Chapter 2: Uncomfortable Heat

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.

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