#kagehin

Hinata seems to agree. They’d been teaming up on homeworksince midway through their first year, but now that they were in their thirdyear, their study sessions got more and more frequent and more and moreintense. It didn’t matter how good their quick freak was, or how many timesthey got scouted, if they couldn’t pass the entrance exam.

               “Thisis awful,” Hinata whines. He’s currently flopped over Kageyama’s lap asKageyama rests against his headboard and uses Hinata’s back to prop up his ownchemistry book. “Have you figured out number six?”

               Kageyamachews the end of his pencil. “I skipped that one.”

               “Okay,what about seven?”

               Kageyamaflushes. “I skipped that one too.”

               Hinatagrabs a pillow from the end of Kageyama’s bed and smacks him with it. “Whichone’s haven’t you skipped dumbass?”

               “Oi!”Kageyama shoves the pillow away. “Let me check hold on.”

He glances over his chemistry book,which is currently decorated with doodles of volleyballs and diagrams of newplays they could use. There’s a half-assed attempt at the first two equationsbut those were quickly derailed as more interesting ideas sprung to mind.

“Um.” He pulls the book closer tohim which he immediately recognizes as a mistake.

               Hinata,suspicious, climbs over him and peers down at his book. He then reclaims thepillow and smothers Kageyama with it.

               “StupidKageyama! You haven’t done anything!” Hinata yells.

               “Hinata!”Kageyama’s book falls to the floor and Hinata’s worksheet papers are beingcrumpled underneath them. Kageyama arms himself with his own pillow and retaliates.Hinata laughs as he hits his stomach with a burst of feathers.

“I didn’t know pillows really didthat!” Hinata exclaims, as the fluff rains around him.

Kageyama uses this moment ofdistraction to tackle Hinata and that makes them both laugh.

“No fair you’re bigger than me!”Hinata cries, pushing Kageyama away.

As they tumble, eventually Hinatagains the upper hand. He pins Kageyama down, thighs clamping over his stomach.Hinata’s beaming as he leans over him and Kageyama looks away, embarrassed.

               “Gotcha!”Hinata beams.

               It washard to look at him like this. His face pink with the movement and eyes brightwith excitement. It was like trying to look at the sun head on. Kageyama couldn’twithout being overwhelmed.

               Insteadhe looks over the edge of the bed, to where their fallen homework lay.

               “Youmessed up our assignments,” Kageyama says.

               “Ugh.”Hinata slumps and rests his head on Kageyama’s chest. “It doesn’t matter, Iwasn’t doing homework either.”

               Kageyamabarks a laugh and his hands find Hinata’s orange curls. “Dumbass.”

               It wasn’tunusual for their study sessions to end up in cuddles and eventual napping.Kageyama wouldn’t admit it, but it was growing to be his favorite part of theday. Hinata was warm and his hair was soft between his fingers. It felt right,something that was going to happen inevitably. Something that Kageyama was soglad inevitably happened to him.

               “Hey,Kageyama,” Hinata says.

               “Mm?”

               “Do youremember back in our first year? What Takeda said about us and chemistry?”Hinata asks.

               Kageyamafrowns. “Chemistry?”

               “Yeah,like how we met and there was a chemical reaction or something?” Hinata takestops Kageyama’s hand from carding through his hair for a moment and entanglestheir fingers.

               Somevague memory resurfaces itself. Kageyama seems to recall Takeda following theemotional speech with stutters and embarrassed apologies.

               “Yeah Ithink so,” Kageyama says. “Why?”

               Hinataturns his head so his chin his on Kageyama’s chest and their gazes can meet. “Youthink it’s true? That somehow everything changed when we met?”

               Kageyamabriefly remembers meeting Hinata by the boy’s bathroom. How is bright,fearlessness struck him almost as much as his spring and raw energy. Heremembers the first time they pulled of their signature freak quick, and how intune he felt with Hinata. How he felt so close to him it was like they werefused together body and mind. He remembers winning with him, and losing with him,and getting up and trying again with him. And as he remembers this, he realizeshow dull and meaningless all the memories that came before Hinata are.

Kageyama doesn’t have to think aboutit.