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If you had asked Yamaguchi Tadashi ten years ago where he would be now, he probably would’ve said something along the lines of “hanging out with Tsukki”. He never would have imagined himself in the Hyogo Prefecture, standing in the kitchen surrounded by a pair of identical twins, their mothers and one of his best friends from high school. Tadashi was almost certain of his future ten years ago; he would end up dating a snarky blonde with glasses and an obsession with museums, owning a cat or two, working in a job he loved.
Being in love with Miya Osamu was never on the table, never a thought that considered crossing his mind. But here he was, cheeks flushed from laughter and hair being tousled by his boyfriend’s older brother (though Osamu was highly reluctant to admit that fact). It may have been one of the most unexpected twists in his entire life, you know, aside from his nomination to captain as a third year, but he was content and filled with love, and that was all that mattered to the green haired boy.
“Ya know, Yama-kun, ‘Samu has been talkin’ my ear off about teachin’ ya to make onigiri.” Atsumu spoke as a grin spread across his face. “Even Ma and Mom have been askin’ about meetin’ ya too.”
Osamu narrowed his eyes on his brother, hoping Tadashi would assume the warmth on his face was simply from the temperature of the house. “Shut your mouth, ‘Tsumu. I’ll kick ya across the backyard if ya say another word.”
Atsumu stuck his tongue out in response before tearing out of the kitchen, dragging a helpless ginger behind him. Shoyou waved goodbye to the couple as he stumbled behind his chaotic mess of a fiance. Tadashi looked towards the Miya moms before bursting out in laughter, the two women attempting to smother their laughs behind their hands. Osamu whined in response before crossing over to his boyfriend and placing his head on his shaking shoulder. He threaded a hand through the mop of grey hair in comfort as he shyly looked away from the smiles and wink tossed his way.
“We’re goin’ out to grab some groceries for the weekend, boys. Let us know if you two need anythin’, okay?” Himiko Miya, the shorter of the two women, spoke before grabbing her purse and leaving the kitchen.
Riku Miya, better known as ‘Ma’, pressed a kiss to both Tadashi and Osamu’s cheeks before following her wife into the hallway. The two women secured their jackets and scarves before venturing out into the chilly Japan weather. Osamu waved in response before pulling away, the sudden loss of body heat causing him to shiver. It was almost as if the frigid winds of winter had suddenly come into the house, wrapping themselves around his body tightly. He had never been more thankful to have a boyfriend who was the epitome of a human furnace than he was in the winter.
“So, what’s the plan now, Trouble Two?” Tadashi questioned, leaning his chin in his left hand as his right tapped out a pattern on the countertop. His eyes twinkled as the grey ones opposite of him twitched at the nickname. “I want a snack, will you cook for me?”
Osamu stared at the freckled boy for a moment, eyes roaming the face that he loved dearly. He smiled at the way Tadashi squirmed under his gaze before holding out his hand. “C’mere, I’ll teach ya how to make some onigiri.”
Tadashi crossed to the other side of the island before grabbing Osamu’s hand as he took in the ingredients in front of him; a bag of rice from the farm of Inarizaki’s former captain, various fillings including umeboshi and shrimp tempura and a stack of nori to hold it all together. He had never made onigiri before and had only ever had store bought ones before meeting Osamu (bless his heart for stashing them in Tadashi’s lunches). He had watched his boyfriend make batches early in the mornings at his shop but had never thought to ask to help him; he would be damned if he messed up food going to strangers.
“Are ya with me, ‘Dashi?” A large hand waved in front of the shorter boy as he blinked rapidly in response to his nickname.
“Mmm, sorry, yeah. I’ll go wash my hands and then we can start!”
Tadashi spun around and quickly but thoroughly washed his hands before drying them off with a soft kitchen towel. He had picked up the lengthy routine from Shoyou, who learned it from Atsumu who had learned it from Kiyoomi. He couldn’t help but mentally send his thanks to the grumpy wing spiker who would most likely find his way to the Miya house within the next few hours, accompanied by his loud mouthed, fellow former ace counterpart.
The pair walked through the process together, Osamu being patient and showing Tadashi how to prep, fill, form and finish the onigiri. He was careful not to lose his temper like he would when cooking with his brother, instead rewarding Tadashi with a soft kiss on his head rather than the arsenal of insults he had acquired over the years.
Tadashi’s tongue poked out between his lips as he intently focused on properly shaping the rice from a ball into a rounded triangle. He had managed to learn how to do so quickly with the umeboshi but the tails on the shrimp were giving him a minor headache.
He felt his body tense at the pair of hands that fell onto his shoulders, slowly beginning to rub calming circles. He stuttered in his movements, heading whipping to the side to look at the culprit. A soft smile had formed on Osamu’s face as he watched his boyfriend struggle to shape their afternoon snacks correctly. He had immediately picked up on the irritation as though it was his own; three years of dating the former Karasuno captain had taught him all of Tadashi’s tells, from the wrinkle between his eyebrows to the almost visible stress waves rolling off of his lean body.
“Relax, Tadashi,” Osamu mumbled, wrapping his arms around the slim waist of the frustrated boy. “Loosen your wrists a bit, you’re squeezin’ the livin’ daylights out of the rice.”
“Okay, right. Loosen my wrists.” Tadashi’s eyes widened before flickering towards the pair of larger, calloused hands now gripping his. He stumbled over his words as a small smile graced his lips. “Like- like this?”
Osamu grinned as he moved his face closer to the other boy’s, cheeks softly pressing against each other. “Exactly! You’re doin’ great, Tadashi-kun. So now, ya just wanna make sure that you’re not packin’ the rice too tightly.”
Tadashi finished shaping the onigiri before wrapping the small rectangle of nori around the base. He proudly held it up before turning his face towards Osamu, noses brushing each other at the close proximity. One would assume that after years of spending time intimately with each other, the couple would be used to being close and in each other’s personal bubbles. However, the warmth that grew on both of their faces was the most telltale sign that they would always be surprised; they would always find new ways to see each other in a different light, a new way to fall in love all over again.
“Can I kiss ya, Tadashi?” Osamu whispered, stone colored irises quickly being swallowed by dilated pupils. “I really wanna.”
Tadashi hummed his approval before leaning forward and pressing their lips together softly. He turned his body so that he was now flush against the taller boy as his lower back rested against the counter. Osamu’s hands wandered across and up his back before resting at the base of a pale and slender neck. He would never say it loud, but he was sure that he could get drunk off of the boy who had caught his attention across the net at Nationals. The way he stood on the sidelines analyzing every play, seeming to commit them to memory and file them away had cued Osamu into the fact that he was just as dedicated and hard working as his teammates on the court.
Osamu felt a pair of hands run through his hair that had been neatly tucked under a baseball cap. Said cap had been discarded on the floor and was long forgotten by the boys who lost themselves in each other. Tadashi tugged on the waves softly, earning himself a soft groan from the boy pinning him against the kitchen counter. He pulled away as his brain suddenly remembered where they were, immediately self-conscious of the feeling of eyes watching them.
Osamu sighed sadly at the loss of contact, chasing the soft lips that tasted like strawberry chapstick. “No, no, I wasn’t done. Come back.”
“The least ya could do is clean off the counter before ya start fuckin’ on it.”
Atsumu whined at the smack that landed on the back of his head, courtesy of the man beside him who glared in response. “Atsu, you can’t just say stuff like that! You probably embarrassed them!”
“Excuse me, Tropicana, but it was your idea to come in here and then suddenly stop and watch them!” He countered, punctuating each word with a poke to the ginger’s chest. “Don’t even push the blame on me, Sho.”
“Ugh, you’re so embarrassing. I don’t even know what I see in you half the time.” Shoyou responded, the look of disdain on his face not matching the affectionate tone of his words.
Tadashi cleared his throat before gently pushing Osamu away, painfully aware of the large muscles underneath his hands. He felt something squishy in between his fingers before he realized the now broken onigiri still in his grip. His eyes wandered up to Osamu’s hair before he choked on his spit at the pieces of rice and fried shrimp sticking out. Atsumu and Shoyou began cackling loudly as they realized as well, the younger twin still unaware of what they were laughing at.
“Spit it out, ya scrubs!” He yelled, running a hand through his hair before putting on his hat. He paused for a moment before bringing his hand down to sniff at it. “Oh.”
“Sorry, Osamu! I didn’t mean to!” Tadashi responded, tongue twisting around the words as he frantically smacked away the stray pieces of food. “I guess I forgot it was in my hands and then you kissed me and I just-”
“Christ, Yamaguchi, how much damage did you do?” His best friend wheezed, hand pressed to his stomach to ease the pain. “I didn’t realize you were that much of a freak.”
Tadashi’s mouth dropped open at the brazen words that had left Shoyou’s mouth as a hand tugged him out of the kitchen. He could briefly hear the two they had left behind howling with laughter in the kitchen before the doorbell rang. Osamu was muttering something under his breath along the lines of his brother and Shoyou being “absolute fuckin’ idiots”.
“Hey, slow down. I’m sorry, okay?” Tadashi suddenly spoke, dragging his feet to stop the path of his boyfriend. “I’ll wash your hair out, okay?”
“I’m not mad, ‘Dashi, why would you think that?”
Osamu suddenly spun on his heel before caging the other boy between his arms. Tadashi gulped before answering, attempting to ignore the racing of his heart and the grin that had cracked across his boyfriend’s face.
“Well, you were yelling in there. And then you grabbed me and were dragging me away-”
“I would never hurt ya or be mad at ya, I promise .” Osamu pressed his forehead against Tadashi’s as he silenced the other boy, voice lowering to a whisper as he spoke again. “I just wanted to be alone with ya.”
Tadashi quirked his eyebrow in question at the sudden brush of hardness against his thigh. “Can’t get enough of me, hmm, Miya?”
“I’ll make you eat your words, shortcake.” A predatory look formed on Osamu’s face as Tadashi’s hands began to wander up his chest. “After I eat you, of course.”
Osamu quickly picked up the smaller boy before flinging him over his shoulder and marching up the stairs. He was sure their guests could wait a bit longer before eating dinner, giving him enough time to make his boyfriend lose his snarky attitude. Although, he wasn’t necessarily opposed to Tadashi’s brattiness in some ways.
“You’re a big old caveman, Miya Osamu. Treating me like a damn dead animal you just caught.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Osamu grinned as he tossed the lanky boy onto his bed. “Just let me teach ya a few other things, okay?”
Tadashi silently cursed himself for being weak in the knees for a man , knowing Hitoka would be extremely disappointed in him after years of “coaching”. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind as he focused his attention on the mop of grey hair that was moving further down the bed and away from his face.
Maybe men aren’t so bad.