WILDFLOWER [Ryunosuke Tanaka x OC]

Chapter 10 - The Plan

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Tanaka nearly forgot about the flash drive sitting in his backpack.

As the only one with a brain cell between the two of them on Mondays, Nishinoya acted as the voice of reason and brought it up.

Well... right after he asked about Kano and the rest of the party.

"Hey, man!" he crowed, clapping his hand down on his best friend's shoulder when they bumped into each other near the gym before class. For a Monday, Nishinoya had enough energy to power the entire city and was practically vibrating in his sneakers. No caffeine necessary. "What happened at the end of the night? You just kinda pew! Left me there! Don't worry though, I drunk-dialed Asahi and he drove me home! Everything okay with you and-?"

"Shh!" Tanaka cut off his best friend, throwing his hands over Nishinoya's blabbermouth, glancing around for any sign of Kano Abe... because just his luck, Noya's lack of filter would summon her to their exact location right as Tanaka asked for advice about the almost-kiss and the very real cheek kiss. "Not here, dude," he hissed, scanning the area with shifty eyes. After deeming the coast clear, Tanaka scuttled Noya away from the throng of incoming students and toward the empty bay of vending machines.

When they arrived, Tanaka immediately started pacing, rubbing his peach-fuzz-covered head and muttering to himself. Bemused, Noya watched for a bit, sure Tanaka would snap himself out of it... until it was clear he wouldn't. "Did you at least ask her about the flash drive, Ryu?" he prodded. "Or were you too busy sucking face to remember?"

The effect was immediate.

Tanaka's entire head flushed scarlet, visible through his short-short hair and disappearing beneath the collar of his school uniform. "I didn't think the party was the right time to bring it up, Noya!" he hissed, "And I didn't have time to suck her face, because Hinata interrupted us, LIKE THE LITTLE BABY CARROT BRAIN HE IS!"

Trying and failing to stifle his chuckles, Nishinoya burst into laughter, doubling over and clutching his knees for stability. "O-oh my god," he sputtered, "That is the best th-thing I've heard all morning, Ryu. I'm sorry that happened, but... pfft- that's so on-brand for you!"

"What the fuck does that mean, huh?" Ryunosuke glowered, crossing his arms and scowling at his best friend, seriously considering giving him a noogie that would permanently scramble his brain, "I can't kiss the girl I like ever? I'm cursed or something? Huh?" The thought had certainly crossed his mind, especially after he and Hinata had lost their game of beer pong. Maybe that goth girl cursed him when he accidentally walked into the girls' bathroom in middle school...

Lingering giggles shook Nishinoya's shoulders as he collected himself enough to peruse the vending machines. "Not cursed really, but... you would have something interrupt you the first time you plucked up the courage to make a move on Kano," Noya shrugged. "You're so hard-headed and confident all the time that the one time you're not, it figures that something would go wrong, right?"

Tanaka squinted at his best friend. "So you knew something would go wrong?"

"I mean, not exactly-"

Just then, a blur streaked past them, crimson sneakers nearly silent on the sidewalk as the phantom ran from the front courtyard toward the backlot of the school grounds. Tanaka and Nishinoya caught just the last bit of it, but Ryu swore he saw-

"Was that Kano?" Noya said, sure he recognized that long, dark ponytail of hers. "Dude, you should probably-" But when he turned to confirm with Ryunosuke, Nishinoya realized he was speaking to no one.