maid café special (2/4)

"Hey, let's check this out!" Yamaguchi pulled him over to the entrance of Class 1-1, where he could see the room had been set up like a café. A maid café, Tsukishima realised, as he saw girls walking around in black and white costumes. "It's Hinata!"

Her bright hair caught his eye almost immediately. Like the other girls, she was also wearing a maid costume – short-sleeved black dress, a frilly white apron tied over it and a matching headband – but he couldn't stop looking. A small part of him acknowledged she did look slightly ridiculous in the costume, but it wasn't just the oddity of Hinata wearing a dress. He'd seen her in their school uniform, but where the sweater usually hid her figure, this costume was designed to emphasise it, with her waist exaggerated by the flare of the skirt. The hem fell to mid-thigh, drawing his gaze to the stretch of bare skin between her skirt and her socks. He was certain that her training shorts revealed more of her legs, but there was something about this look that made his mouth go dry.

It was with an effort that he dragged his gaze to another girl in costume as she greeted them, directing them to a table. There were large signs around the classroom displaying the menu, and he focused his attention on those as he and Yamaguchi sat down, lest anyone notice he had been staring at Hinata.

"Welcome to Class 1's maid café! May I please take your order, sir?"

Tsukishima had been so determined to not look at her that he nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, his heart racing. Glancing up instinctively, the first thing he noticed was that she was taller than him – it was a novel sensation to have to look up to see her face. But now that she was so close, he couldn't help but catalogue everything about her. His brain was usually so helpful on the court in analysing their opponents' moves, but Tsukishima knew that it would only be causing a lot overthinking later.

Namely, about how cute Hinata looked.

Her brightly coloured hair was out of its usual ponytail, tied into two pigtails that settled neatly over her shoulders. It softened the angles of her face and made her look younger, though that wasn't helped by her nervous smile. Her eyes looked bigger too, now framed by dark lashes from her makeup, though it only made it more obvious as her gaze flicked between them uncertainly. There was faint smudges under her eyes from her makeup, as if she had rubbed her eyes before, and now that she was standing so close he could see that the costume was cheaply made, the material rustling as she shifted her weight. Yet he was still struck speechless by how good she looked in it.

"Hey, Hinata!" Yamaguchi said cheerfully. The sound of his voice broke the spell and Tsukishima dropped his gaze hurriedly. "Can I please have two chocolate eclairs?"

"Of course," she said brightly.

"I'll get a slice of the castella," Tsukishima said, blurting the first thing that came to mind. From her slight frown, he knew that she was expecting a snide remark but he kept his mouth shut, pressing his lips together in case he said anything incriminating.

"Okay, no worries!" she said after a brief pause, clearly puzzled by his silence. "I'll bring those over in a moment."

As soon as she left, Yamaguchi smirked at him. "Your ears are red, Tsukki."

"Shut up," he muttered. At least it wasn't his face.

"She looks pretty cute in that costume, huh?"

Tsukishima glared. He wasn't impressed by the leer Yamaguchi was giving him and was desperately trying to get his blush under control when she returned with their food. To his relief – and disappointment – she only had time to drop the snacks off before she left to help another guest.

The food was delicious but the portions small, so the two boys finished it quickly. "Hey, let's get a picture with Hinata before we go!" Yamaguchi suggested, and dragged them both over to the photobooth where one of her classmates was holding a camera.

"Alright, get in close!" the photographer ordered. They crowded into the little booth with Hinata in the middle, both her hands thrown up in victory signs. Tsukishima stood at her right shoulder, hyperaware of how close they were standing and the brush of her skirt against his legs.

"Don't forget to smile, Tsukki," Yamaguchi quipped.

His words had the opposite effect as Tsukishima whipped his head towards his friend and glared. The camera went off, and the photographer peered at them. "Let's take another one," was all she said.

Hinata burst out laughing. "Come on, Tsukki," she teased. "At least try and look like you want to be here." He forced out the barest of smiles before the camera went off again.

"Let's each get a picture with her," Yamaguchi said suddenly, before he darted out of the booth. Both Hinata and Tsukishima gave him a look, though his was distinctly more murderous.

"Great idea," the photographer chirped. "Move over a little, please!"

They shuffled towards the middle of the booth. Tsukishima had a brief moment of panic when he couldn't figure out what to do with his hands before he shoved them into his pockets. "Stop making such a grumpy face," Hinata quipped, glaring up at him. "You look like Kageyama."

"Don't insult me by comparing me to the King," he retorted, but he felt himself relaxing into the familiar banter as he smirked down at her.

Click!

Tsukishima whipped his head towards the camera, where the photographer was giving him a thumbs up. "It looks good! Did you want one as well?" she asked Yamaguchi.

"Sure!"

Tsukishima hurriedly stepped out of the photobooth, watching as Yamaguchi and Hinata posed easily, both putting on cheesy grins for the camera.

"All done! Just put down your contact details and we'll send the photos to you next week," the photographer explained.

"Thank you!" Yamaguchi said. "And thanks, Hinata! We'll see you later, you should come check out our class when you're done!"

"I will," she promised. "See you later!"

Bonus - one week later:

"Hey, Tsukki! They sent us the photos we took with Hinata from the cultural festival, do you want to see?"

"Hmm?" Only half-listening, Tsukishima peered over at Yamaguchi's phone and felt his face erupt into flames. The first few pictures were the three of them together, Hinata grinning brightly even as she was nearly dwarfed by her teammates. Tsukishima had been scowling in the first picture and had only just managed a smile for the second, and it looked as terrible as he remembered it feeling.

The next photo was only him and Hinata. Neither of them was facing the camera but they were standing closer than he remembered. The photo caught every detail of her costume, from her black heels to her over-the-knee socks to the black dress and white apron to the headband, which didn't even reach his shoulders. She'd nearly had to crane her neck to scowl up at him even as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. And he was smirking, the fondness in his eyes unmistakable as he looked down at her.

Tsukishima flushed as he handed the phone back to Yamaguchi, refusing to meet his eyes. He was about to put his headphones on when Yamaguchi spoke. "I'll send them to you."

His phone buzzed almost immediately. Trying not to look too eager as he opened the message, he inspected the photo of him and Hinata again. It was a simple, candid shot but he couldn't stop staring at how comfortable they looked with each other, standing so closely as if it was the most natural thing in the world – as if they were a couple, teasing each other familiarly. Tsukishima wasn't sure if it was just a one-off trick of the camera or if that was how it really looked to other people, but his thumb hovered over the button that would change his lock screen.

His finger hit the screen in a decisive tap. Nothing was going to happen, he told himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't hope.

two updates within a week? you can thank covid for that (isolating at home with minor symptoms while I wait for results). hope you all enjoy!