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Since the second year of high school, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima have played a game called ‘five degrees of separation from Hinata’. It had started out mostly as a joke because Hinata couldn’t seem to go five steps without running into someone he already knew or making a new friend. Yamaguchi would say that even if they all hadn’t joined the volleyball club together, eventually Hinata would have befriended them somehow. Tsukishima was quick to point out that they still weren’t friends, even counting their almost three years of playing volleyball together, and that he had stalwartly refused to add Hinata on any social media. Even if the latter point was solely to see Hinata fume about it, it still counted as evidence to Tsukishima. If he was ever worried about missing anything big, which he wasn’t, Yamaguchi would let him know about it the next day even if he didn’t want to know.
Even though he knew Hinata basically knew everyone in Miyagi, finding himself seated across from Kageyama Tobio at a cafe that had been dubbed ‘highly romantic’ by a hundred reviewers according to a quick search, was still disconcerting.
It wasn’t as if Tsukishima was unaware of Kageyama. He’d kept tabs on him throughout middle school, and though the famed King of the Court hadn’t managed into Shiratorizawa despite rumors that was where he was destined to go, he’d gone to Date Tech. Though Tsukishima had thought the combination would have been disastrous, the aggressive and prideful monarch amongst his defense minded subjects, the pairing had seemed to temper all parties involved. Which was annoying, because a Date Tech that could attack almost as well as they could defend was no joke. It had warranted a lot of long nights of Tsukishima watching their matches and trying to come up with strategies on how to beat them.
But if you asked Yamaguchi, he would say that Tsukishima was a little ‘obsessed’ with Kageyama specifically not Date Tech. Hinata on the other hand, had bluntly told Tsukishima that he sounded like he had a thing for the King of the Court. Which was preposterous because it wasn’t like Tsukishima taunted Kageyama Tobio anymore than he had anyone else. It wasn’t that he followed his trajectory any closer than, say, Hinata, who had proclaimed himself his number one rival. Sure, he had read a few of his interviews in volleyball magazines, but he’d also done the same for the likes of Oikawa and Ushijima. So why he was sitting across from him and remembering all the times his teammates had looked at him side long when they were about to play Date Tech or the way that Hinata and Yamaguchi both had slapped him on the back as he headed out the door with twin cheerful calls for him ‘to enjoy himself’.
The only thing that made him feel slightly better about this whole ridiculous situation was that Kageyama looked more pissed, confused, and awkward than Tsukishima felt, all at once. He kept fidgeting in his seat, scowling at the menu, then scowling at Tsukishima, and then turning that scowl to their poor long suffering waitress who seemed to be fine with giving their table as much of a berth as possible.
“It’s so nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule to mingle with the peasantry, your highness.” Tsukishima said after Kageyama looked around for the fifth time, as if he was waiting for an ambush or a rescue party. He would admit that he enjoyed needling others, Kageyama more than most. It was so easy, and Kageyama always gave the best reactions. But instead of slamming his fists on the table or barking back a quick retort like Tsukishima had been expecting, instead Kageyama’s face went oddly calm and blank. It was the look he’d have on his face right before he would pull off some crazy service ace or set. Kageyama on the court is as close to perfection as mere mortals can get, but Tsukishima had so rarely seen that off the court. It was unbalancing, but at the same time, familiar enough that Tsukishima can think of a few dozen ways this can end.
Kageyama was going to actually slug him. Kageyama was going to storm out and they’d never talk again, except for maybe the few times Hinata dragged him over for a get together. This awkward silence was just going to get worse and Tsukishima was going to have to head straight over to Hinata’s house to demand an explanation for this set up in the first place.
So it was surprising when none of that happened. Instead, Kageyama leaned forward, gaze laser focused. “I wanted to talk to you.” Which was… shocking for many reasons. Tsukishima hadn’t thought Kageyama knew his name, much less had a desire to see him off the court. What did they have to talk about? Despite his best efforts, it felt like his palms were getting a bit sweaty, his heartbeat picking up like it tended to do before he had to speak in front of the class or when an album he had been anticipating finally went on sale. “I wanted to tell you that you should continue with volleyball after high school. You’re one of the most annoying people I’ve played against, so you’ll go far.”
All his anticipation for what Kageyama had to say came hurtling down with a force that could have wiped out the dinosaurs. Tsukishima didn’t know why he suddenly felt disappointed that this was about volleyball. Of course it would be. What else did they have to talk about?
He huffed, tipping his nose up in the air, annoyed at himself with how upset he felt that this was where the conversation was heading and ready to take it out on Kageyama. How stupid could he be to bring him to a couples’ cafe and then talk to him about volleyball? And how stupid was Tsukishima for thinking anything else was going to happen? “Is this an imperial order?”
Truthfully, Tsukishima had been planning on continuing with volleyball even after graduating. He had been since his first year when he’d felt ‘that moment’ where the game had hooked into him completely and utterly. Not that he had told anyone but a few of his teammates and his brother, who had reacted to the news with such joy that it had made Tsukishima feel deeply uncomfortable. He wondered briefly when that moment had happened for Kageyama, or if he had been born knowing the court was where he belonged, like the first prince always knew he would inherit the throne.
Kageyama’s face lost some of that superior court focus, and instead his face scrunched up in distaste, but he didn’t reprimand Tsukishima like he normally would. Then again, Kageyama had been telling him for years to stop calling him by his detested nickname and it hadn’t worked. Even volleyball idiots could learn apparently.
“It’s not a command. I just want to play more against you. Or to be your teammate.” The sentiment is enough to make Tsukishima’s eyebrows raise in surprise. This was news to him, especially considering Kageyama had just called him one of the most annoying people he’d played against. Saying something along the lines of ‘that’s high praise coming from someone scouted straight out of high school’ sounded like he knew far too much about Kageyama, so he didn’t.
Instead he said, “Is that really all you came here to say? To talk about volleyball with a rival? Here of all places?”
Any calm that Kageyama had immediately evaporated at the mention of the venue, and he looked around again like a hunted animal.
“Hinata suggested it! He said you really liked the strawberry shortcake here!” Kageyama groused angrily, and the faint dusting of pink on his face wasn’t a bad look, exactly. It made Tsukishima want to see more of it, to figure out exactly what he had to do to keep Kageyama pink and embarrassed. Though he was torn between being relieved and let down that Kageyama hadn’t specifically chosen this place, the fact that he had agreed to come here solely because Tsukishima liked something here was nice. Even if the reason behind it was completely fake and devious.
“I’ve never been here before.” Tsukishima told him matter-of-factly, and the quick succession of Kageyama going from surprised to crestfallen to annoyed was a real captivating rollercoaster ride to watch. While it would be hilarious to watch Kageyama go off on a tirade about Hinata, he didn’t feel like talking about him just now. He wanted to find out the truth behind all of this, and maybe selfishly, keep Kageyama’s focus solely on him. “But he’s not wrong about me liking strawberry shortcake.”
Kageyama glanced back up at his face, as if expecting Tsukishima to be mocking him somehow or pulling his leg, but whatever expression was on Tsukishima’s face seemed to quell those doubts. Kageyama grinned slightly, small and easy to miss. He’d never seen such a soft expression on Kageyama’s face before. The shit eating grins he’d give opponents once he’d trounced them, a thousand times easy. The scary grins he’d give his teammates, most of whom seemed to endure it stoically but the rest of them had been prone to backing up slightly, sure. Every so often, when his teammates had done something particularly spectacularly, he’d grinned like a proud monarch. But this? This was something Tsukishima had never seen even with their countless matches against each other and the hours upon hours that Tsukishima had spent watching him.
In Tsukishima’s stupor, Kageyama rallied, glancing back up with a solemn expression. “I didn’t just ask you here to talk about volleyball. I wanted to ask for your number.”
It sent a rush of heat through Tsukishima even though this was far from the first time someone had asked him for it. According to Hinata, the few times Tsukishima had bothered to ask, Kageyama was a volleyball freak among volleyball freaks. He would only text one word answers if he texted at all, he was more interested in going on runs than hanging out, and outside of his teammates, he didn’t really have friends. So why was he singling out Tsukishima for this, specifically? Hope, traitorous and delicate hope, apparently hadn’t been completely wiped out by the crashing of his anticipation earlier. It clung stubbornly to his rib cage with thin tendrils, annoying and insistent.
“Really? What are you going to use it for, exactly?” Tsukishima asked, unable to conceal the curiosity in his voice. The question seemed to throw Kageyama, and he looked around quickly, as if expecting to find the answer written on one of the huge obnoxious heart posters on the walls or one of the pink printed tablecloths.
“At first, I just wanted to beat you. Your stupid smug face and the way you always called me ‘King’ really pissed me off.” If this was supposed to convince Tsukishima to give Kageyama his number, it wasn’t working. He was about to say so when Kageyama continued, gathering steam. “But you started standing out to me more and more in games. I started to admire how you could read your opponents so well, and when you were invited to the special Miyagi training camp, it made me think you were someone who could keep up with me. I want to get to know you better and to hear about your career past high school.” Tsukishima, who could count on one hand the amount of conversations he’d had with Kageyama, and one of them being the time he asked for Kageyama to return a stray ball, couldn’t help but watch Kageyama with wide eyes. Kageyama took Tsukishima’s shocked silence to mean something else clearly, so he added hastily, “If you decide to, anyway.”
This was a lot to digest in a short amount of time. If Tsukishima was being honest, maybe there was a bit of weight to Yamguchi calling Tsukishima ‘obsessed’ with Kageyama. How could he not, when there had been a guy so obviously talented in his own age group for Tsukishima to admire almost as much as he had his older brother? It was only natural to follow his progression, like one might chart the movement of stars or the waves. Watching his matches had devolved into reading every article dedicated to the genius setter of Date Tech. He’d even cut out an article once and taped it to the inside of one of his notebooks so that he could follow Kageyama’s volleyball routine. Or at least, that’s what he had said when asked about it, but it really had been for the picture of Kageyama in mid-set. The fact that when he wasn’t scowling, he could be objectively handsome had only sealed his fate, really.
Any second now, Hinata and Yamaguchi were going to burst out from behind a nearby booth to tell Tsukishima it was all a prank. Tsukishima even held his breath for a few moments, but nothing happened except for Kageyama’s brows furrowing the longer that Tsukishima was quiet. For once, he didn’t feel like mocking Kageyama. He clearly had strong armed Hinata into getting Tsukishima here just to ask for Tsukishima’s number, so that should be rewarded. Even if it was a reward only Tsukishima would know about and acknowledge.
“Let me get this straight.” Tsukishima said finally after an awkwardly long pause. “You asked me here just to tell me that you’ve been following everything I’ve been doing and to ask for my number? Hinata could have just given it to you.”
“I’m not good at texting.” Kageyama said mulelishly, his face scrunched up distastefully, as if that was supposed to give Tsukishima any incentive to give him his number. “Face to face is better.”
“I see.” The wave upon wave of giddiness that seemed to rise straight from Tsukishima’s toes and flood through to the very tips of Tsukishima’s fingers made it nearly impossible to concentrate. Kageyama wanted to talk to him, and from the venue, Hinata and Yamaguchi thought that it had to do with reasons that were similar to why Tsukishima would linger when they spotted Date Tech students roaming around on the weekends. He tipped his chin up, smirking smugly in a way that had Kageyama reflexively scowling. “I’ll give it to you if you answer a question: how do you know Hinata?”
The question seemed to baffle Kageyama, who only shrugged. “My sister cuts his hair.” He seemed to think that was a satisfactory enough answer, because he took out his phone and handed it to Tsukishima, who couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him.
“Of course she does.” He said a little helplessly, and when Kageyama only looked at him in confusion, Tsukishima could only start trying to explain the five degrees of separation from Hinata Shouyou as he typed his number into Kageyama’s phone. He’d take it to his deathbed, but he was glad that Hinata apparently knew everyone in Miyagi.