—007.

Friday morning, Y/N made three lunches instead of two, putting his and Shino's in his bag with a fond glaze in his eyes.

Kiyoko stopped buttoning her shirt, staring at her brother with a raised brow. She didn't question why he got home late yesterday, she knew his visits to the hospital took a long time, but she was confused when he came back with a red face.

He explained that he was at Sakanoshita Market with his friend, who Kiyoko could only assume was Kaede or Tanaka.

"Who did you make lunch for?"

The boy jolts, accidentally banging his head on the table. He whines, rubbing the top of his head with teary eyes. "...It's for N-Nishinoya-san... I p-promised to make his lunch last night," he mumbled, a pout forming on his face as the pain swelled.

Kiyoko got a small ice pack and placed it on his head, kissing his cheek as an apology. "I didn't know you and Nishinoya-kun were friends. Is he being... overly affectionate with you?"

Shimizu fixed his glasses. Does last night count as him being 'overly affectionate'? He looked the other way, "...I don't t-think so, b-but last night, he s-said my s-stutter was 'adorable' and s-started calling me 'Mimi'."

His sister's gaze turned serious. "Does that make you uncomfortable in any way?"

Y/N bit his lip. "...n-no, it, um..." he looked at the floor, feeling his cheeks and the tips of his ears get hot. "...i-it felt nice, I d-don't know how to explain it. It m-made my heart feel weird, but a g-good kind of strange?" He felt the feelings rush back as the flush spread over his body.

"...i-it felt like I was g-going to explode, a-and my body got hot."

"Like it is now?"

Shimizu nodded.

Kiyoko pursed her lips. "If he's bothering you, tell me and I'll take care of it, okay? I don't want him or anyone forcing my baby brother to deal with things he doesn't like."

Y/N's cheeks flushed as he frowned. "...'m not a b-baby..."

"You're my baby brother though, and it's my job to protect you." She giggled, patting his head and helping clear the table. The boy weakly glared at his sister, before staring at the extra bento in his bag with a tight expression. It wasn't wrong to make food for his friend (he still can't believe Shino-san is his friend– his first friend since he moved back to Miyagi), right?

...It was what good friends did, and Y/N wanted to be a good friend.

He shook the thoughts out of his head, feeling excitement buzzing through his veins. Fukurodani's team were fast runners with even better jumpers. Their shotput and discus team was mediocre at best, but they made up for it with exceptional resolve.

The boy checked his duffle bag while Kiyoko waited for him on the couch. His uniform was washed and folded, he had a Nutri-Grain bar and a sports drink in a separate compartment, his running shoes and spikes, headband and sleeves, earbuds, noise-canceling headphones (just to be safe), and money to buy food before the team got on the bus.

Y/N sat between his sister's legs, sighing when Morimichi ran into his lap and began pawing at his cheeks. "...w-what are you doing? I've a-already fed you..."

She meowed, contently purring when her owner began scratching the back of her ears.

Kiyoko decided to do a braided bun, leaving strands on his head and combing out his bangs. She tied it with a light pink ribbon into its usual bowtie, complimenting the white studs he had on.

The siblings switched positions, their cat eagerly sticking onto Y/N's body as he sat down. He loosely tied her hair into a ponytail with a white ribbon, matching his earrings but contrasting his bow.

She looked at the style in the mirror, a small smile on her face as she kissed her cheek. "It looks great, you're getting better every day."

He looked the other way. "...s-still can't braid..."

"You'll get there eventually, I know you will." She slipped her leggings on, handing her brother the case for his contacts. "You'll get home late today, right?"

Y/N nodded. "...K-kiyo...?"

"Hm?"

Shimizu bit his cheek, nervously picking his nails. "...S-Shino-san asked if I could um, attend G-Golden week, i-is that okay?"

Kiyoko cocked her head. "Shino-san?"

"...N-Nishinoya-san..." he whispered.

She looked at her brother and hummed skeptically. "It's fine if you go, I don't see any issue with it, but are you sure it won't interfere with track and school?"

"...n-no," he stammered, "...I-I'll do everything beforehand s-so I'm not behind."

Kiyoko slipped her sweater on, pulling her hair out of her clothes. "As long as you don't burn yourself out, it isn't a problem."

They finished getting dressed and set out a bowl of water and food for their cat, petting her for a few minutes before they left for school.

Shimizu couldn't wait.

...

Tanaka and Ennoshita-san joined Shimizu and Shino for lunch, the four sitting across the stands.

"Dunno why I never thought to eat here, it's so quiet!" Tanaka-san exclaimed, sitting across from Ennoshita who looked at him in disgust. "What is it with you and talking with your mouth full? Have some decency dude."

As they bickered, Shimizu brought Shino-san's bento out of his bag and gave it to him. "...I-I didn't k-know what you were allergic to o-or thinks you don't like, s-so I made what I had yesterday, I hope that's o-okay..."

Stars crossed Nishinoya's eyes as he eagerly nodded. "It's more than okay, you're so amazing, Mimi, thank you— thank you, thank you!" He took the container out of his friend's hands and opened the box, the smile on his face widening. "I'm goin' to die, you're so nice, Mimi!!"

Y/N flushed and rubbed his nape. "...It's n-not much, a-and I promised I'd make something for you." He brought his food out of his bag and fixed his glasses. "...I-I'm glad you like it, S-Shino-san."

"Whaattttt?!" Nishinoya complained. "I thought we dropped honorifics!"

"...I-It's n-not polite, a-and it's out of respect for you."

The shorter boy pouted. "Fuck respect! You say Kiyoko-san's name without honorifics!"

"That's his sister, moron—and you literally just used them." Ennoshita deadpanned.

"Shut up Chikara!" Shino pointed an accusing finger in his direction—moving towards Shimizu with puppy eyes. "Please? You call Shoyou and Kageyama by their first names and without honorifics!"

Shimizu moved back. "...t-that's because I'm older than them, a-and they insisted I use t-their given names..."

"Well, you're–" Shino bit his lip, muttering something Y/N couldn't hear.

"...w-what was that? I'm s-sorry, I did not hear you..."

Shino-san grumbled—he sat down and crossed his arms, pouting and averting his eyes. "...you're you know..." he shrunk into himself. "...taller than me n'stuff... that counts for something, right?"

Y/N paused and stared at Nishinoya. The tips of his ears turn red and the look on his face is tight– almost embarrassed. "...I-I'm sorry, S-Shino-san," he mumbles, somberly picking his food with chopsticks.

Nishinoya blows a raspberry, grabbing the container and placing it on his lap. "It's whatever! We'll be best bros in no time, so you'll have to drop them then!"

"What the hell, man I thought I was your best bro!" Tanaka-san yelled, crumbs of melon bread sticking to his cheeks.

"You are, but Mimi is like..." He waved his hand dismissively. "My-soon-to-be-best-bro who's also really pretty!"

"That's the same thing!"

"No, it's not!"

"So you're callin' me ugly?"

Nishinoya took a bite out of his food. "...I'm not not calling you ugly."

Shimizu cringed. Double negatives sucked.

To his side, he noticed Ennoshita-san calmly eating his lunch with a blank expression, numb to the situation in front of him. "...E-Ennoshita-san?"

"Hm?"

Y/N picked his cuticle. "...a-are they always l-like this...?"

The brunette shrugged. "More or less, they're two halves of an idiot, you'll get used to it soon." He took a sip of his apple juice. "It might've gotten worse because of you, but it's their stupid way of showing they're comfortable around you."

"...o-oh," Shimizu mumbled, staring at the food in his lap. Tanaka-san and Shino-san were comfortable around him?

That didn't make sense, he's barely done anything! He and Tanaka-san met six days ago, and he met Shino-san three days ago— it hadn't even been a week! How could they be comfortable with him?

Noticing his dilemma, Ennoshita handed him half of his meat bun. "Don't stress too much, we're all friends here. They're just... passionate about getting to know you." He packed his bento up and rolled his eyes. "Must've been a huge shock to learn Shimizu-senpai's brother is just as pretty as she is."

Y/N couldn't look away from the meat bun clasped in his hands, the echoes of Ennoshita-san's words swirling through his mind. "...we're all friends here."

He was friends with all of them?

"Lunch ends in fifteen minutes, are you guys going to keep arguing or will you eat your food?" Tanaka and Nishinoya glare at each other before bumping shoulders and eagerly eating their food.

Shimizu couldn't understand why they wanted to be his friend. Azumane-senpai has long hair like him but makes up for it with his buff stature and gruff voice. Shimizu didn't have that, he couldn't be as masculine as his upperclassmen— why weren't they disgusted?

The sun shone across the stadium, a chill spring breeze passing through the group as they spoke. The traditionally girly aspects of him didn't put them off, Shino-san said his hair looked pretty and Ennoshita-san and Tanaka-san weren't annoyed by the constant stuttering.

It was new– weird how they seemed to enjoy his company even though he was a boy of little words.

It was nice.

-:-

Shimizu left his classroom at three o'clock and walked to the locker room, several other track students from different years went the same way. Noticing the place would be crowded and in turn too loud, he decided to change in the bathroom.

The elastic of his sleeve snapped against his bicep, adjusting the one on his leg so his skin wouldn't chaf. He adjusted his headband, pulling his hair out from underneath and ensuring the star was in the center.

Because he was on the relay team, he wore a uniform different from regular runners. Mainly orange, with black and white accents, 'KARASUNO' plastered on his chest with a small crow beside the 'o'. Satisfied with how he looked, he washed his hands and walked towards the gym, cringing when he heard it before he saw it.

He put the headphones on instead of the earbuds, connecting them to his phone and sighing of relief when the noise dumbed down to soft music— something easy on his ears.

When most athletes were in attendance, Coach Yonezu and Coach Gushiken walked in with a big bag with the McDonald's logo on the front. "Alright everyone, if you bought food from us pay attention to your names, those who have money to buy from other places should return before four, the bus will arrive a few minutes after school ends so manage your time wisely!

Remember, you can't walk into the school to talk to your friends, class is still in session. Coach Otori is bringing fruits and water for those who want it, so be patient," he places the bag on the floor and smiles. "Alright, you're free to leave! Remember to be back on time— if you get in trouble, you'll be removed from the race and an alternate will take your position!"

Shimizu places his book in his bag and changes his playlist to a new artist he found recently named Mitski— she published her first album a few months ago and he's been a fan ever since.

Music was one of the main reasons he was good at English, there were other genres of music in English that he liked, even if he couldn't understand the words sometimes.

He arrived at a small shop he frequented every Friday and ordered a bowl of Katsudon, sitting in the back and texting his sister.

Me

At Kenshin Inn (￣︶￣) - 3:21 PM

Have fun at practice, if you can please buy cat food for Mori, I'll pay you back （。＾▽＾)

Love you Kiyo, be safe (๑˃ᴗ˂)ノ

Shimizu ate his food in silence, paying and stopping at Sakanoshita Market to buy a lollipop, the sweet relaxing his mind as he methodically walked back to the gym, basking in the warm sunlight and cool breeze.

When he returned to his belongings, he worked on schoolwork until it was time to leave, the monotonous task keeping his mind occupied.

-:-

The meet officially starts a few minutes after Karasuno arrives. Field events began almost immediately while Y/N had to wait for the eight-hundred and one-hundred to be done before check-ins for the four-hundred started.

Shimizu stretched, working out any knots in his muscles and getting his body lax with small exercises. He made sure to check if the spikes on his shoes needed tightening, loose spikes were a severe disadvantage.

Eventually, the second heat for boys' is called to the track and he's assigned lane eight. He wasn't a fan of outside lanes, since he usually had shorter strides but all he could do was adapt.

"Runners on your mark,"

He braced his fingertips on the edges of his lane, making sure not to go over the pre-determined line.

"Set, Go!"

The blank rang through his ears as he sped out of the starting position.

Four hundred's weren't Shimizu's best event, that would be the two hundred, but he's figured out it wasn't that bad if he jogged the curves and sprinted the straights. That way he could steadily advance his placement and build a steady rhythm before he put his all in the final one hundred.

A flash of red passed him thirty yards away from the finish line, bringing his position down from first to second.

Y/N took deep breaths as he was told his time, keeping the frown off his face as he stared at Nekoma's Ogata Yuko.

He knows it's statistically impossible to win every race at every meet, but that didn't mean he had to be happy when he didn't get first. Ogata was in the four-hundred-meter dash, and four-hundred-meter relay– frequently winning for his team and school in both events.

He huffed, walking back into the stands to change out of his spikes. There will always be athletes better than him, he's well aware, but every loss felt like sour candy forcefully pushed down his throat.

Not fun at all.

Shimizu looked through his duffel bag, he still had money left over and he's yet to find Fukurodani's concession stand. It would be a while before it was time to warm up for the relay anyway.

The boy walked behind the stadium since that was where Karasuno's concession stands were, accidentally bumping into someone as he turned the corner.

"Woah! Hey hey hey, watch where you're going little guy!"

His breath hitched when he felt someone touch him, instantly recoiling with labored breaths.

Bright golden eyes stared at him curiously, so shiny it looked like they glowed. "Are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Y/N stared at his arm, nervously gulping before shaking his head. "...n-no, I'm s-sorry for bumping into y-you..."

He smiles brightly. "You're fine! Wait, you're here for the track meet, right? Do you know where they sell those thingies?"

"...w-what 'thingies'?"

His hair stood at attention as his mood got brighter. "You know! Those shirts with the owls on them! Konoha said they were being sold today but I can't find them anywhere!"

"...u-um," Shimizu started, feeling nervous under his golden gaze. "...I-I don't think t-they sell shirts here, b-but we can see if the c-concession stands have what you're looking for, um..."

"Bokuto!"

"...B-Bokuto-san,"

Bokuto laughed. "You sound like my friend, Akaashi, except he doesn't stutter!" His hair drooped as he pouted, kicking a pebble as the two began to look for the concessions. "I told him to come with me but he had a stupid spelling bee to go to—who goes to spelling bees? They're so boring!"

He paused, staring at Shimizu with wide eyes. "Wait, I don't know your name! Tell me!"

The boy bowed. "...S-Shimizu Y/N, c-class two-five, it's n-nice to meet you, B-Bokuto-san."

"You're so polite, it's so cool!" Bokuto beamed, joining Shimizu's side as they turned another corner. He gazed at the track with amazement in his eyes. "Track looks so cool! Do you like it?"

Shimizu nodded. "...I-I've been running since e-elementary school, I think it n-nice..."

"Me too!" Bokuto paused before frowning. "Well, not track, but I've been doing volleyball since I was a kid! I'm the ace and captain of the volleyball team! Akaashi is the setter and vice-captain—" He multi-colored haired buy interrupted himself with a gasp. "You should come watch our games sometime, Shizu!"

"...i-it's Shimizu..."

"Shimizu, that's what I meant!!!"

As they turned the final corner, Shimizu let out an exhausted sigh. There weren't concession stands nearby and no owl shirts to be bought. Bokuto's hair drooped again. "Konoha was lying! I really wanted that shirt too..." he mumbled as a dejected aura surrounded him.

Y/N hesitantly placed a comforting hand on Bokuto's shoulder. "...I-I'm sorry Bokuto-san um, i-if it makes you feel a-any better, w-we can look some more a-after my relay, i-if you want..."

"...really?"

He nodded.

Bokuto's mood skyrocketed, enthusiastically cheering. "Yay! Thank you, Shimizu! Ooo, can I watch your relay?"

Shimizu glanced at the track, noticing the boy's hurdles were about to start. "...mhm, i-if you want, b-but we'll have to go now, I n-need to warm up." Bokuto eagerly nodded, sitting in the home stands and watching his new friend warm up with the people in his relay.

Did Bokuto know anything about track? No, but Shimizu thought it was fun so he believed him! Besides, it wasn't every day he got to meet someone pretty from another school!

...

His team got first, narrowly passing by Fukurodani by a few seconds. Shimizu bit his lip as he stretched his leg. Something was off, he wasn't running as well as normal.

He sat on the in-field and felt around his thigh muscles, trying to find any soreness or knots. When he found none, he reached around to his hamstring, softly massaging the muscle.

He repeated the routine with his calf and left leg, feeling around the muscle and gently massaging it. Everything felt fine but for some reason, his mind wasn't solely focused on the race. Shimizu bit his lip as he stood up, making his way to where Bokuto was waving at him with a bright smile.

The taller's smile faded when he noticed the look on Shimizu's face. "Are you okay? Did you guys not do well?"

Y/N sighed. "...n-no, it's fine, I just..." He rubbed his temples, careful not to disturb his hair. "...I'm n-not doing as g-great as I usually do, it's u-unnerving,"

Bokuto hummed as he put his hands in his jacket pockets. "Yeah, I understand. I get like that