The walk back to the dorms had Hinata fidgeting with the strap of his bag the entire way, his unwillingness to meet Kageyama's eyes resulting in an inability to know how the other was feeling- not like he could tell what Kageyama was feeling normally anyway.
They often worked or ran in silence with one another, but as Hinata's thoughts raced he could only wonder if Kageyama were feeling as confused as he was.
The sun had set below the horizon, cool air chilling his sweaty skin as they continued on in silence.
He probably doesn't think anything of it. He'd have lost his mind if I overstepped, right? Hinata thought to himself faintly as they'd walked quietly beside one other, staring pointedly at the ground.
That's right. I'm probably just overthinking things. They were both just excited about the spike- it had been months since either of them had played, so it was only natural. Kageyama obviously didn't think much of it.
So why do I?
Hinata had never felt more relieved than he did when they entered the dorms, the smell of pizza and the chatter of their dorm mates filling the empty air between them. Steeling himself, he took a quick look up at Kageyama to see the other's reaction, blue eyes meeting his own for the briefest moment before Yachi's call turned their heads. Kageyama simply turned and started walking towards her, and Hinata felt a twinge of frustration as he watched Kageyama's retreating form before he himself started wandering over.
"Wher' were yo' guys?" Noya questioned around the pizza dangling from his mouth, almost dropping it as Tanaka slapped him on the back and laughed, Suga chuckling too despite the warning glare he sent their way at Noya talking with his mouth full.
Hinata glanced at Kageyama warily as he sat down beside him on the couch, with as much distance between them as he could muster without it being obvious. His brows furrowed as he fumbled for his words, Kageyama evidently not interested in responding himself as he grabbed a plate and reached towards the table to grab a slice of pizza.
"We were playing volleyball!" He responded as casually as he could, feeling his excitement start to replace his anxiety as he saw Yachi's eyes dart between the volleyball and him curiously. Noya only raised his eyebrow in question as he continued to chew, Tanaka leaning in as well, urging him to continue.
Hinata felt his nerves easing as he glanced at their expectant faces, relieved that they weren't as acutely aware of the awkward atmosphere as he was, which made him consider that maybe he really was just imagining it. He let himself relax a little as he thought about Kageyama's tosses- the adrenaline in his lungs as he surged forward, the feeling of the air surrounding him as he left the ground, like wings were carrying him into the sky.
He'd missed that feeling.
"It was awesome! It'd been so long since I'd played, I forgot how amazing it felt to hit a proper spike!" He continued, smiling as he looked down at his hand, the feeling of his skin hitting the ball echoing in his mind. Yachi followed his gaze, eyes wide.
"What does it feel like?" She asked softly, looking up at him again.
Hinata smiled to himself as he thought back to that feeling- the feeling of control and power that came from making a great play. The feeling of connecting with your teammates and communicating through the game. The feeling of flying.
"It feels… it feels all gwahhh, you know?" He said excitedly, flapping his arm in a spiking motion as he glanced around the table, flushing slightly in embarrassment as he saw everyone's confused looks.
They had no clue what he meant. He spared a quick glance at Kageyama, pleading for help with his gaze, but instead he saw amusement in those blue eyes as Kageyama watched him casually, leaning back against the couch and eating his pizza with no intention of stepping in.
He ignored the fluttering in his chest at Kageyama watching him so casually, electing to replace it instead with irritation at his lack of response.
Why does he always make me deal with the silence? Step in, you ass! He screamed in his mind, giving Kageyama another quick look before he sighed, responding.
"Uh… Well, it's different from blocking and receiving. I mean, those are both super important too and fun in their own way, but when you get a perfect set from a great setter it's like you can see the ball in slow motion, and when I open my eyes and hit the ball, it feels… It feels electric!" Hinata finished excitedly, clasping his hand into a fist as he stared longingly at the volleyball.
It wasn't until he looked up to see Yachi's lightly flushed face as she glanced between him and Kageyama that he realized what he'd said, an embarrassed flush rising once again on his cheeks as he quickly looked away, focusing on grabbing a plate and a piece of pizza for himself.
Kageyama had stopped eating, and Hinata could feel his intense gaze on the back of his head. He refused to look over at him, for fear of what might show on his own face.
"A perfect set from a great setter, huh? That's high praise for the King." Tsukishima interjected from across the table, a smirk on his face as Kageyama's eyes flashed towards him, narrowed into slits.
As if sensing the tension rising in the room, Suga quickly cut in.
"Oh! I forgot to mention. I know that midterms are coming up for most of you-" he started, snickering at the collective groan that sounded from around the table before continuing, "so I wanted to remind you to keep studying! For most of you it's your first year, so it's important to set yourself up strong for the following years! Plus, Daichi and I are always here if you need any help!" He finished, happy with his brief lecture.
"Education majors, really…" Tanaka joked, grimacing as Suga smacked him in the side without hesitation. "I'm just kidding, Suga's right!" He rescinded after, shooting his hands out to stop Suga from hitting him again.
"You're one to talk, you're in your second year and you're barely passing your classes!" Noya said through a laugh, ducking as Tanaka lunged for him playfully.
"Don't out me like that!" He said through a laugh of his own.
Hinata just laughed along with them, smiling around his food.
By the time he had excused himself from the table, Kageyama had already returned to their room and showered. The setter sat quietly at his desk, leaning over the pages of notes scattered across the surface as he worked on his homework. His tense back and focused gaze seemed so opposite to the relaxed posture and openness he'd seen on Kageyama's face earlier that evening. Maybe Suga's words had had more of an effect on him than he'd let on.
Hinata glanced at him warily, deciding not to try to speak to the other boy. Instead, he grabbed his stuff and quickly went into the bathroom, shutting the door and changing out of his clothes.
He exhaled shakily as he stepped into the shower, running a hand over his face as he thought about the day's events.
Kageyama had waited for him, waited for him, and asked him to play.
He genuinely couldn't remember the last time he'd felt as excited as he did when they set out to find a spot to play- he'd almost felt as excited as he did the first time his team had won a game back when he was in highschool.
Spiking the ball had felt unreal. It wasn't until now that Hinata had the time to really reflect on the whole thing. Kageyama's set had been- well, to put it bluntly, it had been perfect. The perfect angle, the perfect speed, the perfect height. It allowed him to put all of his control into the power of his spike, and it had felt incredible. He hadn't ever felt that from a toss before, and his excitement and astonishment had only increased tenfold at the fact that it was Kageyama that had tossed to him.
Of course it had been Kageyama, with his perfect athletic reflexes and perfect everything. His team had gone to nationals, so of course the set would be perfect. But Hinata hadn't expected the feeling of electricity that spiked in his veins as he shot his hand into the air, or the rush of whatever it was that slapped him in the face when he looked back towards Kageyama. He hadn't expected to see the raw emotion on the setter's face, either, and he definitely hadn't expected himself to fucking run up and hug him.
Hinata groaned audibly as he slumped forward, forehead resting on the cool tiles in front of him as he let the water droplets pelt his back.
I cannot believe I did that; I could have ruined everything. He thought to himself as he scrunched his eyes shut, sighing again.
The rush of adrenaline he'd felt from the spike had been immediately taken over by the warm feeling of Kageyama's body against his own as they crashed into the grass, his body fitting perfectly on top of Kageyama's hips as they stared at one another.
The sound of their pants had filled the air, bodies exhausted from their exertion almost relaxing into one another as they scrambled to get a hold of their senses again. Kageyama's eyes were wide, his hair splayed against the grass beneath him, exposing some of his forehead.
Some part of him had wanted so urgently to brush the rest of those strands from Kageyama's face, carding his hands through his hair just to see what it would feel like, but the thought was immediately squashed by the feeling of Kageyama's fingers adjusting themselves on his body.
Hinata reached down lightly, grasping his hips where Kageyama's hands had rested. They had been so gentle, but he'd felt their warmth radiate all the way through his skin, like a burn. His hands stilled as he realized what he was doing, eyes shooting open wide as he quickly removed his hands from his hips, shoving them flat against the wall in front of him as he stared at them accusingly.
What the hell am I thinking about? They're just hands, it's just Kageyama. You've hugged people before, you giant idiot! You hugged Kenma this morning! He yelled in his mind, still staring astonishingly at his hands splayed out in front of him.
That's right. He thought afterwards, There's nothing different about this.
So why can't I stop thinking about it?
He shut his eyes again, removing his hands from the wall and turning back towards the shower, letting the hot droplets soothe his rampaging thoughts as he turned the temperature higher. He was just excited about Kageyama opening up to him, that's all.
That's all.
He left the bathroom quietly, towel slung over his neck as he padded towards his bed. He sat down and crossed his legs, pulling one of the textbooks out of his backpack and flipping it open to a random page haphazardly, the words on the page a blurred mess as he tried to force himself to focus after such an exhausting day.
"Did you really think my toss was that great?" Kageyama's quiet voice broke the silence, and Hinata startled at the question, eyes glancing up to meet Kageyama's as they stared back at him from his desk.
"Y-Yeah, I mean…" He started, swallowing thickly as his nerves spiked. This was the first time they'd spoken directly since their… ordeal, and he wasn't sure how to respond. As he stared back at Kageyama, though, the openness in his eyes and the vulnerability the setter had showed him during that day brought him back to reality, and he decided to just be honest. "Yeah. Truthfully, it was probably the best toss I've ever been sent." He finished, glancing quickly down towards his textbook as he saw Kageyama's eyes widen slightly.
It was silent for a few moments, and Hinata thought the conversation had already come to an end before Kageyama spoke again.
"I get it, you know." He said softly, eyes still trained on Hinata from across the room. Hinata just looked up again, confusion written all over his face. "The gwahhh feeling. I got it with you, too. Thanks for letting me feel it again." He finished, turning calmly back to the homework in front of him and breaking their gaze.
Hinata had never felt more grateful for Kageyama turning away from him, because in that moment, the flush that rose on his cheeks was strong enough that it went all the way up to his ears- impossible to hide, and all he could do was stare at the back of Kageyama's head with wide eyes as his heart hammered in his chest.
"Oh, and if you want to keep running together in the mornings, just set an alarm. I don't want to keep spending ten minutes waking you up each time." Kageyama added afterwards, still facing his homework.
Hinata just continued to stare at him from the bed, mouth hanging open ever so slightly as he let Kageyama's words register in his brain.
That's it, he thought to himself surely, he's going to kill me.
They continued their morning running routine for a few days, neither of them speaking much about volleyball or the incident at all, which made Hinata feel both better and worse about the situation.
On the bright side, it likely meant that Kageyama couldn't have cared less about the whole thing, and that he was just throwing it out of proportion. But, on the flip side, it meant that Hinata really was weird for not being able to get it out of his thoughts.
He shook his head softly to bring his focus back to reality, the sound of his and Kageyama's feet hitting the pavement echoing between them. He panted lightly as they jogged through campus, the bright morning light reflecting off of the newer buildings and casting rays on the cement in front of them. It was calm and peaceful, and Hinata thought he quite liked these quiet mornings, until an abrasive yell startled them both out of their focus.
"Tobio-kun!" Someone yelled from behind them, and Kageyama came to a stop almost immediately. Hinata took a few steps more before turning back to look at the taller male with a questioning stare, feet tensing as he saw the positively murderous look in Kageyama's eyes.
What's going on?
"Long time no see!" Came the voice again, and Hinata leaned to the side to peek behind Kageyama, a taller male's form coming quickly into view. He gawked as he watched the stranger approach- the man was beautiful, Hinata couldn't deny, brown hair sweeping across his face as he came to a stop in front of the two of them. "Oh? Who's this?" The stranger said curiously, eyebrows raising as he looked down at Hinata. Before he could respond, Kageyama's booming voice sounded from beside him.
"Why are you here?" Kageyama asked coldly, irritation piercing his brows as he frowned towards the stranger, arms crossed at his chest. Hinata shivered at his tone- he hadn't heard Kageyama sound this angry since the first day they met, and even that paled in comparison to how strong his disdain was seeping through his words at this man.
"Don't be like that, you know I go to this university too!" The stranger said, sending a pout Kageyama's way before looking past Kageyama's shoulder, back to Hinata again. "Tobio's always so bad at introductions. I'm Oikawa! Oikawa Tooru. What's your name?" He asked, reaching a hand out for Hinata to shake.
He didn't respond for a few seconds, trying to understand what was happening. Kageyama just stood in silence, the tension radiating from his body almost visible in the air. His mind reeled as he looked back and forth between the two of them, unsure of what to do.
Kageyama looked like he was about to rip Oikawa's head off, but Oikawa was paying him no mind.
"Hinata, Hinata Shouyou…" He responded calmly, reaching out to shake Oikawa's offered hand. Kageyama glared down at their attached hands before exhaling lightly.
"Shouyou, hey? I didn't know Tobio-kun had any friends!" Oikawa said flippantly, ignoring the annoyed "tch" that escaped Kageyama's lips as he continued to glare at the brown-haired male. Hinata just stared at Oikawa with an astonished look before he frowned.
What was this guy's problem?
"Kageyama has a lot of friends, actually." Hinata started, frown deepening as he stepped towards Oikawa, before the feeling of Kageyama's hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.
Kageyama was telling him to stop.
Hinata faltered, turning to look up at Kageyama with wide eyes, but the setter was still glaring intently at Oikawa.
Oikawa just glanced between the two of them with a raised eyebrow before responding.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend. Tobio's just so quiet and angry all the time that I didn't know he could make any friends! I'm glad to see he has someone like you, though!" Oikawa said, flashing him a blinding smile and a thumbs-up. Hinata continued to stare at him incredulously, unable to understand why he was being so bluntly rude. "Take care of him, and make sure he studies hard! He'll need all the help he can get on his exams!" Oikawa finished with a laugh before waving gently and continuing on his way. Hinata just watched his back retreat, silence hanging heavy in the air before he felt the weight of Kageyama's hand slide off of his shoulder.
He tried his best to ignore the warmth that lingered on his skin as he glanced up at Kageyama. He was about to ask how the hell he knew someone like that and why he simply stood there and took the rude words, but the warning glare that Kageyama gave him sent a shiver up his spine.
Kageyama just sighed gently and turned to start running again, and he followed without another word.
Hinata bit his bottom lip as he ran, urging himself to calm down. He'd ask Kageyama about it later, but for now he had to be patient.
Once the weekend came, Hinata felt utterly burnt out. He sat in the common area beside Kageyama, Yachi on his other side nestled deep into a bean bag chair. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi huddled over their notebooks across the table, while Noya and Tanaka's quiet but animated conversation about which of their professors were the most attractive filled the silence.
He hadn't mentioned the Oikawa incident to Kageyama, and the setter seemed content to leave the topic undiscussed. Despite Hinata's blaring curiosity about the situation, the murderous look he'd seen in Kageyama's eyes stopped him from bringing the topic up again.
He sighed as he set his pen down, leaning back against the couch, crossed legs aching from sitting in the same position for so long. He glanced at Kageyama, the taller male's hair tickling his cheeks as he leaned forward to read his notes.
Hinata could see the lines of exhaustion near his eyes, and he wondered idly whether he'd see the same on his own face if he looked in a mirror. They'd studied almost every day for hours on end, and Hinata was nearing his breaking point.
"You're going to get wrinkles by the end of this year if you keep frowning like that." He muttered cheekily, picking up his pen and poking Kageyama's cheek gently. Kageyama's brows furrowed as he turned to look at him, blue eyes sending a piercing glare his way.
Hinata just chuckled as he watched Kageyama, sending the other male an innocent grin.
"Yeah? Well, you're going to miss the rest of your exams if you keep distracting me." Kageyama responded, raising an eyebrow at Hinata and leaning towards him slightly.
"Oh? What're you gonna do about it? You need to stop working so much anyway." Hinata responded casually, flipping the pen between his fingers before yelping loudly as he felt more than saw Kageyama's hand reaching out and grabbing the top of his head, squeezing tightly. "Hey, let go you idiot! That hurts!" He squealed, writhing in his seat and ducking to escape the other's strong grip. Kageyama just smirked back at him, a smug look of "I told you so" written across his features.
"Now you're distracting all of us." Tsukishima quipped from across the table, startling Hinata from their interaction as he turned to look towards the blond, the feeling of Kageyama's strong fingers against his scalp lingering far longer than he would have liked.
"Hinata's got a point, though…" Yamaguchi cut in, sighing as he closed the textbook in front of him. "We've all been working for so long, we look like zombies." He finished with a chuckle, glancing around the room. Yachi just giggled and nodded from beside Hinata, before her giggle turned into a yawn.
Hinata knew he'd have to put in a lot of work if he wanted to do well in his classes, but the thought made him grimace. It wasn't that he was particularly awful at school, he just wasn't good at it.
His focus was always elsewhere, whether it be on volleyball, friends, or anything he could distract himself with. He'd never felt the passion for school that all the intelligent kids seemed to have, and that meant that he had to force himself to work twice as hard to receive a grade that was even remotely comparable.
He wondered idly if Kageyama ever felt the same struggle, glancing up at the taller male beside him. He was about to ask, before another voice cut in.
"Kageyama, you work twice as long as the rest of us, how are you still alive? Please, teach me your ways!" Tanaka said enthusiastically, slapping his hands together as he looked at Kageyama pleadingly. Noya just nodded intensely, sitting up on his knees as he pointed his pencil towards the setter.
"He's right, you're like a weird robot or something. You have to be at the top of your classes." Noya added afterwards, spurred on by Tsukishima's amused snort that sounded from across the table.
Kageyama just stared at the two of them silently, before sighing and leaning back against the couch himself. Silence hung in the air as they waited for him to respond.
"I'm not." He said casually, looking down at the table before pulling out his phone. The group just stared at him with dumbfounded looks, obviously wanting him to continue, but Hinata knew that the curt response meant that he didn't want to say any more.
"Not what? Please, expand on your great wisdom." Tsukishima prodded, Kageyama's eyes snapping up to the blond in a glare. Hinata saw the setter stiffen beside him, tension in his muscles as he fought himself on whether or not he should continue. They sat in awkward silence for a few more moments before the pressure of everyone's gazes finally broke the other male, and Kageyama sighed exasperatedly as he set his phone down, crossing his arms and staring at Tsukishima blankly.
"I'm not top of my class. I'm not even close to the top of my class. I'm not good at school." Kageyama responded bluntly, the smallest, embarrassed flush on his cheeks as he continued to glare at the blond, not willing to stand down.
Hinata mirrored the surprised looks that the rest of the table gave him, mind reeling at the news. Not good at school? Then why is he in such a hard program like engineering? Does he even like engineering? Is that why he's always working so hard? To make up for it? The questions rang in his mind as he continued to watch Kageyama dumbly.
Kageyama, the perfect boy with the perfect work ethic and perfect volleyball skills was actually bad at something?
"Wait, so, you work this hard even though you're not good at school? That's actually really admirable. I wish I could be that motivated." Yachi offered quietly from beside him, and he saw Kageyama's surprised gaze turn towards her as she spoke.
Hinata smiled softly to himself as he watched the setter, warmth flooding his gaze as he silently thanked Yachi for saying what he couldn't to calm the mood.
"It's not really my choice, but thanks." Kageyama answered with a shrug before turning back to his work, now properly done with the conversation.
Hinata just stared from beside him, mind reeling with everything Kageyama had said, Oikawa's words from earlier that week echoing in his mind. That meant that Oikawa must have known Kageyama struggled at school, right?
How did he even know that man?
There was so much about Kageyama that he still didn't know.