Libero in Heart (Nishinoya x Reader)

Chapter 1

The sun had barely begun its climb into the sky, casting soft, golden hues over Karasuno High as the team gathered for their morning practice. Nishinoya, with an extra bounce in his step, almost seemed to be dancing on his way to the gym, humming an upbeat, cheerful tune. His grin was wide, eyes bright, and his usual energy was dialed up by about a hundred percent.

"Yo! Morning, everyone!" Nishinoya sang as he flung the gym doors open.

His teammates paused, a little bleary-eyed and still adjusting to the early morning practice. The gym was usually quiet this time of day, save for the groans of tired boys stretching and trying to shake off sleep. However, Nishinoya was acting like he'd just chugged six energy drinks.

Hinata tilted his head. "Uh...is it just me, or is Noya-senpai...extra happy today?"

"Extra loud too," Kageyama muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Daichi, Karasuno's ever-watchful captain, eyed Nishinoya as the libero practically skipped across the court. "What's with him?" he asked, turning to Suga, who only shrugged.

"No clue," Suga replied. "Maybe he got a new video game?"

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses, his face unimpressed as ever. "More like he got hit in the head."

But before anyone could speculate further, the gym doors swung open once more, and in walked Kiyoko and Yachi, carrying water bottles and towels. Like clockwork, Tanaka's eyes widened, and he shot up from the bench.

"GOOD MORNING, KIYOKO-SAAAAAAN!" Tanaka squealed, practically sprinting to her side. His usual goofy grin spread across his face as he buzzed around Kiyoko like a hyperactive bee.

But...Nishinoya didn't follow.

The team watched in stunned silence as Nishinoya, instead of joining Tanaka in his usual antics, simply gave a small bow. "Good morning, Kiyoko-san, Yachi-san," he said, polite and composed, without a single squeal or exaggerated reaction.

Tanaka froze mid-sprint, his brain seemingly short-circuiting. "Huh?! N-Noya...bro? What...what are you doing?"

Kiyoko blinked, surprised at the unusual calm from Nishinoya. Yachi gave a confused little smile, glancing between the two. Even Kiyoko, who was used to their over-the-top greetings, looked taken aback. "Good morning...Nishinoya," she responded, a bit cautiously.

The rest of the team? Baffled.

Suga leaned over to Daichi, whispering loudly, "Did we just enter an alternate universe?"

Daichi shook his head slowly. "No idea. But I don't like it."

Before anyone could question him further, Coach Ukai blew his whistle, snapping them out of their stupor. "Alright, you lot, quit standing around! Warm-up, now!"

Practice began as usual, but the mystery of Nishinoya's strange behavior hung in the air like a thick fog. Despite being unusually composed outside of drills, Nishinoya was still his usual dynamic self during practice-leaping, diving, and rolling with his signature "Rolling Thunder!" But the moment practice took a break, his energy shifted. He calmly wiped his face and returned to the group like a normal person. Normal for anyone but Nishinoya.

During a water break, the moment came again-Kiyoko offered towels to the boys, and while Tanaka practically melted as he received his, Nishinoya took his towel with a simple, "Thanks, Kiyoko-san," accompanied by a respectful nod.

Tanaka nearly choked on his water. "N-Noya! Bro! You're killing me! Why aren't you freaking out?!"

Even Daichi couldn't take it anymore. He stormed over, hands on his hips. "Alright, Nishinoya, what's going on? You're acting... weird."

Suga nodded, equally concerned. "Yeah, man. You're usually the loudest one here, but now...this respectful thing? It's creeping me out."

Hinata and Kageyama edged closer, curious to hear the explanation.

Nishinoya waved them off, his grin widening. "Guys, relax! I'm fine! I've just been in a good mood lately, that's all."

"That's all?" Tsukishima drawled, not convinced. "You expect us to believe you just...decided to act like a normal person overnight?"

"No way, bro," Tanaka added, his eyes wide. "You love swarming around Kiyoko-san! Is this some kinda...like, ninja stealth mode thing you're doing?"

Nishinoya chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nah, it's not like that, I swear!"

"Then what is it?" Daichi pressed. "What's got you so...happy?"

Nishinoya's grin stretched even wider. "Oh, that? Well, I got a girlfriend!"

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

The entire gym seemed to freeze, every player, including Ukai, pausing mid-whatever-they-were-doing to stare at Nishinoya. Tanaka dropped his towel. Hinata's water bottle slipped from his hand. Kageyama blinked several times, as if trying to process whether he had heard correctly.

"WHAT?!" they all shouted in unison.

Suga nearly choked on his own breath. "You...a girlfriend? Since when?!"

Nishinoya puffed out his chest proudly. "Since a few days ago! Isn't it awesome?"

Tanaka stumbled back dramatically, clutching his heart. "BRO, YOU LEFT ME?! YOU ABANDONED ME IN THE WORSHIP OF OUR QUEEN?!"

"Wait," Daichi raised a hand, "we need to back up. You're telling us that you-" he pointed at Nishinoya, "-the same Nishinoya who used to scream whenever Kiyoko-san looked your way-now have a girlfriend?"

Kageyama still looked confused. "What kind of parallel universe did we walk into?"

Even Tsukishima was a little taken aback. "Who would've thought..."

"You guys!" Nishinoya's grin grew even wider. "She's amazing! And, I mean, she's not Kiyoko-san, but she's perfect."

Suga's jaw dropped. "He just said 'not Kiyoko-san' out loud! Who are you and what have you done with Nishinoya?!"

Tanaka sank to the floor dramatically, throwing his arms over his head. "NOOOO! My brother has fallen! My wingman has been stolen by the cruel claws of love!"

Kiyoko and Yachi stood off to the side, sharing bewildered looks, as the entire team exploded into chaotic disbelief. Ukai facepalmed, muttering to himself, "I can't believe this is real..."

Nishinoya, basking in the chaos he had unleashed, just laughed, full of life, and more than happy to let his teammates react. This was definitely going to take some time to sink in.