The weeks before the beginning of Inter-High were filled with long hours of work, not much sleep, and exhausting practice. Although, after the funerals, Shinigami felt more alive than he did for a good year. Even though he was pushing his physical body to the absolute edge, he always wore a smile, brightening up everyone's days wherever he went.
Currently, the tall statured second year was chatting up a storm with some other second-year girls who crowded around him like some kind of god. They were all obviously flirting, hearts practically swirling around their heads as they asked Shinigami about his favorite chocolates and other physical items, even what his type was.
Deciding that he didn't want to come out publicly just yet, the male said he was into girls with blue dyed hair, which made most of the girls pout since it was against school regulations to have dyed hair that wasn't a natural color.
Across the hall Kinoshita and Ennoshita stood with Tanaka and Nishinoya, watching the whole scene unravel. Two of the four were jealous of the handsome male for 'stealing' away all the girls, while the other two were sympathetic. The girls might not have been able to see it, but it was pretty obviously written across Shinigami's face that he wanted to be out of there asap.
"Should we go help?" Kinoshita snickered, covering his mouth as he laughed when one of the girls tugged on Shinigami's sleeve, pulling him down to their height awkwardly.
"Yeah," Ennoshita chuckled, heading over to the swarm. Shinigami noticed them approaching, relief washing over his face.
"Sorry girls but I have to go practice!" He mentally cheered, gently nudging some of the girls out of the way so that he could get to the two shita's. A few of the girls whined, asking him to skip practice which Ennoshita rolled his eyes at.
"We have Inter-High, there's no way this guy is skipping." Grabbing Shinigami's collar Ennoshita dragged him away from the girls who watched with annoyed faces before heading elsewhere to their own clubs. Once they were gone he released his grasp, watching as Shinigami fixed up his uniform that had been tugged on by the girls.
"Thanks, I thought I was going to die or something." In an instant, Tanaka and Nishinoya were shouting, something along the lines of 'How could you be dying with all those beautiful babes around you!', something like that...
Shaking his head at their childish behavior, Ennoshita walked ahead with his best friend, leaving Shinigami behind to deal with the two who shared one brain cell. As they walked, the brown-haired male couldn't help but think.
Shinigami was extremely attractive, and had girls all over him, and yet he didn't seem interested in any of them. It could have been that the male was simply not interested in dating, but after the practice games with Nekoma, the hickeys on his neck proved otherwise. Many of the others on the team still wondered who Shinigami had snuck off with since they had all been so focused on the games. They all assumed it was some girl at Nekoma, so they didn't question it further.
'So is he dating that girl then?... How did they even meet?' Shaking his head Ennoshita sighed, deciding not to bother thinking about it anymore. But when Shinigami walked into the change room and began to strip along with Tanaka and Noya, his mind began to wander once more. 'Whoever it is is hella lucky... I mean, look at hi- Jesus fuck stop!' Slapping himself in the forehead Kinoshita gave his friend a weird look before closing his locker. 'He's a guy! Stop that brain!'
The second-year members exited the change rooms, helping the others there with the set up of the nets. Once everything was set up and everyone was there, they began practice with a quick jog. Running near the front of the group to make sure Kageyama and Hinata didn't disappear once more, Shinigami let himself relax to enjoy the way the sun shone brightly, the warmth tickling his exposed skin.
Since he had his other loose gym shirt still in the washing machine at home, Shinigami wore his other workout shirt which was tight skinned and had no sleeves, revealing his buff arms and toned upper body. And the short above the knee shorts helped to display how large his 'package' was along with his muscular yet sleek legs.
Sugawara, who was jogging behind the second year along with the other third years, couldn't help but stare at the ass in front of him, his face hot. Asahi awkwardly stared, wondering how he had built such muscles while Daichi looked anywhere but at Shinigami, face bright red which he claimed to be because of the heat.
"AHHHHHH!!!" Hinata screamed, pushing his legs faster to get in front of Kageyama who was about to do the same when he felt an arm wrap around his waist. The two first years yelped when they were hoisted off the ground, Hinata on Shinigami's right shoulder while Kageyama was on the left.
The team took a quick pit stop, laughing at the scene before them. Both the first years were pink in the face, hiding their embarrassed faces in their hands, glaring at Tsukishima through their fingers. Strangers walking around stopped to stare as well, a couple of people admiring Shinigami's body and his strength, mistaking him to be the two first year's father.
"You two better not run off as soon as I set you down, got it?" Daichi huffed proudly as he watched Shinigami scold the two before setting them back on their feet. Taking the lead, Shinigami instantly felt eyes on his back, knowing that his team was staring at him as he ran. And for one, he didn't feel uncomfortable being stared at.
'This is...nice...'
- - -
"Keep your arms moving Ginger!" Watching as the team went through the usual drills, Shinigami sat on the stage portion of the gym. In front of him was Asahi, who had his eyes closed, relaxed as the younger male combed his hands through his long locks of brown hair, playing with it out of boredom.
"Mmm~..." Leaning back against Shinigami's chest, Asahi smiled unconsciously, melting into jello at the soothing touch. He had never gotten a head massage before, but if it felt this good, he wanted one every single day after practice and school.
A loud thwack noise caused Shinigami to jump, snapping him out of his little trance. His eyes widened when one of the balls Hinata failed to receive flew directly towards Asahi whose eyes were still closed, unaware of the ball whirling towards him. In one swift movement, Shinigami leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Asahi so that he wouldn't get hit in the face.
The ball ricocheted off his arm before bouncing back onto the court. Shocked by the sudden contact and human shielding, Asahi tilted his head up at Shinigami who smiled down at him, arms still securely wrapped around his neck. A light blush spread across his face, eyes reflecting his beautiful face. From that angle looking up along with the light shining into the gym, Shinigami looked like an angle shimmering.
"You alright Azumane?" The ace nodded his head stiffly, before turning his head back to the court. When he felt the arms around him begin to retract, his hands moved on their own, grasping Shinigami's arms gently so they could stay where they were. As soon as he did that the third year felt embarrassed, about to apologize when the arms tightened.
Shinigami let out an amused huff at the cute action, resting his chin on the top of Asahi's, a light flush of pink on his cheeks. The feeling of the other male's hands on his arms was warm, causing his heartbeat to quicken.
"Y-You can just call me by my first name..." Asahi nervously spoke quietly, trying not to draw attention from the others who were switching out turns to practice receiving. Shinigami smiled warmly, pulling the third-year back so that they were flush against each other.
"Then you can call me Shini," The male nodded, blushing furiously since he could feel something poke his back. 'H-He's not even hard!! How l-l-large is he?!?' When it was his turn to receive...well, let's just say he couldn't keep his head straight.