Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I noticed him from across the room. Even through the large crowd of people, that bright orange hair caught my eye as soon as I turned around. It was hypnotizing in a way. I couldn't take my eyes off of him and Kindaichi who was sitting next to me seemed to notice. I could see him smirking at me in the corner of my eye.

“Who’s got you staring like that, man? You look like you’re about to pounce on your prey” Kindaichi snickers as he follows my gaze to see the redhead talking to some other kids. I spot Kageyama among them but I’m too entranced by the short orange-haired boy to care. “The Karasuno redhead? Really? He looks pretty loud and obnoxious. Not really your type, no?” Kindaichi adds on.

As soon as he asks that, the ginger turns around towards us as if he could hear our conversation through the big crowd. He notices us looking at him and immediately smiles the biggest, brightest smile I’ve ever seen. He waves to the other first years he was talking to and starts walking toward us. I can feel my blood rushing to my face and my heart pounding in my chest louder with every step he takes.

“Hey, dude chill out. You look like you’re about to faint right now,” Kindaichi laughs a little “He’s coming over here so play it cool, man.”

“Can you shut up a minute?” I say, annoyed. Kindaichi snickers at my response and turns back around to face the oncoming redheaded boy.

“HIIII!!!! My name is Hinata Shoyou!!” Hinata, huh? “I noticed you staring from across the room so I thought I should come over and introduce myself!” That big, bright smile never once fell from his face. Now that I’m looking at him closer, I notice his big, hazel eyes which are almost as bright as his smile.

“Oh, Hey! I’m Kindaichi and this is Kunimi.”

“Hey. It’s nice to meet you” I try to smile a little so I don’t look too awkward.

“It’s nice to meet you too!!! I really like your hair btw Kunimi-kun!” As if my face couldn’t get any redder than it already is.

“Oh uhm t-thanks” I manage to spit out, cursing myself for stuttering in front of him. God that was so embarrassing.

Kindaichi laughs under his breath at me and turns to Hinata “It was really nice meeting you, Hinata-kun but I’m gonna go grab a drink and meet with the others. I’ll leave you two to talk some more,” He stands up and starts walking towards the kitchen but stops once he’s on the other side of me. “Good luck Kunimi” He whispers and laughs to himself as he walks off. My face heats up and I curse him out in my head. I’ll be sure to get back at him for this later.

“Mind if I sit, then?” Hinata asks, still standing in front of me.

I nod slightly. “Yea of course go ahead.” I spew out, sounding more excited than I had hoped.

I nervously look over toward him as he sits down next to me. My heart is beating so fast in my chest I pray to god he can’t hear it.

“You’re not much of a talker, are you Kunimi-kun?” He chuckles and I can’t help but stare at his smile.

“Uh no not really. Kindaichi usually does most of the talking for me” I laugh to myself a little at that. It’s been the same since we were kids. Kindaichi always did the talking for me until I had a snarky remark to add to the conversation making him elbow me every time.

I could tell he noticed my subtle laugh because he smiled even wider than before. “You know you should smile more, Kunimi-san. You have a really cute smile.”

At this point, it feels like my heart is gonna jump out of my chest any second. I try to keep my composure as best as I can to no avail.

“Huh?” I won’t lie, he left me speechless for a second. All I could do was stare at him for what felt like ages until I snapped back to reality to choke out a response. “Ah, thanks. So do you” I whisper that last part under my breath but I guess he heard me because I could hear him laugh a little. How embarrassing. Pull yourself together Kunimi.

I managed to calm myself down after a few minutes and we talked for the rest of the night about anything and everything. Volleyball, family, hobbies, school, friends, etc. I can’t remember when the last time I talked this much to someone was. Despite being polar opposites, we seemed to have quite a few things in common. It felt like the world stopped spinning and we were the only two people left on earth. Suddenly, the missing puzzle piece I’d been longing for was right in front of me, and I wasn’t planning on letting him go.

Maybe Kindaichi dragging me here wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Chapter Text

It’s been two weeks since I met Hinata at the party, but it feels like I’ve known him for so much longer. We exchanged numbers at the end of the night, and since then, we’ve been texting nonstop. I didn’t expect us to click so easily. My face lights up every time I see his name in my notifications, and it’s not going unnoticed. My teammates have been giving me suspicious looks lately. I catch them side-eyeing me, especially when I catch myself smiling at my phone which, to be fair, is a rare sight. I’m not the type to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I usually keep things under control, playing it cool, but Hinata… He makes it hard to maintain that facade.

There’s just something about him, something I can’t quite explain. He’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. His energy, his warmth, the way he makes me laugh when I don’t even realize I need it. It's magnetic. It’s like I’m drawn to him without even trying. I’ve never been so curious about anyone in my life. Every time we talk, I find myself wanting to know more. More about his day, his thoughts, his past, his dreams. I want to be the person he turns to first, whether something amazing happens or he’s having the worst day ever. I want to be there through it all. When he’s happy, when he’s angry, when he’s tired, excited, confused, you name it.

It’s strange, this feeling. I want him to be mine, and I want to be his. But then, reality hits me. Hinata is everything I’m not. He’s always talking, always smiling, always full of life. It’s like he’s a walking ball of sunshine, while I tend to stay in the background, blending into the shadows. I’ve always been more reserved, quieter. People barely notice me unless Kindaichi’s around. I’ve gotten used to it, it’s easier that way. But Hinata? He’s like a firecracker. Everyone’s drawn to him.

How could someone like me even begin to compete with that? He’s so far out of my league, it’s almost laughable. Sometimes, I wonder if he’s just being nice, if he just texts me out of pity or obligation. How could someone as bright and full of life as Hinata ever really see someone like me? Someone who fades into the background while he lights up every room he walks into.

And yet, I can’t stop thinking about him. No matter how many doubts I have, I keep holding on to this small, fragile hope. That maybe, just maybe, he sees something in me too. Something worth noticing. Something that might be enough.

It’s been a constant tug-of-war in my mind ever since. The hope and doubt fight for space in my thoughts every day. I’ll be sitting in class, and suddenly, I’m replaying our conversations in my head, analyzing every word he’s said, every laugh, every "good morning" text. I tell myself I’m overthinking it, that I should just go with the flow, enjoy this unexpected connection. But there’s always that voice in the back of my mind that reminds me I’ve never been the one to stand out.

Yesterday, something happened that made that voice a little louder. We were texting, like usual, and I mentioned I had a big game coming up. His reply was immediate: "I’ll be there! When is it?" I stared at the screen for way too long, feeling both excited and terrified. Part of me wants him to come, to watch me play and see me in my element. But the other part of me? The part that’s so used to staying under the radar? It’s scary. What if I mess up? What if he sees how average I am on the court compared to the other players? I’m not like Kageyama or Oikawa. I don’t have that same flair, that presence that draws people in.

I didn’t reply right away, and he sent another message: "I can’t wait to see you in action! I bet you’re amazing."

Amazing. That word just sat there, glowing on my screen. How could he possibly think that? It’s not that I’m a terrible player, but I’ve never been the star of the show either. My hands hovered over the keyboard for a moment before I finally typed out something simple, something safe: "I’m not that great, but yeah, come if you want."

His response came back almost instantly: "I don’t care if you’re ‘great’ or not. I just wanna see you play. I wanna support you."

I couldn’t help it. I smiled. For a moment, that doubt started to fade away, pushed back by this overwhelming warmth in my chest. Hinata’s sincerity, his enthusiasm—it’s like he doesn’t care about the things that I worry about. He doesn’t care that I’m not the loudest, or the brightest, or the most noticeable. He just wants to be there. For me.

I keep thinking back to his words. "I just wanna support you." No one’s ever said that to me, not like this. And now, as the game gets closer, my nervousness is still there, but it’s different. It’s not just about me anymore. It’s about showing him this part of my life, letting him in a little deeper, trusting that maybe, just maybe, I don’t need to compete with anyone for his attention.

Maybe I already have it.

Chapter Text

The day of the game came faster than I expected. I spent the entire morning trying to stay focused, but my mind kept drifting back to Hinata. I had texted him the details, but he didn’t respond with his usual energy, just a simple "Got it, see you there." It was enough to throw me off balance, making me wonder if maybe I was getting too ahead of myself. Maybe he wouldn’t show up after all.

The locker room was buzzing with the usual pre-game tension. Kindaichi was hyping up the team, going over strategies, while I kept to myself, mentally rehearsing everything I had to do on the court. My phone buzzed in my bag, and I hesitated, feeling a mix of hope and dread. It could be Hinata, or it could just be a reminder of how much pressure I was putting on myself.

But when I checked, it wasn’t a text. It was a picture. From Hinata.

It was a blurry selfie of him standing outside the gym with a ridiculously big smile, holding a snack in his hand. "Pre-game fuel! See you in there, good luck!"

I stared at the picture for a solid minute, feeling that weird flutter in my chest again. He actually came. He was here.

Before I could overthink it, Kindaichi’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Yo, focus up, man! You ready?”

I nodded, though my head was still somewhere between the game and the thought of Hinata in the stands. I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but I didn’t have time to figure it out. The whistle blew, and we were out on the court, the noise of the crowd hitting me all at once.

For the first few minutes, I couldn’t concentrate. My eyes kept darting toward the bleachers, trying to spot Hinata in the sea of faces. I couldn’t find him, but that was probably for the best. The last thing I needed was to get distracted. My team was counting on me, and I couldn’t let them down just because some guy- no, he was watching.

But then something shifted.

About halfway through the second set, I stopped looking for him. I stopped worrying about messing up or trying to impress him. I just… played. It was like all the noise in my head quieted down, and the only thing that mattered was the game. The ball, my teammates, the rhythm of the court.

And somewhere in that focus, I realized something. I was having fun. For the first time in a while, I wasn’t thinking about being better or fading into the background. I was just… me. Playing because I loved it, not because I was trying to prove anything.

By the time the final set came around, we were neck and neck with the other team. The gym was roaring, and my heart was pounding. The ball came my way, and without thinking, I set up the perfect pass to Kindaichi, who spiked it down with so much force the other team didn’t even react. The whistle blew, signaling the end of the match, and we’d won. Barely, but it was a win.

As we celebrated, Kindaichi clapped me on the back, grinning from ear to ear. “Nice one! You were on fire out there!”

I smiled back slightly, but all I could think about was whether or not Hinata had seen it. I turned, scanning the crowd again, and there he was. Right at the front, standing on his tiptoes, waving like a maniac. His smile was even bigger than the one in the picture he sent, and when our eyes met, he gave me two thumbs up.

It was stupid how much that one moment meant to me.

After we wrapped up, I headed toward the locker room, my heart still racing, but this time for a different reason. Before I could even get inside, though, Hinata was there, waiting for me by the doors.

“You were amazing !” he shouted, practically bouncing on his feet. “I knew you’d be great, but man, that last set? You killed it!”

I could feel my face heat up, and I tried to downplay it. “It was just a pass.”

“Just a pass?” He laughed. “Dude, that pass won the game! Don’t sell yourself short.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. Compliments have never been easy for me to take, but coming from Hinata, it felt different. Real. Genuine.

“So,” he continued, his voice dropping just a little, “how are we celebrating?”

“Celebrating?”

“Yeah, you won! I’m taking you out. Anywhere you want. Food’s on me.”

I blinked, caught off guard by the offer. “You don’t have to-”

“I want to.” He cut me off with that infectious grin of his, the one that made it impossible to say no.

Before I knew it, we were walking down the street together, the gym fading behind us. Hinata was talking excitedly about the game, replaying moments I barely remembered. I listened, but I wasn’t really paying attention to the words. All I could think about was how easy it felt, being around him. How, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I was fading into the background.

Hinata wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t drawn to the brightest, loudest parts of me. He saw the quiet moments, the in-betweens, and somehow, that was enough.

Maybe I didn’t need to compete with the firecrackers or the spotlight after all. Maybe I was enough, just as I was. And maybe, just maybe, that fragile hope I’d been holding on to wasn’t so fragile after all.

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.