Limbo
A Haikyuu! oneshot
by mew-tsubaki
Note: The Haikyuu! characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. I've written them once before, but then starlity had to go and draw me something REALLY CUTE. So have some Maijin inspired by starlity's art. -w- Read, review, and enjoy! *This occurs before ch218, in case anyone's wondering.
- ^-^3
He wonders what it is about Nametsu Mai. She's a very hands-on manager, even by club standards. And she's a very direct personality, even by normal measures.
Fukiage Jingo has known the older girl since he was six and she was seven, but even a decade later finds the boy trying to discover more about one of his oldest friends. He knows that she doesn't fret the little things and that she'll say what's on her mind (when appropriate). He knows that she's used to stepping up to the plate and taking charge when things get crazy at club, because she has a younger sister and grew up looking after her and Jingo.
But how is it that she's so easily chummy with everyone at Datekou?
"No, Futakuchi-kun," she scolds as she tugs on their captain's cheek and pulls him away before he can smack Koganegawa for something stupid the first year said during practice.
Futakuchi tries to gripe at her, but his words come out garbled with his cheek firmly between her right thumb and index finger.
Aone silently but quickly walks to the sidelines where she's pulled Futakuchi and takes him off her hands. Once Futakuchi is grumpy but quiet, Aone holds his hands up to Mai.
She grins and shares in the double high-five. "Thanks, Aone-kun."
And the gentle giant nods, pleased with himself.
Back on the court, not even pretending to wipe sweat from his face, Jingo watches the scene and tries to interpret it his own way. After a moment to review the scene in his head, he settles for the answer that she's just doing as their senpai taught her, more specifically Moniwa. She's taming Futakuchi and encouraging Aone.
With that settled, Jingo finds it easier to focus on practice then, and he can jump more calmly and block a little better.
But then Mai's back at the forefront of his mind again during clean-up. She's always there to help, even when Futakuchi insists that it's the first years' duties to take up most of the work. So she's there, on the court, weaving between Koganegawa and Sakunami and Jingo and the others, as well as Onagawa and Obara, to help grab all the extra balls. She passes the balls off to her two fellow second years, takes a few from Koganegawa, and lifts Jingo's arm up to duck down and grab one right before he trips over it.
"Thanks," he blurts after an odd beat once his mind catches up with him.
Mai smiles a bit, but then she gives him her Mama Bear look: both eyebrows raised and a knowing glint in her eye. "No thanks needed, Jin-kun. Just watch where you step, okay?"
He nods obediently, a habit maybe trained by her Mama Bear look, maybe invoked by the familiarity, even though they've always been "Jin-kun" and "Mai-san" to each other and didn't let high school change that.
Either way, Jingo's train of thought falls off the tracks, and he absentmindedly finishes putting things away with his teammates. Even at home later that same night, he can't for the life of him recall what it was that had caught his attention and maybe even perturbed him at practice….
- ^-^3
That's all fine and well, though, because he recalls the fleeting feeling a few days later.
It's when he's trailing behind Sakunami and Koganegawa after hitting the vending machines at lunchtime. The libero and setter are trying to figure out how to split the extra snacks one of the machines spat out, so Jingo's attention wanders. That's when they pass by Mai, Obara, and Onagawa in the narrow hallway shortly before lunch ends and classes resume.
He notices the trio of second years before the others or the second years themselves do, and Jingo catches details to which he hadn't paid attention before: how Mai so easily shares Onagawa's sandwich, how she bumps her shoulder good-humoredly against Obara's when the taller boy sulks, how she chuckles along with Onagawa after Obara finally gets a bite, too.
Jingo sucks his carton of pineapple juice dry, making that horrible empty carton sound and chewing on the straw without realizing it. He blinks and becomes aware of it when everyone's eyes land on him.
Clearly on Obara's face is the wish to remind Jingo of manners, but Obara's not the type to make mountains out of molehills. Mai, on the other hand, definitely looks as though she's about to say something—
—but then the bell rings, the moment is gone, and everyone's worried about getting to class on time.
With the corridor being so narrow, there's no passing by easily, so Sakunami and Koganegawa trade places with Obara and Onagawa, and Mai ducks under Jingo's arm, lifting his wrist and sliding under just as effortlessly as she did the last time.
The other four rush off, forgetting about the childhood friends, but Mai doesn't hurry away when she feels Jingo's eyes on her, his head turned to follow after her.
Instead, she smiles, and he gets the sense that she has something to say. "Something up, Jin-kun?" she asks him. No, that's not what she wanted to say.
He settles her with The Look, the one he eventually realized was the one that convinces her to open up to him and only him, and it never fails.
Except for today. She hesitates—her brown eyes flicker to the left for a fraction of a second—and then she strengthens her smile and waves to him before dashing off, leaving Jingo standing alone in the hallway, confused, a bit hurt, and late for class as the tardy bell rings.
- ^-^3
When Madoka, Mai's younger sister, didn't join them at Datekou upon her and Jingo entering high school, he'd thought things might change between him and the sisters. But that wasn't the case and still isn't…or so Jingo tries to convince himself when hanging out at the Nametsu residence that weekend.
He and Madoka have just come back inside and shed their layers because Madoka insisted on shooting hoops in the driveway even though it's December and anyone would be insane to toss a basketball around outside where there's nothing but black ice and blinding white snow. Madoka streaks past him, in a hurry to warm up, and he's left leaning in the doorway to the living room, because that's as far as his frozen feet will carry him.
Mai huffs, seeing the two of them. "If you're going to be ridiculous, do it on your own, Madoka," she chides her sister, passing her and then Jingo each a cup of hot chocolate. "Don't drag Jin-kun into your shenanigans."
Madoka—nearly her sister's twin except for the darker shade of her hair and her brown–black eyes—waves her off, but Mai insists on throwing a blanket over her head as the younger girl drops down onto the couch. "You know, you used to join in, Sis."
Mai shakes her head and stops in front of Jingo. He's blocking her path with the way he's diagonally draped across the doorway, but that doesn't bar her for long. She picks his weight-bearing arm up, stands him up straight, and ducks under his arm and behind him, throwing another blanket around his shoulders. Her hands linger a moment on his shoulders, but she's on her way back to the kitchen for some hot cocoa for herself when he seeks the expression on her face, and all he catches is the trail her ponytail leaves in her wake.
He wonders what it is about Mai. She's a very hands-on manager, even by club standards. And she's a very direct personality, even by normal measures. And she's a caring person…
…but if there's one thing his taciturn demeanor gives him, it's the time and chance to observe others. So he knows that there's something more going on with Mai, something that's more than unsaid words and a friend being friendly.
And, for once, quiet little "Jin-kun" is determined to speak up and have everything made clear.
- ^-^3
"AGH! You've got to be kidding me!"
Jingo just arrives to the gym at Datekou upon Futakuchi's outrageous outburst following Oiwake's announcement, and a part of him understands his captain's frustrations.
"Ah? Did I miss something?" Mai appears behind Jingo at the doorway, and she peeks around his arm.
"Practice match with Karasuno," he informs her without a glance.
Her shoulders slacken and she sighs, not unlike Onagawa did a second ago as Futakuchi launched into a stream of curses. "There goes our morale…"
"No."
She pauses. "No?"
Jingo steals a peak at her, a bit happy to find that he's surprised her. "No," he repeats. "It's a chance. To redeem ourselves."
The surprise on her face melts into a glad smile, and her rosy cheeks from the cold winter air seem rosier as her smile blooms. "That's the fighting spirit, Jin-kun." She playfully tugs on his wrist, the one nearer to her, and lifts it up.
He knows what's coming. She's going under again, as if he's some bridge or something—
She doesn't. Sure, she lifts his arm over her head and with both of her hands this time. But she doesn't keep going, doesn't move to head onto the court. Instead, she slowly lowers his arm until it's around her shoulders, and she leans, just a little bit, against his side. Her cheeks are rosy from being outside, but her smile is wide and bright and seems to hold the words she'd been on the verge of saying before, even though she doesn't say them this time either. "I like the spirited Jin-kun," she tells him quietly, her smile steadfast and her eyes focused on their team, their friends in front of them.
Her cheeks are rosy from being outside, but his turn cherry red at the warmth from where his arm wraps around her. And, while he still isn't quite sure how he feels about her being the hands-on type with the others, he knows that the air's clear between them now…and that now his arms have a place he didn't know they needed to go.
- ^-^3
Oops. Word vomit. XD But SRSLY. I've only written Maijin once before, for Datekou Week last year, even though I ship them so hard…and I have yet to draw them… But then starlity drew something so cute that I JUST HAD TO. This also ended up kind of? being a continuation? of my 1st Maijin, "Tagalong," where I sort of introduced a lot of my headcanon for them… But I guess all you really need to know is that he has a puppy crush on Mai that he doesn't exactly realize, despite his perceptiveness for everything else, and she knows she's liked Jingo for a while now but only decided to show him her feelings now that it's obvious to her that there's more to Datekou for him than just having followed her there. So. Yeah. XD *rly needs to work on a more full-fledged fic for them* Lastly, the "Limbo" title is just a reference to her always ducking under his arm…yeah…in case that wasn't clear. :]
And lo and behold, this also turned out to be my 700th fanfic on FFN! YAY, ME. :D
Thanks for reading, and please review! Check out my other [HQ!] fics, too, if you liked this!
-mew-tsubaki :3c