Oikawa had a sneaking suspicion for a while now, ever since Hinata Shouyou arrived back in town for their last match at nationals. He somewhat knew before, but after nationals, everything clicked and made sense for the first time in a while and he smiled sadly.

Kageyama wasn't in love with him. Simply, he was in love with Hinata. Has been probably since before he moved.

Oikawa didn't know whether to upset, betrayed, or happy, or even a mix of all three. He wanted to talk to Kageyama about this whole deal and kept trying to bring it up in conversation each time they were alone but couldn't. He just couldn't. He loved Kageyama far too much and if he let him go now, then he didn't know what the future held for him. He was absolutely terrified that Kageyama will drop everything and leave him, leave him for Hinata. His gut feeling always told him it will happen one of these days, probably when he least expects it, and he knows.

He just knows. That Kageyama will end up leaving him for Hinata. It was inevitable.

Tobio arrived home late, carrying a bag of takeout in his hand (Oikawa's favorite) and closed the door behind him. Shouyou was in town again, he was leaving next week, and spent the day with him trying to catch up more on what they missed during the years they weren't together. He could tell Oikawa was getting agitated over the fact that he was spending so much time with Shouyou now rather than with him and it was getting to the point where Tobio was getting fed up with his attitude.

"I'm home," He called out, toeing off his shoes. "I brought dinner." Oikawa emerged from the bathroom, wiping his hands on a towel, and smiled. He walked over to Tobio and kissed his temple, easily taking the bag from Tobio's hand.

"Ah, welcome home. How was your day out with Hinata?" Oikawa mused, entering the kitchen and setting the bag down on the table. Tobio sat down and leaned back in the chair, utterly exhausted.

"Tiring. I forgot how much energy he has, and still has. He's only 25, he shouldn't have that much energy for a 25 year old." Tobio complained, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. Oikawa only laughed at that and stood behind Tobio, his hands resting on his shoulders to give him a massage.

"Well, you can't really blame him. He hasn't seen you in over how many years? He's really excited." Oikawa murmured, kissing the back of Tobio's head softly. Tobio nodded in agreement and leaned back into him, letting his eyes slip shut.

Days passed, and with each day came a new speaking suspicion that something was up with Tobio and Hinata. Oikawa continued to try and get information out of Tobio each time he came home, which was later and later in the day as each day passed by. He tried contacting Kuroo but to no avail. He was busy spending time with his new boyfriend than to even talk to Oikawa anymore. So his last resort was Terushima, and he hoped that he could help him out.

"Heeeey, Teru-chan~! I need a bit of help from you if you're free."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Tobio-chan's been acting strange these past few weeks and I'm kind of getting worried that the little shrimp is having an affect on him like he did before. What do I do?"

"Are you jealous that he's hanging out with him again, really?"

"Not jealous! Just overly cautious is all. He spends most of his time with shrimpy now instead of me and he just doesn't seem to care."

"Talk with him about it, Oikawa, jeez. He's not going to know these things unless you tell him outright. He is dense."

"Ugghhhhhh. But telling him would make things more suspicious than they already seem."

"Oikawa, I swear to anything that's holy, talk to him. Make it known that you are concerned about the whole ordeal or whatever. Just, don't skip past it and ignore it. If you do, it'll only get worse and maybe, just maybe, it'll happen."

"Fine. ): I'll let you know how it goes."

"Wow! I bet I can swing higher than you, Tobio!" Shouyou grinned, dashing ahead of Tobio towards the swings, kicking up snow on the way. Tobio shouted something behind him and raced after the smaller male, only reaching the swings a fraction of a second behind Shouyou.

"Your short legs can't even reach the ground, how will you be able to swing higher than me?" Tobio teased, a mocking grin spread across his mouth. He pushed off from the sand and began to swing, Shouyou frantically trying his best to keep up.

"That's no fair! Don't bring my height into this, stupid!" Shouyou whined. He stopped trying to swing faster than Tobio once his legs became tired and his breath was making heavy clouds in the cold air. He snuck a glance at Tobio and smiled, reaching over to shove at Tobio. He really missed this, the interactions with Tobio he longed for. He closed his eyes and just willed himself to swing, enjoying the silence between them except for the wind blowing and the chains creaking with each movement. He puffed out a sigh and jumped off the swing when he got really high up, landing in a fresh pile of snow. He rolled onto his back and stared up at Tobio, who continued to swing despite Shouyou not swinging with him anymore. Tobio eventually noticed and he snorted, jumping off to land beside Shouyou. It became eerie silent once more.

Tobio rolled over onto his side to make eye contact with Shouyou and he breathed out slowly. "You're leaving in a few days, right?"

"Yeah. I'm finishing up college and trying to pursue volleyball as much as I can. You're finishing up soon too, aren't you?"

"Yeah. It seems far too soon, though," Tobio muttered, shrugging a shoulder. The snow was beginning to fall even more than before, the cold wind enveloping both of them in its embrace. "I'm going to have nothing to do now besides volleyball."

"And your art. You can't forget about your art." Shouyou eventually replied, sitting up on his arm to look down at Tobio.

"I know," Tobio sighed heavily, closing his eyes. A heavy guilt weighed down on his shoulders as he sat up, facing Shouyou. "How's your family life going? Are they still going through the whole, divorce process?" At that, Shouyou groaned and flung his head into his hands, Tobio's eyes widening and quickly apologizing for his rudeness.

"Ah, no, it's not that. They're still dealing with it, but it's making my little sister upset and putting stress on me more than it should."

"How so?" Tobio frowned.

"I have to take care of Natus more often now than before, and dealing with both volleyball practice and college- I just can't deal with it. It's so much stress, and I feel like I'm going to fail at any given moment," Shouyou whispered, shaking his head. "I couldn't live with knowing that I failed Natsu, like my parents did."

"Shouyou, hey. You're not failing her, and you won't ever," Tobio assured him, tugging on his arm to pull him into a hug. "She should understand how much stress you're going through. It doesn't make you any less of a human." Shouyou nodded into Tobio's shoulder, wrapping his arms even tighter around his waist. The feeling of a hand slowly stroking his hair made Shouyou feel calm and he released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. He bit his lip and made the mistake of looking up at Tobio, to try and see what he was thinking. Their faces were inches apart and Shouyou's heart fluttered, his once buried feelings for Tobio now springing back to life. His breath hitched and he looked away, feeling his face heat up considerably. He knew he shouldn't feel like this, knew he shouldn't be in Tobio's arms in such a comfortable and intimate way, but he couldn't make himself pull away.

Tobio felt the exact same.

Tobio watched as Shouyou's cheeks burned a bright pink, then faded into a deep shade of red. He at first thought it was just the cold bringing him to blush, but then realized that no, no it wasn't. How was he so stupid enough to not figure it out right off the bat? Tobio swallowed his heart back down his throat and leaned forward, his lips brushing up against Shouyou's cheekbone lightly. He could hear Shouyou's breathing speed up and he smiled, more to himself than anything.

"What is it?" Tobio asked quietly, rubbing circles on the others back slowly. A soft noise came from Shouyou's throat and he pouted, gently punching Tobio in the ribs. He wanted to say something, to express how much he had longed for this to happen, he really did, but courage wasn't his strong suit today it seemed. Plus, with the weight of knowing that Tobio was together with Oikawa in the back of his mind, he really didn't want to say anything, in fear of Tobio only doing this because they were friends. (Did friends even do this kind of thing?)

Tobio leaned forward again to press his lips closer to Shouyou's mouth this time, and Shouyou knew for a fact this wasn't just because they were friends. He furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his head, turning it so he would capture Tobio's lips with his own. It was as if time stopped, the snow ceased falling, and nothing moved other than the two in the snowy bank, kissing each other with a passionate embrace. Shouyou whimpered and flung his arms around Tobio's shoulders, scooting closer to him so there wouldn't be an inch in between them. Tobio accepted and tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss as he fisted his hands into the back of Shouyou's shirt.

They finally parted and the air between them seemed to have shifted completely, in a good way. Shouyou met Tobio's eyes and he smiled, tears stinging his eyes. He was really happy and couldn't believe that had just happened. "Did that… really just happen?" Tobio choked back a laughed and wiped the corners of his eyes, nodding.

"Yes, I believe it did." Tobio could hardly believe it himself, and after acknowledging that he did it, guilt rained down on him more than before. How would Oikawa respond to this? He would no doubt be upset and angry towards him. Would he leave him? Would he understand? He simply banished the thoughts to the back of his mind and solely focused on the problem at hand.

"I've been meaning to tell you for the longest time, I swear, but I guess that just told you all, didn't it?' Shouyou said weakly, averting his gaze. He inhaled slowly and leaned away from Tobio so they could assess the damage they caused. Tobio grabbed Shouyou's hands in his and squeezed, not meeting his gaze.

"I, uh, feel the same way. About you, I mean. But I don't know what to do. I don't know how I would bring it up to Oikawa." Shouyou grimaced at the name mention but slowly shook his head, already knowing how this is going to play out.

"It's- It's okay, really. I know that you and Oikawa have been together for a while now, and I'll only be in the way, plus this- what happened right now, it shouldn't have happened. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't want to cause any harm to you or-"

"Shouyou, shut up. You didn't cause any harm. If anything, all this was because of me and my stupid impulse control. Please don't blame yourself. I'll talk it out with Oikawa to see where it leads us."

"No, Tobio, you don't understand!" Shouyou shouted.

"What don't I understand?" Tobio shouted back, growing upset at each passing moment.

"I don't want you to split up because of me! That would be wrong in so many ways! W-We can just forget that this even happened, okay? That would be the best thing to do. A-Anyway, I have to go back to my hotel now. It was really nice meeting up with you again and I'll message you later okay?" Shouyou yanked his hands back from Tobio's grasp and stood up quickly, not bothering to brush himself off as he made a mad dash out of the park and away from Tobio.

He didn't message Tobio that night, or the next.

The guilt he felt from that day forward weighed down on him way more than he thought it would. He tried to gather up the courage to send Shouyou a message, but even doing that caused him to rethink on what happened and throw his phone across the room. He knew Oikawa could sense something changed but didn't want to bring it up, so he skirted around the problem and left an elephant in the room, so to speak.

Tobio tossed a volleyball into the air as he laid down on the couch, brewing over the situation. Oikawa had been hesitant but now it annoyed him to no end and he approached Tobio after he got out of the shower one night, towel drying his hair.

"Tobio?"

"Hm."

"Is everything alright? You seem a bit upset with something." Oikawa said softly, moving Tobio's legs up so he could drape them over his thighs. Tobio didn't answer right away, instead, he continued to toss the ball up. Oikawa waited, nibbling on his bottom lip anxiously.

"There is something wrong, actually." Tobio finally said, catching the ball in his hands and looking over at Oikawa from behind the ball.

"Care to tell me? If you want to, that is. I'm not forcing you."

"No, I have to tell you." Ah, so there was something Tobio had been keeping secret from him. Oikawa stayed silent, however, holding his breath in fear of what Tobio had to say next. "A week or so ago, you know how I hung out with Shouyou, right?"

Great. His fears were coming true. "Mhm, yes? What of it?"

"Well…" The pause, most definitely, hurt Oikawa more than actually knowing the truth. "We went to the park, and we started talking, right? I didn't mean for anything to happen, I swear, it just did and I feel really bad about it but then again not really and I'm still freaking out about it, wondering if you're gonna hate me and-"

"Tobio." At the sound of his name being said, Tobio opened his eyes (he didn't even realize he closed them) and stared at Oikawa, dread leaking into his expression. "What happened?" Oikawa asked, oh so calmly.

"We kissed."

"Oh." Oikawa heaved a sigh, putting a hand up to his forehead in disdain. "I kind of expected this, not going to lie."

"Wh- You did? Why? I didn't mean for this to happen, Tooru, I swear."

"I know you didn't, but it did. You feel regret, but probably not so much as you should, right? I know you liked Shrimpy-chan, you've liked him since we first met. You just didn't realize," Oikawa quickly held up a finger to silence Tobio since he had more to say. "Was going out with me the only way to cope with him leaving?"

Tobio's jaw dropped at the accusation and he shook his head, spluttering as he sat up, flinging his arms up in disbelief. "N-No! What the hell, Tooru? I went out with you because I liked you, not because he left and I just wanted some, some 'fling' with you."

"What do you want to do now, then? I-I don't want to keep holding you back if you wish to go back to Shrimpy." Oikawa muttered, looking away from Tobio. When he heard nothing in reply, he knew right then that he had lost. Failed completely. He sighed in defeat and stood up, pushing Tobio's legs off his thighs. "I guess your silence says it all."

"Tooru, wait-" Tobio started but stopped when he saw the look of sadness and anger in Oikawa's glare.

"I really enjoyed being your boyfriend, Tobio, even though it was short lived. I somehow knew this day would come, but I wish it didn't happen so soon. I'll be gone by morning. I really did love you." Oikawa shrugged a shoulder and left the room to gather up his belongings. Tobio just sat there on the sofa, thinking about how stupid he was to have let this happen, but deep down, so far down he was actually kind of glad that this outcome came to be.

Tobio didn't contact anyone at all after Oikawa left. He felt abandoned, almost, yet he knew he was completely at fault. Days turned into weeks into months and Tobio went about his days finishing up college and focusing himself on volleyball. Or tried to. Whenever he even touched a ball, thoughts of Oikawa and Shouyou flittered around his mind and he couldn't handle it. His coach benched him enough times for him to call it quits for a few days and try to regroup at home.

Then he started focusing on his art, and that somewhat calmed him down more than volleyball had. He drew on his off days, during break at his work, during time-outs when a practice match was being held. He drew and drew until he realized who in fact he was drawing and gave up on that too.

It was always Shouyou.

A good five years pass by like a breeze. Tobio hardly realized that since he gave up on trying to pursue Shouyou in favor of going to the Olympics. It was tough, but he managed and he made it through all the difficulties and bumps in the road. He learned that Oikawa stopped playing volleyball a few years back and he kind of got the feeling that he was at fault but never let it solely overtake his mind.

Tobio was at a practice match against another top ranking team in Japan when he saw a couple walk in through the door and into the bleachers. He had no time to spare to think about it as he served the ball, the second set beginning when his hand touched the ball. The game flew by in an instant, in which Tobio was glad for since his team won. He wiped his face off with a towel and scanned the crowd that was just starting to get up and leave, and he spotted a familiar face, just like all those years ago.

Shouyou.

He swallowed thickly, nervousness sitting in the pit of his stomach like weight. He followed after his team towards the locker rooms and got dressed amazingly fast, bidding his teammates and coach a farewell before exiting the room. He hesitantly made his way over to the gym doors, his eyes locking with the familiar orange hair and he sucked in a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his hands, feeling them begin to sweat.

"Shouyou?" Tobio asked, although it was more like a whisper if any. Shouyou spun around, a smile on his face, and he bounded over to Tobio and threw his arms around him tightly, hugging him.

"Tobio!" Shouyou cried, looking up at Tobio from where he stood. "Please don't be angry with me! I have a really good excuse as to why I never called you or texted you. Please, please, please, hear me out!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Shouyou." Tobio let out a chuckle, pulling him over to an empty bench. They sat down next to each other and Shouyou stayed silent for a couple of seconds before calling out someone's name and a little girl came running up to them from behind them.

"Tobio, this is Natsu, my little sister. She was the one I was telling you about back then, about my parents and the divorce and such." Something clicked in his head and Tobio nodded, waving back at Natsu, who waved happily at him. "About two, maybe three years ago, my parents decided to finally go through with it and they divorced. It was hell. I was still in college, just finishing up my last semester actually, when I get a call explaining everything that went down and how Natsu needed a guardian to take care of her. I didn't understand why at first, but then with the mental and physical state of both my mom and dad, I knew they couldn't be the sole guardians of her anymore. Even they said they didn't want no part in taking care of her, to which I was absolutely shocked and ready to tell them off. I was livid.

I couldn't just leave Natsu. She was my only sibling! So I took her into custody and that took forever to dish out, I swear. It was horrible. So much paperwork, so much stress, to the point where I gave up playing volleyball just to get my sister into my care. And I keep telling myself it was worth it, all the time, because it was. If I didn't go through with this, I'd have no idea where she would be right now, who she would be with, if she was safe." By the time Shouyou ended his rant, tears were flowing freely down his cheeks but that bright smile was still plastered on his face like no tomorrow. Despite everything that had happened to him, Shouyou was still smiling. Tobio wished he could be like that.

"So where does that leave you now?" Tobio asked, watching Natsu climb onto his lap and start to mess with his hair, complaining about his sweaty hair but laughing nonetheless.

"About to be homeless. I've tried finding a job in so many places and only ever held on for, what, maybe a couple of months? I'm such a fai-" A finger pressed against Shouyou's lips and he flicked his eyes up to meet Tobio's, who was wearing a small frown.

"Don't say that. You can come live with me. I, uh, also wanted to apologize for what happened, back then."

"What, when we kissed? I actually forgot about that," Shouyou shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. You're still with Oikawa-san, right?"

"No, actually. Um, we split up after the kiss happened." Shouyou's lips formed an 'o' in realization and he scooted back away from Tobio.

"I-I am so sorry to have caused that, I really didn't mean to."

"Relax, Shouyou, it's fine now." Tobio cracked a tiny grin, holding onto Natsu tight so she wouldn't tumble off his lap. "Have you got everything packed?"

"Nope. I wasn't even expecting you to offer us to live with you." Shouyou mumbled, twiddling his thumbs, He stood up and tugged on Tobio's hand, lacing their fingers together. "But, thank you, really. I appreciate it so much." Tobio squeezed his hand tight and led the way out the door into the coldness, holding Natsu close to him who hugged him around his neck.

"It's okay, don't thank me. I'm just happy to be finally with you again."

"Likewise."