gameofmana | [log] adulting with decent success

Who: Yamaguchi and Tsukishima
What: A pair of teenagers went out to shop and make dinner. You're welcome, you bunch of weirdos.
Where: Home's kitchen (plus a thread in Domina)
When: Day 2, evening
Other: This is a joint post, so let us know if you'd prefer one volleyball obsessed teen over the other! Choice 1: Yamaguchi, a good child who deserves better, bad at people. Choice 2: Tsukishima, a shittalking nerd who fakes manners, worse at people.

Anyone who pays particular attention to the people heading in and out of the tree will probably pick up on the fact that, in the morning, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi head off together towards Domina carrying their (now emptied) bags. They're out most of the day, and anyone else who pops into Domina can probably see them going through the market.

Eventually, however, they do come back with significantly less empty bags, and promptly head into the kitchen. There's a brief moment where Tsukishima ducks out to get water from the well around back, but then he stays in there with Yamaguchi.

Eventually, the smell of cooking starts to drift out into the rest of the first floor. Anyone who investigates will find Yamaguchi doing most of the actual cooking, but Tsukishima is doing his share of food preparation.

Feel free to bother either of them, although food isn't ready just yet.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, over here. Just a rough chop should be fine... [He points to a small pile of carrots, still waiting to be chopped.

As for his name, honestly, even if Tsukki hadn't complained, Yamaguchi's not one to forget important players' names. Lev, maybe, since he was new, but Kuroo?]

Yamaguchi, yes. I... can't say I'm the one people really worry about talking to. [With a laugh, he glances up again, then stirs the pot.] And you were... Kuroo-san, right? It's been a while since we had a match.

It has. [Kuroo grins as he moves over to the carrots and begins cutting them up as requested. Helping out is a good excuse to hang around; even Tsukki can't complain much if he's making himself useful.] It's too bad; everything I've been hearing about Karasuno says that you guys have been improving a lot. Never mind just being good practice; I'm starting to worry if our team's keeping pace with your growth. [He flashes Yamaguchi a lazy smirk.] I'd hate to get all the way to nationals just to be totally outclassed.

[The compliments are genuine, but the self-effacement is not. For one thing, Kuroo seems entirely confident that Nekoma will indeed make it to nationals, and he doesn't seem at all nervous about the possibility of being outclassed as he speaks of it. Kuroo's clearly impressed with what he's heard of Karasuno, but Yamaguchi would have to be pretty gullible to truly believe Kuroo hasn't been working Nekoma to keep abreast of them.

In fact, given what Kuroo's apparently heard of Karasuno's exploits, one has to wonder just how hard he has been working Nekoma.]

And no need to be so humble. It sounds like the days of you getting overlooked are passing you by. Tsukki said himself you were pretty much the deciding factor in your rematch with Seijoh.

[Thinking on it, they've all been working so hard individually, it's impossible not to see it. Karasuno's strength lies in the individual spirits of its players, at this point, and their individual ways of growing stronger on their own. It's a pretty stark contrast to Nekoma, who operate as one body, no matter how you slice it.]

It wouldn't be any good if we were still too weak to even fathom a win, either. [He's definitely not foolish enough to think Nekoma won't be there, to think that Kuroo would allow them to fall behind. He may be a cat, but even lazy cats work hard when they do work. He, like Tsukki, could never discount that side of his opponents - even if the other side of it made him want to shove his face in his hands and sigh.

The compliment catches him off-guard, though, and he can feel his cheeks heating up considerably.]

I-- well, that is- [What he did... but it's kind of true, in a way. Not because he was perfect, nor because he did everything by himself, but because it was a reminder of how far they could come. Alone, together, overall. But still. A tiny smile does creep onto his face.] Tsukki really... said that? I mean, I guess it's true if they think it, but the others definitely didn't slouch, either.

[Pulling the ladle up to taste his broth, he considers for a moment.] I was just... really glad to get to play like that. With them. [I'm not sure he has a "not humble" option, tbh.]

Why would I lie? [Kuroo grins.] I mean, Tsukki being nice is pretty unbelievable. That's the kind of lie it'd be way too easy to catch me in.

I think Karasuno's definitely in the stages where it can fathom a win, although it's far from being in a place where it can be assured of one. [Just a subtle reminder that Nekoma's coming for you guys, Yamaguchi.]

Anyway, just keep working hard. You'll be losing your third years after this year, and two of them are regulars. You could wind up a regular yourself next year, and then you could be nailing opponents with that serve of yours every rotation. [He cocks an eyebrow.] Just remember that a regular can't be a one-trick pony. Don't be so excited over that serve of yours that you neglect the basics. Because if you like playing with your team, being a regular's an even more intense experience than being a substitute server - but you've got a lot more to work on and worry about as a result.

.... [Well, if Kuroo thinks Tsukki is not nice, Yama might not... ruin that little thing just now. Yep.] Well, yeah, I guess.

[Though, that last bit kind of raises his hackles - Kuroo will see it in the way he shifts, so subtle but so marked; hear it in the way his voice gets just a little tight.]

I'm not-- that isn't all I am! [The indignation will cool once he realises the reality - that Kuroo probably barely saw any of that match, the way he himself fought to keep it alive. To not go back. Remembering it so vividly almost brings him to tears, something he blinks back now.] I have more pride than that. I've intended to be a regular from the start, it's not like the only thing I can do is that serve.

[Kuroo grins at Yamaguchi's fire. Some of his stirring it up was indeed deliberate, much like Kuroo had done the same thing in someone else Yamaguchi knows well. But some of it is genuine ignorance, too; he's never seen Yamaguchi in regular play, and he's certainly never talked to him to find out whether he intends to polish his serve to perfection, or whether he has greater all-around aspirations.

Everything Kuroo knows about Yamaguchi, up to this moment, is his serve. Anything else is guesswork and hearsay. In Kuroo's readiness to motivate Yamaguchi, he may have - happily but without conscious intention - scared more personality and information about Yamaguchi than he's yet had acces to.]

Good to hear it. [He hasn't noticed Yamaguchi's upset on a deeper level than he really intended, partly because he's not looking. He's chopping carrots.] In that case, it's probably just experience you're lacking. It seems like all the other first year starters have some freak weapon they were able to put into play almost immediately; you just needed to polish up a little first. But being able to use that weapon against Seijoh effectively - I'd say that's proof you've caught up.

[He's thankful for that; it's something Tsukki would never have missed, but Tsukki has been his best friend for ages. Plus he's constantly paying attention to little things.]

Y-yeah, maybe. I'm not going to give up, especially with Suga-san and everyone cheering us on. They have a lot of expectations. [He does smile a little, fondly.] I don't know. The third-years have their own, too. [It's not like anyone had high expectations of them at the start, even before the Weird First-Years.]

That's true...your captain's pretty scary. [Kuroo's grinning as he says it, with a light in his eyes. Daichi is clearly the kind of scary that excites Kuroo to think of going up against.] And your ace is no slouch. [He hasn't seen a whole lot of Sugawara, but if he had, Kuroo might honestly consider him the most frightening of the bunch.]

When I come to Kenma's games next year, I'll be looking for you in Karasuno's regular lineup. You and Chibi-chan. [He smirks.] And Tsukki, of course~.

[log] adulting with decent success

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