Chapter Text
Pleasant and charming, two words that best described Yahaba Shigeru. Or what the general public described him best. Underneath the soft brown hair and bright, round eyes were layers of traits, emotional and spiritual, that made up a different persona of what was physically manifested. Beyond his pleasurable looks, Yahaba carried a looming concern that slowly consumed him internally.
Standing behind rows of audience stands with a phone in hand, Yahaba convinced himself his presence there was valid. There was a logical explanation behind his actions. If he being there was what was needed to help everyone a step further, knowing if he was exposed he’ll be painted as a dishonest person who couldn’t respect the silent rule of the game, so be it. It was for the greater good.
Or so Oikawa convinced him.
Yahaba watched as the recording time on his phone reached ten minutes. Ten minutes. Ten minutes of the opposing side practicing their drills. Ten minutes of Yahaba suspiciously stood at a distance, contemplating his decision.
“What are you doing?”
Yahaba jumped at the gruff voice coming from behind him. I’m caught! They’ll take me to the field where everyone can see me and crush my phone with their bare hands and make me do something embarrassing like dance to that embarrassing pineapple song or, even worst, they’ll-
“Oi, answer me, Round Head.”
Once he gave himself some time to recuperate, Yahaba realized how weirdly familiar the voice was. He turned around while wondering how only one person had ever called him that name.
“Kyoutani.”
“You still haven’t answered me.”
Yahaba eyed the eye bag peeking underneath Kyoutani’s eyes as he thought of an answer. “I was taking some time to myself.”
Kyoutani gestured at Yahaba’s right hand. “While recording your ugly face, huh?”
Yahaba frowned at the insult thrown about his face. He may not be Oikawa, but he knew he was attractive as fuck. “Even if I do record my pretty face, it’s none of your business.” He stashed his phone in his pocket and walked away, intentionally colliding with Kyoutani’s shoulder on the way.
Kyoutani growled at the physical contact that meant anything but friendly. He followed Yahaba down the steps while calling out to him. “Why are you doing this?”
Yahaba stride quickened. While Yahaba is taller with longer legs thus had a wider stride, Kyoutani was stronger and faster. He caught up with Yahaba within a short distance and grabbed his hand to which Yahaba flinched.
“What? You want to fight me, now?” Yahaba cried.
Kyoutani realized he grabbed Yahaba way too rough which explained Yahaba’s reaction. Still, Yahaba stopped and as long it got the job done, then that was that.
“So Oikawa tells you to jump off of a cliff and you’ll do it?”
Yahaba gulped at the thunderous voice. He never once felt intimidated by the ominous presence Kyoutani often exhibited. His other peers, heck, even some seniors would avoid being near him but not Yahaba Shigeru. Yahaba saw a man with ridiculous hair dye and too much muscle, the brain wasn’t getting the oxygen it needed which explained why he talked with his fist far too frequent. However, standing under the ten a.m. sun and a pair of golden irises staring back at him, burning through his head compromised his stand.
“Now, kiss.”
Yahaba and Kyoutani simultaneously turned to the owner of the voice. The stranger looked at both of their faces – confused and mad – and said, “Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting. Please, continue.”
Yahaba exchanged glances with Kyoutani who shared the same expression as him before looking down at their intertwined hands. Yahaba quickly pulled his hand away.
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Yahaba asked.
The stranger flashed a grin. “I’m Daishou.”
There was a pause. Yahaba and Kyoutani exchanged glances as they waited for any further explanation pertaining to this Daishou person but none came.
“Is there…something you want from us?” Yahaba asked.
Daishou cocked his head to the left. “Well, you see. It was during practice and I felt like peeing. So I told Daichi I had to go and on the way back I saw two figures standing around near the back stand. I wondered did one of us was playing hooky or something, you know, because it happens sometimes with Tanaka. But I checked the block and everyone was accounted for. So, I’m left curious who exactly are hanging around our band practice, so suspiciously.”
Yahaba didn’t need to look to know Kyoutani was looking at him. They both damn well knew they were in trouble. Suspiciously hanging around another band’s practice session? Spot on. Might as well say he was recording their team practice session for their advantage. Daishou may be smiling, but Yahaba could sense Daishou already figured them out up to that point.
“But apparently it was just a pair of lovebirds trying to spend some private time.” Daishou added with a quirk of a smile.
Ah fuck, he definitely knew. Daishou definitely knew why they were there initially. The sly smile was definitely the sign that all three of them are in the same page – the rival had sneaked in and tried to gain information on the practicing team. We’re fucked.
“Yes, I was trying to spend some private time with my boyfriend,” Kyoutani said.
Wait, what? What?
Yahaba looked at Kyoutani in disbelief. Did Kyoutani Kentarou a.k.a. Mad Dog just used the “we’re dating” excuse to get out of a difficult situation? More importantly, I’m his boyfriend?
“Oh, really?”
Fuck, focus Yahaba. On to more important matters.
Yahaba grabbed onto Kyoutani’s arm. “Yeah. Practice and the competition are really stressing us out so we thought of hanging out somewhere quiet. Some alone time, you know.” Yahaba deliberately squeezed Kyoutani’s arm, totally not disregarding how firm the muscles were.
Yahaba’s eyes followed as Daishou glanced at his arms around Kyoutani’s, hoping it was enough for him to go away. Well, it better. He didn’t want to resort to kissing Kyoutani or something to convince Daishou. Not like Yahaba’d hate it, considering he did thought about it…once…some time ago – anyway, he wasn’t planning to do it in this circumstances.
“Sure,” Daishou said, his smirk never leaving his face even once, and left.
Both of them watched as Daishou walked back to the block far center of the field and waited until he was out of earshot before Yahaba let out a heavy sigh. “Fuck. He definitely knew what I was up to. I’m so dead. So. Fucking. Dead.”
“I don’t think he’ll snitch,” Kyoutani said.
Yahaba looked at him. “What makes you say that?”
Kyoutani shrugged. “He seemed like someone who enjoys having leverage over someone. I don’t think he’ll sell us out that easily. If anything, he’ll wait for the right time to spill.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing…”
“Losers gotta buy lunch!” A scream was suddenly heard as a figure came dashing pass Yahaba and Kyoutani, followed by a familiar voice. “Someone’s having a good day today.”
They turned around to see their senior walking with an unfamiliar guy, black-haired and slightly shorter than him. Yahaba felt like he may have seen him somewhere but couldn’t tell when and who exactly.
“Did our Simpleton Ace finally lose his virginity?”
“The only thing that is lost is my peace when you arrive, Kuroo-san,” the stranger said, with an expression so disinterested Yahaba couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. However, based on Kuroo’s smile, it must be the former.
Kuroo’s eyes perked up when he saw his juniors standing nearby and walked towards them. As he reached closer, his content smile turned into a smirk, so devilish, Yahaba started getting anxious. Being his junior for two years taught Yahaba how cunning his upperclassman could be when time calls for it. Even when he meant no harm, his smile always brought about a devious aura to it that agitated people. As such, the combination of crossed Kuroo and Oikawa was something the team always tried to avoid.
“I see you guys finally confessed.” Kuroo said once he reached them.
Yahaba eyes narrowed. “What do you m-“ and then it hit him. Yahaba jumped off of Kyoutani’s arms as instantaneous as his racing heartbeat.
“I fucking called it. Issei and Takahiro better pay up!” Kuroo said to himself.
“Wait, no, it’s not what you think it is,” Yahaba stammered.
Kuroo winked. “Yeah, sure,” he said and walked away, joining the stranger from just now.
“No, wait, Kuroo-san, please, it-it’s not…” Yahaba called out but it was too late. Kuroo had gone too far for him to hear Yahaba’s pleads.
Yahaba rested his palms on his knees while silently cursing at his fate. He had one job, one fucking job and he fucking ruined it. Not only that he had to get caught by the fucking Muscle Brain and the opponent figured him out and seemed like he would hold onto this info and use it to blackmail Yahaba. To add salt to the wound, his upperclassman thought him and Kyoutani were dating and won a bet. A bet. My upperclassmen bet on the probability of me dating Kyoutani?
“ARGH,” Yahaba wailed.
“Are you done feeling sorry for yourself? I’m hungry.”
Yahaba looked up to the figure before him. “How are you calm with this?”
“Why won’t I?”
Yahaba pulled himself up. “Our seniors were betting on us getting together.”
Kyoutani glanced at Yahaba and then looked away. “I have no problem with any of that.”
What did he meant? Yahaba stared at Kyoutani hard enough to burn a hole through his skull. No problem in any of that? Any of what? Did Kyoutani not mind about their upperclassmen betting on them? Or didn’t mind if they end up together?
And then everything clicked.
“What was that?” Yahaba slammed the table him and Kyoutani currently at.
Kyoutani was hungry and it was almost noon anyway, Yahaba figured they might as well had lunch so they went to a nearby café to eat. Furthermore, Yahaba need to escape from the revelation he just had. He had Kyoutani reserved a seat while he went and ordered their food. There weren’t any lines as they were ahead of lunch rush hour so it was a quick process. He went to the counter, ordered and waited for their food. Hardly much time passed by.
And yet, in that short duration, Kyoutani managed to get himself in a fight.
It was the sound of chairs falling that drew his attention to the glass window overseeing the tables located outside the café. Next to a fallen chair was Kyoutani, eyes filled with anger and hand fisting the shirt of another guy. He had a smirk on his face, a contrast to Kyoutani’s grim expression.
Yahaba hurriedly exited the café to break them off before more ‘physical interactions’ were made. The red-haired guy added a remark once they were separated before leaving, “Train your dog to stand down.”
For a second he had thought to let Kyoutani punch him for that remark but he had to be the bigger person here. So he let it slide and dragged Kyoutani into the café towards a table in a far corner.
“What was what?”
“I was gone for two whole minutes and you get yourself in a fight with someone. Can you think with your fucking brain instead of those ridiculous muscles for once?” Yahaba’s voice threading between calm and outraged.
He searched for Kyoutani’s eyes but Kyoutani continued staring at his tray of food, avoiding eye contact.
“I saw their shirt. They are with the Eagles, isn’t it?”
Kyoutani kept silent.
“Honestly, what were you thinking? Do you remember the last time you m-“
“I know what happened last time! I was fucking there!” Kyoutani’s voice roared throughout the café.
Yahaba’s lips pressed together, slightly taken back by Kyoutani’s outburst after being content with remaining at the receiving end of Yahaba's anger. His eyes scanned the café to see if they disturbed any patron of which, to Yahaba’s relief, they were the only ones there.
Kyoutani was heaving heavily, trying to calm down but obviously still affected by the situation. Yahaba felt a faint trace of guilt as he realized he touched a subject sensitive to Kyoutani.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s not…you…”
He looked so distraught; Yahaba felt a prick in his chest.
“They were those guys, isn’t it? From last year.” Yahaba tried to slowly pry Kyoutani into talking but only a meager grunt came out of Kyoutani.
It wasn’t even a year ago when the incident happened. The incident that robbed Panther Bastion off the drumline championship and costed Kyoutani a one year suspension from the team. The suspension hadn’t even officially reached one year but Oikawa pulled some strings to have Kyoutani back on the quads. They were in need of one since Iwaizumi moved to snare. Plus, Kyoutani was an amazing percussionist; Yahaba had to give him that.
Bringing back Kyoutani was a risk but it was a calculated risk. A risk Oikawa decided to take to win Nationals. And all that effort would go in vain if Kyoutani got involved in another fight.
“Hey,” Yahaba softly called out. He knew Kyoutani won’t respond so he lightly touched Kyoutani’s forehead.
The wrinkle on Kyoutani’s forehead immediately faded. His ridiculous blonde head moved in place before lifting up and locked eyes with Yahaba’s softer brown ones. Yahaba hadn’t realized, not until now, how the rich golden irises so used to angry, piercing gaze could look so agonized. In fact, it never crossed his mind that Kyoutani could show any expression other than rage.
“Do you…want to talk about it?”
Yahaba felt pressure on his finger as Kyoutani leaned into it, putting his weight on it. Kyoutani maintained eye contact with him. “What else to talk about?”
Yahaba could feel his breath against his skin as Kyoutani spoke that sent a shiver throughout his body. Suddenly, making physical contact with Kyoutani seemed like a bad idea.
“I…I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened. Everything that I know is from Oikawa.”
“Then you’ve heard everything.”
Yahaba hadn’t realized how strained his muscles were for lifting his arm until Kyoutani grabbed it and placed it on the table softly. He gulped at the gentle act that felt so foreign coming from Kyoutani.
There was warmth creeping up Yahaba’s limbs and up to his chest. A jumble of emotions fleeting that he couldn’t quite tell of what. Was it warmth for sympathizing with Kyoutani’s past that came back to haunt him? Or was it warmth from the softer golden hue-laden stare and subtle touches and shivering breath against skin and aching words that didn’t translate to his indifference?