*DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY FIRST FAN FIC, SO IT IS PROBABLY TERRIBLE. Also Kagehina, and yaoi in future chapters, so yea.*

Chapter 1:

As Kageyama lay on the couch, he glanced down at Hinata curled up in his arms. He admired the way that Hinata could feel totally relaxed despite what just happened to him. He wanted to hug him and cuddle but was afraid that he would wake him. As Kageyama admired Hinata, he reflected on the turn of events that lead them to this point.

After being completely rejected from his Jr. High volleyball team, he felt very alone.

"It was all their fault! Had they just been faster, I wouldn't be so angry all the time!" Kage thought to himself, but deep in his heart he knew that not to be true. He understood that he was a very competitive and serious person, but there was little he could do about it. When Kage started to go to Karasuno, he figured it would be a repeat of his junior high years, but he still wanted to give it his all. On the first day as he practiced his serve, Hinata, a boy who had stuck out in his memory for being a very good, and very annoying, volleyball player from the past, rushed through the door. After a confused shriek from Hinata, the two realized they had to play for the same team and neither was really happy about it.

When their subsequent arguing got them kicked out of the school gym, they mutually agreed that they had to work together in order to get back in. Kage was actually quite surprised to see that Hinata, despite his brashness and energy, could actually get serious if the need came up. After "settling" their dispute and getting back into the gym, and by extension back onto the team, they discovered that they really could work together. Kage's precision, matched with Hinata's speed, made them a frightening combo to behold.

Over the subsequent weeks Kage really started to see Hinata not as an annoying teammate, but as an annoying teammate that he cared about. Why and to what degree he cared eluded him. It seemed to go beyond just being teammates and into wanting to spend time with him outside of practice. This had Kage deeply perplexed. As he sat near the gym he thought,

"Why do I want to spend more time with this guy, especially when he is such an idiot?… Perhap-"

His thoughts were interrupted by a bouncing orange ball of energy rushing towards him.

"Hey Kageya-"

Hinata's beckoning was cut short by his tripping over a rock and landing squarely in Kage's lap. Kageyama couldn't tell if it was the sudden jolt or the surprise appearance of Hinata, but his heart seemed to start to race. It took Kage a full second to come back to his senses.

"Get off me, dumbass!" Kage said as his voice almost cracked.

As he said this, however, he felt somewhere deep down, for only a fraction of a second, that he really wished he hadn't just said that. After dealing with whatever inane thing Hinata wanted, he had more time to himself to reflect. He realized that he wasn't angry or annoyed by Hinata barging in on his thoughts, but rather amused. As Kageyama laid in his bed that night with his mind preventing him from resting his sore muscles, all he could think about was Hinata.

"Why can't I get this guy out of my head!? He is annoying, stupid, incredibly cute…!"

It took him a few seconds to fully understand what he just thought, and even longer to grasp the the implications of it.

"Do I…like Hinata…?"

As he thought this, his tiredness caught up with him and he finally went to sleep. The next day, Kageyama was dreading practice. His cold and bitter exterior was replaced by the look of a man about to go to the gallows. People would have asked about it, had they not already been afraid of him. When Kage finally did make it to practice, the sight of Hinata sent him into a state of profound awkwardness. All Kage wanted to do was be near Hinata, and this realization made him panic a bit. He had never really liked anyone like this, and these feelings were about to kill him. Tsuki's teasing brought him back to his senses. Tsukishima was another member of the volleyball club who loved to tease Kageyama for his over-seriousness and his old nickname, "King." Kage was both annoyed at Tsuki and also happy that he had brought him out of the mild anxiety attack he was having.

During practice, he caught sight of Hinata leaping for one of the setter's tosses. His form was amazing, and he seemed to have this radiant determination. What Kageyama thought about most, though, was just how good Hinata looked at that exact second, and the thought, "Wow… I think I really like him…" appeared in his head. From that point forward, Kage was nicer to Hinata. Nicer in this case meaning that he called him "Dumbass" slightly fewer times and gave him the occasional juice box.

At one point in science class, the teacher told the class that they would be doing a fun experiment and that they needed to partner up. Reflexively, Kage shot his hand at Hinata's shoulder, causing Hinata to jump and almost yelp.

"P-Partners…?" Hinata stammered

Without even looking at Hinata, Kage nodded. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the girl sitting in front of Hinata was halfway turned around in her seat, staring daggers into him before turning back around and pouting. As they got to the tables filled with beakers and various chemicals, the teacher called out to the class,

"Today we will be doing an experiment called 'Traffic Lights.' Now do not mess with the beakers at your table, as some of these things are corrosive."

As the teacher said this, Kage noticed Hinata playing with a eye dropper. Kage gave him a look that caused him to set it down and apologize.

"So to start, one beaker is filled with hot water, and one is filled with cold water. There is also tray labeled 'Glucose' and one labeled 'Sodium Hydroxide.' Put some of the glucose into the beaker with the hot water, and some of the sodium hydroxide in the other, and stir."

As Kageyama wondered about the incredibly imprecise measurements given by the teacher he heard Hinata shyly say,

"Uh- Kage, would you mind like, scooting over a bit..?"

At that point he noticed that he, apparently without realizing it, subtly moved closer to Hinata to the point that he started to invade his personal space. He quickly scooted over and apologized before his face turned red.

"Next, locate the bottle labeled 'Indigo Carmine' and put a little bit of that into the hot water and glucose solution and stir. Then add the cold water and sodium hydroxide solution to the other and watch the magic happen."

As they did this, the contents of the beaker turned from blue to green instantly. Hinata, carefully observing the mixture, was immediately fascinated. Kage, curious as to why this was called "Traffic Lights," looked away when Hinata started to frantically say.

"Kage! Kage! Look, it is turning red!"

The chemical concoction was indeed turning a deep red as Hinata at this point was in total awe. Kage might have been more enamored with the reaction had he not been looking at the absolutely adorable expression on Hinata's face. When the mixture finally settled on a brilliant yellow color, Hinata was in a state of wonder. While Kage gazed on at his friend, he couldn't help but give a smile at the cute sight. When the bell rang to go to the next period, Kage marveled at just how much he enjoyed doing the experiment with Hinata. He felt as if his feelings for him were solidified, but one thing still bothered him however; he hadn't shared his feelings with Hinata yet. At this point, he started to want to get physically closer to his now best friend, but Hinata seemed oblivious to his advances.

It was really starting to bother him. The desire to hold him in his arms and to hug him tightly, as well as a few other things, was driving him mad. Kage had started to spend a lot of his free time researching what it was like to be with a guy romantically, and slowly accepted that he had fallen head over heels in love with Hinata. After trying to hint at his feeling for Hinata for weeks with very little success, he decided to just be straightforward with it. He caught Hinata outside the gym in their usual spot.

"Hinata, we need to talk."

"About what, Kage?"

"I… want to be more than friends…"

"Like… best friends…?"

Kageyama facepalmed with a forceful thud. This might be harder than he originally thought. Why must he be so dense?

"No, dumbass, I like you!"

"Oh…"

Hinata's face turned crestfallen at the sound of this, he looked like he was deep in thought. Kage grew more tense with every silent-filled second.

"You know what, forget it." he growled.

Kageyama began to turn to stomp off when he felt a tug on his shirt sleeve.

"No, Kageyama, wait…"

Kageyama turned to see Hinata's face devoid of its usual outgoingness and replaced with a childlike shyness he hadn't seen before.

"I… like you as well. I just wasn't sure you liked me back…"

Hearing this, Kage pulled Hinata into a deep embrace, feeling for the first time in a very long time a sense of deep, enriching happiness. They embraced for what felt like forever when Hinata started to pull away.

"So are we like… dating now?" Hinata muttered softly so that just himself and Kageyama could hear.

"Yea… you want to go out sometime?" Kageyama asked coyly.

"I would love to…"