Chapter Text
Ever since that day where Kageyama yelled at Hinata, the smaller middle blocker had been continuously following him around.
"Hey Kageyama, say something again! Why don't you ever talk? It's not like you don't know how to talk since you just said something the other day," Hinata would continuously say without stopping to even take a breath. Kageyama got upset after an hour of continuous rambling and yelled, "Quiet!"
Hinata just stared at the young setter for a few moments and then burst into a large grin. "I knew you could talk, you should talk more often you have such a cute voice," Hinata said before he continued his constant rambling.
'Cute' thought Kageyama. That would not be the word to describe his voice, if anything that would be a fitting word for the smaller boy talking next to him. Kageyama always found himself staring at Hinata, but he always assumed it was due to hatred or jealousy.
Hinata would join him for lunch, talking enough for both of them. Usually he'd talk about volleyball and Kageyama would listen with a happy expression nodding excitedly or shaking his head furiously. When they'd go out to get meatbuns, Hinata would automatically know exactly which meatbun he wanted. After a while, Hinata seemed like a part of him. Kageyama couldn't imagine how'd his life was before he and Hinata started to talk, or more Hinata talked to him.
Everyone seemed to notice the difference in Kageyama. His mother would remark that his three words seemed a bit more cheerful from day to day, and Kageyama would smile to himself thinking that maybe Hinata's cheerfulness may have rubbed off on him.
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One day, Kageyama and Hinata were sitting on the grass behind the gym. It had become their secret spot since barely anyone goes near the area since it's a bit far from the classroom buildings. They'd always race to see who got their faster (Kageyama was winning by 2 races) and today was no exception.
"I won today!" Hinata exclaimed as the orange haired boy laid on the grass exhausted. Kageyama no less than a second behind, gave him an angry glare before laying on the grass beside him trying to catch his breath. He then turned on his side to face Hinata, and saw that Hinata was already looking at him, eyes wide. Kageyama blushed as he noticed how close their faces were, but Hinata just kept looking at him with those big eyes. It felt like eternity of looking in each other's eyes, until Hinata moved back to his back. Kageyama followed suit, grateful that he was now able to let his heart relax, realizing that it was beating furiously.
Kageyama closed his eyes after a little while, enjoying the silence between them. Kageyama was used to the silence, for it was an old friend. The school bell had rung minutes ago, but neither of them had moved. Then Kageyama heard the grass rustle as Hinata moved, but Kageyama continued to lay still enjoying the breeze. Suddenly he felt something soft brush his lips. With a jerk, he opened his eyes to see beautiful brown eyes staring deep into his.
Hinata Shouyo was kissing him.
Without thinking, Kageyama moved away and looked away. When he finally had the courage to look at Hinata, all he saw was pain. The face that Hinata was making tore his heart into two. It was filled with sadness and agony, a facial expression that Kageyama never knew that he could make. Kageyama opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he realized that three words were not enough. He didn't have the words, he couldn't say what he needed. Hinata then quickly stood up and started to run away. Kageyama wanted to run after him, call out Hinata's name over and over, grab him and whisper sweet nothings in his ear, but Kageyama Tobio did none of that. Instead his fist grabbed the grass underneath while looking at the ground.
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Kageyama looked at the letter in his hand. He had never written a letter in his life to someone. You would think someone who couldn't talk would at least write, but Kageyama didn't have someone to write to, until now.
"Come to the grass after practice."
Even in writing, Kageyama was a man of few words.
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Kageyama Tobio was indeed a silent man. Most people had never heard him even utter a single word, but that one day he uttered three. Three words and he spent them all at once. It was the first time he ever spoke all his three words at once. It was such a rare occurrence that it even surprised Kageyama himself. Not mentioning the orange-haired boy standing in front of him with his mouth agape.
"W-What do you say?" Hinata said, eyes in disbelief. Kageyama swore internally that Hinata's eyes were staring deep into his soul, and were able to see every part of him. Hinata waited for an answer, for Kageyama to say those three words again, but Kageyama wasn't sure he could. The last time he tried speaking a fourth word he ended up in the nurse's office with a coughing fit. Ignoring what could happen, Kageyama opened his mouth. He had a weird feeling, a confidence that was only familiar when he played volleyball. Kageyama was confident that he could break his curse, and say what he needs to say. For if he doesn't say these important three words again, Kageyama knows that he will ruin the only thing that matters to him.
"I-I love you, " he stuttered out for the second time today.