Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The gymnasium was aging at the edges.

A few cracks in places he hasn’t seen in the walls before, couple more stains here and there with complementary posters that were both faded in color and in words. The floors were chipping and slowly losing the shine it had, some new flags and banners were scattered amongst others and new uniforms colored the hallways.

Yet the smell of salon pas greets him in welcoming arms, the sounds of shoes skidding on the wooden floors sing lullabies in his ears and the melody of distant chatters take him back to a different time. He feels younger and older, like a child wondering about the old memories they had. It feels nostalgic and new.

Miyagi Gym felt like coming home after a long time away.

Ushijima Wakatoshi shuffles past the bodies of aspiring athletes. Some teenagers moving away from his line of the path when they see his set of stoic eyes and furrowed brows, some stopping and eyeing his height - some recognizing his stature and whispering to the melody of chatters.

He heads them nothing, continuing his languid strut with no purpose and hurry, just wandering his eyes in a place where he found his haven and made himself into the person he is now.

“You came!” Wakatoshi hears when he reaches the elevated bleachers. He swivels his eyes around and catches the eyes of his former teammates, Semi Eita and Tendou Satori, respectable members of his Alma mater and the other people who came invited by their former coach, Washijou-sensei.

Semi, with his hair swaying around his jaw, smirks lazily - embodying the epitome of a college student. “We thought it would only be the two of us.”

“This is, totally, a great day, man.” Tendou locks their palms together and pulls him into a brief hug. “Haven’t seen ya around campus,” The red-head chuckles and gives Semi space to pull Wakatoshi for a hug. “Not to be clingy, but we go to the same college and I still see you less.”

“I’ve been busy.” He responds, patting Semi in the back before settling down with them on the bleachers. “I did not expect my schedule to fill up so suddenly when entering college,” he hums, “Apologies if I couldn’t meet up with you for a chat when you were free.”

Semi taps away on his phone, giving the two of them ample time to converse. “It’s no biggie, dude.” Tendou shrugs and smiles. “I completely feel ya, like college man,” Tendou shakes his head with eyes wide. “It's a whole different ball game.”

Wakatoshi huffs a laugh, “My thought exactly.”

“Ugh.” Semi grunts, “Can we stop talking about that hell-hole for the rest of our time together? My head is about to explode from all the work I have waiting back at my dorm.”

“Ditto.” Slumps Tendou, also groaning.

“Anyways,” Semi says, after their groaning fest, “I already know that Tendou and I used this invitation as an excuse to procrastinate,”

Tendou nods along with Semi’s words.

“But what about you?” Semi tilts his head and Tendou eyes him suspiciously, “I doubt you came here to procrastinate.”

Tendou laughs, turning to Semi with a shit-eating grin. “The day Ushiwaka procrastinates is the day I’m able to conceive and give birth.”

Wakatoshi frowns. “I am also a functioning human being, so I rest as well.” He huffs, rolling his eyes when he turns his head away from them. “It’s a bit of a stretch that me procrastinating is as far fetched as a man giving birth.”

“It’s a joke, man.” Chuckles Semi. “Anyways, what’s your reason?”

He looks at them, utterly confused. “Reason for what?”

“You know, taking Washijou-sensei’s invitation?”

“Ah,” he slides his gaze to the courts below. “To kill two birds with one stone.”

“Which means?”

“Visit the team and to support my boyfriend.”

The whole gym collectively decided to silence itself. The two other college students froze, freezing at the notion before jumping.

“A boyfriend!” Screeches Semi, his hair flying everywhere.

“I fully support but why didn’t you tell us!” Tendou grasps his hair, looking a few jostles away from losing his marbles.

“Why should I?” Wakatoshi tells them, ever stoic. “There is no need to broadcast it.”

“But it’s you!” Tendou reasons. “You used to reject anyone who confessed to you!”

“So?”

Semi face-palms, a clear resonate smack. “You are so uncultured, my god, my man.”

Tendou sits back down, less frazzled but more confused. “Okay, okay, calm down,” he tells them, though Wakatoshi is convinced Tendou is reassuring himself. “Let’s have a nice chit-chat. Give us the rundown and the gist of it cause I- wow, I just cannot wrap my head around that.”

“What a mood,” Semi says as he sits down too. “Just explain it to us for a hot minute dude.”

“Hmm.” Wakatoshi mulls over his words. “I happened to stumble upon him a few times in my neighborhood. After I graduated, I went back home to pack up and move to Tokyo, but he lived around the corner so we met up often.”

“I believe it was a week before I left for college that we made things official. I was ecstatic and so was he, we put our differences behind us and made a great relationship.” Wakatoshi rubs his chin. “We’ve been together for  a year since then.”

“A year.” Deadpans Semi.

“And you didn’t mention him once?” Tendou finishes the thought, “That breaks the bro code, man.”

“I’m not well-versed in the bro code.”

Tendou smirks, finding humor in his words. “Still uptight as ever.” He chuckles, “Hope your boyfriend is well-adjusted to that stick up your ass.”

“Who is your boyfriend, by the way?” Semi looks around the bleachers, at the many teams lounging around. “Is he playing soon?”

Wakatoshi shakes his head. “His team is a starter in the quarter-finals.”

“So that narrows it down to Aoba-Johsai, Shiratorizawa, Karasuno, and Johzenji.” Tendou clicks his tongue. “It can’t be someone from Shiratorizawa since nobody lives near you.”

Semi shrugs. “I’m ruling out Johzenji since their school is the farthest from your neighborhood.” He hums. “And I hardly doubt you know anyone from there, seeing as they are your exact opposite.”

“True that,” Tendou points at Aoba-Johsai, “Is it that weird carrot-headed dude?”

Wakatoshi shakes his head. “I have no idea who that boy is.”

“Karasuno then? You seem taken to them after the match.” Semi throws his thoughts out. “Their first-years are third-years now so I do believe you know all four of them.”

“He is, indeed, from Karasuno.” Wakatoshi does not deny. “I believe he is the-”

“Look! Karasuno is coming up on the bleachers.” Tendou says as he points at the obvious. He jumps up and looms over the crowd of the black-uniformed team. “Which one is it? Hmmm.”

The unfamiliar faces of Karasuno’s first years and second years pass by them in wary glances, but not intimidated. They chatter, quietly and excited as they settle on the group of chairs near the trio. Wakatoshi looks around the crowd and finds the rumpled distress of his boyfriend’s hair.

Wakatoshi smiles softly as his whole face melts into lax. His eyes, for the first time in a few months, meets Hinata Shouyou’s glimmering gems. Semi curses when he realizes where his former captain is looking, Tendou merely follows the direction and confusedly look between the four third-years.

The orange-haired male shoulders his way to Wakatoshi. There is an excitement in the string that drags them to each other's axis. The butterflies that lay dormant in Wakatoshi’s stomach spring into life, the tingles that race his arms and fill his heart is enough for him to feel utterly in love and loved.

Shouyou, his boyfriend, moves toward him at a quick pace. Wakatoshi stands, just in time for his boyfriend to rush into his arms and nuzzle his chest.

“Toshi!” Shouyou exclaims with all the joy in the world in his voice. “I didn’t expect you to come!” He lifts his head and circles his pale arms lazily around Wakatoshi’s waist. Shouyou rests his chin on his abdomen, smiling brightly in the sea of shocked faces.

“I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you, Shou,” he utters in the most loving tone he could muster. In reality, he feels ready to combust. Being in his lover’s arms while enjoying his lover’s presence that irked him when he leaves. He missed him so much, it feels like forever since they last talked, physically.

“Cheesy as ever, Toshi.” Shouyou laughs and hugs him tighter.

“Him?” Exclaims the duo that breaks the loving air around the couple. Semi completely loses it as he stares blankly at them, computing what is in front of him. “Oh my lord, Jesus Christ, Satan renew my eyes, I am hallucinating, for sure.”

Tendou sits down and loses all his marbles, no longer needing a few more jostles when the biggest punch completely rendered him dazed. “I think I entered a new world.”

Chapter Text

Wakatoshi finds out that a few months of just video chats and texts were not enough to sate his need to be with his boyfriend.

The couple broke apart whence it was time for Karasuno to warm up for their match.

 But before they were separated, the two were sitting beside each other with fingers laced together exchanging kisses and talking about anything they couldn’t cover over the phone.

He surely never felt more alive than that moment, watching the game below while being with his boyfriend. The tingles still raced his whole being, the butterflies still fluttered, but he felt happier.

“-so they totally cornered me in the locker rooms- which was not needed, at all!” Shouyou exclaims, raising his voice deliberately to let his friends hear. Kageyama flipped his boyfriend the bird, Tsukishima shrugged while Yamaguchi smiled at the couple.

“At the time, I wasn’t aware that I brought your jacket to practice- you know, the jacket you got from you national training camp when you in your third year, the red and white one - it peeked out my volleyball bag and they noticed it was too big to be my national jacket.”

Shouyou turned his head, puffing his cheeks and his hand squeezed his own. “They noticed it was too big! Like how could they know? Ya know? My own jacket was a little loose on me so they could never know!”

His boyfriend sighs, stretching his legs, projecting the frustration he felt at re-enacting the memory. Wakatoshi blushed a little, his eyes trailing to Shouyou’s thighs before meeting the other's honey eyes.

“Tsukki and Yama held me down while my own best friend-” Shouyou raised his voice again, glaring pointedly at the back of the setter’s head. “-pulled out your jacket and found your name at the back.”

“Meaning to say, they were aware of our relationship because of my jacket?” Wakatoshi asks, tilting his head to meet Shouyou’s. “I wasn’t even aware you borrowed my jacket.”

His boyfriend blushes, a pretty tint of peach flushing his cheeks. “Well,” he laughs, turning his head away from Wakatoshi to awkwardly chuckle. Wakatoshi smiles, leaning further into Shouyou’s space and using his free hand to turn to other's head to meet their eyes. “Toshiiii.” Shouyou begins, smiling sheepishly, his free hand coming up to hide his cheeks.

Wakatoshi can’t help but find it adorable. He smiles wider. “You know,” he tilts his head, letting his locks fall over his eyes in the way that makes Shouyou’s eyes glimmer. “I really don’t mind if you borrow my clothes.” he kisses his boyfriend in the cheek. Finding himself pleased when his cheeks go from pink to red.

“In fact, I find it pleasing when you borrow my clothes. It makes me love you more.” Wakatoshi’s own cheeks tint a little, seeing the way Satori’s eyes widen at his words and Semi’s shocked face when their eyes meet for a brief flicker. He tries not to be embarrassed by his own attempts to be suave.

Shouyou groans and squeezes their linked palms again. “I don’t know if it’s just me Toshi but you’ve gotten a lot more charming since we last been together.” His boyfriend gathers Wakatoshi’s arm to hug it, pressing his pale cheeks to Wakatoshi’s bicep. “Physically, I mean, physically together.”

“Your feedback on my performance is always welcome.” Wakatoshi chuckles. Shouyou squawks, pulling his hand out of its lock and flapping both hands on his face as if it were to deter Wakatoshi - but, in fact, it did not.

“Stop it!” Shouyou says, flapping his hands. “You can’t be all smooth and suave while I’m about to play!” His boyfriend stops flapping, sending one solid punch to Wakatoshi’s bicep before swiveling to the opposite side, pouting and crossing his arms - utterly adorable, making Wakatoshi’s heart squeeze and stutter.

 “It’s bad enough that I was antsy all day yesterday because I forgot that we were starters for quarterfinals- now here you go and put ideas in my head!” Shouyou huffs, shaking his messy, orange head. “If you keep this up, I might as well declare myself a bench-warmer for the rest of the day!”

Wakatoshi laughs - a good belly laugh that sprung out of nowhere. He raises his hand to hide his face, inevitably laughing again when he caught sight of his boyfriend frowning aggressively at him.

“Fuck dude, he is laughing.” He hears distantly, sounding idly like Semi.

“I know man, Shrimpy is a god-sent.”

He slowly stops laughing. Smiling brightly when Shouyou blushes lightly again when he directs his smile to him. “You stupid, distracting, enchanting man-” His boyfriend grumbles, patting his clothes and standing up.

With no self-control, he also stands and pecks his boyfriend’s lips, a temptation he thought he could overcome but it seems that it won over. Before he could get punched by Shouyou, he scurries to the former Shiratorizawa duo, snickering like a delinquent.

He hears his boyfriend scream his name, but he doesn’t dare turn to look his direction. Just as he expected, the bells chimes, signaling the end of the game and for the next team to warm up while the crew clean up the court. Wakatoshi smirks, watching the three third years drag his boyfriend away from him.

What a sight.

Semi snaps his fingers in his face, looking at him in a way that screams trouble. “Yeah, well, Ushijwaka.” Huffing a breath. “If we knew that getting you in love with someone would’ve made you a sap, maybe we would’ve scouted that Shrimpy a little sooner.”

“I think my arms would hurt so bad after practice if we did that, though,” Satoshi says, resting his forefinger on his chin. “But then again, I got forearms of steel, so I sow what I reap.”

“I have yet to forget that you two are the weirdest in the team.”

Chapter Text

The volleyball slams down to the ground in a span of milliseconds.

Wakatoshi barely misses it but he managed to catch on the red, green and white blur from the bleachers. He jumps up, barely containing the thrill racing up every nerve of his being and clapping enthusiastically at his boyfriend's team.

Shouyou turns to where he was sitting and beams at him, giving him a thumbs up as he moves along the current of his team.

Ushijima gives a thumbs up back and a tiny smile. "You can do it!" He adds, belting.

He hears his boyfriend's laugh and knows he has done good — brownie points for being the best boyfriend there is. Wakatoshi returns to hus seat but remains invested in the game, ignoring the snickers and jabs of Semi and Satori.

"—what a sweet boyfriend—"

"—so supportive —"

"Get married already!"

"—oh look how hot his ginger boyfriend is—"

Wakatoshi glares at Satori — who flinches a little and sends a sheeping smile — figuring out that he may have stepped a little over the figurative line.

"Bone the boy gently, Ushiwaka." Semi retorts, missing the incident before him and casually throwing more jabs, "You'd break—"

He glares again, harder. "I suggest you rethink your next words properly."

"You would break nothing," Semi spits out, chuckling awkwardly while scratching the nape of his neck.

"Cause you're a good boyfriend." He looks at Satori, who was dying from keeping his laughter inside. "Right, Satori?"

He squeezes a laugh through, sounding more like a high pitched scream.

Satori coughs, smiling crazily, "Oh yeah, Mhm, Definitely."

"Lovely." Wakatoshi deadpans. Turning back to the game.

"Toshi!" Shouyou greets him — all sweaty, messy and utterly pretty. His cheeks were still flushed, his clothes stuck to him like a second skin and his hair was a mess — it was hard to beat down the his own blush rising steadily on his face.

"Shou," He replies, once he reached his boyfriend. "You did splendid on the court, I never doubted you would win this match."

"Thank you Toshi." Shouyou grins, grabbing Wakatoshi's hand and squeezing it. The taller of the two squeezes back, a small smile perching on his lips. "For a second there, I thought we would have to bring out the big guns, luckily—"

"Ushijima-san!"

Goshiki passes them, bowing to his senior as three other Shiratorizawa players does the same behind him. Shouyou lets go of Wakatoshi's hand, busying himself.

Aside from getting a better haircut, Goshiki's only apparent difference from when he was a first year was his height and build. He seemed less weighed down, Wakatoshi surmises. As if he was free of any burden.

He moves in their space, a clear indication he has some words to say.

"Ushijima-san, its nice to see you again." Goshiki smiles again, less like a excitable kid as Wakatoshi remembers him and more of a mature adult. "I'm guessing you came because of Coach's invitation?"

Wakatoshi faces him a little to respond. "Of course. It's been a while since I visited Miyagi so I thought it would be best to kill two birds with one stone."

"That's great." The other players behind Goshiki gape at Wakatoshi — almost like a display at an amusement park — and gape once more seeing Hinata by his side, thumbing his phone — probably to give Wakatoshi and his junior some form of privacy to their conversation.

"I hope we aren't taking too much time out of you." Goshiki shrugs, smiling again, "If I'm not imposing, what are you doing around Miyagi aside from Coach's invitation?"

Shouyou perks a little with that question, looking up from his phone to meet the eyes of Goshiki. "Hi," His boyfriend greets the other captain, "Nice to see you before our game, Goshiki."

"Hinata," Goshiki blinks, looking surprised, "Oh, uh, hello, I guess." He eyes the number '1' on Shouyou's jersey, as if he couldn't believe it. "I hope we won't have any hard feelings after the match."

"We won't," His boyfriend shakes his head, a smile on his face, "We've been friends for about a year now, you're still afraid of hard feelings?" The Karasuno captain shakes his head, moving a little closer to Goshiki to slap the other's bicep in a friendly manner.

"More like friendly rivals, Hinata." Goshiki laughs. "After the wipe the floor with your team, I don't want to ruin our friendship over a game."

"Same here but reverse that," Hinata pats his shoulder again, "I already have plans for Tokyo, Goshiki. Might want to try for nationals next season."

"That," Wakatoshi interrupts, pointing at Shouyou. Surprising the two for cutting the conversation. "I was supposed to visit my boyfriend when my semestral break came."

The former captain shrugs. "It was just perfect timing that Coach called in for an invitation."

The other players already lost interest and walked away, leaving Goshiki to gape in his lonesome at the couple. "I think I have heard you wrong, Ushijima-san," The Shiratorizawa player shuffles awkwardly, "Did you just say that Hinata is your boyfriend?"

Wakatoshi laces his hand with Shouyou's, pulling him away Goshiki — to others, this was a normal act of skinship, but Wakatoshi truthfully knew he hated the sight of his boyfriend being close with other men. "You heard right."

Goshiki blinks again, "Congratulations, I guess?" He rubbed his elbow, almost uncomfortable at the fact. "Its great you guys found each other." Goshiki huffs a laugh, bowing to the two, when he straightens he has a charmingly awkward smile, "Hope you guys remain happy."

"Thanks, Goshiki." Shouyou says, squeezing their laced hands together.

Wakatoshi deduces that out of all the people he has told of his relationship with Shouyou, Goshiki — an unexpected factor — was the most mundane to react, genuinely happy for them without thinking it was weird for Wakatoshi to date.

Goshiki was going to be just fine.

(As long as, of course, he keeps his hands away from his precious boyfriend, Shouyou.)

Around five in the afternoon, Wakatoshi guides Shouyou to the ginger's favorite restaurant — reassuring the other that the meal was on him.

"I have my wallet with me, I promise," Wakatoshi repeated, which seemed like the third time. "I won't let you pay the bill on the date I planned."

"Okay, okay." Shouyou relents, looking at Wakatoshi with an earnest trust shining in his golden eyes. "But if you do, don't think I won't dump you, Toshi."

"That's why I plan to never do it." He replies, opening the door for his boyfriend, who thanks him as he enters the place. "I want to keep you forever if I can," He pulls up the chair on an empty table, pushing it in when Shouyou sits in it. "The best way to keep you is to feed you."

His boyfriend catches the joke and follows along, a beautiful shine to his smile and mirth in his eyes. "Doesn't mean you've kidnapped me," He grabs a menu, "Or forced me to stay?"

Wakatoshi also grabs a menu, sweeping every meal and smiles over the menu to reply. "Not if the captive is entirely aware and is willing."

"Sounds sexy."

He laughs, grabbing Shouyou's free hand on the table and tangling it with his own. "Of course you would find it sexy."

His boyfriend places his menu down and looks at him through hooded eyes, what a treat that was. "You'll find that a lot of things are sexy when it comes from you, Toshi."

He laughs again, a baritone one that comes from his stomach, a genuine one that bursts in unexpected things. He puts his menu down, smirking softly.

"Now whose the smooth sap?"

"Us two, of course, cause we're saps for each other."

"Point taken."

Chapter Text

"I'm not sure if that's a piece of meat or an extremely soft bone."

"...how can a bone turn soft?"

"Let me indulge in my creativeness, Toshi. We'll never know, they could have boiled the bone so hard that it gave up being hard and just flopped soft."

Wakatoshi looks at him, intrigued. Face twisting to convey his baffled emotions. "I might be delusional," He leans closer, to keep the words between the two only, "But I think you are describing something else entirely."

"You are delusional," Shouyou faces him, working his lips into a quirky and adorable smile, "And horny, if you think my creative interpretation is about our upcoming activities." 

"Upcoming?" Wakatoshi crumbles a little at his smile, feeling his heart working up steadily to a fast-paced drum, "I would love to participate in those activities but you have a championship game tomorrow."

"Oh please," His boyfriend rolls his eyes with a devious smile, a scandalous glint to his gaze. He stirs the complementary soup of the restaurant idly. "We've done the bedsheet tango a lot the night before games, this isn't our first, and most definitely, last."

"How encouraging," Wakatoshi plays with the nimble and lithe fingers of his boyfriend's hand, feeling the similar rough groves on Shouyou's palm. "If we have time, I might indulge in those activities for a long amount of time."

"For how many rounds?" He drops the spoon and focuses solely on Wakatoshi. 

He smiles, piecing a — hopefully — seductive look on his face. "Until my boyfriend wants to stop."

The ginger quirk a brow, shifting on his seat and flushing a little. He leans in, drawing Wakatoshi to his orbit with a shy smile and a bite to his lip, "If we leave now, we have go for enough rounds for me to get a nights rest and for you to relax properly."

"Sounds great to me." He replies, raising a hand to a nearby waiter and signaling him for the bill. "Let me pay and we'll walk back to my house, its about two blocks down from here." 

"Are your parents home?" His boyfriend queries, embarrassment flicking in his eyes in the thought of getting caught in the middle of a fuck. "I don't want them to see what should never be seen asides from the two of us."

"They left for vacation about two days ago, they will be back in a week."

"So you came back to house-sit for a while?" Shouyou leans a little back, the waiter appearing at their side with a bill on his hand. 

Wakatoshi lets go of their intertwined hands, getting the bill and after checking it, pulls out the bills to pay. He looks down as he counts and check, to be sure. 

The waiter, a stranger to the both of them (but most likely aware of who they are), eyes Hinata while the Ginger sorts through his sports bag. Wakatoshi senses his interest and does not like it one bit.

Shouyou relaxes in his chair, spreading his legs a little as he begins to fiddle with his own — texting someone, by his rapt attention. Wakatoshi notices the waiter's eyes flickering and quells the urge to throw a punch.

As the waiter looks further down — gazing at the heaven-sent thighs of HIS boyfriend, he coughs, giving the waiter the bill while looking him in the eyes, lacing his hand with Shouyou's for impact. 

"Toshi?" Shouyou looks up from his phone, placing his mobile on the table and, fiddling with both hands, Toshi's rough fingertips. "Are you almost done?" 

His boyfriend does not take notice of the waiter, sending a proud — extremely smug — feeling in his heart. He smiles at the ginger, pleased beyond measure, and pats their intertwined fingers, "Almost. I just need the change and the receipt."

The waiter looks away and turns pink, haste in his retreat as he rushes away.

 Wakatoshi exhales a frustrated breath and counts in his head — physically and mentally holding himself back from doing who-knows-what to the disrespectful waiter. He makes sure to never let his frustration leak to his face, best to not stress his handsome boyfriend.

He knows, very much so, that his boyfriend is a catch. Shouyou was compact, rather willowy minus the height. He had dropped most of his baby fat and grown in some very definitive yet handsome features. 

He looks strong and capable. Out of all, his attitude is flexible, always bright and perfect for Wakatoshi.

He understands the desire but does not agree in the sentiment of some random stranger eye-balling his boyfriend.

"Do I still have some spare clothes at your room?" Toshi flicks his attention to Shouyou, who tilts his head and smiles softly at him. 

"I think so." He hums, racking his memories. "I believe the lowest drawer in my closest is full of your clothes."

"Great!" Shouyou vibrates in his head, wriggling charmingly. "After my game tomorrow, there's going to be a team dinner so right after, I can straight to your house."

"Want me to pick you up?" 

"If I finish early, no need." 

Wakatoshi nods. "But if it reaches eight, I'll come by and pick you up."

"I'll text you then." His boyfriend grins as Wakatoshi accepts his change and receipt, pocketing both before holding a hand out for Shouyou — who laces their hands together for what seems like the millionth time.

"Let's go home then."

"Can't wait for you to fuck my brains out."

He blushes, shushing him. "Shou!"

They arrive earlier than anticipated— though it sends a tingle up Wakatoshi's spine at the mere realization, it none the less excites his boyfriend to very core.

Shouyou drops his bag unceremoniously beside his bedroom door, he wastes no time in shedding the sweaty, most likely stinky, shirt before flopping unto his bed.

He shakes his head at his boyfriend, grabbing the discarded shirt and throwing it in the washing bin. Wakatoshi also sheds his layers— removing the coat, the turtle neck and footwear before bundling up next to his boyfriend.

He indulges. Curling a hand around the smaller's waist and bringing him closer to his own body. He dips his head in the valley of Shouyou's neck, content to breathe in the raw scent of the ginger — although muddled with Salon Pas, smelled charmingly of a woody-vanilla scent (behind all the sweat smell, of course).

And as always, his indulgence leads further.