"Kageyama," Hinata sing-songed. He was lying on his side on Kageyama's bed, head resting in his hand and elbow propped up, with his other arm resting on his side, "Wake up Kageyama."

Kageyama groaned in response as he was roused from his sleep, face scrunching up in annoyance before he rolled away to face the wall the best he could in the small shared space. He had always liked to think of himself as somewhat of an early bird, though ever since meeting Hinata he had quickly learned that no, he was not an early bird. Not at all. How Hinata could be so chipper in the morning, after spending who knows how many hours of the night staring out the window, Kageyama would never know.

"Oh Kageyama~" Hinata scooted closer, lightly running a finger along the nape of Kageyama's neck – because he had learned last week just how much the other boy hated that sensation.

Kageyama jerked, trying and failing to keep his full body shudder Hinata had induced under wraps. If he gave Hinata any more reason to believe it bothered him he would keep doing it, and that soft touch against such a sensitive spot made his body squirm in discomfort.

"It's Sunday – let me sleep." Kageyama snapped – if his voice cracked because he just woke up or because of Hinata's touch, he didn't know. He aggressively – as aggressively as one could with half asleep arms – pulled his pillow out from beneath his head so he could use it as a neck shield - in case Hinata tried to keep pestering him.

"Exactly!" Hinata squawked, sitting up and crossing his legs beneath him so he could lean over Kageyama and get him to look at him, "We have that team outing today!"

It had only been a few days, but Kageyama was still shocked by how easily he had been able to get along with Sugawara and by extension the rest of the team. That's not to say Kageyama was now buds with everyone on the team of course. Sugawara was a… friend, Kageyama supposed. Though it certainly didn't feel like it – things still felt shaky between them. Hinata had told him there were many levels of friendship and that just because he and Sugawara weren't going to one another's houses or talking about more than just volleyball and his day, didn't mean they weren't friends.

Despite all the reassuring however, Kageyama still found he stuck out like a sore thumb when it was more than just himself and Sugawara. Hinata told him he needed to make a better effort in joining conversations instead of just waiting for Suga to pull him in, but Kageyama really struggled with expressing himself. He knew how to express himself, he hadn't always been so socially awkward. It was just that he lacked a filter and he was too honest, which that coupled with his blunt nature, tended to make people misunderstand him. He wasn't trying to be mean when he said things like "You aren't good at this," he was only being honesty and his mom had always preached that honesty was the best policy.

Which led him to where he was now, never knowing what to say in fear he might hurt someone's feelings or accidentally start a fight. He had promised Hinata he would do his best to be involved at this team outing though, so it went without saying that he was nervous about this whole thing.

It wasn't like stopping for snacks at the convenience store – which were always short encounters - where Kageyama could get away with not talking because his mouth was full.

"I'm sick" Kageyama groaned after a moment more of Hinata's pestering.

"No you aren't – get up," Hinata poked Kageyama in the side, who opened one eye to look at him before quickly closing it.

"It's true. I have a fever and I don't want to get the team sick."

Hinata huffed, debating on if he should give up or keep pleading. He never really was one for giving up, but what if Kageyama really was sick? Hinata placed his hand on Kageyama's bare arm, shaking him lightly. Kageyama groaned once more, this time opening both his eyes so he could turn his head and glare at Hinata properly, only to flinch in surprise at how close Hinata's face was to his. Before he could question it, Hinata's hand was sliding from his arm to his forehead where he gently but quickly brushed Kageyama's bangs back before placing his forehead against Kageyama's own.

Kageyama found himself blushing at the close proximity – this close he could see the flecks of gold in Hinata's brown eyes and how, despite how pale Hinata was there were little splashes of warm cream colored freckles across the bridge of his nose. To say this was the closest Kageyama had ever been to a person, who wasn't family, would be an understatement.

"Woah Kageyama are you alright? Your face is all hot – you really do have a fever!" Hinata leaned back up so he could get a birds eye view of Kageyama who now, even more embarrassed then he had been few seconds ago, covered his face with his hands and curled up into a fetal position – his knees knocking painfully against the wall.

"I don't have a fever," he admitted, voice muffled from his hands – he was just warm from all the strange thoughts and how close Hinata was, "You're just cold is all."

Hinata stared blankly for a millisecond before he was nodding in understanding, buying the excuse.

"Woah, am I really? Like a ghost? I guess that makes sense. I never noticed it though."

With Hinata fully distracted, Kageyama sat up, hands still covering his face as he did so. Actually, Hinata wasn't cold at all – he felt warm to the touch like you would expect another human to – if he was cold like a ghost Kageyama would have kicked him out of his bed a long time ago.

Hinata was sitting cross legged on the bed now, patting his bare arms and legs, clearly fascinated with the idea that he was cold to the touch.

"Hey Kageyama, do you think I give people cold chills? Do I give you cold chills?!" he sounded more excited than concerned and Kageyama dropped his hands into his lap to look at Hinata who was looking at him eagerly.

"I lied. You aren't cold." Hinata's smile dropped, "And before you insist I do have a fever – it's just cause it's so warm sharing a bed."

"Oooh," Hinata crowed, "Well I'm not sleeping on the floor even if you do get sick. But since you aren't sick – let's get ready to hang out with the team!"

He was already up, so Kageyama guessed there was no use in trying to avoid this any longer. Groaning, Kageyama got up, trudging out of his room and to the bathroom. Hinata jumped up from their bed, before pulling his toothbrush out of Kageyama's bedside drawer – where the grump kept all his volleyball magazines, so Hinata always had to make sure his tooth brush case was dry before putting inside lest he face the wrath of Kageyama.

Kageyama had just squeezed a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on his toothbrush when Hinata got to the bathroom. He extended his brush towards Kageyama who also gave him a pea-sized drop because apparently Hinata used way too much and he should be more precise blah blah Hinata hadn't really been listening.

After their teeth were all brushed they took turns washing their faces and then headed back to Kageyama's room – Kageyama digging for clothes in his closet while Hinata hid his toothbrush again. Once changed – Hinata kicking his feet from his place on the bed – Kageyama grabbed his bag and headed back out of the room, Hinata hopping up and following behind him as he did so.

Kageyama made them toast – Hinata loudly greeting Kageyama's mother – something that ticked Kageyama off because it was "annoying" – before trotting towards the door so Kageyama could kiss his mother's cheek and tell her good morning – something he was too afraid to do in front of Hinata, the big softie.

Once outside, Kageyama passed Hinata his toast before shoving his piece in his mouth.

"The weather's nice today," Hinata chirped, nibbling on his food as they leisurely walked to the train station together. Once Hinata had managed to antagonize him into a race but after being stopped by a local officer in the area who had thought he was a thief, Kageyama stopped the races. Oh well, Hinata supposed.

Over the past week or so, the two of them had developed a bit of a routine – it was only natural, they were sharing a room together all this time after all. The routine however, just came naturally to them. Hadn't taken copious amounts of planning or sacrificing to accommodate one another. Granted, Kageyama hadn't done much adjusting – Hinata had to basically wormed his way into his routine but Kageyama certainly hadn't kicked him to the curb.

Compared to Kageyama, Hinata was a slow eater (which wasn't saying much because when Hinata got hungry he could give Kageyama a run for his money) but he ate a lot in ratio to Kageyama, who while he ate large amounts at each meal, didn't add up to the all-day eating Hinata seemed to engage in. It seemed like Hinata constantly needed to be fed snacks throughout the day to keep him quiet. If Hinata was eating because he actually needed to or just because, Kageyama wasn't sure. What he did know, was that Hinata couldn't make things float around. The things he touched, excluding Kageyama and solid things like Kageyama's bed or desk, stayed untouched as if Hinata wasn't there. Why that was or how that was, neither of them could say for sure. When Hinata held small objects like food it seemed like they just disappeared, though Kageyama could still see them as if everything about Hinata was normal.

One day in the park Hinata had deliberately taken a chip out of Kageyama's chip bag while people were in the general area and no one seemed alarmed. They didn't dare test Kageyama handing him some though, in fear people would thing Kageyama could do magic or something when the chip would surely disappear as Hinata came into contact with it.

With volleyball, Hinata could interact with it, but it wasn't like the ball disappeared like food does. In fact, a small kid had seen them tossing the ball back and forth, or saw the ball at least, and had – in awe – asked Kageyama how he was able to do that – if it was a boomerang ball and if he could try it. Kageyama had been so embarrassed he'd just ran away – Hinata still teased him about it sometimes.

The train ride to the city was a pretty short one – though half of it was spent with Hinata on his lap when the car got a little crowded. Sugawara and Daichi were at the station when they arrived and Hinata ran up to them – practically chirping at them in greeting. They were standing too closely together for Hinata to wedge himself between them so he glued himself to Sugawara's side – intently listening to their conversation. A second later they spotted Kageyama – Sugawara waving with a friendly smile and Daichi nodding his head in greeting.

"Good morning Kageyama," Daichi greeted.

Sugawara was looking down at his phone, Hinata watching as he quickly sent a reply.

"M-morning" was Kageyama's stiff reply. He lowered his gaze to his shoes and Hinata scolded him and told him to greet others more cheerily.

Sugawara looked up from his phone, "I didn't see you get off the train Kageyama, did you just get here?"

"Uhh… Yes," was his eloquent reply - Sugawara simply nodded in response.

"Well Ennoshita said Tanaka and Nishinoya just showed up at the square but he hasn't seen Yamaguchi or Tsukishima yet."

"Should we head over then?" Daichi asked, shuffling a bit as if he were antsy to go.

"We can – as soon as Asahi gets back from the bathroom."

To Kageyama's confusion, Daichi visibly wilted and Hinata snickered into his hand. His face must have showed his confusion because Hinata said, "I think Daichi was trying to ditch Asahi on purpose."

Why he would do that Kageyama didn't know – again something that must have showed on his face because Hinata continued, "He's just trying to mess with him – I'm not sure why but Daichi seems to like to mess with Asahi a lot."

Kageyama could honestly say that was something he hadn't noticed. To say that he didn't pay attention was far from the truth, but he – admittedly – misconstrued things more often than not. It was why he was the way he was. Since he struggled so much with expressing himself, he often had trouble identifying others intentions. Hinata didn't seem to notice his lack of social understanding but he seemed to pick up things Kageyama would have never spotted in a million years. It was part of the reason he could be a "genius setter" and yet struggled with setting to his teammates. He knew what kind of toss he needed to win and how to toss that winning toss, but he couldn't for the life of himself, figure out what toss it was that the person hitting it needed in order to win. At least, not yet. He was sure once he knew all of his team mates preferences then he would be able to do it.

The point was, though Kageyama had known his teammates a lot longer than Hinata had, Hinata seemed to understand them a lot better than Kageyama believed he ever could. He didn't think it was due to a lack of effort on his part and a part of Kageyama felt bitter that things were as they were and yet simultaneously he felt grateful that Hinata was there to help him. So what if Hinata had better social understandings than Kageyama did, what mattered is that he was on his team.

Kageyama lagged behind the three as they made their way closer to the bathrooms, Hinata walking ahead with the other two.

Asashi came out of the bathroom seconds later and Kageyama greeted him stiffly – Asashi greeting him back even quieter than Kageyama had greeted him in the first place.

"Asashi looks like a bear," Hinata was saying, whispering as if the others could hear him, "But really he's a mouse."

Even Kageyama knew that.

Kageyama couldn't remember the last time he had gone into town – he never was one for crowds, unless of course those crowds were in a gym and there was a volleyball somewhere in the vicinity, preferably in his hands. Still, even though it had been quite some time, everything still looked the same. With the exception of some new stores replacing some older ones.

Ennoshita and the others were sitting on the ledges of the fountain smack dab in the center of the shopping square – the former trying to keep Tanaka and Nishinoya in check.

Hinata was oohing and aahing at every little thing as they made their way to them – every little store window display seeming to catch his eye.

"This place is so cool," Hinata chirped, trying to calm down a bit, as he suddenly had an urge to run into each and every store to check it out. Kageyama simply grunted in agreement, only half listening to Hinata, unable to block out Nishinoya's boisterous chatter.

"Alright," Daichi began, "Looks like everyone but Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are here."

"Yamaguchi just texted me, " Sugawara interjected, bumping his shoulder against Daichi's beforehand, so as to not rudely interrupt, "They'll be here any minute."

The conversation quickly dissolved into conversations, some loud and quick - and others soft and slow. For Kageyama, it was overwhelming to say the least, because he hadn't the slightest idea on which conversation he should try to join or even how to go about joining. Honestly, he was afraid to join – what if they thought he was rude for butting in? Or he made things awkward? Deep down he knew that wouldn't be the case, but it was enough to make him hesitate.

"Psst," Hinata whispered at his side, none too gently jabbing him in the side, "Daichi is alone right now – go talk to him."

"What? No," Kageyama hissed through clenched teeth – eyes darting to where Daichi was standing a ways off from the group – Kageyama assumed he was convincing himself to not snap at Nishinoya and Tanaka who were beginning to get rowdy.

"Come on Kageyama – Daichi is the captain so you need to get along with him and it'll be like an all kill because Tanaka and the others really respect Daichi and so if you get his respect then you'll get theirs too!"

Hinata smiled up at Kageyama – it was the smile he did when he thought he'd made a solid argument – not that he really needed an argument, Kageyama knew he had to get along with more than just Suga - that is if he could call their small conversations over the past couple of days getting along.

Granted, Hinata had yet to lead him astray so far, so Kageyama supposed he should just go along with it. His decision must have been written across his forehead in bold red letters because Hinata started to whoop before the word 'okay' could even leave Kageyama's mouth.

Hinata turned away from him, presumably about to dart off like he always did and Kageyama didn't even have time to think before he was reaching for Hinata's hand and pulling him back before he got out of reach. Worried he would look strange to the others – what with his arm extended out for seemingly no reason – Kageyama quickly shoved his and Hinata's hand into his jacket pocket and made an effort to look resolutely forward and ignore Hinata whose head was cocked to the side as he stared up at Kageyama in confusion.

It was for moral support Kageyama had told himself, but he wouldn't say it aloud. Because admitting that having Hinata by his side helped him relax would be more embarrassing then making a fool of himself in front of Daichi, because at least Kageyama didn't have to see the captain at home.

Kageyama gripped Hinata's hand tighter as Hinata settled against his side, Kageyama assumed for his own comfort. Hinata's hand was small, dainty even, and yet solid and firm - a welcoming sensation as Kageyama feared he'd crush Hinata's tiny hand in his as he steeled his nerves.

"Good morning Captain," Kageyama greeted, bowing slightly as he did so – Hinata thoughtlessly repeating the gesture.

Daichi didn't seem all too surprise by the greeting – simply nodding and replying, "Morning," with a smile. They'd already said morning to each other earlier, which was embarrasing, but before Kageyama could panic, Hinata gently squeezed his hand - reassuring him.

"Wh-what's on today's schedule?" Kageyama stuttered out, his question earning him a raised eyebrow from the Captain.

"Well, once the other first years get here we'll hit up all the sports shop, eat, talk strategy, and then go our separate ways. We don't really have a game plan. The gym is closed today so we're all just hanging out. Team bonding as Suga put it."

Kageyama slowly nodded, and Hinata said from his side, "See Kageyama? No big deal. It's just a day for fun. You can talk to everyone today."

Kageyama, in fact, did not talk to everyone – not that he had been planning to. He was positive he would implode before he was ever that social all in one sitting. The day was not quite awkward, but Kageyama felt out of place most of the day. He enjoyed listening to everyone talk – except for Tsukishima and Kageyama couldn't for the life of him understand why someone like Yamaguchi would want to hang out with the guy.

Hinata seemed to have fun more than Kageyama had and when Kageyama wasn't bumbling through small talk with Suga and Daichi, Hinata was off joining in on the other's antics – well trying to the best he could with his one-sided interactions. Kageyama supposed Hinata wasn't much better off than him – sure Hinata was better at socializing, but no matter how much Hinata engaged with the other's it was as if he wasn't even there. It didn't seem to bother Hinata though, which was an amazing feat to Kageyama – he might be awkward and have a scary face but at least he could hold conversations with others. He might have felt bad for Hinata but since it didn't seem to bother Hinata he figured it shouldn't bother him either.

Still though, he'd wished Hinata would spend a little more time talking to him – Kageyama wasn't as exciting as his teammates – but he'd at least be able to reply to whatever Hinata had to say.

Whoops, sorry for the long delay. I had a hell of a time writing this chapter. Honestly I've been working on it for months it was that bad. Hopefully, and I'm putting a lot of emphasis on hopefully, I'll be able to update more frequently since I got past this chapter. Hopefully. :(

But hey, at least this chapter was a bit longer than the last few ones. That's always a plus right?