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1. Oikawa
Tooru had come to visit Karasuno with one goal—well, two goals. Never let it be said that he can’t multi-task. The first, is to annoy Tobio-chan and the rest of the crows as petty revenge for beating Aoba Johsai in the Spring Qualifier. The second, and arguably most important, is to check out on Sawamura, who had taken a pretty bad hit during the tournament, though he still managed to play despite his injury. As a fellow athlete and captain, he has a duty to check on the captain that’s now representing Miyagi Prefecture. Determinedly telling himself that he’s only visiting because it’d annoy Tobio-chan and to make sure that the prefecture won’t be an embarrassment at Nationals, he stuffs a bag full of snacks for the other captain (you have to eat well to be healthy!), and makes his way over to Karasuno, where he accidentally stumbles across the crow captain before he’d even mentally prepared himself to face him. “What exactly brings you here, Oikawa-san?” Sawamura asks him, one brow arched inquisitively. Tooru smiles brightly at Sawamura’s cautious tone. “No need to look so suspicious of me. Just wanted to check in on how the Miyagi Prefecture representative team is doing!” Sawamura gives him a very long and suspicious look. Sweating, because this was not going to plan at all, Tooru panically thrusts the bag of various snacks he’d brought towards Sawamura, flashing a winning grin that has made countless fans fall at his feet. “Of course, I didn’t come empty handed! Here! A symbol of my goodwill.” Lips curled up wryly, Sawamura takes the bag from Tooru’s hand. “You at least know how to bribe your way out of trouble, huh, Oikawa-san?” Waving away Sawamura’s comment, Tooru keeps smiling as he reassures him, “I’d never do that! I just wanted to give you a captain coming to visit a rival captain type of gift.” Tooru sags a bit in relief when Sawamura chuckles slightly, glancing at him, before looking into the bag. “Lucky for you, I didn’t get a chance to eat my lunch, so you get a chance to explain yourself while I get something to eat. Win-win, right?” Nodding at Sawamura’s comment, Tooru ignores the slight feeling of stuffiness in his chest when he sees Sawamura’s eyes sparkle at the sight of the meat buns. Clearing his throat, he answers, “Well there’s not too much to explain. I wanted to check in on you since you got hit pretty hard at the Qualifiers.” Tooru resists the urge to smack himself, because even though he didn’t want to tell Sawamura his actual reasons, why the hell did he tell him that? Eyes widening, Sawamura’s mouth parts a bit, before he smiles a bit at Tooru, “I’m all good now, thanks for asking.” Clearing his throat slightly, Sawamura says wryly, “You know, you didn’t have to bring all of this if you just wanted to mess with Kageyama and the others. As long as you don’t go overboard, you don’t have to worry about me tossing you out. Besides, I think that Kageyama might appreciate some pointers.” Tooru ignores the traitorous double thump of his heart as he stutters out a denial. He was just startled that Sawamura had seen through his actual goal—that’s all. Regardless, he’d accomplished one of his goals—checking that the other captain was alright. Even better, Sawamura had just given his go-ahead to bother the rest of the team, so once that was done, he could be on his way. Unfortunately, his feet don’t seem to have gotten the memo, as they’re rooted firmly in place as he stares at Sawamura, eyes creased into pleased crescents as he bites into a meat bun, his cheeks adorably rounded.
Oh no.
Why did Tooru think that giving Sawamura food was a good idea? Why did he have to be so cute while eating? He acutely feels the pain of hindsight, because who thought that bribing Sawamura with food would make things easier for him? Oh, that’s right. It was him. Iwa-chan was right—he really was an idiot. Looking at Sawamura’s puffed out cheeks, Tooru feels his sanity crumble bit by bit. No. No, he has to hold it together. He’s a mature individual, he’s the captain for Aoba Johsai, he’s strong, he’s powerful, he can handle anythi— Sawamura tilts his head at him, before swallowing his mouthful of bun, “It’s really not a trick, feel free to go. This is definitely one of the most delicious bribes I’ve gotten. Thanks, Oikawa!” Tooru’s brain fizzles out when Sawamura smiles at him—wide and bright, a dimple peeking out shyly on one cheek. He thinks he says something in response, but frankly, he has no idea if what he said was even intelligible. Regardless, despite his plan going ridiculously off the rails, he doesn’t think he can bring himself to regret any of it. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daichi stares bemusedly at Oikawa, who’s making extremely weird faces. He thinks that perhaps Oikawa should go to a hospital, rather than lurk around another highschool. The other captain is blinking rapidly—as if he has something in his eyes, one eye twitching spasmodically from time to time, while his usually idol-like smile seems pretty strained. Eyes softening in pity, Daichi pats Oikawa’s shoulder, who lets out a very high pitched sound. Clearly, stress must be getting to him.
2. Ushijima
In the aftermath of that last match at the Spring Qualifiers, and Shiratorizawa’s defeat at the hands of Karasuno, Wakatoshi had spent a great deal of time on introspection. After all, how was it possible that they were beaten by a team that on paper, was inferior to Shiratorizawa in every way? He doesn’t think that either he or his teammates had played unsatisfactorily, and yet… He thinks back on the strange duo that had challenged him. To be honest, as a captain, he likely would not have let them join—let alone play—the two seemingly too self-centered to work effectively on a team—Kageyama in particular being known as a selfish setter. How did the Karasuno team captain know to take that chance? How had he brought a team of wildly disparate talents together to beat Shiratorizawa? These thoughts were still plaguing his mind, when he found himself accidentally bumping (literally) into said Karasuno captain while shopping for groceries. Reaching out a hand to steady the other captain, Sawamura chuckles ruefully. “Sorry about that, Ushijima-san. My head’s been in the clouds lately. I should’ve been watching where I was going.” Wakatoshi responds with a bland, “No worries,” before taking a step back. That should have been the end of it, but a small voice in the back of his head shouts at him, that this is his chance to perhaps find an answer to his questions, and he finds himself asking, “What has you so distracted?” A look of shock comes across Sawamura’s face, before his eyes skitter to the side. “It’s just… There’s a lot going on…” His voice trails off at the end, an uncomfortable look on his face. “Ah.” Wakatoshi doesn’t quite know how to respond, finding himself in the unfamiliar position of actually trying to continue a conversation. A memory flits across his mind—Tendou had once told him that when you talk to someone you’re interested in, to keep asking questions. Satisfied with his course of action, he asks. “Is it because of your preparations for Nationals?” The awkward look in Sawamura’s eyes says it all. Finally feeling as if he’s regained his bearings, Wakatoshi says, “It is common to feel nervous before any big events. However, if you trust in your skills that have taken you to this point, I have no doubt that you will do well at Nationals. Be confident in yourself and your team.” Wakatoshi swallows hard when Sawamura looks up at him, eyes wide, but then creasing into a brilliant smile. “That was really kind of you to say, Ushijima-san. I’ll be sure to remember that whenever I’m feeling unsure of myself.” Staring at Sawamura’s smile, a darker voice—one that usually only comes up when he’s competing—urges him to see just how his own lips might fit against Sawamura’s; how it might feel to bite and lick into the other’s mouth. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daichi looks up curiously at Ushijima, who’s staring at him… quite intensely. Pushing back the urge to frown, because he thought that he and the other captain had been getting along quite nicely, he instead continues smiling at Ushijima. After all, it’s not everyday that one of the top three aces in the nation says something this nice to you. Daichi nearly takes a step back when the look in Ushijima’s eyes darkens. O–kay. Point taken Ushijima! Sorry for smiling at you like that when you’re most likely still a little bit sore from losing to Karasuno. Hopefully they’d be able to get along when the sting from the loss fades a bit. Ushijima seems like he’d be a great friend.
3. Terushima
“Yo! Crow captain! Where’s the rest of your flock?” Yuuji snickers a bit to himself as the Karasuno captain spins towards him—mouth slightly opened in surprise. “You’re—” “Terushima Yuuji! Nice to meetcha again!” He interrupts with a cheery grin, hand outstretched for a handshake. The crow captain smiles tentatively, shaking his hand, “Sawamura Daichi.” Yuuji lets go of his hand, taking a step back as he gives Sawamura a once-over, eyes lingering over the impressive way he filled out his tracksuit. He whistles out an impressed breath. “Gotta say, I thought it was because we were on the court, but you look just as big off the court!” Sawamura looks at him suspiciously, “...are you calling me fat?” Yuuji hurriedly tries to explain, “No! Wait, how did you get that—? I just meant that you’re y’know…” He trails off uncertainly, because what had he meant? He’d had a brief thought of how broad Sawamura’s shoulders were, but mentally recoiled, because what the hell was he thinking? “A bit intimidating?” He ends up finishing lamely. Lifting an eyebrow, Sawamura echoes, “Intimidating? I doubt you’ve ever been intimidated by anyone in your life.” Smirking back, because honestly Sawamura was right, Yuuji replies, “There’s a first time for everything. Anyway, congrats on making it to Nationals. I’m surprised you’re not running your team ragged to prepare right now.” Sawamura settles back, though the look he gives him shows he didn’t buy his excuse for a second, “Rest is also important, so we ended practice early today.” A dark look passes through his eyes as he mutters to himself, “Everyone better be resting.” Waving off Yuuji’s quizzical look, he finishes, “Anyways, I have confidence in my team’s skills, and I don’t want anyone to overwork themselves before we even get to the first stage.” Yuuji nods. Ever since the loss to Karasuno, he’d thought a lot over the why’s and how's his team had lost, and while there were definitely flashy and talented players on Karasuno, he’s sure more than ever that the difference was in large part due to Sawamura’s steadfast leadership. He’s not entirely sure why he feels drawn to the other captain—after all, they’re pretty much polar opposites. However, there’s something in his eyes that makes him want to keep the other captain talking to him for a little while longer. “Well, confidence or no, it’s still gotta be stressful being a captain about to head to Nationals. How about I treat you to something? I always feel less stressed when I eat something sweet.” Yuuji smiles brightly at Sawamura. Sawamura’s eyes widen, then dart to the side as if looking for someone, “I—” Before he can turn him down, Yuuji puts on his most persuasive tone, “You won’t be able to function properly if you’re too stressed.” Sawamura still looks unsure, “I don’t know… my team—” “Isn’t here,” Yuuji interjects smoothly, wondering briefly what Sawamura’s team had to do with anything. “Look, there’s a crepe stand right there. Let me get you something.” It seems his persuasions worked, as Sawamura nods, though he seems to be watching his surroundings warily. Shrugging internally, Yuuji goes to buy the crepes, holding one out to Sawamura when he returns. “Dig in!” Sawamura hesitantly reaches out to take it, eyes wary, and Yuuji’s curiosity at his behavior reaches a peak. “It’s not gonna bite you. Why’re you so jumpy?” Ears turning pink, Sawamura grumbles, “I know it’s dumb, but ever since I went to Karasuno, every time I’ve tried to eat something sweet, my team’s either stolen it, or in the case of some of my friends, physically kept me from eating. So I guess subconsciously I was kind of expecting one of them to jump out at me.” Eyebrows rising, Yuuji stares, before asking, “Why would they do that?” Sighing, Sawamura folds down a piece of the wrapper on the crepe, “No idea. Still, thanks. It really has been a while since I’ve eaten something like this.” At Sawamura’s first bite, Yuuji abruptly realizes exactly why the Karasuno team acted that way. All of the blood immediately rushes to his head and then just as rapidly vacates it when he hears the sound that Sawamura makes. The other captain’s eyes close in seeming bliss as he chews, a pleased flush on his face, and just the slightest bit of cream perched at the corner of his lip. Yuuji takes a deep breath, furiously trying to will away the blood now rushing to another, much lower part of his body. He can act cool—he can totally do this—then Sawamura’s tongue darts out to lick away the stray cream and Yuuji’s brain shuts down. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daichi stares quizzically at Terushima as he absentmindedly licks off some stray whipped cream from his finger. Speaking of stress, it looks like the Johzenji captain needed to eat something sweet more than Daichi did. He seemed to be breathing extremely hard while staring very intensely into nothingness, the crepe he’d bought slightly crushed in his hand. Daichi shrugs to himself about Terushima’s strange actions. Oh well. Youth will be youth.
4. Bokuto
Most people don’t think of Koutarou as a particularly observant person. However, it’s not that he doesn’t see anything—it’s more that he has his own idea of what’s actually important to pay attention to. And it’s exactly that selective attention that has him noticing just how pale Sawamura had looked when he’d walked out of the stadium after the match with Nekoma. It’s that observation that has him calling out to the other captain, “Sawa-sawa!” Waving off Akaashi’s hushed entreaties for him to come back over to where the Fukurodani team was gathering to head back to their own hotel, he jogs over to meet a bemused looking Sawamura. “Hey, hey hey! Congrats again for making it to the quarterfinals!” Sawamura smiles, and though it’s genuine, it seems a bit strained at the edges. “Thanks Bokuto. Congratulations to you too. If we do well, our teams might eventually face each other.” Koutarou grins, “Of course! And when we do, Fukurodani’s gonna be the winner at the end!” When Sawamura doesn’t respond with one of his usual, dry comebacks, or even a laugh, Koutarou’s grin falters. "Sawamura?" Sawamura blinks, before seeming to shake himself. "Sorry, Bokuto. I got lost in thought a bit." Staring at him, Koutarou nods decisively to himself as he makes a decision. Moving towards the other captain, he clasps his hands on either side of Sawamura’s face. "Wait—hey—Bokuto—!" "Close your eyes, Sawa-sawa." Koutarou interrupts, focused. Sawamura opens his mouth with a mulish look, but he sees something in Koutarou’s intent expression, and rather than arguing, he just sighs and closes his eyes. Koutarou smiles, before saying. "Sometimes, it's hard to focus because there's too much stuff, right? Like a buzzing bee in your head.” Eyes still closed, Sawamura nods, “When that buzzing gets too much, I close my eyes, and focus on something simple—like the feel of a good spike.” Nodding approvingly, Koutarou murmurs, “Then I take all those buzzing thoughts, and I take a deep breath and breathe them all out. When I open my eyes, it’s a lot quieter.” Sawamura breathes out a long breath—nearly a sigh, and then his eyes flutter open, looking up at Koutarou with an almost vulnerable expression—a slight flush on his cheeks. And oh.
Oh.
Koutaro’s heart thumps hard in his chest as his gaze sharpens, tracing Sawamura’s features, dropping to those slightly open and plush lips, and then going back up to half-lidded eyes that are still softly gazing at him. Koutarou’s always been a sucker for pretty eyes, and he swallows thickly as he finds himself helplessly leaning closer. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Daichi stares up at Bokuto with concern, as the expression on the other’s face seems to darken. He has no idea what he’s done, but he needs to fix it, because holy crap Akaashi was going to kill him if he accidentally makes Bokuto go into emo mode right before a match.
5. Kuroo
It’s been an emotional couple of days at Nationals, and Tetsurou’s tired. Despite his exhaustion, he’d still immediately said yes when Sawamura had asked if he wanted to meet up before the crow captain left the city. After all, it’d likely be a long time before he’d get a chance to see Sawamura in person for a while. Running his suddenly sweaty palms on his track pants, Tetsurou double checked his phone to check that he was indeed early to meet. The hotel was shaded with magnolia trees that would soon bloom with and litter the ground in a soft carpet of petals. However, the flowers still remained as buds—the promise of beauty and possibilities hidden—just like his upcoming conversation with Sawamura. A record scratch sounded in his head. Wait. Why was he being so sappy? And just why was he feeling so nervous? This was Sawamura—the competitive country-bumpkin crow captain that infuriated him to the point that his heart raced, with the way that he stared at Tetsurou with those defiant, yet warm eyes, and when he laughed, sometimes he’d see a hint of a dimple peeking out— Oh shit. He’s—He’s attracted to Sawamura, and he’s just realized it, and he’s going to be talking to him in five minutes— “Kuroo?” Make that now. For a moment, time seems to stop. Because Sawamura’s walking towards him and smiling at him so openly and warmly that Tetsurou feels like he’s melting. Ahahaha. He’s in danger. Despite his urge to run and save his heart, Tetsurou’s legs stubbornly refuse to move. Because he’s just realized—more than anything, what he most wants is for Sawamura to keep smiling at him like that. “You’re early, Kuroo,” Sawamura chuckles. “And here I thought I’d actually get here before you. Hopefully you weren’t waiting too long.” Tetsurou would never admit to waiting for half an hour, because Yaku, Kai, and Kenma had all gotten tired of his nervous pacing and kicked him out of the hotel. “Are you alright, Kuroo?” Sawamura asks delicately, and crap, Tetsurou’s spaced out too long, staring at the other captain. Willing down a furious blush, he hurriedly answers, “Never better! Anyway! I heard that you’re looking to come to Tokyo for university?” Sawamura nods, responding. “Yea, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m looking for a place to stay, and figured you might know the area.” And holy crap. Sawamura’s asking him for recommendations for places to stay. Tetsurou’s mind works furiously. Even though he hadn’t originally been planning on moving out for university, this is an opportunity that has been dropped into his lap, and there is no way that Tetsurou is going to let it go. Heart pounding furiously, he ends up blurting out, “I’m still looking for an apartment and a roommate. If you wanted, we could room together!” “Really?” Sawamura questions, eyes lighting up with joy, and oh no, Tetsurou’s absolutely sure that his face looks like a fire hydrant right now. Sawamura says hesitantly, “I mean, you don’t have to feel obligated to room with me. I’d really hate being a nuisance…” “Not a nuisance!” Tetsurou immediately yells out, and Sawamura takes a step back, a slightly surprised look on his face. Clearing his throat, Tetsurou attempts to control his reactions, and in a much more regulated voice, he repeats, “You’d never be a nuisance. I want to room with you.” “Well I guess you’ve got yourself a roommate.” Sawamura smiles brightly at him, aaand there’s that dimple. “Please take care of me in the future!” Tetsurou nods his head furiously, because if he has any say in it, he’s going to take care of Sawamura for forever. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To Daichi’s concern, Kuroo’s face seems to be getting alarmingly close in color to his tracksuit. The weather was perfectly temperate—even on the chilly side, but maybe Kuroo was just more sensitive to the heat? Oh no, maybe Kuroo was coming down with a fever like Hinata had? Giving him a worried look, Daichi begins guiding Kuroo inside—fevers really were no joke.
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Extra: Captains
Daichi smiles as he responds to a text from Oikawa, asking if he wants to grab something to eat, before sending a quick response to Kuroo, who’d just sent him some apartment listings. His phone pings with another notification from Bokuto, and Daichi’s brow raises when he receives notifications from Ushijima and Terushima in quick succession. Oddly, all of them have been talking to him a lot recently and while odd, it’s also been rather nice. Responding back to everyone, he thinks to himself that he’s honestly so lucky that he’s managed to make such good friends through volleyball.