You watched as Tsukishima talked to the upperclassmen, not knowing what to do with your hands. Their voices were faint, but you could still hear the conversation.
"There's something I'd like to ask, may I?" asked the blonde boy. The handsome man with the rooster hairstyle, Kuroo Tetsurou, smirked as he crossed his arms.
"Well, sure!" the cute boy, Bokuto Kotarou, with both colours of black and white in his hair enthusiastically replied.
"This is quite unexpected," said the man, Akaashi Keiji, who had beautiful gunmetal blue eyes and black hair. Tsukishima took that as a 'go-ahead' response and looked at them, his mind thinking of how he could phrase the question. He thanked them first and slightly bowed his head.
"Both of your schools are sometimes considered powerhouse schools, right?" Kuroo shut his eyes for a second, fazed by how blunt the first year is. 'sometimes?' he repeated in his mind. Although blunt, Kuroo was sure the blonde glasses boy had something to say. So instead, he continued to listen.
"Even if you were able to make it to Nationals, actually winning there would be difficult, right?"
"But not impossible! Wait, hold on, what are you trying to say?!" Bokuto interjected, clear annoyance in his voice. The second year, Akaashi, butted in and told his senior to hear Tsukishima out.
"I am genuinely curious. Why do you get so desperate to do all of this?" bluntly asked Tsukishima. You raised a brow, interested at where this was going. "Volleyball is just a club, and maybe you'll get to write: "I worked really hard in my club in high school," on your resume, right?"
"Hmm, say, four eyes--"
"It's Tsukishima."
"Then, four eyes Tsukishima. Do you think volleyball is fun?" asked Bokuto, with half the enthusiasm. You pursed your lips to hold your laughter. It's fun seeing Tsukishima getting teased-- call it a taste of his own medicine, if it's a must. The blonde boy looked to the side and thought hard about the question.
"I guess... No, not really."
"Maybe that's because you suck at it?" proudly and quite straightforwardly, Bokuto said. A laugh accidentally escaped your mouth, which then caught the other two's attention. You immediately covered your mouth and bowed your head.
"I'm a third-year, and I've gone to Nationals. I'm better than you. Way better than you! Even your cute friend knows that--"
"You didn't really have to tell me that." A frown appeared on Tsukishima's face. Maybe it's because it's the jab at his skills-- or the fact that Bokuto called you 'cute', or maybe it's both. An annoying combination.
Bokuto's lips turned into a smirk. "But I only recently started thinking that volleyball was fun. Ever since my straight became usable in matches. I've always been good at landing cross-court shots, but the blockers started blocking those. I got frustrated and practiced the hell out of those straights. A-anyways! In the next tournament, I didn't let the same blockers touch the ball at all. I shot through them! I finally felt like I had my moment--
His honey light brown eyes bore into Tsukishima's. "What I'm trying to say is... It's all about whether or not you have a moment like that. We shouldn't look at what happens in the future because none of that matters now, instead, we should focus on our present. Crushing the guy in front of you, and the exhilaration of playing at 120% of your skills, is everything-- it's what we should be motivated for. Once that moment arrives for you, that's the moment you'll be hooked on volleyball." Bokuto smiled and pointed his finger toward the first year. Tsukishima's brows raised and his golden-brown eyes widened, intrigued at what he had said. He'd be lying if he said he didn't get goosebumps. He didn't know what he meant now, but he was sure the words of this senior would someday be useful. Tsukishima had already locked those words inside his brain, where he'll forever remember the advice.
Bokuto clapped his hands together, bringing Tsukishima back into reality. Both Bokuto and Kuroo had already cornered him with convincing smiles. "Well, I answered your question. Now jumps a few blocks for me--"
"But it's already getting late," interjected Tsukishima.
Kuroo placed his hand on his hip and smirked. "If you jump some blocks for us, I won't ask for your cute friend's number," he teased.
Tsukishima furrowed his brows and looked at the upperclassman offensively. "Huh?! I-I mean, fine."
'This guy is so easy to read,' thought Kuroo.
After what seemed like an hour of conversation. Tsukishima finally walked toward you all of a sudden. Your heart began to pump crazily as he gets closer.
"It's getting late. Just go to sleep and we'll talk tomorrow."
You looked up at him and sighed. Staring into his eyes, you crossed your arms. "No. I can wait until you guys are done."
"You're really persistent," teased the blonde boy. You let out a chuckle and nodded.
"I am, what 'you gonna do about it?" The ends of your lips curved into a smile. Meanwhile, Tsukishima continued to look at you. He let out a sigh of disbelief and lifted his long fingers to flick your forehead.
"You're annoying." You took out your tongue and teased him. Tsukishima may have said those words as if insulting you, but his face said otherwise. It was slight-- very slight, but you could actually see a little smile forming on his lips.
Just as you promised, you waited and waited for them to finish. At the end of the hour, your eyelids became heavier and heavier. The boys seemed to have noticed this and ended their late-night practise much earlier, much to Bokuto's dismay.
You yawned as you walked with Tsukishima to the upper-story of the school. Reaching the hallways, Tsukishima paused and looked out the thick windows. The solemn expression on his face made you stare at him in concern. You stood beside him, quietly observing how the misty clouds swayed in one direction, covering and uncovering the moon. Waiting patiently, you offered him your presence as Tsukishima hesitated to let out his words.
"My brother used to smile a lot when I was younger. He loved volleyball more than everyone else." Tsukishima spoke up all of a sudden. You looked at him with intent, fully listening to what he was saying.
"In fact, he loved volleyball so much that he was willing to do anything and that included telling pointless lies. I never really understood why he worked so hard, only to be disappointed and hurt in the end. He lied to me about being Karasuno's captain, and I was happy that he's happy. The truth is, he wasn't even included in the team. It was a cold and hard realization. Still, he worked his ass off for something that caused him pain. Until now, I still don't understand what Bokuto-san meant when he said the future didn't matter. To me, it matters." Tsukishima looked down at his fingers and played with it. A faint sigh escaped your mouth as you tried to think of a good reply.
You turned around and leaned your head against the window. "I think... what he meant to say is that caring too much about what happens in the future will get you nowhere." A smile formed on your lips the moment you saw his confused expression.
"Think about it, no one can really tell what'll happen in the future. So thinking of your future, when there could be hundreds of millions of outcomes, is endless. What matters is the present. That goes the same for your brother. He may have experienced pain in the past or he may experience hurt in the future, but what matters is that he's smiling more in today's present because he's doing what he loves."
Tsukishima stared at you as you showed him a bright smile. "When you stop thinking that volleyball is just a club or that you do it to pass time, I think that's when you'll realize you're having fun. After all, you join a sports team not just to win, but to also enjoy your time and have fun, right?"
His slender hands pushed the frame of his glasses up as he nodded. "I guess..."
"Oi, I gave you a speech and you reply with 'I guess'?" You glared at him jokingly and smiled.
He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. "It's good advice."
Silence fell upon both of you. It was a comfortable silence, one that does not leave you begging for noise. You've gotten used to each other's presence and his presence itself made you feel comfortable.
"L/n," he softly called. You turned to him and slightly smiled.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you. I just wasn't sure how to act." Your smile slowly disappeared. Letting out a sigh, you tiptoed and drummed your fingers on the stone windowsill.
"It's all right. I'm just glad we're still friends--"
"The truth is, I share the same feelings." Your eyes widened, lips parted at his words. Heat rushed toward your cheeks as you listened to his calming voice. With your heart beating much faster than drums, you continued to listen.
"But..."
"You find it hard to trust people?" He looked at you in shock but immediately calmed himself and nodded.
You gulped and looked ahead. "As much as I want to say 'you can trust me', I know that such a thing as trust is hard to obtain and easy to break. I understand, Tsukki. I was a jerk a few months ago. Every now and then I find myself reverting to the same person I hated so much. I understand why you'd still have doubts about me. But you've... helped me realize a lot of things and made my life better. And I want to return the same favour. I'll wait. No matter how long. God, it sounds cheesy but I hope you know what I mean." You laughed at yourself and shook your head.
Tsukishima couldn't help but smile. He turned around to mirror your position and stared at the classroom doors in front.
"You called me Tsukki."
Your brow twitched in annoyance. At the many words-- comforting words you said, he chose to bring attention to the fact that you called him like how his best friend calls him. A smug appeared on your face as you looked at him.
"Yeah, and what about it?" You threatened jokingly.
"Kei sounds better." He looked away in embarrassment and pushed his glasses upward while his cheeks were tinted slightly pink.
Your lips formed into a sheepish smile. "Okay, Tsukki... Tsukishima."
He turned his head toward you and deadpanned. "You know what, why did I even bother?"
You laughed as you continued teasing him. "Okay, okay. I'll call you Kei. It's much shorter and saves me a few syllables."
He crossed his arms and raised a brow. "Jeez, who knew you were such a nerd?"
You rolled your eyes and sassed him back, "Please, look who's talking you Sauroposeidon proteles."
Tsukishima's lips parted in shock. "You... know dinosaurs?"
"I may or may not have researched about them to see why you're so interested in them." You gulped and looked away.
"You're so in love with me, it's crazy." Tsukishima smiled teasingly. The furrow on your face made his eyes smile.
"Wha- that's not funny! And so what? Bye, I'm done talking to you. Have-a-good-night," you huffed and slammed your foot. Tsukishima was taken aback by your sudden-- and unintentional confession. He watched as you cutely stormed into your room in anger and embarrassment.
One could totally look at Tsukishima and think of him like a maniac when the blonde boy didn't even shy away from chuckling like an idiot. Your reactions were always to die for. It was always fun for him to expect what kind of sassy reply you'd respond with. He was so wrong about you. You were more than a shallow, rich, bratty and pretty popular girl. Tsukishima was afraid of trusting someone too much, he was afraid of disappointment and pain... but slowly-- little by little, he was starting to think... that it'd be okay if it was you.