Chapter Text
“Kageyama, you’ll be late for the ceremony if you don’t hurry up.” Suga pounded on Kageyama’s door impatiently. “Come on: everybody’s waiting for you!”
“Hold on!” Kageyama yelled back, fumbling with his tie. “Just— Just come in here, would you?”
Suga opened the door, raising an eyebrow when he saw Kageyama strangling himself with the piece of silk. “Um… want some help?”
“Please.” Kageyama relinquished the tie, swallowing back his pride. “Who decided to invent that death trap, anyway? It’s even worse than cufflinks.”
Suga chuckled. “It’s a constraint of modern society, my friend. Just think: you want to look your best for the ones you love, right?”
“I guess…” Kageyama mumbled. “You sound like my mom.”
Suga finished tying the Windsor knot and clapped him on the shoulder. “Then listen to your mother’s words and be on your best behavior.” He broke into a grin. “Hinata and the others are all in the auditorium already. I think they saved us seats.”
“Okay.” Kageyama pulled on his shirt collar, hands shaking a bit. “It’s hard to believe we’re graduating… It doesn’t feel real.”
“Well, get used to it.” Suga shepherded him out the door. “The future’s ahead, and it’s incredibly impatient. Get a move on.”
“Alright, alright; quit pushing me.” Kageyama shoved Suga ahead of him, adjusting his navy suit jacket for the millionth time. He just couldn’t get used to dressing fancy. Formal wear was so stuffy. At least he’d get to see Hinata in a suit again. The last time had been at the Winter Solstice Ball.
“You’re making a concerning expression.”
“I wish people would stop saying that!” Kageyama exclaimed, covering his face self-consciously. “Am I really that easy to read?”
Suga shrugged. “Eh, not particularly. You can tell you’re thinking something, but what exactly it is is hard to say.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why? Got something to hide?”
“Not at all.” Kageyama cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Oh look, there's Yachi waiting for us.”
She waved at them right on cue. “Suga, Kageyama, it’s about time! I thought you guys weren't gonna make it.” She pulled them inside by the arm, moving towards a row of seats towards the front. “They’re about to start.”
She let them both in ahead of her, squeezing in at the end with Shimizu. Kageyama was left on the opposite side, next to Hinata’s empty seat. His questioning glance was answered by Nishinoya. “He’s in the bathroom.” He leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially, “Did you get the ring yet, Kageyama?”
“Noya!” The entire row shushed him, earning glares from the rest of the audience.
Suga shot him ‘I’ll-kill-you’ eyes. “Nishinoya, are you trying to get him found out? It’s supposed to be on the down-low—the Marianas Trench-level down-low, got it?”
“It was just a question!” Noya protested. “Yes or no?”
Kageyama glanced around nervously. “Yes, okay? But I’m still not sure when I’m going to ask.”
Yachi clapped. “Ooh, I’m so excited for you! There’s nothing more romantic than a spring proposal.” She sighed dreamily. “Just imagine: all the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and the weather is perfect. If I could choose when I would get proposed to, I’d definitely pick the spring!”
Shimizu pushed her glasses up, obviously taking a mental note, and Kageyama rolled his eyes. “I’m not doing it because it’s spring, though. Now is the perfect time, considering we’ve already sent our boxes ahead to the apartment and the flight to Kyoto is tomorrow night. Everything else is taken care of, except for this. There’s a park nearby that’s perfect.”
Suga snickered. “You make it sound so professional, Kageyama. Let loose a little, would you? A proposal is supposed to be the happiest moment of your life. Don’t you have a romantic bone somewhere in your body—”
“Shut up, here comes Hinata!”
Hinata gave them a suspicious look when he sat down—probably because they were all sweating like popsicles in the sun. What were you guys talking about?
Nothing! Kageyama said quickly. Oh look, they’re about to start.
* * * * *
“Did you and Hinata-kun arrive safely, Tobio?”
“Mom, I literally said I would call you when we got to the apartment.” Kageyama held his phone with one hand, handing Hinata the apartment keys with the other. “We’re outside the door right now. No, I wasn’t going to forget to call. Mom, really. I’ve gotta go now. I’ll call you again later. Yes , I really will! Oh my god. Okay, I’m going now.” He hung up before she could go on a tirade. “Ugh…”
Hinata grinned at him from the apartment doorway, slipping the key into his sweatshirt pocket. Your mom again? She called twice before the flight, and then again when we landed. She must be really worried.
Not only her: Suga and Yachi both spammed me with messages. Kageyama followed him inside the apartment, setting down his bag. I don’t know what their problem is. It’s not like we’re children. Although, they probably really wanted to know how his proposal plan was going… He’d thrown out the park idea, figuring it was better for the moment to be private. He just had to buck up the courage to do it—preferably before they both died of old age.
They’re just looking out for us. Hinata kicked off his shoes, wandering further inside. Wow, this place is even bigger than I remembered...
Well, we can afford it with what Ukai pays. Kageyama went and wrapped his arms around Hinata from behind, glancing around at all their unpacked boxes. They had a lot of work to do to make it feel like home, but still… to think they had a place of their own. He felt like he was dreaming.
Hinata tapped Kageyama’s arm to get his hands back. We should start unpacking now. There’s a lot to do, and Ukai wants us to meet up with him tonight, too. He frowned at the piles of boxes. I don’t even know where to start…
Yeah. Kageyama swallowed the nervous lump building in his throat. Before that, though… I have a surprise for you.
A surprise? Hinata eyed him suspiciously. Good or bad?
Good—at least, I hope. When Hinata raised an eyebrow, Kageyama laughed and lightly pushed him. Just close your eyes for ten seconds.
Okay, fine. I guess I trust you... Hinata sighed and closed his eyes. I’m counting.
Oh god. There was no going back. The ring was in his jacket pocket and he was already reaching for it, no holds barred. He’d been carrying it around for two months, waiting—or, rather, chickening out every time he got close to proposing. But there was nothing left to use as an excuse to push it back, and in the end, Kageyama really just wanted to be engaged to Hinata instead of living with the idea of it.
You can do this, he told himself, pulling out the box that he’d been holding onto for so long. He knelt down. The ten seconds were almost up.
Hinata opened his eyes slowly. When they settled on Kageyama, his mouth dropped into a shocked little ‘O’—just like when they’d first met. He looked from the ring to Kageyama’s face and back, eyes growing misty. Is this real? He wiped away the first tear. This better not be a joke…
Kageyama stood up again and took Hinata’s hand gently. “I’ve never been more serious about anything.” He pushed a strand of red hair behind his ear, touch lingering on his cheek. “Shōyō… marry me?”
The floodgates burst. Hinata tackled him and they went down hard, collapsing in a tangle of limbs on the hardwood floor. Kageyama knew the situation well, so he hugged him back, waiting out the flow of tears. He felt like crying, too, out of sheer relief. That reaction had to be good, right? Judging from how tightly he was being squeezed, Hinata was beyond thrilled.
Kageyama eventually had to push them into an upright position, before his legs fell off. “Hey, is that a yes? This ring in carving a circle into my palm.”
Yes! Hinata wiped his face with a giddy smile. Of course, you idiot! I was starting to think you’d never ask me.
“I wanted it to be perfect.” Kageyama slipped the ring over his finger carefully. He grinned. “Then I realized that it was already going to be perfect, because it was you I was asking.”
Stupid… Hinata covered his face. Just shut up and kiss me. You’re gonna make me cry again.
* * * * *
“So, did you do it?!” Suga exclaimed as soon as Kageyama's call went through.
In the background, Daichi shouted, “He definitely did it!”
Tell me everything!" Suga plowed on without waiting for a real answer. “What did he say? What did he do? Wait, before all that—he said yes, didn’t he? He definitely did, right?”
“Suga,” Kageyama interrupted, “take a breath. He said yes.” He held the phone away from his ear in preparation for the screech.
“OH MY GOD, CONGRATULATIONS!” burst from the speakers with static loudness. “When’s the wedding gonna be?!”
“Suga, it happened literally twenty minutes ago.”
“Ooh, so you’re saying you’re open to suggestions, then?”
“No.” Kageyama pinched the bridge of his nose. “I only called you because you kept bugging me about it. We’re about to go meet Ukai, but I wanted to make sure you’re coming to the housewarming party tomorrow. Yachi said you two were the only ones who hadn’t decided.”
“We just had to make sure our schedules were clear, but we’ll definitely be there. It’s still at seven, right?”
“Yeah. Hinata is glaring at me from the door, so I’m gonna go. I’ll text you the address later.” He hung up, going to ruffle Hinata’s hair. Don’t look so unhappy. It doesn’t suit you.
What if I want all your attention? Hinata stuck his tongue out teasingly. We’re engaged now, after all. I can monopolize you a little more. More like, ‘Hey, only look at me, Tobio!’
Kageyama’s face exploded in an instant blush. The words made him stupidly, insanely happy, like the moron he was. What are you saying suddenly, dumbass? He took Hinata by the hand, pulling him out the door before he could say something more embarrassing. Let’s go already.
Aww, you really do have a cute side! Hinata beamed happily, adjusting his grip to make walking a bit easier as they moved out onto the sidewalk.
The late April sunlight cast long shadows over the cherry blossom trees lining the streets, showering their petals into the road. Spring in Kyoto was somewhere prettier than in Miyagi, but Kageyama was a poor judge of things like that. Besides, everything with Hinata beside him looked ten times more beautiful.
Kageyama's phone buzzed, ruining the nice thought. He pulled it from his pocket to find a series of texts from Ukai. ‘Where are you,’ ‘You better not be late,’ ‘It’s only your fourth practice and you’re already being flaky,’ ‘Get here in five or you die.’ His punctuation was terrible…
‘We’re two minutes away now,’ he texted back, thanking God they’d picked a place close to the music hall.
They’d only been working with the orchestra for a week, and Ukai was already running them ragged. But despite the endless hours of practice, tyrannical leadership, and sheer lack of sleep, Kageyama felt more satisfied than he ever had before. Everything seemed to have fallen into place perfectly.
Life sure was a strange thing.
* * * * *
Everyone will be arriving soon, so get ready to greet them. Hinata delivered the order while struggling to replace a picture that had fallen off a high shelf. Eventually, he gave to and gave Kageyama a pleading look. Please help me.
Kageyama reached over his shoulder and set it back in its place, pausing to admire the photo. Hey, this… it’s the first picture we ever took together. Remember?
Yeah… Hinata smiled softly at the image: the two of them at a lunch table, throwing up stupid cliché peace signs. You were even worse at taking pictures then! Look at that confused face you’re making.
That was only because the pose felt embarrassing! Kageyama protested. I was also probably giddy to be taking a picture with you. I told you that I liked you even then, but I was way too nervous to confess.
But you weren’t obvious about it at all! Hinata pouted. I really had no idea until the dance. When you grabbed my hand during the fireworks, I suddenly had the thought of, ‘Oh, he likes me.’ I felt pretty dumb for not realizing sooner, because I also realized you always made this loaded expression while watching me. He grinned. It was definitely a pining face.
No way! Kageyama swatted his arm. Hinata latched onto his wrist, pulling him into a tight hug. “Hey, don’t you hide your face! I never made any kind of pining expression!” He gave up and hugged him back, closing his eyes with a long sigh. “Dumbass…”
No matter how much time passed or how much closer they got, Hinata still made Kageyama feel like an idiot with a crush—or maybe that wasn’t the case at all. Crushes were painful and hard to bear, whereas the feeling of being with Hinata was like soaring. His heart was so full of warmth, it was like a furnace, and the only pain he felt was not being as close to Hinata’s side as he wanted to be.
If that were the case, then perhaps he’d call it simply… ‘love.’