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The day’s practice had been difficult and grueling, both physically and mentally.
As the Nationals approached, the Karasuno boys’ volleyball team was restless and on edge. The first years were tense and distracted, completely deaf to the instructions of Coach Ukai, who wasn't even trying to maintain some semblance of discipline anymore. The second years were doing slightly better, already familiar with the pre-tournament pressure, but they were nervous as well. Meanwhile, the third years were watching the general chaos with weary eyes.
Tsukishima had been unwilling throughout the entire practice, claiming that there was no point in pushing too hard, except to drain the whole team. Kageyama retorted that this was precisely the right time to give their best and that they just couldn't go to the Nationals without meticulous training beforehand. The tone quickly escalated—even after almost three years together, these two continued to antagonize each other all the time, much to the dismay of Yamaguchi, who had to mediate between his best friend and the now vice-captain of the team.
Yamaguchi certainly didn't have Daichi's or Ennoshita's intimidating presence, but he liked to think that he got tougher over the years. Yachi insisted that he was now strong, solid and imposing, but he found it hard to believe her. She was, after all, easily impressed and trembled with apprehension every time anyone over 5’6 dared to approach her, so her judgment was inevitably biased.
And no matter what Yachi said, Yamaguchi usually had a hard time handling conflicts, preferring to play the role of mentor to the younger ones, always being of good advice and finding each time the right words to encourage them to outdo themselves.
That's why Yamaguchi had simply put a hand on Tsukishima's shoulder, telling him to let it go so as not to make things worse with Kageyama. The captain then slipped a glance towards the setter, not needing words to make his warning about his behaviour clear. Kageyama blushed and lowered his head in embarrassment, knowing full well that he had just fallen back into his old habits that he would probably never give up, despite all his efforts.
Coach Ukai announced that it was time to clean up, realizing that he would get nothing more from them for the day. The first years rushed to put the equipment away, almost with enthusiasm, looking forward to finally going home. And best of all, to get away from their seniors, as they could be far more daunting than the two adults supervising them.
When they first entered Karasuno, they all knew about Kageyama Tobio, his reputation as a cold and ruthless setter preceding him, and whose extreme intransigence was, alas, not just a myth. Some would say that he still deserved his nickname of “King” but he had actually become a bit more lenient over the years, even if it could not be said that he had metamorphosed into a kind and compliant person.
Although he had traded his temper tantrums and excessive attitude for a more measured demeanor, he did not hesitate to throw sharp criticisms and murdering glares at anyone who looked at him the wrong way. He also remained stubborn and haughty, scowling at those who weren’t honoring his always perfect tosses.
Then came Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi. The first one took advantage of his 6’4 height—making him the tallest player in Karasuno—to look down on everyone with a sly and derisive grin, always ready to make a snide remark towards anyone who dared to cross his path. This gift for provocation frequently unsettled and irritated his interlocutors, which was certainly an advantage when it came to formidable opponents, but Tsukishima did not fail to use it even against his peers when they were annoying him a bit too much.
Yamaguchi would then give him a hard look, letting his best friend know to temper his sarcasm to prevent unnecessary tension. But if you watched the captain a little closer, you could sometimes catch a hint of amusement in his eyes or see him snickering when Tsukishima was taunting one of his poor teammates.
In truth, Yamaguchi Tadashi’s candid and ingenuous air was not to be trusted, as he hid all his mischief behind a friendly facade and angelic smiles. Besides, he had not become the captain of one of the biggest high school teams in Miyagi for nothing: it was a role he took very much to heart. He always ensured that everyone fit in and nothing could escape his sharp eye; whether it was a sloppy move, a moment of slackness, or an attitude that was potentially harmful to the rest of the team. He never got angry, but knew how to use his gaze to silently chide troublemakers, and his forgiving smile and gentle tone could not quite mask his disappointment.
And no one, absolutely no one, was foolish enough not to feel guilt at the thought of disappointing Yamaguchi Tadashi.
But the most terrible of the third years was undoubtedly Karasuno’s ace, Hinata Shouyou. Of course, Hinata Shouyou was not a scary person by any means; he was one of the smallest members of the team and always had a beaming smile on his face, just happy to be on the court, practicing his passion surrounded by his closest friends.
But anyone who had attended at least one Karasuno game could attest to this: behind the net, Hinata was a completely different person. When he stepped on the court, with his usual look of determination and his eyes glinting with hunger, the atmosphere would immediately be charged with electricity, sending a chill down his opponents' spines. His overwhelming presence made it easy to forget that he was actually only 5'6 and his hard-earned reputation as the new Little Giant of Karasuno, which he had achieved through his phenomenal progress, was a clear sign that he was not to be underestimated. His sheer determination, his rage to win, and his almost insane will to steal victory from his opponents made him a veritable monster.
His younger teammates were glad to be on the same side of the net as him; because if they were to be fair, Hinata Shouyou scared the hell out of them.
Needless to say, Hinata Shouyou was nothing without Kageyama Tobio at his side. If individually, these two could be rather intimidating, together they formed a terrifying pair. In their first year, they had perfected their freak quick that caused the jealousy of many national-level high school teams and even the interest of some professionals.
Two years later, they had many more strings to their bow and their attacks were more stable and powerful than ever. On the court, simple glances were all they needed to read each other’s minds, making it very difficult for their opponents to predict their moves.
Together, they were simply invincible.
And yet, from the moment they were off the court, Hinata and Kageyama were always at each other’s throats, spending most of their time fighting and arguing; which exasperated the rest of the team, tired of their constant bickering. You couldn’t help but wonder how such a feared duo could act like two children squabbling in the playground.
Really, it was stupid. They were stupid.
Just like every day, Hinata rushed to Kageyama after finishing cleaning up to get some extra practice with him. It was a habit they had kept throughout high school and if sometimes Coach Ukai or Yamaguchi would give them a perfunctory comment about the necessity to take it easy, claiming that “perfect is the enemy of the good” they had in fact understood long ago that it was utterly pointless. Those extra practices were their own special times.
At first, Yachi had often stayed late to help and encourage them; but now she had better things to do than watch two idiots quarreling over trivial matters. Like preparing herself for the upcoming exams, while not dying from all the pressure her mother was putting on her, for example.
And if she had to be honest—but don’t you dare tell them!—Kageyama and Hinata could be… exhausting. She knew that these two were very close and cared about each other, but they would never admit it out loud, too proud and obsessed with their so-called antagonism.
Tsukishima had even insinuated once that their little practices together, while indeed physical, were in fact of a very different and far less innocent nature than anyone thought. That day, Yamaguchi gave him such a look that Tsukishima had immediately shut up and never made that kind of joke again.
+
Jump.
Smash.
Again, again, again.
And never give up.
Hinata could hardly feel his legs. But he had to keep going. How would he look, as the ace of one of the most renowned high schools, if he couldn't even do a proper jump serve?
No. Now was not the time to start devaluing himself. Hinata took a deep breath and slapped both his hands on his cheeks, the pain helping to put his mind back in place.
At the beginning of their third year, Hinata almost begged Kageyama to teach him how to do jump serves, and he had been practicing for three months now. He was ambitious and insatiable, never satisfied with just being good. Even if he had become Karasuno’s ace, Hinata never took his place on the court for granted: he had to show that he was worthy of the title.
A little further away, Kageyama was losing his patience. He kept giving Hinata advice, scolding him for his mistakes, but Hinata could see that he was getting agitated, frowning more and more, certainly trying not to get angry.
“Let's stop here,” he said in a dry tone after Hinata missed one of his jumps, almost tripping over his own feet.
A few months ago, Hinata would have pressed him to continue. Just a bit longer, a couple more minutes, and please Kageyama we’ll stop after that one, promise.
But now he knew that it would be silly and that it was better to listen to Kageyama. He still had some energy left, but his body—that traitor—couldn't take much more.
With a sheepish expression, Hinata followed Kageyama to the equipment room to change before going home. He could tell that the atmosphere between them was heavy, but he made no effort to start any conversation, waiting for the setter to say something. Hinata took off his sports uniform to put on some pants and a clean t-shirt, doing his best not to look at Kageyama's body right next to him. He knew Kageyama was popular with the girls, and while he didn't really get why at first (that was Kageyama we were talking about, dammit!), the months spent changing in the same room as Kageyama helped Hinata understand that the reasons the girls were interested in him weren't actually that unfounded.
In other words, Kageyama had become incredibly attractive.
Or maybe he had always been and Hinata was just too blinded by their stupid rivalry to acknowledge it.
When he first noticed Kageyama’s popularity with the girls, Hinata got jealous. After all, he too was on the volleyball team, could play fairly well and was going to Nationals! Why weren't the girls interested in him? It wasn't fair.
However, the more Hinata turned the problem over in his mind, the more he felt that this outrageous injustice wasn't even what was bothering him the most. It was rather that he had been one of the first to see that Kageyama was much more than the “King” that everyone despised, and to admire him for what he really was. Hinata was there when Kageyama had to face his old demons, and he witnessed his evolution over time. The dark-haired boy had made significant progress in human interactions and in his ability to communicate with others to become the serious, diligent and almost cordial player that he was today. Hinata didn’t mind that other people could also see that Kageyama had changed for the better; it was even the opposite: he was more than happy that Kageyama was finally recognized at his true worth.
But the fact that some girls were swooning over Kageyama when they knew absolutely nothing about him, and were only interested in him because of his looks made him furious for some reason.
Kageyama—thank God—couldn’t care less about them. He sure liked Yachi and showed a lot of respect to Shimizu and Saeko when they came to watch their games, but that was about it. Well, if you exclude his mother and sister, of course.
Still, how dare they? Hinata was not a complete idiot. He knew deep down that there had to be a reason explaining the knot in his stomach every time he pictured Kageyama with some girl in his head. But he tried to play it cool, like he wasn’t troubled every time Kageyama’s eyes lingered in his direction. Hinata just had to stop asking himself too many questions he didn’t want the answers to; and not let himself be distracted by the not-so-chaste images that flooded his mind every time Kageyama touched him, and everything will be absolutely-fucking-fine.
Except nothing will be fine, since Kageyama Tobio was changing right next to him, exposing his broad shoulders and muscular torso built by years of intense training. Hinata himself had put on some muscle and was not as puny as when he entered high school, but it was nothing compared to Kageyama. He thought at first that he was envious of his body, but he had to stop lying to himself: Hinata just liked looking at Kageyama, without even thinking about comparing himself to the setter anymore.
Hinata cast a glance at the poster of some popular idols in swimsuits hanging on the wall that seemed to be mocking him and held back a sigh. Yeah, he knew he was supposed to fantasize about feminine curves, long hair, cute little noses and large breasts, not drool over Kageyama's pectorals—no matter how nice they look.
“You won't use that serve during a game,” Kageyama declared, bringing Hinata out of his obscene thoughts that would even make Coach Ukai blush. “You'll have to stick with your traditional serve. We can't afford to lose any points.”
And just like that, the spell was broken.
God, why make Kageyama so fine, but so awful?
Cruel world.
“If we’re gonna play against Nekoma, you know damn well we’ll need more than luck to win!” Hinata countered, clenching his fists. “We can't let them have the upper hand on us, we have to be offensive!”
“If they manage to receive our serves, we can deal with it. But if you screw things up…”
“Well, it’s worth a try.”
“No!” Kageyama said, losing his composure. “We already have Yamaguchi's serve, mine, and Yamashita's.”
“It's not enough. We need to play at our full potential!”
Hinata crossed his arms on his chest, annoyed. Kageyama took a step forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Hinata swallowed hard.
“Compromising victory just so you can have fun doing some flashy serves? Is that what you want?!” Kageyama asked, narrowing his eyes as he shook Hinata violently.
It was already too late when Kageyama realized he was going too far, blaming Hinata for his ambition, when it was the very thing he liked the most about him. He knew, of course, that they shared the same goal: staying on the court as long as they could; and to do so, they needed to win. They were both hungry for triumph, ready to crush every opponent who stood in their way and snatch victory from them. But he was confident it was not the right time to be taking risks and give in to Hinata's impulses, which he considered selfish.
“We've had this conversation before,” Hinata replied, placing his fingers almost gently on Kageyama's calloused hand that was still holding him by the collar. “Why don’t you trust me?”
“I do trust you, dumbass! I just don't want us to lose because of one of your whims,” Kageyama said, bringing his face close to his best friend's.
They couldn’t help it; there were always jabs, taunts and cutting remarks between them. If you didn't know them, you would think they hated each other's guts, but it was just their way of communicating. Their relationship was not built on unspoken words and they were very honest with each other, never afraid to vent their frustration and to call each other out when necessary.
And there had always been this physical dimension in their relationship. Kageyama could hardly be considered as a tactile person and yet, Hinata noticed that he never hesitated to touch him, to grab him violently, to ruffle his hair, or to flick his forehead whenever he would irritate the setter a bit too much. After being with him for almost three years now, Hinata would almost say it was just Kageyama's way of being affectionate—it sounded strange when you put it like that, but it was the absolute truth.
When he figured this out, Hinata suddenly stopped fighting him over this and eventually waited for Kageyama to touch him. He even caught himself several times deliberately trying to provoke him just to get his attention. He had to be some kind of masochist.
Even worse, when sometimes Kageyama would grab Hinata and bring his face close to yell at him—exactly as he was doing now—Hinata would feel his stomach knot in a funny way. Once, he had been dumbfounded to see his crotch have a rather unexpected and… interesting reaction, to say the least.
Yikes.
He had been mortified. He didn't want Kageyama to know about this. He would be furious. Or disgusted. Probably both. If Kageyama somehow found out that he was hard in his pants during some of their arguments, Hinata would be dead meat.
“It's not a whim,” Hinata said after a few seconds, sputtering slightly and trying not to appear disturbed by their proximity.
“Hah? Then explain to me what it is?”
“Look, Kageyama, I just want to do my best! But nothing is ever good enough for you, you're so obsessed with perfection. You're bossy and a control freak! And… and your face is stupid!”
“My face is stupid?!” Kageyama's tone indicated that he couldn't believe his ears.
“Yes! Your smiles are scary, and your scowl makes you look constipated! And your hair is too long, it makes me want to… gwah!” Hinata snapped as he pushed the hair away from Kageyama's forehead.
Kageyama snorted, displeased to be insulted about his looks for no valid reason. He tightened his grip on Hinata's shirt, crumpling it even more, and with a sharp and violent blow, shoved him against the wall.
“HEY!” Hinata shouted, in surprise and pain, incensed. “Are you crazy or something?”
“At least my hair isn't always all over the place,” Kageyama said as he ruffled Hinata's untamed hair, ignoring his complaints. “It's ridiculous.”
“Maybe if you stopped touching it all the time, it wouldn't be so messy!”
Kageyama frowned, then opened his mouth to say something, before closing it.
No comeback? Hinata was puzzled. This was not like him.
He smiled nevertheless, delighted. Had he really managed to shut Kageyama’s trap for once? No way.
“And anyway, everything about you is annoying. You're way too tall, and your muscles are even stupider than your face!”
He reached for Kageyama's arms as if to prove his point. He swore it was not an excuse to feel his biceps in passing. Not at all.
“Your freckles are stupid,” Kageyama retorted, pinching both of Hinata's cheeks firmly in retaliation, as if he wanted to rip off the said freckles adorning his face.
Hinata squeezed Kageyama's wrists to make him stop; he might enjoy being touched by Kageyama, but not when it started to hurt. Kageyama froze for a few seconds, before slowly releasing his grip on Hinata’s cheeks. His face then took a tormented expression, as if he was caught in full interior conflict. Hinata tilted his head slightly to the side.
“What's wrong with you? You're so weird sometimes, I swear—”
“Why don't you ever push me away?”
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”
“Just now! Why do you let me touch you?!”
“Because I don't mind? What kind of question is that, Bakageyama?”
“You should mind!” Kageyama snapped before looking away, his cheeks flushed.
“I don't understand you.”
“Yeah, well, I don't understand myself either!”
Hinata raised an eyebrow, bewildered by this admission. What was Kageyama talking about? He was confused.
“Moron.”
“Dumbass.”
“Jerk!”
“Idiot!”
“Asshole!”
They stared at each other for a few moments, running out of insults. Kageyama's eyes had darkened, and he was now staring at Hinata with a predatory gleam in his usually cold and hard gaze.
Fifteen-year-old Hinata would have been seething with rage at being handled then slammed against the wall like he was just some insignificant germ; seventeen-year-old Hinata was obviously angry but—and he hated himself for this—almost aroused by the situation. He tried to calm down and keep his cool, praying to all the gods that Kageyama wouldn't notice his half boner.
It was so stupid. Being 17 was stupid. Hormones were stupid. Why couldn't he fantasize about the pretty girls in his class, like every other boy his age? Why did it have to be that what he wanted was his harsh, austere partner? There was definitely something wrong with him. He couldn't even blame it on the shock he received on the back of his head a few moments earlier, since it wasn't the first time something like this happened.
Kageyama still hadn't relinquished his grip on Hinata and was looking at him with an intensity that almost made him uncomfortable. Why was the surrounding air so heavy and hard to breathe? Hinata wet his lips, feeling his mouth strangely dry, and Kageyama didn't miss a beat of the movement, as if… fascinated?
No, he was probably imagining things.
And then, all the things Hinata had been building up for months, maybe even years, admiration, envy, desire, restraint and frustration, suddenly burst out. It was too much for him. He couldn't keep it all bottled up any longer. All these paradoxical feelings he had developed towards Kageyama since their first game in middle school were like a dormant volcano, the slightest tremor was enough for it to wake up and erupt.
He could almost hear the explosion that occurred in his heart when he made what would prove to be either the worst or the best decision of his life.
Boom.
Hinata grabbed Kageyama's collar as Kageyama had done with him countless times, then crushed his mouth against his. Kageyama let out an indignant noise and kept his eyes open, stunned. Hinata let him go almost immediately, expecting to be reprimanded, insulted, maybe even hit by a probably enraged and revolted Kageyama. He closed his eyes and counted to 3, accepting his fate.
1.
2.
3.
Nothing?
Cautiously, Hinata opened one eye, then two. Kageyama was staring at him with a terrifying expression, almost as if he was about to devour him.
Hinata shivered.
“What… What did you just do?” Kageyama’s voice sounded like a growl.
Hinata's face broke down.
This was probably the end.
“Look, I'm sorry, okay? You can yell at me, pull my hair as much as you want, but please don't kill me!” Hinata squeaked.
He wasn't going to die like this, was he? No, Kageyama might be mad, but Hinata hoped he had enough common sense to understand that killing him right here, right now, in the equipment room, was a terrible idea. First, Hinata liked to think that in a death match, although he probably couldn't win against Kageyama—he hated to admit it, but he had to be somewhat realistic and honest with himself—he was aggressive enough to at least hurt him badly. Besides, even if it started to get dark and there was no one left outside, he wasn't sure if Kageyama could hide his body discreetly without anyone noticing him. His mother would probably worry very quickly and Kageyama would be the first culprit to be named. No, if you thought about it for more than a few seconds, everything was far too dangerous. Kageyama would have to be a fool to believe that the fleeting satisfaction of murdering Hinata was worth all the risks involved.
But Kageyama was surely a fool, since he had just grabbed Hinata and was now leaning over him with a ferocious look, ready to finish him. For a split second, Hinata considered every possibility of escape he had, but after determining that they were nonexistent, he resigned himself to his fate, awaiting his death, which now seemed inevitable.
He froze when he felt Kageyama's lips gently touch his.
Wait a minute—
What?
Since when Kageyama Tobio, the famous Karasuno setter with an abominable personality and known to scare an entire generation of aspiring professional players, could show so much gentleness and delicacy, especially towards Hinata? Moreover, since when was Kageyama Tobio not completely repulsed by the idea of kissing Hinata Shouyou?
But Hinata could not lose himself any longer in a series of questions concerning the absurdity of the situation. Because Kageyama Tobio was all over him, Kageyama Tobio was kissing him, and Kageyama Tobio, surely frustrated by their size difference, was now lifting Hinata Shouyou to reduce the distance between their lips.
Hinata, still pinned against the decrepit wall, had no choice but to wrap his legs around the setter’s waist. He slipped his hands at the back of Kageyama’s neck, running his fingers through his hair, and kissed him back with some awkwardness—it was his first real kiss, after all—but with no trace of hesitation. Hinata was having a bit of trouble breathing, but Kageyama, giving no respite to his mouth, was a serious obstacle to his quest for oxygen. He, too, was trying to make up for his lack of experience with his ardor, pressing Hinata against the wall and attacking his lips with an almost insolent confidence, giving Hinata intense desires of murder.
Playful and not resisting the urge to punish him for this affront—how could this idiot already be so self-assured in uncharted waters?—, Hinata decided after a few minutes to bite Kageyama's bottom lip, just to test his reaction. Kageyama mumbled something that looked like an insult between two kisses and bit him back, not hard enough to really hurt him, but enough for Hinata to let out an offended noise.
Even when they were kissing, Kageyama and Hinata had to find a way to send each other over the edge.
How long had Hinata been wanting to do this? To kiss Kageyama? Probably for a long time, if he believed the frantic beating of his heart and the giddy feeling that hadn't left him since he'd brushed Kageyama's lips.
Fuck.
“Fuck,” he repeated aloud as he let go of Kageyama's mouth to catch his breath.
Kageyama seemed astounded by whatever had just happened. He put Hinata back down on the floor, his cheeks flushed, his lips puffed out, and was now avoiding eye contact with him, embarrassed.
Like this, Kageyama was no longer impressive or even scary. He was almost… cute?
Bleh.
Hinata had to get his act together. There was nothing cute about Kageyama. For example, a kitten was cute. Natsu and her adorable pouty face that brought out her little cheekbones were cute. Yachi, whose face turned a pretty shade of pink whenever she was embarrassed, was cute.
But Kageyama, stupid Kageyama, could not reasonably be called cute. It wasn't just that those two terms didn't go together; it was that they were almost contradictory. Still, Hinata had to admit that sometimes, when he gave up his hideous grin, Kageyama could be—
No, no, no. This train of thought was dangerous. Hinata was starting to lose his mind, wasn’t he?
He burst out laughing all of a sudden. A frank, nervous, almost crazy laugh, that seemed to resound in the whole room.
It was clear now: Hinata had become completely insane.
Kageyama wrinkled his nose, annoyed and offended, as he probably thought that Hinata was making fun of him.
“What's wrong? What's the matter, dumbass?”
“It's just so… stupid,” Hinata explained, still laughing. “We're really stupid.”
“You're the stupid one between us.”
“Why? Because I kissed you first?”
“No, because you were afraid I’d kill you.”
“But you're scary!” Hinata defended himself.
“You are scary. You threw yourself on my lips without warning!”
“It's only because you looked so stupid…”
“What? You kissed me because I looked stupid?”
“Yes,” Hinata confirmed, as if it was obvious.
“Well, you look even more stupid!”
“And yet, that didn't stop you from kissing me. So you kiss stupid people too!”
“Oh, shut up!” Kageyama raged as he pulled Hinata to him, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close.
What. The. Hell.
Hinata let out a “humpf”, not expecting this reaction, before relaxing and closing his eyes to enjoy the embrace of the setter. Kageyama's body was warm, and he still smelled of sweat from their intense practice, but Hinata didn't mind. It was a familiar and comforting scent; and yeah, maybe he had been very discreetly inhaling it, trying to memorize that smell as much as he could; but fortunately, no one could have proved it. Which was a good thing, since Hinata would have a hard time explaining why he was sniffing Kageyama, his head buried in his neck.
To his great relief, Kageyama hadn't noticed anything.
Hinata was astonished to learn that if Kageyama could be considered somehow tactile—in his own way, of course—he might actually be cuddly. Oh, he was far more excited about this newfound knowledge than he should be. If he could find a way to keep this whole… thing going, perhaps he could hope to be more affectionate with Kageyama on a daily basis and ask him for hugs from time to time. But how could he convince Kageyama to make the truce last? He could not… No! Kageyama would never want him as a boyfriend, would he? It was implausible. Inconceivable. Unrealistic.
But then, he wouldn't have imagined either that Kageyama would return his kiss with such enthusiasm and fervor, nor that he would willingly take him in his arms, such an overtly affectionate gesture for the normally reserved setter.
He tightened his grip on Kageyama, enjoying and cherishing this rare and intimate moment.
“I wouldn't have imagined that you…” Kageyama's voice trailed off as he was blushing, probably ashamed.
Hinata had to face the fact that Kageyama could be cute. He hated to admit it, but he needed to accept that he did find Kageyama cute. How embarrassing.
“That I what?” Hinata questioned as he pulled away from the dark-haired boy.
“That you might want what I want too,” he blurted out, his face now bright red.
“Pfft! Someone has to want you!” Hinata joked to keep a straight face, but immediately stopped when he saw Kageyama's glare. “I'm kidding, Kageyama. I've been wanting to do that for months, but I thought you'd kill me if I dared to get too close.”
His confession seemed to have left Kageyama speechless. He kept his mouth open for a few moments, which didn't make him look very smart. He scratched the back of his neck with a thoughtful look on his face, probably trying to process this information. Meanwhile, Hinata started gathering his things, noticing that it was already late and that it was time to go home before his mother worried about him.
“I would never do something like that, you’re the most important person in my life,” Kageyama said, after a few seconds of silence.
Hinata stopped dead in his tracks, caught off guard by Kageyama’s sudden frankness. Sometimes he had the same tact as Ushiwaka when it came to expressing his feelings.
“Don't say it like that! No subtlety at all…” Hinata complained. He sighed, resigned, before adding, “You are too. The most important person in my life, I mean.”
Kageyama nodded. He probably already knew that, Hinata thought. But the redhead had never told him in such a blunt way.
“So, what are we going to do now?”
“About what?”
“About all this, moron. This new thing.”
“There is no ‘new thing’! I still have every intention of standing in front of you one day, across the net, and beating you. Nothing will change that.”
“So do I! And I’ll be the one beating your ass.” Hinata replied with a smirk. Then he clarified, “But off the court, I meant. Can I, like, hold your hand sometimes?”
Kageyama considered it for a few seconds.
“Only if there’s no one around.”
“What about kissing you?”
“Okay, but only if we’re absolutely sure no one can catch us.”
“Got it. Are we still allowed to insult each other?”
“Of course, dumbass!”
“Alright. Sounds good to me!”
“It’s a deal, then?” Kageyama asked, holding out his hand in a businesslike manner.
“It's a deal,” Hinata declared, shaking it firmly. “Since I'm your boyfriend, you're stuck with me now.”
Hinata sincerely hoped that his voice hadn't been trembling when he had pronounced the word “boyfriend”. Because that was what they had just agreed on, right? He wasn't getting the wrong idea, was he?
“Mmh, I can say the same for you,” Kageyama retorted with a smug grin.
Hinata sighed with relief. Thank God, he hadn't misunderstood the situation.
So it was official: Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou were dating.
“I'm so happy I'm nauseous. Ew. I feel like my stomach was hit by Oikawa’s jump serve…”
“If you throw up, I swear—”
“I'm not gonna throw up!” Hinata assured.
He took Kageyama's hand hesitantly and led him out of the room, where they were struck by the biting cold. Hinata shivered and buried his face in the fabric of his scarf. He put his free hand in his coat pocket and squeezed his boyfriend’s hand, seeking warmth, then turned to face him.
“C’mon Kageyama, let’s race!” Hinata said with a bright smile.
Tobio returned his smile almost shyly and didn't even wait for a countdown to start running, his hand still in Shouyou's.
A few seconds later, two idiots could be seen running as if their lives depended on it, even though they hadn't bothered to figure out what the finish line would be.
Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou looked particularly stupid that day.
But it didn't matter, because they just decided that they would be stupid together.