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Kageyama sighed, running a hand across his tired face, and closing his eyes. Tear tracks stained his flushed face, but his eyes were dry, drained from the past few days of nothing but sobbing in the comfort of his bed.
Every so often, he would feel a phantom touch, but when he turned, hope lighting in his chest, there was only emptiness.
In his hand was a tiny omamori, slightly crushed from being gripped too hard. Its black fabric cover and the golden embroidery of '勝守' and a crow were worn, with loose threads poking out, evidence of the years it had seen. (A/N: I'm not making this omamori up, I have one that I bought from a shrine somewhere)
They were on their way to the shrine, even Kageyama had an excited smile on his face. It was going to be their last shrine visit together, their last new year together, their last year together.
Tsukishima , Yamaguchi and Yachi were going to university, Kageyama and Hinata planning on continuing their volleyball career.
'GWAAHHHH! Look at all the people, look at the lanterns, look at the omamoris, look at the bell!'
'Boke Hinata boke, it's not your first time at a shrine.' Kageyama twisted his hand into the bouncy boy's hair, making him yelp in pain. The two chaotic males started a yelling match and attracted plenty of unwanted attention.
'King-sama, don't torture your loyal subjects like that.' Tsukishima teased.
'Hinata, you walk next to Yachi, Kageyma, next to Tsukki.' Yamaguchi, already slipping into the role of new captain, ordered. But under the stern exterior, he had a mischievous smile on.
Kageyama glared at the salty boy, who glared back, their rivalry never relented throughout the past two years as teammates.
Yamaguchi wasn't fooled, he could spot the secret glances the setter shot at his teammate during practice, and he could see Tsukki's concerned expressions beneath the smirk whenever Kageyama got hurt, whether it was from squabbling with Hinata or crashing into a pole when racing.
'Come on , the line to the shrine's getting longer and longer!' Hinata all but dragged the rest of the soon-to-be-third years in that direction.
'It's just 10 minutes till midnight,' Yachi reported, checking her phone. She peered at the line in front of them, 'Should be enough time...'
' I'll go first with Hitoka-chan,' Yamaguchi blushed madly.
'I'll go next!' Hinata's voice was quivering with even further excitement.
'Then me.' Two voices chorused, resulting in an intense staring match.
' Why don't you two go together then?'
'Wha- No!'
'No, no, no, thank you very much, the great King can't have a mere commoner accompanying him.'
But soon, they were both standing in front of the bells together, grumbling. They rang their own respective ones two times, bowed deeply and clapped twice, thanking the gods.
When they turned back, the others were gone. 'Stupid Hinata boke .'
Grumbling louder, the pair went off in search of their friends, when everyone around them started counting down.
'TEN'
'NINE'
'EIGHT'
'SEVEN'
'SIX'
'FIVE'
People started jostling around, moving as fast as possible through the crowd.
'FOUR'
'THREE'
'TWO'
'ONE'
'HAPPY NEW YEAR!'
Finally finding each other , if they weren't already together, the couples in the crowd all shared a sweet New Year's kiss.
Kageyama froze, unsure of what to do, oblivious to the similar reaction of the salty boy next to him.
With a reddening face, he slowly turned his head to the left and planted a small kiss on his companion's cheek.
Only for his lips to meet another warm pair in an awkward collision. Shocked, he pulled back to see an equally strawberry-red Tsukishima.
For once, the snarky exterior of the boy was gone, as he said, completely out of character and to Kageyama's surprise and delight, 'I- I like you, King-sama. You can run away screaming now.'
Kageyama didn't say anything, but instead stood on his tiptoes to actually kiss his cheek this time. 'I like you too.'
They both smiled, then stood around unsure of what to do. Tsukishima extended a hand to drop a small object into his crush's hand, it was a beautifully embroidered black omamori with a crow on it, a charm for-
'Victory?'
'Can't have the King losing at anything, can we?'
'Aren't you supposed to get the "lucky in love" charm?'
'Too cliche, and too common for someone as high and mighty as you.'
Kageyama chuckled, holding the gift tight in one hand, Tsukki's warm callused hand in the other.
Kageyama felt like he was going to burst into a fresh wave of ugly crying, but none came. He just curled up again in silence, heart as heavy as lead.
His front door crashed open with a bang that made him flinch, but he just couldn't bring himself to get up and investigate. If it was a serial killer, let them come, he didn't care anymore.
'Kageyama, you okay?' It wasn't a serial killer, Yamaguchi and Yachi tiptoed into the room.
'Leave me alone.' He could hear his own voice, glum and raspy.
'I'll go get you some water,' the visiting female dashed out the room to the kitchen, leaving her husband to sit down on the bed next to the sad Tobio.
Yamaguchi enveloped him in a hug, salty tears streaming down his own face.
But he soon composed himself, 'Kageyama, Suga and Daichi are getting worried, you've been locked up here for a week already.'
'I'm fine.'
He tried again, 'They threatened to send in Tanaka and Nishinoya.'
'I don't care. I told you, I'm okay.'
'Come out for lunch with us.'
'No thank you.'
'Tsukki wouldn't have wanted you to be like this.' Yamaguchu frowned at him.
'Why wouldn't he? When I was the one who killed him.' Bitterness welled up inside him, spilling out through his voice.
'It wasn't your fault, Kageyama,' Yamaguchi hugged him tight.
Kageyama stormed down the street, his face dark, with Tsukishima hurrying after him.
'TOBIO! CALM DOWN!'
'GO AWAY!'
'TOBIO! WHY ARE YOU BEING SO DRAMATIC, IT WAS JUST ONE GAME.'
'A GAME WHERE I WAS BENCHED, AGAIN.'
'It happens, there are new players now, a new generation.'
'Just leave me alone, Kei ,' Tears were gathering in his eyes, blurring Tsukki's concerned expression. He turned and fled, down the pavement and across the road.
'KING, STOP!' He didn't see the headlights barreling straight for him. The bespectacled male ran for him, as fast as his long legs could carry him.
Limbs flailed as he grabbed Kageyama , spinning around so that his back faced the truck and pushing his boyfriend back onto the street. ' I'm sorry.'
Kageyama's shoulder rammed into a lamppost, sending a sharp flare of pain down his arm.
'Kei?' Tsukki's unmoving body lay sprawled on the ground, crimson blood pooling around him. ' Kei , no, Kei , come back, Kei!'
Tears were pouring down his cheeks, sliding down his cheek and onto the blonde's already cold face.
'Yes it was.'