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Shoyo sat alone in his hotel room. It was the night before his first game at the Olympics that year. Minutes earlier, his phone had rung and he was now speaking to an old friend of his.
“So, you want to take me on a date?” Shoyo asked into the phone, an eyebrow raised.
“Yes, I do,” Tooru said. “As you know, I’m in town—”
“It’s the olympic season, Oikawa-san.”
“Yes, I know, but let me finish,” he said. “Since I’m in town I figured I’d take my favorite Shoyo-kun on a romantic date.”
“You know more than one Shoyo?”
“That’s not the point of what I was saying. So, would you let me take you on a date you’ll never forget?”
“I don’t know about that, Oikawa-san. Like I said, it’s olympic season, so all kinds of tourists are in town specifically to attend the games. The likelihood we’ll be recognised is pretty high, and I’m sure the news would have a hayday with that. I can already see the headlines.” He held his arm out in front of him, waving as though a banner was above him. “‘Genius setter from Argentina spotted having dinner with world famous Shoyo Hinata, opposite hitter for the Japan team.’” He chuckled to himself.
“Oh, so your name would be in the headline, but not mine?”
“Nope,” he declared cheekily.
“Well, how about this, I’ll find a little place away from any crowds and we can go in disguises or something so that we won’t be recognised,” he explained. “If we do all that, will you let me take you out for dinner?”
Shoyo bit his lip, trying not to laugh. “Who said I’d want to go on a date with you under any circumstances?”
“Shoyo-kun, I can physically feel how badly you want to sneak out and do something crazy and I’m like three buildings away. Let me be that crazy thing, would you?”
“I was messing with you, Oikawa-san,” he said with a giggle. “I’d love to get dinner with you.”
Oikawa sighed. “Alright, I’ll text you once I’ve found a good place. See you there!”
“See ya!” He kissed the receiver and hung up. He hopped up and jumped in place. “This is gonna be so fun. Oh! But I have to make sure no one sees me leave either. Iwa-san would be pissed if he found out that I was planning to have dinner with Oikawa-san.”
He hastily changed into a hoodie and sweatpants, hiding his brilliantly orange hair beneath a cap and pulling up the hood. “Jeez, I hope this works.”
The silent room was interrupted by his phone buzzing. He pulled it out of his pocket to see a text from Tooru stating that he found a perfect place to eat. Shoyo sent him back a quick text with a smile.
He opened his hotel room door slowly, peering outside cautiously. He took a step outside and made his way down the hall, walking on his toes with his shoes in hand. He glanced from side to side as he headed toward the elevator. The thrill of breaking the rules for once made his heart pound in his chest.
“Sho-chan? Is that you?” Kotaro asked quietly as he opened his door. The sudden appearance made Shoyo nearly jump out of his skin. “You look like you’re sneaking away too. Where are you going?”
“Don’t tell anyone, but I’m meeting Oikawa-san for dinner.”
Kotaro walked with him to the elevator, the doors closing. “Ooh, is it romantic?” he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“That’s the plan,” he said. He slipped his shoes on. “I told him it’s probably a bad idea, but I’ve been kind of dying to do something a bit rebellious.”
Kotaro barked out a laugh, smacking him on the back. “Good man! I’m on my way to my own romantic rendezvous as we speak.”
“Really? I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”
“You remember Akaashi from my high school?”
“Of course I remember Akaashi-san!” Shoyo said with starry eyes. “He’s super talented and pretty, right?”
“Yep! He’s the best and also my boyfriend, but we’re keeping under wraps for now,” he said, placing a finger to his lips. “We figured it would be best to keep the info private. He said it’s best if the media only focuses on my career and not my romantic life.”
“Wow! He’s just as smart as ever,” Shoyo marveled.
“Yeah, I’m the luckiest guy ever,” Kotaro said with a sigh. “He’s my world. Anyway, this is our floor. Good luck on your date Sho-chan and tell Oikkun that I said hi!” He waved and ran out of the open elevator doors.
Shoyo waved to him and stepped out of the hotel, keeping his head down. He pulled out his phone and texted Tooru to let him know he was outside. He received a text telling him to wait somewhere near the entrance. He walked past the doors and leaned against the wall by an alley beside the building.
A few minutes passed and he saw a hooded figure approaching. The figure looked up, spotting him and walked closer.
“That you, Shoyo-kun?”
“Who’s Shoyo?”
Tooru smacked his shoulder lightly. “Dork. Let’s go, it’s only open for a couple more hours.” He held his hand out toward him.
Shoyo took it and they walked hand in hand toward the unknown destination. “So, what’s this place you’re taking me to?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said with a sing-song voice. “You’ll see when we get there, just be patient.”
Shoyo pouted. “Okay.”
They reach the unknown restaurant, a small building tucked away in a dark nook, lit by candles both inside and out.
“What’s this place called? It’s too dark to see.”
“The Phantom Light Café,” he whispered into his ear. “It’s not super well known, but the reviews were great.”
“It does look pretty romantic,” Shoyo said.
“Yep, and it’s dark, so we’ll be able to eat without the hoods. I can take in you and all of your beauty in its entirety.” He gestured dramatically, spinning him around on the sidewalk.
Shoyo chuckled. “Might want to save some of the flattery for when we’re actually on the date, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “This date started the moment I called you.”
“It really didn’t.”
“We’re getting away from the point here. Let’s just go in, shall we?” He motioned his arm toward the entrance.
“We shall,” Shoyo said with a giggle. He took Tooru’s arm in his and they walked in.
An employee approached them both. “Table for two?” she asked.
“Exactly right,” Tooru said. “Would we be able to get a table away from others?”
The woman raised her eyebrow. She caught sight of his face in the candlelight, her eyes going wide. She looked at Shoyo. “Wait, are you Shoyo Hinata and Tooru Oikawa?” she whispered.
Tooru placed a finger over his lips. “Yep, but could you please do us a tiny favor. We need no one to know we were here.”
The woman nodded with a smirk. “Absolutely, sir. I can keep your secret.”
“You’re the best!” Shoyo chirped.
“Thank you, sir,” she said excitedly. “Now, follow me. I know the perfect table for you two.” She smiled brightly, walking to a hidden corner of the restaurant. “No one should be able to see you here aside from the wait staff. I’m the only one who watches any sports, though, so you should be fine now.”
“Thank you so much,” Tooru said. “You can get pictures with us later if you’d like.” He winked.
The woman hopped in place. “Thank you so much, sir, that means the world to me.” She hurried off, leaving them both with menus.
Shoyo sighed, his shoulders relaxing. “Thank goodness. I almost thought we were done for.” He took off his hood and cap and ruffled his own hair.
“I know right,” Tooru chuckled. “We got pretty lucky, huh?”
“Lucky or not, I’m starving. I think I’m just gonna get spaghetti. What about you?”
“You’ve got good taste, so I’ll get the same,” he said with a wink.
“Flirt,” he accused.
“Hey, now, it’s in my nature.”
“Have you always been such a flatterer?”
“No, I grew into that along with my humility.”
“Oh, that’s a good one.”
Tooru winked at him once more, receiving a playful eye roll in return.
The waitress arrived and took their orders, leaving them to return to their conversation.
“I wasn’t exactly the smoothest in high school, that’s for sure. It didn’t help that the one I had my eye on was so thick in the head.”
“Oh really?” Shoyo scooted forward, leaning his chin onto his palm.
“Yeah, I mean him and I fooled around a lot, and I mean a lot, but he never realised that I was head over heels for him. When I finally had the courage to tell him, I was about to leave Japan, and he didn’t talk to me for months after.”
“That’s shitty of him,” Shoyo commented.
Tooru sighed. “Maybe it was, but we were young and he was scared. Love is terrifying for some people, I guess. That’s alright, Iwa-chan had his chance, but we’re both happy, so it’s for the best.”
“Wait, Iwa-san was your high school sweetheart?”
“That he was,” Tooru said wistfully. “Back then, I thought he was the love of my life. We’re still friends, but we had one hell of a fight when I finally reached out. I looked like a mess, crying my eyes out like a kid lost in a supermarket. I was just so angry.” He shook his head. “But I forgave him. I forgave him and we made up. He’ll always be one of my best friends.”
Shoyo reached across the table to take his hand. “I’m really happy for the two of you.”
Tooru smiled. “Thanks, Shoyo-kun. I am too.”
“I’ve gotta say, though. I had no idea that Iwa-san was into guys.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure if he really is,” Tooru said with a chuckle. “I think we were just a couple of horny teenagers, but who knows?”
Shoyo chuckles. “Yeah, but I definitely get dealing with hardheads.”
Tooru gasped. “No! Is little Tobio on our team?”
“Oikawa-san, we’re on two different national teams. If you’re asking whether Kageyama-kun is gay or not, no. I think he might be asexual. I don’t know to be honest. We kissed in highschool like once, but he has always placed his focus on volleyball, so there’s really no way to be sure since that’s how he always answers the question.”
“Good to know he’s still as much of a freak for this sport as always.”
Shoyo chuckled. “Oikawa-san, all of us are freaks for volleyball.”
“Yeah, but most of us still have love lives. I’m pretty sure even that other little guy on your team has someone he’s seeing.”
“Yeah, Korai-kun is seeing someone, isn’t he?” He took a sip of his water, shying away from the subject.
“Enough about other people, though,” Tooru said, waving his hand. He placed it over Shoyo’s. “I was really happy when we reunited in Brazil. It felt good to buy you a meal then and I guess I wanted to relive that memory somehow.”
“Weirdo.” Shoyo giggled. “I’m glad we reunited too. It was definitely something. I had never spoken to you on equal terms like that, so this side of you was a bit of a shock. It was a welcome one, though. Hey, since you’re clearly interested in me, how about you betray your team and be a double agent? It would mean so much to me.” He batted his eyelashes.
Tooru laughed, hunching over the table. “Yeah, sorry, Shoyo-kun. You’ll have to beat me fair and square. Hell, you’ve already done that more than once, what’s another victory, right? That is, if I keep letting you win.”
“Hah, you’re just mad that my team is gonna wipe the floor with you guys this year.”
“We’ll see.”
Their food got to the table and they ate relatively quietly, occasionally kicking the other from beneath the table.
They finished eating and covered themselves back up, preparing to exit. The woman who greeted them at the door came over to them, phone in hand.
“Could I—”
“Absolutely, but we’ll have to be in them separately,” Tooru said.
“And we also ask that if you post these pictures, don’t post them on the same day.”
“Of course!” she said with a wide smile. They quickly posed and took pictures with her, giving the woman one last quick goodbye before heading out.
“Can we make one last pitstop before I drop you off at your hotel?” Tooru asked.
Shoyo nodded and let Tooru drag him away, ending up at a small park nearby. He and Tooru sat down on a bench by the entrance.
“This is a cute place,” Shoyo said, looking at all the equipment.
Tooru rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’ve passed this place a few times. I just wanted to take you somewhere that I knew we’d be alone.”
Shoyo sighed, scooting closer to him. “It’s really nice. Clear night, silence, and The Great King to keep me company.”
“I never thought I’d hear you say that nickname again,” he teased, bumping him with his elbow. He wrapped an arm around Shoyo’s waist and pulled him closer. “I just thought it would be best to kiss you somewhere that it wouldn’t end up online.”
Shoyo looked up at him, his eyelashes fluttering. “Good choice.”
Tooru leaned down, capturing Shoyo’s lips. The kiss was short, but left warmth blooming in both of their chests.
“We should really sneak out like this again sometime. I had a lot of fun.”
“Do it again tomorrow?”
Shoyo chuckled. “Not likely. I doubt I could get away with sneaking out two nights in a row.”
“You wound my aching heart,” Tooru said, dramatically clutching his chest.
“Good,” Shoyo said. “Then I can patch it up later. You don’t mind that, do you?”
“Not at all.”
The two walked back to Shoyo’s hotel, separating for the night. Their arms reached out for one another as they separated, their fingers grazing together longingly.
Shoyo slept that night with a feeling as though fate had wrapped Tooru’s arms around his own heart, and he relished in the embrace.