(this is almost 10K words, so I would really really appreciate if you guys will leave comments; they will really make my day💖💖🥺 )
SPOILERS FOR THE HAIKYUU MANGA
(WARNINGS: tooth-rotting fluff, mild NSFW scenes in some parts🤭🤭)
Most people believe that long distance relationships don't last; that being too far away from each other was detrimental to the love that was shared. But Tooru had to disagree with that. He didn't care about the uncertainty of everything; of how he couldn't hold the love of his life in his arms. It didn't really matter to him because as long as he got to see Misaki's face and hear her voice, he was perfectly content.
People still judged them though. Despite what was thought about him, Tooru was not just an oblivious pretty boy. He was pretty, but not oblivious. In the pile of comments on his posts online, he always noticed the more negative ones, especially the ones that were talking about his relationship with Misaki. Tooru knew it was an unhealthy habit to look at those, but he really couldn't stop himself.
They were too young to know what love is; that Misaki is just holding him back; long distance relationships never last so they should break up already....
But Tooru refuted them all. Maybe he and Misaki were too young to know about love, but did he care? All that mattered to him was that he knew that he loves Misaki with all his heart and soul and that he could never love another the way he loves her. And he knew Misaki was the same. Not a day went by without a text from her. No matter what happened; even if she had an exam the same day, she'd text him, they'd facetime and yes, it was rather embarrassing to admit but the two had also tried kissing each other through the screen before. (Iwa-chan would make so much fun of them if he knew that.)
Sure, Tooru was touch starved. Sure, he'd really like to kiss Misaki every day. But really, he was happy as they were now. Besides, there was Misaki's promise to think about; that she would come to Argentina to be with him, but only when she had graduated and when she had started off her volleyball podcast. (Tooru had immediately laid claim to the first guest episode; it couldn't be anyone else besides him, he had told Misaki.)
They were happy with each other and that's all that mattered.
*
Misaki knew she was not the only person to have noticed it. She was pretty sure Tooru had noticed too. The relationship that had been going strong for all this time (two and a half years of being away from each other) was now slowly hitting a wall. It was nobody's fault though. Tooru was playing in matches a lot more than he when had first arrived and there were also rumors floating around that he could be made the starting setter of CA San Juan very soon. Misaki was very very proud of him for that and so excited for him too.
But she was getting busy too. Like Tooru, she was hard at work, setting up her own podcast as well as simultaneously working on her journalism degree. Assignments, tests, projects...they were getting a lot more frequent.
Both of them were getting incredibly busy. Video calls between them had dropped to thrice a week from the usual daily ones; and even these were much shorter. Phone calls were short and simple, asking about their day and because of the time difference also, they had to cut those short. Text messages were just one-two word replies.
It was almost killing Misaki; the fact that their relationship was now at this stage. A stage that made things so fragile. There was no fighting between her and Tooru; it was just that the two of them were barely getting to talk and that was affecting her in more ways than one.
Hanamaki and Matsukawa noticed it too. No matter how much Misaki tried to hide, they could clearly see that she was slowly becoming emo. And well...they couldn't have that.
As they loudly announced their entrance to her room in their shared apartment, Misaki looked up from where she was lying on her bed, just mindlessly staring at her phone.
"What the hell are you two doing?" She said, sitting up on her bed. "And Makki, what the hell are you doing with my laptop?"
Hanamaki grinned as he sat in front of her on the bed, Matsukawa mirroring his grin as he sat next to him.
"We can't have you all moping now," Hanamaki said as he opened up her laptop; not that she minded. "So we have an idea."
"And really, you can't say no to it," Matsukawa said as he poked her knee. She slapped his hand away, sending him a glare.
"What do you even mean?"
"Well, you already impulsively bought a ring so..."
Misaki covered her face in her hands, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks. It had been such a stupid thing; just a random day when she had commented to the two idiots sitting in front of her that she'd like to marry Oikawa someday and before night had fallen, she stupidly went and bought a ring. "Don't remind me of that, you idiots."
"Nah ah, don't go hiding your face now," Hanamaki said, typing away on her laptop. Since the screen was turned away, she couldn't even see what he was doing. "And besides, I think you're gonna like this. It's an advance birthday gift from both of us." Pressing the enter key, he turned the laptop towards her and she finally saw the words visible on the screen.
Misaki's eyes immediately widened. "No, you guys didn't..."
"Yes, we did," The two said in unison.
"You've been a pretty good friend all these years," Matsukawa said. "And except for your shitty cooking, you've been a pretty great roommate too."
"Yeah, your cooking makes me vomit," Hanamaki added. "Though your baking is pretty good."
"You guys are such idiots," Misaki said as she read the words on the screen again. "You didn't have to do this at all." These two...goddamn it, they had actually bought her tickets to-and-from Argentina. She felt like she could cry-no, scratch that, she was actually going to cry. She pushed the laptop aside, rubbing her eyes.
Misaki lunged at them, with so much force that three of them fell off the bed, forming a human pile on the ground. Both Hanamaki and Matsukawa groaned. But Misaki sobbed. Grabbing them both, she somehow pulled them into a hug. "You two didn't need to do this at all, you know? You guys are literally the best friends and almost-siblings I could have. I don't even know how I can pay you back."
"I call dibs on planning the wedding," Hanamaki said as he hugged her back.
"Damn, I wanted to do that," Matsukawa also hugged her back. "No, then I'm gonna be the godfather of their first kid."
In spite of the tears in her eyes and the sobs in her voice, Misaki let out a laugh. "You guys are thinking too far ahead. But I appreciate your help so much. Fuck. I think I'm too emotional now."
"Don't get your snot on my shirt though," Hanamaki cheekily said. "It's new."
Misaki let out a snort as the trio broke away from the hug. "You know what?" She said, rubbing her eyes. "Let's go see a movie. It's barely 4 o'clock right now and I think we can catch the 4:45 show in the theatre that's next to the University. I'll call Sumire too. It'll be my treat. And you can buy any snack you want."
"Wait, really?" Matsukawa immediately perked. She nodded, with a slight smile as he helped her get off the ground. "I'm getting that deluxe popcorn bucket then."
"Same. And I'll also try that giant drink combo they offer since Misaki is paying for it," Hanamaki said as he also got up from the floor.
This trip to the movies was pretty much going to burn a hole in Misaki's wallet. But then again, so must have the tickets to Argentina. They were definitely not cheap. And there was no way she was letting Makki and Mattsun spend that much money without doing something for them, even if it was something as small as taking them to the movies. It was like her mom and Hanamaki's mom had remarked. The trio were really siblings, even if they didn't share the same blood. Bless the presence of Hanamaki and Matsukawa in her life.
*
Two weeks and a gruelling twenty six hour flight, Misaki was finally in Argentina. Even though she was only in the country for three days (that was the only amount of classes she could afford to miss), she was going to make the most of it. It had been such a strange experience, flying out all by herself. Strange and also tough experience because now her body was plagued with jet lag. The afternoon heat wasn't helping either.
But now, Misaki was standing in front of the six storey building that Tooru lived in. Silently, she thanked her rudimentary knowledge of Spanish and (sort-of) fluency in English for getting her here, because without that, Misaki was sure she would end up in the wrong place.
Pulling her small suitcase behind her, she entered the building. She greeted the guard in Spanish, asking for the location of 4B, that was Tooru's apartment. Once the guard gave her the confirmation (after asking who she was and what she wanted with the mildly famous volleyball player), Misaki practically ran to the elevator with her suitcase and the backpack on her shoulders.
As soon as she stepped inside, she set her suitcase on the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator rumbled to life and just a few moments later, it reached the floor.
Misaki stepped out, suitcase behind her, and walked a few steps, coming to a stop in front of a grey door with '4B' engraved on it in faded golden lettering. She checked the address thrice and checked the time on her phone again. It was Tooru's day off, according to the schedule he had told her about and it was only around 2PM so he should be at home, unless he decided to step out for whatever reason.
Just to be on the safe side, Misaki checked the address again.
Then, she reached out her finger and pressed the doorbell. The moment she heard the loud ring of the doorbell, Misaki could feel her heart rate rise. She hadn't told Tooru she was coming and she was pretty sure Iwaizumi hadn't said a word to him either. And Makki and Mattsun were the ones who had helped her with this whole trip so they wouldn't say a thing. But she was scared too. What if he wasn't home? What if he didn't want her to be there? What if she ended up at the wrong address even after all her checking? And wasn't it troublesome to just come to someone's house without saying a thing? What would Tooru even say?
The door swung open and Misaki's anxiety skyrocketed, making it a little hard to breathe. But there he was; Tooru Oikawa, her amazing boyfriend; the love of her life, standing in front of her wearing a faded t-shirt and a worn down pair of shorts, his hair a mess.
"Who-" That was all Tooru managed to say. As soon as his eyes fell on Misaki, all words disappeared from his throat. He blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. This was not a dream, was it?
"Well, hey there, handsome," Misaki cringed mentally at how awkward she sounded. So much for wanting to be smooth. "Having a good afternoon?"
Tooru didn't say anything though. He was too much in shock to process what was actually happening. He didn't want to believe it. If this was all a dream; it would crush his heart into pieces.
"Uh Tooru?" Misaki was now starting to feel more awkward and anxious. 'Maybe this was a mistake-'
But before she could even complete the thought, Tooru lunged at her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her like nothing else mattered in the world. Misaki could feel her eyes burn with tears. The overwhelming sensation of being held by Tooru was long-missed and now that it was happening, her emotions had gone into overdrive. Misaki returned the hug, with equal if not more passion. A sniffle escaped from her mouth as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
"You're here. You're actually here," Tooru's voice wavered as he spoke. "I can't believe you're here."
"I'm here, Tooru, I'm here now," Misaki grabbed at the back of his shirt, hugging him a little more tighter. "We're in the same place right now."
Tooru pulled away, eyes watery but then leaned down and kissed Misaki after so-fucking long. Everything felt warm and soft and nice; it was like the feeling of being home. The kiss didn't stop. As the need for air became greater, Tooru moved to her jaw, and then her neck, placing little, soft kisses there. Sighing softly, Misaki leaned into his shoulder again, raising a hand to run it through his soft brown-hair.
In an unusually soft tone and pretty smile, Tooru said, "Hi."
"Hello again," Misaki said, mirroring his expression with a smile of her own.
"How are you even here?" Tooru asked as he ushered her inside, one arm around her shoulders, the other pulling her suitcase. "I thought you were busy with classes. Don't you have a test too?"
Misaki nuzzled closer to him as she entered the small apartment. "Thank Makki and Mattsun for that. They got me tickets to Argentina as an advance birthday gift because I was getting kinda mopey about things."
"You were?"
"Yeah, I was. Missing you and stressed about classes. You thank them too. Later."
"I will, I will. How long are you here for though?"
"Just three days. I wanted to stay for longer but I can't miss any more classes than this."
"That's okay, Misa-chan," Tooru said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm just happy to spend time with you, even if it's only three days."
"Oh, I love you," Misaki said, practically snuggling into him now. Tooru giggled, patting her head. Noticing that she was tired, he led her towards his bedroom.
That was the room Misaki took proper notice of. It was much smaller, but it reminded her of his room back home. There was one huge wardrobe, which was for his clothes, a door that led to the bathroom and a bed that was pushed against the window from where sunlight was pouring through. Next to the bed was a nightstand with a chest of drawers and above the nightstand was a wall of polaroids. Polaroids, she realized, that were from their dates and some with the other ex-Seijoh third years.
Smiling softly, she turned around, ready to ask about the photos but then Tooru swooped in to steal another kiss.
"You're tired, aren't you, Misa-chan?" He said, raising a hand to touch her cheek. "Make yourself comfortable and rest."
"But I want to talk to you," Misaki whined softly. "I haven't seen you in so long. I wanna know everything, like how was that last match of yours? You didn't say anything about it. Also, are you really going to be the starting setter now? And -"
"So eager and stubborn you are," Tooru put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her on the bed. "Misa-chan, jet lag is gonna hit you really bad, so you better rest now. Otherwise you're gonna be up the whole night. Trust me, I know very well."
"Uggh fine. But you better stay next to me."
"I promise."
Tooru removed his hands from her shoulders and watched as she removed the backpack, setting it on the floor next to the bed. Very slowly, she climbed into the bed and lied down. As Misaki smiled up at him, Tooru swore his heart jumped right out of his chest. How did he get so lucky?
Impulsively, he also climbed onto the bed. The moment he settled, Misaki snuggled closer to him, pressing her face into his neck. Suddenly, buying the ring (that was buried deep in the confines of his wardrobe) no longer felt like an impulsive decision to him. 'Misa-chan...my Misa-chan...'
*
When Misaki finally woke up, the bed was empty. Night had already fallen and the curtains were pulled shut. Disoriented, she slowly got up, rubbing at her eyes. For a second, she was dazed, not knowing where she was. But slowly it sunk in. She was in Argentina; in Tooru's apartment. Her Tooru.
'What time is it? And where did he go?' She thought, searching for slippers to wear. Her ears perked up when she heard noise coming from outside the room. It almost sounded like the clanging of utensils in the kitchen.
And that is exactly what it was. Misaki rubbed at her arms as she exited the room. She was almost ready to call out to Tooru when she saw in the small kitchen of the apartment, standing at the stove, cooking and humming a strangely familiar tune. He hadn't noticed her entering the kitchen/living room area either.
Quietly, Misaki tip-toed towards him. As Tooru continued to stir whatever was in the stove, she hugged him from behind.
"Holy shit, wha-?!" Tooru nearly jumped out of shock. "Misa-chan, don't scare me like that! It's not very nice!"
"I didn't know you learnt how to cook," Misaki mumbled against his back as he turned his attention back to the stove. "Smells great whatever it is."
"I'm a professional athlete, Misa-chan. I can't survive on ramen like you, Makki and Mattsun do. And my cooking isn't terrible like yours."
"Ouch. Not you also saying that. Is it really that bad?"
"Let's just say I'll never eat fried rice made by you. Ever."
"Now that really hurt," Misaki pressed herself closer to him...well, as close as she could get.
"Did I lie, Misa-chan?" Tooru said cheekily. Finally, he turned off the stove. "Let me go now. I need to get the plates so that we can eat."
"No." Misaki shook her head. "I'm not letting go. I wanna be next to you."
"And you will be," Tooru said, as he turned around, poking her cheeks with his free hand. He sounded normal enough and he looked normal enough, but internally, he was screaming. Misaki was being clingy? And adorable? And literally being the cutest and prettiest person on this planet. He could cry out of joy.
(Tooru may have already done that while Misaki was asleep.)
"Okay, okay, let's do it this way," Tooru grabbed her hand and using the other one, he opened the cupboard with the plates. He quickly grabbed the two plates, handing one to Misaki, before he closed the cupboard. "Grab the spoons, will you? It's the third drawer on the left."
Minutes later, the two were comfortably settled onto the old sofa in Tooru's living room. Misaki was half sitting on his lap, half dangling off the couch as she ate the plate of fried rice. And she had to say, it was pretty good. Much better than she had expected. Then again, Tooru wasn't like her or Makki and Mattsun and survived on ramen for days because he was too lazy to cook. He was a professional athlete now and health was a top priority for him. And of course, he'd learn to cook.
"This is pretty tasty," Misaki said, tilting her upwards and smiling at him. "You're good at this."
"Oh yeah?" Tooru said, a taunting smile on his face as he set his plate aside, on the coffee table. "Then why don't you feed me as a reward for being such a great cook?"
'Hmm, so that's how you want it to be,' Misaki thought, smirking slightly. Carefully holding onto her plate of rice, she shifted her position and now, was completely straddling him. Judging by the surprised look (and the blush) on his face, he was not expecting that. 'I win.'
"Say 'ahh'," She took a spoonful of rice from her plate and waved it in front of his face like it was done with little kids. "Look, it's an airplane made of rice."
"Oh, I am not a kid, Misa-chan."
"Really? Because I could list a hundred scenarios where-"
Not allowing her to finish her sentence, Tooru grabbed her hand and pulled the spoon towards him, eating all the rice. And then, he grabbed the plate and the spoon out of her hands and kept it on the coffee table, next to his own.
"Uh Tooru, I was eating that-"
"You can finish it later."
Tooru didn't bother to let her reply. He pulled Misaki towards him, arms wrapped tightly around her back and gently brushed his lips against her neck.
He felt her tense-up as he continued to kiss her neck, albeit gently. Very soft kisses that he was sure, would make her melt. Smiling, he now kissed her jaw. Then her cheeks and then, a playful kiss on her ear.
"T-Tooru?" Misaki whispered, sounding breathless. "A-at least, do it properl-ly."
"Nah, teasing you like this is more fun," Tooru replied, smirking against her neck.
"You are so annoying," Misaki mumbles out. "So, so annoying."
Hours later, (or maybe it's just an hour) they were cuddling together on his bed under lamp light, just simply staring at each other as Tooru traced circles on Misaki's waist, telling her random things. The conversation went on, but somehow the two were always touching each other. This long distance and their inconvenient separation had made them both very touch-starved for each other.
"Come with me to practice tomorrow," Tooru said, lightly tapping his fingers against Misaki's stomach. "Now that you're here, the guys on the team will stop teasing about whether or not I actually have a girlfriend or if I'm just pretending."
"Sure, sure, I'd like to see how you play now," Misaki mumbled her answer, hand resting on Tooru's arm. "I bet they'll be shocked when they know how you managed to snag someone as gorgeous as me."
"You're getting really arrogant these days, aren't you?"
"Well, you're rubbing off on me."
"Mean!"
Tooru poked Misaki's cheeks, before he reached an arm over and turned off the lamp, shrouding them in complete darkness, save for the moonlight that barely streamed in through the closed curtains. He pulled her closer, fully engulfing her in his arms. Everything was happening exactly how it was supposed to.
*
Misaki found Tooru's new teammates absolutely fun. Even with her rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, she could understand that they were teasing Tooru. He was the baby of the team, quite possibly the youngest too. But as she sat and watched him play, there was no doubt in her mind. Tooru had evolved as a player. There was something distinctly different about him and though his playstyle was still the same, it just looked better.
And as they went home, after Tooru showed her around the city and took her shopping, she told him this.
"You're different," Misaki said, leaning against him as he took out his apartment keys. Tooru hummed in acknowledgement as he opened the door, holding the shopping bags with another hand. Ever the gentleman.
As they stepped inside, Misaki continued. "In a good way. You're still the same player you were, but I feel like you've evolved in some way. I don't know if that's the right thing to say."
"It is," Tooru ruffled her hair. "You always say the right thing. Except when you're insulting me that is."
"Hey!" Misaki playfully smacked his arm, eliciting a sharp groan from him. "I'm also right when I do that."
"Nope! You're wrong!" Tooru bopped her nose, grinning wickedly.
'Uh oh,' Misaki thought, as she took a step backwards. 'What does he have planned?'
Tooru dropped the shopping bags near the sofa and without warning, lifted Misaki into his arms, carrying her bridal style. She let out a shriek. "What are you doing, dipshit?! Put me down!"
He laughed as he carried her to the sofa, slowly setting her down. But then, he climbed on top of her, pinning her arms. Misaki's face turned bright red, matching the color of her beautiful hair. Tooru let out a soft giggle before he moved to kiss her. He could feel her smiling against the kiss and his heart raced.
Taking control, Misaki suddenly spun them around, so that Tooru was now the one pinned beneath her. She swiped her tongue across his bottom lip, relishing in the mild groan that erupted from his throat. His mouth parted slightly and taking the chance, she slipped her tongue inside. It was like someone had set a fire inside her heart. The feeling of it all was going to make her dizzy, but Tooru's tight grip on her back grounded her.
A sudden lack of oxygen made them pull apart. But a second later, the two were back to kissing again. Tooru pulled her to him and then spun her around as they continued to kiss. Now instead of kissing her lips, he moved to her neck. Kissing, biting, nipping; leaving multiple marks across it. And when it was Misaki's turn, she did the same, lips on fire and her body feeling much warmer than usual. But she wouldn't relent till all the passion left in her had been poured out.
While he kissed her jaw, his hand played with the ends of her t-shirt, thumb brushing against her skin. In a daze, Tooru lifted the shirt a little bit, fully brushing his hand across her stomach. The sound Misaki made did something to his heart.
He pulled away from the kiss, breathless. "Do you want to do-"
"Yes," Misaki immediately said. "Oh my god, yes."
"Are you sure?" Tooru asked again.
Misaki nodded. Tooru smiled, leaning back down to kiss her. There was no way this night could get any better. No way at all. But the way they were now, it was all good.
Very good, you could even say.
*
Nights in Argentina were rather cool. Dressed in one of Tooru's t-shirts, Misaki sat on the bed, right next to the window with the moonlight shining through. As Tooru had been looking through his cupboard for something, she had reached into the suitcase and grabbed the ring, which was now hidden beneath one of the pillows on the bed. She was going to leave tomorrow afternoon and before she left, she had to do it.
If things went well and he said yes, then Misaki would leave Argentina as Tooru's fiancée. Even thinking about it, was making her giddy and emotional. The only thing that worried her now was whether or not he'd actually say yes. They had joked about marriage a lot and had shared ideas for outlandish proposals, promising to outdo each other.
But in reality, Misaki was all for a simple, but sweet proposal. Nothing too big.
"Misa-chan!" Tooru said cheerfully, practically bouncing into the room, with hands behind his back. "I have an amazing surprise for you. And I'll bet a thousand yen that you'll love it."
"Well, I've got a surprise for you too," Misaki said, slowly changing her position so that her legs were now hanging over the edge of the bed. "And I bet you'll love mine too."
"Nah, I can say my surprise is much better."
"I could argue against that."
Tooru mockingly rolled his eyes. "Just you wait and see. Now, close your eyes."
"Okay," Misaki said, shutting her eyes, temporarily seeing nothing. She could hear Tooru shifting and changing his position. "What are you doing?"
"Just give me a second..." There was a rather loud thud and then complete silence. "Okay, now you can open your eyes."
Misaki slowly opened her eyes. Tooru was on one knee. There was a small box in his hand that was open. In that small box, was a beautiful ring. She immediately covered her mouth in shock.
"Oh my god."
"Misa-chan, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me," Tooru spoke, more serious and emotional than ever. "You've been there for everything. You've been a part of my life for so many years and I'm so honored that you are there. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done with you or Iwa-chan. But forget him; he's not relevant now. I just absolutely love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" His voice wavered at the end.
Misaki felt her eyes fill up with tears. "Y-you...y-you sne-sneaky little shit."
Tooru laughed nervously. "At least, give me a proper answer."
"It's a yes, Loserkawa! Of course, it's a yes," Misaki exclaimed. She reached under the pillow and grabbed the ring she had brought. "But I was supposed to be one to do it first. I had a whole speech prepared, but you had to go and ruin it. Stupidkawa."
"What?"
Misaki got off the bed, and got on one knee herself, the ring she had brought held out in her hand. She was right on the verge of crying now; one more push and she would burst into tears. "I kind of wanted to be the first one to propose and surprise you. But here you are, doing it first. Asshole."
"That's not a very nice way to propose, Stupid Misa-chan," Now, Tooru's eyes were full of tears. "But my answer is yes."
"But I haven't even-"
"I don't care. I mean, I care, but my answer is yes."
Misaki let the tears fall as she raised her left hand to let Tooru slip on the ring. Moments later, Tooru held out his left hand and she did the same. Without even waiting a second, he pulled her into a kiss, his arms pulling her into a tight hug. She held onto him, fingers gripping the back of his shirt, tighter than ever.
"You're perfect," She mumbled into his chest as they pulled away from the kiss. "You're absolutely perfect. I love you."
"I love you more, Misa-chan." He said, arms running through her hair. "Do you want to move to the bed?"
Misaki sniffled, trying to pull him closer than she could. "No, let's stay like this."
"You're lazy," Tooru mumbled as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Let me just..." He, quite easily, lifted her into his arms. In all other situations, Misaki would have shrieked and hit him. But right now, she was very happy. So, she let Tooru carry her to the bed. He set her down and then joined her, immediately reaching for her hand. Her left hand, to be exact.
He intertwined their hands together, the gold rings on their ring fingers looking rather pretty under the moonlight coming through the window. Misaki fiddled with the corner of his t-shirt with her free hand.
"What now?" She asked him. "Makki's already called dibs on planning the wedding, by the way. And Mattsun wants to be the godfather of our first kid."
"K-kid?" Tooru suddenly felt flustered. "Let's not think too far ahead now, Misa-chan."
"That's exactly what I told them! But listen, let Makki plan the wedding. He'd be good at this stuff."
"Well, he is good at planning parties. But when will we get married? Misa-chan, did you think about that?"
"Sort of. Next year. In November. We can have two weddings. One small one here, and one for everyone in Japan. And I want red-no, pink roses. And white flowers. And I want to wear a traditional dress. For the wedding here, I want to wear a white dress with a really long train. And-"
"Woah, woah," Tooru tapped the side of her head. "You've already got so much planned? Why?"
" 'Cause maybe I wanna get married to you," Misaki looked up at him, pouting slightly. "Am I not allowed to do that?"
'Stop being so cute!' Tooru screamed internally. 'Literally, what gave you the right to be so cute?'
Out loud, he jokingly patted her head with his free hand. "You're completely allowed to do that. No one, let alone I, will ever stop you."
"We're gonna be married."
"Yeah, we will."
"You and me. Married. To each other."
"Yeah."
"I'll be Mrs. Oikawa. Oh my god," Misaki squealed and buried her face into Tooru's chest. "Fuck, I'm so excited! I wanna get married now!"
"I think Iwa-chan would kill us if we got married without him being there. Ooh! I suddenly have an idea," Tooru said. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He took a photo of their intertwined hands.
"What are you doing?" Misaki leaned closer to him, staring at his phone screen.
Tooru giggled mischievously. "Sending this photo to the old third years group chat. Let's see them freak out."
He sent the photo and with the caption; 'Makki, you better be ready to plan the wedding.'
"Let's see the chaos this causes tomorrow." Tooru tossed the phone somewhere on the bed and properly lay down, engulfing Misaki into a massive hug.
"It's gonna be fun."
"I, for one, can't wait to see Iwa-chan lose his shit. How much do you want to bet he's gonna yell at us?"
"I don't take losing bets. But he's definitely going to freak out. I feel like we just torture him so much."
"You had to admit, it's so much getting under his skin like that."
"That it is, Tooru. That it is." A slight pause. Then...
"Hey, Tooru?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
Tooru smiled. "I love you too."
No walls. No fault lines. Just them together.
"Misaki-san, Oikawa-san, congratulations on the wedding!"
The day had passed by in a complete blur for Misaki. The traditional wedding had happened in the morning and had gone off, without a hitch (except for an issue with the flowers that Hanamaki had sorted out) and there had been a lot of tears shed between both Misaki and Tooru and neither of them had let go of each other's hands since the ceremony, except to change into clothes for the reception. People had been coming and greeting them constantly, during the reception and Misaki still wasn't tired of smiling. Why would she? It was her wedding day.
She was married. To the love of her life. She was no longer Misaki Katsuragi. She was Mrs. Oikawa now. Misaki Oikawa. It was the best feeling in the world.
Yuki had been the one to greet them, just now. She was grinning brightly and had changed from her kimono to a more suited attire for the evening reception. Around them, the small group of guests wandered about, including a guy with blond tips who was standing next to another guy with spiky, black hair. Soft music played in the background.
"Wait. You both are Oikawa-san now," Yuki said, giggling a little bit. "I'm so happy for you two."
"Yu-chan!" Tooru pretended to sob as he ruffled Yuki's hair. "You are so cute. Thanks for coming. We need to hug. All of us."
"That would make for a nice photo," A voice said from behind them. Misaki grinned at Sumire, who was holding her camera in her arms. "All three of you, hug each other. I'll take a picture."
"Make sure you get my good angles," Tooru instructed her, half a smile on his face. "I want my face to look perfect."
"I'll make Misaki and Yuki-chan look perfect. I don't know about you though," Sumire answered, almost cackling at the outraged look on his face.
Misaki and Tooru practically threw their arms around Yuki, forcing her into the centre. All of them smiled brightly into the camera. They heard a clicking noise. The picture was done. Sumire and Yuki both waved at them as they left to mingle amongst the guests.
"Tooru?"
"Hmm?"
"Can you let go of my hand? I need to go and talk to Kenma and my mom."
"Baby, no," Tooru whined, also pouting. "Don't let go."
"I'm not gonna go anywhere, you know? You're stuck with me for the rest of your life. Just let me speak to my cousin for a bit. I'll come back."
"Uggh fine! But when you come back, I want twenty kisses and at least two dances."
Tooru placed a quick kiss on her lips. Misaki brushed her hands across his cheek, smiling at him before she left to find her cousin.
As she walked to where Kenma was, she smiled at the other guests in attendance, waving at the same time. It almost felt like she was floating. In one corner, she could see Iwaizumi looking awkward as Yuki stood in front of him, probably trying to persuade him to go to the dance floor. Misaki wondered how that was going. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were sitting with Yahaba and teasing him, while Kindaichi and Kunimi looked on with awkward smiles. Today was the most she had seen Kunimi smile. Another nice thing about today.
All of the old team was here. A family, really.
"Kenma," Misaki called out to her cousin. "Where's your drink?"
"See," The guy with the crazy, spiky hair said, Kuroo, if she was remembering his name correctly. "I told you, you should get something to drink."
"I don't like alcohol," Kenma answered with a frown. "Both of you know that."
"There's plenty of non-alcoholic drinks available," Misaki said with a grin. "Kuroo, make sure he at least drinks the orange juice before he leaves."
"Will do, will do," Kuroo answered with a grin of his own.
"I hate you both," Kenma plainly said.
"No, you don't," Misaki answered, still smiling. Kenma was always such a little tsundere type. But she was really really happy that he was here.
"Yup. You loooove us," Kuroo teased. Kuroo was another person she had gotten to know very recently, due to the nature of her work as a journalist. But he was such a great guy (though he needs to do something about his hair) and was good friends with Kenma, so she knew they would get along. And she had also interviewed him for her volleyball podcast, which the Japan Volleyball Association was thinking of sponsoring. Just another exciting thing.
"I should never have let you two meet each other," Kenma began to pout, crossing his arms. Misaki ruffled his hair with a laugh.
After a short conversation with the two of them, Misaki left to find her mom. After a bit of wandering around, in which she witnessed Yuki successfully dragging Iwaizumi to the dance floor, she found her mom sitting at a table with Tooru's mother, Satomi and his dad. Misaki smiled at them all, before motioning for her mom to step away.
Her mom, her lovely mom, looked at her with concern as she picked up her purse from the table and walked closer to Misaki. Traces of grey were present within her dark red hair. But she still looked the same.
"Everything okay, Misa?" Her mom asked, looking concerned. "Do you need something?"
"Just a hug," Misaki admitted, a sheepish look on her face.
Her mom's expression softened and wordlessly, she held out her arms. Misaki stepped closer, and wrapped her arms around her mom. Her mom's hugs were in a different category than Tooru's. They were something she couldn't live without. Another good thing on another good day.
"Misaki?"
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you gonna go to Tooru?"
"No, I wanna stay here with you, Mom. For a bit. Let him pester Iwa."
"You two will never stop troubling Hajime, will you?"
"He's stuck with us for life."
"That poor boy."
And Misaki couldn't help but laugh.
*
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Moving to Argentina was probably one of the biggest changes Misaki had made in her life. Shifting to another country...at one point, she hadn't been sure if she could actually go through with it. But now? She was sure of it. She wanted to be here. Her volleyball podcast was doing surprisingly well and she had managed to get a lot of interviews done in the time since she had started. And it had been an impulsive decision, but she also, now, had a youtube channel associated with the podcast; it was also a place where she and Kenma held weekly streams to play video games together.
Things were how they were supposed to be. Which meant it was finally time to move on with her life.
After all, Misaki had made a promise. And she was not the type to break them.
Months of hectic paperwork and packing and saying goodbyes later, Misaki was finally in Argentina, with Tooru, with both of them gaining citizenship of the country. The process of them gaining citizenship could have been more cumbersome, but thanks to him playing for CA San Juan, it wasn't. But that was all irrelevant now.
What mattered was that she and Tooru could properly be with each other. Thousands of miles of distance had just melted away.
"Tooru," Misaki mumbled, as her husband (husband!!) buried himself into her chest, climbing all over her on their bed. "We should unpack the rest of the stuff now. Otherwise, we'll forget about it."
"No," Tooru let out a long whine. "Absolutely not. I'm not moving. You're very comfortable."
She ran her fingers through his rather soft hair. "We're adults now, babe. We need to be productive to function properly."
"Says you, you lazy woman," He poked the side of her stomach. "You procrastinate on everything."
"I could kick you off the bed right now," Misaki threatened, albeit playfully. "I'm not joking."
"Alright, alright," Tooru lazily got up from the bed. His wife (wife!!) was right. Their bedroom was still full of cardboard boxes, out of which things needed to be moved and put in their correct place. "But first, I'm gonna take a shower."
"Okay, then. Go."
"Misa-chan..."
"What?"
"Aren't you gonna join me?"
"No. I'm gonna sleep."
"But showers with me are so much fun."
"Showers with you are one of two things. It's either you getting shampoo in my eye and splashing water all over the place or...you know..." Misaki trailed off, her cheeks feeling rather warm all of a sudden.
"What?" Tooru smirked, taking in the flushed look on Misaki's face. "What are you saying, Misa-chan? I couldn't hear you."
"Oh fuck off," Misaki threw the one pillow, right in his face while burying herself into the other one. "If you want me to come, you have to carry me."
"Well, why didn't you just say that?" Tooru rubbed his face a little as he said this. Misaki really knew how to throw a pillow. But, that wasn't the point. He slowly swooped in and grabbed Misaki off the bed, carrying her bridal style. She didn't say a thing; instead, she stuck her tongue out and made a face.
Taking a shower was going to be fun.
*
Misaki was excited for today.
It was a great day for her, but for Tooru, even more so. Last week, he had received the call. He had been selected to be a setter for Argentina's volleyball team. It had been an emotional night with Tooru sobbing all over her favorite t-shirt. But she hadn't cared; she'd been so utterly proud of him that nothing else mattered.
And of course that night, Tooru had been a little too excited. The next morning, her legs had been pretty sore. That horny little shit.
Today, he was going to receive the jersey. It was a momentous day. The event was rather private, so Misaki wasn't allowed to go, but it was live streamed so she had gotten to see the most adorable smile on Tooru's face as he held the jersey, with the number 13 on it. The event had gotten over a while ago and Misaki was waiting for him to get home.
The doorbell suddenly rang. She heard the key turn in the lock and then Tooru's voice proudly announcing, "Misa-chan! I'm home!"
"I'm in the study!" She yelled back. Their new apartment had two spare rooms, one of which they had converted into a study (rather, a recording studio) for Misaki and it was where she spent most of her days, usually editing a youtube video or the next episode of her podcast. The room wasn't too big. It was medium sized, with a couple of bookshelves lining one side of the wall. In front of that, Misaki usually recorded her videos. The other side of the room had a table set up with her computers to edit, and also held some spare lights for the room.
The table was where she was sitting at now, replying to a bunch of emails. She sat up from the chair and slowly walked to the entrance of the room, waiting for Tooru to pop up.
"And I'm here!" Tooru announced, striding into the room, his chest puffed up with pride. He was dressed in the jersey, the blue and the white of Argentina fitting him perfectly. Misaki resisted the urge to squeal.
But she couldn't resist the urge to jump up at him and hug him tightly. Tooru quickly picked her up and let her wrap her legs around his waist as she giggled in joy. "I'm so happy for you, baby. And so proud too."
"I'm happy too," Tooru grinned widely, as he steadied himself and held her tight.
"How do you wanna celebrate, pretty boy?" Misaki asked, mumbling against the side of his neck as she pressed a kiss there.
"Oh, I have a few ideas."
"Okay, let's not go around ruining your new jersey already, okay? You should take it off and change-"
"Aww, well, if you wanted to see me without my jersey on, you could have just said so," Tooru gently set her down. Misaki moved a little bit away, and stared. Suddenly, she was realizing how he looked with the jersey on. How he no longer had those stick-thin arms she made fun of, but rather beefy arms and a broad chest. He really was different.
And hotter. Definitely hotter.
Tooru smirked at her as he slowly started to take off his jersey. But Misaki suddenly grabbed his arm and started to pull him in the direction of their bedroom.
"Let me do it. Inside," She turned away, absolutely refusing to meet his eyes. "I'll take the lead."
Suddenly, Tooru felt flustered, himself. Tonight was definitely going to be a great night for him.
*
Misaki was feeling rather out of it these days. There was somehow always something to do and lately, she had been feeling pretty nauseous too, though she hadn't vomited yet. It was a really horrible feeling and on top of that, she and her stupid husband had a silly fight over something that she had already forgotten. Both of them were currently giving the other silent treatment and that was just adding to her stress; which was why she was wondering why she hadn't puked yet. Maybe it was some low blood sugar thing.
This was why she was at the doctor's, to get herself checked out. Lucia had come with her; the tall, dark-haired woman was the wife of Argentina's team captain. She was a model and was about five years older than Misaki, but they had instantly gotten along with each other when they had first met and often hung out without their husbands. Lucia was an extremely caring woman and boy, Misaki was glad she had found someone like her to talk to.
"You okay, sweetie?" Lucia kindly asked, as Misaki put her head against her shoulder. They had been sitting in the examination room at the clinic, the nurses having taken Misaki's bloodwork and done some other tests. They had been gone for a while now.
"My head feels a little heavy, but I'm not nauseous any longer, so that's good," Misaki mumbled. Lucia patted her head.
"Don't worry," She said. "I bet it's just the heat. It'll be fine. And the offer to punch your husband still stands. Or I could always get him with one of my stilettos. I have many."
Misaki snorted. "Don't worry. I know exactly how to get back at that idiot."
"Well, let me know how that goes," Lucia added with a snicker.
Just then, the doctor entered, followed by the nurse. In his hand, the doctor was holding a file. Misaki made a move to stand up, but Lucia practically forced her to remain seated.
"Well, Mrs. Oikawa. Your reports have turned out fine," The doctor started to speak. "You're not sick with anything. But..."
"But? Why's there a but?" Misaki asked, feeling heat rush across her body. Just what the hell was wrong with her?
"It's nothing bad, Mrs. Oikawa. You're pregnant, is all."
"What?" Misaki froze.
"Woah," Lucia muttered next to her. She put her arm around Misaki's shoulders and squeezed them gently.
The doctor's voice suddenly felt like it was miles away. Pregnant? She was pregnant...but when had Tooru and her...oh, right. There was that time when he had come from a practice match and she had practically jumped on him and they had forgotten to use protection..fucking hell.
"P-pregnant? Are you sure? I mean, I haven't had morning sickness or anything like that," Misaki mumbled.
"The reports don't lie, ma'am," The doctor said. Lucia got up to take the report from him and handed it over to Misaki. It was clearly on there. Visible. She was pregnant. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. She was going to cry. She was definitely going to cry.
"Misaki?" Even Lucia's voice sounded rather far away. "Let's go home. You need to rest."
Hours later, at home, Misaki was slumped against the dinner table, the report in front of her. She hadn't moved since coming home from the clinic; she just didn't have the strength, in front of the overwhelming revelation the doctor had given her. She didn't even have the strength to make dinner for the night. They'd probably just have to order take-out.
Tired and dazed and too lost in her thoughts, she didn't even hear the door open. Tooru was returning from practice, missing Misaki more than he liked to admit. He was ready to end this stupid argument they'd been having. It was so silly, now that he had time to think over it. And besides, he disliked Misaki being angry at him.
"Misa-chan?" He gently called out. The living room was empty; not even the TV was on. Strange. Misaki's sandals were near the entrance, so she must be at home. Even the kitchen was quiet; he couldn't hear any sound coming from it. Even more strange. Tooru put his bag near the entrance and removed his shoes, before calling out for Misaki. "Misa-chan, where are you?"
He heard a groaning noise coming from the dining area. Instantly, he felt concerned. He rushed to the dining table, only to find Misaki slumped over on the dining table, her cheek pressed against the wood. Hearing his voice, she stared at him with dazed eyes. She weakly tapped the folder kept in front of her and returned to her original position, yawning a little.
Tooru was utterly confused. He walked next to Misaki and pressed a hand to her forehead; it was slightly warm, but not enough to indicate a fever. He ran his hand through her hair and reached for the folder. It was from the doctor's clinic a few streets down. Immediately, he opened it. "Please be okay...please be okay..." He started muttering. But the second he read the words, the folder slipped out of his hands and fell onto the floor.
"Y-you're pregnant? W-what?" Tooru was completely frozen in shock.
"Yeah," Misaki mumbled, her face still pressed against the table. " 'm tired."
"Misa-chan," Tooru's voice wavered. He immediately reached for her, pulling her into a very tight hug. Then, he let himself cry. "I love you. I love you. I love you." He sniffled a little bit. "I'm gonna be a dad. I'm actually gonna be a dad."
"We're gonna be parents," Misaki mumbled quietly, silently crying herself. Tooru cried. She cried. They cried together, till they were completely drained off their tears.
"What do we do now?" Tooru mumbled, still holding her. He was never letting go of her; never.
"I don't know," Misaki whispered. "But whatever it is, we'll do it together, right?"
"Yeah," Tooru nodded fiercely, running his hands through her hair. "We'll be the best parents in the world."
Even if there were challenges, they would deal with them together.
*
"What's so urgent that you had to wake us up at 1AM?"
Even through the camera, Iwaizumi looked very sleepy. Seated next to him was Yuki, who was yawning and falling asleep every few seconds, before waking up. It had been a very surprising move, but both of them were living together now. Though Iwaizumi still hadn't asked her out. An idiot, he was being.
Misaki snuggled into Tooru as he steadied his grip on the laptop. She had the ultrasound kept right next to her and with every passing second, she was getting excited to show it.
"So, we have some really big news, Iwa, Yuki," Misaki started to say.
"Yeah, it's really big Iwa-chan," Tooru nodded with a grin. "I bet you'll be very surprised."
"Well, what is it?" Iwaizumi asked grumpily. "Hurry up and say it. I want to go back to sleep."
"Me too," Yuki mumbled, covering her mouth as she yawned.
Tooru and Misaki looked at each other and grinned. This was going to be fun. Misaki reached for the ultrasound and then slowly raised it in front of the camera.
"What are you showing us?" Iwaizumi asked as he peered closer into the screen. A second later, Yuki jolted awake.
"Oh my god, are you-" She asked, covering her mouth in shock. Misaki nodded, smiling as she moved the ultrasound away from the camera.
"Are you what? Will you tell me what's going on?"
"I'm pregnant," Misaki said, out loud.
"It's twins," Tooru added, voice full of happiness.
"Y-you're pregnant? You aren't joking, are you?" Iwaizumi had gone into complete shock, while Yuki looked like she was ready to shriek out of joy.
"Nope," Misaki stated with a slight grin. "The doctor confirmed it and everything."
"H-how far along-?" Iwaizumi asked, his voice suddenly a little shaky.
"Two and a half months now," Tooru immediately replied. "We found out a while back. Sorry we didn't tell you earlier though, Iwa-chan, Yuki. It just kinda slipped our mind, but we wanted you two to know before we told anybody else."
"Don't apologise, Stupidkawa," Iwaizumi said. "This is great news. I'm happy for you two."
"Me too, me too," Yuki said, eyes brimming with tears. "You guys will be amazing parents."
"And you will be an amazing uncle, Iwa," Misaki stated, with a gentle smile.
"Uncle?" Honestly, it was starting to feel like they were pushing Iwaizumi to cry. Yuki, probably sensing this, gently patted his back
"Yeah, you're gonna be the cool uncle, Iwa-chan," Tooru explained with a grin. "Makki and Mattsun already called dibs on being the godfathers a while back, so you're stuck with uncle duty. And Yu-chan, if you would like, Misa-chan and I would love it if you were the godmother for the twins."
"W-what? You want me to be the godmother?" Now it was Iwaizumi's turn to comfort Yuki as tears started to fall down her cheeks.
"Yeah, there's no one better," Misaki smiled, heart warmed by their reactions. "What do you say?"
"Yes, of course! It's a yes," Yuki sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm honored."
"Also," Tooru spoke, taking a look at Misaki who nodded. "We've decided on one of the names already. It's a name that I think we'll use, whether it's a boy or a girl. Izumi. It's inspired by Iwa-chan's name actually."
It was silent for just a second as Iwaizumi let the words sink in.
"Fuck, you two are gonna make me cry," Iwaizumi said, quickly wiping his eyes with his hands. "I'm honored. I really am. I'll do my best. I'm gonna see if I can fly out in a few months to see you guys."
"After my graduation and 22nd birthday please," Yuki said, sniffling. "I wanna go too."
"We'd love to have you here," Misaki and Tooru said together, with giddy smiles on both their faces.
"I'm gonna facetime you both in about six hours, okay?" Iwaizumi said. "Yuki and I will get some sleep and then we can properly talk and everything."
"Yeah, okay." Misaki said.
"See you in six hours, Iwa-chan."
They ended the call. Tooru closed the laptop and kept it aside. He sat up on the bed, and pressed a kiss on Misaki's already growing stomach. This was good.
Life was all good.
MARCH 2021, ONE WEEK POST THE OLYMPICS
In Miyagi, there was a ramen shop. It was a small shop, a little way off the road. Lately, it had been pretty crowded, the reason being the Olympics that had just concluded in Tokyo. Today, it was especially crowded. The entire group of people had already taken over the shop, sitting, scattered at various places.
The old Seijoh team had reunited again.
Hanamaki, Matsukawa, Yahaba, Watari, Kyoutani, Kindaichi and Kunimi were all there. Iwaizumi and Yuki sat next to each other, on a table with Kunimi and Kindaichi, and wore matching silver rings on their left hands.
Tooru and Misaki had just walked in with their twins and the team was greeting them enthusiastically. Spotting her uncle Iwaizumi, Izumi immediately made grabby hands for him. Misaki gently handed her over to Iwaizumi, who slowly swung her in his arms as she giggled.
Hiroki, meanwhile, was pulling on poor Tooru's hair.
"Hiroki, stop teasing your dad!" Tooru whined. But little Hiroki didn't and instead, pulled on his hair harder.
Hanamaki cackled, standing next to them. "Even your kid bullies you."
"Poor him," Matsukawa added, laughing himself. "Oikawa's gonna be bullied for the rest of his life."
"Mattsun!" Tooru lightly yelled. But before he could say anything, Hiroki pulled on his hair again with a giggle. Misaki sighed in joy.
"Oi, does that remind you of something?" Yahaba quietly whispered into Kindaichi's ear.
"Yeah," Kindaichi muttered back with half a grin. "Misaki-san chasing Oikawa-san around the gym and not stopping even when asked."
Kunimi, standing next to them, snorted.
Meanwhile, Kyoutani was awkwardly trying to hide behind Yuki as Izumi kept on staring at him, fascinated by his hair. Watari and Yuki were laughing at his reaction. Misaki silently took in everything, with a smile on her face.
This. This was what she lived for. The old team, bound together through volleyball, was now back in one place. And after a quick lunch and a short rest, they would be having a small match again. It was an incredibly nice feeling.
Even after all these years, volleyball still tied them all together.
And it was the greatest thing in the world.
THE END.
I'M LITERALLY SOBBING😭😭
I can't believe I finished a fic. I think this is probably the first time where I've finished a fic that I am very proud of. Fault Lines, from when I started it, grew very close to my heart. It basically became my quarantine passion project alongside my other Haikyuu fics. It's hard to imagine that I am actually done writing Misaki and Tooru's story already, but I think I ended it at a good point. This epilogue/chapter thirty is a way for me to neatly wrap up everything in the fic.
(And yes, Misaki knows Kuroo 🤭🤭)
I grew so attached to Misaru and I think writing for them was so enjoyable and I had so much fun with this. And before I even talk about anything else, I have to thank JustSav . Honestly, without Sav's help, this fic would not be what it is now. She helped out so much and listened to me rant and we came up with so many headcanons together and it's because of her I have a full-on Haikyuu series now. So, thank you Sav 🥺💞💖💖
I think I mentioned this in the previous chapter also, but if there's anything you want to ask regarding this fic (my headcanons, playlists etc) + my other Haikyuu fics, feel free to ask. I'll answer every question in a separate chapter with a longer author's note.
Thank you so much for reading and supporting this fic of mine! You all are literally so amazing and I really appreciate you 💖💖