Chapter Text
After that, Tooru texts him throughout the day, and Shouyou makes it a habit of responding whenever he has a break.
Practice today isn’t an exception. He thinks that Heitor might suspect something’s up, but to be honest, Shouyou is too happy to really care or to even try to be discreet. He rushes towards his phone as soon as he can, giggling like a teenager with a crush as he sees Tooru’s texts, and barely remembering to drink.
The fourth time it happens, Heitor slides on the floor next to him and finally asks about what has been running through his mind all day, an eyebrow raised and sweat dripping down his forehead. “What’s up with your phone, Shouyou? Are you scared it might disappear?”
Shouyou pouts. “Don’t be silly, phones don’t just disappear like that.”
Heitor laughs, and repeats his question. “Then tell me what’s up, or it might just be the only thing I’ll have as an explanation for your behavior.”
After a second of silence, Shouyou hums wistfully, gaze fixed on the sea in front of him, waves crashing against the sand, before pulling back and rising once again. If Shouyou was a poet, he’d relate this to his own life. How, he doesn’t know, and that’s the exact reason why he’s not a writer. When he remembers Heitor is still patiently waiting for his answer, he starts talking.
“Well… Did I tell you about Ezequiel?” When his teammate nods, Shouyou carries on. “We were talking about love and all of that a few days ago, and he offered to set me up on a blind date with one of his old teammates who is in Brazil for a few weeks. So, I went and…How do I explain this?”
Heitor tilts his head, eyebrows furrowed. “Did it not go well? Was he rude to you?”
Shouyou waves his hands around, shaking his head. “No, no, that’s not it.” He smiles. “It was great. He’s great. It’s just that I already knew him from before. From back when I was in Japan, I mean. Our high schools were rivals.”
Heitor whistles lowly. “Damn. Must have been a shock to see him here.”
“Definitely. He was surprised too, believe me.” Shouyou chuckles. “Anyways, it went really well, and we’ve been texting since then. Him more than me, because I’m busy with work and volleyball, but it’s his off season. Sorry if I seemed eager to stop playing, Heitor, I promise it wasn’t that at all!” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.
His teammate bumps their shoulders together gently. “You’re fine Shouyou, I get it. Aaah, young love!”
“C’mon, you’re not even that much older than me!” When the words fully register, he adds “Also, it’s not love, we’ve just been on one date so far.”
“So far? Does that mean you have more planned?” Heitor inquires, grinning.
“Er, not exactly.” Shouyou sighs.
“What do you mean?”
“At the end of our first date, two days ago, I asked him if he’d like to go on a second one—well it was more complicated than that, but it’s not important—and he said yes, but we don’t have anything planned yet. And he didn’t mention it in his texts, so I don’t want to be the one to suggest it again and that he feels forced to agree, you know?”
“Wow, slow down there, man.” Heitor claps his hand over his teammate’s shoulder in a reassuring gesture, and looks at him, reassurance radiating off him. “So, basically, you both want to go on a second date, but you’re too scared to ask again, and I guess he is too.” he recapitulates.
“You don’t know if he’s scared or if he just doesn’t want to.” Shouyou points out.
The other man looks at him and blinks. “You’re hopeless.” Before Shouyou can get offended, he continues. “Do you really think he would keep texting you if he wasn’t interested?”
Shouyou pauses for a second, but refuses to admit defeat. “Okay, probably not. But we’re friends-in-law, so maybe he just doesn’t want Ezequiel to be mad at him.”
“Friends-in-law?” Heitor snorts. “You’re going to have to teach me what goes through your brain, because it sounds really interesting.” He extends his palm towards Shouyou. “Give me your phone.”
The man squeaks. “Eh? Why?”
“If Mystery Man isn’t into you, I’ll be able to tell by the way he texts.” Heitor flexes his fingers. “Hurry up.”
Shouyou doesn’t see any flaw in this reasoning, so he hands over his phone and draws his knees in, burying his face into them.
“Ouuuh, he even has a heart next to his name” his teammate teases playfully.
He groans from in between his knees, the sound coming out muffled and eliciting a cackle from the man beside him.
It’s silent for a few minutes, and Shouyou allows his thoughts to drift, body relaxing slowly but surely. He focuses on the sounds around him. The embrace of the sea and the ground, rough against the rocks and soft over the sand, the wind that makes his hair fly, Heitor typing on his phone, people chatting in the background—Wait, backtrack. Heitor typing on his phone?!
Shouyou sits back up, his head jerking up fast enough to give himself whiplash. “Heitor?”
His teammate turns his head towards Shouyou,and he has the nerve to smile—smile—at him, batting his eyelashes. “Shouyou?”
“Why did I just hear you typing on my phone?”
Heitor snorts. “Sorry, it’s just that you’re about as threatening as a carrot glaring.”
“Rude. Anyways, do I need to repeat my question?” Shouyou feels his eyebrow twitching.
“Well you see, my dear Shouyou, I unfortunately don’t speak Japanese.” Heitor’s smile widens into a mischievous smirk. “So I unfortunately couldn’t tell if Mystery Man—or should I call him Oikawa Tooru?—is into you or not.”
Shouyou facepalms. “Fuck. I forgot about that.” He sighs. “What did you do, Heitor?”
“I took matters into my own hands, and thanks to a translator, I sent him a message in Japanese.”
“Oh no.” Shouyou’s eyes widen when he understands.
Heitor grins. “Oh yes. You asked him out on a second date, dude. Good job!”
Shouyou whines “But I didn’t! You did!”
“He’ll never know that. Not if you don’t tell him” His partner shrugs. “Come on now, we have some volleyball to get to.” Heitor slaps Shouyou’s back for good measure and stands up, sand falling from his clothes.
Shouyou hums. “Yeah.” He’s lucky to have him as a friend. “Hey Heitor?”
“That’s me.”
“Thank you.”
He smiles. “No problem.”
There isn’t another break, and the next time Shouyou turns on his phone, sitting on a low wall facing the sea, practice has just ended and there’s a text from Tooru on his lockscreen. He clicks on it, heartbeat quickening, and smiles at the emoticons before even reading the text.
When he does, he giggles and kicks his feet, for once glad that his short legs allow him to. Tooru said yes. And that he had been waiting for Shouyou to make the first move. He makes a mental note to thank Heitor again later, because the small stress from earlier was definitely worth a second date with Tooru.
They text back and forth for a bit, and end up deciding to go to the cinema on Sunday morning, because it’s Shouyou’s day off, so they won’t have to worry too much about time passing, and they can spend the rest of the day together.
The choice of the film is a bit more complicated, so Tooru suggests they just leave it to chance. Shouyou agrees, and he tells Tooru he can’t wait, with a heart at the end of the message.
It’s a bold move for him, so he immediately shuts off his phone and puts it in his pocket. Tooru’s response is a problem for future Shouyou. When he looks up, the sun is already setting, so Shouyou hops off the wall and grabs his bike.
On his way home, he daydreams about romance movies and Tooru holding his hand in the dark of the cinema’s room. (If he also imagines a kiss at the end of the film, that’s only for him to know.)
On the day of, Shouyou is freshly showered and perfumed with Cologne. He’s playing on his phone as he waits for Tooru, leaning against a tree. He hums along to a song that has been stuck in his head for a while.
“Hey there.” A voice greets him, in Portuguese.
It’s not the one Shouyou was expecting, and he frowns before quickly turning his mouth into a smile. It’s not the stranger’s fault that he’s not Tooru, after all.
Politely, he asks “Can I help you?”.
“Sure, you can. You see, I was supposed to hang out with a friend today, but she bailed on me at the last minute.”
Shouyou tilts his head, a bit confused at where this is going, and something in his gut tightens. He doesn’t have a good feeling about this man.
“Since I’m all alone, I thought I’d try to find someone to hang out with. And I’m lucky, because I found a cutie like you, with no companion. Did you get stood up?” The man looms over Shouyou, placing his hand right beside his head.
Shouyou is really starting to feel uncomfortable. “No, I’m waiting for someone, He should be here soon.”
“C’mon sweet thing, just ditch him. I’m sure I’m much better than this loser.” The man’s laugh is mean, nothing like Tooru’s.
Speaking of the devil… A voice from behind the man interrupts his spiel.
“Something wrong over there?” Tooru’s increasingly familiar friendly tone is nowhere to be found, his words harsh and void of any sympathy.
The man turns his head, but doesn’t leave Shouyou’s side. He smirks at Tooru, and it’s anything but genuine, his eyebrow twitching and his jaw clearly clenched. “Not at all, I’m just talking to my date here. Everything is great.”
Shouyou’s eyes widen, and he stares at Tooru, slightly shaking his head. He hopes that Tooru doesn’t believe the creep. He’s pretty sure he won’t, but still. That would be a terrible misunderstanding, and additionally to losing any chance he might have had with Tooru, Shouyou would be stuck with this scary guy.
Thankfully, Tooru’s stare hardens, and any trace of politeness that might have still been in his voice is gone when he replies. “I doubt this is your « date »,” Tooru mimics quotation marks with his fingers, “because he’s my boyfriend, and he texted me a minute ago saying a creep had cornered him. I have the police on speed dial.”
Being called Tooru’s boyfriend would have made Shouyou blush in any other situation, but right now he’s just relieved. He’s impressed with Tooru’s bluff, too, he needs to ask him where he got those acting skills from.
Disconcerted, the man backs off, stumbling a bit in the process. Shouyou breathes out, thankful and hurries to Tooru’s side.
Tooru approaches the creep, and the latter walks backwards, hand raised in defeat. “Hey, man, don’t call the cops, okay? This is all a misunderstanding, I didn’t know he had a boyfriend. I’ll just— I’ll go.” And with that, he runs away, jumping over the fence and disappearing into the trees.
“Coward.” Tooru grumbles, before turning to Shouyou, a concerned look in his eyes. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Shouyou shakes his head. “No. He didn’t hurt me, I mean. Thanks to you.”
“I didn’t do much, you’re welcome. Still, how do you feel?”
“I’m okay, I think. Just a bit shaken.” Shouyou shrugs. “I feel a bit bad that he’s still running around freely though. Not everyone has a person to help them.” he adds, scratching his neck.
Tooru hums. “That’s true. Do you think filing a police report might help?”
He shakes his head. “I doubt it. There are a ton of criminals around here, and he technically didn’t commit any crime.” He sighs. “The police won’t care. The only thing we can do is hope he doesn’t do it again.”
Tooru seems annoyed with the outcome, but he nods anyway. He pauses and offers Shouyou his hand.
He blinks, and takes it, a smile forming on his face. Tooru’s company was quickly helping him to feel much better.
“Should we go in?” The man in question asks.
Shouyou looks up at him and nods, eyes sparkling. “Sure! I wonder what movie they’re playing.”
“Me too, but we’ll know soon enough.” Tooru remarks. “I hope it’s not a fantasy thing though. Those are too complicated to follow.”
Shouyou gasps as they get into the line. “Excuse me? You don’t like fantasy? Bad taste like yours should be illegal somehow.” He tsks.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t like musicals? You have no room to talk, Shou-chan.” Tooru retorts without missing a beat.
“Hey, I didn’t say I hated them! They just make me sleepy.” Shouyou explains, shrugging
His date opens his mouth to answer—no doubt with something that would add to their banter—but just as he does, they get to the front of the line.
Shouyou orders the tickets in Portuguese, and Tooru just smiles at him. When Shouyou gets his wallet out to pay, though, the other man already has bills out.
He’s about to say he could pay, but Tooru cuts him off, raising his hand that isn’t holding Shouyou’s. “You paid for dinner last time, so now it’s my turn.”
Shouyou frowns, but doesn’t say anything, not wanting to clog up the line. When they get moving, he does talk. “You know, I didn’t pay last time for you to owe me something. I was fine with paying for today, too.”
Tooru tilts his head as they pass the snack area. Neither of them stops though, because they are athletes first and foremost, and they can’t just forego their diet every day. “I know that. I just wanted to do something for you too. You aren’t going to pay for everything we do, that’s ridiculous, especially since I make more money than you do.” He pauses for a second. “Wait, that sounded wrong. I wasn’t trying to brag or anything, and I’m certainly not shaming you for your salary, it’s just—”
Shouyou squeezes his hand, smiling reassuringly (he hopes so, at least). “No, I know you aren’t like that. You’re the starting setter for a professional team, and I just work a temporary job. It makes sense that you’d make more than me.” He swings their joined hands back and forth as they walk into the theater. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you pay for everything though. Next place we go, I will.”
In the deep brown of his eyes, Shouyou can discern Tooru’s contentment. “Okay.” He clears his throat and lets his eyes roam over the slowly filling seats. “Let’s go sit down, shall we?”
“Yeah, let’s go!” Shouyou drags him to seats right in the middle, in one of the front rows, but not too close to the screen. The armchairs are comfortable enough, if not a bit itchy. The armrests are low, and it would bother Shouyou if he was sitting next to a stranger, but he’s not, so he’s more satisfied than anything else. Their hands are linked, and neither of them makes a move to let go of the other nor speaks about it, just enjoying the contact.
They talk about their weeks, catching up with what they hadn’t told each other by texts—which isn’t much, but the conversation keeps flowing without many pauses—until the lights are cut off, and the people around them silently quiet down.
The film doesn’t start just yet though, adverts showing up on screen one after the another, and Shouyou quickly gets bored. He leans in to whisper in Tooru’s ear “This is an awesome movie, really. Whoever wrote it must be a genius.”
Tooru snickers into his palm. “Right? The tickets were definitely worth the money. This is a true masterpiece, tackling heavy themes like—”. He squints. “Capitalism? Yeah, capitalism.”
“And they do it amazingly though, with bright colors and yummy food.” Shouyou nods, the most serious look he can muster plastered on his face.
“Exactly. It requires an in-depth analysis of all of its layers and such. Mere commonerslike us cannot possibly begin to understand how wonderful this is.”
“Oh, absolutely. We can still admire its surface, which is beautiful without any doubt.” Their theatrics remind Shouyou of his earlier questioning, and he decides to ask now before he forgets. “By the way, I already meant to ask you earlier, where did you get those terrific acting skills?” He grins.
Tooru pales. “If I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
Shouyou raises an eyebrow. “I’m really curious now. You have my word, no other soul will know besides you and me.”
With a sigh, his date starts to explain. “So, when I was a kid, my dad forced me to take theater lessons. He was convinced I would become a famous actor.”
Shouyou can’t suppress a giggle. “Hey, at least it came in handy today.”
“I guess so.” Tooru smiles. “I like how you see the good in everything.”
He gapes, but before he can reply, the soundtrack finally starts and the theater is silent except from the music, and his date turns towards the screen. With the light it emits, Shouyou thinks he can see some red on Tooru’s cheeks.
He starts to really listen to the soundtrack, and if Shouyou had to guess the genre, he’d say this is a horror movie. Not what he was picturing in his daydreams, but fun nonetheless. Going in blind wasn’t a bad idea after all. He feels Tooru’s hand tightening around his, but he shrugs it off. Must have been his imagination, there’s no reason for him to do that.
When a weird difform beast appears on screen upside down suddenly, screams resonate from everywhere in the cinema, and surprisingly, from beside Shouyou, the hand in his jumping. He blinks, a bit worried. “Tooru?”
“Yeah, yeah, sorry.”
“It’s fine. Are you okay?”
Tooru answers softly, “I’m fine, I can handle a few jumpscares, no need to worry.”. His voice is trembling though, so Shouyou hums, but decides to stay vigilant.
The movie on screen hasn’t stopped, and as soon as the main characters decide to separate into groups to explore all the different hallways, Shouyou knows exactly what’s going to happen, he has seen enough horror movies to guess it easily.
So really, when the body of the smug friend of the band is thrown in front of the group that went opposite to him, he isn’t all that shocked, maybe amused at best.
Tooru, however, doesn’t seem to be faring well. When the body drops, his fingernails dig into Shouyou’s skin, who hisses at the pain, and when he looks at his date, the man is pale, eyes wide.
Tooru lets go of his hand, apologizing quickly. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, it wasn’t on purpose, I swear.”
Shouyou hums softly. “Tooru, it’s okay.” He meditates on what to do for a second. “Do you want to get out of here? This is obviously not enjoyable for you.”
“No, no, it’s okay! You seem to like this and I don’t want to waste your time or end the date! I’ll be fine.” he affirms.
“I promise that I don’t mind. I can go see this movie any other time, and it’s not all that interesting. Right now, I just want to spend some time with you, something I can’t do all the time, and that’s not fun if you’re not enjoying yourself.” Shouyou reassures. “I don’t want this to end either, and I have plenty of other places in Rio to show you.”
When Tooru stays silent, just staring at him gratefully, Shouyou takes it as his sign to grab the other’s hand once again, and he guides them towards the exit, trying not to bother anyone still watching the movie.
Once they’re out of the movie theater, Tooru exhales longly. “I’m really sorry. I’ve always had a hard time with horror movies, if I’m being honest, but I thought I could stand it this time.” he confesses.
Shouyou smiles. “I already told you it’s okay. Maybe we shouldn’t have just walked in without knowing anything about the film, but at least, now we know! And I get to show you all of the best places around here.”
Tooru’s face of regret morphs into something akin to satisfaction, and Shouyou pumps his fist internally. Mission: Make-Tooru-feel-better is a success! Take that, haters (read: Tsukishima Kei—he made a comment about Shouyou not knowing how to comfort people to save his life once, in their second year)!
“Okay. Where are you taking me first then, Ninja Shouyou?” Tooru’s usual cheer is back into its voice as he says it.
“Eh? Ninja Shouyou?” He blushes. “Where did you hear that name— Let me guess. Ezequiel?”
Tooru doesn’t answer, just grins, and that’s enough of an answer.
Shouyou groans. “This guy lives to embarrass me, I swear. I’m never playing with him again.”
“I know you don’t mean that, Shou-chan, you love volleyball too much to drop any opportunity to play.” Tooru teases.
“That’s it!” Shouyou beams. “Volleyball! I should go and show you the beach volleyball courts! If we’re lucky, we might even get to play against some other people.”
Tooru hesitates for a second, and it’s not lost on Shouyou, who files it away for later, before agreeing with a tentative smile. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Awesome! I think we’re only about thirty minutes away by foot.” He tugs on Tooru’s hand, showing him the way.
They walk quite fast, a perk of being sportive, and they talk, this time about memories and their respective favorite things. When they start discussing music and discover they like the same genres, Shouyou excitedly offers Tooru an earbud and starts his playlist. They sing along to songs they both know, laughing, and soon enough, they can see the sea line and the thin sand.
Shouyou starts running, giggling like a kid at a fair, and Tooru lets go of his hand to not lose any speed. They sprint towards the beach, and once they arrive in the sand, Shouyou continues without much trouble, kicking his shoes off.
Tooru on the other hand, stumbles all the way and ends up falling on his ass. “How do you do this, Shou-chan? I think the sand hates me.” he whines, lips jutting out into a pout.
“I’m sure it’ll like you soon enough, you’re too cool for anyone to hate!” Shouyou smiles and extends his hand towards his date. “Come on. I’ll walk with you to the courts, just because I’m awesome.”
Tooru grabs his hand, but instead of using it to pull himself up, he yanks on it, causing Shouyou to topple over, yelping.
He lands on Tooru’s chest and quickly rolls over, not wanting to hurt him. Tooru wheezes, while Shouyou can’t stop himself from bursting into laughter. “You’re so childish, Tooru.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“No,” Shouyou answers. “It’s really not.”
They stay there on the sand, side by side, breathing heavily, for a few moments more, until Shouyou sits up and urges Tooru to do the same. “Break over, I want to play now.”
“I want you to know that if I had a pillow right now, I’d slam it into your face.” Tooru says, but he still obeys, so Shouyou doesn’t comment on it, just shakes his head fondly, a winning grin on his face.
Once they’re both up and about, Shouyou points towards the courts, about a hundred meters away. “That’s where I train with Heitor—my partner. It’s public when no one rents it though, and on Sundays it’s mostly free except for tourists.”
“That’s a weird system,” Tooru says. “I don’t think it works like that in Argentina.”
Shouyou shrugs. “Maybe, but it’s the system here, so I guess it works somehow.”
In the distance, they can make out four people, divided in two groups of two, each on one side of the net.
“I hope one team accepts to switch out with us for one game.” He looks at Tooru, excited. “I really want to hit your sets for once!”
Tooru huffs and turns his head away, but Shouyou can still see the tip of his ears turn a bright pink. Shouyou hadn’t noticed that they blushed too, last time. It makes him giggle softly.
Tooru looks back towards him, raising an eyebrow. “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing. Anyways, as I was saying, I’d love to spike a professional setter’s tosses. It’s been a while since I last played beach with a setter.” He tilts his heat, thinking. “I think it was about six months ago, actually. It was a nice game, but we lost. The person was good indoors, but their technique on the sand could use some work. They tended to forget they had to do other things than just setting, too.”
Tooru puffs out his chest and affirms “Well, I’m sure we’ll win. They weren’t good enough to play with you, but I am.”
Shouyou rolls his eyes at the confidence, but his smile doesn’t falter. “Sure, Tooru. Let’s see if they’ll let us play, first.”
Just as they arrive next to the court, both teams walk out of it, grabbing a drink and talking between themselves. In Portuguese, Shouyou asks them if they can play, gesturing to himself and Tooru.
The players share a look and nod at Shouyou, clapping him on the shoulder. “Good luck, those guys are tough.”
Shouyou translates for Tooru, who scoffs and rolls his eyes. “We don’t need luck if we’re the strongest.”
He doesn’t want to discourage his date, so Shouyou doesn’t say anything, just giggles and thanks the team for letting them play.
When their opponents walk back into the court, Shouyou jumps up with excitement and tugs on Tooru’s shirt. “Time to show them what we’re capable of!”. Tooru grins, and they fist bump. If this was a TV show, Shouyou thinks there would be sparks in between them.
On the other side of the net stands a woman cracking her neck and a guy grinning wildly at them. Shouyou thinks he has already seen them around here, so he smiles and waves.
A spark of recognition flashes in the man’s eyes, and he calls out “Ninja Shouyou!”. At that, the woman turns to look at him too, surprised.
He rubs the back of his neck, answering “That’s me.” while Tooru whistles lowly.
“Damn, Ezequiel really wasn’t lying about your fame, uh?”
Shouyou feels heat creep up along his neck. “Shut your mouth, Tooru.”
He just grins wider, proud of his successful teasing.
Shouyou huffs, and approaches the net, asking the other players if a rock-paper-scissors game would be fine to decide who should serve first. They agree easily and the woman—Cássia, he learns, while her partner is named Gael—steps up. She chooses rock, Shouyou picks scissors.
Ever a good player, he shakes her hand and runs back to Tooru. “We’re receiving.”
“Aw, I wanted to show them my serve.”
“You’ll have the occasion soon enough. You get up to serve much more often than in indoors volleyball.”
Tooru brightens up. “Right! That means more opportunities to land some aces.”
When they both get into position, Gael asks Shouyou if they’re ready, and he gives him a thumbs up.
“Okay, let’s do this!”
Shouyou receives the first ball and Tooru gets under it, admittedly with some trouble, tossing a quick set to Shouyou, who jumps and spikes it easily, leaving the opposing team in the dust.
He grins, the adrenaline rushing through his veins and his palm stinging from hitting the ball. He exhales happily and high fives Tooru, who messes up his hair.
This is a good start to this game, he thinks.
Tooru is up to serve next, and Shouyou sees Gael and Cássia’s eyes widen when they see him step back to take a running approach. It’s understandable because really, in the sand, it isn’t easy to tell that Tooru’s a professional player, but Shouyou can’t stop his grin from turning wicked with pride at seeing his date prove himself.
The moment doesn’t last long though, because Tooru trips on his own feet and barely manages to get the ball over the net. Shouyou bursts out laughing, and he can see their opponents trying to keep it in, but their wide smiles and pinched lips betray them.
They receive the ball without struggling too much and they send it back to Shouyou’s side of the court on the second touch. Tooru hasn’t gotten up fast enough, so he fails to receive the ball and they lose the point.
As soon as the ball touches the floor, the laughter doubles down, and so does Tooru’s grumbling.
Shouyou walks up to him and kisses him on the cheek, hoping to help him brighten up. “It’s okay, Tooru. You’ll do better next time. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I eventually did, and you’re much better than I was, so there’s no reason for you to not be able to.”
He moves to go get the ball and throws it back to Gael, who is still laughing, hands on his thighs. His partner hits him lightly on the head with the side of her hand, and he gets behind the serving line.
The rest of the game goes in a similar fashion, and Tooru improves as fast as Shouyou thought he would. His sets are amazing—that’s a given—and he pushes Shouyou to be the best he can. His receives are a bit shaky at first, keeping his balance on the sand is complicated, but after two sets, they’re already much better. He adapts to serving on the sand quickly, and it’s good enough to land him a few aces, although it’s not nearly as good as on solid ground. Tooru struggles a bit more with spiking, mostly because he can’t jump as high in the sand as he normally would.
They laugh a lot, both between themselves and with their opponents, who sometimes switch to English to talk to Tooru. They’re kind, and between points and during breaks, they all speak together in a mix of languages. It’s a bit complicated to navigate, especially for Shouyou who translates the Portuguese and the Japanese, but it’s good practice and he doesn’t really mind either way.
Shouyou and Tooru lose the first game three to one, and after a quick lunch at the restaurant Cássia’s parents own, they win the next one three to two, but barely. When they collectively decide to call it a day exhausted and sweaty, it’s already four in the afternoon. They say their goodbyes, each group making their way towards where they came from initially.
Shouyou takes a sniff at his T-shirt and scrunches his nose. “Ew. I stink.”
Tooru imitates him and comes to the same conclusion. “Yeah, me too.”
“There’s no way I’m staying like that, but— I still want to spend more time with you. If you also want to, of course.”
“Of course I do.” Tooru smiles softly. “Not sure what we can do about stinking though.” He scratches his head, making sand fall from his hair in the process.
Shouyou hums, racking his brain for a solution. After a few moments of silence, he comes up with two. “Okay, we have two options. Either we go for a swim, and the smell won’t be an issue anymore.”
“That sounds nice. It’ll be good to relax our muscles and stuff. What’s the second option?”
“We go back to my apartment to take a shower, and then we see what else we can do. You might want to go get your car first, though. Where did you park it?” Shouyou asks, partly to keep himself—and Tooru—from thinking too much about his suggestion and partly because it’s actually important information.
Tooru clicks his tongue to signal that he heard Shouyou, and stays silent for a few seconds, head tilted to the side and eyes squinted. “My car should be about fifteen minutes from here, if I remember correctly. And, I think I’ve just found a third idea.” He grins, fists on his hips. “We do both things. We go refresh ourselves in the water first, so we can rest for a bit—my legs are fucked—and then we walk back to my car and go to your apartment to shower and maybe watch a movie? Not a horror one, though. I learned my lesson this morning.”
“You know, you could have just said you can’t make decisions, instead of pretending you had an idea.” Shouyou raises a teasing eyebrow.
Tooru pouts. “Mean, Shou-chan! Plus, I’m about ninety percent sure that you like what I came up with.”
“Okay, you got me there.” He chuckles. “Let’s do that.”
The pout on his date’s lips morph into a smile that makes Shouyou feel dizzy, in the best way possible. He clears his throat, trying to distract himself from those pretty pink lips, and those pearly white teeth and— okay, it’s clearly not working. He forces himself to look away, gaze analyzing the beach in front of them instead.
If this was an anime, a lightbulb would appear over Shouyou’s head right now. “Hey, Tooru! I know a spot not far from here, and we’ll be mostly alone, it’ll be easier. And we won’t have to be scared of our things getting stolen.“ he points out.
“Oh right. We don’t have anything to hide our phones and wallets in. Almost forgot about that.” He shakes his head as if chasing his thoughts away. “Anyways. Lead the way, Shou-chan!”
Shouyou turns towards him, walking backwards. “It’s only five minutes away, not even that hidden, but I’ve never seen anyone else there. I’ve never brought anyone either. You’re the first!”
Just like that, Tooru’s stunning smile returns, he gushes “I’m honored!” and Shouyou has to turn around again to avoid turning into a tomato, pretending to make sure they’re still going in the right direction. They are, and Shouyou can already see the path of flattened grass created by animals that they need to walk on.
He glances behind him from time to time to make sure that Tooru is still following him as he passes in between the trees, ducking expertly to keep the stray branches that are too low for him to walk under without crouching from hitting him in the face.
When he arrives under a large rock a some minutes later, he stops and waits for Tooru who is a few steps behind him.
“Not that hidden? Were you being sarcastic?” the man questions.
“Uh? No, why?”
Tooru lets out a soft laugh. “This is like super hidden, Shouyou. And we aren’t even there yet.”
“It’s just behind this rock, no big deal.” He shrugs. “Anyone could find it if they tried to.”
“How did you find it?”
“I had some time on my hands and I was bored, so I went exploring.” Shouyou explains, gesturing to the general area around them, the corners of his lips rising. He has always liked discovering new things, that day was a great one. “Anyways, I really want to go in the sea right now, we can talk once we’re in the water.” And with that, he begins climbing up the rock. He’s on top before you can count to five, and Tooru joins him soon enough. Shouyou jumps down into the sand, rolling on his side to absorb the shock, while his date chooses the safer approach, climbing down.
They get rid of their clothes pretty fast, throwing them on the sand without much care. When the only thing left on them is their underwear, they share a look and a grin and start racing towards the water.
“I bet I can get there before you!” Shouyou shouts, not slowing down.
Tooru yells back “You cheated! You started before me!”
Shouyou just laughs as his feet touch the water, Tooru right behind him. He keeps running until he can’t, at which point he just throws himself in the water. He gets out a few meters from there, spitting out water he accidentally drank.
When Tooru spots him, he smiles and swims towards Shouyou, who can’t see him for a moment, until a hand grabs his ankle and he yelps, trying to kick it off. Tooru emerges at the surface and laughs. “Aw, did I scare you Shou-chan?”
He rolls his eyes fondly. “I hate you.”
Another teasing laugh. “Sure you do.”
Shouyou splashes him in the face.
And he knows he messed up when Tooru’s shark grin appears, and he sinks back down into the water. Shouyou swims away, trying to avoid the consequences of his mistake, but there’s no escaping. Tooru’s hand wraps around his calf and tugs. Shouyou’s head is in the water, and against his better judgment, he opens his eyes, only able to see Tooru’s face for an instant before they start burning. And he’s still underwater, but he laughs, the kind of laugh that makes you feel all relaxed afterwards, and he knows air bubbles must be coming out of his mouth.
Tooru and Shouyou both eventually get their heads out of the water, gasping for breath, both of them with delighted faces.
They play like that for about half an hour, swimming and floating and splashing eachother and talking underwater, until they both get tired of it and their skins start to get wrinkly.
They get out and go lie down on the shore, bare skin against the burning sand. When their panting stop, Tooru breaks the silence.
“Hey, Shouyou?”
“Hm?” He turns his head towards Tooru, who is already looking at him.
“Thank you for today.” Tooru whispers. He hesitates for a second, eyes unfocused and Shouyou doesn’t want to interrupt him, so he just keeps staring. “You know how I told you I was in some kind of slump? I think you cured me. You reminded me of why volleyball makes me happy.”
Shouyou can feel the tip of his ears and his neck begin to heat up. He’s so close to Tooru that he’s scared the man might feel it. “You’re welcome. Thank you for today.” He adds, less loudly, “I’m glad that you believe I helped you, but Tooru, you cured yourself.” This moment feels so intimate, Shouyou wishes it could last forever, feeling Tooru’s breath on his skin, seeing his beautiful face from up close and smelling the sea in Tooru’s hair. So he keeps talking. “You were the one who came here, you accepted to play, you were determined to do well. It’s all you, Tooru. You have to give yourself some credit.”
From this close, Shouyou can hear Tooru’s breath hitch, his cheeks pinken and his eyes get glossy with unshed tears. “Shouyou,” The words that are spoken next are so soft, so tender that if Shouyou had been a millimeter further, he wouldn’t have heard them. “Can I kiss you?”
He doesn’t respond, just holds his breath and shifts so that Tooru’s forehead is resting against his. When he leans in to press their lips together, he murmurs “I thought you’d never ask.”
And when their lips touch, Shouyou can feel Tooru’s smile, just like he’s sure Tooru can feel his. The kiss isn’t a firework like in the movies, it’s more like diving in the sea from a cliff hand in hand, exhilarating and fun, adrenaline provoking.
Tooru’s lips taste like salt, but they’re soft, so soft Shouyou could stay there forever. He takes Tooru’s bottom lip into his mouth, sucking on it softly, and Tooru’s tongue pries his mouth open. Shouyou sighs happily. The kiss lasts a few more seconds before they pull back to catch their breath.
Still forehead against forehead, they smile at each other. “That was nice. You’re a better kisser than I thought, but I might need another one, just for confirmation of your skill.” Shouyou teases.
Tooru raises an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” And then he gives Shouyou another peck on the lips, before moving on to the tip of his nose, his cheeks, his jawline, while Shouyou’s giggles echo against the rocks.
He pushes Tooru away by his shoulders, laughing. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re an awesome kisser. Happy?” he affirmed.
“Very.” Tooru grins.
Shouyou huffs good-naturedly. “Great. We should probably get going, though. It’s getting late, and a shower really sounds nice. I have sand stuck everywhere.”
Tooru grimaces. “Good idea. I think I’ll find sand in my hair for at least two weeks.”
“At least, you’ll be forced to remember me, no forgetting!” Shouyou sing-songs, sitting up and cracking his back.
“As if I could ever forget you.” Tooru gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and gets up to go grab his clothes. Shouyou is thankful for that, because his date doesn’t see him blushing.
They get dressed, make sure they have everything and then they get going. It takes them a bit longer to climb up the rock and walk around the trees, the tiredness finally catching up to them.
Once they’re out of the forest, Shouyou offers Tooru his hand. The man takes it easily, smiling.
“Okay, now to get to my car…” he looks around and lets out a satisfied “Ah!” when he finds the path to get there. “Let’s go before we fall asleep standing.”
“I’m not that tired,” Shouyou pouts. “Are you?”
Tooru yawns. “Nah, I don’t think so. But who knows? Maybe I am.”
They get to Tooru’s car without getting lost, and Shouyou is thankful for the man’s good sense of orientation because he has to admit his legs can’t take much more for today.
Before he gets in, he asks “Are you sure you don’t mind me getting sand all over your car? I can walk.” He’s not sure he can, but Tooru doesn’t need to know that.
The man in question furrows his eyebrows. “Of course I don’t mind. What kind of date would I be if I let you walk alone to your apartment while I get there by car?” He adds “Also, I’m just as full of sand as you are, so a bit more or a bit less won’t change much.”
Shouyou shrugs. “I don’t know, I guess you’d be the kind of date who is in love with his car. Those guys exist, and I’m speaking from experience.”
Tooru whistles. “Damn, you had to deal with some bastards, uh? Well don’t you worry, Shou-chan. I don’t care much about my car.” He says, patting the hood of the vehicle.
He opens the passenger door and ushers Shouyou inside, before walking to the other side and getting in as well. Shouyou doesn’t like snooping, but he can’t help but notice all of the clothes and luggage in Tooru’s backseat.
When Tooru sees his confusion, he explains. “Ah. Yeah, I’m sleeping in my car tonight. The hotel I was in had an electrical leak and they had to kick everyone.” He combs through his hair with one hand, the other on the steering wheel. “I couldn’t find another hotel for tonight, they’re all fully booked, so I figured my car wouldn’t be so bad.”
Shouyou looks at him, astonished. “You’re like, super tall, what do you mean your car won’t be so bad? That’s gonna be terrible for your back.” Shouyou says, shaking his head. “There’s no way you’re sleeping here when I have a perfectly good futon at home.”
“Isn’t that gonna bother your roommate?” Tooru frowns, but he doesn’t disagree, so Shouyou celebrates internally.
“As long as we don’t make too much time, I’m sure he won’t mind. Pedro’s a good guy.”
“Okay, then, it’s settled. Thanks, Shouyou.” Tooru smiles. “Now, can I have your address? If we want to get there I think it’d be easier.”
Shouyou laughs. “Yeah.”
After a short but pleasant ride, they’re in front of Shouyou’s apartment.
When they enter, they kick their shoes off, leaving them in the hallway. Pedro is sitting on the couch, phone in his hands. He looks towards them and raises an eyebrow.
In Portuguese, he asks “Is that your boyfriend?”
Shouyou glances at Tooru, thankful that he doesn’t seem to understand. He looks back at Pedro and replies honestly, because it’s the bare minimum to not lie to his roommate. “Not yet, but I hope he will be. He doesn’t have a place to sleep in. Do you mind if he stays here for the night?”
He shrugs. “I don’t really care. Just be silent.” And then he goes back to whatever he was doing before.
“Great! Thanks, Pedro.” Shouyou beams, and turns to Tooru. “He said you can stay! Come on, let’s go to my room.” He grabs Tooru’s arm and drags him along before he has any time to protest.
The apartment isn’t really big, so they’re there quickly. Shouyou opens his door and then remembers the state he left his room in, and closes it immediately. He smiles guiltily at Tooru. “Please, ignore the mess. I’ll clean while you’re in the shower.”
“It’s fine, Shouyou. I’m intruding, I’m not in any place to judge.”
“Still.” Shouyou insists, opening the door once again and holding it for Tooru, who slides in and puts down the bag he packed earlier next to the doorframe.
“I just want to flop down on my bed but I’ll get sand everywhere.” Shouyou groans. “Let me show you where the bathroom is. You can go first while I clean all of this,” he gestures to his room making big circles with his hand, “and find where I left that futon.”
“Are you sure? I can wait or do it myself.” Tooru suggested.
Shouyou nods. “Yeah, I’m sure. That way, while I shower, you can pick which movie we should watch.” He winks. “Choose something you like this time.”
Tooru rolls his eyes. “Okay.”
About twenty minutes later, Shouyou steps back into his room, drying his hair with a towel. Tooru is sitting cross-legged against his bed frame, eyes glancing up from his phone and mouth turning into a smile when he hears Shouyou walk in. Seeing his date acting so casually while in Shouyou’s space makes his stomach twist pleasantly.
“Hey. I found a movie I think we’ll both like.”
“Ooh, what is it about?” Shouyou queries as he sits next to Tooru, who has shuffled to give him some space. Their shoulders are touching and Shouyou can hear Tooru’s calm breathing, the regular pattern relaxing him.
“It’s a romance movie. A rocker who falls in love with a classic dancer and who shows her how to enjoy life again.”
“That does sound nice.” Shouyou hums.
Tooru smiles and presses the «play» button on the command.
They watch in silence, focused on the story and tired from their long day, occasionally commenting on some dumb things the characters do or on incoherences, but mostly relishing in the comfort of being next to each other.
At some point, Tooru’s head dropped on Shouyou’s chest, rising softly when he breathes, their legs got tangled together under the soft blanket and their hands found each other.
When the two protagonists kiss, Shouyou looks down at Tooru, who is already staring up at him softly. His heartbeat quickens, and he wonders if Tooru can hear it.
“Tooru?” He calls softly.
The man smiles, eyes half-lidded. He’s so beautiful, and Shouyou desperately wants to kiss his pretty lips, which get even prettier when he opens his mouth and his voice comes out, slurred from exhaustion but still as melodious as Shouyou remembers it. “That’s me.”
“Would you like to be my boyfriend? I know we’ve only been on two dates, and you don’t have to agree, this is just a proposition but I really like you, and since, you know, you’re not going to be here forever, I just thought—” Shouyou’s anxious rambling is interrupted by a peck on his lips, hands holding his face and a whisper:
“Yes, Shouyou. Now kiss me.”
And who is he to disobey such a demand? So he presses his mouth against Tooru’s, and he still tastes salty, but this time it’s not from the sea. Shouyou thinks he might be salty too, if the wetness on his cheeks are any indication.
Their kiss is just as breathtaking as the first one, if not more, and Shouyou didn’t think that was possible. Isn’t the magic supposed to fade away when things repeat themselves? But Tooru has always been so special, so unpredictable, so amazing that maybe the universe made an exception, just for him. And Shouyou is lucky enough to experience it too.
They pull away, and Tooru looks as happy as Shouyou feels.
“It’s a shame we live so far away. Now that we’re boyfriends, I want to do that all the time.” He admits, pouting.
Shouyou boops his nose. “Me too. We’ll see each other as often as we can, though, won’t we? I want you to make me visit your new home.”
Tooru’s smile returns and he pecks Shouyou’s lips. “Okay, darling. I’m always waiting for you.” he says, before lying his head back down on Shouyou’s chest, tired eyes looking back at the screen.
He doesn’t seem to know how much those words affect Shouyou, warming him from head to toes. He really needs to thank Ezequiel for this stroke of luck. Shouyou still doesn’t like alcohol, but combing through the hair of San Juan’s setter while the man drifts off to sleep, he thinks that for once, something good, more than good, came out of it.
Shouyou stays awake until the movie ends, although he’s watching fondly his sleeping boyfriend—wow, his boyfriend, he doesn’t think he’s ever going to get used to it—and not the screen. When the credits roll out, he can feel his breathing slowing down and his eyes closing.
Before the sandman takes him to dreamland, Shouyou smiles. He’s happy, much happier than he has been in a long time. His heart is swelling with love, and it’s a comfortable feeling.