As Queens Should

» Where Are You Looking [REVISED]

Growing up, you never really had a passion for sports. Day-to-day basis always went like this: Wake up, eat, go to school, plan to run away with friends, the plan fails, go back home, sleep. And the cycle repeats.

No sports whatsoever.

However, just before you graduated middle school, your mother encouraged you to at least try one sport. And what was that one sport everybody in your school was so hooked about?

"NICE KILL!"

The sound of volleyballs slapping against the floor and walls echoed throughout the gym along with squeaking shoes and the lively chatters of the players.

It was an environment akin to that of a minefield for you. After all, you were only ever an Olympic champion in lazing on bed and reading fan fiction. But, that's a topic for another day.

You ended up landing on a benched role for the female volleyball team of Minami Daisan, and you were a substitute setter. It took some time to adjust running ten laps around the gym without puking, but needless to say, you still liked being in the volleyball team.

You didn't stand out...yet, but even so! You still pursued the simple errands some of your teammates told you to, like helping them practice attacks, how to set, help them get their receives and to make sure they connect.

A setter to you was just passing the ball high enough so your hitters can get the momentum they need to hit it. The concept of an A pass, a C pass, or what-not was something you had difficulty with, which was one of the reasons why you were a substitute.

Others however found it amusing, so you graduated Minamisan being labeled as the Backburner Setter, #8 [L/N] [Y/N].

Well, past is past and what matters now is that you're in Niiyama, who was recruited because of your title. You can never get it out of your mind, how someone blatantly called you out in the hall, “Hey! You’re the Backburner Setter from Minamisan right?!”

In your head, that person is still on top of the wanted list of people whose mouth you wanted to tape shut.

But why were you in Niiyama? This was a similar question asked to you by Amanai, your fellow second year apprentice.

"...because the uniforms are cute." You replied, raising your thumb and pouting while furrowing your brows in a mischievous yet playful manner.

Your mother was a big fan of that decision nonetheless, it was an all-girls school after all. Not only that but you stayed in volleyball which stunned your parents, knowing that you'd rather lie down and play video games than moving around as a sports player.

All of this aside, Niiyama never fails to disappoint and advances as the representative of the Miyagi prefecture at the Spring Nationals at present.

The first day, it was crowded with all sorts of people: Men, women, tall, even taller people, and... shorties?

You look at Amanai who caught a short boy with chestnut locks and a honey blonde highlight on the front of his hair. His body, relaxed, and his arms dangled in front of him whilst your teammate's hand cupped his armpits to prevent him from falling on her.

"Are you okay?" she asks with a charming voice.

Amanai chuckles nervously from your right, putting down the cute boy she caught. You inspect the other individual and find him gluing his eyes on Amanai's face and chest, which you didn't like one bit.

After being back on his feet, the boy stands tall, ironically, and squeezes a smile out. "YES, thank you! I'm very okay!!" Loudly, he announces, catching a few turning heads in the process.

"Well I'm not." you retaliate, getting his attention.

"HA?!"

"I saw you darting Ami's boobs." You give a glare, examining the man shorter than you whose cheeks were dusted pink. Now his body was facing you, gradually, and a lump from his throat appeared.

A ginger steps forward and apologizes, followed by a taller man's looming shadow over them that even dominated you. All three men who've refused to elaborate who they were were all in black and orange uniforms that looked strangely familiar to a certain setter who caught your attention recently.

Orange hair...Orange and black uniform...Number ten...Hey! He's the shrimp of Karasuno! He has an immaculate setter, doesn't he?

You turn your head behind him and try to find an individual named Kageyama Tobio. Unfortunately, you've only met disappointment so far. How nice it must have been to met a fellow setter. A talented and handsome one at that.

On the other hand, while your attention drifts off to thoughts of Kageyama, the hedgehog of Karasuno was still somewhat bothered by this friend of Amanai's that, weirdly enough, began to look prettier and prettier the more he looked at you.

This was none other than Nishinoya Yuu, whose face had the words "Wait..hear me out." spelled out like a billboard.

Amanai was then called by this earlier third guy who had a buzzcut behind the short players that wore orange and black. The voice of his draws a smile on her face, followed by "Ryu-chan!"

Ryu-chan? You blink once, Hinata and Nishinoya blink twice.

The current predicament you find yourself in was with Amanai catching up with a childhood friend of hers thanks to the encounter with Karasuno's libero.

All the while, Yuu's lips maintained quivered and his heart beating rapidly, in fact, that his heels were leaping from the ground multiple times, causing him to bounce a bit.

"Ryu" and Amanai took their time chattering while you decided to keep your eye on the overenthusiastic hedgehog, smiling sloppily at Niiyama's wing spiker.

Look at him being so head over heels for Ami...it's not even an exaggeration. You observed, fetching a glance at Number Four's feet tapping against the floor hastily like a hare.

In contrast to your weary and distasteful perspective, Nishinoya was giddy and overwhelmed. Although his eyes were on Amanai, it wasn't because he was looking at her consciously. He was avoiding someone else's gaze.

Is she looking at me? God-sama, tell me if she's still looking at me! I'm telling you, if we have eye contact, I ask her out! Yuu makes a deal in his mind, preparing himself to meet your eyes to determine his next course of action, as if he wasn't here to play a volleyball game at all.

In three, two, one...!

He finds himself unable to determine if he should be glad you two had eye contact or be completely distraught considering you were looking at him like you couldn't bear to touch him with a ten foot pole.

I looked at her! At... what cost!

That was the day you met Nishinoya Yuu, the brown hedgehog.