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Semi Eita comes to Shiratorizawa with large, hopeful eyes and even larger aspirations. His dreams are sewn onto his sleeve for the whole volleyball team to see, glittering and unbroken and pure. He comes as the top setter from his middle school, renowned for his skills.
He’s no different from the rest of the first years.
There’s Ohira Reon, a wing spiker who’s the most grounded person Semi has ever met. He’s steady and sure, even as a first year. Reon forms bonds with the rest of the team easily, the first of them to talk to Ushijima genuinely and not place him on an unreachable pedestal.
Yamagata Hayato is a libero whom Semi recognizes from middle school. They’ve played against one another before, and even then Yamagata was impressive. He has a tendency to forget things though, always leaving his phone in some place or the other.
Tendou Satori is the first year with a slightly lopsided grin and spiky red hair. He’s a middle blocker, loud and almost obnoxious in practices whenever he successfully blocks a spike. When Tendou first looks up at Semi he does so slowly; the wicked grin that slowly spreads across his face is almost sinister before his eyes disappear into small crescents.
And then there’s Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Semi watches his play with a mixture of fascination and jealously. Even outside the court, from what Semi can see, Ushijima’s eyebrows are always furrowed in a look of incredible concentration. They all love volleyball (every last one of them, it’s why they all came to Shiratorizawa after all) but Ushijima wins the gold medal by far. His dedication is as deadly as his spikes. Semi can’t help but be awed by the way the ball whizzes through the air, hissing before it slams down on the other side of the court with a loud bang.
Ushijima is the only of them to become a regular instantaneously. Semi watches the way the coach nods to himself approvingly, writing notes on his clipboard as he watches Ushijima practice with the other first years and benchwarmers. Semi’s chest flares with jealously as he watches Ushijima get pulled to the side. He steals a glance at the other first years– Reon’s face is as impassive as always, and Tendou has a smile dancing upon his lips. Yamagata is stooped over the ground, patting the floor in an attempt to find his phone.
They’re all the same, the five of them. They’re all at Shiratorizawa because of their love for volleyball, their hopes of becoming the best (except maybe Tendou– the redhead is a complete enigma). Semi isn’t delusional, he knows he still has a long way to go and then some until he can even hope of becoming a regular. But he’s just a first year, filled with innocent dreams of grandeur that still haven’t shattered in the face of reality.
Through hard work (and a tiny bit of luck), Semi manages to become one of substitute servers towards the end of his first year. He’s the last of the four of them to play in official games, Tendou and Reon already having played intermittently for a solid two months. Yamagata begins to substitute when the third year libero falls sick. Reon welcomes him with a clasp on his back as Semi jogs up to him during a game. Ushijima gives him a small nod, and Semi can’t help the grin that forms on his face in response.
Tendou smirks, and if Semi hadn’t been his teammate for the past year he might have mistakened it for a contemptuous one. Semi smirks back at Tendou as the middle blocker walks up to the court.
“Look who finally joined the party,” Tendou laughs in his ear after the game. His hands are hot on Semi’s shoulder, and Semi is still high on the rush of adrenaline from playing in an actual match.
“Slow and steady wins the race,” he shoots back.
“No,” Tendou shakes his head as his arm slides comfortably around Semi’s shoulders, “Slow and steady can’t block the other team’s spikes and ends up losing.”
Semi rolls his eyes, shouldering him. Tendou lets out a small oomf, detaching his hand to rub his shoulder in mock hurt. Semi uses this opportunity to move away from Tendou’s side, offering the other boy a small shrug and grin before he races off to the bus to join the rest of the team.
His shoulders are still warm from where Tendou placed his hands long after they get to school.
After his first official match, Semi works his way up to becoming one of the regulars on the team. Coach Washijou begins removing him from practice with the non-regulars more and more often, allowing him to work with Ushijima more and more.
(That’s the thing about Shiratorizawa. In the end they’re only here to make sure that Ushijima shines as bright as possible).
There’s an exhilarating feeling that comes with working with the regular team. Every time Semi sets the ball, whether it be for Ushijima, Reon, or Tendou, he can feel the nervous excitement stir within his chest as he channels all his power throughout his fingertips. With the rest of the team he feels like he’s on top of the world, invincible and undefeatable.
“Someone’s happy,” Tendou remarks as they jog up the hill, interrupting Semi’s thoughts.
“Yeah, and?” Semi retorts.
“You look weird when you smile,” Tendou miffs, wrinkling his nose. “Your eyebrows come together like this,” Tendou makes a face, “and it makes you look super funny.”
Semi isn’t sure how affronted he should feel. “Well, you look strange whenever you’re reading that manga of yours. You always make this sort of face,” he tells Tendou as he draws his lips together in a bad imitation of the other boy.
He doesn’t actually think Tendou looks weird when he reads manga, but it’s familiar territory. Banter has been something that’s always existed between them, ever since Tendou had commented on his eyebrows after practice that first day in the locker room.
“That’s because it’s interesting, Eita,” Tendou shoots back with a grimace. “At least I like something, unlike you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demands, ignoring the burn in his chest as he runs up the top of the hill.
“It means that–”
“If you guys are still bickering by the time we get back to the academy, Coach Washijou is going to make you two do extra laps,” Reon reprimands sternly as he jogs past them, chest heaving with effort.
That shuts them both up. Semi sneaks a glance at Tendou, who offers him a cheeky smile.
As they begin a silent competition to see who can get back the fastest, Semi grins back.
Unfortunately, Coach Washijou’s small proclination towards Semi doesn’t last too long. (It was bound to happen anyway, it was really only a matter of when).
They're at a practice match with one of the nearby colleges and Semi can feel the energy thrumming through his body as he steps into the gymnasium. Beside him, Tendou is vibrating as well with a large smile on his face. Semi wiggles his fingers and his breath shortens.
Tendou leans in towards him and he cups his fingers around Semi's ears. The loud roar from the stands almost drowns out what Tendou says.
Semi scoffs at the other boy, making sure to shove his shoulders when they're huddled around Coach Washijou. Tendou shoves back, and Semi's heartbeat slows down to something a bit more bearable.
The match starts off like a regular match. Meaning that nine out of ten times, they toss to Ushijima. Semi doesn't mind tossing to his fellow teammate so often, but he finds that there are flaws in Coach Washijou's philosophy. Ushijima's chest is heaving, his eyebrows drawn together even more than usual. There's an immense kind of pressure that it creates, not only for Ushijima, but for the whole team as well.
Semi forces himself to calm down as the ball comes traveling towards him. It looms over his head, like a dark shadow, and he evaluates his options as the ball comes closer and closer.
There's Ushijima, and then the two third years. If he tosses to Ushijima, chances are that the first year will be able to spike down the ball, no problem. But, the other team's defense has been following Ushijima since the start of the game, and their middle blocker is unnaturally agile. If Semi tosses to one of the third years, the other team might be caught off-guard, giving them the chance to score.
The ball speeds towards him, and Semi makes his choice.
He tosses the ball to the third year on the left, only for the third year's spike to get shut out completely.
Their team is far from losing, yet when the ball drops to the floor it feels like they have.
"You're supposed to toss to Ushijima," Coach Washijou shouts from his chair.
Semi grits his teeth and balls his hands into fists. He can feel the anger curling like tendrils in the pit of his stomach. Slowly, he lifts his head and looks Coach Washijou in the eye. His arms are crossed, face drawn into an ugly snarl and Semi can make out all the wrinkles on his forehead. The anger only bubbles up into his chest and up the back of his throat, leaving a bitter taste through his mouth.
They end up losing the practice match.
For the entire run back to school, Semi can feel the anger stirring within his whole body. He's shaking as he begins to jog.
"It's–" Reon begins but Semi doesn't hear the rest of it.
"Just leave me alone," He spits, sprinting away from the rest of the first years. Reon's eyes are wide with shock, and if Semi weren't so angry he might have made a joke about this being the first time Reon's face isn't stony.
Ushijima passes by him, running to the front of the group as usual. In that moment their eyes meet, Semi isn't sure who he's mad at anymore.
As the team begins to separate into groups, the footsteps behind Semi become louder. Semi turns around and nearly trips over himself.
“What are you doing?” he sputters, narrowing his eyes at Tendou.
“Running,” Tendou snickers, complete with a full set of teeth.
“You know what I mean,” Semi snaps, anger flaring.
Tendou hums to himself, offering Semi a cheeky grin. “I always run besides you. People like us should stick together,” Tendou practically coos, and Semi’s cheeks burn. He isn’t sure if he should be taking Tendou seriously or not.
“You aren’t the only one who takes risks,” The middle blocker tells him. The words are oddly comforting, and the rage doesn’t burn as hotly as it did a moment ago.
“Except not everyone is a freak of nature like you,” Semi mutters underneath his breath.
Tendou’s eyes light up at the opening for easy banter, and Semi suppresses the small smile forming on his face a moment too late.
Things with Tendou only snowball from there. When the school term ends, Semi still finds himself seeing Tendou’s face every day. Mainly because of Shiratorizawa’s ridiculous volleyball practice schedule, but it’s not just at practice, it’s outside of it too.
He’s leaning against the locker room, waiting for Tendou to finish changing so they can leave. Tendou, however, is taking his sweet time just because he knows it annoys the hell out of Semi.
“Eita and I are going to go to the bookstore after practice, do you want to come?” Tendou asks Reon.
“I didn’t agree to go to the bookstore with you,” Semi says, standing up abruptly. He feels annoyed, for reasons he can’t quite explain.
“Eita, would you like to go to the bookstore with me after practice?” Tendou asks, fluttering his eyelashes.
“No,” he deadpans, mouth twitching. There’s nothing funnier than when Tendou attempts to look innocent.
Tendou makes a face. “You’re no fun,” he scoffs. “I wanted to go buy some manga”
“Exactly why I didn’t want to go with you,” Semi shoots back and Reon lets out a sigh. “Besides, who would want to go with someone as uncool as you?”
“Reon will go with me, right?” Tendou asks hopefully as he looks at Reon with wide eyes.
“I have to go home and help my mom with something,” Reon mutters apologetically and Tendou instantly deflates.
Semi feels himself breathe a sigh of relief. (He has no idea why. There hadn’t been any logical reason for the tightness in his chest right before Reon answered). He reaches for his gym bag on the bench, slinging it over his back before leaning back against the lockers once more. “See?” he smirks at Tendou.
Tendou scowls, turning around to Ushijima who conveniently comes into their locker row at that moment. “Say, Wakatoshi, do you want to come with us to the bookstore to look at manga?” Tendou asks, flashing him a bright smile.
Ushijima reaches for a towel in his bag to wipe his face. “I’m not into manga.” He replies tonelessly.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t come along,” Tendou exclaims, throwing his arms out. “You live such a boring life, Wakatoshi, you need more things to brighten it up.”
Semi looks at Reon before raising an eyebrow at the other boy. “And these ‘things’ include manga?”
“Yes, they do,” Tendou sniffs. “So, Wakatoshi?”
Semi can feel the irritation building up inside of him once more. “It’s obvious that Ushijima wants to do something else,” he steps in, barely holding back the displeasure lacing his voice.
This is how Semi finds himself walking with Tendou to the nearby bookstore five minutes later. He has his hands stuffed in his pockets and gym bag slung over his back while Tendou is bouncing up and down beside him.
“You look uncool in regular clothes,” Tendou comments as they near the street. His bag bumps into Semi’s.
Semi pauses mid step, cheeks blazing, before he manages to compose himself. “What does that have to do with anything?” he demands.
“Oh nothing,” Tendou replies breezily as he continues to walk, practically strutting. “I just can’t believe I got stuck with such an ugly looking teammate to buy manga with.”
By this point, Semi’s entire body is on fire, but not from anger. He gapes at Tendou, mind scrambling for something to say back, anything to wipe the gleeful smirk off Tendou’s face.
On impulse, Semi reaches for Tendou’s head. He tugs the other boy towards him by yanking his hair, causing Tendou to let out a small howl.
“That hurts,” Tendou whines as Semi continues to hold his hair with an iron grip. Semi looks at Tendou’s face, the way his lips are drawn together. His eyes are sparkling with mischief, and Semi flushes once more.
Semi brings Tendou towards him, crashing their lips together. The kiss is messy, their foreheads end up bashing against one another and Semi is certain that he just chipped a tooth. Tendou is just as aggressive, biting on Semi’s lip and reaching up for his hair as well. He pulls, and Semi ignores the way the way his hair feels as though it’s about to be yanked out.
When they finally separate (via Semi reaching up for Tendou’s red hair once more) Tendou’s lips are red and bruised and his chest is heaving. Semi is sure that he looks just as bad and he regretfully takes his hand off of Tendou’s cheek.
Well it did shut him up, he muses to himself as they continue to stand together, panting. Tendou looks up at him, and the sly grin is slowly creeping back up his face and his eyes glint.
Semi pulls Tendou’s face in towards his once more, and presses his lips against the middle blocker’s, hard. Tendou’s mouth opens in surprise and Semi makes sure to kiss him as thoroughly as he can. (Sloppily, too– it’s his first kiss, after all. But Tendou doesn’t need to know that). He pulls back just as he feels Tendou’s hand begin to move on his lower back.
Quickly untangling himself from Tendou’s grasp, Semi licks his lips as he turns and continues to walk towards the bookstore. It takes a good thirty seconds before Tendou finally catches up.
“Hey, wait for me,” Tendou shouts as he scampers after him, mouth still hanging open. Semi ignores him, smirking to himself as he continues to walk.
And if he starts tugging on the sleeves of his jacket when Tendou is finally walking by his side again, Tendou says nothing.
However, all good things come to an end. Semi’s comes in the form of first year setter Shirabu Kenjirou.
Shirabu is intelligent, ridiculously so. Semi hears the whispers among the volleyball team when the new school year starts. He got into Shiratorizawa not through recruitment, but through the entrance exam.
(“Smarter than you,” he remarks snidely as Tendou as he sets his tray by the other boy’s during lunch. Shirabu’s lunch tray is balanced precariously on his books as his head swivels around for a seat in the cafeteria. His eyes lock on Semi’s and he begins walking. Semi’s stomach drops.
“Maybe if you tutored me I’d be smarter,” Tendou retorts easily, stealing some of Semi’s rice. He looks Semi in the eyes as he eats, daring him to challenge him.
They both know how a study session between them would end up. It’d end up with their books left open on the table, loose sheets of paper strewn all around the floor besides them.
“As if,” Semi snorts, ignoring the fact that Shirabu is getting closer and closer.
“You never know until you try,” Tendou flashes him a wicked grin. Semi grins back, and maybe he should take up Tendou on his offer one day. The thought of Tendou’s bruised lips, flushed cheeks, and ruined hair becomes more and more appealing every second).
Not only is Shirabu intelligent, but he’s also a good setter. Just like Semi, he was renowned in middle school for his setting capabilities. Semi watches the way Coach Washijou slowly begins nodding to himself as Shirabu practices setting with Ushijima. (All the setters are required to practice with Ushijima, no matter if they’re a starter or not. They’ve all been required to do so since Ushijima came).
He bounces the volleyball on the court with more force than usual. Reon passes by and gives him a consoling look. Semi attempts not to seethe, but fails spectacularly.
“Someone’s angry,” Tendou whispers into his ear behind him. Without even looking at the middle blocker, Semi knows that his face is drawn into a small leer. Semi’s elbow twitches, and it’s not his fault if Tendou is unable to play for the next ten minutes.
The first time Semi gets pulled out of a game (and replaced by Shirabu) is during a practice match against one of the colleges. One moment the ball is leaving his fingertips as he sets to Tendou, the next he’s walking off of court with his fists clenched and knuckles white.
Shirabu looks at him coolly as he walks on court and Semi refuses to give the younger the satisfaction of seeing him explode.
He stands in the warm-up area, arms shaking. The first year next to him takes one look at him, eyes widening in fear, before scampering off to join the other first years. Semi lets out a shaky exhale, crossing his arms to hide the way his body is quivering. He spends the rest of the match watching Shirabu play (analyzing and criticizing all his plays as he stands hopelessly from the sidelines).
“You need to calm down,” Tendou croons as he draws Semi towards him after practice. The two of them are in the locker room, not entirely alone. There's the rest of the team changing out of their practice clothes, as well as Ushijima, Yamagata, and Reon. The three of them have long given up Tendou and Semi's locker room antics and have developed an amazing blind eye.
Tendou wraps his hand around Semi’s neck, fingers carding through the small strands at the nape of Semi’s neck. He nuzzles his cheeks, pressing small kisses down his neck.
“And you need to leave me alone,” Semi says, pulling down on the hem of his shirt. He squirms in Tendou’s grasp, reaching up to extricate himself from the other boy's grasp.
The middle blocker pouts at him, widening his eyes and Semi ignores the small tug on his heart. He still ends up waiting for Tendou to finish changing, though, and accompanies him to the bookstore afterwards.
Not a week later, Semi ends up getting replaced by Shirabu.
It isn't the first time it's happened, but his anger has been on a low simmer for the entire week ever since Coach Washijou first substituted him.
He grits his teeth as he walks off court, not looking at Shirabu as he goes. Shirabu fits into Shiratorizawa easily– meaning nine point five times out of ten, he tosses to Ushijima). Semi spends a total of six minutes not sulking in the warmup area before his anger finally bursts.
"You can't just let him do that all the time," Semi insists, marching up to Coach Washijou after the game.
"Do what?" Coach Washijou grumbles, eyes not straying from the game. "He's helping us win." He points his finger towards the scoreboard before turning around to look at Semi with lidded eyes.
Semi wants to tear out his hair in frustration. "Shirabu may be helping us win, but he's too predictable! He needs to toss to someone other than Ushijima," he rationalizes.
And sure enough, on court, Shirabu tosses to Ushijima. It's a perfect toss, one where the ball's peaks just at Ushijima's fingertips. Ushijima slams it down, and the other team looks at their ace helplessly. On the court, Tendou turns around to make eye contact with Semi.
"Our goal as a team is win," Coach Washijou tells him and Semi wants to scream that he already knows that. He's been told that more than once– they all have. "Shirabu is the best way to do that. We want people who will build a powerful team."
The implicit criticism rings in Semi's ears. He bites down on his lower lip, turning on his heels and resisting the urge to shout as he walks back to where all the other substitutes are. He can feel Shirabu's curious eyes on his back.
The younger boy stands behind as the entire team moves to high-five the other team. "We may both be setters, but I'm nothing like you." Shirabu tells Semi as the captain of the other team's hand slaps his.
Semi resists the urge to punch something.
When Semi gets onto the bus, the first thing Tendou does is plop down on his lap. Semi lets out a yelp in surprise, before Tendou leans back against him and smushes him against the seat.
"Grtmeff," Semi says, spitting out a mouthful of Tendou's hair. He can already feel the way Tendou is smirking to himself as he makes sure to press back one last time, and hard too. "That’s disgusting," he remarks as Tendou slides off onto the adjacent seat.
"I thought you liked my hair," Tendou tells him as he shoves his hands into his pants.
"Only when it's not in my mouth," he shoots back. (He only likes Tendou's hair when his hands are the ones that are in it. He likes tugging at the spikes, messing with them until they're in complete disarray).
"You need to calm down," Tendou tells him and he draws out his hand to pat Semi's cheek. Semi shoves his hand away weekly, pretending to grimace. Tendou rolls his eyes in response.
"Make me," he dares, chest quivering.
Tendou does.
He reaches for the collar of Semi's shirt, meeting his lips with a small tug. Their lips crash against one another and Semi's breath is knocked from his chest. Tendou's free hand moves to the back of his head and he tugs on his hair. Semi lets out a small noise in protest, but it's quickly muffled when Tendou's tongue pries his mouth open. Vaguely, Semi registers that they are on a bus and the entire team is around them.
Tendou finally pulls back by yanking Semi's hair and Semi sends him an affronted glare. The redhead shifts in an out of his focus, and Semi pants for breath as he continues to grip the other boy's waist. Tendou's lips are red to match his hair, and he licks his lips slowly as he looks at Semi.
"Are you calm now?" Tendou asks, fingers brushing against the nape of Semi's neck.
“No,” Semi replies as he leans in.
Unfortunately, Semi ends up getting permanently replaced with Shirabu as the team’s starting setter.
Reon pats his back during lunch the day after it happens, Yamagata doesn't actually notice that he's lost his phone for more than a day, and even Ushijima gives him a somber look as he sits down across from him.
Semi finds that the anger that roared and protested at his spot being taken quickly quells to a bitter and almost self-deprecating one. He not only watches Shirabu in jealousy, but also the rest of his teammates.
He envies the way that it's now Shirabu, not him, who's able to make calls of who to set to (always, always, always Ushijima). He envies the way Shirabu fits in with the rest of the team. A small part of him, the resentful part, had wished initially that the first year wouldn't be able to weave himself into the steady rhythm that they had spent months building up. But of course he had fit in. Almost like Semi was never there to begin with.
And so Semi resigns himself to becoming Shirabu's substitute (and biggest critic). But because he's Semi Eita, he doesn't do anything without a fight.
"You need to toss to other people too," Semi reminds Shirabu as the younger boy walks off the court. Even if he may not be the starting setter for Shiratorizawa anymore, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how to play volleyball.
Shirabu nods his head mechanically, and Semi knows that his advice will be ignored again. He makes his way to the water cooler before moving to stand next to Kawanishi. Semi grits his teeth, making his way over to the other second years instead.
"Oooh, I haven't seen that look on your face before," Tendou purrs as Semi moves to stand next to him.
"He's so rude, I want to punch him," Semi complains. He uncaps his water bottle, chugging down half of it in frustration.
"You never told me you were into that sort of thing," Tendou teases as he clasps his chest in mock surprise and Semi blanches. Next to them, Reon turns to give Yamagata a resigned look.
"Go read your manga if you want that sort of thing," Semi retorts as he snaps the lid of his water bottle shut before going to join the court for substitutes for practice.
With the start of the summer, Semi begins to work on his serves more and more. He may not be able to regain a regular position on the team as a setter, but he still might be able to be put in for pinch-serving.
Semi practices at home, with the makeshift volleyball net he and Tendou set up in his backyard. He practices until the sun begins to dip below the horizon, turning orange and giving the entire sky a pleasant glow.
"Eita," Tendou trills from the side as Semi tosses the ball up in the air. He tunes out Tendou's voice, focusing on the ball in front of him and sending all the power through his legs to jump and hit the ball.
"What?" He asks, once the ball has landed on the other side. He brushes his his bangs back, sweat dripping down his face.
"I'm bo-red," Tendou whines, carefully enunciating each syllable. He leans back against his wrists, scowling as Semi ducks underneath the net for the ball. "Is this how you treat everyone you date? By ignoring them and playing volleyball?"
"Just you," Semi retaliates as he picks up the ball. His heart tugs on the corner of his chest, and he does feel somewhat guilty. "You could practice with me?" he offers, holding up the ball.
"I don't want to practice with you though," Tendou pouts as he sticks his hands into his shorts. "Boring people like you are no fun to play with."
"I'm no fun? I'm the only one who'll actually set to you during matches," he says as he bounces the ball against the ground. He aligns the ball in front of him, letting out an exhale to regain his concentration.
He swings his arm back, tossing the ball up into the air. Semi moves back to begin running, feet hitting the ground in time with his heart beat. A small volt of electricity runs through his chest as he jumps, hand swinging and making contact with the ball. He lands on the ground with a small grin.
The ball comes speeding back at him a moment later. It slams against the ground with a resounding thud before bouncing back up. Tendou waves from the other side of the net, large cheshire smile plastered on his face. "You should work on that serve a bit more, Eita," he smirks.
Semi rolls his eyes as he walks over to pick up the ball. "I thought you didn't want to practice anymore." He attempts to spin the ball on his fingertips. The volleyball falls off after a few seconds and he can hear Tendou's muffled snigger. "But since you volunteered, I guess we can practice more now," he says as he looks up at the other boy.
"No, I'm not boring like you," Tendou shoots back quickly as he ducks underneath the net. He takes the ball from Semi's hands before chucking it towards his house, beaming at Semi the entire time he does so. Semi winces inwardly as the ball just misses the window.
Somehow, the two of them end up going for ice cream (despite all of Semi's protests. He really ought to plant a firmer foot in this relationship of theirs). Tendou practically drags him to the ice cream shop near the bookstore, completely passing by the store.
Semi lets Tendou pull him up to the front counter. The cashier's eyes flick up at them as Tendou lets go of Semi's wrist in favor of pressing his face up against the glass window of the display case.
"What should I get, Eita?" Tendou asks as his nose and forehead become flatter and flatter.
"I don't know why you even bother. You always get the same thing," Semi remarks as pretends to look down at his nails, trying not to laugh at the sight in front of him. The cashier raises their eyebrows at him before they settle back on their phone.
"Hmpf," Tendou says, only it's muffled by the glass of the display case. "How about I guess what flavor you're going to get?"
"If you want to," Semi replies as he rolls his eyes. He tugs the hem of his shirt, twisting his shorts so the front is aligned. He sticks his hand into his pants pocket, playing with the fabric inside of it.
Tendou continues to move his face along the glass as he looks at all the different flavors. The way his eyes bulge and his cheeks flatten is almost comical. Semi has to muffle his a laugh behind his hands more than once.
"What are you laughing at?" Tendou lifts his head up to look at Semi. There's a red mark on his forehead and Semi grins.
"You," he says.
"Like people don't laugh at you when they see your uncool clothes," Tendou mutters as he turns back around. Semi can feel the slow flush creeping up the back of his neck, a stark contrast to the rickety air conditioner in the shop, blasting cool air.
"Hurry up and choose already," Semi grumbles as he stuffs his other hand into his pocket, "It's not like you get any other flavor than chocolate anyway."
Tendou peels one hand off the glass display case to casually stick up his middle finger. "Three scoops of chocolate in a cone and one scoop of that one in a bowl," he says to the cashier, voice far too cheery to be genuine. "He's paying," the middle blocker adds at the last moment, pointing back to Semi.
"You only like me for my money," Semi complains as he walks up to the counter, opening his wallet. His eye twitches as Tendou reaches for his ice cream cone with glee and Semi lets out a sigh as he places the bills down on the counter.
"Yes, I only like you for your money," Tendou says gleefully as he begins to lick his ice cream. "And maybe your hair. But that's only occasionally." Semi can feel the same pull on his chest as he watches Tendou's eyes flutter as he eats. He doesn't snap out of it until the cashier awkwardly nudges him to hand him his change and ice cream.
Semi takes his bowl and spoon, following Tendou out the door of the shop. He brings the spoon to his mouth as Tendou holds the door open for him. The chocolate has already begun to drip down his cone in the summer heat. Semi's nose begins to tingle, and he lets out a cough just as the door slams behind him.
"What the fuck," he says, looking down at his bowl. It's a light green, just like green tea or green bean. Except it makes his nose tingle and eyes water.
"Wasabi flavor," Tendou replies as he takes another long, large lick of his own chocolate flavored ice cream. "Since you eat tekka maki so much, eating wasabi flavored ice cream shouldn't be a too much of a problem, should it?"
Semi wants to point out all the flaws in Tendou's reasoning, but he knows from his shit-eating grin that his selection of ice cream wasn't accidental. Unfortunately, Semi isn't one to back down from a challenge, especially not one from Tendou.
"I hate you," he mutters. Semi braces himself as he brings a large spoonful to his mouth, shutting his eyes as he swallows. "I can't feel my nose or tongue anymore," he says a moment after, looking at the remaining wasabi ice cream in the cup.
"Aww, poor Eita," Tendou laughs. Semi looks at his triple-scoop ice cream cone and hopes that all three scoops fall to the ground. "How about I kiss it better?" Tendou offers slyly right after he licks a large mouthful from his cone.
Tendou doesn’t wait for an answer. He leans in, mouth slotting over Semi's messily. His mouth is sticky and Semi can (just barely) taste the chocolate ice cream. The sweltering summer heat makes the body contact uncomfortable, as well as the way Semi's hand holding the ice cream is stuck awkwardly between them.
"Better?" Tendou asks when he pulls back. And because Tendou is Tendou, he shoves his cone into Semi's face just to make Semi’s life more difficult. Chocolate ice cream is dripping down his fingers, and Tendou brings the cone up to his mouth to lick off the excess as he laughs at Semi.
"Yes, so much better," Semi says dryly as the chocolate drips down his face. Tendou doesn't bother to hide his laugh. "Why don't you kiss this better too?"
Semi regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth. Tendou leans in, tongue hanging out of his mouth in preparation to lick his face. Semi jumps back in the nick of time, shoving Tendou to the side.
"No," he says. Tendou shrugs while a wicked grin spreads across his face. Semi scowls at him as he goes back into the store to get some napkins.
When he comes back out, most of Tendou's ice cream is gone. The other boy's eyes brighten, and he reaches for Semi's wrist to pull him along the street. They stop in front of the bookstore and Semi should have known.
"We are not. Going. In." Semi glares at Tendou as they stand in front of the shop. He looks down the street to the ice cream store at the corner, then back at the bookstore in front of him. In the display window there's a big, blown-up poster with a Naruto lookalike plastered on top.
"Have some fun for once, Eita," Tendou laughs as he shoves Semi into the store.
Semi only pretends to scowl as he's forced to browse the shop with Tendou. He can feel a small warmth blossom in his chest as he watches Tendou scamper between the aisles, ice cream cone balanced precariously in his hand.
And later, Tendou leaves the shop with a small stack of manga stuck underneath one arm, and his other swinging back and forth as his sticky fingers are intertwined with Semi's.