A/N: Once again, the title sucks (I'm sorry)
I was planning on posting this 2 days ago (specifically June 10) in celebration of Iwazuimi's (my bae's) Birthday (cause Seijo's mom needs the love (づ￣ ³￣)づ ~<3 and we share the same bday) but you know I have a life so.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anywho, here's the chapter and like always hope you enjoy reading
Warning: Long fic ahead....
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The slow ticking of a clock can be heard as the sound echoed throughout the halls of Shiratorizawa. The silence that ensued for a few hours is finally coming to an end as both clock's hands draw nearer to 12. Each student had their head hung low, their eyes transfixed on the sheet of white before them, allowing their hands to move in sync with their thoughts as they continuously processed each word written on the dreaded paper. "5 minutes left" their heartless homeroom teachers uttered, breaking the monotonous tapping sound of pencil on paper, only adding oil to the fire. The slow, somewhat dull sound began to go up a crescendo after hearing those 3 words. At this point in time, students begin to shout profanities in their minds as they continue on with each item on the paper, the sound of the clock ticking louder in their minds whenever they meet a difficult question making their minds go blank.
The school bell brought everyone back to the same plane of reality and the profanities that were screamed in their thoughts begin to be vocalized as they write like a madman, trying to fill out leftover spaces making every second last as the gifted others remained silent, brimming with confidence as they diligently put their pencils down. "All right, please pass your exams forward!" their homeroom teachers would announce, signalling the end of times, err, of the exam. Finally, midterms are over.
You passed your paper to the student seated in front of you and let out a relieved sigh. You stretched out your arms above your head before leaning back against your seat, your gaze now fixed on the ceiling. The exhaustion you felt for the past weeks finally started to leave you as you somehow imagined white smoke rise out of your head. Ever since that incident with Ushijima you tried doing several different ways to keep yourself distracted from thinking about him and how screwed you would be if you ever ran into him again
Apparently the most successful way was by burying yourself deep into your textbooks, more than the usual. Day in, day out you would only focus on your studies, changing the book you held in your hand almost every hour, indulging yourself in different study materials as you absorbed every important information you'd come upon and now that the midterm was all over, you felt your brain starting to delete some stored files in it. You close your eyes as you let out another relieved sigh; you were now free from having to stay up late at night as well as going through days experiencing stiff neck, sore shoulders and aching back pain, though you know you will still be doing the same thing come finals, as your brain tries its best to empty itself after any kind of exam.
"It's been two weeks, huh" you thought to yourself as you tuned yourself out from your surroundings. It had been exactly two weeks since you've last seen the tall ace. In the first place it was easy enough for you not to see him in school because of the difference in your year levels, this fact pointed out to you by none other than (bf/n) herself and you literally face palmed yourself for not realizing something so obvious. The only problem you'd face was the fact that you both lived in the same general direction, but thanks to a certain worrywart brother you were able to avoid him during your trip to and from school. Ever since that time you singlehandedly worried the shit out of him by fainting in front of him, not only once but twice, he made sure to spare some time to drive you to school and back. You refused his proposal at first but after a couple minutes of one-sided negotiation in favor of his proposal, you ended up accepting his offer, as if you ever had a choice in the matter.
You were brought back to your senses when you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. Your eyes opened slowly as your hand moved to grab your phone while you remained leaning against your chair. You checked the screen of your smartphone, briefly glancing at the text sent to you before putting it back in your pocket. You moved your gaze back down, blankly scanning your surroundings. You noticed that most of your classmates have already left the room and others were preparing to clean. You guessed, (bf/n) being the swimming nut she is, had already left you and went running for the pools without so much as a goodbye. You quickly packed your things inside your school bag and made your way out of the room, not wanting to make your brother wait at the school entrance any longer. You said your goodbyes and made sure to tell whoever was in charge for today's cleaning duty not to slack off as they have the tendency to do so.
***
You body was sprawled on the back seat of the car, occasionally you would groan whenever the car would drive over a speed bump. You let yourself get lost in your own little world as you would repeatedly fix your position. Finally finding one that is most comfortable, you planted your face into the seat while you lied on your stomach, the seatbelt keeping you from falling or hitting your face against the back of the driver's seat. With midterms away, the fact that Inter High was right around the corner became glaringly present to you. And as if on cue, images of Ushijima began to pop up in your mind, filling every corner of your brain with him and only him.
You felt your stomach churn and your heart beat out of your chest, the mixture of feelings leaving you into a confused wreck. You whined and banged your head against the backseat. "Look I don't know what shit you're going through and I'm not the type to pry it out of you unless you tell me yourself but could you at least fix the way you're lying there, I may be your brother but would it kill you to act a little more refined?" he deadpanned as he glanced at you through the rear-view mirror. You looked up to meet his gaze from the mirror. His eyes gestured for you to look down and you followed it until you were looking down on the lower half of your body, you noticed that your skirt was lifted up a little too high revealing your (favorite color) underwear.
You pushed your skirt back down, your face tinted with a deep shade of red as you bury your face even further into the seat. Thankfully, the car windows are tinted. "Hey Nii-chan..." you called out to him after letting yourself wallow in self-loathing for a couple of seconds. Your voice coming out muffled as your face remained buried in the cushion of the back seat. "What?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the road as he would repeatedly tap his pointer finger on the steering wheel, making sure to keep his patience as he allows the old lady to cross the road.
"Have you ever fallen in love with someone then that someone made you scared? Then that person did something that made you fall in love again but nevertheless you remained internally scared of that person?" you asked, moving your face to the side so you were now looking at the back of his seat. Your cheeks tinted with a light shade of pink, feeling a little embarrassed having to tell your brother about something like this, not to mention having to get advice from him. Honestly, you were feeling a bit scared on how he'd react, maybe he'd ground you for a month or lose his mind while screaming profanities on how his little sister got so hung up on love at such a young age but he merely grunted in response as he leaned on the steering wheel, his eyes never leaving the road as he sat there in silence, the old lady still far from reaching the other side.
"There was this one time in college but instead of me, it was her who experienced what you just said. At least that's what she told me" he said, his eyes bearing a glint of sentimentality as he remembered his college days, albeit lasting only a fraction of a second. You looked up until you could see the headrest of his seat, feeling a little interested for his story. Your brother wasn't the type to share his personal life, it was all work and family so something like this was rare for you, especially because even as a college student he had always been a busybody never showing you any signs that he was taking part in anything else but studies, work and family. Feeling a little braver and bold, you sat up, adjusting the seatbelt accordingly. "What happened?" you asked, your eyes sparkling in curiosity as you leaned closer to him.
"Well to summarize how I scared her... I was in a bad mood that time and she just appeared out of the blue with that childish smile of hers and I just lashed out at her, I had no idea she had a crush on me that time. How she came to like me again, I'll never know" he said as he reminisced his past, his gaze never leaving the road in front of him, the old lady now halfway to crossing the road, finally.
"All I can say about her was that she was so damn persistent and stubborn, always moving forward without a care despite of how much of a coward she was or how clumsy she could be. Going so far as to confront and confess to me with such bravado that puts men proposing to their girlfriends to shame. She was really cool that time..." He said flatly and dryly that you wonder to yourself why his story is starting to make you feel butterflies in your stomach. Even without emotions in his retelling, you tried your very best to imagine your brother's past love life and that excited you quite a bit.
"So, what happened next?" you asked, your voice cracking a little as you couldn't let your excitement contain you. "I couldn't give her an answer at that moment so until then she just followed me everywhere, standing by me in every moment" He replied monotonously as he revved the car up to continue the drive to your house the exact moment when both feet of the old lady was on the other side of the road.
"Uwaaa~ so annoying" you said with accusing and judgemental eyes "... and you call yourself a man" you mumbled with a pout as you repeatedly poked his cheek.
"So we ended up dating and it went better than I thought it would..." he continued, ignoring your snarky comment and acting completely unfazed at your attempt to annoy him. "But... in the end, we broke up. I couldn't be responsible to her as a boyfriend should, I let myself get too focused on what I was doing and she would just go along with it. Then the time came that it probably became too hard for her. I was always at the receiving side after all, I think, well, that was what she said" his voice faltering for a moment, as his eyes tried to mask a bit of his past pain. The excitement in your eyes disappeared a bit as you let his story sink in, feeling yourself tear up from his story, monotonous as it was in its delivery, it was still a sad tale. You properly sat back down to your seat and you both remained silent the whole trip home, you felt a bit guilty for having your brother dig up the painful memories of the past.
You waved at your brother goodbye before walking towards the front gate. "Hey (f/n)" (br/n) called out to you making you stop in your tracks. "I don't know what you're going through right now and I know that my past might've greatly affected and probably scared you but I'll tell you one thing..." he paused as you looked back at him, a solemn expression on your face. "... When I met her again after a few years and we had a good long chat about our past, she told me that she was happy and held no regrets whatsoever with what she started with me and honestly, I couldn't be happier for her." You looked up and met his gaze; a rare warm smile etched in his features with his eyes brimming with reassurance and fulfilment, such is a rare occasion that you mentally curse yourself for not taking a picture of this moment.
"Just make sure that whatever choice you make won't leave you with any regrets in the future and I'm sure you'll be fine. You're still young so don't be afraid of taking the bull by its horns" he said, offering you one last rare smile before putting the car engine into a start and driving away. You stood there dumbfounded and awestricken as you properly internalized everything he told you. You gripped on the straps of your schoolbag and allowed a relieved smile to form on your lips. "I'll do my best" you encouraged yourself, your spirits lifting up as you felt courage and hope surge within you. For once, you felt calm. Then suddenly several thoughts dawned on you. "My brother? Smiled? When was the last time I saw him smile? Maybe it will rain soon" your eyes looking up at the sky at the thought of rain and was surprised with the unusual build-up of dark clouds overhead.
***
Ushijima walked through the long halls of Shiratorizawa, steadily making his way to the volleyball club's gym. Despite his usually stoic facial expression, he was having trouble containing the excitement he was feeling inside. It had been a week since he last been to the gym since it was every school's rule to cancel club and extracurricular activities a week before exams so of course, the VBC was not exempt from this rule despite the few (well, many) special treatments they usually got. His walk to the gym was unbothered, not having to pause or make way for any other person as he walked since other students would naturally, more like instinctively, move away from his path, the scene looking like a modern day version of the parting of the Red Sea. But despite his serious expression and seemingly unfazed death glare, his mind would aimlessly wander elsewhere, filling his thoughts with the most random of things that would then add up and eventually lead to you.
His usual frown was replaced with a scowl as you filled every corner of his mind. The feelings welling up inside him became more taxing to deal with than the last time. The mysteries that surrounded you as you remained unnamed and unknown to him was what allowed him the last ounce of strength he had to keeping his feelings at bay but even that you had to take away from him. Not to mention, you accomplished it without having to say anything let alone be awake when he found out. It had been two weeks since he last saw you and normally he would feel relieved and thankful for that but some inner force within him keeps pulling his thoughts towards you, the force going so far as to stop him from walking for a couple of minutes, waiting in that intersection seeing if he could get a chance of seeing you. When he realized what he did then, the anger that burned inside him grew stronger. You were causing him to act out of character to a degree he never thought he couldn't handle.
"You're going to kill someone if you keep that up" he heard somebody say from behind him bringing him back to reality. "What do you want, Benzai?" Ushijima asked, briefly glancing at the shorter male as Benzai stood beside him. Like how you and (bf/n) met and soon became friends, Ushijima met Benzai during the opening ceremony, they sat together and despite Ushijima's already scary face (though unbeknownst to Ushijima himself) Benzai was brave enough to talk to him during the said event. They conversed the entirety of the ceremony, Benzai being the one who would often talk given that Ushijima was the type to remain silent only giving Benzai one worded or brief and concise answers and from that they formed a friendship of sorts.
"As blunt as ever, I see..." Benzai's pointed out to which Ushijima replied with silence, glancing down at the male with his soul piercing eyes. Ushijima heaved a sigh before continuing his walk towards the gym this time with Benzai walking alongside him. He didn't show it but Ushijima was actually thankful that Benzai appeared, saving him from having to fall deeper into a state of confusion and irritation all directed towards you. Benzai droned on, telling Ushijima stories about his own personal life and school, asking Ushijima questions from time to time just for the heck of it. Although, as much as Ushijima wanted to listen, he was barely able to. Images of you as well as having to hear replays of your voice play in his mind keep reeling his train of thought from Benzai to you. "Definitely a bother..." he unconsciously muttered out, these words becoming normal for him to say.
"Did you say something Ushijima?" Benzai stopped in his tracks making Ushijima flinch. It wasn't his intention to say it out loud; he tried to keep his cool and shook his head. Benzai shrugged and continued on with whatever he was saying, Ushijima feeling relieved that he was able to go unnoticed with what was going on inside of him. He forcefully tried to reel his thoughts back to what Benzai was talking about but what he heard next caught him off guard.
"... So Ushijima make sure to watch over (l/n)-chan okay? She could be a klutz at times and she's the most directionally challenged person I know..." Benzai said through chuckles, the sudden change in expression in Ushijima's face going unnoticed. Benzai stopped talking and looked back once he realized that Ushijima was no longer walking beside him, he tilted his head to the side confused as to why the tall ace suddenly stopped. "Sorry Benzai but could you repeat that..." Ushijima said, barely able to keep his voice steady as he was too taken aback with what he just heard.
Benzai turned around and faced Ushijima, his hands fumbling with whatever was inside his pocket "About (l/n)(f/n)-chan? Sure. She's my kouhai at the student council and she's been assigned to your team. You already know the system, right... we pick..."
"I know, what else?" Ushijima said a little too sternly as he cut Benzai off, his voice coated with a hint of desperation and glee although still going unnoticed by the shorter male. Benzai flinched when the air surrounding Ushijima grew darker, he never knew Ushijima's glare could turn anymore darker than what they normally were and he couldn't help but feel gravely intimidated on the inside. Benzai cleared his throat disguising it as a way to alleviate the uneasiness the tall ace was bringing him.
"Like I said, she'll be going with your team. Well, mostly with the cheering club and I just want you to look after her because she's so damn clumsy and directionally challenged to the point that it seems unreal. If you don't want to then its fine, I'm just giving you a heads up here, no need to give me the death glare geez..." Benzai whined while slapping Ushijima's shoulders as an attempt to bring Ushijima back to his usual and 'less' scary face. Ushijima stood in silence as he allowed Benzai's words to sink in, feeling awfully glad for such a grand opportunity thinking that maybe he'll be able to impress you in his play. The thought making him flinch, making the air around him grow darker than ever. The things you do to him were going way overboard to the point that even he becomes unsure of himself, something that he never once experienced or allowed to occur without him knowing.
"Well I already told you what I need to tell you. I guess I'll just hand this to you instead, it's the pep rally schedule. Give it to your captain, 'kay?" Benzai said while pulling out a single sheet of paper from his bag and handing it to Ushijima. Ushijima looked down on the sheet of paper presented before him and took it, briefly scanning the paper to check the schedule. "Watch over my kouhai 'mkay?" Benzai said for the last time while patting Ushijima on the shoulder. He waved him goodbye as he walked in the opposite direction. Ushijima responded with a nod although Benzai was unable to see it. He placed the piece of paper inside his bag and continued to walk towards the gym, determination filling his eyes and he, for the umpteenth time, decided that this time surely he'll be able to end things with you.
***
The whistle blew gathering the attention of every player on the court as well as every spectator seated on the stands. The already nerve-wracking atmosphere seemed to grow as it becomes mixed with fervor and excitement from each person in the stadium. For every person inside, from the players to the stands, everyone's heart is pounding in excitement as those that stood on the court had their head held high, fidgeting the slightest bit as they let themselves be consumed with the play.
The referee blew the whistle for the second time and the once quiet stadium is now bombarded with all sorts of noise. The sound of sneakers causing friction on gym floors and balls being spiked, received and blocked mixed in with the cheers coming from the teams standing by on the stands as they cheer for their schools.
"Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa!" the cheers echoed throughout the stadium, as their cheering team begin to dominate the court mainly due to their sheer number compared to that of the other team.
The Inter high has officially began.
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A/N: Sorry for the time skips... I just wanted to fasten the pace a bit so forgive me
Also, if it isn't obvious enough, I love writing long fics (as well as reading them) so bear with me if I keep writing long ones, which is always (If you don't like them then I'm sorry but I love em so...)
Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you liked this chapter ^^