Chapter Text
Captain Simp : Passport?
The Worst Ninja : Yes
Captain Simp : Wallet?
The Worst Ninja : Yes
Captain Simp : Your carry-on bag and your checked-in luggage?
The Worst Ninja : Y e s , Y a m a g u c h i .
The Favourite : Yikes, he pulled out the last name
Captain Simp : Don’t get pissy with me, Shouyou. Remember the last time you travelled?
Tall Fossil : You mean when he didn’t realise he forgot to collect his luggage until he woke up the next day?
The Worst Ninja : SHUT UP KEI
The Worst Ninja : JET LAG IS A BITCH OKAY
Volleyball Brained : It was a one hour flight
The Worst Ninja : Don’t betray me like this, Tobio.
The Worst Ninja : I CAME HERE FOR Y O U.
Volleyball Brained : I didn’t ask you to
The Worst Ninja : I can fly back right now
Volleyball Brained : Don’t.
The Worst Ninja : <3
Tall Fossil : Gay
The Worst Ninja : Says you.
The Worst Ninja : How’s the product of your gayness doing?
Tall Fossil : First of all, she literally can’t be a product of two gay men.
Tall Fossil : Second of all, Katsuki is doing fine.
Captain Simp : She’s very upset that her Uncle Shouyou can’t make it for her school play, though.
The Worst Ninja : I'M SO SORRY
The Worst Ninja : WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME DAY AS TOBIO’S BIRTHDAYYYYY
The Worst Ninja : AND WHY DOES TOBIO’S MATCH HAVE TO BE ON HIS BIRTHDAYYYYY
The Worst Ninja : THIS IS SO UNFAIR
Volleyball Brained : You didn’t have to come. I told you, a Skype call is fine.
The Worst Ninja : I’d rather die.
Tall Fossil : Dramatic.
The Favourite : To be fair, he was very distraught over missing Tobio’s birthday last year.
Captain Simp : It was the first time I ever heard him curse at volleyball
The Worst Ninja : I was SO upset. If we had a clean win within the first three sets I COULD HAVE CAUGHT MY FLIGHT.
The Worst Ninja : So I have to be here for Tobio’s birthday this year
The Worst Ninja : Even if it means betraying my favourite goddaughter
Captain Simp : She’s your only goddaughter.
The Worst Ninja : FOR NOW.
The Worst Ninja : The taxi is finally here. Gosh that took FOREVER
Volleyball Brained : I could have picked you up…
The Worst Ninja : With what, Tobio? A tiny Vespa that no one really uses anymore?
Volleyball Brained : Nvm, I hope you get lost and eaten by the stray dogs.
The Worst Ninja : <3
Captain Simp : Be safe, Shouyou. Text us when you get to Tobio’s.
The Worst Ninja : And if I don’t?
Captain Simp : We’ll assume you died
The Worst Ninja : And what will you guys do about it?
The Favourite : Probably post a meme on Twitter
The Worst Ninja : Stop hanging out with Kei, Hitoka
Shouyou held in a sigh as he slid into the taxi. The last thing he needed was for the poor man driving to think that Shouyou was upset at how long he had to wait. He wasn’t. He just had a tendency to overthink whenever he was excited, worried or paranoid about something.
And he was definitely all three of those.
It had been five months since he last saw Tobio, and even then it was only for a day. Tobio had been in the middle of training for a match but flew back for Katsuki’s first birthday with her new parents. The closest they got to hanging out that day was at the airport when Tobio’s plane was delayed for forty minutes. If you asked Tobio when was the last time they actually hung out, he’d say it was eight months ago after Nishinoya and Azumane’s spontaneous wedding. If you asked Shouyou, he’d say that it was in high school.
Long story, short. Shouyou was a clingy lil’ bitch that missed his best friend.
Unfortunately, he was also a stubborn bitch.
Shouyou’s woes started off as a mild headache before he even left Japan. He was too excited to eat and ended up skipping all his meals before his flight. Atsumu noticed how pale Shouyou was looking and offered him the onigiris he had in his bag as he dropped Shouyou off at the airport. He even made sure that Shouyou finished them in front of him because if he did not, Shouyou might give one to Tobio and he did not want the other setter thinking Atsumu was trying to declare peace between them. He was still very much invested in his (one-sided) war over having Shouyou as his spiker.
Rather than dissipate away, Shouyou’s headache slowly got worse. By the time his gate opened for boarding, his stomach started hurting as well. He was thankful that Tadashi was too busy to send him off because that man had a sixth sense when it came to knowing that something was wrong with friends. If it weren’t for the parent-teacher meeting that Tadashi was at, Shouyou knew he’d be receiving a text by now.
Screaming all the Portuguese curses in his head, Shouyou boarded the plane like it was the hardest thing to do. His head felt like it was made out of lead so it surprised him that the metal detectors did not go off when he walked through them. Despite taking the few painkillers and gastric medication he bought from the airport pharmacy earlier, the pain did not leave.
Thankfully, one hour into the eleven hour flight, the medication kicked in and within a few minutes, Shouyou was fast asleep. He stayed asleep for most of the flight, waking up only when the air stewards started serving dinner. Considering that he managed to finish all of the food without feeling like throwing it up back onto the plate, he declared himself healthy once again before falling back asleep.
Turns out, life was not daijoubu . He stepped off the plane feeling weak, clammy and cold as fuck—Which was weird because most of the people around him were talking about how sunny it was that day. Again, he tried reasoning with his body and thought that it was because the plane was cold and it was really hot outside, so his body was having a hard time adjusting. He would be fine in a while. He would adapt. Adaptation was what homosapiens did best, after all.
Was he worried that he’d pass out on the way to Tobio’s apartment? Yes. Was he more paranoid over Tadashi’s reaction to Shouyou’s current state as a result of his decision-making skills? Deathly. But to Shouyou’s clouded mind, it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting to Tobio’s place so that he could finally see his best friend and wish him happy birthday in person the following day. If he was going to pass out, he’d rather have it be in Italy than in Japan because at least Tobio can visit him in the hospital if it was down the road rather than across the ocean.
Judging from the way the taxi driver gave him a pitiful look and rolled down the windows, Shouyou concluded he looked like he was on the verge of death. At least it matched how he felt on the inside. He muttered a soft “ grazzi” before drifting back to sleep. He’d take a short nap and wake up when he was closer to Tobio’s apartment.
So imagine his surprise when he woke up to a blanket laid on top of him and the sky dark . The taxi was parked on the side of an empty street, and the sun was definitely not up anymore. Shouyou panicked and shot up in his seat. His entire head, stomach and existence screamed in pain and retaliation, forcing him to lean forward and curl back around his bag.
“Mister? You’re awake?”
Shouyou mustered up as much energy as he could to look up at the man in the front seat speaking Italian to him. His Italian wasn't the best when he was clear headed. So at that moment, Italian and every other language sounded like gibberish to him. He doubted that he’d even understand Japanese.
The man’s eyes conveyed even more pity for the casualty he had in his car as he held out an unopened bottle of water to Shouyou. Shouyou received it with trembling hands and could barely grip the cap enough to twist it off. Reaching over, the driver helped him open the bottle, then spoke to him in English.
“We arrived an hour ago. I tried to wake you up, but you were very sick. I am in no rush today, so I let you rest. I am a father myself. If my children were in your state, I would hope a stranger would show them such compassion.”
Shouyou felt his cheeks heating up (or maybe they already were, since he was pretty sure he was running a fever now). He attempted to thank the man but flubbed when he responded in Japanese, then corrected himself with Portuguese, before eventually settling on English.
The man helped Shouyou take his luggage out of the trunk and even offered to bring him up to Tobio’s apartment. As much as Shouyou appreciated the man’s kindness, he did not want to give a random stranger an Olympian’s exact address. He thanked the driver for everything and paid him double the cost of the fare.
“You kept saying a name in your sleep. Hope this person is worth all the effort you’re taking to see him. Take care of yourself, son.”
Shouyou mustered up a smile and disappeared into Tobio’s apartment complex. No matter what he felt, Tobio was worth everything to Shouyou. If he died right then and there as a consequence of his poor actions, at least he would have been able to see Tobio one more time.
Dragging his luggage up the last flight of stairs, Shouyou caught a glimpse of the plant that Tobio received from his neighbour when he first moved in. He was very pleased to see that it was alive. Being teammates with Ushijima must have rubbed off on Tobio. The thought of Tobio taking care of various plants and talking to them the way Ushijima did with his own plants was the final burst of energy and motivation that Shouyou needed to make it up the last few steps.
Shouyou didn’t get it. Tobio was an Olympian. Both of them had gold medals. So why couldn’t Tobio have gotten an apartment with an elevator ? Was it for the leg work out? Well, Shouyou did think that Tobio’s thighs looked pretty sculpted in those promotional pictures Hitoka kept sending in their group chat… Fine. Maybe the stairs are good for Tobio. But not for him .
It might have been nearly three hours past the time Shouyou was supposed to reach Tobio’s apartment, but he was finally there. He grinned weakly and leaned his entire upper body on the door. The coolness of the door against his warm face made him lean even more until his knees, thighs, torso and face was smushed right up against the door. Ringing the doorbell, Shouyou closed his eyes and heard footsteps from behind the door.
God, he couldn’t wait to see Tobio’s face. His smile widened against the door as he heard the lock click open on the other side and Shouyou prepared to be greeted with a handsome face.
Except Shouyou forgot that doors opened .
Thankfully he was already passed out before his head hit the floor.