Archive of Our Own ^beta

The shower water had been hot and steaming, fogging the mirrors of the bathroom, and the cool night air made him grimace in discomfort. He was shivering by the time he made it around the building to the front lawn, the designated meet up place for fires and emergencies. The first people he saw there were Oikawa and Daichi, standing together and looking around. He tried going up to them, but before he could, a bunch of other people noticed him approach in a towel, and they swarmed him. 

"Aren't you freezing?" 

"Why didn't you grab clothes?"

"Oh god, here, take my jacket."

A few people removed their jackets and handed them to him, moving his arms through the sleeves for him. Only guys had jackets big enough for him, but one girl offered a scarf for his neck.

Suga would have normally protested, but his teeth were chattering too much for him to refuse, and the cold now felt unbearable and painful, stinging his skin with bumps. He ended up with three coats on him, the bottom of them skirting the top of his towel. The third jacket just hung on his shoulders. 

People patted his shoulder and voiced their sympathy, even though one of them was snickering under their hand. The small crowd drew enough attention for Daichi and Oikawa to walk over in curiosity, recognizing that it was Suga in the middle when they edged to the front.

"Suga?" Daichi grabbed him by the elbow. "Were you taking a shower?" 

Suga nodded, giving a guilty little smile despite his trembling. Oikawa narrowed his eyes and lifted his hand to Suga's hair, poking the hardened edges.

"Suga, your hair is frozen."

"I-it's really that c-cold?" he asked in a stutter.

"Yes." Oikawa undid Suga's scarf and rewrapped it with a fussy clicking of his tongue, covering Suga's chin and pulling a hood over his head.

Suga tried to adjust the topmost jacket dangling on him while still holding onto his towel, but the coat fell off. Daichi picked it up and lifted it in the air to inspect, frowning at the unfamiliar colors. 

"This isn't yours, is it?"

Oikawa eyed it with a wrinkling nose. "It's not even his size. I hope the owner washed it." 

"He's freezing, though. Just put it back on him."

Oikawa narrowed his eyes at the clothing as he placed it back on him. He kept a hand on his shoulder and squeezed for a moment, tilting his head and shifting his eyes to Suga's face.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm better now." Suga bunched his shoulders to his ears as his temperature stabilized enough for his head to clear. He was aware now that all he had was a towel to cover his lower half, and as Oikawa looked him over in concern, Suga crossed his legs and tightened his hold on the towel.

Suga didn't know Oikawa that well in the past. He was just another setter from a rival school, a source of animosity for Kageyama and Hinata. Suga didn't think that they'd choose the same college, but they even ended up in the same apartment building. Oikawa's sudden appearance at his side the day before school started, tapping his shoulder with a casual smile, left Suga scrambling to keep his papers from falling in surprise. Oikawa gathered them for him and invited him to lunch without any hesitation. They wound up in the same classes together, Oikawa remained his silly, nosy self from high school, intruding on Suga's free time so much that Suga got used to him.

He didn't become used to him, though, finding himself embarrassed at the way Oikawa dragged him places and drew attention to him. Somewhere along the line, Suga realized that he felt embarrassed even in private, when it was just them at the library or in their rooms. Suga felt on edge after that, and he became newly aware of everything about Oikawa, the way his hair flared up at the ends and how he gave low laughs and rolled his head to Suga to murmur something Suga didn't always listen to.

Suga was that aware right now, alert to the movement of Oikawa's eyes at his bare legs and the skin of his waist unfortunate enough to lie between the coats and towel. He wanted to tug the towel higher to cover it, but that would make the towel flap below reveal more of his thighs. His face and legs still felt cold, and the uncomfortable chill flushed his nose and cheeks to a rosy, icy burn. Suga rubbed his legs together harder, biting his lip shyly. 

"Why didn't you put your clothes on?" Daichi asked. "You should have taken your time."

"My dirty clothes got wet, and I didn't have time to get them." Suga felt self-conscious at the sudden laughter from the both of them. Oikawa was covering his mouth, still managing to crinkle his eyes in a pitying look.

"You had enough time to get dressed, Suga."

"You're such a goody two-shoes, Kou-chan!"

Suga pressed his mouth into a line. "But we can get in trouble for not leaving as fast as possible."

"That only happens if you stay inside and go back to sleep like Kuroo did a few weeks ago," Oikawa said. He tried to breathe normally, but he let out a huff that turned into a snort. "That's so adorable. Our first year is almost over in a few months, and you're still an innocent stickler for rules." 

Suga made a strangled noise. "No I'm not."

"Suga, you've never stolen from the dining hall. You just take a cookie or piece of fruit like you're allowed," Daichi added.

Oikawa cackled, his hand sliding over his eyes. "I thought everyone did that."

Suga looked horrified. "Yeah, thieves."

"You're too pure, Kou-chan. How do you even use a coed bathroom?"

"I just did." Suga sighed, looking down at his feet. "I suppose I'm lucky that people here are so nice. I would've frozen to death."

"That never would have happened for me," Daichi said. 

"He's right, people aren't that nice. You're just likable." Oikawa reached up to pinch Suga's cheek between two fingers, moving his hand back and forth despite Suga's wince. "You're like a cute little bird. That angel nest of hair could make someone cry."

Suga tried to splutter against that, but the fire alarm stopped blaring then. Everyone looked up at the building, the red lights turning off. A fireman walked out with an annoyed expression, and after talking with a couple of managers, everyone was waved back in.

"What should I do about these clothes?" Suga asked. "I can't remember who gave them to me."

"Just give them to a manager."

"Burn them," Oikawa said. "Do something mean for once." 

"…I'll give them to a manager."

The three of them headed back inside, Suga tugging the hood off and walking with his legs tightly together. Oikawa and Daichi flanked Suga's sides until Daichi had to turn and go down the hallway to his room. He lived on the first floor, in a double with a roommate who sometimes spent his late nights at the library studying until 12 or 1 AM.

"Your hair melted," Oikawa said. He lifted a hand and sifted it through Suga's dripping hair, admiring a few droplets sliding down to his neck. 

"The water's cold." Suga wiped his hand across his neck.

"Is the rest of you still cold, though?" Oikawa moved his hand to Suga's forehead. His skin wasn't warm, but it wasn't freezing, either, and the heaters were on in the building so there wasn't anything to worry about.

"I'm fine." Suga squirmed under the hand and ducked out from it. "I'm just going to go back and take a hot shower."

They heard footsteps behind them, and when they turned, a male student was standing there with his hands in his pockets. He shot them a smile.

"Uh, hi, I lent you my jacket." 

Suga glanced down at them. "Which one?"

"The first one you put on."

He reached his hands out to take the top two off, but Oikawa placed a foot in front of Suga and edged forward, his eyes narrowing. Oikawa rose to his toes.

"I'll do it."

The guy snatched his hands back, his smile slipping off. "Ah, sorry, I didn't know you were his boyfriend."

Suga raised his head in alarm. "No, no, he's not," he said in a rush, eyes wide.

"Oh, don't be so modest, Kou-chan." Oikawa draped a hand up to Suga's shoulder and slid one jacket off, tipping it over his shoulders. 

"No, I'm really not his boyfriend. He's joking."

"Nonsense."

Suga tried to object and raise his voice above Oikawa's, but as Oikawa slipped off the second jacket, he bent his head down and pressed his lips against Suga's. He used a bit of force as he made a possessive hum into his mouth, loud enough for the bystander to hear. Suga was shocked into silence with a twitching mouth, and the stranger turned away, shuffling his feet and scratching his head. 

Oikawa pulled away after a moment, and once he got to the bottom coat, he unzipped it and tossed it in the stranger's face. He held onto the rest.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but at the sharpening of Oikawa's glare, he stepped backward. "I'm...going to get lost now."

"Good, you do that." Oikawa waved a hand in a shooing motion.

Suga watched him fumble and run away. His throat felt tight as he wrapped his head around Oikawa kissing him, even if it lasted a second. 

When Oikawa started walking away, Suga followed him, both of his hands now at the waist to clasp the towel. He bumped his knuckles together nervously. 

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" 

"You know what I mean."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." 

Suga couldn't bring himself to actually say the word kiss out loud, so he sighed and let it go. 

They continued walking until they reached the steps up to the next floors. Oikawa went through the door first, staying quiet until they reached the second floor.

"Suga, I think I'm just going to dump these--"

"Oikawa, don't look!" Suga had his legs on two different steps as he ascended the staircase, unintentionally exposing his thighs more than before. When Oikawa turned to talk, Suga yanked the towel as tightly as he could and locked his legs together.

"Hm? Oh. Sorry." He let the the clothes drop on a nearby table.

The lack of remorse in Oikawa's voice irritated Suga a little, but he decided to not point it out. He trailed after Oikawa for a moment, down the hall in the direction of the bathroom Suga was in, until he remembered that Oikawa didn't live on this floor.

"Why are you taking me to my room?"

"I'm just being courteous. You said you were going to take a shower." 

Oikawa opened the door for him and gestured in with a gallant hand.

"Alright, Oikawa, why are you following me in?"

"No reason." He leaned his back against the bathroom wall and lifted his leg, placing his foot on the wall and bending his knee up.

Suga gave an impatient groan. "Don't you have anything better to do than stand here while I'm taking a shower?"

"It's Friday night, though."

When Oikawa didn't budge, Suga gave in with a sigh. He pulled the shower curtain over and stepped in, throwing the towel on a metal rack. Suga hesitated to twist the knob and start it, fidgeting with the uncomfortable idea of Oikawa standing a few feet away while he was standing without any clothes. Only a flimsy waterproof sheet hanging from a rail shielded him. He knew Oikawa wouldn't do anything, but he still felt self-conscious.

Once the water turned on, Oikawa tapped the wall. "Want to go have lunch tomorrow?"

Suga paused with the shampoo bottle in his hand. "Sure? There's no catch, right?"

"Of course not. It's just an ordinary date."

"Just a…a what." He stared at the shower curtain with his mouth open in a silent stammer, unable to see Oikawa's devious grin.

"Well, I told that guy earlier that you're my boyfriend. You don't want me to be a liar, do you?" 

Suga closed his eyes. He now knew why Oikawa waited until he was in the shower to talk. Suga couldn't hit him.

"Oikawa, is this a joke?"

"Why would I joke about this? I'm not that cruel."

Suga started to regret turning the heat knob so far. It was a nice, pleasant steam at the beginning, but now he felt too hot. He didn't want to think about this right now. He couldn't handle Oikawa actually asking him on a date. Suga was afraid to move, as if he was going to trip again.

"Oikawa, can I take my shower in peace? I'll go tomorrow, I just…I really need to finish this and go to bed tonight."

"Fine, fine." Oikawa's dismissive comment didn't match his gleeful tone, though. He let the bathroom door slam behind him, content with the sound of the ruffled, high-pitched waver in Suga's voice.