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Inarizaki’s Boys' Volleyball team was rowdy at night as they were on court. Bickering teammates here, the twins fighting there, and the usual quietness of their captain. Suna Rintarou, who would usually be recording the twins wrestling on the floor, didn't even bother taking a picture.
He was known to be one of the more quiet ones on the team. The one who doesn't favor raising his voice just to argue over a petty reason. Calm. Deadpan. Sometimes snarky. Yet, he's let himself slack off a little more even with the captain's eyes on him earlier during practice.
It was unlike for him to be this quiet. Almost as if he was ignoring his surroundings and blocking out the noise just for a moment of silence. Tonight, they were too loud for his liking. He needed a breather.
Muttering a quiet excuse to the team captain, he snuck away from the crowded room with his jacket in hand in case it was cold outside. And to which it was. Not too cold, not warm enough either. Still, he wore it over his body for extra warmth.
Quickly, he made sure to avoid running into anyone, the coach especially. He couldn't risk getting into trouble just because he wanted to get some fresh air away from the group of sweaty teens. He didn't want the old man to nag him for going out so late in the night. That would only worsen his headache.
Eventually he made it through the entrance, exiting the premises and walked in a direction wherever his feet may take him.
The night was dark with barely any stars visible in the far void. The moon lay on its bed sleeping soundly, illuminating what it could. The streetlights occasionally shined down on him as he walked along the pavement, giving him an extra bit of light to see through the darkness.
It was only him, the moon, and the sound of his footsteps. He felt himself finally relax as the previous tension in his body left him.
During this time of the night, people would usually come out to smoke since there wouldn't be any cops up their asses to stop them. Suna wasn't a smoker. He dislikes the feeling of having smoke enter his body, the rush of nicotine reaching his head, the supposed pleasure he was supposed to feel after. He would rather choke on an onigiri than smoke a blunt.
Up ahead was a gas station. Suna liked to visit them from time to time, especially ones with a convenience store, and the one before him just so happened to have one.
The bell chimed as he entered the store. Greeting the cashier with a polite bow, he made a b-line towards the refrigerators on the other side. His eyes scanned over the rows of beverages, looking for a particular one he favored among the rest.
There it was. It was the last one left in stock. It sat there—alone, as if it had been waiting for days to be picked and bought with spare change. Suna’s eyes lit up at the sight of the can, gleaming in all its glory. It called his name, whispering for him to reach out his hand and take it from the shelf, and claim it as his.
He opened the refrigerator’s door, feeling the icy, cold breeze hit his face. He stared at the lone can of beverage like it was his long distance lover he hasn't met in years after they've gone abroad.
At last, he reached out his hand, the tip of his fingers coming closer towards the cold metal. It called out his name once more. Sweet and loving. Much like a lover.
And all of a sudden, it was gone.
He stared, slightly wide-eyed, at the now-empty space in between two columns of unpicked sodas. A surging emptiness washed over him. It was like watching his lover of ten years return home after years abroad, running towards him with open arms, only to pass by him and embrace the person behind him.
He turned his head to the side, eyeing the person next to him like they took something important from him. His lover—no, his soda, was taken away from him. It was now in the hands of the other person.
A sigh left his lips as he watched the thief walk away with his beloved drink. Best believe that prick would be seen dead in an alleyway the next morning on the news. But, no matter. He chose an alternative to make up for the loss of the soda, grabbing two of the same before making his way towards the sweets section.
Chanting the name of the snack he planned to get, his eyes skimmed over each product displayed on the shelves. Finally he found it.
Jelly fruit sticks. Thankfully, there was still some left on the shelf. Not many people would buy something as childish as this in the current generation. But Suna always takes the opportunity to buy at least a pack whenever it's in stock.
Grabbing the first two packs, he had checked everything off his list, walked up to the cashier, and paid.
He left the convenience store with the chime of the door and a plastic bag in hand. Grabbing one of the cans, still grieving, he opened it with a click and took a few sips. The soda wasn't that bad. Not better than his favorite. But not bad.
He wandered around looking for a place to sit. Unfortunately, there were no benches nearby. Well, there was one, but it was occupied. Although there was still space next to the person sitting, Suna was reluctant to ask.
Fighting hesitation, he approached the stranger. As he did, he noticed the drink in their hand and realized who it was. It was that damn bastard that stole his lover from him, sipping away without a care in the world. It was taunting him. But, he bit back his frustration and kept distance.
God, all he wanted was to get some fresh air and some peace and quiet. Buy his favorite soda along with his favorite snack and eat quietly. Well, he did manage to get his jelly sticks, but the soda was a crucial item he needed during his break.
He quietly sent daggers at the back of the thief’s head as he angrily sipped his own drink. He couldn't tell what they looked like due to the hood covering them. He desperately needed to at least get a glance of their face in order to report them for stealing.
———
A few minutes had passed, the thief stared blankly into nothing with the can of soda in hand. Suna was still there—waiting for them to move, his own drink empty. Neither of them spoke, but were aware of each other's presence.
Suddenly, the thief shifted in their place, making Suna jump and watching carefully. Their hands reached up to their hood. Pulling it down, revealing an oddly familiar hair color. He narrowed his eyes at the sight, tip toeing closer to get a look of their face.
Suna’s lips parted slightly. He had seen this person before.
A classmate? No, he's never seen anyone like them in the classroom. Didn't seem like a student at Inarizaki either. Someone from middle school? He couldn't even remember the faces of his old classmates, so scratch that.
Then he remembered, his team had a practice match with another school just the other day. A fellow middle blocker from their team caught his attention. Incredibly observant. A wall that was almost impossible to break through. Intelligent. Strategic. And when not faced with a ball, they are calm. Quiet. Reserved. Fukurodani’s [L/N] [Name].
He approached them after the match ended. Just by the bleachers, water bottles in hand and towels draped over the shoulders. Both of them, being the quiet type by nature, didn't speak once. Until Suna decided to break the silence.
He complimented them, which was out of character for him out of all people. He usually doesn't just give out compliments, not even to his own teammates. He, himself, also had no idea why he decided to compliment them.
Any word that comes out of Suna's mouth would be expected to be a deadpan comment or a snarky remark. But even then, it got the other person to respond. They shared a short mutual conversation before getting pulled back by their teammates.
He admits, he doesn't remember the contents of their conversation. He was too distracted by something far more intriguing.
Those eyes. They were beautiful—enchanting almost.
Ever since they locked eye contact, Suna felt himself wanting to never break it. He was drawn to them. It made him curious about what kind of person they were. He wanted to see what kind of emotions lay underneath those irises.
The dimly lit sky made them look even more incredible than when they first met. The moonlight softly illuminated their facial features. Eyes unblinking with such mystery in them. Like an owl.
Suna had already forgotten what he was here for. The stolen soda can that rested in the palm of [Name]’s hands no longer mattered to him. What was he planning to do after catching the thief, anyway? Other than reporting for ‘thievery’ (which was quite not the case), he hadn't really thought that far.
He let himself be captivated by the eyes of the one before him. Staring at one another like they were the only people on earth. Even the sky seemed to have regained its stars back.
“It's you. Suna, was it?”
Hearing his name being called snapped him out of trance. He didn't realized he had been staring. Muttering out a response, he tried to keep himself composed like the calm person he seemed to be.
“Fancy meeting you here, [L/N].”
They hummed in response, moving the plastic bag sitting next to them onto their lap. They silently gestured for Suna to sit down. He stared at the empty seat next to them, hesitating before finally sitting down whilst keeping some distance between them.
He felt shy. Awkward. The sound of plastic rustling and clicking of the can tab opening occupied the silence for a brief moment. His thoughts were almost loud enough to break through the quiet atmosphere.
“What are you doing out so late?”
He took a sip of his cold drink, arms resting on his thighs, and staring at what's in front of them.
“I could ask the same for you.”
They let out a low chuckle, the corners of their lips twitching up slightly.
“Just went out for a breather. I'm assuming you are too?”
He nodded, setting down the half empty can next to him. His hand dug into the plastic bag, opening the pack of jelly fruit sticks and grabbed two of different flavors.
“Yeah. It reeked of sweat in the dorms. The twins were fighting again. Wish I recorded it though.”
They muttered a ‘thank you’ as he handed them a jelly stick
“Why didn't you?”
He shrugged, popping the sweet red jelly into his mouth. He didn't have a favorite flavor in particular, so he only grabbed a random one.
“Felt too crowded, I guess? They've been extra noisy too.”
They hummed softly, letting him know they're listening. The jelly stick in their hand was placed in between their index and middle finger. An odd placement for a candy to be in.
“I get you. It feels nice to finally get some peace and quiet.”
He muttered a soft ‘yeah’ in response. Without the rowdiness of their teammates, he felt like he could hold a longer conversation with the middle blocker.
A comforting silence settled between them, soft and unhurried. Suna usually preferred to be alone in his own thoughts, but he didn't mind the presence of another like him. He had a feeling it was mutual for the other person too. Like an unspoken agreement they had made.
For once, he didn't bother checking his phone for any missed calls and messages. An interruption means he needed to go back to the dorms—which he avoided. He wanted to stay. With [Name]. He didn't feel like going just yet.
The sound of a sharp click perked in his ears. Looking over to his right, he saw [Name] holding a cigarette between their fingers, lighter in the other hand, watching as the tip caught the flame with a soft hiss. Suna could only stare silently as they released a thin cloud of smoke from their lips.
“You smoke?”
They glanced at the deadpan fox next to them. The corner of their lips twitched into a faint, ghost of a smile.
“Sometimes. Depends.”
His expression, blank as ever. His gaze flicking between the cigarette and their lips.
“Wanting to die early or just bored?”
A soft chuckle left their lips, offering their cigarette to him.
“Both, maybe. You want a hit?”
He declined, sticking to his jelly fruit sticks as a healthier alternative.
“No thanks. I'd rather rot slower.”
They snickered, blowing out another curl of smoke, already feeling the nicotine intoxicate them.
Suna didn't know whether to turn away from the smoke or just let it seep through his lungs. [Name] being a smoker was… unexpected. Funny, really— people always assumed he’d be the one smoking two packs a day, when in reality, he could barely stand the taste of it.
Sneaking glances towards the owl-eyed smoker, watching them huff and puff like they were trying to blow off a week's worth of stress—like some overworked office worker paid in misery.
He wondered how nice it must've felt to drown yourself in nicotine like it won't kill you some day.
The thought made him curious. Maybe he should give it another go. Maybe he just smoked the wrong one that time. Would it really be any different from before? He wouldn't know unless he tried.
[Name] looked at the hand reaching out to them, raising an eyebrow and lips forming a small smirk, picking a stick from the box and placing it in his palm.
“I thought you weren't a smoker, what's with the sudden change of heart?”
His eyebrows furrowed slightly, leaning back on the backrest, eyeing the cigarette in his fingers. He had a feeling he's already going to regret it.
“Just thought I'd give it another chance. Maybe then, I'll see what's got you addicted to this shit.”
They handed over their lighter. Suna pinched the cigarette between his lips, thumb poised on the lighter. With a practiced flick, the spark caught and turned to a flame. He cupped his hand around it, shielding from the wind, and leaned in just enough for the tip of the cigarette to glow red.
Their eyes stayed focused on Suna’s face—head rested on their arm, cigarette nearly burned to the filter, watching his every move closely. Then suddenly, they burst out laughing. The half-used cigarette slipped from their mouth and onto their hand as they shook with laughter, unable to hold it in after watching him choke on the first pull of smoke.
“You’re… you're hopeless!”
He coughed out the smoke violently into his sleeve, stubbing out the cigarette, eyes watering, and muttering curses under his breath.
“Shut up. Fucking hell…”
Their shoulders shook up and down, trying to tone down their laughter as they teased him.
“Did you even try to inhale it properly?”
He shot them a flat glare, rubbing his throat to ease the pain.
“Tastes like shit. It's like sucking on a chimney, you enjoy this?”
The only response he got was a fit of giggles, and in somewhere between breaths, they stubbed out their own cigarette. Their laughter echoed softly, filling the quiet night air.
Suna could only watch [Name] laugh their heart out over his stupid decision to ruin himself. Somehow, his irritation began to fade, replaced by the sound of their laughter— light, genuine, and a little contagious.
He didn't mind hearing it again sometime.