Chapter 8: Still Friendship Territory

"Even spy satellites
Won't see this coming
Our love
That's hiding in the dark

Reach out
I promise you
Then we'll be lovers
'Cause it's our true colour"

Tobio watches as Hinata slides his arm out of its sling and begins to clench and unclench his fingers. He flips to a new page in the guide book for today, scrunches his eyes together as he tries to work out the instructions, then sets about doing basic manoeuvres that make him wince a little. Tobio's getting used to the sight of Hinata wincing, and he never thought he would.

It has been two weeks now since Hinata's accident, and the pair are both growing restless already. The main issue was that Hinata felt broken. His heart lies in volleyball, and without the ability to play, something was most definitely deteriorating within Hinata that was more than just his physical health. Some night, Tobio would leave the room to tuck in Natsu and lock the doors to the house, and he'd come back into the room and tears would be just bubbling in Hinata's eyes. They hadn't over spilled (so far) and they never addressed the issue, but the pain was evident, and it made Tobio want to kill something.

Hinata had suggested the other day that just a little bit of dinking practice wouldn't hurt, and despite Tobio's complaints ("You'll twinge it, dumbass, it'll hurt worse.") Hinata had managed to convince him. And Tobio had been correct: it was made worse. Physio that night had been very painful for the shorter of the pair, and he'd gone to bed with a bloody lip after biting too hard to stop the pain.

Despite this, Hinata still attended every practice. He came to sit and watch, to help clear up, to learn from the coaches about different strategies the team were thinking of trying. He also came to hand out water with the managers, and to sit with Tobio as he practiced after the session was over, and to help Tobio pack up his kit as he was getting changed. Hinata never complained out loud about this shift in arrangements, but Tobio could see how much he was hurting and all he wanted to do was lessen it.

So, obviously, the pair had become inseparable. Literally, inseparable. Tobio left his house key on Hinata's bedside cabinet because he barely went home anymore. He'd all but moved out since his aunt left to go home a while ago. They slept in the same bed, ate the same food, went to all the same places; their schedules were identical. Tobio would never admit it, but he kind of likes it.

Hinata finishes off his physio, slips his arm back into his sling slowly, and sets off to go and get Natsu from school. He asks Tobio if he wants to accompany him, and Tobio shrugs but agrees, so they head off to the school. As they walk side by side, a soft breeze rustle the trees along the empty road, and leaves flutter against the contact. They walk so close that Tobio can feel Hinata's knuckles brush against his side, and with each brush a shiver threatens to cascade down Tobio's spine.

They arrive at the school early enough for them to sit on a bench and wait, the whole walk having been in silence. Tobio sits with his legs open, and he knits his fingers together, elbows on his knees, and supports his head on his fists. His eyes close against the evening light, and his mind is clear of everything and anything. No worries, no stresses, no anything anymore. Until a strange sensation ripples under his skin.

It is a light, delicate feeling, a pleasant one that Tobio never wants to be without. He opens his eyes, and he sees Hinata gazing at him, and he realises that the sensation that's making him feel so perfect is Hinata's fingers in his hair. He blushes furiously, and Hinata jerks his hand away. They both snap their heads down to stare at the floor, no-one saying anything for a few moments.

"There was fluff in your hair," Hinata snaps out, as though he'd only just realised what had happened. Tobio nods a little, still kind of dazed, and the pair go back to their silence. By this time, parents and other family members had started to arrive, and soon enough the kids started to pour out of the school building. Natsu was one of the last children out.

Hinata makes a move to go over to her, but twinges his arm and starts to wince, so Tobio glares at him to make him stay by the bench and goes over to Natsu himself. She skips to him and hugs at his legs as she does every day, then giggles some about the events of the day. Tobio listens with as much heart as he can muster, conscious of Hinata behind him, struggling, and even more conscious of the exchange that he had just experienced. He still couldn't get the memory of that sensation out of his mind.

It was a whole other feeling. Like, Hinata had touched him a thousand times before but this was something new; something ridiculous and experimental like a wave of fantastical change being pulled by desire. Tobio clenches and unclenches his fist as the trio set off for home, the breeze having picked up a little.

A wave of boldness overcomes him, and he tentatively, but intentionally, flexes his fingers to brush against Hinata's. Hinata snaps his head to look at Tobio, grins so wide that his eyes disappear, and grabs a hold of his hand so tightly that Tobio wonders if there'll still be blood circulating to the tips of his fingers. And this. This is what makes so many things worth it.

His stomach does a flip and he supresses the urge to gag. When Natsu grabs hold of his other hand, shouting that 'it's not fair!' far too loudly for Tobio's liking, he finally feels part of something. Part of a pair when he looks to one side, part of a trio when his feet hit the floor in unison with the others'. Tobio thinks for a moment about if this is still friendship territory. Is hand-holding friendship? Or has he just crossed over a bridge that he'd been wanting to cross for weeks, maybe even longer?

Technically, it wasn't even he who had crossed the bridge.

It had been Hinata.

The realisation hits him square in the face. The realisation that Hinata had initiated this. He'd been the one to play with his hair; he'd been the one to grab his hand. He initiated all the touch - but is that because he isn't reading into it like Tobio is? Does Hinata think that this is normal friend stuff? God, Tobio's confused.

The sky darkens a little as they arrive home, an indicator that night is approaching. Tobio tunes into the conversation that's going on, and immediately regrets it when he hears about the plans.

"-and then ne-chan can read to me!" Natsu exclaims, swinging their linked hands to and fro, to and fro. Tobio rolls his eyes at Natsu's affectionate use of 'big sister' when referring to him, finding it a strange mixture of adorable and infuriating all at once.

"He's tired, Natsu, I'll read to you," Hinata says, leaning across Tobio's chest to bonk his sister on the forehead.

"It's fine." Tobio fishes about in his pocket for the key and unlocks the door, feeling the warm clammy hand of the young girl slip out of his as she runs away to her room, flicking on lights as she goes. The other Hinata looks at him carefully, then pokes at Tobio's eyes a little.

"Oi!"

"You're getting bags, Kageyama-kun, maybe you should go to sleep early tonight."

"I'm not getting bags."

"You sure? Because if those aren't bags then you must have got into a very pathetic fight," Hinata decides, eyebrows knitted in thought.

"Oi!" Tobio retaliates, punching Hinata's shoulder and striding to lock the door behind them.

Hinata snickers and goes to put the TV on. In a few moments, Tobio will go and make some rice and beef for dinner, or maybe he'll heat up the left-overs from yesterday? He'll cook and Natsu will appear to help him dish-up, then he'll try and get Hinata to go to sleep, but the boy will refuse, choosing instead to play games in his bedroom for a crazy amount of time or to watch reality TV until 1am. Natsu'll get tucked into bed and a story read to, maybe Tobio will even brush a kiss against her forehead today?

Then tomorrow, Hinata will wake him up by dropping something in the kitchen, or Natsu will wake him up by closing the door too loudly on her way out, or the sunlight will stream into his closed eyes and wake him up. Then there'll be morning practice, school, and the pair will walk home together. The cycle repeats.

Tobio can't help but pray for a change.

This isn't the Hinata Shouyou he knows, and this isn't the lifestyle that either of them deserve. He misses the days when they'd race one another everywhere; the days when he wouldn't be afraid to really go at Hinata if he'd pissed him off; the days when he'd hoist Hinata onto his shoulders to get down volleyballs that had got stuck ontop of gym equipment.

For him, it felt as though Hinata and himself had aged, and maybe that was why there were bags under his eyes now. He felt old, and he missed his youth.

But at the same time, he'd held hands with Hinata today, and he never would have done that when he was a 'kid.'