A success, Hinata thought, until they met outside the dorms the next evening and began walking in an awkward silence towards Kuroo and Bokuto's apartment.
Kageyama looked like was about to combust with the tension radiating off of his body, and Hinata couldn't stop himself from fidgeting with his bag as he struggled to find something to talk about to lighten the mood.
He couldn't tell if Kageyama had only agreed to go to placate him, or if he just really hated meeting new people, but as he glanced towards his roommate, watching how his black hair caressed his cheek with every step, or how he pursed his lips ever so slightly when he started thinking about something new, or even just the way in which they were both walking together in awkward but comfortable silence made Hinata smile.
All the progress they'd made had seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the year, and yet here they were- the sound of their sneakers hitting the pavement a comfortable rhythm between them.
It wasn't just Kageyama that was tense, though. Hinata's own heart was racing with anxiety about his roommate meeting his other friends.
He felt like it was an unspoken rule that if your best friends didn't get along with someone new, there would always be some sort of uncomfortable line between everyone- and as much as Hinata tried to tell himself that everything would be okay, he couldn't stop the nagging fear of something like that happening. He wanted so badly for everyone to get along.
He glanced over at Kageyama again, worrying his bottom lip before he gathered up the courage to break their silence.
"Kenma's my best friend, you know?" He spoke into the open air, flashing Kageyama a small grin as the latter turned to look at him. "We've known each other since our second year of highschool. Had it not been for volleyball we'd probably have never met. He seems quiet but he's actually really sarcastic and witty. I think you'll like him!" He continued, chuckling at Kageyama's responding snort.
They made small talk for the rest of the way, and Hinata felt himself relax more and more as he watched the tension slowly release from Kageyama's shoulders.
As they approached the building, he saw the same amazement dawn on Kageyama's face that he had on his own the first time he'd gone to the upper-year dorms, a smile raising on his lips as they stepped up to the entrance at the thought.
"Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi are all craaazy smart! I honestly wish I had their brains; school would be sooo much easier." Hinata said as they approached Kuroo's door, knocking loudly before he turned to look back at Kageyama with a grin.
Before he could say anything else the door was yanked open, the sound of Kuroo and Kenma's hysterical laughter seeping into the hallway as a tomato-sauce covered Bokuto greeted them with a sheepish smile.
"Hey, hey, hey, little dude! And bigger dude!" Bokuto said loudly, grinning broadly at the two of them as Kageyama just stared at him in surprise.
"W-What happened to you?" Hinata questioned, gesturing wildly towards the red stains covering Bokuto's shirt and jeans.
"Oh, this? I was trying to be all adult by cooking dinner for us tonight, but just as you knocked, I dropped the bowl of sauce and it went all over me. We're uh… we're just gonna order pizza again." Bokuto finished with an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck before he perked up again and opened the door wide to let the two of them in. Hinata laughed as he passed by, stepping close to the door so he didn't get any tomato sauce on him either.
He glanced back at Kageyama, offering the setter a sheepish smile as they made their way to the table where Kuroo, Kenma, and Akaashi were sitting, still wiping tears from their eyes from laughing at Bokuto's accident- trying his best to ignore the fluttering in his heart at the way the tension seemed to ease out of Kageyama's features once their eyes connected.
Hinata flopped down on the floor across from the couch, giving Kenma an awkward smile that he hoped conveyed the anxiety he was feeling about the situation. Kenma just raised his eyebrow, offering Hinata a small, sympathetic smile in response.
"Hinata! Long time no see! Woah… You look exhausted." Kuroo said from the couch, smirking at the half-hearted glare Hinata sent his way at the insult. "And you're Kageyama, right?" Kuroo questioned afterwards, everyone's eyes then turning towards the setter as Kuroo gestured towards him.
"Yeah. Thanks for having me." Kageyama responded quietly, dropping his bag and sitting down beside Hinata on the floor.
"So, how do you two know each other?" Akaashi asked from beside the table.
"He's Shouyou's roommate." Kenma interjected, nodding towards Hinata.
"Yeah, we share a room in the first-year dormitories," Hinata started, Kageyama offering a short nod of agreement before he continued. "He always looks like he has a stick up his butt but he's actually a lot of fun to be around, right Kageyama?" Hinata said jokingly, prodding Kageyama's side with his elbow before quickly retracting it with an unapologetic smile once he saw the glare that Kageyama sent his way.
Kuroo just let out a booming laugh from across the table, flashing Kageyama a knowing smile.
"It's okay, I'm sure Hinata's not the easiest to handle either." Kuroo said, chuckling at the noise of protest that escaped Hinata's lips. "Kenma and I met him in highschool… he has the best jumps I've ever seen but maaaan he talks like a giant run-on sentence." He finished, smirking at the weary look on Hinata's face.
Hinata just huffed, sinking down further and resting his chin on the table.
"5 minutes in and I'm already being bullied… what have I done?" He questioned to the open air, smiling at Kuroo and Kenma's responding chuckles.
"Yeah, he can ramble- and he drools a lot in his sleep, but he's alright." Kageyama said, and Hinata felt himself flush in embarrassment, refusing to meet the setter's gaze as he felt Kageyama's eyes on him.
Do I really drool that much? He thought to himself idly before his eyes widened slightly. Wait, does he watch me when I sleep?
"Hinata said you all play volleyball?" Kageyama questioned afterwards, excitement flashing in his eyes as he perked up and glanced towards the rest of the group.
Just then Bokuto poked his head out of the bathroom, stepping out and wiping his arms dry with a towel.
"Did someone say volleyball? Do you play?" Bokuto asked with open excitement, coming to stand behind Akaashi as he adjusted his new shirt, one not sporting an array of tomato sauce stains.
"Yeah, I do. Or, I did. I was a setter." Kageyama said curtly, and Hinata felt himself flinch when he heard Kageyama switch to the past tense, glancing towards his roommate as he spoke.
"No wayyy! Akaashi and Kenma are setters too! Akaashi and I have been playing since middle school. He always sends me the best tosses- he's incredible!" Bokuto commented, slapping a hand against Akaashi's shoulder as the latter turned to look up at him with a small, embarrassed smile.
Kuroo nodded enthusiastically, sitting up and pointing towards Kenma.
"You and Akaashi make a good duo for sure, but nothing compares to Kenma's sets." Kuroo started, before Kenma's flustered groan interrupted him. "No, seriously, he makes some of the most calculated plays- all the video games he plays are put to good use when he's on the court. Good thing I forced him into starting because otherwise the world would've missed out on his skill. I'll take the credit for that." He finished with a smirk, pointing both thumbs towards himself and flashing a proud grin before he winced as Kenma elbowed him from the side.
"You guys wouldn't believe it, Kageyama's actually one of the best setters I've ever played with!" Hinata interjected, sitting up with renewed enthusiasm as he pointed towards his roommate. "His team made it to nationals!" He continued, smiling proudly at the surprised stares everyone sent their way. "I got him to play volleyball with me a little while ago and his toss was literally perfect. It was all whoosh and BAM! It was incredible, I've never seen anything like it!" He finished with excitement, gesturing a wide spiking motion in the air as he turned towards Kageyama.
The setter sat quietly- staring at the table in front of him, a noticeable flush on his cheeks as Hinata finished his sentence.
"Wow! I feel so cool to be in the presence of a genius player." Bokuto said honestly, grinning as the flush on Kageyama's cheeks reddened even further.
"Okayyy, now that we've all thoroughly embarrassed the new guy let's get to studying, shall we? I'll order the pizza, too." Kuroo interjected, flashing a grin in response to the thankful smile Kageyama sent his way at the change of topic.
Hinata couldn't hold back his smile, relief flooding his veins with every minute that passed by. He hadn't even realized just how tense he was about them getting together, having been so focused on calming down Kageyama's nerves.
It was like watching his two worlds collide. He hadn't expected Kageyama to even accept his offer to come that night, let alone get along with his friends as much as he already seemed to be.
He let out a sigh, crossing his legs and nodding to himself as he took out his textbooks and notepads, spreading them out on the table along with the rest of the group.
Alright, let's do this.
A sudden knock at the door startled Hinata out of his tense focus, a surprised yelp coming from his lips at the sound. His eyes were dry from staring at the sheets in front of them, his legs tight from sitting cross-legged for so long on the floor.
How long had they even been at it?
"Pizza's here!" Kuroo shouted from across the apartment, kicking the door shut as he shuffled over, arms full of food and drinks. Bokuto stood up to help him, mouth literally watering with how hungry he was feeling.
Hinata sat back, finally uncrossing his cemented legs and stretching them underneath the table as he let out a big yawn, glancing up at Kenma who was just now closing his books and sliding them off of the table. The blond looked up and met Hinata's gaze as he finished, raising an eyebrow at Kageyama who was still focused intently on the work in front of him, hand scribbling away at his notes.
Hinata just rolled his eyes, smirking as an idea came to mind.
"Watch this." He said quietly to Kenma, before turning towards Kageyama and bringing his foot out from underneath the table, jabbing it into the setter's side. Kageyama flinched- a grunt of surprise escaping his lips as he quickly glanced up and over towards Hinata with wide eyes, a fierce glare immediately replacing his shock as his eyes met Hinata's own.
"What the hell, dumbass! I was focused." Kageyama ground out, reaching out to grab the top of Hinata's head, but Hinata predicted his movement in time and scrambled backwards just slightly out of his reach before he could commit, chuckling loudly.
"I will literally never understand how you zone out so hard when you study." Hinata said between chuckles, laughing even harder at the amused stare Kenma sent their way from across the table.
"Have you ever tried getting someone's attention nicely?" Kageyama said with a smirk, a confused look crossing Hinata's features before he realized the reference to when he berated Kageyama for scaring him so badly when he had tried to wake Hinata up a few weeks prior.
"Hey! That's not even remotely comparable. Do you have any idea how scary you are looming over someone first thing in the morning?" Hinata countered, another chuckle escaping his lips at the disgruntled grunt Kageyama sent his way.
Akaashi's awkward cough broke Hinata's train of thought, and he glanced up- following Akaashi's gaze as his head tilted backwards to look behind him, his eyes meeting an upside-down Kuroo holding their food impatiently.
"Sorry to interrupt this little lover's spat, but can we eat?" Kuroo commented in an amused tone, laughing at the embarrassed flush that immediately rose on Hinata's cheeks as he scrambled back towards the table, Kageyama pointedly ignoring him as he finally cleared his own books off the table.
The group relaxed and ate for a while, plates stacked on top of books and stomachs happy as they sat around the table and talked.
Hinata felt a smile grow on his lips for the millionth time that night as he looked around. Kenma and Akaashi were laughing at something stupid Bokuto said as the latter curled in on himself on the couch, hiding himself in embarrassment from their amused stares.
He glanced over at Kageyama, not at all surprised to find him still staring down at the textbook in his lap.
The setter sat back on the floor, one arm resting behind him to hold himself up while the other held a slice of pizza, his eyes sliding back and forth as he read the words on the pages in front of him.
Hinata envied him, always amazed at how hard he could focus when he really wanted to.
Sometime during their studying they'd ended up closer than they had been when they originally sat down. Occasionally Hinata would feel Kageyama's knee brush his own, sending little jolts of electricity through his skin whenever Kageyama moved to adjust the book on his lap, or to grab another slice of pizza.
The touch was light and gentle and incredibly unimportant, but for some reason the thought of it was making Hinata's heart race uncomfortably.
"Come on, Kuroo, you can't possibly believe you'd beat me in a round of Mario Kart after what happened the last time we played Smash." Kenma's said loudly, tearing Hinata from his thoughts as he turned to look at the blond.
"That didn't count at all because you cheated! You stepped on my foot to distract me, that's foul play." Kuroo said with a pout, looking to the rest of the group for someone to take his side.
"Leave us out of this, I tried to play Smash against Kenma once and the round didn't even last a full minute." Hinata said with a laugh, raising his arms in defeat as Kuroo shot him a pleading look.
"Hey, you can't prove that. It was an accident." Kenma shot back at Kuroo, smirking at the playful scowl on his face.
"Also, they're two completely different games! You can't just-" Kuroo started again, reaching to grab another slice of pizza before he stopped abruptly as his hand bumped into another's. He slowly turned to look at Bokuto, who had evidently also reached for what they now both realized was the last slice. "Alright, you can let go of my slice now, Bo." Kuroo finished seriously, raising his eyebrow at Bokuto.
"Come now, Kuroo dear, I've only had two slices and you've been stuffing your face this whole time." Bokuto responded with a smirk, leaning towards Kuroo and sticking his chest out defiantly.
Akaashi snorted from beside the table, a hand over his lips as he tried not to laugh at the two of them.
"Who was the one that paid for the food? Oh yeah, it was me, wasn't it?" Kuroo said confidently, leaning towards Bokuto as well.
"Who was going to cook dinner for us in the first place? Me." Bokuto responded, pointing to himself proudly.
"Yeah, well, that doesn't count since you covered both our kitchen and yourself in what was supposed to be our dinner, so…" Kuroo said, smirking at Bokuto's heated look before Akaashi's cough interrupted their argument.
Everyone at the table turned to look at Akaashi, following his eyes towards Kenma who sat cross-legged on the other side of the couch, now quietly munching away on the last slice of pizza.
Kuroo let out a small whine of exasperation, reaching behind him and tossing one of the pillows that sat on the couch half-heartedly at the blond. Kenma caught it with ease, chucking it right back towards Kuroo with as much force as he could muster with his one free hand, but he missed and hit Bokuto right in the back of the head.
The whole table was silent as they turned to stare at Bokuto, before Kuroo's cackling filled the room as he pointed at the spiker, tears forming in his eyes from how hard he was laughing.
"That's it." Bokuto said simply, before he reached to grab the pillow, whipping it against Kuroo's arm. Kuroo stopped laughing almost immediately, and after only a moment of hesitation he grabbed another pillow from the couch, slamming Bokuto with it.
Instantly the room erupted into chaos as both Kuroo and Bokuto stood up on the couch, thrashing each other back and forth with the pillows. Hinata just watched the two of them with an amused smile, rolling his eyes when he turned to look at Kageyama again only to see him still hard at work- writing notes in his lap, seemingly unaware of the chaos around him.
Kuroo and Bokuto's pillows silenced momentarily, the two of them making brief eye contact before they both wordlessly turned towards Kenma- who was now licking his fingers from finishing the slice of pizza, and began smacking him with their pillows instead, the blond's surprised yelp being muffled as he curled into a defensive ball against the couch.
Hinata startled into action when he saw Kenma's hand reaching out for help, laughing as he quickly dove over the table, reaching down and hoisting up one of the couch cushions which he then used to throw at both Kuroo and Bokuto to get them to stop harassing the blond.
As the two of them stumbled from the force of Hinata's throw, Kenma's instincts kicked in and he responded fast, grabbing the pillow from Bokuto's hand and standing up himself to join the fight. Hinata used the time to dive around Kuroo and grab hold of the couch cushion he threw at them before either of them could respond, and took his place beside Kenma as he shot the blond a proud grin.
Silence rang in the room as the four of them stared at one another, panting heavily, before Kuroo dove at Hinata, and the action started again.
Akaashi's eyes widened as Bokuto slid off the edge of the couch, the backs of his knees coming dangerously close to knocking the table. He frantically scrambled to slide the pizza boxes and drinks off of the tabletop, smiling gratefully when Kageyama slid two half-empty cans towards him without removing his gaze from his book.
All Hinata could hear were the shouts of his friends and the sound of the pillows as his heart raced. He scanned the room, looking for an opportunity to attack.
Bokuto stood directly across from him, now defenceless and unaware as he watched Kenma mercilessly beating on Kuroo with his pillow, and Hinata charged forward and flung the couch cushion towards Bokuto with all of his strength. Just at that moment, though, Bokuto ducked to avoid being hit by Kenma, and the pillow flew behind him- the sound of a loud THUD stopping everyone's advances.
The room was dead silent, the whole group turning to look behind Bokuto at the source of the sound. Hinata scrambled forward, reaching to look around Bokuto before his heart stopped in his chest.
Oh… Oh no…
Kageyama was laying backwards on the ground, notebook crumpled underneath him from where he'd fallen on it after becoming the victim of Hinata's stray pillow.
Hinata's pulse quickened as he watched Kageyama stand up slowly, a murderous aura emanating from him as he raised his gaze to meet Hinata's from across the room. His brows were taught with irritation as he stalked forward- dragging the cushion behind him and heading straight towards the orange-haired male with a lethal look, not breaking eye contact.
"K-Kageyama…" Hinata muttered weakly, fear soaring as he saw the deadly look in Kageyama's eyes. He only had a brief second to respond as he saw Kageyama raising his hands, so Hinata grappled for the remaining couch cushion, crouching down and covering his head with it in preparation for the setter's blow.
The air rushed out of his lungs as Kageyama's cushion hit the one he used to shield his head, knocking him out of his crouching position and onto the ground.
Okay. Okay, he didn't kill me. Hinata thought to himself as he laid against the floor.
Kuroo's impressed whistle at Kageyama's shot sounded throughout the room, and Hinata took a second to catch his breath again before he slowly lifted the cushion, light flooding his vision again as he glanced up at his roommate.
Kageyama stood above him, one hand resting proudly on his hips while the other held the cushion against his leg, his face sporting that positively ominous half-smile half-smirk grin Kageyama always seemed to wear when he felt like he won something.
Had it been a month ago Hinata probably would have cowered at the leer, but now the sight made his heart stutter as he stared up at the taller male.
His feet stood strong against the ground, toned legs tensing as he stared down at Hinata, the legs that carried him through runs and classes and stupid pillow fights despite the injury and trauma they'd experienced- leading up to a slim and lean abdomen, tight lines of muscle peeking out from underneath Kageyama's shirt, taunting Hinata with the thought of what it might feel like to run his hands across them.
Then came his broad shoulders, slender arms, and his stupid pretty hands.
Who the hell even has pretty hands? Of course it has to be Kageyama. Hinata thought to himself as he let his eyes trail up to Kageyama's head.
It's like everything about him was perfect, from his collarbones, to his pointed nose, and the way his black hair always fell so flawlessly against his high cheekbones.
Hinata's brain slowed as his gaze slid lower, down towards Kageyama's lips.
He had never really looked at the setter's lips before, but looking at them now, even they seemed almost perfect.
Asshole. He probably puts chapstick on like thirty times a day. Hinata thought to himself again as he continued to stare at Kageyama's lips intently, wondering idly what it would feel like to thumb the plump skin, his hand resting against Kageyama's angled jaw as-
Hinata's eyes widened as he realized his train of thought.
Holy shit. What? Holy shit… I've just been sitting here staring at him like a piece of meat for… for how long? Hinata thought to himself frantically, heartrate picking up and cheeks flushing in embarrassment, so much so that he could feel the heat on his ears.
It could have been ten seconds or ten minutes, but he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
He raised his eyes to meet Kageyama's blue ones- his heart almost stopping as they made eye contact. Kageyama must have noticed his change in demeanour, because now he was just watching Hinata openly, a confused look on his face as he stared down at him.
He had to think fast, do something so that Kageyama wouldn't catch on to his train of thought or why he was acting so weird.
Just as Kageyama opened his mouth to speak, he quickly used the brief moment of confusion as a chance to catch the setter off-guard, steeling himself before he rolled out from underneath the couch cushion, chucking it at the other male. Kageyama grunted in surprise, eyes widening as he stumbled to the side. Hinata took the opening and dove to his feet, now standing tall and lowering his knees into an attacking stance as Kageyama stabled himself once more.
And just like that, the moment was over.
"Hey, idiot. That wasn't fair, I was going to help you up." Kageyama ground out, brows furrowing again as he started circling Hinata like a bird stalking its prey. Hinata just gawked at him, rolling his eyes as he stared at the setter.
"You wouldn't have had to help me up if you didn't hit me with the force of Godzilla!" Hinata squealed, backing up and following Kageyama's movements.
"I wouldn't have hit you in the first place if you didn't hurl an entire fucking couch cushion at me while I was in the middle of studying!" Kageyama yelled back, grip tightening on the cushion he held in his hands.
"I didn't mean-" Hinata started to retort before a voice interrupted him.
"You guys know that a pillow fight involves fighting with pillows and not just arguing, right?" Kenma's amused voice came from behind them, and that's all it took for Hinata to start laughing.
Kageyama just stared at him before a small smile broke out on his face as well.
Hinata raised his arms in defeat, dropping the couch cushion and offering Kageyama a responding smile once his laughter died down. Bokuto, after watching the heartfelt display of surrender, then turned to Kuroo and offered out his hand.
"Truce? We'll just order more pizza next time." Bokuto said honestly, chuckling at Kuroo rolling his eyes before the black-haired male reached out to accept his offered hand.
"Truce."
After a few shared laughs, sighs of exhaustion from Kenma, and much to Akaashi's relief, they set to work on getting the living room back in working order.
Hinata hummed satisfactorily at their work before flopping down again, pressing his hands into the floor behind him and stretching his fingers out. He glanced over at Kageyama, who was already putting his books back on the table and getting ready to study again.
Thankfully Kageyama hadn't seemed to notice his staring earlier because he hadn't said anything about it, but Hinata had yet to get the thoughts out of his head.
This wasn't normal, was it? To have your heart flutter every time someone looks at you, or to feel little jolts of electricity shooting through your body at just the slightest touch, like it did yet again when Kageyama crossed his legs, knee resting just barely against the edge of his thigh, a ghost of a touch, but enough to set Hinata's body on high alert.
"So, you said you played volleyball? Why did you stop?" Akaashi's quiet voice broke the silence, startling Hinata out of his thoughts as he turned to look towards his roommate. He felt his heart clench as he saw the tension in Kageyama's body, his blue eyes staring deadpan at his notebook on the table.
He considered speaking up to change the topic, but Kageyama responded before he could think of something to say.
"I got injured. Haven't been able to play for months other than recently when Hinata and I went out one evening." Kageyama said casually, his calm tone a contrast to the clench Hinata saw in his jaw.
"Ah- I'm sorry to hear that. Glad to hear that you're getting back into it casually though. I can't imagine losing volleyball, if even for only a few months." Akaashi responded, warmth flooding his tone as he offered Kageyama a sympathetic smile. "I considered aiming to go professional when I was a bit younger, but I've heard they say not to make a career out of your passions anyway." He finished, tapping a pen against his chin.
Hinata's brows furrowed at the sound of Kageyama's small snort, eyes widening when he glanced back to his roommate, an amused smile pulling at the corner of Kageyama's previously tense lips.
"Passions, huh? I don't really know what I'm passionate for other than volleyball, anyway." Kageyama responded, lips pursed as he thought. Kuroo's small chuckle sounded from across the table, the group turning to look at him as he spoke.
"Well, that's what we're all here for in some way or another, right?" Kuroo commented, gesturing to the table full of textbooks in front of him. "University's a great way to explore and find the things you love." He finished with an affirmative nod, Bokuto's hum of approval coming from beside him.
Find the things you love, huh? Hinata thought to himself idly, only paying half attention to the conversation as he thought.
"Well, either way, it's great to hear you're getting back into playing again, finding new ways to keep your passion." Akaashi commented afterwards.
"Yeah, well, I have this annoying bird chirping in my ear all the time, telling me to get out of my comfort zone," Kageyama responded in an amused tone, turning to glance at Hinata. Hinata just stared back at him, half torn between feeling insulted at the quip and wanting to hear what he had to say. "And when it comes down to it, I don't know if I would have found volleyball again if it weren't for him." Kageyama finished nonchalantly, flashing Hinata the quickest smile before he turned back to his work.
Hinata tried his best to take a quiet breath to calm his rampaging heart, staring openly at Kageyama as he tried to register his words.
He was starting to learn that Kageyama had a bad habit of saying these… things. Things that made Hinata feel like he got punched in the face, but in the best way.
Things that made him smile to himself at the thought, things that made his heart flutter with joy.
But any time that Kageyama said one of these things, he said it with such nonchalance and no second thought that it always made Hinata's head spin in confusion. Did he not realize the weight his words held?
Or am I just overreacting at anything he says? Hinata thought to himself, worrying his bottom lip as he stared down at his legs, but as he glanced up- meeting Kenma's eyes as the blond looked back and forth between them, he wondered if maybe Kageyama's words really did hold the weight he felt they did.
After what felt like forever, but what was probably only a few hours, Hinata flopped backwards onto the floor, a loud yawn making its way out of his mouth as he stared up at the ceiling. His eyes felt dry and heavy, the light above him warping as he blinked slowly.
"Yeah… me too little dude. Maybe it's time to wrap up for the night." Bokuto said with a yawn of his own, stretching his arms out above him.
"-'m not that little…" Hinata muttered weakly from the floor, rubbing at his eyes.
Kenma just hummed his approval, Kuroo's head sagging against his shoulder from where he'd fallen asleep on it about an hour prior.
Hinata sat laying against the floor for a few minutes longer, trying his best not to fall asleep himself, before the sounds of Kageyama shifting beside him persuaded him to open his eyes and glance towards his roommate.
He felt himself flinch outwardly as his eyes met Kageyama's exhaustion-ridden form. Even his eyes were red-rimmed, his body hunched from staring at the pages in front of him for so long.
"Hey, let's get going, yeah? You look exhausted." Hinata commented offhandedly towards Kageyama as he forced himself to sit up, stretching in the process. Kageyama just grunted from beside him.
"Speak for yourself, idiot. You look like you're going to pass out as soon as you stand up." Kageyama quipped afterwards, Hinata sending a pout his way as he sagged forward.
He was too tired to even come up with a witty reply, instead he focused on shoving everything back in his bag in a haphazard attempt to get it done quickly.
"Thanks for having us, it was a lot of fun!" Hinata commented, glancing over to Bokuto who was helping Akaashi clear off the table.
"Yeah, it was good to see you too, and it was a pleasure meeting you, Kageyama! Let's all get together again soon. Next time I won't try to cook for us, I promise." Bokuto commented with a small laugh, offering Hinata a small thumbs-up as he laughed at the taller male.
"Yes, you too." Kageyama commented quietly as he stood up, following Hinata out the door with a small wave to the rest of the group.
Hinata let out a yawn as they made their way out of the building, the cool evening air ghosting across his face as he opened the door. He sighed into it, raising his arms in the air and taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, enjoying the silence, before he dropped his arms, sagging forward with exhaustion.
They had been studying for so long, it had to have been the most effort Hinata had ever put into school, in all of his years combined. He had no idea how people did this regularly, let alone people like Kageyama who seemed to use every single second of their free time to dedicate to schoolwork.
"You're really that tired, hey?" Kageyama commented offhandedly as he watched his form droop.
Hinata just glanced back at him as they walked, the lamps on the side of the pathway lighting up Kageyama's hair intermittently as they passed underneath.
He thought back to the pillow fight, the joy he'd felt and the release of adrenaline he had protecting his friend. Thought about the force he had thrown the pillow at Bokuto, the deafening sound of Kageyama falling backwards echoing in the then silent room. He thought about Kageyama stalking towards him like a hunter zoned in on its prey.
His looming form should have freaked Hinata out, but instead he had been so utterly focused on Kageyama's stupid… well, everything.
His stupid muscular body, stupid pretty hands, stupid soft lips.
Stupid…
"What?" Kageyama quipped in an irritated tone, and it was only then that Hinata realized he had accidentally said the word aloud, and not simply thought it to himself.
God, he was just so, so tired. He couldn't even bother to think anymore. He let out a yawn, closing his eyes as he did so, wanting to just sleep.
"Dumbass, watch out!" He heard Kageyama say from behind him, but as he turned to look at his roommate, he felt his sneaker snag on the edge of a large crack that sat across the middle of the path. He inhaled sharply, his stomach dropping out from underneath him as he felt his body tilt backwards, too tired to regain his stability.
Before he could fall, though, he heard Kageyama grunt shallowly, feeling the ghost of a touch on his wrist before Kageyama's fingers wrapped all the way around it, tugging Hinata back up. The air rushed out of him as he surged forwards, and before he could register what was going on, he squawked as his body came into contact with Kageyama's roughly, the two of them stumbling backwards a bit at the force.
He felt his heart race underneath his skin as his foggy brain slowly came back to reality. He inhaled sharply, the smell of laundry detergent and… mint? assaulting his senses as he slowly opened his eyes.
Kageyama was… everywhere.
His head was plastered against Kageyama's chest, the taught muscles underneath his cheeks relaxing as Kageyama regained his own stability, and in the silence he swore he could hear the sound of Kageyama's heartbeat from just beneath his clothes.
He heard the soft puffs of breath coming from Kageyama's mouth above him, and only realized just how tightly he was clutching the back of Kageyama's sweater as his grip slowly loosened from Hinata's other wrist, fingers trailing gently across his knuckles as they moved away, the gentle touch sending jolts of electricity through his arm.
He felt like he couldn't breathe, every bone in his body rejecting his movements as he slowly extricated himself, loosening his grip on Kageyama's sweater and stepping backwards a bit to steady himself. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, and he knew there was no way he could hide the deep blush he felt on his cheeks.
He took a few seconds to regain his breath, palms resting on his knees as he risked a glance up at his roommate, only to see Kageyama looking away from him, the slightest of flushes dancing across his cheeks as he licked his lips gently.
Hinata's eyes followed the movement, brain slowing as he stared at the glint of saliva remaining on the setter's lips.
Shit… I am in so much trouble.