𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓! (𝐌.𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐔 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑)

𝐭𝐰𝐨

the start of the school day was rapidly approaching, and you were slumped over your overdue homework, trying to finish off the last few questions as quickly as you could before the bell rang. 

atsumu sat in front of you, turned back in his chair with a lollipop in his mouth. he kept blabbering on about some volleyball thing you didn't really know about. despite your childhood best friends being so dedicated to volleyball, you never really went to see if they were really as good as they said (or if it was just the classic miya ego taking over). 

"so ya see, y/n, it's crazy how that little school even got to the scoreboards. we'll prolly end up defeatin' them, that's all. ya would know if ya ever came to any of our games, but, oh well..." atsumu sighed dramatically. "what're ya still workin' on? jeez, can't even spend a second to talk to your best friend who's just drowning in things to talk about right now?"

"oh, shut up, tsumie. i'll come one of these days," you shrugged absent-mindedly. finally, the third page was done. you stood up to hand it in to the teacher who was meticulously counting down the seconds until class started. 

"hey, really? why don't ya come today? it'll be a no brainer match, so ya don't even gotta watch real hard if ya don't wanna," atsumu offered, bolting up from his seat. 

sliding the paper nonchalantly to your teacher and returning to your seat, you grinned. "i'll... think about it.  is it interesting?"

"very. and maybe i'll ask 'samu to hit my sets loads today! that's, if you're really gonna come. ya gotta see your strong man in action!"

"fuck off," you laughed. "i bet samu's loads better than you."

"how can ya say that?" atsumu started whining. 

if atsumu was not desperately trying to win you over and treated you like a friend he truly had known for the past seventeen years of his life, he was bearable. like... at best. if the boy wasn't flailing around in his own confidence and ego the whole time, you found him alright to be around. after all, you were playmates since the day you were born, and automatic friends for life from then on, sharing everything from late night secrets to packets of free candy from hiro. 

your mom used to tease you all the time about how much atsumu liked you. she first noticed it when you guys were around five years old, building forts in the backyard under the hot summer sun. osamu was, as expected, doing his own thing quietly but following the lead of his brother when needed, and atsumu was, as expected, bossing everyone around. 

you were sitting under the big tree, collecting sticks to make a fence out of for the front of your fort, when suddenly a fox sprang out of the bushes. disheveled and scared, the fox didn't look cute and fluffy like the ones you had seen in your picture books. 

so, as any smart kid would do, you screamed. 

before the scream reached any of the mothers' ears indoors, atsumu had come running towards you with a giant branch in his hands, wielding it like a sword. the fox truly didn't care what the five year old boy had to offer, so instead of fighting back it pranced away. 

"tsumie! thank you, thank you!" you had yelled, hugging him tightly. atsumu flushed to the color of the pink flowers you'd collected for decoration, before proudly saying, "i'd do anythin' for my y/n!"

osamu stuck a finger in his mouth to mimic the look of throwing up. then, of course, atsumu got mad and changed topics to chasing osamu around with the branch, sending the twins running around the backyard as you continued your forage for flowers. 

but that night, as you were intensely telling your mom what happened in slightly unreliable details of the giant fox that leaped from the sky, all your mom had to say was, "well thank goodness atsu was there, huh? what would you have done without him?"

"what would i ever do without tsumie?" you had replied. 

--

as promised, when the final bell rang for school, you packed up your things and headed down to the volleyball gym. 

on the way, of course you had to pass suna. 

"hey, y/n," he called out in his all-the-same lazy voice. "you headin' down to see tsumu and samu today?"

"promised one of them i'd come."

"... was it tsumu?"

you and suna weren't on bad terms or anything, more like a teasing friendship. the two of you met only in your freshman year of high school, immediately bonding over a strong, slightly joking hatred of atsumu. ever since then, you two have been quite the duo. 

"what do you think?" you asked, deadpan. 

"deeefinitely tsumu. he better play well today, then! his little girlfriend came to see him!" suna teased, nudging you with his shoulder. you laughed, brushing him off. 

"hey, sunarin, when do i ever play bad?" atsumu's voice asked from behind you, and once you both turned around you saw atsumu with his sports bag, shoelaces untied, and volleyball jacket hung over his shoulders. 

"just... uh, like, every day," suna said, before letting out a small smirk. atsumu rolled his eyes, pushing suna as he continued to remain unfazed. 

"anyway, glad ya came, y/nnie," atsumu mumbled, slinging an arm around your shoulders. "promise i'll play way better than sunarin."

"don't doubt it," you shrugged.