Terushima's watched mutely as the glasses-wearing hottie retreated down the hall.
God damn, how had Karasuno of all teams manage to get a girl like that as their manager? Her eyes were like the ocean, hair silky and smooth, skin so pale and beautiful that it looked like porcelain, and just one glance at her had been enough to drive Terushima wild.
Of course, it was only natural for the blond to shoot his shot and try to get the beauty's number before she disappeared from his life forever. He'd had no ill intentions whatsoever, and even though he knew hadn't done the best job of showcasing that fact, but it still didn't excuse the fact that some stupid first-year had interfered in his foolproof plan to woo the raven-haired goddess, and thus sent her running down the corridor and out of his sight.
Speaking of which...
"The hell was that!" Terushima quickly rounded on the small boy who had so rudely butted in on their one-sided conversation. "Do you have any shred of self-respect for..." His voice trailed off as he scanned the ginger up and down, taking in everything from his vibrant head of curls to the honey freckles peppering his face. He'd been expecting a brash looking, rude, young punk volleyball player that he could easily curse out, not whatever angelic being was standing in front of him.
Definitely not that.
"Uh. Hi." Hinata waved hesitantly, offering a soft, shaky smile that made Terushima weak in the knees. "I get that you're kind of mad, but it looked like Kiyoko wanted her space, and-"
"You're fucking adorable." The words were out before Terushima could stop them, not that he particularly minded. After all, he tended to speak his mind, and there was no way he was going to stop now. He prattled on, desperately trying to ignore the delightful pink now painting the boy's babyface. "I'm serious. You're like-" He gestured uselessly. "Really pretty."
Terushima had never been so serious about anything in his life. God, in all his years on planet earth, he had never seen a human being as adorable and perfect looking as the one standing before him. The blond sucked in a breath. Fluffy orange hair, flawless skin, flushed cheeks, not the mention the fact that he was adorably pocket-sized, and ohmygod, are his eyes sparkling? Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Terushima wanted to die. Or was he already dead? Was this was angels looked like? Why didn't anyone tell him! If he'd known they were this unbearably pretty, he would've booked a ticket to the afterlife a lot sooner.
"Um, Terushima?" Hinata's raised a nervous eyebrow, unsure if the blond's attitude towards him was good or bad. "You look a little shell-shocked. Are you okay?"
Holy shit, his voice is adorable too ohmygod he's like a puppy.
"Um." Terushima flashed a weak smile the ginger's way. God, what was happening to him? It was almost like all of his senses were completely shut down. The hell? That's not how things are supposed to work. He's supposed to be the charmer, the one everyone adored. He's supposed to be the one making other people flustered for no good reason, not the other way around, and definitely not because of a first-year with eyes like honey and fluffy curls that looked like they would be soft to the touch and holy freaking crap I give up he's the cutest thing I've ever seen.
"Wait a sec." Terushima blinked as he registered Hinata's words. "How'd you know my name?"
"Oh." Hinata broke into a wide, relieved smile, making Terushima choke and stumble backward a few steps. "Of course I know you! You're Yuuji Terushima, captain of Johzenji!" He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I admire you! I know your school isn't as big and well known as some others, but the way you always have fun and stuff during your volleyball matches is really really cool! I think it's better to have fun while doing things rather than be super serious, you know?"
This had to be a trick. There was no way the most adorable puppy-like boy Terushima had ever seen both played volleyball and shared his exact same mindset when it came to everyday life. Was this a prank? An elaborate scheme set up by his joke loving teammates?
Terushima had been kind of hoping that the ginger's attitude would be rude or condescending, but no, it was just as perfect as the rest of him. He was as cheerful as he was polite, and his words were filled with such enthusiasm that Terushima decided right then and there that it was utterly impossible to dislike the impossibly charismatic child in front of him, and anyone who did either took joy in kicking puppies or was the spawn of the devil himself.
Terushima's mind came to a screeching halt, eyes blown wide as he finally processed Hinata's statement. Holy crap. Holy freaking crap. He'd said he admired him. The angelic soul straight from heaven admired him.
Terushima thought he might faint.
Holy.
Freaking.
Crap.
"You're coming with me." The words were oddly strangled and forceful, but Terushima had never been more adamant about something in his life. "Please." He added after a moment, because consent was always a good thing.
"Uh." Hinata tilted his head like a confused puppy, and Terushima's internal screaming was so loud he was surprised no one else could hear it. "You're not going after Kiyoko again, are you?"
Ohmygod, his heart is made of pure gold. How the hell is this child even real.
"Your manager?" Terushima waved the thought away. "Nope, I really couldn't give a damn about her right now."
"Oh." Hinata put a finger to his lips, thinking for a moment, before splitting into a heart-melting grin. "Sure! Sounds cool!" The ginger stuck a hand out enthusiastically. "I'm Shouyou Hinata! Nice to finally meet you!"
Terushima internally cringed. Had he really been so wrapped up that he'd forgotten to ask for the boy's name? Talk about a bad kinda sorta first impression.
"It's awesome to meet you, Hinata!" Terushima shook the middle blocker's outstretched hand with renowned vigor. "I guess you already know who I am, huh."
"Yep!" He thought for a moment. "Uh, I got one question, though."
"Shoot," Terushima said instantly, beginning his descent down the hall, looking back every once in a while to ensure that the ginger was still on his heels.
"Where exactly are we going?' Hinata didn't sound scared or uncomfortable; he just looked curious. God, this boy was so freaking innocent it made Terushima want to scream. While it was a valid question, Terushima's brain was still a little foggy from one of Hinata's earlier smiles aimed right at his face, so he had to shake his head a few times before answering.
"I'm gonna show you off to my team, of course!"
"Show me off?" Holy crap, this boy was so precious. "What do you mean by that?"
Terushima blinked. "In case you haven't noticed, you're the most adorable thing on his planet," He replied. "My teammates will adore you. I'm positive."
"Oh." Hinata scrunched up his face. "Okay!" He bounded forward a few steps, so he was now walking beside Terushima instead of behind him. "I'm sure I'll love them! Johzenji seems like a really fun team!"
Terushima nodded in agreement. "I'm sure you will. They act a lot like you, you know?"
"Really?" Hinata's eyes grew wide, and Terushima had to physically fight the urge to squish his cheeks. "Whadda ya mean?"
"Loud. Happy. Energetic. Bubbly." Terushima counted each of these off on his fingers. "Smiley. Peppy. Lively. Animated. Sociable-"
"How would you know if I'm sociable?" Hinata interrupted, staring at the blond with bright, curious eyes. "You've never seen me before today, right?"
Terushima squinted at the boy. "Is that a serious question?"
Hinata shrugged, shifting his gaze again so he was now facing straight ahead. "Just wondering."
Terushima was torn between answering Hinata's question and getting down on his knees to give thanks to whatever god had decided to bless his existence with the innocent angel.
Eventually, the former won out, but only because Terushima had decided he'd postpone the latter until he got home.
"You can't honestly tell me that you don't have people tripping over their own two feet just to be around you, Hinata."
Hinata blinked rapidly, pink lightly dusting over his freckles. Terushima had to fight the urge to swoon.
"I mean, I have my fair share of friends, and I love them all, but I won't say they're tripping over their own two feet." The middle blocker laughed brightly, seemingly amused by Terushima's assumption. "Why would you think that, anyway?"
Terushima stopped, physically stopped, in the middle of the hallway to gape at the ginger. Was he serious? He had to be kidding. He must be kidding.
One look at Hinata's flushed face told the blond that no, this puppy dog of a human's question was entirely and utterly sincere.
"Hinata," Terushima spoke slowly, making the boy smile at attention. "Shortstack, you're the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Ever. Like, you're really pretty." Hinata perked up slightly at the comment, earnest curiosity sparkling in those honey eyes everyone loved so much. Terushima had to bite the inside of his cheek so he didn't scream.
"You're bubbly, vibrant, kind, your smiles are like freaking sunshine for god's sakes, and so help me if you are not one of the most popular students in Karasuno, I will personally quit volleyball, question life as I know it, and go live in the mountains with eight alpacas."
The hallway was silent for a moment as Hinata soaked everything in with wide eyes, his cheeks growing redder by the second. Terushima, who usually found silence uncomfortable and suffocating, was content watching as different emotions flickered across the ginger's face, ranging from confusion to pure, unbridled joy.
It baffled Terushima to no end. Had no one ever told this boy how utterly adorable and lovable he was? Really? Hell, if he had to be around the literal embodiment of sunshine all day, the blond knew he wouldn't be able to resist showering the ginger in compliments all day long. Terushima made a mental note to yell at Karasuno later for never telling their shorty how amazing he was.
"AWWW! YOU'RE SO COOL!" Hinata snapped out of his daze in an instant, flashed the biggest smile Terushima had ever seen, and ran barrelling into the boy's chest, arms outstretched. "THANK YOU, TERUSHIMA! YOU'RE AMAZING!"
Now, Yuuji Terushima was a touchy person. He'd received his fair share of embraces and affection in his life, but at that moment, he could safely say that Hinata gave the best hugs ever. For someone so small, he held so much warmth it was utterly ridiculous, not to mention unfair. Not only that, but Karasuno's number ten was so small that his hair barely tickled Terushima's chin and ohmygod, it's so freaking fluffy why the actual hell was he even allowed to be in the presence of an angel like this.
Hinata squeezed Terushima's midsection one more time, smiling into his shirt, before pulling off and adjusting his duffle.
"Thanks a lot for the compliments, Terushima." Hinata smiled softly, scratching the curls that were oh so begging the blond to be ruffled. "I don't usually get a lot of those."
"What?! Why?!" Terushima cried as if it were the most outrageous thing he'd ever heard. His eyes were unfocused and glassy, the little sense of dignity he had left shamelessly melting away. "That's ridiculous. You're adorable! Your personality is adorable! ALL OF YOU IS ADORABLE! Do they seriously not compliment you? Seriously? Is there something wrong with their brains? Do they all have concussions or something? Like, they don't do it at all?! Not your looks, not your personality, not your attitude, not your smiles, not-"
A bright peal of laughter interrupted Terushima's babbling, abruptly shutting the blond up as he stared open-mouthed at the flushed, giggling form of Hinata.
"You're nice, Terushima!" He stated, grinning wildly, absolutely melting at the praise. "But don't worry about it! My team may be a bunch of big meanies-" The ginger pouted at that, somehow making it seem endearing instead of mocking. "-but I know they appreciate me. Plus, my looks or personality never really comes up in conversation." He shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. I'm just grateful I get the chance to have so many friends, you know?!"
Terushima stared at him. There was absolutely no way this boy was real. He was selflesson top of everything else that was perfect about him? Un. Real.
"You okay?" Hinata took in the blond's skeptical look, his own soft features morphing into a horrified expression. "Oh, no. Do you not like being touched?" His eyes grew wide at the prospect of displeasing the blond in some way. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have hugged you without knowing if you were okay with it or not, and I-"
Terushima had to physically choke down his heart. "You," He walked forward and grabbed Hinata by the head, unable to resist the temptation of the soft-looking curls any longer. "Are the most precious human on the planet." He ruffled the ginger locks. "I'm 100% serious."
Hinata brushed the comments aside, still looking worriedly at Terushima. "You're nice, but I didn't make you feel uncomfortable or anything, did I?"
Terushima snorted fondly, removing his hand from Hinata's hair. "No way. Don't' sweat it, Shorty. Me and my team are pretty big on hugs and stuff."
"Oh." Hinata smiled in a way that could only be described as relieved. "Good."
And just like that, his usual happy, energetic self was back. "So, we're still gonna see everyone, right!?"
Terushima blinked at the sudden change in volume, though he didn't have any complaints on the matter. "Yeah, if you still wanna."
"Of course I do!" Hinata practically skipped down the hallway, literally doing twirls as he went. "I've never met anyone from Johzenji other than you. It'd be seriously amazing if I got lucky enough to meet the whole team!"
"Oh yeah?" Even if Terushima didn't show it, he was putty in the ginger's hands (along with the rest of the volleyball community, but he didn't know that) "Normally people just look over us because we're not a very well known team or school."
"That's stupid." Hinata transitioned into a walk, getting into place beside Terushima as the two resumed their walking. "I've only seen you guys play a few times, but it always looks like you're having fun!" He made a face. "It's a lot better than some other players. Like my teammate Tsukishima? He's kind of an ass. He says he doesn't really love volleyball, which is ridiculous because how can you not love volleyball? But he always insists that he's playing it just because. It's kind of annoying, but I think he actually likes it and he just doesn't want to admit it."
"Oh yeah?' Terushima thought for a moment. He'd caught a few glances at Karasuno before on television before, and once when he was walking into the complex. "Tall blond guy? Glasses?"
"YES, THAT'S HIM!" Hinata bounced wildly on the balls of his feet. "How'd you know?!"
Terushima snorted. "He looked kinda snooty Shortstack, not gonna lie. His nose was literally turned up in the air when my team walked by him."
"I KNOW RIGHT? WHY DOES HE DO THAT?"
"I couldn't tell ya, kid."
Hinata smiled. "Hmm. I just think that players like you and your team really enjoy the sport and aren't ashamed to admit that, you know? And I think that's really cool!"
"Yeah, we all love it." Terushima paused, momentarily forgetting his urge to squeal like a little girl at the boy's comments. "Isn't your team gonna be worried about you?"
Hinata shrugged. "I don't know. They can freak out over little things for no reason, but Kiyoko can just tell them that I'm with you!"
Terushima wrinkled his nose. "Hot manager girl?"
"Yeah." Hinata scratched his cheek. "Don't call her that in front of Tanaka or Nishinoya, though. I think they would murder you."
Terushima saluted. He had absolutely no idea who those people were, but whatever kept the sunshine child smiling was good enough for him. "You have my word."
Hinata let out a breathy laugh. "Sweet! As long as you don't do that, I'm sure everything'll be fine."
xxx
"EVERYTHING IS NOT FINE!" Daichi was seething. He'd turned around for one second, one second, and Hinata had gone missing. Honestly, of all the times and all the places, it just had to be just after everyone was still high on their victory from before and ready to pack up and go home.
"Daichi, calm down." Suga was busy questioning the other first-years about Hinata's disappearance, which put Asahi in charge of making sure their captain's head didn't blow off. "There's probably a good reason for this, okay? He probably just had to go to the bathroom or something."
Daichi groaned, putting his head in his hands. "He doesn't even have his phone like he did the last time he got lost! What if something happens? He'd probably get into a white van with a stranger if they asked him nicely enough, let's be honest here!
Asahi smiled shakily, the captain's words doing no favors for his nerves or peace of mind. "Uh, maybe don't say that, Daichi? You're starting to sound like Tanaka."
Tanaka rolled his eyes and huffed, but didn't deny it. After all, he'd drawn the very same conclusion in his head the second everyone realized their favorite little ginger was missing.
"Good news." Suga walked back up to the group, the first-years trailing behind him. "It sounds like Hinata just forgot something inside, so he should be out soon."
"The reason he's taking so long is most likely 'cause he ran into Kiyoko." Yamaguchi piped up, scratching his neck. "They're probably walking back right now."
Suga nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. That's what I think happened. It makes the most sense."
"Shouyou's alone with Kiyoko?" Nishinoya whined, crossing his arms and moving to stand next to his fellow second-year.
"Lucky bastard," Tanaka grumbled, mirroring the libero's pose. "Gets to be all alone with Kiyoko while the rest of us are stuck waiting for him."
"If he weren't such a stupid dumbass, none of this would be happening," Kageyama huffed, crossing his arms. "It's like, a bazillion degrees out."
Tsukishima grumbled in response, absentmindedly toeing at a pebble. "He really should be more careful. No one we know is here to help him if he gets lost."
Suga put his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Hinata's a smart kid-"
"He's really not."
"Shut it. This complex isn't that big, so if he does manage to get lost, I'm sure he'll be able to find us in no time."
Kageyama snorted. "Are we not going to take into account the fact that Hinata has an attention span of, like, three seconds? Max?"
"He'll be fine." Tanaka was being uncharacteristically calm, especially considering that fact this his favorite underclassman had gone missing and he had yet to voice any morbid conspiracy theories or predictions about his whereabouts.
"Yeah!" Nishinoya jumped into view in front of Tanaka. "Our loving goddess Kiyoko has him safe in her gentle hands!"
"What about my gentle hands?"
"KIYOKO!" Tanaka and Nishinoya leaped at the woman, arms outstretched with humongous smiles on their faces. Kiyoko sidestepped them with practiced ease, taking a moment to brush herself off before facing the rest of the group.
"Where's Hinata?" She asked after a moment, scanning the volleyball players carefully. "Is he not here?"
Daichi blinked. "Uh, we were about to ask you the same thing." He crinkled his eyes at Kiyoko. "Is he not with you?"
"No." Kiyoko shook her head. "Did he not come back?"
"Come back?" Yamaguchi put up a hand. "So, you saw him?"
The manager nodded. "I did, yes." She scanned the surrounding area with worried eyes. "A guy was asking for my number, earlier. Hinata stepped in and told him to stop bothering me."
"YES! THAT'S MY UNDERCLASSMAN!" Nishinoya whooped, pumping his fists in the air. "WE'VE TAUGHT HIM WELL."
"We certainly have." Tanaka wiped a fake tear from each of his eyes. "Our precious baby crow is finally spreading his wings." He jumped at Nishinoya, latching onto his considerably smaller body, dramatically sobbing crocodile tears. "We truly are the best upperclassmen in the history of ever."
"Uh, hello?" Suga flicked each of the boys on the forehead. "Are we just going to ignore the part where HINATA IS MISSING?"
"Oh." Tanaka froze, his expression morphing into one of pure horror. Suga groaned, realizing his mistake immediately.
"Tanaka, don't-"
"OHMYGOD HINATA IS MISSING! A MILLION THINGS COULD'VE HAPPENED TO HIM! HE COULD'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED BY THE GUY WHO ASKED FOR KIYOKO'S NUMBER! OR HARASSED BY THE GUY WHO ASKED FOR KIYOKO'S NUMBER! OR PUMMELLED FOR STOPPING THE GUY WHO ASKED FOR KIYOKO'S NUMBER! I SWEAR IF THAT GUY LAYS SO MUCH AS A FINGER ON HIM I'LL FU-"
"TANAKA!" Daichi gestured wildly to a shaking Asahi. "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"
Tanaka whirled around to stare at the captain. "Am I wrong, though? Don't you think that it's a little bit suspicious that the last time Kiyoko saw Hinata was after he told some guy off for asking for her number? We don't even know who this guy is, Daichi! He could be dangerous for all we know! Hell, he's probably with our baby ginger right now!" Tanaka gestured wildly. "Not to mention the fact that Hinata will trust anyone who so much as speaks to him kindly. Does that seriously not worry you guys?!"
"It is...slightly concerning..." Tsukishima muttered, raising his eyes from the ground for the first time since the conversation started. "Kiyoko, what did this guy look like?"
"Um..." Kiyoko thought for a moment. In all honestly, she'd been a little too preoccupied with getting back to the team to focus on his face too much, and she could only remember a few small details. "He was pretty tall, I think. He had blond hair with an undercut and a few piercings. There was one on his tongue if I remember correctly."
"Is this guy a volleyball player?" Kageyama cut in, unable to keep the unease out of his voice. "Have you seen him before?"
"Uh, I'm not sure." Kiyoko grimaced. She was no help to Hinata, and she knew it. Hell, she couldn't even remember the guy's face accurately. How was that going to help them find their smallest first-year? "He wasn't in a uniform when I saw him."
"And you said he had a tongue piercing?" Asahi was physically shaking now, his mind a whirlwind with possibilities of why Hinata was taking so long. "Could this guy be like a thug or something? Someone...dangerous?" He whispered that last word, desperately hoping the middle blocker was safe and unharmed in every way but knowing that it was, given everything they'd heard, a frighteningly possible possibility. "Like, I'm pretty sure a highschooler's parents wouldn't let them get a tongue piercing that early, right?"
Suga's face had gone a pale shade of white, no doubt at the thought of a possible delinquent touching a single hair on his sweet, naive underclassman. "We need to find him." He choked out. It was no secret that Suga had basically adopted Hinata from the very moment he stepped foot into the gym, and ever since then, the setter had had the insatiable urge to protect and shelter the boy from anything and everything he considered evil. Whether that was good or bad, no one knew.
Nishinoya nodded frantically, Tanaka's grip on his arm the only thing keeping the libero from tearing the building down for Hinata's sake. "Agreed. We needed to find him, like, yesterday." He groaned. "I told you guys that we should've gone and looked for him sooner! But no, you guys wanted to wait! He's my underclassman, you know!"
"He's all our underclassman, Noya," Daichi answered sharply, sending a glare the libero's way. "And we all care about him as much as you do. So let's stop with the "I told you so's" and actually start looking for him, yeah?" Seeing no objections (obviously), Daichi continued. "The first-years will go as a group, the third-years will go as a group, and the second-years will go as a group. That way, we can still split up and not run the risk of anyone else getting into trouble by themselves."
"Yachi and I will stay behind on the bus in case he comes back." Kiyoko offered, graciously taking the job everyone knew was necessary but no one wanted. It always ended up with whoever was on bus duty worrying themselves silly and then leaving to help search anyway.
Daichi gave a single nod before gesturing to Suga and Asahi to follow him through the double doors in the front of the building. Everyone else quickly fell into step behind the thrid-years as they entered the complex before splitting off into their assigned respective groups with one goal in mind.
Find Hinata, and if he was hurt in any way, punch whoever was responsible. Hard.
xxx
"Here we are!" Terushima dramatically threw open the door to the gym holding his teammates, which was clear on the other side of the complex. Granted, the blond knew the players were probably packing up their things since all the games were over for the day, but they were always happy to keep going if someone asked them to.
"Teru?" Bobata raised an eyebrow at the captain's sudden reappearance, taking in his flushed face and slightly dazed eyes. "What're you doing here?"
"And who is that?" Futamata pointed at Hinata with wide eyes, having been the first to catch a glimpse of the orange curls peeking out behind the captain's body. Terushima smiled slyly before moving out of the way so his team could get a more unobstructed view of the player he'd deemed an angel, relishing the way everyone's jaws positively dropped.
"Oh!" Hinata offered a wave and a shining smile. The way Higashiyama fell over at the sight didn't go unnoticed by the grinning captain. "I'm Shouyou Hinata, a first-year at Karasuno. Nice to meet all of you!"
"Uh-huh." Bobata now understood very very clearly why Terushima's eyes looked so glossed over. Those smiles were like staring at the freaking sun. "Yeah. Awesome. Great. By the way, you're fucking adorable."
"ISN'T HE!" Terushima gestured proudly at the ginger as if he were responsible for the existence of this puppy-dog-like child and not just someone who happened to run into him under less than ideal circumstances. "Apparently, no one's ever told him that before."
"Seriously?" Now it was Numajiri's turn to yell. "What, is Karasuno blind or something?"
Hinata laughed at that, and most of Johzenji had to physically put effort into keeping themselves standing. "Wow, you guys are super nice too!" He ran a hand through his curls in an attempt to smooth them down. "Seriously, it's no wonder I admire Johzenji."
Tsuchiyu choked, Izaki's jaw dropped, Bobata fell to the floor, Futamata actively resisted the urge to hug the boy and never let go, Higashiyama focused all of his energy into keeping his heart from jumping out of his throat, Numajiri looked like he was about to start crying, and Terushima smirked oh so satisfactory because his teammates had fallen for the ginger just as quick as he had.
"You...admire us?" Tsuchiyu asked breathlessly, staring at the ginger as if he'd just offered to cut off his right arm. "But we're not...well known and...why?"
Hinata shrugged. "Because you guys seem to really have fun with volleyball! You put a lot of enthusiasm and easygoingness into your games and stuff, and I think that's how it should be, not super serious." The answer slipped off his tongue smooth as silk, not a stutter or a hint of doubt anywhere.
Everyone's heart clenched in ways that couldn't be described as uncomfortable.
"So, whadda you say?" Terushima spread his arms at his teammates, still feeling the effects of Hinata's praise but doing a better job of recovering since it was nowhere near as heart-melting as the hug he'd received earlier. "Any objections to staying here a little longer to get a chance to play with Shortstack here?"
Everyone shook their heads rapidly, signaling that no, there was not a single objection to staying late and messing around longer than they needed to, to which Hinata rewarded them with another heart-shattering beam made of sunshine and rainbows.
"Awesome!" Granted, Hinata himself just got done playing his own match (against a freaking giant no less), but it was a well-known fact that the kid had stamina for days, and could easily play volleyball nonstop for the better part of five hours before getting tired, and still, his stubbornness would win out, and he would go for another three before collapsing in a tangle of limbs and sweat. "I'm ready when you are."
xxx
It was almost comical how easily Hinata fell into the dynamic of the team. The kid was a hyperactive ball of pure energy and cheeriness, aka, a perfect fit for the Johzenji. He was loud (but in a good way), encouraging, willing to try whatever the team had in mind, and was just so freaking happy at the prospect of something as little as playing volleyball even though he did it nearly every single day.
"How the hell did you find this kid?" Bobata and Terushima stood off to the side while Hinata and the other members chatted excitedly about what new trick they wanted to experiment with next.
Terushima snorted. "Funny story. I was trying to get his manager's number, and he told me off."
Bobata laughed openly at that. "Oh yeah? I'm surprised you didn't sock him in the face or something."
"I'd be surprised if anyone would be capable of socking him in the face." Terushima scratched his cheek and scrunched his eyes. "It'd be like kicking a puppy."
"Hmm." The two lapsed into silence, watching Hinata repeatedly spring into the air in an attempt to teach Futamata how to jump as high as he could. It was utterly ridiculous and obviously futile, but it was pretty funny to watch. "Dude, like, how is he real?"
"Whatcha mean?" Terushima asked, even though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew precisely was his teammate was talking about. After all, he'd been wondering the same thing for the better part of thirty minutes.
"I mean like...it seems kinda unfair, right?" Bobata raised an eyebrow. "Like, Hinata's freaking adorable, that much is clear, but his personality is awesome too? How is that fair? Not to mention the fact that he's just generally fun to be around, and I've only known him for like ten minutes! And his smiles, Teru. I mean, what the actual hell, you know?"
"Yeah." Terushima knew all too well. "I've yet to find a flaw in him at all." He smirked at brunette out of the corner of his eye. "And if you think his smiles are amazing, you should try his hugs."
"He hugged you!" No matter how hard Bobata tried, he couldn't even begin to imagine what the sheer bliss of a Hinata hug would feel like. It would be warm, no doubt. Probably really really reassuring, the kind that makes people's problems melt away with a single touch. It'd probably be firm too, but not too firm so that it hurt. Oh god, Bobata couldn't even stand it. "Really? Why?"
Terushima smiled smugly, soaking in Bobata's jealous expression. "I complimented him on his looks. Obviously." He raised a cocky eyebrow at his teammate, making the latter's eye twitch. "Apparently, it was the first time anyone had ever done so."
"That's freaking stupid," Bobata grumbled, avoiding all eye contact from Terushima. "I complimented him too, you know."
Terushima snorted. "Yeah, but I went in-depth about why he was adorable. Like, it was presentation worthy, I'm not even kidding. I could achieve world peace with speeches like those."
Bobata laughed at the statement, knowing full well that Terushima considered practically anything presentation worthy. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a puppy crush." He waggled his eyebrow at the captain, making the latter scoff.
"Uh, duh. Do you not? He's a ball of sunshine, for god's sakes!" Terushima pointed his nose into the air. "Besides, it's not like I want to date him or anything. It's just that he's the most precious thing I've ever laid my eyes on."
Bobata snorted. "Gay."
Terushima raised a challenging eyebrow. "Do you disagree?"
Bobata opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "No."
"Hm. Thought so."
"Hey, Bobata!" Both pairs of eyes shoot down to the ginger standing a few feet in front of them, the rest of the team in the background trying and failing to imitate Hinata's jump. "Can you do me a favor?"
Bobata nodded mutely, all coherent thoughts flying out of his head completely. God, what he'd ever done to be blessed with the presence of the literal sun was beyond him, but he was eternally grateful nonetheless.
"You're a middle blocker too, right?"
Again, Bobata nodded. At the moment, the brunette's mouth had gone dry, and his brain was no doubt short-circuiting.
"Cool!" There were literal sparkles in Hinata's eyes, and Bobata had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting on them. Usually, like the rest of his teammates, he would speak his mind whenever he pleased, but he did not doubt that if he got off on a rant about how adorable the ginger was, he wouldn't be able to stop. "If it's okay with you, could you show me your technique a bit?" Hinata smiled sheepishly. "I wanna see if there's anything I can incorporate into my own blocking style."
"Nggh...uh, sorry, I mean, yeah." There was just something so endearing about the way he asked for help that Bobata found he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to. He didn't, of course, and managed to regain enough sense to shoot Terushima a slightly smug smile over his shoulder and follow the ginger to the other side of the net.
Terushima, who was slightly surprised to find himself a teensy bit hurt over the fact that Hinata had asked Bobata to practice instead of him even though Bobata was a middle blocker, made his way over to the rest of the team, who had all given up fairly quickly in trying to replicate Hinata's insane jumping power.
"Yo." Higashiyama greeted the captain with a light punch to the shoulder, to which Terushima reciprocated. "We have something to ask you."
"Yeah?" Terushima flexed his fingers. "Shoot."
"Okay." Higashiyama's face took on an uncharacteristically serious expression. "Just so you know, we are in no way joking about any of this." Seeing Terushima's nod, he continued. "So we've been talking, and like, do you think Karasuno would mind if we just...didn't give him back?"
Terushima blinked. "Probably."
"But like..." Higashiyama gestured to the surrounding members. "Are you down with it?"
"Oh yeah, I'm totally down with keeping the Shortstack." The blond said seriously, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. "It's almost like he's made for this team."
"RIGHT?!" Tsuchiyu nodded wildly. "He would fit in flawlessly. He's like a hyperactive, orange puppy."
"I think I may have heard of Hinata before, actually, now that I think about it." All eyes turned to Numajiri, who was staring off into space as if remembering something important. "I vaguely remember someone telling me that a certain small player has Ushijima wrapped around his little finger. They didn't say who or what he looked like, but based on today I'm betting it's Hinata."
"Not surprising, considering who we're dealing with," Terushima muttered, casting a sidelong glance at the pair of middle blockers. The Ushiwaka and Hinata Shouyou? Now that was a strange pair. "I'd honestly be more surprised if he didn't."
"It's kinda infuriating." Futamata murmured. "We only met him about twenty minutes ago, and already I'm fairly certain I'd walk through fire for him."
"Hm. Ditto."
"Same."
"Yeah, I think so."
"Mood."
"Lowkey relatable, though."
Choruses of agreement sounded throughout the gym, all eyes on the two middle blockers practicing their jumps.
"Just so we're clear," Izaka started, shifting his gaze to the captain. "You are cool with keeping him, right?"
Terushima rolled his eyes. It was ridiculous they even had to ask. "Obviously. Who wouldn't be?"
"Yeah. Fair point." Izaka scrunched up his face. "I wonder if we can bribe him with sweets or something. He kinda looks like a sugary kinda guy to me."
Futamata nodded. "Yeah, but I think I'd faint from adorableness if I saw Hinata eating candy." His eyes went wide, no doubt imagining the adorable ginger surrounded by bucketfuls of sweet, fluffy treats. "I'm serious."
"Yeah, he's too pretty for his own go-"
"HINATA!" A raven-haired boy burst into the gym, a freckled-faced kid and the boy Terushima recognized as Tsukishima close on his heels. Wordlessly, the black-haired boy tackled the ginger onto the floor, face furious but eyes undeniably relieved. The team watched open-mouthed as the two exchanged what looked like particularly harsh insults before the blue-eyed boy turned to the majority of the Johzenji team, his gaze freezing them on the spot.
"Did you hurt him?" His voice was cold, and his eyes had morphed into something scary and unforgiving. Terushima rolled his eyes. Ah, if this guy was the kind of person on Hinata's team, it was no wonder compliments were a rarity.
"Nope." Terushima's annoyed tone was enough to make the boy's eyes narrow further. "There's not a scratch on him."
"There better not be." He muttered darkly, pulling Hinata to his feet and promptly shoving him towards the door. Terushima could see the ginger trying to protest, but ultimately stopping as Tsukishima sent an icy glare his way.
The closing of the gym door seemed all too loud.
"Well," Bobata finally broke the stunned silence. "Guess that throws the plan of keeping him right out the window."
Higashiyama scoffed. "How would you know? You weren't even a part of that discussion."
Bobata rolled his eyes and ducked under the net to join the rest of his team. After all, he had zero motivation to keep practicing his jumps if Hinata wasn't doing it with him. "I'm not an idiot. That thought crossed my mind, like, the very second we met him."
Futamata just hummed in response, keeping his eyes trained on the doors the four Karasuno members had exited (more like forced in Hinata's case) through. "Do you think we'll see him again?"
"I should hope so." Terushima gestured to the ginger's duffle lying discarded by the volleyball cart. "His teammates dragged him out of here before he could even gather his stuff. Plus," He waggled his eyebrows. "I got Shorty's number."
"Oh, thank god, please give it to me."
"And me."
"And me."
"And me."
"And me."
"And me."
There was a small silence as Terushima sent Hinata's contact to everyone's phone.
And then...
"Is it gay to think a dude is kinda gorgeous, but, like, platonically?"
"Nah."
"Sweet."
