Work Text:
Ask Tsukishima Kei what his favourite time of day is and his answer will be, now.
12 AM. Midnight.
The world is asleep and everything is still. Sometimes it feels almost as if time has stopped.
The world outside is dark but night paints Tsukishima’s bedroom in deep blues, brilliant and beautiful. It’s like being deep underwater and looking back up at the surface, nothing is in focus, yet the brilliant shine of the moon cuts through and presents a kaleidoscope of azure, cerulean, teal, lapis, and aquamarine that seems to dance disjointedly around the small room.
Night.
It’s also the time that sun relents and takes a step back into the shadows, but lingers to give the moon its soft warm light, so it too may glow.
Sun… Moon…Night…Day.
Polar opposite, yet they fit together in this special balance. They harmonize each other, support one another.
A bit like Tsukishima and the flame haired boy who is currently asleep besides him. On nights like this, where the moon shines brightly and illuminates his bedroom, Tsukishima can’t help but look down and stare at the beautiful boy snuggled into his chest. He feels his heart swell like the Grinch at Christmas as the smaller boy latches onto his shirt and nuzzles his face closer into his chest.
Now, Tsukishima isn’t one for being sappy but it’s incredible just how much Hinata makes him feel.
It’s amazing how much Hinata has taught Tsukishima about himself.
Jealousy, Awe, Nervousness, Love, Fulfilment, Anger and of course, never ending annoyance.
Times like this though, when Hinata is dead to the world, Tsukishima can’t help but smile with awe and love at his boyfriend.
It took a lot to get here.
If you had asked Tsukishima a year ago if he thought he would be here, wrapped up with Hinata and deliriously happy he’d most likely tell you to piss off.
Him and Hinata? You’ve got to be kidding.
Except, it’s not a joke. Tsukishima doesn’t take any of this as a joke. He’s dead serious about Hinata and doesn’t give anyone who questions his relationship with the flame haired boy any time of day. After all, who cares what they think? They don’t know Hinata, the certainly don’t know Tsukishima and they don’t know anything about the relationship between the pair.
The team has long since stopped questioning or gawking at the pair with each touch or ushered whisper. They no longer teased Tsukishima for his soft attitude towards Hinata. They no longer laughed when Hinata would fly across the gym to wrap his arms around his bean pole of a boyfriend.
They were just Tsukishima and Hinata.
“Kei” Hinata breathes in his sleep and holy fuck. Will there ever be a time when hearing his name whispered from those pretty lips doesn’t send Tsukishima into a tail spin?
“Sleep” Hinata orders, his voice dreamy.
Even though normally Tsukishima can never deny Hinata anything, he stands his ground on this. He wants to stay awake a little longer - he wants to make sure this isn't all a dream.
If you had asked Tsukishima a year ago to describe Hinata, he’d tell you.
“Annoying as hell”
Hinata is loud, overexcitable and infuriating. Basically, he’s a huge fucking pain in Tsukishima’s butt.
Tsukishima can’t deny that Hinata is talented, determined and dedicated and he may or may not hold a trace of respect for the kid, not that he’d admit that to anyone.
Hinata used to be searing, hot to the touch, uncomfortable for Tsukishima to be around. Yet, just like the sun, everything revolves around Hinata and you can’t look away.
Hinata’s presence around Tsukishima doesn’t relent either, if anything Hinata seems to be seeking him out more lately. He forces himself on Tsukishima and Yamaguchi at lunch times, chases Tsukishima down for extra tutoring, and constantly seeks him out during practice. It makes Tsukishima’s head spin.
With the small boy sticking around so much it’s only natural that Tsukishima starts to pay more attention to him, if you asked him he wouldn’t be able to tell just when he started to pay so much attention to the ball of condensed sunshine. His eyes started to follow him more, compliments from the small boy sent butterflies beating in his stomach, his throat felt tight whenever he spoke to Hinata and an unbelievable sense of pride and joy begin to swell in his chest every time he managed a successful block or one of those freakish quick spikes with Kageyama.
These feeling pissed Tsukishima off to no ends. He’d mentally smack and berate himself for staring after the flame haired boy or for stuttering sometimes when he spoke to him.
Tsukishima was not willing to indulge in these feelings. He didn’t want to give them a name or recognise them, surely they will go away.
Yet, they don’t.
If anything they get stronger over time and Tsukishima doesn’t know how to handle these emotions. So, he continues to do what he does best. Which is acting like a giant douche.
“Tsukishima, toss for me?” Hinata’s smile is warm and feels like summer. It singes Tsukishima at the finger tips.
“Tch” Tsukishima sneers, teeth curling back against his lips.
“Why are you always like this?" Hinata chews the inside of his cheek, pouting.
“Because you’re a pain in my side” Tsukishima bites. Instantly regretting it when he sees the sees the smaller haired boy’s shoulders slump.
“Y’know…if you don’t want to toss to me, fine. But, there’s no need to be a dick about it” Hinata mumbles as he moves away, across the gym.
Guilt floods his features and he instantly hates himself.
“Tsuki, he kind of has a point, Hinata only asked” Yamaguchi says quietly, having witnessed the whole exchange. “You could be a little nicer. Maybe, you should apologise”.
Through clenched teeth, Tsukishima promises he will next time he speaks to boy. Only, that chance doesn't come around immediantly. Hinata begins to distance himself from Tsukishima in the days that follow. He acts differently too, smiles are less bright and his enthusiasm is muted. It’s like Technicolor fading to grey.
There are no more unexpected visits at lunch.
No more pleas and begs for help studying.
Not so much as even a glance to Tsukishima during practice.
Hinata, despite looking dense is also incredibly elusive. He always seems to be able to slip out of the room or his path before Tsukishima can approach him.
It’s driving him crazy.
Yet, when isn’t Hinata sending Tsukishima into a tail spin.
It’s not until a week later that finally Tsukishima is able to catch Hinata by the bike racks after practice.
“Hinata”
The flame haired boy keeps his head down, hands in his pocket, barely acknowledging Tsukishima.
“Look…I-“Tsukishima tries to start but stop abruptly, watching as Hinata unlocks his bike and walks to the front gate. He jogs to catch up and places himself in front of Hinata, covering one of his hands on the handle bar with his own.
Live wires race under every inch of skin, like he’d been dropped in a tank full of electric eels. It sizzles, burns and captivates.
“Look, I’m sorry okay-” Hinata is looking up at him now, almost in disbelief. “I was dick, you did nothing wrong and I shouldn’t have treated you that way”
“It’s not just this one time though, Tsukishima. It’s all the time. You treat me like I’m a pest” Hinata says in a small voice.
“I know, I know”
“Why though?”
The question hangs in the air, filling the space between them and it beats like a drum in Tsukishima’s brain. Honesty seems like the best option here.
“I’m not sure”
“You’re not sure why you treat me like crap”
Tsukishima doesn’t look at Hinata when he answers.
“There…you just- … You kind of drive me crazy”
This is as much as Tsukishima will admit to himself, heaven forbid anyone else.
“So…you don’t hate me though?” Hinata asks slowly, a bit of pep returning to his tone. Tsukishima rubs the back of his neck.
“No, I don’t hate you Hinata”
That’s all it takes and the flamed haired boy is bright and starry eyed again. His fire is reigniting, he's giving light the galaxy, pulling everything in to orbit around him.
“If you don’t hate me…do you think maybe we could be friends?”
It feels surprising easy when the word ‘yes’ falls from the blonde haired boys lips. Hinata’s dazzling smile is breathtaking and it feels like Christmas and Easter and Tsukishima’s birthday all wrapped in one. It feels like the best present anyone could have received, wrapped up in a big bow. It leaves Tsukishima seeing stars.
He knows he must be out of his mind when he invites Hinata to the little café by the school on the way home that afternoon.
Yet, he doesn’t beat himself up for indulging in those feelings he keeps under lock and key. Not when Hinata smiles coyly and blushes slightly at the invitation, making his stomach turn to mush and flip flop.
Time slows for no man and as the seasons change, slowly something between the pair begins to change also. Are they friends? Yes.
But this feels like more.
Their dynamic has changed. Hinata’s always been needy for the attention and the touch of others. Tsukihima’s noticed it in the way he’s always hugging or high fiving the other players.
But, his touch doesn’t burn anymore, it’s pleasant and warm and Tsukishima finds himself seeking it more often than not. He’ll ruffle Hinata’s hair or pinch his cheek, maybe a slap on the back, all in good fun but there’s now a constant need to be around Hinata, to touch him in some form or another.
There’s no more sneering or slurring at Hinata, that’s replaced with playful bites that leave the team astonished.
Were they sick? They never used to get on like this before.
Yet, slowly everyone warms up to the idea that Tsukishima and Hinata are friends. It doesn’t surprise them to find out that they both spent another weekend together, watching trashy cult movies that make Yachi cry with how bad they are. It isn’t unusual to see Hinata slide Tsukishima’s headphones off his head and onto his own, which for anyone else would be a death wish. It’s not uncommon to find the pair walking around the school with Hinata perched on Tsukishima’s shoulder or trying to coax Tsukishima into giving him another piggy back ride.
Tsukishima is hyperaware of his own feelings as time goes on as well. He’s finally given this feeling a name.
He knows why he craves the warm touches and gentle smiles from the smaller boy.
He knows why the sideways glances in the locker room linger and cause him to blush.
He knows why he seeks him out every chance he gets.
He knows why his brain is constantly filled with thoughts of Hinata
Tsukishima has a great big, fat crush on Hinata.
Everyone else knows too. It’s not like he can hide it at this point.
The team loves to pay him out on it. Tsukishima never used to think of himself as jealous or possessive person but when it comes to Hinata he is.
Kageyama loves to rile Tsukishima up with this juicy bit of information too. He’ll steal the flame haired boy away, or his touch will linger too long and it drives Tsukishima insane.
Hinata acts strange too. He blushes when Tsukishima talks to him, he stutters a lot more too. Boy, oh boy is he hopeless at keeping secrets too. So, it wasn’t really a surprise to anyone to learn that Hinata had blurted out that he liked Tsukishima during one of their afternoon tutoring sessions.
“I like you” Hinata had word vomited across the table and all Tsukishima could do was blink, then shake in delight. The look that passed over Hinata’s face was hilarious, scarlet red and eyes bugged out. “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I said that, please just forget I ever mentioned –“
“Hinata”
“- I’m such an idiot. Please just ignore me. I should have known you don’t feel the same way, I don’t even know why-”
“Hinata…”
“Honestly, it just came out. I don’t want to ruin our friendship so it’s okay, let’s pretend I never said-”
“Oh for the love of god” Tsukishima muttered.
Tsukishima reachs across the table, grabbing Hinata by the collar and presses his lips against the flame haired boys, stopping his utterances in his tracks. Hinata is still for a moment, like a deer caught in the headlights before he slowly melts into the kiss.
This is where Tsukishima would tell you that it was amazing, earth shattering, life changing. The planets aligned, stars burst behind his eyelids. Which they did, yes. Yet, the kiss was more awkward than anything else. Lips and noses, mashed awkwardly together, neither really knowing which way to turn. Yet, when Tsukishima pulled back to see the blush on Hinata’s face he wouldn’t have traded that kiss for the world.
“Tsukishima?”
“Hmm”
“D-does this--?”
“Does this mean I like you too? Yes” Tsukishima smiles.
It turns out Tsukishima Kei is an absolute sap when it comes to Hinata.
He’s an addict and Hinata is his next dose of heroin.
He’s a dying man in the desert and Hinata is an osasis.
Hinata remains the centre of his universe, watching him jump around the court, blinding and radiating as he is, makes Tsukishima’s heart swell with pride.
His. His. His.
The words beat like a drum. They fill him with a sense of satisfaction.
Hinata is his. Hinata loves him. The feeling is also quite mutual. Tsukihima is Hinata’s and Tsukihima loves the flame haired demon.
“Y’know, just because we’re taking a break doesn’t mean you two can act lovey dovey in the corner there” Kageyama barks across the court.
Tsukishima doesn’t even bother to open his eyes, it seems like at least one of the team members reminds them every day.
Do they care? No. Most of the time the duo ignore the teasing and hoots of their teammates.
“Buzz off Baka-yama” Hinata calls from his spot on Tsukishima’s lap, he lifts his head off his shoulder and Tsukishima opens his eyes, pissed off that Kageyama has interrupted his cuddles with his boyfriend.
“It’s gross, knock it off” Kageyama squawks, his feathers ruffled.
“Tch” Tsukishima sneers and glares at the king of the court.
“Now, now Kei” Hinata ushers and the use of his first name immediantly draws his attention back to the beauty on his lap. “Perhaps, Baka-yama is right. Now isn’t the right place for this”
Hinata leans forwards and softly presses his lips against Tsukishima’s, his irritation fading instantly.
“Maybe we can continue this at yours after practice?” Hinata is a vixen and wiggles in Tsukishima’s laps, mostly for show and to piss of Kageyama. Tsukishima sees the seeds of truthfulness under the teasing tone though, he sees the smirk on Hinata’s lips and how his eyes seems to darken a little.
Tsukishima knows that they absolutely will be taking this back to his house after practice.
“You bet, Shouyo” Tsukishima says as he presses his lips a little bit harder against Hinata’s. The smaller boy squeaks with pleasure.
“Ugh” Kageyama makes a gesture like he’s going to throw up in his mouth and he storms across the floor and away from the pair.
The whole team laughs which just seems to make the King angrier as he curses down the gym.
Hinata and Tsukishima part and their laughter joins the others.
Yet, Tsukishima doesn’t look away from Hinata.
He can’t.
He won’t.
Which is why, despite Hinata’s earlier insistence that Tsukishima sleep. He’s still very much awake.
In this world where time has stopped and it’s only him and the sleeping boy besides him.
Everything continues to revolve around Hinata. Which is only natural, he’s blinding and mesmerising and he seems to provide the gravity that keeps everyone grounded.
Tsukishima isn’t sure what his future will bring, the team will keep training for the next tournament. They’ll enter their third year and keep on playing volleyball, more members will leave but they’ll all stay in touch, new members will join. Changes will come and go and soon the adult world will loom before them.
It’s scary for Tsukihima to think about, he doesn’t do change well.
Yet, one thing is for certain.
Hinata will remain by his side. They need to.
The sun needs the moon. Day needs night. They bring this perfect balance to one another. Whatever the future holds, its positive that Hinata will be there to provide a guiding light for Tsukishima.
Tsukishima takes those words as comfort, wrapping them around himself like a blanket as he finally relents to sleep, he shuffles down in bed and cradles Hinata to his chest.
Like he’s something made of glass and can break any second, because Hinata is precious and everything to Tsukishima.
Sleep comes easily and wave after wave pulls him down into a dark abyss of pleasant nothingness.
The personal sunshine in his arms provides a happy warmth and Tsukishima smiles as he feels the last of his consciousness fade away.
“I love you Shouyo” Tsukishima murmurs and Hinata grunts in response.
That night he dreams of stars, the moon and his own personal sun.
He's falling through the universe, past the planets, past his team mates that for some reason or another are suspended in space.
He keeps falling and he way he falls for Hinata was kind of like falling asleep…it happened slowly…then all at once.
Tsukishima wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.