TsukkiKage Week: Day 2 (Ghost AU)
Blueprint/headcanons this is literally a fic in bullet points:
Kageyama Tobio, 26, met Tsukishima Kei when he moved into his new apartment.
He had just quit his previous job and taken up a new one in a different city, which had caused him to change his residence.
He had quit because a rift had developed between him and his co-workers, who claimed that they were unable to work with him as a team he was leading.
At first, he was quite taken aback because of how incredibly frank (and rude) Kei seemed.
There was a constant stream of snide comments about everything, from Tobio’s bedhead to the growing laundry pile that Tobio did nothing about before it was too late.
Since they did have some similarities, they did develop a sort of odd camaraderie.
One night, Kei found Tobio very drunk and with a lifeless look in his eyes, and (against his better judgement, he claimed) prodded at what was wrong.
Because of his drunken state, Tobio talked about his past and expressed his worry about screwing up at his new job.
Kei remained silent most of the time, listening attentively and developing a set of talking points for the future.
At first, Tobio was awkward around Kei (he remembered what he had revealed) and avoided him by eating out and working late.
Eventually, Kei cornered him and (in his own, frank manner) delivered his talking points.
“I’ll be honest, Kageyama, you were in the wrong. But, please remember, they were too. Just because one experience turned out for the worst, doesn’t mean another will as well.”
He proceeded to give some suggestions to avoid the same mistakes at his new workplace and noted that in the presence of the orange excitable colleague, Hinata, the chances of him screwing up again were far lower.
Tobio looked awestruck and grateful all at once, even though it took him a lot to admit he was.
It was as if something changed between them with that, Kei felt. He sensed Tobio was up to something, and he was proved right when Tobio set up a candlelit dinner a week or so later.
“Your Majesty, what is all this lavish preparation for? Isn’t it too much for a dinner for one?” “The dinner is for one but the decor is for two.”
Somewhere in the way Tobio was looking at him and the way there seemed to be a confession on the tip of his tongue, Kei knew about the feelings that had made themselves obvious.
He finally knew that he was the object of someone’s affection, and his heart soared, knowing that Tobio could like him.
It did nothing to quell his sadness.
With a shock, Kei realized Tobio’s feelings were not unrequited.
Some days later Tobio found Kei sitting on the edge of his bed, tense, and asked him what was wrong.
“You know I’m only temporary, right, King?” “I figured as much. So?” “So you should consider moving on before you get hurt. Because we both know I won’t be the one hurting afterward.”
There was a stony look on Tobio’s face and the two of them ignored each other for the rest of the day.
But it only lasted that long, because they silently crept back towards each other later.
“Don’t do that ever again.” “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty.”
You see, Kei had died ten years prior to the start of this story when he was sixteen. But his ghost was stuck on earth because, he and his best friend (also a ghost), Tadashi, had an argument when Tadashi told Kei he had to keep trying to get over old hurdles and not give up even if there was no end to that cycle. And, as a result, Kei had found himself cursed to stay behind on Earth until he helped someone else get over their past hurdles (to prove a point to him, basically, that everything can be overcome).
And Kei had thought he was stuck forever until Tobio came around.
But now, he found himself torn because he didn’t want to leave. And yet, he couldn’t stay.
Eventually, Kei’s ghost did leave. Tobio and Kei cherished every moment before that fateful day, and so no one cried while bidding farewell to one another.
Tobio would never let Kei know, but he cried afterward.
He hoped Kei would be able to make peace with his best friend soon, the way Kei had helped him make peace with himself.
It took some time, but Tobio eventually got over his past. And it took even longer, but he reconciled with his old colleagues, who were pleasantly surprised to see him changing his ways.
Every year, he visited Kei’s grave once, to thank him for making his life better even in death.
I will write this as a fic, but later. For now, I hope you enjoyed the Ghost! AU.
