Tomorrow Starts Today

Summary: After finally graduating with Kurotori's encouragement, Munakata returned to take up a position as coach for the volleyball team, finally letting go of the impossible dream he once had and accepting that he has to move on eventually. But that doesn't mean he can't find a new dream as he discovers that he can still make it there by advancing his own life and helping younger people to achieve his dream - their dreams - instead.

(A/N) This is a painfully short ficlet thing I wrote to go with a drawing prompt for Day 6 of Boueibu Shipping Week on Tumblr. The theme was "Tomorrow", so I once again interpreted that as a future scenario in order to have an excuse to play with some headcanons for these characters. I hope to eventually do something more with this, but for now this is all I can muster. I'm sorry if it's a little choppy, but I'm rusty.

This is based on a bunch of headcanons I wrote in the Kurotori section below the cut of this post: crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer (d0t) tumblr (d0t) com /post/160251604845/lets-raise-the-difficulty-level-with-the-ship

Please at least read the brotp (Megawa) and "weirdest pairing" (Munakata) summaries first for context so this will make more sense. ^^

Kurotori was checking his charts and notes for the next scheduled practice game when he felt arms wrap around his waist from behind. Munakata rested his chin on Kurotori's shoulder and grunted, "Toss to me?"

Kurotori sighed. "You know I can't play."

"Come on, I miss it," Munakata pleaded.

"You've hardly been off the team for a year and you miss it already?" Kurotori wasn't as surprised as he sounded. "I've seen you play with the students during practice, though."

Munakata mumbled something into Kurotori's neck about it not being the same or something about wanting him. Kurotori didn't quite catch all of it.

"What if I toss it the wrong way?" he asked, a curious edge in his tone.

Munakata hrmphed resolutely, unburying his face so Kurotori could hear him more clearly. "I will adjust to any situation. You taught me that, remember?"

Kurotori smiled, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips. "I suppose I did."

"Please toss to me."

"Alright." Kurotori caved like he had known he would. "If you insist."

~.~

The way Kurotori lifted up on his toes slightly when he tossed the ball into the air – like evolution had declared he was always meant to be walking on them – almost distracted Munakata from the ball itself. But he sent it flying over the net with flawless ease and signaled for another.

It reminded him of the old days back when it had just been him drilling Shuzo on receives and shamefully pretending the volleyball club didn't exist. He realized now that it had been a matter of pride back then and, if Kurotori hadn't taken over management of the club, he supposed he still would have been drilling Shuzo right here even now, throwing away both of their futures with every word further detaching them from reality. If he was being honest with himself, Kurotori saved them both and Shuzo thankfully turned out alright in the end once he let go of his unrequited crush. Munakata still felt bad about taking advantage of that just to have someone else to practice with...

To think that, just a few years ago, things had been so different for them. Kurotori had worked hard with his students to earn their trust and acceptance. Staying late with them, listening to their concerns, studying up on the sport to better understand how to help, looking for their individual strengths and trying to make sure everyone got the chance to use their skills for the betterment of the team, even going out of his way to recruit a proper coach – all while continuing to manage his slowly growing ballet club. Anyone with even the smallest amount of observational skills could have seen how much love and dedication he had put into his job. Once Munakata had opened his eyes and saw that, it had made him want to work hard as well. After all, he couldn't be the only one falling behind when everyone else was putting their all into their futures.

They had both come a long way since those days. Munakata honestly couldn't say that he had ever envisioned himself taking over the coaching position here before Kurotori had suggested the idea after his graduation the previous year. He had been too focused on making it to a tournament and hadn't thought far beyond that, but he supposed now was his chance to do something more.

~.~

"Muna-kun..." Kurotori broke the gentle silence between them during dinner that night. "Have you thought about trying to advance your career at all?" Munakata gave him a questioning look and he quickly amended his statement. "I don't mean right now, but... eventually."

Munakata leaned back in his seat and exhaled deeply, arms crossed in thought. "Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"Well, as your former adviser, I'll admit it has been on my mind for quite a while," Kurotori explained. "I would have brought it up sooner, but you seemed so enthusiastic about coaching the team that I didn't want to overwhelm you with more possibilities. Especially considering this has been a wonderful starting point for you." He watched Munakata carefully as he thought about how to word the next part. "You know, with your skills, you could probably join a professional team if you wanted to and I was curious if you had thought about it."

"I'm happy where I am," was Munakata's determined response.

Kurotori took a sip from his glass to conceal his concern. In truth, he had been worried about Munakata developing an unhealthy attachment to the school after dedicating so many years of his life to not letting it go. Coaching probably was the best path for him, but... there had been a small measure of hope that he was finally moving on...

Munakata reached across the table and patted his hand reassuringly. "I'm not doing it for myself anymore. I'm doing it for them. I may have peaked long ago, but it was thanks to you that I realized it doesn't have to be too late for them like it was for me."

Kurotori felt a gentle squeeze on his hand and looked up to see a warm smile that comforted his heart.

"Instead of living vicariously through them, I can be glad for their success, knowing that I aided them in achieving it. That is why I want to help these kids like you have," Munakata continued with a determination that Kurotori quite honestly adored. "After all, there are some things that can only be done in high school, so I don't want them to have to live with my regrets. I'm not sure why you put your faith in a fool like me, but I will continue to do my best to live up to your example."

Kurotori couldn't help himself from smiling fondly, placing his hand over Munakata's and bringing it to his lips in a soft kiss. "Oh, my honey, you may have been a fool, but so was I once. I'm just glad we're able to give this chance to our students together."

Munakata hummed contentedly. He had finally found a true dream worth pursuing and it was all thanks to the man sitting across from him.

(A/N 2) I'm sorry I'm still so bad at endings. /bricked

The illustration is here: crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer (d0t) tumblr (d0t) com /post/163591902220/boueibu-shipping-week-day-6-tomorrow