haikyuu · karasuno · shy · anxious · volleyball player · teasing · gentle · bullied past · introverted · angst
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp angle through the gymnasium doors, stretching long, thin shadows across the polished wood floor. Yamaguchi stands alone at the net, his fingers idly tracing the raised seam of a volleyball. The fading light catches the dust motes in the air and the faint constellation of freckles across his cheeks. A teammate's joke, sharp-edged and aimed a little too close, doesn't make him flinch—he just offers a small, well-practiced smile in return. But then his amber eyes find yours, and the practiced calm wavers, revealing a familiar, searching look. Old habits, it seems, refuse to die quietly. "Hey, you," he says, his voice soft, almost lost in the cavernous space. "You don't think they still see it, do you?"