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The two turned in the dark, to stare at the gym. It wasn’t that it was beautiful or architecturally sound or even built well in the first place. Honestly, every time they entered it, none were certain they'd make it through practice without the roof caving in on them.
Well into the night, the lights outshone even the stars in the sky. Bright and perfect, they’d still been practicing. Into their own third year of high school, Daichi wasn’t there to yell at them to go home, scrambling for a foothold to yell into the window.
Yet, they still practiced.
Even though it was all over.
That day.
That day was the last day they got to practice late. Last day they’d get to yell at each other, either for a toss being too low or for the hit to be better. That day was the last and final day they’d have to finish playing on the same team for good.
Only God knows how long they stood there and stared. Most of them—due to the fact they undoubtedly shared one single brain cell—hoped the beam pouring from the door and surrounding windows would blind them.
Maybe they’d wake up. The nightmare would be over. They’d be first years again, their bickering a not-so-new sound. Hinata and Kageyama would race to the gym again, trading places every other day, one winning and then that same would lose the next new light. Early. Five in the morning. Sharp.
So they could practice.
Together.
On the same team.
In the same gym.
“Are you,” Kageyama finally spoke into the chilling wind, the sweat sticking his hair to his forehead. A gigantic swallow followed, unable to jar the lump making its home there, “Are you gonna turn the lights off?”
“No, but you can.”
“I’m not gonna do it, dumbass. I can’t.”
“I’m unable to, too.”
“Is ‘unable’ the longest word in your vocabulary?”
“I can say Bakageyama. Does that count?”
“Hinata-boke.”
“Fine! Since you HAVE to use that stupid name,” Hinata dropped his bag on the ground roughly, its contents rummaging themselves into a more disorderly fashion. A few stray things—that Kageyama wasn’t even sure why he even had in his bag—popped out of the unzipped opening as he all but stomped to the switches around the corner.
Darkness fell once again, the only light remaining: the one sitting at the main street corner leading out of there.
And the moon, and the stars.
But, in reality, the situation idled too hopeless-an-aura to find themselves shining down on the freak duo of Karasuno.
Hinata returned, sliding the doors shut slowly, listening intently to the creak. He didn’t want to forget it. There was nothing he wanted to forget about his time here, either.
“Is this—”
“Don’t say it, boke. Don’t say anything corny. And don’t cry either.”
“Why not? Why can’t I cry?” He looked over, his face barely visible. Kageyama strained his eyes and to no one’s surprise, Shouyou was crying. Absolutely. Big tears tracked his face, one after the other. He desperately rubbed at them with the back of his hand. “Is it because we have to grow up because we’re all grown up and have to act like grown men and mature and stuff?”
It took the ginger all of himself to keep from grabbing the collar of Kageyama’s shirt all over again. To shake him with all of his might and reason with him. But, where was Yachi to break up their fight this time?
“Because,” He choked on his own words, balling up his fists. A newfound anger that didn't exist before swelled. He wanted to punch Hinata. No, he wanted to hug him. No, he wish he never met him?
“It’s fine. We’re fine. It’s all fine. This is not the end of the world and we’ll still love volleyball and still be invincible even though we’ll be apart and not on the same team. We’ll still look after each other and it’ll all be fine.”
“Why do you care? You’re an amazing setter and will go pro someday. You can do it all, Tobio. You’re amazing.”
“So are you. You’ll go all the way someday too. You’ll go get your dreams. We’ll go get our dreams, or whatever stupid thing my grandpa told me to do a long time ago.”
“Didn’t your grandpa tell you to find someone stronger? You told me that was your...what word did you use? Quest? It was your quest to go find someone stronger to come along beside you. Did you find them? Tsukishima grew to be strong and amazing and tall.”
Kageyama flinched, “I found you.”
Hinata sniffled quietly, stiffening. Him?
“You are a partner I can be proud of, Shouyou. You’re the stronger one and I wouldn’t be here today without you,” He stepped forward, taking his hands out of his pockets, and locked the gym doors tight. Hating how it felt. He hated himself and having to leave where he’d spent almost all of his time.
Felt so effing final. Oh, what a finale it turned out to be.
Yet, that's where he learned to love volleyball again. Really love it. Fall utterly in love with it.
Then, he turned his back on it and began walking away. Hinata picked his stuff up and sprinted to catch up, settling by his setter’s side. They walked in the comfortable silence, the shorter of the two finding it in him to settle down and clean his face up.
“You were the one I was looking for. When we played on the court, I couldn’t help but feel as though some sort of energy jolted a new love for volleyball. You trusted me. You couldn’t help but trust me to put the ball in the perfect place. I figured out what it felt like to be on a team.”
“We were the protagonists of the world,” Hinata answered finally. “Were.”
“Are.”
“Were.”
“Are,” And they reached where they were to part ways.
“Kageyama, don’t do that. Let it all end peacefully, please.”
Tobio sighed, unsure of what to say.
“Is this really happening? Are you really about to turn your back on me and leave to go set for someone else on some other team? Are you going to step to the side with your hands in the pockets of your Karasuno jacket and move on from me? Are you gonna forget?”
“No. I’ll never forget you or what you showed me. The beauty of you at your best...nothing will compare, Hinata-boke. You showed me what volleyball’s really all about and, yeah. I found you. I found the one stronger than I, who could strive to run ahead of me. For you are a man that walks ahead of me.
“Shouyou Hinata, you changed my life. I have no idea where I would be without you. With you here, I am invincible. No matter what team you play for. I don’t care.”
“You’re a setter—no, you’re a partner I can be proud of, Tobio Kageyama. I could never forget what you’ve shown me and can’t wait to see the amazing things you do someday.”
“So, is this where we turn our backs and don’t ever look back?”
“I...guess it is. Ukai told us never to look back because that’s not the way we’re going.”
So, they turned on their heels and walked their separate ways towards their houses. Hands: shoveled deep into their pockets, fists balled. Why? It’s not supposed to—
Drops of bags and then abandonment of advice accompanied footsteps from both sides. Kageyama grabbed the back of Hinata’s jackets like the very fibers encased some sort of lifeforce he needed. He’d die without it.
Hinata clung to Kageyama’s jacket, his hand finding his midnight hair as well. Of course, not too tightly. He couldn’t...get attached or anything. He had to leave. He had to move on. He had to go.
He’d have to take tosses from someone else. He’d have to hit for someone else. Could he see volleyball the same way?
“Thank you for the last three years, Tobio! Thank you for showing me what it feels like to fly! I’ll never forget you! Not ever! I don’t want to let go of you! I can’t bring myself to do it!”
“Thank you too, stupid boke dumbass Shouyou. You changed my life and you saved it. I have purpose again.”
“Oh, shut up Cringyama,” Hinata smiled into Karasuno’s former setter’s jacket.
“Only if you do, Human Tangerine.”
“Fine,” Hinata did a little bow, as best he could in Kageyama’s grasp, “Your Highness.”