Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Tobio's six and nobody at school likes him. Grandma asks him every morning if she should pack more in his bento for his friends, but he always tells her no because none of the other kids want to sit with him for lunch—none of the other kids want to sit with him for anything. Grandma says he should make the first move, but the thought fills Tobio with a kind of white-hot panic. He doesn't know how to talk to the other kids at all. Tobio sometimes thinks that everyone else his age must've gone to some secret class that taught them how to talk to each other and he missed it, because he can never manage to talk the right way. Everything he says is too weird or too dumb or too intense and the other kids laugh at him or avoid him. He spends a lot of their free time at school on his own, and nobody ever wants to partner with him so he's always stuck with their teacher.

His face is so scary, the kids whisper behind his back. Isn't he really weird? 

Tobio learns, through trial and error, to tune them out. As he grows older, he decides to avoid the others so that he doesn't have to go through the pain of seeing them avoid him—he doesn't offer to participate anymore, doesn't look around hopefully for a partner when the teacher tells them to split up. He's okay on his own, so he decides that if the other kids want nothing to do with him… well, then he wants nothing to do with them either.

And if he cries himself to sleep every once in a while, there's nobody who needs to know.

Tobio's loved volleyball since he was seven and saw a match on the television by accident—watching the ball go from side to side, saved or spiked by each player, is miles more exciting than the stuffy shogi matches Grandma watches. He gets her to buy him a volleyball for his birthday and practices as best he can by himself. The weight of the ball in his hand feels oddly right. 

His elementary school doesn't have a team, but Kitagawa Daiichi does. Tobio joins on his first day, eager to actually play a game, but sits on the sidelines for most of his first year, watching as the third and second years play. They're okay, for senpai, but none of them really seem to know how to deal with him either. Oikawa-senpai tries, but Tobio doesn't really know what to say or do and Oikawa-senpai makes him really nervous so he's even worse than usual. 

Tobio goes to class and practice, but always walks home alone, never has any of his classmates or teammates over for dinner or sleepovers. He hears his grandma despairing of his solitude over the phone, probably to one of her friends, so he tries to actually make friends for the first time since he was small. But the harder he tries, the more people seem to dislike him.

He's so intense, he hears a girl whisper to her friend as he passes. It's scary!

Tobio focuses on volleyball instead. His teammates may not care much about him, but they don't mind using him. Oikawa-senapi doesn't really seem happy about it, but he does say that Tobio has natural skill. Tobio finds that tossing the ball is calming, in a way—when he is in control of the court, nothing can touch him. He is the one who decides the plays, who to toss to and who not to toss to. No one can exclude him if he's at the center of the action. They need him.

Until they don't.

Tobio sometimes hears the thud of that untouched volleyball hitting the gym floor in his dreams. 

He doesn't forget about the orange-haired shrimp, but it's not because of his frustrating natural abilities. Instead, he remembers the kind way the boy touched the elbows of his teammates when they missed, his shouts of encouragement, the way he would cover for their sloppy plays. His team's excitement and support as he made his impossible jumps. Kitagawa Daiichi may be a team, but their primary goal is victory, not comradeship. Few of them are true friends outside of the court. 

During his last few months there, after that one disastrous game, Tobio becomes a pariah on his own team. He doesn't play in practice anymore—instead, he runs drills with the coach, on his own. His teammates give him ugly looks, some of his stuff "accidentally" goes missing, and that stupid nickname, the one Tobio used to regard with a resigned sort of pride, becomes a tool for mockery.

King of the Court, his teammates mutter. He's selfish. He only plays for himself.

He leaves middle school with a lingering bitterness and a nickname he can't hear without cringing.

So when he comes to Karasuno, Tobio expects more of the same. He won't make the same mistakes again, but he doubts anyone on the team will like him—Tobio's grown used to his solitary existence, to the point where he can't imagine what it's like to have people around all the time, people who actually want to spend time with him outside of school or practice. He's resigned himself to being alone, because no one in his life has ever decided they want to get to know him or spend time with him or even like him as more than a casual acquaintance. Tobio's tried time and time again to change that and failed over and over—he doubts it's going to change anytime soon.

But when he sees that orange-haired shrimp staring at him from the gym doors, eyes wide and betrayed, he feels a vague sense of premonition. 

The thing is, Tobio's never had a friend before. He's had acquaintances, people he would work with in class, teammates. But never someone he could confide his deepest thoughts in, someone who would come over and hang out with him just because they wanted to see him. He's used to it, grew past the ache in his chest years ago. Then, just when he'd thought he'd gotten over it, Hinata blasts into his life.

Tobio doesn't really understand Hinata, who glares at him and calls him names but also shares lunches with him and walks home with him. Between their official and unofficial practices, they end up spending most of their day together—and Hinata doesn't seem to hate it. He makes fun of Tobio and calls him 'king of the court' too much and seems a little scared when Tobio smiles, but he comes back day after day. 

Then he catches Tobio's toss. Tobio watches the smash of the ball, the old ghost of that untouched ball finally drifting free. No one at Kitagawa Daiichi could catch that toss, and it ended up being the wedge that drove him even further away from his teammates, just another thing for people to dislike him for. But Hinata caught it. He caught it and smiled at Tobio in a helplessly pleased way afterward, like Tobio was the reason for his happiness. 

Tobio's heart stutters in his chest at that look. Nobody's ever looked at him like that. His grandmother smiles at him all the time, but she's supposed to love him so he doesn't think it counts—and anyway, her smiles are kind, sometimes proud. She never looks at him like he's a small sun to circle around. 

"Toss to me more!" Hinata demands, still smiling.

Tobio flips the ball in his hands. Keep looking at me like that, he thinks, and I'll toss you the ball as much as you want.

Hinata shows up at his house one weekend, completely unannounced.  

"Tobio?" his grandmother says, standing in the door to his room. She looks unaccountably pleased about something. "There's a young man here to see you. He says he's one of your teammates?"

Tobio frowns. Perhaps Sawamura-senpai needs to talk to him about something? He can't think why any of his teammates would need to come visit him on a weekend though—

"He's quite short to be a volleyball player, isn't he?"

—Tobio freezes.

"You can… let him in," he says. 

Why is Hinata here? Maybe he just wants someone to practice with. If there's one thing Tobio's come to realize about Hinata in the past few weeks, it's that he is unable to stay still to the point of discomfort. He's always moving, always leaping around, always practicing and yelling and making a nuisance of himself. Tobio's found, to his dismay, that he doesn't mind it so much anymore. That when he's alone, the silence seems a little eerie instead of comforting.

"Pardon the intrusion!" 

Hinata bounds into his room, ducking his head and bobbing back up again, bright eyes taking in everything with unabashed curiosity.

"Your grandma seems really nice!" he says as he plops down on the floor, cross-legged. "She said to tell you she's going to make us lunch!"

"You're staying for lunch?" Tobio asks, voice sharper than he means it to be.

Hinata doesn't flinch back, but he droops a little. "Is—that not okay? I figured we could practice a little more, maybe?"

Practice. Of course that's what Hinata wants. Tobio ignores the odd ache in his chest and gets up to retrieve his volleyball. 

"Come on," he says, leading Hinata out of his room. "You still need to work on your receives."

And that might have been the end of it, except that Hinata's still there four hours later, talking happily with his grandmother in the kitchen as she prepares dinner. Tobio watches from the living room, brow furrowed. They've already practiced and eaten lunch—and then they practiced some more. Hinata should be gone by now. Unless he thinks they'll be practicing more after dinner? But unlike the school, Tobio's backyard isn't lighted up—just seeing the ball would be a struggle. 

"You're getting that intense look again, Kageyama," Hinata says, plopping down near his shoulder. Tobio flinches back from the unexpected contact—Hinata, as always, is too close. "Are you going to get me back for hitting you in the face? I said I was sorry!"

"We're not going to able to practice anymore," Tobio says. "It's too dark."

Hinata gives him a look and Tobio braces himself. Here it comes. Without the promise of practice, there's no way Hinata will want to stay even longer with Tobio—

"Well, I was thinking we could maybe watch some movies after dinner?" 

Tobio blinks. "What."

Hinata shifts a little. He looks a little—is he blushing?

"I thought—maybe I could stay the night? And we could watch movies or… or play video games or something? And then we could practice again tomorrow! Or do—something else."

Tobio stares. Hinata looks back at him from under his fringe, so oddly shy that it makes Tobio's heart thump hard against his ribs. He's never seen Hinata look like this before—like one bad word from Tobio could make him crumble. Tobio's pretty sure nobody's ever cared about his company enough that they'd be sad if he denied it to them.

"…What kind of movies did you want to watch?"

Hinata straightens, beaming as hard as he did the first time he hit one of Tobio's tosses. Tobio blinks back from the force of it, his face going warm. He's still not used to it, the way Hinata will smile at him. He doesn't know what to do with someone who's so obviously happy to be around him.

"Ghibli, ghibli!" Hinata chants, then pauses. "Or something else." He shivers a little. "But no horror, okay? I watched Psycho Pass for the first time last week and it was so scary—! They go all PWAH and POW and then their heads go SPLAAAAH—!"

Tobio glances over to see his grandmother standing in the door of the kitchen, watching them. When she sees Tobio looking, she winks.

They watched Spirited Away. Tobio likes this movie, but he's too preoccupied with his thoughts to really watch it. Instead, he keeps an eye on Hinata, who's as enthralled as a child—eyes wide, lips moving along with the dialogue, gasping and laughing in all the right places. Tobio should've guessed he wouldn't be able to sit still, even for a movie, but there's something oddly endearing about the way Hinata clutches the blanket to his chest when Sen battles with the old witch, or when Haku's in danger.

The credits roll and Tobio suddenly feels awkward. He's never done this sort of thing before, watched a movie with someone his age. Are they supposed to talk about it after or go right to sleep or—?

Hinata stretches, yawning. "Where am I going to sleep?" he asks, rubbing at one eye.

Tobio frowns. He hadn't thought of it before, but they don't have a spare futon—their tiny house never really needed one, and his grandmother preferred Western-style beds anyway. Until now, it's never been a problem because Tobio's never had someone over who needed a place to sleep.

"We don't have a spare futon," he says cautiously, testing the waters. Maybe Hinata will insist on leaving?

Hinata shrugs. "I'll just share with you," he says. 

Tobio freezes. "Share—?"

"Well, yeah," Hinata says. "I share with Natsu all the time, it's no big deal. And it's cold in here, Kageyama! You won't really make me sleep on the floor, will you?!"

Tobio doesn't think it's any colder than normal in his house, but maybe he's just used to it. But isn't it weird, for the two of them to share a bed? Or maybe it's normal? Tobio wouldn't know—he's never had people over for the night. He realizes that this is his first sleepover and suddenly wants to watch another movie, wants to play a game, wants this to keep happening for as long as possible. Because when Hinata leaves tomorrow, who knows if he'll come back? This might be Tobio's only chance to have something like this, something that passes for an actual friendship.

"No," he says. "I won't do that. Do you want to sleep?"

He watches as Hinata considers the question, barely daring to breathe. He's not sure what answer he wants, honestly.

"No," Hinata says, and something loosens in Tobio's chest. "Can we watch Ponyo?"

Tobio puts the movie in, but pauses it after ten minutes when his grandmother pops her head in.

"Goodnight, boys," she says, eyes warm. "Keep watching for as long as you like—I'm a heavy sleeper. Hinata-kun, any requests for breakfast?"

Hinata ducks his head, oddly shy. "No, Kageyama-san."

Tobio snorts. "He likes tamagoyaki," he says. "And make sure there's a lot of natto."

"Kageyama!"

His grandmother just smiles at them, eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'll see what I can do, Tobio-chan." 

Hinata shoves at Tobio's shoulder as soon as his grandmother has wandered off to her bedroom. "Don't say things like that! I don't want to inconvenience her!"

"She's happy you're here," Tobio says before he can stop himself. Hinata's irritation melts into confusion. "Shut up and watch the movie, dumbass."

He starts it again before Hinata can say anything, and though Hinata gives him a puzzled look, he resettles on the floor with little enough complaint. It's getting late—later than Tobio usually stays up, even on a weekend—so Tobio's not surprised when he starts to nod off a little, even though he likes this movie too. He doesn't realize he's fallen asleep until he jerks awake unexpectedly to a dark room, the sound of the credit screen music, and a warm weight across his lap. 

Tobio looks down, still bleary with sleep, and freezes when he sees Hinata sprawled across his thighs, mouth open, snoring lightly. He's somehow tucked his arm around Tobio's leg, his hand curled around the bend of Tobio's knee. Tobio's too terrified to move, so he sits there for several minutes, listening to the soft music of the credits screen repeat itself over and over again. Should he wake Hinata up? Is that the protocol? He's never had someone fall asleep on him before.

But his leg is starting to go numb.

He reaches out and shakes at Hinata's shoulder. "Oi," he says. Hinata shifts, grumbling, but doesn't wake up. "Dumbass, get your head off my leg."

No response.

Tobio sighs. He reaches over and grabs the remote, shutting off the T.V. and ending the repetitive music. Then, carefully, he starts to inch his way out of Hinata's grip, a feat made more difficult by the way Hinata insists on trying to cling to his knees and ankles. Still, Tobio manages to get back on his feet, grimacing at the pins and needles racing up his legs. He surveys Hinata, still sprawled out on the floor, and wonders if it's polite just to leave him there. 

It's cold in here, Kageyama!

If his grandmother found out, she'd scold him. Tobio squats down and, still cautious, scoops Hinata up by the shoulders and under his knees. For someone so short, Hinata's surprisingly heavy—compact with muscle, Tobio thinks, or maybe he just eats too many meat buns—but Tobio manages to get upright with little enough trouble. To his surprise, Hinata curls into him, burying his face in Tobio's collarbone. 

"Dumbass," Tobio says as he crosses the living room. "You're like a little kid."

He passes his grandmother's bedroom, then enters his own. He doesn't bother turning on the lights—through his window, the full moon makes everything just bright enough—instead opting to just approach his bed and lower Hinata onto it. He figures Hinata will be uncomfortable, sleeping in his day clothes like that, but it seems easier than trying to wake him up to change. 

Tobio quickly changes into his own pajamas, and when he turns back to the bed, he discovers that Hinata's tucked himself against the wall, leaving more than enough room for Tobio to slide in. Still, it's a bed made for one person, and even though Hinata's small, it's a tight fit. Tobio tries to keep to his side, lying as stiff and still as possible. He hears Hinata grumble, but he thinks it's a sleep noise until there's some shifting on the other side of the bed and Hinata is suddenly in his space, burrowing his head into Tobio's neck and tangling his legs with Tobio's. Tobio isn't sure he can remember how to breathe.

"Easier," Hinata mutters against Tobio's collarbone. "And less cold."

Tobio tentatively readjusts so his arm is draped over Hinata's side instead of pressed in at an awkward angle. Hinata's tiny feet are surprisingly cold where they're pressed against Tobio's calves, and the press of his nose is icy against Tobio's skin. His soft, fine hair tickles Tobio's chin.

"Why did you come over today?" Tobio whispers. 

He nearly bites his tongue in consternation—he hadn't meant to ask that out loud. He hopes that Hinata's already fallen back asleep.

"I wanted to," Hinata says, just as quietly. He sounds half-asleep. "Wanted to see you."

Tobio's heart jumps, but he tries to ignore it. No one ever just wants to see him. Usually everyone tries to avoid him. Of course, Hinata's been an exception to that rule since the day they met, but Tobio's always thought of it as something linked to volleyball. Isn't it?

"To practice with me, right?" he asks, half dreading the answer.

He feels Hinata huff against his neck, a grouchy sound that makes his lip twitch despite his apprehension. Maybe it's because he's so tiny and trusting, but Hinata can be weirdly… cute sometimes. 

"No," Hinata says. "I just… wanted to spend time with you. That's all." He bangs his head against Tobio's collarbone. "Can we stop talking about this? It's embarrassing, Kageyama."

Tobio can't talk about it anymore because Tobio's pretty sure he's lost the power of speech. He feels it when Hinata slips back into sleep, going limp and soft against Tobio's side, but he hardly registers it, too lost in his own astonishment. Hinata wanted to see him? Hinata wanted to spend time with him—not for practicing volleyball or as teammates, but just to hang out? 

Does that mean they're… friends?

Stuck on that question, it takes Tobio hours to fall asleep.

Over tamagoyaki and rice with natto the next morning, Hinata seems normal. He talks cheerfully with Tobio's grandmother, entertaining her with stories about practice. He reels Tobio into the conversation by making him confirm facts or the actions of their teammates, and Tobio winds up talking more during breakfast than he has since he was a little kid. His grandmother smiles widely at him when he snaps at Hinata for remembering something Tanaka-senpai said wrong, and Tobio feels a flush building up his spine. 

"Is it okay if I stay for a little while?" Hinata asks as he helps Tobio clean up the dishes. "My mom isn't expecting me back until the afternoon, I think. 

"Practice?" Tobio asks, faux-casual. 

Hinata shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Or we could play video games? Or—actually, did we have homework?"

Tobio frowns. "I don't think so."

"Then let's play video games!"

"Are you sure you don't want to practice?" Tobio asks.

Hinata sighs, the sound just as grumpy as it was last night. "Are you going on about this again? I told you, I came over to see you! I like practicing with you, but it's not the same as just hanging out, is it?"

Tobio's hand shakes as he finishes drying the last of the dishes. His throat feels dry.

"Kageyama?"

Hinata puts a hand on his shoulder—Hinata has small palms and long fingers, callused from handling volleyballs. Tobio looks over his shoulder to find Hinata regarding him with serious eyes—that's the kind of intensity Tobio is used to on the court, but to see it here makes something warm curl in his stomach.

"Do you not want me around?" Hinata asks. "If I'm bothering you—"

"That's not it," Tobio says. To his embarrassment, his voice cracks mid-sentence, but the thought of Hinata leaving because he thinks Tobio doesn't want him around is—is— "I'm just… not used to it."

"Used to what?"

"Having people around."

Hinata stares at him. Hinata's never been very good at concealing what he feels on his face, so Tobio can read every emotion that crosses Hinata's features—confusion, realization, sadness… 

"Hey, Kageyama—we're friends, aren't we?"

Tobio drops the spatula he was about to put in the nearby drawer. It clangs against the countertop, loud in the sudden quiet of the kitchen. He looks to see Hinata staring up at him, as steel-eyed and intense as he is during a hard game on the court. Tobio licks his lips.

"I—don't know," he says. God, this is going to be embarrassing— "I've never really had a friend before."

Hinata stares at him for a long, tense moment—and then his intensity gentles into a cheerful smile. "Ah! Well then, I'll just have to teach you what it's like, won't I?"

Tobio's throat is tight, but as he picks up the spatula he dropped, he says, "I'm not sure how I feel about you teaching me anything…"

"What did you say! Bakageyama, that's so mean!" 

Tobio's careful to keep his back turned so that Hinata can't see his smile. He's already embarrassed himself enough for the day.

Tobio starts to get used to it, little by little. Having Hinata always around, at his shoulder during the day, at his house during the weekends. He learns little things about Hinata; that he likes fruity drinks and spicy foods, that he hums absently under his breath when he's concentrating on something, his favorite colors, that he likes manga more than literature. Tobio expects to hate being crowded like this, to have Hinata constantly demanding his attention, but finds instead that he… likes it, almost. That it makes something odd and warm twist in his stomach when Hinata smiles at him or seeks him out after school so they can walk home together. That every time Hinata shows up at his doorstep on Saturday afternoon, he has to duck into a bathroom so he can smile without scrutiny. 

It's been about a month when their routine shifts inexplicably. First, Hinata's not waiting at the school gate so they can race to their classes as usual. Then, Hinata's not there to ask if Tobio wants to share lunch, not there to race him to the gym, not there during practice. Tobio feels his absence like a lost tooth.

"Where's Hinata?" he asks Sawamura-senpai when they're warming up. 

It feels wrong to stretch without Hinata at his elbow, complaining even as he bends more easily than half of their team put together. 

Sawamura-senpai frowns. "He texted Suga," he says. "He said it was a family thing and not to expect him for practice today. I'm sorry, but I don't know anything other than that."

"Besides," Tsukishima says, in that bored tone that sets Tobio's teeth on edge, "if anyone knows what's going on with that shrimp, shouldn't it be you?"

Tobio's hands clench into fists.

"Tsukishima, do laps," Sawamura-senpai snaps. Tsukishima gives Sawamura-senpai a venomous look—he hates doing laps—but takes off running without protest. Sawamura-senpai puts a gentle hand on Tobio's shoulder. "Listen, I'm sure it's nothing. He'll probably show up tomorrow and tell us all about it."

Tobio bites the inside of his cheek. "I'm going to finish stretching," he says and marches off. 

He's distracted throughout practice, but he can't help it. Volleyball has somehow become less fun without Hinata around—Asahi-san can catch some of his faster tosses, but nobody can do it like Hinata can so Tobio constantly has to hold himself in check, even when part of him roars with impatience, the need to yell catch it faster! But then he remembers the sound of that untouched ball and he bites his tongue so hard he tastes blood. He doesn't want to be the 'king of the court' anymore, he wants to play with his teammates, but sometimes it's hard to remember.

If Hinata were here, he wouldn't have this feeling. Hinata can catch his tosses, all of them. Hinata grins at Tobio as they play, tries to teach him to high-five after a good toss—all of his teammates include him, but Hinata's the one who makes it feel like he's actually playing on a team.

By the time practice is over, Tobio is a jittering, anxious mess. Most of his teammates take a look at his face and leave him be, but Sugawara-senpai stops him in the changing room after everyone's left. Tobio's thinking about the long, lonely walk back to his house when Sugawara-senpai puts a hand on his elbow, so he jumps, startled at the unexpected touch. 

Sugawara-senpai smiles at him. "I have Hinata's home address," he says, offering Tobio a slip of paper. "You should bring him his assignments and see what's wrong."

Tobio looks from the paper to Sugawara-senpai's face, then cautiously takes it. "It's fine," he says, even as he clutches the paper tight enough to crumple it. "He'll tell us tomorrow, like the captain said."

Sugawara-senpai's smile softens. "Daichi's usually right," he says. "But I don't think it would hurt to go out and see what's wrong, do you? And I'm sure Hinata would be happy to see you."

Tobio's swallows, hard. Would Hinata be happy to see him? Maybe he's happy to have a reprieve from Tobio's company. After all, even though he texted Sugawara, he didn't bother to send a message to Tobio about his absence.

Besides, if anyone knows what's going on with that shrimp, shouldn't it be you?

Tobio clenches his teeth and nearly gives the paper back to Sugawara-senpai. It's only the fact—odd as it is—that he wants to see Hinata that stays his hand. 

"Go see him," Sugawara-senpai says, sensing his indecision.

Tobio tucks the paper into his pocket. "Okay," he says.

Hinata's house is smaller than Tobio's but, as he stands in front of the door, Tobio hands begin to sweat. But it took him nearly an hour to walk here and he got lost twice, so he'll be damned if he turns back without at least giving Hinata the sheaf of papers stuffed in his bag.  

Hesitantly, he raps his knuckles against the door. There's a long silence—long enough that Tobio begins to wonder if nobody's home—and then the patter of feet. The door flings open to reveal a tiny (well, even tinier) female version of Hinata.  The little girl stares up at him, eyes huge and accusing. Tobio half expects her to say, that's so mean, Bakageyama!

"Who're you?"

"Kageyama," Tobio says. "I'm from Hinata's school. Is he here?"

He really doesn't know how to talk to children—didn't even really know how to talk to them when he was a kid. They just seem so… odd. 

"Nii-chan!" the little girl yells. "There's someone to see you!"

"Natsu!" someone says, drawing up behind the little girl. Tobio's beginning to think this is a house full of Hinata clones; here's what Hinata will look like in twenty years, if he was a girl. "What did I say about opening the door without me?"

"Don't do it, because strangers are bad," Natsu parrots, beaming up at her mother. "But it's nii-chan's friend, so it's okay, even if he does have a scary face!"

The woman, who can only be Hinata's mother, sighs, and then offers a sunny smile at Tobio. "You must be Kageyama-kun."

Tobio blinks, taken aback. "Aa. I… have Hinata's assignments from school."

Hinata-san's smile dims a little bit. "Right. Well, he's in his room right now, if you wouldn't mind giving them to him in person? I think it would do him some good to see you."

Tobio enters the house, toeing off his shoes and following Hinata-san as she leads him inside. Hinata-san stops in front of a closed door and surveys it for a moment before she turns to Kageyama. Her smile is completely gone—without it, she looks older, sadder.

"Kageyama-kun," she says, "normally I wouldn't tell you something like this, but you've been a good friend to Shouyou." Tobio feels a flush climbing up his face. Does Hinata talk about him with his mom? "Today—well. This is the day our family remembers an anniversary."

Tobio frowns. "An anniversary?"

"Yes. You see, five years ago, my husband passed away in a car accident."

Tobio stares at her. Her husband—that means that Hinata's father—

"Oh," he says uselessly.

Hinata-san smiles at him. "Shouyou took it very hard—he and his father were close, you see. So I want you to be… well, prepared, I suppose. The Shouyou you know might be a little different right now, but I wanted you to know he has a good reason."

"Yes," Tobio says, still numb with shock. Hinata's dad died? Hinata would've been… what, ten, eleven? "Yes, of course."

Hinata-san's smile widens. "You're a good boy, Kageyama-kun," she says, and reaches out to ruffle his hair. Maybe it's a Hinata thing, to be so physically affectionate? "I'm glad Shouyou met you."

Tobio thinks, guiltily, of the way he treated her son the first time they met—if she knew about that, surely she wouldn't be smiling at him like this now. But he allows it without a word before Hinata-san slips away. Tobio takes a deep breath, mentally collecting himself before he finally opens the door. 

The room is dark, dark enough that Tobio can't make out much beyond the bed and desk. In the bed there's a person-sized lump covered with blankets.

"I told you I don't want any soup, mom," Hinata says as he sits up in bed, freezing when he sees Tobio.

Tobio stares back. Hinata looks—well, terrible. His hair is greasy and messy, there are purple bruises under his eyes, and he looks like he needs a good shower, a good nap, and a lot of food. Tobio stifles the completely insane urge to march into the kitchen and stuff whatever food he can find down Hinata's throat.

"Kageyama?" Hinata says. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, dumbass," Tobio says. "Excuse the intrusion."

He steps inside and reaches around to flick on the lights. Hinata's room is chaotic, messier than Tobio's. There are volleyballs and clothes scattered everywhere, textbooks and notes open on his desk, a video console sloppily put away. 

"What're you doing here?" Hinata asks. His tone is oddly belligerent, almost defensive, a far cry from his normal cheerfulness. "Is this about practice? I told Suga-senpai I wouldn't be there—"

"I brought your homework," Tobio says, reaching into his bag and withdrawing the sheath of papers. Hinata groans dramatically, flopping back on his bed.

"I don't wanna," he says.

"I'll put it on your desk," Tobio decides, setting it down. "Sawamura-senpai says that if you don't do it, he'll make you practice receives all day tomorrow." 

Sawamura-senpai hadn't said so, but Tobio figures there are worse things he can do than make Hinata do his homework. Maybe Tobio can copy off of him tomorrow, because he's probably not going to do his now.

"Why're you here?" Hinata asks.

It's not the question that puts Tobio on edge—it's the odd terseness to Hinata's voice that would be more suited to Tsukishima. He's never heard Hinata sound like that, even when he's confronting their opponents. He looks over to see Hinata staring at him, eyes narrow, a tense frown on his face. 

"I…"

"I wouldn't have been any good at practice today anyway!" Hinata snaps, as if Tobio's said something insulting. "I would've missed all your tosses and you would've yelled at me, so there's no point in scolding me for skipping!"

"Hinata—"

"You didn't have to come all this way! I won't do the homework anyway, so it was just a waste of time, and I don't want to see anyone so can you please just—"

"I'm sorry."

Hinata freezes. "What?"

Tobio clears his throat. "About your dad," he says. "Your—your mom told me that he died today. I'm sorry."

A long silence stretches between them. Hinata's as still as a statue, which is so uncharacteristic that Tobio begins to fidget. Was that the right thing to say? Should he leave? Hinata was clear about not wanting to see anyone, but Tobio remembers when his grandfather died when he was barely six, the way his grandmother had found a place to be alone but hadn't protested when Tobio came to sit down by her. 

So Tobio takes a deep breath, steels himself, and stomps over to sit down by Hinata. Hinata jumps.

"W-what—?!"

"I won't talk to you," Tobio says, too-loud but unable to be quiet because he's so anxious. "I won't say a word. So you just… do what you need to do. Dumbass."

There's another long pause where Tobio waits, heart pounding, for Hinata to kick him out, to scream at him to leave. This is obviously a private day for Hinata and Tobio was insane to come over, insane to try and comfort him in this completely useless way, Hinata definitely isn't going to want to be friends with him anymore after this—

A soft weight at his shoulder. Tobio glances down, surprised, to see Hinata leaning against his side, head on his shoulder. For some reason, Tobio's heart rate picks up.

"He taught me how to play volleyball," Hinata says, so quiet that it's almost a whisper. "My dad, I mean. He knew I liked it, so he practiced with me almost every day. When he died… I almost didn't play again. But it felt like being able—to connect with him, you know? To make him proud."

Tobio's throat is oddly tight. He clears it, trying to get rid of that ache. What should he say? He tries to think of the right words, fighting against his rising panic. 

"I think—I think he would be proud of you, Hinata. You've come a long way."

Hinata is pressed up against him, so Tobio can feel the way he shudders when Tobio says that, feels the fine tremors of his body as he begins to cry. Tobio doesn't look at him; he rarely cries, but he hates it when people watch, so he affords Hinata the same courtesy. Instead he stares at the wall, thinking about what it would be like, for your parent to love you so much that they would learn a game they don't even play just because you love it. 

Hinata's trembling eases and Tobio risks a glance, only to find that Hinata fell asleep somewhere in the middle of crying, face soft and relaxed where it's pressed against Tobio's shoulder. Tobio shakes him off, catching him and easing him back so that he's lying down. Covers him up. Stares down at his sleeping face and, for no reason at all, finds that he's smiling.

"Sorry for being absent!" Hinata barks out, offering everyone in the gym a deep bow. "It won't happen again!"

Tanaka-senpai ruffles Hinata's hair. "Don't mind, don't mind!" he says, grinning. "But why were you gone? Suga-san just said it was a family thing…" 

Hinata's eyes search out Tobio's, but Tobio just stares back. He won't say anything if Hinata doesn't want him to. Hinata searches his face and smiles.

"It was just some family drama," he says. "My mom needed me at home…"

Tobio watches as Hinata laughs with Tanaka-senpai and Nishinoya-senpai and bites the inside of his cheek. It's weirdly nice that Hinata is sharing this secret only with him. That he's the only one who knows that yesterday Hinata was a mess, that even laughing, cheerful Hinata can be miserable.

It feels, oddly enough, like friendship. 

A few weeks later, Nekoma comes to visit them for a practice match. 

"So this is Karasuno, huh…?" Kuroo says as they step into the gym. "Yo!"

Takeda-sensei bows low to them. "Thank you for agreeing to this practice match!"

Kuroo grins. "Well, you wouldn't stop calling so…"

Tobio's attention is diverted by Hinata, who runs up to Kozume and throws himself at him. "Kenma—!"

"Wait, Shouyou, my game—!"

Tobio frowns at them. He'd forgotten that Kozume and Hinata were so weirdly familiar with each other. Nishinoya-senpai and Tanaka-senpai call Hinata by his first name sometimes, but they're teammates. Isn't it weird, to be so close to a rival on another team that they didn't even see that often?

"—and you never respond to my emails, Kenma—!"

"It's too much work."

"Waah! So mean!!"

Tobio's eyes narrow. Emails?

"Oi, king," Tsukishima says at his elbow, smirking. "You're looking a little green."

Tobio stares at him. Can a person even look green? And what does his color have to do with anything…? Seeing his confusion, Tsukishima snorts.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? Ah, well."

"Listen up!" Sawamura-senpai says and everyone snaps to attention. "Since Nekoma has been good enough to come all the way out here to practice with us, we want to take full advantage of the situation! So we won't only be playing our usual practice games, but also switching it up!"

Tobio's overcome by a sense of foreboding.

"In other words, we will be playing games with… mixed teams!"

A long pause. Then—

"What, you mean from both teams?"

"Uwahh, so cool!"

"But how's that even going to help?"

"Won't that make it harder?"

Sawamura-senpai clears his throat. "Kuroo and I both agree that working with strangers can only help heighten our sense of our own teammates, as it will force all of us to work in new positions and use new tactics. The teams will be split up randomly, and evenly between Karasuno and Nekoma."

Kuroo grins at them all. "I know it will be odd at first, but please bear with it and try your best! Now, for the first teams…"

They read off a list. Tobio's only half-listening, his attention caught again on the way that Hinata's hanging off Kozume's shoulder, chattering in his ear. He's still distracted as everyone moves off to their respective sides, so it isn't until he's settling into position and looks for Hinata out of instinct that he realizes Hinata hasn't joined him at all. In fact, Hinata's on the other side of the net… with Kozume.

Something hot and dark settles in Tobio's stomach. He tries to ignore it. Of course they'd pit him and Hinata against each other—their reliance on each other is both a great asset and a great weakness for Karasuno, and Sawamura-senpai probably wants to see how they'll do when they're split apart. But being on the opposite side of the net brings back too many bad memories for Tobio; the last time they were like this, he was a setter that his entire team didn't need, he had no one who could capture his passes, and Hinata hated him. 

"Begin!" Takeda-sensei calls out. 

It is odd to play with the others. For one, Tobio's not used to being one of the shorter members; Nekoma runs a little bit taller than Karasuno, and he has Tsukishima and Asahi-san on his team too. And he's beginning to see why his teammates are so amazing—Nishinoya-senpai, on the opposite side, catches so many of their spikes that Tobio begins to admire him all over again. Still, his team has Sugawara-senpai too, and the Nekoma guys aren't bad either, though Tobio can't really remember any of their names.

Tobio's team wins the first set, but he's not as happy about that as he should be, because he can sense something happening on the opposite court. Hinata's play throughout the first set was much more passive than Tobio's ever seen—he blocked a lot, but never went for a spike. Tobio could tell that he wasn't happy about it though—hell, even as they break and switch sides, Hinata practically vibrates with impatience. But then Kozume says something to him and Hinata's eyes firm in the way they do when he's about to get serious on the court, his restless energy calming.

Tobio's restlessness heightens when he sees that.

He can tell immediately that something's different in the second set. The ball goes free on Hinata's side of the court. Tobio calculates that Kozume will send it to one of his own teammates, and gets ready to block. Then, he catches a flash of orange out of the corner of his eye. He turns just in time to see Kozume send a perfect toss to Hinata, who smashes it into the opening between Sugawara-san and Tsukishima without even pausing.

For a moment, there's silence on the court.

"Whoo-hoo!" Nishinoya-senpai says, leaping on Hinata's back. "That was so cool, Shouyou!"

"Nice spike!" the tall Russian kid yells, giving Hinata a thumbs-up.

"…Wasn't that minus zero tempo?" Sawamura-senpai mutters at Tobio's elbow.

"Yeah," Tsukishima says. He looks at Tobio. "Looks like the shrimp can do it with other people than just you, king."

Tobio hears them as if he's standing at the bottom of a lake. All he can see is Hinata's helplessly pleased smile, the one he wears whenever he catches one of Tobio's tosses—the one Tobio had begun to assume was just meant for him, and him alone. But no, Hinata's directing it at Kozume now, as their teams fall back into position. Tobio's hands curl into fists. He'd never had it before—someone who cared for him first, before anyone else. He'd thought—he'd thought—

"Oi," Tsukishima says. "You gonna cry?" 

"Let's just play," Tobio snaps, getting back into position. 

Hinata smiles at him over the net, but Tobio glares back so harshly that Hinata's smile is replaced by a puzzled frown. What's wrong? he mouths as they begin the next play, but Tobio can't answer. He watches the ball, calculates the trajectory, and realizes too late as he tosses to Asahi-san that it's his old toss, the one that went too fast and too sharp for anyone to catch. It blows by Asahi-san entirely, hits the wall with a hard smack. There's silence on the court again as everyone turns to stare at Tobio.

Tobio can feel a flush building up his neck. Without looking at anyone, he stomps off the court, out of the gym, ignoring the voices he can hear calling his name. There's an odd, fluttering feeling in his chest, like he's not getting in enough air—all he can see, over and over, is Hinata's smile as he catches Kozume's tosses. The sight of his own toss flashing past Asahi-san's outstretched hand. Hinata doesn't understand, Tobio thinks. Hinata's always thought he's the weak one, for needing Tobio to toss to him, but Tobio thinks it's the other way around. Hinata can catch tosses from anyone—but Tobio only has Hinata. If Hinata can really do that volleyball with anyone, won't he stop being friends with Tobio, sooner or later? 

Tobio stops running and slides down into a sitting position, legs tight against his chest. The panicked feeling isn't going away. If Hinata leaves…

Tobio's never really cared about other people before. None of them really cared about him, and that had been fine with him; he preferred his own company. Why, then, does the thought of Hinata not hanging out with him anymore, not coming over to his house to eat dinner and watch movies, not cuddling up close to Tobio in his bed anymore… Why does that make him want to cry?

"—yama!"

He looks up, stunned to see Hinata standing over him, red-faced and out of breath. 

"What are you doing?" he demands.

Hinata puts his hands on his hips, glaring down at Tobio. "You just ran off!" he says. "I mean, it was a little embarrassing, but it's not like anyone would have laughed at you! Asahi-san feels really bad, but he says that toss was just too quick… he said you must've forgotten that he wasn't me or something!"

Tobio's ears burn. "You can go back," he mutters, burying his face in his knees. "I just need a minute."

There isn't any sound of footsteps, so Tobio looks up and jumps when he sees that Hinata's crouched down so they're face to face, studying Tobio critically.

"Are you sick?" he asks.

"W-what?"

"Well… I haven't seen you make a toss like that since our first week! So I figured you must be—"

"No. Dumbass."

Hinata leans back on his heels. "Well, what is it then?"

"It doesn't matter. It's stupid."

"But it made you—"

"It doesn't matter."

"But you're so—!" 

"Why do you even care?!"

Tobio bites the inside of his cheek as Hinata blinks at him. Damn, damn, damn, he hadn't meant to say that!

"Why wouldn't I care?" Hinata asks, nonplussed. "You're my best friend and you're acting weird."

"I… I am?"

"What?"

"Your best friend."

Hinata stares at him, then bursts out laughing. Tobio's heart tightens and he's halfway through standing up to leave when Hinata grabs on to his elbow, pulling him back down.

"Wait, wait—!" 

"It was just a question, dumbass!" Tobio snaps, flushing. How stupid of him to ask. Obviously he wasn't Hinata's best friend, Hinata had loads of friends, it was probably just a slip of the tongue or something—

"No, that's not why—I'm laughing because duh you're my best friend!" Hinata says. Tobio stares at him. "I mean, I thought it was obvious?"

"But you…"

Hinata blinks at him. He's still got tears in his eyes from laughing so hard, and he's flushed. Tobio reaches out to touch his cheek before he realizes what he's doing and Hinata's flush deepens.

"W-what?"

"You did minus zero with the cat setter."

"Are you talking about Kenma?" Hinata frowns. "Well, Kenma's pretty good! He's sort of like Oikawa, y'know, he knows his teammates really well and matches his tosses to them. He said it took him a while to figure out what would work for me, but when he did it was—! Y'know, POW and GWAH and…!!" Tobio's heart sinks. "But with you—" Hinata stops. He's so red now that he pretty much matches his hair. "I mean… you tailored that toss to me too, didn't you? And you can only do it with me. I—I sort of like that. And the ball felt different in my hand, when it was with Kenma. I like doing it with you better."

The only thing Tobio can hear is the thud of his heart, which beats abnormally fast. He's probably as red as Hinata.

"…Oh," he says. 

Hinata droops. "I'm sorry, that's so weird—"

"No," Tobio says, because he doesn't want Hinata to take it back. I like doing it with you better. No one's ever said that to him before, about anything. "No, it wasn't weird. I like doing it with you better, too."

Hinata stares at him. His eyes, already abnormally huge, grow until they take over half his face. Without warning, he tackles Kageyama, and even though he's tiny, he's heavy, so he sends both of them crashing to the ground. 

"Kageyama-kun~!" he says, rubbing his face into Tobio's neck. "You're such a good guy!"

"Hinata—! Dumbass, stop it!" 

"You'll send me lots of tosses now, right? Right??!"

"Absolutely not—!"

Tobio ends up going back with Hinata and apologizing to the senpai and Nekoma. Tsukishima smirks, but the others seem to take in stride, even the Nekoma players; Kuroo even ruffles Tobio's hair, to his disgruntlement. 

He notices Hinata having a whispered conversation with Sawamura-senpai, but he doesn't think too much of it until Hinata settles in on his team for the next three games. When Tobio gives Sawamura-senpai a confused look as they start their final game for the night, Sawamura-senpai gives him a gentle wink.

Tobio blames his flush on the exercise and leaves it at that.