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When Shinsuke steps onto the engawa, ducking under the shelter for a bit of reprieve from the sun, he notices his phone ringing rather insistently.
He normally leaves his phone at home while he tends to his farm—his crops require his fullest attention, and it's best not to bring his device out in case he drops it somewhere. With how large his field has grown, he'd likely have to spend ages looking for it, or worse, it would drop into the water and cease to work.
So Shinsuke isn't sure how long someone has been trying to contact him. When he pulls off his gloves and takes a look at the caller ID, though, he sincerely hopes they haven’t waited too much.
His best friend's voice filters into his ears the second he clicks the 'accept' button. "Thought ya died in yer paddy fields for a second there."
A smile automatically grows on Shinsuke's face. "Hello, Aran."
"Hey yourself. Busy day?"
"Not too bad. Hot, as per usual, but nothin' my new hat can't handle." Shinsuke slides his boots off, leaving them out in the sun so they can dry. He reaches for the towel he keeps on the side table, wiping off the sheen of sweat over his forehead. "To what do I owe this pleasure, by the way?"
"Can't a friend call to catch up every once in a while?"
Shinsuke chuckles. "Never said ya couldn't."
He can hear Aran laughing on the other side of the line too, and the melody makes Shinsuke's chest fill with warmth.
He slides the doors open and steps in, putting his phone on speaker mode so that he can listen to Aran talk while he works on more things around the house. As Shinsuke washes his hands, changes out of his dirty clothes, and prepares himself a cup of tea, Aran tells him about his past month with the Red Falcons and other stories here and there. Shinsuke chimes in every now and then to show that he's still listening, but otherwise, he's content to just listen while Aran speaks.
It's very reminiscent of their younger days, if Shinsuke dare be so sentimental and look back like that. Their friendship began awkwardly, as do most of Shinsuke's first meetings with people seem to be, but through many late night training sessions and dinners (a routine, Aran would insist, just to convince Shinsuke to agree), they grew much closer. All throughout, Aran was always the talker—Shinsuke has noticed that his thoughts run at many miles per hour, even if he doesn't come across that way. And he's always happy to be Aran's outlet and listen to those thoughts.
Things have changed, of course, as time pushed them onto separate roads, but Shinsuke will always be grateful for this one aspect of their dynamic.
"Oh," Aran says at one point, while Shinsuke is resting at the dining table and nursing a cup of jasmine tea. "How's yer grandma, by the way? Tell her I said hi!"
"She's out for groceries right now, but I'll be sure to relay the message." Shinsuke smiles. "She'll be happy to know ya called."
"Of course. Someone has to make sure yer still with us occasionally."
"Ya make it sound like I'm uncontactable."
"Ya might as well be. It's hard enough to catch ya when ya visit Osamu's for business," Aran jokes.
Shinsuke laughs again, though this time, his breath catches a little in his throat as his heart pangs. "That is true."
Of course, Shinsuke doesn't regret his career choice, even if it is unconventional in most eyes. Working in the paddy fields, operating around a routine, and watching his crops grow from the ground up, is fulfilling and brings Shinsuke happiness. There's something especially satisfying about harvest season—though Shinsuke thinks the process is much more important than the result, it always means that it's time to head down to Onigiri Miya and visit his old teammates again.
But if it's one thing Shinsuke could change, no matter how childish it may sound, he'd like to be closer to the people he loves.
Alas, the paddy fields don't wait for anyone, and Shinsuke regrets that he cannot take a break on a whim just to satiate this small desire to see Aran again.
"My crops still require another month before harvest," Shinsuke says. "I'll spare some time to stop by yours after I deliver them to Osamu."
"Mine? I could just schedule a day off, catch a train, and come down to the restaurant like usual. Ya don't have to make the extra trip."
Shinsuke clutches his teacup a little tighter in his hands. "...I want to. I miss ya."
There's a few seconds where Aran does not reply. Shinsuke allows himself to sit in that silence and feel the sincerity in his own words, lets the weight sink over him until it’s like it could crush him in its enormity.
Finally, Aran replies, "At least let me pick ya up at the train station."
Relief washes over Shinsuke's body like a cooling wave of water, and Shinsuke's next breath comes out a little softer. "That would be nice."
Their calls become a regular thing.
Not daily, because both Shinsuke and Aran are too busy for that, but it makes their sporadic calls that do happen feel much more worth it. Shinsuke appreciates hearing about volleyball from Aran—he still holds great love for the sport, even though it's been years since he last played. He gets to give updates about his crops to someone that isn't his grandmother too. It's seeming to be a bountiful harvest this time round; Shinsuke is looking forward to it.
Bit by bit, step by step, things accumulate, and the by-product of their calls arrives in the form of a new emotion: Something warm and syrupy settling in the pit of Shinsuke's stomach whenever he hears Aran laugh over the speakers, a fluttery heat blooming over his cheeks.
And while Shinsuke has patience that most cannot comprehend, he finds himself keeping his eyes forward and desperately awaiting the day he'll see Aran again.
Aran is easy to spot over the sea of heads when Shinsuke exits the station, clutching his bag in one hand and his card in the other. It’s been a long while since Shinsuke has stepped into the hustle and bustle of a busy city, but it’s a welcome change from his usual life.
Aran hasn’t spotted him yet, so Shinsuke snakes his way through the crowd, blending in until he’s right by Aran’s side. When he’s there, he taps on Aran’s shoulder, and suppresses a laugh when Aran yelps in surprise.
“Holy— Dude, ya scared the shit outta me,” Aran sighs, clutching a hand to his chest.
This time, Shinsuke laughs aloud. “Hello. It’s nice to see ya again.”
“Of course.” Aran wraps an arm around his shoulders, steering him towards the exit. “Now let’s get outta here.”
The first few minutes are spent navigating out of the many tunnels and climbing up the right exit towards the bus stop. During this, Aran never lets go of Shinsuke’s shoulder, and Shinsuke hopes not to stray too far away either.
It’s only a casual show of affection, but deep down, Shinsuke is glad that they’re still close enough for this.
When they’re finally on the bus and able to catch their breaths, Aran asks, “So, what’s new with ya?”
Right. An expected question. Shinsuke spent the hours-long train ride here thinking of what to say. He has so many things he’d like to share, stories that he’s been saving because he thought they wouldn’t be done justice over a call, or small details he’s noticed on the way here. There’s so much piled up in his head and heart that he fears he might burst, stuck with a frazzled mess that he can’t untangle in time.
So much that he doesn't know where to begin.
“I suppose that’s too vague of a question, huh?” Aran huffs, as if noticing Shinsuke’s hesitance.
Shinsuke’s throat dries. For how unflappable and cold that Shinsuke is always viewed by others, he tends to forget that Aran is the one person who sees through him.
“A little bit,” he admits, biting back a smile.
Aran leans over, just a tad bit closer, letting their shoulders brush. Like a quiet assurance that however long he takes, he’ll be ready to listen. And Shinsuke’s chest warms, a quiet hope blooming as he lets himself lean back.
“Ya met up and ya didn’t invite us?!” Atsumu squawks, getting so close to the phone that his mouth is all Shinsuke can see through the expanse of his screen. “Betrayal! Aran-kun!”
Aran waves his hand to show that he’s listening. Or, not listening? Either way, Shinsuke is the one holding onto his phone, so he carries the heavy weight of responsibility, and replies to Atsumu, “Sorry. It was a last minute change of plans. I told Osamu that I was comin’, but didn’t have time to message everybody else.”
Atsumu huffs a little. He takes reunions at Onigiri Miya extremely seriously, though Suna would accuse him of just wanting to get free food made by Osamu again, an allegation always heavily denied.
Shinsuke shakes the half-finished boba tea in his hands, trying to stir up the pearls that have sunk and stuck to the bottom of the cup. He and Aran were just walking around, looking through the different stores along this street, when Atsumu rang Aran’s phone rather insistently. How he found out that Shinsuke was in the city is a mystery, but he assumes it must’ve been the work of Osamu.
“If it was so last minute, how did Aran-kun have time to plan an off day? Huh?” Atsumu points a finger at the camera. “Unless you two planned this behind our backs.”
“Can I not meet up with Aran alone?”
“What— of course ya can! I didn’t say ya couldn’t. But—” Atsumu interrupts himself with a gasp, his eyes lighting up like he’s had a moment of eureka. “Oh, wait, I get it. Yer secretly datin’!”
Now that is certainly… a statement. Shinsuke has to wonder what steps Atsumu took to arrive at that conclusion. From beside him, Aran not-so-subtly laughs into his fist.
“Why’re ya laughin’? I can hear ya, Aran-kun!” Atsumu gets awfully close to the camera again. This time, Shinsuke gets to see every hair on his eyebrows and the exact shade of his eyes. How pleasant. “I’m right, aren’t I? Ugh! I always knew this day would come! I called it since we were in second year, but nobody believed me, and Suna even bet against me—”
The longer Atsumu rambles, the more Shinsuke raises an eyebrow. He wasn’t aware that he and Aran came across in that way, but when he mulls over the idea, he finds that he… really doesn’t mind.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Aran says, plucking the phone from Shinsuke’s hands with an exasperated sigh. “Kita is stayin’ with me for the night, and we’ll stop by Onigiri Miya for lunch tomorrow before Kita goes home. How about that?”
“I am?” Shinsuke asks. “We are?”
“Yeah.” Aran turns to look at him, and his gaze marginally softens. “If yer fine with it, I mean. I have clothes you can borrow.”
Something warm crawls up the apples of Shinsuke’s cheeks. He doesn’t think he can mask his surprise even if he tried.
“Okay!” Atsumu agrees, forgetting all about his previous spiel. His screen starts moving frantically, and Shinsuke can tell that he’s texting the others. “Sounds good. See ya!”
Once Aran ends the call, he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry. I just blurted that out at the moment. If ya’d rather not stay over, that’s cool.”
Shinsuke shakes his head. He reaches out, hooking his free hand around Aran’s elbow and nudging them to move faster. “I’d be happy to stay over. It’s with ya, after all. How often will I get that opportunity?”
Aran’s answering laugh sends butterflies erupting in Shinsuke’s stomach. “So straightforward. Let’s do it, then.”