Chapter Text
Hinata was standing outside the Sendai City Gymnasium, hiding from the pouring rain under the roof near the entrance. He kept locking and unlocking his phone to pass the time, a text from his best friend flashing on the screen each time he turned it on. He was just about to give him a call when he heard someone yell from the entrance:
"Shouyou!"
He turned his head, waving with his phone still in his hand: "Kouji! Heeeeey! You guys were amazing!"
Kouji shook his head with a disapproving look: "Come inside you idiot, you're gonna catch a cold!"
Hinata ran to the door, highfiving Kouji on the way in: "Sorry, I thought we agreed to meet outside?"
"Yeah but I didn't think it was gonna be raining!" He grumbled, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hallway.
"Oh, I guess you're right. Anyway, that was amazing! You were amazing! That was the best soccer game I've ever been to!"
"It was the only soccer game you've ever been to."
"So? It was so epic! Like when you did that gwaaah kick and then the other guy did the kabooom and the ball want right into the net! I am so happy you guys won!"
"But ... we beat Karasuno to a pulp."
"Well ... uhm ... they deserved it! I definitely rooted for your team the whole time! The whole time, I swear! Also ... where are we going?" Hinata asked, realizing he had no idea where Kouji was dragging him.
"You'll see."
"Wait, I almost forgot, what was that text about? What do you wanna talk to me about?"
"I said you'll see! Now shut up!" Kouji hissed at him, putting a hand across his mouth to silence him as they stopped at a corner of a staircase, looking down to where the Karasuno soccer team was getting ready to leave their dressing room and go back home.
For a while, Kouji scanned the crowd before suddenly pointing out: "Her! Do you know her?"
Hinata followed his friend's gaze, his eyes landing on an upbeat girl meticulously putting soccer balls into a duffel bag while also handing out drinks while also grabbing a pack of tissues from her pocket and throwing it to their captain who was crying in the corner - all at almost the exact same time.
Still watching the girl take multitasking to another level, he slowly nodded, his head tilted to the side in confusion: "Yeah ... she's our younger manager's best friend. Why?" He turned to look at Kouji and was shocked to see his best friend's face completely red.
The blushing soccer star looked to the ground as he pulled Hinata back around the corner, hiding his eye-catching orange hair from view. He mumbled something before turning around and heading back where they came from.
"Kouji? Huh... wait, Kouji? What did you say? I didn't hear it!" Hinata ran after him, no idea what was going on.
"I said ... if maybe you know ... if she has a boyfriend?" Kouji asked again, his voice still barely audible.
"Haaaaa?" A gasp escaped Hinata's mouth before a wide grin spread across his face: "Wait ... Kouji, you have a crush on our soccer manager!"
"I told you to shut up!"
"But you totally have a crush on her!"
"Well okay, maybe I like her a lot, so what?"
"What do you mean "so what?" Did you talk to her yet? Do you have her number? Do you guys talk often?"
"We obviously don't!"
"You ... don't?" Hinata stopped in his tracks, confused once again ... but then again, he was confused a lot whenever something other than volleyball was going on.
Kouji finally looked up at him, trying to smile a little: "I ... uhm ... I guess I owe you a little explanation. I'm sorry I got upset at you, I just ... urgh .... when I'm around her, I just can't think straight!"
Hinata reached out, patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay. So ..."
"I met her last month, at the preliminaries. I hurt my ankle in the second half and had to go get it checked out, but when I got there, all the nurses were super busy with other injuries already, so ... I just kinda sat and waited. And then, she came through the door with one of your guys who scraped his knee really bad, he was bleeding. As they were putting bandages on his foot, she sat down beside me and started talking out of nowhere, she asked me which team I'm from, how our game is going, which year I'm in ... and she even asked what happened to me, so I told her that I was trying to avoid running into our left-winger and then took a weird step and put too much pressure on my ankle and ..."
"And?"
"And then she smiled and asked if I mind letting her look at it. I didn't really register what she said so I nodded and then before I knew it, she was already putting elastic bandages around my ankle and saying I just pulled a ligament and it definitely wasn't sprained, but I should still rest for a few days. And then she went on about how sister works there as a nurse and she's also going to study medicine and ... and ... I can't really remember the rest of it. I was completely done for by then. She's so cute and so nice and so beautiful and ... gaaaah, I can't handle this!"
"Well, go talk to her!"
"That's the thing, Shouyou ... I can't. It would be weird! I can't just show up to some other team's dressing room and ask to chat with their manager - they'd carry me outside single-handed! I've seen what Karasuno guys do with people trying to talk to their girls! Do you think I have a death wish? No, no, no ..."
"Uhm ...." Hinata spoke up but stopped right away, thinking for a moment.
Well ... I can't tell him he's being stupid. For all I know, maybe our soccer team also has a Tanaka and Noya ... but Tanaka and Noya are good guys!
"You don't have to be afraid of scary guys! They're actually really nice ... well, at least our two are."
Kouji sighed, fidgeting with the sleeves of his sports jacket. "Thanks for encouraging me, but I had something else in mind when I said I wanted to talk to you."
"Eeeeh??"
"Remember that wanna-be volleyball team we helped you with? You still owe me one for that, right?"
"Yeah, I do!"
"Well ... do you think you could maybe ... you know, since you know me, and you said you know her too, do you think there's any chance you could ... you know?"
Hinata grinned again, putting Kouji out of his misery: "Absolutely! I'll be the best wingman you can imagine!!"
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Well, duh! I'm a crow, I pretty much have literal wings on my back - I can totally do this!"
Smiling thankfully, Kouji finally loosened up as they headed back outside and onto the bus home.
Later that night, Hinata lay in bed, feeling super proud of himself.
Kouji asked me for help - that's awesome! I can totally do this. I can totally, totally do this!
But he totally, totally couldn't.