Encounter #1- Kageyama

Kageyama had been the first member of the Karasuno team to fall victim to Hinata charm, which was everyone thought was surprising but made a lot of sense.

It was a little shocking because if someone were to look at Hinata and Kageyama interacting daily, they would've immediately concluded that they hated each other. Their day to day banter included jabs at each other's skills, name-calling, imitating, complaining, hitting, kicking, and an endless amount of head-grabbing.

In general, Kageyama was often perceived as someone with a stone-cold demeanor who occasionally kicked puppies and wouldn't help a stray kitten down from a tree.

In reality, he was just a workaholic and a perfectionist with the attitude of a five-year-old who sometimes threw temper tantrums, which perfectly complimented Hinata's sunshiny disposition and drive to perfect everything he did. Basically, he and Hinata fit like two pieces of a puzzle, which was why the fact that he was the first to fall into the trap of sunshine and rainbows otherwise known as Hinata Shouyou's friendship wasn't at all unexpected

It had happened at the very beginning of their time at Karasuno.

Kageyama's first interaction with Hinata's charm hadn't involved any words. Kageyama was never good at words anyway. Maybe it was his appearance, perhaps it was just the fact that he wasn't used to it, but even the occasional compliments that came out of his mouth always somehow sounded like insults.

The fact that the first time Kageyama had witnessed Hinata's charm had been without using words was the reason he could pinpoint it so accurately. He never admitted it though, just for the sake of keeping up his rivalry with Hinata and sparing himself the teasing he would surely get from him and a certain stingy blond.

It had been the first time Kageyama had ever sent Hinata a set. The ginger had been begging for it since the day they first met, and at that point, it was kind of getting on the setter's nerves, so he tossed it on a whim, not really thinking it through. Besides, Hinata had been clear on the other side of the court when he'd done it, so he figured there was no way he'd be able to spike it in time.

Long story short, he was wrong. It was the greatest mistake of his life.

Hinata had run up the net so fast that Kageyama hadn't even had time to blink before he smashed the ball down on the other side, face erupting into the most heart-melting smile the setter had ever seen.

It didn't help when the middle blocker started showering him in a rain of praise afterwards.

"That was amazing, Kageyama! It just felt so right! It came straight into my hand, just like WOOSH, and I was able to hit it like GWAH!" Hinata's eyes were, quite literally, sparkling. Kageyama found it getting harder and harder to breathe. "That was awesome! I can see why they called you King of the Court!"

"Uh-huh..." He couldn't even comment on his old nickname, too focused on keeping himself upright at the moment to pay attention to anything else.

"Can you toss to me again?!" Hinata was bouncing from one foot to the other in childlike excitement, looking up at Kageyama like he hung the stars in the sky. "Just one more time before we leave?"

"Yeah..." Kageyama wanted to refuse, he really did. He just wanted to go home and pretend like the hyperactive ginger he'd been trying so hard to ignore hadn't just wormed his way into his heavily guarded heart with a single smile. Still, at that moment, he found it utterly impossible to say no to those pleading eyes and hopeful beam.

When the setter came into practice the next day insisting that Hinata had powers of hypnotism, everyone had just laughed it off, chalking it up to one of his usual strange conclusions without context.

Still, nobody could miss the way Kageyama always looked a little more dazed every time he sent the ginger a toss.

xxx

Encounter #2- Nishinoya

"Which ice cream place are we going to?" Hinata eagerly followed Nishinoya through the empty streets near their school, bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation.

"There's one like five minutes from here, I think." Nishinoya couldn't help but grin at Hinata's enthusiasm. He'd already taken a liking to the boy ever since he'd referred to him as "upperclassman", and he'd noticed that their personalities were quite similar. They both had endless bouts of stamina and even more enthusiasm, though judging by volleyball practice and the way the ginger was still jumping all around, it seemed his energy surpassed the libero's by a considerable margin. In retrospect, Nishinoya knew getting an already hyper highschooler two ice creams wasn't the best idea in the world, but what kind of upperclassman would he be if he backed out on his promise?

Besides, the childlike delight the kid was showing was honestly endearing, and even though Nishinoya knew he wasn't necessarily responsible for it, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of pride that the prospect of getting ice cream had the middle blocker so excited.

"Thanks for taking me, Noya." Hinata grinned at him, and the libero could've sworn his heart skipped a few beats. "Don't tell anyone, but you're my favorite upperclassman."

Nishinoya's brain short-circuited.

Literally.

With just a few words, the brunette's world narrowed down to the sunshiny ginger with a heart of gold.

Literally.

Nishinoya stopped short on the sidewalk. Let it be known that he was never speechless. He always had too much to say, so many opinions and ideas that he wanted to get out, but at that moment, all the words in his brain fizzled out in an instant, disappearing from his mouth and mind completely.

Holy.

Freaking.

Hell.

Hinata said he was his favorite upperclassman.

Without thinking, Nishinoya scooped Hinata up into an enormous hug, not even bothering to resist his urges since he knew he wouldn't be able to anyway.

"SHOUYOUU!" He wailed, ignoring the boy's startled yelp before pausing for a moment. "I can call you Shouyou, right?"

"Yep! Totally!" Having gotten over his initial surprise, Hinata returned the embrace with just as much vigor and warmth. "Call me whatever you want, Mr. Upperclassman!"

Nishinoya swooned all over again, the title making his head hurt and heart fuzzy with warmth, unable to keep in the hearty laugh that escaped from his throat. "How're you feeling about three ice creams today, Shouyou?"

"REALLY?!" The smile Hinata shot right in Nishinoya's face was the final straw for the libero, who nodded vigorously and promised his underclassman that he could get as many sweets as he wanted.

After he'd walked Hinata home, Nishinoya had called Tanaka and sobbed into the phone for an hour about the whole ordeal.

At practice the next day, Kageyama had taken one look at the libero's slightly dazed expression as they watched the ginger and said, "You too, huh?"

All Nishinoya could do was nod. He made a silent promise to himself that day. He was going to be the best upperclassman ever.

xxx

Encounter #3- Tanaka

Tanaka's first interaction with the 'real' Hinata happened under...less than ideal circumstances. After Nishinoya's impromptu phone call ranting about how perfect Hinata was and how he'd call him his favorite upperclassman, Tanaka was understandably a little upset. The little shrimp had just met Nishinoya a day ago, and the libero was already ranked above him? That was simply unacceptable!

Who helped Hinata and Kageyama secretly use the gym when they weren't allowed to? He did.

Who was on their team for the three on three matches? He was.

Who had been nothing up supportive and helpful since the day he'd met the Shortypants? He was.

The wing spiker wanted some answers, and fast.

"SHORTYPANTS." His voice made everyone in the gym jump. "OUTSIDE. NOW."

Hinata, bless his heart, nodded a quick apology to Daichi before following Tanaka's orders without a second thought. The spiker felt his heart soften just a little at the utterly puppy-like display but shook the feeling off once remembering he was supposed to be mad at him. He briefly caught a glance of Nishinoya's glare and Kageyama's curious expression as the two left the gym, but didn't pay them any mind.

"What's up, Tanaka?" The pair were standing right by the vending machine.

Tanaka cleared his throat, trying to focus on the fact that he was supposed to be angry at his underclassman. Right. Anger. All he wanted was an explanation, nothing more.

"So, I was talking to Nishinoya yesterday." He paused, waiting for a reaction. Seeing as Hinata produced none, he continued. "And we were chatting about some things, as bros do, and he told me you said he was your favorite upperclassman."

Hinata blinked, nodded once, then smiled straight in Tanaka's face. "Yeah, I remember! He got me like three ice creams." He scratched his cheek, eyes bright and grin wide. "The place was really good. You should try it sometime!"

All the things Tanaka had been prepared to say died in his throat, eyes widening a significant margin as he stared at the ginger. What the hell was that? His underclassman can't just...unleash a smile like that in the middle of a serious talk! That's wasn't fair! How is the wing spiker supposed to be mad at him if he's going to pull something like that every time he tried to be?

"Hm." Hinata, still utterly oblivious to the effect his smile had on his upperclassman, blinked innocently up at him. "Why do you bring that up?"

"Uh..." Tanaka suddenly felt very sheepish about the whole situation. He'd fully expected Hinata to instantly defend himself when he brought up his earlier statement, immediately try to take back his words, and insist he didn't mean it without invalidating anyone's feelings, but instead, he just nodded and accepted it. Tanaka didn't know if that was better or worse than what he'd predicted, but it sure made him feel stupid about bringing the whole situation up when Hinata was clearly unaffected by it. "I mean...I guess I thought I was your favorite upperclassman?"

"Awww, Tanaka!" Hinata launched himself at his teammate, wrapping his arms around his middle before he could protest. "Don't be jealous! It changes every day! Nishinoya is my favorite right now because he got me ice cream, but you were my favorite for the rest of the time since you were helping Bakayama and me in the gym!" He grinned up at Tanaka, making the older choke audibly. "Don't worry. You're still just as awesome right now as you were then! It just changes every once in a while if someone does something kind for me, not because I love any of my upperclassmen any less!"

And with a final squeeze, Hinata flounced back into the gym, leaving Tanaka totally and utterly starstruck with a single thought running through his head: I would die for this kid.

When Tanaka slinked into the gym a few minutes later, having taken a bit of time to regain control of his senses, the first thing he did was saunter over to Nishinoya to whisper in his ear.

"Hinata says your only his favorite upperclassman because you got him ice cream. You better bet your sorry ass that I'm taking that title back right after practice today."

And thus, the long-raging battle of "who can be Hinata's favorite upperclassman" began.

xxx

Encounter #4- Yamaguchi

Unlike everyone else, the way Hinata unintentionally charmed his way into Yamaguchi's heart wasn't with bright smiles, unyielding compliments, or even his undeniable adorableness. It was merely by being at the right place at the right time, and the pinch server would, forever and always, be eternally grateful for it.

Yamaguchi had been walking home with Tsukishima, as he always did. Of course, the pair weren't neighbors or anything, so after a few blocks, they always bid farewell to each other and headed their separate ways.

They'd been going through this ritual every night for nearly two weeks, ever since they'd started going to Karasuno, and neither had had any problem with it before. After about five blocks, Tsukishima would turn left, and Yamaguchi would keep going straight. It was routine. It was normal. It was fine.

Until one night, when Tsukishima was out of sight, Yamaguchi simply broke down.

That was how Hinata had found him, about seven blocks away from the school, sitting against a lamppost with his head in his hands and shoulders shaking with soft sobs. Hinata knew precisely what it was. He'd been through enough of them after his dad had died. It was an anxiety attack, clear as day.

"Hey, hey, hey, shhh." Hinata rushed over to his friend and kneeled in front of him, eyes frantic. "Can I touch you? Is that okay?"

Yamaguchi nodded slowly, undeterred by Hinata's sudden arrival. Whether he simply didn't care or because he was too much in his head to feel embarrassed, Hinata didn't know, but he certainly wasn't going to ask now. He slowly moved his hands up to cup Yamaguchi's face, keeping his movements slow and predictable so as to not freak the boy out more.

"Yama, I'm going to count, okay?" He didn't wait for a reply. "I'm going to need you to breathe with me as I do, alright? I know it's scary, but I've got you. I got you." He maneuvered himself, so Yamaguchi's back was now resting against his chest. It was a bit of an awkward position since the latter was so much taller than the former, but Hinata made it work. "One...two...three...four...five...you're doing great, Yama, just breathe with me, okay?"

Slowly but surely, Yamaguchi's breathing steadied, and his body relaxed, practically melting into Hinata's hold. His hair was mussed, and his eyes were red with tears, but he was okay, and that was the only thing that mattered to Hinata right now.

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked quietly, warping his arms around Yamaguchi and nuzzling his shoulder. The pinch server noded, not trusting himself to speak. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Yamaguchi swallowed, trying to ignore the tightening in his throat and the tears that threatened to spill over. "I..."

"Shhh," Hinata sensed his discomfort quickly, opting to press a light kiss to Yamaguchi's collarbone. He usually only reserved those for very close friends and such, but he could tell his teammate needs some reassurance right now. "You're okay. It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You're safe. Everything is fine."

Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, Yamaguchi whipped around to unleash a fresh set of sobs into Hinata's shoulder, to which the ginger just smiled sadly and rubbed his back in circular motions, pressing a chaste kiss here and there with the intent of soothing the boy.

"You're okay." He said. He'd said it a lot tonight, but he didn't care. He'd say it a hundred times if he needed to. "You're alright. Everyone loves you. Tsukishima loves you. I love you. The team loves you. You're perfect. But you need someone to unload stuff to so you can avoid these attacks, okay Yama? The next time something like this happens again, call me, alright? I'll drop everything to help you, Yama, I promise, and don't you dare think me doing this for you is burdening me, and yes, I know you think that because that's exactly how I was when I used to get these, okay? You're alright. You're alright. You're safe."

"Thank you." It was soft and hoarse, but Yamaguchi meant it, and that was all that mattered.

xxx

Encounter #5- Suga

Suga hadn't interacted with Hinata much when he'd first joined the Karasuno volleyball team. Yes, looking at the boy from a distance always stirred some weird paternal instinct within him, but he could never really figure out why. He didn't know the ginger that well, which was to be expected since they'd only known each other for about two weeks.

Needless to say, when Suga fell for Hinata's charm, he fell fast. And hard.

Kageyama had been absent for the day, much to the annoyance of a particular ginger blocker since it was their turn for cleaning duty before packing up and going home. Daichi had suggesting forcing Tsukishima to help Hinata with it, mainly because the blond had been testing the captain's patience all practice, but Suga had graciously stepped in at the last minute to offer his services. He'd never really minded cleaning, and it'd be an excellent way to get to know the small decoy Tanaka and Nishinoya had taken such a liking to.

"Suga?"

"Hm?" Suga looked up from the volleyball cart, eyes flitting to the clock before landing back on Hinata. They'd only been cleaning for about fifteen minutes. "What is it?"

"Do you hear rain?"

Sure enough, if the setter strained his ears, he could indeed hear the pitter-patter of rainfall upon the roof of the gym. It didn't sound like a full-on onslaught, but it definitely wasn't just a drizzle. Suga furrowed his brow. He could only hope that all of his teammates had made it home safe. Being trapped in this storm didn't sound good.

"Yeah, I do." He said, finally answering Hinata's question.

"Oh." Hinata was oddly quiet. For the duration of the time they'd been cleaning up, the kid had been all sunshine and energy, even going as far as to challenge the older in a race to see who could pick up the most balls first, to which Suga could proudly say he won fair and square. Still, there was a faraway look in the ginger's eye that the setter wasn't quite sure he liked.

"Are you alright?" The third-years studied Hinata's uneasy face before his eyes widened slightly with realization. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let you bike back in this storm by yourself. I'll drive you once we're finished up here."

Hinata offered a shaky smile. "Um, that's not really-" A loud clap of thunder cut him off abruptly, and before Suga could even blink, and pair of arms were wrapped around his stomach, and a face was buried in his chest.

"Oh, baby..." Suga curled around the younger, gently sitting down against the back wall. "Are you afraid of thunder?"

Suga could feel Hinata frown into his chest. "'m not, just-" the setter's shirt muffled his yelp as another loud BANG was hear from outside. Hinata pressed his entire body into Suga's, trembling, and the grey-haired man's heart couldn't help but simultaneously break and swell just a bit.

"You're okay, Hinata." Suga buried his face into the ginger curls, smiling into his hair as he felt his teammate relax at the small sign of affection. He carefully maneuvered both of their bodies, so Hinata was curled up in his lap with his face fully hidden in his t-shirt, arms still wrapped around Suga and clutching the fabric desperately.

Hinata flinched as another clap of thunder echoed throughout the gymnasium, making Suga cuddle the boy tighter, practically cooing at him. "Hinata? Do you think you can plug your ears for me?" The only response he gets is the ginger's hands tightening on the cloth of his shirt. Suga smiled softly and gently started scratching the middle blocker's scalp. "Baby, I know it's hard, but it'll make the thunder a lot better, okay?"

After a few seconds of deliberation, Hinata slowly moved his fingers up to his ears, effectively plugging him and quieting the thunder a significant margin. Still, he didn't move from his position cuddled up against Suga, and the man didn't want him to.

At that moment, the setter swore up and down that he'd take it upon himself to protect this precious child from anything and everything he deemed necessary, whether it be future thunderstorms or kidnapping attempts.

And thus, Suga's unofficial official adoption of Hinata Shouyou began.

xxx

Encounter #6- Asahi

It was honestly surprising that Asahi didn't fall victim to Hinata's charm sooner, given the fact that he (quite literally) will cry over spilled milk. Because of his gentle nature and soft heart, it was a wonder he was the sixth person out of their team to fall into the inescapable trap known as Hinata's friendship. The only reason Asahi had gotten exposed in the first place was because he'd noticed that Suga had started coddling the boy like crazy, even though he'd only known him for about two weeks.

Asahi hadn't known any of the first-years for very long, just a little under two and a half weeks, but if the ginger could get Suga's 'motherly' instincts to react like that under the most random of circumstances, there had to be something special about him.

Well, that or the fact that he had a childlike face, but Asahi mostly suspected the former.

Another thing Asahi knew about the resident ball of energy was the fact that he was a very touchy person with anyone and everyone he came across. Whether he'd just met them or if they'd been best friends for years, the middle blocker wouldn't hesitate to throw an arm around someone and start hugging the life out of them.

It was a well-known fact among the team, even those who didn't know Hinata or any of the first-years yet, but Asahi couldn't contain his yelp when he felt a two arms curl around his shoulder, and a pair of legs latch onto his back.

"I-Hinata?"

"Yep!" Hinata's voice was chirpy as always. "Suga said you wanted to talk to me."

Asahi craned his neck to glare at his fellow third-year who was standing on the other side of the nets with his arms crossed and a devious smirk plastered on his face. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, he'd told the setter he wanted to get to know Hinata a little better, but on his own terms, not those of Sugawara Koushi and his (surprisingly) twisted mind.

Asahi just huffed. Might as well give it to the kid straight and regret it later. "Look-"

"WOAH, ASAHI! YOU'RE SO TALL!"

The ace clamped his jaw shut instantly. He may want to get to know his underclassman on his own time, but the unadulterated excitement in the ginger's voice was more than enough to melt Asahi's gentle heart.

"Is this how you see things every day? Everyone looks so small! Wait, how do I look from this height?" Hinata erupted into an unrestrained fit of giggles, and Asahi nearly choked and died right there.

Oh. Oh. No wonder Suga had taken such a liking to this kid. He was adorable.

The extra weight on the older's back disappeared so suddenly that Asahi almost fell over, but not before Hinata circled around to face him properly and smiled right into his face.

This kid was a literal puppy. Hinata Shouyou was a literal puppy. Ohmygod.

"No wonder you're such a good ace!" He chirped, and that was the final straw.

Asahi had fainted that day. The sheer intensity of Hinata's smile doubled with the pure praise was too much for the giant softy to handle.

xxx

Encounter #7- Daichi

It had been a shitty day at practice.

Everything had been going wrong, nobody had been taking anything seriously, and Daichi was fed up with every single one of his teammates, including Suga, which was rare.

So, naturally, as any pissed captain would do, he'd made all of his teammates line up on the baseline and had taken his sweet time yelling at each of them individually, painstakingly listing every single thing they'd done wrong that day and scolding them relentlessly for it, as well as making them promise that it would never happen again. He never stuttered while dishing out his infamous rants, nor did he feel bad once he did.

He'd started at the beginning of the line and gone down from there, having already thoroughly scolded Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Suga, Tsukishima, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi (all in that order), and was just finishing up his scolding for Kageyama, which admittedly wasn't as bad as the others since the boy had been passive and basically expressionless all day. Still, it lasted a good five minutes, and by the end of it, the only thing the poor first-year could do was mutter an apology and promise to take practice more seriously.

All of the members stood stock still on the baseline, knowing that if any one of them so much as breathed wrong with Daichi in this state, he'd erupt into a whole new lecture about 'disrespecting your captains' or something.

Daichi inhaled deeply before turning his attention to the little ginger at the very end of the line, ready to deliver yet another expertly executed lecture when...

"Sorry."

The apology was soft and unexpected, but it was enough to make Daichi's words die in his throat. Hinata's fingers fiddled with the hem of his shirt in anticipation as he started up at the captain with those bright honey eyes filled with genuine remorse. Seeing Daichi'a gaze on him, the ginger offered a soft, slightly nervous smile his direction, silently urging him to get the scolding out of the way as quickly as possible.

Daichi stared at him for a long moment, wholeheartedly taking the boy in for the first time since meeting two and a half weeks ago. He practically exuded innocence. Freckles dotted his baby face; curls were matted to his forehead and sticking up every which way, and, even though he was about to be yelled at, his puppy-dog eyes held an unextinguishable sparkle of happiness.

That right there was someone who looked like they'd never experienced the horrors of the modern world firsthand.

Daichi couldn't do it. One look at Hinata's honest, genuine eyes made whatever lecture or rant he had stored in the back of his mind fizzle out. Yelling at this boy was unthinkable, that was for damn sure.

"It's okay." He turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone's dismissed."

He did his best to ignore the incredulous cries from his teammates and 'I told you so' smirks from Suga as he exited the gym.

And thus, Daichi's unofficial official adoption of Hinata Shouyou began, as well as his unofficial official 'marriage' to Suga as Hinata's parent.

xxx

Encounter #8, 9, and 10- Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita

If you were to ask the trio when exactly they'd been exposed to Hinata's unmatched charisma, all three would have different answers, explanations, and situations. The only things they were sure of was the fact that they'd been together when it'd happened, and it had involved an adorable kitten sneeze.

It was pretty self-explanatory, but Ennoshita swore his head almost exploded from the amount of serotonin he'd received when he'd heard it. Narita and Kinoshita agreed wholeheartedly.

xxx

Encounter #11- Tsukishima

It wasn't precisely about when Tsukishima had been exposed to Hinata's charm. It was more about when he'd stopped resisting it.

The blond had seen the ginger smile and laugh more times than he could honestly count. He'd been showered in compliments by him and been at the receiving end of those irresistible puppy dog eyes. The experiences he'd been subjected to would make a grown man putty in the decoy's hands, but if Tsukishima was one thing, it was stubborn as hell.

Every time he looked at Hinata, without fail, Tsukishima would always push away the fuzzy feeling in his chest, ignore his constricting heart, and force down the smiles and fond eyes that threatened to show when interacting with the epitome of happiness.

Tsukishima knew his teammates had running bets about how long it was going to take before he broke. Hinata's lovability had become painfully apparent to practically the entire school in the short span of the three weeks he'd been at Karasuno. As far as the blond knew, he was the only one in practically the whole school the ginger didn't have wrapped around his little finger. Hell, if Hinata asked to be excused from homework in favor of playing volleyball, Tsukishima was pretty sure the teachers would allow it.

It was one thing for Hinata to have the entire student body at his beck and call, but the fact that he was completely and utterly oblivious to it all was another entirely. It honestly infuriated the blond to some extent. Hinata had people tripping over their own two feet to do something as trivial as talking to him, and he didn't even notice it.

It didn't help that the ginger greeted anyone and everyone with a cheery smile and a brief exchange of words, high fives, hugs, or elaborate handshakes. It only increased his popularity tenfold. Plus, Tsukishima knew that about a quarter of the first-years had a crush on Hinata, because of course, like the angle he was, he had been very open about the fact that he "didn't have a preference when it came to dating," and he "loves everyone no matter who they are or what they look like!"

Deep, deep down, Tsukishima knew that falling into Hinata's trap of friendship was inevitable. Of course, it was. No matter how hard he tried, the blond could never quite shake the instinctive urge to keep the boy away from any potential danger, to keep those happy smiles everyone loved so much on his face.

Tsukishima was honestly a little disgusted about it, considering he prided himself on being a snarky asshole with no emotional attachments (except Yamaguchi. He was the exception) and the ability to tear anyone down with a few well-delivered insults. Feelings had never really been his cup of tea, and seeing those sparkling eyes and sunshine beams directed straight at him was, for lack of a better term, a humongous sensory overload.

Still, he'd kept resisting out of spite. He kept pretending that he hated the ginger (even though the prospect of anyone hating Hinata was absurd to him), just because he wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing he'd won the blond over (even though Tsukishima knew the older wouldn't get any pleasure because he didn't know he was doing it ohmygod it was so frustrating.)

Though Tsukishima knew what he was doing wasn't rational or practical in any way, shape, or form, he soldiered on.

It wasn't about when he'd first been subjected to Hinata's charm. It was about whether he decided to admit it or not.

In one of the very dark corners of Tsukishima's mind, the blond knew full well that he had been trapped in Hinata's inescapable web of friendship long ago, ever since the very first time the ginger had endearingly thanked him for their practice match at the very beginning of the school year.

But, for the sake of his pride, he'd keep pretending for now.