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Hinata thinks apologies are scary, but they become five times more terrifying when the person you’re supposed to apologise to is a lot taller than you are and constantly scowls. Hinata knows, in all honesty, that Kageyama won’t hurt him. The guy, for all his grumpiness and shouting, is actually a real dork, and just wants friends. At least, that’s what Suga said. Or rather, what he thinks Suga said. Hinata wasn’t really paying attention. Oops?
It doesn’t matter, anyway. Kageyama’s eyes are a piercing blue, staring straight into his soul and seething other worldly dangers and why did he think this was a good idea, oH MY GOD- Originally Hinata had planned on blurting out an apology. Maybe he’d even manage a bright smile before running straight out of the undoubtedly uncomfortable situation.
“Kageyama!” He’d yelled and then his friend - acquaintance? - had turned and well, that pretty much lead him up to now. “N-Nevermind!” With an embarrassing squawk, the short spiker turns, practically tripping over his own feet as he runs away. Hinata’s cheeks flaming as bright as his hair, he ducks around a corner, pressing himself against the wall. Chest heaving and falling, he finds his small hands are shaking. Great.
Plan A: Straight Up Apology? A total and utter failure. Sinking down the wall until he’s squatting, Hinata pats his pockets, pulling out a small notebook. He scribbles out the top line, pursing his lips as he reads the other three ideas. Well, one of them is bound to work, right? Right. One definitely will! Psyching himself up, the spiker bounces to his feet. With a grin much like his usual ones, Hinata bounds off towards his next class. Plan B: Leave Him A Secret Apology Note is a go!
Hinata spends his entire World History class scribbling new notes. He doesn't exactly know how to word his apology. How are you supposed to tell your maybe-friend that you're really sorry for launching his favourite volleyball into the lake? Hinata doesn't even know why it's that big of a deal. After all, the ball wasn't popped or anything and if Kageyama had just taken off his jacket and maybe his pants and then maybe his entire outfit and - wow. Hinata, slow down, he tells himself. Cheeks flushing, he lets out a quiet whine. It's probably not that quiet, he thinks, especially as a few students around him toss him odd looks. Whatever. He has more important things to worry about like the fact he was thinking of Kageyama taking his clothes off and how he still can't write this stupid note!
Scribbling over another wasted piece of paper, he turns the page. This time. This time he will write it perfectly.
Meanie, Hibagon, Best Friend, Bakageyama.
Sorry for spiking your dumb volleyball into the lake.
Maybe if you weren't so scared of water-
Maybe if you we had have thought faster, we could have saved it.
It was totally your fault.
Hinata.
The bell rings. Although the letter is hastily scribbled and covered in patches of ink from where Hinata had tried crossing out inappropriate sentences, he supposes it will have to do. It's not like Kageyama is going to pay much attention to whatever he says. Hopefully, if all goes well, he'll decide that Hinata has been dumb long enough and that he really needs his spiker. Yeah. That'll totally happen! Kageyama can't survive without his magnificent spikes, the redhead decides with a grin. So stuffing it hastily into his pocket, he makes a dash out of the classroom, the impending volleyball practice a shining light in this otherwise dark situation.
It all starts off well. He sneaks into the locker room quickly after everyone has left to start warm ups; his red curls brush his cheeks as he peers around the corner. It's all clear, thank god, yet still he finds himself tip-toeing forwards. The note is slightly crumpled and probably sort of sweaty, but he can't help that. Carefully, he pushes open Kageyama's bag, the zip sliding easily. Nice! Step one is complete. Step two is sneaking it in without anyone seeing and step three is making it out in time before someone gets suspicious.
Hinata manages to slip the note inside, dropping it only once as his hands shake. With a bright grin, the spiker turns. He turns and because he has the worst luck, he runs straight into someone's chest. The tall person - oh god, please don't be Kageyama - snorts. He knows that snort and please, please, why couldn't it have been Kageyama? Tsukishima pushes him back, his eyes, framed behind wide glasses, brightening slightly at the paper just barely sticking up out of the bag. Hinata takes a defensive step back and opens his mouth.
"Oh?" Tsukishima begins, and the spiker wishes Yamaguchi were here to stop him from being a total dick. "Leaving secret love notes for the King now, are we?"
Whatever Hinata had been going to say does a 180 in his head and backflips out of his mind. WHAT. That was exactly not what he was doing. Tsukishima, on the other hand, takes the silence to be a correct guess and continues on with a grin. The blond reaches out towards the paper and for some ungodly reason, Hinata slaps his hand away. This is it, he sweats, watching Tsukishima's glare become murderous. Kageyama won't kill me, a blond with glasses will.
Tsukishima practically lunges for the paper, and Hinata only barely manages to snatch it up at the last minute. Suga’s voice is a saving grace. Hinata almost cries.
"Tsukishima? Hinata? Are you ok?"
“Y-Yes, Suga-senpai!"
With a final gulp, Hinata darts out of the room, glad to hear Tsukishima's footsteps following close behind. He drops the note into the bin, despair flooding his veins. Plan B? Another, straight-up failure. Kageyama makes eye contact with him for a brief second before narrowing his eyes and turning away. After being sufficiently ignored for the entire practice, Hinata vows to try harder.
It’s just one sip, he thinks. It can’t be that bad. After all, Kageyama has them all the time! Brown eyes locked determinedly onto the carton, Hinata breathes in deeply. It’s just a milk box. He’s totally got this, ok? A minute later he finds himself coughing and spluttering, the disgusting taste of plain milk coating his tongue and holy shit, how is Kageyama not dead? This stuff absolutely has to be poisonous!
Nonetheless, Kageyama and his weird-ass taste buds seem to enjoy it, so Hinata taps the buttons and collects another one from the machine. Plan C: Milk Mayhem is a go, and even if he hates the liquid, it’s essential to his apology. Hinata, of course, had tried to buy a meat bun earlier, but severely misunderstood how hungry he was and ate it before he even got to school. Hey! He’s a growing boy, ok?
Scribbling a hasty “:)” and “from Hinata” on the side of the cartoon, he glances at the time on his phone. Ah, he has ten minutes before class starts up again. It’s enough time to drop off the carton of milk that Kageyama will hopefully see. Considering it’s a Friday, Hinata is 100% sure this is his last chance to apologise and he knows, he just knows it will go perfectly. It has to. He might cry if it doesn’t.
Upon arriving at the classroom, he freezes. He hadn’t actually thought about seeing Kageyama. Kageyama probably hates him. That’s actually a really big issue because how on Earth is he meant to give his friend the milk box? What if Kageyama suddenly doesn’t like milk anymore and what if he throws it back at Hinata’s face and what if-
“Hinata-kun?”
With a shriek he will forever protest was manly and unable to be likened to that of a three year old girl’s, Hinata spins to see a fellow classmate giving him an odd look. It’s the guy who sits next to Kageyama, he remembers. He offers a smile but receives an apologetic look in return.
“Your boyfriend isn’t here - he got called off for a private meeting about his maths grades.”
“W-wah? Kageyama isn’t my boyfriend; that’s gross! Kageyama is too tall and stinky and he always throws things at me and he’s so scary and dumb and-“
He doesn’t even need to feel the hand gripping his hair to know that said boy has appeared behind him. Of course, Kageyama tugs on his hair anyway and Hinata feels tears beading in his eyes as he splutters out odd, misshapen words. He thinks he may be trying to apologise again, but finds himself unable to as Kageyama snatches the milk box, drinks it in one go and slam dunks it in the bin and hey, Kageyama would actually be a really good basketball player!
Kageyama growls at him, his blue eyes narrowing before shoving past him. As he enters the classroom and Hinata smacks against the doorframe, he thinks he might just cry. In fact, he is crying. Though that’s probably because his arm might be broken after the force of that shove; god-shitting damn.
After so many failed efforts, Hinata realises that maybe he’s just really shitty at apologising. Resigning himself to his fate, he approaches his mother for help. It’s raining when he gets home and his bike is so slippery he slides right off it and lands in a puddle beside the front door. It’s the candle on the metaphorical cake and leaves him feeling even more despair than usual. Considering his entire week has been pretty crappy, what with his best friend ignoring him, Hinata justifies his stomping into the house as understandable.
Until his mother yells at him, that is. Hurriedly apologising, he ducks his head and helps her prepare their dinner. It’s then that he asks for ideas. Admitting what he’s done wrong isn’t hard, though forcing himself not to call Kageyama a “dumby” who was “too chicken to jump into the water and get the ball” is sufficiently harder.
“Shou,” his mother laughs, her voice like honey. “Did you think of buying him a new one? It’ll come from your pocket money of course.”
Hinata groans dramatically, tossing his head back and running a hand through his red tangles. “Ugh, do I have to?”
His mother gives him a pointed look and he pales, shuffling his feet.
“Ugh, fine. But if I don’t come home tomorrow, know I loved you.”
His mother laughs, calls him dramatic and sends him out to lay the table. As he eats in silence, occasionally offering a grin as his sister speaks of her adventures during school that day, Hinata labels this last and final plan. Plan D: Operation Buy Kageyama A Volleyball And Stop Thinking About Him Shirtless.
Monday morning comes too quickly, in a flurry of light rain and overcast skies. Practice is on again that afternoon, and Suga has been sending them both rather pointed looks. He’s too nice to glare, but Hinata isn’t sure he wants to push his buttons anymore. Besides, Kageyama hasn’t talked to him all weekend and he kind of misses those dumb texts about maths homework and soggy noodles and stuff.
Kageyama is intimidating when Hinata finally approaches him after practice. His bag is slung over his shoulder and although the spiker can only see the back of his setter’s head, he knows with 100% certainty that Kageyama is glaring down at the ground. This is his chance. Swallowing past the fear in his throat and dragging his gaze away from the shapely legs obscuring his vision, Hinata bounces up to his side. Fingers fumbling around in his bag as Kageyama thankfully comes to a stop, he draws out the volleyball. And then drops it. Onto Kageyama’s foot. They watch it roll away, Kageyama somewhat surprised and Hinata completely done.
“What.”
Eloquent, Hinata thinks dryly, gesturing to the ball as it comes to a stop. “I bought it for you,” he says, shrugging as if it didn’t cost his entire three weeks worth of pocket money and how can he buy his meat buns now? “As an apology,” he adds.
Kageyama says nothing, though he does pick up the ball. His long fingers spin it once; toss it upwards and catch it. He seems pleased, thank god and Hinata decides to take his leave. He clears his throat, brown eyes darting left and then right. Kageyama simply continues to toss the ball. Right; that’s his cue.
Hinata makes it all of seven steps before something extremely hard - god fucking damn it. Kageyama, why- hits him in the back of the head. The ball drops to the ground beside him.
“Oi, dumbass. Aren’t we going to practice? You’ve wasted a lot of my time this past week with your sulking!”
“E-Excuse me, B-B-Bakageyama? It is 100% your fault, big baby! You were the one who couldn’t just dive into the water!”
“Oi, idiot! You were the one who tossed it in!”
“Only because you hit it towards me!”
“What was I supposed to do, stupid? Hit it towards the opposite direction? Do you even know how volleyball is played?”
Oh, that really does it, Hinata decides. Apology or not, he’s going to kick his setter’s ass. With an almighty war cry, he jumps towards Kageyama, revelling in the way the boy lets out a squawk and shoves at him. It’s all for naught and Hinata wraps his arms around the boys face and smacks at his head somewhat roughly as he clings to his back.
"Get off, ugly monkey," Kageyama shouts.
Apologies might be hard, but they’re 100% worth it. Especially when they spend the next two hours tossing to each other and making up for lost time. Kageyama yells, Hinata grins and all is well.