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1.
One of the reasons Tooru likes travelling with Hajime so much is because he finally gets to see the man relax. The set of his shoulders softens and he only scowls when absolutely necessary.
He always puts up a fight because he’s stubborn as hell, but he usually concedes and lets Tooru handle the passports and boarding passes. As a result, Hajime relinquishes his responsibilities and follows Tooru around the airport like a cute puppy.
Said cute puppy is a bit grumpy now though, Tooru observes. They’ve already had one flight from Narita to Incheon for a long connection and he can tell that all the waiting is getting to Hajime.
“Iwa-chan,” he chirps, putting down his phone. Hajime slides a look at him as he tugs his earbud out, arms crossed with his neck pillow around him. It should be intimidating, but Tooru is so used to it, it can only be endearing at this point.
“What?” the other man grumbles. Tooru politely tries not to laugh, sliding his fingers into Hajime’s hair and scratching at his scalp until he loosens up a fraction.
“Do you want some food?” he asks, standing up and stretching. They’d been sitting at the lounge for two hours now with three more to go before boarding. “I can fill up a plate for you on my way back from the bathroom.”
Hajime stares at him and Tooru graces his boyfriend with his brightest smile.
“Yeah, that would be nice, actually,” Hajime replies after a beat. For the first time in two hours, Tooru sees a quirk of his lips, claiming it as a victory. “Thanks, Tooru.”
Tooru reaches out to pinch Hajime’s cheek teasingly, dodging his attempts to bat him away as he heads to the bathroom.
On his way there, he walks through other parts of the lounge, spotting people in business attire or plain sweats. His eyes gloss over the seating area as well as the buffet line up just to take in his surroundings out of habit.
He freezes when a familiar face comes into view. His mouth falls open in disbelief at the sight and his heart starts racing in fear. He swears he sees Ushijima Wakatoshi closely studying the plate of cheddar cheese squares like the oaf he is, but he can’t bring himself to believe it.
“You’re shitting me,” he mumbles under his breath, rubbing his eyes before looking back at the line.
He finds the man gone, nothing but a figment of Tooru’s imagination. A hallucination. Oh God, is he losing his mind? What would Ushijima be doing in an airport in South Korea?
Tooru gulps as his mind whizzes through the potential reasons as to why his nemesis might be in this airport lounge. There are many things he could be doing and many opportunities for Tooru to run into him in the next three hours before they board their flight.
His trip to the bathroom is forgotten as he beelines back to Hajime, waving his hands to get his attention when he gets in his face.
“Tooru?” Hajime questions, brows furrowing as he tugs his earbud out again. He looks quizzically at Tooru’s empty hands. “Where’s the food?”
“I just saw Ushijima Wakatoshi,” Tooru grits out quietly, looking around as if he’ll magically appear behind him.
Hajime blinks before he snorts, shaking his head with an exasperated laugh.
“Okay? Did you say hi?” Tooru gives Hajime a look and his boyfriend shakes his head again. “Never mind. I would’ve heard screaming and crying if you did. Where’d he go?”
“That’s the thing,” Tooru hisses. “He disappeared. Like a bug you can’t catch. I have no idea where he is now.”
“You’re so mean,” Hajime sighs, but a small smile tugs at his lips. It takes a moment, but Tooru huffs out a laugh at himself, rubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes in exhaustion.
“I think I hallucinated him,” he murmurs, pulling a chuckle out of Hajime. He feels the hem of his shirt being tugged on and he removes his hands to look down at Hajime’s amused grin.
“Maybe,” his boyfriend teases. “Even if he’s here, he’s probably visiting Tendou-san or something, so he could be on his way to France.”
The realization hits and Tooru nods in relief, believing the other man’s theory because anything else would be silly. “You’re right. You’re so right.”
It’s something to laugh about later. A stupid story to text Mattsun and Makki later. An exhaustion-induced hallucination of Ushijima Wakatoshi at the Incheon airport was objectively hilarious.
The rest of the journey to Rome goes without a hitch and is Ushijima-less. The alleged sighting was forgotten quickly, in fact, with the anticipation of their trip buzzing through his body. Tooru feels his excitement grow as they take a taxi to the port.
They haven’t taken a vacation together like this before and they both decided to go all out on this 7-day Mediterranean cruise. They bought the drink package, booked a few excursions and Tooru is ready to kick back and relax for a full week with a fruity drink in his hand at all times.
“I can see the ship,” Hajime points out as they wait in line to get on a bus to the boat. Tooru hums, biting back a ridiculous smile that only Hajime can pull out of him. He still has his neck pillow on and a chunky pair of blue sunglasses.
His vacation outfit consists of a white t-shirt paired with salmon shorts covered in palm trees he probably bought in California many years ago. Tooru squeezes his hand where it’s slotted against his palm, warm from the hot sun beating down on them.
He plants a light kiss to Hajime’s cheek when he isn’t looking and the other man turns to him in confusion.
“Yes?” Hajime asks. Tooru smiles innocently at him.
“Iwa-chan, you are sooo cute,” he teases, just to see Hajime’s cheeks turn red and for him to splutter like he always does.
“You-” Tooru can picture the steam coming out of Hajime’s head, grumbling to himself as Tooru watches on in amusement.
Suddenly, in his periphery, it happens again. He sees Ushijima. Tooru gapes.
This time he knows it isn’t a hallucination because Ushijima looks right back at him with that all-too-familiar gaze. If there weren’t a crowd of other travellers in their midst, Tooru could practically picture the rest of the court falling into place around his rival.
“Oh my god,” Tooru mutters. He averts eye contact and tugs at Hajime’s arm. “It’s him. He’s actually here. Oh my god. Iwa-chan, tell me it isn’t real.”
“Huh?” Hajime turns to look at what Tooru had seen, eyebrows shooting up when he catches sight of Ushijima as well. “Woah. You really did see him.”
“Fuck. Fuck!” Tooru whisper-shouts. “He saw me. What do we do?”
Hajime has the gall to snort, pulling Tooru’s arm in Ushijima’s direction, much to the other man’s horror.
“Let’s go say hi,” Hajime says and Tooru has to dig his heels into the ground before Hajime can take him any closer to Ushijima.
“Are you crazy?” he hisses. Hajime looks far too delighted by this turn of events. “We are not saying hi.”
“Why not? It’s only polite,” Hajime reasons. Tooru forgets that the two are actually friends and he realizes, much to his chagrin, that he might lose this battle.
“What about our stuff? Our spot in line,” Tooru tries, waving at their suitcases. Hajime rolls his eyes, but before he can make an argument, Tooru sees a shadow fall over him and freezes.
“Oikawa,” Ushijima’s deep voice rumbles behind him. Tooru turns around slowly with dread, the blood in his veins running cold. “Iwaizumi.”
“Ushiwaka-chan,” Tooru responds weakly, a faux smile plastered on his face. “So funny seeing you here.”
“What is funny about it?” Ushijima asks, his eyebrow raising. Before Tooru can snark at him, Hajime barrels past him and strikes up conversation only two cavemen could be capable of.
Tooru idly listens, grateful that Hajime has taken the initiative to speak to Ushijima. His ears perk up when Hajime asks if Ushijima’s here with anyone.
“No,” Ushijima answers. “I am only here because I won a ticket at a booth at the mall.”
“Aren’t those usually given as couple prizes?” Tooru mutters under his breath. He’s having a hard time imagining Ushijima playing at one of those things. Actually, he can’t even picture Ushijima at the mall doing normal people activities.
Then, a terrifying thought dawns on him. If Ushijima is here alone and the two of them are the only people he knows on this boat, he might start following them around.
“I’ve left my bags in my spot so I will leave you both to it. Enjoy your trip,” Ushijima says, waving politely. Hajime nods back, tugging Tooru’s arm in warning. Tooru reluctantly obliges and waves.
“You too,” Hajime calls as Ushijima departs, scoffing when Tooru sighs dramatically in relief. “Quit it. He’s a nice guy.”
“I don’t care if you think he’s nice,” Tooru sniffs. “We have to avoid him, Iwa-chan. Or else he’s going to ruin our trip. Do you really want him as a third wheel?”
“He’s not-” Hajime tries to counter, but he stops short when he realizes Tooru might be right. Even if it hadn’t been Ushijima, any solo traveller barging in on their plans is not exactly desirable. Tooru just thinks his nemesis makes it worse.
2.
With their luggage safely stowed away in their staterooms, the couple spend the afternoon exploring the boat and going over the cruise itinerary.
A chandelier hangs from the ceiling while multi-coloured lights illuminate the space. There are bars, theatres, and shops everywhere and the two of them can’t help but soak it all in.
“Oh, they have trivia tonight,” Hajime notes, scratching a circle onto his activities pamphlet with the pen he took from their room. Tooru smiles to himself as he watches, arm looped with Hajime’s as they venture the boat’s many floors.
“This ship is huge,” Tooru observes, staring up at the enormous chandelier. “We’d have to go all the way across if we want to get to our room.”
Hajime chuckles when he points to the opposite end of the ship. Many people are milling about, doing the same thing as them as all the tourists get acquainted with the boat. He can pick up some Spanish and English as other travellers pass by, amused by the variety of people on this cruise.
Tooru quickly averts his eyes when he thinks he sees Ushijima again, not saying a peep to Hajime for fear that he’ll want to wave hello or something unnecessarily friendly. He’s glad when Hajime looks down at his watch instead of around.
“We should start getting ready for dinner,” he says, folding up his pamphlet. Tooru nods in agreement, letting Hajime lead the way as they stay pressed close together.
“I wonder what Ushijima’s doing,” Hajime suddenly says as Tooru’s buttoning up his dress shirt for him. They’re back in their room preparing for their meal with Tooru’s insistence on following the recommended dress code for the dining room. His fingers freeze on the fabric as he glances up at Hajime in confusion.
“You- Huh?!” Tooru squawks and Hajime laughs. Tooru can feel the rumble of it through his boyfriend’s hands resting on his hips. He shakes his head as he continues to button. “You sound like a forlorn maiden thinking about her lover.”
“Shut up,” Hajime snorts, sneaking his fingers up the hem of Tooru’s shirt and pinching because he knows it tickles Tooru and he always makes a strange noise when he does it. He rolls his eyes as Hajime chuckles in amusement over his antics.
“Are you worried about him, Iwa-chan?” Tooru teases, taking Hajime’s face in his palms once he finishes with his shirt. “Aren’t you sweet?”
“No, but he’s still a friend.” Hajime’s voice is muffled from his face being squished and Tooru smirks as he shakes his head around until hands come up to his wrists to pry him off. “I just wonder what it’s like to be a solo traveller on a boat this big.”
Tooru hums, twisting his wrists until one hand is in Hajime’s grasp. He considers his words as they slip their shoes on before heading out the door to the main dining hall.
“I guess he has his own plans,” Tooru says. “There’s so much to do on this boat, I’m sure he’ll find something that suits his fancy.”
“Maybe he’ll be in the dining room,” Hajime murmurs and Tooru laughs because wouldn’t that be funny?
Inevitably, Ushijima is at the main dining hall for dinner. When one of the staff members leads the couple to their table, Tooru’s too distracted by the windows leading to the ocean to realize who's sitting at the table beside theirs.
“Good evening, Iwaizumi. Oikawa,” Ushijima bows his head politely from where he’s seated, a napkin tucked into the front of his shirt like he’s a giant baby.
“You jinxed it,” he hisses into Hajime’s ear before he pulls out a chair for him to sit in. Hajime still looks a little bit in shock as he takes the seat, nodding at Ushijima in return.
“Hey, isn’t this a coincidence,” Hajime chuckles tightly. “In this whole dining room, they’ve assigned us to sit side by side. For the whole week.”
Tooru rolls his eyes as he takes his seat opposite Hajime and Ushijima. There has to be some kind of conspiracy behind this. He considers getting them switched to a different table but Hajime will probably be upset by that, even though he is clearly still reeling from all this.
Whatever. They’re just eating. It’s only going to be about an hour. Almost every night of this trip. Great. Excellent.
As he peers at the menu, he tries to ignore the large man sitting at the table beside him, but he can practically feel his looming aura radiating from his spot. Tooru uses the menu to block him from his vision.
“The french onion soup as an appetizer looks good,” Tooru comments, finding Hajime’s leg under the table and resting his own against it. Hajime hums in response, but before he can say anything else, a third party joins their conversation.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Ushijima says. When Tooru glances at him over his menu, the other man is studying the food choices intently. He covers him with the cardstock again to give Hajime a look. His boyfriend just looks amused.
“Do you think I’ll be too full if I get a slice of a quiche?” Hajime asks. Tooru can’t even answer because Ushijima’s already replying.
“No, I believe you will be fine, Iwaizumi.”
Hajime snickers quietly as Tooru makes an exasperated face. He can tell he’s having too much fun with this turn of events while Tooru is picturing innocent ways in which he can throw Ushijima into the sea.
After they’ve placed their orders, there’s no distraction for Ushijima to occupy himself with, much to Tooru’s chagrin. The more he’s forced to converse with Ushijima, the more it feels like they came as a group.
“Would you like me to push your tables together?” one of the hosts asks when she passes by to refill their water, her smile chipper and friendly because she does not realize what a terrible idea that is to Tooru.
“No!” he exclaims, clearing his throat and chuckling at the surprised look on the hostess’s face. “Thank you. No, thank you.”
Hajime stifles a laugh from his side of the table, earning him a dirty look from Tooru. Ushijima just looks at him blankly and Tooru almost feels bad.
“It’s good that you said that,” Ushijima says with a curt nod. “I don’t mean to be one of those ‘third-wheels,’ that I always read about. I do not want to impose on your vacation.”
Never mind.
Although he is very intrigued by this tid-bit Ushijima has dropped, raising an eyebrow as he asks, “And where do you read about these ‘third wheels’?”
“In romance manga,” Ushijima replies bluntly. “It is a very common trope.”
Tooru was not expecting to learn that Ushijima read romance manga, let alone enough to know what third wheeling was. He’s glad that Ushijima has no intention to crash their trip, even though it feels very much like he is right now.
When the appetizers arrive, Tooru claps his hands excitedly, hoping that the food being served will put an end to their conversation with Ushijima for the rest of the night.
He dips his spoon past the cheesy cover of his french onion soup, blowing on it softly before bringing his spoon to Hajime. “Eat.”
His boyfriend grumbles about not needing to be fed, but he opens his mouth anyway. Tooru has the strong urge to tease him by making airplane noises, but he wants to keep his hand intact.
Hajime slides his plate with the thin slice of quiche on it to Tooru, above feeding him apparently. He smiles as he takes a bite.
“Good?” Hajime asks as he takes a forkful of his own appetizer. Tooru nods and gives him a thumbs up, ready to return to his own soup when a mussel being shoved in his face startles him.
“Oh!” Tooru blinks, looking up from the shell to Ushijima’s very determined face.
“Would you like to try some of my seafood platter?” Ushijima asks sincerely. Tooru slides a look to Hajime when he sees the huge grin on his face before glancing back at the other man currently presenting shellfish to him.
“I’m good,” Tooru says slowly, pushing Ushijima’s arm away from his face gently. Hajime chuckles and takes the offer in his place.
“Take some quiche,” his boyfriend says. Ushijima nods in thanks and returns to his own meal in peace with one less mussel after having traded with Hajime.
Tooru would find the whole situation strange if he hadn’t known the two of them for so long. He sighs, too amused to be irritated by their antics. He’ll just have to accept that they’ll be running into Ushijima a few times.
If he lets it bother him, he’ll be uptight the whole trip and it will definitely rub off on Hajime. It’s a recipe for disaster. Tooru is good at adapting to situations. He can adapt. He will adapt.
It’s quiet on Ushijima’s end for most of the main course. The only time they interact is when Tooru takes a photo of Hajime with his food. As he’s admiring the funny smile Hajime can’t help but don when the camera’s in his face, he can see Ushijima in the corner of his eye struggling to take a selfie with his food in the frame.
“Do you need help?” Tooru asks. He takes Ushijima’s phone when he hands it to him.
“Yes,” he replies. “I’d like to take a photo for my friend. He is asking me how I am finding the trip.”
“Sure,” Tooru says. He tries not to laugh when he sees the other man’s sorry attempts in the bottom left corner of his screen and raises it up to capture a good angle for Ushijima. He may be mean, but he’s not that mean. “Say cheese!”
“Thank you.” Ushijima accepts his phone and nods in approval before he jabs his finger against his phone screen slowly. “Tendou says hello, by the way.”
“Oh,” Tooru chuckles, unsurprised that this was the friend Ushijima was sending a photo to. “Tell him we say hello.”
When dessert comes, Ushijima doesn’t really say anything, but when Tooru’s trying to feed Hajime a spoonful of his chocolate mousse, he accidentally makes eye contact with Ushijima.
“To- Mmph!” Hajime gets cut off by Tooru accidentally shoving the spoon into his lip rather than his mouth. He’s left with a bit of a chocolate moustache.
“Whoops, sorry, Iwa-chan,” Tooru apologizes as he looks away from Ushijima. What an awkward moment to make eye contact, he thinks.
As their table gets cleared up and they’re done for the evening, Hajime asks what they can do for the rest of the night.
“I saw that there was adult volleyball in the pool,” Tooru suggests. Hajime takes his hand as they get up from their table.
“That sounds like a fun idea,” Ushijima pipes in before Hajime can say anything. It seems he is also done with dinner, right behind them as they leave the dining room.
“Ah,” Tooru chuckles, sharing a look with Hajime. He thinks of those unsuspecting travellers who might get Japan’s greatest cannon as an opponent in pool volleyball. Those poor souls. “Well, we’ll see.”
“Have a good evening,” Hajime nods politely to Ushijima before they walk in the direction of their room.
“Yeah,” Tooru starts once they’re in the clear. “We’re not playing volleyball tonight.”
“Nope,” Hajime agrees.
3.
The cruise’s first stop is in Naples, and Tooru and Hajime have an excursion planned with a Japanese tour company. The only problem is that they have to meet their guide by 7AM and neither of them are particularly awake as they make their way off the boat.
“Good morning, Iwaizumi-sama, Oikawa-sama! Welcome to Naples!” their tour guide, Tsuji-san, greets them kindly. He’s a small old man with a large smile and a funny hat on. “How has your trip been so far?”
“Morning, Tsuji-san,” Hajime replies with a sleepy smile. “It’s been great.”
Tooru feels like he’s only half listening to their conversation after he says hello to their guide as well, tuning out as he tries his best to stay awake when they make their way to Tsuji-san’s car.
The old man suddenly looks at them apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck when they get to his car.
“Ah, I did need to ask,” he starts. “My colleague had to cancel their own tour. Would you two be alright with their client joining us? Since you’re only two people and he also asked for a Japanese guide.”
Maybe if Tooru and Hajime had been more awake, they would have realized there could only be one other single, Japanese traveller on this cruise.
But his sleep-addled brain does not stop Tooru from agreeing.
“That’s fine, Tsuji-san,” he tries not to yawn, looping one arm with Hajime’s. “Right, Iwa-chan?”
“Mhm,” Hajime answers, equally drowsy. Tsuji-san looks delighted by this, likely stressed about their opinion on allowing a stranger in on their trip. He claps his hands together and smiles brightly at them.
“Oh, thank you!” he says before looking off behind the couple and waving. “There he is! Ushijima-sama, we’re over here!”
Tooru freezes and he feels his boyfriend stiffen in his grip as well.
“Iwa-chan,” he whispers slowly. “I think we may have made a mistake.”
“We might be stupid,” Hajime murmurs. Tooru sighs to himself as the two of them turn in tandem, watching Ushijima walk over to them. A handheld fan hangs from his neck along with a digital camera. The “I Love Italy” matching hat and t-shirt situation he has going on stuns Tooru into silence.
“Oh, my,” he mutters after the shock somewhat subsides. He feels suddenly very awake and alert, realizing they’re going to be walking around all day with this monstrosity.
“Where’d you get the hat?” Hajime asks when Ushijima arrives. Tooru looks at the genuine interest in Hajime’s expression in horror because of course he wants one for himself.
“Iwa-chan, please,” Tooru hisses into his boyfriend’s ear, but Hajime is already dead set on buying his own ridiculous Italy hat.
Tsuji-san eventually gets them all into the car to begin the tour, driving them away from the dock while Italian opera plays from his sound system.
“I grew up in Niigata, but I moved to Europe about twenty years ago,” Tsuji-san explains as they drive through already busy roads. “Where are you folks from?”
“Miyagi,” they all say in unison. There’s amusement on Tsuji-san’s face and Tooru thinks he probably sees this as some lovely coincidence when it is anything but.
Their first stop is at the Amalfi Coast where they overlook small towns from their spot on the mountain. The early morning sun casts a warm glow over the water and houses on the opposite side, making the colourful flowers and roofs even more vibrant. It looks as beautiful as a postcard and Tooru can’t help but smile at the scenery.
“Iwa-chan,” he calls as Hajime snaps a picture with his phone. “Let’s take a photo together.”
“Sure,” Hajime says, shuffling over to Tooru. He waits in anticipation as the other man flips his phone camera to face them.
Immediately, Tooru realizes his mistake. Hajime has absolutely no skill in taking a proper selfie and he has never bothered to fix it no matter how many times Tooru has criticized him for it.
Then he sees Ushijima and a brilliant idea pops up into his head.
“Actually, Iwa-chan, let’s get Ushiwaka to do it. So we can get the whole scenery. And because you suck at this, quite honestly.” Hajime frowns at him but Tooru’s already waving at their third party.
“Ushiwaka-chan!” he calls out. He sees the way Ushijima’s brows furrow slightly at the nickname when he turns. “Would you take our picture for us?”
“Oh,” Ushijima walks over. “Sure.”
He takes Hajime’s phone from him and Tooru can’t bring himself to say anything when Ushijima takes a selfie with all three of them together. As one. A group photo.
“Wow,” Hajime says when they both look at it. Tooru can’t help but laugh. It’s blurry, and Hajime and Ushijima both have matching smiles that make it seem like Tooru held them at gunpoint to take the picture. He finds that he really likes the photo, but he doesn’t say it out loud.
“Would you like one of just the two of you?” Ushijima suggests and Tooru grins, nodding his head. “Yes, please,” he chuckles, posing beside Hajime with the Amalfi Coast. He hopes Ushijima is better at more straightforward photos.
When he offers to take one with his fancy digital camera, Tooru actually feels grateful that he’s here. He’s nicer than he recalls. Maybe when they aren’t competing with each other, Ushijima is easier to get along with. Maybe.
“Would you like one of yourself?” Tooru asks. Ushijima and even Hajime look surprised by his offer.
“I would,” Ushijima replies, carefully handing Tooru his camera and walking up to the fence facing the beautiful, blue water. Tooru lifts the camera and looks through the screen to capture the scene.
He stares, unimpressed as Ushijima poses straight as a stick.
“Do this,” Hajime says from beside Tooru, throwing up a peace sign. Tooru wants to tell him to shut up but Ushijima listens, throwing up the world’s stiffest peace sign. But at least it gives the photo some character.
“Yeah, alright,” Tooru mutters to himself as he presses down on the button. “Say, ‘cheese’.”
Later, Tsuji-san drops them off in Positano for lunch, recommending restaurants on the cliffside with a beautiful view of the water.
Of course, the three of them end up eating together. Tsuji-san was not subtle about which restaurant was his favourite and sitting at separate tables just seemed odd when the trio entered the establishment.
It’s a little awkward having Ushijima trail behind them as the waitress leads them to their table when Hajime’s hand is in Tooru’s. The other man looks a bit out of place, his permanently stoic and intimidating expression don’t make it any better.
“I am very happy to have lunch with you two,” Ushijima says when they’re all seated and Tooru almost laughs at the irony of it. Surprisingly enough, he isn’t peeved that Ushijima is here, despite the fact that he has very much become a third wheel.
“It’s funny that this happened,” Hajime replies, opening the menu. “I’m happy because we can share the big seafood platter. Look at the size of this thing!”
Ushijima actually chuckles at this, much to Tooru’s surprise. It’s almost strange to see his long-time rival in such a normal setting. If you told 18 year old Tooru that he’d be in Italy having lunch with Ushijima and Hajime, he would have laughed in your face.
After lunch, they explore the village for another hour, walking off their full bellies. They find an “I Love Italy” hat for Hajime which he immediately buys upon seeing it. It’s honestly comical seeing the two of them together with their matching hats.
Tooru starts to feel like they’re on vacation with a friend, somehow falling into conversation with Ushijima a few times. Most of the time, it’s just him and Hajime speaking while the other man pipes up when he feels like it.
Tsuji-san picks them up and drives them to Pompeii to see the ruins later in the afternoon, asking them how their lunch was.
“Delicious! Thank you for the recommendation,” Tooru responds. This pleases their driver and he beams when Ushijima agrees.
“I’m glad you all get along so well!” Tsuji-san says. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you made a new friend out of this trip?”
Hajime is thoroughly amused by this and Tsuji-san looks a little more than perplexed by his loud laughter.
They’re all passed off to a new guide who works at the ruins for the Pompeii tour and she enthusiastically shakes all their hands before she chats with Tsuji-san in Italian.
When she returns to the trio, she smiles pointedly at Hajime and Ushijima.
“So, are you two the couple?” she asks, grinning at their matching hats, and Tooru actually makes a noise of distress at the implication, shuffling closer to Hajime and grabbing his arm to take his boyfriend back.
“No. We are,” he says, feeling Hajime shake with stifled laughter beside him. He pinches the skin of his forearm in warning and Hajime just takes it as a sign to properly let out a chuckle.
“But we were all friends in high school,” Ushijima states matter-of-factly. Tooru just sighs and goes along with it.
They may not actually have been good friends in high school, but Tooru appreciates the photos he’s taken of Hajime and Ushijima together in front of the ruins throughout the tour. They’re nice memories to have.
“It’s cool to see it in person after only hearing about it,” Hajime says, intertwining his fingers with Tooru’s as they look at Mount Vesuvius from the lookout point. Tooru smiles at their hands clasped together before nodding in agreement. He wonders if he can kiss Hajime right now.
“I agree,” Ushijima suddenly says, his face appearing between them. Tooru gasps in surprise, pulling back because he was very close to giving the wrong man a kiss on the cheek.
“I apologize for interrupting,” Ushijima adds before Tooru can complain. He squeezes between them with his digital camera, clicking some buttons before showing them what’s on screen. “But I thought this was a nice place to take a photo.”
When Tooru leans in, he sees that it really is a nice picture. With the mountain in the background and their hands linked.
“Wow,” Tooru breathes, not expecting such a nice photograph of this moment. He finds himself grinning at Ushijima. “Thank you. It’s actually really nice.”
“I thought it was quite romantic,” Ushijima states, and with a straight face, he throws him a thumbs up. “This was in a scene of a manga I read once.”
4.
They have a cruising day where the boat makes no stops, so the two of them decide to spend it at the pool. The sun is hot and the sky is so beautifully blue, it would be a waste to spend it indoors.
“Can we each get a different flavour of ice cream so we can share?” Tooru asks as they walk across the deck clad in swimming trunks and sunglasses. Hajime has baguettes on his swimwear and he’d spent the entire morning gloating about how this was a better souvenir than Tooru’s miniature Eiffel Tower.
“They have chocolate vanilla swirl,” Hajime points at the machine. “Just get that.”
“But the romance of sharing, Iwa-chan,” Tooru laments, yelping when Hajime smacks his ass with his towel.
“What romance? You always take a huge chunk of my ice cream,” Hajime complains and Tooru just grins innocently at him because he’s right.
Once they’ve gotten their treat, they order cocktails and then find two beach chairs side by side near the pool, but not too close so they don’t get splashed. Hajime takes out a book while Tooru gets comfortable on his stomach.
“Do you have enough sunscreen on?” Hajime asks, poking at Tooru’s back. Tooru hums, taking a sip of his drink. He doesn’t even have to say anything before Hajime’s helping him slather on another layer.
“Thank you,” Tooru says, turning his head to smile at his boyfriend. Hajime grunts in response before he focuses on his book. Tooru stares at him, appreciating the view and the heat of the sun.
“You’ve gotten really tan,” Tooru sighs dreamily and Hajime just snorts in response, but he sees the way he sneaks a glance at his own bronzed arm. “Very handsome, Iwa-chan.”
“I hope I don’t burn,” he replies, squinting at the sky. Tooru smirks to himself when he sees the faint dusting of pink on his cheeks. “Otherwise my mom’s gonna give me an earful about it.”
“We should go visit after our trip,” Tooru suggests, yawning quietly into his arms. “Have dinner with her or something. I’m sure she’ll want to see you before you go back to work and me before I go back to Argentina.”
He peeks over at Hajime and catches him smiling down at his book. It’s one of those soft, small ones that Tooru rarely sees on him. They come to him like quiet secrets that Tooru always treasures, but this time, he isn’t sure what this one’s about.
“Yeah, I’m sure she’d love to see us,” Hajime replies. He looks at Tooru, eyes uncharacteristically affectionate.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Iwa-chan,” he taunts. “You look like you’re in looove with me. So gross.”
It earns him a palm to the face.
“Shut up, Shittykawa.”
Tooru grins against his hand until he pulls it away with a grumble and returns to his reading. He stares at Hajime a moment more, but his facade doesn’t give anything away. Tooru snorts to himself before burrowing back into his own arms for a nap.
He isn’t sure how long he’s passed out for, but his skin feels warm under the Mediterranean sun when he wakes up. He stretches, groaning quietly as he pats around for Hajime beside him.
His hand finds Hajime’s bicep and Tooru gives it a short squeeze before resting it there.
“Oikawa,” says a familiar voice that isn’t Hajime’s. Tooru jolts, eyes shooting up as he turns to see who his new neighbour is.
“Holy shit,” he shrieks, retracting his arm quickly. He turns to sit up, searching the deck frantically for his beloved Hajime who has abandoned him and left him in this horribly embarrassing situation. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Iwaizumi asked me to stay here and watch you and your stuff while he grabbed more drinks,” he explains casually, flipping through the book Hajime left in his spot. “I will go swimming when he returns.”
Tooru blinks the sleep out of his eyes as he tries to register Ushijima’s words, nodding in understanding once his brain has caught up. He looks at the bar where Hajime must be waiting before looking at Ushijima again. He should be grateful that he was so willing to do them this favour.
“Thank you,” Tooru says. “For doing that.”
“Of course,” Ushijima replies, closing the book. “Since you are awake, can I go swimming now?”
“Sure,” Tooru snorts, gesturing at Ushijima’s towel. “Feel free to leave your things here if you want. We’ll watch it for you.”
It must surprise Ushijima a bit that Tooru is offering to do something nice for him, but it’s just an equivalent exchange. Not that Tooru is growing fond of his rival.
“Thank you,” Ushijima nods, leaving his towel and flip-flops by their chairs before he saunters off to the pool. Tooru sighs as the Olympic athlete cannonballs into the water where unsuspecting children and their parents start clamouring over the large splash that drenched them all.
Later that night, when they’re back in their room, Hajime stretches and groans loudly before tugging off his shirt. Tooru smiles dreamily as he watches his back muscles contort and relax.
“Hajime,” he whispers and his boyfriend automatically turns around at the sound of his voice, a slow, soft grin spreading across his face. Hajime tugs at his wrist and Tooru uses the momentum to push him onto the bed for a kiss.
He runs his hands up Hajime’s arms, humming appreciatively against his lips until he gets to his biceps. When he squeezes, he’s suddenly reminded of the incident that occurred this afternoon and abruptly pulls away from their kiss.
“You okay?” Hajime asks, puzzled over Tooru’s sudden movement. Tooru blinks at him, face warming even more than it already was as he tries to form words.
“Yeah, I just-” He glances around the room, bringing his hands up to Hajime’s face before he whispers, “It feels like he might show up at any moment.”
Hajime stares at him for a few seconds in silence, kiss-swollen lips slightly parted before they stretch into a full-body laugh.
“Oh, man,” he says between his snickers. Tooru frowns at him, squeezing his cheeks together.
“It’s not funny! He keeps showing up!”
Hajime finally stops, chuckling more quietly as he slides his hands down to Tooru’s waist before giving him a soft peck on his lips that Tooru can only pretend he’s annoyed about.
“You can’t let that scare you,” he snorts, pinching Tooru’s side lightly. “You’re so funny sometimes, Tooru.”
“You’re so mean,” Tooru tries to glare, but Hajime keeps smiling up at him; toothy, familiar, and warm even when he isn’t trying.
“I’m not the one thinking about another man when we’re kissing,” he raises his brow teasingly and Tooru gasps at the accusation.
“You would be too if that happened to you,” he scoffs, giving Hajime a daring look. “Why don’t you make me forget then?”
Tooru chuckles when Hajime flips them over, tackling him to the bed. It’s more like a wrestling move than anything romantic, but it works for them. Anything would if Tooru’s being honest.
“With pleasure,” Hajime taunts back, accepting the challenge and kissing Tooru again.
5.
While drunk on the many cocktails they’ve been trying to milk out of their drink package, the couple wind up at karaoke night.
The lights are bright, blue, and gaudy as they take their seats at a high table. Giggles bubble out past Tooru’s lips as they take in their surroundings, hooting and hollering as they watch people take the stage.
Apparently there’s a prize at the end, so there have been amazing performances that have taken their breaths away. Hajime and Tooru comment on each singer that takes the stage, thoroughly entertained by the ordinary travellers boasting such impressive vocals. In front of so many strangers, no less.
Suddenly, Tooru sees Ushijima walk in through the double doors, his eyes on the stage as he takes in the latest performer.
“Ushijima!” Hajime says loudly before Tooru can even open his mouth. He blinks at Hajime before looking back to Ushijima as he makes his way to their table.
“Pull up a chair,” Tooru finds himself saying, gesturing at an empty table near them. The other man nods and listens, returning shortly after to join them.
“Do you like karaoke?” he asks once Ushijima’s situated.
“Take a sip,” Hajime offers, pushing his drink towards him. Ushijima takes it, an amused glint in his eye when he realizes the state that the two of them are in.
“I do,” he responds to Tooru after he takes a sip. “Iwaizumi and I have spent a lot of time at karaoke.”
“Oh, yeah!” Hajime pipes up. Tooru feels stunned, laughter pouring out suddenly at the thought of the two of them singing karaoke together. “In California and here. It’s lots of fun.”
“Do you have a duet?” Tooru questions, more to be teasing, but he doesn’t expect them both to reply “Yes,” so seriously.
“Oh,” he murmurs, too stunned to think of anything witty to say. He watches as Hajime stands up and sways a little before he finds his footing.
“Let’s go sing it,” he pumps his fist at Ushijima who looks at him in surprise before he chuckles with a shake of his head.
“Why not?” he says, and Tooru can only gape as he watches the two of them walk closer to the stage where the machine operator stands. He is helpless to stare in shock as he pulls out his phone, getting the unlikely duo into the frame as the opening chords to “Endless Love” start playing for them.
It’s terrible. It’s utterly atrocious, but the crowd eats it up while Hajime drunkenly sings his heart out as Diana Ross. Ushijima does zero justice to Lionel Richie, but the two of them look like they’re delivering the performance of a lifetime.
Tooru uploads a short video of them failing to harmonize to his private Instagram story, quietly laughing to himself as he claps along with the audience. They finish their performance with a bow and Ushijima has to guide Hajime back to their table to the chorus of kind supporters.
His phone starts to buzz on the table, drawing his attention to it as Hajime and Ushijima relive their performance. Tooru picks it up as he half-listens, reading through the many replies to his story.
Hinata Shouyou: WHERE’S MY INVITE???????
Hanamaki Takahiro: LOL NO WAY
Miya Atsumu: I just shed a tear
Kuroo Tetsurou: Are your ears ok…
Kageyama Tobio: Did you all go on a trip together?
Tooru spends a long time reading Tobio’s message, mouth twisting as he types “NO,” in all caps. The cursor blinks at him mockingly before he deletes the message with a sigh, replacing it with a more gentle “No,” to send. He closes his phone, smiling at the other two men at his table who are considering another turn at the microphone.
Perhaps it is time that Tooru accepts that Ushijima has been a nice addition to their trip. Although unexpected and not great at times, he has made aspects of their vacation much more fun and memorable.
He never thought he’d think so positively of the other man, but perhaps Ushijima could stay his rival while being his friend. He never thought he’d get to see Hajime sing such an emotional duet in front of so many strangers, and for that, he is eternally grateful to Ushijima.
+1
“Iwa-chan, it kind of feels like you’re going to throw me off the boat, I’m not gonna lie,” Tooru says as he feels a cool breeze hit him. He can’t see anything past his blindfold, trusting Hajime to guide him wherever he wants.
He’s followed Hajime to the ship’s upper pool deck again, only this time it’s quiet. Tooru assumes it’s because it’s evening, but usually, there are a few people still hanging around the pool.
The sounds of the waves crashing are calming as Tooru lets Hajime lead him further along the deck, his hand warm in his but a little sweaty. Tooru smiles, amused that Hajime has gone to such lengths to take him to what is supposedly the best sunset he’ll ever see.
“As much as I’d love to,” Hajime starts, finally stopping. Tooru follows suit, feeling the blindfold lift from his eyes to reveal the orange and pink sky before him. “I think this is a little more important.”
Hajime wasn’t wrong. The view is breathtaking. Paired with the dark ocean, the colours are even more vibrant and beautiful. Tooru isn’t sure he’s seen a sunset quite like this.
“Woah,” Tooru breathes, his feet carrying him to the railing as he looks beyond the horizon. It almost looks unreal. “It’s amazing.”
“Yeah,” Hajime says, joining him by his side. “I saw the sunrise on my run one morning and thought the sunset would probably be just as nice.”
“You hadn’t seen the sunset yourself yet?” Tooru asks, glancing at Hajime. He drinks in the way the light paints him gold, shimmering along his sun-kissed skin. He studies the bridge of his nose, the dark lashes fluttering over his green eyes, and the shape of his face that has changed over the many years Tooru has known him.
“Nah,” Hajime shrugs, turning to give Tooru a small smile. One of those secret ones again. It makes Tooru’s heart squeeze no matter how many times he’s seen it. It still feels novel even after so long. “I thought you’d want to see it together.”
“Well, obviously,” Tooru murmurs, leaning over the railing to stare out at the sea again. “I like doing this stuff with you. Even if it’s kind of corny.”
“Yeah,” Hajime laughs beside him and Tooru can feel it where they’re pressed against each other. They look out at the ocean in silence, breathing in the salty air in tandem.
“I like doing this stuff with you, too. By the way,” Hajime says softly, almost drowned out by the waves. The sudden break in the quiet they settled in doesn’t startle Tooru, but Hajime’s tone does a bit. Tooru doesn’t look at him, afraid that he’ll break this spell.
“Like when I thought of this sunset,” Hajime continues, his hand outstretched to gesture at the pink sky as it starts to darken into purple. “It reminded me that everything I do has at least some bits of you in it. I can’t do anything without thinking of you or wanting you there.”
“I’m very distracting,” Tooru agrees, cheeks warming because Hajime is rarely this blunt about how he feels, especially towards him. He doesn’t fail to show what he’s thinking because Tooru can pick up on the subtleties, but when it’s given to him so openly, he almost flounders.
Hajime chuckles, shifting a bit in his spot and taking some of his warmth with him. Tooru still doesn't dare look, afraid of how red his face might be.
“Extremely. Even when you’re far away it still feels like you’re with me,” Hajime says. “You’ve always been there, Tooru. I actually can’t remember life before you. Isn’t that crazy?”
His palm slips beneath Tooru’s then, taking his hand in his. When he turns Tooru around so that they can face each other, Tooru’s eyes widen at the bouquet in Hajime’s arms and the small box in his hand.
“Wait, Hajime,” Tooru chokes out. “Oh my god.”
“I, uh-” Hajime glances to the side briefly and Tooru starts to see his nerves settling in now that Tooru knows what’s happening. He smiles at Hajime, chest warm and eyes welling up because he already has an answer to Hajime’s question. He’s had it for most of his life, he thinks.
“You nervous?” Tooru whispers, grinning when Hajime lets out a wet scoff.
“Shut up,” he mumbles, shaking his head as he smiles. “I have no idea why.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Tooru snorts. “You know what I’ll say.”
“I do.” Hajime takes a deep, shaky breath. “But I still wanted to tell you I couldn’t imagine life without you.”
“Right? Wouldn’t that be so weird?” Tooru replies honestly because he’s in the same boat as Hajime. He doesn’t remember what life had been like before his best friend had stomped into the sandbox at the park that day. He doesn’t want to think about a life after him. It feels completely wrong. He needs Hajime by his side to feel right.
“It would be,” Hajime agrees. With unsteady hands, he pries the ring box open to reveal the silver band, and Tooru smiles because of course Hajime listened to him talk about it and remembered. He wanted a ring that could be put on a chain so he could wear it on the court and this one is perfect for that.
“So let’s not have that happen,” Tooru murmurs, a teasing smirk on his lips as he looks into Hajime’s teary eyes. “Should we do something about that, Iwa-chan?”
“Let’s get married,” Hajime grins, playing along like he always has. Like he always will. “If you want to.”
“Definitely. Yes,” Tooru breathes, feeling his heart pound as the ring slides onto his finger. Watching it happen feels unreal even though he knew they’d get here eventually.
It was Hajime’s fingers that stretched bandages around his when they were kids. It was Hajime’s fingers that wrapped tape around his in high school when they played matches. It’s Hajime’s fingers that slide a promise onto his now.
Tooru admires the ring before his gaze slides back to Hajime’s, slipping his newly adorned hand up his neck until he can cup his jaw. He sweeps his thumb over his cheek once, then leans in to kiss him. He can feel Hajime’s smile against his, their quiet laughter getting trapped between them like it always does when they’re together.
When they break apart, Tooru accepts the bouquet of flowers and gives Hajime a questioning look.
“How did you even get these so suddenly?” he asks. Hajime grins sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck before he glances off to the side again.
“You can come out now,” Hajime calls. Tooru blinks as he watches Ushijima emerge from behind a wall.
He spots the digital camera placed on a pool chair next, chuckling when Ushijima gingerly presses a button on it before picking it up. A bottle of wine sits beside it with a golden bow tied around the neck.
Ushijima might be the last person he thought would be present at his engagement, but Tooru feels oddly grateful that he’s here to capture the moment. Especially because he’s been such a constant in both their lives, for better or for worse.
“Congratulations, you two,” Ushijima says, shooting them a rare smile. “I’m glad I could get a video. I can send it to you along with all the other photos I’ve taken.”
He leans down to pick up the wine before walking over to hand it to Hajime.
“I bought this in Italy after Iwaizumi told me about his plan,” he says. “Thank you for letting me help.”
Maybe Ushijima being here is a good omen, with his sincerity and straightforwardness. Tooru thinks he’ll put him at a nice table at their wedding instead of the far corner he’d initially planned on.
“Thank you,” Hajime responds, placing a hand over his heart as he sighs in relief. “I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without you, man. Seriously.”
Ushijima waves his hand before he shakes his camera. “Would you like a photo?”
“Oh, yes!” Tooru exclaims, shuffling closer to Hajime with his flowers and sticking his hand out to make sure the ring is seen.
“Okay, three, two, one,” Ushijima calls out, eyebrows set in concentration as he looks through the viewfinder. When Tooru and Hajime look at the picture, they see that it’s quite blurry and not very centred. But it’s fine. Ushijima has done more than enough on this trip.
“Thank you,” Tooru says sincerely, giving his friend’s shoulder a squeeze. His face is starting to hurt but he really can’t stop smiling. “It’s perfect.”