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Even if Shoyo was the Sun, molded by wind and impetuous as the ocean waves, he was, all things considered, a little creature of snow.

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Atsumu was fascinated by it: the way in which he'd protect himself from the cold was so adorable it seemed fake, maybe the act of a kitsune whom disguises as a human being. He'd cuddle himself in his arms, rubbing his muscles over his clothes, and scrunch his nose in such a cute way.

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The cheeks turned red evenly, two pink patches conveniently spaced apart, as if they had been drawn on. Shoyo, freezing, gathered within himself, a powerful but small body, that made Atsumu's head spin a little.

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Atsumu knew that body very well. Small enough to be carried to bed in Atsumu's arms when he was too tired, but gigantic on the volleyball court, and when he got mad. Then, he turned sweet again, containable, adorable. Atsumu had always known he'd marry an unexplainable creature but now, that a few days from the wedding had gone by, he finally realized that. 

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They left for their honeymoon immediately after the celebrations. Two world-class players, yet they suffered a little from not being able to properly visit the places where they would go to play. A cruise was planned, but first they had to fulfil a whim they had had since their early days together, ten years earlier, when they were just the setter and spiker for the MSBY Black Jackals, when they were just friends. 

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Sado Island was not a prestigious tourist destination, but they had fallen in love with the images they had seen on television. They had said to each other, 'One day we'll go there'. That day had been lost in the folds of time and career, but they had never forgotten that plan. So they got married, at the right time to have time for themselves, and the day to go there finally came. True love waits, and they were both patient people when it came to that sort of thing. 

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It didn't snow much on that island, which was a nice consolation, since neither of them was used to the cold. Atsumu hated it, and Shoyo had forgotten it. He no longer needed to live in the cold, so he had adapted into a creature of sun and sand.

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Atsumu had asked him once, «Did ya go all the way to Brazil 'cause ya couldn't stand the cold anymore?»

Shoyo thought about it. «Well, no, it was because I had an opportunity there. But , come to think of it, I think I liked it because I was fed up with biking in the snow.»

Atsumu was surprised. «Sorry, but isn't it dangerous to bike in the snow?»

«I had no choice. There are no buses where I live.» he explained, not without a hint of resentment. No one else would have noticed, too blinded by the sunlight glowing from within Shoyo, but Atsumu did. 

Atsumu always noticed everything. Shoyo really liked being studied so closely. 

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The next step, of course, was to have Shoyo take him to "where I live". They weren't actually together when it happened, but looking back, that was the moment Shoyo really felt that he wanted Atsumu to stay by his side for the rest of his life. If he had to become his boyfriend to be sure of having him, so be it.

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They could have driven up there, but Atsumu took up the challenge of biking the whole way up. Luckily, it was spring, so they rode their bikes through blossoming trees under a warm sun. Even though he was fit and muscular, when they got there, Atsumu laid down on the grass and sighed,

«Ya really are the coolest person on earth. Doing this every day, twice a day, in the snow, rain, cold, heat... no wonder ya're like that. I admire ya so much, Shoyo-kun.» he said. It was very difficult for Shoyo to just bring him some water, he wanted to kiss him.

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Romance comes in many shapes and forms, and Atsumu had this unbeatable skill of making everything seem romantic. Shoyo, who never really cared much about romance, felt like he was being courted just by Atsumu 's mere existence. Him and thousands of others, sure, but at the end of the day, only he got to be kissed by Atsumu Miya himself. A great achievement, right below the Olympic medal and the cover of Monthly Volleyball, in Shoyo's personal ranking. 

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"You all want him, but he's all mine."

Shoyo thought this about Atsumu's fans, and Atsumu thought this about all their colleagues around the world. It was well known that Shoyo was quite desired among volleyball players, and how could one blame him? Even if Kageyama Tobio and Tooru Oikawa had come to that conclusion first, it was Atsumu Miya who had put the ring on his finger (and declared that he would burn the marriage certificate, "so ya can't return me if ya get tired of me!").

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Fuck them all, he had reserved a special table at their wedding for all of Shoyo's admirers that he had managed to track down. Right in front of the grooms' table. Some people hadn't come to the wedding, and Atsumu couldn't blame them; he wouldn't have gone either if he hadn't been the groom.

In fact, he had told Shoyo that years earlier, after a terrible argument.

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All couples argue, even those with perfect mental, physical and sexual chemistry like Atsumu and Shoyo.

Distance was difficult: Shoyo was too successful to return to Japan, Atsumu too successful to leave. They weren't angry because something had happened, they were angry because the years were passing and every year it became more difficult to be apart. They almost gave up.

Shoyo had threatened him, saying that if they could only be a couple during (and barely) championships, then they might as well break up. Atsumu had taken him by the arm and said:

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«One day I'll be yer husband and ya will be mine. Where do ya think ya're going?»

Shoyo wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but he immediately recognised that look: he had looked at him like that on the day of the Nationals, the first time.

Then when they won the Japanese championship, then the Nationals, and before the Olympic podium.

Atsumu looked at him like that when he was deadly certain of something, and Shoyo had learned to take him seriously. So, that day he let himself go, cried in his arms and apologised.

«I' got carried away by my despair» he said, his face burning with shame. «It's just that I miss you. I want to be with you all the time. Half the year isn't enough for me.»

Atsumu hugged him. «Me neither. But I sleep peacefully knowing that we have the rest of our lives together. Won't ya think that too?»

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Anyway, that wasn't the marriage proposal. They had had the same idea, to wait a few days after Shoyo's retirement from international tournaments to propose to each other. The scene was truly comical, because they both found themselves on their knees showing the ring, in the middle of an after-dinner walk. 

It was a very private moment, and fortunately so, since they looked like two perfect idiots, so coordinated that they seemed uncoordinated, but it was confirmation that they had chosen the right moment.