A/N: Yeah, I'm doing my version of NaNo, where I'm not trying to write a novel draft from scratch, but I AM trying to write 50k words of fiction in a month. So yep, as long as I can keep it up you're going to get chapters pretty frequently, but they're going to be less polished and well thought-out than before. Hope you enjoy.

Hinata woke when his dad came and gently pried the still-sleeping Natsu from his arms to carry her to bed. The credits of the movie were playing on the screen and Kageyama was sitting very, very still and doing his best not to cheer or laugh or, worst of all, cry. Man, that was a really good movie. Hinata yawned and stretched, smacking his lips, the top of his head grinding into Kageyama's upper arm as he moved.

"Oi, stop that," Kageyama said, shoving back with his elbow. "Ugh, you're so annoying."

Hinata sat up straight, pulling away from Kageyama's side, and rubbed his eye with one fist. "Oh, is it over?"

"Yeah." Kageyama lifted the arm Hinata had slept on and pulled it across his chest, easing the stiffness. "I ate all the popcorn, too."

Hinata glanced at the empty bowl on the floor beside the sofa, now holding only a few unpopped kernels and a scattering of salt. "Oh." He looked back to Kageyama and gave him a sleepy smile. "What do you want to do now?"

Kageyama just looked at him for a moment. Still trying to be a good host, the dumbass. "I think..." he said slowly, "that we should probably go to bed."

"What? Nooooo," Hinata whined. "It's not that late. And we haven't played any video games or talked about girls or made prank calls or done anything cool."

Kageyama narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to talk about girls?"

Hinata was silent for a moment. "Not really. I mean, who would we even talk about? Yachi? Shimizu? I don't want to talk about them when they're not here. It seems disrespectful."

"And who would we prank call and what would we say? Have you ever made a prank call? Do you even know how they work? Plus almost everyone has caller ID now and we could get in trouble."

Hinata blinked slowly. "You make a lot of good points."

"Yes, I know." Kageyama nodded sagely. "You were just listing things you've seen in movies, weren't you?"

"I really do want to play video games, though." Hinata folded his arms across his chest, more petulant than defiant.

"I'm tired," Kageyama said. "It's late and today was hard." And that stupid movie had wrung him out emotionally. "Plus we want to get up in plenty of time to meet Kozume and Kuroo at the station tomorrow morning."

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Hinata bounced to his feet, suddenly all smiles again. "Oh, man, I can't wait! C'mon, Kageyama, let's get to bed right away. The sooner we fall asleep the sooner it will be morning!" And he was out the door, carrying Stego-chan, before Kageyama could respond.

Kageyama snorted at this childlike logic, but followed him quickly. He'd gotten his way, and it hadn't even been that hard. He was starting to learn which buttons to push and which words to use to steer his tempestuous friend in the right direction. It was difficult and it didn't always work, but sometimes the journey was half the fun.

In Hinata's room, the futon was already set up for Kageyama, his bag nearby. They got ready for bed in near-record time, even though Hinata started flagging midway through, genuinely worn out by the day. Kageyama was tired, too. He hadn't been lying. He didn't feel much like lying ever again, if he could avoid it.

Once they were sequestered under their covers with the lights out, though, Kageyama's eyes stayed stubbornly open. It felt like there was a coil of energy in his chest, slowly unwinding, and it still had a way to go before it would completely relax and he could go to sleep. The coil had been created by the appearance of that horrible note, tightened by Hinata's terrified reaction, and each event since then had affected it various ways, but it had never unwound enough to disappear.

Every time he'd started to relax, it seemed, something had happened to make him tense again. Dinner had been relaxing, but telling Hinata's parents about the note had not been. Doing the dishes had unwound the coil, but hearing the argument through the walls had tightened it. Playing games with Hinata had probably done the most to make both of them forget their tension, but then Natsu had scared Hinata half to death and ruined it. The movie had sort of been neutral for Kageyama, both relaxing and exciting him, though he had been grateful that Hinata had found it comforting enough to sleep through.

And so now he was awake. Having skipped volleyball practice and spent his evening doing indoor activities, he wasn't physically exhausted enough to drift off while his mind was still humming. The day had been tiring, a maelstrom of seemingly endless emotions tossing him this way and that, and he wanted to sleep. But he couldn't.

"Kageyama?"

Kageyama's eyes had been slowly drifting shut, but now they flew open. Dammit, Hinata was awake too. Granted, he did sound a little sleepy. But nearly enough.

"Yeah. I'm awake."

Hinata's covers rustled as he shifted in his bed. "I can't stop thinking about today."

Kageyama was quiet for a moment. "Neither can I."

"You didn't tell me there was a whole group of them."

Hinata didn't sounded accusatory. He sounded tired. And small. And scared.

Kageyama's chest ached. "I didn't want you to know."

"I know. And...I'm grateful. I'm sorry I found out. Now I can't stop thinking about it. That note..."

"Try to forget that note." Kageyama didn't even attempt to hide the plea in his voice. He wished he could go back in time and tear that horrible message out of Hinata's hands before he read a single word. He wished he could forget it, too.

If you say a single word about this regrettable accident that happened through no one's fault, you will regret it. We know where you live. We know where your family lives. We have connections to the Yakuza, and we will not hesitate to use them. We will ruin you. Your father will no longer be able to find work. Your mother will weep in the streets. If you speak, or if you act in a way that makes us think that you will, we will ensure that you can't. Accept your fate in silence and be still.

Why had they even thought it was necessary? Kageyama still didn't understand that part. Hinata didn't even remember the moment of the attack. Then again, there was no way those bastards could have known that. Perhaps they believed that Hinata's testimony was the only thing that threatened their leader with prosecution. But there had been many witnesses to the attack, not just Hinata and Kimura. Were they planning to intimidate all of them?

Well, Kageyama would not be intimidated, that was all he had to say about it. And neither would Tanaka or Sugawara. These idiotic delinquents were going to lose, no matter what underhanded methods they used to try to accomplish their goals.

But in the meantime, they had succeeded in terrifying Hinata, adding even more to the injuries they had already dealt him. It was unfair. It was almost unbearably unfair.

"I wish I could forget it," Hinata said softly. "I wish I never saw it."

Kageyama could hear his heartbeat in his ears, thumping loud and slow, like the thud of angry footsteps. "Me too."

"Do you think it's true? That part about...about the Yakuza."

"No," Kageyama said instantly. "They were just making that up to scare you. They're a bunch of small-town juvenile delinquents. They have nothing going for them, so they talk a big game, but it doesn't mean anything. It's just words."

Hinata was quiet for a moment. "I wish words didn't scare me so much."

"You have nothing to worry about," Kageyama said roughly. It was the best way he could come up with to reassure Hinata right now. "They don't get to touch you. Never again. That's the truth."

"Yeah, I know." But Hinata's voice did not sound as certain as Kageyama wanted it to. "If I look back over the week since I got back to school, I can see everything you all did to keep me safe." There was a brief silence, crystal sharp. "Good grief, did Tsukishima stand up for me?"

Kageyama released a noise that was half amusement, half incredulity at the memory. "Yeah, he did."

"He...he tore them to shreds."

"Yeah, I know."

"It was amazing. I'd never seen anything like it in my entire life."

"I know." A touch of annoyance bled into Kageyama's voice. "I was there."

"He used words I've never heard anyone use in real life, instead of in books or whatever. He sounded like a cool guy in a movie. Like, a really cool guy. Maybe not the main character, but, you know, the main character's badass best friend."

"I know, Hinata. I heard it too."

"Holy crap, Kageyama, is Tsukishima Han Solo?"

Kageyama bolted upright in his blankets, his fingers spread in sharp. tight claws of supreme agitation, a vein pulsing in his forehead. "Ugh, shut up! I was there! I know how cool he was!"

In the dim light from the hallway, he could see Hinata's wide eyes staring at him from his bed. Hinata had pulled his blankets up over his head, leaving just his face open to the middle of the room as he faced Kageyama's futon, and the bundle of bedding that comprised his form on the bed was a small, compact ball. Dammit, Hinata had been curled up a protective little lump this whole time and Kageyama hadn't even noticed. He deflated instantly at the sight, then couldn't even remember what he'd been angry about.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Kageyama scratched the back of his head. "What were we talking about?"

Hinata blinked. "Tsukishima being like Han Solo?" he ventured in a tiny, uncertain voice.

Kageyama blinked at him. "Ugh," he said distinctly, then flomped down into his futon again.

After a moment, Hinata's voice came again, small and hesitant. "Kageyama? Did you died?"

Kageyama covered his face with his arm. "No. I don't think so."

Hinata snorted. Kageyama grinned behind his arm. His face was cooling down, the temper having passed as quickly as it had come.

"Tsukishima is not Han Solo," Kageyama said when he was sure that his voice would hold steady. "He's not even close to being brave enough for that. He's more like the cool-looking friend who hangs around as long as things are going the good guys' way, but when a real fight starts he gets scared and hides behind something until it's safe."

"And then later he gets a shot of courage and comes back and helps his friends out after all," Hinata said. "That kind of cool guy?"

Kageyama hummed. Tsukishima had been pretty cool against those guys in the hallway, and he was getting better and more useful in volleyball too. "I guess," he said grudgingly. "Maybe. He might be that kind of cool guy. Not the main character's badass best friend, but the badass best friend's old buddy who causes problems but comes through in the end."

"Ah." Hinata's voice became triumphant. "He's Lando Calrissian."

"Maybe." Kageyama let his arm fall off his face and stared up at the ceiling. "But would that make Yamaguchi Han Solo? I'm not sure that works."

"No way," Hinata said confidently. "Noya-senpai is Han Solo."

Kageyama frowned. He had wanted to be Han Solo, but not if meant Tsukishima was his old buddy. "Why do you say that?"

"Because Asahi-san is Chewbacca," Hinata said. "Obviously."

"Oh. Right." Kageyama rolled over on his side to look at his friend. Hinata had scooted to the edge of the bed to look down at him, his eyes wide and earnest. "Who is Yamaguchi, then?"

Hinata bit his lip. "I guess he'd be that guy with the headgear who hangs out with Lando and doesn't say anything. I don't remember his name, though."

"Lobot."

"Lobot, right. Yamaguchi is Lobot."

"I don't know if Lobot is cool enough to be Yamaguchi, though."

Hinata blinked at him. "You think Yamaguchi is cool?"

"Yeah, of course," Kageyama replied instantly, and then he stopped to think about it. This was actually a very recent development. It was no wonder Hinata was surprised. "Well..." he said slowly, strangely compelled to explain himself, but not sure how to start. "Don't you think Yamaguchi is cool?"

"I guess he'd have to be, to put up with Tsukishima for as long as they've been friends." Hinata sounded doubtful, though. "But, I dunno. He's been pretty great this week, anyway, and he's always been a kind person, even in the beginning when he was really shy and uncomfortable. It was hard to see it, maybe, with the way he always laughed at Tsukishima's jokes and backed him up. But you're supposed to laugh at your friend's jokes and back him up, aren't you?" His voice grew confident again. "Yeah, Yamaguchi's cool. In a different way than Tsukishima and Noya and Tanaka-senpai, but he's cool."

Kageyama grunted. Yeah, Yamaguchi was cool. "I wanted to be Han Solo, though," he said, low and growling.

"You're way too grumpy," Hinata said. "I'm starting to rethink that one, though. Tanaka-senpai would be a really good Han Solo. But Asahi-san has to be Chewbacca. There's no other way."

"Maybe Tanaka and Noya-san would both be Han Solo. Who says there can't be two?"

"Yeah!" Hinata said brightly. "And obviously that would mean that Shimizu-san is Princess Leia, right?"

"I thought you'd be Luke, though," Kageyama said. "You really think you're up for being Shimizu-san's brother?"

"Nuh uh, I'm not Luke! That guy is such a whiner! I mean, he's really talented and everything, and he's kind of cool, but he's also kind of lame, and he makes really weird decisions sometimes."

There was a long, suspicious silence. Kageyama narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what was going through Hinata's head, but Hinata was staring silently into the distance, furiously thinking. Then he blinked, his eyes drifting back to Kageyama. He leaned further over the edge of his bed, dragging his blankets with him, intruding on Kageyama's space with his enormous, sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Kageyama..." he whispered. "Kageyama, I think you're Luke."

Kageyama froze, unable even to breathe for a moment. "That...that's ridiculous," he choked out.

"No," Hinata said. "I really think you are. And Suga-san is Obi-Wan, right, with the way he teaches everyone so wisely. And Daichi is that cool Jedi from the prequels who hung out with Obi-Wan. And Ennoshita and Narita and Kinoshita are more Jedi, like the guy with the purple lightsaber, only they didn't get killed. They just went away for a while and then they came back. Or maybe Narita and Kinoshita are C-3PO and R2-D2, because, right, they've been around the whole time and sometimes people hardly notice them. Also they can both be really sarcastic and funny if you pay attention to them. And Saeko-nee is a really awesome pilot who helped kill both of the Death Stars, probably Wedge Antilles, but way cooler since that guy hardly even had any lines. And Yachi is that lady who helped run the battle in Return of the Jedi."

Kageyama stared at him, completely overwhelmed. But he couldn't help but notice that Hinata had left someone out. "Okay, okay. I can see where you're coming from with most of these picks."

Hinata grinned so big that his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. "I know, right? I'm awesome at this!"

"Yeah, sure." Kageyama nodded agreeably. "But who are you, Hinata? You totally forgot yourself."

Hinata kept smiling, though it turned a little softer. "I didn't forget myself. I'm just way too cool for any of those, that's all. I'm a brand-new character, and I'm gonna change the whole story to be different and better, and not as many cool people are gonna die or get hurt with me in charge, because I'm the ace and I make us win."

Kageyama couldn't help smiling back. "Okay. I guess that works."

"Yeah, obviously." Hinata pulled back from the edge and melted into his bed with a huge, satisfied sigh. He didn't curl back up into a ball, instead sprawling his limbs over the mattress in a way that looked much more natural and content. He yawned, wide and gaping. "I'm awesome at this," he said again, firm and self-assured.

"Definitely," Kageyama said. He kept smiling, soft and warm and sleepy, as he listened to Hinata's breath slow and even out.

He didn't sound scared anymore.

Hinata wasn't a new character, Kageyama thought as he turned over on his side and pulled his covers up to his chin. He was the biggest character in Star Wars of them all, the one that bound the universe together and energized all of the good guys and made everything that was remotely cool or interesting or positive happen. Hinata was the Force. It was so obvious that Kageyama couldn't believe that he hadn't figured it out himself.

But then, Hinata was pretty much the biggest dumbass ever.