Chapter Text
“Kageyama, there’s no shame in needing to take a break, you know?” Hinata says, chuckling. “I can see how red your face is.”
He stands up on his bike to kick the pedals with more force when the incline of the mountain starts getting steeper.
Tobio picks up his own pace, the cold night air burning in his lungs.
“Shut up, it isn’t. I’m perfectly fine.” he shoots back.
“Stop lying, it’s not that dark, you know? And you’re practically glowing, too.”
Tobio glares at Hinata’s back. He’s right, of course, he can feel it himself. Not that he would ever admit it. Hinata is smug enough as it is, there’s no need to add any more justification to it.
Tobio wants to kick himself. He really shouldn't have stopped running regularly when it got colder outside. But his new laptop and the countless “Best Moments of the London Summer Olympics 2012” compilation-videos on Youtube were just too tempting.
He probably wouldn’t have changed anything in his daily routine at all until the early spring months, if he’s being honest. He’s still in shape, hasn’t gained any weight worth mentioning and could easily hold his ground in any practice match or extra training they’d thrown at him in the last couple of months.
And he just fucking hates the cold. So why not just take life a little easier when it’s all but freezing outside?
So he did exactly that.
Until it came to bite him in the ass.
The game against Shiratorizawa in the Spring Interhigh Qualifiers had been a cruel awakening for him. The fact that his body had betrayed him. The realisation that being skilled, concentrated and determined just hadn’t been enough this time... All those things weren’t just embarrassing for him. They were downright shocking.
Mind over matter, my ass, he thinks and wipes some sweat off his brow. If that was actually true, I’d never take a break again in my life!
But - needless to say - at one point in the game he just couldn’t continue playing without dragging down the whole team. So he had to be taken off the court to rest, and was replaced by Sugawara for the majority of the fifth set.
Yes, he’d gotten back on the court after his much needed break and in the end they’d won the game against this seemingly unbeatable school. But still, he had let everyone down. His teammates, the cheering crowd and especially himself.
Ever since that day, Tobio hadn’t been in the best mood and - of course - Hinata had noticed. And even though Tobio had thought that Hinata would’ve been mad at him for his failure in the game, the total opposite was the case. If possible, Hinata had stayed even closer by Tobio’s side than he already did, demanded even more tosses after practice and, weirdly, always had a small carton of Tobio’s favorite milk in his bag, which he would hand to him without comment, whenever Tobio’s thoughts turned especially sour.
One morning before practice, at the end of November, when they were waiting for their teammates to unlock the gym, Tobio finally told him what had been bothering him for more than a month now. Hinata's ears and nose had been red from the cold and he was shaking slightly, but he still listened, surprisingly patient, and offered his help in improving Tobio’s stamina after only a short while of thinking to himself.
Hinata’s idea of having Tobio run next to him on his bike all the way through the mountains and up to Hinata’s house had sounded like a good idea in theory.
In reality, it is the worst, Tobio has realized in the meantime. Because even if he had kept up his usual routine (and never discovered the black hole that is sports compilation videos on Youtube), he would have had a pretty hard time keeping up with Hinata.
How does he do it? Tobio thinks.
Just by looking at Hinata, you would never guess how much strength there was hidden in those stupidly short legs of his.
But then again, Hinata proves him wrong every day on the volleyball court, jumping as high as he does.
So Tobio shakes his sweaty bangs away from his forehead and jogs on, while the trees on the side of the road rush by. His breath puffs in little clouds from his mouth, before drifting away with the cold autumn wind.
He grumbles to himself, as he sets one foot in front of the other, just barely missing the deep end of a puddle that has formed on the road. “What are you mumbling about?” Hinata chirps from his bike, a few meters ahead of him.
“Why do you do this every day? Twice? The bus connection back into town isn't bad,” Tobio spits out and runs a little faster, trying to catch up.
When he’s next to Hinata again, their eyes meet for a moment. “I started doing it when school started, because I needed to get stronger,” Hinata replies. “There’s no other way for me to stay on the court longer and play volleyball with you, isn’t that obvious?” He exhales sharply. “And then I just got used to it, I guess.”
Hinata’s face is a little flushed now and Tobio is glad to see that the exercise is finally taking its toll on him, too.
****
“Come on, let’s stop here for a bit,” Hinata says after a few more minutes, turning into a lay-by on the left side of the road and swinging one leg over the saddle of his bike.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t need a fucking break.” Tobio barks again, but there’s no heat behind it this time. He’s just too tired and he needs to save his strength if he doesn’t want to make a fool out of himself today. He remembers how Hinata’s mother had picked them up with her car from school one day when they needed to do a project together after class, so he knows that they’re only halfway through the mountains yet.
How is he going to survive this?
“I know, but I do,” Hinata replies easily, stretching his arms over his head and bouncing around on his feet slightly. “And I usually take a break here, anyway, when it’s not too cloudy.” There’s a smile in his voice.
Tobio, who’s gaze was fixed either on his trainers or the muddy back tire of Hinata’s bike for the majority of the time after that last comment about his glowing face, finally stops next to the shorter boy. He bends over, grips his slightly shaking legs and breathes deeply for a few seconds, before slowly lifting his head.
“What do you mean? … Oh.”
He’s met with what can only be described as the most gorgeous view.
A dark-green valley lies in front of him, surrounded by looming mountains, and interspersed with only a few lights from the small village nestled inside it. It’s quiet and calm and he can see smoke curling up from a couple of chimneys. His eyes follow the smoke and when he looks up even further, he can see stars. Not many and they don’t shine that brightly yet, but he can already see that there’s more to come as soon as it’ll get darker.
Hinata rips him right out of his thoughts “It’s something you don’t see every day, right?” he says, smiling.
“Yeah,” Tobio breathes, his exhaustion and the cold suddenly forgotten.
They stand in silence for a while, just taking in the view.
“Did you really need a break or are you just making fun of me?” Tobio asks.
“Hm. Little bit of both, I guess? I usually get up a lot higher before stopping.” Hinata grins at him.