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Kageyama is late to practice.
Kageyama is never late to practice. He always is here at least fifteen minutes early — often more — so he can get some practice in on his own. Hinata thinks this is weird. He’s sent many text messages, even made a call, and nope, nothing. Kageyama could be dead for all he knows.
“I don’t know where he is,” Hinata says with a big frown. Daichi rubs his neck and shrugs.
“Well, we can’t wait for him any longer. We’re wasting time.”
“Maybe he’s sick?” Sugawara suggests.
“Maybe he fell down a sewer grate,” snickers Tsukishima.
“I’m really worried about him. He’s never been late to a practice.” Hinata looks longingly at the door and telepathically tries to communicate with Kageyama to walk through right now.
“I’m sure it’s fine. He might just be having a rough morning.” Daichi-san claps his hands together. “Come on, everybody! We’re going to start with our serves. Everyone grab a ball. I want to see some good, powerful hits!”
Although still worried, Hinata does what he’s told. Hopefully, Kageyama is just having a rough morning and nothing else is wrong.
Fifteen minutes into serving practice, Kageyama runs into the gym. He’s panting like he ran all the way here and he has his head hidden by a ballcap. Daichi walks over and nudges Kageyama, who nods and sets his things down.
And then he turns around.
Hinata blinks. “Kageyama, are you wearing glasses?”
Silence. Kageyama has a big frown on his face. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You wear glasses?” Asks Nishinoya.
“Uhm, yeah. Normally I have contacts, but my mom forgot to order me more.” His glasses are clear, perfect circles. They are different from Tsukishima’s but Hinata is still in shock. Kageyama looks so different.
“That’s Tsukishima’s thing!”
“Wearing glasses is not my thing,” Tsukishima tells Nishinoya with a scowl. “Lots of people wear glasses. Besides, he obviously wore contacts. Couldn’t you guys see the blue ring around his pupil?”
“Kageyama has blue eyes,” says Hinata.
“You are all so stupid.”
“Okay, enough.” Daichi claps his hands again. “Kageyama, you can’t play with those on. Getting smacked in the face could break them or hurt you.”
“Can you play without them?” Hinata questions as he tosses the volleyball between his hands.
“No. I’m like, legally blind without them.”
“I’ll have to have you sit out then.”
Kageyama’s frown somehow gets bigger. “No! It’s not that big of a deal! No one is going to smack me in the face with a ball. Besides, Tsukishima plays with his glasses on!”
“I have sports glasses,” Tsukishima reminds him. “They aren’t going to hurt me if I get hit with a ball.”
“Why don’t you just wear contacts?”
“Tsukki is afraid of contacts,” Yamaguchi says. Tsukishima hits him.
“Shut up, Tadashi!”
Kageyama laughs. “For real? You’re afraid of contacts?”
“I’m not afraid of contacts! I don’t like putting things in my eyes!”
“Okay, can we please get back on track? We’re supposed to be practicing our serves. Kageyama, either take the glasses off or sit out. It’s up to you.”
With a grumble, Kageyama takes his glasses off and walks toward the volleyball cart. He picks up a ball and goes to smack it over the net only to miss it completely. Daichi nods. “Alright. You’re sitting out.”
“But Daichi-san—”
“Hey! No buts! Sit out!”
“Ergh!” Kageyama throws his hands up in the air and walks back to his things, dragging his feet the whole time. He’s pissed off, that much is obvious. Hinata mouths an apology to him and goes back to serving.
“So... how long have you worn glasses?” Hinata asks as they walk to their homeroom. Kageyama is still pouting about having to wear his glasses in school.
“I don’t know. A while.”
“And you weren’t going to tell any of us?”
“None of you need to know.”
“I’ve been over to your house, Yama. And I’ve never seen any signs of your vision problems.”
“So what? Are you accusing me of not needing these? Because I assure you, I definitely do.” Kageyama pulls them off and shoves them into Hinata’s hands, who slides them up the bridge of his nose. He gasps.
“Wow. You really are blind.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Kageyama grabs them back. “I didn’t want anyone to know about this. It’s embarrassing and I look stupid.”
“Do you think Tsukishima looks stupid?”
“Of course I do! He is stupid!”
“I don’t think you look bad. You look kind of cute, actually.” Hinata grins. “I bet all the girls are gonna like you.”
“Whatever,” he mutters.
“What about sleepovers? I’ve spent the night at your house. You have to take your contacts out, right?”
“I take them out at the last second and put them in before you wake up.”
“You’re so dumb, Kageyama. Wearing glasses is nothing to be ashamed of. Here, I’ll tell you one of my secrets.” Hinata takes a moment to think about his deepest, darkest secrets. “Oh! When I was nine years old, I accidentally went into the women’s restroom and I was so scared that I stayed in the stall until my mom came and got me.”
“Uh... wow. That’s... something.”
“There. Now you shouldn’t feel embarrassed about your glasses because I have many more embarrassing secrets.”
“Nu-uh. I bet my secrets are more embarrassing.”
“I doubt it! Mine are even worse!”
“We’ll see about that.”
And thus the competition to reveal the most embarrassing secret begins.
Hinata and Kageyama both took pride in their competitive nature, even for stupid things like this. Both would be willing to take this to an extreme if needed because neither planned on losing.
Hinata certainly wasn’t planning on losing. The student body might have forgotten about Kageyama’s glasses fiasco last week, but he didn’t. He jumps Kageyama at the bike rack when the taller boy walks by.
“Hey!”
“Dammit Hinata, how many times have I told you not to do that?”
Hinata grins sheepishly. “Sorry! I got excited. I have one. What’s your favorite color?”
“That isn’t a secret, dumbass. That’s just a question.”
“Nu-uh. My favorite color is purple. That’s so embarrassing, isn’t it?”
Kageyama frowns. “No. That’s not embarrassing. You’re just stupid.”
Hinata scoffs. “That’s not fair. What’s your favorite color, then?”
“I don’t have one.”
“I don’t believe you, Bakageyama. Everyone has a favorite color.”
“Well, I don’t.” Kageyama pauses, and after some consideration, clears his throat. “It’s orange.”
“Orange? Your favorite color is orange?” Hinata barks out a laugh. “Orange is a lame color.”
“You’re a lame color, dumbass! Your hair is literally orange!”
“Orange is overrated.”
“God, I hate you.”
Hinata presses down on Kageyama’s shoulders and jumps up and down. “Your turn, your turn.”
“Fine. I uhm, like plants. Like, succulents and flowers and stuff like that.”
“What’s your favorite flower?”
“Sunflower.”
“Ugh, Yama-kun. You’re boring. That isn’t a juicy secret.”
“Either is asking someone their favorite color!”
“Okay, okay, fine. Maybe you’re right. They are both pretty lame secrets.” Hinata pauses so he can think of a new question. “Oh! I got one. In elementary school, I broke my ankle because I fell off the swings.”
“You seriously need to learn the definition of the word embarrassing.”
“I know what it means, stupid!”
“I have one better. I still sleep with a blanket.”
Hinata sticks his bottom lip out. They make it to the clubroom and Kageyama pulls his copy of the key out to unlock the door. They are the first ones here. “I’ve never noticed you sleeping with a blanket.”
“I’m good at hiding things.”
“Well, if you want to win, you can’t hide things anymore! You gotta be an open book!”
“I am an open book! You just ask dumb questions!”
“I don’t know what to ask you. You’re hard to read.” Hinata looks down at his hand and points to a finger as ideas come to mind. “I know you like volleyball and you’re super duper good at it.” Kageyama turns red. “I know you really like milk, especially strawberry-flavored milk, and you’re a major clean freak.”
“I am not.”
“You definitely are. You yell at me all the time when I don’t clean the floor properly.”
“Because you suck at it!”
Hinata sticks his tongue out. “You are definitely going to lose.”
“Well here’s what I know about you, moron! You’re annoying and you talk all the time and everyone likes you and you’re small and strangely adorable and when you do things right you actually are pretty decent at volleyball!” Kageyama gasps for air and pants in frustration as a large grin plasters itself on Hinata’s face.
“You think I’m adorable?”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“Now that’s the kind of secret I want to know about.”
Kageyama opens his mouth to reply right as the door to the clubroom opens and in walks Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi smiles politely and says hello to both boys.
“What are you two simpletons arguing about?” Tsukishima sighs as he shrugs his backpack off and starts to change out of his school uniform. Hinata stamps his foot.
“We aren’t arguing. Kageyama just sucks.”
“You suck too!”
“Both of you, please shut up.” Tsukishima sighs again and the conversation ends there.
Hinata’s favorite part about his battle with Kageyama to reveal the most embarrassing secret is how relaxed Kageyama seems to be now. When Hinata comes over to study, Kageyama wears his glasses and shows off his collection of succulents or the fresh flowers his mom placed on his desk.
At one point Kageyama even lifts his shirt up to clean the lenses and Hinata has to look away because his face is bright red.
“Okay, here’s one,” Hinata says one night after they’ve spent about an hour or so studying for an upcoming Japanese exam. He’s jealous of Kageyama’s perfect kanji. “I wet the bed until I was eleven years old.”
Kageyama tilts his head. “Okay, yeah. That’s pretty embarrassing.”
“It was something with my bladder. It couldn’t hold in my pee when I was sleeping, so really, it wasn’t my fault. I had to wear this weird alarm device that would wake me up when I started peeing.”
“Well.. a lot of young kids have that problem, right? And at least you still aren’t wetting the bed.”
“No. Now I just have anxiety and go to the restroom anyway.” Hinata grins. “Okay, your turn. What do you got?”
“Hmm. I like to write poetry and I try to wake up before the sun every morning so I can watch the sunrise. I really like to watch the sunrise.” He frowns. “But I have to set a lot of alarms because I suck at waking up.”
“Yeah, I already knew about the waking up part. I don’t think that’s more embarrassing than wetting the bed as long as I did.”
“I like K-pop music.”
Hinata smirks. “I don’t think that’s that embarrassing.”
Kageyama is growing visually more frustrated. “Fine! I... I think Oikawa is attractive!”
There’s a long pause between the two of them before Hinata leans forward. “I think he’s kind of attractive too.”
“Wait, you do?”
“I think most people would say so. That’s why he constantly has a parade of girls following him around at every match.”
Kageyama chews on his bottom lip. “You don’t think it’s weird to call a guy attractive?”
“Nah.” Hinata shrugs. “Girls can admit when they think another girl is pretty, so why can’t a guy? There’s no harm in that.”
“Unless you’d like, date them, I guess.”
“Would you date Oikawa if you were given the chance?”
His nose crinkles. “Hell no. I'd rather die than date that asshole.”
“But... you would date a guy, if you found them attractive.”
“Maybe. Do you think that’s embarrassing?”
Kageyama is leading him on. Hinata knows better. His smirk grows and he shakes his head. “Nice try, Dumb-Yama. I’m still in the lead.”
“You can’t declare yourself in the lead when the competition is between the two of us! It’s unfair!”
“Well, unless you want to bring an unnecessary third person into the mix, we have to be the judges of our own battles!”
“Grr.” Kageyama growls and shakes his hair into his eyes. “Why am I friends with you? You’re the worst.”
“You’re so mean to me!” Hinata clicks his tongue. “Why wouldn’t my secret be more embarrassing? All your secrets are like normal everyday things! And until you find a deep cut, I’m considering myself the winner.”
“We didn’t— god— we didn’t even set any terms for this. What does the winner get?”
“Eternal praise and glory?”
“No.”
“I dunno! Extra tosses?”
“That only benefits you, dumbass. I don’t need you to toss to me.”
“Okay, okay. Fine. What about food? The loser has to buy the other person food?”
Kageyama pauses. “Does the winner get to pick which food?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I think that’s fair.” He pauses again, no doubt trying to figure out another dark secret of his own to tell. “I used to eat grass as a kid.”
“No.”
“I’m not sure I even know how to read. I could have just memorized a bunch of letters.”
“No!”
“Ugh! Fine! I’ve never had an interest in girls and for the longest time I thought something was wrong with me but then I found this website full of naked men and I just realized I don’t like girls because I like men and I’m gay!” He catches his breath. Hinata’s eyes widen.
“Okay. Maybe we’re tied.”
“You think that’s embarrassing?”
“No. I just think it’s a personal thing that you had to be brave to share with me. That’s all.” Hinata clears his throat and puts his hands in his lap. “Maybe... maybe we should stop this.”
“What? Why? So you can say you won? That’s not fair!”
“I don’t want you to blurt out things like that, Kageyama! That’s personal! And if you didn’t want to come out to me—”
“I did want to come out to you.” Kageyama scratches behind his ear. “I just... didn’t know the best time to do that. To be fair, I could have... said things differently.”
“Well, uhm, I think you win.”
“No! You’re just saying that!”
“Kageyama, come on.” Hinata shakes his head. “We went too far, okay? And... I’m not going to tell anyone. Not until you’re ready.”
“Thanks,” he says after a moment. “We can get meat buns. I want curry ones.”
“You’re supposed to pick what you want to eat—”
“I did pick. I want meat buns.”
Hinata is quiet. It would appear both of them feel bad about this situation. “Okay. Tomorrow after practice?”
He nods. “Sounds great.”
True to their word, Hinata and Kageyama change quickly after practice and head to the bike rack so Hinata can get his bike unlocked. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi snicker as they pass by, although Yamaguchi says goodbye.
“What do you think they are laughing about now?” Hinata asks.
“Don’t know, don’t care.” Kageyama points to the bike rack. “You good?”
“Mmhmm.” Hinata tugs on his bike and jogs with Kageyama’s long strides to match his pace. “You can get whatever you want, Yama. Even milk, chocolate, and candy.”
“You don’t have to do that. You’re being all weird.”
“I just feel bad.”
“You don’t need to feel bad. You didn’t do anything, okay? So, stop that.”
“Okay. Yeah. Sorry. I’ll do better.”
“You talk a lot.”
“I like to talk! You don’t need to be so rude, Mean-Yama! Stupid-Yama-kun!”
“Very creative insults.” Kageyama bumps into Hinata with a grin on his face. Hinata shakes his head.
“You’re really interesting, you know that?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well... you present yourself all scary-like, but you really aren’t scary. You like sunrises and poetry and plants. You want people to like you, don’t you?”
“I suppose.”
“I haven’t known you all that long, but I feel like I know you better than most people.”
“You only know what I tell you.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of how getting to know someone works, stupid.”
Kageyama is quiet. He rolls his shoulders forward and shoves his hands in his pockets. A sharp gust of wind blows past them, making Hinata’s ears tingle.
When they get to the konbini, Hinata buys Kageyama two curry buns, a bottle of strawberry milk, and a package of gummies. They sit outside on the curb to eat their food. Kageyama still hasn’t said anything.
“You know what I think?” Hinata says quietly. Kageyama glances over at him. “I think... I think it’s okay that people don’t know you like I do. It makes me feel special.”
“Okay.”
“Really? You have nothing to say about that?”
Kageyama pops a gummy into his mouth. “I think a lot of things make you feel special, you weirdo.”
“The only other time I feel special is when you toss to me. Because your tosses are different from Sugawara’s or anyone else's. Your tosses make me feel... better, I think. At the sport. I like when you teach me things.” Hinata bites into his meat bun. “How’s that for a secret?”
“Gross. Super embarrassing.”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Before Hinata can say something else, the doors of the konbini open and Tsukishima steps out with Yamaguchi behind him. Hinata’s shoulders sink.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the King and his royal servant.”
“Knock it off,” Kageyama mutters with lackluster.
“Seriously? We aren’t even at practice. Can’t you leave us alone?”
“Hey, it’s not our fault you guys decided to grace this place with your nobility.” A smirk rises to his face. “I’m surprised to see you two hanging out. Why would you hang out with someone who uses you, Hinata?”
Hinata frowns. “He doesn’t use me. What are you talking about? We hang out all the time!”
Although Hinata supposes Tsukishima and Yamaguchi wouldn’t know that, considering how eager they always were to leave after practice ended. Hinata and Kageyama almost always stayed late and either went to get food or studied for upcoming exams. They were getting closer and closer each day.
“There’s no way the King would willingly hang out with someone who wouldn’t listen and obey his every demand.”
“Stop it,” Kageyama says again, quieter this time.
“Are you stupid enough to be bribed, Hinata? Is it incentivizing you? Probably not, considering you two are both too stupid to know what those words even mean. Perhaps you’re giving him something worth his time.” Tsukishima gasps. “Are you giving him sexual favors?”
“I said to KNOCK IT OFF!” Kageyama flips out, launching himself directly into Tsukishima’s long frame. He manages to get a good punch in the blond’s face before Hinata and Yamaguchi go to pull their respective friends off of each other.
Hinata is furious. He always thought Tsukishima was a dick, but Yamaguchi should have said something. He could have done something to stop this. What was wrong with him?
What was wrong with both of them?
Hinata gets his arms around Kageyama’s chest and yanks him back just as a punch hits him directly in the nose. Yamaguchi hands Tsukishima his glasses back as Kageyama growls at him.
“Fuck you!” Kageyama screams. “Fuck you and all the stupid bullshit that comes out of your mouth!”
Tsukishima is still smirking because Kageyama losing his cool means everything he says is true. “I’ll make sure not to accuse you of such crimes again, your highness.”
Hinata pulls back on Kageyama again when he tries to take another swing at Tsukishima. Yamaguchi looks at Hinata sadly before he drags the tall blond away.
“Sit,” Hinata demands, pointing at the curb where their food sits. “Your nose is bleeding. I’m gonna go see if the shopkeeper has a cloth or a bandage or something.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Kageyama says, but by the time he finishes his sentence, Hinata has disappeared back into the shop. When the redhead returns, Kageyama has his head tilted over the grass so blood drips into it. He murmurs “thanks” when Hinata hands a wet paper towel over.
“Can I see?”
Sighing, Kageyama agrees and sits up. Hinata dabs at his nose gently and holds the towel there.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” he confirms. “Tsukishima probably just bruised it. Once the bleeding stops and the swelling goes down, I think you’ll still be able to play.”
“Good.”
“Don’t feel bad.” Hinata stays still for a few moments before he pulls his hands back into his lap. “Tsukishima was antagonizing you and you did what was normal. I would have done the same thing.”
“He wanted me to do that. That’s the stupid part. He wanted me to freak out so he could prove I’m the stupid king or whatever. I gave in.”
“I thought it was cool how you hit him like that.”
Kageyama chuckles and looks down at his knuckles. “It did feel kinda good.”
“See? You were badass.”
He smiles. “Thanks, Hinata.”
When Kageyama gets home that night, his mother is in the kitchen washing dishes. She waves him over and hands him a towel as soon as he’s over the threshold.
“What did you do to your nose?”
“I got hit with a volleyball.”
“Doesn’t look too bad. How long was it bleeding?”
“Not very long. I’m okay, promise. Should even be better by tomorrow’s practice.” Kageyama takes the wet dishes from his mother so he can dry and stack them. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can. Did something happen at school?”
“Besides the volleyball incident, not really.” It’s probably better if his mother doesn’t know he started a fight. “It’s more about... love, I guess. And relationships.”
His mother rests a hand on her hip and cocks an eyebrow. “Love, huh?”
“Not... maybe not love- love, but... crushing on someone. Like, when did you know you liked dad?”
“Ah.” She wipes her hands off with a different towel and turns off the tap. “I was wondering when we might have to have this conversation. Now works.”
“We can keep doing the dishes—”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. This is a big deal.” She smiles. “I knew your dad through most of high school. I didn’t realize I liked him until right before we graduated, though.”
“You guys got married fairly young, didn’t you?”
“Mmhmm. That doesn’t mean you have to, though.”
“I know that. I just want to know what the feeling is like, y’know? How can you tell if you like someone?”
“Well, you like to spend time with them, first off. As much as you can. They bring you joy, make you smile, even if sometimes you feel like strangling them. Your heart races, your face gets all tingly, and your palms get sweaty. Your knees knock, you stumble over your words, and suddenly it seems like all you can think about is that person.”
Kageyama nods. “And, uhm, is it weird if that person... isn’t a girl?”
His mother’s face softens. “Tobio, baby, do you not... like girls?”
“No,” he says quietly. “I don’t think I do.”
“So you’re wondering if you like a boy. Or, have a crush on a boy.”
“Yeah. I think I might.” A pause. “Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“Because I’m not normal.”
“Of course you are.” His mother pulls him into a hug and strokes his back. “Don’t think you aren’t normal, Tobio. Liking boys doesn’t make you any different than anyone else in your year.” She pulls away, just slightly. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Is this boy you have a crush on... Hinata-kun, by chance?”
Kageyama pushes his mother away and shakes his head. “No, of course not. He’s just my friend.”
“Well, whoever this person is, I think you should let them know how you feel. The worst they can do is say no, right? It could end well for you.” She smiles. “I’m just happy to hear you have friends again.”
“Mom—”
“I’m serious, sweetheart. Don’t let your fear stop you from being happy. I want you to be happy.”
“What if he says no? What if he makes fun of me or tells everyone and I’m... I’m pushed to the side? I can’t have that happen again. I like my team, and playing volleyball, and hanging out with the team.”
“That won’t happen to you. I promise.”
He takes a long breath. Hinata wouldn’t do that. He was kind and had been very understanding when Kageyama came out to him.
“Okay, yeah. I think I will.”
After one more kiss on his forehead, the mother and son return to the dishes.
“Kageyama, do you want to spend the night this weekend?” Hinata rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet as Kageyama changes into his gym clothes for practice. He looks over.
“Sure. After practice?”
“Mhmm, mhmm! I thought maybe we could go out for dinner.”
“We always go out for dinner.”
“Well, no, not actually.” Hinata mashes his fingers together and clears his throat. “I don’t really think getting meat buns after practice is getting dinner. I was thinking we could get dressed up and maybe go someplace in town. Somewhere kind of nice. I’d pay!”
“That’s not fair. I’m not going to let you pay for an expensive dinner.”
“It won’t be that expensive. Besides, I’ve been saving up. I want to take you out for a nice dinner.” Hinata’s eyes light up, hoping Kageyama understands what he says without him having to say the actual words will you go out on a date with me?
“Oh, well, okay. Yeah. That would be fun.”
“Okay, cool! Bring some nice clothes, okay? I want us to look nice.”
“Wait a minute.” Kageyama clutches his shirt in his hands and stares at Hinata closely. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“Uhm... would you like it to be a date?”
“I didn’t know you liked me like that.”
“Well, uhm, I was kind of thinking about it.” Hinata rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I thought maybe we could just see. I’m not really... certain about what I like, but I like you, and I like being around you, so I don’t see how much different it would be if we went on a date.”
Kageyama thinks about this. He obviously had been talking about Hinata when he told his mother he had a crush, so this was a big surprise. A few weeks had passed since the fight with Tsukishima and the talk with his mother. Besides a disapproving glance from Daichi and a promise that it wouldn’t happen again, everyone moved past it. Tsukishima hadn’t even said anything since that night. Kageyama suspected Yamaguchi said something, who seemed to be the only person Tsukishima would listen to.
Yet, Hinata hadn’t acted any differently. Kageyama had no reason to suspect something like this, but it does make his tummy warm.
They are in the back corner of the club room, tucked away from everyone else. Hinata is talking quietly for once, so no one is likely listening to their conversation.
“Well, dating means kissing and holding hands and stuff.”
Hinata shrugs. His face is bright red. “Here’s a secret for you. I don’t think I’d really mind doing that stuff with you.”
Now Kageyama is red too. “That’s a pretty embarrassing secret.”
“Tell me about it.” Hinata smiles. “Okay, so, my place this weekend. Bring nice clothes. Oh, and I think you should wear your glasses too.”
“Hinata—”
“Please?” He interrupts, sticking his bottom lip out. “For me?”
Kageyama sighs. Dammit. “Alright, fine.”
The night of the date, Kageyama and Hinata walk back to Hinata’s place to change and get ready. Hinata’s mother and sister aren’t home, so Hinata is being a lot louder than usual. He’s very nervous.
“Hinata, why are you freaking out?”
“Because of the connotations this date brings with it! I don’t want to mess it up.”
“You aren’t going to mess anything up. I promise.” Kageyama smiles. “We’ll have a good time, okay?”
Hinata nods and runs a hand through his unruly hair. “You’re right. We always have a good time, right?”
“Exactly.” Kageyama pushes up his glasses. “I wore these for you, you know, so don’t act like things are going to be bad or I’ll kill you.”
“You look pretty.”
“Don’t flatter me.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
After they finish dressing up in their dress shirts and slacks, the two start the walk into town. Hinata looks over at Kageyama’s hand at his side and wonders if it would be weird if he held it. Probably not, right?
He goes for it. Kageyama looks down, his throat bobbing. He doesn’t pull away, but there is a nervous look on his face. Hinata is sure that the same look is on his face too.
“Secret,” Hinata says, hoping to make things more comfortable. “Your hands are soft.”
“Lotion,” is the mumbled response. Hinata grins.
“Nu-uh. More than that. I see you take care of your hands. Gotta have everything be perfect for your perfect sets, right?”
“I guess.”
“You guess.” Hinata bumps against his taller friend. “You’re incredible, Yama.”
“Is that a secret?”
“Nah. That’s just the truth.”
“Can’t believe you’re just giving that away for free.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He’s still smiling, but now there is a slight blush on his cheeks. “Sometimes people need to know what is obvious to everyone else. And, no offense, Yama, but you’re kind of dumb.”
He scoffs. “Dumbass. You’re the dumb one.”
“At least I can take a compliment without freaking out.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Nu-uh.”
“Yes, huh.” He squeezes Kageyama’s hand, who squeezes back. Maybe bullying each other is how they share love. That’s totally normal, right?
Dinner goes well, all things considered. Hinata doesn’t completely embarrass himself, even if he does have to use the restroom a few times. That isn’t because he’s nervous, though. He just... stays hydrated. Yeah! He’s a healthy, hydrated boy. And when you’re hydrated, you have to pee a lot! That’s just how it goes.
The restaurant is fancy, but it isn’t that fancy, at least to Hinata. It’s somewhere nestled in between, which is exactly the place he preferred to have his first date. He’s been saving money for a while now, hoping to have an opportunity to spend it on someone he really liked (Kageyama was who he pictured every time he placed his allowance or holiday yen into his piggy bank).
At the end of the day, even if the date went horribly, Hinata still would have enjoyed the time he got to spend with Kageyama. As time passed, he liked Kageyama more and more, and then one day, his adversary and rival turned into a friend and someone he always wanted to spend time with. Hinata actually grew frustrated when Kageyama spent too much time with other people. Maybe that’s part of the reason he started the competition to tell the worst secret in the first place— he wanted to know if Kageyama liked spending time with him too.
“Can I walk you home?” Kageyama asks softly after they finish their dinner. Hinata nods his head, but his mind is still on dessert.
“I would hope so, considering you’re spending the night.”
Kageyama blushes. Turns out Hinata isn’t the only nervous one tonight. “Oh. Right. Sorry, I was trying to be... chivalrous.”
“You are incredibly chivalrous. Maybe I can step inside and pretend you’re walking me home before I let you back inside.”
“Sure. Great plan.”
Hinata smirks and rubs his hands together as he looks down the street at all the nicely lit shops. “Do you want ice cream?”
“We just ate and you want ice cream?”
“It’s dessert! You always get dessert on a date, don’t you?”
Kageyama blinks. “I’m not sure. I’ve never been on a date before.”
Hinata blinks back. To be fair, he’s only ever been on one date, and it was back in middle school with a girl named Kimiko. Safe to say that didn’t end well. “You— really? Never?”
“No. Why are you so surprised?” They are still standing in front of the restaurant; a slight chill runs down the back of Hinata’s neck despite the warm breeze. He shivers and hides it with a shrug.
“I dunno. You’re conventionally attractive. Girls like you.”
“Do they?”
Now Hinata is frowning. “Seriously? Yes! Why do you think there are always people who just ‘happen’ to walk in on our practice? It’s because they want to see you all sweaty and gross and stuff. Girls find that stuff attractive.”
He pauses, still unsure of Hinata’s words. “Do you find it attractive? When I’m all sweaty and stuff?”
Hinata can feel his face betraying him, but he doesn’t admit it regardless. He purses his lips and mutters, “no.”
Kageyama grins. “Oh. You totally do.”
“Do not!”
“Do too!” Biting back a laugh, he then adds, “maybe you’re right. Ice cream sounds nice.”
Hinata’s face is still red, but it grows even redder when this time, it’s Kageyama who wants to hold his hand.
The ice cream place they stop by is more of a little shack, but it’s on the walk back to Hinata’s place, so it’ll do for now. Kageyama sticks with his usual— strawberry— while Hinata settles on something a bit more out of his comfort zone, matcha flavored. It’s delicious, but he kind of wishes he got chocolate.
They can’t really hold hands now that they’re eating ice cream, but they can still chat, and Hinata is really good at that.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” he says, his voice wavering with nerves. “I was kind of scared that maybe... you’d be freaked out that I wanted to go on a date with you.”
“You said you weren’t so sure how you were feeling about everything. How do you feel now?”
Hinata shrugs. “To be honest with you, I’ve never... never really paid attention to how someone looked or who they were. I focused on how I felt around them. One of my friends in middle school, he played soccer, and he was the nicest person ever. I really... I really liked hanging out with him, and now that I’m thinking about it...”
“You had a crush on him.”
“Yeah. Exactly.” Hinata wets his lips. “Is that how you realized? That you liked boys?”
“I didn’t... no. I don’t know.” He shrugs too. “Maybe I’m too young to really know or understand, but... I’ve never liked girls the way all my friends did, and I thought I wasn’t normal because of it. But... I just needed to understand who I was. To be fair, I care about volleyball far more than any guy I might have a crush on, but—” He stops himself, wondering if he’s going too far by admitting this. Hinata raises an eyebrow, silently urging him to continue. There is ice cream smeared on his upper lip that makes it look like he has a mustache, so Kageyama decides he isn’t going to say anything yet.
“But what?” Hinata says quietly, even though he knows, and he knows that Kageyama knows he knows.
“I don’t feel that way with you,” he finally replies. Hinata turns even redder than he has been the entire night.
“K-Kageyama! Wuah! I don’t know what to say!”
“Truth is, I’ve liked you for a long time, but I didn’t want to admit it, because I didn’t want things to change for us on the court. Relationships get messy sometimes, you know?”
“That won’t happen to us. We’re too good of friends! And besides, if we can go from hating each other to crushing on each other, then I think that means we have the potential not to screw things up. I think.”
“You screw everything up.”
“I do not!”
Kageyama smiles. “I do like spending time with you. And... and sharing things with you. About... about my life. This whole secret thing was stupid, but it helped me learn a lot about you. Things that no one else knows.”
“That’s right, and you better keep it that way, Crappy-Yama, or I’m going to tell the whole world that you have a soft spot for me.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Hinata sticks out his tongue, causing both of them to laugh. They finish up the last of their ice cream, cones and all, and finish the walk back to Hinata’s house. The house lights are off when they arrive, basking their soft smiles and nervous faces in the warm glare of the porch light. The two look at each other for a moment before Kageyama clears his throat.
“You uhm, you have ice cream on your lip.”
“Oh! Here?” Hinata completely misses the spot, even when Kageyama clearly points it out to him. Finally, the taller boy sighs and shakes his head.
“I’ll get it,” he replies, leaning in, and suddenly it feels like they are the only people on the planet.
Kageyama’s lips are soft, Hinata tastes like matcha, and every moment that took place dating back to their first match against each other led them straight here.
It feels like fate, like they belong together, because, at the end of the day, they are more than just partners on the court. They are soulmates.
Hinata pulls away first, but keeps his hands on Kageyama’s hips and their foreheads pressed against each other. He can see the dark-haired boy’s throat bobbing rapidly.
“Tsukishima is gonna leave us alone from now on,” he says, immediately killing the mood because he’s an idiot.
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m gonna make sure he knows that if he wants to mess with you, he has to go through me.”
Kageyama snorts. “Hinata, no offense, but he’s going to laugh in your face if you say that.”
“Shouyou.”
“What?”
“I want... you to call me Shouyou.”
“Oh.” His voice cracks. “Okay. Shouyou.”
“And can I...?”
“Oh! Right. Uh, yeah. Of course.”
“Tobio.” They both smile. It feels good.
“I have a secret for you,” Tobio whispers, “I want to kiss you some more.”
“So embarrassing.”
“Don’t make me take it back.”
“No!” Shouyou playfully whines as he shifts to unlock his front door. When he turns back around, there is a light in Tobio’s eyes; a light that screams “you’re my everything.”
They’ll come to both think that as the years go on.
The duo stays awake late that night, getting to know each other, kissing until they are tired and gasping for air. And, the next morning, Shouyou tells Tsukishima exactly what he promised he would say.
“Don’t mess with Kageyama anymore, okay? We’re a team, and we want to get along. So. Please.”
Tsukishima’s rebuttal isn’t sarcastic or mean in the slightest, which could be because Yamaguchi is sitting next to him so closely their knees touch. He nods his head.
“Yeah. Whatever.”
Tobio rolls his eyes when Shouyou gives him a thumbs-up from across the room, but he also smiles.
And, somehow, for some reason, right then and there, both of them realize that together, they are truly invincible.