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Poor, pretty, talented Kageyama is clueless.
That is what Hinata has decided three months into their second year, after flirting with the idiot with no results whatsoever.
Their first year at Karasuno was spent solidifying their friendship and their trust. They learned to get along, work together, do what was best for the team, while continually pushing each other to be their best. They got to know how the other thought and acted. They could identify when the other was happy, sad, frustrated, or hungry. They annoyed each other and teased each other relentlessly, but their relationship was solid. They came to trust and respect each other.
The break between their first and second years brought sleepovers and long days spent with only Kageyama. Hinata found he liked those days, when he didn’t have to share his friend with anyone. When they could laugh and play volleyball and hang out without anyone else taking Kageyama’s attention. And during that break, Hinata realized that what he felt for his best friend and setter might be more than just admiration and regular old friendship.
Before that school break, Hinata had never really paid much attention to girls, or boys for that matter. It was all just spiking and receiving and getting better all the time. Getting good enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kageyama. But as the days went on, he started to admit to himself that what he felt when he was with Kageyama was more. When he was with Kageyama, his heart went THWUMP and his blood went SWOOSH, and he was all flustered and blushing and GAH. No, these feelings were definitely not the feelings for one’s setter, regardless of how stupidly awesome his tosses were.
Once their second year started up, Hinata realized not much had changed except HIM. Girls (and boys) still confessed weekly to the clueless Kageyama, who always politely rejected them. For some reason, this started to really bother Hinata like it had never bothered him before. Why did stupid Kageyama always get confessed to anyway? Just because of his handsome face and his piercing blue eyes and his ridiculously toned body?
When girls or boys came to ask Hinata for advice on how to woo his best friend, Hinata helpfully informed them not to waste their time, as Kageyama was seeing someone. [Morgan Freeman Voice: Kageyama was NOT, in fact, seeing anyone]
So yeah, Hinata has finally admitted to himself that he has a big, fat, stupid crush on his annoyingly hot best friend. So he does what any self-respecting boy would do after his gay awakening. He panics and calls his (also gay) friend Yachi.
“What do I do?” he asks, with despair.
“Well, you could tell him how you feel.”
“No, that won’t work. What if he doesn’t like me back?”
“Well, you could start by dropping some hints, flirting a little. You know, see what he does.”
“That’s good. I can do that.”
Thus begins Operation Flirt With Kageyama.
This operation is well planned by the two, strategized, organized, contemplated, debated and implemented. But there is just one problem:
Poor, pretty, talented Kageyama is clueless.
It’s a few months into the school year, and Hinata has gotten nowhere and has accomplished absolutely nothing. His casual touches have gone unnoticed. His flirty teasing has been a waste of time. His innuendos have been frustratingly misunderstood. Kageyama never responds to any of this, much to Hinata’s annoyance.
Hinata is growing more and more frustrated and needs to do SOMETHING. So he and Yachi launch Operation What To Do About Clueless Kageyama.
***
Poor, pretty, clueless Kageyama is confused.
Ever since the beginning of their second year, he has been feeling funny around his best friend. Funny is the only way he can describe the way he feels uncomfortable around his friend and teammate with the stupidly fluffy hair and the big brown puppy dog eyes. His skin feels flushed and he can’t seem to take his eyes off Hinata when he talks, or rather, he can’t keep his eyes off Hinata’s lips. They seem so soft and plump. Kageyama’s heart beats faster and he feels strange, like he is floating. At first he thinks he is just getting sick, but days, then weeks, then months pass and he realizes he only has this uncomfortable feeling around Hinata, not anyone else.
At first he reasons that it must be because Hinata is his first real friend, the first person he allowed himself to trust to be there, on and off the court. So naturally, he would feel grateful to his friend. He feels a connection like he doesn’t with others. He knows him better than he knows anyone else. So that should explain it right? But even clueless Kageyama realizes that doesn’t seem quite right. If you were so close to someone, you should feel more comfortable, not less.
This error in reasoning is compounded by Kageyama’s other dilemma. He thinks that if he’s so uncomfortable around Hinata, then he should want to get away from him and that uneasy feeling that makes him question his sanity. But no, the opposite was true. He actually finds himself wanting to be closer to Hinata, to be with him more. To pat his head and give him tosses and listen to him ramble on and to call him dumbass.
Clearly there is something wrong with him, Kageyama concludes, to act so strangely. But he doesn’t know what it is or how to deal with it. So he puts all these unfamiliar, uneasy feelings into a box called “Do Not Open Under Any Circumstances Unless You Are Really and Truly About to Die” and goes on with his life.
***
A couple of weeks after Operation What To Do About Clueless Kageyama was launched, Hinata and Yachi come up with an idea – a sleepover with the whole team at Yachi’s house. Yachi’s mother would be out of town next weekend, so it would be perfect. Then during the sleepover, they would implement the next phase of the plan.
The night of the sleepover finally comes. The team is there, eating snacks and pizza and being loud and rambunctious. After a while, Yachi suggests a game of Truth or Dare, which half the team accepts enthusiastically and the other half rolls their eyes at. But there was no way Yachi is backing down on this one.
They play for a while with stupid questions and dares. When it comes to Yachi’s turn, she asks Hinata, “Truth or Dare?” Hinata, according to plan, chooses Dare.
“I dare you to spend 7 minutes in heaven with …” she pauses here as if considering who to choose. Yachi was nothing if not committed to her acting role. “Kageyama,” she finishes as if the idea has just occurred to her.
Hinata pops up from his seat, probably too eagerly for someone observant not to notice and reaches for Kageyama’s hand.
“C’mon, Yama. A dare’s a dare.”
As Yachi leads them out of the room, Hinata hears Tsukki say “Finally!”
Yachi takes them to a closet and closes the door. It is dark but there is some light coming in through the crack at the bottom of the door. They are only about a foot apart. Too close for both of them. For a moment, nothing is said. Hinata is waiting to see if Kageyama is going to do or say something but a minute passes in silence. Oh, well, time to implement the plan Get Kageyama to Kiss You.
“You know, if you don't dare to kiss me, then I win," Hinata says with as much nonchalance as his furiously beating heart allows.
Kageyama responds, “How do you figure that, dumbass?”
Hinata replies, "I'm not afraid to do it but you are, so I win."
"I'm not afraid," says Kageyama.
"Then prove it,” Hinata challenges.
“Fine!” Kageyama says. He leans over, and pecks Hinata on the lips. “There, I did it!” he exclaims.
“You call that a kiss?" Hinata scoffs.
"Yeah. What do you call it?"
"I call it pitiful. I can definitely kiss better than that."
Before Kageyama can process what he’s about to say, he taunts Hinata. "Prove it."
Bingo , thinks Hinata, smirking. Hinata stretches up on his toes and softly presses his slightly open lips to Kageyama's. Kageyama inhales sharply. When Hinata is done, he's grinning with triumph.
"Told you. I'm better at this. I win this one, Kageyama-kun"
Kageyama is momentarily stunned because that felt… nice.
“Wait,” Kageyama responds. "I didn't know it was a quality contest. Let me try again."
He leans down and with lips slightly parted, gently touches them to Hinata’s lips. He wasn’t expecting Hinata to kiss him back, however, and he panics and backs off. Was it hot in here?
Hinata is still smirking. “Sorry, Yama-yama. I still think I’m better at this. You lose.”
If there was one thing that Kageyama hates to hear, especially coming from Hinata, it’s “you lose.” So he tries again.
This time, he licks his lips and opens them a bit more when they meet Hinata’s. Damn, Hinata’s lips really are so soft and plump. Before Kageyama knows it, Hinata bites at his bottom lip, causing Kageyama to inhale sharply.
Damn it, he IS losing at this kissing thing.
Hinata crosses his arms across his chest. “You still lose, Tobio-kun.”
“Again,” Kageyama hears himself whisper and he tries again, this time attempting to mimic Hinata’s actions. He bites softly at Hinata’s lower lip and this time it is Hinata who moans a bit.
Kageyama leans back. “I think I won that one.”
“Not so fast,” Hinata proclaims and pulls Kageyama down by the front of his shirt for a wet, open-mouthed kiss. There are tongues involved, making Kageyama panic slightly. But it’s nice, so nice, that he leans into it and experiments with his tongue as well. Hinata moans again and suddenly a heady feeling rushes through Kageyama. He actually likes this. He likes kissing Hinata.
They are still locked in this embrace when Yachi knocks on the door to tell them their time is up. Kageyama wipes his mouth with the back of his shaky hand.
“I still think I won,” says Hinata glibly.
“I disagree,” replies Kageyama.
“Guess we’ll just have to continue this contest later.”
“Fine!” Kageyama retorts, trying to sound annoyed.
For the rest of the night, Hinata seems happier than usual. Kageyama notices and the thought makes him happy but it also has him thinking, did Hinata like kissing him as well? When they are all finally trying to sleep, Kageyama tries to process that in his brain. Could Hinata have liked it too? And what does it all mean?
Yes, poor, pretty, talented Kageyama is clueless.
***
Over the next week, the two boys take the kissing competition very seriously. They compete before practice in the club room when no one else is there. They compete after practice when they stay late after everyone else is long gone. They compete when they part ways walking home after practice. And they meet up the next weekend to compete at Kageyama’s house. He thinks he’s not bad at this kissing thing at this point, but Kageyama is getting frustrated because no matter what he does, Hinata always insists he is losing. This means they have to keep going, because Kageyama absolutely cannot lose something this dumb to Hinata of all people.
About a week after the sleepover, while lying in bed one night, poor, clueless Kageyama finally actually realizes something. Not only does he like kissing Hinata – because let's face it, kissing those soft lips and hearing those sounds escape from Hinata’s throat is really freaking nice – but he actually realizes as his blood runs cold, that he might actually like HINATA. He thinks very hard and concludes that this would explain why he feels funny around his friend, the way he wants to be with him all the time, the way he thinks about the cute spiker constantly, even when he’s not around. All of the pieces fit.
The awareness causes Kageyama to draw in a ragged breath. What the hell? He likes Hinata? Likes, likes? He wants to, what, be boyfriends? And continue kissing him? And you know, other couple stuff? As he asks himself each question, he is surprised to hear himself answer Yes to all.
Shit. I like Hinata, he thinks to himself, suddenly both relieved and terrified.
Yes, finally poor, pretty Kageyama has a clue.
But with that monumental self-awareness comes a different problem. Does Hinata like him back? And if not, how is he going to act normal around his friend? How is he going to go on like everything is the same, when clearly, his whole world has shifted?
Kageyama contemplates this for a while and decides that when Hinata comes to his house this weekend, he will try to find out if Hinata likes him back. He’s not sure how to do that besides asking though. How does one figure out if someone likes you back?
He normally would ask Hinata a question like this, since Hinata has always been the one to help Kageyama navigate all of these confusing social expectations, but in this case he can’t ask Hinata. He’ll just have to wait till Hinata comes over and use his well-honed detective skills. And if that fails, he’ll just ask. Maybe. Or maybe not.
When Hinata arrives the next day, he greets Kageyama’s mother and sister and they head up to Kageyama’s bedroom to watch volleyball videos. After a short time, Hinata is challenging Kageyama to another round of their competition and of course, Kageyama agrees.
They are getting pretty good at this kissing thing after all this practice, I mean, competition, so it is not really all that surprising when Hinata moans again.
Kageyama’s little clueless brain figures that it is a good sign and breaks the kiss and dares to ask.
“Hinata, do you LIKE kissing?”
Hinata looks up with those big brown eyes behind thick lashes. He looks beautiful like this, his cheeks flushed, his hair slightly more messy than usual. A small smile plays on his lips.
“I like kissing you, Yama.”
“Oh. Well, I like kissing you too.” Kageyama debates what to say next, but Hinata jumps in. He’s shaking his head, and Kageyama can’t figure out why.
“You’re such an idiot, you know?”
“What? Why are you insulting me?” Kageyama is confused again.
Hinata inhales deeply.
“I think we should call this a draw and stop competing,” Hinata suggests.
Kageyama is strangely disappointed. Hinata didn’t want to kiss him anymore? He just said he liked it. What the hell?
“But you just said you liked kissing me!”
“I do. But listen, Kageyama… Tobio, I don’t just like kissing you. I like you. I don’t want to be just your friend. I want to kiss you and hold your hand and go on dates and all the other stuff couples do. This was never a competition for me. I just said that to get you to kiss me.”
Kageyama’s eyes go wide. Hinata likes him back!
“But why don’t you want to kiss me anymore?” poor clueless Kageyama asks.
“I didn’t say that. I said we should stop competing, not stop kissing.”
“Oh. Oh,” Kageyama says, finally understanding.
“Do you… do you like kissing me?” Hinata’s voice is small and nervous.
Kageyama smiles, one of those rare smiles that only Hinata ever sees. “Yeah. I do. A lot. And Hinata, I mean, Shoyou, I like you too.”
“Yeah?” asks Hinata.
“Yeah,” says Kageyama. “Though it took me a while to figure it out.”
Hinata’s laugh tickles Kageyama’s ears and he realizes that is another thing he loves about Hinata.
“So, should we stop competing and be boyfriends?”
“No,” Kageyama says, making Hinata’s heart stop beating momentarily.
Kageyama quickly continues. “Oh, sorry. I mean, we can be boyfriends, but let’s never stop competing. It’s what makes me better, Shoyou.”
Hinata smiles, one of those blinding smiles that makes Kageyama feel like he’s looking at the sun. “You make me better too, Tobio. Let’s never stop competing. And never stop kissing.”
“Deal.”
//END