Tobio Kageyama didn't like to be suspicious of things. It usually felt like a waste of time. And yet... he couldn't help but feel like Shouyou Hinata was cheating on him.
Or maybe not cheating. But Shouyou certainly seemed interested in someone else, and Kageyama was starting to worry, despite himself, that this interest might lead to cheating. Or perhaps to the orange-haired teammate breaking up with him.
Shouyou texted with Kenma all the time, and any time Karasuno and Nekoma met up for practices, Shouyou always beelined straight to the guy. Kenma even came up in Shouyou's conversation often. The pudding head was obviously quite important to her.
Still, the ridiculousness of this worry wasn't lost on him. He and Shouyou were, afterall, very close. They'd been dating for over a year now, and they'd told each other things that they'd never felt safe telling anyone else. For instance, Shouyou had told Kageyama that she was trans.
It had been just a normal night, at least as far as Kageyama could tell. Shouyou had been a little more clingy than usual, perhaps. Kageyama wasn't much for physical affection, but he knew it was important to Shouyou, and it didn't actively bother him, so he allowed things like snuggling, and hugs, and even kisses. That evening the two of them had been snuggled up under some blankets on Shouyou's couch, watching some monster movie Kageyama could hardly remember. Midway through, Shouyou had turned her head to stare up at Kageyama, which at first the raven-haired teen had been content to ignore.
"Tobio," Shouyou whispered. The name sent a little spark up Kageyama's spine. They had only recently started using each other's given name, and Kageyama still hadn't grown accustomed to it.
"Yeah?" Kageyama said, finally turning his head.
"I, uh... I wanna be a girl," Shouyou said, her face resolute in the same way it was when she demanded Kageyama let her try a spike just once more.
Brain still processing this very unexpected information, Kageyama muttered, "Oh."
Shouyou's resolute look morphed into a puffy-cheeked pout. "Are you okay with that?"
Kageyama blinked, trying to will his brain to work faster. "I, uh... think so?" After a pause, he said, "Can you... can you do that?"
With a fierce nod, Shouyou said, "Yeah, totally! I've been read... well, not me. But. A friend told me about it. There's, like, pills and stuff. And surgery."
"You're going to get surgery?" There was a note of concern in Kageyama's voice.
One shoulder pressed into Kageyama's arm as Shouyou shrugged. "I dunno."
They sat there in silence for a time, while Kageyama did his best to wrap his mind around the issue. "So, do you want me to call you Shouyou-chan?"
The way the orange-haired girl's face lit up served as a clear answer, even before she practically shouted, "Yes!"
Shouyou had loved and trusted Kageyma enough to pick him to be the first she told about that, and yet still he found himself worrying. How ridiculous.
It was this state of mind that Kageyama found himself stuck in one warm summer day during a training excursion. He and Shouyou were far out in front, as was often the case, when Shouyou unexpectedly tugged at Kageyama's arm, veering the two of them off the main path.
"Where're we-" Kageyama's eyes caught hold of a piece of paper that Shouyou tightly gripped in her other hand. "Is that a map?"
Shouyou's face turned red. "Shush, Bakegeyama!"
Scowling, Kageyama said, "Seriously, where're you taking me?"
"We gotta talk."
"We could do that here!"
"Not just us!" Shouyou said, her cheeks getting puffy again.
Kageyama was about to ask who else, but didn't have to. Up ahead a little ways he could make out a familiar blonde-dyed head and red jacket.
The feeling of despair that welled up inside him was not something Kageyama was used to feeling. For most of his life his tendency had been to get mad at things that upset him, something he'd been trying to control better. But anger didn't even enter into the picture in this case - all he felt was a strange, uncomfortable sadness. It was awful.
The two jogging teammates slowed to a walk, then stopped a few paces away from Nekoma's Kenma Kozume, who was sitting on a short stone wall with a fence running along most of it. The pudding-head hadn't looked up from his phone yet.
"Kenma, I brought him!" Shouyou yelled, drawing the sitting boy's golden eyes.
Once again scowling, Kageyama said, "What is this about?"
Kenma got to his feet and walked toward them, the blonde ends of her hair swaying. He gave a small start when Shouyou suddenly put an arm around him and pulled him against her side. Kageyama hadn't thought his heart could drop any lower, but it did.
"So, we wanted to talk to you, Tobio," Shouyou said, putting on as brave a face as she could seemingly muster. "We want to be together."
This was it, utter and complete despair. His face was no doubt showing it, too, since Kenma's expression suddenly held a touch of concern. "You're not explaining well, Shouyou," the girlfriend-stealer said.
Pulling away from Shouyou's arm and taking a step or two toward Kageyama, Kenma quietly said, "She wants to be with you too, Kageyama, don't worry."
Though he'd wanted to say something several times, the roller coaster of emotions Kageyama found himself strapped to prevented his brain from coming up with anything. His face went blank. What in the world was Kenma talking about?
"Sorry, Tobio!" Shouyou shouted, grabbing the raven-haired boy's hand tightly. "I mean I want us ALL to be together!"
Kageyama had no idea what was going on.
"She's saying she wants us to be in a polyamorous relationship together," Kenma clarified. Kageyama's face stayed blank. "Basically, we'd all be in a relationship together. I mean, you and I don't have to be. But Shouyou wants to be with both of us."
It was as though the gears of Kageyama's brain were trying desperately to turn, but there was a pipe firmly lodged in them. Finally he managed to throw out, "You can... do that?"
Shouyou grinned, squeezing Kageyama's hand even tighter. "As long as we're all okay with it, yeah! Kenma and I are for it, how about you?"
Some time was needed to process all this, and both waiting parties seemed to understand that, since they didn't press him to answer quickly. Eyes unmoving, staring at someplace between his girlfriend and who he had considered his rival for her affection, Kageyama's mind churned, taking in every detail of the situation, even ones that didn't help him understand anything. A cool breeze floated down the street, gently pushing strands of blonde and red hair back and forth. The afternoon sun shone far overhead, casting shadows that weren't yet stretched imitations of human forms. The faint smell of cooking wafted through the air, its source unknown. Brown and golden eyes stared expectantly at him, hope shimmering in both. His hands felt sticky.
Finally, he spoke. "Will I... have to kiss Kenma?"
"Definitely not," Kenma answered swiftly.
"And this makes you happy?" Kageyama asked, dark blue eyes staring into Shouyou's shining brown ones.
Nodding emphatically, Shouyou said, "Yes, very."
That was enough for Kageyama. "Okay, sure. I don't know if I totally get it yet, but we can try it out."
With a shout, Shouyou excitedly jumped him, causing them both to crash to the ground in a heap. "What the hell, Shouyou!?"
After kissing Kageyama's cheeks several times, Shouyou pulled away a little to look him in the eyes. "I just love you so much, Tobio! Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" His cheeks grew a little warm from her comments, just as she threw her arms around him and nuzzled her face against his.
"You two are going to get hit by a bike if you stay like that," Kenma muttered, despite a faint smile appearning on his face.
The two teammates pushed themselves to their feet, the raven-haired one almost shoving the orange-haired one to the ground again. The three of them stayed there for a while longer, discussing the new arrangment in greater detail. When they finally parted, Kenma going one way and the other two going another, Kageyama felt at ease about the whole affair.
"Oh, by the way, Kenma forgot to mention, but wanted you to know - she's trans too." Shouyou said, walking side-by-side with Kageyama, her hand in his.
Eyes widening slightly, Kageyama said, "Oh, so should I call her Kenma-chan?"
"Just when it's the three of us, for now."
Replying with a shake of his head, Kageyama's mind reflected on how it felt now in comparison to how it had felt only a few hours ago. So much unnecessary doubt and worry before, and now, his heart felt light, his mind content and relaxed. How silly all that suspicion had been. Never again, he decided. He never should have doubted Shouyou, and he never wanted to again.
As they continued to walk, he leaned over, kissing her softly on the cheek. The act itself didn't do much for him, but the way her face lit up sure did. "I, um... love you, Shouyou."
Beaming, she excitedly yelled, "I love you too, Tobio! And I always will!"
And, for the first time, he truly believed it, even in the deepest depths of his heart.
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Small note about Shouyou's language concerning being trans when she comes out to Tobio. I'm totally aware and supportive of the idea that trans people don't need surgery or even HRT to be trans. Shouyou's only just learning about the wide, wonderful world of trans people, though, so a less than complete understanding of things is to be expected.
