Chapter Text
It was a week into quarantine and as much as he tried, Osamu was running thin on ways to keep busy during the day, which just made it much harder to try to sleep.
It was already one in the morning and Osamu suppressed the frustrated groan he wanted to let out as he rolled onto his back again after failing to fall asleep on either of his sides in the last hour. He didn’t want to wake up Yamaguchi, after all, who’d managed to fall asleep before Osamu even put away his phone for the night. He lifted the blanket slightly to see Yamaguchi’s face buried in the mattress, arms resting under his head before smiling fondly. Osamu didn’t know how he hadn’t suffocated yet. He leaned in to plant a soft kiss on the crown of Yamaguchi’s head before carefully climbing out of bed.
He walked to the kitchen and pulled a glass from the cupboard, which he filled in the sink before chugging and turning the faucet back on to refill it.
“Can’t sleep?” he heard from behind him halfway through his second glass and Osamu nearly choked.
“The fuck, ‘Tsumu. You coulda killed me,” he hissed, trying to keep his voice low.
Atsumu shrugged and walked past Osamu to bend down under the sink and drink straight from the tap.
“No, I couldn’t sleep,” he said with a sigh as he leaned against the counter. “I just haven’t been doin’ enough. I feel antsy.”
Atsumu wiped his mouth with his sleeve when he stood back up from the sink. “Tell me about it. Me an’ Shoyo have been followin’ as much of the practice regimen as we can but it’s not enough. Only reason he’s asleep now is ‘cause he spent two hours on the stationary bike.”
Osamu laughed as that. “Maybe we shoulda followed his lead.” He paused for just a second before he asked, “Wanna work ou—”
“Yeah,” Atsumu responded and they both moved at the same time towards the corner of the living room farthest from the bedrooms.
Atsumu laid down on the rug in front of the couch and Osamu grabbed his ankles to anchor his feet as Atsumu began his first set of sit-ups.
“Are we on day seven?” he asked.
“I think we finished day seven. Since it’s after midnight. Onto day eight.”
“Shit I’m bored,” Atsumu groaned. “It’s better with the crows here, though.”
“For us, maybe,” Osamu said. “We’re used to sharin’ a room constantly and always havin’ company. Tadashi’s an only child and he lives alone. This might suck for him.”
“You’re worried he’s gonna get sick of you?” Atsumu asked, jokingly, but Osamu frowned.
“Yeah, kinda.”
Atsumu paused for a moment, then said, “Damn, you’re stupid.”
Osamu smacked Atsumu on the head when he came back into range. “If not sick of me, then sick of you at least.”
“Asshole,” Atsumu replied then they sat in silence until Atsumu finished his reps and they switched. “He’s not gonna get sick of you. If Shoyo can put up with me, Tadashi can put up with you.”
“But what if he realizes he doesn’t wanna put up with me. Two weeks in quarantine might be suffocatin’ for him in a way that it ain’t for us.”
“Does he seem suffocated?”
“No, but—”
“Then shut up. This is the most time you’ve got to spend together since, ya know. Ever. Enjoy it.”
So Osamu shut up. Once he’d finished his set, Atsumu let go of his ankles and snuck back into his room to grab the dumbbells from under the bed so they could move into strength exercises.
Once they finished working out, they high fived quietly before splitting ways and heading back to bed. Osamu was quiet opening the door and careful when he laid back in bed. But when he looked over, he saw Yamaguchi looking back at him frowning.
“Aw shit, did I wake y—” he was cut off when Yamaguchi suddenly set his hand on the other side of Osamu’s head and leaned in to kiss him. It was soft in the kind of way that made Osamu’s throat tighten as he thought, how lucky am I. But it ended just as abruptly, and Yamaguchi turned away from him, pulling the sheet back over his shoulder. “Al…right.” Osamu said in surprise. But he frowned when he saw how tense Yamaguchi’s shoulders were. “Darlin’?” he asked, gently combing through Yamaguchi’s hair. “Is everythin’ okay?”
“You really think I could get sick of you?” Yamaguchi asked, not looking back at him.
“A—ah, ya heard that?” he asked sheepishly before hooking his arms under Yamaguchi’s and pulling them closer together. He pressed a kiss to the single freckle on his shoulder blade. “No, it’s just… Normally it’s just you and me when we get to spend weekends together. But I know me and ‘Tsumu together can be a lot to deal with. And for two whole weeks… I just don’t wantcha to feel—”
“You aren’t suffocating me,” Yamaguchi said firmly but Osamu just frowned.
“Maybe not yet,” he mumbled against Yamaguchi’s shoulder before Yamaguchi squirmed out of Osamu’s hold enough that he could turn around in his arms.
“Do you feel suffocated with me here?”
“No,” Osamu stressed, “Not at all, Tadashi-kun. I know the circumstances suck, but I love havin’ ya here.”
“And I love being here. Getting to spend time together. With a long-distance relationship, this is the best thing we could ask for. Even under shitty circumstances,” Yamaguchi reasoned. When Osamu just rolled his shoulders slightly, Yamaguchi snaked his hand free and brought it to the underside of Osamu’s jaw, tilting his chin up so he had nowhere to look but into Yamaguchi’s eyes. “I love being here,” he said again, and then, quieter with less confidence he continued, “And I love you. You don’t have to worry about me. At least try to enjoy it? Please?”
Osamu didn’t think he’d ever denied Yamaguchi anything, so it just wasn’t fair for him to ever ask ‘please.’ Osamu was too weak to resist that. With a soft exhale of all of his anxieties, he leaned forward to kiss Yamaguchi. “Okay,” he obliged quietly when he leaned back. Yamaguchi sighed softly in relief before taking advantage of his hand still on Osamu’s chin to tilt his head upwards so he could press a kiss to the base of Osamu’s neck.
“Thank you,” he murmured before sliding his arms around Osamu’s chest.
And with Yamaguchi’s arms wrapped tightly around him, Osamu found falling asleep far easier.
The next evening found Yamaguchi sitting fully clothed in the empty bathtub, holding out his glass for Hinata to refill with wine. The bathroom fan was running, and Hinata’s portable speaker was playing through a Spotify playlist Hinata had found titled: songs to get railed by msby’s atsumu to, which Hinata had thought was utterly hysterical. Much to Atsumu’s chagrin.
One thing about quarantining as a group was the lack of privacy. Osamu and Atsumu weren’t known for being quiet so it made sense that Yamaguchi overheard them, but the apartment was really too small to not be overheard in. And it wasn’t like they were going to say anything they didn’t want the twins to know, but they at least felt they could speak a little more easily with the background noise keeping their conversation private as Yamaguchi told Hinata what Osamu had said.
“I just don’t get what he was worried about,” Hinata said, taking a sip of his wine.
“Me neither,” Yamaguchi said with a frown. “I’m the one who should be worried. I mean, he knows that I’m the lucky one here, right? He’s so far out of my league, it’s ridiculous.”
“Alright, don’t be so dramatic. He may be vaguely out of your league, but not by much.”
Yamaguchi snorted. “Look, the twins are just on another level. Why do you think there’s no ‘getting railed by Hinata Shoyo’ playlists out there?”
“Are you trying to hurt my feelings right now?”
“Just trying to keep you humble,” Yamaguchi said before they both bust up laughing.
Outside of the bathroom, all that was audible was their tipsy laughter, and Atsumu was staring down the hall at the bathroom door longingly.
“I feel like we’re missin’ out on somethin’ out here,” Atsumu complained as Osamu worked on dinner.
“You kinda sequester Hinata away whenever you can. That’s the only way they can interact just the two of ‘em.”
Atsumu dropped his head onto the counter. “Whatever.”
While Atsumu felt left out by the Karasuno-only two-man party going on in their bathroom, Osamu couldn’t help but smile to himself. Yamaguchi’s laugh was one of his favorite things in the world; and given he could hear that from where he was, he had no issue being excluded.
“You’ve been makin’ that face a lot today,” Atsumu accused and Osamu wiped his smitten smile away through sheer willpower.
“Shut up.”
“What happened to the whiney self-pityin’ from last night?”
Osamu shrugged. “Tadashi overheard and scolded me. Said he was glad to be here with me. Seemed like he meant it.”
Atsumu hummed with some meaning Osamu figured he shouldn’t decipher yet, and got back to cooking.
With perfect timing, the crows exited the bathroom just as Osamu was placing the finishing garnishes on their meal. The bottle of wine in Hinata’s hand was close to empty and they were both a little flushed when they joined the twins in the kitchen. “You wanna eat?” Osamu asked.
“I said ‘Eat what?’” Hinata said, bringing a hand to his chin before cackling at his own reference.
“Shoyo-kun!” Atsumu spluttered. “Blasphemy!”
Yamaguchi just rolled his eyes before joining Osamu in the kitchen to help him serve everyone. Dinner was chaotic, but after eating, the crows sobered up enough that they could watch a movie together, and Osamu cherished the feeling of Yamaguchi tucked against his side throughout the movie. The weight of Yamaguchi’s head against his shoulder was something he never wanted to part with. But given they obviously couldn’t stay like that forever, just meant he felt an unfair loss when Yamaguchi stood up after the credits to get ready for bed.
“We’re gonna keep watchin’,” Atsumu said from where he laid with his head on Hinata’s lap as Yamaguchi headed for the bathroom.
“You’re gonna clean the dishes first,” Osamu told him, after he’d watched Yamaguchi round the corner.
When Atsumu tried to ignore him, Hinata stood up, knocking Atsumu off of the couch. “He cooked, it’s only fair,” Hinata said and helped Atsumu back to his feet as Osamu gave him a thumbs up.
Though he let them do most of the work, he lingered in the kitchen after they’d finished to dry the dishes now sitting on the rack. From his vantage point, with the bathroom door open, Osamu could see Yamaguchi reaching the end of his nighttime routine as he filled the mouthwash cap and tossed it back.
He finished drying the last pot from dinner and wiped off his hands on his sweats before walking towards the bathroom just as Yamaguchi shut off the light and stepped out into the hall. “Hiya,” he said, stopping Yamaguchi in the doorway with his hands on his hips before leaning in for a kiss. Yamaguchi’s breath was minty fresh and it made Osamu smile.
“Hiya,” Yamaguchi said back. “Ready for bed?”
“Hmm, not quite yet. I should shower first,” he said, but made no move to let go.
“Oh yeah? I was thinking of showering too,” Yamaguchi said.
‘You can go first,’ Osamu was about to offer when he noticed Yamaguchi’s grin. “Oh yeah?” he said instead.
Without pulling away from Osamu, Yamaguchi slipped his hands up the back of Osamu’s shirt and walked backwards, back into the bathroom. Osamu shut the door behind them before he let Yamaguchi pull his shirt off and toss it onto the floor.
Then he slid his nail under the top button of Yamaguchi’s shirt and carefully undid them all before pulling it off of his shoulders and leaning in to kiss his neck as Yamaguchi pulled his arms from the sleeves and let the shirt fall to the ground beside Osamu’s.
As Yamaguchi unzipped his jeans, Osamu stepped out of his sweats and underwear before pulling back the curtain and getting in under the stream of hot water. He had just managed to get his hair wet when the sound of the curtain rings sliding across the metal rod came again and he was joined by his partner.
He turned to face Yamaguchi and looked him up and down before shaking his head slightly. “How’d I get so damn lucky?” he asked before reaching for Yamaguchi’s hands to pull him under the showerhead and into a kiss, but Yamaguchi interrupted with a snicker against Osamu’s lips. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m getting déjà vu. I had this same conversation with Hinata in here earlier.”
“’bout how lucky I am?” he asked with a grin.
Yamaguchi shook his head. “The other way around,” he said without further elaboration. Then he asked, “Can I wash your hair?”
Osamu nodded before sitting down on the floor of the tub while Yamaguchi sat on the edge, and let Osamu lean against his knees before carefully working in the shampoo with deft fingers. Osamu melted into him, basking in the feeling.
Why he’d been so worried about Yamaguchi growing tired of him, he could barely remember. No one had ever been quite so tender with him, and he sighed contentedly when Yamaguchi finished washing his hair and moved his hands down to rub at the tight spot between Osamu’s shoulder blades.
Osamu let Yamaguchi pamper him for only a moment longer before he sat up onto his knees and turned around. He slipped his arms under Yamaguchi’s thighs and bracing his weight with Yamaguchi’s legs over his shoulders, Osamu lifted him gently from the ledge and lowered him back down into the tub. Now content in the knowledge that Yamaguchi wouldn’t tumble backwards, Osamu situated himself between his legs. He pressed one kiss to the inside of Yamaguchi’s thigh; then he looked up and asked gently, “Can I?”
Yamaguchi’s provocative smile and the certainty behind his small nod nearly made Osamu lose his composure. He was supposed to be the provocative one here—how come that never ended up the case?
But when Yamaguchi’s hands went to his hair again, this time to tangle his fingers in, Osamu remembered his nerve.
Yamaguchi woke up to the sun shining in his eyes and realized he’d forgotten to close the curtains the night before. He debated getting up to close them but before he could make up his mind, Osamu pulled him a bit closer in his sleep and he decided he could bear the blinding light for at least a bit longer. He ran a hand gently through Osamu’s hair and shook his head fondly when he saw Osamu’s phone lying just beside his head on the pillow. He was always up later than Yamaguchi, but Yamaguchi still didn’t know how he managed to actually fall asleep while still staring at a screen.
He stayed put for a little while longer before he heard Atsumu’s door open and the pedals of the stationary bike begin to turn. He carefully disentangled himself from Osamu’s grasp and stepped out into the hallway. Though when he glanced into the living room, he saw it was Atsumu on the bike, with his headphones on and watching something on his iPad.
So instead he headed towards Atsumu’s room, where Hinata was positioned on the floor, doing his warmups. “Morning,” Yamaguchi said and Hinata looked up at him with a smile.
“Morning. You’re up early.”
Yamaguchi shrugged. “It really is hard to burn energy in quarantine, I don’t feel very tired.”
“Wanna work out with me?” Hinata asked and Yamaguchi watched as Hinata bent in a way he knew his body simply would not move.
“I’m actually going to do my own thing, I think,” he said, pulling out his phone navigating to the yoga YouTube channel his coworker had found. “Osamu is still asleep, is it alright if I exercise in here?”
“Sure,” Hinata said before fishing a pair of dumbbells out from under the bed to begin on his arm training.
They executed their own routines in silence for a while before Yamaguchi had to turn towards the door to enter the next pose and he scoffed. Hinata had just gripped onto the pullup bar, which now hung from the hallway door rather than the closet, and flipped himself upside down, hooking his knees over it. “Is that safe?” Yamaguchi asked.
Hinata let go of the bar with his hands and looked at Yamaguchi from upside down. “I haven’t fallen yet,” was all he said before he crossed his arms over his chest and began his upside-down crunches.
Yamaguchi shook his head and was about to look back to his video when the sound in his headphones cut out and his screen went black. “Damn, my phone just died,” Yamaguchi frowned, sitting up off of the ground. He looked around for a charger, but only saw the MSBY phone case on the dresser and pointed towards it. “Can I finish watching on yours?”
“Sure thing,” Hinata grunted without looking back at him. Yamaguchi shuffled over to the dresser on his knees and picked up the phone. He turned it over to see the lock screen image of Hinata and Atsumu covered up by a text notification (sporting “9 more messages” filed beneath it) from Osamu from one in the morning.
Do Hinata and Osamu text? he wondered and was about to ask when he read:
Long distance is ass
And froze, his heart hammering in his chest.
He knew this was an invasion of privacy, but if Osamu was going to end things, he thought it would break his heart more to be blindsided.
He clicked the notification to expand the messages and nearly dropped the phone.
Quarantine spoiled me. I’ve gotten so used to having him here, I’m not ready for him to go back
It’s too soon to talk about moving in, right?
Not that he’d wanna leave Miyagi. You could probably get Hinata to move in permanently if I left tho
Would you be mad if I left Osaka?
Tsumu
Bro
Are you mad or did you fall asleep?
Asshole
Whatever. Ugh. I just don’t want him to leave yet
Long distance is ass
“I get so sweaty on that thing, don’t know how you can do it for so long, Sho-kun,” Atsumu’s voice came from the hallway before he ducked under Hinata on his next rep. Hinata smiled and let himself hang upside down from the pullup bar.
“I spent my entire high school career biking for at least an hour every day. Can’t get bored of it now,” he said, face red from all the blood rushing to his head.
Atsumu smiled at him and crouched down slightly to kiss Hinata before letting him get on with his crunches. Atsumu turned around and cast his eyes about the room, searching before he landed on Yamaguchi. “Ah, is that my phone, Tadashi-kun?” he asked.
Yamaguchi nodded. “You and Hinata have the same phone case,” he stated rather slowly. “I meant to grab his.”
Hinata hummed a negative, “Mine has a card holder on the back.”
Yamaguchi held the phone out for Atsumu. “I’m really sorry. I swear I wasn’t trying to be nosy, I just…”
“No worries,” Atsumu said, and took the phone Yamaguchi offered him. “Thanks.” But when he checked his notifications, he froze just as Yamaguchi had. “Wuh oh,” he said.
“I…” Yamaguchi tried, but couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Yeah.” Atsumu shook his head. “I wouldn’t know what to say either.”
Then the door to Osamu’s room squeaked open and he and Tadashi made eye contact through the open doorframe and past the exercising Hinata. Osamu smiled gently at him and, unwilling to push past Hinata to join them in the room as his brother had, just said, “Mornin’,” before he recognized the tense atmosphere. “Is everythin’ okay?”
Hinata noticed it too and went back to hanging from his knees to watch the situation unfold.
“I thought it was Hinata’s phone, I really didn’t mean to see it,” Yamaguchi tried to explain.
“See what?” Osamu asked before Atsumu held up his phone screen for him to see their unfinished conversation from the night before. Osamu cringed, then said, “’scuse me,” as he slid past Hinata to enter the room and approach his brother. He stopped just in front of Yamaguchi and Atsumu before he made a fist and bonked Atsumu on the top of his head. “Why don’tcha ever clear your notifications!” he snapped and Atsumu tossed his phone onto the bed to free his hands and grabbed a fistful of Osamu’s hair.
“Why don’tcha just come talk to me at night insteada textin’ me from the other room like a hermit!”
“’Cause I don’t wanna wake up either of our boyfriends, asshole!” Osamu shot back, pulling Atsumu’s hand from his hair before getting behind him and pulling him into a headlock. “Ah, shit!” he cursed when Atsumu jabbed him in the eye when trying to reach for his hair again.
Yamaguchi backed away from the conversation and dodged past the dismounting Hinata who tried to ask, “Okay, so what the hell—” but Yamaguchi had made for the balcony to clear his head.
He set his sweaty hands on the cold metal of the railing and gripped tightly as he took a deep breath.
Relief was primary amongst his emotions, but shock still dominated and made thinking impossible. Of course he’d been trying to think of ways he could see Osamu more often, and of course moving in together had crossed his mind. It was just such a 180 from what he’d immediately assumed. So he was still trying to get past: Osamu didn’t want to break up with him, before he could process, Osamu wants to move in with him.
Though he didn’t have time to finish processing, since he was only alone for a minute before the door slid open again.
“Tadashi…” Osamu said from behind him. Yamaguchi turned around to see Osamu’s hair in a state of disaster, and his eye slightly red from Atsumu’s blow. “I’m sorry, that’s not how I wanted that to go. And I shouldn’ta talked to ‘Tsumu before talkin’ to you. It’s just—me and ‘Tsumu—we aren’t very independent. I don’t think I’ve ever made a serious decision without tellin’ him first.”
“You want to move in together?” Yamaguchi asked, and Osamu cringed slightly, unable to read which way Yamaguchi’s incredulous tone was leaning.
“I wanna spend more time with you. I wanna see your face every day, and not just over video,” he said softly, stepping forwards to brush Yamaguchi’s hair from his forehead. “But it’s not just about what I want. It’s not a me-and-Atsumu decision. It’s a me-and-you decision. I just didn’t know how to bring it up, or if it’s even somethin’ you’d want.”
“Of course that’s what I want,” Yamaguchi said. “Long distance is so hard—and living together would make things so much easier. But I’m not ready to leave Miyagi, and I know being so far away from your brother would be hard for you.”
Osamu raised his shoulders slightly in embarrassment at his and Atsumu’s dependent habits. “It would be hard,” he conceded. “But, y’know, the next step in ‘Tsumu’s career is probably gonna be abroad. We’re gonna have to get used to bein’ apart eventually. And a six hour train ride is nothin’ compared to wherever he’s gonna spend the rest of his time in the pros.”
“Actually,” came Atsumu’s voice and they both jumped out of the tense conversation and looked to Atsumu poking his head out through the partially opened sliding door. “Shoyo and I have been talkin’ and I think we’re considering movin’ to Tokyo after the Olympics before considering abroad teams. It’s not the same as sharin’ an apartment, but two hours by train between Miyagi and Tokyo isn’t so bad.”
Yamaguchi and Osamu just stared at him for a moment before Osamu shouted, “Why didn’t ya say that earlier!” and tried to kick Atsumu through the gap in the door, but Atsumu just stuck out his tongue and slammed the door shut again.
2022
Yamaguchi hummed contentedly to himself as he finished mixing the contents of the cocktail shaker and placed it precariously inside of the stacked cups to carry to the living room.
“Thank you,” Tsukishima said when Yamaguchi handed him the Kahlua and milk in his right hand, and Yachi stood up to take the metal tumbler so Yamaguchi could unstack their cups.
He sat down on the other side of the coffee table from Tsukki and Yachi, and watched her pour their drinks as he tried desperately to suppressed his smile.
Tsukishima took a sip of his drink and cringed. “Why would you do this to me?” he asked, voice as full of betrayal as Yamaguchi had ever heard it, but he just snickered in response.
“Osamu is lactose intolerant, soy milk is all we have,” Yamaguchi replied without an ounce of remorse.
Yachi laughed as well before she slid Yamaguchi’s drink towards him and leaned back against the couch with her own. “Do you want a cocktail instead?” she asked.
Tsukishima looked down at his drink with disappointment as he thought through his options before sighing heavily. “No, this is fine,” he said and took another drink. After shuddering at the disappointing film that soy milk left behind, he asked, “How’s work, Yachi?”
“It’s been crazy since the Olympics,” she said with a grin. The ad agency she’d been working at since graduating had been in disbelief when she said she could bring in four Olympic players to connect with sponsors. But walking into the office the next day with Hinata, Kageyama, Bokuto, and Atsumu in tow had put her on a fast track for a promotion.
“I still can’t believe you pulled that. What does that kind of clout do to a person?” Yamaguchi asked.
Yachi just laughed. “You know, if Osamu wants to get some commercials circulating, we could get him a lot of attention with Atsumu’s contract.”
Yamaguchi shook his head. “He’s doing just fine on his own,” he said, resting his chin in his hand. Though both Yachi and Tsukishima gave him a look. “What?” he asked. When Tsukishima just shook his head and Yachi moved to refill her drink, he frowned. “It’s true.”
“We know it’s true,” Yachi said. Osamu was out of town this weekend, visiting his highly successful Tokyo branch to check in with the head chef. Since he’d opened in Sendai last year, he hadn’t spent much time at his other locations, but he did still have to make the occasional appearance.
Yachi had chosen this specific weekend to come because Osamu was out of town, and this was as much of a bachelor party as Yamaguchi would allow. Of course, Kageyama and Hinata were invited as well, but it was hard enough for them to get away for the weekend of the wedding, let alone have Kageyama return from Italy and Hinata drop his preparations for Brazilian try-outs, for a night of drinking.
“Is he ever going to stop being so mushy?” Tsukishima asked.
“Maybe a few years into the marriage, but odds are slim,” Yachi replied, resignedly.
“We can only hope for a speedy divorce.”
Yachi shoved Tsukishima’s arm at that but they both bust up laughing while Yamaguchi glared at them from across the coffee table. “You guys know you suck, right?”
Tsukishima shook his head, taking a big gulp from his drink before setting it aside. “We’re just teasing,” he said, and from the look in his eyes and his easy smile, it was clear he meant it. “It’s really great to see you so happy.”
Yamaguchi swallowed at that and looked back down at his drink. “Are you trying to make me cry?”
“Isn’t that the best man’s job?”
Yachi shoved Tsukishima again. “He’s right though. We’re so happy for you.”
“Stooop,” Yamaguchi complained, putting his hands over his face. “How come you guys are allowed to be mushy and I’m not.”
“Because we’re single,” Tsukishima said plainly.
“And if we have to go to our best friend’s wedding sans a date, we get to make fun of him for being disgustingly in love,” Yachi added.
“Oh yeah, we’ve already started writing our speeches for the rehearsal dinner,” Tsukishima said before clearing his throat. “‘This union must be blessed, since Yamaguchi spent his entire bachelor party wishing Osamu was there instead of getting absolutely plastered—’”
Yamaguchi interrupted him by throwing back the rest of his drink and refilling it. “I’m working on it, but I can’t get wasted if you keep dunking on me because you know I cry way too easily when I’m drunk. So both of you better leave me alone or you’re banned from the bachelor party.”
They both laughed easily and Yamaguchi rolled his eyes.
“Executive decision, we are changing the topic. Tsukki, talk about work right now.”
Tsukki rolled his eyes, but obliged; and Yamaguchi tried to get plastered and not wish Osamu was there—but he only succeeded in getting plastered. Which only made him miss Osamu more.
At the end of the night, after Tsukishima left via taxi, and Yachi started prepping for bed, Yamaguchi pulled out his phone and dialed Osamu. Still feeling moderately drunk, he leaned his forehead against the cool window to try to cool down as he waited. Though the line droned on and eventually hit Osamu’s voicemail. Yamaguchi sighed dramatically and hung up. He walked over to collapse on the bed and texted:
just calling to say goodnight
and that i love you
and miss you
but i hope ur enjoying tokyo and the time with ur brother
say hi to hinata for me
again
lol
He was interrupted from searching for an emoji by Yachi, who’d come out of the bathroom: “Yamaguchi, are you drunk spam-texting your fiancé?”
Yamaguchi looked over his shoulder to glare at her and she rolled her eyes before crawled over the bed to snatch the phone away from him. “Give it back,” he complained but didn’t move from where he’d fallen.
“I think you’ve done enough damage,” she said before locking his phone and tossing it onto the laundry-covered chair Yamaguchi had been neglecting since Osamu left.
“I don’t think there’s much damage I can do anymore. We’re too close to the wedding for him to dump me now,” Yamaguchi said before verbally spelling out, “Lol.” Then he broke into a large yawn and climbed under the covers.
Yachi smiled at him, though he’d already buried his face in his pillow and couldn’t see the pride on her face. She still remembered how little confidence he’d had when navigating his new relationship with Osamu, and now he was so comfortable with him that he knew he couldn’t do anything to change the way Osamu felt about him.
Of course Yachi had known from the start that he was incapable of making a wrong in Osamu’s eyes. She was just glad Yamaguchi had caught up.
With a yawn of her own, she turned off the lights before taking Osamu’s side of the bed.
Gentle fingers combing through his hair was the first thing he felt when he woke up in the morning, and he sighed contentedly before leaning into the familiar touch.
“And here I was thinkin’ you could stay faithful for a couple nights before replacin’ me,” came the teasing voice in a low whisper, and Yamaguchi opened his eyes. Osamu was sitting precariously between Yamaguchi and the edge of the bed. He was backlit by the rising sun, making his dark brown hair a little more auburn, and his grey eyes a little more silver. He grinned when Yamaguchi looked up at him. “G’mornin’, Tadashi.”
Yamaguchi’s first instinct was to lunge into sitting position and pull Osamu into a tight hug—very much wanting to kiss him, but not willing to do so before brushing his teeth. Osamu nuzzled into the crook of Yamaguchi’s neck, inhaling deeply. (Immediately, Yamaguchi regretted not showering the night before since he probably smelled like the remnants of yesterday’s deodorant and whatever alcohol they had ended the night on. But Osamu did not mind one bit.)
Remembering that he hadn’t been alone, he looked over to see Yachi still asleep beside him and snickered. “I thought I could sneak her out before you got back. You were never supposed to know about my mistress.”
Osamu laughed under his breath before pulling Yamaguchi’s arms from his shoulders so he could link their hands together and lead Yamaguchi from the bedroom.
“Give me two minutes,” Yamaguchi requested as Osamu shut the door behind them, leaving Yachi to sleep in, and he broke off to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Osamu walked to the living room and leaned against the arm of the couch as he waited for his betrothed. Just thinking the word made him smile to himself and he looked down to his hand to spin the simple engagement band around on his finger.
“Osamu-san!” came Yachi’s voice from the doorway to the bedroom. She was either already dressed, or had slept in her clothes last night—but either way, she already had her purse looped over her shoulder. “Welcome back!”
Osamu looked up from his hands and smiled. “Hi Yacchan,” Osamu said. “Did y’all have a good time last night?”
“We did! Though I thought you weren’t coming back until tonight. We would’ve cleaned up otherwise.”
Osamu looked behind himself and saw there were still cups and empty bottles scattered around the living room. He shook his head. “I moved my train ride up a bit. Was just missin’ home, y’know?”
The bright-eyed look that Yachi gave him made it clear she knew that when he said ‘home’ he meant ‘Tadashi’, but that the two were really interchangeable for him now. “Well Tsukki and I were going to take Yamaguchi to lunch later today, so I was on my way to help him set up. I’ll let you two catch up, but come to the restaurant with us. I’ll change the reservation to four.”
“Sure, if you don’t mind,” he said and she nodded. Then Yamaguchi came out of the bathroom and Yachi bid him a quick goodbye before rushing out the front door.
“She didn’t even brush her hair,” Yamaguchi noted, surprised by her quick departure. Though he did appreciate her leaving them to have a reunion in private. So he approached Osamu and, once in range to do so, slumped onto him, knocking him backwards so they collapsed onto the couch. “Hi,” he muttered in Osamu’s ear before taking Osamu’s left hand in his right and bringing it to his lips to kiss the ring lightly.
Osamu laughed at the soft brush against his fingers. “God, I missed you,” he said in return, pulling Yamaguchi in for a real kiss.
Yachi called Tsukishima as she descended the apartment building’s stairs. “Can you come get me? Osamu came back early and I had to choose between not washing my face or seeing them be mushy together. So clearly I can’t be seen on public transport like this.”
“You wouldn’t think they could be worse together than apart,” Tsukishima sighed, as they both knew they were 100 percent worse together.
“True love sucks,” Yachi said.
“Tell me about it,” Tsukishima agreed. “I’m on my way.”