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Practice had just ended for the Karasuno volleyball team. Captain Tadashi Yamaguchi and third year setter Kageyama Tobio were cleaning and closing, the other third years had left already because they wanted to buy some meat buns for everyone, two of the first years joining too.
Tadashi was no longer the skinny shy boy from a few years ago, he was more extroverted now, buff and even taller than before. His hair had beautifully grown out, always tying it up like Azumane did.
Tobio had his iconic bowl haircut, the result of Shouyou trying to help him cut his hair, but he didn’t mind so he left it like that. Kageyama had also grown taller than Yamaguchi.
Tadashi loved his teammates, he bonded with the first and second years quickly, and his friendship with the 3rd years was even stronger. Mostly with a certain black haired setter…
They did everything together lately; the other members were tired of watching them be all lovey dovey in public.
If you asked them, they would deny liking each other romantically, they swore they were just really good friends… but deep down, both boys were pining over the other.
The night was cold; they had taken a bit more practising so it was darker than usual. After the boys finished up cleaning, they went to change, making sure to close the club room afterwards.
They started walking together, peacefully. Kageyama had his hands in the pockets of his karasuno jacket, while Yamaguchi had his arms intertwined together, heating them up.
A sudden cold breeze hits them both. Tobio snuggled into his jacket while Tadashi shivered, a grunt leaving his mouth in the cold. The shorter boy reached out to his bag to look for his jacket but froze. He had left his team jacket in the club room, and they were already too far outside the school to go back and get it.
Kageyama noticed Yamaguchi stopped walking and turned back to him, staring at him confused. “What happened, ‘Dashi?”
Ah, yes. ‘Dashi’. The nickname Kageyama had given to the older when they were in their second year.
|| Flashback.
“Yamaguchi, nice serve!” Someone screamed across the court. The jump float serve marked the winning point against Dateko. Hinata congratulated Yamaguchi while the others complimented his skills.
The karasuno team had just finished a practice match and were soon to head home.
Yamaguchi sat on the bench, trying to calm his racing heart. He wasn’t nervous or sad, he was happy. After months of practising, his serves were getting better and he could score points just by them.
Suddenly, a towel appeared into Tadashi’s field of vision. He looked up. Tobio. “Ah, thanks, Kageyama”. The younger sat beside him on the bench, drinking water as the other wiped his forehead with the towel. Kageyama offered his water to Yamaguchi, which he gladly accepted.
“You did great… ‘Dashi.” Yamaguchi felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at Tobio with fondness in his eyes, a soft smile plastering on his lips. The taller had a slight blush on his cheeks; complimenting someone and calling them by an affectionate nickname wasn’t something he usually did, but he had proposed himself to be a better friend that year.
“Hm, thanks…” he thought for a moment. “Tobio-kun.” That sounds about right.
|| End of flashback
“I left my jacket” he looked at Tobio, pouting softly. Kageyama didn’t even think about it and took off his, Yamaguchi watching perplexed. “W-wait, Tobio-kun, you don’t have to..” Tobio covered Tadashi with it.
“You’ll get sick, ‘Dashi.” He patted the shorter’s head, ruffling his hair a bit.
“But-”
“No buts, let’s go, the others are waiting.”
Yamaguchi knew it was no good arguing so he just followed the other’s instruction.
After eating meat buns with his teammates, he headed home, completely forgetting to give Tobio his jacket back, only realising when he undressed at home. He looked for his phone to text Kageyama, opening his chat, which happened to be the most recent.
Tadashi: Tobio-kun! I forgot to give you your jacket back~ ┗( T﹏T )┛
Tobio: You can give it back tomorrow, do not worry 👍
Tadashi: Okie dokie~ See you tomorrow!ヾ(^▽^*)))💗
Tobio: ❤
Tadashi grabbed the jacket to put it on his bag, so he wouldn’t forget about it the next morning, but something fell out of one of the pockets. A blue apple ipod nano. He looked at it before picking it up. It was decorated with a few silly cat stickers (totally courtesy of Shouyou).
Yamaguchi didn’t want to be nosy, of course not. But curiosity killed him inside. What music did Kageyama listen to? He had never talked about that with him. Just one peek doesn't hurt, right?
He turned it on and started scrolling through his playlists. One specifically caught his attention.
“Dashi ♡”
The boy got flustered, almost throwing the ipod to the floor. Why was that playlist named after him? Why did it have a heart?
He had said one peek, but he needed to know what songs were in that. He grabbed his wire headphones and connected them to it. Playing that playlist.
The first song that started playing was “Thinking out loud” by Ed Sheeran. Which could mean nothing. He skipped to the next one. “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber. Tadashi thought that was a bit suspicious. “Kiss you” by 1D now. Yeah, this was not a coincidence.
Yamaguchi plopped on the bed, listening to the love songs on the playlist. He couldn’t believe it. Was he misunderstanding this? No, it couldn’t be. The playlist had HIS name and it was full of love songs. He would definitely talk to Kageyama the next morning.
A guitar melody started playing. Yamaguchi didn’t recognize the song. He clicked on the song, trying to see which was it. He was surprised when Tobio’s voice tuned in with the guitar.
The song file was named “Anyone else but you.mp3”. Artist: “Tobio-kun”
Kageyama’s sweet voice sang.
“You're a part time lover and a full time friend
The monkey on your back is the latest trend
I don't see what anyone can see
In anyone else but you
Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don't see what anyone can see
In anyone else but you…”
Tadashi got completely flustered, he couldn’t believe it. Was this really Kageyama? Was he actually singing about him? He couldn’t handle it anymore. He put on a sweater, some shoes. He grabbed Tobio’s jacket and ran out of his house.
He had the way to the Kageyama house memorised. He got there in less than 10 minutes, after running and running. He rang Tobio’s phone and texted him. “Look outside”.
Kageyama was about to sleep until he heard Tadashi’s notification. He threw on a shirt and looked outside his window on the second floor and saw an exhausted Yamaguchi, catching his breath, with the jacket on his hand.
He went down the stairs, worried that something might have happened. He opened the door to his house and walked over to his friend. “Dashi, i told you you could give me the jacket tomorrow—”
He was interrupted by Yamaguchi, who had pulled him by the shirt to kiss him. Kageyama was confused, but didn’t pull back.
Tadashi felt his cheeks burning, pulling back slightly. Tobio, however, wasn't quite ready to let go. His hands, usually so sure and powerful on the volleyball court, felt clumsy now. But hesitantly, he reached out, fingers brushing against Yamaguchi's waist, pulling him closer.
They pulled away after a bit, Tadashi seeing the confusion and endearment on Tobio’s expression. He grabbed the ipod, which he had in his own pocket and gave it to him.
“You know, I didn’t know you played guitar— or that you could sing.” Tadashi muttered. Tobio looked down, seeing the Ipod still on the “Dashi ♡” playlist page.
He saw how Kageyama’s face went from calm to a mess, his cheeks heated up, his eyes widened. “I- Uh- You listened to.. That?” He had never felt so embarrassed. How would he explain to his friend he was in love with him— for a few years already too.
“I like you, Tobio-kun,” Tadashi confessed, looking at the floor. “And after that, I am almost completely sure you like me too. So…” He grabbed Kageyama's hand and intertwined it with his own, squeezing softly and caressing his thumb against the back of his hand. “Would you like to be my boyfriend?”
He didn’t hear any response, his eyes started tearing up but when he looked up, he saw Tobio’s expression the same as his, a few tears on his eyes. Kageyama leaned in and kissed him again, softer than before. “I’d love to.”