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From the moment Kageyama and Hinata had started dating, nothing much seemed to change—at least not on the surface. The dynamic duo still bickered like an old married couple, constantly calling each other names, challenging each other to impromptu contests, and throwing around insults that somehow always ended with both of them laughing.
To the Karasuno volleyball team, it seemed impossible that the two were actually in a relationship. It was hard to believe when you were more likely to hear Kageyama shout, “Dumbass!” than anything remotely affectionate, or when Hinata’s go-to insult was still “Bakageyama!”
That’s why it was so jarring whenever the team caught glimpses of them acting like, well, a real couple.
---
It started one day during practice. The gym was alive with the sounds of volleyballs being spiked and shoes squeaking on the floor. Kageyama and Hinata had been going back and forth as usual, with Hinata boasting about how he’d nailed a particularly difficult shot and Kageyama grumbling that it was just a fluke.<
"Like you could do that again,” Kageyama muttered, rolling his eyes.
“Bet I can!” Hinata shot back, puffing out his chest.
“Yeah, right. You’re just—”
Kageyama didn’t get to finish his sentence because Hinata suddenly leaned into him, resting his head against Kageyama’s shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The gym fell silent, and all eyes turned to the two of them.
Kageyama blinked down at Hinata, his expression softening slightly, but instead of pushing him away or making a sarcastic remark, he just let it happen. In fact, he even seemed to lean into it a little, as if this kind of thing happened all the time.
Everyone was too stunned to say anything, and before they knew it, Hinata was back on his feet, challenging Kageyama to another round of practice as if nothing had happened.
Tanaka nudged Nishinoya, eyes wide with disbelief. “Dude, did you see that?”
“Yeah,” Nishinoya whispered back, still staring at the spot where Hinata had just been. “That was… weird, right?”
“Definitely weird.”
But it didn’t stop there. Over the next few weeks, the team started noticing more of these strange moments. Like the time Kageyama and Hinata were walking out of the gym together after practice, still bickering about who was going to win the next game. Kageyama, in the middle of one of his usual tirades, casually wrapped an arm around Hinata’s waist, pulling him closer as they walked.
Hinata didn’t even flinch. He just kept talking, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Yamaguchi nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw it, elbowing Tsukishima who just raised an eyebrow, though he was clearly just as surprised.
“Am I seeing things, or did Kageyama just…?”
“No, you’re not seeing things,” Tsukishima said, adjusting his glasses. “Apparently, this is a thing now.”
“But they’re still fighting like usual…”
“Yeah, well, maybe that’s just how they function.”
---
The more the team noticed these moments, the more it threw them off. Sure, Kageyama and Hinata still acted like rivals most of the time, always throwing around insults and trying to one-up each other, but there were these rare glimpses of softness that no one knew how to process.
Like the time they were all hanging out after practice, lounging around and talking about anything but volleyball for a change. Hinata was sprawled out on the floor, eyes half-closed, and Kageyama was sitting beside him, listening to the conversation with his usual serious expression. Without warning, Hinata shifted closer, his head ending up in Kageyama’s lap.
The whole room froze. Even Kageyama seemed a little taken aback at first, but instead of shoving Hinata off or making a snide remark, he just let out a small sigh and started running his fingers through Hinata’s hair, almost absentmindedly.
The rest of the team exchanged bewildered glances, unsure whether they should say something or just pretend it wasn’t happening.
“Kageyama?” Sugawara ventured, trying to sound casual.
“Hmm?” Kageyama looked up, still combing through Hinata’s hair with a surprising amount of gentleness.
“You… okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kageyama replied, completely oblivious to why everyone was staring at them like they’d just seen a ghost.
“Right, never mind,” Sugawara said, deciding it was best to drop the subject. But the bewildered look on his face remained.
--
Eventually, the team started to adjust—sort of. They still had a hard time reconciling the Kageyama and Hinata who were constantly at each other’s throats with the same duo who could suddenly act so comfortable, so close, that it made everyone else feel like they were intruding on something private.
But even as they got used to it, the surprises kept coming. Like when they all went out to eat after a game, and Hinata, in the middle of arguing with Kageyama about who was going to pay, suddenly grabbed Kageyama’s hand under the table. Kageyama didn’t even blink, just kept arguing back, his hand squeezing Hinata’s in return.
Yachi nearly choked on her drink when she saw it, and Kiyoko had to gently pat her on the back while giving Kageyama and Hinata a confused look. They just kept bickering, completely unfazed.
It wasn’t until much later that the team realized this was just how Kageyama and Hinata worked. Their relationship, as chaotic and full of rivalry as it was, had its own kind of balance—a balance that allowed for both fiery arguments and quiet, intimate moments.
And while the rest of the team might never fully understand it, they couldn’t deny that, somehow, it worked.