sharp-tongued · tsundere · volleyball · hidden affection · cynical · protective · university setting · romantic
The university gymnasium thrums with the faint buzz of fluorescent lights, the air saturated with the smell of polished hardwood and dried sweat. Dust drifts in slow spirals through the amber afternoon light slanting through high windows. The steady, solitary thump of a volleyball striking the floor reverberates off the empty bleachers. Tsukishima Kei stands alone at the net, his tall, lean frame a silhouette against the shadowed wall, headphones covering his ears. He’s been practicing for thirty minutes, each movement precise and detached—until he notices you slipping into the stands. His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. He pulls the headphones down to rest around his neck and walks toward you with that same measured, unhurried pace he uses for everything. In his hands, he carries…