On the same day, Fukurōdani went up against Mujinazaka which held one of Bokuto's biggest rivals - Kiryū Wakatsu, one of the top three aces in the country. The man had incredible height and power, and because of that, he managed to even pull off single-step run-ups.

And Kenma had thought Hinata's run-up was impressive.

Bokuto refused to back down, going to extreme lengths and even receiving with his chest when needed. Mujinazaka focused on shutting Bokuto down and although the owl was the target, he was not the one that took the brunt of the strain.

It was a tough game for Akaashi, mentally. Every time Bokuto couldn't spike, he blamed his toss. He felt constantly pressured and that forced him to make a risky setter dump, one that was completely shut down. As soon as Akaashi's back began to shrunk in and he began to bite his lip out of frustration, they knew.

He wasn't okay.

Kōtarō, no matter what other people say, we are the protagonists of the world. It hadn't been like I chose to go to Fukurōdani with great ambition in my heart, but I'm glad I could be on this team. I want to score a point from under their noses. I thought it would be the catalyst that turns the tide in our favour.

This is your last tournament, so how could I disappoint like this?

Kōtarō, I failed you.

"Fuck," Sugawara's jaw was the first the fall as the Karasuno team looked at Kei with utter surprise, his face stern and full of hidden worry as he looked at the Fukurōdani match from the side-lines.

"Where did you learn that word?! Who do I have to murder?!" Sugawara went all 'parental' mode.

"Probably Tetsurō, but that's not important right now. Keiji he..." Kei frowned. "He looks like he's about to cry. God I hate this. I don't like just watching him fall apart here from the side-lines, where I can't do anything to help," in that moment, the entirety of the team knew exactly how deeply Kei cared for his boyfriends.

"Tsukishima, he's not alone. He has Bokuto with him and Kuroo's watching up in the stands. He knows you're there by his side too, even if it's not physically. He also seems like the most capable, so I'm sure he'll be fine," Daichi tried to sound convincing, patting Kei's shoulder with comfort. He allowed it for a second before he scoffed, shaking off Daichi's hand.

"Still doesn't stop my heart from aching," he walked off to the warm-up area, not wanting to stare on at a situation he could do nothing about. Yamaguchi followed behind, in case Kei wanted to vent some. The rest of the team knew better than to follow.

"I've never seen Tsukishima anywhere near like that!" Nishinoya remarked.

"Same, dude, same. He must really be breaking inside," they all regarded the Fukurōdani match and how Akaashi has been pulled out of the game. "That's got to hurt,"

"It does," Kageyama spoke, knowing exactly what it feels like. His mind went back to their first game against Oikawa. "But he's not out of the running. He just needs to collect himself. After all, he's plenty strong – with or without the other three,"

Akaashi sat with his head between his hands on the bench, calming the aching in his heart. As he watched the game from the outside, he realised something deeply important.

He was a setter, and although setters were pivotal members on the court, he wasn't Bokuto's Achilles heel. He was just someone who had to do his own job and Bokuto would do his. He didn't have to destroy his individual mind over every play – it was a hive mind. He felt as if he had been the one to control Bokuto's actions.

How presumptuous.

All he had to do was clear the way for his love and let him handle the rest. Akaashi wasn't a puppeteer like other setters.

He was just Akaashi.

"You good to go?" Fukurōdani coach asked him carefully.

"With a star before my eyes, all there is left for me to do is to play as I have always done and deliver," like I did in the match yesterday; like I did in the preliminaries; like I did during our practice matches. "If playing as I have always done is what's required, then I can do that," Akaashi didn't need to be a star setter like Oikawa or as ambitious as Atsumu or even anywhere close to Kageyama.

All Bokuto and the team wanted from him, was to be as he always had been.

That was enough.

"Star? What are you on about?" Akaashi smiled gently towards his coach.

"I love him, you know?" his coach gave a small sigh.

"I figured,"

"And I love this team, and I know they want to go to the next round as much as I do. I'll help as much as I can to make that dream come true," his coach smiled.

"And that's all we need from you right now, Akaashi,"

The world was on their side, the insane accumulated experiences made them more than equipped to handle this. It was Bokuto and Akaashi – and Konoha, Anahori, Komi, Sarukui, Washio... They all drew out 120% from Akaashi, and he delivered.

Fukurōdani won.

After their victory, Akaashi found himself the quietest corner he could where he could be alone.

'I was so afraid,' he admitted to himself. 'Even if a single person can't be the sole reason for a defeat, there is a possibility I could've been the catalyst for our defeat,' his breath hitched in his throat.

"Wow! The way you picked yourself back up today was so good! Even though you were failing a bit at the start!" Bokuto plopped down next to him, his quiet spot not quiet enough. His words stung a bit.

"I thought about a lot of superfluous things during the game...," he admitted grudgingly.

"Well, as long as you know what you did wrong then it's all good, isn't it? You'll be able to deal with it next time now, right?" Akaashi's lip trembled and his eyes began to gloss over.

"Yes!" Bokuto smiled gently. "But Kei and Kuroo's match was what put you in such a good mood, but if it were a bad game, then what? Would you have not been as good a player? I think you should be less influenced like that and try to be consistent!" Akaashi grumbled back, Fukurōdani's members watching from the side-lines with awe.

Wow. He's really roasting Bokuto.

"Well, we'll just have to take our feedback from the match and nail it down more during practice. That's what we've always done!" Akaashi's jaw went slack, and the team couldn't believe that Bokuto had actually just win the argument. "Aw right! Tomorrow we're going to save them all and score them all!"

"You say 'all' but-," Akaashi was cut off.

"Here we go again with this, Agaashiki! It's not impossible, just hard!" Akaashi huffed at that, amusedly.

"You're right," he laughed gently. Bokuto gave him a warm smile and stepped towards him, cupping his face between his sweaty and calloused hands. Still, the touch was so soft to Akaashi and he let out a loving hum, eyes closing instinctively as he leaned into the touch. Bokuto leaned in, the two meeting in a sweet kiss. Akaashi melted at the feeling.

The hidden Fukurōdani team all had red faces now, but they couldn't tear themselves away from witnessing their setter and captain's intimate side.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" at Kuroo's voice, the owls scattered, leaving the cat to chuckle to himself.

"Wow, what just happened?" Bokuto asked as he pulled away slightly from Akaashi, eyes fixed on Kuroo.

"Nothing, nothing," Kuroo waved his hand dismissively. "You guys were amazing, but I didn't expect anything less. It's time for the Karasuno-Kamomedai match. Let's go,"

Hinata came face-to-face with the man who motivated him to start volleyball in the first place, the Little Giant. His legs could barely keep him stable. Hearing that his idol, Udai Tenma, no longer played was definitely a shocking spear to the heart, but it didn't hurt. He wasn't disappointed because he knew now that he wasn't the Little Giant's copy. He wasn't his copy, nor was he a rip off of Hoshiumi. He also wasn't Kageyama's tool.

Hinata was himself, in all capacity and in every sense. He was to be feared as an individual.

But the match was quite a disaster. Kamomedai was just too good as an entity and they simultaneously had a great force like Hoshiumi and skilled blockers that excelled in height. Karasuno changed up their tactic the second set, but nothing could assist their sense of minds. Asahi was thrown back to a time where he couldn't get past the Iron Wall, and it hurt. Nishinoya boldly declared to have his back, to acknowledge that he was there. Sugawara went in to assist and Asahi broke through. In the same set, Hinata jumped even higher, looked the world in the face and declared 'I am not a Little Giant anymore'. Kei baited Hoshiumi into a strong spike, but moved back last minute to create a no-touch point for them. Hoshiumi sent that point straight out of bounds, giving Karasuno the second set. Kei sent a peace sign to his brother watching, Akiteru's heart reaching out at the loving feeling.

Bokuto noticed the interaction and dragged Akaashi and Kuroo along with him to join Akiteru in the audience. He recognised the three from pictures Kei had shown him and although he wanted nothing more than to go all 'protective older brother' mode on them, that wasn't what was important right now.

Karasuno were monsters.

Yet, they were only human.

Hinata wanted to gain the attention and to do that, he needed to be even more of a decoy in order to be the ultimate ambush. He needed to blend in.

"Shōyō's acting so well-behaved, it's making me sick," up in the audience, a national level setter peered down at the precious ginger with disgust.

"You're not well-behaved at all," his twin commented. "I mean, against Kamomedai, isn't it more effective not to jump out all by yourself? For how much of a wild animal feel he gives off, he's really thinking it true,"

Atsumu frowned, his teeth clenching.

"...that's why he's making me sick,"

Come on, Shōyō, this isn't you. You're not meant to be hidden in the darkness. Step up into the spotlight, you idiot.

Kei was pushed to the brink, his spikes not getting through and his blocks being ineffective. Somehow, though, even as he panted to suck in all the air he could, he was okay.

He didn't want to lose to Hinata.

He was able to manage to set an incredible high spike, right over the bunch read blockers of Kamomedai. Hoshiumi saved it and they sent back an equally powerful spike, but Hinata saved it incredibly. With a minus tempo back attack; Hinata was able to send that spike over to make their point. Blocking, receiving, spiking...

Hinata proved he could become an all-rounder, one that the entire world would have to fear.

"Oi, oi, oi! Nice receive!" Tanaka ran over, surprise etched over his face as he reached out a hand to help Hinata hand. Excitedly, Hinata reached out and –

No. It was still my turn. I can still do more, I can still show more. I can... I can do it. I can do it too!

The sun rose and set, Hinata's body falling in on itself as he crumbled to the floor. You didn't need to listen closely to hear the sound of the crack in Hinata's heart. It was over. This tournament was done for.

He was out.

"I can't allow you to play in this match any longer,"

As he was escorted outside, the loud words from Hoshiumi rung out.

"Hinata Shōyō, I'll be waiting for you!!"

He understood. Hinata understood.

He bowed gratefully, glad that he gained Hoshiumi's acknowledgement. Kageyama could only stare at Hinata's back as he left, knowing in his heart that their chances for victory were walking away with him. He was worried out of his mind, but he wouldn't dare not give it his all in the remainder of the match. Hinata would kill him if he didn't.

"It took us – the foxes - the cats and the seagulls but finally, the monster was taken out," Atsumu watched as the ginger disappeared from his sight.

He had no reason to continue watching the match. It didn't matter anymore.

"Oh, Kenma," Hinata noticed the cat walk up to him as he, Takeda and Yachi exited the gym.

"I came to cheer up a friend," Hinata's eyes began to tear up at his consideration.

"Kenma... do you have a way I can watch the match?"

"Yep. I came to lend you this," Kenma handed over a tablet, and Hinata couldn't focus on anything but watching the match as they left for the doctor.

Seeing his team lose on a small screen in his hands was heart-wrenching.

He could barely keep himself together.

They did their greets without much noise, the defeat of Karasuno not sinking in just yet. They just needed to get off this damn court and be alone. Bokuto and Kuroo went down to console the third years, Akaashi dragging Kei off to hold him. Kei wasn't emotional, he knew this would come eventually, but he still couldn't keep himself from gripping Akaashi tightly and whimpering into his shoulder.

"Bokuto, if it isn't too much to ask, carry the hearts of Karasuno with you until the very end," Daichi asked of Bokuto, his head bowed low. Sugawara and Asahi were surprised to see this. "Hinata as your pupil... Tsukishima as your partner... the rest of us as your devoted allies. Show them, our camps were not a waste of time," and Bokuto stood proudly, his chest broad with his hands on his hips.

"Hah! Why would I do that?" Daichi looked up at him in surprise. "I could never replicate how proudly you all showed your hearts today! You guys were amazing, and everyone knows it!" Daichi's lip quivered and he could only nod in thanks. Sugawara moved to his side and intertwined their fingers, giving him a sad smile.

"It's over, but I'm so glad I could be on that court with you. With both of you," he looked back at Asahi.

"Kōshi..."

"Please, we need to do something like this again, okay?" and through his sad smile, Daichi and Asahi could see his desperation. Asashi pulled the two of them into a hug and they gripped each other, barely able to hold themselves back.

On the other side of the court, the gossiping of Karasuno's predicament was still going on.

"Was Karasuno's #10 injured?"

"He had a fever,"

"Really? What a pity,"

"Both for him and everyone else..." two bystanders were carelessly speaking.

"If a small meteorite fell from the sky right now and hit someone in the head, you could say what a pity about him," they both looked around in shock. "Other than that though, I've no use for that pity. If I had to say something was a pity, then I'd say it would be having someone else say 'what a pity' about you," Sakusa's words rung through them, his serious expression breaking down their thoughts.

Behind him, Itachiyama's setter and captain was carried off after having injured his foot.

Itachiyama lost.

"That means all the top three aces in the country are out of the tournament," Bokuto remarked. "Ah, that really is a shame, Sakusa..."

Now how would Bokuto settle his rivalry with Sakusa?

Today, you are the defeated. What will you be tomorrow?

Nishinoya realised that Asahi had been staring at him intently ever since their defeat and he couldn't take it anymore.

"Asahi, you're not thinking that I feel responsible because I couldn't keep that last ball alive, are you?" Asahi was shocked at his stern words.

"Ah...nah. Not really. Well, maybe a little but... I mean if it was a ball that even you couldn't get, then none of us would have been able to get it either," Nishinoya looked up at him with wide eyes. Did he really trust in his skills that much?

"Where... where are you going after graduation?" Nishinoya asked carefully, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Oh, ah... I'm going to Tokyo to study as a designer. Why?" Nishinoya clenched his fists at his side and took a deep breath. He shot his head up, eyes meeting Asahi's dark eyes with raw intent.

"Asashi!" the larger man nearly jumped back in shock. "Next year, while I'm still playing, you have to come watch me! I'll become good enough to even save the balls I couldn't now!" Asahi gave him a shaky nod.

"Ah, of course I will. I'll come to see you, Nishinoya," he gave him a bright smile, but the libero still wasn't satisfied.

"Yū,"

"What?"

"Call me Yū, Asahi," the ace was speechless. "And then after I graduate, I'm leaving. There's... just too many things I want to do first. I want to be free, Asahi," he didn't understand what Nishonoya had meant by that deceleration. "And I don't know if this is too presumptuous or forward of me, but please... will you wait for me?"

"Wait for you?" Asashi repeated under his breath, eyes examining every part of Nishinoya's expression to measure his sincerity. "Nishi – ah, Yū. I'll promise to wait for you, if you promise to come back," at that, a twinkle appeared in the libero's eyes as his jaw hung in surprise. "Although, I'm not too sure what you're talking about," he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. Nishinoya just rolled his eyes.

Of course, Asahi would be this dense.

"He's saying he wants to be with you, Man Bun," Kuroo appeared, shocking the both of them.

"Hey- whoa, is that true??" Asashi looked down at Nishinoya, shock evident on his face. The libero just blinked and tilted his head, his face reading as 'huh? Isn't' that obvious?'. Asahi's jaw hung. "Now can you direct me to where I can find Kei?"

"Ah, I saw him heading outside," Nishinoya pointed to the door, Asahi still in front of him with a shaky expression. They were real polar opposites those two.

The cat found the crow outside on his tablet, an old video of Kamomedai playing.

"Uhh what are you doing?"

"Studying their blockers,"

"...you legit just lost to them,"

"Then it's never too early to start preparing for the next one," Kuroo sighed and sat down next to Kei on the step, gently pulling the tablet out of his hands. "Are you okay?" Kuroo's jaw hung.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be asking you that!"

"Yeah, but I still have two years left to play. You..." Kuroo sighed.

"Don't feel sad for me, okay? I had the best three years of my life," and he couldn't lie even if he wanted to. "Volleyball will forever be close to my heart considering, I mean, it's how we all met," and Kei was stunned by Kuroo's bright smile. "You know that red string of fate soulmate thing? I feel that the 'red string' is a variable and in our case, it just happened to be volleyball,"

"...you're such a hopeless romantic,"

"Hey!"

"And it's only been a year we know each other. How can we know for certain that it will work out with me being with you guys and if we'll stay together now with you and Kōtarō graduating?"

"...you know, you need to be more positive sometime," Kuroo sulked. Kei just shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe, but... Kōtarō's joining the V-league, right?" Kuroo nodded in confirmation. "And you're heading to university too?" Kuroo shrugged his shoulders.

"Meh,"

"Then... it's going to be difficult,"

"Very difficult,"

"But not impossible," Kei looked up at Kuroo with a hopeful glance. "We can do it," Kuroo smiled back with warmth. "I don't want something this amazing to die because of distance," and the cat swore his heart jumped out.

"Awww have we grown on you~" Kei rolled his eyes.

"Unfortunately, yes,"

"Hey, what're you talking about?" the two looked up to see Bokuto and Akaashi head over. "I've been looking everywhere for you two! The bathroom was the go-to searching place since that seems to be where all the super-secret hangouts are these days. Hinata told me about all his 'close encounters'," Akaashi just rolled his eyes and took up a seat next to Kei. He wrapped his arms around Kei's waist and leaned into his side, Kei swinging his arm around his shoulder. Bokuto decided the only seat fit enough for him was Kuroo's lap.

"Pfft Bo! I am not your chair!"

"No, you're my throne," and wiggled himself in Kuroo's lap. The cat's face turning red as the owl moved over his member.

"Oi, Bo, don't get me excited man," he hid his face behind his hands.

"Lol, why not? You know I never disappoint," did he just say 'lol'? Kei shook his head at the two. "Anyway, you're all coming to watch the semi-finals and finals tomorrow, yeah?" Kuroo shrugged his shoulders.

"Of course I am. Is Karasuno staying in Tokyo?" Kei nodded.

"Yeah. We planned to stay to the end,"

"This is fantastic!" Bokuto threw his hands up in the air. "The games will be done by evening time so how about we go have some dinner then? Maybe you can head back to Miyagi with your brother then?"

"My what?" Kei looked at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, we met your bro in the stands today. He seemed like a cool guy, but we couldn't really chat since that was your final set. He was just talking a lot about how you were always thinking and how your leg was bringing you down," Kei hid his face in Akaashi's hair in embarrassment. "He should join us for dinner too!"

"...I'll ask him," he mumbled begrudgingly.

"Yasss I'm so hyped!"

The next day, Fukurōdani made it all the ways to the finals and lost to Ichibayashi 2-3. In the entire country, they came second. It was beyond impressive. The entire Karasuno had come to watch except for Kageyama who stayed back at the inn to take care of Hinata.

"I should've noticed that my body wasn't happy with me. I should've noticed," Hinata was pissed with himself, his eyes glossy as he watched the matches online. Kageyama could only rub his shoulder in support, his hands gloved and their faces masked. Kageyama did not mind the sickness but Hinata insisted he didn't want to infect him, forcing him to be safe.

"I had noticed that you were hotter than usual but didn't think much of it. At the end of the day, you were just progressing too fast for your body to keep up. But, just like muscles, you tear it down and it builds back up stronger. This isn't the end, boke, we're going to go far," it was a promise, and one Hinata didn't intend to take lightly. He held out his hand and Kageyama sneaked his clothed fingers into his, the two continuing to watch the games in silence.

In that time, Kenma hadn't gone to watch the final games. Instead, he headed to a game store to waste away the day. He knew Hinata was sick and he knew he wanted to be there, but he also knew that Kageyama was there so he didn't have to worry. He knew Kageyama cared for him greatly and would look after him. What Kenma needed right now, was a distraction. A distraction that wasn't Hinata nor volleyball because now, volleyball was Hinata. It was equivalent in his mind.

"Whoa, I haven't seen this make before..." he got lost as he stared at the new equipment in the store.

"We've got some new VR headsets in. They're really advancing these days, you know? We have a VR room in the back if you want to play," a store worker said to him. Kenma's eyes grew wide, excitement in them.

"Yes. That's what I need right now," an artificial reality, one that wasn't the world he lived in currently.

That sounded like something worth investing in.

"I've got a few games to pick out but I don't have all those big-name games the Youtubers play, unfortunately,"

Youtuber.

Now that sounded like something that could get his mind off things.

He ripped out the root that was in his throat but perhaps, he could still plant the seed. Maybe, it could still bloom into something beautiful.

After the awards ceremony that day, Bokuto and Akaashi were the first two to run away from the event and into the arms of their lovers.

"GWAH! Did you see how awesome I was back there, Tsukki? Well didya, didya?" Bokuto screeched in excitement, his arms wrapped around Kei as he swung him around. A silver medal hung proudly around his neck, Akaashi being a bit more subtle and having placed the medal in his jacket. Still, Kuroo pickpocketed him and waved the medal around, teasing the shorter man.

"I saw, Kōtarō. You were a real beast all five sets long," Kei spoke, his hand patting Bokuto's cheek.

"Right?" Bokuto said cheekily, quickly closing the gap between them and pushing into Kei. He responded by snaking his hand into the owl's hair, holding the owl firmly against him as they shared a warm kiss.

"Smexy, smexy," Kuroo whistled, whipping out his phone to snap a pic of them.

"Do you always take pictures of us in such positions?" Akaashi wacked at Kuroo's hand.

"It's good for when you have those lonely nights~"

"God, Kuroo," Akaashi rolled his eyes but leaned in closer to whisper to him. "Send me the good ones, okay?"

"Aha!"

"Uhm," a new voice chipped in. "Sorry to interrupt here," Kei pulled away from Bokuto's lips but kept the owl close to his body, eyes turning to see Akiteru fiddle anxiously.

"Did you follow me?" Kei said with a frown.

"You ran out so I got worried," he said with a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head. Kei just sent him an annoyed look.

"Mister Tsukishima! You're here!" Bokuto said with a smile, bending his body backwards as Kei held onto his hips to stabilise him. Bokuto's feet weren't touching the floor solidly anymore, completely relying on Kei to hold him. "Did you see the match?!" Akiteru chuckled at Kei's predicament, the annoyance clear on his face.

"I didn't sign up to be your legs, Kōtarō!"

"I did see it. It was so intense, I could swear I was watching a university match," Akiteru admitted.

"Aww thanks Tsukki-bro!" Kei could swear he was dying. Akiteru was very amused.

"It's good to see you again, Mister Tsukishima," Akaashi took over, bowing respectively him.

"Same here! Akaashi, was it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"You don't need to call me sir," he waved dismissively. "That makes me sound old,"

"Hey, are you all hungry? I'm starving," Bokuto groaned loudly and jerked his head backwards, the quick momentum making Kei loose his grip on him. Bokuto tumbled to the ground.

"Ow! What happened to always being each other's support and foundation?" Bokuto cried in anguish.

"I don't remember it saying in the contract that I have to be your limbs too," Kei retorted.

"We have a contract?!"

"A relationship contract," Kuroo chuckled behind his palm.

"I'm going to be frank with you all," Akiteru spoke up, all four of them listening with attention.

"I don't know how changing your name is going to help?" Bokuto titled his head in confusion.

"I don't think that's what he-,"

"Shhh let Frank speak," Bokuto shushed Akaashi. Akiteru sighed at their antics but continued.

"I'm still a little but unsure about this whole... foursome thing or whatever, but..." he scratched at his neck. "I must admit, it's pretty great seeing my brother surrounded by so much love," he said with a goofy smile.

Truthfully, Kei had been a bit worried. In the few rare times Kei had spoken to him about them, Akiteru had always listened intently with a small smile and didn't say much. He figured it was because with Kei, if you teased him enough to make him feel embarrassed, he'll most likely drop the subject. He figured Akiteru just wanted him to continue talking.

Akiteru never gave his opinion about Kei being gay or in a polyamorous relationship, so he had wondered. His mother didn't exactly know he was in a relationship yet, since he decided the best way he could truly explain how much he felt for them, was to show her in person. Also, Nationals came quite fast. It wasn't exactly a priority.

"And we have endless love to give him!" Bokuto said brightly, wrapping himself around Kei's legs.

"That's good, 'cause I demand only the best for my brother!" Kei covered his face with his hands.

"You are so embarrassing,"

Later, dinner at the Bokuto household with both Tsukishima and all three of the Bokuto siblings, turned out be quite interesting. Akiteru helped Kuroo and Bokuto's mother out with food preparation, the other three keeping the twins entertained. It was a joyous and celebratory feast, Bokuto's grandparents and cousins popping in to wish him and Akaashi congratulations on their high ranking.

They were also celebrating the wonderful three years Kuroo and Bokuto had played and how far they came since they first met on the court all those years ago. It was a bit reminiscent, Bokuto's mother whipping out videos from his old games. Akiteru felt like he got an open-eyed view into the three's life, especially how they affected Kei. The way his brother could smile effortlessly and interact with them, how he welcomed all of their touches and didn't push away any of their interactions... it was like when Kei finally admitted volleyball was fun at times. Akiteru couldn't be happier for him.

"Ah, I found it," Bokuto's mother announced as she headed into the living room with a DVD. "It's the match where Bokuto and Kuroo met," Bokuto jumped out of his seat, running over to grab the DVD in his mother's hands.

"Oh, the one from when they were in middle school?" Kei questioned.

"I've never actually seen it before," Akaashi commented.

"Yeah! This is like three-four years old. Wow, bro, we really have known each other a while, huh?"

"Seeing our younger selves... this is going to be so embarrassing," Kuroo chuckled sheepishly. "We were what? Fourteen? That's just insane. How could we have ever been so young?"

"You wanna know what's going to be even weirder?"

"Hmm?" Kuroo hummed interest.

"Seeing a thirteen-year-old Kenma," Kuroo lost it at that, cackling like a hyena.

"Yeah, with his dark hair! Kei, you gotta help a bro out and re-dye his hair," Kei scoffed.

"I did Kōtarō's – I'm not going to get my fingers up in Kozume's hair," he frowned.

"How about I do yours then?!" Bokuto spoke excitedly, plopping in the DVD and getting everything set up.

"No," Kei spoke resoundingly.

"Aww maybe like a bit of pink? You'll look cute," Bokuto commented and plopped into Kei's side, wrapping his arms around his waist. Kei drew him closer, resting his chin on Bokuto's head.

"No," he repeated. Everyone was in the living room and they watched the shortened match of their middle-school years, all the breaks and time outs having been cut out.

"I feel like this entire match should be a drinking game. Take a shot every time you see Kōtarō and Tetsurō checking each other out," Akaashi commented when they were half-way through the match. A lot of commentary was given; especially at how they had failed at plays they could perform flawlessly now.

"Aww it's itsy bitsy little Kenma!" Bokuto awed when he saw him step onto the court.

"How is he anyway? He wasn't at the match today, yeah?" Akaashi questioning the cat.

"Nah. He spent the entire day playing VR,"

"VR? That sounds so cool! I've always wanted to play volleyball like that!" Kuroo laughed sheepishly at Bokuto's words.

"You think that's possible? Anyway..." Kuroo sighed. "Kenma is a bit hurt right how so he's looking for distractions,"

"Hurt? Was he injured in our match?" Kei looked over to Kuroo with question.

"Not that type of hurt. I don't know if you knew, but Kenma had feelings for the chibi," Kei's brows rose slightly.

"No, I didn't know. It's not surprising though, that it's Hinata. I'm more surprised that Kenma would like someone at all. Then again, that's what I thought about Hinata and Kageyama and yet, here we are," he rolled his eyes.

"Hinata had caught Kenma's interest from the very start. I guess I'm happy for Hinata and Kageyama somewhat, but I'm still obviously going to be biased. It's the first time I've seen Kenma show any interest so it's sad that it had to end like this. He was very dramatic about it at first but when the two got together, I could tell he was really hurting. He decided the best thing was to just... let it go and move on. He's doing that by losing himself online, I guess," Kuroo spoke with a stern but sad expression. "I mean, you'd obviously know much better than me, but do the two make a good couple?" Kei sighed.

"They have their...troubles. Hinata looks for volleyball in everything and the two have some communication problems about what they both want, but it seems as if he's starting to understand exactly what he sighed up for. It's like they had a new start. Although, the entire thing makes me wonder... Kozume made a promise to Hinata that he would continue playing to face him again next year but say he didn't – say Kozume decided to quit volleyball for his final year because you wouldn't be there to string him along. Would Hinata still be as close to Kozume?" Kuroo regarded him closely, humming as he thought about it. "I think he would," Kuroo frowned, not expecting that answer.

"You think so?" Kei nodded.

"Hinata took an interest in Kozume before he even knew he played volleyball and even then, Kozume was a disheartened player who didn't bounce around like him. He wasn't Hinata's 'type' per say as they didn't vibe like that. Kozume didn't push himself or even put any effort into his plays. That's also why neither Yamaguchi or I can understand him and Kageyama. They're different breeds. And yet, Hinata declared someone like Kozume his rival and they became incredibly close. I guess.... It doesn't matter what happens with Kageyama, if they end up being together forever of whatever bullshit, but the friendship between Hinata and Kozume seems like something that might be long-lasting, don't you think?" Kuroo looked at Kei for any hint of a joke, but he was being completely serious.

And he agreed wholeheartedly. The friendship Hinata had with Kenma was of the same level he had with him, and he's known Kenma for years.

That's why, if he could have on request for Hinata, it was to not flaunt his relationship development to Kenma during this time. Hinata trusted Kenma enough to tell him everything but sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

"We literally do not have a single good picture of Tsukishima. Literally, does this boy of ours not smile?" Sugawara vented, regarding the pictures of their team throughout the year that scattered around him. He and Daichi were setting together their contribution to this year's page in the volleyball yearbook, but were struggling to find the perfect group picture. Daichi hummed in thought, heading over with two mugs in his hand. He knelt down to place Sugawara's coffee next to him, taking the opportunity of close proximity to place a kiss on cheek. "Like, literally! Can't we ask Kuroo if he has a good picture and we'll just edit his face in?" Daichi chuckled at how he was raging.

"It could be like a cool time-lapse, don't you think? Maybe in the picture of their third year, he'll have a smile brighter than Hinata's," Sugawara gave Daichi a look of disbelief. "Hey, it could happen!" Sugawara sighed.

"This year was great. We really made up for how sad our other years were,"

"Ah, don't let our upperclassmen hear you say that," Sugawara just rolled his eyes and placed down the picture. He took a sip of the coffee. It was excellent.

Daichi knew how to make it perfect by now.

"Have you heard anything from the police academy yet?"

"Nah. They said it'll be by the end of the month though," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Just imagine... my boyfriend, the policeman. Sexy," Daichi chuckled at his words.

"And when you become a teacher, will you be punishing me for all my bad grammar?" Daichi spoke cheekily, his finger on his lip.

"I'll fucking whip you is what I'll do," Sugawara spoke seriously, shaking his head. Daichi's jaw hung.

"Maybe you're where the kids pick up their bad language from," Sugawara huffed.

"I don't swear in front of the kids. It's definitely Kuroo's influence," Diachi chuckled. "Ugh, we still need to do this too," Sugawara spoke, taking hold of his biology notes.

"Don't remind me. Everyone who left their clubs are so much further in studying already," Daichi groaned.

"It's just so stupid," Sugawara wacked his textbook against the desk. "I knew this was going to happen and I still could've done more prep work in the first semester," he sighed at his own actions.

"Hey! Don't be mean to your poor notes! How would you like it if I banged you against the desk?" Daichi asked in pure seriousness, his eyes going wide after a moment when he realised what he said. It was silent for a while, Sugawara blinking in disbelief.

"...I don't know the proper way to answer that question," he admitted. Daichi slowly brought his coffee up to his lips, slurping loudly at the liquid in distraction. "...Think the splinters might be unpleasant,"

"God Kōshi," Daichi brought up a hand to cover his face.

"I'm just saying-,"

"No. No. We gotta work it backwords here. We need to focus on all the paper first. We'll get to the wood later,"

"Daichi,"

"You don't want to hear what ideas I have when we get to the tree,"

"Daichi,"

"And then the forest-,"

"I want a divorce," Daichi's jaw hung.

"We're not even married yet!"

"We're not?" Sugawara took a quick sip of his coffee with his eyes still trained on Daichi. "We literally call our teammates our kids,"

"...but they are our children!" Sugawara rolled his eyes, amused at the entire situation. "We should go see their matches next year,"

"Definitely. I can't wait to see how far they go. I think Kageyama and Hinata are definitely the type to want to go professional; Nishinoya too. I wonder about the others," he hummed in interest.

"We'll just have to keep our eyes open and see, won't we?"

'Let's do a proper one,' the words still rung in Kageyama's ears. 'Let's do a proper date this time,' and now they were here. They both agreed that they wouldn't be able to sit still if it was something like a movie, so they compromised and went with the arcade. There, they could play bowling ball and ram into each other with go-karts as much as they wanted.

As soon as he spotted Hinata's wind-filled ginger hair, a smile began to etch onto his face. Hinata was dressed nicely too or, well, at least not dressed as if they were going to practice.

"You look..." he could barely get the words out, feeling embarrassed at himself because he was feeling so embarrassed.

"You look nice too, Tobio!" and Kageyama's heart did a backflip. "Let's go!" Hinata grabbed hold of his hand and for the rest of the day; they held hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They had incredible fun crushing each other in any game they attempted, keeping score of their wins and losses. Kageyama's best game was the basketball toss, but that was no surprise. Hinata's was at a game that functioned like whack-a-mole, his reflexes insanely fast.

And through the entire day, they barely spoke about volleyball. Instead, they spoke about whatever else they did. Common movies they've watched – even if they were just nature documentaries or cooking shows. They both hailed Nicollas Romero, a famous Brazilian player, and spent some time fanboying about him. They talked about their sisters - Kageyama Miwa being a successful hair and make-up artist and little Hinata Natsu being ambitious as she tries out various sports. She hasn't found the one for her yet.

They headed into a party shop some time later and had fun dressing up with the masks and other costume props, having some roleplaying fun while they were at it.

"Halt! I've got you now, robber!" Hinata held his hands out in front of him as if they were guns, Kageyama wearing a hockey mask in front of him. On top of Hinata's head was a police cap.

"Oh no, copper! You've got me caught in the middle of the perfect crime!" Kageyama didn't have the best performance skills, being a bit stiff but that didn't bother the energetic Hinata one bit.

"Oh oh? And what's this perfect crime?" he huffed, bringing his fingers guns down as he watched Kageyama with cautious eyes.

"Don't you think it would be the perfect crime if I stole your heart... and you stole mine?" Hinata blinked at that, straightening up. He removed the hat and placed it back on the rack, reaching forward to pull of Kageyama's mask too. The setter peered at him interestedly, wondering about his actions. Hinata headed over and grabbed a plastic crown, quickly returning to Kageyama's side.

"Is it really a crime if I willing hand it over though?" he asked, tilting his head with a smile. Kageyama was speechless. "Here," he placed the crown on his head. "I don't care about if you're the King of the Court really because out here, you're my king any day," and Kageyama forgot how to breathe. He wasn't able to say anything for a moment, Hinata just staring onward at him. He quickly walked past Hinata and grabbed another crown, placing it on the ginger's head before he could even think.

"We both are, you idiot!" Hinata stared at him for a moment before a bright smile broke out on his face.

"Ah, I really do like you, you know!" Hinata declared, pushing himself into Kageyama's arms for a hug. The setter's face became beat red as he held him, pushing his face into the ginger locks to hide his warm cheeks. "I like your big bear hugs even more!" Hinata ruffled his face into his shirt.

"I'm...I'm glad you like them, boke. I...I like yours too," Kageyama admitted. "I wish I could stay like this forever," he spoke softly.

"Eh?" Hinata pulled away and regarded him closely. "We can't stay here forever. We'll get kicked out," Kageyama's hand made contact with his face.

"I know that, you-,"

"And besides, I know your hugs are amazing, but don't you want to try out kissing too?" the way Hinata said it... so innocent, so pure. Kageyama's face instantly broke out in a blush as he regarded him with wide eyes.

"E-eh?"

"I mean... you want to, right? Probably for a while now. It was Stingyshima and Yamaguchi who pointed out that I haven't been...returning as much. But that's because this is my first time and I'm an idiot, okay! I didn't notice!" Hinata tried to defend himself with a puckered lip, waving his hands dismissively. "I...I probably hurt you,"

"You could never hurt me, okay?" Hinata looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "I'm sorry if I gave off any vibes that I wanted things from you. Of course, I want to but even if you didn't, it wouldn't have changed anything. I... just want to be with you, okay?" he spoke with a serious tone, hoping he conveyed his emotions correctly. Hinata broke out into a smile.

"Yeah! That's good, I feel the same!" Kageyama let out a relieved sigh.

"So please, you don't need to force yourself if-,"

"I once walked in on Stingyshima and Kuroo making out. It was disgusting," he said with a sneer before it quickly vanished, instead an excited look overtook him as his eyes bore straight through Kageyama's soul. "I want to try it!"

Kageyama gulped.

Later that day, after dinner with the Hinata family, they got Kageyama's futon set up next to Hinata's bed. It was a bit too late for Kageyama to return home now so after getting permission from his parent, he was allowed to stay over.

The entire thing turned awkward, fast. The two boys were sitting across from each other on Hinata's bed, eyes glancing between their own twiddling fingers and each other.

"It's... just like spiking but with mouths, right?" Hinata mumbled out.

"...yeah,"

"So, uhm... do you have to like set me a toss or something first?" Kageyama shook his head silently.

"Uhm, I-I don't know, actually. So uh, here," Kageyama shifted his cross-legged position until he sat right in front of Hinata. "There. That's my toss. You can go for the spike...if you want,"

"Ah," Hinata let out a small breath. "Is it minus tempo?"

"...maybe let's start at third tempo?"

"Okay..." they sat in silence. "Then, uhm..." Hinata leaned his face over to Kageyama's, the setter turning a deep scarlet as he watched Hinata's approach. "Is this enough of a time lag?"

"...yeah," Hinata nodded.

"Good," he blinked a few times, the two keeping eye contact. It was impossible not to meet each other's eyes, as they were practically sitting on top of each other. Hinata's sight flashed down to his lips and he slowly moved in, his eyes closing instinctively. Kageyama's face tensed up and his eyes shut closed, the expectation killing him.

He felt Hinata's lips make contact with his and it was such a strange feeling but neither of them moved. Hinata kept himself there for a moment before pulling away, eyes peering at Kageyama with question.

"We...didn't do it right, did we?"

"...probably not,"

"You're supposed to move your lips, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Ah," Hinata let out a huff. "Can we try again?" he said with hopeful eyes. Kageyama gave a small nod, this time meeting Hinata halfway. Instead of keeping himself stiff, Hinata experimentally moved his lips against Kageyama's. The taller boy instinctively matched the movement and moved his as well, the two of them clashing together. Hinata brought his hands up to grip at Kageyama's shirt, Kageyama moving to cup Hinata's face delicately. It took them a few movements to get into a rhythm but when they did, they understood why people would love something like this.

"This feels nice, Tobio," Hinata admitted when they pulled away slightly, resting their foreheads together.

"Yeah..." Kageyama was at a loss of words. "Do... do you want to-,"

"Yes," Hinata cut him off, this time nearly smashing their lips together. Kageyama groaned at the feeling, the force of Hinata pushing sending him onto his elbows. Hinata followed after the feeling, moving to hover over Kageyama's body on his hands and knees. Their kiss was much deeper and much quicker than before, the passion behind it nearly overwhelming. The two weren't very good with putting their feelings into words, but this was something that definitely communicated all of that. The way Kageyama would softly grip at Hinata and let his hands breeze over his skin was enough tell Hinata how much he cared for him. The way Hinata would kiss him with such ferocity and cling onto his form, spoke volumes of his dedication to Kageyama.

They began to slow their movements and Hinata pulled away from Kageyama, his eyes staring down at his lovely form. A huge smile etched onto Hinata's face and he lowered himself to hug him, face pushed up against his chest.

"Tobio!" he called excitedly. Kageyama's face was beat red as he held the precious ginger to his chest, never before having felt so much in so little time. He gripped Hinata closer, not wanting him to ever escape from his arms.

"Yeah, Shōyō?" he said, barely above a whisper. It was still such a euphoric thing that he could call Hinata by his name.

"I want us to be together forever!"

And maybe, just maybe, that wasn't a foolish dream. As Kageyama stared down at Hinata, he knew already in his heart that this was what he yearned for. Years from now, he wanted them together. He wanted to be Hinata's favourite setter, his favourite rival, his favourite person. He wanted them to be their amazing duo and become unique, become irreplaceable, become uncopiable. He would be the flying hero and Hinata would be the sun that guided him back home to their nest, their flock.

And maybe that was the reason – he had been staring straight into the sun. He had been blinded by the brightness and could only fly onwards and like Icarus, he would soon learn that it wasn't an easy thing to touch the sun. His wings made of clay would catch fire and burn up, leaving him to crash to the world below. Above him, Hinata would continue to soar on, his angelic wings made to handle to heat. He would stop and look back, eyes locking with the falling hero.

"I have something to tell you, Tobio!" he called back, his entire presence illuminated by the grace of the sun. His smile was bright, his eyes giving off the pure state of bliss he was living in.

"Tell me, quickly!" Kageyama urged on, hoping his lover's words would be able to save him from his impending doom. He hoped for the power boost he needed to undergo metamorphosis. In order to be with his love, he would need to shift into a higher being. A majestic being, just like Hinata was.

"I'm going to tell the person I love two truths and one lie! Like that game we used to play!" Kageyama remembered it – the late nights they would stay up playing it and others, trying to catch each other out with which one of the three things was the lie.

"Tell me, please! Tell me what the two truths are!" Kageyama called out with desperation. He could see the darkness coming, the ground was getting close–

"Okay, here goes! The first is that I've really begun to enjoy eating at shrines! I feel like I've always been starving for days before I eat there!"

That was true. At New Year's, Hinata and Yamaguchi had headed to a shrine and he remembered the story of Hinata eating multitudes of festival food when they were there.

"Tell me the second!" Kageyama called, Hinata starting to fade from his sight as the distance between them grew.

"The second thing is that I never want to let go of volleyball, ever! Even if I can't play physically forever, I always want to carry the sport around with me but even more than that, I want to keep the lessons that everyone taught me along the way close to my heart!"

That was true. Even though the Little Giant gave up on volleyball, Hinata would forever keep that lesson with him – height wasn't what made a player good, nor was it defining. So many other things too like how to get back up after you've tumbled, how to work around your own shortcomings and how to see things from a different perspective in order to learn... it wasn't exclusive to volleyball. It was something that bettered Hinata as a whole.

Both of those were things were definitely true, so then...

"Please, Shōyō, quickly! Tell me the lie!" he was nearly done for – it was right there. In a moment's time, he would fall to his death. His crown would split in two, his clay wings would crumble to the ground and to ash, he shall return.

Hinata gave him a smile and even distance couldn't hide the details from Kageyama.

Why was his smile so sad?

"I've already said it,"

Wait.

What?

His words rung through Kageyama's entire body, rippling like painful shockwaves and after a moment, he went deaf. The only sound he could hear was his own heart, splitting two.

Oh.

I see.

'I'm going to tell the person I love-,'

Crash.

"Forever is a really long time," Kageyama spoke softly, his fingertips running over Hinata's delicate face.

"But for us, forever is never going to be long enough!" hearing Hinata's words, Kageyama couldn't be happier. His heart leapt for joy as he stared down at his boyfriend and met him halfway for a sweet kiss. What Kageyama felt in that moment – it couldn't be described. He felt so much love and so much acceptance and the promise of forever had him losing himself in Hinata all. Over. Again. And he would continue to fall for Hinata at every step and he would continue to give him everything he was and he ever will be. He knew Hinata would be there to meet him halfway every time and he would make Kageyama a better person. He would help Kageyama grow his wings and learn to fly higher and higher and higher –

And Hinata can fly higher, too.

Just not with him.

______________________

Hinata (日向) - "Place in the sun" or "Sunny Place, Shōyō (翔陽) - "Flying Heaven".

Tobio (飛雄) - Flying Hero, Kageyama (影山) - Shadow Mountain

Miya (宮) - Shrine, Atsumu (侑) - Urge to eat