Two things:

1. no claims to ownership of Haikyuu!

2. enjoy

Jia ne

PS: updated this with the betaed version. Please accept my deepest apologies for having made you read the unbetaed thing first.

Coming home to Tsukishima waiting for him still felt somehow surreal, even though they had lived together for more than half a year now. Hinata wished that he would never get used to having his boyfriend by his side, because that meant that he would rejoiced every time he saw him and he was incredibly happy when he heard him say 'welcome home'. Even just thinking about it made Hinata smile and suddenly his less than great day wasn't that bad anymore.

He was standing in the overcrowded bus, squeezed in between two very tall guys, though not as tall as his boyfriend, and one of them had horrible cologne, it smelled so bad Hinata was wondering when he would throw up. In addition to the bad taste in cologne, the guy, an office worker, had no taste in haircut either; it looked hideous...

Hinata sighed, being a beautician was hard at times... Most people would probably be surprised that he ended up in beauty school instead of a normal college, but Hinata had found that he had a passion for cutting hair and the like when his mother had asked him to cut her hair for her once and he had since then been in charge of cutting his family's hair. He had even cut his own one time, but with such little success that he had given up on that.

The bus stopped and the man with the horrible taste got off, much to Hinata's relief. Now he could see an old lady with impeccable taste in clothing and hairstyle, which made his mood go up almost as much as thinking of Tsukki did.

Tsukki had entered Touhoku University and studied management. He claimed that it was boring and that he hated it, but he had continued studying it for two years now and got good grades, so it could not be that bad. He was also still playing volleyball, though in a circle and not in a club anymore. Practice wasn't as frequent and serious as it used to be in high school, but Tsukki needed something to take his mind off of studying.

Hinata had had to quit playing after he had been involved in a motorcycle accident which had damaged his leg. He still wanted to continue, but his doctor opposed it vehemently. Thinking about that made Hinata sad, he had loved the sport more than anything and a stupid accident had forced him to give up on playing. Life really wasn't fair. But at least he had Tsukki who had been like a pillar of strength to him. He had helped him to get over the accident, had accompanied him to the rehab and filled the void left by volleyball.

Having Tsukki was the best thing that had ever happened to Hinata.

The bus stopped again and Hinata got off. He walked about ten minutes before reaching the building in which he and Tsukishima had rented an apartment, which had three rooms. One was their bedroom, one a study room with two desks and one their living and dining room. Their kitchen was a bit small, there was hardly space for a breakfast table but they squeezed one in anyway. Their bathroom on the other hand was spacious enough so that both of them could use it at the same time if they wanted to.

"I'm home!" Hinata took his shoes off in the entrance and placed them on the shelf on the left hand side before stepping up on the wooden room floor in his slippers. "Tsukki?" he shouted while putting on the slippers. But there was no reply. He took his backpack, which he had taken off when entering the apartment and walked to the living room only to find it empty, so he knocked on the study but got no reply again. As he opened the door there was no Tsukki to be seen and Hinata frowned. He put the backpack on the chair that belonged to his desk and walked through the room to access the bedroom. There he was, laying flat on his stomach on the bed.

Hinata walked over to his boyfriend with a concerned look on his face. "Tsukki?" He gently touched his muscular shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Un..." Tsukishima didn't sound good.

"Are you feeling ill?" Hinata was almost looking forward to seeing an ill Tsukishima, as the blond was very good at hiding his illnesses. In the two year long relationship, Hinata had only noticed Tsukishima having a cold once and even then the blond had been able to convince him that he was perfectly fine.

Tsukishima growled something unintelligible.

"What did you say? You want food?"

Tsukishima finally turned his head so that he faced Hinata. "I have a headache..." He sounded spiritless.

"So, you want water?"

Tsukishima reached up and touched Hinata's face but didn't say anything.

"Okay, I got this. You rest and I'll make dinner and then we can tuck you in for the night. No studying tonight, understood?" He tried to look stern but failed when he saw Tsukishima's miserable face. He kissed him on the forehead before leaving the room to get some water for his boyfriend.

He cooked a light dinner with a lot of vegetables and soup, which he brought to the bedroom on a tray. But he could not feed Tsukishima, as he was dead to the world. He had fallen asleep once again and Hinata did not have it in him to wake him. So he put the tray down on the nightstand hoping it would not get knocked over somehow. As he looked around the room he noticed the empty bucket that had been placed next to the bed.

He pitied his boyfriend, but knowing now what the problem might be, he walked to the living room to access the first aid kit and get some stomach medicine that was supposed to help against puking. After placing the medicine and a new glass of water next to the food, he left the bedroom again to eat his own share of the dinner. After that he sat down in the study and did his homework.

When he went to bed that night, Tsukishima was again asleep, he had woken up sometime and had eaten something which he then had emptied into the bucket and Hinata had taken the left over food away, replacing it with some crackers that were easier on the stomach before he took the bucket away to wash it. He did not want to sleep next to a smelly bucket.

The next morning, Tsukishima looked better and almost insisted on going to school, but let Hinata convince him to stay home as Hinata did not have classes that day and his part time job had also given him a holiday, so staying home wasn't that bad.

"Did you have something bad to eat yesterday?" Hinata inquired as they ate breakfast, which for Tsukishima consisted of a small cup of peach flavoured yoghurt.

The blond shrugged. "Not that I could point it out... But we were at that slightly sketchy yakiniku place for lunch so..."

"When did you get back?"

"At around three, maybe? I went back to the University after lunch as I was supposed to have fourth period but my stomach started to act up between half past one and two, so I told one of the guys to tell the professor that I was ill and went home..." Tsukishima's face was still paler than usual and his voice kind of hoarse from throwing up.

Hinata patted Tsukishima's hand, made him take the medicine and told him to get back to sleep without bothering about doing the dishes. He himself did all the dishes and vacuumed the living room and did some other chores like he always did on the days he was off. Then he went into the study and did the homework that he had not finished the day before.

When lunchtime rolled around he checked on Tsukishima and made lunch. By the evening Tsukishima had regained most of his energy and had shooed Hinata out of the kitchen so that he could make dinner and then he even prepared the bath.

"Thanks" The blond murmured that night before falling asleep.

"It's okay." Hinata kissed him and snuggled close to him.

The way Hinata had confessed to him had been adorable to say the least. Tsukishima had somehow guessed what would come out of the not so tall boy's mouth the moment he had asked him for a moment of private conversation. Now, about two years later, Tsukishima still felt that Hinata acted rather adorably. It was the small things that made him think that Hinata was a sweet person and that let Tsukishima know the orange haired man cared for him. For example, Hinata would make coffee for him in the morning when he was making tea for himself without even asking if he wanted coffee because he knew that Tsukishima needed some in the morning. Also, ever so often he would come home with cake or some other thing that Tsukishima liked to eat but would never dare to buy because their living budget was tight. However, as Hinata's part time job entailed him working in a very customer oriented place, he knew people and places where he could get such things for cheap.

Sometimes, when Tsukishima was awake at night in the double bed next to Hinata, looking at his lover's face in the darkness, he felt like his soul was healed by the serene expression. Tsukishima knew that he was not a good person, no matter how many times Hinata told him that "deep down" he was a "sweet and nice" person because he had rescued Hinata from falling into depression due to the motorcycle accident. Tsukishima knew that it was actually Hinata who had rescued him from becoming even more cynical and sharp tongued, from closing off his heart to other people and being alone. He did not know how he could ever repay Hinata's kindness.

When they had met in high school Tsukishima had thought that Hinata was loud and a nuisance and that he would dread having to spend so much time with the bouncy orange haired boy through out the three years they were in the same school. Hinata had irritated him the very second he had laid eyes on him, obnoxious as he had been with the fiery hair and the loud mouth. However, the bubbly personality of the not very tall boy had helped to tear down the wall Tsukishima had built around his heart after his brother had disappointed him. Also, Yamaguchi had once told him that he too was grateful to Hinata for helping Tsukishima to become at least a bit more social and a bit less scary. Yamaguchi had giggled when Tsukishima had looked at him with sharp eyes and said: "You know, I've known you for a while and I know that you aren't a bad guy, so I'm happy that other people realize that, despite the sharp tongue, you actually care about things."

Tsukishima was not sure if that was a good thing, but there was no helping it as he had actually become a bit less hard on other people. He was just happy to be with Hinata.

Tsukishima sighed as he looked at the book in front of him. He was sitting in the university's library doing research for a report he had to hand in in a month and it was not looking good. He had not found the information he was supposed to find and it annoyed him to no end. He was mostly unable to find the sources he needed because some idiot had borrowed all the books he needed! So he tried to make do with the second rate sources he had, but it was not easy.

As he was flipping through the pages of one of the books he had taken to his seat, he noticed that the screen of his phone had lit up. He spared the device, that was laying at the edge of the table, one glance.

Incoming call: 日向 翔陽 (Hinata Shouyou)

There was Hinata's big smile on his screen and Tsukishima's mood lightened up for a short moment before annoyance set in at the fact that Hinata had forgotten about their agreement to not call each other when Tsukishima was likely to be at school. So he ignored the call and concentrated on his task, but now a little less stressed.

It didn't take long for Hinata to give up on calling him and sending a message on line instead.

Shouyou: Tsukki :-* Mind going out for dinner tonight? Let's meet in front of the Lawson close to the station at 6!

Tsukishima frowned when picking up his phone. He typed a reply and put the phone down again, trying not to look at the screen but at his book while he made some notes in his notebook.

Shouyou: Why? Well… I like eating out with you? :D

The blond sighed and put his pen down. He should not have asked why Hinata suddenly wanted to eat outside because now he had to have a conversation with him, but somehow it had just felt right to ask for the reason – and Hinata's answer sounded suspicious.

Shouyou: Okay, maybe it's because Sugawara-san is in town and asked if we can meet up? Daichi-san is coming too!

He sighed again. Well, there was no helping it.

Shouyou: See you at the station at 6! Love you :3

Meeting his lover and his high school seniors for dinner was more relaxing than Tsukishima would have initially thought. He had guessed that it would be tedious to listen to the retelling of "nostalgic stories" from their shared high school experience, however he was saved by Sugawara-san, who seemed to not be all that keen on speaking of the past but was rather into knowing how the present was working out for them.

Their relationship was more or less public knowledge due to the fact that Yachi was not very good at keeping secrets and she had heard about them from Yamaguchi, who had told her because he in turn had felt like he wanted to tell someone and who else would he tell but his girlfriend? Yachi had then told Shimizu-san, with whom she frequently met up despite their difference in age and character. Shimizu-san in turn had then asked Yachi about Hinata and Tsukishima's relationship when Tanaka-san and Noya-san had been present one day and of course Tanaka-san could not keep such information to himself…

Of course Tsukishima had given Yamaguchi the death stare when he had found out that the news had spread like wild fire but there had been little that could have been done after everyone already knew about them. The blond could only say that he was somehow relieved that they had not met with any negative backlash from their immediate social circle. They had all congratulated them and treated them the same as always.

"So, you will finish your beautician school soon, right, Hinata?" Daichi-san asked sometime during their dinner.

"Yes", confirmed Hinata and nodded more than necessary to make his point. "I'm in my last year now as my vocational school is only a two year course."

"Any idea where you will be working after graduation?" Sugawara-san asked with a friendly smile.

The orange haired man grinned from one ear to the other. "Yeah, actually I do! Please let me send you my business card as soon as I get them!"

The senpais laughed. That was very much a thing that only Hinata would say, they agreed. "And you, Tsukishima, how long will you still be at university? A year?" Daichi-san inquired.

Tsukishima nodded. "A year until I get my bachelor's degree and then another two for my master's."

"Oh, so you've already decided to do master's?" Daichi-san seemed a little bit surprised. Or maybe he was just faking it, because to be honest, from all the people in the volleyball team of Karasuno Tsukishima had been the one most likely to go for more than just the bachelor's degree.

"Yes. It is not unwise to continue on studying even if I'm only doing management."

He didn't change; Sugawara thought and a quiet giggle left his mouth. For all that Tsukishima had changed, he still didn't take anything with passion – except for maybe Hinata, who knew how Tsukishima was in bed… The thought disturbed Sugawara a bit and so he shook his head and changed the topic: "Did you know that Kuroo-san has come up to Sendai to work in a bar?"

"What?" Hinata's eyes sparkled. "No! Kenma didn't tell me."

Tsukishima shook his head but didn't add anything to his boyfriend's comment.

"Well, how about we go to his place then after this?" Daichi-san suggested. "He sent me the address a while back, so I suppose it's okay to go and visit." He showed them the address on his phone. To Tsukishima and Hinata's surprise it turned out that the bar Kuroo-san was working at was not all that far from where they had their apartment; only twenty minutes walking distance. So they readily agreed to go there afterwards.

It was hardly eight o'clock when they walked through the door of the small but not unstylish bar in which Kuroo-san stood behind the counter. He was wearing a dark crimson button down shirt and a vest with a cream-white front part and a dark grey back to dark grey trousers. His hair was still in the same "fresh out of bed"-style but looked a bit better kept or maybe it was the dim light of the place that let the onlooker believe that the bartender was using hair products to make that hairstyle and not just get out of bed without combing.

Kuroo-san smiled at the four men when they entered through the black painted door. "Welcome" he said in his charmingly low voice. "Take a seat at the counter, if you please!" He pointed to four of the seats at the bar. There were ten seats there and four tables in the rest of the room. The bar was rather small if one looked closely, but the dim light and the position of the tables as well as the size of the chairs made it look larger.

"Kuroo!" Daichi-san greeted the former captain of Nekoma's volleyball team and sat down with a smile. The other's greeted the black haired man as well, who returned all the greetings with a smile and the question if they were well.

Tsukishima was the last to take a seat and also the last to place his order, feeling a bit out of place as he was wearing simple jeans and a t-shirt in a place where the other costumers where less casually dressed. Kuroo-san's slightly sleazy lazy smile added to his discomfort. It was a smile that Tsukishima felt attracted to, although that was a fact he would never admit to. He had Hinata and other people did not need to be so ridiculously sexy if he had a cute boyfriend, who was oblivious to any attempt of Kuroo-san's to flirt with him. Because that was what it was, Tsukishima decided halfway through the evening, Kuroo-san was flirting with his precious orange haired boyfriend by giving him that disturbingly sexy smile and complimenting him every now and then in his attractively low voice.

Tsukishima did not easily get jealous, but it did bother him to see Hinata's eyes sparkle while he talked to Kuroo-san about volleyball and Kenma and things Tsukishima had no idea about because he was not interested in them. However, the blond did not say anything to Hinata that evening after they came home as Hinata was still on cloud nine from meeting people he had not seen in ages.

Shutting his mouth was probably the best idea Tsukishima had had that evening, because little did he know who Kuroo-san had actually been flirting with.