"Can you believe it? We're going to nationals. Nationals, Suga! It's what we've been working for the past three years!"

Suga looked over at me and nodded. He didn't respond though. He's been acting weird the past few weeks, and I think it's because he didn't play as much in our matches. I know he wanted to be on the court with Asahi and I against Shiratorizawa. When I tried to get him to talk about it, he just brushed me off, saying that he played more than he thought he would. I didn't like seeing Suga like this. He was usually so bubbly, but lately, when it's just us, he stops smiling. No matter what I do, I can never get his lips to do more than tilt at the corners.

Currently, we were at my house, sitting on opposite sides of my bed. My dad had to travel to Tokyo for a meeting in the morning, so him and my mom drove out a while ago, to spend the day there and come back tomorrow evening. It was a Friday, but we still had practice on Saturday's.

"Maybe we should try and sleep then? Since we have to be at the gym at 7am."

Suga didn't even look at me as he nodded, and I sighed. I don't know what else to do anymore. I just want him to talk to me, but I don't want to force him to talk and hear him lie again and tell me he's just tired.

Suga got on the futon and I went to turn off the lights before laying down in my bed. I turned my thoughts to my team. We had to start preparing right away for nationals. Everyone fought so well against Shiratorizawa, although I shouldn't be surprised. With how much work they put in, I knew we could do it. I thought about the teams we faced, more specifically, their faces when they found out Hinata was a girl. Man, that was hilarious. I don't think that'll ever got old. And then the weird quick she has with Kageyama on top of that. I laughed out loud and Suga shifted on the futon.

"What's so funny?"

"Just thinking about our matches against the other schools."

Suga hummed and the silence between us stretched. I wanted Suga to keep talking, but I wasn't sure how to make that happen. I don't know when exactly the atmosphere around us became uncomfortable. We use to spend hours sitting next to each other, not saying a word, and we would both be content. It hurt, knowing that I was losing my best friend and not being able to do anything about it.

We saw Hinata and Kageyama before they saw us. They were sitting on the gym steps, waiting for me to open the doors. This was pretty common. They liked to get here early to practice by themselves in the grass. I remember first practicing with them and thinking we were lucky to get two people so consumed with volleyball. I felt kind of bad for them, because there was no way they would be dating in high school, not with how they acted. I'm pretty sure they don't even realize that there are actual people outside the court.

I had prepared myself to talk with them when I graduated. Saying something about how volleyball shouldn't be their first priority all the time, and they should go out and do something on the weekends besides practice in the park. They were only first years, so they had the next two years to enjoy their experiences before applying for schools and being scouted. And then I found out Hinata was a girl, and I caught them a few days later, making out against the side of the building when they thought everyone had left.

It made sense to me. They basically shared a brain that was filled with mini volleyballs and meat buns. I wasn't even really surprised when I found out they were dating, although I was a little worried about how it would affect their playing.

"Hi Hinata, Kageyama. You guys aren't tired already, are you?" Suga's voice interrupted my thoughts and I looked over at him. Thinking, not for the first time, how pretty he was.

"No! I can continue to play! I was just letting Hinata rest since she's practically an old maid. I didn't want her to break a hip or something!" Kageyama stood and started walking towards us as he spoke. Hinata gasped and jumped up, landing on Kageyamas back and grabbed his hair, pulling it tight.

"You ass wipe! I'm only, like, 6 months older than you! You take that back!"

Suga easily side stepped them, and I followed him up the steps to unlock the gym.

"They're cute, huh?"

I looked over and saw Suga staring at me.

"Yea, they literally didn't change a single thing about how they interact with each other, which is nice. I was worried it would mess up the team dynamic."

"Ah, yes. You never wanted anyone on the team to date each other."

My eyebrows scrunched together as we walked into the gym. I am almost positive I have never, in my life, told Suga that people on the team can't date. Mainly because I think Suga and I are the only ones who are gay. And I would like nothing more than to date Suga. He walked over to grab the net and set it up, so I followed him. I could still hear Kageyama and Hinata's raised voices from outside the door. I didn't call them in to help, though. I was too interested in what Suga had just said, and I didn't want anyone else around us.

"Suga, why would you think that?"

"Think what?"

"That I wouldn't want our teammates to date each other?"

Suga shrugged and didn't respond.

I heard the chorus of footsteps outside the gym, so I filed this conversation away in my brain for a later time.

A 'later time' was exactly 31 seconds after the last person, besides Suga and I, left the locker room. He moved towards the door and I quickly rushed around him to block the exit. He didn't say anything. He wasn't even looking at me; he was staring slightly to the left of my face. In all the years I've known Suga, I've never felt angry with him, until this exact moment. I was pissed that he was making me feel like I've done something wrong, when I know for a fact I haven't been any different than before.

I took a step towards him, and he mirrored, staying the same distance from me.

"Damnit Suga, what the hell is wrong with you?! We're leaving for college soon! We should be celebrating the fact that we're in our last year of high school and going to nationals. Not doing whatever the fuck it is we're doing."

I don't think Suga expected me to confront him like this. He looked shocked. Or maybe it was the fact that I cussed in front of him, which I don't normally do. Either way, he was distracted enough, that he didn't react when I stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders.

"Just tell me what's wrong. You're my best friend. I can help you I promise."

His lips twisted like he tasted something sour. "I'm sorry, Daichi. I need to step back. It hurts too much. I thought I was okay with everything and having you there as my friend, but when you talk about going to the same college and being roommates, I can't keep pretending like I'm okay with the fact that I would have to watch you bring home girls-"

"Why would I bring home girls?"

"What?"

"I'm gay, so I wouldn't be bringing home girls romantically. Your argument would make more sense if you said you couldn't watch me bring home guys."

Suga just stared at me. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that it was starting to hurt. From the way he was talking, he sounded like he would be jealous, but I was confused at the fact that he thought I was into girls. I've told him before that I'm not. He blinked slowly.

"Daichi, are you straight?"

"Um, no? I told you this our second year of high school."

"Excuse me, but when the fuck did we ever have this conversation?!" He stepped backwards and held up one hand, with his palm facing me. "I would have remembered you telling me you're into guys, since I've wanted to jump your bones the minute I first met you in our first year."

"You want to jump my bones?" I raised my eyebrows and felt my lips tilt up at the sides. I was extremely happy with this conversation, although Suga still looked like I told him he had a tail between his shoulder blades. He snapped his fingers at me.

"Daichi, pay attention. When did you tell me you were gay?"

"In the gym, that day I asked you if you liked girls. You admitted you were gay and then started crying. I told you it was alright because I liked boys too and I wouldn't tell anyone."

He just stared at me until I started to feel uncomfortable. I rubbed the back of my neck, and finally, blessedly, he broke the silence, "You told me… When I was crying… When I was sobbing, loudly, into your shoulder? When I was distracted by someone finding out, and was obviously not completely aware of everything?"

I felt like this was a trap. "Yes…? I asked you out right after!"

He lunged forward and slapped my shoulder, "Daichi! You idiot! I thought you were offering to buy me food so I wouldn't feel self-conscious! I cannot believe you! I have basically been in love you for, like, two years. This entire time I thought you were straight and now you're telling me you're actually gay, and… what, you wanted to date me too?!"

I felt like I was being rescued from a tank full of sharks, only to be dropped into a lake with a dozen alligators. I think, no matter what my answer is, Suga is going to be mad, because apparently I'm an idiot and thought he knew I was gay this entire time.

"Um, do I have to answer your questions?"

Suga narrowed his eyes and I held up my hands. "I'm sorry! I want to date you! I've always wanted to date you! I thought when you turned me down that day, that you weren't interested in me. But if you are, then maybe I can buy you that dinner? Right now?"

His face softened and he nodded. "I would like that."

We were sitting, face-to-face in a small restaurant. It was very cozy and I heard the ramen was amazing. This was our first date and everything should have been perfect. I think it would have been. If it wasn't for the fact that the restaurant was so small that the tables had a very slim space between them. And two feet away from us, at a neighboring table, was Hinata and Kageyama. They talked to Suga nonstop; mainly about volleyball. With my date preoccupied, I took a sip of my water and looked to the left, over Suga's shoulder. I then spit the water directly onto his face. His beautiful face, that had once been completely dry and was now soaking wet. Drops of water fell onto his shirt. Hinata burst of laughing and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kagyeama lean forward to slap his hand over her mouth.

Suga calmly grabbed his napkin from the table and blotted his face. "Daichi, if you have some kind of spit kink, please tell me now."

I was glad I didn't have any water left in my mouth, because I was sure I would have started choking on it.

"Suga." He just continued patting down his face until it was mostly dry. "I'm sorry, I was just surprised… I didn't realize we weren't the only ones who were dating…" I looked back over Suga's shoulder and all three gazes followed mine.

Kiyoko and Tanaka were standing side-by-side in front of the hostess stand. They were holding hands and he was whispering something in her ear. She laughed and then turned her head away. She made eye contact with me and the smile dropped from her face. We stared at each other, and then she promptly turned around and dragged Tanaka out of the restaurant.

It was funny that she thought avoiding us was going to make the teasing any less painful when we eventually saw her.

"Tanaka and Kiyoko, huh? I wouldn't have guessed it."

I nodded. No one talked for a few minutes and I thought that, maybe, this was the time for me to woo Suga. It was a little awkward with my first years, literally right next to us, listening to every single word. But I could make this work. Suga already liked me, so it shouldn't be awkward for us to flirt with each other. I opened my mouth, but it wasn't my voice that was talking to Suga. It was the Devil's spawn, who couldn't stop thinking about volleyball for one stupid dinner date.

"Suga, can you please teach me how to get the team to respond to me like they do to you?"

I groaned and let my forehead drop on the table.

Thirty-five minutes. That is how long the conversation about Suga's setting skill lasted. The only reason it stopped was because as soon as the waitress dropped off the check, I threw cash down, grabbed Suga's hand, and practically ran out the door.

"Daichi, slow down. Why are you running?"

"I don't want to take the chance that they'll walk this way to get home."

"Hinata and Kageyama?" I could feel him rolling his eyes at the back of my head, "You're so ridiculous, they're not that bad."

"I feel like a guy trying to date a single parent, and they're the kids who don't trust me and are trying to ruin anything involving romance."

He tugged my hand and pulled me to a stop. I turned around, and before I could process anything, I felt his lips on mine. He pulled back and smiled at me. I think he meant for it to be a nice, chaste kiss, but I didn't let him go far. I put my hands on the sides of his face and brought his lips back to mine. I slid my hands up into his hair and I marveled at how soft it was. Suga was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life, and now I could kiss him and hold him whenever I wanted. My lips parted, and he let his fall open slightly when he felt my tongue press against his mouth.

He pulled back after a few seconds.

"Daichi, we probably shouldn't do this in the middle of the sidewalk."

I nodded. "Want to spend the night?"

He raised his eyebrows and I immediately let him go. "Not like that! Unless you want it to be like that? We can just sleep-"

He laughed and intertwined his fingers with mine. "Let's go, I'll text my mom when I get to your place and let her know I'm staying over."