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The sun dips lower with every second that passes.
Shinsuke's head lies upon Atsumu's chest and Atsumu's sturdy, calloused fingers brush through Shinsuke's hair gently, with a tenderness most would probably never believe a Miya brother could possess. Shinsuke could go red in the face just thinking about how he has this sweet, subdued side of Atsumu all to himself.
In Shinsuke's room, in the bubble they've created for themselves, the outside world doesn't exist. They don't have to think about grades, responsibilities, or the looming path of their future careers. All that matters is the two of them, curled up together on Shinsuke's bed.
All that matters is Atsumu's sturdy hand, brushing through his hair.
But even in this lulling atmosphere, time moves too quickly.
"'Tsum," Shinsuke says softly. "We should get going."
Shinsuke has to rise early tomorrow morning, and Atsumu promised Osamu he'd help him out with some studying tonight. And although he'll never admit it, Atsumu isn't particularly fond of walking alone in the dark. If Shinsuke could lay here all night, he would. It's moments like these, when it's just him and Atsumu, that he feels most at ease.
But life beckons them.
"I wish the world wouldn't take me away from ya," Atsumu finally responds.
Shinsuke giggles lightly. "Don't let yer dramatics delude ya, dear." He pushes himself up with one arm to look properly at his boyfriend. "It's only for one night."
Atsumu turns away from his gaze, pouting. "That's still too long," he mumbles.
But it's shorter than it will be.
Gently, Shinsuke places a finger on Atsumu's chin, turning his head towards him. "I know. But that will make seeing each other again sweeter." He pecks a kiss in between Atsumu's furrowed eyebrows.
In a few short weeks, Atsumu will graduate, and be off to Osaka to play for the MSBY Black Jackals. Shinsuke, on the other hand, will be staying in Kobe.
They won't be worlds apart. Just a half hour drive. (When Atsumu isn't away for games, at least).
And they're hard-working, both individually and as a couple; if anybody would have the determination and skill to make their busy lives work together, it's them.
Why is it, then, that leaving Atsumu for even one night feels treacherous? A boulder sits heavy on Shinsuke's chest, begging him to let the two of them stay, begging him to ignore the real world for a bit longer. Part of him knows it'd be easy to let the boulder sit there, too heavy to move.
Shinsuke slides out of bed. "Come on," he says, holding out a hand. Atsumu sighs, and lets Shinsuke tug him to his feet.
Shinsuke leads them to the living room, where the entrance to his house resides. His older sister, Yuka, sits curled up underneath the kotatsu, a book in her hand.
Self-consciously, Shinsuke lets go of Atsumu's hand. He feels Atsumu's eyes linger on his fingers.
"Hi, nee-chan," Shinsuke greets.
"Shin, Atsumu-kun," she responds in acknowledgement, not sparing a glance from her book. "Hey, Atsumu-kun. Don't let my brother be prudish about ya around me, kay?"
"...Um, okay," Atsumu replies, warily. "I'm not entirely sure what ya mean, Yuka-san."
At this, she peers above her book, directing a sharp stare at Shinsuke. "I know ya like him, dumbass. Hold his damn hand."
Shinsuke's face flames. He's sure Atsumu's cheeks are just as flushed, but with his sister's eyes still watching, Shinsuke tentatively links his fingers with Atsumu's once again. "We'll be on our way, then," he all but squeaks.
"It was nice to see ya, Atsumu-kun."
Atsumu clears his throat. "You too, Yuka-san."
Yuka smiles. "Have a nice night." She returns to her book.
Once the door shuts behind them, Atsumu erupts into a fit of giggles.
"Oh my god, Shinsuke, I don't think I've ever seen ya so red!"
"Ya weren't all that put together, either," Shinsuke huffs.
"Yeah, but that's because I'm me. Kita Shinsuke doesn't get flustered."
"That's not true at all," Shinsuke says. He lowers his voice. "I get flustered...around ya."
Atsumu smiles wide, amber eyes shining bright. Even in the dim light, the pink painting his cheeks is pertinent."Yeah," he says, kissing Shinsuke's nose. "Ya really do sometimes, don't ya?" Shinsuke huffs again.
This time, it's Atsumu tugging them along. "Come on, I wanna go to our tree."
"Sunset is in 15 minutes," Shinsuke reminds him. "I'm not sure we'll make it."
Atsumu tosses a look behind his shoulder, towards Shinsuke. "So? Let's hurry!"
They take a slow jog down the winding street. The air is warm, but not unbearably so. Still, by the time they reach their destination, there's a light coat of sweat sticky on Shinsuke's skin. Both his and Atsumu's hands are clammy and maybe a bit gross, but neither of them make any move to let go.
'Their' tree is a sturdy gingko that lives exactly midway between the Miya and Kita households. It was in the fall of Atsumu's third year, about four months ago, that they claimed it, before its leaves fell. Then, it had been a cacophony of colors – flaming oranges and yellows making it a sight to see. It was on a night not unlike this one, in which Shinsuke had been walking Atsumu home at sunset, that Atsumu had stopped in his tracks, head tilted upwards.
"Woah, Shinsuke-san," he had said, jovial. Their relationship had been new enough that Shinsuke had yet to convince Atsumu to drop the '-san.' "This tree is damn pretty."
"Yes, it is," Shinsuke had agreed, smiling. It was so like Atsumu to affectionately compliment something by declaring it 'damn pretty.'
"I'm gonna climb it," Atsumu had said with finality. "Join me?"
"Okay," Shinsuke had said easily. Easier than he should have, honestly. The branches had looked sturdy enough, but with two of them on there, and the sky darkening nonetheless, the chance of one of them falling and hurting themselves had been high.
But with Atsumu, Shinsuke had had the feeling that everything would be okay.
Now late March, the tree is mostly bare. Buds have started to appear, here and there, yet still, the branches look almost alarmingly gnarly without the colorful leaves that adorned them in the fall.
Golden sunlight illuminates their path as they make their way up the gingko tree. Atsumu finds a spot on a particularly thick branch to settle and pats the space next to him. Shinsuke is quick to join him.
Even after all these months, being this high up can be a little frightening.
Shinsuke leans against the trunk next to him for support. Atsumu always saves him the safest spots to sit up here. He feels the light touch of his boyfriend's arm against his back, and lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.
"The sky is fuckin' gorgeous tonight," Atsumu comments.
It is. The clouds are unique, glowing a pleasant shade of pink, and oranges stripe the pale blue canvas. Shinsuke turns his gaze towards Atsumu. There's that same awe-struck face he had when he commented on this tree back in the fall. "It looks even better from up here," Shinsuke says, but he's still looking at Atsumu. Atsumu hums in agreement.
They watch the sun go down in peaceful silence. It's when the sun has almost dipped entirely below the horizon that Shinsuke speaks again.
"Atsumu," he starts, voice timid. "I'm going to miss you."
Atsumu lets out a hearty laugh, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "Look who's dramatic now!" he jokes good-naturedly.
Shinsuke watches their dangling feet. It makes him feel a little dizzy. "I wasn't talking about just tonight."
"Oh."
After a moment's pause, the ghosting touch of the hand that's been behind Shinsuke's back settles onto his hip. "Talk to me, Shinsuke," Atsumu whispers. "Are ya scared?"
"...Are ya not?"
Atsumu inhales. "I don't think so." He drums his fingers against Shinsuke's hip. "Well, maybe a little. But...mostly not."
Shinsuke furrows his eyebrows. "How so?" he asks quietly.
"Because we're together, Shin," Atsumu says. "And I don't just mean romantically. We were teammates before, on the team, but I'd like to think that we never really stopped, 'cause we started datin'. So we'll work through it, side by side."
"I see what yer sayin' but...teammates don't stay on the same team forever. They get tired of each other, or move on to different paths," Shinsuke points out. "'Tsum...I'm just scared that it'll be too much. For you."
It was unlike Shinsuke to be vulnerable like this. It was unlike Shinsuke to feel vulnerable like this.
"Shinsuke–," Atsumu sighs, running a hand through his bleached hair. He could probably use a touch-up soon. Normally, Osamu does it. Last time, they let Shinsuke watch. It was nice, the three of them being together.
Shinsuke wonders if the next time Atsumu dyes his hair, either him or Osamu will be there.
"Shinsuke, look at me." When he doesn't immediately follow Atsumu's request, Atsumu delicately grabs his chin and turns Shinsuke's head to face him. "What's that thing you always tell me? I am built upon the small things I do every day, and…"
"...And the end results are no more than a byproduct of that," Shinsuke finishes, holding Atsumu's gaze.
"Yeah." Atsumu smiles, dropping the hand holding Shinsuke's chin. "Doesn't that apply to our relationship, too? We'll take it day by day, and if it doesn't work out, then it doesn’t. But if it does, well, we'll just keep going."
The connection doesn't make much sense, but a smile tugs on Shinsuke's lips all the same.
"Shin?"
"Yes, Atsumu?"
"I love you, like a lot. I can't imagine any reason that would make me stop."
Oh. Shinsuke's heart skips a beat. He leans forward, closing his eyes, and Atsumu meets him halfway. Against Atsumu's lips, Shinsuke whispers, "I love you too."
Love isn't always enough. Shinsuke knows this. But here, underneath the starry sky, high up in the trees, Shinsuke thinks maybe it will be. For them, maybe it's all they will need.