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❝𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚔❞
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐣𝐨𝐡...𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞.
Y/n didn't have the misfortune of sitting next to Hinata on the bus. Instead, she chose a seat across from Kiyoko so they could exchange notes and keep each other company. The girl didn't think anyone sitting in the same vehicle as them would have expected Hinata to throw up all over Tanaka. The screams of horror that erupted from the back seat of the bus were enough to make the driver stop the vehicle and reprimand the volleyball players.
The girl couldn't bring herself to look at the back seat or Tanaka, in fear that she'll throw up too. Kiyoko, being the kind 3rd year she was, held Y/n to her chest to shield her from the horrific sight that was bound to cause the 1st year nightmares.
Apparently, in Hinata's defense, he was trying to get to the window but simply didn't make it in time before the timer counted down to zero to initiate the ginger's...insides.
The girl knew how anxious and nervous Hinata had been before the weekend, taking notice of how he would be more in a daze than Y/n usually is. Tsuki had been the one to comment on his behavior.
"Would you look at that! It seems Y/n's aloofness has spread to Hinata."
"Gotta...do my best..."
"...huh?"
It's a miracle they made it to Seijoh without any more problems. Aside from Hinata being teased by his upperclassmen, everything seemed fine.
Walking beside Kiyoko with her notebook in hand, they all make it to the gym where hundreds of players seem to be practicing: From jumping to spike, receives, and blocking. Watching them practice was entrancing in a way, they all hit the ball the same way each time causing the same pow to resonate through the gym.
So this is Seijoh.
"All together guys!" Oh right. Y/n looks over to Kiyoko and mimics her with the rest of the team. They all bow respectfully.
"Thank you for having us!"
"Thank you!" One of the voices that were mingled with the rest of Seijoh's starting line up was awfully familiar. She stands back up straight to take a better look at the people Karasuno was up against.
Iwaizumi.
They both make eye contact for a second before busting out into big grins. Guess he's here after all. As soon as the moment happened it vanished, and they were back to warming up.
While Daichi was explaining to the team just how amazing their offense and defense is, Y/n takes a peek at Hinata to see him shaking and sweating. His eyes turned blank with a gaping mouth and he's holding the strap of his bag, across his chest, with an iron grip.
Were first game jitters really that bad?
Y/n starts to approach Hinata, like approaching a wild animal and pats his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry-"
"I don't know what you two are so scared of! Hinata is gonna take those losers by surprise, and blow em' away!" Tanaka's way of trying to encourage Hinata backfires as the ginger tenses up under the girl's hand.
You and you're big mouth...
"Plus," Y/n's pleading look to get Tanaka to stop goes unnoticed as he continues to ramble on, grabbing onto Hinata's other shoulder, "I know how much you suck so I'll be there to cover for you the whole time!" Did...did Tanaka say something...encouraging? And smart?
Everyone takes a glance at the bald-headed teen with a look of surprise.
"Oh, but you're on your own whenever you serve the ball, remember? Try not to fuck up, ok?" That moment of pure shock turns into devastation.
They expect too much from Tanaka...
Hinata pulls away from Tanaka's grip and walks away holding his stomach, catching the girl by surprise. She catches up to Hinata (were gingers genetically fast or something?) and tries to walk at the same pace as him.
"Hey, where you going?"
"...Bathroom..." oh.
"Oh, ok. Do you know your way back?" The boy doesn't answer her but continues his way to the bathrooms, leaving the girl standing there alone in the hallway. She's never seen Hinata this scared before. He usually goes into things headfirst without worrying about the consequences, but now using that head of his was making him jittery and antsy, as well as nauseous. Maybe once he's out playing the game his anxiety will go down for him to play properly.
Guess he'll find his way back somehow...
With a sigh, the girl turns on her heel and walks down the empty hall from where she came from.
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Where was she?
The halls are different. The people passing her are wearing different uniforms. They're blue and white. Why are they blue and white? The notebook Y/n would carry around wasn't with her, so the girl is left with hugging herself instead.
The chattering is kinda loud. She hopes they tone down their volume. Is this Karasuno? Maybe it's a dream. Has to be. Why else would she be walking aimlessly through a school wearing a tracksuit while everyone gives her strange looks? It sure doesn't feel like a dream. How much time has passed? Her legs feel tired. How long has she been walking?
Y/n's just so confused.
It's not long before she reaches another empty hallway lined with lockers and water fountains. Her vision begins to grow blurry—the girl's face feels warm and her nose is getting stocked up. It's hard to breathe. Y/n reaches up to wipe her eyes, taking note of the tears reappearing in her hues.
Was she crying?
Of course, she was crying. Only Y/n would cry about being lost in a damn hallway.
Only Y/n would get herself lost in the first place.
Only Y/n would forget where she is.
Only Y/n would forget to bring her journal when she needs it most.
How fucking EMBARRASSING!
She can't take this.
The girl walks towards one of the large lockers and lets herself fall to the ground, her back resting against the cool locker. The sniffling wasn't going down and neither are her tears. What if someone catches the girl pouring her eyes out? Just imagining having to explain the situation she was in only adds onto to the horrid gasping sounds resonating from her lips.
"Oi! L/n, you down here—oH SHIT!" The girl looks up to see Tanaka running full speed at her down the hall with a worried look on his face.
Wait, so this isn't a dream?
Before Y/n has the chance to open her mouth, Tanaka beats her to it.
"Who the hell made you upset? BY THE TIME I FIND THIS ASSHOLE YOU BETTER HAVE A CASKET PICKED OUT FOR EM' CAUSE THERES NO WAY SOMEONE GETS AWAY WITH MAKING YOU FEEL LIKE SHIT!" Tanaka was seething with rage.
Y/n immediately shakes her head, but the second she opens her mouth to respond, the lump in her throat causes another sob to break past her lips. Tanaka stills, his expression contorting from rage to panic.
I'm sorry Tanaka, I'm sorry...
"Hey, hey, um...I was just uh kidding. I'm not actually going to kill someone, might rough em up a little but that was it, I swear!" There's something about the way Tanaka tries reassuring her by saying he won't commit manslaughter that just makes the atmosphere lighter.
He doesn't look too sure of himself, but he sets his body down next to Y/n. She can't help but feel a little sympathy for him. Each time the poor girl would try to explain herself, an ugly gasp or cry would rip through her mouth. Tanaka is just awkwardly sitting beside her, patting a hand on her back for emotional support while averting his gaze away from her face.
It's not long before Y/n's face heats up from embarrassment. With a final sniff, she brings her arms up to her face and wipes the tears away with her sleeves.
That's enough crying for now.
"Sorry about that Tanaka-San," he perks up at the sound of her voice and is quick to flash her an uneasy smile.
"Don't worry bout it, it uh—it happens?" Guess Tanaka isn't the best at comforting people, but it's the effort that counts.
"So...you gonna give me some names to hunt down?"
Eh?
Y/n forces out a laugh and goes to wipe her eyes once again.
"No uh...no one made me cry Tanaka-San! I'm just...lost?" He tilts his head while giving her a confused look.
"I um...where are we right now?"
"Uh...In a hall?"
"No um...what school is this?" The hand on Y/n's back tenses up. Right as she meets Tanaka's gaze, he busts out laughing. The girl furrows her brow.
What was so funny?
"BAHABAHA SORRY, SORRY, BUT DID YOU FORGET WHAT SCHOOL YOU WERE AT?!" The h/c haired girl gasps defensively and shrugs his hand off her back.
"HEY! THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I CAN CONTROL, BUZZ CUT!" The 2nd year only throws his head back and erupts into a louder fit of laughter. Y/n crosses her arms over her chest and pouts.
"My bad!!! It's just...I think this is the first time I've seen you forget something that isn't our names," Y/n uncrosses her arms and stares at Tanaka with a raised brow.
So he wasn't making fun of her?
Before the girl could ask him any more questions, he gets up from his spot on the floor and pulls the girl up with him.
"Now that I've found you, let's go find that tangerine!" With a toothy smile, he guides the girl down the hall.
He never answered her question.
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The whistle is blown two times, signaling the end of the first set.
Y/n's hand immediately flys to her mouth in shock and fear. Sitting on the bench with Kiyoko and Takeda, she gapes at the events that just took place.
Hinata just served the ball to the back of Kageyama's head.
Holy SHIT.
The girl isn't sure if she should get up and save Hinata or laugh at his expense. She probably would have felt embarrassed if she wasn't so worried about Kageyama folding the jittery middle blocker.
Throughout the first set, Hinata continued to let his nerves affect his gameplay. He would run blindly after the ball—unaware of the people on his team who could have gotten it, jumped right into the net, knocked over the referee and now he managed to hit the ball straight into Kags head.
Things were not looking good for him. Not wanting to deal with second-hand embarrassment, she opens another one of her notebooks, gifted to her by Takeda, and begins jotting down notes and observations based on Karasuno's plays.
The girl feels a tap on her shoulder and turns to her upperclassman, Kiyoko.
"I think Tanaka and Kageyama finally talked some sense into Hinata."
Y/n raises a brow at Kiyoko before looking over at the crows. Sure enough, they're all lined up on the court—the look of disappointment clear on all their faces. The girl looks over at the ginger, expecting to see the expression of a scolded child, but instead meets the eyes of a determined player. Just what did Tanaka and Kageyama do to him? Threaten him with execution?
"He doesn't look as nervous as before..." Kiyoko hums in agreement and goes back to taking notes in her journal.
Karasuno lost the first set, but they still have a chance to turn things around.
The crows start off a bit shaky, but the ginger eventually gets his act together and throws away any sign of nervousness—hitting and reaching for the ball with more confidence than he had before. It isn't till the two 1st years perform their quick that things really seem to be turning around for the better. The look of complete utter surprise that washes over Seijoh's team, when they witness Karasuno turning the tables on them, makes Y/n give Iwaizumi a sly smirk.
(The two acquaintances would throw each other shady looks from across the court, something neither team caught onto.)
As the second set reaches its end, with Karasuno in the lead, Y/n can't help but feel like something was off. Seijoh's starting lineup is, without a doubt, very good. They're consistent and level-headed and have amazing teamwork, but the girl still can't get rid of the feeling that something is missing. Nothing really sticks out about their team which is a shocker since they're known for being a powerhouse school.
Were they missing someone?
Before Y/n can give it too much thought, she catches the way Takeda is gesturing to something beside the girl. Looking around, she spots her team's water bottles—all of which have either been spilled or knocked over. Is it really that hard for a bottle to stand up without falling?
Y/n puts her volleyball journal down and stands up.
"I'll go ahead and refill their water bottles!"
"Will you be able to find your way back?" Kiyoko asks which makes Y/n hesitate for a moment before giving her upperclassman a cheeky grin.
"Yep! The water fountain isn't that far from here, so I'll be fine!" The ravenette doesn't look all that convinced but nods her head anyway.
Walking over to the plastic bottles, she picks up as many as she can and makes her way out of the gym. The distant shouting of teammates from both teams and the sound of shoes squeaking along the gymnasium floor slowly fades away as she continues down the unfamiliar hallway.
Her hold on the bottles begin to loosen up the more she walks, making her have to keep readjusting the jugs each time they threaten to fall over. It gets frustrating to the point where Y/n thinks about throwing the bottles in a nearby trash can and report back to the coach saying she "lost" them.
Maybe she should throw Tsuki's away just for the fun of it...
Just as Y/n starts to consider throwing the beanstalks bottle away, something down the hall catches her eye.
A sigh of relief leaves her lips as she spots a water fountain near one of the many lockers. The girl sets the bottles down on the floor and begins refilling the nearest bottle she can get her hands on.
The hallway is eerily quiet except for the sound of the ac blowing from the ceiling and the echo of the water filling the bottle in Y/n's hand. She looks around the empty hallway to be greeted with silence.
This is getting kinda creepy...
The girl shakes the feeling away. She's supposed to focus on refilling the water bottles, not on some imaginary ghost that could be lurking in the halls.
Curse Tenchan and his obsession with ghost theories...
Y/n brings her attention back to the bottle filled with water, screws the top back on, sets it down on the floor, and works on the next one. She begins tapping her foot as she waits impatiently for the jug to be refilled.
The ominous silence of the hall still keeps the girl tense and on-guard, like something was gonna jump her at any minute.
You're a strong person Y/n! There's no way you're gonna let a quiet hallway get the best of you! You're a strong 5' 3 package of WHOOPASS-
"Y/n Chan?"
"AAAAAHHH!!!!"
Whipping her head around, she swings the bottle at the owner of the voice, hitting them with a loud thud.
"OW!! SHOW MERCY!" Lifting the water bottle away from her attacker(?), she stares at a tall brown-haired teenager who's holding onto his head and squeezing their eyes closed with a clenched jaw.
"Is that any way to greet your gym buddy?" Gym buddy?
She continues to gaze at the boy in front of her as he tries to recollect himself while favoring his head.
Sideswept hair...tall build...gym buddy...
Realization finally hits her the second he opens those eyes of his. Caramel-brown hues that radiate warmth and admiration.
"Oi...Oikawa?"
"You just recognized me?! How rude..." her e/c hues widen as a giddy smile tugs at her lips.
"What's with that silly face you're making? Are you just that happy to see me?" His teasing tone causes the girl to scoff. She goes back to doing her original task except she wasn't being pestered by the haunting silence.
"Nope! I'm just glad I remember you," Oikawa stills in the corner of her eye before walking over to the other side of Y/n. Looking up from the water fountain, she watches him pick up a plastic bottle, unscrews the lid, and moves to the fountain next to the girl.
"Well, it's not that hard to remember someone as memorable as me," Y/n rolls her eyes as he accompanies her in filling the remaining water bottles. Maybe she should have hit him over the head a few more times for good measure...
"So, how's the game going so far? Have we beat you guys in straight sets yet?" Oikawa asks with a hint of curiosity laced in his voice. The girl ponders for a moment, trying to find the answer to the not-so-difficult question. What was the score before she left? Did the first set already finish? It must have...right? If so, who won?
Trying to rack her head around the missing events that must have escaped her mind is exhausting...
"I"m uh...not sure," the boy beside Y/n chuckles at her expense. The girl is quick to narrow her eyes at Oikawa to which he responds by giving her a sly grin.
"You're probably just saying that to hide the fact that Karasuno is losing horribly," The h/c haired girl finishes filling the water bottle and swings it at the older teen's inflated head. He's quick to lean away from the bottle and swiftly grab it out of Y/n's hand, temporarily disarming her.
"What's with you and hitting me with water bottles?"
"What's with you being a conceded jackass?"
"I'm not conceded, just confident!"
He sets the water bottle down on the ground while Y/n reaches for another one.
"Uh-huh..."
They both go quiet as they allow the quietness of the hallway to return, but this time the girl doesn't feel as paranoid.
Despite not knowing much about the older boy, she feels oddly at peace with him by her side. It's kind of unsettling how quickly the girl got used to his presence even though she had initially thought he was an attacker.
"You're making that face again," Y/n perks up and turns her head towards Oikawa who continues to observe the girl's face with his traditional smirk.
"What face?"
"The one where it looks like you're pouting and trying to decide whether to throw a rock or a stick at your annoying nephew who keeps pestering you about playing games on your phone—that face."
"That's oddly specific..."
"Has that never happened to you?" The girl shakes her head no making the older teen raise an eyebrow.
"I'm the youngest in my family, so I don't have to worry about that kind of stuff. Plus, I don't have any nieces or nephews," and probably won't anytime soon.
"Oh? How many siblings you got?" The girl purses her lips—her eyes focusing on the water falling gracefully into the plastic bottle.
"Um.....I have one older sister," the answer leaves a bitter taste in her mouth.
Y/n had an older brother too, but talking about him might make things awkward, so she refrains from mentioning him.
She quickly averts her attention back onto Oikawa, pushing the unmentioned sibling to the back of her mind.
"What about you? How many siblings do you have?"
"I have one older sister too! She makes me watch her little gremlin of a child though..." Y/n chuckles at the teen's annoyed expression as she screws the lid back onto her water bottle.
"I don't think I have to worry about having nieces and nephews. My sister hates kids," Y/n emphasizes with a grimace and picks up another water bottle.
"One time I saw her with our baby cousin, and she almost threw them at our aunt after they threw up on her," she vividly remembers a look of disgust, a face of horror, and the expression of someone who will no longer be at family reunions.
Oikawa doesn't try to hide his amusement—the corner of his lips quirking up a bit.
"She must be an amazing babysitter," the thought of receiving one of her vicious glares, reserved only for an unfortunate child, gives Y/n the chills.
"You sure you don't mean baby-slayer?" The boy in question shrugs his shoulders as he screws the lid back on top of the bottle in his hand.
"Maybe I should have her watch Takeru for a day!" The girl's eyes go wide—a terrified expression taking over her features.
"Why would you wanna torture him like that?"
"He needs to learn to appreciate me as his uncle!" He scoffs and glares at the bottle in his hand, resembling a pouting child that got the wrong toy for Christmas. "That brat could have ended up with a middle-aged uncle who makes him go fishing and take pictures of him standing like a statue while holding a slimy basic ass fish!"
"Instead, he ended up with a dramatic high schooler who's probably more worried about his hair than feeding a child," Oikawa switches his glare over to Y/n, unconsciously tucking a small strand of hair behind his ear.
"That's not true! How rude of you to make false accusations about someone you barely know!" He absentmindedly runs a hand through his brown hair—momentarily pushing back his side-swept bangs, giving Y/n a full view of his face.
The girl was already aware of how attractive the older boy is compared to the many Highschoolers she's passed in the hall, but for some unknown reason, she just has to be reminded.
"I wonder how Iwa-chan would react to this absurd behavior!" Y/n snaps out of whatever trance she was in and begins to feel her face grow warm. Her e/c hues dilate and widen—her throat becoming uncomfortably dry. The girl catches Oikawa smirk, making her avert her gaze back to the unattended overflowing water bottle.
"So you do have a crush on my best friend!" Now it's Y/n's turn to scowl at the annoying boy.
"It's not like that-"
"Really? You mean to tell me you don't have a crush when you blatantly check him out at the gym?"
Her face begins to cool down as she tries to collect her thoughts. Y/n knows she doesn't have a crush on him—she's aware of what that feels like. If anything, it's just admiration for a handsome upper-class man who just so happened to have the body of an Olympian (maybe she's over exaggerating a bit, but has anyone seen his arms? Hot as hell).
Quickly screwing the lid back onto the water bottle, she looks back up at Oikawa who continues to stare at her expectantly.
"I promise you, it's not like that. Sure, I do—on occasion—admire him from afar," the older teen rolls his eyes playfully, "but It's nothing more than that. We don't really talk much since I'm usually busy at the front desk and he's busy working out."
Oikawa is quiet for a few moments, shifting his gaze to stare at the bottle in his hand. Y/n looks away from the boy and picks up another empty bottle—one of the last few left to be refilled.
"The most we've ever talked was yesterday, and it was about—well...y'know?" The girl waits for some kind of acknowledgment that he's still listening. He answers Y/n with a small hum, signaling for her to continue. "I'd like to talk to him more since he seems like a cool person to be friends with, but we're just too occupied doing our own things."
She's about to unscrew the lid of the water bottle when she feels a hand pat the top of her head. Looking up, she makes eye contact with brown hues that seem to light up with interest and amusement.
"Then we should all hang out sometime!" Y/n tilts her head, her eyes staring dumbly at the handsome volleyball player. "It's funny, I asked Iwa-Chan the same question yesterday and he gave me the same answer you gave me," The girl can't help but blush a bit, flattered that Iwaizumi thought the same thing as her.
"Although," he rubs the back of his neck with a small grimace on his face like he was reliving a painful memory, "he kept hitting me when I tried to get a simple answer out of him. Not sure why you like such a feral teenager," Oikawa pouts causing Y/n to laugh to herself.
"Next time he hits you, tell him to 'Stop hitting on you,' he might stop after that."
"Trust me, I've tried that one before and it doesn't work..."
The hallway was no longer quiet and creepy that sent chills up the girl's spine, but was instead filled with laughter and joy as the two teens continue to converse and talk as if they were old friends.
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"WHY THE HELL IS THAT 3RD YEAR WITH L/N SAN?!"
Not many people were happy to see karasuno's assistant manager walk in the gym with Oikawa at her side—who was holding some of her team's water bottles.
After setting down the refilled plastic bottles on Karasuno's bench, he pats Y/n's shoulder with a mischievous glint reflecting off his brown hues before walking off to greet his team. It wasn't long before the poor first year was surrounded by her team, all checking up on their 'precious crow'.
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"I swear to god if he took a pass at you-"
"Let's jump his scrawny ass!!!
"Yeah!!! Let's overthrow the Grand King!!!"
"The grand king? Hinata you dUMBASS!!!"
Y/n is quick to reassure each and every one of them that she wasn't violated or hurt in any way, shape, or form. Before the team could ask her more questions, a whistle blew through the air, signaling the end of their break. With a bit of reluctance, they walk back onto the court, a new kind of determination radiating off their intimidating presence.
"You sure you're ok Y/n? You seem quieter..." Kiyoko asks, worried for her first years well being.
"Course I am! We just...had a little chat is all..." looking past Kiyoko, she spots Iwaizumi and Oikawa chatting, both grinning at each other like idiots.
"Then we should all hang out sometime!"
His words echo through her head and, for reason, she shivers.
When he first suggested the idea to get to hang out with each other, he made it sound like a friendly get-together between three friends.
His heart is in the right place, but his intentions may not be as pure as Y/n initially thought.
Before the girl can tear her eyes away from the two older teenagers, they turn their gazes towards Y/n, immediately making eye contact. Feeling her face turn red, she looks away, quickly grabbing her memory journal and pen with shaky, flustered hands.
Stop getting worked up over nothing Y/n. Hanging out is hanging out.
Even if that's the case...
Why is she still blushing?
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𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 20
𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳
-𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳
-𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘸
-𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥
-𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳
𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹
-𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦..
┗ ┛
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Sorry, what took so long to finish this chapter!!! I've been trying to binge-watch AOT 😀
Also procrastination but mostly binge-watching 💃🏼
~✿Retro
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