Kageyama slammed into Hinata hard enough to knock the breath out of him as they fell into the gym.

"You both are going to break something one of these days," Daichi said with an amused but longsuffering look at his two kohai on the floor.

Hinata wriggled underneath Kageyama. "Still came in first."

Kageyama sat up so the other boy could properly breathe. Hinata flipped over onto his back.

"Why…the hell…are you so heavy?" he panted.

"Me?" Kageyama asked before flicking Hinata in the forehead, "I had to carry your ass up a hill. I know for a fact you're heavier."

Hinata scrambled to his knees so he could slap his hands over Kageyama's mouth. Kageyama sputtered and tried valiantly to bat them away.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Shh!" Hinata insisted finally smushing a hand against Kageyama's lips, "You promised not to tell."

Kageyama's eye twitched. Hinata must have sensed his impending doom because he chuckled haltingly.

"Ah, I mean," He quickly took his hand back and wiped his palm against Kageyama's shirt, "Nothing! Never mind!"

"I'm going to toss to you until you get run into the ground today," Kageyama threatened.

Hinata tilted his head and got a dangerous look to his eyes. A smile cut across his face.

"You promise?"

Kageyama swallowed.

After Hinata had put the cushions back onto the sofa in his living room, backwards too, he had left Kageyama home alone. This had given him plenty of privacy to lay face down on his bedroom floor for the rest of the weekend. Hinata liked him and he was fairly sure he liked Hinata as well.

Which sucked.

The plan had been to write down his inevitable rejection, practice it a time or two to get it down right and then when Hinata finally came clean he could resolve the situation amicably. Except, nooo. Hinata had to be supportive and warm and so annoyingly necessary in his everyday life that he had shoved the rejection note to the bottom of his school bag to never see the light of day again. Now his head refused to empty itself of redheaded thoughts.

It was almost shameful how full his chest felt when he looked at his partner. No, not almost. Definitely shameful. He could never tell Hinata. It didn't matter that he knew Hinata liked him already, the idea of sharing just how many hours were spent burning the memory of Hinata asleep in his arms like a brand in his brain was like asking to never play volleyball again. It made him unbelievably sick with nerves and trepidation, and he was done with being sick for a while.

0o0

"You guys did amazing today!" Kageyama and Hinata pitched forward suddenly from the aggressive slaps on the back their vice-captain gave them as they congregated in the clubroom. "I'm really proud of you two."

Practice had gone more smoothly than it had in what felt like years. Kageyama and Hinata's quicks were sharp and strong. Kageyama's serves sailed perfectly across the net to slam into the floor between his teammate's feet. Hinata even managed to receive twice; granted, once was with his face but that didn't stop him from preening all over the gym as though he had never dropped a ball in his life.

Still, Kageyama had to admit that he hadn't felt this good practicing with Hinata in too long. They were in tune to each other in a way that was comfortably familiar but also interestingly new. When he had first learned of Hinata's crush it had been like sticking a wrench in the cogs of a machine and their partnership had stuttered to an unworkable halt. Back then he had wished for nothing but to go back to the way things were. Now, he didn't know if that was even possible, and that sat just fine with him.

When amber eyes looked at him from high above he no longer felt suffocated by the secrets they held, he instead stared back with hidden truths of his own, eager to see who could hold out the longest, who would break first. It was another competition between them and losing was simply not ever an option.

He didn't consider himself the most perceptive but with the amount of times he had caught Hinata watching him, even when he shouldn't have been, he just knew Hinata had to be the most obvious person on the planet; not that he had ever been known for his subtlety. It wouldn't be long until the rest of the team caught up.

That thought had also lost the teeth it used to have. If his teammates found out, if they learned how Hinata or he felt about each other; the idea used to make him bite down in a raw panic. But if Hinata, who had been on the receiving end of every awful side of him could find it in his heart to feel fondly towards him then surely the rest of the team wouldn't ostracize him the way he feared; god knew they had had plenty of chances. And if Hinata kept staring at him the way he was now they would be outed rather quickly.

"Um, thanks," Kageyama said still slightly reeling from the affection.

"Keep up that kind of work and we'll do great things in the future," Daichi agreed as he zipped his jacket closed.

That's right. The jacket.

Kageyama dug through his gym bag and found the wrinkled yet folded track jacket that hadn't done much for him in the rain on his way home from Hinata's this past weekend. Without wanting to attract any unwanted attention Kageyama tried to hand it to his shorter teammate wordlessly.

"Oh, thanks! I have yours too, one second!"

Hinata rushed over to the other side of the room to pick through his own bag. Tsukishima raised an annoyed eyebrow at Kageyama; he responded with an equally annoyed frown. So much for that plan.

Hinata returned with the jacket he had borrowed and, as Kageyama carefully attempted to fold it, tugged on his shirt. "You're not leaving just yet right, Kageyama? I want to practice some more. Please say you'll stay too."

When Hinata had his hands on him to shove him in annoyance or when his fingers always managed to find bare skin when he jumped on him in the locker room, Kageyama didn't shudder and recoil the way he used to. In fact, he could feel the very new desire to reciprocate. As much as possible if he was able. Not that Hinata seemed to mind an extra ruffle to his hair or hand dragging him around. Hormones were weird.

He's cute, he thought.

"You're so damn annoying when you whine," he said snatching his hand back and using it to push Hinata away by the face. He continued to hold him at arm's length as Hinata swung his arms wildly trying to punch him. Tsukishima rolled his eyes at the display.

"Overworking yourselves can't be good either," Yamaguchi said as he leaned against the wall watching them, "Don't you guys ever get tired?"

"Never!" they replied instantly in unison.

"Leave them to their nonsense," Tsukishima said readjusting his glasses, "If they're stuck with each other then that's less hassle for the rest of us."

"Hey, their monster levels of energy save our asses in games," Tanaka said coming to their defense.

"Except for the last one," Tsukishima countered.

Suga held up his hands. "He just had an off day, which is ok to ha-

"Hinata was close to starting a fight and the royal pain got his feelings hurt and almost cost us," Tsukishima interrupted.

"Hey!" Hinata said just before Kageyama released him and he fell to the floor gracelessly.

"I did not!" Kageyama fisted his hands at his sides. "We won didn't we?"

"Tell that to everyone who watched you fail for that entire first match."

"Why don't you stop talking about something you don't understand?"

"Guys!" Daichi's forehead vein was starting to appear. "Cool it!"

"Hinata, do that thing again," Tanaka pressed.

"What thing?" Hinata asked from the floor.

"That thing where you calm Kageyama down from being moody."

"I don't know how to do that!"

"I'm NOT moody!

"Tch, says the guy yelling."

"Tsuki, can't you just –

"Guys!"

"It's his fault!"

"Who do you think you're blaming!"

Kageyama was suddenly pushed from behind.

"Hey! What are –

"Shut up!" Hinata said harshly as he continued to shove Kageyama past the other guys towards the clubroom door, "I'm doing the thing."

Hinata reached around and opened the door yanking Kageyama along by his shirt. Kageyama was stumbling in his effort to walk backwards quickly. Still, Hinata did not slow down.

"Where are you taking me?"

Hinata didn't respond, in fact, Kageyama was pretty sure he only got faster.

He knew if he planted his feet firmly Hinata would be forced to stop and face him but he allowed himself to get pulled around like a puppy on a leash. He at least managed to spin around before they hit the stairs. This is probably what Tsukishima meant when he called Tanaka and Nishinoya 'whipped' for their general manager.

At first Kageyama thought he was being led to the gym but Hinata went right past it and instead pulled him around to the back wall, the same place he had found him hiding out with Tanaka and Noya. He was promptly shoved against the wall as Hinata peeked around the corner.

"We should be safe here."

Kageyama looked down at the fingers still fisted in his shirt. "If you stretched this out I'm going to kill you."

"Ah!" Hinata released him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Tanaka told me to do 'the thing' and this was all I could think of."

Kageyama ran his hands down his front smoothing out his shirt. "What do you even mean by we'll be safe here? We weren't in any danger."

"Are you kidding?" Hinata pointed accusatorily at the taller boy. "You and Tsukishima were seconds away from decking each other. Daichi is going to want to yell at the both of you." Hinata smirked proudly. "Luckily for you, he's madder at whoever he gets at first so while he rips Saltyshima a new one we'll be safe here."

"This is one of your dumber ideas," Kageyama said before he slid down the wall to sit on the grass, one of his legs stretched out in front of him the other holding up one of his elbows. "The gym is the first place he'll come looking."

"But not the back of it," Hinata said joining Kageyama on the ground and tossing his bag beside them, his bare knees digging into the dirt.

"I guess."

Kageyama pulled out a handful of grass and slowly tore it into little pieces. Tsukishima somehow always knew how to push his buttons even when he was sure he didn't have any buttons left to press. It was getting old honestly. Hinata pushed them often too but it was different with him. He wasn't about to try to explain it to himself. He knew what he meant and that was enough.

He ran out of grass.

Hinata held his hand out, a pile of grass in the center of his palm.

"He's just trying to get a rise out of you, you know."

Kageyama took the offering and got to work tearing the blades apart.

"I know."

"You should follow your own advice, Bakayama."

Hinata's eyes were locked on him in a serious expression with such an intensity that Kageyama held his breath waiting to see what he would say.

"You should just kick him in the shins next time."

Kageyama surprised them both by making an unattractive snorting noise. He didn't think Hinata's eyes could get any bigger.

"Did I just make you laugh?"

Kageyama instinctively reached for Hinata's head but instead of squeezing he just shoved him away, his fingers curling through soft hair.

"No! I just couldn't believe you would say something so stupid."

"Still counts," Hinata winked and shot him with finger guns.

He hadn't flinched under Kageyama's hand, or rush to shove it off; he barely even seemed to acknowledge the gentle touch.

He's used to it, Kageyama thought. Had he really been doing this so often? Often enough to affect Hinata's behavior? It sure seemed so.

"And you're smiling too," Hinata said in disbelief leaning onto his hands, getting closer.

Kageyama took his hand back and turned away.

"No, I'm not!"

"You SO are!"

"You're imagining things!" Kageyama ducked his head down in an attempt to hide behind his bangs. "That volleyball hit from earlier gave you brain damage."

"No way! You can't hide anything from me!"

Kageyama certainly hoped so. Otherwise he would be in a world of trouble. Hinata leaned down trying to get a better view.

"There you are," he said gleefully when their eyes met, "You are human after all."

He was so close and it was doing things to Kageyama's heart.

"Sh-shut up!" Was that a stutter? God, he wanted to die.

Hinata fell onto Kageyama's thighs and burst into laughter.

Butterflies and pigeons and an assortment of other flying things began swirling in the pit of Kageyama's stomach. Hinata's smile could end wars, and here it was in his lap; bright, warm and unquenchable. Forever burning, searing his soul to oblivion and he desperately wanted to melt into the flame.

"Kageyama?"

He blinked a few times. Hinata was staring at him with an amused expression. Where had his head even been going?

"Huh?"

Hinata rolled his eyes.

"You never pay attention to me."

If Kageyama paid any more attention to him he would go broke.

"What did you say?" Kageyama asked.

Hinata had yet to sit back up. He seemed content enough to stay curled against Kageyama.

"It's ok for you to smile too, you know." Hinata's eyes shyly looked off to the side. "I think it's…really nice…when you do it."

"You what?"

"Don't get cocky about it!" Hinata said hurriedly, cheeks getting pinker by the second, "The rest of you is still annoying!"

"I…I like…I like y-," Kageyama stopped himself short. That had really almost slipped out just like that! But he desperately wanted to tell him. Wanted to just release the band that was stretching itself tight around his ribs and making it hard to breathe every time he saw Hinata. But no, it was probably too much wasn't it? Maybe start smaller and work his way up?

Hinata was waiting, staring at him again. Openly. The way Kageyama wished he could.

"I like yours too. Your smile. It's nice."

"Oh," Hinata breathed, "Thanks."

Kageyama knew it was his own wishful thinking that made him hear disappointment beneath Hinata's reply as if he had been waiting for the words Kageyama had been too nervous to say. Hinata sat up. The chance was gone. He was such a coward. He wanted to slam his own head back into the gym wall.

"That reminds me," Hinata said, clearly in an effort to fix the warped atmosphere Kageyama had unwittingly created, "I have a funny video to show you that Kenma sent me a while ago."

**Ahh yes, the good stuff. The kind of good stuff that comes along and ruins a good thing. Hope you're here same time next week to watch the destruction. 12/10/22**