Shōyō tried to ignore the memory of the brief kiss that he had exchanged with Tsukishima and he had managed to do it until half the day, since they were always surrounded by other people at school and the confusion of conversation distracted him.

But now that the two were alone in the cafeteria it was much more difficult to ignore and he knew his face was a little red as he tried not to face Kei openly.

He couldn't hear a word of what he explained on the subject and he was missing so many questions that it looked like he had gone back to the time he studied without his help.

Still, unlike the beginning, Tsukishima didn't seem to be angry with him. If it were before, he would have stopped talking and even moved away until he managed to focus again. But now he had never really criticized him.

Why could Tsukishima was so beautiful even if he did something as boring as teaching? It wasn't fair. Shōyō wanted more than ever to close that distance between them and repeat what they did last time and even more...

He leaned his head on the table, desperate to hide his face, afraid that somehow Tsukishima would be able to guess his thoughts. He didn't even care how uncomfortable it was.

How could he look at Tsukishima and not remember the day before? How close he got, to feeling his lips on his owns...

"Are you alright?" Kei asked, gently, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes," Hinata lied.

Kei did not believe him at all, but he preferred not to dwell on it. Because he suspected he knew what was the reason for Hinata acting strangely. He hadn't been able to look at him directly all day, always looking away as soon as he noticed that Kei was caught looking at him.

He was not happy that Hinata felt so bad about what happened that he couldn't even deal with him. He wanted to see him smile again, responding with fire to any provocation he had done. He wanted to make sure it didn't happen again, that he could be calm.

But despite all that, he failed to force himself to say the words, because he knew that if he could, he would be kissing him in the next second. And after that. Whenever he could.

If he thought that it was bad before, now that he knew how it really felt like, it was ten times worse. He barely managed to control his strange will to touch him, like, now that Hinata put his head on the table, he wanted to run his fingers through his hair and see what it was like.

Kei wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence between them.

"If you need anything, I'm here," he finally offers.

"I know," Shōyō replied with a lovely smile.

It was true. He didn't know exactly when it happened, but at some point in his life Kei became a person that he knew he could trust, someone he knew he could ask for help.

Kei was surprised by his response, by the confident way he spoke. He doesn't remember anyone else for putting so much trust in him and that makes him happy.

"Can we stop studying a little?" Hinata asked.

Perhaps, if he wasn't showing such hopeful expression, Kei could have denied, but that way there was no way to resist that. Besides, they weren't making any progress anyway.

"Ok, but tomorrow I want to see your questions all answered," Kei spoke firmly.

"Right!" Hinata said too happy with that to worry now about how to learn what he should've studied today.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he noticed that Kei was throwing everything in his bag and calling the waitress.

Kei looked at him confused. Since they were there to study, he already thought that now there was nothing else to do, they would leave.

"Stay," ordered Hinata, his tone leaving no doubt about how much he wanted his company.

He sat back, letting Hinata do the talking. After a while, it was as if nothing had happened before and they talked quietly, with Tsukishima making jokes about Kageyama and Hinata in turn sharing what he knew by Kenma (who in turn, learned by Kuroo) about Kei.

A waiter interrupted the moment, bringing the second coffee that Hinata had ordered for some reason (ah, so that's what he had ordered - Kei was totally distracted to hear what he had said).

Hinata took a long drink, satisfied. Then he simply offered it to Kei.

"This is my apology," he said simply, "for being so distracted today."

Kei smiled and also drank the coffee. It was as good as the smell and he didn't regret taking it one bit, even though it was his second. But he didn't finish it anyway and just put it in front of Hinata again the cup.

They stayed like that for a little longer, talking quietly and sharing the coffee.

None of them wanted it to end, but it was getting dark and Kei knew he still needed to organize some things at home. Then, they paid the bill and walked to the place where their paths separate, stopping for an instant.

"Hey…" Shōyō spoke uncertainty.

Kei looked at him, curious to hear what was coming next. He knew what he wanted to hear, but he doubted it was that. Hinata was not going to confess to him like that.

But Hinata didn't say anything right away, just came over and kissed his cheek. Too shocked, Kei had no reaction.

"See you later," Shōyō spoke simply before walking away.

Leaving, he saw the stunned look of Kei, who was standing in place without believing what had just happened.

It was a normal practice like any other, with Ennoshita trying to stop the chaos, Noya and Tanaka telling horror stories to the first-year players while they were training to control the ball.

It was also the first time that Hinata and Tsukishima had met after breakfast and Kei could have sworn he could still feel his lips on his face until now. He had even blushed a little when he saw Shōyō, but forced himself to ignore it and focus on training.

Everyone on the team already looked a little dead when Ukai finally gave them a break to drink water and they scattered around the gym in search of bottles. All but Hinata, of course, who looked as energetic as ever next to Tsukishima.

Kei was not going to lie, he liked that Hinata had the habit of always looking for him on breaks, although usually, that meant having to tolerate Kageyama too. Luckily, the King of the Court today seemed busy trying to trade some strategy with Tanaka.

He was just having fun, teasing Hinata by refusing to return the bottle of water he had stolen from him, placing it on top of his head.

"You should treat your boyfriend better, Tsukishima!" Hinata said out of habit. They got so involved with each other in the coffee that it had end up coming out naturally.

Yamaguchi immediately looked at Kei, shocked by the sudden statement. He didn't seem to know how to react, just looking at him with pure confusion and a little panic.

Tsukishima was grateful that at least there were only three in that area, it would be much worse to have to face the whole team. Like, how horrible would be if he had to put up with Kageyama asking for explanations about what he felt for Shōyō?

At least it was his best friend. He could explain a little bit of what was happening, even if he would rather die than go into details (how he was going to say that he was madly liking Shōyō and that they were mistaken for a couple, but that for more that he wanted, they had nothing?).

"Yeah, I should have, but it wouldn't be funny," Kei replied matter-of-factly, handing the bottle back to Hinata.

Kei remembered that they had been in a similar situation a while ago - with him teasing Hinata - but now it was different. This time, he was having more fun than anything. And there was a much more welcoming look on the redhead's face.

Just seeing him like that made it worth knowing that he would have to explain to Yamaguchi later about him calling him a boyfriend and his feelings. Besides, it was funny to see how his best friend looked like he was about to pass out.

Yamaguchi tried to stop himself from laughing when Tsukki finished explaining what happened in training. Seriously, it was like having entered an alternative dimension to see Hinata calling Tsukishima a boyfriend with such pride and naturalness. He knew they were closer now, but what?

Not in a million years would he have imagined that Tsukki and Hinata studying together would lead them to act as if they were a couple. Still, the two seemed to be acting too happy with the scene for it to be all pretense.

"But do you like him?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes," Tsukishima admitted.

"Then why don't you ask him out?" Yamaguchi pointed out the obvious. "Or confesses".

For a long moment, Kei just stared at him and Yamaguchi accepted that he was not going to say anything and was already about to change the subject, for fear of having gone too far.

"But he doesn't like me," said Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi thought of everything he had seen since meeting Hinata. It was true that Kei's treatment of him had changed, but it worked for both sides. Hinata always seemed proud of the things that Tsukki did. He smiled differently with him. Hinata had brought food to Kei. Besides all this story of continuing to act as a couple.

"You know, for a very smart person, you can be quite stupid sometimes," he said.

"Huh?"

Yamaguchi rolled his eyes, deciding to let the matter go for now. Tsukki was smart enough to find out for himself what he meant.

Tsukishima was a light sleeper, so even though he was sleeping he could hear the notification sound from his cell phone. He ignored it the first time, but then the cell signaled another message.

He was surprised, wondering who it could be, since everyone he knew should be sleeping. Afraid that it was serious, he decided to read the messages.

It was Hinata asking if he was awake and shortly afterward apologizing for disturbing him, saying that he had not seen the time.

Worried, Kei went on alert and replied that he was awake already, that he had no problems. Even though Hinata was quite inconvenient at times, he never disturbed others at night, at least not that Kei knew about.

Shōyo sighed in relief when he saw Kei's response. Honestly, he wasn't thinking when he pulled out his cell phone and typed a message for him.

He had woken up from a nightmare, and even though he couldn't remember what it was, he felt his heart beating faster and suddenly the room itself felt so cold and too dark.

If he had to guess, he would say that the nightmare was caused by the fight he had with his father. He hadn't planned on yelling at him today, but when he got home and found out that his father was going to miss Natsu's dance performance from school, he couldn't control himself.

What was the use of his father working so hard if he couldn't even attend events like that? He could already see how sad she would be when she realized that he hadn't come, again.

However, Shōyō didn't even think about his father when he woke up, only in his own unmotivated panic and how he wanted something, anything, to calm him down.

Somehow, his brain not fully awake thought it would be a good idea to text Tsukishima in the middle of the night.

He didn't know why, but he knew that of all the people he knew, Kei was the one who could calm him the most now. He wanted to be as close to him as possible.

Only later did he think how selfish it was and that the boy had nothing to do with his insomnia. He did not deserve to be woken up by something so stupid. He immediately apologized, saying it was nothing.

But to his surprise, Kei didn't sound angry (at least he from what he could feel) and he said he was already awake.

Hinata wanted to call him, but he knew it was going too far and was content to talk to him for a bit by message.

Kei smiled when Shōyō tried again to argue that the team he supported was better. But no way, just because Kei's was going through a bad phase didn't erase all the titles they had.

Kei sent again the number of medals they had already won and Shōyō replied that he had managed to do three aces in a row (!) in the last game.

Everything seemed peaceful, but Kei couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Shōyō. Of course, the fact that he had sent messages at dawn was a good indication, but he sounded weird too.

Hinata was 100% tired. This did not mean that he was not happy.

Even with the little sleep he had had, the conversation with Tsukishima had left him in such a good mood that he didn't even care about how crappy he felt.

He smiled at his friends as he sat in the same chair as always, close to Kageyama. It didn't take long for the setter to arrive and ask him if he would say happy birthday to Yachi.

Hinata looked at him startled. He had totally forgotten about that! He hadn't even congratulated her.

"If you are so bothered by it, why not sat it now?" suggested Kageyama.

"This is your first good idea," said Hinata, pleased, getting up from the chair and taking advantage of the fact that the class would still take a while to start.

"Hey, idiot! I have great ideas!" protested Kageyama, irritated.

Hinata ignored him as he headed for Yachi's class.

The first thing Tsukishima did when he arrived in the room was to lay his head on the table. He was exhausted and was in no mood to put up with anyone.

He put on his headphones and played the last playlist he was listening to, just so he wouldn't have to put up with the noise from the classroom. He was desperate to regain some of the sleep he had lost.

It wasn't like he really regretted or was irritated that he had spent more than an hour talking to Hinata in the middle of the night, but he definitely missed the rest he should have had.

He thought once again how much he liked Hinata Shōyō. Why did the time he spent with him never seemed enough? Why did he have to be so different from everyone else? Why did he manage to attract his attention no matter what he did?

He knew he was in love with Hinata and as much as he tried to ignore what Yamaguchi had said, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to know what it would be like to have him liking him too, what it would be like to be able to do everything he wanted with Shōyō.

But he also knew that he wasn't going to say anything about what he felt. There was no chance that Hinata would feel the same. Not when he was him. He would never like a person like Kei when he was able to get someone much nicer.

Hinata felt better now that he had spoken to Yachi and had been forgiven by her, who said she had no problem with him forgetting to congratulate her, as long as he really went to her house on the agreed day.

He was about to return to his class, when he impulsively decided to go to Tsukishima's class. He went there, ignoring the curious looks he received.

Only when he was near Kei's chair did he realize that the other was sleeping and wearing headphones, in a clear sign that he didn't want to be disturbed. He looked so peaceful there, with a relaxed smile, that he was extremely adorable and once again Shōyō was taken aback by how handsome he was.

The sight did strange things to him, he couldn't quite explain what he felt, but it was a mixture of guilt with admiration. Was Kei so tired that he decided to sleep because they had been talking at such late hours?

"Hi, Hinata. It's all right?" asked Yamaguchi.

Hinata almost jumped in surprise, he hadn't noticed Yamaguchi getting close with how absorbed he was with looking at Kei. But seeing the pinch server, he realized that he had a different smile, as if he knew something he didn't.

"Er, yes," Shōyō replied nervously. "I just came to ask Tsukishima something, but he must be tired…"

Yamaguchi smiled and they talked for a while until the bell rang and Hinata ran to his class in despair. Kei only woke up after he left.

Tsukishima was at Yachi's birthday party. She had just called him, Kageyama, Hinata and Yamaguchi to go to her house, having apparently celebrated with her other two best friends that day.

He tried to ignore how handsome Hinata was, wearing decent clothes for a change. He told himself that as it was his friend's birthday (or something), he should pay attention to her and not focus on how he secretly wanted to kiss Shōyō again.

The party itself was good, with everyone having fun and making fun of each other. They had even gone through a series of challenges, including getting Kageyama to send a video declaring himself to Shimizu-senpai, after a debate over what it would be like if the two coldest ones liked each other. But even before she answered, Kageyama explained that it was just a challenge and she just sent a "nice".

It is true that in the beginning, it was a little weird, because nobody really knew what to do, except Hinata. Because Kei could guarantee that he had never gone to the home of other girls or Yamaguchi and he could bet that the King didn't either. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, chatting with everyone, but mostly with Yachi.

Things got more comfortable when they started playing video games and Yachi practically destroyed them all, with Yamaguchi being the only one who came close to defeating her.

And if Kei had been especially happy when they were having pizza at the table and his leg was touching Hinata's, nobody needed to know.

Shōyō left Yachi's birthday feeling very happy. Partly because he realized that Yamaguchi liked her and now he could tell his friend that she was not suffering in vain, but mainly because it had been something so fun and different.

Everything had gone as smoothly as possible, disregarding some screams that they couldn't avoid or the provocations that Tsukishima and Kageyama did to each other (but even these were not really violent today).

It was a day that he wanted to relive a thousand times and it wasn't even over yet. He was now taking the bus with Tsukishima to return home, as it was more or less the same way (Kageyama and Yamaguchi were still at Yachi's house, waiting for their parents).

They had ended up sharing an earbud after Tsukishima had started listening to music on his own and Hinata stared directly at him for a few minutes, then poked him. Kei had sighed and without saying anything else, offered the earbud and they have been like that ever since.

"I'm very happy that you came," said Hinata, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't sure if you were coming," Hinata shrugged. "You know, you are very closed at times and do not want to interact with anyone".

That was fair; Tsukishima normally preferred to be alone than having to deal with the idiocy of others. But pausing to think, he didn't mind when he was called for the crazy activities that Yachi and Hinata invented to do from time to time. In fact, he even liked it.

"It's not so bad to go out with you," Kei admitted.

Hinata smiled at him, as if it were an early Christmas present.

"That's nice. Because I like you," he said simply, as if it were something completely normal.

Kei went completely still beside him, as if he had been shocked.

"You don't mean…" he started to speak. It wasn't possible that he got it right, he must be imagining things. Of course, Shōyō meant as a friend and nothing more.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Shōyō spoke.

Yes, Kei almost answered. Shōyō was so different from himself that it was strange to imagine that he could be interested in someone like him.

But…

Now that Kei thought about it, there had been some signs. Shōyō always looking for him, always happy by his side, the cake... not complaining about the kiss. They were little things... but it was something.

Was he telling the truth?

Before he could get his thoughts in order, however, Hinata smiled at him and walked away from him.

"This is my stop. See you later, Kei, " he said.

That was the final blow. Kei knew that he would never forget the way Hinata pronounced his name. He wanted to hear it again.

Shōyō was freaking out. He didn't know what came over him. It was true that he had never been a person to keep secrets or think about things, but even he should have thought better than just throwing that bomb at Tsukishima.

What if the boy didn't like him? What if he never wanted to talk to him again? Worse, what if he refused to train with him and Hinata made it complicated for the whole team?

He had thought that Kei probably corresponded to what he felt, considering that he had kissed him and treated him differently from the others. But it could be that the day he kissed him at his house was just an impulse or even attraction. What would he do?

Kei certainly didn't respond as he expected, standing still and just looking at him in a panic. The situation had become so weird that Hinata had become desperate and had taken advantage of the fact that the bus door was opening for an elderly woman to leave and went with her.

"It wasn't even my stop…" he spoke to himself, shaking his head afterward.

He was going crazy. Why had he done such a thing? He could blame the day's euphoria on his impulsiveness, but he knew it wasn't. Deep down, he wanted Kei to know.

To complete the mess he had made, he had called Kei by his first name. It was true that for a while he thought of him more as Kei than as Tsukishima, but he had never given permission to call him that. What if he didn't like it?

Tsukishima felt awkward, entering Hinata's classroom, especially considering that they hadn't spoken since his sudden statement. But he had to make sure that Shōyō would go study with him at the cafe.

He found the boy surrounded by classmates, laughing as he told a story. For once, Kageyama was nowhere near him.

"Hinata?" he called, making the other stop in the middle of the sentence.

He seemed to have seen a nightmare when he turned to him, totally scared and it caused Tsukishima to despair. But he soon smiled his normal smile.

"I'll be there in a second," he replied and distanced himself from his colleagues a little, so that he and Kei had certain privacy.

Kei was still very nervous, but he relaxed more when he had Shōyō close by.

"I just wanted to confirm that you're going to class today," said Kei.

For a second, he could have sworn that he saw the disappointment in Hinata's eyes.

"No problems. I'll be there," he spoke much colder than usual. "Was that all?"

Kei nodded. There was nothing else he wanted to say, at least not there, not in front of everyone.

Hinata looked disappointed, but returned to his group of friends and completely ignored Tsukishima's presence as the other left the room.

Hinata told himself that he could do this. It was just coffee, nothing compared to what he had already faced. But the thought of spending time alone with Kei and pretending that nothing had happened was maddening.

He regretted how cold he had been that day with his friend, but he couldn't help it. He had been so hopeful that he would answer the confession he had made, and instead, Tsukishima just wanted to know about studying.

"Come on," he said to himself, before putting on a smile and opening the cafe door, finding Kei already sitting at the usual table.

Kei was nervous. He was good with many things, but not with feelings and he was afraid of ruining what he had with Hinata. If he didn't know he needed to do this so as not to hurt him, he probably wouldn't even have the courage to try.

"What do you want to study today?" Shōyō asked, in a much more serious tone than usual.

This agonized Kei. He wanted to see him happy, smiling and doing stupid imitations, not so far away.

But he could understand why he was doing this. He must have thought that Kei didn't like him or care about him. It was time to undo this misunderstanding.

"Hinata," he called.

"Hmm?"

"I think I finally figured out what I want you to do," Kei said. "For the study sessions".

"And…?" he had an uncertain look, as if he didn't know if he should be suspicious.

Kei could hear his heart beating and he has never been more scared in his life before. Now was the time. He was going to risk everything. Perhaps it was the moment that Shōyō would disappear forever from his life.

"I want you to kiss me," he said.

Hinata smiled. He turned his face away and didn't hesitate before ending the distance between them. This time the kiss was much more intense than the other, really taking advantage of the time they had to explore each other.

"But just to make it clear. I did it because I wanted to, not because you taught me," he said.

Kei didn't care what his motivation was, although he was even happier to hear that he did it because he wanted to, as long as they could do it more often.

"I like you too, Hinata Shōyō," Kei said.

The End