on our way to twenty-seven // kuroo x daichi

16 - BOYS VBALL STATE CHAMPS 2012

Being on the varsity volleyball team is simultaneously the weirdest and best thing that's ever happened to Tetsurou. For the first time, he feels like he actually belongs. He has friends he gets to see all the time, friends he fights with but always makes up with, friends he hangs out with after school to buy sweets and jump in the ocean and get burgers at midnight with.

He keeps growing, too, topping out at 6'2 by the end of his sophomore year, and he finds that his height combined with his status as a student-athlete makes him rather popular. Funny, how the same kids who made fun of him in elementary school seem to respect him now. But he can't find it in himself to complain.

His third year on the team is like a dream come true. They make it to the state championship finals thanks to Suga's setting, Daichi's receives, their captain's crazy strong spikes, and some nutty freshman who's got a serve like a cannon. Daichi insists Tetsurou deserves some credit too, for his blocks, but Tetsurou always laughs and shrugs it off. He pretends Daichi's compliments don't mean anything to him, even though his face heats up and he feels like he wants to smile for seven days after Daichi praises him.

The final game takes place in a school all the way on the other side of the state, so they leave school after lunch the day before to make the drive. Tetsurou gives their coaches a lot of credit for somehow managing to endure a three-hour bus ride with twelve hormonal, energetic, chaotic teenage boys.

Finally, after a bus ride punctuated by Suga starting bus-wide sing-alongs of 'The Wheels On The Bus' and 'The Duck Song' during every lull in noise, the bus pulls up in front of a small hotel, and the boys spill into the formerly calm, clean hotel lobby. Tetsurou ignores the little skip in his chest when he's told he and Daichi are rooming together.

Well, and Suga too. But that's okay.

Daichi insists they take the stairs up to the third floor, since they won't have time to do much practice tonight. Suga laughs in his face, grabs the room keys, and hops into the elevator, leaving Tetsurou to drag his bags up the stairs with Daichi.

Suga's already inside and has claimed an entire bed for himself. "I kick in my sleep," he says by way of explanation.

"So, I guess we're sharing," Daichi says, immediately flopping onto the other bed and holding his arm out to Tetsurou, who takes a running leap onto the bed with a shout, giggling as he crashes into Daichi. He's warm and solid against Tetsurou's side, body humming with his laughter, and Tetsurou has the fleeting, terrifying thought that he'd like to spend more time under Daichi's arm like this. A lot more time.

Then Suga's throwing a pillow at them and telling them to move over so they can all watch a movie together. Daichi reaches over Tetsurou and pushes him onto the floor. "You wanted your own bed so much, go be in it," he says imperiously. "Also, since when did you kick in your sleep? You never used to do that."

That implies they've shared a bed before. Tetsurou tries not to be jealous of that, knowing it was probably just as kids. He hopes. Suga scrambles back onto the bed, throwing himself on top of Tetsurou and Daichi, laughing at the ugly squawking noise Tetsurou makes.

"Get your elbow out of my ribs, bro!" Tetsurou whines, twisting away and hearing Daichi grunt under him.

"You're on my arm, get off my arm!" Daichi huffs, wiggling his arm out from under Tetsurou's body. "Suga, this is your fault!"

There's a heavy knock on the door and then Coach Smith's voice. "Boys, we're not the only ones in the hotel! Keep it down!"

"Sorry!" they chorus before bursting into laughter again. Suga clambers off of them, and Tetsurou gasps in a breath.

"I live!" Tetsurou gasps dramatically, pointing a finger in Suga's face. "Could you live with yourself if you killed your favorite scheming bastard of a middle blocker?"

Daichi's face turns contemplative. "The state finals are tomorrow," he says.

"Holy shit, right?" Tetsurou says. "The volleyball team's never made it this far. Like, ever, in the history of this town."

"Can we actually beat these guys? They've been state champs for the last five years straight."

Suga scoffs. "Yeah, but they've never played us before!" He flops onto his back, spreading his arms out and smacking Tetsurou in the face. "They won't know what hit them."

Two days later, they return to school as state champions, and all day, they're praised for representing their town well. There's no practice after school, but Daichi approaches Tetsurou on the way home with a can of spray paint.

Tetsurou's eyes widen. "Daichi, you bad boy! What are you planning?"

"How about it?" Daichi grins like an imp, and Tetsurou's never been able to say no to him.

They go out to the breakwater, finding a wide rock with enough space to proclaim their victory to all who would walk by.

They take turns writing each word, snickering the whole time. Daichi finishes off the last 2 and stands up with his arms crossed, looking proud of their handiwork.

"Hell yeah!" Tetsurou shouts as he jumps in the air. "State champs! State champs!"

"We're the best!" Daichi adds. Their voices echo across the water, and Tetsurou is sure the whole town can hear them, but they're high on winning and doing something a little crazy. For all the graffiti Tetsurou's seen here over the years, this is the first time he's actually adding to it.

"I'm king of the world!" Tetsurou screams, dissolving into laughter and looking at Daichi to see what he'll scream next.

The smile is gone, replaced by a cloudy expression that Tetsurou's barely seen. Not even when the team was five points behind in the final set had Daichi made that face. "Daichi?" he prompts.

Daichi takes a deep breath, then another. Then: "I'm gay!"

Tetsurou freezes in place. "What?"

Daichi says it again, a little louder this time. "I'm gay!"

Tetsurou's jaw drops, his brain turning to mush. "I—that's—"

"I know this town isn't cool with gay people, but I can't keep pretending," Daichi explains quickly, cheeks red as he turns to Tetsurou and grabs him by the shoulders. "If you're not okay with it, just tell me now, but we can't be friends anymore."

Tetsurou opens his mouth to say that no, he could never judge Daichi, that he'll be his friend forever if Daichi lets him, but all that comes out is: "I'm gay, too."

The words leave his lips in a quiet rush before he knows what he's said. But Daichi's staring at him with wide eyes, hands still on his shoulders, and then he reels Tetsurou in for a hug.

"I'm so proud of you," Daichi whispers to him. Tetsurou wishes he had the words to say how much that means to him, how he never would have had the strength to admit it to himself if it weren't for Daichi, how for the longest time, gay was a dirty word, something you didn't want to be at all costs. How Daichi changed all of that for him.

But he doesn't know how to say that, so he just wraps his arms around Daichi's shoulders and hopes Daichi understands.