The sound of shoes squeaking and balls bouncing was constant, sometimes being interrupted by a shrill whistle and the sounds of groans as players did their penalty laps right outside of the gym.
Y/N tried not to let the sounds get to her, failing as she grew more irritated with each passing set. It helped that when she scribbled down stats the sounds would fade, almost as if they were underwater. But then the next set would come and everything was loud.
Her breath of relief couldn't have been more obvious when the last match before lunch ended, Coach Nekomata dismissing everyone in the gym.
"I don't think I'll join you all at lunch," Y/N said to Chikara, coming up behind him with a water bottle in her extended hand. She gave him a relaxed smile at the sight of his look of worry. "Don't start worrying, Chika-chan. See you before the next match?"
Ennoshita gave her a nod and a pat on her arm, sending a smile back as he took the bottle. She turned to walk out, spotting her target right about to leave the doorway. Y/N carefully made her way to the gym doors, catching a hand in hers and tugging it along. Luckily Akaashi was already in the gym, making it easier to grab-n-go.
"Where are we going?" he let her take the lead, easily matching her pace with his long legs. He pouted at the lack of an answer, speeding up slightly to stand in front of her. He reached a hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "Everything okay?"
"Library," Y/N said as she made eye contact. "I wanted to get away from the noise... and be alone with you."
Keiji smiled and took her hands in his, using his thumb to rub the inside of her wrist. "That sounds great. Library it is, then."
They made the walk to Shinzen's library, passing some students as they walked in. They quietly greeted the librarian, shuffling across the carpeted floor towards a back end. They passed tall bookshelves and tables in an open area, hiding behind the shelf labeled History.
Y/N reached out, pulling back at the realization Keiji had just played hours worth of sets.
"Can I hug you?" she asked, opting to grab his forearm for the time being.
He cringed but opened his arms as a welcome. "I don't get why you still want to hug me when I'm sweaty, babe," he muttered into her hair. Ah, but she was so cute like this. He breathed a laugh when her nose turned up, tickling the spot below his Adam's apple.
"You wouldn't hug me if I was all sweaty?"
He looked down to meet her eyes, a grin gracing his features. He mumbled something that sounded like that's fair, coming forward to press his lips against hers.
Y/N melted into the kiss, turning her head to deepen it in the slightest. This is what she needed. The irritability from earlier disappeared, completely, and she was lost in the feeling of warm lips against hers. It truly didn't matter if Keiji's shirt was a little damp, or that his lips tasted saltier than usual. The feeling of him remained, and that was enough to regulate every imbalance she felt.
"Woah, careful," Keiji whispered against her lips, his hands coming to her waist to keep her upright. "Didn't think I was that good of a kisser," he joked.
"What? You're the best," Y/N breathed back, tilting her head up to attach their lips once more. She hadn't even noticed the way her legs went weak underneath her weight, but welcomed the way Keiji held her close. "Please.. don't stop kissing me."
He almost missed her words, mind cloudy from the sensation of her lips. But luckily he caught them, carefully adjusting their position so he could support her weight. His hand rose to cup her cheek, deepening the kiss and taking her bottom lips between his teeth. He smirked and the soft whine that escaped, letting her lip snap back into place.
He littered more kisses along her lips and jaw, nibbling in places so he could draw a few more breathy sounds.
It felt like their bodies had both come alive and calmed down. The wholeness that came from being with each other always had this effect, bringing life and peace.
Y/N whined in annoyance when she felt her phone buzz, stealing a few more kisses before fishing her phone out of her pocket. She rolled her eyes when she saw it was labeled as Scam Likely, pressing the button to turn the device off. A groan sounded when she was denied Keiji's lips, quickly searching his face to see what was wrong. Had she done something wrong? No way a stupid spam call completely ruined the moment.
"Before you say anything," Keiji began, "it's me, not you."
Y/N squinted up at him, removing her body from up against his. "That's not as reassuring as you think, Kei."
"No, seriously!" Keiji winced at how loud he was, lowering his voice. "It's just.. if we keep kissing like that, I think," Y/N could see his flushed cheeks, "I'll get hard."
Y/N sputtered a laugh, slapping her hands over her mouth and stuffing her face in her boyfriend's chest. Well at least there was an actual reason, and, if anything, this meant she was doing things right.
"Okay, we'll stop. Wouldn't want you to pop a boner in front of all our friends," she teased, kissing his cheek and walking out of the aisle and out of sight.
And suddenly, with the thought of everyone seeing his visibly turned on from fooling around with his girlfriend, Keiji had no worry of such a thing happening and was totally turned off.
The end of the day couldn't come soon enough, but eventually a coach called the last match and everyone was free to roam, shower, get dinner or a combination of these actions.
It was exhausting as Y/N remembered, perhaps even more so without Kiyoko. Yes, she had Yachi, but her kohai was in the same spot she was a year prior. While Yachi's help did make a difference, Y/N was still tasked with a decent amount of things to do that took up a lot of her time.
She looked around and watched different players head in different directions. She waved at Kenma, who was walking Yamamoto and smiled at a few other players that called out to her.
"I'm so hungry!" Nishinoya exclaimed dramatically, clutching his stomach and doubled over. "Ryu, take me to the food."
Ennoshita rolled his eyes, taking both Noya and Tanaka, telling them to get out of the way so the managers could do their jobs.
Y/N spoke to Yachi as she gathered the practice jerseys, giving the younger girl advice and tips on how to avoid any mishaps. After talking to Yachi, Y/N walked over to the washroom in the corner of the room.
She frowned to see that it was occupied, but of course it would be. She sighed and turned around. Suddenly she remembered when this happened last year.
It felt like so long ago, way more than a single year, since she'd walked into Gym 3 and met who would eventually be one of the most important people in her life. The thought was insane, how they met by complete chance. Only to end up kissing that same week, officially dating within the next month, saying 'I love you' in about three, and so many more milestones within the time from then and now.
Y/N had a nostalgic smile as she walked into the gymnasium, trying not to think about how the players in the gym didn't consist of Bokuto and Kuroo. Both men were living their life as university and in happy relationships, so while it was sad they weren't here to continue making memories, it was a good thing they were still involved in her life and doing well.
Y/N flinched when a hand came in front of her, loosening her grip on the basket and letting it fall.
"I'm sorry, I was trying to give you this." The smile on their face was wide. "But now you've dropped everything. Let me help."
Akaashi had more, way more, emotion and interest in his voice than the last time they did this, Y/N noted. She nodded and let him take the basket and followed behind him into the washroom.
"Thank you, but you don't have to do that," she said, playing along. Though she had to admit, it was a little hard to recall exactly what she had said the first time.
Akaashi grinned and sat beside her, separating the pile between them. "No, it was my fault you dropped the basket. I'll help, love."
"You lost!" Y/N cheered, leaning over to peck his lips before getting started on washing. "You definitely didn't call me 'love' that day. Wasn't until I got home on the last day."
"My girl has good memory," Keiji hummed, returning the kiss to her temple. "Slipped out of habit."
Tubs were filled and clothes were washed in comfortable silence. They passed soap and articles of cloth between each other, the only noises coming from water sloshing and the faint hum from Akaashi. Y/N giggled at his song of choice, knowing it was her fault it was stuck in his head.
After everything was washed and wrung out, it was all put into the basket by the both of them. They laughed every time their hands accidentally brushed. It brought back what happened a year ago, making them realize how far their relationship had come.
"Thank you for helping me out. I appreciate it," Y/N said genuinely. looking up into the blue eyes she adored.
Keiji smiled softly, leaning over the basket in her hands to kiss her forehead. "Of course. Now let's go put that away, pretty girl."
Y/N nodded and walked out of the door first, walking through the gym and past the gym door. Keiji took the basket from her, staying by her side and making small talk.
Y/N wasn't sure if Keiji had noticed, or decided not to mention it, but she was put off at the sight of Izumi trailing behind them. It put a chill up her spine and she walked a little closer to Keiji, gripping on to his shirt. She'd seen Izumi sitting outside the gym, standing as soon as she and Keiji were about 6 feet ahead of him.
Did he want something? Was he expecting Keiji alone?
It was a mystery, and not the kind she liked.
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hi hi... thats it i dont have much to say but feel free to tell me anything!
laila's random headcanon: daichi caught tanaka showing hinata a dirty magazine and first: got mad at him for having it on school grounds and the second: scolded himself for owning the same magazine
vote and comment any feedback/predictions/random thoughts <3
dont forget to check out my other works :)xx