𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒔 - 𝒓. 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒂

eighteen

** six month time skip**

"Eeeh? [Name], you're still here?" A classmate approaches you at your desk, causing you to pry your gaze away from the window.

Confused, you tilt your head at her, raising an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to be somewhere?"

"Oh," She twirls a strand of hair around her finger. "I was just thinking that you'd be in Tokyo right now."

This places you in a deeper state of confusion. "Tokyo?"

"You know, your brothers and boyfriend. The whole nationals thing." She elaborates, plopping down in the seat next to yours. "I was just assuming you'd go to cheer them on."

You laugh at her response, "I think i'm the last person they'd want to be there." It's an unspoken rule between the Miya siblings, you've wordlessly been banned from attending any of their important games in person. The list of reasons includes purposely screaming to mess up Atsumu's serves, egging Osamu on until he messes up to Atsumu's delight, giving stupid commentary that nobody asked for, and so on. In turn, these reasons would only bug Suna even more, even more the reason to not go.

"I see you're not the supportive girlfriend type," Your classmate teases before getting up and reuniting with her group of friends. Your highly sure your presence wouldn't do much for Suna's performance. A slow starter is a slow starter, even applicable for swim. There's a high chance that he would completely block you out entirely to focus on the game.

"We going over to your place today to watch the game?" Izumi unpacks her lunch, looking at you expectingly.

You nod as you unpack your own.

"It's so quiet without them around." Aiko notes softly, rereading her notes for an upcoming quiz, something she usually can't do with Atsumu and Osamu's bickering. "You must be having a blast at home."

"Mmhmm," It's been a while since your household had been this quiet. Usually the silence in the air is shared with suffocatingly thick tension, the aftermath of a heated argument or fight between Atsumu and Osamu. There's never a moment of peaceful quiet. This morning, the only sound in the entire house was the occasional pipe creak as your father got ready for work, soft sizzles from the kitchen as your mom made breakfast, and the soft music coming from your phone as you were getting ready for school. You made a mental note to cherish the silence while you could. "I could probably invite Natsumi over to watch too."

-♡-

The four of you guys sat in front of the TV, eyes glued to the screen, watching the ball fly back and forth across the net. Even through the screen, you could see your two brothers bickering back and forth, both on and off the court.

"I have a feeling they're gonna win this game," Izumi nonchalantly says, leaning back into the couch and munching on her snacks.

"I don't know..." You watch Atsumu set the ball up for Osamu, who slams it down into the other court. "They seem to be messing around more than usual."

Izumi shrugs, seeming to be slightly bored. "Dunno, they better pull their act together then, I guess."

The conversation dies as everyone intently watch the match, the house silent except for the whistles and cheers that comes from the screen.

"Sometimes I feel bad for the opposing team," Aiko chimes up, pointing to the cheer squad that was being shown on the screen. "Our cheering gets...intense sometimes."

The constant booing and booming music is sure to get to them eventually. It actually seems like it's already gotten to them, with a few missed serves and such.

When time comes for Atsumu to serve, you can only scoff at the TV and roll your eyes. "He's so dramatic," you mumble as he does his usual routine of silencing the crowd before he serves.

The rest of the set is a rollercoaster, the constant back and forth of points, neither side seeming to let up. You cringe at the moments that make it seem like Suna's about to get blocked, but miraculously, the ball blows past. Natsumi reassures you, saying something about him using his entire torso unlike other players.

"Oh, are the boys playing right now?" You mom peeks her head into the living room. She runs her hands over her slightly wrinkled work uniform before sitting down on the couch, instantly getting immersed into the game. After all of these years, all the games, and the big reputation the twins had garnered, our poor mother still had no clue how the game worked or the rules. She tried her best to show her enthusiasm and support, but more often than not, it ended up with a slightly embarrassed Atsumu and Osamu.

By the final set, everyone is on the end of their seat, watching in anticipation and fear. Karasuno nor Inarizaki were letting up, and you were still uncertain on who was going to win the game. Latching onto Aiko, you dug your fingers into her arm as the ball continues to go to and from. "[Name], let go, you're hurting my arm." Aiko mutters out through gritted teeth, even though she was gripping on just as hard onto you.

Well. That was not what I was expecting,

The final whistle is blown, with Karasuno declared the winner of the match. The room is silent, everyone in shock. While nobody was particularly certain that Inarizaki was going to win, it was written in everyone's mind that they would win. Glancing around the quiet living room, everyone is wearing the same face, mouth agape, eyes wide in shock.

"Damn," Izumi breathes out, falling back into the couch. "I was not..." She doesn't even have to finish her sentence.

Your mom claps her hand together, pushing herself up off the couch. "Well, [Name] and I have quite a handful to deal with now, once they get home." She laughs out, heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You don't even want to imagine Atsumu and Osamu moping around, wallowing in whatever regret they are holding onto. Especially Atsumu, after his dramatic little speech he gave you on the rooftop. "You girls are more than welcome to stay for dinner!" Your mom's voice echos from the kitchn, which is met with a chorus of Really! and Hell yeah!.

While you are definite on how the twins are probably going to handle their early loss, you are stuck on what Suna is feeling right now. He's never shown particular like nor dislike towards volleyball, it was always something he just...did. He never got worked up about wins or losses, never got caught up in Atsumu's energetic approach. He very vocally voiced his dislike towards morning practices, but he was always there on time and never skipped. Nor is he the type to publicly display his emotions; would he show or voice his disappointment, regret or overall feelings towards to match to you at all? Was there even a need to comfort him, or is it a topic I should just drop?

Natsumi, seeming to read the millions of thoughts racing through my head, gently places her hand on my arm, looking me dead in the eyes. "I'm going to be honest, I don't know how he's gonna react either. But one things for sure, is that there is no need to overthink this. Do whatever feels right, even if it turns out to be wrong. Over my dead body will Rintarou get mad at you. I don't see it in him, especially not at you."

The reassuring words ground you. Taking a breath you didn't realize you were holding, you hug a pillow tightly to your chest, giving Natsumi a cheeky grin. "That was oddly philosophical of you, for a middle schooler."

"Please," Natsumi waves her hand at you, her nose scrunched up. "I'm going to high school in like two years."

author's note;

at the time of publishing this chapter, it is december 31, 2020! this year was a really rough one for everyone, but we did get suna mf rintarou some screentime on season 4 :D

i doubt anyone reads my notes, but i'm wishing everyone a happy new year! I hope 2021 brings you all health, joy, good things, and everything you manifest!

mwah mwah ash <3