"Something's wrong with Hinata," Aone muttered to himself as he wanted Karasuno exit the court below.

"Who?" Koganegawa took a bite of his protein bar, eyes trained on the match before him as he waited for his upperclassmen's response. He knew the comment hadn't been directed at anyone in particular, but he just couldn't find it in himself to care. Plus, who was Hinata?

"Hinata's Karasuno's number ten," Obara answered helpfully after a moment, reading the situation well enough to know that Aone wasn't going to respond to the setter's comment anytime soon.

"Oh." Koganegawa chewed his granola thoughtfully. "Isn't he the one with the freak quicks?"

"Yeah." Obara nodded. "That's him. Hinata Shouyou, middle blocker and first year at Karasuno High."

"Stalker."

"Shut up."

"Something's wrong with him," Aone repeated, not even acknowledging his teammates as they turned their heads to him in question. " He seems off."

Koganegawa shrugged and bit off another chunk of his bar. "I don't know, man. I mean, he seemed normal to me during the match."

Obara hummed in agreement. "Yeah. I mean, his reflexes were as good as always, and he sure was fast on his feet." He saw Aone nod in approval at his statement, causing a small smile to tug on Obara's lips. It was comical, really, when Aone interacted with the sunny ball of energy known as Hinata Shouyou. They were total opposites, but somehow they just clicked together like two puzzle pieces destined to fit. Of course, Obara had never personally indulged in conversation with the lightning-fast player, but the softness in Aone's eyes and gentle smiles that graced his lips whenever he observed his white-haired friend talking with the lively boy had already led Obara to believe that Hinata indeed was something special.

He could hardly wait for the day he got to formally meet the boy who had singlehandedly succeeded in making Aone laugh, a feat that, to this day, no one on Date Tech had been able to replicate after hours of trying and failing.

"Yes. Hinata was amazing as always." Aone's gaze hardened, eyes expertly tracking the head of vibrant orange curls among his dull-haired teammates. "But something's different."

Koganegawa shrugged, throwing his legs up to rest on the chair in front of him and slumping down in his seat. "If you want my personal opinion-"

"I don't."

"I think your crazy obsession with the middle blocker has you seeing things."

Obara was unable to contain a snort as Koganegawa withered under Aone's well deserved murderous glare. Still, though. Aone hadn't denied it. Mostly because half of the statement was true. Aone wasn't ashamed to admit that he was absolutely infatuated with Hinata. He was addicted to those happy smiles and sparkling eyes, the only light in his otherwise dull and grey life.

Other than the ferocious scowl, Aone didn't pay Koganegawa's comment any mind. He was too preoccupied with the unshakable feeling that something was seriously wrong with his ginger friend. He hadn't been as quick that game, his eyes not as sharp and his jumps not as high. Aone narrowed his eyes, filtering all chatter and sounds around him into nothing but white noise so he could focus. Now that he thought about it, Hinata's eyes hadn't been holding their usual lively spark. They had been dull and concentrated, something that wasn't necessarily uncommon for the middle blocker during games but was rare outside of matches.

Any other day, Hinata would've been celebrating their victory by pumping up his arms or cheering in delight. Instead, Aone could only watch with a frown on his face as the ginger did nothing of the sort. He was still, brown orbs glazed over with a grimace plastered on his face, completely contorting his usually soft and enthusiastic features.

The foreign expression disappeared immediately when one of his teammates, the setter with black hair and an angry face whos name Aone could never remember, tapped him on the shoulder. It was almost eery the way a sickly sweet smile replaced the pained expression in practically an instant as he turned around to face his teammate, all trace of whatever dark thoughts he had been harboring only the moment before disappearing entirely from his face.

Aone blinked. It was alarming how quickly his attitude had shifted, and even though his teammates surrounded the ginger, Aone was reasonably sure that he was the only one who had noticed the split-second change in emotion. His brow furrowed. What could have possibly caused the happiest boy Aone had ever known to be fixed with such a sad expression. He was quiet for a moment before his eyes widened in realization.

"Koganegawa." There was a sense of urgency in his tone as his setter fixed him with a questioning look, waiting for him to continue. "What's the date?"

"The date? Why?"

Aone resisted the urge to strangle his teammate. This was vital information, and he needed it NOW. "Just answer the question!" Koganegawa threw his hands up in surrender and pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. His eyes flitted over the lock screen for a moment before he looked back up at the white-haired blocker.

"June 17th. Why?"

Oh.

Oh shit.

Aone only had one concern at that moment. He needed to get to Hinata, and he needed to get to him now.

"I'm going down there," Aone announced quickly, darting up from his seat and running faster than any of his teammates had ever seen towards the stairwell that would lead him down to the volleyball courts. Obara quickly jumped up from his chair as well and sprinted over to his frantic teammate to grab his elbow.

"I think Koganegawa might be right in this instance, Aone." He said carefully, ignoring the smug look Koganegawa threw his way. "You're probably just overthinking things."

Aone shook his head. "I'm not." He said simply, fixing the spiker with a harsh stare and yanking his arm away. Obara raised an eyebrow at the unusual display of aggression.

"Care to fill us in on what's going on?"

"No."

And with that, he sprinted down the stairs three at a time and dashed around the corner of the stairwell, leaving his very confused teammate in the dust.

xxx

"Hinata!" Aone's voice echoed throughout the corridor, causing multiple heads to turn his way as he barrelled down the hallways towards a very confused Karasuno. Hinata's eyes widened as he bit his lip, not sure how much longer he could maintain his facade. It was hard work, keeping a smile on his face and bouncing around when all he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and cry. He had even considered bailing on the match, but his teammates were counting on him and his absence would raise unwanted questions, ones that Hinata wasn't sure he could answer without breaking down into tears.

"Is there something you need?" Daichi asked slowly, raising an eyebrow. All of Karasuno was staring at the humongous white-haired blocker now, all except a certain ginger. His eyes were looking anywhere but, knowing full well that if his gaze locked with Aone, the only person who knew exactly what day it was, he wouldn't be able to hold it together.

Aone ignored the captain as he slowed to a stop in front of the wary team. "Hinata. " He repeated, voice willing the ginger to look up at him. The orangette bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut, an action that didn't go unnoticed by his friends, who, in turn, formed some sort of protective barrier around their small spiker, positioning him as far away from Aone as possible.

"I don't think he wants to talk to you," Kageyama said icily, trademark scowl in place on his face. Aone tried again.

"Hinata-"

"We're going to have to ask you to leave." Tsukishima's voice was cold and his stare was calculating as his eyes practically bore holes into the white-haired player before them. He crossed his arms and raised a cocky eyebrow, daring the Date Tech player to defy him. Aone resisted the urge to groan. Hinata's teammates meant well, he knew that, but they were making an already stressful situation so much harder than it had to be.

"Just let me ask something," Aone said calmly, though his words had a particularly nasty edge to them. "Please." No one said anything, which Aone took as an invitation to continue. "Hinata." He paused. "Do they know?"

"No." Hinata's voice cracked violently, causing all Karasuno members to whip around to stare at their second smallest teammate. He looked like he was in physical pain, a sight that made every one of his teammates cringe internally. The usually sunshiny boy cracked a small smile, one of which that was merely a shell of his usual beam. "No, they don't."

Suga put a tentative hand on his underclassman's shoulder. "Hinata wha-"

No one on Karasuno expected the events that unfolded in those next few seconds. Hinata hiccuped a few times before breaking down completely, the carefully crafted impression of happiness crumbling away to reveal a troubled, scared kid. He barrelled through his teammates and ran straight into Aone's chest, warping his arms around his midsection and hugging him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Aone, in turn, wrapped one of his humongous arms around the trembling boy and used the other one to run a soothing hand through his tangily, sweaty curls.

"Shouyou," Aone whispered slowly. "Do you want to-"

"Yes." Hinata's response was immediate as he struggled to breathe through the tears. "Yes, please."

"Okay." Aone's gaze lifted from his small friend to the team in front of him, confusion, worry, and heartbreak written all over their faces. "I'm going to take Hinata now. All of you can head back to the school without him."

"Now wait a minute." Nishinoya couldn't tear his eyes away from the underclassman that he had grown to adore. His heart ached at the sight of the most positive person he had ever known being reduced to nothing more than trembling shoulders and uncontrollable weeping. There was nothing more he wanted to do than make it better, take Hinata's burden for himself no matter what it was. It was killing him, every sob chipping away at his heart and every tremble making him wince in pain. He wanted to know what was going on...no scratch that. He needed to know what was going on, need to know so he could fix it, no matter what it took. "What the hell's going on?"

Aone glanced down at Hinata, who shook his head ever so slightly. Aone pursed his lips in acceptance, knowing precisely what Hinata wanted to say but couldn't find the strength to express.

"As of right now, it's none of your business." He removed his hand from Hinata's head and held it up to silence the protests from Karasuno. "Look." He bit his lip. "If you care about Shouyou at all, please go back to your school and do not pester him about this."

Now that shut everyone up. The team full of crows was frozen for a moment, unsure whether they should keep demanding answers or listen to Aone's orders.

"Okay." Ten heads whipped around to stare incredulously at their captain, mouths open and ready to argue. Daichi fixed them with a glare, causing all of them to shrink back. "We care about Hinata." He continued, eyes shifting from his teammates to the whimpering ginger. "If us not knowing is what's best for him, then that's okay." He gulped. This was harder than he thought it was going to be. "And if going with you will make him feel better, then that's fine too."

Aone nodded in gratitude, moving his hand from Hinata's head to his back as he began rubbing soothing circles. Hinata's sobs hadn't dampened in the slightest, and Aone doubted that they would all night, but that was okay. Hinata needed this. Desperately. After all, it was June 17th.

"Thank you."

"BUT!" Daichi raised a threatening finger. "If he comes back to us with so much as a scratch, you better start running."

"It's okay." All eyes turned to the crying boy. Aone's now soaked jersey muffled his voice, which was trembling violently, but it was still Hinata through and through. He lifted his face from Aone's chest and flashed his teammates a sorrowful, watery smile, and all Karasuno wanted to do was scoop the middle blocker that they loved so much into a hug and never let go. But they resisted, for Hinata's sake. "It's okay." The ginger repeated. "Aone wouldn't hurt me."

Aone nodded in confirmation, knowing full well the day he found himself raising a hand against Hinata was the day the world ended and all logic turned upside down.

"Please." He said, hugging Hinata closer to his chest. "Carry on. I know what to do."

Daichi nodded numbly and turned away from the duo, gesturing for his teammates to follow him. They all eventually did, but not before sending pained looks Hinata's way and flashing sad, sympathetic smiles. Aone watched from his position in the middle of the now-empty hallway, waiting until the black jackets disappeared entirely from his sight.

"June 17th, huh." He said after a moment, glancing down at the ginger. Hinata's red eyes gazed back up at him as he choked out laugh.

"Yeah." He whispered, letting a few more tears slip down his already wet cheeks.

"You shouldn't have even been playing today, Shouyou," Aone muttered, carefully removing Hinata's arms from his waist so he could bend down to the other boy's eye level. He didn't even flinch as small arms wrapped around his neck instantly. "Why haven't you told your team yet?" He whispered soothingly, not wanting to do anything to upset his friend further. "I'm sure if they knew they would've let you skip this one game."

Hinata hiccupped, sending a violent shiver through his already shaking body. "I know." Aone felt him shrug. "There's just no easy way to tell someone that it's the anniversary of your dad's death, you know?" At this, another round of sobs exploded out of the boy as he squeezed Aone's neck harder, not that Aone minded.

"Yeah." Aone murmured sadly, rubbing Hinata's shoulder in a calming manner in an attempt to slightly pacify his distraught friend. "I know."

xxx

"Where the heck is Aone?" Sakunami wondered aloud, scanning the seats for his white-haired teammate.

Koganegawa shrugged nonchalantly, angling his head towards the libero to indicate that he was talking to him. "I don't know. He's been gone ever since the Karasuno match ended."

Sakunami wrinkled his nose at the name. "What? Why?"

"Dunno. He said something looked off about Karasuno's number ten and ran down there to check or something."

"Oh." Sakunami's face twisted into an unreadable expression. "Hinata Shouyou."

Koganegawa threw his hands up in exasperation. "Did everyone know his name except me!?"

Obara waved him off and turned to face his underclassman. "He kept insisting there was something wrong with Hinata. We haven't seen him since he left."

"Hey, guys?" All three heads turned to Futakuchi in question. "Aone says he's not going to be able to make the team dinner tonight."

"What?" Koganegawa whirled around. "Seriously! He's ditching us for the ginger?!"

Futakuchi put a warning hand up in an attempt to calm the setter. "Don't jump to conclusions." A small ding emanated from his phone, causing him to look down for a moment. His eyes flitted over the screen, reading whatever message was displayed before him. "Oop. Nevermind." He snapped his phone shut. "He's totally ditching us for the ginger."

"SERIOUSLY!?" Koganegawa flipped out, jumping up from his seat with betrayal written all over his face. "How could he do that! We've been planning this dinner for weeks! Not the mention he's hanging out with a member of Karasuno," He spit the name out like a curse, "Of all people!"

Obara sent Koganegawa a nervous smile. "Look, Aone was really insistent." He scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe we should just leave them be...?"

"Nah, to hell with that!" Futakuchi pocketed his phone and pumped his fist up in the air. "We're a team, and teams don't ditch teammates for other teams!" He smiled brightly, no doubt energized by the prospect of making trouble instead of having to be serious like he did when the third years were around. His every word was punctuated by Koganegawa's enthusiastic screaming and cheering. Sakunami just shook his head, already knowing that he was going to get roped into this whether he wanted to or not.

"Guys, I really-" Obara was abruptly cut off as a hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him up from his sitting position in the stands, where a grinning Futakuchi immediately greeted him.

"Come on, Obara! It'll be fun, I promise!"

"It really won't be," Obara grumbled under his breath as he let himself be pulled after Sakunami and Koganegawa by his captain. He couldn't really resist, after all. If he didn't come along, who knew what trouble those three could get in to. Plus, he was a little curious about as to why Aone was so urgent to get to Hinata after the Karasuno match, not that he would admit that to Futakuchi or Koganegawa. There was no way he was throwing any more fuel on that fire.

Futakuchi sent a quick text message out to the Date Tech group chat with the rest of their teammates to meet them at Aone's house. The four friends walked in silence to said location, where they were surprised to be greeted by Onagawa and Fukiage.

Sakunami blinked. "How'd you guys get here so fast?"

Onagawa jammed his thumb over his shoulder. "Me and Fukiage were walking to the dinner when he got your text." He shifted his gaze from the libero to Futakuchi, raising his eyebrow in question. "By the way, what gives?"

"Aone ditched us for Karasuno's number ten!" Koganegawa cried, throwing his hands around in exaggerated motions. Obara shook his head. That protein bar the setter had eaten earlier probably had caffeine in it or something.

"Oh." Fukiage exchanged glances with Onagawa. "Hinata Shouyou."

"HOW DOES EVERYONE ALREADY KNOW HIS NAME?"

"Aone talks about him quite a bit." Sakunami shot Koganegawa an annoyed eye roll. "If you were quiet for once, you'd know that."

"I CAN BE QUIET!"

"Great, please put on a demonstration of those skills while the mentally sane people talk." Onagawa deadpanned, turning to Futakuchi. "Anyway, why are we here?"

"To crash the party, of course!" Futakuchi spread his arms wide and grinned. "Why else?"

"Dude. That's like...a super shitty move."

"But he ditched us!"

"So? It's Aone. I'm sure he wouldn't do it without a good reason."

"So you're just gonna let him get away with this!?"

Onagawa rolled his eyes. "Get away with what, exactly? He obviously has a soft spot for Hinata. I see nothing wrong with that."

"I'm with him." Fukiage pointed a finger at Onagawa. "This is a total invasion of privacy. Aone can explain his reasons for ditching us for Hinata later."

Futakuchi crossed his arms. "If you agree to do this with me, I will personally pay for any type of ramen you want with any toppings." He smirked. There it was—his trump card.

Onagawa stared at him. "That's a dirty trick, Futakuchi."

The boy in question grinned triumphantly. "So you'll do it?"

"I guess," Onagawa mumbled. He glanced at Fukiage beside him, who was nodding his head vigorously. The list of things he wouldn't do for all-expense-paid ramen was astronomically short.

"Great!" Futakuchi clapped his hands together. "Let's go see what the hell Aone's deal is."

Koganegawa, unable to contain himself anymore, sprinted toward the front door at full speed. He threw it open and gestured for his teammates to follow. Futakuchi obliged immediately, followed by Onagawa, Fukiage, Sakunami, and finally, Obara, who closed the door slowly and followed his friend. They crept as silently through the carpeted hallway of Aone's house, every so often peering through the multiple entrances to see if any of them occupied their white-haired teammate or Hinata. Having looked in nearly every room and seeing no one, only one door was left. It was positioned at the very end of the hallway, and an almost ominous aura was emanating from it.

"You think they're in there?" Sakunami asked after a moment of staring at the door.

"They've gotta be," Futakuchi answered, taking a step forward and gesturing for his teammates to follow. With confidence Sakunami had never seen before, Futakuchi grasped the handle the threw open the door in one fluid motion, before freezing on the spot. He didn't know what he expected to see when he entered the room. Aone and Hinata playing video games, passing a volleyball around maybe, or even talking trash about other teams. What he didn't expect, however, was to be met with the stares of a very angry Aone with Hinata buried in his chest, crying his eyes out.

xxx

"What the HELL are you doing here?!" Aone hissed at his stunned teammates, who were currently frozen in the doorway. "Get out!"

"Did you do that to him?" Sakunami's voice was barely audible, his eyes trained on the sobbing form of the usually bouncy middle blocker.

"Excuse me?!" Aone's voice was dangerously low. "If you are implying that I was the one who made Hinata cry, then you are sorely mistaken." He glared. "Now. LEAVE."

"What's going on?" Hinata peeked up from where he was curled into Aone. His now red eyes widened slightly at the sight of the six members crowding around the living room door. "Oh." He was silent for a moment before he sat up and scrubbed at his tear-stained cheeks, a sight which made the hearts of each of the Date Tech players ache simultaneously. "Hi."

"Hi," Obara whispered back, unsure of what they had just walked in to. "I think we'll be going now so-"

"No." Hinata offered a broken, tired smile. "You can stay." His gaze flitted between Aone and his teammates. "You're Aone's teammates, right?" He studied them for a moment. Talking to people was a good distraction from the overwhelming weight he felt in his chest right now. Though Aone was the only one present who knew his current situation and he was beyond thankful for him, his white-haired friend wasn't exactly the best person to hold a conversation with. "Kenji Futakuchi, Yutaka Obara, Kousuke Sakunami, Kanji Koganegawa, Tarou Onagawa, and Jingo Fukiage."

"How do you know all our names?" Koganegawa blurted out, immediately regretting it after receiving harsh glares from every one of his teammates. Hinata just sniffled.

"You're all terrific volleyball players." He hiccupped pitifully, sending another pang through everyone's hearts. "I admire all of you for a lot of different reasons." Hinata's eyes gave a tiny twinkle as he stared up at the stunned Date Tech players. He examined them for a moment before looking at Aone. "Can they come in?" His voice was still shakey but his tears had ceased, not because he wasn't sad anymore but simply because he didn't have any left to shed. His tear ducts were completely tried out, and all Hinata could muster were gasping breaths and frantic hiccups. Aone nodded after a moment and signaled for his teammates to come through the threshold and into the room.

They cautiously entered the room and settled on the couch next to the duo. Everyone got themselves situation and comfortable without much of a problem, but after a few moments of silence, Obara decided he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hinata." The ginger turned to him, face red and blotchy and shoulders trembling. He just had to know. "Are you okay?"

Everyone tensed, though they had all been wondering the same thing. All eyes were on the small volleyball player as he froze for a moment, chewing on his lip as if in thought. "No." He said finally. "I'm not."

A defending silence filled the room, each player trying to figure out how to comprehend Hinata's confession while Aone just looked plain sad.

"Would you mind telling us why?" Sakunami whispered, barely able to keep his voice from cracking. Even though he didn't personally know the ginger just yet, he had seen the warm, genuine smiles that occupied his face day by day at various training camps and tournaments. They were so bright, so full of reassurance and life that it had made his heart ache the first time he had caught a glimpse of it. To see that same boy sitting so broken in front of him...it was more than he could take.

Hinata shook his head automatically. "I'd rather keep that to myself." He bit his lip apologetically. "If that's okay with you."

Sakunami shook his hands in front of his face, severely unwilling to pressure the boy into anything. "No! I mean, yes! I mean..." He mentally slapped himself. "Of course. It's your choice."

"Is there anything we can do?" Onagawa was wringing his hands together nervously. "For you, I mean." His teammates nodded vigorously at Onagawa's question, overcome by the sudden urge to help the ginger in front of them. Hinata mustered up a shrug.

"I'm kind of hungry." He admitted after a minute, shoulders falling to his sides and head hanging low. He just looked so utterly tired at that moment. His face was red and splotchy, yet pale at the same time. Dark bags found a home under his bloodshot eyes, and matted hair clung to his damp cheeks. "If that's okay." He whispered that last part. Asking for help was utterly foreign to the ginger. He always wanted to do things himself, build up his skills all on his own so he could be the best he could be.

"Of course, it's okay." Koganegawa's voice was uncharacteristically soft and soothing. He turned to Futakuchi. "Go to the kitchen, see if you can find some miso soup for Hinata's hunger and his throat." His gaze shifted to Fukiage. "See if you can find any blankets lying around, anything that might make him more comfortable." His teammates followed his commands without a second thought, both rushing off to do as the setter asked. Koganegawa smiled slightly before standing up himself. "I'm going to help Futakuchi in the kitchen." He declared softly. "You four stay with him."

The room fell into silence again after he left, the only sound being Hinata's occasional sniffles.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Obara sent a bewildered look Hinata's way. "Why?"

Hinata chuckled, though there was no humor behind it. "I finally meet the rest of the members of the great Date Tech volleyball team, and this is how I'm acting." He gestured to himself sadly. "I'm a mess." Obara wordlessly scooted closer to the troubled boy and carefully snaked an arm around his shoulder. He carefully guided Hinata's head until it was situated comfortably on his shoulder. Even though he had technically just met the middle blocker, Obara couldn't help but feel an overwhelming urge to protect the boy, comfort him until all of his problems went away, and he knew his teammates were feeling the exact same thing. He could tell by the way they exchanged worried glances, their insistence on helping Hinata, and how they followed orders to help the ginger without so much as a second thought.

"Don't be sorry," Obara muttered. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." It was Aone this time, who was looking at Hinata with undeniable fondness. "None of this is your fault." Hinata's lips curved up into a small smile, a real one. It was pure and sincere and the amount of love the present players felt for the boy at that moment was nothing short of indescribable.

The five volleyball players struck up a comfortable conversation a few moments later, most of the questions being directed at Hinata to get his mind off all of the emotions running through his head. It was a nice rhythm, and their strategy seemed to be working fairly well. They rapidly fired volleyball questions at the orangette, all of which he answered perfectly without a moment's hesitation, even in his current state.

"MISO'S READY!" Futakuchi yelled fifteen minutes later, storming out of the kitchen with a steaming hot bowl of admittedly good looking soup in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

Hinata raised his head from its place on Obara's shoulder, where it had been resting for the past twenty minutes or so. "Tha-"

"I FOUND BLANKETS!" Fukiage's voice rang throughout the house as he literally zoomed towards the living room with about five fluffy blankets and two pillows in hand, smiling in childish excitement.

Sakunami's eyes widened. "WAIT A SEC DON'T-"

Fukiage barely had time to register his words before he collided head-on with Futakuchi, sending both of them sprawling in a tangle of limbs, fluff, and blankets. Koganegawa barely had time to blink before something warm and wet was dripping down his forehead. He stuck his tongue out and licked a drop experimentally. Yep. He nodded to himself—Miso soup. The bowl was perched precariously on Koganegawa's head as the contents soaked his hair and spilled down his face, burning slightly but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

A bubbly laugh erupted from Hinata's throat, causing all those present to whip their heads around to stare at the boy. He doubled over, unable to contain himself at the sight in front of him. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were squeezed shut as sounds of pure joy echoed throughout the house, bouncing off the walls and into the hearts of all the players in the room. They couldn't stop the adoring smiles that crept up onto their faces even if they tried as they took in the sight of laughing Hinata. It truly was a sight to behold.

"Thank you." A stray tear dropped from Hinata's eye and rolled down his cheek, sending Date Tech into a sudden panicked frenzy. Hinata just giggled at their antics and waved them off. "I"m fine, I'm fine." He said, the smile still in place. "I needed that."

Aone smiled softly. "I'll always be here if you need anything, Shouyou." He said gently, practically bursting with joy.

"We will too," Onagawa interjected, his statement punctuated by choruses of agreement from the rest of his teammates.

Hinata perked up slightly. "Really?" His eyes were shining, though not with tears.

"Really."

The members of Date Tech made a vow that day. No matter what the cause or what the circumstance, they would make it their mission to protect that sunshiny smile.

Hinata was never going to frown ever again.