Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

POV : Hinata Shōyō / Nova

Nova was having a wonderful time. It had been far too long since he’d been able to play like this; since he actually let loose and not worry so much about what others would think, which was a luxury and a privacy that his helmet gave him. He had also done something sneaky with the cameras connected to the police cars—something that Sugawara had recommended after the incident with Ukai. He couldn’t alter footage that had already been broadcast, but he could mess with the light that the devices were capturing. After a little experimentation with Koushi’s smartphone, he could manage to create a glitching effect that was very convincing, though he couldn’t keep up the activity for long, not to mention he had to know if the cameras were there or not, but a quick question to Koushi told him that it was very likely that they had them on the cars—so he did his best to ruin any possible footage that could trace back to him.

If he was honest, the light manipulation for cameras that he couldn’t pinpoint very easily was tiring—irritatingly so. He didn’t like feeling as weak as he was, especially with that… familiar shiver of energy that he’d sensed for that fleeting moment in Valencia, which had forced his hackles up and made him feel on edge. But with how giddy he was thanks to being able to share his joy of traveling with some of his dearest friends, seeing the Badillos again, and flying through the streets of Miyagi on his bike… Well, he was having such a good time that he wasn’t feeling too bad despite the bit of drain to his energy. He could put away everything else for now; he’d been doing it for thousands of years, after all. And it was always easier to control his output when he was happy, and something about him soared despite his bike not completely leaving the ground… most of the time.

“Holy shiiiit!” Koushi shrieked, holding on as tightly as he could when Nova took a sudden sharp turn to screech through an alleyway, making a jump over a short staircase before landing heavily on the road on the other side with another squeal of tires and into another turn. The motorcycle was built to handle such easy jumps—the body of the bike lowered as the wheels and frame took most of the momentum—leaving the riders feeling a little more comfortable during every jump and bump they passed over as they whirled and weaved through town. Sugawara suggested that they not tell Daichi that as they had neared the busier streets, two more police cars had gotten involved and split up to try to control their exciting (insane) tricks and maneuvers. To Shōyō, it was just another addition to the challenge. It meant that he was able to play the long game, letting one car spot him, then practically disappearing, then reappearing within sight of another to confuse their pursuers when he drove them around in endless circles.

Compared to True Star, Earth was a very safe planet. Sure, apparently tigers weren’t as friendly as the alien had thought they would be at first meeting. Tooru didn’t seem to like sharks, either, though the few that Nova had seen when traveling over water had seemed rather mellow. It’s not like he could talk to them, though, so he couldn’t be sure. And for Nova, True Star still hadn’t been… intensely dangerous. Not with the pair of suns filling him to be nearly bursting with energy. But the wildlife there was as harsh as its surroundings. It had to be to survive. Thorn wyrms, keki’mews, creatures great and small, acid spitting and covered in spikes, or armored and armed with venom and fangs. And Nova, when he wasn’t around any sunwalkers… enjoyed playing with them a bit.

Well, he knew that they were trying to kill him, but it had been quite fun giving them the runaround when he got bored. What else was an unaging alien to do? There was only so much hunting, building, crafting and other rudimentary tasks a star could do before they wanted something a little more exciting. And being chased was certainly exciting in his book.

Sometimes, Nova daydreamed about that one time he’d gotten chased by a horde of very large, very angry, very fire-breathy drakes through an underground cave system as large as Tokyo. It had been so much fun; he often giggled aloud just thinking about it, but he was sure that telling the story to his human friends would terrify them. Or at least upset them. Mostly due to how Tooru reacted to his description of keki’mews. Really, keki’mews weren’t even close to being the most dangerous creatures True Star had to offer!

Secretly, he sort of missed being able to dash around, claws scrabbling against rock as he bashed his way through the occasional wall when he ran and dodged and found the most complex routes through the ever-entwining strings of light that guided the living creatures chasing him.

Dodging a few cops after that? How did humans say it…?

“Piece of pie!” Shōyō announced cheerfully, screeching to a halt beside Asahi’s car, which was waiting outside Koushi’s apartment. They’d stopped by Tanaka’s house on their way there to hide out of sight for a bit. It had been strange to not be able to greet his friends, but Koushi said it was probably for the best that they didn’t know that Hinata had a motorcycle—or was involved in running from the police. Shōyō trusted him completely, even if it did make him a little sad that he didn’t get to hug Nishinoya. He liked hugs. And his team’s libero was always happy to offer them to Hinata… Maybe he’d ask for one at practice tomorrow to make up for it.

He did initiate a big one with Tooru, because Tooru’s hugs were obviously the very best.

“Sunshine,” his human greeted, pulling off the alien’s helmet for him and pressing a kiss right to his hairline. Nova glowed a little, purring almost as loud as his bike’s engine with the leftover rush and delight. Maybe one day he’d take Tooru on a wild chase like that! That could be fun! As long as he was sure he was safe.

What? Just because he almost got caught didn’t mean he actually got caught. There was a difference. He was still going to go fast.

“Koushi—” Daichi called, quick to pull his partner into a tight embrace, practically crushing Sugawara to his chest. Koushi giggled, his cheeks all flushed again from the ride.

“Asahi,” Asahi said, wrapping his arms around himself and making kissy noises at the rest of them. Sawamura sent him a rude gesture over Koushi’s head. Nova—who liked giving hugs as much as receiving them—offered Tooru a kiss to his cheekbone before blipping over to Asahi to give him a squeeze. The ace blinked, then laughed, hugging him back. “At least someone cares about me,” he said, holding the alien off the ground.

“You’re shaking,” Daichi accused Sugawara, who was still engulfed in his arms.

“I’m pretty sure that you’re shaking more than I am,” Koushi disagreed. There was a moment’s pause, one where Nova just dangled happily in his tall friend’s arms, slung in them a bit like how he’s seen people hold cats. He was a bit weightless, and Tooru was grinning with amusement at them. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to scare you this much…” the setter added, a bit sheepishly.

“Please don’t do that again,” the Karasuno captain agreed weakly. After a minute of shaking, he dropped his head onto Koushi’s shoulder, tucking his face into the crook of his neck. “Ugh, you’re going to make me as gray as you are by the end of the year.”

“Well, they say that couples start to look like each other after a while,” Sugawara said dryly, running his fingers through Daichi’s hair soothingly all the same.

“Can you two quit being mushy and—” Asahi started, before suddenly whirling Nova around and holding him up by his middle, just under his arms. “You!” he shouted. The alien watched as the ace’s energy spiraled and swirled and sparked with a rather blinding mix of excitement, shock, and other varying hues indicating intensity.

“Me?” he echoed, trying to catch the little flicks of reddish agitation in the peripherals of Azumane’s aura. He really had become so highly attuned to his friends, more so than most beings he’s encountered. And… well, sometimes it was really quite nice to just watch the colors swirl over each other, forming shapes and patterns that he could feel as well as see.

“Since when could you use telepathy?!” the ace exclaimed. The alien blinked, recalled that humans called energy speak “telepathy,” and then flushed with embarrassment.

“Oh… yeah, Tooru mentioned that we… forgot… to mention that,” he agreed, ducking his head sheepishly. Oikawa snickered as Asahi’s expression reached a deadpan nature.

“And he mentioned it through telepathy, huh?” the ace said. Nova flushed, sensing that he was glowing a little, likely from his stars—freckles. This was confirmed when the third year’s eyes flickered over the alien’s cheekbones.

“Maybe…” he admitted.

“Wait—what? Telepe—who—now?” Sugawara said, looking over at them. His eyes were wide, his energy spinning with a mixture of surprise and excitement and intrigue.

“It’s energy speak!” Shōyō chirped. “It’s how Tooru told me about the police!”

“You’re brain-talking with my roommate and you didn’t tell me?!” Koushi shouted, facing the Seijoh captain, his mouth wide open with shock. “You’re telling me that you just forgot to share this life-changing information?!”

“He also forgot to mention that Shōyō took him on an evening trip to an actual fucking star, and that we don’t know if the dream-walking thing is actually dreaming,” Daichi agreed, his voice obscured by Sugawara’s shoulder.

“A what?” the silver setter yelped. Shōyō brightened.

“Oh yeah! That one is very nice. Blue stars always hum such pretty songs,” he purred. He really liked that one… There was something about it that quietly reminded him of Tooru in its own, strange way. “They’re fun to sing with, too.”

“Any other big revelations?” Koushi asked, raising his eyebrow in amusement. Nova shrugged. Sure, he had plenty of stories, plenty of revelations, and plenty of secrets.

“I’m pretty sure that this”—Asahi held Shōyō aloft a little higher, with the alien’s arms dangling at his sides, and him being perfectly happy to be rather limp in his friend’s arms—“creature right here used to poke holes in the fabric of reality when he was bored.”

“I always fixed them!” the alien exclaimed, shocked that Asahi would suggest that he would just leave the fabric frayed. And he only played with reality on True Star, anyway. “And I’m not a creature!” he added.

“… Right,” Daichi said, his mouth pressed into a line. “I’m now nervous to ask, but… anything else?”

“Running from the cops is fun,” Koushi announced. Nova beamed, glowing a bit.

“Yes, yes! I agree!” he chirped.

“No, you do not,” Both captains said together, both pointing at him. Then they looked at each other, apparently in sync. Sawamura scowled, but Tooru grinned.

“Oh, we get to deal with Noya and Tanaka having a potential freak out tomorrow,” Koushi said, redirecting the sudden eye contact between Daichi and Tooru. “We stopped by Tanaka’s house to get out of sight for a moment—I had Shōyō keep his helmet on so they didn’t figure out that he was driving a bike as a first year.”

“Oh my God,” Sawamura groaned, dropping his head into his hand. “… They really don’t know that it was Shōyō? Cause knowing that you’re getting into shit probably isn’t exactly surprising, but if they start talking about Shōyō, and one of the teachers find out—”

“Hey!” Sugawara exclaimed, though he was laughing. “I’m not that bad!” Everyone looked at him, and he rolled his eyes fondly. “Okay, whatever. Fuck you guys.” He shook his head in amusement. “I was careful; I don’t think that they recognised him. It’s kinda hard to when he’s wearing full leather and a big ass helmet.”

“It seems like every time we try to put you under the radar, something happens to put you on it,” Tooru sighed, casting a half-amused glance at the alien. Nova shrugged. That wasn’t exactly his fault… Well, maybe this time it was. But it usually wasn’t his fault.

“Well, I haven’t been caught by the police yet!” the alien said with a shrug that didn’t really come off very easily with the way he was still slung in Asahi’s arms.

“And let’s keep it that way,” Daichi said exhaustedly, dragging a hand down his face. “And you’re sure that they didn’t follow you…?”

“A few cars are easy to evade! I wish they’d gotten out a helicopter; that would have been a real challenge—”

“Sunshine, please—” Tooru said, putting his hand over the alien’s mouth before he could continue.

“You say that like you make a habit of running from the cops,” Asahi sighed, frowning at him. Nova stiffened and made eye contact with Sugawara, who immediately snorted and looked away.

“Oh my God,” Daichi muttered, shaking his head and massaging his brow. Nova, sensing Tooru was holding the gem piece with his free hand, looked at him.

‘I probably shouldn’t mention that…’ he said.

“No, you probably shouldn’t,” Oikawa agreed dryly. “When even was that?”

‘Sometimes I was reported as being lost—other times I… helped out a person or two who was being bothered by someone not very nice…’ he admitted sheepishly. Tooru stared at him, then rolled his eyes with a silly little grin that he only got when he was trying not to laugh—something that made Nova feel rather soft.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” he mused, removing his hand.

“Ugh, that’s not fair. I want to mind-speak too,” Koushi pouted, but the glitter to his eyes was good natured and friendly. “You two probably just use it to flirt or something. Superpowers are wasted on you,” he added through the kind of grin that always made Asahi a little nervous.

“We do not!” Tooru exclaimed, immediately flushing pink. Immediately feeding off Sugawara’s mischievous mood, Nova projected the feeling of a kiss onto Tooru’s cheekbone—as he had on occasion since figuring out his human could connect with him this way, at least while holding the gem fragment. Immediately, Oikawa’s blush got worse and he covered the spot with his hand, shooting the alien a flustered glare. Nova felt a little giddy at the reaction, flashing his teeth back in a sharp smile.

“Do I want to know what he said?” Koushi asked, noticing the interaction immediately. Caught, Tooru was practically bright red.

“He didn’t say anything,” he admitted, his fingertips still over the kiss-spot. “The little shit kissed me,” he squeaked out, his lips all wobbly with a grin.

“You can do that?” Sugawara asked his roommate, immediately amused. Shōyō nodded cheerfully. The setter suddenly jumped and started to pull off the leathers that Tooru had lent him, offering them to their owner with a grin. “Thanks for letting me borrow these, by the way; I’m sure that I would have turned into an icicle without them.”

“Nah, Sunshine would never let that happen,” Tooru disagreed, but he took the protective gear back with a wide smile. Then he winked. “We should see to getting you a set, Silver-chan, you look very nice in leather,” he purred with a smirk. “Dai-chan certainly thinks so—” The Seijoh captain was cut off by a shout quickly followed by a thonk as Daichi protested loudly and threw an empty water bottle at the back of Oikawa’s head.

“Hey!” he squealed, whirling to face him.

“Please do not start bickering again,” Asahi whined, returning Nova to the ground.

“He started it!” Tooru claimed, his eyes glittering past his theatrics.

“I had to deal with them the whole car ride,” the ace continued, unimpressed when Daichi just grinned and raised a new bottle—this one half-full.

“Ah—wait—” Tooru said, jumping and pulling out his phone, which was ringing. Daichi threw the water bottle at him anyway, and the taller captain squealed and dodged it—“Stop! I’m getting a call!” he shrieked, but the tone was put on and a little too giddy to be properly mad. He answered it, turning away from the group. “Hey, mom,” he said, his demeanor suddenly calm. The third years snickered together, but Tooru just sent them a glare and a rude gesture.

“Hey, Shōyō, are you taking Kawa home tonight?” Sugawara asked, approaching him with the helmet that they’d lent him. Nova took it when it was offered, the helm not reacting to his touch any more than a little hum. This one was for his humans, after all.

“Yes! I’ll be back tonight or early in the morning,” he agreed.

“What?!” Oikawa suddenly yelped, a jolt of shock rushing through the captain’s connection with Nova, making the alien jump. “But—well, mom, I don’t know about tonight; that’s—that’s kind of sudden, right?” he was saying, his words suddenly stumbling over each other. He paused for a moment, and then breathed out a nervous sound. “Well, yes, I did say that, and—yes, he did… Well, it’s— ugh, tonight…?” he said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. While he was turned away from the group, everyone could hear him and Koushi raised his eyebrows at his roommate, as if he knew what was going on. Which he didn’t, so he could only offer a shrug in return. While he felt a sense of anxiety and shock, Tooru didn’t seem properly distressed, so Nova tried to be patient about whatever was happening on the other side of the phone.

“I’ll—yes, he’s with me, but… Okay, okay, okay—yeah, I’ll ask him… Yes, I will; I’ll— ohmygod, fine,” he said. Now Sugawara seemed amused, and Daichi was making a face (and wearing his energy in a certain way) that told Shōyō that he was a little bit endeared and thought whatever was happening was funny—but also didn’t want anyone to know what he felt beyond the grin. Asahi was just raising his eyebrows as if he didn’t know if Oikawa was in trouble or not. Finally, Tooru turned back toward them, blushing a bit and covering the microphone on his phone with his hand. His eyes found the alien, who felt a touch nervous himself at this point.

“My mom wants you to come over for dinner to meet my family,” he announced, only turning redder upon saying it out loud. The silence that followed was a little daunting, but Nova was taking his words carefully and thinking it over. He did want to be on Tooru’s family’s good side. But he was also nervous. They were so important to Tooru, and they were a big part of his life. While he knew that he was important to his human, he was aware that if his family had a bad opinion of him… it would at the very least put a strain on their relationship. At worst, it could end it.

Not to mention that Oikawa Maho knew that he wasn’t… a typical human person. Nova was aware that she didn’t know much beyond that—but that much was enough to make him nervous. Especially after what happened with Iwaizumi, he didn’t want to mess things up further.

“What are you thinking, Sunshine?” Tooru asked, now frowning with concern at him. The alien jumped, having gotten lost in thought. But… the moment that he met eyes with Oikawa, he felt as if his worries were put on hold. If Tooru’s family was anything like he was, then Nova would be just fine. Because the amount of care and concern in those eyes was like a weighted blanket over Shōyō’s worries. That, and the alien knew how much Tooru adored them…

“Okay,” he decided, suddenly not so nervous to the point that he’d started to float a little. He grounded himself with a nod. “I’ll go!”

Everyone seemed surprised—had he really let all of his anxiety show that easily? He usually didn’t let his guard down that much, but being around them was different. His humans were staring like they were worried. Tooru also frowned a little more, holding the phone farther from his face, the microphone still covered.

“You don’t have to; I know that my mom wants you to, but if you’re not comfortable—”

“No, really! I was just surprised,” Nova insisted, offering them a grin. “It’s… sudden, yes, but I’m okay with it.” He tilted his head. “As long as you’re okay with it… Do you not want that?”

“No! Sunshine, I do, I just—I know it’s last minute,” Oikawa said quickly, finally returning his smile. “I’ll let her know; I just wanted to check with you before agreeing,” he assured him. Still a bit flushed, he turned away again and brought the phone back up. “Yeah, we’ll see you in a bit, mom… Yeah, I’m sorry for that… Well, you didn’t give us much warning!”

“You gonna be okay?” Sugawara asked, reaching out to tug on a lock of Nova’s hair to get his attention. He leaned into the hand, softening as the light pull was upgraded into a proper head pat.

“I’m a little nervous,” he admitted, a bit sheepish. Then he perked up. “Have you met Daichi’s family?” he asked. Koushi immediately flushed and turned away, red up to his ears.

“I have, actually. Before we started dating, and then again more recently,” he admitted. Nova hummed. That sounded different from his own situation. He had only met Oikawa’s mother once before, and while that was before he and Tooru had officially confessed to each other—it was hard to count such a brief interaction as an actual meeting.

“Did it go well?” the alien asked anyway. Despite the difference, he was still curious. Sugawara, still a little rosy-cheeked, grinned at him.

“Yeah. Apparently they’d been rooting for us for a while,” the silver setter said. Nova raised his eyebrows, his lips curling up mischievously.

“Wasn’t everyone, though?” he purred. He got a hand over his face for it, but he just giggled. He took the hand, moving it to the side a bit so he could grin properly at Sugawara, who was now properly blushing. “What do you think I should do?” he asked, which managed to make his roommate put aside his half-amused irritation to help him out.

“Just be yourself, Shōyō. The whole point of meeting the family is so they know who you are, and see how you fit in with them,” he explained. “It might feel a bit scary, but you’re easy to like, and I’m sure that they’ll like you just fine.” His smile did make the alien feel a little better… but there was a hint of nerves that he just couldn’t shake off.

“Should I bring something…? Are there customs for this?” he added nervously. Koushi hummed, then suddenly went to the car. Curious, Shōyō followed.

“Y’know, it is common to bring a bit of food or something; you should bring some of the paella! Your family made a bunch, and it’s an easy dish to reheat,” he suggested, bringing the large round container out of one of the bags. It was already wrapped in a large cloth despite being in an airtight container, and Nova accepted it. His face felt hot from Koushi’s easy claim that the Badillos were his family… As easy and sure as a claim that Daichi was their captain. “And it’s not as spicy as some of the other dishes. If Kawa’s family is anything like him, they might not be able to stomach the stronger stuff,” he explained with a smirk sent toward the captain in question.

“Thank you! That is a good idea,” Shōyō agreed, taking the food and walking with his roommate to put it in the storage compartment of his bike.

“It’s a good conversation starter, too. You can tell them about the Badillos, and the kind of food you like,” the silver setter added thoughtfully. “Make sure to ask questions about them too; this is a good chance to learn more about his family as well as letting them learn about you,” he continued, flashing Nova an encouraging smile. “You’re already really good at that; I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with them.”

“You think so?” Nova asked, genuinely surprised. He still struggled with a lot of human things, especially socially. Koushi grinned at him.

“Absolutely. You’ve gotten a lot better, but… honestly, you’ve always been one of the brightest people I’ve ever met,” he assured the ginger person, who suddenly felt flustered—taken off guard by the sudden compliment. However, Sugawara sobered after a moment. “That being said… Oikawa mentioned that his mom… saw you floating…” Shōyō stiffened. “Does she know anything else?”

“Not really. Tooru said that she reacted very well, but I… I don’t know exactly how much more she knows. I don’t think it’s much…” he admitted, fiddling with the helmet in his hands to give himself something to do.

“Well… it might be good to figure out with Oikawa how much you’re comfortable sharing, and what you’d rather not share. I don’t… I don’t recommend lying to his family, Shōyō—but you’re under no obligation to spill your guts, either,” the setter said, sort of frowning at him. Nova blinked. He understood the first part, but—

“I don’t have any guts,” he reminded his roommate, who choked on a laugh. Asahi, who had approached midway through Koushi’s advice, gave the alien a reassuring grin.

“It’s another turn of phrase, Shōyō. It means you don’t have to tell them everything all at once, especially things you’re not comfortable talking about,” the ace explained. And then his mouth wobbled in a grin. “Though, the fact that you don’t have guts is exactly something you might want to consider whether or not you’re comfortable mentioning.” Shōyō nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the information as best he could.

“Do you think that I should… tell them? That I’m not…” Shōyō… Nova felt his throat tighten, the gem in his chest humming with a hint of distress on a decibel too low for human ears to decipher. Sure, maybe Oikawa’s family would like him for who he was… but what if they hated him because of what he wasn’t?

“That’s going to be up to you…” Koushi said slowly, staring at him as if trying to read his thoughts. “Shōyō, are you sure that you’re up for this?” he asked, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. The alien bit his lip, feeling the sharp edge of his fang drag along the false flesh there. When he was around Tooru, the Karasuno third years, his teammates, the Badillos, and all of the other dear friends he’d made all over Earth—he didn’t feel alien. He felt at home. He felt welcome. And most of all, he felt as if he belonged.

Would Oikawa’s family welcome him? Not as some outsider, or some unwelcome creature trespassing on their planet, but as a traveler finally finding a home for himself…?

While Nova did not consider himself an expert on humans, or all-knowing in terms of the relationships that they formed with each other… he knew that meeting the family of a partner was a big deal for them. And he… well, he only really had himself to offer, didn’t he? While he adored the Badillos, and they had claimed themselves as his family, which— stars, Nova was still reeling over that—they weren’t the same kind of family Tooru had. And he was a little— more than a little—self-conscious about it. And… secretly, in some ways, he had opened himself to claiming the Badillos back. Announcing them as his family, but he had no way of doing that in person tonight. They were in Valencia, and then there was the language barrier…

Nova fixed his eyes on Tooru, who had gotten his leathers on and was talking to Daichi a few paces away. The Karasuno captain had his arms folded and was speaking in a way that sounded protective. When Nova spun his pupils, focusing on his captain’s energy, he couldn’t help but immediately feel all gooey. Daichi had his energy spread. Like a pair of wings, a halo of coppery-grayish energy was expanded and bright, fluffed up like a cloudy shield. But it wasn’t blocking Tooru, or anyone else, out. Instead, it reached, unfolding in a way that descended over the shoulders of his friends. He was putting up a front, pretending to practically scold Tooru, and telling him to make sure that his alien first year was safe and sound, that he came home safely, and not to let the Seijoh captain’s family upset him.

However, given the way that his energy was poised, Daichi was secretly, perhaps subconsciously, protecting Oikawa, too. And the setter in question… He was a bundle of so many colors in that moment. A ball of yarn of a million different hues that sparked and tangled and shifted with nerves, excitement, and a touch of anxiety, but… there was pride there, too, shining in a silvery hue that reminded Nova of old, stone walls and glaciers and morning dew.

Tooru was proud of him, and felt proud to be able to introduce him to his family.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Nova decided, unable to keep the smile off his face. Sugawara ruffled his hair, though the worry never fully left his eyes, and the setter’s energy continued to spiral in a color that wasn’t quite vermillion around his shoulders.

“Well… good luck, Shōyō. Tell me all about it later, yeah?” he urged.

“I will!” the ginger agreed, really and truly hoping that everything would go well, and that he would come home with only good stories to tell.

“Stay safe, Shōyō; please don’t speed tonight,” Asahi urged. “I’ll see you tomorrow at morning practice.”

“No promises! But I will stay safe and I’ll see you tomorrow!” Nova chirped. The ace gave him a half-amused, half-exhausted look.

“Ready?” Tooru asked, a bag with the clothes he’d left Japan in slung over his shoulder. He looked as nervous as Nova felt. But Shōyō smiled at him and handed his human his helmet, which hummed in his hands and returned to that bright blue that the alien had picked for him.

“Ready!” he agreed. Some of the tension left Oikawa’s shoulders immediately, and he dipped his head down for a kiss before putting his helmet on. The surprise bit of affection left Shōyō glowing as he followed suit, trying not to float too much. No matter how many times he traded kisses with the captain, they always left him feeling giddy.

Waving goodbye, Shōyō hopped onto the bike, made sure Tooru was holding on tight, and was off, letting the wind whip away his worries for the results for tonight.

POV : Oikawa Tooru

Tooru felt more than a little awkward as he approached the front door of his own home. Truthfully, this should be one of the last places he should feel awkward, but he couldn’t help it. Despite his near-constant assurances that he was up to it, Nova was a little ball of stress beside him, his hands squeezing the handles for the container of food. They had stashed the alien’s bike in the woods behind the setter’s house with their gear and helmets. While Oikawa doubted that they’d have to worry about it being seen by the police, it was better to be safe than sorry. It was at least better than leaving it in view of the road.

“Are you feeling okay about this, Sunshine?” he asked, leaning over to knock on the door. He missed his leather riding pants already, chilly in his jeans alone. He had kept his jacket on, though Nova had opted to only wear the outfit that Asahi had picked for him that morning. With the time difference, it made Oikawa a little dizzy to think had still technically been today.

“I’m a little nervous, but… you’ll be with me the whole time, right?” Shōyō asked, looking up at him. He was clearly downplaying his feelings, but there was also a determined line to his jaw. Feeling a little giddy, Tooru reached forward, manually re-fluffing his star’s hair from when it had been pressed down from his helmet.

“You’ll do great. I know that it’s scary, but you’re easy to love, Sunshine,” he promised, offering him what he hoped to be a comforting smile. “Actually, they’ll probably like you more than me,” he laughed. Nova flushed, his mouth falling open with shock at the idea.

“What? That’s—” The door opened before he could finish the thought, and Yuriko appeared. She raised her eyebrows at her brother, having to look up at him a touch despite the fact that she was older. Tooru had a feeling that was why his sister liked heels so much; Yuriko enjoyed the opportunity to be his height or taller.

“Why are you knocking on the door, weirdo? You live here; just come in,” she said, before catching sight of Shōyō. She opened the door a little wider, looking the alien up and down with a casual curiosity that immediately told Tooru that their mother had not told her about any sightings of flying. “Oh, hello. Who’s this?” she said, greeting the newcomer with a raised eyebrow and a smile. The setter immediately felt awkward and suspicious. He bit the inside of his cheek. He knew his sister. Even if she didn’t live in the family home anymore, she hadn’t changed that much.

“This is my… This is my boyfriend, Hinata Shōyō. Be nice, Yuriko,” he said, his face warming when his voice got a little wobbly with affection, just… exactly the kinds of stupid feelings he knew that he was going to get teased about. He loved his sister—he did. She was just a little evil sometimes, which was confirmed when Yuriko’s eyes first went wide, and then glittered. She leaned on the doorway, still standing in the way, and flashed Nova her best grin.

“Well, hello. I can’t say Roo’s ever brought anyone home before. Not anyone that he’s let me meet, at least. You must be special—” she said.

“Onee-chan!” Tooru yelped, despite already knowing that she’d immediately do something embarrassing. Nova flushed, his blush a little orange-tinged around the highest point of his cheekbones and the tips of his ears, glowing in a way that was faint enough to be easily mistaken for the late afternoon sun.

“It’s nice to meet you, Yuriko-san,” he said, bowing as best he could while having food in his hands. Yuriko’s eyebrow twitched with amusement, a proper smirk spreading over her face.

“And he’s polite, too,” she said, her tone keeping an amused lilt to it. She stared at Nova a moment longer. “How old are you?” she asked. 

The alien—unsure how to answer that—glanced at Oikawa before saying. “Well, I’m a first year, but I’m older than I look,” he decided. Immediately, Yuriko reached over and bonked Tooru on the head with her fist.

“Hey!” Tooru griped, fixing his hair.

“You better be nice to him,” she said, jabbing a finger at him.

“He’s my boyfriend!” he exclaimed, aghast. “Of course I’m nice to him!” But his sister was already grinning at Nova, who was watching the interaction with wide eyes.

“Come on in! It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, the snake. But her warmth was genuine, and Shōyō could clearly sense that much, as the smile he offered her was bright and friendly. “Roo, why are you making him carry the food? You’re such a bully,” she said as he passed her. Tooru whined as he shrugged off his bag and swapped his outside shoes for his indoor slippers.

“You’re the bully. You’re supposed to defend me!” he complained. His older sister just flicked his forehead.

“You can go straight into the kitchen; mom’s in there,” Yuriko told Shōyō, who nodded and tentatively crossed the hallway on his own. When Tooru took a step to follow, his sister got in his way. “He isn’t like the girls you’ve dated before,” she said, folding her arms. Despite her stance, her expression was rather mild.

“You just said that I haven’t introduced any to you…” the captain pointed out, a little worried that Shōyō would feel anxious if left alone.

“Exactly,” Yuriko said, not moving anywhere. But her eyes were crinkled in a cheeky way, not being mean (yet). “You like him,” she said, her voice lowering to a tease. There it was.

“It would be weird if I didn’t,” Tooru pointed out, mimicking her tone. She was unaffected.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s cute,” she grinned, somehow able to tower over him despite being a good few inches shorter. “My baby brother’s all grown up,” Yuriko cooed, practically baby talking him. Tooru rolled his eyes.

“I’m not that much younger than you, so you can’t—”

“You’re almost nine years younger than me—”

“Eight!”

“Whatever. You’ll be my baby brother even when you’re old and gray,” she laughed. And… Tooru didn’t know why that phrase so quickly triggered it, but her words sort of pinched something in his chest. The idea of aging had never really bothered him before. It was just part of life, it was natural, and it followed him just as it did anyone else. And he was still young, and he had decades ahead of him, but… Tooru’s eyes looked past Yuriko to Nova, who had run into Yuriko’s husband in the living room, and was greeting him. The light streaming in through the windows reflected off the alien’s pupils, like a cat’s when the alien turned, sensing, and then catching, Tooru’s gaze. Nova was, and always would be… eternal. But Shōyō didn’t seem to mind, despite being painfully aware of Oikawa’s mortality, flashing him a grin and a wave before Ryuk, the brother-in-law, recaptured his attention with a curious comment on his hair, and whether or not it was naturally so vivid.

Would Nova still want to be by his side when he was old and gray…?

“You’re staring,” Yuriko observed, before exaggeratingly looking over her shoulder, spotting Nova; when she turned back toward him, she was wearing a smirk that barely fit on her face. Yuriko, like Tooru, had most of their mother’s features, though her hair was a bit darker than Tooru’s, like their father’s. But that smirk was definitely from their mom. “Oh my god, you are in deep,” she said, sounding both surprised and rather happy for him. Despite her evil smirks. The captain was immediately flushed and flustered, taken off guard. “Are you properly in love, Tooru?” she asked, her tone still suggesting a tease. But there was a certain sparkle in her eye that was genuinely excited.

“Shut up, Yuriko,” Tooru grumbled, chewing on the inside of his cheek and avoiding eye contact.

“Dude, I’m happy for you; don’t be a brat,” she griped, reaching up and purposefully messing up his hair again. Tooru clicked his tongue and muttered threats as he fixed it, but… in all honesty, he was quite pleased somewhere under all the embarrassment that Yuriko approved so far. “Have you told him? How long has this even been going on?! You never said anything—”

And now came the questions…

“Yuriko, we can save the questions for dinner,” Ryuk suggested, approaching and planting a kiss on his wife’s cheek. Tooru shot his brother-in-law a thankful look. He didn’t… love Ryuk. He didn’t feel like he was good enough for his sister, but he wasn’t exactly a bad guy, either. Maybe Tooru was just a little paranoid after the mess that was their parents’ relationship when they were kids. But all things considered, he wasn’t too bad. And he did occasionally save him when Yuriko was being a bully, so Ryuk was generally accepted.

“That’s right! I want to hear everything!” she agreed, which was both terrifying and ominous despite her bright tone. He knew Yuriko, and knew that she would never forgive him for not telling her everything from the beginning. Not in an “I’m hurt and sad and am going to cry,” way, but in an “I’m going to hold this over your head for ever,” way. Which might be worse.

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Tooru agreed, hands raised in surrender as he dodged his sister and brother-in-law, and walked into the kitchen just as his mother turned and found Nova there, his stance clearly nervous. She was in the middle of transferring the saucepan to the sink to soak it while they ate, and she nearly dropped it into the water when she found the alien in her kitchen. But she immediately recovered, turning to greet them and drying her hands on a hand towel.

“Well, hello! You walk so silently; I didn’t hear you come in,” she said. There was a hint of nervousness to her jaw, but it was slight enough that Tooru didn’t feel too worried. Her reaction was… understandable, and already much better than he was expecting. “It’s nice to have you here! I’ve been pestering Tooru to bring you back ever since your last visit,” she said. Shōyō was already starting to perk up a little, though his returning smile was a bit wobbly with his own anxieties.

“Hello, Oikawa-san, thank you for inviting me,” he said graciously, his voice a touch quieter than usual, a touch tentative. Tooru followed his star’s gaze, and his mother only seemed to hesitate a moment, her eyes taking Shōyō in, before her posture relaxed.

“I told you, you can call me ‘auntie’ if you like,” Maho said. Something inside Tooru’s chest caved with relief, and Nova was similarly gladdened, his grin shining brightly. Putting the towel aside, her eyes caught sight of the container in the alien’s hands. “What’s this?” she asked, moving closer to get a look.

“Oh! This is paella. Suga—my roommate—suggested that I bring something to share,” he explained, holding it up a little. His mouth opened and closed once, unsure, and then he continued. “My… Well, my family made it,” he murmured, flushed and still unsure of the idea.

“That’s a… Spanish dish, right?” Maho said, intrigued and surprised and definitely curious. She leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the wrapped container. “Do you need to use the stove to warm it up, honey? We can have it with the rest of the food.”

“Yes please! And… Yes, it’s a Spanish dish. M—my family owns a restaurant,” he explained, still practically glowing as he talked about his newly claimed kin. Fuck, shit, dammit, he was so cute and Tooru’s heart was going to explode. His face felt hot, and he tried to hide it and his smile, with a hand over his mouth. “They sent us home with lots of food…”

“That’s right; Tooru met your family first,” she said, sending her son a disapproving glare which had a little bit of the same mischief that Yuriko inherited. That had been something she’d brought up in the phone call in order to guilt him into bringing Nova over. “Let me grab you a pan,” Maho continued, finding a large one and setting it on the stove. Nova flashed Tooru a huge smile—which did not help his situation—and followed. “I’m sure you can handle it if your family owns a restaurant,” she added. She must be aware that he was nervous and was trying to alleviate it.

“Yes, they’ve taught me lots of Spanish and French recipes. I hope it’s to your taste, I know that Tooru likes it…” he said, ducking his head a little but—after a once-over—turning on one of the stove rings to medium-high and transferring the paella into the freshly-oiled saucepan. There was also another set of containers to the side with the lemon wedges and extra seasoning in them, which Shōyō set up on the counter. “Are you sure I’m not… intruding…?”

“Not at all! Takeru’s at that age where he’s always hungry, so more food is always welcome,” Maho said, already moving to get the main dishes ready. “And Tooru’s always been a picky eater; I’m sure if he likes it, it’s wonderful.”

“Okā-san!” Tooru complained, pouting.

“You know that it’s true,” she reminded him.

“Takeru is… Yuriko-san and Ryuk-san’s son, right?” Shōyō confirmed, tilting his head.

“He’s in the garden,” she elaborated, with an affirming nod. “Do you have any siblings, Hinata-kun?” she asked. Nova’s eyes got big, suddenly unsure how to answer.

“Um—well—not exactly. I—well,” he glanced at Tooru for help.

“Sun—Shōyō is adopted,” the captain said, coming to his rescue. “He was… sort of adopted by the whole family, not a particular pair of adults. It was… an informal adoption, but a good one,” he said. Maho’s brow scrunched with a mixture of confusion and concern, but she took in the information carefully. Shōyō, too, seemed to like that description of the Badillos, his cheeks plush and flushed as they pulled with his smile.

“Well, I’d love to meet them sometime; you should give me their phone numbers,” Maho suggested. Nova blinked, looking at Tooru.

“Oh—uh—they speak Spanish exclusively, mom. Well—I know Jesús speaks pretty good English, and Manuel-san is fluent in French, too, but I don’t think any of them speak any Japanese…” the setter explained. Maho’s eyes widened, but she only seemed more interested.

“I see! I know that Tooru’s been learning Spanish, so that was certainly lucky,” she said. “I’d still like to meet them at some point, if you’re alright with it…”

“They did say that they might visit,” Shōyō said, looking at Tooru. “They can’t take that much time off during tourist season, though. They probably won’t be able to visit all at once…”

“Oh, that would be interesting,” Tooru admitted, trying to imagine the idea. “Suga-chan would love it, if only for the chaos…” he sighed.

“It would be cool to show them around! I think my team would like them!” Shōyō chirped, stirring the paella. “I think that they would like my team, too…” he added, somewhat bashfully.

“You live with Sugawara-kun, right? Tooru mentioned that,” Maho said. When Nova nodded, she continued. “So… your family doesn’t live nearby?”

“They’re in Valencia! That’s where the Limonero is,” Shōyō explained, not looking up from the food. “The restaurant has been in their family for a very, very long time. They taught me how to make most of the recipes, but I learned about the music first…” he trailed off, his eyes crinkling in a fond way.

“… Valencia, Spain?” Maho asked, blinking and looking over from where she was getting out a stack of dishes. Tooru stiffened, and met the round eyes of his star when he sort of flinched and turned around. “Oikawa Tooru,” Tooru’s mother started, her eyebrows high on her head and her tone lowering a notch.

“Let me set those on the table for you,” he said, taking the stack of plates from her hands.

“When did you go to Spain?!” she hissed, eyes big and her expression almost affronted. She wasn’t quite… mad, but she was shocked. Tooru blushed ridiculously, trying to half-hide behind the plates.

“… We got back earlier today,” he admitted quietly, unsure if his slightly goofy grin was too obvious. His mother’s mouth was half-open, her hands still out as if she was still holding the stack, and then she shook her head.

“You left the country without telling me…? Wait, when did you get your passport set up?” she asked, a little frazzled now. Tooru picked somewhere on the ceiling and stared at it. “Tooru.”

“It was just a little weekend trip! I was the one who suggested it,” he said, feeling a little bit like he was already in trouble. Especially when his mother looked at him like that.

“How did you even—international flights aren’t exactly cheap!” Maho whisper-shouted. Shōyō was looking between them, stirring the food to keep it from burning but also not wanting to leave Tooru to the wolves. Then Maho went pale. “Tooru, do not tell me that your little boyfriend flew you over an ocean,” she breathed. It seemed like she couldn’t quite comprehend the idea and wasn’t sure if she should be terrified or amazed.

“What?! No, it was—unconventional, but it didn’t involve flying,” Tooru said quickly, nearly dropping the plates. “God—no, he can’t…” He felt a bit awkward now. “He can’t—can’t um… do that for that long…” he admitted. His mother stared at him for a moment, and then looked at Nova. The little ginger had his head down, his shoulders scrunched up nearly to his ears as he stared at the paella—which was probably sufficiently reheated—as if he was trying to set it on fire with his eyes. Maho sighed, rubbing the spot between her brows with her fingers as she composed herself.

“… You know that I have questions,” she said. Shōyō flinched, his hair flicking out unnaturally to stand almost completely on end. As if he’d been electrocuted. It was something Maho definitely noticed but didn’t seem to be upset by. It made her eyebrows go up, though.

“Yeah…” Tooru mumbled.

“I haven’t said anything to your sister, but I don’t plan on lying to her, either,” she continued. She was being firm about it but not unkind. “Neither of you have to… say anything that’s… Look, Hinata-kun,” she sighed, suddenly focusing on him. Nova put down the seasoning he’d been adding and faced her, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. “I can’t pretend to know your situation, dear—and if you’re… If it’s something that’s difficult or—or even just scary to talk about, you don’t have to—ack.” Tooru’s mother huffed a sound and dropped her hands on her hips. “Excuse me, I’m a little frazzled.” She shook out a breath to reset.

“What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to answer a question if it’s too hard for you. This isn’t an interrogation; it’s to get to know you, and for you to get to know us,” she explained, trying to look the star in the eye. “I will have… a few questions that I do need a proper answer to, but I won’t bring those up until after dinner. And I promise, they’re ones that I’d ask anyone Tooru brought home.” Now Tooru’s ears pricked to that, but his mom waved him away. Shōyō finally looked up, chewing on his lower lip. Shit, if he was half as nervous as he looked, he must be more than a little terrified. Out of habit, Tooru reached for the gem piece in his pocket, giving it a little reassuring squeeze. Immediately Nova’s shoulders relaxed a bit, and he offered Maho a nod.

“I—I don’t mind questions, auntie-Oikawa-san, I’m just… a bit nervous,” he claimed, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“That’s understandable, and… I encourage you to ask as many questions as you like, too, okay?” she suggested, her eyes crinkling slightly at the alien’s way of addressing her. Now a little more comfortable, Shōyō managed a smile.

“I’d like that. Tooru talks about his family often, and he loves you a lot, so it’s wonderful to meet you in person,” he said. Tooru coughed. His mom looked at him, eyes glittering in a grin.

“Does he now?”

“I’m gonna set the table,” Tooru evaded, his ears burning. “Go heavy on the lemon, Sunshine; Takeru likes lemon.”

Takeru wandered into the dining room just as the meal was about to begin, probably drawn in by the out of the ordinary atmosphere in the space. Of course, his eyes immediately found the brightly colored stranger in the room, the alien in the middle of helping Maho set out the drinking glasses.

“Who is that?” he asked, blunt about it.

“Hey, Takeru,” Tooru greeted with a grin. His nephew’s face immediately lit up.

“Oji-san!” he exclaimed, as if he was surprised to see the captain in his own home. He approached, but he was already looking around curiously. “Is Hajime-san not coming to dinner today…?” he asked, confused. It was a pretty standard question to ask. As Iwaizumi and Tooru had grown up together, Hajime was practically an extra uncle to the kid, and Takeru referred to him as such rather often. He was at family dinners with Yuriko’s part of the family more often than not, and tagged along when Tooru was babysitting Takeru when he could. Despite his efforts, Tooru couldn’t quite hide the jump to his shoulders at the question, but he managed to smooth it over with a smile. However, he was sure that Yuriko noticed, given the way that she was suddenly clocking his movements.

“Ah, not today, Takeru,” he said, as mildly as he could. Takeru frowned, nearly pouting.

“What?! Why not? I wanted to show him my new game,” he said, holding up the PSP he had gotten for his birthday.

“Yeah, I would have expected him…” Yuriko said carefully, eyeing Tooru to the point that he felt her eyes burning holes into the side of his head. The setter did not meet her gaze, pressing his lips together nervously.

“He’s busy today, Takeru.” Tooru hadn’t meant for the words to come out so clipped, and when his nephew only frowned more, he immediately felt bad about it. “He has an exam in his English class that he’s nervous about, so he’s studying,” he elaborated, softening his tone. Takeru’s frown didn’t completely disappear, but he seemed to buy the little fib. “You know how he is; he really wants to learn English in case he wants to study abroad.”

“Yeah…” he eventually agreed but was still visibly disappointed.

“You get to see me, at least!” Tooru said, putting on an extra layer of offense. The kid, who really was far too young to have this much sass—Tooru suspected that Yuriko was the cause of it—just rolled his eyes.

“Come and eat, come and eat,” Maho urged, waving them to the table.

“Who’s that?” Takeru asked again, pointing at Nova, who waved his way.

“I’m Hinata Shōyō,” he greeted, offering a little bow. “It’s nice to meet you.” The elementary school student stared at the alien for a long moment, looking him up and down.

“You’re very orange,” he decided. Yuriko and Ryuk looked mildly mortified, but Shōyō just giggled, running a hand through his very orange hair to pull some of it out of his face. Tooru had never seen it tangled; it always fluffed back into shape after he took off his helmet, too—no matter how long he’d been wearing it. The setter suspected there was magic involved in that. He also suspected that the alien didn’t refluff his hair on purpose sometimes, just so that Oikawa would run his fingers through it.

“Takeru!” the child’s mother hissed, flushed with embarrassment.

“It is very bright, isn’t it?” the star agreed, unoffended. Takeru nodded seriously.

“Do you dye it? My friend’s big sister puts blue in her hair,” he asked.

“Nope,” Nova said, offering no other information—other than a grin. “Are you hungry?” Tooru kept his eyes on the interaction. He really wanted this to go well, Takeru was the most unpredictable out of the group. Honestly, the captain had no idea whether or not the kid would like Nova. For now, Takeru didn’t seem sure what to think of him either, other than the fact that he was orange. He just half-shrugged, half-nodded and got into his seat between Tooru and Yuriko.

“So! Hinata-chan,” Yuriko said, the moment that they had sat down. “Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?” she asked. “What school do you go to? Do you play volleyball? How did you and Roo meet?”

“Oh my god, onee-chan,” Tooru bemoaned, dropping his head into his hand, grabbing Nova’s under the table with the other. The alien squeezed it, shooting him a smile.

“Let him breathe, Yuriko,” Maho agreed but sounded more amused than anything.

“I’m curious! It’s not my fault that he neglected to introduce us before,” the elder of the two siblings complained, flashing Tooru a pointed look that made him want to shrivel in his seat and hide. She quickly returned her attention to Nova, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “So? Tell us about yourself. What’s your story?”

“Oh! Um—well, I’m a first year at Karasuno, and I love traveling, and I’m on my school’s volleyball team as their number ten,” the alien said, put on the spot. As Yuriko nodded, Shōyō tilted his head her way.

“May I ask you a question?” he inquired as everyone started to dish food onto their plates.

“Shoot,” Yuriko hummed, plating Takeru’s dinner.

“Why do you call Tooru ‘Roo?’ ” Nova asked, his eyes big and curious. Oh, no—

“Oh! I’ve been calling him that since we were little,” she said, the grin over her face somehow sharper than any fangs that Nova was capable of wearing. “It’s a good story, actually—”

“So, Ryuk! How was the drive here?” Tooru asked quickly and perhaps a bit too loudly, turning to his brother-in-law.

“We were a bit late; we were planning on being here around lunchtime, but there was some kind of roadblock set up. Apparently a police chase went down earlier,” he said, a slight crinkle to his eyes suggesting amusement and that he was very aware that Tooru was trying to change the subject from Yuriko’s childhood nickname for him. However, this answer brought a surprised snort of laughter from Tooru, too. He knew exactly what that chase was about.

“Did they catch them?” he asked, already glancing at Nova, who was pouting at him.

“Mm, no idea. I doubt it, though. I hear it’s really hard to chase motorcycles; they’re so small and so fast,” Yuriko said. She had gotten to the paella, and was looking at it curiously. “Ooh, what’s this, okā-san?” she asked.

“Hinata-kun’s family made it earlier today, so he brought some to share,” Maho explained, offering Shōyō a smile that the alien seemed to soak in a little.

“It smells amazing,” Yuriko approved, trying a mouthful before adding some to Takeru’s plate. Taking after his mother and his uncle, the kid couldn’t tolerate anything too spicy. Unlike them, he often tried anyway—to the point of coughing fits. That was likely Iwaizumi’s influence, Takeru’s extra uncle, who was sometimes the only person at the table who could chow down on spicy tofu like it was candy. Of course, Maho would often make his plate extra-spicy just for him… Tooru shook his head out of those kinds of thoughts and focused on the conversation. “It’ll go nicely with the breaded pork,” Yuriko added, when Hinata practically literally lit up. “It’s delicious; what is it called?”

“It’s paella; it’s one of the first recipes they taught me,” he explained. “It’s hard to find the right ingredients here, though…”

“Do you like cooking, Hinata-chan?” Yuriko asked. Her words were sweet, but her eyes were a little too mischievous for Tooru’s liking. He dug into his food and hoped that his sister wouldn’t embarrass him.

“I’m still learning, but I enjoy it,” Shōyō agreed. “I’m not very good at making… Suga calls them ‘staple’ dishes from Japan. But I’ve learned some from the—my family, and a few here and there when I was traveling,” he added. He got that little hint of color to his cheeks from both the excitement of being able—and allowed—to call the Badillos his family and at the mention of traveling.

“Oh? Where have you visited?” Ryuk asked conversationally, looking over with a proper hint of curiosity now. Takeru wasn’t very interested in the topic, his eyes on his game between bites of food, smart enough to prop the console out of his mother’s line of sight so that he wouldn’t be scolded.

“Um… Well, I spent a few months in Valencia, but other than that—and a bit of time in the Philippines—I went through India, Korea, England, Italy and France, and up to Sweden… I don’t know; I wasn’t paying much attention to borders, just the people and the places themselves,” he said, with a little shrug. Tooru’s sister and brother-in-law looked stunned. It was understandable. The places Shōyō mentioned were impressive to have visited alone, and it was clear that he’d been farther. Of course, they didn’t know how far. “Oh—Greece was cool. And I really liked Switzerland…”

“Where did you say you were from…?” Yuriko questioned. Shōyō tilted his head.

“I don’t think I did,” he responded. Tooru, who knew for a fact Nova had not meant to sound that ominous, had to try to swallow a laugh. It didn’t work, and he got a few looks for it.

“I met one of his friends, a photographer he met when he was wandering around Athens,” he said, not so deftly changing the subject again. “Nice guy, even if he talks a lot.”

“Oliver is nice! He likes you. He texted me yesterday and said he’s going to send us a surprise present,” Shōyō agreed. “I forgot to mention it because of the festival…” he said sheepishly, flushed.

“Oh? What kind of present?” Tooru asked, immediately curious.

“He said we’re supposed to get it in the mail tomorrow! He says that there was a delay because of the shipping,” the alien shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell me what it was. But he did say that he wanted us to video call him when we opened it!”

“ ‘Oliver’ is…?” Yuriko asked, facing her brother.

“We ran into him on our first date, and he asked us for a favor,” Tooru explained, already trying to figure out what this mystery gift could be. Clothes, perhaps?

“Oh, yes! Tell me all about how you two got together!” Yuriko said, immediately lighting up. Nova looked up from his food, his eyes finding Tooru. “Who asked who out?”

“Oji-san is dating the orange guy?” Takeru asked, looking up with a confused frown.

“His name is ‘Hinata,’ Takeru,” Ryuk reminded him.

“But is he dating him?” the kid pressed. His frown shifted when his father nodded at him. Not exactly upset, but still very confused. “I thought boys were supposed to date girls.”

“They don’t have to,” Yuriko shrugged, reaching over to pat Takeru on the head, getting his full attention in the process. “Boys can date boys if they like, and girls can date girls, if that’s what makes them happy. It’s just… a bit harder, sometimes…”

“Oh,” Takeru said, the frown disappearing. “So, Hinata-san is oji-san’s boyfriend? They’re both the boyfriend?” he asked, looking up at them. Tooru had to press his lips together not to laugh.

“That’s right,” he told his nephew, enjoying the warmth that the dinner brought him. It was hard transitioning from rather comfortable weather to something cold in an afternoon. But… Tooru eyed Takeru, half-curious. “I hope you two will get along, so be nice to each other,” he said, keeping his tone soft and light, almost teasing.

“I’m always nice!” Takeru claimed. When Tooru raised his eyebrows at him, he pouted.

“To answer your earlier question, Yuriko-san, I asked Tooru out on our first date,” Shōyō said, before lighting up as he took a bite of the pork. He hummed happily around the food, making Maho smile at him.

“Really?” the elder sister said, apparently surprised. Tooru was flushed, recalling the day leading up to their date in Mar Del Plata. When he felt Yuriko burning holes into his face, the captain sighed.

“He got me flowers…” he admitted. Even the back of his neck felt hot. Yuriko grinned, but she didn’t tease him further.

“So you’re a little gentleman,” she said to Hinata, whose hair fluffed with surprise. “Tooru hasn’t been taking advantage of that, has he? Make sure he spoils you twice as much as you spoil him,” she laughed.

“Yuriko…” Tooru whined, already regretting introducing them.

“Flowers are boring,” Takeru announced, almost to himself. Yuriko looked over and noticed the game he still had his eyes on, which she pulled out of his hands. “Okā-san!” he whined.

“You can have it back when you’ve eaten your dinner,” she said, taking care to pause the game before setting it aside. Takeru pouted and folded his arms.

“Do you like video games?” Hinata asked him, tilting his head. Takeru frowned at him.

“Who doesn’t?” he said, clearly still frustrated with having his console taken away.

“I know most of my upperclassmen do, but I’ve never tried any myself,” Nova said, and Takeru’s jaw dropped.

“You’ve never played any video games?” he asked, his eyes big and his own troubles forgotten as he decided that this was a travesty. “Not a single one?” Now Shōyō looked surprised, blinking curiously at him.

“No, not any,” he decided, nonplussed himself but aware that Takeru was shocked.

“But—but why not? Video games are great! What about Pac-Man? You’ve never even played Pac-Man? That’s like… the original game!” he said.

“What’s a ‘Pac-Man?’ ” the alien asked, completely serious about it. Takeru’s eyes only got wider, and he looked at Tooru, his eyes very clearly saying, ‘Who is this guy?’

“Not everyone likes video games, Takeru—” Ryuk tried to explain, but his son wasn’t really listening, apparently now very curious about someone who had never even heard of pac man.

“Do your mom and dad not let you play? Why haven’t you tried any?” he asked. He wasn’t quite pushy, but he was definitely interested now. Shōyō didn’t seem to mind his enthusiasm… though Tooru sensed that the alien wasn’t sure how to respond. The setter quite suddenly, and quite too late, realized that he wasn’t sure how much experience Nova had around human children. The alien once told him that he used to sit hatchlings on True Star, and when he was participating as a member of Irit’ka’s nest, he even helped raise a few—as it was typical for the entire nest to help with child-rearing over there—but Tooru didn’t know how similar sunwalker adolescents were to human ones.

“Well… I didn’t have any parents for most of my life, and the Badillos—my adoptive family—don’t really play any. They did teach me how to surf, though!” he said, switching from a thoughtful tone to a bright one in an instant. The shine of his eyes became as vivid as his hair for a moment, making the table feel a little warmer. “And Rúben taught me how to play the guitar, and Antonio showed me how to pick the best seafood at the fish market.” He shrugged, refocusing and shaking off the cloudiness to his eyes. “I really like learning things, maybe you could show me how to play a video game,” he offered, his tone light and without any kind of pressure.

“You didn’t have a mom and dad…?” Takeru asked, suddenly much more subdued. Yuriko and Ryuk also glanced at each other over their food. But Nova just smiled.

“I’ve met some really cool people on my travels, and some of them were a bit like parents for a while, but… I don’t have a pair of my own,” he explained. Then his brow furrowed, apparently noting Takeru’s mood drop. “Oh, please don’t be sad! I’m very happy with where I am now,” he said quickly, waving his hands.

“What happened to them?” Takeru asked, his forehead scrunched. Yuriko and Ryuk both lost a whole lot of color to their faces at their son’s blunt question. Tooru, who had half-expected it, glanced at Nova, who looked very unsure of how to answer.

“Honey, you shouldn’t—” Yuriko started, flustered, and flashed Shōyō an awkward look. “You don’t have to answer that; he’s just curious—”

“I’m not offended,” Nova promised, awkward himself. “It’s just… a bit hard to explain, I guess,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. Sure, Shōyō meant complicated in the sense that he was inorganic and didn’t have parents… unless you counted the very materials he was made from, or perhaps whichever Diamond pressed the button… but Tooru watched as Yuriko and Ryuk, and even his own mother, came to very different conclusions shown by the way their faces shifted, the gears almost visibly turning in their heads.

“… I’ll teach you how to play video games,” Takeru decided. He was still quiet, and seemed almost sheepish, but that disappeared when Shōyō immediately lit up, his hair fluffing up like bird feathers.

“I’d like that, thank you!” he practically chirped.

“So! Um… you like music, too, Hinata-kun…?” Ryuk said, tentative and still a little awkward. “I heard you mention volleyball earlier, too…”

“Yes! I’m one of Karasuno’s middle blockers,” the alien said enthusiastically. His grin only grew wider. “That’s how I found Tooru, actually—at a practice match!”

“Are you planning on playing volleyball professionally?” Yuriko questioned, giving Tooru a meaningful look. And Tooru looked at Nova, too. The alien was still, thinking over the question.

“I would like to, if I can,” he decided, his eyes crinkling at the idea. “I think I’d like to learn beach volleyball, too…” Shōyō hummed. “What about you? And Auntie-Oikawa-san, Tooru told me you work in the medical field…?”

“I work at the university hospital; I specialize in pediatrics and I help train residents and students,” Maho said, deflating with a bit of a sigh. “It’s hard work, and it can weigh heavy sometimes, but it’s worth it.”

“I work at a bank closer to where we live,” Yuriko chimed in. “Ryuk works at a travel planning agency.” As the topics became a little more casual—less focused on Tooru and Shōyō’s relationship and more just about work gossip and how so-and-so down the street was doing—the dinner shifted to dessert. Takeru wandered off to play his game for a while, not interested in what the grown ups were talking about. Tooru was also aware that his nephew was rather introverted, too, likely tired out from meeting a new person, even one as palatable as Nova.

“You must really enjoy traveling, Hinata-kun,” Maho said when Shōyō—after some prompting—told the group about a fisherman friend he had made off the coast of an island. “What do you enjoy most about it?” The question made Nova tilt his head, unsure.

“I suppose… I just really love learning, and that comes right along with traveling… There’s so much to know, and there’s always new things to see and experience, and… I guess I just love the exploring part, too,” he explained, and his smile warmed and softened as he turned to face Tooru. “Traveling is more fun when you have someone to travel with, though…” Ugh, why’d he have to go and say that. In front of everyone? Tooru wasn’t mad, but he knew that his sister was going to make fun of him for the way he blushed and couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Fuck, Nova always managed to turn him into a gooey mess.

“You… Hold on, are you saying you did all of that—international—traveling by yourself?” Ryuk asked, his eyes widening and a bite of food sliding off his spoon to land back on the plate. Ah. Right. Even if Ryuk mostly worked in the financial planning aspect at his agency, he must still be more aware of the dangers of traveling alone than most. Shōyō was immediately the awkward one again, ducking his head sheepishly.

“Um… well, I made lots of friends along the way, so… I wasn’t completely alone. I didn’t stay anywhere very long, until I met the Badillos, and… even then, that was only for a few months.” He looked up, a slightly determined line to his jaw. “But I’m quite capable of taking care of myself, though I know it’s not traditional…” Again, the married pair looked at each other in surprise and perhaps concern. Tooru didn’t sense any disgust, but he hoped that they didn’t worry too much. Nova was correct, after all. He could look after himself. It was just… lonely. And perhaps… he did need help, just not with the kinds of things that would be expected if he were human. Thankfully, Ryuk was willing to change the subject to something a little less awkward.

While Tooru was logically aware that things would be a whole lot easier for everyone if Nova really were just… Hinata Shōyō. If he were human. But that didn’t mean that he would ever wish for that. Nova was himself, and he was Tooru’s star, and his everything. He wouldn’t want it any other way. He hoped that as his family learned more, and became comfortable enough to ask more questions… they would understand that, too.

Suddenly, while listening to Yuriko tell a thankfully not too embarrassing story about Tooru’s childhood, Nova jumped in his seat and looked down, his orange curls fluffed on end with shock. Godzilla the cat had wandered over from where she’d been sleeping in the sun, which had now set, and was now nuzzling Shōyō’s leg. Tooru watched as the alien’s bright hues flickered faintly, his eyes big and his body stiffening a bit.

“She’s not gonna bite you, Sunshine,” he chuckled, reaching down to pick up the rather hefty cat. Despite her fluffy appearance suggesting it was all fur, Godzilla was a spoiled, chubby little fucker and Tooru loved her. “Why are you more scared of her than that tiger?” he added in a whisper, putting the cat into Nova’s arms.

“Because everyone freaked out about the tiger!” he whispered back, accepting Godzilla anyway. The cat chirped in her throat and stood on her hind legs, putting her paws on the alien’s sternum and sniffing him curiously. Shōyō was wide eyed, keeping his arms out in case she overbalanced, letting her try to figure him out as he did the same.

“Be careful; she can definitely smell fear,” Yuriko joked dryly, watching the interaction with a grin. Shōyō’s eyebrows went up, and he looked at Godzilla with even more hesitance.

“Do you have any pets at home…?” Ryuk asked, clearly rather surprised with the alien’s reaction to a very common animal.

“I helped Tsukki—my teammate—raise a few crow chicks this year,” he admitted, not taking his eyes off Godzilla. Shōyō had come across her on his visits to Tooru a few times, but he had never approached her himself.

“Also trained them,” Tooru snitched immediately. Hinata jumped, and Godzilla made a mrrp sound, tapping her paw on his jaw and flexing her claws. The alien didn’t mind the little pokes on his face, and one of his hands tentatively curled around the fat, old cat.

“Only a little! I’m still helping everyone teach them how to seek out specific objects and respond to hand signals, as well as whistles,” he said, before returning some attention to Godzilla, very tentatively scratching her behind the ears. She purred, stretching her paws onto the alien’s face again. “They only attacked those guys cause I told them to…” he muttered under his would-be breath. Tooru nearly choked on his dessert.

“I simply have to ask…” Yuriko said suddenly, casting her spoon down as if she’d been holding back for ages. “How did this”—she gestured between them—“actually happen? You mentioned something about a practice match—but what happened after?”

“Well…” Tooru glanced at Shōyō, who was looking back at him. Godzilla had decided that the alien was now her perch, likely appreciating his warmth, and was purring on his lap as if she wasn’t secretly a bastard who liked to chew on the strings of Tooru’s favorite hoodies. And his shoelaces. The alien offered him a little shrug in response to his silent question. “Technically… I ran into Shōyō once, years ago, and… it was sort of a surprise reunion when we met at the practice match,” he said carefully. Then he grinned. “His friends didn’t like me much at first,” he said.

“You and Daichi really clashed in the beginning,” Shōyō agreed with a giggle. “But you’re friends now!” he said, his eyes mischievous and knowing exactly the reaction he’d get for that.

“We are not!” Tooru said, taking the bait, but his grin was too wide for his words to be taken seriously. “You should have heard him today; he was practically trying to shovel talk me again!”

“It didn’t look like that from where I was standing,” Shōyō said, his smile affectionate.

“Tch, maybe you should get your eyes checked,” Tooru sassed, dropping his head onto his hand, propped on the table to grin at the redhead beside him. Said redhead rolled his eyes, but everything about his expression was soft. For a moment, the setter just watched, feeling warm and pleased from a good dinner, and chocolate pudding still sweet on his tongue, and being able to watch Nova and Tooru’s cat warm up to each other. Also feeling as if the human members of his family were warming to him, too. Shōyō had now accepted the paw Godzilla kept tapping him with, and was holding it very seriously, staring at her as if trying to understand her slow blinks as a language. Maybe it was. Sensing the captain’s gaze, Nova met it, and his lips quirked up with something tender, and Tooru quite wanted to kiss him—

“Do you think we should tell them that we’re still here?” Yuriko stage-whispered obnoxiously to her husband. Tooru jumped from his stupor and scowled at her, flushed with embarrassment at being caught staring. It was hard not to. After his recent boost of energy and mood, Shōyō was brighter than ever, his cheekbones practically kissed with stardust. His big sister just flashed her best smile at him, and snickered when he only flushed a darker red as he realized that his brother-in-law and mother had also noticed.

“I’ve had a lot of excitement happen today; I’m a little tired,” Tooru mumbled, which wasn’t quite a lie. But the claim didn’t make him feel any less flustered, or his ears burn any less.

“That’s true,” Shōyō said, his brow creasing. “Are you too tired…? We have school tomorrow…” he reminded him.

“Mm, it is getting rather late…” Yuriko agreed, frowning at the clock.

“Will you three start on the dishes? I’d like to talk to Hinata for a moment,” Maho announced, getting out of her seat. Right. Shit. Tooru had forgotten about that. Nova seemed equally nervous, sending his human an anxious glance before gingerly handing him Godzilla and following her out of the dining room. Shit… He could tell that his mom wanted to talk to the alien alone, but it still made him anxious.

“Oh my God, Tooru,” Yuriko said, the moment that they were out of sight—though probably still within earshot for a moment more. Oikawa unceremoniously placed Godzilla on the rug. “You are whipped,” she laughed, apparently delighted. Tooru nearly slammed down the dirty dishes he had started collecting.

“I am not!” he hissed, warm in the face.

“You are completely smitten,” his sister disagreed, a shit-eating grin on her face as she poked his shoulder. “You had heart eyes, dude. Like a cartoon.”

“I did not!” he exclaimed, feeling stupid and flustered and a bit like he was going to die from embarrassment. “I was—I was zoning out!”

“Yeah, zoning out because you were lost in your little boyfriend’s eyes like a walking cliché,” she said, hand on her hip and completely ignoring his denials. “It would be adorable if it wasn’t disgustingly sweet. You’re gonna give me cavities.” Even redder, Tooru snatched the dirty glass from her hands and took an armful of dishes to the kitchen. Not giving him a moment’s respite, Yuriko followed. “For a minute I actually wondered if you were going to make out with him right there on the table—”

“Onee-chan!” Tooru nearly screeched. She just laughed at him. “Ugh, you are a nightmare; this is why I never introduce you to anyone—”

“No, I don’t think it is,” she said, still recovering from her evil, witchy cackles, though her tone sobered a bit. Still fully grinning, she started putting leftovers—of which there wasn’t much—into containers to put away. “I think it’s because no one has been important enough to you for you to introduce them to us before now. This is the first person you see a future with, isn’t it?” Oh. Well that made Tooru feel flustered in a different way, and his mouth wobbled with an almost-smile. Not that he’d let Yuriko see that. He was still considering throwing something at her.

“He’s really special…” he muttered, turning on the sink’s faucet. Ryuk wandered into the kitchen, holding the last of the dishes.

“I can tell,” Yuriko agreed, sending him a grin. “He’s a cute one, too. He’s… definitely unique, and he’s a lot more high-energy than I thought that you would go for in a partner, but…” Her grin widened, but something about the rest of her expression went soft. “I can tell that he makes you really happy. You just seem… I don’t know, more yourself. Less closed off.”

“I… guess so,” Tooru admitted. “It wasn’t just him, though. He definitely started that, but…”

“I get it—and that change is change that you put work into,” Yuriko agreed, snapping closed a tupperware lid. “I guess I just mean that… it’s really great that you have someone that you’re comfortable being unapologetically yourself around.”

“I’m pretty sure that he can smell lies like Godzilla can smell fear,” Tooru admitted. Ryuk chuckled, swapping the dishes for a rag to wipe down the table.

“Yeah, Hinata-kun’s got a look to him that’s approachable, but I swear that he can see people’s souls,” he said, pressing a kiss to Yuriko’s head as he passed. Tooru grinned.

“Maybe he can,” he mused. Now that the water was hot and soapy, he took off his jacket so that he could roll up his sleeves. Yuriko followed the action with her eyes.

“That’s new…” she said.

“Sun made it for me,” Tooru hummed, rinsing off a plate. He felt Yuriko’s grin before he saw it.

“ ‘Sun,’ huh?” she said. The setter flicked water at her.

“It’s cute, Tooru,” she teased, dipping her hand into the sink to flick water back at him. Tooru did not squeal. “I can see why you call him that; he’s quite bright.”

“He’s a touch mysterious, too,” Ryuk hummed, returning from his task. “I feel like every time he answered a question I wanted to ask four new ones.” Tooru barked out a laugh at that.

“Yeah, that’s how it is with him…” he agreed, not without fondness. But he sobered, frowning into the dishwater halfway through washing a plate. “Um… Yuriko…” he trailed off, his hands going still. He felt his sister’s and his brother-in-law’s eyes land on him. “There’s a couple of things about Shōyō that… are a bit different. I don’t think they’re… as big of a deal as some people might make it out to be—but I don’t know how you’ll feel about it…” He released a breath. “I guess I just want you to know that he’s… he’s really, really important to me. And I want to ask you to be patient with him when he feels comfortable enough to talk about it.” He couldn’t quite look at her, but he saw her move in his peripherals until she was leaning on the counter beside him, humming thoughtfully with his words.

“Yeah, I gathered that there’s more to his story. Considering that he’s apparently traveled the world by himself before he’s even graduated high school,” she said, almost dryly. Tooru huffed a half-laugh of agreement. “But the way you’re talking makes it sound like this is sort of a big deal.”

“It certainly was to Iwa-chan,” Tooru muttered, with a little bit too much venom, and a little too loudly than he should have.

“Is that why he’s not here tonight? He doesn’t approve of you two?” Yuriko said, catching that immediately. Tooru scowled. “Why not? You two are cute…” Her eyes narrowed. “Is it because you’re both guys? I wouldn’t take Hajime-kun for that kind of reaction…”

“It’s less about his gender and more about him,” Tooru admitted, heaving out a sigh. “I’m not out to my team, not officially, but I sort of told Iwa and some of the other third years… And they were fine with that. Great, even. I was able to expect that much, but… Iwa’s reaction to him was why we were so nervous about introducing Shōyō to all of you, or I might have done it earlier…”

“So… Hajime knows about the ‘not big deal, big deal’ thing, and that’s why he’s not here?” Yuriko confirmed. Tooru nodded. “… What else did he do?”

“What?” the captain asked, looking up. Ryuk seemed to be in agreement too, nodding beside his wife.

“What else did he do? Because I’ve known you two long enough to know that him disapproving of your partners isn’t completely new. He really hated that one girlfriend you had, but he put up with her because you asked him to. This is weird, and it’s not like either of you,” Yuriko said, properly concerned and suspicious now. Ah… Tooru should have suspected that. Yuriko used to tease Tooru when they were little and say that she was going to replace him with Iwaizumi someday. All in jest, but it was true that Yuriko considered herself Hajime’s sister, too.

“He… It’s a long story…” Tooru sighed, deflating. “It’s complicated—and he made some decisions that he thought were helpful, but… ugh, it’s complicated…” That didn’t seem to deter Yuriko in the slightest, her eyebrows just going up.

“Do you need me to knock some sense into him?” Yuriko asked, showing off a fist as proof. Tooru genuinely considered it for a moment, which only made his sister more worried. She folded her arms. “Okay, that’s enough. I don’t care if it’s complicated; tell me what happened.”

“I haven’t even told mom the full story yet…” Tooru admitted.

“What’s the harm in telling me?” Yuriko said. When the younger of the two siblings continued to frown, she sighed. “If it has something to do with Hinata-kun’s business that you’re uncomfortable sharing without him, you don’t have to talk about those details. Censor anything you like. But I have never seen a time where you and Hajime have ever fought for more than maybe a weekend before one of you comes crying back to the other…”

Tooru breathed out a sigh. He didn’t really have a good reason to not tell his sister, and it would be nice for her to know. Though he was worried about how she’d react, he also knew that this was something she wasn’t going to let go of. Iwaizumi had too big of a role in both their lives for his absence to go unnoticed.

So, wondering how things were going on Nova’s end, Tooru told them.