boys will be boys pt.1

(of course this is canon)

.

On the second night of Golden Week, before Tsubasa and Oikawa clashed.

"I can't be the only one who's thinking of it," Yahaba Shigeru said with a huff as he set his tray down atop the table. It was the second day of Golden Week, and thus the second day of training camp; things were beginning to see its end as the volleyball players retired to the cafeteria for the night's dinner. Yahaba, who sat at a table with Watari Shinji and the team's main first-years, pulled his chopsticks apart. "It's only natural after all, right?"

"What is?" Watari questioned innocently, quirking a brow and tilting his head. "Gimme some context so I can properly respond."

"The lady managers, of course!" Yahaba somewhat clarified, before he looked over his shoulder to the area a majority of the owls sat. His brown irises rested on the table with the three managers. "It's been a while since we went to a training camp with cute or pretty lady managers. Am I the only one thinking of peeping?"

Ah. Both Watari's and Kindaichi's cheeks flushed, before the shaven-headed male said, "You're too shallow for us to be friends! This isn't even our prefecture…"

"So? A pretty lady is a pretty lady, and those owls have three. That's not fair. They can even take a few sets from Shiratorizawa. Peeping is the smallest offense we can perform."

"W-who is 'we'?"

Kindaichi grinned crookedly at his senpai. "Yahaba-san, you're really vain, you know…?"

"Yeah, I know."

"What're you guys talking about?"

The lot of them looked up as their captain, Oikawa Tooru, approached their table with his own tray of food. Behind him, the other main third-years stood with curious tilts of their head.

"Yosh~ scoot over!" Oikawa slid in beside Yahaba and looked around his kouhai with interest. "So what's the conversation?"

Yahaba averted his gaze. "Uh. Well-"

"Yahaba-san said he wanted to peep on the managers," Kunimi revealed with a deadpan, just as he made room for Iwaizumi and the other two.

…ah. Hanamaki's face immediately flushed to match his hair as the other third-years looked to the second-year in question, who simply huffed at Kunimi's betrayal. Yahaba crossed his arms and practically pouted.

"It's a reasonable thought!" the male said as his senpai stared at him silently. "It's not my fault the managers are pretty."

"It's been a while since we've seen managers at a training camp," Matsukawa commented, deciding to humor the second-year. "When was the last time?"

"Last year with Datekou, I think," Iwaizumi answered. "But they only have one manager, right?"

Matsukawa nodded. "I think so. She's a second-year now, I think."

Oikawa turned to them. "Why do you two remember that much detail?" The two of them shrugged simply, allowing Oikawa to return his attention to Yahaba. "Anyway, are you sure you wanna try that? If you get caught, there's no telling what Bokkun will do to you. Take a good look at his muscles, Yahaba."

Yahaba huffed as he eyed the opposing ace's beefy physique from the corner of his eye. "I know. But they're already blessed with so much, so peeping can't be a serious offense!"

"So peeping is how you satiate your jealousy? How interesting~"

The lot of them stiffened at the teasing voice, before slowly turning their heads up to the perpetrator. Tendou stood there with a tray of food in hand, his head cocked to the side as he blinked at the Seijoh athletes curiously. Behind him, Ushijima and Semi stood with their own trays, the latter who somehow looked as though he didn't want to be part of the group. When those of Seijoh said nothing in reply, Tendou shrugged and continued.

"I guess I can't blame you though; Tsubasa-chan's a pretty girl. I'm kinda tempted myself." A shadow fell over the male's face then, and suddenly, his nose was pointed upwards as he looked down upon his team's enemies. "But you guys can barely get away with a set from us, so I doubt you could get away with peeping."

Oikawa and his fellow third-years perked up at the statement, before the captain smirked darkly. "Oh?"

Ah. Semi stiffened, grinning crookedly at his teammate. "Are you really picking this sort of fight?"

Ushijima blinked simply. "What are we talking about?"

Semi shook his head as he pulled the ace away from the scene. "We're not part of this."

Tendou immediately grabbed his elbow. "Yes you are."

Hanamaki leaned towards Matsukawa and hissed behind his hand, "He's trying to bait Oikawa."

The black-haired male nodded before he scooted closer to Iwaizumi and elbowed him. "Don't let Oikawa be baited."

The vice-captain nodded and moved to grab the captain. Before he could, however, Oikawa was standing with his arms crossed and his bottom lip jutted out. The third-years, alongside the rest of the table's occupants, could only stiffen with twitching eyebrows as their captain huffed. Iwaizumi grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Oi, don't-"

"And I suppose you guys could get away with peeping?" the captain returned, eyes narrowing haughtily. His teammates froze.

He took the bait!

Semi sighed harshly and hung his head as Tendou nodded. "Of course. We could even get away with stealing their clothes. Not like we haven't done it before, since we've been here before - unlike you guys, you know~?"

...ah. From afar, Akaashi watched with some clueless deadpan as a select few from Seijoh and Shiratorizawa began staring each other down, and somehow, the owl vice-captain was plagued with feelings of dread.

I feel like something horrible is about to happen.

The rules of the game were simple.

"If you can sneak into the girls' shower house, make it out with a single set of clothing from any of the managers, take a team picture with the clothes, and then put it back before they get out - all without getting caught by them or by anyone - then I'll get your team ice-pops," Tendou proposed, raising a finger. "But if we manage to do all that before you guys do, then you have to get us ice-pops. It's a matter of who can complete the entire mission first. Deal?"

Oikawa gripped the redhead's hand tightly as they shook. "Easy peasy."

And that was that. Oikawa rolled his sweatpants up to his knees before he tightened his shoelaces in determination. Behind him, his teammates for the mission - which were Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and a terrified-looking Yahaba (Hanamaki had ducked out by legitimately fainting) - were tightening their own clothes and sending prayers to whoever was upstairs. Iwaizumi sighed harshly, rubbing at his eyelids.

"I can't believe you got baited," the ace drawled, leaning up against the wall. The lot of them were standing in the shadow casted by the clubrooms building, where the girls' shower house was located far off to the right amidst a small, grassy hill. "I thought the only one who could bait you was Ushiwaka."

Oikawa jerked and looked up to his vice-captain. "Tendou is just as infuriating!"

Yahaba meekly raised a hand as he weakly drifted towards his third-years. "I-I know this was my idea, but can I quit? I-I'm scared..."

Mstsukawa shot the second-year a pointed look of quirked brows and a jutted lip. "Don't tell me you're finally realizing the threat that the owl captain is."

Yahaba shuddered in fright at the thought of the bulky captain. "I-I've already realized. B-but the vice-captain is kinda scary too... He seems like a really serious guy, you know? I feel like he could break my mind with a simple look."

Located in his team's classroom, Akaashi sneezed. He paused to thoughtfully stare at the futon he was rolling out. Am I sick? Perhaps the futons are dusty.

Oikawa stiffened at the thought of the opposing vice-captain. "Geh... Akaashi-kun, huh?" He immediately turned to his teammates with some determined huff. "We definitely can't lose! I don't want Akaashi-kun to think bad of me!"

"That's your motivation?!"

"Uwah~ the night's so chilly!" a familiar voice cried into the night.

Ah. Oikawa and his reluctant teammates pushed themselves up against the side of the building, and soon enough, Tsubasa and the other two managers came into view. Despite the lack of willpower from Oikawa's fellow teammates, the lot of them hardened their resolve and ducked into the shadows.

Game on!

word count: 1,484

a/n: I'm so sad I've had this in my flashdrive for a while and I'm just not putting it up. TAKE THIS FROM ME.

(chapter 16 is in the works but it's also kicking my ass, so please take this as compensation.)