Chapter Text
Ryuu was pretty sure he could blame this on Yacchan.
Not that he wanted to, because Yacchan was an angel and everything, but she made exactly one (1) joke, and then it became all Ryuu could ever think about. Ennoshita. Ennoshita fucking Chikara, with his tired eyes and smooth hair and new muscles and newer authority over the team…
It was meant to be a joke, wasn’t it? That they were going to be the new team parents? But suddenly, Ryuu looked at Ennoshita and saw another dark-haired beauty he was ready to be in love with (and he’d been in love with a lot of them).
He knew he had a type, alright?
Shimizu-senpai, obviously, who radiated beauty and power and intellect, way too good for him, but when she was among friends, she smiled and laughed and wow. Shimizu.
Daichi-san, less obviously, who was nice but strict, held quiet but certain authority, and honestly, Ryuu knew the whole team would follow him anywhere. He was incredible.
Somewhere between obvious and not was Noya, whom Ryuu spent over a year trying to identify his feelings for. He was just so cool and inspirational…
But he digresses.
No, actually, now that he thought about it, maybe he could blame this on Tsukishima. That kid was an asshole anyways, so he wouldn’t feel as guilty about it. After all, his grumpiness led to the whole thing!
“Haha, why do you look so grumpy!” Yamaguchi had asked Tsukishima, poking his cheeks. It was like he didn’t even know Tsukishima was jealous when Yamaguchi hung out with Hinata…even though the entire team had picked up on it.
“Stop that!” Tsukishima smacked away his hands.
“Then, don’t be sad!”
“I’m not fucking sad!”
“You look like you’re sad! You can’t lie to me! I’ve known you for almost ten years!”
When Ryuu had finally rounded the corner, it was to see Tsukishima trying to escape while Yamaguchi trapped him in a hug. Obviously, being the good senpai he was, he teased them.
“Hey, lover boys,” Ryuu had barked, “get in the gym!”
They walked past him, but Tsukishima snarled at him. Nothing unusual there.
“That wasn’t very nice, Tanaka-san,” Yacchan said, walking over. “No one talks about the way you look at Ennoshita, do they?”
“W-what?!”
Instead of answering, though, she just booked it for the gym, leaving Ryuu to wonder how he looked at Ennoshita – and who else had noticed it.
So, yeah, okay, maybe it was a little bit Yacchan’s fault. But he really wanted to blame Tsukishima instead, so he was going to stick with that.
How do I look at him? Ryuu asked himself, staring across the table in his bedroom at Ennoshita. Fuck, I’m staring. Stop being weird.
“You okay?” Ennoshita asked, not even looking up. “You keep looking at me weird. Is something on my face?”
“NO!” Ryuu said, too fast and too loud to be natural.
Ennoshita set down his pencil and looked up quizzically. “Long day?”
Ryuu felt his cheeks heating up at the eye contact, but he ignored it and nodded. “I’ve been – uh – thinkin’.”
“Thinkin’?”
“’Bout stuff,” Ryuu affirmed, wringing his hands. “It’s dumb, just ignore me.”
Ennoshita’s gaze softened. “Tanaka, if you need to talk, I’m here for you. You know that, don’t you?”
He nodded again, but then it hit him: Ennoshita is pretty.
It’s Punk Rock to Cry
Senpai: im having a situation
Senpai: a situgaytion, if u will
Ace: wat
Senpai: im having a crush
Guardian: uh oh who is it??
Freckles: yea tanaka-senpai who?
Senpai: this may come as a gr8 shock to all of u…but…
Senpai: its Ennoshita
Guardian: o
Freckles: just that?
Ace: we been knew?
Puppy: but uh, thanks for telling us?
Senpai: I DON’T WANNA HEAR SHIT ABOUT SHIT FROM ANY OF U
Senpai: @Freckles Tsukki is the worst taste a person could have
Senpai: @Ace Shouhei doesn’t even TALK much less TO U
Senpai: @Puppy u n ur captain have sum kinky shit abt throwing each other against walls n im shaming
Senpai: @Guardian …I guess asahi makes sense but u coward u haven’t tol dhim!
Freckles: ou ch
Ace: Shouhei talks to me :((((
Guardian: ay square up ryuu u know I cant scare off our gentle giant like that :(((
Puppy: fuck you, I don’t even like Yahaba.
Ace: ummm
Freckles: buLLSHIT
Freckles: take the gay vines ull feel better
Freckles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCgm3mJdpx0
Senpai: thank u yamaguchi<3
Puppy: “…im an experience” you
Freckles: tbH
Ace: ur a nb icon yamaguchi and ily
Freckles: aww ily2 tora<3
Ace: <333
Senpai: uh oh Shouhei might get jealous
Ace: screw u ryuu!!!!!
Senpai: no thank you
Guardian: what made u realize u had the htos 4 enno
Freckles: htos
Ace: htos
Guardian: THIS IS. BULLYING.
Guardian: but rlly ryuu
Senpai: yacchan said I look at him a way n I didn’t know what she meant so I kept looking at him n then it hit me
Senpai: he cute
Guardian: that’s fair
Freckles: tru
Senpai: plus a million other things but im lazy n cant fuckinnnnn type?
Senpai: but its real Gay For Ennoshita hours over here :(
Ace: considerrrrrrrrrrrr telling him?
Senpai: eat my entire ass
Ace: or don’t, your choice!
Senpai: hhhhhhhhhh what do I doooooooooo
Guardian: suffer
Freckles: cry
Ace: stare in practice until he asks you what your problem is
Puppy: just fuckin? Sort it out then get help from a friend?
Puppy: you’re all fuckin? Disasters?
Senpai: so what was that about the wall slamming kink?
Puppy: oh fuck you I told you that in confidence?
Guardian: shit ur relly into that?
Puppy: …he’s stronger than he looks
Ace: I don’t think Shouhei is very strong but he is very beautiful and I am going to marry him
Freckles: tsukki’s an asshole 10/10 love of my lief
Puppy: lief
Freckles: shut ur whore mouth kinky bitch
Puppy: why are you mean to me, tadashi
Freckles: WHY ARE YOU MEAN TO ME
Freckles: im sorry I didn’t mean it ive been stressed today
Freckles: I think Hinata-kun has a crush on me and it’s givin me a Guilt™
Senpai: Big Oof™
Freckles: hnnnnnnn
Senpai: good luck
Freckles: you too
Noya met him outside the club room before the others arrived.
“Ryuu! I’m going to give you a pep talk!” he announced boldly. “Don’t act like a shy weirdo in front of Chikara today!”
Ryuu pouted at him. “Noya-san, what kinda pep talk is that s’posed to be?”
“The one you need! Face it, Ryuu, you get weird around people when you like them. Remember when you liked Daichi-san?” Noya reminded him. “Or when you liked me, for fuck’s sake?”
Ryuu whined and kicked at a pebble. “I’m just awkward about liking someone? How do I handle suddenly wanting to kiss someone and hold their hand?”
“Well, you know how we held hands and kissed that one time?” Noya prompted.
Ryuu shifted where he stood.
“You just gotta get consent and then go for it! And if it’s a no-go, then it’s a no-go. If you do it and it’s underwhelming – like us – then you get over it. It doesn’t have to be hard, yaknow? Feel him out but don’t get weird. It might make him nervous, okay?” Noya patted his back a little too roughly. “Now go on! Get out there and get your man!”
“Yeah!” Ryuu pulled his shirt off and swung it while shouting.
“Put your damn shirt on, baldie,” Kinoshita groaned walking past.
“Your boyfriend has the exact same haircut, asshole,” Ryuu whined.
“Boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend,” Kinoshita replied innocently.
Narita appeared behind him and shrugged. “Just dudes being guys.”
“Guys being dudes.”
“Dudes being gay–”
Ennoshita chopped both of them in the back of the head. “Go to the gym and start stretching.”
And there was that feeling again, right in Ryuu’s chest, twisting and turning and churning and – oh, he was staring again, wasn’t he? Shit. Say something, dumbass!
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Noya shook his head, looked like he was saying a silent prayer, then walked away. Way to abandon a man in the heat of battle, Noya-san, he thought bitterly.
“Are you having a stroke?” Ennoshita asked, waving his hand in front of Ryuu’s face.
“Huh?” Ryuu jumped.
Ennoshita just shook his head and huffed a laugh. “Hey, are you alright, Tanaka? You’re really out of it lately. We need our ace in top shape if we’re going back to Nationals, you know?”
“Yeah!” Ryuu croaked out. “I’m good! Great! I’m fine!”
Ennoshita gave him a concerned look before grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from the crowd coming out of the club room. “Are you sure that you’re okay? You don’t have to hold back. I’m here to listen.”
“I’m – uh…” Ryuu shook his head and smiled weakly. “I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it?”
Ennoshita nodded, then squeezed his shoulder affectionately. “Alright. That’s okay. Just don’t get in a mess during practice about whatever it is, or I’ll make you run laps. And, put your shirt back on.”
Ryuu blushed down to his neck when he realized he’d yet to put the shirt back on. Ennoshita hid a laugh behind his hand, and Ryuu suppressed a groan of embarrassment. This crush thing was off to a terrible start.