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“Luck? No way!” Tsutomu called out, his voice reverberating around the classroom as he glared at one of his friends, “You’re only an Ace if you’re able to create miracles!”
You turned around curiously at the urgency in his voice, your lips curling in an amused smile at the way his sharp brows furrowed, his lips pulled down in an adorably sweet frown.
You sighed. ‘He’s at it again.’
“But how do you plan on beating Ushijima-senpai? Dude, have you seen the way he throws those balls?” His best friend rested against the desk in front of him, his legs outstretched and crossed as he gestured vividly in the air as if to prove a point.
“First of all, those are called spikes, not balls.” He grumbled, chewing on the back of his pen agitatedly, “Second of all, I will surpass him! Just watch! I will become Shiratorizawa’s ace!”
At this point, you couldn’t help but butt into the conversation, even if it was just to see the poor boy blush and fumble around. You rose from your chair and skidded over to him, a disbelieving smile on your face as you leaned down to gaze into his eyes.
They widened slightly at your proximity, shimmering like the asphalt after a rainy day, streaks of pink rising on his cheeks.
“Eeeeeh? So you must be really good then, right?” You blinked innocently at him, as if you weren’t fully aware what your presence did to him.
Your other classmate stood next to you, chuckling at the behavior of his best friend, who now had his face turned away from you, his ears a brilliant shade of red as he glared out the window.
“Mh. Somethin’ like that.” He muttered under his breath and you had to struggle to not break into a laughing fit right there, because goddamn was he sweet when he was all flustered like this.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was his very first time talking to someone of the opposite gender. But you knew better, which made all of this even more worthwhile for your entertainment.
You had been his classmate since middle school, having transferred to the same high school as he did and as fate wanted – you two had ended up in the same classroom once again, destined to be with each other for the next three years to come.
“Tell me, Goshiki-kun,” his shoulders twitched at how his name rolled off your tongue sweetly, like a thick layer of honey coating his taste buds, causing you to smirk and his friend to roll his eyes, “What kind of miracle does an Ace create?”
Your question about volleyball seemed to snap him from whatever inner turmoil he seemed to be battling, his hands reaching forward in a motion as if grabbing a ball. He seemed like an entirely different person – the nervous fidgeting halting and a simmering passion brewing forth. A glaze of elation coated his eyes, the pinkness on his cheeks remaining for an entirely different reason.
Unaware that it was now you whose jaw dropped open, you unabashedly stared as the boy in front of you transformed from flustered to passionate within a heartbeat. The purple plaid tie resting neatly on his lavender shirt swung with his every movement, the chair beneath him squeaking at his weight.
“When even the most powerful spike is blocked… Or when even the sturdiest of walls is broken through… It’s up to the Ace to save his team and make the deciding choice!” His hands tightened around an invisible ball, the pools of mahogany now blazing directly towards you, “It’s up to the Ace to score that impossible point! To make the impossible possible… that’s what an Ace does!”
You stood there, your feet rooted to the ground as you watched Tsutomu, who just a second ago had been struggling to answer you, was now staring straight at you with such determination and confidence that you couldn’t stop the blush from rising to your face.
You gulped and fumbled with the fabric of your purple plaid skirt, tearing your eyes away from him, your roles now reversed. You cleared your throat, shooting a glare at his friend, who seemed like he was about to comment on your nervous state.
The classroom went quiet at his sudden outburst with everyone having turned around to watch your interaction. Some of them snickered into their hands and shook their heads amusedly, by now used to his passionate rage whenever the topic of volleyball rolled around.
Others gave you a knowing smile, their teasing words about you two making the perfect couple nestled in the corner of your mind. Where Tsutomu was quiet and serious, you were boisterous and playful. Where he was careful and considerate, you were straightforward and enjoyed pushing people’s buttons just to get a rise out of them.
Anyone, who was unaware how much the two of you gravitated towards each other was either blind or living under a giant rock.
You were much better at downplaying your embarrassment, cracking a joke and laughing the tension off. But Tsutomu was a nervous wreck to begin with, so whenever he was directly confronted about his very obvious crush on you, he’d bolt off into god knows what direction, wishing for the ground to swallow him up.
The blaring ringing of the school bell caught you off guard, your shoulders twitching in surprise when the rest of your classmates slowly filed back into the room. They dragged their feet behind them with a groan, the sunlight that filtered through the windows making the next few hours of math lessons even less enticing.
“I guess I’ll see you later, aspiring Ace!”
You poked out your tongue playfully at him, skidding back to your seat once your teacher closed the door behind her. He watched you leave with sweaty palms, growling at his best friend when he smirked at him like he knew exactly what was going through his mind.
He huffed out and lowered his gaze to stare at his chest frustratedly, ‘Would you stop beating so much already!’
He couldn’t wait for his school day to be over already, eager to let go of all of his anxiety and pent up stress in the form of his most favorite exercise – volleyball training.
Meanwhile you sat frozen in your seat, a sudden idea lighting in your head like a freshly changed bulb. A devious grin formed on your face and you inconspicuously flitted your eyes to Tsutomu’s back, a thrill of anticipation running through your spine as you already imagined his reaction to your plans.
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The squeaking of sneakers were audible throughout the large gymnasium, the boys inside warming up for their training. The doors and windows were opened wide, allowing cooling gusts of wind to blow through.
Casual conversations and banter resounded off the walls, followed by the deafening sound of a particularly strong serve. The efforts to keep up with classes ebbed away as slowly but surely everyone’s focus was shifted to keeping the connection between the ball and the teammates.
They were on their own for today’s practice, their coach out of town for personal reasons. This left the boys to be more chipper and loud, none of them under the looming threat of receiving a punishment for whatever reason the coach seemed fit.
Amidst the huffing and groaning of the sweating boys, Tsutomu stood behind Wakatoshi, narrowing his eyes to analyze his every twist and step. He held his breath and focused on his form, branding his form and technique into the center of his mind just in time as the ball landed harshly on the other side of the court – even Hayato wasn’t able to stop that jump serve.
Meanwhile you were making your merry way towards the gym with one hand in the pocket of your skirt, the other holding onto a strawberry milkshake you had been sipping on. The sun felt warm on your skin, a cool breeze dancing around your bare thighs just as you rounded the corner and passed a shaded area.
You thanked yourself mentally for trading your tights with knee-high socks – today’s weather seemed to be even better than you had anticipated. With your lavender blouse rolled up to your elbows, you had styled your hair in a way that gave your neck the space to breathe.
The roaring laughter of several people reached your ears, followed by the slamming of balls and you craned your neck to see the door to the gym wide open. You squared your shoulders, taking in a deep breath before slipping inside unnoticed, ‘Here goes nothing…’
Tsutomu closed his eyes, filling his lungs with the stuffy air around him, breathing out through his mouth as he slowly bent his knee, turning his gaze towards Kenjirō expectantly. The latter had his eyes focused on him, nodding curtly before readjusting his stance to angle his aim perfectly.
He chewed on his lip thoughtfully, watching Tsutomu put his weight into the soles off his feet before pushing himself off with a grunt. The wing spiker sprinted forward, his arms stretching back as he jumped off the ground, arching his back with his right hand lifting like a whip.
His lips slightly agape, he felt time slow down as Kenjirō tossed the volleyball towards him with precision. His pupils dilated, the blood rushing through his veins like a river streaming in the depths of the woods.
Everything around him turned quiet, his ears only picking up the almost nonexistent sound of the whistling breeze that accompanied the flying ball. His hand buzzed, craving the leathery texture of the well-used ball; his fingertips twitching in anticipation as it came shooting into his peripheral vision.
Just as it reached his line of sight, he flexed the muscles of his shoulder and slammed the ball with all of the strength he could muster, a chilling roar exploding out of his chest. It ricocheted off him with incredible speed and met the ground with a smack. His feet hit the ground at the same time the ball did, the twin sounds magnified by each other. Goosebumps rose on his forearms when even Wakatoshi glanced over his shoulder to give him a look of surprise.
Tsutomu lowered his head panting, a single drop of sweat falling off his long bangs as he stared at the irritated skin of his palm, the sting turning into a dull ache, throbbing deliciously. The pools of his mahogany eyes shimmered in pure delight as he let out a scream of joy, “Yes!”
You had wandered into the gym at, dare you say, the perfect time, witnessing the soul-gripping spike of your friend first-hand. ‘Holy shit…’ Your jaw slack, you blinked stupefied at the boy who had, only mere hours ago, boasted about becoming the next Ushijima.
Any doubts that may have circulated in your mind were cleared away and your lips moved faster than your brain could process, “Goshiki-kun, that was so cool!”
Completely oblivious that the entire volleyball team had stilled their movements and focused on you – because really? When did ever a cute girl come over to watch their practices? – you bounded straight to the only familiar face of the gym, your eyes ripped open as if you were scared that if you blinked, you’d forget the sight of him suspended mid-air, his entire stance oozing fire and determination.
Like a white eagle.
Too caught up with the adrenaline buzzing through your body, you peeked through your lashes to Tsutomu, your cheeks coated in a delicious cherry red, the words streaming out of your mouth before you could get a handle on yourself, “Holy shit! You should’ve seen yourself! How did you do that?”
A group of three tall guys stood behind you, snickering at their teammate, who seemed to grow more and more flustered with each passing second, obviously not having expected you.
“You were suddenly up really high!” You flailed your arms around, drawing a huge circle to emphasize what it looked like to you, “And then your arms looked like wings! And then you just? Stopped? Mid-air? Like how did you even do that? You never told me you could fly!”
Another snort resounded from behind you, but you were too lost in your rambling to notice, your chest feeling lighter with each word leaving your lips, “But then the ball came from this guy,” you pointed at Kenjirō, your eyes lit up like bursting galaxies as you gifted him a look of incredulity, “And he just- “ you mimicked his tossing motion, “it towards you and then you- “
“Wow… Someone’s excited to see Goshiki play volleyball.” Satori commented behind your back, running a hand through his air with a frustrated expression, “How come he has a cute girl on his tail and we’re still hanging out with each other?”
Your excited chattering mixed in with the stammering of Tsutomu, who was both trying to look smug and confident, but also avoid getting swallowed by the ground, because you were so damn close and he could smell the sweet scent of strawberry milk from you.
The dusted rosiness on his cheeks stood its ground stubbornly, but when he noticed an equally dominant blush on your cheeks, he felt his shyness ebb away slowly. Another ear-splitting slam resounded on the other side of the hall as Wakatoshi landed another one of his perfect jump serves.
But you gave Tsutomu zero time to feel insecure, because your focus was still solely on him and you looked at him like you had found a treasure that had been lost in the deepest pits of the ocean. An airy laugh bubbled out of your chest when he dove into his volleyball nerd mode and started explaining the logistics of his technique, his earlier shyness discarded when faced with your genuine interest.
“Did she just really completely ignore Wakkun’s- “
“Wow. A real low blow for his ego.”
“What ego? The guy cares about nothing but volleyball. Like he cares if some first-year gives him her time of the day. But man. Goshiki sure never told us he had a cute girlfriend.”
“Right? He was always so quiet and brooding, talking about wanting to become the next Ace.”
“Makes sense though, doesn’t it? If I had someone looking at me with stars in their eyes, I’d work my damn hardest to become the best at what I do too.”
Eita and Taichi were collecting the balls from the ground whilst keeping their eyes focused on you, the latter unabashedly checking you out. Their conversation was drowned out when you suddenly snatched the ball that Tsutomu had picked up, pressing it lightly against your hip bone.
You cocked your head and gave him a smirk full of mischief, “When’s the next official match?”
“Huh?”
Several heads turned your way and even Tsutomu, who a minute ago had been vividly talking about the different kinds of serves they were practicing, did a double-take, unsure of how to interpret your question.
“You heard me. When can I come and watch you play? Surely, you’re one of the regulars?”
You asked it so effortlessly as if it was the most normal thing to do, as if you had asked if he knew the weather report for the rest of the week.
‘So straightforward…’ He thought to himself as you gazed at him patiently, ‘I can’t lose…!’
Spurred on by your boldness, he didn’t want to sell himself short, so he planted his feet firmly into the ground and announced the date with too much vigor, but the words were out before he could backpedal, his face doused in a crimson cloud.
‘He’s so cute…’ You smiled sheepishly, pushing the volleyball into his stomach as you took a step closer. You craned your neck and tried not to giggle at the way he seemed to instinctively take a step back, “Great!”
He took the ball from you tentatively, his breath caught in his throat when you gifted him your most dazzling smile and he could swear your expression rivaled that of a starry night. His heart pounded against his ribcage and bounced off his chest, threatening to set itself ablaze when you leaned in and whispered, only for him to hear,
“I’ll be cheering you on, aspiring Ace~”