Haikyuu Imagines. {Haikyuu x Reader}

Self-esteem.(Tadashi Yamaguchi)

-Enjoy AbbieVanityCakes and everyone else!-

"Come on Yamaguchi! You can do it!"

"Hold your head high! Be confident!"

"Relax and concentrate! Don't worry! You're team has your back!"

Tadashi Yamaguchi is a first year in Karasuno's volleyball team. Many say that he is one of the weakest and most boring players in the whole team, but you would have thought otherwise. When everybody was hyping about Hinata and Kageyama's impeccable duo play, as a manager of the team, you concentrated more on Yamaguchi. Maybe it was because you had developed feelings for him, but you wanted him to grow as a person as well as a volleyball player.

The problem was, even with all his teammates' support, there was just one person that doubted him. That one special person was himself. Every time he messed up his serve or let a ball slip, you could almost feel his guilt and lack of confidence. This was a big problem, after all, nobody is perfect. The ability to accept mistakes and rebound from them was something Yamaguchi lacked immensely.

"What do I do?" You sigh as you run your fingers through your hair to tie it into a ponytail.

"How the hell am I supposed to know." Tsukishima answers bluntly as he picks up a volleyball to begin practicing; completely uninterested in your concerns.

"What do you mean by that! You're his best friend right?!" You sigh exasperated as you cross your arms in annoyance.

"Well yeah, but I don't think he has much of a problem." He answers as he tosses the ball up and down with one hand.

"That's because you don't understand his lack of self-esteem. You're pretty confident in yourself aren't you Tsukishima?" You fire back as a defensive mechanism.

"Yeah but-hold on. Why are you so interested in helping him? Do you like him or something?" He throws you under the bus and you are unable to answer him as you feel your cheeks flame up.

"Wh-wh..why are you asking me that out of the blue!?! That's not the big issue here! I just want to help him get better." You mumble as you try to calm your heated cheeks.

"You should just talk to him about it. Maybe he'd open up to you. He's probably in need of someone to remind him that he really is worth it. Anyway, stop annoying me. I have to practice or Daichi will kill me." He waves you off and you have no choice but to let him go.

A few days had passed after the strange conversation with Tsukishima and you couldn't stop thinking about the advice he had given you. It felt like he was trying to get you to tell him how you feel. Maybe if you did confess to him, he would finally realise his worth to everybody. Just as you were daydreaming about what to do, you run smack into someone's chest and stumble forward. A pair of hands hold you steady by grabbing on to your shoulders and you look up to see Yamaguchi standing right in front of you.

"Gah! Sorry!" You exclaim as you pull yourself away, your cheeks flaring up once again.

"It's okay. Are you alright?" He smiles as he scratches the back of his head shyly.

"Yeah. Um! I was actually looking for you. I just wanted to tell you that I-"

"Is this about your feelings towards me?" He interrupts you midway and your eyes widen with astonishment.

"How did you-" You begin again.

"Tsukishima told me. I'm glad you were about to tell me yourself, because I have to tell you something too." He averts his eyes and you cannot help but find it too cute for you to handle.

"Y-yeah?" You stammer again.

"I have to tell you..that I return your feelings. I'm glad that you care so much about my well-being. Kei told me that you were worried about me. Thank you for worrying about me." He takes a step closer and wraps his arms around you for a gentle and heartwarming hug.

You wrap your arms around his neck as you cherish this intimate moment with the one you loved. For him to actually escape his comfort zone and hug you out of his own will, meant that even if it was just a minimal amount, he was slowly beginning to believe in himself and his abilities. You hoped that one day, he would develop his self-esteem and unlock his true potential. Until then, you knew that you would do anything in your power to be his support.