Chapter Text
Nakano was feeling pretty wiped out as she made her way up the stairs to the girl's changing room following Friday's practice. It had turned out to be a far more exhausting day than she'd originally thought it would be.
She'd known that saying goodbye to Kei for the next couple of days would be a little tough. They'd gotten out of the classroom as quickly as possible, making their way to a secluded spot not too far from the gym, but not too close to it either. A quiet spot where two teenagers could definitely indulge in kissing one another for an extended period of time without anyone else seeing them. Once they'd done that, Kei had pressed his forehead against hers.
"It's only really one day away, if you think about it, Roses," he'd said. "I'm holding you right now, and I'll be holding you again Sunday night. It's really only Saturday where I won't see you at all. That isn't so bad, right?"
Nakano had chuckled, and playfully swatted his behind. "I think we can survive it, lover boy."
Kei had started, then growled at her ever so softly. "Not fair, Roses. Very not fair."
"Sorry, love." She'd looked rather chagrined.
He'd chuckled. "Don't be. I'll be replaying that in my mind fairly often, I think." He'd kissed her nose fondly. "I have to go. See you Sunday, beautiful." He'd caressed her face as he moved away, she stretched herself forward to keep in contact with him as long as she could as he headed out.
She'd watched him walk towards the main entrance of Karasuno until she could no longer see him. Just as she was about to heave a deep sigh, and maybe let a tear or two fall, her phone had chimed with a text from the very blonde boy in question, telling her to quit moping and get to practice. And that he loved her.
That had been enough to make her laugh, and get herself going again. Enough shojo manga dramatics, she'd thought, shooting off a quick string of emojis to Kei, time to get down to business.
Except somehow, along the way, everyone had neglected to tell her what the business of the day was.
Nakano had assumed that it would be another day of regular drills (Friday was spiking drills, which somehow would not be the same without Shoyo), taunting and teasing from the cutie pies, and then serves...lots and lots of serves.
So when she'd gotten into the gym to find Kiyoko and Yachi setting up for a match, she'd been thoroughly confused.
"Coach Ukai told us about this on Wednesday," Kiyoko had said, "Tokonami's coming today to practice with us. To give us a chance to see how our new serves are coming along."
Nakano wondered exactly how spaced out she'd been on Wednesday to have completely missed that announcement. She'd run the boys through an abbreviated version of her spiking drills, giving them a little time before Tokonami's arrival to do some serving practice.
It hadn't helped.
One thing they'd learned for sure today - serving practice and serving against an actual opponent were two entirely different things. The other thing they learned was just exactly how valuable their first years were. The first set against Tokonami, who they'd beaten fairly easily in the prelims, was a string of botched serves and missed timings. It wasn't a shut out or anything, but Tokonami did manage to take the first set from them, making Daichi call for a flying lap in an irritated voice.
Nakano shivered again as she changed clothes, remembering the sound of the Captain's growl. She'd dropped what she was doing immediately to hit the deck with her team, much to their opponent's amusement and confusion. And when that lap was complete, the student coach had called her boys into a huddle.
"Okay, so that happened. I know things feel a little weird. After all, we're missing a third of our starting line up. But you know what? That shouldn't matter. Every single one of you is important to this team, and you could be called on at any moment to step up and do what needs to be done. So shake it off, boys, and lets make sure that we show these guys why we're headed to Nationals next month. We're crows! Crows adapt, and they make it work, no matter what they're faced with. And one other thing..." Nakano had looked around the circle, catching each boy square in the eyes. "...I really do not feel like doing another flying lap today. So go out there and make sure I don't have to. Got that?"
"You heard her, boys," Daichi had said with a grin, "you guys know better than to piss off Coach Legs."
Karasuno had played another six sets with Tokonami, and they took every single one.
They'd stayed an extra hour after Tokonami left, drilling serves and trying to correct some of the problems they'd seen in their practice matches. Nakano chuckled to herself as she packed up her things, getting the attention of her managers.
"What's so funny, Nakano?" Kiyoko asked.
"Yeah, what are you laughing at, Naka-chan?" Yachi followed up.
"Sorry, I was just remembering Tanaka's long build up into his jump serve, only have it go right into the net," Nakano replied, smiling at the memory.
Yachi giggled. "He was kinda funny."
"He really only botched it badly the first time," Kiyoko said, a small hint of protectiveness in her voice, "and he's not the only one who does that."
"Don't get me wrong, a pre-serve ritual is actually a good thing," Nakano said, scrubbing with a hand in front of her, "It's a good way to get yourself into the zone, calm and focused, ready to serve. Muscle memory - your body does certain actions and your mind follows, remembering what you need to do. It was just kinda funny to me. Most people develop their ritual after getting their serve under control. It somehow figures that Tanaka-senpai would get the cool ritual part down first, and then plant his serve right into the net." A small pout lingered on Kiyoko's face as the girls finished getting their things together. "And yes, he was able to put several good ones over the net today. A little more work and he'll be ready to put his jump serve to use in a real match."
And suddenly, Kiyoko's little pout had turned into a shy little smile. I think it really is Tanaka, Nakano thought as the three girls headed out of their changing room, Kiyoko actually has a crush on him. And his affection for her is much deeper than the over-the-top silliness he and Noya-senpai always get up to. That's just the outward display. There's so much more going on under the surface for him. Not for the first time, Nakano wished there were some way she could help her senpais make a proper connection to one another. If Kei were here, she thought wryly, he'd tell me to quit trying to be everyone's relationship counselor.
The strawberry blonde waved Kiyoko and Yachi goodbye as Sugawara and Kinoshita came out of the boy's changing room, clearly in mid-discussion. "Ah, well, here's one half of the couple herself. We can ask her," Sugawara said brightly.
"Ask me what, Suga-senpai?" the girl responded.
"What's your 'ship name? I think it should be Nakki," Suga proclaimed proudly as Kinoshita rolled his eyes.
"And I think that sounds like sounds like some kind of weird sushi roll," Kinoshita quipped. "Clearly your 'ship name should be Tsukano."
Suga scoffed. "And what exactly are they supposed to be the handle of?" the silver-haired boy shot back, playing off a possible translation of Kinoshita's version of the name mash-up.
Nakano looked at both boys as if they'd lost their minds. "What on Earth are the two of you on about?"
The boys blinked at one another, then blinked at Nakano. "Your 'ship name, Naka-chan. For you and Tsukishima," Suga said, looking at the girl incredulously.
"Uhhh..." Nakano said, sounding suspiciously like her other half.
Suga slapped his forehead. "You don't know what a 'ship name is? Oh my goodness I have so much to teach you. Come on girl, let's get you headed home, and on the way, your senpai will instruct you."
Nakano laughed. "Are you my official escort home tonight?"
"I am, and Kinoshita is in charge of feeding you. Wanna stop at Sakanoshita for something?"
The trio made their way down to the convenience store as Sugawara patiently explained the concept of relationship names to Nakano. Kinoshita merely chuckled, providing occasional smart commentary and buying yogurt for the three to enjoy before taking his leave and heading home.
"So Kinoshita combined Tsukki's last name and my first name," Nakano mused as she and Suga headed towards her house, "and you combined Tsukki's nickname and my first name. And this mashing together the two names of people who are dating makes a 'ship name."
"Exactly," Suga replied, smiling at the strawberry blonde. "So what do you think? Should you guys be Nakki or Tsukano?" Suga asked, making his preference obvious by the way he said the first one so brightly.
They walked on for several minutes as the girl seemed to consider the idea.
"Neither," she finally said smartly, much to Suga's dismay. "If you're going to put our names together, you should use both our first names and call us Nakei. I like the idea of us being a 'famous system,'" Nakano said with a smirk.
Suga laughed. "Impressive, Naka-chan."
The two walked on together in companionable silence for a time, until Suga spoke up again.
"So it seems to me that, regardless of whether or not we can agree on a 'ship name for you and Tsukishima, you guys are doing pretty well together, hmmm?"
"Yeah, we are, Suga-senpai. We really are very happy together."
"I can see that. You guys are good for each other, I think."
Nakano raised her eyebrows at her fellow setter. "What makes you say that? Not that it isn't true or anything, I'm just curious."
Suga smiled at her. "Well, for one thing, Tsukishima definitely seems to be a bit less...snarky...than when we first met him."
"Are you sure about that Suga-san?" Nakano teased.
"Well, maybe it's better to say the hard edge is gone from his taunts. He's still a smart ass, but he's definitely come down a notch or two since you've come into his life. He's also a lot more motivated in his playing than he was when he first came to us, and I'm pretty sure that you've played in big role in bringing that side of him to the fore. But best of all is how you're slowly but surely getting him to open up. He's shown a soft, affectionate side of himself to us in the way he dotes on you, and it's really good to see that."
A small chuckle escaped the girl. "He's a very sensitive person, under all that sass. I'm so lucky he's chosen to share that with me."
"He's lucky too, don't ever forget that, Naka-chan."
Nakano's face erupted in warmth, the color visible on her even in the wan glow of the streetlights. "Suga, that's sweet of you to say, but..."
"Don't even try, Naka-chan. I know you don't tend to think very much of yourself, and I hope Tsukishima is working on that with you."
Nakano started, mouth falling open.
"Don't look so shocked. You know, you've never really fooled me all that much, Nakano. When we first met you, everyone was so amazed by how upbeat and positive you were, even in the face of your injuries and challenges. But your eyes - they gave you away to me. I could see the hurt and fear you were hiding with your bright smile lurking behind those eyes of yours. Over the past few months, I've watched that pain begin to melt. Tsukishima's healing that for you, isn't he?" All Nakano could do was stare. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I'm glad he's helping you, that you're helping each other. Please, Naka-chan, keep doing that. Don't let this wonderful thing the two of you have slip away. Time is going to move on, and there's going to be challenges ahead of you, and it can be so easy to start to take something like love for granted. Especially when you've had it for a while. Don't let that happen to you and Tsukishima, okay? A good relationship has to be cared for, and nurtured, and worked on all the time. If you start neglecting it, you might suddenly find you lost it somewhere along the way, and that would be a real tragedy."
Nakano finally found her voice, laying a hand on Sugawara's arm. "Suga-san? Did that happen to you? Did you lose someone you cared about?"
Suga laughed, clasping the girl's hand on his arm and squeezing it tight. "No...not really. We never got that far. I fell in love, but she didn't. Or maybe it was that I wanted it to be love, even when it wasn't. Either way, I never had the chance you and Tsukishima have. I'm sure a lot of people - your family, your friends - might tell you that you're still so young, don't think about forever, you'll probably have lots of boyfriends before you'll find the one you'll stay with. But you should listen to your heart, Naka-chan, not to those people. When I look at you and Tsukishima, I don't see a couple of high school kids dating. I see soulmates. Two people meant to be together. Hold on to that, Naka-chan. Don't let it go."
"Believe me, Suga-san, I don't intend to. I know how lucky I am, and that real relationships take real work. Tsukki and I have talked about that, and we want our relationship to always be real. Not perfect, but real. Because real life is rarely perfect. And someday, you'll have that too, someone real who loves you, because I know just how awesome you really are, Sugawara Koshi." Nakano leaned over and gave her senpai a kiss on the cheek.
Suga clicked his tongue at her. "You're going to be setting off all sorts of people's kiss sensors again," he teased.
"Too bad," she replied, "You're my Suga-senpai, and if I want to kiss your cheek, well, the world will just have to deal with it." The two laughed aloud, unable to hold it in. "Suga? Are you doing okay?"
The silver-haired boy looked at her, confused. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I mean, all this relationship talk...I don't mean to pry...but..."
"Would I like to be in a relationship right now? Sure. But it's okay. I know it might take time before I meet that right girl. I can be patient. I thought I'd met her last year, and when that didn't work out, yeah, it hurt. But it's okay. It's not my time yet. But I know it'll come someday." He turned a concerned look on the girl. "And speaking of having a relationship talk, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you and Tsukishima need to be careful, and take proper precautions..."
"Hush, Suga. I have an older sister, a mom and a dad; Kei has an older brother and a mom. Trust me, we've had that talk in every possible way you can imagine." Nakano rolled her eyes as Suga just laughed again.
"Alright, I'll say no more. Thanks for letting me ramble on about this with you tonight, Nakano. And thanks for everything you do for our team. Can I give you one more piece of advice?"
"Of course, Suga."
"I know your goal this entire time has been to get back on the court, to be a volleyball player again. And you should, because you're an incredible player, and I'll be honest, I can't wait to see you play with a team of your own. But...when you do; when you've moved on and are back to being a player again, please, don't forget your time with us. You're an incredible coach, Nakano, and you've got a real talent for motivating people and teaching them and seeing their potential and helping them realize it. Please don't ignore that. I don't know what your future plans are...or even if you've even begun thinking about what happens after your time at Karasuno...but I hope that coaching will be a part of your future. Although I'll be forever grateful that you were here as part of this team, if this turns out to be your only time coaching volleyball, well...I think that would be an absolute shame. You have a real gift, Nakano, and I hope you'll share it with as many people as you can. I think you could be one of those coaches that really makes a difference in their player's lives, Naka-chan."
Nakano was once again left speechless as her senpai at last released her hand as they approached her front door. "Suga...I..."
"You don't have to say anything about it right now. Just think about it, okay? Because, remember, I know how just how awesome you are, too."
The door to the Ogawa residence suddenly opened. "Koshi-chan!" Emiko called out, "Thank you for walking Naka-chan home, please come in!"
"Thank you, Ogawa-san, but I really should be getting..."
"Nonsense, it's freezing out here. Come have a cup of tea and let Tanjiro drive you home. It's no trouble, and I absolutely insist. You're a setter, right, like Naka-chan? I can't let you walk so far in the cold - you'll hurt your hands!"
Nakano scoffed, leading Suga into her house. "Might as well give up, Suga. Mom's taken a liking to you, and no matter what you say, she's going to get her way. So you might as well enjoy it."
Suga laughed, and accepted the inevitable.
🏐🏐🏐
Nakano lay on her bed in her pajamas, staring at the ceiling, waiting for her phone to go off, and thinking.
She'd been rather lost in her thoughts ever since her walk home with Sugawara. The relationship talk had surprised her a little, but only a little, if she was being honest. Suga was one of those people who could figure you out just by looking at you, and she'd been touched by his concern for her and Tsukki. And saddened by the fact that he'd apparently had his heart broken as a second year. Another sweet, wonderful man who deserves a partner who will love and respect him for the amazing person he is, she thought, just like Kuroo and Bokuto. She wondered if the big ace and Mako had become an official couple as of yet. She toyed with the idea of jumping on the Bro-sketeers group chat to ask, but decided against it. She was still waiting for both her salty-sweet boyfriend and her best friend to text her about their days, and as much as she was curious about the Boku-bro's relationship status, she just didn't feel like she had the mental fortitude to deal with three text conversations at once right now. Hmmm, she considered, if Bokuto and Mako are a thing, would that make them Boko? Makuto? No wait, Bokuto's first name is Kotaro...maybe Makotaro? Kotako? She couldn't help but laugh aloud at the last one, finding the concept of their 'ship name being 'small octopus' hilarious.
But what had really thrown her for a loop was Suga's assertion that she should consider continuing on as a coach in some capacity. If she were entirely honest with herself, she'd never really even considered the idea. She loved her team, and adored being their coach, having the chance to work with them on the court, and be right alongside them when they played. But she'd never really considered herself to be any good at it. I mean, this was just to help me up my physical activity, she told herself, Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei were just trying to help me out. The whole 'student coach' thing was just to keep things legit on the school paperwork. Right? But Suga seemed to really think she was good at it. She wondered if any of the other boys would agree with him. That she would be good not just as their student coach, but as a real coach.
She'd always assumed that now that her legs seemed to be well on the way to being as recovered as they could be, once high school was over, she'd go to college to become an athletic trainer or a physical therapist. Probably the former, as she really did want to try to stay in the realm of volleyball. She hoped she'd be able to continue to play in college, but that would depend on the school and the status of her legs. Nakano had often dreamed that she'd be good enough to one day play professionally, but she knew that might be a long shot. With the physical injuries she'd already sustained, a long term sports career might not be in the cards. But, if she couldn't play herself, serving a team as an athletic trainer seemed like the next best thing.
But a coach? The very idea that she could be a real coach, like actually in charge of a team, had shocked her a little. Now she wondered if that might be a possibility for her. But did she really have the talent to do that? Or was Sugawara just being a sweetheart, going a little overboard in praising his kohai? She had to admit, she did enjoy helping her boys develop their volleyball skills. Running the drills, seeing the boys continue to improve, even joking around with the 'cutie pies' - she really did enjoy it all. Maybe I ought to give this some real consideration, she thought. I guess thinking about it can't hurt. I should also probably talk to Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei, see if they think I've got any real talent for this. After all, Suga might be a bit biased.
When her phone suddenly chimed, she jumped, chuckling at herself and grabbing up the device.
My Big Bro 🤗
Naka-chan, you awake?
Queen Setter 🏐
Sure thing, big bro! How did camp go today?
My Big Bro 🤗
It's been a weird kind of day. I thought this was going to be all about volleyball, and I guess it is, but it's about other stuff too.
Queen Setter 🏐
What do you mean Tobio?
My Big Bro 🤗
Do I not explain myself well?
Queen Setter 🏐
Woah, dude, that was like Tsukki levels of sass. Are you okay?
My Big Bro 🤗
I'm not sure. And I wasn't trying to be sassy. I'm serious. Am I hard to understand?
Queen Setter 🏐
Well, I guess that depends on what you're talking about. In what circumstances are we talking?
My Big Bro 🤗
Like on the court.
Queen Setter 🏐
Okay. You do sometimes have some trouble connecting to your teammates. But I think you've improved a lot. Are you having trouble communicating with your teammates at the camp?
My Big Bro 🤗
I think so. I think maybe how you communicate has to change depending on who you communicate with.
Queen Setter 🏐
That's very true, Tobio-chan. You wouldn't communicate with Tsukki the same way you would communicate with me, would you?
My Big Bro 🤗
Hell no.
Queen Setter 🏐
🤣 See? You get it. You have to take the time to learn how best to communicate with your fellow players, and give them the chance to learn to communicate with you. Some people are really good at that, it comes naturally to them.
Queen Setter 🏐
Oikawa is like that, to be honest. He can learn people very quickly, which he uses to his advantage.
My Big Bro 🤗
I don't think I can be like him.
Queen Setter 🏐
As I've told you before Tobio, you are no Oikawa, and Oikawa is no you. Communicating takes more effort for you, but you're getting better at it. Keep working on it, and hopefully you'll find it gets easier as you do it more.
Queen Setter 🏐
But don't try to be something you're not, Tobio. Just be yourself.
My Big Bro 🤗
Be myself? I'm not sure I should, Naka-chan.
Queen Setter 🏐
Tobio, what do you mean? Why not? Is something wrong?
My Big Bro 🤗
When I'm just me, I think I push people away. I make them angry. I became the King of the Court by just being myself.
Queen Setter 🏐
No, Tobio-chan, I don't think that's true!
My Big Bro 🤗
I don't want to lose my team again, Naka-chan. I can't go through that again.
Queen Setter 🏐
Tobio, what happened? Why do think you'll lose your team?
My Big Bro 🤗
Am I a goody two shoes, Naka-chan?
Queen Setter 🏐
What? Tobio, I don't understand!
My Big Bro 🤗
One of the Miya twins called me that today. He said I was a goody two shoes.
Queen Setter 🏐
Uh, okay? I'm not sure what he means.
My Big Bro 🤗
I'm not either. But I don't like it, Naka-chan. It's making me feel upset
Queen Setter 🏐
Okay, why is that? What does him calling you a goody two shoes mean to you?
My Big Bro 🤗
I don't know. It's just bugging me.
Queen Setter 🏐
Well, maybe you need to think about that a little. Try to identify why it bothers you so much.
My Big Bro 🤗
What does being a goody two shoes mean to you?
Queen Setter 🏐
Well, I would say it means someone who is always perfectly well behaved. They never do anything wrong, they always follow all the rules - to the point of being annoying. Did he call you that as a person, or as a player?
My Big Bro 🤗
On the court. He said that on the court, I'm just a goody two shoes.
Queen Setter 🏐
I'll be honest, I don't really get that.
My Big Bro 🤗
I don't think I do either. But I can't stop thinking about it.
Queen Setter 🏐
Well, Big Bro, then go ahead and think on it some. I will too. Let's see if we can figure out what it means, and why it bothers you so much. Also - damn Tobio! First Sakusa, now the Miya twins? You are working with some serious people!
My Big Bro 🤗
LOL you're amazing, little sis.
Queen Setter 🏐
What? Why?
My Big Bro 🤗
Even as I'm telling you the guy upset me, you're like - learn from him!
Queen Setter 🏐
Pretty much, bro. Learn everything you can. Even if the guy upsets you. And honestly, I'm guessing you're upset not because of Miya-san, but because what he said is striking a chord in you somehow. So let's find out why that is, okay? We'll figure it out, Tobio-chan, I promise.
My Big Bro 🤗
I learned something else today.
Queen Setter 🏐
What's that?
My Big Bro 🤗
Hinata can fly higher. Much higher.
Queen Setter 🏐
WHAT?
My Big Bro 🤗
There's this guy here that can do it. He's like about the same size as Hinata but he jumps way, way higher. I'm going watch and learn how he does that so I can make Hinata do it too.
Queen Setter 🏐
Damn Tobio. That will be insane. I want to see it! I also kinda wanna see this other Tiny Giant. What's his name?
My Big Bro 🤗
Hoshiumi, I think.
Queen Setter 🏐
Hmmm, not familiar. Find out more about him for me, okay?
My Big Bro 🤗
You're gonna make your asshole of a boyfriend jealous again, Naka-chan. 😏
Queen Setter 🏐
Shut up, Tobio!
My Big Bro 🤗
I am not saying sorry to you, little sis. But I will say good night. I'm pretty beat. I'll chat with you tomorrow, okay? 🤗
Queen Setter 🏐
Sounds good. Goodnight Tobio-chan! 🤗 Sleep well!
Nakano set her phone aside, flopping back onto her bed and heaving out a deep breath. Man, Tobio really scrambled my brain there, she mused, I don't think I've ever typed 'what' so many times in one conversation before. I wish I could be there with him. She wondered what it was like, to spend so much time playing with such high level athletes. Probably not as different from being with the Gym 3 squad as I want to believe, she realized with a chuckle. After all, they may be great players, but they're all still just people, just high school boys, with their own personalities and foibles and idiosyncrasies. She smiled to herself, wondering how Tobio had responded when one of the Miya twins had called him a goody two shoes, and which one of the two it had been. Probably Atsumu, she reasoned. From what I've seen of them in interviews, he'd be the one to do something like that, trying to get a rise out of him. Osamu might think it, but I don't believe he'd come right out and say it to someone, especially someone he barely knows. He doesn't come off as that kind of guy.
Another notification sounded on the girl's phone and she snatched it up again, eager to hear from her handsome blonde boyfriend.
Lover Boy 💖
I think you'll be proud of me again, Roses.
Queen Setter 🏐
Clearly being away from me inspires you to do things that make me proud. What happened this time? And what's kept you? Kags already contacted me for the day.
Lover Boy 💖
Don't be stupid, I always want to make you proud. And clearly the King isn't working as hard as I am, because I just finally cleaned up from the day and have time to text you.
Queen Setter 🏐
Well, isn't someone being a diligent little volleyball idiot. So what did you do that was so awesome?
Lover Boy 💖
Dammit Roses, don't be insulting.
Queen Setter 🏐
It's not an insult lover boy and you know it. So come on, tell me what you did...
Lover Boy 💖
I invited Hinata to join us for free practice.
Nakano practically did a spit-take, bursting out laughing as she imagined the look that must have been on Tsukki's face as he managed to ask the ginger to practice with him. I bet that almost choked him, she thought. She decided it wouldn't be a very loving girlfriend sort of move to say that to him, however.
Queen Setter 🏐
Well damn, gorgeous. I bet you scared the living heck out of Shoyo, didn't you.
Lover Boy 💖
He looked more confused than scared, but yeah. It was rather amusing.
Queen Setter 🏐
So what inspired such generosity?
Lover Boy 💖
Generosity had nothing to do with it. I'm just following your instructions, Coach.
Queen Setter 🏐
Oh? In what way?
Lover Boy 💖
You told me to use him to my best advantage. And you were right. He's learning things here. I can already see the improvement in his movements. And he's getting good at reading blocks. I need to practice against him as much as I can before Nationals.
Queen Setter 🏐
Wow. High praise coming from you.
Lover Boy 💖
He's still a dumbass though.
Queen Setter 🏐
LOL Keeping things balanced, I see.
Lover Boy 💖
There's a first year from Shiratorizawa here - Goshiki, I think. He's good. Tricky. I feel like I need to work against as many different kinds of hitters as I can get. So I can be ready for whatever we face at Nationals. For whoever we face.
Queen Setter 🏐
Experience is indeed the best teacher. So are you feeling like this camp is worth it?
Lover Boy 💖
Yeah. I guess so. But it's exhausting too. It's not just the physical work, either. It's mentally draining. I feel like I'm trying to draw in all of this information and store it, process it, so it's at my fingertips when it's time to go against the teams in Tokyo.
Queen Setter 🏐
You were right Kei, I am incredibly proud of you.
Lover Boy 💖
At the end of free practice tonight, I was so hungry I actually ate pretty much everything they put in front of us, though not half as much as that Koganegawa guy.
Queen Setter 🏐
Working the mind takes calories too, just like working the body. I'm not surprised you were hungry tonight, given that you seem to be working hard both mentally and physically. I'm glad to hear you ate well, love.
Lover Boy 💖
Well, I ate what there was. I don't know that I can say I ate well. I liked your mom's tonkatsu a lot better than anything I had here tonight.
Queen Setter 🏐
LOL I'll be sure to tell her that. Will you be able to sleep okay, do you think?
Lover Boy 💖
Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm exhausted enough at this point that it should be pretty easy. They've got us all in a big room - at the moment I'm just kinda sitting off in a corner while the guys all fuss around getting settled. Actually, I felt kinda bad for Hinata - Washijo told him he couldn't stay or even eat with us, even though there was more than enough food and this room could easily hold three times as many guys. Given his usual appetite he must have been starving all the way home, and in the cold too. That must have sucked.
Queen Setter 🏐
Did you just express sympathy for your rival? Are you MY boyfriend?
Lover Boy 💖
Ugh fine, forget I said anything.
Queen Setter 🏐
I will not, love. You're amazing, you know that?
Lover Boy 💖
The Shrimp is still a dumbass, and annoying, and I am in no way saying I like him as a person or anything...but dammit, he makes me feel like I need to be working harder too. Stupid little tangerine head.
For the second time during her conversation with the middle blocker, Nakano managed to do a spit-take without the benefit of a drink. She couldn't help but laugh at Kei's reaction to watching Hinata improve so quickly.
Queen Setter 🏐
Oh Kei, I love you so much!
Lover Boy 💖
Love you too, Naka-chan.
Lover Boy 💖
Oh hey, can you keep feeding Kyo? Mom was too tired from her travel and decided to stay in Sendai with Akiteru for the rest of the weekend.
Queen Setter 🏐
Sure, no problem. She got all the way back to Sendai and then was too tired to make the trip back home?
Lover Boy 💖
More like she realized if she stays in Sendai for the weekend Akiteru will take care of her rather than her being home alone and having to do everything for herself.
Queen Setter 🏐
Sounds like a good reason to stay in Sendai.
Lover Boy 💖
So how did the serving intensive go today?
Queen Setter 🏐
We actually took a bit of a break from it today - Tokonami came and played a bunch of sets with us.
Lover Boy 💖
Damn, I'm sorry I missed that.
Queen Setter 🏐
Wait what?
Lover Boy 💖
Different people, Naka-chan. I want to practice against as many spikers as I can. Missed my chance to go against the people you guys played today.
Nakano stared at her phone, simply blown away.
Queen Setter 🏐
Tsukishima Kei, you really are a volleyball idiot.
Lover Boy 💖
It's your damn fault if I am, Roses, so quit complaining.
Queen Setter 🏐
Who's complaining? I love it, and I love you. We learned something important today too.
Lover Boy 💖
Oh?
Queen Setter 🏐
You, and Kageyama, and Hinata are vital pieces of our team. We struggled without you guys today. Tokonami actually took the first set from us. So if you get to thinking you're not enough, remember that, okay? We need you. I need you.
It seemed like Kei was having some trouble replying to her text. She was about to ask him if everything was okay, when his response finally came in.
Lover Boy 💖
It is entirely not fair of you to do that when we're this far apart, Roses.
Queen Setter 🏐
Sorry not sorry, Kei, because what I said is absolutely true. 💖😍😘🤗
Lover Boy 💖
I miss you, Roses. I wanna hold you right now.
Queen Setter 🏐
Same here, gorgeous. I wish I was running my fingers through that soft blonde hair of yours.
Lover Boy 💖
So I'm gonna go get into my futon and imagine you doing exactly that. I love you, Roses. I'm going to try to find a way to call you tomorrow, okay?
Queen Setter 🏐
I'd love that. Goodnight Kei. Sleep well.
Lover Boy 💖
Goodnight my love. 💖💕😴
Nakano set her phone to charge, sighing deeply. As she turned off the light and settled herself down in her own bed, she realized that both her boyfriend and her best friend were having experiences that were changing them. The realization frightened her a little, but she quickly shook that off. Change is the one constant in life, she reminded herself. Nothing remains the same. Nor should I want it to. I want both Tobio and Kei to grow, to thrive, to become better players, stronger people. Just because they are changing doesn't mean they are going to leave me behind. It just means there will be more to learn about them, more to learn from them, more to love them for. She wondered what she would see, when next she looked her two favorite boys in the eye.