A good four years passed and Tobio changed dramatically. For the better, he always tells himself. He couldn't keep drinking like he did anyways, it could cause some serious problems for him and what he wanted to do in life. He still did smoke every so often when he felt stressed from volleyball and his art.

That was another thing. His art. He had given up on pursuing his first dream of becoming an artist like his mother and instead, chose to go full force with volleyball. Tobio enjoyed it thoroughly and with Oikawa on his team, they were becoming noticed as one of the highest feared duo in all of Japan. It was exciting, to be in the spotlight with one of whom he now called a best friend.

Oikawa was always there for him when Shouyou wasn't, simple as that.

It wasn't as if Tobio completely forgot about Shouyou, no. It was never like that. He just gave up trying to continue to message Shouyou when he never got anything in return. It continued like that a whole year after he left, and it left Tobio in such a terrible state his mother had to get him a therapist. His mom knows he drinks and smokes now, after having caught him with Oikawa in the backyard of Tobio's house. That day was horrible; so much yelling, so much things getting thrown around, threats, but Tobio's mother forgave him eventually and he only drinks whenever he's at Oikawa's house or when his mom is gone for a number of days.

Life without Shouyou sucked, in a way. The brightness Tobio looked forward to every day was now gone, and in replace was a dark shadow of the person he once knew.

"Hey, Kageyama. Come over to my house and let's practice for the upcoming match." Oikawa drawled, sounding muffled.

Tobio groaned into his hand and pulled the phone away from his ear, biting down on the back of his hand. He forgot about the match, and it was so near too. Next week. "Ugh, okay. Just, let me get dressed. I've been in my pajamas all day."

"Lazy day for you too, hm?"

"Always." He heard a laugh escape the receiver and he shook his head, grinning dumbly. Sometimes Oikawa was dumb, and that's what he liked about him. He put Oikawa on speaker and started undressing, planning out the rest of his day inside his head.

"After practice, what do you want to do?" Tobio said after a while, zipping up his jacket and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"We could order out and watch movies? I know you haven't watched that documentary about the alien abductions, so we should watch that."

"Sure. Whatever you want." Tobio laughed. He grabbed his phone and exited his apartment, locking the door behind him. He had moved out last year when he finally got a part time job and had saved up enough to leave. Oikawa keeps trying to persuade him to let him move in with him, but Tobio won't allow it.

"It's too much work, and you're such a huge hassle anyways."

"Rude!"

He arrived at Oikawa's house no later than half past five. Oikawa still lived with his parents, surprisingly. Maybe that's why he kept bugging Tobio to let him move in. Maybe he'll think about it. Tobio stepped up onto the porch, raising his fist to knock and almost hit Oikawa square in the chest when the door suddenly opened. Tobio's eyes widened and then he actually did hit him when he recovered his heart from jumping into his throat.

"Asshole, don't do that." Tobio frowned, pushing past Oikawa.

"Wow, okay. Welcome home, Kageyama. Do whatever you wish. Shoes go over there, the backyard is over this way." Oikawa rolled his eyes and smacked the back of Tobio's head. Tobio followed Oikawa out to the yard and he set down his bag, stretching his arms above his head.

"You know, if we win this match, we go to nationals," Oikawa smiled, spinning the ball in between his hands. He turned to face Tobio and cocked his head to the side, still smiling brightly. Like Shouyou used to always do. "Aren't you excited?"

"Of course, but it's mere child's play now. I've been to nationals three times before, mind you. Back in high school." Tobio grunted, shrugging off his jacket and pulled on his kneepads. He walked out onto the makeshift court in the middle of the grass and stood beside Oikawa, staring down at the dirt beneath his feet. Oikawa looked at Tobio softly and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"We'll make it, Kageyama. And then we'll win nationals, and go to the olympics. We'll be the best in Japan."

What Oikawa said struck something inside of Tobio and he inwardly grimaced. That's almost exactly what Shouyou always said to him whenever they practiced in Shouyou's yard. That they'll always win and go to nationals and the olympics. A dream that never came true, will never come true. Tobio bit down hard on his bottom lip and balled his hands into fists at the thought. He squeezed his eyes shut and could feel Oikawa moving closer to him and then a strong pair of arms were around him. It was so warm, being embraced like this, that Tobio forgot about his thoughts and hugged Oikawa back. He buried his face in his collar and clutched the back of his shirt tightly, trying to control his breathing. Oikawa slowly rubbed his back and shushed him, laying his cheek against the side of Tobio's head.

"It's okay, Kageyama. It's okay…"

The rest of what happened was a blur. He hardly remembers any of it. But what he did clearly remember was the softness of Oikawa's lips against his own, calming him down rapidly. But he didn't stop there, nor did Tobio want him to stop.

It was addicting.

The taste of his lips, the taste of what Oikawa had ate before he arrived, the broadness of his shoulders, the soft locks of hair that was being grasped in his hands, his height.

Everything.

Tobio was tugged along to Oikawa's bedroom to escape prying eyes and locked the door, pushing Tobio back until they reached the bed and Tobio toppled back onto it. Tobio looked up and a heavy moan escaped his throat when Oikawa crawled over him, kissing up his neck and towards his mouth again, whispering against them,

"I've been dreaming about doing this to you for a long, long time. You just wouldn't let me have you."

"I- What…?" Tobio asked breathlessly, blinking his eyes open.

"I like you. I really like you." Oikawa's thumb traced over Tobio's bottom lip and it made it especially hard to concentrate.

"F-For how long?"

"Going on 3 years now."

"Fuck… Oikawa…" Tobio whined, dropping his head back onto the pillow. Oikawa laid his full weight on Tobio and caressed his face, eyeing him with a look Tobio just couldn't read.

"What is it?"

"I- I don't know. I think I may like you, but I've never liked anyone like that before and it's just so sudden and I don't know how to deal with it-" A finger pushed on Tobio's lips and effectively shut him up. He met Oikawa's eyes and swallowed, nodding at him.

"I'm not telling you to choose right this instant, no. You have as much time as you want." Oikawa said, leaning up to kiss Tobio's chin, nuzzling the underside of his jaw.

"Okay, that's fair," Tobio nodded once more, his eyes slipping shut at the contact Oikawa was making with his skin. "Just…"

"Hm?"

"Kiss me again."

The match come and goes. Tobio's team wins and they go out drinking to celebrate their going to nationals. He shouldn't have agreed, but he hasn't drank in over three months and he thinks that it's as good a time as any.

Tobio sits next to Oikawa and orders something strong, Oikawa ordering something fruity for a first drink of the night. Tobio just wants this night over with. It was a horrible decision to go drinking right after the end of the match. His body was sore, he was sweating like a pig. He just wanted to go home, shower, catch up on a few drawings he wanted to finish, and sleep.

He drinks his shot and slams it down, flicking his hand to signal that he wanted another. Oikawa gave him a look and put a hand over Tobio's on the bar, narrowing his eyes.

"Kageyama, stop. I don't want you getting wasted within the first few hours that we've arrived." Oikawa tsked.

"But I want to. I want this night to be over." Tobio shrugged, pulling his hand out from under Oikawa's. Oikawa wouldn't have that, and grabbed it back and held it tightly.

"Kageyama. Please. Try to enjoy yourself? If you don't feel up for it in an hour, we will leave, okay? I promise." Oikawa said softly, slipping his hand into Tobio's. Tobio thinks he's being caring, but he's probably just doing it for himself to save face.

"Fine." Tobio obliged. He ordered the same fruity drink Oikawa did and left it at that.

He didn't go home after an hour. Neither did Oikawa.

They stayed at the bar until close to one in the morning, and by then Tobio was completely plastered and Oikawa was bordering wasted. Oikawa helped Tobio out of the bar, more like stumbled out of the bar, and hailed a taxi. Tobio couldn't keep his hands to himself and soon enough, they were back at Tobio's apartment and all he could remember were hands. Oikawa's strong hands all over his body, making him feel known.

Making him feel accepted.

He feels like he admitted something that night to Oikawa, but Oikawa wouldn't say anything.

It was the day of nationals and Tobio was stressing himself out more than he probably should. Oikawa stood behind him in the locker room, rubbing Tobio's shoulders to try and get some tension out. He leaned over him and kissed the side of his neck, squeezing his shoulders.

"Don't be so uptight, okay? It'll be okay, don't worry." Oikawa mumbled, letting go of Tobio's shoulders in favor of wrapping his arms around his waist. Tobio shook his head.

"It's not that easy. Plus, it's even more stress knowing that we have to win this."

"We don't have to win anything, Tobio. We just want to," Oikawa shrugged, kissing Tobio's neck one last time before pulling off. He grabbed his water bottle and nudged Tobio along towards the door. "And you have me, so that should be another weight off your back."

The match went by fast than Tobio imagined it would. It was fruitful to say the least. His team won the first three in a row and it was certain that they were going to win. Tobio forgot all about the stress of the game and focused on his tosses and Oikawa and the points that kept stacking up until he spotted someone amongst the crowd and he froze. Thankfully, it was during the other team's time-out, but still.

Why was he here?

Tobio tried to erase him from his mind and focus back on the game when the whistle blew, but he just couldn't. It messed him up big time, and he was sure that he didn't mean to do it anyway.

But he did.

The game ends with nothing less of a victory for Tobio's team and Tobio wasn't all that excited as he was before. Sure they won, but why the fuck was he here?

Oikawa walked up to him and tossed him a towel and water bottle, noticing that Tobio was on edge. "What's wrong?" He asked, pulling Tobio off to the side. He didn't meet Oikawa's eyes and even then he knew something was up.

"He's here."

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Him."

"Tobio, who the hell is here? I don't know your mixed signals or whatever. Just tell me." Oikawa groaned, shoving Tobio back a little. Tobio gave him a hard glare and shoved him back harder.

"Shouyou's here!" Oikawa stared at Tobio for a second before he blanched.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"I am! I saw him in the stands during the last time out! What the hell is he doing here?" Tobio cried, slinking down to the floor and put his head in his hands. Oikawa stood above him with a hand on his hip and a disgruntled look masking his face

"How the hell should I know? Do you want me to say something to him-?"

"No! No, anything but that. I just don't know what to do. Why would he be here, after so many years passed?" Tobio shook his head into his towel. Oikawa sighed heavily and knelt down in front of Tobio.

"I don't know, maybe you should talk to him and find out? He probably came all this way just to see you. Maybe he didn't. You won't know until you talk to him." He said softly, stroking Tobio's hair gently.

"You're right." Tobio finally said, feeling defeated. He pushed Oikawa's hand off his head and stood up, sucking in a huge breath. Oikawa followed suit and pulled him close, kissing his cheek.

"You'll do fine."

Most of the gym had already cleared out by the time Tobio entered it again, after cooling his head off with Oikawa's help. He glanced around nervously, kind of hoping that Shouyou had already left but nope. That wasn't the case at all.

He was still here.

Sitting on one of the empty benches, his back to Tobio. He was fidgeting, like he was nervous.

Well, he should be, Tobio thought, urging himself to step forward. Asshole. He cleared his throat.

"So you finally show up." Was what first came out of his mouth and he flinched, not meaning for it to sound that mean. Shouyou jumped up from the bench and swirled around, his eyes blown wide. He stared at Tobio for a long while an unreadable expression on his face, before snapping out of his thoughts with a shake of his head. A smile made its way on his lips and he tilted his head to the side, just like always.

"Hey, Tobio. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has." Tobio snapped back, crossing his arms as he stood before Shouyou, though a few feet away so it wouldn't become awkward. He didn't meet his eyes, couldn't meet his eyes, and his throat felt extremely dry.

"I'm really, really sorry, first of all. You don't know how sorry I am-" Shouyou began, but was quickly cut off by an enraged Tobio who balled his hands into fists at his sides.

"Sorry? You're sorry!? How many years has it been, Shouyou? Hm? Four! Four goddamn years of nothing but silence from you! And you expect me to just drop everything and accept your apology? Do you know what the hell I went through during those four years? No!" Tobio yelled, becoming angrier each second he spat out a word. He turn to the side so he wouldn't have to see Shouyou and felt his eyes burn. He squeezed them shut and held his breath, trying with all his might to calm down.

"Tobio, come on! I am sorry! Everything just happened after the first year I left and things got chaotic and it was horrible and I couldn't call you or message you or try and meet up with you again, I couldn't!" Shouyou cried out, stepping around the bench to reach forward and grab Tobio's jersey tightly. Tobio tensed up and hesitantly met Shouyou's eyes for the first time since he saw him, his eyes narrowed.

"What could have been so important that you just, forgot about me?" He breathed out, pushing Shouyou away from him.

"My parents are getting a divorce, I had to move again. It's all just a blur now. I chose to not think about it because I just don't want to." Shouyou rubbed his arm, looking down at the wooden floor beneath their feet sullenly. Tobio released another breath he didn't know he had been holding and faced Shouyou again. He bit his lip in thought.

"Okay, I'm sorry too. For, um, shouting at you like that. I… I didn't know."

"It's okay. I didn't know about what happened with you either," Shouyou offered him a small smile and nudged Tobio's arm with his elbow. "How about we start over?"

"Yeah, that- that sounds nice."

"Hi, it's been quite a few years, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"So do you still do art or is it just volleyball now?" Shouyou asked, chowing down on his curry. Tobio watched him from across the table in his apartment and he bit back a grin. Oikawa had allowed Shouyou to come over and was even nice to him. Now he was just sitting in the living room, watching one of his documentaries again.

"Volleyball, mostly. Sometimes I draw on my off days, but it's usually close to none." Tobio shrugged, simply picking at his food instead of eating it. He wasn't all that hungry, and since Shouyou was here at his apartment, he was feeling a little more on edge than usually.

"That's a shame, you should really draw more on your days off, Tobio. It's good to keep up your art. You're, what, 25 now? You could go somewhere with your art too! Not just with volleyball. You're talented both ways," Shouyou beamed, taking a sip of his water. "After all, I'm still in volleyball too!"

Tobio choked on a piece of rice and he slammed a fist into his chest. "N-No way? I'd have thought you'd quit after you moved." Shouyou laughed.

"Nope! Not at all, I still really love it. That's why I came down here to see you, well, it wasn't actually for you, but for the team I was watching. One of my friends is on that team and was playing you, but I didn't know you'd be there, for obvious reasons. It was a surprise to see you, though, a good surprise."

Tobio nodded at Shouyou and listened to him, realizing he was just as enthusiastic as he was when they were smaller. Some things never change.

"Were you just down here for the match?" He asked, pushing his plate aside and leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah, I have a hotel room just a few blocks away from the gymnasium. It's a really nice hotel, actually. But enough about me, how have you been? I see you moved in with, what's his face?"

"Oikawa?"

"Yeah! He's really nice. How long have you been roommates? Do you go to the same college?" Shouyou fired off, smiling brightly. He leaned his arms on the table and kicked his feet up, apologizing when he kicked Tobio in the shin.

"Uh, we've been, um, roommates for a while now, maybe a little less than a year? I don't remember, and yeah, we do." Tobio really didn't want to go into a long spiel about he and Oikawa, especially now that they were dating. He also didn't want to make Shouyou uncomfortable with him knowing that they were together. It just wouldn't be right after they finally met up.

They talk for well over a few hours, Oikawa occasionally dropping in with some sweets- "What the hell kind of chocolates are those?" "They're alien-shaped, duh." "That's so stupid." "I like them! They're really tasty." "Shut up, Shouyou," - until Shouyou eventually brought up that he had to leave.

Tobio walked him to the door and stepped outside into the freezing wind with Shouyou. He stared ahead for awhile, not wanting things to end so soon, when Shouyou hugged him suddenly. He blinked at the shock but wrapped his arms around the smaller male, bringing him even closer.

"It was great to see you again, Tobio, really. I had missed you so much." Shouyou mumbled into his shirt. Tobio nodded.

"We should meet up again soon. You have to remember to check your phone too, stupid. You can't forget about it."

"I know! I'm sorry, again." Shouyou said sheepishly, stepping back. He looked up and met Tobio's eyes, a smile adorning his lips, and he waved. "See you."

Tobio watched him go, feeling as if time had rewound itself back to when they were smaller and Shouyou was leaving for the first time. He swallowed back the frog in his throat and lifted a hand, waving slightly, Shouyou's body disappearing into the elevator. "Yeah, see you."

Time will only tell when they would meet again. If they would ever meet again.