"Aw! What's wrong, Ushijima! You look a little down." Tendou's flashed a catlike smile at the ace and waggled a finger in his face haughtily. "You've never been one to wear your emotions on your sleeve. Tell me, is it because we lost?"
Ushijima didn't even glance at the redhead. His eyes were fixed forward, gaze hard, and his lips turned down into a slight frown. "It's not that." He replied after a moment. He knew Tendou all too well. He would keep pestering and bothering him until he got the answer he desired. Ushijima had learned long ago that it was best just to answer Tendou's questions when asked to spare himself the torture later. "Not really, anyway."
"Oh?" Tendou cocked his head at Ushijima with one eyebrow raised mischievously. "Then what?"
"We lost. It happens." Ushijima's brow furrowed slightly. "It's about who we lost to."
Tendou laughed. "Karasuno. Come on. It was a fluke! They only won because of that pasty string bean and his freaky blocks! The rest of the team was practically nothing! Or..." Tendou leaned in closer to Ushijima, so his chin was practically resting on his shoulder. "Is it about that little number ten?" Tendou felt his teammate stiffen underneath him. "It is, isn't it!"
Ushijima twitched, as if Tendou had hit a sore spot. "He annoys me." He grumbled. "Little bastard..."
Tendou let go of the ace's shoulder and skipped over to the left of him so they could talk properly. "I don't get it. I mean sure he's a pest with his freak quick attacks, but you've never gotten this worked up about, well, anything!" He threw his arms up as if to emphasize his point.
"He made me a promise."
"Huh?" Tendou turned to face Ushijima. "What?"
Ushijima frowned even further. "He and that pesky setter of his followed me back to Shiratorizawa. I didn't interact with them or pay them any mind, but Hinata wasn't having it."
Tendou raised an eyebrow. "Hinata?"
Ushijima nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "That's number ten's name if I'm not mistaken. Hinata Shouyou." His left eye twitched violently. "That little nuisance. He faced me and declared that he would beat me. I scoffed. Obviously." Ushijima tilted his head slightly toward Tendou, keeping his eyes tracked on the hallway in front of them so they didn't bump into any people while on the way to their bus. "He has no real skill. All he can do is run fast and jump high. And yet-"
"He beat us." Tendou finished. His eyes darted to the side as if something had startled him, before looking back at Ushijima. "You may not look it, but you're seriously pissed off, aren't you?"
Ushijima only grunted in response. Tendou gasped dramatically, putting a mocking hand up to his mouth.
"Ohmygod, you are! This is the most emotion I've seen you show since...ever!" The middle blocker smirked slightly. "I gotta admit, though, it's kinda entertaining watching you get all pissy and stuff because of some shorty!"
Ushijima grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a threat, but Tendou shrugged it off with ease as the familiar mischievous glint took its rightful place in his eyes. "Would you go as far as to say that you hate him?"
Ushijima hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to answer. "I-"
"Hey! Ushijima!" The duo barely had any time to react before a head of fluffy orange hair bounded up to them, armed with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. Tendou blinked in surprise at the sudden roadblock, sending a questioning glance at his teammate beside him.
Ushijima narrowed his eyes. He should've seen this coming. That little brat had promised him defeat, and he had delivered. He was probably here to rub it in his face, talk him down, and-
"You were amazing!"
Huh.
Ushijima's eye's widened before gazing down at the beaming boy in front of him. "Uhm." His mind went blank, brain shutting down completely. Tendou, who had recovered from the surprise visitor relatively quickly, merely watched the scene before him curiously. In his three years playing volleyball with Ushijima, he had never seen him as starstruck as he was now. It looked as if all of his senses had shut down, leaving him to stare down at the little boy in front of him with astonished eyes and gaping mouth.
Hinata, blissfully unaware of the effect his compliments and smiles had on the older male, continued on his rant. "Seriously! I can see why you're the ACE! You're so strong and powerful! Those spikes were awesome! So so awesome! They were like gwah! And bam! Someday I wish that I can spike like you! And you!" Hinata rounded on Tendou, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed. "You were awesome too! Your blocks were amazing! I hope that someday I can be as good as you are!"
Oh. Crap.
Tendou's heart clenched at the surprise onslaught of compliments from the volleyball player in front of them, the very same one they had been complaining about moments before. He'd...never really received praise quite like that for his skills before, volleyball or otherwise. It...felt good.
"Ushijima." The playful, teasing tone that usually underlined Tendou's words was gone, replaced with a foreign seriousness "Can we keep this child."
"Huh?" Hinata's expression twisted into one of confusion before he burst into bubbly laughter, his grin aimed directly at the two Shiratorizawa members.
Tendou bit back a choke at the sight and had to fight the urge to hug the small middle blocker. All feelings of annoyance or disliking toward Karasuno's smallest spiker disappeared in an instant, all being replaced by a warm fluffy feeling that filled Tendou's stomach almost immediately.
"Ushijima," He breathed. "I think I'm falling platonically in love."
"That's called friendship, Tendou," Ushijima said weakly, still partially blinded by the sunshiny smile emanating from Hinata, who by now had ceased laughing but kept the grin in place.
"Oh. I see." Tendou muttered, hand moving up to clutch the fabric of his volleyball uniform tightly in an effort to stop his heart from jumping out of his chest. An unsettling silence fell over the trio as the two third years continued to stare at the boy in front of them while the latter ran a hand carefully through his hair.
"Um," Hinata waved a hand in the faces of Tendou and Ushijima. "Are you guys okay?"
Tendou's brain barely registered what Hinata had said before he sprang upright, making the orangette jump up in surprise.
"Yes! We're fantastic." Tendou elbowed his still starstruck teammate harshly, an action that did not go unnoticed by Hinata, who tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Right, Ushijima?"
"Huh? Oh." Ushijima blinked rapidly, desperately trying to regain his senses. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to receiving praise after a game, but it usually came from students who had come to support them or his teammates. He would accept it, thank whoever had delivered it, and would be on his way. But receiving appreciation for his skills from the other team? Especially from the very person who had vowed to beat him and succeeded? That was unheard of in Ushijima's book. "Right. Yes. We're fine."
His redheaded teammate nodded rapidly. "Yes. We're fine. Perfect even. Now that that's out of the way, Hinata! Would you like to be friends?" Ushijima's head whipped around so fast that Tendou considered it a miracle his neck hadn't broken. Still, he didn't particularly care about the disbelieving gaze boring into him at the moment. His eyes were trained solely on Hinata, awaiting his response.
After only a moment, Hinata's face split into another heart-melting beam. "Yeah! I'd love that! You're Tendou, right?"
Tendou nodded vigorously, trying to hide that fact that is insides were practically mush from the wave of praise, smiles, and the fact that Hinata had remembered his name. "Yep. That's me!" He gestured to his comrade. "And I'm assuming you know Ushijima? He tells me you've met before."
Hinata returned Tendou's nod enthusiastically, matching his energy with ease. "Yep! He's an amazing player! All of you guys are! I know I talk big, but I'm surprised we beat you at all!" His eyes were positively shining as he stared up at the two taller men with such adoration and respect that all previous negative feelings harbored towards the boy in front of them disappeared in an instant, never to be seen or heard of again.
"Oh. Um." A light blush spread over Ushijima's face as he struggled to regain his composure. "You played a good game as well, Hinata. I suppose I underestimated you."
"REALLY!" Hinata yelped, cheeks flushing furiously. "Wow! Thank you! That means a lot coming from the Ace of Shiratorizawa!"
Ushijima let out a strangled cry before quickly covering his mouth with his hands, an expression of pure horror plastered on his face at the sound he had just made. It took all Tendou had not to burst out laughing at the sight of the notoriously stoic Wakatoshi Ushijima being effortlessly reduced into a bumbling mess by a few kind words, smiles, and sparkly eyes from Karasuno's number ten. However, Tendou knew he couldn't talk. After all, he had fallen victim to Hinata's charm just as hard as his teammate had.
Hinata glanced around the hallways of the volleyball compound nervously, his tiny celebration having died down only a few moments prior. "So, um...do you think that either of you could help me?"
Tendou and Ushijima exchanged wide-eyed glances of confusion and worry before turning back to the boy standing before them to nod solemnly. Hinata smiled softly in relief.
"Thanks. I um," He bit his lip. "I'm not exactly sure where my team is...right now. I mean the award ceremony's over, and I was so focused on finding you," He gestured to Ushijima. "That I guess I lost track of them." His eyes flitted nervously up to his upperclassmen, who in turn, were both looking down at him fondly.
"No need to worry, Hinata. We'll help you find them." Ushijima ruffled Hinata's hair lightly. Ushijima was never one for touching. Like Kenma, if he could, he would avoid it at all costs. However, also like Kenma, Ushijima found himself strangely comfortable around Hinata. He sighed. It was funny. He couldn't even fathom thinking a single lousy thought toward the small middle blocker, despite his feelings from less than a few minutes before. He had heard tales of Hinata's charm from Kuroo during a training camp, but he never anticipated him actually being this likable.
"Do you remember where your bus was parked?" Tendou asked, observing the two players with mild curiosity. He knew Ushijima's hatred of physical affection. For him not only to partake in it but be the one who initiated it in the first place...that number ten was something else, on and off and court.
Hinata's eyes flickered up to Tendou. "No." He grumbled. "Sorry."
Tendou shrugged. "Don't mind. We can just trudge around until we find your sorry team."
Hinata stuck his tongue out playfully at the redhead. "Don't insult my team. We beat you, remember?" Tendou bit back a smile at that one. "Besides," The orangette continued, "I don't think we have time for that. I'm supposed to be home in," He checked his watch. Tendou watched as his eyes grew in panic. "30 minutes to babysit my little sister! I have to go! Is there any way you could help me?"
"Couldn't you text your team and ask where they are?" It was Ushijima this time, a thoughtful look gracing his chiseled features.
Hinata shook his head. "Nope. All of our phones are stored on the bus." He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and rifled around for a second before pulling out a sleek, blue device. "I only got to keep mine in case an emergency happened and my mom needed me to come home to babysit my sister early."
Ushijima thought for a moment. "I don't suppose you memorized any of their numbers, did you?"
"No. Sorry." Hinata looked up at them with pleading eyes. "Is there anything else you could do?"
Tendou nodded slowly. "I mean...you could always come with us." He turned to Ushijima, who nodded in silent approval, before raising an eyebrow at Hinata. "We're leaving right about now, and our bus isn't far." He smiled warmly, excited about the prospect of the ginger joining them. "If you rode with us, you could make it just in time."
Hinata's orbs lit up as he beamed, filling both members with a strange sense of accomplishment, knowing that they were the ones who made the sunshine child smile like this.
"Really? Are you sure?! That would be amazing!"
Ushijima nodded, eyes soft. "Yes, it's quite alright."
Hinata giggled and pumped his fists in the air. "Awesome! You have no idea how much this helps me. I can't thank you enough!"
Tendou offered an easy grin. "Don't sweat it. We're friends, right?" He gestured to himself and Ushijima, silently noting that his taller teammate became strangely attentive as he waited for Hinata's answer.
"Yes! Obviously!" He gave the two men one more shining smile before turning his back to them to start jogging down the hallway. "Come on! Lead the way!"
xxx
"Hey, Tendou?"
"Yeah, Goshiki?"
"Uh...did you kidnap Karasuno's number ten?"
Tendou laughed, glancing to his right where Hinata was chatting up a storm with all of the members of Shiratorizawa besides himself and Goshiki. It seemed as though Hinata's charm had struck again, for almost all of the members were looking at the small orange-haired player with undeniable fondness while those who weren't were struggling not to scoop the boy into a hug every time he offered one of his sunshine smiles. Tendou scoffed. He gave them away far too easily.
"Hey." Goshiki followed Tendou's gaze toward Hinata. "You never answered my question."
Tendou shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I did."
"TENDOU! KARASUNO'S GONNA MURDER US! YOU KNOW HOW PROTECTIVE THEY ARE OF HIM! WHAT IF HE FALLS AND GETS A BRUISE OR SOMETHING AND THEY BLAME IT ON US!?"
Tendou shrugged again. "I'm joking, Goshiki. Relax. Hinata came willingly."
"You sure you didn't bribe him?"
Tendou snorted. "Yes. I'm sure. And I wouldn't worry about the bruise thing." He gestured to his teammates, who were currently huddled around the young crow. "I doubt any of them will let so much as a mosquito drink Hinata's blood."
Goshiki looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, look at him." Tendou huffed. "He's just so..."
"Likable?" Goshiki suggested, leaning his head back a little so he could survey the scene as well.
"More like lovable." Tendou replied. "Hinata, a member of Karasuno, one of which who had a big part in beating us in the game for nationals, the very same person we're supposed to consider our enemy, just wormed his way into the hearts of an entire team, most of the members whom he didn't even know, in less than 5 minutes without even trying."
Goshiki nodded in agreement. "He just has this...comfortable aura surrounding him. Even I don't feel jumpy when I'm in close proximity."
"Yeah." Tendou watched Ushijima ruffle Hinata's hair, the ace's eyes growing softer by the second. Silence surrounded the two as they watched the others interact.
"Does Karasuno know we have him?"
"No."
"Do you have any intention of letting them know?"
"No."
"You want to keep him, don't you."
"..."
"Seriously, Tendou?"
"Oh, shut up! You know you do too."
"Whatever. You do know that Karasuno's going to lose their shit when they find out he's with us, right?"
"Yeah."
"They might murder us."
"Yeah."
"Hey, Goshiki. Tendou." Both boys turned to look at Ushijima, who was approaching them with a weird expression on his face.
Goshiki automatically turned into a sputtering mess, as he always did when Ushijima was around, while Tendou just responded with a casual, "What is it?"
"Do you think if I offered Hinata a spot on Shiratorizawa, he would join?"
"..."
"OHMYGOD YOU WANT TO KEEP HIM TOO!?" Tendou squealed, doubling over in laughter. "SEE GOSHIKI! IT'S NOT WEIRD IF EVEN OUR ACE WANTS TO DO IT!"
"Uh-um Ushijima?" Goshiki stuttered, ignoring Tendou's outburst. "Weren't you, um, weren't you the one complaining about how much you disliked Hinata to Tendou earlier during the game?"
Ushijima glared, earning a squeak from the underclassman. "How dare you even suggest I have even the slightest negative thought toward Hinata. That's not possible."
"B-but you said-"
"I will personally fight anyone who has any problems with Hinata."
Goshiki opened his mouth shakily to reply before his brain short-circuited as he processed Ushijima's words. "Um...what?" He asked.
"I'm completely serious, Goshiki." And serious he was. Ushijima was sporting his game voice. It was loud, booming, and commanding with no trace of humor or teasing in its tone. He narrowed his eyes accusingly. "Do you have a problem with Hinata? Because I will punch you if you do."
"I CAN'T BREATHEEEE THIS IS TOO GOOD!" Tendou wailed, howling with laughter. "USHIJIMA I'M GOING TO START CRYING!" His long, joyful bursts of laughter were unintentionally punctuated by Goshiki's confused stammering and mumbling, desperately trying to convince Ushijima that he had no ill intent toward Hinata whatsoever.
"Hey, guys?" Tendou's laughter cut off abruptly as three pairs of eyes turned to look at Hinata. He smiled brightly, clearly energized by all of the attention he was getting from their teammates, who were currently crowded behind him "I don't mean to be a bother, but do you think we could get going?"
"Of course, Hinata." Ushijima straightened up and gestured toward the loaded bus. "We've got everything ready."
Hinata cheered and bounded up to the vehicle. The doors opened mechanically, and the young middle blocker beamed at everyone over his shoulder before jumping up the stairs in one leap and skipping to the back of the bus.
The rest of the team stared in silence before Ushijima spoke up.
"I'm sitting next to him."
He was met with protests almost immediately.
"What?"
"No way!"
"That's not fair!"
"You got to spend more time with the shorty than us!"
"Rock paper scissors! All of us, right now!"
"Winners get the seats by the shrimp!"
And with that, Hinata watched in confusion from the back of the bus as a vicious rock paper scissors war broke out between the members of Shiratorizawa. He sent a quizzical look to Tendou, who was walking up the aisle to where he was sitting. "What are they doing?'
"They're fighting for the spots next to you." Tendou gestured to the seat on Hinata's right as he sat down in the one to his left. "But they're not that smart, so they decided to play some silly game to determine the winners instead of just get on the bus and walk over to you while everyone else was distracted. Which is what I did." He pointed proudly to his chest. "Your pretty popular, you know."
"Really!?" The disbelief in Hinata's voice was apparent. Tendou turned to him in confusion; meeting dazzled eyes and cheeks with a little pink dusted on them.
"Um...yeah." He replied. Hinata positively lit up at the confirmation, leaving Tendou even more confused. Was Hinata not even aware of the effect he had on people? The way he could effortlessly charm anyone he came across without any problem? Tendou shook his head. It was a wonder that Karasuno didn't exploit Hinata's unique ability during matches. One smile could make even the toughest opponents go weak in the knees; he was sure about that. It was a shame the orangette was always so severe during games. Karasuno could probably win every one if they used Hinata's beaming grin as a distraction.
"Tendou!" Ushijima's voice echoed through the bus. Tendou turned his head and was met with several glaring teammates, a glaring ace, and a particularly pissed off Shirabu.
"What?"
"That's my spot," Shirabu said, pointing to the seat Tendou was currently occupying. "I won it fair and square."
Tendou shrugged. "Well, I'm already in it, fairer and squarer." He grinned slyly. Making people mad was his specialty.
"What?!" Shirabu glared at the redheaded middle blocker. "That doesn't even make any sen-"
"Hey! I know you!" All eyes turned to Hinata, who was practically bouncing up and down in his seat, eyes trained on Shirabu.
"Me?" Shirabu asked weakly, pointing to himself. Sure, he had been talking to Hinata before, but the smaller player had been too busy gushing his thanks for letting him take their bus to observe any of the people's faces around him.
"You're Kenjirou Shirabu, right! Shiratorizawa's setter." Hinata's eyes sparkled. "You were awesome! Your sets were like gwah! And swoosh! You were really, really good! Even Kageyama thinks so!"
Shirabu's cheeks turned bright red, much to the amusement of everyone around them. He managed to stammer out a nervous "Thank you," Before he was overtaken by Hinata once again.
"But um, do you think it's okay if Tendou keeps sitting here?" Tendou blinked in surprise, yet managed to keep the smirk plastered on his face. Hinata twiddled his fingers together. "I mean, he is the one who helped me here and offered me a seat on the bus so..."
Shirabu opened and closed his mouth a few times before straightening up slowly. "Um...yeah, Hinata, that's fine...I uh...yeah." Cheeks still burning red, he trudged to the seat nearest to him, mind still hazy from his encounter with the ginger. Everyone else followed in suit, with Ushijima taking the seat to the right of Hinata while everyone else filtered out into their own.
"Dude." Semi slid into the seat next to Shirabu. "You just got totally whipped."
Shirabu glared. "Shut up. As if you would be able to fair any better with those eyes and that smile paired with that personality aimed directly at your face."
Semi snorted. "Dude, that's so gay."
"It's called friendship, dumbass. Not that you'd know anything about it." Shirabu crossed his arms and stared out the window, ignoring his teammate's cries of protest at his comment. "Hinata's a freaking master at it."
Semi regarded his friend quietly for a moment. "I still think that's gay." He concluded with a huff.
Shirabu raised an eyebrow in protest. "Oh yeah? Ask Hinata if he knows who you are and see if your brain doesn't turn to mush in under ten seconds!"
A smile tugged at the corners of Semi's lips. "You're on. Hey, shorty!" Hinata and Ushijima turned simultaneously, Ushijima glaring daggers at Semi for interrupting his conversation and Hinata sitting at attention.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know who I am?" Semi smirked. Too easy. There was no way-
"Of course I do!"
What.
Semi blinked in surprise as Hinata began to gush once more. "You're Semi of Shiratorizawa! You're a great pinch server! That much was obvious during the game anyway." He orangette stared at his confused expression before continuing. "I also heard that you were a setter, but Shirabu took your place," Shirabu smirked at this comment as Semi stiffened beside him. It wouldn't be long now. "But you're such an incredible volleyball player! You have so many skills, and I wish I could serve even half as good as you!"
"Smile at him." Tendou whispered to Hinata.
"What?"
"Just do it."
"Alright!" Hinata's eyes were twinkling. Immediately, he broke out into a grin filled with puppies and rainbows and all things good, making sure to aim it directly at Semi.
"Perfect." Tendou murmured, watching their pinch server melt right before their eyes. "It's a miracle Karasuno doesn't use this more."
"Still think it's gay, Semi?" Shirabu asked as his friend twisted back around to face forward in his seat. His eyes were glazed over, and Shirabu could tell that his heart was practically threatening to jump out of his chest. After all, there was yet to be someone immune to Hinata's charm. It was irresistible. That much was clear.
"Shut up," Semi mumbled, collapsing in his seat. "Go to hell."
Shirabu laughed lightly. "I believe I'm already there."
Semi glared best he could in his weakened state, which looked like him furrowing his eyebrows more than anything. The bus finally took off a few minutes later, carrying one heartsick team and an oblivious, smiley ginger.
xxx
"Where the hell could he be!" After noticing their second smallest player missing, Karasuno had been scrambling around for nearly 30 minutes, trying and failing to catch a glimpse of bright orange hair or red and white volleyball shoes.
"What if he got kidnapped?!"
"TANAKA. WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ASSUME THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO HINATA." Daichi glared accusingly at his younger teammate. He didn't need any of Tanaka's wild predictions to send his already panicked team into a fit of hysteria.
Tanaka threw his hands up in surrender. "No, like I'm serious. Where else would he be?"
"The bathroom...?" Yamaguchi suggested weakly. Tanaka snorted sarcastically.
"Yeah, you mean the ones that we've checked like THIRTY TIMES EACH?! BE REALISTIC! PEOPLE DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR!"
Suga nodded frantically. "Hinata's supposed to be home in twenty minutes as well to babysit his sister. He's going to be late at this point! He said his mom would text him if any complications came up." Suga's eyes widened. "DUH! HE HAS HIS PHONE WITH HIM."
Nishinoya blinked. "Why." He asked flatly. "Aren't we supposed to leave them on the bus?"
Suga glared at the libero. "THAT DOESN'T MATTER RIGHT NOW, DOES IT?" The grey-haired setter took off into a sprint down one of the many hallways to the parking lot where their bus was located, his team only seconds behind. They all burst into the vehicle at once, causing it to rock a little due to the force of the impact.
"I'LL TEXT HIM!" Yamaguchi cried, holding his phone up triumphantly. Suga nodded at him to continue; the fear still evident in his eyes. If Hinata didn't answer his phone...he didn't know what he would do. Yamaguchi nodded back and got to works speed typing a message for their missing teammate.
To: the tinier giant :)
From: Me
hinata where r u? we're rlly worried.
Delivered
A small ding emanated from Yamaguchi's phone, signaling that Hinata had texted back almost immediately. Karasuno let out a collective sigh of relief as they all looked at Yamaguchi expectedly, waiting for him to read the message.
From: the tinier giant :)
To: Me
Sorry! I meant to text you. I'm with Shiratorizawa! Don't worry about me. You guys can load up and get going!
Read
"Um." Yamaguchi stared blankly at the text message. Out of all the possibilities that had run through his mind about where his teammate could be, this most definitely wasn't one of them.
"Well? Where is he? Is he okay?!" It took all Kageyama had not to rip the phone out of Yamaguchi's hand and read the message for himself.
"I-uh, I don't know?" Yamaguchi replied shakily. He knew it probably wasn't the best choice of words to use in front of his overprotective teammates about the ginger, but it was the truth.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Tsukishima's voice was cold. "Where is he?"
"He, uh, he says that he's with Shiratorizawa." Yamaguchi ignored the gasps from his teammates and continued. "He also said he's fine and that we should get going..."
"Get going?" Asahi furrowed his brow. "What does that mean?"
"If he thinks we're gonna just leave him with Shiratorizawa, he's dead wrong!" Nishinoya crossed his arms and glared at nothing. "Every guy on that team could crush Shouyou between their thumb and pointer finger! Not to mention they're probably pissed at him considering WE JUST BEAT THEM IN A GAME FOR NATIONALS!"
"Uh oh," Suga muttered. All eyes turned to him. "Yamaguchi, do you remember what Hinata said Ushijima said to him in the middle of the match?"
Yamaguchi paled and nodded. "Oh. Yeah." After a moment of silence, Kageyama decided he couldn't stand it anymore.
"WELL? WHAT DID HE SAY?"
Yamaguchi wrinkled his nose. "If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of 'Shrimp are for eating, not playing.'" A shocked silence filled the bus.
"Bastard," Tanaka grumbled finally. "I WILL BEAT HIM UP IF HES SO MUCH AS TOUCHED A HAIR ON HINATA'S HEAD."
"Did he really say that?" Daichi asked incredulously. "Seriously?"
Suga nodded. "According to Hinata, yeah. And I don't know why he would lie about something like that."
Another ding came from Yamaguchi's phone, causing more than a few members of the team to jump up in surprise.
From: the tinier giant :)
To: Me
This is Ushijima on Hinata's phone. Hinata says you guys are probably freaking out right now, so I should probably clear some things up. Hinata is fine. He ran into Tendou and me in the hallways after getting separated and needed a quick way home. He is on the Shiratorizawa bus right now, and we are on the way to drop him off at his house. I only have one question.
Read
Yamaguchi held up the phone for everyone to see. Daichi grabbed it quickly, earning a cry of protest and surprise from Yamaguchi before the captain started vigorously typing a message.
To: the tinier giant :)
From: Me
This is Daichi, captain of Karasuno. Firstly, if any type of harm, emotional, mental, physical, or otherwise comes to our first year, we will end you personally. Secondly. What is your question?
Delivered
The team waited a few seconds before the message came through.
From: the tinier giant :)
To: Me
If I offered him a place on Shiratorizawa, would you be mad?
Read
"Um." Daichi stared at the phone in his hand. Tanaka rolled his eyes and ripped it away.
To: the tinier giant :)
From: Me
THIS IS TANAKA. I WILL MURDER YOU IF YOU DO. END OF STORY. HINATA. IS. OURS.
Delivered
Will a huff, Tanaka tossed the phone back to Yamaguchi.
"So...what now?" Tsukishima asked, just as baffled as the rest of his teammates.
"We...go home? I guess?" Asahi bit his lip. "Right?"
Daichi nodded numbly. "I guess so? I mean, we can't get Hinata if he's already on the road."
Ennoshita, who had been silent during this whole ordeal, tapped his chin. "Do you think we should make a slight detour to Hinata's house? Just to see if he's okay, I mean."
Suga brightened considerably. "Hey, that's a good idea, Ennoshita! I don't think it's too far from the school since he bikes there every day, right?"
Kageyama sighed, whether it was in relief or annoyance no one knew. "I have the dumbass's address. He lives up in the mountains."
"The mountains?" Nishinoya interjected. "Seriously? And he bikes to school every day?"
Kageyama shrugged like it was no big deal. "Where do you think he gets all of his stamina from?"
Daichi clapped his hands together loudly. "It's settled then! To Hinata's house, we go!"
xxx
"Are you SURE we can't just keep him?" Tendou whined, watching remorsefully from the bus window as the fluffy orange head of hair disappeared inside his little house near the top of the mountain.
Ushijima nodded, he to watching his newfound friend. "Yeah. I asked Karasuno."
Shirabu whipped around. "SERIOUSLY?! YOU ACTUALLY ASKED? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
Tendou mockingly stuck his tongue out at the setter. "Don't pretend like you didn't want to keep him too, Shirabu."
Shirabu had nothing to say to that. It was true, after all. In fact, the thought had crossed most, if not all, of the members of Shiratorizawa's minds. Just a few moments prior, before Hinata had exited the bus, he had smiled one last time and yelled his thanks to the volleyball team. The Shiratorizawa team returned his enthusiasm with multiple promises from everyone to see him again soon. They had eventually ended up adding him to their team group chat so he could get all of their numbers, including the coaches if Hinata decided he wanted any pointers.
"Well?" Tendou asked after a moment. "What'd they say?"
"They sent us death threats," Ushijima replied, face still as stoic as ever.
Tendou nodded. "Yeah. I figured they would. Still, though..." His voice trailed off. "Would death really be that bad if we had the epitome of sunshine on our team?"
xxx
"HINATA!" Kageyama stumbled through the familiar front door with the rest of Karasuno right behind him, causing the boy in question to jump in surprise. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"
Hinata fixed a perplexed gaze on his teammates. "Uhm? Yes? Why wouldn't I be?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.
Suga ignored Hinata's question and pushed Kageyama out of the way so he could stand up in the front. "DID SHIRATORIZAWA HURT YOU AT ALL?!"
"Jeez, tone it down a notch, will ya?" Tuskishima muttered, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Tanaka. He lowered his voice an octave. "He's clearly fine."
Hinata waved off Suga's concern with a sparkling laugh. "What? No! They were all super duper nice! Ushijima offered to buy me icecream this weekend as a congratulation about our win against them, and I'm seeing Yamagata, one of their liberos, this weekend to help me work on my receives!"
Nishinoya let out a strangled cry of betrayal while the rest of the team just looked at their middle blocker with dumbfounded expressions.
"They even added me to their team group chat!" Hinata exclaimed, quickly pulling out his phone to show them. "See!"
"Of course they did," Tuskishima grumbled, crossing his arms. "Of freaking course."
Daichi rubbed his face with his hands. "Hinata, how do you do that." He asked breathlessly.
Hinata shrugged. "What do you mean? They're the ones who became friends with me! I didn't even do anything! They were just super nice!" The entire team groaned inwardly. How someone could be so oblivious to the apparent power they hold over everyone they meet, they didn't know. "Anyway," Hinata chirped. "I just finished making dinner for my sister and me, but there's more than enough to go around. Wanna join?" There it was again. That famous Hinata charm and charisma that drew people right to him whether they liked it or not.
As the rest of the team accepted his offer vigorously and walked off to where the ginger had said the kitchen was, Kageyama caught him by the arm and pulled him aside."Remember what we talked about, dumbass," Kageyama muttered. "Communication, you idiot. Just like the thing with Kuroo and Kozume."
Hinata grinned smugly. "Awww, was Bakayama worried?"
Kageyama scowled. "No, you moron. I couldn't care less about you."
Hinata stuck out his tongue and wiggled out of Kageyama's grasp to follow the rest of his teammates to the kitchen. "I'm glad the feeling's mutual, Bakayama!"
Kageyama rolled his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. "Yeah."
