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Hinata Shouyou was alone.
Again.
He found himself, alone in the same quiet part of town that he got lost in two weeks after his disaster of a confession with Atsumu.
Until he wasn't.
"Are you okay?"
Shouyou looked up at the voice and blinked at the black and grey hair, a face and the Kansai dialect, all familiar to him.
There were only a few times that had he forgotten a name to a face, and but this was a face that he wouldn't forget. Kita Shinsuke. The first person to ask how he was. Funny how someone that was a stranger to him was the one that knew that something was wrong.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Kita-san, right? Inarizaki's former captain?" The older male nodded as he sat down on the grass beside Hinata.
"Hinata, right? Are you sure that you're okay? You don't look okay to me." Kita asked, passing Hinata a bottle of soda that he got from a nearby convenience store. Hinata was surprised that Kita still remembered his name, but that might be because he was a member of the Black Jackals now.
"I mean, I'm okay as I can be after being rejected." Hinata said as he accepted the bottle. He felt Kita's gaze on him, analysing him. Before the older male could speak, he spoke first.
"What brings you to Tokyo, if you don't mind me asking? Last I heard from Osamu-san, you were still in Hyogo."
"Ah, I had to bring Osamu some of the harvest from my own fields. He said my harvests were the best for his shop."
Hinata chuckled, remembering all too well how Osamu had ranted about how some rice he used for his shop were not good enough.
"Hinata, what else is bothering you? I can see that it's not just getting rejected."
And then the dam broke as Hinata let tear after tear out, insecurity after insecurity slip from his lips while Kita just listened. It wasn't until five minutes after Hinata calmed down that Kita spoke.
"You know Hinata, you don't need to be with someone to be truly happy. I know it's hard, because everyone around you is probably with someone. And that's okay that they are with someone, but that doesn't mean you have to be. You got rejected, so what? That doesn't mean that you're not worthy of love or that you should let yourself fall into despair. Yes you liked someone. Yes, it's hard after being rejected. So what? It hurts, move on. No use on letting yourself sink in pain. Yes, you overthink too much. Yes, you're insecure. But so what? Work on them then. You're perfect on your own already. It's time you start to believe that too."
Kita's blunt words were a punch to Hinata's gut. But it was the punch he needed to wake him from the self-pity trance he placed himself in. He let out a chuckle as he sat up from where he laid.
"You're blunt, but that's what I needed to hear. Thank you, Kita-san."
Kita just smiled before he walked away, leaving Hinata to his own thoughts.
Thoughts that, for once, were not anything negative.
"Hinata!" Bokuto's voice was loud as Hinata walked into the gym for practice.
"Hey Bokuto-san! Hey guys!" Hinata smiled at his friend, and it stopped Bokuto from running towards him.
Practically all of the team knew of Hinata's failed confession, and they were more than ready to help Hinata dissolve the what they thought was the awkwardness that was sure to come from the ginger. Yet the bright smile stopped them. There were no awkwardness that they can feel from Hinata at all, and they didn't know what to feel about it.
As practice progressed, Atsumu was the one that got more and more awkward, refusing to meet anyone's eyes and refusing to toss to Hinata.
It was two hours after practice began that Hinata had finally had enough and pulled Atsumu by the collar, much to the shock of the team.
"What is your problem?!"
"N-nothing-"
"THEN FUCKING TOSS TO ME. I'M YOUR TEAMMATE, AM I NOT?! GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME AND OUT OF WHATEVER IS MAKING YOU SO AWKWARD. WE'RE IN THE COURT."
"I'm sorry, I just didn't think you'd be comfortable with me after what happened."
"Seriously? Yes, you rejected me. So what? We're still teammates. Now get your head out of your ass, do your job and set to me!" Hinata rolled his eyes as he let Atsumu go.
When Atsumu finally tossed to him, Hinata let out a 'fucking finally' as he hit the ball.
Two months after he last saw Kita was when Hinata encountered the older male again, this time in Osamu's shop. He was eating dinner when someone tapped his shoulder, and Hinata lit up when his amber eyes met Kita's bronze ones.
"Hello, Hinata-kun. How is your mental state?"
Hinata laughed as he shook his head, ignoring the wide eyed stare he got from Osamu.
"Still as blunt as ever, Kita-san. Getting better, but I still have some bad days every now and then. How have you been?" Kita hummed as he sat beside Hinata on the bar stool. It was obvious that Kita was pleased with the development.
"I'm doing well, thank you. Well, at least you're getting better, so that's good. What caused the bad day, and it looks fresh too."
"A nightmare that led to overthinking. Didn't get much sleep last night because of it, but it's the worst one so far." At the mention of sleep, Hinata let out a yawn and reached for his coffee, only for Kita to push it away from him and made Hinata pout.
"No, no more coffee for you. Or else you won't sleep."
"Better than a nightmare." Hinata mumbled, and squeaked when Kita glared at him. "Fine, fine, no more coffee." Hinata pouted slightly before yawning again. "I should head back before I fall asleep right here."
Kita looked at Hinata who was close to falling asleep. "Come, I'll drive you there, as long as you tell me the address first."
"What? Are you sure, Kita-san?"
Kita nodded and helped Hinata out, waving at Osamu on his way out.
"I'll have to pay you back somehow." Hinata said before dozing off on the passenger's seat after he gave Kita the address of the apartment where the team was staying.
Kita knocked on the door while still carrying Hinata on his back. Hinata had fallen asleep in the car, and Kita let out a smile at how peaceful Hinata looked.
Hinata's crying features had not once left his mind in the past two months, and he was happy that Hinata was starting to be happy too, even if he had bad days too.
"Hel-Kita-san?" Atsumu opened the door, and a shadow passed over Kita's eyes before disappearing.
"Hello, Atsumu. I'm here to drop off your lost middle blocker." He tilted his head to show the sleeping male on his back. His movement woke Hinata up, and the ginger lifted his head and blinked the drowsiness away.
"Oh, we're here. Thank you, Kita-san."
"No problem, Hinata-kun. I'm going back to Hyogo tomorrow, but I'll let you know when I'll be back here." Kita said before leaving with a wave to Atsumu.
Hinata waved and yawned as he walked into the apartment, rubbing his eyes, not noticing that the others from the team were in the living room, listening. He looked at Atsumu when his name got called.
"Since when were you and Kita-san close?"
"We're not. Not necessarily, at least. He found me while I was having a mental breakdown two months ago." Hinata yawned again. "I'm going to sleep. I didn't sleep last night." Hinata waved as he walked away. It was only when he was getting changed to more comfier clothes that he found a piece of paper tucked into his sweater, containing Kita's number.
It's been two years and Hinata and Kita kept in contact. Ever since the day Hinata found that slip of paper, they kept in contact. It didn't matter whether the messages were a simple daily greeting or a greeting of good luck. It didn't matter if their phone calls were five minutes long or hours long. It didn't matter if Kita was talking about his crops or Hinata was ranting about how tiring practice was. They were in contact and they kept it up continuously.
Kita would come around Tokyo more often than he should, using Osamu's deliveries as an excuse.
Hinata would visit Hyogo when the team is on vacation from practice.
Kita kept the shadow of the overthinking and the insecurities away. Hinata knew, as years passed, that he'd probably end up liking Kita but for once, he didn't feel the dread and the fear of rejection.
The Olympics was about 13 months away when Hinata found out that he's on the roster. The first person he told?
Kita Shinsuke.
It was then that he realised that he had fallen for someone again.
But.
He was fine with getting hurt if ever he does bring up that his feelings for Kita. Kita gave him more than he could ever ask for. Kita gave him the courage to be happy with himself.
That was worth the upcoming heartbreak.
Kita Shinsuke is worth the upcoming heartbreak.
Being on the Olympics team meant that he would have to see Kageyama constantly. Seeing his old setter across the net was one thing. Seeing him constantly was another.
Oh well, at least he has others in the team that he could speak to.
Hinata walked into the locker room, talking to someone on the phone animatedly.
"Hey, everyone!" He said while he walked to his designated locker, smiling at the various greetings given back to him. Just by his luck, his locker was beside Ojiro Aran's, Kita's old ace. He placed his phone down and Aran was given a glimpse of who he was talking to exactly.
"Oh, is that Kita? Tell him I said hi." He said, catching the attention of Suna Rintarou and Atsumu. Suna blinked as he looked at Hinata before looking at Atsumu and Aran. They didn't seem shocked, but he certainly was.
"I didn't know Kita-san and Hinata were close?" Suna said as he watched Hinata skip out of the locker room after he dropped the call with Kita.
"Hmm? Oh. They became friends like two years ago or so. Shouyou-kun wasn't in the best mindset and Kita-san snapped him right back." Atsumu said as he closed his locker with a grimace. He had been a part of why Hinata's mindset was so whack and it still eats at him sometimes. Frankly, he was glad that Hinata seemed more confident in himself now, unlike how he was two years ago.
"Huh...That's good then." Suna's words were met by a snort and a snicker from Aran as their old senpai walked away.
"If only you knew how good that is."
It left the others that were listening in a state of confusion while one was gripping his locker door too tightly.
Hinata was focused on practice and, if he wasn't on the court, he was taking online classes just like Kita had suggested. Hinata was thankful for the suggestion, if he was being honest. It will give him a platform to fall back to when he retires AND it gave him one more reason to keep things from being awkward around Kageyama.
Hinata supposes that he still held a tiny bit of a grudge for the way he was led on by Kageyama. He didn't hold that grudge against Atsumu because at the end of the day, Atsumu was the setter of the Black Jackals and they need to work in the court. But Kageyama? The one he once considered his closest friend? It wasn't as easy to let it go.
Of course when he told Kita about how he felt, Kita just told him that it was in the past, and that the whole dynamic of the team would not work with that little grudge.
Hinata considered Kita's words and reluctantly agreed as he, once again, found himself thanking whoever was listening that Kita found him that day.
Kita's advice helped immensely. Hinata had taken a few days off, and when he came back to practice, the wall that was between Kageyama and Hinata had dissolved.
It made the famous quick of theirs return too.
Hinata was elated. Japan won the Olympics.
All the hard work, the preparation, the sacrifices that he and the team had put themselves through paid off as they sat on the court, sweating and panting as they collected themselves.
All around them, screams were deafening. But all Hinata could think was Kita.
Kita, who gave him the kick in the ass he needed three years ago.
Kita, who gave him the courage to get out of his head and focus on himself instead of whatever heartbreak he was experiencing.
Kita, who gave Hinata more than he could ever ask for.
Kita, who now held Hinata's heart in his hands, regardless of whether the older male ends up crushing it, or giving Hinata his own heart in return.
Hinata was talking to Kageyama while they were on their way out of the locker rooms. Just as they stepped into the hallways, Kageyama went silent, as if he was debating with himself. Just as the blue eyed setter opened his mouth to speak to Hinata, the ginger's name was called. Hinata looked at the front of the group, and found Kita smiling at him.
Hinata lit up, and ran towards Kita despite the fatigue he was feeling and wrapped his arms around the elder's waist. Kita wrapped his arms around Hinata too, ignoring the smirk Aran was sending him and the wide eyed look from Atsumu and Suna.
"Congratulations, Shouyou. You did it." Kita said, smiling softly.
"No, Kita-san. We did it. You kicked my gears into place with your words that day, and everyday I find myself thankful for that. For you." Hinata said as he held onto Kita. The Japanese team watched them in silence, while Aran was nearly bouncing on his toes.
If there was anyone that knew Kita better than his late grandmother, it was Aran. Aran was his confidant, and it was Aran that knew about Kita's attraction on the ginger haired wing spiker back in their third year.
It was Aran that knew that Kita's attraction to Hinata deepened when the two kept in constant contact.
It was Aran that first knew the exact moment that Kita fell for Hinata.
It was Aran that knew what Kita was about to do.
Hinata blinked when Kita pulled away from their hug. "Kita-san?"
Kita smiled at Hinata before leaning down and crashing their lips together, much to the shock of many and the heartbreak of two. Hinata's eyes widened before he closed them and returned Kita's kiss before Kita pulled away.
The kiss was a bold move for Kita, especially in front of the Japanese Olympic Team. But when had Kita done things halfway?
"I love you, Shouyou. I'm sorry it took this long to tell you that." Kita said, cradling Hinata's face in his hands, not minding the audience.
"I love you too, Kita-san. And it's fine. I'm just happy that you returned my feelings." Hinata said as he placed his own hand on top of Kita's hand that was on his cheek.
"Be mine?"
"I have been since the day you showed me how to harvest rice properly a year ago." Hinata said as a tear fell from his face.
"Good." Kita said as they kissed again, and Aran let out the cheer he was trying to keep down.
Kageyama and Atsumu watched the scene with quivering lips.
Kageyama, who lost his because he was too much of a coward and too emotionally constipated to admit that he liked Hinata all those years ago.
Atsumu, who led on Hinata and added on to the mental strain that Hinata felt all those years ago.
It hurt, seeing Hinata so happy and in love with someone because they wasted their chance.
But they deserved it, the two setters thought.
At least Hinata finally had the happy ending he deserved.
Hinata was 25, when he finally found requited love.
Hinata was 26 when he moved to Brazil to play for Asas Sao Paulo for 3 years.
Hinata was 29 when he returned home to Japan.
Hinata was 32 when he and Kita finally tied the knot.
Hinata was 34 when he retired from Pro volleyball.
Hinata was 35 when they adopted their first child, a little boy named Hikaru.
Hinata was 40 when they adopted their little girl, Yumi.
Hinata was 50 when he became Inarizaki's newest coach.
Hinata was 80 when Kita passed away first.
Hinata was 85 when he last opened his eyes, happy because their children were successful and he was about to see the love of his life again.