Work Text:
Kindaichi was lying across Kunimi’s bed, one leg dangling off the side as he scrolled on his phone. Kunimi sat at his desk, legs curled up while pretending to do his homework, but mostly just watching him.
His best friend since middle school, the guy who stuck with him even if he was hard to read, Kindaichi was always there.
“You’re staring,” Kindaichi said suddenly without looking up
Kunimi froze. “No im not.”
“I can feel your stare,” Kindaichi said and tossed a pillow at him, “You always get that blank look, but I can tell when you're zoning out.”
Kunimi rolled his eyes and turned back to his notebook as he fidgeted with the pen. Lately, he couldn’t stop realizing the little things Kindaichi brought into his life. How his laugh came so easily, the way his hair looked like a turnip, how he always reassured Kunimi that he was doing great even if he didn’t need it. It wasn’t new, but it felt clearer and sharper now. And it hurt.
In a few days, it would be all over.
They were both graduating. Their paths were different, Kunimi going to a nearby college, and Kindaichi heading overseas. It was what he wanted, what they both wanted, but it didn't stop Kunimi’s chest from tightening every time he thought about it.
Graduation came faster than he wanted. The ceremony went by like a blur, awards, certificates, applause, cameras flashing. The only thing Kunimi focused on the entire time was the small gift he prepared for Kindaichi. Inside, tucked between the neatly folded scarf and a note that read “Don't forget to wear this in winter, idiot” was a paper he almost regretted writing.
It was a letter
It was messy, clumsy, and rushed. He rewritten it at least 6 times last night, the rough drafts crumpled and thrown into the corners of his room. In the end, he shoved everything inside at the last second. His handwriting wasn't neat, but the words were honest. He admitted everything, how much he loved Kindaichi, how long he had, how badly he would miss him.
And he didnt even sign it.
“Kunimi!” Kindaichi shouted, his voice snapping Kunimi back as he ran towards him. He shoved his own gift into Kunimi’s arms, “Congrats bro!! We did it.”
Kunimi nodded and forced a small smile, “yeah, we did”
They stood there in the crowded area, awkward, but each other's presence felt warm. Kunimi wanted to say something, I like you, i don't know what I'll do without you, I'll miss you. But it was all stuck in his throat.
So he said nothing. (bum)
They exchanged gifts, took a picture with some friends, and then it was goodbye.
Kunimi went home that night, clutching Kindaichi’s present against his chest as he ran to his room. The moment his door closed, he broke. He cried like crazy, never in his life did he cry this hard before. He curled up on his bed with his heart aching, trying to tell himself that it was fine, how people move on and that Kindaichi would be happier where he was going. But he felt like his heart was being ripped out, he could feel each vein snap as he choked on a sob.
Meanwhile, Kindaichi was surrounded by boxes, he was moving across seas for an engineering program.
“bro, I can't believe you're moving tomorrow,” Matsukawa said while carrying a box towards the door
Iwaizumi put his hand on Kindaichi’s shoulder, "You're going to do great, bro, don't forget us when you’re famous, okay?”
Kindaichi laughed, “like i could ever forget you guys.”
They stayed late helping him pack until they left for the night. When Kindaichi finally sat down, exhausted, he looked at the pile of gifts beside his suitcase for the next morning. He picked up the one Kunimi gave him, smiled, and set it aside.
The next morning was chaos
The airport was packed, people pushing through every direction. Kindaichi shuffled through the crowd with his suitcase and phone in his hand. Someone bumped into him hard, and his phone slipped, hit the ground, and crunched under footsteps.
“oh shit!!!” he muttered, grabbing it, but the screen was all cracked, and it was completely unresponsive. But he had no time to worry about that for now.
He boarded the plane, landed, and dragged his suitcase into his new apartment with some help from friends who lived there. He unpacked for a little and had some spare time, so he hopped in a taxi to a phone repair shop.
They couldn't fix it unfortunately, it was way too splintered and almost impossible to fix. He felt disappointed, his contacts, messages, and everything was on there, and now he's half a world away.
He headed back home, to unpack, maybe to get his mind working. As he unpacked, something slipped out of his bag and onto the floor. The scarf Kunimi gave him. He picked it up and felt the wool, it was soft, but something was tucked inside.
A folded crumpled letter.
Kindaichi, confused, opened it up.
His eyes scanned the page once, then twice, by the third time, tears were streaming down his face. Kunimi’s messy handwriting, broken grammar, but love was poured into every sentence.
“Kunimi…” kindaichi whispered, clutching the letter to his chest while wiping his tears.
He sank to the floor sobbing, because now, after years of not knowing how he felt, after realizing in this moment that he loved him too, but he had no way to call, no way to say it back
And that the love of his life was oceans away
Years passed, Kunimi had settled into a quiet rhythm of life. College, then work, hangouts, whatever. He was doing well, stable, but every once in a while, when he couldn’t sleep, he would find himself opening his phone to scroll back through old texts he had with Kindaichi.
Stupid jokes, messages, complaining about practice, random silly videos. They cut off so suddenly, like he hit a wall. Kunimi never deleted anything, he would reread them while his thumb hovered over the keyboard, contemplating if he should type something. But he never did.
It had been years, Kindaichi would text if he wanted to.
Kunimi swallowed the ache.
Meanwhile, across the ocean, Kindaichi’s life turned upside down
He worked hard, got promoted, and he was doing well! And one day, he got an email.
“We very appreciate your contributions....... and we are relocating our headquarters back to Japan.”
Back home
Kindaichi stared at the words “back to Japan” for a very long time, maybe 6-7 minutes, barley breathing.
He was going back home!!
The process was exhausting though, contracts, packing, moving, but after months of hard work, he was back again in the streets he grew up in.
One afternoon, Kindaichi was leaving his office when he spotted 2 very familiar people.
“Matsukawa? Hanamaki!?”
Both people turned, faces lit up, “Holy shit. Kindaichi!”
Matsukawa laughed as he slapped Kindaichi on the back “You’re alive!!”
Kindaichi smiled, “its really you guys! It's been forever”
The 3 immediately dropped into a cafe together, talking about almost anything
“So” Hanamaki said, leaning forward. “Tell me everything. Work, life, whatever you want. We need to catch up.”
“You mean us!?” Hanamaki gasped, “tell US”
Kindaichi scratched the back of his neck, “Works been… busy i guess. But its good, i just got transferred back here.”
“That's crazy,” Matsukawa said, “congrats bro”
“And life??” Hanamaki asked, smirking, “any romance? Hot co-workers? Gossip??”
Kindaichi’s cheeks flushed, “What- no nothing like that… I guess..”
Hanamaki groaned dramatically, “booringg” , while Matsukawa laughed
They talked for hours, until the sky turned dark. As they were about to part ways, Hanamaki turned and snapped his fingers, “Hey! Next Saturday, Oikawa’s playing a match, you should come watch, I can get tickets for you”
“Yeah bro, everyone would be there,” Matsukawa added
Kindaichi’s heart fluttered, then jumped. “Really??” he asked, voice a little too eager
“Of course, we’ll go together!”
On the ride home, Kindaichi couldn't stop smiling. He'd be able to see Oikawa, Iwaizumi, maybe more old friends, who he hadn't seen in years. His chest tightened
Old friends
Kunimi.
Saturday flew by really quickly
Kindaichi met Matsukawa and Hanamaki at the train station and rode together to the giant stadium.
He cheered, laughed, and clapped until his hands turned red. For the first time in years, he was having fun.
On the other side of the stadium, Kunimi sat with Kageyama and Hinata, and their other friends
They were loud, especially Hinata, but he didn't mind. The company was comfortable and warm, seeing everyone again felt good.
After the match, Hinata and Kageyama practically dragged him to see Oikawa. As the others spoke, Kunimi slipped into the background, hands stuffed in his pocket, enjoying the presence of familiar faces.
Across the room, Kindaichi looked up
His breath staggered
There in the corner of the room, was Kunimi. His hair a little shorter, maybe slightly taller, but he had the same unreadable eyes.
“Kuni…” Kindaichi whispered, the name breaking out of him like it waited years to escape.
Kunimi’s head snapped up, for one second his face was blank, but the next second, his eyes filled with tears, running down his face.
“Kindaichi-”
Then he ran
Kindaichi was already running, pushing past the crowd, until they collided in the middle of the room. Kunimi’s arms wrapped around him, desperately clinging onto his shirt. While Kindaichi held him the same, tightly, burying his head in Kunimi’s shoulder.
“I missed you,” Kindaichi said, voice breaking, “I missed you so much…”
Kunimi sobbed into Kindaaichi’s chest as he clutched his shirt tighter, like if he let go, he’d disappear.
They finally found each other again.
♡