Titled with a Taylor Swift song, welcome to the first story in my series of oneshots (currently being written). I hope you enjoy it and please tell me if there's anything that I've missed in my editing.
The train to Tokyo was always a long and boring ride for Tanaka Ryuunosuke, especially given the expectation of being reasonably quiet with nothing to do. Empty fields passed by his window and an old lady coughed into her hand. Yeah, boring was the only word that could describe these train rides.
Still another twenty minutes left, Tanaka thought.
His right knee was bouncing up and down in anticipation for what awaited him in Tokyo and the length of the trip was making him impatient to say the least. It had been over a month since he'd last seen his dumbass of a boyfriend in person, rather than through a computer screen, and that had been for yet another training camp. They could hardly enjoy each other's company when they were surrounded by their teammates at all times. It was at the training camp that they'd told their teams of their relationship though.
The news of their relationship had been well received over all. Nishinoya had been a bit melodramatic, sobbing that he should've been told earlier and if Tanaka remembered correctly, crying about how they couldn't be best friend if Tanaka didn't trust him enough to tell him. Other than that though, the general consensus had been that they weren't allowed to act sappy in front of the teams, not that either of them ever would.
Since then the two teams had made numerous jokes about it, Karasuno taking great amusement in particular that Tanaka of all people was the one in a relationship. He wasn't convinced there weren't others in the team who were together though, Daichi and Suga being the most obvious people he could think of. They're another story though.
Tanaka almost jumped out of his seat when his phone buzzed with a message.
Where are you?
He smiled, he couldn't wait to see what kind of fun the next day and half would bring to his life.
Soon my love.
He could just imagine the flush that would rise to his boyfriend's face when he read that message. It really didn't take much to turn the man into a stuttering mess.
"The next station is Tokyo," a loud, robotic voice came over the train's speakers, listing the connecting trains before finishing with, "Train arriving at Tokyo."
Tanaka rose to his feet, bouncing in place at the exit. The doors wouldn't open fast enough, he practically forced himself through them the second they started opening. The line to exit through the gates, while moving at a constant pace, was still moving far too slow too and until he got through them, Tanaka didn't stop to wonder where his boyfriend was waiting for him. He didn't have long to wonder though.
"Bro!" The voice rang out over the top of the crowd's chatter, and Tanaka turned his head toward the voice to immediately see the smiling face of his boyfriend, Yamamoto Taketora, who was waving with such aggression that it looked as if his arm might fall off.
"Bro!" Tanaka called back, walking to meet the other male.
Goofy smiles plastered themselves across the two boys faces as they embraced, albeit awkwardly with Tanaka's bag of clothes making it more difficult than necessary. Glancing at each other's faces the pair burst into fits of loud, rambunctious laughter as they began the trek back to Yamamoto's house.
The slipped into an easy silence as they walked the first couple of blocks, neither really knowing what to say but enjoying the silence between them. Being those two though, it wasn't long before Yamamoto broke the silence.
"So, how's it been at Karasuno?" he asked, his shoulder bumping Tanaka's.
Tanaka laughed, loud enough to cause a couple of people to cast a strange look at the two.
"Well, Hinata told Saeko about us last week, Noya's still angry at Asahi for unknown reasons, and Daichi's probably glad to be rid of me today. He's been going crazy! So nothing's really changed at all," Tanaka said with a smile.
Yamamoto snorted as he replied, "Well shouldn't you make sure that your captain still went insane? I'm sure your Libero probably took care of that."
"He probably did. Noya was crazy today! Daichi was on edge enough with Noya's anger at Asahi let alone a more hyperactive-than-usual Noya! Anyways, what're you doing skipping practice? Isn't the devil going to kill you?"
Yamamoto laughed at the description of Kuroo before placing his hand over his heart and bending over forward as they walked.
"The demon power, it's taking over my heart. If I die today, I just want you to know that you're better than Kuroo's training from hell any day and that it was worth skipping just to see your face one more time."
Cackling at their own dramatic antics, the two turned and walked up the steps to the Yamamoto family's front door. Yamamoto got the keys from his back pocket and opened the door, pushing Tanaka inside and immediately directing him toward the bedroom that would be their living quarters for the next day. After closing the bedroom door behind them, Yamamoto whispered into Tanaka's ear.
"First stop in Tokyo, the bedroom."
Without even trying to prevent it, Tanaka snorted and dropped his bag to the floor before turning around to press a kiss to Yamamoto's lips, which caused a blush to rise immediately on the cheeks of the mohawked boy.
"Well, as good as that sounds, I'm starving! Where's the food at Tora? You gonna let me starve?" Tanaka asked, stretching before walking out of the bedroom, making a beeline for the kitchen they'd passed through to get to the bedroom.
"Fridge has leftovers from last night if you wanna have some of that, it should be in the blue container. Dinner'll be in an hour or so when Mum gets home though, so don't eat too much," Yamamoto said, following him into the kitchen to get a glass of water. "Do ya want a drink?"
"Nah, I'm good. This tastes so good bro!"
Yamamoto turned back to his boyfriend, only to see him stuffing his face with cold leftovers. Yamamoto continued to watch Tanaka eat, examining his facial features, how his eyebrows scrunched together slightly as he ate, the way his cheeks moved as he chewed his food, how his eyebrows scrunched further inward when he realised he was being watched.
"What?"
"Nothing. You should stop eating though, you gotta be able to eat dinner still."
Tanaka huffed as he stopped eating. His boyfriend really was stupid. He picked up Yamamoto's water, taking a swig of it before putting it back down and pushing the rest of the leftovers toward him. He wasn't going to argue, he knew that it was reasonable for the regular person, but he was hungry. And his ability to eat impossible amounts of food was being questioned. It was insulting!
"Come on, let's go. Pick a movie, I'll be in there in a minute," Yamamoto sighed, packing up the leftovers and returning them to the fridge. They could prove to be a decent midnight snack without making any noise.
By the time Yamamoto had refilled his water and wandered into the bedroom, Tanaka had already put a movie in the DVD player and was sitting in the middle of the bed, ready to press play. It was an action movie, Yamamoto noted as he put the water on the floor in front of the bed and let out a loud breath of air when Tanaka lay down on his stomach, taking up more than half the bed. The play button was pushed on the remote and Yamamoto was left with no choice but to ask Tanaka to move over, unless he wanted to sit on the floor.
"Hey, move over would ya?"
Tanaka ignored him and he couldn't help but wonder what he'd done wrong as he sat down on the floor next to his bed to watch the movie.
It was fifteen minutes into the movie that he realised he wasn't paying attention and that he'd spent that entire time wondering what he'd done to Tanaka in order to be ignored. Perhaps attempting to ask about something that had happened recently would gain him a reply instead of silence. He'd been thinking about telling his parents they were dating, maybe that topic would gain an answer. He'd only ever heard the bad coming out stories anyway, hopefully there was something good that could come from this.
It never hurt to try.
"Hey Ryuu?"
He got a huff in reply. At least it's something, Yamamoto thought.
"You know how you said that Hinata told your sister about us?" Tanaka's eyebrows scrunched inward. "How did she react?"
Tanaka's muscles relaxed and he let out a loud sigh. Yamamoto was more than curious now. The body language his boyfriend was showing signified that it had gone well, but if he wanted to tell his parents then he had to hear the story. He didn't want to be kicked out over something like this! It'd definitely break his heart, especially if Tanaka decided that he didn't want to date some homeless kid from Tokyo.
"It went pretty well I guess, for someone who wasn't told directly by me anyway. I think I was bruised for most of the past week because of it. She forced me to tell Mum and Dad though. I mean they were cool with it but it wasn't exactly the circumstances I'd wanted to tell them under. But I thought I told you this on Skype the other day! Were you asleep you stupid city boy?" Tanaka raised an eyebrow with a smirk.
Yamamoto's face burnt red as he turned away.
"I was tired, okay? 'S not my fault Kuroo was being a dick at training and made it worse than usual. Was like he'd been dumped by a girl!"
Tanaka gave a dramatic sigh, barely covering up the laugh that threatened to bubble out of his mouth, and began speaking again.
"So I told my parents, they were cool with it and it wasn't a big deal. They did think I had a serious thing for Kiyoko-san though, or at least, that's what they said before they asked if I had a boyfriend. So yes, they know about us, before you ask. Have no fear, they remember you and they like you, mostly anyway. Not that their opinion really matters. Why do you wanna know though? You planning on telling your parents soon?" Tanaka asked, poking Yamamoto's head with two fingers.
He had a smile on his face now, also ignoring the movie that was currently just background noise. They'd both seen the movie a million times already; they could recite all lines of the movie if they really wanted to, no movie required.
Yamamoto nodded to Tanaka's question, gaining himself an even bigger grin than he'd known the muscles in Tanaka's face could produce.
"Well, my dear friend, my advice is to just tell them. I doubt they'll mind anyway. They seem like the kind of parents who'd love you even more for it if anything." Tanaka said.
It was quiet for a moment, both boys redirecting their attention to the TV, neither really taking any of the movie in anyway.
"You think so?" Came Yamamoto's voice.
"Mmm, yep. Besides, if they don't take it well, you've got tons of people who would help you out. You got your team here in Tokyo if you need them, you've got me and probably my team back in Karasuno if you ever need us," Tanaka said, the implication that he'd be there the whole way through the process standing unspoken. "You've just gotta stop worrying so much about it."
After a moment of silence, Yamamoto replied, "Okay."
Tanaka moved over on the bed, finally making space for the two of them. "Now get up here!"
And like that, the pair settled in to finish the movie in peace.
"Oh fair maiden! It seems you have stolen my heart! And unless you come with me, I can't save the world! You are my life, nothing else matters more!" Tanaka dramatically re-enacted toward Yamamoto over the dinner table, causing his boyfriend's parents to laugh.
They'd been sitting there at the dinner table for twenty minutes, all of them bonding as they ate, although the meal was beginning to get cold the longer they took to eat. The meal still tasted nice enough when it was cold though so none of them minded all that much.
The elder Yamamoto male kept chuckling as he looked at his son who had a toothy grin on his face as he dramatically re-enacted the love interest's next line.
"Oh but you must save the city! Let me sacrifice myself; forget about me, you don't need me. I'll only bring you bad luck anyway. Goodbye my love!"
They all continued to laugh, stuffing more food into their mouths before speaking again.
"I see why you keep this guy around son! But did you say you met through volleyball? You should be in drama club! I reckon you'd excel in it too!" Yamamoto's father said, directing his praise toward Tanaka who could only grin and laugh.
"But of course I would! However, my dear teammates back in Karasuno wouldn't know what to do without me! They'd be lost souls!" Tanaka's drama performance continued.
He was bringing life to the Yamamoto family's faces. Something he was taking great pride in and would treasure for a next few weeks. He did, after all, enjoy making people laugh. Making your boyfriend's family laugh was the greatest accomplishment he could've thought possible.
Tanaka's playful banter continued until long after they'd all finished eating, and didn't stop until he announced an intermission for the bathroom. Yamamoto watched as his boyfriend excused himself from the table to leave for the toilet, hips swinging in an unnecessarily sexy way, or at least, that's how it looked from where he was sitting. The words 'stop worrying about it' and 'just tell them' began to echo around his head and he knew that he wanted to tell his parents. He wanted to tell them now. Tanaka was right about telling them. He'd probably be a lot more relaxed too but he didn't know if he had the words in him to tell the most important people in his life something so personal.
Most important people besides Tanaka at least, and he needed to tell them. He began by clearing his throat for attention.
"Yes Taketora? What is it?" his mum asked, turning toward him.
This caused all the muscles in his body to tense up. It was a horrible idea to tell them, he wasn't ready for this. He could feel the frustrated tears beginning to form in his eyes.
"It's nothing," he said, his voice an octave too high, causing his parents to si
"Taketora, darling, something is clearly bothering you. You know you can trust us, don't you? We love you darling, we don't want to see you so obviously bothered by whatever it is," his mum spoke again, her hand reaching across the table to rest atop of her son's clenched fist. "Please?"
Yamamoto took a deep breath in through his nose. He could do this. For both his sake and to feel like he was on the same level as Tanaka in their relationship.
"Mum. Dad. Um," he paused. Both of them were staring at him, curiosity filled their eyes. "I'm, um." He could hear Tanaka's voice in his head, urging him on, telling him to stop making it harder than it really was. He took another deep breath in and out. "I'm gay."
There was a long silence through the kitchen, his parents just staring at him. Tanaka poked his head around the corner from the hallway with a grin and a thumbs up before returning the way he came, out of sight once more. The sneaky bastard was probably just hiding out around the corner, waiting for the family to talk it out, so long as there were no problems that came with the announcement.
Yamamoto's mum smiled softly at her son.
"That's alright dear. Is that all that it was? I'll be honest, I was wondering why you hadn't had a girlfriend yet," she said. A brief pause followed her words. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
He blushed and gave a nod. He couldn't trust himself to speak without sobbing in happiness. This knowledge made his dad smile.
"Well at least you've managed to pick yourself up a man! What's his name?" He asked, before continuing quieter. "Is it Tanaka?"
Another nod sent the elder male into a bout of cheering, his mum only able to shake her head at her husband's antics with a smile. Amidst the cheering, Tanaka returned from the hallway and ruffled Yamamoto's Mohawk, earning himself a squawk of horror and a slap to the arm.
"Told ya!" He laughed.
Yamamoto just laughed along.
Later that night, after they'd washed, dried and put away the dishes from dinner, the two lay in bed with the TV on as background noise once more. Fingers laced together, lying between the pair, until Yamamoto brought their hands in front of his face, studying his boyfriend's hands.
He had long fingers, his knuckles protruded in knobbly bumps. His fingernails were bitten down too far to be healthy and the skin of his entire hand was roughened through the years of volleyball. He loved Tanaka's hands. They were the embodiment of the boy.
His hands accurately represented Tanaka's personality and appearance. He was rough around the edges, constantly trying to intimidate the new people he met, he had a ton of flaws, like his inability to talk to girls without them ignoring him, but he had things that other people craved. Things such as his large group of friends, who would pick him up when he was down, his supportive family who only wanted the best for him. Yeah, he loved everything about the boy.
"What're you doing Tora?" Tanaka asked, turning his head to face the other, stretching his arm out as his boyfriend rolled onto his back.
"Oh, nothing," he replied.
And really, it was nothing. He was content to just lie there and study Tanaka's hands, relate them to his personality. In the broader scheme of things, he wanted to learn everything about Tanaka. He wanted to learn more than just his birthday and favourite drink. He wanted to learn all of the holiday traditions of the Tanaka family, he wanted to share experiences, go to theme parks, and travel the world with this boy.
Tanaka's eyebrows scrunched together though, he wasn't happy with that response it seemed.
"You're thinking. What're you thinkin' 'bout?" He asked, shifting so one of his legs lay across Yamamoto's stomach and his head rested on his shoulder.
"Nothing, really," Yamamoto replied, turning his head to face Tanaka. "Just thinkin' about you."
As soon as the words left his mouth his face felt like it was on fire and he turned away. Tanaka was shaking as loud, cheerful laughter bubbled from his mouth, bringing more blood to his boyfriend's face. As his laughter slowly died down, Tanaka placed a hand on Yamamoto's chin, bringing the two face-to-face and pressing their lips together. It was short, of course, just a simple pressing of lips. They made no move to deepen the kiss, it was filled with the feelings they both
As they pulled apart Tanaka whispered, "You're an idiot."
Yamamoto buried his face into Tanaka's chest, "I hate you Ryuu," spoken into the shirt he was wearing. Tanaka just laughed again, a laugh that Yamamoto loved and would hear for many more years to come.