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“Okay, you remember the rules?” Tobio said as he gathered the keys to their apartment in his hand, turning towards Shouyou who was crouching down patting their cat.
At the mention of rules, Shouyou turned his head to his husband, a familiar competitive glint in his eye as he got up from the floor, stretching a little then looking back at him, giving Tobio his undivided attention.
They both worked out pretty quickly into living together that the best way to get chores done was to do them together and to make whatever they were doing into a competition, which was very typical of them, they enjoyed competing with each other the most, afterall, and whatever can get them more wins to add to their tally. No matter what they were doing whether it was washing dishes, folding laundry, sweeping, or in this case, grocery shopping. Each chore that they would do would start with a quick brief of the rules and what needed to be done to win, both would agree to the terms and then they would be off.
Their grocery store trips are where they get a little more creative. The rules have changed every time they’ve played their little game, what started as a competition to just see who can buy their items the fastest has spiraled into something else that they look forward to planning for.
“Of course I remember them, Tobi, we talked about it yesterday,” Shouyou said, grabbing enough grocery bags for the two of them and walking up to Tobio, who was waiting for him at the door.
Tobio opened the door and they both said goodbye to their cat, after getting an enthusiastic chirp as a response, they both left the apartment, walking in the direction of the grocery store.
The street was fairly quiet, the occasional passing car but for the most it was just the two of them. Tobio brushed his hand against Shouyous. He quickly took the hint and gently intertwined their fingers, swinging their arms between them. Shouyou looked up at Tobio just to see him looking down back at him, a small delicate smile graced his face which Shouyou returned with his own smile, a light blush bloomed on his face.
When it’s the off season the two of them are basically inseparable, always spending every waking minute with each other, being long distance for the volleyball seasons is hard on both of them, but they know it’s necessary for both their careers, the texts, phone calls, and video calls can never replace these little moments, just being able to walk next to each other, feel the warmth of their hands intertwined, being able to gently bump into the other and feeling the other press back in response as they walk together.
Tobio looks forward and the loving expression is instantly replaced with an expression Shouyou knows all too well. It’s the same face he makes on the court and the same one he makes right before they begin their chore competitions. Shouyou looks forward, seeing the grocery store come into view, Shouyou mirrors Tobio’s competitive expression as they walk up to the building.
They both stop just a little off to the side of the building's entrance and turn towards each other. Shouyou hands a few of the bags he grabbed before leaving to Tobio and they both grab out a piece of paper.
“Okay!” Shouyou says excitedly, extending his arm to hand his piece of paper to Tobio. Tobio does the same and hands over his piece of paper. They both open the papers with their shopping lists written.
Well, written is probably the wrong word to use in this instance. Shouyou laughs at the crudely drawn vegetables and the limited words on his paper. He looks and and sees Tobio trying to process the hints that he knows are all over the paper. Tobio looks up at him with a small pout.
“You said only pictures and hints at what we have to buy right?” Shouyou says, trying to contain his giggling, “You drew a lot more than you wrote, Tobi.”
“Dumbass… I couldn’t think of anything,” Tobio said, looking away while a light blush painted his cheeks.
“Alright, alright,” Shouyou laughed, he straightened up and looked at the shopping list one last time before looking back at his husband and grinning, “So we wrote the shopping list only using hints, riddles, or drawings. The person who buys them faster and more accurately wins?”
“Yeah,” Tobio nodded, turning and walking towards the entrance with Shouyou following behind him, “If the slower person is more accurate then they get half a point, unless the faster person is way off then the more accurate person is the winner.”
Tobio opens the door, holding it open as Shouyou makes his way in, they both grab their baskets from the entrance.
“Yup! I’ve got it!” Shouyou says, he looks over at Tobio and bumps him lightly with his elbow to get his attention. Tobio down and grins. They both straighten up a little and walk into the grocery store.
“Are you ready to lose, Shou?” Tobio says as he smirks down at Shouyou. Shouyou looks back at him and beams.
“Nope! Are you?” He replies.
They both smile, a familiar competitive grin, and then the game begins. They take off fast and run in different directions, Shouyou runs to the produce section first. On the list he was given he can clearly make out some of the pictures, despite them being drawn in the simplest of ways he can clearly make out potatoes are carrots so he grabs them, confident in his decision. His next item on his list was a bit tricky. It was clear that Tobio realised early on that just drawing them was going to make it too easy too easy for Shouyou, the next drawings on the list were more difficult.
The first drawing was what looked like a tree with fruit. It could be either apples or oranges so Shouyou needs to decide quickly. Luckily for him, he knows Tobio better than anyone else so he knew that it would be apples, an ingredient in the pork curry he loves.
I guess I know what he wants us to make for dinner tonight, Shouyou thought, chuckling quietly to himself while grabbing some apples. The fourth drawing was a little harder, it was just small dots, nothing around it giving any sort of clue.
I have… no idea what this is Shouyou thinks as he realises that this may be more difficult than he anticipated.
Tobio ran in the opposite direction of Shouyou, while he ran to the produce section Tobio decided to go to the shelves, he looked down at his list to read the first thing just to get his bearings on things.
Shouyou wrote a lot more than Tobio did on his list, when Tobio sat down to write the list he sat for five minutes trying and failing to come up with anything, he settled for drawing pictures to convey what he wanted Shouyou to buy. There were a few things that he wrote but for the most part he enjoyed drawing and trying to make the drawings as hard to decipher as possible.
The first line on the list read ‘ What came first?’ which made Tobio stop in his tracks. Pouting, he read that line over and over while walking faster through the isles as if willing the answer to magically show itself to him. He happened to look up at a shelf and his face instantly dropped.
Two weeks ago he and Shouyou had argued about what came first, the chicken or the egg. Tobio was on the side of the chicken coming first and Shouyou argued for the egg. It was an extremely heated debate and they ended up dragging Tsukishima into it. He called them both idiots.
Tobio stared at the shelves in front of him. Full of eggs. Glaring, he reached out and grabbed a carton of 12 eggs and checking, making sure that none of them were damaged he begrudgingly placed them in his basket.
That dumbass better not count this as a win, Tobio thought as he harshly crossed it off his shopping list. The next one was small drawings of flowers, this made Tobio smile as he made his way to the isle with flour.
The small drawings of flowers were identical to the little doodles Shouyou used to draw all over his notes when he was bored in class or when they would study together and Shouyou would want attention so he would lean over and start drawing all over Tobios work. He would push him away and complain but secretly he loved them.
Tobio smiles softly as he grabs the flour off the shelf and crosses the item off the shelf.
That dumbass… I’m gonna kiss his stupid cute face Tobio thinks to himself. He stops his train of thought for a minute and looks down at the list, a determined look replacing his earlier smile.
I’ll win first, then kiss his stupid cute face.
The next item on his list reads ‘ We got this changed in miwa’s car two weeks ago!’. Tobio chuckles to himself as he hurriedly heads to the aisle with oil.
After deciding that Tobio’s hard to decipher drawing was possibly rice, Shouyou quickly made his way to grab dish soap. Shouyou was unsure about what the circles surrounded by smaller circles were but after running around a little he looked back at the list he saw that what at first looked like random scribbles now sort of resembled a fork, and it clicked, the bigger circles had to be plates.
Shouyou rushed into the cleaning aisle, grabbing the dish soap that they usually get, he looked down the aisle and smiled brightly as he saw Tobio looking back at him.
“Tobio!” Shouyou yelled excitedly, running up to greet his husband. For a second the competition was forgotten as the two reunited after being apart for five minutes. Tobio straightened up and smiled, opening his arms which Shouyou eagerly ran into, embracing him tightly, baskets full of items forgotten on the ground.
“Hey Shou,” Tobio greeted softly, burying his face into Shouyou’s hair, “are you having fun losing”
Shouyou gasped in fake offence, pulling away from the hug.
“How dare you, I'm probably doing better than you!” Shouyou stepped back and put his hands on his hips. He looks to Tobio’s basket and sees the last item that was put in was laundry detergent. He smirked at Tobio.
“Well, it looks like you’re up to laundry detergent which means you’re only halfway through the list!” Shouyou said confidently, smiling as Tobio pouted and averted his eyes.
“Y-you don’t know that, dumbass. Maybe I left it until last because the hint was so easy.”
“Ohhh okay, I'm sure that’s what it is, Tobio,” Shouyou laughed. Tobio pouted harder. Shouyou reached up and kissed the pout off his face.
When they pulled away, Shouyou smiled up at Tobio and grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks together lovingly while Tobio glared down at him but did nothing to stop the action.
“Have fun losing!” He said before sprinting off towards his basket, picking it up and running out of the aisle.
‘ The thing you’ve been nagging me to get for four days now, ’ followed by a little heart. It wasn't hard to figure out this one at all. Tobio glared at the fridge and grabbed his milk out, putting it in his basket.
“Dumbass…” Tobio mumbled to himself, crossing it off his list.
Tobio rushed to get to the check outs of the grocery store. It was quite busy at this point in the day so it was a little awkward to weave through so many people while keeping a hurried pace.
They both decided that there was too much risk when it comes to going through a register with a person so to make it more fair they would use the self checkouts. Unfortunately there was a line. Tobio stood at the back of the line impatiently looking around. He couldn't see Shouyou’s bright hair anywhere with the machines.
Good, I’m still in the lead, he thought, relaxing a little bit. Until out of his peripheral vision, he sees a flash of orange standing behind him.
“Urg I can’t believe you’re winning,” Shouyou complained, leaning his head against Tobio’s back. Tobio chuckles softly, and turns slightly, ruffling Shouyou’s hair.
“Well,” Tobio started, looking up he saw someone walk away after finishing their purchase. He pat Shouyou’s head lightly and starts moving forward, “Have fun trying to catch up.”
“Cheater! That’s cheating!” Shouyou hissed, desperately looking around for a place for him.
Tobio laughed at his husband and began quickly scanning his items, enjoying the head start. A few items in and the person next to Tobio left, leaving a free space for Shouyou to take and begin scanning.
His technique was good, catching up to Tobio quickly. They were both almost done with scanning their items and it was looking like anyone could take the win.
“Urg, no!” Shouyou groaned, as an error popped up on the screen just as Tobio finished scanning his last item.
“Ha, dumbass!" Tobio laughed, paying for his items as an attendant comes over to help Shouyou get his machine working again.
Tobio walks briskly out of the store, leaning against the brick exterior wall and facing towards the door, waiting for his husband to be done.
Shouyou barrels out a few moments later, hurriedly looking around until his eyes land on Tobio, smiling smugly back at him. Shouyou pouts and trudges over to where he’s standing. Tobio stands up straighter as Shouyou stands in front of him.
“That’s 2135 to me, 2130 to you,” Tobio declares.
“That’s not fair you cheated and my machine broke,” Shouyou complained.
Tobio shrugged, “You wouldn’t be saying that if you were in my position,” he moved his grocery bags to his left hand, reaching out his free hand and brushing it against Shouyous hand. Shouyou rolled his eyes playfully, a small smile making its way onto his face. He moves his grocery bags to his left hand and He intertwines their fingers together, looking over to his husband.
“I guess not,” Shouyou said softly, he huffed, adjusting the bags slightly as they start walking home.
Shouyou hummed quietly, getting Tobio’s attention. He looked down at his husband who was thinking, he looked up at Tobio and gave him a competitive smile.
“Maybe I was more accurate, and you were so bad at getting my hints so you got nothing right.”
“You wish,” Tobio says, looking forward and swinging their arms together, “Dumbass,” he says softly, a small warm smile appearing on his face.
Shouyou squeezed his hand lightly, wearing a matching smile, happy to be able to spend small moments like this with the love of his life.
Shouyou laughed lightly, looking forward as their apartment building came into view.
“I guess we’ll see”