Chapter Text
The world is about to end.
Kageyama raises his eyebrow at the “about to” and grunts. The world has, in every sense of the word, ended . At least any sane (alive) person would think so, considering two-third of the population perished to natural disasters and the other half to man-made ones. The very foundation of Miyagi that rested on bright lights and loud chatters sometime in the past has been reduced to eternal gray skies and a dense mist that envelops the empty streets of the prefecture. Apart from occasional fires that light up the sky, days and nights feel the same to the meager amount of people that are alive to witness them.
He dusts the grass off the pamphlet and shoves it in his bag without thinking twice. He could use it to make fire later in the night. The road he is walking on is widespread, with two lanes on either side. All four lanes are packed with crashed cars and other vehicles and Kageyama has to maneuver his way in the fog lest he ends up taking some other road. As he walks, the fog becomes thicker and he unties his backpack and takes out the flashlight. He is just inspecting a car for resources when he hears shuffling behind him.
“Ooooo did you find something special?”
Kageyama practically jumps and whips around in alarm, defensive and deliberate. “Jesus Christ. Are you stupid?”
“Hah? Sorry! It’s just that I searched that car already and… Wait a second. Why am I stupid? You’re stupid!”
Kageyama would respond to the snark, but he’s busy staring at the tiny man in front of him. He has vividly orange, curly hair, freckles distributed on his nose and light brown eyes. The mysterious man is significantly shorter than himself, but his presence is bold and intense.
And for some reason, the only thing Kageyama thinks is, wow. I haven’t seen the sun in so long.
“Sneaking up on strangers when the world has ended is a pretty idiotic move,” Kageyama shakes himself out of the surprise and responds, “if you ask me.”
“Wow, you’re very optimistic.”
The two glare at each other for a minute before the man takes a step closer, “I’m Hinata Shouyou. And I’m really sorry about what happened before, I get why it would shock people.”
Kageyama takes a minute to react, but he gives a curt nod. “I’m Kageyama.”
“Where are you heading?” Hinata takes another step forwards and gleams at the other. Kageyama feels like he has to keep blinking to avoid the amount of color the other seems to have; in a world that is now completely gray and black, Hinata Shouyou is orange and brown.
Kageyama shrugs, “Is there anywhere anyone’s heading these days? I doubt there’s anything left. You?”
Hinata leans in closer as if he's about to let him in on a secret, his voice dropping an octave, “Haven’t you heard, Kageyama-kun? There’s a safe zone in the smack center of Tokyo. That’s where I’m going, obviously.”
“Obviously,” he repeats, incredulous that someone could be stupid-er than him, “Have you maybe considered that it’s a scam and you’ll probably get jumped? Dumbass!”
Hinata looks offended as he swings his arms dramatically, “You’re the dumbass, dumbass! I’ve heard this information from a primary source! It’s real and very true, you can rot here for all I care!”
Kageyama stilts, frowning. It’s not like he had anything going on for him here, so he might as well go. On the other hand, this Hinata fellow seemed like he attracted trouble and was an idiot. And Kageyama had been alone for so long, he didn’t know how well he would do with company. Traveling with someone else was a no-no. He could not let anyone get close to him again, not after what happened.
“Okay. I’ll rot here.”
He turns his flashlight on and walks ahead, expecting a cry of disbelief to follow him. Yet, he only finds silence. He walks a little more before turning around in mild curiosity,
The spot where the sun itself stood was empty, desolate and gray once again. Kageyama felt his heart break a little. Alone. He was once again, all alone. And maybe he would be alone his entire life.
Alone.
“You’re softer than you look, Kageyama-kun.”
The voice is very close to his ear, and Kageyama begins to whip out his emergency knife before he spots a mane of orange again and sighs. He grabs the latter’s hair instead (who cries out in pain) and grunts.
“Ow- what did I even say? Is this how you treat strangers??”
“No stranger has sneaked up on me twice!”
“Okay well, I’m sorry but you seemed so sad when I was leaving so I was like maybe I should just tag along-”
“Dumbass, I’m not sad! And you’re not tagging along, I like to be alone!”
Hinata mimics the former, “I LiKe To bE aLoNe! Stupid-yama, no one likes to be alone!”
Kageyama has no response to the claim, and he replies with his hand in the latter’s hair once again. But somewhere deep past the heartache and guilt, some part of him agrees.
“And I’m not the one tagging along, you are!”
….
It does not matter that Kageyama, over the course of last 7 days, has told Hinata to fuck off every second hour. It does not matter that they have to sleep in the same sleeping bag because dumbass Hinata doesn’t have any. It doesn’t even matter that Kageyama has to steal and prepare food for 2 people because someone doesn't know how to cook. No, he has to endure all of this and make sure this idiot reaches the safe zone, if it even exists.
"So," Kageyama begins, staring at the dwindling firelight, "what's the plan once we get to the safe zone?" His voice is gruff, partly from exhaustion, partly from annoyance, but mostly from a need to fill the oppressive silence. The use of we is not lost on Hinata, who smiles a little.
Hinata, who had been poking at the fire with a stick, looks up, a flicker of mischief in his eyes despite their dire circumstances. "I don't know," he admits, his voice softer than usual. "But we'll be safe there, right? Away from all... this." He gestures vaguely at the darkness surrounding them, the unseen threats lurking just beyond their makeshift camp. “Anyway, it’s not really a safe zone. I’m assuming there’s a lot of survivors living there.”
Kageyama grunts in response, not entirely convinced. The safe zone was more of a rumor than a confirmed haven, a whisper among survivors who Kageyama had met a while back. But it was all they had to cling to, a shred of hope in a world gone to hell. Not that Kageyama had any, he would not allow it for himself.
“You do realize we have to walk like 300 kilometers more, right? Tokyo is not exactly around the corner,” Kageyama grumbles, rubbing his temples.
Hinata, undeterred by the distance, grins brightly. “Yeah, but we can do it! We’ve come this far already, haven’t we?” Kageyama grimaces. There’s no way someone could be this optimistic, right?
“You mean to say you’ve dragged me all this way. Yes.”
On not receiving a “ Guwaah Kageyama-kun, you’re so mean! ”, Kageyama looks up in anticipation. Hinata, for the first time since he’s known him, looks small. He’s curled up into himself, taking breaths in long draws as he pokes at the fire.
“I haven’t seen my family in years,” Hinata says quietly, his voice almost lost in the crackling of the fire. “When everything happened, I was on my own. I was 18, and I haven’t seen them since.” He gestures vaguely at the ruined buildings, the emptiness in the parking lot.
Kageyama freezes, this was the last thing he expected. Hinata’s voice trails off, leaving an unsettling silence between them. The latter struggles to find the right words, something to comfort Hinata or at least acknowledge his pain. He’s never done this before; how would he know what to say?
After a comfortable silence, “Tobio. My name is Tobio.”
Both Kageyama and Hinata reel back in surprise at how tender the former sounded, almost apologetic. Kageyama closes his eyes, watching flames dance along the shadows. Perhaps at times like these people would share their own trauma, would cry over it and comfort each other. But he had no such luxury, he would not allow himself to be the victim in this situation.
He blinks and finds Hinata watching him intently. The firelight dances in Hinata’s eyes, giving them a molten glow, as if they were forged from the same flame. It’s alarming how sudden and how heavy the realization dawns on Kageyama.
Hinata is beautiful.
Kageyama looks away.
It begins raining soon, with dark clouds hanging low above them. It is so dark and dense they can barely see anything out of their makeshift tent. All they hear is the constant drum of the rain on the tent and the occasional howl of a wind.
“Great, now this will go on for a week.” Hinata sighs, tugging at the sleeping bag that they’re sharing, scowling at his inability to grab it from the other. “Have you seen Tokyo before?”
The question takes Kageyama by surprise, who narrows his indigo eyes and takes a while to respond. “Yes, with my grandfather.”
Hinata’s curiosity is piqued. “What was it like?”
Kageyama shifts uncomfortably, his mind traveling back to a time that seems like a distant dream. “It was... busy. Full of people and noise. Lights everywhere. My grandfather used to take me to the big park near Shinjuku. It was peaceful there, despite everything.”
Hinata listens intently, his eyes reflecting a wistful longing. “It sounds amazing. I’ve always wanted to see it, but I never had the chance.”
Kageyama nods, lost in his memories. “Yeah, it was. But it’s all gone now. Just ruins and ghosts.”
They sit in silence for a moment, the rain’s rhythm filling the void. Hinata breaks the silence, his voice softer. “Do you miss him? Your grandfather, I mean.”
Kageyama swallows hard, his throat tight. He can’t think about this now. He can’t, he can’t, he can’t. There are flashes of rubble and dust, screams blaring in his mind as he squeezes his eyes shut. He counts to ten softly, choosing to linger on the softness of Hinata’s breaths and the way their bodies touch slightly, before he feels something on his forehead. His eyes open in surprise, Hinata’s hand rests gently on the top of his hair, occasionally caressing him as if soothing a child.
“It’s not your fault.”
The daze in Kageyama’s eyes is replaced by something much more horrific, a deep-seated fear and guilt that he has buried for so long.
“What?” Kageyama’s voice trembles, the façade of strength cracking. He sits up and shifts away from the burning heat of Hinata’s hands. “You don’t know what happened. You don’t know what I...”
“I don’t have to know, stupid. It’s written all over your face. It doesn’t matter what happened, it is not your fault.” Hinata enunciates the words to attempt to drill them into the latter’s head. It doesn’t seem like it’s working.
Kageyama turns around, drawing deep breaths to calm his racing heart. No, it was all his fault, if only he had turned around and gone back. If only…
In the past .
Kageyama stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him with a force that echoed down the narrow hallway. His heart pounded in his chest, anger and frustration boiling over. The argument with his mother replayed in his mind, each word sharper and more hurtful than the last. He needed to cool off, needed space to clear his head. He walked quickly, not caring where he was going, just needing to get away. The streets were busy, people rushing past him, oblivious to his inner turmoil. He found himself at the edge of a small park, a quiet oasis amid the city's chaos. He sat on a bench, trying to calm his racing thoughts.
Kageyama's relationship with his mother had always been complicated. She was a strong woman, fiercely protective and always pushing him to be his best. But sometimes, her expectations felt suffocating. Tonight’s fight had been about his future, a topic that always seemed to end in conflict.
“I just want you to have a good life, Tobio,” she had said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I want you to be happy.”
“Maybe I don’t want the life you want for me!” he shouted back, regretting the words even as he said them. The hurt in her eyes had been like a knife to his heart, but his pride wouldn’t let him apologize.
His grandfather had always been his refuge in moments like these. The old man had a calming presence, a way of making the world seem less overwhelming. Kageyama missed their afternoons together, sitting in the park and talking about everything and nothing. His grandfather’s stories of growing up in a different time, his quiet wisdom, had always grounded him. But tonight his grandfather had sat in the corner, quiet and passive, almost as if he agreed with his mother.
So when the Earth shook and buildings collapsed, it took him mere seconds to forget all that had taken place a few hours ago. While he was running back, his mind reeled with thoughts. He would do whatever his mother wanted him to, even if he hated it. He would text his father sometimes too, even though they lived miles away and he didn’t particularly feel anything whenever they spoke. He would, begrudgingly, yes, but he would initiate conversations with his friends more and he would see them often. If all of this could turn back time, he would do it.
He turned the corner to his street and felt his heart stop. Where his apartment building had stood, there was now a mountain of rubble. It was as if a giant hand had crushed it, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Kageyama’s legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, the horror of the scene before him too much to comprehend. He screamed his throat raw, dug for hours until his hands bled and he could no longer stand, but stopping was not an option. There were screams and bodies all around, but the world around him ceased to exist, narrowed down to the desperate need to find a familiar face.
“Please,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “Please be alive.”
Rescue teams never came, there weren’t any left. And so, over the course of a few days, 17 year old Kageyama Tobio dug out the bodies of all of his family members one by one, covering them with whatever nice cloth he could find. He sat amidst the desolation for days, his hands calloused and heart heavy with grief, before a few survivors found him weak and starved.
In the present.
“If only I’d never left the house..” Kageyama shivers, his voice particularly timid.
“Then you would be dead.” Hinata says flatly. His hand has found itself tangled in Kageyama’s hair once again, leaving small tingles wherever the touch with his scalp succeeds. “Kageyama-kun, you’re alive.”
“What good am I alive?”
“Well, for starters, you’re saving a life.”
Kageyama startles and raises an eyebrow.
“Mine, stupid. You’re saving my life.” Hinata inches closer, and Kageyama swears he can count the eyelashes on both his eyes. He can differentiate between the soft amber at the edges of the orbs and the faded brown at their centers, a subtle gradient that hints at the life that resides within them. Can he let this happen, can he let himself feel? He has no time to answer the questions that float in his brain, because Hinata is kissing him hard and he’s equally reciprocative.
Hinata’s lips are soft and warm, and the kiss is desperate and urgent, a mingling of breath and emotion that leaves no room for doubt or hesitation. Kageyama's hands find their way to Hinata’s waist, pulling him closer as if anchoring himself to the only reality that matters in this moment. There is no way to tell where one ends and the other begins, wrapped around each other as the world remains silent, bar the pitter patter of the rain drops.
Perhaps, reality is the warmth of Hinata’s hand lingering on Kageyama’s neck. It is the amber eyes staring into his own, Hinata’s soft breath lacing the hollow of Kageyama’s trembling hands.
Perhaps reality is the way Hinata's breath hitches slightly before he speaks again, his voice soft but unwavering. "I’m here, Tobio." The words are barely above a whisper, but it feels like Kageyama’s whole has sunk into the impact of what they mean. He doesn’t have to be alone anymore.
"I’m here," Hinata repeats, a little firmer this time, as if he can sense what he’s thinking.
Kageyama swallows hard, emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He reaches up, his hand trembling slightly, to cup Hinata's cheek. The touch is tentative at first, but when Hinata leans into it, Kageyama feels a surge of courage.
…
It’s raining, and Kageyama stands right outside the tent, his eyes fixated on the flickering neon board. He pushes his hair back from his eyes and takes a deep breath. There is a black cat curled up under an abandoned car, shivering occasionally from the cold. The rain beats a steady rhythm on the pavement, the sound almost soothing despite the chill in the air. The neon sign of the nearby diner flickers, casting sporadic light across the wet ground, and he wonders if maybe they should head there for resources, if any.
The cat stirs and looks at him with wary eyes, as if sensing his unease. Kageyama gives a small, almost apologetic smile. “Guess you’re stuck out here too, huh?” he murmurs, more to himself than the cat. For the past four years, he had been alone; his only companions were cats. They would be scared of his scowling face at first, but would eventually be won over by the food he offered. He would talk to them, sometimes, as they relished the food and stared at him in curiosity.
He had found a strange comfort in those solitary conversations, the soft purrs and contented meows filling the silence of his lonely nights. Kageyama bends down on his knees and calls to the cat softly. The black cat's ears twitch at the sound, and it cautiously lifts its head to look at him with sharp green eyes. For a moment, the cat hesitates, its eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
And then it runs away.
Kageyama lets out a sigh and turns around to re-enter the warm tent. Hinata is awake now, his eyes blinking up at the latter.
“Kageyama-kun, I’m hungry.”
"Me too," Kageyama replies with a smile. "Let's see what we have left."
He rummages through their supplies and pulls out a couple of energy bars and a can of fruit. Hinata sits up, watching with interest.
"Not exactly a feast, but it'll do," Kageyama says, handing Hinata one of the bars.
Hinata takes it gratefully and starts unwrapping it. "Thanks. We should go to that diner in the morning, check if there’s anything left we could use."
Kageyama nods.
…
They are at the edge of Tokyo when they encounter fog so dense that they can’t see anything beyond their own feet.
Kageyama grabs Hinata’s hand, “Don’t let go.”
He can almost hear Hinata’s smile as he tightens his grip in affirmation, responding, “I think we should be there by tomorrow. Remember the broadcast? They said there’s very thick fog around the zone. We must be close.”
The fog curls around them like a living thing, dampening the sounds of the city until it feels like they are the only two people in the world. Kageyama's footsteps are careful, each step measured and deliberate, while Hinata’s shorter stride keeps pace beside him.
The streetlights cast an eerie glow, their light diffused and swallowed by the fog, creating a surreal, almost dreamlike atmosphere. The occasional silhouette of a building looms ahead, only to disappear again into the mist as they walk.
“Remember The Maze Runner ? Sorta feels like we’re in it.” Hinata snickers, an odd sound in such eerie silence. Kageyama rolls his eyes but turns to face the other anyway, barely making out the small silhouette of the man beside him.
“I don’t remember it, no. But this could be a movie on its own.”
“Hmm, two lovers, lost in the fog, searching for a safe zone in a post apocalyptic world,” Hinata muses, his voice light despite the tension in the air. “I’d watch that.”
Kageyama smiles softly at the label, a small chuckle escaping him. “Yeah, but knowing us, we’d end up arguing half the time about which way to go. And you’d always be wrong, dumbass.”
Amber eyes glint in mischief, and Hinata steps on Kageyama’s shoes purposefully. “Didn’t you say your sense of direction was worse than mine? Damnit, I should have recorded you saying it.”
Kageyama grins, “I mean I did technically survive four years without your fantastic skills, Sherlock Holmes.”
“Barely. If I hadn’t found you, you would still be in Miyagi with your loser fashion sense.”
“Oi, dumbass. You do know you look like a traffic cone, right?”
“You kiss this traffic cone good night every day.”
Kageyama scoffs playfully. "Only because you'd get lost in a crowd without it."
Hinata pokes Kageyama's chest. "You love it, admit it."
The latter smiles softly, his eyes reflecting fondness. "Yeah, I do." He looks over at Hinata, and his heart constricts. He’s learnt to be human in the past few weeks, learnt to give again. He has never said it, never verbally reciprocated the words whenever Hinata tells him he loves him, but he feels it so intensely that he wants to say it.
“Hinata, I–”, his throat is suddenly dry and they stop walking.
It’s clear that Hinata just knows, because he smiles. “I know, stupid. You don’t have to say it out loud. I’ve always known.” He stands on his tiptoes and plants a soft kiss on Kageyama’s eager lips.
“No, there’s more.”, Kageyama begins, interlocking his fingers with Hinata’s, inching closer until they stand mere centimeters away from each other. “I know it hasn’t been very long since we met, but you–”, he pauses, scrunching his nose in frustration. “Ever since before the apocalypse, I’ve always liked to be alone. Probably because I was always alone. So I grew wanting to be so independent that I forgot what it feels like to be able to touch people”, he cups Hinata’s face in his hands, “What I’m getting at is– you know how you said I was saving your life? Well, you saved mine.” He takes a deep breath, and smiles fondly, “I wish I was better with words, I really do. I could explain all of this better then.”
Hinata looks slightly startled, he cocks his head to the side in affection. “You’re such a dumbass. I love you too, always.”
Wow, it took him an entire speech to say what Hinata could sum up in a few words.
He’s about to respond to his lover with something equally as cheesy, but he hears shouts somewhere behind him and immediately whips around in the direction of the sound.
“Hinata! We’re here, I think, did you hear that?” He yells. The fog is so dense in this part of the city that he can’t even spot Hinata anymore, much less see anything beyond his own feet. He throws his arms around in an attempt to grab Hinata, but his hands find nothing but air. “Oi, dumbass! Where the fuck did you go?”
On finding no response, Kageyama feels his heart constricting with palpable fear. Maybe Hinata heard the voices and ran after them, the idiot that he is. Or maybe he too, is lost and looking for Kageyama in this endless mist. Winds have started to blow at great speeds, and Kageyama continues to scream for his companion. He is, however, only greeted with silence. Maybe he should try to calm down his pounding heart and walk towards the original direction of the sounds, Hinata just might be waiting for him there.
But something feels eerily off to Kageyama, the way Hinata just disappeared into thin air.
He takes small, deep breaths to calm down. His vision is limited, that’s all. The dumbass isn’t too stupid. But he’s been walking for too long now, and he sees no safe zone, or the people that were yelling before. Maybe he went in the wrong direction? Kageyama immediately walks back to the original location, but he can’t tell where he is anymore.
Panic begins to gnaw at the edges of his mind. The fog seems thicker, more oppressive, and every direction looks the same. He calls out, "Hinata! Where are you?" His voice echoes back, swallowed by the dense mist.
A lone. Alone. Alone.
The silence that follows is deafening. Kageyama's heart races as he retraces his steps, desperately trying to find any sign of his friend. The old buildings and cobblestone streets blur together in the fog, creating a labyrinth that feels impossible to navigate.
"Think, Kageyama, think," he mutters to himself. He stops for a moment, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing, trying to clear his mind. He needs to stay calm, needs to think logically. Hinata wouldn't just vanish; there has to be an explanation. Every direction he searches, it seems like there’s a standing silhouette at the edge, but whenever he tries to go closer it disappears.
He finally decides to get a hold of himself and stops, looking around for any indication of familiarity. There's a bench close to him; he feels the roughness of the stone and is certain he's been through here before. Kageyama wants to continue walking, but his legs feel heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and fear. He sits on the bench for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. The cold, hard surface against his skin grounds him slightly, giving him a semblance of reality in this disorienting place. He closes his eyes and tries to think.
“Calm down, Kageyama!”
He gets up suddenly. There’s no one around, so who did he hear? Apart from the whistle of the wind, there is only the shifty, heavy fog. He cups his aching head, trying to steady his thoughts.
The voice, so familiar and so clear, sends a shiver down his spine. But.. it sounds so distant, almost as if it's a scarily accurate imitation of Hinata. There are thoughts and memories fighting into his brain, trying to make sense of the impossibility. The more he thinks, the more fragmented his reality becomes.
He stumbles back, clutching his head. "This can't be happening," he mutters to himself, the words tumbling out in a desperate attempt to anchor himself. "Hinata, where are you?"
He remembers the last moments with Hinata, the horrifying silence that followed the accident, and the feeling of his world collapsing.
In the past.
Kageyama glared at his mother, his hand tightening around his phone. He is the tallest man in the room, overshadowing his grandfather and the smaller man standing next to him.
“Calm down, Kageyama!” Hinata's voice cuts through the tension, and he visibly relaxes.
“All I’m saying is that there are other things to do in life than study.”
“What else will you do? Play volleyball and earn money? You need to go to college!” His mother retorts, hands on her hips as she looks angrily at her son.
“You can earn money through volleyball. You would know if you ever actually listened to what I was saying!” Kageyama grits through his teeth, glancing at his boyfriend, who seems to be apologetically involved. Hinata tries to wiggle his eyes and pass some sort of cryptic boyfriend message to Kageyama, and clearly fails.
“Tobio! I-”
“I just need some space. I’ll be back in a bit, I promise.” He flashes a small smile at Hinata, and shuts the door loudly behind him. His heart pounded in his chest, anger and frustration boiling over. The argument with his mother replayed in his mind, each word sharper and more hurtful than the last. He needed to cool off, needed space to clear his head. He walked quickly, not caring where he was going, just needing to get away. The streets were busy, people rushing past him, oblivious to his inner turmoil. He found himself at the edge of a small park, a quiet oasis amid the city's chaos. He sat on a bench, trying to calm his racing thoughts.
And then the world ended.
In the present.
Kageyama had himself pulled Hinata’s body out from under the rubble, his shock so great that he was almost mechanical. His movements were stiff, his mind numb to the gravity of the situation. The weight of Hinata's lifeless form in his arms felt surreal, like a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.
He remembers the way Hinata’s body had been still, unnaturally so. The warmth that had always radiated from his lover was gone, replaced by a cold emptiness. Kageyama had cradled his face in his cold neck, whispering desperate pleas, hoping for a miracle that would never come.
Kageyama's knees buckle, and he sinks to the ground, clutching his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Hinata," he choked out, tears streaming down his face. "I’m so sorry."
He can’t tell reality from his dreams anymore, can’t tell if the warmth he felt moments before was something this brain conjured to cope with the death of the love of his life. Perhaps he had forgotten to remain sane, perhaps he should do the same again. Only a few steps away from the safe zone, he has lost everything again. “Safe”, he whispers and chuckles, “Safe from what? I have nothing left anymore.”
Kageyama laughs like a madman who has realized his madness, his laugh echoing through the emptiness of the city.