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“Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into São Paulo. We hope you have enjoyed the in-flight entertainment. In preparation for landing, be certain your seat back is straight up and your seat belt is fastened. Please secure your carry-on items, stow your tray table, and pass any remaining service items and unwanted reading materials to the flight attendants. Thank you.”
The announcement from the flight attendant made Atsumu jump from the fitful sleep he had managed to get during this last flight. He mechanically put his seat back up and fastened his belt before rubbing his face with his hands; he felt grimier and more exhausted than he ever remembered before.
“Senhores passageiros, dentro de instantes estaremos pousando no Aeroporto de...”
That was another jolt straight through his brain. Right, Portuguese. Thirty-seven hours and two layovers later here he was. In actual Brazil, with a twelve-hour difference from back home. He turned to look out the window next to him and frowned.
June weather apparently did not agree with São Paulo. The sun struggled to shine between the gray clouds and Atsumu could barely make out the many skyscraper peaking from them.
The biggest Brazilian city.
Yeah, Atsumu could see it.
He felt an unease settling on his stomach and told himself it was just the plane swooping down – not the unknown the city beneath him represented.
Atsumu threw himself onto the apartment’s couch and groaned into the cushions. God, he was exhausted. Going through immigration and trying to locate his bag took forever, then finding and attempting to communicate with the representative the team had sent to pick him up drained what little energy he still had left. He appreciated the apartment they put him in though, the little kitchen and living room looked nice at least from the little he registered before planking on the couch. What he did not appreciate was the journey there.
Hours. It took hours to get here from the airport. Atsumu had read about the traffic in the city - apparently it was so common it was actually one of their noteworthy points – but he really could not have been prepared for it.
Not for the first time he wondered if maybe he was in over his head. Osamu would say that was how he always was.
He should probably call Osamu or their mom now that he thought about it; he barely managed to send them a text with the airport’s spotty wifi. He blindly took his phone out of his pocket and hit Osamu’s number instinctively.
“Do ya know what time it is?”
“I have no idea actually, no.” The sun was setting when they finally got to the apartment, so he guessed it was around six? So it was probably too early back home. Whatever, it wasn’t like Osamu didn’t wake up early anyway.
“Nice to know yer alive I guess.” And he can practically see Osamu rolling his eyes from the other side of the line. It almost makes him smile from the familiarity of it.
“That is still up for debate actually.” God, Atsumu was so tired.
“Go to sleep moron.” He could hear Osamu moving things around, probably organizing the inventory for the day. It was weirdly soothing.
“Then I hafta get up and shower and change and I really just rather… not.” The couch was okay, he could nap here for a moment or two.
“Get up or I’m throwing mom on ya or worse yet; granny.”
“I’m up! I’m up!” Atsumu did not need their eighty year old grandma to learn how to work a smartphone just to scold him. “That’s cheating ‘Samu.”
“Got yer ass to get up. How is the place?”
“Nice enough. Close to the gym, thankfully.” Close enough that Atsumu was sure he could go by foot. He really did not want to count the traffic in his daily routine. He just needed to figure out how to get there. Thank god for gps.
“And when are you gonna start with the team?”
“They have tomorrow off so only on Monday.” Probably for the best really, Atsumu would be useless tomorrow. “It’s a good team, they take their training very seriously. I’m still not sure about their red uniform though.” There was a beat of silence, and Atsumu just knew his brother was judging him over the phone for whatever reason.
“Ya do know what the colors of our national team are, right?” The condescension practically dripped from Osamu’s tone, but Atsumu could not get himself to even bristle about it.
“Oh, shut it. Ya know what I mean.” After half a decade of wearing black a change like that just felt a little weird.
“Yeah, go to sleep already. Ya sound like yer about to drop dead.” Atsumu couldn’t even argue, he was so tired even rolling his eyes felt like a chore.
“Sure, sure. Tell mom I’ll call her when I can.”
“Learn about timezones first.” His brother then hung up, not even saying bye. Atsumu just glared halfheartedly at the phone before dragging himself to the bathroom.
Atsumu slept for over twelve hours after that. At least it was a proper time to call his mother when he finally felt less groggy.
He tried organizing his stuff in the apartment afterwards but that didn’t take too long – he had not brought too much with him, figuring he would barely stay a year. Why bother. Now he looked around the apartment and felt… nothing. The place was bare of anything that wasn’t essential and a little bit depressing if he was honest.
Suddenly he remembered the little package Bokuto had shoved in his carry-on backpack when he went to say goodbye to him at the airport.
“Only open it when you get there okay Tsum-Tsum!”
So he picked up the backpack from where he had forgotten it at the entrance and brought it back to the couch to go through it. He wondered what Bokuto could possibly have gotten him before freezing after he finally unwrapped it.
Oh.
It was pictures.
He knew Thomas liked to take random pictures of the team whenever he could, and it seemed like Bokuto went out of his way to develop a bunch of them for Atsumu to have. Though some of them looked distinctively like pictures only Osamu could have.
Pictures of the team, either during practice or victorious after a game. Some of them at Onigiri Miya with Osamu exasperated in the background. A few with Suna and Aran and even a rare one with Kita. One in particular was of them with their mom and granny during the last new year.
He felt his eyes sting.
It would only be a year, Atsumu told himself for the thousandth time.
Getting to the gym the next morning was an experience. He got lost at least twice trying to make sense of the signs and what his phone told him was the right way but on the bright side he had left the apartment really early since he couldn’t sleep anyway. Might as well scout the place.
The place was huge. It wasn’t just your normal sporting arena; it was a complete training facility. Atsumu could count at least three pools and two outside courts while he made his way to where he hoped was the volleyball’s training space.
Once he was finally in the place, he felt some of the tension on his shoulders finally lessen. This was his territory, there was no volleyball court that he did not feel at home at.
He looked around and was glad to see that even though he was early there were some people already warming up; all Atsumu asked for were teammates that were willing to give that extra mile. He caught sight of the assistant coach that picked him up at the airport waving at him from the side and made his way over. He can recognize the man next to her as the team’s main coach.
“Atsumu, glad you made it here without trouble. ” The woman told him in greeting him and Atsumu racked his brain trying to remember her name. Something with a B?
“Glad to be here.”
“This is our main coach, Paulo Fernandes.” She gestured to the man next to her who stepped forward to offer Atsumu his hand to shake.
“It is good to have you with us. I hope you are ready to start off our training regimen. On this first moment we – ” And then he completely loses Atsumu with a string of way too many unfamiliar words. The man suddenly stops, probably noticing the lost look on Atsumu’s face.
“My English is not the best.” Atsumu explained, willing himself to keep his confidence. He was there to play volleyball.
“Right, Bianca did mention it.” They exchanged a look and Atsumu felt his anxieties come back up before the coach turned back to him “Luckily we have Shouyou, hopefully he will make this easier.” Who? "Shouyou, vem cá!"1 The coach shouted across the court and one of the players split from the other to make his way towards them. Atsumu felt his eyebrow go up at the shock of red hair that the guy has and thought how he must be close to Hoshiumi’s height.
“This is Shouyou, one of our opposites. Shouyou, this is our new setter. Atsumu Miya.” Bianca introduces him and Atsumu feels his other eyebrow go up too. An opposite hitter? Interesting.
“I’m Hinata Shouyou, nice to meet you Atsumu…san.” There was an awkward pause between his name and the honorific but Atsumu didn’t even notice. He was still a little shocked by hearing his language when he was not at all expecting it.
“Nice to meet ya Shouyou-kun.” He answers automatically, but still has the sense to notice the way the other guy’s nose wrinkles at the honorific.
“Just Shouyou is fine”
“Then ya call me Atsumu.” That at least brings a slight smile to Shouyou’s face.
“ Well I guess you can catch him up to speed Shouyou.” Coach says, and Atsumu had almost forgot there were other people near them.
“Yes, coach.” Shouyou answers and both coaches leave them alone. There is an awkward pause before Atsumu clears his throat.
“I – I didn’t know there was someone else from Japan in this team.” And Atsumu had studied their roster, he would have known.
“Technically I’m not? I mean…” He stopped and rubbed his neck, seemingly trying to find a better way to explain himself. “I was actually born in Japan but I’ve lived in Brazil my whole life. Our parents were insistent we actually learn Japanese though. I guess it is finally useful.”
“Are you a starter?” There was a moment where Shouyou tensed when Atsumu started his question but then he let his shoulders drop and just turned to look at him curiously. Atsumu cleared his throat awkwardly again and tried to explain himself better. “I just – don’t remember seeing you on any of the games I watched or on the roster.” Shouyou just kept looking at him before something in his eyes shifted and his lips tugged upward.
“Someone did their homework. I just became a starter this season, but I was here the last one.” He shakes himself then and tugs Atsumu forward. “Enough about me, I’m supposed to be showing you around. Come on!”
Volleyball, as it turned out, was the one language that he could speak perfectly. Sure, it required some adjusting with all the other players with Shouyou running interference here and there, but Atsumu knew how to read a spiker and by the end of that first week of training with the team he had what worked best for most of the players planned out in his head.
Shouyou however was a different story altogether. Atsumu had played with some of the most talented players of his generation in Japan and he still could not describe what it was having Shouyou flitting around the court; demanding of Atsumu his best as he had never really been before.
He couldn’t point out at the start what it was, when they were on different sides of the net for the first few practices. He was impressed at his speed and reflexes but there was something missing . Something the reserve setter was not able to do even though Shouyou did hit all the tosses sent to him with all the enthusiasm in the world.
Then they were finally put on the same rotation by the end of the week.
Atsumu could not explain what was on the back of his head that just kept going ‘go higher, go faster’ when Shouyou was at the same side of the court as him, he just trusted it. Trusted this insane toss was going to be met where he put it and if not well, he always did know how to make the spiker look their best anyway.
He was not disappointed though.
There had been a moment of absolute silence when everyone on the court processed what had happened. It replayed in slow motion in Atsumu’s mind. The position, the timing, the angle.
Perfect.
The other guys were losing their shit around them and somewhere in the back of his mind Atsumu processed the coaches rapidly discussing something, but he did not take his eyes off the guy next to him. Shouyou kept staring at his hands with a peculiar expression on his face but then he suddenly turned to stare back at Atsumu; it made him freeze for a moment.
Shouyou stared at him with an intensity that would have made him worried if not for the borderline feral grin that was starting to stretch on his lips. Atsumu felt his own mouth mimic the gesture; almost deliriously excited out of nowhere.
He had not felt something like that in years, probably since Osamu quit. Maybe not even before then.
It was a scary thought.
He tried not to think too much about it alone back in his apartment for the weekend. He had just come back from a very overwhelming trip to the market where he spent half the time sending pictures to Osamu and asking “what the hell is this? How do I cook it?”. He was just finishing putting the last item in its place when his doorbell went off.
He looked at the direction of the door and frowned before making his way towards it wondering who the hell could it be. He was not any less confused when he opened the door to find Shouyou on the other side beaming at him.
“Hey! Good, you are dressed. Let’s go out!” He reached over to tug at Atsumu’s sleeve without giving any explanation.
“What?” Atsumu’s mind does a quick succession of trying to find an exit at the same time as he took note that he still had his phone and wallet on him since Shouyou really did seem keen on taking him outside.
“You haven’t seen the city yet right? I want to show you!” And just like that Atsumu found himself dragged out of his apartment.
It was a quick walk to the subway and Shouyou kept talking about a bunch of things while they rode it but Atsumu found himself overwhelmed once again with all the people talking about things he had no idea what it meant.
He felt a tug on his sleeve again and looked to see warm brown eyes looking up at him.
“It’s okay, we are almost there. Let me show you.” He tugged Atsumu once more towards a map of the colorful subway lines on the wall. He pointed to one. “Here, we got on this one and we are going riiigth here. So just two more stops, okay?” And Atsumu could only nod, feeling a little bit better actually. Two more stops were nothing.
When they do get off the subway his eyebrows go up on his face. He had heard of Avenida Paulista, but this was not at all what he thought it would look like. Sure, it had all the imposing buildings lining it up and the impressive museum with the red pillars. But no cars, no cars at all on the street and a lot of people milling about.
“They close the avenue on Sundays, so it becomes just a huge free space where people can do whatever.” Shouyou then proceeded to drag him with him once again and Atsumu felt like this is how most of the day was going to go. He had no complaints though.
Not when Shouyou lit up at any street artist they passed, or the random dog that was being walked by their owners. How he looked longingly at people zooming by on their bikes and mentioned they should get a couple of the shared ones the next time they are there.
Or going through the little street markets looking at trinkets, crafts or even some antiques. Visiting food stalls where Shouyou wanted him to try a myriad of things Atsumu could not even begin to try and remember the name of them all, even if he knew Osamu would want to know what everything in the pictures he sent him was.
They ended the day on top of a building that had an open lookout of the avenue. It was really crowded so he and Shouyou had to squish together to get a good look, but it was worth it. The setting sun hit the ups and downs of the many buildings in just the right way to make an amazing view.
“So, what do you think?” Shouyou asked him, not looking away from the view.
“This is a really cool view. It is colder than I expected though.” Wasn’t Brazil supposed to be warm?
“Yeah, São Paulo does get colder these months. If you want an almost year-round summer, you go to Rio.” Shouyou said, sounding so fond that Atsumu turned back to look at him.
“You seem familiar with it.” Atsumu noted and watched as the look on Shouyou’s face turned wistful.
“I’m from Rio actually, it’s where I grew up. I came to São Paulo for the team. My family still lives there though, so I visit when I can.” He kept staring ahead at the setting sun, mind obviously miles away. Atsumu’s throat felt dry at the way the light made his hair look like fire and is very thankful for when Shouyou snaps out of it.
“Hey, let’s go back down and see if any good shows started in one of the stages.” He tugged at him once more and Atsumu could only follow.
The next Sunday, Shouyou dragged him to what he said was a municipal market. It was not like any market that Atsumu had ever been to. It had an amazing architecture, with beautiful windows and several stalls in which the vendors all tried to gain your attention and offered you some of the best fruit Atsumu had ever had. Shouyou had to steer him away from some of them, apparently already aware which stalls were better than others. It also had some really interesting restaurants inside and Atsumu could almost see Osamu salivating from the pictures he sent him.
So he figured this was going to become a Thing, Shouyou taking him around São Paulo on early Sundays. Then Shouyou went and surprised him again by knocking on his door the next Saturday evening looking like Atsumu had never seen him before.
Sure, Atsumu was mostly used to seeing him in sports clothes or comfortable casual ones; some nice sweatpants together with sneakers and a t-shirt, maybe a hoodie if it was really cold. Today Shouyou was not dressed like that.
Today Shouyou had on some dark jeans that really did wonders for his legs together with a really nice button up and jacket that complimented his muscles and complexion. He was really tanned, wasn’t he? Atsumu knows he noticed that before, but he seemed to just be processing it. It was weird, Atsumu normally saw him with less clothes than this when they were practicing, but Shouyou just looked really good at the moment.
Atsumu just really appreciated some effort into getting dressed, that's all, he told himself.
“Hey!” Shouyou greeted, beaming like he always did.
“Hi.” Atsumu answered, a little faintly.
“We are going out with some of the guys today. Go get dressed.” And then Shouyou pushed him inside the apartment for a change, closing the door behind him before taking his shoes off and making his way in. Atsumu was suddenly aware of the still very much barren state of the place.
“The guys?” He asked, already making his way to his room to change into something nice.
“Gui, Lipe, Nando, maybe Oscar; he wasn’t sure.” Okay, those were the ones that Atsumu could communicate almost successfully with, if not with a lot of gesturing between them.
“Oookay. Where are we going?”
“We are going bar hopping. I haven’t taken you to Vila Madalena yet.” Bar hopping? What the hell. “It’s a cool place. Go change!”
Once he was done changing, he picked up his phone and texted Osamu.
To Samu:
Shouyou is kidnapping me to some bar.
If I disappear you know what happened.
I could only be so lucky.
“Everything okay?” Shouyou asked once he came out of his room, probably noticing Atsumu rolling his eyes at his phone.
“Just tellin’ Osamu yer kidnapping me.”
“Who?”
“ ‘Samu, my brother.” He explained like it was obvious. Didn’t he mention Osamu to him?
“Oh. Yes, you’ve mentioned him. Didn’t know he was your brother.”
“Unfortunately. We’re twins, I’m the older one though.” Atsumu explained with all the gravity the information deserves. Shouyou snorted at him.
“Right, because that is really important with twins.”
“It really is.” That made Shouyou laugh again and Atsumu felt himself smile too. “Why are we going out to a bar all of a sudden?” Not that Atsumu was against it, but Shouyou doesn’t really look like the bar type.
“Well, you see… tomorrow is kind of my birthday.” Shouyou explained and Atsumu nodded before freezing and turning back to look at him, wide eyed.
“What?!” Was Shouyou for real??
“Yeah! Gui insisted we celebrate since we didn’t last year, so I came to get you because I know you almost never read the group chat and I understand why really –” He started rambling and made his way towards the door and Atsumu had the feeling he was trying to shift the conversation.
“Shouyou, back up. It’s yer birthday?”
“Tomorrow, technically.”
“Ya didn’t say anything.” Atsumu would have missed it completely. Shouyou could have come like usual to drag him somewhere and Atsumu would have no clue.
“You didn’t ask.” He shrugged like it was nothing and continued to walk outside. Atsumu was still reeling from it when Shouyou turned to look back at him and asked with a smile “When is your birthday?”
“Really?” He deadpanned but Shouyou just grinned at him harder “October 5th”
“Cool, I’ll remember it.”
They took the subway again, but after the first couple of times Atsumu felt better about it, which was good since apparently, they were going further away than normal. Then after they walked some more Shouyou led them to a random street and turned excitedly to look at him. Atsumu could only blink.
“Wow.”
“Right?! Isn’t this so cool? It is called Beco do Batman.” Shouyou gestured around them, seeming awfully pleased by Atsumu’s reaction for some reason. “Come on, the guys are waiting for us in front of the Pelé mural.” He started walking again and Atsumu had to grab onto his jacket not to get lost since he could not possibly look where they were going; his eyes going everywhere. The alleyway was covered with multicolored street art, many incredible graffiti and filled with people stopping to take pictures with them.
He was still trying to process all the swirl of colors when they found their teammates milling around. They stood for a few moments, apparently trying to decide where to go from there and Atsumu just let it go over his head while he looked around some more.
“There is a really good izakaya around here, do you wanna go?” Shouyou asks him, bringing him back into the conversation. Tempting, to have something familiar in this place. Atsumu normally would have said yes without thinking much about it, but it was Shouyou’s birthday.
“It’s yer birthday Shouyou. Ya should choose.”
“Fine, we can go there next time.” Shouyou pouted a little, but conceded easily enough.
They ended up standing around a high table on the sidewalk of one of the many many bars around; it was normal to stay on the outside apparently, maybe even preferable with how many people Atsumu could see doing the same. He thought about the times he’d been out in Tokyo with the team. How vastly different it felt from what he was used to in Hyougo.
He was fiddling with his drink, something called a caipirinha they told him, and absentmindedly looking at the way Shouyou had been stopped by some girl to talk to when he felt someone’s gaze on him. He turned to see Guilherme looking at him with a knowing look.
“He is bi you know.” He said out of nowhere making Atsumu blink back at him.
“What?”
“Shouyou. Likes men too.” Gui explained like it was obvious and Atsumu just nodded at first before pulling back.
“Wha – why??” Atsumu spluttered, thankful he had not been drinking at that moment.
“Just thought you should know.” He continued with a shit eating grin before turning back to their other teammates as if he had not left Atsumu reeling. He was not sure how long he stayed gaping like that before he felt someone stop on his other side.
“Are you having fun?” Shouyou asked and Atsumu shook himself off before looking back at him. He could not help but smile back at the joy glowing on Shouyou’s face.
“Yeah, I am Shouyou. Are ya?” Shouyou just beamed wider and nodded before latching onto a subject. Atsumu just kept smiling while listening and trying to ignore the way he could feel their teammates shooting them knowing looks.
Shouyou never really does warn him whenever he was showing up or where they were going, he just popped in front of his apartment and expected Atsumu to follow; which to be fair, he always did. So one day when he actually messaged before he showed, Atsumu knew there was Something up.
From Shouyou:
Hey, do you have plans today?
Atsumu’s plan was to mope in the living room while he looked through his friends’ social medias and longed to be home. So no, he did not have plans.
Not really no. Why?
Great! I’m taking you somewhere. Be there in a few.
Weirdness of the text aside, Shouyou also seemed awfully skittish ever since he arrived to pick Atsumu up. He kept interrupting himself in the middle of phrases and looking up eagerly at the subway map for their stop.
When they finally arrived at their stop, Atsumu was surprised at the sheer amount of people that crowded that particular subway stop. He looked up to try and see if he could recognize where they were at, and stopped at the almost familiar word.
“Liberdade, it means freedom.” Shouyou explained, when he noticed Atsumu staring at the plaque.
“Sounds like libero.” He commented, feeling how the words rolled differently on his tongue.
“It is similar, yes.” He gave Atsumu a little smile before his face suddenly turned serious “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.” Shouyou asked, giving him his hand to hold and Atsumu did not even hesitate to take it before he closed his eyes. Shouyou trusted him like no one else when they were on court and Atsumu was starting to have the feeling he could trust Shouyou everywhere.
Not to say it wasn’t a little unnerving, being guided sightless with so many people shoving him around. It was especially alarming when he felt they were finally outside and he was hit by incredibly loud noises that he felt he could recognize.
“You can open your eyes now.” He could barely hear Shouyou say next to him but when he did open them, he felt his lips drop open too.
He could not believe his eyes when he took in all the familiar colorful paper streamers or the rows of bamboo trees filled with papers probably bearing so many wishes or even more incredibly the taiko performance taking place right at the heart of the square they had arrived at.
It was a legitimate Tanabata festival.
Atsumu loves Tanabata. Osamu would say it was because he was a huge sap and Atsumu could not even deny it. It celebrated love, how could you not like that? He had been upset that he would miss it this year, only seeing his friends enjoy it through pictures.
It was an unfamiliar feeling that lodged itself around his heart at the realization of what it was that Shouyou had brought him to; that wanted to surprise him with. He looked back at the boy next to him, to try and start to show how thankful he was, but stopped short at the look on Shouyou’s face. He looked transfixed.
“Shouyou, are ya okay?” Atsumu asked, a little worried when Shouyou had to visibly shake himself to look back at him.
“I – I just… wasn’t really expecting to be like this.” He turned back to look at the performance again, eyes bright “We don’t really have a very big community back in Rio. I’ve never seen a festival this big. It’s incredible.”
“Well, I guess I get to guide ya for a change.” Atsumu says, giddy for a whole different reason now.
“So Tanabata is about the love between Orihime and Hikoboshi. Princess Orihime, worked makin' beautiful clothes by the heavenly river, the Milky Way. But she worked so hard weavin' beautiful clothes, she became sad and despaired of ever finding love. Her father, who was a God of the heavens, loved her dearly and arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi, the cow herder who lived on the other side of the Milky Way. The two fell in love instantly and married. Their love and devotion was so deep that Orihime stopped weavin' and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to wander the heavens.” He opened his mouth to continue the next part, but Shouyou interrupted him.
“But then her father became angry and forbade the lovers to be together, but Orihime pleaded with him to allow them to stay. He loved his daughter, so he decreed that the two star-crossed lovers could meet once a year.”
“Ya know the story.” Atsumu pouts, miffed he didn’t get to finish it.
“Mom used to tell us this one a lot, really loves it.”
“Ya mentioned yer family is from Sendai right?” Shouyou nodded, “Sendai’s Tanabata festival is the most famous in Japan.”
“She would love this.” Shouyou said, looking up wistfully at the colorful paper streamers.
“Well, send her some videos. She will probably be glad yer here.” Shouyou turned to look at him with a smile and Atsumu smiled back before turning serious. “Shouyou, I cannot thank ya enough for this. For everything.”
Shouyou looked at him blankly for a moment before frowning a bit. “I know what it is like to be new and I know what it is like to be… foreign. Even though I’ve lived my whole life in this country. So I wanted to make you feel welcome. In the end I just – really like spending time with you. So you don’t need to thank me.”
“That first day… you were the first person that didn’t look at me and immediately ask if I was a libero.” His expression then cleared, turning soft in a way Atsumu had not seen yet “Since you arrived, you let me fly higher than anyone ever did. So thank you .” Atsumu felt himself become a little bit breathless at the intensity of Shouyou’s gaze and he does not know what to say.
“Let’s go find some tanzaku for us to hang.” Atsumu said instead, tugging Shouyou with him for a change. With the other’s small warm hand in his, Atsumu contemplates if, for the first time in years, his wish would not only be for victory.
Shouyou had taken to trying to teach him some useful Portuguese. Which basically meant volleyball and food related Portuguese.
“See, this is you. We call a setter ‘levantador’.” Shouyou stressed out the last word and Atsumu tried to pay attention, he really did. They were sitting around on the court with the rotation board between them where Shouyou was pointing the positions, on a break with the rest of the guys around suggesting things that Atsumu could still barely understand half of it.
He knew this was important, he really was trying his best to learn, if only to make this whole season in another country more manageable. But the way Shouyou’s tongue touched the seam of his upper lip when he said that is terribly distracting.
“Huh?” Atsumu retorted intelligently to which Shouyou just huffed back at him. He shot a dirty look back at Gui and Nando who were silently laughing at him from behind Shouyou.
“You are always putting your tongue outside your mouth, come on this should be easier.”
“What? No, I’m not.” Did he? Oh god, he did. That’s why he always looked like that in pictures.
“Yeah, you are. It is distracting.”
Yes, it was distracting, that was his problem right now! Wait, did Shouyou just – his train of thought was interrupted by the alarm he had set up on his phone.
“Sorry Shou, I need to make a phone call.” Shouyou waved him off and turns to the other two behind him. Atsumu takes the chance to flip them off without Shouyou seeing before taking some steps away from them. He could hear them laughing behind him.
He hit the call button already knowing the person on the other line would not be happy to hear from him.
“ ‘Tsumu, it’s been months. Ya know what time it is here.” Atsumu could hear some rustling and someone else’s voice in the background. “Suna says he’s gonna murder ya,”
“I’d like to see him take the thirty-seven hour flight here and try.” Suna never murdered him in high school because he claimed it was too much work, Atsumu was good. “It is our birthday ya asshole. At least it is there, so I thought I’d call ya.” Normally Atsumu wasn’t the ‘call Osamu at midnight for our birthday’ kind of brother. He had also never spent one birthday without him, so maybe he was a little bit emotional, sue him.
“Yer right, yer half a day behind me. Am I the older twin now?” Osamu commented with a snicker and Atsumu could clearly see in his head the smirk his brother had on his face.
“NO! That is not how that works.” That’s what he got in return for being emotional, an asshole of a brother.
“It is not yer birthday yet, so I’ll congratulate you in twelve hours lil bro.”
“Samu!!” Osamu hung up on his face. Atsumu was almost hitting the call button again out of spite when his phone vibrated with a text.
From Samu:
Happy birthday, idiot. Don’t sulk too much, talk to you later.
Slightly mollified he turned back to the guys only to jump when he found them already staring at him expectantly.
Creepy.
“Did you send your brother a happy birthday?” Shouyou asked, grinning up at him from his place still on the floor.
“How do ya know that?”
“I told you I would remember. We are going out tomorrow after practice to celebrate.”
“Shouyou, the Superliga starts next week. We don’t have to go out to celebrate.” They had been having a good run up until now, winning their practice matches and state games. The team was well prepared, but this was the Superliga.
“We are not gonna do anything wild. I thought we could go to that place that has the really nice coxinhas you like and then maybe have some cake. That’s all, we will be back early I swear.” If it were any other teammate Atsumu would call bullshit, but Shouyou took meticulous care of his routine and rarely let himself stay out late. So he easily agreed and even if the coixinhas weren’t really that good it would have been worth it for the smile on Shouyou’s face and the cheer from the rest of their teammates.
Later he got woken up by his phone going off at midnight. A series of texts from his friends and family that made him smile even though they woke him up. He then sees that Osamu tagged him in a picture which was unusual enough that it made him open it up first.
It was taken probably just a few moments before at the onigiri shop with Osamu in front of a cake seemingly reluctant while holding a phone with a picture of Atsumu in it but with a smirk threatening to break out. Atsumu almost started smiling too.
Then he noticed the caption.
Now I understand how it is to be an older brother. Happy birthday lil bro.
Atsumu was torn by being touched or throwing his phone across the room.
Their apartments were actually just a few blocks away from each other, it turned out. So they had taken to walking to and from practice together really early on since Atsumu had joined the team. They usually talked about their practice of the day or whatever they could work on more for the next one or even just what they could pick up from the market later. Anything.
Today Shouyou was silent though, almost fidgeting. It was making Atsumu nervous and he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Shouyou, what is the problem?” He asked and the way Shouyou almost jumped had him worry even more.
He watched Shouyou open and close his mouth a couple of times before he blurted out “Do you wanna come home with me?”
“Home?” Atsumu looked ahead towards where their apartment buildings were. They rarely actually stayed inside, even more so in Shouyou’s apartment since he shared it with a friend who had also moved here from Rio; Atsumu could probably count in one hand the times he had seen the place.
“Rio! I mean Rio. I’m going back for the end of the year break and well… I don’t want to leave you alone here.” Right, the end of the year. With all the games and intense practice with the Superliga season having started Atsumu almost forgot they had a two-week break coming up.
“I think it is kinda late for me to find a way to get to Rio.” The flights were probably all booked out and if not, terribly expensive. But maybe it was worth looking into it anyway.
“I’ll drive us! It’s kind of a long trip but if we leave really early, we will probably get there by noon.”
“You drive? No wait, you have a car?” If somewhere wasn’t close enough to walk or bike to, Shouyou always took the subway.
“I do! My parents gave me their second car when I moved here, I just don’t really see a point in using it if I’m just gonna stay stuck in traffic. It is mostly for going back and forth to Rio.”
“I don’t wanna intrude on yer family’s holidays.”
“Dad is back in Tokyo for business and well – ” Shouyou looked embarrassed all of a sudden. “Mom actually kind of insisted you come.” He said really quickly and before Atsumu could even blink in astonishment he went on “And Natsu is, well… in that weird teenage phase that I honestly have no idea if she is gonna like or hate you, but she is generally polite to guests.”
“Younger siblings.” Atsumu said with all the graveness in the world because he knew it would make Shouyou laugh and is very pleased when he is proved right.
“Right, because you are such a reference. You’re what? Five minutes older than Osamu?”
“Seven, thank you very much. They were very formative seven minutes.” They both started laughing then and Atsumu could do this forever.
“So? Will you come?” Shouyou asks again once he is done laughing and is left smiling up at Atsumu.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll love to spend the end of the year with ya and yer family.” And as soon as the words were out he felt some nerves coming. God, he was going to spend the holidays with Shouyou and his family .
“Great! We’ll get to spend so much time together and oh! I can show you all my favorite places in Rio!” Shouyou smiled that blinding smile of his and started to talk a mile a minute about all the places he wanted to take him and Atsumu could only smile helplessly back. Suddenly Shouyou went quiet though, looking into the space ahead of them.
“Shouyou?”
“Essa é a pior parte do meu dia, sabe, a que eu tenho que te dizer tchau. Queria tá com você o tempo todo.” 2
“Tchau?” That meant ‘goodbye’, Atsumu was pretty certain. Was Shouyou leaving already? His apartment building had not come up yet.
Shouyou turned to look back at Atsumu again and smiled at him a little sadly before shaking his head “Not yet.” Then he tangled their arms together and they walked the rest of the way back like that.
The drive to Rio was indeed a long one and even starting it at the crack of dawn had not kept them from the waves of people who apparently had the same idea of traveling during the end of the year. Atsumu spent the drive torn between dozing off and trying not to stare at Shouyou whenever he started singing some song with the radio that Atsumu could not even begin to try and understand.
When they finally arrived at their destination, he didn’t really know what to expect of Shouyou’s home so he was very impressed by the beachfront apartment his family apparently lived in. Atsumu knows wealth when he sees it, which is surprising because Shouyou does not give that vibe at all.
“I’m home!” Shouyou called when they got in and Atsumu jumped; he had never heard Shouyou say that. Atsumu still had the habit of muttering it whenever he got to his apartment, even with no one to answer. It was startling to hear it from someone else now, even more so when someone inside called back.
“Welcome home!” Soon enough a middle aged woman came to the front to greet them and Atsumu felt himself start for a second. Shouyou looked just like her.
“Sorry for the intrusion.” He said bowing lightly after getting himself back together.
“Nonsense, you are a guest.” She said, and Atsumu felt something warm within himself at the natural way their language flowed out of her. He missed his mom.
“Thank you, Hinata-san.” He looked up to her tutting at him.
“None of that either, you can call me Akemi.”
“Mom, do we have any açaí? It is so hot today.” Shouyou interrupted, fanning himself with his shirt. Atsumu thinks back to the moment some minutes ago when they got out of the car and he was surprised by the stifling heat of the street.
“I think Natsu had the last of it. I’ll go to the store and get some.”
“I can go.” Shouyou answered, already turning back to put his shoes back on.
“Shouyou, you just arrived. Rest a little.”
“I’ll be quick! I have a list of things I need to buy anyway. Text me if you want anything!” And just like that Shouyou was gone again leaving Atsumu and his mother blinking in his wake.
“Sorry for that. He’s a mother’s dream really; a son who does groceries better than me.”
“Ah, I’ve noticed that. Was he always like that?” Once Shouyou opened Atsumu’s fridge and went on a rant over how he could have been buying better produce and that there were many things missing. They started going to the market together after that too.
“Not at all. He learned the hard way, that you athletes need to be in top condition. And he dove into it, like he always does.”
“Yeah, sounds like Shouyou.”
“Let me show you to the guest room.” He followed her deeper inside and felt his eyes widen at the floor length windows of the living room that faced the sea. He was still reeling about it when she showed him to a nice clean bedroom. “I wanted a moment with you; to thank you.” She said, hovering in the doorway while he made his way inside the room.
“Thank me? You let me into your home; I should be thanking you.”
“No need, you will always have a place in our home. After all you did for Shouyou, I will forever be thankful to you.”
“I didn’t do anything. If anything, he’s the one who did a lot for me.” He turned back to look at her to show his sincerity but was surprised by the serious look on her face.
“We left Japan right after Shouyou was born. It was such a big opportunity for my husband, being the representative of the company here. So we came and I’m not going to lie; it was a difficult change. You know, this is a very different culture.” She paused and frowned a little but Atsumu kept quiet because he knew this was important. “So Shouyou was raised here in Brazil basically. We only visited back once after Natsu was born. Funny enough that was when he became obsessed with volleyball.”
She sighed heavily and continued “And it was difficult, being here, trying to raise two children with language I barely could talk myself, let alone try and teach them Japanese or about our culture. Shouyou never really showed too much interest in how things were back in Japan. Of course, he respects our traditions and always came with us dutifully to shrine visits when we could make them, and he asks about his grandparents whenever he remembers. But he never went out of his way to learn about it. Not until some months ago, that is.” Her eyes sharpened on him then, and Atsumu unconsciously straightened under the gaze.
“Suddenly I hear from him more than ever. ‘Mom, how do I make the rice right again? Mom, is fatty tuna really that different from the regular one? Mom, can you tell me about Tanabata again?’. He is always mentioning you, one way or another; I don’t think he even notices it. It’s not hard to connect one thing to another.” She shot him a knowing look and Atsumu felt himself flush. “So, thank you. For doing something that I couldn’t.” She smiled at him and Atsumu could see exactly where Shouyou had gotten his own smile from. He really was just a copy of his mom.
“I – I didn’t – I just…” She just smiled at him and reached up to squeeze his arm gently once before letting go.
“I’m going to find you two something more to eat, you can’t live on just açaí. You go freshen up.” She then left him alone, but Atsumu kept staring at the place where she was for a long time.
If Atsumu already thought Shouyou was lively before, it apparently had nothing on how he was in Rio. It was as if the sun and sea unlocked something within him. Shouyou seemed to glow.
Shouyou really wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to show him all his favorite places. He borrowed a bike from one of his friends for Atsumu and off they went.
They start off biking through the Copacabana shore, enjoying the ocean breeze in the stifling summer heat of Rio de Janeiro – Shouyou was serious when he said how hot Rio was all the time. But the sound of the waves and bustling of all the people and even the cars zooming through the avenue made for a pretty amazing trip.
And once they hit the end of the shore, they locked up their bikes and up and up Shouyou led them. Going through one of the favelas – where every house was different and seemed to stack on top of each other but the kids played in the middle of the streets and almost everyone they passed seemed to have a smile to give – they got to a hiking point and just like that they didn’t even seem to be in a city anymore.
Surrounded by the trees, but still able to see the view of the city below, Atsumu marveled at it. At how he could see the way the city clawed its way through the rocky mountains that originated it. But nothing compared to the view they got when they reached the top.
Finding a spot to sit was hard, with all the people that had the same idea of hiking but once they did Shouyou started pointing out everything.
“You can see the whole Copacabana shore from here, see? We biked all that! And that over there? It is Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, we are gonna bike around its shore too. And there we have Niteroi, it is a whole other city! I don’t think we will have time to go there though. And of course, there is the Christ.”
Atsumu could not stop looking at Shouyou. He looked at everything he was talking about and the city was gorgeous really, but what made it all was how Shouyou lit up while talking about it. Here, on top of the world, still sweaty from the hike up but with the sun making his fiery hair look like a halo. He was beautiful, Atsumu thought, suddenly feeling his mouth go dry.
“This is both the best and worst time to visit Rio. Everywhere is gonna be crowded, but we can try and go there. Atsumu?” Shouyou was still talking and apparently Atsumu had been quiet for too long.
“Sounds great, Shou. Can’t wait to see everything.” Shouyou beamed back at him and Atsumu felt his heart lurch. He wondered how much more he could take from this.
The rest of the week went much the same. The Christ was indeed packed with people but it was worth it for taking silly pictures together with it in the background and another amazing view of the city. Atsumu felt it was hard to get a bad side of this place.
The city’s downtown has a mixture of amazing historical buildings and modern ones but Atsumu’s favorite part was the Olympic Boulevard.
“It is still pretty active right now, but you had to see this place during the Olympics! With all the people and the shows, oh! And the pyre was lit! It was incredible.” Shouyou said excitedly and Atsumu could picture it. The whole expanse of the place bustling and the people in the backdrop of the amazing art murals. He had thought the ones in São Paulo were good, but this was a whole kaleidoscope of colors.
And then there was the museum which Atsumu didn’t really think was their vibe but the extraordinary architecture that moved from time to time and its fascinating interactive displays were the most fun he had ever had in a museum.
They finally slowed down on Christmas eve, even though Shouyou and his family didn’t really celebrate it. It was just a good excuse to have good food and be around family anyway, Shouyou said and Atsumu felt a twinge of regret for monopolizing his time away from his mother and sister.
Natsu however barely stayed home too apparently. Atsumu saw the girl passing by twice probably and by how their mother reacted it was just how her children always were.
“I have to enjoy this last summer here before we leave.” Natsu explained when her mother did make a mention of it during their Christmas dinner.
“Leave?” Atsumu asked, confused.
“Shouyou didn’t mention it?” Akemi spared a glance at her son but Shouyou was suddenly very interested in his food. “My husband got a new job and we are going back to Japan next year. Just in time for Natsu to start high school there.” Natsu grinned, apparently excited about it despite everything.
“Wow that’s – a big change. What about – ” Atsumu didn’t even know what exactly he wanted to know, but Shouyou understood anyway.
“I’m staying in São Paulo.” Shouyou said, still not looking up and moving his food around.
“Right – of course.” Shouyou was an adult, he had a whole life in São Paulo, he could stay wherever he liked but for a moment there … Atsumu hoped.
A couple of days after Christmas, Shouyou finally took him to actually play beach volleyball that he talked so much about.
“Let me see if Natsu will play with us too.” Because Natsu apparently was also a really good volleyball player. Atsumu wondered if it was a genetic thing.
“Natsu! Você vem com a gente?”3 Shouyou asked from outside her closed bedroom door.
“E ser vela de vocês? Não, obrigada.” 4 Atsumu could hear her shout from inside her room and wondered what it meant that made Shouyou squawk back at her.
“She has other plans.” Shouyou told him with a slightly fixed grin that did not fool Atsumu at all.
“Sure.” Atsumu had a feeling Natsu did not like him very much, she kept making excuses not to be with them. He probably really was interrupting her time with her brother especially with how she was leaving the country soon.
Yeah, she probably hated him.
“I called up a couple of friends of mine, they should probably be around here already.” Shouyou said once they set foot on the beach and Atsumu was already wondering how much of a good idea this was when his feet just sunk on it. Well, that explained Shouyou’s amazing balance.
“Shouyou! There you are!” Someone called from behind them and Shouyou perked up. Atsumu wondered for a moment how odd it was that the person talked in Japanese.
“Tooru, hi!” Shouyou turned to the new arrival with a smile on his face but Atsumu felt himself freeze. It couldn’t be.
Of all the places for Atsumu to actually meet Oikawa Tooru, a beach in Rio was definitely not anywhere close on the list.
But Atsumu knew that face despite never having seen it in person. It was definitely him. Atsumu had always wondered about this guy, because Kageyama always had some kind of compliment to give him in his interviews.
My senior in middle school had an amazing serve, and I continue to draw inspiration from him.
Gross.
Even Ushijima had nothing but praise for him. But, besides those two, no one Atsumu knew seemed to actually have met the guy. Some Miyagi urban volleyball myth who had fucked off to Argentina apparently.
Except he was very real and very much there, right in front of Atsumu. And being very familiar with Shouyou.
“Atsumu! This one of my friends I wanted you to meet, Oikawa Tooru. Tooru this is –” Oikawa interrupted him, throwing a calculated look and a really fake smile Atsumu’s way.
“Miya Atsumu, Japan’s second best setter.” Oh, so that’s how it was. Fine.
“Yeah, right behind Tobio-kun. You know Tobio right?” The fake smile dropped and Atsumu felt himself smirk right back.
“You guys know each other?” Shouyou asked from between them, tilting his head to one side in confusion.
“No.” Both of them said at the same time and glared harder.
“How do you two know each other?” Atsumu asked, breaking the stare to look back towards Shouyou.
“We met last year when he got lost from his team.”
“I wasn’t lost.”
“He was lost and didn’t know how to speak to anyone.”
“Rude! I know how to speak!”
“Spanish, you know how to speak spanish. It is not the same.” This was apparently an old debate between them and Atsumu felt himself grit his teeth. “There is Heitor!” A tall handsome guy approached them and after a flurry of Portuguese greetings between him and Shouyou the four of them stood in a circle trying to decide how to pair up.
“I call dibs on Chibi-chan.” Oikawa said immediately and Atsumu grit his teeth once more. He really hoped he doesn’t damage them today.
“Atsumu never played beach.”
“Even better, you will get to see firsthand him eating sand.” Oikawa retorts with a smirk but Shouyou just throws him an unimpressed look.
“Like you did the first time you played?” That made Atsumu snort, feeling vindicated for a moment at how that made Oikawa gasp as if betrayed.
They ended up taking turns with who played with who and Atsumu did end up with a face full of sand more than once. But he was not considered one of the best players of Japan for nothing. He managed to pick up the pace and the feel of the sand and by the time it comes to it he thinks it is some kind of miracle that he and Oikawa don’t kill each other when they have to pair up, but he can begrudgingly admit the man is indeed a great player. He was glad to have Shouyou back on his side for the last round though.
They end up flubbing the last receive and crashing into each other and on the sand. They lose, but it doesn’t matter because they cannot stop laughing about the silly mistake. Atsumu could almost forget they weren’t alone on the beach if a shadow had not suddenly hovered on top of them, blocking the sun out.
“Ooh, I see. This is why you wouldn’t spend New Year's with me again.” Oikawa said, looking down at them with a very knowing look.
“Tooru…” Shouyou started saying, pushing himself off Atsumu but Oikawa interrupts him again.
“It’s fine, really. I have my teammates and Rio is always fun either way.” He waved a hand dismissively but then his gaze turned sharp again. “We will just have to beat you guys again at the South American tournament.”
“You wish, we are going to the World’s Club Championship this year.”
“Big words Chibi-chan. Let’s see you back them up.”
Atsumu was still reeling the nest day from meeting fucking Oikawa Tooru when Shouyou decided that another hike was probably a good idea for them to wind down. And the crack of dawn was apparently a great time for hiking.
Atsumu really wasn’t in the best of moods, but he could not deny it helped. They took the car this time, this forest – Tijuca Forest he said it was called – farther away than Shouyou had taken him yet, but more gorgeous for it. Atsumu marveled at how many places this city had that it made you not feel like inside a city at all, at how he could very easily get lost in this huge sprawl of nature even if five minutes ago he was in a bustling street.
It was peaceful.
They managed to end the day back on the beach, on a rock outcrop that goes into the sea and many people sit on it to watch the sunset. Once the sun started going down people began cheering and Atsumu jumped from his seat on the rock in surprise; he could feel Shouyou laughing on the spot he was pressed up to against his side.
“People do this every day, sunset and sunrise. Cheering for the new day that came and went.” Shouyou explained while looking directly towards the setting sun. It was a gorgeous view and Atsumu understood why people would clap for it everyday, but for the thousandth time he just cannot make himself look anywhere else but the man beside him.
The orange sun hit Shouyou’s eyes making them glow amber and every shadow the sun cast on his face made him look ethereal.
God, Atsumu was in love with him.
Those eyes turned to look back at him – probably feeling Atsumu’s gaze on him – and somehow they seemed to turn even more intense. It seemed like he was looking directly into Atsumu’s soul and he felt like he was drowning in them.
“Hey.” Shouyou says quietly, almost drowned out by people still cheering around them, and Atsumu is very aware of how Shouyou is slowly inching forwards towards him. As if to give Atsumu time to turn away, like Atsumu would ever want to.
“Hey.” He whispered back, right onto Shouyou’s lips before finally closing any distance between them. Softly at first, savoring finally being in this moment. Then quickly, pressing their lips together as many times as he could now that he is allowed to and he felt Shouyou smile against his lips. Atsumu had wondered how that smile would feel like to press against more than he could count.
Shouyou parts their lips and Atsumu almost whines about it, but then he just burrows into him, nose and lips brushing across the expanse of Atsumu’s neck. it made him shiver, not from the ocean breeze, and he tangled his hands on the other’s hair, looking out at the last orange ray on the horizon – wishing to burn this moment in his mind forever.
Atsumu felt like he was in a dream after that. Suddenly the New Year was upon them and while he had heard about Rio’s celebration being famous, he could not have expected how big it was. Standing side by side in the apartment staring at the fireworks going off outside, Atsumu felt breathless. And not only because Shouyou had dragged him down for a kiss at midnight even though his mom and sister were right there .
They spend the whole night awake, way after Shouyou’s mom and Natsu went to bed. Talking about their next games, laughing and kissing in between. Atsumu felt drunk with it, even though he knew he just had the one glass of champagne the whole night.
When the sun was finally peaking through the sky, Shouyou dragged him down to the beach so they could jump over the waves of all things. Seven waves specifically.
“Come on, it is a tradition from one of their religions. We make a wish for each wave!” He tugged Atsumu with him towards the sea and like always Atsumu could only follow. So they jumped the seven waves holding hands and Atsumu wondered at how this works, because he feels like there is only one thing he had to wish for really. So at the end of the seventh jump he pulled Shouyou towards him, to kiss the grin on his face.
Soon after they have to return to São Paulo. Atsumu has a moment of intense worry that maybe being back on their regular work schedule would make things go back to how they were before Rio.
He shouldn’t have worried though, for the most change they had was Shouyou practically moving into his apartment and their teammates being insufferably smug. Though with the Superliga soon reaching playoffs the team was more focused than ever.
“Come on, there is a free yoga and meditation session at the park today. We are going.” Shouyou said one early Sunday morning, shaking him out of bed.
“Shou, I am not made for meditation.” He had discovered that Shouyou not only meditated but also did yoga back in Rio. That was a sight. Atsumu woke up earlier than usual one day only to find Shouyou on a mat in his living room facing the large beach view widows with his feet touching his head. Atsumu almost died right there.
“And you think I was?” Shouyou raised an eyebrow at him and yeah, no one would really look at Shouyou and think ‘serene’. “Come on, you’ve been super stressed. It is gonna be good for you.”
So to Ibirapuera they went and Atsumu found himself sitting down on a mat in the middle of the park. As parks went this one was his favorite that Shouyou had brought him to in São Paulo, with the huge amount of vegetation and the variety of activities that happened around then, but he was not feeling the meditation part.
It was lucky for him really, that right when they were going to switch to the yoga part of the exercise it started raining. Not just raining; pouring.
Everyone immediately jumped up and started running towards shelter and Atsumu started to move too but Shouyou stayed seated right where he was so Atsumu stopped to stare. Shouyou had his face tilted up to the sky and was completely soaked, but he was still smiling like this was the best thing in his life.
Atsumu was helpless but to pull himself toward Shouyou – like a moth to a flame – and kiss him.
Second place. They came in second place and it was just Atsumu’s life really. Second best, almost there but not quite. The first loser.
Shouyou had been quiet the whole way back to the apartment. Had been quiet since the ball dropped really, as had been most of the team. The coaches tried to give the usual speech about what an honor it was to have gotten that far and Atsumu was really glad he did not understand a word of it. He had heard all that before.
He didn’t know how long he stayed laying on his bed before he felt it shift and Shouyou’s hand card through his hair.
“Don’t.” He said immediately, not even bothering to lift his arm from his face. “Don’t give me the speech of how far we came and that we should be proud of that.”
“I wasn’t gonna say that, losing sucks. It sucks even worse when you are so close to winning.” That made Atsumu finally look up to see Shouyou looking at him with that determined expression on his face “But what else can we do but to try and be better for tomorrow?”
“I’m leaving in a week, Shouyou.” Shouyou looked back at him startled, like he had forgotten Atsumu would leave, which was not unlikely since they always danced around the subject. His contract was over the moment the Superliga finished and it was back to the Jackals for him. Back one year ago he was sure he would not want to spend any more time away from home as he already had. Now he didn’t know how to do this. “I just – wanted to give ya this before … before I went back. A pass to the World’s Championship.”
“You already gave me the best volleyball I’ve ever played.” Shouyou told him so sincerely that Atsumu could not take it. His eyes watered and he did nothing to stop the tears going down. Shouyou just kept looking at him so softly while brushing the tears away before just leaning down to kiss them.
“Shouyou.” Atsumu rasped, not sure if he wanted him to stop or keep going.
“Shh, just let me take care of you.” Shouyou whispered on his cheek, kissing his way down to Atsumu’s throat. So Atsumu lost himself in the sensation and allows himself to let go.
Atsumu had probably stalled as much as he could already. He had left his bag at check in and they were just… waiting, neither wanting to let go.
They had packed the few things Atsumu cared to take back with him and spent the whole week just not letting go of each other. Not even at his farewell party they spent more than a few feet apart. Not even Gui had the heart to make fun of them for it. Atsumu would kind of miss them.
Shouyou had insisted on driving him to the airport and while Atsumu felt that it was a terrible idea he also could not make himself say goodbye to Shouyou earlier than he had to. So here they were, in front of the gate trying to prolong the last minutes they had together.
“Já tô com tanta saudade, e você nem foi embora ainda.”5 Shouyou said out of nowhere, Atsumu’s face between his hands before pulling him for a kiss.
Shouyou did that a lot, speak things in Portuguese that Atsumu could still barely understand. He felt like it was somewhat on purpose, that it was easier for him with that barrier between them. Atsumu could understand, he felt the same – there were many things could not bring himself to just say to Shouyou.
“I – I … good – ” Atsumu tried speaking once they parted but could not make the words come out, he just couldn’t.
“Até mais tarde.” That he did understand and it was just a little heartbreaking. They did not know if this was ‘see you later’, Shouyou could not even answer if he would go visit his family whenever they moved to Japan. But here he was, saying ‘until later’ like they were just parting when his building came up before the one Atsumu lived in.
“Até mais tarde.” Atsumu said back as best as he could, because he wanted nothing more than to believe it to be true.
“You have to go.” Shouyou said, slightly choked off and pulling away from Atsumu. His brown eyes were bright with unshed tears and Atsumu felt his own just start to fall when he finally managed to take a step away. Then another and another until he finally had to turn away and present his passport and ticket. He turned back once more and the last sight of Shouyou he had was of him finally letting his own tears drop.
Atsumu could not say how he had managed to navigate the rest of the airport after that, but sooner than he expected he was sitting on the plane and just looking at the chair in front of him with a million thoughts in his head.
‘Saudade’ Atsumu had heard that word here and there during his stay in Brazil, but it never seemed too relevant for him to look up what it meant. The way Shouyou looked when he had said it though…
He still had a few minutes before he had to turn off his phone, so he could look it up.
Saudade: a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one cares for and/or loves.
Atsumu stared.
‘cares for and/or loves.’
Oh.
It probably didn’t really mean anything. It was just a word.
He didn’t sleep during the flight.
“Wow, ya look like crap.” Was the first thing out of Osamu’s mouth when he picked him up from the airport. Atsumu rolled his eyes; it was good to see some things never changed.
“Of course I do; I look like ya.” Atsumu snapped back, way too tired to think of anything better.
“Yer gonna crash as soon as ya hit the car aren’t ya?”
“Probably.”
“Great, missed yer damn snoring.” Osamu said, rolling his eyes but he did take Atsumu’s luggage from him, so he wasn’t too bothered about it.
It was good to be home.
“Hey, hey, hey! Tsum-Tsum you’re here!” Bokuto screamed while entering his room in the dorms and then proceeded to fling all 87 kilos of himself on Atsumu’s back.
Atsumu had missed this.
He spent the little break he had between coming back home and getting back to practice crashing with Osamu and whenever he could leave the shop they went up to visit their family. It was nice, having his granny pampering him and his mother fussing. He had missed the crisp Hyougo air and the streets he knew how to navigate like the back of his hand.
He had missed Osaka too.
São Paulo had at first reminded him of Osaka a bit, in a loose way. With the skyscrapers and the traffic. He learned quickly that São Paulo was a very different beast that Osaka was. Osaka, with its maze of streets and mix of modern and traditional. Osaka where his team was.
His team, he had missed his team.
He had barely set foot on the dorms and he could already hear Inunaki’s music coming from his bedroom, Thomas and Barnes talking in English in the common room and he caught sight of Meian’s chore list on the kitchen. Now he had Bokuto clinging to him like a huge child. He felt himself start to smile though.
It was nice being home.
Even if he always kept turning to his side to comment on something and there was no one there. Shouyou wasn’t there. That was enough to make the smile drop.
“Hey Bokkun, it is nice to see ya too. Please let go.” Bokuto does but hit him ‘playfully’ in the arm once making Atsumu flinch; he didn’t miss that so much. “Did ya just come from Tokyo?”
“Nah, I’ve been here for a couple of days already. You’re the last one in – well… almost.”
“Almost?” Atsumu asked, curious about the weird reluctance on Bokuto’s tone.
“Yeeeeah…are you ready to play with Sakusa Kiyoomi?” Bokuto announced, trying to grin but Atsumu felt his face blanche. Sakusa barely tolerated him back in high school.
“Sakusa? Really?” He knew the team was looking at prospects for the next season, but he had not really bothered to think what those prospects could be.
“They managed to snag him right out of college.” Right, Sakusa had been making waves in the collegiate volleyball world. Atsumu could at least admit he was a great addition to the team. “There are talks they are trying to get some international player too, but no one knows who it is.”
“Another one? We already have Barnes and Thomas.”
“The more the merrier Tsum-Tsum! This year the Adlers won’t know what hit them.” Bokuto said it with all the confidence in the world and Atsumu could not help but to grin back.
“Damn right, Bokkun.”
“Did you like the box I gave you? Your brother helped me with it.” Bokuto asked, changing back into human puppy mode and Atsumu snorted. Good old Bokkun.
“I sent ya a thank you text, Bukkun.”
“I know, I just wanted to make sure.”
“I really liked it. I have it with me still.”
“You should put the pictures up in here!”
Atsumu rolled his eyes at him, but it wasn’t actually a bad idea. The pictures really did make him feel better for some of the harsher moments he had of loneliness he had back in Brazil. He specially loved it when Shouyou, after he made himself a fixture at his apartment, would point at someone in the pictures and ask to hear about them and Atsumu could just go on and on about one of his friends or family.
So he picked the box of pictures out of his bag and opened it. Then immediately froze. There was a picture right on top of the others with a post-it on it.
Natsu took this of us during the holidays. I hope you like it.
It was a picture of them taken from the side, the both of them sitting on the floor of the Hinatas’ living room; it was from New Year’s Eve from the looks of it. Atsumu seemed to be in the middle of laughing at something and Shouyou was just… staring at him and smiling.
“That is the really good short spiker you had in the brazilian team, right?” Bokuto asked, coming up behind him and looking over his shoulder.
“Shouyou. It’s – Shouyou.” He didn’t know what kind of expression he had on his face but it was enough for Bokuto to let out a soft ‘oh’ before petting his hair and leaving him alone.
Alone with a picture and a hundred memories of Hinata Shouyou.
He felt his eyes sting.
It had only been a year, Atsumu told himself.
“Atsumu!” Meian called him one day, some time after practice had started.
“Yes, captain?”
“Come with me, management asked you for help introducing the new guy.” He said already turning and motioning for Atsumu to follow.
“Me?” The only worse person to choose from was probably Sakusa, who had only just arrived, and maybe Inunaki too – you did not set that guy on an unsuspecting person.
“Yeah, you.” Meian’s voice had a laugh underneath it, like he was in on a secret and that only made Atsumu feel more off kilter. They stopped in front of one of the conference room of the gym and Meian turned back to him still smirking. “He is in there. Good luck.” He then leaves Atsumu alone and more confused than ever.
Atsumu looked at the door a little warily before shrugging and just opening it. It was not like the new guy was going to eat him.
Then he saw who was in there and froze.
Shouyou stood there smiling in front of him, wearing the MSBY jacket as if he had just stepped out of one of Atsumu’s dreams.
“Hi. I’m Hinata Shouyou and I’m yer new opposite hitter. I’ll be in yer care.” Shouyou said, still smiling widely at Atsumu.
And there were probably a lot of better reactions for Atsumu to have, because in a way he could not believe this wasn’t a dream, but he couldn’t help it; he started laughing.
Shouyou picked up his accent.
“Why are ya laughin’ ?? I practiced that so hard ya know! I’m not used to sayin’ stuff like that!” And he sounded so worked up that Atsumu just laughed harder.
“It was perfect, yer perfect.” Atsumu answered, still laughing. Maybe a little bit hysterical because he felt like that if he stopped he might start crying. “Yer here.” He said, breathlessly; still not really fully believing.
“I’m here.” Shouyou steps closer to him and Atsumu holds up a hand to his face, afraid to touch but not being able not to.
“Ya – how?” How was he here? When did this happen? Why didn’t he tell him? Atsumu wasn’t even sure what he wanted to ask or even if any of it mattered right now.
Shouyou was here .
“They made me an offer some time ago, before our season ended, but… I didn’t tell ya about it because I wasn’t sure.” Shouyou then took Atsumu’s face and stroked his cheekbones softly “I am now. I’m sure.”
Atsumu had to close his eyes at the wave of emotion that hit him. “I can’t believe yer here.”
“We’re still playing together.” Shouyou says and Atsumu opens his eyes again to see the unbridled joy glowing on Shouyou’s face.
“We’re still together.” Atsumu countered, still not fully believing it. Shouyou kept looking at him, incredibly happy before something shifted in his gaze and his smile turned sharp.
“How do ya feel about that World’s Championship?” Shouyou asked and Atsumu could feel himself start grinning even as he closed the distance between them.
Atsumu felt damn good.