*·˚𝟬𝟱 ─── 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗢𝗦. ⋆｡
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LISTENING TO KENJI'S shouts, alongside Masaki Teruhashi, a snare line leader, you fumbled with your drums that were strapped to you. You could see the way the volleyball team was warming up, and it only gave you the jitters. Yesterday, you were taught what you would be in charge of in terms of being the "manager" of their team and while you were positive you would be able to do everything with ease, you also had your position in the band.
Normally, the band would sit out of games, not required to perform unless it was the football team or the basketball team. However, the boys' volleyball team would be playing against their largest rivals, Karasuno High school, so the band teacher, Mr. Idemoto decided that there were plenty of reasons to have the band perform. While you would have been excited on any other day, you dreaded when the game began due to the fact that you would have to rush back and forth to perform and help with the team's needs.
Kenma seemed to be the most excited. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes that overtook any you had ever seen in your life before; even Patricia's. So, exiting the gym with two hours before the game, you struggled to carry the seemingly large water cooler that held the team's water bottles with your drums strapped against you. While Kenma snickered at the sight of you disappearing from the door's windows, Yamamoto and Lev obnoxiously shouted things he could not understand. Before Yaku could tell the both of them to shut up, the duo ran out of the gym in your direction, stating that they would "save you" simply because you seemed to be struggling a little.
You sighed tiredly as you placed the cooler in front of the water station, leaning against the wall for a moment to rest your back. Although you seemed to love the drums you carried against your body more than most of the people on drums, they hurt your back if they were on for an extended amount of time.
"Sasaki! We came to save you!" The shout echoed throughout the hallway belonging to Nekoma High School, two voices combined as sneakers squeaked against the freshly cleaned floors. You perked up instantly out of habit, the band often shouting your name for various reasons. However, instead of it being someone from the band, you were met with the sight of Yamamoto and Lev.
Staring up at the two volleyball players once they stood in front of you, you raised an eyebrow in confusion. Although you clearly did not need the help anymore, you appreciated the thought and that was all that mattered.
Before you could say anything to the duo in front of you, the hallway doors opened carefully and courteously, all three of your heads snapping towards the door's direction. Your eyes landed upon a boy with brown hair and a welcoming, mature face. He seemed to be of average height for men and he was speaking lowly to those that would follow behind him with a faint grin.
"Awooga, I think I'm in love," you stated without thinking, your eyes slightly wide as you didn't allow your eyes to trail away from the boy.
"No, Y/n! You're supposed to be on our side, not the enemy's side!" Yamamoto whined, glaring at the boy at the end of the hallway. Despite his glare, it seemed playful due to the glint that shined in his eyes.
Once the boy at the end of the hallway was inside, a large group of boys followed behind. While the majority of them seemed to be rather intimidating, the others had a completely different aura around them. For example, a boy with a buzzcut wore an expression that seemed to give off the impression that he was scheming, while a short blonde girl seemed to be quaking behind a taller girl with the prettiest eyes you had ever seen that hid behind her glasses.
The brunette boy you had noticed first had noticed both Lev and Yamamoto, smiling brightly at the two as he raised his hand to wave. "Yeah, definitely in love over here," you murmured to the duo, your focus never leaving the boy with the smile that seemed to be as bright as the sun.
"Yamamoto, Lev, it's good to see you!" His voice was the last thing you needed before you were practically beaming, your smile reaching your eyes.
Yamamoto smiled cockily, crossing his arms over his chest while Lev stepped forward towards a short ginger boy. "Nice to see you guys, too, with your two managers," Yamamoto smirked, sharing a look with Lev. While Lev made eye contact with Yamamoto, he wasn't entirely sure on what Yamaoto was hinting at.
"Hah! You wish you could have even one!" The boy with the buzz cut exclaimed playfully, walking up to dab up Yamamoto, which was completely boyish to you due to the fact that nobody you really knew did that to greet one another.
"Well... I'd like to say that we do have a manager! A goddess, actually!" After he announced that his team did in fact have a manager, he moved away from you so that you were able to be noticed by the group, the boy with a buzz cut and a short boy with a blond highlight gasping in unison.
The first thing you assumed was noticeable to everyone was your drums, but you couldn't care less. Looking over at the boy that seemed to be the leader, his reaction was a simple smile.
"This is Sasaki Y/n! She's a part of the band," Yamamoto bragged, smiling mischievously at the two boys that gasped.
"Yeah, and she's known all around the school!" Lev chimed in, seeming to intrigue the group further.
"Not for the right reasons," a voice joined in suddenly. Turning to the direction the voice came from, Kenma's bleached hair was the first thing you noticed. You scowled once his words registered in your mind, beginning to dig through the cooler.
"Oh shut up, you're just a hater!"
"Remind everyone why you're our manager in the first place? Oh, that's right, because it's a punishment!" Kenma had faked surprise just as you had a water bottle in your hold. You turned around rather quickly, tempted to throw the bottle at him with full strength, but opted against it so that you didn't make the wrong first impression on your soon-to-be-boyfriend, the brunette boy you had noticed when he first walked in.
"Punishment?" The ginger boy questioned, tilting his head to the side.
"Yeah. Punishment. You see Shoyo, she's rather an idiot and-"
"Don't call me that you ungrateful bastard!" You interjected, shoving the water bottle in your hand under the refill station.
As Kenma was about to reply, the mature boy gave a small laugh. You snapped your attention over to him in less than a second, staring up at him with semi-wide eyes.
"Seems like you got a hold of a great manager, though," he stated, holding a hand out towards you. You were quick to take it, beaming up at him with no shame. "Sawamura Daichi, I hope we aren't too much of an inconvenience." His words were simple, but you could have sworn the lyrics to paparazzi by lady gaga began to play in your head.
"Just a little bit," you joked, the handshake lasting a bit longer than what it should have, or maybe that was just you being completely delusional. He gave a laugh, not noticing the way the Karasuno team peered around him to study you as if you were some kind of specimen.
"Kiyoko, Yachi, how about you fill the water bottles here, too?" Daichi suggested, turning towards the two girls who you assumed were the managers. The both of them nodded before walking over to the station beside you, the both of them giving you either a welcoming or nervous smile.
With that, Yamamoto, Lev, and Kenma began to walk back to the gym alongside the Karasuno team, but you were able to catch Kenma's narrowed eyes staring at you suspiciously which only caused you to stick your tongue out at him childishly.
"So, how'd you end up joining as Nekoma's manager?" The girl with the glasses sent you a small smile, her voice like a melody to your ears. You almost forgot to answer due to her beauty, but you ended up nervously laughing.
"A little this and that..."
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YOU WERE A blabber mouth. It was known all throughout the band, mostly due to the fact that you often blabbered to Kenji with one simple glance he sent towards you. So, you told Kiyoko and Yachi exactly how you ended up as Nekoma's manager, also telling them why Kenma had it out for you. While filling up water bottles for your teams seemed like such little time to become friends with one another, it was different when it came to you.
People seemed to be drawn to you, the ones that would normally hate you. For example, Kenji, because he absolutely did not want to be friends with you when he first met you during orientation for elementary school. Now, he was practically attached to your hip and it was an understatement to simply say he was just your friend; he seemed more like a caretaker.
Walking into the gym once again, you struggled to drag the cooler back inside from the hallway. Your back was aching and you were hot, and you hadn't even performed yet. Taking a sharp deep breath, you huffed as you stood straight, bending backwards slightly in hopes to relieve a bit of your back pain. Before you knew it, a voice spoke to you from behind you, causing you to jump ever so slightly.
"Do you need help?" Turning around, you made eye contact with two boys. One of them had dark green hair whilst the other had the standard brown hair, but they both had the kindest expressions on their face you had ever seen.
"No!" You accidentally exclaimed, the nerves taking over, causing you to slap a hand over your mouth. Removing your hand, you gave a sheepish grin before attempting to pick up the cooler once again. "It's okay, I've got it!"
Kenma snorted from Nekoma's side of the court, Yaku shaking his head from beside him. You were hopeless, struggling on the first day as manager. Just then, he watched as Tanaka, the guy with the buzz cut, and the boy with the blond hair streak in his hair, Nishinoya, made their way towards you and the other two boys.
"We can't let a lady break her back now, can we?!" Tanaka exclaimed, gripping the other side of the cooler with ease while the boy with brown hair took hold of the side you currently held in your hand gently.
While you should be thanking them, you raised an eyebrow in suspicion as you followed the duo towards Nekoma's bench. "How do you know these hurt our backs?"
"We looked it up! You seemed uncomfortable," Nishinoya stated, a wide smile on his lips as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. Before you could even reply, an arm was slung around your shoulders lazily.
"Becoming familiar with our manager?" Kuroo's voice was teasing and the smirk on his lips were only proof that he found the interaction between you and the Karasuno players rather amusing.
"Shouldn't you all be running drills right now?" Kai asked, but not to be rude, out of concern.
"Yeah. Daichi's going to kill you when he realizes you aren't getting ready... to lose," Kuroo teased, pressing you closer to his side.
"...We have before, Tanaka," the boy with brown hair from earlier stated blankly, causing you to raise your eyebrows, struggling to hold back an amused grin from escaping onto your lips.
"Not a good time to say that in front of a pretty girl, Ennoshita!" Nishinoya backed Tanaka up, holding his arms up to form an 'X' towards the boy.
"Hey! Stop bothering them and get back to running drills!" Standing up straighter at the sound of his voice, you turned your attention onto where the sound of it came from. Daichi stared at the four Karasuno members from where their side of the court was, some of the players stretching or practicing with one another a bit.
He sent a smile towards you once his teammates began to jog back to their respective spots hurriedly, causing you to lean into Kuroo after he looked away. You allowed a playful sigh to escape from your mouth, gazing over at Daichi whilst Kuroo's attention was on you.
"He will be mine."
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PEOPLE HAD BEGAN to gather in the gym thirty minutes before the game started, the excitement yet nervousness beginning to take over your body. You had finished your manager duties once everyone began to arrive, which gave you enough time to warm up with the band.
It was a bit humorous considering the fact that the Karasuno volleyball team would often stare at the band, especially you, in amazement. The glimmer in their eyes was enough to make you want to show off, and since you were second best in the band, it would come fairly easy to you to do so.
Mr. Idemoto called the end of the drill to which the entirety of the band went silent, standing straight in their positions. You, however, had something in your eye and as anyone would normally do, you kept blinking to try and get the uncomfortness out of your eye.
The assistant teacher, Mr. Harrett, stared at you with furrowed eyebrows, watching as you winked continuously. "Sasaki! What the hell are you doing?!" The bald man called out, causing you to halt all and any movement.
"...I'm trying to get something out of my eye, sir," you replied, tilting your head down a bit in embarrassment. You heard the giggles from the first years come from behind you, mostly because they looked up to you and found it humorous that you would be getting scolded at this moment.
Alongside the first years giggling at your humiliation, you could feel the burning gazes of the volleyball teams due to Mr. Harrett's booming voice.
"Well... stop it! It's distracting!"
Scowling at the man as he turned away from you, you contemplated on throwing one of your drumsticks at the back of his shiny head. Kenji nudged his side into your own, sending you a reassuring grin, knowing you would know what he was saying without him having to actually talk.
Don't worry about it, just focus on the performance.
Huffing lowly, you continued your drills directed by Mr. Idemoto and Mr. Harrett until it was finally time to start the volleyball game, the band making their way on their respective bleachers. The band was always positioned from the middle to the second to last highest bleachers, and they always had their own side to themself.
The snare line was positioned on the third row in the middle, you and Kenji in the middle next to one another while Mei Haruka, Makoto Takashi, and Hikaru Ayane stood on either side of the both of you.
The moment the whistle blew for the beginning of match one, the drum major, Kaori Suzuru, began her movements, causing the band to follow immediately. It seemed as if everything you played went ten times faster than it usually did, but you supposed it was because you had to juggle the band performance and manager duties at the same time.
This would be a very long, and extremely testing night.
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sucky ass chapter but I just might have an idea for an Atsumu fic 🙈🙈
me when I keep getting ideas