Yabai Koi Series
A/N: In the mood for gender-swap, anyone?
Disclaimer: Haikyu! is not mine.
#3: Her eyes were the color of delicate cinnamon with a deep brown rim around the iris, and reminded him of sweet chocolate, that melts at the slightest bit of warmth from love, happiness. Whenever she was hurt and tears glossed over her brown orbs, it was like looking into sunlight through whiskey. It was frightening how much he loved her. Hitoka always found himself wondering, why on earth would Tōru love someone like him.
Hitoka Yachi liked to think of himself as a background character. He didn't like to stand out too much. Even though his girlish name was something people had made fun of back in elementary school, somehow everyone didn't seem to bother with it after he entered middle school. He had worked hard in his studies through junior high, and upon entering high school, he had managed to put himself in the advanced class. He had friends, very ordinary friends, who liked to study as much as he did and had been satisfied with studying and making his single mother proud, happy to be in his own little world.
But for all he was, although he was considered small and a little bit too fragile as a boy, Hitoka would very much like to help people. He didn't look like it, being timid and all, but there was a part of him that wanted to reach out to a lot of people. He grew up watching his mother making the lives of others happy with her designs, and he aspired to be the same.
But it was because he was timid and couldn't seem to muster enough courage to speak up his mind, Hitoka remained unheard. And he gravitated towards focusing on studying instead, and started planning his life.
He had his life mapped out for himself, and he was doing an excellent job of keeping in line.
That was until he had met her. Tōru Oikawa.
[4 years ago, Hitoka Yachi, age: 15]
He had known that Aoba Johsai was an academically renowned school, but what he hadn't known was that academics was one-half of the reason Seijoh was one of the best institutions in Tōhoku. After a couple of weeks into school, he learned that the other half reason that made Aoba Johsai so famous was because of their Volleyball Club, specifically, the girls' team. The fact that they had contributed to the most wins for Tōhoku consequently made the school a powerhouse, just next to Shiratorizawa and Karasuno. In fact, a year prior to Hitoka entering the school, the girls' team became one of the best four in nationals… was what his classmates were saying, one day when they saw the Volleyball Club doing laps around the soccer field for after-club practice.
He nodded, understanding that getting into Aoba Johsai really was a big deal after all. He pulled out his pencil case, ready to start on some homework while waiting to tutor a girl he knew from the neighborhood association gatherings. His classmate, the one that was gushing over the volleyball girls minutes ago, got a little too animated and bumped into the corner of his desk, and Hitoka jumped a bit at the sudden intrusion.
"U-Um… Fuji-san…"
Said name turned around and smiled apologetically. "Sorry 'bout that. But seriously, Yachi-kun. The volleyball girls are very pretty I tell ya! Don't you think so?"
Hitoka nodded again, giving the boy a small smile. "If you say so, then they most probably are."
It was not that Hitoka Yachi didn't like girls, or was not attracted to them, but he had more things on his mind. Like studying and getting into Tōdai.
He could hear the coach telling the girls to pick up pace, and he took a peek at the team. They were nearly finished with their laps, and were returning to the volleyball club's gym. Yes, the volleyball club had their own gymnasium. A new one, apparently.
Feeling his face warming up when one of them caught him looking and smiled, Hitoka quickly turned his attention to his work.
Well, his classmate was right. The girls were not just athletic and tall, they were beauties to boot.
And amidst of all the fame and glory, Tōru Oikawa, then a third year and the Captain of the team, was the most popular of them all.
[present time]
Hitoka breathed out a sigh and pulled the front of his shirt, fanning himself. Taking refuge from the hot sun underneath a tree, he sat down and watched as the Volleyball Society members filed out of the gym for the last round of laps before calling it a day. A smile lit up his face as he saw her putting on her outdoor sneakers, laughing at something her friend said. The cap that she put on to protect her from the glaring sun covered her eyes as she stretched to reach her toes, but Hitoka knew that even if she came home with a dark face from all the sunburn, he would still call her beautiful.
Because to him, that was what she was.
[4 years ago, Hitoka Yachi, age: 15.]
When Hitoka first heard of the third year, he was in the bookstore, searching for new recipe books to try out. His mother had just installed a new oven, apparently a gift from his divorced father. Fighting down a smile, Hitoka suspected that maybe his dad was trying to get back together with her.
He had been contemplating whether to purchase the green book or the orange book, when he overheard a couple of guys giggling at the magazine section.
"Aw geez, Oikawa's done it again, man. Isn't she like, trying a little too hard?"
"What d'ya mean?"
"I mean, she's can't be that good. Being a talented setter doesn't mean she's the best right? I don't think being a good setter has anything to do with the team winning anyway."
Hitoka blinked, his eyes still on the two books in his hand, but not really looking. His ears were oddly interested in what the guys were talking about. Thinking about it again, his classmate –Fuji-san, he guess- was gushing about a sports magazine that morning. Apparently, the volleyball girls had made it into the quarterfinals for prelims, and they had three pages in one of the most popular sports magazine dedicated to only them. What made the school proud even more was that the regulars' team photo was the cover page. His mother designed the cover page so he kind of knew beforehand. He probably shouldn't tell that to Fuji-san, else he would get overly jealous.
But what really caught their eyes was that, among the three pages covering the team, a whole page was dedicated to Oikawa.
"Well, you see, she's the prettiest here, right? I bet that's the reason."
"Damn, you're mean."
"Well duh. Look here. It doesn't really matter if she's smart or anything, just look at her body! Man, pretty girls have it easy huh?"
Hitoka Yachi knew that he had to say something. Maybe it was mostly due to the fact that he grew up watching his single mother work hard, but it didn't sit well with him whenever guys made comments like that. His mother had called him a feminist once, and he was starting to think so himself.
He knew he had to say something, but he might get into trouble. What if he spoke up to them? They might turn out to be from some yakuza gang, and send someone to stalk him, and then when there would be nobody around he would be tied up and thrown into the sea to drown. Worse yet, before he drowned he might get eaten up by a giant Tsuchinoko and die slowly by suffocating. Or worse yet-
"I totally get it if she's dated like, a thousand VIPs with that body."
"That could be true, ya know. With all the attention she's getting."
After battling with his inner self, Hitoka decided that he should really say something. He cursed his cowardly self. Being a coward wasn't going to solve anything. Taking a breath, he gripped the books tightly in his hands, before he finally looked up.
"Um… I think…That's not something nice to say."
He had always thought that had he not bothered to look up from his to-be choice of book, fretting about yakuza and getting eaten by a giant mythical creature, Hitoka probably would have never had dated Oikawa.
She reached up a hand to rub gingerly at her left cheek, cringing when she could feel the sting. Huffing, she picked up her bag that was thrown off her shoulder a mere minutes ago when her boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, slapped her.
"Stupid bloke." She grumbled as she straightened her clothes and patted her backside.
Oikawa cracked her knuckles, and walked to the front of the gym, checking if everyone had gone home already. It wouldn't do if someone were to witness the bad breakup just now. If word got out that she was dating a delinquent from Ōgi Minami then her career was done for. She worked hard to be the Captain and the all-rounder player that she was, and she wasn't going to let her feelings and relationships be the end of her chance to get scouted into the National Volleyball Squad.
She cracked a smirk. Huh, no wonder he flipped when she brought that up. How fitting for her.
Noting that no one was there, she let out a sigh. "I'm safe."
"What do you mean by safe, ShittyKawa."
Clicking her tongue, she turned around to meet her best friend. Though she doubted if a friend would have called her bestie 'ShittyKawa'. She grinned, ignoring the sting from her cheek.
"Yo, what's up Iwa-chan!"
Iwaizumi sighed as she noticed the red mark on Oikawa's left cheek. "I was about to head home when I remembered you stayed back."
Blinking, Oikawa tilted her head to the side. "And?"
Sighing, her childhood friend motioned to her left cheek. "I told you, didn't I? That guy was no good."
Shrugging, Oikawa walked past her friend, already knowing that Iwaizumi would walk next to her. "Whatever. It wasn't even serious anyway. And he'd be bad for my career. Geez, I wonder why I even dated that ogre. Besides, there are a bunch of other guys who want me to date them."
"That part of you is so annoying, Oikawa."
Said name winked at her best friend. "Ah, calling me Oikawa now are you? Oh, don't tell me you have a change of heart, Iwa-chan?"
Iwaizumi made a face. "As if, TrashyKawa."
"Ah, so mean~"
Oikawa pouted, and she knew that the setter was trying to make light of the topic. Iwaizumi knew that her friend had been serious about her ex. She looked happy when she was with him, saying that she needed someone who was not uptight in her life, once in a while. Oh how she knew, what Oikawa had gone through to be where they were now.
People thought that Oikawa was a genius. That was not the case.
"Anyway, I was thinking of going to the book store. You coming too, Iwa-chan?"
She raised a brow. "For what? Don't tell me that you're gonna buy copies of that sports magazine."
Oikawa batted her eyelashes, feigning ignorance. God how Iwaizumi wanted to smack the girl. "Eh~ how did you know?"
"I can read you like a book, you idiot. Seriously, you get featured in a magazine and now you're acting like a celebrity."
She grinned. "But I am, right?"
"That part of you is annoying too."
She giggled, and they stopped at the bookstore nearest to their school. She smiled at the newbie part-time worker who welcomed them into the store, and not surprisingly, he blushed and smiled back almost too eagerly. They passed the children's section and were near the home management shelves when Iwaizumi poked Oikawa in the ribs.
"You were doing that on purpose weren't you?"
To her annoyance, the girl in question stuck out the tip of her tongue, acting all ditsy. "Hm… I guess?"
Just as Iwaizumi opened her mouth to say something, they stopped in their tracks as they heard some boys checking out the sports magazine, making comments about the girls' volleyball team.
"Oikawa's really popular huh?"
"Well yeah, she's like, an idol ya know. Smart, a beauty and talented in sports. She wouldn't have gotten a whole page to herself if she wasn't that popular ya know."
A third guy, who was browsing through a gravure idol magazine a mere moments ago, joined the conversation as he saw Oikawa's page.
"Aw geez, Oikawa's done it again, man. Isn't she like, trying a little too hard?"
"what d'ya mean?"
"I mean, she's can't be that good. Being a talented setter doesn't mean she's the best right? I don't think being a good setter has anything to do with the team winning anyway."
"Well, you see, she's the prettiest here, right? I bet that's the reason."
"Damn, you're mean."
"Well duh. Look here. It doesn't really matter if she's smart or anything, just look at her body! Man, pretty girls have it easy huh?"
"I totally get it if she's dated like, a thousand VIPs with that body."
"That could be true, ya know. With all the attention she's getting."
Iwaizumi could feel her brow twitching and was about to give them a piece of her mind when she felt Oikawa holding onto her elbow. Turning to her friend, she clicked her tongue as Oikawa smiled at him.
"It's okay, Iwa-chan."
She huffed, and remained by Oikawa's side. She knew that it was not okay. How could anyone be okay with that?
They didn't know, how hard the setter worked just to get the perfect serve. How many trips to the hospital she took due to over-exhaustion. Just saying whatever they wanted, Iwaizumi felt like punching every one of them. And she would have, if a boy hadn't spoke up.
"Um…"
The three friends turned around to the voice, and blinked as he spoke up. "I think… That's not something nice to say."
Anyone within a three-yard radius could have seen how fiercely the boy was trembling, just saying that out-loud. One of the three boys raised a brow.
"What, ya got something to say, flaky-boy?"
Hitoka jumped when all three of them turned to him, towering his small figure.
"U-Um… I-I think… you shouldn't say something like that. I-It's de-demeaning."
One of them, a tall guy with his neck tie loosened, approached the trembling boy. A smirk stretched over his lips as he squeezed the boy's shoulder. Hitoka jumped at the contact, and his head retracted into his shoulders, not unlike that of a turtle.
"We were just looking at some magazines, so what's it to you about what we say?"
Hitoka swallowed. There was no backing off now, he was going to have to go through with it. He just hoped the newbie part-timer had enough sense to call for the manager. Or he was going to go home in bruises. Or he might just end up in some ditch somewhere. Given that they were from the yakuza. He hoped they weren't from the yakuza.
"I-I don't know much about volleyball, but I think that Oikawa-san must have worked hard to be as famous, r-right?"
There were chuckles, and another one of them shoved the magazine into Hitoka's face. He went crossed-eyed, and couldn't really see anything since the page was pulled away as fast as it had come into contact with his face.
"Have you looked at her? Having a pretty face like that… she doesn't really need to be good at sports. Hell, she could be dumb as well and guys wouldn't really care."
Hitoka found it very offensive to say such things, and without thinking he shouted, "I-I don't!"
"Hah? What now?"
The menacing stare made him retract a bit. Swallowing the ever-growing lump in his throat, he continued, "I don't think of it that way. Being featured in a sports magazine doesn't have anything-"
"Geez, speak up man! I can't hear you."
"B-Being! Being featured in a sports magazine! Doesn't have anything to do with her face!"
He had shouted that out-loud in a panic, and suddenly the whole store was silent. If one were to drop a pin that moment, he bet they would hear it loud and clear. The three friends blinked, taken aback at the sudden outburst.
"I-is what I think… Um… yeah. It's because she's an outstanding player that she's able to be in that magazine. So it's not nice to say what you did when she must have tried her best to be an amazing sportswoman."
They remained silent, before the manager swung open his office door. "Hey, you three again! Get out this instant!"
"Geh, let's go guys. It's the old man."
"Who ya callin' old, ya brats!"
The other customers resumed their activities, some pretty impressed at the boy who stood up to the three guys, and some of them who did not even know what had transpired in the store resumed going about their own ways. Hitoka let out a breath that he didn't notice he held in as the manager chased out the three boys, and put down the orange book. Just as he turned to pay for the green one, a voice called out to her.
"Thank you for back there."
He could feel the hairs in the back of his neck stand when the voice reached his ears. Hitoka turned around and there she was. Standing after him was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She wore the Volleyball Club's jersey, and a matching skirt. Her hair was long, wavy, and a pretty shade of brown, falling brilliantly over her chest. The girl's face was milky white, with large dazzling chocolate brown eyes and kissable cherry lips.
He never had kissed anyone but his mom.
The girl was stunningly gorgeous, like a painting of a goddess brought to life. She smiled sweetly at him, her eyes sparkling like stars flaunted on the night sky.
Hitoka could feel his face warming up as he thought of such inner thoughts. It was his mother's fault that he was so poetic. He couldn't help it, she was just too beautiful. The girl next to her was pretty as well, but she was more of a rugged sort of pretty.
"Um… You're welcome?"
He racked his brain, trying to recall anything that he had done to warrant such a beautiful girl saying her thanks to him. The girl giggled, and he could feel his face heating up again. He must have resembled a tomato, he must have. Else the black-haired girl next to her wouldn't be smirking.
The brown haired beauty turned around for a while, took the sports magazine and flipped to a page with the volleyball section. "The name's Oikawa. The very same person you stood up for. This is Iwaizumi-chan."
"Stop putting chan after my name."
Hitoka could feel his stomach falling. Now he'd done it. In true Yachi fashion, he made a dogeza, surprising the two girls.
"I am very sorry! I didn't recognize you! Please don't curse me!"
Iwaizumi bit her inner cheek, trying not to burst out into laughter. The boy was too funny! Oikawa was taken aback for a few seconds, before she giggled. She lowered herself to sit on her haunches, and smiled as she touched his shoulder.
"It's okay, I won't curse you or anything. Your name?"
The boy looked up from his dogeza, and blushed as he noticed how close the girl was to him. He sat on his heels, thighs pressed together in a formal posture. Scratching the back of his head, he shyly spoke out, "Hitoka Yachi… sir."
At this, Iwaizumi couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. "Sir?"
Hitoka gasped. "I mean ma'am!"
"Why would you use that? Stop that, that's too funny!"
Oikawa smiled sweetly as the boy turned to him, face red. How cute.
"I think I've seen you before, Yachi-kun."
The boy blinked. "D-D-Did I? When?"
Her smile widened. "You were watching us from your class, weren't you? During after school practice."
He smiled back, although shyly. "Ah, I didn't remember it was you who saw me."
Standing up, Oikawa motioned to the magazine in her hand. "You're not interested in sports?"
Hitoka laughed self-consciously. "It's not that I'm not interested, it's just that I don't really think someone like me would suit sports."
"Hm…"
From beside Oikawa, Iwaizumi had the sneaking suspicion that the setter was up to something. She looked like she was thinking of something when Hitoka spoke up.
"Um, but I mean it when I said that you were an amazing sportswoman. I mean, that magazine's pretty famous, right? They wouldn't have featured you if you weren't outstanding. Um, but I heard that Iwaizumi-san's the ace, so you must also be a good athlete."
It was a very pure comment, one that had no ulterior motive behind it, and immediately Oikawa could feel herself smiling. "Thank you, Yachi-kun. You're a nice person."
Iwaizumi smiled herself, seeing how the boy could make Oikawa show that smile. It had been years since she last saw the setter smile like that, an honest smile.
"Say, Yachi."
The boy turned to her, and Iwaizumi had to admit that he seemed quite flaky. She felt bad to judge him so, but he couldn't help it.
"You a freshman?"
"Ah, yes. First year class five."
She could see Oikawa watching her. "You in any clubs yet?"
"Eh? No, I'm not."
That seemed to have lit a bulb in Oikawa, and she grinned at her friend. She quickly whipped out her cell phone. "Hey, Yachi-kun. How about applying for volleyball?"
Hitoka widened his eyes. "Eh… but I'm no good. I-It sounds embarrassing but I would probably mess up if I were to join."
He heard Oikawa laugh again, and his ears went red. Her voice was just so clear and pretty.
"No, I mean as our manager."
It took a while before the boy realized what came out of Oikawa's mouth. "M-M-Manager? Me?"
Hitoka sighed as he exited the school grounds, his legs heavy. He had rejected the offer, politely of course, and kind of felt bad about it. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but it was most probably due to the fact that the Volleyball club was the place of the elites. It was a place where talented people gathered, people like Oikawa and Iwaizumi. He didn't belong there, he was just an average person. He didn't possess any skills, he barely passed the physical tests and he didn't know how to even fit in with the kind of people who were too dazzling.
He had tried going to the gym, observing the members. Despite his reluctance to join the team, it didn't mean that he didn't admire the Girls' Team after watching the second-half of their practice match against the varsity team of a local university. Hitoka was never really fond of sports, but anyone in his shoes would have thought that the sight of Oikawa's moves were fascinating. It was like watching a well-planned and orchestrated performance, they way she led her team of first-timer members. They were some rookie blunders, and they eventually lost, but she managed to pull the team together, and made sure that each of them had the chance to contribute points to the team.
She was simply amazing, Hitoka thought.
It was sad to admit it himself, but Hitoka Yachi being in the Volleyball Club would mar their reputation.
He sighed again as he entered an empty house. A bouquet of roses were delivered after he stepped out of the bath. He signed the delivery, placed it on his mother's bed and made a beeline to the kitchen to prepare dinner. He was nearly finished with the curry, when he heard the door open.
"Welcome home, mom."
He smiled to the woman as she poked her head into the kitchen. "What's for dinner, pretty boy?"
Said 'pretty boy' passed two pairs of chopsticks to his mother, motioning to the table. "We're having curry. And stop calling me that, I'm not pretty or anything."
His mother laughed, and smacked his butt before she disappeared into her room to change. He chuckled to himself as she reemerged from her room and pulled him to sit with her at the table.
He was halfway through dinner and listening to his mom talking about the newbie at work when suddenly she popped a question that made him choke.
"Got yourself a girlfriend?"
He coughed violently as the food went into the wrong pipe, and he had to down a glass of water before he stuttered out a response. "N-No, I didn't. Stop surprising me like that mom."
She laughed, and reached across the table to ruffle her son's blonde hair. "You're so cute!"
The blush on his cheeks cooled down and she smiled at him again. He blinked. "What is it?"
His mother shrugged, and with one finishing scoop she finished her dinner. "I saw a club recruitment form. You planning on filling it up?"
Hitoka pursed his lips, and stood up from his seat, picking up his plate. He picked up his mother's too and went to put the dishes in the sink.
"I… don't think I should."
"Why's that? I'm not holding you from doing so."
The boy turned to his mother, a somber smile on his lips. "Can't you see, how I am. I'm not made for clubs. Even being a manager is just…"
"You can't?"
"I don't belong there." He turned to the sink, and started on the dishes. He heard the chair scrape as his mother stood up, and he breathed out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"So, Hitoka-"
The sudden way his mother appeared from behind him made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He nearly dropped the soapy plate from the surprise.
"Mom, you scared me!"
Without turning around, he rinsed off a plate, and started on another plate. He could feel his mother's hand on a shoulder, gently squeezing it.
"So you're saying that you don't belong there, when you haven't even tried to be there."
He turned off the tap water, and turned to his mother. "Well, yeah. I mean even if I did go I don't know anything about volleyball."
"You can always learn, Hitoka. What's wrong with you? You're giving these kinds of excuses, it's not like you."
He looked away, trying to avoid his mother's eyes. They were unlike his, always resolute.
"N-Nothing's wrong with me-"
"You didn't bring that paper home just to stare at it, right?"
The boy shrugged. "Well, yeah I guess I didn't."
He sneaked a peek at his mother, and looked away again to avoid those eyes of hers. Eventually she sighed and finally made to leave.
"Hitoka, not trying something new just because you feel like you don't belong, then you're being rude to the people who actually go there because they want to. So quickly make up your mind and don't let them hanging."
Hitoka massaged his temples, trying to figure out a way to get out of the matter at hand. He tried to avoid thinking about paper, and went about finishing his homework. It was getting late, when he finally took out the piece of paper from his drawer. He almost spent two hours staring at the slip of paper, before he decided on an answer.
The girls stared, not knowing how to make of a sudden new member. And a pretty boy to boot. The boy seemed too scared to come out from behind their coach, and could feel his face burning up from all the attention.
"Hey, girls, don't look at him like that."
The familiar voice made Hitoka look up from staring at the floor, and the relieved smile he had on when he saw her was like a fresh of breath air. She smiled back, and put out her hand.
"Glad you could join us, Yachi-kun."
"There's a lot to learn here so meeting you is a relief, Oikawa-san."
He took her hand in his, and the team captain couldn't help herself from observing him.
Unlike most guys she had dated, who were mostly well-built and taller than her, Hitoka Yachi was the complete opposite. His shoulders were narrow, his short blonde hair fell over his forehead, the top of his head nearly matched Oikawa's in height. The boy was probably an inch shorter, the captain could tell. But there was something about him that she found very pleasing to the eyes. She smiled again he pulled his hand from the handshake, and had to hold back a teasing grin when he blushed and smiled back.
"We have another manager, she's a third year. You can learn from her."
She left Hitoka with their female manager, and resumed her practice with the regulars. Iwaizumi nudged her with an elbow. "I didn't think he'd join us."
Oikawa could feel herself smiling as she saw the boy nodding and taking down notes as he listened to his senior manager explain things to him. A stray ball flew towards him, and his face paled when it barely hit him and bounced against the wall.
"Me too, Iwa-chan."
Iwaizumi watched by the sidelines as the setter and captain threw the ball up and brought it down into one of her jump serves. The ball cut through the air and across to the other side of the net, hitting the ground with a force that could knock the air out of a grown man if he were to be hit in the stomach. She raised a dark brow as she noticed that the serve was in-bound, noting that the captain was in a very good mood. Or she was just not messing up her serves as usual.
"Are you that happy the first year boy joined us?"
Oikawa blinked, and then she giggled. "Ya think?"
She yelped when her childhood friend reached over her to pinch her pointy nose. "Why him anyway? You could have chosen any guy you wanted. Would've been easier and faster, I bet."
There was a giggle, and when Iwaizumi turned around to face the setter, she was met with brown eyes that looked alive and sparkling.
"Because he's… different, I guess. Doesn't look like someone who'd have motives."
At this, the spiker smirked. "Unlike you, who's always cooking up some scheme."
Oikawa winked, "Exactly."
He finished putting on his outdoor shoes, and had to grip the gym's doorframe for support as he slowly and carefully stood up. He cringed when he felt his muscles screamed from the ache. He could imagine the thousands of muscle cells in his whole body crying out at protest from all the movements of the past three weeks of his days as manager. Poor little things, he thought.
But he thought that all the running around was a breath of fresh air. And watching the girls practice was always a sight for sore eyes. Oikawa's serves were still beautiful. He wondered if he was in love with the third year. The last thought had him shake his head.
No no no. She was out of his league.
Just when he was gingerly taking a slow, careful step, a second-year regular came up from behind him and slapped his back.
"Good work, Yachi-kun!"
He screwed his eyes shut, and bit his lip to stop himself from screaming at the pain. "!"
Damn, he didn't realize that his body was so under-trained. He had been moving things around by himself even more so lately, since he was a guy and apparently everyone in the volleyball club thought that since the girls had amazing stamina, he should probably have the same amount of energy too. They couldn't be more wrong. The girls just had crazy stamina, unlike his scrawny body.
He took a breath, and wiping off a tear in the corner of his eye, he tried moving again. After a few steps, he finally got used to the stretch of his muscles, and started to quicken his pace. He glanced at his watch, and noted that by then the towels he had left out to dry by the taps behind the gym should be dry by then. He would just have to chuck everything into the dryer and take them out the next day to re-aerate before the girls would use them again. He broke into a small jog, just in case the strong wind would blow away the towels.
Hitoka was turning into a corner towards the back of the gym when he saw a group of girls from some another school –judging from their uniform- surrounding a person. Upon further inspection, he realized that the all-familiar grin on the person's face happened to be Oikawa. He was about to call out to her when one of the girls pushed the setter's shoulder.
"Oi, Oikawa! You've got some nerve don't cha, trying to steal my boyfriend."
He blinked, confused as he saw the setter giggle. The sound of it sent shivers down his spine, and not in a good way.
"Which one was he? Can't remember since guys seem to throw themselves at me. I just have too many to choose from."
He cringed as the girl from earlier lose her temper and punched the volleyball player. The way Oikawa fell on her behind with a loud thud made it sound so painful. She smirked and used a hand to wipe off the blood from her cut lip.
"Gosh, you girls are violent bitches. No wonder your boyfriends suck up to me instead."
Hitoka could feel his hands sweat. He should really step in and stop the fight. Iwaizumi had warned him about Oikawa's haters, and he had lightly thought of them as mere jealous girls. He hadn't expected for them to result to battery. He bit his lip when he saw the girl who had hit her –by that time he could have roughly guessed the ringleader- pulled her hair so that she would face the girl. It looked painful, and Oikawa's eyebrows furrowed for a few seconds from the pain, but then she managed to lift the corners of her mouth. "Ah, now I know… your bloke was Tenma huh? I didn't have time for him, he was a loser and a pervert."
"Shut yer trap, you idiot!"
She replied with a snort. That made the ringleader even angrier, and she forced Oikawa to stand up by pulling on the mass of brown hair. She released her hold on the brown hair, and that was when Hitoka saw her bringing up a hand. Just as she brought it down to slap across Oikawa's face, the boy ran up to her and pushed the setter away from the girl, and took the hit for himself. The blow landed on the side of his head instead of his face, and the first thing he saw were stars in the middle of daylight.
For a second, he regretted ever doing so. The slap stung like hell. He became a little unsteady from the force –he couldn't help it, he was never hit so hard before- and his legs gave out. His ears rung, and he couldn't keep his head straight. By that point he even wondered fleetingly if his head was even in place. Images swam through his vision in a blur and a mixture of colors, and he could hear Oikawa's voice calling out to him, before he finally passed out.
The girls had ran away, fearing that something had gone wrong when the boy was knocked unconscious. Oikawa hurried to his prone body, and gently shook his shoulders. She could feel the quickening of her own heartbeat, and was immediately reminded of his. Lowering her ear onto his chest, she prayed that he was still alive, and nearly cried in relief when she heard his steady heartbeat. He had just passed out, the boy. He probably had never been hit that hard before, else he would have recovered just as quickly as he had hit the ground like a log.
"You idiot, you should've left me alone."
She walked towards her bag and pulled out her phone to call Iwaizumi over. The girl sounded worried and angry through the phone. Of course she would be, Oikawa had involved the new manager into the pointless fight. She didn't even know who the girls were. Tenma was a lucky guess. After asking her friend to bring the school nurse over as well, she ended her call. Sighing, she sat next to the unconscious body, and gently rubbed her thumb across his right cheekbone. A smile lit up her face when he frowned and finally his eyelids fluttered open.
"Oikawa…san…?"
The captain grinned at him, and nodded. "Yo, Yachi-kun!"
The boy was still dazed, and slowly he brought up a hand and gently ran his fingers over her bruised cheek. His brows furrowed slightly as he mistook the subtle blush on Oikawa's injured cheek as a reddening bruise.
"Does it hurt? I'm sorry, I should have come earlier."
Despite herself, Oikawa found herself smiling at him. "I'm fine, Yachi-kun."
His hand dropped heavily next to his head, and it took him a few seconds to realize what had happened. Brown orbs widened, and it was as if seeing a red pen bleed into a piece of wet tissue paper, his face turned red the instant he realized how close their faces were. He looked away, and shyly asked if Oikawa would move a bit so he could sit up.
"S-So um… who were those girls?"
Oikawa shrugged, "Dunno. I was gonna cool off my head under the tap when they called out to me."
Hitoka bristled at that fact. "Then why didn't you tell them so!"
When she answered him flippantly that it was a bother, he was surprised to find himself being angry with her. He gripped her shoulders, face red from anger, and almost shook her when he scolded her.
"You shouldn't lie about things like that! Or else you're gonna hurt yourself, Oikawa-san!"
Oikawa seemed taken aback, and when she recovered from the mild shock, irritation came after. She looked away from him.
"I'm used to these things, I don't care anymore. You saw it for yourself, didn't you? People like to believe what they want to. Even if I told the girls it wasn't me, they wouldn't believe me. Even if I trained so hard to get where I am now… People like those guys at the bookstore would just chalk everything up to me being pretty."
His hold on her slackened, and Hitoka slowly let go of the girl when he saw her eyes. "I-I'm sorry… I just-"
"Whatever anyway, I don't care what people think of me. As long as I'm good at what I do, nothing else really matters."
They sat there in silence, and when she felt like she couldn't take anymore, Hitoka suddenly mumbled something. Oikawa turned to him, a brow raised. "What?"
The boy cleared his throat, and had it not been for her impeccable hearing, she wouldn't have heard him when he said, "I'll take them. All of them, Oikawa-san."
"I don't understand-"
"Don't say you don't care anymore. Y-You're an honest person who works hard despite everything, and I like that side of you. That side of you is… um… b-b-beautiful."
Oikawa had never felt her face burning up as it was then. Looking at how the boy was starting to resemble a tomato, she probably was as red as he was. "What are you talking about, you dope."
Hitoka scratched his chin and turned to her, who was as equally as embarrassed as him. "So tell me when you're hurt, or when you feel sad. I'll take all of it in. I um… I'll protect you."
She blinked, and he squeaked out, "…I guess."
Something bubbled up within Oikawa, and suddenly she felt light. She could feel her lips smiling out of their own accord, and despite her red cheek, she finally laughed. It was not long when Hitoka started to chuckle, cringing when he felt the remnants of the impact he took minutes ago.
"Ouch." He placed a hand over an ear, and laughed sheepishly as Oikawa tried to pry his hand off so that she could see.
"C'mon, let me see." She inched closer, and she missed the way Hitoka screwed his eyes shut to will his embarrassment away.
She saw the red bruise forming on the side of his neck, and gently ran a hand across the red welt. "Yep, this is gonna heal just fine… Speaking of which, where on earth is Iwa-chan? She sure is taking her time."
Oikawa pulled back when it seemed like Hitoka had stopped breathing. The boy was screwing his eyes shut, and she found it funny that he was trying so hard to keep his blush at bay. Geez, he was such a pure kid.
She pinched his cheek, willing him to open his eyes, "Hey, open your eyes."
He did as he was told and could have let out a sigh of relief, before Oikawa decided to swoop in unexpectedly and gently kiss him on the lips. She smiled when he made a sound at the back of his throat when their lips touched. Pulling back, she was about to say something to tease him, when she was met with a very red-faced Hitoka Yachi.
"H-Hey, don't tell that's…"
Hitoka was beyond surprised, that he became mute all of a sudden. The boy covered his lips with the back of his hand, and jerkily nodded.
"Seriously? Your first?"
Another jerky nod.
She was so dumbfounded and before she could even say anything, a blur of black came in between her and Hitoka. She didn't even get to say anything when an angry Iwaizumi headbutt her in between the eyes.
"Oi! What are you doing to the newbie manager, you pervert!"
[present time]
The rain, Hitoka noticed, was like an ally to him. It would always be rainy days when she would forget to bring her umbrella, and would unabashedly stick her body close to him under his.
She looked up at him, smiling cheekily, as if saying that: you can't say no to me, right?
The shivers that went down his spine had nothing to do with the cool rain as he looked back into her eyes. Her eyes were the color of delicate cinnamon with a deep brown rim around the iris, and reminded him of sweet chocolate, that melts at the slightest bit of warmth from love, happiness. Whenever she was hurt and tears glossed over her brown orbs, it was like looking into sunlight through whiskey. It was frightening how much he loved her. Hitoka always found himself wondering, why on earth would Tōru love someone like him.
And she was right. He could never really say no to her when it came to protecting her. From the rain, from anything that might hurt her. He wondered if he was a masochist.
"Yachi-kun you're too kind."
He just smiled at her and shrugged. "Well I promised to protect you, didn't I?"
Hitoka expected her to blush and be all embarrassed, but he knew she wouldn't do that. Of course she wouldn't. He was dating Tōru Oikawa, not some yamato nadeshiko. So it didn't really bother him much when she said,
"For someone who was knocked out-cold by a girl, you sure can say some cheesy lines, pretty boy."
A/N: so um, this is actually my first attempt ever at writing this type of genre. And I don't think I'm gonna do it again. I feel sick already from all the stress.
Tōhoku: The Tōhoku region.
Tsuchinoko: A Japanese snake-like mythical creature.
Dogeza: grovel
Yamato Nadeshiko: the personification of an idealized Japanese woman. Or the epitome of pure, feminine beauty.