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Chapter Text

After losing the match with Karasuno, Ushijima can never look at Hinata the same way again. The dread of not winning the game and advancing to the Nationals. To think that the powerhouse academy with the superhuman high school ace, Shiratorizawa got defeated by the unknown and supposedly 'weak' bunch called Karasuno Volleyball Team. It was unfathomably unexpected. It was as if seeing the ultimate predator, the eagle, get taken down by a murder of ravenous crows.

The Shiratorizawa High School Volleyball Team was exhausted. As they walk away from the glistening floor of the court, they wept. Wept with the failure of not living up to their expectations but some tears were shed with the knowledge that the last match was the last time they will get to play with the same set of people. The match that they lost, was the final opportunity for the third year members to play officially with the group. The dread swallowed each teammate alive, shrouded by dark impenetrable walls, they fought their own devils and won their own battles. Each member lost the same game, but each minds were equipped with distinct thoughts resounding from their heart.

'I'm never gonna let this happen again.'

'We are going to win next year.'

'Our team will go back even stronger. Just you wait, Karasuno!'

'So that's the last time I'll get to play with them huh.. I'm gonna miss these guys.'

'I wish I could play with you more.'

'Farewell, my paradise.'

Shiratorizawa Academy lost to Karasuno High School this year, but not everything is set in stone. They can simply soar like eagles next year, this time even higher!

The leader of the pack, Ushijima Wakatoshi, dealt with his own regrets. For no reason, he disliked Hinata Shoyou for his 'baseless guts'. This is an 'anomaly' that bothers him. He does not know what to do with Hinata as he soars in the court like the sun breaking free from the horizon, casting a glow and stealing everyone's glances. The ace thinks of the decoy as somebody weak and unskillful.

'I'm Hinata Shoyou from the concrete. I'm going to beat you and go to the Nationals', Ushijima remembered those words. He reminisced the drive and seriousness from those words along.

'Is his confidence really baseless from the start?', he contemplated as he now walks slowly ashamed of their defeat against the team. The abrupt and astonishing jump from the younger player is forever emblazoned in his mind. Reaching for the stray ball that came between them on that orange-lit hour, Hinata left the ground almost floating or even flying.

'Hinata Shoyou is strong.', Ushijima Wakatoshi admitted in his head. He strides along the arena thinking about Karasuno's #10: his soft face, the sweet laugh that leave his pretty lips, and the tantalizing eyes that rendered him frozen in fascination. He wishes to see the orange sun once again. He wanted to "make peace" or rather get to know each other.

The ace pondered about what he said to the middle blocker. Thoughts clouded his brain as his heart split into two: to lower his pride and apologize to Hinata or to keep his dignity and stride away from him like an esteemed lion walking away after being hunted by his own prey. For a prideful person like him, this is a daunting task. Nobody is forcing him to apologize but somehow, he feels compelled to do so. Almost as if an invisible force is pulling him towards the younger player. Eventually, he ignored the latter option. He is in favor-in favor of lowering his vainglorious head to congratulate the winner and maybe admit that he was wrong. 

As he keeps up the pace along the hallway, he saw the object of his attention skipping towards the restroom. Wakatoshi took this as the perfect opportunity. This is it! He will say the words he has been meaning to convey to Shoyou.. in the restroom.. after he does his business of course, he's a gentleman after all.

Ushijima followed him inside the room casually. The smaller boy disappearing behind the confines of one cubicle. He waits just outside the stall. While waiting, he felt an ounce of self-consciousness wash over him. He washes his face and his hands as he wiped himself dry, folding the handkerchief with the damp side in. Wakatoshi is normally an oragnized and neat person but Hinata manages him to feel chaotic and uncertain which confused and irritated the third year.

Th door to a cubicle opened, revealing a tuft of fluffy orange hair. Shoyo stopped in his tracks, petrified as he stares at the large man in front of him.

'W-Why the hell is U-Ushiwaka here?! I-Is he tryna pick a fight or something?? He did not follow me here for that...right?', he thought as pulses of anxiety coursed through his body. He stares up at him expectantly, truly not thinking of anything. He just sees the hulking frame of the other as he looks down at him. He shivers at the cold gaze.

"Hinata Shoyou.. ", one of the top three ace finally broke the silence as his voice grumbled softly. His tone is laced with mixture of apprehension and uncertainty under the guise of a supposed deadpan and stoic tone he usually puts on.

"H-how can I help y-you??" The poor guy croaked, absolutely terrified of him.

Ushijima does not wish Hinata to feel this way. In fact, he wants him to feel at ease. He does not want to pick a fight nor does he want to terrorize the boy. He truly just wants to tell him he realized he was wrong. And hopefully.. get to become friends with him. He overlooked that last thought and mentally cleared his thoughts. 

'Where should I even begin?' Wakatoshi thought to himself. He looked at the way Shoyo's large bright amber eyes shoot out wide as he looks at him pupils dilated. 'He's terrified.', he expresses.

He tried very much to seem friendly, which is going to be difficult since he is a person who never knows what to do to diffuse these certain reactions. He is used to being talked about and looked at as if he is a monster. He shrugs those lingering glances all the time but right now.. he can't say he can just ignore that. Not when it is Hinata Shoyou looking at him in that way.

He brainstormed his way out of the situation. Thinking of ways to make the younger player at ease. The entire moment felt stagnant, though only lasting for a few seconds. And after what seemed like an eternity, he reached a conclusion.

The ever-so stoic, Wakatoshi, flashed a 'reassuring smile' to the boy standing in front of him. The 'smile' was utterly forced and extremely awkward. It almost as if seeing a child force a smile for a picture after being scolded about it by his mother. But right now, this is the best thing to come out of Ushijima's brain. This is his BEST way to diffuse an awkward situation.

If the decoy can say " ?! " out loud he TOTALLY would have done it. He truly has no idea what the ace wants from him. But the he can't just undermine the effort of a stoic and serious man like him trying to seem friendly. 'I legitametely haven't met a person who requires this much effort just to smile', he thought. But he cleared his throat and beamed up at him.

"What's up, Ushijima-san? You got uhh.. nice smile.. haha..", Shoyou said. You know it's troublesome when the sun itself has trouble being cheerful. 

"Oh, you think so?", Wakatoshi seriously believed the first year. 'I gotta smile more around him if that's the case.', he thought to himself.

If somebody told Hinata that one of the top three aces would smile at him awkwardly and take his compliment seriously he truly would not believe that blatant lie. But here he is. He just told his rival that his smile is great and unexpectedly, he seemed to believe it.

"Yeah! A-anyways.. w-what are you here for, Ushijima-san? Are you looking for someone?", Shoyou asked, wanting to break free from the tense atmosphere of the room.

The third year looked around the cramped rest room. He thought, 'Is it right to say this in the restroom?' He valued his dignity and he decided that if he was going to apologize to somebody he will at least pick a certain time and place. Again, he racked up his brain trying to think of where to go with Hinata Shoyou. He took a closer look at the boy in front of him. Orange hair.. orange is a fruit.. fruits are sweet.. sweets mean dessert... That's it! An idea glimmered in his brain and it seems like it would work well this time. So he parted his lips and said:

"H-Hinata.. I do not think this is an appropriate place to talk about my intentions.. so.. would you want to step outside and grab a snack? My treat.", he suggested. He had no idea why but he stuttered which is unlikely for him to happen. He notices his heart beating fast and sweat dripping down his body.

'Yeah. This room is not good. It's hot in here', he thought completely oblivious to the way his cheeks blush and his eyes darting to different directions, avoiding Hinata nervously.

"Treat?? Eh?? W-where are we going Ushijima san??? Why did you come up to me out of nowhere? I'm really confused.", the freshman scrambled, eyebrows knit together in a state of confusion.

'Cute.', the older man thought.

"I will tell you everything once we get there. Don't worry, I won't hurt you.", he reassured his adorable junior.

---

The unusual pair went outside the arena, bypassing the strangers who looked at them in curiosity as they found the opposing players together. They marched until they reached an ice cream stall situated in the park surrounded by greeneries. Different flowers bloomed as tall trees overlook every single person in the wide stretch of land. 

Shoyou almost squealed in excitement. 'It's an ice cream stall! I-is he planning to treat me to ice cream? Woah, I feel so lucky today!', he thought at the back of his mind.

"Which flavor do you want?", the larger man said. His voice reaching out to Hinata, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Hmmmm i-is it really okay?? For you to treat me like this..", the boy was flustered. A faint blush creeps up to his ears, cheeks, and nape. He knows he is excited but he kind of feels like a bully. Making the captain of the team you just defeated buy you something is a little..

"I said what I said, Hinata. So tell me what type of ice cream do you want. And I'll tell you what I've been meaning to say.", the said captain deadpanned. The way he says it makes it seem like he's very serious about it. And Shoyou also really wants to know what the man has to say so what's the harm..right?

"O-okay then.. um..", Hinata is in deep thought looking at the menu with eyebrows knit together and lips slightly pouting in concentration. "Oh! The chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sounds good!", he exclaimed, basically drooling at this point.

"I see." Ushijima fished his pocket and brought out his thick wallet brimming with cash and cards. The revelation caught the freshman off-guard. Shiratorizawa is a prestigious school. So it's not a surprise that Ushijima, the volleyball captain, is LOADED. He gaped up at him as Wakatoshi ordered Shoyou's ice cream and a mint chocolate flavored for him. He handed the ice cream to the other.

Tiny hands reaches towards the larger ones and takes the delicacy into his own. "Wooahhh.. thank you so much, Ushijima-san! You're very nice!", the tiny middle blocker beamed a blinding smile at him.

"You're welcome", he answered back smiling lightly, so light that he doubts Hinata even noticed it.

The two walked a few meters and decided to sit on a bench. They both enjoyed the delicacy for few minutes, licking and slurping. Until Ushijima mustered up the courage to finally speak up.

"Hinata... I apologize if i hurt your feelings that day. I was wrong. I realized that you are not as weak as I thought you were. You're a strong player. I wish I did not underestimate you.", he blurted out with the usual cold flat tone. For Wakatoshi, apologizing is a piece of work. Almost as if a splinter is being taken out of his body. He is a prideful person so for him to undergo this excruciating person just for one person is unbelievable. But at the same time he could not stop himself from doing so, and he does not want to stop. Reasons? Even he does not know why, but there is something about the orange haired freshman eating in front of him.

Hinata was confused. 'Apologize? Does he mean that time we sneaked into the campus?', he thought. The heated exchange did not make him angry enough to demand an apology. Right now, he is just happy that he proved Ushijima wrong and won against them, advancing to the Nationals. 

"It's alright, Ushijima-san!", the younger boy gleamed as he smiles. "I don't know but I'm not as upset as you probably think I am. I'm just glad that I got to play volleyball today and will get to play in the Nationals after a few months. So don't worry too much about, Ushijima-san. You're still the best ace I ever played against!", he explains cheerfully as he goes back to eating his ice cream.

Ushijima is relieved to hear this coming from his own mouth. It's as if the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders. He sighed lightheartedly as he watches the tangerine boy. The way he licks the ice cream with utmost enthusiasm as if he is eating the best thing mankind ever invented. A small dollop of the dessert dotted the corner of his lips. Which made him focus on a detail he never thought about. Looking at his pink soft lips, his heart raced and his face heated up. For a second, he debated between wiping it off with his fingers or handing him a napkin. He quickly regained his composure. He cleared his throat and slowly brought a handkerchief out. He reached a hand towards the smaller boy. "You have ice cream right there.", he pointed at Hinata's lips.

"O-Oh thank you, Ushijima-san!"

He took the clean, soft, neatly-folded handkerchief. Ushijima's minty and cool scent wafts subtly through the his nose.

'Waaahhh smells so good..', the boy thought. Anticipation blossomed in his heart and eventually the decoy's heart raced as he places his lips on it sneakily smelling the fabric. He caught an even stronger scent of the handkerchief. As strong, cool, and slightly smoky scent permeated his nose he thought 'It smells so cool and comforting..' as his ears flushed beet red.

"H-here, Ushijima-san. Thank you so much!" He returned the fabric after wiping the ice cream off, finally revealing clean soft lips.

"You can have it.", the senior said "Just think of it as a gift."

"O-oh, are you sure??", the smaller male cocked his head

"Yes.", Wakatoshi deadpanned

"Thank you so much, Ushijima-san!", that was random but Shoyou was beyond happy. 'I definitely won't wash this ever! It smells so good', he thought to himself.

With the way things are going, it's safe to assume a new budding bond starts to link the two of them. The former tense and awkward rivalry between the two players disipitated as they dwelled in the orange light emanating from the sun slowly melting down the horizon.

The light hit Shoyou just right. He basked in the sun as if he was made to be seen in it. As if he was born to enrapture people by simply standing under the soft warm glow of it. His soft radiant skin glowed pearlescent. His eyes burned with passion as the thick and long amber lashes adorned its corners. The adorable slope of his nose. The soft rounded cheeks. And the tiny red tongue ejecting from the plump pink lips to lap at his ice cream. His smile burned into

Wakatoshi's mind cleared up as he stares, deeply adoring the younger one. He stares at him as they finish their foods in silence. Basking in the warm glow of the sun, softly caressing their skins. The both secretly wished that this moment will drag on forever but everything has to come to an end.

Finally, the sun starts to vanish painting the world with bright orange hues. People slowly steered clear away from the park and before they knew it they seemed like they were alone, sitting beside each other. The teams gathered their objectives as they march to their respective busses. It was time to go home. The pair stood up, height difference very evident and drastic with Hinata only barely reaching the other's chin.

"I guess. It's time to go now.", Ushijima said.

"Yeah", Shoyou smiled "I had a lot of fun, Ushijima-san! Thank you for the treat!"

"Sure", Ushijima said looking at the other boy's radiant smile. 'He's fucking pretty.', he cursed inside his mind.

"Until we meet again, Hinata Shoyou.", Wakatoshi sweetly said with small, gentle smile unlike before's tense awkward one.

The ace's genuine smile struck a chord in the decoy's heart. He was always distracted by how stern and serious his face is so he never truly noticed how handsome the third year athlete really is. His thick lush eyebrows, his cold and intense glare that freezes people either afraid or charmed, the well-defined slightly aquiline nose. He can not stop looking at his bone structure, his sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and slightly hallowed cheeks. No matter how you look at it, Wakatoshi looks like God took his time creating him. Not to mention, the tall and very muscular build with strong large muscles coursing through his body. The ace's biceps filling up his sleeves completely and how large his powerful calloused hands are. Those hands can encircle Shoyou's waist effortlessly. He could not describe how Ushijima looks like he just knows that he can basically hear his own heartbeat drumming against his ribcage, attempting to leap out of him.

Hinata snapped from his daydream and regained his composure. "Well then, I have to get going, Ushijima-san. It's great to finally be friends with you. Bye bye! Until we meet again!", he beamed at him as he ran towards his teammates.

"Friends", Wakatoshi felt like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He finally apologized and made up with Shoyou. But somehow, he can't shake off the feeling of forgetting about something. He thought about this on his way to the bus even as they went home. Sitting beside the sleeping Tendou, he stayed awake as he looks at the sun melting into the evening. Stars start to pour out of the huge vacancy of the sky. Trees went buy in a blur as the school bus wafts through the road, on their way to the school dorms.

They reached the destination. The team descended from the bus and walks towards the school court. Both terrified and prepared to be 'punished' by the coach with intense drills. Though grueling, none of them complain about it. It is instrumental for their growth after all. The group is still very much set on destroying Karasuno next year to bring the glory home and advance to the Nationals.

The day finally ended. Ushijima gave his sentiments for each members of the volleyball team. It's time for the third years to graduate soon. They won't be particpating in any official matches. Now is the chance to leave their legacy to his younger teammates. He may appear as a cold and stoic person, but he could not forget the joy he felt as he plays with his friends. The Shiratorizawa Academy Volleyball Team are an intimidating bunch to other schools but they really are just friends who experience victory and defeat together. They suffer together, they cry, and they lose, but most importantly, they inspire each and every single member. They are a legion of champions. And among these powerful players the mightiest eagle, Ushijima Wakatoshi, soars. He soars to greater heights, he reaches the stratosphere until nobody else could reach him. 

But you know what they say. The higher you soar, the more intense the fall will be. For the first time he feels himself falling. Falling to the concrete and for the player who came from it, Hinata Shoyou.

-----

Fresh from the shower, he put on his clothes. Exhausted from the intense day, he immediately plops down to the bed. He somehow can't shake the slight pang in his chest and the uneasiness in his mind  when you feel like you are forgetting something. Number . Ushijima Wakatoshi forgot to take Hinata Shoyou's number. The two newly-formed friends have not realized but that has been the "thing" that left such a large empty hole in Ushijima's chest. He shrugged it off as he close his eyes. He slept in confusion and ignorance as he sent himself to another state of mind.

Chapter Text

The sunlight cut through the cold, misty air transcending kilometers in an unfathomable speed. The ribbon of light kissed the cheeked of one powerhouse ace. The warmth illuminated his sharp features, revealing thick, bushy eyebrows and silky straight olive green hair. Ushijima Wakatoshi's huge, heavy body shifted on the bunk bed he shares with Tendou. He snores loudly and mutters in his sleep, strange old habits he has had ever since he was young. During sleepovers, he will be sleeping muttering random words and snoring loaudly. His teammates tease him for it. The strong powerful ace of Shiratorizawa, Ushijima Wakatoshi, a man of few words,  snores and sleep talks like a baby. With that in mind, he was very careful not to doze off on the bus with Tendou sitting beside him, in fear of the guess blocker catching him dream of Hinata Shoyou. 

The alarm went off, jolting him awake. The sound ringing in his ears almost painfully. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Still half-asleep, he saw Tendou jumped off the top bunk as if he has been awake long before it was time to wake up, as if he was waiting for the alarm to go off before getting out of bed. He landed with both feet on the ground, back faced towards his teammate. He turned around and looked knowingly at the large man in front of him, smirking mischievously. 

'Wakatoshi, you sure thought you are sly, hm~', he thought, as he remembered seeing Ushijima and Hinata eating ice cream together in a park. He saw everything. He witnessed the way they both flushed red under the sunset, how Wakatoshi offered his handkerchief for Shoyou, and the special moment of his best friend slightly loosening his cold gaze, as he melts away looking at the sunny player. Ushijima rarely smiles genuinely to people he does not know nor trust which made a weird impression on Satori seeing how cheerful the man is beside Shoyou.

'Something's definitely off. Wakatoshi-kun rarely smiles like that to people he does not like. I thought he doesn't like that guy?',  Tendou analyzed silently. Unaware of his scrunched up face riddled with curiosity and wonder, his bestfriend caught a glimpse of yet again, an 'unreadable' face. Perhaps, even Ushijima have no idea how to read or decode whatever is on the middle blocker's mind.

"What's wrong, Tendou?", Wakatoshi asked him with a groggy deep voice. 

"Nothing in particular, Wakatoshi-kun~", Satori said slightly panicking as the sleepy ace jolted him out of his thoughts.

"I see.", he replied.

The larger man stood up with his long, muscular legs. Stretching his arms above his head as his shirt revealed a very defined "V-cut" abs along with a small trail of hair emanating from his navel pointing down to his....  Satori immediately averted his eyes. It is not a surprise that a 'superhuman' player of Japan's high school volleyball would be so well-built. Apart from volleyball, going to the gym is part of his daily routine after all.

"Damn, that shrimp does not know how lucky he is.", he whispered under his breath thinking that Ushijima does like Hinata.

"Hm?", a deep voice resonated as the taller male raised his eyebrows in question. 

"N-nothing, Wakatoshi-kun. Let's get ready and eat breakfast now, shall we?", Tendou offered. 

"Yeah, sounds good.", Wakatoshi replied

'I think this is the first time I've seen him in love with a guy.. Is he bisexual?', he pondered. 'Well, I'm his friend so I gotta help him out. Plus Toshi-kun is not the smartest person in the room so he probably don't even know he likes the small shrimp~' Tendou thought to himself amusingly. This moment is an ultra-rare experience in their friendship. Ushijima is very popular but he has only went out with one girl in the past. Satori got excited at the thought that his companion might be bisexual. A budding promise wells up inside him. The feeling of being determined to be accepting to one of the only people who accepted him for who he is during the time when he was constantly vilified for being a "monster".

They left their shared room in the Shiratorizawa dormitory and trudged on towards the cafeteria.

-----

The cafeteria was bustling with faint noises of students talking with one another. Utensils clinking together, and several footsteps resounding from the floor. The third year duo ordered their food for breakfast. They both pay up to the cashier after waiting for a few minutes in the line. The academy is affluent. So naturally, most students, facilities, and even the teachers are held to a certain degree of wealth or opulence. The cafeteria is huge, having the capacity to hold students from different grade levels. The food is also exquisite. They serve healthy and organic balanced meals produced from the school's own farm. The chef also includes scrumptious desserts in the menu which, the sweet tooth, Tendou Satori obsesses over.

The two third years trudged along pristine white tiles. Carrying their trays towards the usual table shared by their volleyball team, the two can't help but notice the sense of dread hanging ominously around the team. They lost to Karasuno. Meaning, they would not advance to the Nationals. It is understandable for the team's spirits to dwindle to such degree. They sat down on two vacant seats, placed their trays on the table and greeted their gloomy juniors.

"Good morning, Ushijima-senpai and Tendou-senpai.. ", Shirabu said softly as disappointment and melancholy coiled around his voice. 

"What's wrong with you guys?", Satori asked. Of course, he knew why the team was feeling down. He just wanted the words to come out of their own mouth 

"... w-well..", Kawanishi stuttered. He paused for a while, unsure of what to say. Until they heard Goshiki sniffle quietly in the corner. The first year is an open book. He is a sensitive and optimistic player. Though he may be very passionate in terms of being the team's ultimate ace, the same thing could be said about how he feels about his temmates. Tsutomu is a person who values the friends he has made along the way. At this instance, he did not care much finally being called the ace. Right now, he is weeping because of the fact that their seniors will graduate soon.

"Y-you guys.. w-won't be playing with us anymore!", Goshiki exclaimed as tears streamed down his face. The rest of the guys was startled but they all agreed with him, anyways. To the team, the idea of not getting to play with the third years anymore were much stronger, more powerful, and more pronounced than losing the competition. They can go to Nationals next year, if they tried hard enough. But no amount of effort or hard work will stop the third years from graduating.

Shiratorizawa Academy's Men's Volleyball may be a legion of champions. This perception made them seem intimidating, cold, detached, and even villainous to other teams. But just like any other high school players, these people truly love each other. They enjoy playing together through victory or defeat.

The atmosphere is heavy with dread it is almost suffocating until Ushijima cleared his throat. They looked up at the admirable captain they respect. They stared expectantly as he opens his mouth.

"I know it is depressing that us, third years,  won't get to play with you guys anymore but..", his deep voice reverberated through their bodies sending waves of inspiration now that their leader spoke up. "..even though we may tackle different paths in the future, just know that your senpais are not going to forget you guys, okay?", Wakatoshi said softly. "We truly enjoyed playing with you and we hope we can still stand on the court together and win. But we all have to move forward someday. It may be tough but we are counting on you guys. You guys are strong, I'm sure you guys will do great on your own.", the team captain said while smilingly softly.

After hearing his sentiments, the team cheered up and smiled softly. As each of them expressed their gratitude to the seniors. Wakatoshi reached out to each member of the team. With his left hand, he patted his juniors head, both comforting and inspiring the future of Shiratorizawa's Men' Volleyball Team.

The group's energy gradually went back to normal. 

"Ushijima-san's right. We shouldn't feel too depressed, we still have next year after all.", Shirabu said in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah, you're right.", Taichi nods to Shirabu, agreeing with his sentiments as he smiles.

"Next year will be the first time I'm gonna as the ace! Woahhh! I'm really excited! A little nervous.. but I can do it!",  Goshiki said as the entire team eancouraged him. The first year really is the "baby" of the group. His unreadable and intimidating senpai coddles him. Even Ushijima Wakatoshi, a serious and stoic man, has a soft spot for the boy.

The group went back to finishing their breakfast as they get ready for school before the bell of the first class rings.

-----

The classes went by pretty swiftly. It has been a while since Wakatoshi needed to take classes seriously. He may be a force to be reckoned with in the court but he is not the brightest tool in the shed as a student. He knows this as a fact. He gets barely passing grades on his tests. He gets help from his teammates with lectures and academics so he has been improving slowly. He is not too interested with his studies, since he already made his mind up that he's going to be a professional volleyball player. His dream profession made him favor PE the most. As an athlete, he excels in terms of physical aptitude even among his volleyball peers. Working out and going to the gym are all part of his routine. So he has built up quite the muscle. He is proud of his strength as he sees it as a fruit of his labor-a symbol of his unwavering force. He considers himself lucky for being born into that sort of body so he makes sure to take care of it and enhance his maximum physicality.

The sun is starting to disappear from the skies. It has tinged the wide expanse as bright orange, same color as yesterday's. He looks up as he observes thin and widely-spread clouds threatening to tear apart from each other. He remembered that afternoon, when it felt like him and Hinata were the only people in the world. He can't shake the smaller male's beautiful face off from his head. He strides with his long legs as he walks towards the gymnasium, meeting a certain red-haired blocker, Tendou Satori.

'This guy has been acting weird ever since we woke up', he took a mental note of possible reasons why Satori is acting the way he is acting. After a few seconds of thinking, he gave up. Not because a lot of things came to mind. But because his brain was simply not working. 

"Tendou, you have been acting weird the entire day. Do you need something?", he gave up and directly asked his friend. 

"I'll tell you later. First, let's get to the gym first and get changed~", Satori hummed as he skipped on the way to the gym.

Until they graduate, the third years are given the opportunity to practice with the rest of the group. So they promised to spend those time to shape the younger players up and savor their last moments together. Ushijima is going to miss the gym. He is gonna miss his precious teammates, the harsh critiques of Coach Tanji, practice matches, and high school volleyball tournaments. He also lamented the fact that this could be the last year he will get to see Shoyou. He felt a sharp pang on his chest at that thought, as he quickly dismisses it. 

'I need to get his number.' Wakatoshi does not want to pass up any opportunity just to see the boy more. He does not want to graduate without getting together with Shoyou. Not when he thinks of him almost every moment. He remembers everything that happened that afternoon. How Hinata lit up a room and dispersed the awkward tension in the room just by smiling. He was so small and adorable. The decoy stood at the perfect height for the ace to give him forehead kisses. He blushed at his imagination as his lips crack in a very subtle yet sublime smile. His daydream was cut by Tendou calling out to him.

"Toshi-kun, there you go smiling again for no reason again.", Satori said. "Maybe it's you who needs to say something to me."

They reached the lockers and right now it's just the two of them in the room. Satori has started changing his clothes but Ushijima still stood in front of his locker, frozen and unmoving. 

"What do you mean?", he asks Tendou as he removes his school jacket in one swift motion, revealing a light blue button up shirt with purple necktie hanging loosely  around his neck. 

"Yesterday. I saw you with that little shrimp.", Satori revealed. "Is something going on?  I thought you disliked him.", he muttered quietly. Tendou may be a talkative and unpredictable person but he sure knows when to keep a secret.

Tendou Satori is Ushijima's best friend. He knows he can trust this guy. Though he is just as unreadable to him just as much as he is unreadable other people. He acknowledges Satori to be a person worthy of his trust. 

His hands removed the tie in a swift motion,  as he unbuttons his shirt with thick nimble fingers he started confessing. "I went up to Sho- um.. I mean Hinata yesterday." he stuttered. "The first time we met, I said something that i regret. I realized I was wrong and proceeded to apologize.", he continues. "I don't know why but it just felt right to know that he does not harbor a certain hatred for me. When we were spending our time together, I felt so happy but at the same time I felt like my heart will jump out of my chest.", he said as he remembers that fateful day. He removed his shirt, revealing a very defined muscular body. He fished a certain plain black shirt and slipped it down his rigid torso.

"Hmmmm..", Tendou hummed. "When you think of him, Wakatoshi-kun, how do you feel?", Satori asked sincerely.

"My heart beats really fast.", the other man answered shortly. "Somehow I can't get him out of my head. I keep thinking about him and once I start doing so, I could not stop."

"Hmmm.", the middle blocker hummed again as he listens to his friend.

The pair finished shut their lockers closed. They sat on the bench in the middle of the room and started swapping their school shoes for rubber shoes they use for practice. The air around them hang ominously, suspended as unspoken words and questions swarmed through each other's minds. The entire moment felt so long. It wasn't a peaceful silence, it felt like the suspenseful silence you get as you wait for a certain revelation. 

"Actually..", the ace spoke up. "I want to keep in touch with him but.."

"But..??"

"I think I forgot to get his number.", Ushijima revealed. Unintentionally, the redhead laughed at the expense of the man's forgetfulness. Red creeps up his ears as he feels himself getting more and more embarrassed. After few minutes, the guess blocker finally ceased laughing. Wiping tears around the corners of his eyes, he sat up and smiled sweetly to his comrade.

"Do you want me to give you his number?", Tendou offered. As Wakatoshi heard this, his ears perked up, pleasantly surprised. He nods eagerly like an overexcited puppy. Satori giggled lightly at the gesture and said:

"Sorry but I don't have his number~", the taller man out of the two got disappointed.

"What a cruel joke, Satori.", he deadpanned. "I'm sorry but I can't trust you anymore" He sulks as he stands up. Walking to the door as he makes his way to the court littered with some of his teammates.

"Wait a minute, Toshi-kun! I have a plan.", Satori chased the ace down, lightly sprinting. 'Seriously, why is he getting so sulky? He definitely like that guy. I'm sure of it', he thought as he catches up to his teammate placing a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. 

He shakes his shoulder and pestered him until the other man turned to face him.

"What?", he asked, exasperated as he knits his eyebrows both in confusion and annoyance. He stares down at Tendou as he waits for an answer.

"Let's go pick up the newest issue of Shonen Jump this week!", Satori answered cheerfully as the Wakatoshi turns around with a curt "No".

Ushijima does not understand why his teammate suddenly wanted to hang out with him after he gets his hopes up. He has no way of contacting Shoyou and he bets that none of his friends have his number either, considering that they are rival schools. He ignores the redhead as he keeps pestering him. Slowly, it gets more and more unbearable. He clicked his tongue and said

"Satori."

The voice was flat and monotone, but if you knew Ushijima Wakatoshi you know it's not a good idea to push in even further. Tendou panicked for a while as he scrambles through his words. He stutters before regaining his composure and said

"You're mistaken, Toshi-kun.. haha..", he said nervously. "I want you to come with me because I heard Hinata Shoyou will be picking up Jump's latest issue this weekend too! Trust me, Wakatoshi. I heard him talk about it with one of his teammates.", Satori cleared up the misunderstanding.

What he's saying is true. The small shrimp has a big mouth for his size so it's no wonder that he caught him talking excitedly about animes and mangas with their libero yesterday, before he saw him talking with Ushijima. Tendou loves animes and manga too. He even planned to join a manga-making competition as his teammates help him. His eccentric outlook may help him create a unique and otherworldly story but Tendou being Tendou, he's way too eccentric for his own good. He discovers that Wakatoshi shares the same interest when he caught him drawing on his notebook, not paying attention to class. They chatted quietly in hopes of not getting scolded by their teacher and he revealed that he used to be really good at art. He drew quite a lot when he was a kid before he got too engrossed with sports. Right now, he only draws when he is bored so his skills dwindled. But looking at the sketches he has done, Satori asks Wakatoshi to make a manga with him, earning an unexpected 'yes' from the other. Since then, their relationship has deepened as they shared mangas and watched animes during their free time.

The thought of Hinata Shoyou liking anime excites Ushijima. He thinks of how they would watch episodes and read chapters together as they sit close beside each other. He figured how adorable Hinata would be as he gets too fascinated with whatever they're watching. He loves animes and mangas too. He even had an initial ambition of being an artist someday but his father introduced him to volleyball. He falls in love with the sport and before he knew it he was too passionate to let volleyball just be a hobby. And just like that, his dream of being an artist was gradually replaced with his longing to be a professional athlete. But even so, he still loves drawing in his spare time. When he's not doing anything, when he's bored of listening to class, he would be doodling and sketching on his notebook, picturing whatever comes to mind.

Hearing Tendou's "plan", the captain's annoyance dissipates . He may not have his number but at least he has a chance to meet with him soon. 

"Yeah, I'll definitely come with you. Thanks, Satori.", he finally replied as he smiles subtly at his friend.

"Welcome, Toshi-kun~", Tendou cheered. "You better dress good, though. You never know when you guys will meet.", he advised his best friend as he runs off to pester Reon and his other teammates. 

'This weekend, huh. Can't wait.', he thought to himself as the bright orange tint of the sky faded. Blue-violet hues struck the world in awe. The sunset melts into the evening. As the ace's heart pounded anticipatingly. Suddenly Ushijima Wakatoshi could not wait for the days to quickly pass him by.

Chapter Text

Karasuno's #10 woke up at the peaceful silence suspended in the air. He opens his eyes to the warm afternoon sun, groggily sitting up to greet a new day. This week has been exhausting for him. Winning against the strongest school in the prefecture, the anticipation of finally advancing to the Nationals, the fateful meeting he has had with the third year ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi. All of these spread a massive feeling of warmth in his chest. The joy and excitement course through his body, setting him aflame. He has been feeling so positive these days that he does not even realize the fatigue he has been enduring. He woke up later than usual as he stretches short limbs clothed with striped pyjamas.

Pushing himself off of the comfortable foam, he stood up from his bed. Fixing the sheets and the pillows up, he smoothed the comforter as he makes a beeline towards the bathroom. Little feet made contact with the cold white tiles as he waddles to the sink. He turns the faucet on, collecting a puddle of water in his palms then splashing it onto his face. Time moves forward as Hinata Shoyou continues his routine. Washing his soft face, brushing his sunny smile, and taming the unruly bed hair that seems to stick out of his head like sun rays in a children's drawing. He looks at his reflection as he beams up, ready to start the day. 

The tiny middle blocker is excited. Heart jumping because of his lonely confinement in the house. 'I'm home alone! This is kinda rare haha!', he thought to himself as he smiles while trudging down the wooden stairs. He seems to bounce in excitement, taking one step at a time as his eyes spot the kitchen counter. A plate of food covered in plastic with a note written on top of it seem to rest, alone on the empty space. Hinata walks on wooden floor, stopping in front of the food. He took a glance as he picks the note up. His eyes follow the texts that read:

'Here's your breakfast, Shoyou. Don't forget to wash the dishes and clean the house, okay? We will be gone until dinner so I'm leaving the house to you. I love you, Shoyou~

~Mom'

Hinata places the note on the counter as he begins to peel the clear plastic that's been clinging at the edge of the plate, protecting the meal from flies that threaten to feed off of it. He tosses the plastic to the garbage bin as he starts to gather his eating utensils. Carrying his chopsticks, he picked the plate up with one hand as he marches in front of the television. The orange haired lad placed the equipment on the small coffee table only to pick them back up after turning the television on. 

"Itadakimasu~", he said as he proceeds to gobble his breakfast up, satisfying his empty stomach. The player decides to get the latest issue of Shonen Jump this weekend. He plans on lazing around all day, reading manga, and watching anime. To indulge in his unproductive day, of course he needs to eat up and make sure he's not hungry. He shoves rice down his throat, his hands moving fast as he fills his cheeks with his mother's cooking. The peaceful afternoon could not be better. There's nothing to do, nothing to stress about, and nobody in the house. Shoyou's craves the moments when he gets to be totally free inside the confines of his home. He loves his family but a little privacy here and there would be great too, he's a teenager now after all. 

The sun moves in an excruciatingly slow pace, letting its rays hit the same spots in a slightly different angle. Flowers are at a full bloom this spring. The trees are somwhow greener than usual. Hinata does not know why but ever since meeting Ushijima in the park and spending more time with him, his entire surroundings suddenly looked even more beautiful and vibrant. After minutes of eating, Hinata Shoyou washes the dishes quickly. Metals clinking together while the soft stream of water emanates from the faucet. After scrubbing the dirty utensils, he ran towards the bathroom. Taking his shirt off before turning the warm drizzle of the shower head on. Shoyou wants to get to the bookstore quickly if he plans on spending the entire day at home. So, he quickly cleans himself up, soap suds cloud his body as the steady stream rains down on him.

-----

The thin and light wheels beneath the bicycle rushes over the asphalt, making a satisfying sound. Dashing through the air, soft orange locks get flown by the gentle breeze. Breath lightly hitching and his heart pumping, Hinata pedals through the busy metropolis. Towering buildings shoot out from the concrete like wistful forest trees. The city bustles with a cacophony of noises as people walks in separate directions. The boy makes his way towards his destination-the bookstore. The bicycle wheels spin around, carrying the weight of a freshman volleyball player. Unbeknownst to these people, the little guy riding a bike is part of the team that will represent their prefecture for the upcoming official volleyball match.

Shoyou rides the bike, letting the wind breeze through as blurred images pass through his peripheral. Calves slightly burning from pedaling the bike, his breath gets more ragged as little sweat drops run down his nape. After a few more minutes, he has reached his destination. Hinata gets off his vehicle. Little hands grasping the handle as he parks the bicycle in front of the store, locking it in place. Wiping his sweat off, he jogs towards the entrance. Automatic glass doors welcome him as the cool and refreshing air of the bookstore extinguishes the heat from his body. The cozy and familiar ambience of the store envelops the teenager in wispy delightful ribbons. Hinata stops to take a deep breath, closing his eyes before pushing his breath out. 

'It smells so goooodddd~ The whole place smells like books!', he narrates to himself. Starry eyes scanned the interior as he wanders around. His feet moved, carrying Hinata to various spots in the bookstore. Shelves reaches out to the pristine white ceiling illuminated by soft lights. Books, mangas, and novels are placed to fill up the room split in different sections. In one corner, a colorful array of school supplies blend together, situated in a harmonious placement that seem to form an organized and neat gradient. Hinata Shoyou ventures onto his favorite section: the manga section. He loves reading and watching anime. Often times, he would bring some of them to school and will be reading them during lunch time or even when class is ongoing. He is not the most attentive student so he spends classes propping a book open and placing a manga spread in front of him when he gets bored. He is very guilty of reading manga discreetly which gets him into trouble a lot of times. One instance, his teacher saw through his shenanigans and decided to confiscate the item. The boy got called in to the faculty's office, resulting in Hinata getting scolded by his mom the minute she came home. Shoyou never tried the same act of mischief after getting grounded for the time being. But the joy of delving into another story and getting to know different characters really gets him going. 

His feet halt and froze in place. His eyes widens at what he is seeing. Hinata stood almost 2 meters apart from the hulking frames of two men talking to each other. Familiar hair colors, red and olive green, met his eyes.

"U-Ushijima-san and Tendou-san!", Shoyou's voice rose up to another octave in astonishment. The pair standing before him are of course none other than the ace and the middle blocker duo of Shiratorizawa: Ushijima and Tendou. He eyes the two third years in front of him.

'Woah! They're insanely tall!', he thought. This is Hinata's first time seeing his former rivals (now friend) in casual clothing.

Tendou is sporting a jean overalls that accentuate his long and slender figure. The faded blue color also makes his hair pop out along with the rainbow sweatshirt he wears beneath the first layer of his outift. The sleeves of the bright rainbow sweatshirt are rolled up to his elbows, revealing his pale and milky forearms. Hinata has never noticed this before but thin and blue veins shoot out from his wrists, bulging from the thin and pale arms. And on one wrist, a colorful accessory-a bracelet adorns his bony appendage. The outfit is completed with the guess blocker's goofy personality. A colorful and eccentric person like Tendou is sure to scare some people off, including Hinata himself. But somehow, he feels that the 'weird and creepy' Tendou Satori is a great and fun friend to have. He just don't know how to deal with him. And he most especially did not expect Ushijima Wakatoshi, out of all people to hang out with the guess blocker.

'Their personalities and style clash so much', he thinks as he stares at the two. Not in a judgemental way, but more like in a fascinated manner.

His eyes drifts on his new crush friend, Ushijima Wakatoshi. Ever since they made up and hang out at the park. Hinata can't stop thinking about him. He remembers the sunlit moment, as Ushijima ever-so slightly leans closer to him at the bench. The way he could feel the ace's strong gaze at him while he was eating the ice cream, and how his eyes are enough to make him melt with the dessert he was holding at the time. Shoyou could not forget how the deep voice coming from the older man's kissable lips roll onto his body, jolting him awake from his daydream and forcing him to focus on Wakatoshi sitting beside him. But it was so difficult not to blush and maybe combust into flames when the Ushijima is looking at him with a petrifying gaze. Hinata could also never forget his large, calloused left hand gently offering him the soft linen fabric. The juxtaposition of the rough hand and the delicate napkin elicited blood to rush through his cheeks. He remembers refusing to throwing the piece of cloth into the laundry basket. And Hinata has absolutely no reason to let the handkerchief infused with Wakatoshi's cool and minty scent slip away from him. 

He scanned the ace's physique outfit. Wakatoshi is wearing a very simple and plain white shirt and black pants. His style is very monochromatic as opposed to his friend's very vibrant and flamboyant colors. He dresses so minimalistic, very fitting for a stoic and closed off person like him. That being said, Shoyou simply can't get past the fact that his well-trained body completes the outfit. Broad and masculine shoulders slightly stretching the back side of the plain apparel. Huge and slightly tanned arms juts out from the short sleeves, completely filling the sleeves out. Hinata's eyes traveled down Ushijima's thick and veiny forearms, finding a simple black cap gripped by the gentle yet strong hands that offered him the same napkin he treasures so much. Thinking of the ace wearing a cap made his heart skip a beat. Wakatoshi's long legs clothed by plain black pants, punctuated by the plain white sneakers at his feet. The simple outfit seemed like it was created to amplify the huge male's natural beauty. It's as if the fashion statement was created to flatter his best features. The simplicity of his style makes it easier to look at his bold and handsome face.

Hinata stood there, wearing a light brown hoodie with a cute snuggly bear printed at the middle. The hoodie definitely made him look smaller and cuddlier than usual. It makes him look like a small teddy bear as the sleeves slightly cover his small hands. 

"Oh~ if it isn't the small shrimp of Karasuno!", Tendou exclaims.

"Hello, Tendou-san! What are you two doing here?", the said small shrimp asks. "Don't tell me you guys are here to pick up the latest issue of Shonen Jump too?!", the orange-haired teen questions in bewilderment. His eyes widen as his voice got louder in disbelief.

'I didn't know Ushiwaka-san like manga too.', he thought, visibly amused.

"We are here to do just that, Hinata.", Ushijima deadpanned looking straight through his eyes. Shoyou's immediately averted his face in fear of letting his flustered face be seen by the olive green eyes piercing through his heart.

"Ohh.. I didn't know you love manga too, Ushijima-san.", Shoyou says as the two newly-formed friends suddenly becomes even more interesting in the eyes of one another.

"Hey, shrimp-chan, did you know? That Wakatoshi-kun right here is a giant nerd too?? I even saw him drawing on his notebook while class was going on!", Tendou runs his loud mouth and ratted Ushijima out to his crush. The said giant nerd knitted his eyebrows together and eyed Tendou who seems to enjoy being his 'wingman'. 

Hinata smiles, watching the two friends' unlikely interaction. He definitely feels like he just discovered something new and personal about Ushijima. Now, he is less like the scary and intimidating ace. Instead he's more like the adorable, clueless nerd who doodles during class discussions. Shoyou realizes that Ushijima really isn't as scary as people make him out to be. Perhaps the guy is just emotional constipated.

"Oh.. That reminds me I used to read manga while classes were going on too! So we are very much alike in that department, Ushijima-san!", the younger player beamed up at the older ones, showing off his bright and shiny smile. Wakatoshi feels a wave of warmth pulse through his body. He relishes in the fact that even though they may look and seem like they are complete opposites, there are certain similarities that bind them together. They share identical passions: volleyball, manga, animes, and each other perhaps so many more. He truly wants to get to know the younger middle blocker whom he finds very interesting and very adorable. He wants to know what everything there is to know about the small player that's quite unlike any other opponent he has faced before.

"Is that so? Well, I'm glad we have something in common other than being volleyball players.", Ushijima replied as a faint smile could be heard from his low tone. He holds a manga book with his right hand as the left hand carries the black cap he wore before entering the bookstore. 

"Yeah. You're right, Ushijima-san.", Hinata replied softly while smiling. He moved his shorter legs to approach the two third years. He halted his movements beside the super-ace and grabbed a book of similar copy. He stares at the book, starry-eyed and fascinated as if it was his first time seeing a manga. Shoyou examines the book and chatted with Wakatoshi, adorably talkative. His radiance persuades even the most introverted people to talk to him. Ushijima, on the other hand, is still very much his usual quiet self but as they talk together, minutes pass. Satori can feel Hinata's warmth melt his best friend's defenses away. As the conversation unfolds, he can see their expressions going lighter and more carefree.  As if it's just the two of them existing in their own personal dimension. The ace leans down slightly, as if he is listening to a fairy with a voice too small to be heard, whisper sweet nothings to him. He looked closely at their faces. How he would never have guessed that the two rivals who were coated in magnitudes of tension and willingness to 'destroy' one another, will be smiling and goofing off about manga and anime in a particular bookstore. 

Satori feels like he has done his job. He baited Wakatoshi into coming with him today after hearing Hinata's shared interests with him. The flowers in their hearts bloom into multicolored beats as they drift into another place in time. Tendou feels proud and happy for Ushijima to like a person enough and slowly open up to them. He remembers being the first person to interact with the 'monster' that is Ushijima Wakatoshi and be each other's first friend when other people thought of them very differently. He smiles and parted his lips.

"Well, guys, I think it's time for me to go now.", he says. "I promised to visit my family this weekend and it seems like they are looking for me now~ So have a great day to the two of you!" Tendou is not entirely lying when he said that. He needs to visit his family every day off's but it is not true that they are looking for them ASAP, he just wanted the two to have more time together. 

"O-oh, is that so? Tendou-san? Have a nice day! It was great meeting you!", Hinata greets the senior middle blocker. Satori smiles to him and pats his head.

"See you, shrimp-chan~ It was great meeting you too!", he replies to the ginger.

"See you on Monday, Tendou.", Wakatoshi greeted him curtly. He does not need to say much for Satori to be satisfied. He knows his best friend is not so good with words after all.

"See you, Wakatoshi-kun~~", Satori stretched his name out to lightly tease him. He walks up to the larger male and leaned on to him. With lips closely touching his ear, he whispers: "Good luck, Wakatoshi-kun~ Don't forget the tips I thought you~"

"You're sure that that will work, right?", he whispers back.

"I'm pretty darn sure, haha!", he giggles as he slaps his shoulder playfully. 

Tendou gets his long slender legs moving after grabbing the same copy of the manga Wakatoshi is holding. He makes a beeline towards the counter, stopping midway to wave goodbye to the two love birds.

Now that Tendou is gone, Ushijima feels himself becoming more tense and closed off again. It's tough when your mental support finally leaves you all alone, forcing you to solve your problem. But Wakatoshi gathers up his courage and decide to shoot his shot. It has been always Hinata to cut the tension in the air. Ushijima feels like it's his turn now. The captain took a deep breath, calming himself down. He parted his lips and said

"Hinata, today..", he hesitates. "Are you free?"

Shoyou's mind boggles at the question.

'I do have a plan. I plan to stay home and do nothing today. But is doing nothing the entire day means that I'm free or not? I suppose am free but saying that I am, insinuates that I want to hang out with him. I mean, I do want to hang out with him but-', his internal rambling was cut short by a certain voice.

"Yes, Ushijima-san. I'm free today.", Hinata curses himself. 'Stupid!! Idiot! Why would you say that?! Now I won't be able to stay committed to my plan..', he scolds himself. This may come as a surprise to most but Hinata loves staying true to his routines. He has learnt that habit from being a volleyball-obsessed idiot who practices anytime of the day, but before he knew it he has been subconsciously carrying out this habit even during his leisure time. 

"Really?", Wakatoshi raise his eyebrows in astonishment and delight. "Well then, follow me. I'll treat you again.", Ushijima said with a gentle deep tone that resembles the whispers of the ground. It jolts Shoyou back to reality as he sees the stoic man's face brighten up with a sweet smile. His eyes widen as he looks upon the ace, dimples forming at the corners of his lips, his olive eyes reflecting the purity of meadows at full bloom. Hinata's face heats up, ducking his head as he thinks..

'Maybe it's worth skipping my routine just for today.'

Chapter Text

The breeze carries multicolored pollens in the air as the fragrance of nature whiffs past through thousands of noses. It's springtime and the sun is gleaming with the strength of the gentle daffodils dancing with the wind, scattering million pieces of feather-light kisses. In front of the bookstore, two 'friends' walks past the stream of vehicles, hustling like rivers on the countryside. Ushijima and Hinata cuts through the traffic, staying close to each other as small hands grip on the sleeve hugging the taller man's toned biceps. The older man pedals the bike of the younger one sitting behind him.

Shoyou shields his eyes from the afternoon sun as its touches linger on his skin warmly breaking free through the cracks between tall buildings. Long sleeves covers short arms, protecting the brown eyes from being incinerated by the sun's gentle yet dazzling glow. Wakatoshi turns his head to look at his companion. Wearing his black cap, the eyebrows beneath its brim furrow as he sees Shoyou struggling to escape the sunlight. He turns towards the sidewalk, stopping the bicycle by planting long legs to the ground. He reaches for the black cap with one hand as he turns around and fits it onto orange hair, fluffed up like the sweetest cotton candy. 

"Careful, Hinata. Hold on to me tight with both hands. I don't want you to fall down.", Ushijima verbalized with a low tone that shakes Hinata's body momentarily. Thick palms patted the head lightly as he continues to pedal against the wind. Hinata is grateful to have the cap on his head right now. Veiling his reddened face and quivering lips, he ducks his head down as he holds onto a large and firm midriff. He grips onto it for safety but his mind goes elsewhere, taking him to a valley of earthly hills. Beneath his hands and the thin layer of the clothes, he can feel rippling abs bulging like divine mountain ridges along Wakatoshi's body.

'My heart is moving so fast!', Shoyou panics internally as the soft breeze bares its arms around them, enveloping them in a sweet embrace. 

The pair travels onto their destination. Sounds of the metropolis and faces of different people renders blurred and muffled in their little bubble. Once again, They were transported to another place and time, enjoying each other's company in secret yet rapid heartbeats. They remain silent with only touches binding the two of them. No words left soft lips, yet they feel connected and chained to each other as if a red string connects two souls together. To be protecting Shoyou makes Ushijima brim in joy. He maneuvers slowly and relaxed, not wanting this blessed moment to end. He is in tranquility and satisfaction as two smaller arms wrap around him in a tight hold.

"How are you doing over there, Hinata? You've been quiet since we started riding. Are you okay? Do you want your bike back? Or do you not like to wear my cap?", Wakatoshi sputtered in a deadpanned tone. He does not want to feel like he's the only one enjoying the moment. Hinata's comfort and safety is his top priority, after all.

"N-no it's okay, Ushijima-san. Just thought I wouldn't want to disturb you while driving so..", Hinata mutters, lips almost touching the wide expanse of the other man's back. 

"Okay. If you don't feel comfortable just tell me.", Ushijima reminds Hinata, his eyes unmoving from the vision in front of him. He continues his pace as his calves start to burn and sweat drips down his forehead. With one hand, he reaches for his pocket and wiped the perspiration off. Under the soft glow of the springtime sun, they are stuck with each other, moving freely yet chained to one another.

-----

Hinata's feet reaches the steady ground. Ushijima hops off their vehicle as he locks the bike on a spot in front of a bakery. There is nothing like the smell of a bakery - it is an aroma unlike anything else. The scrumptious scent of sweet homemade pastries, creamy icing on warm cupcakes and bread baked fresh from the oven can make anyone's mouth water. The scent beckons them to come inside the shop. Almost floating through the air, they moved their legs and pushed the revolving glass door.

"Woahh.. This place looks very fancy, Ushijima-san!", the middle blocker expresses in delight, totally enamored by everything in the shop: the luxurious interior, the revolving door and the sweet pastries hiding behind glass compartments like sparkling jewels beaming in their glory.

"Is it? Tendou's father owns this place. This is where me and my teammates hang out sometimes.", Wakatoshi discloses an information so casually, as if it's not a big deal for one of his friends' family to own such business. 

"Tendou-san?!", Shoyou questioned in surprise. "That's amazing! Is everybody in your school rich, Ushijima-san?", the smaller boy asks.

"I don't know about the others but it's common to have children of wealthy people enrolled in our school.", he answers.

"Everything looks really good here!", Hinata exclaims as he stares at the rows of baked good illuminated by a soft light in their little compartments. The shop is complete. From cakes, bread, sweets, and desserts from different countries like France, Spain, Belgium, and Japan. His stomach grumbles just by the sight in front of him. He carries a tiny paper bag containing the manga they just bought earlier. Looking at the elegant and opulent air of the shop, he didn't feel like he belonged there. He starts to feel smaller as he is introduced to a world that's completely unlike what he's used to. He looks down as his face dims, his heart sinks to the grumbling stomach.

"U-Ushijima-san.. umm.. I don't want to sound ungrateful but..", Ushijima raises his eyebrows at the remark. "I-I don't feel like I belong here. I would like to hang out with you like you do with your friends but you see.. I don't have enough mon-"

"I'll pay for everything, Hinata.", the ace interrupts. "Just like last time and hopefully next time we meet. I asked you to go with me so it's my responsibility to make you comfortable. So don't worry too much. I just want you to enjoy the place. Being here.. with me.", he completes.

Ushijima strikes an arrow through the decoy's heart. His words are sharp, straight, and unvarnished. Wakatoshi is completely transparent with his intentions and it shows through his words and actions. He does not realize it but the way he confesses what's on his mind so bluntly without breaking eye contact or any signs of faltering in his tone are the reason why a lot of people hopelessly melt for him. When most people would mince and sugarcoat their words, Wakatoshi holds his head up high and look into a person's soul and give it to them, completely straight to the point. Though, he is now a little more wary of offending Shoyou with his bluntness. But if it means putting him at ease and comfort, he figures what better way is it to reassure Hinata other than staying true to his heart and speaking his mind.

'I just want you to enjoy being here.. with me. With me..', those words resounded deep into Hinata's heart, sinking in to his body like exhilarating venom gripping his blood vessels tight. Tinge of red escapes to his face as he shivers away from the steady gaze in front of him. Ribcage threatens to break from the echoes and thuds of his heart threatening to jump out of his body. Questions raced in his mind, persistently, before gathering his breath and regaining his composure.

"I-is that so, Ushijima-san? But for me, um.. you already treated me last time, right? I'm just concerned if I can do something for you in return. I don't think I can just sit here and accept everything.", Shoyou braves it up, insisting that he does at least something for his former rival. "So, is there anything that you would want me to do for you?", he sputters with his breath. Hinata wants this friendship to be equal. He does not want to be the receiving end of their newly-founded relationship all the time. He wants to give something, anything that will make Ushijima happy.

"Anything?", Wakatoshi asks.

"Yes. Anything, Ushijima-san", Shoyou reaffirms with determined eyes.

Time stills for a little while. Wakatoshi gathers his breath and blinks one time, simple gestures yet they hold great meaning within. These subtle acts of apprehension and hesitation is rare coming from him. Rare, unless he is facing the orange sun. He parts his lips eventually as a low smooth tone rolls off of his tongue.

"Hinata Shoyou, may I have your number?"

Vibrations seem to resonate from Ushijima's feet, echoes emanating from the ground. His voice, his words, the meaning behind those words, his lips.. there is no way Shoyou can get his mind off of that. 'Eh? So what if he wants my number? We're friends. That's natural. There's no way that he.. No way he thinks of me in that way...' Hinata tries to convince himself with futile lies. His mind does not want to believe it. He can't even say the four-letter word that his heart is aching for internally. No. He does not want to think about it. He doesn't want to get his hopes up. If he does, he will feel like a bird soaring to the sky, piercing through misty clouds and have his fingertips caress the sun itself. But as the story of Icarus suggests, he who gets too near to the sun will eventually plummet to the cold raging seas as his wings are reduced to cinders by merciless flames. He doesn't want that. He doesn't want to be Icarus and he hopes Wakatoshi is not the sun either. 

'Remember, Shoyou, we are just friends.', he thought to himself as he finally answers the question.

"Sure thing, Ushijima-san!", Hinata puts up a front as easily as he breathes. The pair exchanged numbers and after a few seconds Ushijima's phone buzzes.

[ hello, ushijima-san (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) ]

With furrowed brows he stares at his phone, confused.

"What is that thing at the end? And why did you text me when I'm right in front of you? Do you not like talking to me personally?", the poor man sounded genuinely confused and a little hurt.

"N-no, Ushijima-san! Hahaha~ That thing at the end is called 'kaomoji'. They are like cute little faces. I like using them that's why I messaged you.", Shoyou explains excitedly. "You should send something back to me! That way we are official textmates~", the boy muses as Ushijima's expression clears up. He presses on his phone and after few seconds, Hinata's gadget vibrates.

[ Hello, Hinata ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ] 

Shoyou bursts into laughter upon seeing the message. He doubles down as he holds his stomach and tears well up on the corner of his eyes. His laugh is sweet enough to put the desserts in front of them to shame. He gasps for air as his smile radiates tremendous solar power.

"Hhahahahaha! W-What is that kaomoji, Ushijima-san? I can't stop laughing! Ghahahaahaha", he says in between breathless laughter.

"Hm? What's wrong? I think it looks like me, don't you think?", Wakatoshi is not sure what's happening but he loves seeing Shoyou smile and laugh out of pure joy.

"Hahahaha! Yeah it looks a little like you!", Hinata admits as his laughter ceases. "I'm glad we get to be friends now, Ushijima-san!", he beams up at him with the megawatt smile Wakatoshi has been dreaming of this past few nights. His lips also stretch out into a subtle smile, just enough for the adorable and charming dimple to show up on his cheek.

"Me too. I'm glad I made you laugh, Hinata.", he says as their smiles and stares linger on each others' faces for few seconds longer than what 'friends' are supposed to. The two souls catch aflame with the warm embers of love. Flowers bloom softly in the distance as the pair, decides to finally order something. Right now, for Ushijima, the desserts feel more like an excuse. Because if he is 100% honest, it only takes Shoyou's laughter to wipe his body off of hunger, apprehension, and fatigue. There's nothing sweeter than the echoes of his giggles and the radiance of his adorable smile.

-----

The now-reconciled rivals sit beside the huge window overlooking the city around them. The homely and cozy colors of the luxury cafe brings out the olive green and honey brown of each others' eyes. Hinata sits in front of Ushijima as he beams up at the food in front of him. The insides of his mouth salivates as his eyes break into tiny teardrops of the cosmos. Sinking into familiar soft leather seats, the weight of the ace rests just in front of Karasuno's #10. He looks at the excited boy in front of him. The luminosity of his aura breaks through the air, eliciting Wakatoshi's lips to crack into a serene smile, one that is calm and refreshing, in contrast to the sunny and energetic grin of Shoyou.

"Careful, Hinata. It's still hot.", Ushijima warns his crush friend protectively. With the way Hinata looks, it seems like he's only one second apart from jumping out of his seat from excitement. He hands over the plate of pastries and a mug of hot chocolate, which were received by smaller hands and thin fingers. Placing the plate and the mug on his side with a faint clink of the silverwares, Shoyou proceeds to muffle his drooling mouth with the warm delicacy.

"Hinata. Be careful, alright?", Wakatoshi reminds him again, this time with a more stern tone. "If you eat too quickly you might burn off your tongue.", he continues.

"Hmp..", Shoyou pouts at Wakatoshi. They may be getting closer now, but he should remember that Ushijima is still a third year - his senpai. "Sorry, Ushijima-senpai~", he whines teasingly as he minds his manners in front of his senior.

'Seems like he has gotten more comfortable.", the third year notices. 'That's great.', he smiles to his own thought. Being called 'senpai' by Hinata definitely made his heart skip a beat. Looking down on his plate, he grabs the pastry and carefully blows cool air on it before cautiously putting it in his mouth. He savors the flavor as the hotness of the freshly-baked goods permeates his taste buds. Staying still for a second, he tries regaining his composure. He brings a hand to cover his mouth, he stops chewing for a second only to blow the heat off of the pastry in his mouth.

'Shit! This is too hot. I should've taken my own advice.', he curses internally. For a moment, he was worried about his date friend seeing him in a disgraceful state. But much to his relief, the younger one was too busy taking pictures of his food, waiting for it to cool down.

Soft camera sounds click from Hinata's phone as he takes photos from different angles. He sees Ushijima's sharp eyes look at him, startling him. 

"Woah! Y-you startled me, Ushijima-san..", Shoyou mutters as he giggles nervously after jolting out of surprise. He slowly took his phone down, resting it on the wooden table.

"What were you doing, Hinata?", Wakatoshi asks curious and perplexed.

"I figured that it was still too hot to eat soooo I took pictures of it while I wait for it to cool down, hehe~", the adorable player explains while giggling. Ushijima feels like his heart is just about ready to snap his ribcage and break free, leaping onto Hinata's arms. He looks at his phone, '1:30 P.M.' It's still early but he already lost count of the moments he felt breathless while looking, listening, and talking to him. A gentle smile spreads on Ushijima's face, dimples marking his cheeks and his eyes mimicking the curve of the crescent moon.

"I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself, Hinata. Seeing you happy makes me feel warm inside.", he conveys sweetly. Blunt. Ushijima is simply too blunt. This straightforwardness will end up being Hinata Shoyou's demise seeing how his brain short circuited from the sweet words that just came out of him.

'Why did nobody tell me that the captain of Shiratorizawa was such a heartthrob.', Shoyou muses in his mind. As much as he wants to deny how he feels about the other, his body reacts differently. Stomach churns with butterflies, his mind goes on a tangent, skin prickles with unquenchable heat from within, his heart catches fire silently each time their eyes cross each others' gazes. Just looking at Wakatoshi is difficult enough and if he continues saying sweet nothings to him he might just...

"Oh! I remembered something!", Hinata interjects on purpose, changing the topic swiftly. He searches through the paper bag sitting beside him. Fishing out the lonely Shonen Jump sitting at the bottom. Bringing it out in one swift motion, he places the book on the table. Two small hands grasp the item and shows it to Ushijima.

"Right here, Ushijima-san! Do you like One Piece? I love it! Hey Ushijima-san, do you watch it? Do you read it? Because I do! I can't imagine living without it. I love a lot of mangas and animes but I love One Piece a lot!"

'Ah.. there he goes. That smile...', Wakatoshi thinks. Shoyou's rambling faded into the background as he stares at his smile. He's completely enamored by him and his energetic glory. On court and off court, Hinata is dazzling. He manages to steal everybody's attention, quickly rising and dazzling anybody who dare lays their eyes on him. While the middle blocker is talking his ear off, Ushijima just nods absentmindedly as if he is truly paying attention to everything he is saying. The conversation he is trying to uphold seem to be very interesting and entertaining as the smaller guy imitates sound effects and crazy hand motions. As ridiculous as it looks, Ushijima finds it very endearing and adorable.

"How about you, Ushijima-san? Who's your favorite character from One Piece?", Shoyou now asks the ace directly, cutting his daydreams short as the high-pitched voice rings a question to his ear.

"Oh, me? Hm.. I like.. Zoro", he replies hesitantly. In truth, he doesn't have a favorite. He loves following the story but thats about it. He just could not help but appease the over-excited boy and entertain his questions. 

"Woah! What a coincidence! Me too, Ushijima-san. He's my favorite. Haha! Yay~ we share the same favorite character!"

Hinata is at full bloom now. And all it takes is a simple 'I like Zoro too'. This bubbly trait that finds the joy in the simplest and smallest things made an impression on Wakatoshi. He does not understand it, but he does not have the guts to be upset about it like last time. This time, he wants to treasure his laughter, capture the happiness brimming out of him and place it in a little bottle to hold on to when he is alone at night. Words can no longer describe how appealing he finds Shoyou, so Ushijima just sat there smiling and looking at him intently as if he is his world. Occasionally he would grab a bite out of the warm pastry and a drink from the cup of black coffee but nothing else could warm him up better than Hinata Shoyou does. 

-----

Time flies fast in the bakery. Seconds, minutes, and hours go by while the pair exchange stories with one another. Hinata talked most of the time but that only encouraged Ushijima to speak more and share his own stories. They had random conversations about random things as they munched on expensive delicacies in the bakery. Eventually, they finished eating but that didn't stop the two from enjoying each other's company. The bakery bustled with less people. They sat in front of each other's faces, smiling and laughing occasionally. As usual, they looked at each other as if they are the only people living in the world. As they told more stories, they started leaning closer and closer to each other.

Ushijima's eyes maps the adorable face of Hinata as they both open the manga that they just bought, reading the same page together. He follows the movement of his big brown eyes scanning through the pages with starry eyes. Ushijima's eyes twinkle with the same excitement but the difference is, he is not looking at the manga - rather he is looking at Shoyou. Feeling his face heat up and his heart pound, he suppresses his desire to plant a kiss on his cheek by refocusing his attention on the comics they are reading. 

He stares at the black and white page riddled with complicated drawings and a slurry of dialogues in epic, dramatic fonts. No matter how hard he tries, he could not help but let his eyes guide his head upwards. He looks up and catch glimpses of Hinata doing the same thing. He averts his eyes immediately and ducks his head a little lower as his ears flush red. Right now, they look identical. Flustered faces burying their noses on manga pages as they subtly steal glances from each other. Sometimes, they succeed in sneaking several glances here and there. Each time that happens, a suppressed smile flashes onto their faces as they immediately purse their lips in the attempt of hiding it. But a lot of the instances where they try to look at one another, they raise their head up only to find a pair of gorgeous eyes already staring back at them. During those moments, they have learned to cut the awkwardness by faking a cough and making awkward side comments about what they are reading.

The tension is rising between the two. Their hearts move in a steady and fast rhythm, synchronized with each other. Their fingers fidget on the corners of the book. Hinata bounces his leg in nervousness and anticipation. While, Wakatoshi licks his lips and sighs occasionally, trying his best to regain his composure. Sweat drips down their skin as their glances are either glued to the manga or glued to the other man's face. The two are barely breathing as the wall clock ticks in the silence of the room. Ushijima fishes his handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes the sweat off of his forehead. Folding the fabric neatly before he returns it to his pocket. Picking the book up again with his left hand, he absentmindedly rests his huge right hand just in front of him, thick veins running beneath the skin of the back of his hand down to his muscular forearm.

Ushijima tries to look at the phone beside his arm for a time-check only to find Hinata's hand just centimeters away from his. Soft and tiny hand almost swallowed up by the sleeve of his brown hoodie. If only he had a list of the things he would want to protect the most, Hinata's hands would take the third place, with his smile and laughter occupying the top two spot. The cute and warm hands are resting just a few nudges away from Ushijima. He looks up at the sky outside.

'The sun isn't shining as brightly anymore and there are less people outside.. I better make this count.', Wakatoshi is determined to make his plan succeed. Taking a deep breath, he exhales a heavy sigh. He wills his mind and body to calm down but his heart just won't listen. It took his entire mind's brain power to make just the slightest movement with his fingers. At this moment, Ushijiima's right hand feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. He does not want to scare Hinata off but at the same time he wants their fingers to at least graze against each other.

'Calm down, Wakatoshi. You just need to be very subtle', he talks to himself, encouraging his doubtful subconscious. He manages to finally lift a finger up. Eyes darting from the hand to the manga pages, his heart beats loud and very very very fast. He makes his hand crawl in an excruciatingly slow pace. His body moves slowly on the outside but nobody but him can feel the chaos arising deep within him. He swallows thickly as he saw the few centimeters his large hand has traveled. Wakatoshi can feel sweat dripping beneath his clothes as he licks his lips once more. Closing his green eyes framed by thick eyelashes, he takes one last breath and throws his apprehension to the wind. He is committed. Committed to take this chance. Committed to take the risks. Million thoughts race through his usually tranquil self as he feels a fingernail touch another fingernail.

'One touch!', he shouts at the back of his head as he prepares his giant hand to leap onto its prey, trapping it in a warm embrace. Using his brain, he sends a message from neuron to neuron. He feels the message relay from one body system to another, from bones to joints, from joins to tendons, and from tendons to his right hand's muscle, he lifts his hand, ready to take a plunge and capture Hinata Shoyou in a feather-light caress-

"OH!", Ushijima jolts very visibly which earned a loud giggle from the other. "Hahahahaha! Sorry for shocking you, Ushijima-san. Hahahahaha!", Hinata laughs out loud. "But I need to come home soon. I'm very very sorry for not telling you. I forgot that I have to be home before dinner or else I'm going to get yelled at by my mom.", Shoyou explains genuinely apologetic. "I'm very sorry, Ushijima-san. But I think I have to go now.", he continues.

"Oh.", Wakatoshi had no words to say. He curses himself for not making a move sooner as he sees Hinata stand up from his seat. Wakatoshi stands up, following him. 

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I didn't mean to make you stay out here for too long.", he apologizes as guilt weighs him down. The redhead's response to him was a bright smile and a soft giggle. He waves his hand in front of his face as he says:

"Hahaha. It's okay, Ushijima-san. It's my fault as well, I should've checked the time occasionally. Don't worry it's not your fault.", the ginger says in a soft tone. The pair left their table as their legs brought them outside of the bakery. Moving past the revolving doors, the scrumptious aroma of the bakery started to fade and lose its magic as the sun begins to melt into the moonlight in an orange tint. Hinata unlocks his bicycle and sets it free from a metal bar holding it in place. Hooking a leg across it, he settles down and finds himself on the bicycle seat.

"Wait. Don't you need somebody to drive you? It's getting late and I'm the one who brought you here in the first place. May I drive you home, Hinata?", Wakatoshi offers his help, his tone laced with worry and overprotectiveness. He steps a little closer to the boy sitting on his vehicle, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"It's okay, Ushijima-san. I can handle it, haha.", Hinata giggles. "You're always doing a lot of stuff for me. I should at least take care of myself, right?", he says as the sunlight start to match the color of his hair. 

"But-", the other tried to protest.

"Ushijima-saaann", Shoyou whines. "I can handle myself. Plus you also need to worry about yourself. You also need to get home, it's getting late.", the freshman scolds his senior as he starts to move the bicycle towards the highway splashed in bright orange colors. Wakatoshi feels melancholic under the bright colors, quite different with the ecstasy he felt during their first sunset together. He looks down on the concrete, pensively.

"Well then, goodbye Ushijima-san! I had a lot of fun today. I hope next time, I get to treat you to something! Bye bye!", Shoyou starts to pedal but stops as he feels a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turns his head back to see a new expression - Ushijima's concerned face.

"If you won't let me drive you home.. Promise me to message me when you get there safely, okay?", Wakatoshi says in a gentle, soft voice.

"I promise, Ushijima-san.", Shoyou says as he hold up his pinky finger.

"What's that, Hinata?", Wakatoshi asks genuinely puzzled.

"It's a pinky promise, Ushijima-san.", he smiles. Shoyou proceeds to move towards him and take his large calloused hands. He blushes at the sudden gesture as he feels a certain feeling of joy, happiness, and achievement. Ushijima may not have won the match but at least he wins Hinata's touch. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise as small hands guide large and thick fingers.

"You see, you take your hand, stick your pinky finger out, and hook it up with mine. Aaanndd there! A pinky promise, haha!", Hinata grins from ear to ear, effortlessly mirroring the hopeful glare of the sun. The smile itself shot an arrow at the ace's heart. A unique power move that does not need any words or sounds, just the mere sight of it is enough. Wakatoshi feels himself smiling back at the younger guy. Their hearts harmonize with each other in a secret melody, delightful and sublime.

And just like that, their second sunset burns, emblazoned in each other's minds along with the first one.

Ushijima watches Hinata pedal off into the horizon keeping a watchful eye on him until he disappears from his vision. He sighs heavily, smiling at the encounter.

'Today is so worth it. Guess I owe Tendou a thanks.', he muses in his mind as another empty hole marks his chest. 'Hm? What is this feeling?... Is it just my imagination? Well, I guess it is. I'm positive I didn't forget anything this time. I already have his number after all, we even had our first official messages', he thinks as he goes back to the bakery to gather his belongings. Ushijima goes home by the subway, completely satisfied for this blessed day.

Hinata Shoyou reaches their home as he sees an unidentified item at the basket attached in front of his bicycle. Stepping forward, he grabs and examines the object. He gasps in surprise as the objects rings a sense of familiarity within him.

A black cap. Ushijima Wakatoshi's black cap.

Chapter Text

Thrashing under the blankets absentmindedly, Hinata Shoyou’s heart does cartwheels. Flashing images of the day he spent with Ushijima Wakatoshi flow through his mind as he clutches not one, but two memorabilias from the powerful ace who persistently knock on the doors of his heart. The black cap and the soft handkerchief seem to have an enormous presence despite their insignificantly tiny size.

‘So what if I have his cap and handkerchief? That’s nothing. Get a hold of yourself, Shoyou. Your delusions are not real. He does not look at you that way. And he never will.’, he thinks to himself while letting go of the objects scented with Wakatoshi.

The first-year wills his excited heart down, lulling it into a weak slumber in hopes of denying his rising hopes for a fruitful future with Wakatoshi. He breathes and closes his eyes in an unusual stillness. Hinata was about to fall asleep beneath the moon as the electronic beep of his phone alarmed him. He clicks his tongue in frustration as he begrudgingly crawls over to the bedside table. Reaching for the tiny machine, a soft glow illuminates his face.

“A new message from Ushijima Wakatoshi”, the phone says.

Immediately, Shoyou’s fingers darted to open the mail. His eyes follow the message.

[Hinata? Where are you right now? I told you to message me when you get home. Are you okay? Answer me. ASAP.]

‘Ah, shit. I totally forgot to send him my message. Stupid, stupid, stupid!’, Shoyou curses himself. His fingers moved on its own, typing up a response for the panicked male.

[ushijima-san! Im very sorry :< I totally forgot to message you :< but im all fine haha. Pls don’t worry about me! Im on my bed right now trying to sleep haha]

He sends the message and waited. After a few seconds a soft ping resounded.

‘That was quick’

[Oh is that so? That’s good. You should rest and get tons of sleep. Who knows, you might grow taller and stronger.]

[thanks! I will do just that ushijima-senpai~( =^∇^*=) maybe if I get enough sleep I can grow as big as you :3]

[That’s a stretch, Hinata. Maybe after a few years, we will see.]

[how did u grow up to be that tall ushijima-san? do you have a secret? 0.o]

[No. This is just how I was born. I guess you can call me one of the lucky ones]

[(owo) that’s great! I wish I got lucky as well (｡•́︿•̀｡) ]

[Don’t worry about it. Personally, being tiny suits you. You remind me of a bunny.]

[hehe is that so?? ⌒(=✪ x ✪=)⌒ ]

[do you like bunnies senpai? I love them theyre all fluffy and cuute :3]

[Yes. I like them. I used to have a bunny and a hamster when I was a kid. They were both very adorable but they died after few years.]

Hinata feels taken aback with the response. He feels guilty for unknowingly bringing up a dark, sensitive subject from the other man. He quickly thinks of a way to salvage the awkward situation.

[sorry for that ushiijma san :< I hope you find another bunny and hamster to cuddle with :<]

[It’s okay. Maybe another bunny is waiting for me nearby.]

[!! let me know if you meet the bunny!!1!11!  lets name it together >:3]

[I will.]

[yayyy!! o(=´∇｀=)o]

[btw senpai]

[What is it?]

[i think you left your black cap on my bicycle.. i accidentally brought it home :< when can we meet up again?]

[so.. yknow..  I can give it back to you..]

[Oh, is that right? I didn’t even realize..]

[But no, it’s fine, Hinata. You don’t need to go out. I’ll come over tomorrow and fetch it from your house. You need to rest. You guys will be going to Nationals. Don’t stress too much about it.]

[no no ushijima san! we can meetup anytime. tomorrow is a sunday anyways and.. maybe you think its my turn to treat you somewhere else?]

[because you know.. u do a lot of stuff for me, I think I need to do something in return, ushijima-san..]

[Hinata.. No need. I’ll come over tomorrow, fetch my cap, and go back to the dorm. Us, third-years, need to catch up with our studies too.]

[i see..]

[wait- do you even know where I live???? How will u get here 0.o]

[Send me your address. I’ll come during the afternoon, after lunch. I don’t want to bother you and your family any further so I’ll leave right away.]

[right..]

Hinata reluctantly sends their home address, his spirit dwindles as Ushijima rejects his offer.

‘Coming over, huh.. wait a minute..’, a bright idea crosses his mind.. Hinata’s lips curl up into a sly smile as he taps in several more messages.

Their conversation stretched out for a few more minutes with Shoyou peppering Wakatoshi with certain questions. They enjoyed their time together even just behind phone screens. Finally, Wakatoshi suggested the younger boy to take a rest and sleep. The newly-formed textmates bid each other farewells and sweet dreams. Closing their machines together, the illumination from the screen fades as the night sky’s gentle darkness engulfed their faces, sending them to a different dimension – one that is comforting yet totally elusive and intangible.

Ushijima Wakatoshi goes to sleep, completely unaware of tomorrow’s shenanigans.

The light of dawn breaks free from the horizon, striking everything underneath the skies with shimmering gold ribbons. The warmth permeates through the window to plant kisses on Shoyou’s cheeks, gradually stirring him awake. With soft, little thumps on the wooden floor, Hinata makes his way to the bathroom to start his daily routine.

He walks out of the bathroom, his face still slightly damp as he pats his skin dry with a soft face towel. Shoyou trudges towards his phone, a faint light illuminates his face other than the warm sun.

‘9:30, huh..’

After doing a time check, he looks up at the sky painted with a peaceful blue. Clouds barely gather at the wide expanse as the sun sits high above, regal and solitary. He, once again, searches for the contact number of the super-ace. Staring at the plain contact info, he hums quietly.

‘Hmm.. I wonder what’s a good contact name for Ushijima-san..’, Shoyou wonders, making his brain wake up.  ‘Since this is my phone, it could be anything, right? Nobody will be able to read it anyways, right?’ With the contact information beneath his fingertips, he thinks of the countless possible nicknames for Ushijima.

‘Ushijima-san? No, too formal. Ushijima-kun? No. Ushi-chan? No no no, that’s not it. Hmm what about.. first names..?’

The decoy blushes at the thought of using the senior’s first name.

‘W-Wakatoshi-kun…?? No, too long. Let’s shorten his first name.. How about Waka-chan?? Nah, sounds a little funny..’

Shoyou mindlessly nibbles on his thumbnail as he brainstorms.

‘Toshi-kun.. That’s it! Toshi-kun! Suits him perfectly, haha~’, the younger male muses in his mind as he taps the little buttons on his flip phone. He changes the previously bland and anonymous combinations of numbers into an endearing yet casual nickname for Wakatoshi. Hinata looks down his phone, reading the new contact name.

‘Toshi-kun… Sounds great!’, he exclaims internally. ‘Now, moving on to my genius plan~’. He smirks cunningly as his fingers make another series of tapping noises. Pressing ‘send’, the message reads as:

[good morning ushijima-san!! I hope u had a great sleep :3]

[can I just ask what exact time do you plan on coming over??]

Shoyou paces around his room, waiting for a reply. He sets the damp towel down the laundry basket as his phone vibrates, alerting the first-year volleyball player. Opening the flip phone, he reads the reply.

[Morning, Hinata. I had a great sleep. I will come over at exactly 12:30 P.M. You don’t need to bother too much, just hand me over my cap and I’ll leave shortly.]

[okay ushijima san!! be careful on your way hereeee :3 ill see you later hehe~]

[Yeah, see you later. Hinata.]

With that, they close their flip phones in a swift, gentle motion. The sun stands tall in the sky. A ubiquitous warmth that governs everything its rays can touch. The soft blankets of light permeate through windy air, contrasting the coolness of the breeze in a well-timed dance. The sun, the clouds, and the earth are all witness to the blossoming fate of Ushijima and Hinata.

-----

The breeze carries the pollens in a  far away place as it rushes across the metropolis. Ushijima Wakatoshi jogs through the silent street as he takes a glance at his phone.

’12:26.. I better hurry.’

Long legs take wide strides as he maps the Hinata household’s address in his head, seemingly ingrained into his memories. After few minutes of journey, Wakatoshi’s legs take him at the façade of a simple, average house.

‘This is the place, isn’t it?’, he asks himself. Ushijima walks closer to the door. A rather alarming ring breaks in to his ears as he presses the doorbell situated right beside the wooden doors. Few seconds pass by and between that short allotted time, he hears faint shuffling and soft thuds on wooden floors. The door unlocks, swinging by to reveal a middle-aged woman with short black hair just barely reaching her shoulders. The woman is delighted as her eyes bloom into crescents that resemble the moon.

“Oh my~ You must be Shoyou’s friend! You look so tall and grown up!”, Shoyou’s mother says in a pleasantly surprised tone.

“Y-Yes, ma’am. Is Hina- er.. I mean, Sho-Shoyou inside?”, Wakatoshi stutters as he nervously asks the woman. This is probably his first time using Hinata’s first name to refer to him. Most of the time, he just calls him ‘Hinata’ if not, then ‘Hinata Shoyou’. But never in his life did he realize that he will be using his first name so soon into their friendship.

“Oh. He is in the kitchen, right now. He told me he has a visitor and he wanted to make something for that person himself. And I thought, ‘Waahh~ Shoyou’s all grown up now! His friend must be a really nice person to make him act this way for the first time, haha~’”

“Really? Is he cooking something.. for me??”, Wakatoshi’s heart does a whole gymnastic routine behind his ribcages. The imagery of Hinata’s small body dressed in an apron, orange hair sticking out from behind the counter while his arms move a ladle around, stirring a stew that he voluntarily makes for him. Shoyou tastes his own cooking and softly whispers, ‘All done!’ as he proceeds to serve the food for him with a gentle kiss on the cheek.. Wakatoshi relishes in his daydream, quickly peeling himself off of it as he hears Shoyou’s mother speak once more.

“He is really right there in the kitchen, cooking.”, Mrs. Hinata says. She steps aside and gestured Wakatoshi to go inside the house. “Now, now, make yourself feel at home. And be careful, you might hit your head with the railing. This house is not exactly used to tall people like you, hahaha.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’m coming in..”, Wakatoshi slightly ducks his head to avoid the railing. He steps inside the house as he takes his shoes off, arranging them close to one another immediately. A simple yet cozy abode lays itself in front of him. Wooden floors, furniture set enough for three people in the living room, a television, and a wooden staircase. The house is as normal as one can get. But what rattled Ushijima’s mind is the fact that his imagination seemingly materializes itself to reality.

A small fluff of orange hair gleams at him from the edge of the building. Behind the counter, Shoyou’s back faces him, the straps of an apron encircling his waist in a comely ribbon. A familiar scent dominates the house as he moves forward, eyes steadily pinned on just one male. There he is, Hinata Shoyou, the boy who defeated and challenged his own idea of strength. The boy he used to dream of destroying so bad now enraptures him just by standing there, cooking a simple meal.

The musings of his mind comes to a halt as a little girl with the same orange hair yelps and looks up at him, wide-eyed. He tilts his neck down as he stares back at the little girl.

“So big! Nii-chan is this your friend??”, the lass asks her older brother.

Hinata turns his head as he finds the domineering frame of his friend in the room. The stark height difference he has with the rest of the family is almost comical.

‘Toshi-kun is probably the tallest person that has been in this house, haha.’, he notes silently.

“Ushijima-san! You’re amazing! You actually arrived at exactly 12:30 hahaha!”, Shoyou jokes around as he quickly glanced at the clock. “Just stay there for a little while, lunch is just about to get served.”

“Sure. Who is this girl? Your sister?”, Wakatoshi asks, pertaining to the little girl.

“Yes! I’m his sister. My name is Natsu.”, she introduces herself as he reaches out a hand.

“I’m Ushijima Wakatoshi. Pleased to meet you.”, he deadpans as he shakes Natsu’s tiny hand, barely the size of his palm.

“Why don’t you sit down for a while, Wakatoshi-kun? Let’s all wait and eat lunch together, shall we?”, their mother offers with a sweet and genuine smile.

“S-sure, ma’am.”

Wakatoshi sits on the couch slightly anxious and pressured to make a great impression. He sits properly as Shoyou’s mother does the same thing before engaging in a small conversation with him. The arms of the clock move with each passing tick as they all waited for the meal to be served. Ushijima feels himself breaking into a cold sweat as he talks with, according to his wildest imaginations, his ‘future in-laws’. The conversation smoothly sailed by, as the delicious aroma roamed around the house.

-----

“It’s ready~! Mom, Natsu, and Ushijima-san, lunch is ready!”, Shoyou calls out.

“Yaaayyy~”,Natsu exclaims as she excitedly races to the dinner table.

“Natsu, I told you to behave, right? We have a visitor over here.”, her mom reprimands.

“Soorryy~”, Natsu responds as she picks up her chinaware. “Here you go, nii-chan!”, she says as she thrusts her empty plate up to her brother who has peeled off the apron off of his body.

“Sure, sure~”

Hinata takes her plate and gives her a serving of piping hot curry rice.

“Careful,  Natsu. It’s still hot.”, he reminds his little sister. “And let’s wait for Ushijima-san and Mom before starting to eat, okay?”

“Okay, nii-chan!”

Hinata’s mother spoke up and says with a gentle smile, “Let’s join them, Wakatoshi-kun.”

To which the visitor responds with, “Okay.. I hope you don’t mind.”

In the small, square dining table, Natsu and her mother occupies the seats in front of Ushijima who is now seated next to an empty chair. The owner of the chair is busy, loading each plate with the meal he cooked for the occasion. A few minutes have passed and Hinata Shoyou finally sits on the chair after serving Wakatoshi his portion.

“Here you go~”, Shoyou hums as he pulls the chair back and sit beside Ushijima.

“Thank you, Hinata”, Wakatoshi whispers to the younger man as he leans down closer to him.

“Hinata? Which Hinata are you referring to, Ushijima-san? There’s three of us here, yknow.”,  Shoyou teases.

“W-well then.. Sho-Shoyou.. thank you..”, Wakatoshi takes a second to say his first name as it comes out in an almost inaudible whisper, making the boy giggle.

“You’re welcome then, Ushijima-san.” Hinata whispers back to the reddened ears.

“Unfair. Use my first name too, Shoyou.. You made me use yours..”, he retaliates.

“T-there’s no need for that, dummy. You’re the only Ushijima here.”, he softly argues back.

“We’ll see.”, Wakatoshi suggests in a low deep tone before saying his graces and digging in to the food in front of him.

Hinata’s ears burn up and before he knows it his heart spiked in an unfathomable speed as he tries decipher Ushijima’s words.

“Wh-what do you mean ‘We’ll see’? Are you crazy?? I dunno what you’re talking about..”, Shoyou argues in a hushed whisper, afraid of making a scene in front of his family as he banters with Shiratorizawa’s cannon.

Toshi swallows his food before opening his mouth to speak once again.

“This curry taste really good, Shoyou. I didn’t know you were a great cook. Are you not gonna eat?”, Ushijima changes the topic swiftly. The volume of his voice a little louder this time, loud enough for the rest of the family members to hear.

“I know right, Wakatoshi-kun?”, his mother responds. “Surprisingly, Shoyou knows his way around the kitchen.”

She turns her head towards her son, only to find him flustered, his plate completely untouched.

“Shoyou? Are you okay? You should eat up before your food gets cold, you know.”

“S-sure thing, Mom..”

Hinata slowly picks up his utensils. Silverwares clink around the dinner table as his family and one visitor indulges in the meal that he prepared. It’s not much and he definitely knows that he is not the best cook but to see people enjoy something that you created for them is a moment that makes him feel light and warm. He looks at his mother and little sister’s delighted faces and gladly accepts their compliments. Their praises and expressions surely mean a lot to him but one thing that stands out the most for Shoyou is the man who has absolutely no words to say. The man who is quiet 99% of the time sits beside him, silently stuffing his face with curry rice. He stares at Ushijima, making his heart skip beat as tales of appreciation and fondness flash in his face. Olive green eyes twinkle with each spoonful as he carefully chews every single bit of his food. He looks at Wakatoshi longingly, smiling with a sweet serenity only to find the other man catching his attention, halting the spoon’s movement on the way to his mouth.

A few seconds render each other frozen. For a very short time, it was just Shoyou and Wakatoshi staring at each other’s eyes and getting a glimpse of one another’s reflection in their pupils. An area around their chests seemed to tug at each other as if a red string connects their hearts that are chaotically causing mayhem inside of their bodies. During the ephemeral silence, only one word resonated in their souls: Beautiful.

From that flashing moment alone, their faces exploded with pink as beads of sweat run down their foreheads and the back of their necks. Quickly, they avert their eyes away from each other until their vision finds the food waiting for them in front.

“I-itadakimasu..”, Hinata says before digging in to the home-cooked meal.

Ushijima resumes into stuffing his face with rice as Shoyou’s mom began to speak up.

“Wakatoshi-kun..”

Ushijima looks up.

“Yes?”

“You’re a pretty popular guy, aren’t you?”, his mom notes. “You’re handsome, tall, and very athletic.. I think I even saw you in a sports magazine once.”

“Ah. I guess you can say that..”

“Hmm..”, she hums before striking another question. “Do you have a girlfriend already? You seem like every other girl’s dream guy.”

The question is lighthearted, completely normal, a question that popular guys like Ushijima get asked often. But to Shoyou, this is a huge deal – a moment of truth. He looks up at Ushijima who seems to take forever to answer. Every passing second, needles seem to pull out of his heart in an excruciatingly slow pace. He anxiously waits for his reply.

‘Does he have a girlfriend or does he not have one? Shit. He definitely does have one, right? I mean, Ushijima-san is very talented and handsome.. I bet girls chase over him.. right? Anyways, Shoyou! Don’t get your hopes up. You guys are just friends. You have no right to get jealous!’, Hinata scolds himself as he watches Wakatoshi’s lips move and form words.

“I..”, he gathers his words together as he thinks of a response. “..don’t have one, right now. I think I don’t have the time to frolic with girls at the moment. Our team just lost to Karasuno. So us, third-years, need to focus on our studies more than ever. We are graduating, after all.”

Shoyou does not know how to feel with the answer. Sure, he is happy that he does not have a girlfriend but the way he answered it does not exactly mean that he is available at the moment. Furthermore, even if he is, there’s no way Ushijima Wakatoshi will go out with the guy who defeated his team from advancing to the Nationals. It’s just unrealistic. He also makes a point about his studies.. He needs to work hard since he is about to graduate soon.. Soon.. Wakatoshi is a talented man with a dream of his own. He is bound to leave everyone for a much greater path.

Hinata hears his heart break into millions of tiny pieces, feeling an empty void punch a huge hole into his chest. He sits there, completely desolated and hopeless. Suddenly the warm and light atmosphere reduces to that of a dark stormy winter, at least in Hinata Shoyou’s world. Even though, he has completely lost his appetite, he forces himself to finish his serving.

Consumed by despair, he lets time wash over him until he realizes that everybody has finished eating. His façade consistently fools everyone. Putting on the usual sunny face and making cheerful remarks here and there, he effortlessly leads people away from the cold and harsh melancholy swirling inside of his heart.

“I’ll take care of the dishes, Shoyou. You can go hang out with Wakatoshi in your room, okay? But remember, do not make too much mess. And if you do, make sure to clean up after yourselves.”, his mom reminds him.

“Yes, mom~”, Shoyou hums before forcing a smile and beaming up at Wakatoshi as usual. He taps him by the shoulder and says, “Now. Let’s go upstairs, Ushijima-san.”

Catching a glimpse of Shoyou’s smile always seem to warm Wakatoshi’s heart up. But not this time. Effortlessly and as if they have known each other for several years, Ushijima notices that something is not right with the way Hinata smiled at him this time. He looks directly in his eyes before getting pulled by the shorter guy upstairs. They stop in front of a simple wooden door as Shoyou twists the knob and lets the two of them enter the room.

“Welcome to my room, Ushijima-san!”

Hinata’s citrusy scent lingers in the room. He looks around to find a very plain bedroom. No posters, no clutter or mess, no stuffed toys or anything - just a plain old bedroom, in contrast to the cheery and bright demeanor of the first-year.

 Shoyou walks up to the bed while smiling, before plopping down to sit on it.

“You know, Ushijima-san, I can be very stupid and forgetful sometimes. Hahaha. Who think that I will forget to hand your cap over before going home.  Ah, seriously. But wait – shouldn’t you be the one to remember the cap first?? Don’t tell me.. you also forgot about it?”

“Seems like I did.”

“Hahaha. That’s very unlike you, Ushijima-san. Who knew we’re both forgetful and clueless sometimes. But don’t worry! I got it haha…”, Hinata pulls a drawer our and skims through it. “If I remember correctly… I placed it around here…”

Hinata rummages around the drawer until his hands make contact with a familiar object. “Oh! There it is!”

He pulls his hand away from the drawer, black cap in his grasp. Shoyou walks over to Wakatoshi as he flashes his fake smile again.

“Here you go, Ushijima-san! Be careful next time, okay?”, Ushijima eyes found the smile more interesting than the cap.

“Hinata. Are you okay?”, Wakatoshi asks. “Your smile.. looks different.”

“Eh? Haha.. What do you mean? This is how I always smile…”, Hinata feigns innocence once more.

“Liar.”

The word that rolled of his tongue sent a chill down Shoyou’s spine. ‘Liar? Me? I don’t know what you are talking about. This is how I always smile, you know..’ he tries to convince himself. ‘I’m NOT hurting.’

“What do you mean, Ushijima-san.. Lying? Me? Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Shoyou, if there’s anyth-“

“Please call me Hinata, Ushijima-san.”, Shoyou interrupts sharply. He realizes his tone might be too aggressive, which shows that there IS something that’s indeed bothering him. Quickly he changes his tone to a more ‘normal’ one. “I-I mean we are alone right now.. s-so there’s no need..”, he trails off.

“So I’m right. There is something bothering you.”

“…”

Shoyou’s head drop in defeat. The previously outstretched arm mellows back into a lax, almost lifeless state. Hinata stands there, right in front of Wakatoshi, unusually still and steady – almost like the calm before a storm. Right now, his blood runs cold. Utterly helpless and desolated, he wishes that the ground just swallows him up encasing him in a tight earthly embrace, away from the light and completely shrouded in darkness.

Ushijima takes few steps forward as quiet as he can. Confused and overwhelmed, he can’t help but just stand there looking at Shoyou. He needs to do something. Wakatoshi’s compassion and adoration sets his heart aflame, churning his engines and getting his gears to start turning. Moving closer and closer to Hinata, he reaches for the back of his neck.  Planting a gentle palm just right below the orange hair, Ushijima pulls the younger boy into his firm chest. Caressing and patting the orange hair as if stoking a candle and turning it into an inextinguishable torch, he brings another arm and hooks it across the smaller body. Encasing him in a tight embrace, he starts to feel a growing wetness on his chest and a trembling that grows more and more violent by each tick of a clock’s hands.

Hinata’s own arms are yet to move as he pleases. In fact, his whole body is not moving as he wants them to. He just knows that his prayers have been heard. The earth did swallow him up in an embrace, completely shielded away from everything else. In this comfortable tenderness, he is safe and contained. It was as if his radiance wanes at Ushijima’s embrace – rather, it’s all being consumed by Wakatoshi. His warmth stirs the stoic man alive as he finds the boldness and courage to show this certain level of affection.

The walls bear witness to the sounds of Shoyou’s sniffling, who is trembling and melting in another man’s arms. Fingertips trace gentle strokes and circles along his back. Great, large palms pet his hair, wordlessly comforting him. Each time Shoyou’s sobbing intensifies, Wakatoshi is there to hug him tighter and slip feather-light kisses on top of his head. The so-called “friends” stands in a moment in time completely void of any words, any phrases and any sentences – just their presence alone brings a sense of belonging for one another to touch. Gradually, Hinata starts to calm down. The rain emanating from his eyes dries slowly. The trembling remains but this time, it’s much much weaker, more controlled. Even though the sobbing has let up, they don’t move from their position. They stand like statues petrified into a sweet eternity. That is until Ushijima removes his chin, perched up on top of Hinata’s head to look down and gaze into his glassy eyes. With a whisper he speaks.

“Are you okay, now?”

Shoyou hears him and nods as he buries his face into his chest even further.

“You want to talk about it?”

Few seconds of silence deafen his ears, waiting for a reply.

At last, Shoyou stirs, only for his head to shake “no” in response.

“Scared?”

Shoyou nods almost instantaneously which made the older man scoff and smirk. The response made Hinata look up at the taller man as he grumbles with a “hmph” all while his face remains buried into his chest. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes communicate as if asking “why are you laughing?” in an adorable, pouty tone.

“Cute.”, the hushed, whispered tone halts as Wakatoshi pinches Shoyou’s cheeks fondly. “Don’t be scared, Shoyou. I’ll do my best to protect and take care of you. I promise.”, his words may be said in the usual deadpan and unemotional tone but his eyes says otherwise. Toshi looks at Shoyou with the utmost fondness and determination at the same time. Like Shoyou’s brown eyes, olive green eyes communicate, speaking to him as if saying: “I’m a hundred percent serious. I will do anything for you. Trust me.”

Right now, Hinata is conflicted. ‘Do I risk our friendship and tell him how I feel? Or keep my emotions bottled up, waiting to burst in any other moment?’ Questions cloud his mind and his feelings haven’t been completely resolved yet. But at least one thing has been cleared up: He would not waste his time wallowing in despair. He will go out there and show people, show Wakatoshi that their tale does not end after the third-years’ graduation. Wakatoshi is a talented man, strong enough to be destined for the best and brightest future. But who’s to say that Shoyou is not destined for the same thing? A shining ray replenishes from his heart as he slowly pulls away from Ushijima’s embrace. Brown orbs look up at green ones. His lips peel apart from each other, breaking into a blinding smile as he says the following words:

“Thank you so much, Toshi-kun!”

Chapter Text

The sun permeates through clear, glassy windows. Passing through the soft ribbons of warmth, Wakatoshi struts towards the door. He picks up his shoes and swiftly fitting his feet onto them. He turns his head towards the household, looking at gleeful soft eyes.

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Hinata.”, Ushijima says.

“No problem, Wakatoshi-kun!”, Hinata’s mother exclaims. “Feel free to come back anytime, okay? Remember, you are always welcome here.”, she mutters with a soft smile.

“I will, ma’am.”, Wakatoshi says as he bows his head slightly, as formal as ever. He turns his head to look at the smaller male who had just been sobbing into his arms a while ago. Ushijima moves slightly closer to him and lifts a gentle hand to stroke the fluffy amber hair.

He smiles as he pats Shoyou’s head. “Take care, Shoyou.”, a tender voice resonates. The warmth of his body and the fragility of his trembling figure just a few moments ago still leave some sort of mark into Wakatoshi’s body. He could still feel the bittersweet embrace they once shared earlier that afternoon.

“I will, Wakatoshi-san. Take care! Be careful, okay?”, Shoyou responds as Ushijima turns his back around and opens the door slowly. Sunlight filters through the crack of the door, expanding ever-so slightly in a blinding width as the supreme ace’s silhouette dampens its brightness.

“Yeah. See you, Shoyou.”, Wakatoshi smiles to the boy as he slips through the door, closing it with a silent thud.

He now stands on the pavement, elated and fervid with the events that unfolded before his eyes. His heart pumps like a hummingbird’s wings flapping desperately in quick, flashing motions. He is excited. And he sure as hell can’t control the smile slowly cracking his lips from one ear to another.

Wakatoshi reaches out of his pocket hurriedly, as he follows his way back into his house. Fishing out his cellphone, he dials in a familiar number.

“Tendou, can we meet up today? I have to say something.”

The glee is audible in his voice, almost as if his vocal chords are the ones doing the smiling. The situation catches Tendou off-guard, eliciting a gasp of pleasant surprise from the redhead.

“Eh?! Why do you sound so happy? Something great happened today?”, he replies into the phone.

“Just hurry up and get out of the dorm.”, Ushijima seem to get impatient – or rather, excited.

“Yes, yes. I’m getting ready now.”, Satori muses as he shuffles into new clothes. “The usual place?”

“Yeah. The usual place.”, Wakatoshi answers.

“The sun covers everything underneath into a warm and all-encompassing brightness. Ushijima looks up into the clear azure skies, completely free from thick white clouds. As still as a statue yet as jolly as an excited kid during Christmas Eve, he stands on the sidewalk. Grasping his phone to his ears, he starts to speak up.

“I’ll get going already. I’m hanging up. See you, Satori.”

“See you, Toshi~!”

The phone call ends with a beep and a swift jog of Ushijima Wakatoshi, racing through the streets.

----

“Wakatoshi~~”,  a cheerful voice calls out, the familiarity in the tone resounds in his hears. As soon as he steps foot inside of the shop he notices the bright red hair, completely unique from the other diners.

“Tendou.”, he replies softly as he trudges towards the seat occupied by his friend, the son of the owner of the bakery. Ushijima takes a seat in front of him, sinking into the cozy leather couch. Memories he share with people who are special in his life rests here, in this shop. His junior teammates: Shirabu, Goshiki, and Taichi, his fellow third-years in the club: Reon, Semi, his best friend Tendou Satori. And of course, how could he ever forget, the light of his life and the person currently sitting at the top of his heart – Hinata Shoyou.

 He and Tendou exchange glances and greetings. As always, the talkative and tight-lipped dynamic of the duo never ceases to be interesting. When Satori is going off on a tangent and speaking with animated hand gestures, Wakatoshi will sit there and nod as if everything he says makes so much sense. But there are moments when Ushijima is less of the quiet person and engage more in Tendou’s antics, sometimes catching people off-guard.

Minutes and few conversations pass, the pair finally made an order. While waiting for the food to arrive, Tendou peppers Ushijima with questions.

“So..”, he pauses as he looks directly on to green eyes. “how are you and Shoyou-chan doing~”. Tendou asks in a playful singsong tone, baiting the words he wants to hear from the stoic man.

Wakatoshi sighs without any malice, no irritation, no disappointment – just a plain old sigh. He catches a slight gleam of smile cracking his lips before he suppresses it. Pink paints his ears ever-so slightly. Large, burly hands fiddles with edge of the leather couch. Sharp eyes catch glimpses of strangers walking downtown. He licks his lips and answers momentarily.

“Tendou..”, he pauses with a mild hesitation, unsure of how to form his words properly. “when you embrace the guy you like.. do you think he will know that I like him?”, his voice sounds sincere.

“Eh?! You hugged him already?! Oh no, Toshi-kun! You could have gotten Shoyou-chan pregnant with that!”, Satori answers, exaggerating his sentence sarcastically. He finds the question pretty silly. And what’s better than teasing Wakatoshi who is currently simping for the guy who defeated him in a challenge.

Ushijima clicks his tongue in annoyance. His eyebrows knit together both in confusion and irritation. “Are you being sarcastic? I’m pretty serious, you know.”, he clarifies.

“Hehe, sorry~ Just felt like teasing you~”, he hums. “But, wow, you hugged him already? Moving a bit fast, aren’t we?”, the last question is punctuated with a bit more sincerity. To Tendou’s defense, it is pretty sensible to be concerned. Wakatoshi is not the best at being sociable and often scares off people unintentionally. He just wants to make sure that his best friend does not do anything that will turn Shoyou off.

“How did you guys come to that, anyways? Did you initiate it or..??”, he asks as he props his folded arms near the edge of the table. He rests his head on it as he converse with Ushijima.

Wakatoshi instantly remembers the earlier events, Hinata abruptly sobbing and him seemingly moving on his own and grasping the smaller male into his arms. It was a sensitive moment, something vulnerable. As awkward as he is, he at least knows certain boundaries. That’s right. Even if Satori is his best friend, he can’t tell him every single detail about their budding relationship.

“Not sure I can talk about why we ended up doing that..”, he answers. “But to answer your question I did initiate it. Is that bad?”, he questions innocently, a little self-conscious.

“No. Not really. Just.. hmm how do you put this..”, Tendou scrunches his eyebrows, deep in thought. “Do you think he loved being embraced by you?”

He remembers how Hinata seem to calm down the longer they stayed link with each other. He also remembers the sweetest smile he has ever seen in his life after they stood in silence.

‘Thank you, Toshi-kun!’, he reminisces once again.

“Yeah. I think he did..”, Wakatoshi whispers fondly, his lips and eyes starting to break out in a smile.

“Man.. You’re fucked bro.. You are TOTALLY in love.”, Satori slowly rise up from his formerly slouched posture, his eyes blown wide as he stares at his smiling best friend. “But it’s a SUPER good thing that Shoyou-chan seem to like that too.. Being embraced, I mean.”

“Yeah. I guess so. We also exchange numbers and we have been talking through the phone ever since. He types in these things called ‘kaomoji’. Are you familiar with that?”, Ushijima asks as pictures of cute emoticons pop in his mind.

“Ah.. yes~ Never use them though. I prefer calls over texts..”, Tendou answers.

“Hmm.. is that so..”

The atmosphere changed. It’s not a cheerful conversation like before. The moment is silent – a comfortable silent. Some say that only real friends can endure and share that duration. They can only hear the drowned out noises of the bakery. Mindless chatters of the diners, shuffling of paper bags, and the distinct sound of a “Sir, here are your orders.”

“Oh, thank you..”, Ushijima says.

“Thanks~”, Tendou muses as he takes his plate, of a lava chocolate cake. ‘I’m gonna master how to make this soon. I promise!’, he thinks to himself. Satori lifts his head up and looks at Ushijima. The other man is looking at his croissant while tapping on his phone.

“What are you doing, Toshi?”

“Oh. Just taking a picture of my food.”

“Huh? Since when did you start doing that?”, he asks in confusion and bewilderment.

“Well.. I just thought of sending it to Shoyou. We came here last time. You know, when we bought the manga.”, he clarifies without taking his eyes off the phone. He hastily presses the button and a lightning-fast camera shutter went off. Ushijima squints at the image taken.

“Lemme see that, Toshi.”, Satori sighs. Ushijima hands his phone over. Tendou looks at the recently took image and grimaces. “Yuck, Wakatoshi! This is so blurred!”, he says while he laughs at the ridiculously bad photograph.

“I think my finger pressed too hard. Sorry, I’m too strong.”, the bad photographer explains, almost jokingly.

“No no no! You’re just too bad of a photographer!”, Satori laughs even harder. “You can’t send this to Shoyou, Wakatoshiii..”, he whines. “He might get turned off and decide ‘Ew. He takes bad photos. Don’t want him.’”

“That’s not true, Satori. Shoyou likes me too. I cradled him into my arms.”, Ushijima says defensively.

“Yeah, right. Go take another shot!”, Satori demands.

The phone went back to thicker fingers and once again, Ushijima is far too consumed by the attempt to take the best photo of the croissant. Tendou’s stare lingers for a moment at the man sitting in front of him, his eyes are a little pensive. His lips threaten to say something but he purses it immediately. Silence blooms between them but this time it is tense. A little anew for the duo who always seem to understand each other wordlessly. Satori finally musters up the courage to open his mouth and form words.

“Hey, Wakatoshi..”, the camera shutters once more and Ushijima smiles, delighted by a finally clear photo. “..you’re not forgetting that guy are you?”. Tendou’s words seem to cut like sharp icicles. He is almost guilty for wiping the smile off of Wakatoshi’s face.

“Oh.” It was all he can reply back. ‘Fuck’, his mind curses.

“You need to make up your mind. It’s not right to be greedy.”, the redhead says as if to lecture the team captain.

“I’ll sort it out, somehow.”, the ace mutters shamefully. He slowly bows his head down, closes his phone and brings it to the table.

“I know you will, Wakatoshi. You’re a responsible person. I trust you.”, the guess blocker reassures the man who is now in deep thought. “Forget about that for a second. Sorry if I ruined the mood. I just thought I should remind you… I’m your best friend, remember?”, Satori pats his shoulder and smiles at him.

“Yeah..”, Wakatoshi replies. “Thank you, Satori. You’re a life-saver.”, his smile slowly returns in his face, grateful to have somebody like Tendou by his side.

With that, the bakery’s chatter melts down into a sleep-inducing white noise, filling up the blank canvas that is silence. The guess blocker and the super ace enjoys each other’s company, their conversations finally blending among the other diners’ mindless chitchat.

----

It was finally late at night. The moon is glistening like an illuminating spotlight, completely vacant from shadows. It stands there up at the sky, overlooking the sleepless form of one Hinata Shoyou. He thrashes around in his bed sheets, searching for the right position to be able to doze off into sleep. The problem is not at the bed sheets, the bed, or the positions at which he sleeps. He remains awake at night solely because his mind is too preoccupied.

‘Wakatoshi-kun hugged me a while ago. Oh my gosh! He even pecked my head and ruffled my hair. I’m freaking out!’, he muses in his mind as he holds on to the handkerchief – a memorabilia from the time they first hang out alone. Shoyou grasps it and eventually buries his face to the fabric, inhaling the faint icy and comforting traces of Wakatoshi. Hinata feels himself heating up and getting giddier each second. The more his brain racks up the memories of what happened earlier, the more he gets excited and starry-eyed.

His mind drifts on to the reason why he started getting upset in the first place.

‘A talented man like Wakatoshi-kun will surely get a very bright future ahead of him. He is a third year.. He is bound to leave me sooner – leave all of his younger teammates before they reach Nationals next year. I may not be as ‘lucky’ as Wakatoshi-kun but no matter what happens, I’m gonna achieve my dreams! I will reach the summit, at last. Karasuno has defeated Shiratorizawa. Getting there may be tough, but the top is not impossible, at all! You can do this, Shoyou!’.

The decoy psyches himself up. Motivating and lifting his then scared and frustrated heart. It is not easy to shine relentlessly at all times. Sometimes, even the sun gets consumed by the darkness. Though momentarily, the frigid feeling of a slump is a tremendous force that may bring a person down to an abyss – but not for Shoyou. He soars towards the sky once again. And sometimes all it takes is a sturdy and unfazed ground to fall back to in order for him to propel himself even higher.

He has had people help him countless times. This time is not any different. He’s got Karasuno, Coach Ukai, the Volleyball Neighborhood Association guys, Takeda – sensei, the managers: Kiyoko and Yachi,  and of course – his newfound friend, Ushijima Wakatoshi. The feeling changed. He is not just an acquaintance anymore. Neither is he just the super ace that he challenged and eventually defeated. He is not just the intimidating captain of a powerhouse school, overflowing with power, strength, and talent. Ushijima is finally the person he feels a strong sense of comfort in. A pillar he can lean on, and the ground that he can plant his feet on whenever he, the sun, is too tired and overwhelmed of shining. The sun may set from time to time. But once the moon has taken up the stage, he is sure to bounce back up, brighter than the last time you saw him.

‘Ushijima Wakatoshi. No matter where you go, I’ll make sure to catch up! I won’t lose to you!’, he promises to his softly beating heart. Finally his eyelids grow heavier and even heavier until Hinata, himself, can’t lift them up anymore.

The moon dazzles the sky in a much softer daze compared to the sun. But at least during a cold and breezy evening, you can look up at the moon and make up its imperfect features the longer you stare at it. The moon may be dimmer, but it’s not any less beautiful than the sun. Shimmering silver light permeates the windows, striking the serene forms of Hinata Shoyou and Ushijima Wakatoshi, deep into slumber.

Chapter Text

The weight of a ball resounds inside a small court. Smacking the walls and ricocheting back to powerful hands as soon as it hits the floor. The rhythm flows in an undying cycle. The volleyball flies between the sturdy hand, floor, and wall. A tall, looming figure counts. Seventy... Seventy-one... Seventy-two... Seventy-three… Even as the sweat dripping down his back sends chills down his spine out of cringe, the man does not stop. He will not stop, until he sees the end of something.

‘A half-assed spike is not a spike at all.’, the man mutters. The ball accelerates with an even more violent force, leaving varnished surfaces with thunderous claps. Spinning almost hazardously, the pace quickens and the rhythm loses its steady cycle.

Eighty-four… Eighty-five… Eighty-six… Eighty-seven… Eigh-

The man’s head swiftly turns to the faint creak of the door. Dark, brooding eyes paint themselves in a pearlescent glint, as the sting emanating from his palms seem to dissipate. The fatigue leaves his body, and his sweat ceases to run down his back. He turns around to face the man. Lush lips that are always sealed cracks open as the spiker croaks out.

“Wakatoshi-kun, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Wakatoshi strolls to a corner and set his bag down slowly. He rubs the vacant space of his nape awkwardly as he turns to look at dark, gleaming eyes framed elegantly by pitch black wavy hair. The tall man stands in front of a wall, panting and a little worked up. A solitary volleyball rolls by his ankles, before replying.

“Yeah. I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Kiyoomi.”

Sakusa brushes the apology off light-heartedly, a rare occurrence if you’re going to ask any of his friends.

“No, no. It’s fine.”, he chuckles. “I’m just happy to play with you again,”. His eyes seem to have a life of their own as they flash a twinkle that seems to weigh Wakatoshi’s heart down.

“Same here… Ushijima hesitates to continue. “Omi.” He finally punctuates his sentence. With a pensive face, he looks away, expression completely unreadable as he strolls to the other side of the net.

----

The astounding power of two of the top three aces of Japan radiates in the court. Alternating between two large hands, the ball spins with intense fervor as it flies all across the net like an unstoppable comet. Sakusa and Ushijima have always found each other to be their very own rivals. With undeniable skills and physiques, they make sure to reign over every ace in high school volleyball. The definition of pure strength, Wakatoshi, meets the example of rigorous effort, Kiyoomi. They meet up time and time again to try and one-up each other. Hanging out after class, and texting and calling each other just like close friends do.

Hours pass so fleetingly between the two aces that they don’t even realize the pools of sweat sitting atop the varnished floors and the meek tremble of their legs. They each pant hot steamy breaths, upper bodies slouching as their arms rest on their knees to support their heavy torsos.

Wakatoshi stands straight.

“Let’s finish it off today, Sakusa. For now, just accept that you won’t beat me until years of training.”, Ushijima lightheartedly joked.

Kiyoomi stood in the middle of the court, staring at the older man who is now strolling closer to where his bag is located. He fishes out a tumbler from his bag. Tilting his head up to drink, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, strong and sharp jaw clenching in the same rhythm. The fingers grasping the ball tighten their hold as Sakusa watches his rival lift the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He feels himself getting hotter while his heartbeat goes haywire.

“Wakatoshi-kun..”, Kiyoomi calls out softly as he walks towards the ace. The older man looks at him and raises his eyebrows to question. “Mind if you stay here a little longer?”

“Just the two of us. Just like old times.”

Ushijima looks down for a second, gripping the tumbler just a little tighter before letting his hand go lax.

“Sure. Just like old times.”

----

“How do you feel, Toshi? I heard the news, you know. I could not believe THE Ushijima Wakatoshi got defeated by an unnamed school..”, the paler man who now sits on the floor brings out a hand sanitizer, rubbing it on his dirty and sweaty palms.

“It feels… disappointing. I don’t like the feeling of losing but somehow…”, Wakatoshi thinks of the tiny ginger who challenged his very own concept of strength. “… I’m not as upset about it. Sometimes, meeting new people through volleyball is way better than winning the match.” Ushijima’s back leans on the wall, a dimple glints slightly as his lups turn into a slight smile. He feels Sakusa’s eyes staring at him. Staring up at the ceiling, he can only hope to have a normal conversation with his friend.

“Meeting new people, huh…”, Kiyoomi gazes at Wakatoshi’s face and feels himself levitating into a sea of warm clouds. “That does sound good… “, he pauses. “Really good.” Kiyoomi turns to look up at the same ceiling that holds the attention of Wakatoshi.

They both stare at the blank ceiling as if millions of stars are strewn all across it. Tranquil and undisturbed, they let the silence consume them alive, with no resistance and protest.

“H-hey…”, Kiyoomi breaks the quietness with a stutter. “You’re about to graduate right? How does that feel? Will you keep playing?”, Sakusa asks as if he just remembered that his rival is indeed a third year who will leave the school in no time at all.

“Hm? Yeah, Omi. I’m about to graduate.”, he replies as he plays with his shoelaces, twirling it between his fingers. “Feels kinda sad. You know that I will be moving to US, right? I’m going to study in California. It’s where my dad works right now. So I just thought that studying there and pursuing my dreams while reuniting with my dad just feels right.”

“I see… I sort of forgot about that..”, a cold, sharp pang hits Kiyoomi’s chest. “We wouldn’t be playing together for a long time, then..”, his voice faints into a low, barely audible whimper. His eyes darts down the floor, his mind muses at the image of a sweet embrace and the intensity of crashing his lips against Wakatoshi – a plan that he never got to start.

A very long silence envelops the two. Unwavering and persistent, it shrouds the feelings of one another – one is hopeless devotion, and the other is apprehensive caution. Wakatoshi knows very well how Sakusa looks at him. The way his dark eyes seem to scan his face and body in “sly” momentary glimpses. He notices the pale ears burning bright red when he runs a heavy, calloused hand on his shoulder and head as he compliments the younger ace. Sometimes, his spine gets a subtle chill whenever Sakusa gazes at him when he thinks he is not looking.

As uncharacteristic as it sounds, Kiyoomi was never the person who can hide how he feels very well. Always upfront and vocal with what he hates. Though, he seems to be utterly speechless in front of the doors of love – pining and starry-eyed. In his world it’s not rare to hear ‘I hate crowds..’ or ‘I don’t like getting dirty’ or ‘Not having a hand sanitizer with me ruins my day.’ For the brooding and mysterious person the words ‘like’ and ‘love’ almost never leaves his lips. Not because he is completely devoid of adoration and romance. It’s all simply because he runs out of words to say. In front of a person he loves, there’s no saving him. Sakusa lets his feelings eat him up as he has absolutely no idea how to vomit them out. Nobody to pull the words right out of his mouth, he lets himself marinate in a pool of hopeless pining.

‘Should I really let it stay this way? Will we really depart from each other, not meet for a couple of years without him even knowing how I truly feel? Does Wakatoshi-kun really deserve to have me as a friend if I keep lying to him and pretending as if my heart is not going to burst each time he smiles at me? Tell me, Kiyoomi. Does he?’, Sakusa ponders away. He purposely disconcerts and unsettles himself, thinking that that’s the way to save his heart from drowning in his own feelings.

The room pulses with silence. The second-year ace sneaks glimpses of Wakatoshi from time to time. Jittering and fiddling with the hand sanitizer he seems to bring everywhere he goes. Spraying the alcohol on his palm, rubbing his hands together, and repeating the cycle absentmindedly as he contemplates confessing right here and right now. His chest thumps stupidly loud and fast, chaotically springing up to life within the confines of his ribcage. It wouldn’t be before long until it jumps right out and shouts the exact words that Kiyoomi desperately try to keep inside of his throat. Time stretches out and now each second feels like a millennium. The silence seems to get thicker. The tension is dense in this area. And it looks like it could crumble after a few words break into the atmosphere.

“Wakatoshi-kun. I have feelings for you.

I like you.”

The air seemed to buzz with the deep vibrations that just traveled through the space between them. Time freezes and everything seemed to be suspended helplessly in the air. Suddenly, the sounds of blood rushing throughout their bodies and their hearts thumping with a force that threaten to break their rib cage apart are heard loud and clear to their ringing ears.

“Yeah. I know, Kiyoomi.”, Ushijima replies in a calm and casual tone, almost as if he expected a confession in that exact moment. His eyes are cast downwards, unsure of where to look. “I’m glad you like me but-“

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Omi-“

“I said I don’t want to hear it!”

Sakusa’s typically mellow voice cuts through the air. He shakes, barely catching his breath.

“P-Please don’t say anything further, Wakatoshi.. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself if you do.”, the tone falters as his dark eyes brim with tears, preparing to trace a stream down his cheeks. “As long as you get to hear what I’ve been trying to conceal for months, then that’s all I ever need to be able to sleep at night. So…”

Kiyoomi lifts himself up, moves closer to Wakatoshi as he throws himself to him. Ushijima catches Sakusa to which the younger ace responds to with a tight embrace. He settles his face on the older man’s chest and buries it as deep as he can get.

“…You don’t need to say anything. No need to reciprocate my feelings. Just stay with me.. until my heart calms down.”

For what seems like forever, they lean onto each other, entangled on the floor as they inhale in each other’s scent. Their skin buzzes with warmth and their minds are unclouded. In a state of serenity, Sakusa finds comfort in Ushijima’s arms. Whether the latter feels the same way towards the younger man, it doesn’t matter. As long as Kiyoomi has regurgitated the feelings that he have kept within for so long, everything will soon be at peace.

“Sakusa… I think you’ve made it clear that I have no obligation to return your love to you.”, Wakatoshi breaks the silence.

Sakusa just nods wordlessly, ruffling his face onto a clothed chest.

“Is that truly okay for you?”, he asks with concern coiling around his voice.

“I just don’t want to keep up a façade. I don’t think you deserve to have friends who keep secrets from you. You’re special, Wakatoshi. I want to be as honest as possible.”

“I really hope I am not hurting you, Omi. I see you as a real friend.”

“Really?”, large dark eyes look up at the chiseled face above. Pooling with innate sadness, those eyes sparkle with thousands of unspoken words. “Then let’s just stay that way..

…As friends. As rivals.”

Kiyoomi’s tone is somber and sincere, but the magnitude of longing is kept concealed under the guise of casual pretense.

“I would not want to ask for more. I’m already happy to be in a beautiful friendship with you. Please be happy in somebody else’s arms, Wakatoshi. But for now, let me have you. Even just for the shortest time.”

“I’m sorry, Omi.”

“Stop apologizing, stupid.”

The sun begins to set. Slipping through the windows are bright, orange rays that kiss the figures of two silent men whose hearts throb in different rhythms. In this meeting, Sakusa loses two matches: one where he is utterly defeated and one where he forfeited from further contesting in. It hurts but at least he has a friend who shares the same distaste of losing. They sit beside each other, frozen in time. Before they realize it, they doze off into sleep. Their energy waning in the same pace to which the sun sinks.

Chapter Text

The birds chirp in a sublime tone, welcoming the break of dawn. The lights cascade from the mountains and finally lands on the concrete where a certain flower blooms. A mellow and soothing tone wakes Hinata up. The sound emanates from downstairs, nimbly making its way through the wooden door of his room.

╔ ——————————————— ╗

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you

╚ ——————————————— ╝

A motherly voice hums.

Hinata bats his eyelids open, lashes fluttering like a butterfly’s flapping wings. The tune slowly creeps up to his little ears. Suddenly the specks of dust floating in the wind seem clearer than usual. The sunlight feels warm and ethereal on his skin, casting a spotlight on his freckles.

╔ ——————————————— ╗

While combing my hair, now
And wondering what dress to wear, now
I say a little prayer for you

╚ ——————————————— ╝

He kicks himself off of the bed. Tiny, toned legs stand up, supporting Hinata’s light weight. A citrusy scent lingers in his room. Shoyou breathes in the aroma that has been lingering all around him ever since he can remember. But he wonders why the scent is somehow more pronounced this time.

He opens up the window to let the fresh air come in. With the breeze, the pollen of flowers rushes through him. Brown eyes look around darting from one bush to another. He gazes at the garden in their backyard. His vision picks out vibrant petals amidst the plethora of leaves and stems in the lively patch of their home.

Backing away from the window after a momentary quiet moment, he stumbles upon the insignificant nightstand by his bed. Hinata finds his eyes looking at a handkerchief, and his gaze lingers for a second longer before picking it up with his hand with a pinch of longingness. 

╔ ——————————————— ╗

Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
And I will love you
Forever, and ever we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you

╚ ——————————————— ╝

Images of sweetness creeps into his subconscious, with the piece of fabric laced with a certain someone’s scent, Shoyou remembers the fated time when they met. Beneath the orange sun, they bask in a somewhat tense silence. The chilly sweetness of an ice cream spreads throughout his tongue. Though abruptly being confronted by his ‘rival’ in a unique way after the match led to a painfully awkward escapade, he does not complain. Because everything is worth it after seeing that tender, dimpled smile from Wakatoshi.

He brings the fabric closer to him. Right now, all his mind knows is to look back into his memories. The scene inside a shop flashes into him. The sweet and gourmand aroma, the slightly worn-out leather couches, the warmth of the pastries, and the serene and effortless beauty of Ushijima. Yearning for it right now, there is no way the exact same feeling can be replicated once again. The atmosphere was different in that bakery – how they gawked at the same manga panels, keeping up with the story, and struggling to peel their eyes off of each other while simultaneously stealing sly glances from the other’s face. Sometimes they would catch each other staring. Other times they are one millisecond late from locking on to their beautiful eyes.

╔ ——————————————— ╗

Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me

╚ ——————————————— ╝

Another moment in this very same room, when everything was painted in amber by the candle-lit sun, they share the sweetest embrace. Standing frozen in time with only each other’s warmth as their salvation, that was the exact time when Shoyou knew to whom would he give his heart to. That was the moment when both of them realized that even the sun gets tired every once in a while. But even so, there is nothing to worry about.

Because the ground will always and forever be there to catch it.

Burying his nose onto the fabric, it takes Hinata a second to realize that the scent is finally gone. The icy, and minty aroma from the handkerchief has been carried away by the stagnant air. Feeling a disappointed and hallow, Shoyou panics for a while. Because it seemed like a huge chunk of what anchors him to the world is finally gone.

‘How is Ushijima-san? I wonder where he is right now. Is he doing great? What’s he up to now? Is he preparing for an exam? Practicing? Does he hear my heart beat whenever he is near me? Does he see how red my face gets whenever he comes around? Is he aware of my feelings? If he is, then why doesn’t he tell me? Tell me if he likes me back or not.

I want him to accept my love. But honestly, in the event that he does not return my feelings, I’d like to pretend that everything would be fine – that I could still sleep peacefully at night.

Before he goes, I must tell him.’

Clutching the odorless handkerchief to his chest is the only way he could feel the lonely rhythm of his heart beat – a foreign sensation compared to that when he is around a certain someone. Without Wakatoshi, his heart might as well wither away. But also the more they link closer together, the more he feels like he is going to explode.

“AAHHH! I can’t take this anymore!”

He exclaims before plopping to his bed. The boy lays down, motionless. He looks up at the ceiling for a significant amount of time. Not knowing how many minutes have passed, a singular question emblazons in his mind.

‘How do I tell him?’

And even before the next thought comes to his mind the music stops and his mother calls out to him, “Shoyou! Come down here. You’re going to be late!”

Immediately, he shoots up, jogging out of his room after placing the handkerchief inside the drawer. “I’m coming!,” the boy replies back. Hinata is light on his feet as he thumps on the wooden stairs, descending towards the kitchen.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The ball ricochets on the floor with a loud bang. Shoes squeak as the feet shuffles swiftly across the court – moving left, right, forward, and backward in a very rushed yet refined pattern. The team watches the ball up in the air. To outsiders the ball travels in an unmistakably rapid motion, almost like a blur. But once stepping a foot inside the volleyball court, you’d know that everything moves in a miraculous slow motion.

Kageyama’s sharp eyes monitor everyone, his instincts are heightened and his mind works faster than usual. ‘Which one should I use?’ He attentively asks himself. Catching a redhead at the corner of his eyes, the genius setter made his decision in an instant.

With a snap of his elbows, he tosses the incoming ball to the boy with the bright orange hair who instantly materialized before him.

‘You’d toss to me, right? The ball is coming to me, right?’

He can almost hear Hinata’s thoughts if it isn’t for his unusually pensive expression, one that he never wears on the court.

Piercing through the air only to bypass an incoming hand, the ball zips past Hinata. The room echoes the following faint, bouncing sounds as if to ridicule the entire situation. Karasuno’s Volleyball Team stares, mouth agape and eyes wide. Shoyou is no professional and neither Is he the best player on the team, but nobody in the group could deny his monstrous stamina and hunger for each match – even during practice.

Hinata has been out of it the entire day, uncharacteristically thoughtful and focused on something else other than the sport at hand.

“Hinata, stay right here for a while.” Coach Ukai gestures at the bench beside him.

“Yes sir,” Shoyou replies. He marches towards the empty space, his teammates tailing behind him – asking if he is fine, comforting him, although some players are contented with teasing Hinata even more. Everything his friends do for him, he dismisses them off with a carefree smile. Shrugging his shoulders while saying, “I’m fine! No problem at all.” He turns his back around, the hopeful smile melts back into the thoughtful expression that has been haunting him since the start of the day.

Strolling over to the empty spot beside their coach, standing up just beside the bench and keeping a watchful eye over his students, Hinata sinks in to his subconscious. His mind is preoccupied by something “more important than volleyball”, which is a pretty weird turmoil considering his intense passion for the sport.

With the lingering love problems and the questions living in his brain like a mantra, he fails to realize the gentle taps on his shoulders.

“Hinata..”

“…”

“Hinataaa”

“…”

Yachi lays her palm flat on his shoulder and shakes him to get Shoyou’s attention. It was only then that Hinata finally snaps his head towards her direction.

“Oh! Yachi! Hahaha, sorry I didn’t notice you.” The redhead sheepishly smiled at the blonde girl.

‘Is there something bothering you? You’re not your usual self, you know?” Yachi notifies Hinata.

The remark just made the decoy sigh and look away for a moment. He fixes his gaze on the floor and contemplates if Yachi deserves to know the truth – if she is trustworthy enough to hear his feelings out.

Seconds tick and their breaths are almost held back in anticipation for Shoyou’s answer. But to both of their dismay Shoyou brushes it off with, “No, don’t worry! I’m completely fine!” Hinata lies through his teeth while smiling as if everything is excellently perfect.

Both of them knows how blatantly fraudulent the middle blocker could be at times – incessantly hiding behind a gleeful façade and being falsely optimistic. As his friend, Hitoka is nonetheless disappointed.

‘It’s completely obvious, you dummy. It’s written all over your face,’ she thinks. Yachi knows better than to put Hinata on the spot and push for answers. ‘Whatever it is, I’m sure it is not my place to know about it, for now,’ Yachi guesses.

All the blonde could do was to unabashedly express her support.

“Is that so?,” she asks. “But you know, Hinata, you can always tell me anything that has been bothering you, okay? You’re the reason why I broke out of my shell, so as good friends, I will also cheer you on, no matter what!”

Despite still feeling conflicted, Shoyou smiles at the reassurance. Thanking Yachi, he smiles while thinking, ‘I might be able to trust her!’

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The following days are spent with Hinata finding the right timing to narrate his inner troubles. Often walking up to her during practice, randomly, he tries to pick his words and muster up the courage. But in the end, it is his own heart that betrays him – forcing his lips to stay shut and fortifying his defenses even further. Though, there are days when they would have their typically cheerful talks, the elephant in the room has yet to be addressed.

 And it drives Yachi Hitoka crazy.

Until one day, Hinata gets benched again. He walks over to the empty sit next to Yachi. Something has been bugging his mind the past few days and he feels his head exploding after a minute or two of not releasing it.

‘So as good friends, I will also cheer you on, no matter what!’ A voice resounds in his head. Slowly making his defenses wane.

‘What’s the worst thing that could happen, anyways?’ Hinata tries to make light of the whole situation but he knows that this moment will change his life.

“Yachi-san.. can I have a moment?” Hinata releases his breath, one that he has been holding on for too long. His words are rushed, indicative of how anxious the boy is.

“What is it, Hinata?,” she asks.

“The truth is.. I..,” making sure nobody in earshot can hear whatever he is about to say, Shoyou gestures Yachi to move closer. He covers his lips with his hand as he leans in to the manager’s ear.

“I-I.. kinda like someone..,” the boy tests the waters. And upon hearing the long-kept revelation, Yachi beams up, startling the coach right beside Hinata.

“Eh?! Really?!” she squeals.

Shoyou shushes her down

“Shhh!! Not too loud, Yachi-san,” Hinata exclaims in hushed whispers to which the blonde responded with a concealed excitement. Deathly curious about the boy’s object of affection, she peppers him with questions.

“Who is she, Hinata? How does she look like? Wait, lemme guess! She’s shorter than you, isn’t she? Ah! Maybe she has a long black hair, too? Waahh~ I’m so proud of you, Hinata!”

Somehow seeing one of his closest friends so excited makes him even more anxious.

‘She’

Each time Shoyou hears that word, the more it feels like he is setting himself up for destruction. His hands are sweating but he knows that he has to say this. He has to do something.

Hitoka pats the decoy’s shoulders in a state of what little joy the news brought to her. It was the moment when Hinata sighs deeply, disconcertingly pensive – as if he is preparing for something.

A leap of faith, perhaps?

Swallowing a thick batch of his saliva, suddenly the noises of the court are ten times more tenacious to the ears of the anxious lad. Each bounce of the ball, each squeaks of the rubber shoes, each voices of his teammates, all distinguishable to him – he hears all of it but at the same time, everything is a blur. Time slows down and he pries his lips open to mutter a word.

“He.”

Yachi didn’t quite catch what he meant, mostly because the sound is too faint to understand it. She is not even sure if Hinata spoke at all.

“Eh? Did you say something, Hinata?,” she checks to see if she was imagining it.

“It’s ‘he’, Yachi-san.. It’s a guy I’m in love with. I..,” Shoyou trails off and Hitoka swears he hears his voice break and stutter for a millisecond.

“I like guys, Yachi-san.”

For a moment, the space between them is void with any words. No noises. No movement either. Hinata closes his eyes shut and the thumping of his heart does not cease to pound into his trembling body, now moist with cold sweat. He is ready. No. He has to be ready. He needs to be strong. So he braces himself for whatever Hitoka has to say. Positive or negative, Shoyou will take it.

Serene warmth envelops the lithe, shivering body. And suddenly Hinata remembers the feeling of basking under the sun again. As if the world smiled down at him, for once in this week, he gets to see tranquility again – a peace of mind and stillness of the heart. Staying like this is enough, he thought. Even if nobody speaks, this gesture, this embrace is more than what Shoyou can take.

“That makes no difference, Shoyou. I’m still very proud of you.”

“Thank you so much, Yachi-san.”

Through stifled sobs, Hinata tries to speak over them. But all he can muster is a meek voice and a tight grip on pale, feminine arms wrapped around him. Luckily, Hitoka’s ears are close enough to catch his voice.

Luckily, Hitoka is pure enough to embrace him.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The amber sun burns in a stable flair. Along the pavement, two shadows are stretched slowly creeping forward.

“Aren’t you going home, Yachi-san? Wouldn’t your mom get mad if you get home late?” Shoyou politely asks as he slowly strolls along with the manager, the handle of his bike gripped tight by his hands as he drags it along them.

“Hmm, I’m sure I can make it home on time! We won’t take long anyways, right?,” she responds with a bright smile.

Giggling along, Hinata nods his head.

“Yeah! Now let’s get to the shop real quick!”

Hinata starts to run enthusiastically, the wheels of his bike turning as he holds it right beside him. Yachi lets the figure wander off to the distance and she makes sure to take in the childlike glee.

“A smile really suits you better..,” Hitoka mutters under her breath as she smiles fondly. “Wait a minute, Hinata!” She pleads as her own legs start to catch up on the volleyball player’s speed. The two best friends frolic onwards, disappearing off of the horizon where the orange sun rests.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Munching on a steamy pork bun in front of Ukai’s shop, relishes on the nostalgic appeal of the sunet before their eyes. The savory flavor of the meat and sauce blends with the sweetness of the pristine, white buns in the same manner that the gentle orange flare from the descending sun entwines with the fluffiness of the sublime, white clouds laid ethereally across the sky.  

“So Hinata-kun..,” Yachi breaks the silence. She speaks in a muffled tone as she chews on her pork buns. “Who is this guy you like? Because he seems.. hmm.. something.. y’know? I mean you hardly get distracted by anything unrelated to volleyball.. especially when you’re practicing.”  Yachi spews nonchalantly as she makes a valid point. The more you think of Hinata being in love with something other than volleyball does feel impossible, after all.

The boy stiffens at the abrupt confrontation as he almost chokes on his own snack.

“What’s with the sudden hard-hitting question, Yachi-san?!” He asks as he tilts his head to face Yachi, the girl eventually does the same just to giggle before saying another sentence.

“Eh? Well.. isn’t that the reason why you needed a help in the first place? For your love problems”

“W-Well.. You’re not wrong..”

“So... who is it?”

She asks with pleading eyes, whimsically inquisitive about the response.

“Mmm…”

“’Mmm..’?? Want me to guess?”

“S-Sure.. Maybe that’d be an easier way to say it..”

“Okay! Mmm.. is it.. Kageyama?”

Hinata chokes on his pork buns, once again.

“HUH?! No way! Anyone but THAT guy!”

“Really?? I always thought you guys were closer.. It was almost fantastic to see you guys bicker.. like you know.. a married couple or something..” Yachi’s face flushes as he explains herself.

“No no no no! It’s nothing like that, at all!”

“Okay, okay, another guess. Mind you I won’t stop until you say yes, alright?”

“Sure, Yachi-san!” Hinata puffs his chests up as he seemingly takes it as a challenge.

“Okay.. What about Daichi-senpai? He is handsome, reliable, and really sweet, you know? He seems like the ideal husband out of every boys in the team.”

“Well, if you think about it.. but he seems more like the older brother type, you know? I like him but more in a way of ‘a senpai who means well’ kinda thing.”

“Ohh good point, good point,” Yachi agrees at the remark. “But what even is your type either way? Can you give me any clues?”

“Well, you see..,” Hinata scratches the back of his neck as his face blushes. “I don’t even know if I have a type to begin with.. It was more like ‘Waahh I suddenly fell in love and I don’t know what to do!!’ sort of thing.”

Yachi listens to the lovesick boy’s rambling intently.

“But a clue I can give is.. Let’s see..,” Shoyou taps his fingers on his chin while he racks up his brain. “Ah! Here’s a clue: he is not in our school but we have fought him before!”

“Eh.. Hinata-kun you have fought DOZENS of teams.. How am I supposed to guess that?”

“Nah, don’t worry! It was a pretty intense match, I’m sure even someone like you will remember! That guy was suuuppper strong ~” He claps her shoulder in a sense of encouragement while he, himself becomes more excited with Yachi trying to guess which guy he has feelings for.

“Okay.. Hmm.. Oikawa-san?”

“To be honest.. my heart skipped a beat when I met him.. But it’s not him, for sure! He’s not my crush!” He denies as he blushes furiously.

Yachi grows more inquisitive.

“Really? Oikawa-san seems like the guy everybody has a crush on. He’s tall, handsome, and very athletic – basically everybody’s dreamboat! Your crush must be quite the man, huh.”

“Well.. Haha, I guess he is.”

Images of Wakatoshi scan through his mind. The chiseled, handsome face with those sharp olive eyes pierces through the very fabric of Hinata’s soul as though it was some fragile glass. The strength in him wavers as the display of Ushijima’s muscular body and immaculate athleticism replays into his brain. Watching him play, spike a ball with his divine gift, running from one end of the court to another – every single thing about that man makes Shoyou devastated.

“What about Iwaizumi-san? Seijoh’s ace? You know.. the one who always scolds Oikawa..” Hitoka almost finds it funny how Iwaizumi has all the power in the world to be the ace of a powerhouse school AND be the only person to have the audacity to just throw insults at the renowned captain and setter of the team.

“He seems like a scary guy but he is pretty handsome, as well! Though.. he’s not really my crush, haha..” Hinata’s ‘giggle’ feels force and almost apologetic, even.

Yachi sighs at him.

“More clues, Hinata! More clues!”

“More? Well.. I guess.. he’s a captain too – ”

“JAPAN!”

The blonde girl guesses right off the bat while Hinata yelps in surprise. Inquisitive and delighted wide eyes flashes to the boy as she turns her head around to look at him.

“You like Ushiwa-“

“Shh! Not too loud, Yachi-san!” He hushes her as he covers her mouth before she lets out the name of his object of interest right in front of Ukai’s shop.

Yachi continues the next sentence in a whisper.

“Eh~ didn’t know he was your type, haha~,” she teases

“Shut up, Yachi-san.. I dunno how it happened either..,” he replies softly. “At first, I was really scared of him. Well – scared AND amazed. But after the match, he took me out and treated me to eat ice cream at the nearby park. I can’t exactly pinpoint it but he somehow felt warmer? At the time? Dunno, but I want to tell him how I feel soon. I can’t let him graduate without him knowing that I love him.”

Shoyou stares daggers into the asphalt and Hitoka is finally reminded of the determined and ambitious little boy whose heart is always too big for his body. This is how she knows him. This Hinata Shoyou is what makes other people move. Yachi could not help but smile fondly.

“I’m rooting for you, Shoyou-kun!”

She psyches him up as they excitedly exchange laughter.

The sun threatens to sink down completely and the duo finally begins to separate and go their separate ways. Mounting his bicycle, Hinata offers the blonde a ride to the subway – insisting to do so when the manager protested against it. Eventually, the persistent nature of the ginger makes Hitoka surrender until she, too, is riding on the vehicle.

They zip past through the wind in an exhilarating pace. The lights inside the shop are dim until Ukai Keishin, himself stands up to flick the switch on. The man lights a singular cigarette after putting his magazine down the desk to stroll towards the door, overlooking the outside. He inhales, and puffs a wispy billow of smoke, his throat burns ever-so slightly and the intoxicating taste of the nicotine rushed through his bloodstream.

“Kids these days..,” he sighs. A soft smile creeps to his face. And if the view of the sunset is not the reason for it, then something – rather, somebody coaxes the glee out of him.

Keishin sighs fondly while his chest soars with pride. It takes him a moment to finally breathe the fresh, rural air before turning his body around to head back to his chair where he has been eavesdropping to the youngsters’ conversation.

Chapter Text

Ushijima is a young person with a pure heart. Contrary to his supposed monstrous image, he is an undeniable sweetheart once you get to know him. It’s just… almost nobody seem to make an effort to truly understand him. So far, only few people have really tried to make him comfortable, make him feel normal, make him feel human. The young, promising ace is just like any other teenager. He gets furious, defeated, and depressed. Ushijima Wakatoshi is not devoid of emotions. He just find it difficult to express them.

As a young man, it is not a foreign issue to fall in love with another person. But what if the person he is interested in is a man, as well? Wakatoshi sees nothing wrong with it. He has known about this ever since he was young. During his childhood, he spent most of time alone. His left hand has been the topic of discussions of his family for several times. The little boy didn’t think too much about it. He has two functioning hands. Sure he may use the left side more often than he uses the other, but how is that supposed to change everything in his life? Simplemindedly, he thought to himself:

‘As long as I can draw, I will be fine. I can draw beautiful pictures with my weird left hand and that’s all that matters.’

Each time him and his mom goes out for shopping, he goes to the arts and crafts corner and points out different materials and colors for him to use. His mother sighs at him, exhausted, but her eyes say otherwise. Seeing an imaginative boy as her son, she can’t help but look at him lovingly. As much as she wants to protest and be a wise shopper, she eventually gives in and fulfills Wakatoshi’s artistic choices.

Little Wakatoshi lived happily at the time. Spending most of his time with his head ducked down and his legs folded for him to sit on the floor. Tiny hands tirelessly moved the pencil from one point to the other as his mind effortlessly vomits out the very essence of his imagination on a blank piece of paper.   

Indeed, his ordinary life went on. He grew up, got a little taller than how he used to be. Eventually, he learned to pick up a ball and learned a sport – volleyball. He inherits the sport from his father who is a renowned athlete of his time. In an open space by their house, hours and days passed with the two of them relaying the ball from one arm to another, spiking the ball to the ground, jumping by a net, and diving down to the ground until he gets scrapes on his knees. Ushijima does not mind, he likes it here. On the court, he feels free and unbridled. He feels like he is flying. This sport is taking him to a higher ground, yes, even more so than drawing does.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“I thought it’d be better to fix his left-handedness early on…,” young Wakatoshi heard. He was on the floor, sketching on his notebook. At the time, he didn’t truly show it, but his heart stung a little.

‘Is it really that strange..? Am I truly weird? What if mommy is ashamed for having a left-handed son? Should I change it, after all..?’

His father then defended him, telling him that he is special – that he is unique. His dad made everything felt better for him. But still, there were times when self-consciousness creeps in and mauls Ushijima over. He tries changing. Wakatoshi attempted to hold a pencil with his tiny, nimble fingers on his right hand, awkwardly grasping the pencil. He mentally prepares himself. Ushijima presses the pencil down on his paper in a futile attempt to produce a legible writing of his name. Each time the lines are crooked, for every character that resemble indistinguishable squiggles of lines, he would get frustrated. He will panic, feel defeated and get insecure once more. But his father will catch him, “curing” his left-handedness. The older man would sigh and go on and on about how Ushijima’s “flaw” makes him “special”.

At first Ushijima bit on to the whole “You are special” ordeal. But the more he looks around other children, the more he finds his eccentricities shameful. Is it truly a good thing to be different or not? No matter how many times his father lectures Wakatoshi, he will sneakily practice writing his name and the Japanese alphabet with his right hand. But his father will catch him over and over again until Wakatoshi has no choice but to practice on the playground, alone.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The playground is uncharacteristically quiet. There are no other kids around despite the sun blazing from the distant horizon. With his notebook on his lap, Ushijima scribbles down with his unused right hand. He practices by writing his name down and as usual gets frustrated and annoyed each time the characters don’t look as good as the ones that are produced by his left hand.

Ushijima flips the page and gets more determined to fill the following page with hundreds of squiggly and messy lines. He presses his pencil down. And unceremoniously, to his absolute dismay, the lead snaps into two. Wakatoshi groans out of annoyance, he is seriously thinking of going home at the moment until he feels somebody lurking behind him.

“Woah… You still do not know how to write?,” the tiny kid says. Ushijima clicks his tongue before turning his neck to face the boy.

“I know how to write, of course,” Wakatoshi’s tone has a sharp bite to it. “It’s just… I-I’m practicing.”

“Ehh.. Practicing for what? Are you joining a competition? Do you want to be a calligrapher?” the boy peppers Wakatoshi with questions. The kid seem to be genuinely interested, actually, he does not seem like he is mocking Wakatoshi at all. ‘This guy actually thinks I’m practicing for a contest..,’ the green-haired child thinks to himself and he almost needed to stifle a laugh.

“No. It’s just… I’m left-handed and I think my parents are fighting because of it. Mom wants me to get rid of my left-handedness but dad says I am special or something like that. Personally, I don’t think I am special. Honestly, it’s very tiring. When I am at school, I usually –“

“Eh? What’s wrong with that?” the other boy cuts Ushijima off, who unconsciously started to go on a tangent about his entire situation. He has finally let it out, everything that has been bothering him, to a stranger, nonetheless. Ushijima is not a chatty person at all, to actually say more than one sentence during a first meeting is sure to shock everyone. But what truly astounded him were the words that came from the boys lips and the sincerity his eyes hold.

“You don’t think being left-handed is cool? It’s the coolest! When I was young I used to look at my mother whenever she is writing and think ‘Wow! I wish I was left-handed like her!’ Like, seriously! Being right-handed is boring. Only very few people can write with their left hand so in that case it’s kinda like a superpower, don’t you think?”

“Kinda like a superpower??” Ushijima parrots the phrase back.

“Yes! Just like a superpower! Most people don’t have it and you know, even my mom told me that left-handed people are creative people! Creative people who can draw really good! You should be proud of it, honestly.”

“Really? D-do you really mean that?” Wakatoshi asks in disbelief.

“I mean it, a hundred percent!” The tiny kid beams up at Ushijima and suddenly he is reminded of a faint, comforting warmth, like a fireplace – no.

Like the sun.

“I think you’re right! I also draw a lot! Do you wanna see?!” Wakatoshi was just about to flip his notebook to the side where all of his sketches are, where his creativity and imagination run wild. But alas, a voice calls out from afar.

“Shoyou! What are you doing over there? If you don’t come here soon, we’re gonna leave you, you know?” The voice stems from a woman holding an infant with one hand and a luggage with the other arm. She seems to be about the same age as Ushijima’s mom.

The kid named Shoyou replies to his mom before turning his head to meet Wakatoshi. “I’m sorry but this is our last day here. I used to play here a lot and I thought it’d be nice to visit here one last time before we move houses.” The sweet tone of the kid fails to soothe Wakatoshi’s heart.

‘So soon? But… we literally just met…’ Wakatoshi internalizes his sadness even more. A person who made him feel special in an instant is leaving him for good immediately. He felt the corners of his eyes prickling with tears.

“But I totally meant whatever I said! Be proud of your left-handedness. It’s the closest thing to a superpower!” Shoyou smiles at him before standing up. He turns his back around to stride towards his mother. “Wait a minute, mom!” His short legs throttle at full speed before turning back to look at Wakatoshi. “Bye bye, big guy! Thank you for being the last person that I saw on the playground!,” with his outstretched arms, radiant smile, and an even brighter orange hair. Wakatoshi’s lips crack into a gleeful laugh for the first time in so many weeks.

“Bye bye, Shoyou! Thank you for making me feel special!”

Ushijima watches the little boy skip into the distance. He stares at him, never peeling his eyes off of his tiny figure as he clutches his notebook by his lap. Eventually the ginger boy melts into the sun and reunites with his mother, waiting for him inside of a cab.

“There he goes… He’s gone now… I hope me and Shoyou gets to meet again someday.”

Wakatoshi stares at his unsharpened pencil held by his right hand. He raises his left hand to grasp it once more and he smiled.

“Being left-handed really is like a superpower.”

Ushijima stands up on his feet and races towards his home. The sun paints the entire town orange as the distant cicadas sing their own little songs. For the longest time, Ushijima finally has something to look forward to again.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The moonlight grazes Ushijima’s back profile. Holding a piece of notebook with his hand, flashes of memories played like a film in his head. He does not realize a smile creeping on his face until his friend points it out.

“Wakatoshi-kun… Y’know, you’ve been weird ever since you met that first year. All smiley and soft, like that. And now you’re even giggling while looking at your phone at night. Don’t think I didn’t notice that, lover boy.” Tendou preaches while his neck is hanging limp by the edge of the top bunk, looking at Wakatoshi who meticulously tidies his things up.

Ushijima feels his ears burn. He clicks his tongue, annoyed and barks a monotone retort at Tendou.

“Mind your business, Satori. Also, I won’t be staying up late anymore. Mind you, we are graduating students.”

Tendou hums as a response, unmoving from his bizarre position. “I know that very well, Wakatoshi-kun! But I gotta hand it to ya. With the way you are speaking, it’s not so obvious that you meet up with that shrimp almost every after class~,” Tendou teases.

It’s no surprise that Ushijima is flustered. Though to anyone that is not Satori they wouldn’t notice it right away, he makes a good effort of being stoic. But his best friend knows everything about him. Ushijima thinks that Tendou can actually read people’s minds because of how accurate Tendou is with his “guesses”. But the truth is Wakatoshi really is just that obvious when in love. Unfortunately he is blissfully unaware of it.

Wakatoshi stands up from his crouching position and heads towards the bottom bunk with his old notebook on his hand. He saunters towards the bed casually. Tendou notices the notebook and proceeds to get interested about it.

The bed dipped at the heavy weight of the man who just sat beneath the top bunk. Scanning through the pages, the entire notebook is covered in a thick shadow so Ushijima moved towards the light. The moonlight illuminates the pages finally and he could not help but smirk at his childish foolishness back then.

Tendou’s inquisitive mind kept wandering. It is the first time he has seen the notebook after all this time of knowing Wakatoshi. He lets himself fall on the floor, only to recover back as if nothing happened to prance towards Wakatoshi. The ace lets his close friend invade his privacy, not like Tendou will blabber anything to other people.

Satori pushes up to Wakatoshi’s shoulder and almost squishes his face to the old notebook in full awe.

“Woaahhhh~ Were you still illiterate when you wrote on this notebook? Your handwriting sucks! Lemme guess you were 10 years old at the time, Mr. Looks-Smart-But-Is-Very-Dense.” Tendou teases him on a lighter note, to which the bulkier man responded with an eye-roll.

“I was a smart kid, just so you know. I was very creative, actually.” Ushijima defends himself with his chest puffed up.

“Was.” Tendou retaliates.

Ushijima grumbles as he pushes his friend away from his notebook. The dangly middle blocker is supposed to fly off but he evaded Wakatoshi’s strong arms very swiftly. Satori clings back to his friend while pouting and reaching for the mysterious notebook. Ushijima gives up when Tendou started whining loudly like a spoiled child in an attempt to absolutely annoy the more reserved person out of the two.

Wakatoshi opens the notebook under the moonlight. He feels nostalgic, looking back at his memories. How a certain bright-haired boy protected his gift along with his father. Satori catches him smiling, to which he snickered at.

“What?” Ushijima asks.

“What the hell are you smiling at, man! You’re reallllyyy acting weird lately!” Satori exaggerates.

“It’s nothing,” Wakatoshi says as a matter-of-factly. “It’s just… I remember being insecure of my left-handedness… At first, I was truly okay with it. But through time, my parents would start arguing. I don’t know how much of their fights were my fault but I definitely heard stuff about my left-handedness from my mother. It didn’t feel good.” The closed-off man tells his story while the talkative, scarlet-haired boy listens respectfully.  “Then one day, this guy caught me practicing my new handwriting on my right side. He found it weird that I didn’t know how to write my name despite my size but I told him everything.” Wakatoshi pauses to flip a page to show the exact writings he practiced. “And he went on a rant about me having some sort of superpowers while he makes these cute, exaggerated hand motions. I didn’t know why but part of me thinks that he was a huge impact on why I believe that I can be powerful despite of my ‘drawback’. I guess… something about him felt very sincere.” Wakatoshi finishes while smiling forlornly, as if he is looking at his very own memories, and those same memories staring back at him like a painting.

Tendou felt a growing warmth in his chest. He guesses that from time to time, it is not so bad to let Wakatoshi just enjoy life like a normal teenager – less like a monster or the future of Japan’s volleyball industry.

Just simply Wakatoshi

Satori yawns, feeling his eyelids go heavy. His body gets lax, almost lax enough to prevent him from standing, let alone climb to the top bunk to sleep. But he manages to pull through. He stands up and ruffles Ushijima’s head.

“Goodnight, Wakatoshi-kun,” he says in a groggy tone. “Good luck with that.” He, then, ascends to climb the ladder after seeing Ushijima graze the spot that Tendou ruffled on his head, seemingly delighted at the new and unfamiliar sense of affection. The middle blocker sure loves egging on the ace any time he gets but he will keep quiet for now.

“Goodnight, Satori.” Ushijima calls out from below. He takes one last look at the moonlit pages before pulling out his phone. A picture of an orange-haired boy whose smile shares the same radiance as the sun flashes from the screen.  His mind paints the picture of the same boy named “Shoyou” from his past. Olive green eyes switches from the phone to the messy handwriting on the notebook until they get tired and eventually settle in on the brighter picture.

Ushijima stares at Hinata. After a long time, he presses a kiss on his screen as he closes his eyes. It is not the real Hinata Shoyou, it is nothing but a picture. But who’s to say Wakatoshi wouldn’t treat it with the same gentleness and tender touches as he would to the real Shoyou. He plops on his pillow and holds his phone tighter.

“Now you know why I went out of my way to apologize to you.”

Ushijima whispers ever-so quietly. He keeps his phone by his chest until he, himself, dozes off into a deep slumber.

The phone’s light stops shining and finally it dies off with a soft beep. The room is quiet until only one loud heartbeat resounds within Ushijima’s blanket.

Chapter Text

Hinata cycles downhill rapidly. He catches his breath as he tries to catch up with time itself. Turning left to right and right to felt in a downward acceleration as he pedals rigorously. His calves are burning but he would rather ignite himself to cinders than to let this things stay this way any longer.

He could not wait. And he does not want to wait anymore.

It has been months ever since Shoyou came out to Hitoka the other day. Months of pondering and confusion leads him to fateful encounters with Ushijima Wakatoshi himself. He used to believe everything was too impossible, too far-fetched. But as an ambitious boy who was born with barely any talent in volleyball, he is used to facing a tall, looming wall. As sweet as he finds the older and stronger man he admires, he could not help but freeze up when he faces him. His blood rushes inside his veins and the air thickens each time Hinata realizes the gap between them.

The gap between an undeniable talent and a merely enthusiastic small fry.

‘I’m leaving to study in America soon.’

He recalls a soothing deep voice say, almost casually to most people, but to Shoyou he felt a layer of melancholy and guilt bubbling under Wakatoshi’s usually cool pretense. He remembers it all. He remembers everything about that afternoon.

They were wrapped up in the bed, carelessly bathing under the sun peering through Hinata’s windows by the bed side in his room. A blanket lightly rests on their entwined torsos. The stark difference of their sizes becomes more apparent the more they cling to each other. Ushijima’s strong and dependable body dwarfs Hinata’s lithe and petite figure.

‘I want to stay like this forever’ They both internalize.

Weeks and months of “friendship” was all they had. Is cuddling on your friend’s bed while his family is away something you would do in a typical friendship between two males? In their minds, yes, it is. It is very much normal. The pair often meets up with each other, setting their petty rivalry aside to come together as one, even temporarily. When they spend the day, it seems that time itself halts and the world eliminates the space aside from the ones they share together. With each other’s company, nobody and nothing else exists, aside from one another’s face.

Despite all this, they have yet to truly identify each other. What do they stand for in their respective lives? Are they just friends? Friends with benefits? Secret lovers?

No idea. No idea at all.

But nevertheless, they kept it up. The lingering stares, the warm touches, and the mellifluous laughter flowing from their lips to the limited space between them. Ushijima and Hinata couldn’t abide to let go of each other.

But, really, what is their place in each other’s lives?

Closing the distance between them, Hinata cycles faster. The wind breezes past through his hair.

‘I’m sick of this. Sick of being confused. My mind is so clogged up and I don’t know what to do! Wakatoshi, I’ll tell you everything. Just you wait!’

Just like a bullet zipping pass through trees, the bicycle dashes downtown. The all-too familiar landscape flashes before his eyes in a blurred motion. Shoyou is far too gone in his thoughts. Excitement? Fear? Anxiety? He does not know anymore. The only thing he could sense right now is the rapid beating of his heart and the gentle tone of his beloved playing like a mantra in his mind.

‘I’m leaving to study in America, soon’

The words materialize a new set of emotions in Hinata as he recalls the pensive eyes of Wakatoshi during that one serene afternoon. The older man spoke as if he was guilty. Guilty of pursuing the young boy, making him fall in love with him even though he knows exactly that he will leave in the future.

• · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Ushijima massages his temples, distressfully doubling over while clasping his head with his huge palms. He sits under the shade of a tree, shielding him away from the relentless yet gentle rays of the sun. The cicadas sing a symphony with their tiny bodies. The chirping seems to taunt Wakatoshi and buzz like an incessant poison in his eardrums. Each second pains him, his body feels frigid and tense the more time stretches itself out.

‘Stay strong, Wakatoshi! You’re the one who agreed to meet up, right?’ He tries to psyche himself up. The older man has got at least a hint of what is going to happen. Hinata is going to meet up with him. Possibly confront him about going to America to study. He could see it. The way the boy will break down crying under the dim confines of the cool shade beneath the tree while they both stand defeated. The singular picture of his sunshine being absolutely wrecked leaves a numbing pain in his chest. And it makes Wakatoshi feel like a despicable villain for not being able lend his shoulders to the boy in hopes of comforting him. After all, he is going to be man behind Shoyou’s first heartbreak.

The ace does not realize how long he has had his head aimed at the ground. Right now, lifting it up seems like the heaviest weight he could ever muster. The wind blows on his exposed nape, sending a soothing whisper down his spine. Ushijima fishes his phone out of his pocket. He reads a message from Hinata. A rather dry and serious text sent at 12 noon lay before him. Each letter stares Wakatoshi down, making him feel smaller and smaller. Witnessing Shoyou shift his mood dramatically makes him feel like an absolute monster – perhaps the monster that everybody sees in him. Maybe he isn’t so different than the Ushijima Wakatoshi of the volleyball court, the man who decimates his opponents – the man who destroys every opponent’s spirit.

‘You’ve done it now, asshole…,’ he curses himself while scowling at his cell phone face to face.

Ushijima looks at the clock.

“1:00. Just when is he going to keep me on my toes… Shoyou… Please put me out of my misery already…,” he pleads at the breeze.

The wind seem to carry the tune of his waning heart as it instantly brings Hinata right in front of the ace’s broad  form. Panting and trembling from fatigue, sweat trickles down his forehead while he clasps the handle of his bicycle with his pale, tiny knuckles whose grip proves to be stronger than they look.

The shadows seem to tap Ushijima by the shoulders as he slowly lifts up his head to look at the looming figure in front of him.

“Hina – “

“Ushijima – san.” Shoyou’s voice cuts through the air, his tone is punctuated with sharpness and certainty. “I need to ask you something.”

The air around them stills for a moment. Time stops moving and space seem to shrink just to barely contain the tension. The silence is deafening. Everything was ominously serene, like thunder clouds hanging suspended in the sky before a downpour. Without realizing, the breath stored in Ushijima’s lungs is about to be totally consumed by his frigid body. He only remembered to breathe again once he hears Hinata’s sharp inhale followed by a sweet voice.

“What are we to each other?”

Ushijima’s composure caves in. But just before he completely implodes, he finds the courage to face Hinata, the love of his life, by looking straight at his face.

“I want you.” Ushijima parts his lips. “Hinata Shoyou, I am going to be selfish and ask you to be mine. It is true that I am graduating soon. And it is true that I am going to leave Japan, further my education across the globe. But I must be the biggest imbecile in the world if I do not ask you out, with the little time I have.”

Shoyou heaves a sigh, after all it is not only Ushijima whose heart is about to burst any second. They each have been holding their breaths, just from the very first time they have seen each other this day.

“Shoyou, I love you. Please go out with me.”

And when Wakatoshi thought his world was about to cave in, it was once again illuminated by the one person that makes his heart whole. With a smile that could penetrate through million hearts, Hinata leaps towards the hulking man. A tranquil yet massive smile plastered on Hinata as he takes Ushijima’s lips into his own.

Looking at the pair, they do complete one another. And absolutely anyone can see that.

“Took you long enough to finally say so” Shoyou pouts while nesting his face on Wakatoshi’s neck. Ushijima can feel the warmth coming from Hinata’s chest. He puts a hand on his back, an arm, until he gradually squeezes Shoyou in the grandest display of affection Wakatoshi could muster. A grin stretches across his cheeks and his eyes twinkle with the spark of billion stars.

Is he crying?

Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Because now, they have each other. And they would not be afraid to call each other home, no matter what distance stands by them, no matter what challenges they have to face. They swear they will always, always be together.

Until they grow senile, until the stars fade in their eyes. Until their brittle bones could not even pick up a volleyball anymore. They will move forward together, until they got no more words left to say.