when we're walking together in glory

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/28313232.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Relationship: No Romantic Relationship(s), Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio,
Kageyama Tobio & Sugawara Koushi, Kageyama Tobio & Sawamura
Daichi, Iwaizumi Hajime & Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa
Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Tsukishima Kei, Kageyama Tobio &
Yamaguchi Tadashi, Azumane Asahi & Kageyama Tobio, Kageyama
Tobio & Nishinoya Yuu, Kageyama Tobio & Kindaichi Yuutarou &
Kunimi Akira, Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma
Character: Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou, Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura
Daichi, Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi Tadashi, Azumane Asahi,
Nishinoya Yuu, Kozume Kenma, Kuroo Tetsurou, Iwaizumi Hajime,
Kindaichi Yuutarou, Kunimi Akira, Oikawa Tooru
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Platonic
Soulmates, Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Angst, Fluff and
Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort,
Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Platonic Cuddling,
Karasuno, Karasuno Family, Found Family, Kageyama Tobio-centric,
Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Hinata
Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio Friendship
Language: English
Series: Part 7 of Fae's 25 Days of Christmas, Part 1 of When We are Walking
together in Glory Series
Collections: Soulmates my beloved, haikyuu fics that cure my depression (mostly)
Stats: Published: 2020-12-25 Words: 3911

when we're walking together in glory

by CalicoLynx

Summary

In volleyball, teamwork is everything. It influences how you play, who works together, and
what moves you do. Ultimately, it even influences how you look. What happens to the
concept of team colors in a world where the very touch of a soulmate begets a rainbow on
your skin?

or: Tobio gains a Family

Notes
 Back for another round of Fae's Christmas gift fics. New fandom this time, hope y'all enjoy
the change haha.

Anyways, Yama dear, Happiest of Christmas's to you. I hope you enjoy this piece, I had so
much fun writing it for you. <3 I'm so happy to have gotten to know you, and I count you as
one of my greatest friends. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me, now
and over the last year. Here's to the year to come! ^^ Ily.

Many thanks to those who helped me with this one, Lunaaa, Szeh, Rani, Sol and Ghost. I
couldn't have done it without all of you encouraging and being awesome. ^^

Come find me on discord, Episilon Eridani

Or follow me on Tumblr @Faelwenholdsthelight

Inspired by paint me in trust by dinomight

For as long as he can remember, Tobio has been jealous of the people around him painted in
rainbows. Decorated in colors, soul marks practically glowing with vibrance. Once upon a time,
Tobio had been the bearer of three marks, one from each of his parents and one from his
grandfather. But his father’s mark had faded with his interest in his own child, and his
grandfather’s gone with his death, leaving only his mother’s icy blue behind. It remained on his
shoulder, the solitary connection to the world of soulmates.

Tobio had never particularly understood other kids, their interactions and social structures baffling
him. He preferred the company of adults, and spent all his spare time as he grew up with his
grandfather. It had been from him that Tobio had been introduced to the world of volleyball.

He took to it with an unending determination and ferocity. It made sense to him, and it gave him
something to hold onto. Grandfather told him his teammates would be like his family, and Tobio
had dearly wanted it to be so. Maybe then he would find more of his soulmates, people to support
him and care for him. Perhaps they would be able to actually understand him, unlike the kids in his
school.

He found out in middle school that this wasn’t actually the case. They made no more sense at first
than any of the other kids. The shared love for volleyball helped though, and he found his first
friends in Kindaichi and Kunimi.

When their colors appeared on Tobio’s arms, he was ecstatic. A quiet bronze on his wrist when
Kunimi brushed across his arm while reaching for his water, and a dark grey on his bicep when
Kindaichi gently bumped his shoulder into him one day at practice. Friendly platonic touch was
not something Tobio was used to, but the warm sensations left behind by both was incredibly
soothing. He found himself seeking the contact out after that, as eager for the touch as a thirsty
man longs for water. Touching the marks together was a tremendous source of comfort, and all
three of them sought it out regularly. Huddling together to study while casually leaning into the
soulmark, Kunimi would come and lay his hand over Tobio’s wrist when he needed the comfort.
For other kids this was common, but for Kageyama it was entirely alien. His mother loved him, but
they didn’t do this, the contact. His father didn’t like the reminder that they weren’t soulmates.
Oddly Tobio found it easier after that. He still didn’t collect many colors, the only new one he
added being a teal streak on his ankle when Iwaizumi checked it over after he twisted it as he
landed. He found that one confusing and difficult to deal with, since he did not get along with
Iwaizumi’s best friend, Oikawa. Those two wore their marks like a badge of honor, the teal streak
along Oikawa’s jaw hard to miss, and the corresponding copper on Iwaizumi’s hand equally
obvious.

Uncomfortable, Tobio avoided the third year religiously unless he sought him out. It was intriguing
to him that while Oikawa was a veritable painting, Iwaizumi had fewer marks, and tended to stick
with a select circle of people. Tobio was surprised the first time Iwaizumi sought him out. Oikawa
had been absent from practice, and there had been some snafu among the third years that had led to
Iwaizumi abandoning them to come practice with Tobio and his soulmates. It ranked as one of
Tobio’s favorite practices, the extra attention from Iwaizumi helping them improve a bunch that
day. The same thing happened time to time over the course of his first year, always while Oikawa
was missing. But it still felt nice, to feel wanted by someone he looked up to.

***

It all came crashing down in his third year, starting with the sudden death of his grandfather. Tobio
was absolutely distraught, and all the comfort his two soulmates had to offer just didn’t seem like
enough to soothe the gaping hole his missing soulmate left.

He threw himself into volleyball with a vengeance, trying to drown out the agony with endless
hours of practice. His grades dropped, and he grew difficult to work with. It was agonizing,
watching Kunimi and Kindaichi finding soulmates in the new first years, becoming steadily more
colorful while Tobio himself was going backwards. He tried to get along with them, but they were
so alien, so foreign, he didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand.

So he drifted, lost in the sea of grief, the churning storm of pain that left him reeling, unsure which
direction would bring him back to shore.

It all culminated in betrayal and loss. Standing on the court with nothing left but broken promises
and fading soulmarks. Leaving the courts behind with nothing but shattered dreams and an aching
heart. Swearing he wouldn’t let anyone in like that again.

For some reason, he never could get the small jumping bean player out of his head. Someone with
that much fire and excitement, it intrigued him. Where could the kid get if he had been part of a
proper team?

***

His first day of practice at Karasuno came all too soon. When he walked into the gym to find the
loud jumping bean, he decided the universe must be playing a cosmic joke on him. He reacted in
frustration, fighting with the kid he learned was named Hinata.

Getting thrown out of the gym was absolutely not on Tobio’s list of things to do that day, and he
was furious. But they were absolutely going to get back in, and win this match. Tobio didn’t care
what it took to do it. He needed to be there, to be back on the court again.

Working with the two older players, Tanaka and Sugawara was wonderful, but Hinata continued to
drive Tobio spare. He had drive and determination as well as enthusiasm to spare, but not the skill
with which to direct it.

It improved over the week, but Tobio was still concerned about the three on three match. When
they managed to win, it filled him with a burgeoning sense of hope. Someone could finally hit his
tosses… He would do his job of opening up the wall that blocked the spiker, and Hinata could
meet him there! He was stunned how much trust Hinata had in him though, to jump and hit the ball
with his eyes shut.. He couldn’t understand how he could trust Tobio’s sets that much. No one else
had before.

He watched with a sense of jealousy as both Hinata and Tsukishima came out of their squabble
with marks, Hinata with a splash of green on the outside edge of his hand, Tsukishima with a bright
yellow streak on his wrist.

Tsukishima seemed no happier about it than Tobio, but Hinata was ecstatic. His enthusiasm was
very nearly exhausting, but there was a brightness to it that drew Tobio to him, a moth to a lamp.

It was hard though. Tobio avoided touching anyone around him, chose to wear long sleeves in
order to hide his empty skin, his unworthiness. It also served to help prevent the skin to skin
contact that would leave him vulnerable.

He never had gotten over the echoing emptiness where there used to be two marks. The blankness
at his wrist, the plain, unadorned skin on his upper arm. He found himself touching them
sometimes, still expecting to see the colors that had once decorated the spots.

***

The news that they were going to be playing Aoba Johsai filled him with dread, especially after
finding out that they required him to be starting setter. He desperately didn’t want to end up at odds
with another third year teammate, like he had in middle school.

He paused for a moment while changing after practice, running his fingers contemplatively over
the teal that still adorned his ankle. Why were they doing this? He didn’t understand. Were they
trying to sabotage him? Did they really dislike him that much?

Well. Probably yes to that one.

But, no matter. He needed to find Sugawara and make things right. He believed this team could be
great, but it wouldn’t happen if Sugawara hated him for overshadowing him and taking his spot.

Much to his shock, during his attempt to make things better with Sugawara, his teammate not only
was not mad at him over it, but when he clapped Tobio on the shoulder, his hand brushed his neck,
leaving behind a streak of pale blue and a rush of warmth. His own navy blue darkened
Sugawara’s hand.

“Soulmates! I’m so glad. I’m the first on the team for you, right Kageyama?” Sugawara seemed
genuinely cheerful about the fact that his soulmate was his competition .

“Yes, that is correct,” Tobio said. He was brief, but he didn’t know what else to say. Iwaizumi was
his only soulmate that had been a senpai, and their relationship had been confusing to say the least.
He never really knew where exactly he stood with him, and didn’t figure he ever really would.

But Sugawara was instantly more open and enthusiastic about it than anyone else had been before.
As much as it terrified Tobio to contemplate having new soulmates, there was a part of him that
was overjoyed that the soft spoken boy was one of his soulmates, and his first in high school.

They carried on with their evening, being fed treats by Daichi, then heading home. It had been an
eventful day. Tobio found it hard to sleep, envisioning what the game would be like. Would he be
forced to confront his former soulmates? Would Iwaizumi interact with him or ignore him? What
about Oikawa? He just didn’t know what to expect, but he was glad for the team that he was going
with. At least he wouldn’t be alone while facing them.

***

Walking up to Aoba Johsai was a strange experience. But for what happened at his last match, he
would be attending here with his former teammates. Instead, he walked in as a stranger, with an
entirely different set of teammates at his side. Sugawara was lingering nearby, he noticed. Offering
support and companionship, as his teammate seemed to instinctively understand that there was
something about this that bothered him. A touch of a hand on his soulmark, gentle warmth and
soothing peace following the touch.

Running into them for the first time since middle school was painful. Seeing them standing there,
colourful soulmarks bared for the world to see...something dark and ugly roiled in his gut. There
was also fear. The fear his teammates would abandon him just like the ones had in the past. It was
hard to think past it while they were warming up. Iwaizumi greeted him casually, but otherwise
made no move to interact with him.

It absolutely didn’t help that Hinata was a chaotic mess the entire first game. After getting hit in
the head, he decided to interfere and try his own attempt at getting the jumping bean to focus.
Thankfully it worked, and they pulled off winning the second match and were about to start the
third when Oikawa arrived. Tobio was on edge in an instant, trying to explain to his teammates
how bad this was. Sugawara bumped his shoulder into his side, smiling gently, and somehow,
against all odds Tobio felt better instantly, no words needed.

Winning the third round despite his former senpai joining the game left Tobio on cloud nine, but
this was overshadowed by the confrontation in the bathroom where Kindaichi had flat out told him
they were never friends. Apparently soulmarks could actually mean nothing...

***

He received his next soulmark entirely by accident, reaching in to grab a ball at the same time as
Daichi and bumping into him. He stared at the navy color smudged on Daichi’s elbow.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“What are you apologizing for? We are teammates, it's only natural that we are soulmates.”

“But Daichi-senpai-”

“No buts. It's a good thing Kageyama.” Daichi pulled him into a tight hug, before turning back to
grab the ball he’d been after.

And so it was a good thing. Tobio found comfort in the light brown mark on the underside of his
arm. They remind that he was not on the court alone, and he wasn’t alone in life either. It may be
small, but the family he was finding was already infinitely precious to him.

***

Tobio still went out of his way to avoid casual contact with others, the automatic response in fear
of rejection still too strong. It still happened, but it mostly happened with clothing or hair blocking
the contact. He watched from the outside with a measure of jealousy as the team gathered marks
among each other. The older members had already gained the marks of their fellow teammates, but
slowly but surely that was expanding to include the first years.
All but Tobio. He wanted to…oh he wanted to, but he still carried the aching reminder of faded
marks and broken promises. Opening himself up to more was against every instinct he had.
Especially looking for them. It remained a possibility in his mind that parts of the team may not
want him, or resent him. He assumed Tsukishima would be among those. He had a similar lack of
soulmarks to Tobio, having a few of the senpai’s marks and Hinata and Yamaguchi’s marks. He
didn’t directly oppose them, but Tsukishima absolutely didn’t go hunting for them.

Hinata was so colorful by the point they had their first training camp that Tobio almost didn’t
notice the new mark. Hinata already had all the teammates except Tobio himself, so it left him
confused who he might have found during camp to gain a new mark from.

The question was answered when Hinata enthusiastically greeted the setter from Nekoma. Jealousy
roiled within him, seething and hot. That Hinata found a soulmate in another setter before him, that
hurt. Reasonably he knew it wasn’t really Hinata’s fault, but that didn’t stop the progression of his
mind to reflecting back on past agony. Of being rejected, left behind.

It felt like watching a video on repeat. The cycle continues.

Tobio shook himself, and turned with a sigh back thinking about the game, resolving to not let it
affect him and his game play.

The game itself was incredible. They had all their players on the court for the first time, and while
it wasn’t perfect, there was a beginning chemistry there that had so much potential. They could be
great once they really figured each other out. He was positive of this, as sure of it as he was sure
the sun would rise every morning. They just had to figure it out.

***

It happened one morning when he was racing Hinata to the gym. He didn’t slow down in time and
crashed into his teammate. There was an oddly warm sensation where he expected pain to occur,
but ignored that.

“I have now…won…31 times,” he said, breathing hard from the exertion. “…and lost 30 times.”

“Kageyama, look!”

Tobio froze, looking at Hinata, confusion written all over his face. What in the world was he
supposed to be looking at? He was pointing at Tobio’s face.

A moment later, he was floored by shock as he focused on what looked like a shadow on Hinata’s
forehead, just under his hairline. But shadows…they weren’t supposed to be blue .

This one was in fact blue, that familiar navy coloring that Tobio was used to seeing on Suga and
Daichi. Pulling out his phone and flipping it to selfie mode, he could see a nearly matching streak
of cheerful yellow disappearing into his hair from its genesis on his temple, near the corner of his
eye.

He had been starting to give up hope on having more than just Suga and Daichi as soulmates at this
point. Admittedly that was probably mostly his fault, but the thought still lingered though.

But now, it wasn’t just another soulmate, it was his partner on the court. The one he trusted with
his tosses, who didn’t let him down. Always looking for more, ready to try harder. It was ultimate
proof blazed on his face that Hinata had never given up on him.

He smiled a ghost of a smile over at Hinata, the other still sprawled on the ground where he’d
fallen.

“Hinata, I—”

“Shouyou. My soulmates call me Shouyou.”

Tobio’s eyes grew impossible wider. Hina- Shouyou wanted him to call him by his first name? He
blinked.

“Tobio then, if we are on a first name basis now,” Tobio said as he climbed to his feet. He held out
a hand for Shouyou to help him to his feet. Shouyou grinned, grabbing onto the offered hand and
using it to pull himself into an impromptu hug. Tobio froze, unsure of how to respond, before
slowly wrapping his arms around the boy currently clinging to him like a koala and hugging him
tightly.

“I’m so glad this finally happened, Tobio. I was really, really hoping we would be soulmates,”
Shouyou mumbled into his jacket, gripping him tightly.

“Me too, Shouyou. I didn’t know if you’d want me, but I still hoped we could be soulmates.”

“Of course I want you, you idiot! You are the one I rely on to be the greatest decoy!”

Tobio didn’t reply, just hugged him tighter. It still felt more like a dream than reality. He wasn’t
sure how long they stayed there, but the gentle ribbing of the rest of their team as they passed by
them reminded him that they had come here for practice.

“About time, Kageyama, Shouyou,” Tanaka-senpai said as he passed by, grinning broadly. Tobio
huffed, and Shouyou giggled.

When Suga and Daichi passed by, each smiling delightedly, Tobio sighed.

“We should probably get to practice, dumbass.”

“I guess, if we have to,” Shouyou said.

“We need to.” Tobio carefully set his newest soulmate down, and they headed into the gym
together, matching steps with a newfound delight and determination in their countenances.

***

Once the initial hurdle of fear was passed, the rest of the marks came easily. Casual, accidental,
even on purpose a couple times.

The next one after Shouyou was Tanaka-senpai, unable to stand being left out, he had darted in
practice that day and smacked his elbow enthusiastically into Tobio’s, leaving a bright silver mark
behind. Tanaka was exceedingly pleased with himself, but he also seemed to just adore his
soulmates. He was constantly coming up and initiating casual contact, bumping their elbow
together, dropping his chin onto his shoulder and relaxing…more contact than Tobio was used to.
Shouyou was similar, initiating contact for any reason he could manage it.

It was like a puzzle falling into completion after the vital missing piece had been found. A casual
fist bump with Yamaguchi left a mossy green behind. It amused Tobio that the two friends had
such similar colors, Tsukishima having a lighter shade, the color of spring grass. That had been one
of the deliberate marks, Tsukishima just shifting and pressing their knees together casually, almost
like it was an accident, but Tobio knew better. Tsukishima didn’t do anything by accident.
The bonds between the team helped after the loss to Aoba Johsai, the giant cuddle pile including
many marks pressed together for comfort. Thanks to those same marks, there was never a doubt
the third years would come back to compete again. It was only natural, they were family at this
point. Family stuck together, as much as it amazed Tobio to be part of such a family.

On the road to the Spring High he collected the rest of the team’s marks. The initial reluctance had
passed, and he sought out the contact that would initiate the bond as much as the rest of the team
sought him.

Nishinoya’s orange appeared on the outside of his hand after a mishap during practice. Azumane’s
crimson on his shoulder after the Ace had casually set his hand there to congratulate him for a
good serve.

He thrived in the training camps now, surrounded by his family of choice. The bus trip to Tokyo
was spent with an ever rotating collection of soulmates, but finally stopped changing when Hinata
had fallen asleep curled up on Tobio. No one really had the heart to move him, so they settled
down and rested the rest of the way, Tobio ended up asleep, leaned up against Tanaka.

He loved every bit of the training camp, even if the amount of new people there was on the
overwhelming side for him. He stuck with his team for the most part, but would follow Shouyou
sometimes when he would dart over to sit with the Nekoma setter and his Ace. Tobio found
himself starting to like them, despite their differences. He could see becoming friends eventually,
maybe even soulmates. After all, by this point Shouyou was soulmates with both of them, and a
few of the rest of the Nekoma team as well. He’d even added the loud ace from Fukurōdani to the
collection. At this rate, Tobio was half convinced eventually all of Shouyou’s exposed skin would
be covered in color by the time they graduated. It was both impressive and terrifying.

His favorite times by far were when the team would settle in for the night. He had never attended
sleepovers as a child, so this was a whole new ball game for him, and he found himself enthralled.
It usually started out with story time as they settled in, one of the loud and enthusiastic soulmates
enthusiastically talking about some aspect of their day, a game, a movie coming out, whatever was
interesting to them at that point. Everyone would listen, sometimes intruding with snippets of
information. They had all their futons pushed together, swaddled in a veritable nest of blankets and
pillows. During the story groups of soulmates would end up together, naturally reaching out and
touching marks together as they did so. Sometimes they would stay in the smaller pods, sometimes
the entire team would end up in a tangled cuddle pile.

Tobio most commonly ended up with the other first years. Shouyou seemed to have a fascination
with sleeping using him as a pillow. Yamaguchi would often end up either next to him curled into
Tsuki or on the far side of Tsuki with both the taller boys pressed together in the middle. Nishinoya
seemed to find great joy in joining the first years, being closer to Shouyou than had really been
expected. His presence would usually bring the others, and on those nights it usually ended up with
Tobio and Shouyou in the middle of the third years, Nishinoya and Azumane on one side, Daichi
and Suga on the other. The warmth brought by the marks touched together made relaxation and
sleep an easy process. Soothed by the peace and contentment.

The continuous love and support Tobio found within his team was a continuous surprise at first. As
he grew used to it, it turned into an endless wellspring of strength for him. He could lean on them,
rely on them, turn to them any time he needed to. It was like finally coming home.

He was loved.
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