Chapter Text
Kageyama Tobio had vanished from volleyball.
It was a shock to everyone; Tobio had been rumored to be scouted by the Schweiden Adlers and was even being considered for the Olympic team at age 18, but when the season started, he was nowhere to be found.
It wasn't just volleyball he disappeared from.
If you asked the old Karasuno team how he was, they couldn't tell you. They had no idea where he'd gone either.
Miwa wouldn't give them a location, only saying he had something to take care of with a sad smile.
The real reason Tobio disappeared?
He was a father.
He met Mei Kashiwagi at his final Tokyo Youth Training Camp in his third year. She was sweet and kind, brought out the best in him. They talked for hours after dinner, staring up at the sky and laughing.
They agreed they weren't ever going to be romantically involved. Not sexually.
While Tobio used sleeping with Mei to ease his unrequited crush on Shouyo, Mei used it as general stress relief.
So when graduation came, they met in Tokyo and had a night together. Said their goodbyes in the morning, and Tobio wished Mei well at college.
So a month later when Mei showed up in Miyagi, telling him she was pregnant with his kid, Tobio was shocked.
But he stepped up.
He left Miyagi without a word, moving into Mei's Tokyo apartment to care for her. Mei asked him not to say anything, just in case, he did return to volleyball, to keep them safe from his fans, not to mention to keep Tobio away from the cruel comments about him not marrying Mei. He agreed. No romance, just two best friends preparing to raise a child.
But even that wasn't enough to prepare Tobio for the birth of his son. Asuka was small, born prematurely. He remembered smiling fondly at his little boy and kissing the tuft of brown hair on his head. The calm before the storm.
Mei died giving birth to Asuka.
It broke Tobio, he lost his best friend, and Asuka was the only thing he had left of her. But he had to stay strong.
He told his parents and Miwa the news, said he was staying in Tokyo, and cared for his son.
Asuka was a bright boy. He shared his father's old love for volleyball. He declared he was gonna be the ace of the Olympic team one day, and who was he to deny his son that dream?
Tobio worked a basic secretary job at a manga company, pushing pencils wasn't fun, but college wasn't going to pay for itself. He decided to try and become a physiotherapist, and he and Asuka did a little celebratory dance when he was accepted to college in Osaka.
Today began their new life.
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"Daddy, can we see the Jackals?"
Asuka kicked his little feet as he sat at the breakfast table, slowly eating some waffles.
Moving boxes were still scattered around their small apartment, the last of their things only arrived this morning. Tobio was finishing his first cup of coffee when Asuka questioned him and debated it while pouring himself another.
"Well, we can sure try and make it. We'll see how things are after daycare."
Asuka let out a little cheer, scarfing down his waffles before running around the living room shouting "Bokuto Beam!".
Tobio wasn't out of touch with the volleyball world. He knew the starting lineup for every Division 1 team, analyzed the games, and he still played occasionally with Asuka. But his presence faded into the background.
Nobody recognized him, and he planned on keeping it that way.
He hoped they could make it to the Jackals' game, he wanted to see Miya and Sakusa's quick in person. He wanted to let his son cheer along with a Bokuto Beam, after all, Bokuto was his favorite.
But the nerves were setting in, thinking about Shouyo. Hinata, he should say. He doesn't have that first-name familiarity anymore.
If Hinata saw him...he'd probably get smacked. He'd honestly earned it, hiding away for four years and reappearing with a kid. But he just hoped Hinata might forgive him. Understand he was only respecting Mei's wishes, and he had wanted privacy to raise his son. It was better that way.
But was it?
Tobio shook himself out of his thoughts and checked the time before setting Asuka's plate in the sink to wash later. "Asuka, get your shoes and backpack. It's time to go."
Asuka nodded, running into the genkan to put on his shoes and get his backpack.
The morning goes smoothly. He drops Asuka off at daycare, well, more like Asuka runs off to play with the other kids without a goodbye. He then heads to work, where he meets his new boss and coworkers. Everyone is fairly nice, showing Tobio the ropes and where everything is, and he only gets lost in the building once.
By lunch, he's tired. His neck hurts, and he secretly wishes he were the one at daycare where he could take a nap.
He ended up sitting outside, there's a small outdoor area with some tables for employees to smoke at. After grabbing a can of coffee, he takes a seat and sighs.
He has two more hours of work, then he picks Asuka up from daycare. The Jackals game isn't until 5, so he can probably get some dinner for Asuka before they go. He had a little extra money from Miwa, so he could probably take Asuka out to eat somewhere near the stadium. That'll get him even more excited.
He finished his coffee, and having decided his next course of action, he headed back to work.
Thankfully, his first day wasn't terrible. His boss was more lenient than his first had been, and let him leave a few minutes early. He loosened his tie as he walked the short distance to Asuka's new daycare.
Asuka stood at the gate with a young girl, animatedly talking with her. Clutched tightly in Asuka's little hands is a poster board, his name on the back in a messy kanji. As soon as Asuka spotted his dad he beamed, and carefully set the poster board down to hug the girl before he picked it back up, running to meet Tobio.
"Dad, dad! Lookit!"
Asuka displayed the front of the poster board to him. In big letters, it read 'Go Jackals Go!' with a misshapen jackal drawn next to it. Black and gold patterns adorned the white background and a big #12 in the left corner.
"Wow, Asu! I'm sure the Jackals are gonna love it!"
Tobio ruffled his son's hair before he looked back to the girl he was with.
"Who's your friend? Did she help make it?"
Asuka nodded, vibrating with excitement.
"Yeah! Kumi-chan helped spell everything, and color! We worked hard all day!"
Tobio waved to Kumi, who shyly waved back.
"Well, you two did a great job. We should get going, we have some time to get something to eat before the game. How does ramen sound?"
With a cheer from Asuka, they were off.
The ramen was good, and thankfully the shop wasn't busy or super expensive. Asuka enjoyed it, so Tobio made a note to come back.
They made it into the stadium, Asuka clutching Tobio's hand tightly as he looked around in wonder. Tobio took a deep breath, taking in the familiar smell of salonpas and rubber. Even he was excited to be here. As he looked around, he spotted a merch stand with Vabo-chan plushies and merch from the Alders and Jackals. Maybe he could buy Asuka—
All of a sudden, he realized the tiny hand that had been tightly clutched in his hand was gone.
Oh. Oh no.
"ASUKA!"
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Asuka Kageyama was a boy on a mission. A mission he couldn't waste time on.
He was going to meet the Jackals, and get Bokuto to sign his poster.
He had sworn he saw Ninja Shouyo over in this direction, he saw red hair! He made his way down the hallway, looking around every corner.
He was about to turn around and go back to his dad, but taking a look at his surroundings…
He was very, very lost.
But Asuka Kageyama never gives up!
So with all the courage his four-year-old self could muster, he pressed on, determined.
And man, was determination rewarding.
Up ahead, he saw three members of the Jackals; Hinata Shouyo, Miya Atsumu, and Sakusa Kiyoomi.
Asuka grinned, taking off towards the three players.
"Hello!"
Shouyo looked up, looking at the little boy with a smile, kneeling to greet him.
"Hello there! Wow, I love your poster!"
Asuka was amazed. Ninja Shouyo liked his poster?! This was the best day ever!
Atsumu looked at the poster, giving a nod of approval.
"Yer jackal looks amazing! Ah, I see ya got Bokkun's number in the corner, he yer favorite?"
Asuka nodded, hugging his poster. "Mhm! My friend helped!"
Kiyoomi watched Atsumu and Shouyo fawn over Asuka a bit more before he decided to step in.
"The poster is lovely, um…"
"Asuka!"
"Asuka. But where are your parents?"
Asuka looked behind him for a moment, then looked back at Kiyoomi with that innocent little smile.
"Well...I was with daddy, but then I saw Ninja Shouyo, and...now I'm lost."
Kiyoomi frowned and looked at Shouyo and Atsumu.
"Come on. Let's help him find his dad. We have some time before Meian-san calls for warm-ups."
Atsumu slung his arm around Kiyoomi's shoulders. "Aw Omi, I knew ya had a soft spot for kids."
Kiyoomi rolled his eyes.
Asuka was now being led back to the lobby by three athletes with a big smile on his face. Sure, he was certainly going to get in trouble for running off, but it was so worth it. If only he could’ve seen Bokuto though, that would’ve been the cherry on top of his adventure.
“Asuka! Asuka, where are you?!”
Asuka took off ahead of the three players, knowing they were close behind him. With a cheer, he was scooped up into his father’s arms and giggled.
“Oh my god Asuka, never run away from me like that again! Do you know how worried I was?!”
Tobio was too involved with his son to notice Shouyo, Kiyoomi, or Atsumu stood in front of him, eyes wide, and Atsumu’s mouth hung open.
“Tobio?”
Shouyo weakly spoke, and Tobio looked up and met Shouyo’s eyes. He hadn’t prepared for this, he wasn’t ready to tell anyone about Asuka, and he promised Mei-
“Hey, Kageyama-kun, take a deep breath.”
That was Kiyoomi speaking, bringing Tobio back to the present. Asuka was looking at him with concern from his place in Tobio’s arms, and Tobio realized he had been starting to panic. He took a deep breath before returning his gaze to Shouyo, a small, worried smile crossing his lips.
“Good to see you again, Hinata.”