Chapter Text
It was the beginning of the end.
Kamei Arena Sendai, the venue for today’s match against the Schweiden Adlers, buzzed with elation. Game days were always hectic—in person and online. At the current moment, all your social feeds were blowing up with excitement, the fans ready to take revenge for the start of the new V. League season.
Inside a nearly empty corridor leading out to the main court, you could hear the volume level increase as time passed, the seats in the arena filling out. People of all ages were ready for the big showdown. Venue staff scurried back and forth, making sure any lighting, camerawork, and court specifics were all checked and ready before cue. Seeing everyone work so hard gave you last minute jitters. Even if this was your last season, there would be no slacking on your part.
Not one to dwell on bittersweet feelings, you decided to walk off your nerves before the start of the game. A few other staff members rushed past you, some even greeting you in the process of carting off towels and bottles to the court, too busy to even take a break.
As you continued down, the sound of the crowd disappeared, replaced with the clacking of the heels of your shoes against the tile floor. Your fingers fidgeted with the plastic of your lanyard as you cleared your thoughts. The hallway was devoid of people.
That was, until you turned the corner.
“Meian?” you said as you approached him. He stood with his back against the wall, seeming to have some sort of existential crisis at the moment as he stared into space with a blank expression. “Are you alright? Do you need a trainer or something?”
At the sound of your voice, he snapped out of his trance and turned his head in your direction. His skin was pale and he stared at you as if you were a ghost from the past.
“Is… is it true?”
Not understanding what he meant, you took a step forward and tilted your head in concern. “Excuse me? Is what true?”
“You’re really leaving?” he elaborated, brows knitted together as he waited for your answer.
Oh.
You let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the area between your brows as you stared at the ground. Leave it to Bokuto to spill the beans during locker room gossip on game day. You hoped he would have kept it between you two until you guys got back to Osaka, but it must’ve slipped out through idle conversation. In the back of your mind, you imagined Bokuto getting interrogated by the rest of the members as all hell broke loose, the guys putting him into a chokehold until he further explained.
“Yeah, once this season is over then my contract with this team is finished,” you answered truthfully. Everyone was going to find out sooner or later anyway. Might as well come clean. “It feels a little weird to say it aloud. After all, I’ve been with you guys for nearly two years.”
He ran a hand through his hair and down the base of his neck, massaging it to relieve himself of the tension.
“You’re telling me. And I had to find out through Bokuto of all people,” he said. The color was starting to come back to his face. “You know, he was telling us all about his tempura the other night and suddenly he blurted out ‘I can’t believe that might be my last time eating out with [Name]!’ We thought you were terminally ill or something.”
“‘Terminally ill’?” You couldn’t but laugh. “I’m not dying or anything. That’s the worst possible outcome.”
“Well, did management offer you a chance to renew?”
“...They did.”
“And you chose not to?”
You nodded your head. “I know. Sounds crazy because these past two years have been a lot of fun, but I feel like I need to settle down. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I thought now was the right time.”
Meian crossed his arms in front of his chest, smiling playfully. It was a complete contrast to his paling dissociated figure from a few minutes ago. “So you found a new job? Couldn’t wait to leave us so soon?”
“Oh, totally,” you said, sarcasm coated your words like honey. “I mean, after all the madness I’ve been through from working with you guys, like my shoes getting thrown up on by Miya, the Tokyo Matsuri Jidai parade incident, Sakusa’s commercial shoot… I need to get out of here before wrinkles start popping up…”
At this point, Meian was starting to look a little hurt. He knew the younger guys of the team were a handful, but were they really that bad to make you want to quit? You threw your head back in laughter and waved a hand in the air to signal you were done joking.
“I’m kidding. I found a content marketing position for an athletic apparel company, applied, did a few interviews and got the job. Their main office is in Tokyo, so I’m going to have to make a few rounds over there during the year.”
Meian placed a hand over his heart and let out a pained sigh. “First you quit and then you move to Tokyo? It’s like you want nothing to do with us.”
“I’m not moving to Tokyo!” you said. There was no way you could move there. Osaka was where you felt most at home; you couldn’t say goodbye to all your family, friends and memories so soon. “They have a smaller office located in Osaka, so I won’t have to make a big move.” In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, you playfully nudged him with your elbow. “Why’re you asking all this? Shouldn’t you be more focused on your match tonight? We’ve got an hour until it starts.”
“The rest of the guys are relaxing and doing their usual pre-game rituals. You know how it is.” He shook his head. Some of the guys on the team couldn’t sit still even if their life depended on it. “Besides, I was just wondering. It’s a good thing you’ll still be in the city.”
Curious, you nudged him to continue on. “And why’s that?”
“You know who would be complaining nonstop if you left Osaka?”
In the back of your mind, you had a vague idea of who he was hinting at, but instead of taking a guess, you kept quiet and allowed yourself a small smile that barely went unnoticed.
Meian, the team captain and one of the oldest of the bunch, had often been subjected to Atsumu’s long winded spiels ranging from his blunders to further developments in your relationship with him. If you up and left without another word, he was sure Atsumu would be whining about until the end of the century.
(“I didn’t mean to drool all over [Name]’s head! It just happened and I don’t know how to fix it!” Atsumu buried his face into his jersey and let out a groan. After the incident on the bullet train, you made it a point to avoid him, only talking when absolutely necessary. Whenever you made eye contact with him, you scowled and turned your head in the other direction. “It’s over isn’t it?”
Meian rolled his neck and stretched his arms, preparing his muscles for practice. “Well, for starters, did you say sorry?”
“I did! She looked me in the eyes and told me to beat it!”
A few of the other guys changing in the locker room gave Atsumu pity stares as they changed into their workout gear. It was like every single day he dug deeper into his grave and Meian had to extend his hand further down to get him out.
“Ouch, well, make sure something like that doesn’t happen again,” Meian said, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, drooling on someone’s head is probably the worst thing you could do to a person, right?”
—
“So… you ruined [Name]’s shoes.”
If he squinted, he could see a visible outline of Atsumu’s soul fluttering out of his lips. Atsumu was pale, eyes lifeless and will to live completely shattered after the realization that he vomited all over your shoes during the QG party.
Unable to say any kind or encouraging words, Meian gave a light pat on the shoulder.
He didn’t think it was possible for him to top the drooling incident, but Atsumu proved him wrong.)
A shiver ran down his spine and Meian couldn’t help but grimace as memories of Atsumu sulking in the locker room came to mind.
“C’mon, you know who.”
“If you’re talking about Miya, then you should know that he just likes to mess with me,” you said, the corners of your lips quirked upwards at the mention of his name. “Seriously, he makes my job way harder than it should be.”
“You think?”
“More like I know,” you bounced back at him, holding a hand up. “Let’s see…”
Without missing a beat, you started to list off all the ways Atsumu had wronged you during your time working with them. He was a serial offender. A dog that needed not only a leash, but also a muzzle and a sedative as well. By now, you had already used up all your fingers, but you kept talking. Meian listened, both amazed and stunned at the extensive record Atsumu held.
“Hey, don’t you think you’re being too harsh on him?” he asked as you described the nth ordeal Atsumu put you through. Scratching the back of his head, he wondered if his junior was nothing more than a lost cause. “Maybe you should give him a break.”
“Harsh?” you repeated. All five of your fingers were still in the air and you stared at them as you pondered his words. “You think I’m being too harsh on him?”
“...A bit. You know, he’s really not a bad guy.”
Now this made you laugh.
“I think I know that best out of everyone here,” you started and paused for a moment to collect your thoughts. “He definitely makes a fool out of himself more times than I can count… He’s a tryhard at everything he does and he sure knows how to make a mess of things, but I think he has plenty of redeeming qualities that make him… special?”
Meian nearly choked on his spit. That certainly wasn’t a word he expected to come out of your mouth when describing Atsumu.
“Special?”
“Maybe that’s not the right word,” you mumbled. Amidst all the madness, there were plenty of times when Atsumu stood out from the rest of the crowd—not only through his play on the court, but also from the way he would make you laugh, help out whenever he had the chance, and make work a little more exciting. “I don’t know. He runs his mouth faster than his brain can keep up, he doesn’t think things through all the way, and he sometimes acts immature for his age, but…” You smiled and made sure to pick your words right. “At the end of the day he makes my life interesting. So I guess he is special.”
Meian stared down at you and wondered if he should call a trainer. He really couldn’t believe what was coming out of your mouth. Especially after you listed everything he did to you. You must have been out of your mind. It was one thing to be friendly and polite, but the soft spoken demeanor you expressed while describing your relationship with Atsumu was throwing him in a loop.
The way your eyes softened, gaze stuck on your hands as you lightly gripped onto your fingers while revering the all too loud and obnoxious setter baffled Meian. It was like he was transported into a twilight zone.
Then it clicked.
And the click wasn’t like the click of a pen or the click of a button—no, the click was more like the sound of heavy traffic on a Monday morning, blaring horns from impatient office workers screaming out: utterly impossible to ignore. At his sudden epiphany, Meian gaped and momentarily stood still like a statue.
“You like…” the words came out like a whisper. Had you not been standing right next to him, you would have missed it
“Huh?”
“...Miya,” he said, forcing it out. “You like Miya.”
Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head.
“Excuse me? What makes you think that?” you tried to compose yourself after the sudden accusation, but his words echoed inside your brain like a mantra. Liking Atsumu was… absurd. Ludicrous. Heat rose to your face as you shook your head side to side, wholly denying what Meian said. “You’re… Ugh! I don’t even know what to say!”
He covered his mouth with his hand. His eyes were wide, irises shaking at the idea of Atsumu actually having game off the court. “I’m right, aren’t I? You… you have a thing for him!”
“I don’t!”
“You do!”
“I think we need a trainer here!” you said, turning on your heels. “I knew I should have called one over when I first saw you. I’ll go find one…!”
You tried to escape the conversation, making a beeline to a random room, but, before you could make a quick getaway, Meian rushed over to you, wearing a smile too wide for your liking as he stopped you from continuing down the hall.
“If anyone needs a wellness check it’s you for liking him!” Meian laughed aloud. After hearing Atsumu talk on and on and on about his flirtatious plights ending in disaster, this revelation was something that brought Meian great enjoyment. “So when’s the first date? I heard Sendai’s got some nice spots, real good for new couples and—!”
“You’re so annoying!” you interrupted, covering your face in embarrassment as he laughed at your expense. A few staff members at the other end of the hall stared at you two in bewilderment due to your outburst. “Just drop it! What are you even hanging out here anyway? Shouldn’t you be hyping up the team before the game?”
Conversation now focused on him rather than your love life, Meian sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.
“Yeah, uh, the weirdest thing happened.”
You furrowed your brows, silently urging him to continue on and hopefully forget about Atsumu. He struggled with his words, internally debating whether or not he should tell the truth. After a moment of thought, he decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with his explanation.
“I was going to the bathroom,” he started, keeping his voice more hushed. “You know, the usual routine before a match. But the thing was all the other guys were there too: Miya, Hinata, Bokuto, Sakusa, and some guys from the Adlers. It looked like they were having… a moment.”
“A moment? What do you mean by that?”
“I… I couldn’t interrupt them.”
You crossed your arms in front of your chest. “So what I’m hearing is that you still need to go to the bathroom.”
He kept silent for a moment and crossed his arms in front of his chest. A faint hue of pink dusted his cheeks as he realized how ridiculous he sounded.
“Yeah.”
It took a lot of willpower to not roll your eyes at him. How was he the one teasing you when he couldn’t even go to the bathroom by himself?
“What are they going to do? Yell at you for using the bathroom?”
“You don’t understand!” he elaborated, waving his hands in circles. “It was the atmosphere they had. Like they were all friends from their younger days and they were reminiscing about the good ‘ole times. I mean, even Sakusa was standing around chatting with them.”
Unable to take him seriously, you merely stared at him. He smiled awkwardly and you rubbed the temples on the side of your head, alleviating the headache that was forming.
“Well, you might as well go to the bathroom now,” you jabbed a thumb over your shoulder where the restrooms should be, “before your match.”
“Oh, you would love to get rid of me now that your little secret about Miya’s out,” he started again. There was a playful glint in his eyes as he leaned forward to get a better look at your face. “Out of all the guys on the team, too!”
You turned on your heels and started walking to the end of the hall in an attempt to escape. At this point, talking with Meian was going to drive you up the wall. He may be the captain and one of the oldest on the team, but he still liked to tease and rile you up at points.
“Go to the bathroom and leave me alone!” you yelled over your shoulder as you sped away.
Meian cackled and slapped at his knees at your flustered state while a few staff members poked their heads out from the corner of the hall to see what all the commotion was about. You didn’t stick around and instead continued down as far as you could. Safe from Meian’s taunts, you stood in front of one of the designated break rooms in the venue. It was bound to be empty and you needed to compose yourself after the sudden accusations of liking Atsumu.
You looked over your shoulders. No one. Standing outside the door, you rubbed your temples to alleviate the incoming headache. Five minutes of rest was all you needed. You took a deep breath and turned the knob of the door.
What you thought was a vacant room turned out to be your worst nightmare.
Standing before you, surrounding a small fold up table, were Bokuto, Atsumu, Hinata, Sakusa, Ushijima, Kageyama, and Hoshiumi. The same gang Meian described from earlier.
And maybe this would have been somewhat normal if they were lounging around, exchanging stories away from the eyes of the media before their match.
Except they weren’t.
The guys weren’t relaxing or resting or doing anything they typically would before a game. No, instead they were partaking in some sort of arm wrestling showdown. Sitting across from each other, Atsumu and Ushijima had their hands clamped together, their veins protruding out from the sheer force they were putting into their arms. Noticing your entrance, Atsumu’s grip loosened for a fraction of a second, causing Ushijima to overpower him and slam his hand to the table.
“I win,” Ushijima said in a matter-of-factly tone.
Atsumu scowled at him, but then focused his attention on you. He opened his mouth to say something, but, before he could speak up, Bokuto jumped in front of him.
“[Name]!” Bokuto cried in excitement, grinning happily at your arrival. He lit up like a million watt bulb. “You came here at the right time! We need an unbiased ref!”
“I just—I thought this room was—” you blinked twice in disbelief. “What are you guys doing? ”
“An arm wrestling contest,” Ushijima answered as if it was completely normal to be doing so before their match. “To see who is the strongest.”
“We,” Hoshiumi motioned a hand to Ushijima and Kageyama, “are gonna beat the pants off of them! We already got a point on the scoreboard from Ushijima!”
Kageyama did a thumbs up your way, but his face was completely indifferent.
“You can try, but you won’t succeed Hoshi-kun!” Bokuto gritted his teeth and started to flex his biceps to show off his muscles. His veins popped out and he let out a “hup!” along with a “hoo-ha!” as he made comical poses. Standing beside him, Sakusa kept silent, slouching and completely disconnected from the antics of the rest of the group. “Omi-Omi, I know you made some serious gains these past few months, you gotta show ‘em off!”
Sakusa took a step away from Bokuto. “Absolutely not.”
“Hinata!” Bokuto gave up on trying to get Sakusa to show off his physique and instead turned to the team’s rookie. “Show your stuff!”
Without missing a beat, Hinata held an arm up and flexed his bicep. He slapped his hand on the meaty-est part; a loud smack! resounded in the room. A few of the guys looked mildly impressed at his performance. In contrast, you wished the floor would swallow you whole.
“Ya hear that? Try and beat it!” Bokuto wiggled his body tauntingly.
Not one to back down from a challenge (especially from his eternal rival), Kageyama did the exact same as Hinata and slapped the muscle of his arm like a drum. Again, the sound practically ricocheted off the walls. It was like you were invisible as the rest of the guys, sans Sakusa and Atsumu, started to slap at their arms and compare the circumference of their biceps. In a surprising twist, Atsumu looked incredibly exasperated. Every time he opened his mouth, another person would talk over him.
It was chaos. And this wasn’t only because Atsumu, the source of your sudden frustration, was standing before you, but also due to the rest of the guys flexing their muscles to see who had the biggest biceps. Bokuto tried to coax you over, but you kept your feet planted as you stared at them.
Without another word, you did a 180 and left the room.
Meian made the right call to leave them alone.
The arm wrestling fiasco did nothing to deter the guys from the win. Three sets to one, the Jackals made sure to start the season on a high note, evening out the scoreboard against the Adlers from last year’s defeat.
As soon as the match ended, excited fans flocked down to the court, waiting patiently in line to get autographs from their favorite players along with the chance to snap a picture with Jackasuke and Adloo; media representatives conducted interviews with the captains and coaches, discussing the highlights of the match; and with Sendai being the home turf for Hinata, Kageyama, and Ushijima, all their friends flocked over to congratulate them on a good game.
Watching it all unfold before you brought a smile to your face. You were definitely going to miss this post victory rush. The boisterous laughter after an exhilarating match, the loud crowds, the engagement—there wasn’t anything in the world that could replace it.
“Hey, yanno yer staring into space right now, right?”
Including…
You turned around and saw Atsumu standing right behind you, a hand on his hip as he leaned down to look you in the eyes. At his close proximity, you brought a hand up to flick his forehead, but he was faster than your fingers and stood up straight.
“Just thinking,” you replied.
“Gonna miss this?”
Your gaze fell on the court behind him. The contrast of orange and turquoise called for your attention, but your eyes roamed to the stands. Most spectators had already left for the night, the arena looking much more bare.
“Yeah,” you nodded and then looked up at him, “I am.”
At your sudden soft spoken manner and words lacking its usual edge, Atsumu momentarily froze and stumbled over his words, letting out a string of complete gibberish. You stared at him, unsure what to even say until he composed himself again. The tips of his ears were red under the bright court lights. He cleared his throat into his fist before speaking again.
“I was—uh,” he paused and focused his gaze elsewhere, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Plans. Do ya have any plans tonight?”
You had almost forgotten his routine after game days. After every match—win or lose—he’d come up to you and ask if you were free. Instead of an outright rejection you normally handed to him, you smiled and decided to play along. Meian’s words from earlier slithered out from the recesses of your mind, but you quickly dismissed them.
“Not really,” you said. “What do you have in mind?”
“Dinner.”
“Just us?”
He nodded, looking a bit more unsure than before. This was unknown territory for him and he was braving the wild with nothing more than a tin hat and a wooden sword. You stood still, tapping your finger on your chin while considering his proposition.
(You didn’t want to give him the win so easily.)
“Have you asked Hinata?”
(And he took the challenge headfirst, replying the next second.)
“Already gone out with his friends.”
“Bokuto?”
“Went to Kokubuncho with a pal of his. Said he was gonna grab some beef tongue.”
You didn’t even bother to ask about Sakusa. He was probably already on the bus waiting to go back to the hotel with an eye mask over his face. Right after the final point, you saw Sakusa slumped on the court for an entire minute; there was no way he was willing to go explore the city at this hour.
At your silence, Atsumu waited for an answer. He was used to a sudden and harsh rejection from you, but the hope painted on his features were all but screaming out for something different—a change.
His words didn’t have the usual tease to them, they were bare, but not empty. Vulnerable. Earnest. Different from before. Like he put more thought into what he was asking for.
As the seconds passed, anticipation rose within him. The ball was in your court and it was the last time to make his shot count. With a light grip on the strap of your tote bag, you looked up and smiled at him, choice clear as day.
“Alright,” you said in a soft voice. He would have missed it if he wasn’t hyper-focused on your lips. “I’ll go out to dinner with you. I’d like that.”
Atsumu nearly rubbed his eyes. “You would?”
“I would.”
There was no hiding the grin slowly working its way on his face at two simple words.
“Yanno, I heard Sendai’s got a couple of nice izakayas,” he threw his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer as he chuckled. “We can find a nice one to sit down at.”
You peeled his arm off and gave a halfhearted warning by rolling your eyes at him. He took no offense and instead walked beside you as you two made way to the main entrance. His knuckles brushed against your own every so often as he kept at your pace.
“So I’ve been told.” You paused, thinking about your conversation with Meian again. He was not going to catch wind of this for your own sake. No doubt, he would hold this over your head until the end of the century. “Hey, you better not drink tonight. God knows we need another incident like the QG—”
He flushed at the mention of his past blunder and flailed his hands in front of his body.
“You don’t have to keep talking about it!” he cried out, interrupting you. At his expense, you laughed into your hand. He was too easy. “Besides, I wanna remember everything about this date!”
“Oh, so you’re already calling it a date?” you teased him.
“Well, what else would ya call it?”
You took a second to consider an alternative. Nothing came to mind. “I guess you’re right. It is a date.”
“The first of many, many, many more in the future.”
Now he was just being cocky. You nudged your elbow into his side and he yelped in surprise.
“Hey!”
“You need to quit acting like that,” you said, circling a finger at his entire being.
He placed a hand over his heart, seemingly wounded by your words. Even if you were going on a date with him, you didn’t want him to walk around with a head the size of a hot air balloon.
“Acting like what?”
“Don’t play coy,” you rolled your eyes at him. “Your ego’s gotten twice as big since this conversation started.”
“Well, I’m just happy,” he said while shrugging his shoulders. “A guy ain’t allowed to be happy anymore?”
He pushed the main entrance door open, the drop in temperature immediately causing you to shiver. You rubbed your arms and huffed hot air into the palms of your hands. Street lights illuminated the brick path as you both walked to the main street where the taxis lined up.
“We’re not even out in Sendai eating yet.”
“Yeah? But,” he wrapped an arm around your shoulders again. This time you didn’t brush him aside, the warmth of his body coaxing you to stick closer to him. He made sure to keep his steps shorter. “You’re right beside me now and we’re goin’ on a date. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
A sudden rush of wind made you shudder and shut your eyes to avoid dust getting into them. When you opened them again, you took a quick peek at Atsumu. He had a November flush tinting the apples of his cheeks, much fuller than before from the smile he was unable to contain as he laughed. His hair was flat, bangs covering his forehead to make him look younger. At your silence, his eyes darted down to make contact with yours. You quickly tore your gaze away, not wanting to give the satisfaction of him knowing you were staring.
“Ugh, you’re being too... cheesy,” you muttered.
“You fallin’ for me?”
You shook your head as you laughed at him. Small puffs of air escaped your lips at every breath and dissipated within the next second. Not in a million years, you wanted to say. The words never left your mouth. Instead, you looked up at him and tried your best not to smile. Your attempt was futile as the corners of your lips twitched upwards.
“Absolutely not.”
(Absolutely.)
He leaned down in your space, grinning playfully at you. His bangs shifted as he tilted his head, challenging your every word. Conversation with Atsumu bounced back and forth like a metronome.
“I think you are,” he said.
You hid your smile with the back of your hand, making sure he couldn’t see the effect he had on you. Without missing a beat, you looked him in the eyes and replied, “I’m not.”
(I am.)
“I’ll make ya fall for me by the end of the night.”
You lightly pushed him away and shook your head in denial.
“I’d like to see you try.”
(I’d like that.)
You, Atsumu, and the first date in a city far from home.
It was the perfect set up.