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It’s blistering hot in the gym, which is odd, seeing as there’s literally snow on the ground, but apparently there had been a weird malfunction with the thermostat and since it was—after all—the beginning of winter, the team didn’t exactly want the gym doors open for practice. That being said, everyone is sweating, and it’s kind of awful. Even Kiyoko and Yachi have taken off their managers jackets in an attempt to cool off.
Yachi, in question, is gathered in the back corner with the other first years. It’s break time, so that means everyones mostly drinking whatever water they can and doing gentle cool-downs. Everyone it would seem, except the poor upperclassmen who had been goaded into doing more... intensive stretches.
“How is that legal,” Hinata breaths with an air of astonishment. He’s looking at Asahi, who’s currently trying to convince Noya that his arm is not in fact a tree branch to hang off of. “I mean c’mon, who is actually that strong. He’s not even flinching—god he’s started flexing, oh my god kill me!” The red head buries his face between his knees, eyes just barely peaking over the black pads. Kageyama would tease him for his little hero-worship crush, but he’s not doing much better.
“How is a person that pretty,” the setter does NOT whimper, thank you very much. “His hair is just... so swoopy. And soft. And his hands, have you seen his hands today? Every good setter takes care of his hands but I swear I saw them sparkle earlier, do you think he uses nail polish? Shit.”
“If you think Suga-san is the prettiest third year, I have bad news for you,” Yachi sighs. She’s leaning against Yamaguchi and trying desperately not to actually bite a piece of her lip off. “Kiyoko is just. Wow, she’s so wow. And her arms you guys—jeez I thought I was gonna cry when she took her jacket off, blessed be the asshole that fucked with the thermostat.” At this point in time, the water bottle Kiyoko is passing to Ennoshita slips, opening up and spilling water across both their white-shirted-chests. Yachi and Yamaguchi grip each others arms, little gasps escaping their throats.
“Oh god, oh fuck,” the freckled teen breaths.
“There really is a heaven, huh?” Yachi asks her counter part. Yamaguchi nods feverishly.
“We’ve been blessed, ‘Toka, actually blessed,” Yamaguchi tells her with certainty.
“You’re all so dumb,” Kei strangles out a laugh, and if that hadn’t been a tell for his hypocrisy, the way he’s staring at Daichi’s arms as he participates in a push up competition against Tanaka is.
“Don’t even try it Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says anyway. “You almost cried when Captain was doing squats the other day.” Tsukki glares at his best friend, but he also blushes and pouts so it really doesn’t count.
“Well you actually called me crying because Ennoshita-san offered to tutor you in history. You’re top of your class in history!” Yamaguchi smirks devilishly, turning his gaze back to where the dark haired teen in question has no taken off his water-soaked shirt.
“What Ennoshita-san doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” He says in lieu of a reply.
“Oh my god shut up,” Hinata whines, a response to Asahi’s hair tie breaking and chestnut locks cascading down his sweat-slicked shoulders. “God, he’s totally strong enough to pick me up and just swing me around isn’t he? Fucking insane. Who needs to be that tall? That strong? Seriously it should be illegal why has no one arrested him.”
“Fuck she took her glasses off her eyes holy shit, have you ever seen something so gorgeous?”
“It has to be a clear coat, no ones nails are that perfect—he’s so talented, like actually amazing and the way he just always knows what everyone needs on court? The level of precision...”
“He’s going to be such a good captain I just know it. Look at the way he can control the other second years, his voice is just... and he has so much confidence, I can’t—fuck...”
“His arms, who needs arms like that? It’s not like he’s ace or the pinch server, he’s just like that because he wants to be, who does that? Who just keeps such an amazing body because they want to? Shit.”
—
By the end of second year, the groups little puppy crushes had faded to admiration and respect for their seniors, and most thankfully had gone completely unnoticed. Sure, to the five of them they held no secrets, but to everyone else it mostly came off as young kouhai holding a deep regard for their senpai, always looking to impress and meet standards. They were good that way.
But now, basically six years later, all of their dirty laundry is being aired out and exposed not only in front of said senpai, but also the rest of their then-team, their sensei and coach, and various other peers they played against in high school. All because Tsukishima just had to chose tonight of all nights to finally get properly plastered.
Hinata, still in his god damn Jackals issued jacket and cool down clothes, has a hand covering his mouth as Tsukishima deals out everyone of Kageyama’s theories about Suga’s supposed nail polish from high school. Yamaguchi and Yachi sit with their foreheads against his shoulders, muffling laughter. Kageyama himself is frozen, a bite of food never reaching his mouth, face as red as his eternal-rivals hair.
Of all the people to reveal The Secret, certainly no one had expected it to be him. His fellow year mates can only listen abject horror, as the red cheeked son of a bitch just wouldn’t. Stop. Talking.
“-so yeah, Tobio totally had a huge crush on you in first year, Suga. It was kind of adorable, honestly.” The blond shrugs, taking yet another gulp of whatever cursed drink is in his hands. Kageyama, the poor bastard of the hour, takes a shuddering breath before finally speaking up.
“Kei, as the kids and Atsumu-san say these days, I’m about to fucking expose your ass,” the noirette spits out. Tsukishima, brain finally catching up with his mouth, almost loses his glasses with the force it takes to completely whip around and try to slam a hand over Kageyama’s mouth. When this endeavour inevitably fails, and instead Kageyama is holding his wrist in a vice grip and grinning at him feral, the blond accepts his fate.
“Tsukki had the biggest crush on Daichi, the entirety of first year! It took us months to notice, but as soon as he had an outlet he wouldn’t fucking shut up about the Captains thighs and biceps, and how fucking illegal it was that someone who wasn’t even our main hitter or server just kept up his ‘oh so gorgeous body’ just because he felt like it!” Tsukki whimpers from where his head is pressed against his friends chest.
Yamaguchi perks up from his place on Hinata’s shoulder to frown at Kageyama, talking without thinking. “Wh- ‘he should be illegal’ was Sho’s catchphrase for Asahi, Tsukki just wanted to know if Captain could crush a watermelon with his thighs.”
“Shit, yeah my bad,” Kageyama acknowledges. Hinata gasps in indignation.
“Why are we talking about my thing for Asahi now?! This is between you two bastards!” The redhead yells. “You know what, fine! Hitoka had a crush on Kiyoko!”
“Bitch!” Yachi punches her friend. “Well Tadashi had a crush on Ennoshita! HAH!”
“What the fuck ‘Toka?!”
“You basically creamed your pants when he would yell at the idiots and then turn around and faun over you, all future-captainy and shit! You got him to tutor you in a subject you were excelling in!”
“We agreed never to talk about that! You ogled Kiyoko when she didn’t wear her jacket, and one time you purposely pretended not to know where her glasses were so you could get a better look at her eyes!”
“Yeah! Well! Hinata once fainted because we joked about Asahi carrying him around like a bag of flour!”
“HIS ARMS WERE VERY BIG AND HE WAS VERY TALL IT WAS ONLY NATURAL!”
“Tsukki used to ask Daichi to check his form so he had an excuse to touch him!”
“TADASHI!”
“Dashi used to purposely get Tanaka and Noya in trouble so he could hear Ennoshita yell at them!”
“TSUKKI!”
“This is... certainly not how I thought this dinner was gonna go,” Kenma finally breaks through the precious first years on coming fist-fight. The five still, simultaneously, and turn their heads minutely, only to be met with the shocked and frankly confused faces of the rest of their party.
“Tell me we didn’t just do that,” Yamaguchi begs literally anyone. Suga coughs into his fist to conceal a shocked laugh.
“So uh,” he says simply. “You guys had an interesting first year, huh?”
“I’m...” Hinata looks around for his phone. “Where the fuck is my phone, I’m messaging my manager, I’m moving back to Brazil.” Kageyama seems to have an epiphany at these words.
“Yeah I’m going to Italy fuck this.”
“Fuck you guys!” Yachi yells at them. “We’re stuck here, you can’t just abandon us with this!”
“Sucks!”
The five of them busy themselves with their phones and food. Tsukishima had finally passed out across Yamaguchi’s lap, saving them from anymore embarrassing shouting matches. Asahi scratches at the back of his neck.
“...a bag of flour? Really?” The giant looks for clarification. Hinata blanches.
“Wonder if Pedro will let me move back in, that’d be fucking stellar.”