Chapter Text
Yuu shivered against his coat. His warm breath came out in thick puffs of soft white, visible in the warm glow of Ekaterinburg’s evening lights. Like most of his adventures, he didn’t give much thought about where he went next, an approach that came back to bite him when he decided to go to Russia in winter to visit the obelisk that marked the Eurasian border. He had heard about it from a fellow traveller and figured that he was close enough to make the trip anyway.
The early novelty of having one foot in Europe and the other in Asia began to wear thin as he looked for a hotel to stay in, the cold biting into his bones. The idea of stepping into a shop or something to warm up came to mind and he chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner. He turned back, retracing his steps, vaguely remembering a cozy-looking establishment that he passed on the way.
“Yuu?”
Though it sounded familiar, he couldn’t quite place it. Not that he had to wait long to figure out who it belonged to. His eyes focused on the figure that was standing a few feet away from him. He was, obviously, a bit older, but he was undoubtedly a familiar face that Yuu hadn't seen in a while.
“Morisuke-kun?”
“Yep.” He affirmed with a grin. “Haven’t seen or heard from you in a long time, what brings you here?”
“Split-second decision gone wrong, I guess?” he said with a grimace, his cold-flushed cheeks turned redder from embarrassment.
The other man snickered. “Oh? I’d love to hear it.”
“It’s nothing, really.” Yuu said abruptly, not wanting to humiliate himself any further.
A heavy silence grew between them. Yaku looked at him expectantly, but his tongue was glued to the bottom of his mouth. To distract from the growing discomfort, he busied himself with having a proper look at the person in front of him.
Yaku Morisuke had grown a bit more since high school. Even if he didn’t, Yuu would still have been shorter, standing at 164 cm. Despite the overcoat, he seemed to have gained a bit of muscle as well. The street lights reflected softly on the locks of strawberry blonde hair that peeked out from his thick wool cap and in the chocolate brown of his eyes.
Eyes that ultimately looked away, grown tired of the silence.
“Well,” Yaku began slowly, “I was planning on going out somewhere for dinner. Do you want to join me and catch up there?”
Yuu nodded in response, forcing himself to make a noise that sounded affirmative.
A small smile makes its way to the other’s face.
“Follow me, then.”
Trailing behind him, Yuu stared, surprised at how Yaku’s simple statement made the quiet more comfortable, although he shouldn’t have been. Yaku always gave off this air of certainty, of reliability, and he was observant enough to know that Yuu needed some time to process the sudden nature of his arrival. He never seemed to know how to handle himself whenever the older boy was around. He’s not used to that feeling, and the unfamiliarity feeds into it even further.
The first time they met, Yuu was also gazing intently at his back, trying to place the feeling that he got when he saw Nekoma’s number 3 cleanly receive Asahi’s spike. Suga was talking to said person of interest while glancing at his own team’s libero with a look of concern. He thought he overheard Suga say something along the lines of “…ignore him…he’ll go away, eventually… ”.
This jolted something in his mind, made him want to get the words out as soon as possible, even if the recipient was facing away from him.
“You’re really, really good at receiving, number 3. I’ve never seen anyone who could dig our ace’s hits so consistently. Everybody on your whole team is great at defense. To hold the position of starting libero on a team like that… I think that’s amazing.”
Number 3, whose name he would later find out was Yaku Morisuke, was looking at him now.
Yuu felt his heart being squeezed.
He needed to get out quick, so he pushed out the rest of the words as swiftly as he could.
“Someday, I’m gonna be just as good! No, better! Nowexcuseme, GOODBYE!”
He sped off as soon as the last word left his mouth.
Suga called after him but he was too focused on getting his heart to stop racing to care.
Yaku just stood there.
They’ve had some casual conversations since then, but Yuu could never handle the strange feeling for too long, choosing to slip out slowly and direct his own attention towards his team, or his crush on Shimizu Kiyoko.
As if to make up for their lacking interactions, their moments on court teemed with an exhilarating energy that left him feeling tingly and light in the moments after and whenever he thought about it.
When Shouyou was worried about Nekoma failing to advance at the Tokyo qualifiers tournament, Yuu was quick to reassure him, telling him that Nekoma had Yaku, so he shouldn’t worry. Shouyou admittedly told him that Yaku didn’t really leave much of an impression on him, to which he confidently responded, “Guys who are great at defense, and I mean truly great, aren’t necessarily gonna be the flashiest guys on the court!”
And yet.
His heart jumped with every ‘thwack!’ and ‘bmp’ that the ball made when it bounced off of the arms of the opposing libero. He felt it in his throat as the ball soared up and he felt it in his stomach when the ball plummeted down, a perfect arc.
Not for the first time, he wished that people paid more attention to the defense. Not just the miracle saves, though they were amazing, but all the other things too.
Like how Yaku’s presence intimidated his enemy spikers into dinking or running away, how he worked with the blockers to make the spikers think that they found an opening, only for them to realize too late that he was waiting and ready to pounce.
Yuu wanted everyone to know how amazing that was.
Most of all, he hoped Yaku knew how amazing he really was.
He wanted him to know that his efforts and skills were being appreciated by people outside of Nekoma.
On court, there was never the time for it. Even if there was, the right words weren’t there either. There was only the hope that Yuu’s starry eyes and occasional exclamations reached him, that the other libero could feel him saying,
‘hey, I see you.’
Sometimes, he swore that he could feel a similar excitement coming from his Nekoma counterpart as well. His suspicions were confirmed when he managed to spectacularly pull off a mid-air set.
Across the net, Yaku swapped in and was pointing straight at him.
“Yuu! You get better every time I see ya!”
He used his given name.
‘I see you, too.’
All this time that Yuu spent on figuring out how to let him know, and Yaku just turns it around on him effortlessly.
He had let out a strangled noise out of surprise, but he managed to say something back.
“Thanks a bunch, Morisuke-kun!”
Words are hard.
At the end of their final match, they quietly exchanged a resolute and firm handshake, hoping that it expressed everything unsaid.
That was the last time that they saw each other.
This was the third years’ last chance after all.
Unlike what some may believe, Nishinoya Yuu wasn’t stupid. He eventually realized that his feelings for Yaku were more of a romantic sort instead of strong appreciation for his volleyball skills, even if that realization came to him in his third year, after the other boy graduated.
It came when Ryuu was teasing him about how he was gonna cope with his crushes gone.
“Crushes? Ryuu, you know I only had eyes for Kiyoko-san!” he replied, affronted.
Ryuu scoffed. “Could’ve fooled me with the way that you looked and talked about Yaku-san!” he continued. “I remembered thinking, ‘Yaku-san’s gotta be a real big man to get that kind of praise out of Noya-san’. Though, if you say so…”
Through further inspection, the mixture of nervousness and the giddiness when he was around, the intent focus that he always placed on him, getting flustered, these were signs that were associated with having a crush. Maybe it just went unnoticed because it felt a little different to his crush on Shimizu. He was certainly more bold when it came to the latter.
Huh.
Guess he liked girls and boys.
Ryuu was quick to voice his support, the rest followed soon after and it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Years passed, and he met and fell for other people, only remembering Yaku as the first boy he fell for, and nothing more.
“This is the place.”
Yaku opened the door and Yuu felt like he was gonna fall asleep from the sheer warmth that enveloped him as soon as he walked in.
It was an izakaya, to his pleasant surprise.
There was an area covered in tatami mats with low tables, along with another that held a more western set-up of tables and chairs. It wasn’t full, so he didn’t expect that they would be given a 2-hour time limit.
A server greeted them at the entrance.
“Welcome! Which area would you like to sit in for tonight?”
“Tatami area, please!” they both said in unison, letting out a surprised laugh when they noticed.
A sense of relief came over him. It didn’t have to be awkward, Yuu realized, he wasn’t 17 anymore and his crush on Yaku had been gone for nearly nine years now. Tonight was just a chance encounter between old acquaintances in a foreign land.
Who knows? Maybe he could start a proper friendship now that they could actually talk to each other.
After they settled at their table and ordered some beer, they began to shrug off some of their outerwear to account for the change in temperature. When Yaku took off his cap, Yuu noticed that his hair had gotten longer compared to the cropped style that he sported back in high school. It looked like it had been slicked back, although now several strands fell on his forehead.
“Your hair looks nice.”
Yaku blinked.
Then he snickered.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just that you were so quiet the whole walk here, but then the two times that you decided to speak up were to say the same thing I did and to compliment my hat hair.”
Yuu made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I was just unprepared, is all.”
Then he paused.
“Sorry for coming across a bit cold.”
“Ha! Shut up!” Yaku retorted, no actual venom behind it.
A few moments after they settled themselves down, the server came over to give them their beers and take the rest of their orders (some more of the edamame appetisers that were already on the table, grilled meat skewers, fried chicken and a bottle of sake).
The two men sat quietly, sipping on their beer and chewing their edamame until Yuu spoke up.
“So, what brings you to Russia, Morisuke-kun?”
For some reason, Yaku smiled behind his beer. “Work, mostly.”
“...and where do you work?”
His smile turned into a full grin. “I’m the starting libero for Tigr Ekaterinburg.”
Yuu’s eyes widened.
“You mean, like IN the Russian Super League?”
“Yep.”
“DUDE, that’s amazing!!!”
Yaku winced at the volume and gave apologetic glances to those that looked at their direction, but he seemed pleased with his reaction.
“Yeah, studied languages at university while playing for the school team, played for VC Kanagawa with Yamamoto for two years after, then I decided to try my luck at foreign leagues, now here I am. Nothing much, really,” he summarised, jokingly humble, yet obviously proud.
“You’ve gotten a hundred times more awesome since high school, huh?” Yuu marveled, unrestrained admiration apparent in his words.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m not complaining,” Yaku responded, cheeks slightly pink, “how about you?”
He chuckled. “Well...”
“After high school, I went straight to work, taking all sorts of jobs all over the place. When I figured I collected enough money, I left Japan at 21 to just travel as far and as long as it could take me, seeing new things and trying new stuff!”
The air was once again graced with Yaku’s delighted laughter.
“Geez, Yuu. You’re really something else!”
“Wait.” His cheerful expression quickly turned to one of curiosity and concern. “You’re turning 26, aren’t you? How have you managed to not run out of money yet?”
As soon as the question left his mouth, both of them felt the atmosphere dampen, if only slightly.
“Well, I did some cash-on-hand work here and there whenever I felt that funds were getting low and that was fine for a while.” He took in a deep breath. “Then I got a call from Japan. It was my grandpa. He was really sick, and it wouldn’t get better.”
His fingers absentmindedly ran back and forth the tatami mat, the little bumps grounded him, gave him something to focus on.
“I went back to Japan to spend as much time as I could with him. He died a few months ago.”
He exhaled slowly.
“He left everything to me and my sisters, told me to keep having adventures, even after he was gone, because–” he thought back to the words his grandfather told him many times before– “passing up the chance to learn and experience new things is just a big, fat waste.”
Eyes still averted, staring at the floor, he continued.
“Still had some stuff to sort out afterwards, so I only started travelling again a little more than a month ago,” he sipped his beer, “now I’m here.”
Across from him, Yaku’s eyes were wide with worry.
“Shit, man, sorry. You don’t have to answer a question if it makes you uncomfortable.”
A dull ‘thunk’ on the table interrupted them.
The server apologized for the delay as she placed a bottle of sake and a bowl of edamame before them. They assured her that it was no trouble.
Thoughtfully, Yuu placed another pod between his teeth, slid it away to squeeze out the beans inside, and chewed.
“It’s more like I feel guilty about bringing it up in this kind of setting,” he continued, “It’s still not great to think about, but I’ve had time. Just been itching to get back to traveling and make him proud, really.”
That wasn’t quite the whole truth, though. His grandfather helped his single mother in raising him and his sisters, then raised them on his own after a car accident took their mother away when he was 12.
Nishinoya Mineo was, in one word, intense.
Silly as it was, the idea that his grandfather would die never crossed his mind.
He turned Yuu, a shy boy who was scared of everything, into an outgoing individual who can adapt to whatever life can throw at him.
Yuu refused to let his passing undo the hard work that his grandfather had done.
That said, the first month was horrible.
Having to stay at that eerily somber house, a house that always used to be alight with Mineo’s presence or the after-images of his last stay, knowing that his grandfather wanted him to travel but trapped with figuring out the funeral arrangements and later, mandatory legal processes for his will, was the worst. His sisters were there to assist with the formalities, although they weren't able to help with the first problem. A small part of him didn't let them.
They had already moved out of the house, already found their corner of the world, like their grandfather had wished for all of them. He'd have felt guilty if he disrupted that by asking them to stay with him or by forcibly inserting himself into small living spaces that barely had the room for its current inhabitants.
Of course, this didn't make staying in his childhood home with echoes of memories bouncing off empty walls any more pleasant.
He could honestly admit he would’ve chewed his own arm off if it meant that he could’ve gotten out of it sooner.
Who knows what would’ve happened if it weren’t for the friends he made at Karasuno.
Ryuu stayed over frequently, only going home when his work schedule couldn’t allow for him to remain. Kiyoko did too, but less so, not wanting to impose even when Yuu assured her that it was fine. Seeing Ryuu’s loud love for Kiyoko, despite being married to her for four years now, always made his heart feel a little less heavy.
Daichi would always turn up on Thursday afternoons with a paper bag full of pork buns in tow. Suga visited on Fridays and regaled him over dinner with stories about what his students did that week. Asahi, since he lived in Tokyo, called him every few days, even managing to make a handful of physical visits.
Once in a while, whenever Chikara could find the free time, they would grab a drink at an izakaya with Ryuu, Kazuhito and Hisashi. Funnily enough, they bumped into Yachi, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima a couple of times as well.
Needless to say, he bounced back soon enough.
“Are you using it now?”
Yaku’s question pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Using what now?”
“The money you inherited,” Yaku clarified, a serious expression on his face.
“Yes?” He answered, unsure of where this was going.
“No, you’re not.”
Okay, now he was even more confused.
This must have been apparent on his face, since Yaku opened his mouth to explain further. “I’ll take care of any travel expenses you have as long as I'm here. Just let me know where you’re staying and for how long.”
“What? Why?!”
“If you die penniless and starving in a faraway country, at least my conscience would be eased knowing I did what I could to help your grandfather’s dying wish,” he explained matter-of-factly.
Now, Yuu couldn’t help it if he was a little offended by that.
He knew Yaku, dubbed as one of Nekoma's team parents, had an aggressively caring nature. He just didn’t know it was that strong.
As far as he knew, the two of them have only played as liberos, but this felt more like a joust over the net. Both on opposite sides, trying to push the ball to the other’s side and win.
“I can handle myself just fine.” the manner that he spoke was decidedly pointed. “I travelled for more than 3 years before I went back.”
He pushed.
“Since the goal was ‘to try new things’, you’d probably steer away from places you’ve gone before,” he shrugged, “cash-on-hand jobs might not be that easy to find when you get there, not to mention exchange rates.”
Yaku pushed back.
The ball slipped past Yuu’s grip.
‘thunk’
“There you go. Grilled meat skewers and fried chicken!” the server announced with a smile, “If you guys need anything else, don’t hesitate to press that red button on the table. Enjoy!”
They thanked him, then thanked those who prepared the food, and began to dig in.
“Fine,” Yuu continued in-between bites, “but I'm not staying here long.”
A frown appeared on the libero’s face, but Yuu’s gaze remained steady, unwavering.
“Fair enough,” he conceded, “I’ll be leaving for Japan in a few days to prepare for the Olympics anyway, so it works out.”
“That settles that then,” he concluded with a mouth full of grilled meat.
Wait.
He leaned over the table.
“Hold on! You’re playing in the Olympics? Hell, you’re in the Japan National Team?!”
A hand clamped over his mouth.
Yaku’s.
“Are you always this loud?” he hissed, his expression was stern yet he seemed to be fighting off a smile, “sit back down and I’ll tell you.”
Once he did so, Yaku continued. “There’s not really that much to say, I’ve been invited to the national team roster for the past 3 years, 2-ish really, considering that most tournaments were cancelled last year.” He trailed off at that last bit, yet picked up soon enough. “Still, it’s an honour to be chosen for the Olympics. In other international tournaments, the maximum number of team members is twenty, but for this one, it’s twelve. I’m glad I was one of them.”
An expression of realization appeared on his face.
“That reminds me, this is Hinata’s first time playing for the national team, right? Time flies fast. He’s not exactly Shrimpy anymore,” he smiled a little wryly at that last part.
Yuu guffawed.
“You better be ready. Shouyou’s a riot! Did you know about the time he snuck himself into an invite-only training camp?”
The rest of their dinner flowed by with easy chatter. They left with full bellies, bodies warm from the booze, but moderately sobered by the wintry cold of the outside.
Fallen snow crunched softly under their feet as they pushed onwards. They had walked a considerable distance from the izakaya, before Yaku halted, eyebrows furrowed.
“Wait, where are you staying? I better walk you there.”
Ah. So that was what he forgot to do.
Now what? He couldn’t exactly just go from one place of lodging to another to check if they had any openings, Yaku would probably insist on accompanying him until they found one. It was already pretty late.
The older boy was waiting for his response, determined eyes letting him know that he wouldn’t get away without a proper answer. It reminded him of the look that the old Nekoma libero would give the ball during a match. It was really something else.
“I forgot to get one...”
Mind fuzzy from alcohol, he takes a few seconds to take stock of the situation.
It's cold. Yaku's a cool guy. A really cool guy. Yaku won't let him go without knowing he has a place to stay. Yuu has no place to stay.
“...can I just crash at your place?”
The words tumbled clumsily out of his mouth before he could process what they were.
Though unintentional, he couldn’t really bring himself to backpedal in his state, so he decided to march right on ahead.
“You must have a decent-sized place with how much you play,” he added, “plus, it means less travel expenses, if you insist on paying for everything.”
Yaku narrowed his eyes and chewed on his lip thoughtfully, an expression that looked even cuter with his flushed cheeks. Yuu tried not to dwell on this thought too much. The other boy was a genuinely awesome person that he wanted to befriend and the alcohol-induced revival of old feelings was not getting in the way of that.
Said boy snorted and patted Yuu’s shoulder.
“Nice play, I can respect that.” He gave a nod of approval. “You can stay in the spare room.”
Caught off-guard by the reaction he got, Yuu opened his mouth then closed it. He’d seen more facets of the other’s personality that night than he had seen in what's effectively been a month’s worth of matches and training in high school.
Seeing Yaku like this was new, and far be it for him to turn down the opportunity to experience new things.
Staying over was a good choice.
The warmth that bloomed in his chest at the sound of his new friend’s laughter seemed to agree.