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Ukai blew the whistle, and the players threw their hands on their knees and caught their breath. They practiced hard, but not hard enough to spend the precious energy they needed for their match.
“Good practice, guys,” Ukai shouted. “Go get a light lunch, hit the restrooms, get some air. We’re back here in an hour for the fight of our lives!”
The team threw their fists up and yelled. They broke apart and split in different directions.
“Hinata,” Kageyama said.
He looked to his teammate, raising his eyebrows. Kageyama gestured for him to follow, which he did. He led him into an empty hallway. That was strange because it was close to the gym. He looked around, bobbing his head like a goof.
“What?” Kageyama asked.
“It’s just…” Hinata said. “Never mind. What do you need?”
Kageyama didn’t look at him. He’d turned his back and crossed his arms. Hinata slid back before bravely reaching out. He placed his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just,” Kageyama sighed. “I lied. Last night.”
Hinata’s brow furrowed. He didn’t understand. There wasn’t anything he could have lied about. Unless--
“No, don’t say that!” Hinata shouted. “Don’t crap out on me now! We will win today!”
Hinata slammed his fist in his palm. His stare bored into the back of Kageyama’s head.
“No,” Kageyama whispered. “Not that. I lied about the good luck thing, Hinata.”
He turned and stared into Hinata’s eyes. The ginger withdrew from his gaze, his hands fell back in front of him.
“Huh?” He asked.
When Kageyama said nothing, Hinata laughed.
“You mean you lied when you said you heard people kiss for good luck?” He asked with a smile.
“Uh, yeah,” Kageyama said.
He eyed Hinata wearily, unsure what he was playing at. He was sure Hinata would feel used or weirded out by his ulterior motive. Especially after outing him for last evening to the entire team without discussing it. He couldn’t play a good game without coming clean.
“Duh, Crappyama,” Hinata said, waving his hand. “I said I read it in a book and you still didn’t clue in? How dumb can you be?”
Kageyama’s jaw dropped. He tricked him? He should’ve remembered sooner that Hinata never picked a book up in his life. He knew it would offend Hinata when he told him he lied because he knew that’s how he’d feel if the roles were reversed. And he felt that way.
“Why would you do that? Why would you say it was for good luck, then?”
“It was for good luck, though. Just ‘cause I didn’t read it in a book didn’t mean I wasn’t wishing you luck,” Hinata said. “Besides, you lied, too.”
Kageyama swallowed his pride. It took a moment as it felt like dry swallowing a pill the size of a fist. He threw his arms down by his side and looked at the ground.
“You’re right,” he said. “And I’m... sorry.”
Hinata’s hands flew to his head. He jumped on the spot and pointed at Kageyama.
“Whoa!” He exclaimed, then bowed. “Kageyama I’m sorry, too. I should have been more forthright.”
“I forgive you,” Kageyama said. “Let’s eat.”
Hinata nodded and began following his teammate. Just as soon as he started, he stopped again.
“You know what?” He asked, causing Kageyama to stop, too.
“Hm?”
“Can I ask you for real?”
“Ask me what?”
“If… If I…”
“Spit it out,” Kageyama snarled.
“Can I kiss you?” Hinata all but yelled.
He clenched his fists by his side and squished his eyes shut. His face erupted in a horrendous blush that clashed terribly with his orange hair. Kageyama turned to face him. He squinted at Hinata.
“Isn’t that what we just talked about?”
“Um, no?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Then tell me again!” Hinata shouted.
“Yes!” Kageyama shouted back. “Maybe we didn’t get there in the best way, but we got there.”
Hinata’s blush deepened, and he ran to Kageyama, jumping up and bumping their faces together.
“Hey!” Kageyama yelled, moving his face in time just to miss a nasty headbutt to the nose.
He placed his hands firmly on Hinata’s shoulders, keeping him in place. He met his fiery gaze with an intensity of his own. He lifted Hinata’s chin and brought his face forward. He crashed his lips against the ginger’s, having to lean down considerably.
Hinata ran his hands up Kageyama’s chest and up to his neck. He slipped his fingers in the hair behind Kageyama’s ears and gently used it to tug him slightly back. Once again, the pressure against their lips lessened and Kageyama’s stomach twisted. Heat ran up to his face and his hands instinctively went to grab at the back of Hinata’s shirt. They shared more than one kiss that time, and Kageyama tried desperately to cherish the moment.
Hinata ran his hand back down Kageyama’s neck, then clavicle, the pectoral muscles. His hand remained there, radiating heat, as he pulled away. Kageyama cursed in his head. It was over too soon. He put his forehead against Hinata’s, feeling his breath puff across his cheek.
“So, this is just a thing now?” Nishinoya asked.
Hinata and Kageyama jumped apart, their souls leaving their body and their hearts ceasing to pump. They looked up at Nishinoya walking down the otherwise empty hall. He carried a box of unidentified content in his hands. Kageyama scowled at him. He didn’t prepare for backlash.
“So what if it is?” He asked defensively.
“Relax,” Nishinoya dismissed. “It’s cute and all, but you guys need to eat if we’re gonna have a chance.”
He held the box out to his teammates, and it contained various lightweight snacks. They ogled down at the food before snatching it from their libero and hunkering down on the hall floor. A glance at the clock said they didn’t have much time to digest before they had to get back on the court.
When the three of them finished eating, they began walking to the main gymnasium. The one they would actually play in. They started in silence, but it was short-lived. Kageyama was stuck between the shortest members of their team. Hinata and Nishinoya were both vibrating as they shouted about how exceptional the match would be. Either they were just more excited than everyone else, or their small bodies had a harder time containing it.
Once they arrived in the change room, their whole team greeted them warmly. They pulled on their jerseys as they discussed strategy. They all wished each other luck and ran out onto the court.
There were cameras upon cameras. Their space in the bleachers was actually filled for once. The gymnasium was enormous- and in the centre was their stage. Hinata stared on in amazement as he fantasized about standing out there with a medal around his neck.
-
Five sets, Hinata thought to himself. Five. Five never seemed like such a big number before then. His legs felt like lead. His abductors and hamstrings were so tight he felt like if he stretched them at all they’d snap apart. His quads and his calves hissed at him. The air felt like it was leaving his lungs before it even got in.
He wanted to yell back at them, ‘it’s match point you idiots, it’s almost over. Just hang in there!’. He couldn’t, though. He didn’t know if he could speak if his life depended on it.
He watched as Tsukishima, Daichi, and Asahi jumped to block Ushiwaka’s direct hit. At the last second, though, he sent it cross-court. Hinata watched the ball go with a clenched jaw. How was that possible?
Ushiwaka was an impossible mountain, unmoving and uncompromising. It was like he was physically holding his entire team to the ground as they thrashed and did all they could to get back up. Nothing they could do, collectively or solitarily, could’ve helped.
Daichi dived and saved the ball, and Hinata’s head snapped over to him. Impossible.
“Asahi! Save it!” Daichi yelled.
Asahi lowered himself under the trajectory of the ball. He tried hitting it back over the net, but it ricocheted back to their side of the court by their blockers. Tanaka ran to the far end of the court to receive the ball. He hit it back over to the front of the court.
“Chance ball!” He yelled.
It was as though their team finally collected their strength and the unmovable mountain budged. The ball was making its way to Kageyama to set.
“Ten’s coming!” The other team yelled when they saw it.
They gasped as Hinata remained where he was. He watched the ball, the same as the rest of his team. He couldn’t move his legs unless he had to.
“He’s not flying up front yet?” Kageyama heard from the other side of the net. He gasped as he looked at Hinata. No, he wasn’t. Why?
He had no other choice but to trust the movement of his teammates. They had his back.
As soon as Kageyama threw the ball in the air, his entire team flocked forward. He watched all of them fly up the court and break free of the grasp of Ushiwaka.
Hinata ran through the pain in his legs and jumped along with the rest of them. He wasn’t sure if he was out of the loop or if none of them really knew who would get the ball. All he knew was that if the ball was in front of him, the game would be over.
He trained his eyes on Kageyama and where he was setting the ball. He saw it coming towards him. Then he saw it- the view on the other side of the mountain. It was clear as day. Like a spotlight. He knew where the ball had to go and he knew he was going to get it there.
The ball paused in front of him and just spun for only a second. He seized the chance and smashed the ball like it killed his entire family. He watched the ball fly as he landed.
Then someone was under it. His entire body became heavier. He didn’t have another one of those in him. The ball slammed off the player’s arm and flew behind him.
‘Maybe there’s a chance,’ Hinata thought.
Their team stared on in silence, feeling the weight of their strained muscles. They urged the ball to land.
‘Just kiss the ground, damn it!’ Tanaka thought.
Just as another player nosedived into the ground to receive the ball, he missed. Blue and yellow met vinyl.
They stared on in silence. Unmoving. The entire gym held their breath. Players, management and spectators alike. They would do nothing until they heard that whistle and the score moved up.
They wouldn’t believe they won until they knew.
The referee blew the whistle and held his arm up to Karasuno’s side of the court. The scorekeepers moved their number up by one, jaws slack and movements slow.
19 - 21
It was real. They won. There was no way.
The gymnasium erupted as one unit. The applause was deafening. It seemed no one quite believed what they were seeing. Karasuno would have been offended if they didn’t feel the same way.
Daichi approached Asahi and pulled him into a tight hug. Tears already streamed down their faces. Sugawara was quick to get in on the action, his pride for his teammates overwhelming him. They’d wanted it for so long and they got it on their last chance. They let out victorious screams as the rest of the team dog piled Kageyama and Hinata.
They all cried together, still in shock. Even in the emotion’s heat, Kageyama was more interested in shoving everyone off him. His body was already exhausted without supporting the weight of everyone else. They could celebrate properly later.
“Hey, time to line up,” he said.
“I… I can’t walk,” Hinata said.
The burden of his muscles became too much for him when the adrenaline of the game wore off. There was nothing left to fight for and his legs wanted to give out. Kageyama’s brow furrowed when he noticed Hinata was visibly shaking. He supposed he hadn’t had much of a break during the game.
He and Nishinoya each took one of Hinata’s arms and pulled him to his place in the lineup. His feet dragged like cement blocks along the ground. He couldn’t lift them higher than two inches if he tried.
-
After the ceremony, they trudged to the change room. Kageyama and Nishinoya supported Hinata once again, as his legs had improved very little by then. They slumped him down onto the bench of the far wall. Kageyama placed his hands on his hips and faced away from them.
“Hinata,” he said. “Remember yesterday when you told me you couldn’t believe we won?”
Hinata nodded, furrowing his brow.
“How do you feel now?” Kageyama asked with a smile.
“I couldn’t feel any better than this!” Hinata yelled, beaming.
“Yeah? Just wait till we win nationals!” Nishinoya shouted.
“Yeah!” The rest of the team yelled.
They shared a laugh and talked about the highlights of the game.
“No one asked me how I felt,” Tanaka said.
“How do you feel, Tanaka?” Asahi asked.
“I feel like wearing nothing but this medal for the next five months!”
“That’s why no one asked you,” Sugawara muttered.
Tanaka laughed, slapping Sugawara on the back.
“Who even cares about how you feel anyways,” Nishinoya said. “No one asked me how I felt after I had to witness these two freaks sucking face earlier.”
He waved his hand at the suddenly mortified Kageyama and Hinata.
“What?” Hinata screamed.
Kageyama quickly regained his cool, “You said it was cute.”
“It was until I remembered who you guys were,” Nishinoya laughed.
Sugawara, Daichi, and Tanaka all joined in the laughter as Hinata and Kageyama glowered to themselves.
“It’s not actually a big deal,” Sugawara said. “We all knew it was going to happen, eventually. Except Asahi, apparently.”
“Hey, I did think so. It’s just when that new girl manager joined I thought things would turn out differently,” Asahi said, crossing his arms.
“What? Yachi? Are you nuts?” Hinata shouted as he sat up.
“You’re right. What was he thinking? That makes way less sense than Kageyama,” Tanaka quipped. “Cute lady manager or douchey crap face? How could you be so naïve, Asahi?”
They laughed, save for Kageyama.
“Yeah, whatever, guys,” he said. “At least I’m not betting on your love lives.”
“‘Cause there’s nothing to bet on,” Tsukishima said. “Unless you count betting on the next person to get hit by Kiyoko.”
“God, I hope it’s me,” Tanaka said. He sat back with his hands behind his head.
“You’re sick,” Tsukishima said.
“Who are you to talk, anyways? Have you ever even touched a girl?” Tanaka asked.
“No.”
They all looked to Tsukishima, surprised at his candor. The former didn’t look up from where he was folding his clothes back into his bag.
“None of you are very perceptive,” he continued. “If Kageyama and Hinata didn’t have to work together to work, you wouldn’t have noticed a thing.”
“That’s not true!” Nishinoya said. “We have an eye for this sort of thing.”
“Yeah,” Tanka said. “Besides, they were really obvious.”
Tsukishima ignored Hinata and Kageyama’s protests, “You’re absolutely certain you have everyone one this team figured out?”
“Yeah!” Tanaka said. “Everyone here is desperately alone aside from Daichi who had that chick player around his finger. Then there’s these two lovebirds,” he stabbed his thumb in the Weirdo Duo’s direction. “Then there’s me, who will marry Kiyoko and live Happily-Ever-After.”
“That’s both incorrect and delusional,” Tsukishima said.
Tanaka narrowed his eyes at the bespectacled blond, “How would you know?”
“I never planned on telling any of you this, but to prove my point,” he sighed, “I’ve been seeing Tadashi for a year now and none of you ever noticed.”
They all lunged forward to gape between Tadashi and Tsukishima. Tadashi waved at them.
“Uh, yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m just glad you all know now.”
“Why did you never say anything?” Nishinoya asked.
“That’s my next point,” Tsukishima turned to Hinata and Kageyama. “It isn’t relevant. You can still play on the same team and date without making a spectacle of yourselves.”
He grabbed his bag and walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him. Everyone looked from the door to their wounded teammates.
“That’s just how he is,” Tadashi said. “I’m not saying it’s okay, but until he apologizes, please don’t take that to heart. You two have done nothing wrong.”
“No, it’s okay, Tadashi,” Hinata said. “He’s more private than I am. It’ll be a change, for sure.”
“I think it’s worth mentioning we’re not even dating,” Kageyama said. “What an overreaction.”
Hinata looked up at him. They weren’t dating? What did that mean? Why did he tell him it was okay to kiss him, then?
He found the strength to stand and change out of his uniform and folded his laundry into his bag as his teammates continued to speak.
Was Kageyama lying? He lied before. Would he do it again? Or worse, what if Kageyama just wanted some kind of friends with benefits situation? Hinata was not up for that.
He tucked his medal into the front pocket of his bag, zipped it up and threw it over his shoulder.
He decided to let Kageyama take the lead on things. He would let him set the situation, and Hinata would decide what to do with it from there. Reflective of their roles in volleyball.
His pulse was in his wrists and legs as he walked towards the door. Kageyama better not screw everything up. He couldn’t imagine being partners with someone who’d use him without warning like that. A lump formed in his throat as he put his hand on the cold metal that separated him from the outside world.
It was an emotional day.
He felt a hand on his forearm, stopping him from leaving. He looked up and met Kageyama’s steely eyes. The taller of the two furrowed his eyebrows.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yeah,” Hinata said.
Kageyama frowned and removed his hand, “Okay, then. See you on the bus?”
“Yeah,” Hinata repeated.
He pulled the door open and disappeared.