hq wip amnesty: setter swap au

[necessarian]

0. Prologue

Every day after school, Tooru and Hajime go to the convenience store for ramune. When they pool their pocket money, it’s enough for two each day, two different flavours so they can switch. It’s so bad for their teeth, but that’s half the fun. Plus sometimes, when they finish the drinks, they take out the marbles and race them from the swings to the gutter. And the next morning, when Tooru passes the park on the way to school, he sees ants flocking around the gutter and knows it’s because of the sticky marbles he and Hajime rolled there. Sometimes he stops to talk to the ants, but only when there’s no-one else around.
This afternoon, Tooru splashes out and buys a box of pocky as well as the ramune.
“What’s that for?” Hajime asks.
Tooru shrugs. “Just felt like it.”
“You better save half for me,” Hajime says. “I’ll pay you back.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Tooru says. “You can buy a box tomorrow.”
Instead of responding, Hajime runs ahead, tearing towards the swings. Tooru leaps into action, following with his backpack bouncing behind him, off his back and coming back to thwack his shoulders. He vaults onto his usual swing, throwing his bag to the ground, and Hajime’s already kicking off on the other swing.
“Today,” Tooru declares, “I’ll go higher than you.”
“Sure,” Hajime says. Every day, Tooru says he’ll go higher, and every day Hajime has that same tone of disbelief. Well, Hajime’s taller by a bit, and stronger by a bit more, so that can’t be helped. One day, though—
(He doesn’t know now, but that one day will be a spring day like today, six years from now, in another city, another lifetime.)
As usual, they tire after a while, and once they’ve finished their drinks they get out the ramune marbles and start the race. The marbles are identical, but Tooru can always tell the difference, and they’re going roughly at a pace. By now, they both know the best angles, the best way to start the roll, the optimum speed. Like their friendship, they’ve got the marble race down to a science. In the end, though, Hajime’s just edges out Tooru’s, slipping off the curb and into the gutter.
“Hah!” Hajime says, punching the air. “I win!”
“For now,” Tooru says.
“For now,” Hajime echoes. He scrunches his face up into a frown. “Do you think we’ll be too cool for this when we get to middle school?”
“Of course we will,” Tooru says, pulling a pocky stick out of the box and sticking it in the corner of his mouth. “That’s why ‘m switching to pocky.”
Hajime reaches out to swat at the pocky, but Tooru grabs his wrist in time. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Hajime says.
“Iwa-chan thinks he’s my mum,” Tooru says, taking a bite of the pocky and pulling it out with his free hand, releasing Hajime with his other.
“If we’ll be too cool for ramune marble races, then you’ll definitely be too cool to keep calling me ‘Iwa-chan,’” he says.
Tooru pokes his tongue out. “You wish!”
“Hey,” Hajime says after a moment, “do you even know where you’re going yet?”
He’s been asking for a few weeks now, and Tooru’s been putting off the answer. He plays dumb. “Going where?”
“You know,” Hajime says, “middle school. Are you coming to Kitagawa or not?
Tooru pauses, nibbling on his pocky. He doesn’t want to give the answer to that question, and he knows Hajime probably doesn’t want to hear it.
“Well?” Hajime prompts, like he already knows the answer—which, of course, he doesn’t.
Tooru takes a deep breath. “Iwa-chan,” he says quietly, “I’m moving away.”
Hajime just stares at him. Honestly, Tooru was hoping for a better reaction. Tears, maybe. Yelling and crying.
“It’s for mum’s work,” Tooru continues, knowing that if he stops he’ll probably be the one yelling and crying. “So I’m enrolled at Uwamushi.”
“You can’t,” Hajime says, like it’s simple as that. “Kitagawa Daiichi is the best middle school for volleyball, short of Shiratorizawa! You said you’d come there with me!”
Tooru sighs. “I know, but I can’t anymore. But, Iwa-chan, you’ll make other friends if you’re not so grumpy all the time!”
Hajime punches him in the arm, scowling. “That’s not the point!”
In an ideal world, Tooru would join his best friend at the best possible school, so near to both their houses—but soon, Tooru’s house is going to be someone else’s house, and Tooru will have a new house outside the Kitagawa Daiichi catchment area. Uwamushi isn’t a bad school, anyway, it’s just that they’re not known for their volleyball. Well, Tooru knows he can change that.
“I’ll still get mum to drive me up so we can hang out on weekends,” Tooru says. “It’s not like the world’s endi—”
“I’m not the one being dramatic!” Hajime says, cutting Tooru off with a hand over his mouth.
Tooru smiles into Hajime’s hand until he takes it away. “Things will change,” he says, “but that’s not really a bad thing.”
Hajime slumps his shoulders. “I guess,” he says. Then, perking up, he adds, “I’m gonna beat you, though. And Shiratorizawa.”
“In your dreams!” Tooru shouts. “I’m gonna be the best setter ever, and Uwamushi will take you down.”
“I’d like to see you try—”
(Things will change, but not with Uwamushi defeating Shiratorizawa and taking on Nationals—it starts at another school, Kitagawa Daiichi, with another setter, and another setter.)

1.

On the first day of their third year, Suga’s buzzing with excitement the whole way to school. He’s been getting better and better, and this is his year—this is their year, he can feel it.
He doesn’t see Hajime until the end of the day, because they’re in different classes, and Suga had been cornered by girls at lunch—not unusual, but apparently he’s grown over summer, and that’s something worth talking about. It’s not until he gets to the gym that, finally, he feels like he can relax. There’s the weight of responsibility, of course, but for now the excitement of playing with his team again takes over.
“Hey, captain,” Hajime greets him. “You ready to go?”
Suga feels himself blush. “I distinctly remember telling you not to call me that, vice captain.”
Hajime just laughs. “You’re the boss now. I’ll call you whatever you say, or you can kick me off the team.”
“Stop that,” Suga chides. “I don’t want any of the new first years getting ideas.”
“Speaking of...” Hajime says, gesturing to the benches near the changing rooms.
There’s a whole cluster of unfairly tall first years—most of them probably taller than Suga and Hajime, who’ve always been some of the shorter players on the team—but their inexperience shows in the nerves practically emanating from the lot of them, the way their hands are clasped together or their feet still shuffling. There’s only one of them who looks perfectly at ease, staring wide-eyed around the gym.
“They’re giant,” Hajime says. “Maybe we can make blockers of a few of them and finally stop Ushiwaka.”
“I’ve had a good feeling all day,” Suga says, “that this is our year.”
“Me too,” Hajime says.
“First, though,” Suga jokes, “we have to get past Uwamushi.”
Hajime pulls a very ugly face. “What’s Oikawa been telling you?”
Suga laughs. “I got a text this morning saying that this is the year Uwamushi will take us down. I think it’s sweet that Tooru’s trying.”
“How is it that you get away with being so mean to him,” Hajime muses. “I’m the one who’s known him forever. I should be able to pick on him.”
“Maybe that’s true,” Suga says, “but he likes me more.” He sticks out his tongue quickly, just as the coach approaches them.
The speech their coach gives them is a new one, tailored to their age and experience. Suga is reminded just how lucky he is to have come this far in volleyball. In first year he was nothing special, but in second year he became the team's regular setter through lack of any other options, and he had to work a lot harder to keep up with everyone around him. He still has his flaws—he relies too much on tossing to Hajime, their ace, because he knows Hajime’s spikes best. They do extra practice together; every second Saturday Suga meets up with Hajime and his childhood best friend Tooru, who's also a setter, and who's already growing taller and stronger than Suga. And Tooru is really clever. If he wants to keep up with Tooru, Suga has to work hard.
And now, being captain of their team—it's everything he's ever hoped for, and he's going to make it count. Tooru is captain of Uwamushi’s volleyball team. Suga wonders if he has to make a speech to the new first years too.
“Sugawara, do you want to introduce yourself?” their coach prompts.
Suga nods, hands in fists at his sides. He’s long since gotten over his shyness--hanging out with Hajime and Tooru saw to that--but as he makes his way towards the first years there’s something of his childhood nervousness in his gait.
He can remember his first day joining Kitagawa Daiichi’s volleyball club, and how he’d kept himself aside, not looking anyone in the eye, until Hajime had introduced himself--“I’m going to be the ace,” was what he’d said, and when they were twelve that had seemed so natural, such a casual thing to say. At the time, Suga had no idea what position he’d end up in, so he’d stammered but somehow worked up the courage to say, “I’ll try to be the ace too.” It had been the right response, because Hajime wasn’t competitive and laughed it off, and they’d been friends since. Looking at the new first years, Suga wonders which of them will be the ace and which will be the setter when they’re third years, and Suga and Hajime are long gone.
The first years are looking at him expectantly. They seem so eager, and it gives him a boost of confidence.

(This scene: introduce kageyama, show that he's going to be a setter)
Outline:
THIRD YEAR

1. suga starts the new year as captain, kageyama is introduced, oops he’s setter material. try to spin this out but if not, just iwasuga gen fluff is fine.
2. something oikawa pov, trio hanging out and practicing together. suga lowkey lamenting kags and oikawa is like srsface don't let him overtake you. suga brushes it off, though.
3. suga getting replaced in a practice match towards the end of the year and being like... oh… so he resolves to work harder. but he's not really angry at kags, he's internalising it, blaming himself for not being good enough.
4. oikawa tells suga i told you so and suga is like no no i have to be nice to him... it’s hard for oikawa to understand how suga feels and they argue... oikawa goes home feeling weird and empty and goes to iwa for comfort
5. suga working hard and crapping out a bit... and the icing on the cake is kags coming to him asking for help and that's when suga snaps and realises just like oikawa said, he's jealous, and he shouts at kags and leaves like what have I done.
6. oikawa comforting suga and them getting back on good terms, this chapter is just lots of bonding, concludes first arc

FIRST YEAR

1. suga is excited to go to seijou, he’s not the starting setter but kags taught him the meaning of hard work so he’s like HELL YEAH I’M PUMPED!!!! (suga first days is a thing ok) introduce yuda and co, establish friendship
2. not first day, but a bit after, oikawa not getting on with asadai too well but then they do 2-on-2 with yui & he’s smitten, instant bffs
3. seijou vs wakunan, suga subbed in along with iwahana, echoes of when he was subbed out lol, establish friendship with matsuhana
4. Beeble booble oikawa stuff... getting kiyoko to be manager, learning to work a bit better with his team, cute friendship
5. just some light stuff about suga settling into seijou, hanging out with yuda, tells him about what happened at middle school, first person he's told outside of iwaoi
6. i guess oikawa settling too… forms a close friendship with kiyoyui and it kinda helps with how he's not so buzzed on asadai. maybe skim over inter high too, view from the bench though lol

SECOND YEAR

1. oh no… a setter! suga dealing with yahaba and he’s like. no. no i will do this better than i dealt with kags. he tells iwa and yuda as much when they hang out. which is a bulk of this chapter I guess lol
2. return of ukai snr, oikawa suddenly working harder than before, & is made main setter because of his killer stamina (& serve)
3. it’s chill suga… yahaba isn’t a threat and suga finally gets made main setter! oisuga high five! hang-outs with the two of them, iwa is sick or something
4. oh shit ukai snr works these kids super hard… 2nd years leave and oikawa is flagging. bonding with yui maybe
5. meanwhile at seijou, iwasuga are working hard too! not quite as hard as… (all the kyoutani stuff)
6. … oikawa tho, who gets to talk tiny ennoshita into coming back! yay! the beginning of a beautiful friendship
7. look suga deserves something lighthearted he deserves the world but maybe pit him against ushiwaka for fun... seijou still can't beat shiratorizawa but I want suga and semi, who has just been replaced, to meet somehow
8. ok now destroy oikawa with datekou and end the year there ha ha ha (oifuta antagonism plssss...)

THIRD YEAR

1. suga finding out that kags is karasuno and being like OHSHIT. iwasuga all up in this chapter. introduce kinkuni too.
2. oikawa getting suga’s text about kags and then uhh finding out first hand lol, span several days
3. suga playing prac match seijou vs karasuno… another oh shit moment
4. asanoya return then cut to inter high, oikawa on the bench, lots of pointless angst lmao
5. end up inter high with suga, and possibly seijou post-loss to shiratorizawa, more yuda because why not (more semi?)
6. cut to training camp, oikawa spending time with the tokyo 3rd years who really get him… 3rd gym practices?? haha oikawa vs akaashi fights, i could honestly write a whole novel for this part but i’ll restrain myself to one chapter... he fits in there but going back home is like :\
7. oikawa goes to practice with seijou, oikawa shows up like “hey let me join u :)” suga like “what”
8. oikawa dealing with being benched, ukai jnr gets him to practice with neighbourhood association, starts working himself waaay too hard, foreshadow injury
9. spring high; this time, suga and seijou are going to defeat shiratorizawa… ha ha (+where’s oikawa?)
10. post-seijou defeat, oikawa is like abloobloobloo & suga is annoyed he didn’t tell him about his injury so their friendship is a little strained but oikawa still shows up to the day of the finals after iwa scolds him
11. suga comes to watch finals and sees oikawa being subbed in for the final set and it's like!!! yay! and he and oikawa repair a bit and there's some heartwarming stuff
12. ending: oikawa shows up for bus to nationals, yay! reconciliation! & suga and iwa come to watch karasuno play and it’s very cute
13. (++ oisuga secret ending where pinch server oikawa gets swept up in a kiss by his most adoring fan in the stands hoo hoo hoo)