The sound of sneakers squeaking against the polished floor echoed through the gymnasium. The ball slammed down with a heavy thwack, followed by the familiar, frustrated shout that Hinata Shouyou had grown to know all too well.

“Boke! Your timing was off again!”

Hinata panted, hands on his knees, his orange hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. He looked up and saw those sharp, blue eyes glaring at him from across the net. Kageyama Tobio stood there, chest heaving, looking as perfect and annoying as ever. Even after two hours of nonstop practice, he looked like he could keep going forever.

“Shut up!” Hinata yelled back, his voice cracking slightly from exhaustion. “I got the point, didn’t I?!”

“You got lucky!” Kageyama retorted, walking closer until they were practically chest to chest. The air between them was thick, hot, and charged with electricity. “If you don’t jump higher and run faster, I won’t set for you anymore. I need someone who can keep up with me, not someone who trips over his own feet!”

Hinata’s face turned red—not just from the exercise, but from anger. He balled his fists. “I’m way faster than you! And I’ll jump higher than anyone in the whole world! You’re just scared I’ll become better than you, aren’t you, King?”

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed. The nickname hit a nerve, but instead of stepping back, he leaned in even closer. Their faces were inches apart now. Hinata could see every single eyelash on the taller boy’s face. He could smell the faint scent of soap and sweat mixing together, and for some stupid reason, his heart did a weird little flip in his chest.

“Scared?” Kageyama whispered, his voice dropping lower, rougher than usual. “I’m not scared of anything. Especially not you.”

“Then stop complaining!” Hinata shouted, trying to ignore the way his own voice shook. “We’re rivals! I’m gonna beat you, Kageyama! I’m gonna be the number one ace!”

“Then show me.”

The words hung in the air. The rest of the team had stopped playing, watching the two of them with amused and tired expressions. They were used to this. It was always like this—shouting, competing, clashing like fire and ice.

But today... something felt different.

Kageyama didn’t look away. He kept staring, his blue eyes dark and intense. He wasn’t just looking at his teammate. He wasn’t just looking at his rival. His gaze drifted down to Hinata’s lips for just a split second, so fast that Hinata thought he must have imagined it.

“H-Hey...” Hinata stammered, suddenly feeling very hot. “What are you looking at?”

Kageyama blinked, as if waking up from a trance. He quickly looked away, his ears turning a faint shade of pink. “Nothing! Just... get ready. We’re doing it again. And this time, don’t mess up.”

He turned around sharply and walked back to his position, gripping the volleyball so tight his knuckles turned white.

Hinata stood there, touching his own chest. His heart was pounding like crazy. Why? Why did it feel like his heart was about to burst out of his ribs just because Kageyama looked at him like that?

They were enemies. They were rivals. They were supposed to hate each other, right?

“Shouyou!” Kageyama called out, not looking back. “Stop spacing out! Or are you already tired, shorty?”

Hinata shook his head violently, trying to clear his thoughts. “I’m not tired! I’m ready! Bring it on, Tobio!”

He ran forward, eyes focused only on the boy in front of him. But as he jumped, high up in the air, all he could think about wasn't the ball.

It was Kageyama’s eyes. And how close they had been just moments ago.

Practice finally ended, and the gym was slowly emptying out. One by one, the third-years and the other first-years grabbed their bags and headed out, chattering about dinner and homework. But Hinata stayed behind, sitting on the floor, catching his breath.

He couldn't stop replaying the moment from earlier in his head. The way Kageyama looked at him... the way his voice dropped... it was weird. It made Hinata’s stomach feel funny, like he had butterflies doing backflips in there.

“Hey, are you dead?”

Hinata jumped and looked up. Kageyama was standing there, holding two bottles of water. He tossed one to Hinata without waiting for an answer.

“Thanks...” Hinata mumbled, catching it. The cold plastic felt good against his hot hands. He twisted the cap open and drank greedily, some of the water spilling down his chin and onto his neck.

Kageyama watched him. He watched the way the droplets of water traced a line down Hinata’s throat, disappearing underneath the collar of his jersey. He quickly looked away, his face feeling suddenly very warm.

“Why are you still here?” Kageyama asked, sitting down a few feet away. Not too close, but not too far either.

“Could ask you the same thing, Baka-yama!” Hinata stuck his tongue out. “Aren’t you going home?”

“Coach said I need to work on my serve receive more.” Kageyama grumbled, looking at his hands. “And... I didn’t like how we were connecting earlier.”

Hinata blinked. “We were connecting fine! We did the quick attack like a million times!”

“Not enough.” Kageyama turned his head, locking eyes with Hinata again. The gym was quiet now, almost empty. The only sound was the hum of the lights above them. “To be the best, we need to know everything about each other. How you move, how you breathe, how you think.”

Hinata felt his cheeks burn. “W-Why do we need to know that stuff?! We just need to hit the ball!”

“Idiot.” Kageyama sighed, but he didn’t sound angry. He sounded... soft. “If we don’t understand each other, we can’t win. And I don’t like losing. Especially not to you.”

“Hey! I’m gonna win!” Hinata argued, but his voice lacked its usual fire. He was too distracted by how close they were sitting. He could see the sweat glistening on Kageyama’s skin, see the way his hair was messy and damp.

It was annoying. Kageyama was annoying. He was arrogant, he was bossy, he was a total tyrant...

So why did Hinata want to move closer?

Suddenly, Kageyama shifted and leaned back on his hands, stretching his long legs out. His knee accidentally brushed against Hinata’s leg.

It was just a small touch. Just fabric against fabric.

But Hinata flinched like he had been burned. He pulled his leg back quickly, his heart slamming against his ribs BOOM BOOM BOOM.

Kageyama noticed the reaction. His eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong with you? You’re so jumpy today.”

“N-Nothing!” Hinata squeaked, hugging his knees to his chest. “You just... surprised me!”

“Tch. You’re weird.” Kageyama muttered, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he stared at Hinata with an intensity that made the smaller boy want to hide. “You’re acting strange, Shouyou.”

Hearing his first name come out of Kageyama’s mouth like that... it did something to Hinata’s brain. It made him feel dizzy.

“I am not strange!” Hinata shouted, standing up abruptly. “I’m just... hot! It’s too hot in here! I’m gonna go shower first!”

He turned around and practically ran towards the locker rooms, desperate to get away and cool down his stupid face and his stupid heart.

Kageyama was left alone in the quiet gym. He watched the orange blur disappear, and slowly, he brought his hand up to his own knee—the spot where they had touched.

“...Weird.” He whispered again, but this time, there was a small, confused frown on his face. And maybe... just maybe... a tiny smile.

The locker room was filled with warm steam and the sound of running water. Everyone else had already finished, changed into their uniforms, and left to catch the bus home, leaving the place completely silent except for Hinata humming off-key under the shower spray.

The hot water felt amazing, washing away the sweat and the weird, fluttery feeling in his stomach. He closed his eyes, letting the water hit his face, trying to forget about how close Kageyama had been sitting.

Stupid Kageyama. Stupid feelings.

He was so relaxed that he didn't hear the door open.

“Hurry up, Boke. I want to go home.”

Hinata yelped and nearly slipped. He opened his eyes to see Kageyama standing there, already out of his practice clothes, wearing only a towel wrapped low around his hips. Water droplets were sliding down his pale skin, tracing the lines of his muscles.

“W-Whoa! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Hinata shouted, covering himself even though there was a glass wall between them. “And stop looking!”

“I’m not looking at anything interesting.” Kageyama huffed, but his ears were turning pink as he turned his back to start his own shower. “Hurry up. I’m not waiting forever.”

Hinata grumbled but turned off the water. He stepped out, wrapping his own towel securely around his waist. His skin was all red and flushed from the heat. As he dried his hair with a towel, he glanced over at the other shower.

Kageyama had his head tilted back, eyes closed, water running down his face and chest. He looked... peaceful. And kind of pretty. Wait—pretty?! Since when did Kageyama look pretty?!

Hinata shook his head violently, making his wet hair fly everywhere. Stop thinking weird thoughts!

He walked over to his bag to get his clothes. But as he passed by Kageyama’s spot, his foot slipped on the wet floor.

“Whoa—!”

His arms flailed. He braced himself to hit the hard tiles, but instead, he crashed into something warm and wet and very solid.

Strong arms immediately wrapped around him to catch him.

“Oi! Are you an idiot?!”

Hinata looked up, wide-eyed. He was pressed right up against Kageyama’s chest. Both of them were only wearing towels, skin hot and slippery from the steam. He could feel Kageyama’s heartbeat against his own—fast, hard, and just as panicked as his own.

“I-I slipped!” Hinata squeaked, unable to move. His hands were resting on Kageyama’s shoulders, feeling the muscles there. “L-Let go!”

“Stop moving!” Kageyama growled, but he didn’t push him away. Instead, his grip tightened just a little bit more. “You’re so clumsy. Can’t you do anything right?”

The air in the locker room suddenly felt way too hot. The steam swirled around them, hiding them from the world. Kageyama was looking down at him, his blue eyes dark and cloudy, like he was fighting with himself over something.

His gaze dropped down to Hinata’s lips, then back to his eyes.

“You...” Kageyama started, his voice rough and low. “You really are annoying, Shouyou.”

“Then let go...” Hinata whispered, but he didn’t push him away either. His heart was beating so loud he was sure Kageyama could hear it.

Slowly, torturously slow, Kageyama leaned his face down closer. Their noses brushed against each other.

“...Maybe I don’t want to.”