heleanor | ♠ ＧＯＬＤ ♥ ＧＵＮＳ ♦ ＧＩＲＬＳ ♣

Just take care of yourself, Yamaguchi-kun. [Oikawa finally jerks his hand back off Yamaguchi's forehead and tucks it sheepishly into his pocket like he wasn't completely aware that touching Yamaguchi when they've only just met might be considered inappropriate.

His hand still feels warm from Yamaguchi's skin.]

I should probably be the one apologising for being weird. Approaching you out of the blue like this when you're not even interested. [He laughs and shrugs his shoulders.] But I thought I'd try, just in case.

[Yamaguchi gapes, trying his hardest to catch up to the words happening in real time even as he perceives them in a strange kind of embarrassment-induced slow motion.

Oh. Hold on. Not interested? That's not right, he thinks numbly, forcing his brain to work despite all the blood diverted to his extremely red face. That can't be right at all. Sakeguchi thinks Yamaguchi's the one that wouldn't be–?]

W-Wait! Sakeguchi-san!! [Unthinkingly, Yamaguchi suddenly reaches forward on some unknown impulse and grabs Oikawa by the wrist before he can leave. The younger man looks nervous and faintly desperate.]

You'd really like to have my phone number!!?

[Oikawa jerks back away from Yamaguchi's touch on instinct but manages to stop himself before pulling out of his grip entirely. Hopefully Yamaguchi didn't notice, or just thinks Oikawa must have more problems with other people touching him than touching other people. Which is basically the case. He has exactly one person he doesn't mind touching him no matter the circumstances and it's not Yamaguchi.

He smiles, maybe a little shakily.]

Why else would I ask for it, Yamaguchi-kun?

[Yamaguchi blinks, a hurt look flashing across his face for a very brief moment before his expression shifts, to a mix of concern and apprehension.

He lets go of Oikawa's wrist, and as he does Yamaguchi's body language seems to deflate visibly from how wound up he'd been not ten seconds ago. What if he read him wrong? he worries. What if Sakeguchi didn't mean it like that...or didn't mean it at all? Sakeguchi's playing it off now, but he definitely flinched when Yamaguchi grabbed his hand.

What little confidence Yamaguchi mustered up a minute ago seems to evaporate quickly at his perceived failure.]

I...sorry. I should let you go, I'll bet you...have stuff to do on your own tonight...

[Shit, that cost him. Yamaguchi looks like Oikawa slapped him. He kicks himself for not keeping his reactions under control. He could have avoided this so easily.]

I really would like your number, Yamaguchi-kun. I know lots of good places to eat. [Most of them are under the thumb of Aoba Johsai but they are semi-legitimate businesses as well.] But if you don't want to then I understand.

...?

Okaaaay...

[Yamaguchi hesitates, trying to formulate his concerns into something coherent before he blurts out anything stupid. He swallows dryly and then speaks.]

Sakeguchi-san...um...is something the matter? [He's more than a little nervous to hear the answer; it was such a change from how light the other man's attitude had been for the entire meeting before that. Maybe Yamaguchi was reading him wrong, reading the whole situation wrong, and Sakeguchi was just being friendly the whole time? And when he'd seen how flustered Yamaguchi got, from a simple thing like having his forehead touched...]

[He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and then tucks his hands back into his pockets, trying to come up with something to say. He'd just blow it off but Yamaguchi isn't stupid or Karasuno wouldn't have anything to do with him. In the end, he opts for something like the truth.]

I'm not great with people touching me. Sorry, Yamaguchi-kun.

[It sounds like the worst kind of excuse and Oikawa knows it. The truth always comes out like a lie when he says it which is just one of the many reasons he doesn't tell it often.]

Huh? But–

[Yamaguchi's eyes widen a bit, and he quickly flushes again in horror and bows hastily to Oikawa in apology with a clumsy attempt at actual formality. Oh, dear. That's what it was??]

I'm sorry! I thought–s-since you'd touched my forehead earlier, to see if there was a fever...I didn't realize at all! S-Sorry, Sakeguchi-san! [He's really more embarrassed than repentant, but still, it's not exactly becoming like this for a would-be gangster to fall over himself to apologize...]

[Oikawa forces a laugh and shrugs.] Please don't worry about it, Yamaguchi-kun. How could you have known? I didn't exactly include it with my introduction.

[How is such a good guy in their business? ... It occurs to him that maybe it's an act. If it is, he's a better actor than Oikawa has ever seen.]

[He's not acting—though, Yamaguchi's also not as good a guy as he appears, even if it is an easy mistake to make. More than anything, he's just painfully insecure and desperate to prove himself; always wanting to be liked, to please people, to prove he isn't worthless. That he isn't pathetic. It's always been like that. Yamaguchi has a hard time making friends, and he hasn't got family now either, now that his parents are gone. He'll do anything to hang on to the few people in his life that keep him around after that, and actually treat him like he's a part of something so long as he works hard for it.

He'll do anything to earn their approval. Yamaguchi would (will, someday) send innocent people to prison without a second thought, if it will keep his fellow Karasuno members safe.

And while he's not nearly strong or brave enough for it yet, if he was, Yamaguchi would probably kill for them too. Especially Tsukishima.]

Sorry... [Yamaguchi's voice is cringing and regretful, worried that he might have already ruined whatever shot he had with this Sakeguchi guy. As a new student he might be kind of forward, but he's also charming, and more importantly Yamaguchi's never met someone before that just...liked him. He's halfway smitten already despite himself.]

Yamaguchi-kun?

[He doesn't know exactly what he's asking but every single thing that Yamaguchi says makes Oikawa wish more that he'd just managed to stay put when Yamaguchi touched him.

He could try and go back to his previous demeanour but that wouldn't make sense with how he jerked away before. Yamaguchi might have a fake name for him but he's probably getting a version of Oikawa that's closer to who he really is than Oikawa's shown anyone for a long time. Even Iwaizumi gets a false version of him, he's just had enough experience to know what parts are real.

He wonders if he'd be able to pull off pretending to be a law student. At least until the end of the semester where he can pretend that financial issues require him to drop out and get a job. Which is a little ridiculous but their conversation is the most fun he's had in months and he doesn't like letting go of what enjoyment he can manage. He likes manipulating people and organising Aoba Johsai's affairs but a lot of the the people he deals with have a negative sense of humour to the point where he doesn't even bother trying to get reactions out of them. He almost wishes it was because they'd have him killed if they thought he was disrespecting them but he's too high up now for that to be a concern.]

Hm?

[At the sound of his name, Yamaguchi swallows and refocuses, managing to force a polite smile for Oikawa.]

Ah, sorry, Sakeguchi-san. Let's go on to the Hoshino Building now, okay? [If 'Sakeguchi' asks for his phone number again, Yamaguchi will give it to him. But Yamaguchi's too spooked at this point about upsetting him earlier to make another offer, he doesn't have the guts to try again after messing up so badly the first time.]

[Oikawa's eyebrows pull together in concern. Yamaguchi's other smiles were much nicer than that.]

Of course. Thank you.

[He keeps his hands loose in his pockets and tries to ignore the nagging sensation that he should fix this.

He manages to walk beside Yamaguchi for two paces before opening his mouth.]

Do you like studying here, Yamaguchi-kun?

[Yamaguchi blinks and glances over at him, and tries to think of a response to the odd, but benign-seeming question.]

...Yes? It's a good school. [And my family lives here, he nearly adds, but it's not his place to bring up Karasuno even indirectly in his regular dealings with outside strangers.]

I'm glad! If you like it here then I'm sure I will too.

[... Shit, is he going to have to turn up to classes to keep up this charade? Iwaizumi will kill him if he sneaks out to go to law lectures. But really, it was his fault Oikawa didn't stay in his office in the first place.]

Plus, I won't mind seeing you around at all.

[Yamaguchi's cheeks dust tinge again as he glances over at him.]

...You won't, Sakeguchi-san?

I won't!

[He flashes him a smile.]

Even if you... [he breaks off like he's reconsidering what he's saying.]

It'll just be nice to have you there, Yamaguchi-kun.

?

'Even if I...?' [He tries to look simply curious, but thinks he's probably failing.]

[Oikawa puts on his sheepish act again.]

Even if you don't want to see me around after this.

Me?

[Honestly, Yamaguchi wouldn't have thought twice about a guy like that if he hadn't approached him first. But, after talking to him, there's definitely a strange charisma about Sakeguchi that makes it hard not to want to get to know him more.

And the fact that he still, inexplicably seems to want to talk to Yamaguchi, even after the latter went and offended him...Yamaguchi feels terrible at the thought he might've given Sakeguchi the impression he didn't ever want to see him again.]

No, no, I want to! I'd be happy to, Sakeguchi-san! [He is really not thinking this through at all HE HAS A JOB HE SHOULD PROBABLY REMEMBER ABOUT SOMETIME THIS CENTURY]

Really? I understand if you don't.

[The more he talks to him the more he wishes Seijoh had found him first. Sure, they don't need someone like him but Oikawa would never say no to another pretty face under their employ. And he's fun to bother. Pity he would have objected without his friend, from what Oikawa has found out.]

[It's doubtful Yamaguchi and Oikawa would ever have crossed paths, if Yamaguchi hadn't been at the right place at the right time to be snatched up by Karasuno when he was—namely, with Tsukishima, the day the latter was faced with an impromptu patch job for a bleeding stranger in an unopened shop. Without that encounter, Yamaguchi wouldn't be in 'the business' at all. He'd also be a fair bit lonelier, and more broke, so he counts it as a stroke of good fortune that he and Tsukki were recruited to the gang.]

No, I do mean it! Sorry if it seemed like that wasn't the case, Sakeguchi-san!

[He stalls in his walk and finally pulls his hands back out of his pockets.]

So, if I asked for your number again...?

[He allows himself to look hopeful as his heart races, he doesn't know if Yamaguchi will give it or not but he has a hunch.

This can't end in anything but a huge bother and probably a body count but everyone needs a hobby and for the next little while it's going to be Yamaguchi by virtue of him being the only thing to hold Oikawa's interest in weeks. And if Yamaguchi's smile manages to make him a little happier before it goes down in flames, well, that's a bonus.]

[Already, there's a part of Yamaguchi that knows damn well—has forgotten, perhaps, since the start of this conversation, but still knows—that he shouldn't let himself feel so happy to hear Sakeguchi say those few, simple words. What does he think he's doing, grasping desperately to regain a total stranger's approval like some lost puppy? He has a family now, a job. An important one. He hasn't got the freedom or the time for outside fraternization.]

...Right! Definitely, yes! I-If you wanted it, that is, I'll tell you– [his fingers tighten guiltily for a moment, twitching around on the prepaid business cell phone still in his left hand; that's not the phone number he'll be able to give away] –or, I can get yours and then text you, later?

[Yamaguchi doesn't believe he's ever made a real friend (a real connection to anyone) on his own before. Someone met outside of a group, who wasn't obligated to like him just because they were on the same team. With the obvious exceptions of Tsukishima and Shimada, both of whom Yamaguchi all but had to wear down at first to accept his company...'Sakeguchi Tadeo' may well be it. It's stupid and maybe pathetic that Yamaguchi can't just let it go, but...]

[Yamaguchi should be more careful! 'Sakeguchi' could have noticed that little fumble and drawn awkward conclusions. Luckily, he's more than happy to hand over his own number with a mostly genuine smile and no questions.]

Of course, if you have some paper, I can write it down? [Yamaguchi will be getting the third of his many numbers, the one he uses for more personal contacts that don't have a direct connection to the business so he knows not to answer it with a snap if he's interrupted from something important.]

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