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The soft glow of the standard lamp in the corner of the living room created a warm atmosphere and bathed the couch and coffee table in gentle rays that reached the tips of bright red hair dancing back and forth.
Tobio, who had just stepped out of their bedroom, stopped in the doorway and studied his husband, who was lying with his stomach flat on the couch, covering the whole seating area. A soft smile swayed Tobio’s lips and for a while his eyes rested on Shouyou’s broad back before he decided that those five meters separating them were definitely too much and thus approached the couch.
Shouyou had directed his eyes on something in front of him; he only shot Tobio a quick glance when he came closer, but didn’t move. When Tobio set his knee on the other side of Shouyou’s thigh – seeking purchase with his hand – and slowly lowered himself on top of him, Tobio inhaled the familiar scent of his husband and the faint fragrance of their shampoo evaporating off the bright red strands. Once Tobio had carefully settled down, he noticed that the tips of Shouyou’s hair were still a bit damp, a few droplets trembling at the tips.
Draping himself over his husband, Tobio frowned and shifted his weight to one side so that he didn’t put too much strain on Shouyou's back. As he was seated satisfactorily and heard a pleased hum from Shouyou, he slung one arm around Shouyou’s shoulder and the other around his middle, pressing his fingers slightly into his hips while nuzzling his nose into the nape of his neck just below red hair. The fabric of Shouyou’s t-shirt was soft to the touch and Tobio smiled when his chin and cheeks grazed it. He took another deep breath and hugged his husband dearly.
As Tobio’s nose repeatedly poked Shouyou’s cervical spine, Shouyou snickered.
"What are you doing, Tobio?" His voice was soft and calm. Given that it was evening and they had had an early start, the low timbre was only natural to swing along with his voice.
Tobio didn’t mind that. On the contrary.
"Cuddling you," he murmured and closed his eyes, savouring the warmth.
"U–huh."
"Too suffocating?"
There was a small pause and a shift, as if Shouyou would look behind himself to see a very tall Kageyama Tobio clinging to his back.
"Nope, please continue."
Tobio grinned weakly before relaxing against the familiar compact body he had come to love, more so the man’s mind within. He tilted his head to the side and, listening to the soft swish of something that sounded like paper, dragged his fingers across Shouyou’s hips, gently pressing them just above the hipbone while he placed his other palm flat against the junction between Shouyou’s shoulder and his torso.
"What are you doing anyway?" Tobio asked after a long moment of peace.
"Hm? Oh, reading."
Tobio scoffed. "What? You?"
"Oi, I can read!"
"Oh, I’m glad," Tobio replied mockingly, speaking warmly against his husband’s back, and laughed.
Shouyou shifted again and Tobio raised his head to see the brown glare directed at him. But there was no bite behind and Tobio smirked.
"So," he said, nodding to the spot between Shouyou’s arms. "What is it? A book? One of your nutritional advice guides," he added and glanced at the little bookshelf that contained to 90% his husband’s books he had acquired over the years. It wasn’t that they never read and even Tobio found himself skimming through the guides to muscle training or training adjustments that he was curious what Shouyou had decided to read this evening.
"Not a book," Shouyou replied now and flipped another page.
Tobio craned his neck. "Wait, is that my magazine?"
"We have the same bank account, Tobio," Shouyou mumbled, attention back to the current page showing the new collection of a sport fashion brand.
"That’s not the point," Tobio grumbled, scowling.
"Then what is the point?" Shouyou raised an eyebrow and turned his head back to look at him with a questioning expression. "That you were the one who bought it? Buying two copies would be pretty stupid."
"It’s not–" Tobio sighed. Shouyou had a point indeed, but that wasn’t it. "Don’t make it dirty or anything."
"I won’t make it dirty!" Shouyou spluttered, eyes growing big. "I’m just reading!"
"Okay!" Tobio barked back.
"It’s not that there’s anything inside anyway. It’s just a simple sports magazine."
Tobio frowned. "That’s why I bought it, Shou."
Brown eyes glanced at him from the side. "You know what I mean."
"No, I don’t. What are you getting at? It’s Volleyball Monthly, if it’s not about sports then what else?"
His husband turned his head a little further to look at him with both eyes, big and stunned. He blinked a couple of times until Tobio felt uncomfortable and clutched to Shouyou’s t-shirt with his fingers.
"What?" he asked and couldn’t help the suspicious undertone.
"No, it’s just… Nothing." Shouyou decided and turned back, flipping a page.
"Shouyou, what?"
"No, I can’t possibly say that."
"Say what?"
The other man looked up and tilted his head, then turned back to look at him again. "Not sure if you wanna know, though."
"I do want to know, now tell me."
"Way to ask."
"Shou, for the Gods’ sake."
"Okay, okay, you asked for it!"
Tobio scowled.
"Just… magazines… and stuff."
For a moment they stared at each other, Shouyou with wriggling eyebrows, Tobio speechless.
"Yeah, I get it, it’s a magazine. So what of it?"
"There are different types of magazines, Tobio."
"I know, but I’m just interested in volleyball anyway, so why buy another one?" Confused, Tobio frowned and looked down at the glossy pages that were carefully flipped by his husband’s strong fingers.
And then Shouyou giggled, mirthful and bright, and when he looked at Tobio, there were tears at the corners of his eyes and his mouth was drawn into a wide smile. Tobio looked at his husband, amazed by the sheer happiness, and smiled bashfully.
"Tobio, you’re too pure for the world. Even I know about ero magazines, you know?"
Whatever he had felt before, it had poofed in the blink of an eye. Tobio stared at his husband and didn’t even know where to start. But one thing was certain: there was suddenly lots of blood flushing his cheeks and he hastily buried his face between Shouyou’s shoulder blades.
"Tobio!"
"I didn’t hear anything."
"Oh really? Then why are you hiding away, now, where I mentioned that people can get off by using magazines?"
"Don’t say that!" Tobio’s voice was muffled by the fabric, thus he didn’t achieve the desired impact.
"Magazine? Or getting off?"
Tobio groaned deeply.
"Well, I guess you don’t need specifically an ero magazine, you know?"
"Because?" Tobio asked quietly, unsure whether he wanted to know the answer or not.
Shouyou shrugged and his fingers fiddled with the current page of Volleyball Monthly. "You know," he drawled out, "like, uhm, sports magazines or stuff."
With realisation settling in his bones, Tobio’s insides felt funny all of a sudden as embarrassment flooded his veins and cheeks. He didn’t reply immediately, nor did his husband add anything else. When he heard a page being flipped, he relaxed a little against Shouyou's back before daring to keep thinking about it.
"Wait," he said, frowning thoughtfully, "did you ever do that?"
"Hm?"
Tobio opened his mouth, realising that he had to explain what he meant if he wanted to satisfy the little part of his brain that was filled with curiosity and an image he kept hidden even to himself. "G–g–get off," he finally managed, "to a magazine or something."
"Oh, hm…" Shouyou hummed, the sound vibrating through his body, and Tobio could feel how he tilted his head back a little. A few more nerve-wracking seconds passed before Shouyou spoke again.
"Do you remember when they renewed the contract with Asics and they asked us to make some shots with the new collection?"
"Yeah," Tobio replied warily, remembering clearly the two days the whole National Team Japan had – led by Bokuto, Hoshiumi, Atsumu and no other than his husband – ruled the photo studio, created the chaos that had to be expected but also enlightened the days of every staff member that had been present. Tobio remembered clearly because standing awkwardly in the spotlights wearing bright red jersey he had to present in what felt like every possible angle – that made him doubt the director’s sanity – would never not be an uncomfortable memory. He had only endured it because he hadn’t had to do that alone, Shouyou had been there all the time – practically glued to his side – and after all, his manager had been very convincing in every matter that contained the words ‘public representation’.
Tobio frowned and directed his eyes on his husband, who had turned his head to grin at him with teeth gleaming in the dim light.
"That was in spring," Tobio said with a hollow voice.
"Yeah," Shouyou exhaled and nodded while red blotches crept over his cheeks and his eyes became a reminiscing look. "The April one. A good issue."
Tobio stared at him for ten solid second until he realised what those words meant, then he groaned gutturally and buried his face between his husband’s shoulder blades again, hoping the soft fabric would wipe the flush from his cheeks. This couldn’t be true.
Shouyou snickered. "It’s alright, Tobio, I bet I’m not the only one who did that with your shots."
Tobio groaned even deeper and clutched tightly to the side of the shirt. The mirthful laughter of his husband didn’t soothe the embarrassment he had just gained from the image of strangers jerking off to his images in Volleyball Monthly. As it had been a sponsored event and a generally pretty big one, the front page had showed the whole team and the middle section had presented big glossy shots of each team member in detail, exposing several important physical aspects to show the flexibility and sturdiness of the fabric, focusing mainly on arms and legs.
Remembering this made it even more difficult to accept his husband’s words.
"I guess they wanted to show you off a bit, Tobio."
"Huh?"
"They showed many shots of you. Well, there were some of the others as well, but they focused on a bunch. I remember those images so well. Especially the arm ones. And the ones with the thighs," Shouyou’s voice sounded thoughtful, but there was also something coyly in it.
"Stop talking," Tobio complained, but his strength of his words was taken away as his voice was muffled by the fabric.
"Why?" Shouyou asked innocently. "Because you’re beautiful?"
Stunned, Tobio didn’t know what to say. He wondered how their conversation had ended up with his husband declaring this and glanced up, fully aware of the blush sitting around his neck and cheeks. He looked at his husband but evaded those serious brown eyes immediately.
"Don’t deny that," Shouyou warned and the sound of his voice made Tobio chuckle.
"Thanks," he mumbled and pressed his lips to Shouyou's left shoulder. "It’s… weird."
"That I said that?"
Tobio nodded slowly, still fixating a spot on their couch. "I mean… You said that before and… once in a while. But it’s still weird."
"Man, I hope you get used to it. Or wait, don’t. It’s so adorable when you blush like that."
"Dumbass," Tobio muttered quietly and glanced back at his husband. They exchanged a grin and something heavy and warm settled in Tobio’s stomach.
Then he frowned. "Wait," he said. "The April issue…"
He thought back to spring, to the banter about being careful with magazines and how they had ended up making out after; Tobio still didn’t know how his husband had managed to get him to do it, but now he could definitely understand where it had come from. Although that wasn’t the point right now, and actually not so much back then either, but he’s getting off topic.
"Is… Is that why the dog-ear disappeared?"
Shouyou hummed. "Yeah, I had to buy a new copy. You would’ve complained otherwise."
"OF COURSE I WOULD!"
"You never complain when it’s the real deal on you! Ah, wait, no. You actually do complain."
Tobio smirked. "But wait, when did you actually… do that?"
"Gotten off to your beautifully exposed arms and thighs? And the little bit of stomach they showed in the top corner? You know that was my favourite–"
"Anyway."
Shouyou grinned toothily.
"I was here the whole of April."
At this his husband spluttered. "It’s not that I sneak away at night, y’know? Hiding in a corner and jerking off to a glossy side or whatever would be creepy when you’re there and available."
Tobio blushed again and nodded.
"I saved that for when you were gone a month later when you went to Rome," Shouyou admitted in a quiet voice, but his grin grew wider when he found Tobio’s eyes again. "It’s the third best option after doing it with the real you, after all. Well, no, the fourth best," he reconsidered with a frown and a determined nod.
"The fourth? What are the other– No, wait, nevermind."
"Oh Tobio, you know I would answer that."
Tobio gave his husband a wary look and knew. "You do it anyway."
"Yep! So the first option is, as I said, you; obviously. After there is video sex because I can see you." Brown eyes gleamed at that option. "And then there’s phone sex because I get to hear you. Fourth: the magazine."
"Thanks for the elaboration," Tobio said dryly.
"You’re welcome!" Shouyou replied, grinning so happily that Tobio couldn’t help but chuckle at that. "But the order’s not fixed yet," he added with a contemplative sound in his voice. "There might be other options in the future."
"Oh. Good."
"Your sarcasm is horrible."
Tobio shrugged. "Anyway, you’re done with that magazine now?"
"You’ve got plans?"
Another shrug, but Tobio had hoped for a little more attention this evening.
"You ready for the real deal?" Shouyou asked and when Tobio looked at him, he saw a mischievous glint.
"The real…"
"No need for the magazine in that case."
Tobio blinked, and smirked. "You’re available?"
"That sounded so romantic!"
"Your sarcasm is horrible."
Shouyou laughed brightly, flipped the magazine closed and slid it onto the coffee table before turning around in Tobio’s grip until they were face to face and the tips of their noses were brushing against each other.
"You’ve got any plans?" Shouyou asked and his fingers gripped the sides of Tobio’s shirt, tugging and shoving it upward until warm fingertips scattered hot dots all over Tobio’s rips.
Tobio smiled warmly and shuddered under the gentle ministration. "I may have," he mumbled and leaned forward to capture familiar lips with his own.