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A fireplace saw many things during the time it existed. From the brickwork to the oak mantlepiece, to the golden embellishments and the marble hearth. Sat there for decades, the fireplace was the one part of this cafe that had never changed, from when it was first built as part of a hotel.
Just over 100 years old, the fireplace had seen everything. From romance to treason, break-ups to make-ups, trauma and recovery, new beginnings and final days. It had seen couples blossom into families, children grow into elders, and wonders from all over the world. It had loved and lost, just as any person would, but for so much longer.
The fireplace was a constant to the people of Miyagi, to those who travelled from afar, and to those who came by regularly, leaving offerings to the memories that only the fireplace could remember.
No one loved the fireplace more than Kunimi. His family had been coming here since before he was born. His mother had sat in the warmth of the fire, pregnant belly soothed by the nearby flames. Maybe that had been the start of it all, why he felt such an attachment.
He’d been told, when he was a baby, that his eyes were always fixed on the fireplace, entranced by the flames and captivated by the swirls of colour in the marble. His mother made it clear that he had been hard to soothe, nearing impossible, but he had never cried in the light of the fireplace.
As a toddler, he’d sat in front of the fireplace and watched, observing the flickering embers like it was the best show on TV, and screamed when he was torn away. As a child, he’d lay on the floor in front of it, drawing on paper with crayons and resting his chin on his arms until he fell asleep in the glow, eased into rest by the comforting crackle.
When he’d first had to go to school, the fireplace had been where he’d go to comfort himself after a bad day, or whisper his secrets into the flames. The fireplace was the first to know about his strange new friend - a boy who stuck his hair straight upwards. The fireplace was the first place they met outside of school, 8 years old and leaning against each other and drinking their milkshakes whilst their mothers were deep in conversation at a nearby table.
“Kunimi, Kunimi, Ku-ni-mi~.”
“What?”
“Nuthin’. I jus’ like saying your name.”
“... Kindaichi.”
“Yeah?”
“Nothing. I like saying your name too.” Kindaichi had grinned with a giggle, his two front teeth missing, and the fireplace had seen Kunimi’s softest, most genuine smile so far. When the boys were 10, they’d been allowed to walk around town unaccompanied as long as they were together and home before dark.
They visited the fireplace at least twice a week. In those many visits, the fireplace saw them laugh, saw them argue, saw them grow, saw them fall asleep curled around each other, and saw them add another to their group.
Kageyama Tobio was small, compared to his two new friends. He was a lot shyer, refrained from making conversation, and only spoke when directly asked something. But the fireplace warmed him, made him comfortable, and the fireplace saw two become three, huddling together in its glow even as they grew bigger.
It saw them switch from milkshakes to hot chocolates and tea, it saw them change from drawings to homework, toys to volleyballs, and cakes became sandwiches to keep them going until dinner. They were growing, and the fireplace watched. It watched them come together.
And then it watched them fall apart.
“... What middle school are you going to?” Kindaichi’s forlorn, curious yet sad question breaks through the comfortable silence, and brings about a new tension. For a moment, he drops his head down like he regrets it, and then Kunimi softly sighs.
“I’ve been trying not to think about it… But I have settled on one place in particular.”
“If you say you’re dropping out, I’ll aim a spike at your face next practice.”
“No, I-”
“Don’t say it!” Kageyama’s outburst is unexpected, unanticipated, and he withdraws into himself almost immediately, hands nervously - frantically - patting the volleyball in his lap.
“What’s wrong, Kageyama?”
“What if- What if we don’t have the same choices…?” Silence. The fireplace crackles. Kunimi bites at his bottom lip, staring intensely into the glowing logs at the base of the fire.
“Even if we didn’t… If one of us said something different, how do we know the others won’t change their mind?”
“That’s true… We’re better off not saying anything.” Returning to their homework, the silence pursues them. It gets more awkward and tense the longer the silence draws on.
“Damn it.” Suddenly, Kindaichi rips the homework sheet he isn’t making any progress on into three strips. Kageyama’s eyes widen and he looks from the paper to Kindaichi and back down at the ripped piece shoved towards him. Kunimi looks like he’s about to have a heart attack.
“What are you doing?! Shinobu-Sensei is going to kill you!”
“Not knowing about middle school is gonna kill me first!” He shoves a ripped piece over to Kunimi too, and hands them a different colour felt-tip marker each.
“Write down what middle school you want to go to! We’ll show each other on the count of three!” Nodding, they each scribble down their desired school, and hide it from the others. The nervous energy increases.
“Ready…?” Kunimi and Kageyama nod. Kindaichi clasps at his torn paper so tightly that it crumples.
“1… 2… 3!” In unison, they turn their slips around.
Kitagawa.
Kitagawa.
Shiratorizawa.
“K-Kageyama…?” Bright blue eyes drop to the volleyball in his lap, watching the light from the flickering flames dance across it, trying to ease the pain he felt at the heartbroken, shattered mumble from Kunimi. Kindaichi hasn’t said anything yet, staring in disbelief. Desperately, Kunimi’s eyes flicker between them - flicker like the flames and shadows - trying to think of something to fix the situation.
“Shiratorizawa? Isn’t that like, the best in the province?”
“M-Mhm. Their team has gone to junior nationals for the past 5 years… A-And the high school is just as good, if not better! I want to play volleyball with a team like that!”
“So we’re not good enough for you?” The bitter sentence is spat at him like venom, though Kindaichi doesn’t raise his head. The torn paper is in his hand is gripped as tight as possible, tight like Kindaichi’s jaw, tight like the skin around his eyes where he’s trying not to cry.
“Th- That’s not what he said, Kinda-”
“But it’s what he meant! Right, Kageyama?! You’re leaving us because we’re not good enough?!” Hurt, Kageyama flusters for words, stumbling over his tongue.
“You could apply too! I- I don’t want to leave both of you, I just want to be on the best team!” Kindaichi breathes heavily, shakily. He seems to almost shrink in size.
“I can’t.”
“What?”
“I-... I already took the test for Shiratorizawa. I failed.” Two pairs of eyes stare at him. Kindaichi grabs the scraps of papers and tosses them into the fireplace, letting the flames eat them alive, turning their decisions into ash.
“There. Now we never talk about this again.”
“But-”
“Never. We’ll apply where we want to go, an’- and even if we’re not together, we’ll still be friends. So we don’t need to talk about it.” Kageyama’s shoulder loosen up and he faintly smiles.
“Mhm. You’ll always be my best friends.” Kunimi knows a lot remains beneath the surface. He knows this will be dwelled on, and lead to more conflicts in the future, especially tomorrow when they turn the application forms in. But for now, he ignores it, huffing in amusement and poking Kageyama’s soft cheek.
“We’re your only friends~.”
“S’why you’re the best. But you’d still be my best friends if I had more.” Kindaichi and Kunimi stare at his innocent little face until they laugh, jostling Kageyama between them with friendly affection.
“You’d better make more! You’re gonna go to a different school!”
“Ah, you broke your own rule.”
“... Oops.” Kindaichi sheepishly rubs the back of his head, looking into the fire once more as if he could erase their conversation as easily as the fire had erased the existence of the papers. He wished in that moment that he could be fire, but fire was destructive.
The next day, Kunimi comes in alone, hands shaking as he clasps at a milkshake to represent the times passed, hunching in front of the fire and gazing through it. Fire was destructive, and when someone wished to be it, they usually followed the same path.
He comes alone for the next few weeks, and it’s only just before middle school starts that he returns with Kindaichi. There’s no sign of Kageyama. The fireplace never bore witness to what happened, the crack they formed that day widening into a chasm.
Wrapped up in Kindaichi’s arm, Kunimi sighs leisurely. The warmth of the fire is refreshing, and as he sits gazing into it, he remembers all he’s been told about it, all the memories he has, and it soothes his soul. When he was here alone, the fireplace had been a comforting presence, but it wasn’t the same as when he shared it with someone else.
The fireplace sees them try to fix their friendship with Kageyama. It sees them argue, it sees them fail, it sees them say hurtful things and destroy any possibility of going back to how they were. It hears the remaining two say spiteful things, growing full of hatred towards someone they once cherished, sees them destroyed in the same way they destroyed another.
It watches them, at 14, burst into tears after closing hours, the staff giving them space with kindness in their hearts, mourning a lost match, and a forever lost friend. It watches them fall.
The fireplace struggles to warm them, when their hearts are so frozen over, but Kunimi still frequently returns, bringing Kindaichi along on occasion. They grow closer, both mentally and physically, Kunimi taking up permanent residence in Kindaichi’s lap every time they sprawl on the floor in front of the fire together.
In the cold winter, they bring a blanket with them, cozying up together with it wrapped around their shoulders and falling asleep in the warm, hazy space they’ve grown up in.
The fireplace watches as they change into a high school uniform, grow more confident in themselves as well as people around them. It watches them return to life, like embers catching onto a log and sparking something anew.
It watches them bring their new team along, first in pairs, then in groups, then all together as one big family. The fireplace knows they’ve found a home, bathed in the russet glow and laughing as they study and make jokes with each other, shining brighter than the flames ever could.
It watches them hold hands for the first time, Kunimi sneaking his fingers between Kindaichi’s as they work on an assignment together, the latter flustered to such a point that he stumbles over his words and blushes too deep for the red on his face to be the fire’s glow.
It watches them announce their love, Kindaichi saying it out of the blue and Kunimi burying his face in Kindaichi’s shoulder as he grins, and Kunimi sheepishly whispers it back.
It watches them have their first kiss, heckled by the team they love so much, bashful under the torrent of congratulations and boyish affection, tousled by their teammates and given encouragement in their blossoming relationship.
The fireplace watches them cry again, years later when Kindaichi ends up permanently injured after landing on a ball as he came down from a block at the Olympics. It’s only in front of the fire that it sinks in he’ll never be able to play again, and Kunimi cries with him because for a moment, the aftermath of the accident almost leaving nothing but a broken shell in its wake.
It watches them recover, together, their trips ever more frequent now that they’re adults earning enough money to buy hot drinks every other day, and not so busy with volleyball matches. It watches Kindaichi announce his new job as assistant coach at the high school they once attended, Kunimi with surprise news of his own at getting a promotion, becoming an editor on his journalism team.
In the warmth of the fire, it watches the silver ring with azure stones slide onto Kunimi’s finger before they lock lips, champagne doused over them by the ones who were third years when they begun their high school adventure.
It watches the silver rings turn into gold bands, hands that were once held so shyly constantly together with thumbs brushing over knuckles, lips that touched with blushes of embarrassment deepen into lingering kisses that steal each other’s breath away, and hearts that grew together grow bigger, as their family expands into four with two little girls, 5 and 7 respectively, who join their new fathers in front of the fire.
Kunimi’s favourite place - the warm marble right in front of the fireplace - is stolen by their eldest, Kazue, and his favourite spot - Kindaichi’s lap - is stolen by their youngest, Emi. There aren’t any complaints though, as they drink their tea and watch their daughters sip milkshakes, colouring pictures and taking naps in front of the fire.
“Daddy, how long have you and Papa been coming here?” Kindaichi humms softly as he brushes his fingers through his 5 year old’s hair, bright brown eyes blinking up at him innocently.
“Hmm~... Hold on, let me do some maths… We came here when we were… 8? 9?”
“8.”
“And now we’re 37, so… Uh… Akira, help?” Kunimi chuckles gently, leaning in and resting his chin on Kindaichi’s shoulder, nose pressing against his collarbone.
“29 years. And Yuutarou still can’t do basic math~.” Their 7 year old looks up from her drawing, having finished her homework long ago.
“Even I can do that, silly Daddy.”
“I- I’m just not good with numbers!” Kunimi huffs a laugh once more, pressing his lips to Kindaichi’s skin before shuffling to lean against him properly, looping both his arms around the one Kindaichi isn’t using to brush his daughters hair.
“You’re old.”
“H-Hey! Kazue! We’re not that old, cheeky monkey!”
“You’re older than me.” Emi giggles at her older sister, then points at the fireplace.
“Are Papa and Daddy older than the fire?” Kindaichi and Kunimi look at other, a deep love in their eyes. Kindaichi clasps Kunimi’s hand in his own, his thumb circling over their golden bands. Kunimi laughs, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and turns back to his daughters, both of them intrigued to hear the answer.
“The fireplace is much, much older than us~. I was still in my mummy’s tummy when I came here the first time.”
“Wooooah.” Kazue looks into the flames, resting her head on her hand, fingers pressed into her short, brown hair.
“That’s awesome… Maybe one day, I’ll bring my baby here too! Then we can all sit in the fire together!” Kunimi smiles and nods, but as the flames dance, Kindaichi silently stares at his daughter with wide eyes until he splutters out an answer.
“No kids until you’re 20! At least!”
“16.”
“21!”
“17.”
“22!”
“... 18?”
“... I’ll settle for 19 if you’re ready to take on the responsibility and still want kids.”
“Deal.” Kazue reaches out her small hand, shaking her Daddy’s much larger one as they nod seriously, like it’s some kind of eternal pact. Kunimi shakes his head and rolls his eyes in amusement as Emi laugh and claps her hands, until her attention is stolen away by a purple crayon she needs for her teddy-bears-in-space drawing. Kunimi will never forgive Oikawa for giving their youngest an obsession with aliens.
A commotion outside brings flashing lights, noise, and a large crowd. Kindaichi rolls his eyes.
“Oh, here we go. Mr.Paparazzi and Bouncy McGee, ruining the peace.” Gasping, the girls look at each other with brewing excitement, and then bolt away as the cafe door opens with a jingle.
“Uncle Kageyama, Uncle Kageyama!”
“UNCLE HINANANA!!!” Never let it be said that children don’t play favourites. Kazue collides into Kageyama’s legs, almost knocking him over as he takes off his coat and hat to shake the snow off, whilst Hinata crouches down with a grin and Emi leaps into his arms, swooping her up above his head as she squeals with glee.
“What’s this~?! I seem to have found a Christmas blessing!!!” Emi laughs as he puts her back on the floor to take off his winter clothes, stomping the snow off his boots. Kazue drags Kageyama over to the fireplace, Kindaichi still sitting on the rug whilst Kunimi goes to order drinks for the two joining them. It’s easier for Kunimi to get off the floor instead of his husband, since Kindaichi’s injury.
“Hey.”
“Nice of you to join us, oh mighty Emperor.” The nickname King had been long abandoned in favour of a new one, the title dubbed upon Kageyama when he became the official setter for the National team in his third year at university, following Oikawa’s retirement. Rolling his eyes, Kageyama swats his fingers in Kindaichi’s face.
“Stop it. I’m not on court at the moment, there’s no need for that.”
“Yeah, but you’ll always be the best setter I played with!” Hinata flounces over to their sides, perching on a chair with Emi clung to his hip. Kageyama flushes, looking away, and that’s when Kindaichi notices something mid-laugh.
“Woah, woah, woah! Are you guys wearing rings?!” Sure enough, Kageyama and Hinata wear matching wings, black obsidian with orange gems, the same colours as the uniform they reached Nationals for the first time with. Kageyama pouts with a blush, but Hinata holds his hand out to proudly display it as Kunimi returns with their drinks.
“So Kageyama finally grew a pair then?”
“Pff-! What?! Kunimi!!” He smirks as Kageyama wipes his chin, having spat out a mouthful of green tea at his question.
“Nope! In the end, I popped the question. I couldn’t wait any longer!” There’s bright, warm laughter from the family, although Emi doesn’t really understand the full joke, but she’s happy because her favourite uncle is here, wearing a pretty ring, and her father’s are happy too. Kageyama tries to recede inside his turtleneck, but Kazue pats his leg encouragingly.
“Don’t mind. Does this mean we get cousins though?”
“We’re going to give the Olympics one last go, but hopefully we’ll be adopting after that!”
“Wow, I didn’t expect you to actually plan ahead.” Hinata plucks a mini-marshmallow from his hot chocolate and launches it at Kunimi, who expertly bat it away - into the fireplace - with volleyball reflexes.
“Oops.” Emi cackled ominously.
“Feed the fire!!! Feeeed it!” Kazue rolls her eyes at her sister’s behaviour, Kunimi staring in concern. Kindaichi just sighs and pats Emi on the head.
“Calm down there, Satan.”
“I am the Great Demon Lord! Sacrifice your marshmallows to me!” Hinata laughs, plucking another marshmallow from his mug and passing it down to her. She takes it in both hands, smiling brightly.
“Thank you!”
“Such a polite Great Demon Lord.”
“Mhm! Daddy and Papa says it’s very important to mind your manners and always be kind!” Kageyama nods sagely, although for a second, his eyes flicker to the fire with a hint of sadness, as if he can see torn pieces of paper burning to ash, forming the foundation of what tore them apart before they forcefully stitched it together again.
Hinata notices it first - having heard the story from both sides - and nudges Kageyama with his shoulder, linking their spare hands together and resting his head on Kageyama’s upper arm.
“If you’re super kind, one day you’ll have tons of friends to sit with you here in front of the fire!”
“Yeah!”
“Hey Emi, I bet I can make more friends than you.”
“Nu-uh! I’m gonna have the most!” Kindaichi pulls his youngest into his lap once more, whilst Kunimi moves to steal Kazue’s blanket, as she smacks his hand away before wriggling to sit next to him, sharing the blanket evenly.
“You can have the same friends, girls. With both of you, I think you could fill the whole cafe!” Emi and Kazue make highly impressed noises, looking at each other and nodding.
The fireplace watches, sisters making a pact as their father’s smile down at them peacefully, proud as any parent could be. It watches as Hinata and Kageyama finish their drinks and wriggle their own way down to the floor, letting their unrelated nieces help them ‘design’ their wedding.
The fireplace watches, as Emi and Kazue befriend many children, including Aunt Natsu’s own son - Kou - 2 years younger than Emi. It watches as Kindaichi and Kunimi begin coming alone again, talking together peacefully and lovingly until their daughters come to meet them, in their respective school uniform.
The fireplace watches a familiar argument take place, one day when the parents aren’t there, as Kazue tries to convince her sister and Kou to come to the same Junior school. But Kou has his heart set on Yukigaoka for their musical prestige, and Emi insists on going to Shiratorizawa.
The fireplace watches, as Kazue and Emi don’t talk to each other for a full three months, until Kunimi comes down with a sickness that lands him in hospital, and the girls pull together to help their Dad through the loneliness and worry that could potentially land him in the same situation.
The fireplace sees Kunimi return, the family happier than ever before, and the girls forgive each other over their stupid argument. Kazue becomes Captain of the Kitagawa Girl’s volleyball team the same day Emi gets accepted as a first-string player on the Shiratorizawa Girl’s team.
It watches them grow, gaining and losing friends, but Kou a constant. Kazue goes on to Niiyama, adapting from Middle Blocker to Ace in a move that makes her ‘uncles’ Hinata, Kyoutani, and Iwaizumi proud.
Kindaichi pouts for a week, but he’s wonderfully proud of her. Emi, on the other hand… Great Demon Lord wasn’t too far from the truth. She became a setter to be feared, taught by both Kageyama and Oikawa, inheriting her Dad’s short fuse and her Papa’s calm rationality with a zero tolerance method. On the court, she was nothing short of terrifying.
Off court, she was a complete softy with two girlfriends and a family who loved her very much. On days where she wanted to relax, she’d sit in front of the fireplace, and let Kindaichi brush through her hair as he had when she was 5, Kazue quietly sketching them on artsy days, or watching volleyball videos with Kunimi to help her identify the patterns in upcoming teams they would face.
The fireplace watched, as four became five, a 15 year old - Ren - adopted into their family. It was difficult for them to adjust at first, having come from a bad background. But once they realised they were safe, Ren settled in with very few problems.
Ren didn’t play volleyball at first, instead preferring swimming. But it was after watching recording of Aobajousai’s past matches, against Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, that they decided to make the switch. Ren went to Karasuno, and quickly realised they were a better libero than the Ace they intended to be. They never made it as a regular, but they had their shining moment at the Spring Preliminaries, receiving four of Kazue’s deadly serves in a row when substituted on court.
Rolling through the years, the fireplace saw many developments. It saw a family grow, becoming closer every day. It saw Kazue get into Tokyo University on Scholarship, and her sister follow two years later. It saw Kindaichi and Kunimi curled up around each other in their golden years, watching the livestream of the National match, their daughters dominating the court and Ren supporting them from their position on the bench.
The fireplace saw three children become adults, known to the world as Divine Angel, Great Demon Lord, and The Three Minute wonder, a testament to how Ren was able to stay on court for a full three minutes at least every time they were substituted on.
The cafe grew noisier as their family visited more and more often, bringing friends and teammates, uncles and aunts, those from the past and those from the present mingling together, all in front of the fireplace.
And it watched people leave. The third years from when Kindaichi and Kunimi had attended Aobajousai went off travelling the world. The second years moved to Hokkaido to live the rest of their lives together in peace with eight dogs, four horses, and a herd of sheep.
Hinata and Kageyama never did adopt, in the end, too busy chasing the volleyball dream until they were at the age they had to retire, and then the both went into coaching. Hinata, like Ukai Ikkei had a long time ago, started his own club to help those with potential flourish into stars. Kageyama returned to his university, assisting as Coach there before taking the official position.
With their daughters and child off at university, spending more time practicing, studying, and less time coming home, Kindaichi and Kunimi’s lives grew quiet. Their former senpai and friends were fragmented across Japan and the world, and even the cafe seemed to lose people.
Kazue went into business studies alongside volleyball, whilst Emi focused entirely on volleyball, and Ren eventually lost interest to become a landscape architect. They specialised in gardens, particularly those involving water features like ponds and waterways. (Perhaps it was their name - meaning Lotus - that inspired them to head in that direction).
The fireplace watched, as Kindaichi and Kunimi became grey and wrinkled, and they became grandparents to a beautiful baby boy when Kazue married Kou and had a child at 28, long passing the deal she had made with her Dad 21 years ago. Kunimi had cried as he held the precious bundle for the first time, and Kindaichi had lovingly laughed at him before absolutely bawling as the baby latched onto his finger, giving Kunimi a turn to laugh.
The fireplace watched, as Emi cried into their shoulders when her girlfriends left her, cutting the thread she’d been holding onto as they drifted away. But it wasn’t a complete loss. Half a year later, she was dating the pretty waitress who had given her a free, compassionate milkshake as she cried into her parents arms.
Ren had always been a little bit distant, but when they turned 27, they moved back into the family home. Two little ones followed in their wake. Not children, but kittens. Kindaichi had hated them at first, since they kept attacking him, but he soon grew used to having a cat or two clinging to his leg as he limped around the house - injury worsened with old age.
Kunimi absolutely adored the cats, and if Ren couldn’t find one of them and their Papa, he knew they were lounging in front of the fire in cafe, one purring and the other… Almost purring. Many a time, Emi had text Ren with a simple picture of their Papa and cat curled up together in the glow of the fire. She never sent it to Kindaichi, knowing the full grown man would pout and whine about being replaced by a cat, his beloved stolen away and kept from him by a bundle of furballs and poop.
The fireplace watched, as Emi proposed in the late night hours, when the cafe was long shut, but the fire still glowing with embers. It watched her spin her fiancee - now the manager of the cafe - around in a circle with tears of laughter and joy, melting into each other with a sweet, passionate kiss.
The fireplace has seen many engagements, but none mirrored Emi’s as perfectly as that of her own parents, back when Kindaichi had slid the silver and azure ring onto Kunimi’s finger and spun him around in the same way. The only difference was the sun when Kindaichi proposed to his husband and moon when Emi proposed to her wife.
The cafe falls under new management, and Emi proudly takes multiple photos as her wife cuts the red ribbon, and her parents are the first to be let into the cafe, having been coming here for years and years and years, from when Kunimi wasn’t even born yet.
Their names are on a plaque, engraved into the mantelpiece of the fireplace, and that small little section of the cafe belongs to them and them alone. The fireplace has been standing there almost 100 years.
But nobody had ever loved it as much as Kunimi, his husband and the children that followed.
And the fireplace had never loved nor warmed any other as much as it did the Kindaichi-Kunimi family.