When Hinata first heard of Kageyama's worries about how he thought animals didn't like him, he wanted to burst out laughing. It was infinitely amusing to him that someone so serious was concerned with such trivial things. And yet there was something in Kageyama's eyes that stopped the laughter in his throat, pity clenching around his heart. In only a matter of seconds, after seeing Kageyama's expression closing off, he decided to help him.
That was why Kageyama was now coming over to his house. Hinata's sister loved animals and after a lot of begging their parents agreed to allow them to keep a dog. It was one of the bigger kind, but well-behaved, and Hinata believed that for someone awkward around animals it'd be perfect for training. They closed themselves in Hinata's room, the dog closely following on their footsteps.
'Try to pet him,' Hinata encouraged, as Kageyama glanced at the dog with uncertainty. 'It won't bite, I promise.'
Kageyama's fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the dogs head. He halted though, when the animal stepped closer, sniffing at his hand. Seeing the hesitation in Kageyama's eyes, Hinata sighed. They'd never move anywhere if he gets cold feet now. It wasn't like his dog didn't like him, it was more as if Kageyama was afraid of being rejected and backed off without even trying. But that was exactly why he was here.
'You need to let him get comfortable with your smell first,' he said, taking Kayegama's wrist and bringing his hand closer to the dog's nose. It started sniffing again, and after a while a pink tongue lapped at one of Kageyama's fingers. 'See? It accepted you.'
Hinata smiled reassuringly, and with quite a surprise he noticed that a small smile appeared on Kageyama's face, as his eyes lit with happiness. Hinata let go of his hand with a gentle 'Now pet it'. And Kageyama did, the dog laying down his ears and closing eyes in pleasure, as Kageyama's fingers run through his soft fur.
But instead of the dog, Hinata focused on watching Kageyama. His eyes changed, they were no longer guarded, but free, unrestrained joy was shining bright inside them. A smile he has never seen before made his heart beat faster, and the slight pink blush on Kageyama's cheeks made him think that this was something he wasn't supposed to see. And yet he couldn't take his eyes off of him.
Even an hour later, when Kageyama already went home, and he was laying on his bed in complete darkness, Hinata couldn't focus on anything else. The very memory made his heart pick up the erratic pace, his face growing hot in seconds. With an irritated groan he turn to the side, covering his face with a pillow. Damn, now it was him who had a problem. And it wasn't as easily solved as Kageyama's.