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Hinata was lost. He only realized it when he was met with silence after addressing a question to Atsumu, who had formerly been walking by his side.
The members who were part of the regular line-up of the boys’ volleyball club were a tightly-knit group of friends. They had made plans to attend the local summer festival together. Hinata was just unfortunate enough to be separated from the group while exploring the festival.
The shrine’s compound was packed to the brim with people. Lanterns decorated the overhead wires, and the night sky was illuminated by the warm, orange hues of the lanterns.
It wouldn’t be easy to find his teammates with this many people around, even if they did stand out like a sore thumb.
Hinata had intended to worm his way out through the sea of people and collect himself in one of the narrow vacant spaces between the stalls. But instead, he found himself being swept along with the crowd’s course.
Atsumu and the others shouldn’t have been too far away. Hinata’s eyes darted right and left, in hopes of finding that familiar tuft of blonde hair—
Hinata’s wrist was suddenly yanked back, and a gasp left his lips. “—Hinata-kun.”
The strong grip on his wrist kept him grounded in place, and Hinata’s head jerked back. He was overcome with relief when he locked eyes with a recognizable pair of grey eyes. “Osamu-san—!”
Osamu had been dressed in a black yukata, covered in thin white lines which ran vertically down the fabric.
Osamu trudged up to him, and the hand over his wrist snuck its way up to Hinata’s shoulder. He pulled Hinata near his chest and guided him out of the crowd. Hinata couldn’t help feeling a surge of embarrassment upon realizing how close they suddenly were.
Hinata had never noticed it before, but Osamu actually smelled quite different from his twin. He gave off a more natural scent about him, reeking more of a honey-flavoured body soap rather than men's cologne.
When they arrived at a less cramped area near one of the food stands, Osamu removed his hand from Hinata’s shoulder, and took a few steps backwards.
Hinata brought a hand to his chest and heaved a sigh of relief, “That was a real close one... I didn’t know where I was gonna’ end up if you weren’t here, Osamu-san.”
Only then did Hinata notice that Osamu had been out of breath, and that his face had lost its usual composure. He seemed panicked.
“Osamu-san?” Hinata frowned. “Are you okay?”
“...Oh.” Osamu came back to his senses. “...Yeah.”
“If you say so...” Although he wasn’t entirely convinced, Hinata took Osamu for his word. He broke into a cheerful smile, “Oh, thank you so much for coming to help me, Osamu-san!”
Osamu drew a breath, and he rolled his eyes to his side, away from Hinata’s eyes. “...Now we’re both separated from the others, though.”
Hinata eyed the older man curiously, and he cocked his head sideways to peer past his frame, “You aren’t with everyone else?”
“...I got lost, too.” Osamu claimed.
“Oh... Guess we’re both in the same boat, then!” Hinata’s bright smile returned to his face.
Osamu’s frown deepened and he was trying even harder now to avoid Hinata’s gaze, much to the latter’s dismay. But Hinata let it slide, as he was already used to Osamu’s habit of not meeting his eyes.
Thinking back, Hinata realized he was rarely alone with Osamu. He had always been closer to Atsumu who was noticeably a lot friendlier to him. Osamu had a cold and aloof air about him that made Hinata feel unwelcomed around him, which Atsumu himself personally vouched for.
Even so, something in Hinata knew that Osamu was a good person at heart. The fact that he had come to help him further cement his good-willed image of Osamu.
Hinata glanced at the sky with a hint of uneasiness, “Still, the fireworks display is gonna’ start soon. We better hurry and regroup...”
“Let’s go to the entrance.” Osamu suggested. “We can wait for the others there. We should have a clear view of the sky from there, too.”
“That’s a good idea!” Hinata exclaimed, and he raced past Osamu. “Let’s get going then—!”
“Wait.” Osamu twisted his body around and grabbed a hold of Hinata’s shoulder, stopping the latter in his tracks. “Yer’ way too hyper. Quit going off on yer’ own like that.”
“Oh, sorry...” Hinata grinned sheepishly as he turned his head towards Osamu.
Osamu huffed and offered his hand. “Come on. Ya’ don’t want to get separated again, do ya’?”
“Wha—” Hinata blinked confusedly at the hand extended out to him. “...Are you treating me like a kid, Osamu-san?”
Osamu appeared genuinely surprised, “...I guess that is one way to see it.”
“...I’m fine, then.” Hinata puffed out his cheeks in disapproval. “I am not a kid, I won’t get lost again that easily!”
“Stop complaining and just take my hand already.” Osamu insisted, and his hand travelled down to Hinata’s. “I don’t want to risk losing ya’ again in the crowd.”
Hinata despised the idea of being treated like a child, but he eventually let out a sigh of defeat. Osamu’s fingertips brushed lightly against Hinata’s fingers, beckoning him to latch onto his hand. Hinata reluctantly folded his fingers around the hand Osamu had offered.
Osamu’s fingers curled against Hinata’s knuckles, firmly securing their hands together.
Hinata’s heart suddenly started racing. Osamu’s fingers were slender and long, and his skin was surprisingly smooth and silky like a baby’s. His grip was strong and firm though.
Hinata’s eyes travelled up to Osamu and he was just about to make a comment about his fingers until his words got caught in his throat. Osamu’s face was red, and he was avoiding Hinata’s gaze once again.
There was something about Osamu’s apparent nervousness that deferred Hinata from casually throwing him the friendly compliment. The tense atmosphere quickly got to Hinata, and he ducked his head and kept his gaze trained on the barren ground.
Osamu took a stride forward, and Hinata followed his lead. They wordlessly began their walk down the path leading to the shrine gates. Osamu was able to stand his ground in the crowd, relentlessly pushing his way past the many strangers while occasionally giving way to a few.
The grip Osamu’s hand had on Hinata’s remained strong throughout. Osamu made Hinata feel safe for some reason, and Hinata never thought anyone could ever make him feel so at ease.
It was odd also seeing Osamu so determined about looking out for him—he was completely focused on making it past the crowds, all the while making sure he didn’t lose sight of Hinata. Hinata felt somewhat shy having Osamu pay so much attention to him, but it was still a nice feeling regardless.
The pair eventually arrived at the shrine gates, which was relatively deserted compared to the main shrine grounds. There were still a number of people scattered about, some still waiting for their companions and others taking a break from the crowd and chatting with one another.
“They aren’t here, either...” Hinata mumbled in dismay, his eyes scanning his surroundings.
“We can wait for them here.” Osamu said.
Osamu settled down on the steps past the shrine gates, but his hand didn’t leave Hinata’s. Hinata took notice of this, and wondered if he should untangle his fingers.
There wasn’t any more need to keep holding hands now that they were less likely to lose each other again. Not to mention that the people around them would definitely start getting the wrong idea if they continued to hold hands.
But Hinata honestly didn’t want to let go. He liked the feeling of Osamu’s hand.
Instead, he took a seat beside Osamu, bringing their intertwined hands to rest on the space between them. Hinata felt Osamu’s eyes glaze over him in wonder.
Suddenly, a booming noise reverberated from the sky, and Hinata’s eyes darted to the source. Incandescent sparks of red light were scattered all over the night sky, and an ecstatic smile overcame Hinata’s face.
Osamu hummed in mild amusement, also lifting his head to have a view of the sky, “Looks like it’s started.”
The red sparks soon diminished as they fell to the ground. Not even seconds later, several fizzes of lights were already shooting up the sky, tearing into the clouds and each exploding into distinct sparks of blue and green.
The vivid lights showered down the city once again, and another batch of glittering flowers were consecutively sent to the sky. More splashes of yellow, pink, purple and orange joined the fray and decorated the night sky. The cycle went on, not sparing a single moment of darkness for the spectators. The intervals between the colourful splatters gradually became shorter with every spurt of light that fizzed up the sky, and the number of shimmering flowers in the sky only increased.
The couples, friends, children and parents alike within the shrine grounds were all full of smiles, and a few were happily cheering ‘tamaya!’ at the illuminated sky.
“Tamayooo—!!” Hinata hollered at the sky, his hand cupping his mouth.
Osamu stared at him blankly, “It’s ‘tamaya’.”
“Oh, really? My bad, hehe...” Hinata faced Osamu’s direction and scratched his head sheepishly. “Aren’t you gonna’ say it too, Osamu-san?”
“...Tamaya.” Osamu mouthed.
“Come on, you gotta’ be louder than that!” Hinata pressed, and he turned back to the sky. “TAMAYA—!!”
Osamu’s shoulders jolted up in surprise, overwhelmed by Hinata’s energy, “...No way, that’s just embarrassin’.”
“Hehe, you’re way too uptight, Osamu-san,” Hinata grinned toothily.
They shared silence as the fireworks were starting to pick up. The noise of chatter in the background was quickly overtaken by the clamouring of the fireworks that started to saturate the air around them.
“...Still, it would have been nice if we could have all watched it together.” Hinata murmured wistfully.
Osamu couldn’t hear him though, as the banging noise of the fireworks had become deafening at this point. His grey eyes were fixated on the glittering night sky, and he appeared to be paying no attention to Hinata.
Hinata mumbled an ‘oh well’ to himself, and his eyes brushed past Osamu. But he suddenly found himself unable to look away.
It was out of nowhere that Hinata had been struck with the realization of how stunning Osamu looked all this time, especially with his features being illuminated by the flickering lights. His facial expression appeared softer than usual under the vivid lights, and there was this sense of longing reflected in his eyes Hinata couldn’t quite shake off.
Osamu was truly beautiful, to the point of being almost ethereal.
Although they shared the same face, Hinata had never felt this way around Atsumu—there was just something about Osamu that Hinata couldn’t help feeling drawn to.
Osamu’s lips suddenly parted.
“...I like you, I always have.”
Hinata’s eyes grew wide.
“Huh?”
Osamu’s voice was quiet, but Hinata was still able to catch it. Osamu slowly turned his head to look at Hinata, and his eyes also grew in size when he came face-to-face with Hinata’s flushed face.
Hinata couldn’t believe his ears. He wanted to make sure he just didn’t mishear Osamu’s words.
“U-Um... Could you say that again, Osamu-san?!” Hinata raised his voice, knowing Osamu couldn’t hear him well.
Osamu gulped, and he pressed his lips into a thin line. He appeared apprehensive, or even afraid. It took him a few moments to compose himself, and once he did, he opened his mouth once more.
“...I-I said I’ve always liked food. And now I’m feeling like havin’ some takoyaki.” Osamu said in a one swoop breath.
“...Oh.”
Hinata turned his head to face the concrete ground in what seemed to be disappointment.
The fireworks’ show had now reached its climax, and the sky became completely covered in a harmony of dazzling colours. The sparks came raining down upon the city for one last time, and the city soon found itself blanketed once again in pitch darkness.
The cheering and roaring of the crowd filled the air moments after the end of the fireworks display. The people standing around the entrance began enthusing about the show, adding to the commotion.
Neither Hinata nor Osamu cracked a word amidst the hustle and bustle, however.
“Heeey, ‘Samu, Shouyou-kun—!” a familiar voice suddenly echoed in the distance. “We’ve been lookin’ for ya’ everywhere!”
Osamu flinched at the sound of the voice, and he hastily let go of Hinata’s hand. Hinata felt his heart drop when a chill of cold air replaced the warm feeling of Osamu’s fingers around his hand.
“Geh, here comes the annoying guy...” Osamu muttered as he lifted himself up from the steps.
Atsumu’s figure entered their view, and there was a gleeful smile spread across his face.
“Phew, I’m glad yer’ safe, Shouyou-kun...” Atsumu placed a hand atop Hinata’s shoulder as he breathed a sigh of relief.
Hinata was still in a daze, however, “Y-Yeah...”
“Still, how could ya’ just go off and disappear on us like that, ‘Samu?” Atsumu’s eyes rolled over to Osamu. “Don’t ya’ know just how worried we were having two missing people to look for?”
“So where are the others?” Osamu asked, getting straight to the point.
“Hey, ya’ could stand to show a lil’ remorse, y’know...” Atsumu frowned. “But I guess I do owe ya’ one for finding Shouyou-kun.”
“It was yer’ fault for being swarmed by girls. Their squeals were way too annoying.” Osamu elaborated.
Atsumu frowned, “Ya’ say that as if they weren't droolin' all over ya' too."
Osamu’s brow twitched. “Yer’ the one who stood out like a sore thumb and drew them all in when ya’ started winning all the prizes at that shooting booth. Just to show off to Hinata-kun .”
Atsumu snickered, “Yer’ just jealous ya’ don’t have my skills,”
Osamu sighed, “This is why ya’ can never save money...”
“Still...” Atsumu raised a questioning brow. “Ya’ both were watchin’ the fireworks alone together all this time, huh? I’m su~per jealous.”
Osamu remained expressionless and he turned on his heel, heading for the stalls, “I’m gonna’ buy some takoyaki.”
“Hey—!” Atsumu clenched his teeth. “Come on, haven’t ya’ learned yer’ lesson already?!”
“Just wait here for me, it won’t take long.” Osamu waved a hand in dismissal.
“That guy...” Atsumu clicked his tongue. “It must have really sucked to watch the fireworks with a boring guy like him, huh, Shouyou-kun?”
Hinata didn’t answer.
“Shouyou-kun?”
“Oh—” Hinata drew a breath. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“Oi, oi, are ya’ really daydreaming when ya’ have me around?” Atsumu’s lips contorted into a pout. “I’m hurt, Shouyou-kun. I’m seriously hurt.”
“Ah, sorry...” Hinata apologized sheepishly.
Hinata then batted an eye at Osamu, who had stopped in his tracks to look over Hinata upon seemingly catching Atsumu’s words. Hinata could easily tell Osamu’s expression was filled with concern from the way his eyebrows had been furrowed. Hinata realized at that instant that he shouldn’t be letting their earlier exchange get to him, since it wasn’t an important matter anyway.
But Osamu’s supposed words continued to repeat in his mind, and he found himself turning red. Atsumu shot him a confused look.
“I like you, I always have.”
Did Hinata really hear him wrongly? There was a heavy feeling in his chest that wanted so badly for those words to be the real deal. He was definitely disappointed, but he didn’t understand why.
What was this strange feeling?