Chapter Five
A/N: Sorry for the late update, stressing about housing stuff. If anyone has some spare money, hit me up.
He's wide awake by the time the bus stops in front of their gym. What was that? Hinata keeps asking himself that question, Why couldn't I breathe? Why did I pass out? Kageyama's breathe sounds like milk in his ear, but the taller boy looks not so bad when he's sleeping, not peaceful, just not as mad. There's no clear way to feel about it, he's never seen Kageyama just be happy, only half mad while cheering for their victory. Kageyama is weird, the thought takes away from more pressing issues, a distraction that he's not sure he wants.
I blacked out. Tries to remember if he'd been hit in the head with something, tries to figure out why the whistle made his lungs collapse. Hinata is sure that Aone had nothing to do with his reaction, sure the taller man had been really intimidating, the offered hand taking him off guard, but the mountain had done nothing wrong. Why do I feel wrong? Sucking in a big breath, because he can breathe now, with no whistles or screaming, and leans against the window as Karasuno pulls into view.
Nobody asks about what happened, he's certain that Daichi has something to do with it judging from the weird frowns he gets. Suga-san is half-smiling, but his eyes are wide and study him as he steps off the bus. "You okay, Hinata?" The silver haired boy asks once his feet are on the ground, he nods at the older boy, leans away when the setter starts walking beside him. Weird, the older boy is being weird, he wants to say something but passing out for no reason is also weird, that keeps his lips shut.
Noya-senpai flanks his other side, offering bright smiles and petting his hair, his senpai's hands are sweaty but he doesn't say anything. Hinata likes the contact, not that the older boy needs to know that. "Good game, Shouyou!" The libero praises, loose blond bouncing as his head twists. He blushes, returns the compliment with newfound zeal because his senpai is a really awesome guy. Noya's hand slows on his head, settles on his slighter taller shoulder, they walk like that towards the school.
"Oh! Takeda-sensei!" A raspy voice calls from the school, the spit-beard teacher leaning out of it. "Your volleyball team was on TV!" Spittle flies from between his teeth, lands on the plants under the window his head is sticking out of. Hinata bites into his sleeve to keep from laughing in the guy's face, gardening jokes dance through his mind when the man's words -lamented in spit- are understood in his head. I was on TV! He laughs at the guy who had called him a grade schooler in the gym that day, and practically skips into the teacher's lounge.
Noya-senpai pushes him in front of the TV, he notes its flatness momentarily but is drawn into the newscaster's words. Hinata has never payed much attention to the news before, is certain that he could count the time he's watched the news on one of his hands, but now is different. We were on TV! Thinking about that makes him smile, flashes of his idol and the first volleyball game he's ever seen start to blur into the screen in front of him. There's no breeze, no whoosh of I want to do that, as he listens to the lady on the screen. He's pretty sure that the woman isn't even breathing, wonders if it's normal that she can talk that much without pausing for breathing. Takes in a lungful of oxygen in sympathy. Everyone should breathe, breathing is normal.
The newscaster finally catches his full attention with her next words, "Next, the A block is also drawing interest." Hinata is pretty sure she's lying, the smile on her pixely face looks forced and awkward, wonders if news-people get to go the bathroom or if they have to be in front of the camera all the time. "That's us!" He points out, feeling rather jittery that his face might show up any second, one of his spikes or Kageyama's tosses. "A player you should definitely watch out for is Aoba Johsai High School's team captain, Oikawa Tooru." He blinks at that, mouths out Grand King's actual name. Oikawa Tooru. Grand King would always be Grand King, even if Oikawa was fun to say in repetition. "His dashing good looks draw in female fans, so he's a player with both skill and popularity to spare!" Hinata wonders if it's okay for an old person comment flirtatiously like that about a high school student. Grand King looks like a movie star, there's a gleaming smile and a victory sign as Grand King's image is pulled onto the screen. Flinches when he hears a loud squeal that doesn't sound human, notices the crowd of girls screaming behind Grand King as the setter is interviewed.
"Tomorrow, going against Aoba Johsai," The lady says, and Hinata almost squeals too, here we come! He wonders which of their plays will be displayed with their school, probably one of my spikes, a wicked grin burning the edges of his lips. "Is a team that sped to an unbelievable straight-set victory against Date Tech," He squirms, wishes the lady would just talk faster, mentally begging her to show one of their plays.
The entire Date Tech team is pulled onto the scream, he flinches away the sudden lack of smiling newscaster, swallows a painful lump. Aone was in the center of screen, frowning deeply that made him look even older than his white hair did, the giant middle blocker was staring at his hand oddly. I shook that hand. Wonders if that's why it's being stared at, feels slightly guilty. He had fainted when he had grabbed the taller man's hand. "-who were expected to place in the tournament's top eight- the powerhouse, Karasuno High School." Top eight, we beat a top eight team. He finds it hard to take the confidence the victory gives when Aone is staring into the camera with wide eyes, looking like he might cry. Maybe he doesn't murder people after all, he thinks distantly, taking in the odd lines on Aone's face.
Grand King's face shows up again, another smile while wind tugs on his wavy hair, "So, what do you think of your next opponents for the third match, Karasuno High School?" An unseen voice asks, Grand King's smile morphs into something he recognizes, an evil foreboding twist of the lips. "They're a great team, I hope they go for broke." Not sure what to make of the statement, he remains silent and frowns at the setter's glowing smile. Go for broke? He's not sure what that even means, wonders if the setter had just insulted them. The TV before him shows a few more shots, of only The Grand King or his team before they cut to the news anchor who announces that the weather will be next.
His heart starts beating differently after that, no flashes of black show on the screen, nobody from their team is mentioned. We have to beat Grand King to be recognized. Thinks that that explains the tempo change in his chest, he's excited. Exited at the prospect of beating Grand King, beating all of Aoba Johsai, gaining their approval as rivals. The strong remain on the court. He promises to be stronger than Oikawa Tooru.
"All right." Daichi's voice isn't soft, but still soothing in a different way. Certain that Daichi is thinking similar to him, that they're all thinking similar to him, he rises to his feet with the rest of his team. "Let's do this." He's not sure what this entails entirely, but he knows that Daichi is serious, that the captain wants victory as much as he does.
The walk to the gym doesn't quell the anticipation in his chest, the call to get stronger, to beat Grand King. Ukai's speech is drowned out with the beating in his chest, settles for watching the older man talk about Aoba Johsai, how great Grand King's serve were. But they already knew that, had seen it with their own eyes, received some of the thundering serves.
"You guys saw Seijou and went, 'Oh, crap. They're strong.' Right?" He nods silently, wondering if there's going to be a bright side to this painfully long meeting. Pictures Iwaizumi and Grand King in the bathroom, tall and intimidating. Strong, he realizes is a more proper word for those two. "But, if you were seeing our match against Date Tech from the stands, you'd hesitate, saying, 'What's with that blocking. Talk about scary. We can't win.' Right?" He's not sure he can think about Date Tech without thinking of seeing Aone sulking in front of the camera. Hinata briefly wonders if Aone is like Asahi, a coward, if he offered smiles and hugged puppies without killing them.
"But you fought them," Ukai says, a smirk Hinata can only describe as cocky spreads across the coach's face. He has really white teeth for someone who's hobby is being a chimney. "And you won." We won. He likes the sound of that, what winning brings them, more time on the court. Winning brings them strength. "Tomorrow will be the same." He wonders if that's how Ukai promises, I promise we'll win. They're dismissed, banished from the gym, but all Hinata wants to do is practice until he can't walk, to get stronger, but the sky is already black and he finds himself yawning after the long speech is over.
He's stopped from walking towards his bike by Daichi and Suga-san, blinks up at their solemn faces, "Are you feeling alright?" Suppresses a sigh at the question, "I'm fine." He assures, but his heart is racing and he remembers falling into darkness too clearly. "Don't be late." Is all Daichi says, then the two boys are gone. He looks around for Kageyama as he unlocks his bike, frowns when the taller boy is already a block away. "Hey, Kageyama!" Hinata calls from behind his setter, who doesn't turn to face him as Hinata catches up to him. "You'll get wrinkles if you pout like that." He informs, taking in Kageyama's sulky features.
Kageyama doesn't answer and he doesn't talk. The other boy looks distracting, he wonders if Kageyama is thinking about facing his old senpai tomorrow. "Tomorrow," He starts talking when Kageyama starts to stare at him."We're going to defeat The Grand King." The setter stops walking, blinks then stares at him more intensely for a long, awkward moment. He swallows and stares into almost black pupils, "We'll win that match." Kageyama's voice is quiet, more so when the taller boy starts walking again. "If we don't, we can't advance." He's not sure what to make of that, wonders if Kageyama is doubting himself or if the taller boy is actually scared of Grand King. "Right!" He chirps after realizing he doesn't care, Kageyama wouldn't be scared or doubt himself once they beat Aoba Johsai.
Their walk is silent after that, Hinata finds himself staring at Kageyama but doesn't care to stop. He doesn't like the way Kageyama is pouting, too similar to Aone's in his opinion. We won, we'll keep winning. Kageyama had said so himself, so why is he pouting? They part ways without another word, he turns left, but Kageyama doesn't turn right. The dark haired boy keeps walking straight, he didn't think that the setter would be so worried that he forgot where his house is. I should say something.
He doesn't, Hinata turns left, pushes his bike up the steep hill that he races down everyday. The walk home is slower than usual, nature distracts him as much as his team does. Thinks about the questioning looks, Noya's bright smiles, Tanaka's silent treatment, and he thinks about Kageyama's silence. Finds the taller boy stupid for being worried. We'll beat Grand King. Ponders what Kageyama's smile will look like when they do, if it'll still be creepy and unsettling, or if he'll be so overjoyed that he'll laugh in his ex-senpai's face.
Hinata prays for the latter as he stows his bike against an old tree and prepares himself for Natsu's screaming. It occurs as soon as he slides the door open, as it always does. She jumps onto his back as he sits down to untie his shoes, can't enjoy the way the cold tile chills his sweaty feet, but he leans back and offers her a tired smile. "Natsu-sama." He says seriously, as gravely as he can manage, she just giggles. Natsu fires off questions about his volleyball games, talks about how she watched him on the TV. His heart swells at that, but he also feels bitter that he had missed his moment of fame. Stupid Grand King. There's no time to focus on an enemy setter, or any setter, Natsu is dragging him to their living room, where dinner is set out.
Rice is choked down under Sato's hard gaze, it softens only slightly when his bowl is cleared and he can focus on other things. Like Natsu, or how tired he is, or how Totoro has been on their television for several weeks now. "Big brother, big brother! Did you guys really beat Daketo?"He doesn't correct the mispronounced name, too busy smiling at the fact that they had beaten the infamous Iron Wall, Hinata doesn't divulge how he had fainted when he had grabbed Aone's hand, or how he couldn't breathe, or how he ended up awake on a bus with Kageyama breathing milk into his ear. He gives out an excited rendition of how dramatic their game against Date Tech had been, how Tanaka-senpai had slapped his face so hard there were imprints on his cheeks until the game was over. Natsu soaks in all of his words, giggles when he tells her about Noya-senpai's Rolling Thunder technique, then again when he tells her about how Kageyama had walked the wrong way when they were walking home.
His words are slowly laced with concealed yawns, Natsu had been helping him with the dishes when his eyelids started to get heavy. "Big brother, big brother! Who do you guys play tomorrow?" Her mouth is curled into a pinged ring, awe rapt her eyes as she awaits his answer, he thinks she looks like a fountain. Swallows thickly when he imagines milk pouring from her eyes and mouth. "G-Grand King's team." Hinata isn't sure who their team will play after that, look forward not up. Natsu starts blinking rapidly like she's having trouble processing the information, "Grand King?" The title is sloppy in her mouth. He nods, Hinata had told her about Grand King's crazy serve and suspiciously perfect hair at least twice. "Aoba Johsai." He provides when she continues to stare, they're walking into the bathroom now to prepare for bed. He really wants a shower, but decides it can wait when his knees start going numb under him.
"Oikawa Tooru!" Natsu squeals, a stream of toothpaste flying from the tube between her fingers. He nods, chews on his toothbrush as he wipes up his sister's mess, ignoring all the questions and compliments she has for the older boy. "-And his eyes are so gwaaah!" He scowls into his toothbrush at that, not appreciating his diction being used to describe his rival's eyes. "They are brown." He deadpans, she stares at him.
"Can I meet him, Shouyou?" It's one of the few times she doesn't just call him big brother, he thinks Natsu is trying to manipulate him with its use. The quick blinking and begging confirm his theory. Shrugging, he turns back to the mirror, rubs bristles over his teeth, takes notice of how crooked a few of them are. Wonders if he'll need braces or if they'll even out when the last of his adult teeth grow in. "Shouyou!" Natsu squeaks, angrily flipping around her pink toothbrush, the action sends wads of foam across the floor.
He reaches for the toilet paper, ignoring the pleads to bring Oikawa Tooru into their home to watch My Neighbor Totoro.
Natsu is still talking about Grand King, going so far as to call the older boy her husband while Sato forces her into her pajamas. He's not sure how to feel about his baby sister's confessions, especially her last one proclaiming her love to the setter. Wonders if Natsu's interest in volleyball is purely innocent, or where she learned to be so shameless in her love for a stranger. Hinata yawns loudly into his pillow, deciding that the topic would be explored when he wasn't exhausted, he tugs his cell phone out of his uniform pants before throwing the article on the floor.
There's messages on his phone, something that still surprised him after months of being on a team full of friendly people. Of having friends. Only one of the messages is from his team, Suga-san specifically, asking about him.
"Are you okay, Hinata?" He's left wondering if there will be a time in his life where he's forced to type and speak formally all the time. Shudders at the thought, a true confirmation of adulthood that he wouldn't be prepared for in years to come. If ever.
"I'm fine, Suga-san." Types the words slowly, making sure everything is spelled carefully so the silver haired boy doesn't climb through his window, asking about a missing period or lack of honorific. His next message is from Kenma, another apology about the presumptuousness of his teammate. Hinata doesn't inform the half-blond boy that he has no idea what presumptuousness means, apologizes for the late reply and how late the message is. Plugs his phone in, prepared for an interesting conversation with his new rival.
"Did you win your game" He asks after four minutes of silence, wonders how Kenma feels about texting grammar, if he should have put in the extra effort to add a question mark. Kenma's reply is almost instant, but it's not Kenma, another message from Kuroo.
"We should be asking you that" and
"Don't ignore me, Shrimpy!" He closes his phone, deciding not to respond to Kuroo's text, but the device vibrates when he moves to put it down.
"Good luck tomorrow, Chibi-chan!" He doesn't recognize the number as Kuroo's even if that seems like a very Kuroo thing to say, he's about to ask who it is, but an actual reply from Kenma stops him.
"You play Aoba Johsai tomorrow" Hinata stares at the message, wondering if Kenma was also prone to lack of punctuation, or if the older boy didn't have anything else to say so he was giving him information. Maybe he's worried. Dismissed that because he and Kenma barely knew each other, not well enough to worry about their next game. There's more staring, feels his eyes go dry as he contemplates his reply.
"Did you have fun?" He tries punctuation, wondering if Kenma's last message was a fluke or if he's looking too far into nothing. Talking to Kenma is interesting, even if the other boy's texts are infrequent and oddly impersonal. There's also no denying that his curiosity about Kenma's feelings towards volleyball.
"I played on my phone on the ride home." That's all the message says, he waits for another one, but it doesn't come. Phone. Kenma had had his phone in his hand when they met, not really just passing the time. Hinata hums quietly into his pillow, holds his phone over his face, rereads the message. Is that a yes or a no? Typing slowly, he formulates a passive response.
"Did you set up any cool tosses?" Waits, and waits. Waits so long he falls asleep, doesn't stir when his phone ends up falling onto his face.
His forehead is sore when he wakes up, and he's pretty sure that he can feel electricity, but Hinata ignores those things in favor of flicking his phone open to read Kenma's reply.
"I guess." Hinata likes how modest Kenma is, even when he's outsmarting Tsukishima or baiting them with a dump, Kenma doesn't see how awesome he is. "I'll make you see it." He promises to his rival, sends the other boy a good morning text along with some good luck. After Kenma doesn't respond instantly he decides to get dressed, pulling on his school uniform and packing his official jersey and shorts into his bag. His long awaited shower is cut short by Natu's screeching, knocking on the door and asking for Oikawa Tooru. Hinata shudders despite the hot water pelting his skin, turns the water onto a hotter setting and only emerges from the tub when steam builds up around him.
Breakfast is an exhausting affair, Sato seems to agree with him if her thin lips and almost murderous glare are anything to go by. "Natsu..." He tries, and his little sister ceases her babbling about every detail she can remember about Oikawa Tooru. "Grand King will only meet you when you're at least this tall." He raises his hand as high as he can while sitting down, Natsu stares at his fingers, nods resolutely and shovels eggs into her mouth like her life depends on it. Hinata supposes it does, only it's his little sister's love life, instead of her actual life. I don't even like anyone like that. Wonders if all little girls obsess over a guy like that, with sparkling teeth and floppy hair, or if Natsu is just special in that regard. He's not sure which he would prefer.
"Eat your rice, Shouyou." Conceals a cringe at the use of his given name, doesn't like the way it sounds coming from Sato, never has and probably never will. Ponders over why that is while he swallows it as quickly as possible, just to end his suffering. The rice is gross, like it is everyday, but he doesn't tell Sato that because she'll just stare at him until the bowl is empty. Does just that as quickly as he can, watches Sato's eyes drift to Natsu.
They both watch while Natsu gulps down a glass a milk more quickly than necessary, wonders if the little girl will choke and make another mess that he has to clean because of Grand King. "Oikawa Natsu!" He blinks at her declaration, refuses to comment while he puts eggs into his mouth and avoids eye contact. Hinata manages to ignore his sister's squeals and shouts while he washes dishes, silently praying that Grand King will spontaneously get uglier by the end of the day.
He can still hear Natsu even when he's outside the house, almost feels sorry for their caretaker, but can't quite manage to make the sympathy genuine. The bike ride from his home to school is exhilarating as always, darting down the steep hill, wind tugging thoughts of Grand King out of his head as it flicks at his hair. Racing down a steep hill provided a different sense of flying for Hinata, made his heart beat fast the same way spiking did, but it was different without having anything on the line, no points or fear of loss. Soon enough his bike was stowed away between metal bars, locked in place and left behind.
A smile worked its way onto his lips despite losing the easy thrill of bike riding, a different kind of excitement was waiting for him, one that made his heart beat too fast, made him sweat until there was nothing left inside, made him bleed once. Rubbing absently at his nose, Hinata walked away from the bike rack, and waited for Kageyama to show up.
The setter turned up shortly, jogging and looking like a complete mess. Did he even shower? He didn't really feel like finding out, and lined up with the taller boy, keeping some distance that Kageyama didn't seem to notice. They raced, Kageyama won, only because the taller boy smelled like soy sauce and sweat. The club room was unlocked when he tried the handle, Daichi was inside, shirt half on, along with Asahi and Suga-san. "Good morning!" He offered the older boys.
They mumbled over each other, offered small smiles while they continued changing. Kageyama started mumbling as soon as his uniform was off, he wasn't sure what to make of that, wondered if the taller boy got cold easily, or he'd forgotten to brush his teeth. We'll win the next match. Hinata stares at his setter for a long time while changing, wondering what Kageyama is thinking about. Probably milk, or the look Grand King is going to give when he loses, or his victory speech. He decides to leave the setter in peace, let him figure out what he's going to say when Karasuno beats Aoba Johsai.
Kageyama is much more lively during practice, but he's also cursing up a storm and Hinata is glad that there aren't any children around, lest they be scarred for life. Their quick still functions properly, but he still thinks that there's something off about the taller boy, that he's not thinking about milk, or toothbrushes, or a victory speech. He tries not to let it worry him as well, but Suga-san is twitching on the other side of the net like he wants to say something encouraging.
The older boy doesn't speak, just stares at Kageyama throughout the whole practice, something that that the younger boy fails to notice. Hinata thinks it would be a great opportunity to find out what other things that Kageyama won't notice when he's busy thinking about stuff. Kageyama refused to spill what he was thinking about, but judging from the twitching of his eyebrows, Hinata had a pretty good idea.
He makes a list between classes, a piece of spare paper that he titles Things Kageyama doesn't notice. So far Hinata had taken the setters cell phone, his house keys, and his lunch; he wondered if setter would notice if some of his hair was missing, but decided against it last second. Thought about actually talking to the taller boy, who's face continues to scrunch up further as their game draws closer, but one doesn't pass up the opportunity to look through Kageyama Tobio's phone.
Kageyama, for some reason, has his number saved into his contacts. Hinata Shouyou. Sends himself a message because he's never even thought about talking to the other boy more than when they're playing or walking home. His phone vibrates next to Kageyama's, reads his own message and decides to save Kageyama's number. But what? "Of course!" He snickers into the plastic and starts typing. Idiotyama Tobio. It's fitting, he thinks so at least, laughs about it while he continue snooping through his teammate's phone.
I should not being doing this, but he accidentally goes through all of Kageyama's phone calls and text messages. None of these numbers are saved. Hinata blanches at that realization, navigates to Kageyama's contact list and finds it completely empty. He glances back at his teammate, would comment on how stupid the taller boy is for not saving his contacts. Groaning quietly, he turns his attention back to the stolen phone in his hands and scans through all of unnamed texts.
"Good luck today, little brother!" Hinata gaped, "Little brother?" He gasped as he scrolled through more of the conversation, but the texts didn't elaborate on what gender Kageyama's sibling could be. When that hype was quelled he noticed something rather odd, Kageyama never responded to any of his texts, not even to Suga-san's askance about his health. Break ends and he slides Kageyama's phone into his school bag, deciding that he would return it after he had searched through everything the device had to offer.
His English teacher, Minami-sensei, had started her lecture on the importance of knowing the English language, then she started gushing over her recent internship about traveling to The Middle America, where they speak more than just Spanish. Hinata ignores her blabbering, wonders if they'll ever actually learn something that has to do with English or if they'll all be held hostage to her travel stories. The suffering is cut short with a slam of the door and a proclamation of a mandatory staff meeting, Minami nods dutifully, says that she'll finish her lecture tomorrow.
Kageyama ends up at his desk for lunch, only seems to realize that he doesn't have anything to eat until the period is half over. "Do you want anything?" The setter asks as he heads towards the door, Hinata freezes at that, only slightly miffed that he had forgotten to steal the other boy's wallet. Hinata waves Kageyama off with a friendly smile, then pulls out his own cell phone to tell Kenma about his most recent achievement.
"I think Kageyama is broken" He's pretty sure that he doesn't have to explain who Kageyama is, wondered if Kenma could ever forget the glare and muttered questions that had him running out of his own gym.
"Why?" Hinata rolls his lips, trying to find the easiest way to sum up everything that seems to be off about Kageyama, excluding the preexisting weirdness.
"I stole his phone and lunch and he didn't even notice!" Wonders if his newest rival would be relieved that Kageyama isn't always intensely focused on making other people uncomfortable. Kuroo replies in place of Kenma, something that has him reluctant to keep the conversation going.
"That's not very nice, Shrimpy, even if your setter is a little weird." He wants to inform Kuroo that Kageyama is more than a little weird, with his odd glares and milk obsession, he sends another message to Kenma, acting like Kuroo had never messaged him.
"I think he's worried about playing Grand King" He's worried too, despite telling himself that everything would be fine, but something seems different from their last games. Grand King's team would always be strong, was the strongest team that Hinata had ever seen. His stomach rolls uncomfortably at that, remembers that he has yet to eat lunch, laughs quietly as he pulls Kageyama's bento from his bag and starts digging through it. "This is..." He's not sure how to describe it, "All rice... and seaweed." This is why he has that face all the time, he wonders if asking Kageyama about his weird diet suddenly would draw suspicion from the taller boy. Decides to save the question for later as he tucks the bento back without taking anything, feels his stomach shrivel up at the smell of rice.
"Aoba Johsai is a strong team." Kenma's reply is different than he expected, which was a detailed analysis on everything that could be wrong with his setter. Kageyama shows up moments later, toting fruit milk and milk bread. Kageyama stares at him as he sits, he starts typing a reply to Kenma instead of staring back.
"What are you eating for lunch" He's not sure why he starts talking about food instead of his teammate.
"Ramen."
"Really?"
"Yes."
He could go for some ramen right now, decides not to respond to Kenma for not sharing. "Stupid jerk." He mutters as he tosses his phone into his bag, right on top of Kageyama's. Leans back and stares at the dark haired boy across from him, looking for the first time since yesterday like he wasn't going to frown his face off. "Kageyama." He says, not sure what he's even going to talk about. The taller boy startles, chokes on a mouthful of bread that he ends up spitting onto the desk between them.
Kageyama doesn't apologize, or move to clean up the mess. He sighs, staring at the lumpy wad that's leaking spit onto his English notes. "Are you... feeling alright?" Hinata doesn't recall an instance where he's asked those words to someone that wasn't Natsu, Kageyama continues choking, this time on his fruit milk. Banana, he recognizes when that too ends up accenting the drying wad of bread on his desk. "I'm fine." Kageyama mumbles, taking another sip. Hinata nods but he's pretty sure that Kageyama is lying.
"We're not going to lose to Grand King." Kageyama's eyes narrow at the name, like the older boy might emerge from one of the desks and start offering smiles and using weird analogizes. "Right." The setter replies, more firmly now that he's not gasping for air. They share a nod once lunch is over and their Modern Literature teacher walks into the classroom.
He wins their race to the gym, but Kageyama is the first one in his uniform and the first one into the gym. Hinata is slightly stunned, but he's pretty sure that that is a good sign, and rushes to join the taller boy on the court. They only practice as a team for a few minutes before Ukai whisks them onto the bus, Kageyama pushes him into the same seat as the day before and falls asleep as soon as the bus starts moving. Taking advantage of the situation, he grabs Kageyama's belongings from his bag and slides them into the other boy's before flicking open his phone.
"Good luck at the pre-lims!" He sends to Kenma, wonders if the older boy gets awkwardly nervous like Kageyama does before a game. Decides against it, but debates the topic until the other boy messages him back.
"Thanks you too" He smiles the rest of the bus ride, certain that he and Kenma are going to be friends as well as rivals soon enough.
The bus stops, and Hinata can almost smell the court from the bus, finds it invigorating and wonderful and inspiring. Ignores Kageyema's questions and hops off the bus with the rest of the team, half listens to Takeda-sensei's instructions and direction as he tries to get his leg to stop shaking. He really wants to play, to win, to laugh in the face of Grand King. He's ready to pull his hair out by the time they're allowed entrance to the gym, Suga-san's arm around his shoulders because the older boy doesn't get it. Doesn't get that he's not nervous but really, really excited.
Their game doesn't start immediately, forcing their team into the stands above the gym, Grand King's team is playing right below but he's too busy glaring at his coach to pay too much attention. "Woah-!" Suga-san's elbow jerks against his, and he stares back at the court, takes in the court and the score. "Six service aces in a row." The silver haired boy announces, and Hinata can't quite muffle the shocked outburst. Now he's nervous, he had only seen Grand King's serve briefly, and never from above. Has to remind himself to breathe and ignores Suga-san's worried look that he can feel digging into his head.
"Hinata are-" He cuts the older boy off, "I'm fine!" He squeaks, but is unable to take his eyes off of Grand King as the setter scores another service ace. Practically throws himself out of the stands into into the bathroom, tries to cool down his burning face with cold water. Wonders why they hadn't practiced more, hadn't done something. Grand King's serving had gotten even better than the last time he had seen it, more powerful somehow. The next handful of water ends up in his mouth, swallows the liquid down to fix the squirming in his gut.
Suga's voice is calling him endless moments later, when he's on the floor and can only pant wildly into his knees. "Hinata?" The older boy asks, repeating it again when he's much closer and his body is engulfed in heat. "You're breathing really quickly!" Suga's voice is tinged with panic, Hinata finds it appropriate because Grand King's team is too, too strong. "I'm fine." He gasps, but he's lying, he needed to practice more, they had weeks to find a way to handle Grand King's serve.
"He's too good." He coughs into Suga's chest, soaks up the warmth the other boy provides, listens to the hushed tone that should be calming. "We're going to beat Aoba Johsai, you said so yourself." He wants to yell at Suga suddenly, can feel the need itch in his throat, but he can't talk around his sharp intakes of air. "Too good." He says when there's more cheering, panics at the thought of Grand King getting that many free points on them. Clamps his hands around his ears when the cheering doesn't stop, but it doesn't help. He can still hear the slam of the ball against the court, can still hear the crowd cheering. "We've beat Aoba Johsai before, Oikawa isn't the only player on that team." He knows that, of course he does, but that doesn't help now, when he can hear Grand King carrying his team with his serve.
"Aren't you scared?" He asks eventually, his throat itches when he talks swallows down the sensation as the older boy starts talking. "Of course I am!" There's a laugh that he thinks is genuine in its nervousness, "Remember before we playing against Date Tech?" He nods, buries his face further into Suga's chest because he doesn't need to be reminded of Aone and his last freak out. "Were you scared then?" He nods again, remembers that he had been scared of a guy with no eyebrows, one that had blocked Asahi's spikes and made him quit volleyball. "We won that game." He knows that. "We'll win this one, as a team, against their team, all of us, not just Oikawa." It sounds real when Suga says that, like they've already won, like the older boy isn't scared of Grand King's serve scoring endless points because he has people behind him. Scoffs into Suga's chest at how stupid it seems to be scared. "As a team." He echoes, a weird smile curling his lips as he does. Thinks about Kageyama, about Noya and Tanaka-senpai, being on the same court with players like Daichi and Asahi, Suga supporting them with his reliable sets. He finds that he doesn't mind as much being on the court with Tsukishima, snorts into Suga-san's jacket, he's pretty sure he felt snot.
"As a team." He says it louder, blocking out the sound of screaming and whistles. "As a team." Suga is smiling at him when he looks up, "I snotted on your jacket." He admits, tugging at the now shiny blackness. The older boy's smile falters slightly, then he laughs. Something smooth and easy that makes him feel better, like he belongs to Suga and to the team. "Better?" The older boy asks when the exit the bathroom, snot and panic forgotten. Hinata nods, feeling foolish for ever being worried. "As a team!" He chirps, dragging the older boy towards the stands.
The team sends them odd looks as they sit back down, he glances down at the wet streaks on Suga's jacket, but doesn't say anything until Ukai starts asking questions. "Are you okay?" He wonders if there's a book on asking the same question but in different tones, finds himself nodding. "Are you still sick?" The older man asks, glancing over him with a serious expression, he nods again, finds it easier having people think he threw up than having everyone know that he had almost cried on a dirty bathroom floor.
"You should sit out if you're still feeling unwell." Takeda-sensei says seriously, appearing from almost nowhere. Hinata frowns, not sure he could ever handle not being on the court, sick or not. "I'm fine." He says loudly enough for the two adults to hear. "If you feel like you might vomit, you should get off the court." He nods, slightly irritated at the prospect of being told to leave the court. "I'm fine, honest!" He confirms, louder this time. Kageyama ends up standing in front of him when the two adults leave, staring down at him in what he thinks is curiosity.
"I'm fine." He snips to the taller boy when he steps forward, Kageyama just nods before taking the seat next to him. Hinata looks at his setter, studies the smooth planes of his face and feels weird, wonders how the other boy can suddenly be so calm when he felt like his guts might make an appearance through his mouth. "We're going to win, Hinata." Kageyama says without turning to face him, the setter's voice is raspy like he's having trouble talking. Hinata nods, "As a team." Feels stupid but happy to have three words make him feel so warm.
They're ushered onto the court as soon as Aoba Johsai's game ends, Grand King's victory doesn't intimidate him. Kageyama tugs him onto the court, hands him a ball. He gets the idea. They practice normal quicks, practice receiving each other's spikes, practice anything they can in the five minute window before Karasuno and Aoba Johsai meet on the court officially. Exhilaration works its way into his system as easily as racing down a hill does, it's violent and his hands tremble because of it. Suga-san pets his hair for a second before they line up, the comfort slows his racing heart. They thank the other team for the game, and Daichi moves forward to shake Grand King's hand.
He takes in the older boy, watches the muscles in his arm twist under his sweaty skin as he tries to crush Daichi's hand, Daichi just smiles in return before pulling his hand away. Grand King says something that he can't hear, but the setter's eyes are gleaming and narrowed. A threat. All at once that threat is staring at him, offers him a smile that he doesn't return. Taking his place in front of the net, he watches Grand King walk towards the other side, smiling brightly and menacingly. "Hey, Tobio-chan, Chibi-chan." The older boy says, nodding to both of them. Hinata takes comfort in having his teammate so close, Grand King stares at him until his stomach squirms.
"W-we won't lose to you, Grand King!" He practically shouts the words into the guy's face, feels his face heat up when other members of Aoba Johsai start to stare at him. Grand King's smile shifts, he's not sure he likes the change, or the way that the older boy's eyes start to sparkle. "We won't lose." Kageyama mumbles after a too long moment of staring, Hinata almost laughs, finding the way Kageyama just repeating him stupid, but he doesn't, he almost appreciates the gesture.
Kageyama tugs on his arm and he looks away from Grand King's distracting face, lets the taller boy lead him towards their huddle. "Are you okay?" Yamaguchi asks, he almost wants to declare a ban on those words, but just gives the taller boy a smile. Thought it was kind of nice that Yamaguchi spoke without Tsukshima saying something mean first. "Thanks, Yamaguchi." Revels in the way the taller boy blushes and splutters before his attention is pulled by Daichi's speech.
Hinata watches Grand King take his place on the other end of the court through the net, the taller boy freezes in place and he watches as Grand King shifts into a volleyball player instead of a weird, cocky guy. The whistle forces the older boy into motion, the ball spins in Grand King's hand before it's launched into the air, the setter following right after it.
The serve is intense and powerful, Hinata is practically gaping at how Noya was able to intercept the ball even when it curves without warning. Grand King pouts when his team doesn't score, but there's no feeling behind it, no annoyance in his eyes. He wonders if it was by design that Grand King got himself rotated to the front of the net. Tsukishima serves next, batting the ball over the net with little power or motivation. Kageyama tugs on his sleeve, tugging him towards the center of the net. He finds his balance quickly, watches as the ball towards the cradle of Grand King's hands. Watches as they shift suddenly and Grand King is spiking the ball onto their side of the court.
"Come on, come on, I'll be doing that again, don't look so shocked." Grand King chortles, shifting back into his position. Hinata frowns, mulls over the words. "D-do you think he'll really do that again?" He ends up asking Tanaka-senpai, who looked just as frustrated as he felt. "I dunno, but if thinks that we think that he won't do it because he said he'd do it, then he'd probably do it." Can't argue with that. "You're amazing, Tanaka-senpai!" He gushes. "Now, now, don't dwell on the past. Just focus on the ball as it comes." He thinks Daichi is right, there was no way that they could be certain that Grand King would do the dump because he said he would, meaning he wouldn't, but he actually would. What?
He practically cackles when Kageyama ends up quoting his ex-senpai when he performs a similar dump. Grand King looks like he might pop a blood vessel and that just makes him laugh harder, "You stupid little brat." Grand King growls at Kageyama, looking like he might jump through the net and strangle the younger boy. Kageyama just waves the other setter off, walking towards the back of the court to perform a serve. A serve that sends the ball straight into the net where Grand King was standing. The older boy howls with laughter, practically snatches the ball up and rushes to the back of the court for his own serve.
Aoba Johsai takes the set, Grand King laughs loudly from where his team is huddled. Hinata bristles, close to grinding his teeth when he sees Tanaka spike his own face with a loud growl. "I hesitated. I didn't call the set. I got scared for a second." The older boy admits all at once, smacking his face a second time and Hinata is pretty sure at this point Tanaka-senpai might have brain damage. "I'll have my regrets after the match! There's no point in someone useless bringing the team down, I'm upset over my own mistake." He blinks, stunned by the admission. Wonders if he'll ever be able to just drop his emotions like the older boy can, forget about the things that make him freeze and stutter over his own feet.
They win the next set, pull out all the stops, limiting their use of the god-quick and dropping their verbal calls for Suga-san's hand signals. He does all he can do, pushes all of his strength and speed into every spike until Karasuno is close to victory. He jumps, pushes through the air with a tired arm. The ball smashes against the block, their god-quick failed.
It takes Hinata a moment to come to his sense. Looks at Grand King. Grand King isn't smiling, doesn't look like someone who just won.
They knew. Takes in the three middle blockers, still standing in front of him. They predicted our quick.
We lost. I lost. And Grand King won. Thinks of all the promises of their victory, the words he gave to Suga-san and the promise that Kageyama gave to him. We'll win the next game. They won't advance. Grand King beat us. Kageyama is the one that pulls him to his feet, but he doesn't meet the taller boy's eyes, and stands in front of the net, all of Aoba Johsai is in front of them. He hesitates in shaking anyone's hand, scared of another reaction, and almost jerks his arm away when someone grabs onto it.
Suga-san leads him away from the net, squeezes his shoulder slightly. He wonders how the older boy can be so calm when they just lost. A flash of white and teal draws his attention before he's pulled out of the gym, "Grand King!" He shouts, about to demand a rematch, about to fight someone double his weight, about to do something besides accept defeat. "Good game, Chibi-chan, maybe we can practice sometime?" Grand King's tone is passive, but his tone makes Hinata want to scream again. There's weight on his head that doesn't belong, ruffling his hair with a clammy hand. A glance up shows Grand King's arm, he tries to pull away but the hand follows. There's a tug on his arm, then crinkling in his hand. He's reminded of Kenma, how he had declared the boy as his new rival.
Grand King sees me as a rival? He's not sure to feel anymore. Hatred. Hinata feels hatred. He never wants to see Grand King again. Honored? The Grand King picked him as a new rival. Excited? The Grand King might teach him something. Scared? The Grand King might trick him. His fist clenches around the paper in his hand.
Grand King's petting turns into patting, like he can't tell the difference between a volleyball and a person. The older boy leans down, closer, and Hinata can see the other boy's through his bangs. "Also, I think I figured out your problem," whispered into his face like a secret. Problem? My jump? My serve? My spike? He swallows, then looks up, into the gleaming eyes of The Grand King.
Hinata doesn't say anything, but nothing is good enough for The Grand King to continue speaking, his eyes close slowly and his lips curl up like a cats, "You overcompensate with loud outbursts, due to your insecurity as a player, it's indicative of your low confidence." The Grand King laughs, it's a dark, dark noise that echoes as the older boy leans closer. Demon King, he thinks when he starts to feel Grand King's breathing in his ear. "But what could ever cause such issues in someone so bright?" It's a trick question, Hinata knows that for sure, "Your height? Girl troubles, perhaps?" He winks a snake eye, then leans impossibly closer, "Daddy issues?" It's an acidic whisper that travels straight into his stomach. Settles there like lead. Mind games, he realizes, are why Grand King was able to see through their quick.
The weight on his head lingers, ruffling his hair like they were friends, then is gone. Suga-san starts saying something, but he just runs away before the words can reach his ears. Pushes past crowds of people he doesn't know, out of the gym doors and falls into the grass next to the building. Unfurls his fist and stares down at Grand King's crumpled phone number.
Natsu would beg for this.