Chapter Text
Shoyo always wondered what love is. Is it a mere feeling? Or something so abstract and grand that his few and already struggling neurons wouldn’t grasp? He sighed deeply. Why is he even bothering to understand this... whatever this is?
Wait, hold on, he is actually in love. He is so in love that his thoughts are filled with his subject of affection. He is so in love he can’t help but find himself grinning from ear to ear when thinking about the love of his life. Yes, Shoyo is in love— with volleyball! The love of his life! Something he wouldn’t trade for the world!
As Shoyo is lost in his inner world of wonder and volleyball, his thoughts about the most important thing in his life are disrupted by the rising noise in the hallway.
“God, they’re so handsome! I could look at them all day!”
“Osamu-san and his bored expression is lethal! He is the coolest!”
“But, look at Atsumu-san! Oh to be the subject of his smirks!”
“Why are you even picking sides when you can have both? Imagine the twins competing for your attention… Or even better, having both! I can’t do this, I'm going to faint!”
“We are getting so worked up when we know we can only admire them from afar. They are public properties, you know! No one can have them!”
Right, the Miya twins. The “school idols” that girls and boys alike go crazy over in Karazaki High. The “Ice Prince” Miya Osamu, and the “Bad Boy” Miya Atsumu. Gah! Shoyo is so jealous! If only he had cool nicknames like that! But all his classmates and friends call him are names like “tangerine”, “shortie”, or worse, “dumbass”, courtesy of Kageyama. Well, he might be a tiny little bit dumb, but Shoyo is aware that he’s not in the twins’ league. Maybe once he becomes cool enough, he’ll get to earn cooler titles, like the "Prince of Volleyball!"
As Shoyo catches a glance at the twins as they’re passing his classroom, he thinks to himself, Yeah, they’re really cool and good-looking, but why are these students screaming over their presence while also worshiping the ground the two are walking on?
Wait, are these students in love with the twins, just like how he is with volleyball? That’s so complicated! How can the twins handle this amount of confessions? How can they choose among them? Shoyo kind of pities the two— being famous and cool can be a pain in the ass too, he guesses.
Shoyo’s internal struggle was interrupted when Yamaguchi and Riseki showed up and sat in front of him. The two then faced him at the same time, and Shoyo wondered how these two could move so in sync with each other. “Hinata, where’s Kageyama?” Yamaguchi asked, smiling.
“Oh, he said he’s running late… But why are you all always asking me about him?! I am not a Kageyama directory, you know!” Shoyo replied, annoyed.
Yamaguchi chuckled and replied teasingly, “Weeeell, you two are always together!” Then Riseki, that bastard, added, “And bicker like a married couple!”
Shoyo paused to think— are they like that? “W-well, whatever! Stop asking me about him all the time!” God, did he just stammer?
Then to his annoyance, Shoyo’s friends— wait, scratch that, ex-friends— whispered to each other. Yamaguchi leaned into his seatmate, “A month. What’s your bet, Riseki?” After pausing for a while, Riseki whispered back, “Two months! Kageyama is emotionally constipated and Hinata is dense.” The two then snickered as if Shoyo was not there. Why were they even whispering in the first place when he could clearly hear what they were saying? Shoyo sighs, he has such weird ex-friends.
Speaking of his not-so-friends, the giants in their friend group walked in. Tsukishima is wearing his good morning smirk again while Kageyama is frowning harder than usual. Shoyo is pretty sure Tsukishima got into Kageyama’s nerves again, but that isn’t news anyway. Kageyama then sat beside him and Tsukishima on his back. Shoyo is glad that he has most of his friends in the same class but he misses Yachi's presence, the angel of their group. Why does she have to be assigned to a different class? Come back and bring peace to our group, Yachi!
“What are you conspiring together Riseki, Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima asked, face bored, as he was arranging his things. Riseki brightened up, looking a bit suspicious, “You know, the usual…” There was silence, then he noticed Yamaguchi looking at both him and Kageyama with a sly grin. Then suddenly, Tsukishima’s bored face grew amused.
“Riseki bets two months, I say one month. What about you, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi told the increasingly delighted Tsukishima. “Honestly, I would like to bet on never ‘cause we are talking about these two dumbasses here, but that would be too much torture on our part so… One year.” Tsukishima replied, grin growing borderline creepy.
Kageyama, putting his milk down, grunted, “What are you all even talking about? Are you betting on how long Hinata’s cactus will live? Because I think that dumbass won’t even make that plant live past three weeks.”
“Kageyama! How dare you betray me like this!” Shoyo gasped, offended, because what the hell? He has green hands! He can ensure that Catie-chan— his cactus— will live forever!
Kageyama looked at him, eyes bored, and said “It’s just the truth. You suck, dumbass.” The prick then proceeded to drink his milk as if he had not just insulted Shoyo. Oh, he’s had enough! Shoyo stole Kageyema’s milk and drank it in one go. Shoyo almost choked, with some milk spilling from his mouth from sipping it in a rush, but it was all worth it to see Kageyama's face shift from shock to fuming in anger.
“You… How dare you steal my milk, Hinata! You will pay for this!” Kageyama’s scream echoed in their classroom, and their verbal battle turned physical. Shoyo, used to Kageyama’s fighting style, dodged his assaults with ease. Shoyo tried to retaliate, but it looked like Kageyama also knew his style well enough that he could block his attacks with a smirk on his face. The bastard even had the gall to add, “You are getting predictable, dumbass.”
Oh, is that a challenge? Because there’s no way he’d back down! This is Shoyo and Kageyama— always arguing and fighting, but all in good fun. Shoyo doesn’t want to hurt Kageyama (okay, maybe he kinda wants to, ‘cause the guy deserves it sometimes), and he is pretty sure Kageyama feels the same. As he is pushing against Kageyama's large hands, Shoyo thinks that his dynamic with the setter is easy, familiar, and unique— something he does not share with anyone else. Is he perhaps…
Shoyo’s train of thought, and his close fight with Kageyama, were disrupted when Takeda-sensei entered the room. Wait, what was he thinking about again? Coming up blank, Shoyo decided to save those thoughts for later.
After their classes had ended, Shoyo, along with Kageyama, Riseki, Yamaguchi, a hesitant Tsukishima, and even Yachi, went to the volleyball club room to submit their applications. Finally! He will play volleyball as part of the rising Karazaki Volleyball Club! More than that, he will be one step closer to realizing his dreams— being the little giant! Man, Shoyo is trying his best not to sprint to the club room!
“Calm down, Hinata. We’ll get there eventually.” Kageyama told him while walking fast with his unfairly long legs. Shoyo can tell that the boy is also in a rush. “What are you talking about, Kageyama? Don’t be a hypocrite. You are just as excited as me! Wait, are you trying to compete on who will get to the club first?!” Hinata replied, pumped because competition with Kageyama never fails to fuel his excitement!
Before they got to sprint ahead, Tsukishima grabbed their uniforms from the back and sighed, “Don’t embarrass us, volleyball idiots. For once, or at least when I am around you two, act normal.” Trailing before them, Shoyo can hear Riseki, Yamaguchi, and Yachi snickering. Shoyo guesses Tsukishima can be right sometimes.
Shoyo sighed, “Fine, Tsukishima. Let me go.” As he was fixing his collar, Shoyo noticed Tsukishima raise his eyebrows and spoke, “Huh. I’m surprised you listened, shortie.”
Shoyo clicked his tongue at the nickname, but he’s used to it, “You are right. Also, maybe acting behaved is a factor in considering our applications, don’t you think, Kageyama?” Kageyama pouted (this guy, if he is not scowling, he is pouting) and grunted, “Yeah, I guess.” Shoyo smiled. When it comes to volleyball, he and Kageyama are mostly on the same page.
Agreeing, the group walked to the volleyball club room silently, or as silent as they could be. After a short walk, they reached the club room and opened the door. What welcomed Shoyo was the sight of lockers and clothes sprawled on the floor with some volleyballs scattered here and there. It was messy and smelled like the faint scent of teenage boys, but he didn't mind the mess— he is excited, thrilled even! This would be his home for the next three years, and he won’t have it any other way!
“Welcome! Are you applying for the volleyball club? Oh, Sawamura Daichi, by the way— vice captain.” Said the guy— Sawamura— as they ushered Shoyo’s group inside. “Yes! Here are our applications!” Shoyo gave the forms to Sawamura and waited for the guy to finish assessing their forms.
Sawamura then smiled at them and replied, “Alright. I’ll be giving these forms to our captain in a bit. I’m glad that the number of students interested in joining the club is growing! Karazaki is aiming to go even higher this time, so I hope you’ll help us win the gold?”
Shoyo felt pumped! “Yes, sir! We will do our best!” Although he is the loudest, he can also see the enthusiasm in his friends' eyes, especially Kageyama. He is glad that they'll all be going through this journey together!
“I am glad to hear that. We even have an assistant manager applicant! This year is going to be great.” Sawamura continued with a smile on his face, and Shoyo believed his words because he is feeling good for this year as well. Looking at his side, he saw Kageyama smiling (or more like attempted to), and felt even better because he has his partner by his side to conquer volleyball courts together.
After a day, they were asked to come back for tryouts to assess their skills and see if they could be a valuable addition to the Karazaki Volleyball Club. Karazaki is still not considered an established powerhouse, but they’re currently gaining buzz after making it to nationals last year. Shoyo can’t wait to meet his future teammates!
As Shoyo was seated on the court’s floor along with his fellow applicants, a senior with gray hair stood in front of them. “Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Kita Shinsuke. Welcome to Karazaki High’s tryouts.” Shoyo clapped enthusiastically along with the others, but they were overpowered by the cheers behind Kita’s back. Shoyo assumes that they are the current members of the club as he can see Sawamura, and also some guys he doesn’t know. There’s a tall guy with bored eyes like Tsukishima; a tall, kinda scary guy that for some reason keeps on fidgeting; a tall guy— wait, he’s not tall, he could even be shorter than him!— who keeps on slapping scary guy’s back; and— wait, are those the Miya twins? They play volleyball?
Shoyo’s thoughts were interrupted when Kita continued his speech, calmly proceeding, “We are looking for new talents that could be valuable additions to the team, and I am hoping that we will find them in all of you as we aim for our goal— to win it all in nationals. It would not be easy, but with your help, I believe that we can do it. Can I count on you?” Waaah! Kita is so captivating! He cannot help but stare at the captain’s face. He’s not just nice to look at, but his gentle yet commanding aura can’t help but suck Shoyo in! He believes that Karazaki is in good hands, so with all his might, he replied, “Yes, captain!”
Oops, he might have gone overboard with that. Everyone is looking at him now! His friends are laughing at him— these traitors! He also heard Kageyama call him dumbass, even the Miya twins are looking at him with amusement! But, most especially, he saw Kita look at him and smile. Shoyo can’t help but feel a blush creep up his face. What is going on? This is so embarrassing!
Just as quickly, Shoyo heard Kita clear his throat and continue, “The system for tryouts in Karazaki is simple. We will be dividing the applicants into teams and you will be playing against each other for a few games, then against the current club members as well. Winning is not necessary— as long as you prove yourself valuable, then you will be accepted to the team. We will also be assessing not just your skills, but also your character, potential, and teamwork. Is everything clear?”
Once the orientation was over, they were asked to warm up for the matches while waiting for Coach Ukai, Karazaki’s coach and head assessor of today’s tryouts. Shoyo was warming up with Kageyama and noticed that the guy was silent. Curious, Shoyo asked, “Are you nervous, Kageyama?” To that, Kageyama grunted, “No. I am focused.”
Shoyo snickered, “Trying to look cool, Bakageyama?” But to Shoyo’s surprise, Kageyama smiled and said, “No. I am just confident. I know I’ll get in. I know you’ll get in. We will make it. There’s nothing to worry about.” Shoyo was stunned, but he believed Kageyama. He really can comfort people in the weirdest of ways. Shoyo raised his fist and looked at the guy beside him, “Let’s do it, Kageyama. Together.”
Kageyama looked at him in the eyes and bumped his fist. He felt a connection he only shares with Kageyama, he felt warmth enveloping his being, and Shoyo felt invincible because he has his partner with him. Suddenly feeling conscious, Shoyo averted his eyes from Kageyama and looked at the ground. Why is he feeling shy all of a sudden? Is he perhaps… in love with Kageyama?