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Shouyou could barely sit still as the announcement came over the plane intercom that they would be landing in Tokyo in a few minutes. His leg bounced up and down no matter how many times he tried to stop it and he knew it was more than likely bothering the poor girl sitting next to him, but he couldn’t help it .
He was finally going to be back in Japan for good.
He couldn’t wait to see all of his friends and get to hug them all in person (well, maybe Tsukki probably wouldn't hug him, but everyone else would gladly hug him), and see his mom and sister in person again instead of on his phone screen, and-
And finally get to see Tobio again.
During his two years in Brazil, Shouyou had Facetimed Tobio nearly every night. It was a difficult adjustment finding the best time for both of them to call, because even though there was a twelve hour time difference between Brazil and Japan, their schedules hated lining up so that the two could talk. But after a couple of months, they finally figured out a good schedule and it worked wonderfully.
Of course, the more he saw Tobio on his phone, the more that Shouyou yearned to see his friend in person. This isn’t to say that he didn’t want to see everyone else he cared about in person, he just . . . kind of wanted to see Tobio a little more than everyone else. After about a year of feeling like that, he finally talked to the one person who he thought would understand the most: Oikawa Tooru.
Oikawa did understand as he was going through a similar feeling about his best friend, Iwaizumi Hajime. So, with Oikawa’s help, Shouyou came to the realization that the feelings he had for his best friend were, in fact, not just feelings of years of not-so-friendly turned friendly rivalry. They were definitely feelings of a completely different nature.
God, why did his life have to turn into some enemies to best friends to lovers trope that kept popping up in those mangas that Natsu liked to read?
“We are now landing in Tokyo,” came the voice over the intercom again and Shouyou barely managed to contain a squeal.
Finally , he thought, I’m home .
After unboarding and going through customs, he was finally able to grab his luggage and face the crowd of waiting people. Many of the other passengers on his flight were meeting up with parents or kids, some even being greeted with significant others. He was caught up in thought for a moment about what it would be like if Tobio were here greeting him like that but he was dragged back into reality by a high-pitched voice calling his name.
“Hinata!” He turned and saw Yachi waving at him frantically, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi standing next to her. Tsukishima had a blank look on his face and Yamaguchi had a bright smile while also waving at him.
Shouyou hurried over to them and wrapped Yachi in a tight hug. “I missed you guys so much!” He released Yachi, moving onto Yamaguchi. Tsukishima held up his hands when Shouyou held up his arms towards him.
"It's nice to see you again," Tsukishima muttered.
Shouyou grinned. "Aw, Tsukki, you did miss me!"
"He did, he just doesn't want to admit it," Yamaguchi whispered loudly.
Tsukishima glared at his boyfriend but there was no heat behind it. "Shut up , Tadashi," he hissed.
Yamaguchi snickered but said nothing else. "Are you ready to go, Hinata?" Yachi asked excitedly. Shouyou nodded enthusiastically.
The four of them walked out of the airport to Yachi's car, piling in and heading for Tobio's apartment near the Adlers training facility.
"Did you tell him when you were coming back?" Yamaguchi asked from the backseat.
"I told him I'd be back at the end of the month. I wanted it to be a surprise," Shouyou responded.
"Are you gonna tell him?" Yachi asked, glancing over at him from the driver’s seat.
Shouyou’s cheeks flushed red and he looked out the window. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Yachi.”
The blonde giggled. “Whatever you say, Hinata.”
Twenty minutes later, they stood in front of Kageyama's apartment door.
"Come on, Hinata, just knock. It'll be fine," Yachi encouraged.
Hinata hummed. "You know, maybe not, we don't even know if he's home. We should probably just go and check back later." He turned to walk away but Yachi grabbed his jacket, pulling him back.
"Nope, sorry, Hinata. I'm not letting you back out of this."
"Yachi," he whined.
Tsukishima groaned, rolling his eyes. "I don't have the patience for this today." He reached out and knocked on the door. Shouyou screeched and jumped to attempt to hide behind Yachi.
The door squeaked open, revealing Kageyama. "Uh, hey, what's up?" he asked, looking confused.
"We brought you something," Tsukishima responded. He grabbed Shouyou by the shirt, pulling him away from Yachi and pushing him towards Kageyama. "Happy early birthday."
He started to walk away and Yamaguchi and Yachi followed, both throwing back their farewells to both Shouyou and Kageyama. Shouyou looked at Kageyama, a sheepish smile on his face. "Hi, Tobio," he greeted, already feeling his face heat up.
"You dumbass, you told me you wouldn't be back until the end of the month." Kageyama pouted and Shouyou couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.
"Sorry, Yama-yama, I wanted it to be a surprise!"
Kageyama shook his head, probably in disbelief, and stepped aside, motioning for Shouyou to enter his apartment. Shouyou grabbed his bags and hurried in before Kageyama could possibly change his mind. He slipped off his shoes and stepped out of the genkan, looking around. He was excited to finally be able to see everything for the first time in person. Of course he'd already seen everything on Facetime, but nothing could beat seeing it in person.
It was kind of bare but there were little things around the apartment that showed life in the space, that it was in fact inhabited. There were only a few pictures in the living room but there was a decently sized collection of knick-knacks on a shelf near the window. Shouyou gasped, remembering something he'd bought for the setter shortly before flying back. He dug through the small duffle bag, Kageyama watching him curiously.
"Aha! Found it!" he cried victoriously. He stood up, holding the small wrapped package out to Kageyama. "This is for you! I saw it in one of the shops in Rio and I thought you'd like it for your collection!"
Kageyama took it, slowly unwrapping it. A small smile took over his lips when he saw what it was: a small black crow, wings pulled up in flight. He walked over, placing it next to the other figurines on the shelf before turning back to Shouyou. "Thanks, Shouyou."
They stood there for a moment, watching each other. Shouyou felt his nervousness start to crawl back up his body. Now that he was actually here, actually in Kageyama's apartment, just a few feet away from the man, he wasn't sure if he could actually do it. Could he actually confess? What would Kageyama's reaction be? Would he be happy? Maybe even say that he returns Shouyou's feelings? Or would he reject him and tell him to leave?
"Hey, boke, stop thinking so hard. I can see the smoke coming out of your ears." Kageyama's tone was teasing and it sent a pang of a feeling through Shouyou's body that he just couldn't quite place.
"Shut up, bakageyama!" Kageyama let out a laugh and Shouyou couldn't help the grin that pulled at his lips. Shit , he’d missed his laugh. He knew that it was such a silly little thing to miss but Kageyama’s laugh was an addictive sound and once he’d heard it the first time, Shouyou had never wanted to stop hearing it. Even while in Brazil and limited to phone calls and Facetime (they rarely texted because Kageyama hated how no one could ever understand the tone of his words), Shouyou was constantly trying to come up with ways to make him laugh, even though the quality of the sound through his phone speaker was tinny and crackly at best.
“Shouyou? What’s wrong?” Kageyama asked, suddenly looking worried. Shouyou blinked, belatedly realizing that his eyes were wet. He walked over to Kageyama and hugged him, surprising the setter.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he quickly said, burying his face into Kageyama’s neck. “I-I just . . .” His fingers clutched at the back of Kageyama’s sweatshirt, tugging at the fabric. “I just missed you and I’m really glad that I’m home.”
Kageyama’s arms wrapped around him, squeezing him tightly. “I’m glad you’re back, too.”
Shouyou smiled into Kageyama's neck, happiness thrumming through his body.
He was finally home.