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MSBY and the Sweiden Adlers were nearing the end of their last practice match of the day. They had been at it for hours on end, exhaustion beginning to drag heavy on everyone’s limbs. The excitement of the highly anticipated matches spurred them on as their scores were 24 to 23, with the Adlers in the lead.
“Over here!” Shoyo yelled, soaring into the sky. His hand met the ball and it slammed into the floor with a harsh smack… just outside of bounds. He landed back on the ground and groaned. “Dammit, sorry guys.”
“‘S’all right, Shoyo-kun,” Atsumu said. The whistle blew and they looked over at the scoreboard. The Adlers had won.
“Good game,” Tobio said, extending his hand below the net. “Guess I’m still winning.”
“Oh shut up,” Shoyo said, shaking his hand with a laugh. “You know I’ll get you back next time.”
“That’s what you think.”
“What was that?” Shoyo put his hand to his ear. “I can’t hear you over the sound of my constant improvement.”
The two shared a laugh. From behind Tobio, Wakatoshi looked at Shoyo, brows furrowed and head tilted.
“You good, Wakkun?” Korai asked. He turned and looked at where Tobio and Shoyo were still bantering. “What, do you have a crush on Shoyo or something?”
Wakastoshi’s eyes widened and he turned. “I—I don’t know.”
Korai squinted. “You don’t know?”
Wakatoshi shook his head and looked back at Shoyo. “I… believe I admire his strength. He’s far better than he used to be. With every jump, he soars, and each one has a clear purpose. It’s incredible how good he is at fooling his opponents.”
Korai scowled and scoffed at him. “Good lord, just go ask him out.” He walked away, leaving a very confused Wakatoshi.
Wakatoshi went to say something to Korai, but decided against it, instead continuing to look at Shoyo as his guts became more twisted with nerves. He had felt his heart race countless times before, but at the thought of speaking to Shoyo in that moment, it flustered him in a way he had never experienced.
He intended to bite his tongue and consult Satori at a later date, but his numb legs carried him forward, toward Shoyo.
Shoyo glanced up. “Oh, hey Ushijima-san! Your spikes were as fun to receive as always today. I swear one of these days, I’ll do it without dropping down.” He gazed at him, a fire dancing in his eyes.
Wakatoshi blushed lightly, unable to look away. “I—ah, yes.” He cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly feeling far too warm. “Today’s practice match was—it was very beneficial. It is good to place against you as always, Shoyo Hinata.”
“Jeez, you’re still calling me by my full name?” Shoyo laughed, the thunk of a heart-shaped arrow through Wakatoshi’s heart nearly audible in response.
“Would you—would you rather I call you something… else?” he stumbled out awkwardly. He clenched and unclenched his sweaty fists.
Sensing the odd atmosphere around Wakatoshi, Tobio raised a brow and turned to Shoyo. “I’m gonna get going, Shoyo. Make sure to tell Natsu I said hi.” He reached under the net and smacked him firmly on the shoulder before heading to the locker room.
“Sure thing!” he said to Tobio. He looked back at Wakatoshi. “I mean, you can call me Shoyo, if you’d like.”
Wakatoshi’s eyes widened and a small smile appeared on his lips. “Oh! Alright, well, if—if you’d like you may also address me by my first name.”
“Really? Awesome!”
“I—um—I have a request to make of you… Shoyo,” he said.
“Oh sure—” his phone beeped in his pocket. “Oh, crap I forgot that I’m meeting up with Tsukishima for lunch! Here, let me give you my number. You can give me a call later. I’m so sorry, Wakatoshi-kun.” He frantically typed his number into Wakatoshi’s phone that he provided upon request.
“It’s quite alright, Shoyo,” he said. His shoulders loosened, relief washing over him. As Shoyo handed him his phone and jogged away with a wave, the relief receded, filling him instead with a dark pull of regret.
He stared down at his phone screen where Shoyo’s new contact laid open. He sighed and turned around, heading for the locker rooms.
That night, Wakatoshi found himself staring at the contact once more, his thumb hovering over the call button. He hesitated, but he didn’t know why. Despite how much he truly wanted to call Shoyo at that moment, he could not will his thumb to press down. He sighed, backing out to instead phone a friend.
“Well, hello! What's up in the world of my famous best friend?” Satori said through the speaker in a sing-song voice.
He sat up. “I have a predicament.”
Satori gasped. “Oh, now this has got to be interesting. Hold on a moment while I sit down.” Shuffling could be heard on his end. “Okay, now tell me all that ails you, Wakatoshi-kun.”
“I think—” he cut himself off, gathering his thoughts. “I believe that I may have feelings for Shoyo.” He pursed his lips tightly.
“The bouncy kid from Karasuno? Isn’t he in MSBY now?”
“Yes, that is the Shoyo I speak of.”
“Wow, Wakatoshi-kun, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show interest in anything that isn't volleyball. Well, I guess he would be volleyball related.” He snickered. “So, what do you need? Advice?”
“Very much so.”
Satori sighed softly. “So, are you sure that you like him?”
Wakatoshi shook his head to himself. “No, but Korai suggested that I ask him on a date when I looked at him during our practice match today. I nearly did, but he had to leave before I had the chance to ask.”
“Damn, that’s a shame.”
“He gave me his phone number and told me to call him.”
Satori sputtered into the microphone. “Then what are you doing talking to me?”
“As I said, I just need some advice as I have never done this before.” He rubbed his palm against his knee, trying to push away the anxiety he felt.
“Fair point. Alright, so let’s start from the top. Describe to me how you feel when you look at him.”
“I’m not sure. My heart rate became erratic when I looked at him after the match. I also became uncomfortably warm while speaking with him. And there was this—” he placed his hand over his chest. “There was an odd sensation in my chest.”
“Yep, you’re very likely into him, then.”
Wakatoshi nodded slowly, sinking down to place his elbows onto his knees. “So, what should I do?”
Satori giggled. “What Korai-kun said to do. Ask him out.”
“But how do I do that?” he asked, anxiously running a hand through his hair.
“Are there any cute little coffee places in your area?”
Wakatoshi closed his eyes. “Yes, there’s one a few blocks from here. Their iced coffee is wonderful.”
“Then ask him to get coffee with you,” he said simply. “If he asks why, you can be honest, or if you still just want to test the waters, you can tell him that you want to talk about volleyball stuff.”
“That seems dishonest.”
“Then tell him it’s a date.”
Wakatoshi frowned. “I suppose it would be best to spend time with him in a friendly way first. To test the waters, as you said.”
Satori laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I figured you’d say. So, is there anything else you need?”
“No, that was all. Thank you, Satori.”
“Of course, Wakatoshi-kun. Anytime. Well, I’m gonna head off now. You better call him as soon as I hang up, alright?”
“I will.”
“Good. Talk to you later, Wakatoshi-kun!”
“You as well, Satori.” He hung up and leaned back, plopping onto his back on the bed once more. He rubbed his face harshly. He pulled up Shoyo’s contact once again and resumed his staredown with the screen, his thumb still hanging above the call button.
Days later, Wakatoshi now stood in front of a small, cozy coffee shop, shifting back and forth on his feet. He checked his phone again, seeing no messages, and slid it back into his pocket. He exhaled sharply, patted his thighs and bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Wakatoshi-kun!” Shoyo greeted, waving from a short ways away from him.
Wakatoshi lit up, his body relaxing at the sight of him. He smiled softly and returned his wave. As Shoyo got closer, his cheeks grew to a soft pink. “Hello, Shoyo.”
“I hope you didn’t wait long,” he said apologetically. “The crosswalks weren’t very friendly today, I guess.”
“It is perfectly alright. I wasn’t waiting that long.”
Shoyo sighed. “Oh, thank goodness. Then, let’s go in.” He glanced at his cheeks. “Are you feeling alright? You look a bit flushed.”
“I am in perfect health.”
Shoyo shrugged. “That’s good, then.”
The two walked in and were greeted by an employee. Wakatoshi spoke with her and she fetched a man who turned out to be both the owner and an old friend of Wakatoshi’s father. They chatted for a bit before the owner led them both to a small booth away from others.
“This place is really nice,” Shoyo said. “Thank you for inviting me today. It’s always nice to get out on my days off.” He smiled brightly.
Wakatoshi’s breath hitched and he cleared his throat. “Yes, of course. Thank you for agreeing to come. Over the phone, you said that you’d like to ‘pick my brain’, so what did you wish to discuss?”
“You always speak so formally,” he said with a giggle. “I actually have a few questions. Can I start with a bit of a dumb one?”
“Nothing you ask me is dumb.”
Shoyo smiled. “You say that now. Okay, so I was wondering, have you ever tried spiking with your right hand? I know I’ve tried spiking with my left hand a couple of times out of curiosity and it was so weird.” He giggled. “And the one time I did hit the ball, it bounced off the net and right back into my face.”
Wakatoshi lips stretched into a small smile. “I have never tried that, no, but I may because you've mentioned it. I am curious as to what that would feel like.”
“I wonder if it would be as difficult to receive as one of your monster spikes,” Shoyo chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I can still feel my arms stinging from one the digs I did during our practice match.” He rubbed his forearm with a grimace.
“If it still hurts, you should consult your doctor.”
Shoyo laughed. “I was just kidding, Wakatoshi-kun.”
“Oh, I see.”
Shoyo propped his chin in his palm and looked Wakatoshi over. “How did you get so strong anyway?”
Wakatoshi blushed. “I have a very strict training regimen.”
Shoyo chuckled. “Well, I’d say it’s working out incredibly well for you.”
“Uh—thank you, Shoyo,” he said softly, his face becoming more red.
“So, why did you really invite me here today? I doubt it was purely to talk about volleyball.” He eyed him suspiciously.
Wakatoshi’s bush grew ever deeper. “Well I—you see—” he cleared his throat. “I just wanted a chance to talk with you without being sweaty or surrounded by all our teammates.”
“So you wanted to be all alone with me?”
“I did. I—I find you impressive, so I wanted to become closer with you.” He looked firmly at the table.
Shoyo giggled. “Y’know, this is really starting to sound like a date, Wakatoshi-kun.”
“That was my intention,” he said quietly. “Would you rather it not be?”
Shoyo blushed. “Oh, no! I mean, it can be a date if you want it to be.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
Wakatoshi looked up, his gaze moving down to Shoyo’s hand on the table. He hesitantly reached forward, covering it with his own. “I—I would like to meet up like this more often. Does that sound agreeable to you, Shoyo?”
Shoyo smiled and placed his free hand atop Wakatoshi’s, rubbing the top of his hand with his own thumb. “I think I’d like that.”
The two continued to chat, Wakatoshi losing up more and more. As they stood on the sidewalk to separate for the day, Wakatoshi turned to him.
“Since you said that it is alright to consider this a date, would it also be alright if I kissed you?”
Shoyo blushed, nodding quickly. “Sure, I—I’d like that.”
Wakatoshi nodded. He cupped Shoyo’s cheek gently and leaned down, pressing their lips together softly. He pulled away and smiled. “Thank you for today.”
“Yeah, sure, of course. Anytime,” Shoyo stuttered.
Wakatoshi turned and walked away. His head was spinning and his hands felt ready to melt from how much they were sweating.
Shoyo hummed as he walked home in a lovestruck daze, daydreaming of future coffee dates with a gentle giant.