Work Text:
loosely inspired by this tweet: click to view
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
“make sure you have everything. we are NOT asking akiteru to drive us all the way back here just because you forgot.” yamaguchi pertained to his four companions.
as it was their senior year, they decided to go on a little trip together. one last hurrah before parting ways. although, in true tsukishima fashion, it took some convincing (from yachi) and a promise of weekly strawberry shortcakes (from yamaguchi) before he agreed. ever since the two got together, they became increasingly difficult to say no to.
“tadashi, shouldn’t we take this ice cooler with us?” yachi gestured for her boyfriend to load the cooler in the minivan.
“please do,” instead, kageyama responded, “i have some things i need to store there.”
“by things, you mean your milk?”
“yes? those spoil easily…”
once everything was settled, and the group did three more checks of their ‘things to bring’, they finally made it inside the minivan.
yamaguchi had planned a three day trip to kamakura, where he had booked a nice seaside hotel. summers in japan were insanely humid, so he figured it was the best thing to do for a seniors’ trip.
as his companions dozed off, with yachi resting her head on his shoulder, he took one final look at their itinerary. knowing how easy it was to please his friends, he didn’t plan anything crazy – enjoying the resort amenities, beach volleyball, and dips in the ocean.
well, except for one thing.
when they first met, tsukishima had been nonstop teasing kageyama. at first, yamaguchi thought it was out of genuine dislike, but when he caught the blonde smiling after kageyama’s setter dump at the shiratorizawa game, he knew it was something else.
since then, yamaguchi had noticed the little things – reassurance disguised as taunts, (not so) subtle glances at kageyama when he seemed disturbed by something, always making sure his presence was known when they’d bump into the setter in the hallways. to the naked eye, they looked like two people who hated each other. that’s what the club believed for so long anyways.
but yamaguchi, who has known tsukishima since they were tiny, knew that the blonde wouldn’t spend this much energy on someone he didn’t actually like. now, of course, yamaguchi tried getting him to confess the truth. however, he already expected him to deny any accusations of harboring romantic feelings for the setter (although he was doing a shit job at hiding said feelings).
he had originally planned to catch the blonde off guard, making him blurt out his true feelings. but all that changed when hinata came up to him, asking him if he noticed that kageyama was acting differently towards tsukishima.
yamaguchi won’t lie, he was annoyed that he didn’t notice the feelings could very well be reciprocated. he was too preoccupied figuring out how to get his best friend to admit things to him that he failed to see it – the faint blushes at tsukishima’s taunts, the glances kageyama would return when the blonde wasn’t looking, and the slight smile he’d have whenever he’d bump into them at school.
it’s a hundred percent mutual, yamaguchi thought, but they’re both too dense to notice it.
tsukishima was academically smart – always at the top of his class, studying when he got home despite a tiring practice prior. he did tutor hinata and kageyama, which the latter always enjoyed (he wouldn’t admit that though). but like most geniuses, he was just as dumb as kageyama when dealing with matters of the heart.
so, being the amazing captain and friend that he is, yamaguchi decided to take matters into his own hands… and yachi’s, his girlfriend that he couldn’t hide anything from even if he tried his very best.
the plan the couple came up with (mostly yamaguchi, with yachi just validating him) was nothing too extravagant. simple enough that it wouldn’t seem weird, but detailed enough to increase its chances of working.
phase #1: the road trip
this meant to be the easiest part, and thankfully, kageyama seemed too sleepy to be his usual stubborn self. tsukishima also, surprisingly, cooperated.
as they made their way into the minivan, hinata quickly called shotgun (as per yamaguchi’s instructions), which tsukishima clearly didn’t appreciate.
“he’s my brother, that seat is automatically mine.”
“you didn’t call shotgun though!” hinata stated before quickly running to occupy the front seat.
yamaguchi patted his back. “let him be. today’s supposed to be fun!”
yachi quickly made her way into the backmost seat, her hand patting the empty space beside her. “you, here with me,” she said, smiling at yamaguchi, who gladly obliged.
that left…
“oh no. no, no, no.”
“are you serious?”
yamaguchi pulled down the middle seat as he positioned himself comfortably beside yachi. the middle row was empty, leaving the raven and the blonde no choice.
“hinata, this is your fault.” tsukishima grumbled as he stepped inside. the faint red in his ears didn’t go unnoticed by the couple seated in the back. “why do you even want to sit there? you have nothing to talk about with akiteru.”
“nyenye, sore loser!” hinata just teased, sticking his tongue out.
kageyama quietly took his seat beside the blonde, leaving a very obvious gap between them, and focused his attention at the view by his car window instead.
it was going to be a five- to six-hour car ride, and the two couldn’t possibly ignore each other that long. at least, the couple behind them had hoped. as akiteru drove off, yamaguchi and yachi subtly exchanged knowing looks and a quiet high five.
phase #2: the stopover
that long of a drive meant that akiteru also deserved a break.
two hours into the ride, he parked at a small gas station with a single convenience store. he left the five as he stepped out for a restroom and stretch break.
“okay, let’s get some snacks. we still have quite a long way to go.” yamaguchi motioned for everyone to step out of the car.
hinata, who was still groggy from his deep sleep, held yachi by the shoulders. “let’s go, hitoka. i think i need some water.”
“i’ll accompany them, make sure they won’t spend too much.” yamaguchi smiled, before leaving the two (again), and allowing no time for them to complain or resist.
“i’m gonna stay here. i don’t need anything.” kageyama muttered, opening the car door to take his seat. since akiteru took the keys with him, the aircon wasn’t running and the heat inside was too unbearable, so he left the car door open.
“you sure about that? we’re still roughly three to four hours away.” tsukishima raised an eyebrow at the raven, who now had his eyes closed. “i don’t want to hear you complaining mid-ride and asking for a stopover.”
“it’s fine…” kageyama’s voice slowly softened.
tsukishima leaned by the car as kageyama drifted back to sleep. he looked over by the store and saw the trio still grabbing a couple of things. nearby, akiteru was already headed back toward the car.
the blonde pondered over something, conflicted whether what he was thinking of was the right thing to do or not. he stole another glance at the raven, who was sound asleep. ugh, fine, he gave in and started to walk towards the store, leaving his brother to keep an eye on the setter.
“oh, hey,” yamaguchi greeted, “where’s kags?”
“asleep. you head back, i’ll just grab something.”
phase #2.1: the road trip pt. 2
the group was nearing five hours into the drive, and they were all running out of things to keep themselves busy. it got to a point that even sleeping was too tiring, if that even made sense.
“how long do we have left?” hinata complained. he wasn’t used to sitting for this long and his butt started to hurt.
“i’m hungry…” kageyama didn’t want to say it, because doing so meant that tsukishima was right – he definitely should’ve gotten something for himself. now his stomach was grumbling, his butt also hurt, and akiteru showed no signs of making a stopover any time soon.
“we’re almost there, could you wait?” yamaguchi leaned closer to kageyama. “i mean, we could probably stop somewhere, but we might be late for our check-in at the resort…”
kageyama knew it was his fault. and frankly, the idea of being somewhere else other than this minivan seemed more appealing than making the stop. so he politely declined and dug around his bag for some candy (they already finished the snacks they bought, which apparently wasn’t enough).
as he rummaged through his things, a paper bag appeared in front of him. kageyama looked up and saw tsukishima handing him something, although his head was turned away.
“what’s that?”
“just take it, king.”
kageyama took the bag – inside was a curry bun and a milk carton, which were already a bit cold, as if it’d been some time since they were bought. he turned back to the blonde, who still focused on the scenery by the window. his face might’ve flushed because he could hear muffled giggles coming from the backseat.
“uh, t-thanks…”
the setter began munching on the snack, happy to have something satisfy his hunger for the rest of the way. tsukishima didn’t respond, but yamaguchi swears a small smile formed in his lips.
just confess already, oh my god… he facepalmed, unable to control his own laughter. it didn’t help that yachi kept lightly nudging his leg.
and as if that wasn’t enough, realization hit him.
is that what tsukki bought? he poked his best friend and gave him a thumbs up, which only earned him an eye roll. this guy is so whipped.
and no, neither yachi or yamaguchi predicted this. definitely an unexpected part of their plan, but a good kind of surprise that would only make the next part much more fun.
phase #3: the resort
“here are your room keycards. let me know if there’s anything else you need. enjoy your stay!”
yamaguchi approached the group, distributing the room keys. akiteru, having had driven them for hours, got a whole room to himself. yachi, as the sole woman of the group, also got her own room. yamaguchi roomed with hinata, and that left tsukishima and kageyama to become roommates.
“why am i not rooming with hinata? doesn’t that make more sense because we’re best friends?” kageyama was already frowning as tsukishima took the keycard with no hesitation.
“you could always sleep outside, king.”
“why are you so calm about this?!”
“they’ve clearly made up their minds, and there’s no way i’m rooming with akiteru and letting you have a room to yourself.”
“ugh, whatever. let’s just go.”
the group made their way to the elevators, and each got off on their own floor. as tsukishima and kageyama stepped out to find their room, yamaguchi and hinata fist bumped. everything was going according to plan! the only thing left was for the duo to work out how they would be sort of living together for the next two nights.
“okay, this is it. 911.” tsukishima tapped the room key and opened the door.
kageyama quickly made his way inside, excited to feel the comfort of beddings on his back. he might’ve been able to doze off in the minivan, but the seats were just not as comfortable as he’d like. tsukishima followed and closed the door behind him, turning to see a frozen kageyama.
“what are you doing?”
kageyama didn’t answer and only pointed to the main area of their room – an area that was meant to have two (2) beds, one for each of them.
“what the-”
“i am not sharing a bed with you, you beanpole.”
yep, there it was: the highlight of yamaguchi’s master plan. two boys, who seemingly didn’t get along but clearly wanted each other, and one queen-sized bed. how fun!
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
tsukishima
@ yams
did u make a mistake w the rooms?
kageyama
WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE BED
THEY MADE A MISTAKE
HELLO?????
WHY IS NO ONE ANSWERING ME
tsukishima
king, calm down 😭
kageyama
WHY ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS
OH MY GOD I CANT DO THIS
yamaguchi laughed, reading the messages flood in their group chat. hinata was busy unpacking his things, when his incurable fomo hit. he quickly plopped on yamaguchi’s bed, leaning to take a peek at his phone.
“kags is freaking out,” yamaguchi adjusted his phone so hinata could see it better, “oh this is gold! we need hitoka here, asap!”
“i still can’t believe they like each other.” hinata got back up to finish what he was doing, laughing too. “i knew something was fishy when kags wouldn’t fight him back as much anymore!”
ten minutes later, a knock was heard on their door.
“oh, that might be hitoka.”
then two knocks.
“okay chill, i’m coming!” hinata called out.
then multiple knocks.
“oh my god, calm down- EH WHY ARE YOU HERE?”
hinata was pushed aside by a fuming kageyama, and tsukishima right behind him, still being his typical calm self. shortly after, yachi creeped in. she was on her way to their room but got nervous seeing the two already ahead of her.
“yams, you have to fix this, please! i swear to god, i cannot and will not sleep beside this guy!”
“i don’t know what i can do, kags.. i didn’t think this would happen…” liar.
“didn’t you book the rooms? maybe it got mixed up with hitoka's or akiteru’s. oh my, this cannot be happening.”
“okay, calm down. how about we go downstairs and just ask? maybe there really was a mix up.”
yamaguchi’s suggestion had all five of them back in the lobby, face-to-face with the same receptionist that helped checked them in. now, you might be thinking, how was yamaguchi going to work this out? clearly, he booked a deluxe queen room for them, there was no mistaking that.
“uh, well,” the receptionist, whom they had come to know as saki, clicked a few keys before forming an apologetic look on her face, “unfortunately, we’re fully booked for the entire weekend. as much as i’d love to help, there isn’t an available room i can transfer you to.”
“you have got to be fucking kidding me..” kageyama muttered, unfortunately loud enough for saki to hear.
“i’m really sorry about this, sir. if you’d like, I can offer you complimentary drinks at our night bar… as a way to make it up to you.” saki handed two coupons to kageyama, implying that it’s meant for him and his roommate (spoiler: they never used the vouchers)
kageyama took it and thanked her (he did apologize for being a bit of a prick; he didn’t intend to) before heading back up with the rest of the group.
as they walked towards the elevator, yamaguchi subtly turned around, flashing saki a smile and a thumbs up.
yep, he got the receptionist to play his game with him.
the resort actually had more than enough twin rooms to accommodate the duo, but they’ll never know that. prior to their arrival, yamaguchi had already contacted saki. it didn’t take much convincing as the photos he showed and the stories he told her had convinced her enough that the pair really did like each other. and everyone likes a little romance, so who was she to decline the part she was given to play?
the first night
“so, how do you want to do this?”
“i’d rather you sleep on the floor.”
“that’s no way to treat your humble servant, king.”
kageyama, still frustrated with the turn of events, took the left spot on the bed. saying nothing more, tsukishima took it as a sign that he could take his place on the right. the blonde soon lay down, yet again leaving an obvious gap between them. the raven turned to his left, with his back facing the blonde, and focused his attention on his phone.
trying to avoid making the situation more awkward, tsukishima closed his eyes (but not before stealing his nth glance at kagaeyama).
good night, king
─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
multiple knocks at 7 in the morning served as the duo’s alarm clock.
tsukishima was the first to properly wake, rubbing his eyes. he was about to get up to check the door until he felt something heavy weighing him down. much to his surprise, it was kageyama – contrary to his position last night, the raven was facing him; left arm wrapped around the blonde’s abdomen, still sound asleep.
unable to fully process how they looked, tsukishima stilled. he stared at kageyama, figuring out how to get out of the bed without waking him up. he tried moving to his right, which only caused the raven to keep his hold on him tighter.
maybe he should just wake him up? kageyama was heavier than he expected. then again, he was much more physically active than him, so his muscles definitely added to his weight. come to think of it, kageyama did have a nice figure – broad shoulders, arms growing by the day, and beautifully toned abs. his figure matched his ever-so-gorgeous face – his fair skin, mesmerizing blue eyes, and his small pink lips.
wait. this is not what i should be focusing on, tsukishima blushed at the sudden realization.
“why is it so damn noisy…” kageyama murmured, stirring awake at the continuous knocking on their door.
right, tsukishima was supposed to get out of bed and answer the door. but how could he when he had such a beautiful boy wrapped around him?
“oh my god, if that’s hinata, i swear i’m gonna kill him-”
“wait-”
kageyama quickly scooted away from tsukishima, who he was still hugging. his eyes widened, cheeks and ears immediately tomato-colored. he quickly stood up, fixing his wrinkled shirt, and walked to the door.
turns out, it really was hinata… and yamaguchi and hitoka.
tsukishima sighed, what horrible timing. as the rest of their friends made it inside, reminding them to get dressed, kageyama rushed to the bathroom, still looking red as ever.
the blonde couldn’t help but smile fondly. he missed the warmth he felt earlier. it would be even better waking up to that every single day.
“did something happen between you two?” hinata asked innocently.
“no.”
yamaguchi smirked at his best friend. something definitely happened.
the second night
the minute they got back to their room, kageyama plopped onto their his side of the bed. he was so exhausted. yamaguchi made them try all these different water activities. he had so much fun, don't get him wrong, but the day was jam packed and the only break they had was lunch.
“i’m so tired…” kageyama said, muffled due to his face being buried in the pillow.
“yams really outdid himself with that itinerary.” tsukishima agreed, taking his shoes off. “kinda scared for what he has planned tomorrow, especially since it’s our last day.”
kageyama had crazy stamina, everyone was aware of that. so when his legs nearly gave out with everything they did today, the raven himself was shocked. turns out his stamina was made for ground activities, and he wasn’t built well enough for the ocean.
“you should pack tonight, king. don’t want you rushing tomorrow and begging me to help you.”
“later… i’ll nap a bit.”
“right, ‘nap’. then you won’t wake up anymore.”
“i will! just let me rest, please.”
tsukishima didn’t reply and let kageyama do whatever he wanted. truth be told, he wouldn’t really mind helping him. any time spent with the setter was time cherished by the middle blocker. he decided to freshen up first. he could just wake him up later.
yamaguchi
how r u holding up? 😏
tsukishima
what’s with the emoji?
and im good
yamaguchi
what happened this morning?
kags was so red omg
did u kiss him or smth
tsukishima
NO WTF
and its nothing
probably just had a dream
when yamaguchi didn’t reply, he took it as a sign for him to finally have his shower. if kageyama was worn out, imagine how tired he felt. even though he stayed in the club to this day, tsukishima’s stamina improvement wasn’t as big as you would expect. any chances of rest he still seized and preferred to keep his movement minimal outside the court.
as he took off his shirt, his phone rang. it was yamaguchi.
“why are you calling? i’m busy.”
“yet you still answered.”
“whatever. what do you want?”
“tell me what happened! you’re lying, i can tell.”
“nothing happened, okay? we just… we woke up cuddling-”
“HOLY SHIT?!”
“did he say cuddling? that’s so cute!” tsukishima heard hitoka in the background. of course she’d be there.
“we didn’t intend to, okay? we woke up like that. it doesn’t mean anything.”
“why didn’t you push him off?”
“i told you, we already woke up like that. i didn’t exactly have the time.” liar too.
“sure you didn’t. i bet you enjoyed that~”
“shut up, yams. did you call just to bother me?”
“yes. anyways, i’m hanging up. yachi wants to go on a night stroll by the beach. hope you cuddle again tonight!”
and then he hang up, not letting tsukishima counter him.
see, most people think tsukishima is the asshole in the team, but people forget that yamaguchi is sometimes just as much of a piece of shit as he is. they were friends after all. in the many years they knew each other, tsukishima’s stinginess surely rubbed off on his best friend. he was just more subtle with it.
as he stepped out after his shower, tsukishima saw that kageyama was still laying asleep, lightly snoring. he approached the younger, gently tapping his back. “king, you should take a bath first.”
kageyama only hummed, clearly unwilling to move.
“you smell like shit, you know.” tsukishima lied. in fact, he loved the faint blueberry scent that kageyama used. it may just be his second favorite smell, next to strawberries.
when he didn’t move or reply, tsukishima placed their comforter on top of him. he proceeded to the bundle of clothes on one side of their room and started folding them neatly. he picked out a random pair of clean clothes and hanged them, kageyama could just use those tomorrow.
an hour later, everything was packed properly in kageyama’s luggage. (yes, he packed for him anyways; we all know he would)
feeling the weight of his fatigue sink on him, tsukishima took off his glasses and positioned himself to his spot on the bed. he noticed the two small pillows that was originally meant to be a barrier between him and the raven. he knows he should put them back there, he knows that kageyama would end up being a blushing mess again if they woke up the same way they did earlier.
hope you cuddle again tonight!
yamaguchi’s words kept ringing in his ears. his stupid ass best friend definitely knew about his feelings. he’d been bothering him about for years, but tsukishima didn’t dare to confess. it’s not that he was embarrassed or scared, but he wanted kageyama to be the first person to hear it from him.
oh well, maybe this once tsukishima would let himself have a good night.
3:47 am
kageyama jolted awake, breathing heavily. tsukishima, woken up by the sudden movement, sat up with kageyama, concerned.
“king, are you okay?”
it wasn’t the first time this happened. kageyama never told anyone, even hinata, that he had been getting nightmares for the past couple of years. sometimes it would be about his grandpa, his sister, or kitagawa daiichi, either way, none were ever pleasant. most nights, he’d wake up alone, with miwa living in tokyo for university. on rare occasions, hinata and/or hitoka would be there when they slept over, but kageyama didn’t bother waking them up for comfort.
but tonight was different. tonight, he woke up with someone there for him. someone to hold him, comfort him as he tried to get back to sleep.
it just so happened to be tsukishima.
“hey, what happened?” the blonde rubbed his back when he didn’t respond.
“sorry, it was just.. i get these nightmares sometimes.”
nightmares? tsukishuma didn’t think that kageyama, who always held his head up high and was seemingly happy with his life, would get these sort of things. not that happy people can't get nightmares, but you know what he meant.
“it’s okay, you’re fine now.” the blonde continued comforting him, hesitant to move closer so as to not make the raven uncomfortable. “what are they usually about? if that’s okay to ask.”
kageyama never talked about them. he didn’t like to because he was scared it’d only trigger them to reoccur more often. but there was something so comforting about tsukishima’s presence that put him at ease.
of course, a big part of it was of what he believed to be his unrequited feelings.
“grandpa... or miwa, my sister,” kageyama moved to rest his head back on the pillow, “but it’s mostly about middle school.”
tsukishima felt a small pang in his chest. despite kageyama owning up to his nickname, he knew there was still a horrible history behind it. and yet, he never really stopped calling the setter ‘king’ (it meant differently with him, though, more endearing). but he suddenly felt guilty that maybe he was only triggering these nightmares more.
“oh.. i-”
“it’s not your fault.” the raven quickly cut him off, looking at him. “i’ve always had them. before i even met you.”
“still,” the blonde made eye contact now, “sorry. i should stop calling you that.”
“no, it’s fine.” the response came quicker than expected. it even sounded eager. “i don’t.. i don’t really mind,” the raven’s ears were slowly reddening now, “if it’s from you.” he added that softly.
the blonde’s eyes widened. okay, that he didn’t expect. like at all.
“what are you saying?”
“nothing. nevermind, it’s stupid.”
underneath the sheets, the blonde made a bold move to graze the raven’s right hand, making them both blush. suddenly, all traces of kageyama’s fear from his nightmare had slipped away, and was replaced by… this warmth.
“you should go back to sleep.” tsukishima whispered, unaware if it was even loud enough to hear.
“y-yeah, okay…”
kageyama closed his eyes, still unable to stop the rapid beating in his heart as the figure beside him kept his hold on his hands. it was so gentle, so warm. maybe it wouldn’t be so bad going to sleep with this feeling every night.
and so they slept.
completely oblivious to the fact that nothing else was separating them but air. or maybe, they just didn’t care anymore.
the last day
yamaguchi and hitoka were with saki, the receptionist, handling their check-out procedures. hinata was slumped in a chair by the lobby, visibly drained and tan from the past few days.
“that was so fun, we should do that again.” the tangerine spoke. “but let’s try a different place! maybe hiking? do they allow mountain volleyball?”
“no, you dumbass.”
“oh… well, i’m good anywhere as long as we can play!”
tsukishima shook his head. they were on their third and final year of being teammates, and yet he still wasn’t used to the two volleyball freaks on their team. he found one of them especially endearing though.
“okay, we’re all set.” yamaguchi was back, with hitoka tagging along. “akiteru’s already outside with the van.”
as they headed out, a wrist stopped kageyama from going further – it was, you guessed it, tsukishima.
“can we talk?”
kageyama glanced at yamaguchi, who seemed way too happy with the scene unfolding before them. the captain gave them a thumbs up, and nudged his girlfriend and hinata further away from the pair.
“uh, what is it?”
“about last night…”
“oh, right, thanks. for comforting me.”
“yeah, you’re welcome, kin- uh, kags.” despite the raven’s reassurance, tsukishima still wasn’t sure if he should keep calling him that.
“i told you, you can still call me that…”
“i know, but-”
kageyama took tsukishima’s left hand and squeezed it tightly. “hey, it’s fine. trust me.”
“o-okay.”
they were both a blushing mess now, unaware of a giddy figure watching (and filming) them in the sidelines.
“is that all you wanted to say?” kageyama stepped closer and glanced up at him, expecting something else.
“yeah..” tsukishima was a coward. for the first time in three years, he was finally given a sign that his feelings were reciprocated (it was actually obvious, but he was too dumb to notice), so why did he say that?
behind the raven, tsukishima could see the trio (& akiteru) peeking. yamaguchi nodded his head as if to tell him to just go for it. do something, you fucker! yamaguchi was pretty much cursing his best friend when he saw kageyama turning to head towards them, looking defeated.
“wait.”
and quicker than you could say karasuno, kageyama turned back around.
“i.. i like you, kags.”
“huh?”
“oh my god, i said i love you!” the blonde practically shouted, earning them stares from other guests. great, now they had an even bigger audience. definitely not embarrassing at all, nope.
“i thought you said like.”
“what?”
“i heard like, i didn’t know you meant love.”
oh, kageyama was teasing him.
tsukishima just teared his walls down in front of so many people, and he was teasing him. he was about to retort when kageyama wrapped him in hug, chuckling.
“i like you, too, tsukki.”
tsukishima stood still. “wait, you do?” why was he acting so stupid? didn’t he just realize that kageyama so obviously like him back?
“yeah, i love you, too.”
cheers erupted throughout the lobby as tsukishima softened and finally returned the hug. hinata was jumping for joy while tears formed in his eyes. yamaguchi and hitokhugged each other tightly, with the latter pulling him in for a kiss. and one of their mvps, saki, who was filming them the entire time, was also crying.
whether or not kageyama reciprocated his feelings, tsukishima was already planning to confess. maybe after they qualify for nationals, maybe after they win nationals, or maybe during their graduation. he wanted to do it right, when it felt right. but things don’t always go to plan.
in front of all these people, most especially their friends, tsukishima felt it. the right moment.
“my baby brother’s grown now!” akiteru teared up, immediately ringing miwa to tell her about the news (yes, in this world, miwa knows him and they watch their siblings’ games together).
as they pulled away from the hug to head to their friends, tsukishima stopped right in his tracks, pointing at kageyama.
“wait, you said you love me.”
kageyama tilted his head. “no, i didn’t.”
this dumbass. “you did, i heard you.”
“um, i’m pretty sure i didn’t” kageyama rubbed his chin, keeping up his innocent act.
“you did."
“nope. come on, get in the car.”
“i won’t until you admit you did.”
kageyama raised an eyebrow, challenging him. “okay, stay here then”
tsukishima frowned in defeat before getting inside anyways, with yamaguchi throwing out multiple teasing remarks and hitoka laughing her ass off. akiteru drove off, starting their long journey back to miyagi. back to home.
“is this how you flirt?” hinata turned to face them.
“they’ve always been doing that,” yamaguchi chuckled, ruffling the hair of the two boys. “it’d be weirder seeing them all lovey-dovey.”
as the minutes and hours passed, the hum of the car engines and the faint sound of music coming from the radio were all that was heard. yamaguchi had dozed off, with hitoka busy reading a novel. hinata had fallen asleep (again), snoring.
and between all that, two boys who had just so sweetly (?) declared their like love for each other, sat closer than they ever did. with the gap between them nonexistent. the raven rested his head on the blonde’s shoulder, sleeping the time away. the blonde returned the action by leaning his own head on the raven’s.
akiteru glanced at them through the rearview mirror, and the sight before him made his eyes soften. his little brother had someone now, someone who understood him the way he was meant to be understood. he couldn’t wait for the day he and miwa (his future sis-in-law) would gossip about them.
there, his eyes landed a little bit below their heads, on tsukishima’s lap.
the blonde’s right hand on the raven’s left, the two held each other tightly, with red ears and blushing cheeks.
and yes, they held hands for the entire ride. akiteru was both grossed out and giddy by it.
end.