Story: Wrote for the Tsukihina Week and the HaikyuuWriteCamp. Cross-posted into Ao3. Translation available on Portuguese.

Tsukishima had become surprisingly popular.

Of course, the first one to notice it was Yamaguchi, even on his first year there was a beautiful girl who talked to him only to ask about his best friend and her interest was clear. At first, he had been shocked. The idea of someone liking Tsukishima that way was laughable. Tsukki wasn't the type who would act all sweet.

Then more and more girls seemed to be interested on him, even if not all of them went to talk to Yamaguchi. He had laughed inside though when a brave one had appeared and asked his friend out, but sadly she was denied.

Yachi was the second one, saying she was surprised with the amount of attention he was getting from her classmates. She murmured something about this making sense, because he was the cold, smart and athletic guy. Nobody else understood what she was talking about.

Slowly, the others also had seen things that made undeniable that Tsukishima was, in fact, a popular guy with the girls. Like giggles as they watched them or the love confession he kept getting.

It had all come to a point that there was mini-fan club watching they train. Some, such as Tanaka and Nishinoya liked it, doing everything they could to look good to the girls, much to Ennoshita's annoyance. Hinata thought it was distracting, but he soon got used to it and even befriend some of the girls. Yamaguchi had been nervous at first. Kageyama didn't actually care if there were there or not.

Kei hated them. They were way too loud and too ridiculous. Did they honestly think he would fall for one of them just because they were there? They didn't even know him. He didn't like having to practice with some useless people around (even if they stayed at the bleachers).

So, as usual, he ignored them the entire training.

"Hey, you. Acting like you're too good for them. What's the problem? Are you gay?" Tanaka asked, angry. He would kill for having all those girls into him and couldn't understand why Tsukishima didn't spare them a glance.

For the look on Tsukishima's face, Yamaguchi knew he had said the wrong thing. Tanaka was going down.

"Please, not all of us are desperate to find a girlfriend" he said. "It has been months since Shizimu-senpai has left Karasuno and you still haven't let go of her, it's creepy the way you stalk her. I'm surprise she's still putting up with your crap" he replied.

Tanaka stared at him, shocked. Yes, he always knew that Tsukishima was a prat and it wasn't like he had changed on the last few months, but somehow, he had forgot how mean the boy could be. The worst part was that he was right, deep down, he knew that he did to Shizimu didn't make her fall for him, but he couldn't help it. She was just so perfect.

Still, if he didn't need the smart-ass to win, Tanaka would very happy to beat the crap out of him. As he couldn't, he just said how bad he thought the other was and stormed off.

"Tsukki, why did you do it?" Yamaguchi asked reproachful.

Tsukishima just shrugged. He didn't feel like sharing that the gay part had scared him.

"You're the worst" Hinata said.

Tsukishima couldn't take it anymore. He had been happy when he heard the first girl confessing to him. But it had happened so much that he felt nothing he heard another one say how she liked him, how she wanted to know him.

"I can't date with you" he said, his patient running out.

"Why?" she replied.

Tsukishima mind run wild as he tried to imagine if she was like the other one who had cried when he said she wasn't his type. Yamaguchi always said to lead them down gently, but how could he?

"I'm already dating someone" he said finally. Maybe this would make all of those people stopped brothering him so much and he would be able to resume his peace.

"Who is she?"

There it was again. She. For all the supposed progress the society had made, people didn't seem to really considered an option that someone was dating someone from the same sex. This, for some reason, enraged Tsukki enough that he said:

"He. It's a boyfriend" he said, coldly.

The girls' eyes winded.

"Sorry... I didn't know" she said. "But who is he?"

Tsukishima wondered if she was suspicious of him or if only needed that information to heal her broken ego. Anyway, he didn't had answer. So, he just walked away.

He had managed to take a few steps before noticing Hinata was standing there, amused.

"Let's go" he said. It was time to go the practice anyway.

"WAIT! It's him?" she said, pointing to Hinata.

Tsukishima was ready to say no, there was no way they were dating, when he realized that he would have to find somebody else if he did so. And he was just so done with it, he wanted to be able to walk around the school in peace.

"Yes" Tsukishima just said that before grabbing Hinata's hand (it wasn't soft) and leaving the girl behind.

"What the hell, Tsukishima?" Hinata asked, as soon they were midway through the gymnasium. He was totally lost.

"You have to help me. I can't stand it anymore!" Tsukishima said and then let it out of how much annoying he thought the girls were, always around him, and making him miss things he did wanted to do or see. "I always deny them, but I don't know what to do anymore" he confessed, frustrated. How low he had got that he needed Hinata's help?

"But don't you like one of them at least?" he seemed curious.

Tsukishima denied. He didn't feel even a bit attracted to them. He liked to hang out around girls as friends, as Yachi, but as something more made him feel uncomfortable. He could never understand the desire his friends had for them.

He had already figured out he was gay, but he was just not ready to admit it to anyone until now. He wanted to keep it to himself for a while. He knew it all would have been simpler if he had told the girls the truth before, but he couldn't and he wasn't planning to do it for now, yet the commentary about who he was dating put him off. Now, though, the school would know and there was no point in denying just to admitting the truth later.

"I wish I was on your shoes, with girls coming to confess all the time" Hinata said.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. Hinata wasn't really as popular as him, however, he couldn't complain, because he knew for a fact that many girls liked him.

"Then why did you reject Akane-chan?" he asked.

Hinata blushed, not having expected the other to know at all about the last girl who had confessed to him.

"It wasn't fair to her, I, urgh, kind of have a crush on someone" he said avoiding his eyes.

This was golden material, Tsukishima thought. He only wished that that someone wasn't Kageyama, because the two of them as couple would be even more annoying. But for all he knew, Hinata was straight.

"So… I know it sucks. But can you pretend to be my boyfriend?" Tsukishima pleaded, hating that he had to show so much weakness.

"Fine. I'll help you. But I do have one condition" Hinata said.

"What is it?" asked Tsukishima warily.

"You have to apologize to Tanaka-senpai" he told him.

"I won't".

"Good luck explaining to that girl that we just broke up. I'll be anxious to tell my side of the story, for sure" he had a wicked grim, different from everything Tsukishima had ever seen on him before. It wasn't like his serious deadly face or his normal cheerful expression.

"Alright. I'll do it" Kei replied, cursing him on his mind.

"Ok" he said before they went to gymnasium.

Taking a deep breath, Tsukishima approached Tanaka.

"I'm sorry" Tsukishima said, the words tasting bitter on his mouth.

"What?" the boy looked surprised at him.

"For snapping at you, I mean. You were being an idiot… but I shouldn't have said those things about Shizimu-senpai" this was the best he could say.

"That's alright" Tanaka smiled. "You were kind of right actually. About letting her go" he said.

Tsukishima just nodded and then they pretended this conversation had never happened.

Hinata had basically forget everything about the whole fake dating thing until he was chatting with his friend on the break and noticed that his class was quieter than usual. He looked up and saw Tsukishima awkwardly standing on the door of his class.

If it was a real boyfriend, Hinata would get up and save him from embarrassment. As this was just his salty teammate, he had fun watching him crossing the room until he was right on front of him.

"Do you… want to eat with me?" Tsukishima said, the words low. He must be hating every second of it, then again it was a hole he craved himself.

"Hello, love" Hinata said, almost unable to stop himself from laughing. He barely registered the shocked whispers behind him. "Of course I want to eat with my boyfriend!" he said cheerfully. "See you later!" he informed to his shocked friend, who only nodded as the two of them left.

The news spread fast.

The team knew something wasn't right, Hinata and Tsukishima had never acted as boyfriends do (in fact, their rivalry was only coming to a middle point this term). There was just no way they were together. Yamaguchi knew the truth, but Kageyama couldn't make Hinata say anything about it.

"Tsukishima" called Tanaka, he looked strangely shy. "I realized I also own you an apology, just now I thought that maybe it looked I had a problem with you being gay" he said. "I don't, okay? You wouldn't be the first gay I'm friend with, not even the first volleyball gay friend I have" he rambled.

Tsukishima nodded and actually smiled a little. This was good, he had been afraid that his team wouldn't accept him, but at least one of them did.

"Let's change" he said and Tanaka followed him, glad.

Tsukishima was stretching himself, happy that no one else had talked about his (fake) relationship with Hinata yet, when he heard Nishinoya do so just as practice was about to start. He froze.

"What is this weird rumor that you and Tsukishima are together?" Nishinoya asked loudly to Hinata.

"Oh, we're" he replied naturally, missing how red his pretended boyfriend turned. "Tsukki and I are dating".

That made everyone look at them strangely.

"Hinata…" Tsukishima hissed. "Here?"

Shōyō shrugged.

"They would know anyway, Kei-chan" he said, taking pleasure on the look of surprise on Tsukishima's face.

Yamaguchi wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. He had to play like it was true, after all.

"Yes, Hinata is right. No need to hide it anymore, Tsukki" he said. "Let's train".

That closed the subject for now. The Spring Inter-high was around the corner, anyway.

"Why did you lie to the team too?" asked Kei as he left the school with Hinata.

"Someone of the team would have leaked the truth, you know. It's not like Nishinoya and Tanaka can resist to pretty girls" he said.

Tsukishima was surprised, that was a lot more of thought that he was expecting to Hinata to put on this.

"Oh, I see" he said only.

"Besides it will be fun see them trying to understand" Hinata laughed.

Tsukishima smiled a little. Yeah, the King would probably lose his head try to understand how his best friend fell for him.

"What are you going to do when you get home?" asked Hinata suddenly.

"Nothing much" Tsukishima shrugged. "Just watch Black Sails".

"I have never heard of it. What's like?" he sounded interested.

Kei replied and they went the rest of the way to his way talking, he only noticed he had arrived when Hinata said his goodbye before continuing his way to wherever he was going.

The next day, Hinata was the one to go to his classroom to get him. He had said hi to Yamaguchi before asking Tsukishima to come with him. His best friend had lifted his eyebrow, but didn't comment.

Tsukishima tried to keep the surprise off of his face as he felt Hinata grabbing his hand and holding it. He didn't mind at all the touch, even if he wondered where this came from. There was no need to go this far to help him.

"I need to show you something" said Hinata then pointed to his phone.

"Ok" Tsukishima replied.

He guessed it was something that had to do with volleyball and it was proved right when they arrived at the terrace. Hinata told him to sit down and followed him as he did so. He then started to play a video.

"Kenma sent me this" he explained. "Do you think we could this?"

Tsukishima tried to focus on the video, but it was hard with Shōyō being so close. He could feel the warm of the boy's body and it felt strangely intimate. He liked it.

But it was when he looked his eyes with Shōyō, who was expecting an answer, that he thought he was actually lost. He should never have fake dated someone he felt attraction for.

"Yes, I think we can" he said, even if he was talking about something else entirely different.

After two weeks spending his breaks with Hinata, he knew he would miss him when they fake broken up. He had never planned to keep this forever, just long enough to people buy it and that he could pretend he was heartbroken after. Now, though, he was thinking he would be heartbroken.

Shōyō was different with him now, less intense and more reasonable. To his surprise, they actually liked a lot of the same TV shows and they even ended up making a Game of Thrones marathon (okay, they just managed to rewatch some of the third season episodes, but it was the best).

"Are you coming, love?" Hinata said, smiling brightly at him when once more Tsukishima came to his class to get him.

The nicknames. Because they didn't want to do much physical demonstration, they had to go extra hard with showing their relationship through words. Tsukishima thought it was ridiculous at first, but now he felt something weird on his chest every time he called him by one.

He only nodded, his heart feeling heavy as he knew that now would be the last time he would stay with Hinata like that. They would come back to only teammates again, no more movies nights or touches. Or nightmares. Or a feeling of belonging.

"I think it's time we broke up" he forced the words out loud, when they were alone on the roof top.

"What? Why?" Hinata sounded angry. Maybe it was because he thought it was arrogant of him to decide that only.

Tsukishima sighed. He wished he could have stayed with Shōyō forever.

"I know it's must be hard for you. I'm glad for your help. Thanks to you, I get the peace that I wanted" and so much more, he left unsaid. "It has been really fun. Thank you".

"Don't do that" Hinata pleaded. Tsukishima looked at him confused. "Are you doing this because you want this to stop or for me?"

Tsukishima wondered what was the point of admitting the truth. Yes, Hinata Shōyō had been a boyfriend so much better than he expected. He didn't want this to end at all, instead he wanted to do so much more with him. But there was no way that Shōyō felt something like that, he should have been glad that he could stop pretend.

Then again, didn't Hinata deserve the truth after how much he went through for him?

"For you" he admitted.

Shōyō smiled, as if that was what he wanted to hear.

"Then let's continue it?" he suggested, as if was something simple and not something that turned Kei's world upside down. "I had so much fun with you, I want to stay that way" Shōyō continued to say.

"Wait. Do you want to end things?" Tsukishima asked confused. He knew he liked Hinata, but didn't expect this to be mutual.

"Why do you think I agreed to help you? I have a crush on you, Tsukishima Kei" Shōyō said with a challenge glare. "So what are you going to do about it?" he seemed almost as confident as when he played volleyball. Tsukishima liked that, nonetheless he couldn't let the boy win.

"This" he said as he finally brought down his lips into his.

Notes: So, this has been so much fun to write! (though it did mess my head a little) I really like how this turned out.