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As Tsukishima's best friend, Yamaguchi is the first to notice it. The change in Tsukishima and Kageyama's relationship, that is.
Way back when they graduated high school and won second place in the national tournament, the four of them decided to live together to save money while in university. It's three years later and they're in their senior year when he noticed that small shift in their dynamics.
He couldn't really put a word into it until much later on. Arguably, the two's relationship was something akin to kindergartens squabbling with each other and pulling each other's metaphorical pigtails. One moment they're trading barbs, later on, they have their heads bent together talking about something that has them snickering like gossipy teenagers. Which at that time, they were. Now, it is a little different though.
He realized it reminded him so much of his parents. His dad would come home and his mom would rush to the door to greet him and take his things. Or sometimes they would argue about the little things like room temperature but be lovey-dovey later on when they think little Tadashi isn't looking.
"I'm back," Kageyama said from the door, shuffling heard as he took off his shoes.
Yamaguchi happens to be going out of the bathroom, in the same hall of the front door. Tsukishima passes in front of him in long strides.
"Hey, I thought you said you'd stay longer in the gym?" He hears Tsukishima ask.
"I changed my mind. People kept staring at me, it's weird," Kageyama replies with a small huff in his voice, not minding one bit when Tsukishima takes his gym bag and passes Yamaguchi in the hall like he wasn't there.
It looked like it happened too many times that they're comfortable about it now but Yamaguchi most definitely is not. There's something there and he wants to know if they're doing it knowing they're doing it or if they're doing it without knowing they're doing it. Knowing the two for a long time, it would probably be the latter. Tsukishima might be smart and all that but he happens to be very oblivious about certain things and Kageyama is well… Kageyama.
So he decides to sit back and observe until he can gather more evidence for his supposed hypothesis.
The next time it happens, it's Kageyama playing with Hinata on their Playstation in the living room when Tsukishima comes home from his time in the library and approaches their blue-haired friend first. He leans down on his ear to say something and Kageyama loses focus on the game for a while. Hinata doesn't seem to notice and takes advantage of Kageyama's sudden distraction. One which Kageyama grunts about when Tsukishima crosses the living room and heads to his room.
The times after that it's either of them coming home after a rough day in college or volleyball and the first thing they'd do when they come home is seek each other out. They would talk in hushed voices and not much could be inferred from their facial expressions other than, Woah, since when were they able to make that kind of face?
Yamaguchi doesn't ask nor does he pry Tsukishima about it. Still, there's this weird nagging feeling inside of him when he thinks about it. It kind of feels like he's being left out of something but it doesn't seem to be quite the issue. That little thing happens between them only and not extended to either him or Hinata.
Yamaguchi would very much like to know what is going on between them.
Two weeks later, Yamaguchi is in the kitchen waiting for Tsukishima to finish cooking. It's the Saturday of the month when their parents would send some care packages to the boys in their shared apartment.
Akiteru was the one to drop it off when he had some business in the area and Yamaguchi was looking forward to nothing but eating good food. Their parents sent them beef and vegetables! The four of them would be eating like kings this week. Really, food tastes ten times better when it's free.
Currently, Tsukishima is making beef with broccoli and the smell alone is enough to send his stomach growling. The blond rarely cooks and it's surprisingly Hinata who's in charge of cooking but either way, the food is always good.
When it's portioned off and they set aside for two of their friends who were still passed out (Hinata went partying with Oikawa the night before), the two ate quietly. Yamaguchi savored his food with a mumbled thanks under his breath before digging in.
Almost done with his meal, Yamaguchi sees Kageyama entering the kitchen still rubbing the sleep off of his eyes. He makes a beeline for Tsukishima who's rinsing the pan and utensils he used earlier. Yamaguchi's brow rose as Kageyama clung to Tsukishima's back like a baby koala and remained there, the taller seemingly unaffected, and continued his chore.
Tsukishima briefly glances at the man clinging to his back and there it is again. The whispering between them. Like Yamaguchi wasn't there!
He sees Tsukishima lean down and kisses Kageyama's hairline and returns to wash the last of the dishes.
Yamaguchi feels like he wants to get his jaw dropped on the floor and let it fall again.
It's that moment though that he knew. The moment his childhood friend does nothing to tell Kageyama off, his suspicions are confirmed.
Hinata has always been observant unlike what most people might think of him. Sometimes, he likes to keep it to himself and store the information for later on when it benefits him. Mostly, he uses it for gossip.
It's exam week and everybody is cranky from the lack of sleep and cramming. Including Yamaguchi who's usually the mild-mannered one among the four of them. When he asks if he could review with him, Yamaguchi clicks his tongue and says he's going to take a nap since his exams are done for the day. Lucky bastard.
So, he heads to the library near the Arts department where he knows Tsukishima and Kageyama would be. It was the lesser used library on the campus and the librarian was lax compared to the rest. They could talk and argue and the librarian would only tell them to keep it down, not kick them out.
He briskly walks towards their claimed spot at the very back on the second floor facing the tall ivy-covered walls of the orchestra building. It's the most secluded part and they prefer it that way especially when Tsukishima is teaching with the patience of a short fuse. Their blond friend turns into a devil incarnate when it's exam season though it's not without merit. He and Kageyama gets good scores in the end.
He turns left and passes the second to the last shelf before their spot when he hears it and somehow his feet stopped working and rooted themselves on the floor.
Hinata considers for a moment if he should just turn back now. He knows people need privacy and the noises he can bear certainly need that right now. He knows that kind of noise. He's no longer the blushing virgin that gets flustered over things like that. Still, he's torn between peeking and turning his heel to inform his friends some people are making out on their spot.
Or you can peek and tell your friends about the people making out in your spot, his mind supplies.
It should be known that Hinata Shoyo is a weak, weak man when it comes to gossip so he moves as quietly as he can until he reaches the last shelf and takes a small peek.
So, giddy with the prospect of possible gossip material, he peered and his eyes almost bulged out their sockets.
It's them. His friends.
Tsukishima has an arm at the back of the couch they're sitting on and Kageyama is beside him with his eyes closed. He sees the moment their blond friend leans in and kisses Kageyama,
his hand going to the back of Kagayema's head and playing with small hairs on his nape.
Hinata does not know what to do but he knows what he wants. He wants to be out of there immediately.
They pull away without many noises unlike the previous one Hinata heard and he's ready to bolt when he hears Tsukishima talking.
"That's a lot of reward for one question you answered right, King."
Hinata can imagine the smirk on his face when he says that. Unfortunately, he does not hear Kageyama's response because his feet decide to work on autopilot and lead him back to the stairs. All he could hear was Tsukishima's laugh at whatever Kageyama might've said.
Back at the entrance of the library, he holds his chest and takes a huge breath trying to process what the hell just happened.
Hinata decides he'll keep their secret.
For now.
The next time Hinata has a Tsukishima and Kageyama experience, it's the complete opposite of what he witnessed in the library before.
He's alone in their apartment that weekend. Yamaguchi is out with Yachi and the other two are somewhere else.
Something was definitely wrong when he heard the front door slam, the walls of their apartment shaking a little with the impact. No doubt, they would get complaints from their neighbors. Somehow, Hinata stayed in his room though there's a small crack on the door letting him hear the commotion in their living room.
"Oh my god, Kageyama. In front of me? You really have no shame at all," Tsukishima sneers. Hinata knows this tone. This is his mean voice when he's livid.
"You're unbelievable. You know Kunimi and I are just friends!" Kageyama shouts.
"Really now? Do friends do that to each other? Oh wait, maybe they do! Or maybe that's just what you do with all your guy friends!"
Hinata gasps and covers his mouth, scared that they might know he's there. They probably forgot he is and that's a good thing. He did not want to be caught up in the middle of that.
He is surprised when he hears a sob and his eyes widen once more. Kageyama is crying. It's a disturbing thought as it's heart-wrenching.
"Is that what you think of me, Kei?"
"Tobio-"
"You know we're not like that! At least not anymore. You know that." Kageyama sniffs. Desperation and hopelessness were evident in his voice.
"Do you really mean that?"
"Of course I do! He's dating Kindaichi now and I… I have you."
Hinata's imagination runs wild yet at the same time, he couldn't really picture the faces they're making to each other. He could see in his mind Tsukishima's face morphing to one of apology and empathy when Kageyama cried because no matter how much he likes to make people believe he doesn't care much about anything, he actually does.
And Kageyama. What a sight he must be at the moment. He didn't cry when his grandfather died. He knows since he told Hinata that. He didn't cry when they lost the championship in their last year of high school. He didn't cry when they left their little town and entered the bustling city of Tokyo to study, away from the comfort of their homes and their families.
"I'm sorry, Tobio. I didn't mean to belittle your feelings towards me. It's my fault that I–"
"Ssh. It's both ours. Don't… don't blame yourself. Let's just–"
Hinata doesn't hear more and he's tempted to take a peak until his mind registers what might be happening behind the door. He scrubs a hand over his face and wishes he went home instead.
There’s the sound of a door closing and that is enough for Hinata Shoyo. He grabs a windbreaker, his keys, and his wallet. He hopes they don’t hear him when he shuts the front door behind him. How could they anyway with all the noise they’re making?
As the only girl in their little friend group, it's safe to say she had an inkling even before then. She's not even living with them but she frequents their place enough to notice and confirm a few things.
Though they seem to be different, they were more alike somehow and as someone taking psychology classes, it is true that people with more similarities end up gravitating to each other more than their opposite.
Yachi thinks it was there all along–from the very start they saw each other. A little seed was planted until it slowly but surely sprouted into something else. Something that sounded a lot like love.
She supposed Yamaguchi and Hinata didn't foresee this the way she did. There were more you didn't know if you were close to someone but her? She was close enough but also distanced just right to see it unfold before her eyes. So she kept an eye out for them back in highschool until now. As teenagers whose life partly focused on volleyball and no dating whatsoever, it was expected they didn't know how to deal with their feelings so they dealt with it the way they knew how–fighting and bickering.
It was amusing to watch them in the corner of her eyes as she patiently waited until when it would burst and catch up to them.
Sure, they still pulled at each other's metaphorical pigtails and threw insults but even Kageyama and Tsukishima knew better that it doesn't have any weight in it, not anymore. Not when the corner of their lips lift in an almost smile. Not when Tsukishima laughs affectionately at the stupid things Kageyama says or do. Not when Kageyama's eyes light up when their blond friend is in the room and trades barbs with him.
Sooner or later something would tip the scales and it would all fall into place.
Yachi felt that shift in the air a year after Kageyama broke up with his boyfriend of seven months and Tsukishima stopped going on dates the moment it happened.
That change happened and it kept happening.
She sees it in the way they work on their communication with each other and the hushed conversation they think nobody notices when they're watching movies in their living room. She sees it in the gentle touches and unashamed care they show each other when either is in the other's vicinity. It's the soft squeeze of a waist as they pass by each other. The hand at the small of a back when they walk side by side. The reassuring hug when they're anticipating final grades at the end of every semester. It's Tsukishima having that favorite milk candy of Kageyama in his pocket and Kageyama staying up to watch dinosaur documentaries with Tsukishima all night.
She loves it. She loves seeing her friend fall in love.
Some few days later when Kageyama is back in their hometown for a family affair and Tsukishima is in a seminar, the three gather for some much needed caffeine boost.
Yachi waited until they all sat down around the living room and saw something that made her eyebrows rise. Hinata kept chewing on his bottom lip and Yamaguchi looks like he'll burst if they say the wrong word.
And then it dawned upon her. They finally noticed it.
"So, do you think there's something weird going on between…" Hinata trails off.
Yachi remains unfazed.
"Kageyama and Tsukishima?"
Hinata slams a hand on the chair's arm, Yamaguchi clutching his chest in surprise.
"Right? So I wasn't the only one!" He exclaims like a sudden weight was taken off his chest.
Though it seems like a bad thing to talk about friends behind their back, it must've been hard not to. Especially if it was those two and whatever it was that's between them.
"They're definitely fucking or something." Yamaguchi mumbles, tracing the lid of his mug absentmindedly.
"They are, can confirm." Hinata sighs and slumps back on his seat.
There's a laugh from their only female best friend. She pats them on the shoulder and smiles.
"Okay, honestly?" Hinata starts again, looking at the two of them and continues. "I overheard the two of them fighting two months ago about Kunimi. Tsukishima was furious and get this, Kageyama cried."
The two pause and process the information quietly.
Their inner musings were disrupted when Tsukishima strides in, only sparing them a glance and returns his attention to the phone held beside his ear.
"What? You're already there? I thought I told you to message me when you're near. I just got off from my seminar."
He places his bag down by the kitchen counter and grabs a glass of water, downing it one go. Then he rummages inside his bag for his wallet and keys before going back to the direction of the front door. All while staying on the phone.
"Fine, just stay put. I'll pick you up," he says firmly but smiles afterwards. "Okay, we can eat out or something. You decide while I'm on my way. See you in a bit, King."
Tsukishima hangs up as he leaves through the door leaving the three in varied states of surprise.
"What the fuck?" Yamaguchi mumbles again.
"See? There's something between those two!" Hinata exclaims.
"They're definitely not just fucking." Yachi concludes.
In no time, the five of them are together. Unsurprisingly, Kageyama and Tsukishima share a couch. Hinata gathered them under the guise of watching that new Disney movie which wasn't uncommon for him to do. The three figured it would be good to act like they always did.
In the span of the movie, the three of them saw Kageyama and Tsukishima in a new light. If they weren't so sure before, they definitely were now. They just fit. It's almost ridiculous.
When the movie ends and they're left talking about it until they fall silent. Kageyama munching on leftover popcorn is the only sound in the room.
Yamaguchi claps his hands once.
"So, Kags, Tsukki. Hinata has something he wants to say." He grins at their tangerine-haired friend, totally unashamed at throwing him under the bus.
"Yamaguchi, you little–"
Yachi pulls him down to avoid a ruckus, chuckling as she does. "That can come later. There's something important we have to discuss, right?"
Hinata sighs and pats his shoulders for imaginary dust.
He looks at the two men of the hour seriously.
"We know about the two of you."
Kageyama furrows his brows and swallows the food in his mouth before speaking.
"Okay? What's that supposed to mean?"
The blond sighs and mumbles to himself for a while.
"I think they're saying that they know about us."
Yachi marvels at the unperturbed and unbothered way Tsukishima says that.
"For the love of all holy," Yamaguchi groans. "We know you're together so you don't have to hide it from us anymore. It's okay and we wholeheartedly support it."
"Why didn't you just say so?" Tsukishima chuckles, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I didn't doubt it for a second that you'd find out without us telling you."
At that, Kageyama turns to him and crosses his arms.
"You didn't doubt them for a second? You know that's not what you told me, right?"
Tsukishima smirks. "It's not wrong, King. I didn't doubt them for a second. I doubted them for weeks."
Surprisingly, Kageyama laughs at that. It sounds genuine and the three of them look dumbstruck at that. They didn't know their friend could do that, let alone Tsukishima being the reason for it.
"That's probably not what they think you mean, Kei."
With the mention of Tsukishima's first name, Yamaguchi throws his hand in the air.
"We're still here, you know!"
The three of them look at Tsukishima who's only looking at Kageyama fondly.
"We weren't deliberately keeping it a secret though," he says.
"But we're thankful for your understanding." Kageyama continues.
There's a comfortable silence around them as they process what just happened. It felt like everything is back to the way it used to be except there's something that changed. And yet, it didn't feel too out of place. Like it was there all along and they're just acknowledging it now.
Yachi breaks their little cloud of happiness and grins.
"Now that we put all that aside, you have to tell us how it happened. Everything!"