It was only logical - really, that's all it was.

Kageyama isn't unfamiliar with the phrase "I love you". He's heard it, several times in fact, whether uttered by some child passing by him on the way to the train station, by a teddy bear on a television show playing on public monitors, on those romantic comedies Tanaka (covertly) watches with his sister every Thursday night, or every single time someone does something even remotely nice for Hinata.

The way he sees it, Hinata uttered the phrase the same way he tossed his sets:

Freely, knowingly, and never towards the setter himself.

His first time hearing the phrase was on the way home from training, stopping by a certain convenience store for the best pick-me-up fifty yen and a (mildly) persuasive Tanaka could buy. True to his promise to Hinata, upperclassman Nishinoya (or "Nishinoya-senpai" as he so preferred it) spared a portion of his savings to get the red-headed first year an ice cream treat.

"Whoa, I can have this?" Hinata ogles in bewilderment, apparently not having encountered a soda-flavored popsicle ever in his life before that very moment. The prideful nod he receives in return only seems to widen his eyes even further. "Really? Thank you thank you thankyouthankyou—"

His mantra of gratification goes on for no less than twenty-or-so repetitions - Nishinoya looking more rejuvenated with each one. And Kageyama's fairly certain that he would've tuned out if it weren't for the slight switch in tone he caught around the nineteenth time.

There was a slight lilt in the final you, and a short, sharp intake of breath followed by a jubilant, booming "I love you!"

Kageyama blinks, his chewing adjourned as he glances at those beside him. At the very least he expects the phrase to have elicited some sort of surprised reaction, however the two upperclassmen look nothing but amused.

If anything, Nishinoya looks as if he'd just won the lottery. "Don't worry, that's what us senpais are for!"

The remark is followed by a fit of laughter that's soon joined in by Tanaka, and Kageyama makes a mental note that "I love you" is a phrase that is apparently free to be tossed around.

Kageyama's ability to adapt is a strong one. He's always one to observe - to take notes on every little thing that makes up everything around him. To not be aware of your surroundings could - to his assumption - lead to the downfall of a setter such as himself. He took things as they came, and never looked back on them.

Yet if that's true, it doesn't quite explain the pinch of annoyance he felt back at the road that night.

It doesn't explain why, three days later, the annoyance only returned when the same phrase was uttered again amidst a terribly long appreciation rant on Asahi's spiking ability, or when Tanaka managed to divert a stray ball from hitting Hinata square in the face, or Suga after being given tips on how to handle receives more effectively, or Daichi for finding the training shoes he apparently misplaced in the locker room, or when Yamaguchi spared him a sip of water when Hinata so desperately needed it.

Not that Kageyama minded the fact that he's probably the only person on the team that it hasn't been said to.

Not at all.

His quaint rumination is interrupted when the whistle calls for him to be switched back into play, the 3 vs. 3 setup they were currently trying out allowed for tighter areas of play and a strain on communication - but, at this point, it's all about getting into the grind of playing. The score is 24 - 18 and in Kageyama's favor, and it'll all be over if they get this next spike and—

The piercing thump not seconds later tells him that the volleyball has been successfully blocked and grounded by the opposition. 24-19 - not a worrying setback since they're still ahead, but certainly the game extender Daichi anticipated when he broke Hinata onto the other team a couple of points ago. Now, it's not unlike Kageyama to get worked up over losing a point, however—

"Oh?" muses a voice from across the net. "Looks like the King is feeling a bit rusty without his Queen."

—in this particular situation, there may have been a little extra weight on the scales. And Kageyama is seconds away from giving that bespectacled bastard a very thorough piece of his mind when their impending spat is interrupted.

"That was super awesome - you totally saved us with that block!"

The voice is cheery, bright, and - to his horror - Hinata's.

In fact, it's strikingly familiar - every detail from the soft lilt in his words to the short intake of breath in anticipation reverberating in his head before collapsing into the realization that the only three syllables worthy of such preparation were about to resound across the court. And, he draws from the knowing look Tsukishima chances at him (that bastard), he too knows exactly what's about to happen.

But it's only a phrase.

"I love you!"

. . . right?

"Damn it! Why do you never say that you love me?"

The full pierce of Kageyama's words is left to echo and bask in the stunned silence it instigates - save for the half-hearted sound of a volleyball being dropped on serve somewhere behind him.

Fuck.

A/N: I posted this on my fic tumblr and I realized that it's long enough for me to post here too.

I marathoned the Haikyuu! manga two weekends ago and got this little story idea shortly after - I adore this ship's dynamic w I also thought I'd write something a bit lighthearted since this ship - alongside natsuyuki - are the dorkiest dorks can get

This is also a thing for a friend, so good luck on your exams you butt =3=