(( Author's Note: I finished this before midnight so it totally counts. Happy Birthday, Bokuto! ))
The crowd roars around you, people jumping up in their seats and yelling, as yet another amazing spike from Bokuto slams into the ground of the opposing team's side.
You beam happily as you watch Bokuto pump his fist into the air excitedly, shouts of 'Nice one!' sounding out from his teammates.
"Nice one, Bokuto-kun." You whisper softly, holding your hands together as you try not to bounce up and down in your seat.
Of course there was no way Bokuto could hear you, not with the loud cheering surrounding around you…and yet at that moment, he looks up at you expectantly.
You feel your heart skip a beat, and you stare at him completely frozen.
And then he grins at you, with a smile that now makes your heart beat much too fast, and you can't help but smile back. Feeling a bit more confident, you even give him a small wave.
He's still staring at you, when his attention suddenly turns to Akaashi beside him. Akaashi's face is turned away from you, but you have no doubt he's scolding Bokuto. Probably telling him to pay attention to the game, not the audience (something you hear Akaashi telling Bokuto numerous times during the practices you watch).
You see Bokuto pouting, but he obediently returns his focus to the game. You giggle, putting a hand over your mouth to stifle it, as you watch the game continue. You go to every game, even the practice ones, if you can manage it, but you never get tired of watching Fukurodani's volleyball team play…especially it's larger than life ace, Bokuto Koutarou.
The enormous crush you had on him may have been a factor.
Yep. Everyone whispered about how you and Akaashi would make a good couple, because of how quiet you both were, but there was only one boy who caught your eye. The one with the loudest voice. The one who wasn't ashamed of it in the slightest.
"Chance ball!" You hear someone call out below. Quickly, you turn your focus back to the game as well.
—-
Okay, maybe you'd gotten a bit too focused.
But the game had become incredibly intense, with both teams passing the 25 point mark as they fought hard for victory. You were on the edge of your seat, your hands clutched into a tight fist in front of your face as you stared wide-eyed at the court. Again and again the ball sailed over the net, hit the ground, hit the outstretched arms of the blockers…by now, you could see sweat pouring down the faces of the guys, and it was only Bokuto's incredible unending enthusiasm that kept either team's morale from dropping.
And then a clever feint from Akaashi scored Fukurodani another point, and they were able to take the lead…now, they just needed one more.
"One more…c'mon, just one more! You can do it Fukurodani…Bokuto…" You whispered softly, your hands gripping each other even tighter.
Once again, the ball flies back and forth. The opposing team puts everything they have into not letting Fukurodani score one more point, while Fukurodani put that same everything into winning.
It's so tense, you can hear your heart beating hard against your chest. You stay completely still as you watch with baited breath. You feel like you were practically vibrating with excitement and nervousness.
And then the ball heads towards Bokuto, and suddenly it's like everything happens in slow motion. You see him jump, and you see his arm move…usually it's so fast you can barely see it, but now you can see it clearly, slicing through the air before it connects with the ball.
You can see the blockers jumping sideways in a desperate attempt to reach the ball…but it's too late.
The ball hits the ground.
The whistle blows.
For a moment there's just silence. You know it's just sinking in for everyone, just as it is for you.
And then Bokuto's voice, a bellow of victory, echoes through the gym, and the rest of his team quickly follows. The cheers of the crowd soon join in, a deafening symphony of excitement, spurred on by the fire of Bokuto's incredible spirit.
It lit a fire in you to. One you had desperately kept out for a long time.
Unable to stop yourself, you stand up suddenly.
"YES! FUKURODANIIII, YOU DID IT, YOU DID IT!"
Your shout is loud. Much louder than you anticipated. Even louder than the combined cheers of the crowd, it rings out piercingly through the gymnasium.
Now time freezes again, but this time for a very different reason.
You see people turn to stare at you, obvious surprise on their faces. And not just them…you see Bokuto, face dripping with sweat, turn around and stare right at you with wide eyes.
Your heart skips a beat, but once again for a very different reason.
Your face turns red, and you grit your teeth, trying not to cry right there. Then, you turn away. You think you hear someone calling your name, but by then you're already running out of the stands.
—-
"What have I done…" You moan dejectedly, as you put your head in your hands. Once you had escaped from the stands of the gymnasium, you had run into the girl's bathroom, thankfully empty, as fast as you could. Now you were sitting on the dirty floor of the last stall, as far away from the dirty toilet as you could manage, with your knees pressed tightly against your chest and your back against the cold wall.
You sigh loudly and close your eyes. Memories floated through your mind. Words, voices, cold eyes…
Why is (f/n)-kun so loud? She's like a boy!
Ew don't invite her. Just standing next to that 'girl' is embarrassing.
She's so obnoxious. Who gets that excited over anything?!
For the last time, shut up! Shit, can't you just be quiet?!
Girls are supposed to be quiet and demure, (l/n)-chan. If you continue acting like that, no boy will have anything to do with you. Do you understand? Just be quiet.
You close your eyes tightly. You let out a choked sob as you feel tears falling from them.