𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝙵𝚘𝚘𝚕 - 𝙺. 𝚂𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚜𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Eight - A Good Way To Start The Day

Chapter Eight

Each day when Sakusa stopped for his morning coffee, his attention always wandered to the same seat. More often than not, Sajima was much too engrossed in her work to notice him considering he was in and out of the establishment within a few minutes. Still, Friday morning seemed to be an exception.

When Sakusa glanced over, he found Sajima with her chin resting in her palm, her sights already focused on him. As their eyes met, she smiled and gave him a small wave, not wanting to interrupt his routine when she knew he was headed to work. Sakusa raised his hand stiffly to acknowledge her wave, and her smile turned a little goofy while he assumed she was laughing at him. She was, of course. He looked so out of his comfort zone by giving her just a little recognition, but she appreciated it all the same and returned to her work with upturned lips.

Walking to and from work often gave Sakusa an excellent way to mentally prepare for the day or decompress from any stress he faced. However, that particular morning he wasn't exactly preparing for the day ahead of him. He didn't want to admit it, but it felt nice to be acknowledged by Sajima. To see those bright eyes set on him and the endearing smile she often displayed was a good way to start the day, leaving him with a hint of a smile of his own. One that Atsumu Miya quickly picked up on the minute he walked into the locker room.

"Oooh, somethin' good happen last night, Omi-Omi?" Miya smirked, tugging his practice jersey over his head.

Sakusa glanced at him as he made his way to his assigned locker. "Not particularly."

"Must've been a good morning then, huh?"

"A good morning?" Bokuto poked his head out from his locker, where he was digging in his bag for his socks. He wiggled his eyebrows at Sakusa. "Who's the lucky lady?"

Hinata's eyes brightened and he immediately began to pay attention. "Is it Sajima?! Can we meet her now? She seemed really nice an–"

"You barely talked to her; how would you know if she's nice?" Sakusa rolled his eyes. "And sorry to disappoint, but I didn't sleep with anyone, as you're implying."

Atsumu raised his foot onto the bench bolted to the ground and separating the two rows of lockers to tie his shoe. "So then what's got you smilin'? Pretty sure this is the first time you've walked in 'ere without a scowl."

"You're being dramatic," Sakusa sighed. "Let it go."

Just as Bokuto opened his mouth, Sakusa glanced over his shoulder. "If you start singing, I will accidentally hit you in the head with my first serve."

Bokuto grimaced and whistled inconspicuously before going back to search his bag. Hinata, however, wasn't going to give up so easily. "Well...could we meet her anyway? She is your girlfriend, after all."

Miya sputtered a laugh while Sakusa's eyes narrowed. "How many times do I have to tell you she's not my girlfriend for it to get through that Neanderthal skull of yours?"

"So... that means she's single?" The way Sakusa's eyes narrowed in on Hinata as soon as the words fell out of his mouth answered the question immediately, and he sheepishly scratched his cheek. "N-nevermind!"

"So much for not bein' interested, Omi," Miya smirked.

"Being interested and wanting to spare someone the walking headache that is Hinata are two separate things."

"Fair 'nough," Miya chuckled, though his friend's reaction to Hinata's question was enough to pique his curiosity about the woman...

...which is precisely how he and Hinata ended up at Jump Start on their lunch break.