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For Tobio, affection was never really a big deal. The only people he showed much affection to were his grandfather and Miwa. After his grandfather passed away, those displays of affection decreased a lot. His grandpa was the one who connected the dots for him, and after he was gone, Tobio and Miwa hardly showed any affection to each other for several reasons. One big reason was their age gap—she was 22 and he was just a kid in high school. Their worlds were totally different. Also, they both focused on grieving in their own ways. His parents weren't affectionate either; they were hardly around and when they were, they were busy with work or tired and shut themselves away.
But everything changed when he joined Karasuno. He met new people who became close to him, showing him new experiences in every way. He started feeling something akin to the affection he received as a child, but it was still hard for him to show affection or even feelings. He was working on it, though, despite not being used to it anymore. What he did get used to was receiving affection from his friends, especially from Hinata. Hinata helped him see his experiences in a new light, turning what used to be a bothersome nickname from middle school into something positive. Yamaguchi, Hitoka, and Tsukishima were also there—Tsukishima was a bit complicated and sometimes confusing. When they were alone, Tsukishima could be caring and worried about him, but around others, he'd go back to his usual sharp attitude.
By their second year of high school, things changed. He got along better with people outside his circle, and things with Tsukishima improved a lot. Tsukishima ditched his defensive, snarky personality for a calmer, more empathetic one. The teasing didn't disappear entirely, but it was less biting. His attitude towards Kageyama changed too; he stopped with the harsh jokes and switched to gentler ones that didn't upset the dark-haired guy. By the end of their second year, they'd formed a relationship with its share of problems, but they loved each other, and that was what mattered.
About five months into their relationship and now in their third year, they rarely had issues. The biggest argument they'd had was about Tsukishima's sometimes bitter attitude. They'd ignored each other for a few days to cool off, then talked it out and fixed everything.
Their relationship seemed perfect to everyone else—a stable couple who rarely fought, and when they did, they resolved it quickly. The only thing people noticed, which sparked rumors, was how little affection they showed each other in public. Their friends quickly shut down these rumors, explaining they were just reserved about public displays of affection. Hinata, especially, made sure to squash any gossip before Tobio heard it; he knew Tobio was sensitive about anything questioning his affection.
With help from the green-haired guy, they'd successfully kept everything hidden from their friends until Yamaguchi needed Hinata and Tsukishima's help during lunch break due to club issues. That left Tsukishima alone and vulnerable to hearing the rumors circulating about their relationship—that Kageyama only used him to keep his grades up, or that Kageyama had someone else and Tsukishima was just a cover-up. It all boiled down to the idea that Kageyama didn't really love Tsukishima, just found him interesting.
It really bothered Kageyama. He couldn't understand why everyone was talking about his relationship and trying to ruin it, why they, who didn't know him, wanted to belittle his efforts to show his boyfriend affection.
---
A couple of days had passed since Kageyama heard those rumors about their relationship, and it hadn't stopped nagging at him. It tormented him every hour, minute, and second. Since then, Kageyama had been distant with Kei, ignoring him at times and rejecting his advances—something unusual, given how much he loved spending time with his partner.
Kei noticed the distance and the invisible wall Tobio had put up again. He tried to talk and fix things more than once, but Tobio's refusals made it impossible. Kei decided to leave it be, hoping it would sort itself out, even though that seemed unlikely. Tobio seemed committed to ignoring Tsukishima and retreating back into the shell he'd hidden in for years.
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At this point, Tobio had made a decision. But first, he needed to ask something of his partner, and he didn't have the courage to ask face to face. So, he opted for his best option—sending a text message.
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Kei (heart emoji)
hey :))
Hey.
are you mad?
Should I be?
uhhh no? I dunno
. . .
You don't know?
Maybe you should be mad
Oh, the king realizes I can't understand him unless he tells me what's wrong.
. . .
I'm sorry
It's okay.
I guess you have a reason, right?
yeah, but I wanna ask you something first
What?
Do you think I'm too cold? Like, do you think I don't show enough that I care about you?
What? Why are you asking that? Did someone say something?
Ah, I was at the cafeteria the other day and heard people saying I was just using you.
You shouldn't listen to idiots. You're not cold; you're reserved, which is different. I know you love me, and I don't need you to be all mushy to prove it. I get you and how you express yourself—that's enough for me.
. . .
Okay...
Get down here, I've been waiting with Miwa for you for like 10 minutes, but I was waiting for you to confess why you've been ignoring me.
Kageyama's heart couldn't stop racing. He didn't know what to do or say after Kei confessed he'd been waiting at his place for about 10 minutes, silently hoping Tobio would come clean about why he'd been ignoring him and how he felt. He couldn't understand why Kei was still there, waiting and helping him open up, despite Tobio's denials of showing affection in public. He didn't understand why the older guy had so much patience with him.
He finally decided to go downstairs. What he didn't expect was to come face to face with Kei, who looked at him with a teasing smile, arms open in what seemed like an invitation for the slightly shorter guy to come closer.
Tobio followed his instincts and hurried down the stairs to hug Kei tightly, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Unknowingly, tears started streaming down his face.
"You're an idiot, Tobio. You don't have to listen to idiots who don't know us."
After that, they didn't speak, but slowly climbed the stairs to Tsukishima's room. Once there, Kei gently guided Tobio to the bed and lay down with him, softly stroking his hair and whispering comforting words to try to reassure his boyfriend.