Work Text:
"I'm gonna shit!"
A scurry of feet rushing to the bathroom was drowned by the music—specifically Are You Bored Yet?—blasting in Tsukishima's trusty headphones. His head bobbed lightly the music. It was a weirdly calming song. It had a steady rhythm, alluring vocals and a nice combination of instruments which tickled his brain. All these properties were particularly helpful when his bumbling boyfriend's bowels decided to implode.
Tomorrow was the most anticipated day in the Karasuno's Volleyball Team history. The match with Shiratorizawa in the final round for the Spring Qualifiers. Everyone was feeling the pressure. During practice, even with Asahi’s regained confidence, babbled a string of apologies whenever his spike went out of bounds; Kageyama was more on edge with the mistakes people made that Tsukishima couldn't help but return the "King" nickname; Yamaguchi's float serves went through a slight wobbly period; and Yachi ran around like a headless chicken to ensure everything was well under the calm eye of Kiyoko. Tanaka and Nishinoya were too concerned with impressing Kiyoko to be subjected to any real pressure. It seemed that the only members who remained somewhat calm were Daichi—Tsukishima was certain that if he went under, the whole team would be doomed—Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita and of course, Tsukishima. Sugawara was in a gray zone. Not too panicked that he didn't still have the sense in him to cast his "Begone negativity!" whenever Asahi got caught up in his head.
Tsukishima just didn't get it. No matter how much Hinata blasted his ear off about how monumental this moment was, at the end of the day, it was just a club. Well, Hinata’s exact words were more like, "Kei! This is so, y'know, WAHHHH! Maybe not exactly that but like big! HUGE!" All Tsukishima did was nod with a small pat on his head while shifting his arm underneath Hinata's weight to allow himself to properly read the page in his book. Simple things got a bit more complicated with Shouyou in his life now.
Speaking of the devil, Hinata emerged from the bathroom and sighed, supposedly of relief. He shut the door before spotting his boyfriend seated at the beanbag which sat comfortably at the end of his bed. "I feel so much better," he exclaimed, sinking down into the narrow spot on the edge of the beanbag. Tsukishima got the hint. He scooted to the side until he was nearly falling off so Hinata could sit. "Aren't you nervous?" Hinata asked.
Tsukishima lowered his headphones. "About?"
"The game tomorrow."
"Oh." Tsukishima paused. "No."
Hinata raised an eyebrow. He began a slow invasion into Tsukishima's lap before prompting his next question. "Why?"
Because it's just a club, Tsukishima thought. He knew better than to say it aloud. He had expressed his opinion on this whole extracurricular activity to Hinata before. That is exactly what it was. Just an after school activity which would be insignificant the moment he graduated high school. Volleyball wouldn't help him get into a good school for Paleontology or when applying for a museum job or beyond. A strained relationship, he would called it, volleyball and him. There was only one thing he would thank volleyball for: Hinata.
Without being dragged by Yamaguchi to join the club, he would not have met the embodiment of the literal Sun. The Sun would not annoy him with his bubbly, positive outlook on life and horrible grades. The Sun would not have pestered him to help him study to make sure he could continue playing volleyball. Being benched would actually kill Hinata. The studying sessions wouldn't have continued beyond the exam season, becoming a weekly occurrence with the occasional pit-stop for meats buns or strawberry cake. Then the meat buns made their way to the practice with the excuse that Tsukishima got "too many" or he "wasn't in the mood anymore". Then the studying morphed into watching movies and YouTube videos which lead to Hinata forming hypotheticals about mythical dinosaurs or whether Godzilla was really the strongest Kaiju around. One of these study sessions would stand out beyond the rest.
"Guess I'm just too good, shrimp," Tsukishima answered. A small smirk formed on his lips. Hinata rolled his eyes playfully and groaned.
"You're just freakishly tall!" Hinata protested. "If I had your height, I'd be all WOOOSH and FWUUU!"
"None of those sounds make sense."
"I'd jump really high! Think of how high I could get with a few more inches."
"You'd need more than a few." The faint sounds of Fleetwood Mac bled through his headphones. Hinata only responded with sticking out his tongue. "Are you nervous?" Tsukishima's tone softened.
Hinata stared at him for a second before blinking to process his answer. "Duh," he said. "This is it. It's our ways to nationals—our chance to beat a power house! The champions!" A small glint of determination shone in Hinata's eyes. Tsukishima loved that glint. "Plus, this is my chance to prove myself to Ushijima-kun. Especially after he said I was short and shrugged me off!"
Tsukishima fought back a chuckle. Instead, he snuck his arms around Hinata's waist who successfully completed his invasion of his lap and pulled him to his chest. Hinata melted into the embrace without a second thought. With Tsukishima's chin rested on the fluff of orange hair, the long forgotten headphones sang Dreams to themselves. He let out a small mumble, "You're gonna do great."
The morning of the match arrived. Tsukishima groaned with the beeping of the alarm from Hinata's phone. Morning never sat well with Tsukishima in any matter. The only evidence that Hinata was up was the running water of the sink in the bathroom and the final flush of the toilet.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Fuck," Tsukishima whispered before slamming his finger on the STOP button. "Shouyou, do you have to put an alarm for so early!?" He yelled, throwing the blanket off of him. It was 5:00 AM for crying out loud.
"We can't be late!" Shouyou yelled back, opening the bathroom door. A towel hung on his neck, damp hair and a simple white shirt and gray sweatpants. Wait, were those pants his? They didn't fit right at all.
Tsukishima got up from the bed and stretched, a long yawn escaping him while he stood. "We have to be at school at 8:30," he mumbled. "It does not take us three hours to get to school." He stumbled his way to the bathroom and on his way, made sure to place a peck to Hinata's head. Without it, Hinata would complain about it the rest of the day.
The routine was mundane. Using the toilet, flushing, washing his hands and grabbing his toothbrush. The only interesting aspect was when Hinata spoke to himself in the other room and made sure he had all his things in his duffle. He spat into the sink and watched it be washed away with the water. He walked back into the room to see Hinata had made himself comfortable on his bed. The change in demeanor was a complete 180. From pacing around and practically living in the bathroom yesterday to being the embodiment of calm. Well, externally. He was certain that inside Shouyou was bouncing around with anxiety and excitement.
Inside, Tsukishima felt calm. Their other games had too much uncertainty about who would win or lose. And the ones in which he was certain they would lose resulted in victories. This game had a certain result: defeat.
Tsukishima stared blankly at his teammates. They did not look like they belonged at finals in the slightest. Kageyama stood at awe in the fact that they were in center court; Yamaguchi complained about his stomach and cried out for medicine; Asahi sweated at the idea of being in the spotlight while Nishinoya and Tanaka gawked at the fact cheerleaders were at such a match. The calm demeanor Hinata displayed in the morning was long gone. He clutched his stomach and, with a weak hand stretched out, announced that he needed to go to the bathroom again.
Groaning, Tsukishima told to Sugawara that he would take Hinata to the restroom in hopes that he didn't projectile vomit or shit on the court. He grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged him off the court. "Do you actually have to use the restroom?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes!" Hinata exclaimed, the grip on his stomach tightening. Tsukishima guided them to the nearest restroom and opened the door. Hinata rushed in. He stood guard with arms folded. There was the familiar sigh of relief accompanied by a flush and washing of hands. Hinata then emerged with a calmer expression on his face. A faint smile formed on Tsukishima's lips. "C'mon," Hinata said, grabbing his hand and dragging him off into a small hallway with less foot traffic. Tsukishima didn't bother to complain or pull his hand away. Another quirk that came with being in a relationship with Shouyou was the newly established pre-game ritual before every match.
They settled behind a pillar. Without being told, Tsukishima wrapped his arms around Hinata who returned the gesture. Hinata's head was firmly pressed against his chest and Tsukishima's rested comfortably on the pile of orange hair.
Hinata's hair was unfairly soft. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was one of Tsukishima's favorite features of his small boyfriend. It embodied him perfectly. Wild, vibrant, untamed yet soft. Everything Shouyou was bundled nicely on top of his head for Tsukishima to bury himself in during the pre-game ritual, early mornings, beanbag cuddles or study sessions. It was his support system—not just Shouyou's hair, but Shouyou himself. All he saw was the positive aspect on life where even failure was nothing but a minor setback. A motivation to work harder. Tsukishima wouldn't call himself a failure, per say, but he definitely didn't have the passion Hinata had. Shouyou was filled with nothing but passion. Passion to play volleyball, passion to be better, passion to enjoy life to the fullest—passion to always be moving forward. Tsukishima didn't really possess any of those "passions". Passion to live today? Yes. Passion to succeed in school? Sure. Passion to enjoy volleyball? Not really.
All while Tsukishima's head was running, Hinata's ear was pressed firmly to his chest. He explained once to Tsukishima that his heartbeat calmed him down.
"It's steady, like you," Hinata explained. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, meat bun hovering above his mouth at the answer. He asked why their sudden pre-game ritual had become so important. Hugging he could understand—Shouyou thrived off physical affection. The press against his heartbeat? Not so much.
Tsukishima took a bite of the meat bun. Steam fogged up his glasses. “It's a heartbeat. If it wasn't steady, that’s a medical concern," he said.
Hinata's meat bun was already halfway gone. "But it's different! The BADUM BOOM BADUM of your heart is like... a rock," he nodded.
"A rock."
"Yeah!"
Tsukishima stared at Hinata before a small chuckle left a him. The rest of the meat bun was well stored in Shouyou's cheeks who hummed in content. "You're lucky I like you." He later blamed the rosiness of his cheeks on the cold weather.
They stayed in their tight embrace for about two minutes. Long enough for Hinata to have an internal metronome of Tsukishima’s heartbeat and for Tsukishima to refresh his memory of the shampoo Hinata used this morning. Short enough, though, so that their teammates would think Hinata was just fighting a war in the toilet. Their arms came undone. A silent kiss shared between them as a way to tell each other “Good luck” and, more importantly, “I’m here”.
The match was going just about how Tsukishima expected, minus the unexpected surprise of his brother in the crowd. Akiteru had a ridiculous disguise—the cliche sunglasses and a hat. They were necessary though, as Tsukishima did explicitly mentioned for his brother not to come.
Ushijima was exactly how everyone described him: a powerhouse. None of Nishinoya’s receives were working at getting a chance ball, but he promised that three attempts was all he needed to get accustomed. Every block towards Ushijima was torn down relentlessly and slammed on the court floor with a booming echo. A sound everyone had to stare at.
Ushijima wasn’t the only problem. Shiratorizawa’s “Guess Blocker” Tendou proved to be quite an issue for Karasuno’s crazy duo. Everywhere they attacked, Tendou was there with a quick SWOOSH of his hands, smacking the ball onto the side on the court.
Tsukishima had to admit. It was quite enjoyable watching Hinata get riled up by Tendou’s persistent blocking. It only added to his enjoyment when Tendou turned his frustration towards him.
A swift jump of the Guess Blocker and a swing of his hands sent the ball straight into Tsukishima’s hands.
“Hello,” Tsukishima smiled. “I’m Mr. Vanilla.” He ignored the screams of his teammates behind him. “Your timed lag attack—it might have been able to trip up our feral child, but it won’t work on me. Continue to use it, though.”
“And here I thought Karasuno’s first years were just annoying little punks,” Tendou said, “but you really are a cut above the rest!”
Tsukishima gushed, “Why thank you!”
“You’re pissing me offff!” Tendou shrieked.
Soon, it was simply a rally of points. Any time they scored a point, Shiratorizawa was right on their heel with a point of their own. Previous strategies no longer worked—they all adapted too quickly.
Tsukishima’s mind raced.
It always raced with homework, reminders, dinosaur facts, Hinata and volleyball. This time, it was purely volleyball. Unspoken strategies of how they could break Shiratorizawa’s defenses even just a little.
He was not expecting victory. A crushing defeat was expected by everyone in the stadium who have ever watched Shiratorozawa play. He still wanted something.
He wanted to stop Ushijima’s spikes.
Even just one.
The blood rushed to his fingertips. His eyes scanned above the net at every minuscule movement—the shuffling of feet, the lifting of arms and the lean forward. The only information Tsukishima trusted was what he saw. The patterns they exhibited, their response to their defenses, attacks, morale and strategies. Every shift anyone made, he was itching to block.
The panic had set in.
The set was slightly lower, too slow and not optimal for the powerful strike Ushijima brought. It was still good, workable, but it had flaws.
That’s all Tsukishima needed.
His mind was blank.
Hinata blinked at him as if trying to decide if he was offended or flattered. Someone being told “You’re too loud” is often a longer way of simply saying “Shut up!” and Tsukishima had no problem saying that! However, the almost appreciative tone in which Tsukishima spoke in while hunched over math homework made Hinata think it wasn’t meant as one of his boyfriend’s common complaints or teasing. He seemed too… sincere. “Huh?”
“… You’re loud,” Tsukishima repeated, erasing a weird looking seven he made. His pencil dropped and his chair turned to face Hinata seated in the bean bag. He looked like he was drowning in it.
Hinata raised an eyebrow. “Sooo, you want me to be quiet?”
A sigh left Tsukishima. “No,” he muttered. He stood up from the chair and headed over to the bean bag. Sitting down next to it, he let his body fall until he rested against it, staring at Shouyou. “You talk a lot.”
Hinata groaned this time. “Hey, it’s not my fault someone keeps inviting me over,” he teased, scrunching his nose at the accusation with a small shake of his head.
“You invite yourself.”
“Anyways, I was speaking of something very important! How would a dog wear pants? This is a question people have had forever,” Hinata continued. “There has to be a for sure answer!” Tsukishima just stared at Shouyou ramble at the practicality of a dog wearing pants one way or another.
Ever since Tsukishima met Hinata, the headphones became more for aesthetic than function.
His palm stung.
His feet hit the floor, stumbling a bit before he gained his balance.
The ball wasn’t on their side of the court. It bounced on the other side of the net, slowly rolling out of bounds.
It’s just one block.
It was just one point out of 25.
His hand raised.
This is just a club.
But once that moment arrives…
His hand clenched. The stinging burned more.
…that’s the moment you’ll be hooked on volleyball.
“YEAHHHHHHH!!!”
Screams erupted in the stadium. Tsukishima’s hand shook, his entire chest panting heavily at the sensation.
He blocked Ushijima.
“TSUKISHIMA!!!”
Tsukishima was met with two weights on his back. “Oi!” He screamed, shrugging his shoulder in an attempt to loosen the grip Nishinoya’s mouth had on him. Tanaka, at the very least, had the decency not to bite. Instead, he was punching his side in celebration. After a bit, he managed to shake them off.
Then a familiar weight hit him right in the stomach. He stumbled backwards, arms wrapping tightly around the mass before ultimately falling onto the ground. He properly took in the bright grin of his boyfriend’s face. “Kei!!” Shouyou’s face glowed.
“Are you sure?” Tsukishima asked again, raising his shirt over his head before throwing it into his bag. He could almost hear Hinata’s furious nodding. A small smirk formed on his lips. “Why so red, shrimp?” His eyes did a quick glance. “I’m simply changing here, trying to have a conversation,” he teased.
Hinata let out a noise before slipping his long sleeve shirt on quickly. His head got lost in the fabric for a moment before the tuff of orange hair broke through the head hole. “I am not red!” He argued. The blush on his cheeks, ears and neck told Tsukishima he was lying. “You’re so—agh!”
Tsukishima just nodded while slipping on his black track pants. The smirk never left him. “Answer my question: Are you sure?” He prompted, slipping the black jacket on.
Hinata paused for a moment. One leg was inside his pants, the other bare while the cogs ran in his head. Tsukishima didn’t push it. After a moment, the bare leg found its way into the pant leg and they were hitched up. “Yes,” Hinata said sincerely. A seriousness in his tone he reserved for volleyball. This wasn’t about volleyball. “Is that okay?”
Tsukishima nodded, zipping his jacket up to his chin. “I’m not objected to it,” he shrugged. “Are you sure you’ll be able to commit?”
“I totally can!”
Tsukishima scoffed. “And who was clinging onto me yesterday?”
Hinata let out some other noises. “That’s beside the point!”
The locker slammed closed. Tsukishima’s bag slung on his shoulder. “It is the point. If our relationship is to be secret, no physical affection, especially during practice and matches.” Hinata just nodded. “That’s probably gonna be the hardest thing for you.”
Hinata fingers danced on his own jacket zipper for a second before flying upwards. “I’m sure,” he repeated. Tsukishima stared at him for a second, but Hinata simply stared back with a glint in his eyes he mainly had during volleyball. Specifically when Hinata had something to prove, which in volleyball, was practically every match. A glint when his opponents would underestimate him due to his height, not knowing the bundle of energy stored in those legs. His eyes would then gleam with pride at the surprised looks whenever the King and him did one of their quicks. That glint never died. It shined brightly, burning behind amber eyes with a determination Tsukishima never quite understood, but he secretly yearned to.
Tsukishima took this opportunity to place a quick kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. He couldn’t help himself, especially when Hinata looked like a determined hamster. It was a softness they were both getting use to. “It’ll be our secret then,” he whispered before shifting his bag and opened the club room door. The tips of his ears were now deep red. It took Hinata a quick second to recover from his deepened blush before joining Tsukishima.
Tsukishima could have paid mind to the gasps of Tanaka and Nishinoya who glanced at each other for some sort of answer to the sudden first name basis. They seemed to be the only one’s who truly noticed, but the rest of Karasuno was more focused on their two middle blockers embracing in the middle of the court. Neither paid any mind. Tsukishima could have scolded Hinata for calling out for him like that. Instead, he wore a grin not even Yamaguchi had seen on him. In reality, it was a small smile specifically reserved for Shouyou. He would have said something, but Shouyou had a productive way of silencing him. A pair of chapped lips met his.
It would be weird of Tsukishima to say this was one of his favorite kisses with Shouyou. Not because the rest of their kisses were subpar, but because he didn’t want to admit to having favorites kisses of all things. However, this was definitely up there next to their morning kisses whenever they had sleepovers. They were different though. Morning kisses were lazy, soft and short. This kiss was just as soft, but had an underlying passion Hinata seemed to be desperately passing to Tsukishima. And he accepted. He never previously rejected it. He just never understood. His heart thumped against his chest, his fingers and palm tingled and he ached for more. Another spike to block. Another one touch. Another point. Another chance.
Hinata pulled back with a dramatic Mwah! sound. “Kei! That was so GWAHHHHH!” Shouyou exclaimed. Kei tilted his head back with a smirk.
You’re a middle blocker too, his face said. Why don’t you do that too?
Shouyou’s face paled before he gently smacked his arm, pout and all. “Why you—?!” He scoffed, figuring Shouyou got his message of encouragement.
“WHAT THE?!”
“Eh?!?!”
“Whaaaaa?”
“HUH?”
The two middle blockers froze. It was a nice, harsh reminder of where exactly they were. Shouyou paled and turned to face their teammates who had formed a small crowd in front of the two. Shouyou babbled incoherent noises in a pathetic attempt to explain their situation, but it only left more questions than answers. Kei groaned, finally standing up and helping the malfunctioning male up.
Yamaguchi stepped forward. “You two are… together?” He pointed at them.
Kei stared at him. No beating around the bush, huh? Realistically speaking, Yamaguchi should have been one person to know. He was his best friend ever since they were kids. If it wasn’t for Yamaguchi, he would have never met Shouyou. He wouldn’t care this much. “Yes,” he said simply. A small bit of guilt built in his stomach.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Kageyama added. The fist at his side was trembling.
Shouyou spoke up before Kei could deliver a snarky remark. “W-we wanted to keep it a secret!” He explained. “Just to make sure we didn’t like, distract anyone or make a big deal!”
“And to see if we were truly gonna do it.”
Hinata nodded. “If we broke up, we didn’t want it to affect the team or anything.”
Yamaguchi stared at Kei and Shouyou for a second before slapping Kei’s back, smiling at him. He gasped at the sound, jumping at the sudden impact and shooting Yamaguchi a look as if he were crazy. The guilt was gone. Kinda. “You should have told me!” He exclaimed. Kei couldn’t deny that, so he nodded.
“You’d just make it a big deal,” Kei mumbled.
“Oh!? My friend—who’s shown no interest in anything or anyone suddenly getting into a relationship? With Hinata of all people?!?”
“What does that mean?” Shouyou asked.
Kageyama interjected. “You two are nothing alike. And why didn’t you tell me?!”
“I wasn’t aware we had to report to you still, your Majesty,” Kei teased.
He was 80% sure Kageyama was gonna punch him. Instead, the fist unclenched and his hands grabbed Shouyou’s shoulders. Shaking him furiously, Kageyama bombarded him with questions. They ranged from “Why with him?” to “If this affects your playing!” Shouyou simply responded with very broken words of encouragement.
Yamaguchi’s focus never left Kei. His tone became softer. “You’re really dating Hinata?”
Kei nodded, his eyes never leaving Shouyou getting rattled around. “Yeah.” He understood the confusion. An outsider would look at the two middle blockers and find them to be nothing alike or compatible. Friends would be considered a stretch. Kei figured that made their relationship just a tad easier to hide, as no one was looking for it in the first place.
“And you like him?”
“Yes.”
The answer came easy to Kei.
Yamaguchi paused before smiling. “Man, you’re smitten!”
That made Kei turn towards Yamaguchi. The tips of his ears showed evidence of his flustered nature before he tsk-ed at his friend’s accusation. He couldn’t deny it. “You’re impossible,” he muttered. Yamaguchi just nodded before the referee blew his whistle as a harsh reminder that they were in a volleyball match.
Kageyama seemed satisfied with Hinata’s response of, no Tsukishima was not forcing him, his playing wouldn’t be affected, volleyball was still very important and that he’d buy him a carton of milk from the vending machine during lunch. Yamaguchi had more questions for the couple, but decided the court was not the place to interrogate under the watchful eye of the referee. The third years seemed satisfied, for now, with the answers they received through simply listening. Sugawara was a tad more excited than the rest, turning to look at Daichi with a small look that said “Aww, they’re together” and “What the actual fuck” all at the same time. The second years absorbed the news and went straight back to the bench. Tsukishima appreciated their reaction. Tanaka and Nishinoya exchanged a high five, much to everyone’s confusion.
Tsukishima walked alongside Hinata and let his hand find its way onto his waist. A gentle pull towards him was all it took for Shouyou to stumble into his side, leaning his head against the tall blond’s shoulder—at least what he could reach. “That went better than I thought,” Hinata mumbled. Kei wasn’t sure if he was meant to pick up on the comment, but he nodded nonetheless and grabbed a towel. He wiped his forehead before grabbing another one and holding it in front of Shouyou. Instead of picking it up—like a normal person—he plopped his head into it, leaning all his weight into Kei’s hand. The blond did nothing but chuckle.
“I’m gonna drop you.”
“No you’re not,” Shouyou said into the towel. He lifted his head to stare at Kei. The way his chest heaved slightly, rouge beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, flushed cheeks and a glint in his eyes. Shouyou couldn’t help leaning up and pressing a kiss on the corner of Kei’s mouth.
Everything was perfect.
Kei stared at Shouyou. The words left him before he could register what he said. “I love you,” he whispered. Shouyou’s eyebrows twitched up. His eyes widened with a small hitch of breath. Then, his signature ear-to-ear grin with rosy cheeks.
Another kiss landed on his mouth—this time he didn’t miss—before Shouyou whispered back, “I love you, too!”
They had to keep something a secret.
They both decided to ignore the glances of their teammates. They would have to get use to their two middle blockers exchanging hugs, kisses and small little whispers.