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1. Thumb
Their relationship begins with a rivalry.
Kageyama is the infamous setter of Kitagawa Daiichi and Hinata Shouyou is the middle blocker of Yukigaoka, a middle school as unknown as himself. Kageyama’s team just about destroys them, and Hinata feels the loss resonate in the very core of his being, but somehow, he can’t seem to give up.
He challenges Kageyama right then, challenges and swears that he will be the very best. And Kageyama, the infuriating bastard, takes him up on that challenge.
Joining Karasuno is a dream come true. Hinata is overexcited at the prospect of having a real team, with people that play because they love the sport and not because they pity Hinata. He loves his friends dearly, but they’re not his teammates, and they can never understand the sheer amazingness that is volleyball. He doubts whether the people in Karasuno will love volleyball as much as he does, pretty much no one is capable in his mind, but he knows they’ll have an appreciation for it that he can work with easily.
When he bumps into Kageyama, sees his resting bitch face, notices that he’s even taller now, Hinata just about looses it completely. The very notion of being Kageyama’s teammate and getting along with him makes him sick to his stomach, and within moments the two are at each other’s throats, snarling and fighting without any actual reason yet. Hinata is still bitter, and Kageyama thinks himself too superior to be on the same team as him.
The current captain Daichi doesn’t take too kindly to their petty squabble and provides them with a rather strange and annoying ultimatum, but knowing what’s at stake, the two make an attempt and try to get along.
It’s harder than they ever imagined, but then that fateful three-on-three match happens and everything changes.
The match was supposed to be an opportunity, a risk, an almost stupid and rash gamble, but it was the best thing Hinata and Kageyama could come up with. They were nervous, but Kageyama was almost sure of their victory. Hinata found his confidence admirable and infinitely stupid, but he didn’t say thay out loud. He didn’t want to die quite yet.
The match progressed smoothly, except Hinata was almost useless to their team. Tanaka and Kageyama tried racking up as many points as possible, and Kageyama explicitly mentioned how much he thought Hinata sucked, and Hinata was so mad, but then when Kageyama asked Hinata to trust him, he did. He put his 100% trust in the man, and they pulled it off, the spike that eventually came to be known as the freak-quick. It felt amazing- the sting on his palm, the print embedded into the skin, the redness that didn’t fade away 5 seconds later. It felt so good.
Kageyama’s wondrous expression was a close second on the list of things that felt amazing in that moment, and Hinata was confused but he was too excited to dwell on it.
When their match was over, and everyone had packed up to leave, Kageyama asked Hinata if he wanted to stay back for sometime and practise. It was the first time Kageyama had offered, and it was special, more special that Hinata wanted it to be, but he couldn’t help it. Something had changed, something had changed for the better, and his only response was the sticking out of his thumb, the universal wordless sign of approval.
It’s a start. It’s the very start.
2. Index
It takes Hinata till his third year to finally come to terms with his feelings for his setter. He wasn’t in denial so much as he is confused and ill-informed, but with a little help from Yachi and Tsukishima of all people, it suddenly makes sense. The way his heart speeds up when he’s around Kageyama at any time of the day, the way it throbs painfully when Kageyama gets yet another confession and Hinata doesn’t know if he said yes or not (he always turned them down), the sheer possessiveness he feels towards him, Hinata’s urge to protect him, everything.
It doesn’t freak him out, at least not as much as one would expect. They’ve formed a bond over the years, a unique, inseparable bond that’s strengthened by mutual respect and trust. The only thing that scares the hell out of him is the fact that Kageyama might find out someday and that the bond they worked so hard to achieve would shatter into a million pieces, just like Hinata’s heart.
It bothers him to the extent where Kageyama finally confronts him.
"Dumbass, what the hell is wrong with you?“
"Wha- what are you talking about?,” Hinata stammers, his insides chilling instantly.
"You’re all spaced out and acting dumber than usual. Something must be on your mind. Spit it out already!“
Hinata looks down. "It’s nothing really.”
"If it was nothing, I wouldn’t have asked,“ Kageyama hisses before softening his voice, "you can’t even look me in the eye. Hinata, what’s wrong?”
Kageyama sounds almost tender, and it’s too much for Hinata to handle.
"I LIKE YOU!“ It’s a loud declaration, too loud in Hinata’s opinion, and he even squeaks a little in the middle, which he isn’t proud of. Kageyama looks startled, which is quickly followed by shock, then confusion.
"I kinda like you too? I mean I don’t think I hate you anymore, you’re still dumb but like less dumb, and we work so well, and -”
"Not like that!“ Once its out, Hinata can’t seem to stop, though he wants to desperately. "Like… I like you the way Yamaguchi likes Yachi. Or the way your parents liked each other, or the way my pare-”
A hand slapped over his mouth shuts him up.
"I get it d-d-dumbass, I get it! So just, sh-shut up for a minute.“
Kageyama is beet-red, and Hinata’s words suddenly sink in and Hinata panics. He’s overwhelmed by his own stupidity, and he can feel the tears prick the corners of his eye and threaten to spill over. He’s ruined everything.
He runs. He runs in the opposite direction, as far away from Kageyama as he can, ignoring his calls of Hinata, wait! He doesn’t want to wait, doesn’t want a surprisingly gentle rejection, doesn’t want to watch their relationship fall apart with his own two eyes, all because he’s stupid and has a big mouth and is in Kageyama’s own words, an idiot.
With his mind so preoccupied, he fails to notice the presence behind him and when Kageyama grabs his arm, all he can do it yelp. He finds himself being dragged into a secluded hallway in the school, and they’re both breathing hard, practically panting for breath and the noise resonates around the corridor, loud and ominous.
"I told you to wait, didn’t I? Dumbass,” Kageyama wheezes as he attempts to catch his breath and Hinata tries to calm down his racing heart with little to no success. He wants to run away and he wants to cry and he wants to take it all back.
"So you like me, like in a romantic way?,“ Kageyama starts, looking him dead in the eye which forces him to do the same. Hinata doesn’t trust his voice, so he nods instead.
"Are you sure? You’re not confused, or making a sick joke or whatever…”
"I-I’m sure…,“ Hinata whispers miserably. He can’t understand why Kageyama is prolonging the torture, he’d much rather the taller male just reject him and get it over with.
“I-I’m only confirming because,” Kageyama clears his throat before continuing, “because I feel the same way.”
"I know, we should probably just stay frie- wait, what?“
Kageyama’s cheeks are a ripe red, and for the first time Hinata’s close enough to notice that he has the tiniest of freckles on his nose.
"I like you too. Romantic like. Yamayachi kinda like. Parents like. Whatever. DO YOU UNDERSTAND DUMBASS?”
"YES!,“ Hinata yells back before frowning. "Don’t call me dumbass.”
"But you are a dumbass.“
Hinata sticks his tongue out. "Yeah well, you’re a milk-addicted moron!”
“Don’t do that,” Kageyama grumbles.
"What, tell you the truth?“
"No, that, you do that really distracting thing with your tongue.”
"What, this?“ And Hinata sticks it out again.
"Stop it,” Kageyama snaps harshly, but Hinata’s curious now, not scared.
"Why?“
"Because it… it..,” Kageyama sucks in a deep breath. “It makes me kinda sorta want to kiss you, ok? Like a lot. Every time you get serious on court, you lick your lips or you stick your tongue out and if I happen to see you, I get a hard on and things get very complica- Oh my god, I said that out loud.”
Hinata isn’t laughing, but his eyes are wide and his lips are stretched into a wide smile, probably his widest yet.
"So you really like me?“
"Yes dumbass I do.”
"Stop calling me dumbass. You wouldn’t call me that if you really liked me.“
"Of course I’m gonna keep calling you that. You’re my dumbass after all.”
It’s Hinata’s turn to flush.
"You can do it, you now,“ Hinata whispers in a small voice.
"What?”
"You can kiss me. If you, you know, want to.“
Kageyama steams in front of him, and Hinata finds the reddening of his ears precious.
"R-really?”
"Y-yeah, of course.“ They’re both stuttering and stammering, jumbling up their words in an effort to say something coherent. But the more Hinata thinks about it, the more he wants Kageyama to kiss him, and he hadn’t really noticed till now that Kageyama’s lips were a very kissable red, and they were definitely looking better and better by the second.
"Shouyou.” His name rolls of Kageyama’s tongue hesitantly, but it sounds so right. Hinata wants him to say it again, and again, and again.
“Tobio.” The name tastes nice, like blueberries and milk, and Hinata tilts his head up, eyes briefly glancing at Kageyama’s lips before he meets his eyes. “Ki-kiss me.”
Kageyama hesitates for mere seconds before pushing his index under Hinata’s chin and gently tilting his face up before pressing his chapped lips against Hinata’s dried ones.
The kiss is awkward and clumsy and they break away too soon because they’re still in a school corridor. Hinata looks at Kageyama and Kageyama stares right back and 3 seconds later they’re giggling uncontrollably.
It’s perfect.
3. Middle
Sex isn’t something the two of them really talk about.
It’s not just that they’re shy or awkward. Neither had really felt the intense urge to simply pounce on their partner and ravage them. Kisses were shared often, too often almost, with every single movie night turning into a make out session, some of which ended with hand jobs, but that’s about as far as the two went.
They’re in their second semester of college when it hits Kageyama, and it hits him hard.
They’re at volleyball practise, but Kageyama isn’t setting Hinata’s tosses. He’s watching as their senior sets for Hinata, the two practising various techniques as Kageyama takes a brief water break. College volleyball is intense and competitive, and it takes a huge toll on the mind and body, but the two of them absolutely love it.
He watches the two of them practise carefully, watches and smirks when Hinata’s jump is just as high as he anticipates, when the setter tosses the ball a little too much to the right when Kageyama would’ve tossed it perfectly, and his smirk turns into a proud grin when Hinata hits the toss flawlessly anyway, because Hinata is a fantastic spiker, a spiker feared and loved all over Japan.
The setter is smart enough to acknowledge his mistake, but Hinata seems flustered at the prospect of having someone older adjusting to him and he’s jumping and rocking around on the balls of his feet, and that’s when Kageyama freezes as an unknown feeling, an urge so strong it jolts him, hits him out of nowhere.
As a volleyball player, Kageyama’s been around people with great bodies all his life. It’s a sport that’s taxing on the body- it requires toning and exercise and lots of care. Hinata is tiny in stature but he’s strong and lithe. His entire frame is almost all muscle, and as he jumps up and down in that same spot, Kageyama notices the way his calves harden and the shape is utter perfection, like it’s ben carved from marble. His thighs are taunt with muscle as well, at least what little Kageyama can see between his knee pads and shorts are, and Kageyama wants to see more.
Not just see though, he wants to touch and feel and taste. He wants to mark, and he wants to explore territories that neither of them have bothered breaching before. He wants more.
His need is foreign, and slightly frightening. The intensity with which he wants to absolutely ravage Hinata scares him, but a part of him is excited, very much so. He and Hinata figured out many a thing together, and he has utter faith in the fact that they’ll figure this out just fine.
That evening, as they make out in front of the tv screen that’s playing yet another movie that they have no intention of watching, Kageyama breaks away and decides to bring up the subject, maybe explore their options and form a plan of sorts. Hinata is breathing hard, face flushed and lips swollen and Kageyama has to resist the urge to pull him back and kiss him senseless.
“I um.. I wanna talk to you about something.”
“Yeah?” Hinata’s voice is hoarse, and he clears his throat in an attempt to sound less breathless. He straightens up in Kageyama’s lap, their eyes now level.
“I um…” It occurs to Kageyama that there’s no easy way to tell Hinata that he wants to stick his dick in places where the sun don’t shine. He can feel his face flood with colour, and the sight must’ve been endearing because suddenly Hinata’s kissing his forehead, his nose, his cheeks- soft, tender, feather light kisses that make his heart soar and just fluster him further.
“I WANNA BAN-SE-MAKE LOVE YOU!”
“What?,” Hinata asks, a look of astonishment adorning his features. Kageyama tries to calm himself down before trying again, because what he just practically roared didn’t really make any sense at all.
“I want… us to… go further.”
“Further? Kageyama wha-”
“Hinata.” Kageyama grabs his face gently and leans forward, their foreheads touching, “I wanna make love to you. All the way… I want to go all the way.”
“Oh.”
Hinata’s response is followed by intense blushing which is followed by a blinding smile.
“Sure, yes, absolutely!”
Kageyama’s eyebrows furrow. “You sure? I mean, you made up your mind awfully fast, I don’t want to rush you or pressure you or anything.”
Hinata starts shaking his head before Kageyama’s done speaking.
“It isn’t like that. Honestly, I’ve been ready for a while now, and- No wait, lemme finish,” Hinata shushes him before continuing, “I was ready, but I knew you weren’t, so I decided to wait till we were on the same page. Or something."
Kageyama stares at him, feeling a bout of affection flood through his body and he crushes Hinata to his chest.
"I love you.” The confession is whispered right into Hinata’s ear and Kageyama feels him shiver before he pecks Kageyama on the cheek and returns the sentiment.
Hinata pulls Kageyama into the bedroom with a coy grin, and its… gentle. Kageyama feels those same urges burn through his entire body, and yet he can’t find it in himself to be rough and quick. The urge to explore every corner of Hinata’s body carefully, to pamper and love him thoroughly overwhelms him and he does just that.
Hinata comes apart in his arms with a sob, his entire body quivering and sweating, and Kageyama has never seen a more beautiful sight.
His middle finger is the first to enter Hinata, stretching him out with maddening patience and care until he finally enters the man, embracing him in the most intimate of ways and again, it isn’t perfect, but its damn near close.
4. Ring
Nervousness is an emotion that Hinata is far too familiar with. They’ve been best buds pretty much all his life, and though he hasn’t met this buddy in a long time, a sudden reunion has Hinata feeling weak at the knees as he desperately fights the urge to get up and find a bathroom.
Bad things always happen at the bathroom.
“Hinata, breathe!” Yachi sounds alarmed, and Hinata jerks before turning to face her, all his movements mechanical.
“Huh?”
“You’re turning purple,” Yachi mutters before she sits beside him, rubbing soothing circles on his back, “and you’re practically shaking. Please breathe and calm down.”
Yachi’s voice helps. There’s a familiarity and a firm softness to it that’s so Yachi, and Hinata can feel his body go limp, unwinding slowly but surely. His mind is still racing furiously, but at least he’s dealing with one problem at a time.
“I’m so scared.”
“I know,” Yachi coos before slipping an arm around Hinata’s waist and pulling him close, “I know you are, but you’re going to be ok.”
And Hinata finds himself believing her.
That night, Kageyama comes home late from practise. They both play volleyball professionally but were scouted for different teams. It’s both a challenge and a lot of fun, but being on opposing teams doesn’t stop them from staying together and their relationship is stronger than ever, especially since they’ve achieved a certain maturity in their mid-twenties, though in everyone’s honest opinion, the two of them will never quite be actual grown ups.
“How was practise?,” Hinata hollers from the kitchen, his one hand busy stirring the curry he’s prepared for dinner, the other clutching the tiny ring box through his pant pocket.
He’s surprised when he doesn’t receive an answer. Usually Kageyama begins ranting the moment Hinata confirms his presence in the house, going on and on about how the wing spiker is slacking off, or how his serves aren’t accurate enough (they totally are, Kageyama’s just really hard on himself) or some other volleyball related issue that’s on his mind as he pulls off all his extra clothing and sits at the table. Dinner is a private affair with no devices at the table, just the two of them, some home cooked food and entertaining conversation.
“Kageyama?” His call is met with silence and he worries. Turning the knob of the gas stove from hot to medium, Hinata wipes his hands on the towel dangling from his shoulders and begins to turn around, deciding to look for his boyfriend himself when he almost trips on said boyfriend -
- who’s on the floor, down on one knee.
Hinata cannot believe it.
“Hinata Shouyou,” Kageyama breathes, his eyes shining the way it does when he’s really excited or drinking his favorite milk or watching footage of their old nationals games, “will you marry me?”
Hinata wants to scream. He spent so much time preparing himself, all so he could propose to this doofus and somehow Kageyama had managed to beat him to the chase. Everything has always been a competition between them and even though this wasn’t in anyway a competition, Hinata still feels like he lost.
“You idiot.”
“What?” Kageyama’s expression is absolutely priceless, but Hinata’s busy sulking and feeling so unbelievably happy it’s scary.
“Yo- I- I had a plan and you just ruined it by proposing. How did you know?”
Kageyama begins to look increasingly confused and alarmed, and maybe a bit pissed off. “Know what?”
“That I was going to propose!,” Hinata wails, arms flaying around haphazardly. “I mean, did you have to steal my thunder?”
“Wait, you were going to propose too?”
“Yes I was!”
“So… is that a yes?”
It takes Hinata a moment to realise that in the midst of all his sulking, he’d actually forgotten to give Kageyama a proper reply. A coy smile tugs at the corners of his lips as he pulls out his own ring box and opens it, holding it in line with the one in Kageyama’s outstretched palm.
“As long as you say the same.”
The answer comes in the form of a kiss, because they’ve never been good with words. But actions? That’s right up their alley.
“Dumbass.” The nickname makes Hinata smile against Kageyama’s lips and he nuzzles Kageyama’s chin before pecking his lips again.
“You love this dumbass.”
“Course I do, he’s my dumbass afterall.”
The my part still makes his heart pound years later. It’s a wonderful feeling.
They slip the rings on each other’s respective fingers and it’s a perfect fit, because they know each other that well. The designs suit them too- Hinata’s is vibrant like him, not gaudy but attention seeking and bright. Kageyama’s is slightly more toned down but just as grand, beautiful in a mysterious kinda way, and sharp.
A final kiss for the moment seals the deal and Hinata giggles a yes just in case, and an embarrassed Always is whispered right back before they settle down to eat curry and drink juices filled with electrolytes before popping in a movie and making out on the couch.
The sex that night is special in a different way, and Hinata cries, and the tears are anything but sorrowful.
5. Pinky
It’s almost creepy, how the two of them naturally decide at pretty much the same time that it’s the right time to finally have a baby. They’ve both retired from the professional volleyball scene and coach kids themselves, and its a no-brainer for Kageyama when Hinata declares “I want a baby!”
All he does is nod in agreement.
The procedure to obtain said baby is not nearly as fun as they thought it would be.
Hinata and Kageyama are scared they won’t meet the standards, they’re scared being a gay couple will automatically be frowned upon, they’re scared shitless of so many things and yet they hope- hope that they’ll get picked, that the workers will see beyond society’s narrow-minded and harsh judgement and realise they’ll make great parents because they’re ready.
The workers do.
It takes a long time, but they’re finally approved and a surrogate mother carries their future baby in her belly. The mother is a mix of Hinata and Kageyama - excited, loud and boisterous, but also serious, hot headed and loving. The duo love her immediately.
Her pregnancy is an event filled with many memories. They spend a lot of time with her, as much as possible even, and she realises how perfect they’ll be as parents, even with all the mistakes they make and the petty squabbling and fights they have. She smiles at them when they aren’t looking, and they do the same.
They’re so excited, Hinata’s almost always on vibrate mode.
When their baby girl is finally born in May, Kageyama cries while Hinata stubbornly holds back tears, at least until he’s in the privacy of his home because he’s a loud AND ugly crier and he really doesn’t want to scare his newborn daughter quite yet.
She’s perfect, the most perfect baby in the whole entire world.
A week later, her eyes are open and she’s crying and nursing, and Hinata can already feel a headache form from all the noise, yet he wants more. He wants to hear her cry (though not too much), wants to hear her first laugh and giggle, wants to hear her first word and sentence, and he realises he wants to be there for all of her firsts, a thought that makes him feel full and unbearably choked with emotions.
“She’s going to be incredible when she grows up,” Hinata sighs dreamily as he pushes some of her hair off her face, and the two of them watch her sleep, chins propped on the edge of the crib.
“Too incredible, and that might be a problem,” Kageyama grumbles, and he really isn’t looking forward to all the people that’ll get their hearts broken by his super star.
Hinata laughs. “Yeah maybe. But she’s perfect, and nothing anyone says can convince me otherwise.”
Kageyama agrees and reaches into the crib, slowly brushing his finger along the length of her arm, and he marvels at the size difference, marvels at how tiny she is compared to them, and he loves how warm and real sh-
A tiny warm grip stops all his thoughts instantly, and the moment his eyes land on his pinky, he sucks in a deep, shaky breath and tries his best to remain still, so the moment may last just a tad bit longer.
She’s holding onto his pinky tightly, and it’s the most incredible feeling in the world.
Her entire hand fits around his pinky, its smaller even and that astonishes him, but he’s almost jittery, and Hinata watches enviously.
“No fair,” he hisses, pushing his own pinky near their daughter’s other hand, “I want her to hold my hand too.”
And somehow, as if sensing Hinata’s need, she grabs his pinky as well, and she holds them both, her grip strong for someone of her size and the duo are absolute goners.
They both end up falling asleep by the crib and when the nurse comes around to wake them up, he smiles and gives them two more minutes, simply because he’s never seen such peaceful smiles, or the rather gentle grip the toodler has on the men’s pinkies even in her sleep.
They make a beautiful family, and no one can convince Hinata otherwise.