Chapter Text
There’s a curious thing that happens when two people meet.
Tsukishima understands it well.
Well, at least, in theory.
If he had to explain it, he’d need to go back a decade or two when the entire mess started. The emergence of superpowers, the consequences that came with these new powers that humanity was given—it was all a big pain if he was being honest.
It was nothing like the superhero movies had depicted it, for one. Sure, there were powers that did exceed the imagination of human capabilities—super strength, super speed, super hearing—they were there, but they were limited and had their own individual restrictions. Tsukishima figured it was because it hadn’t been long since powers have emerged. He was sure that people in the future would bring about humanity’s demise with the evolution of overpowered abilities.
Because people were stupid like that, of course.
Maybe that’s why some higher power (as many theorize) had decided to introduce an extra element in addition to the abilities specific to each person—the existence of soulmates.
When people meet their soulmate, their power gets switched for a good week. You and your soulmate swap superpowers and you get stuck with a stranger’s weird abilities for 168 hours. That’s enough time to ruin whatever life you’ve built up or even end up killed. Tsukishima knows. He’s done the math.
Like in Mario Kart, the more powerful people get, the less leeway they’re given to exert that power. Tsukishima figured that the soulmate system was an extension of that belief.
Maybe that was why he was determined to never encounter his soulmate. He’s heard the stories—people whose powers didn’t match up even if their souls did. He’s heard of couples who have ended up killing each other in a fit of panic because they weren’t sure how to control the abilities they were granted for a small fraction of their life. It was never pretty.
Besides, Tsukishima liked his power a lot. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he was positive he didn’t want to give it away to someone he had never met even if it was only for a single week.
It was his power and he sure as hell wasn’t going to share it that easily.
Not even with his soulmate.
In sports, most superpowers were prohibited. There was a time in an official basketball game where an entire stadium went up in flames and after that, there have been strict rules against using one’s abilities for competitive activities.
But, that didn’t mean things didn’t slip under the radar.
The most dangerous players tended to be those whose powers could not be proven to the referee. Those players are kept under close watch however, and players with outright manipulation abilities aren’t allowed to play.
Fortunately for Tsukishima, his ability barely managed to pass the restrictions.
It was satisfying, to be completely honest. Watching the people who got off goading and playing with other people’s emotions on court reduced to a puddle of confusion and anger once they faced off against Tsukishima.
He hadn’t started volleyball for this, but heck could he revel in the absolute sense of superiority he got when an opposing player tried to rile him up, only to be rendered speechless by Tsukishima’s powers—literally.
Heck, even Hinata got a full helping of his abilities if he got too loud or annoying. Unfortunately, it was always done whenever they were out of earshot of the captain, but it was always satisfying whenever he had the chance to do so.
Noise cancellation.
Normally, Tsukishima preferred quiet. He enjoyed his solitude and didn’t go out of his way to socialize more than he absolutely had to. It made life easy and his superpower made his life even easier. He could put mute on the world around him whenever he wanted. Of course, he was restricted by the number of people he could do this to and it really only lasted within a three-meter radius from his body, but he wasn’t complaining about that.
It was really nice.
Not to mention, it was extremely useful as well. It wasn’t as pointless as Hinata’s few seconds of levitation or Tanaka’s sound amplification. Honestly, even Yamaguchi’s limited plant growing powers were better than those.
Tsukishima enjoyed the peace and quiet he got through his powers. So of course, whenever he saw other soulmates meet, he felt a pit of dread in his stomach.
He couldn’t explain it as anything else but pure terror when Hinata came back from the Nekoma reunion he had missed with the ability to change hair color with a single touch of his finger.
Or, the moment when Kiyoko entered the gymnasium one evening and introduced a new manager.
Yamaguchi had begun to glow ever so slightly. Yachi lost her ability to glow. She instead developed a green thumb she had never had before. The two were ecstatic.
But, Tsukishima… he didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand.
How could they be so happy? It was terrifying not knowing what you’d get in exchange for the abilities you knew and loved. It was terrifying being away from something that defined so much of who you were. It was terrifying to have a part of you ripped away without your consent.
Yet, there Hinata was, laughing joyously as he jumped from teammate to teammate, messing with their natural hair colors and there Yamaguchi was, beaming like an actual star in the sky as he walked home with Tsukishima, eyes alight with adoration for his one and only soulmate.
Tsukishima hated it.
So maybe that was why he felt an acute panic when he arrived at the summer training camp and met eyes with Nekoma’s captain.
Back when Nekoma and Karasuno had first reconnected, Tsukishima had been unable to attend due to injury—in the string of games leading up to the reunion, he had silenced an opponent and they had gotten a bit violent in the aftermath. Needless to say, Daichi had warned him about provoking other players again.
It was duly noted through the stinging of his inflamed cheek.
Now, though, he wondered if it would have been better to have stayed injured. They had arrived a bit late to the Tokyo training camp due to the sparse intellect of the freak duo. After competing against the other teams long enough for the day to start to cool, it was finally time for their first game against Nekoma.
As Tsukishima stood on the court, his gaze met the Nekoma captain’s and sharp, amber eyes burned into his very being. One thought flashed through his mind.
“Wow, Glasses-kun is kind of cute.”
Only, that wasn’t his own thoughts.
Tsukishima blinked, wondering if he had misheard someone say something about their manager from the sidelines. Seeing no leering eyes, he furrowed his brow, utterly confused. He turned back as the whistle blew for them to play against Nekoma once more.
Or… not. Their captain was calling for a time out, a hand tentatively resting on the back of his… is that his hair? What the hell. Why did that bird’s nest of a hairstyle look somewhat attractive?
“Wait, sorry, time,” he laughed, a little breathlessly which was weird given they had just barely started practicing. “I… is there?” He looked up and out at Karasuno, a sheepish grin forming around shaking lips. He seemed beside himself with joy. “Anyone new on your team?”
Daichi blinked, looking across their team, but Sugawara immediately stepped in, realizing what had happened. “Yeah, we have a new manager, but she already…”
“—has Yamaguchi.”
Both teams turned to look at Yachi who shrunk a little under their heavy gazes. She frantically shook her hands in front of herself. “I—I’m already! Sorry, I’m seeing s-someone now!”
It wasn’t a particularly odd thing for soulmates to show up in groups of three or more, but given Yachi’s and Yamaguchi’s relationship goals, Tsukishima highly doubted it. It was then that it hit him.
“Maybe it’s someone on another team?”
“Did we bring anyone else new this time?”
“Wait, couldn’t it be—?”
A few eyes turned to stare at Tsukishima and he immediately felt his knees go weak. “What?” he muttered, the words lacking any real bite.
No one had actually said anything. No one’s lips had moved. They had all just collectively turned and…
“Tsukishima didn’t come to the Nekoma reunion last time,” Daichi stated and the words were like a nail in his coffin.
“I don’t think—” Tsukishima felt the words form around his mouth, but it took effort to expel them from his lips. He looked from everyone’s curious faces to the Nekoma captain’s steady gaze.
It was expectant.
He knew.
Tsukishima’s cheeks went red.
“No way, Stingyshima can blush?!”
“Ah, I feel kind of bad for Nekoma’s captain…”
“Of course, the mean looking ones get together—”
“Tsukki looks like he’s going to throw up—"
Everyone was speechless, and yet, Tsukishima heard everything. A dull panic rose up from inside him. It threatened to overtake him, overwhelm him; he felt as if he were suffocating.
“I need some air,” Tsukishima managed before he took off in the direction of the bathrooms.
“Hey, it’s that lanky Karasuno first year—”
“Whoa, really need to take a dump, huh—”
“Wow, she’s kind of cute!”
“I’m starving—!”
“I’m going to kill him, I swear—”
It took a good minute before Tsukishima realized he couldn’t block out the thoughts that buzzed around his head. He wrenched open the bathroom entrance, rushed into an empty stall, and curled into himself, hands wrapped tightly around his ears.
This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be happening. Why was it happening?
He heard someone breathing heavily. It was another moment before he realized it was him.
Well, at least the breathing distracted him from the storm of thoughts that threatened to invade his consciousness. This ability was some kind of torture in and of itself. He wound himself tighter on the toilet seat, a muted hum ringing in his head.
He wanted it to stop.
Distantly, Tsukishima heard the restroom door swing open and he stiffened as a fresh thought entered his mind.
“Must be overwhelming for him—”
“Shut up,” Tsukishima grit out, eyes squeezing shut. He could recognize that drawling voice anywhere and that was a ridiculous notion because he’d just met the man today. “I don’t need your pity.”
“Ah, crap—I didn’t mean to…”
A pair of legs stopped in front of his stall and he heard the upperclassman take a steadying breath. “You okay in there?”
“‘t’s fine,” he ground out.
“Obviously, not,” a voice echoed in his head.
“Shut—” he struggled to find the words. “I know.”
A moment of silence passed, save for the quiet murmuring in his brain.
“Look,” Kuroo began once more, and he at least had the decency to sound guilty about bestowing this curse onto Tsukishima’s life. “I know how overwhelming it can get, but this is going to last for a week so I don’t want you to bear with it like this the entire time, you know? I have… well, I have some tips if you want them?”
Tsukishima waited a moment for a pitying remark or a backhanded comment, but no other thoughts came. He wondered if he was supposed to take it as a genuine gesture of kindness, then.
He slowly released a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. “How do you make it stop?”
“It’s… you don’t, really, haha,” Kuroo admitted. “You just learn how to drown out the voices a little better.”
“How?” Tsukishima insisted.
“Come out here and let me show you. And, let me see your pretty face.”
Tsukishima grimaced, his face warm. “Did you really just think that—”
Kuroo laughed, and when Tsukishima tentatively opened the stall door, he shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”
“Is this what I have to deal with for an entire week?”
“If by this, you mean me, then,” Kuroo scratched his chin, a small smile for Tsukishima. “Yes? Damn, this is weird.”
Tsukishima scoffed, his voice hoarse, and his eyes downcast. “No kidding.”
“So… mind telling me about your powers? And in return, I’ll tell you about mine—not that you don’t know what it is by now, but we can go someplace quiet and reclusive—like a date—and I could give you some advice? Don’t worry,” Kuroo grinned, winking slightly. “I won’t jump you or anything like that. At least not until we’ve had dinner, movie, maybe some dates or something, kinda wanna run my fingers through that head of soft hair—”
“Not a date, and, stop--just, please stop thinking whatever you’re thinking,” Tsukishima huffed, but the heat in his cheeks remained. Was this guy for real? He let himself relax just a little because obviously, Kuroo wasn’t going to take advantage of him in his weakened state. “But, okay. Quiet is nice.”
“Okay, awesome! Attaboy, Kuroo! Can’t wait to tell Bo! I know a good place away from people we can go to,” he extended a hand. “Ready to go?”
Tsukishima snorted, pointedly ignoring the outstretched fingers in favor of walking behind Kuroo. He was glad that the upperclassman seemed to get the hint. “Did you really just praise yourself in your head?”
Kuroo laughed, a faint pink spreading across his cheeks. “You can hear all that?”
“It’s your power,” Tsukishima responded, walking alongside Kuroo as the captain started to make his way across the school grounds. “Shouldn’t you know the extent of it?”
“In theory.”
Tsukishima grumbled something about the stupidity of it all, but he could hardly hear himself through the stream of thoughts from the people they passed. Kuroo seemed to acknowledge it though, humming pleasantly next to him as they made their way to a patch of grassy hill.
Soon, the voices began to fade and with this sensory overload reduction, Tsukishima felt keenly aware of how close he had been walking next to the ever popular, confident volleyball captain. It was kind of nerve-wracking, after all; he’d heard the stories about the esteemed Nekoma captain. The man was highly respected and beloved by all—he was the opposite of how Tsukishima was and he was definitely handling this entire situation with grace and efficiency—
“Ah, man, I’m nervous.”
Tsukishima paused, watching as Kuroo took a seat under the shade of a fairly large tree. He looked up at Tsukishima with a soft, inviting smile, patting the grass next to him.
He couldn’t be serious, what did the third-year have to get nervous about?
Silently, Tsukishima sat next to him, making sure to leave a gap so that he could leave at any moment if he decided he wanted nothing to do with Kuroo.
“Are you nervous?”
Tsukishima snorted, shrugging. “Aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” Kuroo admitted easily, leaning back onto his palms. He looked up at the sky. “If I had known I was meeting my soulmate today, I would’ve prepared my best pickup lines.”
Tsukishima had to stop from rolling his eyes. “Do you even need those with your soulmate?”
Kuroo grinned. “Does that mean I’ve already won you over, Glasses-kun?”
“That’s not my—”
“Ah, but, Freckles calls you Tsukki, huh?” Kuroo sat up and made a writing motion with his hand. “How do you spell your name?”
Tsukishima went silent, watching Kuroo’s hands as they made an attempt to write out what little he knew about Tsukishima into the air between them. Kuroo paused, fingers lowering.
“Ah, shit, did I say something—”
“Tsukishima Kei.”
Kuroo blinked, arms falling to his sides. “Kei,” he tested.
Tsukishima flushed, all systems on abort. He made as if to get up. This was too fast already. The universe was an asshole for pushing them together like this—why didn’t he have a say in when and who he would try for love? “I—”
“Ah, sorry,” Kuroo spoke up, hands lifted in defense. “Is just ‘Tsukki’ fine for now? Don’t mess it up, don’t mess up—”
“Okay,” Tsukishima said, if anything to get rid of those strangely modest thoughts from a person he would have assumed to be a cocky asshole. “That’s fine, Kuroo-san.”
Kuroo’s shoulders slumped. “‘-san, huh?”
Tsukishima blinked. “Huh.”
“Nothing, I’m just glad that’s settled,” Kuroo smiled, humming. “It’ll take time, it’ll take time.”
Tsukishima didn’t know what Kuroo was referring to in his thoughts, but he thought it better to let it be. He made a noncommittal noise in agreement.
“So,” Kuroo continued, sitting up straight to lift a finger in the air. “As you already know, my powers—”
“Mind reading. I got that.”
“Well, not exactly,” Kuroo grinned and Tsukishima was distantly reminded of a Cheshire cat. The upperclassman twirled his lone finger in the air. “It doesn’t really work the way you would think mind reading would want to go. You generally don’t have control over whose mind you want to read. I’m sure you’ve realized this.”
“Yeah, it sucks.”
Kuroo made a sound that—was that a laugh? What the actual hell. It sounded like a chicken getting strangled.
“Oh my god, he’s hilarious.”
Tsukishima flushed, but refused to acknowledge the compliment as—it hadn’t actually been a compliment, just a thought. And, he preferred to keep it that way.
“But, before that, I feel a little out of the loop here, Tsukki—” Kuroo breathed out, an easy smile forming on his lips. “Mind telling me a bit about your powers before I go into the details of mine? I know next to nothing about you.”
“As it should be,” Tsukishima mused, but thought better of voicing out loud. “Okay.”
It was then that Tsukishima realized he had never planned for this. He didn’t know how to explain how to use his powers, nor did he know how to go about controlling it. He hadn’t planned to meet his soulmate at a random volleyball game in the godforsaken city of Tokyo after all. He hadn’t planned to meet his soulmate at all.
“Uh,” Tsukishima stammered, finding himself lost for words. “I… usually if I’m annoyed or frustrated, I just… g-glare at someone and they can’t make any noise around me.”
Kuroo blinked. “Glare at someone?”
“It sounds really stupid when he puts it like that,” Tsukishima groaned internally, looking anywhere but at Kuroo’s face.
“I’m honestly not sure how to… explain it,” he found himself admitting, wrapping his arms around his legs. He noticed the way Kuroo’s gaze followed his movements, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted the captain to have any thoughts in particular about him. “It’s noise cancellation.”
“Noise cancellation, huh?” Kuroo considered, fitting a thumb under his chin. “Fits him.”
Tsukishima bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t know me.”
Kuroo started. “No, no, oh my god, no, sorry, that’s not what I meant—just from what I’ve gathered so far, I just—”
“Whatever,” Tsukishima grumbled, glaring at the floor. What he wouldn’t give to be able to silence the upperclassman and leave him under that tree. Punish him with forced silence so that the captain couldn’t bother him ever again. Not that he could anymore since Kuroo was the one who had his powers now.
“Hey,” Kuroo said again, more calmly. “Sorry about that, you’re right. I know nothing about you, but that’s why I want to know, you know? It… probably sounds stupid—lame—but, I personally really like the idea of soulmates. Could you give me a chance? Please?”
The plea went unsaid, but Tsukishima heard it loud and clear. He sighed, bringing his fingers together tightly. “Not like we have much of a choice, anyway.”
“Well, if you really wanted nothing to do with me, which, would suck to be honest, I would still understand,” Kuroo continued. “We could survive this week and then, never see each other again. Does that sound alright with you?”
Tsukishima looked at Kuroo, wondering if there was some sort of catch. As much as he hated the power now, it was useful in this specific scenario. He could definitely catch Kuroo in a lie, if he ever failed to be as genuine as he seemed to be. Given how much the captain seemed to love the idea of soulmates, there was no way he actually would be willing to let Tsukishima go after a single week, right?
“So, what do you say?”
No other thoughts came. Tsukishima closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.
“Okay.”
Day 1.