First Haikyuu fic...please review!
...
Hinata didn't mind the rain.
When he had made the long, tiresome trek up and over the mountain to Karasuno high school, the dawn had been dark and dripping with fog. The light morning rays of the sun had been muffled by the puffing chests of brewing clouds, but Hinata hadn't minded. Indeed, he hadn't even noticed that it had been drizzling at all. Well, at least he hadn't noticed until he got to school and Kageyama asked him if he was okay riding his bike. This comment brought on a session of profuse blinking and a slight tilting of his orange head. What? It had been drizzling? No way...To say the least, Kageyama had been mad with him. He didn't talk to him for the rest of the day. Kageyama had been doing that a lot lately. Hinata shrugged, ignoring the loneliness.
Later, as school limped by, it was no longer a mere drizzle. Torrents of rain gushed out of the sky, and the ominous rumbling of thunder clashed through air. Hinata winced each time the huge crashes split his ears, because even though he would never admit it, he was just a little bit- really, only just a tad bit scared of thunder and lightening. Only a tincey-wincey bit.
But really, Hinata didn't mind the rain.
There was something about the tangy smell that wafted from the pavement, something about the electricity and nervousness that coursed through the air. Each breath he breathed stung his lungs, sharpening his widening eyes. Each time he felt the coolness waft over his skin like a shadow, he felt himself shiver with excitement.
There was something about the rain that made him feel alive, as if he was playing volleyball.
When classes were let out, it had stopped raining, and everything was dripping, dripping, dripping, like his volleyball jersey after a particularly rough practice. Except, there was something pure, something untouchable, about the way the world looked soaked to the bone. As if it was reborn.
After a grueling practice, Hinata was exhausted. Yes, exhausted. Normally, he would be bursting with energy, begging Kageyama to give him another toss, even though practice was over.
But not this time.
This time, Hinata nodded, a half-enthusiastic "Osu!" springing from his lips after Usai-san's dismissal, and from there, the dismal journey to the locker room.
Everyone stopped and stared.
"Hey, what's wrong with Hinata?" Tanaka whispered loudly. Tsukishima rolled his eyes.
"I don't know, but I think we're okay." Suga hesitantly said back, his eyes never having left the orange headed middle blocker. The rest of the team remained silent.
Including Kageyama.
After getting out of his sweaty clothes, Hinata waited outside the gym door, tapping his foot to the beat of a song stuck in his head. He never really did like waiting. Waiting always made him nervous. He wanted to move, and he wanted to move forward, if at all possible.
But still he waited.
He was waiting for Kageyama. Yeah, he felt like he was always waiting for Kageyama. Waiting for recognition, waiting for a toss, waiting for the chance to actually tell him that he saw him as a friend. Or at least, Hinata thought about it that way, most of the time. When he thought about his relationship with Kageyama, his mind became fuzzy and it made him question the sudden sting of pain in his gut when he saw Kageyama talking with someone else. At first, Hinata had thought he was sick, his stomach hurt that much. But than, as it kept happening, he absolutely refused the idea of jealousy. No way Hinata was jealous. No way in hell.
And so he waited.
Normally, Hinata and Kageyama walked together for as long as they could until Hinata had to part ways with him, preferring to get home before sundown than talk to his friend about how much of an idiot he was and how awesome volleyball could be.
But so far, Kageyama hadn't even come out of the gym, and as Hinata glanced at his watch, he saw that it was getting late.
And later.
And later.
And later.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
With a huff of disbelief, he climbed onto his bike and peddled away, frustration giving his legs new speed despite the heavy fatigue that weighed them down like lead.
Where had this exhaustion come from anyway?
Maybe it had been the rain.
Hinata shook his head. It couldn't have been the rain. Was he stupid? What had the rain ever done to him?
Just than, his bike splashed into a rather large puddle, causing water to complete drench him in it's dripping embrace. Hinata stopped his bike, surprise etched into his expression. And after just thinking that the rain was so nice and innocent too. Really, the world hated him.
Glancing up at the descending sun, Hinata sighed. Looking back, Karasuno was still in sight. In fact, he hadn't gotten far away from his school at all, perhaps a block or two at most. Hinata was almost embarrassed.
The rumble of laughter brought him out of his thoughts. Looking down, his eyes landed on a group of five teenagers, all wearing school uniforms he wasn't quite familiar with.
They must come from a different school. Hinata frowned a little. Why would a group of boys from another school be here in the first place, puffing out their chests as if they owned the place?
The crash of laughter once again brought him out of his revere. The boys were smirking at each other, obviously finding something hilarious. They were quite tall, these boys, and it made Hinata feel self-conscious for a moment. Compared to them, he could have been a middle schooler. But it wasn't just their size that was intimidating.
They were in a group. Hinata was alone. He was alone and they were tall and big and just a little bit- really, only just a tiny bit scary. The aura around them seemed off, as if their mirth was ill founded. He didn't know what they were talking about, but Hinata reasoned with himself that it was just probably some girl that one of them liked and they were all teasing him or something stupid like that. But at the same time, Hinata paused at the sight of their off-set smiles. Hinata shivered.
Right then, he wanted to be home.
And just as he as about to step on his peddle and make a break for the next enormous puddle, Hinata could hear what they were saying. And what they weresaying made him freeze.
"Yeah, those Karasuno freaks are just absolutely ridiculous. I mean...who does that setter think he is? A king?"
This was followed by laughter.
"Yeah...the King! I always wondered why they called him that...guess we know why! It's 'cause he's such a son of a bitch!"
More laughter.
"The King...he's an asshole. I'm glad that we came here to finish him off."
To Hinata, their laughter seemed louder, so much louder than before. It was mocking.
"Yeah, let's finish him off good. Let's finish him off in a way his Royal Highness won't ever forget."
The laughter, it was loud. It was too loud. It was-
It was over.
Hinata found himself standing, panting in front of the other boys, blocking their path to Karasuno. His bike lay half forgotten in the enormous puddle he had cursed. His rational thought was probably somewhere in the puddle too.
But right now, it was over.
He was over with this feeling in his gut. He was over with waiting. He was over with these boys.
At first, Hinata looked down at his feet, feeling a clutching wrench in his body that he knew was fear. Fear of these now silent boys in front of him. Fear of what might happen if he stopped waiting. Fear of what he was about to do.
But then his hand was trembling. He stared at it for a moment, and clenched it into a fist. Still it trembled.
It trembled with rage.
"Nobody..." he began, voice uncharacteristically low.
"...and I mean nobody..."
Hinata gulped, his voice threatening and angry. O, so angry. He was slowly, o so slowly looking up at the boys.
"...is finishing anybody..."
He was staring them in the eye. Each and every one of them. They all stared back, as if they themselves weren't shaking.
"...and I mean no-freaking-body."
Hinata finished with a gasp of air, his rage boiling, bolstering his resolve. The silence was thick, it was heavy, it was cold. Tension pulled the air tight. Hinata stared.
And then...it came.
Rolling and rumbling and crashing as if there was no tomorrow.
Laughter.
"Look, it's that small middle blocker who can't do shit!"
"Ohh! See how small and puny he is!"
"What are you talking about? I can't see anybody at all!"
More laughter, and to Hinata, did it seem louder?
"Weak!"
"Short!"
"Worthless!"
Hinata felt his confidence start to shatter. He frantically tried to cling to the fast falling pieces of his resolve, but it was crumbling.
"Why don't we finish this worthless, little punk first?"
"Yeah, we can dethrone his Highness later."
"Let's deal with the small fry first."
Hinata felt a hand grab his shoulder tightly, and he almost grimaced in pain. But it was than that panic ate at him. It ate him from within. A fear, a fear of what might happen if he didn't stop these boys now.
An image of Kageyama flashed in his head. He was a small heap at the end of an alleyway, completely still as if he was...
Kageyama!
"Wait!"
By this time, the boys had already grabbed him securely and lead him into a small alley just off of the sidewalk. Hinata's fate was sealed. He hadn't really put up that much of a fight, had he? Not really.
And suddenly he was kicking and screaming and biting and jabbing, and the boys were cursing and grabbing and twisting and shoving until Hinata's face was forced into the wet concrete. Dirt smeared his face, and he could already feel the bruises forming, kissing the throbbing aches of his body.
"Wa...wa...wait!" Hinata cried, mouth full of dirt.
"What is it shrimp? Want your mommy?"
"...you can beat me up, just don't beat up Kageyama, deal? I won't turn you in. I won't say a word. Just promise...promise...promise me you won't hurt Kageyama."
Silence.
And it came again, once more, so loud, so loud it hurt even worse than before.
The laughter.
Hinata closed his eyes, pain searing his back like a thousand volts of electricity as the boy on top of him dug into his back.
"...alright kid, you got yourself a deal."
Hinata's eyes flew open, relief brighter than the sun in his eyes.
"Really?"
"Yeah, as long as you don't tell anybody about this!"
A kick to the stomach. Hinata gasped.
"Or this!"
A kick to the back of the head. Hinata's vision spun.
"Not even this!"
A kick straight in the face.
Hinata's vision went black for a moment, and than the ringing in his ears brought color back to his retinas. The tangy, metallic taste of blood trickled down his dry throat, making him choke in disgust and horror.
At first, all he felt was the infuriating sensation of the blood running down his tongue. But than, than came the pain.
The pain.
Blossoming all over his body, every kick was hot acid, every punch, a death blow. Each strike weighed a million pounds. Every moment he breathed, his lungs stung him like an angry wasp, demanding more air through a screen of anguish.
It was pure agony.
A heart-wrenching sob escaped his sticky mouth. Hinata blinked, his vision blurry, so blurry, so vague, so...so...
So black.
And suddenly, he couldn't hear. He couldn't see. He couldn't smell or feel anything either. He even couldn't taste his own blood anymore.
All he was...was nothing.
Floating through blackness, Hinata found himself panting. It was scary here. Hell, it was terrifying! He wanted to curl up and cry, to make it end, make it stop.
He didn't want to be alone.
The pain inched back, more profound than the last time. Burning, burning, burning his body like a million flames in this cold darkness, it jumped and leaped and danced to the rhythm of his erratic heartbeat. Pain. Pain. Pain.
And than there was a white flash, like lightening. Hinata gasped once more.
Everything was silent.
...
Kageyama was sick and tired of waiting.
He hated himself. He really did. Why couldn't he just walk up to the boy and tell him? Just tell him already! What the hell is wrong with you?!
And still, every day, he waited.
He couldn't bring himself to do it. He really was a coward. What was wrong with loving Hinata? Exactly! There was nothing wrong with it! Absolutely nothing wrong with the perfectly adorable dumbass Hinata.
Nothing.
Kageyama shook his head.
That wasn't quite true. Today, Hinata had seemed...off. He couldn't describe it, but whatever it was, it set him off as well. It was as if his emotions were dictated by Hinata's behavior, which was ridiculous.
And what the hell, he loved Hinata!
He didn't know when he started loving the small ball of energy, but when he realized it, it was all he could think about. Everything the smaller boy did seemed to have a double meaning to him, as if each and every little action somehow could make him blush if he thought about it for two long.
Which in and of itself was a load of crap.
Because of all the idiots in the world, he had to chose this one.
One who smiled all the time. One who lighted up a room by simply walking in. One that made everyone else shine just a little bit brighter.
One that was just too damn adorable!
The truth was Kageyama was scared.
He was scared of rejection. But most of all, he was scared of what Hinata would think after he told him.
He would hate him, wouldn't he?
Yeah, he would.
And than Kageyama would never again see that smile. Never see that light. Never see him shine, if not just a little bit brighter.
Yupe, Kageyama was scared.
And whenever he had the chance, he found himself avoiding Hinata. He had done it just this morning, as if they're was nothing wrong with asking Hinata how his ride had been.
But Hinata just had to act so cute and adorable and all Kageyama wanted to do was cuddle him.
So for the rest of the day, he avoided him.
He really was a coward.
Kageyama swung his thoughts to the real matter at hand-
Why had Hinata been so...tired?
Hell, Hinata was never tired! He was the constant source of energy for the entire team! He was the variable that everybody needed to turn out positive. At the end of the day, it was Hinata who rallied everyone together. It was Hinata who inspired them to new heights.
It was Hinata who spiked Kageyama's tosses.
So than why the hell hadn't he run up to him as per usual, begging with wide pleading puppy dog eyes for another toss?
It only made it worse that it had been raining today.
Kageyama hated rain, because with rain came thunder. And with thunder came lightening.
Kageyama really hated lightening. It was so beautiful and blinding, but disappeared so fast that he could never catch it. That's why he hated it so much. That's why he feared it. He had no control when it came to lightening. It was too bright.
Hinata probably would laugh if he could hear Kageyama's fear. He would probably laugh at a lot of things that Kageyama said, if he said them. Kageyama sighed.
Kageyama was so absorbed in his thoughts that when he glanced at the clock, his eyes narrowed, than widened in complete and utter horror.
Damn it damn it damn it damn it DAMN IT!
HE WAS AN HOUR FREAKING LATE! A FREAKING HOUR! HOW DO YOU STALL FOR A FREAKING HOUR! HE HADN'T EVEN BEEN DOING ANYTHING!
Running out the door, Kageyama was met with silence.
The sun had been momentarily covered by the still looming clouds overhead, so everything seemed darker than it usually would have. Kageyama narrowed his royal blue eyes.
No sign of Hinata.
Kageyama guessed he hadn't waited. He must have just gone on without him.
And frankly, he couldn't blame him. If Hinata had been an hour late, he probably would have left too. Not to mention the fact that Hinata lived farther away from school than Kageyama did. It all made sense.
So than why was Kageyama so tense?
Something was wrong. He could just tell.
Walking a little bit away from the school, Kageyama froze when he saw the bike, there, lying in the street, as if forgotten.
Hinata's bike.
That was Hinata's bike.
When the realization finally sunk in, Kageyama was already running, yelling Hinata's name, searching with frantic eyes.
Where was Hinata?
Was he alright?
Was he hurt?
Where was he?
HOLY CRAP WHERE WAS HE?
He didn't stop moving until he ran straight past a small alley way, and paused just as he past it.
A jerk from his gut had frozen him. The coldness from the rain seemed to seep into his bones. His breath came in short, rapid gasps. He turned, o so slowly. He glanced down into the dark corner of the alley, almost dreading what he would see.
A small heap, nothing much, lay sprawled out on the concrete. Surrounding it were splatters of spraying blood that mixed in with the rain water as it trickled down into the sewage.
The small heap was motionless. As if...as if it was...
Kageyama caught sight of dirty orange hair.
And suddenly time gasped and fumbled for a meaning to continue. Fumbling, fumbling as Kageyama raced over to his side, lifting him up into his lap. His body, so covered in blood and bruises and brutal pain.
Kageyama was fumbling too.
He was fumbling with the tears streaming from his eyes. He was fumbling with the words dropping like stones from his mouth. He was fumbling- no, no he wasn't fumbling with Hinata's hurt form.
Indeed, he had never been more careful with something in his entire life.
Hinata was breathing, barely breathing. Kageyama said his name, slow and loud and clear.
"Hinata."
Silence.
"Hinata."
A groan.
"Hinata."
As if he had heard him, the boy draped in his gentle arms winced, and than cracked open his eyes. Relief mingled with pain. Kageyama stared.
Hinata moaned, but paused as he saw that it was Kageyama who was holding him.
And suddenly, all the pain froze.
His heartbeat raced. That pitch in his gut tingled. He felt like saying something, but he couldn't think of anything.
Kageyama held him closer.
"Are you alright?"
Kageyama's voice was deep and dangerous.
"Yeah."
Hinata's voice seemed weak compared to his. It was only a whisper, as his mouth was hoarse from choking on blood.
Silence encompassed them once more.
Kageyama pulled him even closer, his gentle hands strong and steady.
"Who did this to you?"
Hinata stiffened. He had promised that if he hadn't told anyone, Kageyama would be kept safe. He wasn't one to break his promises.
"It's nothing." He whispered, before attempting to sit up.
Strong hands kept him down, until cold eyes intercepted his. Fear seized him.
They were demanding and enraged in a way Hinata had never seen before. The look on Kageyama's face was that of a murderer, he thought half playfully. But there was no mistaking it.
Kageyama was mad.
"Who did this to you?"
Hinata gulped.
"Some guys."
"...which guys?"
"I don't know. Some guys from a different...school..."
Hinata had to pause for a moment, as a huge bout of pain had erupted from his back and moving made him yelp.
Kageyama stopped, eyes dripping with concern. His gentle, careful hands that could so easily set a volleyball any place he wanted were now shaking, trembling. Hinata gasped as the pain lessened so excruciatingly slowly.
"Do you know why they...did this to you?"
Again, Hinata stiffened. Adrenaline shot his veins. Fear was dynamite in his chest.
"No reason."
"Tell me."
Hinata couldn't look at Kageyama straight. He couldn't face him, not now. Not after what just happened.
"I...I can't...I can't tell you."
Hinata winced from pain. He was panting now from the effort of even just simply staying conscious. His body was telling him to sleep, to shut down. He was in agony. His limbs were on fire. His whole body felt like burning needles.
Kageyama's voice was soft.
"You can tell me anything."
There was a pause, a pause were silence reigned the dominion of sound for just a moment. In this moment, this pause, Hinata broke.
Tears ran down his scraped and dirty cheeks, leaving behind little pathways of paler skin. Hinata couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't.
"I-I didn't know what to do! You hadn't come out yet...and...and...there were these five guys and I saw them and didn't know what to do because they were talking about going to go finish you off so that you'd never forget it and than I just couldn't take it anymore and I asked if they wouldn't hurt you if they had fun with...with me..."
Hinata had said to much in one sentence, Kageyama concluded.
Yupe, the dumbass probably hadn't meant to say half the words he said. The stupid idiot. Get it right!
And than it really sunk in, didn't it? Hinata looked up at Kageyama from his breathless position on his lap.
And there were tears in Kageyama's eyes too.
"You...you went through this...for me?"
Hinata tried to nod, but it hurt like hell.
"Hinata...I..."
Hinata's eyes drooped, fatigue murdering him from the inside.
"I...lo...lo..."
Hinata took a deep, painful breath. He stared up at Kageyama, a small smile gracing his face, despite the fact that his nerves were ablaze.
"I love you!"
It was so quiet that Hinata didn't think that he had heard right.
But when the words finally sunk in, when the joy finally sunk in, it was too late.
His lips were already on Kageyama's.
It was over.
The sun peaked through the last bit of clouds and landed on the dismal puddle. The glistening water waved in the small breeze that blew across the road like a forbidden kiss. Hinata's bike remained discarded, almost completely forgotten.
Later, Hinata told Kageyama that he was scared of thunder.
All Kageyama said was that he was scared of lightening.
...and that's it! Please review and tell me what you think! As I said before, this is my first Haikyuu fic, but I absolutely love this anime/manga! I hope you liked it!