Chapter Text
"You're staring again.”
“Your point?”
“He's noticed.”
Ah. Was he really that obvious?
“You should ask Kunimi if he's single.”
“Yeah.”
Hanamaki smirked.
“Wait, what?”
A ball flew past his head and he blinked rapidly. Did he hear that right?
“Ah! S-Sorry!”
Hanamaki spun on his heel and Matsukawa almost almost uncharacteristically grabbed him but he was a little too late. That ball was Kindaichi's, of all people.
“My bad, I wasn't... paying attention.”
“You didn't hit me, no need to apologise.”
“Well- sorry anyway.” Kindaichi said and scooted past for the ball.
“That was way out, by the way.”
Kindaichi picked the ball up with more force than necessary and completely ignored him as he went to put it back in the basket.
“Smooth.”
Matsukawa deflated and crossed his arms, leaning too heavily on one leg. “You think he had a crush on his old setter? Kage-Kag-”
“-Kageyama.”
“Yeah, him.”
“Why?”
Matsukawa shrugged. “Hunch.”
“You should ask Kunimi-”
“Know what? I might.”
Hanamaki raised an eyebrow, wondering what got into him.
-
“You think he has a crush on me?!”
Ah. Perfect timing.
Two heads spun to the door at the arrival of the third-years. A blush rose through Kindaichi and he bowed his head before turning back to the locker to pretend nobody heard it.
“Yes.”
“Oooh, go on. Don't spare any details!” Hanamaki sniggered. Now that was low.
“What? What? Did I miss something?!” Oikawa poked his head over Iwaizumi's shoulder as they filed through.
“It's nothing.” Kunimi said, turning to his own locker next to Kindaichi.
Kunimi was sensible. He liked to razz Kindaichi, but he knew when to stop, when it was uncomfortable for everyone.
Matsukawa stayed silent too. It would be less suspicious if he said something, but he figured either way, Kindaichi would prefer he didn't.
The two first-years left very quickly after that and Hanamaki hit Matsukawa in the arm as soon as the door shut behind them. “Told you he noticed.”
“Huh?” Oikawa asked, “Noticed what?”
“Matsukawa has a thing for Kindaichi.”
“Yeah, and I have a thing for Oikawa.” Iwaizumi deadpanned. Oikawa's eyes lit up.
“You do?” He asked hopefully.
Iwaizumi looked baffled for a moment before pushing his face away. “N-No! That was the point!”
Hanamaki snorted with laughter. “I rest my case.”
Matsukawa frowned. He doubted everyone knowing would be a particularly good thing, especially if Kindaichi didn't hear it properly from him first, so he neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.
-
Getting Kunimi alone was harder than he thought it would be, and it was only until he caught him napping in the library last period one day that he could finally speak to him.
By the way Kunimi's tired eyes blinked up at him, he could tell the wing spiker really wasn't in the mood for a chat.
“Don't they ever let you sleep?” Matsukawa snickered, then sat opposite him, hands woven together on the table.
Kunimi sat up, dramatically wiped his eyes and mirrored him. Matsukawa couldn't decide if he was mocking him or not.
“You should tell Kindaichi he's got the wrong end of the stick. I can't be bothered to go through this again.”
Again? “Go through what again?”
Kunimi sighed. “He’d kill me if I told you.”
“As if he could kill a fly.”
“Oh, he could kill a man alright.” Kunimi assured, and Matsukawa raised an eyebrow.
“Not over something so small, I hope.”
After a moment, Kunimi eyeing him carefully, he relented, voice quiet. “Kindaichi thought he and Kageyama were going out back in middle school.”
“Oh.” Well, he had been right, after all.
“Obviously, being a disgusting romantic took him on a date. It went well, from what I heard. Kageyama waited until after the second to tell him he got it wrong.” Kunimi said, tone even. “Believe me, I don't want to be there the next time he has his heart torn in two.”
“Love hard, fall hard.”
Kunimi nodded slowly. “I did tell him he's too young to know what loving someone means,” he paused, “and that Kageyama won't understand the difference between going out and going out . It was his own fault.”
Matsukawa understood for the most part, but, “If you're saying for me to tell him he's wrong, why did you tell him you thought I had a crush on him?”
A lazy shrug, and Kunimi leaned down to pick his bag up. “Who said I told him you did?”
“What?”
“You better be quick, or he might be taken in…” Kunimi checked his watch, then looked back up. “Half hour?”
Matsukawa wasn't proud of the way his heart flipped in panic. “You think he likes me?”
“I don't know. Despite what you think, we don't share a brain.” Kunimi said, then began to walk off. He stopped and added, “He doesn't have any obligation to like you, let him know that.”
Like Kageyama had no obligation to like Kindaichi.
“He'll be at the front gates after school. You should be there before he is. Oh, and if you break his heart, it isn't him killing you you should be worried about.” With that, Kunimi left, yawning into his hand.
-
Whoever Kindaichi was going to ask out wasn't in a club, that much he could figure out as he leaned against the wall near the front entrance, watching people walk past.
Whether he was planning on skipping practise was another question. A question that was answered when Kindaichi turned up in his kit, a little out of breath and red in the face. Matsukawa pushed off the wall, opened his mouth.
“Kindaichi, what you doing out here, don't you have club?” A tall boy with short blonde hair asked, stopping next to him. A classmate, perhaps. Matsukawa stopped. If this was the guy…
“Yeah! I- I do. I wanted to talk to you, though.” Kindaichi said calmly, though underneath his voice was shaking.
The boy smiled softly. “Sure, kid, shoot.”
Matsukawa's gut twisted a bit. So this was the guy. He stayed unnoticed by the two as Kindaichi stumbled over asking to talk somewhere without people around and as he nonchalantly followed them, staying within hearing range.
“What on earth has you so flustered, Yuutarou?”
First-name basis.
“Hachiro-san,” A senpai? “Do you like me?”
Matsukawa cringed, though, he couldn't say he wouldn't ask the same of Kindaichi.
“'Course I like ya, where'd this come from?”
The way Matsukawa's stomach dropped as Kindaichi's eyes lit up made him dizzy. Taking that as a confession was a recipe for another disaster like with Kageyama.
“Will you go out with me?”
At least he emphasised the out . It was awkward and cute, but with the way the guy’s shoulders fell and the way his face contorted into different shapes didn't lessen Matsukawa's unease. Neither did the sudden sneer.
“No way, you're gay ? Shit, no wonder you’re so clingy.”
Kindaichi's hopeful face shattered so easily, and Matsukawa held his breath for a moment.
“I-I'm so sorry, I… I must've got it wrong.” Kindaichi said, voice scarcely holding together.
“No shit. Seriously, you got something wrong with you, kid.”
“Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anythi-”
“Don’t talk to me anymore.”
“What?” Kindaichi gawped, incredulous.
“You heard. Freak.”
At this point, he'd only make things worse if he interfered, but it didn't make him want to any less. Kindaichi looked in shock, as if he did something really terrible and only realising just now. The blonde spat on the ground at his feet and began walking off, turned back.
“You know, you would never tell. You all blend in with the crowd and act like what you’re doing isn't disgusting. I can't believe you'd group me with you people.” The boy was speaking from his heart, Matsukawa could tell. He was bitter for no reason. Matsukawa had heard enough of that shit at middle school. “You're all scum. I hope I never have to see that ugly face of yours again.”
Kindaichi was still stunned, hands balling into fists at his sides. He was red in the face. Embarrassment, anger, upset. Every single one of those emotions passed over Kindaichi's face, and by the time the boy was gone, Kindaichi looked down in despair.
That was way harsh, and had Matsukawa been in Kindaichi's position, he would've thrown a punch. Kindaichi stood still though, took it all and just stood there. No tears, no shouting, definitely no punches.
This was way out of his hands. He knew that. Yet when Kindaichi folded over and threw his insides on the floor, he didn't really have a choice.
“Kindaichi!”
The force of his hurl had brought Kindaichi down on his knee, and as he coughed, Matsukawa placed a hand high on his back, crouched next to him.
“You OK?”
Kindaichi didn't look up as he spat on the floor. “Go away.”
He was embarrassed, sure, but that was no reason to push someone away. Matsukawa was trying to help. “No.”
Kindaichi breathed hard a few moments, then stood up and turned away, the motion leaving Matsukawa no choice but to lower his hand. It felt painful, to have the contact between them broken.
“Why are you following me? Is it some kind of morbid curiosity?”
“Maybe. Or maybe I care about you.” It was up to him what to believe, no matter how ridiculous. “In any case. Take this.”
Matsukawa put his hand in his bag, pulled out a bottle of water. “And you're not allowed to say no.”
He reluctantly snatched the bottle from him, drank to clear his mouth and kept an iron grip on it.
“You can laugh now.”
“Why would I laugh?”
“'cause I'm pathetic.”
Matsukawa felt heat rise in his chest but he quelled it, and the response came out soft. “Bullshit. Did you see how he ran off like that? He is the pathetic one.”
Kindaichi had laid his heart out on the floor, and the guy had just trampled all over it. That in and of itself was pathetic, let alone walking off without even hearing a retort. Honestly Matsukawa was a little surprised. On the court, Kindaichi had no qualms riling up rival team members, yet here he stood and took it.
“No. I am. For once you're wrong, Matsukawa-san.” Kindaichi said, defeated. “P-Please don't tell anyone about this, though. I can't bear anyone knowing what just happened.”
“Of course. I won't tell anyone unless you want me to.”
Kindaichi's face was pale, he looked exhausted and older than his years. Matsukawa let out a long sigh. This was the worst timing ever.
“Thanks.”
-
No-one was in the club room when Matsukawa got changed, and having ordered Kindaichi to stay with him until he was finished, it left them alone again.
There was little exchange of words, and the atmosphere was more than a little awkward, but Matsukawa had had his fair share of moments like these, so it didn't faze him in the slightest.
“No-one here judges you, Kindaichi. Keep your chin up.”
Kindaichi shifted, and when Matsukawa turned around he was looking up from his phone. Yeah, like that .
He had been crying again, his red eyes being a dead giveaway. Eyes that shot back down before he could even catch his own. His phone screen was off, held in shaking hands and wet with tears.
“C'mon, we should get to the gym before Mizoguchi screams murder.”
“Yeah,” Kindaichi agreed reluctantly, moving to his locker to put his phone away and grab his knee pads.