Chapter Text
It’s been years, Kageyama thought.
Years since they made the last promise to each other, to meet again on the court someday. Years since their high school graduation when everything suddenly felt so different and foreign and unsure. Years since all he could focus on and feel was that bitter feeling in his throat and in his chest, that he still couldn’t put a name to even now. Years since all of Karasuno inevitably got pulled in different directions of life, further and further away from each other.
It had been years.
Years since Hinata had packed and left everything behind, to the warmth and the unknown of Brazil. Years since Kageyama had to find out what Hinata had done from the rest of their teammates, Hinata seemingly lacking the guts to tell him to his face. Years since he received that first photo of Hinata in Rio de Janeiro in the group chat that they had set up with the Karasuno team in the last few months leading up to graduation, before everything seemingly fell apart bit by bit.
Years since he wanted to reply in anger, in disappointment, ask for an explanation, ask “How could you keep this from me?”, ask “How could you just up and leave?”. Years since he ultimately didn’t, instead letting time pass, and his feelings fade, slowly but steadily, until all he was left with was quiet acceptance. Acceptance that this was what Hinata wanted, so really, who was he to expect or demand more. Acceptance that things didn’t usually tend to last after high school anyways. Acceptance that this was perhaps for the best.
Time had passed just fine. Kageyama’s career was everything he’d hoped and dreamed about. He was racking up milestone after milestone: one of the youngest players to represent Japan at the Olympics, one of the youngest players to be drafted straight out of high school and kickstart his professional career, one of the strongest setters in Japanese volleyball history, with the most realised sets for the Adlers in the club’s history last season. Volleyball always helped him stay focused and keep his head in the game, not waste time on feelings that would only fill him up with doubt and anger and defeat.
They stopped speaking altogether. The group chat was a safe resort to keep each other informed, without the commitment or expectations of a one-on-one conversation. They were aware of each other, and that seemed to be the extent of it.
He still wanted to know about Hinata, of course. Just like he would with all his past teammates from Karasuno. To know that he was good, and healthy. Since his surprising return to Japan and signing with the MSBY Black Jackals, the sport news outlets had plenty of information on Hinata, and his new team, and his journey, and his past, and his future.
And this worked for Kageyama. This routine, this system he’d set. It took some time initially but he’d found that volleyball and time cured any lingering feelings. And they had.
And so, it had been 4 years since their graduation, 4 years since their goodbye, the one that Kageyama hadn’t realised would be their last, and 4 years since they had last looked each other in the eye. And this worked for Kageyama. And it was fine, and he had let this go a long time ago.
And now, it had been 4 years, and here Kageyama was, at Kodaira Arena in Tokyo, the official arena for the Schweiden Adlers, and here he stood, frozen, in a little speck of a moment in time, in the middle of the court during warm-up, as his team prepared to face on the MSBY Black Jackals for the first time this season, unsure of what to do with all that was going through his head and his mind and his soul, as Hinata stood on the other side of the net, eyes locked in on his.