#2. giving hinata and kageyama the advice they needed to figure out their freak quick

[soullistrations]

okay i got to episode 21 and i REPEAT: sugawara is THEE glue and THEE heart of this team!!!!!!!!!!!

[jercythesiscrying]

Setter Insecurities | KageHina, G, 2.6k

NaNoWriMo Day 12: Angst OR AND Jealousy/Possessiveness

Summary: Kageyama notices that other setters like tossing to Hinata. He doesn't like it.

WARNING: Explicit manga spoilers post-Shiratorizawa match, specifically for Chapter 291. Slightly au, but otherwise this is pretty canon compliant. Can be read as slash or gen.

Read on Ao3

A/N: Please imagine that Karasuno got to practice with Seijoh instead of Date Tech. How??? Why????? Who knows this is just fanfic and I don't have an excuse my friends LOOOOOOOL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you to @bearixt​ for the quick beta and kind words!  ♥♥♥  All other errors are mine.

Tobio knows he’s not the easiest setter to synchronize with, nor is he the easiest person to get along with in general. He knows he’s good at what he does, but that doesn’t mean that everyone likes him for it. Middle school taught him a hard lesson in learning to cooperate with his teammates rather than commanding them.

Going to Karasuno changed a lot of things for him.

For one, he listens to his teammates. He listens to his senpai and seeks their advice. He listens to his fellow first-years, even if they are harder to tolerate. Yamaguchi’s fine to get along with, Tsukishima’s an asshole he’s begrudgingly come to trust on court sometimes, and Hinata –

Hinata is the one of the most annoying and exceptionally talented spikers he’s ever been partnered with.

Hinata will do what he wants regardless if Tobio tries to stop him, is not afraid to get into Tobio’s face and chew him out even when he’s too proud to admit he messed up. He challenges Tobio in new, thrilling ways that he didn’t think he could ever cultivate in any kind relationship.

Despite his faults, poor skills, and impulsive tendencies, Hinata is an amazing partner on and off court.

Tobio knows this. It’s why he works so hard to be a better setter. The court with the six stronger players are the better team, and Hinata is an incredibly strong player. When Hinata is doing his best, Karasuno can be their best.

The thing is, Tobio also knows that other players know this—setters especially. 

Suga-san may not be as technically skilled as him, but he has the experience and friendly approach that Tobio desperately needs as a setter. He doesn’t want to be especially warm the way his senpai is, no, but it would be so much easier playing volleyball with people who get along with him.

And Suga-san is always happy to gush about how easy it is to get along with his teammates. For Hinata in particular, he loves expressing how much fun it is to work with Hinata’s enthusiasm as a spiker and adjust to his skill level when he’s learning something new. Hinata never hesitates to let Tobio know that he “could be more like Sugawara-san.”

Tobio is always ready to throttle Hinata across the gym though, so maybe they’re even. Like now, as Tobio pelts a volleyball at his partner’s face. They’ve been arguing more than usual because Hinata won’t quit whining about how they’re not synching correctly. Tobio isn’t sure what’s wrong quite honestly, but the frustration is getting the better of him and he might have started yelling unfairly at Hinata, and then Hinata started making dumb comments like jeez, can you make a less scary face, Kageyama?

His aim is perfect, as always, pinpointed directly at Hinata’s nose, but Hinata is half a second faster and the ball hits him on his right cheek instead.

“Ow, you jerk!” Hinata cries out. The ball bounces away and Tobio lunges forward to strangle the middle blocker.

“Hey! You guys, quit fighting already!”

Tobio is still growling, fingers outstretched to reach for Hinata’s neck, when he feels someone pulling at the back of his shirt. When he finally stops, he realizes that Sugawara-san is trying to break them up.

“Kageyama started –”

“But the dumbass –”

“If you two can’t work together today, then switch partners!” Suga-san interrupts angrily. He groans, shaking his head to place his hands on his hips. “Jeez.”

“But we have to practice the new quick,” Tobio insists.

“The quick isn’t going to improve if you guys won’t stop fighting,” Sugawara counters. “I’ll work with Hinata on timing since you guys aren’t syncing up right now.”

Hinata grins. “Okay!”

Tobio doesn’t like how quickly Hinata agrees to that. Little shit, he thinks, he was supposed to practice with me today.

“Hinata –”

“I’m sorry, but if it’s not an apology then I don’t want to hear it, Kageyama,” Suga-san says before sighing. “Hinata can practice with me for now. You can work on the quick tomorrow.”

Tobio pouts, grumbling as he turns away. “Fine.”

The older setter leads Hinata to the other side of the court and asks Narita-san to practice with Kageyama instead. Hinata walks away with Suga-san’s hand on his back, but not before he looks over his shoulder to stick his tongue stuck out at Tobio.

Tobio growls again.

When Narita comes over, he grabs the volleyball from his senpai’s hands, probably rougher than he should, but he apologizes for it under his breath with a small bow.

The rest of practice goes by relatively uneventful, but when Tobio heads home his fingers still itch for one more toss.

Particularly for one orange-haired middle blocker. 

Tobio doesn’t know how Takeda managed to schedule a practice match with Aoba Johsai after their match against Shiratorizawa, but he’s not going to complain. He may be rivals with Oikawa-san, but watching him play is still an excellent opportunity he doesn’t want to pass up.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize that it’s the same for Oikawa: that he has the opportunity to watch him.

And Hinata too, apparently.

It was a close game, but Seijoh pulled through with a 25-23 victory in the last match. He and Oikawa don’t exchange words, just a glare (Tobio) and smirk (Oikawa-san). Tobio trails behind the rest of the team who begin doing cool-down stretches, choosing instead to eavesdrop on Oikawa and Sawamura’s conversation happening on the sidelines.

“Now we’re 2-2, Sawamura-kun.” Oikawa smirks.

Sawamura-san makes the same face he does when he talks to Nekoma’s captain; his expression upturns into a polite smile, but Tobio wonders if it’s really as pleasant as it looks.

“Until next time, Oikawa.”

Oikawa nods, and Tobio is about to stop listening until he hears Oikawa say, “Chibi-chan did well today.”

“Chibi—you mean Hinata?”

“Mm.”

Tobio frowns, pretending to stretch his arms along with everyone else.

“Yeah,” Sawamura eventually says. “His jumps are getting higher, that’s for sure. I think his spike reach is over 330cm now?”

Oikawa blows a low whistle. At this point, Tobio realizes he’s the only person left doing stretches and immediately pretends otherwise, stalking away from the two captains.

After he grabs his belongings from the change rooms, he hears Oikawa say, “Mind if I steal Chibi-chan for a sec, Sawamura-kun?”

Tobio doesn’t hear what the captain’s response is. When he whips his head around, he sees Oikawa chatting up a storm with Hinata. Why is he suddenly so friendly with the other setter when he usually cowers behind Tanaka-san around other captains?

He doesn’t get to dwell on it because Hinata starts bouncing on his toes.

“Really?” he says, and Tobio frowns at the way Hinata’s eyes literally begin to sparkle. “You want to toss to me?”

Tobio’s face pinches into a deep glare, nostrils flaring.

“Sure!” Oikawa-san says, as if he isn’t stealing Tobio’s partner, even though he’s just standing three metres away. “Iwa-chan and the rest are fun to toss to, but I don’t think I’ve ever been a setter for someone like you, Chibi-chan.”

The fact that Hinata apparently takes zero offense to the nickname angers Tobio almost as much as the prospect of Oikawa-san tossing to Hinata.

“Woah!” Hinata exclaims. “Why me though?”

Oikawa-san shrugs, flashing a toothy smile. “You seem like a fun person to toss to.” Then, he drops the grin with a sigh, putting his hands on his hips. “I also figured I may as well toss to the person who’s changed Tobio-chan so much”—and the smile reappears—“see what’s so interesting about you.”

The intimidation finally returns to Hinata, the way he begins to look overwhelmed a familiar sight to Tobio. He’s about to stomp over and give a piece of his mind when Oikawa breaks into a light chuckle, winking at Hinata.

“Don’t look so scared, Chibi-chan!” He laughs. “I’m sure I can give you a good toss.”

The excitement obviously wins over Hinata once more. “Ooh! I look forward to it!”

Tobio begins grumbling under his breath, anger boiling under his skin. Why is the idiot so excited for Oikawa-san to toss to him? Tobio’s sets can be just as good as his!

He takes another step to interrupt them but then he hears: “Hinata!” He turns around to see Suga-san waving at them to come over. “We gotta go! You too, Kageyama!”

Tobio blushes, hoping that Suga hasn’t seen him staring after Hinata and Oikawa-san this entire time.

“Next time, Chibi-chan?”

“You got it, Grand King!”

Hinata practically skips all the way to the bus. Tobio shoves his fists deep into his jacket pockets, unable to stop frowning. 

It bothers Tobio later that evening after winning against Inarizaki.

Shouyou-kun.

I’ll toss to ya one of these days.

Next to him, Hinata is sound asleep on his sleeping mat, tucked into his blankets and snoring obnoxiously. The exhaustion finally caught up to him once they returned to the hotel, and he passed out in the baths again. Yamaguchi managed to drag him out to get changed but he fell back asleep within minutes.

Tobio looks around the room, seeing everyone milling around, equally tired but with an undercurrent of excitement for tomorrow’s match.

I’ll toss to ya one of these days.

Tobio can picture it: Miya tossing to Hinata. What’s frustrating is how easily he can imagine it. The twins effortlessly copied their freak quick, the one that stunned their opponents over and over, like it was nothing. Miya’s also as good as he is—they were both chosen to participate in the youth camp, after all.

What more if he actually tosses it to the spiker who’s been perfecting that move since the beginning of the school year?

The difference between him and Miya-san is experience. It’s something Tobio knows he can’t help, but it makes him worry how he compares. Miya was also very personable during the camp, even if he was—is—scary during games. Where does that leave Tobio?

He looks at Hinata’s sleeping figure once more, frowning.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a frown, Your Highness,” Tsukishima snarks. When Tobio turns his head to face him, the douchebag still has his headphones on, and he isn’t even looking at Tobio.

“Fuck off,” he replies, pouting even more. Tsukishima doesn’t respond, focused on his phone. Tobio huffs and glares away.

He tucks himself into his sheets, lying down with his back towards Hinata. The last thing he remembers before drifting off is the unsettling image of Miya-san tossing Hinata their freak quick. 

Long after the tournament ends and the third years have retired, he and Hinata are in the gym, practicing spikes as they always do. The team is finished for the year, ready to welcome their hard-earned vacation with open arms. The duo is more than happy to do the same—as long as there’s volleyball within reach.

SMACK!

Tobio sets the ball low, not too close to the net—exactly the way Hinata likes it.

SLAM!

Hinata spikes the ball down easily, landing right on the paint.

“Watch your aim,” Tobio says reflexively.

“Yup.”

And repeat.

The gym echoes with the sounds of their shoes squeaking, the rythmic pounding of volleyballs hitting the court in perfect repetition—like a machine were making them, not two high school boys passionate for a sport. They lose count how many times they practice the same spike, barely speaking aside from comments to toss higher or adjust your run-up.

They finally head home once the sun begins to set, their limbs absolutely exhausted. They walk side-by-side, Hinata pulling his bike along.

“I’m so excited for next year!” Hinata exclaims. “I’m gonna train hard over break and work with other setters at Old Man Ukai’s and –”

“What do you need to train with other setters for?” Tobio snaps, glaring at Hinata. “You have me, don’t you?”

Hinata easily rolls his eyes. “Well, yeah, but I’m never going to be better than you if I only train with you.”

He rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Yes, it does!” Hinata insists. “Besides, how am I supposed to improve if I don’t learn to play with other setters?”

“You can improve with just me.”

“No, I can’t!”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t!”

“Yes, you can!”

They stop walking, facing each other with matching scowls.

“What does it matter if I play with other setters anyway?” Hinata finally says. “You’re not the only person who can toss to me, Kageyama.”

Tobio snarls, turning away with a huff before beginning to stomp ahead.

“Oi, Baka-yama! You never answered me!”

He continues to walk away.

“Kageyama!”

Tobio feels a hand pulling at his sleeve, and he finally stops, turning to glare at Hinata.

“What the hell, you jerk? First, you get mad at me about talking about other setters. Now you’re walking away.” He lets go of Tobio’s sleeve, and the concern spreading across Hinata’s face makes him feel self-conscious. “What’s wrong?”

Tobio pauses, looking away out of embarrassment.

“I don’t like it when you play with other setters,” he mumbles.

“What?”

He rolls his eyes, clearing his throat before repeating, “I don’t like it when you play with other setters.”

“Haaah?!” Hinata’s dumbfounded expression would be funny if it wasn’t because Tobio just admitted the most embarrassing thing ever. “What the hell does that mean?!”

Tobio narrows his eyes, feelings the ebbs of frustration already beginning to simmer. He tries to reign it in, taking a deep breath.

“It means that I get jealous, alright!” He releases another breath, chest heaving. “I get jealous.”

“What? Why?”

“Because when you learn to play with other setters, where does that leave me? I mean,” he admits, “I’m good but there are better setters. And I’m going to become one, but that’s happening because you’re there to help me. But what if that’s not the same for you? What if you find a better setter than me, and then I’m left behind again, tossing to nobody?”

The silence drags on for much longer than Tobio feels comfortable with, and he scoffs, glaring away.

“Whatever,” he mumbles. “Forget it.”

“Kageyama.”

He meets Hinata’s gaze again, his expression is so open and sincere that Tobio can feel heat creeping up his cheeks.

“That’s not going to happen, you know?” he says in a soft voice. “Yeah, I’m helping you, but you’re helping me too.” He tilts his head. “We can’t just rely on each other to improve our volleyball, or else we’d get stuck again.”

Tobio looks away. He doesn’t want to admit that Hinata’s right—out loud at least.

“But like,” Hinata continues, “that doesn’t mean I’m gonna leave you hanging. We’re rivals, sure, but we’re also partners. I’m not just gonna stop spiking your tosses just because I practiced with someone else.”

Tobio considers this. “You’re sure?”

“Well, yeah.” Hinata shrugs. “We piss each other off, but we also work really good together, right?”

Hinata holds out a fist to him. Tobio bumps his own fist against it.

“Yeah.”

Hinata sighs. “Jeez, I can’t believe you got worried over that. That’s just silly, Kageyama.”

Tobio is about to toss him into the wind when Hinata continues, “If you start to get insecure, tell me, dummy.” He nudges Tobio’s arm with an elbow. “I can help, but I can’t read your mind.”

Tobio rolls his eyes. “Shut up. I know that.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Whatever.”

They begin walking together again, the ticking of Hinata’s bike wheels and the sounds of their shoes against the road filling the silence between them.

Eventually, Hinata says, “Hey, I’ll race you to club tomorrow morning.”

“Last to the room does extra training?”

“You’re on!”