Chapter Text
The patter of footsteps behind him is easily heard over the music blasting through his headphones. From years of experience, he’d recognize the sound anywhere. Yamaguchi’s strides are long, but they turn into a quick scuttle as they catch up to him. Almost if he were a little crab. At least, that’s what Kei thinks about, before Yamaguchi’s voice reaches his ears as well.
“Tsukki! Where’s your scarf? Did you forget it? I can let you borrow mine, if you want!”
Even without looking, Kei can tell Yamaguchi is smiling, but Kei can’t stop the retort that escapes his lips next.
“It’s in my luggage. Shut up, Yamaguchi,” He drones, although there’s no real heat behind it.
“Sorry, Tsukki!”
Indeed, all of his warm clothes were packed up in his luggage. The lodge they were going to be staying at, after all, was in the mountains. And despite living up in the north, Kei knew that where they were heading was supposed to be full of snow. A winter wonderland, even. Kei was pretty sure he’d heard Shrimpy say that when they announced it. And recalling that now, it has a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
What a dork.
“Watcha smiling at, Tsukishima?” Sugawara’s easygoing tone edges on a laugh, as he approaches the bus stop with the other third years.
“He’s probably thinking of all the cutesy romantic stuff he’s going to do with his beloved when we get to the lodge,” Comes Tanaka’s mocking answer.
Kei doesn’t even bother to keep listening halfway through the sentence. Yamaguchi had made it no secret that they were together– or rather, he was pretty sure Yamaguchi had spilled the beans on the situation himself– but that didn’t mean he was going to indulge in anyone’s teasing about it. Not Sugawara’s, and definitely not Tanaka’s.
He also ignores when Daichi walks over to reprimand them both for their teasing, and out of the corner of his eye, Kei sees Yamaguchi smile in a bashful sort of way. He’s practically glowing, in the gleam of the lanterns, and behind him, a blur of orange emits its own light.
Shoyo practically topples over his own feet as he comes to a stop, out of breath and cheeks ruddy with the cold night air.
“Ha! I made it!” He announces to no one, or maybe Kageyama, who had presumably waited up for him in the bathroom.
His enthusiasm, so childish and confident, has Kei cracking a smirk in his direction.
“Oh, what a shame. We were hoping to leave without you both. Isn’t that right, Yamaguchi?”
Kei pointedly looks over at Hinata, who immediately balls up his fists at his side with vigor. The stance has Yamaguchi giggling next to him.
“That’s so mean!” Hinata shouts. “Yamaguchi didn’t say that. Also,” He points with an accusing finger. “You probably would’ve been bored to death if me and Kageyama hadn’t come along.”
“Actually, it’s ‘Kageyama and me.’” Tsukishima corrects, just because he can.
“But you’re not saying no!” Hinata smiles, like he’s won some important argument. And now that ticks him off.
“Whatever,” Tsukishima drones, keeping his gaze on the road.
As if on cue, their designated bus pulls up on the side, and comes to a stop with a shrill screech. As the students start putting their luggage and bags in the lower compartment, Yamaguchi stays at his side, so Kei helps put his bags away, too.
“You’re so good at English grammar, Tsukki!” Is the belated whisper from the freckled boy.
Once the luggage is put away, and Kei can head over to boarding the bus, he lets the compliment wash over him. It almost makes him smile.
“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” He mumbles.
He doesn’t need to turn around to know the boy is smiling at him.
***
“Oh my god, is there any place around here where they don’t sell sourdough sandwiches?”
“You say that like it’s a problem, Daichi.”
“I’ve been trying to watch my figure, Suga.”
“Well, you can’t be doing worse than Asahi, over here.”
The unprompted attack has the third and second years boisterous with laughter, and Kei watches them congregate over the shop’s menu outside.
The arrival to the lodge had been particularly uneventful. Luckily, they had been able to choose their own roommates, given that they didn’t cause any unnecessary trouble, and so Kei had shared one with Yamaguchi. Kageyama had been settled with Hinata, he thought, and Suga had stayed with the Captain. Because of course. Figures.
And as they paraded over the small town shops to find something to eat, left to their own devices, Kei had stayed with the freckled boy as well. Somehow, Hinata and Kageyama had stuck with them for some reason, too. Kei could only imagine why. But, it was admittedly kind of funny watching the redhead try and fail to slide over any puddles that had turned to ice overnight.
“What are you, five? Are you trying to crack your skull open?”
The question is rhetorical, of course, but Hinata still smiles at him, big and bright when he finally succeeds in sliding over a puddle as if he had skates on.
“No, not really. You should give it a try, Tsukishima-kun!” His breath turns into white puffs in the cold as he speaks, and Kei startles when he reaches over to grab his arm.
“Hinata–”
“You could get hurt doing that, don’t you think?”
Yamaguchi sounds like a concerned mother when he says it, and Tsukishima watches as Hinata’s bright smile falls. When he turns to Kageyama instead, Tsukishima feels his own energy deplete, the very air shift around him.
“I hope they don’t get hurt,” Yamaguchi continues.
Kei can only watch, with his boyfriend, as Hinata runs more than walks over to their setter, pointing at a staircase railing that they could slide themselves on. Making their own fun.
And he knows it’s dumb. It’s a little ridiculous even, but Kei feels a spike of something in his chest at the sight, the feeling not entirely pleasant. In fact, he knows what it is. But he’ll be damned if he admitted it to himself, to let it show on his face and let Yamaguchi know what he’s thinking.
He probably already knows.
“Tsukki, I’m hungry. Let’s see if Daichi picked a restaurant.”
When Yamaguchi turns away, Kei’s gaze follows him.
And for a moment. Just a second, his feet feel heavy on the pebbled pathway. Hesitating.
Breathing deeply would only give him away, so he doesn’t. Just holds on to the tight feeling in his chest, and follows his boyfriend of three years.
He blocks out the cheerful laughter behind him.
***
Lunch is an abomination of fish, cheese and nachos, and soft pretzels. There’s soda and veggies and what looks like venison too, but Kei has never tried it himself. Actually, he makes the grave mistake of letting Yamaguchi order for him, and he doesn’t know what the hell is swimming in his soup, but Kei almost swears it’s alive. He tells the third and second years that he’ll save his appetite for dinner, and leaves the bowl half empty. A bit of orange juice is enough for him.
After lunch, his team fights to stay awake in their exhausted states, but Kei is more than alert. His peers actually drag behind him when they go do a bit of shopping, which is a first. And it’s at that point that Kei hears another patter of footsteps. Not entirely unfamiliar, but there is only one person that is that light on their feet. Bouncing on the stone underneath them as if it were a shiny volleyball court.
“Don’t you ever get tired?” It’s supposed to be a snarky remark, but it comes out more genuine than Kei means for it to.
“After a hard game, yeah, sometimes!” Is Hinata’s easy reply, as he swings his arms back and forth as they walk, nearly side by side. Hinata skips in front of him. “But not right now. I ate too much to be tired!”
“Usually, that’s what makes people sleepy…” Kei mutters. “That’s not normal.”
“ I’m not tired. But you actually seem more awake than usual, Tsukishima!”
“Is that some sort of backhanded compliment?” Kei stuffs his gloved hands in his jacket pockets.
“Whaddaya mean?” Hinata raises an eyebrow. Earnest. Then, “Oh! Hey, do you wanna see something cool? I think it’s nearby over here,”
Kei stops in his tracks, realizing that he’d walk much further with Hinata beside him. He doesn’t really recognize the streets, so they must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere.
And usually, that would inspire anxiety. Anger, even, for the Shrimp getting them both lost. But with the slanted streets with snow around them, the pebbled sidewalks, the barren trees and little shops, the feeling doesn’t come. His gaze lands on Hinata, looking up at the street signs above them excitedly.
“C’mon, follow me!”
“We should…” Something inside him stops him from completing that sentence. It doesn’t sound like his own words.
“Hurry, before the snow melts!” Hinata laughs, loud and rambunctious. It’s weirdly endearing how sincere it is.
Kei is moving forward before he even has time to think about it.
***
“Wooooah!” Hinata’s voice carries over the trees, and Tsukishima can’t even blame him.
It’s a park. Or rather, it’s supposed to be. But with the snow covering every surface, the lake frozen over under a still waterfall, it looks more like a painting that Kei had seen in a Christmas card before.
“It’s so..!” Hinata starts,
“Beautiful,” Kei finishes, eyes locked onto the glittering white of the ice.
When they got to the lodge, everywhere he’d looked had seemed dull. The overcast weather certainly hadn’t helped the scenery. But this place… it was certainly a winter wonderland, as Hinata had described it.
The thought has Kei smiling unwillingly, but the breath is quickly stolen from his lungs again as he sees the Shrimp race over the edge of the lake.
“Hey,” He hisses. “Do you want to fall in? Don’t stand so close!”
Without thinking of it much, he follows after him, next to a tall lamp post just in case he needs something to hold on to.
But of course, Hinata has to go against his wishes, like he always does, and steps foot onto the ice.
“It’s okay,” He says. “See? It’s frozen solid!”
“Hinata…”
Another wobbly step, and Hinata is waddling further into the lake, arms slightly in front of him to help his balance.
Again, that same spike of something , that prickly feeling inside his chest returns.
Hinata could be so carefree. So fun. Why did he have to be like that? Why did Kei…
“Tsukishim-aaa! Hurry! Let’s go see what’s behind the waterfall!” Hinata prompts.
For once in his life, Kei stills, as the strange sensation seemingly vanishes from his heart.
For a moment, he doesn’t let the doubt linger.
He steps into the lake, as Hinata approaches the waterfall– which is massive in comparison to the boy.
“Oh, nevermind. Ya can’t see anything behind it! I thought the water was supposed to be clear.” He visibly perks up as he sees Kei make his way over carefully. “Oh! You’re actually much better at this than I am,”
Kei can’t help it. He laughs, once he sees how Hinata walks over, somehow like a penguin and E.T. at the same time.
“You can walk regularly, you know. If you’re afraid of falling, you’ll just end up on the ground.”
“But that’s exactly what I’m afraid of!” Hinata exclaims, trying to relax his stance a little.
Once they meet halfway, inertia has Kei sliding forward into Hinata’s space more than he’d like, but there’s not much he can do about it.
Hinata is so cute, the way he tries not to fall.
Cute?
Before any other thought can materialize in his head, Hinata gives an uneasy laugh below him.
“Maybe next time we should bring skates. Are your feet cold?”
“...I think I’m going to get frostbite, honestly.”
Hinata laughs at that, and he nearly topples over with the small movement.
“You dork,” Kei scolds, as Hinata steadies himself.
“I’m actually surprised the ice didn’t crack under you, Tsukishima-kun. You must weigh more than me, technically speaking.”
“I… didn’t even think about that,” Kei admits, and his heart flutters when Hinata bursts out laughing.
It should be annoying. But it’s kind of… not.
“Don’t worry. I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Hinata says, striding over closer to the waterfall. “If you fall, I’ll catch you!”
“I seriously doubt it.”
“I can still try!”
“You’re going to fail. ”
“Fail, or fall, Tsukishima-san? Pick one!”
“That’s the same thing, in this scenario.” Kei says, watching the boy do a spin on the ice. He somehow manages, and all Kei can do is stand still and let it happen. Soak in the radiant white, the orange of Hinata’s hair against the blue and silver backdrop. It’s like an ember, the only warmth found in this eternal winter.
That’s kind of what it feels like. Just the two of them, skating, it’s… nice. It also makes Kei’s heartbeat speed up in his chest, but that’s the last thing on his mind as Hinata tries to skate faster.
No– he’s skating towards him.
“C’mon, Tsukishima! You’ve gotta move!” Hinata presses, eyes bright with mischief.
It’s virtually impossible to escape the shorter boy, as he takes hold of his wrist. And with their combined movements, the push and pull of their feet on the ice, he and Hinata struggle to gain the upper hand, to take charge of where and when they go.
“Idiot,” Kei says between short breaths and a laugh, “You’re gonna make me fall!”
“ Oh?”
Hinata smirks, and it’s scary.
“That’s only half the fun.”
“Okay, stop! How are you this strong?” Kei huffs, but he does nothing to stop him. “What are you, a harp seal?”
“Do those live on the ice?”
It’s Kei’s turn to laugh at that, because how is Hinata even real?
And then finally, Kei gives up on struggling, on getting away, because he finds that Hinata holding him feels a lot warmer than when he’s not, and he doesn’t want them both to fall with his escape attempts.
“Are you steady now? Shrimpy?” Kei tacks on at the end, as Hinata moves his hand to hook around his arm. It’s casual, light in its movement.
Kei swallows thickly.
“Yeah,” Hinata says, and when Kei looks down at him, really looks at him, his cheeks are ruddy and flushed with the cold. “Yeah, I think I am.”
His smile is contagious.
That feels nice, too.
On instinct, Kei lifts his free hand to brush over Hinata’s, and—
“Tsukishima! Hinata!”
Suga’s voice cuts through the air, worried and breathless all the same.
“There you two are. C’mon, we have to head back to the lodge!”
Finding himself nodding, Kei heads back towards his upperclassman, and of course, Hinata’s arm slips away from his own.
Once he steps out of the lake, the frozen wonderland around him dissipates, bringing him back to reality. The street doesn’t seem as beautiful as before– bathed in grays and a bitter cold.
Yet on his arm he still feels a tender warmth.