Archive of Our Own

Love. 

Hinata Shouyou scoffed at the thought. It's stupid. He wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted to hate it. 

But you can never control such an emotion, can you? 

Just like how you can't control who you fall for. 

No matter how much you try to.

Hinata walked into the dorms, exhausted. It was 12:51 in the afternoon, and he had just come back from being outside. He needed it. The longer he stayed at the shared MSBY Dorms, the more suffocating it got for him. He was mentally exhausted. 

But along with being on his own outside, he also had time to reflect. Reflect on the feelings that is the exact reason why the dorms had become suffocating and pain-inducing.

Loving someone was tiring, and it has taken it's toll on him, especially since he was dumb enough to fall for three people simultaneously. 

He should've stopped himself when he had the chance. 

As he walked in, he made a quick glance of the room. Most of the team was in the living room. Adriah Tomas and Inunaki Shion were sitting on the floor, talking quietly. Meian Shuugo, the captain, was laying on the long couch while Sakusa Kiyoomi and Miya Atsumu are on the loveseat. Bokuto Koutarou was on his phone. Their other three members were nowhere to be found, and Hinata presumed that they were out too. 

Now, Hinata had never let a day pass without greeting the team enthusiastically. He was their little happy pill. So to see the ginger-haired wing spiker head directly to his room without said greeting made the team worried. 

Before Atsumu could get up to check on Hinata, Adriah was already out of his position beside Inunaki. The setter was pissed, and Inunaki knew that. He can see it from the way the blond's lips curled down. But the libero didn't expect to see the furrow in the dark brows of Sakusa, as well as the dispeased gleam in Bokuto's eyes. 

Frankly, Inunaki was happy that his boyfriend had made the move to go to Hinata. Had it been one of the three, Hinata's mood would've worsened. 

He could've gone with Adriah, but he didn't want to overwhelm the wing-spiker too much. 

Even if it was only them that knew the exact reason why Hinata's mood was so low. 

A knock on his bedroom door pulled Hinata out of his blank thoughts. 

He was dreading who was on the other side of the door, knowing how three of his teammates would end up bugging him if it was one of them.

He let out a sigh of relief when it was Adriah in front of him, and let the tall middle blocker in his room. 

"How are you doing, Shouyou?" Adriah asked, making Hinata chuckle pathetically. 

"I'm...surviving, I guess." 

"Is there anything I can do?" 

"...sing me to sleep?" 

"Of course." 

Hinata smiled as he laid on his bed, Adriah holding him close as he sang a lullaby under his breath. Despite Adriah's tall stature and intimidating figure, he was one of the sweetest guys in the team, and had the most soothing voice that Hinata has heard in his life. It has never failed to put him to sleep when his thoughts overwhelmed him, and Hinata sometimes had the habit of crawling in between Inunaki and Adriah in the middle of his worst nights. 

"Thank you, Adriah-san."

"Anytime."

It was two hours after he left that Adriah finally returned to the team in the living room, having fallen asleep beside Hinata accidentally. It wasn't particularly difficult to fall asleep in the ginger's plush bed. 

Hinata had the most comfortable bed in the team, after all.

As soon as he stepped foot in the living room, the team eyed him and his crumpled clothes. Inunaki just tilted his head in acknowledgement, all too used to the him and his tall boyfriend falling asleep after comforting the ginger.

"How is he?" Inunaki asked. Adriah bobbed his head left and right, the universal sign of so-so, while ignoring the glares sent his way. Inunaki sighed. He wanted to help Hinata so much, but what was he supposed to do? When the very same people that keep breaking his heart were people the ginger had to interact daily?

"Is Shouyou-kun okay?" Inunaki and Adriah looked at the setter before tilting their heads. 

"He's...he'll be okay." Inunaki said as he leaned on Adriah, a heavy, invisible weight on both their shoulders. Only Meian noticed the way their shoulders drooped. 

"They're so protective of him, but they sure don't notice how they break him." Adriah muttered in English under his breath, making Inunaki smile sadly. The libero understood and wholeheartedly agreed. 

It was the sad reality.

Hinata is sunshine incarnate. With his bright hair and loud laughs, an energetic personality and a smile that can light up an entire room, his melancholic eyes and unshed tears ends up hidden. 

People forget that the sun sets too. 

And no one is always that happy. 

Hinata was woken up by the grumbling of his stomach. 

He checked his phone and groaned at the time. 

12:51 AM.

He knew the others are most likely asleep by then, so he snuck down to the kitchen for a light, healthy and filling snack. 

While he was eating, his captain came down. 

"Something's bothering you, Hinata. What happened?" Meian asked just as Hinata was close to finishing his food. Hinata stopped eating and tillted his head. It took him five minutes to answer Meian's question. 

"...I wish I could hate love." 

Meian blinked, not having expected that answer. 

"Why?"

"Because all it does is bring pain." 

Pain. That's all what love brought him. 

Having grown up with a mother that spoke of love so cruelly while slapping him, and a father that walked out the door with his luggage despite declaring that he loved Hinata, the ginger knew just how painful love can be.

Now that he had fallen in love, he wanted to hate it with all that he has. 

"Have you ever fallen in love?" Meian's question made Hinata stand up from his chair and silently place his dish in the sink. 

"Goodnight, Meian-san."

"...goodnight, Hinata." Meian whispered in the now empty room, his eyes on Hinata's retreating back.  

The very next day, Hinata was back to his old self again, all bubbly as he jumped from one conversation to the next during practice. It was worrying, even to Inunaki and Adriah, but there was nothing they could do. They wished that they could. They wished that they could take all Hinata's pain away. The young wing spiker was so kind, so good, that he didn't deserve all the pain he suffered. 

Meian was worried. It didn't look like it with his stoic façade, but one can see it in his eyes if they focused enough, the dimness whenever he looked at the tiny wing spiker. 

Hinata's sparkling honey eyes had been so dull while they talked. So dull and lifeless that it spooked Meian more than he'd like to admit. 

"Just...let him be." Inunaki said, his voice tight with worry and resignation. 

"But..."

"He's not going to do anything stupid. He's just...struggling." Meian sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair at Inunaki's words.

"What do we do then?" Inunaki and Adriah looked at Meian and sent their captain a sad smile. 

"Be there for him. There's not much we could do but that." 

"Scrolling through my cell phone, for the 20th time today. Reading the texts you sent me again, though I memorised it anyway."

The walls of the dorm were thin, and all sounds could be heard across the walls of each room. It was a rare night where they all are still awake. Meian was in the living room with Bokuto, Sakusa and Atsumu in the kitchen and Adriah and Inunaki were in their room. Hinata was in his room, sitting up in his bed.

The sound of his voice caught the attention of the team, making them walk towards the source, which led them to the sight of Hinata's open bedroom door. They can see him as he stared at the foot of his bed, his eyes having a glassy, faraway look.

It was 12:51 AM, and the moon was high up, it's white light contrasting the royal blue of the night sky. The moonlight made Hinata's orange hair look more golden, and it softened his features, showing the sad smile on his face. It was mesmerizing to hear loud, energetic Hinata sing so softly and beautifully.

Hinata was too far gone in his memories to notice his team watching him in worry. 

"It was an afternoon in December when it reminded me of the day that we bumped into each other. But you couldn't say hi cause I looked away."

Hinata had fallen in love for a total of three times in his 23 years of living.

The first one had been Bokuto Koutarou, his old senpai and one of his closest friends. It was easy, and Hinata didn't even know that he fell for the ace until after the third year's graduation in high school. But he didn't say anything. He may be dumb, but he wasn't naïve. What was he supposed to say when he can see the way the ace's eyes practically glowed when he looked at Akaashi Keiji?

The second time he fell, it was for the intimidating and slightly condescending male that promised to toss to him one day. Miya Atsumu was an enigma, and they became friends after the Nationals in his first year. Atsumu was amazing, and Hinata knew that. He could see passed the lazy, condescending, selfish persona and the high expectations. Just like he did with Bokuto, Hinata had kept his mouth shut. Especially since all Atsumu spoke of was a curly haired spiker that he never named.

The third time he fell in love, it was fleeting. Just a masked man that he bumped into in Tokyo while visiting a few of his friends during the last half of his third year of high school. But Hinata couldn't get those dark eyes out of his head. It wasn't until the tall male got featured in a volleyball magazine that Hinata knew his name. Sakusa Kiyoomi, Itachiyama's old ace and a teammate of Bokuto Koutarou and Miya Atsumu. 

"Maybe that was the biggest mistake of my life. Maybe I haven't moved on since that time."

Letting himself fall in love was the biggest mistake Hinata had done in his life. 

Tears were now slowly falling down his face, reflecting the moonlight that was streaming through the glass of his windows. He could see the team watching him worriedly, not knowing what to do. After all, there was only one person that had seen him cry before. But he couldn't care. He was tired. 

Tired of feeling so broken.

"Cause it's 12:51, and I thought my feelings were gone. But sitting in my bed, thinking of them again."

 He had spent two years in Brazil, building himself from the ground up, hoping that all his attraction had disappeared by the time he got back to Japan. After all, it wouldn't do him good to dwell on the emotions. Bokuto and Akaashi had been official since his second year, and by the time he left for Japan, Sakusa and Atsumu had been in the courting stage. He genuinely thought that he had moved on. It was why he had no second thoughts to applying at MSBY Black Jackals where all three had gathered. 

"And the moon shines so bright, but I gotta dry this tears tonight. Cause they've moved on and I'm not that strong to hold on, any longer." 

He was a fool. Not only did he assume that he moved on, but he found himself in love with all three of them simultaneously. 

Being polyamorous can be such a bitch.

He let out a soft sob as he pulled his knees tighter to his chest. 

"Then I saw you with them. I'm glad you all are happy. But my world just seemed to crash. Shouldn't have thought that this would last."

And maybe that was the biggest mistake of my life
And maybe I haven't moved on since that night

Cause it's 12: 51 and I thought my feelings were gone
But I'm lying on my bed, thinking of you again
And the moon shines so bright, but I gotta dry these tears tonight
Cause you're moving on and I'm not that strong to hold on any longer

They were happy. He can see that. He's okay with it. 

Despite the feeling of his heart being ripped out his chest, he was okay. 

They're happy. 

That's what mattered. 

Hinata moved his tired gaze from the foot of his bed to the night sky, directly at the moon as tears fell faster. 

"As the sky outside gets brighter, and my eyes begin to tire. I'm slowly drowning in memories of them..." 

His eyes became hazy as he remembered everything. Every memory he had with them, and every single time he cried himself to sleep because of it. 

"And I know it shouldn't matter as my heart begins to shatter...I'm left to wonder... just how it could've been..."

He let out a heart wrenching sob as he curled up on himself, making the team jump from where they were standing, shocked at seeing the bubbly Hinata cry so much.

It hurt. It hurt to see Hinata like this. So broken. So lost. 

They felt guilty, for never noticing the pain he was carrying. 

A pair of arms wrapped around him and Hinata sobbed even harder. 

He would recognize those pair of arms, since it was from the person that would never willingly touch others aside from Hinata and Atsumu.

Sakusa Kiyoomi's arms.

Another pair wrapped themselves around him. ]

Miya Atsumu's.

And another. 

Bokuto Koutarou's.

As he sobbed, he couldn't help but feel mirth bubble up in him. 

The three people comforting him at the moment are the very people that were the source of his heart break. 

How fucking ironic.

Meian watched the group from the door before leaving them be, making his way to the libero's room. 

"Adriah, Inunaki." The couple looked at their captain. "Who are the...they...that Hinata-kun was talking about?" 

Meian had an inkling as to who, but he is begging all the gods he knew that he was wrong. His heart dropped when Inunaki looked away and Adriah sighed. 

"Who do you think, Captain?" the middle blocker stated. 

"...fuck." 

"Dumb question, but are you okay?" 

Hinata blinked his tears away as he looked at Iwaizumi Hajime. Iwaizumi was the athletic trainer for the Olympics, and Hinata made it to the team. 

It was interesting to the spectators, the way Hinata gravitated to Iwaizumi immediately. They have a common ground with being best friends with Oikawa Tooru after all, Hinata meeting the setter in Brazil and became close with him. With Iwaizumi, Hinata found peace. 

It was no secret that Hinata is chaotic. But with Iwaizumi, Hinata found solace. He found comfort in the peaceful atmosphere of that surrounded the trainer, and his raging thoughts calmed down. Iwaizumi knew just what to do when things get too much for him during practice, or just in general. As practices went on, the rest of the team knew not to bother both Hinata and Iwaizumi when they're together, especially when the pair was on the phone, talking in a foreign language only they understood. 

Much like Oikawa when Hinata was struggling in Brazil (and Argentina, when Oikawa is able to convince the ginger to fly to him,) Iwaizumi knew exactly what to say or do when Hinata is overwhelmed.

"I'm fine, Iwaizumi-san." 

"You don't look fine." Iwaizumi said, making Hinata scoff as he took a sip of his drink. Iwaizumi found him on the balcony of the little party venue their sponsors rented for them to celebrate the final roster of the Olympics. He looked back at the dace floor, finding Bokuto swaying with Akaashi, and Atsumu was trying to convince Sakusa to dance too. Iwaizumi followed his line of sight, and Hinata never saw the shadow that passed through Iwaizumi's eyes. 

"They're happy. So I'm okay." Hinata said as the tears he was holding back fell down his face and into the cup he was holding. Iwaizumi reached out whilst clicking his tongue, wiping the tears that kept on coming. 

"Come here." Iwaizumi said as he opened his arms. Hinata found himself breaking on Iwaizumi's chest, letting the buff trainer soothe him through soft back rubs and the large, calloused hands running through his ginger hair. He hadn't had another breakdown like this since his last one a little over a year ago, yet here he is now. 

If anyone from the Olympic Team see Hinata breaking on Iwaizumi's chest in the balcony, how Hinata stuck to Iwaizumi like a glue for the rest of the night, or how they got even closer over the remainder of the time they practiced for the Olympics to the point that they are on the given name basis, they never said anything.

"Shou-chan!" Oikawa's loud voice echoed through the court, despite the screams of the fans. Hinata's eyes snapped towards the other side of the court where Oikawa stood with the Argentinian team, clad in blue with the number 13 on his jersey. 

"Tooru-san!" Hinata screamed as he broke away from the Japanese team and ran towards the brunet, meeting the setter in a bruising hug that got the crowd screaming, Iwaizumi walking behind Hinata with a fond smile. Their PR teams will have a field day with their interactions, and they both can see joint interviews heading their way in the however long that the Argentinian team will be staying in Japan, but they really didn't care. Hinata felt a weight lift off of him as Oikawa hugged him, memories of breezy nights in Brazil's beaches and the days he spent at Oikawa's apartment coming back to him.

"How are you? Hajime told me that you had a breakdown..." 

"I'm okay, Tooru-san." 

"Are you-"

"Tooru, not here. We can talk later at the Olympic Village, yeah? But you and Shouyou have a game." 

Oikawa sighed at his boyfriend before nodding. They hadn't been able to talk much since the Olympics training began for both teams. Between the 12 hour time difference and the exhausting practices, communication had been hard and had been reduced to one to two messages exchanged, sometimes three to five, or a phone call if they're lucky. 

"Okay, Haji." Oikawa said as he gave Iwaizumi a hug, and gave Hinata another one before the trainer gently dragged Hinata back to where the team gathered.

"Haji-san?" 

"Later, Shou. Okay?" 

"Okay." 

Hinata smiled at the Iwaizumi and Oikawa's doting. With the Olympics finally over and done with, they can now relax and have fun, hence why they're at the afterparty. The couple had not once left his side, and Hinata was grateful. 

But there was a tension between the three. Hinata can tell with the way Oikawa's leg bounced at dinner, and the way Iwaizumi kept on tugging his sleeves up his arm, that the two are itching for a private conversation. So Hinata led them to the rooftop, where he loved to sit and think.

"Shou-chan..."

"I'm okay, Tooru-san." 

"Stop lying, Shouyou," Iwaizumi said. "Please stop. We can see that you're not okay."

"But I really am okay! I promise!" 

"Shouyou." Hinata froze when Oikawa used his full given name. Iwaizumi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Hinata sighed. There was no point of him lying. Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi had seen him in his lowest. Not to mention that Oikawa had been the first one to see him cry. His shoulders drooped as he let out another sigh. "Shou-chan..."

Hinata laid down on the concrete floor of the rooftop, eyes jumping from one glowing star to the next. 

"Love sucks. I'm literally in love with three people I can't have. I mean it's not like I can blame them, since it wasn't their fault, but you know. It still sucks. I thought I moved on, but I guess I haven't." Hinata said as he closed his eyes, trying to keep his tears in. "It makes me want to hate love so much." He didn't open his eyes, not wanting to let the tears escape. "But they're happy. That's more than I could ask for. I'm okay with that." 

"But what about you?" Iwaizumi said, making Hinata get up from the floor and look at where the couple was sitting down. They were...angry? Annoyed? Hinata couldn't tell. 

"What about me?" 

"Shou-chan...When are you going to chase your own happiness? When are you going to be happy for yourself?" Oikawa asked softly. The soft tone and the questions finally broke through Hinata's resolve and the ginger let his tears fall. "You cannot let yourself keep giving and giving. It's breaking you. This is breaking you. My favourite quote may be 'Hit it till it breaks,' but you can't keep breaking your soul like this." 

"I-I...T-they're happy. That's all that matters." Hinata sobbed, but jumped when Iwaizumi began to shout.

"Damn it, Shouyou! You matter too!" Iwaizumi said, large hands running through his hair in frustration. "You matter to me. To Tooru. You can't keep hurting yourself like this. You of all people should be the happy one. You of all people deserve to be happy." 

"Then what the fuck do you suggest that I do?!" Hinata screamed back through his tears, feeling lost and exhausted.  Oikawa stood, shocked. Between Iwaizumi's yelling and Hinata's sobbing, he didn't really know what do but to speak his mind. So he did. 

"Let us help you be happy, Shou-chan." Oikawa said, shocking Hinata to silence.

"What..?" 

Iwaizumi sighed as he took held Oikawa's hand. "Probably not the best way to approach the subject." 

"I know. But, I needed the both of you to stop. It was the only thing I could think of." Oikawa said, wincing as he caught sight of Hinata who was still frozen in shock with wide unblinking eyes. They stayed silent until Hinata blinked, looking back and forth between them in disbelief. 

"....what?"

"Shouyou..."Iwaizumi sighed. He found himself sighing a lot today. "Tooru and I have liked you since we met you back in high school." 

"We still do, Shou-chan. And it hurts us to see you hurt yourself this way." 

"Let us help you Shouyou. You don't have to like us or love us back. We just want you happy." 

"I'll be staying in Japan for the next six months since Argentina had decided to give the players a break. Just...please think about it." 

"I-i..I'll think about it." Hinata said, causing the pair to let out a sigh of relief. That was more than they could've asked for. Iwaizumi looked at Hinata and noticed the exhaustion in Hinata's eyes. 

"Come here, Shouyou. You're exhausted. Give crappykawa's overly large shoulders some use by resting on it." Iwaizumi joked, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. It worked, since Oikawa let out a gasp of offense while Hinata made his way to sit between them and lean his head on Oikawa's shoulder.

"Mean, Iwa-chan! And you can't complain when you leave so many marks-" 

"Shut up!" Iwaizumi cut Oikawa off, his ears a dark red. Had Hinata had any energy left in his system, he would've cooed at the sight of a blushing Iwaizumi. But he couldn't, not when he had fallen asleep within seconds of leaning on Oikawa, the exhaustion of today's events finally catching up to him. 

Iwaizumi and Oikawa looked at the sleeping ginger fondly.

"So...What now, Iwa-chan?" 

"Now...we wait. We wait for his decision."

"Oi, where do you think you're taking our Shouyou-kun?" 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi stopped walking and looked at Atsumu with cold eyes. The rest of the Japanese team watched as Oikawa and Atsumu had a stare-off. The tension between them is palpable. Oikawa had been carrying Hinata bridal style as he led Iwaizumi towards his room when the blond setter had called his name out.

"Your Shouyou-kun?" Iwaizumi asked through a clenched jaw. 

Let's face it. Atsumu is intimidating. However, that intimidation was nothing compared to Oikawa and Iwaizumi, because even Atsumu flinched under the cold looks he was being given. But he held his ground, and had Iwaizumi not been angry, he would've been impressed. 

"Haji..."

"Pass me Shouyou. We'll be in my room. You remember where it is, yes?" Iwaizumi asked as he took Hinata from Oikawa effortlessly. Hinata's time in Brazil had buffed him out, but he was still smaller compared to Iwaizumi's muscle mass and Oikawa's towering height.

"Don't do anything stupid. Shouyou needs you, not your temper." Iwaizumi continued and Oikawa nodded as he dropped a kiss on Iwaizumi's cheek and another on Hinata's forehead, waiting until the pair was out of earshot before moving his gaze back on Atsumu, eyes colder than ice. 

Of course he knew about the blond setter. Hinata didn't hide the identities when he first broke down in Oikawa's arms in Brazil. He knew who exactly broke Hinata's heart, whether they meant to or not. 

"First of all, he is not anyone's but his own self." Oikawa stated as he crossed his arms, not missing the way Kageyama nodded in agreement and approval from where he stood behind Atsumu. "Second, you don't even have a smidge of a claim on him especially when you know nothing of the pain he holds in his heart. That goes for you and to everyone and to everyone that it applies to."

"And you do?" Sakusa Kiyoomi cut in. Had it been possible, Oikawa's brown eyes would've gotten colder when he looked at Sakusa before scoffing. 

"Of course I do. I spent a entire week in Brazil, being the shoulder he needed to cry on. He spent days in Argentina with me, trying his best to forget whatever was troubling him. I spent countless hours on the phone making sure he was okay after a breakdown or just because he needed someone. Hajime and I spent the last hour comforting him and convincing him to let go of his troubles when you, his teammates, knew absolutely nothing because you allowed his smiles to blind you from the pain in his eyes." Oikawa said before looking at Kageyama. "Except you, Tobio-chan. I know Shou-chan hasn't kept anything from you." 

"How could you-"

"Enough, Atsumu-san." Kageyama said, interrupting whatever tirade Atsumu was going to say. He didn't need to look at the other Japanese setter to see the betrayal in his eyes. 

"Tobio kun? Are you taking his side?" Atsumu asked, making Kageyama turn around and look at the blond angrily. He may never fully like Oikawa or Iwaizumi, but Hinata is his best friend, and while he may be emotionally constipated most of the times, he'll be damned if he allowed Atsumu to continue hurting the first person outside his family to truly trust him, intentional or not. The only reason he hasn't done anything stupid to Bokuto, Sakusa and Atsumu was because Hinata made him promise that he won't, and the fact that one really cannot choose who they love.

"As much as I wish not to, he and Iwaizumi-san had been the ones mending the heart yo-" 

"Tobio-chan, that is enough. Do not spill things that Shou-chan had been able to hide for so long. Please." Kageyama blinked and nodded as he faced Oikawa. 

"Go, Oikawa-san. I'll handle them. Shouyou needs you." 

"Thank you. I'll see you whenever." Oikawa said as he walked away, only to stop when Kageyama called his name again. 

"Please take care of him, Oikawa-san. He's been through enough. I'm trusting you with him." 

For once, Kageyama saw a genuine smile across Oikawa's face. He knew just how important trust is to Kageyama. 

"Tobio-chan, Haji and I didn't spend nearly eight years of pining for nothing. You have my word. The only thing we need is for him to allow is to help. Have a good night." Oikawa said before disappearing into the crowd. 

"What the hell was that, Tobio-kun? Do you not trust us with Shouyou-kun?" Atsumu asked Kageyama.

"No. I do not. If I'm being honest Atsumu-san, you're at the very bottom of the list of people that I would entrust my best friend to." Kageyama said before glaring at Atsumu and walking away, leaving silence in the team.

Hinata sighed as he walked around the shore of the lake that was in the middle of the Olympic Village. He needed time to think, and Iwaizumi and Oikawa had given him exactly that. Iwaizumi was right. He can't keep hurting himself like this. Oikawa was right. He can't keep breaking his own soul like this. 

"Hinata?" 

Hinata looked at the person that called his name, and smiled at Bokuto and Akaashi. He watched as Bokuto shared a look with his fiancé before running towards the ginger and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "Bokuto-san?"

"I'm so so sorry, Hinata." Bokuto whispered. "I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you." 

Hinata froze before relaxing, wrapping his own arms around Bokuto. Hinata should've known that Bokuto would catch on. Despite the exuberant personality, Bokuto had always been good at reading between the lines. Sloww, but good. "Don't ever apologise for something you can't control, Bokuto-san. You can't choose who your heart wants, and that's okay. I'll be okay, just don't let Akaashi-san go."

"I won't." Bokuto stated before moving away when Akaashi tapped his shoulder, letting his fiancé hug Hinata too.

"I'm always here for you, Hinata-kun. Always. You're family at this point, yeah? And we support each other." Akaashi whispered as he rocked Hinata back and forth, not minding the wetness on his shoulder from Hinata's tears. Akaashi knew that he can't really apologise. The only thing he can do is to offer his support.

"Thank you, Akaashi-san." Hinata whispered before letting go with a smile, wiping his tears with one hand. As he watched them walk away, his heart felt a little lighter. 

Ten minutes after Akaashi and Bokuto left, Kageyama found him.

"Shouyou." 

"Tobio." 

Silence reigned as they watched the small waves of the lake water push through the shore when the wind was a little too strong. 

"You should give them a chance." Kageyama said, startling the peaceful silence between them. Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san, I mean." 

"Should I?" 

"In my opinion, you should. If you remember, I've known them since middle school. They've never showed any romantic interest to anyone but each other." Kageyama stated before looking at Hinata. "Until you." 

"But why me?" Hinata asked, watching as Kageyama stood up and picked a rock up, throwing it sideways and watching it skip across the surface. 

"I don't know. Why do you like them?" Kageyama retorted, rendering Hinata silent. "I remember them talking about a missing link, how nobody affected them the way they needed for their little perfect fit. Until they met you." 

"...okay." Hinata said, before their phones chimed. Their coach was looking for them. 

"Shouyou." 

"Yeah?" 

"Choose yourself this time, please. Choose your happiness, even if it means moving on."

Hinata sat between Oikawa and Iwaizumi, chatting away as they relaxed. They were surrounded by the Argentinian team, thanking his luck that Oikawa and Iwaizumi had spoken to him enough times in Spanish that he can get by in a conversation on top of his Portuguese.  

He felt Oikawa and Iwaizumi tense, just a few seconds before someone called his name, causing him to be pulled away from the conversation he was having with the Argentinian libero.

"Can I speak to you privately, Shouyou-kun?" Atsumu asked, a determined glint in his eyes. 

"uh...Sure." Hinata said as he got up and broke away from the group, ignoring the glares Atsumu was receiving from the couple that had been left behind. Hinata opened his mouth as soon as they got into a more private area. "What can I do for you, Atsumu-san?" 

Hinata didn't like the unknown emotion on the hazel eyes. It was giving him a negative vibe, and for some reason, he wanted nothing to do with it. 

"Omi and I want you to be our third." Atsumu stated with a smile. Hinata opened his mouth to say yes on instinct, but the glint in Atsumu's eyes stopped him. Now, he recognised the emotion. It was the same emotion that would light the setter's eyes when he found a challenge. A challenge he'd do anything to win on. It was then that Hinata understood what he was in Atsumu's life. 

He was just a challenge. Their friendship may be geniune, but to anything past that, Atsumu sees as a challenge he needed to conquer so he can toss later on. 

Hinata closed his mouth and shook his head. "And I don't want to be your third." He said, causing the smile from Atsumu's face to drop.

"I know you're in love with Omi and I, Shouyou-kun. Stop playing hard to get."

Hinata smiled sadly. "I may be in love with you and Omi-san, but I also know both of you. I know that Omi-san is not open to triad relationships, and I know that you only see me as a conquest." He said before turning around and smiling at the fact that Oikawa and Iwaizumi had not left his figure once since he walked away with Atsumu. "I'm choosing myself this time, Atsumu-san. I'm sorry." 

Hinata walked away, sitting between Oikawa and Iwaizumi with a soft smile before reaching out and holding their hands. 

"Shouyou?"

"Shou-chan?" 

"...let's see where this takes us." Hinata said, smiling at them. 

2025

Hinata sighed as he got off the plane, the heat prickling his tan skin. He went to the luggage claim to grab his stuff, only to find a someone already holding it for him. Before he could thank the person, a loud voice called their names. 

"Hajime! Shou-chan!" Iwaizumi and Hinata opened their arms just in time for a tall figure to barrel into them. "You're both finally here!" 

"We are, Tooru." 

"We're home, Tooru-san."