Practice had just finished up and Daichi had dismissed the team to go to the club room and change. Hinata skipped by Kageyama's side. They'd been on the team for a month and a half already, but it still felt very new and every practice still left Hinata feeling more energetic than he had before. Kageyama, however, held a straight face as he followed Tanaka into the club room.
Despite his promise, Kageyama and Hinata hung out at Kageyama's house often. Kageyama's mom was usually the one to invite Hinata to stay for dinner after the two came in the house when the sun would begin to set. Sometimes Kageyama would even invite Hinata to stay and study with him. The two both mutually agreed that their hanging out outside of school was so that they could easier blend on the court and truly become the powerhouse duo they were expected to be.
Tonight was one of the nights that Kageyama invited Hinata over to practice. "We need to work on our quick," he explained, looking down at his shoes as he suggested the idea.
"I'd love to come over!" Hinata said quickly. Though he would rather not admit it, Kageyama was one of the only people he ever saw outside of school, unless one of his old friends from junior high asked to hang out, which happened less and less after school started.
"Oi, you spend a lot of time at the King's house," Tsukkishima piped in with his usual monotonous, condescending voice. "It's getting suspicious."
"Suspicious how?" Hinata questioned. While he was oblivious, Kageyama grew more and more embarrassed.
"It isn't like that," he growled.
"The King's getting defensive? Hm, seems fishy to me," Tsukki smirked. Before Kageyama could hurl insults, Tsukkishima and Yamaguchi were out the door, and Kageyama and Hinata were alone.
"What did Tsukkishima mean?" Hinata asked, cocking his head to the side curiously. Kageyama frowned and his blush rose to his ears.
"He didn't mean anything, okay?" He threw his bag over his shoulder and started walking out of the club room. Hinata quickly gathered his things and followed after Kageyama.
"Race ya?"
"Oh, you're on!"
Hinata and Kageyama laid in the middle of Kageyama's living room, staring up at the ceiling. Both of them were exhausted after racing all the way back to Kageyama's house. They both mutually agreed to skip out on practicing their quick today.
Hinata glanced at Kageyama. They were getting closer and closer, but Kageyama was still always so angry around him. He didn't know which side of Kageyama he'd get: the silent, brooding, demon-aura Kageyama, or the loud, vicious, sharp-tongued Kageyama.
Today, however, Hinata hadn't seen either of those Kageyamas. In fact, both angry sides of Kageyama were becoming less and less prominent. Kageyama had only scolded him twice during practice today. He wondered if there was something wrong with Kageyama. Was he getting sick?
"Kageyama?" Hinata asked. Kageyama turned his head and pressed his cheek into the ground tiredly, looking over at Hinata with half-lidded eyes. Hinata gulped. Kageyama looked...well, he didn't know how to describe it. His cheeks were flushed and pinker than his pale skin, his hair was messily tousled from the wind outside, and his lips were slightly parted as his breath slowed.
"What?" Kageyama snarled. Hinata hadn't noticed he'd been staring and blushed in embarrassment.
"Are you sick or something?" Hinata blurted under the pressure. Kageyama scoffed.
"'Course not. Why would you think that?"
"You haven't been yelling at me as much," Hinata shrugged as if it were obvious why he would be concerned. Instead of a mocking 'dumbass', Kageyama just turned his head to face the ceiling again. He looked like he was trying to hide the spreading redness in his cheeks.
The two laid there in silence, listening to their heavy breathing mingling together and the old grandfather clock slowly ticking back and forth in the dining room. Hinata sat up after what felt like an hour, and Kageyama sat up soon after. "There's no point in practicing right now," Kageyama sighed. "It'd be half-assed."
"What should we do, then?" Hinata asked. He tilted his head to the side in curiosity, resembling a confused dog for a moment. Kageyama stared at him for a second, then glanced at his hands.
"We could study?"
"Hey genius, we both forgot our bags in the club room," Hinata pointed out.
"Well..." Kageyama mumbled, thinking. His lips slightly parted. His arms wrapped around one leg. His chin resting on the top of his knee. Hinata observed every part of his teammate in a way that was borderline unhealthy. Suddenly, Kageyama smacked his palm into his opposite hand, as if suddenly having a major breakthrough. "Let's play Kinect volleyball to see who's really better!"
Hinata half-expected Kageyama to kick him out. Actually, he fully expected it. What he didn't expect was to be sitting on Kageyama's couch, watching him set up a phony volleyball game on the television. Still, that didn't stop him from taking up the challenge when Kageyama offered it.
"What does the winner get?" Hinata asked.
"Pork buns?" Kageyama suggested after a moment.
"Hmm," he mumbled. "Okay. Deal."
"Ahh!" Hinata yelled, jumping to hit a spike. His head hit the ceiling and he jumped out of the Kinect frame...again. He pouted when he landed. He had hit his head so many times that his vision was starting to go blurry but he simply couldn't lose to Kageyama. Kageyama, on the other hand, was laughing his ass off. He was in the lead by seven points simply because Hinata would get too excited and jump too high.
"This isn't fair!" Hinata whined.
"What isn't fair about it?!" Kageyama scowled.
Hinata was about to answer when the front door opened. Kageyama's mother came in carrying a paper bag, presumably filled with food for dinner. She set the bag and her keys on the counter, then walked over to the boys and planted a kiss on each of their foreheads (Kageyama's mother had started giving Hinata a kiss too around the fifth or sixth time Hinata visited). "Sorry for the intrusion!" Hinata blushed in embarrassment.
"Hinata, how many times do I have to tell you, that isn't necessary!" Kageyama's mother smiled warmly. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"
"He will," Kageyama answered for him. When Hinata gave him a questioning look, he stared down at his feet in embarrassment. "I mean, you would need some sort of energy before that long trip home," he mumbled. Kageyama's mother sighed through a smile and patted Hinata's shoulder.
"It's no trouble, Hinata. You're welcome anytime."
"Thank you," he smiled back at her just as warmly.
"So, what should I make?"
"Pork curry?" Kageyama suggested. Hinata could almost see the perkiness in his ears, the way a dog's ears perk up when offered a treat.
"Tobio, we just had that..." Kageyama's mother looked at Hinata expectantly.
"Anything is fine with me," Hinata said quickly. She smiled and made her way to the kitchen gracefully.
"Pork curry it is, then. You boys can go back to your game; dinner won't be ready for a while yet."
Kageyama ended up challenging Hinata in party mode, which resulted in a dead tie. Hinata huffed and crossed his arms. He had won at bowling, ping pong, and soccer, while Kageyama had taken volleyball, hurdles, and javelin throwing.
"How are we gonna settle this?!" Hinata cried dramatically. "We tied our race earlier, and now this!"
"I think that since I won volleyball, it's only fair that I take the victory," Kageyama replied with a smug smirk. Hinata shook his head.
"That isn't fair!"
"Is too!"
"Boys!" Kageyama's mother cried over them, hiding her smile behind her hand. "Dinner is just about ready. Why don't you two wash up?"