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Hajime isn't gonna lie—adjusting to the knowledge that the paranormal is actually real has been a little wild. But it's nothing when compared to dating Tooru, so mostly, it's been a fairly smooth transitional period.
The most chaotic element in his new life has unquestionably been the combined duo of Shouyou and Tobio, the two little ghosts who haunt Tooru's apartment, and his and Hajime's lives in general. They're completely benign, except when it comes to each other, and most of the ghost related property damage that frequently occurs around the place is usually a direct result of the two of them getting into a heated argument over something or other—like who actually killed one of Tooru's houseplants in an attempt to make it bloom faster, or who was the culprit that clogged the vacuum with ectoplasm after they both caught Chills (a type of flu that only affected spirits) one right after the other.
Hajime is the one who repairs whatever the newest broken appliance or structure is (really, it's lucky Tooru started dating him when he did), and then he's the one who patches up the rift between Tobio and Shouyou, before talking Tooru out of an exorcism, even if he knows Tooru will never actually go through with it. He's living up to his occupation of repairman more than he ever has these days.
And he's completely okay with that. Because as uncanny and unfathomable as life has gotten nowadays, it's definitely the best it's ever been.
Case in point: it is the evening of June twentieth and he is currently helping decorate his house for a ghost's birthday party.
Normally, they're at Tooru's apartment, because that is what the ghosts are familiar with—but they're technically haunting Tooru, so they can move around with him freely. And there's a reason Hajime and Tooru decided to have the party over here.
"Tobio-chan, how are those balloons coming along?" Tooru calls, poking his head into the main room from the kitchen. His hair is tied back with a scarf, and he's wearing one of Hajime's aprons, and it is definitely one of the cutest sights Hajime has ever witnessed. He can't tell Tooru, because Tooru likes to give off the impression that he is grand and impressive and sexy, not adorable in an eccentric, psychic house-husband way. Fortunately, Hajime is good with either version of him, even if Tooru is usually the latter.
For the first few months, Hajime couldn't make out anything the two ghosts said unless they were using some kind of translation aid—the Ouija board, or an old staticky radio station, or making Tooru tell him directly like some kind of very annoyed telegram messenger. But now, approaching a year since they got together, Tooru has been helping him train his sixth sense, and he can hear the far off, echoey impression of a sullen voice snapping,
"I already told you it's fine." One of the balloons that has been inflating seemingly of its own accord, using some kind of ghost… energy… stuff—Hajime isn't clear on the details—loudly pops.
Tooru clicks his tongue. "There's no need to have an attitude about it!"
A beat of silence, and then a whispered gust of breeze: "Sorry."
Hajime, who has been putting up a Pin the Grin on the Poltergeist poster, pauses. He's been suspecting it for awhile, but he's fairly sure by now that something is the matter with his favorite grumpy ghost.
Shouyou's birthday is on June twenty-first. They found this out from his friends—his living friends, that is, who Tooru tracked down several months back, claiming it would be good for them to have other people come by every once in awhile to entertain Shouyou and Tobio. This is partially true, but Hajime knows he also did it because he felt like they deserved to know—it's a different kind of closure than a funeral. Shouyou is still around, yes, not lingering, but living in his own way.
The three of them will be coming over tomorrow. Yachi, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi had initially been understandably skeptical (and alarmed) at Tooru's repeated attempts to contact them, but once they'd actually seen Shouyou for themselves, they had started to visit Tooru's apartment with regularity. They can now often be found doing homework at Tooru's place after school. All three are at the top of their class as it is, but Hajime helps with math when needed, and Tooru is secretly a genius and still good at every subject, so he helps with the rest. The two ghosts distinctly do not help, but they do take turns drawing on Tsukishima's notes when he's not paying attention.
A brush of something static and warm whizzes past Hajime's ear.
"He's just jealous because I get to have a party!" Shouyou crows. He's trailing a roll of orange streamers in his wake. Excited, he spins around Hajime from head to foot in the span of an instant—unfortunately wrapping him in streamers like a haphazard mummy.
"Shouyou—woah!" Hajime warns. "Careful, please, I'm holding sharp things."
"Oops, sorry!" Shouyou yelps. Carefully, the streamers unwind themselves.
"It's fine—but also, be kind, please," Hajime says. "Tobio has been helping a lot with setting up the party, too."
"Yeah, dumbass."
"Tobio, calling people a dumbass is also not kind," Tooru chimes in.
The lights flicker gently as both the ghosts start whining at the "unfair" treatment. Tooru and Hajime glance at each other—the general attention span of the two spirits is not very long at the best of times, and they've been at this for a couple hours now, trying to get everything ready. Silently, they reach an agreement.
"I think we're almost done here," Hajime says.
"It's getting pretty late," Tooru agrees. "Hajime and I need to take a break, and Tobio, Shouyou, you need to go to bed or you're going to have trouble manifesting tomorrow."
The two of them don't actually need to sleep, but they do go dormant every few days—the longer they stay active, the thinner and weaker the impressions of them become, until even Tooru can't hear them anymore. After a bit of rest, though, they come roaring back stronger than ever.
"Okayyyy," Tobio and Shouyou chorus, seemingly in agreement for the time being.
"There's time for one more thing before bed," Tooru allows.
One blue balloon and a length of orange streamer start to flail through the air excitedly.
"Ice cream?!" Shouyou shouts.
Ice cream is his and Tobio's favorite dessert—not because they can actually eat it, but because they can possess it to make all kinds of sculptures and shapes out of it. They're getting actually really good at it, too. The last time Hajime and Tooru had ice cream while watching a movie, Hajime had looked down to see a fairly good rendition of his own face staring out of the bowl at him, in cookies and cream. It had been a bit disconcerting, but also impressive.
"Not ice cream," Tooru vetoes, and then puts his hands on his hips when they begin protesting fervently.
"But it's the night before my birthday! It's practically my birthday already!"
"I helped so much today, and I blew up like five thousand balloons, and I cleaned the bathroom—"
"You're going to have heaps of it tomorrow as it is!" Tooru says, exasperated. He holds out his hands. "Come here, we're going outside for this."
Calmed by the promise of endless ice cream in their future, the two ghosts gravitate toward him. They can't leave the house without being tethered to Tooru, so the round balloon Tobio is possessing settles into one of Tooru's palms, while Shouyou's orange streamer winds around his other arm. Seeing they're distracted, Hajime sneaks into the laundry room to grab the surprise—carefully stashed away on a high shelf and resting in the middle of an unbreakable seal drawn in chalk to make sure the two of them didn't get into it before it was time.
Hajime's house has a small backyard with a high fence, which is perfect for their purposes. Outside, the temperature is cooling down, and Tooru keeps a tight grip on both ghosts in the gentle breeze.
"Ta-daaa," Tooru says, as they emerge. There's stunned silence for a moment, and then the yelling starts.
"IS THAT A—YOU GOT ME A—" Shouyou shrieks, so loudly that Hajime can hear him clear as day, like Shouyou is shouting in his brain. "A VOLLEYBALL NET?!"
Volleyball was Shouyou's favorite sport and by all appearances favorite thing to exist before he got ghostified. He spends much of his time talking about it, and trying to simulate it inside of Tooru's apartment, with varying and often disastrous results. He's dragged Tobio along into his craze—Hajime and Tooru suspect Tobio had already passed into the realm of spirits before volleyball became a major thing in Japan, but Tobio doesn't remember, so they can only conjecture. From how excited he gets about it, Hajime is sure he would have played, if only it had been around.
"It was Hajime's idea," Tooru says. "We can't have you destroying my place every time you want to try and play, so now you can play here."
"B-but—" Shouyou stammers, "a ball…"
Hajime clears his throat and pulls the gift bag out from behind his back. He reaches inside it, and pulls out the volleyball he and Tooru have bought for Shouyou's birthday.
"GWAAAAAH!"
The volleyball is blue and yellow and has been inscribed with various sigils all over its surface to make it easier for Shouyou and Tobio to come into corporeal contact with it.
"Happy birthday, Chibi-chan," Tooru says.
"YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!" Shouyou hollers. The streamer twists and contorts so enthusiastically Hajime is afraid it's going to rip. "Hey, Kageyama—"
But before he can say whatever he's going to, the blue balloon zips up into the air—and before Tooru has a chance to grab it, it loudly and dramatically deflates, zooming unsteadily as it goes through the open back door and back into the house.
"T-Tobio…?" Shouyou asks, the orange ends of the streamer fluttering in confusion.
Tooru looks incensed. "That little… is he jealous?"
"No," Hajime says. He's been sensing something building in Tobio's mood the past few days, and he thinks he knows what it might be. "Can you let me talk to him, you two?"
Tooru looks curious, but he nods. His arm raises and he looks down at it in surprise, and Hajime realizes Shouyou must be tugging on it, still wrapped around it the way he is. Hajime reaches out for Tooru's hand, and Shouyou slinks over to him. The morose pile of paper wilts in his palm.
"I don't know what's wrong with him, but—but will you tell him I'm sorry?" Shouyou asks. When they're touching directly, Hajime can hear him clearer, more in focus.
"I don't think you did anything, Shouyou," Hajime tells him.
"He always blames me," Shouyou says, and Hajime snorts. That's not untrue, but he doesn't think that's it this time. "Anyway… tell him to quit being upset, because I'm gonna show him how to play volleyball for real now!"
"I will," Hajime says. He gently deposits Shouyou back into Tooru's hand, and gives them both one last squeeze. "It's gonna be fine."
Back in the house, he has to hunt for Tobio. He finally finds him underneath a throw pillow on the couch, a single wrinkled, deflated blue helium balloon. Hajime scoops him up and then lays down on the couch. He puts the sad balloon on his chest, on top of his heart.
"Buddy," he prompts, after a long moment of silence that suggests Tobio is not going to be forthcoming unless asked (and also to make sure it's not actually just a random lost balloon), "what's going on?"
"Nothing," Tobio says.
"You're really expecting me to buy that tantrum was nothing?" Hajime says. "Along with this bad mood you've had going this whole week?"
"I haven't been in a bad mood!"
Hajime snorts. "Come on, Tobio, I can believe in the supernatural, but I'm not gonna believe that."
"It's—" Tobio starts to say, and then the opening of the balloon flutters as he sighs heavily. "You guys got him a volleyball and a whole court…"
"I don't know if I'd call it a court, exactly," Hajime says. That's being extremely generous, given the size of his backyard.
"Whatever," Tobio says. "I mean, it's his favorite thing. And then I bet tomorrow the others are going to bring presents, too—well, maybe not Tsukishima, but definitely Yachi and Yamaguchi. And we're throwing this whole party, and you even let us use your house, and Oikawa-san is cooking, and all I can do is—blow up a bunch of stupid balloons—"
"Woah, woah," Hajime says, because the lights are starting to flicker rapidly now, and the room temperature has definitely dropped a few degrees. "Okay, first of all—we've all been helping. You have done way more than just blow up a couple balloons, which, by the way, are always the best part of any party."
"Iwaizumi-san…"
"I'm being serious," Hajime says. "Don't you think popping them after the party's over is gonna be fun, too?"
A slight pause. "Probably…"
"See?" Hajime pokes Tobio with his finger. "So is that what this is about? You think you don't have a gift to give Shouyou?"
"How can I?" Tobio asks. "I'm a freakin' ghost."
For one, brief second, Hajime feels sad. He doesn't usually—even though the circumstances are tragic, in a lot of ways. But they make the very best of them. And if things hadn't turned out this way, he never would have met Tooru, he never would have had Shouyou and Tobio in his life, they wouldn't be thinking about… well. That's not decided yet. But hopefully soon…
Hajime shakes his head, focusing on the matter at hand.
"Well, yeah," he says. "You are. But that also means you can give him things the rest of us can't."
The balloon on his chest inflates the tiniest amount. "Like what?"
"Liiiike… someone he can compete with," Hajime says. From spooking Tooru's clientele to competitive bath bubble popping, there's nothing they won't make bets on. "Like, hugs." He knows Tobio and Shouyou actually can interact with and see each other like normal people, even if he and Tooru can't. "Like being a friend who's always there for him."
"I…" Tobio mumbles, "I guess, yeah…"
A feeling settles over Hajime's heart. It's not sadness; but it is something, and it's not coming from him. It feels like maybe there's a second heart pressed against his own, and that one is heavy, full to bursting.
"Tobio," he says softly. "Is there maybe something else you want to give Shouyou? Or… tell him?"
"Maybe," Tobio whispers. "But…"
But it's scary. It's scary, even for a ghost. Maybe especially for a ghost, because Tobio and Shouyou are more to each other now than anyone else ever will be. But that's the thing with ghosts, they're timeless; once a balance has been reached, it can't be easily shifted.
"Think about it," Hajime advises him. "And maybe tomorrow you can decide what to do."
"Okay," Tobio says. His voice sounds more distant, like maybe he's fading for the evening already. "Thanks, Iwaizumi-san."
Hajime smiles. When he goes to rest his hand on his chest, it stops a few inches above his shirt—like he's encountering some kind of invisible barrier that makes it hover right above the balloon. It doesn't feel hard or solid, but it doesn't feel like nothing more than air, either. The closest he can get to describing the sensation, only after he closes his eyes, is like there's a cat lying there motionless, curled up warm and just barely purring on his chest.
Tooru finds him fast asleep there and, instead of trying to drag him to bed, joins him instead—the two of them squashed awkwardly into the smallest space imaginable, Tooru's head a real weight on his chest, now that Tobio's has peacefully dispersed. Hajime still keeps the balloon where it is, and Tooru doesn't try to move it. He puts his own hand over it while Hajime tells him what he talked to Tobio about.
"I didn't notice…" Tooru says. His expression is pinched, which he would probably think very unattractive if he saw himself in a mirror—but Hajime has to think that he's still beautiful, even more now when it's obvious how much he cares. "I'm supposed to be the spirit whisperer, not you. But I thought he was jealous…"
"In fairness, the two of them are usually jealous of each other over something," Hajime says. "Besides, I'm not surprised you didn't notice."
Tooru heaves a loud exhalation. "Because I'm too self-absorbed?"
"No, idiot," Hajime says. "Because you and Tobio are way too similar. You nearly died before telling me how you felt."
"I was nearly killed, you mean," Tooru protests. "By those little monsters!"
"Same difference," Hajime says. "But I think it all turned out okay."
Tooru laughs. "You think? They're both so obvious."
"Ah…" Hajime says. "No, I meant… us."
"Oh," Tooru says. At this angle, Hajime can't see his face that clearly, but when Tooru presses closer to him, cheek smooshed into Hajime's chest, Hajime knows without a doubt that he's smiling. "Well, Iwa-chan, I have put a lot of time and effort into this relationship, you know."
Hajime brushes his bangs back from his forehead, which makes Tooru hiss like an angry cat, as though it actually matters that his hair gets ruffled right before he goes to bed. Hajime doesn't care.
"I know you have," he says, running his fingers through Tooru's insanely soft hair rhythmically. "How do you think tomorrow's gonna go?"
Tooru pats his chest, and the balloon perched safely on it. "I think it'll all turn out okay, too."
Hajime puts his hand over Tooru's, and nods off to sleep again.
*
The next day is a Friday, so the party doesn't officially start until the other three kids finish school and volleyball practice. Shouyou knows Tsukishima and Yamaguchi from his old volleyball club, and Yachi is their manager. Yachi compliments Hajime profusely on both his home and the decorations, and then is forced to sit and listen patiently while Tobio and Shouyou list out every single thing they helped with for the party via the Ouija board.
When the three of them see the net Tooru and Hajime have set up in the backyard, Yamaguchi and Yachi are delighted, while Tsukishima seems to grow even more tired.
"I should have known this wouldn't stop him from playing," he says, peering through the window into the yard.
"He's saying we should play three on three later," Tooru relays, after Shouyou has finished shouting that in their ears. "Maybe Yacchan can play in your place, Megane-kun."
"Did he suggest that because he's still scared to play against me?" Tsukishima asks with a smirk.
"No, I suggested that," Tooru says, without missing a beat, "because you are an oversized stick in the mud."
Tsukishima looks absolutely floored, while Shouyou and Tobio lapse into paroxysms of laughter that stirs a breeze throughout the whole house. Tooru wiggles his fingers and grins, before informing them all it's time for cake and ice cream.
It's pure chaos of the best and most haunted kind. They sing happy birthday no less than three times, because the first time Shouyou gets too excited and ends up putting out all the candles before they finish with a howling spectral wind, and the second time Tobio blows them all out right before Shouyou gets the chance, because Tobio absolutely has malevolent spirit tendencies, no matter what he claims otherwise. The third time Shouyou does blow them out, and then he and Tobio get into a brief scuffle over the knife and who gets to cut the cake, which is terrifying, until Hajime grabs the knife and reminds them they're not allowed to control sharp objects when there are guests present.
The cake is laden with frosting, mostly as an extra gift to Shouyou, and soon there is colored cream all over a great many surfaces that were never meant to have cream on them at all. Between that and the ice cream carvings, it's going to be a pain cleaning everything later, but in the moment, Hajime finds he doesn't mind at all.
After they're done with the sugar apocalypse, it's time for presents. As predicted, all Shouyou's friends brought something, and Hajime is apprehensive at first—but Tobio seems fully recovered from the evening before, and joins in exclaiming over the gifts with Shouyou.
Yachi gives him a massive roll of bubble wrap that will probably take them at least a solid week to pop fully; Yamaguchi brings one of those plastic flute-like recorders that Tooru accepts with a pained grimace, probably already anticipating the racket; Tsukishima is benevolent enough to part with his English language flashcards from the previous trimester.
"Even if you're ghosts, you can't afford to let your brains rot any further," he says.
"Stingyshima!" Shouyou yells, which Hajime does not relay. He thinks Tsukishima actually is concerned, in his own way.
The rest of the evening passes with chatting and playing games, and eventually, it's time for the three friends to head home for the evening. They thank Hajime and Tooru, and say their goodbyes, until the next time. In their wake, after the door has closed behind them, the house is quiet.
"That," Shouyou says, "was the best birthday ever!"
Hajime and Tooru exchange looks—Hajime starts grinning as Tooru laughs.
"Say thanks to Hajime for letting us use his house," Tooru instructs. "This place is a mess, and I know it's not thanks to your very well-behaved friends, so that means there's only two possible culprits…"
"We'll help clean it up!" Tobio swears. He's back to being a balloon (now with a very severe pair of eyes drawn onto it, courtesy of Yachi). He whizzes past Tooru, rubbing against his hair to make it stand on end as Tooru tries to bat him away, before transferring the light shock to Hajime when he smashes into Hajime's cheek to nuzzle affectionately against his face, the latex squeaking loudly.
"Thank you, Iwaizumi-san!" Shouyou says dutifully, his orange streamer looping itself around Hajime's waist several times around before squeezing him shockingly tight.
"Don't mention it," Hajime wheezes.
"The only way it could've been better," Shouyou says, unraveling from his waist, "is if Tobiooo had got me a gift, too."
Hajime's breath catches. Before he can say anything, Tooru starts to interject.
"Shouyou, that's not fair to Tobio-chan—"
"I do have a gift for you."
Tooru snaps his mouth shut. Hajime blinks. Is this it?
Shouyou seems just as caught off guard. "Y-you do?"
"Of course I do, dumbass," Tobio scoffs. He only falters a little when he asks, "O-Oikawa-san—can we go outside again?"
"Sure," Tooru says without even asking why, clearly just as dumbfounded as Hajime.
Once they find themselves in Hajime's backyard again, the blue balloon Tooru is holding suddenly deflates, sagging on its string. Hajime is momentarily worried sick, afraid Tobio has lapsed back into uncertainty once more—but then he sees it.
The volleyball, which they'd left outside the night before in all the commotion, is slowly rolling across the ground towards where Tooru, and by extension Shouyou, is standing. Silently, they all stare at it. And then, right before it bumps into Tooru's shoes—it rises straight up into the air.
It's not a bounce—it's like it's actually been picked up by unseen hands. It spins in those hands, before abruptly coming to a stop.
"I do have a gift for you," Tobio declares. "Something I can give you, that no one else can!"
"Wh-what's that?" Shouyou asks, voice and paper streamer wavering.
The ball suddenly extends out towards him and Tooru, and Hajime almost swears he can see the way Tobio must be pointing right at Shouyou.
"I can toss for you," Tobio says, "as much as you want!"
"Oh my god," Tooru says, in a tone that suggests that he, too, is ready to be dead.
"Hwooooh…" Shouyou squeaks. "K-Kageyama! You mean it?!"
"Yes," Tobio confirms. "As long as I'm here. Forever."
The orange steamer flies from Tooru's hand, leaping onto the suspended volleyball to cover it entirely. Tobio makes a weird sound, somewhere between a growl and a hiccup.
"Hinata! I'm not going to toss to you if you act weird!"
Hajime can't help it. He laughs, and laughs, so hard that he has to brace his hands on his knees, until he gets a coughing fit. Eventually, Tooru steps closer to smack him on the back.
"I guess hoping they might've figured everything out was probably wishful thinking," Hajime admits.
"Iwa-chan, they are so dumb it makes me want to cry," Tooru says. He leans his head on Hajime's shoulder, the picture of contentment, despite his adoptive ghost children being so tragically dumb.
Ah, well. Hajime slips his hand into Tooru's, fingers intertwined. There are a lot worse ways to be tragic, he's sure.
Like death via drowning inside of a toilet because you refuse to tell your future boyfriend you're into him; but he wisely keeps this thought to himself.
"Wait a minute…" Shouyou says. "Even if you say you'll toss to me forever, how are we gonna do that if the net is at Iwaizumi-san's house?! We can't play at Oikawa-san's…"
Tobio also begins to grumble curiously about this. Tooru squeezes Hajime's hand extra hard, and he knows it's time.
"Ah, about that…" he says, drawing their attention. "Actually, Tooru and I had something we wanted to talk to you about." He reaches out and tentatively puts a hand on top of the streamer-wrapped volleyball.
"What is it?" Tobio asks.
"Did you figure out a way to put up a net at Oikawa-san's apartment?" Shouyou chirps.
"Not… exactly," Hajime says.
Hajime fights down his nerves at the question. Ghosts like routine—that's one of the constants. Because they have no concept of time anymore, they fall into predictable, comfortable patterns. For Shouyou and Tobio, that's staying at the apartment with Tooru, playing around during the afternoon seances and then getting entirely underfoot while Tooru goes about the rest of his day.
But Tooru's apartment is really only big enough for one person—much less two people and two boisterous spirits. So what does that mean, for all of them?
You were one of the biggest changes in routine my life's ever had, Tooru had told him once. And look how that's ended up.
Hajime takes a deep breath. "I've been thinking—well, me and Tooru both have, but I was the one to ask a while back… what would you say to moving in with me? All three of you, living here?"
Almost too late, he catches the odd choice of words and inwardly cringes—living here. Tobio and Shouyou can't really do that; like Tobio said, they're freaking ghosts. It feels like a cruel thing to say, even accidentally.
Then Shouyou quietly whispers, "R-really?"
"Iwaizumi-san…" Tobio says, "you would want us to stay here, too? Not just Oikawa?"
"What?" Hajime says. "Of course I do. You're—oof!"
Before he can get another word out, he's being slammed in the chest with a volleyball at top speed, and squeezed around the waist again by a surprisingly hardy roll of orange paper mache. The effect is… shockingly like being given a hug. He closes his eyes and wraps his arms around the volleyball, and it's almost like they're there; two boys, one tall with his face pressed to Hajime's chest, the other small with his arms wrapped around Hajime's middle.
He's dangerously close to crying when Tooru clears his throat.
"What is going on here?" he demands. "Hajime has been on the receiving end of at least two hugs today, on my last count, and I'm still standing over here with nothing?!"
Tooru is nearly knocked flat on his ass by the force with which the volleyball slams into him next. He glares at Hajime, who is laughing so hard he can't breathe. He might end up joining the other two soon.
"Oikawa-san, if you were planning to leave without us, we'd follow you!" Tobio shouts.
"I never was planning that," Tooru tells him, rolling his eyes.
"Good!" Shouyou says. "You're a way better psychic when you have us around."
"What?!"
"Okay, you two, don't piss Tooru off after everything he did for you today," Hajime says, still chuckling. "Why don't you try out the court?"
"Okay! Tobio, send me a toss!"
"Dumbass! Don't try to boss me around!"
"You said you would!"
They zoom off towards the net, arguing loudly. Hajime sighs.
"What'd I tell you," Tooru says smugly. "Nothing to worry about."
Hajime shoots him a glance. He has caught Tooru crying in the bathroom before now, struck by the sudden fear that the two ghosts wouldn't want to leave the apartment, or worse, wouldn't be able to comprehend what that meant. Hajime doesn't blame him, though. He can't imagine home without the objects moving of their own accord, without the ghostly laughter, without the two little spirits who haunt his days and his thoughts about the future. They've become his, too, in so many ways. He can't wait to start fixing the place up, now that it's official—he's got a lot of plans to get his house up to ghost-approved standards…
"It all turned out okay," he says, and exhales in relief.
"Mm-hm," Tooru says, wrapping warm, corporeal arms around his waist. "They love you."
"They love my backyard."
Tooru grins and leans in to kiss him, and his mouth is very, very warm, too. Hajime has to admit—of all the crazy, otherworldly things to happen to him in the past year, Tooru falling for him has got to be at the top of the list.
"Well, alright," Tooru murmurs. "I love you, then."
Hajime slides his palm against Tooru's cheek, kisses back with all the emotions he feels whenever Tooru says those words to him. Tooru gasps, hands flying to Hajime's face—and then he gasps again, and pushes Hajime away. Hajime sputters, but then he catches sight of Tooru's expression.
Tooru is staring past him, eyes huge and shining, cheeks still pink from the kiss, mouth open in awe.
"Hajime… look!" he whispers.
Hajime turns, and he sees them.
Not exactly, not one hundred percent, but in the setting evening sun, rose and gold washed over the side of the house, there are long, stretched black shadows cast along the wall. There's the volleyball net, and then—
The ball arcs through the air, and a tall figure reaches up, both hands poised beneath it, ready and waiting. The ball touches nothing, touches what looks like air—but against the wall, Hajime can see the shadow push back, set a perfect toss, and it flies in a smooth arc across their makeshift court.
And a second shadow is there to meet it, running up like pure joy. Arms swing back, and a breeze rushes through the backyard, whips their hair and rustles through all the trees, startling a flock of crows cawing into flight—right as the smaller shadow jumps, soars into the air, palm smacking the ball's shadow. The real ball goes flying, smashes down onto the other side of the net with a satisfying thud.
Hajime blinks, and when his eyes open again, the shadows are gone from the wall. The ball rolls across the grass.
Then he hears them.
"U—UWAAAAH!" Shouyou screeches. "Did you see?! Kageyama! Oikawa-san, Iwaizumi-san—"
"I… I did it…" Tobio is muttering. "I tossed it. You actually hit it—"
"What did you expect, Bakageyama?!"
"I thought you'd SUCK!"
"WHAAAT?"
Hajime brings his hands together in a fit of spontaneous applause. "We saw it! That was incredible!"
The two ghosts start clamoring around them instantly.
"Do you want to try it, Iwaizumi-san?!"
"Come on, we can all play! W-wait, Oikawa-san? Are you okay?"
Tooru sniffles loudly and swipes at his eyes. "Why wouldn't I be?" he demands. "Alright, then, yes—let's see what Chibi-chan is always going on about, then."
He turns to Hajime and flashes him another grin—appropriately heart-stopping, golden in the fading hours of twilight. Hajime takes his hand when it's offered, and they head onto the court, in this home where they belong, the four of them together. It seems silly now that any of them were worried about anything.
They might not all be alive in that house; but they're absolutely, definitely living.