Manager of My Heart (Yaku Morisuke)

This was written for the Can I Speak to the Manager? Haikyuu!! collab event. Make sure you head over and check out the other fics posted there, as well, and give the collab creator, @momochimo, a follow as well!

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• Genre: Fluff, slice of life
• Word Count: 2,064
• Pairing: Reader x Yaku
• World: Haikyuu
• Notes:I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I like it, but I wonder if I could have gone in a different direction and made it better lol Hopefully you enjoy it and I hope it’s worthy of this collab. Thank you so much for allowing me to participate!

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You frowned at the application form sitting on your desk, filled in and ready to be handed over. The problem was that you were unsure if you actually wanted to turn it in. What you were sure of was that such an action would completely throw you off of your current path, derailing you onto a more hectic one. You knew nothing about sports either, but you did know one thing – everyone that played volleyball is certainly clinically insane. Even so, you had promised your childhood friend that you’d at least try and be social at your new school, and maybe this was the way to do just that. Maybe you could even come to understand your best friend more.

You had grown up watching Tanaka Ryuunosuke playing volleyball. He was obsessed with the sport but you just never got it. What was so fun about hitting a ball over a net? He had tried relentlessly to get you into it, too, but sports just wasn’t your thing. Still, you tried every single time because you wanted to make him happy. He was the only one who tried to befriend you as kids and continued hanging out with you despite your introverted nature. In a way, it felt as if you owed him.

When class came to an end, you gathered your things and slowly made your way to the gym where Nekoma’s volleyball team was getting set up for practice. You still hadn’t decided to join the team, but you at least wanted to check them out and get a feel for their members. You settled down at the top of the bleachers, pulling out a notepad so you could jot down your thoughts.

Your eyes scanned each member of the team as they entered the gym, beginning their warmups. Ryuu had given you the basic rundown on the Nekoma players already, describing them so you’d already know their names if you decided to join the team – which he encouraged you to do on more than one occasion.

The captain, Kuroo, was rumored to be a big flirt and Ryuu had told you to avoid him. Kai, the vice-captain, was often complimented for his kindness. He’s the only one you had interacted with thus far and that’s because he was assigned to show you around when you first transferred. Kozume was a close friend of Hinata and an introvert like you. You were sure you had more in common with him than with anyone else, but two introverts trying to become friends spelled disaster in your mind. It honestly sounded painful to you. Yamamoto was, from Hinata’s explanation, the Nekoma version of Ryuu, meaning he’s a total idiot who goes crazy over girls way out of his league. Then there’s Lev, that ridiculously tall first year. And…

Your eyes fell on the short libero, Yaku. To you, he was easily the most gorgeous member of the team and your heart started to pick up speed as you watched him. Why hadn’t Ryuu mentioned how cute he is? You had never been interested in relationships or dating, you’ve never even had a crush on anyone before, but it felt as if all that changed when your eyes fell on him. If you had to describe how it felt, you’d compare it to one of those shoujou anime that Ryuu’s older sister made you watch as a kid. You could just hear that cliche music playing, upbeat and romantic, the teen being surrounded by sparkles and flowers, shining so much brighter than the rest of the team. It was like you were seeing him through rose-tinted glasses.

You suddenly slapped yourself across the face. “What the hell is wrong with me? Get a hold of yourself.” You silently cursed Ryuu’s sister, wanting anyone else to blame other than your racing heart or your overworked mind. ‘There is no way in hell I’m going to sign up to be a manager just because of a boy. No way, no how!’ And yet… you didn’t stand up and leave like you wanted to. You continued sitting there, your eyes following his every move. He was graceful yet powerful, returning balls you didn’t think could be returned. You had this overwhelming urge to protect him, to protect that beautiful smile of his.

You were sure you were going to regret it, but you had finally made your decision.

You were going to become Nekoma’s manager.

━━━━━━༻1 Year Later༺━━━━━━

Today was an exciting day.

The volleyball team was excited to be taking on Karasuno and you were excited to see your best friend again. You had kept in contact, of course, but talking on the phone just wasn’t the same as seeing him in person. When you stepped on the bus, your eyes immediately fell to Yaku who sat at the very back of the bus. When he noticed you approaching, he offered you a soft smile.

“Good morning, Y/N.”

You smiled brightly at the sound of his voice, settling down beside him so that he was between you and the window. “Good morning, Yaku-senpai~”

“You seem happy this morning.”

“Is it that obvious?” you rubbed the back of your neck, a sheepish grin on your lips. “It’s just that I haven’t been back home since I transferred. I’ve missed it.”

He bit his lip, turning his face away from you. You still consider Miyagi to be your home and not Tokyo? What if you decided you wanted to stay instead of returning with Nekoma? He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. No, there’s no way you would do that.

“Is something wrong?” you inquired softly, leaning forward to see his face but he just smiled.

“No, nothing.”

“Are you sure? If something’s bothering you, please let me know, senpai.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” he reassured you with a gentle pat on your head.

You smiled, relishing the warmth of his hand.

“Y/N!” Yamamoto rushed to the back of the bus, a determined look on his face.

You quirked a brow at him, the smile wiped from your face. “Yes?”

“Don’t you dare go falling for any of those country boys!” he demanded, shaking his finger at you.

“That won’t be happening,” you scoffed, folding your arms over your chest. “Yaku-senpai is the only one for me.”

Yaku’s cheeks burned at the statement and he sent you a look. “You shouldn’t joke around like that, Y/N. People might get the wrong idea.”

“Hai, hai~” you chuckled in reply.

Crocodile tears fell from Yamamoto’s eyes as he fell to his hands and knees. “Yaku is so lucky!”

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When the bus finally pulled up in front of Karasuno high, the other team was waiting outside to greet you, the morning sun bearing down on them like a blanket of warmth. You were the first one off the bus, shoving Yamamoto out of the way in your haste. Your eyes scanned the students but you didn’t see your best friend. A blur of black and gray streaked in front of you before you felt arms wrap tightly around your boy.

“Y/N!” Ryuu screamed in your ear, spinning you around while you laughed.

Yaku frowned when he stepped off the bus, his eyes falling to the arms around you. You had always been a bit more on the reserved side but he liked to believe that you had opened up in the year since you became Nekoma’s manager. Yet he had never seen you laugh like that. What made this guy so special?

Yamamoto fell to his knees, more crocodile tears streaming down his cheeks. “It’s too late! Y/N has fallen for their country charms already!”

Kuroo snickered. “Did you forget that Y/N transferred from Karasuno?”

“Ah…” his tears stopped suddenly and he blinked a couple of times before jumping up, a grin on his lips. “That means that these country bumpkins were so boring that Y/N came to us!”

Ryuu’s eye twitched as he set you down. “Oi, what’d you just say?”

“You heard me! Y/N loves us more!” A streak of lightning sparked between the two males as they stared each other down.

You chose to ignore them, approaching the older students. “It’s good to see you again, Suga-senpai. Sawamura-senpai.”

“You, too,” Daichi smiled, ruffling your hair.

“Have you settled in okay?” Suga fussed, hands on his hips as he scanned your body. “No one is bullying you, are they?”

“As if we’d let that happen!” Yamamoto snapped back.

“You better not!” Ryuu replied, just as loudly despite being right in front of him.

Daichi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “One is bad enough, now there’s two.”

You and Suga just laughed, completely unsympathetic to the captain’s plight.

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You sat beneath the large tree behind the gym, the breeze ruffling your hair. Birds were chirping somewhere above you, not at all bothered by the loud ruckus taking place inside the gymnasium. As Nekoma’s manager, you shouldbe inside cheering them on and taking notes about their performance, but you started to feel more overwhelmed than you had been expecting so you needed a moment to calm down and gather your thoughts.

“What are you doing out here?”

The voice instantly brought a smile to your face which you directed toward the short male standing over you. “I just needed some fresh air.”

Yaku put his hand on his hip, brow furrowed. “You’ve been gone for nearly fifteen minutes.”

“Has it really been that long?” you questioned in surprise, pulling yourself to your feet and giving him a bow. “I apologize, senpai. I’ll return to the gym now.”

You tried to step past him but he took hold of your wrist, his grip gentle but firm. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

The corner of your lips twitched up. “Hm, so you do care about me, Yaku-senpai?”

Pink dusted his cheeks and he quickly looked away. “O-Of course, I do. It’s my job as your senpai!”

You hummed softly, tilting your head back to look at the sky filtered through the leaves above. “The truth is… I really miss this place. I didn’t realize just how much until I came back.”

Yaku frowned, taking note of the sadness in your eyes – a stark contrast to the smile on your lips. He didn’t like seeing you upset but he was especially concerned over this piece of information. Were you not happy back in Tokyo? Did you want to transfer back to Karasuno? His heart ached at the thought and he realized he didn’t want to lose you. You had become not only a core member of the team, but an important person to him as well.

“Tell me what’s bothering you.”

His eyes met yours. “Don’t use that line on me. It only works if you’re the senpai.”

“I may not be your senpai, but -” you stepped toward him and he swallowed hard when you rested your hand against his warm cheek. “You’re going to be my husband one day, so it’s my job to look after you. I suppose the manager position entitles me to that, as well.”

He sputtered at your declaration, his eyes wide. “T-That’s not funny, Y/N.”

“Good thing it’s not because I’m not joking.” You removed your hand so you could press a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’m gonna head back inside. Don’t stay out here too long, okay? Nekoma needs their amazing libero.” You gave him a smile before turning around and heading toward the gym, but you paused before turning the corner, looking back at him. “If you’re worried about me moving back here, you have nothing to worry about. As much as I miss Miyagi and Karasuno, I found someone much more important back in Tokyo that I’m not willing to give up.”

Yaku knew you were talking about him. His face burned and, just like he had no control over his heart hammering against his ribs, he also had no control over the bright smile that came to his lips or the warmth that filled his body. To say he was relieved about this news was an understatement and though he may not yet be ready to admit his feelings for you, he was happy knowing just how much you cared for him and that you had no intention of leaving him behind.

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