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They stood outside the school, peering over the guardrail on the opposite side of the road. The chilled air of the night cooled their sweaty skin, but after a good practice like they had, it was a relief. Hinata rested his bike against his side as he stared over the lighted specs in the city below.
Without breaking his gaze, Hinata spoke. “You know what, Kageyama?”
Kageyama hummed his acknowledgement as he looked down at the ginger.
“I wonder if the Tiny Giant felt this way. On the night before the finals,” Hinata smiled. “I am pretty nervous...”
Hinata took a large shaky inhale and beamed at Kageyama.
“...But I’m super excited, too!”
Kageyama’s eyes widened when he saw the familiar glimmer in Hinata’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if everyone felt the same tightening of the chest when Hinata smiled at them or if he was the outlier. He was certain others had to have felt it. How couldn’t they when those amber eyes turned to saucers and fixed on you? Like you were welcome in any dream he thought up?
He retracted one hand from his pocket and held his fist out to Hinata.
“Tomorrow we win,” he said, meeting Hinata’s steady gaze.
“Yeah!” Hinata said, bumping Kageyama’s fist with his own.
Somehow, Hinata’s gaze only sharpened. Kageyama felt his chest constricting further. It was like everything was a competition with Hinata. He didn’t think he could win a contest of emotional intensity.
He broke the eye contact and pushed Hinata away by the forehead.
“You’re such a dork,” he muttered.
Kageyama turned to start his walk home, but only got a few feet before he noticed Hinata hadn’t moved. He turned back, expression unchanging.
“What?” He asked.
Hinata was back to staring down at the city lights. The intensity was still in his eyes and Kageyama felt a tingle in his neck. He wanted that look directed at him, but he knew he wasn’t always able to handle it. That didn’t stop him from feeling spite towards the lights.
“I just... can’t believe we really did it,” Hinata whispered.
“Well, believe it ‘cause we did,” Kageyama said.
He walked back over to where his small teammate stood. He was wired from winning that day. Going home just then wouldn’t make a tremendous difference. If it was about where he would stay awake, he didn’t mind being there with Hinata staring at the hints of the inconsequential lives down below.
“Remember how we hated each other?” Hinata asked, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. “But now we’re partners! And damn good ones, too!”
“That’s because we’re friends,” Kageyama said, looking at Hinata from his peripheral.
Hinata turned back towards him with his fists on his cheeks. His eyes were larger than anything Kageyama had seen before. The kid was nearly vibrating at that point.
“Wow, you really mean that?” He nearly shouted.
Kageyama sighed, “Yes. Don’t make me take it back.”
Hinata let out a delighted yell and draped himself around his not tall, but tall-to-him counterpart. It was no easy feat considering his bike remained between them and all of Kageyama’s protests.
“God, get off of me,” Kageyama said, pushing Hinata away at any angle he could.
He ignored how his heart pounded in his already constricted chest. It was so weird. He could run around a court all day, perform penalty after penalty, and that was what sucked the breath from his lungs? He needed to get a grip.
When Hinata refused to step down- a move that was entirely on brand, Kageyama conceded.
“Fine,” he nearly growled, “at least move your damn bike.”
“Right!” Hinata was swift in abandoning his bike to the side and easily regained his grasp on Kageyama before he could sneak away.
The heat that came off Hinata was unreal. Kageyama wondered how he even survived being that warm. The night was chilly and his own skin resembled that of someone with hypothermia. The warmth from Hinata’s arms around his waist spread to his chest and made his throat do a weird thing where he felt like he was going to throw up.
“Don’t you think that’s en--” Kageyama’s words hitched in his throat as he looked down at Hinata.
The ginger was already looking up at him and the usual intensity in his eyes had a different tone. Kageyama tried swallowing, but it felt like he’d eaten nothing but sand for the last seven years of his life. It was his turn for his eyes to turn to saucers.
“Hey, Kageyama…” Hinata said.
“Yeah?” He whispered.
“Since it’s the finals tomorrow, wouldn’t it be good luck if someone wished you good luck?”
“Uh, yeah. I would think so,” he narrowed his eyes at the stupid question.
“Okay, then I want to wish you good luck!” Hinata shouted as he pulled himself off of Kageyama.
“Okay... Thank you?”
“No! Not like that!” Hinata stood at attention. His tone was that of when he would speak about something he knew he shouldn’t have been speaking of.
“Um?” Kageyama asked as he took a step back.
He had no idea what was happening or why Hinata acted that way. What he knew, though, that historically when Hinata acted that way it was always weird.
“I heard that a kiss is considered good luck!” Hinata shouted, pointing at Kageyama.
Kageyama forgot about how his heart felt like it was hammering out of his chest. Probably because it felt like it stopped beating entirely. He felt any remaining heat in his body lift to his cheeks. He hoped the dim light outside hid the tint to his skin. He hated how apparent his blushes were.
“Uh, yeah, I think I heard that, too,” Kageyama lied.
“Yeah! Maybe from a book or something! But it is good luck, and I’d like to wish you goo--”
Hinata’s sentence was cut off by the very physical obstacle of Kageyama grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling him back close. He pressed his lips against Hinata’s harshly.
His grip on the ginger’s jacket only let up some when he felt a warm hand against his own chest and another on his cheek. He felt Hinata push his cheek back slightly, softening the connection between them. He noted how he could feel Hinata’s chapped lips that way.
Kageyama tightened his grip on Hinata’s jacket again, pulling him closer. The hand Hinata had on his chest tightened around the fabric of his jacket, too. He felt the hand on his cheek slide around the back of his neck and into the fine hairs at the base of his hairline.
The moment was over too soon. Before he could really appreciate the touch, he felt Hinata’s warm breath against his cheek. The hand left his hair and the front of his jacket was slightly wrinkled. He watched as Hinata fully pulled away from him with a smile he’d never seen before.
He looked... shy.
His teammate rubbed the back of his neck nervously before hastily yanking his bike off the ground. Before Kageyama could even form a thought, Hinata was taking a running start at it.
“Good luck, Kageyama!”
“Hinata, wait!” Kageyama yelled, throwing his arms out.
Hinata halted and turned with a mixture of confusion and fear on his face.
“Maybe…” Kageyama inhaled sharply. “Maybe I can wish you good luck tomorrow, too!”
The expression on Hinata’s face melted into one of unadulterated delight.
“You bet! Goodnight!” He yelled, jumping on his bike and taking off down the hill.
Kageyama stared after where he’d left for maybe too long before turning and walking the opposite way. The cold air felt even colder after Hinata left. It was going to be a bitter walk home, but he needed to get there and rest up.
He had two things to look forward to the next morning.