Chapter Text
A couple of weeks passed since that game, and things between Hinata and me were… different. Not in a bad way, but there was this unspoken thing hanging between us. We still texted every day, hung out whenever we could, but there were moments, quiet ones, when he’d catch me staring at him or he’d linger just a little too close, that made me feel like something was building. Something neither of us had said out loud yet.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about it. I thought about it all the time . I couldn’t stop thinking about him. His smile, his laugh, the way he made me feel like I mattered. I wanted to tell him, but every time I got close, that doubt crept in again. What if I was reading everything wrong? What if I ruined everything by saying something? What if Hinata didn’t see me that way at all?
But then, something happened that made me stop overthinking. It was late, a Friday night, and Hinata had texted me out of the blue, asking if I wanted to go for a walk. I almost said no. Part of me was nervous, like maybe this was the moment everything would change. But the bigger part of me, the part that couldn’t stay away from him, said yes.
We met up at the park, just the two of us, with the cool night air wrapping around us. It was quiet, except for the sound of our footsteps on the path, and for a while, we just walked, not saying much. Normally, Hinata would be filling the silence, but tonight, he seemed different too. Like he was thinking, maybe overthinking, just like me.
Eventually, we stopped at this bench near the basketball courts, where a few kids were still playing under the dim lights. Hinata sat down, and I joined him, the space between us feeling both too big and too small at the same time.
He looked up at the sky, hands shoved in his pockets, and then, after a long pause, he said, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
My heart skipped. This was it. This was the moment.
I swallowed hard, trying to act calm even though my pulse was racing. “Yeah?”
Hinata turned to me, his eyes bright, but his expression serious. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately. I don’t know how to say this without it sounding cheesy, but you… you’re important to me. Really important.”
I could feel my palms start to sweat, my throat tightening up. “You’re important to me too,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“No, I mean… more than that.” His face softened, and for the first time, Hinata looked almost nervous, like he wasn’t sure what I’d say next. “I like you. I mean, really like you. Not just as a friend.”
There it was. Out in the open. The words I’d been both wanting and dreading to hear. My chest felt tight, like everything I’d been holding back for weeks was rushing to the surface all at once. I could barely believe what I was hearing, even though it was everything I’d hoped for.
“You don’t have to say anything right now,” he added quickly, his voice a little shaky. “I just wanted you to know. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I didn’t want to keep it in anymore. If you don’t feel the same, that’s okay. I just—”
“I do,” I interrupted, before I could lose my nerve. “I feel the same.”
Hinata blinked, like he hadn’t expected me to say it so bluntly. For a moment, we both just sat there, the weight of everything hanging in the air between us.
“You do?” he asked, his voice softer now, like he was afraid he’d misheard me.
I nodded, my heart pounding. “Yeah, I do. I’ve liked you since that night at the party when we first met. I just didn’t think…” I trailed off, not sure how to explain it. “I didn’t think you’d like someone like me.”
“Someone like you?” Hinata laughed, but not in a mean way. It was this soft, disbelieving laugh, like I’d said something ridiculous. “How could I not? You’re… you’re amazing.”
I shook my head, feeling embarrassed, but Hinata wasn’t having any of it. He reached over, grabbing my hand, his fingers warm against mine. The touch was simple, but it sent sparks through me, like everything had suddenly become real.
“I’m serious,” he said, his voice steady. “I like you just the way you are. I don’t care if you’re quieter, or if you don’t always put yourself out there like everyone else. That’s part of what I like about you. You don’t try to be something you’re not. You’re just… you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. For so long, I’d convinced myself that being me wasn’t enough. That someone like Hinata, so full of life, so bright, could never see me the way I saw him. But here he was, telling me exactly what I needed to hear.
Before I could overthink it, I squeezed his hand back. “I’m glad you said something,” I admitted quietly. “Because I was too scared to.”
Hinata smiled, his whole face lighting up the way it always did, but this time, it was different. This time, it felt like that smile was just for me. “Well, I’m not scared anymore,” he said. “And I don’t want you to be either.”
We sat there for a while longer, holding hands, not saying much but not needing to. It was like everything had clicked into place. The doubts, the second-guessing, the fear of not being enough—all of it felt so small now compared to the feeling of just being with him.
Eventually, Hinata leaned his head on my shoulder, his soft hair brushing against my neck. The night was quiet, the air cool, but all I felt was this overwhelming sense of rightness. Like maybe this was where I was supposed to be all along.
I stared down at him, my heart still beating fast, but steady now in a way that felt good. Comfortable. Hinata tilted his head back slightly, catching my gaze, and for a second, I got lost in his eyes—those bright, warm eyes that always seemed to be shining, always pulling me in.
Before I knew what I was saying, the words slipped out. “My favorite color is the color of your eyes.”
Hinata blinked up at me, a soft blush spreading across his cheeks. He smiled, but this time it was a little shy, a little unsure, which was so unlike him that it made me smile too.
“That’s… kind of the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “I think I could get used to hearing that.”
I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in weeks, months maybe. “Well, you’ll probably hear it a lot, then.”
Hinata grinned, that familiar spark of confidence flashing in his eyes. “Good,” he said, his voice stronger now. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Neither was I.
We stayed there like that for a while, just the two of us against the quiet night, the world fading away. And for the first time, I wasn’t just hoping anymore.
I knew.
Hinata was mine, and I was his.