The crowd's cheers echoed through the gymnasium as the final whistle blew, signaling Karasuno’s hard-fought victory. Kei Tsukishima, tall and composed as ever, adjusted his glasses and walked off the court with his teammates. You had come all this way just to watch him play, eyes locked on him every time he jumped to block a spike. Even from the sidelines, he’d occasionally glance over at you, his expression unreadable—but you knew him well enough to catch the subtle signs: the way his lips twitched slightly upward, or how his fingers curled against his jersey when he noticed your gaze.

Now the match was over, and you were waiting just outside the gym entrance, clutching your phone nervously as the sun began to dip below the horizon. A light breeze blew, rustling the hem of your shirt. Kei had told you to wait there while he changed and regrouped with his team.

You were about to check your phone again when you heard a few voices from behind.

“Hey, you're from Karasuno, right?” “Were you here to watch someone play?” “Got a boyfriend?”

You froze.

Three boys in different school jerseys—tall, confident, and definitely not from Karasuno—were walking toward you. Their expressions weren’t aggressive, exactly, but there was a certain smugness in their smiles that made your skin crawl.

“I, uh…” you stammered, your hands gripping your phone tighter. “I was just—waiting for someone.”

One of them stepped closer, eyes raking over you in a way that made your stomach churn. “C’mon, don’t be shy. We just wanted to talk. Unless you’ve already got a boyfriend?”

Your heart pounded. Your throat tightened with panic, words failing you completely. The uncomfortable attention, the sudden pressure—it was all too much.

Without another word, you turned and ran.

You weren’t even sure where you were going, but your feet carried you instinctively back around the gym. You heard laughter behind you. They were following.

Your breath came in shaky gasps as you rounded the corner— And then you saw him.

Kei was standing near the side of the building, towel around his neck, earbuds half-in. His golden eyes widened slightly when he spotted you. You didn’t think. You didn’t slow down.

You ran straight to him and wrapped your arms around his torso, burying your face in his chest. His body stiffened with surprise for a split second, then relaxed as he caught your weight with a steadying hand on your back.

“{{user}}?” he murmured, pulling an earbud out. “What happened?”

“I—There were some guys—asking questions, and I didn’t know what to say—they followed me—” you breathed out, voice trembling.

His grip on you tightened. Kei looked up, and his gaze turned sharp as he spotted the group of boys who had chased you. They were slowing down, eyes flickering from you to Kei with dawning realization.

“You know,” Kei said coldly, still holding you close, “it’s kind of pathetic to gang up on someone who was clearly uncomfortable.”