A/N: hey this is really really cheesy so pls enjoy and excuse my lazy writing.

"What do you mean you didn't get in?" Kageyama couldn't keep the surprise from his voice.

The boy next to him pouted. "They rejected me! What else could it mean?" Hinata looked crestfallen, so much more subdued than his usual cheery self.

"Oh…" Kageyama was too shocked and disappointed to think of a proper response. He'd been so sure that Hinata would get into the same university as him- mostly because it was the school with the best volleyball team in Japan. Silence fell over them as they watched the first and second years take practice into their own hands.

He snuck a glance over at the boy, assessing the emotional damage. Hinata's brown eyes were focused on Yamaguchi as he corrected the stance of a struggling first year.

Okay, he wasn't too far gone emotionally. He jumped as Hinata's eyes rounded on him.

"You won't forget about me, right?"

This was said with the most innocent and honest face imaginable. Kageyama had trouble looking at him for any longer.

"Of course, I won't." He grumbled, going back to focusing on the first years. "Don't be stupid."

This brought some of the usual brightness back to Hinata's face, but there was still something missing. Kageyama knew exactly what it was and knew he probably looked the same. Over the past three years, he had spent way more time with Hinata than any other person at Karasuno. He'd only admit it to himself, but his friendship with Hinata had changed him and his playing for the better. The fact that this unruly redhead was not going to be by his side during the next chapter of his life…Well, to be honest, it scared the shit out of him. He had always expected Hinata to just be there, wherever he was.

"Let's…" Hinata hesitated. "..Let's play volleyball together as much as we can while we still have the chance."

"Yeah."

The two got up, leaving their worries and sadness on the bench.

"That's him!" A not so subtle voice said as he passed. "That's the student in the National volleyball team!"

Gasps and other noises of awe followed.

"His name was Kageyama…uh, Tobio I think?"

"Hoooo, you think he's single?"

That's when he shut it all out. Kageyama had been putting up with this for a week or so, ever since his position in the Japanese national volleyball team had been announced.

People who he'd never even seen before were suddenly interested in him. People came up to him and asked weird questions like they had the right to know about his personal life.

It was obnoxious.

He rolled his eyes as he got onto the bus and the whispers just increased. Putting earbuds in, he attempted to tune out the noise as best he could.

It had been more than three years since he had graduated high school…and that meant three years since he's seen Hinata. He had gone to some far off college, but that hadn't stopped them from keeping in contact- at least at first. But like many high school friendships, Kageyama guessed it wasn't meant to last. After about a semester of college, the texts, phone calls, and Skype chats began to be less frequent. They both became too busy to keep talking to each other.

And just like that, Hinata Shouyou drifted out of his life.

Sometimes Kageyama thought about him- what he was doing, how he was, who he was playing volleyball with. These thoughts had become less common lately, but every high school memory was accompanied by a warm, bright orange that represented Hinata.

Most of all, Kageyama missed the chemical reaction that happened every time Hinata hit one of his tosses. He silently hoped the day would come where they would play together again, but he had long since realized the cold, hard truth that comes with adulthood: his friend was on a different path than him.

It was all in the past now. All he could do was play volleyball, even though it was never as fun as it was with Hinata. Sighing, he hauled himself out of his seat as the bus screeched to a halt. Outside was the huge gym where the national volleyball team held its trainings.

Kageyama walked into the locker room of the training center, leaving the pesky whispers behind him. He changed in a haze, not even noticing the rowdy banter going back and forth behind him.

"C'mon slowpoke, let's get going!" Oikawa slapped him on the back as he passed. "The coach is gonna introduce our new teammate!"

Kageyama made sure to glare at Oikawa, but it was only halfhearted. He watched and sulked as 'The Grand King' and Bokuto yelled loudly about something stupid.

If only this new person was someone cool. Between his two senpai's, Kageyama was always either irritated or isolated. They were seriously too much.

Still, he didn't expect much as he left the locker room and neared the huddled group by the bench. They were crowding around and exclaiming so many strange things that Kageyama almost turned around and left.

"But he's so short!" Someone said.

"Oi, oi, oi oioioioi!" Oikawa was repeating as if someone had personally offended him. "The new teammate is-"

Kageyama raised an eyebrow, but kept approaching the group. A feeling of hope blossomed inside him and made him walk a little bit faster. Before he knew it, he was pushing through the crowd of his teammates to come face to face with-

He came face to face with the brown eyes he remembered so well. It was the first thing that stood out, but he gradually noticed more similarities. Like the same crazy orange hair and the cute button nose. His face was a little more defined and older, but Kageyama would never mistake him: it was the same Hinata that changed his life just six years ago.

"Kage-" he started, looking thunderstruck. "-YAMAAAAAA!"

And before he knew it, they were both propelling themselves forward. They met with a thud, Hinata suspended in a midair jump. He clung onto Kagayama like a spider monkey, being kept in placed by the others arms.

Silence.

Then, "AWWW, HOW CUTE!"

"Shut up, Grand King!" Hinata screeched in his ear.

He knew he would face weeks of taunting by his teammates for this touchy-feely reunion, but right now he couldn't find it in him to give a shit. Right now all he knew was that Hinata's weight against him felt so comforting, and the familiar scent of sweat and odd flowery-smelling deodorant was filling his nostrils. Nothing else mattered.

Hinata sprung off of him, his eyes sparking like he'd just won the lottery. "It's been three years since I've hit your toss, I'm dying."

Kageyama tried to suppress a smile and failed miserably. "Idiot, I'm sure you can wait." Admittedly, this was completely hypocritical. He was dying too.

"Ah!" Oikawa broke through the crowd of stunned athletes. "These guys haven't seen your oddball strike thing! I bet its better now that you guys are older and stronger."

Hinata suddenly blanched. "Now I'm nervous. What if we lost it? Like forgot how to do it?"

Kageyama raised an eyebrow. "Of course we can still do it! Like Takeda-sensei said, it's a chemical thing." He tried to ignore the smug look Oikawa was giving him.

The redhead looked extremely happy at this. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right!"

"Since basically anyone who matters already seems to know each other, that means we can get right into practice." Coach Ueta interjected, looking at the two seriously "You'll be on the same team for the practice match. I want to see what this 'oddball strike' Oikawa mentioned is about."

"Osu!"

Kageyama and Hinata waited side by side as the coach split the rest of the team. He snuck a glance down at the guy in front of him, who was almost the same as he remembered. There were slight differences that came with age, but Hinata still had the same presence, one that had a calming and brightening effect.

He was caught staring by the other guy, who to his surprise, glowered back.

"What?" Kageyama raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You got taller!" Hinata announced in a begrudging voice.

"Yeah, that's what people do when they get older."

"I thought I would've caught up, but I'm still a shortie!"

Kageyama completely failed in trying not to laugh, but luckily it was covered up by the blow of the whistle. Everyone went to their positions, and Hinata brightened instantly, like he was the sun incarnate.

The match started and Kageyama had trouble keeping still. Just knowing that chemical reaction was just a toss away was nerve wracking. He was so desperate for a connection after all these years. Of course he'd tossed well enough to get onto the national volleyball team, but it just wasn't the same. Knowing that he now had someone he could count on to hit his tosses no matter what- it was exhilarating.

Fortunately for the both of them, the chance for a strike came pretty quickly. The ball was hit to Kageyama, who received it and sent it away from him- right to where he knew Hinata would be behind him.

A whoosh of air lifted up the back of his jersey and he strained his neck in order to see what he'd been waiting for. Hinata was there, jumping higher than he had in high school, holding back his hand for the spike and-

Wham.

The ball hit the ground on the other side of the court. His teammates were frozen with surprise, but he took no notice. It was even better than Kageyama had remembered, the feeling of trusting someone so much. For the first time in a long time, he was having fun playing volleyball.

Hinata and him cheered with the rest of the team celebrating behind them.

Till the day he dies, Kageyama will remember this moment vividly. It was like time slowed and his sense heightened, because he could suddenly feel every accelerated heartbeat that pushed blood through his veins. Calloused hands touched his forearms gently, leading him forward. He looked into Hinata's chocolate brown eyes as the other man said:

"It's good to be back." A simple, confusing sentence.

"What do you mean? This is your first time here."

"No, dumbass! It's good to be back by your side."

"Good job today, shortie!" Bokuto yelled as the team dispersed from the gym. He was heading in the opposite direction with Oikawa.

"You crazy kids don't get into too much trouble!" The Grand King called, winking at the both of them.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hinata asked as he waved goodbye.

"Hell if I know." Kageyama grumbled, giving the older guy a glare for good measure.

The two decided to walk together to catch up, but also because Hinata's apartment was very near to were only walking for a single second before Hinata was off, mouth running a mile a minute.

Kageyama tried his best to listen, but all he could gather was: Hinata's faraway country college didn't have a very good volleyball team, which is why they never saw each other at tournaments. He had ended up getting practice from some volleyball guru and trained on the mountains. And then he ended up getting scouted while at a match with another university sometime before he completed his two year degree.

"So, what about you!?" Hinata's story halted to a stop.

"What about me?" Kageyama rubbed the back of his neck. "School, volleyball, the usual."

"Nothing else? Anything exciting?!"

He shrugged. "I like to keep a low profile."

Hinata blanched. "Do you even remember how we met?! You're the opposite of low profile! "

"Am not!"

"Am too!" Hinata stuck out his tongue and dodged out of the way of an incoming smack.

Kageyama grumbled, but his complaints died in his throat as Hinata erupted into chuckles.

"I really missed you." He gasped between breaths.

The sudden sincerity made Kageyama heat up. "Tch."

"What you didn't miss me?!" Hinata pouted.

The key to mastering this conversation was to look anywhere but at the person in front of him. It didn't help when he was chasing his gaze around, trying to look directly into Kageyama's eyes."'Course I did." He finally admitted.

The redhead seemed content with that answer and went back to walking beside him normally.

"Hey, my apartment is just up ahead, you should come in and see it!" Hinata went skipping off down the sidewalk in the direction he was pointing.

Kageyama followed, mostly just happy to have a valid reason to spent more time with him. The apartment building was one of those old refurbished ones you'd usually find in Tokyo. He had to admit, it didn't look too shabby on the inside either. It even had an elevator.

The two made their way up the stairs though, for the extra exercise, and stopped at the fifth floor. Kageyama trailed behind Hinata like a lost puppy, mostly because he didn't know where which apartment to go to. The other man stopped abruptly, causing Kageyama to collide into his back.

"Warn me when you're about to stop!" Kageyama complained as he jumped back. The unexpected contact was doing weird things to him.

Hinata chuckled while he jiggled the key in the lock. "Sorry!" He didn't look very sorry.

They entered the small apartment, and Kageyama's nose was immediately bombarded with that same 'Hinata-smell' that he was slowly getting used to again. It didn't look very lived-in yet, but the personality of its tenant showed through small things like volleyball posters, bright curtains, and candy sitting in random places.

"It's alright, but it'll do. I was kinda hoping to find a roommate, cause rent isn't cheap." He grinned and shrugged, obviously nervous. "Did you want some tea?"

"Sure." Kageyama walked into the kitchen area that was adjacent to the living room and sat down at the small two person table as Hinata busied himself with the tea.

They sat in a not uncomfortable silence, and Kageyama decided to take this time to get himself under control. He realized that nothing was the same as this morning. He just felt different in a way, even though he knew he was the same person. His body felt lighter and more at ease, except for certain times where he was hot and his stomach felt like it was revolting. But his mind was a different matter altogether, because it was scrambled and cluttered and confused.

Kageyama knew in his heart that Hinata was the cause of this. Maybe it wasn't so apparent in high school, but the other guy made him feel comfortable and on edge at the same time. He was noticing things he hadn't before, like the muscles in his arms as he reached in the cabinet for a couple mugs, the curve of his back as he tried to reach onto the second shelf to get some tea packets, the cute frustrated noises he made while he was struggling.

"I swear this place was made for tall people!" Hinata complained, jumping on his tippy-toes in another attempt.

Kageyama fought back a smile and quietly got up from his chair to help. He reached passed his short friend and easily removed the tea from its shelf. When he looked down, he noticed Hinata was way too close for comfort and had a strange look on his face.

"I could've done it myself!" He snatched it out of Kageyama's hands.

"Yeah right, dumbass." He silently hoped that his red face would pass as some kind of irritation.

"Well, either way I'll have to get it on my own when you're not here." Hinata pouted and stared Kageyama down, who had not moved despite their proximity.

The words were out of his mouth before he could think. "I guess I'll just have to be here every time you need something."

"Ehh?!" The redhead exclaimed. He attempted to collect himself. "Then maybe you should just move in!"

"Alright."

Shock. Embarrassment. Kageyama was sure they were both feeling it. Hinata's face was a blazing red and he knew his was the same.

"A-alright! That's settled, then."

Week two of living with Hinata, and he was going fucking crazy, but it was not for the reason you'd think. Sure the guy was a ball of energy almost 24/7 (though he was the type of person that was out cold for hours when he managed to sleep), but Kageyama could deal with it. He even dealt with the redhead coming into his room at horrible hours of the morning and poking him awake.

But nothing drove him crazier than the times when Hinata was lounging on the couch playing video games and his shirt had ridden up to reveal a red trail of hair. When he stretched to reveal toned abs and a cute belly button. The worst was when Hinata wandered out of his bedroom with a serious case of bedhead.

He really just wanted to card his finger through that soft looking hair. And it was driving him absolutely insane.

The struggle of not somehow touching Hinata intimately was so real. He really did not want to ruin whatever friendship he had with his creepy thoughts. It didn't seem like Hinata even thought about romantic shit like that. The guys mind was always on volleyball.

So it came as a surprise when he was suddenly bombarded with a frustrated yell one day when he exited the bathroom after a shower. Mostly because he'd been on the same routine for at least two weeks. He just put on a pair of sweat pants and deposited a towel around his neck, not bothering with a shirt for the trip back to his bedroom. Shirtlessness had never seemed to bother Hinata- until now, that is.

"I've had it!" Hinata had sprung off the couch, posture tense. "This is the last straw!"

Kageyama scrambled to find a reason for this strange behavior. They literally changed together in the same locker room most days. What was his problem? "What the-"

The words didn't make it out of his mouth. In a flash, Hinata was right in front of him, looking into his blue eyes defiantly. His hands were on the towel around Kageyama's neck, pulling him downwards.

Their lips crashed together and Kageyama swore that his head spun. It only took a couple seconds of shock to kiss back, moving and melding their lips together.

It was better than he had ever imagined. Hinata's lips were soft against his and tasted undeniably sweet. And the feeling of the soft hair that he was currently running his fingers through- that was heavenly.

They broke apart and stared at each other in uncertainty.

"So…"

"That was…"

Hinata looked away bashfully, suddenly realizing what he'd just done. "Sorry I just kinda…without warning…"

Kageyama grabbed his hand, smoothing his thumb over the soft skin on the back reassuringly. "I kissed you back, idiot. It's fine…I liked it."

And with that, Hinata transformed into an excited ball of energy once more, leaving all frustration behind. He jumped up and kissed Kageyama on the lips again, this time snaking his arms over his shoulders. Kageyama's arm found their way around his hips while he leaned into the kiss.

Now the unsatisfied feeling was gone, as if dispelled by Hinata's affection. Everything felt right once again.