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There was something about Sugawara that unsettled Tobio.
Objectively speaking, that sounded silly; Sugawara was the definition of a kind, supportive senior, and his sunshine disposition was so pronounced it was even noticed by their opponents.
Yet, every time he found himself around the setter, or had one of his encouraging smiles directed at him, he had to forcefully quell the urge to get up in the other's face and yell accusations: "Why won't you shout at me? Why won't you treat me any differently? Why are you so relaxed about me stealing your spot? How can you find it in yourself to encourage me when you know I'll be better than you?! How can you still smile so brightly when this is your last year, and I've stolen it from you?!" but he stopped himself every time, simply because there was one thing not even Sugawara could deny:
Kageyama might have superior skill, he may be a recognised genius, he may have talents that make even coaches wary, but Suga had something he didn't, something he didn't think he ever had:
Suga had his teammates' trust.
All of his teammates.
Kageyama could not imagine the other ever finding himself in a position where Asahi or Daichi-san would refuse to spike his toss, or Tsukishima would refuse to listen to his instructions, or Noya would deny him a high-five.
Despite the other's inferior skill and athleticism, Kageyama was envious of his senior.
But the one thing that unsettled him perhaps even more than that realisation was the fact that, during his few minutes on court during the preliminaries, Sugawara had reminded him strongly, perhaps too strongly, of Kageyama's middle school idol, his senior, his inspiration.
Sugawara on court had reminded Tobio of Oikawa.
One look at Iwaizumi's face when Suga stepped off the court confirmed that Kageyama wasn't alone in his musings. Yet, rather than comfort, all that he found in the confirmation was distress.
Looking at Sugawara now, laughing and joking with the other third years, he sincerely hoped history wouldn't repeat itself.
History didn't repeat itself.
Fate had other ways of screwing people over.
"C'mooooon, Kageyama, we're gonna be late!!" Hinata called, dragging the annoyed setter by the strap of his bag.
"Quit it, dumbass!" the other snapped, slapping his friend's hand away. "The match doesn't start till another hour so we're fine!" he huffed, scowling.
Takeda-sensei had somehow convinced the Aobajosai coach to organise another practise match before the spring tournament, but the night before the big day, he'd ran to the gym, apologising profusely because the school's bus had broken down and inquiring if they all had ways to get to the gym by themselves. After hasty reassurances from the third years, quick arrangements for lift sharing and many excited grins, the minor roadblock was overcome, hence the situation Kageyama currently found himself in; desperately running to keep up with the goddamn shrimp, the gym in sight.
Finally, by some miracle, they burst through the gym doors, with less finesse than Kageyama would be willing to admit, understandably attracting the eyes of all players gathered in the within, Karasuno and Aobajosai alike. Slapping a hand on Hinata's nape, he forced the teen into a bow, calling a loud, "Apologies for being late!" pinching the shrimp until he echoed his words.
Tsukishima snorted, making Kageyama straighten and glare at the bespectacled teen, but Noya came over, slapping their backs. "Ne, ne, chill out, you're fine, you're not late!" he reassured, though his pats felt more punishing than comforting with how much force he put behind them.
“Noya, ease up!" Daichi-san called, coming over to smile at the new arrivals. "Don't worry, Kageyama, Hinata, go get ready, you're not the last to arrive; Suga's not here either." he instructed, and the duo gaped.
"Suga-san is... late?" Hinata mumbled, the words not computing in his mind. "That's... That's just as weird as Tanaka-san being quiet."
"Oi!" the teen in question yelled, indignant, drawing laughter from Noya. "He's got a point, Ryu." he teased, grinning.
"Anyway, Kageyama, Asskawa is not here either, so you're more than fine." Iwaizumi grumbled from the other side of the net, a sinister expression on his face as he cracked his knuckles and Kageyama winced in mind sympathy; he was well aware of Iwaizumi's 'tough love' policy when it came to his best friend.
Suddenly, loud laughter reached the teens gathered in the gym, and the expression in Iwaizumi's eyes turned murderous as he recognised its source. "Trashykawa..." he growled ominously, but his anger faded when the figures came into view:
Oikawa and Suga walked in, both dressed in their school's respective tracksuits, laughing hysterically. Oikawa was leaning on Suga's shoulder, struggling to support himself with the force of the chuckles that shook his body, while Sugawara was wiping a few stray tears that had escaped him, slapping a hand over his lips to muffle his laughter.
Kageyama felt his stomach churn.
"A-ah, s-sorry, Iwa-chan." Oikawa hiccuped, still laughing as he addressed his friend. "Kou-chan a-and I got a bit - pfft - caught u-up, is all." he snorted at the end, sending Sugawara into another fit of giggles.
Karasuno's faces turned to stone: Kou-chan?!
Suga seemed to register the nickname too as he sobered up, shrugging off Oikawa's arm so the teen stumbled. "I told you to stop with that name, Tooru." he admonished, frowning.
Iwaizumi made a noise like a dying fish, and, for once, Kageyama could relate; Kou-chan? Tooru? What on earth was going on here?
Sugawara appeared to calm down and bowed before his teammates, smiling apologetically. "I apologise for being late! I promise it won't happen again!" he promised, and Daichi relaxed, coming over to pat his friend on the shoulder reassuringly, but it seemed Oikawa was not quite done.
The Aobajosai setter trotted over to Coach Ukai, skilfully avoiding Iwaizumi's thunderous glare till he stopped in front of the blond.
"Morning, Coach Ukai-san!" he greeted charmingly, bowing. "As Aobajosai's captain, I would like to make a request." he announced. Perplexed, Ukai nodded, waving his hand to encourage him to carry on. "Please keep Sugar-chan in for more than three minutes in this game; I've got high expectations of him, and he needs some decent court time if he hopes to deliver!"
Sugawara groaned, hiding his blushing face in Daichi's shoulder, who patted his head unconsciously, staring at Oikawa as if he'd grown a second head. Ukai appared to consider the setter's words, a contemplative frown on his face.
"But I thought that you and Kageyama-" he started, but Oikawa waved him off. "I've lost interest in Tobio-chan completely, don't worry. There are far more interesting people on your team than him." he sent a teasing wink at Suga, who had just emerged from the safety of Daichi's shoulder. At the action, the teen groaned and returned to hiding his face. "Besides," he added, smirking. "it would do Tobio-chan well to see what his seniors can do."
"Hmm." Ukai contemplated. "Fair enough. I've been meaning to keep him out longer anyway. The second set should suffice for what I want to do." he turned his gaze to Oikawa who was positively beaming, but there was an almost ominous glint in his eyes. "Oh, an entire set will be perfect." he purred and strutted away, heading to his side of the net with a cheeky smile.
Kageyama met Iwaizumi's eyes, and the mix of dread and curiosity he saw there was reassuring; he was glad there was someone else who knew what hell a happy Oikawa could cause.
The first set ended with 25-20 in Aobajosai's favour, and Kageyama dutifully made his way off the court.
"Kageyama!" Suga called out, and he stopped, curious. "I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to do that." he apologised, and the sincere tone of his voice made some of the frustration in Kageyama subside.
"It's fine." he dismissed, nodding to show he meant his words. "It's rare for him to show interest like that. I'm... curious." he admitted, averting his eyes.
"I promise I won't disappoint!!" he exclaimed and made his way into the court, issuing his standard greeting to the team, all smiles and easy praise, but Kageyama couldn't rid himself of the sense of unease.
"Holy..."
Nobody finished the phrase, but everyone was thinking it. Even Ukai was speechless, unable to quite believe his eyes.
The eyes of those on the bench flickered to the score board: 18-18, and it had been at the head to head since the set began.
"Sugawara-kun is playing very well, isn't he?" Takeda-sensei wondered, voicing the question that had been plaguing Kageyama since the start.
"I don't know." Noya, who was currently on rotation, replied, staring at his friend with a mixture of awe and concern. "He's always loved volleyball, but he's playing different. Sharper. He's been drawing everything and then some out of everyone on court since the start of the set, and it's amazing to watch. But..." his eyes flickered to the other side of the court, where Oikawa was staring at Suga with a mixture of amusement and pride. "It feels oddly like a one-on-one between those two."
Despite that, Karasuno reached matchpoint first, a feat that had Ukai grinning like crazy in his seat. "Show them what you got, Karasuno!!" he yelled as the ball was sent in Suga's direction, Tanaka and Asahi jumping for the spike, "Let's goooooo-! oh?"
Kageyama gaped.
The whistle blew.
Suga was staring at his palm like it was his first time seeing it.
Oikawa beamed, clapping. "Nice dump, Kou-chan! Jump a little higher next time if you want more power though!"
"Idiot!!" Iwaizumi scolded, slapping the back of his head. "You're not supposed to encourage your opponents, damn it!"
"So mean, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa whined, rubbing the sore spot. "Someone has to encourage Kou-chan to improve his skills, and if his teammates won't do it, then I, the great Oikawa-san, will!"
Guilt flashed through the faces of the Karasuno players, but Sugawara merely rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish as he turned towards Aobajosai's side.
"Tooru-kun," he began, and Daichi winced; he'd learnt long ago that with Sugawara, when the -kun suffix made an appearance when he was talking with people his age, it was a subtle way of saying 'run for your life' - he wondered if Oikawa knew that too. Judging by the way he curiously arched an eyebrow, face the picture of innocence, he reckoned, no, he didn't.
"Yes, Kou-chan?"
Sugawara smiled, all sunshine and warmth, but his words sent a shiver down their spines. "Shut your mouth, please." he requested, tilting his head in a way that Hinata would've normally called cute if not for the words that left his mouth.
"Gah, Kou-chan, don't do that! It's enough that I've got one tsundere to deal with, I don't need you, too!" Oikawa declared, sighing dramatically.
"Oh? Who exactly do you mean, Trashykawa?" Iwaizumi demanded, a tick forming in his brow.
"N-Nobody, Iwa-chan!!"
"Hn."
The game ended 2-1 for Aobajosai, but upon Hinata's demand of "One more!" four more games were played.
Suga sat out for the entirety of the second game, much to Oikawa's displeasure, but what the brunette didn't know was that it was per Sugawara's request. In the Inter High, he caught Oikawa's attention through his observations and predictions - he intended to fall back on the same analytical skills to carry him through the games; if his setting skill was inferior to Kageyama's, it was amateur at best in comparison to the Great King's. But Oikawa, Great King or no, had ticks and habits, and Suga intended on finding out each and every single one of them.
"Coach!" he called, half way through the second set of the fifth game, when Karasuno was down by three points, after he’d been going on-and-off court for a few minutes at a time, testing, probing until finally - "Sub me in, please?" he requested, earning a grin from Ukai.
"Rested enough, have you?" the blonde teased, and Suga returned his grin with a secretive smile of his own.
"Something like that." he replied, before picking up the plaque with the number nine, patting Kageyama's shoulder as they passed each other.
Ukai looked on curiously as Suga called the team over to him as he stepped on the court. There was something odd in his eyes, something almost like -
"He looked very confident, didn't he?" Takeda-sensei murmured, and Ukai realised that that had been the adjective he was missing; confident.
Yet his worries that it was misplaced were destroyed when, on Oikawa's next serve, Noya was suddenly under the ball, nimbly receiving, sending it in a graceful arch straight towards Suga, who easily set it to Tanaka, the spiker living up to his position and slamming the ball on the other side of the net.
Oikawa's wide eyes were set on Noya, thoughts running in a circle of he read my play?!
"Nice, nice, Suga-san! Just like you said!!" Nishinoya cheered, going for a high-five.
Sugawara grinned, and met Oikawa's challenge across the court, a hint of a challenge in his silver orbs.
Oikawa smirked, slow and predatory, earning a wary glance from Hanamaki. Of course he didn't read it… But you messed with the wrong setter, darling Kou-chan.
Towards the end of the third set, Oikawa was forced to rethink his claim, eyes falling on the score board. Aobajosai was down by five points, and Suga's smile was blinding. It was worse than the game against Ushiwaka, against Shiratorizawa in general, because Oikawa had literally brought this on himself.
"Hey, Refreshing-kun, wait up!"
"You weren't so bad, you know. You need individual skills too, though."
"You cater to your teammates' needs, but as a setter, you need to push them out of their comfort zone, or they'll never progress. You won't be able to always set perfectly, you know."
"Hey, come practice serving with me, Suga-chan! Iwa-chan is being mean again!"
"You got brains, Kou-chan. Take better advantage of them in games."
"I wouldn't be able to bear sitting on a bench as long as you do. But I'd try to learn something from my time that was not spent playing."
He snorted. He didn't think Sugawara would take all his off-hand advice to heart, but he had, and Oikawa was in a pinch. In a way, he was proud of the progress the other had made in such a short time, but on the other... God damn it, I hate losing.
Perhaps not as focused as he should've been, he served with more force and less accuracy than usual, and he watched, dread filling his stomach when the ball shot towards the net, straight at Suga, who was standing with his back close to the net, oblivious. A call of warning got caught in Oikawa's throat, but the ball had already made contact with the back of Suga's head, and the impact, despite the ball’s momentum being slowed by the net, was so great that it knocked him straight off his feet, and Oikawa was rushing forward even before the movement registered it.
When Suga's head hit the floor with a dull thud, a wince passed over the faces of all Karasuno players, but before they could even move to help their fallen setter, Oikawa was already there, falling to his knees with a distressed cry of 'Kou-chan!', turning the pale-haired teen on his back and lifting his head so it was cushioned on his thighs, hopelessly glancing around the place for something to stop the blood flowing from Suga's nose with. Takeda-sensei appeared beside the brunette, carefully handing over a bunch of paper towels and a bottle of water and Karasuno watched as Oikawa set to work, ignoring the calls of his teammates and opponents alike, dead-set on cleaning the blood from Suga's face. When he was done, he carefully poured some water on one of the paper towels and pressed it to the nape of Suga's neck. The pale-haired teen winced and his nose scrunched up at the sensation and his eyes slowly fluttered open, only to fall shut almost immediately after, followed by a groan of "Too bright..."
Oikawa sighed, obviously relieved, then turned to his coach, "I'm taking Kou-chan to the infirmary; Yahaba-chan can fill in for me!" this declaration, surprisingly enough, was not met with any protests from the Aobajosai side, but from Karasuno's. Hinata and Tanaka started protesting that ‘he was the one to injure Suga so he should most definitely not be placed with the responsibility of taking care of him’. Ukai shrugged, saying that as long as Suga was taken care of, he didn't overly care who was the one taking care of him, and Daichi merely double-checked that Oikawa was definitely alright with missing the rest of the game.
"Yahaba-chan can take care of himself. Kou-chan, however, can't." and he tugged Suga's arm over his shoulder and stood up, making sure not to jostle the other too much. Suga's nose scrunched up again and he buried his face in Oikawa's neck, a mumbled "Don't wanna... Infirmary..." reaching their ears. The tips of Oikawa's ears reddened, but he continued walking out of the gym, replying with an equally quiet, "Well, if not for you then we're going for my sanity." A quiet giggle reached the teams left in the gym, followed by an amused; "Too late for that, Tooru."
Oikawa's indignant shriek echoed after them long after the two had left the gym.
Kageyama shot a perturbed glance with Iwaizumi; he had never seen the brunet get that freaked out over somebody other than his best friend before, and he dreaded what that meant. ..
As for Suga himself, after Oikawa had stopped the blood dripping from his nose, he started his protests anew. Yet something had to be said about Oikawa's stubbornness, as the setter merely tightened his grip on Suga's shoulders and continued dragging him along, ignorant to his pleas.
"My serves hurt, Kou-chan, I know that, and I doubt that a collision with the floor is pleasant for any body part, much less your cute face, so stop being difficult and get over yourself ‘cause we're going to the infirmary whether you like it or not!" Oikawa finally snapped, though there wasn't any anger in his voice. He was expecting another rebuttal, but when none came, he stole a glance at Suga's face, mildly alarmed by the pensive look he found there, and his lightly pinkish cheeks.
"You think my face is cute?" Suga asked at last, and Oikawa inwardly spluttered - where did that-!
Oh.
"Well, I, ah, well you're not bad on the eyes, Kou-chan, I'm sure that captain of yours tells you that all the time." he replied, cringing at the fact that he, the Great Oikawa-san, stuttered.
Suga glanced up at him, a confused frown marring his face. "Why would Daichi tell me that?" he murmured, and Oikawa struggled not to coo at the adorable confused pout that appeared after his words.
"Because everybody and their cat knows that you two are dating?" he supplied sarcastically, not having expected Suga to freeze suddenly, nor stare up at him with horrified eyes.
"People think that... Daichi and I... are dating?!" he choked out, and Oikawa almost felt bad if not for the fact that his sarcasm was suddenly replaced by confusion.
"Wait, you mean... you're not?!"
Suga stared at him like he'd just asked him what 2+2 was. "Of course we're not." he retorted, nose scrunching up. "Daichi is, like, the straightest straight man to ever straight. And he's got the hots for the captain of the girls’ volleyball team."
Oikawa couldn't stop the snort that escaped him at the description, amused, but Suga appeared to have taken it as a personal insult.
"Almost like you've got the hots for that spiker of yours, Iwaizumi-san, was it?" he turned on Oikawa, freeing himself from the brunet's hold and poking an accusing finger into his chest.
Oikawa's face scrunched up in horror, his hand shooting up to cover his mouth in disbelief. "Iwa-chan and I?!" he screeched. "No, no way, nuh-uh, nooope." he was shaking his head from side to side as if that could somehow dispel the image conjured up in his mind by Suga's words. "I've known him since we were both in diapers. He used to play with mud and bugs and was always covered in Iron Man plasters and just nuuuuuuuh. He's like my brother."
It took a second for Oikawa's word vomit to register in their minds, but when it did, they both burst out laughing. They laughed till tears sprang to Oikawa's eyes and Suga was holding onto the wall to keep his balance. When they both finally caught their breath - which took a while - Suga grinned cheekily, feeling daring, his previous indignation forgotten.
"Well if we're both available, then I'm going to admit that your face is not too bad either." he announced with a wink, and was surprised when the tips of Oikawa's ears reddened slightly. "Tooru? You alright?" he asked cautiously, unused to the other blushing of all things, and wary of his continued silence.
Oikawa ground the heels of his palms into his eyes in a distressed gesture and let out a long-suffering groan. "You can't just say things like that, Suga-chan." he moaned, confusing the other teen.
"Why not?" he asked, blinking owlishly.
Tooru gazed at him like he'd grown a second head. "Because it sounds like you're coming onto me." he replied slowly, accentuating every word as if speaking to a particularly idiotic child.
This time, it was Suga's turn to blush, though he barrelled on.
"Well, um... WoulditbesobadifIwas?" he breathed out, words blurring together in an incomprehensible jumble, but Oikawa's eyes widened nonetheless.
"Come again?" he requested, not quite believing his ears.
Suga groaned and hid his face in his palms, knowing full well he’d brought this onto himself. "I said… 'would it be so bad if I was'... coming onto you, I mean?"
Oikawa blinked a couple of times, internal cogs whirring in overtime in an attempt to process the information, while Sugawara looked like he just wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole, clearly regretful of having even opened his mouth.
"No, you know what, nevermind, forget I said anything it was-!"
"Kou-chan," Oikawa interrupted the other's panicked rambling.
"Hm?" Suga dared peek out from between his fingers, only to do a double-take at the grin that was literally splitting the brunet's face in half.
"Would you go out with me?"
At that, Suga promptly fainted.
Oikawa had finally managed to take Suga to the infirmary, let the nurse check out Suga's nose and waited (im)patiently for the diagnosis, which had been 'not broken', they were heading back to the gym, Oikawa's arm still around Suga's shoulders, half holding him up as they walked.
"You know," the brunet broke the silence that had settled around them, "you never actually answered my question, Kou-chan." he mused, glancing down at the shorter teen.
Sugawara sent him a bemused glare. "Was fainting not answer enough for the Great Oikawa-san?" he sniped, the tips of his ears reddening.
Oikawa chuckled. "Not really. A lot of people faint in my presence yet I don't really assign it any other meaning than them being dazzled by my appearance." he replied with a wink. If anything, Suga's glare became even more unamused, and he sighed.
"How Iwaizumi-san managed to survive that long with you and still stay sane, I'll never know." he mumbled, more to himself than Tooru, and ran his hand over his face. "I must be mad." he whispered at last, before looking up at the curious teen beside him. "Yes, Tooru, vanity queen extraordinaire, I'd like to go out with you." he admitted, eliciting a grin from the other which morphed into a pout.
"Why must you add an insult to such a heartfelt confession?" he cried dramatically, feigning hurt. "You're worse than Iwa-chan!"
Suddenly, his fake despair turned into a sly grin, and Suga detached himself from his side - he'd learnt to be wary every time Oikawa's moods changed so drastically.
"Speaking of Iwa-chan..." The brunet began, eyes falling on the hesitant Suga. "and your darling captain too, to be fair," he acquiesced. "I don't quite like the idea that, while we're dating, people will think we're both with other people."
Suga's eyes widened. "I didn't think of that." he admitted cautiously, not liking the glint that passed through Oikawa's eyes - it spelled trouble, embarrassment, or both.
(He dreaded the possibility of it being the latter.)
"Well, Suga-chan," Oikawa began amicably enough, "do you trust me?"
And Suga, foolishly, nodded.
The whole walk back to the sports hall, Suga felt like he was literally walking on eggshells - he kept expecting Oikawa to do something weird and throw him off again, as he seemed fond of doing. But when they both walked in and separated to go back to their own respective teams and still nothing had happened, Suga allowed himself to relax as he was welcomed back by his concerned teammates, any thoughts of Tooru or their newly established relationship temporarily forgotten. And as he listened while Daichi updated him on how the test of the match had gone (Karasuno won) and what the coaches had decided while the two setters were gone (more friendly games outside of tournament) and what freakish move their favourite first year duo had pulled off again (Suga lost track after about three seconds - there was a reason he excelled in literature and Daichi in mathematics; his captain was crap at telling stories) he could not tear his eyes away from Oikawa who, on the other end of the court, was on the end of what was undoubtedly a similar catch-up from his vice-captain. Only Daichi's voice calling for everyone to start clearing up got him to snap out of watching Aobajosai get ready to leave and he managed to help Yamaguchi pick up the stray balls lying around the court.
However, his anxiousness was not as misplaced as he thought:
When both teams yet again faced each other by the way out of the gym, Karasuno standing by the door getting ready to leave, Suga met Oikawa’s eyes. He felt his cheeks reddening and glared at Oikawa when he smirked, though he grew wary when the other sauntered over to where he was standing and outstretched his arm.
Curious – and, in retrospect, foolishly trusting – Sugawara stepped forward, and took Oikawa’s hand in his own.
He wasn’t fully certain of what exactly happened next, but he felt himself being pulled towards the brunet, and then, to his great shock, felt a soft pair of lips meet his own.
Suga’s first thought was that he could understand why Oikawa had so many girls professing their love to him and wanting to be his girlfriend – his lips were ridiculously soft (he was certain the brunet used chapstick; that had to be the only reasonable explanation other than Oikawa is simply perfect in every way, period) and the way Tooru held him made Suga’s knees weak.
His second was more of a pleasant epiphany along the lines of holyshitToorucankiss! And a lot of brainpower went into making sure he didn’t let out any embarrassing noises (which was proving to be more and more difficult by the minute)
And his third, after Oikawa had finally pulled away though stayed close enough that Suga could count his eyelashes if he so pleased, was that he was going to punch him in his perfect teeth.
Oikawa, it seemed, was either completely clueless as to what was going through Suga’s mind, or had no sense of self-preservation whatsoever, for he grinned and pinched his bum!!
Sugawara was certain that his face now resembled a ripe tomato, and he was torn between being flustered at the action and happy smile it brought to Oikawa’s face, and wanting to dish out the best Angry Suga-mama Scolding™ that his team had ever seen and aim it all at the brunet.
But then, Oikawa chose to speak.
“Hey, Kou-chan, lets meet again soon, hm?” and the tone and sincerity and the undercurrent of insecurity that Suga could detect, as if Tooru wasn’t certain if Suga would want to meet up with him again was enough to dispel most of the anger and embarrassment.
Pushing the fact that both of their teams were still staring at them in equal shock and disbelief to the back of his mind, Suga smiled. “Of course, Tooru. Take care of yourself til then please.” And he got up on his tip-toes, gently brushed aside some of Oikawa’s bangs and pressed a light kiss to his forehead, delighting in the bright red blush the action elicited.
Diligently ignoring Karasuno’s indignant shrieks and Iwaizumi’s snickers at the blush that undoubtedly stained his face, Oikawa strode out of the gym, throwing his trademark ‘ya-hoo!’ over his shoulder and a wink at Suga, the rest of his team, though still rather shell-shocked dutifully filing out behind him.
Back in the gym, Suga was subjected to a myriad of accusations and demands for explanation, though surprisingly, no complaints about the gender of his chosen partner. He shot an amused glance at Daichi, knowing that if they wanted to have even a single successful practise in the future, he’d have to answer all those questions and then some. Daichi, it seemed, knew that, and he shook his head, equally amused before calling everyone to sit in the ‘truth circle’ and cheerfully indicating that Suga should sit I the middle, not in the slightest sympathetic of the torture and interrogation that they both knew was going to take place..
Suga sighed, but subjected himself to his fate with a smile on his face.
Somehow, for some inexplicable reason, he felt that Tooru was worth it.
BONUS
A few weeks passed since that day, and Oikawa had become a nigh permanent addition to Suga’s life. More often than not, when the brunet wasn’t slaving at the gym, he’d come to pick Suga up and they would go for coffee or to see movie or just sit in the park and laugh over their teammates’ respective antics of the day. During those weeks, Suga had discovered that him and Oikawa were actually eerily similar, something Iwaizumi didn’t hesitate to point out with no small degree of exasperation.
It was on one of those days that Oikawa was waiting outside the gym at Karasuno, their training for the day finally done, and Suga had finished putting away the nets and trudged up to the clubroom, laughing when he glanced down at his phone:
From: space nerd
C’mon Sugar-chan, I’m getting wrinkles waiting out here
Deciding to hurry up instead of replying, he walked up to Daichi to announce that he was leaving. Daichi appeared to have just finished a phone call, and a rarely-seen fond look was on his face when he stared down at his phone, seemingly not really registering what was going on around him.
“Tooru is waiting outside, so I’m going to walk home with him, kay?” Suga announced, curiosity getting the better of him when his captain nodded absently, the fond look not fading. “Who was that, by the way?” Suga decided to ask, taking advantage of Daichi’s distraction, hoping his face was the picture of innocence.
His timing paid off, as Daichi was still smiling at his phone and therefore didn’t hesitate before replying “My boyfriend.” As if that information didn’t just completely revolutionise Suga’s world.
“U-uhm.” He replied intelligently before collecting himself enough to squeak. “Who is it?”
“Kuroo. He’s the captain of Nekoma.” The blasé tone didn’t go away, and Suga prayed to God that he would have enough composure to leave the clubroom while still preserving his dignity, then go scream to Tooru about the sudden bomb that had been dropped on him.
He bid Daichi and the others still loitering around the clubroom goodbye, then the second he was outside he quickly located the brown mess of hair and ran down, a loud “Tooru! You’ll never believe this!!” on his lips the second he got close to him.
Tooru’s horrified shriek and equally scandalised expression made Suga laugh so much he temporarily forgot about the news, and when he got himself back together, Oikawa was looking at him with a look even fonder than he’d witnessed on Daichi’s face.
“C’mon, Suga-chan, you’re going to bear witness to my absolute destruction of Kuroo-chan via Skype in a bit, but I need to feed you beforehand.”
‘in a bit’ turned into half an hour, as Suga could not for the life of him stop the laughter that kept bubbling up every time he heard Oikawa’s indignant grumbling.
I’ve saddled myself with a nerd. He thought amusedly, glancing at Oikawa out of the corner of his eye, feeling a smile growing on his face. Best thing? I can’t even bring myself to complain.