YEAR TWO.80 2/2 Gioiosa Progresso e Libertà
I think I realize the difference now, between loving someone from afar and loving someone up close. When you see them up close, you see the real them, but they also get to see the real you. ~Jenny Han
When Shouyou's coat and scarf are wet from the falling snowflakes, Kageyama finally calls it quits. The redhead could quite happily go for another hour— the feeling in his fingers isn't a necessity, but that's why he has Kageyama: to keep him from doing stupid things like getting frostbite.
He almost protests, but the crow setter just looks too perfect with the snowflakes that catch in his black hair and he easily gives in… and he might still be a little enamored after Kageyama's impromptu affectionate gesture earlier this morning. Nevermind that it was probably more out of reflex if the setter's own surprise was anything to go by, Shouyou will take what he can get.
A few others stay out a bit longer, trying to keep the ball dry, but everyone stays to watch the snow, whether they are playing in it or they observe from behind the large window of the front room. The game quickly dissolves into a snowball fight, and Shouyou almost wishes he were down there playing in the snow with the rest of them.
Almost.
Kageyama has wrapped him in a blanket and settled them on a chair on the porch, and while he isn't out in the fray, he can't help but feel like he has the perfect vantage point to commit it all to memory.
This is a novelty for most of the Karasuno unit, but Yamaguchi watches the falling flecks of ice with a measure of awe as well. Shouyou wonders if anyone else notices the ibis carefully taking stock of the freckled crow's reaction.
The owls don't migrate so they've seen it plenty in the past, but they don't hesitate to join in the fun. Even Lev and Kuroo get into it, dragging both the ibis and Yamaguchi out with them while the other two cats watch from behind the safety of the window. The girls wander out onto the porch to spectate, and even Daichi gets roped into the frozen melee when Suga drops a handful of slush down his back with a chiming laugh before ducking out of reach.
Hinata wants to remember it all from his place in Kageyama's lap, wrapped in a comforter and watching his breath fog as it leaves his mouth.
He leans into the larger crow a little more, a laugh erupting when Noya catches a remarkably well aimed and unexpected snowball to the neck from Asahi. When Kuroo heads for the stairs with a predatory glance toward the window, the redhead snorts and glances back in time to see Kenma disappearing from sight. The golden cat dislikes cold and most types of discomfort and he has no desire to play in the snow even if his leveler might. Shouyou grins as the large black cat vanishes inside the house after him. He has to wonder if he and his leveler would be as good a team in this game as they are in Volley.
He and Kageyama and the others had returned from their last summer trip only to find Kenma and Kuroo not there. It had been alarming at first given the tense state of things between the two when Shouyou and the others had left, until Daichi and Suga had explained that they had finally fully bonded as a level pair the day before and split for a bit. The redhead had been irrationally excited for the two despite them not even being around to congratulate, much to Tsukishima's annoyance.
And then, three days later... Kageyama'd quite literally walked into that fiasco with Yaku and Lev. It had been hilarious, but it had made Shouyou uneasy, too. His leveler had been monumentally embarrassed and had barely been able to meet his eyes for a few days afterword, and Shouyou had been on edge with worry that it had somehow made things unstable between them.
Kageyama had grown more free with his affection since that awful fight that still made Shouyou cringe with shame whenever he remembered it, but the crow had maintained an austere restraint with regards to anything that could be considered… more carnal. Noya had assured him time and again since that incident that Kageyama did, in fact, harbor latent feelings like that and had prodded the redhead more than once to initiate, but Shouyou had flatly refused.
He may have been frustrated to a degree he'd never believed possible with his leveler's lack of progress, but wouldn't force it. Shouyou did get the feeling there was far more turning than just the need to provide and protect behind those perfect cobalt orbs, but until he could be positive, he wouldn't risk anything.
He cared far too much about the crow setter to push him into a situation he might not be ready for or worse, not want at all; he would let the other boy set the pace and if it was something Kageyama wanted, it would happen...eventually. He would be content with the abundance of familiar contact, ever present concern, and falling asleep to the sound of the avian prince's heartbeat every night in the meantime.
Although, that wouldn't stop him from complaining about it to Kenma and Noya.
"Hinata." Kageyama says against his hair, the sound of his name rumbling from his chest and sending a shiver down his spine. Shouyou turns slightly toward him, but doesn't pull his gaze away from the snow match in front of them.
"Mm?"
"You remember that first time we sparred on Momma Yu's back platform?"
It's not a question he's expecting and his eyes flicker up toward his leveler's face. Kageyama is looking out across the waves with distant focus. He's thinking hard about something and Shouyou grins before turning back in time to catch Bokuto knocking the branch over Tsukishima, dislodging it's white dusting and dousing the ibis with it.
"Mm. You cracked one of my ribs." He says brightly. There's a pause and he feels Kageyama shift.
"Seriously?" He asks incredulously and Shouyou's grin widens and he nods.
"Yep!"
"Oh. Sorry. Um… why did you spar with me like you did? You're usually more passive."
The question takes him off guard, the memories it dredges up making him wonder where it's coming from. Kageyama hasn't spoken of that night since it happened… and neither has Shouyou. The memory surrounding that first boxing match sobers him.
"Do you know something Kageyama? I've only ever seen you legitimately shed tears once— the day you buried your mom." He says quietly, his own gaze going distant.
"You almost never weep or cry; it's just not something you really do. When something hits you hard, you don't cry, you shut down whatever emotion is overwhelming you. You're unique because you can turn off the fear, anger, or sorrow, and slip into sheer calculation at any given moment, processing everything without it. It makes you very dangerous in a fight because you're tough to rattle. Very few things can break the control you have over your mind and body, and I saw one that night." He finishes and without even having to look, he knows his leveler is watching him critically.
"So what did you see, Hinata?"
Shouyou's gaze drops to the wood flooring of the porch. His leveler probably won't like what he's going to say.
"You were overwhelmed to the point of barely keeping back tears of rage when I saw you. For your control to have broken like that… something awful had to have happened. You were staring at me with such irate accusation, still bleeding from a run in the pits, and I knew that I was the first person you sought. Out of everyone you could have gone to, you came to me." He says his hands fiddling with the blanket that is wrapped around him.
"For me to figure out what you needed—how to help you, I had to know what happened. Conventional conversation got me nowhere so I tried another angle. You've never been great at communicating, but you had something to say; I just had to meet you on your terms for you to find the words."
Shouyou expects an annoyed response, telling him he's wrong and an idiot or something, but that isn't what happens. Instead, Kageyama's chin settles against his head.
"And the next day? Why did you tell the others you'd been sent to the pits with me?" He murmurs and the breath from his words hitting Shouyou's ear scatters his thoughts and he mentally scrambles to keep them in line.
"Eh...I did that because both of us being in trouble with your father was far less unusual than just you, and I wanted to spare you any uncomfortable questions from the others. You'd been pissed enough to come find me and pick a fight, and I didn't think you'd really want to talk about it again. So I chose to support and cover for you in the best way I could think of as a friend." He feels like he's babbling, is sure Kageyama will scoff at his rambling response.
He probably thinks I'm some sentimental moron—
"What if I want more than that?"
Shouyou blinks.
It takes him fully three seconds to process that yes, Kageyama did indeed say the words he'd heard, and another two to believe it. He glances up at the crow setter cautiously, breaking the contact to see him clearly. His leveler doesn't look back at him, his focus determinedly fixed on a point in the distance, a slight frown marring his expression.
He's nervous?
If Kageyama was nervous, it meant he was dead serious and completely aware of what he'd said, had intended to say it. And it meant that he wasn't sure how Shouyou would react, had placed himself into a vulnerable position.
It's all the confirmation Shouyou needs.
Perhaps… Noya was right.
A smile slowly blooms across the redhead's face, his almond eyes dancing with devious joy. As he shifts his weight, he feels Kageyama tense slightly, and his smile widens a little more as he leans in and places a gossamer kiss against the underside of Kageyama's jaw. He feels his leveler jerk and wide cobalt eyes fix on him with shock and Shouyou's face heats despite the cold. He can't school his happy grin into enough of a pout to convey petulance no matter how he tries.
"Feeling's mutual, but...you're still so slow, Tobio. You made me wait forever."
A/N: Ah, more FLUFF! Probably the shortest chap in Horizon- and the last one before things start getting dicey again.
So, I was asked about the aging factor in this series and it's honestly probably one of the most confusing parts about Pair/Horizon, and even I get mixed up with it, so I will try to hash out a sketchy template on their aging breakdown for you guys.
So, simple answer: roughly 60-65 years = 1 human year of aging.
Long answer: I had originally had them aging in human years when I was first blocking Pair out and they were supposed to be somewhere around 18-19 when Hinata was grounded. Craziiwolf (the wonderful artist whose art spawned this MONSTER of a brain child AU) stated they were approx 1000 yrs old give or take when Hinata lost his wings, I think? So yeah, rather than rehash out a nicer number and try and rework what was mostly a finished plot at that point, i just took them to be roughly 1100 years old now and converted all the ages to 'hundreds' and left it at that b/c Nyx is lazy (which is a lousy excuse).
When Hinata first came to the rookery, he was a little over 450 years old ~ about 7 in human terms. And I know the math is a bit fuzzy; the numbers were always supposed to be kinda round figures and not exact, and I didn't feel like doing more number crunching when I got home today, sorry.
In human years, they were close to 8 when their military training began in earnest as well as their first bout in the race pits, a little over 9 when Kageyama lost his mom, and his solo experience in the pits wasn't long after that. They were hitting prodigy status for their age at volley around 11 and able to compete in much older age groups. They had a solid like 600 years (just under 10 Years Human) of military training before Hinata's grounding. Suga has been with the unit for 1-2 human years at this point, i think? He joined about the same time that the unit started taking in-field missions (like 100ish years ago).
I apologize if this is totally confusing- honestly, it's actually caught me once or twice and and I have to go back and fix ages correctly, but I hope this helps people get a more solid grasp on their aging with respect to certain 'big' events :p
Whew. Okay, Nyx is off to try writing on half the amount of adequate sleep and a 10 hour shift brain fry. Have an excellent evening guys!