Winning the game... It's everything for them. And it happened. Miyuki feels like he's in shock.

He's read up on the symptoms of shock. It can happen with injuries — after a shoulder dislocates, a heavy slam into the fence, a stray pitch on a bad day clipping someone's temple at the wrong angle — and he knows that, really, winning a game doesn't cause it. But his heart is racing so hard he can't pull air into his lungs; his ears are filled with a roar and he doesn't know if it's the crowd or his own thoughts; it sure as hell feels like shock.

Oikawa looks dazed. He's standing poised as if, after a pitch that beautiful, he thought he might somehow need to field. Miyuki could kiss him.

He jogs up to the mound where the others have gathered to hug and laugh because fuck! They won at Nationals. They can go anywhere from here.

Oikawa might be in just as much shock as Miyuki, from the way he's putting on his "sincere" talking to fans voice, while Haruichi bounces on his toes to congratulate him on the final strike out.

Miyuki slaps Oikawa on the back and pulls him down to whisper in his ear. "We did it."

Oikawa goes still under his arm. Miyuki doesn't want to let go ever. He keeps his hand where it is on the small of his back. Oikawa drops his stupid fake persona in a heartbeat, and the most human smile that Miyuki has ever seen him wear takes its place.

The rest of the team talk, and laugh, and don't stop grinning as Oikawa hugs Miyuki tight and says, "Thank you," into his ear. It sends a thrill down Miyuki's spine.

They shake hands with the opposition. One or two of them are crying. Miyuki tries not to smile as he passes each of them — he can imagine their pain all too well — but he's pretty sure their captain thinks he's being smug.

He isn't.

He's happy.

The award ceremony is held in the evening, and it passes in a blur. He talks to reporters, so does Oikawa. Most of the reporters try to get their answers together, asking what their plans are for University, or the pros, and dancing around whether the two of them will stick together for that. They both tell them they have another year at Seidou before that.

He tries to leave for the bathroom during one interview, but finds Oikawa's hand bunched in the back of his shirt, stopping him from making it further than a step. Oikawa doesn't so much as give him a glance for it. Miyuki stays put.

They stumble back to their hotel room once they're truly exhausted, and Miyuki all but crashes into Oikawa as he sags from relief. They won.

This would probably be the time to acknowledge that they passed by skinship months ago, but Miyuki doesn't want to talk about that. He wants to talk about everything, and all of it at the same time. They fall onto one of the futons from their momentum, and he rolls off of Oikawa but links their pinkies together. He's not willing to give up that touch just yet. Maybe that's what Oikawa was feeling before.

"You did good," he says, laughing. "Pretty sure you've never pitched better." He just said the same thing to the reporters, but it's different when they're not putting on a show.

Miyuki feels more than sees Oikawa nod in response.

"I think I saw Kataoka sniffling," Miyuki says. "Maybe that's why he wears the sunglasses? So if we do good he can keep up impressions."

Oikawa chuckles a little, and squeezes Miyuki's finger. "It's nearly midnight," he says.

"I guess it is. I bet some of the others are asleep already. They worked hard." Miyuki yawns, and doesn't bother trying to cover it. "Are you going to stay up again? We don't need late nights now we've won, and at this point it'd probably be against regulations."

Oikawa sits up on one elbow so he's leaning over Miyuki. He thinks for a second, just one second that hangs in a terrifying, perfect moment between them, that Oikawa is about to kiss him. Instead, he smiles like there's nothing to smile about and says:

"Miyucchi, I'm sorry. We won."

He breaks the link between their hands and touches Miyuki's chest.

Miyuki

falls.