—001.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Y/N hummed as he turned off the alarm on his phone. It was a rare day that he woke up before his alarm for his morning jog, but he had a practice meet that day and needed all the preparation he could get.

He tied his shoulder-long hair into a ponytail and grabbed a water bottle from the mini-fridge beside his desk. The boy walked out of his room, a surprised squeak coming out of him when he met his sister in the living room.

Kiyoko stared at him, before pointing at the clock. "Breakfast is at six. Don't stay out too long."

Shimizu nodded, huffing slightly when Kiyoko kissed his cheek before he left. He clicked the door shut and began his jog. It's not too hard; it's just two laps and a sprint around their block with no breaks in between.

Other than the morning birds and late-night crickets, the neighborhood was quiet. Street lights were still on due to how dark it was and some stores began to prepare for the early-morning student rush.

He focused on the thump-thump-thumping of his heart beating against his ribs. The adrenaline keeps his blood pumping and the heat radiating off his body. It's one of the reasons he fell in love with the sport.

"Ah, Yacchan! How many laps are you on now?"

He waved to the convenience store owner, putting up two fingers and focusing back on his run. His breathing is labored and he can feel his legs start to ache. 'Only the sprint next, in and out.'

He picks up his pace to a sprint when he passes by his house, a small smile on his face when he finishes faster than last week. He stays standing so he doesn't cramp up, taking a deep breath and water before walking back into the house.

The boy took off his shoes and went through the steps of his morning routine. He took a shower and did his skincare– putting on a pair of black stud earrings and his uniform shirt, fumbling with his zipper as he walked out of his room to eat breakfast.

"...Your shirt is buttoned wrong."

Y/N stares at his sister before looking down. Somewhere along the line of buttons, he paired the wrong ones, making his uniform look lopsided. Kiyoko giggled at his frustration, setting the table and helping him redo his buttons.

He turns his head away and huffs. "...c-could've done it myself."

"You tried that, and look where we are now." His sister said softly, helping him roll up and button his sleeve cuffs. "Now hurry with your food, I need to check on some stuff for the club before a three-on-three."

He sticks his tongue and blows raspberries at her, not missing the way she shakes her head as she disappears into her room. When he finished eating, washing his dishes, and wearing his uniform he met up with Kiyoko who was waiting for him in the living room.

As Kiyoko has done every time since he grew his hair out, she braids two strands of hair on each side of his head and ties it back with a white ribbon into a bow. It's become a routine for Kiyoko to do his hair before they go anywhere, making him appreciate his sister more.

Y/N and his sister walked to the school, separating with a kiss on the cheek when Kiyoko spotted the gym. "Don't overwork yourself or your legs, okay?"

He hums. "...can you, um,  c-come to my meet? It's only practice and it's at the school."

Kiyoko smiles, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Of course I can. Can the other third-years come too?"

"...'s fine, just not too many people, please."

His sister nodded, fixing his hair before waving him goodbye.

The boy watched his sister until he couldn't make sure she was safe before continuing to school with excitement buzzing through his veins. He was going to impress his sister– he was sure of it.

-:-

He and the other athletes were warming up and stretching before the Johzenji track team arrived. "Everybody on me!" Coach Yonezu beckoned the team into a huddle with a neutral expression.

"Good job practicing and warming up independently. Remember, most track and field events are independent. You can't help others in their events, and others can't help you in yours. Now, Johzenji's team has slowly gotten better over the years, but they aren't better than our number-one competitors in Miyagi," The team groaned at the mention— some sighed, and some tsked under their breath.

"Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai."

Yonezu chuckles lightly. "It's good that you guys remember. Keep your head in the game and keep warming up; everyone on me!"

The team huddled closer and placed their hands in a pile on Coach Yonezu's. "Karasuno, fight!"

Long-distance runners, sprinters, and field events broke off with their respective coaches to stretch and warm up. Johenji would be there in twenty-five minutes, and the coaches could tell— players were ready.

Y/N was sitting on the sidelines, putting contacts on so his glasses wouldn't get in the way when a tap jolted him out of concentration.

Luckily, he already had his contacts in, but the team knows not to bother him thirty minutes before a meet unless it's dire. A girl with medium-length black hair and warm red eyes stared at him sheepishly with a faint tint on her cheeks.

The boy doesn't remember seeing her last year, so she must be a first-year. "You run the two hundred, right?"

He nods.

She lights up and takes a seat beside him. "How do you run it?"

Shimizu tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, keeping his eyes focused on the track. "...y-you, um, get out, jog the curve, and sprint the straight." His voice is soft and quiet, but he thinks she heard him well. "Thank you! Good luck on your run, Shimizu-san!"

She waves him off and happily descends the stairs to talk to her friends, leaving Y/N alone with the concentration he wants. As Coach said, Johzenji's track and field team has improved over the years, even making it to the quarter-finals last year before getting taken out by Wakutani Minami.

"Shi-mi-zu-sannn!"

Y/N frowns slightly. Who was bothering him now?

"The rest of our relay is practicing, we kinda need our anchor leg!"

He shakes his head. "...I-I'm busy, Kaede-senpai."

Kaede sits next to him, pressing their bodies too close for comfort. "Busy doin' what? Thinking?"

"...y-yes. Please leave me alone."

"Blegh! Boring! Shimizu-san won't stop being a robot!" Kaede pouts, shrinking the scar on his lip. "Please!"

"...K-Kaede-senpai." Y/N starts, absentmindedly picking his cuticle. "...I...-I need my time. I trust you'll give me the baton, so there isn't anything to worry about."

The black-haired boy stared at his friend before grinning— the scar on the corner of his lip stretching slightly. "You better get first."

"...I-I'll try my best."

On cue, a bus pulls in behind the stadium and students file out wearing orange hoodies and sweatpants with black and white accents.

Johzenji High was here.

-:-

"He said we could come? Really?"

Kiyoko nodded, fixing her shoe while waiting for Daichi to lock the gym.

"Score! It's so fun seeing Y/N run cause he always has this aura around him, right Daichi?" Suga smiled, high-fiving his captain as the three walked towards the track.

Daichi huffed. "Where did all your sleepiness go?"

"Can't expect me to be sleepy when I'm going to see Shimizu number two!" The sun was setting, and Kageyama and Hinata were practicing outside. How motivated they were was scary.

"You say that– but pass out the second you get home."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are—"

"Please stop." Kiyoko interrupted as they turned the corner, cheers and whistles progressively getting louder as they got closer to the track. Sugawara panicked. "Did we miss it? Aw man, Daichi, I told you to lock up faster!"

"No, we're fine. Just follow me."

When Kiyoko stepped into the stands, Daichi and Suga could feel their eyes staring at Kiyoko. She didn't mind it as she sat in the front row, her eyes eagerly looking for her little brother.

"Runners for the four-hundred-meter dash, please check in."

Daichi looks around confusedly. "Is that the race your brother runs, Shimizu?"

She nods. "He also runs the four-hundred relay and the two-hundred meters. From here, we can see it better."

The two stare at each other before blushing slightly. They haven't heard Shimizu talk this much in a while and it somehow makes her prettier.

...

"Shimizu Y/N, you're in lane five. Four-hundred-runners, get in your lanes."

Y/N walked to his lane, fixing the headband on his head, the sleeve on his arm, and the compression sleeve on his right leg. His mind was getting into 'the zone'— completely blocking everything other than the lane and the shot about to go off.

"Woo! Win this, Y/N!"

As he gets into his block, he can't help the small smile that tugged on his face. Kiyoko came in time and brought Sugawara and Daichi as promised.

He loves his sister.

"Set!"

He raised his body slightly, keeping his head down as his heart pumped faster.

The gun fired, and he was off.

Daichi leaned against the railing, watching Shimizu's brother slowly but steadily go from fifth place to third place by the time he reached two hundred meters. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask but what's that block thing he came out of?"

Shimizu didn't take her eyes off the field. "It's called a starting block. Some runners use it to get out faster or brace themselves so they don't slip. It doesn't look like much, but that one-step difference between you and the other runners can make a difference."

Suga hummed. "Kinda like a cheat code!"

"Of course, you'd think of it that way."

"Agh, shut up Daichi! Look, Y/N's coming this way!"

The brown-haired male rolled his eyes but looked anyway. True to Sugawara's words, Y/N was now in first place and about fifty yards away from the finish. There was a boy on the field who was waiting at the finish. He had black hair and was cheering excitedly for Shimizu's brother.

Daichi and Sugawara cheered when he crossed the finish, calling his name with bright smiles. Y/N looked back, wiping the sweat off his brow, and smiled back, calmly waving at the third-years before paying attention to the person who took his time.

The two blushed, feeling a metaphorical arrow strike through their hearts. The Shimizu siblings were deathly attractive.

"So, Shimizu..." Suga started, calming his heart and hiding the faint tint on his cheeks. "When does he run the relay and two hundred?"

Kiyoko fixes her glasses. "The relay is in two more races, but the two hundred is the third-to-last race. If you two can't stay that long, I'm sure Y/N won't be that bothered by it."

"No, we'll stay, right Daichi?"

"Right!"

She looked at them confusedly. "But the three-on-three is tomorrow– don't you want some rest before then?"

Suga blew a raspberry. "Who cares? We'll stay until Y/N's done, then walk home together!"

Daichi nudges his side. "Only if you want us to! It's just to be sure you get home safe, is all."

"Huh? OH! Yeah, sorry if that came out weird, Shimizu," The grey-haired boy nudges Daichi back.

"We'll be fine, thank you, though."

-:-

Something about the four-by-one relay gets Shimizu's blood flowing and anticipation buzzing through his veins. Maybe it was because of how three other people were running the race with him and his speed wouldn't be enough, or how the anchor leg is the fastest runner and theoretically the most important.

Whatever it is, he loves it. With a deep breath, he settles on the outside part of lane three, his dominant leg straightened in the back and his other leg bent in front of him, knee resting on its thigh.

"Set."

The shot fires and the first leg takes off. The thing about the four-by-one is that it goes by quickly. Similar to a 'blink, and you'll miss it'. Before he knew it, Kaede ran to him with the baton in his left hand.

When Kaede's foot crosses a certain point, Y/N starts running. Kaede yells "HIKE!"— and Shimizu grips the baton before taking off.

Before long, the race is over and his relay gets first place with a time of 42.06.

Coach Yonezu congratulates the group and lets them off. Kaede pats him on the back, a small grin on his sweat-covered face. No words need to be spoken between the two to convey their feelings. That's how it's always been after a race, and he hopes it'll stay.

He hears his name in the stands and turns to look, putting his water down with the rest of his bags. It's the third-years, waving and beckoning him over. The boy looked back at his stuff— his next race wouldn't be until later, and he wanted to talk to Sugawara-senpai, so he grabbed his duffel bag and water before making his way to the stands.

Before he can put his things down, Sugawara holds up a high ten, which he hesitantly reciprocates . "You were so good down there! I looked away for a second to get some snacks, and you were already finished!"

Y/N can't help the flush that rises to his cheeks. People compliment him about his race—(or his looks, as much as he hates it)— but every time Sugawara-senpai does, it always sounds genuine. Not like those who talk to him to get brownie points to get with his sister, but like he sees the boy for who he is.

It makes him giddy.

"...t-thank you, Sugawara-senpai." He manages to mumble out, taking a small breath when the older lets him go. Daichi pats his back gently, handing him a snack from Sugawara's bag with a cheeky grin. "You did great Y/N."

He bows and sits beside his sister who immediately kisses his cheek. "How were the blocks?"

Y/N frowned, taking a bite out of the bar Daichi-senpai gave him. "...t-they felt weird. Might not use them for the two hundred."

His sister nods. Her expression changes from neutral to tight, a pointed look on his hair. "...is something w-wrong?"

Kiyoko nods again. "Your hair. It must've gotten messed up because of the wind." She pats a spot in front of her. "Come, I'll fix it for you, then you can rest before your next race."

The boy huffs, crossing his arms and pouting. "...right n-now?"

"Yes. Come."

"Kiyoko—"

"Y/N. Come let me fix your hair."

Suga and Daichi watched Y/N slowly sit on the floor, hiding his face in his knees as his sister fixed his hair. They saw a different side of Kiyoko whenever she was with her brother.

It was nice.

-:-

"...t-thank you for coming, Sugawara-senpai, Daichi-senpai." Y/N bowed— trying his best not to fall over and sleep right there.

Sugawara yawned, his smile never leaving. "No problem! Make sure to get some safe, alright?"

Kiyoko nodded. "We will. Thank you again."

Daichi and Sugawara waved goodbye as the groups went their separate ways. Kiyoko took her brother's hand and led him home. Every time his head dropped onto her shoulder before picking back up again, Kiyoko felt a fondness grow in her heart.

She let him put on his pajamas, giggling when he put his shirt on inside-out. Kiyoko helped him take his contacts out and placed his duffel back beside his desk, tucking him in and placing a black cat plushie in his arms.

"...nighty night Kiyo..." Y/N muttered, cuddling into the plushie as his breathing evened out.

Kiyoko smiled, pushing his hair out of his face and kissing him on the forehead. "Night, Y/N."