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"So, Keiji—how do I look?"

Akaashi glances up from where they're adjusting their belt to see Bokuto posed, thumbs to his chest, in what might possibly be the most ridiculous outfit Akaashi had ever seen him in. Hiding under his slick leather jacket (the one that frames his shoulders real nice and makes Akaashi's mouth go dry) is one of those Jaeger fanboy shirts. 'ROCK 'EM SOCK 'EM JAEGERS' it proudly declares, with a Jaeger punching the skull right off a kaiju. It's a dweeby nerd shirt. It suits Bokuto perfectly.

Fighting down a smile with a small cough, Akaashi gives Bokuto what they hope is a thoughtful nod. "Very nice, Koutarou. Very you."

"Isn't it though?" Bokuto chirps, pleased with himself. He turns back to the mirror, flexing and striking different poses, a goofy smile on his face. Akaashi's heart flutters pleasantly.

"Honestly," they sigh. "You all are so carefree. The state of the world right now isn't anything to make light of." The severity of their words are tempered with a small smile and the fond shake of their head.

"Aww, come on, Keiji," Bokuto says, slinging an arm around their shoulders. "Can't we have a little break from the seriousness?"

Akaashi raises an eyebrow. "That's what this outing is all about."

They nearly jump a foot when Bokuto releases them to squish their cheeks into an undignified fish-face. Akaashi squeaks and squirms in Bokuto's grasp. Grinning, Bokuto plants a sloppy kiss on their lips and dances away when Akaashi swats at him.

"K-Kou!" Akaashi protests, wiping their mouth, face screwed up.

Bokuto lets out a booming laugh. "There! Now you're in the spirit of things!"

"Disgusting," Akaashi grumbles even as they walk back over to Bokuto and hug him, nuzzling affectionately at the crook between his neck and shoulders.

His laugh is softer this time. "Tickles," he says softly, but embraces Akaashi back. Akaashi notes with just the slightest concern that Bokuto holds them tighter than usual. Thoughtfully, Akaashi runs their hands up and down Bokuto's back. Despite the worrying signs, Bokuto is warm as always. Especially his hands. Akaashi relishes the heat radiating from Bokuto's hands, lets it sink through their clothes to warm them from the outside in. The two of them close their eyes for a moment and just exist in each other's arms.

He was starting to get better.

Akaashi knows that the Bokuto that stands before him now, smiling and joking and puffing himself up, comes at a high cost. Even ignoring past trauma still fresh as newly fallen snow in their minds, even ignoring the countdown of the days until the clock in the Shatterdome stopped forever, even pretending that this day would be one of the last happy ones in their lives, Bokuto's happiness comes at a cost. Kuroo is not lost to Bokuto, not in the sense that he is dead or has forsaken their relationship, but he is lost to Bokuto in the sense that there is a divide between them. For once in his life, there is a seemingly unbreachable gorge in their hearts and a hurt neither are sure how to fix.

This is, of course, just the impression Akaashi gets after being connected at the mind to Bokuto for so long and listening to his restless ponderings about Kuroo until he falls asleep, night after night. It's all a bit melodramatic, if someone were to ask Akaashi, but then again, there are few words that describe Bokuto better than 'melodramatic,' especially when someone he loves is involved. And to be fair, this was their first real fight since they had met.

Akaashi had no intention of helping either Kuroo or Bokuto in this matter, and they had ensured that Kenma wouldn't, either. The two of them would be by their partners' sides to support them and offer them love and a shoulder to cry on, but it was up to Bokuto and Kuroo themselves to figure out how to repair their relationship.

It's for the best, too, Akaashi assures themself. Their bond will become even stronger once they have overcome conflict.

So Akaashi gives Bokuto a tight squeeze before pulling out of the hug, appreciating that Bokuto is putting on his big-boy pants and wearing a smile even if it hurt him a little to pretend everything was just fine. He'll do well, Akaashi thinks, confident. He just needs time.

"Shall we?" Akaashi suggests, raising an eyebrow.

"Wait!" Bokuto's voice gives Akaashi pause, and Bokuto darts past them to grab something Akaashi can't make out. When he returns, he slips the item—a scarf—around the back of Akaashi's head and pulls it snug against Akaashi's throat. His fingers (warm, warm, warm) linger against Akaashi's skin, twitching upwards to brush a stray curl of hair from Akaashi's face and tuck it behind their ear.

"It's not cold enough for scarves yet, Koutarou," Akaashi says, voice dropping low as the space between them suddenly becomes intimate and delicate. "It's only autumn."

Bokuto huffs fondly. Akaashi can feel the vibration through the hands that have drifted down to rest on their shoulders. "It'll be chilly walking back from town," Bokuto explains. "Can't have my Keiji turning into a Keiji-sicle now, can I? I've only got one of you."

His voice falters, just a little, and his grip tightens. Just a little. "I've only got...one."

Akaashi blinks slowly and adjusts the scarf, tucking it tighter into their own jacket. "I suppose it has been getting colder lately. Perhaps winter is coming earlier this year." In the process of fixing the scarf, Akaashi accidentally dislodges Bokuto's hands.

"That could be," Bokuto considers, laughing off his pause. "Maybe it'll get so cold this winter that the oceans freeze over and the kaiju can't break through."

"That would make our jobs considerably easier," Akaashi concedes. "Hypotheticals aside, I must say since we're moving out the door at such a glacial pace, our friends may think us frozen or otherwise occupied and abandon us. Let's go." Akaashi takes a step towards the door.

"Keiji—" Bokuto's voice is distressed, and Akaashi turns, only to be caught in the hard press of a kiss. He kisses too hard, too desperate for Akaashi to do more than cup the hands on their cheeks as Bokuto kisses them over and over.

Akaashi eases back from Bokuto a bit, enough to calm him down, to slow the pace of his kissing. "Kou?" Akaashi questions, barely a whisper.

Bokuto's smile shakes. His hands slide down Akaashi's cheeks, brushing down their jaw to settle at the crook of Akaashi's neck. Bokuto's thumbs rub against the pulse points in Akaashi's neck with great delicacy. "It's nothing," he lies, like Akaashi couldn't tell.

Akaashi smooths the lapels of his jacket. "The world isn't ending tonight," they say, insightful as ever into the mind of their beloved. Bokuto had a knack for bottling up the things that bothered him until they boiled over in one ugly, hysterical mess but fortunately, Akaashi had a knack for navigating the deceptively complex mess of Bokuto and defusing him before he ever had time to go off.

That's why Akaashi leans in again to kiss Bokuto, warm and slow, reminding him that Akaashi was there, they existed, and they weren't going anywhere. Bokuto holds the kiss as long as his lungs allow it, then breathes out just as slow, sucking in another, calmer breath. The façade trembles as his expression darkens, but it clears a moment later and Bokuto wears a small but genuine smile.

"You ready to hear the infamous Tsukiyama duet?" Bokuto asks, smothering a laugh.

"Oh, I'm far more worried about the Tananoya duet myself," Akaashi groans. "Perhaps Koushiwara-san will sing for us again. At least we can be assured he has a lovely voice." Karaoke, much like the sync tests or Kwoon Room training, is a rite of passage for all Rangers, at least at the Miyagi and Tokyo bases. And Seogwipo in South Korea, now that Bokuto and Akaashi have sunk their claws into them.

Really, it's just an excuse to embarrass the new kids and team bond.

Akaashi and Bokuto step out of their quarters and make for the base's northwest exit to join the rest of their party. Akaashi tuts at the time, noting that they are running late and will doubtlessly face chastisement from the less patient members of their multi-profession friend group (so essentially, Tanaka and Noya). The further they get from their room, the more elated Bokuto becomes, smile widening until it overtakes his face, the volume of his voice increasing, skipping ahead and—

Bokuto gracelessly crashes into another person, having been walking backwards and therefore not paying attention to anyone around him. Akaashi hurries forward, an apology on the tip of their tongue, until they register just who Bokuto slammed, and the words freeze in their throat.

Unaware, Bokuto spins around. "Oh hell, I am so sor—"

Akaashi is helpless, watching the change on Bokuto's face from apologetic to absolutely horrified in slow motion. Kuroo looks just as panicked, stumbling to the side, limbs stiff as a board. Their eyes do not leave each other, even though their posture screams discomfort and fear, a fear so profound and fragile that Akaashi's heart breaks for them.

However, Akaashi is not frozen in place like they are, and a swift survey of the hallway crossing reveals Kenma, gripping their 3DS so tightly Akaashi can see the whites of their knuckles. Akaashi doesn't need the Ghost Drift to read the look Kenma sends them. What the fuck do we do?!

If they could find any words to make this situation better, Akaashi would say them. But their mouth closes and they straighten up, nodding to Kenma to do the same. Kenma raises their eyebrows and looks away, dubious, but doesn't intervene. They don't know what to do, either. Instead, Akaashi moves to Kenma's side, for both of their comfort. There was a chance that this encounter could end up...ugly.

Bokuto's lips are still parted, trembling. He wants desperately to say something, but he can't form a single coherent thought in his head, all he can do is look at Kuroo like a ghost or a saint, unsure if he's been cursed or blessed by his presence. Kuroo's eyes move first, darting down to observe the shaking in Bokuto's lips, and then, he speaks.

"I..." Kuroo's voice is rough and scratchy, the sandpaper of a cat's tongue, the harshness of sleepless nights. Bokuto reads this from him with one word and flinches violently.

He did this.

"I'm sorry," Bokuto rasps, then turns on his heel. He's a coward, a big fat coward, but he can't see Kuroo like that, hurting, and know it was his doing. It burns his throat and eyes like acid. He has to run away, escape to somewhere he can breathe and cry and regret.

"No, Kou, wait—" Kuroo grabs his arm and hauls him back before Bokuto is even a step away. He pulls Bokuto into his space, stepping forward so they're chest to chest, but even from that close, all Bokuto can see is a blur of shiny black—a leather jacket to match his, fuck fuck fuck...

There's a finger thumbing at his eyes, gentler than he deserves. "Why are you crying?" Kuroo asks softly. Funny, Bokuto hadn't even realized he was crying, even though the salt burned his cheeks and his face hurt.

"I hurt you," Bokuto says, voice coming out wet and pathetic and all wrong. "I said all those nasty things—"

"No, no Kou, you were right," Kuroo argues, shaking his head. "Kenma and I acted like monsters, I know we did—"

"No!" Bokuto yells this, fist thumping against Kuroo's chest. "You were trying! All I've ever done is follow orders. I never thought outside the box. I never took a risk. Instead of treating the symptoms, you were trying to cure the disease. Of course there would be collateral, that doesn't mean you don't care! I was blinded by my own fear; I can't imagine what you sacrificed to actually do something, even if it meant going around regulation."

The fist that had been bumping Kuroo's chest falls to clutch at his jacket, its twin joining on the other side. Bokuto presses his forehead against Kuroo's chest, closing his eyes to drip tears onto his best friend. "I'm so tired and so afraid of losing anyone else," he whispers. "That doesn't mean I should take it out on you."

Kuroo arms come around him in a slow, sliding embrace, like Bokuto might shatter before his very eyes if he was too rough. "I accept your apology," Kuroo says. "I shouldn't have lied to you, though, even by omission. I held things back from you and took risks that were stupid." He lifts Bokuto's head. "But you know...I'm scared, too. That's why I did everything I did. I don't want to lose you or Kenma or any of our friends. I love you."

Bokuto lets out a whining, muffled sob. "I love you too, Tetsu."

Kuroo kisses Bokuto's forehead firmly, and Bokuto breaks from his hold to wrap Kuroo in a bear hug that surprises a cough out of him. Kuroo doesn't hesitate, though. He hugs Bokuto back just as hard, wrapping around each other as close as they can. Bokuto is warm, overflowing with love and affection, and Kuroo is cool, tempering and steadying Bokuto. They flow in each other's veins as surely as their partners—they would never truly be parted.

I never want to hurt him again, Keiji.

I won't let us fight like this again, Kenma.

Neither Akaashi nor Kenma are prone to outbursts of emotion or affection, but their hands slide together, fingers interlocking, and from how tightly they hold onto each other, they can tell how grateful and relieved the other feels. They exchange glances, Kenma biting their lip in a vain effort to keep down a smile and Akaashi with their own slight quirk of their lips. Akaashi hadn't realized how stressed they had been until they saw their worries reflected in Kenma's expression, but in the end, peace was with them once more, as well as the solace in linked hands and the understanding of a soulmate.

And then, the blinding light of the setting sun left them wincing and squinting as Noya threw open the door at the end of the hallway. "Well?" He growls, as if the four had somehow personally offended him. "Are you coming or not? Katy Perry won't wait forever!"

"On second thought," Kuroo says dryly, "I think I have a blender to stick my head in."

Noya squawks in indignation, but it's worth it to feel the rumble of Bokuto's laugh against his chest, tucked tight against Kuroo where he belonged. Across the constant thrum of their connection, Kuroo feels Kenma's mind calm, no longer stressed by the turbulence of Kuroo's. The evening air rushing in smells fresh and sweet with the promise of a night of joy. He breathes in, letting the air fill his lungs and cleanse the last dregs of misery and hurt from his heart.

Kuroo doesn't need to look at Bokuto to guess what he's thinking, but he does anyway because it feels good to see his best friend smile again. "Let's go anyway," Bokuto suggests, smiling and parting from Kuroo only far enough to slip his arm around Kuroo's waist. There's a question in that smile and gesture, a feathery nervousness to Bokuto's touch that asks Kuroo if everything is truly okay—after all, they had never fought before. Bokuto wants, no, needs to know if this is okay.

Kuroo slips his arm around Bokuto's waist as well, a resounding yes, always yes.

-------------------------

Late fall in Miyagi reminds Yamaguchi of a predator—a big cat in the tall grass, waiting to strike. It's on the edge of uncomfortably quiet, the sounds of insects and birds muted by the cold, but not the dead still of winter. The air is sharp, snapping Yamaguchi to attention and keeping him awake and alert even on his most tiring days. It's the feeling of something about to happen; a shift in the balance of the nature; a turning of the tides.

For a Ranger pursued constantly by alien monsters larger than life, the feeling of late fall isn't exactly comforting.

"Feels dangerous out, doesn't it, Kei?" Yamaguchi asks in a breathless whisper, whipping his head around excitedly, exhales creating tiny clouds around them, like the puffing of a steam engine. Sure, the metaphor could be unsettling, but Yamaguchi is surrounded on all sides by his friends, the best Jaeger pilots in all Japan. Couldn't get much safer than that.

"It sure does," Tsukishima replies drily as Tanaka and Noya tear by them, feet slapping the pavement and echoing down the otherwise empty road. They holler like caged animals set free, scarves trailing behind them, victory banners. And then, the true terror flies by.

Hot on their tail, Hinata cackles, trailing them in his own custom motorized wheelchair. Not that anyone could really call it a wheelchair, given that it was faster than a motor scooter, maneuvered by sensitive changes to Hinata's posture, and painted with elaborate wings down the sides. He speeds and skids like a joyriding twelve-year-old.

Also, it had rocket boosters, no doubt Noya's addition to make Hinata's gift 'totally awesome!'

"Creation turns on creator," Tsukishima notes, voice still flat and long-suffering as Hinata speeds past Noya and Tanaka, reaching out to ruffle their heads as he passes. As someone who valued his freedom and independence as much as his life, Tanaka and Noya's gift had Hinata shining brightly again and back to his old mischief. Without the handicap of a slow-moving wheelchair putting the brakes on him, Hinata could agitate and aggravate the staff of the base just as much if not more than when his legs functioned.

Yamaguchi grins. "Aw, what's with the long face, Kei? It's nice that he can zip around again." (Yamaguchi, of course, is only playing dumb. The memory of Hinata blasting a confetti cannon in Tsukishima's face on his birthday and then wheeling away much quicker than Tsukishima could pursue him is still fresh in both their minds. Yamaguchi withholds a snicker.)

"Just because he can't walk doesn't mean I will refrain from beating him into the ground," Tsukishima growls, but silences his complaints when the sounds of their friends' low conversations reach him. Bokuto and Kuroo, twined together like two lovers—or...whatever the hell they were; Akaashi and Kenma, clasped hands swinging between them, silent except for the occasional comment; Asahi and Kageyama flanking Koushi protectively, two tall men shielding their precious (and amused) guest of honor.

"It's a shame the ladies didn't come with," Yamaguchi observes, noting Tsukishima's sudden self-consciousness. "It would be nice to have some talented singers amongst our group of mangy young men, Koushi, Akaashi, and Kenma."

"Keiji-san used to play violin," Tsukishima remarks. "It's a shame they won't sing—they may be quite talented, seeing as they're the only one with any musical background."

"Ah, can't find any faults with Keiji-san, can we?" Yamaguchi teases, enjoying the way Tsukishima's head snaps around to give him a dirty look. "Well, perhaps you best serenade them yourself."

"Maybe I will," Tsukishima grumbles, adjusting his coat and jutting out his chin.

Yamaguchi's smile widens. Goad Tsukishima into singing, check. This was going to be fun.

The base's secluded location means that the closest town is little more than a glorified fishing village. The houses that line the streets are all original structures, ancient and leaking. Weeds sprout up through cracks in the pavement and bicycles rather than cars are the main form of transportation. And yet, the dim lighting from grimy streetlamps and homes and family businesses on both sides of the street feels warmer to Yamaguchi than any of the blinding fluorescents that cast a sickly glow on the base's inhabitants.

Or maybe it was just the trees and the air and sounds of companionship around him, filling his heart with joy and homeliness, even in a strange place. Yamaguchi wants to run and shout—in that moment, he truly understands Hinata and Tanaka and Noya. There's no formality or responsibility where they are now, almost as if they had stepped into another dimension, one where every day could be spent this carefree. Another place and time where they could be a team without the weight of the world on their shoulders, walking home and chatting about school and dinner and what tomorrow's practice would be like—

"Oi," Tsukishima prompts, nudging Yamaguchi with his shoulder. "Quit looking down. If you're sad, it'll upset Hinata and make a mess of everything."

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry about me, Kei, I'm just lost in my thoughts again," Yamaguchi covers, smiling guiltily.

For a second, Tsukishima regards him. Yamaguchi thinks he'll accept the explanation, leave Yamaguchi to mull over whatever is on his mind, but instead Tsukishima turns away and mutters, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"You know, I never understood that saying," Yamaguchi responds cheerfully. "What does American coinage have to do with—"

"Tadashi, what's wrong?" Tsukishima asks more firmly, although his questions always sound more like demands.

Yamaguchi can't meet his eyes. "The trees are very beautiful," he murmurs, finally. "It's a shame we won't be around to see them in all their splendor."

Tsukishima is quiet. Yamaguchi doesn't say anything after that, the cool air taking on a sudden chill that sinks through his thin jacket and into his bones.

"After the war," Tsukishima sighs, his posture relaxing, "we can buy a house like one of these, somewhere with lots of trees that you can watch for however long you please. Missing one season isn't the end of the world, Tadashi, don't be so dramatic." He clicks his tongue for good measure.

It startles a laugh out of Yamaguchi. Leave it to Tsukishima to understand him in a moment and then disregard his concerns in the next. That was okay. Yamaguchi needs Tsukishima to beat the wind from his sails sometimes, before Yamaguchi gets carried away with an idea and dragged out into deep water. A perfectly imperfect complement to Yamaguchi, whose job it is to remove the stick from Tsukishima's ass sometimes.

"It must be cabin fever," Yamaguchi laughs. "Got me dreaming about the open air and running away."

"What are you, a kid?" Tsukishima scoffs. "Why don't you do something childish, like sing a song in front of all your peers?"

"Is that a joke? Did Tsukishima Kei make a joke?" Yamaguchi gapes, dramatically clutching his chest and pretending to faint. "Call the papers, this one's a headline."

"Shut it, Tadashi."

"You big hypocrite. You even said you would sing tonight!"

"I did not."

"Did so. While you were defending Keiji-san's honor."

"Fine, you sing a duet with me and we'll call it even."

"Aw, Kei...if you wanted to sing with me, you could've just ask—ow!"

At the door to the karaoke bar, Hinata makes a face as Tanaka and Noya maneuver his wheelchair over the edge of the entrance. "Why do they have to be so gross?" Hinata mutters, nodding at Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, heads tucked closed together and arms brushing as they argued, both bright-eyed and clearly enjoying themselves.

Tanaka glances up for a moment before making a retching noise. "Oh, nasty. God, it's like every pair of Rangers feel the need to shove their tongues down each other's throats in one way or another 24/7—no offense intended, Hinata."

"None taken," Hinata replies. "Besides, Tobio and I aren't like that...yet." He gets a silly look on his face—euphoria mixed with anticipation—that makes his companions groan in unison.

"Oh for god's sake—"

"Just leave him, Ryuu. The guy's clearly got cooties."

"Kageyama cooties."

"The worst kind."

Hinata ignores Noya's self-satisfied nod and Tanaka's quicker nods of agreement to reach a hand out to his own partner who shifted from Koushi's side to his, leaning down to kiss the corner of Hinata's mouth. Hinata makes a small noise of pleasant surprise. Kageyama had been far more forward lately than Hinata ever anticipated. It was both frightening and exhilarating.

"Whoa," he says simply, and Kageyama flushes.

"Shut it," he grumbles, ruffling Hinata's hair fondly.

Well. Maybe they weren't all that different from Tsukishima and Yamaguchi after all.

--------------------------------------

Much like Moniwa and Aone's small town bar, the karaoke bar was a hole-in-the-wall, Nowheresville local hit. The paint might have been peeling, the air might have smelled a little too much like sweat, but the bass sound of a good time pulsed through every room, packed to the brim with locals. They smiled and whispered as the Rangers passed. The recognition makes Yamaguchi smile. Sometimes he forgot they were celebrities.

The bar's owner had of course, reserved them a room and provided free drinks for their service to not only the coastal town but to the entire country. It's the least I can do, she said to them, bowing low and receiving bows in return.

"It's not kindness," Kuroo stage-whispers. "She just wants to see all of us try to cram into one room together."

The owner laughs along with the pilots. "Only the best for the hardworking veterans of our country." True to Kuroo's supposition, cramming eleven full-grown, muscular soldiers and Hinata's tricked out wheelchair proved to be a hilarious affair.

"Reverse clown car," Noya snickers, squashing himself comfortably against Asahi, who was trying with all his might not to flatten Koushi against Kageyama with his shoulder.

"It's fine, it's fine," Hinata says to Akaashi and Tanaka, who were trying to position his wheelchair against the table. "I'll just sit in Kageyama's lap." Tsukishima makes a gagging noise as Hinata wiggles free and launches his upper body into Kageyama's lap. "Hi," he says breathlessly.

"How old are you, twelve?" Kageyama says, rolling his eyes but nevertheless helping Hinata straighten up. Yamaguchi pulls Tsukishima in beside them against his will. Bokuto, Kuroo, and Tanaka join Noya in creating a louder and louder cacophony of ridiculousness, starting a war chant while draped over each other. And stationing themselves neatly by the door in case of escape, Akaashi and Kenma settled in together.

After that, everything went downhill.

Tanaka and Noya, unsurprisingly, made it their mission to dominate the karaoke, foregoing alcohol altogether in order to snatch the microphone.

"No, no!" Koushi groans. "Please don't try to—okay, it's too late."

The scientists pull the hoods of their jackets low over their eyes and put on sunglasses they had been hiding in their pockets. Then, maxing out the echo function, Tanaka begins to do his best to beatbox the rhythm of the selected song. Considering he was musically inept, the resulting sound has Tsukishima banging his head against the table. Noya, tone deaf and volume insensitive, makes everything worse by rapping as loudly as he can to the American song. In English. With words he barely knew.

"I want to die," Kageyama says, voice hoarse with shock. Somehow, Koushi hears him and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. Hinata hears none of this, adding the occasional screech or "guwaaa!' or 'HOGYAAA!' to the mess.

Bokuto and Kuroo eventually manage to snatch the microphone from Noya and Tanaka by virtue of being bigger, stronger, and drunker. Typically, drunkenness would not work in their favor, but they were on A Mission to sing the most romantic song they could think of.

"Every night, in my dreams, I see you, I feeeeel you," Kuroo croons, batting his eyelashes at Bokuto and clutching his chest.

"Near, far, wherever you are—I believe that the heart does go on," Bokuto sings, clutching Kuroo's face and accidentally poking him in the eye. It takes a little after the first chorus for them to burst into tears, and then finishing the second chorus for them to forego singing altogether and begin making out.

"Avert your eyes, child," Noya says to Asahi, covering his eyes.

"Yuu, we literally had sex last night," Asahi says tiredly.

"Shh..." Noya says, removing one hand to place a finger over Asashi's lips. Asahi sighs in resignation.

Koushi—thankfully—takes the microphone next to save the gathering from bleeding out their ears. He chooses a slow, sensual song, cheeks turning pink when Akaashi makes a noise of recognition at the title. He glances timidly around him, but is met by encouraging blinks and smiles. So, Koushi sings.

His voice is low, still a little unsure, but pretty in an unassuming way. It smooths the ruffled feathers of the group and calms down the noisy idiots. Hinata and Yamaguchi sigh dreamily. Koushi closes his eyes and tarts to feel the music a little more, swaying and moving his shoulders in time to the music. Kuroo whistles, and Koushi throws him a sly wink at the end that makes Kuroo choke on his beer.

Kenma and Tsukishima snicker while Bokuto belts out a laugh and Koushi hides his eyes in Asahi's arm, embarrassed at his own actions. "You go next," Koushi whines. "I'll pick your song, just. Distract them."

Asahi pats him on the back and agrees, because he's a trusting fool.

Asahi doesn't know the song that Koushi selects, but he trusts Koushi. It has an interesting name, something about 'black' and 'nightmare' by 'death' something. Innocently, Koushi ups the volume and hands Asahi the microphone. The speakers nearly blow themselves out with the volume of the song's opening, a mixture of guitar and human screaming, pounding bass, and the murder of a drum set. Asahi freezes, caught as a deer in the headlights, while everyone else bowls themselves over laughing.

"Oh, Asahi, don't cry!" Noya says, stuffing down the cackling. "My glass heart husband, oh no!"

"Koushi betrayed me..." Asahi sniffles.

Hinata laughs so hard that he actually falls out of Kageyama's lap, nearly smashing his head against the table, but instead collapsing across Yamaguchi and Tsukishima's laps. Tsukishima hisses and curls away from Hinata's head while Yamaguchi props his elbows up on Hinata's side and grins.

"I'm okay!" Hinata calls. Then smiling up at his...friend: "Hey Tsukki, how's it going?"

"Call me 'Tsukki' one more time and I really will shove you onto the floor," Tsukishima growls. "Also, get up. I don't want anyone's face that close to my junk."

"Anyone?" Yamaguchi asks innocently.

"Ew, ew, ew! Tobio, pull me up, pull me up!" Hinata howls. "They're so gross!"

"Shush, shush," Yamaguchi scolds Hinata gently. "Kageyama's going to sing."

"But Kageyama only sings—"

"Shh."

Hinata had been trying to tell them that Kageyama only, only ever sang holiday songs in English, but that becomes obvious as soon as sleigh bells start jingling. Holiday songs were, apparently, the only songs Kageyama doesn't feel like an idiot singing aloud. If Hinata had to wake up to Kageyama belting 'Sleigh Ride' in the shower one more time, he was going to drag his paralyzed ass into the ocean and feed himself to kaiju.

However, the song is a hit. Everybody knows the words to the popular Christmas song, and they sing along heartily, all but drowning out Kageyama's voice with misplaced holiday cheer. Kageyama sings hunched over, curling his body around the microphone in an attempt to make himself and his voice smaller. Still lying across three people, Hinata groans in pain.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi save Hinata by taking the next song (and consequently shove him out of their laps like a fledgling being forcibly ejected from the nest). They pick a pretty well-known ONE OK ROCK song to sing. Tsukishima clears his throat and tilts his chin up while Yamaguchi looks like he's smothering a laugh. Unlike the other duos, they sing together, Tsukishima with an unexpected air of confidence, and Yamaguchi with...volume.

Yamaguchi actually sings over Tsukishima, enough that Tsukishima shoots him a dirty look and raises his own voice until they're facing each other, singing in a duel. They're equally terrible, Yamaguchi's voice breaking on all the high notes and Tsukishima sounding like a strangled cat. In their own way, they are awe-inspiring with the contrast of chemistry in their singing, arms locked and foreheads pressed together, and their horrible, out of key voices. They finish the song with their chests puffed up, sweating and panting, and both grinning broadly.

"That was really gay," Bokuto whispers to Kuroo. Tsukishima glares daggers at them.

Hinata volunteers for the last song of the night, waving his hand in the air excitedly. He picks an electronic Top 40's hit with a good vibe to it and sings his heart out. Most everyone else is drunk enough to join in without much goading, except Kageyama.

For Kageyama, this moment is more than a happy song in a karaoke bar with friends. It's more than a night on the town, or the comfortable brush of shoulders among comrades. Koushi catches on to Kageyama's mood and squeezes his knee, offering a smile. Kageyama returns the smile with a small one of his own. Every one of their friends have their hopes and dreams, their gifts and curses. Everyone in the room and in the bar and in the town is trying, just for a night, to forget about the troubles of the world and spend time laughing and loving the people most important to them. And for Kageyama, that means seeing Hinata nearly bouncing in place and singing loud, squished safely between him and Yamaguchi.

Kageyama looks from the smile splitting his partner's face to the wheelchair in the corner. Gifts and curses.

-------------------------------

The good feeling lasts until Tanaka and Noya are forced back into reality.

Tyrant Omega has seen better days. Not even two years old and he's missing the top of his head, his horns cleanly sliced off by Gamma Raptor's plasma claws. Noya and Tanaka have had to melt off his synthetic skin and veins in order to get at the Conn-Pod to rebuild it. As of now, he looks like the patient in a horror movie—the cloudy grey of his metal skull exposed, and inside that skull, the black of the Conn-Pod and the command platform exposed.

Noya feels like a brain surgeon every time he slides into the empty cavity of Omega's Conn-Pod, a hole where Hinata's command platform should be. Noya imagines the memories Hinata and Kageyama must have made here. The good, the bad; the triumphs and the losses. For a moment, he imagines he can feel Omega's presence, slow-moving and slumbering, lying in wait for the return of his masters.

And Noya feels maybe just the slightest bit bitter that Omega will never consider his creator his master. Just a bit.

Staring at the Conn-Pod won't build Hinata a new command platform, though. After taking the dimensions of the space and arranging for the regrowth of Omega's horns, Noya and Tanaka have buried themselves neck deep in blueprints for a new model. Only...

"Only, no Jaeger engineer planned on having a pilot with disabilities," Noya sighs into his laptop screen, rubbing at his temples. On his screen, the grainy video feed of Skype reveals a frowning Yaku. "Because—at the risk of sounding like an ableist jerk—cadets with disabilities had no value in the military."

"Until now," Yaku says.

"Until now," Noya agrees. "So, I have to design a command platform that can hold Shouyou up as well as communicate with his brain and move the Jaeger how he wants since his legs can't actually do the work."

"Sounds like an overload for Hinata's brain," Yaku notes, brows pulling even closer together. "Especially with the Anteverse so close to him and both Kageyama and Tyrant Omega in his mind."

"Right," Noya says. "And of course, the kicker of having to train Shouyou to use the new equipment. Prosthetic technology like this is pretty new as well, and I don't have much knowledge about it."

"I do!" Lev breaks in on camera, making the feed freeze for a moment. "I wrote my undergraduate thesis on prosthetics, since my sister did a lot of work in that field."

"Your sister?" Noya asks.

"Ah, you don't know," Yaku says. "Sorry, I never told you, but his sister is Haiba Alisa, our chief mechanic here. She helped him get his application to me since he wanted to work with Jaegers so badly. Nepotism at its finest."

"I know Haiba Alisa," Tanaka calls from behind Noya. "She's the one who lost her legs below the knees in that big Tokyo base mechanical accident, right?"

"Yeah," Lev says. "She's really lucky the best surgeons in Tokyo are at our base. She designed and developed her own prosthetics. She made them really fancy and pretty, too!"

"You might want to have Hinata talk to her after the war is over," Yaku suggests.

After the war. Like there would be a future for Hinata after the war.

Both Yaku and Lev's faces fall. Noya realizes he said that out loud. Well. Shit. "I'm sorry," he says. "I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but this is a suicide mission, you know? Shouyou's not coming back after this. No one is. They're all going to die."

The words sound so hollow coming out of his mouth. Tanaka's hand is squeezing his shoulder. Noya's vision blurs a little and he takes a deep breath. "It's not a death sentence," Tanaka says softly.

"It is, though, Ryuu!" Noya argues. "Why even put in safety measures? Why not just build a mechanism that snaps Hinata in and never lets go? What does it matter?"

"Because they could survive," Tanaka says. "I know everyone's saying we don't have a chance, okay. I get it. But that doesn't mean it's going to happen. Shouyou might remember some weakness of the kaiju general's. Hell, we might win with sheer power over the kaiju. We've done it before; we just need to work faster and harder."

"A Category Ten at least," Noya says flatly. "That's what Kozume said, right? Ten at least. We're not prepared to deal with something that big."

"This is what's been bugging you," Yaku says.

"What?" Noya asks.

"It was obvious something was eating at you," Yaku explains. "I was waiting for you to tell me. Every time you bring up working on Hinata's command platform, you get this distant, sad look in your eyes. I didn't know how to ask you what was wrong. But you don't want to see Hinata die."

"I'm done talking about this," Noya says, unusually moody. "Lev, I would appreciate it if you could put me in touch with your sister. Other than that, I'm done for the day. Good night Mori, Lev." He hangs up the call without hearing their replies. Tanaka opens his mouth to say something, but Noya brushes past him.

The next week, Noya seems to be back to his usual self. He starts to do kaiju dissections again, attacking them with renewed vigor, even with the reconstruction of Omega weighing on him. Arms deep in a kaiju gallbladder, Noya explains to Asahi that by doing a thorough kaiju dissection, he might be able to find a weak spot internally. Perhaps they would be able to weaken the general with poison, or aim for a particularly delicate spot in his internal organs that would cause critical damage. Asahi, instead of listening to Noya's explanation, throws up.

Noya also turns to the information Alisa sends him on prosthetic machinery. Unsurprisingly, most of the papers and studies stem from the Jaeger Program, so Noya can use his security clearance to look for related works. With Tanaka's assistance, he comes up with a design for the command platform that can support Hinata.

"Still have no idea what to do with the neural circuits considering all the shit attached to pilots, though," Tanaka notes. "Also, this design is pretty binding. Shouyou won't be able to move once he's secured in."

"I think that's the idea," Noya says. "Wouldn't want him sliding around or falling over if Omega takes a good punch to the face."

"Yuu," Tanaka says, "that means there is no emergency escape for him. As in, he cannot use a rescue pod. We can put in an emergency release to get him out of the platform, but to calibrate and design a system that could unlock the command platform and scoop him up into the escape pod would take...months. Years maybe. We don't have that kind of time."

"Good thing Shouyou and Tobio throw their own good punches then," Noya says cryptically.

The problem, as Yaku had said, is that Noya and Tanaka had to accommodate both the neural circuitry and life support systems as well as put in place a new neural interface that would allow Hinata to move the machinery attached to his legs with his mind, rather than move and have those movements relayed through to the Jaeger. Which meant the neural systems had to be compatible. And compatible with a no doubt partially brain damaged pilot.

Noya has so much work to do.

He has Kenma come in to run tests with various neural transmittance systems and a pseudo Jaeger system, partially because Kenma is the closest he can get to Hinata without actually using Hinata, and partially because he knows Kenma will do anything to help Hinata out after when their plan did to Hinata.

It's a stressful process that wears at both Kenma and Noya. The two systems don't want to cooperate, which means when Kenma tries to move or tries to think about moving, the machine jerks him around like a ragdoll, trying to accommodate both the new and old systems. Noya lets Kenma off the hook every time he sees too much pain flash across their face, but Kenma always comes back for more. It takes Noya a month and a half to get it right, but when he does, he weeps.

Tanaka finds him collapsed on the floor, coffee forgotten, arms wrapped around his makeshift model.

The next time Tanaka finds Noya, he's up in Tyrant Omega, just like old times. It's funny, Tanaka thinks. When they had first built the test type, the atmosphere of the base seemed to be a sparkling gold, like a light was shining through the Shatterdome every time he walked inside. But now, it feels like a cave, some sunken grotto with monolithic giants standing guard, ancient and battle worn. No one's had time to touch up the paint on the Jaegers. They're crusted with algae in some places, salt in others. Rust is beginning to creep its way across the metal, even on Gamma Raptor, the most pampered of the Jaegers. They're scratched up and dented in places. They look in desperate need of rest.

Omega is the only Jaeger without signs of wear. He just looks dark and daunting, skin blacker than black and skull cavity yawning at the ceiling. That's where Tanaka will find Noya.

Sliding onto the elevator and riding it up to Omega's shoulder is familiar as turning in his sleep, the walk across Omega's skin as easy as a dream. Climbing into the Conn-Pod is a little harder than Tanaka remembers, but he chalks that up to the construction going on. From inside the Conn-Pod, Tanaka can hear Noya cursing.

Noya's tearing Omega a new one—a new circuitry hole, that is. He's got a blowtorch, some seriously heavy duty boots, and he's kicking in the floor near where Hinata's command platform used to reside. "Stupid fucking piece of—" Noya swears. "Should've never designed this hunk of junk, should've been a biologist like mom told me to—"

His foot slams through the remaining scrap of metal, taking his whole leg down the hole with it. Noya howls in pain and Tanaka jumps the last feet to rush to Noya's side, hauling Noya up and away from the danger by his armpits.

"There, there," Tanaka soothes. "You're okay, you're safe. Let's see how bad it is."

"It's fine," Noya growls.

"Actually, you have a long tear along the side of your calf that needs stitches," Tanaka observes, pulling off his shirt to tie it around the still bleeding wound.

"God dammit!" Noya snarls, bringing his fist down hard against the floor.

"What is the matter with you?" Tanaka snaps. "You're kicking in your favorite project, calling your 'baby' a hunk of junk? What the hell is going on, Yuu? I thought you figured out the command platform design!"

"I don't want to put in this command platform, Ryuu!" Noya cries. "I don't want to put this death trap in! I don't want to have anything to do with the, the contraption that takes Shouyou's life away from him!"

Tears rise in his eyes, but they might as well be a tidal wave. They swim and then fall. Tanaka remembers that Nishinoya Yuu is twenty-five years old, and he does not want to condemn another man to death.

"I understand," Tanaka says quietly. And he does. It's not just about snuffing out a young, talented life. It's about Hinata's fragility, though he does so well to disguise it. There's something porcelain to his smiles. A quality like flower stems in his bones. Hinata is a piece of fine china, polished and beautiful, its cracks repaired, but just one chip could send him shattering to pieces all over again. Hinata has recovered, but he is still so close to breaking.

"Even after he recovers from losing his goddamn legs, even after he's fallen in love with Tobio all over again, even after he starts to laugh like Shouyou again, we're just sending him out to die all over again," Noya says dully. "It feels so wrong. I feel like the villain in some shitty movie even though I'm only trying to do my job."

Tanaka doesn't know what to do, so he pulls Noya into a tight hug, firmly kissing his forehead. "You aren't a villain, Yuu," Tanaka says. "You're not doing anything wrong. The world is going to end regardless of whether Shouyou gets into this Jaeger or not. Don't you think he would rather go down fighting than helpless on the ground while his comrades fall in battle?"

Tanaka's right, and he knows that Noya knows it. Noya gives one more half-hearted sniffle and nods. "Doesn't mean I want to enable it," he murmurs.

"No one wants anyone to die," Tanaka says. "You just need to do your best so that Hinata can fight to the best of his ability. The better he fights, the better chance he has to survive."

"That's a nicer way of thinking about it," Noya admits. "Ryuu? Will you work alongside me?"

"Of course," Tanaka says. "I'm sorry; I should have seen this coming and been at your side sooner."

Noya headbutts him gently. "You don't get to blame yourself for my breakdown."

"But I do get to haul your sorry ass out of this Jaeger and down to the hospital, and won't that be a blast," Tanaka grumbles.

Noya grins, really grins, for the first time in weeks. Tanaka can read his body language, the way the tension seeps from his body and the light returns to his eyes, the color to his cheeks. For once in too long a time, Nishinoya looks like a human being again.

-------------------------

"You wanted to see me?"

"Oh, Hinata!" Koushi says, clapping his hands together. "Yes, please, come in."

Hinata easily pushes the door to Koushi's quarters—personal quarters, neither the hospital room nor his old home where he lived with Daichi. He wheels himself in slowly, giving Koushi a bright smile. Koushi only has a few candles lit, as night had barely fallen. The balcony door is thrown wide open, allowing moonlight to bleed across the carpet and walls and Hinata's cheekbones while the candle flames dance in his eyes. There's just the touch of wind, turning Koushi's beautiful pale skin and hair ethereal.

"I'll fetch the tea," Koushi says. He'd put a kettle on the stove earlier, having taken to kettle-brewed tea with real tea leaves than the bagged tea or coffee. He moves gracefully, carefully, each movement scripted.

"I'd like that, thank you," Hinata says, folding his hands in his lap.

The tea cozies on the table are also hand-knit by Koushi. He liked to knit when anxious, and given the events of his life thus far, Hinata couldn't blame him for having quite the collection. Hinata takes the crow one.

"Thought you'd like that one," Koushi says, pouring tea into Hinata's mug. "Birds are so wonderful, but I'm envious, too. To be that free..."

"Crows are hardy and intelligent," Hinata notes, taking a careful sip of the tea. "They don't get enough credit."

"That's true," Koushi agrees. "Most people only see them as a kind of dirty scavenger."

"And you, Suga-san?"

Koushi places his mug back on the cozy and looks out the window thoughtfully. "I think some of the most wonderful things in life are taken for granted until they're gone."

Hinata sighs. "What did you call me here for?"

"It's brave of you to volunteer to fight again, after everything," Koushi says, still not looking at Hinata. "I heard Nishinoya and Tanaka can even modify the Conn-Pod to accommodate your disability. It's amazing. Science is amazing."

Hinata waits.

"Why?" Koushi turns to him. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have to," Hinata says. "It's my duty as a pilot. It's what I was born to do. I'm of no use to anyone if I'm able and willing to pilot and I don't. Should I just leave the world to burn?"

"That's not a 'why,'" Koushi says softly. "That's a reason, yes. It's a duty. But it is not a 'why.'"

"What better reason could I have than to save the world?" Hinata asks.

"Kageyama," Koushi says.

"We talked about it," Hinata says. "We decided—"

"Did you really, though?" Koushi challenges. "Did you consider what will happen if he gets killed? I know you, Hinata. You assured him that he would be okay if you died, probably back when you told him you were going to Drift with a kaiju. You told him you're not afraid to die, because you aren't. But you should be afraid of if he dies. You should be very, very afraid."

"If one of us goes down in battle, the other will, too," Hinata says softly.

"So I thought of Daichi and me," Koushi points out. "Life can surprise you in the most unpleasant of ways."

"The general won't allow either of us to survive."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"You haven't thought this through," Koushi snaps. "You haven't weighed the repercussions. You haven't considered the honor in fleeing. You haven't considered saving Kageyama's life, because I am sure he will not pilot without you."

"I will not run away," Hinata says gravely.

"And what if you save the world and Kageyama isn't in it anymore? Or if he is, but comatose? Have you considered amnesia? Multiple amputations? Do you understand the level of injury the human body can sustain and still survive?" Koushi demands. "Be honest with me, Hinata...are you strong enough to not be a burden on him?"

"I'm not weak," Hinata snaps.

"I know that," Koushi says. "God, do I know that, but I also know the kaiju. When they destroy something, they destroy it." He takes a breath. "Your mind."

Hinata startles. "What about it?" he says too quickly.

"The scar that kaiju left...has it really healed? Is it really something you can overcome by sheer will?" Koushi asks, brows pulling together and frowning softly. Hinata's heart pounds. Koushi has the look of someone who has won their argument, but paid a great price to do so.

"I...I will be...okay," Hinata says honestly. "It's...I will be fine, in time."

"Are you willing to risk sharing even more with our enemy?" Koushi asks finally.

Hinata's heart calms. "I won't be overwhelmed; I won't break. This I know for sure."

He wheels away from the table, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a faux smile. "He will try," Hinata says softly. "He has seen me, and he knows me, as I know him. He's hunting for me, but I think...I think he is afraid. Because he has seen my strength and my suffering. It is not something a mere clone or creation can replicate or understand. The general only knows how to kill, he doesn't know a thing about struggling and persisting and clawing your way to victory, so he must use every trick he has.

"For you, Suga-san, this maybe just another drop in the bucket of misfortunes, a passing shower in a life that has turned endlessly dark and stormy," Hinata says slowly, determinedly. Confidently. "I mean that with all respect, but part of you has given up. Something in you died and now refuses to fight. But for me, there is a storm brewing in my chest and at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and through a rift in time and space, a challenge raised by the enemy that I have to—that I want to—meet head on. I will answer their call for war and blood, and I will win."

He doesn't say anything after that, not even a parting word, but turns and wheels himself back out, his chair not making a single sound. Koushi feels something inside him tremor, touched by the words of a man who keeps losing, but will not lose. To Koushi, Hinata just might be more terrifying than any kaiju across the universe.

Hinata turns his head over his shoulder, and in that moment, he looks more feral than Kenma or Kuroo ever did. "I hope you will join me on judgement day."

--------------------------------------------

The base crackles like lightning after Koushi and Hinata's confrontation, not that they told anybody about it. It is as if everyone can smell the static in the air, ozone mixing with rain; see the grey cloudbanks rolling in from a distance; feel in their very bones that this would be the storm to end all storms and it was time to batten down the hatches.

Noya, Asahi, and Kenma watch this frenzy of energy with the interest of a gaggle of sloths observing a forest fire—mild concern, but nothing so worrisome as to promote more than the slowest of actions. Noya slurps his coffee noisily. Kenma warms their hands on the mug. Asahi blinks.

"Busy day for the base," he comments.

"People seem to be doing important work," Noya agrees.

"Very useful," Kenma adds.

"Months of nothing," Asahi groans. "Nothing to show for our efforts at finding a single, solitary weakness."

"I designed a new command platform for Shouyou," Noya mutters into his coffee, but neither of his companions pay him any mind.

"My head hurts," Kenma says.

"I suppose we better get back to doing our useless work," Asahi suggests.

"I guess."

"Might as well."

One scientist, one mathematician, and one tired-to-the-bone Ranger slouch into the science bay to continue slaving away at what appeared to be an impossible problem to solve. Asahi would monitor the readings from the kaiju sensors and fall asleep at his desk. Kenma would Drift by himself and prod at the hole in his mind until he wore himself down to the point of complete mental exhaustion and fall asleep. Noya would continue dissecting the kaiju piece by piece, and—if he was unlucky—fall asleep arms deep in a miscellaneous kaiju organ and crash face first into kaiju juice.

Just another day in the lives of Miyagi's most overworked staff.

However, it was not so typical that they got a visitor, let alone one with a wheelchair and a shock of orange hair.

"Hi," Hinata says shyly, having trouble making eye contact with everyone, but especially Kenma. "I, uh...came to help? Hopefully?"

"Sure, Shouyou," Noya yawns. "I mean, we're all useless pieces of shit, so if you've got anything, we're all ears."

But Hinata is still not paying attention to anyone but Kenma. Kenma, on the other hand, has frozen, staring wide-eyed at Hinata. Hinata bites at his lip, shoots a brief glance at Kenma, then looks away. He fumbles for the words, can't figure out how to make things better with one of the people who laid him low.

Kenma holds their arms open. Tentatively. Awkwardly. "This is how you make up, right?" they say.

Hinata rolls towards them slowly, accepting the embrace when Kenma leans towards him, fingers skimming Kenma's arms and clutching at him lightly. They smell like sweat and caffeine and oil and they are as warm as the metal of an idling Jaeger—just enough to soak through his skin and make him whole again, but never enough to burn. Of course Kenma hadn't meant him harm. How could he have ever believed that? Hinata grips Kenma harder and closer, and Kenma responds in kind, shaking just a little.

"I'm sorry for cutting you out of my life without ever taking the time to hear you out," Hinata says. "It was cruel and unthinking of me to do, especially to someone I love."

"I'm sorry for manipulating you, and not telling you everything, and allowing you to get hurt," Kenma whispers. "I stayed by your side. As long as I could, I stayed by your side, I just wanted to tell you—"

"Shhh," Hinata shushes them gently. "I know. I understand. I'm not angry with you. I forgive you."

"You shouldn't," Kenma sniffles. "That was an awful thing for Kuro and me to do. I turn it over in my head, over and over. It would have still been horrible if it had been someone else, but knowing I did this to someone I love, it's...I have trouble living with myself."

"But I forgive you," Hinata says, pulling back. "I'd like to live beside you again, if you'll let me. Can we be friends again?"

Kenma nods, rubbing the heel of their hands against their eyes. "What the fuck," they croak. "Of course I want to be friends with you." They press a firm kiss to Hinata's forehead, and he smiles, closing his eyes and soaking in the feeling of being at Kenma's side once more.

"We'll make the kaiju pay," Kenma hisses.

"Hell yeah we will." Hinata grins.

"Umm...yeah, that's great and all, but how?" Noya says dubiously, gesturing to the lab. "We've got jack shit on kaiju weaknesses other than what we already know, we don't know when the general is coming, and we don't know what they know about our forces. We're sitting ducks."

"I know things," Hinata says. Noya seems unconvinced. "I mean," Hinata explains, "when I Drifted with the kaiju, I saw things about the Precursors and the general that could be useful. But the trauma..." He trails off.

"The trauma is shielding the memory from you," Asahi says, understanding.

Hinata nods.

"Well, shit," Noya says. "Back to square one, I guess."

"Not...exactly," Hinata says, but frowns. "None of you are going to like it."

Kenma shifts, mind working.

"The memory is repressed, but it's still there," Hinata says. "If I Drifted with someone and had them help me pick at the scar in my mind, I think we could find out what I know."

"No way," Kenma says.

"No way," Asahi agrees.

"No way," Noya says, but looks just the slightest bit disappointed.

Hinata sighs. "I knew you'd say that. But look, it's my decision and my risk, and the benefits outweigh the risks in my opinion."

"But in the opinion of the Marshal and basically anyone who has a brain, it's a horrible idea," Noya counters.

"It may not seem like a risk to your health," Asahi adds, "but anything that you know about our military offense and defense—which is a lot—could get back to them, and we can't afford to lose any more ground in this war."

"They probably know everything by now anyway," Hinata mutters under his breath.

"That's not a good thing, Shouyou," Kenma says. "They're right—no normal pilot could Drift with you when you're so scarred and you risk losing everything if you do try it."

"No normal pilot," Hinata says. "But you could." His hand finds Kenma's. "Our minds are no strangers to each other. If you could shield me from the eyes of the Anteverse while I look for answers, then together we could find a weakness—"

Kenma is already shaking their head. "It isn't possible...I have a hole, too. I can't protect you and me at the same time."

"You can," Hinata insists. "You're strong enough. It'll be a weaker shield, yes, but I won't stray far. As long as we're hidden, they won't find us."

Kenma presses their hand to their forehead, as if the pain was already setting in. "It's so dangerous," they say. "If I slip up, they'll kill us. They'll really kill us."

Hinata squeezes their hand. "Do we have another option?" he says, smiling bitterly. "Do we have any chance of surviving if we don't at least try? I know Yaku-san and Lev have been designing upgrades for our Jaegers, but will bigger guns really destroy something over twice as large as the biggest we've seen?"

"I'm scared," Kenma says. They're frozen—the fight or flight instincts are dead, replaced instead with the intangible dread of the Breach and the Precursors fuzzy and nauseating at the back of their mind. Kenma knows what it's like to be flayed alive by the gaze of a superior alien race. They know how it is to have their mind violated, how it is to violate another's mind. War is ugly—there's no time for morality or fear or anything but movement, and yet they're hesitating before the jump.

"I'll be with you," Hinata says. "It won't be like when you're with Kuroo-san, having to fight them alone. It won't be like before, just you and the dying mind of that kaiju. It'll be like when we practiced, just the two of us."

Kenma closes their eyes. Squeezes Hinata's hand. But then, the most important question: "Does Kageyama know?"

Hinata purses his lips. "He does."

Kenma raises an eyebrow. "But?"

"But he doesn't like it, obviously," Hinata says. "He doesn't think my mind is healed enough."

"It's not," Kenma deadpans.

"I know that," Hinata snaps. "But that's the point, isn't it? It'll be easier to glean information from my brain if the scar isn't fully healed."

Kenma takes a deep breath, nods. "Okay."

"Kenma, you can't be serious," Noya says.

"If the Marshal found out—" Asahi starts.

"He will," Hinata says. "You can tell him just as soon as we get in the test pod. We'll leave all the recording equipment on. You can say you tried to stop us. The Marshal has no choice at this point but to let us do anything we can to improve our chances."

Noya and Asahi open their mouths to protest, but what else is there to say? If Kenma and Hinata fail, their situation doesn't change. If they are destroyed and give away military information, their probable future of complete and utter annihilation doesn't change. And if they succeed without the Precursors knowing, then they would have a trump card against their enemies.

Hinata and Kenma know this. It is written in the distance in their eyes, the future sight of young men carrying terrible burdens, despite any psychic power. Kenma is an exile, a non-human chased from every base they tried to call home. Hinata is a survivor, barely hanging on, just a shred of the boy he once was. If these two dead men wished to gamble their half-lives, did Noya and Asahi really have the right to tell them 'no'?

They let them go and report to the Marshal, giving the pair a ten-minute head start.

----------------------------

None of it is pretty.

The test pods cannot accommodate a disabled person. It takes all of Kenma's strength to haul Hinata into position, to hang him like Jesus Christ on the command platform. Hinata offers them a weak smile and a 'sorry for the trouble' but all Kenma can think is that someone who smiles like Hinata should not have to die for all their sins.

Michimiya appears before Kenma climbs in himself, the furious guardian deity of the test Drift pods.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hisses. "These pods are restricted! You're not approved to—"

Kenma turns to her, speaking quickly and softly. "Shouyou and I are about to undergo an incredibly dangerous Drift. Please inform Ennoshita-sensei and have him prepare two emergency operating rooms in the event of a worst case scenario." Michimiya is taken aback. Kenma squeezes her shoulder. "Please, will you do this for me?"

Michimiya looks between Kenma and Hinata, still breathing heavily from the struggle of getting into position. "Isn't there something I can do?" she asks quietly, realizing there something important is happening. "All this rushing around and preparing the base like it's the apocalypse and I—I can't even keep my one station safe from intruders."

"You can help us by telling Ennoshita-sensei," Kenma says. "There are some things that have to be withheld for your safety, and for the safety of everyone who isn't on the frontline."

"They told us we'd be evacuating soon, to tell our friends and family to take a permanent vacation," she says. "Is that true?"

"We're doing everything we can to make sure that is only a precaution and not a permanent reality," Kenma assures her. "I promise."

Michimiya takes a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, I can accept that. I'll go to Ennoshita-sensei immediately."

"Thank you," Kenma says.

They step into the test pod and Hinata offers them a shaky smile. "Are you ready?"

"Not a chance in hell," Kenma grumbles. "I can't believe you talked me into this."

Hinata laughs. "We'll be heroes if this works, you know."

"We'll be alive if this works," Kenma says. "Get your priorities straight." He pauses. "And you're already a hero, there's no one who would doubt that. You'll go down in history, Shouyou."

"Like George Washington," he chirps, and at Kenma's disgusted look, he laughs harder. "Kageyama's song of choice this morning."

"That's it, I'm feeding you to the kaiju," Kenma says. "Goodbye forever, Shouyou."

"See?" Hinata says. "You're going to be just fine."

"I'm just nervous," Kenma argues.

"A nervous Kenma never jokes, though," Hinata says. "Come on in, Kenma. My mind is waiting for yours."

Kenma holds their breath and activates the neural handshake.

It's a bad idea.

Kenma realizes upon entering the in-between that this was a horrible, horrible idea. The darkness of the Anteverse is cloying and clawing, the darkness of both of their minds clashing and wailing upon interaction. It's hard to hear or see Hinata with all the twisting shadows and the feeling of being watched prickling Kenma's skin. They shield themselves, but even then, each step further into the darkness is met with snarls and the pressure of the Anteverse thrumming in their ears, breathing down their neck and—

Hinata.

He's hovering in the middle of the deepest darkness, a blinding light amongst the monsters. He doesn't seem perturbed, just observant. Kenma is shivering and sweating, but Hinata looks unruffled. He even reaches out a hand, lets the smoky tendril of some distant, monstrous consciousness brush past his.

That's dangerous, Shouyou.

Hinata turns to Kenma. Something's different, he think-speaks. There's someone else with us.

Yeah, Kenma snorts, they're called the Precursors.

No, not them, Hinata persists. Someone closer. He shakes his head. Nevermind. The sooner we Drift, the sooner we'll be free. They'll start to recognize us soon.

Let's go, Kenma says, and their minds press close.

Kenma opens their eyes, glancing to their left to see Hinata blinking awake too. Tentative, Kenma reaches out to Hinata and—

Smash.

Hinata shuts Kenma out so quickly they almost fall out of alignment.

"...Sorry," Hinata says. "I wasn't ready."

"You gave me a heart attack," Kenma breathes. "When did you get so strong?"

"Um," Hinata says. "I just...be careful, okay? Mine is...bigger than yours."

"I will," Kenma assures him. Once again, they reach out to Hinata's mind.

It is bigger. Kenma doesn't know how to feel, stomach dropping to their toes and replacing it with the deepest yawning pit of despair they've ever felt. "Oh, Shouyou..." Kenma whispers. The gash is massive, occupying most of Hinata's mental space, meaning he has so little room to himself, so little room to share...oh, he must have worked so hard to keep this from Kageyama...

"What does it feel like?" Kenma asks.

"It's always there," Hinata says dully. "They talk to me. A lot. I can hear them all the time, even when I'm sleeping."

"What do they say?" Kenma asks, horrified.

"It's whispering, too faint to really make out." Hinata shrugs. "I'd write it down if we had any ability to translate their words. I guess they see my thoughts, too."

"That's why you weren't afraid of them in the in-between, or of trying this..." Kenma realizes. Their face crumples. "Shouyou..."

"It's nothing," Hinata assures them. "It will heal, eventually. I'm not really scared of them anymore. They've lived in my head long enough that it just buzzes at the edge of my consciousness. I hardly notice it."

But Kenma knows it's a façade. The hole in their mind is enough to make them lose sleep, to pace, to rip at their own skull until Kuroo pulls their hands away and curls around them while they cry soundlessly. The hole in their mind is torturous, and it is but a fragment of the gash that scars Hinata's mind.

"Come on," Hinata says. "I need you to shield me. They know my mind well enough to let me pass, but they will still object to feeling a human near the hivemind."

"Don't touch it," Kenma warns. "Just your memories, no further."

Hinata nods.

Unlike his first time Drifting with Kenma, Hinata does not dive into the connection with the hivemind. He picks at the scar, letting his memories of what he learned from connecting with the kaiju bleed through, sitting just at the edge of tumbling headfirst into the Anteverse. Kenma's job is to put a barrier around them, minds connected and as one. They see the flashes of kaiju assembly lines, of the Precursor's twisted bodies, and of the general.

Hinata fixates on the general, plucking out memories relating to him through the mist of shock and memory repression. His heartbeat picks up and Kenma urges him to calm down. Fear and pain were the easiest of emotions to sense, and after having the hivemind violated, the Precursors were clearly on edge. Kenma can tell by the jagged, flickering shadows of the in-between. They were agitated.

These are good, Kenma says, seeing bits and pieces of Hinata's memories, recovered and stored away safely in his short-term memory. Details on the general: his size, his weapons, his arrival—things that would help them develop strategies to combat him, all without the Precursors knowing they knew.

There's something else, something more important, Hinata says distractedly. I know I saw it, just before my connection with that kaiju was severed. Where is it?

Don't stray, Kenma says, strained as Hinata's mind wanders closer to the gash. Shouyou, no!

Just one second, Hinata insists. One second, and I'll know it. I know exactly what I'm looking for; I'll be in and out so fast they won't be able to catch me.

I can't shield you! Kenma cries, but Hinata has already done it.

The space in their minds shudders, as does the test pod. The gash swells and constricts, centering on where Hinata prodded at it, diving into the hivemind and laying himself bare. Kenma wrenches him back with all the mental strength they can muster, foregoing a shield and baring themself as well for just a moment. Kenma tugs so hard they shatter the Drift, and the pilots are hurled gracelessly back into reality.

"Got it!" Hinata crows, pleased with himself.

"As soon as I stop feeling like I'm going to hurl, I am punching you," Kenma growls. "That was dangerous!"

"I'm sorry," Hinata says sincerely. "I didn't know it was so far in my memories that I wouldn't be able to reach it. I just knew that it was absolutely essential, and I was right."

"Well, spit it out," Kenma says. "What was worth nearly dying for?"

"The Breach," Hinata says, grinning from ear to ear. "The Breach will be our savior."

--------------------------------

"I would get mad at you, but honestly at this point, who even listens to me anymore?" Marshal Ukai growls, hands on his hips. Hinata and Kenma at least have the decency not to meet his eyes. "Who cares if I have years of experience on you assholes and a knowledge of what is legal and what's not, what's a good idea and what's not. And just so you know, what you did was neither legal nor a good idea."

"Actually, I think it was technically legal," Takeda points out, earning him a murderous glare from Ukai.

"Insubordination is illegal," Ukai says, both as a response and a threat. "But who cares, right? The world's ending so the chain of command might as well, too."

"In our defense, Marshal, sir," Hinata squeaks, "what we did was in order to stop the world from ending."

"I hate all of you," Ukai says tiredly. "Okay, Hinata. Let's hear what you've got. Please let it be good news."

"It is," Hinata says, turning to address all the Rangers and head personnel, from Tanaka to Ennoshita. "Everyone, Kenma and I have found—well, it's not a solution exactly, but a silver lining. The Breach is what will save us. The Precursors have been stretching its diameter slowly in order to accommodate the size of the kaiju. They gradually increase the size of the kaiju."

"It's true," Asahi confirms. "We've kept close measurements on the size of the Breach, and although I had hypothesized this might have been the case, Hinata has just confirmed it."

"Does that mean the general won't fit through?" Bokuto asks.

"Unfortunately, no," Hinata says. "However, by forcing a kaiju of his size through the Breach, the portal will be distorted beyond repair. I asked Asahi about it, and—"

"The portal would have to close," Asahi finishes for him. "The Precursors would have to take time to rebuild the portal, which by my estimates, would take around seven years."

There are murmurs throughout the crowd.

"They would repair it, though," Tsukishima surmises.

"We believe so," Hinata says. "After all, they're planning to wipe us all out in one go. Seven years is nothing if the planet is deserted or mostly deserted."

"They're putting all their bets on the general, though," Kenma says. "This is their all-or-nothing plan. The hivemind is their most sacred haven, and by violating it, Shouyou and I have forced their hand. They have had to move up the plan because of us, which can be either a good or a bad thing."

"Pros: we get seven years to repair and rebuild the Jaeger Program," Hinata says. "New recruits, new bases, new Jaegers—essentially we get to start from scratch and be better prepared than ever. They'll have to start over, too, so we'll catch a break with Category Ones and Twos."

"Cons: we still have to fight that goddamn monster," Ukai sighs. "No way of avoiding him, is there?"

"It's just the one, though," Hinata presses. "One way or another, we will stop him. He can't survive forever, if it takes every last round of ammunition in the world."

"Alright, but we need weaknesses," Kuroo says. "Something more on this beast, so that we can take him down."

"We have that, too," Kenma says. "We were able to recover his blueprint and details about their plan."

"Alright, gather round," Ukai says, moving to the table in the center of the room. "Let's see if we can't get ourselves a plan."

"He's big," Hinata says glumly, while Kenma picks up a pen and begins to sketch out a diagram of his body on the touchscreen. "The Category system is basically defunct when it comes to his size."

"How big?" Ukai asks, not sure if he wants to know the answer.

"Tyrant Omega would have no trouble scaling his body," Hinata says, sinking into his wheelchair. "In fact, he might not even notice if we did."

The room is quiet, taking that in.

"My God," Kuroo says hollowly.

"It's not worth trying to picture," Hinata says. "I've seen him and even I can't process how big that is."

"What kind of a time window are we working with?" Kageyama asks. "If he's that big we're going to need plans—lots of plans."

"Twenty-three days," Hinata says. "It's not long, but all the Jaegers have been outfitted, and all we need now is to run some team drills and come up with the tactical plans. And also, considering how huge he is, it will take him about four to five hours to ascend from the Breach once he's sensed. That gives us time to prepare."

"Okay, so what are his offensive abilities?" Bokuto asks.

"No, more importantly, what does he know about us?" Akaashi asks.

"Everything," Kenma says softly. "Nukes, guns, air force, navy, every single blueprint of every Jaeger that cadets were forced to memorize in training." They shoot a glance at Ukai, and the Marshal grimaces.

"How were we supposed to know that Rangers' minds could be compromised?" he mutters, but looks contrite.

"Well, at least they won't know about the upgrades," Yamaguchi says.

"We shouldn't assume we have any element of surprise," Hinata says. He and Kenma leave out the part about Hinata's mind being constantly vulnerable to the Precursors, although both Kageyama and Kuroo feel he uneasiness across their respective bonds and narrow their eyes in unison.

"Anyway, about the general," Kenma says, drawing the attention back to them. "He has a thousand eyes, so no sneaking up behind him; extremely thick skin, looks like several layers of armor; plating all along his sides where any vulnerable organs may be exposed, and spikes along his spine and crowning his head." Kenma points to part of the diagram. "There are these fleshy tentacles, not entirely sure of their purpose, but I presume they're supposed to be faster and prehensile because of how heavy and slow he is. Definitely dangerous. Also there's this...halo...thing...over his head. No idea about that one."

"Worrisome," Takeda says, frowning. "Something that strange cannot be without a terrible purpose."

"All of this is worrisome," Ukai sighs. "Doesn't look like he has any weaknesses. How the hell are we supposed to beat this thing?"

"Seems to me like the soft, fleshy parts are our only way in," Tsukishima murmurs. "Could we attack the eyes and cut off the tentacles, then target those openings?"

"Scrapper and Omega are versatile," Akaashi says, nodding. "Even Gamma could probably do some damage up close."

"Up close..." Yamaguchi trails off.

"Inside," Hinata says grimly. He nods at Akaashi. "They're suggesting we climb inside the kaiju and attack him from there."

"I want to say that's suicide," Kageyama says tiredly, "but when all is said and done, it seems like the only option, and this was a suicide mission anyway. Marshal?"

"Shit," Ukai swears. "Yes, Tsukishima and Akaashi make good points. We don't know what kind of environment the inside of a kaiju is, though. Prepare yourself for acid and intolerable conditions."

"We'll make sure their underwater survival systems are updated and fully-functioning," Tanaka says.

"Alright, here's the plan," Ukai says. "Gold Strike, you're best at distance fighting. Unfortunately, in this fight, you won't be particularly useful. Your job will be keeping the kaiju distracted, attempting to blind it, and if you can, blast holes in those tentacles."

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima nod. It's sharp and quick, but both Yamaguchi feel a flash of relief of being put on reserve, followed by the stab of guilt.

"Gamma Raptor, you've got claws—you're to do most of the damage to those tentacles. Cut them off, open wounds so that Scrapper and Omega can get to them. If you find any weak spots, do not hesitate to tear that thing apart. You are our point team, so it'll be your job to relay the location of injuries to the other teams and coordinate the attacks quickly and efficiently. Got it?"

Bokuto and Akaashi salute tightly.

"Scrapper Nine, Tyrant Omega, you two have the most important job. You have to actually kill this thing. Crawl inside it, wreak havoc, and destroy anything and everything you can. A simple task, but also a dangerous one. Everyone else is covering you. Do not go to the aid of any of the other teams. It's their job to look after you and help you move forward. Just. Kill. The kaiju."

"Sir!" The four salute.

"I want Omega doing the most dangerous stunts, though," Ukai says. His voice is hard but calm. "You have the tightest connection with your Jaeger, and you will be able to make those slight adjustments the rest of the Jaegers cannot."

Hinata and Kageyama read between the lines. It makes Kageyama curl his hands into white-knuckles fists, but Hinata only smiles sadly and nods. As damaged as Kenma and Kuroo were, they were at least fully functional. It was a sacrifice Hinata was willing to be.

It's okay, he thinks softly to Kageyama. I know you're mad on my behalf, but don't be. The Marshal doesn't want to make this decision, but he has to. We're the newest and the least valuable. It only makes sense to throw us to the wolves.

You won't die, Kageyama thinks back. I already said I wouldn't let you.

Well then, Hinata laughs. I'll be in your care.

"Is this enough to defeat the kaiju?" Tsukishima asks, because they couldn't end the meeting on a hopeful note.

"No," Hinata says bluntly. "If we're lucky, we will distract and cripple the general enough that the other bases have time to gather their forces and finish him off. If we're really lucky, he won't even make landfall."

"But we all die," Tsukishima says just as bluntly. "All our preparation and advantages, and we still die."

Solemn silence falls across the room.

"Everyone else will be safe for a long, long time, though," Kenma says. "All your friends and family—they'll all be safe somewhere else in the world. You'll die protecting the children in every country in the world. You'll die protecting the beauty of earth and the happiness of every person alive. They have a future, because of us. Isn't that enough?"

A pause.

"I suppose it is," Tsukishima says quietly.

"Dismissed," Ukai murmurs.

"It's not enough," Kuroo whispers to Kenma as everyone files out of the room. "We need more firepower. We need a trump card. We need something."

"Yes," Kenma agrees, looking thoughtful. "We need something."

----------------------------------------

Hinata calls Natsu that night.

Kageyama only hears one side of the conversation, just Hinata's laughs and the love warm in his voice when he talks to his little sister. Not so little anymore, though—she's fifteen now, old enough to appreciate the fame of her older brother and shine like a star because of it. Hinata says she gets cheeky with her teachers because her brother is a national hero, but Kageyama can't imagine that amount of mischief coming from the sweet looking girl Hinata showed him pictures of.

"You should see the wheelchair Ryuu-san and Yuu-san made for me Nacchan, you'd love it!" Hinata chirps. "It's like an ATV—it's super fast, with big wheels that can go through any kind of terrain. I even have a rocket booster! ...What? No! No, I'm not lying! Look, I'll race you when I get back home, and I'll prove it to you, okay? No, it is not cheating! I'm a poor, injured war veteran; can't you give me a handicap? ...Oof, stingy."

Hinata's voice never stumbles or wavers when he talks about going home, but the sorrow is sunk deep in his bones, palpable across the bond. Kageyama thinks of promises made, thinks of the locking of pinkies and of bright smiles, and then he thinks of an open ocean and the rain, wet as the tears of a little girl in all black, her hair an unfitting orange in the drabness of funeral clothing...

No.

Stop that. Shouyou is coming home. You're both coming home.

In the other room, Hinata wheels his chair back and forth, his version of pacing as he talks on the phone with Natsu. "I miss you and Mom, too..." Hinata trails off fondly. "I'll be home soon enough. Why don't you tell me about your weird plants...okay, okay, your succulents." He smiles into the phone, twisting a strand of hair around his finger. "Oh, really? That's pretty cool! I think I'll bring you something when I come back...oh, Kageyama?"

Kageyama jumps.

Hinata snickers into the phone. "Yeah, he is a bit of a prickly pear, isn't he?"

"Oi," Kageyama growls.

"Ooo, I'm in trouble!" Hinata stage-whispers. "Don't tell him I called him a cactus."

Kageyama rolls his eyes.

"Yes, he is my boyfriend," Hinata says, like it's the simplest and most obvious thing in the world, and Kageyama jumps for an entirely different reason. "Yep, I like him a lot.... Yes, Natsu, I am in love-love with him. Why are you being so gross? ...No, you're the one being gross!"

Hinata's smile turns gentle. "I think you'll like him a lot, when you meet him. Hey, how about I make you a deal? You get Mom to stop watching the news and worrying, and I'll bring Kageyama home next time. Yup, to home-home. But come on; enjoy it while you're there! It's Paris for crying out loud!"

So Hinata had shipped them off too. It was to be expected that his mother would worry—Kageyama's own parents, as absent as they had been during his childhood, seemed very distressed when he left them a message telling them that they needed to move as far away from the Pacific as possible. He hadn't returned their call, but he had listened to the voicemail.

"You take care Nacchan. And...hey? I love you so much, okay? I love you. Okay. Good night." Hinata lays the phone down in his lap and rubs at his eyes. He doesn't seem upset, just exhausted. As bone-tired and scared and broken as the rest of them, trying to put up a front for the people he loved.

"Paris?" Kageyama asks.

"Yeah, Mom always wanted to go," Hinata says. "Where'd you send your folks?"

"New York," Kageyama replies. "Mom just moved her job there, it wasn't a big deal."

"I'm tired, Tobio," Hinata says, smile ghostly. "I want to go to bed and try not to think of anything."

Kageyama hoists Hinata into his arms. Hinata, who would have usually protested being treated like an invalid, slumped gratefully against Kageyama's chest. "Well," Kageyama says. "I can't promise nothing, but we could think about nice things." He bumps the door to their bedroom open with his hip.

"Like what?" Hinata asks.

"We could talk about how you're totally going to kick Natsu's ass when you race her," Kageyama suggests.

Hinata laughs sleepily. "How much you wanna bet she'll call Mom on me?"

"How much you wanna bet your Mom will actually scold you for cheating?" Kageyama counters.

"I'm twenty-four and a war veteran," Hinata complains. "She can't scold me, that's like...a right or something of mine." Kageyama lays him down and settles in next to him, pulling the sheet over them and Hinata's legs close to him.

"Did Natsu get plants in Paris?" Kageyama asks.

"Yeah," Hinata says. "Mom would have gotten her anything—a dog, a cat, you name it—but Natsu wanted plants. That girl is a treasure. She's going to grow up and become the world's best botanist."

"I would like to meet her," Kageyama says thoughtfully, "after this is all over."

Hinata eyes him, nose buried in the sheets. "I think she would like that, too. Finally, a real Kageyama to compare against her make-believe Kageyama."

"A real, competent pilot, finally," Kageyama teases.

"Hey!" Hinata protests, but he's still looking at Kageyama strangely.

"What?" Kageyama asks. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hinata doesn't answer, and the bond is strangely quiet. Kageyama pulls the covers off of Hinata's face and finds him frowning softly. "What's wrong?" Kageyama asks, softer.

Hinata finally looks away. "I was just thinking about how nice it would have been to have a future with you," he says quietly.

Kageyama presses a kiss to Hinata's forehead. "I guess you can't always be the optimistic one," Kageyama says. "But that's what you have me for. I'll be your hope when you have none."

Hinata smiles faintly. "I guess I can't be." He pauses. "What kind of house do you want?"

"Hmmm," Kageyama thinks. "A decent size one, enough for two or three kids. But not so big it swallows us."

"You want kids?" Hinata asks, excitedly. "I've always wanted kids. Athletic and fun ones. Ones that I can play volleyball with."

"Oh, and I guess I'll be changing all the diapers while you play?" Kageyama says, rolling his eyes.

"Nah," Hinata says. "I need someone to teach me how to set, right? That should be exciting—I never thought about being a setter before." His smile is brittle.

"I always thought about living in the mountains," Kageyama says quickly. "Somewhere far away from the ocean. I don't think I can live in sight of water ever again in my life."

"Me too," Hinata agrees. "I always kind of wanted to run a little temple, you know? Have a nice little place that Mom can live in, Natsu and her family just down the road. Somewhere peaceful."

"But not too peaceful," Kageyama says.

Hinata laughs. "Right, but not too peaceful."

"We can get you and the kids a dog," Kageyama says. "I want a cat, though. All animals seem to hate me, but I think I can understand cats the best."

"We'll get you a nice, old cat," Hinata says, smiling. "A rescue, named Mochi or something."

"Mochi the cat," Kageyama says. "I could live with that."

"You know what sucks the most though?" Hinata says, sighing.

"What?" Kageyama asks.

"Man, we could have had so much sex," Hinata whines. "We have, what, three weeks to live? I didn't get to have sex with you even once. We would have had crazy wheelchair sex, I read about all kinds of sex positions..."

Kageyama is very quiet.

Hinata backtracks. "Unless, of course, you don't wa—"

"It's not over yet," Kageyama says.

"Huh?" Hinata says.

"It's not...our time isn't up yet," Kageyama says. He sits up, propped up on his arm, and leans over Hinata. "I mean, we could still..."

"Oh," Hinata says. "Oh."

Kageyama raises an eyebrow.

"No!" Hinata says. "I mean, we can't. It's...unprofessional, and, and—"

"I'm pretty sure we're well past that point," Kageyama snorts.

"And, we both have training tomorrow, and we have to plan for everything going to shit in three weeks, and—"

Kageyama frowns. "Do you...not want to have sex with me?"

"No!" Hinata shrieks. "I do! I absolutely do! I think about it all the time!" He flushes a bright enough pink for Kageyama to see it under the moonlight peeking in through the window.

"So why...?"

"I, uh, I want to have sex with you," Hinata says, biting at his thumb. "But you...you might not want to have sex with me."

Kageyama remembers every wet dream, every fantasy, every passing thought of touching Hinata that has haunted him for over a year. "Really. I don't want to have sex with you," Kageyama deadpans.

Apparently he projects enough for Hinata to see it too, because he squeaks and hides further under the blanket. "I mean! Sure! You wanted to have sex with me then...but now..." Helplessly, Hinata gestures at his lower half. "I can't...I can't move. I can't help you. I can't do anything. Who wants to have sex with a limp doll?"

Kageyama places his hand on Hinata's cheek. "Are dolls warm?" he asks.

Hinata blinks anxiously.

"Answer me, Shouyou," Kageyama commands. "Are dolls warm?"

"N-no," Hinata squeaks.

"Do dolls blush?"

"Hey, you're just making fun of—"

"Answer the question."

"No, they don't."

"Do dolls have so many beautiful facial expressions?" Kageyama demands. "Do dolls crack jokes? Do dolls risk their lives to save the world, time and time again? Do dolls love me despite all my flaws? Do dolls want a future with me?"

"No," Hinata sniffles, tears dripping down his face.

Kageyama kisses each of his tears away, nuzzling against Hinata's cheek. "You're not a doll, Hinata Shouyou. I couldn't love a doll. But I love you. You're living and breathing and everything I want. Every part of you. You couldn't be Hinata Shouyou if you weren't a sum of all your parts. What's the point in tearing you apart?"

"Come down here," Hinata croaks. "I want to kiss you to hide my ugly crying."

Kageyama does.

Hinata's lips tremble when they meet, but his hands slide up Kageyama's stubbly jaw and into his hair, pulling him close and tugging at his hair. Hinata's doubt and embarrassment melts away when Kageyama kisses him. Kageyama could lie with his words, he could—but he cannot lie with his mouth, the way he chases Hinata's tongue with his own, sucks his bottom lip bruised, all but begs Hinata to kiss him harder, harder.

Hinata does.

He arches his back, focuses every muscle of his body that still obeys him to pull Kageyama closer, to leave a stinging trail of heat where his hands trace down Kageyama's neck and shoulders, heart bursting through his chest in an attempt to become one with Kageyama's. He twines their tongues like he twines their bond, the two-way echo of love and desire pulsing through their minds.

Kageyama moves to Hinata's neck, and Hinata clutches harder at his hair. With everything he lost, it seemed to Hinata like he gained sensitivity in the rest of his body, and to feel a warm mouth on his neck just made him want to bare himself more. There was something about the intimacy of another human's teeth at his neck—the feeling of ultimate trust and the pulse of blood just under the skin. Hinata holds Kageyama's face close to his skin as Kageyama sucks at his skin, a spiking pain-pleasure that makes Hinata's back arch again.

Kageyama bites him harder in warning. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to have trouble taking this slow," Kageyama growls.

"So don't," Hinata whines.

"No way," Kageyama huffs. "I'm going to enjoy every inch of your skin and mark you all over. You're mine, Shouyou—no one can take you away from me, not even the kaiju or your own doubts."

"Make me a believer," Hinata says.

A believer in what, he's not sure. In Kageyama's faith in the future, perhaps? Sure, Hinata had been the one lying on the phone, but under his fear of death and Hinata's death, Kageyama truly believed that they would come home at the end of the day. Make me believe in that future, Tobio. Give me a reason to claw my way, tooth and nail, towards that future.

Kageyama pulls off Hinata's shirt, lays him bare, and straddles his hips. He runs his hands down Hinata's sides, broad and strong, and Hinata feels safe. Owned. Protected. Belonging. Hinata remembers those hands when they threw him up against a wall the first time they met, now so tenderly stroking his bare skin like it was something worth worshipping. Hinata laughs, and it startles Kageyama.

"What?" he asks.

"It's nothing," Hinata says. "Take your shirt off and I'll tell you."

Kageyama pulls off his shirt and Hinata sits up to meet him. Hinata presses his face against the side of Kageyama's neck. "I was thinking about when we first met," he murmurs. "You manhandled me something awful. We hated each other. And now, here we are."

He moves up to Kageyama's ear. "You're hard in your pajamas, just from touching my skin, and you're only minutes away from being inside me. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

Kageyama growls and pushes Hinata back, but Hinata uses that momentum to flip Kageyama over and roll on top of him. "Hush, baby. I'm not done talking about you yet," Hinata purrs.

"How could I have known you would turn out to be the most reliable, the most loving partner I could have asked for?" Hinata says. "I knew you were talented, god was I jealous of your skill level, but I never imagined being able to harness that, to work in harmony with it. Other pilots are great, sure, but how can they compare to you, Tobio? You match me, you understand me. I don't want to pilot with anyone else."

"Shouyou..." Kageyama rasps.

"Did you know I wanted you?" Hinata asks. "I buried that desire so deep I nearly fooled myself into believing it wasn't true, but everything you did attracted me to you. Your body, your movements," his hands trace down Kageyama's jaw and neck, "your voice, your tone," down his shoulders and arms, "your emotions, your past," down his chest and sides... "I love you, Tobio."

"How lucky am I to have such a beautiful and pure partner?" Hinata whispers.

"Please," Kageyama whines. "Please, I need...I need to touch you, I need to be inside you, Shouyou, please."

Hinata falls onto his back, hands above his head. "I'm yours."

Kageyama scrambles on top of him gracelessly but carefully, making sure not to crush Hinata. He fetches lube out of their bedside table, and despite it not being his first time, Hinata feels a flutter of uncertainty in his stomach. Kageyama feels it too and hesitates.

"It's okay," Hinata says. "I just...want this to be good for you."

"And I want this to be good for you," Kageyama says, sliding off Hinata's pajamas and touching him for the first time.

Hinata can't help it; he arches up again like a cat. It's not even the touch, or the cold of the lube, it's the fact that it's Kageyama, finally. His one true and perfect partner, touching him and wanting him in the most intimate way possible. Kageyama takes both of them in his hand, broad enough to wrap comfortable around them both, and Hinata lets out a shuddering breath. Kageyama strokes up and down, up and down while Hinata throws an arm over his eyes and pants, fingers twitching and clutching at nothing.

"I'm going to prepare you now," Kageyama tells him. "I'll be very careful."

Hinata can't feel Kageyama slide his fingers in. maybe the slightest sense of discomfort, but no real feeling. What he does feel, and quite well, is Kageyama's mouth on him, making him seize up again and gasp at the warmth around him. Hinata wants to cry, wants to come, but Kageyama doesn't change from his sluggish pace of tracing his tongue up and down Hinata's length.

"Are you ready?" Kageyama asks.

"To come? Abso-fucking-lutely," Hinata growls.

"I'm going to try something," Kageyama says.

Hinata doesn't know what he means until Kageyama overwhelms the bond, letting his thoughts and feelings overpower the connection. And when he slides into Hinata, into the tightness and warmth around him, Hinata feels every minute detail of how his body pleases Kageyama.

A doll? Kageyama thinks. Give me a break. You're the best, the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Hinata cries. He cries, and his dick aches, and then Kageyama is stroking him in time with his thrusts, and Hinata feels everything. No pain, no sadness, nothing but pleasure and love and fulfillment. He's so in tune with Kageyama that when Kageyama shudders and comes, Hinata is right alongside him.

The feeling of release in unison with the man he loves does something to Hinata—he sees stars. Not the stars sparking just behind his eyelids, or the stars of the Milky Way, or even the stars of the Anteverse, but a distant galaxy, cloudy and twinkling, and at the center of it all, Kageyama, brighter than any cosmic dust could ever be.

Hinata thinks of the Precursors, and of the human race. From that cosmic dust, both of their races were born, and to dust both of their races would decay to. What was there to fear from aliens? They were beings just as humans were beings. The happenings of their galaxies were but dust in the solar wind, tiny and meaningless—yet, meaning everything.

As Hinata holds Kageyama in his arms, their foreheads pressed together and bound as tightly as two humans could be in mind and in body, Hinata swears he can feel the brush of Kageyama's soul against his, promising that come what may, they would be together until the end. And in his mind, Hinata can feel something like a gash and something like a scar sealing itself up, the voices quieting for once in his life since he woke up, as if in awe of a connection as pure and as beautiful as the one between them.

"I'm going to clean up," Kageyama says gently, pulling out of Hinata and taking off the condom Hinata hadn't even noticed him putting on. Hinata doesn't say anything, just watches Kageyama's naked form recede from their room, something like a lump forming in his throat.

"Tobio?" Hinata calls.

After a moment, Kageyama's head appears around the door. "Yeah?"

"We're going to win," Hinata says. "We're definitely going to win."

Kageyama smiles. "There's the Shouyou I know," he says.