Karasuno had always had a rather tight-knit bond.
Of course, it was to be expected because no volleyball team that plays and practices with each other every day hates each other, but Karasuno was a particular case. It wasn't just about the fact that they all went to the same school and played volleyball together daily, nor the fact that they saw each other for somewhere around five hours every day without a break. That was the case with all high school volleyball teams, whether they enjoyed each other's company or not.
Karasuno had a collective comradery that other teams in their league seemed to lack quite a bit of. It wasn't that the people on the team didn't have favorites amongst them, like Tanaka to Nishinoya or everyone to Hinata, but for whatever reason, the group making up Karasuno's volleyball team had just clicked in a way the no other volleyball team in their league had. That wasn't to say that the players from their rival schools weren't close, because they were, but those students tended to split up into duos or trios and never banded together as an actual team unless it had to do with something volleyball related or it just happened to be circumstantial.
Oikawa would have regular sleepovers with Iwaizumi. Tendou would often coerce Ushijima into coming over to his house on the weekends and hanging out. Bokuto practically lived at Akaashi's house. Kuroo had a permanent room in Kenma's.
But those were only duos, only select people that hung out with each other.
Karasuno, on the other hand, though certain groups would hang out by themselves like Tsukishima and Yamaguchi or Nishonoya and Tanaka, had entire team sleepovers without prompting weekly.
That alone had created a friendly atmosphere between the players who hadn't known each other well and a certain bond between them that was relatively foreign to the other teams. It wasn't that their personalities match perfectly or they always got along well (Tsukishima's and Tanaka's little spats had been enough proof of that), but they'd spent so much time together that it felt like they were brothers more than anything.
The friendship they had created with each other ran deep, and as such, that chemistry was demonstrated to the max on the court.
Hinata, however...was a slightly different story.
If any of the members of Karasuno were being honest with themselves, Hinata was probably the reason they'd all gotten so close and comfortable with each other in the first place. Their shared adoration of the kid was what had prompted all of them to have their first group sleepover in the first place, and while that should've been somewhat awkward since the first-years had been new to the school, Hinata's stupidly irresistible charm and charisma had had all of them talking and laughing within only a few hours.
Friendships had blossomed, bonds had been made, and the unbelievable fondness they'd all shared for Hinata had nearly tripled in size.
Unfortunately, being so close to one another tended to make the team rather...protective of their own, especially the first-years and especially their resident puppy-faced bundle of sparkles and happiness.
It was honestly ridiculous how overboard they took it sometimes, but something about Hinata's face was just so naive and trusting that it was nearly impossible not to feel some sort of possession or protectiveness over the young boy, especially after experiencing the way his face would positively light up at the slightest bout of praise and the sparkles in his eyes whenever he did something right.
It was insane. Hinata was literally the oldest of the first-years, not even the youngest of the players, but he had been unofficially officially dubbed the 'baby of the team' by everyone, including Tsukishima, who rarely revealed how deep his begrudging fondness for the younger really ran. He was a small, pocket-sized ball of sunshine with fluffy orange hair and smiles made out of happiness and warmth and all things good. It was impossible not to baby him once in a while.
That being said, Hinata wasn't an actual baby. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, as been demonstrated multiple times with his mother being out of the country or away on business more often than not and having to look after himself and his sister, but the spark of childlike innocence and unadulterated adorableness still radiated off his person. Whether he could take care of himself or not, the entirety of the Karasuno volleyball team (and the whole school, if they were honest) had become Hinata's unofficial 'guards' the moment they'd laid eyes on his dazzling smile and puppy eyes.
To sum it up: god help whatever pathetic excuse for a human being decides to do anything to Hinata Shouyou and tries to get away with it.
xxx
1.
"That's it! Wrap it up, you two!" Daichi clapped his hands together, smile wide and eyes eager. "Good job today! You both look to be in excellent shape."
"Thank you!" Hinata waved from the other side of the gym, cheeks flushed and forehead beaded with sweat but smile as wide and genuine as ever. "Do you mind if Kageyama and I get going now? My mom's coming home tonight, and I haven't seen her in a week!" But of course, Hinata Shouyou was an angel on earth and the word selfish wasn't in his vocabulary. "But it's okay if you need up to clean up! We can if you need us too!"
"It's fine, Hinata. I need to stay a little late anyway. I'll pick everything up." Daichi waved the first year off with a soft smile, insides practically gooey at the way his face lit up at the prospect of getting home a little earlier and how freaking excited he seemed to get over the smallest of things. "You two can go."
"Thanks, Daichi." Unlike Hinata, Kageyama didn't seem to be too thrilled about the fact that they finally didn't have to clean the gym for once, which was kind of fair since they did it practically every other day, but it wasn't hard to see the way his eyes (begrudgingly) softened when Hinata started pulling on his sleeve and urging him to pack up their bags. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Hm." Daichi nodded in confirmation, purposely averting his eyes from Hinata's adorably happy face so he could actually get some goddamn work done and not have to waste time trying to properly function against after getting a faceful of a Hinata smile. All of these months and he still had no idea how Kageyama could even stand properly when the ginger was constantly directing awed eyes and showering the setter with praises whenever he made a perfect toss. "I'll see you."
He watched silently as the two first years gathered up their things, the rest of the team having already filtered out an hour ago. He would've joined them if he could, love of volleyball aside, but all it had taken was one sweet plea from their resident embodiment of sunshine and a quick flash of the puppy-eyes (he had no doubt it had been Kageyama's idea for Hinata to do the convincing; the boy didn't know his own power) to have him scrambling to set the nets back up and get out the volleyball carts.
Suga had stayed with the trio, both since he and Daichi walked home together and because he'd insisted he could teach Kageyama a few pointers about the trick set he was trying to learn (though all of them except for Hinata knew it was just an excuse to be able to see the ginger's heart-melting reaction whenever they did a quick right), and the four had been working together for the better part of an hour thirty.
Daichi had been going over the proper way to release off the ground in order to get more airtime with Hinata while Suga had been drilling different ways to analyze the court into Kageyama's head, and then they'd switched; Daichi had taught Kageyama how to spike better than he was used to (because brilliant setter or not, you never know if he might be able to get a kill once in a while) and Suga...he'd basically just fawned over Hinata for the entirety of practice. Understandable, but not very productive.
Suga smirked, getting up from his seat by the bleachers and sauntering over to Daichi. He slung an arm around his shoulder, eyes trained on the hyperactive ginger and annoyed raven-haired setter as well.
"You're so whipped."
Daichi rolled his eyes. "Like you're not?' He shoved Suga in the chest. The setter only smiled.
"You offered to clean the gym for him? You haven't cleaned the gym since you were a first-year!"
The captain scoffed, glaring at his teammate out of the corner of his eye. The only thing he got in return was Suga's regular sickly-sweet smile. "Shut up. They show up earlier and stay later than anyone else. They're the primary reason we're doing so well this season. Isn't it only fair that I clean the gym for them just this once?"
Suga snorted. "That's bullshit."
"Fine. I noticed that Hinata was anxious to get home, and then he smiled at me while asking if he could leave. What the hell was I supposed to do? Say no?"
"Uh, yeah?" Suga flicked his cheek. Daichi grunted in annoyance. "You're the captain. It's you're job to tell your teammates what to do."
Daichi rolled his eyes and pushed Suga's hand off his shoulder. "Oh, that's rich coming from someone who bought out the entire deserts section at Ukai's convenience store just because Hinata mentioned he had a sweet tooth once."
Suga just smiled, returning his arm to its rightful place on Daichi's shoulder as if nothing had happened. "Oh, I'm not talking about me. I'm a weak, weak man for my baby; that much is obvious. I just thought you might be a little more impervious."
"Impervious? Since when is anyone impervious to Hinata?"
"Fair point."
"Hey, guys?" The way the two third-years' heads snapped to attention at the sound of Hinata's voice would've been almost comical had they not been glaring at each other a moment before. "Have either of you seen my key to the gym? I know I brought it today, but it's not in my bag."
"Yeah." Kageyama walked to stand next to his spiker, jamming a thumb at him with unimpressed eyes. "We've already looked near all the bags. I found mine just fine, but he's just a forgetful dumbass."
"Anyway," Hinata glared at Kageyama. Kageyama shrugged and looked away, sticking his nose up into the air in a way that was a cross between arrogant and comical. "Have either of you seen it? I really, really need to find it. I'd feel awful if I lost something you trusted me with."
"I actually think I saw it by the bleachers." Daichi would've laughed at the sudden softness of Suga's voice if he wasn't too busy trying not to melt with fondness at Hinata's sincerity. He'd feel awful because he lost something they trusted him with? God, this child was precious. "I saw it when I was sitting over there."
"Oh, thank you!" As if a switch had been flipped, Hinata's smile was back at full force. Daichi physically staggered, Suga's arm around his shoulders the only thing holding him upright and vice versa, while Kageyama just rolled his eyes at the obviousness of the elder. They were so hopelessly soft for the spiker it was pathetic sometimes (Kageyama actually wasn't any better, but he'd rather die than admit that Hinata's charm had the same effect on him as it did everyone else). "You're a lifesaver."
"Oh, no problem." Suga waved him off with a weak smile, ignoring the way Kageyam was so blatantly judging him. "Left side, I think. If it's not there, check under the bleachers. The key might've fallen through."
Hinata nodded, setting both his volleyball and school bags down on the floor next to Kageyama and walking away. The remaining three watched him go silently.
"I can't believe the dumbass lost his key," Kageyama grumbled, nudging Hinata's bags away from him with his toe. "I have never lost my key. Not even once."
Daichi rolled his eyes, once again shoving Suga's arm off of his shoulders now that he didn't need him to support his weight anymore with the threat of Hinata's smiles gone. "Is this one of your competitions or something?"
Kageyama nodded firmly, no trace of sarcasm or joking in the gesture. "Duh. Do you think I'm just going to let him get away with losing his key and not hold it over his head for the rest of his life? Not a chance." He grinned. Suga unconsciously shuddered at the sight. "This victory puts me up by a whole two points. That's the most we've ever been apart this entire year."
Daichi tsked, wrinkling his nose and registering the urge to rub his temples. "Seriously. We're a team. Not everything has to be a competi- HOLY FUCK HINATA."
Both Suga and Kageyma whipped around at the cry, but Daichi was already moving. The captain leaped forward, crossing the expanse of the gym in no more than five strides, and yanked Hinata out of the way as swiftly as he could before the five metal crates, all of which had been teetering on the edge of the top bleacher for nearly all of practice, came crashing down on the exact spot Hinata had been standing only moments ago.
Hinata didn't even have time to blink, let alone get out of the way of the falling crates even with the help of his incredible reflexes before he was grabbed by one of Daichi's arms and shoved to the side and into the captain's chest.
Kageyama's eyes were impossibly wide, and his hands were over his mouth in an expression of pure horror the setter had never worn before. Suga wasn't any better, both hands covering his heart and mouth dropped open as if in mid-scream.
The gym was silent, the only present sound being Daichi's heavy breathing.
"Holy shit." Suga sprang into action first, bounding over to the duo with Kageyama close behind. He knelt down beside the two, pulling a seemingly shell-shocked Hinata out of Daichi's grasp and examining every inch of his freckled skin for any injuries, permanent or otherwise. "Hinata, holy crap. Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere? What the hell happened?"
"No." Hinata's voice was slow. He sounded like he was processing, which was beyond fair considering he could've been seriously hurt, or worse, if Daichi hadn't realized his predicament sooner. "I'm...fine. I think."
"Are you? Are you sure?" Suga pressed on. His breathing was erratic, eyes scanning the boy up and down for any sign of injury on his precious underclassman. "Really? You're totally okay? The crates didn't knick you or anything?"
"I'm fine," Hinata said again, but he sounded more sure this time. He blinked, eyes slowly becoming less hazy and more hyperaware like they usually were. "Daichi pushed me out of the way just in time."
Suga hung his head, and Daichi could physically see the tension release from his shoulders. "Thank god. Christ, you nearly gave me a heart attack. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life."
"Yeah..." Daichi breathed. He himself hadn't entirely processed the situation yet. He'd just seen Hinata in danger, and he'd...reacted. It had been instinct, pretty much. He didn't think his reflexes had ever been that fast, well, ever. "That could've turned out really bad."
"No fucking kidding," Kageyama muttered under his breath, but Daichi didn't say anything. For as emotionally constipated as the setter was, anyone seeing their best friend almost get crushed to death was bound to bubble some emotions to the surface. If Kageyama's eyes seemed slightly glossy in that moment, neither of the upperclassmen said anything about it. "I...Jesus. That was a close call."
"No kidding," Suga murmured, still refusing to make eye contact. "Why did they even put those stupid crates up there in the first place? They very well may have killed Hinata if Daichi hadn't gotten there fast enough!"
Kageyama frowned and nodded along, furrowing his brow as he took in the sight of a wide-eyed Hinata and the five metal crates piled in a heap at the bottom of the pull-out bleachers. "No kidding. They didn't even have anything in them! They were just on the edge for no freaking reason!"
"Agreed!" Suga's anger level was rising along with his volume. "I won't' stand for this! That was a serious safety hazard! Anyone who thinks I'm just going to let Hinata almost getting freaking killed slide is very sorely mistaken!"
Needless to say, after both Suga and Kageyama had complained to the principal and told them that it was everyone's precious Hinata Shouyou who'd almost gotten crushed by the carelessly placed crates, that problem had been fixed real quick.
xxx
2.
"Thanks a lot for this, guys." Hinata grinned up at the two second-years, both of whom were smooshed on either side of him as the three all tried to fit side by side on the same sidewalk. "I haven't had ice cream in forever. My mom always says it's too unhealthy, so she never buys it, and I never have the money to."
Nishinoya grinned in response, ruffling Hinata's hair and shooting Tanaka a look over his head. "No problemo, Shou! It's our treat."
Hinata just nodded in response, licking his ice cream dutifully as the other two looked at him with ridiculously fond eyes. "You guys are amazing. You really didn't have to pay for me. I can always find a way to pay you back at school tomorrow or-"
"Nu-uh." Tanaka cut him off with a sniff and a disproving finger wiggle. "We're your upperclassmen. It's our job to treat our underclassmen, you hear me, shrimpy?" He took a bite of his own ice cream, cringing as the food froze the back of his teeth but not letting it show on his face. What kind of man couldn't bite ice cream with his teeth? "And you're basically the only first-year that we can stand on a daily basis, so congratulations! You're officially our favorite underclassman!"
"Tsukishima's just plain rude," Nishinoya added, taking Tanaka's statement and rolling with it. "And he's annoying. And he's just salty in general. He's way too freakin' tall, which just freaks me out, man. Kageyama's just temperamental, but I'm fine with him. He's only tolerable when he's around you," He pointed at Hinata. "So I like him, but I only enjoy his company when he's with you. And Yamaguchi's a great dude, but he's just too shy to be a contender, y'know?"
Hinata shrugged, swallowing the ice cream he'd let melt in his mouth. "I dunno. You just need to get to know Yama more. He's really not that quiet of a guy."
"Of course you'd know," Tanaka interjected, unable to resist the urge to muss up Hinata's hair when he looked up at him with big, curious brown eyes. "You know everybody. You've got the entire school district wrapped around you're finger."
Hinata laughed, and Tanaka glowed with the knowledge that it was directed at him and something he'd said. "This is why I like you, Tanaka! You're so nice! And cool!"
"What about me?" As always, Nishinoya jumped at the chance to be praised by his precious Shouyou. "Am I nice and cool and awesome?"
Hinata nodded enthusiastically, seemingly not noticing the glare Tanaka sent his fellow second-year over his head. Nishinoya stuck his tongue out in response before turning back to Hinata, plastering on the biggest smile he could and slinging an arm around the younger's shoulder. "Of course! You're so cool, and your receives are amazing. I couldn't play even half as good as you if I were a libero! You're one of the best!"
"You hear that?" Nishinoya used the one hand around Hinata's shoulder to tug him away from Tanaka and the other to poke at his friend's shoulder. "Hinata says I'm the best, which directly translates to I'm his favorite upperclassman."
"How does that trans-"
"Nope!" Nishinoya turned his head away from Tanaka, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. "Just accept it and move on, Tanaka. I have won over Shouyou's undying affection, and there's no chance you're going to steal it away from me."
Hinata laughed. It was hearty and airy and just so damn warm that it was all it took to have both of his upperclassmen's heads snapping toward him. "You're funny, Nishi, and thanks for buying me ice cream, but I like you and Tanaka equally! You guys are both awesome!"
"But you like me a little more, right?" The spiker pressed, seeing an opportunity and pouncing on it because Nishinoya could get the jump on him. "I mean, us spikers have got to stick together. And Noya's freakin' small."
"Hey, you bastard!" Nishinoys slapped Tanaka's hand away from where it was coming to rest on Hinata's shoulder. "What the hell does my height have to do with any of this, you ass!? I'm Shou's favorite regardless of your freakishly long string bean legs."
"String bean?! Excuse you, I could crush watermelons with these thighs-"
He was cut off mid-sentence by a resounding pop echoing down the street.
Nishinoya reacted without processing, using the arms still around Hinata's shoulders to pull him down and jumping on top of him, tackling the shorty to the ground and squeezing himself over his underclassman. He vaguely recognized Tanaka beside him doing the same, diving for the concrete with vigor he hadn't possessed only moments before. Nishinoys screwed his eyes shut, letting his head fall onto the concrete and using his arms to shield Hinata's own.
They laid there, sprawled out on the concrete with Nishinoya's body draped over Hinata's and Tanaka cautiously looking around for any signs of anything or anyone who looked like they might have even a little malicious intent.
He found no one. The street was deserted, and the only shop in the entire vicinity was a small party store about twenty feet away from where they were lying on the corner of the road, that of which just so happened to have the remnants of a popped purple balloon being carried by the wind and slowly settling down onto the ground.
Tanaka groaned. "You idiot." He hopped upright in one smooth motion, reaching under his fellow second-year to pull Hinata up from under his body and to his feet, forgoing helping his libero completely. "That was a balloon popping, you dumbass. You scared the crap out of me for nothing!"
"What?" Nishinoya peeked one eye open, seemingly noticing right then that they were alone on the deserted street for the first time. He looked down, not having even noticed that Hinata wasn't shielded underneath him anymore, before looking up at Tanaka with wide, sheepish eyes. "A balloon?"
"Yeah, you moron." Tanaka rolled his eyes, pointing to the party store down the street. "One of the balloons out on the freakin' display popped."
"Hey." Nishinoya glared at his friend, hopping back up and onto his feet in one swift motion and jabbing his finger into Tanaka's chest. "If I recall correctly, you dived down to the floor also, Mr. Know-It-All."
"Uh, yeah, because when you dived down, I thought we were getting freaking shot at." His lips quirked, seemingly amused by the situation now that they were out of 'imminent' danger. "Why the hell is your first reaction to duck down when you hear a loud noise anyway? You been hanging out with gangs without me or something?"
"I have not-"
"Woah." Hinata's awe-filled voice shut both of them up real quick. He wasn't even bouncing up and down on his feet like he usually did whenever he was excited about something, though, in retrospect, there was really nothing to be excited about in that situation. All three of their respective ice creams had become nothing but colorful splatters on the side of the road, and the sudden weight of Nishinoya on his back had probably given him a bruise or two, but he was staring at the libero as if he'd bought him a country or something. "You thought we were getting shot at?"
"Uh, yeah." All of a sudden, Nishinoya's sheepishness was back at full force. He rubbed the back of his head, smiling dumbly and avoiding eye contact with their resident ginger. Great, now he'd embarrassed himself and overreacted in front of his underclassman. What would that do for his perception of him? Would Hinata still think of him as cool after that embarrassing display of paranoia-
"That was awesome."
What.
Hinata's arms were around Nishinoya before he could process, brain too stunned and encompassed by the warmth of Hinata's embrace to do anything other than hug him back. He wasn't even coherent enough to send Tanaka something as little as a smug glance over his shoulder, for gods sakes. He should be milking this for all it was worth, gloating to his classmate that he was getting a hug from their precious Hinata and not him, but he was too freakin' confused and on the verge of melting to do anything of the sort.
"That was so cool, Nishinoya!" Hinata pulled back, much too soon for Nishinoya's liking, but the sight of Hinata's face absolutely flushed with adoration and happiness made it very hard to complain. "You thought we were getting shot at, and your first instinct was to protect me! That's so brave! You're amazing! I could never do something like that. You should get a medal of honor or something, maybe like the noble peace prize-"
"Wait, that's what you were trying to do?" Under normal circumstances, Tanaka would never even dream of cutting off his precious underclassman mid-sentence like that, but seriously. If any time called for it, it was now. "You dove down to protect...Hinata...dude, that's hella manly." A slow grin spread across his face. "Noya, you're a freakin' badass! Dude! You're, like, at the top of the food chain!"
Nishinoya rolled his eyes, sheepish smile back at full force but for a different reason than before. Whatever previous hesitance or shyness he'd had only moments before seemed to have been shaken off at Hinata's ongoing barrage of praises. "Uh, duh. Didn't you know, Tanaka? I'm the top dog and the best upperclassman there ever was. So ha."
Tanaka blinked. "I have the sudden urge to worship the ground you walk on."
"You should. Maybe you could absorb some of my awesomeness."
"You're amazing, Nishinoya!" Oh. Right. Hinata was still gushing over his very existence, and the libero was still directly in the line of fire of his killer smiles and sparkly eyes. Crap. "That was seriously so brave of you, even if it was only a balloon."
Nishinoya shrugged, trying and failing to contain the elated grin coming to the surface at Hinata's words while simultaneously trying to avoid direct eye contact with the ginger in order to keep his brain properly functioning. If there was one thing he'd learned over all the months of knowing Hinata, it was never to look directly into his smile unless you wanted to be frozen at the sheer adorableness of it for the next thirty minutes.
"Of course, Shou. You can always rely on your favorite upperclassman to protect you."
"You're so cool!" Hinata cried one more time, bouncing up and down on the ball of his feet. The kid really did have too much energy for his own good, but if he was using it to shower Nishinoya with praises and undeniable affection, then he definitely wasn't going to complain. "Seriously!"
"Hm." Nishinoya put a hand over his heart in a futile attempt to keep it from exploding out of his chest. "Why're you so precious?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
xxx
3.
So, here was the thing.
Hinata was cute. Really cute. He was like a fusion between a fluffy orange tabby kitten and a puppy. His eyes were always wide and sparkly, his features were delicate and soft, and frankly, it was pretty apparent that he didn't have a mean bone in his body. His curls were always flopping hopelessly in his face, freckles were sprinkled across his skin in intricate patterns, and his goddamn smile could probably be classified in the same category of danger as a nuclear weapon. He was practically the poster boy for innocence.
To make matters worse (or better, technically), Hinata wasn't just an average nice highschooler. He was practically an angel, always willing to give out affection and praise like candy to anyone he saw fit. He would gush over the simplest of things, from how tall a person was to how smart, and he just had this childlike sense of wonder and amazement about anything ranging from volleyball to cooking.
Hinata didn't even try to be likable, nor did he try to even make friends in the first place. He was a natural extrovert, a born entertainer, a genuine people pleaser, and as such, everyone was gravitated toward him and was eventually sucked into his inescapable web of friendship whether they like it or not.
He was an optimist, always looking for the best in people, but he was funny and had such pinchable cheeks as well. He was probably the nicest guy in all of Japan and would most likely win some kind of award for it in the future, but he was also comforting and seemingly wise beyond his years despite his apparent innocence and naivety.
Did Hinata have everyone at Karasuno, students and teachers alike, wrapped around his tiny little finger? Yes, absolutely. It was impossible not to fall in love with his enthusiastic smiles and the way compliments would practically rain from his mouth whenever someone did anything even remotely impressive. He didn't care about being popular. He didn't care about being well-liked by everyone. Hell, he didn't even know how absolutely enamored basically their entire district was with him. He didn't try to be the most charismatic and charming guy in the whole school. He just was, his genuine compassion, drive to always work harder, contagious smiles, and adorable face combining to make basically the perfect human being.
It was obvious. Everyone liked Hinata Shouyou, and even those who'd tried not to (whether it be out of spite or just because they were petty) had taken one look at those sparkly, eager eyes and received one, one, simple word of praise from him, and fallen hook line and sinker. Really, it was all it took.
Despite his undoubtedly amazing personality and golden heart, one of the other reasons people had warmed up to Hinata so quickly without properly getting to know him first (though when they did, they only feel even more in love with the boy) was because he was easy on the eyes. He had pale skin, fluffy orange hair, freckles dotting his cheeks and nose, and big brown puppy eyes. That alone was enough to make more than a few girls' (and boys') interests pique.
So, Hinata was cute. Adorable, really, and pretty much everyone readily accepted the fact. The problem was...not everyone had the same reaction when it came to such precious things.
Most people wanted to take care of cute things, tried to love them and pamper them to their heart's content just because their cheeks were so squishable and physique so adorable. Other...certain people...physically couldn't handle the amount of cuteness in a person or thing, whether it be because of some past experience or simply because they were jealous.
Unfortunately for Hinata, he was downright enchanting. And that...caused a little bit of trouble sometimes.
Like now, for instance.
Tsukishia honestly didn't know how he'd ended up walking home with Hinata instead of Yamaguchi. Kageyama had been home sick with the flu or something (hell if he cared. Kageyama could transfer schools, and he wouldn't give a damn) and Yamaguchi had forgotten his bookbag in the English classroom, leaving Hinata and Tsukishima to clean up, and by default, walk home together.
"I should talk to you more." Hinata mused out loud. He'd been doing this thing where he was basically bouncing on his feet as he walked, and Tsukki couldn't decide if he found it annoying or begrudgingly adorable. "Like, I know you're kind of stingy, and you and Kageyama can't stand each other, but me and Kageyama also can't stand each other, so we have that in common, you know?"
"Aren't you guys best friends?" Tsukishima asked monotonously, keeping his head straight and eyes flat.
"Yeah." Tsukki didn't have to look at Hinata to know he was nodding vigorously in the eager way he always did. "But we also can't stand each other. Our dynamic works like that, you know?"
"That makes no sense."
Hinata shrugged. "I just think we should get to know each other more! Me and Yamaguchi are really good friends, and you're really good friends with Yamaguchi, so doesn't that technically make us closer already?"
"That logic makes even less sense."
Hinata just hummed. If he was at all deterred by Tsukishima's stinginess, he didn't show it. "I guess so. All the upperclassmen are always telling me to stay away from you anyway because you might 'contaminate' me or something."
Tsukishima snorted before he could stop himself, quickly slipping his mask of passiveness back into place before Hinata could get a look at his face. "Wow. What a valid concern. It's not like we're in the same year or anything and I'm around you all the time."
Hinata shrugged. "That's what I told them."
The two lapsed into silence, Hinata wheeling his bike beside him and Tsukishima with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets and strolling along.
It wasn't until someone bumped into Hinata did he look up from the pavement.
It was dark out, obviously, considering their practice ended at ridiculous-o'clock at night, so neither participants of the duo saw the person coming until he inadvertently shoved his elbow into the handlebar of Hinata's bike, enough force behind it to make it wobble a little but not enough to send it full-on toppling over. Tsukishima looked up at the sudden sound of bone on metal, eyes bored and uninterested as usual.
"Whoops." The student called over his shoulder. He was a third-year, judging on his height. "Sorry, shorty."
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, slipping his headphones off his ears until they rested on his neck and stopped the music blasting from them. He didn't like the way the guy had uttered that nickname. There was none of the usual fondness or endearment behind it like there was whenever one of the other volleyball players or students used it.
"It's okay!" Hinata called back, either not noticing or not caring about the man's clearly insincere apology. "You didn't knock anything over. I'm all good."
The man sniffed, the sound clearly audible even from where he was positioned five feet behind the duo. "Glad to hear it, shrimpy."
Okay. If there was a line as to how much Hinata slander Tsukishima could take while just sitting idly by watching, that nameless student had just fucking catapulted across it.
"Excuse you." Tsukishima's tone was cold. Calculation. Words clearly underlined with the intent to hurt. "Watch where you're going, moron. Or is your tiny little brain too stupid to comprehend the fact that there are other people besides you on this sidewalk?"
The student blinked, clearly taken aback."What?"
"You heard me. What the hell are you doing walking back to school so late anyway? Need to steal the homework answers because you're too stupid to actually pass your classes on your own? It makes sense. What are you, forty? This your twentieth time repeating third-year? I bet it is. With those wrinkles, I wouldn't be surprised."
"You little-"
"And another thing." Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, eyes bored and unimpressed as he took in the student's scruffy appearance. "How pathetic do you have to be to be jealous of a first-year? Yeah, that's right." Tsukishima smiled to himself. Judging on the way the man's face suddenly hardened, he'd hit the nail right on the head. "You're not so slick. I bet your insufferable, apparently blind ass doesn't have anyone to hang around with, huh? Not like Hinata here, who has friends by the dozen and about five new girls and boys fawning over him each week. I bet you'd like to know what that feels like, wouldn'tcha?"
"You fucking-"
"You don't even realize how grossly your jealousy's showing, do you? You probably think you're so clever making comments about Hinata's height. Well, guess what? Those are my insults, you absolute moron. You're not original. You're not creative. Grow the hell up. Picking on a first-year just because they have infinitely more friends than you'll ever have? That's low, stupid, and honestly really sad." He turned around with a flick of his heel, pulling Hinata to do the same so both of their backs were to the man. "This was just an appetizer." He called over his shoulder, pulling the ginger along with him as he began walking away. "You comment or come near him again, I mess your mind up so bad you won't be able to hold back your pathetic little cry-baby tears. Sound good?" He didn't give him a chance to reply. "Good."
Faintly, Tsukishima heard the third-year start forward, stop, scoff to himself, and turn away.
"Well." He released his grip on Hinata's shoulder, dusting off his hands and slipping his headphones back into their rightful place on his head. "That improved my night significantly."
Hinata just stared at him. "You're kinda awesome."
"Obviously."
xxx
+1.
"This is so stupid."
"It's necessary." Suga glared at Kageyama out of the corner of his eye, daring him to say anymore. The younger pursed his lips, wisely averting his eyes and letting out a disbelieving scoff to compensate. "The kid has a knack for trouble, and he's too freaking trusting for his own good. He's going to get kidnapped one of these days, I swear to you."
"It probably wouldn't matter anyway," Kageyama murmured, laying back onto the gym floor and propping himself up with his elbows. "He'd just befriend his kidnappers and get them to pay him the hostage money instead or something."
"That's...actually highly plausible." Daichi mused from beside him. He was the one who'd actively called this meeting to action on Suga's behalf, and thus, was the one who'd inadvertently caused all this chaos in the first place. "I could totally see that happening."
"Same."
"Same."
"Same."
"I'd actually be surprised if something like that hasn't happened already."
"Where is Hinata anyway?" Yamaguchi, like Kageyama, had been sitting relatively quietly through Suga's in-depth explanation about why they needed a 'Hinata Protection Squad' (it was a miracle they'd won any volleyball games with the amount of dumbassery in this gym right now, not to mention their collective three brain cells) but hadn't at all showed any opposition to it. The first-years were kind of on the fence about the whole thing because while it was true that even their protective instinct went into overdrive when it came to the ginger for whatever inexplicable reason, that didn't mean they had to dedicate an entire organization to the cause. "He's never late."
"Except for when we found him bleeding out on the side of the road," Tanaka muttered quietly, fiddling absentmindedly with his fingers.
"Exactly." Suga ignored Yamaguchi completely, eager to jump onto Tanaka's statement and ride with it. "That is why we need a Hinata Protection Squad. He gets into too much trouble for his own good, and that trusting attitude and puppy-eyes only heightens the chances of him being kidnapped and taken to Peru or something."
Kageyama held his hands up in defense, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it would get him another extra lap around the gym if he did so. "Hey, I didn't say I didn't think we needed a Hinata Protection Squad. He's a dumbass. I'm honestly surprised he's survived this long. I just think it's stupid."
Suga blinked. "That makes no sense."
"He's just so precious," Nishinoya said from the side, building off of Kageyama's statement. "He must be protected at all costs. His eyes? Ohmygod, have you heard his laugh?! He's like a freakin' baby. I would die for him."
Tsukishima groaned, burying his head in his hands. "This conversation cannot be real."
Nishinoya snorted. "You're seriously gonna tell me that you don't agree with every single thing I just said." Tsukishima stayed silent, merely grumbling something incoherent that sounded suspiciously like a swear word and turning his head to the side. "That's what I thought. We need this squad to protect that smile and innocence."
"Agreed." Tanaka raised his hand. "As Hinata's favorite upperclassman and the one he loves the most, I think I should be president."
"What? You fucking kidding me, Tanaka?" Suga shot him down immediately, swatting his hand to the ground with a glare. "He's my baby, and I came up with this. I'm clearly the best fit to be the president."
"Uh, actually-"
"Seriously," Yamaguchi interjected. He'd been scanning the entirety of the gym for the duration of the conversation, but yet no head of orange hair had caught his eye. "Where is Hinata. Like, actually."
"Oh." Suga waved him off once again, shooting a small smile in his direction. "He's with Kiyoko and Yachi. They're watching videos of Shiratorizawa in the lockerroom as we speak. I'm pretty sure he's so engrossed that he doesn't even know we're not there."
Nishinoya sighed. "He's so precious."
"Yeah."
"Agreed."
"It's kind of a given."
"So!" Suga slapped his hands on the hardwood floor, making the rest of them jump in their seat. "I now call the first official meeting of the Hinata Protection Squad to order."
Were Hinata's teammates a tad bit overprotective? Yeah. Without a doubt.
Was he loved to the ends of the earth by all of them, whether they chose to admit it or not? Abso-fucking-lutely.
Did Daichi have 'Hinata Protection Squad' badges made and ordered for the entire team? Yep.
Did over half of the team keep their badges in their wallets and the other half in their volleyball bags? You bet your ass they did.
No one messed with their middle blocker and got away with it, and anyone who wanted to do so would have to pry those badges from their cold, dead hands.
