Perfectionist ✺ Sakusa Kiyoomi

8

"Goddamn, I've known you for too long." Chiharu mumbled, Wakatsu simply knew him way too well. "I was out with Sakusa. We were talking." He threw his hands up in defeat.

Usuri's voice rang from across the room, "I'm sure that's all you were doing!"

"You need to mind your own business." Chiharu couldn't help but laugh. He turned back to Kiryu, "For what it's worth, we were just talking."

"I believe you." Wakatsu responded sincerely.

"I dont!" Usuri exclaimed from several meters away.

"I don't actually care if you sneak out to see Sakusa, I was just worried you were being dangerous." Wakatsu continued as if Usuri didn't exist.

"—Being dangerous as in making out with Sakusa in public, that is," the setter continued.

Chiharu sighed in defeat, realizing he'd never get Usuri to stop being his annoying self. He came to realize the rest of the team was already on their way to watch the Semi-finals, so, he ushered his friends to leave as well.

"Well, we had been waiting for you." Usuri rolled his eyes.

They took their time bundling up, rummaging through their limited luggage for the warmest jackets they could find. They also took turns being menaces, Usuri stealing Subaru's overcoat because "he deserves it, he called me 'creepy' yesterday!" (To which Chiharu replied "He's not wrong."), and Kiryu taking Bishin's warm gloves.

Chiharu layered the Itachiyama sports jacket over his own, a choice he made without much explanation. If someone prodded him about it, he'd brush it off as a decision made purely for his own comfort and warmth, though deep down, he knew that was a bad excuse. It wasn't the coziness he craved; it was the lingering scent of Kiyoomi's perfume on the soft fabric. But of course, there was no way he'd ever admit that out loud.

Neither Kiryu nor Usuri seemed to question Chiharu's attire. Instead, they gave him amused smirks. It was one of those unspoken agreements between them that Chiharu was terribly down-bad for Itachiyama's ace.

As they stepped beyond the inn's cozy air-conditioned haven, an unforgiving gust of wind welcomed them. The fierce blast nipped at their cheeks and whipped their hair into a frenzy. Bravely, they pressed on, making their way through the freshly laid inches of snow, each step met with a soft crunch beneath their boots.

Chiharu hesitated for a moment before speaking up, breaking the silence that lingered like the fog. "Hey, about yesterday... I wanted to say sorry, genuinely. I was out of line. Usuri, I think you're one of the most skilled setters I've ever played with. I'm sorry for undermining you."

Usuri flashed a genuine smile, his eyes warm despite the chill around them. "It's alright, Haru-san. I didn't take it to heart. Plus, watching Wakatsu-san punch you was... well, it was honestly a highlight."

Chiharu let out a rueful sigh. "Yeah, I had it coming," he admitted, getting a firm nod of agreement from Kiryu.

Usuri glanced between his two upperclassmen, a flicker of something unspoken in his eyes. They were more than just teammates; they were his best friends, the ones who took him under their wing back when he was still unsure about his place on the team. "I'm going to miss this, you know? Once you two graduate, I don't know what's going to give me this kind of entertainment." He left the 'they were his best friends' part unspoken, as to not fatten Chiharu's ego.