Work Text:
The only good thing about this party was the masks, people had gone ridiculously overboard with making or buying masks for this little masquerade party Hinata had decided to throw for new year's eve. His plain apartment had been decorated with cheesy gold decorations, traditional foods that were nothing above average and the only thing they'd been successful in doing was playing board games and getting unreasonably drunk. It was the most boring new year's eve party that Kageyama had ever been to, and he didn't have a lot to compare it to—even the alcohol was sub-par.
He supposed getting drunk on cheap wine and falling asleep on his best friend's couch with a few other strangers didn't make him a total loser, at least he'd gone out for once instead of sitting at home alone watching news coverage of the whole thing. He checked his watch, it was just a little passed 11 now, they had less than an hour left of the year, and here he was hiding from the party with a bottle of wine on the fire escape, staring off disinterestedly into the cloudy black sky. He reflected on the year as he leaned his elbows on the railing, the breeze was nice even if he didn't dare look down.
Well, he hadn't flunked out of college yet, he'd passed most of his classes, nobody significant in his life had died, only one break up marked August and it was his doing to end things—the year was all and all, pretty much just like all the rest of them, it was only fitting it end like every other year; doing nothing but get drunk. This party was almost as awful as the time Hinata invited him over to get drunk and they played games like twister and go fish, Hinata had learned his lesson about why drunk twister wasn't a good idea. Kageyama cared a lot about the dumb redhead even though he was too stubborn and had never thrown an actual adult party.
Kageyama sighed heavily into the night, he could only hear laughter and a j-pop song from inside, even though the game they were playing wasn't his taste, a lot of the other guests seemed to be having a good time. Parties weren't his thing in general though. He slid down and leaned his back against the railing as he took a swig of wine straight from the bottle; if nothing else he refused go inside to get another sympathy kiss on the cheek from Hinata at midnight.
Just as he was about to take another gulp, he startled at the sound of the window being pushed open, glaring to hide he'd been startled, he greeted the new company, “Hi,” he said stiffly. It was one of Hinata's friends Kageyama had never met before, he must have been one of his buddies from new biology class. He hadn't given Kageyama a name, but he was tall—even several inches taller than Kageyama himself—looked like he'd never filled out and had short blond hair. He'd made fun of Hinata almost immediately upon arrival by sarcastically asked who their host could possibly be, given Hinata's fire orange hair there was no mystery. Kageyama had snickered.
“Yes, hello, I just came to escape this terrible party Shrimpy threw.” Without asking to be invited he took a seat on the fire escape across from Kageyama, folding his long legs to fit, reluctantly he did the same, it was the only way they could both possibly fit on the platform together. The man was wearing simple khaki pants, a sweater vest and button up tee-shirt, he was well dressed and looked just like the type of guy that would be in Hinata's biology class; his face though was obscured by a gold and green mask, so all Kageyama could see was the annoyed look in his honey eyes and the nice shape to his lips. The raven head bit his tongue and averted his gaze, he was terrible at socializing with pretty much everyone but attractive people? He was like a kid. He looked everywhere but at him, trying to figure out what to say next as he fidgeted, making it entirely too obvious how awkward he was feeling at the moment.
“I'm Kageyama, Tobio.” The man frowned obviously his nose even wrinkled, in all truth he hadn't really cared that much what Kageyama's name was, but he'd gotten it anyway, so he reached out for the bottle of wine. Kageyama retracted it into his lap defensively, like he'd bought the wine himself and had any right to keep it for himself.
The man hummed softly, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he tried to figure out how to get the wine from the obviously buzzed, alleged best friend of their host. Hinata had told him way too much about the dark haired man, he had expected someone a lot cooler than awkward like damn, this guy bordered downright rude he was so uncomfortable, maybe Hinata just couldn't read him to see that? The redhead was a bit of an airhead most of the time, it was only with his help that he'd even passed his final in biology. Sure at first glance Kageyama was cool, he was tall, pale, dark hair styled nicely, sharp blue eyes and he held himself like he knew everything about, everything; he came off as almost arrogant at first and the lace black mask he was wearing didn't do him any favors in the “looking friendly” department.
“I'm Tsukishima Kei. Now can I please get drunk? If I have to play one more sober game of Hungry Hungry Hippos I'm going to scratch my own eyes out.” Kageyama actually snickered at that, he couldn't argue there so he relinquished the bottle of wine to the blond and watched him gulp it down and wipe his lips on his sleeve.
“This one almost tops Hinata's first “adult” party where we got drunk and played Mario Cart.” Tsukishima couldn't help it, the image of Hinata playing drunk Mario Cart was actually easier to imagine than he wished, the thing that was hard? Imagining Kageyama and him becoming best friends or doing those things together, to say they seemed like total opposites was an understatement. He took another gulp of wine before passing it over to the the dark haired boy, Kageyama wasn't sure what but there was something about Tsukishima he liked.
“Cute, how did you two meet anyway? I'm surprised you haven't killed each other yet.” Kageyama was starting to relax, Tsukishima watched as his shoulders began to relax and his guarded blue eyes began to let down their walls, the alcohol and their conversation was starting to dissolve his usual wariness.
“We met in grade school a thousand fucking years ago, we hated each other until we realized we both liked to play sports; he was kinda shitty, I was kinda good somehow we ended up surviving long enough to become friends and the rest is history.” Kageyama gazed towards the window thinking about Hinata, they'd become so familiar with each other he could pick Hinata's animated laughter out from the other five people in there.
Sometimes their friendship was a mystery even to him, but he just went with it—he'd found with Hinata that was better than trying to question things. So they talked every day and hung out all the time and sometimes, Kageyama wondered why such a happy guy would care so much about his buzzkill sorry ass, but he never asked. He snapped his gaze back to the blond, whose expression was neutral. “Uh, you?” He distracted himself by downing more wine, it wasn't bad initially but the aftertaste was awful, he was just too preoccupied about getting drunk to really care.
“Heartwarming,” Tsukishima said sarcastically, it was just the sort of story he'd been expecting. “I met him in biology, he kept asking questions during class so I offered to tutor him if that meant he'd stop pestering everyone. Too bad for me he's like a barnacle and I had nothing better to do tonight, aren't I just teeming with success?” Kageyama put the bottle down and for the first time since he'd come up onto the fire escape, looked Tsukishima dead in the eye, his brows raised and lips set in a tight line.
“I'm sitting on a fire escape thirty minutes from midnight drinking cheap wine straight out of the bottle, I don't think you have anything to worry about.” At least they weren't alone now though they were being buzzkills together. Tsukishima grimaced with disgust at himself, to think he'd be glad he was spending the last thirty minutes of the year on Hinata's fire escape, in the cold, drinking horrible wine with a handsome stranger...then again, wasn't it actually a pretty good turn of events? The alternative was going to bed early and being woken up at midnight by the old lady next door banging pans and screaming, at least like this he had company.
It help Kageyama wasn't bad looking, even if he was dressed like he'd just come from a funeral.
“We're both even.” Tsukishima reached out to take the bottle this time purposefully brushing their fingers, Kageyama flinched visibly at the touch and he actually had to fight the smirk trying to spread across his face. If that wasn't confirmation enough the dark haired boy felt the same, he actually avoided making eye contact. Seems he's as open of a book as Hinata, Tsukishima mused, taking a swig dragging it out as he waited to see if Kageyama would say anything to him. He didn't, he just picked at a string on his jeans, looking like a little kid who didn't know what to say in class. Tsukishima decided to just go for it. “You have a girlfriend? A boyfriend?” Kageyama looked up so fast his neck creaked, his love life had been a joke for at least three months it was amazing Hinata hadn't let him in on that one.
“Uh, no. I can't even tolerate most people long enough.” Tsukishima nodded, looking down at him as he brought the bottle to his lips without sipping. All the better, that meant there wasn't anybody to kick his ass for intruding on someone else's boyfriend. “I'm guessing by the fact you're here alone, you don't either.” Kageyama kept picking at that string even as he looked right at him, Tsukishima smirked patronizingly.
“Bingo, you must be a genius.” Kageyama frowned and glared down at his lap, he didn't see why it even mattered unless they were talking about their flaws again. He didn't really care all that much he was single—okay he did, a lot more than he would admit—let alone care that much that Tsukishima was too—ok he did that too. “So you're straight, bi? Gay?” He didn't get the sudden line of questioning but Tsukishima seemed pretty intent on it, he hadn't even taken a drink since he started, Kageyama was at least aware enough to notice that. Obviously the answers meant something to him, Kageyama looked up at the blond through his lashes, he was getting more curious about him too he had a focused look to his amber eyes, like he was pursuing something.
“Nope, I won't share my sexuality without knowing yours first.” Tsukishima opened his mouth to answer, his expression falling slightly, he hadn't been expecting that was Kageyama actually catching onto him? He wasn't being particularly subtle but he'd assumed from what he'd gathered so far the dark haired boy was just as oblivious as Hinata was—someone could ask him to make out and he still wouldn't understand what they meant.
He quickly composed himself and answered, “I'm bisexual.” He looked expectantly down at Kageyama, who hadn't moved at all, he didn't even seem surprised to hear that, Tsukishima would be lying if he didn't say the strange composure he suddenly had wasn't attractive, because it was, very much.
“I'm really gay.” Tsukishima sort of felt with how his voice fell a octave that the tables were being turned and he was trying really hard to conceal it was actually flustering him. He was good at flirting, but only when he was the giver, he'd expected Kageyama to be the opposite but he didn't seem nearly as flustered as he should have been. The blond gulped down the rest of the bottle, maybe if he was drunk he'd know what to say, but after he wiped his mouth on his arm, he didn't feel any better. “Hey! Did you drink it all?” Kageyama snatched the bottle from him, shaking it but other than a few droplets it was definitely empty. “Go get another one! It's only fair.”
Tsukishima rolled his eyes but climbed unsteadily to his feet, he wasn't nearly as sober as he'd thought, drinking that much wine wasn't his usual routine and he was definitely feeling it. Somehow though he managed to sneak in, grab a bottle and stow away onto the fire escape again without being noticed, Kageyama was standing up unsteadily himself, looking out over the city, slumped over the railing. “The finest wine, Your Majesty.” Tsukishima leaned back on the railing, settling for watching him take it an experimentally sip, his face scrunched up in clear disgust with a sneer directed at the bottle.
“Why is Hinata's wine so shitty? Does he make it in his toilet?” Tsukishima actually threw his head back laughing, as Kageyama wiped his tongue on his sleeve, trying to get rid of the bitter aftertaste. Once he was satisfied he'd made enough of a stink he checked his watch, there was only a few more minutes before midnight. He felt his pulse pick up, after the new year came the party would dissolve and everyone would go home or go to sleep—he might never get the chance to see Tsukishima Kei without that stupid mask obstructing his face. He knew it didn't even hide much but it obscured enough to pique his curiosity, he regarded the glitter with annoyance, how could he convince him to take it off?
He set the bottle down in the corner, he wasn't even going to bother drinking it with how close the party was to wrapping up. “Um, so uh,” Tsukishima just kept standing there with his head thrown back listening to the noise in the apartment complex rising with the nearing of midnight. “This party is stupid, what's the point in even wearing these masks anyway?” He knew it was a weak excuse, Tsukishima raised his brows and looked at him in bewilderment before he realized by the nervous set to Kageyama's lips and his awkwardly square shoulders why he'd suddenly said that. “Don't you thi-” Tsukishima silenced him by ripping off Kageyama's mask, disheveling his hair in the process, the wide eyed shock on his face downright comical, he looked exposed. “Hey! What the hell!? That's not fair!”
Tsukishima took in his resting bitch face, sharp blue eyes, defined, handsome features and couldn't fight off the smirk that spread across his face, he looked like the cat who just got the cream. “You're hot.” Kageyama actually made an embarrassed noise at the compliment, a cross between a whimper and a grunt, a compliment had been the last thing on his mind.
He couldn't resist the heat that abandoned his by now cold body to rush to his face, he wasn't used to compliments of any sort. Tsukishima pulled off his own mask as he heard them shouting loudly in the apartment about being less than a minute. “Have you ever been kissed at midnight on new year's?” Of course he hadn't, the closest he'd ever gotten was a kiss on the cheek, Tsukishima was being so blatant with the offering.
“Um...no.” Tsukishima hoped it was dark enough Kageyama couldn't see how red his was face was too, he would never admit it aloud but he was pretty embarrassed himself, his stomach was filled with nervous butterflies. He chewed his cheek reaching out and taking Kageyama's hands in his own, it was a relief the dark haired boy didn't recoil away, even if he was shaking.
They could hear Hinata shouting around for Kageyama as the others started counting down. 10, 9, 8 he wasn't sure if they were actually going to kiss, Tsukishima was gazing intently into his dimly lit blue eyes and Kageyama kept holding his equally, but neither of them were making any move to close the distance between them.
7, 6, 5, 4 he heard Hinata cut off mid shout looking for his friend, 3, 2 – he wasn't sure which one of them surged forward or if it was both of them, but just as they said one, their lips were touching, moving together, every nerve ending in Kageyama's body felt alive as everyone inside shouted and yelled, around them from other apartments you could hear muffled cheering, some residents leaning out their windows banging pots and pans in celebration.
He decided as they grabbed onto each other and leaned in closer, tilting their heads to deepen the kiss, that it was probably one of the best heat of the moment decisions he'd ever made.
They both startled apart at a scream right at the window, shooting glares over at Hinata who was wooing and grinning so excitedly at his two friends he looked like he'd been the one to get a new year's kiss. “Way to go for it guys!” He cheerfully darted away at Kageyama's death glare, laughing to himself at the irony of this whole night.
At least the new year would be starting out great.