おはようございます

Good Morning


第4章

道徳的なコンパス


After unpacking, they grabbed towels and finally headed down to the beach. Hinata was giggly and kept tugging Kageyama along by the hand impatiently. It was hard not to be excited by the prospect of being alone together. Staring at Hinata's huge grin and shining eyes, Kageyama was busy trying to suppress all impure thoughts on their way down the elevator.

Hinata kept yammering the whole way, wearing a stupid smile on his face that was nearly blinding. "Uwahhh, this is so exciting! I've never been on a white sand beach before! I wonder if it's warmer than normal, or maybe colder?" He frowned. "Which is cool again? White, right?"

"What are you mumbling about?" Kageyama messed his hair good-naturedly. "We can just go find out now, y'know."

"Ahh, hey, you're right!" Hinata beamed at him and Kageyama's face burst into flame.

Dammit… Cute. He released Hinata's head and took him by the hand. "Come on, let's go." He lead him out of the elevator and they paused by the door to find the best route to the beach. The woman at the front desk directed them to the western exit, which directly faced the shore.

"Wah, so pretty!" Hinata tugged on his hand, eyes shining lie a little kid's on Christmas morning. Kageyama didn't really hear the rest of what he said because he was so busy admiring the expression. Hinata didn't seem to notice, though. He tugged him down the long boardwalk leading to the beach, laughing giddily the whole way. Kageyama could practically see his tail wagging.

When they reached the beach, Hinata flung himself down into the sand with a loud holler. "Ahh, Tobiooo! It really is cooler!"

"Get up, you dumbass." Kageyama couldn't help but laugh at his sad puppy-dog face. "Come on, Shōyō, don't you wanna go swim?"

"Ahh, you're right again!" Hinata popped up so fast, he created a cloud of sand. Kageyama caught him by the shirt before he could take off running again.

"What are you, a dog? Don't go running off." Kageyama laced their fingers together with practiced nonchalance. He was trying to act cool, but it was hard to do with Hinata's invasive blush and sheepish smile and stupid cute perfect face. Dammit.

"We— We have lots of time, so we don't have to rush anything..." Kageyama cleared his throat to disguise the squeak.

"Yeah!" Hinata's all-encompassing smile was still blinding. "Let's go!"

He wrenched Kageyama forward by the arm, pausing at the very edge of the water. He started kicking off his shoes and Kageyama took a minute to glance around the long stretch of sand. There weren't many people out, but still a fair amount of vacationers sunbathing or splashing around in the shallows. The sun was close to setting, and people were just starting leave when Hinata pulled off his shirt. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

"Sorry." Kageyama huffed to pull off his shirt and waded in after Hinata, trying to control his fast heartbeat. Swimming together… It was so coupley. And sure, he and Hinata had been together for a while, but Kageyama still wasn't used to the idea of really dating him. Before meeting Hinata in his past life, he'd had no friends or any interest in romance, but to say his personality had done a 180 would be an understatement. He got flustered by the weirdest things, and he had no handle on his thoughts or emotions when Hinata was around.

Like then, for instance. Hinata waded slowly into the water, smiling back at him through chattering teeth. "Wow, it's c-cold, huh?" He giggled and splashed a wave at him. "Not as cold as home, though!"

"Dumbass—!" Kageyama splashed him back and Hinata shrieked loudly in protest.

"Cold cold cold coldddd!" He burst into bright laughter as Kageyama caught him roughly around the waist. " Noooo, I yield! I yield!" Kageyama held him closer, feeling Hinata's wet skin against his when he pressed their foreheads together. He smelled like salt and his fingers were already rough from the water.

Beautiful...

"You know, more and more lately, your face gets this really soft look." Hinata's fingers brushed against Kageyama's cheek. His face broke into a soft, sunny smile. "I really like it."

"You…" Kageyama couldn't help but kiss him when he said stuff like that. The way his fingers curled into Kageyama's shoulders and the way he smiled into the kiss made his knees weak. Moments like those were when he felt the most at home.


"Wahhh, fried squid!" Hinata held the stick of charred meat closely at eye-level—perhaps too closely. Kageyama watched him with a nervous grimace. He looked like he was about to stick it in his eye socket. "Is it really safe to eat this?"

"Dumbass, you'll poke your eye out like that." Kageyama smacked the stick out of his hand. "Don't play with your food."

Hinata's mother chuckled from across the table. "Aha, Tobio-chan does all the scolding for me."

Kageyama flushed when everyone laughed. "Hey— That's— It's because—!" He gave up and shoved a bite of squid into his mouth before he could let slip any incriminating evidence. It was much harder concealing their relationship than he'd thought. In fact, it was almost crazy that neither of their parents had figured it out yet.

"He just knows me well," Hinata spoke up. He picked up a stick of squid and bit into it with a huge smile. "He's always keeping me from tripping or eating too fast or forgetting things. Oh, and he reminds me to put on sunscreen! Right, Tobio?"

Kageyama froze. Hinata paused mid-chew, eyes going wide as he realized what he'd just said. His parents eyed them both and Natsu giggled quietly into her water glass while they shared a panicked look. Hinata swallowed and his face blossomed into a bright shade of red that Kageyama tried really hard not to find cute. It was no time to be pining: they were gonna be found it. They definitely were. There was no way they wouldn't realize after that, right? He looked to Hinata's parents to answer the unspoken question, probably looking like he was approaching an executioner's block.

For a moment, Hinata's mother seemed to be thinking, but all she did was laugh. It felt like a gunshot to the chest and Kageyama sagged over his plate while she slapped his shoulder jokingly. "Geez, you two really are close, huh? You have such a good friend here, Shōyō!"

"Haha… yeah." Hinata gulped, fiddling with his chopsticks. "That's totally right!"

Kageyama could read the relief written on his face clear as day. Hiding things had never been Hinata's forte—in fact, it was a surprise that he'd managed to hide their relationship for so long, already. Kageyama was the one who was nervous about telling everyone, but it was mostly because he had some sort of selfish predisposition to keep Hinata to himself, which was way too embarrassing to admit to anyone.

Dammit! Kageyama roared inwardly, stabbing his chopsticks into a piece of squid with enough force to shake the table. He chewed it while Hinata watched on with a raised brow.

There was no way he was really that selfish. How lame was that? Just thinking about it made him want to curl up and die. Being protective of Hinata was one thing, but not even wanting to tell his parents about them was just insane. Kageyama Hopes it was simply nerves over whether they would accept them or not. They were both guys, after all: it was hard to judge how anybody would take the news.

But he didn't really give a damn about that. He loved Hinata and he'd shout it from the rooftops if he had to. So what really was it?

He smacked his face against the table. Gahhh, I feel like I'm thinking way too hard about this!

"Nii-chan," Natsu shrieked, "Tobio's head is smoking!"


"Are you ready to sleep?" Hinata stood in the doorway of the bathroom, yawning into the sleeve of Kageyama's shirt. "The sun set already."

He nearly dropped his toothbrush when he turned, coughing to keep from choking when he inhaled too fast. "Wh— Shōyō, what the hell?! Take that off!"

Hinata pouted, hugging himself to protect the baggy shirt. "No! I like your clothes!" He held the sleeves to his face and peered through at him. "They're warm, and they smell like you…"

Ugh… Be still, my heart! Kageyama slammed his fist against the bathroom counter, nearly cracking the toothbrush in half. I can't do it. There's no way I'll last the night sleeping next to him. He clapped his hands together—earning a startled exclamation from Hinata—and prayed to the ceiling. God, if you're up there, please give me the strength to get through this!

"What the heck are you doing?" Hinata tugged on his sleeve. "Can we please sleep now? I'm ready."

Dammit, don't say it like that! Kageyama was about three seconds away from a blow-out nosebleed. "You… You go ahead…" Restraint, restraint, restraint, restraint. He was almost stabbing himself with the toothbrush.

"Okay… Whatever you say." Hinata shrugged and as soon as he was gone, Kageyama slammed the door and collapsed against the counter.

There was no way in hell he was going to last an entire week sleeping in the same room. No way. He was a human, after all: he had needs! He wasn't some chaste saint who could ignore their boyfriend sleeping literally ten feet away . The two of them had never done anything more than kissing, and Kageyama was totally losing his willpower. Hinata didn't seem to notice his restlessness, but Kageyama didn't want to bring it up until he was sure Hinata would be okay with it.

Keep it together. He shook his head, making eye contact with himself in the mirror. 'Don't be a common animal, King!' That's what Tsukishima would've said. You just need to stay cool. There's plenty of time to talk it out later. Stay strong.

Satisfied with the temporary solution, Kageyama apologized to his toothbrush and put it back by the sink. "Shōyō, I'm coming out now!" He clicked off the bathroom light, but when he wandered into the room, Hinata was already fast asleep. He was curled into a ball, mumbling softly when he heard Kageyama's voice.

Kageyama sat on the edge of his bed and covered his face, internally screaming. What kind of test is this, God?! He slapped his cheeks a couple times, but it didn't seem to work. His heart kept pounding against his ribcage like a persistent MMA fighter.

Shield! Kageyama flipped the blanket over his face, hugging it to cocoon himself behind the fluffy barrier. You're gonna sleep like this until you can handle it, you weakling.

He was a bit hard on himself, but what was a guy supposed to do? Life was way too cruel…


"That was the worst night of my life." Kageyama stared blankly at the ceiling as dawn broke through the curtains. He hadn't gotten even a single minute of sleep the entire night. Fun fact: Hinata talked in his sleep, which he hadn't known before. But he said mostly one thing—Kageyama's name. He'd spent the whole night listening to it and trying not to weep. What kind of shounen-manja-type scenario was he living in, exactly?

"Mmnn… Bright. " Hinata scrunched up his face and yawned, using a pillow to block out the early morning sun. "Tobio... What"—he yawned again—"time is it?"

"S-s-seven, I think…" Kageyama nearly bit his tongue, swallowing hard to keep from yelping. This is pathetic, dammit! Be a man and pull yourself together, for Shōyō's sake! "Did you w-want to get up now?"

"Can we?!" Hinata sprung up and nearly fell out of bed, crossing the room to pull open the curtains farther. He turned back to him, smile even brighter than the sunlight he was letting through. "Hey, Tobio, let's go out on the balcony. I want to see a Shirahama sunrise!"

Kageyama tossed off the covers before his heart could even finish skipping a beat, following him out on the balcony. They leaned against the railing side by side to stare out at the horizon. The sun painted the sky a blend of golden and soft silver, reflecting off the ocean's crystal-clear surface. When Kageyama closed his eyes, he could taste the salty air the salty air and heat the seagulls that circled the coast. Shirahama really was beautiful.

"Wow… It looks like the ocean goes on forever," Hinata mused. He leaned over the railing, tilting his head back with a long exhale. "Ah, the sunlight feels good…"

Kageyama reaches out for him Hinata opened one eye inquisitively. "Tobio?" He smiled when Kageyama's fingers brushed against his cheekbones. "You've been acting weird lately. Is something up?"

"Not really." The light hitting his hair made a gentle halo across his forehead. It reminded Kageyama of old days spent at Madoka's shop, watching him trace patterns on the dusty floor. The memory left him with an odd sort of sadness and he pulled Hinata closer. "More and more lately, I'm feeling really… nostalgic."

"Nostalgic, huh?" Hinata nestled into his chest and peered out at the ocean. "Me too. But I like it better now that I can actually be here with you." His arms tightened around Kageyama's waist and he closed his eyes. "I miss the others a lot, but… I'm really happy this way, you know?"

Kageyama's face softened and he buried his face in Hinata's hair, inhaling his familiar smell. "Yeah, I do…"

They looked out at the ocean, watching the sun slowly claw its way farther into the sky. It made the white sand look like an endless stretch of sparking diamond, dispersed by waves of sapphire sea. Tongues of sunlight crept across the blue expanse, highlighting the morning beach-goers setting out their umbrellas. At the pier, fishermen were preparing to leave, untying their boat from the dock. The day was already well underway.

"Good morning, Shōyō," Kageyama whispered into Hinata's shoulder. His lips curled into a hidden smile. "I really missed saying that to you."


A/N: I love these dumbass dorks so very much and I'm glad they're back. Smh Kageyama is most relatable lmao. Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter, and thanks so much for your patience! I know I suck at updating, but that's only because I really want to give you all the best content possible ^-^