Oikawa liked his fangirls. It was encouraging – not to mention a good ego boost – when they sought him out, complimenting his looks and skills and giving him presents. He genuinely appreciated their support and tried to convey his gratitude by indulging their photo requests when he could. But they were fans, not friends, and that meant another mask to put on – that warm smile and charming-but-not-too-flirty demeanour because he wasn't interested in dating but he didn't want to discourage them either. It was hardly a far cry from his personality, but simply having to be a little more polite, a little more watchful of what he was saying or implying could be exhausting.

He could tell that today was going to be one of those times, as the girls' whispering behind him grew louder and louder. After finishing up a long morning of studying at the library, he was waiting for Iwaizumi so they could grab lunch and then study together afterwards. It was making out to be a mentally draining day, and the last thing he wanted to do was smile and talk about how hard school was.

But that was exactly what he did as the girls approached, pretending to be surprised and tucking his phone away to hide the SOS text he had sent to Iwaizumi. There were three of them, second-years from another high school, and although initially shy, they soon began to gush over how they had seen him play and read all his magazine articles, how cool his serves were, how good his last game was. Oikawa thanked them sincerely, dredging up a smile and some inane comments about how he appreciated having such pretty girls to support him. All the while, he hoped that Iwaizumi would respond to his text so he could have an excuse to leave.

Unfortunately, his phone remained silent and the girls remained oblivious to his growing discomfort – in their defence, he was an expert in hiding it – as they continued talking, asking about school and oh, Oikawa-san, did you just finish studying? Wow, he was so studious, it must be hard to balance training and studying; he worked so hard, how did he do it?

In silence, a part of him wanted to reply but as always, he mentally gritted his teeth and laughed it off, hoping it didn't have too much of an edge to it. He would have given anything for Iwaizumi to arrive and throw a volleyball at his head, but the streets were nearly empty. With no other choice, Oikawa began, "I'm sorry, but I'm actually meeting–"

"Tooru-kun!"

He drank in the sight of Hinata's bright hair like a lifeline as she waved at him. At the sound of her voice, the girls turned towards her instinctively, and they missed how Oikawa's smile relaxed into something more genuine.

But all four of them were surprised to hear her next words. "I-I'm sorry I'm late," Hinata continued, smiling just a little too brightly and moving stiffly as she brushed past the girls to stand beside him. "But Iwaizumi knows, he's already waiting for us."

She was lying straight through her teeth but it was still uncanny how close she was to the truth. But Oikawa was hardly about to pass up an opportunity like this, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm having lunch with my friends," he finished, flashing an apologetic smile to the three girls to tide them over. "It was nice to talk to you all but I have to go now! I'll see you at the next game, okay?"

"Y-Yes! We'll be cheering you on," one of them stammered out, and the other girls' goodbyes echoed her sentiments. They were too busy processing Hinata's appearance to respond to his final smile as he and Hinata walked past them.

"Shou-chan," Oikawa said warmly, still aware that his fangirls were within earshot. "We'd better hurry if we want to meet Iwaizumi."

"Yep!" Hinata agreed, nodding her head vigorously.

As Oikawa led her away from the library, the girls began to murmur to each other. "Is that his girlfriend?"

"She's so cute."

Hinata tensed beneath his arm but she said nothing, keeping pace easily as they walked. It wasn't until the library was out of sight that Oikawa was able to relax, dropping his arm since she had seemed uncomfortable with their ruse, but as he turned to apologise, Hinata opened her mouth.

"I'm so sorry!" she blurted. "You looked really uncomfortable and I thought the best way to get them to leave you alone was to pretend to be your girlfriend, but I'm sorry if I crossed any lines."

"No, no, it was perfect," Oikawa reassured her, and meant it. "You saved me! I never thought I'd be the one to need rescuing," he said teasingly. "But you did a great job, Shou-chan!"

Hinata snorted. "You make a good damsel in distress," she retorted, shooting him a grin. She was still standing close to him – instead of moving away as he'd expected, Hinata had simply shifted so they were standing face-to-face. Her smile faded as she peered up at him intently, her brow slightly furrowed. But it wasn't in anger, Oikawa realised – it was concern. "Is everything okay?

The fact that she cared, always so earnest and honest, made his chest feel tight. It made him want to tell her everything. But the prospect of doing that was far more terrifying than any of his upcoming exams, so Oikawa settled for a smile instead. "Don't worry about me," he said cheerfully, but Hinata simply pinned him with another look. Although she looked just as worried as before, there was now a hint of uncertainty, as if she weren't sure how hard to push him for an answer.

Oikawa wasn't sure if he wanted her to push, so he said nothing and Hinata kept staring, searching his face for a sign. Then she exhaled quietly, almost a sigh. He was wondering what she had found before Hinata hugged him, her arms wrapping around his waist. The top of her head tucked neatly under his chin as she leaned into his chest, hands reaching up to press gently against his back. Her touch was so light, the embrace nearly fragile, and he realised that was the point – if he wasn't comfortable, he could step back at any moment and she would accept that.

Of course, that was the last thing he was going to do.

But he extended the same courtesy to her, returning the hug slowly. But when she didn't protest, he couldn't resist pulling her in closer, letting one hand cradle the back of her head as he rested his head on top of hers. She fit perfectly in his arms, and despite their differences in size, it felt like he was the one melting into her.

It was strange, how even a simple act like this could be so comforting – the warmth of her body against his, the steady pressure of her arms around him, even the scent of her shampoo as her hair brushed against his face. His throat felt swollen as he swallowed, unexpectedly emotional at Hinata's simple offer of acceptance and comfort. It was rare, that he was able to just be himself – human, imperfect, fragile – and he treasured those times with his friends and family but he hadn't expected Hinata to be with him in one of these moments. So for that reason – and maybe more – he committed every detail about it, about her, to memory.

"Thank you," he whispered, turning his head slightly to press his lips to her crown.

Hinata said nothing, simply hugging him a little tighter. He wasn't even sure she had felt it.

When Oikawa felt like he could speak normally, he forced himself to pull away a little, putting enough space between them that Hinata could look up at him comfortably. "It's…been hard, lately," he admitted. "And I'm just so tired."

Slowly at first, then in a torrent as he grew used to speaking honestly, Oikawa told her about his struggles in balancing school and training, in having to play nice with strangers when all he wanted to do was be alone, in meeting everyone's expectations – including his own. Hinata simply listened, nodding and making sympathetic noises, offering quiet comments to let him know she understood.

When he was finished, and had told her so, she smiled tentatively at him. "Thank you for sharing," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Oikawa said honestly, but he still hadn't fully recovered. It would take him time, of course, but he knew there was something that would make improve his mood even more. With his hand still cupping the back of her head, he tilted her face down as he leaned in. "Is this okay?" he breathed, pausing before her.

Hinata looked up at him with wide eyes, but she nodded. So Oikawa closed the distance between them and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering for a fraction of a moment. His eyes fell shut, but he opened them as he withdrew, just in time to see Hinata blinking with surprise. She smiled shyly at him, cheeks flushing.

It was almost reflexive to smile back, until reality caught up and Oikawa had to duck his head, hiding the way his own cheeks warmed. "Thank you," he said again, after clearing his throat. "For listening. For being such a good friend."

"It's okay," Hinata said. "I'm glad I can help. If you need to vent or you need another hug, I'll be here."

Oikawa laughed. "Another hug, please?" he teased, only to nearly melt when she obliged, squeezing her arms around him again. He took the opportunity to hold her close, pressing his nose into her hair and enjoying the way she felt in his arms.

"Oi, Trashyka, I thought–" Iwaizumi cut himself off, raising an eyebrow as Oikawa and Hinata froze in their embrace. "Hi, Hinata."

"Um, hi," she squeaked, hurriedly stepping away from Oikawa, who didn't have the grace to look embarrassed in front of his best friend.

"You're finally here, Iwa-chan! Let's eat lunch," he said cheerfully, before turning to Hinata. "You should come too!"

"I don't want to interrupt anything," Hinata said, shooting Iwaizumi an uncertain look but he simply shrugged.

"Nah, it's fine," he said.

"See? Let's go, Shou-chan," Oikawa sang.

She still looked unconvinced, and he was preparing to bring out some puppy dog eyes when a mischievous grin lit up her face. "Okay, but it's my treat! Or I'm not coming," she threatened, eyeing Oikawa with suspicion.

"Huh?"

Deleted scene:

"Do you have a type, Shou-chan?"

The question made her blush even harder, though he had a feeling it was more general embarrassment than the fact that she had something to hide – much to his disappointment. "Um, I don't really have one," she said finally. "I've never really thought much about it before, but I guess they'd just have to like volleyball as much as I do. But I don't even have time to keep up with my studies, let alone get a boyfriend."

Oikawa huffed with amusement. He could understand where she was coming from, and his previous attempt to balance dating, volleyball and school hadn't ended well. "I'm sure you would make time for someone if you really liked them," he said casually.

"I guess," she agreed doubtfully. "What about you, what's your type? Any of the girls back at the library?"

"No, not really," Oikawa said, smiling ruefully at her blatant attempt to shift the topic to him. "I don't think I could date a fangirl."

"Why not?"

"I feel like all those girls only know me as Oikawa Tooru, famous volleyball player," he admitted. "But I want someone who knows me as Tooru." It had been a serious answer, thoughts that he'd kept to himself and that had kept him a safe distance away from his admirers, and it had caught her off guard. "Besides, I'd prefer a cute girl who could play volleyball," he added. "One who could beat me in a match."

The deleted scene is (unfortunately) not canon, since I decided it didn't fit in with this chapter/where I wanted the story to go but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!

Thank you everyone for your patience! It's been a busy month with work but I'm starting to settle in, which means I can start to make time for writing again. These next few chapters will be special ones - I actually wrote them a long time ago, but was just waiting for the right time to post them.