Wait For Me [KageHina]

Tobio took slow, measured breaths as his feet pounded against the concrete. His pace had quickened going down the hill, but he couldn’t help but think about the return path – about how, soon, he was going to be running back up that endless slope. He hasn’t sure how Shouyou did it every day, though he supposed being on a bike might have made it slightly easier. Every single morning, Shouyou got up early, biked over that mountain pass, and still showed up to school full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to spike as many balls as possible, even after a full day of classes, when everyone told him to go home. Tobio wasn’t sure how he managed it.

He hadn’t really set out to run that way, his mind had just kind of drifted off, and by the time he’d realised, he’d been halfway there. He’d visited Shouyou’s house before, of course, but he’d never tried to make that trip either side of school and training. It was no wonder Shouyou never seemed to get tired in their matches – sweaty and sore, sure, but not tired. He was a stamina monster.

“Kageyama?”

Tobio slowed to a stop, cursing under his breath as he slowly turned to look.

“What are you doing here?” Shouyou asked, jogging over to meet him. “It’s been a while!”

“It’s been a week,” Tobio said flatly.

“That’s a while, for us!” Shouyou laughed. “Were you coming to see me?”

“I was just running,” Tobio said, with an awkward shrug. “Don’t want to lose my fitness before we go back.”

“You’ll be proud of me! I’ve been running every day!” Shouyou told him, grinning. “Well, actually, on day one I just went for a walk because I was so tired, but it’s better than nothing!”

“I took some time to rest too,” Tobio admitted. “You’re... doing well.”

Shouyou’s smile wavered a little, but didn’t disappear, and Tobio couldn’t quite read the look in his eyes when Shouyou looked up at him.

“You’re being too nice today, Weirdoyama. If you came to practice with me, just say so!”

“What?”

“I get it, I’ve been restless too! Come on over, we can throw a ball around for a bit before you go home. Natsu will probably try to join in, though – she’s been really clingy lately, just warning you!”

“That’s fine. I’ll... race you there.”

Without waiting for a response, he took off down the street, listening to Shouyou burst out laughing behind him before his hurried footsteps gave chase. Tobio cracked a tiny smile when he heard the pace rising, lifting his own to match.

“Wait for me!” Shouyou called after him, laughing still, even as he ran, apparently not struggling in the slightest. “Do you even remember the way?”

Tobio clamped his mouth shut, refusing to dignify him with an answer, and with a rush of wind and a loud whoop, Shouyou sped past him – damn him and his super speed.

“Try to keep up, Slowpokeyama! Don’t get lost!”

Gritting his teeth, Tobio raced after him, willing his legs to move a little quicker and not give up on him just yet. They weren’t sore yet, thankfully – he hadn’t lost his muscle, after all – but they were feeling stiff, and that was almost as bad. He probably should have stretched more along his route, but he hadn’t been expecting to end up in an impromptu sprint.

By the time they reached Shouyou’s front door, Tobio was just about ready for a break, but Shouyou rocketed through just like always, barely pausing to call a hello to his mother and sister in the next room.

“Kageyama came to practice!” he yelled, already at the back door. “We’ll be outside!”

“Hello,” Tobio said, stopping in the kitchen doorway to wave awkwardly. “Sorry to intrude.”

“Don’t be silly, you’re always welcome here!” Shouyou’s mother assured him. “How are you doing? Have you been as bored and wired as Shouyou?”

“I’ve been... catching up on rest,” Tobio said, a little evasively. “I decided to go for a run today, and he kidnapped me.”

She laughed, and Tobio cracked a smile of his own, glancing at the wide-open back door, where Shouyou had already shot out to grab a ball.

“I’d better go join him, thank you for having me.”

“It’s our pleasure, Kageyama! Make sure you stay for lunch, I’ll make that pork curry you liked so much last time.”

“You don’t have to go through any trouble for me.”

“I insist! It’s good to see Shouyou spending time with his friends again, after that tournament.”

Tobio nodded faintly, thanking her one more time before he followed Shouyou’s path. They still hadn’t talked about it, but Tobio knew Shouyou hadn’t quite been the same, since their recent loss. He’d tried not to show it, had done his best to act normal in class and everything, but Tobio could see it in his eyes that something had changed, something was different. There were only a few more days left before they left for Tokyo, before they reunited with their friends to prepare for the next set of matches, and Tobio wasn’t even sure Shouyou wanted to go, anymore.

“It’s okay,” Tobio said, when he saw Natsu creeping after him silently. “You can come join us, if you want.”

“Really?!” Natsu beamed, hugging him tightly despite the way it made him go rigid – he still wasn’t used to all the hugging the Hinatas did. “Thank you! Shouyou never lets me play, anymore.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll kick his butt if he tries to say no.”

“You’re my hero!”

Shouyou shot him a tiny smile when they appeared together, but shook his head all the same.

“You’re too nice, letting her tag along all the time,” he complained, though he clearly didn’t mean a word of it. “Don’t you go crushing on my teammates, Natsu.”

“I wouldn’t!” she huffed, cheeks turning pink. “I just wanna watch you practice!”

“No watching allowed,” Tobio told her, picking up a ball and tossing it to her lightly. “If you’re gonna be at practice, you have to practice too.”

Her eyes shone as she caught the ball, hurrying over to join them, and Tobio managed a tiny smile when she passed it to him – a little crooked and poorly aimed, but a pass all the same. Besides, it wasn’t like Tobio couldn’t receive a slightly wonky pass.

“I never thought you would be the patient type,” Shouyou admitted, as they took turns passing the ball around in a circle. “You’re so awkward around kids, normally.”

“I don’t like most kids,” Tobio shrugged, taking a quick step to the side to meet Natsu’s pass. “But with Natsu, I get it.”

“I’m gonna play volleyball just like you guys, soon,” Natsu said firmly. “At my next school.”

“Yeah?” Tobio asked, humming contemplatively. “My sister did, too, when we were little.”

“You have a little sister as well?”

“A big sister,” Tobio corrected her. “She played before me.”

“Is she what made you play?”

“No, my grandfather taught me when I was a baby and I always loved it. We used to practice together, though.”

“That’s so cool!”

Tobio couldn’t help but notice the way Shouyou went quiet as they talked, and it took him a minute to understand – they’d never really talked about Tobio’s family, before. His house was usually empty when Shouyou went over, and Shouyou had never questioned him about it – he supposed Shouyou was trying to be tactful, in his own way.

“But she stopped?” Natsu asked, ignoring the glare she got from her brother for it. “You said she only played when you were little.”

“She stopped when she got to high school,” he said with a little nod.

“How come?”

“Apparently the girls were supposed to cut their hair short, and she didn’t want to.”

“Ehhhh? Is that all?!” Shouyou demanded. “I’d shave my head and play naked, if I had to.”

“She wasn’t as obsessed as you,” Tobio said, though he smiled slightly at the idea of it – honestly, he probably would, too. “I guess she wasn’t enjoying it as much, anymore, so maybe it was an excuse, too.”

“I can’t cut my hair,” Natsu said, puffing her cheeks out as she hit the ball again carefully. “I would look like Shouyou!”

Tobio burst out laughing, missing the ball entirely, and Shouyou squawked at them both indignantly, hands on his hips as he tried to construct half-baked protests, each going unheard over the sound of Tobio’s laughter.

“That would be awful,” Tobio agreed breathlessly.

“Right?!” Natsu insisted. “I could wear cute hair-clips but I’d just look like Shouyou being weird!”

“You don’t have to cut it,” Tobio assured her, hiccuping as he tried to swallow down the last remnants of his laughing fit. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“But I wanna play!”

“It’s probably not all schools, I know lots of girls with long hair who play. Besides, it was an unwritten rule; they can’t make you do it. Just put it in a ponytail, and if they complain, show them exactly how good you are. They’ll let you do what you want.”

“But then I’ll have to be really good.”

“You will be.”

Shouyou gave up arguing, finally, and headed over to fetch the ball. Tobio caught him looking over his shoulder, though, keeping an eye on him, like he might bolt or maybe throw something at him the moment he looked away.

“And if you do decide to cut it,” Tobio added, glancing over at Natsu again. “Miwa can make sure it looks cute, so you don’t have to worry about looking like him.”

“Thank goodness!”


———

Shouyou leaned against the wall, taking a long swig from his water bottle, then looking around the gym slowly. It was good to be back, and he was super glad that they’d been invited again, but something just felt... off. It wasn’t the same, not without their third-years there, not without Kuroo giving them all a hard time, and Bokuto showing off gleefully, and Daichi leading them through their punishment drills after every round.

People were beginning to trickle out, heading off to get food, while others were hanging back to do their own practice, splitting into little sub-groups based on what they wanted to work on. He was surprised to see Tsukishima join a group of blockers-in-training without even complaining, mumbling something about “passing it on” that made a few of the group smile. Tobio was hanging out with some new setter, trying to explain all the mental math that went on as he calculated where to set the ball, while the terrified newbie just stared at him blankly. Even Yamaguchi was shyly helping a couple of people with their serves, despite the way he looked completely devoid of confidence as he did it. Shouyou didn’t have anything to offer, not like they did.

“You get used to it,” Kenma assured him, joining him against the wall with a sigh. “It felt like this last year, too. Kuro being gone is definitely weird, but it’s kind of peaceful without him.”

“I thought I’d be used to it in my own team by now, at least,” Shouyou said quietly. “But it still doesn’t feel right, and this whole room feels so... empty.”

“Maybe we just need someone to take over their job of filling it.”

Kenma yawned and stretched, but just when Shouyou expected him to make his escape, he shot Shouyou a little smile, instead.

“Come spike for me,” he requested. “I can’t do it with quite the insanity Kageyama does, but I want to try getting the ball to you quicker, like he does.”

“Are you just doing this to try to cheer me up?”

“A little,” Kenma admitted, shrugging. “But I do.”

“You hate extra practice.”

“I promised Kuro I’d give it a shot.”

Shouyou caved, smiling as he set his water bottle down, and followed Kenma over to an empty space. At least Kenma was honest about his intentions, and it was nice to spend some time with him, for once.

“Do some of those extra high jumps you were using, I’ll see if I can adjust.”

Shouyou nodded, stopping at the back of the court to give himself space for a run-up, and Kenma glanced back at him, ball held carefully in his grasp.

“I think if you start your run at the same time I throw the ball, it’ll give me just enough time to set it to you about the time you hit your apex.”

“Let’s give it a shot!”

As soon as the ball left Kenma’s hands, Shouyou began to run, and as the ball sailed past his knees in the air, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“You really have gotten higher,” Kenma said, chuckling along with him. “Again?”

“Again!” Shouyou agreed.

By the time they managed to nail a few attempts, a small crowd had gathered to watch, and Shouyou exchanged a quick glance with Kenma, sharing amused looks.

“What are you guys waiting for?” Shouyou asked, grinning at the group. “I can’t spike all these balls myself.”

Immediately the group split off, half of them running to join Shouyou at the back of the court, a few running over to Kenma in hopes of trying the extra-speedy set too, and a couple even ran over to the basket of balls, to throw them in to the setters. Shouyou’s room seemed to fill up a little as they worked, taking turns and failing miserably at most of them, only Shouyou’s and Kenma’s combined attempts leading to any kind of fruition. When the time came to stop for dinner, everyone scattered to gather up the stray balls, and Kenma smiled knowingly when he saw Shouyou’s face.

“If anyone’s gonna fill this room, it’s gonna be you.”

“I’m nothing on the old third-years,” Shouyou said, smiling all the same. “But thank you. I’ll try my best, I guess.”

“I’m starving, you coming to get dinner?”

“Soon,” Shouyou said with a nod. “I’m just gonna get some air for a second, first.”

“Alright, don’t take too long.”

Kenma excused himself, immediately swarmed by other people to keep him company, despite what were probably his greatest wishes. The room quickly emptied out, everyone heading off to grab their last chance at food for the night, except for Shouyou, who sat down on the steep, grassy bank outside, and Tobio, who silently followed.

“You don’t have to wait for me,” Shouyou told him, the moment he sat down.

“I want to.”

He’d thought he wanted to be alone, when he’d walked out, but the feel of Tobio at his side, only millimetres away, made him reconsider. It felt like he could breathe a little easier, with Tobio there; like his lungs were finally drawing in a decent amount of air again, and his muscles were letting some of their tension fall away.

“I love everyone in that room,” Shouyou said softly. “But it feels so wrong without the others.”

“Yeah,” Tobio agreed, leaning back to look at the few stars they could see above him.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve never had a real team before,” Shouyou mused, sighing as he lay back to match. “Did it feel like this for you in middle school?”

“No,” Tobio admitted. “But I feel it this time, you’re... not alone.”

“I know I still have cool skills, and I know I’m still improving all the time, and all that, but I guess...” he trailed off, but Tobio just waited patiently. “I guess I feel like I get worse every time I work with new people.”

“You have a really specialised set of skills,” Tobio pointed out. “You don’t really get to use them much, outside of a real match, so I can see how it would feel pretty crappy, especially when your last few matches haven’t been the best.”

That was true. Between getting dragged off the court at nationals, having some stupid mistakes with their new team at qualifiers, and finally losing to Dateko, his match history as of late hadn’t exactly been the greatest.

“I guess our team was just a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know? And I don’t know exactly how to carry on, now.”

“Every team is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Sometimes we make bad choices and the team doesn’t turn out the best, but they’re still an opportunity we’ll never have again. Even within the year, there’s no guarantee we’ll have the same players on the court in a month or even a week, so you’ve just gotta make the most of the ones you have while you have them.”

“When did you get so insightful?”

“Shut up. Besides, aren’t the new teammates the best ones, sometimes? What would have happened to us both if I’d stayed with my Kitagawa Daiichi teammates for the rest of my life?”

Shouyou shuddered at the thought, and Tobio snorted.

“My grandfather told me once, that if I got really, really good at volleyball, someone even better would find me. So as long as we keep getting better and better, more amazing people will find their way to us, to play more games and challenge more teams and stay on the court for as long as we can.”

Shouyou swallowed hard, shoving Tobio in the arm lightly and hoping it might distract him from how watery his eyes had gotten all of a sudden.

“You’re not going anywhere, right?” he asked, forcing a smile. “With you here I’m invincible.”

“Damn right,” Tobio grinned, standing up again and offering Shouyou his hand in one smooth movement. “Come get some food.”

Shouyou accepted, letting Tobio haul him to his feet, and for a second they lingered there, a smile stretching across Shouyou’s face.

“I’ll race you there.”


———

As the last whistle blew, and cheers erupted through the stadium, Tobio turned around to see the bouncing, beaming idiot who stood right beside him, hand bright red from how hard he’d hit that final shot. He knew he was grinning just as brightly as Shouyou was, but he didn’t even care – he was allowed to look like an idiot when they’d just qualified for nationals.

Shouyou turned, catching his eye, and before he even knew what he was doing, Tobio stepped forward, opening his arms. Shouyou dove into them without a moment of hesitation, hugging him tightly, and Tobio squeezed him as hard as he could muster, with how numb his arms suddenly felt. It took him a second to realise what he’d done, to understand exactly what he was doing, but then a weight hit him in the side as someone else piled on, and then another, and a third, until their whole team was piled together in one big, laughing heap, with him and Shouyou linked together in the middle.

It all passed quickly, and soon he was letting go, his dead arms falling back to his sides, but he knew that in that moment, something had shifted. Something was different about the way they glanced at each other; the way they stood side by side, under the watchful eyes of the cameras pointed at their team; the way they moved in, leaning toward each other a little, before they quickly straightened back up and looked away.

Things had changed. Something that had long since simmered below the surface, carefully kept at bay, had finally boiled over, and Tobio wasn’t sure he could put it back.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to put it back.

As they began to walk off the court, Tobio took a deep breath, leaning in close to Shouyou’s ear.

“Can we talk?” he asked. “Privately?”

Shouyou blinked at him, silent for a second, but before he had a chance to come up with an answer, Ennoshita was dragging him away, gesturing toward a cluster of reporters who were staring his direction.

“They asked for you personally,” he explained. “Come on, quickly!”

Shouyou glanced back one last time, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips.

“Wait for me?”

“Yeah,” Tobio agreed, nodding. “Of course.”

It wasn’t often that Shouyou was the one reporters were asking for, and honestly, Tobio couldn’t have been happier for him. He knew how much it must have meant to Shouyou, to get that chance, and Tobio would never have begrudged him that. He did, though, wonder if he should hover nearby, to help him out if he got stuck, or maybe shut him up if he started rambling too much.

He soon got pulled aside for an interview of his own, fumbling through it as best as he could, and as soon as he’d made his escape, he headed out into the hallway to get a little peace. He wasn’t sure exactly where to go, where to wait, but when he spotted a bathroom door down the hall, he couldn’t help but smile. He stood a little to the side, leaning against the wall to wait, and his eyes began to sink closed as he finally let himself relax a little. He knew there was still a lot to do – debriefs and celebrations with the team, a decent meal, a shower, but he really just wanted to lie down and let himself melt into a good mattress.

“Hey.”

Tobio opened one eye, and when he saw Shouyou standing in front of him, such a mess of exhaustion and excitement and every other emotion under the sun, he couldn’t help but smile again.

“Hey,” he said back.

“That was a great match.”

“Yeah. You did good,” Tobio said softly. “You seem... better. Since the camp, when you weren’t yourself.”

“I am,” Shouyou agreed. “You helped, so thanks.”

“I’m glad.”

“Can we stop doing the awkward small talk now?”

“Yeah,” Tobio laughed. “We can.”

“Hinataaaaa! Kageyamaaaaa!”

Tobio looked up to see a mob of teammates rushing their way, and with a groan they let themselves be swept into the crowd again. Thankfully, Tobio quickly heard the word hotel being said, and there was no end to the relief that word brought him. They could find a moment to sneak away later, could sit outside under the stars again or even just choose a corner of a room and glare at anyone who came too close, if all else failed. They would find the time, it wasn’t like they were in a rush.

Shouyou looked back from where Nishinoya babbled at him enthusiastically, smiling when Tobio gave him his best attempt at an apologetic look, and despite his every thought screaming at him that it was a terrible idea, he held out his hand.

Without even a moment of hesitation, Shouyou reached out, linking their hands together like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Maybe it was.

———

Shouyou smiled faintly when Natsu ran to the door to answer it, already chattering away as Tobio took his shoes off. Tobio just nodded along to Natsu’s excited recounting of her most recent volleyball match, taking it all in – she always made sure to give him all the best highlights, for him to enthuse over with her, as well as all the worst lowlights, for him to talk her back from if she was feeling down. Apparently, Shouyou just didn’t get it, despite being the crazier volleyball enthusiast of the family, but Tobio had admitted once that he thought it was kind of neat that he got to be the substitute big brother, so Shouyou had never tried to shut it down.

“There you are, Tobio! Come on in!” their mother called, ushering Tobio in. “Natsu, come help me set the table!”

“Moooom, I’m telling Tobio about my match against Izumitate!”

“I’ll come help,” Tobio offered. “Keep going.”

Shouyou held up a hand silently as they passed, and Tobio squeezed it as he walked past, neither of them needing to say a word to know they were going to let Natsu continue, rather than pause her just to say ‘hey’ and maybe share a smile or something. As Natsu continued relaying him with every point, and Tobio continued asking questions, he held out his arms, letting her load him up with plates to carry to the table. Shouyou had offered to help, too, but his mother had insisted he couldn’t help on his celebration day, so he’d been stuck sitting at the table, watching them fuss over him.

“And then I got the most amazing receive, like boom straight up in the air, and sure there was a bit of luck in there, but—”

“Don’t say that,” Tobio cut her off. “You’ve worked so damn hard on your receives, don’t talk yourself down like that.”

Natsu shot him a grin, and Tobio just poked her gently, trying his best to look stern.

“Try again,” he said firmly.

“Okay, so I got the most amazing receive,” she repeated with a laugh. “Because I’ve been working so hard on them, and I’m super proud because it went boom straight up in the air, middle of the court, so then...”

Soon the table was set, and Tobio slid into his usual seat at Shouyou’s side, reaching across to squeeze his hand again briefly. Almost three years had passed since they’d first started doing that, and other than the occasional hug, it had never gone beyond that point. All their teammates thought they were insane for it, that they had to be doing more and not admitting it, but they’d been happy that way. And when he’d started making his plans, he’d known the time would come that they’d have to part – getting more invested, before that split, just seemed cruel.

But when Tobio had moved to Tokyo, Shouyou had started to question it. When they were no longer seeing each other every day, and they couldn’t hold hands, or sit so close that their legs touched, or share secret smiles and rare, over-excited hugs, Shouyou had started to wonder if he should have done more to make the most of their time together.

And now he was going to Brazil. Maybe he really was stupid, what was he even thinking?

“Thank you for having me, tonight,” Tobio said, when his conversation with Natsu had concluded and they’d all gathered around the table. “I know you wanted it to just be family for his last night, so—”

“You are family,” Natsu cut him off.

“I was going to say the same,” their mother laughed. “We love having you, Tobio, you’ve been a part of the family for a long time now!”

“And you better keep visiting even with Shouyou away!” Natsu pouted. “I’ll never forgive you if you disappear!”

“I’ll visit,” Tobio assured her. “And you can call me after every single match.”

“Will you tell me about your matches, too?”

“Of course,” he promised. “Especially the Olympic ones.”

“Yes!”

That was what it had come down to, in the end. Shouyou wanted to go to Brazil – needed to go to Brazil – but Tobio had been offered a real shot at the Olympics. Shouyou envied him that chance, of course, but he’d never begrudged him the opportunity – he’d been Tobio’s biggest supporter from day one, or at least he’d tried to be. He was genuinely happy, and so proud, but he knew he needed to do something for himself, too. He couldn’t just hang back and watch Tobio take that chance, embrace that chance, while he stagnated.

It wasn’t until they’d reached the airport the next morning that they’d finally had the conversation, though. Shouyou had put it off until the last possible second, until he’d been standing in front of Tobio at the departure gates, about to take his passport and get on a plane to a country he’d never seen before, where he knew no one.

"Wait for me," he blurted out.

He knew it wasn’t fair, but he asked it anyway.

"Kageyama. Tobio. Please, just... wait for me."

He couldn’t bring himself to meet Tobio’s eyes as he said it, could barely believe he’d even gotten the words out without his voice cracking, or his feet turning and sprinting away through the gate despite his best intentions. He just stared at the floor, balling his hands into fists, feeling them tremble with the strain of how hard he squeezed them.

"What else would I do, idiot?” Tobio asked, snorting a little. “Hold hands with some random idiot I can't stand, just because you're in Brazil?"

"Tobio."

"I've been waiting for you for years already, I'm not going to stop just because you want to go lie on the beach all day and get a tan instead of practicing."

"Tobio!"

"Shouyou."

Shouyou finally looked up, finding an amused little smile waiting for him on Tobio’s face, as if he’d never doubted anything in his entire life.

"I love you," Shouyou said breathlessly.

"I know you do, dumbass. Now go kick butt, so we can play together again when you get back."

That, Shouyou knew, was Tobio for ‘I love you too.’

———

Tobio felt like the biggest asshole in the world.

They’d finally reunited, after their two years apart – which had felt more like ten, at least in Tobio’s world. He’d spent that time working harder than ever, just like he’d known Shouyou would be, and despite all his teammates around him – both new and old, frequent visits to see his family – Natsu and her family included, and messaging Shouyou every single morning and every single night, he knew they’d both felt lonely as hell.

But the time had come, they’d finally reunited, Shouyou had walked in to that amazing cheer of ‘welcome home’ that Tobio knew had meant the world to him. And Shouyou had rocked everyone’s world, in that game. Tobio had known he’d gotten good, obviously – he’d seen plenty of videos of his games on the beach – but he wasn’t sure he’d realised how good, until that game.

“It’s been so good to be back with you,” Tobio said, lifting his head from where it had been resting on Shouyou’s shoulder. “And to be... with you properly.”

“Aww, you make something so sweet sound so awkward,” Shouyou teased, wrapping an arm around his neck and dragging him in to kiss his hair fondly. “I love you too, Tobio.”

“I just... have to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“I’m... not staying in Japan.”

He looked up to see Shouyou blink at him, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“You know I’ve always wanted to play in Europe, and I got an offer from Ali Roma, and it’s been so good being here with you, but I just... I can’t turn them down, I can’t just abandon the opportunity to learn and grow some more before the next Olympic cycle. You know what I mean, right? I would love to stay for you, but I have to go for me.”

“Tobio, I know,” Shouyou chuckled. “It’s not exactly been a secret that you were heading overseas.”

“What?”

“Did you really think I was that oblivious? I knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t be forever. I just wanted to enjoy this time with you while I could, before we part again. You know I’ll wait for you, just like we always do.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course I am,” Shouyou laughed. “Have you been stressing about that, all this time? Tobio, you’re the only person I ever want to be with, okay? I don’t care how long that might take. We’ll just keep doing what we need to do, and coming back to each other whenever we can.”

“I love you.”

“I know that, too,” Shouyou teased, dragging Tobio back down to lean against him. “Just stay here with me for tonight, okay? We still have a couple more weeks left, I just want to enjoy this.”

Tobio settled in again, closing his eyes to savour the moment. Despite Tobio still being the taller of the pair, Shouyou had filled out considerably over the years, leaving them just about the same width in the shoulders. While Tobio would never say it out loud, he loved that he could lie on him or sit in his lap without having to worry about crushing him. Shouyou clearly loved it too, always wanted to be the big spoon, so it wasn’t like Tobio had needed to do anything special to get what he wanted.

“I’m gonna pack like three of my favourite shirts in your bag,” Shouyou informed him. “So any time you’re feeling lonely, you can put one on and feel like I’m there with you, just a little. And I’m gonna send you a package every month, with snacks or treats or something, and a long, heartfelt letter about how much I miss you. And I’m gonna sleep with the letter before I send it, so that it’ll smell like me.”

“You’re obsessed,” Tobio said, smiling softly. “I’ll send you stuff too.”

“I know! You’re gonna send me pasta and cheese, and fancy olive oil, and any yummy snacks you see that you think I’ll like. Maybe some wine, if they’ll let you mail it.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot.”

“And every December, I’m gonna fly over to Italy to spend your birthday with you, then we’re gonna fly back here together and spend the new year with our families. And if we have enough time and money, you’re gonna fly out to Brazil every June, and we’ll play on the beach together and make sure you don’t forget how to play volleyball in the sand, because it’s such a special part of my life and I want you to share that with me.”

Tobio looked up, feeling his eyes go wide, and Shouyou just gave him a soft smile, lacing his fingers in Tobio’s hair.

“You didn’t really think I was going to let you beat me, did you?”

“You’re not staying?”

“For a bit,” Shouyou said with a shrug. “I want to play with the Jackals for a while, but eventually I want to get into the indoor league there, and keep playing both types. Maybe we can play each other in some matches, before we meet back here for the national team again.”

Tobio hated to admit how much that thought made his stomach flutter, filling with big stupid butterflies that went wild over the idea of his boyfriend showing up in Italy just to play against him. Staying over at his apartment the night before their match, cuddled together to relax and savour the moment; running through their little pre-game rituals together; walking hand-in-hand to the venue, before they parted with a smile to meet their teammates; getting dinner together at a fancy restaurant the night after, and making the loser pay for it.

“I like that idea,” he admitted, smiling when Shouyou kissed him lightly. “I’m glad you have it all planned out for us.”

“I’m an expert at this now,” Shouyou reminded him. “There’s gonna be a little jar of sand on your kitchen windowsill, and when your teammates come over, they’re gonna ask about it, and you’re gonna tell them it’s from the beach in Brazil where your boyfriend lives.”

“I’ll find a beach in Italy and send you one, too, since you like sand so much.”

“Send me two,” Shouyou instructed. “I’m gonna keep one at home, and scatter the other on my beach, so you can be there when I’m playing.”

“Deal. And when you come visit, you’re gonna wear all my clothes because you won’t own anything warm, and you’re gonna look like an idiot with my sleeves covering your hands and my pants dragging on the concrete, but you’re gonna be an adorable idiot.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Shouyou grinned. “I’m gonna buy you a ridiculous keychain from Brazil and make you use it in front of everyone.”

“I’m gonna get you one of those stupid maps that has hearts on our cities and a red string connecting them, and make you hang it on your wall.”

“I’m gonna send you gross, cheesy video messages before all your games, and make you listen to them in front of your new teammates.“

“I’m gonna tattoo my name on your ass in your sleep so everyone has to see it in the locker rooms.”

“I’m gonna befriend one of your new teammates and get them to video call me on a massive screen every practice so I can cheer you on and embarrass you.”

“Joke’s on you, none of them speak Japanese or Portuguese. Or Spanish, or probably English, before you start that attempt.”

“Joke’s on you, I started learning Italian the moment I heard you were leaving,” Shouyou said triumphantly. “I’m pretty good at learning languages, now!”

“Are you serious? I haven’t even started learning.”

“We can practice together if you want! I’ll see if I can find Italian-dubbed Dragonball.”

“You’re such a weirdo,” Tobio said fondly. “Thank you. For being okay with this, I mean.”

“Of course I am!” Shouyou grinned. “One day, when we’re both retired, we’ll be able to live together and cuddle every single day for the rest of our lives. Until then, we have to take every opportunity we can get!”

“That’s a good thought,” Tobio admitted. “I don’t mind waiting, if that’s at the other end.”

“Me neither.”


———

Shouyou could feel his lips trembling, with every eye in the room on him, watching his every move and listening with rapt attention. He’d never heard his friends and family so quiet before – other than the occasional sniffle from Natsu stifling her tears, he wasn’t sure any of them had made a peep.

“The couple have written their own vows.”

Shouyou released one of Tobio’s hands, reaching into his jacket pocket and almost dropping the cue cards he fumbled out. For all his coordination on centre court with thousands of people watching, standing in a small room, with everyone he held the most dear, felt like an impossible task.

Tobio squeezed his hand, comforting and supportive and encouraging as ever, and Shouyou felt himself relax a little, taking a deep breath before he met those beautiful eyes, like the deep, dark sky when they stopped to look at the stars together.

“Tobio, you are my world,” he began, his voice surprisingly level considering how choked up he felt inside. “You’re the person who has been by my side at my highest and my lowest, who has always pushed me to follow my dreams, and who has inspired me every day with how dedicated you are to following yours.”

He felt Tobio’s hand squeeze a little tighter again, and he squeezed back knowingly – they’d both promised not to cry at the ceremony, lest their friends and family never stop showing photos to each other, and their friends, and their kids, and the news outlets, all just to embarrass them. It was getting damn hard to keep that promise, though.

“You make me smile so wide that my face hurts, and laugh so hard that my stomach hurts, and love so hard that my heart hurts whenever you’re gone.” He sniffed a little, and from the audience he heard a sob, letting him know that Natsu had finally lost her control. “Today, I promise that I will always love you, that I will hold you and push you and pick you up when you’re down, and no matter how many times, or for how long, I will always, always wait for you.”

Tobio froze, staring at him with the widest eyes Shouyou had ever seen, and then, those eyes filled with tears. He laughed, and then he choked on a sob that he refused to let out, though the tears were trailing down his cheeks all the same.

“Shouyou,” Tobio said, swallowing hard to keep the words intelligible. “I’ve waited for you my whole life, since before I even knew who I was waiting for.”

At those words, Shouyou lost control, too. He felt his tears pour over, and he jammed his cue cards back in his pocket, freeing up a hand to wipe his eyes stubbornly on his sleeve. He didn’t want to miss a moment of their day, didn’t want his stupid tears to get in the way of him seeing Tobio standing before him at the altar.

“In you I found a friend, a teammate, a rival, a partner; someone I can be myself with, someone I can feel safe with, and most importantly, someone who taught me what the word love really means. For the rest of my life, I promise I will support you, and challenge you, and take care of you, and do my best to make you laugh every single day, so you’ll never feel lonely again.”

Shit, that one hit home. Tobio knew exactly how lonely and miserable he’d felt, the first time he’d moved away. Tobio had felt it too, at times. They rarely talked about it, but they both knew, and they’d always done their best to lighten that load on each other with all their calls and photos and gifts, whenever they’d had to part again.

“We’ve waited a long time for this,” Tobio said, his voice soft. “But I would wait a thousand more years if that was what it took to get us here.”

“By the power vested in me,” the officiant began, when Tobio gave him a nod. “I now pronounce you husbands. You may seal your marriage with a kiss.”

It was short, and messy, and sloppy, and wet with tears, but for the rest of their lives, Shouyou would tell everyone it was the best kiss he’d ever had.

No matter how many times Tobio tried to beat his score.