Kageyama squeezed his eyes shut, leaning his back against the wall. They were at it again. Yelling at the top of their lungs, arguing so fiercely the whole foundation of the house seemed to shake. His parents. He knew a divorce was bound to come soon, each petty argument just postponing the initial thought.
He sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair. He plugged his headphones into his phone, putting an earbud in each ear, putting a Christmas playlist on shuffle. He could still hear them. He clicked the volume button to turn it up a few notches, to block out all of the vulgar threats and obscene language.
He needed out. He needed some time away from this house, to get some fresh air to clear his head. Getting up off his bed, he grabbed his coat, zipping it up. He then slipped on his volleyball shoes. He knew they probably weren't the most appropriate shoes to wear in the snow, but his boots were in the kitchen, where his parents were feuding, he preferred not to get involved in that.
He momentarily thought about telling his parents he was going out, but the idea shriveled entirely as he heard a loud crash. Gently opening his bedroom door, he peered around the doorframe to see the Christmas tree lying flat on the floor, it had been knocked over. All of the once dainty lights were dim, the fall causing the cord to jerk out of the electrical socket, eliminating the nostalgic glow of the room, pieces and shards of broken ornaments spread across the wooden planked floor.
He stared at the tree for a while, a tight line across his lips, each second he stared at it, only amplifying his will to leave. Without a second thought or a word, he strode towards the front door, hearing the crunch of glass beneath his feet as he stalked past the Christmas tree. Slipping through the front door and closing it behind him, he glanced longingly over his shoulder through the fogged transparent glass, into his 'broken' home. The destroyed Christmas tree appeared to be cut into fragments by the intricate designs of frost congregating on the window panes.
He shivered, a chill creeping up and reverberating through his spine. His breath came out in condensed hazy puffs, the wind gently brushing through strands of his hair. The cold frigid air was harsh and unforgiving. Subconsciously, Tobio had wished he had put on more layers before going out, but he shook his head, he wasn't going back inside now. Letting out a shaky breath as another shiver crept up his spine, he jammed his hands into his pockets and started walking, his shoes leaving footprints in the gentle powdered layer of snow.
He wasn't sure where he was going, but he found his feet unconsciously moving forward, following the path he often walked with Hinata.
He turned his head upwards watching his breath condense in the air, staring up at the hazy ashen sky, watching snowflakes gracefully flutter from the opaque clouds, like salt tumbling out of a salt shaker. He quietly hummed along to the tune of Sleigh Ride, which currently played in his headphones. The dainty twinkling Christmas lights and the onslaught of snow and inflatables reminded Kageyama that it was Christmas Eve, but his heart wasn't in it.
They say that Christmas is the season of miracles, of hope, of joy. Kageyama didn't believe it. To him, the month of December was just a cold harsh slap of reality in the face. There was no such thing as miracles.
"Kageyama! What's up?" A certain ginger called, jogging up alongside the setter.
Kageyama took one headphone out, letting it dangle limply, as he glanced over his shoulder at Hinata.
"It's Christmas Eve... Shouldn't you be spending time with your family?" Hinata asked curiously, a slight shimmer of concern in his tone.
Kageyama pursed his lips, averting his gaze downwards unable to meet the middle blocker's wide eyes. His cheeks flushed as he felt Shoyo place a gentle hand on his forearm. Slowly, almost cautiously, he glanced up into Hinata's bright amber eyes, looking at the twinkling Christmas lights reflected in the boy's irises.
"Kageyama is something wrong?" Hinata asked with genuine concern. Standing on his tiptoes, Hinata then pressed both of his index fingers on the corners of Tobio's mouth, forcibly upturning them. "Smile Kageyama! It's Christmas! Be merry!"
The dark haired boy felt the blood rush to his cheeks at Hinata's gesture, luckily with Hinata's oblivious ignorance, the sunset haired teen just thought the added redness was from the cold.
"Dumbass." Kageyama scoffed, haughtily turning his head away, pulling his scarf up higher to attempt to hide the blush laced on his cheeks. Why does he have to be so damn cute?, Kageyama wondered to himself.
"Kageyama! You should come celebrate Christmas with us!" Hinata chirped happily, grinning as a nervous laugh escaped his parted lips.
Kageyama glanced over his shoulder, up at the hill, over at his lonely barren, cheer-free house in the distance. Closing his eyes, he exhaled. He then turned to Hinata. "Fine. But I'm only going because I don't have anything better to do." He said monotonously, feigning disinterest and telling a white lie. Truthfully, he was ecstatic about the thought of spending the night with Hinata, but of course he would never let Hinata know that.
A smirk tugging at Hinata's lips, he grabbed a fistful of snow with his gloved hand, and packed it together into a tight ball, a snowball. Tossing it up into the air straight above him, he spiked the snowball at Kageyama, the compact ball of snow and ice striking Kageyama straight in the face, the ball nearly exploding entirely, sending down a shower of powdered snow and dewdrops.
Hinata tried to hold back the laugh that resonated from the back of his throat, snickers and giggles escaping his parted lips, but he failed miserably, breaking down into laughter. Tears pulled at his eyes and he clutched his stomach from laughing so much. Hinata then stuck his tongue out and held his hands up making 'antlers' on his head as he made a childish face. "Catch me if you can Bakayama!" The sunset haired teen taunted, breaking off into a sprint towards his house. Grinning, he glanced over his shoulder to see Tobio trailing after him. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat, he could already feel the murderous aura that radiated off of Kageyama, and the venomous wild look in the setter's eyes wasn't giving him any reassurance. Dread and fear weighing heavily on Hinata's shoulders, he ran faster and harder. From this moment, he knew he was dead man walking.
Hinata panted as he leaned against the doorframe leading into the house, snowflakes and melted droplets caught in his hair, sweat dripping from his face. "I..." He panted heavily. "I beat you."
"No you didn't." Kageyama scoffed under his breath. "I beat you."
"Shoyo, close the door! You're letting all the heat out!" Hinata's mother called from the kitchen. "Who are you talking to anyways?" She then peered her head out of the doorway from the kitchen, glancing down the wide hallway towards the front door.
"Oh it's just Kageyama." Hinata called. "Is it okay if he stays and has dinner with us?"
Aiko, Hinata's mother, sighed. She stood there for a moment glancing between the two volleyball players, her eyes dramatically having to shift elevation due to the height difference. She stole a glance at Tobio's eyes, at his face, and his seemingly emotionless and stoic expression. That told it all if you knew what you were looking for. She could sense something was amiss with his personal life, due to the melancholy, hollow look hidden in his irises, accompanied with the tight harsh line across his lips. Considering the boy had come over on Christmas Eve and that he wasn't currently with his family, that was the nail in the coffin.
Aiko managed a smile and nodded. "Sure, I doubt your Father will mind. He's supposed to come back from his business trip tomorrow morning."
Hinata then spun around and grinned brightly at Kageyama, his eyes seemingly sparkling.
Kageyama slowly took everything in. He had only been to Hinata's house once before, to help him practice with volleyball, but that had been it. The moment he stepped inside, he was overcome by various emotions, he could immediately sense how different the atmosphere of Hinata's house was compared to his own. In the living room he noticed a flickering flame, gently swaying and crackling, warmth beginning to trace up his fingers, the scent of baked goods and ham filling his nostrils, with a slight lingering twinge of peppermint. His mouth fell slightly agape as he inadvertently cocked his head to one side. Was this how Christmas was supposed to feel? He felt enlightened, like this joyous aura that emanated around him was a much needed breath of fresh oxygen. Had he been living in a dark abyss of turbulent seawater this whole time?
A few seconds later, Aiko stepped into the living room, holding two snowmen shaped mugs, nearly filled to the brim with steaming hot chocolate, dainty marshmallows floating in small flocks in the cup, all of them crowding in the middle of the whirlpool. "You boys must be cold, drink this to warm yourselves up." She offered courteously. "Oh Shoyo look at your cheeks and your hands! They're bright red, you should've been wearing gloves!" Aiko gently scolded as she clicked her tongue, returning back to the kitchen shortly after.
Kageyama felt a slight pang of guilt pulsate in his chest as he glanced down at the scarlet woven gloves over his hands. Hinata had sacrificed his own gloves and given them to him, insistent that Kageyama wear them.
Hinata turned towards Kageyama and smiled, holding his cup out. "Look Kageyama, we have matching mugs!" He chirped.
Caught off-guard by the sunset haired teen's outburst, Kageyama nearly choked on his hot chocolate. Slowly, he pulled his own cup away to hold it out in front of him and study it. They were indeed matching. He felt a warm sensation reverberate through his cheeks, and it wasn't from the warmth of the beverage.
"Cheers~" Hinata said, holding his cup out towards Kageyama, laughing.
"Cheers." Tobio near mumbled as he heard his glass clink against Hinata's. He wasn't sure if he'd imagined it, but he swore the indent between the Snowman's torso and head, created a small heart shaped gap when the two mugs had been brought together. He shook his head clearing his thoughts. There's no way, quit getting ahead of yourself, he attempted to reassure himself. He continued to take small sips of the hot chocolate, savoring each and every sinfully sweet swallow. He couldn't even remember the last time he had had hot cocoa.
He unconsciously scooted closer to Shoyo on the couch, pulling himself closer to his crush and the fireplace. He liked this warmth, there was something comforting about it, like a certain familiarity to it, it was like having a blanket wrapped around you to protect you from the monsters lurking in the darkness at night.
"Hey Kageyama..." Hinata started slowly, his cheeks flushing slightly as he set his empty mug down on the coffee table. He was unable to meet the setter's eyes. "I- Is it just me or- Or are you still cold? I'm freezing." The ginger whimpered quietly, pulling his knees up onto the couch cushion and hugging them, his whole body trembling as he shivered, his teeth faintly chattering. Hinata rubbed his hands together furiously to attempt to create friction and warmth, then proceeding to blow his warm breath on them.
Tobio felt his heart skip a beat as he watched Hinata attempt to forge or siphon any other available body heat. Seeing the shorter of the two curl up tightly, pressing his small frame as close as he could to the fireplace without falling off the couch. His body moving on instinct, totally on auto pilot, Kageyama found his arm draped around Hinata's shoulder, pulling the middle blocker closer to him, against his chest. Internally, he was screaming at his stupidity, mentally scolding himself for acting so boldly. Never had he ever wanted to slap himself more than now. However, somehow, on the outside he was able to withhold his composure.
"You- You said you were cold right?" He replied swiftly, although his own cheeks were passionately burning red. Luckily, the fluorescent glow of the Christmas lights and the gentle amber flicker from the the flames, softly illuminated the room, hiding the redness of his cheeks.
It took a moment for Shoyo to process what exactly had just happened. He replayed the scene in his head again, assessing the newfound warmth. Kageyama had his arm around him, his small frame was pressed against the dark haired boy's side. His amber eyes widened in disbelief, his heartbeat nearly tripling as it thrummed and thrashed against his ribcage.
Kageyama. Was. Cuddling. Him.
"K- K- Kageyama?" Hinata stuttered weakly, slowly turning to look at the dark haired teen.
"J- Just shut up and endorse in the warmth dumbass!" Kageyama huffed defensively, subconsciously beginning to wish that the heat radiating from his cheeks would engulf his whole body and cause him to wither into ash.
Suddenly both of their heads snapped to glance behind them at a sudden loud gasp. A small girl, probably still in elementary school, stood in the doorway, in a scarlet velvet dress, a large wide black belt clinging to her hips, puffing out the bottom of the dress. Perched on her head was a ruby red Santa hat, matching her dress, the white fluffy ball on the tip jangling as she began moving ecstatically, a bell inside. Kageyama inadvertently cocked his head to one side, she looked a lot like Hinata. She sported the same sunset hair, currently tied into short pigtails on either side, held in place by evergreen ribbons. And the same bright amber eyes, just a slight shade darker. Nastu.
"Sho-chan Kageyama's here?!" Natsu squealed. She had always been fond of the setter. "A- And you guys are-" Her face flushed as she glanced upwards.
Like moths drawn to a candle, they slowly followed her gaze upwards. Hinata swallowed dryly, his pupils dilating ever-so-slightly. Hanging slightly above them, just above the fireplace, hung a string of dark jagged leaved holly, the shining crimson berries intertwined with a smaller patch of small white round berries. Mistletoe. Kageyama audibly gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Natsu giggled as she skipped over towards them, humming happily to herself. "It's M-I-S-T-L-E-T-O-E. That means you guys have to kiss."
Hinata glanced back and forth between the decorative mistletoe and Kageyama's soft pillowy lips. He felt a sense of longing, of desire, swirling in his chest, coursing through his veins.
Kageyama let out a nervous laugh. "Natsu that's just an old wive's tale, it doesn't mean you actually have to-" He started, but he was caught off guard when he felt his lips interlocked with Hinata's.
Closing his eyes and leaning forward, Hinata kissed Kageyama, just as he'd suspected, the setter's lips were just as soft and pillowy as he'd imagined. He was kissing Kageyama, and he could feel him kissing back. Shoyo had no regrets. He had a lot of feelings for Kageyama, but he'd never known what to call them, it was just a nameless emotion that nested in his chest. This nameless foreign emotion made him want to smile widely when he saw Tobio, it made his chest hurt from how vigorously it caused his heart throb to against his ribcage, it made the color of his face change to a rosy pink when he looked at the dark haired teen. Until now, it was just another haphazard lingering feeling that occasionally resurfaced, an echo long forgotten. But now, he had a name for this emotion, and for once, it didn't feel so unknown, instead of foreign, it felt natural like it was meant to be there. This emotion was love. It wasn't familial love, or the same love he had for his friends, it had a different feeling altogether.
Slowly pulling away, Hinata rested his hands on Kageyama's chest. His whole face still overtaken by blush, he smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "M- Merry Christmas Kageyama!~"
This gesture had broken Tobio. He gently raised a hand to his lips, brushing over them with his fingertips. Hinata had kissed him. He had kissed Hinata. His mind was spinning and whirling so fast, his train of thought couldn't keep up, so he was left in a dazed state.
Kageyama haughtily turned his ahead to the side, unable to meet the ginger's eyes. "Dumbass." He scoffed coldly, a slight hint of vulnerability in his tone. God, why did Hinata have to be so damn adorable? Why did he have to make his heart pound so damn uncontrollably fast?
Natsu slowly spun on one foot and tiptoed out of the room, a wide grin across her childish features. She didn't want to cause the atmosphere between Kageyama and her brother to collapse. Once she had darted down the wide corridor of the hallway, into her bedroom, she plopped onto her bed and giggled, whispering to herself, she mumbled, "I ship it."
Kageyama occasionally stole glances at Hinata, each glance lasting a few seconds longer than the previous. He knew he was living dangerous, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he noticed, but Kageyama couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from the sunset haired teen's perfectly adorable features. Casually, he grabbed his fork and stabbed a chunk of ham from the platter, and placed it onto his plate. He eavesdropped on the conversation between Natsu and Aiko, however he decided not to contribute to it. He sat with his hands folded in his lap, shifting uncomfortably. He felt strange and out of place, like he didn't belong at the dinner table, like he was unworthy to sit here.
Shoyo wrapped his fingers around the glass of his cup, raising it to his lips as he took a sip.
Aiko raised an eyebrow, eying between the teenagers as she held a champagne glass in her hand, gently swishing the dark gatnet liquid around in her cup. "You two are awful quiet." She observed. "Did something happen?"
Both Kageyama's and Hinata's postures stiffened, their muscles tensing. "N- No of course not!" Hinata stuttered, nearly spitting out his drink, feeling his cheeks grow warmer.
Kageyama didn't say anything, but he clutched at his throat for a second, her observation reminding him of the kiss, nearly causing him to choke on the food he had been chewing.
Hinata's mother smiled crudely, almost a playful smirk, but not quite. She tilted her head back as she swallowed the last of her wine, emptying the champagne glass. Abruptly she then stood up and walked over to the coat rack, slipping on her heavy magenta winter jacket, afterwards lacing up her boots. She then urged Natsu over, and within a few seconds of her instruction, Natsu was piling on her winter gear as well. "Shoyo, I forgot to get a couple of presents, so Natsu and I are gonna slip out and do some last minute Christmas shopping," She turned and glanced behind her, shooting a wink at Kageyama. "Take care of Shoyo Kageyama, make sure not to get too reckless." Without another word, she then slipped out the door, Natsu's gloved hand enveloped in hers.
Hinata shivered at the sudden exposure to cold air, the frigid atmosphere swallowing up the warmth from the room. He was too oblivious to catch on to what his mother had been so prominently implying.
However, Kageyama understood. Her words were like knives, sending tiny pinpricks of anxiety, yet at the same time an unmistakable lust and desire. His dark blue irises were wide in disbelief, his mouth agape, slack jawed. He then found himself unconsciously eyeing Hinata's soft pillowy lips, a gentle finger brushing across his own.
"Shrimp," Kageyama called, his voice coming out much more harsh and stern than he had intended.
"Y- Yes?!" Hinata yelped, flinching at Tobio's tone, his spine instantly straightening. He felt his heart crash against his chest, violently thrashing and contracting, like he had just consecutively downed three energy drinks in a row. For a second, he began to wonder if he were going to have a heart attack.
Swallowing the hard lump in his throat, Kageyama grabbed Hinata's wrist and dragged him into the living room, his heart on fire. His heart was pounding so fast it was the only thing he could hear, aside from the blood roaring in his ears. Once he stood in front of the fireplace, the scent of peppermint filling his nostrils, the warmth of the fire gently caressing his figure, the twinkling Christmas lights reflected in Shoyo's eyes, he grabbed a silky scarlet ribbon and tied it loosely around his neck. "Merry Christmas Hinata." Tobio cheered, his cheeks passionately burning red as he leaned down and once again interlocked lips with the middle blocker. Pulling away, he stared into Hinata's dilated pupils, drowning in the beautiful sea of warm honey amber. "I- I love you dumbass, you know that right?" He whispered.
"K- Kageyama?" Hinata stuttered a stupid childish grin spreading across his face. His cheeks hurt from smiling so wide, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop smiling. "I love you too Jollyyama~" Hinata cooed sweetly. He then grabbed the collar of Tobio's shirt and jerked his head downwards. He then pulled Kageyama close again, loving the closeness and the warmth, the blissful feeling of his lips on the setter's. He found his hand tangled in dark locks, and he found the setter's hand on his hip. They continued kissing passionately underneath the mistletoe, indulging in one another's warmth, enjoying the soft sensation of one another's lips, enjoying the other's scent, each kiss lasting longer, and each second spent apart for a gasp of breath, became more and more scrambled and desperate, neither wanting to let go or pull apart from the other for any longer than they had to.
Kageyama embraced Hinata tightly, the shorter of the two snuggling and leaning into the taller's touch. Quietly, Hinata then stood on his tiptoes and whispered into the setter's ear coyly, "As long as I'm here, you're invincible."
Kageyama blinked for a second, remembering how he had once said those words to Shoyo. This was why, this was why Kageyama was head over heels for the middle blocker. "Dumbass." He scoffed, blushing.
Tobio didn't used to believe in Christmas miracles, and he never had. That is, until now. He held Hinata close, gently kissing the sunset haired teen again, scared that if he let go, the brightest Christmas light of them all, would fizzle out and go dim, that Shoyo would disappear. Hinata had showed him the light, had showed him happiness, had showed him the real joy of the merry holiday. As long as he could hold the sunset haired volleyball player close, and call him his own, he wouldn't mind not getting any presents, he wouldn't have even minded even getting a lump of coal. It was at this moment that Kageyama realized, Hinata was his own Christmas miracle.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Just a little Kagehina Christmas oneshot I threw together. I really enjoyed writing this, so if you enjoyed reading it, feel free to leave a review and a favorite, all feedback is always greatly appreciated. Anyways, Merry Christmas to all of you! Happy Holidays~
-The~Candy~Craving~Demon
Side note: If you like my writing, I also have a Kagehina sickfic oneshot posted, called, "A Missed Toss".