Despite whenever it became a hassle, Hinata was ultimately okay with not having his driver's license. Living well within the city's centre, Hinata found most of his necessities and interests to be within a convenient reach of public transit—this contrasted with Nishinoya, who took every opportunity to drive up north to one of the nearby parks to indulge in hiking or rock climbing. The boy owned a blue 2012 Subaru Outback, which Nishinoya prided in performing routine maintenance on, even going so far as referring to the vehicle as "she." The boy admitted to all of this shyly at first, and then unabashedly when he realized Hinata found the relationship between Nishinoya and his car quite amusing.

It was a chilly autumn Wednesday when the two set out on their first day trip outside the city—an excursion to go apple-picking. After lunch, they left Nishinoya's apartment, setting off on the highway while catching up on things that happened earlier that week: Hinata having done an Escape Room with some of his old classmates and Nishinoya having attended Tanaka's Bachelor party in a cabin out west. Though as the drive went on, a silence formed between them, as they took to observing the world outside the car windows—no longer brick and concrete, but tall trees with foliage awash in deep reds and oranges. Being a sight he rarely came across, Hinata was content to admire the vista.

All the while, Nishinoya remained attentive at the wheel, realizing the profound comfort he felt in the companionship. "You've never been up here before around this time of year, have you?"

"I haven't," Hinata admitted. "It's lovely. Thanks for driving us."

"I mean, I kinda new you were dating me for my car," Nishinoya jested.

Hinata smirked. "I guess the sex is great too."

"Is that all I am to you, Hinata Shoyou? A piece of meat with a driver's license?" Nishinoya scoffed playfully.

Hinata wryly bit his lip in defiance. "Honestly, though I'm still shocked you've never dated anyone before."

"What do you mean?"

"You're such a catch."

"Why, thank you," Nishinoya replied, smirking. "Maybe it's the height."

"Fair point. You can be quite…intimidating on first impression."

"So I've been told. By toddlers and small pets."

The two giggled as Hinata turned to face his companion, who sat rather cozily in the driver's seat in a denim jacket over a thick grey pullover hoodie. On his head, Nishinoya wore an old baseball cap with the logo of the Hanshin Tigers.

"On the other hand," Nishinoya continued, "I'm surprised how your many, many exes let go of someone like you."

"Is four honestly 'many'…?"

"Relatively speaking."

Hinata had brought up that detail with Nishinoya several weeks prior while they were in bed, cuddling on a lazy Saturday morning. The latter inquired about past relationships, and Hinata answered with the number. Such prompted Nishinoya to ask further, to which Hinata replied, "Does that all matter if I'm dating you?"

"I mean, it'll let me know the sort of things you didn't like about dating them. It might make me a better partner."

Hinata burrowed his head further into Nishinoya's chest. "Well, as long as you stick to being you, I think we'll be alright."

Since then, Nishinoya had been utmost respectful of Hinata's privacy, though the boy found himself delicately probing whenever he could. He knew so far that Hinata's first relationship occurred back in university, and his last relationship ended in quite a mess.

"Well, everyone has their reasons for ending things," Hinata responded, adjusting himself in his seat.

Nishinoya then asked, "Well, would any of them have planned on going apple picking?"

Hinata chuckled. "Honestly, probably not."

"…Do you even like apples?"

"They're not my favourite fruit but I enjoy them."

Nishinoya scoffed. "Okay, name five kinds of apples."

"Is that necessary—

"Come on, indulge me."

Hinata pressed the back of his head against his seat. "Alright. Red Delicious."

"Mhm."

"Granny Smith."

"Yep."

"…Macintosh."

Nishinoya smirked. "Are you sure about that?"

Hinata opened his mouth to retort but could barely muster a stutter. "…Okay, but at least now I can learning about these things! That's what makes this date special."

Nishinoya rolled his eyes. "You forgot about Gala, Golden Delicious…."

Hinata nodded. "Uh-huh."

"…Ambrosia, Braeburn…"

"Yep."

"…Cortland, Empire, Honey Crisp—oh gosh, we have to get you to try a Honey Crisp…."

"I get it," Hinata remarked. "My boyfriend's an apple nerd."

"Well, my dad more so than me," Nishinoya offered. "Apple-picking is one of the things he made a point of doing in the fall."

"Well, he and your mom managed to raise a fine young man."

"Mhm."

"A truly standout guy."

Nishinoya chuckled turning towards Hinata, "Does that also mean in bed?"

Hinata rolled his eyes. "Don't let it get to your head."

"Too late," Nishinoya replied teasingly.

The boys continued to chat as they drove down the highway. The path led onto a bridge over a wide valley and onto more trees until the forest gave way to farmland and pasture. Livestock grazed in fenced areas and the roofs of small houses lay barely visible above the high crops. The road became smaller and narrower. Eventually, Nishinoya pulled off the main highway and onto a dirt trail that led up to their planned destination—a cluster of wooden farm buildings that sat before an extensive array of apple trees. Along the dirt trail, the vehicle was stopped by an attendant in warm clothing and a bright orange vest who welcomed them with a map of the farm before pointing them in the direction of parking.

After driving to the lot, parking, and pulling the keys from the ignition, Nishinoya turned towards Hinata, smiling mischievously. It was an expression Hinata recognized from whenever they had found themselves in the same bed—whether after a long day of work or on a lazy weekend morning. The gaze alarmed Hinata, given where they were, and it didn't help that Hinata found Nishinoya to be so attractive—short, indeed, but attractive and confident, if not mildly goofy. Electing to give in to the mood for a moment, Hinata leaned in for a kiss. Nishinoya received him and moved closer, tilting his head so their lips would lock, the smoothness betraying the months they had been dating. And yet, for Hinata, each kiss was as intoxicating as the first—mainly Nishinoya's scent of fresh laundry and the taste of medicated lip balm.

Hinata placed one hand on Nishinoya's pant leg, using his other hand to gently hook Nishinoya's chin and pull him deeper into the kiss.

"Mmm," a muffled moan escaped from Nishinoya's lips.

Hinata opened his eyes briefly to see the other boy's eyebrows raised with surprise. Moments after Hinata could make out Nishinoya taking his hand off the wheel, presumably to caress the back of Hinata's neck as Nishinoya usually did when they made out. But, right before Nishinoya could do so, Hinata pulled away, lips and hands and all, before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door.

"Come on, those apples won't pick themselves," Hinata noted duly before exiting the vehicle.

Nishinoya, with hands still in the air, lips pink from their kiss, simply muttered to himself, "Baka."

…

It wasn't long before Hinata and Nishinoya were sitting within a tractor-drawn wagon with other guests, which followed a short orientation by some of the employees on the farm's layout and tractor schedules. The sky was overcast, and the thunder sound of the tractor engine was not enough to drown out the happy chattering of the other guests—mainly seniors and several adults a little older than Hinata and Nishinoya, presumably their children. The mood was admittedly infectious and enlivening, with Hinata turning to Nishinoya to give him a smile of appreciation. The latter smiled back.

"Say cheese!" The boy quipped before aiming his camera, an old film SLR, at Hinata.

Hinata smiled.

Click.

The tractor continued to tow the wagon deeper into the seeming labyrinth of trees until the farm buildings were no longer visible. And as the scent of fruit intensified in the breeze, so did the guests' chatter.

Though Hinata couldn't help but notice one visitor on the wagon who remained stoically silent—an old man in a fedora, an over-washed windbreaker, and sneakers with thick soles. The man kept his eyes trained on the collection bucket that sat between his feet, unshaken by the mood of the other guests or the sights around him. Next to him, a younger lady, presumably his daughter, leaned in closer towards him, hoping to catch his eyes with her own.

"Are you alright, pa? Are you cold?"

"Yes, I'm fine." The man replied, face lighting up for a moment before returning to meditative obscurity.

Shortly after, the tractor towing the wagon began to slow down and stop, and the driver, a lanky man in a safety vest and ball cap, turned around to face the passengers.

"Alright folks, this is stop number one! Red Delicious on the left, Gala's on the right. Stay on if you're aiming to get to stop number two."

Several guests, including Hinata and Nishinoya, exited the wagon. "So, I guess that means we're heading left?" Nishinoya remarked.

"Where you go, I'll follow," Hinata replied.

Being older in age, the other visitors all tended to stay close to the tractor route. As such, Hinata and Nishinoya proceeded to walk further into the orchard, squeezing through a half-dozen rows of trees until Nishinoya came to a stop. "This should be the spot," The boy remarked.

Hinata looked around him and saw deep red fruit dangling heavily from branches just a few feet away. Reaching forward, he held the apple in the palm of his hand and, remembering the orientation before the tractor ride, gave a gentle twist to the apple, which released it from the stem. As he did so, Hinata heard another 'click' from the shutter of Nishinoya's camera.

"First apple picking together!" Nishinoya remarked enthusiastically.

The word 'first' lingered in Hinata's brain for a moment, initially with unease, though slowly the feeling washed away. As it did, Hinata walked up to his boyfriend and held his hand to guide them further down the row of trees.

The two continued collecting fruit and taking photos, eventually reboarding the tractor with the same collection of patrons who boarded the first tractor ride. As the day went on, their bucket was filled to the brim with different apples—Red Delicious to slice, Honeycrisp to bake with, and an assortment of others to sample.

The sun broke out between the clouds as Hinata observed the riches within their collection bucket. "This is really cute! I have to send a photo to my mom." And so the boy pulled out his phone and kneeled closer to the bucket to capture the vibrant hues.

It was then that Nishinoya quipped, "Have you...sent her a photo of me yet?"

Hinata hesitated. He had indeed informed his mom of his current relationship status, to which his mother insisted Hinata send her a photo of his new boyfriend.

"I… err…"

"You haven't?"

"You're always taking photos of me! I never know when to sneak a photo of you."

"Tsk, tsk…"Nishinoya replied. "Alright, pass me your phone then."

"Wait, am I not taking a photo of you?"

"No, silly. I'm taking a photo of us."

And so Hinata passed his phone over to Nishinoya, who then used his other hand to gently guide them into the sun's rays for optimal lighting.

"Come a little closer?" Nishinoya asked.

Hinata leaned further in and smiled. The phone then let out an audible, mechanized shutter sound.

"That's cute. Thanks, Noya."

"Wait, can we take one more?"

"Oh, sure."

Hinata stood in the exact same pose and stance as before. This time, before the sound of the shutter was heard, Nishinoya snuck a quick kiss on Hinata's cheek while the latter let out a welcome chuckle.

"There we go," Nishinoya said, passing Hinata's phone back to him.

Hinata then scrolled through to see the photos taken: the first one both modest and idyllic, the other a candid shot slightly blurry from the moment of Nishinoya's kiss, though sharp enough to have caught Hinata's expression of surprise and Nishinoya's eager grin.

Hinata smiled. "Baka. You could have warned me."

Nishinoya chuckled. "I think you look real cute. Send that to me?"

It was then that they heard a concerned voice carried on the wind.

"Pa, what are you doing?"

The boys then turned to see the grumpy old man from the wagon standing several feet away with a forlorn look on his face. The young woman, who was presumably his daughter, stumbled through.

"Is everything okay, sir?" Hinata asked.

"What are you two doing?" The old man replied.

"What's it to you?" Nishinoya answered back in a cool though subtly defensive tone.

"Dad?"

"Come on, let's go." Nishinoya replied. Just as he turned around, he heard the old man's voice behind him pleading, "W-wait. Stop, please. That camera, I-I recognize it."

Upon hearing the word from the old man, Nishinoya stopped and turned around.

"May I see it?" the old man requested.

Cautiously, Nishinoya removed the camera loop from around his body and passed the device to the old man, who turned it in hand. His eyes carefully observed the chrome, leather, and glass, and slowly his expression lighted up with recognition. "I-I used to have this camera. I'd take it everywhere when my wife and I went on trips, and then after when my daughter was born." The old man then turned to the young woman beside him. "Do you remember? You must have been about five when we lost it."

"I do remember." The woman replied, smiling tenderly at the memory. "Lost somewhere at Disneyland."

The old man then turned back to Nishinoya and Hinata. "That old camera captured a lot of good memories. Several of them here at this farm here too."

The last of the old man's words came off wistful in tone, as if recalling every photo he took—every shot he carefully framed of him and his wife and his daughter.

Seeing how much holding the camera moved the old man, Hinata then ventured to ask, "W-would you take a photo of us?"

Immediately, the old man's face lit up brighter than Hinata could remember observing that day. "Could I? I'd be happy to!"

Nishinoya nodded happily as he walked back to Hinata, while the old man took to grasping the camera with trained hands.

"Well, maybe not standing there," the old man muttered as he organized the two boys in the same methodical manner as Nishinoya so they caught the light.

"Alright, now stand close."

Still dumbfounded by the turn of events, the two boys huddled closer, with Nishinoya's arm around Hinata.

The old man peered through the viewfinder before moving the camera away from his face to retort, "you call that close?"

The old man's daughter chuckled audibly, as did Hinata and Nishinoya. And so Hinata rested his head within the nook between Hinata's neck and shoulder and smiled.

"That's much better," the old man said before counting down and taking the photo.

Click.