Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Shouyou didn’t move at all and laid in the same position on his bed where Pedro found him the next day.

After a row of tentative knocks the door was finally pushed open, Pedro came in, vocalised his surprise that Shouyou wasn’t out already, before falling silent. When he saw him on the bed, curled into himself, eyes puffy, and skin blotchy, he stopped in his tracks and gave him a careful glance, studying him for a few long seconds.

Shouyou blinked, trying to see his flatmate, but he stayed a blurred figure in the middle of the room, silent and thoughtful. When Pedro seemed to notice his forgotten dinner, he muttered something in Portuguese under his breath that Shouyou couldn’t understand, and approached the desk. Then Shouyou heard the clattering of dishes and the other man turning on his heels to bring it to the kitchen. He would need to thank him later.

Lulling himself into a false sense of security, Shouyou closed his eyes again, but only two minutes later Pedro was back and dragged him out of his room to the kitchen where he forced him to sit down and eat lunch that tasted like nothing. But Pedro kept a watchful eye on him and so Shouyou continued to shovel whatever it was in his mouth while he tried to process that it was already noon.

Remembering that he had spent nearly twelve hours in his room without even leaving his bed, he noticed two things in the next second.

Firstly, he really needed to pee.

Secondly, he missed his shift at work.

He rushed to stand up and threw his glass of water Pedro had placed in front of him across his plate. It took a few long seconds filled with adrenaline and panic rushing through his veins until he realised that it was his day off and there was only free training in the afternoon with some friends from the team.

Initially, he had intended to have a long chat with Kageyama, but now things had gotten complicated and the thought of trying to reach out for his best friend after he had ended the call in the most impolite manner he could think of, he felt his throat tighten. Depleted of all tears his body could produce, he slumped back on his chair and stared down at his half-eaten plate.

"Shouyou?" A tentative voice echoed through the gloomy atmosphere and then he saw a new glass of water being shoved towards him. "Drink, Shouyou."

He nodded, accepting it gratefully, and gulped the whole glass in one go. As soon as he put it back, Pedro took it and refilled it. Shouyou emptied the next glass to the half and then he just sat there, shoulders hanging low and head heavy, eyes staring down at the glass he held with his hands. He was glad that Pedro didn’t ask since he wasn’t sure if he could talk about it right now. But after a few more minutes of oppressive silence, Pedro began to tell him about the stray cat he had recently seen around their building.

Surprised about the change of topic – since what else was this – Shouyou blinked and looked at his flatmate, confused and frowning. Every word Pedro said went in to one ear and came out the other, but the mundane musing in the raspy voice of the young Brazilian talking about his life and mistakes, was calming. And so Shouyou let the many words wash over him, lulling him into a thick cloud of mundanity and softness.

It had been difficult to live with Pedro at first. Being used to having a lively family, a younger sister, the whole volleyball team, his friends, and… his best friend around him nearly every day for years had been so common for Shouyou. Of course he knew that he would be by himself and had to make new friends when he was going to the other end of the world, but getting warm with Pedro had taken a long time and it had taken a lot of patience for both of them to realise that they shared a lot of things and could enjoy their time together.

Shouyou missed his home, but he always had a possibility to reach out and contact the person he missed most. And now where it was gone, it felt like there was only Pedro and the beach.

He swallowed and gripped the glass a little tighter. The just consumed water seemed to have already refilled his tear supply and when his view turned bleary again, Shouyou wiped with his arm over his face, sniffing loudly.

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, warm and firm. When Shouyou looked up, he saw Pedro’s gentle smile being directed at him.

"Let’s do the dishes, Shouyou."

Flabbergasted, Shouyou stared at his flatmate, but then he nodded. He wanted to answer, croaking an ‘Alright’ of sorts, but nothing came out. Instead, he sighed and got up, heavy legs moving towards the sink.

They washed up in silence, standing side by side at the sink of their small shared kitchen. Keeping his hands busy helped Shouyou to sort his mind a bit and kept him grounded as one plate after the other went through his fingers.

After a long shower that probably cost them a few more Real as intended, Shouyou felt a little more refreshed and went back to his room to gather his gear for the afternoon. He walked back and forth, idly picking up his shorts and long sleeved jersey, and noticed that he would need to do the laundry soon. Then his gaze fell on his phone and the milk carton symbol, the cow facing him with an empty expression.

Shouyou extended an arm to take it, but hesitated. He couldn’t even bring himself to check for messages someone else might’ve sent him during the night. He swallowed heavily and almost dropped his arm, but knowing that he would need it at some point after all, he hastily grabbed it and stuffed it in his pocket before heading out.

~ ~ ~

Two weeks later he still had no message from Kageyama. After his best friend had tried to call him directly after he had shut down the laptop, only silence had followed. But Shouyou didn’t resent him, if anything, it was him who should reach out first and not Kageyama.

He tried to keep up his normal life and answered any other message that came, either from his family or his friends, who wrote him from every country he would call home. There was also the pretty active group chat of the Karasuno first years, but even though Shouyou used it regularly – to show a picture from the beach, the food he had managed to cook, or Heitor, his girlfriend and him at a bar – Kageyama never responded to his posts. It was obvious that something was wrong and when Yachi and Yamaguchi reached out for Shouyou, he could only summarise that they had a small fight but nothing serious.

As soon as he had hit sent, he hadn’t been so sure whether this statement was actually true. It wasn’t that they never fought, they fought quite often, but after their fight during first year and another in their third, this was the first time they actually weren’t talking to each other at all. Even after growing up and all that stuff that had happened after graduation, they had always managed. Shouyou was about to turn twenty, he had to be an adult at some point.

But deep in his heart he knew that it was serious. His relationship with Kageyama had began quite odd and it had developed into something that he cherished above all. He didn’t want to loose his best friend, he didn’t want to be unable to talk about volleyball, to text Kageyama in the middle of the night because he had seen a very cute dog at the beach he had been allowed to pet. He didn’t like the feeling of being separated, but emails, texting and video calls had given them the chance to stay connected.

And now, this was all gone as well.

Trying to distract himself from his feelings – well, maybe he was running away, but with the nearing Summer event it wasn’t quite possible – he merged himself into studying. He went to the beach whenever he could, he took a few more shifts since he had more time at hand, and when he was at home, he grabbed his books and buried his nose behind yet unknown syllables and grammar rules.

And just like that, Shouyou was sitting on his bed, legs crossed and brows furrowed as he was hunched over a Portuguese study book he tried to understand.

Footsteps crossing the living room announced that his flatmate was either about to enter his own room right next to Shouyou’s or–

"Shouyou, here!"

Looking up, Shouyou saw Pedro standing in the door he hadn’t fully closed. "What is it?"

Pedro waved with a bunch of papers which seemed to be newspapers or sorts, and a broad grin pulled his lips apart.

"Here, look at that." Taking quick steps, Pedro approached him until he stood right in front of Shouyou and shoved the newspapers under his nose.

It took a few seconds for Shouyou to place down his book and push the newspapers away since they were far too close to be able to read anything at all – Portuguese or not. When he focused on the text, noticing that it was the sport section, he read the header and a little of the text below.

UM MUNDO NOVO

The 31st Olympics’ preparations – final instalments in Olympic Village completed – Committee greets refugee athletes and 207 nations

Just when Shouyou started to read ‘This Monday evening, the IOC members witnessed the arrival of the Olympic fire at the harbour of–’ when Pedro took back the newspapers, flipped a few pages through the thin material and shoved it once more right into Shouyou’s face.

Squinting at the characters and trying to understand what the commotion was all about, Shouyou gave up on this approach on Portuguese and looked at the many columns listing names and names and, well, even more names.

"Here, see? It’s Japan! Japan!" Pedro exclaimed and pointed at a column, but before Shouyou had the chance to read anything at all – not that it was totally new content anyway – Pedro flipped through the pages and showed him a large picture of several teams. The photos were rather small, the quality of the paper a bit too low to do them justice, but Shouyou would notice them everywhere.

"Is that the Japanese volleyball team? Do you know someone?"

Shouyou nearly laughed, but he couldn’t get himself to it. His throat didn’t seem to remember how laughing works anyway. He was nonetheless surprised about Pedro’s words; why would he know someone of the team just because he used to play volleyball in Japan? Well, he did know someone and given that his flatmate looked at him like a dog being given a cake, why not humour him? Thus he looked at the picture, showing all those familiar faces that stared grimly or excited into the camera, and then his eyes stopped at a very familiar face.

Having the number 20 had pushed Kageyama a little to the side, but he was nevertheless a part of the team. His eyes were closed and his expression neutral, but Shouyou just knew how his best friend had felt when that shot had been taken. Perhaps he even regretted that he hadn't ripped open his eyes as Shouyou had done when the photos had been taken at Karasuno.

After two weekends of not seeing each other, it was weird to suddenly have the setter’s face right here, in his room, and in reach. Kageyama had told him that he would be coming to Rio this summer, the city chosen to represent most of the Olympic Games being held in Brazil, and Shouyou remembered how long they had spoken about the schedule, the time tables, the flights, the food, the things he wanted to show his best friend – in case Kageyama was allowed to meet him that was. There had been so many things on the list he wanted his friend to experience, but now…

Shouyou swallowed and felt his throat tighten. Unable to pull his eyes away from his friend, he nodded slowly.

"Amazing!" Pedro’s excitement echoed through the room. And then he turned, flopped nonchalantly on Shouyou’s chair at his desk and started to flip through the newspapers while humming to himself.

Shouyou blinked and stared at the figure of his flatmate, stunned. But as he watched Pedro reading happily and looking at the many pictures in awe, he couldn’t help but smile a bit.

Suddenly being distracted from his studies or any other thoughts he usually kept himself busy with, the prospect of the nearing Olympics made him think again.

Kageyama would take the same way Shouyou had arrived in this country. He would train in a gym and prepare for the matches. He would do warm-ups and talk to his team mates. He would get in contact with the Brazilian culture as it was part of the cultural events they would participate in. He would eat the food Shouyou got to love, he would see the beach Shouyou went to every day, and he would be in this country to play volleyball.

Kageyama would be so close, so close, but they wouldn’t meet.

And he wished he could.

Why did they have to fight now? Couldn’t they have fought a few months later? Shouyou knew this was stupid but he wanted, he needed, to see and meet his best friend. Unable to do so left him frustrated and he gripped the blanket, staring angrily into nothingness.

He let himself fall on the bed so that his back rested halfway on his pillow and stared at the ceiling.

Shouyou needed to do something, he knew that much. He didn’t want to let it end here, not like this, and not without seeing Kageyama ever again. He needed to reach out and tell him… what?

He didn’t feel sorry about his words. Well, maybe he could’ve rephrased some things, but he just couldn’t proceed with their relationship status if he just wasn’t there yet. There were so many things he needed to do and Kageyama, who was already there, would probably not understand if Shouyou didn’t tell him. Tell him properly that is. He needed words, good words, a lot of good words, or maybe just a few good ones – Kageyama was a man of simplicity after all – to make him understand.

While he brooded over possibilities, his forehead furrowed and when there was nothing in his head than a neutral-looking Kageyama with closed eyes and Portuguese nonsense, he sighed and hit his mattress with a fist.

This got Pedro to look up and give him a worried look.

"Are you okay, Shouyou?"

Shouyou hesitated and was about to open his mouth and say ‘Of course’ or ‘Everything is fine’ but a whine escaped instead and he caught Pedro’s expression.

His flatmate got up and came closer to sit on the edge of the bed from which Shouyou moved into an upright position again. He glanced around his room, insecure and nervous, but he knew how much Pedro had done for him in the past weeks. He couldn’t shake him off with a lie.

And so he explained.

As it turned out, Pedro was a very patient listener. Maybe it was because of his shy character or because Shouyou’s knowledge in Portuguese wasn’t as broad yet – the study book wasn’t bought for nothing – and thus he relied on Japanese and English during his explanation.

Finally talking to someone about the fight, about the regret he felt every time he saw the news or flipped open his phone, and the fear to loose the best friend he ever had, was soothing in a way. It didn’t change the fact that those feelings were still there, but Shouyou was grateful for Pedro to take the time and listen to all the things he had evaded in the past weeks.

It took a little bit more than opening up to his flatmate on a sunny afternoon in Rio, but after denying his feelings once again, Shouyou hesitated and swallowed the words down he had intended to say. He got to terms with his heart and accepted that he liked Kageyama, truly liked him. But he also wanted to prove himself and that needed time. He wanted to be worth to stand on the same stage as his friend.

Pedro was supposedly the only one who had the chance to lure Shouyou out of himself, and even though he had never had any problems with talking about important matters, his feelings for Kageyama were at the same time easy and complicated, which made it a bit difficult to just talk about it.

Pedro helped him a lot and although it seemed that he couldn’t quite understand why Shouyou wanted to wait until he mastered beach volleyball, he found the encouragement Shouyou had desperately tried to reach out for.

When they wrapped up, Shouyou still felt sad, but he got an idea of what to do.

Once Pedro had left with the announcement to get ice cream, Shouyou smiled and took a deep breath. And before his fuzzy brain had the chance to change its mind, Shouyou reached out for his phone and fiddled with the case. Giving himself the final push, he swiped the screen, opened the app and a private chat – its last usage 15 days ago – and typed out a message.

It wasn’t the best message he could’ve send but it was a new start and it was something they needed.

Hinata Shouyou [15:19]: good luck at the olympics!!!

~ ~ ~

His message was left on ‘read’.

~ ~ ~

Sunshine reflected on the spokes that Shouyou had polished just a few days earlier. While balancing his weight forward and leaning with his hands on the handles, he was able to fuse a little more strength into every step on the pedals.

Shorts and a t-shirt were still too many fabric separating Shouyou from the heat of the afternoon sun and if he wouldn’t drive down this lively street close to the promenade, he would have liked to at least get rid of his t-shirt. Sweat made the heavy bag filled with hot pizza on his back and the t-shirt practically stick together, and if it wasn’t to see the happy faces of his customers and the wage this was worth it, Shouyou would probably have gone to the beach next to him.

Changing the gears to a higher – acknowledge by the gentle ticktack of the bike – Shouyou sat back on his saddle and enjoyed the ride along the ocean. He could see water, waves and blue up to the horizon, distant accumulations of trees and the significant coastline of Rio. The weather was perfect to spend the day outside, the sun was smiling down at them and the many parasols were opened up like colourful mushrooms decorating the sand. Seagulls sailed through the rapid changing breeze that tasted slightly salty and when Shouyou smelled it, his lips parted in a smile, looking forward to playing beach volleyball once he was off work in the evening.

Many people wearing colourful clothes, swimwear, sunglasses, and water bottles strolled down the promenade on the other side of the street or walked down the steps to the beach. Shouyou would have loved to join them, but when he concentrated on the traffic, he noticed that he had left the familiar streets from where he knew how to reach his aim, and had to stop and check the map.

Securing a safe position at the side, Shouyou stopped the bike and blindly felt for his waist bag. He quickly threw a glance to the building he had stopped in front of and noticed that it was a bar. It had a terrace in the front, the entrance was framed by little types of palm trees, and the people sitting at the tables and chatting with each other must’ve a splendid view onto the open ocean while being able to enjoy the sun.

Not minding the location any further for now, Shouyou fetched his phone and checked the map to make sure that he wasn’t that lost yet. Noting that he had only missed the desired street by only 500 metres, Shouyou sighed out relieved and was about to stuff his phone back, when he heard loud cheering. He looked up and inspected the bar a little closer.

Most of the customers – who were Brazilian but also foreign – were engaged in talking and drinking from big glasses of beer. Through the wide windows, Shouyou had a perfect view onto the inside of the bar, a waiter serving drinks with a tablet, the many rows of bottles behind the counter, and a screen that was mounted in the middle of the room.

Shouyou expected that it was some live competition; he had seen many restaurant offering their visitors the chance to view the Olympic games at their location already. A few days since the opening ceremony had passed and there had been a few instances where Heitor had invited him to watch some matches together. But Shouyou had declined.

There were just too many emotions he couldn’t define properly yet and so he had told a very surprised Heitor that he couldn’t come. It hurt to think about actually watching those matches, knowing that each of these players was right here, in Rio, but it also hurt to decline every time an excited friend asked him to join.

Nonetheless, he had agreed to take a look at the beach volleyball matches which were running simultaneously with the indoor volleyball ones. It seemed to soothe his friend a little and Shouyou knew that he couldn’t leave this without any explanation of sorts. Of course he had to work, but it wasn’t that his part-time job took up all of the 24 hours the day had. Although he knew that Heitor was rather laid-back and wouldn’t resent him, Shouyou took it upon himself to explain later, albeit he didn’t know yet what he would say in detail.

A sudden loud cheer ripped Shouyou out of his thoughts and he focused on the screen, curious about the competition running. Some fans had gathered in front of it, shouting and laughing and watching the match intensely but luckily the screen was high enough for Shouyou to see.

And when he did, his mind was blank.

A flash of red marched forward, taking the ball offered by the ball boys of the side, and gripped the leather with both hands as he came to a halt a few meters behind the court line. Blue eyes settled on the ball, no frown disturbed the utter concentration emanating from underneath silky black hair, the whistle resounded and just two seconds the ball was thrown up into the air. Strong legs started to ran, took off, muscles flexed, and the powerful serve sent the ball right into the corner of the opposite court.

A perfect service ace.

Fantastic!!

What a fearsome 19 year old!

That’s Japan’s pinch server!

Tobio Kageyama!

Shouyou’s breath caught. He couldn’t take his eyes of the giant white 20 that sat right between firm shoulder blades, clad in a pure red, its back moving as the setter took another ball to serve again.

Slowly, Shouyou lowered his hand with his phone and stuffed it back in his pockets before gripping the handles of his bike tightly.

Kageyama.

It was Kageyama. On the court. Now. Doing a serve, another one after his service ace.

Shouyou followed the movements on the screen like in a trance, the camera seemed to be absolutely thrilled by the young man and zoomed in and out of him as it liked.

Kageyama served again, entered the field and scored points, and Shouyou saw the lines of his friend’s mouth distort until he parted his lips and let out a roar, celebrating his victory at the biggest stage of the world. Clenching his fist, Kageyama ran across the court towards his team members, who cheered him on and congratulated him with familiar words, tumbling so easily from their lips.

Kageyama served until the other team managed to get a point and the young setter was changed out again.

Once the camera’s focus had left Kageyama, it took a while for Shouyou until he gathered his thoughts and could sort his mind a little bit. It was at least enough to tear his eyes away and fuse his legs with strength, kicking the pedals. He left the spot in front of the bar, leaving behind a cheering group of young Brazilians, and headed towards his goal for this afternoon.

Soon, the lively street was behind him and he made his way up a small hill. As he concentrated on where he was actually directing his bike, he was only able to replay the images he had just seen in his mind.

Kageyama. The concentrated expression. Clear Blue. Throwing the ball up. Jumping. Hitting. Scoring. Repeat.

Shouyou gripped the handles even tighter and stared up ahead, seeing the top of the hill lit by the sweltering afternoon sun that promised a very good evening of practice at the beach.

He smiled, grim and determined, and thought one day, one day he would be there as well.

A clear noise disturbed the peaceful silence and Tobio blinked his eyes open, scowling at the ceiling and wondering where the sound came from. His eyelids felt heavy and his view was still bleary and vague. When he turned his head to the side, the pillow rustled under the weight of his head that was filled to the brim with gloomy pictures his dreams had projected, the flash of red and a sunny smile.

Tobio groaned and stared intensely at the bedside table where his phone constantly vibrated against the hard wood. Sighing, he balanced his weight on his arm, fetched his phone and dropped back onto the mattress. It took a few more seconds until he managed to switch the alarm off and then he stared at the screen – noticing that it was Sunday, the end of August, and too early to be awake on his day off when there were no plans – before the device went black.

For a few minutes he tried to wake up properly while staring once more up to the ceiling.

It had been a few days since he had completely worn off the jet lag and got used to the Japanese time zone once more. The thought that he had been in Brazil not even nine days ago was wild, but nonetheless true.

He had been at the Olympics, he had participated in matches that had been broadcasted around the whole world, so many people had watched him play where all he had seen was the court in the Maracanãzinho Stadium, his team, and their opponents. For a whole sixteen days, plus the day of arrival and recovery, he had stayed in Rio de Janeiro, the city that had become a second home to his best friend.

Tobio clenched his phone and frowned in annoyance.

He had been in Rio, he had been so close to Hinata, and yet they hadn’t seen each other once. Heck, they hadn’t had contact since a few weeks. If Tobio would have apologised before his first flight, if he had accepted Hinata’s word and agreed to wait a little longer, if he could just reach out and talk to his best friend again whom he missed incredibly…

Even if he had apologised, he still didn’t understand.

Even if he waited, for how much longer?

Even if he did reach out, how was he supposed to deal with the unresolved topic?

Tobio wasn’t sure whether he would’ve been able to compete in the Olympics – or if he would even have been able to get where he was now – if he had never met Hinata. Their paths were intertwined, and whenever he thought about their first meeting and everything that had happened after, he could hear a familiar voice whispering into his head, promising him someone stronger, someone better.

If it wasn’t because of Hinata Shouyou, Tobio would be a very different person.

Hinata kept him waiting and Tobio slowly ran out of patience.

Pushing the thin summer blankets aside, Tobio sat up and stared down at his lap where he hold tight to the phone above the fabric pooling between his legs. His upper body swayed a little, then he let his shoulders slump and shut his eyes again. He felt incredibly unmotivated. It was Sunday and during the past months and more he had gotten so used to video chat on his day off that he had always something to look forward to. Without the prospect of seeing Hinata after breakfast he didn’t know what else to do with himself. For a split second he contemplated playing volleyball in the nearby park, but he knew that he should take the rest day seriously and thinking about trailing to the park by himself wasn’t actually that appealing.

Before the Olympics and the week after, Tobio usually used his time to think about practice, reflect on his mistakes and how to improve them, the tactics and strategies they had recently implemented and in which way the other players might become useful on the court. Sometimes he asked his team members, Romero or Ushijima, who seemed to be interested to talk about volleyball even when it was their day off. But even Ushijima had plans for this weekend and Tobio heard him saying something about Tendou along the line, but it was such a small note that he didn’t remember much anymore. Ushijima was a man of few words and Tobio wasn’t one who could blame him.

Frowning at the phone that was resting in his lap, Tobio tried to intensely think about something he could do during the next twelve hours. Apart from eating and sleeping, he realised that a day could be quite long if it wasn’t filled with the usual laughter of the sun, molten eyes and a fiery tuft of hair.

While trying to compose a sort of plan for the day that consisted of mundane things as checking his fridge for food supplies or doing the laundry, Tobio’s mind was rather fond of producing an image of him sitting at his desk, staring at his laptop and listening to a story from the other side of the world. Switching on his phone and reading the time, he noticed that normally he would be talking to Hinata in an hour.

But not today.

He wondered what he was doing. It was Saturday evening in Rio, maybe Hinata had cooked his dinner and ate together with his flatmate. Maybe he was at the beach and taking off from the sand, maybe he had the late shift and handed over some hot pizza from the giant bag he had shown Tobio. It was a ridiculously large and square bag and Tobio had been surprised that his friend was able to ride the bike with it and not hit any pedestrians while changing lanes or turning.

Would he ever see this stupid bag again?

Tobio sighed and let go of his phone. He remembered it clearly, the last day they had talked, the last image he had seen of his best friend. Pain and confusion had distorted Hinata’s features and suddenly there had been a thwump and clattering before the connection broke off. The black screen had returned Tobio’s stare with mocking radio silence, leaving him in utter panic and turmoil as he had been slowly registering what had happened.

He had sat a long time in front of his laptop, tried to call Hinata again, but in vain. Giving up on calling his friend again and again, he had reached for his phone but hesitated. He couldn’t bring himself to bombard Hinata with tons of messages. He had willingly shut down his laptop, there would’ve been no way to talk to him if Hinata didn’t want to.

Tobio had stayed for a while in front of his laptop, staring at the screen and the colourless dot of Hinata’s icon that showed his offline status, until Tobio had shut down his computer. He hadn’t left a message but maybe he should’ve done it after all. Would Hinata have answered?

For a long time, even before Hinata had gone to Brazil, Tobio had felt that there was something that he couldn’t quite grasp during high school. Once they had been apart and didn’t spend most of their daytime together anymore, he had come to realisation. And albeit Hinata had said that he felt the same, Tobio couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had teased the confession out of him.

Listen, Kageyama… Can we talk another time?

Hinata’s voice had trembled so much, he had been so shaken by the direction where Tobio had wanted to go that it left him sad, but also confused. Hinata hadn’t been angry about it, well, maybe just a little bit, but if Tobio had to define it, it was rather frustrated. Tobio had rarely seen his friend in this state of utter helplessness. Hinata had the ability to pull himself out of the biggest misery there was, and thus seeing him so close to the edge of crying had made it so much more complicated.

And it was Tobio’s fault.

Heaving a shuddering breath, Tobio squeezed his eyes once more shut and raised his arm to press it to his face, covering his wet eyes. Taking deep breath, he tried to calm down and focus again.

Perhaps it was a good idea to take his mind off the thing for a little. He should get ready for training, if he wasn’t late already, and collect his clothes and–

Ah, right. It was Sunday.

Scowling, Tobio sighed and dropped his arm. He slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and dragged himself out of it. Heaving another deep sigh he fetched his clothes, changed, and left his bedroom to prepare a simple breakfast in the kitchen.

Eating warm toast with jam by himself at the small kitchen table was a very normal activity for Tobio, but since their fight every bite felt dry and tasteless, and he wondered if he should save the jam and just eat the toast out of the package. Strangely, contemplating this idea let the tiny Hinata in his mind complain about his nutrition, and albeit jam not being the healthiest of breakfast there was, Tobio nevertheless continued to consume it.

Today’s weather was sunny and clear, a nice day, if he had plans that was. Apart from sitting in his kitchen and munching his tasteless toast, Tobio didn’t know what to do with himself and decided to start of with doing the dishes. After, he stood indecisive in the living room, staring at the stack of Volleyball Monthly, the few balls he gathered in a basket next to the TV, his couch and the door to the balcony. Seeing the flapping washing line, he took long strides to the bathroom to do the laundry. While the machine was running he distracted his mind by cleaning the bathroom and living room before heading back to the bedroom to prepare his gear for the next day.

Once the laundry was done and spread on the washing line, Tobio went on a walk, paid the supermarket a visit and returned home. When it was time to start preparing dinner, he wondered what he had done all day. Somehow he had managed to survive one or too many thoughts about his best friend.

But was this the right thing to do? Was it alright to ignore all thoughts about Hinata, even it if hurt either way?

Staring down at the measly dinner he had cooked, Tobio considered a new attempt. It couldn’t stay like this. He wanted to understand Hinata, he needed to think why this had happened and mostly how to repair what he had broken.

More importantly, however, was the fact that he missed his best friend.

~ ~ ~

Ever since their fight, Tobio noticed a lack of focus whenever he had practice. It wasn’t much, he was still able to play perfectly well, but many thoughts distracted him and being surrounded by a sport where everything reminded him of Hinata, he noticed that being surrounded by volleyball for almost every hour of the day could be a curse and a blessing at once.

It seemed to get worse now that he had the resolve to change the passive behaviour of the past weeks and think about a way to talk to Hinata again.

And so, when practice with the Adlers resumed the next day, Tobio’s mind drifted off to a far-away country whenever he was taking a break on the bench or waiting for his turn to serve.

He always looked forward to playing volleyball, but now where he stood at the border of the field, heard the constant squeaking of shoes in the background, and held the ball with both hands while he straightened his shoulders, his thoughts started to dwindle while he stared at the ground.

Tobio was mainly confused by the reason Hinata wanted to wait.

He had to admit that they wouldn’t be able to do those typical couple things, like go on a date or hold hands or anything beyond – the thought of it always made him incredibly flustered – and they had to talk about those things first, of course, but once they were together again, physically, nothing would stop them.

"You are coming back, right?"

Tobio swallowed. Hinata had never confirmed his assumption. He wouldn’t come back to Japan? Will he stay in Brazil? Was Brazil much more of a home than Japan was?

Fear crept into his heart and pulsed cold blood through his limbs and chest.

Shaking his head he tried to get rid of those thoughts. Nobody could answer this now, even not Hinata. It wouldn’t help him to lose himself in panic and fear that he would never see his best friend again. And he would if he didn’t reach out again. He had to do it, he knew that.

Where Tobio had suspected that Hinata might spiral himself into the thought that he wasn’t worthy enough to be together with Tobio – which was nonsense – Hinata knew very well that Tobio didn’t expect him to level up in volleyball to be accepted by him. Hinata had taken large steps to achieve his goal, he had taken the plane abroad, all the way to Brazil on the other side of the Earth to follow a tough training regime given by Shiratorizawa’s coach and the trainers in Rio.

Hinata had always been hard working, from the very first day they had met. He had defied his innate features and possessed such a vibrant aura of enthusiasm and excitement that allowed him to reach much higher places, places he was destined for, that Tobio could only admire him for the measures he had taken. He believed that his best friend would get there where he was, he just knew, because if it wasn’t Hinata, who else would it be?

Getting better at sports doesn’t happen over night, becoming a pro needed endurance, patience, and confidence. It had taken a long time for Tobio to realise what he felt towards Hinata, that it was different than before and that it had changed over time into something blazing and familiar he carried with him wherever he went. Becoming better at volleyball and Hinata were intertwined in a very complex yet simple way.

Tobio turned the ball between his hands and scowled while he stared at the worn-down yellow and blue.

He sought closeness to Hinata in any way there was, and despite them being apart now, he at least wanted to be as close to him as possible. Knowing that Hinata was all the way over there and had a flatmate he got along with made Tobio’s insides churn with jealousy. Who was that flatmate who got to be with Hinata every day? Hinata had told him that Pedro had been a little weird at the beginning but their relationship had gotten better with time. It was incomprehensible to him that Pedro had ignored Hinata most of the time when he had moved in.

Who would ignore Hinata? Who was actually able to do that when Hinata had such a vibrant personality, a smile made of sunshine and twinkles, soft brown eyes that looked like freshly bought pudding, a firm grip when he tried to hold the volleyball with one hand, such a strong and determined mind set to achieve his goal and–

Tobio stopped his internal chaos, dwindling further into his Hinata-Admiration-Section, and noted that his wouldn’t bring him further.

He knew for sure that he liked Hinata, really liked him. Like that way. And he knew that Hinata felt the same. So why not now?

But maybe…

It hadn’t been fair to assume that they were boyfriends and expect Hinata to do the same after confessing their feelings and not talking about it further. Even Tobio understood as much.

Hinata wanted to focus on other things right now and it was volleyball after all; Tobio, out of all people, should understand that. There were only two years until Hinata had to accomplish his training in Rio, it wasn’t that much but if anyone could do it, it was Hinata who was able to pull it off.

It was true that Hinata had never said what was going to happen after Rio. Naturally, nobody could tell yet, it’s just been some months so far. But what if Hinata stayed in Rio? Or went anywhere else in the world? What if it was years until they met again? What if Hinata wouldn’t come back to Japan for the next decade?

It wasn’t that Tobio hadn’t played with the thought of joining another team abroad, but he would always wanted to play in the national team that moreover connected him to his home. He wouldn’t resent Hinata for wanting to play for another country, this was what they were aiming for the whole time anyway, to play on the world stage. But he feared to be forgotten by his best friend who was home in the world. They would just meet occasionally on the court when their teams played each other, a professional handshake and a curt nod.

Shaking his head again, Tobio swallowed and stopped his thoughts again. He couldn’t imagine that Hinata would never come back. And he had said that he wouldn’t forget Tobio. He trusted him, he trusted him so much that he was still waiting, because… Well, it was Hinata after all.

Tobio sighed and tried to relax his shoulders.

First, he needed to apologise. He had done Hinata wrong and had said something he shouldn’t have. He had expected something he had no right for yet. Hinata had his reasons and Tobio wanted to hear them. He trusted his friend, he knew that Hinata wouldn’t throw everything away he had worked for, everything that had happened in the past four years.

Tobio had to be patient and wait for Hinata, just a little longer.

"Kageyama-kun."

"Y–yes!" Surprised, he raised his head and saw Ushijima standing on the court, just a few metres away. He was slightly frowning but otherwise didn’t look as he was angry.

"Will you serve so we can start the match?"

Oh, damn, how long had he spaced out already?

"Of course, I’m sorry."

Ushijima raised a hand to signal him it was okay, then he faced toward the net again.

Flustered, Tobio took the ball with one hand and gave it a last firm look.

Just a little longer, he told himself and smiled grimly.

With the new resolve in his mind, he threw the ball up in the air, ran, jumped, and hit it on the other side of the court.

Thick, humid air surrounded Shouyou like a suffocating cloud that made it hard to breathe. His chest heaved as he tried to re-establish the rhythm of his lungs again and felt the sand trickle away under the sole of his feet. Sweat drops running down his neck, arms and legs stained the ground dark where they dropped before the all-encompassing heat let them evaporate again.

The gentle breeze of the nearby ocean did little to dry Shouyou’s skin and hair and as he stood stooped down in the sand – hands on his thighs, listening to the chatter of the visitors enjoying a day at the beach and the seabirds above his head – he squeezed his eyes shut. The burn in his lungs that crackled through his chest whenever he tried to fill them with fresh oxygen again was a usually satisfying feeling. But considering today’s performance the burn felt rather like a punishment Shouyou had earned.

Their teams had just finished the second training match and he was the only one who hadn’t trailed off to the benches at the side to take a break. Panting and wheezing, Shouyou cursed the sudden weakness that possessed his body and blinked the sweat out of his eyes.

He had gotten used to the sand by now, he could move quite freely on it, and had accustomed to the varying weather conditions, the texture of the sand after a night of rain, the changing wind, and the air. He was used to this kind of training, tough and leaching but incredible satisfying, and to the many differences there were in beach volleyball.

Still…

The past weeks had been hard. After a long day of practice at the beach, Shouyou could feel it in his bones that something wasn’t right. Being an athlete for years had steeled his body and he was used to excessive use of energy he had enough of anyway. His body was in a good shape, he trained, he worked out, he ate healthy, he stretched and took enough breaks.

It was his mind that was all over the place and affected his game more and more by using up all the energy to think instead of training their new spike like he was supposed to today. Initially Shouyou had thought that fusing all his angry energy into volleyball was great but… maybe he shouldn’t have done that after all.

Today had been a quite miserable session and Shouyou knew it. He knew that he had sucked and he was glad that nobody had pointed out his mistakes in a harsh but rather gentle way, wanting him to improve and work on it himself. It was one of the weirdest things to get used to. He had been used to the harsh way of pointing out his mistakes whenever he had done something stupid before when… when…

Shouyou swallowed and wiped his arm over his face as he loosened his muscles and straightened his back, a weak attempt to prevent himself from getting lost in another rush of thoughts. Suddenly, there was a big warm hand pressing between his shoulder blades, and if Shouyou wasn’t so worn out, he would’ve probably flinched at the sudden touch.

When he turned his head, he saw right into the worried eyes of Heitor.

"Got a minute?"

Startled by the low tone in his friend’s voice and the obvious concern, Shouyou’s eyes widened, but he nodded.

Heitor gave him a small encouraging smile and walked ahead to the side. Shouyou followed him with staggering steps, his legs felt like goo and sitting down and drinking water sounded awfully amazing.

As if Heitor could read his mind, a water bottle was shoved into his chest the second Shouyou sat down and the tall player waited a few minutes until half of the water was gone and Shouyou had wiped off his sweat with a towel.

Then they sat in silence, facing the court, the volleyball net and the ocean behind. It was late afternoon and the sky still bright and clear. Shouyou threw his friend a quick glance and wondered why they were sitting a bit away from the rest of the others. It must be about his meagre performance lately and Shouyou panicked whether Washijou would hear of this and he would need to explain where this was all coming from and what if he had to stop and wouldn’t be able to get better and never reach the world stage where Kageyama was waiting for him, if he still was, and–

He tangled his sweaty fingers together and fiddled with them while worrying his lower lip until it was depleted of blood. He stared at the distant ocean, a peak that he might never be able to achieve if he wouldn’t be able to concentrate soon.

"Shouyou."

Shouyou blinked and looked up to Heitor, who studied him a soft expression. And Shouyou knew what this was about, Pedro had looked just the same.

He waited for a question to follow but there was only silence, disrupted by the crashing waves on the beach a bit further down.

"You…" Shouyou glanced at his much taller friend, "you don’t want to know?"

Heitor’s darky eyes were still resting on his team mate. "What do I want to know?"

Licking his lips, Shouyou hesitated, but he couldn’t run away forever. "Why… I sucked today?"

A smirk crossed Heitor’s expression, turning him into the free and lackadaisical being he normally was if he wasn’t concerned about Shouyou. "Oh, not just today," he commented with a grin.

Flustered, Shouyou wiped his hands off on his shorts and looked to the ground. "I’m sorry, I… I will get better, I–"

"It’s okay, Shouyou. I think I just wanted to make sure that you’re fine."

"How?"

Heitor looked down at Shouyou’s lap where he still grasped the water bottle between his thighs. "By making sure you don’t loose conscious on the beach right after training. That would cast a damning light on us."

Shouyou blinked at the cap of the bottle and nodded slowly. "Thank you."

"Don’t mention it." Heitor patted his shoulder and Shouyou felt some of the tension leave his body.

They wouldn’t force him to leave Brazil, it was still alright.

He used the pause to drink some more and relax a little by taking a deep breath. Fiddling with the bottle, he looked at Heitor.

"So… you don’t want to know?"

"Well," Heitor said carefully while frowning slightly, "if you want to tell me, you can of course. If that makes you feel better, but…"

"Hm?"

"It can make you feel better, but if it stays like today you have a lot to talk about." He smirked mirthfully.

Shouyou blinked, surprised about the joke, and chuckled weakly. "I do need to improve a lot."

Heitor hummed. "Did something happen?" he asked then, casually, as if he asked if Shouyou wanted another water.

Staring at his lap, Shouyou wasn’t sure how to answer first. He had talked to Pedro about it and it had helped in a way, although Pedro hadn’t offered any useful solution he could do right away, it had still been nice to put it into words and let the issue be a matter shared with another person than carrying it alone.

Throwing a quick glance at Heitor, who cannily gazed at the ocean, Shouyou reached out for his towel to wipe his face again. He pressed his nose into the fabric, inhaled the scent of laundry detergent and hard-worked sweat, before he let it sink and inhaled the fresh salty air of the Atlantic.

"I… I have a very good friend in Japan and… we had a fight," he said quietly, staring down at the towel.

Heitor hummed, but didn’t interrupt the slow start. Shouyou frowned, pondering if there was more to say since he didn’t plan on going that much into detail.

"That’s… it," he said somewhat lamely and peeked at Heitor, who turned to look at him.

"Okay," the older man simply accepted. "Do you know if there’s a solution?"

Shouyou wanted to laugh at first; wasn’t he talking to be told that solution or at least work it out together? Swallowing down any noise of his throat, Shouyou nodded slowly. He knew the solution, kind of, but how to start talking to someone who had been shut off by closing the laptop in the middle of a video call?

"Maybe," he finally said.

Heitor, unknowing of Shouyou’s inner accumulation of guilt and regret, hummed again. "So?"

"It’s not an easy one," Shouyou explained by biting his lip.

"Mhm, I see."

"But… I feel bad. The fight was stupid. I should’ve said it differently."

"Then do it."

Surprised, Shouyou blinked up. "Huh?"

"Do it," Heitor repeated. "Just tell them again and make it clear. If it’s a misunderstanding then it’s easy to correct it. If they did something wrong you can talk about it as well. Try to communicate, y’know?" He shrugged casually.

"Communicate," Shouyou repeated, chuckling roughly. "I think the older I get, the more complicated it becomes."

"It never seizes," Heitor muses quietly and flashed Shouyou a rueful grin that made Shouyou snicker.

Communication was the key, Shouyou knew as much. But talking about the whole matter again was painful to imagine, but given the distance and the limited possibilities, it was the only solution at hand to fix what had been disturbed. Maybe Kageyama had misunderstood him after all, maybe it was a good idea to express his words differently and make clear why they couldn’t be what Kageyama wanted them to. Shouyou wanted to, he really wanted, but he couldn’t. Not yet.

He didn’t want to ignore this matter and continue as if nothing had ever happened. They had fought and he still liked Kageyama, these facts would never ease. Where the latter was a thing he didn’t want to ever change, Shouyou wanted the topic of the fight discussed properly and without shutting down his laptop all of a sudden.

There was just one problem: How to even start talking?

Should he send an email and ask for a video call? Explain via text message? Send a balloon with I’m sorry written on it? He wouldn’t be able to inflate it in Brazil but maybe he could add an inflator in the package?

"Hey, Shouyou."

Ripped out of his day dreams, Shouyou focused again on his friend.

Heitor smiled gently. "Don’t overthink it, okay? You said it’s a very good friend."

"Yes… he is.. The best I ever had," he added after a pause, smiling at the words.

Heitor nodded. "Then it shouldn’t be too difficult. You may have fought before and there must’ve been a solution too, right?"

Shouyou frowned. Of course they had fought before, apart from their regular banter, there had been only a few really serious fights, the first of them had been during their first year of high school. It had been about volleyball so he wasn’t sure it the solution from back then would work right now as well. And the other…

"If he’s your best friend, it shouldn’t be too difficult," Heitor continued. "Just talk to him, okay? I’m sure he wants to do that as well."

Swallowing, Shouyou nodded slowly. He had thought a lot about Kageyama in the past weeks, living in the city that had been host of the Olympics certainly had done its fair share, but the thought that Kageyama actually wanted to talk to him about this as well and reconcile let him feel much more guilty than he already was.

"Yeah," he croaked. "Yes, I think I… I need to talk to him."

"Great!" Heitor smiled proudly.

Shouyou smiled back before focusing on the beach and the ocean beyond. He took another deep breath and nodded to himself. He still felt the exhaustion in his bones and quite crappy of the two matches they had lost in general, but after talking to his friend about the fight, he felt better.

It was a relieving thought to know that there were people around him who he could talk to and gave him constructive help here and there. Now, all what was left was to gather his wits and courage and get an idea of how to get in contact with Kageyama again.

~ ~ ~

In the end, it wasn’t Hinata who reached out first.

It took two more weeks after his talk with Heitor at the beach, the Olympics being long over, and a worn-out patience of Shouyou – who got more and more fidget about finding a way how to write a message to his best friend – when he received a text from Kageyama.

Shouyou had been in the kitchen, stirring the soup Pedro had instructed him to cook for their dinner, when his phone buzzed in the pockets of his pants. He fetched it, mindlessly expecting Natsu to answer his text about the line-up of her next tournaments he had sent when she had been asleep, and switched the screen on.

When the unexpected and yet very familiar characters of Kageyama Tobio illuminated his screen, he nearly dropped his phone in the pot.

Utterly startled, Shouyou swiped the screen with trembling fingers and hesitated for a good minuted before he opened the chat.

Kageyama Tobio [18:19]: Can we video chat this Saturday? (Sunday for me.)

He snickered at the formality. Shouyou felt a buzz of excitement, relief and shock ran over him at once. He typed his reply immediately, ignoring the faint burnt taste rising from the pot that slowly distributed in the kitchen.

It was still early morning in Japan but Kageyama nevertheless answered a few minutes later.

Hinata Shouyou [18:22]: yes!!

Hinata Shouyou [18:22]: what time??

Kageyama Tobio [18:26]: 8?

Hinata Shouyou [18:26]: okay!!

Kageyama Tobio [18:26]: great

Shouyou nodded satisfied, the early time would give them at least enough time to talk. Realising that he had to work next Saturday, he hastily sent out a flurry of words to his co-worker, asking to change their shifts for next weekend to free up his schedule. His colleague answered pretty quickly and once this was settled, Shouyou sighed in relief and stared down at his phone, satisfied. His chest still felt tight but there was also the familiar warmth that started to spread in his veins, letting him look forward to seeing Kageyama this weekend.

Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, he looked down at the hotplate and the pot in which the beans that the bubbling thick liquid brought to the surface had started to turn black.

He hurried to lower the heat but it was too late, Pedro had already sensed that their perfectly planned dinner was on more fire than desired.

"Shouyou! Is that our food burning!? I swear, if we’re forced to have another take-out dinner like last time, you will be the one paying!"

It was strangely familiar to sit once more on his squeaky chair, legs folded underneath, toes wriggling freely, and staring at the screen, waiting for Kageyama to go online.

After checking the time again – 7:57 – Shouyou fiddled with the cover of his phone without taking his eyes off the screen.

7:58

After a long day at the beach, Shouyou had biked home where he had a quick dinner in the kitchen. Pedro had some project going on today and thus there had been nothing else to do than clean the kitchen, sort his clothes, and settle down in front of the computer from where he hadn’t moved an inch in case Kageyama would be online earlier. He wouldn’t, of course not, they had said ‘at eight’ after all, but as nervous as Shouyou was, he used the time to think about what to say when he would see Kageyama again.

7:59

It was a weird feeling to know that they were talking together, just the two of them, alone and in private. They took the time to talk to each other and spend this time together. It was odd, but familiar.

On the dot, just as Shouyou had thought, Kageyama’s icon flared up green and he hit the call button, maybe to ease his own nervousness or to take the burden off the one who would inevitably be the one who had to call first.

The crisp and vibrant colours of Tokyo’s morning illuminated Kageyama’s bedroom and the screen, and it took a few seconds for the picture to focus until Shouyou could finally see his best friend in all his glory.

Kageyama’s general appearance didn’t differ much from the last time Shouyou had seen which was apparently on a TV in a bar close to one of the most famous beaches of Rio. Today, however it was much more private.

Kageyama was at home, clad in a simple t-shirt with a stain at the front – an attempt on cooking breakfast perhaps – and his expression was relaxed, lacking the usual concentration he wore on court. The only thing that seemed to be different was that his black silky hair had grown one or two centimetres. Apart from that was it the usual setup.

This was still Kageyama, sitting at his desk in front of his bed, staring down at the screen, unmoving and dazzled, just as Shouyou.

It felt good to see him again, even better than Shouyou had imagined, and he thought that not seeing each other like this for a while made the video call rather intimate. Kageyama was there, only for Shouyou to see.

He let out a satisfied sigh and smiled.

"Kageyama," he mumbled quietly while keeping his eyes on his friend, who would’ve definitely made a comment on him staring if he wasn’t doing the very same thing.

"Hm?" Kageyama nevertheless returned, sounding absent.

"I… Hi!"

A familiar scowl distorted the soft expression. "Hi? This is how we start this?"

"What, you want to pick another quarrel?"

Kageyama’s blue eyes widened. "Of course I don’t wa– Yes, okay, hi."

Shouyou snickered and noticed the faint blush on the setter’s cheek.

Another pause filled the space between them and Shouyou started to fiddle with his phone again.

"Thank you," Kageyama said then quietly.

"Wh–what for?"

"Your… message. A few weeks ago."

"My message?" Shouyou frowned in confusion, trying to remember what his friend was taking about. He hadn’t send a message. The only one he had sent was the one before the Olympic games had started and–

Returning his focused gaze back at Kageyama, he demanded a silent elaboration.

Stammering, Kageyama evaded his eyes and blushed. "It helped me. I was very… unfocused the days before we left for Brazil but when I read it, I… It helped me to concentrate during the match."

Surprised about this confession, Shouyou nodded slowly. He hadn’t thought that his friend would hold on to this message for so long, to keep him grounded while staying on the international stage, while being on the court, while playing the Olympics.

"Oh… I’m… glad it helped I guess," was the only thing he could say and it sounded kind of lame.

"Did you… watch?" Kageyama asked tentatively and looked back at the screen.

"Yeah, a bit. Not that much though. I had to work and there was training most days."

"I see."

"But… I saw you. Your service ace. Aces! They were awesome."

Kageyama’s eyes widened. "I see, thanks." A smile tugged at his lips, barely there, but Shouyou knew how it looked when Kageyama was happy. It created a pleasant tingle to run down his spine.

"But boy," Shouyou said then and let out a sigh, "the Olympics are such a long time ago."

Kageyama frowned. "Not that long ago, we’re still in recovery training."

"Yeah, yeah, busy man, I know."

"Well, you’ve been busy as well, right? At the beach and… at work."

"Yeah." Shouyou nodded slowly. "Yeah, I was. People need their food here after all."

"Right." A scowl. "Brazilian food is… different than Japanese."

"There is tasty food here!"

"But everything is different."

"Of course, it’s a different food culture after all. But it’s a tasty food culture."

A deeper scowl. "Okay, yes, whatever."

Shouyou could see that despite this being their regular banter, Kageyama wanted to prevent going deeper and thus he let go of the topic for now as well. To be honest, he had found the Brazilian food weird at first too, but now he had so many things he liked that he was never able to pick when he was eating out.

"I could’ve given you so many advice on where to eat, though."

"You mean your pizza?" Kageyama asked with a wary expression.

"No! I mean real and healthy food."

"So pizza isn’t real food?" The setter actually cackled at his own joke.

"Maybe not for you," Shouyou returned harrumphing.

Kageyama shrugged. "I just thought that you’re taking care of your nutrients or whatever."

"I do! And maybe you should too so that your brain muscles are used for something useful once in a while."

Gasping in mock offence, Kageyama said, "Hey, my brain muscles are the biggest you’ve ever seen!"

"Eww, no, I don’t want to see them, Kageyama. What the hell." Shouyou snickered.

"Well, sorry for having them," the other returned laughing.

"Yeah, you have such a big head, easy to miss, really. How did I not realise this earlier?"

Kageyama stared at him, then he burst out laughing and Shouyou followed suit. He had missed their bickering, their jokes, and senseless talk. It was surprisingly easy to find back to it, but on the other hand, maybe it wasn’t so surprising at all.

When they calmed down, Shouyou let go of his phone and kneaded his fingers instead.

"I would’ve loved to show you Rio, Kageyama," he said, quieter than before but loud enough to be heard. "There are so many places I wanted to… So many things I wanted to explore with you together. The beach, and the restaurants, and going out at night, there’s a really nice botanical garden and a castle by the sea! And of course climbing Corcovado! And meeting Heitor and Nice and Pedro and the team! I know that they would have loved you right away."

Shouyou smiled at the thought of doing all those things, but when he focused back on the screen, he saw Kageyama biting his lip. His eyes darted from his keyboard back up to meet Shouyou’s gaze and when he spoke, Kageyama’s voice sounded rough and dry.

"I’m sorry. I… I should’ve–"

"What, apologised?" Shouyou asked genuinely, he wasn’t sure whether Kageyama was the one who had to apologise or if it was him after all. Of course he felt sorry in some way, but he also knew that he wasn’t the only one being at fault for the absence of contact that they had established over the first months.

"Well, yes," Kageyama said and looked remorseful. There was suddenly so much regret in his eyes that Shouyou didn’t know how to respond at first.

"I… me too," he finally said once he found his voice back. "It was mean to just shut the laptop and run away. I’m sorry."

"It’s okay, I was dumb."

"You were quite stubborn, Kageyama," Shouyou agreed nodding.

"Shut up, you are too!"

Remaining calm, Shouyou smiled softly. "I know I am," he said, nearly a whisper. "That’s why I’m here."

Kageyama nodded and swallowed audibly. "I think," he said, "I was an idiot."

"I know," Shouyou sighed out but before his friend could react, he continued, "But me too. I’m the idiot here."

Kageyama looked at him with a scowl. "Couldn’t you deny me back there?"

Raising a finger, Shouyou smirked. "We agreed some time ago that we wouldn’t lie, didn’t we?"

Initially confused, Kageyama opened his mouth but no word came out. He sighed in resignation. "Well, we were both idiots."

"Yes!" Shouyou exclaimed.

The two men looked at each other, expressions fond and calm. When Kageyama’s eyes started to aimlessly dart around, Shouyou waited patiently for him to find the words he was looking for.

"I’m sorry that I expected you to be my boyfriend because we like each other," the setter finally said, quieter now.

Shouyou cocked his head to the side and studied his friend, nodding slowly that he understood and accepted his words. "Okay," he whispered anyway.

"And I’m sorry for being mean and shouting at you."

"Alright."

"I’m sorry for calling you an idiot. You are not, only sometimes," he added and the corner of his lips twitched.

Shouyou chuckled.

"And I’m sorry for telling you that you have worth already. I mean," Kageyama added hastily when Shouyou opened his mouth in question. "I do think so, Shouyou, I do think you are worthy. But I think that you don’t see yourself like that yet and need more time to find… it." Kageyama frowned, unsatisfied. "Of course you have a lot to improve, but you will improve, and I’ll be here. I will always be here, Hinata."

The quietly spoken words had a bigger impact than Shouyou had imagined. He blinked heavily and resisted the urge to wipe his arm over his face.

"You’re right," he said once he trusted his voice again. He looked to the side and out of the window where the sky began to darken and the seagulls returned to their nests. "I’m sorry too, Kageyama. I said a lot of things as well. I don’t… know yet where I will end up, but…"

He swallowed and looked back to where his best friend waited with his lips pressed tightly together.

"You mean a lot to me, Kageyama. I will never throw this part of my life away where you play such a big role in."

Kageyama only nodded.

"And the reason I want to wait is… is…" Shouyou swallowed. He had accepted who he was and where he was and where he needed to go for so long, but it was still difficult to say those things aloud. Knowing that, if someone would understand them, it would be Kageyama, he started to vocalise his many thoughts and emotions in still insufficient words.

"I’m not there yet, Kageyama. You’re in a team in the V-League, you’re in the national team and played at the Olympics! And I… just started."

Shouyou pressed his palms together.

"I’m somewhere on the steps of this gigantic, huge super big ladder and I feel like you’re standing on the top of it and I’m… not at the bottom but somewhere above that. There is so much I need to study and train and improve. Of course I want to be worth it, I know that it will be worth it in the end. But for now I want to become better, I want to become stronger. I want to fight on my own even when you’re not there to set the ball for me."

A hurt expression shot through Kageyama’s face and made Shouyou chuckle softly.

"I don’t say that we won’t ever play together again, playing with you is like… it makes my insides go bwaaah, you know?

Kageyama smiled quietly.

"But you know that going pro means that you can’t always chose your setter or spiker. This world is a bit different than the one we were used to and you know that already. But once I get there," Shouyou added, voice low. "It means that I can be with you again."

His friend nodded slowly, but his words let his face brighten a little.

"Until I’m there, before we change anything in what we have now, I… I want to wait. I don’t want to disappoint myself in volleyball. And I know you may see that differently, but that’s important for me."

Shouyou took a shuddering breath and licked his lips before searching for his friend’s eyes.

"I want to test myself, Kageyama," he continued. "I want to show that I can do this, to everyone out there, you, but mainly for myself. Advancing our relationship now is… Volleyball and you are always connected, but there is a line in-between. I want to finish these two years and see where they will get me. I want to be where you are, Kageyama."

Shouyou let out a deep sigh and leaned forwards to rest on his arms on the desk, looking down at the screen.

"I really want to be where you are," he said, quieter now.

Kageyama didn’t move back, he remained where he was, and nodded.

"These feelings are there, Kageyama. The same you have. I won’t let them go. Never."

"What if…"

"Hm?"

Kageyama hesitated but then said, "It’s not that I don’t believe that you can make it. But what if you’re unsatisfied with yourself after your time in Rio is up?"

Thinking about these words, Shouyou tilted his head a little to the side, frowning slightly.

"I don’t know," he finally answered. "I guess I will try even harder then. That’s something for the future to decide and," he added, chuckling, "it’s more than a year away, Kageyama!"

"You’re right, it’s a long time."

"Very long!"

Kageyama snickered but then a painful expression tinted his face.

"I know, I know." Shouyou smiled weakly. "But, I promise you, Kageyama, something will change."

"Yeah?" Piercing blue eyes looked at him hopefully.

"Yeah," Shouyou confirmed, softer now.

Kageyama held his gaze for a moment, then he let out a breath that he had seemed to have kept for a while. "You… You won’t forget me?" he asked then and it didn’t sound as anxious as it could’ve been.

"Never ever!" Flashing a grin, Shouyou wriggled left and right on his chair. "And how could I? The newspapers in Rio were full of pictures of you! Pedro collected everything he could find, he became quite a big fan of volleyball. I think he started some kind of scrapbook, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to see. We have quite a bunch of cut-outs, though, should I send some to you?"

"No, thanks," Kageyama returned with a scowl. "Miwa sent me enough updates already."

Shouyou chuckled and leaned a bit back. "I won’t forget you just because I’m in another country, Kageyama."

"I’m glad." For some reasons the setter looked genuinely pleased with it.

"Mhm, me too."

The next pause was a bit longer and it felt like it was needed to feel the tension leave the room between them, for Kageyama’s shoulders to drop a few millimetres and for Shouyou to let out a sigh.

"I…" Kageyama looked again to the side but cast his eyes back on the screen. "I really miss you, Hinata."

Shouyou swallowed and had the urge to wipe his face again. "Me too, I… If I could I would make you eat the breakfast I cook, drag you down to the beach in an instant, and play a round of beach volleyball together."

Kageyama chuckled raspily.

"I will, though. The next time we’ll meet. Physically, I mean."

"Why does it sound like a threat, Hinata?"

"Beach volleyball is crazy, Kageyama! But the sand is kind, you can trust it," he added with a wink

Kageyama chuckled. "Alright."

Studying his friend for a while, Shouyou opened his mouth, but hesitated before he finally asked, "Are we good now? Is that… okay?"

Kageyama blinked in surprise and for one moment Shouyou thought that he hadn’t understood him, but then he nodded. "Yeah," he croaked and cleared his voice. "Yeah, it’s… I’m fine. I think I needed to understand your reason and I… I guess I’ll continue to wait for the time being."

Kageyama smiled and Shouyou, who let his shoulders slump, returned it. "Yes," he said quietly. "Wait a little longer, Kageyama."

"So…" Kageyama bit his lower lip. "Next week, uhm…"

"Yeah?"

"Can we… video chat next week again?"

Initially baffled, Shouyou fervently nodded. "Yes! Of course!"

"Okay, great. That’s… great." A smile formed Kageyama’s lips, curved and small, but definitely there.

"Yeah. Great," Shouyou repeated.

Smiling bashfully, they exchanged a glance. With all the heavy talk and emotions, Shouyou suddenly felt the day’s exhaustion in his bones and suppressed a yawn.

Throwing a quick glance to the corner of the screen, Kageyama raised an eyebrow. "You should probably go to bed, huh? Given that you still wake up at five."

"Yeah, I do. But this was good. Thank you for asking me to call."

"Well, I had to apologise," Kageyama said, shrugging helplessly.

"Me too," Shouyou replied, grinning.

"I know, we are–"

"–both idiots, yeah."

They laughed together.

"Then… It’s late now, go to sleep."

"I will." Shouyou leaned back and grabbed his mouse to move it to the end call button. "Kageyama?"

"Hm?"

Shouyou snickered. "Have a good day."

"Thanks." Kageyama blinked, then smiled. "Good night, dumbass," he added lovingly and a tender sheen gleamed in his eyes that made Shouyou’s insides fill with warmth.

Going back to regular meetings turned out to be more difficult than expected. At the beginning, arranging a schedule to meet up had taken a lot of effort to begin with, and now where their weeks were filled with more volleyball training they had ever had in their lives before, balancing practice time, work, and private life wasn’t an easy undertaking.

Often, Kageyama had matches outside of Tokyo which required him to travel a lot. He would spent nights in hotels and share his room with his team members and although Shouyou had thought that it would be funny to video call nonetheless, he realised soon that it wasn’t that fun at all. Having someone else in the room Shouyou didn’t know personally didn’t give them the privacy they sought by calling like this. And despite Kageyama using headphones, he seemed to feel very uncomfortable and his responses became awkward, so they stopped doing this after a few failed attempts.

Additionally, training with the national team intensified again and whenever Kageyama called the same evening of such a tough practice day and had to travel the very next, the time they spent together was cut short. More than once Shouyou shouted through the laptop to wake his friend up since he could see Kageyama’s suitcase halfway packed and sweaters and sports clothes scattered over Kageyama’s bed. It was fun in a way, but it hurt to not see his best friend as much anymore and returned to texting or sending videos.

But Shouyou couldn’t complain. He had to balance his life equally. Most of the time he spent at the beach and train with his team, but he also had to squeeze in his part-time job and find time to get food and cook something healthy in-between. His training menu became more intensive, the training longer, and he increased his work-out schedule with approval of his coaches, who he talked to regularly. There were also the meetings he had with Coach Washijou, who listened to Shouyou with a stoic expressions and a gleam in his eyes, and the longer Shouyou talked about his training and the results, the more satisfied he seemed to become.

Nevertheless, Kageyama and him resumed to some sort of schedule to have a video call with each other as often as possible. It was a bit awkward at first, but they managed to return to a status they had had before and stayed close friends they had become over the past four years.

Shouyou noticed that, every time they were about to meet, he became giddy and utterly excited. There were several occasions where Kageyama made a remark on his burnt dinner but Shouyou accepted it and smiled, announcing that it was Kageyama’s fault after all for turning his stomach into a somersault factory. The following blush spreading left and right on Kageyama’s cheeks was the most endearing picture he had ever seen.

Sometimes Shouyou caught himself wishing to change all of that. He wanted to meet Kageyama, in person and for real. He wanted to reach out and touch him, loop his arms around that stupidly large body and press his face in his chest. He wanted to smell Kageyama’s scent again, steal one of his sweaters – the one with the stain maybe – and sleep in it and right next to his best friend.

He wanted to upgrade their relationship status from whatever they had now to everything beyond, to what they both felt they already were, to what he felt was right deep down in his heart.

Some nights, after ending the call and going to bed, after shutting off his light, counting the stars over Rio and knowing that Kageyama was about to head out to get groceries or take the train to go to training, or get a fresh glass of milk, Shouyou became desperate.

The image of a softly smiling Kageyama, whose hair had grown another centimetre since the last call, whose clear blue eyes had sparkled with mirth over a dumb joke Shouyou had made and who listened closely to his story he had experienced on the beach sent blazing sparks down his spine. His skin crackled with a scalding desire that spread from his heart into his fingers, from head to toe, into every limb and to the tips of his ears.

There was so much affection and warmth accumulating in him, intensifying with every contact he had with Kageyama, that he didn’t know what to do with it. He tried to fuse it into his training, to use this energy to improve so he could finally stand on the same stage where Kageyama already was, where he was waiting for him. And some nights, after an intense training session was over, when the unveiled stars turned a blind eye and Shouyou was still filled to the brim with this familiar warmth, he let his feelings spike to dissolve the accumulated heat in his belly into sheer bliss.

With every month passing, Shouyou could literally see his improvements. His body had changed, he kept his hair short now – liked it better that way – and he seemed to have gotten kind of a reputation in Rio. Ninja Shouyou was his name now and every time he heard it, he grinned excitedly while the people of this city that he had come to love so much cheered him on when they had a match in the sand.

Brazil had indeed become his second home and Shouyou was sure, the moment he would have to leave this country once his agreed two years of training were over, he would look forward to flying home, but miss his second one immediately.

His team had welcomed him warmly and when he came home, he knew Pedro would sometimes wait for them to cook dinner together or watch a show on his small TV. Despite the initial fear and detachment to a country, that spoke a language he didn’t even know a single word of when his plane landed, he had come to love living here. He had made so many friends in Rio, gotten familiar with city’s layout, the hills, streets, shops, and restaurants, that he just felt utterly comfortable to be in this culture. Shouyou was sure that after leaving, he would definitely come back another time.

Weeks turned into months and suddenly Shouyou had to prepare for his flight back home. Going back home meant to say farewell to his friends and family he had found in Rio and there were so many things he would miss that Shouyou didn’t know where to start saying goodbye at all.

After delivering the final pizza to a happy regular, Shouyou went more often to the beach than before. Not to train necessarily, sometimes he would just stand there, sit in the sand, and look at the Atlantic. Despite having the ocean so close at home, it was different when he looked at the water in Rio. It felt different in a way, as if he was looking at himself from another perspective.

A final meeting with Coach Washijou was arranged and they talked a lot about possibilities, where Shouyou wanted to go, his wishes and new prospectives for the future. But there was one goal Shouyou had set and he felt no hesitation when he had looked up months ago the details about several try-outs, especially one in Osaka that coincidentally fell a few days after the arrival indicated on his booked ticket.

Shouyou hesitated about telling this Kageyama, he rather – and his heart made a jump at the thought that he would be actually able to do so – tell him in person. And thus they mainly talked about his flight, and since Kageyama was in the middle of training with the Adlers for the upcoming season, it would still take a little while until they would meet. But Shouyou smiled. He was confident in himself and knew that, when they would meet again, it would be on the same stage.

And so, one day, his time in Rio was up and Shouyou was about to return back home.

Kageyama Tobio [20:21]: how was the try-out?

Hinata Shouyou [20:23]: i’m beat!!

Hinata Shouyou [20:23]: but pretty fun

Hinata Shouyou [20:23]: not sure if they want me tho

Kageyama Tobio [20:25]: why wouldn’t they?

Hinata Shouyou [20:23]: yur right, i’m perfect

Hinata Shouyou [20:26]: no argument against it?

Kageyama Tobio [20:26]: why would i?

Hinata Shouyou [20:26]: (ﾉ´ з `)ノ

Hinata Shouyou [20:26]: but man, it’s so cold in japan!!

Hinata Shouyou [20:26]: i miss the beach (ﾉД`)

Kageyama Tobio [20:26]: it’s spring, dumbass. it’s always this cold around this time

Kageyama Tobio [20:26]: yu should know that

Hinata Shouyou [20:27]: i expected Nagoya to be warmer tbh

Kageyama Tobio [20:27]: don’t compare Nagoya to Rio, Hinata

Hinata Shouyou [20:27]: (︶︹︺)

Hinata Shouyou [20:27]: i miss the sun, the sand, the beach… ☀

Kageyama Tobio [20:27]: we have beaches in japan

Hinata Shouyou [20:27]: yeah… japanese beaches

Kageyama Tobio [20:27]: ?

Hinata Shouyou [20:27]: they’re different, Yamayama

Hinata Shouyou [20:27]: very.different.

Kageyama Tobio [20:27]: i see

Kageyama Tobio [20:28]: but yu’ll show me, right?

Kageyama Tobio [20:28]: one day

Hinata Shouyou [20:28]: of course! one day we’ll conquer Rio’s beaches together!!

Kageyama Tobio [20:28]: good

Hinata Shouyou [20:30]: where’re yu now? home?

Kageyama Tobio [20:30]: on the train

Hinata Shouyou [20:30]: still??

Kageyama Tobio [20:30]: just got on. training was longer

Kageyama Tobio [20:30]: we prepare for the first match of the season after all

Hinata Shouyou [20:30]: i know

Kageyama Tobio [20:30]: so training is more intense

Hinata Shouyou [20:30]: yu shuld take a good rest when yur home

Hinata Shouyou [20:30]: eat somethin’

Hinata Shouyou [20:30]: somethin’ healthy!

Kageyama Tobio [20:31]: maybe i’ll do that recipe you gave me

Kageyama Tobio [20:31]: the one with beans, meat, and spinach

Hinata Shouyou [20:31]: oh yes, that’s easy to make!

Hinata Shouyou [20:31]: le me know when you do it!

Hinata Shouyou [20:31]: no wait, let me know after you ate. you should eat first

Kageyama Tobio [20:31]: i need to change first

Hinata Shouyou [20:32]: yeah that too

Kageyama Tobio [20:35]: how is the bus ride? you just go on, right?

Kageyama Tobio [20:35]: i’m sorry we can’t meet

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: its alright! there’ll be another time

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: yu had training after all

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: and it’s just may, i’m sure we can meet before the season starts for real ;)

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: and its AWFUL!!!

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: i told ya, bus rides over night are so awful

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: we just got on the highway, the others are loud, i don’t have enough space

Kageyama Tobio [20:35]: you’ll survive it. try to sleep a little

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: i will.

Hinata Shouyou [20:35]: try, that is

Hinata Shouyou [20:37]: yu have a team bus, right? how is riding that one?

Hinata Shouyou [20:37]: bet it’s like super luxurious

Kageyama Tobio [20:38]: we have toilets and more room than regular buses i guess

Kageyama Tobio [20:38]: because some of us are tall and need space ;)

Hinata Shouyou [20:38]: yeah, yeah, course you do, you setter noodle

Kageyama Tobio [20:38]: Hoshiumi-san gets angry when someone wants to squeeze him in the corner

Kageyama Tobio [20:38]: wait, setter WHAT??

Hinata Shouyou [20:38]: relatable

Hinata Shouyou [20:38]: noodle, Yamayama, noodle

Kageyama Tobio [20:39]: … noodle. can’t believe i’m degraded to a noodle now

Hinata Shouyou [20:39]: yu’re worth it (o´▽`o)

Kageyama Tobio [20:39]: oh, very consoling

Hinata Shouyou [20:42]: oh, Kageyama

Hinata Shouyou [20:42]: can we video call tomrw?

Kageyama Tobio [20:43]: sure!

Kageyama Tobio [20:43]: something up? we wanted to chat the day after tomrowo when i have my day off anyway, right?

Hinata Shouyou [20:44]: i knoooow

Hinata Shouyou [20:44]: but i wanna do that tomorrow. i won’t be that long at home and the day after tomorw i need to pack agai

Kageyama Tobio [20:45]: pack? why? you just arrived then. where are you goigng?

Kageyama Tobio [20:45]: yu just got on the bus back to miyagi

Hinata Shouyou [20:45]: i know, my mother will probably not like it but its just for a few days

Kageyama Tobio [20:45]: where are yu going?

Hinata Shouyou [20:45]: i’ll tell you in person

Kageyama Tobio [20:46]: so tomorrow?

Hinata Shouyou [20:46]: no

Kageyama Tobio [20:46]: ?

Kageyama Tobio [20:46]: pls explain

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: i’ll tell you in person, but not tomorrow

Kageyama Tobio [20:47]: but that is in person

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: no it’s not dummy, i’ll tell you when we meet. physically

Kageyama Tobio [20:47]: but isn’t that in two weeks?

Kageyama Tobio [20:47]: yu’ll have a try-out in tokyo and wanted to meet after, right?

Kageyama Tobio [20:47]: to save hotel fees

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: i’m not just going to your place to save hotel fees!

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: okay, maybe a little bit

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: but that’s not the main reason!

Kageyama Tobio [20:47]: i know, Hinata

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: good

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: it’ll be the first time after rio!!!

Hinata Shouyou [20:47]: i’ll still come and visit you!

Kageyama Tobio [20:48]: okay good

Kageyama Tobio [20:48]: so where are you going? another try-out?

Hinata Shouyou [20:48]: uh…

Hinata Shouyou [20:51]: Osaka

Kageyama Tobio [20:51]: you took two stops to write Osaka?

Hinata Shouyou [20:51]: yur counting time in stops?

Kageyama Tobio [20:51]: i take the train nearly every day, Hinata

Kageyama Tobio [20:51]: so Osaka. Why?

Hinata Shouyou [20:52]: just some bureaucracy stuff, nothing big

Kageyama Tobio [20:52]: it sounds big tho. why Osaka? bureaucracy? will you move there??

Hinata Shouyou [20:52]: maybe…

Kageyama Tobio [20:52]: Hinata tell me!

Hinata Shouyou [20:52]: patience, Yamayama. i’ll tell you when we meet in person

Kageyama Tobio [20:52]: ugh

Kageyama Tobio [20:54]: wait..

Kageyama Tobio [20:54]: when yur is Osaka

Kageyama Tobio [20:54]: and go back to Miyagi after, right

Kageyama Tobio [20:52]: yur in Tokyo on the way back?

Hinata Shouyou [20:52]: yep!

Hinata Shouyou [20:52] : so about meeting in 2 weeks…

Hinata Shouyou [20:52]: can we reschedule? ＼(＾▽＾)／

Kageyama Tobio [20:53]: yu planned that..

Hinata Shouyou [20:53]: it was supposed to be a surprise, but guess now you know, huh

Kageyama Tobio [20:53]: i need to clean before you come

Hinata Shouyou [20:53]: Kageyama

Hinata Shouyou [20:53]: i saw yur flat for the past two years on a somewhat regular basis

Hinata Shouyou [20:53]: i saw you cleaning, cooking and doing yur laundry

Kageyama Tobio [20:53]: we were bored sometimes, weren’t we…

Hinata Shouyou [20:53]: so i don’t mind a bit of dust

Kageyama Tobio [20:53]: okay

Kageyama Tobio [20:53]: when will you be done in Osaka?

Hinata Shouyou [20:54]: i think after two or three days. i wanted to go back on saturday

Kageyama Tobio [20:54]: so… you’ll stop in Tokyo then

Hinata Shouyou [20:54]: yes (o˘◡˘o)

Kageyama Tobio [20:54]: oh great

Kageyama Tobio [20:54]: i look

Hinata Shouyou [20:56]: Kageyama?

Hinata Shouyou [20:56]: you look?? what??

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: sorry

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: forward. i look forward to seeing you.

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: sorry i just…

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: we haven’t seen each other yet so..

Hinata Shouyou [20:56]: hehe

Hinata Shouyou [20:56]: now imagine me visiting you as a surprise

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: it already surprised me

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: good you warned me

Kageyama Tobio [20:56]: i would’ve died at the door

Hinata Shouyou [20:57]: no pls don’t!!

Hinata Shouyou [20:57]: i can’t wait to visit you again!!

Hinata Shouyou [20:57]: but

Kageyama Tobio [20:58]: but?

Kageyama Tobio [20:58]: Hinata?

Hinata Shouyou [20:59]: we

Hinata Shouyou [20:59]: we can’t advance yet

Hinata Shouyou [20:59]: you know

Hinata Shouyou [20:59]: our …status

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: why?

Hinata Shouyou [21:01]: there’s one final thing i want to do and then. after this

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: oh

Hinata Shouyou [21:01]: you’ll understand once you see it :)

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: okay

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: i trust you

Hinata Shouyou [21:01]: thank you :)

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: but yu’ll still come to Tokyo saturday?

Hinata Shouyou [21:01]: of course! show me around, yeah? sunday is your free day

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: don’t be demanding

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: can’t we just stay home and take a rest?

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: like i’m supposed to be on my rest.day

Kageyama Tobio [21:01]: cook something or so

Hinata Shouyou [21:01]: come on, i’ve never been to Tokyo without the main reason of volleyball

Kageyama Tobio [21:02]: you’ve been to Tokyo before and we did stuff together. outside

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: but i know yur flat already, ive been there before and saw it for 2 years!

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: i want to see something! explore with you!

Kageyama Tobio [21:02]: alright yes, we make half a day outside then

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: okay!

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: yur da best!

Kageyama Tobio [21:02]: :)

Kageyama Tobio [21:02]: now get some rest and try to sleep a little

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: yes, yes

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: still early tho

Kageyama Tobio [21:02]: doesn’t matter, you had a tough day with the try-out and all

Hinata Shouyou [21:02]: yur right. okay, i’ll try to rest

Kageyama Tobio [21:02]: good

~ ~ ~

Kageyama Tobio [23:07]: Hinata?

Hinata Shouyou [23:08]: yeah? how’s food?

Kageyama Tobio [23:08]: food was good

Kageyama Tobio [23:08]: yur still up?

Hinata Shouyou [23:08]: the bus is noisy, but people actually sleep now, i’m impressed

Kageyama Tobio [23:08]: try to sleep too

Hinata Shouyou [23:08]: yeah i will

Kageyama Tobio [23:08]: i won’t bother you now

Hinata Shouyou [23:08]: it’s okay, i have the phone on silent anyway

Kageyama Tobio [23:08]: i see

Kageyama Tobio [23:09]: good night, Hinata

Hinata Shouyou [23:10]: good night, Kageyama :)

Resting his chin on his upturned palm, Tobio stared absentmindedly at the bright computer screen showing the open window of the video chat application. His other hand was occupied by gripping the mouse, unmoving fingers long gone cold the more he lost himself in his thoughts, while he waited for to the time to proceed faster and the familiar icon (a volleyball on a sunny beach) to finally turn green.

It was evening already and despite his personal routine – which had guided him through a shower, dinner, and reading the latest issue of Volleyball Monthly – that had eased his nervousness, Tobio couldn’t stop his mind from thinking.

In a few minutes he would talk to his best friend. After they had agreed to meet – to finally meet in person, on upcoming Saturday! – Tobio’s mind had started to spin.

It had been a very long time after they’d seen each other before Hinata’s departure for Rio and during those months, those years, Tobio had come to understand that he wouldn’t want to do this again. Not for this long at least. Of course he wanted to advance their relationship status, but his primary desire was to be close to Hinata. He wanted to meet him in person, to see him laugh without a screen and so many kilometres between them, and to hear his voice which didn’t come through those tacky loudspeakers of his rundown laptop.

He knew very well that things couldn’t be as they’d been during high school, they wouldn’t spend more than twelve hours together every day anymore. The chance to be on the same V-League team were low and Tobio highly doubted that Hinata actually wanted to be on the Adlers’ team or he would’ve come to their try-outs one month earlier.

There was only one option to be on the same team, but for now, Tobio shoved that thought at the back of his head.

Having Hinata back in Japan was already good, but there was more, so much more for Hinata to come back.

Tearing his eyes away from the screen, which still showed no sign of the grey icon turning into any other colour at all, Tobio turned to look into his bedroom.

Despite Hinata’s argument that he wouldn’t mind a bit of dust, he still planned to clean a little bit before Saturday. He was very sure that Hinata would probably not even notice the difference, but Tobio remembered the rare times a visitor had come and Miwa had always made sure to keep the house clean for that occasion. It might’ve stuck to him a little bit, even though he didn’t mind some dust either.

More important than the question of which piece of furniture had possibly accumulated the most loose crumps and dried pieces of cooked rice, was the question of where Hinata would sleep. There was only one bed in Tobio’s small flat and even if he offered to share it, he wasn’t sure if Hinata would take it. They had agreed not to advance yet, thus, sharing a single bed was perhaps a little bit much.

And how was he supposed to react in general? Should he hug Hinata when he saw him? Was it alright? They were best friends after all, hugging would be totally normal, wouldn’t it? But what if he couldn’t let go of Hinata, what if he wanted to keep touching him? Hinata needed to leave again; what if he cried, what if…

Tobio swallowed and blinked a couple of times, then he shook his head.

Focus, Tobio, focus.

It was Hinata, he would be alright. He had survived four plus two and a little more years with him, he knew him, he was his best friend, his partner, his…

A soft tune pulled his eyes back to the laptop and when he noticed the blinking green phone and the beach picture suddenly big and sunny in the middle of his screen, Tobio hurried to sit properly on his chair and hastily accept the incoming call.

And there he was.

Hinata was grinning so widely that his eyes were almost squeezed shut. His hair was bright and glowing and also a little damp, as if he had taken a shower recently, after which he had changed into a t-shirt.

"What took you so long, Yamayama?”

Tobio scowled. "I was just… thinking,” he evaded.

"I saw you being online, though.”

"I could’ve been in the kitchen or taking a dump or something,” Tobio said, trying to sound casually.

"U–huh, yeah. I can nearly believe that, the dump thing.”

"Oi!”

Hinata snickered and the sound eased Tobio a little again, he even smiled back, then he took in Hinata’s room.

Tobio had been there many times during high school and occasionally after graduation before they had become too busy to meet up as often anymore. Nothing much had changed since Hinata had moved to Brazil, but now where he saw his friend sitting once more at his desk on his chair and in front of his bed, Hinata’s broader and more compact figure seemed to have outgrown his own childhood room. Even though he could only see him through his tiny laptop screen, Tobio noticed how defined muscles flexed every time Hinata’s arms shifted or broad shoulders reached the edge of the screen when Hinata’s well-trained athletic body moved to the side to fetch a glass of water.

Tobio realised that he must’ve stared way too long at his friend, but it needed Hinata’s mirthful snicker to pull him out of it.

"Where are you looking, Kageyama?”

"No–nowhere.”

Hinata studied him, but he didn’t say anything, he was just grinning ever so brightly.

"Anyway,” Tobio cleared his voice, "what did you want to talk about?”

"Huh? No ‘How was the rest of the bus ride’ or ‘What did you family say’? Nothing?”

"Well, you texted me this morning how awful it was to wake up and still be on the bus. Then you said that you saw your mother, who wanted to come and pick you up, and that you wanted to have a big breakfast together.”

The teasing glance gave way to a softer smile. "Yep! That’s about it.”

"So, was there more for me to know?”

"Hmm, you’re right, there isn’t much.” Hinata kept smiling, then he bent to the side and the sound of rustling resounded when he busied himself with something at his side. It gave Tobio the free view onto the mostly bare wall where Hinata’s uniform used to hang on a hook, the bed was freshly made (probably by his mother), and there was a suitcase behind the bed, one of the two Tobio remembered Hinata had brought with him from Rio.

"What did you want to talk about?”

"Huh? Oh, uhm…” Hinata’s head popped up again and from his hand dangled the charger for his phone.

"Why are you going to Osaka?”

"Just some bureaucracy, as I said.” Brown eyes evaded Tobio’s invasive stare and Hinata pretended to have difficulties plugging in the charger.

"You’re avoiding the subject, Hinata,” Tobio noticed with a frown, eyes following Hinata’s arm muscles shift.

Hinata paused, then he let go of the charger and settled back in his chair. His eyes returned to look at Tobio, his gaze softer and almost gentle. He didn’t take his eyes off Tobio when he quietly said, "I want to tell you, Kageyama, I will tell you. But I want to wait a bit before I do so.”

"Oh.” Tobio nodded. He appreciated the honesty, the straightforwardness of Hinata to say that he didn’t want to talk about it right now. It still bothered him, though.

"What do you want to tell?”

"No tricks, Kageyama!” Hinata laughed.

"Ugh, fine.” Tobio heaved a sigh and glared, unsatisfied, at the edge of the screen.

"Come on, Kageyama, I’ll tell you on Saturday.”

Well, this was a surprise. "Really?”

"Yeah, really. Really really.”

Another warm smile flashed Hinata’s lips and Tobio looked at him, chuckling softly. "Okay, great,” he mumbled.

"Yeah. I think so too.”

Both men smiled at each other in mutual understanding.

"I trust you, Hinata, don’t forget to tell me.”

"I swear on Mikasa’s durable quality that I won’t forget that, definitely not!” Hinata beamed at him, so wide and bright, brimming with confidence and determination, that Tobio nearly squinted. He laughed.

"Okay, okay, I get it, thanks.”

Hinata smiled in relief. "Me too… thank you,” he said, quieter now.

"What for?”

"For… believing in me. For trusting me.” Hinata’s expression shifted a little and he fixated Tobio’s eyes once more.

"Of course.” Tobio was a little surprised, but spoke genuinely. "Why wouldn’t I?”

Hinata’s smile was wary but the gleam in his eyes stayed. "You were… You always did, it’s not a given, you know? You’re… we…”

"It’s because you are you, Hinata, that I trust you. I know that… you can do… it.”

Their eyes met and Hinata’s voice broke a little when he laughed. Tobio pursed his lips, a little unsatisfied with the lame end of his words, but Hinata’s laughter – clear and bright and mirthful – let his heartbeat pick up its pace. He watched Hinata once more relax and lean back against the backrest, which had become way too small for his broader body.

"Is it weird?”

Hinata frowned in confusion. "What is?”

"To be back again,” Tobio explained in a whisper. For some reason he couldn't say it at a normal volume.

"I’m already back since one and a half month, Kageyama,” Hinata returned gleefully.

"I know, but… You mostly travelled around to get to try-outs and stuff. You haven’t been home in Miyagi that often yet. Apart from the first two weeks when you came back.”

Hinata tilted his head a little and studied Tobio, who squirmed a little on his chair. "Are you still pouting that you couldn’t come to pick me up?”

"I’m not pouting!” Tobio scowled, then sighed. "But yeah, maybe… I’m annoyed by it. I wanted to welcome you back home as well.”

"You did, though.”

"We video called, Hinata. Video call. While you were unpacking,” Tobio added and although the memory was rather fun, he bit his lip. "Welcoming you at the airport would’ve been… would’ve been…”

"Much more romantic?” Hinata filled in, his brows twitching. "Kageyama,” he continued carefully. "Yesterday, I–”

"Yes, I know that you said it,” Tobio replied, more brusque than intended. It resulted in a deep frown of his friend, who fell silent and gave Tobio a long rueful look.

"I’m sorry.”

Tobio’s eyes widened. "No need to apologise, dumbass,” he said, hoping to ease the sudden tension.

He didn’t like to see Hinata like this, gloomy and guilty about something they had agreed on. It was true, they were close now – much closer than before Rio – and even in the same time zone. But they still weren’t what they both sought.

Despite Hinata’s wish to wait some more time, he still looked as unsatisfied with the situation as Tobio felt. Both of them knew that it would be difficult to maintain a steady relationship while becoming professional volleyball players, but Tobio trusted Hinata, he really trusted him, and this giant glob of warm fuzzy feelings he had inside whenever he thought about his best friend was enough to make him believe.

Tobio knew that Hinata was certain about it all, but he wanted to make sure, he needed to say it, aloud and now.

"Hinata, I understand you,” Tobio said now to breach the silence. "I know that you want to wait until… whatever it is, and I will wait. I will wait until forever if necessary.”

Hinata’s eyes started to gleam again and he chuckled. His voice was still a little tense when he replied, "I hope you don’t have to.”

"Me neither.” Tobio smiled softly. "But I would, you know that.”

Hinata swallowed audibly. "Yeah,” he breathed.

"I will be there, waiting for you. When you’re ready.”

A curt nod shook Hinata’s head and now he smiled a little. When faint footsteps sounded, he turned his head to look at the door, but when whoever it was – his mother or Natsu – passed by, Hinata turned back to the screen. "Thank you,” he whispered.

"Of course.”

Tobio saw Hinata’s expression soften again before he reached for something on his desk, retrieving a cup of water. For a few moments the quiet splashing of water echoed through Tobio’s speakers and he heard his friend wetting his throat.

"Why did you actually want to talk?”

Hinata blinked, confused. "Huh?”

"Today,” Tobio added. "You asked me to have a video call today and I thought…” He paused, frowning, "that there might’ve been a reason.”

"Getting your hopes up?” Hinata asked, teasingly.

Tobio wanted to retort something, but when he noticed the dark spark and the last bits of tension in Hinata’s voice dripping out, he hesitated. Maybe Hinata needed this to fully ease back into the previous atmosphere.

"I just…” Hinata said, ignoring his previous words, "wanted to see you. Before I go to Osaka and all.”

"Oh. I see.”

He wanted to see him.

Tobio pressed the back of his hand to his mouth to hide the wobbly smile that had reached the surface, but it was too late.

"You’re happy, Kageyama.”

"Shut up, dumbass.”

Hinata giggled. "I know when you’re happy, Kageyama-kun.”

Tobio grumbled something, but didn’t respond to that. Instead, he rubbed his hot cheek and asked, "When will you leave?”

"The day after tomorrow. Early too. It’s a long way to Osaka. I have to take the bus and a local train to Sendai, then I’ll change to the Shinkansen.”

Tobio blinked. "Shinkansen? That’s quite expensive.”

His friend’s eyes widened slowly and looked at him as if he had just told a secret he should’ve have kept. "I, uh, I saved some money.”

"I know that this was a lie, Hinata, try better.”

Hinata huffed. "Okay, alright. I have a sponsor,” he said, his voice getting quieter with each word and evading his eyes.

Tobio’s eyes became the size of saucers. "Sponsor? You already got accepted!?”

"Kageyama, please, I already said too much.” Hinata looked at him pleadingly. He held the gaze a little longer before gripping his glass of water and drink, probably to distract from the metaphorical information bomb being thrown into a casual evening chat.

Heaving a sigh, Tobio gave in. "Okay, okay. Will you at least explain on Saturday?”

Hinata beamed at him. "I will! Ugh.” Water dribbled out of the corners of his mouth and he started to choke on water. Tobio wanted to help, but he had learned that sometimes you feel quite helpless on the other side of a laptop screen. Thus, he could only watch his friend coughing, freckled skin turning red.

"Calm down, dumbass, it’s just water,” was the only thing he could do. It made Hinata blink perplexed, before breaking into laughter, pulling Tobio right in.

"Thanks," Hinata said, once calmed down. A bashful smile parted his lips. "For waiting. For waiting so much."

"I said I would wait forever, right?" Tobio smirked. "Though, I would prefer if it would be within my lifetime."

"You did, Kageyama. And yeah, me too."

They exchanged a smile.

"So, uhm," Tobio added and licked his lip, "text me when you’re there."

"Where?" Hinata asked, confused.

"In Osaka."

"Oh… Why?"

He met the curious glance quickly. "So that I know you made it safely."

Hinata’s eyes widened. "I will!" he exclaimed happily.

"Okay, great, so… Tell me about the other things I don’t know yet."

A giggle. "Other things?"

Tobio shrugged and glanced at Hinata’s door. "What’s Natsu doing?"

Suddenly, his friend grinned so wide as if he had received the best news ever. "Oh, you wouldn’t believe it! Can you guess what she is doing right now? I’m so proud, oh the gods, Kageyama."

And then Tobio listened with a warm feeling in his chest to Hinata’s voice, talking about his sister and volleyball and the magic number 10 that connected them all.

Hinata Shouyou [15:45]: i just got on the train!!

Hinata Shouyou [15:45]: i LOVE seat reservations!!

Hinata Shouyou [15:45]: i feel so vip

Kageyama Tobio [15:47]: you feel LIKE a vip, dumbass

Hinata Shouyou [15:47]: who cares, i have sooo much space to stretch

Hinata Shouyou [15:47]: much more than on a bus (≧ε≦)

Kageyama Tobio [15:47]: you still resent those buses huh?

Hinata Shouyou [15:48]: forever and ever and ever

Kageyama Tobio [15:48]: :D

Kageyama Tobio [15:48]: keep me updated so i can be there on time to pick you up

Kageyama Tobio [15:48]: probably earlier

Hinata Shouyou [15:49]: alright (≧◡≦)

Hinata Shouyou [15:49]: i bet yu’ll be there super early tho

Kageyama Tobio [15:49]: i haven’t seen you for real since 27 months, Hinata

Kageyama Tobio [15:49]: i want to be there when the train arrives

Kageyama Tobio [15:49]: so there’s no second i don’t have you here

Hinata Shouyou [15:50]: first, 26 months, 2 weeks and one day, Yamayama

Hinata Shouyou [15:50]: and second…

Hinata Shouyou [15:50]: is that Kageyama Tobio writing this message?

Hinata Shouyou [15:50]: so sappy

Kageyama Tobio [15:51]: you like it

Hinata Shouyou [15:51]: i do (^ڡ^)

Hinata Shouyou [15:51]: but i like usual-Kageyama too

Kageyama Tobio [15:51]: usual-Kageyama? Who’s that? 눈_눈

Hinata Shouyou [15:52]: you! it’s yu!

Kageyama Tobio [15:52]: whatever

Kageyama Tobio [15:52]: text me

Hinata Shouyou [15:52]: i will!!

Hinata Shouyou [15:52]: can’t wait to be back in Tokyo

Hinata Shouyou [15:52]: i look forward to having my tour

Kageyama Tobio [15:53]: it’ll be seven in the evening, Hinata..

Kageyama Tobio [15:53]: we’ll have dinner then

Hinata Shouyou [15:54]: ohhhh

Hinata Shouyou [15:54]: yu cook?

Kageyama Tobio [15:54]: …

Kageyama Tobio [15:54]: no

Kageyama Tobio [15:54]: but i’ll pay

Hinata Shouyou [15:55]: fine by me :D

Hinata Shouyou [15:55]: it’s not that long from Osaka to Tokyo

Hinata Shouyou [15:55]: compared to like Karasuno to Tokyo

Kageyama Tobio [15:55]: or Rio to Miyagi?

Hinata Shouyou [15:55]: yeah :D

Hinata Shouyou [15:55]: so

Hinata Shouyou [15:55]: see yu soon then!!!

Kageyama Tobio [15:56]: yes

Kageyama Tobio [15:56]: see you soon

Kageyama Tobio [15:56]: :)

The exit area slowly filled with passengers, who had fetched their belongings from the overhead compartments, and lined up to get out at the next stop:Tokyo Main Station.

Not listening to the low chatter and quiet talks behind him, Shouyou fiddled with the straps of his backpack and stared through the narrow window out into the Tokyo landscape, which seemed to be made mostly of concrete and was bathed in the warm light of sunset.

A weird feeling had settled into his chest, squeezing his heart and pumping the blood through his vessels at a much higher pace. In less than a minute, he would hop out of the Shinkansen, go to the exit and hope to find his best friend among the masses that occupied Tokyo. He would find him, for sure, Kageyama was – for the Japanese standard – quite tall after all, and there was no way Shouyou would not find him; but he was nonetheless nervous of missing him somehow.

There were just too many people in Tokyo; Shouyou remembered from when he had gone to the try-out he had had in the capital a few weeks ago. Even though he had been disappointed because he hadn’t had the chance to meet Kageyama, since his friend had been too busy with the production of an advertisement – something Kageyama seemed to regret and was a matter of occasional tease – he had also been relieved. He didn’t mind coming to Tokyo, he loved visiting Kageyama, but living here was another matter. He wasn’t used to the bustling, to the noise all around the clock. At least Kageyama’s flat was in a quiet neighbourhood and he seemed to have gotten used to living there somehow.

Lost in his thoughts, Shouyou didn’t realise that the train had significantly slowed down. When he could see the platform appear, his heartbeat picked up again, he gripped his straps tighter, and tried to ease his sudden dry throat, but to no avail.

The Shinkansen came to a very gentle stop and as soon as the door opened, Shouyou hopped out. Noticing the elderly woman behind him, he helped her to get the suitcase down on the platform, bowed and smiled, and finally turned around to look out for the exit signs.

Following the stream of people heading towards the escalators, Shouyou soon found himself on a broader way from where many people headed further towards the subway exchange stations or left the station entirely. Once Shouyou found the correct exit gate they had agreed on, he lined up for the ticket gates and finally he was out of the Shinkansen area.

Securing a spot from where he wouldn’t bother any passengers, Shouyou started to search for Kageyama. He even jumped on the spot to look over the many heads; he had grown a bit, but not as much as he would need to oversee all of those people accumulating in Tokyo Main Station.

When his eyes spotted silky black hair and piercing eyes, Shouyou’s heart skipped a beat and sudden excitement flooded through him. His view was immediately blocked by a large group of people coming in, but Shouyou knew where to go now.

Hoping that Kageyama wouldn’t move away from where he had seen him, Shouyou made his way through the crowd, shoving, fighting, shuffling, and taking elbows in his ribs.

And then there he was: Kageyama. Right in front of him.

Shouyou had managed to get to the other side of the exit area and stared up into his best friend’s face, who returned the look no less perplexed. Kageyama’s eyes were blown, capturing a mixture of disbelief, surprise and pure bliss, raw and vulnerable. The clear blue was as beautiful as ever – as beautiful as Shouyou remembered the time before he had left Japan, when they had seen each other the very last time, one chilly Spring evening in Miyagi. Like the ocean itself, vivid and gleaming and so deep, were these orbs looking at Shouyou, needing longer to register Shouyou being there for real.

"Ka–Kageyama," Shouyou stuttered, embarrassed that his voice was failing him now.

"Hinata." Kageyama swallowed visibly and then he quickly nodded to the side. "Uhm… Let’s go to… Here."

Guided by the broad warm hand settling on his elbow, Shouyou followed his friend to the edge of the bustling crowd until they came to a halt in a corner next to an abandoned ticket booth. Once they faced each other again, Shouyou said nothing, but cherished the moment when he could look closely at the other's appearance.

Kageyama wore a simple black t-shirt, dark slacks, and a small bag was wrapped around his upper body, dangling right in front of his chest. Even in the dim light of this corner, Kageyama’s hair appeared silky and smooth. It was lightly tousled, as if Kageyama had carded through it one too many times already, and little cowlicks peeked out at the sides. Shouyou would’ve teased him about it, but couldn’t; not here, not right now, with Kageyama so close and in reach.

When Shouyou looked up into the deep blue eyes, he noticed the nervous flit of the iris and he felt his lips twitch into a smile. It grew wide, and wider and even wider. He couldn’t stop grinning as he looked up into his best friend’s face after so many months apart.

"Kageyama," he whispered, his voice broke again, but neither of them commented on it.

Kageyama just nodded, his wobbling lips were pressed together, and then he made an abrupt movement of his hand to grab a piece of Shouyou’s sleeve. He tugged at it, much gentler than the initial shift had indicated, and there was a question in his eyes when he searched in Shouyou’s face.

Shouyou just nodded and was instantly pulled into a hug. A gentle cloud of black fabric and warmth engulfed him and the first thing Shouyou noticed was the scent, the very familiar scent that solely belonged to Kageyama. It reminded Shouyou of squeaking shoes and flickering lights at the ceiling of Karasuno’s gym, of the echo of their banter and the sensation of his skin burning when he had received a ball with his forearms. It reminded him of careful touches in the dark and clumsy hugs, of shared grins and high-fives, of complete trust, determination and desperation, yearning and a shared dream.

The scent was nostalgic and melancholic, and realisation struck Shouyou: They had been apart for more than two years, he hadn’t been able to be where Kageyama was, and now… he was. The time during high school, the year before going to Rio, Rio itself, and his journey back home, they all had special places in Shouyou’s mind, but now they seemed to fuse and form a huge ball of emotions that just overflowed.

He hiccuped and froze in space, initially overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff flooding through him all of a sudden. He took a deep shuddering breath and noticed how Kageyama tilted his head, probably to check up on him. Shouyou could already picture his worried scowl and a question written across his face, but before Kageyama had the chance to move further away, Shouyou buried his nose into Kageyama’s chest and clutched the back of his t-shirt, fingers fisting into the soft fabric. He took a step forward to press himself closer and flush their chests, while the solid weight of Kageyama stood in front of him, seeking the same amount of closure they were able to give right now. Kageyama huffed very quietly, seemingly accepting that there wouldn’t be an explanation, and tightened his grip of his arms around Shouyou.

This wasn’t how Shouyou had pictured their physical reunion to be; standing in Tokyo Main Station, being surrounded by hundreds of strangers who had the sole aim of going home, and hugging each other like drowning men the life buoy. But he wasn’t able to say that he didn’t like it. Especially not when Kageyama’s hand slipped under the backside of his backpack to splay his broad hands over his spine and shoulder blade. Shouyou felt warmth seeping into his bones and he craned his neck to bury his nose in the spot just above Kageyama’s collarbone.

He knew that this hug was too close for friends and way too long to be sociable acceptable, but right now Shouyou didn’t care at all. There was just a flitting spark in his mind, which was filled to the brim with affection and the desire to touch, to finally touch. He had waited too long to be able to be here and regret filled him that he hadn’t come earlier to visit Kageyama in Tokyo.

But just like the previous spark of doubt, the regret soon vanished as well and he melted into the soothing scents and familiar body that wrapped himself around his.

The two men stood by each other for a very long time. Shouyou didn’t know how much time exactly had passed, but at some point it seemed that they had become a part of the station’s inventory. More and more people ignored them and as the number of strangers nudging them increased, they slowly eased out of the hug.

When Shouyou looked up to see his friend’s flushed face, Kageyama’s nose almost brushed his temple. Once they had a few centimetres between them, Shouyou still gazed up at Kageyama, who didn’t blink even once.

"Let’s… Let’s go home,” Kageyama whispered, his hoarse voice tickling Shouyou’s skin, who nodded and swallowed while saying,"Yeah, let’s.”

They turned to face the crowd gathering in front of the gates and exits.

"Where do we…” Shouyou trailed off when Kageyama pointed at the sign that led them to the subway. Even though he had a vague memory of the way back to Kageyama’s flat, Shouyou nevertheless eased when his friend guided the way. His broad figure breached the mass of people and when Shouyou hurried to follow, warm fingers brushed his. Without thinking, Shouyou took it, and let his hand be swallowed by Kageyama’s bigger one.

The stream of people – tourists, teenager, and mostly business men – didn’t end until they reached the correct track and lined up to wait for the next subway to arrive. Just two minutes later the green train pulled into the station, they boarded and were instantly squashed into a corner next to the door. Shouyou didn’t mind, they were at least close to the exit, but when the train started to move, he unconsciously squeezed Kageyama’s hand, searching for purchase.

And Kageyama squeezed back.

Shouyou blinked and looked up, wanting to shake it off with a nervous laugh, but when he saw the worried glance in Kageyama’s eyes, he swallowed and smiled.

"Thanks,” he mumbled and heard Kageyama hum.

The setter stayed close for the rest of the journey, even when some space opened up behind him. He was always there, right by his side, and pressed noticeably closer, just a little, to which Shouyou replied with a quiet smile. He savoured the warmth, the narrow proximity. Kageyama didn’t say anything while they were on the train, but Shouyou felt piercing blue eyes resting on him every now and then.

They changed trains twice before they finally exited through the gates. Kageyama lead the way and when they were under the open sky, they both inhaled deeply. The two left the main street, walked for a few minutes until they reached a quieter neighbourhood, and finally Shouyou recognised a few of the buildings and shops along the way.

It was just before they reached the apartment building that Kageyama let go of Shouyou’s hand. He hadn’t noticed until then that he was still holding onto it, its touch comfortable and warm.

"Sorry,” Kageyama mumbled as his fingers slipped away.

Shouyou stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend’s hand moving away, before dumbly looking at his own hand which still felt the warmth that had seeped into his kin. "It’s fine,” he returned and looked up to see an insecure expression in Kageyama’s eyes, as if he had done something unforgivable.

"It’s fine, Kageyama, really. I didn’t notice it,” Shouyou tried to ease his friend.

"Oh. Okay.”

"I mean,” he added, feeling the need to rephrase that as he saw how Kageyama tried to hide his disappointment. "I mean that I… It felt good, so I didn’t feel like I had… I didn’t feel like letting go either.”

Kageyama’s eyes widened, then he slowly nodded. "I see. Thanks.”

"Why do you thank me?” Shouyou giggled and nudged his friend’s side.

A smile formed Kageyama’s lips, small but genuine. "Let’s go,” he said quietly, but his eyes gleamed.

"Yes!”

While they moved on, Shouyou walked a step behind Kageyama, glancing down at his hands. He sought the touch of bigger palms and slender fingers, but he didn’t take them again.

Not yet, he told himself. You need to wait. Not yet. Wait until autumn.

But it was such a long time. Shouyou groaned internally and cursed his grim determination that stood in the way of showing his affection openly, while he followed Kageyama to the lit entrance of the apartment complex. The stairway was empty and once they reached the third floor, Kageyama unlocked the door to his flat and let them in.

And suddenly, as Shouyou stood in the genkan watching Kageyama take off his shoes, he grew nervous. There was a reason why he had come one week earlier than originally planned after all, and now, where he was in Tokyo, somewhere in northern Taitou and in Kageyama’s flat, excitement flooded through him. It felt as if a ball loaded with emotions had been spiked right through him, his backpack felt heavier than before and his fingers tingled. He felt the urge to do something, to jump, run, hop on the tiny orange couch Kageyama owned or shout from the bottom of his lungs.

But he kept it inside and waited until Kageyama had put his shoes neatly next to the others before Shouyou got out of his own. Coming into a familiar flat – that he had, if he was honest, seen more often through the camera of a laptop than with his own eyes – and the simple tasks like taking off his shoes and backpack and washing his hands calmed him down. When he stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room, he inhaled deeply.

"Does it smell?” Kageyama had went ahead to the kitchen. Now he studied Shouyou with a frown from his position in the door frame.

"No, why? Is it supposed to smell? Did you use something?” Shouyou walked towards Kageyama and leaned closer to sniff his arm.

"What are you doing?”

Shouyou flashed a grin. "You don’t smell, Kageyama. You smell like you always do.”

Scowling, Kageyama seemed unimpressed. "That’s not very relaxing.”

"I didn’t say that I hate your smell, didn’t I?” Shouyou deemed the matter for done, got out of his sweatshirt and threw it across the coach. When he turned back, he saw a tiny smile on Kageyama’s lips, but before he had the chance to investigate it further, Kageyama already faced the kitchen again.

"Do you want something to drink?” asked he while walking off.

"Uh, yeah!”

"Milk?”

Shouyou chuckled. "Sure!” He trailed behind his best friend, settled on a chair at the tiny kitchen table, but he was so nervous that he got up right away. Kageyama, having noticed his fidget behaviour, raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?”

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes, I’m fine. Oh milk! Thanks!”

Shouyou accepted the glass and stared at the white liquid, not quite interested in actually drinking it as his mind focused on something else entirely. The previous nervousness had returned and as he grabbed the mug with clammy fingers, he licked his lips and tried to survive the calls in his mind.

Show it now, now! Kageyama is right here, right next to me in his tiny kitchen in his tiny apartment in this super huge city. He’s standing in front of the toaster he uses every morning to make his healthy breakfast – or whatever he called it – and sips his milk.

Shouyou would have loved to tease Kageyama about the white remnants of milk around his lips, but he was too tense, too caught in the desire to tell, to show him, now, now, Shouyou, do it now!

Shouyou raised his head and stared at the other, who was busy licking his lips clean.

"Kageyama!”

Startled, Kageyama’s eyes widened. "W–what?”

Shouyou only returned the look, opening and closing his mouth again and again. "I…” He swallowed and didn’t take his eyes off Kageyama, who looked at him, puzzled. "I… I will move to Osaka!”

"Wha– Why? Osaka? Wait, what?” Obviously confused, Kageyama pushed himself off the edge and stared at him, silently demanding an explanation.

Trying to find the right words, which he hadn’t thought about before, Shouyou put down his mug and declared, "I’ll show you!”

He hastily left the kitchen, too nervous to care if he plucked down the mug on his way, but as he knew that Kageyama had gotten the scrapped cutlery from his sister anyway, he didn’t feel that bad about it. Once he got to his backpack, he snapped it open and began to rummage in it, searching for the clearfile, despite him knowing where it was. He knew exactly where it was, right in the inner bag that was closest to his back where it would be save and not get any crumples. He had checked what felt like fifty times if the file was inside before he had left Osaka.

Once he had it, he shot up and whirled around, nearly bumping into Kageyama, who had followed him and now stood behind him, watching his doings with a confused expression.

"HERE!” Shouyou shouted unnecessarily loud.

"What is that?”

Kageyama’s scowl was justified. Shouyou looked down at the clearfile, which was coloured in the blue and pink colours of the new Pokemon game that had been released a few years prior. It looked kind of obnoxious, but it was a present Natsu had given him before he had went to Rio since this game had been popular in her school and she had wanted him to have it. It had never failed to secure his documents.

"Pokemon?” Kageyama asked and a grin tugged at his lips. "What are you, fifteen?”

"Th–that’s not important! Here.” Shoving his embarrassment aside, Shouyou carefully got out the document and presented it. "Look at this.”

The teasing glance disappeared and Kageyama looked at the document with interest. He leaned forward to read and Shouyou felt their shoulders brush while silence fell upon them.

And then Kageyama swallowed, his eyes like saucers stared down at the document.

"Hinata,” he whispered, his voice rough and deep, and Shouyou watched his friend’s face crumple into something complex. There was surprise – which was good as it was what Shouyou had aimed for after all – but also happiness and maybe pride. It seemed as if Kageyama was torn between the emotions, unsure on which he should finally settle. In the end, the ever-present soft scowl between his brows eased and he looked, clear and bewildered, at Shouyou.

"Hinata,” he said again, searching for Shouyou’s eyes.

Shouyou just nodded, slow and measured, as if he taught his friend how to do it. A grin parted his lips and he flashed his teeth. "I’ll move to Osaka!” He shouted, excited.

"You made it.”

Shouyou grinned wider.

"You… You waited for this.”

"Yeah,” Shouyou said sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "But…,” he added and threw his friend a cautious glance. "Not yet. I’m… not there yet.”

"What do you mean?”

"I… There’s something else I have to do.” Shouyou bit his lip and watched Kageyama, hoping that he would understand without him adding many more words since he wasn’t sure if he was able to.

"Oh. Okay.” Kageyama nodded in understanding. Well, maybe he didn’t fully understand, but he trusted Shouyou, and Shouyou realised that as he looked at him, surprised at his reaction which would’ve been very different three years ago. Kageyama accepted his decision, accepting him, trusting him. It was… a very good feeling.

"I, uhm. Hinata, I… Congratulations.”

Shouyou giggled. "Thanks! I guess…” He looked down at the contract with the MSBY Black Jackals he had just signed this morning. "I guess you seeing it now makes it more real.”

"How?”

Shouyou shrugged helplessly, but then a spark shot through his chest and his vision blurred.

"Woah, Hinata! What’s wrong?” Kageyama grabbed his shoulder. "That’s what you wanted, right? Hinata?”

Shouyou nodded and smiled a little at the careful squeeze, but he also couldn’t stop sniffing and his eyes seemed to turn into little pools.

"It is,” he returned, "but I… I wanted to show you first. I just told my mother it’s another try-out I have to go to, but I… I actually went to sign the contract, Kageyama. I… you should be the first to see it. I wanted to tell you first, Kageyama, I–”

A near tender sigh, followed by a soft "Dumbass” was spoken into the little space between them, and then Shouyou was pulled into another hug, sudden and firm. Shouyou eased into the embrace and now he started to sob for real. But he was happy, so happy, and he laughed and cried and wiped his face before burying his running nose into Kageyama’s t-shirt.

"You did it, Hinata.” Kageyama’s voice was rough and thick, but it was all Shouyou needed to hear.

"Yeah.”

It was similar to when they were at the station, but hugging each other now was more, so much more intimate. Kageyama’s body was solid and warm, his scent radiating off him made Shouyou relax and the previous tension and nervousness fled his veins. He smiled and as he snuffled, he hoped that Kageyama wouldn’t mind if his clothes would get drenched. Looping his arms around both sides of his friend’s chest, Shouyou clutched the fabric around Kageyama's waist and took a deep breath before pressing his forehead against Kageyama’s sternum.

He was here now, with Kageyama.

A surge of happiness and relief came over him. He had been welcomed with literally open arms and there was so much warmth and belief in that gesture. Shouyou wanted to say so many things at once. He wanted to utter how grateful he was for the constant support, to find words for his thanks, his everything. He had poured so much into getting where he was now, he had fused all his resources and energy into becoming who he was, aiming for a place he belonged to.

Maybe he had all along.

He knew there was one thing missing, one thing he wanted to accomplish, and he feared it might take a little while longer to happen. But he was sure that the feelings wouldn’t change, he would always be welcomed by Kageyama, always be embraced by so much affection that he wished he could stay like this forever.

Above his head, Kageyama mumbled, "You did it,” into his hair, tickling him. He had one arm wrapped around his back while he other hold on to the clearfile and documents.

Shouyou nodded and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"You made it,” Kageyama said again, "Hinata. By yourself.”

Shaking his head, Shouyou finally eased his muscles to look at Kageyama’s face. Kageyama tilted his head to look at him, but stayed close. "What do you mean?” he asked calmly, his voice low.

"I–” Shouyou swallowed. "I had help. There was my family and Kenma and all the people in Rio and Pedro and… Coach Washijou did so much! And… and you.”

"I didn’t do much,” Kageyama said quietly.

"You did,” he insisted.

Kageyama’s frown deepened and he leaned forward again to rest his chin against Shouyou’s forehead. "Did not,” he mumbled stubbornly.

"Did too,” Shouyou replied, laughing.

"How?”

"You…” Shouyou thought about words while looking at Kageyama’s throat, which was bathed in the soft light that came out of the kitchen. "You supported my idea and didn’t stop me from going all the way to Rio; to train beach volleyball, out of all things. You were always there when I needed advice or just someone to tell me to go to bed. And even if there was a time you weren’t–”

Kageyama swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed at that.

"–I knew that there was a way to get you back.”

"I… I’m…”

Shouyou smiled at broken syllables. "You were already there and you knew that I would be here as well. You trusted me, believed me.”

When Kageyama pulled a bit away that they could look into each other’s faces, Shouyou was surprised to be allowed to see the tears gathering in his best friend’s eyes. They almost fell, but they didn’t.

"I…” Kageyama swallowed bubbly. "Of course I would do that,” he finally said, a weak scowl between his brows.

"See!?” Shouyou beamed at him, but his vision blurred again and he chortled when this warmth inside of him overflowed, making him sniff and laugh and sob at the same time. He snuffled.

"Ugh, gross,” Kageyama replied, but his tone was tender and quiet, he smiled even. "Do you, uh, want a tissue?”

Noticing the scattered blotches of several liquids staining dark fabric, Shouyou eased his grip he had on Kageyama’s t-shirt a little. "Maybe, yes.”

"I guess it’s too late for my clothes anyway.”

"Sorry.”

"It’s fine,” Kageyama assured, shaking his head. "I… I don’t mind.”

"Really?” Disbelief made him raise an eyebrow.

"Well, I survived three years of puke and squitters every time we were about to go to the court–”

"Oi!”

"So yes, a little snot is fine. If it’s yours.”

Shouyou snorted. "That sounded vaguely disturbing, Yamayama.”

Kageyama shrugged. "So, uhm…”

"Ah, right.”

They slowly entangled, careful to not get anything on the documents, before Kageyama retrieved a box of tissues from the couch table. While Shouyou was busy wiping his hands and face dry, he watched the other meticulously putting his contract back into the clearfile and sliding it into his backpack.

"So, uhm…” Kageyama looked a little sheepishly at the used tissue Shouyou clutched in his hand.

Shouyou stepped from one leg to the other, nervously and a little awkwardly at the sudden silence. When he peeked up at his best friend, he caught Kageyama’s curious expression and watched a smile start to spread on his lips. It grew, shy at first, but soon proud and so wide, until he grinned from his hearts content. Shouyou returned it and the heavy feeling capturing his chest fell, every nervousness he had carried all the way from Miyagi to Osaka and back disappeared and he took a deep breath.

"So, uh, should we get dinner ready?”

"Yeah, that would be great.”

Both turned to head back to the kitchen.

"I’m starving!” Shouyou exclaimed, patting his stomach.

"How’s the food in Osaka?”

"Great! You need to visit me once I moved there.”

"Naturally.”

"It’ll be even easier then, the distance is much shorter and the train connection isn’t as complex as it is when going back home.” Shouyou stopped at the counter and eyed the take-out bags that Kageyama seemed to have organised beforehand curiously. "It smells so good, Kageyama! Oh, and we need to get to the food stalls in Dotonbori! You’ll get sated just by the scents alone, I swear!”

Kageyama hummed and opened one of the bags.

"I can’t wait,” Shouyou added, quieter now.

"When will you move?”

"In a few weeks.” Shouyou remembered where bowls and chopsticks were and got them out of the drawer and cupboards. "Coach Foster knows some people who can help me find a place.”

"I see. That’s… pretty soon.”

"Right!?” Shouyou flashed his friend a grin. "We need to start preparing for the season, so I want to be there as soon as possible and get to know the others.”

"You don’t know them yet?”

"Of course I do! But now I get to play with them, so I get to know them properly.”

Kageyama chuckled. "You’re right.”

For a moment they busied themselves with getting the food out of the containers and placing them in bowls and on plates.

"Hinata, uhm.”

"Hm?”

"I… I’m glad they want you.”

Stunned, Shouyou looked at the other with an open mouth before smiling. "Thanks, Kageyama.”

"I’m not surprised, though.”

Humming, Shouyou watched the remnants of the sauce dripping into the bowl. "There were some other teams interested in me as well, you know. Mostly Division 2, though, but some from Division 1. But this… This felt right, the Jackals felt like the right choice for me. I know some of them, too!”

Suddenly, Kageyama groaned and supported himself on the counter. "Oh no, Hinata on the same team with Bokuto-san.”

"And Miya-san!”

Kageyama heaved an exasperated sigh, but he grinned and tilted his head to look at Shouyou from the side. "I hope you’ll have a good time.”

Flipping his thumb, Shouyou showed his teeth. "I will! Now,” he looked back at the rest of the food. "What else will we have for dinner?”

The calm surprised him.

Shouyou had expected Tokyo’s nights to be louder, brighter, with wild parties on the street or shouting neighbours on the floor or whatever. But it was nothing like that and he praised Kageyama for finding a flat where he would be able to sleep.

If he could sleep that was.

Silence filled the empty hallway, everybody of the apartment complex seemed to have gone to bed by latest 11 and there was not a single tune of music coming through the closed windows. The long curtains were draped in front of the door leading to the balcony, enveloping the living room in darkness.

Shouyou was lying on his side on the couch, facing the table, which they had moved aside only two hours before so that there would be no unintentional accidents during the night. His bag stood in the corner, another safety measure despite Shouyou’s argument he wouldn’t possibly topple over his own bag, and his clothes he had worn today were thrown on a pile right next to it.

The seconds ticked by silently and Shouyou busied himself staring at the black screen of the tiny TV in the corner – where they had watched a volleyball match after dinner – hoping that it would somehow tire him. Remembering their evening they had spent together, a smile tugged at Shouyou’s lips.

The couch wasn’t that big but not that small either, it at least provided enough space to sleep on it. Kageyama had disappeared into his bedroom. Earlier, after doing the dishes side by side at the sink, they had settled next to each other on the worn-down couch that Kageyama had received from the previous tenant. Neither of them had said anything, but their legs and shoulders had touched every now and then, sending sparks through Shouyou’s side, and his focus on the TV had suffered as he had imagined what it would be like to lean against Kageyama and let more of his warmth seep through his skin. They usually talked about the match whenever they watched one together – like they had done many times already, in person or via video call – but this evening they had just followed the play in silence, each of them smiling to themselves.

Shouyou blinked and yawned. It was weird, he felt tired but he was too excited to fall asleep. The image of Kageyama reading carefully through his contract and the following discussion about it was vivid in his mind. Once they had agreed that they probably needed to go to bed soon if they wanted to do all the things Shouyou had listed for the next day, they had raced to the tiny bathroom, each of them wanting to brush his teeth first. Shouyou had lost, but he blamed it on Kageyama being more familiar with the layout of his own flat.

After they had changed, they had parted for the night. Kageyama had gone to his room and Shouyou had settled on the couch, under a blanket that smelled like Kageyama, and had put his head on a cushion, that also smelled like Kageyama. Shouyou approved of this setup, it couldn't be better. Unless he was in the same bed as Kageyama and hugged him and snuggled up to him and–

Squeezing his eyes shut, Shouyou shook his head.

Nope. Don’t think that now!

But he was engulfed by the soothing scents, which didn’t help to ease his racing heard. He was truly happy that he was staying over at Kageyama’s place, but he had to be patient for now. He couldn’t ask for more, not yet.

And thus Shouyou settled on trying to listen to the sounds of Tokyo, muted by the thick walls and the thick comforting scent of his friend, like he had done a couple of times before he had gone to Rio already. He had found it weird back then, but now, where he thought about it, it wasn’t surprising at all that he barely heard anything. He couldn’t imagine Kageyama being in a flat that was surrounded by yelling neighbours and honking cars all through the night after all.

Shouyou glanced at the open bedroom door and tried to listen if he could hear the other sleep, but no sound came to his ears. Was it okay to ask if Kageyama was still awake? Was he as excited as he was? Was he unable to fall asleep as well after so many things had happened today?

Shouyou let his thoughts trail off again and thought about their dinner. It had been a nice evening after all, just the two, sitting at the tiny kitchen table and talking about his new contract with the Jackals, when he would start training, his schedule and his search for a flat in the second biggest city of Japan. There had been more silence than one would imagine, but Shouyou didn’t mind.

For once, he was content, the warm food had done his belly good, and it wasn’t that they hadn’t had contact for the past two years. He was familiar with Kageyama’s flat, knew where to find everything needed and that he didn’t need to ask for permission if he wanted to get some more milk from the fridge despite having been here for a couple of times before Rio. The awareness of being able to tell where he could find what in the flat of someone else made Shouyou realise how close they actually were.

And he had missed this, he had missed Kageyama, he had missed being where he was. He had missed him so much. The most out of all. To be separated from Kageyama… It had made the two years feel incredibly long and so short at once; but he didn’t regret his decision to wait. He was inexpressibly grateful that Kageyama had agreed, that he would be patient, that he would wait for him, no matter what.

Shouyou pressed his lips together and looked at the door again, a dark rectangle right next to the bathroom. He smiled when he thought a slightly embarrassed Kageyama leaving the door open, not wanting to be separated either, even when it was the wood of the door in the very same flat they would share for two nights.

"Kageyama?” he asked, voice quiet in case the other was asleep already.

But to his surprise, a grunt followed. "Hm?”

"Are you awake?”

A soft sigh and a squeak of the mattress resounded, as if Kageyama had turned around. "Yeah, you?” he exhaled.

"I can’t sleep.” Shouyou grinned sheepishly despite no one being there to see it.

"Mhm, I understand.”

This time, Shouyou giggled for real and turned to lay on his back and stare at the dark ceiling above him.

"Me neither,” Kageyama continued, his voice quiet and low. He sounded calmer than during the day, his voice was subdued and low. "It’s been… The day was just really…”

"Yeah.” Shouyou smiled. "I think so too.”

They were silent for a while.

"Kageyama?”

"Yeah?”

Shouyou turned his head to glance at the door. "I’m… I’m sorry that we can’t change our relationship status yet,” he whispered into the living room and hoped that he sounded as sincere as he meant it. He wanted to, he really wanted to change it, and Kageyama was right here. But no, not yet.

"It’s okay,” Kageyama mumbled in the next room.

"No, Kageyama, it’s… I’m sorry, really. For the fight back then and–”

"We already talked about that, Hinata, that was over a year ago. Almost two years.”

"I know, but… I’m still sorry.”

A short pause, then, "You’re sorry that we can’t advance now?”

Shouyou nodded and once he noticed that the other couldn’t see him, he croaked, "Yeah.”

"I see.” Kageyama didn’t say anything for a few seconds and Shouyou glanced nervously towards the door. "And back then…,” Kageyama continued, but let his words trail off for the other to fill in.

Shouyou let out a small sigh. "You’re right, I… We talked about it, that topic is already over.”

"Okay.” It sounded approving

For one or two minuets neither of them said a word. The bright lights of a car on the street cast shadows over the wall and there was the faint rumble of the subway many metres under Shouyou’s back, blazing a trail through the ever-dark soil.

Shouyou bit his lip and thought about what to say, how to make it clear or if he needed to do that at all. They hadn’t talked about it directly, but Shouyou suspected that Kageyama knew that he wanted to wait until the first matches of the V-League. He was a part of the professional volleyball players world now, of course Kageyama would understand that this was important to Shouyou, in one way or another.

"Hinata, I…”

Shouyou pricked his ears and his eyes darked back at the open door.

"I don’t mind waiting a little longer.”

"Are you sure?”

"Yes, well…” Kageyama swallowed audibly. "It’s not easy, it never was, but I’ll do that. For you.”

Shouyou’s eyes widened and he kept staring at the black door frame, then he blinked and wiped his hand over his face before he rested his arm over his eyes. "Thanks, Kageyama.”

"Mhm.”

"Thank you so much. For everything.”

Kageyama mumbled something, but neither of them understood. It made Shouyou smile into the darkness. Taking a deep breath that he exhaled soon after relaxed him again. He grabbed a piece of the blanket to fumble with it.

"I– Thank you. For liking me.”

There was a pause, longer than any before, and Shouyou almost feared that his friend had fallen back asleep, when the rustling of fabric was heard and someone cleared his voice. He listened intently into the silence and when he was sure that Kageyama had sat up in his bed, his friend spoke with a voice much clearer than before, "I… I like you.”

Shouyou smiled at the simple statement. "Yeah, I know.”

"I wanted to tell you.”

"You already did. Nearly two years ago.”

"No, I… Now you’re here, Hinata. I wanted to tell you physically.”

Shouyou blinked, stunned, and chuckled quietly.

"It’s…,” Kageyama continued, "It’s different after all, right? Meeting in person.”

Surprise swept over Shouyou and he stared at the open door. He swallowed, his mouth was suddenly dry, and he opened his mouth. "Yeah,” he gasped, "It’s different after all.”

"So, I wanted to tell you since you’re here now. In the next room in my flat, not halfway around the globe,” Kageyama added and there was a tired smirk in his voice.

Shouyou swallowed and looked fondly at the bedroom door. "I like you too, Kageyama. I like you lots!” He exclaimed into the dark, grinning like an idiot.

He felt so light that he didn’t mind the following pause. If Kageyama could wait for him this long, he would wait until his friend processed his words as well.

"Thank you,” Kageyama whispered, and if Shouyou hadn’t heard the smile in his voice earlier, it was now unmistakably there.

"You’re, uh, welcome,” Shouyou offered tentatively and laughed right after, eliciting a soft chuckle from the other.

"See you tomorrow?” Kageyama then asked.

"Of course!”

Shouyou exhaled and while he turned on his side, he could hear Kageyama lay back down as well. Excitement pulsed through his veins, but it was a steady flow that calmed him down, took him to another realm where he could continue playing volleyball with his best friend, his best partner he would ever have.

Finally, he fall asleep.

"Ack, dammit.”

"What happened? What’s wrong?”

Hinata’s voice coming through the loudspeaker sounded worried and for some reason hearing him like this made Tobio happy; despite him being mostly irritated by his own mistake to not look where he was going.

"I just stumbled over my suitcase,” Tobio replied and gestured towards the open lid, which Hinata couldn’t possibly see as it was beyond the edge of his desk.

"Mhm,” Hinata said.

It sounded strange to hear the sound transferred over wireless connections that bridged the distance between Osaka and Tokyo than to hear his best friend humming in his flat. Though, over the years, Tobio had gotten used to it.

"Are you done packing yet?”

Tobio, standing between his bed and desk, scowled at the glass of water he had just fetched from the kitchen before returning to his bedroom where Hinata could be seen on full-screen, grinning and bright and red hair radiating through the rainy day.

"Does it look like I’m done?” asked Tobio and looked meaningfully from his laptop to his bed – where jerseys, towels, shoes, and shampoo bottles piled up – and back again.

Hinata snickered. "Your bus leaves in two days, Kageyama.”

"Yeah. That leaves me at least 48 hours to pack, right?”

"At least you don’t need to bring as much.”

"I don’t?”

Hinata shrugged and leaned back in his chair, which almost fits his broader torso. "It’s summer. And I remember you telling me that they provide you with lots of stuff anyway.”

Tobio nodded slowly. It was true, the inn where the annual training camp of the national team would be held was always well equipped, but he liked to use his own towels and shampoo anyway. He turned his head to gaze at the pile he had started to accumulate and sighed. "Why do we have to have this training camp in the middle of July, though?”

"Ask that your coach.”

Tobio’s frown deepened.

"I think you said,” Hinata continued, "that Coach Hibarida wants you to prepare for the Olympics already.” He said it with a calm voice, but there was a shift in his expression showing a weird mixture of longing, grim determination, and also a little amusement, for which Tobio couldn’t blame him. He decided not to address this topic for now.

"But the indoor gyms are normally well air-conditioned,” Hinata added and he looked like his usual self again.

"Maybe he wants us to get tougher by fighting the heat or something,” Tobio grumbled, still not convinced that Coach Hibarida’s training during the peak of summer – and thus during the rainy season – would be fun. But Hinata was right, most of the gyms the professional volleyball players used had air conditioner. "We will evolve into super pros with hydrophobic skin or whatever.”

"Yeah. Wait,” Hinata frowned, "Hydro… What?”

"Uhm,” Tobio replied, wanting to cover up his feigned cleverness, "an ability to not sweat?” Or something.”

Molten toffee eyes blinked. "Maybe,” Hinata agreed, giggling, and let the topic go.

Watching the mirth run across Hinata’s face, Tobio smiled softly, and for a few seconds he took in his best friend’s appearance filling out his screen. It was evening already and he could see how the study lamp on Hinata’s desk illuminated his face and upper body like a big, warm glob. His eyes stared at some spot on his screen, but then Tobio noticed how they flickered up to look directly at him. He flinched and stared right back.

"W–what?”

Hinata gave him a puzzled look. "Huh?”

"You… Why did you look into the camera?”

"To see you?”

Tobio scowled. "Look at the screen?” He retorted.

"Why, I–” A teasing grin pulled Hinata’s lips apart. "Kageyama-kun, did you stare at me?”

"No!”

"You did. Again! I bet.”

"There’s nothing to bet.”

"I would win.” Hinata grinned even wider now, his eyes were gleaming.

"No, you wouldn’t.”

"You totally stared at me.”

"Did not.”

"You did! Pervert. Checking me out through a screen, huh? Didn’t think the famous Kageyama Tobio would do something like that.”

"I–I’m not a pervert!”

"You can only see my head, Yamayama, and,” Hinata looked down at himself, "part of my upper body. Ohhhh,” he said now, as if he had made a realisation. "Are you into the neck area and shoulders and stuff?”

Resisting to press the cool surface of the glass against his hot cheeks, Tobio declared, "I’m not interested!”

"You totally are, though. I knooo-ooow.” Hinata’s singsong let the loudspeaker vibrate. "You can admit it,” he continued and ignored Tobio’s glare he had directed at the screen. "I’ll find out anyway.”

Tobio raised an eyebrow. "You want to?”

"Sure!” Hinata flashed a grin. "As long as it’s me,” he added and his expression became softer, the teasing was gone.

Tobio relaxed his shoulders and smiled again.”Yeah. As long as it’s you.” He kept staring at the screen and when he realised, he cleared his voice, but his friend didn’t comment on it, just continued to smile.

"Anyway.” Tobio finally returned to sit on his chair again. "How’s training? Do you get along with the others? Do you–”

"IT’S AMAZING!”

Tobio blinked, a little surprised at the happy outburst, but actually not that much. It was like that every time he asked Hinata since he had joined the Jackals, and he couldn’t help but grin at the pure joy the other radiated.

Hinata was finally there where he wanted to be for so long, he had become the player he had worked at for years. Tobio had seen most of his dedication, most of his determination to become better, to improve his techniques, to grow on his own and together.

There were times where he couldn’t believe it, none of it all that had happened after joining Karasuno six years ago, but here he was, sitting in front of his bed with things to pack for the annual training camp for the Japanese National Team and talking to the greatest partner he ever had about his very own team.

The word pride wasn’t sometimes enough.

As expected, before Tobio had the chance to reply, Hinata continued.

"It’s so great, I love Coach Foster, he’s awesome! A little serious once in a while, maybe like Coach Ukai, but also laid-back. The others are so nice. Bokuto-san is the best, he always gets me a drink when we go out,” he explained, giggling, the gurgling noise made Tobio smile. "Omi-senpai’s always annoyed, but he gets along with the rest anyway, especially when Atsumu-san asks him to. They’re kinda cute together.”

Tobio raised an eyebrow. "Cute?” This wasn’t necessarily a word he would associate with either Atsumu nor Sakusa.

Hinata grinned bashfully. "You have to see them live, then you’ll use that word as well.”

"U–huh.”

"But whenever they do something stupid on the court–”

Frowning, Tobio wondered just how often that happened.

"–Coach Foster is there and prevents the worse.”

"What the fuck are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to play volleyball!?” Tobio stared at the screen, waiting for a justification of sorts.

But Hinata just smirked. "I can’t tell you our secrets, Kageyama.”

Surprised at the serious tone, Tobio blinked. "What? Do you think I could use them against you?”

"Who knows?” A casual shrug and for some reason it let Hinata appear more mature. But only a little bit.

Tobio sighed and gave in and once he had gestured for his friend to continue, Hinata complied and continued to talk about the chaotic mix of Bokuto, Atsumu, and himself, the rest of the team and overall Sakusa, who seemed to be right in the middle of the chaos. Tobio had to admit that Hinata’s stories were funny, but he had pity on Sakusa, who sounded definitely not like a person who would enjoy most of the things the others did when they were supposed to play or act as sociable acceptable adults.

Hearing Hinata talk about setting and tosses and how he had spiked an absolutely amazing ball just yesterday, a sharp sensation shot through Tobio’s guts and he swallowed hard. Hinata wasn’t his spiker anymore, he wasn’t solely there to play with Tobio, and even though Tobio understood that fairly well and he genuinely didn’t mind to see where Hinata was now, he still felt a yearning in the bottom of his heart trying to seek purchase at the surface.

The years after graduation had been tough and it had itched him to play with Hinata again. Of course they had done so when they had visited each other, but it hadn’t been enough. There was no aim, no medal to achieve by playing as just the two of them on an abandoned field during after-hours. Tobio wanted to play with Hinata, as his setter, as his spiker, as his best partner and best friend. As his everything.

"Oi, Kageyama. What’s wrong?”

Tobio blinked and looked up, realising that he must’ve dropped his head earlier when his thoughts had started to drift off. And there it was again, the worried sheen in soft brown eyes. This time, Hinata didn’t look directly at the camera, but focused his eyes on the screen to search for something which might explain Tobio’s well-being.

"It’s…” Tobio averted his eyes. "I’m–”

"No, you’re not. We agreed not to lie.” Hinata looked at him sternly.

"Yes, I know.” Tobio let his shoulders slump and heaved a sigh. "It’s just… You have so much fun with your teammates.”

"U–huh,” Hinata said, but didn’t add anything to let him continue.

"And… It sounds fun, really. Maybe annoying sometimes.”

Hinata’s lips twitched at that.

"But… I miss that too.”

"What exactly?” Hinata asked with a softer tone now.

Tobio met Hinata’s gaze before fixating his glass of water. "I…,” he started and cleared his voice. "At Karasuno, we were together every day. And now, we aren’t. You have a different setter and hell, you can even set yourself! But… I want to do that. I want to be your setter.”

"We played before.”

"It’s not the same, it’s… I just want to play with you on the same side.”

Hinata studied him for a few second, then he smiled gently. "Maybe, one day. It’s not fixed, Kageyama, we won’t be on these teams forever, you know?”

"We won’t?”

"Well, if you want to you can, but you don’t need to.” Hinata said, shrugging.

Tobio nodded. Of course he wouldn’t stay with the Adlers, he already knew that pretty well, but hearing it again out of Hinata’s mouth… Hinata was right, there were other chances as well.

"Who knows,” Hinata mused, "we’re young, we have lots of time to play for other teams. I’m happy where I am now but… I don’t want to say that I’ll forever play for the Jackals. Uh, don’t tell that Coach Foster, yeah?"

Tobio laughed at that and Hinata grinned. "You’re right, there’s lots of time.”

"There is,” Hinata agreed.

"I hope…”

"Hm?” It sounded so soft the way he said it.

Tobio smiled. "I hope we’ll play together again. On the same side of the next, on the same team, with you as my partner and my spiker.”

Hinata’s expression softened, even more so than before. "I will always be your spiker, Kageyama.”

It took a few moments for Tobio to process these words. When he tore his eyes away from the ever-bright screen, he sniffed and hastily drank some water. If he had expected some teasing words to follow, they didn’t come.

"Uh, thanks,” he said and cleared his voice, eyes darting back to look at Hinata.

"You’re welcome, Kageyama.”

A while was spent with turning the glass of water in his hands while Hinata picked up a pen to play with it. He tried to flip it over the back of his hand, missed, cursed, and bent down to fetch it back from the ground. It gave Tobio the possibility to look over his much broader back to take in Hinata’s flat in Osaka. It was quite similar to his own; Hinata had taken the laptop for a tour after he had moved in at the beginning of summer to show Tobio every nook and cranny of his new home.

It had been kind of endearing to have heard Hinata saying that he wanted Tobio to know where everything was for when he would come for a visit. For that matter he had opened various cupboard – to present a package of soba noodles and soy sauce – and lifted the laptop to direct the camera on so far empty shelves. The kitchen and living room were even smaller than Tobio’s, but the bedroom had about the same size. From where the laptop stood on the desk, he could see Hinata’s unmade bed, the bedside table next to it, and the open door to the kitchen in the back.

Tobio would’ve loved to visit Hinata more often, now that he was living so much closer.

"I’m sorry that we can’t meet before the season starts,” he said quietly.

"It’s okay, Kageyama.” Hinata looked from his pen up to meet his eyes. "You have the training camp and we both have practice with our teams for the season.”

"Yeah, but–”

"No but, you’ll travel a bit during the summer and I have to get used to my team, the players, their style. You know how weird it is at first.”

Oh. He knew that very well. "Yes, but maybe..,” he trailed off, frowning.

"Hm?” Hinata asked after a while.

"Maybe we can meet in Sendai at least,” Tobio suggested. "In autumn, before the season starts or something, depending on the match schedule since we don’t know it yet, and you may want to meet your family as well and–”

"We’ll be really busy right before it starts though,” Hinata disrupted his imagination running wild, a soft shadow hung over his face.

"I know.” Tobio sighed. "I don’t say that it has to be before the season. Just… at least some time this year, okay? I can’t stand to not meet you even when you’re in the same country.”

Hinata looked at him, stunned and happy, that Tobio didn’t feel the need to be embarrassed about his choice of words.

"Yeah,” Hinata said, quieter now. "Me too. I want to see you too.”

Tobio nodded slowly, trying to process the beaming smile that melted his heart on spot. When did he become so weak for Hinata?

"How about a romantic Christmas date?”

It was meant as a joke, Tobio understood that very well, but given the lack of the usual teasing gleam accompanying it made him doubt that. So he decided to go with it. "Yeah, sure.”

Hinata blinked, but the smile didn’t leave his face.

Before it became too awkward after all, Tobio continued, "We don’t know yet the schedule for the matches of the season. The first will be in November.”

"You’re right,” Hinata mused. "But I’m sure we’ll find some time in-between. Let’s wait for the announcement of the schedule; I think they said it’ll be in the next few months.”

"Yeah.”

"And then we can arrange a time to meet up.”

"Sounds good to me.” Tobio reached for his planner but didn’t open it. "Then we’ll have a good overview of our training and the matches and recovery times. It’ll be easier to find a meeting schedule once we know how to coordinate our training.”

"Mhm.” Hinata leaned to the side, eyes focused on his screen. "Sounds like a plan. It’s kind of nostalgic.”

"Yeah? How?”

"Because we used to have that when I was in Brazil, a meeting schedule.”

Tobio sighed. "I still don’t like time zones.”

"We managed.”

"We did.” He frowned. "If we managed that, we will manage to find a time to meet somehow when we’re both in the same country, right?”

"I hope so!”

Hinata grinned widely and fiddled with the pen. A pling sounded and the pen was once more gone. With a "oopsie” Hinata disappeared again and Tobio watched him trying to fetch it. The chair whined a little as Hinata leaned down, just so far that he wouldn’t meet the ground. He had put one arm on the desk, his back and broad shoulders bent beautifully and the loose shirt shifted so that the collarbone peeked out a little. Red hair, wild and soft and short, stuck out and gleamed in the light of the lamp.

Tobio set down his glass and gazed openly at his friend, smiling to himself.

"Ugh,” Hinata suddenly groaned and re-appeared.

"Hm?”

"Ah, I just imagined your training camp.” Hinata shrugged and placed the pen down.

"I think we’ll be fine in the gym. At least most of the times we’ll be there. But we went to run up the hills last time, with Ushijima-san as our lead.”

Hinata snickered. "I can imagine that.”

"I guess we have the same image,” Tobio thought aloud and grinned when his friend did the same.

"It’s hot even in Osaka, y’know?” Tugging at his t-shirt, Hinata looked away and Tobio knew that there was a window behind the screen. "It’s just too hot.”

"You said the same when you were in Rio, Hinata.”

"You can’t compare Rio to Osaka!”

Tobio shrugged. "It’s hot either way, right?”

Heaving a deep sigh, Hinata put his arms on his table and sunk down; it literally looked as if he was melting.

"Can’t we have autumn already?” There was an undertone in his voice, yearning and sadness. Tobio could understand him too well.

"We have to prepare, though?”

"Yeah, yeah, I know.” Hinata made a waving gesture. "Anyway, when will you be back from training camp?”

"In two weeks, the 23^rd.”

"Can we chat then?”

"Of course. But, you know, I also have a phone.”

"Really?” Hinata turned his head to look at him in playful surprise, but snickered at it.

"I… I got a new one.”

"U–huh, so?”

"It has a camera in the inside, too. So…,” Tobio drawled out, waiting for Hinata to realise what that meant.

"So, we can… I can see you then as well?” An abrupt movement went through Hinata and he sat up bolt upright.

"Just when I have time. We’ll be busy the entire day. Besides, you also have training. But… we can talk before I go to bed.” Tobio tried to shrug it off, but the prospect of being able to see his best friend and hearing his enthusiasm about it made his insides a puddle of goo.

"Don’t make it sound so lewd, Kageyama,” Hinata snickered.

"I don’t make it… You just make it sounding lewd yourself, dumbass!”

"Just kidding, just kidding.” Hinata’s grin grew back into a tame smile. "I would love to chat then, too.”

Tobio nodded. "Alright,” he said and took a deep breath. "I’ll text you and then we can do it.”

It only took two seconds for Hinata to burst out in laughter and Tobio scowled a little but finally he gave in and the beaming rays of his friend’s smile pulled his lips apart.

Hinata Shouyou [19:30]: HOW IS IT???

Kageyama Tobio [19:33]: do you need to shout?

Hinata Shouyou [19:33]: well

Hinata Shouyou [19:33]: it’s texting, so yes

Kageyama Tobio [19:33]: i don’t see that justification

Hinata Shouyou [19:34]: yu can’t hear me

Kageyama Tobio [19:34]: yeah

Kageyama Tobio [19:34]: good

Hinata Shouyou [19:34]: mean!

Kageyama Tobio [19:34]: :D

Kageyama Tobio [19:35]: so

Kageyama Tobio [19:35]: what do you mean?

Hinata Shouyou [19:35]: what do yu mean what i mean??

Hinata Shouyou [19:35]: training camp oc!

Hinata Shouyou [19:35]: tell me!!! tell me everything!!

Kageyama Tobio [19:35]: geez, calm down, i got it

Hinata Shouyou [19:35]: ヾ(≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ

Kageyama Tobio [19:36]: it’s good

Hinata Shouyou [19:38]: ???

Hinata Shouyou [19:38]: that’s all?

Kageyama Tobio [19:38]: what do you want to hear?

Hinata Shouyou [19:38]: dunno, details

Hinata Shouyou [19:39]: like what did yu eat, what’s the menu, how long did yu run up that mountain, was Ushiwaka the leader, do yu have enough underwear

Hinata Shouyou [19:39]: stuff like that

Kageyama Tobio [19:40]: u–huh, sure

Kageyama Tobio [19:40]: i’ll keep you updated about the state of my underwear

Hinata Shouyou [19:40]: eww, no

Kageyama Tobio [19:40]: yu asked for it

Hinata Shouyou [19:41]: did not!

Hinata Shouyou [19:41]: i wrote if you had ENOUGH

Hinata Shouyou [19:41]: shall i send some?

Kageyama Tobio [19:41]: no need

Kageyama Tobio [19:41]: yur’s wouldn’t fit anyway

Hinata Shouyou [19:42]: :P

Hinata Shouyou [19:42]: i’m bigger now, Kageyama-kun

Hinata Shouyou [19:42]: much bigger ;)

Kageyama Tobio [19:45]: dumbass

Kageyama Tobio [19:45]: i’m in a public room

Hinata Shouyou [19:45]: so?

Kageyama Tobio [19:45]: don’t just send me stuff like this, Hoshiumi-san already asked me who i’m texting to

Hinata Shouyou [19:45]: ohhhhhh, Hoshiumi-senpai??

Hinata Shouyou [19:45]: tell him hi!

Kageyama Tobio [19:45]: no way!

Hinata Shouyou [19:46]: che (￣ε￣)

Hinata Shouyou [19:46]: why

Kageyama Tobio [19:46]: then he’ll know it’s you

Hinata Shouyou [19:46]: so?

Kageyama Tobio [19:46]: you…

Kageyama Tobio [19:46]: ugh, you don’t realise what you wrote earlier, did you?

Kageyama Tobio [19:46]: they’ll think it’s a girlfriend or something

Hinata Shouyou [19:47]: they don’t know yu’re gay?

Kageyama Tobio [19:47]: uh, no

Kageyama Tobio [19:47]: that’s usually no topic we talk about when we don’t talk about volleyball, Hinata

Hinata Shouyou [19:47]: oh i see

Kageyama Tobio [19:47]: even your text sounds awfully disappointed

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: ╮( ˘ ､ ˘ )╭

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: just thought it would be fun or something

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: talking about your partners, the person yu like most, what yu did on the weekend, what yu ate

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: oh

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: what did you eat today??

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: is the food any good?

Kageyama Tobio [19:48]: first, no, we don’t talk much about partners. i’m surrounded by volleyball idiots who don’t think about anything else

Hinata Shouyou [19:48]: yu’re a volleyball idiot yourself, Bakageyama

Kageyama Tobio [19:49]: AND!

Kageyama Tobio [19:49]: we had curry today

Hinata Shouyou [19:49]: ohhh, curry!! yur favourite

Kageyama Tobio [19:49]: yeah, well...

Kageyama Tobio [19:49]: we had curry yesterday as well

Kageyama Tobio [19:49]: and the day before

Kageyama Tobio [19:49]: tbh i wanna eat something different

Hinata Shouyou [19:50]: haha, i understand

Hinata Shouyou [19:50]: yu just finished dinner, right?

Kageyama Tobio [19:50]: yeah, we’re in the common area now

Kageyama Tobio [19:50]: there’ll be a meeting in twenty

Hinata Shouyou [19:51]: i see

Hinata Shouyou [19:51]: how are the mountains?

Kageyama Tobio [19:51]: good. it’s colder than i thought, though, colder than in Tokyo

Kageyama Tobio [19:51]: oh, and yes, Ushijima-san is leading our trips through the forest

Kageyama Tobio [19:51]: the mountains are nice

Kageyama Tobio [19:51]: still hot tho

Hinata Shouyou [19:51]: i guess you can’t outrun summer lol

Hinata Shouyou [19:51]: can we chat later?

Kageyama Tobio [19:52]: tomorrow is better

Hinata Shouyou [19:52]: okay?

Kageyama Tobio [19:53]: i don’t know how long the meeting will be, it’s the last time we’re all together before we go back to our teams and prepare for the season

Kageyama Tobio [19:53]: so we may talk longer, it was like that last year

Kageyama Tobio [19:53]: i don’t want to keep you waiting and call in the middle of the night. yu need to wake up early, right?

Hinata Shouyou [19:53]: yep!

Hinata Shouyou [19:53]: well, technically training only starts at 8, but i got used to the early sun

Kageyama Tobio [19:53]: take cake of yourself

Kageyama Tobio [19:53]: *care

Hinata Shouyou [19:53]: :D

Hinata Shouyou [19:53]: i will, thanks! :)

Hinata Shouyou [19:53]: so tomorrow?

Kageyama Tobio [19:53]: yes. in the evening

Hinata Shouyou [19:53]: okay!

Hinata Shouyou [19:57]: can’t wait to show you my new boxers (¬‿¬)✧

Kageyama Tobio [19:59]: HINATA!

"DID YOU SEE THE MATCH SCHEDULE OF THE TEAMS!?”

"Hinata, you’re too close!”

Shouyou grumbled under his breath and settled back on his chair.

Okay, maybe he had leaned little bit too close toward the tiny camera of his laptop. But it was justified, right? He couldn’t help it, he could barely compose himself. Since he had seen the schedule this morning, he hadn’t been able to stop grinning, so wide that his jaw ached and people looked at him weird when he took the subway across the city. A searing feeling had started to burn its way through his veins and he had tried his best to hold back and not text Kageyama about it until their agreed time to video chat this evening.

"It’s gonna happen, Kageyama! In November. I will… You will… And we!”

"Yes, Hinata, I know.” A content smile danced around Kageyama’s lips. His expression was calm and relaxed, but his blue eyes were brimming with excitement and there was a buzz under Kageyama’s skin only Shouyou was able to spot.

It was about to happen. Being both members of the V-League Division 1 meant that they would see each other on the court anyway at some point, but this schedule… They would finally play against each other, for real, in a match.

Schweiden Adlers vs MSBY Black Jackals

It would be a match between flying predators and shadowy carnivores. Shouyou couldn’t wait.

"It’ll be the first match of the season, too,” Kageyama said now and Shouyou felt an electric shot through his spine.

"YES!” He shouted and grinned. He wondered if he would be able to fall asleep if he kept grinning like that. That would be one of the weirdest muscle aches he had ever had. "I’m so excited, Kageyama! It’s in less than five weeks!”

"I know, I know, calm down, dumbass. And sit, Hinata, you got up again.”

Noticing that his friend was right, Shouyou mumbled something and sat down again; Kageyama’s amused laughter echoed through his speakers.

"Do you know the starting line-up yet?” Kageyama then asked. "Will you…” He trailed off and his eyes caught Shouyou’s.

Shouyou knew what he had been about to ask as he watched Kageyama staring at him and worrying his lip.

Will you be playing?

Shouyou returned the gaze of clear blue and wonder. Kageyama hadn’t seen him on the court yet, he hadn’t seen him playing for real yet, in a match and on his new team. Coach Foster had kept all material about him – during training sessions or other public events – under covers so that the public didn’t know anything about his techniques. It was a bit weird, but Shouyou felt like a super weapon made for Coach Foster to be used as a special card, the ace up his sleeve, to be used in a special manoeuvre on the court.

"Coach Foster didn’t tell us yet. We just got the information today, Kageyama. We’ll probably think about it in the next days I guess. You will too, right?”

Kageyama relaxed a little. "Yeah, we’ll have a meeting tomorrow.”

Shouyou nodded and felt his lips twitching.

"What?”

"You’re curious, right? To see me?” Shouyou didn’t evade his eyes from his friend.

"Of course.”

The sudden honesty left Shouyou dumbfounded. "You… are?”

"Of course I’m curious. I watched videos of you playing beach volleyball, but I didn’t get to see you on court yet. And I really… I really want to see how you play, Hinata. How you’ll interact with your team, how they’ll use you, the Greatest Decoy there is.”

Shouyou looked, stunned, at his friend, who returned it with an open and serious expression.

"You still think of me like that?” he whispered.

"I do,” Kageyama confirmed with a firm voice.

It took a few seconds to process it, but then Shouyou grinned again. "You’re not wrong, Kageyama. I am!” But then his eyes widened and he pressed a hand to his mouth. "Oh no, did I reveal something?”

Kageyama blinked, then he laughed. "I don’t know, you tell me.”

Considering his words and the damage they might have, Shouyou shrugged and deemed it alright. "Well, you knew that before anyway, right?”

A curt nod. "I will be prepared.”

"No,” Shouyou disagreed with a smirk, "you won’t.”

"I won’t?”

Shouyou hook his head. "You’re not prepared, Kageyama, not for that match. You can prepare the best way possible, but… we got this, trust me,” he declared, brimming with determination.

"You’re awfully confident.”

"I am!” Shouyou beamed at his friend, but then he let his shoulders slump and heaved a sigh. "I can’t wait for November. I want to play! Finally! On the court and in the match and with the Jackals and against you and…”

Kageyama waited a few seconds, before cautiously asking, "And?”

Biting his lip, Shouyou glanced down at his lap before looking at his screen again. "This… makes it easier to find a time to meet, right?”

There was surprise in his eyes. Kageyama blinked, but then something settled in his expression, and he smiled softly. "Yes.”

"I don’t know about a time before the match, though. We’ll be both busy, but…”

"After.”

"For sure.”

"Yes.”

"Yes.”

Both men gazed at each other through the screen, the gap became noticeably smaller.

"We’ll both be back in Sendai,” Shouyou said then, "maybe we can meet some more of our friends! Tsukishima should be there as well, and Yamaguchi! Oh, oh, oh, we should ask Yachi, she’s in Tokyo, right? Can you take her with you?”

"Hinata, I’ll go with the team-bus.”

"Yeah, so?”

Kageyama laughed. "I can’t take her with me in the team-bus. It won’t be appropriate to squeeze her in a little corner so she would sit with us. She’ll make all of the others flustered and shy, we need to prepare and have a stable mindset. There are straight people among us, Hinata.”

"Okay, okay, I get it. A simple ‘no’ would’ve been enough.” But Shouyou smiled, especially when he saw his best friend happy and relaxed.

"But,” Kageyama continued, "I hope so too. Let’s meet some of the others. But also just the two of us, yeah?”

"Of course!” Shouyou exclaimed instantaneously.

They found their way back to easy chatter about schedules, departure times – Shouyou would leave earlier since he had a longer way – the Adlers’ team-bus, the preparations they would need to do, and about different dates and times when they would go home to visit their families. It made Shouyou happy to know that Kageyama wanted to visit him as well, meet Natsu and his mother. And maybe, who knows, Miwa might come as well.

While they talked about the match that was about to take place in a few weeks, Kageyama didn’t ask for them to advance their status and Shouyou felt relieved about it. He was confident about the match, about Kageyama, and everything beyond. He just knew that it felt right. But talking about it would make it too real for now and thus he kept quiet as well.

When Shouyou yawned once too often, he caught Kageyama’s nearly tender smile directed at his own laptop screen.

"You should go to bed, Hinata.”

"Yeah,” Shouyou mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "You too, Yamayama.”

"I will if you do.”

"Then I guess I must.”

Kageyama snickered and there was a pause during which Hinata moved his mouse to the end-call button but didn’t press it yet, sensing that they weren’t done yet.

"Let’s…”

Kageyama’s gaze moved from the bottom of his screen upwards to meet Shouyou with a smile.

"Let’s meet in Sendai, Hinata.”

Tobio would recognise that red hair everywhere. Soft curls, shorter now, shiny and slightly tousled, danced to and fro as Hinata made his way to the washing room, singing under his breath, his steps light but solid. His whole body seemed to move and Tobio suppressed a smile at the picture that was so much like Hinata himself.

The dark colour of the black jersey – coat and shorts – left the desired impact; it was a good colour, on Hinata anyway. It contrasted well with the orange of his hair and it reminded Tobio a lot of their days at Karasuno.

Of course they would meet here, of course the first place they would see each other before their first official match against each other on opposing teams after becoming pro-players would be in front of the toilet, out of all things.

As he listened to his best friend’s gleeful singsong going over and over the lines of the time has come and potty time, Tobio would’ve laughed if there hadn’t been too many feelings building up inside him, ready to spill over.

(He had to admit that he felt a little called out, though.)

Unable to stand, hands in his pockets, in the hallway for much longer, Tobio closed the distance and grinned.

"Not gonna have any gut issues today, aren’t you?”

When Hinata turned his head, he was already smirking. A mischievous glimmer lived in his eyes and once his eyes focused on Tobio, a pull of his lips revealed the white sheen of teeth. He looked cute like this, round nose and fluffy hair, the grim look and sheer sparks of strength in brown eyes completed the picture of the spiker Tobio would be up against in less than thirty minutes.

Facing Tobio fully, Hinata exclaimed, "Of course not! I’m not the kind of guy who gets such troubles ahead of a game anymore, Kageyama.”

"Better not, you runt,” Tobio replied, smirking.

A giggle, easing the tense line that had captured Tobio’s shoulders, sounded. But it was soon replaced by irritation as Hinata said, "You’ve grown up, Kageyama-kun.”

Tobio scowled and with one swift movement, he reached out to knock his friend, but Hinata dodged him easily.

"I bet I could even beat you in an arm wrestling contest now,” Hinata declared, laughing mirthfully, after taking a step back.

Tobio flexed his arm, shoved his coat back and stared down at the other. "You wanna try?”

Hinata touched his arm. "Later,” he suggested, his face wide and open and there was the hint of a smile.

Tobio would’ve loved to stay a little longer, but he didn’t want to prevent Hinata from actually using the toilet. And when Atsumu came, it all started to become a bit chaotic. While there were more and more players filling the corridor, Tobio didn’t take his eyes off Hinata, not until they parted again.

When each team went their own way, Hinata turned once more around to flash Tobio a smile.

"See you later, Kageyama!”

"See you on the court, dumbass.”

A heavy silence settled over the stadium, all spectators were waiting for the teams to line up and the omnipresent tension was stretched to the breaking point.

Shouyou looked up into a familiar face, clear blue eyes, silky hair, and a smile that had always asked for more while giving plenty.

The grip was firm, maybe a little bit longer than necessary, and Shouyou pressed his fingers gently against Kageyama’s pulse point.

He couldn’t wait to be back again.

A flash of white, silky black hair and wide-open, almond-shaped eyes carrying the deepest sea reached forward to block Shouyou’s view, to block the ball he was about to spike on the opponent’s side of the court. Trying to evade Kageyama’s hands that stretched so far above the net, Shouyou tilted his palm a little to get the ball past tapered fingers, but to no avail. Kageyama touched the ball and sent it right back, to dwindle towards the ground.

From the corners of the eyes – as if in time lapse – Shouyou could watch the ball approach the ground and turned his head just a little to be able to follow its direction.

A sudden memory of kicking balls with his head, legs, shoulders and chest while standing in trickling sand shot through his mind and in a split second, Shouyou angled his leg purposefully and let the ball bounce up again from his heel. Having successfully prevented the ball from reaching the floor by this powerful kick, it now sailed in a wide arc towards Atsumu, who didn’t let it out of his sight. The setter stretched his neck and observed it coming closer, preparing to set.

Shouyou’s feet touched the ground again. He stopped for a split second, turned on his heels, and dashed past Atsumu to the other side of the court. He took off and jumped, sliding across the net – flying to the other side – while swinging his arm to get into position to spike the ball. Shouyou saw the wary eyes of his opponents following his black figure, saw blue eyes widen and stare at him. Romero, who stood indecisive in the middle of the net, kept his eyes on the ball that came closer to Atsumu, waiting for him to set to the new wing spiker of the Jackals.

They were all lured in by Shouyou.

The moment Kageyama realised that this was him, this was the Greatest Decoy now playing for the Jackals, he let out a small “kuso” and whipped his head around to see where the ball was actually going.

The Adlers hurried to form a block that was broader than one man, trying to defend their court by this one crucial point.

And while the ball was set by Atsumu to Bokuto, who was already getting ready to jump, Shouyou was coming back down. He watched Bokuto spike with the biggest grin he had and the ball hit the Adlers’ ground before Shouyou’s feet touched it again.

Shouyou heard Atsumu’s happy squeak, Bokuto’s shout and the long finger that pointed at him, and Shouyou clenched his hands to fists in victory. Not able to contain himself properly, he squeezed his eyes shut, his teeth bared into a grin, and experienced the sheer amount of joy than ran through his veins, filled his whole body, spread into his limbs, and made him feel invincible all over again.

This was him, he was here, he was home.

Shouyou bathed in the cheer of the crowd that filled the Kamei Arena Sendai and celebrated the win of the Jackals, while all his nerves were directed at the pure feeling of victory that trickled sparks under his crackling skin.

The whole stadium roared, their fans applauded and shouted and yelled intelligible words, the Jackals’ mascot jumped into the air – presumably imitating Shouyou’s move – and the team was coming together to scream the reality out loud.

And then Shouyou saw Kageyama.

Kageyama’s eyes followed the trail of the ball on the ground that had cost the Adlers’ a critical point and then his expression distorted. His blue eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth formed a biting grin, and he seemingly suppressed a smile which would’ve been one of the widest Shouyou had ever seen on him. Even though Kageyama’s team had lost, Kageyama looked as if he was the most happiest right now, as if he felt the very same sensations that were crushing Shouyou’s insides in that very moment.

~ ~ ~

Still unable to contain his grin, Shouyou walked along the net to give the Adlers’ team members their regard by handshake. One by one he went through their line-up – receiving respectful comments on the good match and words of congratulations – until only one player was left. Shouyou stopped in his tracks and his expression became calm and collected.

Kageyama’s eyes were full of determination and grim pride when they met Shouyou’s and he smiled, smaller now but nonetheless containing the same unspoken emotions.

"You’re here now."

"Yeah. I’m here."

For a moment they looked at each other, sweat dripping down their temples and necks, eyes wide with challenge and confidence, satisfied with themselves and the world, and smiling ever so softly.

"And that’s 1069 wins for me, and 1100 losses," Shouyou exclaimed with a happy grin.

Kageyama chuckled roughly, but his smile never faltered.

Even when Atsumu and Bokuto interfered and Shouyou turned to explain, Kageyama’s lips formed the ever-happy curve.

~ ~ ~

Once he was refreshed by a hot shower, had dried off and put on a fresh jersey, Shouyou left the noisy changing room.

The broad floor that connected the teams’ recreation area, lockers, shower and changing rooms with the back entrance of the stadium, was off limits for regular visitors. Since most of the team was still inside – joyfully commenting on the game and having the time of their life – nobody was out on the floor. Most visitors had already left anyway, Shouyou supposed, but he nevertheless hoped to see some familiar faces later on. For now he didn’t mind to have a bit of silence around him.

He walked down the wide, empty space and took steady breaths to stabilise his heart rate. Most of the adrenaline of the match had worn off by now and he felt like he could trust his legs again. Having the urge to go for a small walk, he had left the others celebrating cheerily, and escaped to the floor.

Spotting a vending machine, a smile tugged at his lips, and he approached the accumulation of drinks and promising lights advertising a new releases he had missed during his stay abroad. Mumbling under his breath what he could get, he shoved his hand into his pocket to fetch some coins. But when he tried to insert them, they didn’t fit.

Confused, Shouyou stared down at his palm, and as he blinked perplexed at the slightly battered Brazilian Real laying on his skin, he realised that he was wearing his old pants.

Sighing, Shouyou cast a longing glance at the large selection that was right in front of him and yet out of reach. Maybe he could go back and ask one of his teammates for a few yen.

Taking a moment to take in the sparkling front of the vending machine and think about whom to ask, Shouyou heard footsteps coming closer. Hoping that it was another Jackal, who by any chance had some Japanese money with him, he turned around.

"Oh, Omi-senpai, do you have a hundred yen coi–"

Shouyou blinked. The man he faced had indeed black hair, but it wasn’t by far as curly as his senpai’s.

Kageyama had stopped a few metres in front of him. He wore his white training jersey and black sweatpants, his pose was relaxed, shoulders square and even, his arms hung loose by his side. The black hair was smooth and slightly wet, as if he had hurried to leave the shower as soon as he had switched it off.

Shouyou studied his opponent, his partner, his rival and best friend for a few seconds, then he approached him slowly. Without taking his eyes off the clear blue gazing at him in return, he stepped closer until they stood right in front of each other; just like they had half an hour ago in the stadium, surrounded by a cheering crowd.

Kageyama’s eyes didn’t stop resting on him and there was even a faint smile on his lips, tugging at the corners.

"How did you get here?" Shouyou asked then.

A confused frown crinkled Kageyama’s forehead. "What do you mean?"

"I thought your changing rooms were on the other side." Shouyou nodded vaguely to the right.

Kageyama followed the direction before looking back at Shouyou. "Oh. They are but… Yours are not."

"Yeah." Shouyou chuckled and threw a quick glance to the door of the changing room he had left a few minutes ago. "Because they are right here."

"They are right here," Kageyama repeated quietly, mumbling and without taking his eyes off Shouyou.

"I just said that."

"Yeah. You did." Kageyama’s voice got even lower.

"Kageyama, wha–"

"Right here, Hinata. You are… you are…" The setter searched for words despite them being so obvious to find.

And Shouyou understood, because of course he would. He slowly nodded.

"Right here," he whispered. "Kageyama, you have to say right here."

With the last words leaving his mouth, Shouyou reached out and tugged at Kageyama’s open jacket. It took a few seconds until Kageyama complied with his silent plead and leaned a little forwards.

Shouyou gave him a shy smile and stretched his neck to brush his lips against the corner of Kageyama’s mouth. Then he pulled away and observed the endearing pink hue spreading around Kageyama's nose. The contrast with the clear blue eyes staring at him as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed made Shouyou's stomach do somersaults. It felt as if a basket of tiny volleyballs had tipped over, its content bouncing freely within the boundaries of his belly.

"Hm?" Shouyou asked with a confident gleam in his eyes, but his smile was bashful. He tugged playfully at the fabric but didn’t do another move. "Not enough?"

Kageyama cleared his voice, blinked his eyes away to stare at the empty wall, before glancing back at Shouyou. "Never," he replied, his voice rough.

Shouyou chuckled. "Then make it different."

For a moment Kageyama kept staring at him, but then his look softened. "Can I?" he asked.

"Hm?" Shouyou asked again, but this time he let his gaze wander to take in the features that he had missed to see up close for so long.

Even though they both had had time to calm down after the four sets they had played, there was an underlying tension in Kageyama’s posture that hadn’t eased a bit. His jaw muscles were taut, his Adam’s apple jumped when he swallowed, and his arms were still resting unmoving to either side. His expression, however, was calm and focused, his eyes were searching for something in Shouyou’s, and there was also a hint of hesitance covered by sheer determination.

"Can I… make it different?" Kageyama said softly. "Can I… Can we change this now?"

Shouyou tilted his head to the side and swiped his thumb over the smooth texture of Kageyama’s jersey, while considering his best friend with a long gaze. A surge of excitement rushed through his head, making him dizzy so that he had to re-focus on where they were. A smile ran over his lips, tugging strongly at the corners of his mouth. To prevent his fingers from trembling, he let go of the hem of the jacket and slid them underneath to run them across the soft fabric of Kageyama’s t-shirt. Sneaking his hands around, he placed them flatly on Kageyama’s small of his back. A content hum stirred at the back of his throat and he blinked slowly.

"Yeah, we can," he finally said once he trusted his voice to let it out. "I want to. Do you?"

Kageyama’s pose was still tense, even more with Shouyou’s fingers pressing into his back, but he eased into the touch and smiled softly.

"Of course, dumbass," he mumbled dearly.

For a moment they looked at each other, and then their smiles widened until a wide grin broke their lips apart, turning so blinding as they had been just half an hour ago.

Shouyou didn’t want to stop there. Having the final permission, he flung himself into Kageyama’s arms that were already widening to catch him. Shouyou pressed his face into Kageyama’s chest, buried his nose at the spot just above his collarbone, and closed his eyes as he tightened his grip around the setter’s back. A variety of scents engulfed him, Kageyama’s own, the shampoo he had used, and the faint laundry detergent that clung to his t-shirt.

Shouyou was already comfortable, but when Kageyama eased his arms our of his pose and loop them around his shoulders to pull him in – closer to his chest – he couldn’t prevent a happy whine from slipping through his lips. Securing one hand at his waist and the other at Shouyou’s shoulder, Kageyama rested his head on bright tousled hair, his nose poking Shouyou’s head.

They took time to drink in their new position, the words that had been spoken and the closeness of Kageyama's body warmth, and Shouyou didn’t know how much time passed while they were so close.

When Kageyama stirred again, it was only to shift his chin across Shouyou’s head, but he didn’t moved his hand a millimetre, never letting go of Shouyou.

"I waited for you." Rough words were spoken into wild locks.

"I know," Shouyou replied, voice muffled by fabric. "I’m here now."

I’m here. It trailed like an echo between them, pulling them closer.

"I waited so long."

"I waited just as much."

Kageyama harrumphed. "I waited longer," he murmured stubbornly into red hair.

"How will you know that, huh?" Shouyou said, chuckling.

A thoughtful pause. "I just do," the setter then said with a shrug. "It feels like it."

Shouyou smiled and shifted to press his forehead against Kageyama’s shoulder. "I know what you mean," he whispered against warm, familiar skin. "I know that feeling very well."

A few seconds passed and when Kageyama pulled away a little, Shouyou was surprised. He looked up to see blue eyes searching his.

"Can I… do that too?" Kageyama asked, glancing a tad lower to let his gaze linger on Shouyou’s lips.

Swallowing, Shouyou nodded.

He suddenly felt giddy and nervous, even though he had only kissed Kageyama’s skin a few moments ago. But he knew that this was different, it was like sealing what they had been waiting for for years. And he wanted that, he wanted nothing more than that right now.

"Yeah," he croaked and licked over his lips as he threw a quick glance at Kageyama’s mouth.

Neither of them moved at first. When Kageyama finally took his hand from Shouyou’s shoulder to place it against his cheek, Shouyou felt a surge of fondness running through him. The way the setter stroked his skin with his thumb was slow and tender while those blue eyes moved back and forth between Shouyou’s eyes and his mouth. Impatiently, Shouyou craned his neck and heard a quiet snicker ripple in Kageyama’s throat before it died down and they drew closer.

The first touch was tentative and way too short. Kageyama’s lips were dry but soft, and when they exchanged a short glance, their expressions stayed focused and calm. Shouyou’s eyes fluttered shut when he pushed himself closer again, but instead of meeting the other in the desired long kiss, he felt how Kageyama’s lips brushed over his nose and cheek. If the touch hadn’t been so tender, he would’ve pouted. Instead, he relished Kageyama lingering at the corner of his mouth before finally sealing his lips properly.

At first it was more like they were pressing their mouths against each other, but soon Shouyou tested the water and moved his lips across Kageyama's. Getting greedy, he parted his mouth and licked over the seam of dry lips, trying to grant himself access. Kageyama grunted silently, complied and opened his mouth.

It wasn’t perfect by all means and rather sloppy than not, but when they parted again, they smiled in satisfaction while looking at the other man, catching their breaths.

When Kageyama pressed their foreheads together and exhaled, warm breath ghosted over Shouyou’s skin, tickling him. Shouyou gazed at the tall setter, the relaxed features on his face and the hand that was still against his neck, drawing idle circles in his skin with its fingers.

"I knew it," Shouyou whispered and his words drew Kageyama’s gaze on him.

"Hm?"

Shouyou snickered. "Meeting in person is the best after all."

Flabbergasted, Kageyama stared at him for a few solid seconds, then started laughing and Shouyou couldn’t resist but join in.

Epilogue

Tobio shifted to find a comfortable position. The bedsheets rustled under his movements, and when he finally settled his head on the soft pillow, he let out a pleased grunt.

Next to him, Hinata switched off the last light on his bedside table – only the pale moon over Sendai bathed them in silvery light – before flopping back into the pillows and letting out a deep, contented sigh, which made Tobio chuckle.

It had been a difficult undertaking to fit two grown men into the narrow bed frame, but it had certainly been an advantage that neither of them shied away from close contact with the other.

As Hinata reached for his phone, probably to check one last time the flood of messages that seemed to have no end after such an eventful day, Tobio fetched his own phone. But before he could swipe open the screen saver, he blinked and looked at the time.

23:59

He stared at it for a while and when an idea formed in his mind, he smirked and turned to Hinata.

"Hey, S–Shou."

"Hm?"

Hinata tore his eyes away from the screen that illuminated his short hair, the small nose and dark eyes that seemed to glow even in a dim hotel room and looked at him with a soft expression.

"What is it?"

Tobio glanced down at his phone and looked up again to flash his boyfriend a grin. And after a distinctive pause he finally said, "Good night, Hinata."

Hinata blinked in confusion and a few seconds passed before his brows furrowed and he leaned closer to see what Tobio was talking about while he held up his phone. As he shifted, his bare shoulders brushed Tobio’s and the natural body heat emanating from Hinata warmed his skin.

Tobio glanced down at the tousled hair, still a bit damp from the second shower Hinata had taken that day, and inhaled the fresh waft of a familiar scent that he had missed for so long.

Hinata squinted at the screen before he retreated to look Tobio into the eyes.

"No," Hinata finally said, softly but determined.

Tobio frowned, and when his boyfriend gave his phone a meaningful smirk, he glanced back down again to squint on the bright screen where the digits had already changed.

Hinata laughed dearly and quietly, it was the warmest sound he had ever heard.

"Good morning, Tobio."