Asahi felt like crying.
The mere sight of his favorite little ginger sobbing his eyes out made his heart clench in uncomfortable ways. With every tear, every shake, and every shuddering breath, Asahi couldn't help but feel partially responsible. He was Hinata's upperclassman. While he wasn't technically obligated to take care of him, he couldn't help it. He had fallen in love with those ginger curls and sparkling eyes the very moment the first year had greeted him in the hallway with a smile. It was a smile like none he had ever seen before, and it made his chest ache.
It was pure and innocent, full of genuine excitement and love for everything around him. It was the kind of smile that Asahi hadn't seen since he was a kid, sheltered from the horrors of the world and the hardships of everyday life. It was the kind of smile that the moment he saw it, he made the silent vow to protect it.
Asahi had only grown more and more fond of Hinata as the year went on. He adored everything about his fellow spiker, from his enthusiastic cheers whenever they won a game to the way his face exploded with joy whenever he hit one of Kageyama's perfect sets. From his infectious, bubbly laugh to his fantastic home cooking. From his admittedly impressive singing to how he would go out of his way to help anyone and everyone. He admired every single quirk and talent his teammate had to offer.
Asahi took immense delight in the time he spent with Hinata. The ginger added just the right amount of pizzazz and sparkle to his dull, grey high school life.
No one was going to take even an ounce of sincerity out of that smile, not while Asahi was alive and breathing.
And yet here he was, standing helplessly to the side, eyes brimming with frustrated tears of his own, while Hinata cried his eyes out in Aone's chest.
He felt like he had failed, somehow.
xxx
Nishinoya was fuming.
Not at Hinata, or course. He would never even dream of being mad at his favorite underclassman. Not at Aone, either, though if he had something to do with Hinata state right now, that would change in an instant. His rage was directed at whatever sick bastard had the nerve to make the boy so full of life and happiness and reassurance cry. It was a crime punishable by death in Nishinoya's mind, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. He was way too devoted to the middle blocker.
To say Nishinoya was fond of his Shouyou was a gross understatement. Nishinoya was addicted to Hinata's smiles, but then again, who wasn't? The knowledge that he got his sunshiny underclassman to grin with such delight and joy filled the libero with an overwhelming sensation of accomplishment and inflated his ego tenfold. Even though he knew it wasn't exactly challenging to get the ginger to smile, he would keep on doing it and doing it until he couldn't anymore.
Because as long as Hinata's happy, even in the toughest situations, the libero knew that everything's going to be alright.
That's why the scene in front of him was so scary.
The libero would die for the ginger without a second thought, no hesitation necessary. Even the idea of his slightly taller teammate getting injured in some way made him want to snort. Yeah. As if he would ever let that happen. He would much rather quit volleyball and insult Kiyoko's looks than have even a drop of harm befall the middle blocker.
That was just how it was—a simple fact. The sky is blue, the grass is green, Nishinoya protects Hinata.
Nishinoya clenched his fists, practically vibrating with fury. If he ever found the bitch responsible for this, there would be HELL to pay. He didn't care if he got expelled, arrested, or even sent to jail or some shit.
No one makes Hinata cry.
Not on Nishinoya's watch.
xxx
Suga could feel his paternal instincts kicking into overdrive.
Suga couldn't take it. The sight of his precious teammate crying and trembling while he stood by and did nothing was shattering his heart. There was nothing more he wanted to do than scoop Hinata in for a hug and never let go, whispering comforting words once in a while and asking him what happened, what he can do to make it better.
Suga had always sensed naivety in Hinata. It was there in everything he did. The way he shamelessly sang to himself in the most random situations, the way he would challenge Kageyama to pointless fights and become friends with anyone and everyone, no matter how dangerous or threatening they seemed. It was etched all over his face, ingrained in his every action.
But the most telling sign was in Hinata's lively smiles.
Smiles so bright and so sincere and excited that you couldn't help but wonder if this boy had truly seen the world, seen the harsh reality of it all. He was so eager and so innocent, and Suga intended to keep him that way. He would fight to keep Hinata happy and cheerful, and if that meant sheltering him entirely from the hardships of the real world? Suga was completely and utterly okay with it.
But apparently, his efforts had been in vain.
The crying, shaking form of the boy he would give life and limb to keep smiling was definitely someone who had seen firsthand how cruel the world was.
Suga wanted to hug Hinata and never let go.
All he wanted to do was make everything okay.
xxx
Tsukishima was frozen.
Hinata and sad were two words that should never be in the same sentence. Not ever. Tsukishima knew he teased his fellow middle blocker a lot and brought him down a peg or two, but he didn't hate him. No, it was pretty much the opposite.
Hinata was too trusting. That much was clear the moment Tsukishima set eyes on the beaming ginger boy, who was so enthusiastic and kind that he couldn't help but like him, even if he wouldn't admit it. The only reason he tried to tear him down was for, well, his own safety.
Hinata looked at everything around him with stars in his eyes and a bright smile on his face, leaving the blonde blocker to wonder if the word 'hate' was even in Hinata's vocabulary. To say the ginger was an optimist would be a humongous understatement. Hinata was able to perceive anything and everything as good, and that fact alone scared Tsukishima out of his wits.
The world was a dangerous place full of disappointments and chaos; that much was abundantly clear to the taller male. He was just worried that Hinata didn't see it that way. The whole reason he had been throwing insults this way and that for the entirety of the season was so Hinata would become a little more cautious, a little more suspicious of the people and the world around him. Tsukishima had always calculated his insults carefully. After all, he would never dream of saying something that would wipe the sunny expression off of his fellow middle blocker's face completely.
But right at that moment, Tsukishima couldn't move. He was paralyzed, staring wide-eyed and mouth agape at the sight of his friendly, warm-hearted fellow blocker being reduced to nothing but breathy trembles and hiccupy sobs. This wasn't the Hinata he knew. This wasn't the Hinata that looked at everything and everyone like they hung the stars in the sky.
This was something completely different. This was a broken, scared boy who was beyond tired of the world around him. This was someone who had seen and experienced far too much to keep smiling the way he did every day.
Tsukishima, for lack of a better word, was terrified.
xxx
Yamaguchi could barely keep it together.
The sweet, loving, kind, charismatic soul known as Hinata Shouyou was crying right in front of him, and he had no idea what to do.
It was killing him.
Every sob felt like a piece of his chest was being ripped out, every tremble and shake stealing the breath away from his lungs. Hell, the version of Hinata being displayed before him was so drastically different than the one he saw every day, the one he had sleepovers with nearly every week, the one who would listen to his insecurities and doubts and always know exactly what to say.
Yamaguchi was riddled with anxiety. Invasive thoughts often took up his head and swirled around, refusing to leave him alone. Of course, he always had Tsuki to talk to, but his blonde best friend wasn't exactly the best with feelings. Luckily for him, when he was at his worst, an energized ball of sunshine bounced his way right into his life, as well as his heart.
Hinata always knew what to say and do, something that Yamaguchi was eternally grateful for. The pinch server wasn't anywhere near the point where he would consider harming himself, but Hinata always gave comforting him his all.
The ginger would always listen to all of Yamaguchi's vents, whether they were over phone, text, or in person. No matter where he was at the time or what he was doing, if Yamaguchi contacted him about a problem, Hinata would drop everything and be over at his house in fifteen minutes flat, where he would throw open the door and wrap Yamaguchi in the tightest, most comforting hug the pinch server had ever known.
Hinata always talked him down, no matter the situation. The ginger could make all of Yamaguchi's self-doubt disappear within minutes, using only loving, reassuring words and affectionate gestures.
So why couldn't Yamaguchi return the favor? Why was he such an awful friend to the person who made him feel like the most appreciated person on the planet?
Yamaguchi wanted so desperately to make it better, just like all the times Hinata had done for him.
But he didn't know how, and it was ripping him apart inside.
xxx
Tanaka had never felt so helpless in his life.
Up until this point, his problems had always been somewhat physical. He could always punch someone or something around him to calm his nerves and make him feel better or give him the satisfaction of handling something himself. He wasn't a violent guy, don't get him wrong. It was just how he expressed things growing up with someone like his sister.
Which is why he had no idea what he was supposed to do with the situation in front of him. Fists and force were utterly out of the question, the only reason being that Hinata was involved, and Tanaka would rather cut off his right arm than let anything happen to his precious underclassman, especially by his own hand. All he could do was stare feebly off the side, wincing with each cry and muffled sob.
For as long as Tanaka had known him, Hinata had been all smiles all the time. He had taken a liking to the boy immediately. The spiker had never had a younger brother before, but he reckoned that this was kind of what it felt like. He adored teaching Hinata new tricks and moves, an overwhelming sense of pride swallowing him up every time the ginger's eyes sparkled with admiration at him or his movements.
It was the best feeling in the world.
The one thing Tanaka had never expected Hinata to do was to cry. He didn't even think the word sadness was in the smaller boy's dictionary, but much to his dismay and heartbreak, he was dead wrong. The breathless, shaking boy hugging Aone's massive chest was proof enough for that.
The only think Tanaka couldn't figure out was why. Why was Hinata crying? Why to this extent? Why was Aone the only one who knew? Why were they refusing to tell them?
Tanaka had never been particularly good at emotions. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Hinata Shouyou of all people had something to cry about. Sure, he didn't know much about the interworkings of his personal life, but didn't the little ginger understand that the entire team was there for him? That they loved him? That they would do anything to make sure his happiness and strength as a person never faded?
Tanaka bit his lip. He wasn't going to cry. Not here, at least. When he got home and was alone in his room, that might be a different story. He didn't understand what was happening, but at the moment he didn't really care.
When Hinata was back to normal, Tanaka was going to make sure he knew exactly how loved he was.
xxx
Kageyama was at a loss.
He was well aware of the fact that he and Hinata spent the most time together out of everyone on the team. They might seem like an odd pair with their personalities being complete opposites of each other, but that might be why they worked so well together. Despite all that, Kageyama had never once seen so much as a flicker of sadness pass the ginger's face. His teammate was a very expressive person, that much was evident to anyone who met him. It was a stark contrast to Kageyama, who was about as emotionally constipated as they come. He knew he wasn't excellent at expressing his thoughts and feelings, but he had them.
Hinata meant a lot to Kageyama, whether he admitted it or not. The spiker was the first person to be able to hit his sets, the first person who was fast enough to keep up with him. He was the reason Kageyama began to love volleyball again.
Kageyama knew that to any person watching the two interact from the outside would only see bitter enemies or two people in a fight. Their conversations consisted of crude name-calling, insults, and jabs at the other's skills, but both never took any of these to heart. That was just how they were. The admittedly harsh teasing and banter had just become part of their day.
Truthfully, Kageyama didn't know what he would do with himself if Hinata had gotten hurt. It was a thought that had crossed his mind more than a few times, but he always shook it off and didn't give it a second thought. Hinata would always be fine in his mind. There was no way the universe would ever let anything bad happen to the person who had given him a purpose again, given him the gift of friendship that he hadn't experienced in middle school.
And yet, it seemed the universe was infinitely crueler than Kageyama could've ever imagined.
Kageyama could only stare in horror as his annoyingly happy spiker broke down right in front of him, clutching an opposing team member's chest and sobbing his heart out. Countless thoughts were swirling through his head as he played numerous simulations out in his mind. He thought back to the match and fought the urge to slap himself mentally.
Of course there had been something wrong with Hinata! He had noticed it from the very beginning. His eyes were dull, his jumps weren't as high, and he wasn't swinging his arms with his usual vigor. Kageyama fought the urge to scream. If only he had asked him about it sooner, if only he had paid closer attention, if only he could do something, anything to fix whatever mess Hinata was caught up it.
Kageyama knew he acted somewhat cruel towards his partner, but he never wanted to see him hurt. Not mentally, not physically, and not emotionally.
Never.
xxx
Daichi was conflicted.
He was the team captain. He prided himself on his decision making, his ability to act efficiently under pressure and make tough decisions when called for. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that one of the decisions he would have to make would be about leaving Hinata Shouyou behind.
Daichi knew they weren't actually going to be abandoning their small middle blocker, never in a million years would that happen, but it sure felt like it. Something was very, very wrong; that much was blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes and ears. Those shaking sobs and trembling hiccups made Daichi's chest constrict violently.
And he hated it.
He wanted so desperately to stay, to yank Hinata from Aone's grip, and wrap the ginger in his own. He wanted to know what was wrong, wanted to know so badly so he could do something about it. Whether he had to punch the person responsible for making his teammate like this or toss him volleyballs until his arms fall off, he would do whatever it took to make Hinata feel better.
But Daichi was perceptive enough to know that what Hinata needed right now wasn't his team. For whatever reason, at the moment, his only source of comfort was Aone, the only person who seemed to know what was going on. The simple fact that a member of Date Tech knew more about their ginger teammate than they did made Daichi's blood boil, but he maintained his calm exterior.
He was going to let Hinata go, for now, because he cared about him.
All of Karasuno did.
xxx
The Next Day
xxx
Hinata wasn't an idiot. From the second he had walked into volleyball practice, everyone had been treating him like he was made of glass. Of course, he couldn't really blame them. Hinata grimaced, the thought of himself breaking down in front of his teammate making bile rise in his throat. They were never meant to see that or that side of him. He was aware he didn't show it often, but it was still there, and it rarely came out.
Hinata prided himself on the fact that he didn't hold too much onto the past, the fact that he rarely let anything get him down, but June 17th was a different story altogether. It was the one day every year where he just couldn't take anymore. It had been six years since his dad had died, but it had never gotten any easier.
He doubted it ever would.
Hinata groaned inwardly. He could see his teammate shooting him wary glances and concerned gazes. The ginger rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Guys. I'm fine."
He was met only with the sound of squeaky shoes and bouncing balls. They weren't ignoring him, per se. It was more like the members of Karasuno were afraid to say anything that would set their smallest middle blocker off. Hinata just gave a huff of annoyance. In all honesty, he was fine. Thanks to the players of Date Tech, he had gotten out of his funk way earlier than usual. Though none of them, save Aone, had any idea exactly what the orangette was so upset about, they were eager to help him nonetheless. Hinata was beyond grateful for that.
Biting his lip, Hinata made a split-second decision to flounce over to the one person who might actually treat him like normal today.
"Hey, Kageyama!" Hinata's voice was bright and cheery as he bounded over to the setter. It wasn't an act; he really was happy, as usual. But the problem was, everyone seemed to think it was.
Kageyama's eyes widened at the sight of his partner, audibly tensing up. "Uh. Hey, Hinata."
Hinata fought the urge to scoff. Well, so much for being treated like an ordinary person today. "Can you throw me some tosses?"
Kageyama's eyes carefully scanned over his spiker, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the ginger. Hinata cringed inwardly. Another concern of the team, much to his annoyance, was the fact that they had somehow gotten it into their heads that Aone would try something to hurt him. As if. He may be big, but Hinata knew he was a humongous softy who would never harm a hair on his head.
Seemingly satisfied with the fact that he found no new bruises, Kageyama stepped back and scowled. "Not right now, Hinata."
Hinata wrinkled his nose. There was a distinct lack of the word 'dumbass' in Kageyama's vocabulary today, and he wasn't sure he liked it. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. Might as well cut to the case. "You're still wondering about yesterday, aren't you." He said it as a statement, not a question. Kageyama flinched and tilted his head slightly downwards so he could meet Hinata's eyes, arms crossed and expression unreadable.
"No shit." He glared, though there was no ill intent behind it, before his eyes softened. "Hinata, what happened? And why was Aone a part of it?"
"Ugh. Don't remind me." Hinata cringed internally, the thought of his teammates seeing him like that again making him sick to his stomach.
"Hinata..." Kageyama warned, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Hinata threw his hands up in response.
"Seriously, I'm fine now!" He grinned widely. It wasn't a lie, though Kageyama seemed to think it was. "It's no big deal!"
Kageyama crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced. "Yeah?" His voice was flat. "Then I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to tell me what the hell happened."
Hinata sighed. Sometimes, Kageyama really had no concept of boundaries. "That's not what I said." He offered Kageyama an apologetic smile. "Look. I'm sorry, but as of right now, only a few people know about it." He rubbed his arm nervously. "And I'm not sure I'd like to expand that circle."
"Oh?" Kageyama raised an eyebrow. "Who knows?" He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his spiker fixed him with a wary stare. "At least give me that." His voice softened slightly. "I'm worried about you."
Hinata blinked in surprise before nodding hesitantly. "Okay. So um...Aone obviously knows. Iwaizumi and Oikawa do as well-" Kageyama physically gagged at that one, making Hinata laugh brightly before continuing his list. "Akaashi from Fukurodani knows, and then there's Kenma and Lev. I'm also pretty sure Tendou knows, but he won't confirm or deny anything, so it's hard to say." He thought for a moment. "Oh. And Kiyoko."
"KIYOKO KNOWS?!" Kageyama couldn't contain himself after hearing that one. "AND WHY THE HELL DO PLAYERS FROM OTHER TEAMS KNOW AND NOT US?"
"Look. Kenma is the only one I actually told. The rest just kind of...caught me at a bad time."
Kageyama crossed his arms in annoyance. "Define a bad time."
"Look, it was just circumstance, alright?" Hinata pushed past Kageyama. "Now, I'd like to get some actual volleyball in."
"Dumbass..." Ah, there it was. The strange term of endearment Kageyama often used while talking to him, though at the moment, it didn't make the ginger feel any better.
"Drop it." Hinata's tone was icy and cold, sounding more like Tsukishima than his usually cheery self. "I only brought it up because the rest of you are treating me like some child. So tell everyone to stop, or else I am going to pack up my stuff and leave right now."
Hinata didn't bother to see Kageyama's reaction. He spun on his heel and started walking the other way, volleyball still under his arm. Honestly, he was fed up with the way everyone had been acting around him. He could handle himself just fine, thank you very much, and it wasn't very polite or friend-like to try and force an answer about something he clearly didn't want to talk about.
xxx
The rest of practice went on relatively smoothly all things considered. It appeared that Kageyama had delivered Hinata's message to his teammates, and besides the concerned looks and everyone going slightly easier on him than usual, everything was pretty much back to normal.
That is until Nishinoya snapped.
Practice was just wrapping up, and everyone was packing up their belongings and getting ready to go their separate ways. This practice had been optional since it was a Saturday, but every single team member had shown up without fail. Whether it was to see if he was okay or whether they just wanted to play volleyball, Hinata didn't know. He was glad, for the first time in his life, that practice was over. Maybe when they picked back up again on Monday, this whole ordeal would be forgotten.
"Shouyou." Hinata looked up from his duffle bag to stare at his upperclassman.
"Yeah, Noya?"
Nishinoya glared, though it wasn't directed at the ginger. He was beyond frustrated, and his curiosity was eating him up inside. "Spill."
Hinata blinked. "Excuse me?!"
"I said spill." Nishinoya crossed his arms as a tense silence filled the gym. His teammates started at the libero in silent anger and warning, no one daring to make a move on the temperamental shorty, though they would if he upset Hinata further. No one wanted a repeat of yesterday, whatever that was.
Hinata stared incredulously at his upperclassman. Of all people, Nishinoya was the last person Hinata would've expected to get mad at him over this. He just sighed. His teammates really needed to know when to stop prying. "Look. It's a private thing."
"PRIVATE MY ASS!" Nishinoya balled his hands into fists. Hinata could feel the anger coming off him in waves, making him stop in his tracks. "IF IT'S SO 'PRIVATE' WHY DOES AONE KNOW, HUH? WHY NOT US?"
"Nishi, stop." Asahi pleaded, but to no avail. Nishinoya's temper was rising by the second. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he became. Why couldn't Shouyou just see he was trying to help him?!
"SHUT UP!" Nishinoya batted Asahi's hand away. "AREN'T YOU ALL CURIOUS? WHY DOES A MEMBER OF THAT SHITTY DATE TECH TEAM KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH SHOUYOU?!"
Hinata just glared. This was starting to get really annoying. "Drop it."
"NO WAY IN HELL! WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!"
"You really don't."
"SHOUYOU! STOP BEING SO DIFFICULT! WE WANT TO HELP YOU!"
"The best way to help me would be for you to stop questioning this. Everything's fine."
"WELL IF YESTERDAY WAS ANY INDICATION, IT CLEARLY WASN'T!"
Hinata's eye twitched as his hands dropped from his duffle to his sides. He slowly stood up to face Nishinoya. "Stop." His voice was cold.
That only succeeded in riling Nishinoya up more, much to Karasuno's dismay. If they didn't step in soon, someone was going to get hurt. "NO! WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN?!"
"WHY ARE YOU SO PUSHY?" They were both yelling now, voices getting louder and louder with every sentence.
"I JUST WANT TO HELP YOU!"
"WELL, YOU'RE DOING A TERRIBLE JOB AT THAT!"
"IF YOU WON'T TELL ME THEN I'LL JUST FIND OUT OTHER WAYS!"
"OH YEAH?! HOW. SO."
"I'LL ASK AONE, TRACK YOUR HOUSE DOWN AND ASK YOUR MOM AND YOUR DAD-"
"GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!"
"OH YEAH? YOU DON'T THINK I COULD DO IT!?"
"NO, I DON'T!"
"AND WHY'S THAT?!"
"BECAUSE MY DAD'S DEAD!" Hinata clapped both of his hands over his mouth, eyes widening to epic proportions. He locked eyes with Nishinoya, who had opened his mouth to scream something back but was now just staring at the ginger, gaping. Hinata mentally cursed. God, he was such an idiot. Leave it to him to lose his temper and reveal the very secret he had been arguing to keep. What would they think of him now? Would they hate him? Think he was weak? Would they-
Hinata barely had time to finish his thought before he was pulled into a crushing hug by Suga, followed quickly by Yamaguchi and Asahi, hugging him from each side, so they formed a sort of triangle around him. Hinata responded by burying his head in Yamaguchi's chest, hiding his face from the rest of his teammates. He wasn't going to cry, but damn it was hard to resist.
"Hinata, I-" Kageyama didn't even know what to say. "Is that was yesterday was about?"
Hinata nodded numbly. "Yeah." He mumbled, voice muffled by Yamaguchi's t-shirt. "Sixth anniversary of his death." Kageyama swooped down and joined the group hug in an instant. He wasn't particularly fond of physical affection, but he would be damned if he didn't comfort Hinata when he needed it. The gym was silent for a few moments as everyone took this information in.
"How are you so happy?" Hinata peeked his head up to look at Tanaka.
"What?"
"Is it an act?" Tanaka's eyes were glimmering with unshed tears, and no one could blame him. The spiker had just said what everyone had been thinking but were too afraid to ask. Was Hinata's sunny exterior only a front? A mask that he put on to cope with a beloved family member's death? Were his smiles really as pure as they seemed? Or were they hiding a much darker secret underneath?
Hinata managed a small giggle, and that alone was enough to soothe Tanaka's high-strung nerves. The ginger slowly removed himself from around Yamaguchi to stare at his fellow spiker. "I promise, I'm always as happy as I seem." He wrung out his fingers. "It's just, on the anniversary reality sets in, you know? Another year with him gone."
"But how?" It was Tsukishima this time, who was standing dumbly to the side of the hugging pile. "How do you manage to be so cheery every day?" The blonde middle blocker just had to know. He knew the rest of his teammates did too, though they didn't want to admit it.
Hinata just shrugged and smiled softly. "I try not to think about it." He whispered, the atmosphere in the gym suddenly becoming very tense. "I mean, he's always in the back of my mind, but you can't dwell on the past forever, right?" He offered a smile, not as bright as his usual ones but bright enough. "And he would want me to be happy no matter what happened to him. So I do."
"Hinata, why didn't you tell us?" Daichi's eyebrows were furrowed together with worry. "We could've given you the game yesterday off if it was too much for you. We care about you and your mental health Hinata. You know that." Hinata shrugged again. He honestly had no plausible answer as to why he hadn't told his team.
"I dunno." Hinata was aware of how weak that excuse sounded, but it was the truth. "Only a small group of people besides my family knows. I guess I just wasn't quite ready to tell anyone else."
"Who else knows?" Suga was genuinely curious, but he didn't want to push his precious ray of sunshine too hard. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
Hinata nodded and gave Suga a gentle smile. "No. It's okay. I might as well tell you everything since you already know."
Nishinoya audibly flinched at that. He hadn't moved from his previous spot, nor had he contributed anything to the conversation. He was ridden was guilt, and the hatred he felt for himself right how was practically unbearable. How could he have blown up like that? How could he have forced his beloved underclassman to reveal something so personal? He felt like shit, the lowest of the low. All he could do was listen to Hinata's explanation with a heavy heart.
Hinata continued on. "The people who know outside of my family are Aone, Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Lev, Kenma, Akaashi, Kiyoko, maybe Tendou, and now you guys."
"Kiyoko knows?"
"What do you mean maybe Tendou?"
Suga and Daichi glared at each other before looking back at Hinata, both wanting the ginger to answer their questions first. Hinata just laughed it off.
"I'm getting to that. Most of the people found out on accident. Aone's dad works for a pretty well-known newspaper company, the same one that covered his death." He shrugged. "Aone heard my name and put the pieces together. I accidentally let it slip to Oikawa a few weeks ago after we saw a movie together. He encouraged me to talk to Iwaizumi about it since he lost his mom when he was even younger than me."
"Really?" Kageyama wrinkled his nose. He'd never known that.
Hinata nodded. "Yeah. He's helped a lot. Anyways, Akaashi found out when he ran into me visiting my father's grave." His face fell a bit. "Kiyoko found out the same way, but it was a different time." He was silent for a moment before perking back up. "Kenma is the only person I actually told. We were at my house for a sleepover, and it was really late at night. We'd become pretty good friends at that point, so I told him. Lev had been in the kitchen, and he'd overheard."
"And Tendou...?" It was Asahi who asked.
Hinata chucked. "Yeah. I'm not quite sure if he's figured it out, but if he hasn't, then I have no intent on telling him. No matter how good of a friend he is."
"Shouyou, I'm sorry." All eyes turned to Nishinoya, his lips pursed as he refused to meet Hinata's eyes, instead fixing them on the hardwood floor. "I never should've lost my temper, and I never should've pushed you so hard. I was just worried, and I wanted to make it better somehow and I-"
"It's okay, Noya." Hinata smiled brightly as the libero practically melted at the adoration and forgiveness in the ginger's eyes. "I'm not mad. I think it was about time I told you all about this anyway." He bit his lip and laughed nervously. "I'm really sorry for screaming at you and-"
Hinata didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Nishinoya ripped him away from his four other teammates to gather him in a hug. "Don't apologize." He whispered, almost on the verge of tears. He wouldn't blame his underclassman if he never spoke to him again, but despite the circumstances, Hinata had forgiven him in less then five minutes. "I'm so, so sorry, Shou."
Hinata smiled and nodded before gently pulling away from Nishinoya's grasp. "It's okay, everyone. Just please promise me one thing." He didn't wait for any confirmation to continue. "Don't treat me any differently because of this, okay? I have no problem talking about him. It happened a long time ago, and I really only break down on days like the anniversary because of it. So please don't treat me like I'm going to break at any second." He beamed. "I promise I'm not."
"Can I ask one thing?" Kageyama held up a finger. "How did he die?"
There was a beat of silence as everyone held their breath.
"Cancer," Hinata answered finally. It was a simple, one-word answer, but it was enough for the members of Karasuno to once again tackle their second smallest teammate into a crushing hug. Well, everyone except Tsukishima, who just watched the spectacle with a fond smile on his lips.
He was glad this wasn't going to break Hinata.
The ginger was a lot stronger than he gave him credit for.
