does.
Atsumu and Osamu didn’t click like normal. The vibes between them were undoubtedly off, but you didn’t know why. Atsumu played a great game, one of his best. Atsumu’s sets were nearly perfect, and his reflexes were off the charts; he doubled the amount of saves in a normal game, and your chest swelled with pride at the fact that scouts would see this game.
Winning the tournament isn’t the biggest deal- showing off your skills is.
But in this case, Inarizaki was one step closer to both, because the team won in straight sets, which is an incredible feat against such a strong team.
While your heart was happy for Atsumu, it felt torn, also feeling for Osamu, who didn’t have as good a game. It was a little below average, and his frustration shown through. You couldn’t help but wonder if it was your fault. He didn’t sleep much because he was helping you, that manager for the team; your sleep didn’t matter half as much as his.
“Hey,” you gently tried to pull him aside after the game, and for a moment it looked like Osamu was going to pull away from your touch. The last second, he paused, half-lidded gaze meeting your worried one. He sighed, then turned to give you his full attention. “Did you not sleep well?” You softly asked, “I’m sorry for making you stay up with me, I shouldn’t have-“
“No.” His brows creased, a firm shake of his head, “it’s not your fault, it’s Tsumu’s, he got under my skin.”
This made you frown, not because you doubted Osamu (he never lies) but because you hadn’t even seen the two of them talk much. Maybe it happened the night before?
One theory did leak into your brain, but as always you shook the thought away, not wanting it to be real.
Because Osamu… Wouldn’t have been bothered by the kiss, right? Maybe disgusted, as usual… But not bothered, right? Because why would he?
“Oi,” Atsumu walked up to you both then, gaze lingering on his phone, “did ya see mom’s text?” Osamu frowned, shaking his head no. Atsumu sighed, “guess the storm’s worse than they said, trains cut off now so they might not make it here today.”
“Oh no,” you quickly went to his side to read the text, “they rented a room and everything… Can they come later?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, “they’re not cancelling the room yet.”
“Can’t be helped,” Osamu sighed, picking up his bag as the group began to leave the gym. Some of his tension visibly faded as they talked. The Miya parents rented a room from December 23rd to the 26th, wanting to spend time with their sons and you, since your family couldn’t afford the trip to make it here. Osamu suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as he remembered, “we’re supposed to go out for dinner tonight.” You and Atsumu shared a grin, knowing just how excited Osamu was for the five-star restaurant. It was part of his Christmas gift from their parents, going there. You’re pretty sure that’s the main reason he even came.
“I’m sure they’ll send money for it,” Atsumu reassured him, snickering as he pat his brothers back.
“Hopefully…”
“Are you sadder about the restaurant, or your parents?” You teased, giggled as Osamu lifted his chin, avoiding the question. That’s all the confirmation you needed. Just as you were about to leave the gymnasium, Kurosu called the team over to the side. The coach’s gaze met yours, giving you a nod, signalling your time to break away from the group.
“Where are you going?” Kita asked, having seen the interaction. Atsumu and Osamu stopped and looked back at you after hearing that, already frowning.
“I was asked to watch the next game while you guys meet up,” you informed them, “I’ll catch up to you later!” You waved them off before hurrying to the door to the bleachers, wanting to try to sit with Karasuno to watch.
Atsumu sighed heavily, frowning as he watched you. “Didn’t even say goodbye,” he grumbled, the air around him growing thick with the annoyance he felt. To his surprise, Osamu didn’t try to pull him out of it; he just sunk with him.
“It’s been happenin’ a lot,” he added, watching you cut out of their vision.
You stood at the top of the stairs, trying to see where Karasuno was, but to no avail. It took you a few extra seconds to realize why; they were now down on the court, about to face a strong (but random) team. “How could I forget?” You mumbled, utterly disappointed with yourself. You didn’t even have time to wish them good luck..
Before you could wuss out, you ran to the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the railing as you stared hard at the team, hoping one of them would look your way. After a few seconds, Suga did (of course). His face lit up as he spotted you, and raised a hand to wave, which you quickly reciprocated.
‘Good luck!’ you mouthed the words while holding a thumbs up, and hoped he’d understand. You’re assuming from his cheesy grin that he did. Good.
By the time you turned around, most of the bleacher had filled up. There were a few awkward spots near the middle, but you didn’t want to be the one to shuffle in and join a family- maybe you could stand?
Then Oikawa stood up, near the back of the bleachers, waving and staring directly at you, “oooi, little manager~” eyes flew to you, and your face grew hot, “come sit here!”
From earlier interactions, you’d expect his team to shush him, but to your horror they looked just as amused as him, seeing you nearly pass out from the embarrassing attention. Down below, Karasuno even looked up, hearing Oikawa’s obnoxious call.
“Is… Oikawa calling [Last] over?” Daichi asked, frowning as he saw the back of you, arms stiff at your sides.
“I didn’t think they knew each other?” Asahi looked just as confused as his teammate, the both of them watching as Oikawa began walking your way.
“I don’t think she does,” Suga’s tone was blunt, nearly emotionless, “she didn’t seem to a few months ago when you brought him up.” The words were directed at Daichi, who took an extra second to remember what Suga had been talking about.
“You’re right,” he eventually agreed, “she didn’t know him then, and she looks a little… awkward now.”
“He’s pressuring her into going,” Suga was glaring now, making even his best friends uneasy as Suga watched you join Aoba J in the stands, Oikawa behind you with his hands on your shoulders as he guided you over. “That asshole.”
Asahi and Daichi shared a glance, “she’ll be okay Suga,” Asahi tried to defuse the tension, “[Last’s] tough, you know she wouldn’t do something she didn’t want to do.”
Suga’s throat bobbed, glare lingering on your company a little longer, but he nodded. He knows you’re strong willed, you wouldn’t let yourself be dragged away like that if you really didn’t want it, but you’re also kind. Preciously kind. Suga wasn’t sure which side of you was stronger, and he’d do anything to protect your sweet nature. The side that thinks of others first, which always wants to help and serve.
And Oikawa certainly did not deserve it.
But neither did the Miyas.
It was Hinata who dragged Suga out of his stupor, asking to go over the secret signs once more, in case Suga was setter again.
“We have someone joining us,” Oikawa announced, pushing your shoulders down so you could sit beside Iwaizumi, “so please be on your best behaviour!”
His team exchanged a look, a few looking stunned, a few annoyed, before the consensus was announced, “you’re the worst one!?”
“Now, don’t lie~” Oikawa teased, taking a seat on your left, and because you sat between them, Iwaizumi didn’t dare hit him. Oikawa knew that, too, which set the hitter’s jaw.
“Thank you for letting me join you guys,” you leaned forward, addressing the rest of the team, who all smiled and nodded in response. You ignored the hopeful looks from two other members, one with ashy blonde hair, the other clearly a first year, thinking their expressions matched Aran’s and Riseki’s from the day before.
“it’s no problem!”
“Sorry Oikawa dragged you over.”
“He’s kinda weird when it comes to you-“
“shu shu shhhh!” Oikawa quickly leaned over you, glaring and shushing his teammates, while you laughed. His cheeks were pink as he glanced at you from the corner of his eye, and you just grinned back, no care if he got more embarrassed.
He did, cheeks red after.
Iwaizumi sighed, “sorry about him, he’s an ass.” You were about to wave him off when he lowly added, “I hope your boyfriend doesn’t get mad over this.”
That.. Made your chest tighten.
“I can do what I want,” you smoothly replied, voice tight, and you even mustered an easy smile as you turned to face the hitter, “I wouldn’t have sat down if I really didn’t want to sit here.”
You didn’t say he wouldn’t get mad, the same thought rang through Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s heads, and they shared a quick glance to confirm it.
“That’s good,” Iwa replied, smiling now, “otherwise I’d have to kick his ass for being rude to a girl.”
“I could do that myself, too,” you joked, glancing at the setter now, who was full on pouting.
“I don’t like what’s going on here,” his index finger wagged between the two of you, “Iwa, don’t you know she’s taken, get your own girlfriend!”
Iwa’s teeth clenched, “you unbearable….” He grumbled under his breath, and you knew for a fact then, that if you weren’t sitting between them, Iwa would have hit him.
“Where’s the rest of your team?” Someone asked.
“Team meeting,” you stated, “I’m here to scope out the competition. Well, plus I wanted to see Karasuno.”
“You like them?” Oikawa’s brows rose.
“I’m actually friends with the third years,” you explained, “we all went to middle school together, so I’ve known them for a while.”
“You sure know a lot of people,” you didn’t comment on the brisk tone, attention now going back to where it belongs.
Daichi received the hard serve, putting it up perfectly for Kageyama to set, sending it to Asahi. They didn’t get the point right away, but the other team couldn’t receive it well, throwing off their game. In the end, Karasuno got the point, and you cheered so loudly the team around you all paused to glance your way.
“Y-You really like Karasuno, huh?” the pineapple-looking first-year from before spoke, scratching his cheek as he side-eyed you.
“Of course!” You nodded your head, eyes not straying from the court.
“I’d say I liked the passion,” Oikawa lightly spoke, “if it wasn’t so annoying.”
“Pardon?” That caught your attention.
Oikawa was looking down his nose at you when you turned, scowl looking like a confusing mix between amused and annoyed. He snorted, “you’re so cute when you look confused.”
“Yikes,” someone murmured, and your furrowed brows deepened.
“Pardon?”
“I’m just happy I’m finally getting your attention,” his arrogant tone did not help with your deepening scowl, “all you can do is stare at the game.”
This made you blink. Watch the game? What else would you be there to do? Oikawa rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath as he looked away, and this time you knew for sure he was annoyed. The team was a mix of shifting away, as if avoiding the painful interaction, and leaning in to see you go off on Oikawa.
You were quiet for a couple seconds, the silence growing between you and Oikawa, and although you couldn’t see Iwa, who was behind you as you turned to face Oikawa, he was glaring at his friend, fighting the urge to speak up.
Just as Oikawa was beginning to feel the awkward pause through the mist of frustration covering his eyes, you finally spoke up, “I’m surprised you of all people here would be annoyed by that.” Oikawa still had a narrowed gaze as he looked your way, but the edge in it vanished as he saw your earnest gaze, looking more confused than upset now.
“Why’s that.”
“You clearly practice a lot,” you spoke truthfully, “and your strength is observation, so I figured you’d be the type of player who watched other games on his down time…” You watched his eyes widen slightly, “also,” you added, being a little cheeky now, “I heard you’ve been dump-uhm-broken up with (his cheeks flushed) a few times because you prioritize volleyball so much… Soo, I don’t get why you care that I’m watching a game?”
Iwaizumi’s laughter made you quickly turn to him, and his smile was contagious; usually he looks so serious, you never could have imagined him looking that sweet when he laughs. “Oh man,” he slapped his thigh, “she has you figured out!”
“How do you even know that much?!” Pineapple-head asked, leaning over others again.
Your cheeks grew a little pink as you glanced amongst the team, seeing half of them looking your way. You meekly shrugged, “managers talk.”
“But how’d they know, we don’t have a manager…”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
You could feel Oikawa’s wide gaze on you the entire time, but you faced the teammates who were asking. “I’m good at research, so I spend time looking into players and teams that I think are strong.”
Hadn’t you said this before?
Oh shoot, you missed a few points with Karasuno. You frowned as your attention was drawn back to the game. Oh, and more importantly- who won?! You watched the far court, realizing Nekoma and Fukurodani’s game had ended.
“Oh,” you leaned forward, “did anyone see the other game?! Do you know how it ended?”
“Fukurodani won.”
Your shoulders sagged, darn. Well, no, you’re happy- either way you knew your team would have ups and downs against whichever team you faced. But Bokuto is a strong attacker, and ultimately would be the main problem to face. At least with Nekoma, you knew your team would have an upper hand with their strong offence; Nekoma doesn’t have a top ace of Japan.
“Riight,” Oikawa smoothly interrupted, “Inarizaki has to face whichever team won that game,” he looked at you from the side of his eye, now facing the game. He looked more calm, more serious, now, and you wondered if he accepted the words you spurred randomly at him.
“Yeah, and I think I would have rather faced Nekoma.”
“Because they don’t have a strong offence,” he spoke the words with a hum of agreement, and you nodded.
“Bokuto’s a tough opponent, and-“
“-and you don’t have any standout blockers.” The words made your lips thin, but you nodded- it was the truth. Your team is good; your blockers are good, but your team isn’t known for it’s defense, despite being consistent.
“But,” you added, “our blockers get to practice with Aran, so it’s not like they’re not used to blocking very strong hits.”
“That’s true,” he acknowledged, “but your friend on Fukurodani doesn’t play the same as the big guy on your team, so it wouldn’t be the same.”
“I know,” you sighed, “but I have faith in my team.” It was quiet amongst everyone, and you’d assumed they were either paying attention to the games, or stunned to silence as you and Oikawa were suddenly collaborating about your games.
“Congrats on the win!”
Suga was waiting with open arms, and you jumped on in, arms winding around his neck as you gave him the tightest hug you could muster.
“Thank you for watching!” He hugged you tightly, laughing into your ear.
“We get to play more volleyball!” Hinata cheered in the background, beginning to descend the steps to join your area on the bleachers.
“I can’t believe you sat with Aoba Johsai,” Asahi murmured, stepping around you as you and Suga ended your hug. The ace sat to your right, while Suga took your left, where Oikawa was once sitting. Karasuno replaced Aoba Johsai on the bleachers, taking up a spot on the court against-
“Shiratorizawa.” You looked up, eyes widened at the familiar voice. Atsumu and Osamu were on the stairs, hands stuffed in their jacket pockets as they waited for you, Osamu’s gaze sweeping over the court, while Atusmu’s stayed on you. He had a lazy smirk, which only grew as you began smiling back, wiggling your fingers at your boyfriend. You were just about to offer a spot when Atusmu’s attention moved to someone else.
“You’re on yer game today,” he nodded towards Kageyama, who was facing your boyfriend with a straightened spine, and glimmering eyes. It was cute seeing the admiration in those baby blues. Kageyama looked like a child about to open a present. “I see you’ve been practicin’ your quick, it’s almost as fast as ours.”
Osamu was looking down at them now, expression relaxed as he looked at Kageyama, who in return was looking at him.
“I think it’s almost the same now,” Kageyama spoke truthfully, and you saw the little spark it created in Atusmu’s eyes. He was fired up, if not a little annoyed, by the raw confidence in that statement.
“Guess we’ll see,” he shrugged, “if you can beat Shiratorizawa.”
“You don’t think Aoba Johsai will win?” Noya asked, staring hard at your boyfriend.
“Nope.”
“Oikawa gets too emotional against Ushijima,” Osamu agreed, “and Shiratori is overall better.” That made you frown, thinking about Oikawa and his team.
“Watch me.”
Oikawa looked serious as he spoke those words to you, right before leaving you to go warm up with his team. He looked determined, a calm confidence oozing from him. Maybe it was because you enjoyed his discussion with you, which was finally free of his playboy-like persona, but you hoped he’d win. Plus, you love a good underdog story.
“Rosie, let’s sit together over here.” He nodded to the row right behind Karasuno, which had four seats available. You hesitated, not wanting to leave Suga’s side, but also not wanting to abandon your boyfriend..
Since Daichi had yet to sit down, you stood, offering him your seat with a smile, “here, I’ll just sit back there.”
Daichi smiled, sharing a look with a disheartened Suga when you glanced away, “thanks, [Last].”
“No problem!” You smiled at the Miyas as you quickly joined their side, hesitating only for a fraction as Osamu went first, while Atsumu waited, allowing you to slip pass him to sit beside Osamu. Recently, he’d been sitting beside his brother, claiming he didn’t want you to have to deal with him. But now he’s letting you interact, something you mistook as outgrowing jealousy.
The action made you smile; Tsumu must be trying to be better.
He sat on your left, Osamu on your right, the two boys smiling in satisfaction, easing back into their chairs as you all watched the matches begin. Occasionally, one of the twins would respond to the chatter from Karasuno, making you beam; even Suga turned around every so often, seeking your input, and sometimes Atsumu would respond instead. You saw it as him doing his best to get to know your friends, keeping his promise, and proving his apology had been sincere. You missed the narrowed eyes whenever someone from Karasuno glanced your way, or the way their arms both crossed behind your chair, bodies caging you in. Happy, and focusing on the intense games below, you were oblivious to the thick tension surrounding the twins, who twitched every time a guy looked your way. Osamu graciously offered you a banana, since all of you were basically skipping lunch, and Atsumu offered you his water bottle.
It was nice, feeling like a united group once again. It’d been months since things last felt this way, and you didn’t want the good, warm feelings to end.
Shiratorizawa won.
You surprised yourself when you sharply looked away, unable to take Oikawa’s saddened expression. You could see his frustration from there, he had to be devastated.
Watch me.
You looked down in time to catch Oikawa’s eye, as the team bowed to the crowd, facing your direction. You continued to clap, a soft smile on your face as you held his gaze, cheering him on. He played well, the team played well, but Shiratorizawa just did better. Not by much, but enough.
You hoped Oikawa would be able to see that.
But you knew it wouldn’t matter.
You stood up with the twins just as Aoba J began to walk off the court, and Suga turned immediately to look at you, “are you guys getting ready for your next match?”
“Yeah, we still have thirty minutes, but the captain always wants us there ahead of time.”
A chorus of good lucks rang out, and the three of you repeated it back, knowing now who Karasuno’s next opponent will be.
Shiratorizawa.
They’d need the luck as much as your team would.
Suga held your gaze a little longer as you began to turn, and you offered a little wave before walking away with the twins.
You walked onto the court for a second time that day, trailing behind your team alongside the coaches. The energy was different from before, everyone a little more serious.
It was established before that everyone recognized Fukurodani as a big opponent. This is why, as you all entered the court, everyone had calmed as they stared the opponents down. Atsumu still had his signature smirk, head tilted back slightly as he looked down his nose at them; you knew he figured he had the win already.
To be fair, Bokuto looked just as confident.
The large boy had his hands proudly on his hips, grinning as he followed Atsumu with his gaze, a slight measure of arrogance in the smile. Neither boy backed down from it, their confidence inflated.
Not that you were looking for it, but you caught the moment Bokuto finally looked your way. The teams had been warming up for five minutes doing drills, and it was when Inari was readying to begin their full-court drills, that Bokuto finally looked.
His gaze softened, making you still, because his lopsided grin looked similar to Atsumu’s. Lazy, attractive, and confident. The look didn’t suit him, and you looked away, focusing on your boys instead.
You didn’t admit it to yourself then, but there was something else in his look that made you uncomfortable. Something heated, longing. The way Atsumu looks at you before devouring you whole.
You tried to avoid giving Bokuto attention as his team took over the court, but the task felt impossible. Something about Bokuto’s court presence just demanded attention. He often looked your way as spiked, like a dog seeking praise from his owner. Eventually you felt bad, and gave him a small smile and nod, which made his face light up. You hoped Atusmu hadn’t seen.
“Stop that,” ah, okay, he did. But he didn’t seem mad, just annoyed.
“I know,” you groaned, “but it’s like kicking a puppy, it feels criminal to just ignore him.” Atsumu stood slightly in front of you, arms crossed over his large chest as he watched Bokuto. A moment later you heard his guttural groan, “I know, it’s so fuckin’ annoying.”
You grinned, linking your hands behind your back.
“Atsumu!”
The coach called him over, and Atusmu threw you a deadpanned look before murmuring, “kick the puppy.” You watched him saunter away with a bewildered expression. It was a little funny, but crude… however, you did understand him in this setting. You wouldn’t appreciate if he’d been giving another girl encouragement, when she clearly….
Clearly, what, [Name]?
You shook the admittance in your head, feeling it bounce around, refusing to leave your mind.
Okay, okay, maaaybe Bokuto has a little crush on me.
The possibility alone made you want to create distance, so you were no longer paying attention when a ball was hit your way, hissing in the air from the force behind it.
“Heads up!”
“[Name]!” a few voices screamed your name, and you looked just in time to see the sphere moving towards your head. Your body froze, giving less than a second to defend itself.
Suddenly another ball, coming from the opposite direction, spiralled in, smashing against the other ball; the heated volleyball was redirected slightly, skimming past your head by a hair, rather than smacking you in the face. And possibly breaking it.
Bokuto crossed the net and was running towards you, his expression full of terror as he hurried to your side, but your head automatically turned to the right, where the other ball came from.
Osamu.
Osamu was storming towards you, his face hidden in shadows as his head tilted down.
“[N-Name]!” Bokuto shouted, grabbing your hands in his large ones, “I’m so-so-so sorry! Are you okay?!”
“Y-Yeah,” you nodded, eyes wide as you looked up at his pale face.
Osamu was at your side then, with Atsumu quickly approaching, “you did that on purpose.” Chills ran down your spine at the fury simmering in Osamu’s words, he was practically shaking from it, and you held your breath.
“What? Why the fuck would I do that?”
“I’m sure it was just an accident,” you quickly tried to diffuse the tension, hyper aware of the audience, players, oh god the cameras.
A ball was shoved in front of you, coming in from the left, and your eyes fall onto Atsumu’s side profile as he pressed the ball into Bokuto’s chest, a feral grin on his face. “Crazy accident, let’s be more careful now, alright?” He was smiling, but his eyes held raw anger, a warning.
To Bokuto’s credit, he was able to blink away from the death stares coming from the right and left of him, finding you in the middle, worried. “Are you okay?” He asked, eyes full of concern, and you couldn’t fathom Bokuto doing something like that on purpose.
“Y-Yeah, just surprised,” you cracked a shaky smile, glancing at Osamu, “that was a really great save, by the way!”
He sharply exhaled through his nose, taking a full second between your words and looking at you. The anger faded as he searched your face, checking for injury, “sure you okay?”
“Yeah, please guys, it’s not that big of a deal!”
“Your team’s waitin’ for ya,” Atsumu nodded, hand dropping as Bokuto finally took the ball into his own hands.
Bokuto caught your eye one more time, trying a wobbly smile, and it was only when you returned it and nodded, reassuring him you’re fine, that he jogged back to his side of the court. His setter smacked his head as soon as Bokuto got close enough, and you bit the inside of your cheek, trying to calm your racing heart. Outwardly, you looked recovered from the incident, but your heart was speeding, and your mind jumbled from the quick chaos.
You had to fall back into your manager duties, and the twins reluctantly fell back into their own.
“Are you okay?” You turned to Kita, who’d made a detour to the players corner to check in with you.
The question made you sigh, “yeah, I’m okay, I just wish the boys hadn’t gotten so mad over an accident.” Kita’s large eyes were transfixed on you, his jaw tightening slightly, brows creasing. “What’s with that look?” Kita’s gaze flickered to the court, then back onto you, hesitating. Before you could push on the subject, he softly admitted, “it didn’t look like an accident.”
“What?”
“Don’t be hard on the twins,” he began to make his way to his corner, “I think their reactions were justified.”
What?
Unease filled your chest, and on reflex you looked towards the opposite court. Bokuto was already looking your way, golden hues radiating, transfixed on you. It sent a chill down your spine, and for a brief moment it felt like only you and him in the room, the chaotic noises of the gym muffled into distant noises. You felt his fingers dig into your flesh, trailing down your ribs to your hips, the heat of his body against your skin. In the muffled noises, a faint clicking, blending in with hum of faded sound.
“MINE.”
You jumped, audibly gasping as the very real voice growled into your ear, stumbling back a step so that the back of your knees hit the bench, causing you to fall onto the bench, rear landing on the metal with a thump. Your body tightened, arms recoiled into your chest as you frantically looked around; a whistle blew, starting the game, the stands cheered, the sound of sneakers against the floor-normal. All normal.
Endo gave you a curious look, brows creased inn silent concern, and you let out a wobbly laugh while waving him off, “I didn’t realize I was so close to the bench!”
He bought your quick excuse with a muffled chuckle, “I hope you’re okay.”
“I am,” you assured, turning as you expelled another lie, your shaky hands clasping on your lap.
What was that?
Not a single soul looked frazzled, at least not because they heard a deep, guttural shout. Bokuto suddenly spiked, getting the first point; as cheers erupted, your attention finally landed to the game. What was happening?
Your breathing slowly regulated as nothing more came from it, the game continuing as normal. The game was beginning to feel like ping pong, going back and forth, rallies long, and each side took turns winning.
It was a long first set, and the team was playing well. You were losing, but you think part of the intensity from Inarizaki comes from their anger on your behalf, which is only confirmed as the first set is over, a couple players checking in with you as they come in for the huddle. You assured them all you’re fine, the stray ball the least of your worries. Hearing imaginary voices is a bit of a larger priority.
Occasionally you’d notice Bokuto looking your way after a good hit, and you pretended not to notice, every single time. Eventually you stopped looking his way. Normally you’d appraise any amazing play, but this case felt cautious, and you weren’t about to add more fuel to the fire. It wasn’t until the second set was nearly done, and Inarizaki looked like they were going to take the second set, that you remembered what Kita had said.
Could Bokuto really have done that on purpose?
You’d be surprised… but it’s not like you know the guy. He’s a stranger; you’ve only talked a handful of times.
Who knows what he’s actually like?
As movement caught your eye, you realized something. You could always re-watch the warm ups; maybe they caught the moment?
The third and final set was intense. Everyone was going all out, and because the twins had given it their all from the beginning, they were tired. As soon as Kita was subbed in, you mentally cheered harder; you were always ecstatic when the captain was given a chance on the court! He rooted the team to the ground, reminded them of their basics, and led by example. He saved a lot of Bokuto’s hits, which made you want to scream for him (sometimes you wished you could be in the stands cheering), and it got to the ace. While Atusmu was the lead throughout the game, and the starting 6 were what brought them to the final set, Kita’s reliability is what clenched the win.
Inarizaki won!
You stood up, audibly cheering as the ref blew the whistle, clapping as you jumped up and down. The boys ran to each other, high-fiving, hugging, cheering. You waited patiently by the side, grinning as you waited for them to run to you. Eventually, they did, and you accepted Atusmu’s hug with open arms, laughing as he lifted you off your feet, spinning you side to side so your legs dangled.
When he set you down, others gave you high-fives, Osamu gave you a side hug, patting your back twice. It wasn’t until the boys got ready to line up and bow to the audience, that you finally looked towards Fukurodani.
Bokuto looked like he completely deflated, a little puppy with his tail between his legs. His shoulders rose and fell, still panting from the round. You just missed his glance in your direction, face torn with disappointment. A scowl was quick to replace it. Akaashi pat his shoulder as he walked by, frowning at his friend, who was feeling the full ache of defeat.
You also missed the smug look Atsumu threw Bokuto’s way. Unlike you, Bokuto did see it; his muscles tightened even more, body stiff as his fingers curled into fists, glaring in response.
Osamu was at your side the entire time, his hand on your back, a content smile on his face as you leaned against him, giving him another side hug.
“We made it to the finals!” you cheered, earning grins as your team slowly began to walk away from the court, everyone else in the building forgotten on your mind.
“Let’s go to the lounge,” Kurosu cheered, “I’ll buy a treat for the team!”
A whoop of cheers rang out, and Endo-sensei must have heard the humour in it, quickly adding, “non-alcoholic for the minors.”
“Awh man!”
The coach gave everyone enough time to shower and change before meeting downstairs in the lounge. By the time all the guys and you arrived, they had already ordered food for the group; yakitori, hokke, and tamagoyaki, along with some pickled veggies and rice. Three bowls of edamame were already sitting there, and some of the quicker players cracked into it before you’d even arrived.
They let you order a drink each, and you choose a mocktail to fit the scene. Akagi and Kosaku ordered non-alcoholic beer, which made you giggle, and you watched as they snagged a selfie together, holding them up proudly. You sat between the twins, sitting comfortably as you all talked about the game, going over the good moments, or some of the funny blunders.
The food was nearly done by the time you stood and left the table to use the bathroom, and Atsumu watched you until you disappeared into a hallway.
“Thanks for the advice,” the door to the men’s bathroom was open, and you stopped walking as someone stepped out, their head turned to someone else within the bathroom. Your body tensed for a very brief moment, a flighty feeling jolting through your bones, and you almost turned around to leave, before realizing that didn’t make sense.
Kuroo faced forward then, blinking in surprise as he looked down at you, the door shutting behind him with a heavy thud. “Oh,” Kuroo flinched back, eyes wide as he searched your face, and as if just recognizing you his shoulders relaxed, “what’re you doing here?”
You almost pointed down the hall, about to say ‘bathroom’, before you realized he probably meant the lounge in general. “Our game ended, so we’re celebrating!”
His grin widened a fraction more, “you beat Bokuto?” you nodded, “nice job, sorry I missed it.”
“That’s okay,” you shook your head. At a loss for what else to say, and Kuroo standing in your way, you blurted out, “I’m sorry you lost.”
Yikes.
Luckily, Kuroo just chuckled, and although it sounded a little heavy, he didn’t seem offended, “it happens, we played to the best of our ability. You guys are in the finals then,” you smiled and nodded, “maybe I’ll stay around to watch.”
This made you tilt your head, “aren’t you staying until Christmas?”
He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, “the hotel’s offering a refund for the rest of the paid days, if anyone wants to leave early. The storm’s picking up, so people might have to stay even longer if the storm lasts a while.” That made you frown, the thought of staying away from home for that long made you feel uneasy. “A few teams already agreed, I saw Date Tech and Ubugawa leave already, my teams talking about it right now.”
“Are you guys in the lounge too?” The lounge was big enough that you wouldn’t see them if they were at a table on the other side.
“Yep, but we’re about to leave.”
“Well,” you swayed side to side, really having to use the bathroom now, “if you guys decide to stay, I’ll see you later!” Kuroo looked like he was about to say something more, a seriousness entering his eyes for a moment before his lips pressed into a thin smile.
“Yeah, see you later.” He glanced back towards the men’s bathroom once more before stepping to the side, allowing you to pass, and you quietly thanked him as you hurried along.
Much to everyone’s dismay, their parents didn’t make it to the hotel by the time their reservation came around. Osamu was very pleased to know that they were in fact still going, as their parents called to put their credit card on file.
The restaurant was certainly fancy, and you were immensely grateful you were warned beforehand about the dinner, because you would have felt humiliated in your athletic wear. Everyone around you was dressed nicely; heels, dresses, suits, ties, the works.
You hadn’t ever seen Atsumu or Osamu dressed up like this, but your surely wanted more of it in the future. They both wore matching black dress pants. Atsumu wore a white button up with a black and red rose-patterned tie. Osamu wore a thin, tan sweater with a button up underneath, the white-collar peaking over his crewneck. Atsumu had a business-man hotness to him, while Osamu portrayed soft romance; it suited the two well and granted the two boys attention ever since they left the elevators. Luckily for you, their fangirls at school made your skin thick, so the extra looks hardly phased you.
“Oh my god,” Osamu whispered to himself, and you hardly heard the words, “sage brown butter gnocchi.”
“What’s that?”
“Not Japanese, that’s for sure,” Atsumu hummed, scanning the paper menu. Osamu would mumble random dishes, and you grinned as an excited flush appeared on his cheeks. To start, the table came with house-made bread and a whipped honey butter, and the three of you decided to share calamari, none of you having tried it before.
In the end, Atsumu got wagyu beef, Osamu got a fancy salmon dish, and you got something that looked delicious, but not too expensive. You couldn’t fathom choosing a super expensive dish while someone else was paying, despite the twins reassuring you their parents were okay with it.
“If ya think ‘bout it,” Atsumu reasoned, “they’re savin’ money by not coming, so..”
“Sure, that makes sense,” you nodded, ignoring the look the brothers shared, obviously not believing your polite agreeance. Atsumu tilted his head, giving you a very much dad look, and you exhale a laugh as you add, “I’m gonna choose something that looks good, don’t worry!”
“Alright, ya better.”
The appetizers were amazing.
The food was amazing.
But most importantly, the twins were being great, lovely, normal. There was bickering, there was civil moments, they talked about the games, checked in online with who was still playing in the tournament, and normal ‘Atsumu being cute with you while Osamu was disgusted’. The normalcy of it made your anxieties slowly ebb away.
Until you saw Ushijima.
He was sat with an older man, his father, maybe?
He sat facing you, across the restaurant, and every so often you’d catch his eye. It wasn’t clear why the ace had begun taking interest in you, and between the twins, the weird moments with Bokuto, and your nightmares, you hadn’t given your interaction with him much thought. But being sat within eye view, it was hard to ignore, and your previous conversation came to mind. The entire dinner had been just that; eye contact, nothing more.
Until the twins both went to the bathroom.
Like clockwork, Ushijima stood up, wiping his mouth with a cream-coloured cloth, before leaving the table. You hoped he would follow the twins to the bathroom instead, but as soon as those olive hues met yours, you knew it was you he was walking to.
“Hello,” he curtly nodded, “[Last], right?”
You timidly nodded, knees pressing together under the table as you tried not to fidget, “yeah, and you’re Ushijima Wakatoshi.” He nodded, and you saw his pupils flicker to Atsumu’s empty chair, making you wonder if he was going to ask-
“May I sit for a moment?”
“oh- uhm- well my boyfriend-“
“Atsumu Miya.”
“Yeah… yeah he was sitting there.”
“Right,” Ushijima suddenly sat, his expression blank, and you blinked at him, trying to guess if he was being an ass, or truly didn’t understand social cues. “I wanted to apologize for before, if I made you uncomfortable with my questions.”
“Oh,” your shoulders relaxed slightly, “well, thank you for that, it was a bit odd… Can I ask why you even asked that?” He shifted in the seat, his intense gaze suddenly dropping down to the table, then looking off to the side. It rose your brows. Ushijima looked almost.. embarrassed?
“I don’t know,” you deflated at the words, expecting something more after his dramatic pause. The words felt sincere, at least, and it was leading you to the ‘Ushijima seems bad at feelings’ option instead. “He seems to like you a lot,” Ushijima quietly added, finding the courage to meet your gaze once again, “so I was wondering if you joined to be closer to him.”
You politely nodded, still not totally understanding Ushijima’s intention, but you didn’t comment. Now that you weren’t cornered, his words lacked the condescending tone you’d imagined before, and you believed him when he said he was just confused.
You shrugged, “maybe you’re just wanting a relationship.” His body tensed at the words, but because Ushijima was the one to rudely interrupt you at this restaurant, you decided you didn’t care to filter your thoughts out. Part of you was just curious as to how he’d react.
Ushijima seemed to be pondering over your words when his gaze lowered, a faraway look to them; then, they narrowed, zeroing onto something.
“Did he do that to you?” frowning, you followed his gaze to your arm, which was laid out on the table between you two. It took a second for your brain to catch up, but you spotted the reason for Ushijima’s sudden hostility, the reason blooming in dark purple marks, taking the shape of fingerprints along your forearm.
“Oh my god,” you pulled your arm into your chest, frowning at the mystery marks. Was that you? Did someone grab you during practice? No… What the fuck?
“What’s going on here?”
Broken from your shock, you looked up expecting to see Atsumu based on the defensive tone, but it wasn’t.
Oikawa wanted to die. His fingers scrubbed his face as he walked in the hallway alongside Iwaizumi, groaning. Iwaizumi had an annoyingly smug grin on his ugly face, and Oikawa didn’t hide his distaste to the way his best friend was treating the situation.
“It’s your fault for being a cocky jerk,” he mused, stuffing his hands as looked forward, as if not caring about Oikawa’s reaction to those words.
“I shouldn’t have said it,” he sulked, stopping as he gripped his hair, “why, why, why?! UGH, IWA-CHAN!” he sunk to his knees, groaning as the words repeated in his head.
“Watch me.” WATCH ME LOSE IS MORE LIKE IT- “Iwaaaah!”
“Ssssh you idiot!” he snapped, tan cheeks turning pink as he stared at the hostess. Oikawa decided to have his meltdown in front of a fancy restaurant, and people were beginning to stare. Iwaizumi harshly grabbed Oikawa’s bicep in an attempt to pull him back to his feet, “look we’re in front of a fancy restaurant!” Iwaizumi pointed to the wall of purple tinted glass beside them, where tables of people dressed in nice outfits sat. A couple tables were looking their way.
Iwaizumi wanted to die.
Oikawa grew quiet, staring at the glass, and Iwaizumi thought he’d gotten through to the setter, when Oikawa suddenly pointed at the restaurant, “what am I witnessing right now?!” He was at the glass wall in an instant, making an older couple on the other side flinch, but Oikawa didn’t notice with his attention locked on someone further in.
You were sitting at a round table… With Ushijima.
“Are they on a date right now?!”
“What? Who?” With a red face, Iwa joined Oikawa’s side, squinting as he peered in. He noticed you a second later, watching you as Ushijima sat down. Oikawa’s nose pressed against the glass, watching the interaction. “Are you kidding me, c’mon, you look like a creep! Let’s go.”
“Is he… hitting on her?!”
“It doesn’t matter. Isn’t she dating her setter already?”
“Who cares! That ugly oaf clearly doesn’t.”
Iwaizumi silently apologized to the couple sitting nearby, who were now looking up with narrowed, judgemental eyes, “let’s go!”
Oikawa moved just as Iwaizumi reached for him, and the hitter watched in horror as Oikawa walked inside the restaurant, storming towards your table. As he got close to your table, Oikawa had a foggy thought that his actions were absurd, but the reality of his actions were batted away by a voice that reasoned, [Name] likes you too, you can feel it. Win her over.
“What’s going on here?” The question rolled off his tongue without hesitation as he stood behind you, hands on his hips as if he’d just caught his girlfriend talking to his enemy. In reality, he’d seen a random girl talking to.. Well, his enemy.
“Why’re you here?” He asked, leaning forward at the hips, glaring at Ushijima, who stared on with a blank look.
“I’m talking to [Last],” he simply stated, making Oikawa’s scowl deepen.
“What could you possibly have to talk about?”
Ushijima’s chin lifted slightly, “that doesn’t concern you, Oikawa. Why are you here?”
You, who still had two feet in reality, saw the situation for what it was; insane. “Actually,” your voice came out too high-pitched, “why’re either of you here?” They both looked down at you, sporting their own versions of disapproving stares.
“Are you on a date right now?”
This spun you around inn your chair, “what? No!”
“She’s already dating,” Ushijima stated, blunt as if Oikawa was stupid for assuming that, causing the setter to grind his teeth.
“I’m dating Tsumu,” you sputtered, “how could this be a date?! Oikawa, what’re-“
“We’re talking,” Ushijima cut you off, causing you to turn and look at him now, “you rudely interrupted.” It was a subtle shift, a minor narrowing of his eyes, slight downturn of his lips, but Ushijima suddenly looked… annoyed? Displeased. As if he hadn’t also interrupted your evening.
“I leave for one second, an’ the wolves come out.”
Your breath hitched in your throat, turning to see Atsumu looming over the table. Osamu was speeding closer, not too far behind him. For a moment you felt frozen. Your eyes were wide as you looked up at him, voice frozen as a claw of fear curled around your neck. The fear couldn’t be described, and you weren’t even sure why you suddenly felt terrified, Atsumu finding you like this- because you knew it wasn’t your fault. But it didn’t matter. Atsumu wouldn’t care. Deep down you felt this.
Ushijima and Oikawa saw the tremor in your hands, which you quickly clasped on your lap as you whispered, “Atsumu!” Their gazes briefly met each other’s, before darkly turning to the twins.
Atsumu’s eyes trailed down your body, taking every inch of you in, before meeting Ushijima, who sat in his spot. “Why’re you in my spot?” A joyless smile pulled at his lips, never reaching his eyes, “need help gettin’ up?”
The chair groaned as Ushijima stood, towering over Atsumu; a faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he looked down at your boyfriend, who continued to keep his lifeless smile. “Are you hurting [Name]?” His tone was quiet, but loud enough for the four of you to hear. Oikawa’s hand gripped the back of your chair, stepping up to your side while his eyes held Osamu’s glare.
Atsumu’s eyes widened at the accusation, “what the fuck?” you were rooted to your chair, breathless at the accusation, “where the hell’d you’d get an idea like that?”
“What the hell?” A deep voice murmured, and you were hardly aware of Iwaizumi now joining Oikawa’s side, too tunnel-visioned at Ushijima’s accusation.
“H-He’s never-“ your words died in your throat, meek and pitiful, and dead because the night with the elevator popped into your mind, fresh and raw and making your skin crawl all over again. You weren’t sure if the others noticed this blunder, but Atsumu did.
For a very brief moment, shame panged his eyes, probably thinking of the same night.
“Is there a problem here?” A new voice spoke up, and all of you turned to face a middle-aged man dressed in black clothing, a gold name pin on his chest labelled ‘manager’.
“Wakatoshi?” the tall ace turned at his father’s voice, just now noticing that he’d left their table to come over to him. “Is everything alright here?” Ushijima glanced back at you, and you subtly shook your head, screaming please go away!
“Yes,” he said after a moment of pause, “I was just saying hi to [Name].”
“Oh,” his father smiled at you now, “it’s nice to meet a friend of my sons.”
“Right,” you slightly bowed your head in response, “it’s nice to meet you too, Ushijima-san.”
“No need for honorifics!” he waved you off with a kind smile, “well, shall we, Wakatoshi?” While his face remained kind, you saw the way he stiffly nodded at his son, motioning for them to return to their table; the slight stiffness in the movement led you to believe his father wasn’t oblivious to the tension between you all.
“I assume everything is resolved?” the manager asked, voice tight with warning, and Iwaizumi tugged at Oikawa’s arm.
“Yes sir, I’m sorry for any inconvenience we’ve made,” the boy bowed, pushing on Oikawa’s head, and the setter was slow to mimic him.
“Yes, sorry, everything is fine,” the word grinded between his teeth, but the manager rigidly accepted it.
The three of you watched as the two were quick to leave, but not before Oikawa glanced over his shoulder, his gaze meeting yours. His eyes widened, and you weren’t certain what he’d seen within your gaze, but the look he made left you thinking he’d try to find you again later.
“Are you okay?” Osamu asked as soon as the manager left, his hand falling to your knee under the table, and you tried to breathe.
“What was that about?” Atsumu’s voice wasn’t as concerned, and the anger simmering behind it made your chest clench.
“I-“ your voice hitched, and Osamu squeezed your knee, “I have no idea.”
“Jesus,” Atsumu sighed, scooting his chair closer to the table, “we left ya alone for one fuckin’ second.”
“It’s not her fault,” Osamu snapped, “don’t be a dick, Tsumu.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, shut up, Samu. I’m just pissed.”
“Well don’t blame ‘er.”
“I’m not!”
“Can you be quiet?” you finally found your voice, reaching forward to grab both of their hands. Your cheeks were dark, aware of the eyes looking towards your table from the others in the restaurant who’d witnessed the entire scene.
The twins took in the space around them, finally noticing how much attention you’d all gathered, and thankfully quieted down. “Thank you,” you dryly swallowed, knowing you’d have to give them the bizarre play by play, “okay, this is what happened…”
Chapter Text
“Come back to beeeed,” Bokuto whined from the mattress, but you continued to walk towards the bathroom, his large shirt thrown over your body.
“In a second!”
“I need you….”
You giggled, “wait!”
As you step inside the room adjacent to your bedroom, only a small part of your brain realized that it’s different. The bathroom was long, longer than you remembered, and it was larger, containing an older bathtub rather than a shower, and two sinks and mirrors rather than one. The lights dimmed as you walked to the sink, feeling the need to rinse your face. Your skin was covered in sweat and saliva, little pink marks along your skin from Bokuto. You closed your eyes as you began to rinse your face, scrubbing it with the warm water, blindly reaching for a face cloth to dry.
Click-click-click-
Your skin prickled as a new sound echoed, sounding far away.
You looked up through the mirror, the lights suddenly dimmer, candle-lit levels now. Shadows danced on the walls behind you as candles suddenly appeared on the counter in front of you, heat emitted as if they’d always been there. But you didn’t care about those, instead staring at the wall behind you.
Dark, red writing, blotchy and swiped as if written by a finger. As if written in someone’s blood.
Click-click-click-
It sounded like it was coming closer, you could hear it moving in the room adjacent to yours, where Bokuto should have been.
Click-click-click.
Panic filled your chest as you spun around, reading the words now that you were facing it correctly, instead of the backwards letters in the mirror.
H E S C O M I N G
Footsteps suddenly thunder as they raced towards the bathroom and you screamed, backing up to the farthest corner of the room.
“[Name]!” A deep, guttural voice called out, and you knew it was no longer Bokuto, despite it almost sounding like him. “Let me in!”
Dread filled your stomach, and you instinctively knew that was the one thing you couldn’t do.
THUMP!
You screamed, a heavy fist hitting the door.
THUMP! THUMP!
“LET”- THUMP
“ME”- THUMP
“IN!”
“GO AWAY!” you screamed, just as the door fractured, splintering as fragments of the upper door caved in, revealing darkness on the other side. All was quiet for a moment, and all you felt was your heart beating inside your chest, and the heavy fear that rooted you to the spot. A crunching noise echoed within the darkness. As if sensing the doom, tears fell from your eyes, your body knowing there was nothing you could do. You’re trapped.
Long, pale fingers reached through the hole, dark sharp nails at the end, easily carving into the wood as they curled against it. With a harsh tug, the wood splintered back, more of the door caving into the darkness, the hole growing.
Silence, only broken by your sobs.
You knew it could see you, whatever was lurking there. It knew you were there.
A pale, human hand reached, the nails short and kept now.
It didn’t match the voice that followed.
“[Naaammeee]~” your name was sung in a broken voice, and you sobbed again, “come here, my love.” You furiously shook your head, holding your own hands into your chest for comfort, knowing there was no way for you to survive. There couldn’t be, how can you run from a demon? Instinctively you knew there was no way that whatever lurked on the other side of the door was human.
“[Name].” A command, a warning.
You refused to get close.
A low, guttural growl, before cracking echoed, the bones in the hand shifting, stretching into the horror you’d seen before, nails once again reaching for you. You screamed as the door was torn apart, and your eyelids screwed shut as you pushed into the corner of the room, hearing the awful sound of running footsteps approaching you. Hands grabbed onto your arms, tearing you forward, and you screamed-
“Mrff- [Name]? [Name]!” A whispered voice filled the darkness as you gasped, instinctively shoving against the arms around you, earning a low groan as you made contact with skin.
“[Name]! It’s ok- ‘ar awake! [Name],” hands gripped your biceps, holding you still, and you fought against it until the familiar, soothing tone registered in your mind.
“Samu?”
“Yeah! Yeah, it’s me.” You heaved a heavy sigh, body relaxing against his, your breathing slow to match his own casual pace. Awake. Nightmare. You’re okay. The darkness made you nervous, but slowly your eyes adjusted, and you remembered where you were, and that Osamu had offered to stay the night again.
Except, when you’d fallen asleep, he’d been in his own bed. Now, he shared yours, tucked under the same blanket, his limbs tangled with yours.
“What’re you doing here?” You murmured, voice still thick with sleep despite the adrenaline that made you feel alert.
“You asked me to?” He whispered back, and this made you pause, “you don’t ‘member?” he sounded just as groggy as you. More awake now, your brain was reacting a little more quickly, and you realized Osamu had probably woken to your shouting and hitting.. It must have scared the hell out of him.
“No, I don’t… sorry.”
“m’kay,” he murmured, thumb slowly rubbing your elbow, you still tucked inside his arms, “want me to leave now?”
Yes. No.
Yes, he should go, it wasn’t right. Sharing a bed is crossing a line; cuddling is even worse. But no, you didn’t want to be alone. God you never want to be alone again, how will you ever sleep alone again after that awful, awful nightmare? Your bones ached like you had a fever, and in the back of your mind you could still hear the cracking of bones, your own, or the demons, you didn’t know.
“You can… stay…” guilt burned in your chest, but the fear was stronger, holding onto the back of your shoulders like a ghost; you weren’t sure if that feeling was phantom anymore, or if there really was one gripping onto your soul.
Dramatic? Maybe. But the feeling of being watched didn’t fade with the nightmare, and now you felt it prickle the back of your neck, impending doom heavy on your chest.
Just like Osamu’s muscled arm; something you hadn’t been overly aware of until now. He tightened his grip around you, tugging you closer, and you closed your eyes as his scent surrounded you, bringing some comfort with it. You pretended not to notice the way he inhaled your hair, his face tucking against your head. Pretended not to hear the small, satisfied hum that followed. You just closed your eyes and let him hold you.
Safe.
When you woke up a second time, Osamu was gone, but his scent wasn’t, which was the only evidence he was there at all. You rolled to your side, sighing as you reached for your charging phone, ripping it off the cord.
You had enough time to scroll through your social media, then shower and get dressed, all right before it was time for breakfast. The shower took the longest. Part of you almost asked Atsumu to come wait outside the room, feeling panic rise in your chest as you entered the bathroom for the first time since your nightmare. But you’re a big girl, so you showered with the lights on, door locked, and your phone playing a show you’re watching, full volume.
When you got out, smearing the steam on the window, you froze. Stopped breathing, as your brain processed what you saw. Thin, red lines across your upper arms, scratches that just broke the skin. Four of them on each side. The lines so narrow that they must have come from something sharp and pointed, not quite thick enough to be fingernails.
Perhaps thin enough to be claws.
Tears formed as you stared at them in disbelief, unable to accept that they’re there. They can’t be, can they? You numbly trace one line with the tip of a finger, and wince, a sharp stinging under the pressure, causing you quickly withdraw your finger.
They’re real.
But how?
You’d woken up with guilt, remembering how Osamu, Atsumu’s brother, held you during the night… But as you stood there, staring at marks that were phantom in your dreams, you find yourself wondering how the hell you’ll sleep without those cuddles.
You wouldn’t, couldn’t.
Is this fucking real?
Did I do this in my sleep?
The thought repeated in your head as you continued to get ready, the day continuing to pass despite your mind being stuck. Focused on your nightmares, the stories you’d found in your research, on Bokuto.
A thought much worse would tempt to cross your mind, but it’s so unlikely that you shove it away, unwilling to truly consider it. Because those scratches can’t be from Osamu, right? No.
Nope.
But then, what? As soon as you consider Osamu being the worse option, the vile demon from your nightmare comes forth, and you quickly decide that no, Osamu is not the worst case.
Your head was spinning out of control, body on autopilot as you joined your team for breakfast in the main hall.
The brothers were quiet, sitting on either side of you, heads low as they focus on their food, or you; nothing else seems to pass their barriers, and their teammates get the simplest replies when they’re spoken to. Both Endo and Kurosu watch the three of you with heavy skepticism, sharing worried looks as they eat their food, silently choosing to ignore the tension.
You don’t realize how odd their behaviour is.
You missed how when you first sat down, Atsumu glared at Riseki as he nearly stole the spot beside you, forcing the first year to scurry away.
You missed how Osamu’s hand falls on top of your thigh under the table, thumb rubbing small circles in silent comfort, hidden from view of your boyfriend.
You don’t miss Bokuto. He just happened to sit diagonal from you, facing your direction, and despite the good amount of distance between your tables, you can make out his bright golden irises. And the dark circles under his eyes. Ones that match your own. You once again get the ridiculous thought that maybe.. just maybe… Bokuto is having the same nightmares as you?
The thought makes you shudder. From your point of view within your dreams, Bokuto always turns into… whatever is haunting you… So, if you were having the same dreams, what would be his perspective?
Or what if it’s reversed?
What if you’re the demon in his nightmares?
You shook your head, I’m going crazy, of course he isn’t having the same dreams as me.
Trying once again to get rid of the fog that covered your mind, you smile and tune into the conversations around you, trying to blend in. It works well enough and gets you through breakfast. As you stood up to return your tray, Atsumu suddenly grabs it from your hand, passing it into Osamu’s hands before taking your own in his.
“Put this away, will ya?” He chirps to Osamu while his eyes remain on you. You go still, eyes widening as you glance at the twin, expecting him to blow up. To your surprise he just nods.
“Sure.”
You caught Kita’s eye, who happened to overhear the entire conversation, and watched him frown. You’re pretty sure the two of you agree that seeing the brothers be so civil is… odd. Especially after Atusmu ordered Osamu around like that; normally that would warrant a loud fight, potentially even a physical altercation.
A vibration from your pocket pulled your attention away from them, and you pulled it out as the team started to get up from the table, cleaning up.
9:32am
[Suga]: Hey! Do you have time to hang out this morning? I want to show you something in private.
Your brow raised, and you scanned the large room for your friend, searching for either him or his team. But Karasuno isn’t in the room.
“Who’re you lookin’ for?” Atsumu’s behind you, and you quickly clicked your phone off, blanking the screen as you stuffed it back into your pocket.
“Suga,” you admitted, “but I don’t see Karasuno.”
He hums disinterestedly, not bothering to offer a reply. Instead, he put his arm around you, trying to maneuver you away, “wait a second,” Kurosu calls out, “before you all leave I want to say something.” Everyone listens immediately, heads turning back towards the coach.
“I want all of you to meet in the lobby at noon. Our game is at 1:00pm today, which means you need to eat before 12:00pm, I don’t want you to play on full stomachs, remember to keep it light. When we meet up, make sure you’re wearing your home jerseys, and arrive ready to play.”
“Also,” Endo added in as the coach finished, “we were informed this morning that the storm we were warned about has gotten extremely close to the mountain. From now on, you’re no longer allowed outside for safety concerns. I also recommend that you reach out to your families sooner than later because the service is most likely going to cut out once the storm hits.” You exchanged glances with your team, everyone wearing the same concerned expression. “You’re dismissed,” he concluded, making sure to make eye contact with each and every one of you before you left.
“We should call them,” Osamu joined your other side as you all began to leave the food hall.
“Yeah,” Atsumu agreed, not bothering to look over your head to his twin, his attention instead on the people around you all. The boys walked on either side of you, scanning around as if they were looking for someone, their expressions somber. Like two guard dogs. There’s a tension that hung over the three of you, and it had been there since the night before, after the restaurant incident.
Once Ushijima, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had left your table, the twins allowed you to explain what had happened, and you did, telling the entire honest, truth, line by line. The twins accepted your words, said they believed you, and cursed Oikawa and Ushijima out once you were done. You had thought that would be the end of it… And technically it was, but the tension remained, a seriousness that stayed in their expressions. Atsumu looked like he was in waiting, for what, you had no idea.
A part of you feared he was looking for one of the captains, holding back so he could yell at them in person. That’d be worst case.
“Are you gonna call your parents?” Atsumu turned to look at you as you all reach the main lobby of the hotel.
“Yeah,” you glanced around, “I think I’m going to find a spot here to call them, I’m going to try to call Squid too.”
He rolled his eyes, and for the first time all morning, you caught him smiling, “that’s gonna take a while. Maybe I’ll just meet up with you later.”
“We can call our parents then meet you at the hot tubs?” Osamu offered, making your brows rise. You had expected them to want to stay by your side, as they had since the restaurant. You glanced between the brothers as they both gave you their undivided attention, hooded gazes boring into your own, and the tension sent a shiver down your spine.
It felt like two beasts looking at prey, desires barely held back.
A simmering intensity.
“Sure,” you exhale, mind feeling dizzy under the pressure, “sounds good.”
Atsumu blinked, and the tension melts as he smirked, “is an hour good enough?” He jokes, and you crack your own smile.
“Sounds perfect.”
“Great,” he pats your head, messing it up, and grins as you whine and swat his hand away. “Don’t keep us waiting too long.”
Us.
Since when is there an ‘us’?
“We’ll meet you in there,” Osamu agrees, patting your lower back before he and Atsumu fall into step, heading in the direction of the elevators.
They don’t look back once as they leave you alone, and that fact alone made you feel unsettled. You felt grateful for the space, but it also felt… too abrupt? Like this was a test of some sorts.
You shake the gnawing feeling away, unable to deal with that. As you walked away to find a quiet spot to call home, you realize your mistake; the scratches.
If you wear a bathing suit they’ll see it.
Your heart clenched at the thought, because what exactly could you say in reply?
Oh, reply. Right, Suga.
You quickly got your phone out, pausing in your random spot in the lobby.
9:39am
[Name]: Sure! When?
He responded immediately.
[Suga]: Are you free now?
You feel eyes on you. You paused, glancing around for a familiar face, maybe even Suga’s, but you don’t recognize anyone nearby.
[Name]: ok! Where should I meet you?
[Suga]: Second floor, take a left when you leave the elevator, and go all the way to the end of the hallway
You followed his instructions, careful to do what it says, all while wondering what it is that Suga could want to show you. The second floor has a lot of chatter, you realize, as soon as the doors open. You don’t see anyone immediately, but groups of voices are heard, even some children’s voices can be heard; it wasn’t until that moment that you even realized their absence. There’s was a lot more families on that level. Even the main hallway felt family orientated, brighter colours and paper trees and snowmen stuck to the walls.
You smiled as you passed a younger family, the little girl grinning up at you as she holds her mother’s hand, legs wobbly as she does her best to walk.
Is Karasuno on this floor, you wonder, snickering a little at the thought of them being stuck on one of the only floors with crying children. That truly would be their luck. But you didn’t see anyone from the team as you walked to the area Suga asked you to go to. You don’t see anyone from the tournament, actually.
Just as your curiosity grew, you spotted a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway. They look old, ancient carved wood with gold trimmings on the designed etched within the wood. If you had to guess, the doors were a part of the original building. You carefully tugged on the golden handle, the door creaking as you do, and you stand and blink as you looked through the doorway. It opened up to a library.
The sides of bookshelves greeted you, and just past them you saw a smooth wooden railing, overlooking the floor below. The smell of old books immediately hits you, and the feeling brings an immense sense of comfort. You’re smiling as you go in, quiet as you begin to wander the upper floor of the library.
It doesn’t take you long to find Suga; he’s sitting in a corner on a leather chair, an empty one across from him. “This brings me back,” you softly chime, grinning as you take the empty seat.
His cheeks warm, “I thought it might, it’s been a while since we were in a library together.”
“If only you still have the-“ your words stop as Suga reaches into his pocket, pulling out a package of chocolate pocky. He rips it open and offers one with a grin, “it’s like no time at all!” You reach across the short distance between your chairs and take one of the offered sticks, biting it immediately.
In middle school you and Suga always studied in the library together; he’s the main reason you ended up passing math. If he hadn’t given so much time to tutor you, you’re certain you would have failed. And on the longer days, Suga would always bring a treat, sometimes small cookies or candy, but most often it was chocolate pocky. “I should have brought my notes,” you teased, “it really could have been like old times.”
He laughed at that, “I’d rather just hang out if I’m being honest.. unless you need help again?” You waved him off immediately, “I’m actually good at math now! I know, you wouldn’t believe it from before,” you joked, seeing his raised-brow expression. “You’ve been my one and only tutor so far! I really pulled it together after you graduated.”
His cheeks pinkened at the words, “I’m proud of how far you’ve come, my student,” he reached forward, and you let him pat the top of your head, eyes narrowed at his smug smile. “But I didn’t ask you to come here to study,” he leaned away from you, reaching for something at the far side of his chair, and you watched with bated breath as he pulls a small, square-shaped gift out. “Here,” he smiled as his eyes searched your flushed face, “I wanted to give you your Christmas gift.”
You’d completely forgotten that he said he had brought you one.
“Oh, Suga!” You gently took it in your hands, admiring the careful wrapping around the box within.
“Open it,” he gently offers, and with his permission, you do.
“Wait,” you blink down at the gift, “wait, how’d you know?” His smile widens, “Suga!” You whined, “okay, okay, seriously! Firstly, this is way too much, and secondly, how’d you know my smart watch broke?!”
Suga laughs, and the gentle melody makes your heart flutter, “you told me a while ago, I’m just lucky that you didn’t already replace it, and don’t worry about the price. If I’m being honest, the watch is second-hand, so I didn’t pay full price for it.”
You exhale, “okay that’s a relief, because full price is like.. $300! And that would have been waaaay too much for me to accept!”
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t nearly that much.” That brought a bit of relief to your soul.
“Thank you!” And to think, all you had gotten Suga was a new sweater! Once again, he proves that he’s the master gift-giver. He’s always bested everyone at giving gifts; he pays attention to his friends to the tiniest detail, and always brings that information forward for events and birthdays. “I’ll give you your gift after Christmas,” you promised, “you said you were going to be home for the holidays, right?”
“I will be,” he grins, and you watched as he carefully took the watch out of the box to put on your wrist. Examining it over, the watch truly looked new, and if it wasn’t in a different box from the store, you would have thought Suga was lying just to avoid making you feel bad.
“I love it,” you admire, and the two of you sit there as Suga assists in setting it up for you. He even downloaded helpful apps, so syncing it to your phone was really the only thing that took a while.
“Here, look!” Suga shows you his phone screen and you watched as he sent you a text… Only for it to be declined. You both frown, and he tries again.
No service.
“I wonder if the storm finally hit us?” Suga stands up, craning his neck to see past a bookcase, and sighed as he spotted the window.
“You’re right, it’s a blizzard out there.”
“Really?” Despite having an idea, curiosity gets the better of you, and you join Suga at the shelf to see outside; what should have been a beautiful view of mountains was instead pure white, the occasionally glimpse of grey to inform your brain that what you were seeing is billions of snowflakes, the sun overtaken by the storm. “Oh wow…” The two of you admire the furious winds for a quiet moment before you realize how long it’s been. “Oh, shoot, I should probably meet the twins now.”
You don’t see the way Suga’s smile drops. He watched you pick the gift wrapper up and was about to stop you from leaving when he suddenly felt a little bold.
“You don’t look that happy.” You go still from his words, “I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but… Is everything alright?”
Your lips press into a thin line, doing your best to not frown from the awkwardness of it, but your chest squeezed at his words. There’s just something about Suga… There’s always been something about him that makes you just feel… seen. You hold your tongue, trying not to make a big deal of it, but as soon as someone you trust, someone you care about called you out… Well, it just made you feel validated. Like someone could see you, see the weight placed upon your chest. “Is Atsumu… treating you alright?”
You immediately think of the elevator.
It was a one-time thing. It’s never happened before and never happened since, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t still weigh on your chest. Even if you told your boyfriend you forgave him. The silence felt like answer enough; you saw on Suga’s face that he assumed the worse in your hesitation to reply.
“We’re still fighting, I guess,” you admitted, “okay well not fighting-fighting, but it feels weird. He feels weird.”
Suga is careful as he asks, “weird, how?”
You bite your tongue, unsure how much to say. It’s not as if you distrust Suga, but it feels somehow odd to speak your mind to him. You don’t understand why that is though. His hand is warm on your back, and as he gently rubbed along your spine, you feel the hesitation ebbing away, feel a little safer with him.
Truly, if you can’t talk to Suga, then who can you talk to?
“He’s been really jealous lately,” you admit, and wait. Suga’s expression gave nothing away. “With everyone, it’s.. it’s honestly beginning to feel a little…” Suga’s face slowly drops, twisting into something a little darker, and it makes you hesitate. All at once you realized why you didn’t want to tell your friends your issue.
It makes it real.
It makes you worry that he might not like Atsumu ever again, and if that’s the case, and you do end up making things work with your boyfriend, then will Suga ever forgive him? Would Squid? Or Daichi, or Asahi?
You clam up, the elevator forever lingering in your mind, along with the gut-twisting fear that came with the thought. You know that you can never tell any of them about what happened.
How would Osamu react?
“He’s just been acting weird,” you try to smooth the tension over, “like he was weird about me wanting to hang out with you guys, and sometimes he’s weird with Osamu.”
“His brother, right?” Suga’s tone was still light.
“Yeah, he gets jealous of me spending time with him… Except today- actually, today he seemed okay with me spending time with Osamu, which is progress!” You trail off, and when Suga gave you a look, you elaborate more of the recent events, how Atsumu gets mad easily, how at school he would start small verbal fights with guys who try to ‘flirt’ with you, or even sets hard ‘boundaries’ with the team.
Suga doesn’t look as happy. “I don’t know, [Name]…” Your body tensed, as if sensing you wouldn’t like to hear Suga’s next words. “A little jealousy is one thing, but this sounds like it’s toxic.”
Those words felt heavy on your chest.
You think about it all the way back to your room, where you decided you’d change into your bathing suit, rather than doing it downstairs in the changeroom. Your limbs feel heavy as you changed, mind swirling over your conversation with Suga. You knew telling him the truth of your problems would probably elicit a poor reaction from your friend, but to actually hear him confirm your concerns yourself, to listen as he tells you to run from this relationship…
It weighs on you.
That’s why you had completely forgotten your previous concern, and it wasn’t until you were about to put clothes over your suit that you remember the entire reason you had hesitated to go down there.
The scratches.
How badly can they be seen while you wear your small suit?
You mentally prepared yourself for the worst as you step into the doorway of the bathroom, ready to face the gashes and bruises that had been appearing on your body.
And as the bathroom light clicks on, you go still. Your eyebrows furrow as you adjust your body, turning, examining, searching.
Only to find nothing.
All of those marks are gone.
“She’s takin’ her sweet time,” Atsumu grumbles right before dipping his chin into the water, sulking.
“Think she’s still comin’?” Osamu sighs, glancing over at the entrance to the women’s change room another time.
“She said she would,” his twin grumbles, his mouth making bubbles on the surface of the warm water, “but she’s been actin’ weird lately so who fuckin’ knows.”
Osamu agrees in silence.
No one else from the team was around, and initially the twins had been relieved to notice that; the last thing they want is to see them fawning all over you again. You, in your wet, tight suit. The one with the thin material that shows your hardened buds in the cool air. With the thin strings that hold the flimsy fabric together, one good tug away from ripping off your body entirely.
No, the last fucking thing Atsumu needed was the other guys having those thoughts. He knows for a fact they see enough of you during practice. You’re gorgeous, he knows everyone is always looking at you, they’d be idiots not to be swayed by your beauty.
Dead idiots.
Atsumu hissed as his brooding turned to glaring, making the younger girls across from him tense and swim away, leaving an awkward gap on the pool across from them.
Sometimes…
All Atsumu wants to do is hide you away. Keep you from the rest of the world, for himself. His precious, precious, princess. Queen.
His.
“I think she’s thinking of leavin’ you.”
Osamu’s words make Atsumu go absolutely still. A whirlwind of emotion swirls in his chest, and all Atsumu could do in the moment was stare at the empty space across from him; he watched as the jet from the hot tub bubbled from the wall, interrupting the calm water around it.
He knows that. Not entirely, but a voice in the back of his head had been shouting that for months. She’s going to leave you. It had been keeping him awake, kept him vigilant with the other guys in your life. Osamu’s words made a spike of hot panic in his chest, angry and gripping his heart. It made him mad.
“Shut up,” the growl came from his chest, eyes dilated as he stared at the empty space in the pool, and the tone kept Osamu’s mouth shut. Atsumu fumed in silence, thinking. Osamu’s head was tilted back and the eyes were closed when Atsumu spoke again, the words spoken so low he almost didn’t hear him.
Almost.
“I’ll never let her leave me.”
Osamu didn’t reply, assuming it didn’t need a response. Besides, he thought his opinion would have been honest. He may not like his brother, but he would never deny their shared connection; it will always linger between them, a curse. But Atsumu will always know how Osamu feels, and vice versa, so he would already understand how Osamu feels.
He can’t lose you either.
He’d do whatever it takes to keep you close.
You feel like you’re in a daze as you walk out of the change room, the cold water from the showers still clinging to your bare body. Your bare body, which no longer holds any marks…Somehow healed itself.
What the fuck.
You would think you were going crazy if Ushijima hadn’t pointed out the bruises the night before. Because those were gone, too.
You stared at your arms as you walked down the tiled floor, still in disbelief, when a pair of feet entered your vision. You quickly glanced up, an apology already leaving your mouth as you processed who you had nearly walked into. “Oh!” A lazy smirk is aimed at you, Kuroo’s half-lidded gaze rolling up and down your frame, “Kuroo, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“That’s okay,” he mused, “looks like you got something else occupying your mind.” His dark eyes pull away from you, scanning the open area instead, “are you looking for your boyfriend?”
I should have been, you realize, and try to mask the surprise from his words, which brought you back to Earth, back to the pool in the hotel you were standing in. Atsumu, Osamu, where are you?
You missed the small glint in Kuroo’s gaze as he watched you from the corner of his eye, catching the subtle change in your expression. As you grow concerned that maybe you missed them, having spent too much time with Suga, Kuroo watched, fighting the smile as he realized. He couldn’t understand the true reason, but it was easy enough to guess.
“Yeah,” you muse, “but I think.. I think I missed them.” You re-scanned the pool, only to miss their heads.
His smile grew, “want to hang out with me? My team decided not to come.”
You hesitate, scanning the pool one more time, before catching the eye of a random middle-aged man, who quickly flashes you a toothy grin. “Yeah,” you quickly agree, inching towards the captain, “where did you want to sit?”
“Let’s go over there,” he led you towards an empty space in one of the many hot tubs, holding a hand out as he stepped down into the water. Because the step are bigger than normal, you hesitate before taking it, noticing the way his hand engulfs your own. He helped you keep balance as you step down onto the seat, the hot water biting at your skin. Trying not to cringe, you take the heat, bringing your other leg in, while Kuroo stands calmly, letting you use him as a crutch.
“Sorry,” you mumbled, cheeks growing flushed from both heat and embarrassment, “it’s hotter than I remembered.”
He smiles, “nah don’t worry about it, take your time.”
With his permission, you do, or at least take a little bit more time holding his hand; you aren’t completely adjusted to the temperature as you step lower, foot touching the floor level of the hot tub, and as soon as your feet are planted you let go of his hand.
He settles into the water much easier than you do, and you’re grateful he doesn’t mock you for it. Atsumu would have. He might have even sprayed you a little. Once you’re sitting in the tub, you let yourself scan the pools again, searching for him.
This time you find him.
He’s sitting on the far end, sunk down so his shoulders hardly peak from the water, and he’s laughing. A girl is standing in front of him, like right in front of him; your heart sinks as you realize she must be standing between his legs. His head tilts back as he laughs at something she says, and you see her smile as she brushes her long hair off her shoulder, revealing more of her face. Your heart sinks further down as you recognize her to be the girl from before- she’s wearing a white bathing suit instead of blue, and beside her is the other girl from that same group, the one that some of the guys were drooling over. She’s talking to Osamu, sitting right beside him, her entire torso twisted so she faces his side, and Osamu looks happy. It’s the first time you’ve seen Osamu look at a girl that way, and your stomach turns.
You had never paid him mind before, but once Atsumu had said Osamu has the same taste in women as him.
If that’s true, and Osamu likes that girl, does that mean Atsumu does as well?
“Oh shit,” Kuroo mumbles, and you slowly tear your eyes off of the twins, only to find Kuroo looking in that same direction, “isn’t that your boyfriend?” He blinks down at you, and panic fills his eyes as you briefly make eye contact, “she’s a friend of yours, right?” You don’t speak, you can’t. And he swallows thickly, piecing two and two together, “do you wanna go join them? I can walk you over.”
Do I?
You watch as Atsumu reaches forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and your heart breaks.
He’d never, ever let you do something like that to another guy. He’s made it extremely clear before that touching intimately like that is reserved for each other. Once, Osamu almost brushed your hair back, and Atsumu tried to hit him for it.
It may not be cheating, but you can read between the lines, lines drawn by Atsumu himself.
“No,” you whisper, and turn around, sinking into the water.
“Okay.. we can just chill here then,” Kuroo speaks, his voice strained, and you can’t look up at him.
A few weeks ago, doubt had begun to creep into your mind. With every new red flag popping up, you questioned Atsumu, and whether his actions were overprotective, or toxic. This entire visit you had been questioning this relationship. And it felt as if Atsumu had finally given the last reason.
“Oh shit,” Kuroo hisses, and you reflexively look up at him; he’s looking in Atsumu’s direction, and you go to follow him. Kuroo’s hand quickly blocks you, hand gentle as he forcefully turns your head to look back forward, “no, don’t look,” he sounds sad, and your heart speeds up.
“What?” Panic fills your voice, but his hand keeps you from seeing, your heart clenching harder with every passing second.
“It’s.. No, I think I saw wrong.” He lets you go and you immediately turn to look at Atsumu, but he’s just sitting as he had before, the girl standing between his legs. “Sorry,” Kuroo shakes his head, “I was wrong.”
You stare up at him, searching his face for deceit.
“What did you think you saw?”
His smile twitches, “it.. it doesn’t matter, because I was wrong.”
“Kuroo,” you press, “what did you see?”
His smile finally falls, a look similar to sympathy bleeding into his eyes, and you know the answer before he even admits it. “It looked like he kissed her,” your eyes glaze over as he quickly adds, “but I might have seen wrong, he could have just been leaning forward.”
“Right,” the word feels meek on your tongue, and it feels like the pool swallowed you whole. Your limbs quickly grown numb, the heat from the water absent in your mind, as you slowly look over to watch your boyfriend. The girl’s hand are on his shoulders, and she’s leaning forward; your lungs seize, eyes growing wide as she leans down, as she leans down and Atsumu stays the same, no, wait, oh my god he’s leaning in.
The world around you falls apart as you watch her kiss him. As you watch him reciprocate.
His hands go to her hips, just peeking over the water, and it goes on for much too long. You look away before it ends, hearing Kuroo cuss, his voice an anchor in the floating feeling you have.
Silence falls over the two of you for a few minutes, and you vacantly stare forward, wondering why you haven’t cried yet. It feels like you could, like the tears are right there, but something keeps them pushed back, and you’re grateful for it. The last thing you want is to openly sob in front of everyone.
Maybe I’ll go home tonight, you consider, before glancing at the storm against the glass wall. I’m sure they have a way to get down.
“Hey, Kuroo!” A voice calls out, and you vaguely recognize them as a player for Nekoma. Another boy trails behind, and as the two guys get close you stand, smile not reaching your eyes as you softly announce, “I’m going to head to my room, see you.”
Kuroo’s eyes grow soft, “I’m in room 518, my doors open if you wanna talk.”
You nod, not turning to his teammates before wadding to the steps of the tub. You don’t look back at the twins as you leave, keeping your focus on your path to the change room. If you had looked back, you would have caught their eye; Atsumu and Osamu watched you the entire way back.
“Hey,” Osamu calls, rolling his shoulders as he warms up for the final game, “we waited for you, where were you?” You aren’t looking at him as you stay quiet, holding back your words for the sake of the team, and the game. He fills the silence, “did you not finish your final paper?”
You exhale harshly through your nose, “nope.” Luckily in that moment, the coach motions for you to come over, giving you a free pass to escape. You don’t even acknowledge him as you quickly jog off. You pass Atsumu as you do, and he pauses his actions to stare. You ignore him, too.
The frustration, hurt, and anger bubbles right under your skin, held back, because the last thing that’s going to come from Atsumu’s shit actions are videos of you blowing up in public. And it wouldn’t be fair to the team. And as much as you hate him right now, you know it’d be super shit of you to break up with him before his game.
But after this last incident, your mind is made up.
You’re breaking up with Atsumu.
Honestly, the thought of it feels freeing, like the concept itself has already lifted a burden off your chest; it’s that feeling that only confirms to you’re making the correct decision.
But breaking up has to wait, and because the twins can read you like a book, you must avoid them.
Instead, you get ready to help the coach with the next drill. Karasuno leaves their side of the court to allow the team to warm up their serves. Daichi, the closest to you on the court, grins and nods your way, and you take the small action as a chance to approach them. He meets you halfway, still smiling down at you as he asks, “no hard feelings, right?”
You laugh, “that’s some confidence, Daichi!”
He laughs with you, but his words are full of certainty as he states, “I believe in my team!”
“I know, I know, but don’t underestimate us.”
“We won’t be, I know you have a strong team, too.”
A small silence falls upon you both, only filled by Suga as he sides up beside his captain, his eyes locked on you, “good luck, [Name].” Your heart warms.
“Thanks, Suga! Good-“
“Stop flirting,” Atsumu’s snap cuts through like a knife, suddenly standing behind you like a looming shadow, his fingers a tight grip on your shoulder. It’s not as if he shouted, in fact his tone was nearly quiet, but the lethal tone behind it had all three of you going still. Both Daichi and Suga’s expressions morphed into glares as they look at him, shoulders rounding back as they meet his intense look head on.
Then the shadow is doubled, Osamu coming to your other side, and for a moment you think he’s going to pull his brother away, but as a second hand grips your other shoulder, the thought dissolves. “I don’t know what you need from our manager,” his voice is void of anything, and the absence of emotion sends a chill down your spine, “but you should stay on your side of the court.”
“We’re talking to our friend,” Daichi speaks clear, but firm, his narrowed brown eyes flickering between the twins.
“And she’s not just your manager,” Suga reminds, not bothering to hide the anger between his voice, “I’d think both of you should know better than demeaning her to just a role.”
Their hands tighten in unison.
Once, when you were very little, you rode your bike when you were alone. There was no reason, nothing had happened, but before you rounded a corner, you suddenly stopped, braking before you could. Something deep within told you to stop, and it hit so hard your foot did the motion before the rational part of your brain could catch up. A second later, you heard a deep, visceral growl, and you immediately stood and spun your bike the other way. That split second had given you enough time to turn the bike, because as soon as you began to pedal away, an enormous dog rounded the corner; it didn’t hesitate to charge at you, lips reeled back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. You pedalled as fast as your little legs could carry you, just barely making it away from the dog’s teeth.
It would have severely hurt you if you hadn’t listened to that feeling; a feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
That same feeling clenched your gut so hard, you begin to laugh.
“Enough pre-game banter,” you tease, praying that none of them are able to see past the tension as you force the smile on your face, “thanks for saying hi you guys, but we need to get back to practice!”
Daichi blinks hard, eyeing your expression; you mentally sigh as you see his shoulders relax, taking your word for truth. One look at Suga, and you know it’s only Daichi who buys your act. But it’s enough, and Suga doesn’t say anything as he watches you link your arms through the twin’s and yank them back to their drills.
“We’re talking later,” Atsumu growls, unable to hide his scowl as the three of you get close to the team.
“Yeah we fucking are,” you agree.
Both boys stare at you, the cuss erasing the frustration or anger that they felt, and they watch like two shocked puppies as you immediately leave their sides to go help the teacher.
You avoid both of them after that, face fallen into void. You aren’t ignorant enough to not notice the looks your teammate and coaches give, it’s clear everyone senses the tension between you and your boyfriend.
Right before the game begins, Endo come over, clip board in hand. His eyes stay on the paper as he intrudes your person bubble, head bobbing a little lower so his quiet voice can reach your ears, “is everything alright, [Last]?” Your lips part, but the words die in your throat, stuck. He softly sighs, “does it have to do with Atusmu?”
All you can muster is a quick nod.
He gently pats your shoulder, the movement subtle, and you briefly wonder why before his word distract you, “if you ever need to talk... or feel unsafe, please let me know.”
When he pulls away, you’re left standing there with wide eyes. He finally meets your gaze, and they’re full of concern, but something else- they harbor a message you can’t quite understand, but you assume it has to do with Atsumu’s behaviour.
Has it gotten so bad that adults are beginning to see it, too?
Again, you nod, and he tries to smile before going over to Kurosu.
You feel like you’ve been dunked into a cold pool, like your limbs are wadding through water. Suga’s word ring in your ears
Your relationship is toxic.
He’s right. It is. This only re-affirms what you had decided. Without hesitating you pull out your phone, and text Suga.
<Don’t worry. I’m breaking up with him.>
You know he won’t look at his phone until after the game, but something inside willed you to let him know. To make your decision official.
You feel lighter as the game begins.
It’s an intense game, and you momentarily forget everything as Inarizaki battles against Karasuno. Everyone on Inarizaki has brought on their best performance. Aran and Suna’s hits are at their peak, and Karasuno’s libero is struggling against them; Karasuno has to adjust their defence multiple times in the first set before they’re able to find a good system to counter it. In parallel to this, your team struggles against the infamous quick from Karasuno’s first years, however it’s adaptable, and Akagi does well to receive a few. Your defense is decent to counter their quirk, but your blockers struggle a little with Asahi. Overall, while everyone maxes out their strength, you would have to argue that both teams are even.
Between sets, the world seems to settle into a normalcy, and even the coach comments on how he’s happy the team is playing cohesively today.
It all feels good.
But it wasn’t enough.
Even when Inarizaki loses your coaches look pleased, because they understand it wasn’t from a lack of skill on your part, just a better played game on Karasuno’s part.
Even though you’re mad at him, and despite the new resolution in knowing that you no longer want to date, as soon as Atsumu is of the court you hug him, assuring and praising his abilities. Because before everything, before this stupid heartbreak and drama, before you began to fall for this stupid boy, you were a fan. A fan of the Miya’s, and their way of volleyball together.
“Thanks,” he grumbles, and you hate the slight flutter in your chest as he beams down at you, “Couldn’t have done it without ya.”
Your smile softens, “it was all you.” Atsumu holds your gaze a little longer, and for the briefest second you regret sending Suga that text, doubt clouding your mind. Maybe you’re being premature to this decision, maybe you should wait until you get home to make it.
But he cheated, and there’s no coming back from that.
Then Osamu slides up beside his brother, chest still rising and falling from the match as he breathlessly adds, “it was us, all of us.”
Before this entire trip you would have been elated to see the twins appear to be so close because it’s either that, or they’re brawling. But in that moment, all you felt was dread. Like a looming cloud of doubt is rushing over you, telling you to run. You don’t know why, but the look you see them share, and the way they loom like over you like a wall; it scares you.
“It’s nice to see you getting along,” you ease, doing your best to keep a nervous waver out of your tone. Thankfully the rest of the team joins you immediately after, filling the silence so you don’t have to.
“Good game out there boys,” Kurosu states, his calm smile matching the words.
“We played well,” Kita adds, nodding to the team, “everyone did their best.”
“Yeaaah, but my last hit didn’t feel good,” Aran complains, then he does a shadow hit, basically pouting.
“Then practice,” Suna dryly offers, and you smile at the banter. Just like that, the anxious cloud dissipates, and you feel as if everyone has gone back in time. It’s easier to smile, and the intensity in the twins disappears.
Everyone melts into the chill vibes, and despite losing, the vibes overall are good. You keep an eye on the twins while you pack up, sneaking a few glances towards the celebrating Karasuno team. They’re all cheering, a huge mob of happiness on their half of the court, and your glances seem to miss their own, because you never got to catch the third-years gaze whenever they looked your way.
You didn’t meet Suga’s gaze until the aware ceremony began, where Karasuno was officially named the winners of the tournament. Thankfully as the manager you have to stand beside the coaches during the ceremony, so you feel a little freer to clap and cheer as Karasuno lines up for their medals. You final catch Suga’s eye, and grin widely, mouthing ‘good job’ as you flash a thumbs up; he reciprocate with a cute smile, chest puffing with pride. You do the same for Asahi and Daichi when they look over, and your smile only grows. If your team were to lose to anyone, you’re glad it’s them.
Now we just have to prepare for nationals…
You pause, smile fading as you remember, I mean IF I stay on the team… You might not if when you break up.
As the crowd goes off you eye the stands, which is barer than it was at the beginning of the tournament. It looks like more families took the hotel’s offer to leave before the storm hit. You recognize a few faces, especially those families related to your team.
But you also notice a few players; some teams kept their team jackets on, whiles teams like Shiratorizawa dress casually. Ushijima himself stands out in the crowd, even sitting he’s a head taller than the people around him, one of which looks like his father.
You freeze when his gaze suddenly meets your own, holding it for two long seconds before you look away. You go from Ushijima to Bokuto accidentally; even in the distance you can clearly make out his golden hues, almost illuminating as they remain locked onto you, unblinking.
A shiver goes down your spine, hating the way he leers, and once again you’re reminded of your nightmares.
Is it crazy to once again wonder if Bokuto is having similar dreams? That thought keeps coming back to your mind.
You keep your attention to the floor as you follow your team out, heading towards the lobby for a final team meeting.
Up above, Ushijima knits his brows in confusion, watching your reaction carefully. He isn’t certain why you’ve been occupying his mind more and more each day; he has met you in the past when he faced Inarizaki, and you hadn’t captured his attention until now.
Objectively, you’re pretty. But no more so than other managers, not enough to stand out like you are now, so why?
Why does his gaze keep drifting back towards you?
Even during the final match he found his attention divided between the game and you, and that’s unheard of for him. So, what has changed…?
As you catch eyes his spine straightens, a little surprised you acknowledged him. For all the times he looks your way, you very rarely look back. But then you look away, and your expression changes. It’s difficult to understand the expression, and he admittedly does not know you well at all, but the obvious change concerns him. Following your direction of sight he scans the crowd. It’s immediately apparent as to who you’re looking at.
Kotaro Bokuto is leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of his mouth as he watches you, or at least leers in your general direction. The stare is unnerving, unwavering as it locks onto it’s target, and Ushijima feels a tingle down his spine.
Ushijima admits he isn’t the best judge of character; his teammates constantly poke fun at him for taking things by their literal meaning. But he knows the way Bokuto is staring is not normal. He looks away, no longer wanting to witness that unwavering intensity. Instead, he watches you leave, following your team out.
He notes that you don’t walk alongside the twins this time, that you stay by the coaches.
He also notes that he isn’t the only one watching; it’s not just Bokuto and him, there are others who seem just as fascinated by you.
But why?
Ushijima wants to find out.
You do your best to listen to Kurosu and Endo speak to the team, but your attention wavers. As soon as the game ends, you feel a wave of tiredness come on, fraying your mind. It only reels back as you pick up on a more fun topic.
“Despite the storm, it looks like there is still going to be a party tonight to celebrate the end of the tournament. As we discussed before this includes a nice dinner-“
“hell yeah…” Osamu whispers, a small fist clenched at his side, and the sight makes you smile.
“-and there will be a dance afterward. Only the dinner is mandatory, however there will be a curfew still in place… But in the spirit of Christmas, it will be pushed to one in the morning.” Your whole team cheers, and you quietly cheer along, more awake from that exciting news. You didn’t expect them to be so lenient!
Trying to calm the team down, Endo adds in, “this is only because there’s supposed to be a surprise at midnight during the event, we fully expect you to already be in your hotel rooms before curfew, alright?”
“Yes, Endo-sensei!”
He smiles at everyone as he nods, a nonverbal dismissal.
As soon you’re free to leave, you spot both Atsumu and Osamu stop to wait for you.
“You look tired,” Osamu states, falling in step with you as you begin to head to the elevators.
“I am,” you hum, eyes staying forward, “I’m actually going to nap before dinner.”
“Oh yeah, want some company?” Atsumu snickers, elbow bumping into you. He acts as if he’s forgotten about your dispute before the game, as if the two of you are suddenly okay.
Your smile is forced as you look up at him, “I think I want to call my parents, actually. I’ll text you when I’m done?”
“Oh, yeah, sure.”
You don’t miss the look he flashes Osamu over your head, but you pretend not to notice. Distance is what you need from them. If you aren’t going to break up now, then you have to give as much space as possible, even if that means you carve it out yourself.
“We’ll see you after, right?” Osamu presses, a little urgently.
We?
You flash a quick smile and nod, voice soft and uncertain you say, “yeah, we will.”
They share another look, and your heart hammers in your chest as you begin to catch up to your teammates.
“You’re not lyin’ to us, are ya?” Atsumu jokes, but there’s some seriousness in there.
“You guys coming?” Aran asks, holding the elevator open; Atsumu reaches for your arm, and you think it’s to hold you back, so you quickly step into the elevator and squeeze in beside Suna, smiling the best you can.
“Thanks for holding it!”
“No problem.”
“you guys not coming?” Someone voices, and it’s only then that you realize neither Atsumu nor Osamu are joining you in the elevator.
“Nah, we’ll catch ya later,” Atsumu waves them off, eyes crinkled in a smile you know too well; it’s creased with tension, anger simmering behind it. You watch him with widened eyes as the doors close, and you feel like it’s not your imagination as you see the charade drop the second the doors are about to shut.
Your whole body is tense as you stare at the silver doors in front of you, the chatter from the boys getting muffled as you process the look Atsumu had. He looked absolutely livid. Suddenly you’re grateful to have rushed inside, because for the first time in your life you wonder if Atsumu was going to hurt you.
I need to get out of here.
“What floor?”
You blink, still staring at the silver doors.
The elevator is quiet, the chatter from your team gone. It’s silent, aside from that one deep voice.
“Miss?”
“Huh?” Beside you stands a tall, young man. His blue eyes soften as you stare at him, mouth falling open as you look at him. Blonde hair, naturally blonde with fair skin; he’s clearly not Japanese, and the Western tinge in his accent proves it. He wears a faded red hotel uniform, similar to the western style the other staff wears, only a little different. You don’t know why it’s different, but something is.
Wait.
You numbly glance around, eyes growing wide as you finally process the silence around you; Aran, Suna, everyone- they’re gone. It’s just you and the hotel employee, alone. What the hell?
“You’re with the Inarizaki team, correct?” His blue eyes gleam as your mouth gapes like a fish, to stunned to verbalize any words, “so you must be on the sixth floor?”
He just stands there and waits, a polite smile on his face. “Y-Yes,” you finally nod, and his face lights up. You silently watch as he presses the six button, then folds his hands behind his back. His sparkling blue eyes stay on you as the elevator hums, beginning to climb.
The hairs on the back of your neck stand up as the silence is replaced with that hum, and without meaning to you carefully back up to the opposite side of the elevator, all while facing the stranger. You only look away from him to quickly glance around, still trying to comprehend what the heck just happened. You DID get on with others, right? You didn’t imagine that?
“Congratulations on second place, that’s quite a feat.”
“…thank you.”
“It’s lovely that you and your team chose to stay,” he continues to talk as if completely unaware of the panic that’s clearly on your face. “It’s unfortunate about the storm, quite a shame that so many had to leave us.”
Click.
Your muscles tense.
“Yeah,” you numbly agree, pupils flickering to the numbers, watching as you reach the third floor. Has the elevator always been this slow?
Your attention naps to the man as he inches forward, “will you be joining the party later tonight?”
Click.
You twitch, hearing the noise that time. That awful, awful sound.
Fourth floor.
“I.. I will be,” his eyes narrow as a fake smile forms on your face, “w-will you..?” You don’t know why, but something inside you tells you to talk. To buy your time.
Click-click.
“I think I will,” he hums, head tilting as his pupils finally leave your eyes to trail down, then reaching the floor, “I enjoy the midnight surprise,” his voice sounds farther away, like a dream, and you consider the fact that perhaps this IS a dream. That would make sense, wouldn’t it?
Are you about to have another nightmare?
Fifth floor.
“You said.. a surprise?”
His smile is immediate as he meets your gaze once again, “yes, it’s very endearing, I think you’ll love it.” You hold your breath as the clicking gets louder, an echo of your dream, or reality? You can’t be sure.
Click-click-click
The elevator dings and the second you’re able, you rush out, eyes still wide as you double check that this is the correct floor, which it is. The man waves as you stop and turn around to face him, now safe in the hallway. He grins, “goodbye for now,” you watch as the elevator door slowly began to shut, “it was lovely to finally meet you, [First, Last].”
Notes:
okkkaaaay so please don’t be mad lol, for those who began reading this story LAST Christmas, I’m so, so sorry that it took me this long to continue! I had computer issues, then life issues, and before I knew it I both lost the drive to continue this, and I just decided to push it off to Christmas again! I promise it will be finished this time! I doubt I’ll have posted ALL of the endings before the 25th, but I promise that It will be completed soon!
Thanks for sticking around, and for those just reading this for the first time, thank you! Please check out my other story, ‘down the rabbit hole’.
Chapter Text
“[Name]?”
Atsumu’s voice carries through your hotel door, reaching your ears even as you lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. You’re vaguely aware of your phone in your hands, which has finally stopped buzzing, curtesy of Osamu. He called, and when you didn’t pick up, they went to the door. The only reason you guess that Osamu is with him is because someone tried the door that connects the two rooms together; you’re grateful that past-you thought to lock it. Thank goodness.
But now the twins have somehow figured out how to work together because you can hear them bickering on the other side of the door. Dinner time is coming up, and you know you have to leave soon, but you don’t want to. More importantly, you don’t want to have dinner with them; not them, not the team, and honestly not even your friends from Karasuno, for different reasons, obviously.
You suck at lying, and it’s even more painfully obvious now because the twins are clearly picking up that something is wrong. And what’s wrong is that you’re going to break up with Atsumu. You physically can’t just pretend to be okay, and you know if you spend too much ‘quality time’ together you’re going to speak your mind. Especially since you’re still furious at Atsumu’s betrayal.
You also want to avoid the Karasuno boys because you don’t want to ruin their mood.
Actually, you want to avoid everyone. Oikawa, Bokuto, even Kuroo is beginning to give you a weird vibe.
You slowly look towards the one window in your suite, watching as the snow blurs against the glass, because the storm everyone has been warning you about has officially hit. Just in time for Christmas. It blocked all your attempts to call your parents, wishing them a Merry Christmas eve, and nothing worked. You even tried to call them on your laptop, but your wifi hasn’t been working since the storm fully set in.
Stomach growling, you slowly sit up, deciding you probably shouldn’t have skipped lunch, especially because dinner is a little ways away.
You wait for a good amount of time to pass before carefully stepping out of your room, glancing both ways before you quietly leave. Just in case, and still fighting the nervous chill from before, you avoid the elevator.
There are still almost three hours until dinner and the dance starts, so you have a bit of time to kill, but also too much time to wait for food when you’re already so hungry.
“I’m pretty sure I saw a vending machine downstairs,” you quietly muse, heading towards the sports area. You try to be as discreet as possible, hoping to avoid any of the guys, not in a mood to talk to anyone at the moment.
And luck seems to be on your side because as you finally get to the correct hall you can see the bright blue vending machine, standing tall against a wall of white, the glow from it illuminating the dim hallway.
Was it always this dark?
The hallway is quiet, almost silent, if not for the soft scuffle coming from the faraway gymnasium. You hurry to get your change out, scanning the machine and all the snacks inside. One thing you’ve learned to appreciate in big cities is their vending machines. The amount of last-minute and late night runs you’ve made, especially since they introduced them to your neighbourhood at home.
You end up choosing a hot canned drink, a protein bar, and a package of cookies. As you walk back a set of footsteps echoes in the quiet hall. With bated breath you quietly walk to the stairwell, only letting your breath go when you notice the person walking towards you is a woman, eyes down on her phone.
A little smile finally forms as you escape into the silent stairwell, making the trek back up to your floor. You’re practically skipping up the steps, so close to being home free by the time you reach your floor, and you almost just go right into the hallway.
You freeze with your hand on the handle, body reacting before your brain can fully process why you stopped. The first thing you hear is muffled voices on the other side, too far away to recognize; the second are footsteps, coming up from the stairwell. You hang there, eyes on the stairs below while your ear presses against the door, trying to hear if your floor is clear. The stairwell is close to the elevators so it really could be anyone out there, but a small part of your feared it could be- “she’s avoiding us.” Osamu’s voice is clear, close.
You suppress a groan, of course it’s them.
“Yeah,” Atsumu gruffly agrees, and it sounds like the two of them are standing by the elevator.
“What could’a happened?”
“I dunno,” Atsumu hums, sounding less angry than you would have expected. Honestly you’re not sure what to have expected, since your boyfriend has been so hot and cold lately.
Behind you, the steps are getting closer.
Little bumps rise on the back of your neck as they grow closer, but Atsumu and Osamu are still outside. There’s something really creepy about hearing someone walking up the stairs, getting closer to you, and you fight the urge to run upstairs, skipping your floor altogether. A second later, before you can decide what to do, it becomes too late.
The person stops at the bottom of the stairs which lead up to you, pausing to stare at you, and you dumbly stare back, at a loss for words. Your ear is still pressed to the door, listening to the twins, arms full of snacks, while you stare at Ushijima. He glances at you, then the door, before he awkwardly continues up the stairs. His olive eyes are locked on you as he walks up, pausing when he’s on your platform. His voice is soft as he asks, “what are you doing?”
Your mouth opens, then closes, unsure how to explain it. His brows crease a little as he gets closer to you, and you shuffle back a step as he does, words caught in your throat when he presses his own ear against the door, eyes dropping as he listens.
“This elevator’s taking fuckin’ forever,” Atsumu groans. Ushijima’s eyes meet yours against, confusion written over, and you can’t tell if he recognizes the voice or not.
“I’m breaking up with him,” you confess in a whisper, watching as Ushijima’s pupils dilate, his mouth slightly parting in shock. Your cheeks quickly fill with heat, but you don’t take the words back, ear pressing to the door again. A small weight is lifted off your shoulders as you add, “I’m bad at lying, I don’t want to do it now, but I can’t act normal around him, so…”
“Oh,” he eventually hums, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
You nod meekly, still listening to the boys complaining about how slow the elevator is. Ushijima pulls away from the door, gaze shifting as he looks from the stairs to you, almost as if he’s debating on telling you something.
“Let’s just take the stairs,” the words send a wave of shock down your spine. All you can do is take a sharp step back before the door to the stairs opened, forcing you to pedal back to hide behind it; Ushijima steps towards the door in surprise, eyes wide as he stares down at Atsumu.
“Shit,” your boyfriend swears, and you hold your breath, eyes wide as Ushijima presses further back to allow the twins to pass. His body shields you, and between him and the door you’re covered completely. “What’re you doing here?”
“Going to my room,” Ushijima states.
“Oh yeah, since when?”
He shrugs, “since I got here. Can you move?”
“Come on,” Osamu cuts through, “just move Tsumu.” You can’t see past Ushijima’s large frame, and he inches even closer until he’s pressed against you. Your heartbeat races as the twins linger, eventually resting your forehead against his back, a silent plea to not move, to keep you covered. Your soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend stays quiet, taking his time to decide... Well, what, exactly? What’s the holdup?
“Go ahead,” Ushijima says, hand motioning for them to go first.
Osamu answers first, “thanks.” Their footsteps sound as they walk past, going down the stairs, and Ushijima takes a step forward, long arm still holding the door open; there’s a small gap between him and the door, and you take the chance to squeeze out from behind, passing through the gap he gave you.
“Phew,” you let out the breath you were holding, panting for air when he follows you onto your floor, the stairwell door thumping shut behind him. “Thanks for that,” you nod, gripping your treats a little closer to your chest.
He nods, “you’re welcome.”
Taking a small step towards your room you keep nodding, trying to find the words, “well, I owe you one.. So… Thanks.”
Mirth quips at his lips as he nods again, and for the first time you realize just how handsome Ushijima is. I mean, obviously, he’s handsome , but the thought never really sunk in until that moment. “You already thanked me,” he states, slight amusement in his monotonous voice, and your cheeks warm up even more.
“Right, wellll, that’s because I don’t really know what to say right now,” you muse, slowly walking back towards your room. Ushijima just stands there softly smiling at you, and you give a small wave before turning around.
“Are you going to the dance?” He calls, halting you once more.
“Yeah, I think so.”
He nods, smile quietly fading before he asks, “if you do, would you like to dance with me?” You fully turn around hearing that, eyes wide as you stare up at him, and he adds, “just for one dance.”
You slowly nod, trying to suppress a smile, “sure, for one dance,” your heart flutters when his smile widens, a noticeable blush taking shape, “if I go,” you add in, but it doesn’t make his smile falter in the least.
“Sure.”
You turn around and head to your room before he can say anything else, casting only one more look before you round the corner to your hallway; by the time you glance back he’s already gone. You pause before going down the hall towards your room, something nagging in the back of your mind. Does Ushijima actually have a room on this floor, or was that just an excuse?
It doesn’t really matter, you decide, finally getting into the temporary safety of your room.
The dinner started thirty minutes ago.
Atsumu has called you seventeen times, texted thirty-one, Osamu has called eight times and texted three times.
Oh, and Suga texted you twice.
To say you feel overwhelmed is a bit of an understatement. You smile at your reflection, trying to psych yourself up. Part of you decided to skip it altogether. You can just imagine the night; call in room-service, make a nice bath, put on a Christmas movie. It sounds so, so nice.
Orrrr you can go downstairs, face your boyfriend and his alarmingly more serious brother, and perhaps dance with Ushijima, which would cause a huge fight, probably. But you’d also help yourself to a huge buffet, delicious desserts, and the beautiful dress which you look so good in would not go to waste.
Which choice will you make?
A: Avoid the party, listen to your gut and avoid drama
B: Go to the party, be a big girl and go to the dance, screw Atsumu.
If choosing option A, read the chapter below.. If choosing option B, skip to the next chapter.
A: AVOID THE PARTY.
While you look really good dressed up, you honestly prefer just to spend the night inside. It’s probably for the best if you just keep to yourself, enjoy your Christmas eve alone.
You jump back on the bed, bouncing before you crawl towards the top of the mattress, going to the phone.
The room service number is listed, so you dial and call, resting on your side as you listen for someone to pick up- “Hello?” A smooth voice drawls out, and for a second you pause, waiting for the person on the other side to say something more.When he doesn’t you slightly hesitate and ask, “hi, is this um.. room service?” He lets out a breathy chuckle, and your cheeks warm as you add, “sorry I meant, is this where I can order room service?”
His smile could be heard in his voice as he speaks, “normally, yes, but our restaurant is currently closed.”
Your body deflates, “oh.”
“[Name], I thought you said you would be going to the dance tonight?” It feels like you were dunked in ice water. The phone nearly drops from your hand, lungs seizing as the weight of what was just said fully sinks in.
“ What ?”
His voice does not change despite your strangled response, “it’s already begun, please, I promise the food catered is delicious. You should come down and try some.”
“…”
A shiver runs down your spine at his honey-coated words. He said your name. How? It doesn’t make sense, does the hotel keep a record of which students are staying in each suite? Maybe. But how could someone from the restaurant know your name?
Then it clicks, why the shiver travelled down your spine the second you heard his voice, and why it sounds familiar. It’s the man from the elevator. Thinking a little more clearly, his slight accent makes it obvious. “What are you?” It’s asked before you can fully comprehend the question.
A slow, breathy laugh; you recoil the phone slightly away from your ear, shoulders shaking as a huge wave of chills run down your body, “ who am I?” He reiterates, but the amusement in his tone leads you to believe that you both know why you asked it the first way. “My name is Charles Thompson, pleased to meet you, [First, Last],” he purrs your name as if it were a delicacy, a treasure. Almost the same way Bokuto would say your name in your dreams. “Darling,” the voice sings, “please come to the dance!” You hold your breath, a bundle of emotions and nerves rushing in, and just when you think he’s done, his voice lowers to a whisper, “or I’ll have to come find you.”
The line cuts off, empty ring tone ringing.
You slam the phone down, eyes wide as you stare at it, unable to move.
“What the fuck?”
Your appetite is immediately gone. All the color in your face vanishes, eyes wide as you stare, trying to process what just happened. Did you imagine it? You had to of, right?
Rationally, it would make sense to call the same number, see if he picks up again, because surely a hallucination wouldn’t happen twice, right?
But rationality is clouded with fear, and the fear stops you from re-dialling.
The fear almost forces you to call Atsumu, the urge to have anyone with you in that moment, even if it is your cheating boyfriend.
Bzzz bzzz
….or, Suga.
7:42pm
[Suga]: did you already do it?
Again, he’s asking about the text you had sent before, which is fair enough because you did drop a bomb on him with your last text.
[Name]: Can you meet up with me? The same spot as before?
[Suga]: of course, be there soon.
You check the peephole on the door before leaving your room; five minutes ago your biggest concern would have been Atsumu and Osamu, but after the phone call it’s most definitely the creep you talked to.
Charles Thompson.
As you leave you clutch your useless phone with you, a habit, really more than anything. It isn’t until you make it down the stairs, all the way to the second-floor library, that you realize something; you had been texting Suga. And you also received texts and calls from the twins.
Immediately you go to call your mom, despite the no signal symbol.
Riiing- you hold your breath - click.
Disconnected.
Okay, maybe the service is too weak for a call, maybe it has to be a text. So, you send a text… Only for a little error icon to pop up, unable to send.
You frown, staring at your phone as you navigate through the (extra) silent library on your way to the spot you and Suga were sitting at earlier today. The hairs on the back of your neck stand, and your gaze sweeps through the aisles as you walk, a feeling of unease continuing to sit in the pit of your stomach. The feeling has been sitting there ever since the phone call. Actually, no, ever since your very first nightmare. A feeling of being watched. A feeling that makes the back of your mind sing, I’m not safe here.
When you finally reach the cove of space near the back of the library, you decide to take the chair that faces the length of the aisle it’s in, feeling more comfortable with the wall right behind your back.
bzzzzz
The phone nearly falls from your hands, the sound echoing in the vacant (or you hope it’s empty) library.
7:51pm
[Suga]: Almost there
A few seconds later, and you can hear the soft croak of the door you had entered when you came in, the noise echoing down the aisles. Although you know it must be Suga, you can’t stop the anxiety from building as you wait in silence. It worsens as footsteps slowly get closer, and you clutch your phone in your fist, eyes unblinking as they stay on the aisle leading to you.
Suga’s laughter replaces the silence, and your shoulders sag, “wow, it’s quiet in here.”
He turns into your aisle a second later, eyes immediately finding yours, and with his free hand he waves towards you, which you happily mimic. In the other hand is a plate of food.
Your stomach grumbles when he reaches your side, and his chuckle sounds again, “thought so.”
You giggle, “thought what?”
“I assumed you hadn’t eaten yet, so I made a plate from the buffet before I left.”
“Suga…” Your mouth practically watered from the delicious scent that fills your nose as you look down, and Suga pushed the plate closer towards you. “How do you…?” His eyes are so wide and pure, softening into a look that makes your heart clench.
Has he always looked at me that way..?
The words die in your throat, and with a tilt in his head he gently asks, “how do I what?”
You lick your lips, glancing away from that cute, sweet expression. While it brings a wave of nerves, almost like happy little jitters, you also feel a pang of pain. They’re different, that expression is different, but somehow this moment makes you think of Atsumu. Of the good times, like when he used to be the one to give you those excited little jitters, when he used to do small, cute acts of kindness like that.
But he cheated on you.
And now that relationship is dead.
“Are you okay?”
You slowly nod, finding the courage to look back at your friend, “yeah, I mean, not really, but.. Thanks for coming here, Suga.”
His hand reaches for your own, and you let him grab your hand, squeezing it as he asks, “did you want to talk?” you take in a deep breath, nodding with the exhale.
“Yeah… Yeah, I do.”
“Where is she?” Atsumu seethes at the party, his glare scanning the dense ballroom. Everyone in the hotel was invited to the party, so the room is full of guests, making it nearly impossible to find you amongst them. He’s circled the party three times now, and you’ve never crossed paths. He even searched for your Karasuno friends, coming up dry.
A hand grabs his elbow, and Atsumu glares at whoever touched him, only to realize its his own brother looking back at him, “I tried talking to coach, but he won’t go into her room without a good reason.”
“She’s missin’” Atsumu spits, his patience nearly frayed, “what other reason could he need?”
Osamu sighs, “he thinks she might be asleep, or skipping the party.”
He curses under his breath, eyes scanning, hoping. He’s had a bad feeling for a while now, ever since the end of their game. You’ve been acting differently today, more distant. His fingers feverishly run through his hair, messing up the locks, but he can’t help it; panic is beginning to pound in his chest, building every minute he can’t see you. He feels like you’re slipping away, and the thought terrifies him.
He can’t live without you, you’re his whole world now. The best thing that’s ever happened to him.
He’d rather die than lose you.
He’d rather you die, too.
Atsumu shakes his head, trying to get rid of the thought. He smooths his hair back again, swallowing thickly. “What’s wrong with me…” His whispered words go unheard. His breathing picks up as Osamu leaves his side, stating he’s going to look for you some more. His twin has more faith in you, still believing that you’re going to show up.
Atsumu wishes he could say the same.
But he can’t.
Not since the pool. You were right there; you had looked his way, when you were in the other pool, with that rooster-lookin’ captain. You looked at him, and then turned away, as if you’d seen something terrible. And then you left.
He isn’t sure why he didn't chase after you, and the regret sits heavy in his chest, a feeling like he’d messed up somehow gnawing in the back of his mind. Because as much as he doesn’t feel right himself, he also feels like you haven't been right, either. He can’t ignore the haunted look in your eyes, or the way you keep looking over your shoulder; he’s noticed the way you jump at little noises, and how stressed you look before going to bed.
He wants to help you, he wants to talk, but every time he sees you, and sees you pull away, all he feels is rage. And the rage won’t go away.
Come on, I need ya Rosy.
He pulls out his phone and mentally musters one more ounce of luck, hoping to finally have a text back. He isn’t even sure if his messages have been reaching you, since the connection is so shit now that the storms hit. He holds onto the hope that maybe he just hasn’t received your replies.
An unread text.
Atsumu holds his breath as he goes still, thumb quickly moving to click on the notification. But it’s not from you, it’s from an unsaved number.
8:46pm
[???]: [Name] is cheating on you. Check the library.
He sees red.
Talking to Suga makes you feel better. Of course, he fully supports you in your decision to break up with Atsumu, even encourages it.
“You deserve someone so much better than that,” Suga holds your hands as he speaks, squeezing them, and you can see how desperate he is to make this point.
“I know, Suga, I've told you a few times that I'm going to break up with him.” You say it again but it feels as if the promise still doesn’t reassure him, leaving you a bit frustrated.
“I just don’t want-”
“ Sugawara, ” he stops, concerned eyes blinking as he lets you speak. You take his momentary daze as a chance to drag your hands back, fully frustrated. “Why are you pressing me so much on this?”
His expression changes, and you find yourself blinking at the sudden change, jaw tensing as something stirs in your chest, a warning. A blink, and it’s gone, replaced with a concerned frown. The warning in your chest remains, lingering even while his expression does not.
But you quickly brush it off because this is Suga; he’s a teddy bear.
His eyes fall to the table, retreating to his own space, and your hands become cold in their absence.
“I care about you,” he whispers, like a quiet admittance. “I like you a lot…” The words fall heavy in the air, a silent implication following, and he doesn’t meet your wide-eyed gaze. “Atsumu is a terrible person,” his soft words begin to harden, his tone growing colder, louder, “he doesn’t deserve you, but more importantly, you don’t deserve someone like him .”
“Suga…”
His eyes are fierce as they meet yours, “I won’t let you suffer with him.”
Your brows furrow as those words sink in, “what do you mean-” screeet, thump.
Both of your heads swivel towards the foreign sound, which softly echoes in the library; your breath hitches in your throat as your eyes glimpse something white flashing at the end of one of the bookshelves, as if retreating behind the books to hide. You don’t blink as you stare at it, and Suga’s head remains still as he looks in the same direction.
“Did you see that?” You whisper, drawing his attention back towards you. The answer becomes obvious as Suga casually smiles, his shoulders relaxed as he shakes his head.
“See what?”
You stay quiet, looking back towards the spot you swore you saw something at…. But do you trust yourself? You answer yourself with silence, a quick shake of your head. “Nothing,” you mumble, forcing your eyes away from the bookshelf, “nothing.. Um, sorry, what were we talking about?”
Silence.
Suga’s smile looks wobbly as he murmurs, “nothing.. Oh, hey,” he reaches for your hand, and you automatically put your hand in his without thought, half your mind on what just did or didn’t happen. “How are you liking it?” He thumbs the watch on your wrist, something you’d forgotten was already on.
“Oh,” you blink down at it, “I like it a lot! It fits nicely.”
Suga laughs, “I’m happy to hear that, but I meant more, ‘how does it function?’”
“Right,” you giggle along with him, trying to delve into the conversation, but something keeps nagging in the back of your mind, and despite trying to move on, your eyes keep trailing to the bookshelves past Suga’s shoulder. “I like that the texts sync up, but it’s hard to show you now that the service is so spotty…” Suga replies to this, and your responses are on autopilot, attention glancing at the gaps between the books and shelves, and the empty space between them, almost as if expecting to see someone. Surely there must be someone, right? Someone or something had made that weird noise, and it didn’t sound like a typical creek in an old building.
“Are you okay?” Suga looks concerned when you look back towards him, and you go to reassure him when the air suddenly leaves your lungs. Suga straightens as he takes in the look of horror on your face; a second more has him realizing your look of horror is locked onto something behind him, and he quickly cranes his neck to see. Down the aisle, a few meters away, stands a girl.
The girl brings an overwhelming wave of dread.
Long, wet strands of blonde hair plaster to her body, her skin looks a mixture of sickly blue and white, almost as white as the cotton dress she wears. Her dress looks more like a vintage nightgown, cotton and lace and dirt. If you hadn’t remembered there was an active snowstorm outside, you would have guessed this poor girl had gotten locked out in a thunderstorm.
You glance at Suga as tears fill your eyes, the sudden fear that you’re hallucinating striking you, because this doesn’t make any sense. But Suga looks just as tense as you, his face still turned to face the girl, so you know she must be real.
You aren’t sure which outcome would have been scarier.
She takes a shaky step forward, her barefoot squelching against the dry ground, and both you and Suga shoot to your feet. Neither of you speak a word as her eyes grow wide, so large you can see the red veins crackle across her eyeballs, a look of pain and horror twisting across her sharp features. Water drops from her body as she slowly lifts an arm up, her index finger extended and pointing in your direction.
Her mouth opens, gasping, as if the words pain her to say.
“ He’s….. Co-m-ng…”
Your heart races in your ribs, the pound of your heart thumping in your ears. It doesn’t make sense as to why or how, but instinctively you know.
Her jaw suddenly unhinges as a clear, guttural screech rips through her throat; “RUUUN!”
BANG!
The lights crunch, and darkness envelopes the library. You scream as you register the sound of the front doors slamming, and as soon as that scream is released from your body, you hear hear the sudden sound of footsteps running.
Suga grabs your wrist before the two of you take off, blindly dragging you behind him as he quietly goes into one of the nearby rows of shelves, abandoning everything else behind you. He lets go as soon as you reach the end of the row, entering the aisle that runs along the outer wall of the library. He crouches as those footsteps run, getting closer and closer to where you were before. The steps gradually slow, a slow drawl of the steps as they get closer to the table you and Suga previously sat at.
“Rosy?”
Your blood runs cold as Atsumu calls your name. “I know your ‘ere, Rosy,” he drawls, and you continue to crouch behind a bookshelf, listening. It’s just Atsumu. It’s your boyfriend (for now), it’s not something terrifying. You know it, but your heart thumps heavily in your chest; you suddenly realize your shaking limbs, hands quaking as adrenaline courses through your body, shaken to the core from whatever the fuck you just saw.
“I got an interestin’ text,” he calls out, his footsteps softer now as he walks somewhere; you can’t tell where, but you can tell there’s some distance between you still. It’s quiet, and your shaky hands go to cover your mouth as you try to hide.
But hide from what? Atsumu?
Or something worse?
Should I even trust that… that girl?
Her cry still echoes in your mind, a haunting that grips your mind, and as you stay huddled behind a shelf, trying to cover your laboured breathing, you realize that you’ll probably never forget her awful screams.
He’s coming.
That’s what she tried to say.
He’s coming.
The shaking worsens, mind going back to your nightmare.
“[Name],” Atsumu’s voice echoes, and it’s painfully obvious that he’s closer now, “please,” his voice cracks, genuine sorrow breaking as he pleads, “ please, talk to me.”
It clears your mind, just a little.
Enough to bring some more focus.
For the first time since the lights go out, you process the ounce of light that’s offered from the windows along the wall behind you, light from the moon reflecting inside. Some of the rows are illuminating from those windows, and Suga seemed to choose to pause in one of the ones that were still hidden in shadows, so for now you hide.
Despite seeing the shadowed outline of Suga, who gives a firm shake of his head, you step back, just a tiny bit, enough so you can peek around the corner towards the direction of Atsumu’s voice. On your knees you slowly peek around, just enough for one little…
Your lungs seize.
Atsumu stands in the main hall, just on the other side of your row, almost parallel to you at the end of the shelves you hide behind. Atsumu faces your direction, but his eyes scan the air, missing you.
And missing the girl behind him.
She lifts her hands towards Atsumu, mouth falling into a silent scream, it falls and falls and falls, inhuman, unhinged further than any human can possibly do, because she isn’t, she can’t be human.
And Atsumu is completely unaware of her at all.
She’s going to kill him
Do you save him?
Or run?
Suga grabs your wrist and tugs, trying to pull you back. Surely, he can’t see her, right? You’re too terrified to glance back and find out. Your own scream is caught in your throat, limbs frozen as you process it all, the horror of it.
Do I help him or run?
Ba-bump
Help him or run?
Suga tugs you again, more forcefully, and the jagged motion catches Atsumu’s attention. His eyes zero in on you, on you and not the monster behind him.
Help Atsumu?
Or run away with Suga?
Help Atsumu= read the chapter labelled “A; she’s a hero not a heroine”
Run with Suga = read the chapter labelled “A; The knight in shining armor”
Notes:
For all those of you lovely readers who read “Down the Rabbit Hole”, you know what’s going on by now. For those who are new to my formatting of choice, this is the finale of this Christmas story! Your choices matter and whatever you choose will impact your ending. For the best experience, please stick to your choice until your story is complete! Obviously, you can do what you want- I totally understand not wanting to wait for all of the routes to be complete,
but I do think it’s more fun this way because you get to see what YOUR fate would be if you were in this story.
Regardless, I’m so grateful for you reading my story! The next parts will be posted after new years eve at some point, as I will be enjoying this time with my family. I hope you have an amazing holiday as well!
Merry Christmas!
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heltbelt on Chapter 1 Sun 10 Dec 2023 06:42PM UTC
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Last Edited Tue 17 Dec 2024 04:38AM UTC
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