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Hinata wasn’t particularly looking forward to this. That night, the entire team was expected to attend their regional volleyball banquet; the same boring one that happened every year at the end of the season. His first year, Hinata was overjoyed by the idea of a new, exciting team event he had never been allowed to attend before, but when he got there his hopes were immediately proven to be set far too high. It’s just a volleyball dinner, what did you expect, dumbass? Kageyama had asked him when he noticed the tiny spiker’s disappointment.The redhead thought about what Kageyama was like back then and smiled. In their years of high school, the two of them had evolved from enemies, to rivals, to teammates, to best friends. He wasn’t entirely sure when each of those transitions in their relationship occurred exactly; it seemed like it all flowed together in a smooth, natural progression. He and Kageyama were so in tune with each other by this point - on and off the court – that they spent most of their time together, they just worked well that way. There was one detail of their lives Hinata knew they weren’t in tune on, however, and that was romance.Hinata was in love with Kageyama. He’d known since halfway through his second year. There were times when Kageyama would look at him a certain way or say a particularly nice thing to him and Hinata would see potential… Didn’t that hug after winning the match last night linger a bit longer than necessary? When we were talking earlier, did he look at my lips a little more than normal? But just when he gathered up the nerve to confess his feelings to his best friend, he’d chicken out and convince himself that he was being overly hopeful and seeing what he wanted to see.And now here they were: team captain and vice-captain, about to graduate and leave for university. And Hinata was still just as confused and repressed as he was the moment he and Kageyama met in middle school.Hinata huffed under his breath as he stepped into the club room after practice and began changing when the rest of the team started to filter in. The last member of the team to enter the warm, cramped room was their trusty captain, Kageyama.“Alright, everyone, don’t forget about the banquet tonight…” Kageyama began, flicking some silky dark hair out of his eyes to read from his clipboard. Hinata quietly cursed himself for being weak enough to feel butterflies from that small movement, not that it took a lot to get him flustered around Kageyama these days, anyway.Kageyama had grown and matured quite a bit since their first year of high school, and so have I, Hinata thought proudly to himself. Much to Hinata’s jealousy, Kageyama had managed to grow even taller, but also more muscular. He was no longer the lanky, awkward Kageyama from first year. He was constantly getting confessions from girls all over school and Hinata would never admit it out loud, but he hated it. The pair didn’t talk about relationship stuff at all, and the redhead was thankful because he wasn’t sure if he could handle hearing about who Kageyama was interested in if it wasn’t him.“Everyone needs to meet at the hotel at 7pm, sharp,” Kageyama continued, glancing around the room and flashing a small smile in Hinata’s direction. “This year’s banquet is going to be a bit different since we’re being joined by a few extra schools. As you know, it’s being held in a hotel and it will be quite a bit fancier than we’re used to, so please dress appropriately.”After many questions from the team about what that meant for the dress code exactly, it was decided that jeans were not allowed, and neither were jerseys or practice gear. A few people asked if wearing a suit was acceptable, but Kageyama insisted it wasn’t that formal of an event. Once everyone seemed to feel reassured in their clothing choices, the team said their goodbyes and headed home to change and prepare for the evening ahead.“Wanna ride to the hotel together? Dad said I could borrow the car.” Kageyama offered during their walk home from practice.“I can’t,” Hinata groaned, silently cursing his bad luck. Another thing he’d never admit out loud was that there weren’t many things hotter than Kageyama behind the wheel, and he didn’t ever like passing up the opportunity to witness it. There was something about his posture when he gripped the steering wheel, the way his hands powerfully adjusted the gear shift. It drove Hinata insane. “My mom is going to a wedding close-by and is dropping me off on the way.”“Oh, alright then. I’ll see you later,” and with that, the pair parted ways at their usual fork in the road.~“Have fun, Shouyou!” Hinata’s mother called out the car window as she pulled away, making him blush. Hinata adjusted his tie for what must have been the hundredth time since he got dressed and made his way to the hotel’s entrance. He felt extremely awkward in this type of attire, considering he rarely wore anything nicer than a jersey or sweatpants.Hinata stepped through the big double doors, into the hotel lobby, and immediately spotted Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and some of the first years. They were huddled next to a fancy, uncomfortable looking couch, not hiding the fact that they felt awkward and out of place. Hinata joined them and the rest of the team slowly began to trickle in.“Hey, everyone,” Kageyama greeted from behind him and Hinata turned to greet him. He was expecting his best friend to come through the same entrance they all had, but realized that he drove himself and probably had to find parking elsewhere.“Hey, Kageya-“ Hinata erupted into a coughing fit before he could finish his greeting. The spiker found himself standing face-to-face with something even hotter than Kageyama driving a car: Kageyama wearing dress clothes. It was going to be a long night.~The banquet went over basically how it always did in the years previous: dinner, followed by Coach Ukai giving a speech, but Hinata forgot that the captain was also supposed to speak, but not for nearly as long – to Kageyama’s great relief. Hinata watched as Kageyama walked up to the podium and unfolded a piece of paper he had pulled from his pocket. He smiled as he realized that everyone in the room was now looking at his dark haired best friend, so he was allowed to as well.Kageyama’s attire for the evening consisted of a dark, red wine colored button-down shirt, a thin black tie, and black dress pants and shoes. As he began to speak, he rolled the sleeves of the dress shirt up so that they now rested just below his elbows and Hinata broke out into a sweat. This boy, I swear. He doesn’t even know. Hinata shook his head slightly, forcing himself to come back into focus and pay attention to Kageyama’s speech.“As yet another successful season comes to an end, I want to thank a few people in particular,” Kageyama began, placing a hand on the wooden podium before him. “Of course, we wouldn’t be here without Coach-“ he paused for applause, “and the entire Karasuno team,” another pause.“But I personally would like to thank our vice-captain, Hinata Shouyou.”Kageyama’s eyes tracked him down easily and sent a breathtaking smile in his direction. The room applauded and Hinata was instantly covered in a bright red blush. Kageyama waved his hand, signaling for Hinata to join him at the podium, so Hinata stood and made his way over to the setter.“I could talk for far too long about this guy, right here,” Kageyama continued, casually placing an arm on Hinata’s shoulder and shaking him lightly. The crowd chuckled politely, only a handful of them aware of the duo’s history together and the struggles they’d faced. Hinata felt like his whole body was on fire.“But for the sake of time, I’ll be quick. Hinata and I met in middle school and quickly became rivals, but after ending up at Karasuno together, we turned into teammates, friends, even a ‘freak combo.’” The audience laughed harder that time and Tsukishima gave a loud ‘woo’ from where he and Yamaguchi sat.“Over these past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to call Hinata my best friend. And this year, my vice-captain.” Kageyama took his eyes away from the audience and met Hinata’s eyes again, suddenly looking like he had snapped back into focus from letting his thoughts run away from him. “So, Hinata, thank you.”The crowd cheered and clapped enthusiastically and a few people – probably parents – took pictures. As he and Kageyama left the podium and walked to their seats, Hinata only had one thing on his mind; my vice-captain. My vice-captain. What did he mean ‘his’?

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Following Kageyama back to their seats after that speech, a million different thoughts and feelings were racing through Hinata, however, he was certain of only one thing: he needed to get out of that room.Kageyama confidently made his way to their table and Hinata’s eyes practically dug a hole into the setter’s back. Coach Ukai had approached the podium once more and was speaking words that Hinata couldn’t seem to hear. Once they reached their seats, Kageyama turned and softly smiled back at him, but his smile quickly faded when he saw the look on Hinata’s face.The redhead said nothing, just kept walking past the table and out of the room. He felt like he was going to puke and he wished he could say he didn’t know why, but he knew. Of course he knew.Hinata pushed open the doors to the large room they had been in and practically sprinted across the hall, finding the nearest coat closet. The small, dark room had no door, just a long metal pole running horizontally along each wall. A few jackets were hung randomly throughout the room. Hinata walked into the dark until he found the back corner of the small space and slid down to the floor.I’m such an idiot, Hinata scolded himself as he drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face there.“Hinata?”The voice made Hinata’s whole body tense up. Of course Kageyama would follow him, he was a good friend. Hinata instantly felt even guiltier about their ‘friendship’ than he had before. Here Kageyama was, being this amazing, platonic friend and Hinata just had to go and fall in love with him, take his friendship for granted. He just had to fantasize about Kageyama in the middle of the night, had to break out into a sweat when he saw his best friend driving a car or wearing a tie. He felt like slapping himself.“Hinata, are you okay? I’m sorry if I embarrassed you…” Kageyama began carefully, his words making Hinata’s heart drop.“Embarrass me? Are you stupid?” For the first time, Hinata raised his face from his knees and brought his tear-filled eyes up to meet Kageyama’s; the setter’s face twisted at the sight.“I- um, no… Maybe?” Kageyama sat down on the floor with his best friend and waited patiently for Hinata to explain himself. They'd had their fair share of fights over the years, so he was rather good at picking up on when to just listen and let the redhead collect his thoughts.“…You said I was your vice-captain,” Hinata softly reminded, looking down at his legs again.“You are,” Kageyama stated, matter-of-factly. “And I’m your captain.”“No, you’re the team’s captain.”“Well, yeah, but…? Hinata, what the hell-“ Kageyama clearly didn’t understand what Hinata was trying to say.“Ugh, you’re such an idiot!” Hinata raised his voice and shifted his weight so that he was up on his knees, facing Kageyama head-on. “Why did you have to go and say all those nice things?!"“What?! I said that stuff because I meant it!""I don’t deserve to hear you say those words!” Hinata yelped, guiltily staring at the carpet."Of course you do!” Kageyama leaned forward and rested a hand on Hinata’s shoulder reassuringly.“No, I really don’t!” Hinata shoved Kageyama’s hand away and the taller boy stumbled back, his body bounced up against the wall with a thump. Before Hinata realized what was happening or why, his body was mimicking Kageyama's movements unintentionaly, stumbling into Kageyama’s personal space until their faces were mere inches apart. He looked down to see the setter’s long, slender fingers wrapped around Hinata’s necktie, holding him in place above him. Kageyama smelled like shampoo and fresh air and the scent filled Hinata’s nostrils. He felt like his brain had short-circuited.“Listen to me, Shouyou,” Kageyama almost growled, so deadly serious that it made the redhead gulp.“Shou-?” Hinata breathed out, shocked that Kageyama used his first name. He felt lightheaded. Kageyama ignored him and kept going.“I am the team's captain...” Kageyama’s eyes darted back and forth between Hinata's eyes and his lips. "But, above all that - I'm... Yours." His sentence had started off strong, but it trailed off until his voice wasn’t making sound anymore and a shiver crept up Hinata's spine. Kageyama’s eyes met his, pupils blown wide, and Hinata sucked in a quick breath. His eyes darted down to the tie around his own neck and caught the other boy tightening his grip. He felt Kageyama's breath warm on his own lips and desire coursed throughout his body, filling him up. He wondered if Kageyama was really doing this or if this was a highly realistic dream that his mind came up with just to torture him.Kageyama slowly closed the remaining space between them and Hinata stayed perfectly still, trying to fully grasp the fact that Kageyama was doing this to him, not the other way around. Kageyama's lips brushed against his, as light as a feather, and then the door across the hall swung open and their teammates poured out."Hinata? Kageyama?" A few Karasuno students shouted in the hall, just a short walk away from catching their senpais in a very compromising position; the position in which the pair was still completely frozen, lips barely touching and chests heaving. The sounds of the team brought Kageyama and Hinata back down to earth and reluctantly backing away from each other."I'm driving you home." Kageyama growled as he walked out of the dark room and joined the others.

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Once he was certain that Kageyama and the others were far enough away, Hinata tip-toed out of the coat room and dashed in the direction of the men’s bathroom. He swung the door open and practically draped himself over the first sink he could find. Gripping the cold, white basin, he brought his eyes up to the mirror in front of him and properly exhaled for what felt like the first time that evening.What the hell was that? Hinata asked himself. He was clearly still reeling from the fact that he and Kageyama got themselves into that situation in the first place. He released another shaky breath and studied his face; his cheeks still held the blush Kageyama put there.Hinata and Kageyama had surely been through many things in the years that they had known each other, but the redhead was positive that they had never come close to doing that. Hinata bent down and turned on the faucet, dipping his hands under the stream of cold water and splashing his face. What did that mean?Hinata was no stranger to overanalyzing every little detail about his interactions with Kageyama. In the past – and not that long ago, if he was honest – he fully understood that he was probably overreaching as to what certain things between them meant or implied. Kageyama may have been the King of the Court but Hinata was the King of Subtext.But this. That almost kiss. He knew he didn’t make that up or imagine it. It had actually happened. Breaking him from his thoughts, the bathroom door opened slowly and Hinata turned to see Tsukishima behind him.“You’re still here?” Tsuki asked in his usual, rude tone. Hinata had hated Tsukishima for the longest time, but after being on the same team and spending time together, he gradually learned why Tsuki was the way he was.Something that helped Hinata overcome most of his negative emotions about the tall blonde was watching how he interacted with Yamaguchi, and not just the sassy remarks he shot at his friend when he dropped a ball or messed up a serve – but the times when they fell asleep together on the team bus, peacefully snoring, or when Yamaguchi was sick and Tsuki would skip practice to bring him soup. Those little things made Hinata smile.“You okay?” Tsuki wasn’t usually one to care enough to show concern for anyone, especially Hinata, so the redhead knew he must have looked pretty upset. He shut off the water and turned around, resting his weight against the sink behind him. He couldn’t figure out how to answer Tsuki's question, so he just shrugged.“Did the King’s little speech get to you?” Tsuki watched as water dripped down from Hinata’s wild hair to cover his face and neck. The taller boy ripped a paper towel out of the wall dispenser and handed it to Hinata.Hinata nodded softly, his eyes trained on the bathroom floor, focusing in on a cracked tile. He accepted the towel and dried his face, making a mental note that Tsukishima was far more perceptive than he seemed.“Look, I definitely don’t care about this,” Tsuki began, pulling out his phone to look uninterested in the conversation, “But you and Kageyama… You’re like, special, or something. You guys have come a long way and you make a perfect team – in volleyball and in life.”Hinata was pretty sure this was the longest span of time he had spent around Tsuki without being made fun of or called ‘short’.“I’m in love with him.” The words came out of Hinata’s mouth without his permission. He knew that Tsuki had every possibility to humiliate him now and his stomach twisted at the thought.“And I’m pretty sure he feels the same. So stop screwing around and do something about it.” And with that, Tsukishima lifted his headphones up over his ears and stepped back out the bathroom door, leaving Hinata’s mouth hanging open and his heart thumping wildly.~Hinata made his way back out to the hotel lobby where Kageyama was sending off the rest of the team with their families. There were only a few people left shaking hands and thanking their captain when the redhead got there and Kageyama gave him a quick, nervous glance. He already had the keys in his hand, dangling off his finger by a metal ring.“Alright, everyone, have a great night. I’ve gotta drive this guy home.” Kageyama brought his eyes back to the other people in the room and smiled, waving goodbye with the hand that was holding the keys, while the other hand softly clapped Hinata’s lower back. He tried his best – and probably failed – to hide the full-body shiver Kageyama’s action induced as they walked toward the back exit in silence.The silence continued all the way out the door, down the stairs of the parking garage, and the rest of the way to the car. Kageyama clicked the unlock button on his keychain the moment the car was within eye-shot and Hinata stole a glance over at his friend.Kageyama’s face looked mostly calm and composed, but there was something else hiding underneath that Hinata couldn’t quite pinpoint. His dark haired friend approached the driver’s seat and opened the door, offering a quiet “get in” before the door closed behind him. Hinata gulped.Was Kageyama mad at him? Would he pull his hair and call him a dumbass? Or… something else? Hinata grasped the door handle of the passenger’s side and ducked into the car, closing his door behind him. He turned away from Kageyama and reached for the seatbelt, feeling like he needed to say something. The silence had gone on for far too long.“Kageyama, listen I-”As he spoke, he turned toward his friend and jumped when Kageyama stretched across the seat, stepped over the middle divider and planted both his knees on either side of Hinata’s body. One hand pressed firmly up against Hinata’s chest while the other yanked the lever on the side of the car’s passenger chair, sending the seat jolting backward into a flat position. He leaned in close and slotted his face up next to Hinata’s neck, letting out a silent, hot breath.“Earlier,” Kageyama just barely whispered behind the redhead’s ear, moving a hand to grasp his necktie once more, “that felt good, right?”“Y-yeah…” Hinata stuttered, closing his eyes and inhaling Kageyama’s scent like he had before. “Hell yeah.”Those words seemed to be all that Kageyama needed to hear as he hungrily slipped his other hand behind Hinata’s neck and slammed their mouths together.Hinata had fantasized about kissing Kageyama for such a long time, but he was very pleasantly surprised to find out that the real thing far outdid the imaginary one. Their kiss was hot, wet, and dizzying. Hinata had never drank alcohol, but he was pretty confident that this had to be what getting drunk felt like. Kageyama drank him in with a feverish urgency that overflowed with years of unresolved sexual tension. Hinata let out an embarrassingly loud moan.At the sound, Kageyama's whole body flushed with heat and he couldn't stop himself from thrusting his hips down into Hinata's. He was already so far gone that he couldn't see straight."Shouyou," Kageyama gasped against Hinata's lips. Something like an electric shock shot through Hinata, from his toes, all the way to his brain. He couldn't handle Kageyama calling him by his first name, especially in a situation like this. He darted his tongue out and licked Kageyama's bottom lip."Kageyama, you-" Hinata breathed heavily. Kageyama pulled back and his dilated pupils met Hinata's again. "No... Not Kageyama... Say it." The dark haired boy's chest was heaving against Hinata's, their bodies as close as they could possibly get. He licked a stripe up Hinata's neck while he waited."T-Tobio." Hinata breathed, watching Kageyama react. "You're so sexy, Tobio." Kageyama groaned loudly and slammed their lips together once more. Hinata took Kageyama's earlobe between his teeth and smirked before whispering, "Oh, Tobio."Kageyama couldn't take it any longer. He propped himself up on his knees as his hands scrambled to unfasten Hinata's tie, followed by the buttons of his shirt. This action proved to be difficult though, as Hinata reached forward and palmed him through his dress pants, distracting him. At Kageyama's obvious frustration, Hinata giggled teasingly and arched his hips up to grind into the dark haired boy."Shou- ah, fuck it!" Kageyama growled into Hinata's neck, ripping the redhead's dress shirt open, buttons popping and flying all over the car. He bent down further and sloppily kissed Hinata's chest while simultaneously wrapping an arm behind him, getting a firm hold on Hinata's body. He slotted their hips together and applied a short burst of pressure."Tobio!" Hinata's eyes went wide at the contact. Kageyama saw the positive reaction and moved his hips over and over, finding a good rhythm. The pair settled in and let themselves completely lose control. Hinata wrapped his hands around Kageyama's ass and his fingertips dug into the tight muscle."Shou- Shouyou..." Kageyama groaned, "I'm gonna...""Ah, m-me too!" Hinata thanked every god he could think of that he and Kageyama were in sync at that moment, because just moments before he was contemplating how embarrassing it would be for him to finish way too early; before Kageyama. He couldn't see how he was expected to last any longer when Kageyama looked like that while thrusting down on him.And just like that, the duo came at almost the same moment, rutting and riding out their high together, panting each other's given names in the cramped, dark space of the car. Once Hinata could form coherent thoughts again, he slid over in his seat to make room for Kageyama, who instantly collapsed down next to him. They both felt the uncomfortable wetness in their pants but silently agreed to ignore it for a while longer."Well, holy shit." Kageyama was the first to speak. Hinata turned his head to steal a glance at his partner and couldn't help but return the smile he saw staring back at him.

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“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Kageyama sighed, his head lolling back onto the seat of the car. He held Hinata in his arms and twirled a piece of wild red hair around his finger. Hinata let out a snort to hold himself back from full-on laughing.“You think you’ve waited a long time?!” The smaller boy giggled, yanking on Kageyama’s necktie to bring him close enough to place a kiss on the tip of his nose. “I hate to break it to you, Captain, but I’ve waited longer.”“Bullshit.”Hinata turned and sat up so that he could look Kageyama straight in the eye. Every muscle in his body screamed at him to stay in the setter’s arms as long as he was allowed, but he fought against it as he spoke.“I’ve been daydreaming about your stupidly beautiful ass since that day in first year when you stayed over and I accidentally walked in on you changing in my room.” Hinata’s face held the same focused expression as when he and Kageyama were arguing about who was a better volleyball player. “I’m winning this competition, Kageyama.”“Okay, you may have technically waited longer, but I still have you beat when it comes to embarrassment.” Kageyama mirrored Hinata’s posture and sat up, then shifted back over into the driver’s seat. “Have you ever noticed that throughout our entire friendship, I never brought up any relationship stuff?”“Yeah, well, neither did I…” Hinata retorted.“Well, I dated someone for a short time last year.”Hinata’s face fell at that statement. First of all, he really didn’t want to hear about Kageyama being with someone else, especially immediately after giving Hinata the best orgasm of his life so far, but secondly, he was pissed that Kageyama had kept it from him. “Oh.”“I mean, it was like, less than a month. And we broke up because of you.” The redhead’s ears perked up at that piece of information. His eyes met Kageyama’s and he raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “We were kissing once and I, uh… I may have said your name.”“WHAT!?”“Yeah, she wasn’t too thrilled about it.” Kageyama flashed a smile in Hinata’s direction and the pair erupted into a fit of laughter. Once they recovered, he continued, “It took me a stupid amount of time to realize that if I needed to imagine myself kissing you just to feel comfortable kissing someone else, I had probably been in love with you for years and not even known it.”Hinata took in a sharp, shaky breath. He was fairly certain that his heart had never felt fuller and he couldn’t help himself from reaching over and holding the setter’s face in his hands. His thumbs lovingly brushed back and forth across Kageyama’s cheeks as the dark haired boy returned his gaze. Hinata knew that he had to ask, just to be sure.“Are you?”“In love with you?” Kageyama asked, although he already knew that’s what Hinata had meant. He took a deep breath to steady his thoughts. He had imagined saying this to his best friend so many times, he didn’t want to mess it up. Before he spoke, he pressed a soft kiss to the spiker’s lips. “I’ve never loved anyone nearly as much as I love you, Hinata Shouyou.”The air between them fell silent almost instantly and Kageyama waited, trying to study the other boy’s face. Still, nothing; just silence and a blank stare. He pulled back from Hinata’s grasp and furrowed his eyebrow.“Don’t just go silent after something like that, dumbass Hinata! Do you love me, too?!”“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Of course I love you!” Hinata scrambled to pull Kageyama back into his arms. “I just can’t believe this is real.”“Well, it is.” Kageyama mumbled, snuggling into the hair behind Hinata’s left ear; it smelled like soap and sunshine. Hinata smiled brightly into Kageyama’s neck.“I really do love you, you know that, right?” Hinata asked carefully. There was no way he was going to let Kageyama confess to him and then walk away from it not one hundred percent sure he was loved in return. Kageyama pulled back and gave Hinata his most genuine smile, one that practically stretched from ear to ear.“… Thank you.”

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The final weeks that led up to graduation passed by in a dizzying blur. Although volleyball season was officially over, the Karasuno third years – Kageyama, Hinata, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi – still had final assignments and exit tests to finish up before they could walk away from high school for good. Despite all this, Kageyama and Hinata were still floating around on ‘new relationship cloud nine’, making it a point to spend as much time together as possible. Although it wasn’t unusual for the pair to be inseparable before, it became quickly evident to everyone around them that something had changed and the couple was just that – a couple.The volleyball team found out about their relationship during an impromptu, ‘just for fun’ match – the season was over for the summer, after all. Kageyama and Hinata perfectly executed their newest quick at the end of the first match and without really thinking, Hinata victory-slapped Kageyama’s ass, exclaiming “Hell yeah! My man knows how to SET!” It was safe to say that the team was thoroughly confused and demanded explanations immediately.The team’s captains received quite a few ‘finally’s and one quiet exchange of ‘you owe me twenty bucks’ between some first year students that made Hinata laugh hysterically. Kageyama didn’t even try to hold himself back from interrogating the younger team members on how long they’d all been betting on their relationship status. Most of them responded honestly with ‘since we first saw you play together’ and Kageyama couldn’t possibly be mad at that.One reaction, though, stood out from the rest.“Hold on,” a younger brunette named Yamato had inquired, raising an eyebrow at Kageyama and Hinata, “Aren’t you both going to university?  Why did you wait so long to get together if you’ve liked each other for so long? Long distance relationships rarely work out, you know…”At those words, Hinata’s stomach dropped to his feet. He wasn’t entirely sure if the same rang true for his partner, but in the excitement of their new relationship he hadn’t even considered what would happen after their quickly approaching graduation. He was just so happy that Kageyama was finally his. And now at the end of the summer, they might find themselves right back at square one. Hinata thought he might puke.“Well, neither of us knew how the other felt… And I knew it would be irresponsible to date while leading the team, so this was the best option…” Kageyama hedged around the subject, clearly seeing how upset Hinata was becoming. It was easy to tell just from looking that the redhead’s thoughts were already louder than the conversation around him; his eyes wide, zoned in on the gym wall above their younger teammate’s shoulder. Kageyama placed a soft, supportive hand on Hinata’s back, trying to bring him back from whatever panicked thoughts were racing through his head.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”“Don’t worry about it, Yamato.” Kageyama responded to the younger boy with a polite half-smile, but his tone clearly said you should leave now if you don’t want to end up in a wheelchair. The brunette quickly fumbled around with his backpack and scurried out the large gym door.“Hinata, please don’t freak out about this...” Kageyama turned to face him head-on and gently held his shoulders. The redhead in front of him stayed quiet, his eyes worriedly staring at the empty court beneath a furrowed eyebrow.“Do you remember that first day?” Hinata began, quietly. A sad, distant sparkle glimmered in the brown of his eyes. “We saw each other here and found out we were going to be on the same team…”“You were so mad…” Kageyama chuckled, lightly ruffling his partner’s hair. “I was pretty pissed, too, though.”“I never imagined the amazing, crazy things that would happen after that… because of us meeting, playing on the same team...” Hinata’s eyes finally met Kageyama’s and they were rimmed with tears, ready to overflow. “We wasted so much time, Kageyama.”Kageyama nodded solemnly and pulled Hinata into his arms, steadying the smaller boy’s head onto his chest so he could hear Kageyama’s heartbeat. Without ever agreeing on it aloud, the pair both began to silently reminisce on their years at Karasuno. The dark haired setter knew it was cheesy, but sometimes when he thought back even further – to that first match in middle school – he pictured the same game, the same score and players, but mentally added in a little red string, connecting him and his best friend.After all, he told himself, fate had to have been responsible for bringing the two of them together, right? Whether it was just for the benefit of their team or if it was for them as two individual lonely people who perfectly lacked and supplied the exact thing the other needed.“What are we going to do?” Hinata asked, his voice just barely above a whisper, cracking on the last word. “I… I just got you.” Kageyama brought his eyes down to meet his partner’s and tried his hardest to look confident and positive.“We’re going to do whatever it takes.”~“I got accepted into OSU!” Hinata screamed through happy tears, bursting into Kageyama’s living room and squeezing the taller boy so tightly he thought he might burst.Hinata had applied for Osaka Seikei University halfway through the school year and wasn’t too confident in his ability to actually get in. He hadn’t even come close to deciding on what career he wanted in the future, but OSU was his first choice because it was so close to the Suntory Sunbirds volleyball team in Osaka.“Sunbirds, huh?” Kageyama had chuckled when Hinata first explained it to him over a year ago. “That might actually be a perfect fit for you.” Hinata’s name could be read in many different ways – “sunny place,” “sunflower,” “toward the sun,” – but Kageyama only focused on the fact that his best friend’s name perfectly reflected the warm, happy feeling Hinata always managed to radiate – not to mention the bright light he shone into all of Kageyama’s darkest, loneliest corners.“That’s amazing, Hinata,” Kageyama brought himself back into the present conversation, reciprocating his best friend’s embrace as tightly as he could. He tried his hardest to ignore the sick feeling that rose in his stomach as he remembered that just the day before, he was accepted into Shinshu University, a school that just happened to be over five hours away from Osaka.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Graduation came and went, and as quickly as it started, summer was coming to a close. Kageyama knew that for the rest of his life, he’d never forget the scorching summer days he and Hinata spent playing volleyball in the park or the chilly nights they watched fireworks and counted the stars while perched on the roof outside Hinata’s bedroom window.While an outsider could argue that this summer had been exactly like the last few they had spent together, Hinata and Kageyama both knew it was different for one huge reason; they were in love. Sure, past summers had also been spent gazing at the sky on Hinata’s roof and playing volleyball, but those summers lacked the warmth of their fingers intertwining; the excitement of their lips brushing. "I wish things could stay just like this," Kageyama had whispered into Hinata's neck one dark night between tiny, affectionate kisses. "Forever.""You wish we could forever be teenagers who have to resort to sneaking around at 3 in the morning to make out on the roof?"  Hinata joked, running a hand through Kageyama's dark locks. To a stranger, his tone might have made it seem like he was tired of the trouble they had to go to so they could spend time together, but they both knew that the unparalleled feeling of their bodies pressed together, the comfort they felt when they spoke to each other; it was all worth it.
"If that's what it would take to stay by your side, then, yes."
Hinata pitied his past self for all the times he had ached to kiss Kageyama under those stars when he could do it so freely now. On the other hand, he also pitied his future self for all the times he'd be so far away at university, once again robbed of the luxury of kissing Kageyama.The couple had decided at the beginning of the summer to avoid the topic of university for as long as they could, until it was absolutely necessary. They wanted to focus all their time on being together, enjoying each other’s company, not worrying about the future; and that plan went smoothly. It had, that is, until halfway through the summer when Hinata got a letter in the mail.“Orientation is next weekend!” Hinata studied the piece of paper, hopping up to sit on the counter in his kitchen and wiggling his legs back and forth excitedly. Kageyama sat at the kitchen table and listened intently. “I get to meet my roommate, see the school, and maybe even the volleyball team!”“Wow, that sounds great,” Kageyama encouraged halfheartedly, fiddling with a puzzle Natsu had left on the table earlier in the day. Hinata slid off the counter and planted his feet next to where Kageyama was sitting.“You’ll come with me, right? I want you to see it, too.”Kageyama’s heart sank at those words, the exact ones he didn’t want to hear. Of course, anyone would be happy to know that their significant other wanted to share details of their future with them, to show them their university, right? But the only thing Kageyama could imagine was walking through Hinata’s future campus, seeing all the places and faces that would be closer to Hinata than he was. They had agreed not to talk about the future yet, but Kageyama had a bad feeling that they wouldn’t be able to avoid it much longer. Despite all that, though, the hopeful look in Hinata’s eyes could persuade Kageyama to do just about anything, so he agreed and in a week’s time, they were on a train to Osaka.~After sitting through a long, boring welcome ceremony, the time had come to explore OSU’s campus. Despite the negativity hiding in the back of Kageyama’s mind, he had to admit that the university itself was beautiful. The buildings were huge and modern, the grounds were covered in flowers and trees, and everyone they had met so far had been helpful and friendly. Kageyama knew that no matter what university Hinata chose, he would fit in just fine there; he was very outgoing and made friends easily, after all. Kageyama had always envied that trait in his best friend, since he himself was the complete opposite. What am I going to do without him? His stomach twisted at the thought and he shoved it back into the corner of his mind. Not now… Please don’t think about that.“Alright… Building N, room one-three… two!” Hinata stopped dead in his tracks, ripping his nose out of the folder of information he was given at the welcome desk. “This is my room!”Kageyama’s heart jumped at those words, but he wasn’t entirely sure why. Hinata gave Kageyama’s hand an encouraging squeeze, being so in-tune with his best friend that he could practically feel the worries radiating off of him. Hinata had let the dark haired boy take in all the sights and sounds of the day so far, and hadn’t bugged him too much when he was quieter than normal, but now, he needed to be sure.“You okay?”“Honestly?” Kageyama softly spoke for what felt like the first time in hours. He kept his eyes focused down, on their intertwined hands. “I don’t know, Hinata. I’m just scared that-““Hinata… Shouyou?” A piercing voice called from behind the pair and Hinata dropped Kageyama’s hand, spinning around. The voice belonged to a tall, muscular boy, with green eyes and sandy brown hair.“Yeah?” Hinata replied as the other boy barreled up to them.“I can't believe you're going to OSU, too! Room 132, right? We're going to be roommates!" Confused silence swirled around them. "Don't you remember me? I’m Kazuma - Kazu for short...?”"Kazu..." The wheels in Hinata's brain were turning and after a few moments, his realization was punctuated with a yelp. Upon remembering, he offered a smile almost as big as the one his old friend was wearing. "Kazu from elementary school!"Kazu nodded as Hinata wrapped his arms around the brunette, causing him to laugh happily. Once they pulled apart, Kazuma stepped away from Hinata and glanced at Kageyama. “And you are?”“This is Kageya-” Hinata started, but Kageyama cut him off.“I’m his boyfriend.” Kageyama stated flatly and extended his hand. Hinata’s eyes flashed up at him, shocked that he was acting so cold, especially to an old friend of Hinata's. Kageyama never thought of himself as the jealous type, but he couldn’t help himself from being weary of this new guy. He was going to be living with his boyfriend, after all. Plus, Hinata had never mentioned him before. He blamed his possessiveness on the soon-to-be long distance relationship and left it at that. “Oh, nice to meet you,” The other boy responded quickly and shook Kageyama’s hand, more than likely feeling the tension in the air. “Well, let’s check out our room!” Hinata’s concerned gaze was still locked on Kageyama’s as his new roommate grabbed his arm and pulled him away into room 132.The room was what Kageyama assumed was the basic setup for a first year university dorm: a small room with two twin beds, two desks, and a shared bathroom. He claimed a spot on Hinata’s bed and sat, unhappily watching as the redhead and his new roommate reacquainted themselves. Not only did Kazu give Hinata a run for his money when it came to energy and friendliness, but he, too, had a little sister, hadn’t decided on a major yet, and played volleyball. He even planned on joining the Suntory Sunbirds, just like Hinata. Kageyama could already tell he didn't like this guy.After what felt like a lifetime of the roommates reminiscing on their elementary school days, Hinata excused himself to use the bathroom, leaving Kageyama and Kazu to sit awkwardly in silence.“So, what’s your deal?” Kazu started. Kageyama wondered if he had meant for his tone to sound as accusatory as it had.“My… deal?”“I mean, you’re… quiet. And rude. Unfriendly, even. But you’re with someone like Hinata? I don’t get it.”“There’s nothing for you to ‘get,’” Kageyama fired back. He couldn’t believe the nerve of this kid. He acted like he already knew Hinata so well, despite not seeing him for so many years. Kageyama definitely didn’t like this guy. Not one bit.“That right there is what I mean,” Kazu explained. The tone of his voice was wavering on the border between trying to be polite and picking a fight. He cleared his throat and spoke quieter. “Since I knew him when we were kids, Hinata has always been an amazing person-"“He still is.” Kageyama interjected protectively."So, all I'm saying is:" Kazuma stood from his desk chair and stepped toward Kageyama, locking his green eyes with blue ones, "I think he deserves someone better than you, and I won't hesitate if the opportunity arises." The air between them dropped to a freezing cold silence."Who the hell do you think you are?!" Kageyama leapt from his seat on the bed and fully intended on punching the brunette until he heard Hinata’s footsteps approaching the room. Kazuma backed away from Kageyama and sat back onto his own bed to clear the air.“We should get going, Hinata,” Kageyama icily spoke as the redhead entered the room. It was obvious to Hinata that the aura had changed drastically in the time it took for him to come back and he shot a confused glance at Kazu.“Yeah, I should head back home, anyway,” Kazuma agreed, smiling politely at Hinata over Kageyama’s shoulder. He nonchalantly pushed his way past the dark haired setter and walked toward the door. “It was great seeing you again, Hinata.” He added, turning back toward the pair and wrapping Hinata in a hug. He glared at Kageyama over the oblivious redhead’s shoulder.“You too, Kazu!” Hinata replied happily and Kazuma kept their gazes locked together over Hinata's shoulder as the hug lingered far longer than Kageyama would’ve liked.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kageyama knew how idiotic he was being by not telling Hinata what happened with Kazuma. He knew it, and yet that didn’t stop him from staying silent on the matter for the rest of the summer. They spent a few more nights under the stars, fingers intertwined lovingly; but they unfortunately spent a lot more time planning for school and making arrangements.Kageyama’s university wasn’t nearly as large as Hinata’s, which meant that he wasn’t required to attend a big, welcoming orientation like his partner was. He wasn’t even technically required to live on campus once classes started, but he chose to anyway – by the eager suggestion of his parents and Hinata – saying that if he lived in a dorm, he would be more likely to make friends. He knew that was probably true, but he couldn’t stop himself from pessimistically thinking that living closer to other students wouldn’t magically bring him friends, because Hinata wouldn’t be there and what was the point?The setter had paid his school a short visit with his parents and it was nothing too special, but Kageyama knew he would survive. Hinata had plans with his family that day and couldn’t come, much to the spiker’s displeasure, but Kageyama promised him that it wasn’t a big deal and that he would just have to come visit some other time during the semester. His heart twisted at the thought of having to plan visits to see each other that far in advance when they were so used to seeing each other basically whenever they wanted to.By the end of the summer, Kageyama had truly honed in on acting skills he didn’t even know he had. He was constantly pretending to be okay for his partner; to assure him that everything was great and the long-distance wouldn’t be a problem. Despite all this, the moment those reassuring words left his lips, he knew he didn’t mean them; he was terrified. On top of all that, he felt terrible for hiding his true feelings from his best friend and felt a gut-wrenching sense of déjà vu that brought him right back to their last few years in school when he was still keeping his affections to himself.For the record, Kageyama had almost told Hinata about his run-in with Kazuma – on multiple occasions – but something always stopped or interrupted them. The most infuriating part was that most of the time, the interruptions came from none other than Kazuma himself.Since they reconnected at orientation, Hinata and his childhood friend exchanged phone numbers, and seemed to fall right back into the closeness they shared all those years ago; before Kageyama had even existed in his boyfriend’s universe. Because of this, it seemed like Kazuma was constantly texting Hinata about anything and everything; It drove Kageyama insane, especially when Kazuma made it a point for Hinata to relay a ‘tell Kageyama I say hello’ almost every time they talked. Hinata probably saw at it as his friend being thoughtful and making a friendly effort to be closer with his boyfriend, but Kageyama knew all too well what Kazuma was really trying to do.The words from their meeting rang in Kageyama’s mind constantly. I think he deserves someone better than you, and I won't hesitate if the opportunity arises. Kazuma was trying his hardest to taunt Kageyama, using the very person he wanted to steal away from him as the messenger.One of the things that made Kageyama the maddest was how jealous he allowed himself get when Kazuma was involved. Before the happy little redhead, Kageyama had never found himself jealous about anyone for any reason, but from the moment that ball of sunshine stepped into his life, he was a goner. He would even get jealous when Hinata talked with players from other teams after a match. It was pathetic.Because of this, he told himself it wasn’t entirely his fault that his insides would twist and his body temperature would jump so high that he felt cold and sweaty whenever Kazuma was even slightly mentioned.“So, yesterday, Kazu and I went to that new ice cream place and-” Hinata began and sirens instantly blared in Kageyama’s head; his vision tinted crimson. The redhead was completely oblivious, however, and continued to fiddle with the Game Cube controller in his hand, instructing his character to kick in Kageyama’s direction. The setter’s character was almost instantly sent flying off the platform to his demise.“Wait, what?” The raven-haired boy asked incredulously, placing the controller down on the couch next to him. “That’s where you were yesterday?” Hinata turned from his seat on the floor and gaped up at his boyfriend.“Yeah?” The redhead stretched out the word in confusion. “I told you we were getting ice cream…?”“You never said you were going with Kazuma.” Kageyama’s voice was low. He tried his hardest to remove any trace of the tremor that was begging to hang from his inflection. The air between them was silent for a few moments and Kageyama knew what was coming next, he was practically asking for it at this point.“Why don’t you like Kazu?” Hinata’s question came out in a small voice and he avoided Kageyama’s eyes, choosing to play with his thumbnail instead.“It’s… nothing.”“You’ve been saying that for weeks, Kageyama! Did something happen back at orientation?”Kageyama stayed silent and pulled out his phone to distract himself from the conversation. Hinata leapt up and ripped it out of his hands, sending it flying across the room and tumbling onto the floor.“What the hell, Hinata!”“Tell me!” The redhead hollered as he clumsily climbed his way onto the couch and into Kageyama’s lap, pressing him into the fabric beneath them. “Now.” Kageyama took a deep breath, staring into brown eyes and tried to figure out how to explain.“We just… talked.” The dark haired boy still didn’t want to share the words that Kazuma had basically threatened him with. What if Hinata didn’t believe him? Or what if he believed those terrible words that the brunette had said about Kageyama? See, this shit right here was reason number one (of probably hundreds) why Kageyama hated Kazuma. He had never once questioned he and Hinata’s relationship – romantically or platonically – until this new guy came along.At his response, Hinata gave him a stern look that said I don’t believe that and neither do you. Despite this, the redhead could tell that there were a lot of different thoughts going on inside Kageyama’s mind and it worried him greatly.“Please, Hinata,” Kageyama pleaded softly up at his boyfriend. “This isn’t how I want to spend tonight...” It was their last night together, after all, and Kageyama desperately wanted his memories of it to be good ones; not memories of a night talking about Kazuma of all people. Hinata couldn’t bring himself to argue with the look on Kageyama’s face and gave up with a sigh. Twenty-four hours later, Hinata was in Osaka and Kageyama was in Matsumoto.~Long distance relationships suck. So many people had told them this, but Hinata had optimistically ignored them; now he just wished he would have listened to those people and asked them for advice. He was only a week into this new chapter of his life and it was proving to be the hardest thing he'd ever done. All summer, Kageyama had stayed positive and upbeat about the whole situation which came as a shock to Hinata. Kageyama of all people, keeping himself from having a negative attitude or getting angsty about something like this? If someone had told Hinata this a year ago, he would have laughed in their face. So, for Kageyama, he forced himself to stay happy as well. Because if Kageyama believed they could survive this, it had to be true.It also helped to have his old friend Kazu around. Although, Kazu was the one topic that Kageyama seemed to keep his old, sassy attitude around for. Hinata knew that Kageyama didn't like his childhood friend and new roommate, but he couldn't figure out why. Kazu never mentioned anything about it, in fact he seemed to like Kageyama. Of course, Hinata tried to ask his boyfriend on multiple occasions, but never got anywhere. He tried to tell himself that Kageyama was just being his old, awkward, antisocial self and left it at that. It was their first Friday afternoon at university when Kazu leaped through their shared dorm doorway holding a flier, and throwing his bag to the floor. He was all smiles as he explained that an upperclassmen had invited the volleyball team to a welcome party and they just had to come. Hinata instantly felt guilt bubble in his stomach -  a week before, he and Kageyama promised that Friday nights would be their 'Skype-date' night. "Hinata, this isn't something that happens every week, you know!" Kazu pleaded, practically jumping on his bed with excitement. "First years never get invited to this party, it's a huge deal!"Hinata scrunched up his nose negatively, knowing that if he told Kageyama he wanted to go to the party, his boyfriend would support him. However, it had a been a long, Kageyama-less week and all he really wanted to do was see his boyfriend, dammit. Was that too much to ask?"Come onnnn," Kazu dragged out, kneeling at the side of Hinata's bed. "Here, let's call Kageyama, let me talk to him." And with that Kazuma swiped Hinata's phone out of his hands before the redhead could stop him."Hey, give it back!" Hinata yelped, trying - and failing - to steal his cell phone back from his roommate. It was too late. Kazu stood on his own bed, holding the cell phone high so Hinata couldn't reach. He flicked the screen on and paused, eyeing the phone's background image. It was a picture of Kageyama, holding a volleyball and smiling sweetly. The setter had no idea Hinata took that picture and would probably punch his boyfriend if he found out it existed, much less that it was his wallpaper. "Laaameee." Kazu dragged the word out and Hinata blushed furiously. The green-eyed brunette chuckled in Hinata's direction as he swiped around, looking for Kageyama's contact, and tapping it when he finally found it. Kazu clicked the 'speakerphone' button and the pair waited as it rang a few times and then the line picked up. "Oh, Hinata, it's been such a long day... I can't-""Kageyamaaa!" Kazu stretched the word out happily and the line went silent."Who is...?" Kageyama's voice was completely different now; serious and slightly... dark? "Kazuma?""Hey Kageyama!" Hinata raised his voice from his spot on the floor below his roommate. He was sure that Kageyama would be able to hear that he was further away from the phone. He knew from the tone of Kageyama's voice that this wasn't a good situation to be in. He wished Kazu would mind his own business."So, listen," Kazu began, holding the phone close to his face. "There's a very important, mandatory volleyball event tonight that Hinata just can't miss...""I mean, it's not-" Hinata tried to interject, but Kazuma cut him off again. Why was Kazu doing this? The way he was explaining it made it sound more official than it was; it was just a stupid house party after all, not a volleyball practice."It's a very important meeting. You understand, don't you, Kageyama?"There was a long pause on the other end of the call. Kageyama was clearly confused and desperately trying to arrange his thoughts."I mean, o-of course... If it's mandatory, and for volleyball, we can reschedule...""What a good boyfriend!" Kazu praised the setter through the phone and stuck his tongue out at Hinata. "Thanks again!" And with that, Kazuma ended the call and tossed the phone back into Hinata's hands. The redhead stared at his roommate incredulously as the latter leaped from the bed and planted his feet gracefully on the floor."Kazu, what the hell?" "Oh, come on, Hinata. We're in university now, let's live a little!" He patted Hinata on the shoulder and then practically skipped across the room to his closet, rifling through different shirt options for the night ahead. Hinata frowned slightly and turned his phone on again, sending Kageyama an apologetic text message. He felt horrible, but maybe Kazu was right... they were in university now, after all. It was just one night and he could talk to Kageyama when he got home.  To:Bakageyama From: Hinata srry :( promise we can skype when i get back <3 To: HinataFrom: Bakageyama it's fine. miss you.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kageyama had never felt so stupid in his life. And he had failed so many tests in high school that he was no stranger to weekend supplementary exams. But this was different.He sat impatiently in his seat on the train as the overhead speaker announced that the next stop was his. When Hinata had called, he was already aboard the train and had no chance to turn back. He knew he shouldn't have tried to surprise him; he should have asked first, should have called. Something. Idiot.But there he was, five-plus hours later, walking off the train and stepping into Hinata's campus. The sun had already set and it made him feel uneasy. He was rather good at remembering directions - he had retraced the path they took around OSU on orientation day multiple times in his head - but he couldn't prepare for how different the area looked at nighttime. He silently thanked any entities listening for the invention of streetlamps.Hopefully Hinata's meeting wouldn't run too long.~In the past, Hinata recalled comparing kissing Kageyama to getting drunk, although he had never experienced the latter sensation. He could now say confidently that the two feelings were completely different. He hadn't gone to the party expecting to drink any alcohol, but of course, his pushy roommate and friend had almost forced it on him. Kazu had scooped some orangey-red liquid out of a punch bowl in the kitchen and splashed it into one of those generic, red 'party cups' before pushing it into Hinata's hands. No one warned him that there was alcohol in the punch, but Hinata scolded himself; he should have known better. This was a university party, after all.By the time his fingertips tingled and his vision swam, he realized far too late that he was getting drunk. And, for the record, he would have much preferred kissing Kageyama. Kageyama's lips were comforting, warm, inviting. They didn't make him feel like his stomach was twisting and ready to puke. Kageyama's kisses didn't burn his throat, didn't make him sweat uncomfortably.Kazu seemed to make sure that the moment Hinata's cup was empty, it was magically refilled. In hindsight, the moment Hinata realized alcohol was present in the punch, he should have stopped accepting drinks, but he was nervous. There were so many upperclassmen at this party and although Hinata was historically a very friendly, outgoing person, this felt like a whole different universe. Around him, swarms of sweaty couples danced around the house, grinding and bouncing to the overwhelmingly loud music that pounded out of the speakers. He watched from his spot on the big, brown sofa, with Kazu by his side. "We should dance!" Kazu suggested, slamming his half-empty drink down on the coffee table, sloshing a few drops onto the table's surface. He stole Hinata's drink, pulling the redhead up off the couch and dragging him into the part of the living room that everyone else was using as a dancefloor. Hinata's head spun slightly and he tried to balance himself. He really didn't feel like dancing. The more the alcohol kicked in, the more he wished he was back in his room, skyping Kageyama.Kazu swayed his hips to the beat of the music; despite being obviously inebriated and quickly approaching the line between 'drunk' and 'wasted,' the muscular teen had a natural rhythm and managed to look like he knew what he was doing. Hinata, on the other hand, had barely ever danced at all, and it showed.The brunette grabbed Hinata's hands and tried to manipulate the smaller boy's movements to mirror his own. Hinata could barely focus, his vision blurry and his body temperature skyrocketing. "Kazu, I don't feel very well..." Hinata spoke, his voice almost drowned out by the din of the speakers. Kazuma stared back at the redhead and turned his ear so he could try to hear his friend properly. He slid in closer to him, draping his arms around Hinata's neck as the shorter of the two spoke up again. "Can we head back, now?" Kazu's face fell and he didn't even try to hide it."Oh, come on, Hinata..." He pressed his chest up against the other boy's and Hinata gasped at the contact. Despite the alcohol clouding his judgement, he knew for certain that he felt uncomfortable. He only ever wanted to be this close to Kageyama. "Stay a little longer with me." Kazu whispered into his ear. Hinata's whole body felt slightly numb due to the alcohol, but he was pretty sure that when the other boy leaned down to speak, he gave Hinata's ear a soft kiss. Hinata leapt back, wobbling on his unsteady feet."W-what are you doing?!" ~After wandering around for what felt like almost an hour, Kageyama found himself standing at the entrance of the dormitory he was almost positive belonged to his boyfriend. He climbed the steps and once he made it past the front doors, he was greeted by a somewhat familiar face. The older university student was reading a book on an uncomfortable-looking couch in the common area and flashed Kageyama a friendly smile. The guy was a resident adviser that he and Hinata had met the day of orientation; Kageyama recalled that the silver haired male's name was... Ken? Kenji, maybe? After introducing himself and shaking hands, Kenji - Kageyama was proud of himself for being able to remember his name, he was usually terrible at that - explained that he was on duty for the rest of the night and although he hadn't seen Hinata and Kazu come back yet, Kageyama was more than welcome to sit with him while he waited. Kageyama accepted the offer, unable to come up with anywhere else to wait for his boyfriend to return home.Luckily for the both of them, the television mounted on the wall of the common room served as a welcome distraction from trying to make small talk. Kageyama knew he was far too awkward to try making much conversation with this stranger, and Kenji seemed to feel the same way. The pair sat quietly as a cooking show played onscreen; the host of the show was making a cake. After a few minutes, Kenji spoke up, glancing at the watch that perched on his left wrist."Wish I could tell you when they'll be back, but the welcome party is usually pretty wild. It's lasted all night in previous years."Kageyama thought his heart stopped beating in his chest at the word 'party.' He broke out into a sweat and took a deep breath. "W-welcome party?" Kageyama croaked out, bringing his dark blue eyes up to meet Kenji's brown ones. "They said they were going to a volleyball meeting...""Well, as captain of the volleyball team, I can guarantee there weren't any meetings tonight. I'm just bummed that I'm on duty here and couldn't make it to the party."Kageyama then remembered that Kenji had mentioned his involvement with volleyball when they first met. It hadn't clicked when he first got there, but why wouldn't Kenji be at such an important meeting with Hinata and Kazuma? In that moment, Kageyama was fairly certain he could've puked. He stood from his spot on the couch and began walking to the entrance of the dormitory, claiming that he just needed some air. That wasn't entirely untrue, but he just needed to calm down; to stabilize his thoughts.He reached the front steps of the dorm and braced his back up against a tall, concrete column that held up the building. His hands were shaking as his mind raced, trying to come up with an alternative explanation as to what was going on. He wished he had never boarded the train that afternoon; wished he would have just stayed at home and prevented himself from feeling so stupid.As if like clockwork, he almost instantly heard two people coming down the sidewalk toward him and he shifted behind the column he was leaning against so he wouldn't be seen. At first, all he heard was the shuffling of feet, then came the voices."Oi, hear me out for a second!" The first voice spoke, slurring slightly. Kageyama couldn't help but feel like he had heard the voice before and a chill went up his spine.The second voice didn't respond right away, but the footsteps that belonged to it kept pounding further down the pavement until the figure came to an abrupt stop and yelped an angry 'what?!' Kageyama definitely recognized that voice. Hinata. "What's your problem!? This isn't a big deal!" Kazu's voice echoed, probably slightly too loud."What the hell is wrong with you!?" Hinata shouted back. Kageyama was utterly confused as to what the pair was arguing about but he broke out into a cold sweat just thinking about it. "Did you think that shoving all those drinks at me would make me... I don't know, forget that I have a boyfri-" Hinata's voice was cut off abruptly and replaced with a quiet mmpff sound.Kageyama leaped out from behind the pillar and saw Kazu's arms wrap tightly around Hinata's body. He saw the brunette's face close in on Hinata's. He saw Kazuma's lips grab onto Hinata's hungrily. He saw everything.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It all happened so fast. Most of the details passed by in an angry, red blur, but a few specific sensations stood out in Kageyama's mind. The feeling of his fist colliding with Kazuma's jaw, for example. That was a feeling he wouldn't soon forget. The sob that left Hinata's lips as Kageyama shoved himself between him and his childhood friend ripped through the air like a dagger. Hinata stumbled back, clumsily falling to the grass with an oomph as the rest of the scene unfolded before him. To the redhead, it felt as if one moment Kageyama was five hours away in Matsumoto and the next he was crouching above Kazu, fists flying. Kageyama tore into the brunette, barely pausing for breath as his arms took turns swinging and making impact. It didn't take long before his knuckles were stained crimson. Unfiltered words tumbled out of his mouth in between blows and he couldn't even hear Hinata begging him to stop. "You bastard!" Punch. "You're disgusting!" Punch. "Never touch him again, you hear me?!" Punch. Silence.Initially, despite the alcohol still present in his system, it felt like hundreds of different thoughts were racing through Hinata's mind to figure out what was happening. Confusion, anger, fear, pain, comfort. All of these came flooding in, one after the other.Confusion, as Kazu's lips pressed against his. Why did he have to do something so stupid and selfish? How hadn't Hinata seen this coming?Anger, as he screamed at himself for ever accepting alcohol that night. For being so oblivious. For going to the party instead of staying home with Kageyama. For everything.Fear, as a third figure came rushing into sight and shoving them apart with the force of a tidal wave.Pain, not only as he hit the ground, but as he realized that Kazuma's stupid actions had ruined everything. Their friendship, Kageyama's trust, possibly his whole university experience.And lastly: comfort, as he realized his boyfriend was there, right before his eyes. He could reach out and touch him; could kiss him to rid his lips of the traitorous taste of someone that didn't belong there."T-Tobio! Stop!" Kageyama blinked and he was on his back, Hinata on top of him. Next to them, Kazuma was motionless on the grass. The smaller boy above him breathed heavily, using all his strength to not only hold Kageyama down, but to stop his arms from moving."Sh-Shou...?" The trembling dark haired boy blinked again, trying to clear his mind of all the rage that clouded his thoughts. What just happened?"I'm so sorry- Kazu lied about the meeting, it was actually a party, I never should have gone and they spiked the punch and-""He... Kissed you..." Kageyama's gaze was intently focused on his boyfriend's lips as he took a deep, shaky breath and pulled the spiker down so they were closer."I didn't want it, you have to believe me-""I do." Kageyama slammed their lips together and all was right in the world. They moved together effortlessly, muscle memory allowing their lips to dance like they hadn't been apart for an entire week. Their arms hungrily snaked around each other and Hinata couldn't stop himself from whimpering. At the sound, Kageyama pulled their mouths apart with a quiet pop. "Thank you." A small, anxiety-induced tear slid from Hinata's eye as he gazed down at his boyfriend, shaking slightly. Kageyama eyed him, seemingly surveying his condition as he held the smaller boy's shoulders."Where else?" Kageyama asked quietly, keeping his eyes trained on Hinata's collarbone. "W-what?" Hinata stuttered cautiously. "Where else did he touch you?!" The setter asked again, yelling this time. His deep blue eyes darted up to meet Hinata's as the redhead's eyebrows scrunched together, processing what Kageyama was asking him."He- um... He sort of... Played with my hair? And... Kissed my ear at the party...?"A dark growl escaped Kageyama's throat as he pulled Hinata's body close to his once more, pressing his lips against his boyfriend's left ear. His hands tangled in the messy ginger mop of hair as he added a nibble to his ear for good measure. Hinata gasped and Kageyama growled once more. "Mine."~Before they left, Hinata ran back into his dormitory - despite Kageyama's wishes - and made sure Kenji brought Kazuma inside and got him to bed safely. If Kageyama had his way, he would have left Kazu out in the grass or maybe even called the cops. Hinata was way too nice.They walked silently down the sidewalk, side by side, bathed in darkness between each streetlamp. Hinata had no idea where they were headed, but he was just glad he didn't have to go back into his room with Kazu. He didn't even want to think about what would happen when he came back. Would he have to request a new room or roommate? Would Kageyama get in trouble for beating up Kazuma so badly? A short, shaky breath left Hinata's lungs and he kicked a small rock with the toe of his sneaker."On my way here, I booked a hotel room." Kageyama said softly, reaching over and locking his fingers together with Hinata's. "You can stay with me, tonight, if you'd like." The words came out quiet and innocent, but all Hinata's still-slightly-buzzed mind could do was focus in on one detail: he and Kageyama hadn't properly spent the night together since they confessed their feelings, and now they would be sharing a hotel room. Would they also be sharing a bed? Sure, the pair had done their fair share of making out, and even made it pretty far when it came to sexual experiences together, but they had never gone all the way. Is that what Kageyama had in mind for their evening together? Or was Hinata just reading too far into it? Maybe the residual effects of the alcohol were messing with him. It wasn't that he didn't want to have sex with Kageyama, because come on. It was Kageyama, for God's sake. Of course he did. Hinata blushed to himself as he remembered how often Kageyama had been the star of the show in probably hundreds of Hinata's dirtiest dreams and fantasties over the years. He just didn't really know what to expect in real life. Hinata had done plenty of research in that department, and he hoped Kageyama had as well.He reminded himself of what he used to imagine kissing Kageyama would be like and then how much more earth-shatteringly satisfying the real thing ended up being. Would sex be the same way?He was quickly brought back from his thoughts as Kageyama squeezed his hand worriedly."Hey, if you don't want to, that's okay too-""Sorry, sorry, no!" He gulped and ran his free hand through his wild red locks, heat flushing over his entire body. "That sounds great. Let's go!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kageyama could feel the tension building in the air as they approached the hotel room he booked for the weekend but he couldn't figure out what was causing it. Of course, the night so far had been quite stressful; what with the party, the alcohol, and the kissing incident with he who shall not be named. Despite all those things, Kageyama felt as if the current subject that weighed heavily on Hinata's shoulders was something else entirely. He inserted the hotel key card into the door and heard a positive beep in response.The taller of the two casually walked into the room, plopped his backpack onto the nearest armchair, and sprawled his tired body out onto the king-sized bed. The hotel room was fairly large, clean, and well-decorated. Kageyama was thankful his parents let him use some of their traveler's points to book the room; he wouldn't have been able to afford it without them, although they weren't aware that he was bringing Hinata back to the room with him.Not that it would matter, he thought to himself. The couple hadn't yet found the right time to tell their families about their relationship; they both separately came to the conclusion that they might be putting it off on purpose because of nerves. His parents loved Hinata and Hinata's parents loved him, though that was from the vantage point of being best friends and teammates rather than lovers and boyfriends. Kageyama tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind as his eyes surveyed the redhead in question.Hinata stood a few steps inside the doorway, deeper thoughts clearly blaring inside his mind. Kageyama sat up to face him and sent a concerned expression in his direction. "What's wrong?""Oh, uh, nothing." Hinata seemed to snap back into focus and walked a few more cautious steps toward his partner. He swallowed softly. "Just... still worked up from earlier, I guess.""He's an idiot, Hinata." Kageyama's voice was instantly more intense with the subject of Kazuma in the air. His eyes studied Hinata's face intently."I know that, now..." Hinata's feet brought him even closer to the bed where Kageyama sat, until he lowered his weight to sit next to the setter on the luxurious, red duvet. "Again... I'm really sorry.""I should be the one apologizing," Kageyama interjected, Hinata's eyebrows lifting in surprise. Kageyama continued, "Back at orientation, he said a few things that I really should have told you about... Things that might have made this situation avoidable.""So, something did happen!" Hinata yelped, lightly shoving open palms into Kageyama's chest to punctuate his exclamation. Kageyama nodded softly, his features almost appearing saddened by the memory. Hinata scooted his body closer so his chest was flush with his boyfriend's side and he applied pressure until they were both laying down, next to each other. He cuddled Kageyama gently as he asked, "Tell me? Please?""He, uh..." Kageyama began after a long, trembling inhale, "He started talking about how amazing you used to be and still are..." Hinata nodded. They both knew that if this wasn't such a serious, touchy subject, Hinata would have responded with something like I'm amazing, Kageyama?! Tell me I'm amazing again! Kageyama continued his story. "And he basically told me that he didn't understand how I could make you happy and that I wasn't good enough for you... So if the situation ever presented itself, he would... Take you from me."The emotions that flashed across Hinata's face in that moment made Kageyama's gut twist in pain. This is why he didn't want to tell him in the first place; why he'd fully intended to never relay the message Kazuma had given him. He was fine with enduring the pain and self-doubt that the words inflicted on his own. He never wanted Hinata to feel that way or for him to make the face he was making now. Kageyama wrapped his arms around the redhead and held him close, stroking his hair."Why are you comforting me?!" Hinata's words were shouted into Kageyama's shoulder. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! I spent so much time with him! That must have killed you!""I thought you might believe what he said and not want to be with me anymore... I just couldn't-""How dare you."Kageyama's words, thoughts, and actions all stopped dead in their tracks. Hinata's voice shook as he spoke and his big brown eyes watered as he glared directly into Kageyama's blues. The tall raven boy scrunched his eyebrows together as he asked, "Wait, what?""How dare you think so little of my feelings for you!" Hinata angrily wiped at a tear that threatened to spill from his eye. "I love you with every single part of myself, Kageyama! No childhood friend or asshole roommate could change that." The small redhead sat up again and held Kageyama's shoulders with both hands."I-I'm sorry, Shou..." Kageyama's apology was cut off by a short kiss before Hinata continued."Do you understand what I'm saying, you volleyball idiot? I want to be with you, and only you. For the rest of, well, forever!"Kageyama was certain that in all the years he had known Hinata, the smaller boy had truly changed him for the better; he taught him how to express his emotions more freely, how to be a better teammate, how to be happy. But in that moment, he fully grasped the extent to which Hinata had taught him how to love. Before Hinata, he wasn't even sure if he was capable; but now, there was no question left in his mind."I understand." Kageyama said solemnly as he rolled his body to pin Hinata to the bed beneath them and slammed their lips together. "You're mine, forever."The couple had probably shared hundreds of kisses over their last few months together, but this one in particular was laced in seriousness and promise. Kageyama’s lips softly traveled from Hinata’s mouth, across his cheek, feathering over his ear, and down to his neck where they lazily placed wet kisses. Hinata quietly shifted his body underneath his boyfriend and inhaled sharply, his mouth letting go of words before he had time to fully consider them.“I want to have sex with you.”Kageyama’s entire body came to a screeching halt and he lifted his face to make eye contact with the redhead. “M-me too…” He stuttered out, placing a cautious palm on Hinata’s hip, gently shuffling his shirt up to feel his soft, pale skin.At his partner’s words of agreement, Hinata knew he had made the right decision. He hadn’t quite realized how much he wanted this until his hands started moving seemingly on their own, grasping the hem of Kageyama’s shirt and ripping it up, over, and off the setter’s head. The next few moments were a blurry, lustful commotion of searching hands and blush-covered skin until the pair was sprawled out, completely naked, and shivering – despite the room feeling like a hot summer’s day.The thought quickly occurred to the both of them that this was the first time – despite rushed, awkward moments in locker rooms – when they had been fully and completely naked and alone together. Just the idea of that sent an excited chill across them, leaving goosebumps in its wake.Seeing a blushing Kageyama hovering above him, Hinata couldn’t take it anymore; he reached his hand down and softly stroked Kageyama’s length. He was hyper-aware of how close their hips were to each other and he couldn’t stop himself from raising his pelvis so that he could add his own member to his grasp. His small but firm hand slid all the way from base to tip, and he could tell just from the noises alone that Kageyama was already coming apart above him.The taller of the two brought a shaky hand down to Hinata’s left knee and dragged his fingertips up and over to the spiker’s inner thigh, receiving a moan and twitching muscles in return. As Hinata continued to stroke both of their lengths together, Kageyama knew that from his – initially awkward but ridiculously helpful – research that he should probably begin to prepare Hinata’s body for their future activities. He brought a hand down to Hinata’s entrance and very gently massaged it, before realizing that he was missing something, bringing his eyes up to meet Hinata’s.“I- uh, I didn’t bring any- um…” Hinata stuttered, clearly distracted by his own movements that provided them both with such a satisfying friction. He slowed his hand to a stop and tried to focus as Kageyama cut him off.“I did.” Kageyama smiled sweetly as he leapt from the bed and ran to find his backpack. Hinata had to stop his throat from releasing a whine at the loss of contact. “I swear, I didn’t plan this… But this summer, I got this stuff and kinda… Keep it with me, just in case…”Hinata giggled at how awkward and innocent his boyfriend was as he made his way over to the bed and hovered over Hinata once more. I love this guy so much, he thought to himself with a smile.The bottle of lube opened with a pop and Kageyama didn’t waste any time squirting some out onto his hand. Hinata gulped quietly as he watched his partner, and Kageyama definitely noticed.“Are you okay?” Kageyama asked, concern painted all over his face. “We don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready…”“No!” Hinata almost yelled, “I want to! I’m just a little… nervous.”“So am I, dumbass…” Kageyama trailed off, placing small kisses all over Hinata’s chest before continuing, “But I’m with you, so I know it’ll be okay.” Hinata couldn’t help but blush, followed quickly by an ear-to-ear smile.“Same here.”The couple took a few moments to connect their lips once more and their previous passion easily built back up in a matter of seconds. Kageyama carefully brought his – now slippery – hand back down to Hinata’s entrance and massaged again, pleased with how the redhead’s body reacted. Hinata moaned at the contact and raised his hips out of instinct, needy for more.Kageyama brought a single finger up to the tender area and studied Hinata’s face closely as he pushed. He knew that this process – especially the first time – more than likely wouldn’t be the most enjoyable thing Hinata had ever been through, but he wanted to make it as painless as possible for his boyfriend. Slowly but surely, after some coaxing from Hinata that everything was alright and it was okay to continue, Kageyama progressed from one finger to two, and then all the way to three.By this point, both boys were writhing against each other, knowing full-well that they needed to act fast if they wanted to get to the main event.“Do it. I’m ready.” Hinata’s voice was filled with lust and punctuated with trembles as Kageyama ripped open a condom with his teeth and slipped it over his own hardness. He positioned himself against Hinata’s entrance and steadied himself there as his eyes met the redhead’s once more.“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you-”“Tobio,” Hinata breathed out; Kageyama was sure that he had never heard a sexier sound in all his life. “Fuck me.” He stood corrected.Unable to argue with the boy beneath him, Kageyama slid himself into Hinata, inch by inch. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to thrust full-force inside Hinata, but his concern for the other boy’s comfort took priority. Once he was in as deep as he could manage, he stopped and took a shaky breath.“I’m… gonna move now.”“Oh, yes,” Hinata moaned up at him, “Please, Tobio.”As he pulled back and felt how tight Hinata was all around him, Kageyama completely lost all control. Pounding into Hinata, he knew that – despite how embarrassing it might be – it would only be a matter of a minute or two before he was a complete goner. He really didn’t want to finish before Hinata, so he did the only thing he could think of; he wrapped his fingers around Hinata’s length and pumped in the same rhythm as his thrusts.“Oh my…” Moan. “Oh my God!” Louder moan.Like being hit by a train, Kageyama plummeted over the edge of his orgasm and slammed into Hinata over and over, riding out the rest of his high. Once his movements stilled, he glanced up at the redhead and noticed that he wasn’t moving anymore, either.“Shou… Are you okay?” Kageyama brought a free hand up to graze Hinata’s cheek. He looked down and saw a white, sticky substance splayed across the redhead’s stomach. “Did we just…? At the same time?”Hinata smiled up at him through glassy eyes and nodded happily. Kageyama knew that the pair had always been quite perfectly in sync with one other, especially on the court, but this too? Holy hell.“Oh my God, I love you so much.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A lot had happened in the last, how long had it been? Hinata’s eyes went wide at the thought that he had been a university student for three months already. Not only was he doing fairly well in his classes, but he and Kageyama had officially had sex, and Kazu had moved out of their dorm so Hinata was now living alone – which could be a bummer sometimes, but could also really come in handy with that whole sex thing.Just the thoughts and memories that came along with the word sent a hot flush throughout Hinata’s whole body as he tightened his grip on the duffle bag slung across his shoulder. He stepped into the train car and took the nearest seat he could find, making himself comfortable. Winter break had finally begun.He wasn’t nervous, exactly, but he’d be lying if he said anxiety wasn’t present in his system. Hinata's family had been given the opportunity to visit some distant relatives in America for the Christmas season but their departure date was the week of exams so Shouyou couldn't join them. At first, he was quite disappointed but then sneaky little words such as boyfriend and home alone jingled through his mind and any negative emotions inside him were long gone. As far as Hinata knew, Kageyama's parents were almost always out of town for Christmas which meant they could have a proper, romantic holiday - just the two of them. The nervous butterflies in his stomach fluttered violently and felt more like flying reindeer.    Bzzt bzzt. "Shouuuu-youuuuu!" Bzzt bzzt. "Shouuu-"Hinata's phone buzzed from his pocket and he flipped it open as quickly as possible; damn him for not putting his phone on silent but mostly damn Kageyama for recording such a ridiculous (and adorable) ringtone. Everyone on the train around him stared for a moment as he tried his best to will away the redness in his cheeks. Yeah yeah, go ahead and judge me, people.Kageyama texted to notify him that his parents had just left and the house was officially all theirs for the weekend. Hinata was quite relieved that Kageyama's parents were going out of town for Christmas. Don't get him wrong, he loved Tobio's parents but they still had no idea that their son was in a relationship at all, much less the fact that he was in a serious relationship with his male best friend.The couple hadn't discussed it much in the past, but Hinata had no idea how Kageyama's parents would react; Kageyama hadn't even told them that he was gay yet. They didn't seem like prejudiced people, but, as Shouyou quickly learned after telling his own parents, anything was possible.His parents and younger sister had come to visit his university back in early November and - although he hadn't planned to - he told them then.  "Well... We're dating." Hinata admitted after being asked why he used "Tobio" instead of "Kageyama" when asking for the salt. Natsu, as they both predicted, didn't have a problem with their relationship at all."Oh my gosh, I KNEW it!" Natsu squealed happily as multiple customers in the restaurant turned to stare. She took Kageyama's hand in her own and smiled sweetly up at him, "Tobio-chan, please take good care of my brother, okay?"Kageyama melted at Natsu's cuteness and looked her straight in the eye before answering very seriously, "I plan to take care of him as long as he allows me to."Then it was Hinata's turn to melt.  Despite his younger sister's support, Hinata's parents were a mixed bag that he didn't like to think about too often. At least the information was out in the open. Now they only needed to worry about giving Kageyama's parents the news... Eventually.  Hinata couldn't help but let out a tiny squeak as he typed his reply to Kageyama's text message. 
To: Bakageyama

must be an xmas miracle!!

can't wait for you to unwrap ur present ;)

(spoiler alert: ur present is me)
 Hinata was fully aware of how cheesy his response was, but he also knew how much stupid junk like that made Kageyama laugh. He smiled to himself as snowy trees blurred past his window. His phone got out half a vibration before he opened it - he was prepared this time. 
From: Bakageyama

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
  Hinata couldn't stop himself from full-on laughing out loud at his boyfriend's response.
I'm in love with such an idiot.
 ~ Hinata hadn't been inside Kageyama's house for more than thirty seconds before he was pinned up against the kitchen cupboard with a certain setter's tongue in his mouth. God, he had missed this. It had been nearly a month since the pair had seen each other in person and they sure as hell weren't going to waste this time together. Of course, they hadn't meant for such a long time to pass between visits but Kageyama had a huge group project to work on and Hinata was preparing for his team's upcoming tournament in January. Despite all that, they made sure to keep up on their Skype-dates - which had escalated from once a week to every single night because who could possibly sleep soundly without seeing Hinata's smile or hearing Kageyama's personalized "Goodnight Shouyou" song?! A monster, that's who."Mmm, T-Tobio!" Hinata giggled against Kageyama's soft lips, gently splaying his arms around the taller boy's waist. He hadn't yet hung up his coat (that had been discarded onto floor in the hallway) or put away his bags (those didn't even make it past the front door), "Hold on a sec-""Nope, not a chance," Kageyama playfully growled into the redhead's mouth, deepening the kiss and sliding a greedy hand up the back of Hinata's sweater, earning a moan in response. "There's no way I'm letting you go for at least an hour. Sorry, I don't make the rules," Kageyama added with a small chuckle, feathering kisses across Hinata's face and neck.Shouyou couldn't bring himself to care about his messy entrance into the Kageyama home for much longer as Tobio slipped a second hand underneath the knitted material of Hinata's sweater, pulling it (along with the t-shirt underneath) up and off the shorter boy's frame. The wet heat of Kageyama's mouth quickly found a lower position on Hinata's neck and the redhead moaned happily in response before hopping up and wrapping his strong legs around the setter's hips."I missed you so much, Shou," Kageyama's voice was littered with gravelly desire - just above a whisper - and the air from his words tickled, sending goosebumps across Hinata's bare skin."I missed you too!" Hinata carded a hand through Kageyama's hair, making sure to gently drag his fingernails across his boyfriend's scalp as he did (that was Kageyama's favorite). "Now, this situation feels a bit unfair..." Hinata smiled mischievously as he grabbed the hem of Kageyama's shirt and removed it quickly. "Much better," Kageyama moaned out before latching onto Hinata's lips for another heated kiss. The moments that followed were spent removing clothing, trading excited kisses, and being oblivious to the rest of the world. A bit too oblivious if they were honest; after the air had been filled with only the sound of their own moans, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke them apart with a gasp shared between them."Um, what the hell am I looking at here?"Hinata almost fell completely to the floor as he ripped his legs away from Kageyama's body so he could stand on his own. Kageyama leapt in front of the redhead to shield his state of undress (they were both down to only their underwear) and a deep red blush radiated off his face."Uh... Hey, Dad."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hinata had never been known for handling himself well under pressure, and this time was no exception. He and Kageyama stood in the kitchen in only their underwear with flushed cheeks, red kiss-swollen lips, and a very obviously fresh hickey perched on Hinata's collarbone; and who just happened to interrupt them? Kageyama's father. Considering the circumstances, Hinata's reaction wasn't all that unexpected."M-Merry Christmas, Ojisan!! Beautiful snow we're having, right?!" Hinata babbled as he scooped all the clothes he could find up off the floor and began to run in the direction of Kageyama's bedroom, "I'm just gonna go, um... DIE NOW, okay cool, bye!" That last sentence spilled from the redhead's mouth at a speed that almost matched his feet sprinting down the hall."Shou, hold on-" Kageyama called as he began to follow but was quickly stopped by his father's strong grip. Halfway down the hall, Hinata heard the front door open again and knew without looking that Kageyama's mother had just entered the equation.As soon as he crossed the threshold of Kageyama's bedroom, he slammed the door behind him and locked it - he wasn't sure why, but it made him feel slightly safer. Kageyama's parents were never going to look at him the same way ever again! They now knew that he and Kageyama were (at the very least) on a hickies-and-minimal-clothing level of friendship - which made Hinata chuckle (rather manically) to himself because after everything they'd already been through together, there was no way he could ever see Kageyama as "just a friend" ever again.He buried his face in his hands as the adrenaline that coursed through his body made his heartbeat flood into his ears - he was unable to hear or focus on anything else. He closed his eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath. They were supposed to be alone for the whole weekend! Why the hell were Kageyama's parents back already? And then a loud slam echoed through the house and forced him to pay attention once more. Then there were footsteps.He assumed Kageyama was coming, so after unlocking the door and nervously backing away from it, Hinata lowered his body to sit on Kageyama's bed as he waited. He desperately needed to see his boyfriend - needed to see proof on his face that he was okay and not too upset by whatever had happened with his father. However, he was surprised to see Kageyama's mother in the doorway. "Hello, Obasan," Hinata greeted nervously but politely (and slightly guiltily). Kageyama's mother was quiet and petite - short and thin, but strong both physically and mentally; Hinata pitied anyone who tried to pick a fight with her. She had blue eyes and dark hair that perfectly matched Tobio's and Hinata was fairly certain that Kageyama hadn't inherited any of his physical attributes from his brown-eyed, brunette father. He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed that she was still walking toward him, so he stood up and continued his greeting, "Merry Chr-"The breath was stolen from him before he could finish speaking as Kageyama's mother wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. She held him close against her and he could feel the strength in her arms. Although she was short, Hinata could proudly say that he had grown since he met her in his first year of high school and he now stood a whole head taller than her. Despite this, she brought a dainty hand up to Hinata's messy red hair and ruffled it slightly.Hinata wasn't sure what this hug meant or what emotions were held inside it, but he could tell it wasn't negative and relief flooded over him like a bucket of bathwater. When they pulled apart, his boyfriend's mother looked up at him with a sort of softness in her eyes and wiped a tear (when the heck had he started crying?!) from his cheek. She hadn't even spoken a word to him yet but somehow he felt so calm and loved and accepted - he never wanted to let that feeling go. He opened his mouth to speak (although he had no idea what he planned to say) but was cut short as Kageyama quietly joined them in his bedroom - his father was nowhere to be seen or heard."Boys," Kageyama's mother finally spoke, "please sit down." They obeyed.Hinata felt Kageyama's presence beside him and although they weren't physically touching, just knowing he was there made him feel completely at peace. He could handle absolutely anything as long as Kageyama was by his side. Kageyama's mother took a long, steady breath before speaking once more. She began by explaining that she and Kageyama's father were there because they missed their train so they would be leaving early the next morning. Hinata silently sighed with relief - he and Kageyama would still be able to spend Christmas together, just the two of them.Kageyama's mother then continued back to the more urgent subject at hand and asked what the state of their relationship was - obviously asking whether they were in an actual relationship or just a physical one. They both blushed from head to toe before Hinata spoke up. He felt it was his responsibility to explain his intentions with her son. "I've cared about Tobio for a very long time, Obasan. I love him." A cold blue twinge of fear rattled around in the pit of his stomach as he waited for her reaction. To both of the boys' surprise, Kageyama's mother smiled brightly."It's about damn time!" Her exclamation was punctuated with an excited giggle and the boys in front of her were dumbfounded. "Wait, what?!" Kageyama asked incredulously, finally speaking for the first time since he entered the room. His mother laughed again and explained that she had watched the two of them tiptoe around each other for years and thought that they were never going to understand the other's feelings. She was actually proud of them for loving each other. Talk about a freakin' Christmas miracle! Hinata smiled to himself as he took Kageyama's hand in his own and squeezed.After a few minutes of laughing, hugging, and more explanations, Kageyama's mother turned to leave - stating that she should give them some space after all the drama they had endured. With a hand on the door frame, she turned back to face them one final time, adopting a more serious tone of voice."Your father will come around, Tobio. Don't take it too personally, alright?"Kageyama's face dropped at the mention of his dad. Clearly, something bad had happened after Hinata had fled the kitchen. He silently kicked himself for running away like a coward when he should have stayed to support Kageyama in such a terrible situation. Kageyama made solemn eye contact with his mother as he gave a quick nod of agreement.She noticed the sadness on his face and continued, "Just know that I love and support you. Both of you, no matter what."Hinata opened his mouth to thank her again (he had lost count of how many times he had thanked her during this conversation), but stopped dead in his tracks when Kageyama ripped his hand out of Shouyou's and ran to the door, wrapping his mother in a tight hug. Hinata had known Kageyama for so many years now but he had never seen him hug anyone other than himself. The setter's shoulders shook softly as he gripped his mother so tightly Hinata thought she might be in pain. A small sob that Kageyama would deny to the ends of the earth escaped his lips and then he murmured into his mother's shoulder, "Thank you so much."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The hours that followed The Underwear Incident were especially tense for Hinata (Kageyama, however, was exhausted and 110% ready for sleep to claim him). Hinata stayed up uncharacteristically late, his mind filled with worries about how Kageyama's parents were sleeping just down the hall (and fully aware that he and Kageyama were sharing a bed); not to mention the mystery of what exactly happened between Kageyama and his dad silently ate away at him through three sleepy renditions of "Goodnight Shouyou" (plus one improvised verse) and some serious Kageyama cuddles before he finally fell asleep.To both of their surprise when they nervously emerged into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, Kageyama's parents were already gone. Hinata was so relieved that he threw open the fridge and began to make pancakes (in the shape of Santa heads, of course) with strawberries and chocolate. Kageyama happily blushed to himself when Hinata announced that he was using the Top Secret Hinata Family Christmas Pancake Recipe™ for their meal.“You should feel special because these pancakes have never been shared with anyone who wasn’t a Hinata!” Shouyou’s energy bubbled in time with the pancake on the stove and then he flicked his wrist and flipped the circle of batter over to reveal the other (slightly browned) side of the cake.“I do.” Kageyama cooed, smiling lovingly at his boyfriend. He loved watching Hinata when he was like this; fifty shades of focused, energetic, and determined. Hinata could probably inspire anyone to do anything. That was just one of the many reasons why people were drawn to him. Hinata whipped around to make eye contact with the dark haired boy and playfully glared at him.“Oi! What are you all smiley about? I need you to cut up the strawberries!” Shouyou punctuated the end of his statement with the point of his spatula and stuck out his tongue. Kageyama smiled even wider and took a few quick steps until his arms were wrapped around the shorter boy’s waist.“My bad,” Kageyama apologized sweetly before placing a feather-light kiss on the exposed skin of Hinata’s neck, “there’s an adorable redhead making pancakes in my kitchen. I couldn’t help myself from staring.”“Boooo, Tobio, that’s so cheesy!” Hinata swiped some of the pancake batter from a bowl with his finger and tapped it on the tip of Kageyama’s nose. “Plus, I’m not adorable! I am darkness. Fear me!”Despite how hard Hinata was trying to make himself look intimidating, he achieved exactly the opposite. Kageyama couldn’t help but giggle and the moment the sound left his lips he knew he had made a mistake. Hinata jumped on him, wrapping strong legs around Kageyama’s hips and wrestling his boyfriend mid-air.“What was that?!”“Uh, um, I mean… Ahh! Help! Someone save me from this adorable man-child!”With those daring words, Kageyama successfully started an all-out wrestling match that quickly turned into a tickle fight. Before they knew it, the pair was sprawled out on the kitchen floor, sweaty and out of breath.After finally regaining some of the air his lungs had lost from laughing, Kageyama turned over on his side to meet Hinata’s eyes with his own.“I can’t wait for you to open your present,” Kageyama stated softly, a slight blush growing on his cheeks.“You’ve already got mine?! Ugh, I haven’t been able to decide on your present yet!” Hinata sat up and slapped both his hands flat on the floor for emphasis before standing to remove the forgotten (and completely charred) pancake from the stove. The redhead continued his rant, cleaning the blackened batter out of the frying pan. “You’re so difficult to buy for!”“No I’m not!”“You are! You won’t even give me any ideas! How am I supposed to know what you want?” Hinata gave up on the last (and most difficult) dark patch of burned batter on the side of the frying pan and retired the cookware to the sink.“I know exactly what I want.”Kageyama’s voice was unusually serious for the situation and it piqued Hinata’s interest so he turned back around to face his boyfriend and was greeted with a plain white envelope being pushed into his hands. His eyes searched the younger boy’s face but couldn’t gain any new information so he did what anyone would do and ripped the envelope open excitedly (and messily). “Tobio…” Hinata squeaked his boyfriend’s name in amazement. In his hands was a Christmas card, created by Kageyama himself. The front of the card featured a fir tree decorated in multicolored ornaments shaped like volleyballs, strings of Karasuno-themed garland (on the strand hung a single black crow for every member of their first year team – Yamaguchi’s crow had freckles, Nishinoya’s had a thick patch of highlighted feathers on top, the list went on).A bright smile sparkled on Hinata’s face as he loudly proclaimed who each crow drawing was supposed to represent. Once he had finally and correctly named each one, Kageyama let out a soft but impatient “Open it already, dumbass!” and Hinata giggled, unfolding the paper and jumping slightly when something fell out. He didn’t get a chance to read the inside or look at the other drawings Kageyama had added yet, but the forever curious redhead immediately dropped to his knees on the floor to pick up the fallen item.His eyes scanned the words printed on the paper and he mumbled them to himself aloud as Kageyama lowered himself to sit on the floor beside him.“Train ticket… Departure to Osaka… January 4th…” Hinata’s eyes flicked back and forth across the paper, clearly confused. “Tobio, why did you buy my ticket back to school? You know I already have one, right?”“That’s not your ticket, Shou.”“Um, okay I think you’ve officially lost your mind or something because I-““It’s mine. I’ve been accepted as a transfer to OSU. I heard you needed a new roommate."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hinata had never made a pros and cons list. He’d never felt like he needed to.Hinata Shouyou, as a person, was very opinionated and rarely thought twice about the decisions he made; he almost always knew exactly what he wanted, when he wanted it, and how he planned to get it.The moment his bicycle squeaked to a stop in front of the storefront television that introduced him to The Little Giant, he knew he wanted to play volleyball. He wanted to soar high, score points, and become something invincible.The moment Hinata felt the sting of a volleyball slapping his palm for the first time, he knew he wanted to be part of a team. He wanted to become the best, prove others wrong, and be proud of himself.The moment he realized he was in love with his best friend, he knew that no one else would ever compare to Kageyama. The blue-eyed dark haired volleyball idiot had ruined him for any other person the instant their quick attack scored its first point. Hinata wanted to love Kageyama, for Kageyama to love him, and to reach the world stage - together.Hinata had never made a pros and cons list, but once he and Kageyama got together, he somehow found himself constantly (and, at first, unconsciously) adding bullet points to a mental one. The thing that worried him, however, was that his list was perpetually unbalanced.On January 4th, Hinata and Kageyama boarded a train to Osaka. They climbed aboard and found a set of two seats next to each other. Sweaty and out of breath from running to get there on time, they removed their jackets and bags.Hinata smiled at the dark blue sweater his boyfriend wore that read, Ball Is Life in English text. Hinata had given it to him as a Christmas present and Kageyama had genuinely laughed in approval. The redhead was generally horrible at coming up with gift ideas and settled on the sweater at the last minute; guiltily aware of how serious and romantic Kageyama's present to him had been and how silly his was in comparison. Despite that, Kageyama promised that he loved the gift and put it on over his clothes right away.Once they settled in their seats, Hinata's mind quickly drifted elsewhere.Upon seeing his boyfriend's zoned out expression (Hinata hadn’t realized his face indicated anything other than normalcy as he gazed out the window beside him), Kageyama spoke up.“Shou, are you alright?” The setter raised an eyebrow, clearly concerned. Hinata snapped out of his internal fog and met his boyfriend’s stare.“Oh, uh, yeah! Of course!” He stammered in reply.“Hey, I’m serious. Is this all too sudden? Are you having second thoughts?”The emotion in Kageyama’s eyes was unmistakable. He was worried, but tried desperately to keep calm and look normal – for Hinata’s sake. Hinata’s heart sank at what he saw. Yes, he may have been nervous, but he knew for a fact that his reasoning behind it was entirely different from what Kageyama assumed.“Tobio,” Hinata said softly and seriously as he placed a hand on Kageyama’s knee, “I’ll admit it, I'm worried.” He paused again, trying to quickly organize his thoughts into something coherent. Kageyama’s face fell.“I knew I shouldn’t have decided on transferring without talking to you first, I’m sorry-”Hinata cut off his rambling boyfriend with a quick kiss on the cheek. A few people on the train around them stared but Hinata didn’t care.“Have you ever made a pros and cons list before?” The redhead asked, unable to tear his eyes away from Kageyama’s.“Uhh, probably at some point... Why?” Kageyama shifted uncomfortably in his seat, confused and clearly still scared about Hinata’s opinion on the big life decision they were facing together.“I’d never really made one - before we started dating, that is. But at some point after I found out you felt the same way about me, I started a list without really meaning to.”Although Hinata didn’t think the words he spoke could be interpreted in a negative way, Kageyama’s face still held a sad, quiet expression. He looked slightly past Hinata as he listened, studying the trees that whizzed past their window.“The thing that worries me the most about my list is the cons. Wanna know why?”Hinata felt cruel leaving his sentence so vague, but he really wanted his words to make an impact. He wanted Kageyama to take him seriously. Kageyama’s eyes snapped back into focus, his eyebrows creased heart-breakingly as he searched Hinata’s face for an explanation.“O-oh, uh-” Was all that Hinata allowed for Kageyama to say before he continued.“I can’t find any.”“I’m so sorry, Shou – wait, what?” Kageyama stared in disbelief as Hinata gave him a small, sad smile.“We’ve been dating for over eight months, now right? Which means we should probably be past the ‘honeymoon phase’ by now - I checked on the internet and texted Hitoka-chan! And yet I can’t find anything wrong with you! Isn’t that bad? Shouldn’t we get annoyed with each other and have fights and stuff?!” Hinata stopped for air and, yep, people were staring again. Great.“Holy shit.” Kageyama let out in a small voice as he placed a free hand on top of Hinata’s. He looked Hinata directly in the eye yet again and then – to Hinata’s complete surprise (and confusion) – burst into laughter. “You scared the hell out of me, you idiot!”Hinata stared back, echoing his boyfriend’s confusion from earlier.“Listen. How does it make you feel when we’re practicing and I correct the way you jump?”“Ugh, I hate when you do that!” Hinata replied instantly.“And when I tell you that your receives suck? Or steal the last meat bun?” Kageyama continued on, tightening his grip slightly.“It annoys me!” The redhead shouted yet again, earning himself a smirk from the setter that seemed to ask: are you getting it yet? “There are plenty of things wrong with me and you are fully aware of them.”“But all that stuff is from before, when we were just friends!”“And that’s the beauty of falling in love with your best friend, Shou.” Kageyama lifted his free hand to gently hold the smaller boy’s cheek. “There isn’t a honeymoon period. So if you’re truly meant to be, you’ll love each other even if you’ve always driven each other completely insane.”Hinata's eyes glistened as silence enveloped the pair.“Good lord, Tobio!” Hinata sniffed as he laugh-coughed under his boyfriend’s touch. “When did you become such a romantic? Seriously, first you surprise me with this whole transferring thing and then you go and say stuff like that? Are you trying to kill me?”Kageyama laughed along with him, quickly and lightly brushing the pad of his thumb under Hinata’s eye to catch a small tear. Any other time, he probably would have teased the redhead for crying but he himself was so overcome with happiness and just pure emotion that he decided against it. He wrapped the smaller boy in his arms and their happiness radiated back and forth between their bodies.Hinata had never made a pros and cons list. The one time he tried, he forgot all the cons. By the time he remembered them, he had crumpled up the list and thrown it away.Because why bother with cons when the pros were so much more important?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kageyama woke up with a start. Where am I? He asked himself as his body and mind slowly but surely revived themselves. Kageyama was a morning person, sure, but that didn’t mean he woke up perfectly and immediately.He was the type of person that – no matter how early he got up or how late he slept in – always woke up completely disoriented and confused. He could’ve taken an hour-long nap in his parents’ home and would still require a solid two minutes to recall his last name.So, waking up in a completely new place for the first time was a slightly daunting task for him. The first thing he felt was warmth; specifically, on his left side. It took a moment for his mind to register the presence of another human beside him, but when it did, he couldn’t stop himself from jerking back to see who it was.The (even more wild than usual) mop of ginger locks spread out on his second pillow instantly anchored Kageyama down to exactly where he had been before falling asleep the night before. His mind drifted back to the memory of unpacking all his belongings in the room that he and Hinata now shared. He smiled, recalling how they pushed their beds together and just laid there in each other's arms until they fell asleep.Duh. He scolded himself as he returned to his warm indent in the mattress, draping an arm over the small unconscious frame beside him. Hinata’s body rose and fell softly in perfect rhythm, telling Kageyama that his boyfriend was still fast asleep and dreaming. The tiny spiker’s eyes darted ever-so-slightly behind his closed lids and Kageyama wondered what kind of dreams he was having. Hopefully good ones. As if like clockwork, when the thought crossed his mind his unconscious partner’s lips twitched into the tiniest smile, as if reassuring Kageyama that he was sleeping soundly and dreaming happily. Kageyama couldn’t help but smile back – even if he was the only one who knew he did it.Hinata was a heavy sleeper. Because of this well-known fact, Kageyama didn’t even hesitate when his arm moved on its own, the pads of his fingers slipping under the fabric of his boyfriend’s sleep shirt and rubbing soft, loving circles into the small of his back.As if feeling left-out, his other hand moved up in the opposite direction shortly after. He scooted his body even closer to his sleeping boyfriend and dragged his thumb across the redhead’s cheekbone, making sure the contact stayed feather-soft.It had taken Kageyama years to notice them, but Hinata’s face had the smallest, daintiest stripe of freckles; they sat below one eye, dusted across his nose, and finished their line under the other eye. They were mesmerizing and Kageyama was secretly proud that he was allowed to get close enough to see them whenever he wanted. He was the only person in the whole world that Hinata trusted enough to not only send him tosses (that he may or may not leap blindly after with his eyes squeezed shut) but to live with him; to love him and protect him and sleep in the same bed with him. How did I get so lucky?“You’ll get wrinkles if you smile like that for too long.”Kageyama jumped at the voice and his eyes focused back in on his boyfriend’s now awake face, “Sorry, Shou, did I wake you?”“A little, but it’s okay.” Hinata slipped out of Kageyama’s grasp and stretched his body, arms extending as far as they could into the air and pointed toes almost reaching the end of the bed. He let out a small stretching noise that Kageyama could only compare to a squeak. Adorable.“Get your phone ready, Tobio, this was a weird one.” Hinata warned, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders like a cape and sitting up in bed to face his boyfriend.This little tradition started about a month into university and continued almost every morning since. Even if they were hours apart, Hinata would relay the content of his dreams to Kageyama via Skype, text, or phone call and then the setter would research their meanings on a website he quickly decided to bookmark for quick access.Kageyama didn’t dream – correction – Kageyama never remembered his dreams. Therefore, hearing the massive amount of detail that flowed from Hinata’s mouth every morning was fascinating. Hinata dreamed constantly throughout the night and almost always remembered them – they were like full-length films projected onto the back of his eyelids.  Kageyama reached to his bedside table, grabbed his phone and opened the web-browser, ready to type as Hinata retold his dream from memory.“So, this one was actually much shorter than usual, but I was floating through space,” Hinata began, absentmindedly picking at the nail on his thumb, “I couldn’t tell if I was wearing a spacesuit or just regular clothes, but I could breathe normally. The only things I could see were stars; galaxies filled with rainbows of color – it was breathtaking.”Kageyama watched in awe at the expression on his boyfriend’s face. Hinata’s eyes were open but obviously still tired; they zoned in on a spot of the wall that sat just above Kageyama’s shoulder. The angle that Hinata sat in relation to the window gave Kageyama the perfect view of the morning sun dancing across those freckles he loved so much. The soft ray of light bounced through Hinata’s long eyelashes and perfectly displayed all the shades of gold, brown, and muted red in his irises.“Everything was sparkling and beautiful all around me – it was... calm,” Hinata added before a small smirk graced his lips, “but then it just dove straight into insanity.” The redhead couldn’t keep himself from laughing and Kageyama joined in even though he hadn’t heard the punchline yet. Hinata’s laugh was just infectious like that.“How so?” Kageyama asked with a smile.“I looked around and something came floating towards me from far away… I waited for what seemed like forever and when it finally reached me –” Hinata erupted into giggles yet again. Kageyama raised an eyebrow impatiently as if to say: tell me what it was, already!“It was a slice of pizza.” More laughter.They both laughed so hard that Kageyama held his sides and Hinata rolled off the bed with a thump. Wiping tears from his eyes, Kageyama helped his boyfriend climb back onto the bed and once he could talk again, Hinata insisted that they search the website for his dream’s meaning.“Soo,” Kageyama began, dragging his thumb across his phone to scroll past unwanted search results, “‘the imagery of galaxies or the universe symbolizes an infinite number of possibilities and opportunities or may suggest feeling limitless or adventurous.” Hinata nodded in approval and understanding.“And pizza, let’s see.” Kageyama typed for a moment and saw that there was only one search result for the word. He clicked and read aloud, “Pizza represents comfort and emotional nourishment.”“Whoa,” Hinata said, smiling at his boyfriend, “I didn’t expect an actual, intelligent explanation.”“Awww, Shouuuu,” Kageyama teased, clicking his phone’s screen off and wrapping his boyfriend in a hug, “am I  your pizza? Your adventurous, limitless pizza?”Hinata nuzzled his face into the warm fabric of the t-shirt Kageyama wore to bed and listened to his boyfriend's amused laughter before pulling the taller boy even closer and squeezing him tightly.“Damn right you are.”