Work Text:
The pain isn't as bad as Shouyou expected, at least not at first.
He limps over to the bench, settling onto the empty area with a groan. Yachi has already ran off to grab a first aid box, muttering nervously to herself the whole time, and Yamaguchi follows him closely, asking if he needs any help.
"I'm fine!" Shouyou answers brightly—his smile feels a little strained, but he's telling the truth. He's sure there are worse injuries out there.
Shouyou looks down at his leg again, bending over to tug his shoe off. He can't see his ankle through his socks, but the swelling is visible enough despite the fabric barricading it, and a sinking feeling settles in his stomach. Perhaps this might be worse than he thought.
His ankle had twisted oddly earlier when he was making a dive for the volleyball from all the way on the other side of the court. Even though it's just free practice right now, Shouyou takes every match very seriously, and it was match point so of course he wasn't going to just let that ball fall—
"...Hinata."
Shouyou stiffens, his spine growing straight as a board.
He glances up slowly, trying not to let his smile drop, but it's hard when there's a looming shadow growing larger with every passing second. No one is more familiar with that eerie voice than him, which leads him to believe that he's so fucked.
"Kageyama," Yamaguchi begins, tugging onto Tobio's elbow before he can get off the court. "Let him rest a little before you scold him—"
"He's rested plenty," Tobio sneers, pinning Shouyou with a dark glare. Shouyou grimaces.
It's Tobio's odd way of caring, as Shouyou had kindly learned over the years. When he doesn't drink enough water, when he replies to a text message from Tobio a little too late into the night, Tobio will smack him on the head and berate him for not taking care of himself. Shouyou doesn't mind, or rather, he enjoys being subject to such treatment, because he knows Tobio is looking out for him.
But damn. Tobio is freaking scary when he looks like that.
Just then, Yachi runs back into the gym with the first aid kit. She sets it on the space next to Shouyou, opening it up with quick fingers. "Okay! Um, let me see, I think we can do a quick splint—"
"I'll do it."
It's less of a volunteer and more of a command. Tsukishima makes a snide mutter about dictation, one that doesn't go unheard and leads to Tobio threatening to bite him. But still, when he comes over to Shouyou's front, Yachi automatically shuffles away, granting him that space.
Tobio drops down on one knee, his hand held out in a silent request. And Shouyou finally pulls his sock off, revealing the full damage. He winces at the dark, swollen bruise on the side of his ankle, twisted into an unnatural ankle. For a moment, Tobio looks a little squeamish at the sight too, but he schools himself and gets to work.
"Ow," Shouyou huffs when Tobio gently nudges at his foot, testing his range of movement.
Tobio's eyes flicker up to him briefly.
"Idiot," he says, going back to work. "No normal human being can fly across the court like that. What were you thinking? Only you would do something so ridiculous. You're setting a bad example for our juniors!"
Shouyou can't help but laugh. "Is that seriously your biggest concern? That our juniors are going to learn from me?"
"Yes!"
"Eh, so mean, Kageyama… I think you're supposed to care about me more."
He gets a sharp look for his stupid comment. Shouyou obediently zips his mouth shut.
As Tobio continues to work, Shouyou falls back into his own thoughts. He isn't too good at stuff like this, but he imagines he won't be able to play for quite a while with an injury of this intensity. Skipping out on what is potentially months of practice… Ugh. This sucks.
"Um," Yachi pipes up, as if just realising something. "Hinata-kun, how are you going to cycle home?"
Shouyou digs his teeth into his lower lip. He didn't think of that… His family doesn't own a car either, so he can't call anyone to pick him up. Maybe he could call a cab, but it'll be pricey with how late it already is. Damn it. It's like this situation just keeps getting worse.
"You can stay at mine for the night," Tobio pipes up, surprising all of them. "I'll cycle instead. And it's Friday, so my sister will be home late, but she can drive you back home tomorrow."
Shouyou blinks. "Really?"
Throughout the almost-three years they've known each other, he doesn't think he or anyone else has ever been to Tobio's house. It just never came up, he supposes. He's been to Yamaguchi's numerous times, Tsukishima's about once or twice. And both he and Yachi host their friends regularly.
"Yeah?" Tobio glances up at him again, squinting in judgement. "What, do you not want to?"
"No!" Shouyou blurts out. "I mean— I'll go, yeah, just— let me text my mom."
Holy shit. This is a rare opportunity, isn't it? Shouyou mentally pumps a fist into the air. He's going to be the first friend Tobio has ever invited over! That's definitely a win, even though it wasn't a competition in the first place. Hell yes!
As he’s typing out a text to his mother, he pauses, realising that he’s going to run into Tobio’s family. Are Tobio’s parents home? What are they even like? Shouyou can’t recall a time where Tobio talks about his home life.
Even though they’re close friends, there are still some things he doesn’t know about Tobio, it seems.
When practice ends that evening, Shouyou is handed a pair of crutches, some that Yamaguchi borrowed from the nurse’s office for him. They’re a little unfamiliar under his palms, but as soon as he gets the hang of it, he’s swinging himself off the court, with Tobio barking at him to stop being so careless.
They grab Shouyou’s bike together, with Tobio seated as the main cyclist and Shouyou squeezed onto the back, the crutches haphazardly balanced on his knees. Then it’s waving goodbye to the rest of the team as Tobio sets off, making the journey back to his home.
Shouyou isn’t sure what he expected from Tobio’s household, but when they arrive, it’s… eerily quiet.
The place is dark when Shouyou sits to take off his shoes, only illuminating after Tobio flicks on the lights. Even though it’s nearing nine, they seem to be the first ones home. Tobio disappears up the stairs for a while, but even from down here, Shouyou can hear him shifting about—entering his room, dumping his bag on the floor, the rush of running water starting up…
With nothing to do, Shouyou makes a move to stand up. He winces when the weight on his injury grows too large and a sharp pain strikes through his foot. Right. He should probably use the crutches for a while.
The first thing he notices is in the living room. There’s a series of photographs lined up on the TV cabinet, all framed and propped up, dust collecting on the edges. All of them have Tobio shown as a child, and notably, he is holding a volleyball in every single one. There’s some with an older girl next to him. They share the same eyes and hair, so that could be his sister.
Shouyou’s eyes rest on a photo with an elderly man, his wrinkled hands resting on a young Tobio’s shoulders. His eyes are tired but his grin is youthful. Who is—?
“Hinata,” Tobio calls. Shouyou jerks, turning his head just in time to see Tobio hop down the last step, a towel wrapped around his neck. “I put clothes and a towel out for you. Go shower.”
“Demanding,” Shouyou mutters, but he abides by it anyway. As he brushes past Tobio, he stops by the foot of the stairs and hesitates.
Tobio’s eyebrows knit together. “Do you… need help?”
Maybe? Shouyou thinks he can just grin and bear it, but if he does that in front of Tobio’s watchful eyes, he will have his head. Saying stuff like you’re already injured and you want to make it worse? How long do you intend to stay benched like this?! Or something like that.
So Shouyou begrudgingly accepts the offer for help, dropping his crutches and letting Tobio take his arm instead.
All things considered, it’s not that big of a deal. Shouyou makes it up the stairs with relative ease, though that might be because Tobio is a steady support the whole time. Afterwards, he limps his way to the bathroom, promising Tobio that he’ll call for him once he’s done and needs to come back down.
The bathroom door shuts behind him. Shouyou notices the clothes laid out for him instantly—a grey hoodie and black sweatpants. He frowns, picking it up and turning it around in his hands. He’s definitely seen Tobio wear these to a training camp or two.
Well, whatever. It’s time to shower!
The clothes are way too big on him.
Shouyou doesn’t think it matters that much, but still, as he stares at his reflection in the mirror, he feels a slight blush crawl up his neck. The hoodie is loose around his shoulders and the pants are pooled around his ankles, and yeah, Tobio is obviously taller than he is, but Shouyou didn’t expect the difference to be this distinct.
“Kageyama!” he hollers, opening the bathroom door. He hears Tobio making his way up, and when he arrives, his footsteps screech to a halt.
Tobio looks at him, eyes wide, and for a brief moment, they just stare at each other nervously. He quickly clears his throat, though, and wisely chooses not to say anything.
Shouyou bites back a grumble, taking Tobio’s offered arm and heading back downstairs.
In the dining room, there’s two bowls of rice, vegetables, and some soup laid out on the table. Shouyou’s stomach rumbles at the sight as he makes a beeline for a seat, nearly tripping over his injury in his haste. “Whoa! Kageyama, did you cook all that?”
“Hah? Obviously not.” Tobio slides into the seat opposite him, passing him some utensils. “It’s leftovers my parents made last night.”
“Oh.” When Shouyou pops a piece of vegetable into his mouth, he hums. “It’s good, though!”
Tobio shrugs. They’re quiet for the next few minutes, downing the food together after a gruelling day. But as the clock continues to tick, Shouyou grows a little more uneasy. He casts furtive glances towards the door every time he hears a car go by, wondering if someone is finally going to walk through that hallway and greet them.
Even when the clock strikes ten, they’re still alone.
Does Tobio live like this every night? Shouyou’s household isn’t exactly the noisiest, but it’s warm and lively enough with just him and his sister’s ruckus, and he always has his mother to talk to about his day. In here, though, the silence feels a little suffocating.
Shouyou turns his eyes onto Tobio, watching him scrape his bowl for the last bits of rice. His expression gives off no indication that this is out of the ordinary, but Shouyou can’t help but feel a little bit sympathetic.
So when he’s finished with his food as well, he pipes up loudly, “Hey, Kageyama. Do you have any volleyball matches saved?”
“I don’t have an extra futon,” Tobio starts once he shuts off the tablet, where a finished volleyball relay was.
They’re holed up in his bedroom, and Shouyou was supposed to be icing his ankle, but he forgot about it halfway after getting too sucked into the match. The ice packet is basically melted completely in his palm now, dripping water onto the ground and leaving a trail.
Tobio’s room, much like Shouyou expected, doesn’t have much to offer. It’s functional enough, though, and there are little bits of Tobio’s presence scattered around—the volleyball by the foot of his bed, his jersey hung up on the wall, the stack of textbooks that he definitely doesn’t touch unless absolutely necessary… Shouyou finds it kind of charming, really.
“We can share,” Shouyou says, always on the same wavelength. It’s the most obvious option anyway, and it’s not like they’ve never slept side-by-side during training camps and whatnot. What’s the difference between neighbouring futons and sharing a bed, anyway?
Tobio makes… some sort of face at the suggestion, but ultimately, he agrees. And Shouyou wants to call him out for it, but he doesn’t get the time to before Tobio is hauling him onto his good foot and pushing him onto his bed.
“Hey!” Shouyou squawks, indignant. “I’m injured, be nice to me!”
“You’re not that injured,” Tobio huffs, stalking out of the room and switching the light off on the way. When he returns, it’s with an extra set of pillows that he throws at Shouyou’s face. Shouyou’s reflexes kick in on instinct and he catches the pillow before it can make contact, much to Tobio’s chagrin.
“One point for me,” he says with a little grin. Only meant to tease, but they are both still keeping score.
Tobio sneers back. “You’ll be getting no points these next few weeks.”
As Shouyou laughs, Tobio slides onto the bed, joining him. The mattress dips under his weight and Shouyou shuffles aside until his shoulder is brushing against the wall.
Even then, they’re so close. Tobio’s bed is obviously made for one person. The proximity isn’t something Shouyou is unused to, but for a moment, he forgets how to breathe.
For a moment, Tobio's expression is so gentle and serene, like there is no other place he'd rather be, and Shouyou can count the exact number of his eyelashes and tell you the exact shade of his eyes, and he realises with a rushed breath—
Oh.
"Goodnight," Tobio mutters, either painfully oblivious to Shouyou's predicament, or simply choosing to set it aside. Shouyou can't quite tell, though he thinks it's probably the former. Tobio isn't known to be great at feelings.
Shouyou stays quiet, lets himself grapple with the weight of his feelings for a few seconds, before he replies with a smile, "Goodnight."
There are not many situations where Shouyou thinks it's better to leave things unsaid. This isn't one of them.
He spent a good chunk of time just thinking about it last night (and he can already hear Tsukishima's sarcastic remark—that must've hurt your pea-sized brain, which he decidedly ignores). Tobio and he are in their third year, and there's not a definite chance they'll continue on the same path after graduation. There's only so much time they are guaranteed together, and when there's a goal, Shouyou must rush forward with a hand stretched out, grasping for it with all his might.
He's not too sure what Tobio thinks of romance in general—if the idea even crosses his mind. Shouyou isn't the best with it either. He watches romance dramas that his mother likes so much sometimes, or listens to Yachi's Shakespeare retellings. and he had a few crushes on girls in his elementary school, though those always fizzled away within a month or less.
Tobio doesn't feel like any of that. No temporary attachments or fleeting feelings. When Shouyou really reflects on it, he thinks that a small part of him has always felt a firm connection to Tobio, from the moment they reunited in Karasuno's gym to spending the night together, breaths mingling under the moonlight.
And they've always been terribly in-tuned with each other, bettering each other, that Shouyou doesn't think it's a stretch to say that Tobio would feel the same way.
"Is that everything?" Tobio asks, standing by the doorway. His hair is still a little messy, having just woken up, and there's a sleepy but well-rested set to his eyes.
Shouyou himself has a foot out the door, crutches stuck under his armpits and his bag slung over his shoulder. He's still wearing Tobio's clothes, but neither of them brought it up this morning and Tobio didn't ask for it back. If Shouyou had less self-control, he might have even asked to keep it. He's still considering that, actually.
"I think so!" he replies, glancing back. Tobio's sister, as he promised, arrived home and is currently waiting in her car. Shouyou hopes she's nice. He wants to make a good impression. "Uh, thank you! For inviting me over!"
Tobio wrinkles his nose. "It wasn't like you had any other choice."
Oh, but he did. Tobio just gave him an easier solution, even if it was a little inconvenient. Shouyou bites back a smile.
"Be careful. Don't hurt yourself even more," Tobio continues, crossing his arms and looking down at Shouyou's legs again. He isn't nagging, per se, but Shouyou still rolls his eyes anyway.
"I won't! I'll be back to training before you even know it," he proclaims.
Tobio nods, apparently satisfied. "Good."
A gust of wind blows by, rustling Shouyou's hair and reminding him that he's supposed to be heading out soon. Still, he has one more thing he wants— needs to do.
Taking a deep breath, Shouyou pushes himself up, ignoring the wobble in his arms and closing the gap between his and Tobio's faces, pressing a kiss to Tobio's cheek.
Tobio lets out a surprised noise, eyes growing wide. And Shouyou honestly did not plan this far, and he can feel a hot blush starting to creep up his neck and ears, so he thinks it's time to get out of here.
He spins on his heels, attempting to make a mad dash for it, but somewhere along the line, Shouyou kind of… forgets he's injured. So he lands his weight on the wrong foot and lets out a squawk of pain, stumbling over the steps—
Quick as a snap of the finger, Tobio circles an arm around his waist, tugging him back upright before he can fall. He turns Shouyou around, muttering darkly under his breath, something like stupid and careless and I just told you not to hurt yourself more.
Before Shouyou can defend himself, Tobio leans down, returning the favour with a light brush of his lips against Shouyou's forehead. He does it like he isn't sure if it's even right, but doesn't want to let Shouyou one-up him.
And Shouyou cannot just let Tobio win this makeshift competition, so with a vitalised grin, he grabs Tobio's shoulders and drags him into a proper kiss.
It feels more like they just knocked their noses against each other and smashed their lips together in a fistfight (lipfight?), but Shouyou's stomach fills with butterflies all the same. When they draw back, Tobio's cheeks are a sweet shade of pink, and Shouyou is sure he looks no better.
"Uh—" Tobio begins, but he's interrupted by the shrill honk of a car. They both jump, and Tobio sends an embarrassed glare over Shouyou's shoulder. "You should go. Before my sister gets annoyed."
Shouyou lets his touch linger, reluctant to let go just yet. "Yeah. Oh! One more thing!"
Tobio raises an eyebrow.
"Can I keep this hoodie?"
With his lightning reflexes, Shouyou dodges Tobio's embarrassed punch, his laughter echoing loudly in their ears.