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When Kageyama showed up to practice, the first thing he noticed was the distinct lack of one very loud, very energetic voice - and it wasn't the one that belonged to Tanaka, because that guy was currently blabbering on about something to coach. Kageyama wasn't normally the last one to show up, but he'd had a test to finish and hadn't been able to do it at lunch, so he'd missed about twenty minutes of practice. He'd stay after to make it up, but that was besides the point.
"Where's Hinata?"
That was the first thing he asked; he'd already told coach that he was going to be late to practice, so it wasn't like he needed to explain himself. Judging from the look that some of his teammates shot him, though, Coach Ukui had forgotten to pass on the word as to why he was late. That wasn't the important thing, though, because one loud-mouthed carrot top was missing and that was all that Kageyama was currently interested in.
Two seconds away from asking again in a more demanding tone, Daichi turned to him, wiping his forehead with his damp practice jersey and arching a brow.
"Don't you have classes with him, Kageyama? He's out sick today, he called me this morning before school sounding like he'd been run over by a train." Kageyama couldn't help but narrow his eyes at this news. Didn't Hinata think it was pertinent to tell him? Not that Kageyama was worried (considering that even if Hinata had actually been run over by a train, he would've probably just left a dent in the train), but because he needed to practice with Hinata. They had a lot to work on before the next inner-team practice match, and like hell was he going to let time go to waste. Kageyama knew he needed to practice with the others as well, but... Hinata should have called him, too.
"Stop making that face, geez, Kageyama!" Tanaka's voice boomed from across the court, and Kageyama raised his chin angrily, setting a heavy glare in the spiker's direction.
"I wasn't!" He denied vehemently, and Tanaka snorted in response.
"I dunno, you looked a little bit like you wished you were the one who Hin---"
He didn't even get to finish the sentence, because Kageyama sent one fast-paced, furiously rotating ball right towards him. Ignoring the angry shouts from the other male about respecting upperclassmen, Kageyama turned on his heel and stomped off to the locker room to change. He didn't wish Hinata had called him, not at all, and he certainly wasn't jealous that Hinata had called Daichi. Shouldn't he have just called the coach, though? Stupid. And how had he not noticed that idiot wasn't in class today? Sure, Kageyama had become exceptionally skilled at tuning out his incessant chatter, but that wasn't exactly an excuse for not noticing that the shorter guy wasn't there in the two classes that they shared together.
Okay, maybe he was a little frustrated, because as he stepped back out into the gym, he realized he'd laced his shoes too tightly. Ouch.
---
The next day, Kageyama stared at Hinata's seat in class until the bell rang. It was empty when class started, and empty when class ended - Hinata was absent again. Kageyama frowned even more that day, enough that one of his teachers had even asked if he'd needed to go to the nurse. The entire day passed in angry huffs of frustration, and annoyed glances towards his phone. He had Hinata's phone number, just like he had the rest of the team's, but there was one thing holding him back: Kageyama didn't text. He refused. He didn't like texting, he was bad at it (his phone wasn't exactly equipped for texting, what with having to press one key four times to get to one of the most common characters in the alphabet), and he certainly was not going to text Hinata Shouyou first.
He caved when he showed up to practice and Hinata wasn't there again. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Kageyama had hoped that Hinata was going to show up late to school, and still end up being at practice. Yet and still, he wasn't, and it had Kageyama on edge. He clutched his phone where it rest in his pocket and glanced towards the clock; he was early to practice, and... so a little text wouldn't hurt, right? Not because he was worried, but because he and Hinata needed to practice, and Hinata wasn't getting any better laying in bed.
It took a while longer than it should have, but he got the message written.
To: Hinata
From: Kageyama
Idiot, show up at practice. You're making the team bad.
Kageyama stared at the message for a few moments before he just went ahead and hit send. He continued to look at the screen, but nothing happened, and it was then that a few other people showed up. Grimacing, Kageyama shoved the cellphone into the pocket of his duffel bag, and headed out onto the court. He guessed he could work on that new back attack formation that coach was proposing, but it felt pointless to do without Hinata there - not that he was that important. Just that he was in the formation, and all that. Yeah.
Even with his poor mood, practice passed quickly. Having forgotten all about his text to Hinata, his eyes widened in surprise when he pulled his phone out to check the time (only after he had changed out of his sweaty practice gear) to see a message - no, multiple - from Hinata cramming his inbox.
To: Kageyama
From: Hinata
sorry!!!!!! i rly am sick i don't want to get the team sick!!
To: Kageyama
From: Hinata
don't be mad!! you're prob making a rly scary face and it'll make practice weird for everyone!!
To: Kageyama
From: Hinata
are u rly mad?? i can't help it!!
To: Kageyama
From: Hinata
oh i just realized you're prob practicing which is why u haven't answered me
To: Kageyama
From: Hinata
i just took more medicine so im going to sleep but i prob won't be at school 2moro either
To: Kageyama
From: Hinata
i miss hitting your toss!
The messages stopped then, and Kageyama couldn't help the strange tightening he got in his chest when he read over them for the second time. That idiot had probably fallen asleep writing them - but even if he was an idiot in the first place, at least he'd told Kageyama he wouldn't be at school tomorrow.
Kageyama took great pleasure in telling Daichi that when he passed him on the way out of the gym, especially considering that Daichi hadn't known yet. Kageyama was smug the entire way home.
---
The third day without Hinata at practice, Kageyama had had enough. And, apparently, so had the rest of the team.
"Kageyama, you're so tense that it's making me tense, man!" Tanaka complained, and Sugiwara nodded his head slowly in the background, running a hand through his hair with a faint smile on his face.
"If you're that upset about Hinata being gone, why not just go visit him?" He suggested gently, and Kageyama glanced towards his upperclassman with a deep frown.
"Why would I---" He started to protest, even though he had very briefly entertained the idea of going over to see Hinata (and beat him into coming back into school, that was the only reason why). He was interrupted, however, when a piece of paper was suddenly being shoved into his face. Snatching it out of the hand that offered it, Kageyama was about ready to snap at them for being rude when he realized, with a dry mouth, that it was Coach Ukui who had done it.
"Leave practice early and go. Here's his address, it's a bit of a hike, but you can catch a bus most likely. If I have to hear you complaining about Hinata not being here for five more minutes, I'll lose my mind." Kageyama swallowed, a bit stunned at the intense seriousness in coach's voice, but he nodded slowly. Leaving practice was stupid, but practice without Hinata was also stupid. He glanced down to the paper where Hinata's address was scrawled, headed into the locker room, and practically broke out into a sprint as soon as he was out of the building. He had to reach full-out speed to get to the bus stop in time, but then he was on it, and he was on his way to see Hinata.
Didn't Hinata bike to school every day? Kageyama mused over the fact as the bus rolled to a stop. He thanked the driver and got off, glancing at the crude map that coach had scribbled onto the paper for the final directions. He knew that attended Karasuno had been Hinata's dream, but that bike ride had to be at least thirty minutes, if not more on a bad day, and that was... a bit insane, even for Hinata. Leave it to that idiot to do something like that every day, and to even do it after practice, when he was weak and exhausted. It was so... Hinata. Kageyama paused in his walking, realizing for some reason that... he was grinning? Why was he grinning, thinking about Hinata being stupid? He replaced it with a frown and focused back on the map. This trip would be pointless if he couldn't actually navigate himself to that guy's house for the first time.
He managed to, however, and he paused in front of Hinata's door. There was no one at home, as far as he could tell, but Hinata had to be home - or he had the wrong house? He double-checked the address, and it still matched. With a resigned nod, Kageyama rapped his knuckles against the door. No response. He did it again, and waited, and then from within the house he could hear the sounds of someone up and moving about, albeit slowly.
Hinata opened the door, and Kageyama didn't have to fake the concern and shock.
"You look awful." He blurted, although Hinata looked just as shocked as him.
"T-that's not how you greet a sick person." Hinata sniffled, shaking his head and then asking with a curious tilt,
"Why are you here?" Kageyama prickled at that question, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Because you're going to mess up the team not being there." He responded obstinately, and Hinata looked stricken at that.
"S-sorry..." He apologized, and the total lack of energy behind it was completely throwing Kageyama off. He didn't exactly know how to handle the other when he wasn't bouncing off the walls (although he didn't really know how to handle that Hinata, either, at least not socially). Instead of offering his condolences or something, despite telling himself that was what he should be doing, Kageyama instead asked,
"Are you going to let me in, or leave me standing out here?"
Hinata stared at him blearily, and then stepped aside. When he did, however, the blanket he had wrapped around him got caught up, and Kageyama watched with wide eyes as Hinata swiftly entangled himself in the thick quilt, and promptly face-planted into the floor. Once he'd done that, he didn't move, and Kageyama continued to stare for a few moments more before reacting.
"Hinata! Dumbass, don't do that!" He snapped, because he was angry that Hinata was being idiotic - not because he was concerned. Definitely not because he was concerned that Hinata was just groaning into the floor of his house and not moving after collapsing like that.
"Medicine makes m' sleepy." Hinata mumbled in response, voice half-muffled considering the squished state of his face. Kageyama rolled his eyes, and sighed.
"You're such a pain." He complained, and after shutting the door with his foot, he reached around Hinata to hoist him from the floor. Hinata was light; Kageyama figured he shouldn't be surprised, because the guy was so small, but he did have a lot of muscle, so Kageyama thought he might be heavier... Either way, he helped Hinata to his feet, and then the orange-haired boy opened his mouth to say something, but his words were halted before they even began by a loud growl. Hinata's stomach had rumbled, and Kageyama's eyebrows rose briefly before furrowing together.
"Have you not been taking care of yourself?! How do you expect to get back to practice being stupid!" He accused the other, and Hinata cowered a little bit, blanching for a few moments before hitting Kageyama angrily on the shoulder, as the taller male was still holding him.
"I have been! My parents aren't home but I haven't been hungry because I've just been pukin' it all up!" Hinata responded, and Kageyama definitely didn't feel guilty for a brief flash of time when the image of this small, pitiful, and sort of clammy Hinata puking into the toilet bowl flashed through his mind. Instead of saying any of the other things that ran through his mind, Kageyama moved into Hinata's living room and plopping him unceremoniously on the couch. With that, he instructed,
"Stay here, I'll find you something to eat." He could see Hinata's kitchen from here, and although Hinata looked wary at following his instructions, he didn't make any movements to stand up, and so Kageyama went to the kitchen.
To be frank, Hinata had nothing in his house. It was expected, but geez, it was like a barren desert in there, or something. Kageyama did managed to find a box of rice cakes, however, so he came back with those... only to find Hinata asleep sitting up on the couch. Kageyama was two seconds away from waking him up and making him eat when he heard it - the gentlest little mumbling, coming from the slightest movement of Hinata's lips.
"Nnnn.. Kageyama's is the best..." Hinata murmured, and Kageyama felt his cheeks began to heat up as he processed it. Sure, Hinata was dreaming of volleyball most likely, but did Kageyama really have to be included in his dream? Really? He set the rice cakes down on the table, and then reached out with one tentative hand to pat Hinata on the cheek to wake him. Instead of waking, however, Hinata leaned into the touch and let out a soft puff of air that felt ridiculously strange against Kageyama's exposed risk. What the heck?
"Kageyama, Kageyama..." Hinata chanted in his sleep, and the dark-haired male thought his head was seriously going to explode with that chanting.
"Idiot, idiot!" Kageyama responded half-heartedly, pulling his hand away and pretending that he didn't hear some sort of disappointed noise escape Hinata's lips. He needed to make sure that the other ate something, but he didn't want to wake him up... With a sigh, Kageyama picked up the television remote and sat down next to Hinata. He was just turning the television on (with the volume down very, very low, because he had a headache, not because he cared if Hinata woke up), when Hinata began to slump, and with a thunk, dropped his head onto Kageyama's shoulder.
It didn't stop there. Hinata continued to slide, head falling from Kageyama's shoulder until Hinata was literally laying in his lap. Kageyama stiffened, unsure of what to do, and he was going to wake Hinata up to get out of his ridiculous position when he realized something.
Hinata looked... kind of... cute when he was sleeping. As soon as he thpught it, Kageyama attempted to un-think it. Not cute! Not cute! Hinata wasn't cute, the situation was, like you might see it on TV or something! That was definitely it, because Hinata wasn't cute. He was loud, annoying, and definitely not endearing. Not at all. Even with that in mind, however, Kageyama couldn't convince himself to wake the other male, and so he leaned back, glared at the television, and tried to find a channel that would suit him.
At some point, one of his own hands - traitorous it was - found its way to resting on the blanket that was wrapped around Hinata, right on his side. Hinata was warm (probably from the sickness, but that wasn't really the point, once again), and the weight against his hand was comforting, in a way. Maybe that was how Hinata felt when he hit the toss just right; comforted, by the weight on his palms. That was how Kageyama felt, too, and he found himself drifting off to the lame documentary on the animal channel.
Sparing one more look at Hinata's sleeping face, Kageyama frowned.
"You should've texted someone if it was really this bad..." He sighed, because it really did look bad. He brushed a strand of hair from Hinata's cheek, and his thumb glanced across Hinata's lips... They were soft. Like, really soft. Super.. super soft. Kageyama's breath hitched and once he'd discovered this, he couldn't un-discover it. He ran his thumb over them again, and then once more, and then he couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to have Hinata's lips against his, and shit.
No, no, definitely a no. He wasn't interesting in Hinata. Hinata was a dumbass jumping bean, after all, and that was all.
"I'm just taking care of you!" He exclaimed vehemently, ignoring the beating pound of his heart, and he focused back on the documentary, which was not about soft lips and cute cheekbones and endearing mumbles. It lulled him to sleep, however, and that was what he really wanted - a distraction, to not think of the carrot top in his lap, to think of...
When he awoke that night at past-midnight, Hinata was still on his lap, and the dreadful, congested feel of his head told Kageyama that he might be the one who needed taking care of tomorrow.