Archive of Our Own

Hinata Natsu believed she had risen above romance and the mess that came along with it. No boy interested her (or girl, for that matter), and though everyone else around her told her that she was too young to truly know, she knew. It wouldn't happen five years from now, it wouldn't happen in fifteen, because it would never happen. Natsu had accepted this fact. She was just waiting for everyone else to accept it too.

Not seeing the point in romance didn’t stop her from meddling in everyone else’s, though. It was sort of ironic, in a way, that this keen sense of compatibility would be given to someone who had no personal use for it. It did prove an endless source of entertainment, however.

For example, when her older brother Shoyou brought home his classmate Kageyama, she immediately sensed something between them. They jolted apart every time their knuckles brushed, and Kageyama’s usually short and monotone responses only gained a little life when they were directed to Shoyou. Even at nine Natsu had zero tact, and announced to the whole dinner table that Shoyou had brought home a boyfriend. He’d gone bright red and kicked her under the table, saying he wanted to tell their mom himself. It was already nearing the end of their meal, so Natsu merely shrugged. She’d done him a favour, he was just about to chicken out of it.

This is why Natsu was absolutely, one hundred percent sure her science teacher – Tsukishima-sensei – and his teaching assistant – Yamaguchi-sensei – were dating.

Actually, no. Here was why Natsu was absolutely, one hundred percent sure her science teacher – Tsukishima-sensei – and his teaching assistant – Yamaguchi-sensei – were dating:

1. Tsukishima-sensei wore a button-up shirt one day to class. It was plain white and boring, nothing to remark about really, except for the tiny, miniscule heart stitched into one of the cuffs that Natsu only caught a glimpse of when Tsukishima-sensei handed her her graded work. A few days later, Yamaguchi-sensei wore the exact same shirt. And there were a lot of plain white button-ups in the world, but no two that had the exact same red heart stitched into the cuff, which was displayed when Yamaguchi-sensei rolled up his sleeves for a practical demonstration.
2. Tsukishima-sensei had earned a reputation around the school as a fearsome and formidable teacher. Horror stories about failing his class abounded, including being slapped across the knuckles with a ruler and being forced to kneel until they recited the entire periodic table. These stories were exaggerated, of course, which Natsu learned once she spent some time in his class and no one had yet been sentenced to being spanked on the bottom. Tsukishima-sensei was still pretty strict, and though Natsu herself wasn’t scared of him, she knew the other students were, and she understood why. His voice was always cool and disinterested, unafraid to call out a student dozing in the back. Surprise quizzes were frequent, and if he found your behaviour particularly disagreeable and constant, he’d simply send you out of the classroom for the rest of the period, sometimes for the entire week. This severity translated to his interactions with Yamaguchi-sensei. He’d order him around, nose wrinkled in distaste. Yamaguchi-sensei never seemed to mind this however, and Tsukishima-sensei was never as harsh with him as he was with their students. He’d even defend Yamaguchi-sensei from mean students who thought it funny to make sly comments about his timid nature.
3. One time, on a day Tsukishima-sensei had planned a demonstration of projectile motion, he’d rummaged through his briefcase for the tennis ball he’d intended to use, unable to find it. Yamaguchi-sensei then procured it from his own bag saying, “Ah, Tsukki, you left it at my place!” Which actually brought Natsu to her next point:
4. Yamaguchi-sensei called Tsukishima-sensei “Tsukki”. That should be enough, but to add to it no one else was allowed to call him that. It didn’t seem to bother Tsukishima-sensei, but when a student called him “Tsukki-sensei” as a joke one time he’d gotten a stern lecture on the value of respect. No other attempts had been made since then.
5. It was no secret that Yamaguchi-sensei dyed his hair green. Well, no one just had naturally green hair. During one of their classes, Natsu saw that there was a dark green caked into the edges of Tsukishima-sensei’s nails, along with light, easy to miss stains across his palms and wrist.
6. One time, and one time only, Yamaguchi-sensei had taught their class alone. “Tsukishima is sick,” he explained to the class. “Couldn’t even get out of bed, no matter how hard he tried – and believe me, he tried. I nearly had to tie him to the bed to stop him. But he’s so weak, he can’t even feed himself. I had to do it for him.” And, well. That spoke for itself, really.
7. On both of their desks in the teachers’ room, they had matching framed photographs of the two of them during their high school graduation. Clad in black togas, they had their arms swung around each other’s shoulders, Tsukishima-sensei giving a small and muted smile while Yamaguchi-sensei practically burst with joy beside him. It was adorable, really.

Which is how she wound up spending her lunch break in the teachers’ room, reciting this exact list to a very apathetic Tsukishima-sensei. When she finally finished, she was out of breath and panting. She took a large gulp of air, cheeks puffed up and red as she tried not to let Tsukishima-sensei’s look of exasperation deter her. He always looked like that, she told herself.

“I don’t know if I’m disappointed or impressed,” Tsukishima-sensei said finally. He had a way of speaking that turned the words over slow and foreboding. “Really, Natsu, you’re a bright girl. You have better things to be doing with your time than… this.” He gestured outwards with one hand, a hand that was already holding a pen, as if he’d decided to dismiss Natsu and continue on with his work. Well, Natsu wouldn’t let him.

“Can you at least tell me I’m right?”

“Right about what?”

“That you and Yamaguchi-sensei are dating!” Natsu said it probably a little too loudly, and she heard the scrape of office chairs and the rustling of paper pause as the other teachers looked at them. She flushed, a little embarrassed now.

Tsukishima-sensei, however, looked completely unbothered. “Is that what this was about? Natsu, I’m sure there are more positive outlets for this… curiosity of yours. Like raising your hand in class – you honestly have some pretty interesting ideas of your own, that assignment you did on thermodynamics was quite interesting…”

Natsu crossed her arms and cut into his boring science talk. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Tsukishima-sensei mimicked her, crossing his own arms and raising an eyebrow. “I think the bell is going to ring soon, Hinata Natsu. You should get back to your classroom before your teacher arrives.”

“But – !”

“And next time, Natsu, please come to me only on the basis of academic concerns.” It was no use, Tsukishima-sensei had already returned to grading papers, red pen fast and striking as he worked across the page, not even looking up at Natsu as he spoke. “If what you need is extra help, I’m happy to provide it. All other matters should be left out of our meetings.”

Natsu groaned and stood up abruptly, causing her chair to scrape gratingly against the tile floor. All the other teachers once again turned to look at her.

She crouched down to try and meet Tsukishima-sensei’s down-turned gaze. “I’m right and you know it,” she said, before storming out indignantly.

During her next science class, Natsu only observed her teachers' interactions with even more vigour. Instead of diagrams and theories, her notebooks were filled with crazed notes analysing their every word to each other, their every touch and glance. They seemed as if they were trying to keep a distance between them, a change near imperceptible unless you were watching out for it.

For Natsu this only seemed to further confirm her hypothesis. Tsukishima-sensei must have told Yamaguchi-sensei about her visit and what she'd said, so now they were deliberately changing their behaviour to try and ward off any other suspicion. Well, Natsu wasn’t going to fall for it.

“Hinata Natsu,” Tsukishima-sensei’s voice boomed across the classroom. Natsu went rigid, hurriedly closing her notebook.

“Yes, sensei?”

“You seem incredibly engrossed in your note taking. Would you like to come up to the board and answer this problem?” he drawled, holding a piece of chalk in between his fingers. Just looking at the problem he’d written out on the board made Natsu feel faint.

Natsu rose and walked up to the front of the class. Her mother didn’t raise a coward. She took the chalk from Tsukishima-sensei, accepted Yamaguchi-sensei’s encouraging smile, and began to stare at the problem in front of her for five whole minutes.

“Any minute now, Natsu,” Tsukishima-sensei said. She could feel his presence right behind her. He was a sick, sick man. How did Yamaguchi-sensei put up with him?

“It’s alright, Natsu,” Yamaguchi-sensei said from her other side. “It is a pretty tricky problem, if you can’t do it I’d be happy to teach you and the rest of the class!”

“No, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima-sensei snapped. “Leave her to it. Let’s get on with the lesson, we can’t wait for her all day.”

And so they proceeded, Yamaguchi-sensei shrugging apologetically before turning back to the rest of the class. Natsu knocked her forehead against the blackboard and groaned.

The class ended with Natsu still at the board, despairing as Yamaguchi-sensei solved it for her and Tsukishima-sensei gave her a chastising stare. Her classmates shifted, the only thing stopping them from bursting into snickers was the intimidating presence of Tsukishima-sensei looming above them.

“And that's how you do it!” Yamaguchi-sensei finished with a flourish, boxing the final answer. “Any questions?”

The class shook their heads. Natsu slumped against the teachers’ desk, drained from all this public humiliation. Could she report this to MEXT? she mused. But then she may never get an answer to her question if Tsukishima-sensei was carted off to prison…

“Well, if no one has any questions, we’ll be dismissing you.” Yamaguchi-sensei turned to Natsu. She straightened up. She quite liked Yamaguchi-sensei. If it weren’t for his evil boyfriend she thought they’d get along pretty well. “And thank you for your effort, Natsu. It’s much appreciated.”

“Thank you, sensei,” Natsu smiled, revitalised.

The class stood to chorus a respectful goodbye as the two teachers exited. Natsu blew out a breath as the door shut behind them, shoulders sagging once again.

“You okay, Natsu?” Torizuka, one of her classmates, called out, teasing.

She rolled her eyes and walked back to her seat, sticking her tongue out at Torizuka when she passed.

Getting Yamaguchi-sensei alone was difficult, what with him being attached to the hip with Tsukishima-sensei. She actually hadn’t planned to speak to Tsukishima-sensei alone, only by a stroke of fate did she find the desk beside him empty. Yamaguchi-sensei must have gone to the library to print their worksheets, which is where Natsu now camped, hoping for a glimpse of dark green hair.

She was seated at a table with two other girls, her friends, who had displayed shock at her wanting to spend their free period studying in the library. They were similar to her, at least in work ethic, and didn’t care much about grades or studying.

“This is unusual,” Esatoguchi remarked. She was the tallest girl in their class – a whopping six foot two – and the perfect middle blocker. Her soft, ash grey pageboy cut and easy smiles hid a ruthless game strategy that brought many an opponent to their knees. “But not unwelcome. What brought this on?”

Natsu shrugged. “I’m turning over a new leaf.” She tried to maintain her act of being engrossed in the dense textbook she was reading, while also trying to keep an eye out for Yamaguchi-sensei.

“What, did Tsukishima-sensei traumatise you that bad?” Torizuka scoffed. Her hair was even shorter than Esatoguchi’s, dark like her eyes. She had a sharp tongue and even sharper reflexes. You’d be hard pressed to find a libero as good as her in their entire district. “Let’s get out of here, I’m bored stiff already.” She splayed her palm over the page Natsu was pretending to read. “Blah blah blah. Don’t tell me you actually care about any of this stuff.”

Natsu snatched the textbook back. “I don’t, I just…” she trailed off when she noticed Yamaguchi-sensei, mug of coffee in his hand as he leaned over the library desk to talk to the librarian, a small and meek woman, she had her blonde hair clipped back and kept a red apple at the corner of her desk, like a librarian out of a children's book. Her name was Yachi-sensei, if Natsu remembered correctly.

“Excuse me,” she said hurriedly, standing up and walking over to the pair of them, fingering the piece of paper in her pocket. Her two friends looked at each other sideways.

“Yamaguchi-sensei!” she said once she was within earshot. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I was hoping to talk to you alone?”

“Ah, of course.” Yamaguchi-sensei set down his coffee on Yachi-sensei’s desk. “I’ll be right back, Yacchan.” The librarian smiled at the two of them as they walked away.

Yacchan. Tsukki. Was Yamaguchi-sensei just prone to giving his friends affectionate nicknames? She compared Yachi-sensei and Tsukishima-sensei's dispositions, one self-effacing and the other self-assured. She shook her head. No, Tsukishima-sensei was the last person who would accept a nickname he didn’t want.

“What did you want to talk about, Natsu?” Yamaguchi-sensei asked. “Would you like me to go over that problem again?”

“Uh, no.” Natsu wrung her hands. There was really no easy way to do this. It had been simpler with Tsukishima-sensei, she’d simply matched his straight forward energy with her own, but with Yamaguchi-sensei she felt it necessary to beat around the bush, assuming at least a semblance of propriety. “There was just something I wanted to ask you. It’s a little more… personal.”

Yamaguchi-sensei grew wary. “What is it?”

“Well…” Natsu took a deep breath, steeling herself. “Are you and Tsukishima-sensei dating?”

It was quiet for a few moments, as Natsu watched Yamaguchi-sensei grow redder and redder. Finally, he squeaked, “What?”

“Well, it’s just something I’ve noticed between you two, in the way you act with each other.” Natsu was gaining confidence as Yamaguchi-sensei was losing it. “Am I wrong?”

“Yes, very, very wrong,” Yamaguchi-sensei insisted. He was really going a worrying shade of crimson. Natsu wondered if she should call for help. “How could you even think that?”

Natsu shrugged. This was all really quite amusing, she thought, watching Yamaguchi-sensei flounder and try to refute her claim. “Here,” she drew the piece of paper from her pocket and held it out to him, “I made a list.”

“You made a list,” Yamaguchi-sensei repeated faintly.

“Yes,” Natsu smiled innocently. “Thank you for your time, Yamaguchi-sensei.” She brushed past him, a bounce in her step as she returned to her table. Both her friends stared at her, looking gobsmacked.

“Please tell me you didn't just confess to our science teacher,” Torizuka said, eyes wide in their black frame.

“What? No!” Natsu shuddered at the thought, packing up her things. “Ugh, why would you even say that? You know I’m ace as fuck.” She slung her bag over her shoulder before making her way to the exit.

“Well, it did look like that,” Esatoguchi said, catching up to her easily with her long legs.

“If you weren’t doing that… then what were you doing?” Torizuka questioned, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I was asking him if he was dating Tsukishima-sensei.”

Torizuka drew to a halt beside her. “What,” she said flatly.

“Have you really not noticed it?” Natsu asked.

“I mean, I had my suspicions,” Esatoguchi, who shared her infrared vision for budding romance, said, “but it was very bold of you to just walk right up to him and ask him. What did he say? And what was that paper you gave him?”

“It was a list,” Natsu said, cheery now that she had someone on her side, “of why I thought they were dating.”

Torizuka shook her head, overcoming her previous shock. “That sounds like you.”

Natsu ignored the implications of that and changed the subject to their upcoming volleyball match. Natsu was proud to say that in her time at Niiyama, they’d gone to Nationals every year.

Despite their meticulous planning and animated conversation, once they slipped back into their classroom, Natsu still found herself turning over the mystery of her science teachers over in her mind.

“Shoyou-nii!” Natsu leapt up, throwing her arms around Shoyou’s neck. He stumbled backwards but still made sure to steady her with his hands on her back.

He laughed, ruffling his hair. “Hey there! Wow, you’ve grown tall.”

She screwed up her face to frown up at him. “You abandon me for two years and act surprised when I get taller!”

“It’s something else entirely to see you on video call and to actually hold you in my arms.” He actually looked like he might cry, as Natsu herself was. He was still the same old Shoyou, under the tan and the muscles. It made her hug him even tighter.

“Now, now,” their mother placed a hand on Natsu’s shoulder. “When is it my turn?” Natsu unpeeled her teary face from Shoyou’s shirt to step back and sniffle as she watched them embrace. Now Shoyou was crying too.

“Come on, we all look ridiculous standing around snivelling like this.” Their mother took one of Shoyou’s bags. “Let’s get home, I’ll make you your favourite for dinner.”

After dinner – and after Shoyou’s long and enthusiastic recount of his time in Brazil, with Natsu hanging on his every word and supplying him with her own volleyball anecdotes at Niiyama – they finally got a moment alone together, elbow deep in soap suds as they scrubbed at the remnants of their mother’s home cooking.

Shoyou gave a long and contented sigh. “There’s really nothing like mom’s cooking. While I was in Brazil, I’d have dreams about her fried dumplings and oyakodon.”

“I’m glad to have you back, nii-san,” Natsu said truthfully. They were finishing up, drying the last of the dishes and putting them away. “I really missed you.”

“Aw, Nat-chan.” Shoyou dried off the length of his arm with the dish towel before collapsing into one of the seats around the dining table. “I missed you too. How has high school life been treating you? Tell me eveything. You know, the kind of stuff you can’t say around mom, the stuff you used to go to me for!”

Natsu rolled her eyes and took up the seat opposite him, though an idea suddenly struck her. “I don’t think my high school life has been that dissimilar to yours. Just volleyball, volleyball, and even more volleyball. We actually have a practice match coming up with Jinsei Girls.”

“Really?” Shoyou whistled low, and Natsu watched him recline in the seat, struck by just how different he looked compared to two years ago. “They had a pretty big reputation, back when I was playing. You’ll kick their ass though, right?”

Natsu grinned, a mirror of Shoyou’s own, she knew. “Of course. We aren’t called the Queens for nothing.” “But… there is something more personal I wanted to talk to you about.”

Shoyou perked up, the jetlag magically disappearing from his eyes. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Well…” she suddenly hesitated. “It doesn’t necessarily concern me.”

He frowned. “Then how is it personal?” He did have a point.

“You know Tsukishima-sensei and Yamaguchi-sensei, right?”

The suspicion was chased away and replaced quickly by happiness. “Of course! We were on the same volleyball team in high school. How are they as teachers? I’ve never gotten the chance to ask. Oh, now that I’m here, we should all meet up!”

Before he could scrabble for his phone and type out the text he was undoubtedly already formulating in his mind, Natsu blurted out, “I think they’re dating.”

“What?” Shoyou’s hand was deep in the pocket of his shorts, and when he pulled it out he had his phone in hand. “Really?” He switched it on. “Hmm, I can’t believe they would keep something like this from me.”

“No!” Natsu launched across the table to grab his phone before he could even input the password. She wasn’t about to let the glory of the discovery of this secret relationship go to her brother instead. “I mean… I’m not sure. I just wanted to ask you, in case you knew.”

Shoyou laughed. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. But I’ve been gone awhile; who knows what might have happened since I’ve last been here.”

“But back when you were in high school, did you ever… I don’t know, get that vibe from them?”

“Back then, all I really cared about was volleyball. Honest,” he said, when she saw the annoyed look on her face. “And I was a stupid teenage boy; all the nuances of human relationships just flew over my head.

“But,” he continued, just as Natsu was about to interrupt. “I wouldn’t be surprised. They were always so close, closer than any of us. You never saw one without the other. And they’ve known each other so long, you know, when someone is part of your life for that long they just start to become a part of you as a person.”

Natsu brightened at this; she filed it away in her mental file of evidence that Yamaguchi-sensei and Tsukishima-sensei are definitely dating, no matter what either of them say. “Even closer than you and Kageyama?” she teased.

He laughed, a flush rising across his neck. “Me and Kageyama are a bit different, but I understand what you mean. That reminds me, I should text him to say I’ve landed.”

She let her jaw drop open, only exaggerating a little. “You haven’t texted him yet?! I thought you two were soulmates!” She was back across the dining table, stretching out her hand to try and reach his phone.

“I never said that!” Shoyou was leaning backwards dangerously, trying to keep his phone out of Natsu’s grip. “I’ll text him, I promise, I don’t need you to do it for me.” He slipped his phone back in his pocket.

Natsu crumpled onto the flat wooden surface of the table, relenting at last. She balanced her chin on her palm and kicked her feet up behind her, mischief and childish curiosity clear in her eyes. “Alright. I wouldn’t want to miss the greatest love story of the century.” She slid back into her seat.

“What about you, hmm? Any romantic interests I should know about?”

Natsu screwed up her face. This was why she hated talking about romance. Even with Shoyou – who she loved and knew loved her back – she was always asked about her own love life, something she didn’t have and didn’t want. No one apart from her friends at school knew she was aroace, and while she knew her family would love and accept her no matter what, it was just in her nature to dodge difficult conversations. But now that Shoyou had come home, the opportunity opened for Natsu to come out to him, and maybe get some advice on how to come out to their mother. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she mulled this over.

Finally, she said, “I do, actually. Well, I don’t, but that’s what I want to tell you.”

She could see the cogs turning in Shoyou’s mind, trying to make sense of her vague confession. When it was clear that was all she was going to say, Shoyou finally said, “O… kay? You know that doesn’t really matter, right, Natsu? It doesn’t reflect anything about your worth that the people around you don’t notice what a great person you are. Anyone would be lucky to have you, don’t get caught up in it!”

Natsu groaned. Shoyou’s heart was in the right place, but his mind wasn’t. Well, she could hardly blame him, what with her obscure two sentence coming out. “What I mean, is that I don’t want to date – I never have and I never will.”

Shoyou still looked confused. “Did you have a bad break-up?”

Natsu felt like punching a wall, or maybe like punching Shoyou. She wasn't sure. She dragged her hands down her face to communicate her exasperation before taking a deep breath. “No, I’m, I’m aroace. Aromantic and asexual. It means I don’t have romantic or sexual feelings, or attraction, towards anyone.”

She kept her gaze trained stubbornly on Shoyou, unwilling to let any minute reaction go unnoticed. Despite what she’d feared, she actually felt lighter having gotten it off her chest. The only other people she’d come out to were her friends at school, and while she loved and treasured them they weren’t nearly as important or as present as Shoyou was. She valued his opinion, what he thought of her. It gave her the strength to keep on going.

“I think I’ve known for some time, even if I didn’t have the proper vocabulary to label what I was feeling.” Natsu bit her lip and she extended her hand, which Shoyou took reassuringly. His smile blurred behind the onset of tears brimming at her waterline, but she squeezed his warm hand in hers and accepted his silent comfort. “It doesn't mean I’m incapable of feeling love, it’s not that. I still love you, I still love mom, I love so many people, but I can’t love like you and Kageyama do. I hope this doesn’t make you think less of me.”

“Think less of you?” Shoyou finally spoke. He leaned over and gathered her up in his arms. It was a bit awkward, Natsu having to lean up to reach Shoyou’s shoulders, the edge of the table digging into her hip uncomfortably, but at that moment none of it mattered. She sobbed quietly into the side of her big brother’s neck, like she was six again and she’d scraped her knee. Once her crying had subsided a little, he pulled away to hold her by the shoulders. His eyes were wide and sincere as he talked. “Nothing you could ever do could make me think less of you, least of all this. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel uncomfortable, like I was forcing you into a mould that wouldn’t fit. I love you, Natsu, I always will.”

Natsu was hiccuping through her sobs now, rapidly wiping away her tears as she tried to gather herself. A warmth bloomed within her chest, set free after all these years of secrecy and pretending. Just one look at Shoyou promised that what he said was true – he did love her, and he always would. It was something she’d already known, deep down, but having it spoken aloud made it real, dispelled all doubt from her mind. She tried to smile, though she knew the edges wobbled. “Now I just have to tell mom.”

“I’m a veteran in that field.” He threw an arm around her shoulder and led them both back to the living room. “So, the key to coming out to your parent is to just be patient with all their questions. Mom had to get used to the concept of bisexuality, but she came around it eventually, didn’t she? It may take a while for her to understand, but she’ll never stop trying. And that’s what really matters.”

By this time they were sitting on the couch, and even though Natsu knew Shoyou must be suffering from the worst jet lag known to man, she still participated wholeheartedly in their conversation. Sleep could wait, but this was a rare moment, one life offered up to you on a silver platter, one you would be a fool not to hold onto with all your might. This seemed to be a sentiment Shoyou shared, because they talked well into the night, the topics drifting away from coming out to circle back around to volleyball and videogames and all that they’d missed in each other’s lives (more volleyball, who was surprised?) until Shoyou fell asleep with his head thrown back and snoring so loud Natsu had to record it. To play at his and Kageyama’s future wedding reception, of course.

Her own sleep overtook her soon, and she ended up curled up next to her brother, her head in his lap. When she woke up in the middle of the night, a blanket had been thrown over both of them. Their mother, probably. She smiled to herself and went back to sleep; she was so incredibly loved.

Natsu, understandably, hadn’t been able to really consider the few words Shoyou had spoken about Yamaguchi-sensei and Tsukishima-sensei's relationship. Her teachers were obviously the farthest thing from her mind when she came out tearfully to her older brother. But now, the next morning, she’d had some time to mull them over. Chiefly the part about Shoyou not knowing if they were dating. Which led Natsu to believe that they weren’t dating, because keeping a relationship secret in the workplace was something entirely different from keeping it secret from friends, especially friends like Shoyou, friends they’d kept since high school and who they maintained a group chat with. But that didn’t mean they shouldn’t date. Natsu remembered her list and Yamaguchi-sensei’s reaction to it. There was something there, definitely, and Natsu had more than an inkling of what.

And so, Natsu began to formulate her plan.

She approached the pair in the teachers’ room; as soon as Tsukishima-sensei spied her approach his eyes narrowed, though Yamaguchi-sensei only smiled and asked her why she was there.

“I’ve actually come to see if you could give me some extra lessons after class?” Natsu shuffled her feet and kept her gaze tracked downwards, feigning embarrassment to cover up the slow smug grin that was spreading across her face.

“We’d be happy to!” Yamaguchi-sensei replied immediately. At his side, Tsukishima-sensei had already gone back to work, tapping away at his laptop and listening to his music – he left one ear open so he could still hear their conversation. “Right, Tsukki?”

He didn’t even pause in his typing. “Of course,” he replied briskly. “As long as your concerns are strictly academic.”

“Sensei! You’re the one who told me to approach you if I’d been having trouble.”

Like a gracious royal, he spared her a glance from behind the glare of his spectacles – a flash of honey brown before they snapped back to his screen. “We tell that to all our students.”

“A - Anyway,” Yamaguchi-sensei interjected, his awkwardness from their previous encounter peeking through, “stay after class, okay? We’ll go over the recent lessons and you can tell us where you’re having difficulty.”

“Thank you, senseis!” She bowed unnecessarily deeply to the both of them. Yamaguchi-sensei jumped up from his chair – unused to such respect from her – as if he thought she’d taken a dive headfirst into the floor instead of simply bowing. Tsukishima-sensei looked characteristically unaffected.

Yamaguchi-sensei chuckled awkwardly when she straightened up, calling out a farewell as she departed. She waved back cheerily, her previous good student act dropping as her own excitement made itself known.

She lingered by the door a moment, ear not quite pressed to the door but still very obviously eavesdropping. It took a while, but finally she heard Tsukishima-sensei’s voice.

“She’s excited for someone receiving extra lessons,” he said, dry and flat.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi-sensei admonished. “She’s just earnest, that’s all.”

“That she certainly is.”

At 3:30 PM, Natsu filed out of the classroom with the rest of her peers, off to club activities or the nearest place to eat that wasn’t the school cafeteria.

“Didn’t Yamaguchi-sensei say something about you staying after class?” Torizuka asked as they wandered the halls in the direction of the gymnasium. They were going to practise for their match with Jinsei Girls.

“Oh, that,” Natsu said, as if her mind hadn’t been preoccupied with that for the entire school day. “Yeah, I’ll just be dropping my things off and going back.”

Torizuka raised her brows. “Seems like a roundabout way of doing things.”

“Blegh, what do you care?” Natsu stuck her tongue out at the other girl, who returned the gesture of immaturity.

“Is this about your theory that he and Tsukishima-sensei are dating?” Esatoguchi asked. Damn her and her quick perception.

“Hmph.” Natsu hiked her bag up higher on her shoulder. “Don’t see how it’s any of your concern.”

Over her head, Torizuka and Esatoguchi exchanged an amused look.

Natsu had meticulously planned out the time of her departure and return to the classroom, so that it coincided with Tsukishima-sensei and Yamaguchi-sensei’s arrival but was late enough that they didn’t all get there at the same time.

Despite this, she still creeped down the halls like a criminal being tailed, peeking behind walls for any sign of Tsukishima-sensei or Yamaguchi-sensei.

When she reached her classroom door, she stooped so she wouldn’t be seen from the small window. From inside, she could hear their voices.

“Are we sure she’s coming, Yamaguchi?”

“Of course, why else would she approach us?”

A silence reigned, wherein Natsu imagined Tsukishima-sensei giving Yamaguchi-sensei his signature cold stare.

“Don’t be like that, Tsukki. I’m sure she’s come to her senses.”

Natsu winced. Yamaguchi-sensei was by far her favourite teacher, even if the pickings were slim. She just had to hope that this wouldn’t mar his perception of her forever.

Considering she’d already confirmed their presence in the room, she decided not to waste any more time. Straightening up, she fiddled with the doorknob, using a piece of rope she’d nicked from the maintenance closet to tie around the lever of the door knob in a manner she’d seen on a dubious internet article. The door locked from the inside, as most doors did, and so she’d had to resort to more… creative ways of going about her master plan.

As she was preoccupied doing this, she saw Tsukishima-sensei stand up out of his chair, spotting her in the window. He frowned, probably wondering why she didn’t just enter. She worked quicker as he crossed the room in long strides, finishing the knot just as he reached the door. She sprang back and grinned at Tsukishima-sensei’s expression of dismay when he tried the door knob to no avail.

“Hinata Natsu!” he yelled, slightly muted through the door. It was the most emotion she’d ever seen Tsukishima-sensei express. Still, even with him knocking on the glass window angrily and his brows knitted together, she couldn’t bring herself to feel afraid of him. Actually, he looked a little silly. “Open this door right now!”

“Talk to Yamaguchi-sensei!” She bounced on the balls of her feet before spinning around to skip away. “You’ll thank me!” she called over her shoulder, though she had no such confidence. Well, too late to turn back now. In for a penny, in for a pound.

“Hinata Natsu.” Tsukishima-sensei paused, hand on the door knob. He and Yamaguchi-sensei had continued on as usual, a little unnerving considering Natsu had locked them into a classroom just the day prior, and this was the first time in the entire class that she’d been singled out. Just when she thought she might just get away with it.

She went ramrod straight, limbs like a wooden doll as she lifted her head to meet Tsukishima-sensei’s gaze. She’d barely gotten any sleep, regret and doubt suddenly washing over. Not doubt in her inferences as to the true nature of Yamaguchi-sensei and Tsukishima-sensei’s relationship, but doubt that maybe she should have tried a subtler approach, that maybe – and this was hard to even consider – this wasn’t really any of her business, and she should have left it alone.

But there was nothing to be done now, and she just had to continue on unfazed by whatever consequences she may face. “Yes, sensei?” she replied, voice steady.

His eyes narrowed. Yamaguchi-sensei was looking more and more nervous by his side. “Meet me after class.”

As soon as the two were out of the room, Natsu collapsed onto her desk, banging her head hard. She whined as she held her palm against her forehead. “Ow.”

“What did you think was going to happen?” Torizuka asked by her side.

Natsu rubbed the spot with her fingers, going cross eyed as she tried to see if a bump had formed. “I don’t know, that it wouldn't hurt.”

Torizuka laughed, amused. Esatoguchi appeared without a sound, jolting the both of them. “Another tutoring session, huh?”

“What?” Natsu finally gave up, letting her hands drop to her desk. She remembered Tsukishima-sensei’s ominous instruction – command, really. “Oh, no.” And then she began retelling the events of the previous day. By the time she finished, the both of them stared at her with mouths hanging open. Even Esatoguchi, who would probably remain stone faced if the earth under her cleaved in half.

“Well, that was certainly a tale,” Esatoguchi said, the first to recover after Natsu’s elaborate spiel. “Should we wait for you after class?”

“No, you guys should go straight to practice. The match is coming up, and we need to perfect our strategy.” A thought suddenly occurred to Natsu, a thought so terrifying that it made her eyes go wide like she’d seen a ghost – a more preferable possibility compared to what was currently running through her mind. “Oh my God. What if Tsukishima-sensei bars me from playing in the next match? Or volleyball altogether?”

“I don’t think he has the authority to do that,” Torizuka said.

“But he does have the authority to put this on my record. Like, endangering teachers, or whatever. Does that exist?” she shook her head. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Either way, I could be suspended from the club! And just when we have an important game coming up!” She groaned and collapsed against her desk again. Torizuka – the great libero that she was – anticipated this and shot out her hand just in time, so Natsu hit her already sore head against the soft give of her arm rather than the hard plastic of her desk. She patted her arm half heartedly in a gesture of mute thanks.

“I’m sure everything will turn out just fine,” Esatoguchi said, trying to comfort Natsu with a hand on her shoulder. Natsu just groaned louder.

Natsu stared at the classroom door – it has never looked this sinister. She’d said goodbye to her friends just a few minutes earlier, Torizuka sending her off with a joking salute and Esatoguchi offering her appreciated but unhelpful advice. She could probably still catch up to them, if she ran like hell. Sure, this would probably result in even more disastrous consequences, but so what? She excelled at running away from her problems. Just as she was gearing up to turn heel and sprint away, however, the door opened with an ominous click.

“Hinata Natsu. We’re pleased to see you.”

She whirled around, putting her hands up as if to show she was unarmed and admitting defeat. “Ah, sensei! I was just about to knock.”

“Were you?” Tsukishima-sensei looked rightly dubious. Natsu chuckled awkwardly, at a loss for what to say. Was he going to let her in? Or just stand there looking menacing?

She didn’t have to wait to find out, because Yamaguchi-sensei appeared by Tsukishima-sensei’s side, subtly shouldering past him to shake hands with Natsu. This took her by surprise, and his strong grip jostled her up and down as she tried not to be blinded by the bright smile on her face. Either Yamaguchi-sensei was the most forgiving person on planet Earth or the fakest.

“Natsu, come in.” Yamaguchi-sensei pulled her into the room and she heard Tsukishima-sensei swing the door shut behind them. She gulped. It felt like they were preparing her for execution.

“I’m sure you know why we called you in today,” Tsukishima-sensei said, settled into the teacher’s chair while Yamaguchi-sensei hovered over him like a loyal attendant. Natsu steeled herself for her death sentence. “What you did showcased an incredible display of misconduct. We are teachers, a station above yours and one that commands authority over you. To utterly disregard this and show us such disrespect, well, I wonder why I don’t just report you to the principal right now. It would be a shame, wouldn’t it? I heard you have a game coming up; I wonder how your team would fare without their star player.”

Whatever the pair were expecting, Natsu prostrating herself on the floor in front of them certainly wasn't it. She held her hands together over her head as she pleaded. “Please, Tsukishima-sensei, Yamaguchi-sensei! Please forgive my indolence, please don’t take me off the volleyball team!” Her forehead – already sore from before – had begun smarting again from where she’d none too gently slammed it onto the hard floor. She’d done it with so much force she was surprised the wood hadn’t splintered.

“Jesus, get up!” Tsukishima-sensei and Yamaguchi-sensei hauled her onto her feet, one on either side of her. Was this some sort of tactic they were using, for a quick and efficient kill? She went limp in their grip – she’d rather die than live a life without volleyball.

Yamaguchi-sensei took her by the shoulders and shook her none too gently. “We aren’t kicking you off the team! Gosh, you really are a Hinata.”

“Really?” She suddenly regained her strength, her eyes sparkling as she held Yamaguchi-sensei’s lapel and pushed her face close to his to voice her earnest thanks. “Thank you, thank you so much!”

Tsukishima-sensei pulled her away by the collar like a stray cat and turned her around to face him. “This isn’t going unpunished, however. You are taking those extra lessons, for the rest of the semester and then some depending on your performance. Do you understand?”

“Yes! Yes, I do!” Natsu spun around, thrilled. She could still play volleyball! She could still demolish Jinsei with her brother watching from the bleachers! So what if she had to take extra lessons? It was nothing more than a slap on the wrist, considering what she’d done. Wait… “Why am I getting off so easily?”

“Not through any fault of mine,” was all Tsukishima-sensei said before turning away. Natsu looked to Yamaguchi-sensei for an explanation.

“Ah,” Yamaguchi-sensei suddenly seemed flustered, hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck. It was a nervous tick of his, Natsu noticed. “Well, me and Tsukki are dating now.” He reached out to take Tsukishima-sensei’s hand in his, which he allowed with a dusting of pink high in his cheekbones. Tsukishima-sensei was blushing. She couldn’t believe it. “You actually helped us realise a lot of things, locking us in that room. So thank you, Natsu.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. This strange, open display of affection set her off kilter, used to their clandestine glances and fleeting touches. She recovered quickly, though, and soon she moved past simply looking back and forth at the two of them and became her usual bubbly, cheerful self, even happier now that she’d been proven right. “I knew it! And you two kept denying it too!”

“That's because we weren’t dating at the time,” Tsukishima-sensei said. His threatening aura really diminished when he was locking pinkies with Yamaguchi-sensei, but Natsu tried not to let this show.

“I’m the reason you two started dating?!” She couldn’t wait till Shoyou learned about this. Hinata Natsu, volleyball genius and the best matchmaker in Miyagi.

“Shush, not so loud!” Yamaguchi-sensei held his finger to his lips. “We’re still at work, and anyway, we’d appreciate it if you kept things… quiet, for the time being.”

Natsu’s face screwed up, placing her hands on her hips. “Is that why you’re doing this, letting me off the hook so easily? So I’ll keep your secret? Now that’s playing dirty, sensei.”

“Not my idea,” Tsukishima-sensei said. “If it was up to me, you’d be suspended, at least. I don’t care about the outcome if what you did to get there was dishonest and underhanded.”

Yamaguchi-sensei winced as Tsukishima-sensei continued on with his tirade before finally deciding to cut him off. “While what Tsukki said is definitely true, we still owe a lot to you Natsu, and at the end of the day your heart was in the right place.” His smile was so sweet it gave Natsu a toothache. “And that isn’t my intention, holding you to this pact under threat of severe punishment, it’s just that we want to take things slow.”

“Okay,” Natsu drew out the word. “So I’m not in trouble? And you guys hate me? And I can play in our next practice match?” The more she said, the more unbelievable it all seemed.

“Yes to all of that. Just don’t forget your extra lessons.”

“Of course, sensei!

“Terrific.” Yamaguchi-sensei flashed his winning smile once again before drawing away from Tsukishima-sensei’s side to swing a friendly arm around her. “Then it’s settled. Every day, from four to six, okay? Except for Fridays.” Before she knew it, Yamaguchi-sensei had walked her right out the door. “Thank you, Natsu, really. And we’re excited to see you tomorrow.” The door swung shut in front of her face, leaving her stunned.

She watched Yamaguchi-sensei walk back to Tsukishima-sensei and duck down to press their lips together. It was a quick kiss, but Tsukishima-sensei was still flushed when they drew apart. Yamaguchi-sensei giggled, which only made Tsukishima-sensei flush harder. It brought a smile to Natsu’s face, and she couldn't bring herself to feel offended by her hasty escort out of the room.

She turned away from the sight, giving them their privacy. For once.

Natsu had barely gotten her shoes off and called out an “I’m home!” before Shoyou was swooping down on her in the genkan.

“Nat-chan? Is that you?”

“Who else would it be?” she quipped, putting her shoes away neatly.

“Uh, right.” He stepped into genkan. “Why do I have three missed calls and eighteen messages from Tsukishima?”

Natsu went still, half stooped over her shoes. “What do they say?” she asked slowly.

“I don’t know, they’re pretty cryptic. Just usual variations of you’re dead. But he did mention you, which is why I’m asking.”

Natsu brushed past him. “I have no idea what that's about.”

“Are you sure?” Shoyou followed her. “Do you want me to read them out?”

“No, that’s okay!” Natsu called before hurriedly turning the corner towards her room.

“Nat-chan?” Shoyou sounded even more bewildered. “Nat-chan, what did you do?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. But not from me. I’ve taken an oath of silence.”

“Natsu?” Now he sounded worried, the closest to a stern older brother he could get. But then he seemed to give up, resigning himself with a sigh. “I hope you haven’t gotten yourself expelled.”

Just barely, Natsu thought but didn’t say. She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips.

A chime sounded from Shoyou’s phone. “Huh,” he said as he read the notification. “Yamaguchi just said he and Tsukishima have something very important to announcd at our reunion dinner later.”

That only made Natsu’s smile grow wider. “Hmm. Wonder what it is.”

Shoyou narrowed his eyes at her. “Whatever it is, I hope it doesn’t steal the thunder from my homecoming.”

Practically bouncing on her heels, Natsu whirled around, skirt pirouetting around her. “We’ll see,” she sing-songed.