Chapter Text
Suga must have walked down this path a thousand times before.
He shoved his hands in his club jacket as they walked and breathed in the cold air. It was just the four of them- Daichi, Asahi, and Kiyoko- just like his first year.
He let out the breath and watched the fog float into the air. He kept his eyes up, watching it fade away (he knew every step of the walk- he wasn’t worried about falling) when Diachi spoke, “The team is looking,” he paused, “good,"
Suga smirked, “It is now that we actually have our ace back,” he gave Asahi a pointed smile. The teen in question ducked his head nervously and shifted closer to Kiyoko. (As if she wasn’t as bad as Suga-)
Diachi huffed in amusement as they continued walking, “Our ace, our guardian, and our new first years,”
“Our ‘freak duo’” Suga mimicked Tsukishima’s monotone voice, an unimpressed look crossing his face as he said the words that the younger player had said just hours before.
The group laughed at his terrible- yet fairly accurate- impression.
“Tsukishima sure is tough on them,” Asahi said quietly, “I don’t think he’s exaggerating how much he dislikes them,”
Suga hummed, he could tell what Asahi was thinking- that this kind of turmoil would tear at the team during high stress moments. He glanced at his friend, his eyebrows scrunching together and lips tugged down into a frown- if you didn’t know Asahi it would look intimidating. But they knew it was a sign that he was catastrophizing.
“Yamaguchi thinks it’s funny,” Kiyoko said quietly looking up at the stars.
They had arrived at the park by then, Kiyoko taking her usual spot on the swings with Suga taking the one next to her. Asahi crouched on the roundabout in front of them (they had once been chased off when he leaned on the swing set as they talked. One of the neighbors had thought it was some kind of deal going on- Suga still liked to tease Asahi about that night.)
“Yamaguchi?” Diachi asked.
Kiyoko hummed.
“He does seem to go along with what Tsukishima says,” Diachi was now the one who looked worried. He glanced at Suga and he could practically see the internal debate- if Yamaguchi just went along with what Tsukishima said then it would probably cause some problems for him in the future. It was sad that Yamaguchi was so used the the peer pressure that Tsuki-
“He wants to,” Kiyoko replied looking back to the group with a raised eyebrow
Daichi made a confused noise.
“I think Tsukishima makes half the comments he does,” she said slowly, as if explaining something to a child, “is because it makes Yamaguchi laugh,” the look on her face seemed like she was waiting for them to understand. But Suga was 50% sure it wasn’t just what she said- that there was some hidden meaning somewhere between the lines.
Ashai rested his chin on his hand, “I have seen him whisper something to Tsukishima before Tsukishima makes one of his comments,”
“So Tsukishima only makes comments so his friend will laugh. The same friend who is making half of the jokes,” Suga said slowly.
Kyioko made a noise, not quite a hum but something that sounded like ‘you’re missing something’
Suga turned back to Kyioko, waiting for her to continue.
Kyioko shook her head as she said, “They’ve been best friends forever. They prefer to keep to the two of them. They’re never apart,” the boys nodded along as she spoke. When they didn’t say anything she leaned in closer- “Yachi told me that they both reject any confessions that they get. And apparently Tsukishima gets a lot,”
Blank stares is all she got in response. Kyioko glanced to the side (the closest she gets to an outright eye roll) and sighed.
The silence lingered for a few seconds before Daichi let out a quiet, “Oh.” Suga and Asahi turned to him, waiting for him to explain, “If they’re not interested in dating,” he hesitated, “others then they might not be interested in them,” he stressed.
Suga gave Daichi a weird face- why was he being so weird about- “Oh,” he said, nodding.
Asahi got it a moment later, his eyes widening with realization, “But-” he cut himself off.
“It would make sense,” Kyioko said, a small mischievous smile forming on her lips. It was the same smile that the third years swore she made often but no one ever seemed to believe- ‘not their perfect angelic Kyioko!’
Asahi rubbed the back of his neck, “To be honest I don’t see Tsukishima dating anyone. He just doesn’t seem like the type to,” he let the words hang. Finishing the statement seemed a little too mean, even if the others mentally filled in the blank with their own description.
"Tsukishima might not seem like the type to, but Yamaguchi definitely does,” Suga said. Then he realized that that might have been harsher than Asahi’s words, “Not that-” he didn’t continue the thought.
“Yamaguchi is definitely pining then,” Daichi said, glancing between the three others. When they nodded he continued, “Tsukishima must either be oblivious or leading him on then,”
Kyioko made a noise, “I don’t think that Tsukishima would be that cruel. If he’s making the jokes to make Yamaguchi laugh then he clearly values him,” she looked down as she kicked her feet against the woodchips, her swing swaying as she lightly pushed herself.
“So he might not know,” Asahi said.
Daichi sighed, “I don’t think Tsukishima would appreciate us meddling and trying to get them together. I think we just need to hope that Yamaguchi can,” he gestured vaguely into the air.
Asahi gave a look at that, “I don’t think he’d do it. I mean- a crush on your best friend? That’s a lot of pressure,”
Suga nodded, “I feel like he’ll ride it out. Besides, if Tsukishima is getting asked out all the time surely he’ll say yes eventually?” he didn’t know if he really believed in what he was saying but it made sense.
Yamaguchi was a nervous creature. Slowly he was getting better- more confident both on and off the court- but it was slow work. Besides- Suga knew what it was like having a crush on a friend. He knew that sometimes the best option is to bury it deep- no use bringing it up if it would go anywhere.
(In the back of his mind a voice hissed to him, ‘Do you really believe that or do you just want him to be like you? Pushing away and never asking because you’re scared of the answer?’
He ignored it.)
Daichi hummed, before riffling around his backpack that had been slung over his shoulder and taking out some drinks for the four of them. He passed them out before raising his own drink with a, “To the first years,”
Suga laughed, “To the team,”
They clinked glasses before the conversation moved from volleyball to anything and everything.