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1.
They were a match made in heaven.
The minute Tobio and Kimi set their eyes on each other, Shouyou knew it was love at first sight. The small, orange tabby kitten gave an inquisitive meow as Tobio came closer and did not hesitate to hop into his arms from where she was nestled in Shouyou’s.
The cat had come into their lives in a very roundabout way, a majorly impulsive decision on Shouyou’s part when he’d offered to adopt the last kitten in the litter birthed by Yachi’s coworker’s cat. She’d mentioned once that nobody was willing to take her, showed him one blurry picture of her and Shouyou had jumped to be her saviour. It was only in hindsight, when the kitten was squirming against his chest as he tried to unlock his front door, that Shouyou considered that maybe he should have consulted his husband about bringing a whole other living being into their lives.
Tobio, while not angry, had been apprehensive about it at first given his long-standing belief that he was disliked by animals. However, to both their delights, it all melted away the minute he met Kimi and they became attached at the hip.
Wherever Tobio went, Kimi followed. It was uncharacteristic behaviour for most cats to be this clingy but Kimi only elected to act like this around him. Shouyou got semi-affectionate treatment from the kitten at best but Tobio was showered with love in the form of soft nudges and attempts at cuddles and attention-seeking purrs, everything that ended up becoming his kryptonite. She adored Tobio and he returned it tenfold.
It filled Shouyou's heart with endless warmth to see Tobio so happy, and in an impressive show of maturity, he was usually content to stay back and just watch them rather than imposing. Bringing Kimi into their home might have been Shouyou's decision but he knew Tobio was the one who had gotten unbearably attached to her in a very short time. Just like always, once Tobio decided to love something, he didn't hold back on it.
Shouyou was fine with it, happy even. But he would be lying if he said that he wasn't sometimes a little bitter about having to share his husband's attention with someone else all the damn time. Even if it was just a tiny, innocent kitten that he adored just as much.
His alone time with Tobio, something he'd used to take for granted before, was hard-earned now; a victory gained through carefully strategized battles of planning dates while simultaneously begging their friends to look after their cat for one evening. The fact that Kimi refused to part from Tobio after they returned from their outings was just a side effect he'd have to live with. Moreover, Tobio acting like she'd been through a war didn't help matters either.
Shouyou could admit that sometimes he just wanted Tobio all to himself, especially when he was as exhausted as he was on this one August evening.
After a tiring day of endless meetings with his agent and manager, of then proceeding to do grocery shopping as well as trudge to the other end of town to buy the fancy cat food Tobio liked to feed Kimi, all Shouyou wanted to do was go home and melt into his husband’s arms. It was that thought alone which kept Shouyou going, even as far as to take the effort of climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator because soon, none of this was going to matter when he was blissfully ensconced in his beloved’s embrace.
He smiled when he saw Tobio sleeping on the couch as he closed the door, the television screen bathing his face with an unearthly glow. He clearly hadn’t meant to fall asleep here, seeing as the recorded volleyball match playing on the TV was still in full swing and his brows were still furrowed in phantom concentration. His neck was bent at an odd angle on the arm of the sofa and Shouyou quickly toed off his shoes to go right it, before he started complaining about neck pains for a week.
He couldn’t help running his fingers through Tobio’s soft hair, brushing the bangs away from his forehead as he slowly lifted the back of his neck to push a cushion underneath it. Tobio stirred a little but didn’t wake up, the crease of discomfort between his eyebrows melting away into a peaceful expression.
Shouyou smothered another lovesick smile as he turned off the TV and decided to go quickly wash up so he could take his place beside Tobio on the couch as soon as possible. There was just enough room for Shouyou to wedge himself in sideways and cling to Tobio’s body to make up for the lack of space. If he was lucky, Tobio would unconsciously detect his presence and scoot back to cuddle Shouyou properly.
It wasn’t an ideal position but it was comfortable enough for a short, rejuvenating nap before dinner which was going to be Shouyou’s reward for all the hardships he’d endured in the last eight hours. Barely containing his excitement, Shouyou silently traipsed to the kitchen to put away the grocery and wash his hands.
Lost in his tired, sleepy fantasies of being slowly kissed awake and fed a hot meal later, he almost didn’t notice the intruder when he returned i.e. a small, orange feline occupying what was supposed to be his spot.
Kimi was curled up on Tobio’s chest, dozing softly and Shouyou stared at her in outrage and offence, all his dreams shattered with one, paw-sized blow.
What the hell! He'd just been gone for a few minutes!
"Where did you come from?" he hissed, crossing his arms. All Kimi did in response was settle herself even more comfortably against Tobio, looking content and happy—everything that Shouyou was supposed to be right about now.
Heart sinking, he considered what to do next. If he tried to move Kimi, she would either a) cry loudly, waking Tobio or b) reflexively sink her claws into his chest, again, waking him.
Shouyou didn’t want any of that to happen.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, he tried to trick his mind into seeing the silver lining, even if he could barely spot it with his perfect 20/20 vision. He told himself that by sleeping on Tobio, at least Kimi had still left him the microscopic spot on the edge of the sofa. He could still squeeze himself in there and continue to relax by staying completely still and frozen so he didn’t end up waking Tobio by accidentally disturbing that damn cat.
"Why are you so obsessed with my husband? Get your own," he grumbled under his breath, temporarily ignoring the fact that she was his little baby and way too young to have a husband.
He huffed in annoyance and pulled his phone out of his pocket to aggressively open the camera app to take a picture of the two because annoyed or not, a cute photo was a cute photo and Shouyou was not an idiot to miss the opportunity for such a good addition to his Catgeyama ♡ folder.
Picture taken and cooed over, Shouyou kept his phone aside and sighed heavily as he finally prepared himself to shed the last of his dignity in order to proceed in his painful task of being the third wheel in his own home.
He ended up in a super awkward position, legs slung over Tobio’s so he didn’t fall back on his ass but arms tucked against his own chest so Her Highness Kimi wouldn’t be disrupted from her slumber.
In an infuriating twist of fate, he was the one who ended up complaining about neck pains for a week afterwards, even if the ordeal was sweetened a little by getting massages every night from Tobio who called him a careless dumbass the whole time.
Little did Shouyou know that it was just the beginning.
2.
The ache was familiar but painful nonetheless, maybe even more so given how long it had been since he'd felt it. It sat like a heavy boulder on his chest, reminding him of its existence every time he breathed.
Shouyou leaned his head against the cold glass of the window and stared out of it gloomily. The view outside blurred past his vision in streaks of colour. He merely blinked at it, mind a little numb from the monotony of the last few days. He was usually such a happy person that he tended to crash hard in the rare times he got a little sad.
Shouyou was on his way back from lunch with Yachi, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, a much-needed reprieve from the tedium of solitude. He’d had a great time with his friends but there was not a single moment that he didn’t feel the enormity of the empty spot beside him. He couldn’t remember how in the actual hell he and Tobio had pulled off long-distance for so many years because now that they were signed to the same team and Shouyou was used to going home with him every day, even a mere four days of separation was driving him crazy. He hated waking up alone, he hated eating alone, he hated travelling on this stupid train alone.
And the worst part was that he had to endure two more days of this nonsense. Shouyou cursed the administration of Ali Roma for messing up Tobio’s contractual documents of termination and making him fly all the way to freaking Italy to fix all that legal mumbo-jumbo. It had been months since his contract ended, who even cared about this stuff?
Shouyou rolled his eyes as another wave of irritation coursed through him.
His only comfort in this time was Kimi, who missed Tobio just as much and hopped onto the bed to curl up beside him every night, mewling softly as though calling for someone. He could do nothing except pout miserably and pull her to his chest.
Shouyou was broken out of his dreary thoughts by the buzzing of his phone. His heart leapt up as soon as he turned the device over in his hand and saw Tobio’s grumpy face flashing on the screen. He grinned, mood immediately lifted, and picked up without a moment’s delay.
“Hey,” he greeted breathlessly, clutching the phone to his ear tightly. “I was just thinking about you.”
“Really?” Tobio replied, a hint of a smile in his voice. “Are you on your way back?”
Shouyou closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "Yeah. Everyone missed you at lunch today."
Tobio sighed, the sound becoming distorted through the speakers. "I know.”
"Especially me,” Shouyou said, lowering his voice to a whisper as he cupped the mic towards his mouth. “I missed you. A lot. Tsukishima said I look like a kicked puppy."
“Tsukishima is an asshole, don’t listen to him.”
In a small voice, Shouyou mumbled, “He’s right, though.”
Tobio pouted, he knew. He could tell through the phone. “Shouyou...”
“I’m just saying!”
“I’ll be there next time,” Tobio told him gently. “Promise."
Shouyou frowned. “Not just today but like, in general. You’ve been gone too long. Kimi misses you too.”
He tried not to sound whiny but man, it was difficult.
Tobio groaned as though in pain. “God, me too,” he said. “That’s what I actually called about. Can we Skype tonight?"
Tobio sounded urgent and the urgency seeped into Shouyou too. He quickly perked up at the suggestion, at the prospect of finally having something to look forward to other than a quiet, empty flat. "Yes. Yeah. What time?”
“Hmm, I’ll be done here in a couple of hours,” Tobio replied after a short pause of consideration. “So, about 21:00 Japan time?”
Shouyou nodded vigorously despite Tobio not being able to see him. "Okay, great! Can’t wait,” he said giddily. “See you tonight then. Love you."
"Oh, um—love you too,” Tobio responded in a bit of an embarrassed rush. “Bye."
Shouyou hung up, unable to stop the heat spreading across his cheeks. They didn’t normally end their calls like that, with casual declarations of love, but something about Tobio’s extended absence had prompted Shouyou to blurt it out.
Judging from his flustered response, Tobio seemed to be feeling it too and Shouyou’s smile widened at the thought.
He licked his dry lips and stared out the window again, heartbeat quickening as his eyes caught on the myriad of colours flashing past.
He couldn’t wait for their call.
***
Shouyou was in a weird, jittery mood by the time he came home, a congealment of too many contradictory emotions swirling inside him. There was a fluttery tenseness in the pit of his stomach, which only seemed to grow stronger as the hours passed.
Kimi had detected the strangeness in his behaviour too because she kept her distance the whole time he finished up the chores around the house and eyed him distrustfully from behind the coffee table when he called to her afterwards.
He sighed in defeat when she refused to budge and after filling food into her bowl, he hopped into the shower with a quick glance at the clock.
The hot water and soothing steam calmed his frazzled nerves a little but not enough for the excitement to subside entirely.
He strode out of the bathroom drying his hair and humming when suddenly, his eyes caught on the tablet he’d plugged into the charger by his bedside earlier. The same one he’d be using to talk to Tobio later.
Slowly, his gaze flicked down to his towel-clad body, watching the rivulets of water sliding down his bare skin, and then back at the tablet. A small shiver rolled through him and he bit his lip, running to his closet to ditch his usual pyjamas in favour of digging out the blue silk robe he'd been gifted by a wife of a teammate back in Asas. He’d never worn it before, deeming it one of the articles of clothing that didn’t have any practical uses and would stay forgotten in the back of his closet forever.
But maybe not everything needed to be practical. Perhaps some things could have…other uses.
It didn’t take him any time to make the decision to forgo underwear too, just in case.
He surveyed himself in front of the full-length mirror in the room and nodded approvingly. Yeah, this would do. This would do very well.
It was still half an hour before Tobio was supposed to call and Shouyou wandered outside aimlessly, gaze snagging on a bottle of wine inside a glass cabinet. It was supposed to be some expensive kind and Shouyou grinned wickedly before pulling it out along with a glass, already feeling heady with the thoughts of how his Skype call with Tobio could possibly escalate.
Shouyou knew that the intention of the call hadn’t been this, that it wasn’t really supposed to go in this direction but he was so frustrated in so many ways that even if the mood wasn’t already present, he was going to make it. He was sure Tobio wouldn’t mind.
He was already one glass in and lounging happily on the bed when Tobio’s name appeared on the screen of his tablet and Shouyou shot up, quickly unplugging it and propping it against two pillows so Tobio had an unobstructed view…of everything.
Stifling a giggle, he rushed to pick it up—his husband’s face filling the screen as soon as he did. He seemed relaxed and casual, so effortlessly handsome as usual, but there was that undercurrent of urgency in his body language. Shouyou could detect it blind.
What he couldn’t comprehend, however, was Tobio’s opening statement.
“Where’s Kimi? I don’t see her.”
Shouyou blinked, a bit taken back. “Huh?”
Tobio’s brows furrowed. “Kimi? Our cat? I can’t see her.”
Feeling a bit stupid, Shouyou answered, “Well, I’m here.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m not blind,” Tobio responded. “I want to see her though.”
Shouyou huffed in offence, crossing his arms. “Wow. You're okay without me but not the cat?”
Tobio was now trying to look behind his shoulders and distractedly mumbled, “Mhmmm…”
Shouyou bristled, picking up the tablet in his hands. “Tobio! She's not here!”
Tobio’s gaze snapped to his. “What? Where is she? Bring her here.”
Shouyou exhaled slowly, trying very hard to stay calm. “I will but first, don't you want to talk to me a little? Loosen up a bit?” He smiled lazily and lowered his voice. “Tell me what you've been up to. Are you alone right now?”
Tobio’s lips shaped into an uneasy pout. “Yeah…I’m in the hotel room.”
Good. This was progress. Shouyou’s smile amped up and he kept the tablet back in its original position, sliding down to lean on his elbow.
“Mm, that’s nice,” he said. “Hotel rooms can be so exciting sometimes. Remember that time in Florence when we—”
“Can we talk about this later?” Tobio interrupted, impatience clear across his features. “I want to see Kimi first.”
Shouyou wanted to cry. Tobio wasn’t getting it! He wasn’t getting it even though Shouyou was literally looking like a slutty mistress with his robe hanging halfway down one shoulder and exposing most of his chest. Ideally, Tobio should have been drooling at the sight of him.
He hated him and his stupid one-track mind whose track should lead to Shouyou. Why did he have to marry someone so dense?
He grit his teeth in frustration and took a deep breath.
Maybe…maybe if he just did what he asked, he could get them back on track again. Maybe if he got this out of the way, then Tobio's missing-his-precious-princess pangs would subside and he could finally focus on the main event of the evening i.e. Shouyou and his horniness.
There was no way he was giving up his plan of seduction so fast.
“Fine,” he bit out, sitting up and tying the robe tighter around his waist. “I’ll get her.”
Tobio visibly brightened, the stupid jerk.
When Shouyou entered the room again, he had a wriggling cat in his arms, desperate to escape his clutches. She was squirming so hard that Shouyou nearly dropped her but as soon as she heard Tobio's voice calling to her, she stilled and whipped her head towards the tablet.
Tobio’s face was doing something disgustingly soft now as Kimi padded her way towards the device curiously. Shouyou watched the wordless exchange, tracking Kimi’s movements as she disappeared behind him for a moment.
"Shou.”
Shouyou turned his head.
Tobio made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “Can you move? You're blocking the view."
Heat flooded Shouyou’s face. Blocking the view? He was the view!
"Rude!” he exclaimed, even as he grabbed Kimi and brought her in front of the camera. “I hate you, by the way."
Tobio made some indistinct noises as acknowledgement and called to Kimi again. This time, she was properly facing him.
Shouyou wasn’t sure if she could see him but the effect of his voice was enough to root her to the spot, listening hard and purring loudly.
Tobio’s lips split into a fond smile and he continued to tell her how much he missed her in hushed dulcet tones that should not belong to Kageyama Tobio.
After a few minutes, Shouyou started getting bored and grabbed the wine from the bedside table again. He didn’t bother with the glass this time, taking a swig directly from the bottle.
What’s there to even talk about so much with a cat? he thought bitterly. He should be saving all that energy for hot phone sex with me. Or was it video sex?
Whatever.
But the grumpy feline duo wasn’t showing any signs of stopping and Shouyou finally just made himself comfortable in the background, groaning in annoyance. Perhaps drinking alcohol so fast straight from the bottle wasn’t advisable in normal circumstances but Shouyou was suffering.
He couldn't believe this. He was being cockblocked by a cat. His own cat, no less. His sweet, innocent little girl who was ruining his life!
The couple of times he tried to cut in, Kimi gave him such a deadly look that he was scared she was going to scratch his face up later that night if he didn’t stop. Shouyou had no choice but to accept the bitter truth that he was not getting his way tonight.
He drank himself stupid to cope with this devastating reality and in no time, the wine went to his head, making it all cloudy and heavy. His vision blurred at the edges and he only just managed to roll over to safely keep the bottle under the foot of the bed before rolling back in the middle, fully horizontal now and curled up into a sleepy ball. Through his half-lidded gaze, he could see a fuzzy Tobio looking over at him and saying something he couldn’t make out. His eyes just slipped shut on their own.
He swam in a dazed, semiconscious state, faintly hearing a soft thump on the carpet and then the sound of paws tapping against the tiled floor slowly growing distant. He stayed where he was, unable to move, his breathing getting deeper.
He was almost out of it when he snapped into a few moments of lucidity, hearing a couple of calls of his name and then a huskily whispered, "Fuck, you look good. Why did you fall asleep? Wake up, dumbass."
Shouyou would have responded if he could but dreams were out of his control. He wished real Tobio was as sexily aware as dream Tobio was but alas.
He sank deeper into unconsciousness in an attempt to chase dream Tobio, so at least dream Shouyou could have a good time but strangely, Tobio’s presence only seemed to fade away the further he fell.
The last thing he registered was a quiet chuckle and a soft "goodnight, Shouyou" before everything went dark.
3.
Admittedly, Shouyou didn’t put a lot of stock in the concept of soulmates but sometimes, he just got the intense feeling that he and Tobio were made for each other.
It was whenever they read others’ minds on the court, off it as well. Or when Tobio knew exactly what to say to motivate Shouyou when he was down and vice versa. When he woke up in the mornings sometimes with Tobio wrapped around him and felt like the luckiest person in the world.
Or times like now, when Shouyou was starving after a day of running around Shibuya with Natsu and was greeted by the smell of food wafting through the air as soon as he stepped foot inside their flat.
“I’m home!” he yelled.
“Welcome back,” he heard a monotone voice in the distance.
He hummed happily as he breathed in deeply, almost starting to float towards the kitchen like a cartoon character. It smelled like pork…and rice! Shouyou had a good idea about what was cooking.
He found Tobio standing before the rice cooker, mixing the contents inside with a big spoon. Kimi was sitting by his feet ramrod straight, eyes huge as she stared at him with utmost awe and obedience. Shouyou smiled and bent down to pat her head as a hello.
The oven was also in use, Shouyou noticed, which was strange but not enough for him to question it. There was a cup of steamed sweet potato sitting on the counter and he only spared it a cursory glance before stepping forward to hug his husband from behind.
“Something smells good,” he commented, winding his arms around Tobio’s waist and pushing his face into his shoulder blades. “I’m soo hungry.”
“Mhmm,” Tobio hummed in response, brushing a hand over Shouyou’s arm and then tangling their fingers together. He brought up their hands to press a brief kiss on the back of Shouyou’s.
Shouyou sighed and closed his eyes, leaning further into him. “Whatcha making? Is it pork curry? I can cook the eggs.”
“No, not curry,” Tobio replied. “All that spice is bad for animals.”
Shouyou brows furrowed. That was an odd statement. Who said anything about animals?
“Okay,” he said uncertainly. “It’s good for us though. What’s the sweet potato for?”
“Fibre and vitamins. The vet said Kimi needs that in her diet.”
Shouyou blinked in momentary confusion, arms loosening their hold. A horrible possibility suddenly dawned on him. He slowly stepped back, taking a spot by the counter instead. He peered up at Tobio suspiciously.
“Tobio.”
“What?”
“Who’s this food for?”
Tobio glanced at him, looking puzzled. “Who do you think? Kimi, obviously.”
Shouyou stared at him, aghast. He gasped. “It’s not for me?”
“No?” Tobio seemed alarmed by his reaction. “When did I say it was?”
“I just said I was hungry!” Shouyou cried. “So much food and it’s all for the cat and you have nothing for me? Not even the rice?”
Tobio looked away, an embarrassed flush evident on his face. “Well, no…I mean, it has to be cooked differently for her so—”
“Unbelievable!” Shouyou threw up his hands, heavy disappointment weighing on him. “You’re spoiling her, you know!”
"It's her birthday week!" Tobio defended. “She deserves it!”
"Birthday week?” Shouyou spluttered in shock. “You don't even do that for me!"
"Well, you—you're not Kimi!" Tobio argued back. His eyes widened the second he registered what’d said.
A sting of hurt lanced through Shouyou. He smiled thinly, eyes going ice cold.
“Yeah, I’m not, thanks for reminding me,” he bit out, turning around in an angry huff to stalk out of the kitchen. He made his way to the bedroom without looking back, hearing Tobio’s voice follow him on his heels.
"Shou!” he called. “Shouyou, wait, I didn't mean it like th—"
Bang!
Shouyou slammed the door shut, effectively cutting off Tobio’s excuses.
He crossed his arms and paced furiously, steam coming out of his ears.
Ugh! How dare he! Shouyou was going to divorce him so hard, that absolutely terrible idiot of a man.
Shouyou took his earlier words back: there was no way someone this awful was his supposed soulmate. No, he was the opposite of his soulmate. He was his—he was his soulenemy!
Shouyou's stomach growled and he groaned pathetically, letting himself collapse on the bed. He couldn’t believe there was nothing to eat in the house. Nothing for humans anyway.
Well, okay it wasn’t like he was expecting Tobio to make him anything. In fact, he'd heavily implied that he'd be getting lunch with Natsu so it would honestly be a bit pointless for Tobio to cook him food anyway. It wasn't like he knew that Natsu would meet her friends and ditch Shouyou after two hours.
And it was Kimi’s meal time and her vet had suggested they try homemade food for her rather than packaged for some time and…alright, okay. Shouyou might have overreacted just a little.
Maybe the divorce could wait.
He scowled and got up to begrudgingly open the door a crack, just to hint that it was okay to approach him now.
Then he miserably fell back on the bed again because he was still angry and hurt and most importantly, still hungry.
His pulse jumped when the door creaked open a few minutes later but it was only Kimi slipping in through the crack. He eyed her as she softly padded up to him and primly sat herself by the foot of the bed to stare at him with big, sad eyes. She gave a couple of soft, delicate meows and two seconds of that act had Shouyou’s heart melting like a popsicle left under the summer sun.
He scooped her up into his arms and she leaned into the affectionate touch, purring happily when he nuzzled her fuzzy head.
"Nooo why are you looking at me like that, Kimimi? It's not your fault, sweetheart," he cooed, holding her close. "It's your stupid dad being an insensitive jerk again. Why you like him so much, I really don't know."
Kimi cocked her head and gave him a curious look, as though questioning the hypocrisy of his statement. Or maybe that was just Shouyou.
Whatever. He refused to get judged by a cat.
As glad as he was for the company, he found that was it woefully shortlived. As soon as Tobio whistled and called out Kimi’s name, she had no qualms about abandoning Shouyou in favour of food.
Wow. His own child betraying him like that. How was he supposed to go on like this?
After sending a wounded look at her retreating form, he shrugged and dug out his phone to ward off the boredom that was setting in as he waited for Tobio to come in and coddle him and then feed him hopefully.
By the time Tobio was done with Kimi, Shouyou was so engrossed in stalking his favourite footballer on Instagram that it almost slipped his mind that he was supposed to be mad. He was only reminded of it by when Tobio appeared at the doorway and asked, “Are you still upset?"
Well, now that he said it, of course Shouyou was! He was being prioritized below number one in his spouse’s list. That was unacceptable.
He expressed his displeasure by huffing and turning away from him.
Tobio exhaled heavily and closed the door, walking inside until he was sitting behind him.
He poked Shouyou’s knee. “Oi.”
Shouyou didn’t react, just crossed his arms and pouted.
“Oi.” Tobio’s hand travelled upwards, fingers digging into his side now.
Shouyou squirmed, letting out an involuntary snort before grasping Tobio’s arm and shoving him back. “Quit it!”
Tobio didn’t, instead doing some twisty move to grab both of Shouyou’s wrists in one hand and pushing him back on the bed to pin them above his head. "Then stop ignoring me!"
Shouyou struggled against him, shoving a knee into his stomach. "Stop being an asshole then!"
"I wasn’t trying to be!” Tobio insisted. “I didn't mean to say that, okay, it just slipped out! You know that happens with me sometimes!"
Shouyou glared at him. "Idiot-yama!"
"I'm sorry!” Tobio exclaimed breathlessly, looking genuinely apologetic. He released his hold on Shouyou’s wrist and drew back. “I'm sorry, please don't be angry. I'll make you that bowl of pork curry if you want."
All the fight drained out of Shouyou in quick succession. "That's not the point," he sighed. He averted his gaze and looked to the side. "I was just… disappointed and a bit hurt, okay?
"That wasn't my intention,” Tobio told him quietly. “I admit I was a bit distracted and not expecting an argument but it still wasn’t right. I'm really sorry."
The sincere tone paired with the big, blue eyes staring down at him made it impossible for Shouyou to hold on to any anger. He scowled, glancing at him. "Hmph. Okay, I guess."
Tobio was a certified expert in everything Shouyou so it didn’t take him a moment to detect the minutest differences in his mood. The corner of his mouth quirked up and he leaned back down over him again, one hand sliding over Shouyou’s arm to twine their fingers at the top. He pecked him on the lips. "Okay?"
Shouyou was helpless against dropping the act entirely. He hummed, smiling and leaning up for more. Tobio indulged him much more easily than usual, perhaps because of residual guilt, and Shouyou seized the opportunity to use his other arm to wrap it around Tobio's neck and pull him closer
Tobio settled between his legs, pressing soft but lingering kisses on his lips, sometimes wandering to his cheeks and chin before returning to his mouth.
Shouyou let out a quiet, breathless laugh and let his head fall back when he dipped down to kiss a line down his neck, tipping Shouyou's chin up with two fingers to lightly mouth at his throat.
Shouyou shivered, hand bunching up in Tobio’s hair. If this was going to be the outcome this whole time, he didn’t even regret anything.
"You know what?” He swallowed thickly when Tobio came back up. “I think I know a way you can make it up to me."
"Yeah?" Tobio smiled, nudging the tip of his nose with his own. "How's that?"
"Take a guess."
"I thought you were hungry?"
Shouyou slung his leg around Tobio's waist to lock him in place and press their hips together. "Oh, I definitely am."
Tobio raised an eyebrow. "How do I know you hadn't planned all this from the beginning?"
"Even if I had, are you complaining?" Shouyou whispered.
Tobio's eyes darkened and he bent down again, meeting Shouyou’s already parted lips in an open-mouthed kiss.
Shouyou's heart jackrabbited out of his chest as Tobio's hand sneaked under his shirt to leisurely map his skin. His fingers dipped under the waistband of his shorts, thumb stroking just below his naval and Shouyou's hips jerked up with a gasp.
Shouyou’s head was getting increasingly cloudy and he was just starting to move this along to a place with fewer clothes in the way when they were rudely interrupted by the sound of intense scratching on the door, followed by a whiny yowl.
Tobio's lips on his stilled and then separated with a slick noise. He turned his head towards the door and when he faced him again, Shouyou could see in his eyes that he’d lost him. His attention had been successfully diverted.
Shouyou’s stomach dropped. He gripped the front of Tobio’s shirt and warned him, "Don't you dare."
"But what if something's wrong?” Tobio sounded unreasonably concerned, forehead creasing in distress. “What if she's sick from the food I made earlier?"
"She's fine,” Shouyou reassured him, smoothing his hand over Tobio’s chest in an attempt to distract him.
"Her cries are an octave higher than usual, Shouyou,” Tobio told him, pouting even harder as Kimi meowed some more. “I'm worried."
"This is ridiculous. It hasn’t even been that long!” Shouyou exclaimed futilely, knowing that there was no convincing him until he saw for himself that Kimi was okay. He sighed and released him, arms flopping on the bed in defeat. “Fine. Go to your daughter."
Tobio’s eyes flicked to his sternly. "Our daughter."
Shouyou pursed his lips in defiance. "Hmph. My daughter wouldn’t have stopped me from getting some. Twice!”
Tobio’s face softened into a guilty, sheepish expression. He really had no defence for that. Instead, he changed tactics and peppered his face with kisses, whispering a chant of sorrys in his ear.
Shouyou cracked, giggling and trying to push him away. “Tobio!” he squealed. “Just go!”
"Say you forgive me,” Tobio bit his earlobe, fingers of his right hand threatening to tickle Shouyou’s side. “Say it."
Shouyou’s stomach swooped low and he hastily cried, “I do, I do! I forgive you! Now get off of me, you bully!”
Tobio sat back, looking annoyingly smug. He nodded, murmured a satisfied “good” before leaping out of the bed and heading out the door. Shouyou threw a dirty glare at his back and without turning, Tobio shouted, “Don’t give me that look, dumbass!”
Shouyou huffed, sticking out his tongue petulantly, before letting himself fall flat on the bed.
Afterwards—when Kimi turned out to be completely fine because she was just a dramatic girl—they were too tired to really cook anything. To his credit, Tobio did order Shouyou takeout from his favourite restaurant with an extra order of fried gyoza, just the way he liked. He even agreed to feed it to him when he asked, looking extremely put off by the ordeal.
Shouyou smirked delightedly at his barely concealed revulsion, until Tobio deliberately missed his mouth and smeared the gyoza dipped in soy sauce all over his lips in revenge. Which was just a joke on him because when Shouyou tackled him back on the couch with a yell, the sauce ended up around Tobio's mouth in equal amounts and now they were both messy.
It was the kind of mess Shouyou really didn’t mind making.
+1
Marriage, Shouyou had found, could be tricky. Confusing too, making him feel lost and clueless about his next action sometimes.
As much as he enjoyed being united with the most important person in his life in every possible way, it also meant that they had to share almost everything in their lives. Good times, yes, but bad times too.
It was easy when they were both having a good day. It was even easy when they were both having a bad day. What was hard, however, was when one of them was having a good day and the other wasn't.
It made Shouyou feel awful, dampened his own good mood when he had to watch Tobio go through a bad time and be unable to do anything to help it. All he could do was be with him, share in his misery without question and hope that he woke up happier the next day.
Shouyou, despite his buoyant spirits through practice that day, watched with his heart sinking as Tobio struggled with the lock for a whole two minutes.
"Why won't this stupid thing open," he growled, rattling it violently and making the issue even worse. Before he could do any permanent damage, Shouyou quickly stepped forward to place a gentle hand on his and stop him.
"Here, I'll do it," he said in a low, soothing voice, prying Tobio’s slender fingers off the key. "Just calm down, okay?"
Tobio released a shuddering breath that was holding back too much and stepped away for Shouyou to take over. Shouyou opened the door in ten seconds, something that he didn't rub in his husband’s face for once.
He’d grown up in this relationship. They both had.
Even when his deep-seated instincts urged him to be loud and celebrate his good day, he was able to quash them successfully for Tobio’s sake.
For every powerful spike, receive, block he’d pulled off that day, Tobio had gone through the opposite. Shouyou knew it made him feel weak, made him feel like he was useless on the court.
Everything in Shouyou screamed at him to convince Tobio otherwise. There was nobody who believed in Tobio’s hard-earned skills more than him and his body seemed to want to gravitate towards him to pour all that belief into him.
But not for the first time in their short marriage, Shouyou was unsure if that was the right move. He should really just start trusting his instincts more.
When Tobio gloomily plopped down on the couch with his head in his hands, Shouyou shuffled uneasily and looked around the seemingly empty flat.
He cleared his throat and announced, "I'll get the cat."
Surely Kimi and her boundless, innocent love was a sure-shot way of lifting Tobio’s spirits. She never failed to bring a smile on his face. It was a foolproof plan.
But before he could move an inch, Tobio’s hand shot out to grab his wrist. "No, I want you.”
Shouyou’s breath hitched and he found himself being tugged on the couch, on Tobio’s lap, in his arms. He hugged Shouyou tightly around the waist, tucking his face in Shouyou’s neck.
Shouyou’s arms came up automatically around his shoulders, gathering him close and rubbing his back.
“Hey,” he murmured. “Hey, it’s okay.”
"All my sets sucked,” Tobio said shakily against his skin. “My serves were either weak or out of bounds or just plain shitty.”
Shouyou’s chest constricted painfully with his words. He ran a comforting hand over his head. "Tobi…"
“I couldn't even block Takahashi and he's barely out of college. I was so disgusted with myself by the end, Shouyou,” he continued, stubborn anger lacing his words. "To play like that at this stage of my career—” he made a muffled noise to express his disgust. “I never want another day like this. I can't let there be another."
Shouyou kept quiet, considering what to say for a long moment. He knew Tobio was expecting a response but Shouyou still weighed his words carefully, preferring to keep him waiting than say the wrong thing.
"Hmm,” he hummed finally. He pulled back from the embrace to tip Tobio’s face up and look him in the eyes. “You know, I wish I could say it won't happen again, but the thing is that it just might. In fact, it probably will." The storminess in Tobio’s expression deepened, a layer of shame simmering underneath.
Shouyou’s lips tugged up into a small, reassuring smile, thumb stroking his cheekbone gently. “But that doesn't mean any of your amazing progress gets erased or diminished. One bad day, or even five, doesn’t mean you’re a bad player, that you don’t deserve the reputation you’ve built up over the years. It just means you still have a long career ahead of you to make mistakes and have bad days and then turn them into good ones. There's still so much to do, Tobio, so much more volleyball to play, the bad and the good kind! Isn't that exciting?"
Tobio was wordlessly staring up at him, anger having melted into mild astonishment. He blinked, coming back to himself, and refocused his gaze somewhere near Shouyou’s chin.
Shouyou could almost see the gears in his head turning as he processed it all.
He swallowed after a moment, contemplatively mumbling, "Yeah....yeah, I guess it is."
Something heavy lifted off Shouyou’s heart and he smiled in relief. He settled more comfortably on Tobio’s lap and tapped the side of his face, prompting him to meet Shouyou’s eyes again.
"See?” he teased lightly. “No need to be so mad about everything. Cheer up."
Tobio’s stiff muscles visibly relaxed. He snorted. "Dumbass. When did you get so wise?"
"Always have been, obviously,” Shouyou boasted. “I'm older than you. You should always listen to me."
Tobio scoffed. "Who knows where the hell I'd end up if I did that?"
"Hey—”
“I love you.” Tobio squeezed his waist, eyes all tender and making Shouyou’s pulse jump. "Thank you.”
Shouyou bit back a smile. “Stupid. You don’t have to thank me.”
"You were good today, by the way,” Tobio added, cheeks tinging pink. “Don't think I didn’t notice. I was just too upset to say it."
"It's okay,” Shouyou answered. He poked Tobio’s flushed cheek. “Just good, though?"
Tobio rolled his eyes. "Really good."
"Only really good?” Shouyou goaded with a grin. “Not amazing? Incredible? Not I married the most talented volleyball player in the world, I'm so lucky?”
"Shut up,” Tobio groaned, stretching his legs on the couch and letting all the tension drain out of his body. Finally. “You're not getting more out of me than that. Take your win and go."
"No,” Shouyou whispered. “I will take my win and stay right here, Kageyama-kun." He bent to drop a kiss on Tobio’s lips and further scooted down his body to rest his head on his chest.
He sighed happily and closed his eyes when Tobio’s arms came around him, one hand sinking into his hair to comb through it gently.
Shouyou let the sensation lull him into total relaxation, his body going boneless. He was just starting to drift off when Tobio stirred beneath him.
"Hey, Shou," he murmured.
Shouyou’s eyelids fluttered open. "Hm?"
"Why did you think I wanted Kimi?"
Shouyou blinked, awareness returning to him slowly. "What?"
"Earlier, when we just returned home,” Tobio explained. “Why were you going to get her?"
“Oh, um.” Shouyou blushed, leaning back a little. “I just—I thought you might prefer her company right now rather than mine.”
Tobio’s forehead creased with confusion. “Huh? Why would you think that?”
Shouyou took a deep breath, trying to stave off the incoming embarrassment. This was so hard to explain. “W—well, it’s just that you two love each other so much and I was sure that she’d make you feel better. She always does.”
“I mean, yeah but,” Tobio trailed off, pouting. “What does that have to do with anything? It doesn't mean I need you any less. Besides, I know you love her too. I wasn't the one waking up every two hours to check up on her that time she got a fever."
"Well, yeah of course I love her, duh,” Shouyou responded with an awkward cough. He could feel the heat on his face when he added silently, “But maybe…I'm also a bit jealous of her."
Tobio’s eyes went round with surprise. “You’re what?”
Shouyou whined. "Argh, don't make me say it again!"
Tobio looked just as flabbergasted as ever. “I don't get it."
"Of course, you don’t!” Shouyou burst out, crossing his arms sulkily. “You never understand! Do you not know how possessive I am about you? Like yeah, maybe it's a bit childish, I try my best to control it, but sometimes! Sometimes I can't help but want you all to myself and I want to lock you up so nobody else gets access to you and—mmmph!"
Tobio grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He released him just as abruptly, eyes shining.
Shouyou reeled back in surprise, bringing up a hand to touch his lips.
"You know we're married, right?" Tobio demanded. "Like, do you remember that’s a thing that happened?"
Shouyou flushed. "I know!” he snapped defensively. “It's not like I'm insecure or anything, it's nothing like that. It's not even a problem at all, I'm fine." He released a breath, deciding to let go of any remaining dignity once and for all, and mumbled, “But maybe I just feel...a bit neglected sometimes, is all. So um, I wouldn't mind a bit of, you know, a little extra attention... sometimes. From you."
Tobio’s eyebrows climbed high and he gaped at him speechlessly. Shouyou wanted the couch to swallow him whole every second that Tobio didn’t reply.
“God, I know it’s stupid,” he finally managed to stutter, hiding his face in his hands. “Can you please—”
"Natsu was right, you are an attention whore," Tobio cut in.
Shouyou gasped loudly. "Attention—what! Did she say that? When did this happen? Did she teach you that word—”
"Idiot,” Tobio chided. “You've basically locked me in and barred access. That’s what that marriage certificate means. I couldn't escape even if I wanted to. All my time and attention is yours. Just tell me if something is bothering you instead of resorting to being jealous of a cat.”
"Shu—shut up!” Shouyou spluttered, blushing furiously. “Ugh, you're such a sap."
"You have the gall to say that after admitting you're jealous of a cat,” Tobio said. “A cat."
"I didn't say that, stop repeating it, jackass!” Shouyou cried. “And don't you dare tell anybody!"
“As if I’d ever want to tell anybody about this!”
“You—”
As if summoned by their discussion, there was a loud mreoww signalling Kimi’s arrival and their mouths snapped shut. She stalked towards them from the direction of the open window, tail swishing behind her.
Tobio smirked at Shouyou and pushed him off his lap to scoop Kimi into his arms. Shouyou scowled at him.
He scratched under her chin and she purred with pleasure, leaning into the touch. “Are you back from your stroll, darling? Are you?”
Shouyou scrunched his nose at the sickly-sweet tone of voice. Ew. He definitely didn’t indulge in baby talk like this. Ever.
Nothing anyone could prove anyway.
Tobio kicked his ankle, not taking his eyes off Kimi for a second. “Can you believe this dumbass is jealous of you? I just found out.”
Shouyou’s head whipped around so fast, that his neck twinged. “Tobio!”
Kimi cocked her head to the side and meowed curiously.
“That's right, he should be jealous,” Tobio told her, lips stretching into a shit-eating smile. “You're so much better than him in every way.”
“H-hey!” Shouyou protested, hackles rising despite everything. “As if! I'd like to see her hit a super gwahh spike like I do!”
“You're so embarrassing, stop competing with a cat, dumbass!”
Shouyou yelped. “You -you’re the one who—!” He groaned loudly and grabbed Tobio around the waist, sending him careening back. A high-pitched scream dragged its way out of Tobio’s throat and Kimi jumped out of his hold in alarm, sending them both scandalised looks from the arm of the couch.
Shouyou couldn’t help the giggles starting to spill from his lips and Tobio joined him breathlessly, muffling his laugh in Shouyou’s hair. Kimi proceeded to lick her paws while judging them severely.
They ended up cuddling on the opposite side of the sofa in the next half hour, Tobio not taking long to fall asleep in his embrace, the comforting weight of him making Shouyou unwilling to move for a whole year.
Kimi, after a small trip to her water bowl, reappeared a few minutes later. She approached the two of them a little hesitantly, almost as though she was wondering if she was needed here.
Shouyou melted instantly and shifted up to beckon her towards him with low cooing noises. She meowed softly in response and hopped onto the couch, walking over Tobio’s long legs and straight into Shouyou’s open arms.
Surprisingly, instead of snuggling against Tobio, she curled herself around Shouyou’s neck, resting her chin on his shoulder.
Tobio snuffled sleepily on one side and Kimi copied it on the other, making steady warmth course through Shouyou and sending him into a happy daze. He barely resisted squealing in delight, forcing himself to stay very still.
He was handling precious cargo, after all. The kind he wouldn't trade for the world.