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Their schedules have miraculously aligned this time, giving both Atsumu and Shinsuke a short escape from the different lives that they led to finally meet. MSBY Black Jackal's home game in Osaka was coincidentally held on the same day that Shinsuke would deliver rice to the city, so Atsumu naturally jumped at the chance to ask his boyfriend to watch the game and offer a place to sleep at his apartment for the night. The arrangement worked perfectly for Shinsuke, and so they both agreed to meet once the game ended.
The post-game euphoria of winning this match was still thick in the cramped air of the locker room. Bokuto and Hinata exchanged cries of joy and animated commentaries about the rallies, while the others conversed in an excitement that was slightly less energetic than the aforementioned duo. Even Sakusa, the quiet one out of the bunch, was discussing with Inunaki about the crazy saves that he did, admiration told in a hushed voice behind his mask.
Atsumu was ecstatic about their victory, too— they finally beat Tachibana Red Falcons, Aran's ridiculously powerful team, after all. This was something that Atsumu has always wanted to accomplish ever since he knew that his beloved senior continued to play in the V.League —but he did not make much talk to convey his enthusiasm, nor did his movements indicated that he was taking his time to change his outfit like the others were doing. He nodded along when Adrian praised him and occasionally chirped back when Barnes asked questions, but his fingers did not stop to pull his clothes over his body and dump everything that he brought tonight in his duffel bag.
"Will you be going somewhere soon, Miya?" Meian, their ever-perceptive captain, asked. The buzz that rolled around the room quickly morphed into poorly-hidden interest as all eyes darted towards Atsumu, his teammates silently asking the same question when they realized their setter was the only one who was already fully dressed in clean clothes.
Atsumu, being caught in his own rush to go outside, smiled sheepishly. "Sorry guys, but Shinsuke came to visit me tonight. He's already waiting for me at the parking lot."
Almost all of his teammates broke into another cheer, whooping at Atsumu's excuse and playfully pushing him towards the door. None of them seemed to mind that Atsumu was skipping their celebratory dinner, nor did they take offense for his lack of vigor about the game's results, and the setter was glad that everyone immediately accepted his explanation without further questions asked.
"Well, don't keep Kita-kun waiting then!" Bokuto encouraged, helping to open the door of the locker room.
"Say hi to Kita-san from us!" Hinata added, and Atsumu thanked his team before slowly pushing the door back shut. The conversation inside of the room resumed promptly, voices barely muted behind the steel door, and Atsumu took that as his cue to leave.
Atsumu walked past guarded hallways and took turns that would end at another steel door, and the cool breeze of November hit his face once it swung open. A parking lot came into view, shrouded in the darkness of the night. This side of the parking lot was barely filled, as it was designated for the teams that will play in the stadium and influential people that would come to watch the game.
But a white pickup truck was spotted at the far end of the lot, parked right under a street lamp. Atsumu did not have to look at the license plate or the slim figure leaning on the side of the truck to know who they belonged to.
"Shinsuke!" Atsumu called, breath coming out in puffs of air in this cold season. He did not waste any more of his time, running at full speed towards Shinsuke before pulling his boyfriend into a tight hug, arms wound tight around his waist.
"Atsumu," Shinsuke replied, relief coloring his voice. He let himself be twirled effortlessly in Atsumu's hug, trusting his boyfriend to hold him securely even if his legs were dangling from the ground. Melodic chuckles came from Shinsuke's lips, and Atsumu's heart squeezed when he finally had the chance to hear them in person. No static noise bordered the lovely sound from his ear, and this fact only served as a reminder that there was no distance separating them both; they were together again, at last. "You're very happy tonight. You must feel good because you got to defeat Aran-kun, huh?"
Carefully, Atsumu set Shinsuke down back on his feet and parted from his embrace, although his arms could never quite let their grasps from his hips go. "Well, yeah. I'm happy about that," Atsumu's eyes took in the pride that twinkled in Shinsuke's eyes and the blush that dusted his cheeks, and the longing that he shouldered for their two months of parting hit him at full force, choking his throat and forcing raw feelings out in the open, "but I'm also happy because I get to meet you again! It's been too long, Shin, and I miss you so much."
Shinsuke blinked, and the redness in his face deepened from the sincere confession. Leave it to Atsumu to be brutally honest, even with his feelings, and costing Shinsuke to lose his calm composure whenever he did so. His genuineness was something that Shinsuke always loved about him, though, and it was comforting to know that nothing about Atsumu has changed at all. "Yeah. I agree that it's been too long," Shinsuke's hands burned to touch Atsumu again, to keep him close as proof that they were both breathing in the same space again, and they moved to close the distance and pull him in for another hug, "I missed you. The farm feels empty without you by my side."
They molded perfectly into the embrace as if their bodies were carved and meant for this intimate action; a puzzle piece meeting its perfect match, completing one another. Atsumu has one hand pulling Shinsuke flush against his body, while the other raked against his boyfriend's silver hair, bare fingers caressing the soft hair in an action that showcased the tenderness of his love. The balls of his foot rocked back and forth against the concrete ground, igniting just a bit more warmth to add to the one they were sharing between their bodies. Shinsuke physically melted into the hug, nuzzling closer into Atsumu’s body and inhaling the mix of cologne and soap that belonged to his lover.
This was the moment where Atsumu learned a piece of top-secret information about Shinsuke.
Shinsuke’s body suddenly turned rigid in his arms, and Atsumu, by extension, stopped rocking them both.
"Stop that," Shinsuke whined, and his protest immediately caused Atsumu to freeze, hands awkwardly hovering from atop of his head and hips to follow the command, "you're going to make me fall asleep if you keep doing that."
Keep doing what? A part of Atsumu frantically questioned himself, clearly unable to follow what Shinsuke was implying.
"Wait, Shin, I'm losing you," Atsumu muttered, pulling away from Shinsuke's hold to stare incredulously at his lover, "what exactly do you want me to stop doing?"
Shinsuke sighed, deep and tired. Somehow, in less than three minutes, fatigue has settled into his youthful face, taking away the sparkle in his hazel eyes in exchange for a glazed, distant look. "I mean, stop playing with my hair," Shinsuke finally explained, lips now pulled into a pout at the increasing bewilderment that Atsumu was showing, "at least for now. I get sleepy when you play with my hair, and I still need to drive us back to your apartment."
The realization hit Atsumu like a painful spike of a volleyball to his face, simply because it was an utterly unexpected piece of information to receive. He had only been dating Shinsuke for a few months now, and this new fact about his lover blew his mind away— so much so that Atsumu reacted with a shriek before his cognition could register what he was doing, effectively startling Shinsuke out of his daze with the sheer loudness of his voice.
"What?" Atsumu cried, shocked and in disbelief, "wait, hold on, hold on! How come do I only know about this fact now?"
"Did I never told you before? I fall asleep easily if anyone plays with my hair," Shinsuke added, "my grandma and sister did it a lot for me, even until now. It helps me to fall asleep when I have a hard time doing so."
The shared moments that they own were flipped one after another in breakneck speed, flashes of images passing through in Atsumu's mind, yet he could not seem to recall Shinsuke telling him so. He had never played with Shinsuke's hair until he fell asleep, too, so there was no solid proof that he had experienced this fact as well.
In his frenzy to recover from this surprising whiplash, Atsumu tried to let the information sink. Shinsuke could easily fall asleep if his hair was brushed by another person's hand, much like a child that would be lulled to sleep when they get the same treatment. Somehow, a part of him that was still sane thought that this was a very, very cute fact. Atsumu knew that Shinsuke never shied away from physical contact ever since they start their romantic relationship. But now, knowing that his lover could fall asleep in a matter of minutes with the right pressure of head rubs, Atsumu's mind was flooded with images of Shinsuke's peaceful sleeping face, and the impact of this damage caused tiny butterflies to leave tingles along his stomach. Never had he thought that Shinsuke could get any more adorable than this.
"You... You never told me about that." Atsumu confirmed, the edge of disbelief only decreasing by a little.
Shinsuke said nothing in reply, the light in hazel eyes gradually turning dim, a sure sign that sleep was about to drag him under soon enough. His hair swayed along with the gust of wind that blew past, and they looked as soft as Atsumu remembered them to be, glinting under the street lamp. Suddenly, Atsumu really, really wanted to try patting his hair, his hands twitching to bury themselves in those beautiful locks. He wanted to truly see if Shinsuke could actually sleep if he brushed his hair, wanting to test this fact himself.
With a new kind of bravery to help him move, Atsumu brought his fingers to Shinsuke's hair, moving slow enough to give his sleepy lover a chance to know what he was going to do. Once their eyes meet and no denial came from Shinsuke, Atsumu placed the digits of his fingers into familiar gray locks, digging deep to knead against the surface of his head. His fingers would move past to comb through the locks, feeling the softness of his silver hair slip through his fingers.
The reaction that Atsumu elicited was surprisingly instant: Shinsuke's eyes immediately clasped shut, a content hum escaping from his throat, and his lips curled into a tiny smile, much like a cat who was happy to have its ear scratched. He did that for a few more seconds before relenting his grip, and the moment that Shinsuke opened his eyes again, they had, indeed, looked sleepy, losing a tad of clarity in his eyes and replaced with a thin fog of drowsiness.
Oh, Atsumu was going to love doing this to Shinsuke.
"Was it really that hard to believe?" Shinsuke asked, lips stretching into a dopy smile at Atsumu's blush, his honey eyes widening to take the sleepy details on his face, "if my car crashes tonight because you made me sleepy, you're going to be the one who would pay the bills."
At the threat, Atsumu jumped into action, finally nudging Shinsuke to the passenger seat. "Okay, okay, fine! I was just curious, okay?" Atsumu grumbled, all the while helping his boyfriend to climb into his seat, "just let me drive back."
With their seatbelts put on and the mirrors adjusted, Atsumu turned the engines on. But, before he pulled out of the lot, Atsumu glanced towards Shinsuke, a mischievous grin pulled on his lips. "I know something that could wake you wake up, though. Want to try?"
Even in his drowsiness, Shinsuke could still spare Atsumu with an unimpressed face, as if he already guessed that his lover's suggestion might sound stupid. "What do you have in mind?"
With swift movements, Atsumu leaned close to steal a kiss from Shinsuke's lips, catching the farmer off guard before he drowned himself in the passionate heat. They stayed like that for a few more seconds, savoring each other's presence before the lack of air forced them apart. Their lips tingled with a familiar sweetness that was never forgotten, and their hearts raced from the fervor that they both shared.
"We haven't kissed yet." Atsumu smugly replied, and he got a weak slap at the arm from Shinsuke and an even weaker threat to drive before the farmer did something bad to him.
They tumbled into Atsumu's apartment around half an hour later, heavy limbs helping one another to set their bags down and change into their sleeping attire. Shinsuke, despite his fatigue, had all but dragged Atsumu to wash his hands and brush his teeth before he walked towards the bed, the setter trailing behind. Once Atsumu has settled on his side of the bed, Shinsuke filled the remaining space that was left for him, never hesitating to loop his arms around the setter's waist and pulling himself close to his warmth, cuddling his lover.
The bedroom was quiet save for the steady rise and fall of their breaths, and the city was oddly tranquil tonight as if it were giving the couple time to soak each other's presence. Shinsuke, who Atsumu thought had fallen asleep, spoke. "Do that again, please."
Atsumu frowned, not having a clue of what Shinsuke was asking. "What do you mean?"
Shinsuke sighed again, and Atsumu passingly wondered how many times he had done that tonight. The farmer looked up to Atsumu, easily making out the details of his face in the dark bedroom, and locked his gaze with the setter. "Play with my hair. I like it when you do that to me."
There was a hint of shyness in Shinsuke's plea, but Atsumu did not have the guts to bring that up now— not when the farmer was leaning his head against the setter's chest, and he could obviously hear the way his heart had picked up pace. A part of Atsumu wished that the lights of the bedroom were on, because then he could burn Shinsuke's expression inside of his memory; to commit the bashfulness of his expression in his mind, tucking it in to be recalled someday. Perhaps his hazel eyes would dart away right after he pleaded, or a blush would take over his face, but Atsumu could only dream for now.
Following the request, Atsumu's hands moved by themselves. The next thing he knew they were moving along a careful, languid pattern of combing Shinsuke's hair, occasionally switching between giving gentle squeezes on his head and focusing on raking through his locks.
All that Shinsuke did was sigh, sounding just as pleased as when Atsumu first did this to him, before pulling his hold on the setter's body tighter.
"This is perfect, 'Tsumu," Shinsuke whispered, the tell-tale sign of sleep creeping into his voice, "I love you."
Atsumu, by instinct, pulled Shinsuke closer, tucking his head beneath his chin but not before planting a soft kiss to his temple. "I love you too, Shinsuke. Good night." Atsumu replied, and he continued to let his fingers brush against his lover's hair, enjoying their closeness before another separation awaits them.
If Atsumu used this trick to let Shinsuke sleep a little longer the morning after, that was a secret that only the setter knew.