Sunshine...?

77

You pat the older boy on the back, hoping his mood doesn't get too bad. "There, there, Bokuto-san. I told you that Tsukishima wasn't gonna agree to practice with you. It's not your fault."

"But now I only have Kuroo blocking me! That's no fun!"

Kuroo glared at the other captain. "Fuck you too, man. I was nice enough to help you, since Yakkun was gonna help Lev with receives tonight. Don't act as if I was your last pick! You came right to me once Tsukishima shut you down!"

Bokuto pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Still. It's not as fun when there's only one blocker. Two or three really make it a challenge! And that's what I want!"

You sigh, looking over at the setter that was standing a little off to the side. "Akaashi-san, any tips on getting him back to normal?"

Akaashi shrugs. "At this point, you can really only force him to make do with what we have. He'll probably listen to you better than he does with me. Try something. You'll have better luck than anyone else talking to him. He seems attached to you already."

You furrow your brows. "Not helpful." You turn back to the ace. "Don't worry, Bokuto-san. I'll be receiving behind Kuroo-san. It'll be a whole other challenge for you! You know my receives are good, so wouldn't it be much cooler if you got me to mess up a receive with a powerful spike?"

Bokuto looks at you, hope shining in his eyes. "Really? You think I'm good enough to where you can't properly receive the ball to send it back to Akaashi?"

You nod, a soft smile on your lips. "I think so. You're the best ace here!"

He stands tall, holding his arms up, hands curled into fists. "Hey hey hey! I'm the best!"

Akaashi holds his hand out to you, giving you a thumbs up. "Good job, L/n."

You nod, looking back at the happy Bokuto. "Go, Bokuto-san! You're so strong, and amazing!"

This only seemed to fuel his ego more. "Hey hey hey! I'm super strong! I'm the best ace ever! Hey hey hey!"

You turn to Akaashi, proud of yourself. "I think it worked."

Kuroo frowned. "Now he's unbearable. You need to learn to put him down more, L/n. He's an idiot, he'll still be happy after you insult him once or twice. He needs to know he's not the best. There are other aces that are stronger than him."

"Shut up!" Bokuto glared at the middle blocker.

You sigh, clapping your hands. "Let's get to practicing! We're wasting time!"

***

You breathe heavily, catching your breath. "How many failed receives does this make now?"

Kuroo turns to you slightly. "I think that makes the third one in a row."

Bokuto cheers, pumping his fists out. "Hey hey hey! I'm on a roll!"

Akaashi shook his head. "Are you feeling alright, L/n? You're sweating more than us, and it looks like you're breathing pretty heavily."

You nod. "Just need to catch my breath for a bit."

"Can you all answer a question I have?" Tsukshima appears in the now open doorway.

You stand up straight, walking over to the boy. You lead him inside the gym, kind of using him as a support. "Come in. We can talk all you want, Tsukishima."

He looks at you. "Why are you using me like a crutch?"

"I have my own issues and feel exhausted. I'm using you as a crutch until my heart rate goes back to normal. Anyways, what's the question you want to ask us?"

The blond blinks. "I'm not asking you. I want to ask actual volleyball players. Not a manager."

You stop leaning on him, crossing your arms over your chest and pouting. "Mean. I was just trying to be nice and help you out."

"I didn't mean to be rude to you. I just wanted to know I need help, but you won't be able to actually help me out."

Kuroo cuts in, preventing you and the other first year from continuing your back and forth banter. "What's bothering you?"

"Yeah, what's your problem Tsukki dude?" Bokuto smiled.

Tsukishima looked unamused. "Don't call me that. It's Tsukishima."

"Ok, fine then, Tsukibadada." Bokuto didn't care about failing.

Tsukishima sighs, trying to not let it bother him. "Volleyball is just club. So why work so hard, even though there are people much better than you?"

Bokuto and Kuroo frown. "Just a club?"

"That kinda sounds like a name?"

You cut into the conversation. "Are you two idiots? Get back on topic. Answer his question seriously."

And so, Bokuto and Kuroo added their input. Both tried talking about how they personally feel with volleyball, hoping to get a clear message across.

Bokuto pointed at the younger male. "When that moment comes for you, that's when you'll be hooked on volleyball."

Akaashi looked at you. "Did that make sense to you, L/n?"

You shrug. "I'm used to having idiots spew utter nonsense. I'm able to get the gist of what's being said."

Bokuto puts an arm behind Tsukishima, pushing him farther into the gym. "Since I've answered your question, now you block for me."

Tsukshima gives up, knowing he can't just leave now. He looks at you. "You look better. Are you going to be getting water bottles for us?"

You have an irk mark forming on your forehead. "No. I'll be behind you to receive the spikes you fail to block. I'm still more useful than the other managers!"

Tsukishima sighs. "Don't push yourself so hard. If you faint, I won't be the one carrying you back. Keep that in mind when dealing with shrimpy."

"I know, I know. I've got everything taken care of. Don't worry about me so much."

The boy with glasses turns his back to you, lowering his voice so only you can hear. "I only worry because I care about you. You mean a lot to me, along with everyone else on the team. It hurts all of us to see you at your worst. Just... learn when to quit, for your health." He walks off, leaving you stunned.

Tsukishima cares about me?

"L/n, come on! I wanna beat two blockers plus you!" Bokuto was raring to go.

You nod, jogging to your spot on the court. "Let's go!"