The last thing Yahaba expected while dashing wildly through the streets of Japan in an attempt to be on time for nightly weekend volleyball practice was to run into another player. All things considered, it really shouldn't have been that surprising. All of the schools weren't that far from each other, though you couldn't think of them as close, either. That's why it came as such a surprise when as he rounded a particularly sharp corner, he was met not with an empty sidewalk but with the surprised face of Hinata Shouyou.

"Yaha-" That was all the smaller boy could get out before Yahaba, who's eyes widened at the realization of what was about to unfold, sprinted straight into him with an OOF, sending both boys tumbling down the sidewalk in a mess of limbs, cloth, and duffle bags. A rack of bicycles put an end to the boy's decent, Yahaba's back slamming into a tire and Hinata collapsing onto his chest, groaning.

Yahaba blinked for a second, unsure of what to do as his brain processed what the heck had just happened. Oh. Oh no.

"HOLY CRAP!" The Aobajohsai player, ignoring his surely bruised shoulders, crawled on his hands and knees to kneel by the organette's side. "I'M SO SORRY!"

Hinata sat up slowly; one arm curled around his midsection as his free hand rubbed his cheek. "It's okay." He whispered, still quite stunned by the sudden collision. "Sorry."

The setter raised an eyebrow. "For what?" He asked carefully, making sure not to disrupt the boy's surely ringing ears.

"I wasn't paying attention." He mumbled. "My fault. Sorry."

Yahaba sighed and bit his lip. This whole situation would've been so much easier if Hinata had decided to yell at him, curse him out for being so reckless, or even thrown a punch or two. Lord knew he deserved it. But yet here he was, murmuring soft, sincere apologies like it was nobody's business.

"It's not your fault, Hinata." The ginger perked up at that, eyes widening slightly. Yahaba could tell the smaller boy was slowly regaining his senses. He nodded to himself. That was good. It meant he didn't have to deal with the wrath of Karasuno for giving their precious number ten a concussion.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oikawa talks about you a lot," Yahaba replied. "He's been kind of obsessed with finding out whatever 'secret' your hiding even since that training camp a while ago."

Hinata wrinkled his nose. "I don't have any secrets." He pouted. The brown-haired boy smiled lightly as he gently took hold of the arm curled around Hinata's stomach and pried it away so he could get a better look at whatever injury he was covering. Hinata regarded him with a quizzical look. "I'm not hurt if that's what you're wondering."

Yahaba hummed quietly. "I have a hard time believing that. I ran into you pretty hard."

Hinata shrugged, slowly getting to his feet. "It's okay. It'll probably just bruise a little." He offered a half-smile in the setter's direction. "I've had worse."

Yahaba paused before standing up as well so the middle blocker didn't have to stare down at him from his position on the ground. "Are you sure?"

Hinata nodded affirmatively. "Yeah." There was a beat of silence. "Could you help me with something, though?"

"Huh?" Yahaba stared at the ginger. He had just been about to turn around and make his leave, seeing as he was already late for volleyball practice paired with the fact that Hinata had assured him he was fine. "Uh. Sure?"

Hinata shuffled nervously. "Thanks. Well, uh...I'm kinda...lost?" He grimaced, whether it was because of his supposedly harmless injuries or embarrassment for having to admit something like this to an enemy on the court, Yahaba didn't know. "Do you have a cell phone I could use or something?"

"Oh." Yahaba blinked. "Uh, no. Sorry. Mine's at my house." Hinata's face fell in an instant, automatically making the setter's heart squeezing painfully. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, and it certainly wasn't one that he wanted to experience again.

"That's okay." Hinata waved apologetically, spinning on his heel so he could keep walking in the direction he had been going before the Aobajohsai player had tackled him. "Sorry to be a bother." Yahaba audibly winced at that.

Crap. He couldn't resist

"HEY WAIT!" Hinata turned around expectantly at the usually composed setter's outburst. "Someone at my school has one, I'm sure." He jammed his thumb over his shoulder. "It's not that far. If you stay here, I could grab one and-"

Before he could even finish, Hinata's dejected expression fell away in an instant, being replaced by a humongous, sparkling smile and shiny, grateful eyes. "I GET TO GO TO GO TO AOBAJOHSAI!?" He cried incredulously, tapping into his seemingly newfound energy to bounce on his heels. "REALLY!?"

At Hinata's childlike excitement and the pure, unadulterated look disbelief and flat out love painted on his face, Yahaba's resolve crumbled the very second those sparkling eyes looked his way, the words of his previous plan dying in his throat. He decided right then and there that disappointing the animated boy in front of him was absolutely out of the question. Sure, his teammates might be mad, but it was just for a little bit so they could borrow and phone and call whoever Hinata needed to call, right?

Plus...

He didn't think his heart would let him refuse anyway.

"Yeah." Yahaba smiled warmly after a moment, practically exploding at the expression Hinata still had directed at him. "Let's take you to Aobajohsai.

xxx

"Hey, guys?" Yahaba's voice echoed throughout Aobajohsai's gymnasium, sending practice screeching to a halt as everyone turned to look at the second year expectantly. Oikawa raised an eyebrow at the intrusion and jutted his chin his the setter's direction, signaling for him to continue. Yahaba nodded carefully and cleared his throat. "Okay, so...um..."

"Get on with it." Oikawa prompted. He wasn't in the mood for suspense right now. All he wanted to do was play volleyball with his team for the last few months he can before he has to graduate. Was that so hard?

Yahaba flashed his fellow setter a nervous smile. "Uh...so now we have this situation to deal with..." He stepped to the side to reveal none other than a very confused looking Hinata Shouyou, orange hair windswept and eyes looking a bit starstruck. "Uh," Yahaba wrung his hands out anxiously, waiting for any type of response from his team. "Yeah."

"Why." Iwaizumi asked simply, shooting his teammate an unimpressed look. Yahaba groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"It's not my fault! I knocked him over, and he said he was lost, and then he flashed me this smile and just...AgH!" He ran a hand through his hair, shooting helpless looks at the people around him.

"Are you gay?" Kindaichi inquired casually from the otherwise of the court, ignoring Yahaba's murderous expression. "Because it's totally cool if you are. I mean we support everyone as long as-"

"I'm not gay, asshole." He grumbled, turning to Hinata. "Could you do me a favor?"

Hinata nodded hesitantly, a bit uncomfortable with his current situation and being surround by people who clearly didn't want him there. "Uh, sure."

"Smile at them."

Hinata blinked. "What?"

"Just do it." Yahaba paused. "Please."

Hinata sent a doubtful look Yahaba's way before complying, throwing a nervous smile toward Aobajohsai. However, it was a different kind of smile than the one he usually wore. Hinata's smiles were typically vibrant and bright, basically the epitome of cheeriness itself. This one, however, was soft and uneasy as the smaller players peeked out from under his unruly curls with wide eyes.

The silence that filled the gym afterward was deafening.

"I think I would die for him," Matsukawa whispered after a moment, nodding slowly as if to verify his statement. Hanamaki, who was the only one close enough to hear his friend's whisper, laughed silently at this declaration.

"That's weird."

Matsukawa raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is it, though?"

There was a beat of silence as Hanamaki looked back at the usually energetic middle blocker, who at the moment was looking like the perfect picture of innocence. "No. I guess not."

"That's gay."

Hanamaki turned his head sharply to glare at Matsukawa. "You're the one who suggested it! Besides." He sighed, gesturing to the ginger. "It's not gay for wanting to protect that." True to Hanamaki's point, Hinata's small smile still hadn't wavered and his glassy eyes were still staring up at the team as if waiting for recognition or acceptance of some kind. His orange hair was fluffier than usual, no doubt from having to walk all the way to a foreign school, and that freckles that were sprinkled all over his dusty pink cheeks were visible for once and not just a blur because of his usual jumping around. Plus, the soft sunset spilling in through the windows made Hinata look downright angelic, somehow hitting him just right, causing his already soft smile looked even gentler.

Purity and naivety rolled off the small boy in waves, sending the overwhelming urge to shelter and care for the Karasuno member coursing through almost everyone's veins, whether they wanted to admit it or not. It was sickening, really, the sweetness they felt for him at that moment, but none them could help it, nor did they want to.

"See!" Yahaba cried, signaling wildly at Hinata. "It's like a freaky superpower!" He then turned to the boy in question and flashed him a warm smile, one utterly foreign to the second year. "You did great, Hinata." He ruffled his hair in praise.

Hinata perked up at this. Lifting his gaze from the gym to the upperclassman standing next to him, he offered him a real grin, the one that Tanaka swore on everything was made of sunshine and rainbows. The setter stiffened momentarily, a pained look crossing his face as he desperately fought to urge to hug the boy peering up at him for all of eternity. He almost gave in, he'll admit, but at the last second, settled for a pinch of Hinata's speckled cheek as he removed his hand from the fluffy, yet tangily, curls. He smirked internally. Never let it be said that Shigeru Yahaba didn't have any self-control.

He sent a triumphant smirk Kindaichi's way and quickly flashed him the bird, which was met only by a weak murmur and half-hearted head nod from the onion haired player. "So anyway, Hinata needs to use someone's phone to call someone to pick him up." He shrugged. Any volunteers?

Hinata's smile dropped as he averted his gaze from Yahaba to wince apologetically at the team in front of him, taking their silence for refusal (though that was not that case. They were simply trying to recover from what the heck they had just witnessed.)

"Yeah. I kinda got lost, and I have a horrible sense of direction." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Yahaba ran into me and offered to take me back here to use one of your phones to call someone to get me."

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Iwaizumi asked, his voice kind in a way that not even Oikawa had heard before.

"No," The spiker answered, stuttering a little. "Not really." A thoughtful, yet not uncomfortable, silence spread throughout the gym at that. All activity and noise had stopped entirely at this point, and to Hinata, it seemed that the blue and white team he admired so much was having a silent conversation that he was entirely out of the loop of. It made him squirm if he was honest. He never was fond of silence. It always felt infinitely louder than anything else, and it made his insides hurt.

"Oikawa." All eyes turned to Mad Dog, who's gaze was rapidly switching from his captain to the small ginger by Yahaba. "If he's in no hurry..." He paused, considering his next words carefully. "There's no reason a fellow volleyball player couldn't stay and practice with us, right?" A collective sigh of relief came from everyone else in the gym, silently thanking their temperamental teammate for asking what they were all thinking.

Oikawa huffed and crossed his arms. He hadn't been nearly as affected by Hinata's charm as his teammates had and had pushed down the fluttery feeling in his gut purely out of spite for the smaller middle blocker. Yet, even he couldn't find it in his heart to let Hinata walk the streets alone as he waited for whoever he called to pick him up. Nope, that simply would not do.

"Yes, I suppose it's fine." He grumbled, turning his back to the duo at the door. Hinata positively lit up at this, his nervous face spitting into a heart-shattering beam, sending a few strangled cries, including one from Yahaba, echoing throughout the gym.

"Really!" Hinata cried, the twinkle in his honey eyes unmistakable. "Are you sure?!" The smile didn't leave his lips as he spoke excitedly. "I mean, that's very generous of you to offer, but I don't want to intrude!"

"It's fine Hinata, honestly," Yahaba replied quietly, barely able to speak with his heart practically in this throat. "We're happy to have you." He shut his eyes quickly before Hinata's smile could get any brighter. He didn't think he could handle it.

Iwaizumi, never one to let his emotions show on his sleeve even though his insides felt like utter mush, sensed what was about to happen and quickly strolled over to the smaller volleyball player. He didn't need any of his teammates going blind today, thank you very much. He smoothly looped one of his arms around Hinata's shoulder to guide him away from the door and onto the actual volleyball court.

Expertly ignoring the hurt looks thrown his way by Oikawa, who was slightly peeved at the way his childhood friend, who rarely showed any affection for him, was being so gentle with the smaller boy, Iwaizumi twirled his finger in the air in a starting motion to signal everyone to carry on as usual. After all, this was volleyball practice, and they were going to treat it as such whether the literal sun had invaded their gym or not.

xxx

It quickly became abundantly (and annoyingly) apparent to Oikawa that practically everyone in the gym had fallen head over heels for Hinata. Well, in a platonic way, that is. Even his lifelong friend, the one who usually wore a scowl or glare, was smiling proudly as he watched the ginger attempt to try his signature technique at spiking. After failing hilariously, the smaller boy simply laughed and promptly showered the ace with compliments about how cool he was to be able to pull it off and how lucky he was to play for such a good, which, every time without fail, would make the usually moody spiker blush profusely.

Oikawa sighed and rubbed his face in his hands. At this point, he was almost positive that Iwaizumi kept insisting Hinata keep trying his ridiculously complicated spiking tricking so that he could feel validated by his truthful words and adoring eyes. If he was being honest with himself, it seemed that every player on Aobajohsai, besides him of course, was wanting to get with Hinata for something or other. The only reason the orangette hadn't been scooped up by another one of his teammates was because of the glares Iwaizumi would give anyone who came too close. It was quite hilarious, frankly.

"So that's what's so special about you, hm?" Oikawa mused to himself, putting a finger to his lips in thought. "Now I see why Daichi wanted to keep you away from everyone at training camp." He observed the scene before him. "You never would've been able to get anything done." His eye twitched. HE was supposed to be the charming one; HE was the one that people were supposed to like and respect. Not an annoying bundle of energy and happiness. Oikawa's hand flexed. It was annoying, bordering on infuriating. Hinata's sunshine smiles wouldn't be enough to get the spiteful setter to like him, that was clear as day.

"Hey! Grand king!" A chirpy voice snapped Oikawa out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" His calm brown eyes met delighted honey ones that were framed by fluffy clumps of hair. The corner of the captain's mouth twitched. The little twerp was probably here to prove something to him, brag about how he had melted even Mad Dogs ice-cold heart, about how much better he was at his signature charm. Oikawa fought back a sneer. That brat thought he was so great. He was probably going to challenge him or something, and-

"Can you toss to me?"

Oikawa's mind blanked. Oh. He hadn't been expecting that. Still, Oikawa's mind began running a mile a minute. He was probably only asking so he could criticize him or taunt him about how much of a better setter Kageyama was than him or-

"I hope it's not too much to ask. You're just so amazing, and your tosses look so perfect! Plus, you're an even better setter than Kageyama, and his tosses are already really really good, so I can only assume that yours must be legendary! I would be honored if you would send me just one." Hinata bit his lip. "Please?"

Oikawa's mind wholly short-circuited. This wasn't how people like Hinata were supposed to act, not at all. Charmers such as the smaller middle blocker were usually snooty, self-absorbed, and annoying in ways that only Oikawa could recognize as someone with a considerable amount of charm himself, even if it was just with the ladies. They would demand things of others without a second thought, taking advantage of their gift and get angry if someone wasn't affected by it. They were horrible people and the fact that no one but Oikawa could see it made him want to scream. Yet, one of these people was standing right in front of him with a heart practically made out of gold. Why was that? What had caused this particular charmer so kind and pure while all of the others were selfish and greedy?

Oikawa's stiffened in realization. Hinata didn't even know he was doing it. That little shrimp had no idea the type of power he had over people, the things they would do for him if only he offered a smile or a kind word in return. Maybe it was for the better. Who knows what the ginger could get away with if he were aware of how easily he could melt people's hearts.

"Please?" Hinata repeated, voice softer now, pulling Oikawa abruptly away from his thoughts. He turned his head to see Iwaizumi glaring at him across the room, waiting for an answer from his childhood friend. Oikawa ignored him with practiced ease and turned toward the source of the small voice. And just like that, one look into the ginger's adoring eyes that were practically begging for an answer, made him putty in Hinata's hands.

His gaze was so warm, so full of hope and pure, childlike happiness and innocence. At that very moment, the second their eyes locked, Oikawa was certain there wasn't an evil bone in his body. The irrational hatred he had only moments before for the boy in front of him disappeared in an instant. Oikawa wasn't quite sure what to call the feeling that took its place. It was warm and fuzzy. It was like something in his chest was bubbling, threatening to explode at any minute.

It was addicting.

And so, the trap otherwise known as Hinata's friendship was sprung.

And Oikawa fell right into it.

Hard.

"YES!" He yelled suddenly, everyone around him flinching in surprise at his outburst. He paused and cleared his throat, painfully aware of how desperate he sounded. "I'll toss to you." He continued, voice a bit more composed this time. Hinata's jaw dropped at this answer before crying out in joy.

"REALLY!?" He didn't give Oikawa time to answer. "THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! IT'S AN HONOR!"

Oikawa smiled at the overjoyed reaction. It wasn't just one of his fake smiles, either. It was a real, compassionate smile, that one that he seldom wore and one that virtually no one ever saw. The only person in the gym who had up until this moment had been Iwaizumi, and even he had only observed it once or twice in this life.

"The honor's all mine, Shorty." He replied, waving a hand in the energetic ginger's direction. "Just give me a second, I need to put on my knee brace." Hinata nodded enthusiastically and bounded over to the volleyball carts, where he was met with numerous hair ruffles from Mad Dog and Kunimi, both of who rarely showed affection to anyone. Oikawa sighed and sauntered over to the sidelines. That number ten really was something.

"Hey. Shittykawa." Oikawa pouted from his position on the bench and lifted his gaze from his leg to his childhood friend standing above him.

"Must you keep calling me that?"

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and knelt to help situate Oikawa's knee. "What's with you?"

"Whatever do you mean, Iwa?"

Iwaizumi glared momentarily before holding out a hand, signaling for Oikawa to give him his knee brace. Oikawa complied, ruffling around in his duffle for a second before pulling out the familiar white cloth and handing it to him.

"You know what I mean, dumbass. I know you." He took the knee brace and pulled it up Oikawa's leg, careful not to jostle it. Oikawa just watched. This was normal for them. "And if there's one thing I know about you, it's the face you make whenever you don't like something."

"Yeah. It's the face I make whenever I look at you."

"Shut up, Crappykawa. I'm asking a question."

"So mean!"

Iwaizumi huffed in annoyance. "All I know is that you were making that same face at Hinata when he walked through those doors." He raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What changed."

Oikawa shrugged. "I realized he wasn't a selfish guy." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Not like the other charmers I've run into."

"Other whaters?"

Oikawa waved him off. "Nothing, nothing." Things were silent between the two of them for a moment.

"If you hurt him in any way, I will kick your ass to the moon."

Oikawa looked at his best friend with a bored expression. "Always with the threats, Iwa. I've told you before. Violence doesn't look good on you."

"I'm serious, Trashykawa." He said. "I will end you if you do anything to scar him physically, mentally, or emotionally."

Oikawa threw his hands up in surrender. "Relax, Iwa. If I do anything to the ginger, I permit you to end me myself."

Iwaizumi nodded affirmatively. "Good." Oikawa rolled his eyes and rose from the bench to stroll over to where Hinata was waiting, armed with a smile that could rival the sun and apprehensive eyes.

xxx

"Are you POSITIVE we can't keep him?" Mad Dog whispered to Iwaizumi as the two watched Hinata hit what was maybe his 35th spike. Iwaizumi jutted his head towards the headstrong hitter beside him in response.

"Karasuno would kill us." He said bluntly.

"And?"

"That's it." Iwaizumi shrugged. "I have literally zero reasons other than that as to why we can't keep him."

"I dunno." Watari joined his two teammates on the sidelines. "I saw we just risk it and face Karasuno's wrath when the time comes."

"That's kidnapping." Hanamaki interrupted, squeezing in the space between Iwaizumi and Mad Dog. "It's illegal."

"Are you saying you're against it?" Aobajohsai's libero raised an eyebrow.

Hanamaki snorted. "No, I'm all for it. I'm just stating a fact."

"Hm." Mad Dog cracked his knuckles. "Do you think he'd mind?"

"Who?"

"Hinata." The four players watched intently as the orangette took another flying leap, hand connecting effortlessly with another perfectly set volleyball.

Watari hummed in response. "I'm not sure. I mean, he obviously loves Karasuno a lot, but at the same time, he was practically starstruck when he entered the gym." He gestured around them.

Iwaizumi squinted. "Hey, Hinata!" Oikawa and the boy he had called initially called out for turned their heads in unison to stare at him. Iwaizumi shuddered. Creepy. "How would you like to stop by practice at Aobjohsai like you did today every once in a while?"

Hinata's entire face lit up like a Christmas tree as he rushed over to the ace of Seijoh, leaving behind a very offended looking setter. "Really!" He skidded to a stop right in front of the four boys. "Seriously?!"

Iwaizumi nodded, biting back a smile. "Of course. I think everyone here would agree with me when I say that you're welcome here any time." He looked at his teammates expectantly, who all delivered enthusiastic nods Hinata's way.

The ginger squeaked in response, opening his mouth to no doubt thank the team endlessly but was stopped when Oikawa appeared at his side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Shrimpy!" He chirped, guiding him back to the volleyball net while casting several glares over his shoulder at Iwaizumi for interrupting their toss and spike routine. "Let's keep playing. I want to give you some more sets to hit."

Hinata beamed up at the taller player at this, ripping his shoulder away from Oikawa's hand unintentionally as he ran to get into position.

xxx

Practice was over all too soon for Aobajohsai. When the clock struck eleven, which was already two hours after it had been scheduled to be over, Hinata had announced, for the first time in his life, that he was too tired to hit another ball. Still, he outlasted everyone else by a significant margin. The Seijoh volleyball players were scattered about the sidelines of the court, watching Hinata zip around and spike the balls given to him by Yahaba, who had subbed in for Oikawa after the latter's knee nearly gave out from having to stand in the same position for so long. Though they could've gone home if they wanted to, everyone had stayed. If Karasuno found out about this little practice and Iwaizumi's offer for more, there was a good chance that they might never get the opportunity to see Hinata again outside of matches, regardless of whether he had an invitation to come or not.

A little, friendly, hyperactive ball of sunshine and energy had graced them today, and they were going to cherish the moment for as long as they could.

At Hinata's declaration, Iwaizumi and Oikawa had quickly jumped at the chance to take Hinata home, much to the chagrin of their teammates. However, Iwaizumi had brought his car for once instead of walking to practice, so it was the most logical explanation and the safest way for the orangette to get home. When Oikawa explained this, everyone had begrudgingly agreed, disappointed that this could potentially be the last time they see the smaller boy but not wanting to risk Hinata's safety in the slightest.

After a quick exchange of everyone's phone numbers and enthusiastic goodbyes, the players watched dejectedly as the trio sped off down the barren street. After a moment, they all walked back toward to gym with heavy eyes and equally as heavy hearts.

Yahaba gathered his belonging with aching fingers. Yet, he felt strangely accomplished. It felt good knowing that he was the one who had brought Hinata to the Aobajohsai gym, that he was the reason his teammates met the smaller player that they had grown to adore so much in under five hours.

"Thanks, Yahaba."

Yahaba turned around and came face to face with Kindaichi, who had his hands stuffed in his volleyball jacket and duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"For what?"

"Y'know." He gestured off into the distance, pointing vaguely at the direction Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Hinata had driven off in. "That."

Yahaba smiled. "That's gay."

"It is NOT!"

"Is too."

"EXCUSE? ME? HE'S LITERALLY A KITTEN. A. KIT. TEN."

Yahaba ceased his teasing a merely stared off into the distance. "Yeah." There was a beat of silence. "Do you think we'll get to see him again next practice like Iawizumi suggested?"

Kindaichi snorted. "I'm sure we will as long as DADchi doesn't find out." Yahaba snickered at that. "Besides," He continued. "We're his friends, aren't we?"

Yahaba nodded affirmatively. He had never been so sure of anything in his life. "Yeah."