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Tsukishima Kei thinks he does a pretty good job at letting people know he doesn’t like to be touched. After all even dimwits, too dense to pick up on stiff body language, and aggressive use of headphones to block out the world, tend to get a clue once he’s ducked unsubtly out of the way. Since he has reflexes appropriate for a National Level High School Athlete – it’s usually fairly easy to successfully dodge. It’s less of an issue once he gets to know people, so Yamaguchi's occasional backslap are fine, and there’s no issues with polite handshakes to indicate sportsmanship even if some of his opponents act more like animals than high school students.
However there’s something odd going on with how often he finds himself being touched by Hinata.
What he finds odd; is not Hinata’s continuing lack of respect for personal space. It’s pretty typical for hot headed idiots like that to push and press regardless of other’s values, and despite their various issues he’s been fast friends with Kageyama since they were all first years, So it’s no surprise that Hinata would consider him a friend of sorts as well. (Despite the fact that the only thing they share in common is volleyball and really that’s how it should be.)
The issue that Kei finds odd is, despite Kei’s impressive athletic ability and gift at reading others intentions (he’s a champion blocker for a reason, thank you), half the time he doesn’t seem to see it coming when Hinata involves him in whatever skin-ship impulse has occurred to him at that moment.
That is, Hinata managed to sneak up behind Kei while he was leaning against the stairs and pull him into a broship hug. He’s not sure what’s more embarrassing – that he was snuck up on by Hinata, that Yamaguchi saw it and found it hilarious, or the quiet realization at the back of his brain that Hinata’s touch doesn’t seem that alien to him. That he’s used to this kind of thing despite the fact that Hinata’s still a midget so it can’t possibly be subtle for him to be touching Tsukishima all the time, and yet Tsukishima’s not noticed his guard being lowered.
He can’t even work out the how is that possible or why does this keep happening and it’s bothering him, bouncing around at the back of his brain when his priorities should be studying for college and training to destroy Nekoma in the finals. Maybe concerning himself with how people are going to need to relearn how to read his first name once he’s in college.
Instead he finds himself cataloging the changes in their relationship with the touching that has occurred. And he finds himself coming to a horrible realization.
He may, just possibly, like Hinata.
1. The friendly bumps that he’s been ignoring when they sit next to each other at lunch. (Much easier for working out battle plans for the games ahead, and although there’s usually the four of them, they usually end up sitting in more or less the same order with Hinata on one side and Yamaguchi on the other, Kageyama making the corner.)
2. The frequent text messages. That should be normal, Kei is the Captain of the team after all (as both a strong player and strong academic), but Hinata’s still prone to going off topic and sending daily spam messages and despite his disdain for such things he still finds himself drawn to replying every now and then. (He attributed it to being brow beaten – most would have stopped after ten messages with no reply, but Hinata’s not the kind to be daunted by such things.)
3. There was an incident where Kei drew the short straw and was forced to sit next him and Hinata managed to fall asleep on him – and it was easier to let him stay quiet on his shoulder than to wake him up and risk the boisterous bouncing repeating next to him. In fact this incident may have happened more than once since Hinata’s still pretty terrible with car trips although the team has gotten better at shoving ginger pills down his throat half an hour before they leave.
4. There may have even been a point at the last training camp where Hinata’s managed to convince him to share his music on a set of speakers for everyone to listen to rather than hole himself away with his headphones.
5. Hinata’s been to his house. He’s been to Hinata’s house.
Effectively there are legitimate reasons why a third party observer may call them. Friends.
All of that is a lot of thoughts, to realize that idiocy is as he has always feared, catching. That maybe, horror of horrors, Hinata’s managed to grow on him. Like a fungus.
At least soon they’ll be going different directions, as the volleyball season wraps up and they’ll retire from the club as third years.
Except when he observes Hinata gulping down water after the match, his hind brain points out what he’s always ignored due to filing Hinata under the “super annoying” category, a category that he’s needed to revise otherwise why would he let Hinata keep touching him, that Hinata’s awfully attractive as well and he realizes.
Oh. He likes Hinata.
They don’t share classes, and he’s used to being distant so it’s easy enough to pretend that nothing has changed, despite the fact that he feels like his observation skills are going into overdrive.
He’s got a hyper-awareness now, watching who and how Hinata touches and the way that the team goes back and forth. And the way that Hinata just keeps casually touching him is driving him crazy – he’s sure Hinata seems to be doing it whenever the opportunity arises. Also Kei’s now got the sinking sensation one of the first years, a snotty brat with a know it all attitude, has cottoned on with his Sun & Moon wisecrack, and this isn’t who Tsukishima’s is. He’s meant to be the cynical captain that keeps them on track while Hinata’s the loud mouth player that helps keep the players inspired and motivated to never lose.
It’s odd, to realize that Hinata’s hyperactivity has passed into endearing, rather than annoying most of the time. (Though it can still be irritating especially when Kei’s trying to ensure that the club will continue to run smoothly, and that the first years have a proper level of respect for their captain.) He remembers how irritated he was back when they first met, with how over the top Hinata was over a stupid game. Tsukishima remembers how irritated he was by Nishinoya’s pining once Asahi left – frustrating when they needed him to be on top of his game as they rebuilt the team for the year. He was sure he was never going to fall into the same trap – and yet here he is.
Pining.
It’s utterly ridiculous.
As is his sneaking suspicion, that Hinata’s going out of his way to touch Kei as opposed to his usual opportunistic touching that occurs with the others.
Right. There’s no point in beating himself over this. He’s never thought about it before, so clearly he lacks data. He can make up his mind after the finals when he has time to calculate how he feels.
He’s sure it has to be deliberate, but he can’t work out why. He’s surely not that obvious and Hinata’s not the type to be cruel with his teasing. Perhaps…
It’s a thrilling end to his high school volley ball career, having won against their fated rivals – such a touching and gag worthy sentiment to finish off his captainship, and start the also heart warming process of giving his condolences to the next captain who’ll get to baby sit the next iterations of the Crows.
In just two weeks he’ll be able to bid his goodbyes to the volleyball team and focus solely on his studies – he’s confident he’ll get in at this point; it’s more about maximizing his chances for a general sports scholarship at this point. The better he looks on paper, the happier the university will be to grant him a scholarship, and he’s a national champion.
It’s all nothing compared to the way his heart soars when Hinata confesses.
Omake
“What do you mean”, Kageyama hisses, “that you need help confessing to Tsukishima? I thought you guys were married already.”
“It’s not like that.” Hinata whines. “Anyways I put up with your sappy love stories.”
“I was paranoid that he was messing with me. Like he had for four years previous to his confession. You on the other hand fell asleep on Tsukishima – and he didn’t disembowel you. I don’t know how on earth you’re going to get a better love confession than that from him.”
“Kageyamaaaa”, Hinata pleads, “come on, I need your help.”
“Fine, why don’t you try upping the touch levels a bit in the next month or two – if he doesn’t reject you it should be safe to confess. But don’t confess until finals are over. I just know both of you are going to end up being too sappy to concentrate on the game.”
“Wait. This conversation supposed occurred, three months before you confessed.”
“Yes. He said it was obvious but I wasn’t sure.”
Kei wants to kill himself. Kageyama thought they were obvious before Kei even realized that there was a possibility of feelings.
Hinata’s idiocy is definitely contagious. It is the only explanation.
Still. As he looks down at the orange head nestled against his side, he can’t find himself complaining too much with how it all turned out.