𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓮 | 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘬𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔢

In a rare moment of quiet, the orange-haired boy hunched over his notebook, furrowing his brow as he tackled a problem set under (Y/n)'s watchful gaze. 

"That's supposed to be a negative sign," she interrupted softly, reaching over to point at the last step, smiling in amusement when Shouyou groaned in frustration. "You got it mostly right, though. Just finish it up correctly and we can take a snack break."

With food as an incentive, he muddled through the last of the problem before throwing his arms up in victory. "Finally!" he cried, dropping limply over (Y/n)'s study table.

Patting his head indulgently, she stood up from her seat next to him, calling out for him to follow her to the kitchen. "I'm pretty sure we have pancake mix left over," she muttered to herself. "Maybe I can make crepes?"

"Yes, please!" Shouyou chimed, cutting in to respond to her musings, grinning when she ruffled his hair fondly. Seating himself on the bar-stool he usually occupied, he watched keenly while his older friend buzzed about the kitchen to gather her supplies.

Once her work station was set up, she turned to him solemnly. "Listen well, young grasshopper," she began in her old man voice, eyes drooping exaggeratedly, "for I shall bestow upon you the knowledge on how to make delicious crepes."

And so began the tedious, but entertaining process of teaching Shouyou how to make the perfect crepe. He wasn't a very good culinary student and she wasn't a particularly patient teacher, but they managed to not burn down the kitchen which was a success as far as either of them was concerned. 

"These are good," the boy decided after contemplatively chewing on a bite for longer than really needed. "The tarts you gave Suga-san the other day were really good, too!"

(Y/n) paused, blinking slowly. "Did Suga share some with you?" she asked, tilting her head.

Nodding energetically, Shouyou grinned. "Yeah! Noya-san spotted them and so the team ended up splitting them," he recalled. "Suga-san looked kind of pained, though."

She snorted. "If I had to share my sweets, I'd feel pained, too," she pointed out. 

Humming, the wing spiker fell into an uncharacteristically thoughtful silence. "Say, (Y/n)," he began, haphazardly wiping some whipped cream off his nose, "are you and Suga-san dating?"

Despite her best efforts, heat shot up to the girl's face and she could only hope that it didn't turn her cheeks red because that would be more embarrassing than she thought she could handle in front of her childhood friend. "We're not dating, Shouyou," she emphasized, struggling to maintain her composure but managing nonetheless. "We're just friends."

"Really?" Shouyou sounded surprised but accepted her answer with a compliant shrug. "Okay. I just thought you were because you baked him sweets and stuff. And I heard Daichi-san tease Suga-san about you guys hanging out, so I just assumed."

"Oh." She blinked, unsure on how to respond. 

Undeterred by her uncertainty, he smiled brightly at her. "Suga-san is really nice, isn't he? He tends to be rough around Daichi-san and Asahi-san, but he's very kind otherwise. He's always wanting to improve," he chattered excitably. "He's so cool when we do the synchro attack! Have you seen it?"

"What's the synchro attack?" she asked blankly. 

Shouyou perked up, his hands rising to accompany his explanation with wild gestures, very nearly knocking his plate off the counter. She struggled to follow the quick stream of words as the boy prattled on, but she did manage to get the gist of the move he was referring to. 

"I think I've seen it," she cut in. "I don't remember much of the match I've seen, but it sounds kind of familiar."

"Kageyama doesn't have it down like Suga-san does yet," he added, taking a big bite out of his crepe.

(Y/n) glanced at her friend carefully. "I see."

Nodding once at her, he returned her gaze with a strange kind of determination. "If you do end up dating Suga-san, I will wholeheartedly support you and try to convince Noya-san not to try and test Suga-san," he announced. 

Burying her face in her hands, (Y/n) shook her head. "We're not dating, Shouyou, and I don't think that's going to hap--" Abruptly coming to a pause, she looked at her orange-haired friend with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean Noya will try to test Suga?" she demanded. 

"He seems pretty protective of you," Shouyou admitted.

This time, it was (Y/n) who ended up dropping over the counter. "I'm doomed to spinsterhood for the rest of my life."

"Why would you say that?" he asked curiously, patting his friend's head. 

"Noya's never going to approve of any guy," (Y/n) sniffed. "Maybe I should just ask out Shimizu?"

Shouyou tilted his head in consideration, picturing the two girls together. "I think Noya-san would actually approve of that."