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“Atsumu-san?” Shoyo asked one evening during a team gathering after practice at an izakaya. It was still the off-season, so a night out to drink a little at the end of the week was considered an acceptable indulgence by the members of the team and their trainers and coach.
“What’s up, Sho-kun?”
“How’d you and Omi-san get together?”
“Asking out of curiosity or…?” Atsumu raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from his drink and leaning his head against Kiyoomi who was sat beside him. The setter’s arm was wrapped around Kiyoomi, playing with his hair. It was just four of them on this one table: Shoyo, Atsumu, Kiyoomi and Kotaro, while the others were scattered around in other little groups around the room.
“Well… no. I’m thinking about how to confess to Tobio.” Shoyo said nonchalantly as if he dropped the biggest bomb on them all. Kotaro choked on his drink and Kiyoomi’s eyes widened.
“Oh, finally?” Atsumu smirked.
“You knew?” Kotaro demanded.
“You didn’t?” Atsumu replied incredulously. “Bokkun.”
“I’m surprised you knew, Atsumu-san.” Shoyo said. “I thought I did it pretty well.”
“Well, what can I say, I’m observant.”
“Don’t lie.” Kiyoomi frowned. “You’re the most oblivious person ever. You didn’t know I liked you.”
“I’m observant with everything except my own love life.” Atsumu tugged Kiyoomi closer to press a kiss to his cheek, to which the dark-haired man scowled but there was a telling smile tugging on his lips.
“Well, I’m glad you’re self-aware at least.” Kiyoomi sighed.
“Can we get back to my issue please? I’m a fifth wheel at this rate, everyone on this table is in a relationship.” Shoyo groaned, his forehead on the table.
“Shoyo-kun, that table is disgusting, lift your head.” Kiyoomi tutted and Shoyo lifted it, pouting. “Here, wipe.”
“Thanks, Omi-san.” Shoyo grumbled. “So anyways, how did you confess?”
“I didn’t.” Atsumu replied. “Kiyoomi did. He came to my flat in Osaka and told me. And then I kissed him. And the rest is history.”
“You… Omi-san, you just told him?” Shoyo’s eyes widened. “What if it had gone wrong?”
“I was prepared. I told Motoya to give my inheritance to Atsumu.”
“…why?” Kotaro narrowed his eyes.
“Because I was going to jump onto train tracks if it had gone wrong.” Kiyoomi said casually and Atsumu choked on his drink.
“Omi.”
“No humiliation if I’m dead.” He shrugged.
“Smart.” Shoyo nodded, looking serious.
“Hinata?” Kotaro’s eyes widened. “Don’t jump on train tracks.”
“I highly doubt it’ll go wrong, anyways.” Atsumu said when he had composed himself. “How’d you and Keiji-kun get together, Bokkun?”
“Keiji confessed to me at my graduation!” Kotaro beamed, his eyes practically sparkling. “He said he didn’t want me to leave without having told me and he didn’t want any regrets.”
“Aww.” Atsumu cooed.
“So neither you nor Atsumu-san confessed. Omi-san is the only one with balls.” Shoyo deadpanned.
“Wh –”
“Hinata!”
“Pretty much.” Kiyoomi nodded.
“I think I’ll wait until after our match to tell him. I don’t want it to distract us.”
“You think anything could distract either of you from volleyball?” Atsumu asked.
“Well… no but still. If it goes wrong, I don’t want it to ruin the match.” Shoyo shrugged.
“It won’t go wrong but sure.” Atsumu sighed.
“Then it’s settled! After the match! Sometime!” Shoyo straightened and lifted his glass of beer up. “Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers, Hinata!”
“Cheers.”
“So, Sho-kun…” Atsumu said, a smirk growing on his lips as they got changed out of their uniforms in the changing rooms. “Games over.”
“What’s going on?” Shion asked.
“Atsumu-san, you’ve put me in a pickle.” Shoyo frowned but it was light-hearted.
“My disciple, it is time.” Kotaro said seriously, placing both his hands on Shoyo’s shoulders. “Be brave.”
“I – a couple months ago, I said I’d confess to someone after this match. And well…”
“It’s after the match.” Adriah grinned.
“Do we get the pleasure of knowing who it is?” Oliver questioned.
“Only if it goes well.”
“I’m telling you, it will.” Atsumu insisted. “Kiyoomi thinks so too, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Kiyoomi said to Shoyo. “It will.”
“See!”
“Thanks for the votes of confidence guys. By the end of the night I’ll either have a boyfriend or be on a plane back to Brazil. If I don’t come to practice, you’ll know why!”
“Hinata, no.” Their captain, Shugo, sighed.
“I’m going to meet some high school friends at a nearby izakaya, you guys want to come with?” Shoyo asked.
“Are you sure that’d be okay for us to join? Wouldn’t we be intruding?” Kotaro asked.
“Not really. Kenma and Kuroo-san are coming too I think. I don’t know if Ushiwaka is coming but if he is, some of his old teammates might be with him too.” Shoyo shrugged.
“Sure. I’m down. Omi?” Atsumu asked.
“Have you been to this place before, Shoyo-kun?” Kiyoomi asked.
“I haven’t but I think Tsukishima has, and he said it was clean.” Shoyo clarified.
“I’ll take his word for it.” Kiyoomi accepted. “Lead the way.”
“You got it, Omi-san! Anyone else coming?”
“You boys go ahead; us old guys will hang out with Coach.” Adriah joked.
“Tomassan, you guys aren’t old.” Shoyo frowned.
“No, they are. Come on, let’s go.” Atsumu nudged Shoyo. “Love you guys!”
“You’re a little shit, Atsumu!” Shion called after him, getting only an obnoxious kissing noise in return.
“Why must you be like this?” Kiyoomi sighed.
“You love me anyways.” The setter grinned, linking their hands, and lifting them up to place a kiss to the back of Kiyoomi’s.
“Unfortunately.”
“I need to get laid.” Shoyo gave them a horrified look.
“Maybe if you confessed?” Atsumu raised an eyebrow.
“Stop pressuring me! I’ll do it when I’m well and ready.”
“Tonight?” Kotaro asked.
“Yes, tonight.”
“What’s tonight?” A new voice interrupted them.
“Wah-geyama!” Shoyo jumped, eyes wide. “Oh my god.”
“Dumbass.” Tobio rolled his eyes. “What’s tonight?”
“Uh!” Kotaro gave Shoyo a panicked look, his eyes wide.
“We’re going to an izakaya tonight, or did you forget?” Shoyo raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t forget, dumbass. If anything, you probably forgot.”
“How would I forget; I just reminded you.” Shoyo threw his hands up.
“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty.” Atsumu said. “Let’s calm down now.”
“Atsumu-san.” Shoyo gave him a look.
“Sho-kun.” Atsumu’s lips quirked up. “Tobio-kun, how’ve you been?”
“Good, Atsumu-san, thank you. How have you all been?”
“Great!” Atsumu beamed.
“Good.” Kiyoomi nodded.
“I miss Keiji.” Kotaro whined.
“He’ll be at the bar, Bokuto-san.” Shoyo said. “Kenma just texted me to tell me to bring you, and lucky for him we’re already going.”
“Keiji!” Kotaro cheered. “Let’s go!”
“They’re here!” Koushi called the second Shoyo and Tobio walked into the izakaya, rushing over to wrap them both in a hug. “The champions!”
“Technically, I’m the champion.” Shoyo amended, yelping when Tobio dug his elbow into his side. “Ow!”
“Shut up.”
“Shut up, both of you and let me hug you.”
“Yes, Suga-san!” They chimed in unison.
“Keiji!” Kotaro cried out, rushing past them to Keiji, who was sat at the bar with Kenma and Tetsuro. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too.” Keiji hummed, leaning into Kotaro’s hug. “Congrats on the game.”
“It’s because you were there. You’re my good luck charm.”
“He just stomped on all of our efforts and hard work.” Atsumu grumbled as him and Kiyoomi walked in after Kotaro. “Bokkun, there was more to it than a good luck charm!”
“Let him have this.” Kiyoomi sighed.
“Glad you guys could make it.” Daichi approached, holding a hand out to Atsumu who shook it.
“Thanks for having us.”
“Any friends of Hinata’s are friends of ours.” He gave a warm smile, nodding at Kiyoomi instead of offering his hand, which the curly-haired man was thankful for. “Just you guys, huh?”
“Yeah the old guys on the team said they were hanging with Coach. Their words, by the way, not mine.” Atsumu rolled his eyes light-heartedly.
“Come sit, come sit.” Daichi led them towards a large table towards the back where everyone else was gathered. Koushi, Shoyo and Tobio followed not long after, with the grey-haired man wiping tears from flushed face. “Koushi.” Daichi said fondly.
“Shut up!” Koushi sniffled. “They’re so grown up now.”
“Suga-san.” Shoyo laughed. “We’re not that much younger than you.”
“I know, but it feels like only yesterday we practiced together during lunch breaks, Hinata. And now look at you both, playing on teams in Division 1 of the V League.”
“They’re still dumb as always, though.” Kei interjected.
“You shut up, Tsukishima.” Shoyo whipped around to face him, pointing a finger.
“Fuck you.” Tobio glared.
“Still as easy to rile up as always.” Kei grinned.
“Tsuki!”
“Tsuki”
Tetsuro and Kotaro came up on either side of Tsukishima and the light left his eyes as he sighed deeply. “Oh my god.”
“Congrats.” Shoyo felt a hand pat his head and looked up to see an amused Kenma.
“Kenma! Thanks!”
“We’re heading out but I wanted to see you before we left.”
“Aww, lets grab lunch sometime!”
“Sure. Text me when.” Kenma nodded, patting his head once more and sparing a wave at everyone before tugging on Tetsuro’s sleeve. “Kuro, come on. I’m tired.”
“Coming, coming.”
“Kozume-san’s still the same as ever.” Tobio mumbled.
“Yeah, Kenma hasn’t changed.” Shoyo nodded.
“Have you told your teammates about everything you got up to in first year?” Ryunosuke waggled his eyebrows and Kiyoko, beside him, sighed deeply.
“No…” Shoyo furrowed his eyebrows. “Tanaka-senpai –”
“I have some stories too!” Tadashi piped up.
“Yamaguchi!” Shoyo gasped, betrayed.
“How’s it feel, to be so betrayed by everyone?” Tobio smirked.
“Don’t think I don’t have any of you, Kageyama.” Hitoka giggled.
“High five, Yacchan! You’re the best!”
The izakaya emptied slowly as the night carried on, more and more of their old (and new) teammates and friends filing out until it was just Shoyo and Tobio.
“Hey, Kageyama?”
“Hm?” Tobio rested his chin on the palm of his hand, turning to look at Shoyo with glimmering eyes and alcohol-flushed cheeks.
“Good game.” Shoyo said softly, nudging him gently.
“Good game.” Tobio nodded.
“You drunk?” He teased.
“Not yet. Are you?”
“Nope! My tolerance is better than yours.” Shoyo boasted. “I had a lot of interesting drinks in Brazil, they might have fucked me.”
“Dumbass.” Tobio said, but it was dripping in fondness, so warm that Shoyo felt his own cheeks flush.
“Kageyama…”
“Mhm?”
“Have you… ever been in love?”
“Where’s this coming from?”
“Just – just answer.”
“Have you?” Shoyo didn’t even care that Tobio had avoided the question by throwing it onto him instead.
“I think I’m in love right now.” Shoyo whispered. “I’ve been in love for ages.”
“Have you… told the person?” Tobio sounded odd, Shoyo noticed, a little off, a little stilted.
“I said I’d tell them after the match.”
“After our match?”
“Mhm.” Shoyo ran his finger around the rim of his glass, tapping his fingers on the glass. “I’m scared.” He admitted.
“I thought nothing scared you.”
“He does.”
“Is that… bad?”
“I don’t know.” Shoyo let out a breath. “I’m… scared to tell him and – and then it goes wrong and I’ll have to move back to Brazil because how embarrassing is that? I could ruin what we have and I don’t think I could bear doing that and then having to see him. But also, I’ve been keeping this hidden for so long, it’s…it’s eating up at me.”
He clutched the front of his shirt, right above his heart, still avoiding Tobio’s gaze.
“I want him to know how much I love him, how – how he pushes me to be better, to do better. That no one gets me more excited than him, and I wouldn’t have made it this far without him. I don’t like admitting that he helped me as much as he did, but it’s true… and – and I think he should know how important he is to me.” Shoyo sounded so fond when he spoke about this person, so happy thinking about them.
“Oh.” Tobio was stumped. “You care about him a lot, huh?”
“I love him.” Shoyo lifted his head just then and made eye-contact with a stricken Tobio. “Tobio.”
Tobio jolted, he’d never heard Shoyo use his given name. “Sh – Shoyo.”
“I love you.”
“What.”
“I said, I love you. Dumbass.” Shoyo repeated.
“But – you just – the – the person…”
“Oh my god, you’re so stupid.” Shoyo muttered under his breath. “It’s you, dummy. You’re the person I was talking about.”
“Me?” Tobio’s eyes widened. “You – all those things… about me?”
“Yes? Who else would it be? There’s no one else, it’s always been you, Tobio.” Shoyo’s voice softened. “Only you.”
“Only… me…”
“So… did I – is this okay? Or do I need to follow through with what I said and hop on a plane back to Brazil.” Shoyo mimed getting off his chair but Tobio’s hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around Shoyo’s wrist.
“Wait – wait… don’t – let me… let me think.” Tobio muttered. “My brain is a little… frazzled.”
“I thought you weren’t drunk.” Shoyo teased.
“I’m not, dumbass.” Tobio snapped. “Just… let me find the words to tell you that you mean just as much to me and I love you too – oh.”
“You just said it.” Shoyo’s eyes glimmered with mirth, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I just said it.” Tobio realised. “Oh.”
“Hey, Tobio.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yeah.”
Shoyo put his glass down and leaned in, bracing himself with a hand on the table and cupping Tobio’s face with his other hand, drawing him in and pressing their lips together. Tobio’s larger hand landed on his waist, warm through the thin fabric of his shirt and he wished it was on his skin instead.
“Hey…” Shoyo said, pulling away but staying just as close as before, breath fanning on Tobio’s lips. “Does this mean I get two more points? I confessed first and I kissed you first.”
“Whatever you want.” Tobio murmured, his voice low and his eyes closed.
“And if I want to take you back to my hotel room?” Shoyo’s voice was low too, barely a whisper.
“When do we leave?”