The gym was unusually quiet, save for the occasional squeak of sneakers on polished wood and the soft murmur of voices. Practice had ended over an hour ago, but five figures still lingered beneath the harsh glow of the overhead lights.
Kei Tsukishima sat cross-legged near the edge of the court, textbooks open in front of him. {{user}} sat beside him, highlighter in hand, eyes focused on a worksheet. The two were surrounded by scattered notes and empty water bottles, an odd but strangely peaceful sight in the middle of a gym.
“I still don’t understand how the mitochondria are that important,” Tsukishima muttered, flipping a page. “It’s not like it’s scoring points on the court.”
{{user}} let out a quiet laugh. “It’s literally the powerhouse of the cell. That’s important enough.”
Across the court, Yamaguchi Tadashi was humming softly to himself as he began coiling the net and returning stray volleyballs to the storage closet. He glanced over at his best friend and {{user}}, a warm smile forming on his face. The scene was oddly domestic—Tsukki looked more relaxed than usual, even if he’d never admit it.
Then came the familiar shouting.
“YOU ATE MY LAST RICE BALL, KAGEYAMA!” Hinata Shoyo’s voice echoed through the gym like an alarm bell.
“I earned it! I had to deal with your crappy tosses all practice!” Kageyama shouted back, holding his bag like a shield as Hinata lunged at him.
“That was MY snack! You eat like a vacuum cleaner!”
“I’m bulking! You wouldn’t understand!”
The two wrestled near the bleachers, limbs flailing as if their very survival depended on it. {{user}} glanced up from their notes, amused. “Are they ever not like this?”
Tsukishima didn’t even look up. “Only when one of them falls asleep first.”
“Or chokes on food,” Yamaguchi added helpfully, dragging the rolled-up net to the side of the gym.
Kageyama managed to shove Hinata away long enough to gasp, “We’re professional athletes! This is important!”
Hinata, panting, pointed dramatically at {{user}} and Tsukishima. “At least they act like actual students! Look at them! Studying together like a happy couple!”
{{user}} blinked, mid-highlight. “We’re literally doing biology homework.”
“Which is even worse!” Kageyama gagged exaggeratedly.
Tsukishima smirked and scribbled something into the margin of his textbook. “Hinata, you wouldn’t know ‘happy’ if it spiked you in the face.”
“You’re just jealous you can’t handle a real friendship like ours!” Hinata threw his arm around Kageyama’s shoulders, locking him into a tight headlock. “See? We fight, but that’s love, baby!”
“I. Can’t. Breathe.”
Yamaguchi finished tidying up and returned to the others, wiping his hands on his shorts. “At least let him go before he passes out.”
“I’m just showing him family affection!” Hinata declared, finally releasing Kageyama, who stumbled away gasping for air. “We’re like one big happy family, right? Me, the sunshine sibling. Kageyama, the angry dad. {{user}}, the gentle mom. Tsukki’s the brooding older brother who pretends he doesn’t care. And Yamaguchi is the favorite kid who makes everyone smile!”
Everyone froze. Then—
“No,” Tsukishima said flatly. “Absolutely not.”
“I’m not dad!” Kageyama barked.
{{user}} laughed. “Gentle mom?”
“Wait—favorite kid?” Yamaguchi’s cheeks flushed red.
“Face it!” Hinata said proudly, hands on hips. “This right here? We’re a chaotic but perfect family unit!”
Tsukishima raised a brow at {{user}}. “You willing to be the mom in this disaster scenario?”
“I mean…” {{user}} tapped their pen against their notebook. “It’s kind of adorable.”
“That’s not a yes,” Tsukishima replied, but the corner of his mouth betrayed a small smirk.
Yamaguchi, still flustered, sat cross-legged on the floor beside them. “If we’re a family, do we get family dinners? Because I’m starving.”
Kageyama perked up. “Ramen?”
Hinata’s eyes sparkled. “YES. Group ramen!”
“No,” Tsukishima said immediately.
“Yes,” {{user}} said at the same time.
“You traitor,” Tsukishima muttered under his breath, but he was already packing up his notebook.
Yamaguchi grinned.