Winner [Haikyu!! x OC] (Ongoing)

Clinic #1

It's Friday, and I am now panicked that everyone on the volleyball team lied to me about liking my idea for holding Monday clinics. No one has approached me with anything they want to work on, which means I will have to plan something of my own. And it will have to be so stellar that people will want to come back and submit their own ideas.

I sigh. If the stress is always going to be this bad, maybe this whole thing wasn't such a great idea. But hopefully the clinics will gain some steam and I won't have to worry about them so much.

I've eaten lunch in my corner of the courtyard every day this week. I think all the other kids in the courtyard have accepted my presence there and have gradually given me a wider and wider berth. A couple kids absentmindedly wander into my ten foot radius, chatting, then startle and quickly change directions.

I bite my sandwich much more aggressively than I need to. Whatever. I have better things to focus on. Like what I'm going to do for Monday's clinic. I don't want to scare anyone who shows up by doing a strenuous workout. That can be saved for when the clinics are more stable. So that's out. Maybe something lowkey, like going out to get food. But just getting food seems kind of lame. Like the clinic is an excuse to spend money on greasy takeout. What if we do something athletic and then go get food? Doing a little bit of both could show the team that these clinics can be fun as well as beneficial. But what should we do before getting food? Drills would be boring. We could go on a run? Nah. That would be boring too. What else could we do? I sit up straight, scaring an ant, the only living thing close enough to be startled by my sudden movement. What if we did a three-on-three game? Or a two-on-two, or however many people show up. That would be fun. It would get some good practice in, but add a dose of healthy and fun competition. Then eating out afterward would be the perfect way to top it off. I settle back, satisfied that I actually thought of something that will really kick off these clinics.

Iwaizumi meets me on our way to English.

"Hey, Lily," he greets me with a fist bump. "Has anyone made a request for your clinic?"

"No. But it's cool. I'm planning something awesome that will make everyone want to come!" I punch the air and give him a confident smile.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" He inquires as we reach the classroom and take our seats in the corner.

I wave off his question, setting my backpack down. "I still have some details to work out, but I'll tell you guys at practice so you can decide if you want to come." Nervousness swirls in my gut. "You know, it's actually kind of nerve wracking. Since I don't know if anyone will actually show up?" I confess, looking to see if he understands.

Iwaizumi shrugs, like he doesn't know why I'm worried. "I'll probably come."

"Thanks, Iwaizumi-san. You're the best."

He grins.

Then I remember something and scowl. "Actually, you know what's really frustrating? Not even not knowing if this clinic thing will work out and help you guys. But the fact that the stupid team captain straight up told me he won't come to any of them." I stare at Iwaizumi, daring him to explain or reassure me.

"Oh," he nods. "Oikawa picks up his nephew from his volleyball club on Mondays."

"What? Then why didn't he say that? Instead of being a jerk?"

Iwaizumi meets my eyes. "I'll chew him out for you."

"It's fine," I huff. Then I pretend to help him with the English assignment for the rest of class.

"Lil-chan, could you refill my water bottle for me?"

I look up from picking up stray balls to see Oikawa holding his water bottle out to me. I take it. "Yeah, of course." I run to refill it and bring it back to him.

"Thanks Lil-chan!" the team captain winks at me and takes a long swig.

"No problem," I say, deciding to choose my battles and not tell him to call me Lillian. "Also, Oikawa, I mean, Oikawa-san—"

"Oikawa-senpai is fine," he smirks at me, probably expecting me to swoon at his invitation to call him senpai.

I blink at him, deadpan. "Anyway," I continue. There's no way I'm calling him that. "I have Monday's clinic all planned out, so if you could give me a minute after practice to tell the team, that would be great."

"If you want," he sets his water bottle down and rejoins the team, his tall form cutting a perfect figure as he jogs away.

I breathe out a sigh of relief that the conversation is over. I hate that the team captain seems to not care, but I just hope the other guys don't think my idea is lame.

I gather around with the team once practice is over. My stomach is flopping around and I try to calm myself down. Why am I more nervous now than I was when I first talked about holding clinics? I take a couple deep breaths and remind myself that these guys are my teammates, even if we haven't really bonded as such yet. I look at Watari, and then Iwaizumi, the two boys I'm closest with right now, and my nerves settle a bit.

"Alright, great practice everyone," Oikawa starts. "Remember, there's about a month left before the Interhigh Preliminaries, so keep working hard! Now, our lovely manager Lil-chan..." he smiles at me. I fold my arms and glare at him. "...has her first clinic planned for next Monday," he continues, unfazed. "So I'll let her tell you about that. But first, it's time to officially welcome her to the team. Iwa-chan?"

I look up quickly to catch Iwaizumi's nod. What? Didn't they already welcome me to the team?

Iwaizumi picks up a box by the wall and brings it over to me. He grins, then pulls out an Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club jacket and hands it to me. He returns to stand by the team and they all join in his shout: "Welcome to the Seijoh boys volleyball team!"

I stare at the jacket and then at the team grinning at me. I break into a smile and shrug into the jacket. "Thank you!" I bow and pop back up, still smiling.

"Alright Lily, let's hear about your clinic on Monday," Iwaizumi gives me an encouraging nod.

I nod back, then turn to address the team. "Okay, depending on how many of you come on Monday, we're going to have a three-on-three game, or something close to that with the number of people we have. After that, we'll go out to get some food." That felt a little blunt. "My treat," I add, feeling like that's the socially acceptable thing to do.

"A three-on-three game? Let's go!" Watari exclaims. He spins to point a finger at Iwaizumi. "You better be there. I'm going to dig any spike you send my way."

The tension around my heart melts as the rest of the team talks up how they're going to crush each other. I silently thank Watari for being a stud.

"That sounds really fun, Lil-chan!" Oikawa pats my head like I'm a child, but turns to cut off his team's squabbling before I can smack him. "Alright guys, feel free to go to the clinic on Monday, but if not, we'll see you all at practice on Tuesday."

I walk home smiling, loving the feeling of the Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club jacket on my back.