Too many, it turned out. The unit's household only adopted an iguana into the family after the twin boys, Rami and Mika, turned fourteen. This was in the year 2037. Kōtarō waited a long time for his dream to come true.

"This is the best birthday gift ever," Kōtarō cried, his teary eyes gently stroking the reptile on his chest as he sat on the floor. "I love you guys so much," he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the iguana's head, his three kids standing over his sorry form with sheepish grins.

"Well, Dad Tetsu said it was one of those things you constantly brought up and after so many years, he just wants you to shut up about it," Shizuka, now seventeen, shook her head at him, hand on her strutted hip as she tried to keep herself from laughing.

"Just like Uncle Kenma with the trampoline," Rami shrugged.

"Or Uncle Akiteru that keeps bringing strawberry shortcake over every time he visits," Mika hummed in thought.

"Yeah but it's Dad Kei's favourite and he said it's like a peace offering," Rami commented.

"Still think Aunt Rika and Risa makes the best desserts," Shizuka plopped herself onto the couch, her long limbs stretching out over.

"That's because they make it like my mother! Your grandmother taught them all the tips and tricks," Bokuto grinned.

"Then why didn't you learn how to cook like Aunt Rika and Risa? You share the same mother, after all," Kōtarō just laughed sheepishly at the question.

"I once set fire to instant pudding and since then, I wasn't really allowed to work the kitchen," he answered. The kids just shook their heads. It was nothing unexpected to hear from Kōtarō.

"What are you going to call it?" Rami asked, referring to the reptile crawling all over his father's chest.

"Hmm it's a girl, right?" he nodded. "Then Olympia!"

"Olympia?"

"Yeah, like Olympus," Kōtarō grinned, not giving any more explanation.

"Shizuka, Mika; are you ready?" Keiji clambered from upstairs, a spring in his step that bounced his small man-bun around.

"Yeah, Dad," Shizuka peeled off herself from the couch, grabbing her backpack from the floor and swinging it onto her shoulder.

"Wait I need to grab my whip!" Mika called, quickly running upstairs to his bedroom.

"Take that out of context," Rami snorted.

"What are you going to do today?" Keiji turned to Rami with consideration.

"Probably study. This entire high school business isn't exactly easily," he cringed.

"You were the one who wanted to get into a smart-people school," Shizuka stuck out her tongue.

"I'm surprised you're actually managing to do good on all your classes," Rami shot back.

"Hey! I'm smart too!"

"'Just lazy'," Rami said with air quotes. "Get a better excuse,"

"Got my whip. Let's go," Mika returned and the three readied to leave.

"Enjoy your Tokyo camp, Shizuka! Tell my old coaches that I miss them if you see them!" Kōtarō called out from the floor.

"You should tell them yourself," she called back.

"I'll drop your brother off first," Keiji told her when they settled in the car.

"Alright,"

Since they were proud residents in Sendai, that meant their precious Tokyo schools, Fukurōdani and Nekoma, were off the table. They also saw no reason to move. Because of that, it had been decided conjointly with Shizuka that she would go to Karasuno. Thus, she became the first next generation crow. When she was little, she remembered watching her dads from her upstairs window as they played beach volleyball on their sand court. At that point she, as a little five-year-old, had wanted to play with them and so they all passed down their knowledge of volleyball to her. She seemed to really be enjoying it, which especially brought a huge grin to Kōtarō's face. When she was eight, she remembered being taken to watch one of Kōtarō's games and absolutely fell in love with the game. The way her father would get the entire audience on his side and the atmosphere was just so exhilarating. As soon as she were able, she started volleyball at school and she performed incredibly.

Turns out, life had been kind to her and by the time she finished growing, she was a beautiful 184cm. Between her fellow players, she was a giant with most of her height being in her legs. She was a natural middle blocker and consequently, Kei and Tetsurō had the last laugh over Kōtarō. Shizuka loved watching old videos of when Kei had been at Karasuno and in the Sendai Frogs, and equally as much when Tetsurō had been at Nekoma.

She felt like volleyball was her calling and the unit thought it a bit of a relief. They knew the territory; they knew how to help her.

They had no idea with the twins. It had been a bit of a struggle. They had truly been cut from a different cloth.

When the twins were twelve, the four had been approached with a slideshow presentation about why they wanted to be emitted to an entirely different school. That school had been Shiratorizawa Academy.

The boys were smart but in completely different ways. Rami's main interests included chess and coding, while Mika focused on horseback riding and archery. They were ambitious, certainly, and because of their fast development as kids, they were placed in school a year early. If they had been held back a year, they would have become bored out of their minds.

With high school, they wanted to go to a place they knew they would be able to thrive. Of course, with Tetsurō now sitting on the board of directors of the Japan Volleyball Association, Keiji a successful novelist, Kōtarō being the official coach for the MSBY Black Jackals and Kei being a history professor at a university after having gone back to get his doctorate: money was no issue. They could send them to the luxurious Shiratorizawa and afford their expensive hobbies. Since they lived relatively close by, they didn't need to move into the dormitories but they had almost made Mika live on campus just so that he could keep an eye on that horse. It had nearly cost them an arm and a leg and then continuous payments to keep it at the Shiratorizawa stables.

That horse better be treated like it were gold.

Mika decided to name the horse Apollo on the reasoning that he would be carrying around the world – the so-called 'world' being Mika, of course.

"Your dad will pick you up after practice," Keiji told Mika as she dropped him off at the gates to Shiratorizawa.

"Who? 'Cause if Dad Kōtarō saunters up behind a wheel, then I'd rather have Apollo ride me all the way home," he carried a look of terror. Kōtarō could not drive, period.

"Kei'll be here after his lectures so don't go running off on horseback," Keiji gave him a pointed look before reeling him in to kiss him on the forehead. Then he took Shizuka to Karasuno so that the team could head off to Tokyo for their training camp.

She had heard all the stories of their adventures at the infamous Tokyo training camps and how when Kei had been her age, at that point, all four of them had already been together. She was a bit of a daredevil, playing with all hearts around her without opening herself up to any of them. She was hesitant, was all. She knew Rami had a bit of girlfriend already but kept it hidden as it wasn't much of anything at this point. They've all heard their dads saying that they had been silly in love and hoped that they would meet the person or persons one day that would not only give them butterflies in the stomach, but take those butterflies and help them to soar up to their destinations.

Love was only one side of the coin with compatibility being the other. Incompatible people fell in love all the time on the principal that love would conquer all if they just tried hard enough, but Shizuka knew better. Shizuka felt that when her forever person or persons come along, then she wouldn't even know that they arrived. It would just... happen. Instead of meeting someone for the very first time, it would feel as if she were welcoming someone home.

But, she was a bit of a romantic and struggled to see if her hopeless dreams would ever come true.

After all, love was tricky business.

~

"'Are you going to make a diss track in response to KibaWOAHMan's track?'. This was from TimeLordDrums,"

"First of all, can we all agree that hers made no sense and that she was clasping at threads that were dangling in front of her but damn she's a bad climber," Kenma shook his head, his actions getting reprimanded immediately and forced to sit still. "Like, 'you represent your ethnicity by placing a dumpling on your head' like...first off, you have long hair yourself. You know what a fucking bun and ponytail is so is this you trying to stab at me or literally everyone that wears buns? 'Cause then you'll have to start writing tracks for let's say three billion people. Considering how long you threatened to release mine, I'm guessing you'll be spending a whole fucking lifetime to just get through your minimum amount of subscribers," Kenma spoke, keeping his face still as hands gently worked on his skin while talking to the camera that was on them. "And secondly, I know my skills and weaknesses and I'm definitely not a singer and I think this experience has taught you that neither are you. We're both gaming channels so stop running from what you advertise yourself and 1v1 me. I'll even let you pick the game. I'll be waiting for your DM,"

"You don't even know if she was watching this stream," Kaede commented from his position standing over Kenma, hands working on his face.

"Oh I know she was here. She hyped up that diss track too much to not see my reaction," Kenma smirked.

"Alright. Next question," Kaede took a hold of his phone. "'When are you going to release the Kodzuken makeup pallet? Also, when's the next collab with Miya Shōyō? We miss your chaotic relationship'. This is from bunnyheart11," Kaede read out, placing down the phone and picked up a makeup brush.

"Look guys, I accidently stepped on toes in the beauty community once and I sorely regret it. The amount of tea in that community is enough to fill an entire ocean," Kenma huffed.

"You think if America and Britain were personified then their ship name would be libertea?" Kaede suddenly spoke, completely focussed on replicating Kenma's half face of make-up onto the other half.

"Where did this come from?" Kenma chuckled with a questioning tilt of his head.

"Wasn't there a thing where a whole bunch of tea got dumped into the ocean?" Keade shrugged.

"Viewers?" Kenma looked over to his screen, eyes fixed on the stream chat. "The Boston Tea Party. So, that's American history. Yeah, I have no idea about that. Sorry guys," Kenma shrugged.

"Hey, look at me," Kaede grabbed a hold of Kenma's chin, forcing him to turn back to him. "I am busy on an art piece here,"

"People would swear you've actually done make-up before today,"

"Just because I've never done it before doesn't mean I'll instantly be bad at it. I'm actually trying here," Kenma puckered his lips.

"Aww are you making me all pretty?" Kenma spoke in a heightened voice. Kaede smirked and leaned over, giving a quick peck to his lips. The stream chat went ballistic in that moment.

"Can't upgrade perfection,"

"You're so cheesy, Kaede," Kenma grinned.

"Then I'll be the cheddar to your mozzarella,"

"Hmm we should get some pizzas tonight,"

"Sounds like a plan," Kaede chuckled. "There was another question too," he reminded him.

"Oh yeah. Shōyō. See, this man is completely crazy," Kaede snickered at Kenma's words. "He's forty years old and still hasn't fully retired yet. Sure, he's coaching now but he's still on the National team. Him and Kageyama. Even Shōyō's husband decided enough was enough and pursued other things. I have been thinking of another collab idea recently. I want him to come in and talk a bit about being able to stay as active as he is and not ruin your aging body. Maybe it'll be another make-up challenge, I don't know yet. So to answer your question...soon," Kenma nodded towards the camera.

"Nobody can keep up with those two," Kaede huffed.

"Do you regret retiring from volleyball so soon?" Kenma questioned him.

"Me? Nah. I was what? Twenty-eight? Retiring gave me time to go back and get my doctorate and devote myself to a career in science. Retirement for me was easy since I always had other options. With people like Miya Shōyō and Kageyama Tobio, I don't think they'll ever stop. They'll become amazing coaches and coach until they drop," Kaede took a step back to determine how perfect his replication had been.

"Yes, Doctor Kaede," Kenma spoke with a sly tongue. He reached over to Kaede's phone for another question. "'When are you two going to get married? You are so cute!'" Kenma smirked at the phone. Kaede huffed.

"Never," he answered immediately. Kenma looked directly into the camera.

"Thank you, MJ, but we can't get married. We aren't even together yet!" he chuckled sarcastically.

"Nope," Kaede stepped in front of him with a grin. He took hold of Kenma's face and lowered his face, bringing their lips together for a sweet kiss. He pulled away with suggestive eyes trained on Kenma. "Definitely not," he stepped away to get some lipstick. Kenma looked into the camera.

"We feel marriage is unnecessary, that it's nothing but an outdated social construct. We don't feel the need to seal our bond in paper or anything like that. We're both committed to each other and getting married isn't going to make us love each other any more or less than we already do," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, lipstick. The last step," Kaede brought up.

"Ooh then we can do one last question then," Kenma took a hold of the phone. He puckered his lips, allowing Kaede to place the lipstick on him. Satisfied with the end product, Kenma turned to do the final look into the camera. Kaede threw his arms around Kenma, the two waving off the stream as it came to a close with a satisfying note of the last question. "'When are you going to stop being a Youtuber'? So you're basically asking when will I stop doing what I love and the answer to that would be: never!"

~

Daichi carried the proud title of detective now, but it put him in dangerous situations. There had been quite the heated discussion between him and Kōshi about keeping a gun in the house, especially around their children. Kōshi loved children – he became a teacher, after all. Daichi shared his sentiments completely and that's how they ended up with four adopted little young ones to roam the house. Daichi, in his bliss of being promoted but feeling the dread of the new responsibilities and implications, became cautiously paranoid and kept his gun with him everywhere. That was when Kōshi promptly kicked him out the house to go live with his brother. After having fully cooled down and listened to his siblings' advice, Daichi went back to Kōshi with a compromise. They placed a safe in the garage where the kids didn't have access to and where Daichi could access before and after work each time.

That was the extent of their marriage problems, really. They were very good communicators, as long as they kept themselves level headed, with the main issue coming in when the kids were still incredibly young. Daichi tried to be at home as much as possible and whenever he was, he tried to do as much as he could to help around the house. They didn't regret their amount of kids, but it certainly wasn't easy. They were put in day care fairly early and they often had babysitters. It got easier with the years when the kids were in the range of eight to ten years. They could be reasoned with and their teenager selves turned out to be quite respectful.

Daichi and Kōshi were proud of their kids and what they had accomplished, but they were truly tired parents.

So whenever Asahi and Yū show up to their doorsteps, they have internal meltdowns because wherever Yū goes, chaos follows. He brings with him souvenirs from all over the world and spoils the children rotten with foreign sweets that would only serve to keep them agitatedly active for a couple extra hours.

Yū could speak bits and pieces of several languages now and never truly falls back into Japanese when he's in the country, Asahi always trying to remind him of this fact. Asahi now had his own clothing brand and he finds inspiration for his designs across the world with Yū. So while he was scouting out the hot looks of the town, Yū was most likely harassing some poor guy at the docks to let him work on his fishing boat or to go find work at a mountain pass or anything daredevil.

Yū had gotten seriously injured before, yes. He side had been grazed by a whale harpoon and although all organs were missed, he lost a good chuck of flesh and had broken rips – the massive scar to serve as a constant reminder. That's when he decided to venture into the forests and mountains as well instead of just the ocean. He stilled loved the openness of the sea though and when given the opportunity to man an old Viking ship, he obviously said yes. He gave Asahi constant heart attacks at every corner.

"You brought beef jerky from America. Well, at least it isn't sweets this time," Kōshi looked over the contents of food items Yū had brought for them this time around.

"Nah, that's not jerky. That's biltong, Sawamura," Yū corrected him. "It's from South Africa. Also, can I use your kitchen?"

"The kitchen?" Daichi gave him a sceptical look.

"I learned how to make this South African pudding called malva. I brought the ingredients and I want to make some for you," Yū grinned.

"You know pudding comes after dinner right?" Kōshi gave him a look.

"That's what the biltong is for!" they just shook their heads at him. Asahi was busy retelling stories to the eight- to ten-year-olds in the living room of their adventures on the southern part of the African continent and why they were called the Rainbow Nation.

Were they a bit jealous that Asahi and Yū could still at their forty-something ages still be travelling around like this without planting roots? Yeah, a bit; but they had also seen the two in frantic panics before because of their lack of stability and the never-ending nightmare of language barriers and unfamiliar territories. Daichi and Kōshi were just happy being stereotypical suburban parents with their four kids, thank you very much.

Asahi and Yū had apparently gotten eloped sometime when they were back in Japan without informing anyone about it, having gone off galloping to the other side of the world literally the day after. They did not act like a typical couple in the slightest, but they have been living together for eighteen years now. They never spoke about their marriage or acted romantically in public, so either it was a completely private side to them or they just saw the entire thing differently. They openly admit to loving each other, but that love was purely of the heart and none of the body.

It was quite beautiful, actually.

"So how long will you two be staying in Japan this time?" Daichi asked them over dinner, a proper dinner that he and Kōshi ended up making.

"Just long enough to visit everyone one last time," Yū spoke, Kōshi looking up in surprise.

"Last time?" he repeated.

"Well, not last time but it is going to be a while before we're coming back again,"

"What do you mean?" Yū looked to Asashi for help.

"Uhh we bought a place...in France," he said nervously.

"France?!"

"Yeah, Paris. We're settling down there," the two were in absolute shock, the kids also expressing their concerns at them leaving.

"Like... actually? You got a house and you're moving in? No more world travelling? No more aeroplane sagas?" Kōshi couldn't believe his ears.

"Sawamura, do you know how long I've been travelling?" Yū placed his chin on his hands. "Twenty-three years. It took me twenty-three years but I finally completed my goal: I've been to every country in the world. Now, I've done that. Now, I need a new thing. Asahi is settling his fashion business in Paris and I'm going to take the opportunity to write," they were stunned into silence.

"Uhm...write?" Daichi tilted his head.

"Don't sound so surprised!" Yū huffed. "I've been writing a journal through my travels and I have so many pictures. I'm going to make a world-series travelling book. I've been thinking about it for a while now," he hummed. "And I'm going to write it in English. It won't be like a novel or anything fancy like that, so I think I can do it," Yū was glowing, the excitement bubbling up within. They couldn't deny his raw motivation at this moment.

"Ooh can I read it?" ten-year-old Toru questioned, tilting his head.

"Of course little buddy!" Yū reached over to ruffle the little one's hair. "Just ask your dad to teach you some A-grade English! He's a teacher, after all," he chuckled. Kōshi sighed.

"Not that I think you're capable of writing in A-grade English..."

"Hey! I have dreams, man!" and Yū would go on to write an amazing book, one he sent to all his friends upon publishing and forcing them to read it.

Yū wrote a lot of the freedom he felt on his adventures, and it motivated quite a few. Twenty-thirty-forty; age wasn't dependent in the equation. As long as you have a dream, then no age was too late to start.

Kōshi decided to pick up painting as a hobby and by the time all his children would graduate high school, he could paint life-like portraits of them that would be hung around his house and replace their family pictures. Pictures were beautiful things, but the love he embedded in each brush stroke would forever be immortalised.

~

Kiyoko didn't want children, and that was no problem to Ryūnosuke. Their lives were simple and efficient and they were a high-energy modern couple. Their house was big and always neat, but it was never lonely with each other around. They both were still involved in sports and Ryūnosuke was a professional personal trainer, being on the paycheque of many high-number salaries. Kiyoko loved working at the sports store and seeing the vast range of athletes every day. She loved interacting with children who came in to get their first tennis racket or their first karate gi. She loved seeing middle-aged people come in to replace their running shoes for the third time that month or to get the next set of dumbbell weights.

She remembered the day ABKT Shizuka came, large doe eyes with her hand within Kei's, to get her first shoes for indoor volleyball. The pure excitement on the little girl's face was exhilarating. She equally remembered a few years later when ABKT Mika strutted in like he was a little man on a mission, Kōtarō dragging himself in with confusion etched into his brows as he had no idea what was happening. He sat on the floor as he watched Kiyoko helped Mika test out different bows for archery until they finally settled on one. Kiyoko found it utterly amusing how the volleyball family suddenly got an archer.

Equally as amusing was a couple of months after that when Mika sauntered in, yet again, this time with Tetsurō as his escort. He kept shaking his head, utterly lost as his son decided on riding breeches, equestrian boots, a jacket, gloves and a helmet. Tetsurō thought it all fine and well until Mika ever-so-casually mentioned that they still needed to get additional equipment like the saddle and things for the horse. Tetsurō lost it when he said he needed a whip.

Kiyoko asked Tetsurō at that point if she should expect the twin, Rami, to come in sooner or later.

"Unless you suddenly have chess boards or high-end-user computers in stock, then I think maybe not," was his comeback. "Also, do you happen to know where I can buy a horse?"

Two of the Sawamura kids all partook in athletics, one partaking in track-and-field and the other doing javelin throw. The third child was a drama student while the fourth was an utter bookworm.

One of the most exciting days she had in the shop was the day the Miya family bounced in, Atsumu's grin solid on his cheeks and Shōyō danced through the aisles. Their son, Miya Mitsu, was about eight at the time and it had been only about a year after his adoption. Mitsu had been one of those children who had fallen through the cracks of the system but he had immediately caught the hearts of Atsumu and Shōyō when they visited the orphanage. This was two years after they moved back to Japan after living in Brazil for five years.

Mitsu had expressed interest in starting up volleyball like his fathers and they couldn't be happier that their son shared that interest.

Seeing her friends starting up families and seeing how the second generation turned out on similar yet never identical paths, or in some cases completely new journeys, was absolutely astonishing. She loved to be a witness and not the instigator. She and Ryūnosuke were go-to babysitters for the Sawamura family so they had experienced the baby and child phases through them and decided it was not for them. They liked to keep that life at a safe distance.

They still went on regular dates and did all the silly things young couples do, their favourite pastime being cuddles and binge-watching. They were comfortable on their little boat, breezing down the stream with close hearts. They were happy and would be happy together for the rest of their lives.

~

Osamu would, without a doubt, with 100% certainty call his brother domesticated. He was like a ravenous nine-tail-fox spirit that had once been the great guardian of a temple before he had been won over by humane temptations offered by the hands of a sun god, reduced to nothing more than a pet fox. Still, he has the capacity of being that kitsune but there was no need to when he had those stark black wings hugging around him. Now their son – Mitsu - was also growing a pair of those very same wings. That left Atsumu alone at home, Shōyō and Mitsu off to Tokyo for a training camp.

Although still being on the Japan national team, Shōyō was a coach for Karasuno. It was pretty weird to be his own child's teacher, but that never stopped him from pushing Mitsu to his limits. While his family was off frolicking in Tokyo, Atsumu had a lunch date with the last man he had ever thought he would approach.

AKBT Kei.

See, there had been a recent development with Mitsu and Atsumu was oblivious and uneducated. He figured he would go to one of the four for help, but he wanted to go to the person who would be the bluntest and most honest with him. He had no time nor the energy for lip service. He just needed answers.

Mitsu, seventeen-years-old, had met one of his current best friends when he was in middle school, the two having been in the same class. Her name was Arima Fenfang, half-Japanese and half-Chinese. She had an absolutely appealing soul, pouring her absolute everything into what she did and surrounded herself by only the kindest company. Her main interest was in ice-skating and her flawless and emotional performances had Mitsu weak in the knees since day one. It was no surprise that start high school at Karasuno, the two finally got together.

Fenfang was in the same class as Shizuka every year and since she was also a best friend of Mitsu's, the two having been introduced to each other by their respective fathers as children, Fenfang decided to befriend her as well. She learned all about volleyball from the two players and about their parents' dynamics. Shizuka had once laid her thoughts out clearly to Fenfang, stating she believed monogamy was dead because of the inherent human ability to love multiples. People love multiple family members; people love multiple friends, so why couldn't one love multiple partners? That didn't mean necessary one should, depending on fulfilment and compatibility.

With Shizuka speaking so openly about the topic, it made Fenfang wonder...

"Do you like Shizuka?" Fenfang brought up out of the blue one day, sitting in front of her vanity table as she put her ink black hair into twin buns. Mitsu slowly raised his head off her pillow, eyes meeting her gaze through the mirror with a look of absolute confusion.

"What?" Fenfang hummed at his response.

"Do you like Shizuka?" she repeated, still absolutely calm and not turning to face him.

"As a friend, obviously. I've known her since we were kids," he shrugged his shoulders. "You know this though, so where is this coming from?" he tilted his head with question.

"Do you like her like you like me?" she took plastic but realistic looking flowers out her drawer, moving to place them on top of her buns.

"Of course not. She's not my girlfriend," he immediately answered with his first thought, which wasn't the best idea. The first thought is what society had constructed you to think, while the second thought is truly what you think.

"Would you like her to be?" he didn't answer, sending her an absolute look through the mirror. "I want her to be,"

"...wait, what?" he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, eyes wide. Fenfang turned to face him with a confident look on her face.

"I think I like Shizuka, and I was wondering if you do to. Maybe then we can do something about it, because I don't want to do anything without you," and Mitsu was absolutely paralysed, thinking he had to be in a dream.

"...do something about it?" he repeated under his breath.

"Yeah, like, you know," Fenfang shrugged her shoulders. "Ask her out," Mitsu just shook his head, leaning forward to place his face in his hands.

"This isn't happening," he mumbled. Fenfang regarded him closely.

"...Right. Well. Think on it, let me know," she stood up, heading over to her wardrobe to get her shenyi, a robe similar to a kimono. "You going to stick around to celebrate the Chinese New Year's with my family?" he was too dazed to react immediately, not almost registering the question.

"Uhm...is it appropriate? And don't they all speak Chinese? Also, can we not change the topic here?" Mitsu frowned.

"Nod and smile, just eat the food and you can at least learn the word for 'thank you'. And what's there to talk about right now? You seem a bit in denial,"

"I'm not in denial!" Mitsu quickly caught himself and took a deep breath, apologising. "...do you really like her?" Fenfang turned to regard him with a sincere look and nodded. He sighed, hiding his face behind his hands. "Is this even reality anymore did I someone slip into limbo?"

"Is there a difference?"

"There's an entire other side to this, though," Mitsu looked up with furrowed brows.

"Which is?"

"Does she even like us? There's no way, is there?" Fenfang smirked at his words.

"Does that mean you admit to liking her?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. He scoffed and looked away, red tinting his cheeks.

"S-shut up!" Fenfang chuckled and reached over to pull his face to her, leaning down for a sweet kiss.

The answer turned out to be – yes. Yes, she did like them. Shizuka had completely been taken aback by their confession a few weeks later, asking for some time to gather her frantic thoughts. Her little romantic heart had been quite surprised when she laid out all the facts for herself and realised, holy shit, they've been right next to her all along and it just never cliqued. Now that she knew her heart's desires, then... it made her look back on all their interactions with a new light.

Which was what lead to the current interaction: Atsumu sitting across from Kei to hear about poly dynamics. His son was dating two girls now, and he was absolutely clueless on how any of it worked. He had never truly sat down and heard how the unit dynamics worked and he just wanted to be more educated on the topic should his son ask for advice. How did they keep from being jealous? Did they use schedules? What would account to cheating within the unit then? He felt utterly and hopelessly embarrassed at his ignorance.

Although, it was fucking awkward asking for help from the father of his son's girlfriend and if Kei's glares were anything to go by, he was conflicted about the entire situation.

"Uhm... well, it's really not our place to say who our children date," Atsumu spoke nervously, scratching at his neck.

"Maybe not, and I trust my daughter's judgement. That being said, if your son or that girl ends up breaking her heart, then I will personally be the one to put an arrow through their heads," Kei spoke flatly, his eyes furrowed.

"Why an arrow?" Kei shrugged, sitting back.

"Since we have the equipment around the house now," he answered. "Also,you know how blind sighted love can make someone so you better sit your boydown and make him understand that if my girl ends up pregnant, then I'll cut his dick off. Allthat being said, your boy does seem responsible. It would be better if he isn'tsome oblivious fool and if that can be achieved through this littleconversation of ours then by all means, ask away,"

But their worries had been all in vain – the three were very adaptive and figured out every issue that came their way little-by-little, step-by-step at a slow pace. They didn't feel the need to rush this new and fragile thing.

"Two crows managed to make you fall into their nest. I am surprised, sister, for you to be tamed like this," Mika stood inside Shizaku's door, leaning against the frame as he peered at her with a taunting look. "This wouldn't have happened if you had come to Shiratorizawa," Shizaku leaned over and threw a pillow at her brother.

"Fuck off!" she called to him, already aiming another pillow at his face.

"Okay, but seriously. I'm happy for you. I like Mitsu. I don't know the girl though," Mika picked up the pillow and held it in his arms.

"She's..." Shizaku began pulled the other pillow closer to her chest, her cheeks adorning a cute red flush.

"Oh, you're blushing. That's adorable. You're so lovesick it's making me sick," Shizaku ended up throwing the second pillow after all.

~

"Can I ask a dumb question?"

"Better than anyone I know,"

"Okay, then – wait. Kageyama!"

"Chill, boke. What is it?" Shōyō sighed.

"What are you going to do after you retire?" Tobio gave him a nasty side glare.

"It's too early for that," he hissed back. Shōyō sighed.

"You tore your calf muscle last year and it isn't going to be the same. This isn't about you wants, it's about what your body wants," Tobio would never in a million years admit that Shōyō had somewhat become wise.

"Isn't it obvious? I'll coach then,"

"For the Adlers?" Tobio snorted.

"That was a long time ago," he shook his head. "I want to try to coach the National team," Shōyō hummed and turned to watch over the rest of their National team, the majority of them fresh out of high school or still in their 20's.

"It sucks that athletes only get about thirty good years in before they're expected to stop. Sure, you've got a lot of money by then but you formed your career path around that. It's your passion and just... it's just gone then. It makes so much sense that retired athletes fall into depression," he sighed in despair. "Honestly, I'm a bit afraid that it may happen..." Tobio looked over him, humming in understanding.

"I'm sure it won't. You're already coaching so that'll never stop and you've got Atsumu and your son. You'll never be alone," Shōyō shrugged in response.

"I guess... will you be okay?"

"I'll be waiting for your students to get into the under 19 youth category. Get them on Nationals level. I want to see your skills in person," he evaded.

"I meant by the fact that you live alone..." Tobio sighed and turned to face him.

"I've told you this before, but you really don't have to worry. I'm rarely in the house anyway and after everything that happened in Italy, I just kind of realised I'm not that interested. I'm never lonely and my best relationships are in my friendly rivalries so as long as you and the others never give up, I will never be lonely," Tobio smirked. "I couldn't be happier just the way I am: on my own," he grinned brightly and Shōyō let out a breath of relief.

Tobio had been torn down, kicked while he was on the ground and had his heart ripped out multiple times and eventually, he realised why this 'relationship' thing wasn't working for him. For Tobio, there wasn't a piece of himself missing that he would find in someone else. Instead, he felt he was complete on his own and he would use his friendships to build himself up even more.

What was love, anyway? Romantic love, sexual love? Was it just a means to finding a life partner that would be your family? Was it that you would search your entire life for your non-biological family until you find your special person or persons that would go even a step further?

For Tobio, he felt his life partner was the world. He learned to love every fibre of himself and every string of fate that connected him to the nature and the people around him. Tobio, once called the self-centred King, was exactly still that: he was the king in the centre of his own world. He didn't need to revolve around anyone else.

~

"Are you going to be nervous, Yamaguchi?"

"'Am I going to be ner-', I've been nervous for forty years of my life, Tsukki!" Tadashi gritted his teeth. He thought the road to becoming an electrical engineer had been bac, but this...

"Come on, it's your second child. You've done this before. Easy, right?" Kei shrugged.

"...did you just seriously say to my face that childbirth is easy?" Tadashi ran his fingers through his hair.

"Your wife is strong,"

"I don't think that makes labour any easier,"

"When Shizaku was born, the biological mother apparently had intense bleeding and they almost lost her but when the twins were born, the mother walked out of the hospital only a couple of hours later – which is insane and irresponsible, but not my place to judge. I think luck plays a good part of the equation," Kei nodded.

"As well as how far the pregnancy has advanced, the rotation of the baby, the size of the baby, whether it is the equinox-,"

"Equinox?"

"I'm joking, Tsukki, I'm stressed over here," Tadashi sat down and covered his face with his hands, the hospital booming around them. "Were we idiots for waiting this long to have kids?"

"Of course not. Parenthood should come when the parents want it and when they're at a point where they can fully take care of their children without worries. You two never felt it was time and now you two are at a beautifully stable place in your marriage and decided it was time. This isn't exactly something that should be rushed," Kei assured him. Tadashi sighed.

"Thanks for being here, Tsukki," Kei gave him a small smile and sat next to him.

"I think it's going to be fine. You were amazing with your daughter so I have no doubt that this will all turn out okay," Tadashi nodded at the reassuring look.

"It's going to be okay...it's going to be okay..." he repeated to himself.

And it was okay – his son was born, his wife absolutely fatigued but completely healthy. They were truly a beautiful family.

~

Yaku Morisuke and Haiba Lev had dated in Russia for like a hot minute in their youths before realising it wasn't going to work out. They had much more of a friends with benefits things going on, but they had sincerely enjoyed the time they were able to put up with each other. Lev and his sister became permanent residents of Russia and could still pull off the modelling gigs. Morisuke moved back to Japan where he now worked at a tourist attraction at a mountain top.

Beautiful little Hinata Natsu was travelling the world now as a pro athlete. She did eventually settle on a sport she really enjoyed, they just never expected that sport to be taekwondo. The Bokuto sisters got into the baking and banking industries respectfully. Osamu was still happy with his onigiri shop.

Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi Hajime, well, it was complicated. Hajime moved to Argentina some years ago to continue being a trainer there, but nobody had heard if it had purely been for Tōru's sake. They guess it had to be. Tōru moved across the world and left everything behind to fulfil his passion with absolutely no experience. He had never been to Nationals nor even been in a pro league before he just left, but he made it work. He had an insane dream and he made it work, and how couldn't Hajime see the beauty in that?

Ushijima Wakatoshi moved to Paris after his retirement from the volleyball scene to be near to his best friend, Tendō Satori – the famous chocolatier. There he worked as a physical coach for the younger generation but focused on children with deficits. He remembered clearly how much people tried to take his left-handedness away from him and even if something like that was miniscule, it made his sympathise. His father had protected his gift, and he intended to do the same.

He had been completely surprised when a couple of years later, suddenly, Sakusa Kiyoomi appeared at the doors to his gym. Kiyoomi had also retired and in a weird turn of events, mostly caused by the nagging from his cousin', Komori Motoya; Kiyoomi had decided what his next thing to pursue would be.

And that would be Ushijima Wakatoshi, the man he never knew he preferred over the rest of the world. He didn't start volleyball to make friends, but somehow, here he was. In Paris, wanting to know what Wakatoshi thought about him.

It turned out be a strange relationship, to say the least, but a genuine one.

~

'How would you feel if I told you I killed a god?' Brontes entered Aeolus's private chambers, throwing the oak doors open until they clattered against the temple walls. Aeolus, ever so gently, placed his scriptures to the side and peered up at his lover with investigative eyes.

'Attracted,' he settled on answering. Brontes forced his way onto the majestic bed, throwing off the scriptures in a flurry. Aeolus glared as his works were removed from him, betrayal evident in his swirling pupils. 'Was there a battle?'

'Indeed,' Brontes nodded.

'Did it hurt?'

'Everything hurts,' Aeolus received a look of disbelief. 'I truly did a horrendous thing,'

'Does it affect me?'

'No,'

'Then suffer in silence,' but Brontes gave him a pleading look. 'If you wish to speak of the past, then I will not steal your tongue,'

'I slaughtered Kyros in the bedroom,'

'Were you caught?'

'No. I snuck out of the window,'

'Was it pleasurable?'

'It was truly a night of passionate sinning,' Aeolus sat back onto his hands, interest written onto his golden face.

'What of Kosmos?'

'He has left for the palace,' Aeolus huffed.

'To tutor the incompetent prince, I presume,' he rose to his naked feet. 'Our nights will truly be lonesome without our fulfilling tetrad,'

"Jeez Dad, self-inserting much?" Shizuka held a manuscript in her hands, glassed eyes peering at the words.

"What do you mean?" Keiji was sorting through other pages of the manuscript.

"Well, Aeolus is clearly you. Brontes is Dad Kōtarō, Kyros is Dad Tetsurō and Kosmos is Dad Kei,"

"...well, no one besides us know that fact," Keiji shrugged.

"Is the 'incompetent prince' also a personification of someone we know?" Keiji stilled for a second.

"No comment," Shizuka chuckled. They heard the doorbell ring and placed down the papers neatly to deal with later. Shizuka had always been interested in her father's writings and she guessed this newest one was in some way a memoire of his relationship. He wrote them in an ancient Greece setting, the four main characters demi-gods that had either been cast out of Olympus or born on Earth. Now, they were discovering each other and bonding over the fact that they had magic. They tried to gain control over their abilities, but they were constantly thrown into situations where they accidently caused public uproar with accidental magic use. Luckily, they had never been caught and instead, the public blamed it on the changing tides, weather variations and assassins that had been sent into the capital.

It was quite comedic in that way.

Shizuka rushed down and jumped into the arms of her two guests, Mitsu and Fenfang catching her before she toppled over. Keiji just shook his head at their silly antics, heading into the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

"I vote for the musical,"

"You always vote for the musical, Kō," Tetsurō shook his head at him, filling up bowls with variant chip flavours and brands. "We've already decided that we're going to be watching that End Game movie,"

"The superhero one? The cinematic universe is so large, I can't even remember what happened in the last one," Kōtarō pouted.

"How could you possibly forget?" Kei leaned his elbows onto the kitchen island and snapped his fingers.

"Thanks for the ten second recap,"

"Isn't it an old movie? It came out years ago," Keiji mentioned.

"Yeah, but the poor new generation have no good movies coming out. They need to invest in those old series of movies," Tetsurō said proudly, hands on his hips. Everyone got set up in front of the large TV, the four adults fitting in on the long coach while the twins settled on the double couch and the throuple fitting on one large beanbag on the floor.

Everyone had their own blanket covering them and bowls of snacks, readying to kick off this movie night. The throuple were cuddled up against each other's sides, resting their heads against each other's and sharing warmth. The unit smiled, happy in their own shape and form that Shizaku ended up being so happy with them.

The remote was taken into hand, pointing like a wand at the TV. A push of a button, a flicker of life and soon, as if by magic, the title screen appeared in a flurry of bright colours.

End Game.

~

Love is an endless cycle. The human way of receiving and passing on love was a profound thing that is taken granted of. It is passed on in multiple ways: through acts of kindness, through a friendly hug, through reassuring words, souvenirs, helpful deeds, art pieces, and even through the words on a bright screen that scorches the eyes late at night. Love can be told through storytelling.

Keiji would finish his final novel, the one that told a variant of his own story. He himself admitted to not being the most inspirational personal, but the stories that had surrounded him needed to be given their voices and tell of their great emotional triumphant. For some, love had been easy while for others, it had been difficult to distinguish their love types. It was all introspection, each person carrying within them a unique ability to cherish others. The Greeks had named eight types of love: Philautia, Phillia, Mania, Pragma, Storge, Ludus, Eros and Agape. Self, platonic, obsessive, longstanding, family, playful, erotic and selfless love.

Most often, the category lines begin to blur or you switch to another one without realising. This is how people wouldn't realise they have 'fallen in love' or when people might decide to truly take the next step in their relationship. It's like the ocean, the tides forever changing and evolving.

'I love you, and I don't ever want those words to be empty,' Keiji wrote in his book, smiling as he mulled over the words again and again. His feet carried him to the bedroom, past the rooms of his beautiful children. On the bed laid in wake his three husbands, ushering him over to join them. He crawled in and they took hold of him, bringing him close. They clutched onto each other's bodies, their tight embrace speaking volumes of the amount of love they had for one another. Their hearts pounded in unison, the fairy tale writing itself.

Four silly gods had fallen from above, rising up above themselves and the obstacles of the challenging world that so frequently questioned them. They were mortal men but immortal in bond.

Within this space, within this distance; they were held in the arms of Olympus.

_______________________________

◼

𝒬.𝐸.𝒟.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐸𝓃𝒹.

_______________________________

Honestly everyone, thanks so much for sticking around! Especially with this un-edited version.

Special shoutout to @Story_Archer who was my number one commenter throughout the publishing of this story and almost always early to the party for each new chapter. You rock!

When S4 part 2 gets released I might get inspired again and write some side-chapters and post them here. I especially have some ideas revolving around Kenma x Kaede and the Fenfang x Mitsu x Shizaku throuple, but those are all OC's and I know not everyone is interested in that so if this is the last time I'm seeing you, I truly hope you enjoyed ♥

Sincerely,

A silly polyamorous queer non-binary with a hopelessly romantic heart.