AN: I am really quick on the uptake. Most of the Karasuno ones are already written out and just need editing, so after that's done it might get a bit slower. Anyways! Here it is. Warning for abuse...a lot of it...I can go on, but you get it. Note: KageHina if you squint.
-AP


The Lonely Little Giant

Hinata Shoyo cared about everything. Similarly to Noya, his year found him weird, and too loud. But the difference was that Nishinoya Yuu was used to people disliking him, he was used to people making fun of him, and he couldn't care less.

Hinata cared. A lot. Every little comment stuck in his mind, and he could never shake it off. On bad days, even the occasional "Dumbass!" could get to him. He usually pretended he didn't care; As far as he was concerned, letting people see they'd got to him was telling them they'd won. Today, though, was one of the days where he couldn't help it. One of the days where it was too painful to hold back.

On these days, he usually skipped school. Today he couldn't.

He was at his dad's. He'd be dead if he skipped school; even more so if he was sent home or skipped volleyball practice. Well, he was probably dead ANYWAY, but there were ways to make him less...dead. Which included being good at school and being home on time. Not before or after.

The small boy sighed as he walked into the gym, not looking at Kageyama, who was practicing serves until the others came. The taller, raven-haired boy stopped, ball in one hand, glancing at his friend. "Hey dumbass. Want some tosses?" He never usually had to ask; Hinata would jump on the chance to get a toss. The said middle-blocker just sighed again. "I dunno. I'm not really into it today."

"You? Not really into it?! Seriously?! What the hell, dumbass?!" The setter yelled back, throwing his arms down to his side and dropping the ball, looking somewhat like a six year old having a tantrum. Shoyo flinched slightly, and then shrugged, trying to seem casual. "I'm just not into it. I don't feel all 'essential to winning' and 'ultimate decoy' today." He took a deep breath, hesitantly looking Kageyama in the eyes. "You don't have to toss to me if you don't want to."

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I DON'T WANT TO, DUMBASS!" It was louder now, and suddenly Daichi burst in, glaring at the two accusingly. The others followed quickly, hoping not to find another fight on their hands. Those two, however, didn't notice. It seemed to just be them in the room in their eyes. The ginger boy flinched again, taking a cautious step back. "I'm not good today. Y-you usually don't toss to me if I won't do any good."

"THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS! YOU ALWAYS DO SOMETHING GOOD, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A FRICKING REBOUND, Y-Y-YOU...YOU DUMBASS!" His voice was aggressive, but his expression told a different story. The other couldn't see that, too busy with his eyes trained on the wooden floor. "That's not true. Sometimes I don't do good. Everyone has bad days. How many times have my spikes been blocked?" He looked up, shouting now, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I LOST US SETS?! MATCHES?!"

"THAT DOESN'T MATTER! DUMBASS, NOBODY ALWAYS FUCKING WINS!" Kageyama stepped forward, expression angry now, as if the smaller boy had lit a fire under him. "Kageyama!" Daichi called it out as a warning. Don't get too angry, don't fight, otherwise they'd have to intervene. That was the tone. That was the facial expression. That was the cautious body language, and yet, the argument didn't stop.

"STOP CALLING ME A DUMBASS!" It was more of a wail than a shout, but the anger was obvious as the middle-blocker stepped forward, shoving the setter backwards. "WHO DO YOU EVEN THINK YOU ARE?! YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, TOBIO! YOU WOULDN'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO ALWAYS LOSE!" For once, Kageyama seemed taken aback by the sudden anger. He tried to stutter out a weak response as he was shoved again, stumbling backwards. "I NEVER, NOT ONCE, HAVE WON A BATTLE ON MY OWN. EVER. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT HURTS?!" Hinata grabbed the taller boy's collar, pulling him down to his eye level. "You wouldn't, would you? You can always win. If you want to." He threw him down, shoving the setter to the floor, who just looked up, completely dazed in shock by the small boy's reaction.

Shoyo threw a ball down to him, and the first-year caught by instinct, still completely paralyzed. "GO ON, WHY DON'T YOU?! TOSS TO ME, KING, SO I CAN LOSE AND LOSE AND LOSE! THROW THE DAMN BALL, I'LL NEVER HIT IT! NOT ONCE! WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT A LOSER LIKE ME COULD EVER KEEP UP WITH THE KING OF THE COURT?!"

"SHOYO, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Nishinoya shouted, grabbing the boy by the arms and pulling him backwards. He didn't resist one bit, eyes still trained on his setter. Kageyama looked down as he stood, looking at the coloured ball in his hands. He threw it into the box where they kept them, and walk passed Hinata, slamming his shoulder into the smaller boy on purpose. "I don't know." He seemed arrogant, and that's what Shoyo heard, not seeing expression which the others could see.

Tears, a pained expression, and a bitten lip. He walked out, slamming the doors of the gym behind him, leaving a stunned silence. Shoyo said nothing as Noya let go of his arms. He let his shoulders drop with his head. "D-dammit." He picked up a ball, glaring at it as if it was it's fault, and used a serve hit to make it slam against the other side of the court. "DAMMIT!"

"Shoyo, calm down." Noya said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone argues. He'll be okay. You'll be okay." The short boy shrugged him off, sniffling to himself. "No, I WON'T BE OKAY! You wouldn't get it." Nishinoya shrugged, grabbing the younger boy's arm and pulling him out of the gym much to his protests.
"Maybe not. Maybe I will. I won't if you don't talk to me, you idiot."

He didn't want to talk. He didn't have to talk. But he was dragged into the changing rooms, Noya locking the door behind both of them. "Right. Talk. Now." Hinata opened his mouth, but he didn't really know what to say. "I-I...I..." Nishinoya shook his head firmly, folding his arms and looking somewhat like a concerned parent. "Dammit Hinata. Not justification. I want to know what's WRONG."

"Oh." The ginger boy replied, looking down. "Uh...M-My...M-my dad..." Noya's eyes immediately softened, his posture turning to more gentle and his expression caring. "What about him?" The libero asked softly, not wanting to make the middle-blocker feel more cornered than he no doubt did already. When he didn't respond, Nishinoya decided to ask the question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to. "Has he hurt you, Shoyo?"

The boy just nodded, tearful. "Has he hurt you recently?" Another nod. "Can I see?" That question caught the tiny first-year off-guard, and he looked up, shaking slightly. Then, he hesitantly nodded, pulling off his training shirt.

"Oh, Shoyo." It was empathetic, but more than anything, sad. He wished people weren't hurt like this, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he couldn't even keep himself safe. The ginger boy was sobbing quietly now as Noya took charge, slipping the boy's shirt back over his head. "Has he hurt you in any other way? Other than hitting you?" He needed to know. His dad had never done that, ever, but he knew it happened. It had happened to Daichi.

For a moment, Hinata stopped breathing, tears still streaming down his face. He closed his eyes, and jerked his head in a small nod that Nishinoya wouldn't have noticed had he not been paying complete attention. "Shoyo...Has your dad ever done something to you, something intimate, that you didn't like?"

A nod. Nishinoya knew. He knew everything. And he didn't even want to; He didn't want to dream of anyone hurting his friend and kouhai like that. Ever. But they did anyway. Because nobody cared how things hurt people; Because the world was harsh and painful. He sighed to himself quietly, and then hugged the slightly taller boy. "It's okay. It happens. Daichi said he'll get you safe. I didn't understand what he meant, at first, but..." He took a deep breath and looked straight into the chocolate-brown eyes. "I'll get you safe too. Do you want to stay at Asahi's with us tonight?"

"B-but...wh-why not your house?" Hinata asked, wiping his face with his hand. Noya smiled and shook his head sadly. He unlocked the door of the changing rooms with one hand whilst he spoke. "My dad likes to hurt people, too."

They walked back into the gym. Everyone seemed to be fretting. Kageyama was back, sitting in the corner, doing nothing, talking to nobody. They all looked up as the two shortest on the team entered. Daichi got a look of affirmation from Nishinoya; They were okay. Both of them.

"Hey Asahi! Can Shoyo stay in your spare room tonight?" Everyone seemed startled by the question, even Kageyama, who looked up, a confused expression on his face. "Uh, sure?" The ace responded, trying to scan Noya's eyes for any trace of what had happened, but finding nothing. The libero was, after all, a master at keeping secrets. "Good. Now." The small second-year shoved Hinata towards the black-haired setter in the corner. "Talk."

And they did.

A lot.

Shaking. Crying. Apologizing.

"I-I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."
"You didn't know." Hinata responded, shaking his head at the boy he'd grown to see as more than a dumb enemy. "It's okay." Kageyama protested slightly, but then nodded. "I guess."

There was a silence, and then Tobio asked something that nobody on the team expected at such an emotional moment. "Hinata...P-please...Spike my tosses!"

"W-what?" The ginger boy responded, caught off-guard. "U-uh..." He looked to the others, who shrugged, just as shocked as he was. Kageyama had his head bowed, and when he rose it, he didn't make eye-contact, seemingly embarrassed. "W-when you spike...It's so much different from e-everyone else. I feel this rush. This burst of excitement when you go like 'WAPAM!' and it gets in!"

Hinata blushed a little as the setter continued. "A-and...I was really mean. Really, really mean. I wouldn't be surprised if you hated me. It's happened with spikers before." He took a deep breath, and turned away, wiping his face with his arm. "But please...Please keep spiking for me."

Shoyo grinned, standing and offering his hand to Kageyama. With humor sparkling in his eyes, he simply said something the setter had said to him a billion times before.

"That goes without saying."


AN: YAY! Review?

-AP