Work Text:
hinata
have u changed ur mind yet?
WE SHOULD GO PLS
kageyama groaned at the notification. hinata has been bugging him for the past two weeks to attend the karasuno volleyball club’s reunion party this friday. it didn’t help that sugawara, who still stayed in contact with him, was also asking him to go.
hinata
cmon cmonnnnnn
we r the only ones who havent rsvp-ed
kageyama
i don’t feel like going
just go by yourself
when his best friend left him on read, he expected that to be the end of it.
kageyama had just gotten home from training with the adlers, so he wasn’t really in any mood to deal with anything right now. putting his phone down on his bedside table, he headed to the bathroom for a warm shower, unaware of the hell that is to come.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“kags! wanna join us for dinner? ushiwaka’s paying~” a beaming hoshiumi jogged towards kageyama, who was already packed and ready to go home.
“i don’t really-”
“OH BOO! i won’t give you a choice anyways, let’s go!”
kageyama sighed, lacking the willpower to free himself from his white-haired teammate, who was already pushing him outside. the rest of the adlers were already there waiting, so the setter knew he had no way out of this one.
it wasn’t that kageyama didn’t like his team. he just didn’t have the energy to socialize. it was bad enough that he would spend most days with chaos around him (see: hoshiumi), but for reasons he didn’t wish to discuss, he just wanted to be alone.
the adlers soon occupied three booths at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, each group stuffing their faces with the various menu options. it wasn’t long before empty sushi plates started piling up, with hoshiumi making up a huge fraction of it.
“oi, slow down. you’re gonna make ushiwaka spend too much!” fukuro scolded, while also ordering a new plate of salmon sashimi.
ushijima smiled. “don’t worry about it, hirugami-san. feel free to just order.”
as the rest of the team enjoyed their (free) meal, a certain setter seemed to be lost in his own world, barely touching the food that he got. his booth buddies seemed to have noticed because all three of them stopped eating to wave their hands in his face.
“kags, are you okay?”
“we probably shouldn’t have forced him to come…”
“tobio, is everything alright?”
kageyama gazed up to see concerned looks from hoshiumi, ushijima, and fukuro. he nodded and ate a piece of the tamago maki in front of him. “i’m fine, sorry. just a bit tired.”
the rest of the night went on as peaceful as it could get, and kageyama finally found himself at the comfort of his queen-sized bed. it was a friday tomorrow – the karasuno reunion. hinata hadn’t texted him back since last night, so he figured his best friend just accepted his unwillingness to participate.
sugawara
tobio
are u rly not going tom? :(
kageyama
sorry
i’ll make it up to you sometime
it wasn’t just the fatigue from training. in fact, kageyama knew the exact reason why he was like this. the real issue was that he didn’t have anyone to talk to. not because he didn’t trust any of them, but because it’s something he never brought up before.
he gazed at the view outside his bedroom window. the sky was especially clear, the moon shining brightly. kageyama had always loved the moon – the calm he felt just by seeing it, the comfort it brought by just existing.
but for nearly two years, it became hard to see. he was lucky that the clouds covered the heavens for the past couple of days, making the moon much easier to avoid.
“i miss you…” he muttered, before dozing off to dreamland.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“what in the actual fuck are you doing here?”
“hehehehe surprise!”
it was 4:26 pm. kageyama just got back from yet another grueling training session, and coming fresh from his bath, he was greeted by an unexpected knock on his door.
“what a horrible surprise then.” kageyama grumbled, still opening his door wider to let an enthusiastic hinata inside his apartment.
it wasn’t the tangerine’s first or second time here. he’s visited on multiple occasions – hanging out with hitoka, movie nights with the jackals and adlers, or whenever he just needed his best friend.
“okay, okay… promise me you won’t be mad, then i’ll tell you why i’m here.”
kageyama didn’t have a good feeling about this. he knew hinata had his fair share of stupid rendezvous (most he’s tried to take kageyama with), but something in his voice just made the setter feel uneasy.
“fine. spit it out.”
“not very convincing, but i won’t argue because we’ll be late.”
late? for what? kageyama was sure he didn’t schedule anything tonight.
“okay, i’ll just say it,” hinata took a deep breath, “isortofrsvpedforyouforthereuniontonight”
“HAH?”
“i said… we’re going to the reunion tonight!” hinata faked a smile, already expecting an angry reaction from kageyama. “yay…?”
“how is that even possible? i never said i was going?”
“i may have told daichi-san you were… and that you told me to tell him for you…”
hinata was met by a familiar feeling – kageyama, frowning, firmly holding his newly ironed shirt. to be honest, hinata thought twice before agreeing on behalf of his ever charming bestie. but he’s heard from sakusa, who heard from sachiro, who heard from hoshiumi that kageyama had been down and quieter than usual.
hence, he decided to take him out tonight to see some familiar faces! it was an act of pure concern and kindness, really.
“oh, you stupid-”
“okay, i get it! but we don’t really have time, the reunion starts at 6. get dressed, i don’t want to be late!”
defeated, yet again, kageyama let himself get pushed inside his room. as hinata closed the door to give him privacy, he let out a big sigh. why was he always falling victim to short, noisy athletes? (see: hoshiumi again)
he washed his face and brushed his teeth, making eye contact with his own reflection in the mirror. maybe this reunion could be good for him. or maybe, it’ll be a total shit show, and he’ll come home with nothing but sadness yet again.
as he headed toward his closet, muffled reminders from hinata told him that it was almost 5pm and that they had to go. rubbing his temples and muttering curses for his best friend, he pulled the first thing his hands could get.
“that’s it? y’know it’s a party, right?”
“so? i’m already doing you a favor by letting you drag me there. at least let me wear whatever i want.”
“ugh, fine! don’t blame me when you’re underdressed, okay?”
after some final banter, the duo finally left kageyama’s apartment and made their commute back to where it all began: karasuno… and into what could be kageyama’s worst decision ever. or not.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“hinata! kageyama!” the ever-so-loud nishinoya flashed the duo a huge smile, running over to give them a tight hug.
“noya-san!” hinata smiled at him with the same level of enthusiasm, if not more.
leaving the two loud mouths alone, kageyama ventured deeper into gymnasium. the place was decorated with streamers and balloons, and small tables were set up to make space for dining. eventually, he stumbled upon the refreshments, where sugawara greeted him.
“tobio! i’m so glad you could make it!”
“i didn’t really have a choice…” kageyama gestured to hinata, who was now laughing with tanaka about something nishinoya told them. “he rsvp-ed for me, that idiot.”
sugawara laughed. “i suspected. it did come as a surprise when daichi said we’d all be here today, knowing you just told me you weren’t.”
the two shared a few more words before sugawara excused himself to greet takeda, who had just arrived.
that left kageyama alone with his (maybe alcoholic) fruit drink. he didn’t know what it was but the color looked enticing enough to drink.
as he looked around, he realized it was just as hinata mentioned: he was underdressed. the other members didn’t come in suits, but they were definitely dressed more decently than he was right now. he figured black jeans, a black shirt, and a grey hoodie was more than enough effort to put in for something he was forced to go to.
as his thoughts further explored the embarrassment that is his attire, all that stopped in an instant as he locked eyes with someone he was all too familiar with. he quickly looked away, hoping to find something else to fixate on, but his eyes wandered back to the tall figure, who still stared at him.
for a moment, tsukishima’s eyes lingered in kageyama’s face, before briefly glancing at his hoodie and looking away, cheeks flushed.
what the fuck is he wearing?
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“okay, gather around! daichi has a few words to say!”
the guys gathered by the center of the gymnasium, where sugawara gestured for daichi to take the floor.
“i’ll keep this quick because we all have some catching up to do.”
scattered chuckles filled the air.
“i would just like to say thank you. i know it’s been a while since we’ve shared a space together, and almost two years since our beloved not-freshmen graduated,”
daichi pointed towards hinata, kageyama, hitoka, yamaguchi, and tsukishima, who all flashed him shy smiles.
“and i know we’re all dealing with our own lives now, but thank you for still being here today. this gym saw different versions of us, and i’m glad that it’s still here to witness our adulthood.”
“you sound old, daichi-san!” noya teased, earning him laughter from everyone else.
“okay, okay- sorry!” daichi chuckled. “anyways, i don’t think there’s anything left to say but enjoy tonight! we don’t know when this will happen again, so let’s make the most out of it!”
cheers erupted from all over the gymnasium as they scattered to converse with others. well, most of them at least.
kageyama was huddled up with tanaka, kiyoko, and hitoka, who were busy talking about how tanaka managed to finally win kiyoko’s heart. it seemed like a touching story… or not. he wasn’t really listening because his eyes found their way back into tsukishima’s, who was huddled up with karasuno’s generations of captains.
as if sensing a gaze at him, tsukishima glanced over, making eye contact with the raven-haired setter. he held that gaze a little longer, a small smile creeping on his face when kageyama looked away.
tsukishima stared at him longer, focusing on the way his eyes scrunched up as he laughed. he was probably overthinking it, but he could sense a hint of sadness in that look. like he was trying to feel happy. then his eyes wandered back to kageyama’s outfit. it really was a basic fit, not made for these kinds of events.
black jeans that he clearly didn’t iron, a black shirt peeping out of the neckline on his hoodie, and that grey sweater. tsukishima almost chokes on his drink as he notices a small detail on that hoodie, one that he was all too aware of: a little dinosaur.
the blonde looks away before he accidentally says anything he didn’t want to. he tried focusing his attention on the people in front him. yamaguchi was saying something about how hinata wanted to be the vice-captain during his time. and ennoshita replied with something that daichi said. he didn’t hear it well.
all that was in his head was that hoodie – his hoodie – that kageyama was wearing.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“let’s play seven minutes in heaven!”
as if the shared glances weren’t enough to make kageyama lose his mind, nishinoya just had to make things worse by proposing this stupid game. was it even really a game? two people locked in a closet – in this case, the equipment room – for seven minutes to do whatever?
“how do we choose?”
“spin the bottle!”
kageyama mentally cursed. he tried refusing to join, but his seniors just wouldn’t let him catch a break. this was all hinata’s fault, if he just hadn’t pushed him to go, then he wouldn’t be here worrying about some stupid game-not-game.
the bottle spun.
kageyama sighed. he misses his bed. it was already 7:46 pm, and around this time, he would already start preparing to go to sleep.
the bottle landed on someone that earned loud cheers from the group. but kageyama was too occupied with his thoughts to hear who it was. it obviously wasn’t him, because if it was, then hinata would already be all over him, teasing.
the bottle spun again.
maybe he should just pretend to be sick? cough a little then say he’ll head home. knowing the energy in his former teammates, they could be here until 12 midnight if they wished. he didn’t think he could stay here any longer. it didn’t help that he’d already caught tsukishima staring at him too many times than his mind wanted (but his heart loved).
“OI BAKAYAMA! YOU GOT CHOSEN!”
hinata’s shouting brought him back to reality, where everyone was screaming and smiling at him. all except one.
“wait, what?”
“you…” sugawara pointed at him, then at his worst fear, “and tsukishima. in the room!”
before they could properly protest, they were both shoved inside the equipment room, hearing it lock before they could even turn around.
well shit.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
a silence enveloped them as they stood on opposite ends of the room, afraid to say anything.
how many minutes has it been? at face value, seven minutes didn’t seem that long, but apparently, time moves painfully slowly when you’re in this position. (hint: it’s only been 30 seconds)
“so…” tsukishima attempted to break the agonizing silence.
“please don’t.” kageyama quickly cut him off, voice softer than normal.
“tobio… can we talk? please?”
kageyama ignored him, choosing to look down at the building dust on the floor. he wasn’t normally this difficult, but he couldn’t bear to look at the figure standing just a few steps away.
“tobio, it’s been over a year. i know things were rough, but maybe us being here, it’s a sign. maybe it’s time we talk about it… about us.”
yes, much to everyone’s surprise, kageyama and tsukishima dated. and it wasn’t some spur of the moment summer fling. no, they actually lasted a while.
it started right after the shiratorizawa match during their first year, when tsukishima so boldly declared his love for kageyama as they were freshening up. surprisingly, it only took a couple of days before the blonde finally won his heart (kageyama already liked him anyways) and they officially started dating after their triumph against nekoma.
it lasted for the entirety of their high school life and a bit beyond. they decided not to tell anyone else from the team, out of fear that it would cause changes in their dynamic. they did plan to come out after graduating, but it just never happened.
they broke up that same year they graduated, and they haven’t spoken since.
tsukishima dared to come a few steps closer to kageyama, who was still ignoring him.
“fine, i won’t force you. but just know that i regret everything, and i wish i could just take back all the time we lost and-”
“are you serious?” kageyama finally spoke, still not looking at him. “you know i tried reaching out to you? i even talked to kogane when i found out you were going to be on the same team. i tried, kei!”
it was tsukishima’s turn to be quiet. not because he wanted to, but because for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to say.
“i spent a whole year trying to get you to just talk to me. but you ignored that, didn’t you? i would’ve understood if you needed space, but at least have the guts to tell me.” kageyama scoffed, finally giving the blonde a look. “then again, it’s why we broke up in the first place. you have no guts.”
for the entire duration of the party, tsukishima was shamelessly staring at kageyama. and he knew that the setter noticed and felt a mixture of shyness and uneasiness with it. for each time they locked eyes, kageyama stared at him with the same deadpan look, although tsukishima swears his eyes softened at some point.
but here, in the dark, kageyama stared at him with anger.
“tobio, i-”
“no, i’ve had it. i was so scared of running into you that i didn’t even want to go to this stupid reunion!” kageyama was tearing up now. “but i figured that it’s been years. maybe now, i’d be ready to face you, and you could probably have the balls to just open yourself up to me!”
tsukishima didn’t say anything else. kageyama was right – he was a coward, the same as he was two years ago when he couldn’t even find the words to tell their former team that he loved him. and he couldn't find the words to admit to kageyama that he was still scared.
the none-fearing tsukishima was afraid of what people would think.
“and you know what the worst part is?” kageyama’s face was practically puffy now, messed up with his tears and snot forming from crying too much.
“i still love you, kei. i do! even when you chickened out on telling the team about us, even when you didn’t explain why you wanted to break up with me, even when you hurt me so bad that i just couldn’t enjoy life the way i wanted to.”
kageyama paused, catching his breath.
“and i love you now, even when all i want to do is walk away.”
he fell to his knees, hands in his face. at that point, tsukishima didn’t care anymore. he went over to kageyama, and held him gently. how many minutes has it been? they didn’t know. but the door remained shut, so they felt they had more time.
“tobio, shh.” tsukishima rubbed his back and caressed his hair with his other hand. “i’m sorry. i’m really sorry.”
and for what felt like an eternity, kageyama moved away to look at tsukishima. not with hate or anger, but with gentle eyes.
“i miss you, kei… why did you go…”
tsukishima’s eyes widened at the sight. even when they broke up, kageyama didn’t look this… vulnerable. his gaze had softened, but within it, tsukishima knew he was holding so much pain – and he caused it. kageyama was like this because of him. it left a horrible taste in his mouth.
“tobio… would you listen to me? please?”
kageyama wiped his tears and nodded, allowing tsukishima to gently hold his hands.
“i love you. i really do and always have. the night before our graduation, i talked with my mom about my future plans. she mentioned college, volleyball, and… marriage. she was so enthusiastic about me finally getting a girlfriend that i was speechless. i got scared, tobio. i didn’t know how to tell her…”
by this time, kageyama was tearing up again.
“so when graduation came, i chickened out. i got so scared of the idea that my mom would hate you… hate us… that i just left. i shut everyone out. and i know it isn’t a valid reason for putting you through such hell, and trust me, i’m not trying to excuse myself. i just… want you to finally know.”
kageyama cupped tsukishima’s cheeks, wiping the tears that were already falling.
“kei, i’m sorry… i didn’t know it was that bad…”
“no, no. shh, it isn’t your fault. you were right, i am a coward.” tsukishima hugged kageyama. “but not anymore, tobio. i’ve been thinking about you all this time. i wanted to reach out too, but i wanted to make sure i was ready. i didn’t want to see you knowing i was still the same piece of shit i was before.”
“what about your mom?”
“she knows. i finally told her. she was actually really supportive of who i am, but by then, i figured i was too late. i’d been hearing about you from kyotani. he said your career had been taking off really well. and that’s when i thought there was no use for me to come back into your life and ruin it all. i was happy seeing you succeed.”
the blonde paused, touching the little dinosaur patch sewn onto the hoodie.
“but then i saw this… i didn’t know you still had it.”
kageyama glanced down, eyes widening when he saw the patch. “oh my god…”
“huh, why?”
“i didn’t even realize i was wearing this… holy shit… i’d only ever wear this to bed sometimes, okay?”
and whatever took over him, tsukishima didn’t know because he was now laughing. he leaned his head on kageyama’s shoulder, still finding the whole situation funny.
“you are so stupid, you know that?”
kageyama frowned at him, lightly punching tsukishima on his side, but not pushing him away either.
“i am not stupid, you are.”
“i find your stupidity quite endearing, tobio.”
“tch, whatever!” he stood up, leaving tsukishima to almost fall face flat on the floor. “you were so sweet earlier, where did that go??”
tsukishima stood and walked towards kageyama, who was stepping backward. that is, until he hit the wall, and the blonde had him pinned there.
“i love you, tobio. i really do.” he moved his face closer, only inches away from practically kissing the raven. “and i’m sorry. for everything.”
kageyama was a blushing mess. as mad as he still was, he couldn’t find the strength to push the blonde away. he didn’t want it to be that easy, he wanted tsukishima to work for it. oh, but how badly he wanted to close the distance.
until..
the door clicked and flew open.
“time’s up!” sugawara exclaimed. “we actually went a bit over seven minutes because we all got distracted, but anyways, you’re-”
“OH MY GOD…. DID YOU KISS??”
sugawara was interrupted by hinata’s shout, finally focusing at the scene before them.
everything happened too fast, giving neither of them the time to react. in front of the whole team, tsukishima still had his hands against the wall. kageyama, who was beneath him, only had a shocked (and very red) face to show them.
“i knew you two had something!” yamaguchi states, smirking at his best friend, who was clearly throwing daggers through his eyes.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“you dated for about two, almost three, years and we didn’t know?”
“oh my god, how dense were we?”
“is that why you sometimes stay behind after practice?”
“they do that?!”
against their will, kageyama and tsukishima quickly became the highlight of the night. everyone bombarded them with questions, which was understandable given how long they’ve kept it a secret.
“it was my fault, though.” tsukishima spoke, glancing at kageyama. “all of it. and i did apologize earlier, but i know i have to do more than that to earn back that trust. even as friends.”
friends… kageyama didn’t want that. ugh, he hated how easy tsukishima made him fold. if he asked him to get back together this instant, he would probably say yes.
“i’m just glad you feel comfortable enough now to tell us.” daichi said.
“well, we didn’t have a choice…” kageyama muttered, clearly annoyed that their moment was so quickly ruined.
the rest of the night went on as more of an interrogation. who confessed first, how different their personalities were toward each other, up to the point where they ended things. tsukishima felt some form of relief now that everything was laid on the table. it took him a while, but there was finally nothing to fear.
as the guys said their bittersweet goodbyes, tsukishima took his newfound confidence to offer kageyama a ride home, to which the setter gladly agreed to.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“um, so… goodnight, kei.”
“yeah, goodnight. thanks for letting me do this.”
kageyama gave him a small smile before heading inside.
“wait-”
the raven stopped to turn to an already blushing blonde. it’s been a while since he saw him that flustered that he forgot how endearing it was.
“i…” tsukishima cleared his throat. “can i have your number? again?”
kageyama just smiled, “i don’t think you ever lost it.” he said before closing the door behind him, leaving tsukishima much redder than he already was.
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
kei
good morning :)
does this mean we’re friends now?
tobio
hi :)
well, it depends
kei
on what?
tobio
if you have the guts to ask me out again
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
if you ask kageyama why he kept that dinosaur-embedded hoodie, he’d look at you dead in the eye and say, “it’s my way of keeping him with me.”
and the gods sure knew what they were doing when fate made him wear that that night.
if you ask tsukishima why he went to that reunion knowing kageyama could be there, he’d look at you dead in the eye and say, “i’m waiting for a sign. any sign that would tell me to seize what i’ve lost.”
and, well, let's just say the gods definitely heard a fountain of gratitude that night.
end.