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[saltinourstars]

Continued nonsense

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[saltinourstars]

[Meanwhile, Tsukki fusses with his glasses. Using the scarf to clean them. He looks up at Sugawara. Gold eyes free of their usual dark frames.]

Sure.

[Then he smirks. Sliding the glasses back in place.]

[beautymarker]

[It's not the first time Suga's noticed and won't be the last, but something about the light where they're standing makes the fact stand out even more: Tsukishima has incredibly striking eyes.

Then the thought and the moment both pass, as always.]

You know what? You should probably just leave those off, I'll be your seeing eye Suga.

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Ha ha.

Thought I was doing my good deed for the year.

[With that, Tsukki heads into the shop. It's mostly second-hand stock, along with a little coffee stand and wrapped snacks. There is, as promised, a huge cat sleeping in the window. Curled into a nest of blankets and knocked-over books.

Above him a sign reads 'DO NOT FEED THE MENACE'.]

[beautymarker]

[If Tsukishima thinks that Suga's just going to walk past that absolute unit, he's an utter fool. He doesn't pester the cat in any way, though, just crouches down to look closer with an enchanted smile.]

Look at you... someone already fed you a bowling ball, huh?

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[Sleepy green eyes peek open. Then comes a huge yawn and they close again.]

That's MacGyver.

He tried to steal my onigiri once.

[Does Tsukki sound... proud?

MacGyver rolls over. Stretches out every single toe bean. Clearly, he knows how to charm an audience.]

[beautymarker]

Ohhhhhh... [It might just be because he's already emotionally compromised, but Suga would die for this cat and it's written in his big, dewy eyes as he watches MacGyver's every move.] You deserve all the onigiri, MacGyver, but too much is bad for cats! It doesn't mean Tsukishima-kun doesn't love you!

[When Suga stands back up and glances over at Tsukishima, a bit of the usual mischief has returned to his smile. He's already returning to his usual self, at least for now.]

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[Tsukki makes a point to roll his eyes. There's not exactly a plan, here, but - Good start.]

Come on.

[With that, he heads towards the drink stand. Tossing over his shoulder - ]

They have coffee or hot chocolate.

[beautymarker]

[Fine, fine, he'll tear himself away from the cat and catch up to Tsukishima. Looking at the drinks and snacks, though, a frown flits across his face, then quickly gets smothered by a smile and shrug.]

Ah - I didn't bring any money with me when I left... I'm good, though, I don't need anything!

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[Of course Sugawara's going to try and be all polite about it. Tsukki sighs. Pulling out his wallet.]

I said they have coffee or hot chocolate.

Just pick one.

[Or he will pick FOR you.]

[beautymarker]

[Oh jeez. Suga does, at least, have the good grace to look sheepish - he'd quietly hoped that Tsukishima would take him at his word about being fine, but he's also desperate for something to warm him up after being outside for so long. At least it's obvious that he wasn't angling for this outcome...]

Hot chocolate, please. And I owe you a drink with every post-practice cake from now on for this.

[All of it. He's putting on a brave face, but Suga really hates being reminded again and again and again of how pitiful he and his situation are right now. Just about his only saving grace is Tsukishima's enduring stoicism in the face of it all - if someone was fawning over him, Suga would just die of shame on the spot.]

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[Tsukki does not do 'Fawning.'.

He does do 'Get a damn drink so you don't die of dehydration and frostbite.' ]

Fine.

[While the barista works, he starts looking through a shelf of Sci Fi. He'll answer, if Suagawara says more. Otherwise the hunt is on for new (old) books.]

[beautymarker]

[At first, Sugawara just takes the opportunity to watch Tsukishima move around a space in which he feels comfortable, unrushed and unchallenged. There's a gradual loosening of posture, a softening of the stiff line of his mouth; before long, he doesn't look anything like the boy who so obviously has a caustic remark tucked behind his lips at all times just in case.

Tsukishima's always been interesting to Sugawara because his boundaries are so towering and opaque but the more sides of himself that he deigns to show, the more Sugawara wants to learn. He's like a 3d puzzle or model that keeps spawning new pieces to add finer and finer detail.]

Sci-fi, huh? [Curious, not at all judgmental or teasing.] What kind do you like best, space travel? Transhumanist? Political?

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[Tsukki's in his element. Flipping through titles. Occasionally he scoops one up, skimming pages with brow furrowed. Similar to how he looks on the court, without the gritted teeth. These choices are smaller. Only impact him. There's no team, no tests, just books.

He half forgets Sugawara's around. Looks up blinking.]

You're into Sci-Fi?

[Those are specific subsets.]

[beautymarker]

[Another little crack in that massive protective wall.]

Some of it, yeah! Mostly what I like is horror, but the best horror usually crosses over with sci-fi. What's scarier than a story that actually feels plausible, right?

[It's... probably not a surprise that the second-brightest sunshine boy on their team loves horror books and movies, huh.]

Those are always my favorite video games, too. Everything going wrong in all the worst possible ways because some technological or biological game-changer fell into the wrong hands.

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Hm.

[Just then, the order gets called. Tsukki takes his coffee, swigs it - No sugar, no cream - Then hands Sugawara the hot chocolate.]

I'm not that surprised. You're nice but you also have a sadistic streak.

You've seen Alien, right?

[beautymarker]

[Pardon Suga for a moment while he gapes at Tsukishima for drinking fresh, straight black coffee without even a wince.

... okay, now he accepts the hot chocolate and wraps both hands around it contentedly.]

Thanks again, Tsukishima-kun.

Of course, that's a classic! Have you seen The Fly? Just disgusting, it's one of my all-timers. [He blows across the top of his hot chocolate and takes a sip.] You still didn't answer, though. What kind of sci-fi do you like best?

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[Tsukki pulls a face.]

Yeah, I nearly puked. Never again.

[Braced by caffeine, he mulls over the topic.]

Space travel. I'll read other stuff, but if there's not a spaceship what's the point?

[beautymarker]

[If the grin that spreads across Sugawara's face gives Tsukishima a sudden feeling of dread, there's a very good reason for that.]

That makes sense - of course Tsuki wants to go to space!

[At least his hands are occupied so there's no hair-mussing?]

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Anything to get me off this rock.

[That is absolutely Sugawara's "Hair-Mussing" tone. Tsukki wonders when he learned it. Taking another sip of coffee, he glowers.]

well then i'll steal ur idea

[beautymarker]

So cynical...

Hey, we should watch a bunch of sci-fi movies together sometime! We could have a whole marathon, half your picks and half mine. I've got no one to watch horror movies with, Asahi's such a baby and -

[- all the wind goes out of Suga's sails at once. It's obvious who he was going to talk about next. Movies will probably be weird now, won't they? Too date-ish, sitting together in the dark with blankets over their laps until the early hours of the morning. What else will they have to give up while they adjust to this new normal...?

Damnit. The backs of his eyelids are stinging again. He turns to face a corner formed by two tall bookshelves and screws his eyes shut, hot chocolate cradled close to his body in tightly clenched hands. Don't. Don't.]

Yes this is BETTER

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[Tsukki knows a cover when he sees one.

So he doesn't blow it. Reads the back of Terminal Boredom, instead. When he's sure Sugawara's shoulders have stopped shaking, he picks up the conversation again. Clean as a game pass.]

Do we get vetoes? Maybe your taste is trash.

[beautymarker]

[Tsukishima's calm, even voice is like a balm for Sugawara's raw emotions. He turns back around with slightly reddened eyes but a wobbly smile on his lips, and the amount of fondness reflected in his eyes at that moment would even shock himself if he could see it.]

Heh, sure. I'll keep the gore to a minimum, too. And of course Yamaguchi's invited if he wants to join in!

BAD DW eating my post!!!!!!!

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I'll ask.

It's not so much the gore as the... Goop? Like, things melting around on you.

[Tsukki stays right where he is. Space is important.

Also, the look on Sugawara's face? It's close to the one he gets before Hair Attacks. No thank you.]

WOW RUDE

[beautymarker]

Ohh, I get you! So I should definitely add Akira to my list.

[Sure, Akira's animated and thus might not even count, but the joke still proves that Suga's once again bouncing back. He grins at the sudden defensive scowl on Tsukishima's face - does this boy just live in fear of Suga's random bursts of affection now? - then wanders off to peruse graphic novels.

Spending time with Tsukishima really might be something Suga has to work into his schedule more often, if he can. It's calming in a way he wouldn't have expected.]

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[Yes. It's annoying. Slides too close to the 'Big Brother' attitude some of the other players take. Needling and jostling Tsukki, bugging him about eating. Like he needs any more of that.

But Sugawara also knows how to be calm. Even on days that aren't going so well.

Eventually, Tsukki wanders over to his aisle.]

So - Horror comics, too?