ihx creator reveals are out! so here’s mine~
title: you make my heart smile fandom: haikyuu!! pairing: yamayachi summary: yachi and yamaguchi and the moments they share, just the two of them. or, have we basically already been dating all this time before we've even actually officially dated: the fic.
check it out on >ao3<
Hitoka places the last octopus-shaped sausage into the bento, and then leans back to admire her handiwork. She thinks she’s improving on the cooking. Yamaguchi has been giving her tips, but she’s still getting the hang of it.
Mondays are the only days of the week when Hinata and Kageyama are allowed to use the gym for extra practice during their lunch break. She usually eats with them, along with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, trying to force a little studying in them so they won’t have to close calls with supplementary lessons again. Tsukishima always managed to have some excuse to disappear on Mondays, too, though Hitoka can never remember why. First it was running a teacher’s errand and then it was extra studying at the library, but (and Hitoka feels a little mean thinking this) Tsukishima doesn’t really have any other friends, so Hitoka isn’t sure where he disappears to.
So Monday lunch breaks are for Yamaguchi and Hitoka alone. And that’s just fine with Hitoka.
They’ve taken to sharing lunches, since they both make their own. It’s pretty fun to do, thinking up recipes and surprising the other with the designs. Yamaguchi doesn’t have the same eye for aesthetics as Hitoka does, but he can make a mean tamagoyaki. Hitoka finds herself looking forwards to Mondays.
Hitoka likes eating with the other first years in the volleyball club, but she likes the lunch breaks with just Yamaguchi, too.
Yamaguchi flops onto the bench, tossing his head back with a weary sigh. Hitoka hands him a towel, and he nods gratefully.
“Your jump float serves are looking good!” she says.
Peeking out from under the towel, Yamaguchi gives her a small grin. “Thanks. But Kinoshita-san is more accurate than I am.”
Hitoka hums. “But I think you’re both challenging Nishinoya-san very well. He’s been yelling a lot.”
They both watch said libero follow Asahi around, asking the ace to hit a couple of his tosses.
“True,” Yamaguchi says. “He’s been sending me glares across the court. I think that’s the highest praise I’ve ever gotten for volleyball.”
That startles a laugh out of Hitoka. It’s so easy to laugh with Yamaguchi. He doesn’t mind if she’s too loud, or when she accidentally snorts when she’s laughing too hard. His laughter always joins in after hers, and if Hitoka isn’t busy laughing, she’d stop and listen, because Yamaguchi’s laughter is a wonderful, wonderful sound.
“I should get back on court.”
Hitoka takes back the towel. “Yamaguchi-kun,” she says, and when Yamaguchi turns his eyes on her, she gives him her best smile. “I think your jump serves are amazing.”
Yamaguchi blinks, and then offers a small smile back. Hitoka can’t help but compare it to a small sun rising. “Thank you, Yachi-san.”
“Yachi-san? Do you need help?”
Hitoka turns to find Yamaguchi approaching her from down the hall. She tries to heave the huge piece of cardboard in her hands again, but she’s just not built to move things twice her size. It’s a miracle she’s managed to drag it out of the art room by herself.
“Ah,” she says, “you don’t have to...” But then she thinks about the stairs up to her classroom. What if she drops the cardboard? What if it flattens her? Then their class booth will fail, and then everyone will be sad! And the volleyball team will be missing a manager-in-training! She’ll disappoint Kiyoko-san, and Daichi-san, and Hinata-kun, and Yamaguchi-kun—
“Yachi-san?”
Jolting out of her thoughts, Hitoka looks up to find Yamaguchi peering down at her in concern. “I’m! I’m fine!” she squeaks. “Thanks for your help!”
Yamaguchi smiles. “I haven’t helped you yet, you know?” He lifts one end of the cardboard easily. He’s kind enough to pretend that he needs Hitoka to hang onto the other end. “Is this for the cultural festival?”
“Yes. Our class is doing a photo booth.”
“Oh, cool! We’re just doing a haunted house.” Yamaguchi gestures to the cardboard between them. “Are you going to be painting the backgrounds and props?”
Shyly, Hitoka nods. “I, um. Volunteered. But I’m not the only one! We all brainstormed the idea together, and someone said they liked what I did for the play last term, so...”
“I saw that one! You’re really good at this. Art, I mean.”
“Thank you.”
They’re both laughing by the time they’re up the stairs. Hitoka loves how conversation always comes easy with him. He stutters just as much as she does when she gets excited, so she forgets to be self-conscious. Though Hitoka thinks Yamaguchi somehow manages to make stuttering seem cute instead of awkward like she does.
Yamaguchi stops outside Hitoka’s classroom, scratching his cheek. Hitoka waits, fidgeting with the cardboard.
“Uh. I guess I’ll have to come visit you during the festival. I want to see your finished masterpiece.”
Hitoka waves her hands. “It’s not going to be a masterpiece! I’m just painting some backgrounds, like you know, blue skies, or cityscapes, or beaches...”
“Still. I bet it’ll look great.”
“Thank you,” she says again, glancing down. “I, um. I’d like to visit your haunted house, too.”
“Oh, you don’t have to,” Yamaguchi says quickly, and then his eyes widen almost comically when Hitoka glances back up. “I mean, if you want to! I just—you don’t really like scary things, right?”
Surprised that he remembers, Hitoka nods.
“I’d be happy if we could just check out the festival if our breaks match up,” Yamaguchi continues, and the small grin is back on his face.
“I’d like that!”
They’re both grinning madly at each other when one of Hitoka’s classmates pass by the doorway, asking if she’s going to bring in the cardboard or if they’re just going to stand there flirting all day. Hitoka immediately breaks eye contact, face aflame, but from one quick glance at Yamaguchi, he isn’t doing much better.
“I’ll see you later,” Yamaguchi says, scratching his blushing cheek.
“See you,” Yachi agrees, a promise.
“This is really good!”
Hitoka beams. “Thanks, Yamaguchi-kun! It’s a new recipe, too.”
“Really? I like it.” Yamaguchi picks out the octopus-shaped sausage. “I still don’t know how you do this. I mean, every time I try, I always end up accidentally cutting them in half.”
“Oh, it took lots of practice, trust me...” Hitoka puts down her chopsticks, trying to demonstrate the trick she discovered after many packs of sausage-failures. She’s so focused on explaining it just right that she misses the way Yamaguchi’s eyes soften as they watch her with unwavering attention.
“Ah,” Yamaguchi says. He lifts a hand, pointing at the top of Hitoka’s head. “There’s a... leaf.” When Hitoka’s hands keep missing the leaf, he reaches up and delicately picks it out of her hair. He holds it in between them for a moment, and then lets the breeze steal it from his fingers. They both watch it flutter away across the courtyard.
“Today’s a good day, isn’t it?” Hitoka muses. When Yamaguchi hums in agreement, she lets out a small “Oh!” Under Yamaguchi’s curious gaze, she pulls out her phone. “Let’s take a picture together, Yamaguchi-kun! The courtyard looks really pretty today. It’s like cherry blossoms but with leaves.”
Yamaguchi ends up holding Hitoka’s phone, since his arm is longer. She leans in close, grinning wide at the camera. Yamaguchi’s hair tickles her cheek, and she tries not to blush too hard. The photo turns out nicer than she expected, fluttering autumn leaves in the background, a corner of the garden behind their radiant smiles.
“Send it to me, too,” Yamaguchi says.
Hitoka nods, and she spares another second to stare at the photo. Despite the slight chill outside, something warm blooms in her chest.
“You guys go on ahead,” Tsukishima says, a hand already on his headphones. “I gotta make a detour.”
“For what?” Yamaguchi asks.
“Stuff,” is the curt reply. Yamaguchi opens his mouth to ask more, but Tsukishima silences him with a meaningful glance. Hitoka thinks it looks just like any other glare Tsukishima is so good at sending, but Yamaguchi must glean something from it because he shuts his mouth and waves as his best friend strides off.
It’s just the two of them now. Practice had ended early, on account of the basketball team holding an extra practice for their upcoming game. The sky is already beginning to darken, and Hitoka watches the shades of blue shift like ripples in ocean water. Comfortable silence settles between them.
“What have you been working on lately?” Yamaguchi asks as they wait at an intersection. “I saw you had a sketchbook out while we were tutoring Kageyama and Hinata today.”
Hitoka perks up. “I’ve started a new scrapbook! This time with the dishes we’ve been experimenting with.”
“You mean from our bento?”
“Yes! I wanted to document it...” She glances up at Yamaguchi. “I hope that’s alright.”
He shakes his head. “Of course! I think that’s a cool idea. You’ve been taking pictures of them before we eat and everything.”
“I wanted to sketch the pictures, too, and it’s turning into more of a recipe book...”
She chatters on about her new project the rest of the way. Yamaguchi chimes in with comments and suggestions here and there, and it’s not until the train station is in sight that Hitoka realizes they’ve already passed the intersection where Yamaguchi and Tsukishima usually turn off.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to make you walk all the way with me,” she says.
“It’s fine,” Yamaguchi says. He points further down the road. “I was going to go for extra practice with Shimada-san, actually.”
“You’re working so hard,” Hitoka says with awe.
Yamaguchi scratches his cheek, a bashful smile pulling at his lips. “Everyone’s trying their best to improve themselves, so...”
Hitoka stops suddenly. She raises her arms in front of her, hands formed into fists. She looks up at Yamaguchi with determination shining in her eyes. “Fight-o!” she says, pumping her arms.
Yamaguchi blinks at her. Then he’s also raising his arms. “Fight-o!” he repeats, grinning his vibrant grin.
Hitoka is still smiling when she enters the train station.
She sees Yamaguchi before he sees her. Which is understandable, since he’s very tall and she’s very not tall. Squeezing through the crowd, she calls out to him, waving her arm above her head.
“Yamaguchi-kun! Sorry for making you accompany me on this shopping trip.”
“It’s fine,” Yamaguchi says, standing from the bench. “I might get some shopping done, too.” He smiles down at her. “You look really nice today.”
Hitoka blushes, tugging at her skirt. She’d spent a long time this morning deciding what to wear, eventually settling on an outfit she felt more comfortable in. Still, hearing Yamaguchi compliment her, even if it was just out of politeness, fills her chest with something warm. “Thank you.”
“Shall we go then?”
They head into the mall, walking close to avoid being swept away by the crowd. Hitoka has a list of art supplies she’s looking for. She probably could ask any of her classmates or maybe even Kiyoko-san to come with her, but somehow her fingers had clicked Yamaguchi’s contact in her phone instead. She doesn’t regret it though, when she looks to her left and sees his smiling freckled face looking back at her, when she starts babbling about how her scrapbook is coming along and he chimes in with an interested comment here and there. She never feels like she talks too much when she’s with him.
“Do those gel pens... sparkle?”
“They do! They really stand out, don’t they?”
Yamaguchi smiles at her. “Are you going to buy the entire pack?”
Hitoka considers. “I have some at home that I still haven’t used. Maybe next time.”
Yamaguchi asks her about the supplies she’s interested in, and she talks as they browse the store. It’s bright and clean in the arts and crafts store. Hitoka always feels at home here. It gives her the sense of peace she doesn’t find in the empty apartment she lives in, nor on the court where everything is happening and she’s still learning how to keep up. She points out her favourite brands to Yamaguchi, and he pays attention with his wide curious eyes.
“Oh, can we go in there for a bit?” Yamaguchi points at the sporting goods store.
Hitoka nods. She doesn’t understand a thing about kneepads or runners outside of knowing they exist and were needed on the court, but she follows along Yamaguchi just as he had done with her a moment ago. He pulls faces at the expensive prices, and she covers her mouth to stifle her laughter before the employees can kick them out of the store.
By the time she’s waving Yamaguchi goodbye on the train home, she has a bag full of new supplies, a strip of purikura stickers with the two of them, and a promise to meet up again next weekend to watch that movie with the posters up all over the food court.
She can’t wait.
“Yacchan!” Hinata greets her in the doorway of his classroom, as sunny as ever.
“Hi, Hinata-kun,” she says. “I need you to sign this form for Takeda-sensei.”
“Okay! Should I call Kageyama, too? He’s over there drinking milk and looking scary as always.”
Hitoka peeks into the classroom, and indeed, Kageyama is sitting by Hinata’s desk, usual scowl on his face as he stares into the distance. Hinata’s poor classmates are inching away from the intense aura the setter is emitting.
“Yes, please,” she says to Hinata, and smiles to herself as Kageyama’s scary demeanor immediately changes when Hinata yells his name across the room.
“Hey, how was your date with Yamaguchi-kun?”
Hitoka’s eyes widen. “Wh-wh-what date?”
Hinata’s head tips to the side. “Didn’t you go out with him this weekend? He texted me that he was meeting with you, so he couldn’t go to the community centre with us.”
“It wasn’t... really a date...”
“You’re making her upset, dumbass,” Kageyama says, and Hinata instantly turns on him, the two of them breaking into their usual bickering.
Hitoka takes the chance to slip away. She pats at her heated cheeks, trying to figure out the strange rhythm of her heartbeat.
The boxes of the washed jerseys are making their way to the gym. Slowly. Hitoka sighs, setting down the box in her arms.
“Yachi-san? Need some help with those?”
She looks up to find Yamaguchi and Tsukishima standing there, on their way to the gym as well. She flails her arms. “Ah, it’s okay! I’m fine!”
“No, you’re not,” Tsukishima says, levelling an calm stare at her. He nudges Yamaguchi forward. “I’ll take your stuff to the clubroom and tell them you’re helping Yachi-san. See ya.”
They both watch him leave. There’s a bit of an awkward pause where they just stand there, just staring at each other, but then Yamaguchi is reaching for one of the boxes, and Hitoka is trying her best to act natural, whatever that means. Yamaguchi helps her loads of times! Which is really kind of him, but anyway, the point is, this is nothing special. They’re friends, friends being alone together isn’t a new thing.
“How was your day, Yachi-san?”
“Oh, it was—it was good! How was yours?”
“It was good, too. I almost fell asleep in Maeda-sensei’s class today...”
And then the conversation is flowing between them again, and Hitoka settles back into the comfortable feeling that always occurs when she’s with Yamaguchi. She doesn’t know why she panicked earlier. She glances over at Yamaguchi’s face, freckled features animated as he explains what happened in class today. Looking ahead once more, she allows herself a small smile.
Hitoka glances at the clock again. Practice has officially finished half an hour ago, but of course Hinata and Kageyama are still bouncing about on court. She wants to go home already, but she’s supposed to help clean up and collect all the water bottles, too...
“Hitoka-chan.” Kiyoko taps her on the shoulder. “You can go on ahead. Azumane-kun is still here, so he can lock up with me.”
“A-Are you sure?”
Kiyoko gives her a soft smile. “I’m sure, Hitoka-chan. Besides, someone’s waiting for you, right?”
Hitoka tugs on her ponytail, though her face is heating up again. “Um, thank you, Kiyoko-san! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow, Hitoka-chan.”
She rushes to the clubroom to grab her things. When she comes out, Yamaguchi is sitting on the bottom stair, staring at the darkened sky. She makes her way down to him.
“Ah, Yachi-san. Ready to go?”
She nods. They start off towards home, and it’s quiet between them. Yamaguchi is humming under his breath, a familiar tune that must have been on the radio stations recently. Hitoka fidgets with her backpack straps.
“Where’s Tsukishima-kun?” she asks eventually.
“He had to head home early,” Yamaguchi replies. “His brother’s home.”
“Oh, Akiteru-san?”
“Yup! He’s really supportive of Tsukki despite everything that happened before... Tsukki really appreciates it, too, he just doesn’t know how to show it.”
Hitoka laughs at the face Yamaguchi makes. “You’re really close with Tsukishima-kun, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. He’s actually a really good friend, you know, even if he is kind of...”
“Snarky?” Hitoka raises a hand to her mouth. “No offense!”
Yamaguchi’s the one laughing this time. “No, you’re right! But that’s why we love him, right?”
They share another laugh, and Hitoka finds that the smile on her face is reluctant to go away. The streets are dark and mostly empty, the rush hour traffic having died down a few hours ago. She walks close to Yamaguchi, just a hand’s width apart. His smile is etched into her mind, and like a reflex, she beams back without hesitation.
When the train station is in sight, she slows her footsteps just barely. “Yamaguchi-kun,” she says quietly.
“Yachi-san?”
Hitoka grips her backpack straps, staring down at her feet. She takes a deep breath. Then she faces Yamaguchi. His wide eyes are patient, curious, as he meets her gaze. “Yamaguchi-kun,” she says, “are we dating?”
Silence falls between them, broken only by the whoosh of a car driving past. Hitoka doesn’t look away, though she’s sure her feet are quivering in her shoes. Yamaguchi blinks once, twice, and then once more for good measure.
His cheeks are red, too.
“I, uh—I mean,” he stammers, lifting a hand to scratch at his cheek. He glances away briefly, and when he looks back, Hitoka sees the same shaky determination reflected in his eyes. “Do you want to be?”
Hitoka breathes out. Her face feels very hot, but her chest feels light. Warm. Happy. “Yes,” she says clearly. “I-I do—I mean. Will you gooutwithmeYamaguchikun?”
The familiar beautiful grin is spreading across his face again. “Of course, Yachi-san,” he says, “will you be my girlfriend?”
She’s run out of words, so she can only nod frantically. Her cheekbones hurt from grinning so much. The evening air hasn’t changed, the world hasn’t stopped revolving. Tomorrow, they’ll go to practice and act the same. She’ll blush at him, and he’ll smile back. Tsukishima will smirk at them knowingly, Hinata and Kageyama probably won’t even notice, Kiyoko will quietly congratulate her. She’s going to miss her train, but right now, in front of her, Yamaguchi is holding out his hand.
Hitoka reaches out, and takes it.
