That morning, when Kageyama woke up, it was far earlier than he usually did. His stomach was churning a bit, so he opted not to eat anything just yet.
It was a few hours before he had to get going to the gym for warmups, so he decided to take a look on his phone.
Hinata was awake too and spamming the group chat with his morning thoughts and excitement about the tournament today already. Kageyama laid down again, hearing his phone buzz and watching the sun rise in the distance.
Eventually, it was time to get up, and get ready. He was extra nervous today because the first game would be against Aoba Johsai so he didn't even have time to prepare for today's game against his soulmates.
When he actually said it in his head like that, it sounded real.
Kageyama went downstairs in his Karasuno uniform where his mother was working away already. "Your grandparents are coming over in a bit and then we're all going to go over to watch your game." She said once she noticed him.
"Okay…" Did they have to? Kageyama was ready for his grandparents to go back home already. They stressed him out.
Kageyama said goodbye to his mother and hurried on towards the gym where some of his teammates were probably already practicing and warming up.
As he thought, Hinata was there when he arrived, a big bundle of nerves like he usually was before games, but a little less jumpy than usual at the same time. "Kageyama!" he yelled the moment their eyes met. Tobio winced at the echo it resulted in but didn't have enough time to yell at Hinata for it because he was already bouncing around, asking for a set. "Please set me! Coach isn't even here yet. Please, please, please!"
"No."
Kageyama moved passed him to the bench where he set his bag down, Hinata still whining in his ear.
"Hey~ Tobio-chan!"
Kageyama looked up to see Oikawa on the other side of the net, waving. "What?" Kageyama asked, walking up so they were face to face.
"No need to sound so hostile." Oikawa waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm not—"
"I just wanted to say hi and suddenly I'm the bad guy!" Oikawa teased.
"You aren't the bad—"
"You are the bad guy!" Hinata piped up beside him. "I'm the protagonist, so you're the antagonist, which means you're the bad guy!"
"That's not how it works." Oikawa rolled his eyes. "You're the bad guy for interrupting my conversation!"
"You interrupted my conversation first!"
"Yeah, and both of you interrupted—" Kageyama was cut off again and at this point he just sighed, "me." He grumbled to himself and went over to join Sugawara on the bench instead.
Oikawa and Hinata continued to argue about who was the ' bad guy' here but neither of them was making much sense.
"Some people have such ridiculous arguments, don't they?" Sugawara said beside him. Kageyama then realized he was also listening to what Hinata and Oikawa were talking about.
"Yeah, I don't even understand what they're arguing about." Kageyama commented.
"I suppose so. Whatever it is, no one looks to happy about the ruckus."
Kageyama followed Suga's gaze to Daichi. He was marching over to Hinata and Oikawa and he didn't look too happy about having to break up a petty argument.
"If you have so much energy to talk that loudly than you should use it to warm up, Hinata." Daichi said, steering Hinata away from Oikawa.
"But I was just… but he… ugh." Hinata sighed and started grumbling things under his breath.
Luckily, at that point, the coach called everyone over to start warming up and before he knew it, the whistle blew signaling the start of the game.
One of the things he would probably remember most about the game, one of the things that started his unraveling in the first half, was how Oikawa figured out the signals so fast. Hinata's signals, to be specific. The signals Sugawara came up with so they could distinguish between the super fast quick and the normal one.
He knew Oikawa was smart, but having him figure out something like that so quickly was still unnerving. General communication like, 'give it here', 'I'm open', 'send it', 'bring it here', were all very common phrases in all sports to let another teammate know they were ready for the ball.
It wasn't something most opponent teams were likely to ever notice, which was probably why Sugawara had chosen it in the first place. He was smart like that too.
It was still frustrating though, to know he'd been read so quickly right off the bat. Sugawara may have come up with the signals but it still felt like a jab at him. The way Oikawa smirked at him when he asked how he figured it out only cemented that in Kageyama's mind.
"Observation skills, Tobio-chan~. I'm pretty sure I told you once that I was observant."
Kageyama narrowed his eyes rubbing the right side of his face. He could already feel a headache coming on and because of the position Karasuno was in now, he didn't think it was going away any time soon.
After Aoba Johsai figured out the signal Hinata and him had, the game's tide only kept turning south.
Oikawa was starting to get inside his head, he could feel it.
This always happened.
Kageyama was good at strategy, at positioning, at accuracy and predicting other people's moves. But when someone knew him as intimately as he did them that was where trouble started. When someone else could predict his moves, that's when he started to psych himself out.
Not many people could predict what he was thinking, because not many people knew him that well. And most times, even if they could predict something accurately a lot of setters, other first years especially, couldn't keep up with him anyway.
Unfortunately for him however, Oikawa knew him well enough to gauge what he was thinking. And setters always went for what they thought would get them a point. Oikawa was smart enough to recognize a lot of those opportunities as well and had the skills to shut him out.
Kageyama started feeling nervous, not talking as much because he was thinking so hard.
It was about halfway into the first half when he initiated a setter dump that Oikawa easily dug up. With a pass, Iwaizumi scored another point for Aoba Johsai.
"Did you really think now was the best time for a setter dump?" Oikawa asked, making Kageyama turn his head to him. He stayed quiet though because he didn't know what to say. Yes, he was nervous but he wouldn't choose to make a play he thought would fail.
"Yeah, I thought so too." Oikawa said smugly. Tobio glared and nervously wiped some sweat off his brow. He knew Oikawa could tell he was cracking and that was no good.
The last thing he wanted was his opponent to know he was getting to him.
"Oh, looks like you guys are subbing."
Kageyama looked over towards the benches and went a little numb when he saw Sugawara holding up a number nine.
He wished he could say it didn't matter and shrug it off but the last time he got subbed out of a game was when one of his teammates couldn't even be bothered to try and make a run for his set.
His legs felt like jelly and grabbing the marker out of Sugawara's hands almost felt like rejection.
He never exactly feared getting subbed out, that was something he didn't even think to worry about until now when it was happening.
It's for something different now though, he reasoned with himself. Right? It wasn't because his team hated hi—
"Hey, keep your chin up." Suga interrupted his thoughts with a hand on his shoulder and a smile. "We're just switching up the rhythm."
Kageyama nodded and watched Suga run on to the court.
"We noticed you seemed a little nervous out there. Take this time to calm down. Watch how Sugawara plays." Coach Ukai told him as Kageyama walked past.
He nodded and made his way over to the sidelines to stand with the rest of his team and watched the game.
The way Sugawara played was a lot different from how he usually played. But Kageyama couldn't deny that it was effective, at least for a while. Sugawara seemed to adapt very well to everyone else's playing styles and was really good at communicating with them.
As the game went on like that, Kageyama could see Hinata glancing over at him every few minutes.
"What!" he finally snapped.
"Your face is always so scary, Tobio." Hinata complained. "And you were so quiet out there! You need to tell me what you're thinking cus I can't read your mind."
Kageyama didn't need a lecture from Hinata of all people about being quiet since his definition of quiet and Kageyama's were very different.
He didn't respond however and kept staring intently at the game. Hinata averted his eyes away eventually.
Sugawara was clever with his plays and he added a new element on to the court. They managed to win back a few points that way by the time Kageyama got back on to the court.
He wanted to connect more with his team and knew he needed to, but he also felt like he was so new to that and didn't know how. Sugawara could be really friendly and outgoing so it was easier for him but Kageyama wasn't really either of those things so connecting with people usually took a little more work.
He tried to smile to ease their nerves like Suga seemed to have done but their reactions to that were a little odd to say the least.
"Tobio, you can't force a smile on your face like that! It looks weird!" Hinata, said, lacking filter like usual.
"I think it's cute~." Oikawa said unhelpfully.
Kindaichi gave Oikawa a weird look as if to ask why he would say something like that.
"Don't lie to him!" Hinata argued back.
It only occurred to Kageyama then that Oikawa and Iwaizumi might not have told their team they were dating yet. He didn't really know why they wouldn't but maybe it just hadn't come up.
The thought did make him feel a little awkward though. It was easier to telling his team because they didn't have a history with Oikawa and Iwaizumi. He hadn't really feared backlash about the relationship from them, but Kindaichi and Kunimi still hated him as far as he knew. What would they think about it?
He didn't have time to dwell any longer than that because he was up to serve, and if he could get this point then they would be tied at 17 points each.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes, staring Oikawa down.
Oikawa narrowed his eyes then, "We're going to stop this first one in it's tracks!"
They didn't. He even got it passed the libero. And they didn't get the next one either.
Tanaka even gave him a high five for that one.
After that, he tried getting to know more about his teammates likes and dislikes when it came to sets but only Tsukishima's answer bothered him. Mostly because there was a plethora of insults that came with the 'advice'.
"It's like I'm your servant and you just expect me to follow your orders."
"Is that why you always half-ass your hits." Kageyama glared and Tsukishima glared back.
"The ball is coming!" Tanaka shouted, interrupting them.
Another thing he would probably remember though is Yamaguchi being subbed in as a pinch server. Kageyama understood that the game flow needed to shift but he didn't really think Yamaguchi was the best way to do it.
He didn't want to sound like he didn't believe in his teammate, but the way he was sort of shaking just standing there holding the ball, made him think of Hinata during his first practice game where all he did was mess up plays over and over again.
The whistle blew, Yamaguchi seemed startled, and Kageyama could tell where this was about to go.
The ball hit the net instead of going over. They lost another point and Yamaguchi was called off the court.
Serving was a lot of pressure even under normal circumstances. But being a pinch server trying to score points with serves just doubled that pressure. When you're serving, you're all alone out there. It can feel suffocating.
Karasuno still fought hard though, up until the very last play Kageyama refused to give up. They all did.
Oikawa had always been good at reading him though. They had played together in junior high and Oikawa was someone he'd always looked up to. He'd learned some volleyball techniques from him, he had looked up to him in a volleyball playing aspect.
Maybe that's why it was so easy for Oikawa to read him in the end.
He'd been excited to set to Hinata in that last play because the positions they were in were optimal for the set that they always did.
That was until he realized Oikawa had read him like an open book when three blockers completely shut Hinata out.
That was all his fault.
Kageyama could barely get up when the ball hit the floor.
It was over. After playing so long, having it all so close, it was over. He didn't have a word for what he was feeling. There was a heaviness inside his chest that felt too painful to just be disappointment.
The loss itself was only part of the reason for it being there though. It was how they lost too. He'd lost sight of it all and let Oikawa read him so damn easily that it actually disgusted him to think about. That he was so open, so predictable that Oikawa knew what he was going to do before he even did it just like that.
It was repulsive to him. He was so angry at himself for letting everyone down like that.
He was the setter, the control tower, the one who decided where to put the ball. He was supposed to see it, supposed to predict it, supposed to be better than anyone else at their own game. When it came down to it, the toss had been his decision. His decision cost them the entire game.
Iwaizumi and Oikawa didn't talk to him after the game, he wouldn't have wanted them to. He just wanted to be alone.
It was weak to cry about something like this. Really what did one volleyball match even mean?
But he could never say that out loud, because it meant everything to him.
After this, would Oikawa even consider him a rival? There was no need to. He'd won, beaten Kageyama, proved who was superior. But Kageyama didn't want to be satisfied with that. He couldn't just let the rivalry that had shaped him since he was a first year in junior high fall to pieces at his feet. The feeling he got when playing against Oikawa as his rival was about more than just the light-hearted insults and claiming victory before the match had even started.
The rivalry he hadn't even known he started was one of his first connections to Oikawa. It was what led to all of this. Even before, when all he had was Oikawa's scorn a mockery it was better than not even being acknowledged. In some way or another, Kageyama had liked the way Oikawa set him apart from the rest.
He was an asshole, and mean, and Kageyama tried to be the same way right back. But at least he'd been different. Not just some underclassmen who was lost in a sea of faces, but someone memorable.
That couldn't end here.
They had something more now, but Kageyama wasn't finished yet. He wanted to keep playing and feel that burning passion. A passion that came from more than just playing volleyball, but playing against people he wanted to beat. People that meant the world to him.
People that wanted to beat him just as badly.
Volleyball was about more to him than just playing and winning. He breathed that sport, loved it. It gave him the freedom to be himself, to cling to hope, to be a better player and teammate. It gave him the chance to meet his soulmates, to be with them. It gave him the chance to grow and to be more than he ever thought he could be.
And he was scared they wouldn't feel the same way.
Maybe that was stupid. Maybe all of that had only meant anything to him.
But there was still that fear there, fear that ate away at him inside.
He didn't know what to do about it, so he didn't do anything. He didn't talk to Oikawa or Iwaizumi and instead let his mind wander towards the worst kinds of scenarios like he usually did. Those sorts of thoughts only led him down a route of anxiety and self-deprecation.
The thought of dynamics changing so suddenly within their very precarious relationship was another one of Kageyama's concerns. It's not as though they were fighting all the time but… it was still scary.
He'd been read like an open book. Read like he was easy and predictable. And maybe it was stupid but Oikawa didn't like things that were easy, and he was pretty sure Iwaizumi didn't either. Why would you want to be the rival of someone who couldn't even compare to you in any way in the first place? Kageyama thought of every volleyball team he played against as his opponents but there were only a few he would consider rivals.
That may not seem like that big of a difference but being someone's rival meant there was some sort of relationship there. Some respect for how they played, or how they conducted themselves after matches, or how they led their team. There was always some sort of begrudging respect and need to be better. Working to improve so that you could beat your rival was a drive in people. It was a push that a lot of people need to want to improve, himself included.
But if you easily beat your 'rival' what then?
Maybe they just become an opponent after that.
A/N I personally find this chapter kind of boring. Like... I don't really like it but I don't know what to do with it. It's been in my drafts for days and I've read it at least five times and I even rewrote most of it. This chapter is more meant to introduce interesting topics rather than be that interesting, unfortunately.
So: On the agenda for the future. Kageyama talking with Oikawa and Iwaizumi and his grandparents being themselves.
Originally this chapter had a lot more shoved into it because I did have both of those things happen in this chapter originally but I felt overwhelmed and a headache coming on just thinking about shoving it all together. So I split the chapter up.
The second part of this chapter needs a lot of revision and a rewritten version as well so it'll probably take a little while but I think I'll update it sooner than I did this one just because it's kind of already outlined for me and I know what I want to happen.
I really don't want the fic to be much longer than this... so I'm going to be tentative and say 5-10 more chapters until completion.
What I want to happen before the end of this fic: An ending confrontation with Kageyama's grandparents (next chapter). Another official date or two between Kageyama, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi. Closure with Kindaichi and Kunimi. More Kageyama x Team hijinks. More Hinata in general. Oikawa and Iwaizumi angst. And maybe more, idk.
Thanks for reading and being so patient with me. This semester's been so fucking crazy.