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Tobio loves his boyfriends.
They’re both passionate and hardworking people, capable of inspiring and captivating others into their orbit almost effortlessly. Both are fairly attractive by normal standards, if their large fanbase is any indication, though Tobio’s never really thought much about that aspect. They’re also setters, which no, this doesn’t mean Tobio has a thing for setters, despite what Hinata says. Okay, fine, maybe he does, but most importantly-
He’s admired Tooru and Atsumu for a very, very long time.
When they first got together and announced their relationship to their friends, no one believed them. Granted, Tobio had still been in a little disbelief at the time, because how could he have a chance with even one of them, much less both, when he’s been spending so much time chasing after their backs and hoping that they would look at him and see him as an equal one day?
The fact is, all their friends had thought it was a prank - concocted by Tooru and Atsumu of course, because everyone knew Tobio wasn’t the type to joke about these kinds of things and thought he probably got roped into it somehow - but they had humored them anyway and played along, offering lackluster congratulations and false cheer.
Tobio thinks it probably had to do with the fact that the three of them were indisputably rivals, and especially due to his history with Tooru. It doesn’t help that Tooru and Atsumu had immediately squared off when they first met, and constantly argued whenever they hung out with friends.
(They argued at home as well, though Tobio could see through their exaggerated bickering to tell that it was just their way of showing affection.)
Of course, it had to be the more gullible ones of their friend circle to find out that they were actually in a real relationship. It was a hotter than usual afternoon so they had decided to go out for an ice cream date, and apparently Bokuto, Hinata and Lev also chose to check out the same ice cream stall in town.
Tooru was complaining about the heat and how spending too much time under the sun without sunscreen would “ruin my complexion” which then prompted Atsumu to scoff at how he should’ve just “stayed home to play Narcissus” in front of their mirror. Of course that had immediately devolved into another squabble which Tobio gracefully ignored and proceeded to buy their ice cream so that they could leave without causing any more embarrassment.
As they walked down the street near the park, Atsumu teased, “Aww, you already know our favorite flavors by heart, Tobio-kun,” and before he could open his mouth to respond, Oikawa cut in with, “Of course Tobio-chan remembers these things, unlike a certain someone,” and Tobio had sighed in defeat as they began another argument.
They probably would’ve argued all the way home if not for the cluster of girls that had slowly congregated around them during their walk down the street. Tooru and Atsumu both ceased their quarreling immediately and turned on the charm, indulging the girls’ questions and handing out compliments here and there.
Tobio would be lying if he said he hadn’t been a little miffed. It wasn’t really the fangirls that had bothered him - he’d long since gotten used to his boyfriends’ popularity and the inevitable horde of people that would follow them each time they went out - but more so the fact that he wished they would stop fighting when he was there, and not because they wanted to keep up a good image in front of their fans.
At some point one of the girls broached the topic everyone else seemed to want to know.
“Are the both of you single?”
“Ah,” Tooru starts, and Tobio had blinked at the sudden change in his boyfriends, how they instantly made eye contact and seemed to communicate on the same wavelength for once.
“We’re actually taken,” Atsumu responds. “Sorry to burst yer bubbles.”
“Both of you are taken?”
“Yup!”
And that’s when the really confusing thing happened. Tobio had been standing to the side out of the way of the group like usual, but suddenly there was an arm around his shoulders and another snaking around his waist and he had been pulled right in between his boyfriends.
Now all the girls’ attention was on him, and Tobio felt a slow flush creep over his neck and cheeks as he realized what his boyfriends were doing.
“We’re both in a relationship with each other, and this cutie here.” Tooru winks at their audience while flashing a peace sign, and the street descends into utter chaos.
Strangely, the girls didn’t seem all that upset, but began demanding more answers instead.
“How did you guys get together?”
“Does one of you get jealous when the other two spend time with each other?”
“Your other boyfriend is so cute too! Do you guys fight over him?”
“Do you have nicknames for each other? I bet they’re adorable.”
“What kinds of dates do you guys go on?”
Feeling overwhelmed, Tobio had attempted to squirm away, and again his boyfriends seemed to work in tandem, this time to wave off the crowd.
“Sorry ladies, but we’re gonna continue with our date now.” Atsumu’s arm tightens around him as he starts leading them away.
“Bye-bye!” Tooru flashes the mass of girls one last wink and then ushers them down the street.
Tobio feels his heartbeat calm the further they walk along the road, but inwardly he’s still reeling from how both his boyfriends had just announced their relationship to the public, to their fangirls no less. They had agreed to only make their relationship known to their friends and family when they first started dating, and Tobio thought it was so that they could keep the image of being available to their fans.
His boyfriends must sense that he’s about to protest since they’re well-enough attuned to his emotions, so Tooru had already slipped in front of them to block his path while Atsumu curls his arms around him from behind and rests his chin on Tobio’s shoulder.
“Still not used to being the center of attention outside of volleyball after all these years, it seems,” Tooru tuts, leaning in so that their faces are only inches apart. Tobio flushes at their close proximity. “You shouldn’t be rude, Tobio-chan.”
A shiver runs through his body as Atsumu croons into his ear. “That’s right, those nice ladies only wanted to ask us some questions.”
Then they both lean in to kiss his cheeks.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the street, three figures had suddenly stopped frozen on the sidewalk.
“Hey, hey hey! What’s going on over there?”
“I don’t know, Bokuto-san. Wait…is that... didn’t they say they were in a relationship? But Kuroo-san told me it was a joke!”
“Akaashi told me that too! Wait- Oi, Hinata! Are you okay?”
The third figure trembles, fists shaking at his sides as he stares across the road before letting out a blood-curdling shriek.
“W-...w-w-what just happened?!”
Later, Tobio had been pestered unendingly by Hinata, who yelled about being betrayed and lied to and “ how could you not tell me, I’m your best friend,” to which Tobio had retorted, “I did! We told all of you months ago! You just didn’t believe us!”
It didn’t take much time for the truth had spread like wildfire afterward to the rest of their friends, and eventually the whole group assembled again to pass judgement, with reactions ranging from shocked but joyous (Tanaka, Nishinoya, Yamamoto, Inuoka) to narrowed and hesitant looks, (Suga, Daichi, Kita, Kindaichi) and finally, long-suffering expressions of why-would-you-do-this-to-yourself (Kenma, Akaashi, Kunimi, Ennoshita).
Once a majority of their friends have expressed their best wishes, this time genuinely and with plenty of amusement, the interrogation began.
“Uh oh,” Hanamaki grins as Tooru is dragged off to the side by Iwaizumi. “Looks like it’s back to the good ol’ days of the Captain being chewed out by the Vice Captain.”
“He looks extra mad this time, too,” Matsukawa chimes in.
Tobio isn’t sure if he’s supposed to intervene, but he’s also spent enough time back in Kitaiichi to know that an angry Iwaizumi shouldn’t be messed with.
When he turns to find his other boyfriend, Tobio sees Suna walking away with his hands in his pockets, Aran following close behind but not before glancing back at Atsumu with an apologetic look on his face.
“Wait- don’t leave me here with him!” Atsumu yells before turning to look at his twin. “And why the hell are you lecturin’ me? What did I do?!” Atsumu crosses his arms defensively, but falters a little at the icy glare his brother levels at him.
“Y’know, I thought somethin’ was up ‘cuz yer terrible at fakin’ things, ‘specially for this long,” Osamu remarks calmly, and yet his demeanor is somehow terrifying at the same time.
“Well that’s yer problem fer not noticin’ sooner, ain’t it?” Atsumu scoffs back at him.
The twins glare at each other silently, and Tobio feels the need to step in just in case they start brawling or something. He’s not the only one, because Asahi, Yamaguchi and Yachi were also throwing nervous looks in their direction.
“That’s right, it’s my own fault fer not realizin’,” Osamu murmurs. He glances over to lock eyes with Tobio for a moment, and then steps right up into his brother’s face. “But now that I know fer sure, ya better not do anythin’ to hurt Tobio-kun, or I’ll make sure to poison your food the next time you eat, and that’s after I break all the bones in both yer hands.”
Atsumu’s jaw drops, and Tobio would’ve giggled at the hilariously offended look on his boyfriend’s face, except he also feels a bit flabbergasted.
“What the- I’m yer sibling! Shouldn’t ya be threatenin’ Tobio-kun to take good care of me?”
“No, ‘cuz this ain’t a marriage proposal and yer more likely to fuck up this relationship and make him sad.”
“The same goes for you, Trashykawa,” Iwaizumi interjects to their left, where he’s got a hand fisted in the collar of Tooru’s shirt.
Both his boyfriends let out whines simultaneously, and Tobio is gently pulled away amidst the laughter of their friends.
He gulps when he’s faced with both Suga and Daichi, somehow feeling like he’s about to be scolded by his parents.
As expected, Suga immediately starts firing off questions about how the other two are treating Tobio, such as if they’ve overstepped any boundaries and are they being responsible, but Daichi gently puts a hand on his shoulder to interrupt.
“Are you sure about this, Kageyama?” Daichi’s expression is stern, but there’s also worry shining clear in his eyes that Tobio has picked up on in all the years he’s known his senpai.
Tobio thinks about the various displays of affection that his boyfriends shower on him, how Tooru cuddles him close whenever he walks in a room to find Tobio sitting alone on the couch or on the bed, how Atsumu would shower him with kisses after a whole day or even just a couple hours without seeing each other.
He thinks about their endearing habits that they try to deny whenever they get teased about them, like how Tooru sometimes gets so excited while watching alien movies that he’ll jump off the couch to gesture enthusiastically at the screen, and how Atsumu pouts cutely every time he loses at a video game, wrapping himself in a blanket cocoon to sulk until one of them offers him food.
He thinks about the way they show care in their own indirect ways, how Tooru would constantly spam messages to their group chat to ask about their day and what they’re doing and if they’ve arrived home safely, and how Atsumu would instantly pick up on their moods when one of them is feeling a bit down in the dumps, making it his goal to stick by to distract them by poking and prodding and rambling about inane things until they feel better.
He thinks about the warm feeling that spreads through his whole body when he sees Tooru and Atsumu joke and flirt around with each other, fondness exuding from every movement and posture. He thinks about the fact that they could find the most obscure topics to get fascinated over together despite seeming to disagree all the time. He thinks about the thrill that they awaken in him each time he sees them shine on the court, their passion and love for volleyball evident for the world to see.
Tobio thinks about how they’ve always inspired him, and how every part of him that’s been molded and changed and influenced by them are parts of him that he’s proud of.
“Yes,” he replies, and his senpais must see the conviction in his eyes and hear it in his voice, because they both smile widely.
“Eeeewww,” says an orange blur dancing at the edge of his vision. Tobio whirls around to jab at his so-called best friend, but Hinata dodges and - the traitor - runs off to hide behind Tsukishima. “I don’t know if the Great King and Atsumu-san are good for you, Kageyama-kun. You were making a really dumb face just now.”
“For once I agree with this idiot.” Tsukishima’s lips curl into a sneer. “The King’s getting soft.”
“Shut up,” Tobio growls, but then an arm is slung around his shoulder and his vision fills with a lazy, cat-like smirk.
“I’m curious, Kageyama-kun. How far have the three of you gotten in bed?” Kuroo drawls right next to his ear.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Bokuto pops up in front of him out of nowhere as well, sporting a serious expression as he claps both hands over Tobio’s shoulders and stares directly into his eyes. “Remember to always use protection.”
Tobio barely registers the several scandalized yells around them over the thundering of his own heart and the blood rushing to his head.
“Tetsu-chan, stop harassing Tobio-chan!” Tooru yells from a couple meters away. He twists away from Iwaizumi’s grasp and starts stomping over to them.
“Bokkun, get yer hands off Tobio-kun!” Atsumu shouts, struggling to get out of the choke-hold Osamu has him in. “Ow, ‘Samu, let go of me, I got it, ‘kay?”
“Sure ya do,” Osamu stares disbelievingly at him, though he does withdraw his arm.
Both Tobio’s boyfriends reach him at the same time and nudge Kuroo and Bokuto away.
“None of ya get to touch my Tobio-kun,” Atsumu declares to all their friends, and Tooru snorts from beside him.
“I’m here too, you know. And what do you mean my Tobio-kun? if anything I’ve known him longer than you so he should be my Tobio-chan.”
“Just because you’ve known him longer doesn’t mean he likes ya more.”
“Well clearly he does because Tobio-chan’s more impressed with my serves.”
“Ya only got that one serve and besides, ya refused to teach it to him!”
“He still managed to learn it anyway! And I’m the person Tobio-chan wants to beat the most, so I’m his ultimate goal.”
“Well, once he beats ya, he won’t need to look up to ya anymore. I’d teach him anythin’ he wants though.”
“So would I!”
The rest of their friends let out a collective exasperated sigh as they start to bicker again, but then a clear voice rings out, “Wait.”
Everyone falls silent as Hinata walks up beside Tobio to face them. “I have something to say.”
“What’s up, Shoyo-kun?”
“Is Chibi-chan going to give us a talk too?”
Both Tooru and Atsumu look vaguely amused, as do the rest of their gathered friends, but Tobio feels an involuntary shiver down his spine when he sees Hinata’s eyes. Those were the same blank yet menacing eyes that had told him “I’m one of the players” when they had first met, the eyes that had focused solely on the ball that Tobio had set as if it were the only thing that existed in the world in that moment, the eyes that had challenged Ushijima from the concrete and won.
Tobio can feel the moment his boyfriends realize that Hinata is being dead serious by the subsequent alarmed and nervous looks that cross their faces.
“You guys can fight all you want. You can get mad at each other, you can upset each other, you can tease each other, and you can make mistakes,” Hinata says slowly. “Because that’s what normal couples do.”
Tooru and Atsumu are both carefully sporting neutral expressions, but Tobio notices the bob of their Adam’s apples as they gulp. He kind of feels sorry for his boyfriends.
“You can do all those things. But,” Hinata clenches his fists. “If you ever hurt him on purpose, if you ever force him to do anything he doesn’t want to, if you ever take for granted his feelings for you…”
The courtyard they’re in is quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
“...I’ll make you regret it.”
The persisting silence that follows Hinata’s ominous words feels thick enough to slice, but then the illusion is dispersed when someone starts clapping.
“H-huh? Wha-?” Hinata spins around to find the source of the clapping which has spread to most of their friends now, some even letting out a few whistles. Tobio watches fondly as his best friend’s face darken with embarrassment and grins at the onslaught of playful teasing that ensues.
“Oho, the little Chibi-chan is gonna make them regret it, huh?” Kuroo draws up to his full height with both hands on his hips.
“Wow, I didn’t know you had it in you, Hinata! That’s my boy!” Suga crows, while even Daichi muffles his laughter into his arm.
“Shoyoooo,” Bokuto wails as he rushes over to shake Hinata by the shoulders. “That was such a beautiful speech! You’re gonna make me cry.”
“It was so manly, bro.” Tanaka rushes over to ruffle at Hinata’s hair, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Truly a manly speech,” Yamamoto agrees, identical streams of tears pouring down his face.
“All hail the manly bonds of friendship!” Nishinoya declares.
As their friends join in the cheer or opt to sit quietly by the sidelines to observe with smiles on their faces, Tobio feels two hands slip into each of his.
He looks up to both Tooru and Atsumu grinning gently down at him.
“You’re really important to Shoyo-kun,” Atsumu observes, interlacing their fingers together. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared in my life.”
“Same here. Chibi-chan can give Iwa-chan a run for his money,” Tooru points out, swinging their clasped hands at their sides.
Tobio smiles to himself and, with the sound of laughter in the wind and the warmth of his boyfriends by his side, thinks, I couldn’t be more happier.
It turns out, Tobio could afford to be a little more happier than he currently is.
He sighs for the umpteenth time as his boyfriends get into another squabble again,
“Why are we eating cereal for breakfast? Milk is gross.”
“Well, someone forgot to buy groceries when they were supposed to!”
-and again-
“Can we not watch yer damn alien movies again-”
“At least they’re better than whatever stupid rom-coms you always put on-”
-and again-
“It’s my turn to choose where we should go on a date, you chose the last time!”
“Yeah, and that’s why it didn’t suck, so you should let me be in charge-”
-until Tobio decides he’s had enough and calls Iwaizumi first thing on the weekend.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Iwaizumi-san.”
“Ah, Kageyama,” Iwaizumi greets, and then pauses for a moment, “Wait, is that Tooru yelling in the background?”
“Yes,” Tobio replies, just as Atsumu storms down the stairs to tell their screaming boyfriend to shut up.
They instantly start bickering and Tobio hears Iwaizumi sigh through the phone.
“Right, well, let’s meet up in front of the station like usual. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Okay,” Tobio brightens up immediately. “I’ll see you later, Iwaizumi-san.”
Tobio has gotten into a routine of going out with friends or his former senpais every time his boyfriends get on his nerves a bit too much with their constant arguing. Usually they just exchange light jabs and teasing like any other normal couple might do, but occasionally their pride gets the better of them and Tobio isn’t able to intervene at all.
So he decides the best thing he can do is let them have some space for a while until they resolve things on their own.
Most of the time he escapes to the gym or a random park to play volleyball with Hinata, and at other times he’s invited over to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi’s apartment - although the blond denies enjoying his company - or spends a day shopping with Yachi, but Tobio’s favorite occasions are when Iwaizumi and Osamu take him out on food-hunting sprees.
When he arrives at the aforementioned place, Osamu is already there chatting with Iwaizumi. They both notice him at the same time, and Iwaizumi reaches out to ruffle his hair in greeting. “Did you tell Tooru and Atsumu you were going out?”
“Uh, no,” Tobio mumbles, lowering his eyes when Iwaizumi fixes him with a stern gaze. “They probably won’t notice that I’m gone anyway.”
Osamu sighs. “Well, if anything you can text them later.”
Tobio looks sheepishly down at his feet. “My phone’s running low on battery,” he mumbles. “I forgot to charge it last night.”
“That’s okay,” Iwaizumi says, and exchanges a glance with Osamu. Tobio eyes them warily when they turn to him with matching smirks on their faces. “Today’s supposed to be your stress-free day out anyway, so just focus on having fun.”
For the rest of the day, the three of them wander the downtown area to try out food places. Luckily some kind of fair was going on in the large center plaza, and Iwaizumi laughs at the sight of the other two gazing intensely at the many food stalls lining the streets like starving animals.
They dive right in among the crowd to check out the booths, and Tobio finds that each time his phone buzzes with a notification, either Iwaizumi or Osamu would distract him by handing him a snack to eat or dragging him to one of the activity tents to play a game.
They end their day out by going to one of Osamu’s favorite restaurants. Tobio had been reluctant to eat there at first, since the place looked pretty high-end, and his senpais had insisted on treating him, but it only took one mention of pork curry for Tobio to give in.
Tobio is happily digging into his curry while Iwaizumi and Osamu exchange stories of how much of a headache Tooru and Atsumu are when suddenly there's a commotion by the door of the restaurant, and a familiar shrill voice reaches their ears.
“Iwa-chan, how could you?!”
“Speak of the devil,” Iwaizumi mutters into his bowl.
Tobio tries to sink as low as possible in his seat when the gazes of the other customers turn to fix on them, following Tooru’s accusing finger.
“‘Samu, how dare ya lie to me?” Atsumu stomps in right behind Tooru. He looks like he’s ready to stalk over to them and deck his brother in the face.
“Okay, that’s it.” Iwaizumi scoots out of the booth they’re sitting in and walks menacingly towards the two setters.
“Iwa-chan, what-”
“Ow! Let go of me-”
Tobio sits there stunned as Iwaizumi bodily drags his boyfriends out of the restaurant, and he only faintly registers Osamu slapping down a couple of bills and getting up to bow at the waiter that had hesitantly approached their table. Osamu then turns to him and wraps a gentle hand around his wrist before leading him out the doors.
Tobio exits the restaurant in time to hear Iwaizumi’s angry yell.
“We’re not stealing him from you, you idiots!” He grits out. “Whose fault is it that Kageyama is tired of your constant quarreling in the first place? He's just too nice to say anything to your faces, and even when he does, you guys probably ignore him anyway.”
Both setters look away guiltily at that statement.
“But,” Tooru protests, “We were still worried! He usually answers his phone!”
“Sorry,” Tobio quickly interjects.
His boyfriends turn to stare at him.
“My phone ran out of battery.”
Tooru glares at him. “We were worried, Tobio-chan!”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats, feeling guilt well up in his chest. “It’s just, you guys usually don’t notice when I go out for a while sometimes, so…”
“‘Cuz they’re too busy arguing about stupid shit,” Osamu mutters.
“Shut up, ‘Samu! You could’ve at least told me that Tobio-kun was with ya!”
“Oops,” Osamu drawls. “I was too busy enjoying our date.”
Oikawa lets out a cry of outrage the same moment that Atsumu storms over to grab the collar of Osamu’s shirt. “So it was a date, ya jackass!”
“Iwa-chan, you liar!”
Iwaizumi sighs. “There are such things as platonic dates between friends, you know.”
“And how about apologizing to Tobio first, after you practically chased him out of the house with yer bickering,” Osamu adds.
Tobio startles a bit when both his boyfriends turn to face him, remorse on their faces.
“We’re sorry, Tobio-chan,” Tooru says, eyes serious as he picks up Tobio’s hands with his own. “I can’t promise we won’t fight anymore, but we’ll try to be better for you.”
“And you should tell us when we’re bein’ too obnoxious, Tobio-kun,” Atsumu walks over to curl an arm around his waist. “We’ll be more considerate from now on.”
Tobio smiles fondly at them and wraps his arms around them both to pull them closer. “Thank you,” he says softly. He stays in their warm embrace for a while, then leans back to smirk at them. “But I know arguing is just how you guys flirt with each other sometimes.”
His boyfriends’ jaws drop.
“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?!” Tooru cries.
“I mean like whenever Atsumu-san does something you think is adorable, but you just insult him as a way of complimenting him, Oikawa-san.”
“I- what ? I don’t- wait a minute, why does he get to be called by his first name?”
“'Cuz he likes me better, obviously.”
“It would be too confusing since Atsumu-san has a twin,” Tobio interrupts, before they can start another argument again. “And I don't see what the problem is. You've always been Oikawa-san to me,” he continues, as if the word 'Oikawa-san' itself were something special and one of a kind.
Tooru falters a bit at the earnest expression on Tobio's face and blushes because dammit, Tobio always had a way of making simple things sound ridiculously endearing.
Atsumu bristles at the exchange. “Hey, no fair! Now you're making it seem like saying my name ain't anythin' special.”
Iwaizumi groans and slides a tired hand over his face as the inevitable quarreling starts. “They’re insufferable. I don’t know how you deal with them.”