(Pro Gamer AU)

The smell of morning frost and late-night rain entered his home without permission the moment Kageyama Tobio opened the doors to his apartment at the ripe hour of 6 AM. The PC in the corner of the room was still whirring loudly, nearly overheating from constant use and abuse, and the tired man sighed as he looked at the person who with one ring of the bell (though one that could be compared to the volume of an airstrike siren) soured his entire mood. 

If you can call creating a feeling of soul-crushing fear “souring one’s mood”, that is.

The smile didn’t match the eyes, Kageyama noticed, as he glanced quickly at his guest’s face. Regret about opening the door started to bubble in the pit of his stomach. This conversation is not going to go well. It’s not going to end well. 
“Kageyama. Do you know what time it is?” the silver-haired man in front of his put his hands on his hips as he huffed out these words in Tobio’s general direction.

“It’s 6 AM, Sugawara-senpai.” That was the only answer Suga received as Kageyama continued his perilous quest to avoid his teammate’s gaze at all costs. “Why are you here this early in the morning, if I may ask? You live quite far away-”
“I told you I’d come down here to scold you if I see you online too late. And for God’s sake, it’s already bright outside.” Sugawara sighed and put a heavy hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You really should take a page out of Hinata’s book sometimes. He’s also constantly playing, but he at least sleeps properly.” He went quiet for a moment, before adding to his sentence with an airly laugh “Well, as properly as he can.”

Kageyama scowled, his face scrunching as if he had eaten a whole unpeeled lemon. 
Comparing him to Hinata? That guy can’t even get a proper kill in without destroying the plan that was established days, sometimes weeks before the game - and he is to learn from HIM?

“I wasn’t playing. I was studying.” he attempted to lie, but the bags under his dark eyes, oily skin, and the terribly disheveled hair spoke loudly against his claim. His lips were cracked, his eyes glazed upon with the promise of sleep and, which was probably his biggest offense, he was still wearing his team jacket, orange, black and proudly displaying the team logo over his heart.
Just looking at his outfit, Sugawara quickly realized that Kageyama didn’t change his clothes since the team photoshoot twelve hours ago. And considering they had a match the day before… 

Was Kageyama up for the last 48 hours? Was he awake for even longer? You never knew with the overly ambitious greenhorns. 

When Sugawara first met Kageyama Tobio, the boy was a wreck of a human being. Dropped out of another pro team, he played solo for a while, relying on his part-time job at a gas station to feed him, and at his full-time job in front of the keyboard to give him a second life. Until that very day, Suga didn’t really know what prompted the “King of The Map” to respond positively to his invitation - perhaps it was his last chance at coming back to the gaming stage? Or maybe, just maybe he missed the feeling of being in a team? 
That argument would be easily dispelled as both Suga and Daichi watched distraught as Kageyama aced solo battle after a solo battle, but score poorly in team practice, to the point when he was warned to at least attempt to play cooperatively if he didn’t want to be dropped from the main team and reduced to a sparring partner. 
Sugawara supposed that that fear and the natural welcoming aura of Karasuno Pro Gaming Team were the two benefactors that made the young man in front of him to mature into an indispensable core of the team. And yet he still practiced without rest, just to keep up, just to always live up to Captain’s expectations. He had ambitions, that much had to be said. 

But sometimes ambitions, when left uncontrolled, could lead to ruin.
 
“Sure.” Sugawara shook his head in defeat and handed him the reusable bag he was holding. “Here. Eat this.”
The bag, or rather its contents, made Tobio’s mouth water and his stomach rumble, reminding him that the last time he had a filling meal was yesterday morning, in the fast-food restaurant downstairs. What was that smell? Meat? Spices? He grabbed the bag carefully, and Sugawara’s face softened, the anger in his eyes finally subsiding, making space for the usual shimmer of merriness and fondness. 
“Don’t forget to eat it,” he said, patting the crow emblem on his own chest. “The team needs crits, not your head hitting against the keyboard as you pass out.” Suga smiled widely, and the room instantly felt warmer - not from the heat coming off the computer, not the warm meal in his hands but from the warmth he felt somewhere in his chest. Right. A team. He wasn’t a solo player anymore.

“And sleep, for God’s sake, you don’t have to log in today,” Suga added, glancing over his kouhai’s shoulder, his caring eyes locking on the dimly lit set of monitors in the corner. Looking back at Kageyama, and seeing his distressed eyes, he decided to set his decision in stone, and press the poor kid a little bit more. “If I see you logged in before tomorrow, I’m telling Daichi to pull you off the main team.”

And with that plus another sweet smile, Sugawara excused himself out of the apartment, his steps echoing in the hallway as he jumped two steps at the time. Kageyama looked frustrated at his computer, ready to ignore Sugawara’s command and jump right back into the game. He had to improve - he had to be better, faster, more attentive, so this time they would not lose to Seijoh and make it to the World Championships.

And then the bag rustled, and the smell of spices filled the air around him.
Maybe a meal and a nap won’t hurt him for now.
That’s what the team wanted.

And he learned to trust this team with his life.