"Okay, everyone! Listen up!" Daichi clapped his hands together authoritatively. Sitting before him were Oikawa, Ushijima, Kuroo, and Bokuto, aka the captains of all the teams to be attending the training camp taking place in under a week. It was rare for all five captains to get together at one time and place, but Daichi had called for each of them personally, saying the matter was urgent and could not be ignored. "It has come to my attention that some of you have been bothering a certain first year of ours." Daichi glared pointedly at Kuroo and Ushijima, who both exchanged looks and unashamed nods.
Oikawa raised his hand. "Who exactly are we talking about here?" He glanced at Nekoma and Shiratorizawa's captains, mentally noting their smug grins and broad, proud smiles. "You two look awfully suspicious."
Daichi shushed Oikawa with a wave of his hand and continued speaking. "For those of you who don't already know," He glared again at Kuroo and Ushijima. Bokuto and Oikawa locked eyes momentarily, the latter sending his fellow captain an eyebrow raise, which the owl haired spiker returned with a shrug. They had NO idea what was going on. Daichi cleared his through and directed his attention at the two confused volleyball players, sensing their obliviousness to the situation.
"If you don't know yet, then never mind." He stated, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. "Just stay away from Hinata Shouyou."
"The shorty?" Bokuto interrupted. "But I love that guy! He's my favorite little pupil!"
Kuroo's eyes sparkled. "You've had comical adventures with him too! This is great!" He turned to Ushijima. "We need to add him to our group chat." He said seriously, jamming his thumb over his shoulder to where Bokuto was sitting.
"What? I-what?" Bokuto waved his hands in protest. "I've just helped him practice volleyball a bit, that's all."
"Oh." Kuroo shook his head at Ushijima before turning back to his friend to pat him on the shoulder. "All in good time, Bokuto. All in good time."
Daichi sighed, putting his fingers to the bride of his nose. He didn't even want to think about whatever group chat Kuroo and Ushijima had involving his smaller teammate. "Look. Just don't come near him outside of matches, okay?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Hinata's going to have at least one person with him at ALL times, so don't even try whisking him away on a crazy adventure or just for the sake of spending time with him. This is a training camp, not a social hour."
Oikawa rolled his eyes. "Relax, Daichi. I have no interest in your pesky middle blocker whatsoever, and...hey, why are you looking at me like that?" This last part was aimed at Ushijima, who was glaring at Oikawa so intensely that it took all he had not to shake under his intense gaze physically. "Wha-was it something I said?"
"I will punch you," Ushijima replied darkly.
Oikawa threw his hands up in front of his face in a feeble effort to protect himself. "What?!" He squawked. "Why?!"
Daichi rubbed his temples. "Nevermind that. Just...don't try anything with him, okay? We need to stay focused during this training camp, and I don't want Hinata bombarded with people every waking minute. Pass this message onto your team as well." Daichi glanced up weakly at the four captains, his patience wearing thin. "The only member of another team I'll allow near him is Kozume. That's IT." He let out a puff of air. "Questions?"
"What if I'm with Kenma?"
"No, Kuroo."
"But-"
"No, Kuroo."
"How about if I'm with Kenma?"
"Ushijima, you don't even know Kenma!"
"Worth a shot."
Oikawa exhaled deeply. "Can someone please tell me whats going on? Why do you want us away from the Shorty? It's not like we're gonna try to recruit him or something."
"Right." Daichi scowled at Ushijima, who, in turn, shrugged innocently. "Because that would be stupid." He sighed. "Look. Just stay away from Hinata if you don't want to die next week, okay?"
Bokuto smirked. "Whatever you say, captain. But don't come crying to me when the little ginger's begging you to teach him some new tricks because his very favorite teacher is avoiding him."
Daichi smiled lightly. Even if they didn't follow the rules, he had ten more than willing teammates on standby, ready to step in and interfere if they tried anything. Hinata's friendship was infectious, and from his previous experiences, he had decided it was best not to let anyone get too attached to Hinata. Last training camp, five separate players had given Hinata farewell gift baskets filled with meat buns, candy, and other goodies, prompting the young boy to burst into tears and refuse to leave until he got them a proper gift as well. Of course, they couldn't exactly leave without their entire team, and if they had, Daichi was sure some other team would scoop him up and take him away. It had been a very long three hours for Karasuno that day. Daichi groaned inwardly. By now, Hinata probably had more contacts in his phone than everyone on Karasuno combined.
"You guys can go now if that wasn't already clear," Daichi said, waving the captains away. "Just remember what I said. Get as much time as you want with him this week because next week, he's completely off-limits." With that, the wing spiker walked calmly out the door, a threatening aura still surrounding him as he turned the corner and disappeared from the four captain's sights.
After a moment, Kuroo saluted at the spot where Daichi had been standing before he grabbed Bokuto's wrist, dragging him up from the hardwood floor and towards the door. "Come one, man! I'm going to change your life." He grinned. "I'm going to show you the real Hinata Shouyou!"
Bokuto blinked. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed by now, I'm Hinata's favorite teacher." He jammed a thumb proudly at his chest. "I think I know the shorty preeeeetty well if I do say so myself."
Kuroo shook his head rapidly, still pulling Bokuto along by his arm. "No man, that's volleyball Hinata! I'm going to show you the smiley-sparkily-puppy doggy-laughy-bubbly Hinata!"
Ushijima nodded as he too got up from his crisscross position on the floor. "I'll come along as well if you don't mind. I haven't seen Hinata since last Sunday." Kuroo nodded vigorously, yanking Bokuto through the thick doors and out into the sunlight with one fluid flick of his wrist while gushing endlessly about how lifechanging this experience would be for him. Ushijima followed closely behind, leaving a very puzzled Oikawa alone in Karasuno's gym.
"The hell..." He muttered to himself, getting up slowly and brushing off the back of his shorts. A little under a month ago, Matsukawa had burst into practice with the story that he had seen Hinata with Tendou, Ushijima, and Shirabu at an ice cream shop down the street. He then claimed that he had seen Ushijima LAUGHING along with Hinata and the others. Everyone had immediately called bullshit, because A; there was no way that three members of Shiratorizawa were hanging out casually with a member of Karasuno, the team who had BEAT them to nationals, especially Hinata Shouyou of all people. And B; Ushijima never laughed. Ever. No one could even wrap their head around the mental image of the enormous ace smiling, forget full-blown laughing. Oikawa frowned. He hadn't believed Matsukawa's story for even a second when first hearing it, but after seeing how Ushijima had perked up at the chance to see the tiny spiker, he couldn't help but wonder.
He sighed. No use in thinking about it now. Plus, what could be so great about someone as average as Karasuno's number ten anyway?
xxx
(lemme know if you want a chapter on Bokuto meeting the 'real' Hinata lol)
xxx
One week later
"Suga." Daichi pulled his fellow third-year away from the rest of the team. "Everything ready?"
Suga nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. Kageyama's taking the first watch during the first round of training. Noya and Tanaka are sticking by him during lunch and the free period since those are the times he's most likely to get jumped." Suga sent a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. "I'm keeping watch during the second round of training. Yamaguchi offered to follow Hinata around after training camp ends for the day to steer him away from other players."
Daichi raised an eyebrow, happy with the list yet confused. "Why Yamaguchi? I mean, he's practically the least threatening person on our team."
Suga nodded. "Yeah. But with Yamaguchi comes Tsukishima, and everyone knows not to get on his bad side."
Daichi smiled. "And I'm keeping watch from a distance. You sure everyone's cool with doing all this for seven days?"
Suga nodded again. "Kageyama asked for me to pay for ten cartons of milk for his service, but I suspect he just didn't want me to think he actually cared about Hinata's safety."
Daichi laughed lightly. "Yeah. Sounds like him."
"Hey, Daichi! Suga!"
The men in question looked down to find the little blocker they had just been talking about bouncing readily on his heels. "Could I take a quick bathroom break?" He blinked rapidly, the speed of his bounces increasing. "I'll be fast, I promise!"
Suga discreetly signaled to Kageyama, who huffed and trudged over to Hinata's side. The grey-haired let a ghost of a smile grace his lips before nodding gently to the hyperactive ginger.
"Thanks, Suga!" Hinata beamed. "I'll be back before the first practice match, I promise!"
"I'll come with you, dumbass," Kageyama said smoothly, slipping his hands onto Hinata's shoulder to push him roughly out of the gym. "I gotta go too, so, y' know. Convenience." Hinata raised his eyebrow, clearly not buying Kageyama's admittedly lousy acting for a second, but allowing himself to be manhandled toward the doors.
Suga hummed in thought as the two first years exited the gym. "I think I'll buy him twenty thingies of milk. Just for having to deal with Hinata's morning bathroom breaks every day."
Daichi rolled his eyes. "Fine by me, but it's coming out of your wallet."
"Meanie."
"Did you really think I was gonna pay for you?"
"..."
"Ohmygod, Suga no."
xxx
"Bakayama, we've been walking in circles for like a billion years." Hinata groaned. "Face it. We're lost." Kageyama threw an annoyed look over his shoulder at his teammate behind him.
"Shut up. No, we're not."
Hinata rolled his eyes. "Kageyama. We totally are."
The setter glared at the floor. "No, we're not. This is the right way; I'm positive."
"It better be," Hinata huffed, "Because if I'm not in a bathroom in two minutes, I will literally pee all over the floor."
Kageyama coughed, unfazed. "No hesitation or anything?"
"No hesitation. I really really need to go."
"Gross."
"You're gross."
"Shut up, you stupid orange."
"That's a new one," Hinata grumbled. He was silent for a moment before noticing a silhouette standing at the end of the hallway they were in. His eyes widened."Hey, isn't that the Grand King?"
"What?" Kageyama looked over in the direction of Hinata's finger. "Oh shit."
"KAGEYAMA!" Hinata gasped in mock disbelief. The setter rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed Hinata's wrist, dragging him back down the hallway they came from.
"Whatever. I think I saw the bathroom over down this way."
Hinata pinched Kageyama's forearm, causing him to yelp and let go of Hinata's hand. "You're a terrible liar, Bakayama. I just wanna see what he's doing so far away from the gym by himself." He glared pointedly at his partner before sprinting down the corridor, shouting Oikawa's name.
"Wha-DUMBASS NO, DON'T-" After a moment's hesitation, Kageyama ran after his hyperactive teammate. Daichi was totally going to murder him if he heard about this. "COME BACK YOU IDIOT I THOUGHT YOU HAD TO PEE!"
Hinata stuck his tongue out over his shoulder and bounded up to Oikawa, who stumbled back a bit at the sight of a head of orange hair flying up to him. "Shrimpy!"
"The Grand King!" Hinata's eyes sparkled in adoration. Oikawa stared. He didn't like the feeling in his chest when he looked at the smaller orange blocker. It was like his heart was folding in on itself. The setter blinked once before shaking it off. Probably some bad breakfast or something.
"Shrimpy?" He replied again, cocking an eyebrow at the small player bouncing in front of him. "What are you doing so far from the gym?"
Hinata opened his mouth to reply before literally getting bowled over by Kageyama, making Oikawa jump back a few paces in surprise.
"Tobio? What are you doing?"
Kageyama glared at Oikawa wordlessly before turning his attention back to Hinata, who was currently sprawled under him, and smacked him upside the head. "Dumbass." He hissed. The last thing he needed was for Hinata to unleash one of his sunshine smiles right into the face of his former mentor and shower him with compliment and praise, which would undoubtedly reel the obsessive setter right into the inescapable trap known as Hinata's friendship.
Oikawa stifled a laugh at the sight in front of him. "What was that, Tobio? Tackling poor Shorty like that?" He put a finger to his chin in a mocking thinking position. "Never really took you for the violent type, I've gotta say."
Kageyama rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Shut up, Oikawa." He huffed, turning so he could adequately talk to his former teammate. "I thought Daichi told you to stay away from Hinata."
Oikawa nodded slowly, finger still scratching his chin. "He did." He wrinkled his nose. "I don't know why though. What's so special about the ginger that everyone loves so much?"
Kageyama let out an audible sigh of relief. At least Karasuno wouldn't have to deal with him while they were here. "Nothing. It's none of your business. Just don't come near him again." He turned away to talk back to a still groaning Hinata.
"Technically, though, I kept up my end of the bargain. The Shorty came to me." He threw up his hands as Kageyama sent a nasty scowl over his shoulder before roughly yanking his teammate up by his shoulders and steering him away from the captain. Oikawa let out a huff and crossed his arms. If there was one thing he hated more than prodigies, it was being left in the dark about something everyone else seemed to know. He grumbled, furrowing his brow. He would get to the bottom of the mystery with Karasuno's number ten. He swore it.
xxx
Other than the incident with Oikawa (though Kageyama had made Hinata promise not to tell anyone about it,) training camp for Karasuno went by relatively smooth. Not one member of an opposing team, save Kenma, had so much as spoken to Hinata in the last five days, though it wasn't without consequence. Everyone on Karasuno was positively beat from having to look after Hinata from morning to night. They knew their little ginger had energy, but they had never anticipated precisely how much. The middle blocker would literally race everywhere, zooming from room to room and from volleyball court to volleyball court to watch the other matches. This was no problem for Kageyama, of course, who was the only one on the team that could keep up with Hinata's speed. However, everyone else was another story.
Kuroo, Ushijima, and Bokuto merely watched Karasuno day by day from the sidelines, not approaching them because, you know, they wanted to actually live through training camp, and observed them chase Hinata from corridor to corridor until they couldn't take it anymore. All according to plan.
The week before, after Ushijima and Kuroo had dragged out to introduce Bokuto to the 'real' Hinata Shouyou, the three of them, including Hinata, had made a plan. Kuroo had instructed his smaller friend to be as hyperactive as possible, telling him to run everywhere and cause his teammates as much trouble as he could as they attempted to watch over him. Hinata had looked at them, confused, but had agreed when Bokuto promised that he would be rewarded with a surprise.
The three captains smirked at each other. It wouldn't be long now. Karasuno was practically dead, all of the members fighting to stay awake as they entered the sixth day of training camp, save for one ginger, who still had energy for days despite being the one who had run around more than anyone. They just had to wait until later that night when Karasuno's guard was down, and then they would make their move.
xxx
"Hinata!"
Hinata whirled around, just having exited the bathroom to head back to the dorm he shared with his teammates. "Yeah?" He asked tentatively, eyes frantically searching for the mysterious voice.
"Where's your team?" Bokuto poked his head out from around the corner, making the ginger jump in surprise.
"Uh..." Hinata read the clock on the wall. "It's 10:17 at night. They're all sleeping, I think. Why?" Hinata jumped again as Kuroo and Ushijima's head appeared from the corner as well. Kuroo grinned at Bokuto, while Ushijima's eyes just held a mischievous glint. This was beyond perfect.
"Are you sure?" Bokuto whispered again. "They're all asleep? Every last one of them?"
Hinata scratched his chin. "Yeah. I mean, they were when I left to brush my teeth a few minutes ago. I think they're pretty worn out from casing me around for six days straight. WAIT?!" Hinata whirled around to his three friends, his finger pointing accusingly at their foreheads. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it! Make me wear down my team so they wouldn't play as well in practice matches against you guys!" He glared, though it had no real heat behind it. "I bet there isn't even a surprise at all!"
Kuroo shook his head violently, stepping out from behind his hiding spot so Hinata could see more than just his head. "No, no, no! It's not that at all!" Seeing the smaller boy raise a suspicious eyebrow, Kuroo threw a helpless look over his shoulder, signaling for the others to back him up.
Ushijima and Bokuto emerged from their places behind the corner as well to stand next to Kuroo.
"Kuroo is telling the truth, Hinata," Ushijima said slowly. Bokuto nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! In case you haven't noticed, you haven't been alone once during this training camp." A confused expression quickly replaced Hinata's skeptical one. Taking this as confirmation to keep going, Bokuto continued. "Us three were planning on doing something with you this week, but Daichi forbade us from so much as looking at you while training camp was in session."
"Why?" Hinata inquired, interest piqued.
"Not important. When we told you to tire out your team, what we were really trying to do was get you alone so we could give you our surprise!" Bokuto grinned wildly. In reality, they hadn't been sure their plan was going to work when they had first come up with it, but after seeing how wiped Karasuno was after only the third day of training camp, they had deduced that their master plan would, in fact, be a success.
"Oh." Hinata was silent for a moment before his face split into a blinding smile, causing Ushijima to double over, stuttering, Bokuto to smile even wider and sling his arm around Hinata's shoulder, and Kuroo to just stare. Hinata's eyes twinkled. "So, I get my surprise tonight!"
Kuroo nodded, slightly dazed. Hinata's smiles never got old, no matter who looked at them. "Yeah."
"As long as everyone on your team's still asleep," Bokuto interjected, eyes darting toward Karasuno's dorm. "We don't exactly want to get murdered by your teammates if one of them is still awake and they notice your missing."
"I can go check if you want!" Hinata chirped, untangling himself from Bokuto's humongous arm. Ushijima nodded numbly, unable to do any more than mumble a few incoherent words.
Kuroo snickered at Ushijima before turning back to the middle blocker. "Yeah, that'd probably be for the best. We'll grab everyone else."
Hinata's eyes widened in excitement. "Who's everyone else?"
Bokuto waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Meet us in front of the gym if everyone on your team is asleep. If you're not there in ten minutes, we'll assume our plan has been foiled." With a dramatic eyebrow wiggle, Bokuto grabbed the hem of Ushijima's shirt and dragged him down the hallway leading Shiratorizawa's dorms. At the same time, Kuroo took off down a separate corridor towards his own team's quarters.
"Hope to see you there, shorty!" The rooster haired captain called over his shoulder.
After all three captains disappeared from sight, Hinata wasted no time. He quickly turned around and sprinted towards the room his team was currently occupying, both his socks and the carpeted hallway silencing his footsteps. He slowed down a bit as he got closer. Nishinoya was a notoriously light sleeper, surprisingly enough, and the lightest of sounds had been known to wake him up. Hinata was reasonably sure that the libero's cot had been placed furthest from the door so the noise of it opening and closing wouldn't disturb his slumber, but he wasn't 100% positive. He would have to be careful.
Hinata's jog slowed to a tip-toe when the room came into view. He slowly approached it, keeping his ears open for any sounds emanating from the room. After hearing none, he cautiously reached out for the doorknob before him and oh so slightly cracked the door open, letting a sliver of light into the otherwise pitch-black room. Hinata held his breath for a moment, but after hearing nothing, he slowly exhaled and closed the door as gently as possible.
It was official.
Karasuno was dead to the world.
A giddy feeling filled Hinata's stomach as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He was beyond excited. If he had to pick the thing he loved the most besides volleyball, his answer would, without a doubt, be surprises. He shuffled away from the room quietly, practically bursting at the seams in anticipation. After deciding he'd put enough distance between himself and his sleeping teammates, he quickly shifted into a sprint, weaving throughout the numerous hallways before exiting the building entirely.
Hinata arrived at the parking lot a little under seven minutes. He was greeted by a relatively large group of people, all dressed in casual t-shirts and shorts like he was.
"Hinata!" Bokuto exclaimed, grinning widely. "We almost didn't think you would make it!"
Hinata looked around, ignoring Bokuto's comment. "What's going on? Why are there so many people here?"
Kuroo stepped forward, smirking from under his hair. "It's part of the surprise." He exclaimed, gesturing to two people behind him. "I brought Lev and Kenma along with me." The captain stepped to the side to allow the ginger a full view of his two teammates behind him. Lev raised an affectionate eyebrow and put up a hand in greeting. Kenma, on the other hand, had yet to notice Hinata had arrived. He had his headphones plugged deep into his ears and was too engrossed in his phone to acknowledge any new additions to the group.
"Hey, Kenma!" Hinata waved enthusiastically. Kenma perked up slightly, lifting his gaze from his device to meet Hinata's eyes. He smiled gently.
"Hi, Shouyou." He responded, pocketing his phone and carefully taking out his earbuds. "Good to see you." Kuroo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was unfair, really, now quickly Hinata could get Kenma to smile. If it were anyone else, Kuroo would be annoyed or jealous, but it was Hinata. Honestly, Kuroo couldn't blame his childhood friend for smiling whenever he was around.
Bokuto cleared his throat in an attempt to get Hinata's attention. "I brought Akaashi!" He announced proudly, pushing his friend forcefully by the shoulder to stand in front of Hinata. Hinata nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah! You're Fukurodani's setter, right?" He beamed. "You're pretty awesome! I've seen you and Bokuto play together!"
A few snickers traveled throughout the group as Akaashi's calm and passive exterior fell away in an instant, eyes blinking down in surprise at the still smiling boy and mouth opening and closing as a light pink dusted his cheeks.
Ushijima eyed Akaashi warily. "First time?" He asked, deadly serious. Bokuto nodded.
"Yeah. I figured getting him exposed to Hinata's charm now was as good a time as ever."
Hinata tore his eyes away from the blushing setter to look at Bokuto, mouth opening to form a question but was quickly cut off by Ushijima's booming voice.
"I brought the regulars." He stepped to the side to reveal Tendou, Shirabu, and Semi, all smiling and waving at the orangette. Hinata grinned.
"Long time no see, Hinata!" Semi exclaimed, walking over to his friend to ruffle his unruly curls. "I heard you guys went to get ice cream without me a few weeks ago." He raised an eyebrow in mock annoyance. "What's that all about?"
Hinata pouted and crossed his arms, ignoring the slightly confused gazes of those around him. "You were babysitting your cousins! What were we supposed to do? Wait?" He scoffed as if it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever hard. Semi furrowed his brow.
"Um, YES! OBVIOUSLY!"
Hinata smiled good-naturedly at Semi before turning to the group around him. "So, what exactly is happening here?"
"We're taking you to Tokyo Tower!" Lev declared, never one for suspense. Hinata's eyes widened to the size of saucers and puffed out his cheeks.
"SERIOUSLY!"
Kuroo glared at Lev before nodding in confirmation. "Yeah. It was Kenma's idea. He said he remembered you talking about always wanting to see it someday while at one of your sleepovers." Kenma blushed and waved off Hinata's shining eyes.
"It was nothing." He wrung out his hands in a nervous manner. "I just figured that since we're here, you know, it would be a good chance for you to see it finally."
"THANK YOU, KENMA!" Hinata tackled his pudding haired friend in a hug, causing the pink on his cheeks to darken into red.
"You're welcome, Shouyou." The setter replied softly, using his left hand to reach around Hinata's back to squeeze his shoulder lightly. Kuroo suppressed a sigh. Of course. Kenma, king of introverts and hater of all things touchy, was hugging Karasuno's number ten. He groaned inwardly. Then again, the list of things Hinata couldn't get people to do for him was very few.
"We'd been planning this little stunt for a while," Kuroo continued, "But it got a little more complicated when Daichi told us we weren't allowed anywhere near you at training camp. I asked Ushijima and Bokuto for advice about what to do about it, and after suggesting the plan to tire your team out, they asked if they could come along with a couple of their team members who were close to you as well."
"Everyone on our team loves Hinata," Shirabu interjected before gesturing to Tendou, Semi, and himself. "The rest of the team nearly fought us three after learning that we were the only ones getting an opportunity to see him tonight."
Lev nodded. "Me, Kuroo, and Kenma are the only ones who've been exposed to Hinata's friendship magnetism so far on Nekoma, so we didn't really have a problem like that."
All eyes turned to Bokuto expectantly. He shrugged. "I just didn't want to be alone." He pointed to Akaashi, who had recovered from his daze but kept his eyes tracked on Hinata. "I brought him along for exposure. Y'know, so he didn't completely melt if Shorty smiled at him in the hallway or something." Murmurs of understanding spread throughout the small crowd of people. Hinata, who was still clinging to Kenma, turned to face his friend.
"What're they talking about 'exposure'?"
Kenma smirked fondly at the ginger before pushing him off lightly, sending him falling to the ground on his butt with a grunt. It was beyond him how someone could be so naive to such a unique ability. "If you don't know, then never mind." He mumbled, unconsciously twirling one of Hinata's curls between his fingertips as the latter stared up at him with an expression of confusion and excitement.
"So, can we get going now?"
Kenma nodded and waved his free hand in Kuroo's direction. Getting the message, the dark-haired captain clapped his hands together loudly.
"Let's get moving, everyone! We've been standing here for long enough!" His words were met with sharp nods, and the group promptly set off to Tokyo Tower.
xxx
"Hey, hey, heyyyy! Hinata!" Bokuto bounded over to the ginger and yanked him away from his conversation with Lev, merely shrugging off the glare he received from the grey-haired boy. "Can you do something for me?"
Hinata nodded, curious. "Sure. What is it?"
Bokuto leaned down to Hinata's height so he could whisper properly in his ear. Hinata listened, a slightly confused expression gracing his face before whispering something back to his upperclassman. Bokuto nodded and watched triumphantly as Hinata pranced over to Akaashi. This was going to be fun.
"Hey! You're Akaashi, right?" The boy in question turned his head carefully to the size to meet Hinata's adoring gaze, an almost perfect imitation of a puppy wanting to be pet.
"Yeah." He mumbled dumbly, trying and failing to rip his eyes away from Hinata's cheerful features. "That's right."
"Cool! I was hoping I remembered it right!" He smiled dopily, once again practically sending the poor setter into cardiac arrest. "I've seen you play a few times before! You're outstanding! Do you think that me and you could practice together sometime?" He let out a little pout. "Kageyama's too mean to teach me anything about setting, and Suga said it'd be better if I learned on my own. But with someone as good as you mentoring me, I'm sure I could get the hang of it in no time!"
Hinata beamed excitedly, reducing the already falling apart setter to nothing more than a blundering, stuttering mess who could barely will himself to move to keep up with the group. "I hope you'll consider it, Akaashi!" Hinata said, completely ignoring his clearly dumb state. He rifled around in the pockets of his shorts for a second before pulling out an old training regimen and a pencil leftover from finals. The small middle blocker quickly jotted something down on the backside of the paper before smoothly slipping it into Akaashi's pocket.
"That's my number. Text me when you decide, okay!" It took a tremendous amount of effort for Akaashi to even nod at Hinata, who, in turn, flashed him another blinding smile before returning to a still peeved Lev.
"Well?" Bokuto walked to his teammate's side, putting his arm around his shoulders and playfully poking his cheek. "What'd I tell ya? And you didn't even believe me at first."
"Shut up," Akaashi mumbled, making a feeble attempt to push Bokuto's arm off. "When you said off the volleyball court he was likable, I thought you meant normally likable. Not..." He gestured weakly to the bobbing head of orange hair in front of them. "That."
Bokuto snorted. "I know, right? That kid has practically got charisma oozing out of his body. Wanna know the worst part?" He continued without listening for Akaashi's answer. "He doesn't even know he's doing it."
"Really?" Akaashi could still barely stand upright and had to rely on his team captain to guide him along the sidewalks with the others.
Bokuto nodded seriously. "Yeah. All he had to do is flash someone a smile, say a few words, and BAM!" He snapped his fingers to punctuate the remark. "Instant devotion and companionship."
"Does he really not know he's doing it? I mean, he's bound to notice a pattern sometime, right?" Bokuto ruffled Akaashi's hair in response.
"Yep. Completely and utterly oblivious." He stifled a laugh, getting a good look at his setter's appearance for the first time. "Look at you! You've completely fallen under his spell." Akaashi scowled weakly. "I bet you'd murder me without a second thought if Hinata asked you too, wouldn't you."
"I'd be willing to murder you without a second thought anyway, Bakato." He grumbled, crossing his arms in protest. Bokuto's smile only grew wider as he poked Akaashi's cheek again.
"You didn't say noooooo!." He taunted, drawing out the O as much as he could. Akaashi couldn't say anything to that. He doubted he could resist anything the small ginger asked of him in his dazed current state, homicide or otherwise.
"We're here!" Tendou's naturally mocking voice called out to the rest of the group, signaling that they'd arrived at their destination.
"REALLY!" Hinata jumped away once again from his conversation with Lev, prompting another annoyed huff from the grey-haired boy, and scrambled up to Ushijima to hang on his shoulder, koala style, desperate for a better look at the monument he had been waiting to see for so long.
"WOAH!" His mouth dropped open as he took in the sight of a humongous red and white tower glowing brightly against the black sky. If joy could be made into a person, that person would be Hinata right at that very moment. His eyes radiated awe and thrill as he stared up at the monument, hopelessly stunned at finally seeing the thing he'd so desperately wanted to see for so long. He went slack, the only thing keeping him from hitting the concrete below being Ushijima's hands.
"IT'S AMAZING!" He cried out after a moment of stunned silence, causing everyone around him to jump at the sudden noise. "THANK YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!" He was immediately met with warm, doting smiles and adoring eyes. It was a fantastic feeling, making the person who made everyone else smile be the one smiling because of their actions for a change.
xxx
The night went by pretty quickly after that. Hinata had made a point to show everyone just how grateful he was for this opportunity, making sure to hug every single person in the group tightly, which of course, wasn't protested in the slightest by anyone. After receiving more than a few ruffles of his hair and pats on his head, Hinata had sprinted ahead, desperate to get a better look.
The grounds surrounding the tower were empty in the dead of night, save for a security guard the group saw patrolling near the area they were. After a brief conversation between the members of said group and a little nudging from Shirabu, Hinata had separated from the rest of the volleyball players to have a 'chat' with the old man, and of course, had ended up effortlessly befriending him in the process after a particularly wholesome conversation about Hinata's little sister and the security guard's similarity aged granddaughter. This had been the outcome the rest of the group had been hoping for, but they didn't admit that to Hinata. They decided it was best just to sit back and watch their friend unconsciously do his magic.
After the rest of the group emerged from their hiding spot and mentioned how excited their little friend was about seeing the tower for the first time, the old security guard made a split-second decision to let the teenagers go up to the observation deck, earning himself a blinding smile from Hinata and a promise to arrange a play date between Natsu and the man's granddaughter.
Several eventful hours and a free meal (which was once again courtesy of Hinata's irresistible charm and promises to come by the restaurant next Wednesday to market to customers) later, the group of volleyball players decided it was time to head back to their facility. It was nearly 3 am at this point, and everyone, including the hyperactive ginger, was exhausted.
However, though pretty much everyone had only come along in the first place for a chance to see Hinata, the craziness of the night and the adventures they had all shared over the hours had brought everyone from all the teams, even Kenma, closer together. The previously semi-uncomfortable silences between the opposing team members had been quickly replaced with comfortable chatting and laughing. Sometime in the middle of their adventure, a group chat had been made with everyone's numbers and plans had been formed to get together the following week to see what more trouble they could stir up together.
What had previously started out as a group of nine people who were friends with Hinata ended with ten people who were friends with each other. Everyone was beyond grateful they went on this little excursion, no matter how sore or heavy their eyelids were. And to think, that countless beautiful friendships wouldn't have been formed that night if it hadn't been for one tiny, orange-haired middle blocker.
The group arrived at the training facility at a snail's pace, everyone having to lean on each other to keep themselves upright. After arriving in front of the gym, Shirabu had merely announced how tired he was, the fact that he gave no shits, and had thrown open the gym doors to drag himself in and curl up on the floor, his body instantly succumbing to sleep. The rest of the volleyball players muttered their agreements, all following Shirabu's example and collapsing onto each other and the floor just as he had.
And there they stayed until morning.
xxx
"Um. What the hell?"
Every volleyball team, save Aobajohsai, had woken up with at least one of their players missing, and each one was immediately thrown into a state of panic. This was including Shiraztorizawa, who was the only team who knew roughly the events that had taken place the night before, who were still near hysterics when they woke up to their four players still missing.
A frantic search had begun throughout the dorms, and with nowhere else to look, all four teams had gathered together to enter the gym, where they found the sleeping bodies of all their missing teammates.
Shirabu was directly in the middle of the slumber circle, having moved from his fetal position and had his limbs sprawling over his fellow volleyball players. Semi had Shirabu's leg thrown over his body and had his head pressed into Bokuto's side, a position which did not look comfortable at all but somehow seemed to work. Bokuto was slumped against Akaashi while the latter used his teammate's soft, grey hair to support his head. Ushijima was passed out next to Akaashi, back propped against the wall and head lolling slightly to the side while Tendou slept next to him, back on the ground, chest to the ceiling, and hands folded across his stomach. He looked creepy yet peaceful.
Kuroo was on the other side of Shirabu, using his hand as a makeshift pillow as a lazy smile graced the sleeping player's lips. Kenma's legs were draped gently across his childhood friend's stomach while his head was tucked into the crook of Hinata's neck, his multicolored hair covering his soft, passive features completely. Lev's head was positioned carefully on one of Kuroo's ankles for a pillow while Hinata was curled into Lev's side, head resting on top of Kenma's peacefully.
No one knew quite what to make of the sight before them. The teams all exchanged disbelieving looks before all coming to the same silent conclusion. They wordlessly closed the doors to the gym gently, making sure not to wake their ten sleeping teammates. After all, it was the last day of training camp. They could afford to take it easy. Plus, everyone involved in that cuddle pile had dark eye bags and pale faces. They needed the rest, that much was clear, whether it be in the gym or not.
Besides. There was no way anyone was going to deal with whatever dumpster fire that was first thing in the morning.
No sir.
