#spookyrarepairs

There were rare occasions that summed Akaashi to social gathering, Halloween-themed parties not so much; but, for some reason this year he went to at least five before the actual holiday.

He didn't know what possessed him to attend these ridiculous events. Akaashi just knew that he had this unnatural energy to get out of his apartment and mingle with society. Throughout the vampire community they knew him as a passive loner, he never was a rabid binge drinker or made the news to make mortals aware of their existence. Akaashi Keiji, was essentially a “safe” vampire as one could get. However, Akaashi didn't care about what people or his community thought about him, he went on about his life and was able to successfully blend into the human world without difficulty. After all, he worked at a decent job and, had a handful of good friends to keep him company. Years went by slowly in the beginning, trends appeared, movements shifted an era or two but, what Akaashi eventually settled on was passively minding his own business. The twenty-first century was a curious one; as he was still considered as a new guy and quite young with the lifestyle he barely went out. Halloween in pratical  started to come close and closer to his friend’s chats. He knew enough about the line that vampires and other creatures couldn’t cross with humans and yet, it was something that hit one of his close friends a couple of odd decades ago.

He remembered how the ghoul was amoured with a human.

The kid was fragile, nervous but, he understood what captured his friend’s interest. Tendou always liked the outcast bunch and that kid had all the requirements to gravitate towards him. Bright cat-like eyes that pierced one’s gaze, a soft tone that was soothing and enjoyable to hear such sarcastic remarks and the ability to understand the atmosphere and not further question anything amiss. He was silent and a little anti-social but, Akaashi wasn’t shocked to see Tendou was able to make the kid flash a smile and laugh. It was an innocent friendship that passed too quickly for Tendou. And that was the problem; time was not kind for either of the ghoul and human. It was painful to watch a dear friend clutching for a love that could never last. A ghoul was no immortal like a vampire but, they still lived a hard life between eating human flesh and trying to blend into their communities at the same time. He knew that his friend struggled with his pastime of eating in cold blood before meeting the kid. He told Akaashi about the nightmares of accidentally eating his human, the terror of being revealed and having to choose between his own existence or from the little shed of hope of being accepted. It was never easy to see this transition of watching Tendou fool himself that love would conquer everything as he confessed to the human.

The side glances and soft brushes of skin-ship they shared were enough to make Akaashi wary for the couple; he wanted to support them but. he had a prior experience that didn’t give him enough warrant to keep trusting its power. It was hard to come by a short half a decade to open his door with a bloodied ghoul crying. The instance he uttered his friend’s name he knew by the way he hunched his shoulders more and shook violently as the tears fell down his cheeks that things didn’t end so well. Even to this day the human’s name escaped Akaashi; he just remembered how it was a disaster the way Tendou lived the rest of his life walking to the cemetery where he laid his lover. Years have gone by after he passed away with regret of how things ended but never for falling for a human. That was why Akaashi wondered why this unexpected flourish of sociality was running through his veins and forcing him to party more than usual. Tendou was gone; but he couldn’t deny that he still had Shimizu, another fellow vampire, to keep him company.

But that was why it was confusing, neither of them were party people like Tendou was. If anything he was the only reason why they went out when he was alive. He loved going out and making Shimizu and Akaashi used up their time wisely as being immortals. But decades after his passing…Akaashi never really saw a reason to go out other than getting his supply or for work. Shimizu was the same, preferring small quite get-to-getters and hardly going to crazy parties most young people decided was necessary to do. He didn’t know how to explain this curiosity to wander past midnight and mingle with a range of people and other supernatural creatures like himself. He was only thankful that Shimizu was willingly to go out with him. That was where things started to begin to get weird. Being vampire already was something that asked for some pretty weird shit to be in his normal life but what he didn’t expect was to be getting a second round of cruel selfish love pounding his chest five times before October ended in this particular century. It started in the middle of the month where autumn was on its highest and aesthetic pleasing. Seasonal drinks were being disrupted and he couldn’t escape the smell of pumpkin hitting his nostrils at every shopping corner he walked passed. Even in the city full of gas and smog it was colored black and orange. The holiday was becoming more festive and bright. Sweets were sold faster to summon swarms of children in the streets, the costumes invented were getting ridiculous that it made it far too easy for Akaashi not comment under his breath. He enjoyed the childish glamour, it was innocent after all but, it was the older folks that made him debate whether he was okay with how the holiday was evolving.

It created boundless opportunities for the supernatural to mingle and come out in broad daylight without too much commotion. And that was what scared Akaashi to some extent; it was getting more blurred to have humans wonder in their own turfs unnoticed. Shimizu was lucky to have met a fellow vampire a couple of decades after Tendou’s passing. He was an awkward guy but reliable enough to make Akaashi happy for his friend. As for Akaashi he sailed this single life longer, while he didn’t care too much Akaashi still wanted to know why so many creatures kept on fantasying this unrealistic love to conquer every hardship of coexisting with humans. It was easier to lust over an idea but to maintain it was something he couldn’t do. Humans were selfish people, other supernatural creatures themselves shared an awful trait or two as well. He knew the sweet taste of new love, the addiction of lust and the sour painful back taste of heartbreak. The bitterness was harder to swallow in the beginning, and as years went on and muddled his memories Akaashi still hated how faint that sour after taste lingered in the back of his tongue on random days. The parties that he ventured on where like the cherry on top, they all started the same. He would walk as a part of a trio with Shimizu and Ushijima but after a couple of short ten minutes walking around the dance floor and being rubbed by strangers from the constrained space available Akaashi would give up and go to the refreshments. Each time he would hum to the few tunes he liked while bobbing his head slowly. His costume would be subtle and almost mute against the colorful and pop-cultured ones around him. The lights would blind him but at the same time hypnotize his senses. The vibrations would clog his lungs as he stepped closer to the dance floor, and that was where the easy part would end in the night. When he got to the middle he would hear others asking for a dance, he would humor them knowing he had a certain person’s attention.

He did not indulge them by staring back the first two parties.

Akaashi just remembered the stare with no face, the small smell of coffee and seasonal drinks that incorporated pumpkin or vanilla and that heartbeat that was almost too tasty he thought he imagined it himself. By the third he stole small glances when he knew the other wasn’t looking. By then he could pinpoint the voice that came with that intense stare; and Akaashi was right about not looking before. The human (he still couldn’t help but shudder at the thought) was a sight to see. Unruly hair, dark eyes that looked mischievous under those neon lights and, a voice that could rival a well-known seductive vampire on the hunt. The first two parties were easier to conclude the unofficial meetings; they were two well-known college parties. It was bound to generate for humans to come and have fun. The third one though…it was hosted by a supernatural couple; granted they okayed few humans to come along so it was kind of a stretch. But Akaashi didn’t know how to explain the fourth and fifth time they meet in the dance floor. By the fourth they were close enough to talk, Akaashi was only thankful for Ushijima coming around the corner and touching his shoulder before the human could speak to him. He left feeling the human’s gaze and hearing his companion complain about how he missed another coincidence of meeting him. Shimizu didn’t say anything when Akaashi went to the next party, Ushijima focused on learning how to dance and making Shimizu giggle at his honest blunts and kisses. But he knew they were curious at the human that made Akaashi get caught off guard once again.

The only way he could properly explain his behavior was the dance floor had this air that made him feel something again. It wasn’t the hundreds of bodies that pressed against him or the smell of body sprays and sweat mixing that was attractive. The music wasn’t always appealing but it probably had to do with the way the stereo carried the vibrations and swelled his body and how connected he felt when he swayed to the beat. The adrenaline was something he lacked in the normal world; his job was hardly the place to feel alive. He wasn’t even the type to enjoy hunting, at times it felt like a chore that it made him a little self-conscience when he compared to other vampires. It wasn’t like he never got hungry, he did but, that didn’t mean he liked how it shifted his schedule time to time. Blood was his nutrient, it was sweet and addictive but it was something Akaashi was able to conquer and not fuss over about like most vampires his age could not accomplish right away. So for most of his new lifetime he wandered, he grew wary of love, he learned to appreciate the little time he could afford within human constrains. And after a couple of decades later he was now in the middle of a Halloween party from an acquaintance meeting the same human party after party but never once making small chat. The stares were more obvious and flirtatious, the body language was evident that he wanted to talk but for some reason the human was still shy to come over his side of the floor and ask for a dance. Then again Akaashi wondered if he would even be able to converse normally with the music drugging him into a high he hasn’t been able to find until recently. The music ranged into a dance crazy seemingly, his body felt hotter and maybe that was the last straw for the human because when Akaashi gave a side glance the human hesitantly took a step closer. One of his eyebrows rose in time for a cheeky grin. He could feel his own body tire from this endless hesitation and settled on closing the gap.

When they were close enough to talk Akaashi wasted no time to dance and make the human chose to either move along or back away. The grin that settled on the human’s lips made Akaashi almost smile, instead he tilted his head to the side and allow the music to talk for them. Five songs passed too quickly bringing them closer and closer with semi-shouts of chatter between them. Akaashi’s hands burned against the human’s exposed skin, his voice was pleasant to his ears but what got him crazy was the blood flowing so close to him. It was dangerous to linger; his past was haunting him from enjoying everything. But there was still this spark to stay and taste this adrenaline rush from its peak. When one of the human’s fingers brushed one of Akaashi’s arm pulled back, he started at the human for a solid ten seconds before curling his fingers into a fist.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” He could feel himself losing this control of thirst that came out of nowhere.

The human didn’t understand what Akaashi was really implying and instead foolishly believed he was living your typical young adult affairs. And in many ways Akaashi felt the guilt he could impose on feeding on the human; but it was only natural that these rare moments of being thirsty would come to bite him in the ass. In the end, they settled on small touches to the arms and shoulders. They continued this dance of glances, sly skin-ship and hunger for more but stopping before anything could happen. By the time the party was losing momentum Akaashi felt Shimizu and Ushijima getting ready to leave, they signaled him quietly making Akaashi settled on one last dance with the human before saying goodbye to this disaster before it could fully form. As much as this temporary happiness and anxiety gave him something to look forward Akaashi knew there was so much at stake if he ever crossed path with this human again. He wasn’t ready to open another Pandora's box again and so soon after his best friend’s tragedy. Even if the human in front of him was tempting. So he enjoyed the small instances of contact and hoped they would never meet again because he wasn’t sure how he would turn out if he gave into another round of love.

When the song ended Akaashi pulled back he gave one last look at the human who was flushed from all that dancing. They said their good-byes, Akaashi gave him a random number and left the hot place and sighed into the cold night in tow of Ushijima and Kiyoko. As he walked back to his apartment he left the folded piece of paper neatly inside his night stand for two nights without giving it a second look. October was a strange month to begin with, human cultures themselves made them more outrageous but Akaashi didn’t mind much anymore. Tendou was right about that but Akaashi wasn’t shocked anymore, by the second night of pretending the phone number didn’t exist he relented and unfolded it just enough to see the name, Kuroo Tetsurou, scribbled on top of the digits before throwing it in the trash.

“Give me the goddamned remote or you’re sleeping on the couch, Tooru!”

“Ha! Only a small price to pay for victory, Tettsun!”

Tetsurou pulls back from their scuffle, scandalized. To think, Tooru would actually pick a stupid movie over sexy cuddles with him and Hajime. The nerve. The absolute nerve.

Tooru takes that split second opportunity to shove his hand against Tetsurou’s face, pushing him off himself and off the couch. Tetsurou lands on his ass with a clumsy ‘oof’, followed quickly by an irritated growl, neither of which Tooru acknowledges; his triumphant laughter drowns out Tetsurou’s string of obscenities as he picks himself up off the floor, rubbing his backside. “I hate you so much right now…” He mutters as he plants himself in the middle of the couch, pointedly curling against Hajime instead, “You can sit by yourself, you butthole.”

Tooru responds by sitting up on his knees to wag his butt at him, sticking his tongue out petulantly before diving back into the pile of cushions and blankets nestled on the other side of the couch.

“Someone’s a sore loser,” He sing-songs, flipping the remote up in the air and catching it. Tetsurou gives him the finger.

Amidst all of the fighting and limbs flying, Hajime had been sitting quietly, scrolling his news feed on the phone, waiting patiently for his two lovers to sort themselves out. After all, this same scenario played out every other week or so, like clockwork. Sometimes Tooru won, sometimes Tetsurou won. And sometimes, it was Hajime’s turn to pick the movie, so neither of them had any room to fuss. (Even if they had fussed, Hajime would shut it down right away.)

Between the three of them; it was nearly impossible to find time where the they could all be together. With Tooru entering medical school in a few months, Tetsurou’s internship at a major financial corporation just beginning, and Hajime finally finding an engineering program nearby, the three of them rarely see each other during the week outside of their bedroom. But Sunday was the one day that everyone was off from work and school, and so Sunday Night quickly became a sacred time in their week.

And tonight is special. Tonight is the night before Halloween, and, according to Tooru, it is a night meant for horror movies only. Well, if it were up to Tooru, it would be horror movies every night of the month, because all of October is Halloween, as far as Tooru is concerned. And if it wasn’t for Tetsurou, Tooru would probably have his way. It was surprising, to say the least, when they first started dating as a threesome, that Tetsurou admitted he had a thing about horror movies. He could do ghost stories, he could do haunted houses, no problem. But it was just something about horror movies, with the creepy music, the suspense, the literal overkill, with all the blood and the gore, that Tetsurou just can’t handle.

“And I hate jump scares,” He admitted.

It’s an unfortunate fear, Hajime thinks, watching as Tooru clicks down the channel guide to the movie section; the way his eyes light up when he sees Horror among the genres, and selects it without hesitation. It’s an unfortunate fear, for as much as Tetsurou hates horror movies, Tooru absolutely fucking loves them. Always has. Ever since they were little kids, when Tooru would slyly watch R-rated movies when his mom was in the other room and flip to another channel when she would come in to check on them. He would always scare himself silly, would always keep Hajime up at night during their sleepovers because his head was filled with monsters and maneaters and axe-wielding lunatics.

And aliens. Can’t forget the aliens.  

Tooru is one of those people that get some kind of rush from being afraid, like a low-key adrenaline junkie, and Hajime won’t ever understand his fascination with paranormal shit. But the movies are entertaining, sometimes, so he can deal with it most nights.

Tetsurou can’t.

“Why does it always have to be horror? Why can’t we watch like, I don’t know, a comedy? Or a romance?” Tetsurou had tried to reason that night when he and Tetsurou had had their very first fight over the remote.

“‘Cause It’s the only genre that actually matters,” Tooru had responded offhandedly, not even glancing away from the screen, and Hajime remembers Tetsurou’s reaction better than anything else, mainly because Tetsurou got so mad at Tooru that he abstained from sex with either of them until Tooru apologized for being a little shit. And as good and familiar as sex was between just him and Tooru, it just wasn’t the same anymore when it wasn’t the three of them, and it wasn’t as fun when Tooru was only moaning obnoxiously to piss Tetsurou (who was sleeping alone in the next room) off.

He loves them both to pieces, but god they could be so catty sometimes. In Tetsurou’s case, the pun is unintended.

Something along the lines of nostalgia wells up in Hajime’s chest when he hears Tooru and Tetsurou still sniping at each other, and those same words leave Tooru’s mouth verbatim. Tetsurou bristles like an angry cat as he jabs his foot into Tooru’s side. He really is remarkably cat like sometimes, Hajime thinks, their big human house cat; if he had fur, it would undoubtedly be standing on end.

“Oh, let’s watch the Conjuring. I love this movie.” Tooru says, completely disregarding Tetsurou’s foot viciously jabbing him in his side, batting it away without looking from the TV.

“Counteroffer,” Tetsurou cuts in, still kicking violently, “We don’t watch the Conjuring, or anything in this godforsaken section, and we watch something cute or funny instead. Let’s watch Zootopia instead. I like that movie.”

Tooru rolls his eyes. “Oh Tettsun, don’t be a pill. It’s Halloween. You’re supposed to watch scary movies, not cutesy-family crap.”

“Says you.” Tetsurou mutters. He curls more into Hajime’s side, nosing at Hajime’s shoulder. Hajime throws his arm around Tetsurou’s shoulders. Tetsurou cranes his head to look up at him, something swirling in those hooded amber eyes. To Hajime, it’s a look that says he’s about to be pulled into this ongoing argument.

“Hajime,” Tetsurou purrs up at him, “You agree with me, right? You’d rather watch something else?”

Yep.

“Um…” Hajime starts, scratching at his neck, “To be honest, I actually like that movie too...so…”

Tetsurou’s mouth falls open, shocked. “Cold-blooded betrayal,” He whispers, face scrunching like he might either scream or cry, or both.

Tooru finally stands and sits on Tetsurou’s legs, having had enough of his boyfriend’s sharply cold feet embedded in his side. “It’s not even that scary, Tettsun. I promise. It’s a good story.”

"Yeah,” Hajime agrees, “For a horror movie, it’s an interesting plot. I like that it’s based on a true story.”

Tetsurou’s head whips around, eyes wide like saucers. “It is ?” He makes to stand, suddenly looking a little pale. “Welp, I guess I’m just gonna go watch TV in our room,” He says quickly, “You two enjoy your movie night without me.”

Both Tooru and Hajime yank him back down onto the couch. “Oh no you don’t. You have to stay with us. I’ll tell you when the scary stuff is going to happen, but I promise, you’ll be fine. It’s really not scary.”

“Yeah, but you don’t think anything is scary, Tooru,”Tetsurou quips, fidgeting out of their grips, “Your opinion is worthless to me. What’s this movie about anyway?”

“About this family that has an evil witch ghost in their house, basically. Demonic possessions, poltergeists, that kind of stuff. It’s one of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s most infamous cases.”

“Who?”

“They’re demonologists and paranormal investigators. The most famous ones by far.”

“Okay,” Tetsurou says, “So, the movie’s about demons and stuff?”

“Basically.”

“I’m leaving.”

Tooru cuddles into Tetsurou’s side, pinning him down on the couch. “Tettsun, I promise. It’s not that scary! I’ve seen it a million times. You’ll be fine.”

Tetsurou stares him down. “...Really?”

Tooru’s smile is wide and saccharine. “Have I ever lied to you?”

*****

“You’re a fucking liar, Oikawa Tooru!”

That question is answered about ten minutes into the movie.

Tetsurou punches Tooru in the arm repeatedly, furious because a) Tooru lied to him (again), b) he fell for it (again), and c) Tooru is currently draped over him like Cleopatra, and he refuses to move so Tetsurou is stuck.

“You are such a piece of shit, Tooru,” Tetsurou whines weakly, squirming underneath his boyfriend, “You said it wasn’t scary!”

Tooru’s cheeks puff out, barely restraining his laughter. “I lied. This movie even scared me the first couple of times I saw it.”

“Evil,” Tetsurou moans, “Evil, evil, evil, evil. You’re horrible. The worst boyfriend. What did I do to deserve this torture?”

Tooru grins down at him, the very picture of devilish.

“I've never seen her do that…”

Tetsurou latches onto Tooru's forearm, shaking him. Tooru whines at how sharp Tetsurou’s nails are digging in. “What's wrong with her? Is she the one who gets possessed?”

“She’s just sleepwalking, Tettsun. Let go of my arm.”

If anything, Tetsurou’s grip tightens even more.“Tooru, if something is gonna pop up, you better tell me so I can cover my damn eyes.”

"Boo mommy!”

Kuroo shrieks so loud it startles Hajime, who had been slowly nodding off next to him. Tooru cackles so hard he falls on the floor. Tetsurou makes sure to step on him a few times, for good measure.

*****

“Oh my God,” Tetsurou moans later, curled up against Tooru, a pillow cradled in his arms should he need to hide, “Look how the ghost pulled the little girl, oh my god...oh my god, I think I'm gonna faint.” He says weakly, clutching his chest.

“Hush Tettsun, you talk too much.”

“THIS IS TOO INTENSE FOR ME, YOU ASSHOLE.” Tetsurou’s voice drops to a whisper, “What is she looking at behind the door? I don't see anything, Tooru. Please. My heart.”

“You're not supposed to see it yet. Use your imagination.”

“I don’t want to imagine it!”

*****

“Why does she have bruises everywhere? Is she dying?”

Tooru growls. “No, Tettsun, just watch the stup-ow, ow, ow, ow! Let go, let go!” He yells when Tetsurou pinches his inner thigh roughly.

“You brought this on yourself, Tooru. You wanted to watch something scary and now you have to deal with the consequences.”

“You’re gonna break the skin, Tettsun! Ow, ah!”

“Serves you right, you know.” Hajime calls from the kitchen.

*****

Tetsurou asks a lot of questions when he’s anxious. He also talks a lot. Both of which Tooru and Hajime know.

“That is the creepiest fucking basement I've ever seen, what the fuck! Where did that ball come from?! What's happening? Shit, Tooru!”

A few minutes later:

“Why is that creepy little girl sleepwalking again? Oh my god, oh god, oh god, something's gonna happen, isn't it? Guys please tell me--- AAAHHHHH!”

Up goes Tetsurou in a flurry, along with their entire bowl of popcorn that Hajime had just made not even ten minutes ago, and he bolts down the hall. They hear a door slam, along with a few expletives with ‘Tooru’ peppered in every so often. Hajime pauses the movie to go try and coax the third member of their little trifecta back out into the living room, while Tooru watches their cat sniff at the pile of white cheddar popcorn on the floor and wonders if cats can eat popcorn.

*******

“Oh, sick, what is that?” Kuroo claps a hand over his mouth, suddenly looking very queasy, “The witch threw up into the lady's mouth, uugh. Yuck. This isn't scary, just gross.”

After ten minutes or so, Hajime had finally managed to persuade Tetsurou to come back out and finish the movie with them, no thanks to Tooru. He was okay for a couple of minutes; three minutes and fourteen seconds, to be exact, but now,

“Oh fuck, it’s the mom, isn’t it? She’s possessed now. Oh god, that’s so creepy.” Tetsurou says, furiously cramming popcorn into his mouth.

“Could you leave some for the rest of us, Tettsun?” Tooru chides, reaching for the bowl. All he gets is Tetsurou’s nails jabbed into his hand. He pulls back like he’s been burned, cradling his wounded hand to his chest. “Ow! What the hell?!”

Tetsurou holds to bowl closer to himself, guarding it like a dragon with its treasure. “You don’t get any! Bastards who tease their boyfriends don't get popcorn!”

*****

It’s around one in the morning when the movie finally finishes, and the three of them clamber off the couch, slowly unfurling themselves with loud yawns and wayward limbs.

“Well that was exactly as horrifying as I expected it to be,” Tetsurou announces irately, scratching at him stomach under his tank top. He turns his glare on Tooru, who is dusting off his sleeping pants of any popcorn crumbs. “I guess I’m not sleeping tonight, thanks to you.”

Tooru walks over and loops his arms around Tetsurou’s hips, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Ah come on, it wasn’t that bad. You watched the exorcism part without covering your eyes. That’s one of the freakiest parts, in my opinion.”

Tetsurou forces a smile as he pushes Tooru’s hands off his waist, earning a protest from his boyfriend. “Just because I was watching doesn’t mean I wasn’t freaked out. It was hard to look away once it started, that’s all. Like a train wreck.”

A new pair of arms wrap around Tetsurou’s hips. “Well since you won’t be sleeping tonight, I can think of other ways to spend the next few hours,” Hajime murmurs against Tetsurou’s back, planting kisses along his shoulder. Tetsurou immediately relaxes in his hold, smiling tiredly as he lets his head fall back onto Hajime’s shoulder.

“What’d you have in mind?” He asks softly. Tooru takes this opportunity to come closer as well, hugging Tetsurou from the front, sandwiching him between himself and Hajime. He nips at Tetsurou’s neck, sucking at the taut skin until Tetsurou moans and trembles in his grip. “Fuck, Tooru- ah!”

“Well, when we’re done with you, you’ll be too fucked out to think about anything else,” Tooru whispers against his jaw, already reaching for the drawstring on Tetsurou’s sweats.

“Goddammit.” Is all Tetsurou can say as they lead him to their shared bedroom and close the door behind them.

*****

“Are you still scared?” Tooru asks later, in the darkness of their bedroom. Hajime is already passed out, but the two of them are still clinging to the last remnants of consciousness. Tetsurou groans softly as Tooru’s hand slides up his back, raking his nails in gentle circles.

“Nah, not anymore.” He concedes after a moment, eyes fluttering shut. “God, that feels good.”

“Are you still mad?”

Tetsurou turns his head to look at Tooru, or his silhouette, at least.

“No, not really. However,”

Suddenly, Tooru finds himself in a heap on the floor. A pillow falls on his head.

“What the heck!”

“I originally said that you had to sleep on the couch, didn’t I?” Tetsurou leans over the side of the bed, amused, “But , after three rounds of mind-blowing sex, I’m feeling a little more benevolent, so you can sleep on the floor next to us instead. G’night.”

"B-but-"

So here he was, odd man out, left to ride the haunted hay ride by himself. All the others had already grouped off and separated from everyone.This hay ride started off like pretty much like every hay ride, although Kageyama had never been on a hay ride. He was riding in this carriage like vehicle, surrounded by restless darkness. It wasn’t so bad because at least he had the driver in in vicinity. It didn’t matter that they didn’t talk, since Kageyama wasn’t much of a talker himself, and all that mattered was the presence of another human being. Although this ended quite quickly and Kageyama found himself being dropped off in the middle of a forest while the carriage driver said something about walking to the exit in a spooky voice.The raven-haired man really didn’t want to continue, but going back from where he came from seemed like an even poorer choice so he continued forward. 

Owls hooted, bushes rustled and almost everything seemed to be placed in a perfect position to make Kageyama feel even more scared. Suddenly out of nowhere a clown jumped out of the bushes. Well, Kageyama thinks it was a clown, but the man had run so fast that it seemed that even the clown himself was stupefied. After what seemed like an eternal run, Kageyama had finally stopped, his breathing heavy. The sound of his breath was the loudest sound he heard, and not even the trees or bushes were rustling. It was too quiet. Kageyama stood straight and continued forward, praying to God, Buddha, Jesus, Zeus and pretty much every single deity he could think of to make this end quicker. He was looking down at the ground, too frightened to look up when he bumped into something hard. Not something, but someone he realized. Letting out an unmanly, high pitched shriek Kageyama jump a whole meter back, eyes still on the ground too frightened to what he might see.

“Tobio-san,” a stern, familiar voice called out and the figure walked closer to him. Kageyama whipped his head up and came face to face, well face to chest, with Wakatoshi Ushijima.

“Wha-wha-what are you doing here Ushijima-san. D-d-did you get scared and get separated from your t-t-team? ‘Cause that’s f-f-for sure n-n-not what happened to m-me. I’m not s-s-scared,” Kageyama said unsuccessfully trying not to stutter out of fear.

“Wakatoshi," the older male said in reply.

“W-w-what?”

“Call me Wakatoshi, and I came here alone if that is what you’re asking. I quite enjoy this holiday events,” the ace of Shiratorizawa said briskly. Kageyama was about to answer when another figure appeared from out of the bushes, this time it was a zombie with a chainsaw. The Karasuno setter’s instincts of fleeing was shut off at the moment, so he just sank to the floor, covering his ears and closing his eyes hoping that this stupid haunted hay ride would end already. Instead, a different miracle happened. Kageyama felt his hand being grabbed, and himself being pulled up to his feet. Ushijima had grabbed his hand and was now leading Kageyama through the dark, gloomy forest path. Kageyama’s face flushed a deep shade of scarlet, not because he was running nor was it the fear, but an entirely new set of feelings. Feelings he had been struggling with himself ever since he met one Wakatoshi Ushijima.

After a couple minutes of Ushijima holding his hand, Kageyama had regain some of his moral sanity as he realized that their hands were still cupped together. Kageyama quickly pulled his hand away for a moment before Ushijima reclaimed ownership of his right hand. 

“Wha-what are you doing,” Kageyama stammered once more, but this time not from fear as his face turned an even darker shade of red.

“I’m scared, so I want to hold your hand,” Ushijima said in a calmly manner, “That is okay with you right?” Kageyama was a bit taken aback, he knew that Ushijima was doing this because Kageyama was scared, but the thoughtfulness made his heart squeeze. 

“Of course,” Kageyama huffed, his fear now replaced with a different heart pounding emotion. A sly smile escaped Ushijima’s lips as they continued to walk through the forest path. From then on, nothing really frightened Kageyama. Not when they were chased by bloodied corpses, or even when the fog would barely let them see each other. They just talked with ease, which was unusual for the both of them, and ran, holding hands and laughing. They were reaching the end of the forest path and Kageyama felt his heart being tugged. If they reached the end of this pathway will this end? Will they go back to being on rival teams and forget about this time together. Kageyama for sure didn’t want that and subconsciously grasped his grip tighter on Ushijima’s left hand, and, to his surprise, that same hand led him to the bushes on the side of the path. 

Kageyama looked up and saw himself standing in front of Ushijima again. Hands still being held, Ushijima took his right hand and cupped it on Kageyama’s face while lifting it up. Somehow Kageyama had started looking at the ground one more, although fear wasn’t the cause for it this time.

“Wakatoshi-san…” Kageyama said softly, not really knowing the words to explain how he feels, but he doesn’t need to. Ushijima swooped in, colliding their lips together. Kageyama tensed up a bit, but the squeeze he felt on his right hand relaxed him a bit as he sank into the kiss. It started simple, just a brush of the lips, but as Kageyama opened his mouth to breath, Ushijima let his tongue enter. Kageyama had never kissed like this before, or any kiss actually, and was thoroughly enjoying the sensation. Ushijima had moved his hand from Kageyama’s face to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss. Kageyama let his free hand grasp at the back of Ushijima’s shirt.After what seemed like eternity, which wasn’t long enough to Kageyama’s liking, Ushijima parted the kiss. Kageyama’s face flustered with lust and heavy breathing made the older male go back for one more brief kiss. This kiss though was different from the previous, passionate kisses. This kiss was delicate, like he was being treasured.

“How about you join me tonight for some Halloween movies since these haunted types aren’t my thing. I have Hocus Pocus recorded,” Ushijima whispered sweetly into Kageyama’s ear, arm wrapped around his waist and the left hand never left Kageyamas’.

“Well I do have to protect you, to make sure you’re not scared,” Kageyama said, burying his face into the other man’s chest his facing burning, and smiling openly.

“Is that a promise?”

“I promise.”