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Some things are fact, simply being the way they are without reason needed. The sun rose each morning, the pavement was cold and hard, and Takenaka Momozou was not a romantic. Really, you weren’t! Despite going to the same school for 3 years, you’ve never really showed interest in anyone else, besides a few exceptions. So when you bump into none other than Kageyama Ritsu, who’s really been a damn thorn in your side about skipping your classes, you definitely don’t freak out about how close your faces had been. And you certainly don’t crank your music a bit louder than the recommended volume as you mumble a small “Sorry,” as you turn to walk away, ignoring the voice urging you to wait coming from behind. Definitely not.
By the time you make it back home, your heart’s stopped racing, but you’re still too embarrassed to say a word as you drag yourself to your room. Mindlessly humming the tune of whatever song was currently playing, a nervous habit you’ve picked up from who knows where, you pull out whatever homework you’d been assigned earlier in the day. Even if your attendance was lacking, you always kept your grades above average. Besides, it was sure to keep your mind off things… right? Staring at your open workbook, you can’t seem to focus at all. Instead, your brain seems keen on zoning out, focusing on how you totally fumbled that… whatever earlier was supposed to be.
The whole ordeal was really less than five minutes, but you can’t seem to stop fucking thinking. Surrounded by everyone else’s thoughts, you never get the opportunity to get lost in your own head like this. But your bookwork is long forgotten as your brain hyper-focuses on the overwhelming embarrassment you felt, the way you silently helped Ritsu collect his things. You wonder if he heard your apology, curt and quiet as it was. You wonder if he’s annoyed at you; for whatever reason, that particular thought really bothers you. You wonder what he was saying to you as you walked-and-did-not-run away.
As if on cue, your phone vibrates in your pocket, forceful enough to snap you out of your daze. Pulling it out of your pocket, the screen immediately flashes the caller ID. It’s an unknown number, and you half consider just letting it ring, but something hopeful in you tells you to just pick it up. You accept the call, putting your phone on speaker and laying it on the table as you rest your chin in your palm. It only takes half a second before a smooth, familiar voice fills the room. “Uhm… hello?” the caller says. You’re certain you aren’t hearing right. Maybe you really should quit blasting your music at all hours of the day. “Takenaka-senpai?”
Nope, it’s definitely him. For a moment you’re too shocked to form any sort of coherent thoughts, but you come to your senses quick enough to realize you really shouldn’t just leave him hanging. “Oh, um, hi Kageyama-kun,” you clear your throat awkwardly. “Sorry, I’m here,” You hear a relieved sigh come from the other side. Or at least, you’re hoping it’s relief, and not annoyance. “Thank goodness, I thought I lost you…”
Ritsu pauses, and you can slightly hear shuffling on his end. You let out a nervous breath you didn’t realize you were holding. “Sorry, uh, where was I…” Another pause. You can almost seeRitsu tugging at the collar of his shirt through the phone. “Right! You dropped your student ID when you bumped into me earlier.” You want to slam your head into the table.
“I was going to ask where you got my number,” you mumble, hoping your exasperation doesn’t show through your voice. Ritsu chuckles lightly, short and quiet. “Yeah, I was wondering if you were going to ask. But, uh, I can give it to you tomorrow at the gates if you’d like. Or we could meet somewhere tonight, if that’s easier!” The last part came out as a squeak, but you still managed to hear it. You consider both options carefully. Meeting up tomorrow would probably be easiest, and you don’t really feel like leaving the house now- you let out a hum so Ritsu knows you’re still there. On the contrary, you’d likely forget about it by the morning, especially with everyone’s thoughts clouding your own. And despite how on-point Ritsu seems about everything he involves himself in, there’s always the risk he’ll forget to bring it, or even worse, lose it altogether.
You decide you’d rather not risk it. “D’you think we could meet somewhere now?” you say, glancing at the time. You wince as you realize it’s nearly 7pm. “How about that new ramen spot? It’s getting late, so I could buy you dinner, or something,” you add quickly. You grab your wallet, checking to make sure you actually have enough money to buy food for the both of you. You decide to completely ignore the fact it sounds like you just asked Ritsu on a date. “Oh, uhm, sure,” You can’t help but notice the way Ritsu stumbles over his words. More shuffling comes from his end of the phone before he speaks again. “Sure. I’ll be there in 10,” he says smoothly, contrasting his previous statement. You grab your windbreaker and your earbuds. “Alright, I’ll see you there.”
You hang up without saying bye, simply wanting to get this over with. Your mom said she wouldn’t be home until late, but you leave a note explaining your whereabouts just in case. You stuff your house keys in your pocket and step out of the door. The cool air hits your face, making you shudder a bit, but you shake it off. You’ve had worse weather during tennis warm-ups. You unpause your music as you head from your apartment to the ground floor, letting your body guide you through the street. You fully immerse yourself and your thoughts into the song’s lyrics, and without thinking, you begin to quietly hum the tune.
It’s a short walk from your apartment to the agreed meetup spot, but Ritsu somehow makes it there before you. Your anxiety spikes upon seeing him, the feeling of being flustered from earlier rising like bile in your throat. “Hey, Kageyama-kun. I didn’t keep you waiting too long, did I?” you’re not sure why you’re having such a hard time keeping your voice steady, but you hope he doesn’t notice. Ritsu simply shakes his head, holding the door open for you to come inside. “No, don’t worry about it. I just got here right before you.” Your nerves relax a little as you step into the restaurant, allowing the warm atmosphere and enticing scents to wash over you. Ritsu nearly seems to glow under the soft yellow lighting. You both sit on opposite sides of the booth.
Even as hungry as you are, you can hardly focus on picking something to eat. You opt to hide your face behind the menu and stare at Ritsu instead. His brows are knitted together, eyes squinted, clearly deep in thought. You can slightly hear his thought process, mentally reading out each option in the back of your mind. You take a minute to admire the fact Ritsu really is very pretty. You weren’t sure you understood before, why he was so popular and everyone seemed to talk about him, but sitting here right in front of him you really think you’re starting to get it.
You sigh, turning your attention back to the menu options. You could really go for some roast beef right about now… “Oi, it’s Ritsu!” a stranger’s voice catches your attention immediately. You look up to see someone oddly familiar, but you can’t seem to put a name to his face. The ginger haired boy seems to have just noticed you were sitting there too, his mouth forming an “O”. “Oh, and Takenaka too!” he pauses, seeming to think for a moment before his face lights up. He turns back to Ritsu excitedly. “Ohh, I get it! You two on a date or somethin’?” he blurts. Ritsu nearly spits out his water. Wait, when did Ritsu get water? “Shou!!” the ravenette chokes out. Shou’s face deepens again. “I guess that’s not it, then… anyways! Are you two ready to order or what?”
You’re hardly paying attention as you both give Shou your orders, too embarrassed to say anything else after that. After Shou leaves, you put your head into your hands and groan. Maybe you should’ve waited until tomorrow after all. You hear the idea before it’s put into action, letting Ritsu scoot into your side of the booth. “I’m sorry about him, really,” Ritsu’s voice is barely above a whisper, but your music’s been paused for a while now. “Besides, I still have your ID,” he nudges your arm for you to take it. You sigh amusedly. “Thanks for going out of your way.” Ritsu giggles a bit in response. “I should be the one saying that.”
You see the opportunity to snark back, hear it in the way Ritsu tells you, so you take it. “Yeah, actually, you should be the one saying that! I’m buying you dinner, after all.” Ritsu laughs as he nuzzles into your shoulder, before going back to his side of the table. “Oh, shut up.” Eventually, your food comes around, and god, are you hungry. As the two of you are left alone, you sigh contentedly at the smell of ramen. You lazily clap your hands together in a small thanks, eager to finally eat. “What didja get?” Ritsu hums. “Roast beef,” you’re a bit sheepish admitting to getting something so basic. “What about you?” Ritsu huffs. “Man, Takenaka-senpai, you’re making me feel like I went over the top now… it’s spicy curry…”
You see the opportunity to snark back, hear it in the way Ritsu talks to you, so you take it. “Yeah, actually, you should be the one saying that! I’m buying you dinner, after all.” Ritsu laughs as he nuzzles into your shoulder, before going back to his side of the table. “Oh, shut up.” Eventually, your food comes around, and god, are you hungry. As the two of you are left alone, you sigh contentedly at the smell of ramen. You lazily clap your hands together in a small thanks, eager to finally eat. “What didja get?” Ritsu hums. “Roast beef,” you’re a bit sheepish admitting to getting something so basic. “What about you?” Ritsu huffs. “Jeez, Takenaka-senpai, you’re making me feel like I went over the top now… it’s spicy curry…” he laughs quietly. Huh. You guess it makes sense, Ritsu always seemed like the spicy type. “Uhm… do you, uh, y’know…” he awkwardly clears his throat. “You want a bite?”
That stuns you into silence, only being able to blink as you process the words. “I-I mean, uhm, you can just forget I said anything… you looked interested, is all. Sorry.” Ritsu sounds embarrassed now. You still haven’t fully registered what’s going on as you reply. “I mean, sure. I’ll have a bite.” Now it’s Ritsu’s turn to be shocked, eyes wide and cheeks flushed pink. You think it’s a good look for him. He silently slides his ramen bowl closer to your side of the table, intent on looking anywhere but you as you take a generous bite. You slide the bowl back over. It’s not half bad, decently spicy, but not so much it’s unbearable. It’s unsurprisingly very Ritsu-like.
The rest of your meal carries on in undisturbed silence, besides the occasional check-in from Shou, the tense awkwardness melting as the minutes passed. Your student ID is safe in your pocket, to-go box secured, and on top of it all you’re headache free! Shou does give you a suspicious side eye when you tell him you’ll be paying for Ritsu as well as yourself, though. As you’re preparing to say your goodbyes and head home, Ritsu tugs your sleeve. “Y’know, I know this is gonna sound really random, but it’s seriously been bothering me,” he begins. You tip your head to the side, making a noise of acknowledgement for him to go on. “Uh, the song you were humming this afternoon, what’s it called? I feel like I know it from somewhere…” He thinks for a couple of seconds before giving up. “It goes something like this, I think.”
Ritsu begins to hum the same song you were when you bumped into him after leaving school, note for note. Your cheeks flush a little at the recent memory, as well as the realization you also don’t remember the name of the song. You pull out your phone, quickly scrolling through your playlist. “Uhm, let me see if I can find it,” you respond, distracted. You keep scrolling until you find one whose title seems familiar enough. You pull out one of your earbuds, hastily wiping it on your windbreaker. “Here, Kageyama-kun,” you hold it out to Ritsu, who snaps out of his daze to accept it. You begin playing the song, Ritsu’s eyes nearly sparkling as the rest of his face lights up. You can’t help but smile a little. “That’s definitely the one,” he whisper-sighs, closing his eyes. Ritsu begins to hum the melody.
Something in your heart flutters at the sight. The sight of Ritsu with your earbud in, the sight of Ritsu swaying ever so slightly side-to-side, the sight of Ritsu, Ritsu, Ritsu. You can hear him humming softly, even over the sound of the song itself. It’s getting late, the sun having left long ago, and you know you really should get going, but your body refuses to move. Time seems to slow down, just for the two of you, as you stare at Ritsu. You can’t help your smile increasing, how it takes all your effort not to step closer. But even all your willpower and then some isn’t enough as you find yourself at the shorter’s side, humming right alongside him. You slide an arm around his side, pulling him in close as he leans into your shoulder. “Momo- is it alright if I call you that?” You look over at Ritsu, stunned, but he keeps going before you can respond. “We should really do this more often,” his eyes are sparkling under the streetlights, cheeks flushed from the cool night breeze, a lazy grin on his face. You can feel your heart doing gymnastics in your throat, choking down any possible response.
Ritsu’s expression fades as soon as it came, though, and he looks back down at his feet. “Nevermind,” he mutters, clearly embarrassed. “Forget I said anything.” He starts turning away, but you tug him flush against your side. When he still doesn’t look back up at you, you lean down into his ear so he can still hear you over the music still playing. “If that’s the case, do you mind if I call you Ritsu?” That definitely catches his attention. You smile gently at him, smiling in general revealing itself to be a common theme throughout tonight. Time stops completely as Ritsu wordlessly reaches his hand up to cup your cheek.
For a few seconds you can’t tell if your cheek is burning up or if his hand is just impossibly cold, until the two sensations meld into one. All you can hear is the way your breath hitches as Ritsu leans in, before he suddenly pulls back again. You catch a small apology, not unlike the one you gave earlier in the day. You can’t help but giggle a little. Despite his calm and collected demeanor, Ritsu’s real confidence seems to come and go in short bursts. “It’s alright,” you hum softly, loosening your hold on him. “We don’t have to rush anything.” Ritsu sheepishly turns to your once more. “I know, but…” he trails off. The words “I want you” go unspoken, but you still hear them regardless. Neither of you acknowledge it.
Instead, you hold onto Ritsu’s side, albeit lighter than before, turning up your music as you guide Ritsu on the way back to your apartment. “Uh, Momozou, my house is in the other direction.” Ritsu deadpans. You roll your eyes, not slowing your pace. “No shit, Sherlock. I’m taking you back to my place. Your parents will understand… probably.” Ritsu doesn’t say anything else after that. You turn your music up just a bit higher, immersing yourself in the melody completely. You hear Ritsu begin to hum once more, his steps fine tuned to yours. The walk back home seems much shorter than the initial one there. You decide to join in on Ritsu’s mini-concert, watching moths flit near streetlights as you pass by. You wonder briefly if that’s what being around Ritsu is like for you. You yawn as you unlock the door to your apartment, the shorter boy right behind you.
Besides yourself, he’s the only set of thoughts you can hear, meaning you got back home before your mom. You suppose she really isworking late these days. You wonder if she’d notice if you ran away or something. You can’t say for sure if she’d even care. You put both yours and Ritsu’s food in the fridge, making sure to trash the note you made along the way. “If it’s stressing you out that much, the phone is in the corner,” you call out to Ritsu, who’s sat down on the couch, fidgeting. “Let me know when you’re getting ready for the night, I’ll get spare clothes for you. All the way down the hall to the left, don’t come in without knocking.” You hear a distant “’Kay,” as you head into your room, shutting the door behind you, pausing the music as well. You quickly grab a spare set of clothes for Ritsu. You can hear muffled conversation down the hall, hearing everything Ritsu’s going to say in his thoughts before he says it out loud.
Eventually, there’s a knock on the door. You get up to let him in, half asleep. You hand him his clothes as he walks in, flopping down on your futon. You close your eyes, letting the quiet hum of Ritsu’s thoughts flood your senses. You aren’t listening to any one thing in particular, just letting your body relax as settle down for the night. You only open your eyes again when you hear Ritsu sit on the spare futon you’ve laid beside you. You flip over on your stomach to look at him, just to find him staring right back at you. “Thank you, for this,” Ritsu gestures around vaguely, but you understand what he means. It’s been a while since you had company over, so you’re severely out of your element here. “No problem,” you murmur. Ritsu fishes in his pocket momentarily, pulling out your earbud. “One last time?” he giggles nervously. And who are you to say no to that?
Your phone illuminates the entire room as you scroll, looking for the song from earlier. You hear Ritsu shuffling closer beside you, resting his head on your shoulder when the music starts playing. Rolling onto your side, you pull Ritsu into a hug. Already having committed the tune to memory, the other boy lazily throws an arm over you, humming into your shoulder. In this moment, it’s as if no one else in the world exists. All you can hear is Ritsu humming to the music, your breaths perfectly synced. If it was up to you, you’d stay right here with Ritsu in your arms forever. But it isn’t, so you opt to hum alongside the shorter instead. It’s only a few minutes before the end of the song draws close, Ritsu adding his own little riff to the final few notes. He smiles into your shoulder. And it was so cliché, so tacky, you couldn’t help but laugh.