What the hell...
Okay Ren... let's just go through the drama that your day has been as your turned a whole 180 degrees around...
ACT I - The Hell-bent Attitude
The private elevators going up to the courts were impressively large, and Ren guessed they were built to house as many players as possible.
Talk about royal treatment...
*text alert*
Kuroo: Hey Ren-chan! How was your first day? 3
Ren: Kuroo! Going good so far! :)
Kuroo: Did you meet the team yet?
Ren: No, not yet... Going to now...
Kuroo: K, all the best (^_^)
Ren: Thanks, you... :3
Kuroo: I'm sure you'll charm their pants off ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Ren: Gross. What the hell, Kuroo? I'm NOT unprofessional!
Kuroo: Say that AFTER you meet them. I know you have thing for men with stamina... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Ren: Bye.
Kuroo: Kidding!
Ren: ( -_- )
Kuroo: Seriously though, just be yourself. I'm sure you'll have all the players wrapped around your elegant fingers. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Ren: Could you please stop with the anatomy related metaphors?
Kuroo: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Ren: ( -_- )
Kuroo: Are you excited? Nervous?
Ren: Not really... Though I do hope I'll be able to coordinate with the players well, and do justice to their hard work...
Kuroo: A professional through and through...
Ren: Exactly what I said... Okay I gotta go, it's time to charm the team! :P
Kuroo: Charm their pants off*
Ren: No.
Kuroo: Okay.. Charm their volleyball shorts off*
Ren: Bye.
Kuroo: BYEEEE REN-CHAN! May the force be with you.
Ren: Nerd...
Kuroo: ... That you love ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Ren: Not so much, no...
Kuroo: *le gasp*
Seen by Ren-chan.
She walked into Court C, as soon as the elevator doors opened, to find an aged man sitting in one of the chairs lined around a netted area.
The Coach, I suppose? Alright, let's do this, Ren!
ACT II - Impress Them, By Hell Or High Water
She tentatively approached the man, who hadn't looked up from the file he was currently flipping through.
Ren: Uhm, I'm so sorry to disturb you, but I'm Shimizu Ren, the new Assistant Business Manager of Black Jackals.
Man: Ah! Welcome, welcome! I'm Tachibana Hajime, the Coach.
Ren: Pleasure to meet you, Coach. Mikasa-san sent me to get to know the team, since it's my first day here.
Coach: Yes, Mikasa-chan called me about it. So where you're from?
Ren: Well, I was born in Tokyo, but I mostly grew up in Hyogo. I went back to Tokyo to finish my university studies in Business Administration and Management. I was a manager for a college baseball team, and before that I used to play soccer, so you could say that the sportsperson in me never really gave up.
Coach: (he smiled at that) Why did you stop playing soccer, if you don't mind me asking.
Ren: Ah, not at all! I had an injury in middle school, but by the time I was fully recovered, I had found greater ambitions in other things. (She sighed) But you know, despite that, I always felt like I gained one more skillset, instead of feeling like I lost something. (She turned towards him, smiling) That's probably why I couldn't be happier with where I am.
Coach: (laughs loudly) You're an optimist, eh?
Ren: Actually, I'm a realist, bordering into optimism with my goals in life. (She smirked at that)
Coach: I see, I see! Well, you'll need that attitude if you have to work with our brats.
Ren: Talented bunch, they are... I'm sure you must be very proud of them all the while feeling the challenge of making sure they don't go overboard with their quirks and habits.
Coach: You have no idea... (he sounded exhausted)
Ren: I'm genuinely excited to meet Sakusa Kiyoomi. He was such a star during my high school days.
Coach: Eh? You followed volleyball in your high school, did ya?
Ren: A little, but enough to know he's brilliant.
Coach: Well, you're in for a surprise today then, because he ain't the only one around here...
Ren: He isn't?
Coach: You don't know about the whole team yet, do you? (Ren murmured a low no, while tucking in a stray strand of hair) Well, just wait a little while longer, they should be coming back now..
Ren: Back from?
Coach: Oh.. their lunch break... Ah, speak of the devils straight from hell!
Suddenly, a loud and familiar voice, pulled her attention away from the coach with a "Ren-san!" She turned around, to greet the one person she was already in talking terms with.
Ren: Shouyo! Nice to see you again.
And she smiled.
It's been a good first day, indeed...
ACT III - All Hell Broke Loose
She should have expected that his warmth brought along a seemingly endless exuberance with it. Thus, she had to allow the stream of questions that came from him.
Shouyo: Are you here to meet the team? We just finished our lunch! Did you have your lunch?
Ren: Yes, thank you for asking. Mikasa-san and I ordered some food into our office because it's my first day, and I was so engrossed with work. Anyway, Coach was just indulging me with his vast experience, and regaling about the first and second string players. I have a lot to learn, but I'm excited. (She turned back to bow down to the coach) I'll be in your care, Coach.
Coach: The pleasure is all mine, Shimizu-chan!
Ren: (She turned back to Shouyo) I hope you and the other players will help me, as I'll do my best to shine the spotlight on you all, showcasing all your individual strengths. (To which, he replied with an enthusiastic nod)
She gazed across the people that just entered the courts, her eye catching the masked man first.
Sakusa Kiyoomi... Can't wait to bank on your popularity and incredible talent.
She then noticed an odd choice of hair colour, reminding her of someone she dearly missed, back in her hometown. A grey, white and black streaked, spiky haired man, with bright hazel eyes and wide friendly smiles.
Bokuto Kotaro! Kuroo's friend! I didn't know he was here as well. Kuroo, you ass! I'm going raze you to the ground when I see you. Wow, I can't believe we're finally going to meet each
But then the person standing next to him caught her attention for reason. And when she registered who he was, her body went numb.
... Kuroo, I'm going to burn you alive...
ACT IV - Hot As Hell
Blonde, but lighter than she remembered his hair to be, there he was, her Spongebob...
The melting pools of chocolate that were his eyes, still managed to hold her attention indefinitely, as they always had. She felt heat permeating through every cell in her body that was buzzing with pleasure, which she admitted to herself with a small amount of shame.
His face was sharper, more mature, having lost the slight softness it held when he was still a teenager.
Still, it is the handsomest face I know... that smirk was probably more devious now, and the very thought of it is deadly...
He looked buff too, more than she could have imagined. And imagining what was underneath that basic black crew neck and shorts, was the last thing she wanted to do.
Thinking of, how could she ever forget that chest? It was the resting place of her head, every time he leaned onto the top of her head. Treasure chest, he used to say...
He was taller, if that was even possible, since he was already like a titan back in high school. Now he seemed like a demon built purely to win in the arts of volleyball. Even an amateur could sense his dominating aura, and his confidence, which radiated brighter and stronger now.
She felt her body unconsciously pull towards him before she had to force herself to stay put. But what she couldn't stop herself from doing was opening her mouth and speaking before thinking. Burning under his gaze, as his eyes roved around her body without a smidge of shame, she really did feel the heat in his gaze, sending her body into an impending stroke or something like that.
"Atsui...," she whispered.