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Timber, a cherry brown and varying shades of dark red from tree markings spanned the entire gym, interrupted by long white lines. The white (more of an ivory colour now, due to age) markings broke off scuff marks from afar. Goshiki leaned closer to the ground—nose only a few centimetres from the floor—for a seated straddle stretch. From closer up, he could see chips in the paint from shoe marks. If he swiped his finger across the ground, it'd come up dusty.
He hadn’t noticed any of these things before. It felt like seeing the Shiratorizawa gymnasium for the first time again. Goshiki had never looked down long enough to discern the finer details; always up to the sky as a wing spiker, not once did he watch the ground.
He moved into a butterfly pose. There, Hinata stood, gripping onto his mop using two hands, zooming across the room in an urgency Goshiki learned to associate with Hinata, rushing to clean the gym satisfactory enough for his teammates. Glazed under golden sunlight, striped shadows covering his peachy skin from the pattern of the window panelling, he turned into various shades of greys and oranges.
After being scolded by Tsukishima for being too reckless, Hinata laughed. The corners of his eyes crinkled and his button nose scrunched a little, his laugh carried through the gym in a melodious chime of joy. He laughed so freely, with his entire heart. He seemed so happy.
Here Goshiki sat, watching himself observe Hinata, overwhelmed by how openly he stared at Hinata. Enraptured by his beauty. You’re too obvious, his inner Shirabu chastised. Internally, he huffed, externally, he shoved his head down through the force of his pettiness towards Shirabu, pushing his body down to enhance the stretch in his hamstrings. He hissed. The strain stung more than he was used to. He exhaled.
He felt nothing except Hinata's beam, his glow, his elation, and the slight burn in his legs.
Eager to catch Hinata's cheeriness, he raced to finish his stretches. One breath in. One breath out. He moved onto his right shoulder. One breath in. One breath out.
Muscles vaguely sore, he clambered to where Hinata cleaned.
He allowed himself some moments to stare. The apex of Hinata's laughter had long since left, instead, he swiped away tears under his eyes and continued to mop the floors (though more carefully during this moment). There, Goshiki stayed. He wiped the dust away from his shorts, training himself to look away until he picked up another one of Hinata's laughs, though more reserved.
Time slowed solely for Hinata. Solely for Goshiki, who noticed Hinata. Here Goshiki existed, regarding one of the most beautiful boys he had ever seen, so happy and unforgivably himself.
Goshiki almost felt envious. No. Not quite envious, but jealous? Jealous how the sun could beam down and eye Hinata dancing gleefully from the window, touching the surfaces of his skin and dusting amber over his lashes. The sun, too, smiled down at Hinata as they both emitted light for everyone to orbit around.
Goshiki didn't know what the beating in his heart meant. Yet, when he looked at Hinata, a part of his soul felt reassured as though Hinata himself had told him everything would be okay. The warmth Hinata radiated—Goshiki followed. Even when he started sweating near Hinata, or when he lost his capacity for words, everything ended up okay.
Goshiki heard a snicker from his right. Tendou, probably. He turned to look at the perpetrator, and a head of red hair greeted him, a coy hand over his mouth.
"You're staring, Tsutomu," Tendou said, swaying his shoulders to a cheerful tune. Goshiki nodded slowly, trying to follow along with his movements.
"Hinata always seems so much brighter when he's happy," Goshiki thought aloud, entranced by how even when the laughter passed, the remnants of a smile could be seen on his face.
"You're right," Tendou hummed, nodding sagely as if he knew something Goshiki didn't. He probably did. Goshiki stopped questioning it the nth time Tendou called his name, accepting Tendou's enigmatic wisdom. "You should talk to him."
Goshiki blinked. "Me?" He pointed a finger at himself, then pointed to Hinata. "Me… go talk to him?"
Tendou beamed, a grin spanning widely over his face (though not quite as broad as Hinata's), giving two enthusiastic thumbs-up. He then pointed one thumb at Goshiki and one thumb at Hinata, before being strung along by Reon.
Goshiki dawdled, messing with the double-knotted ribbon on his shoelaces. Would it be right for him to intrude on sunlight? To sway the movement of the universe for his own selfish desire? This was not like becoming an ace through usurping Ushijima's title. This was facing the sun, willingly being blinded, because an explorer thought silly enough to believe he deserved the warmth of a star.
It seemed his feet had already decided for him. By the moment he resolved to leave, only carrying the memory of Hinata's laughter, there Hinata stopped, only a breath away from him.
"Goshiki-san!" The star called, and Goshiki knew he got pulled into orbit.
When he matched Hinata's lively gaze, saw the sparkle of excitement even through Goshiki's presence, Goshiki thought.
He thought, yes. Yes. I would do anything to show the light how much he shines.