Archive of Our Own ^beta

If you were to tell first-year Shoyo that he ended up dating Kageyama Tobio, his rival and everyday annoyance, that he loved him with all his heart and soul and couldn’t imagine a life without him, he would double over laughing and probably refer you to a mental hospital. 

However, now that they were in their third year and had grown closer through high school and volleyball, Hinata could safely say he had thought about spending the rest of his life with Kageyama. He never talked to his boyfriend about that dream, unwilling to hold either of them back from their futures. He didn’t know what Kageyama was planning to do, but he hadn’t told him about Brazil, the funds he was saving for his plane ticket, or the future he was already mapping out that didn’t have his boyfriend setting for him.

He couldn’t do that to Tobio; he couldn’t tell him he wanted to be with him forever and then abandon him for Brazil. He wouldn't, no matter how much he wanted to pour out his heart. He had already made up his mind about it.

So why was it getting harder and harder every day to keep it in? Why did Tobio have to remind him of his yearning to be tied to him forever when they were together? 

At that particular moment, Tobio was at his house. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be there, so much so that Natsu started calling him “Shoyo’s person” and by his given name, which made Hinata happy. Tobio and Natsu sat at the table, hunched over Natsu’s homework.

Hinata’s first reaction to Kageyama “I don’t need to know no English” Tobio helping his little sister with her homework, was laughing his ass off on the couch, knowing damn well this wasn’t a job for either of them.

Natsu immediately came to Tobio’s defense, yelling at her brother to “be nice to Tobio.” Hinata shut his mouth and pouted at the smug look his boyfriend sent his way. His sulking on the couch made Kageyama playfully roll his eyes and kiss the pout off his lips, whispering, “I know I know jack shit about school, but I can try.”

Hinata just nodded then, watching his boyfriend and sister curiously as they got started. He laughed now and then, once when Tobio realized it was math and his whole life flashed before his eyes, when Tobio did his confused scratching his head thing, which Hinata always laughed at in their own math class. 

Natsu didn’t seem to get it, and Hinata could tell she was frustrated. He was about to get up and suggest they take a break and get ice cream when her eyes welled up.

“Natsu–” he started but shut his mouth, watching.

Tobio immediately lowered his voice and spoke in the gentlest tone he could muster, asking Natsu what was wrong. Hinata’s little sister angrily threw her pencil, wiping her face furiously, leaving red marks on her cheeks. 

“Hey, don’t do that,” Kageyama said not unkindly, holding her tiny hands in his bigger ones. “I get it; math is hard, right?” Natsu nodded, brows furrowed. “I feel the same way about it all the time.”

Natsu looked up, astonished. “You?”

Kageyama nodded. “But you know what’s different between you and me?” Natsu shook her head, and Hinata’s boyfriend grinned. “You’re much smarter than I am.”

Natsu broke out in a fit of giggles. “Tobio, that’s not true!”

Kageyama laughed and smothered her in a hug, ruffling her hair. Hinata watched everything from his spot, leaning against the wall. The way Tobio was so gentle and encouraging with Natsu warmed his heart.

“Let’s go get some ice cream or something,” Tobio suggested, glancing at Hinata for approval, and he nodded back, grabbing his wallet. Natsu cheered loudly, hopping over to Hinata.

“Did you hear that, Shoyo? We’re getting ice cream!”

Hinata laughed. “Yeah, we are! Better get your shoes on, Natsu.”

The kid skipped excitedly to the shoe rack and contemplated which sparkly pink shoes to wear. Kageyama smiled at Hinata as he passed him, following Natsu to get his shoes when Hinata gripped his wrist.

“Tobio.” 

He turned to look at his boyfriend, concerned. “Are you okay, Sho?” 

Hinata squeezed his wrist and furrowed his brows. He could feel the words bubbling up his throat, but he forced himself to swallow them. 

“Hey, talk to me,” Tobio said seriously, gently cupping his cheeks with his hands and caressing his face. He seemed to be searching Hinata’s eyes for something, and Hinata prayed he wouldn’t read what he was desperately trying to hide. He usually loved when they knew each other so well they could read each other’s minds, but now… 

He looked away, wrapping his arms around Kageyama’s neck in a tight embrace to avoid his prying gaze. His boyfriend’s arms enclosed his body immediately, resting his chin on Hinata’s soft hair. They stayed there briefly before Kageyama said, “You okay?”

Hinata breathed and pulled back slightly to look into Kageyama’s eyes. “Tobio–”

“Are we going to get ice cream or not?” Natsu shouted, already halfway out the door. 

Hinata let go of his boyfriend and yelled back, “Coming!”

He went ahead of Kageyama to catch up to his sister, but he quickly caught up and interlaced their fingers, bringing Hinata’s hand to his lips and kissing it. “I’m here if you wanna talk,” he whispered. 

“Thanks,” Hinata said sincerely, swinging their arms. “But if we don’t get going, I think Natsu might explode.”

The three of them walked to town to the ice cream shop, and Hinata watched fondly as Natsu gasped and jumped up and down at all the candies and options she could get. He didn’t know how great of an idea it was to tell her to go nuts, but he couldn’t take it back now. 

“RIP to your wallet,” Kageyama joked.

Hinata groaned. “It’s okay. She needs a bit of cheering up. Thanks for doing that, by the way.”

“Doing what?”

“Helping her with homework and telling her you suck to make her laugh.”

Kageyama scowled at him. “I did not say I suck. I don’t suck.”

Hinata banished the very easy dirty joke he could have made at that moment from his mind and bantered back in forth with his boyfriend instead about how much he sucked. 

Eventually, Natsu told him everything she wanted on top of her ice cream (ouch). Hinata and Kageyama ordered their cones, and the three ate at the park. The lovebirds sat on the swings while Natsu finished her ice cream at the speed of sound, running off to use all the energy she just gained.

Kageyama made an amused noise in the back of his throat. “She’s a lot like you.”

Hinata blushed. “What’s that supposed to mean, Bakayama?”

“What do you think it means, idiot?” Kageyama shot back. 

Hinata slouched and bit his ice cream, his annoying brain thinking about how he could do this with Tobio forever. The brain freeze chased the thoughts away for a few minutes, but he still complained.

“Owww, brain freeze!” 

“That’s what happens when you bite it,” Kageyama rolled his eyes, setting their ice cream down and rubbing Hinata’s temples with his fingers, the pressure alleviating the stinging pain. Hinata leaned into the touch and flushed, and not even the brain freeze or his poor self-control could keep the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

“Marry me.”

Tobio’s hands stopped abruptly, and when Hinata looked up, his boyfriend’s expression was entirely unreadable. “Tobio?” he said nervously, taking his hands in his. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that–”

“The hell you mean you didn’t?” 

Hinata’s jaw dropped open, but he couldn’t find the right words.

 Kageyama’s hands moved to grab his face, his eyes shining with determination. “Shoyo. Did you mean that?”

Hinata swallowed, brown eyes avoiding his boyfriend’s blues.

“Look at me.”

Hinata looked back up. He nodded and said, “Yeah, I meant it.”

Kageyama connected their lips in a searing kiss, Hinata’s eyes flying open in surprise before he kissed back. Kageyama's grip on Hinata’s hair was firm but not painful, and when he pulled back from the kiss, he was much softer than when he initiated it. He let up on his hair and moved it to the back of his neck.

Hinata shivered at Kageyama’s intense eye contact. 

“Yes.”

“What?” Hinata said incredulously. “Did you just say yes to my crazy question?”

Kageyama huffed. “It’s not that crazy, boke… it’s not like I’ve never thought about it before.”

Hinata sat there dumbfounded. His amazing boyfriend just agreed to marry him. While he was overthinking what that meant, Kageyama simply picked up their ice cream and located Natsu on the playground, continuing as if nothing had happened. 

“Wha– BAKAYAMA!” he screeched. “How can you eat ice cream at a time like this?! We have to talk about this!”

“Your ice cream is melting,” was the only answer he got. 

Hinata sighed and glared at Kageyama out of the corner of his eye, licking his ice cream angrily. He didn’t even feel like making a dirty joke about it.

“Obviously, we can’t get married right now,” Kageyama said after a few minutes. Hinata turned to look at him. “But… someday.” Kageyama reached for Hinata’s hand and ran his thumb across his knuckles.

Hinata smiled. “Someday… I like someday.”

They stayed in happy, comfortable silence, just watching Natsu play until Kageyama whispered, only for Hinata to hear, “I can’t believe you want to marry me. You’re really an idiot.”

“Hey! You know what, right back at you!”

Kageyama chuckled. “You’re right; I don’t know why I want to marry you.”

Hinata rolled his eyes and shoved his boyfriend. “Shut up! That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

Kageyama kissed him again. “I do.”

Hinata smiled and said, “Save the I-do’s for the wedding, Bakayama.”

“It’s never too early to start practicing.”