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Sometimes Yuuji wishes he wouldn't take every stupid bet his friends suggest. He doesn't know exactly what's gone wrong in his brain, but apparently it's incapable of just thinking, "You better not do that, you ole fool." As soon as someone starts a sentence with "Bet that...", Yuuji is ready for just about anything.
That's how he's gotten himself detention a hundred times. He was almost arrested once for causing a public nuisance. He's already caught several slaps, chin punches and also his tongue piercing.
He just can't say no when people challenge him to bets.
And this bet sounds nowhere near as bad as the time he was supposed to break into the principal's office and put a dirty notebook on the desk there—for which he was suspended for a week after getting caught.
"Bet you don't dare go over to number twelve and give him your cell phone number," Kazuma says with a big grin and a wink.
They lost their game. Yuuji doesn't really remember number twelve, because he definitely wasn't on the field. What exactly about him convinced Kazuma that he was just the right target for a new bet, Yuuji doesn't know. But he does know that his brain immediately starts panting like a silly little dog at the word "bet."
His eyes wander over the Karasuno team that just passed them outside the building. The sun, which is just setting, oddly matches the color of their black and orange jerseys.
Yuuji's eyes find little number ten right next to number nine as the two argue with each other about something. And there's the boring guy with the glasses, the captain, who wasn't particularly exciting but frustratingly good....
And there. Next to the arrogant guy with glasses walks number twelve. Yuuji thinks that the rather unimpressive guy might even be taller than Yuuji himself, but his stooped posture looks very much like it's someone who's always rather trying to make himself look small.
Not really Yuuji's type.
He likes exciting, outlandish people. He likes fun and adventure.
Number twelve looks like shyness and boredom.
But hey, it's a bet, and even though Yuuji thinks it would be a lot more fun to give the arrogant number eleven his number, he knows Kazuma's bets don't work that way. He must have been thinking something stupid, picking the shy weirdo with the freckles.
Yuuji looks around to see if he can spot Hana anywhere, but she doesn't seem to have arrived outside yet.
"Give me a pen, man," Yuuji hisses hastily, and Kazuma rummages in his pocket and pulls out a ballpoint pen. The rest of the team is laughing and giggling, and Takeharu pats him on the back encouragingly after Yuuji hastily scribbles his cell phone number on a piece of paper.
Then he wipes his hair out of his forehead, puts on his most charming smile, and sprints off to catch up with Karasuno before they get on their bus.
"Hey, number twelve!" he shouts exuberantly, separating number eleven from number twelve with an elegant half-turn before coming to a stop in front of number twelve.
The unassuming boy with freckles is indeed a smidge taller than Yuuji.
With a casual jerk of his head, Yuuji flips his hair out of his forehead and grins at the strange boy, then lifts the hastily scribbled note with his number between his index and middle fingers and winks at him.
"Text me if you want some fun," he says, doing his best to make his voice sound as seductive as possible.
The boy in front of him stares at him with his mouth slightly open for a full ten seconds. Then, as if someone were pouring hot water into his head from a tea kettle, he turns scarlet, so that you can barely see his freckles anymore. It's almost a little cute.
"Wh—what? Why?" he stammers in a hoarse voice, and Yuuji can hear number eleven snorting beside him.
"Do I need a reason other than you're cute?" asks Yuuji, grinning broadly. He is very aware that the rest of the team is staring at him. Yuuji has no intention of getting caught in his joke by starting to laugh, so he nudges number twelve's chest with his index finger, winks again, and after another "Text me!" makes his way back to his own team, who greet him with a whoop.
"His face," Kazuma yips excitedly. "I think he might be dying of a heart attack!"
"Probably no one's ever given him his number," Takeharu says with a grin, and Yuuji thinks he's probably right.
Number twelve certainly won't text him. But Yuuji is probably lucky and gets something tasty to eat from his teammates for his stunning performance.
On the way home, he has already forgotten the bet shortly before reaching his front door, when his cell phone vibrates. While rummaging for his keys with one hand, he pulls his phone out of his back pocket with the other and unlocks the screen.
A new message from... an unknown number.
0081704578872; 09:01 pm: did you really mean it?
Huh.
Yuuji unlocks the front door and chews on his lower lip. He knows his mother isn't home, so he kicks his shoes aside and makes a detour to the kitchen to look for anything to warm up.
The easiest option would be not to answer. No answer is an answer, too. He could tell the truth and admit it was just a joke. But he also thinks about the bright red face with the freckles and the huge eyes and the disbelief.
A little fun has to be had, he thinks to himself, and lets his fingers dart over the keys.
Yuuhuji; 09:03 pm: oooh, freckles!
Yuuhuji; 09:04 pm: how nice to hear from you （☆ω☆*）
0081704578872; 09:04 pm: you don't even know my name
Yuuhuji; 09:05 pm: how would i? will you tell me if I ask nicely? (♥ω♥*)
0081704578872; 09:10 pm: yamaguchi
Yuuji slides a plate of curry into the microwave, leaning against the kitchen counter to think. Yamaguchi. He saves the foreign number under the supplied name.
Yuuhuji; 09:13 pm: and do you have a first name too ( ˘ ³˘).
Nothing comes for a while in response to the question. Yuuji doesn't know if that was too much already, but he gets his curry out of the microwave and wanders upstairs to his room with it. After creating a free space on his bed with his left leg, he settles down on it and starts eating.
The silence in his room presses on his ears. Yuuji doesn't like the silence. When his cell phone vibrates, he takes a curious look at it.
Yamaguchi; 09:26 pm: tadashi
Yuuhuji; 09:27 pm: hmmmmmm tadashi-kun
Yuuhuji; 09:27 pm: i like it
Yuuji sets his empty plate aside and looks at his display before changing the name one more time. Kazuma didn't say it was part of the bet to continue writing with Yamaguchi even after the number is distributed.
Tadashi; 09:29 pm: and your name is terushima, right?
Yuuhuji; 09:30 pm: that's me. but you're also welcome to say yuuji (⌒.-)＝★
Tadashi; 09:32 pm: oh.
Tadashi; 09:32 pm: uhm
Tadashi; 09:34 pm: ok.
Yuuji has to laugh. Admittedly, it's a lot more fun to tease Yamaguchi than he thought it would be. He's not sure how far he can push the game, but it's not like he has anything better to do right now. The house is empty and silent; his team has lost. Yuuji notices the sore muscles in his legs and considers taking a bath.
His cell phone is waterproof, after all.
Tadashi; 09:37 pm: yuuji-kun
Yuuji grins and jumps off the bed. Fun, fun, fun, he thinks to himself, and darts into the bathroom, turning on the faucets and rummaging around for some bath additive that will produce as many bubbles as possible. He sends Yamaguchi—no, Tadashi—a picture of the clouds of foam forming on the water surface.
No reply comes for quite a while, and Yuuji thinks he's either spooked Yamaguchi, or the poor guy has fainted.
Tadashi; 09:46 pm: you're pretty shameless, aren’t you?
Yuuhuji; 09:47 pm: life's too short for that and shamelessness is too much fun (⌒.-)＝★
Tadashi; 09:48 pm: i can only rely on your word, when self-confidence was distributed, i didn't get any of it (ーー;)
Yuuhuji; 09:49 pm: HE CAN DO EMOJIS
Yuuhuji; 09:49 pm: and awww tadaaashi, do you want me to polish up your self-confidence a bit (ง -̀ω-́)ง✧
Nothing comes for quite a while again and Yuuji carefully gets into the hot bath water. Maybe it's because he left out the suffix. Or maybe it's because Tadashi fell asleep. Yuuji lets his phone play music and places it on the edge of the bathtub before dipping his head into the hot water and closing his eyes to enjoy the weightlessness for a bit.
The music is barely audible underwater. He holds his breath as long as he can and resurfaces through the foam.
Tadashi; 09:55 pm: I'm afraid that's a lost cause
Yuuhuji; 09:55 pm: giving up is not sexy tadashi
Yuuhuji; 09:56 pm: how long can you hold your breath?
Tadashi; 09:57 pm: are you sure you gave your number to the right person
Tadashi; 09:58 pm: (and I don't know, maybe a minute)
Yuuhuji; 10:01 pm: pretty sure yes
Yuuhuji; 10:01 pm: i am currently texting with cute number twelve? face full of freckles?
Yuuhuji; 10:01 pm: if not, then it was all a mistake tadashi
Yuuhuji; 10:02 pm: if you are not cute number twelve with the freckles i must ask you to forward the number to him
Yuuhuji; 10:03 pm: (you have to hold your breath and count tadashi. i'm chilling in the bathtub and need answers)
Yuuji dives under again and this time he counts along. He wonders if it's harder in water this warm, but he gets to over seventy before he has to resurface.
Tadashi; 10:14 pm: ...
Tadashi; 10:14 pm: how can you just say things like that???
Tadashi; 10:14 pm: and yes. freckles. that's me.
Tadashi; 10:15 pm: (62 seconds)
Yuuhuji; 10:17 pm: things like that? you mean the truth? (・ω <)
Yuuhuji; 10:17 pm: phew, that would have been embarrassing otherwise. i would have hated to accidentally exchange numbers with the blonde beanpole
Yuuhuji; 10:17 pm: not bad, not bad. i win with 76 (¬‿¬)
Tadashi; 10:19 pm: i wouldn't have been surprised. all the girls always want to talk to tsukki too
Ah. That's where the wind is blowing from, Yuuji thinks to himself. He puts the phone aside and blindly reaches for one of the bottles sitting on the edge of the bathtub. He tries to recall the face of the blond middle blocker. Sharp eyes, a blond mop of hair, glasses. And an arrogant, uninvolved expression on his face.
Nah. Definitely not Yuuji's type.
Even though it would certainly be fun to provoke someone like that.
Yuuhuji; 10:29 pm: maybe all the girls have their eyes closed
Yuuhuji; 10:29 pm: i can't explain it any other way
Yuuhuji; 10:30 pm: but hey if you’re texting me maybe you don't mind girls not talking to you? (¬‿¬)
Yuuji doesn't know how careful he has to be with such a topic. He hardly makes a secret of the fact that he's bisexual. Or any of the other things he is. Yuuji is generally not the type to hide for anything, even though he realizes that not all people have the luxury of being themselves all the time without compromise.
Tadashi doesn't answer again until Yuuji's fingers have shriveled and all the foam is gone. His aching muscles feel a little better after lying in the warm water for so long, and Yuuji dries his hair, brushes his teeth, and scurries back to his room, humming, to throw himself on the bed again.
Perhaps he has been too direct now after all. Except for himself, Yuuji doesn't know anyone who isn't straight. But would Tadashi have written to him if he were straight? Maybe just out of curiosity. Maybe just because his poor, abused ego needed some kind words. Sad enough, but fair enough. Yuuji likes getting compliments as much as the next person, but he doesn't need them for his self-esteem.
At least most of the time.
Yuuji flicks off his bedside lamp, throws his comforter over him, and watches a few clouds push in front of the moon. His cell phone vibrates.
Tadashi; 11:18 pm: so you like boys
Yuuji snorts.
Yuuuuji; 11:19 pm: tadashi, my dude, my freckled shy disaster.
Yuuhuji; 11:19 pm: i've said you're cute about ten times in the last few hours
Yuuhuji; 11:19 pm: do you think that means i am straight
Yuuhuji; 11:20 pm: the important question is this
Yuuhuji; 11:20 pm: are you straight?
Yuuji is already dozing off when his cell phone vibrates again.
Tadashi; 11:27 pm: i thought i was.
Tadashi; 11:27 pm: maybe...... not?
Yuuhuji; 11:28 pm: because i'm generous and stunningly nice, i'm volunteering myself as a guinea pig, tadashi
Yuuhuji; 11:29 pm: good night (︶｡︶✽).
Tadashi; 11:43 pm: good night.
*
Tadashi; 08:19 am: how do i find out if i like girls and boys
Yuuji has a lot of dirty retorts in his head. About porn and masturbation fantasies and spontaneous making out with a no less curious male individual of his choice. But it's probably too early in the morning to be throwing such things around Tadashi's ears—if ever it's a good time to do so, when he thinks about how red the poor boy blushed just because someone gave him his number.
Yuuji isn't surprised that his mother didn't come home overnight. When he gets up on Sunday morning, the house is no less empty and quiet than it was the night before.
He raids the refrigerator and eats breakfast in the middle of the living room on the floor while a game show plays on the television, which he pays no further attention to. If his mother stays away any longer, he urgently needs to go shopping tomorrow after school.
On days like these, Yuuji wishes he had siblings. Then the house wouldn't be so quiet and he wouldn't be forced to watch some low-level crap on TV just to keep the silence from pressing on his ears. Maybe he should go out after breakfast and make the neighborhood a little unsafe. Maybe Kazuma and Takeharu will have time for him.
Yuuhuji; 09:26 am: how do you know you like girls?
Tadashi; 09:27 am: umm
Tadashi; 09:27 am: just like that?
Tadashi; 09:27 am: i never thought about it
Tadashi; 09:27 am: girls are.... cute?
Yuuji snorts. Not that he can't relate to that. But still.
Yuuhuji; 09:29 am: I can report that boys are cute too tadashi (⌒.-)＝★
Tadashi; 09:33 am: you need to stpo doing that ●﹏●
Tadashi; 09:33 am: *stop
Yuuhuji; 09:35 am: do you want me to lie to you
Yuuhuji; 09:35 am: tadashi............
Yuuhuji; 09:35 am: and i thought you were a decent boy (¬‿¬)
Tadashi; 09:36 am: yuuji-kun
Tadashi; 09:36 am: why are you like this?
Yuuji has to laugh. He brings his dirty dishes into the kitchen and thinks for a moment about sorting the ever-growing piles into the dishwasher. But he doesn't feel like it, lets the mess be a mess, and goes back to the sunny living room to lie down on the fluffy carpet and listen to the game show in the background while he holds his cell phone in the air in front of him and thinks about his answer.
After all, he figures he might as well go full out. Why not? He has nothing to lose, it would definitely be a lot of fun, and who knows, maybe Tadashi will get an epiphany that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
Yuuhuji; 09:41 am: would you like to do a thought experiment to test it (¬‿¬).
Tadashi; 09:42 am: ●﹏●
Tadashi; 09:42 am: ok?
Yuuhuji; 09:43 am: imagine the most gorgeous guy you know
Yuuhuji; 09:43 am: one that makes you think damn
Yuuhuji; 09:43 am: i have rarely seen anything so hot
Yuuhuji; 09:44 am: do you have one in your head?
Tadashi; 09:47 am: umm... I don't know.
Yuuhuji; 09:49 am: come on, tadashi. we have plenty of hot guys in our prefecture. how about ushijima? or maybe more like oikawa?
Tadashi; 09:51 am: oh god no!!!
Tadashi; 09:51 am: i think i have one. maybe.
Yuuhuji; 09:55 am: i would so like to ask who it is ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).
Yuuhuji; 09:55 am: maybe you like blonde rebels with piercings ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Tadashi; 09:57 am: .........
Yuuji is too amused by everything that's happening in this conversation to want to do anything else with his time. Homework is for people who have nothing better to do, and Yuuji is about to give someone a potential sexual awakening.
Yuuhuji; 09:58 am: okok keep being a killjoy tadashi
Yuuhuji; 09:59 am: but if he's on your mind, fine! imagine you're alone behind the gym and it's dark outside and you actually have to go home, but you've been training until just now and maybe even chatting nicely. and he pulls up his jersey to wipe the sweat off his face and you see his abs and you actually want to look away again in time but he catches you staring
Yuuhuji; 10:03 am: and maybe he's smirking but maybe he's just staring back and then he pushes you against the wall and before you know it he's kissing you. he slides one leg between your legs and it's definitely the best kiss you've ever had and he's definitely not a bit as soft and dainty as the girls you usually look at
Yuuji is about to type a detailed description of how the nameless guy gets into Tadashi's pants when his phone vibrates again.
Tadashi; 10:06 am: oh my god stop (꒪ȏ꒪;).
Tadashi; 10:06 am: i see you typing. STOP
Yuuji is a bit disappointed that his wonderful novel has no takers now, and that's despite the fact that he went to great lengths to find flowery paraphrases for the word dick so that Tadashi wouldn't fall off his chair in shock.
Yuuhuji; 10:07 am: that was a short thought expiremtn
Yuuhuji; 10:07 am: *experiment
Yuuhuji; 10:07 am: i had already gotten to the part where you jerk each other off ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).
Yuuji has a problem with keeping boundaries. Hana has told him that a hundred times, and he knows she's right. But Yuuji still can't let it go. Tadashi doesn't reply to his last message and after ten minutes of waiting, Yuuji puts his phone in his pocket and heads to his room to find something to do.
Kazuma can always be counted on to help Yuuji when he's bored, but today he seems to let him down when he announces that he's been grounded because of his last failed math exam and therefore can't meet Yuuji in the park.
His mother has always said that Yuuji had trouble keeping himself busy. Even though he doesn't have particularly friendly feelings toward her, she's not wrong. Yuuji wonders why the few women he has in his life have to constantly rub his nose in unpleasant truths.
He's so bored that he even does his homework for Monday and Tuesday—and it's all because Tadashi, the ole spoilsport, hasn't responded to his helpful messages. Yuuji wonders if maybe he should text him again and just change the subject. Or maybe Tadashi just had an appointment and that's why he couldn't reply.
Or maybe Yuuji just went too far.
He wouldn't be surprised, it's an old tune for him.
He puts the dishes in the dishwasher in the kitchen, practices flick-flacks in the backyard for an hour and a half, and then goes jogging to pass the time, too. Whoever invented Sundays should be shot in his opinion.
As he lies in bed at night, Yuuji realizes that he actually regrets that Tadashi hasn't answered him more. He stares at the screen of his cell phone and curses Kazuma, who is clearly the cause of his dissatisfaction. Yuuji refuses to think about some rival nerd any longer than necessary, though, and stuffs his phone under his pillow before closing his eyes and finally falling asleep after a while.
*
Yuuji is grumpy about himself and the world in general.
Tadashi didn't get back to him on Wednesday either, and Yuuji would like to say that his thoughts aren't revolving around Tadashi because, quite objectively, Tadashi is rather boring and not a bit Yuuji's type. But he thinks of freckles and a huge excess of embarrassment and "did you really mean it?".
At practice after school, he finally has a chance to shut off his brain, even if he occasionally catches himself thinking about what position Tadashi plays on his team. Maybe he's a middle blocker, too. He would be tall enough for that at least. As he ponders this, he misses Kazuma's next serve and promptly gets the ball in the face.
"Ow, fuck!"
A mixture of worried shouts and laughter erupts as Yuuji holds his bleeding nose. It feels not unlike a punch he once got for hitting on a basketball player's girlfriend in his presence.
"Terushima! Dude! Sorry!"
Kazuma looks like he's wavering between gloating and feeling bad as he kneels down next to Yuuji. Runa is at his side with an ice pack and a load of tissues, which she holds out to Yuuji with wide eyes. There really is a lot of blood running from his nose.
"I don't think it's broken," Takeharu says with an expert look at Yuuji's nose, which already feels like it's swollen to twice its size. He tastes iron in his mouth and screws up his face.
"I think you should go to the infirmary with this," Runa says, her eyes still huge.
"Are you taking me there, Runa-chan?", Yuuji asks through a load of blood, and he can tell from Kazuma's snort that Yuuji's usual charm is acutely dampened by the amount of red liquid running down his mouth and chin. Runa looks determined to fulfill her duties as manager, however, as she nods eagerly and carefully grabs Yuuji's elbow to help him up and lead him out of the gym.
Under other circumstances, Yuuji probably would have taken the opportunity to flirt with Runa. Now, though, his brain is busy realizing that he got a volleyball on the nose because of his distraction over Tadashi.
"Runa-chan," he says as they walk through corridors, Yuuji trying not to bleed all over everything. "What do you do when you've crossed boundaries with someone?"
Runa gives him a sideways glance.
"On purpose or by accident?" she wants to know. Her voice is so soft. Runa is just as shy as Tadashi. Yuuji's brain has obviously been damaged from the punch to the face—it spins in circles and keeps coming back to Freckles.
"Um. Maybe both a little bit?" he returns. His voice sounds a little nasal, probably because his nose is so full of blood. Yuuji has definitely had enough of the iron taste.
Runa's expression surprises him. She smiles, almost a little amused, and shakes her head.
"You provoke people too often, Terushima-san. Most people don't appreciate being teased all the time. Did you apologize?"
"Um."
"Terushima-san..."
"We're not even friends," he says defensively, watching as Runa raises her hand and knocks on the door of the infirmary. They are invited in and Runa gives him an almost pitying look.
"Since when do only good friends deserve to be treated with respect, Terushima-san?"
Yuuji snaps his mouth shut and lets the school nurse maneuver him onto a cot. Runa bows and turns toward the door.
"Just say you're sorry. I'm sure it'll be okay," she says before closing the door behind her, probably to wait outside. Yuuji feels strangely small after her words. After Hana and his mother, Runa is now the third woman to alert him of unpleasant truths. Yuuji recognizes a pattern when he sees one before him. He can't stand patterns.
While the nurse searches her cabinets for absorbent cotton and ice, Yuuji hastily digs his cell phone out of the pocket of his shorts. If the coach knew that Yuuji usually carries it around with him at practice, all hell would surely break loose. He takes a bloody selfie with a beaming, blood-toothed grin and a peace sign before hastily stuffing the phone back into his pocket. He then endures cleaning, cooling and treatment tips before finally being released with the assurance that his nose is not broken.
Runa leans against the wall outside of the nurse’s office between two of the windows that look out onto the schoolyard.
"Are you feeling better?" she asks with a smile. Yuuji nods and sighs. At least the bleeding has stopped, though he continues to have a nasty taste in his mouth and the feeling that his nose has swollen to twice its size.
"Fit as a fiddle, Runa-chan!" says Yuuji, giving her his most charming smile. As they make their way back to the hall, Yuuji rummages for his phone again and checks the selfie. Then he opens the chat with Tadashi and sends him the picture.
Yuuhuji; 04:11 pm: this is what happens when i think about you instead of paying attention to the field
Yuuji sends the message before he can change his mind. He reads the words. It's not really an apology. Yuuji can literally feel Runa watching him, and he swallows before letting his fingers dart over the keys again.
Yuuhuji; 04:13 pm: sry about the other day, I push people too far now and then
For some unknown reason, Yuuji feels heat rising to his face, and he hastily stuffs the phone back into his pants pocket.
"I'm not going to tell Coach that you're carrying your phone around, but maybe it's better off in your pocket," Runa says carefully before they enter the hall. Yuuji throws her a big grin.
"I wouldn't be me if I didn't cross a few lines here and there, Runa-chan," he replies, sticking his tongue out at her. She sighs and shakes her head, but says nothing. Yuuji realizes he can't keep training with his nose, so he throws himself onto the bench and makes it his business to shout out suggestions for improvement to the others, praising them for particularly successful maneuvers. He notices Runa watching him with amusement.
When his cell phone vibrates, Yuuji has to pull himself together with all his might not to immediately reach into his pocket and pull it out. He waits until practice is over, then follows his teammates into the locker room and pulls his phone out of his pocket.
Tadashi; 04:32 pm: oh my god are you ok???
Yuuji has no idea where the wave of relief that floods through him comes from, but he stares at his phone, completely forgetting that he's still in company until Kazuma snatches the phone out of his hand and stares at the chat history.
"Who's Tadashi?" he wants to know, amused. "Your latest conquest?"
Yuuji snorts and wrests the phone from Kazuma. Then he hesitates.
"Number twelve with the freckles," he finally admits. He doesn't miss the way Takeharu looks at him, blinking in confusion, while Kazuma laughs it off at the news.
"Gee, Terushima, who'd have thought you'd take the bet that far. Sending selfies to each other already, huh? What more do you want with that?"
Tadashi; 10:19 pm: i wouldn't have been surprised. all the girls always want to talk to tsukki, too
"Shut up, dude. He's..."
Yuuji searches for appropriate words. Nice. Nice isn't usually a word that particularly appeals to him. Tadashi isn't particularly funny or exciting or adventurous. Yuuji grumbles and gives Kazuma a jab with his elbow.
"He's alright."
Kazuma stops laughing and stares at Yuuji.
"Dude..."
Takeharu puts Kazuma in a headlock before he can continue speaking.
"How nice for you that something good came out of the bet," Takeharu says as Kazuma makes displeased choking noises. Yuuji stuffs his phone into his jeans and catapults his jersey into his gym bag. Runa's words about respect flit through his head like an electric shock.
Ugh.
"Whatever. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Yuuji says, slinging his bag over his shoulder and sinks his hands into his pants pocket.
Yuuhuji; 05:08 pm: nothing is broken but I feel like an elephant seal（；￣Д￣）.
Tadashi; 05:09 pm: i like elephant seals.
Yuuji blinks. He's not sure if they're really talking about elephant seals or not.
Yuuhuji; 05:10 pm: i don't think i've ever heard anyone say they like elephant seals. why do you like them? (⊙_☉)
Tadashi; 05:12 pm: i like animals that look funny
Tadashi; 05:12 pm: when no one else thinks they are cute
Tadashi; 05:12 pm: weird animals deserve fans too
Yuuji stops in the middle of the sidewalk because a very strange, bubbling feeling spreads through his chest. He swallows and his fingers hover over the keys before deciding on a response after more than a minute of standing around stupidly. His first impulse is to tell Tadashi that he's cute. Then he remembers that Runa would surely call that teasing and decides against it.
However, Yuuji also has to admit to himself that it definitely wouldn't have been meant as a joke this time.
Yuuhuji; 05:15 pm: what other funny animals do you think are good?
Yuuji continues on his way home as Tadashi lists various types of animals for him. Some of them Yuuji doesn't know, whereupon Tadashi sends him pictures. When Yuuji arrives home, he has pictures of narwhals, tarsiers, kakapos, anteaters, capybaras, and any number of other strange animals on his phone.
He unlocks the door, only to find that his mother must have been there in between, but has now disappeared again. He sighs into the empty house and kicks his shoes aside.
Yuuhuji; 05:42 pm: why do you know so many funny animals?
Yuuhuji; 05:42 pm: capybaras and tarsiers are very cute
Yuuhuji; 05:43 pm: weird but cute (‿)ノ
Like you, Yuuji thinks to himself.
Tadashi; 05:48 pm: i watch a lot of nature documentaries, sometimes with tsukki, sometimes just on my own
While Yuuji roams the neighborhood thinking of shit he could cook up, Tadashi sits at home in his room watching nature documentaries. Yuuji feels like he's sprinting very rapidly toward an abyss, though he can't put his finger on exactly why that is.
After showering, Yuuji throws himself on the bed and grabs his laptop. As he continues chatting with Tadashi, he clicks through various videos about capybaras and tarsiers, as well as a few other animal videos that are suggested to him. When he next looks at the clock, it is half past ten and dark outside.
The only light in his room now comes from his laptop. He's been talking to Tadashi for almost five hours about all sorts of topics.
Pokemon—Tadashi likes ghost and plant Pokemon—, movies—Tadashi likes to watch horror movies, even though he always gets way too creeped out—, volleyball—Yuuji now knows that Tadashi was the only first-year who didn't make the starting lineup, but that he's now officially a pinch server.
Yuuji suddenly knows a lot about Tadashi. And surprisingly, more about himself, too. Yuuji isn't the type to think about himself much, but when people ask you questions about yourself, you can't help but think about yourself.
He closes his laptop and takes his clothes off in the dark. He has forgotten to eat because of all the animal videos and Tadashi, but he doesn't feel like dealing with the yawning emptiness in the fridge anymore. So ignoring the accusing growl of his stomach and the still slightly painful puckering in his nasal area, he crawls under the covers.
Tadashi; 10:37 pm: hey yuuji-kun.
Yuuhuji; 10:38 pm: huh?
Tadashi; 10:38 pm: thank you.
Yuuhuji; 10:39 pm: for what?
Tadashi; 10:43 pm: don't know exactly
Tadashi; 10:43 pm: i think everything
Tadashi; 10:44 pm: good night (ᴗ˳ᴗ).
Yuuji stares at his display as his heart does a multiple somersault.
Fuck.
*
Yuuji isn't sure when in the following weeks it will become normal to see "good morning, yuuji-kun" on his display in the morning and "sleep well" in the evening. He knows that Kazuma and Takeharu are wondering what he's doing typing away on his phone so much, even though Yuuji is pretty sure that Takeharu is more likely to see right through him. But because he's a good friend, he doesn't probe, and Yuuji is grateful for that, because he has no idea what he'd say if his friends questioned him.
Even though Yuuji thought Tadashi wasn't his type and definitely a bore, he wakes up every morning with an undeniable anticipation of talking to Tadashi throughout the day. They haven't talked on the phone once, and Yuuji doesn't really remember his voice. Did Tadashi say anything at all when Yuuji slipped him his number?
Maybe he stammered a little in confusion. But Yuuji doesn't remember what his voice sounds like. It's probably not normal to obsessively think about the voice of someone you really only know through text messages and have seen live once.
On a Saturday night—and Yuuji isn't usually the type to sit at home on a Saturday night—Tadashi asks a question Yuuji wasn't expecting. He's already unzipped his tightest jeans and boldest shirt when his cell phone vibrates.
Tadashi; 09:10 pm: do you have skype or discord and a webcam?
Yuuhuji; 09:11 pm: tadashi!!! do you have dirty plans for me? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Tadashi; 09:12 pm: .................
Tadashi; 09:12 pm: nvm
Yuuhuji; 09:14 pm: i have skype! and a webcam! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
When Tadashi doesn't answer for ten minutes, Yuuji wonders if he's gone too far again. But then he gets sent Skype contact information and catches himself hesitating. Actually, he wanted to go out. Meet up with some people, maybe have a few beers in the park somewhere.
He stares at his phone.
Tadashi; 09:26 pm: you probably have better things to do than sit at home but there's this new documentary on netflix.....
Yuuji wants to laugh and bang his head against the wall at the same time, because he never in his life expected to weigh nature documentaries on Netflix against drinking beer in the park.
Tadashi; 09:32 pm: forget I asked
Tadashi; 09:32 pm: sorry
Tadashi; 09:32 pm: it was a stupid idea
Yuuhuji; 09:35 pm: come on tadashi
Yuuhuji; 09:35 pm: it was not stupid
Yuuhuji; 09:35 pm: maybe we'll learn about elephant seals, my noble kin (⌒.-)＝★
Tadashi; 09:38 pm: you really don't have anything else to do?
Yuuhuji; 09:39 pm: nah not really. elephant seals are better than beer in the park (^_-)v
Nothing happens for a while, and Yuuji can't believe he's really not going to the park. No, he's going to watch some nature documentary with Tadashi on Netflix. While the webcam is on.
Fuck.
This is definitely the worst idea Yuuji has had in a long time. Maybe Tadashi not only wants to turn on the webcam, but also the microphone. Yuuji feels like his life is rapidly going off the rails all of a sudden, and he can't even put his finger on what is happening.
It's Tadashi's fault, of course, but Tadashi hasn't really done anything malicious to him. All Tadashi does is send him pictures of tarsiers and screenshots of new Pokemon he caught in Pokemon Go, and wish him good morning every day and good night every night and—.
Yuuji flips open his laptop.
Maybe he should have a beer, just to feel like he still has some grip on his life.
Tadashi; 09:45 pm: webcam without sound?
Yuuhuji; 09:46 pm: yup. give me a second, i'll get a beer from the fridge
Sitting at home alone, watching Netflix documentaries and drinking a beer is surely almost the same as going to the park and fooling around with friends. He accepts Tadashi's friend request.
Friends.
Yuuji refuses to have an existential crisis over a friend request on Skype and goes to the kitchen to get some beer and some leftover sushi from the fridge that his mom brought back from her last trip. He throws himself on the bed after setting his evening's supplies on the nightstand, fishes for the laptop, and after a moment's hesitation, accepts the video call from Tadashi.
A freckled face appears with only the forehead and eyes visible until Tadashi bends his laptop over and the bottom half of his head can be seen as well. His smile looks like it's taking a lot of effort on his part, and he's obviously waving nervously at the camera.
Yuuji grins.
Tadashi has his untidy hair tied back so that his ears are showing. He really has a lot of freckles. And.
Yuuji spots several earrings in his ears that he didn't see the first time.
Yuuhuji: you have PIERCINGS???
He sees Tadashi's brief confusion, and then his embarrassment as his left hand unconsciously reaches for his ear. He ducks his head and smiles sheepishly before he starts typing a reply.
Tadashi: yeah? is that so weird? i always take them out for sports and at school
Yuuhuji: not weird just unexpected
Yuuji grins broadly at the camera and sticks out his tongue so Tadashi can see his piercing. The quality of the webcam feed isn't particularly good, but Yuuji could swear Tadashi's face is turning red.
Tadashi: when i'm 18 i can start with tattoos
Yuuhuji: tadashi!
Yuuhuji: who would have thought that you’re a little bad boy
Yuuji has to laugh as Tadashi ducks his head even more and hides his face in his hands.
Damn.
Why is Tadashi so...
Cute. He's cute.
Yuuji has said it to him so many times before he really meant it, and now he sits here with the overwhelming realization that Tadashi isn't the least bit boring. Yuuji imagines what Hana would say to him if she were here. Briefly, his fingers itch to text her and ask her what exactly he's supposed to be doing, but then he'd have to explain to her what the problem actually is, and Yuuji can't put his finger on it.
He just knows he definitely has one as he stares at Tadashi's webcam window, eyeing the piercings and wondering where Tadashi is going to get a tattoo.
Tadashi: i don't think i pass for a bad boy, especially compared to you
Yuuhuji: at least i don't have any tattoos
Yuuhuji: what kind do you want?
Yuuji opens his beer and toasts towards his webcam.
Tadashi: won’t tell you. you’ll laugh
Yuuhuji: tadashi! would i EVER laugh at you???
Tadashi: that's a question i won't answer because the answer is too obvious
Yuuji snorts. He sees that Tadashi is also looking at him—at least that's what he assumes, because Tadashi is sitting at his desk with his head tilted, looking very interested at something on his screen. Or maybe he just called up an exciting picture of some Pokemon.
Tadashi: the documentary is called our planet
Tadashi: let me know when you find it
Tadashi: are you sure this is ok? isn't this too boring for you?
Yuuji takes another sip of beer and pops a piece of sushi in his mouth before making himself comfortable in bed and putting his laptop on his lap. He runs a hand through his hair—he should give his undercut a fresh shave some time soon—and takes another sip of beer.
Yuuhuji: ready to go (^_-)v
Yuuji last watched a nature documentary when he was eight and his mother still felt she needed to spend time with her son every two weeks. Yuuji doesn't remember exactly what kind of documentary it was, but it included lions and tigers and lots of weird birds he'd never heard of before.
He and Tadashi start the first episode of the documentary at the same time, and Yuuji feels an uneasy vibration under his skin. He's definitely not used to this kind of pastime. Most of the time he has to be on the move, surrounded by people, busy somehow. His fingers keep running along the rim of the beer can he keeps drinking from, and his eyes linger on Tadashi more often than on the actual documentary, even if he's doing his best to at least follow the audio.
Yuuji knows he should hold off on the beer, but the fact that he can't take his eyes off Tadashi's webcam window makes him uneasy, and before he knows it, he's finished with his third beer just as Tadashi raises his hands to his mouth, his eyes huge and worried.
For a moment he’s confused, until his eyes switch from Tadashi to the action of the Netflix documentary and he can see a small baby flamingo, apparently unable to follow the other flamingos due to dried salt deposits on its legs.
Yuuji feels his chest tighten and the beer, which has already gone to his head a bit from drinking it too quickly, turns over in his stomach. Everything inside him is tingling.
And that's only because Yamaguchi Tadashi feels so much for a baby flamingo.
Fuck.
Fuckfuckfuck.
Yuuji is fucked.
He resists the urge to shut his laptop and leave the house, go to the park after all, and get so drunk he forgets that Tadashi has piercings and cries about flamingo babies.
A few weeks ago, Yuuji would have laughed at someone crying over a dorky baby falmingo. But as he watches Tadashi blow his nose and wipe his eyes, Yuuji can't help it that his heart almost jumps out of his chest.
Maybe it's just the alcohol, he thinks. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be back to normal.
Tadashi: WHY DOES THE CAMERA MAN NOT SAVE THE FLAMINGO BABY?
Tadashi: ༼☯﹏☯༽ ༼☯﹏☯༽ ༼☯﹏☯༽
Tadashi: what a bad person
Yuuji would like to say something encouraging or funny, but he can't think of anything. Nothing except.
Yuuhuji: fuck tadashi why do you have to be so cute
He hasn't said it in a while now, not since it became very real. And now, for the first time, he gets to see live how Tadashi reacts to a compliment from him. The reaction comes immediately as Tadashi's eyes read Yuuji's response. Yuuji sees Tadashi tense up and duck his head before slapping his hands in front of his face and spinning in his chair away from the webcam.
Only someone who never gets compliments can react like that, Yuuji thinks to himself, somewhat dazed, while his eyes are glued to his screen, the contents of the documentary long forgotten. Yuuji definitely has a big problem.
He wants to compliment Tadashi more. He wants to see up close how Tadashi blushes and squirms. He wants to kiss Tadashi and hear what kind of sounds Yuuji can elicit from him.
Fuck.
This is a very big problem. A dorky bet has turned into a disaster and Yuuji has no one to blame but himself because he teased and teased and teased until Tadashi opened up and now Yuuji's in trouble.
Tadashi has been hiding from his webcam, but he writes a reply. He's probably squatting on the floor in front of the desk so Yuuji can't see him anymore.
Tadashi: stop teasing me
Yuuhuji: that was serious
No turning back. He could have grinned and winked and written "I can't help it, you know me". But his face seems frozen and he wonders if Tadashi can still see him from his hiding place below the webcam. He notices that he is chewing on his lower lip. The music from his speakers tells him that the episode of the documentary is over and the next one is about to start.
Tadashi reappears and sits back in his chair. His face has turned bright red and for a moment he looks directly into the webcam, which almost makes Yuuji's heart stop.
Fuck.
Tadashi: I don't think anyone but my mother has ever called me cute before.
Yuuhuji: are you trying to tell me that I took your virginity tadashi?
Yuuhuji: if only you would have said something, I would have lit candles (¬‿¬)
Tadashi looks like he's about to fall off his chair, but Yuuji is pleased with his quick wit. One serious moment in one evening is quite enough for him. Stressed out, he opens another beer.
Tadashi: would you like another episode?
Yuuhuji: sure, bad boy tadashi (¬‿¬)
Tadashi laughs and shakes his head. Yuuji's mind swims in beer and confusion and fuckfuckfuck as he stares at Tadashi and watches his face light up as elephant seals appear in the second episode, and as it collapses in on itself as a baby seal gets eaten and....
He should have just said after the first episode that he'd rather go to bed. Or to the park. He shouldn't have replied after the bet when Tadashi texted him. He should have—
Tadashi propped his face up in his hand and smiled at his screen so lovingly that Yuuji's heart stopped for a moment. Probably more baby seals.
Tadashi: hey by the way
Tadashi: guess who we have a practice game against in two weeks?
Yuuhuji: who?
Tadashi: yohzenji (・ω <).
That's definitely a winking emoji. Tadashi is grinning very widely.
Yuuji's first thought is: fuck.
His second thought is: why don't I know about this yet?
His third thought is: FUCK!
*
Yuuji is thankful for his years of practice at being an adventurous, hormone-driven asshole, as he manages to act like his usual self when Johzenji faces Karasuno in a training match.
"Let's have as much fun as we can!" Yuuji says, grinning broadly, and his team cheers. Almost forgetting the last defeat, they have trained a lot since they last faced Karasuno.
Tadashi isn't part of the starting lineup and Yuuji hasn't really had a chance to talk to him, but he's hyper aware of Tadashi's presence on the sidelines. Perhaps it outrages him a little that Tadashi doesn't stare over at him incessantly, but instead cheers on his team. Especially the blonde beanpole with the bored expression.
Maybe Yuuji's just imagining it, but he could swear that number eleven is giving him a particularly scowling stare. It's only after he hears Tadashi shout "Good serve, Tsukki!" that he remembers Tadashi's words about how "Tsukki" is always the one the girls want to talk to.
Yuuji usually gives it his all when he plays volleyball, but today he can't help but go the extra mile. His pride refuses to admit that it's because Tadashi is watching, but a little voice in his head that sounds not unlike Hana’s says that pride is stupid.
When the whistle announcing a substitution sounds, the score is 21-20 in favor of Johzenji in the first set. Yuuji turns his head to see who's being substituted, and there's Tadashi standing on the sidelines, hands nervously clenched into fists, but with an unmistakable look of determination on his freckled face.
Yuuji swallows.
Pinch Server.
Tadashi has tied his hair back, but removed his piercings for practice. As he takes a deep breath before hitting the ground with the ball, Yuuji realizes he's been holding his own breath.
Don't be stupid, he thinks to himself, and bends his knees to receive the serve.
Tadashi's serve looks unimpressive, but it takes three tries before Yuuji's team manages to receive a serve from him. Yuuji would like to jam a pencil in his ear as he thinks about how the serve is just like Tadashi—unimpressive at first glance, but surprisingly interesting.
Something is wrong with his brain.
23:21 for Karasuno, until Yuuji finally manages to take the ball. Tadashi's grin from the other side of the net is infectious, and Yuuji grins back. He can't help but wink.
To his boundless delight, Tadashi turns bright red and nearly gets a ball to the face as Kazuma hurls a well-placed spike at him.
Johzenji loses 1-2, but Yuuji strangely feels like a winner anyway as Tadashi beams at him from the opposite line of the court like a nuclear power plant. He ignores Kazuma and Takeharu's stares and runs a hand through his hair. Should he talk to Tadashi? Probably not a good idea.
The teams clean up the hall together. Yuuji doesn't miss the bald guy and the libero scowling at him the whole time, building up in front of their manager. Yuuji has almost forgotten that she exists. She's definitely still as pretty as the first time he saw her. Unfortunately, his brain short-circuited and is now only interested in freckle-faced pinch servers who cry over flamingo babies and like to watch horror movies even though they're creeped out by them.
"You seem especially happy today, Terushima-san," Runa says quietly beside him as she helps him sort some of the balls flying around into the cage.
Yuuji blinks.
"Huh?"
Runa smiles shyly at him from the side.
"I haven't seen you have this much fun in a long time," she adds. Yuuji stares at her, and he can't help it as his eyes dart around the hall and linger on the number twelve jersey. Tadashi is talking to the blond guy and just as Yuuji looks over at him, their eyes meet.
Number eleven tilts his head and narrows his eyes to slits behind his glasses. Either he just finds Yuuji downright shitty—which wouldn't be the first time, Yuuji has a knack for making enemies—or he's jealous, or. Or he thinks Yuuji has dishonest intentions.
Not that that's completely wrong. But that's not what the blonde mussel needs to know.
"When you asked me about boundaries," Runa says very quietly, blushing. Yuuji gives her a confused look. "Were you talking about Karasuno's pinch server?"
Yuuji is silent for a moment, then feels a familiar grin spread across his face. He thrusts his hands to his hips, throws his head back, and gives a well-practiced, boisterous laugh.
"Runa-chan, are you jealous?" he taunts, watching with amusement as Runa’s expressions falls.
"I just... I thought you had—forget what I said, Terushima-san. I'm sorry," she stammers, and then she's gone from his side, and Yuuji looks after her with a guilty conscience. Boundaries, he admonishes himself. He really is very bad with boundaries.
"Oi, Terushima," Kazuma says aloud. "You want another bet for a distributed cell phone number?"
Yuuji snorts and turns around, volleyball still in hand, to tell Kazuma that this kind of bet has gotten pretty old now. But his eyes linger on Tadashi, who's standing two steps behind Kazuma and was obviously just on his way to him when Kazuma—fuck.
Tadashi blinks for a moment, and Yuuji thinks that yes, Tadashi may not understand what Kazuma means. It could be about some other bet sometime in the past, after all. It can mean anything. It can—
But Tadashi is a person with a whole mountain of insecurities and inferiority complexes. Of course, at that moment, he comes up with just one thought.
Yuuji feels his face freeze and his chest tighten, as if someone is pouring ice-cold water into him.
"Terushi—"
"Shut the fuck up, Kazuma," Yuuji barks at him, and Kazuma flinches. Fuck. It's not really Kazuma's fault, Yuuji thinks to himself as Tadashi turns on his heel and rushes out of the hall without another word, as if the devil himself were after him.
Yuuji should have explained. He shouldn't have flirted and pushed and teased, he should have said "Hey, I gave you my number because of a bet, but I'd still like to keep talking to you". Why can't he deal with other people like he's not an emotional wrecking ball?
Yuuji doesn't think his fucked up family situation is an excuse for him being such a miserable shithead.
He wrestles with himself and considers going after Tadashi, but he doesn't get very far because suddenly he has a wall in front of him. A very large, angry looking wall of black clad volleyball players blocking his path.
The bald guy and the beanpole stare at him as if they are about to murder him.
"What did you do to our pinch server, you bastard?" the bald one booms, grabbing Yuuji's collar.
"Ah, Tanaka-san, maybe we should wait to use violence until we're outside so Sawamura-san doesn't catch us."
"Good thinking, Tsukishima," growls the bald man called Tanaka-san.
"Did you really set up Yamaguchi-kun all this time?" asks a very anxious voice from behind the wall on the left, which by now consists of three more Karasuno players. Yuuji's eyes dart over to the new manager. Her eyes are widened but determined as she stares at him, as if trying to peer into his soul.
"I—"
"OI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" the voice of Karasuno's captain booms over to them. Number eleven and the blonde manager are the only ones left behind.
"Terushima-san," says a small voice beside him. He feels a slight pressure on his back, and for a moment he's confused until he realizes that Runa is trying to get him to apologize.
Yuuji refuses to bow to ‘Tsukki’.
"Sorry, Terushima-san is not good with keeping boundaries. He's not a bad guy, I'm sure he didn't mean it! Even though—even though—I don't really know what this is about!"
Yuuji has a flashback to a scene where Hana stood in front of him to stop some of the Karasuno guys from getting close to him—after he acted like a complete jerk for a change.
Number eleven—Tsukki, Tadashi's best friend, the one he watches documentaries with—takes a step toward him, but the little manager hastily extends her arm.
"Tsukishima-kun! I don't think Yamaguchi-kun would want you to break someone's nose for him," she squeaks. Tsukishima pauses and gives her a look. Then he makes a scornful "Tsk" sound and finally turns away. Yuuji watches him leave the hall.
Probably to look for Tadashi.
Tadashi.
Fuck.
Takeharu and Kazuma drag him towards the locker room, and for once no one teases. Kazuma doesn't ask what it's about either. Maybe Takeharu was looking at him sternly. Yuuji has no idea what to do now. After all, it's not like you can just restore boundaries after you've crossed them.
Yuuji curses his mother for never teaching him how to deal with such miserable crap.
*
Yuuhuji; 09:49 pm: hey, sorry about today, it wasn't what it sounded like
Yuuhuji; 11:32 pm: the bet was a stupid idea but it's not like i kept talking to you because of it
Yuuhuji; 01:07 am: i wanted to talk to you but your blonde bodyguard probably would have torn me to pieces
Yuuhuji; 04:19 am: good night tadashi (ᴗ˳ᴗ)
*
Yuuhuji; 07:13 am: good morning tadashi
Yuuhuji; 10:39 pm: sleep well
*
Maybe he's even more reckless than usual when he's training. Maybe he fucks up even more than usual in the evenings with his friends. Maybe Tadashi hasn't texted him for two weeks and Yuuji tries to convince himself that this is the way it is and he can't do anything about it.
It was stupid anyway. They don't match one bit. And it's not like Yuuji has time for a relationship either. Or dating. Or some dorky romantic shit like that. And even without that, how could a friendship have worked? They're way too different, and Yuuji has zero interest in sitting on his bed every weekend watching documentaries about baby seals.
It doesn't matter that Tadashi doesn't text him anymore.
Yuuji has enough friends.
It's not like he's dependent on Tadashi.
*
"Terushima-san, isn't that Karasuno's manager?" Yuna asks uncertainly as they walk together towards the school gate after practice.
"Huh?"
Yuuji doesn't see who Runa means at first, until he notices a cluster of basketball players who have obviously circled someone. Maybe you have to be as short as Runa to spot Karasuno's manager from under her elbows.
"Oi," he calls out, and two of the guys turn to face him. Sure enough, there stands the little blonde, stuttering manager, eyes as huge as plates and clearly completely terrified.
"Fuck off," Yuuji says, calmly shoving his hands into his pockets. He thinks of how he cornered Karasuno's other manager for her phone number. This isn't his problem. It shouldn't matter to him.
Runa has her fingers tangled in his sleeve and is half-hiding behind him.
"S—should I go get Bobata-san and Futamata-san?" she whispers.
Yuuji shrugs his shoulders.
Maybe he's gotten too reckless. Maybe it's Tadashi's fault.
More likely, it's Yuuji's own fault.
"What do you want, asshole?" one of them asks. Yuuji tilts his head.
"That's my girlfriend you're hitting on," Yuuji says, stretching. "So fuck off."
Karasuno's manager turns scarlet.
A voice that sounds a lot like Hana's asks him sternly if he's planning on getting into a fight with four basketball players. Yuuji wouldn't mind to a bit of distraction in the form of a brawl, but four basketball players, all bigger than him, might not be the right choice for such a distraction.
He reaches out a hand to the manager and she swallows hard, darting between the basketball players before grabbing it. Her palms are all sweaty. Yuuji thinks that maybe just a few weeks ago he would have made a big deal about two first-year girls each dangling from one of his arms as he makes his way down the street, but now, strangely, he's not in the mood for it one bit.
As they disappear around the next corner, Yuuji lets go of her hand and sits down on a low wall.
"Ah, I forgot what your name is, Manager-chan," Yuuji says with a shrug.
"Oh, ah! Sorry! Ya-Yachi Hitoka!" she stammers, bowing low enough for Yuuji to look at the back of her head while he sits. My goodness. She seems to be just as much of a nervous bundle as Runa.
"And what can I do for you, Hitoka-chan? Did you come all this way for a love let—"
"Terushima-san!"
"Ah, sorry. Old habits die hard," Yuuji says with a sigh. Runa has rarely looked at him so sternly.
Yachi looks like she's about to faint from embarrassment. Her face is bright red, and she has her hands clasped together as if she desperately needs something to hold on to.
"It—it's about—Ya—Yamaguchi-kun," Yachi stammers, and she clenches her hands into fists, obviously very determined. Yuuji inevitably sits up a little straighter at the mention of the name.
"What about him?" he asks in an effortlessly unconcerned manner, and his tone seems to discourage Yachi, as she slumps a bit and hunches her shoulders.
"Um. I—well. Yamaguchi-kun really hasn't been well since the practice game—and. And. He's a friend, and I don't—I don't want him to feel bad. And. He—he told me about you and about—about the bet and.... Tersuhima-kun!"
At the mention of his name, her voice suddenly gets louder. An old couple gives them a questioning look as they pass. Yuuji swallows and continues to try not to show any emotion, even though his heart feels like it's gone into a hasty sprint at Yachi's words.
"If you've just been fooling Yamaguchi-kun all this time, then I definitely won't forgive you! Bu—but I don't think that's what happened, and if that's true, the—then—please make up with Yamaguchi-kun again!"
Yachi bows again after making her request, and Yuuji can't even begin to imagine how much courage it must have taken such a shy person to come here and then say things like that.
Yamaguchi-kun really hasn't been well since the practice game.
Yuuji has no interest in emotionally dropping his pants in front of a stranger and his manager, but he feels heat creeping into his cheeks and rises from his spot on the low wall to run his hands through his hair as casually as possible. Yachi straightens back up and looks up at him out of huge brown eyes.
Not that she's his type, but several weeks ago he certainly would have hit on her. Just like that, because he can. And it would have amused him how dark she would have blushed and how much she would have stuttered.
He can think of a few honest things he could say.
I don't think he wants to talk to me. I have no idea what to say. I don't know how all this shit works. I don't even know what all this shit even is.
"And how do you know I wasn't just fucking with him? I'm not a very nice person, Hitoka-chan," he says with a smirk. Yachi looks like she's about to throw up from stress and nervousness.
"M—maybe not. But. I saw the way you looked at Yamaguchi-kun and—and. I don't think Yamaguchi-kun would like anyone who's a bad person!"
And with those words, she hastily turns and runs away as if she had been attacked by a swarm of hornets. He watches her go, forgetting for a while that Runa is still there as he thinks about what on earth went wrong with him when his stomach feels like a block of concrete because someone told him Tadashi liked him.
He thinks about how Tadashi used to wish him "good morning" and "good night" and how now Yuuji is the one sending embarrassing messages like this into the void because Tadashi won't answer him. He probably blocked Yuuji's number long ago. That's probably the smart thing to do, because even though Yuuji is a lying, manipulative bastard, he was absolutely serious when he said he wasn't a nice person.
Tadashi is a nice person. Yuuji, on the other hand...
Ugh.
*
Yuuhuji; 07:18 am: good morning
Yuuhuji; 10:22 pm: sleep well ᴗ˳ᴗ)
*
Yuuhuji; 07:53 am: hana-chan why didn't you ever tell me i was an asshole
HanaBi; 07:55 am: shouldn't you be in class?
HanaBi; 07:55 am: and what kind of question is that, i told you a hundred times that you are a jerk
Yuuhuji; 07:59 am: i'm playing skipping history
Yuuhuji; 07:59 am: for personal reasons ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yuuhuji; 08:00 am: and i always felt you used the word jerk with a healthy dose of affection!!!!
Yuuhuji; 08:02 am: and anyway, why aren't YOU in class? （￣ε￣）
HanaBi; 08:07 am: my first class isn't until ten.
HanaBi; 08:07 am: what kind of personal reasons would that be? have you had an epiphany about your biggest character flaws?
Yuuhuji; 08:10 am: I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF YOU AS WARM AND KIND
Yuuhuji; 08:10 am: I FEEL SO BETRAYED
HanaBi; 08:16 am: i am still your senpai, watch how you express yourself
HanaBi; 08:16 am: are you going to tell me what's actually going on?
Yuuhuji; 08:23 am: i fucked up and i don't know how to fix it
HanaBi; 08:26 am: should we skype?
Yuuhuji; 08:47 am: ok
*
Yuuji wonders if maybe he got tired of life after the thing with Tadashi fell apart. Hana has said to him that he's still a jerk, but maybe a little less than he was a few months ago when she was his manager. She pointed out to him that he apologized rather half-heartedly and gave nothing but excuses in the next breath.
Yuuji read Hana his messages to Tadashi and had to agree with her.
Ugh.
Why are all the girls around him always right?
Now he's standing outside the Karasuno High School gym, hoping that Hana is right about this too, because otherwise he's about to be a dead man when Tadashi's teammates skin him alive and use his remains as a volleyball net.
For a while, he listens to the sounds from inside—the squeak of shoes, the shouts, and the bounce of the ball on the gym floor. Then he takes a deep breath, stuffs his hands in his pockets and pushes open the door.
At the first moment he can't spot Tadashi. His gaze first falls on the small gummy ball with the orange hair, who stares at him from huge brown eyes as if he were an alien. Next, he recognizes the blond beanstalk looking at him as if it would like to quarter him.
"Terushima-kun!" a squeaky voice sounds from his left, and Yuuji turns his head.
There stands Yachi with a volleyball in one hand and a towel in the other. And standing right behind her is Tadashi, his eyes even bigger than the tiny middle blocker’ as he stares at him. His face is bright red, his hands clenched into fists.
Yuuji knows he doesn't have long before several members of the team line up protectively in front of him again, and out of the corner of his eye he sees one of the third-graders stop the beanstalk from stomping over to him while the captain holds the team's two bullies by the collars of their shirts.
Yuuji ignores his heart, which is pounding in his chest like an absolute drama queen, as if he'd played five sets of volleyball or just escaped a life-threatening situation. His stomach feels like someone threw in a whole mountain bubbly bath bombs that are now dissolving.
He recalls Hana's words.
"You have to understand that up until now, he's been the one making himself vulnerable. His self-confidence probably is even more damaged now than was before because he thought you were teasing him all along and just pretending to think he was cute. So you have to make yourself vulnerable. And you absolutely must tell the truth at all costs! No more jokes! Or I'll come home from college and spank you after all!"
Yuuji takes a deep breath and his eyes dart briefly over to Yachi, who looks at him encouragingly and nods barely noticeably, as if she knows what he's about to say.
Yuuji's not one for bowing. But for Tadashi, he guesses he can make an exception.
So he straightens his shoulders, bows in his direction, and says loud enough for the whole hall to hear:
"Tadashi! Go out with me!"
"What the heck is going on—"
"Ukai-kun! Just a moment, please!" Yachi says hastily, and the coach's voice goes silent. Yuuji remains standing with his back bent, feeling downright ridiculous. He can literally feel everyone's eyes glued to him. Normally he doesn't mind everyone looking at him, but in this case....
In this case, he took Hana's advice.
Being vulnerable is the worst and Yuuji hates it like the plague.
"Yamaguchi. Ten minutes, then I want to see you serve again!" the coach's voice booms through the hall and Yuuji thinks his spine is probably about to snap because he's been standing here bent over like the biggest idiot for what feels like a hundred years.
But in the next moment someone grabs his wrist and drags him towards the door.
"What are you doing here?" Tadashi hisses. He doesn't look at Yuuji as they stand outside the hall, and his face is bright red, so that his countless freckles have all but disappeared. Yuuji puts his hands back in his pants pockets—an unsettling tingle where Tadashi's hand has touched his bare skin—and rocks his head left and right a few times, as if to stretch his neck.
"Didn't I just say? I’m asking you out," he explains, hoping his voice doesn't sound as scratchy to Tadashi's ears as it does to his own.
Tadashi says nothing, biting his lower lip as if his life depended on it. His hands are clenched into nervous fists.
"But—"
"I'm sorry, okay? It was stupid and I was being an asshole and I missed the moment to explain because I—because I'm a coward and a complete dick. But the last few weeks have absolutely sucked, and I want to spend time with you again."
Tadashi's eyes are huge. Yuuji has no idea if he's just stumbling towards any boundaries again and in danger of running into them, but he's delivered half of his spiel, after all, so he'll get through the second half.
"And—I don't know if you even like boys, you never answered my question. But. Even if you don't like boys and don't want to date me, maybe we can still be friends—"
"I like... Boys."
Yuuji's voice makes a very strange sound that he's definitely never heard from himself before, and the rest of the word "friends" sticks in his throat.
"Hah?"
"I like boys. I—uh. Boys. And girls."
Tadashi's voice sounds so wobbly, like he's about to burst into nervous whimpers. His face has taken on an even darker tone, which Yuuji thought was impossible.
"Oh. Okay. Good," Yuuji says like the very worst kind of jerk. He clears his throat and tries to dig out his usual charm again, but it seems to have buried itself under some rock.
"I—I knew it after your terrible experiment," Tadashi croaks, staring at his feet, his fists continuing to clench.
The asshole part of him wants to get on Tadashi's case and ask him which boy he was thinking about. Then it occurs to him that any answer that doesn't involve Yuuji himself would probably drive him insane, so he bites his tongue. But of course, he's underestimated Tadashi once again.
"And I was thinking about you, and it was super awkward, and I couldn't tell you because you would have teased and made fun of me and I—"
Yuuji decides that keeping boundaries to a certain extent makes sense. But at this moment, he doesn't have the patience to stick to it. Instead, he takes two big steps forward, reaches out to Tadashi's face, and presses his forehead against Tadashi's.
"Kick me in the shins now if you don't want me to kiss you, Tadashi," he says in a very raspy voice. His heart is hammering somewhere in the area of his adam's apple.
"I've never kissed anyone before," Tadashi says, his voice about two octaves higher than usual. Yuuji's stomach does several flips.
"Huh. Then it's your lucky day. That hot guy who gave you your sexual awakening just happens to have time and—"
"Ya—Yamaguchi-kun! Ukai-kun says you have three minutes left!", Yachi's voice sounds from the direction of the door. Yuuji feels Tadashi tense up, and for a heartbeat Yuuji thinks he's going to get that kick to the shin after all, but then something much much better happens. Something downright stunning.
Tadashi tilts his head so that their noses are no longer in the way, and then warm, dry lips press against Yuuji's mouth. In the far corners of his brain, Yuuji is able to admit that it feels like someone pulled the rug out from under him.
This wasn't supposed to be a particularly exciting kiss. But for some unknown reason, it feels like his body has run a marathon as he presses Tadashi against the wall and returns the kiss as if his life depended on it. Tadashi makes a noise that triggers a falling sensation in Yuuji. He still holds Tadashi's face in both hands and kisses him. And kisses him. And kisses him as Tadashi's fingers claw at Yuuji's shirt.
"Are you still mad?" Yuuji asks against Tadashi's wet lips. He could swear Tadashi's legs are shaking.
"I wasn't mad. I was... sad. And. And felt very humiliated," Tadashi whispers in a hoarse voice. Yuuji kisses him again instead of apologizing again.
"I have to go back inside," Tadashi croaks, bright red in the face and completely out of breath. His eyes are as huge as plates again. Yuuji gives him a wry grin.
"If I give you my address, will you show up at my place tomorrow night and watch another episode with me?" he inquires, playfully nonchalant. He sees Tadashi swallow and it feels like an eternity before he finally nods. Then he gives Yuuji one last, rather heated look that makes his whole body tingle and runs back into the hall.
Yuuji stands outside the hall for another full five minutes, staring at the closed door as if he could coax Tadashi back out through the power of his mind. Finally, he stuffs his fingers into his pockets, turns around, and heads home with an unstoppable grin.
Some boundaries are worth crossing after all.