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Goshiki is by no means a small person. He is almost six feet tall—only a half-inch shy—and at the young age of fifteen, he's not even done growing. Not to mention he's decently muscular from all the training he goes through for volleyball. Being tall and muscular, he's not used to feeling anything less than, because he isn't.
But being wrapped in the warm and tight embrace of Koganegawa has him feeling minuscule. Koganegawa is a good few inches taller than Goshiki and built like the world's most handsome wall. His grip would hurt, crushing Goshiki like a vice, if it weren't so comforting.
"Goshiki?" Koganegawa mumbles. He presses his nose into the crown of Goshiki's head and inhales shakily.
"Koganegawa?" Goshiki replies. He forces himself to move his arms, paralyzed at his sides, and wraps them slowly around Koganegawa's waist, who melts into the touch with a pleased sigh.
"I'm gonna miss you," He says, pouting as he continues to inhale Goshiki's scent.
Goshiki squeezes him a little tighter. "You can see me in a few days," He grumbles lightheartedly.
Koganegawa hums and presses a short kiss to Goshiki's head, who refuses to admit to the blush that ignites on his cheeks.
"I know," Koganegawa says, "I'll still miss you."
Goshiki presses his nose into the crook of Koganegawa's neck. Refusing to be outdone, he peppers the exposed skin in short kisses. Up and down. Koganegawa bares his neck to make room for the tender lips raking his flesh.
"I'll miss you, too," Goshiki mumbles into Koganegawa's jacket. He shivers in the evening breeze, wafting its way through the thin fabric of the sweater he wears that may or may not have been stolen from Koganegawa. "I have to go now," Goshiki whispers as he drops his arms to his sides.
Koganegawa slowly recedes, pulling his arms away and backing up to look Goshiki in the eyes and offer a kind smile. Goshiki wouldn't have been able to stop himself from returning the gesture if he'd wanted to.
Koganegawa grabs Goshiki's hand, gives it a firm squeeze, and says "See you soon."
Goshiki nods his head in agreement and practically skips into his dorm building. He nearly collides with Tendou the second he enters the doors. What Tendou is doing walking around the halls at this hour of the evening, Goshiki doesn't care to ask.
"Is your loverboy gone?" Tendou seems disappointed as he cocks his head and squints to see outside.
"Don't call him that," Goshiki grumbles.
"What else am I supposed to call him, when you won't even tell me his name?" Tendou pouts and swings himself in the other direction, pacing around as if he has nothing better to do.
"Just...call him my boyfriend." The words bring another round of flush to Goshiki's cheeks. He feels his heart fill wonderfully at such a simple word. He smiles to himself and clutches at the slightly too-long arms of the sweater he's stolen.
"Someday the two of you will melt my heart." Tendou clutches at his chest as though exactly that is happening.
Goshiki just hums as he walks off to his room.
•
Goshiki is again reminded how small he is next to Koganegawa. He continuously has to remind himself that he's not actually tiny, that he hasn't shrunk over the course of their cinema date, and that Koganegawa is just a giant.
He's not against feeling petit, quite the opposite, he finds comfort in being able to sidle next to Koganegawa as the two walk to the Shiratorizawa dorms. He rests his cheek on the broad shoulder offered to him, trying to stay at least mildly attentive. Their slow pace along with the events of the long day catch up to Goshiki, and he can't help but nearly doze off in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Goshiki?" Koganegawa asks gently.
"Hmm?" Goshiki hums in response.
"You sleepy?" Koganegawa chuckles a little, teasing.
Goshiki just nods and smooshes his cheek further into the wonderfully comfortable shoulder.
"You're adorable," Koganegawa scoffs with a disbelieving shake of his head.
"Am not!" Goshiki protests. He snaps his head up and blinks a couple of times, chasing away the exhaustion that threatens to claim him.
"Are too!" Koganegawa smiles from ear to ear. He stops suddenly, forcing Goshiki to spin on his heel to face him.
"You're the most adorable, most handsome, most talented person I've ever met, and I can't believe I'm dating you," Koganegawa says in a daze. His love-struck smile and his words of praise light Goshiki on fire. He's sure he's flushing down to his toes as he chokes out whatever he can manage as thanks.
Koganegawa laughs at the cute attempt, before spinning around and saying, "Anyway, have a good night Gosh."
Goshiki nearly sees white. He's sure it must be illegal for someone to be as cute and kind as Koganegawa.
"Goodnight! Kogane!" Goshiki calls back before sprinting towards his dorm.
•
"Your boyfriend's outside," Shirabu calls out to Goshiki with a sneer.
Tendou squeals, it seems he's more excited than Goshiki is. Though Goshiki is quite excited, at least inwardly so.
"Can I say hi?" Tendou asks, eyes shimmering as he smiles at Goshiki.
"Sure, whatever," Goshiki says with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yay!" Tendou flashes a purely content smirk and flails his hands around.
As Goshiki and Tendou make their way to where Koganegawa waits outside the gym, Tendou chats Goshiki's ear off, asking a million questions about the boy he's about to meet.
"Does he treat you right? Y'know you deserve the absolute world, Goshiki? What's he into? What position does he play again? What's his first name? Favourite colour? Favourite food?"
Goshiki grumbles out answers. Eventually, he settles on, "Ask him yourself." And mercifully Tendou shuts up.
The two round a corner and exit the building, pressing onwards into the warm afternoon air. Koganegawa waits patiently, leaning against a wall as he stares down at that little flip phone of his. As soon as he hears the approaching footsteps his head snaps up. He pushes off the wall, immediately smiling a mile-wide grin that could definitely warm the entire globe in a matter of seconds.
"Large," Tendou comments as Goshiki picks up his pace to fall into Koganegawa's outstretched arms.
Tendou straightens his back, rising to his full height and still falling a few inches shorter than Koganegawa.
"Hello, hello, Koganegawa," Tendou greets with a dangerous smile, eyes narrowed as he outstretches a hand.
Goshiki pries himself away from Koganegawa's embrace if only to ensure Tendou isn't about to do something stupid.
"Hey!" Koganegawa seems to think for a minute, "Sorry I don't know your name."
"Goshiki! You didn't tell him all about me? You wound me," Tendou sings. He revokes his hand, pressing it instead to his chest in an overexaggerated display of mock-offence.
"This is Tendou," Goshiki says, if not a little tired sounding.
"Oh! This is Tendou?" Koganegawa seems delighted. Surprised, but delighted nonetheless.
"You did tell him about me! I knew you were my favourite underclassman for a reason." Tendou bumps his shoulder into Goshiki's, smiling all the while.
"He really wanted to meet you," Goshiki says. Whether he's talking about Tendou's earlier complaints of not getting to meet Koganegawa, or the latter's newfound excitement at the introduction to Tendou it is uncertain.
"You'll treat him good, won't you?" Tendou asks, the slightest hint of malice seeping into his manic smirk.
"You really do baby him," Comes the sudden voice of Kawanishi as he leaves the building to do...whatever it is Kawanishi does in his spare time.
Tendou follows him, on the verge of growling as he rants about protecting his underclassmen. Kawanishi seems less than thrilled to be tailed by a near-feral Tendou.
"I'm sorry about him," Goshiki apologizes with a nod of his head.
Koganegawa just laughs, wonderful and sunny. "I like him. He's fun."
There's a moment of silence before Koganegawa opens his arms again. Goshiki reclaims his place against Koganegawa's chest as he smothers himself in the scent of green apple detergent.
"Missed you," Koganegawa whispers.
"Missed you, too," Goshiki replies, squeezing Kogenaegawa's midsection.
"I gotta get back to practice though, I just came to drop this off." Koganegawa's arms recede. Goshiki takes the hint and extracts himself from his quite comfortable spot to blink in curiosity.
"Tada!" Koganegawa exclaims as he presents a small cloth package.
Goshiki blinks at it. "What is it?"
"It's a little surprise wrapped in my sweater so it doesn't get smooshed."
Goshiki's sure that's not the only reason it's wrapped in a sweater, and he giggles at the thought and care put into the mystery gift. "Thank you," He says, smiling from ear to ear.
"You're so pretty when you smile," Koganegawa hums.
Goshiki can feel his face catch fire as he stutters out something that could possibly pass as a thanks.
"Anyway, I gotta go now. See ya Tsutomu!" Koganegawa starts to walk away, a smile chasing its way across his face as he waves a gentle goodbye.
"S-see you soon, Kanji!" Goshiki calls out, more than a little surprised to hear his given name spoken without a second thought.
Koganegawa's laughter echoes back as he slowly stalks off.
•
It's a cupcake, Goshiki soon discovers as he unwraps the sweater and finds a little cardboard box tucked inside. The mystery gift tastes oddly delicious. Goshiki had assumed Koganegawa wouldn't be one for baking, but he's pleasantly surprised at the wonderful flavour that spreads sugary-sweet through his mouth.
A little note flutters to Goshiki's desk, where he's situated himself for the unpackaging. He picks it up, and immediately feels his face heat a good few degrees. On it, in Koganegawa's scribbled writing, is a simple request.
You owe me a kiss.
Goshiki plans on paying that debt.
•
"Big plans tonight?" Koganegawa's voice comes crackly through the speaker of Goshiki's phone.
"Plans for what?" Goshiki asks. He tucks his phone between his ear and shoulder as he scribbles out his homework answers.
"Graduation!" Koganegawa calls.
"I'm not graduating," Goshiki says. A breath of a laugh ghosts his lips.
"I know, but Tendou is, isn't he? And the great Ushiwaka!" Koganegawa cries out from the other end of the line.
"I think they were planning on going to a restaurant." A moment of silence as Goshiki takes time to really think about what that will mean. No more of Tendou's odd conversation and bizarre antics. No more encouragement from Ushijima. No more of Semi sending weird playlists at even weirder hours of the night. No more soothing from Reon when everyone else is a little too wild to be of any help. No more of Yamagata's kind if not aggressive mentoring. "It'll be weird without them around."
"Hey, it'll be alright," Koganegawa reassures in a more hushed tone.
"Yeah," Goshiki says more to himself than anyone else. He's been trying to ignore the quickly approaching departure of the third years, with little to no success. "I think I gotta go now. We've been on call for..."
"Two hours?" Koganegawa supplies.
"I should go to sleep. I'll miss you, Kanji," Goshiki says.
"Miss you too, Tsutomu!" Koganegawa calls.
Goshiki ends the call with a press of his thumb and a sigh. He can't help but smile at the way Koganegawa's voice continues to echo inside of his head.
•
"Children are so exhausting, aren't they?" Koganegawa asks, crumpling into a booth at a cafe perfectly situated between Date Tech and Shiratorizawa.
"You're also a child." Goshiki points out as he slides into the booth as well.
"I know that." Koganegawa swats his hand around before face-planting onto the table. The table's contents rattle gently at the sudden interruption. "The first years are exhausting," He groans, muffled by the wood he continues to mash his face into. "They're good and all, but they need so much help."
"They just need a strong mentor," Goshiki says. He gives the menu a once-over, before deciding on the obvious choice of hot chocolate.
Koganegawa hums, rocketing off the table and nearly slamming his head into the wall behind him. "I could do that," He says with a confident tip of his chin.
Goshiki smiles at him, before beckoning him over to the till to order something before they get kicked out.
"How are the first years treating you?" Koganegawa asks after many laughs are had, their drinks are emptied, and the pastries they'd decided to purchase midway through the date rest in their stomachs.
Goshiki can feel his own face light up. "Amazing! A lot of them prefer coming to me for help, which makes Shirabu mad, so that's a bonus. I never thought I'd like helping people this much, but I really do."
"You're kinda perfect, huh?" Koganegawa says, leaning forwards to rest his face in his palm.
"Far from it," Goshiki chokes out. His face burns from the praise.
Koganegawa nearly giggles as he stands from the booth. He groans as he stretches, blinking up at the bright cafe lighting. "I think I should be going now. Kiss me goodbye?" Koganegawa's puppy dog eyes are nearly impossible to refuse.
"I-in public?" Goshiki stutters. The request makes him a little nervous, and he anxiously eyes the other cafe patrons. None of them pay the two in their secluded booth any mind.
"Unless you don't want to." Koganegawa doesn't seem disappointed.
"No, no, I want to." Goshiki smiles. He stands up and presses a gentle kiss to Koganegawa's lips.
Koganegawa hums his appreciation, seemingly drunk on love as he says his goodbye and leaves the cafe.
•
"What are you gonna do after high school?" Koganegawa asks. Perched on the rooftop of a nearby restaurant, he gazes up at the stars. Awe written across his features. His hand grips tighter at Goshiki's next to him.
Goshiki sighs before proudly announcing, "I'm going to be a professional player."
"No way!" Koganegawa's smile seems a million times brighter than the gorgeous array of lights above them. "Me too!"
"Oh!" Goshiki exclaims. "Maybe we'll play for the same team."
Koganegawa chuckles. "That would be nice."
A moment of silence passes over, broken only by another abrupt question from Koganegawa.
"Can I kiss you?" He asks.
Goshiki snorts. "Kogane, it's been two years. You know you don't have to ask, right?"
Koganegawa hums and turns on his side. Goshiki does the same and the two of them press their lips together in a short exchange. Flush lips meet to warm each other in the chill of the night.
Goshiki breaks away only when his teeth start to chatter from the night wind whipping around the two of them. "I think that's my cue to leave."
"Bye, Tsutomu. I love you," Koganegawa whispers against his lips.
"Goodbye, Kanji. I love you too." Goshiki says, nearly like a trance. He really loves this boy.
•
"Congrats on college!" Koganegawa shouts as he runs across the parking lot.
Goshiki smiles and waits for his greeting kiss. He receives it within seconds and proceeds to congratulate Koganegawa on his job.
"Look at us being successful adults," Koganegawa says proudly.
Goshiki grabs Koganegawa's hand as the two walk towards the movie theatre they've come to frequent during their last three years of dating. They've been known to have movie dates at any given opportunity and celebratory dates such as this one give a wonderful excuse to do just that. With Goshiki being accepted to his college of choice and Koganegawa being offered a job at a car manufacturer, celebrations seem in order.
Goshiki had even received a congratulatory call from Tendou earlier in the day. He was upset he couldn't come to see his underclassman graduate, but he couldn't find it in his bank account to visit.
It seemed to be ages ago that Tendou was begging to be introduced to Koganegawa.
Goshiki sighs, feeling a little nostalgic.
"Hey, do you maybe want to uh...move in together?" Koganegawa asks very suddenly, interrupting Goshiki's trip to the past. He sounds uncharacteristically anxious, but considering the intensity of what he's asking it makes sense.
Goshiki is a little taken aback. He takes a sharp inhale, scrunching his eyebrows together for a moment and huffing. "I do." He answers simply. He doesn't have to think about it much. This is the man he's loved for the past three years. Throughout all of high school he's stuck by Goshiki's side. It's an easy decision.
"Great!" Koganegawa exclaims. He squeezes Goshiki's hand a little tighter. The two enter the theatre hand-in-hand, chatting about locations and ideas for their apartment. Because it really is just that easy for them.
When the movie ends, the sky is painted in swaths of pink and orange, stretching up to taint the pristine clouds with the gorgeous radiance brought by the setting sun. The quickly cooling air reaches Goshiki's lungs as he takes a deep inhale.
"Congrats again," Koganegawa says. "I'll see you soon? For house hunting!" His enthusiasm is contagious, and Goshiki finds himself bouncing on his feet a little as he nods vigorously.
"I'll miss you Tsu!" Koganegawa yells as he dances off to his car. "Love you!"
"Love you too!" Goshiki calls just before Koganegawa slams the door to his car.
The two get a few stares from people passing by, but Goshiki is too excited to care. He can only imagine how wonderful life with Koganegawa will be.
•
"What's in here?" Koganegawa asks, seemingly surprised by the weight of one of the various moving boxes. He still manages to lift it without a hint of struggle.
"I think it's full of books," Goshiki yells from the corner he's dusting.
Koganegawa lets out an interested hum as he drops it in the unfurnished apartment. Newly leased to the two of them.
"Tsu? Could you come here for a second?" Koganegawa asks in a sing-song voice.
"Mhmm!" Goshiki says as he tosses his cloth aside. He crosses the room to see what Koganegawa wants, only to be tugged into a deep kiss. He smirks against Koganegawa's warm lips, humming all the while.
•
Later, when the apartment is furnished with luxuries that they surely shouldn't have been able to afford, when all is momentarily tucked into place because putting it all away would be too much work and Koganegawa is sure they can accomplish it tomorrow, the two lay in bed.
In their bed. The one they share. The one carefully selected on a date to the mattress store where the two childishly bounced around on the array of springy plush. The one carefully fitted with sheets that were very stubborn and a struggle to get on. Sheets that caused Goshiki's brow to crease in the way Koganegawa always said looked so handsome on him.
They lay tangled under cool linen, smelling of that same green apple detergent Koganegawa has used for years, and smiling at each other. Both should be exhausted after the long day of moving, but neither can bring themselves to close their eyes for a moment. Neither can bring themselves to miss out on the beauty laying mere inches from them.
It's their first time really sharing a bed. It's so much different from occasional evenings cuddling at Koganegawa's, where Goshiki knew he had to be back at the dorms in a few hours and he couldn't settle down enough to really enjoy the feeling of melting into his boyfriend's sturdy chest.
But now he has that luxury.
"Goodnight, Kanji," He whispers as he nuzzles closer into the crook he has claimed as home.
"Goodnight, Tsu. I'm gonna miss you," Koganegawa mumbles as if in a daze. He sounds far away, tired from the strenuous day.
The comment almost slips through the comprehension of his mind, almost tumbles through one ear and out the other before catching in the sticky part of his mind and soaking into a realization.
He laughs, a short little giggle at first, before it spreads into a snort and a full-on cackle as he says, "I'm not going anywhere." Through blurry eyes.
Koganegawa hums, eyelids fluttering as he drifts into a half-sleep. "Guess you're right. Love you."
Goshiki giggles once more, squeezing tight before he whispers, "I love you too." And drifts into a pleasant sleep, knowing this will be the first night of many spent cuddled next to the man he loves most. Knowing that I'll miss you will never have to carry a sense of finality ever again.