Chapter Text
^^^I think Ballet Kageyama should be canon.
Kageyama Tobio is an extremely talented setter.
He possessed skills that were hard to beat and a genius mind that never failed him on the court. Even though he had his awkward, yet adorable, moments, he never gave up and always tried his best. However, volleyball and milk were not the only things on his mind.
There was something else that Kageyama enjoyed just as much as he loved volleyball. It was something his sister introduced to him when he was just three years old and couldn't get out of his mind since then. Even though he couldn't dedicate as much time as he used to because of volleyball and schoolwork, he still finds time every day for at least 15 minutes. He wished he could extend that time and maybe in the future, he would be able to. At least on Sundays, he was able to set aside at least an hour for this activity with his lessons.
Ballet and volleyball both went hand in hand in some ways. They both helped with endurance and kept his legs toned and loose. Ballet helped with grace, agility, and flexibility while volleyball helped with speed, thinking skills, and arm strength. Overall, they both pushed each other into improving. To anyone else, the notion probably makes no sense but to Kageyama, it was stable in his life and that was really all that mattered.
When Kageyama woke up that morning to the annoying alarm clock on his nightstand, he felt an itch that needed to be scratched. Not a literal, physical itch, this one was more metaphorical. He needed to do something that he hadn't done in the last three days, making a small part of his brain go crazy without it.
He wanted, no, needed to dance. He wanted to feel his feet jump off the floor as he spun in the air in graceful turns; wanted to feel what it was like to hold his arms in their perfect position; wanted to feel that slight stretch in his thighs when he had to make a 180-degree angle with his legs. Those feelings, he cherished them with all of his heart, just as much he cherished the feeling of making an incredible set and helping his team score a point.
Unfortunately, Kageyama knew that he didn't have enough time that morning to dance at home. The time shown on his alarm clock meant that he would only have enough time to do his usual morning routine, get to school, and race Hinata. He needed to beat Hinata and get to the gym before him to tie their score.
Maybe I could practice my pirouettes when I beat Hinata. Assuming he's not there when I do beat him.
"If" wasn't a word that came to mind when Kageyama thought of winning. No, it was when: when he would win against his opponent; When he would beat his opponent; when he would bask in victory.
With this goal in mind, Kageyama lept out of bed and went into his bathroom. He proceeded with his normal morning routine of taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and washing his face. A chill racked up his spine from the cold since he only had a towel wrapped around his hips. He speed-walked back to his room and quickly threw on his volleyball uniform, relieved to have some warmth seep back into his body. Kageyama rolled his socks on and grabbed his bag before heading down to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself.
Kageyama juggled between having a Western-styled breakfast of scrambled eggs or cereal. Since the delicious, creaminess of milk had more of a pull on the young setter's brain, he settled for cereal instead. He took out his favorite cereal, cornflakes with dried strawberries and granola, poured it into a bowl, and then poured milk into it.
As Kageyama ate, he recited the new ballet combo his teacher assigned him in his head. It was slightly more difficult than the last one but if his teacher didn't doubt his ability, Kageyama had no reason to either.
Center Pirouettes 4/4; 5th position croisé devant right foot front; Tendu écarté devant with right arm 5th high left arm 2nd; Plié in 2nd position, arms 2nd; Retiré left leg to front of knee, arms to 5th en avant; Point tendu L éffacé devant, R arm 5th en haut left arm 2nd; Close 5th; Tendu L to side écarté derrière, close 5th back, left arm 5th en haut, right to 2nd; Tendu L to back, left arm arabesque front, close 5th; Tendu L to side écarté derrière, close 5th front, left arm 5th en haut, right to 2nd; Passé back right foot to front of knee, arms 5th en avant; Place into lunge croisé devant preparation for pirouette en dedans; Double pirouette en dedans to 5th croisé left foot front; Relevé to 3rd arabesque; Place 4th preparation for pirouettes en dehors; Double pirouette en dehors to 5th back finishing croisé L devant; Repeat all on other side.
Mentally applauding his spectacular memory, Tobio finished his cereal, drank the remaining milk left in the bowl, and washed it. He left the bowl on the drying rack and went to the front of his house to put on his shoes. Once he finished tying the laces, he stood back up when something else this time caught his eye.
There was a dark brown closet, the top half having glass doors while the bottom half had three drawers. The closet is most likely supposed to store valuables for display since there were locks on each drawer and one of the glass doors. However, the Kageyamas used the heavily protected closet to store simple things such as bags, shoes, and some sports equipment. For example, kneepads for volleyball and ballet flats.
Tobio walked over to the closet, opened the glass doors, and reached out for the ballet flats before recoiling his hand. He reached out for the ballet flats again but he didn't grab them, his hand just levitating in the air. His hesitation was foolish, he knew that. But he also was terrified of what others would think and do if they did find out about this other passion. Or even worse, they would kick him out of the volleyball club because they thought he didn't like volleyball enough.
What if they leave me?
Shaking his head to get rid of the drowning thoughts, Tobio swallowed the lump in his throat. With any more of these thoughts, Tobio knew that he would spiral and mess up during practice. He also wouldn't be able to beat Hinata if he didn't leave in the next five minutes.
Finally, his hands gripped the flats tightly. Exhaling a deep breath, he pulled the ballet flats out of their spot and shoved them carefully into his bag.
No one should find out as long as no one sees the flats or me dancing.
The Karasuno Volleyball Club was already trying to figure out how Kageyama was so flexible from that one time they played Truth or Dare a couple of weeks ago as a "team-bonding exercise"
~~~
The rain beat down harshly on the ground and didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. With this realization, all the boys called their parents and said that they might not be able to come home for the next couple of hours.
Coach Ukai left half an hour earlier because he had to open up the shop while Takeda-sensei left shortly after for teacher duties or something like that so the boys were stuck by themselves. The managers hadn't even shown up today because they were invited out by the other managers for a girls' day.
After a couple of minutes of just sitting around and doing nothing, the freak duo suggested that they play some more volleyball. After about 45 minutes of playing, even they started to get bored of the sport. So now they were all sitting down in the middle of the gym after cleaning up and just idly chatting about whatever came to mind.
Suddenly, Sugawara got a great idea.
"Hey, guys! Let's play Truth or Dare!" He suggested, causing some people to cheer (mainly Nishinoya and Tanaka) while others groaned (mainly Tsukishima and Asahi).
"Sure. It'll be a good team-bonding exercise," Daichi said, meaning there was no way for anyone to get out of it.
"I'm not playing," Tsukishima deadpanned as he moved his hands to put his headphones on.
"Wow Tsukishima, I didn't realize you were so scared," Hinata said with a smug expression on his face.
Tsukishima growled at him and placed his headphones back onto his shoulder blades, still resting against his neck.
"Fine, I'll play then," he said, glaring harshly at Hinata, who in return gave a cheeky smile.
Sugawara let out a small chuckle before saying, "Okay, who wants to go first?"
Yamaguchi tried to hide behind Tsukishima while Asahi tried to hide behind Nishinoya. It is safe to say the former succeeded while the latter didn't. However, both were spared from Sugawara's wrath, thanks to Hinata.
"I wanna go!" Hinata exclaimed loudly, making the three calm second-years that were behind him wince.
"Okay, truth or dare?" Suga asked.
"Uhhh, truth!"
"Okay," Suga said, thinking to himself for a bit before he smiled (quite evil if you asked everyone else). "Where do you and Kageyama disappear to before every game we play?"
A few snickers rippled throughout the gym while Nishinoya and Tanaka teased their kouhai by saying "Ooooo".
Everyone saw how Kageyama's cheeks turned light pink before he looked down in embarrassment. This was funny because they hadn't actually done anything embarrassing if you were to ask anyone else. But to the two very prideful boys, it seemed like a dirty secret that could only be shared between them.
Hinata's face matched his hair as he stammered out an explanation, "H-He just helps m-me calm down before we play. It's e-easier if it's j-just me and him."
"And what do you two do when it's just you and him?" Tsukishima teased.
Kageyama, who was getting pissed that Tsukishima was actually enjoying this, barked out, "He answered the question so shut up!"
Suga, along with the rest of the team, laughed at the two blushing first-years before deciding that the younger setter was correct. "Okay, then. Hinata, pick someone else."
Hinata quickly glanced at everyone before landing on a certain blond. Tsukishima's eyebrow raised in annoyance before realizing what was coming to him.
"Tsukishima, truth or dare?" Hinata asked, stupidly rocking back and forth like a child.
"Truth," Tsukishima replied as he rolled his eyes. He just wanted to complete his turn and get it over with.
"Okay then. How did you ask Yamaguchi out?"
Both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima's jaws dropped at the ginger's question. They both also sported identical blushes while everyone else had confused expressions on their faces.
"Oi Boke, what do you mean?" Kageyama probed.
"I once saw Tsukishima and Yamaguchi making out in the club room because I forgot my kneepads in there," Hinata explained, the grin on his face growing wider.
"I told you we should have waited until we got to your house, Tsukki!" Yamaguchi groaned, hiding behind Tsukishima once again.
Everyone smiled at Yamaguchi's confession while Tsukshima slapped his hand onto Yamaguchi's mouth to prevent him from saying anything more.
"Come on, Tsukishima. You gotta answer the question," Nishinoya said, making everyone quiet down as they waited for the tall blond's response.
Tsukishima groaned quietly before beginning his explanation, "Yamaguchi and I had gotten into a fight about me being too mean to him. I was being meaner than usual because I realized I started to have feelings for him and I got scared that he would find out and reject me. He ran away and the next day, I showed up with flowers and french fries and I apologized, and uh, yeah."
"Aww, that's so sweet and romantic," Asahi said, making Tsukishima's blush redder.
"Yeah, he is," Yamaguchi mumbled, aiming a small smile at Tsukishima. Tsukki gave him on back and Sugawara cooed at the adorable couple.
"Okay, that was fucking adorable," Suga declared. "Tsukishima, pick someone."
"King, truth or dare?"
Kageyama scowled at Tsukishima, who had the nerve to smile innocently at him. He should have known that he would have been the middle blocker's target.
"Dare," he said, not really caring at this point. After all, what was the worst that could happen after everything Tsukishima had already done?
Everyone stared in shock at the blueberry setter. They didn't expect him to pick dare at all and it was clear that Tsukishima hadn't either since he was quiet. That didn't last very long as Tsukishima was a quick thinker so he was able to blurt out a dare.
"I dare you to do the splits," Tsukishima said smugly.
But instead of a horrified expression on Kageyama's face like everyone else expected him to have, the boy kept a resting face and simply shrugged his shoulders. He slipped his volleyball shoes off of his feet and stood up. Putting his right leg in front and moving his left leg back, Kageyama slowly slid down until his legs were resting on the floor. His arms were placed by his sides as an act of balance while he made slight adjustments to his legs to get more comfortable. Once he felt at ease, he looked back up at the blond, very happy to see his astounded expression.
"I can do the middle splits if you want," Kageyama added, loving how the blond was defeated by him.
"How are you able to do that, Kageyama?" Daichi asked, sounding a little breathless.
Oh shit, Kageyama thought.
"My sister made me stretch with her when I was younger and I got flexible enough to do the splits and other stuff," Kageyama rushed out.
~~~
That was the moment Kageyama realized he would have to be a bit more careful around his teammates so they wouldn't find out. But it was a little hard to do that when the Chaos Squad (comprised of Hinata, Tanaka, and Nishinoya) constantly hounded him to do other tricks that required a lot of flexibility. They had even asked him to teach them how to do some but they were barely flexible enough to touch the ground without bending their knees.
Once Kageyama arrived at Karasuno, he looked around for the familiar bike that was usually locked up at the bike rack. When he didn't see it, he went back to the front of the school to see if Hinata had arrived yet but he didn't see the ginger anywhere. As a last resort, Kageyama pulled out his phone and internally groaned.
Shoyou had texted him earlier and said that he wouldn't be able to come early because he had to take care of Natsu.
I really need to remember to take my phone off of silent in the morning, Kageyama thought as he slipped his phone into his bag. But, I can dance a bit before volleyball starts.
With this sudden realization, a smile danced on his lips. It wasn't the creepy forced one that scared anyone who saw it. No, it was a genuine, adorable smile that people so rarely ever got to see.
Kageyama jogged to the gym, not wanting to waste any time. He double-checked that no one else was near or in the gym before closing the doors behind him.
Thank God Daichi-san gave me a copy of the key.
Tobio flipped the lights on before dimming them slightly. He didn't know why the gym lights had dimmers but they were convenient now.
He took off his shoes and socks and grabbed the ballet flats out of his bag. Sitting on the floor, he slipped on the flats and flexed his foot a bit, making it loose and limber. Kageyama then stood up with a smile and took his phone out of his bag once more. He searched for the music on YouTube and put it on max volume.
And then, he started to dance.
~~~
For once, the whole Karasuno team arrived at the same time, save for Kageyama. Usually, the order followed as such: Kageyama and Hinata, followed by the third-years, then the second-years, and then the rest of the first-years. Today, everyone managed to arrive at the same time, shocking everyone.
They chatted with each other as they walked to the gym, jokes and witty quips floating in the air. Once they got to the gym, the noise died down as they heard beautiful music coming from inside.
"I didn't know Kiyoko-san and Yachi enjoyed classical music," Yamaguchi said, causing a chorus of agreements to ripple through them.
"Uh, we're not in there," a familiar voice chimed.
The boys' heads whipped around to see their managers standing behind them with equally confused faces.
"Uh, maybe it's Takeda-sensei or Coach Ukai?" Yachi suggested.
"What about us?" Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei appeared too.
With everyone there, all possible theories were debunked.
"Well then, Sawamura, open the door carefully," Coach Ukai instructed.
Daichi nodded and did exactly as he was told. He put his hand on the door handle, pushed it down, and slowly pulled the door open. As he peered into the gym, Daichi couldn't help but let out a gasp. He slowly tiptoed into the gym and everyone followed suit.
Once everyone else had seen what Daichi had seen, they all let out noises of awe in their own ways.
They couldn't believe their eyes.
Kageyama was dancing. And incredibly well from what they could see.
Tobio hadn't noticed them yet since his eyes were closed, engrossed in his own world.
He was too busy focusing on the dance and its movements. He loved the way he felt when he danced. As he jumped into the air and spun around, he let the music take control of him. As the violins and violas harmonized with each other, he felt himself rising with the beat. He knew the moves by heart, shown clearly in the way he held his arms and chest high. His heart beated rapidly against his chest as he twirled around from one side of the court to the other. He lept into the air, one arm straight up while his legs were stretched into a split. The violins had sped up, reaching the climax. He landed gracefully with almost no sound and quickly set himself up for his pirouette. As the violins reached their high, the double pirouette came and he spun around successfully. Then came the arabesque, one of his favorite moves. As the violins died down and came into harmony with the rest of the orchestra, Tobio's movements also became more fluid and softer. The music slowly faded out and Tobio's dance came to an end.
Sounds of clapping woke Tobio from his world. His eyes snapped opened and he whipped his head around so fast that Sugawara was afraid he would get whiplash.
No, no, no, no, no, Kageyama started to panic.
His breathing became heavier but it wasn't because he was exhausted from dancing. His throat started to clog as he felt his knees hit the floor. Tears blurred his vision but he could faintly make out the stampede of his team coming towards him.
Hinata reached him first and quickly wrapped his arms around a shakey Tobio. Sugawara grabbed one of Tobio's hands as Asahi handed him a water bottle. But Kageyama still wasn't responding, despite all of his teammates' cries and pleas.
"Tobio, please calm down," a soothing voice whispered. The hands belonging to the same voice petted his hair gently.
"Shouyou," Tobio croaked out, burying his head into his best friend's chest.
Shouyou took the bottle from Asahi's hands and placed it near Tobio's face. He reached for the bottle and took a few sips from it.
"Are you feeling better now, Tobio?" Shouyou asked softly, tilting Tobio's face up so he could see the setter.
His eyes were slightly puffy from crying and his voice seemed a bit scratchy as well but overall, he was doing good.
"Yes, I am. I'm sorry," Tobio whimpered.
It was hard to see the setter looking so fragile and small. Even Tsukishima felt bad for Tobio and wanted him to feel better.
"Don't be sorry, idiot," Tsukishima said. Daichi and Sugawara sent him a frightening glare, making Tsukishima flinch.
"Don't call me an idiot, you goddamn lampost," Tobio mumbled back, causing a smile to break out onto everyone's faces.
"But he is right, Kageyama-kun. You have no reason to be sorry. We are here to help you," Suga assured. Tobio looked at his senpai before nodding his head in thanks.
"Okay but that was amazing! You looked so elegant and cool and graceful!" Nishinoya complimented.
Tobio blushed at the praise and slowly untangled himself from Shouyou's embrace. With his and Suga's help, he stood back up with shaky legs.
"Kageyama!"
Tobio's attention snapped to the short blonde manager that was next to him.
"Yes, Yachi?"
"I wish you would have told me that you dance! I always wanted a partner to practice with outside of my studio!" Yachi exclaimed, surprising everyone.
"You do ballet too?" Tobio asked excitedly, a genuine grin appearing on his face.
"Yeah and I do Latin American dances too since I'm half Argentian."
"You are?" Kiyoko asked, eyes wide as saucers.
"Well, my natural blond hair has to come from somewhere right?" Yachi joked.
"Thank you," Tobio blurted out, causing everyone's attention to snap back to him.
They all smiled at him and Tobio knew that was their way of saying "You're welcome".
The touching moment was soon interrupted by two loud claps and a booming voice, "As great of a dancer you are Kageyama, it's time for volleyball now! So let's hustle."
As everyone ran around to set up the courts and discuss strategies, Tobio felt a surge of warmth throughout his chest.
He loved his family and they loved him back.