ONLY ME || Haikyuu x Male

CHAPTER ONE

Hasegawa Ren gripped his backpack strap, his lungs tightening in his chest as his gaze befell the ominous entrance to the Karasuno High School gymnasium. It'd been almost a year since he'd stepped foot in that place. Since he was suspended from the team for reckless behavior.

What was he doing back here? To rejoin? Really? Would they truly accept him back after what he'd done to Sugawara-senpai? His senior had been walking around with crutches for a month after that incident.

He took a deep breath. No, he had to do this. He'd been practicing keeping his mind under control ever since the incident. He could do this. He could absolutely do this.

...

He couldn't do this.

As soon as Ren pushed the doors to the gymnasium open, a bout of silence fell upon the people inside. It seemed as though the volleyball team had been scrimmaging when he'd interrupted, and now, all thirteen pairs of eyes in the gym turned to him, staring him down.

His cheeks flushed red, and he opened his mouth to apologize, to tell everyone that he'd simply gotten the room wrong and would be on his way, but a loud, excited shout halted him in his tracks. Ren's eyes rounded as Nishinoya, his best and only friend, ran towards him, leaping up to land in his arms, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"Ren! You're back! You're really back!" Laughs bubbled out from the energetic second-year, and Ren couldn't help but deal out a smile in return at his friend's behavior.

"Here I am, Yu. I'm back." But those words didn't feel right on his lips. Was he truly back? Or would he be turned away? Ren shifted his gaze away from his friend, surveying the crowd before him. There were many faces he didn't recognize, and too many that he did. And as his eyes fell on a familiar, silver-haired boy, his body seized up, and he lowered his head in shame.

Footsteps echoed as someone approached him and Noya, and Ren looked up to see Daichi standing before him, and a familiar sense of deja vu struck him like lightning. He gave Nishinoya a little nudge, and the boy clambered off of him, giving him the opportunity to stand up and face Daichi. He was an inch taller, standing at 5'10 in contrast with Daichi's 5'9, but with the stern look that the captain was giving him, Ren suddenly felt very small.

"How are you doing, Hasegawa?"

"I-I'm better, captain! I've been...I've been practicing."

Ren stood stiff for a minute as Daichi stared at him, scrutinizing him. It felt like ages passed as his heart pounded against his rib cage, his anxiety causing a bead of sweat to roll down his brow. Slowly, Daichi's lips curled into a soft smile, and Ren almost collapsed from relief.

"I'm glad to hear that. Take a seat on the benches, Ren. Me and Coach will talk to you after practice."

Daichi walked off after that, dragging Nishinoya along with him, and Ren stumbled over himself as he made his way to the benches. He set his backpack down on the floor, folding his hands in his lap as he watched the team continue with their scrimmage. His heart raced, but now, it wasn't out of nervousness. Now, he was excited. He wanted to be on that court with them.

He wanted to be on a team again.

~~~

Practice seemed to go by in a flash, and before he knew it, Ren was being led by Daichi towards a man with dyed yellow hair.

"Hasegawa, this is Coach Ukai. He's the grandson of the original Coach Ukai. Coach, this is Hasegawa Ren. He used to be on our team last year, but he...he got suspended for reckless behavior."

The coach's eyes bulged at that, and Ren smiled awkwardly at the sight. "Reckless behavior? What in the world did you do, kid? I see these guys pull reckless shit all the time, and they haven't gotten suspended for it!"

Ren exhaled heavily, fiddling with his fingers as he replied. "I didn't work very well with other people last year. And uhm...when I was on the court I'd get lost in my own head and I couldn't really see anything or anyone else. And well, one thing led to another and I...I kind of broke Sugawara-senpai's leg."

With his eyes squeezed shut in terror, Ren couldn't see the coach's reaction, but after a moment of not receiving a response, he slowly opened his eyes only to find the coach's mouth hanging open. "You broke his leg? How-what?!"

He could feel his face heating up again, but thankfully, Daichi swooped in to respond. "It was an accident. Hasegawa slammed into Suga-san and they both ended up tumbling into the bleachers. Suga just happened to be hurt out of that. But he's been getting better, and I think we should let him try to be a part of the team again."

Ren felt ready to burst into tears, and he looked up at Daichi like an adoring puppy. He had no clue why the captain was giving him this second, or rather, fourth chance, especially considering how close he and Sugawara were. But he wasn't about to object to it.

The coach narrowed his eyes, putting a hand to his chin in a gesture of thought. "Alright. But I want to see how he works with the rest of you. I can't have someone on the team that is going to be hurting the other team members. You. Hasegawa. Come to the gym tomorrow after school. I'll organize a tryout for you. Then we'll see if you're back in or not."

Ren grinned, nodding excitedly. It wasn't a guarantee of admission, but it was an opportunity. And he wasn't about to let it pass him by.