Work Text:
Kageyama first noticed it after one of their first practices of the new school year.
“Hey, is Hinata’s hair getting longer?”
The middle blocker was talking to their underclassmen, expressing himself boisterously as always—which meant he was making more noises than speaking actual intelligible words. While it was questionable whether any of them actually understood what was being said, the younger boys seemed to cling to every word. Kageyama was certain he would understand.
Anyway. Hinata had his back turned to Kageyama and the rest of them, and Kageyama couldn’t help staring at the nape of his neck. Or rather, how Hinata’s hair had grown long enough to start covering it.
Yamaguchi and Tsukishima both seemed surprised by his words. Kageyama thought it must’ve just been his imagination then, but after another moment Tsukishima had sneered and said, “You’ve only just noticed? Aren’t you like, dating or something?”
Kageyama could only gape at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Yamaguchi and Yachi wore similarly shocked expressions, and appeared anxious in a way that could only mean they were anticipating another one of Kageyama and Tsukishima’s infamous spats to occur.
It was a tentative thing between them, Kageyama and Hinata. Kageyama once overheard Tsukishima say that it wouldn’t be so complicated if the two of them used their Big Boy Words and were smart enough to acknowledge their feelings, but he was one to talk.
Nevertheless, Kageyama knew where he stood with Hinata, and Hinata knew what he was to Kageyama. The only thing was, volleyball was more important.
And maybe they’d kissed once or twice—the first time during school camp when they’d been dared, and the second just between the two of them because they wanted to see what it was like without an audience. And while they have gone out together, it was only ever to play ball at the park or watch a professional match. Those being Kageyama’s ideal dates were irrelevant. So was the fact that they’d been over to each other’s houses numerous times over the past year, becoming acquainted with each other’s family members, and even sharing a futon on one occasion. That was because of a storm, and it didn’t matter that Kageyama had slept in the same bed as Hinata, because, well…
Volleyball was more important.
Besides! Even if they were d-dating, Kageyama had more important things to worry about than the length of Hinata’s hair. Like what he was going to do next year, for example—which teams in the league might want to sign him and which events would potentially have scouts watching? He had to study properly this year so he could actually graduate, not to mention come up with practice schedules like a good vice-captain. He also had to make sure Hinata didn’t slack off, which meant meeting up with him regularly to practise their drills, and so what if he started coming up with flimsier excuses, he just wanted to see Hinata, and maybe—
Maybe Kageyama should’ve noticed earlier.
“Oh?” Tsukishima’s voice brought Kageyama out of his thoughts. “Has our king lost himself in a little domestic daydream with the shrimp?”
Being a third-year and vice-captain, Kageyama was quickly discovering, did not make him any more mature when it came to arguing with Tsukishima.
Hinata gleefully asked about it when the two of them were walking home—Yamaguchi had loudly reprimanded them and put them both in time out even though practice was over—but Kageyama changed the subject. Just picturing Tsukishima’s face was making him angry again.
“I saw you talking to some of the first-years,” Kageyama said instead. “What was that about? Is everything alright?”
“Uwah~ It’s Vice-Captain Kageyama!” Hinata pressed his hair down as he always did when imitating Kageyama. His hair was longer in the front too. Kageyama couldn’t believe he didn’t realise until now. “Everything is fine, they just had some questions and I was happy to answer. Make sure not to be all Scary Kageyama when you talk to them! Maybe we should practise your smile again, I think it might’ve scared a few of them off the other day.”
Kageyama lunged at Hinata, who quickly got onto his bike and rode away, laughing the entire time.
The increasing length of Hinata’s hair was becoming much harder to ignore. And it wasn’t just Kageyama who was noticing.
They had just finished a practice match—the teams were a mix of all years with Kageyama and Hinata playing on opposite sides of the court. It was important for them to work with other spikers and setters, Coach said. Kageyama wouldn’t always be there to set for Hinata, he added, nor would Hinata always be there to receive Kageyama’s sets. It was the truth of course, but that didn’t make Kageyama any happier to hear it.
But the match went well. The first-years had really improved and the second-years were coming into their own. They still had a ways to go, but Kageyama was confident that under Yamaguchi’s captaincy, his final year in Karasuno High’s volleyball club would be a successful one.
Hinata was wiping away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead, sweeping his hair back in the same motion. At that moment, someone commented, “Hinata-senpai, your hair grew a lot over the break!”
This made Hinata pause. He lifted the strands of hair between his fingers and looked up. “Oh, I suppose that’s true! I haven’t gotten it cut in a while…”
Kageyama watched the exchange from across the net. As always when it came to Hinata, he could not hold himself back from making a quip. “Boke”—and there was no question about who he was referring to—“you won’t be able to see the ball coming straight at your face if your hair gets longer.”
He meant it, too. If Hinata received a ball to the face then he’d have to sit out and Kageyama wouldn’t be able to set to him. And if Kageyama couldn’t set to Hinata then they’d lose their major strategy, not to mention the fact that there already wasn’t much time left to play on the same team with Hinata, because who knew when they’d both be selected for the national team, so Kageyama needed to make the most of it, because Hinata was—
“Good thing I’ve got you on the court to look out for me then!”
Hinata, who had been narrowing his eyes at Kageyama’s comment, suddenly brightened up and flashed his sunny grin at Kageyama.
It rendered Kageyama utterly speechless. His brain short-circuited. He stood on the spot, staring at his partner of three years, unsure how to react or even function. After all of this time, he still wasn’t the best at receiving compliments, especially when they came from Hinata. It was just so different to their usual dynamic—the bantering and playful fights and light-hearted insults. He didn’t know how to deal with a Hinata who was sincere and gave him praise. Hinata blew a piece of hair that had fallen over his eyes out of the way and— Oh, right. Kageyama didn’t know how to deal with a long-haired Hinata giving him compliments even less.
“H-Hinata-boke… We’re not on the same side of the court right now,” Kageyama finally managed, overly aware that all eyes were on him. He heard Tsukishima snicker from somewhere behind him and willed himself not to react. His gaze remained on Hinata, heart beating loudly in his chest as he awaited his response.
“That’s okay!” came Hinata’s cheery reply. “I know you’ll be there regardless!”
Simultaneously, Yachi cooed and Tsukishima gagged at them. The expressions on their kouhai were much more mixed. Kageyama’s face was heated and definitely red, but he idly wondered whether this would help his image with some of the younger members who were still intimidated by him. Then he wondered whether embarrassing himself to build rapport with his teammates would remain a good idea in the long run.
Coach redirected their attention soon afterwards and everyone moved on. However, from that day onwards Kageyama started paying more diligent attention to the volleyballs coming in Hinata’s direction, because his hair really was getting longer and would obstruct his vision soon.
Kageyama was waiting for Hinata in the courtyard. He’d gotten his carton of milk from the vending machine and was sipping on it as he balanced a volleyball in his other hand, keeping an eye on the students filing out of the door. When he saw the head of orange hair, he almost spat out his milk.
Hinata’s hair was tied up. Gone were his bangs, swept back and gathered into a tiny little ponytail. He left half of his hair down, which by this stage had reached halfway down his neck. Kageyama had seen a similar hairdo on his sister before, but it didn’t look like this. And it definitely didn’t make Kageyama feel like this.
“What—” Some milk dribbled down Kageyama’s chin and he wiped it away. Hinata simply tilted his head, as though nothing was wrong. “W-What is this? Explain?!”
It took Hinata a moment to understand. Then he turned around to show Kageyama the back of his head. This close, Kageyama could see that his hair tie was sparkly. It didn’t seem out of place or childish. Somehow, it suited Hinata perfectly.
“Do you like it? I’m trying something new! Yachi-san suggested it. Hey, actually, do you reckon I look a bit like Asahi-san like this?”
Tsukishima, who was passing by with Yamaguchi, scoffed. “You’re missing about twenty centimetres of height and some facial hair for that.”
“Ignore him, Hinata. I think you look great!”
Hinata beamed at Yamaguchi and stuck his tongue out at Tsukishima. When the two boys left, he turned back around to Kageyama and rubbed his chin, contemplative. “Kageyama-kun, do you reckon—”
“No.” Kageyama cut him off immediately. “No you cannot. You idiot. You wouldn’t be able to grow a single piece of facial hair if you tried. Do not try.”
Hinata could not grow facial hair. Kageyama wasn’t certain he’d survive if Hinata had long hair and some stubble. He pictured Karasuno’s former ace in his mind and winced. Sorry, Azumane-san. You’re great, but you’re not Hinata.
Kageyama’s extreme reaction didn’t seem to deter Hinata. The other boy simply hummed and gestured for Kageyama to pass him the ball. Hoping that it meant Hinata wasn’t going to suddenly show up sporting a beard the next day, Kageyama passed it to him.
They did setting and passing drills throughout lunch. It was something they did fairly often, just the two of them. Kageyama knew vaguely that it could be seen as a date, but it was still volleyball. Which was more important.
That didn’t stop Kageyama from staring at Hinata’s hair, or getting distracted by it. He wondered whether it meant they could potentially use it as a strategy to distract their opponents on the court too, before realising it might not affect others the way it was affecting him.
Because the confusing thing about the blurred lines between Kageyama and Hinata’s relationship was that sometimes Kageyama couldn’t tell if he was reacting a certain way because of… how he felt about the middle blocker, or if it was normal. He tried to picture Tsukishima with the same hairstyle and had to stifle a laugh. Yamaguchi’s hair used to be pretty long yet Kageyama never thought much of it. Yachi. His sister. When Kageyama looked at Hinata again, he ended up fumbling the ball and dropping it. Even Hinata’s laughter felt warm to him.
It reminded Kageyama of their kiss. Their kisses, he corrected himself. He thought about it sometimes, and on occasion, he swore he could even feel the ghost of Hinata’s lips against his own.
Was that normal?
Not that it really mattered either way, did it.
After class, Kageyama got changed and headed over to the gym. Hinata was standing in the doorway. Before Kageyama could tell him to move, the voice of their kouhai cut in.
“Hinata-senpai! Your new hair! So cool!”
The praise, of course, went straight to Hinata’s head. He stood tall and stuck out his chest. With somewhat of an evil cackle, he responded, “Right?! I think I’ll keep this hairstyle for a while yet!”
Kageyama stepped closer to him, staring down their kouhai from over Hinata’s head. They stopped their fawning immediately and trepidatiously met Kageyama’s gaze.
He’s my partner he’s my partner he’s mine he’s mine he’s mine.
If Kageyama thought the words hard enough, maybe the younger boys would receive his message.
Hinata finally noticed Kageyama was there and turned around to greet him.
“Oh, Kageyama!”
“Just don’t start slacking because you want to grow your hair out instead,” Kageyama said, remembering Hinata’s previous words.
“Who do you think I am?” Hinata huffed. “The world stage is our goal, you know.”
Our.
Kageyama hoped his blush was not too obvious. He retorted, “Not if I beat you there first.”
Hinata scowled. Kageyama took the opportunity to push past the group and walk towards the net. Another crisis averted. Behind him, the underclassmen began speaking in hushed tones with Hinata.
“Is it true that Vice-Captain Kageyama…”
“Get home safe! And don’t stay up too late, if your grades start dropping again I’m gonna have to pull you from the next practice match.”
“Yes, Coach! Got it, Coach!”
The threat was scarily effective. With a shudder, Kageyama and Hinata both stepped out of the convenience store and began their journey home.
They’d been coming up with strategies together. At first it’d been their entire third-year group, with Yamaguchi leading the meeting, but when he and Tsukishima had gone home to study, Kageyama and Hinata stayed behind to discuss their quick attack. At least, that was their excuse for the first half hour. After that, they simply talked, pretended to do some study, ate dinner, then watched some beach volleyball.
Kageyama knew Hinata was interested in it. He knew he’d been asking around about doing it after graduating high school. It wasn’t something Kageyama liked to think too hard about—not playing on the same team was one thing, but it was a whole other thing entirely to not even be on the same continent. Still. Kageyama wanted to show his support. He wanted Hinata to know that Kageyama believed he could do it. So he listened intently as the other boy gushed over the players, pointing out different plays to Kageyama. He began contemplating whether it would be feasible for him to visit wherever Hinata was going in the next year.
It’d gotten colder throughout the day, and now it was downright chilly. Kageyama wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he swore Hinata walked closer to him than usual. His hands—currently in his jacket pockets—itched to pull him closer. They made light conversation, sometimes lapsing into silence, and then Hinata said something that made Kageyama reach out to grab him and this time Hinata couldn’t get away fast enough and Kageyama—
Kageyama hadn’t realised how long it’d been since he last put his hands on Hinata’s head until his fingers were threaded between strands of orange and it was so much softer than he recalled. It’d also gotten even longer over these months, with Hinata starting to wear it up or tied back more often than not. Kageyama thought he still liked it best when Hinata didn’t do anything to it, and luckily for him, today Hinata had done just that.
The two of them stared at each other. Kageyama loosened his hold but didn’t pull his hand back. He flexed his fingers then relaxed them, sliding them along Hinata’s scalp, feeling silky smoothness on his skin. He paused when he realised he was just sort of massaging Hinata’s head. He looked at Hinata’s face, trying to discern his expression, trying to come up with some sort of explanation.
Then, suddenly, Hinata pressed up onto his toes and kissed Kageyama.
It caught him off guard. The soft fleeting touch was familiar but not ingrained. It was only their third kiss after all—Kageyama wondered how many it would take for it to become muscle memory.
Hinata beamed at him afterwards. It made it even harder for Kageyama to do anything. He was like the sun, bright and all-consuming.
“Silly-yama!” he said, and Kageyama’s heart was beating so fast. “If you liked my hair you should’ve just said so!”
Kageyama grumbled something to the effect of, “No one likes your stupid hair.”
Hinata, rightfully so, did not seem to believe a single word. He leaned in close again, and Kageyama forced himself to stay still, forced himself not to close the gap, and by the end of it their noses were nearly touching.
“Just admit you like my long hair!”
A glance down at Kageyama’s lips. The tip of a pink tongue darting out before disappearing again.
“Come on.” Hinata’s voice was a whisper now. Kageyama wasn’t sure he was breathing. “I wanna kiss you again, let me—”
Kissing someone to shut them up, Kageyama discovered, was extremely effective.
This kiss was different to the ones that came before. It was deeper, and hotter, and Hinata’s hands had come up to clutch the front of Kageyama’s shirt. Kageyama finally took his hands out of Hinata’s hair and cupped his face instead.
He wanted more and more, and as always Hinata responded in kind. They kept going until they physically couldn’t anymore and had to breathe. Kageyama thought Hinata pulled back first, which made him feel a bit triumphant, but perhaps they needn’t turn this into a competition too.
Still breathless, Kageyama admitted, “Fine. I like your long hair.”
“See. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Hinata’s cheeks were rosy, and his lips were red too. Kageyama was sorely tempted to kiss them again.
“Don’t let it get to your head,” Kageyama told him, but he was grinning as well.
“Too late!” And then Hinata took off, yelling, “Kageyama likes my hair~ Kageyama likes my hair!”
“You idiot!” Kageyama chased after him. “You’re gonna disturb all the residents!”
Hinata blew a raspberry. Kageyama couldn’t stop smiling.
Their relationship felt less tentative than it had moments before. Less tentative compared to the start of the year, when they were still a little clueless, still a little lost. But now Hinata’s hair had grown out, and they were third-years the underclassmen could look up to. Things were different. They were going to change again, in a few months. So maybe… After Nationals, if they did well. Definitely by graduation.
Kageyama thought...
No, he knew.
His ‘someone even better’ was here.