Mr Refreshing

A Ball to the Face

I could've sworn I saw Sawamura-san's pupils dilate when Sugawara-san walked in...

Tsukishima looks from Daichi to Suga nonchalantly as he crosses the court to take his position as Middle Blocker during practice.

... Meh.

He shrugs, adjusts the strap on his spectacles, and tries not to get annoyed at Hinata on the other side of the net, who is bouncing up and down as if he were on a trampoline, except for the fact that he most definitely is not.

---

Sugawara Koushi couldn't help but notice that Daichi had been eyeing him keenly today, especially when it was Kageyama's turn to set. He was looking for a reaction; a crack in his cheerful facade, or maybe he was just checking to see how Suga was coping since two days ago, when he broke down in front of Daichi.

It isn't that he regrets acknowledging his feelings in front of his best friend, he just wishes  he wouldn't feel Daichi just... observing him so much.

Suga snaps back into focus too late. By the time he gets to grips with where the game was at, Kageyama and Hinata have executed another one of their freak quicks, and the ball is coming right at his face with terrifying speed.

WHAM!

The volleyball makes contact with Suga's forehead with immense force, sending him pummelling into the ground.

"SUGAWARA-SAN!" Hinata gasps.

"SUGA!" This is Daichi's voice. He sounds concerned, yet also somewhat mad.

"HINATA BOKEH! WHY'D YOU AIM FOR HIS FACE?!" Kageyama shouts.

"I wasn't aiming for his face, the ball just went there!" Hinata retorts.

Through his blurred vision, Suga could see the pair bickering again, glaring at each other, faces barely a foot apart as they both shout something inaudible at each other.

"ENOUGH, YOU TWO!" Daichi roars with an authority so final, that both Kageyama and Hinata quieten down at once, albeit still continuing to scowl at each other.

Suga sits up as the team gathers around him. "I'm fine," he groans sheepishly. As he says that, he becomes acutely aware of the sharp pain forming at the back of his head, where it had made contact with the parquet floor. He winces.

Coach Ukai gives orders for Kiyoko to bring Suga to the infirmary, and shouts at everyone else to get back to practice. Suga feels his ears burn as he is ushered off the court; maybe it's because Kiyoko has a hand on his shoulder, but more likely because he'd just embarrassed himself in front of the entire team.

He feels Daichi's eyes trailing him as he exits the hall, and curses at himself under his breath.

---

Ever since Sugawara-san got hit, Sawamura-san's been off his game.

The captain was flustered and even more short-fused than usual. He was missing easy receives, and even served straight into the net twice. He'd already reprimanded Tanaka and Noya for lamenting on how it wasn't fair that Suga-san got to go to the infirmary with their beloved Kiyoko.

A devilish smile makes its way onto Tsukishima's face as realisation dawns upon him.

By the time Suga gets back to the practice hall, the team is already packing up for the day. Hinata and Kageyama are racing around the hall with mops to see who can cover the most ground, Tanaka and Ennoshita are dismantling the nets, and Asahi and Noya are picking up balls from the ground and tossing them into the volleyball cart.

Aside from Tsukishima, Hinata is the first to notice Suga's reappearance. "SUGAWARA-SAAAAN!" He cries as he sprints toward Suga, throwing his arms around the older boy. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to smack you in the face."

Members of the team flock toward Suga from all corners of the hall. Tsukishima stalks towards Suga as well, glasses glazing over as he scans the courts for Daichi.

"Oh thank god you didn't die," Asahi breaths a sigh of what looked like genuine relief as he approaches.

Daichi is speaking to Takeda-sensei at the corner of the hall, but the moment he hears the commotion, he had come running over. "Suga!" He calls. "How are you feeling?"

Tsukishima studies his face closely, noting the deep furrow between the captain's brows.

"Gee senpai, you sure were gone for awhile," Tsukishima cuts in, before Suga has a chance to respond to Daichi. "Something happened between you and Shimizu-san?"

Daichi tenses, and the corners of Tsukishima's lips curl up.

Suga balks. "Tsukshima! What're you saying!"

"Nothing, good if what I'm thinking isn't true." Tsukishima runs a hand through his own blonde hair. "I just hate the thought of you being taken this soon. I didn't even get a chance."

Tsukishima has to hold his laughter down as Daichi's eyes grow wide in surprise. Everyone else knew he was joking, but Daichi actually physically took a step back. Theory confirmed.

From the corner of his eye, Tsukishima sees Yamaguchi's jaw drop as well. Ugh, I'll have to explain this to him later.

His offhand comment earns him a smack to the back of his head from Tanaka, but it was so worth it.

"Ha ha, very funny, Tsukki," Suga rolls his eyes as he tries to pry Hinata away from him. "Hinata, I'm okay, really."

Daichi visibly relaxes, but Tsukishima could see that his shoulders are still raised, and that beads of sweat are forming on his temples. Daichi's eyes meet his, and Tsukishima raises an eyebrow and flashes his captain a smug smile.

There is nothing that could've made Tsukishima's day more than the thunder-struck expression that comes over the captain's face in his own moment of realisation.

Gotcha.