Work Text:
The sun had long set over the horizon. The sky was clear, lit with a spattering of stars, twinkling faintly. In the quiet of the night, activity could be heard inside of the gym at Karasuno high school, disrupting the gentle peace cradling the wildlife.
Tobio and Shoyo practiced in the gym, everyone else having left home for the night. Tobio sent a myriad of tosses only for Shoyo to miss every single one of them. His eyebrows drew tighter with every toss, each one sent with laser precision, yet still entirely untouched.
“One more, please.”
Missed ball.
“One more.”
Missed ball.
“One more, Kageyama-kun.”
Missed ball.
Shoyo landed on the ground once more, sweat dripping from his face as he panted. “Sorry. One more,” he repeated for the hundredth time, his voice nearly hoarse.
Sneering, Tobio sent up one more toss as requested. It landed on the floor with a pitiful bounce, having evaded Shoyo’s grasp by a hair’s breadth just like the others. All of the missed volleyballs laid strewn around them as Tobio’s frustration grew ever more palpable. He bit his tongue.
“I’m sorry, Kageyama-kun,” Shoyo whispered, unable to look him in the eye. “Can we try one more time?”
Tobio didn’t move. He glared at the ground, his hands and face feeling far too hot. “No. We’re done.” He moved to clean up the mess, picking up one of the balls.
Shoyo’s eyes widened, looking up. “Wait, please, I’m sorry,” he pleaded. “I swear I’ll get it this time.”
“I don’t know what the hell is up with you today,” Tobio said, his voice raising. “You haven’t missed a single one of my tosses in months. I’ve made every adjustment I could think of tonight. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to hit it! Since when are you so useless all over again?” His voice died in his throat as his words caught up to him, head snapping to look at Shoyo.
Shoyo’s eyes were empty, tears brimming at the edges.
“Ah—wait—that’s not—” he reached out to Shoyo, his eyes pleading.
Shoyo’s face twisted painfully and he ran out of the gym as fast as his worn out legs could carry him.
Tobio paled, now panicking. He ran after him, dropping the ball to the ground. “Hinata wait!”
Shoyo ignored him, ducking his head down and running past the buildings, leaving the campus entirely. His vision was blurred by tears as he pushed himself to run faster. His legs pounded against the cold pavement, nearly numb from the impact of all the jumps he had performed over the past few hours, but carrying him stubbornly.
Tobio slowly started gaining on him as Shoyo cut swiftly into a nearby park.
Shoyo could hear his heart beat in his ears as the cold wind bit at him. He shook his head, willing away the shivers he felt just beneath his skin. His breath caught sharp in his chest, lungs crying with every inhale, but he pushed further.
Tobio was now right at his heels, reaching out and grasping his wrist, stopping them both in their tracks. “Hey, stop—”
Shoyo attempted to wrench himself from his hold. “Let go of me, Kageyama-kun! Let go, you idiot!”
“Please just hold on a seco—”
“No! Let me go!”
“I’m sorry, Hinata!” Tobio yelled. He sighed as Shoyo stopped struggling. “I’m sorry for yelling at you like that. I shouldn’t have blown up on you. I was being a major jerk again. I’m sorry.”
Shoyo didn’t answer. His eyes remained fixed firmly at the ground.
“I’m also sorry for what I said about you,” he said, his voice hushed. “You’re not useless. You’ve never been useless. I was just mad. Either you’re having an off day or I am. Let’s head back so we can figure it out, okay?” He pulled gently on Shoyo’s wrist again, but he still wouldn’t budge. “Are you alright, Hinata?”
Shoyo sighed. “It’s not you,” he whispered, his voice thick with tears.
“Well, no, not really. Us screwing up is kind of a team effort, isn’t it?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Shoyo’s fist tightened. “No, it’s all my fault. I’m sorry.” He bit his lip. “Your tosses were just as perfect as always,” he said painfully, his body beginning to shake with held back sobs.
Tobio frowned. “Okay, what’s up with you Hinata? You never talk like this.”
Shoyo shook his head and yanked his wrist away from Tobio. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Let’s just head back.” He attempted to walk past Tobio, his hands still shaking.
He placed a hand on Shoyo’s shoulder, spinning him around. “Not yet,” he said. “I’m still confused. You said my tosses were perfect, so why couldn’t you hit them? I need to know what’s going on. Did you get injured?”
Shoyo averted his gaze, staring at his chest. “No, I’m not injured.”
“Then why are you crying, Shoyo?”
Shoyo’s head shot up, blush rising on his cheeks.
“Now you’re looking at me,” Tobio commented with a small smile. He wiped a stray tear from his cheek. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
Shoyo groaned, staring down at his chest again. “I don’t wanna say it. It’s embarrassing.”
“What, did the doctor tell you you’re not gonna get any taller?”
Shoyo scowled at Tobio. “No! Shut up, that’s not it!”
Tobio chuckled. “Then, what is it?”
Groaning again, Shoyo headbutted him in the chest. He mumbled a sentence, too quiet to be heard.
“I can’t hear you, dumbass.” He let go of his wrist.
Shoyo pulled back. “I said—” his voice became hushed. “—I said I like… you.”
Tobio quirked an eyebrow, his head tilted. “Okay, and what does that have to do with anything?”
Shoyo gawked at him, his mouth opening and closing rapidly. He scrubbed at his wet eyes furiously. “What do you mean? It has everything to do with everything!”
Tobio shook his head. “I seriously don’t see how.”
Shoyo sighed, smacking him in the shoulder. “I realised that I liked you last night and I got so nervous that I couldn’t hit the ball. After the first few, I just got really worried, okay? And it kept messing me up even more.” He looked at the ground.
“Worried about what?” he asked, stepping closer.
“I got nervous because I want you to like me too.”
“Is that all?” He took another small step forward.
Shoyo’s eye twitched. “Yes, that’s the whole story, Kageyama-kun. Make fun of me all you want. I don’t care.”
“That’s a dumb reason to be nervous,” Tobio said, lowering his voice. “You should’ve just said something sooner. I can’t read minds, you know.”
Shoyo blushed. “Well, I know that. Of course you can’t—”
“Well, if you can’t look at me without missing the ball, I guess I should take some responsibility and take you on a date then, shouldn’t I?”
Jaw dropped, Shoyo’s eyes widened, meeting Tobio’s gaze. His face scrunched up in confusion. “Are you serious? You’re not messing with me, are you?”
“Why the hell would I do that?” he asked harshly. “You're my teammate and I care about your performance.” He crossed his arms and looked away, his cheeks slightly pink. “Plus, sometimes being around you isn’t so bad.”
Shoyo smiled brightly. “Does that mean you like me too?”
“Let’s head back,” he said, walking past him.
“Don’t avoid the question!”
Tobio spun around, embracing him tightly. He pressed his nose into his hair, breathing in softly and sighing. “Does that answer your question?”
Shoyo wrapped his arms around him, hugging him back. “Yeah.” He squeezed tightly, nuzzling against his chest. “Alright, but you owe me a yakisoba bun for being mean earlier.”
Tobio grumbled. “I’ll accept that. Sorry again.”
They separated. “It’s fine, let’s just go back inside.” He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. “It’s really cold out.”
Tobio chuckled with a shake of his head. “Dumbass,” he said fondly. He took Shoyo’s hand and walked him back to the gym, his chest just a bit lighter.